English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 16/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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15 آذار/2023
Bible Quotations For today
The Miracle Of Reviving Lazarus From the
Grave/I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though
they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
John 11/17-27: “When Jesus arrived, he found that
Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near
Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if
you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God
will give you whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will
rise again.’Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the
resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the
life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who
lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him,
‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming
into the world.’””
.
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 15-16/2023
Report: Hezbollah seeking to
convince FPM not to vote for anyone
Safa, Bassil to discuss 'Saudi proposals' and Salameh successor
Doha proposes to Bassil sanctions lifting if he eases stance on army chief
Report: Berri spoke of June 15 deadline after sanctions threat
Ain el-Tineh urges opposition to agree on candidate, go to parliament
Geagea says 'ready' for vote session, won't reveal LF-FPM talk results
Salameh won't go to Paris questioning, plans to retire in UAE
Finding common ground: EDL's proposal for dollar-based pricing amidst dispute
with BDL
Exploring the factors behind Lebanon's delayed cannabis law implementation
Lebanon's economic crisis: Amin Salam calls for Arab support
Habib confirms that the Arab Fund loan will be paid in 3 stages in US dollars
Bou Habib discusses Arab Summit preparations with Ambassador Bukhari, Seventh
Brussels Conference with UN’s Wronecka
Mikati meets with French and Italian Ambassadors, discusses prison crisis with
Moussa and Arab Fund loan with Habib
Berri meets Asian Football Confederation president, meets former minister
Fattoush, Lebanon’s Ambassador to Paraguay
Mufti Qabalan broaches general situation with Japanese Ambassador
Independent Oversight Board of the Lebanon Reform, Recovery, and Reconstruction
Framework
“3a Tarik el Gemmayzeh” – the 2nd edition of the largest street market in
Lebanon!
Nasrallah stirs a pot of provocation that will erupt in our faces/Baria
Alamuddin/Arab News/May 15, 2023
Lebanon’s already catastrophic refugee situation could be made worse/Nadim
Shehadi/Arab News/May 15/2023
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on May 15-16/2023
Iran Executes 2 Prisoners in Sanandaj Central Prison
Tehran Reveals Iraqi Mediation between Iran, Egypt
Israel May Pursue Some Judicial Reforms by August, Lawmaker Says
Cyprus says in talks with Israel over pipeline linking gas fields
Arrests Made over Drug Smuggling Near Syrian-Jordanian Border
UAE invites Syria's Assad to COP28 climate summit -Syrian media
Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Man in West Bank
UN Envoy Hopes to Work with Arab Ministerial Committee to Solve Syria Crisis
80 percent of Palestinians welcome Chinese offer to mediate with Israel, US seen
as least favorite option
UN to commemorate Palestinians' 1948 flight from Israel for the first time
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy, in Britain, Wins Pledge of Long-Range Drones
White House: Russia looks to purchase more attack drones from Iran after
depleting stockpile
US sees more indication of Russia, Iran defense cooperation
Ukraine hails gains in Bakhmut as Zelenskiy wins more arms in Europe
Putin’s Reportedly Had to Ban His Top Officials from Quitting as Ukraine War
Falters
Putin is on the ropes. Britain can prepare Ukraine for the final blow
Wagner boss accused of betraying Russians to Ukraine
Amid feud with Putin, Wagner mercenary leader offered Ukrainians the locations
of invading troops in exchange for sparing his for-hire army, leaked documents
reveal
Türkiye Faces Runoff Election with Erdogan Leading
Sudan's Burhan Decides to Freeze RSF Bank Accounts
Titles For
The Latest
English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 15-16/2023
Israel-Palestine conflict: 75 years of failed negotiations/Chris
Doyle/Arab News/May 15, 2023
Washington… What about the People?/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/May 15/2023
The Big Performance/Samir Atallah/Asharq Al Awsat/May 15/2023
Ukraine’s Offensive Could Set Stage for Diplomacy with Russia, US Officials
Say/Edward Wong and Michael Crowley/The New York Times/May 15/2023
Is Any ‘One Culture Superior to Others’?/Raymond Ibrahim/May 15/2023
Who Wants to Destroy Israel? You Might Be Surprised./Guy Millière/Gatestone
Institute./May 15, 2023
Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 15-16/2023
Report: Hezbollah seeking to convince FPM not to vote for anyone
Naharnet/May 15/2023
Hezbollah is confident of its ability to secure Suleiman Franjieh’s election any
voting session that might be held, a media report said. “It is pressing to
neutralize the Aounist Movement’s bloc by offering it guarantees that it will be
influential in the coming period,” Annahar newspaper reported. “Hezbollah is
trying to sway the FPM, not into electing Franjieh but rather into not electing
any of his competitors,” the daily added. The report comes on the eve of a
meeting in Sin el-Fil between Hezbollah liaison and coordination officer Wafiq
Safa and FPM chief Jebran Bassil.
Safa, Bassil to discuss 'Saudi proposals' and
Salameh successor
Naharnet/May 15/2023
Political circles are betting on the outcome of the meeting that will be held
Tuesday between Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil and Hezbollah
liaison and coordination official Wafiq Safa, media reports said. Sources close
to the FPM told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Monday that the
meeting will be held at Hezbollah’s request. Hezbollah wants to “exchange
opinions over the results of the latest consultations, especially those related
to the presidential election,” the sources said.
Safa “will carry a host of questions and answers over the outcome of the foreign
mediations, especially the Saudi proposals that were carried by Ambassador (Walid)
Bukhari over the past few days,” the sources added. The sources also noted that
the talks will tackle administrative and financial files, especially the central
bank governor post in light of Riad Salameh’s looming term expiry. Hezbollah
chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had on Friday stressed that the caretaker Cabinet
should not name a new central bank governor nor extend Salameh’s term before the
election of a new president.
Doha proposes to Bassil sanctions lifting if he
eases stance on army chief
Naharnet/May 15/2023
Qatar has proposed to clear the record of U.S. sanctioned Free Patriotic
Movement leader Jebran Bassil if the latter in return agrees to soften his
stance on the presidential nomination of Army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun, Nidaa al-Watan
newspaper said.
The daily said Monday that Bassil accepted the offer, adding that the Qatari
security delegation that visited Lebanon last week, will return to the country
after the Arab League meeting in Jeddah. According to local media reports, Qatar
has long been pushing for Aoun's nomination, while ad-Diyar newspaper reported
last week that the Qatari drive seems to be coordinated with Saudi Arabia and
the United States.
Report: Berri spoke of June 15 deadline after sanctions threat
Naharnet /May 15/2023
The foreign threats to impose sanctions on the Lebanese officials who obstruct
the presidential vote are what pushed Speaker Nabih Berri to say that “the
presidential election should be finalized before June 15 at the latest,” a media
report said on Monday. “There are serious indications about foreign sanctions
that are being mulled to be imposed on the obstructors of the presidential
vote,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper said. “The sanctions indications started to
emerge on April 26 through the letter on the situation in Lebanon that was sent
to U.S. President Joe Biden by the head of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations, Robert (Bob) Menendez, and the Committee’s Ranking Member James (Jim)
Risch,” the daily added. The letter contained a direct criticism of Berri over
his role in the presidential file. “We remain discouraged by the ongoing
political deadlock, engineered by Hezbollah and its allies, like Nabih Berri, to
wear down the opposition to its preferred candidate at the expense of candidates
with broader support who are more willing to tackle Lebanon’s many challenges,”
Menendez and Risch said in their letter.
Report: Berri to call for presidential vote, Safa to
meet Bassil
Naharnet/May 15/2023
The “countdown” for Speaker Nabih Berri’s call for a presidential election
session has started, informed sources quoted a prominent political leader as
saying. “His remarks about June 15 as a deadline are not only aimed at pushing
political forces to take decisions, but are also based on several indications
and elements,” the sources added, in remarks to ad-Diyar newspaper published
Sunday. “The positive atmosphere as to finalizing things is more serious than
ever,” the political leader added. A prominent parliamentary source from the
Shiite Duo meanwhile expressed to ad-Diyar his “relief” over the latest
developments, saying that “there is a good and positive foreign atmosphere and
an active domestic drive that can be counted on in securing the right
circumstances for the election of the president.” “Speaker Berri is inclined to
call for a presidential election session and the other camp must name its
candidate,” the source added. Informed sources meanwhile told the daily that
Hezbollah liaison and coordination officer Wafiq Saqa will meet next week in Sin
el-Fil with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil.
Ain el-Tineh urges opposition to agree on candidate, go to parliament
Naharnet/May 15/2023
After reports and rival parties said the French, Saudi and U.S. stances are no
longer in favor of Suleiman Franjieh’s nomination, Ain el-Tineh sources have
stressed that “the international stances have not changed regarding the Lebanese
presidential settlement.”
“The French have not retreated, the Saudis have not backpedaled and the
Americans have not reconsidered their vision,” the sources told al-Jadeed TV.
“Let them (the opposition) voice less theories and agree on a candidate and let
parliament’s doors open to the presidential juncture,” the sources added.
Geagea says 'ready' for vote session, won't reveal
LF-FPM talk results
Naharnet /May 15/2023
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has decided not to reveal the developments
of the talks with the Free Patriotic Movement over a presidential candidate.
"Every party has the right to keep its cards hidden," Geagea told MTV, urging
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to call for an election session this week. "We
are totally ready for it," he said. LF MP Fadi Karam had earlier said that the
LF and the FPM have to come to an agreement to reach a rescue president and
prevent the election of the Shiite Duo's candidate. "We are discussing three
names with the FPM, one of them is (former finance minister) Jihad Azour."FPM MP
George Atallah was also positive about the LF-FPM talks. He revealed that the
two parties have overcome many obstacles and that the talks have reached an
advanced stage. "We are now discussing names," he said, adding that the FPM will
not endorse the Shiite Duo's candidate and has refused all its proposals. The
name with the highest chances is Azour, according to al-Akhbar newspaper. The
daily said that the FPM refused MP Michel Mouawad, Army Chief Joseph Aoun and
former MP Salah Honein, while the LF refused former minister Ziad Baroud. Azour
also has the support of the Democratic Gathering bloc, al-Akhbar said. Yet, the
daily quoted a LF source as saying that although the two parties have agreed to
refuse Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh, the LF is still uncertain of the FPM
stance regarding the opposing candidate. "(FPM chief Jebran) Bassil, to Maarab,
is still in a gray area. We are not yet sure that he will name a candidate that
is not acceptable to Hezbollah," the source said. LF spokesman Charles Jabbour
had asked Saturday in a tweet whether Bassil would dare to agree with the
opposition on a presidential candidate without returning to his ally. Kataeb MP
Elias Hankash said that "an agreement on a name with the LF and the FPM is
imminent," but "Whether Bassil will engage in the presidential battle against
Hezbollah depends on the talks that will be held in the coming days."
Salameh won't go to Paris questioning, plans to
retire in UAE
Agence France Presse/May 15/2023
Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has decided not to attend the May 16
interrogation session in Paris and is instead planning to retire in Sharjah, UAE,
media reports have said. Salameh fears that he might be detained or banned from
traveling if he goes to France, the reports said. Instead, the governor and his
legal team will argue that he has not been officially notified of the French
interrogation request. In remarks to al-Akhbar newspaper, Lebanese investigative
judge Charbel Abou Samra confirmed that Salameh has not been notified of the
session’s date. “I have not found him anywhere and accordingly he has not been
notified in the proper manner. In such a case, I would inform the summoning
party that I failed to reach an accurate address of the person summoned,” Abou
Samra told the daily. A judicial official confirmed that Salameh will miss the
hearing after Lebanese police failed to deliver a summons. Lebanese "police
officers visited the central bank four times last week to hand Riad Salameh an
official summons" on behalf of the French authorities, the judicial official
said. "But they could not find him anywhere" and the summons was returned to
Lebanon's judiciary, which was to notify French authorities, the official added.
A security officer at the central bank had given different reasons for Salameh's
absence, telling police he had just left the building, was in a meeting or could
not come to his workplace for "security reasons," the official revealed. French
judge Aude Buresi had told Salameh at the end of an interrogation session weeks
ago in Beirut that he was officially asked to appear before her on May 16 in
Paris, but Judge Abu Samra interfered and told Buresi that “an official
notification cannot take place in this manner” and that the French judiciary
“should ask the Lebanese judiciary to carry out the move, seeing as it is the
only authority entitled to do so,” al-Akhbar said. “Accordingly, Buresi asked
Abou Samra to notify Salameh of the date for his appearance before her and he
promised to do so immediately,” the daily added. “But subsequently Salameh was
not notified, which prompted him to keep the matter as a card that he would draw
in the right moment, the thing that happened Sunday, when his legal team
informed the French that he had not been notified of the session’s date,” the
newspaper said. And while Abou Samra has been accused of failing to carry out
the notification in a legal manner, relevant parties told al-Akhbar that “the
entire matter has been prepared in a calculated manner by the officials who back
Salameh in all Lebanese authorities.”“Buresi will be obliged to set a new date
before the end of this month, but the information indicates that the governor
will stay out of sight during this period, which would prevent him once again
from being notified in an official manner,” the parties said. Salameh maintained
his innocence on March 17, which was the second and final day of questioning in
Beirut before European investigators in a probe into his personal wealth.
Salameh, 72, is part of the Lebanese political class widely blamed for a
crushing economic crisis that began in late 2019 and which the World Bank has
dubbed one of the worst in recent history. He faces allegations of crimes
including embezzlement in separate probes in Lebanon and abroad, with
investigators examining the fortune he has amassed during three decades in the
job. The European investigators, including representatives of authorities in
France, Germany and Luxembourg, are looking into allegations of financial
misconduct, including possible money laundering and embezzlement. Salameh
"answered all the questions" and "pledged to provide all the documents tracing
the sources of his wealth" as well as the addresses of people mentioned in the
questioning sessions, a judicial official told AFP. Members of the European
delegation returned to Beirut in April and questioned Salameh's brother Raja and
former assistant Marianne Hoayek. They also interrogated caretaker Finance
Minister Youssef Khalil on May 5.
Finding common ground: EDL's proposal for dollar-based pricing amidst dispute
with BDL
LBCI/May 15/2023
A dispute has emerged between the Central Bank Governor and Electricité du Liban
(EDL) over the calculation of two trillion LBP in US dollars. The disagreement
revolves around whether the exchange rate should be set at LBP 52,000 to the
dollar, as EDL issued invoices for November and December, or at LBP 104,000 to
the dollar as set by Banque du Liban (BDL) according to the Sayrafa exchange
rate. The dispute has been further fueled by BDL's refusal to open a dollar
account for EDL, which requires government approval. This impasse is impeding
the issuance of invoices for January and February, as the exact dollar exchange
rate remains uncertain. However, EDL has warned that continuing this dispute
jeopardizes the emergency plan. To resolve this issue, EDL proposes adopting a
dollar-based pricing system for electricity tariffs, invoices, and collections.
Exploring the factors behind Lebanon's delayed
cannabis law implementation
LBCI/May 15/2023
Marijuana plant holds economic potential if appropriately utilized. In a
neglected opportunity spanning several decades, the authorities in Lebanon
failed to recognize the economic potential of cannabis. There are several
reasons for this negligence. Firstly, there needed to be more awareness
regarding its medical benefits. Secondly, religious, social, and political
taboos were associated with its cultivation, linking it solely to drug
consumption. Lastly, there were mismanagement issues, as seen in the 1990s when
the West urged Lebanon to combat this cultivation, resulting in the current
situation. However, the government did not actively seek external support for
alternative crops, as with other countries like Morocco. Efforts were made to
change this reality by legalizing it, but these attempts fell short of
implementation. The proposed law, which aimed to establish legal controls for
cannabis cultivation, was introduced in 2018 and became law two years later,
permitting the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes. Nevertheless,
efforts went in vain, and the expected financial benefits from the legislation
were not realized due to the absence of implementing decrees and the formation
of regulatory bodies. Why were these decrees not issued, and was the regulatory
body formed? According to MP Yassine Jaber, the subcommittee chairman who
examined the law, the delay was caused by a lack of funding resources, similar
to more than 70 pending laws. In addition to the funding issue, the opposition
of Hezbollah to the law hindered its implementation. They were not convinced of
its economic feasibility and feared the potential misuse of cannabis as a
narcotic substance, which is prohibited by their religious beliefs. The third
reason behind the obstruction of the law's implementation was the failure to
establish a regulatory body responsible for regulation and administration. It
was the Cabinet's responsibility to appoint its members, a step that has not
been taken. According to a legal source who contributed to the formulation of
the law, there were strict scientific criteria and standards for selecting
members of the regulatory body, but political favoritism and nepotism prevented
implementation. So, once again, Lebanon missed an opportunity to boost its
economy.
Lebanon's economic crisis: Amin Salam calls for Arab
support
LBCI/May 15/2023
Amin Salam, the Caretaker Minister of Economy, explained that despite the great
strides that have taken place in the file of Arab economic integration and the
commendable efforts made in this context by the League of Arab States and all
Arab countries, integration must become a reality "because our strength as Arabs
is not only in our unity but also in our economic agglomeration." In a recent
speech during the preparatory meeting of senior officials of the Economic and
Social Council for the Arab League Summit, he added: "The world is witnessing
shifts in politics and the economy, and our Arab world is not far from these
transformations. Steps are of great importance that we praise and look at with a
glimmer of hope for the future of our region."Still, "these Arab
transformations, and those related to our region, must be accompanied by real
Arab endeavors to build a long-awaited integrated Arab economy."
He pointed out that modern history has proven that the strength of states is no
longer measured by their military superiority but rather by their economic
capabilities and the development of their industries, and the extent to which
they achieve self-sufficiency, in addition to their immunity to various economic
crises.
He stressed that the Arab world possesses, in all its countries, unparalleled
economic capabilities and strengths that made it and still is the focus of
ambition for many, with its natural resources, human capabilities, and a
prominent geographical location in which it holds several of the most important
gates of the world. In his speech, Salam touched on the file of Syrian refugees,
saying: "It is no longer hidden from anyone that the great economic burden
incurred by Lebanon, as well as the rest of the Arab countries hosting Syrian
refugees, as a result of this." He added that reducing this burden on Lebanon
and the Arab host countries begins with a rule of a speedy return with safe and
dignified conditions for the Syrian refugees to their homeland. This not only
relieves the economic and social pressure on Lebanon but also constitutes an
essential element and a vital human resource for rebuilding their villages and
cities, achieving development, and launching the economic wheel in Syria for the
benefit of all Arab countries. He said, "Lebanon is going through, as you know,
its worst economic crisis throughout its history, and its crisis is considered
one of the most severe crises in the world, linked to the huge explosion that
occurred in the port of Beirut and left great losses, the painful repercussions
of which we are still living to this day." He highlighted that Lebanon is going
through a delicate transitional phase—a fateful one based on reform,
strengthening confidence, and rebuilding. Still, Salam highlighted that Lebanon
is always confident that its Arab brothers will stand by it in all the crises
and wars that afflicted it, looks forward to their support in this ordeal, and
invites them to invest in its infrastructure and establish productive projects
that benefit Lebanon, Arab countries, and Arab investors. He pointed out that
the investment opportunities are numerous and promising, and Lebanon, which is
considered one of the economically pioneering countries in the history of the
region, can rise again from its economic rise as the rise of the rest of the
Arab countries facing financial crises, is an added value to the economy of the
Arab world and is in the interest Arab economic integration and the Arab
economic power "that we all aspire to."
Habib confirms that the Arab Fund loan will be paid
in 3 stages in US dollars
LBCI/May 15/2023
The Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Manager of the Banque de
L'habitat, Antoine Habib, reassured that the liquidation of the Arab Fund loan,
which was signed in 2019 and has not been liquidated until today due to the
circumstances in Lebanon, will be done in US dollars and not in Lebanese lira.
After his meeting with the Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, accompanied
by member of the Board of Directors Tawfiq Naji, Habib confirmed that the loan
still exists and will be paid in three stages. He added that the loan value that
will be given to borrowers ranges between $40,000 for low-income people and
$50,000 for middle-income people. He explained that the Arab Fund for Economic
and Social Development loan was confirmed because there are loans related to the
financing of some projects in Lebanon that have been canceled or are being
considered for cancellation, whether by the Arab Fund or some other funds. Habib
pointed out that the Housing Bank paid all the obligations imposed on it in
terms of interest and assets, and it never failed to pay, which helped stabilize
this loan. Additionally, he announced that there are regulatory frameworks to
proceed with this loan and that the Arab Fund is still waiting for answers,
adding that there are logistical matters that must be taken, such as obtaining
approvals from the concerned authorities: from the Board of Directors, Banque du
Liban, the Council for Development and Reconstruction, the Lebanese government
and the Ministers of Finance and Social Affairs.
Bou Habib discusses Arab Summit preparations with
Ambassador Bukhari, Seventh Brussels Conference with UN’s Wronecka
NNA/May 15/2023
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Dr. Abdallah Bou Habib, on
Monday met with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, with whom he
discussed preparations for the Arab Summit, as well as the bilateral relations
between the two countries. Minister Bou Habib also met with a delegation of the
families of Lebanese detainees in the United Arab Emirates, in the presence of
Acting Director General of General Security, Brigadier General Elias Baissari.
Discussions reportedly touched on the efforts exerted to resolve the issue of
the detainees, noting that the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the General Security are continuing in an effort to resolve this issue. Bou
Habib also received United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna
Wronecka, with discussions touching on preparations for the Seventh Brussels
Conference to be held next month, as well as on the Saudi-Iranian agreement and
its repercussions on the regional countries, in addition to regional affairs.
Mikati meets with French and Italian Ambassadors,
discusses prison crisis with Moussa and Arab Fund loan with Habib
NNA/May 15/2023
The Grand Serail witnessed a series of meetings on Monday, which started with an
audience between premiere Mikati and French Ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo,
who said on emerging: "We’ve discussed the overall situation and developments on
the Lebanese scene.” The Prime Minister then received Italian Ambassador to
Lebanon, Nicoletta Bombardieri, with whom he discussed the country’s general
situation, as well as bilateral relations between both countries. Mikati later
met with head of the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee, MP Michel Moussa, who
said after the meeting: “Prisons in Lebanon are suffering from a very big
crisis, and the main problem is overcrowding, and the social crisis that
affected nutrition and medical care.” The Prime Minister the welcomed the
Chairman of the Housing Bank Board of Directors, Antoine Habib, with whom he
followed up on the bank's projects. On emerging, Habib affirmed that the Arab
Fund loan of approximately 50 million Kuwaiti dinars — equivalent to about USD
165 million — “still exists and will be paid in three stages.”“The value of the
loan that will be given to borrowers is USD 40 thousand for individuals with
limited income and USD 50 thousand for individuals with middle income,” Habib
added.
Berri meets Asian Football Confederation president, meets former minister
Fattoush, Lebanon’s Ambassador to Paraguay
NNA/May 15/2023
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Monday welcomed at his Ain Al-Tineh residence,
President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim
Al Khalifa, accompanied by the Vice President of the Asian Football
Confederation, President of the Lebanese Football Association, Hashem Haidar,
Secretary General of the Asian Federation Datuk Seri Windsor John, and Deputy
Secretary General Waheed Kordani, in the presence of the Secretary General of
the Lebanese Football Federation Jihad Al-Shahaf. The AFC President briefed
Speaker Berri on the atmosphere of his visit to Lebanon and the cooperation
program with the Lebanese Football Association. Speaker Berri later received
former Minister Nicholas Fattoush, with whom he discussed the current general
situation. Berri also received Lebanese Ambassador to Paraguay, Hassan Hijazi,
with an accompanying delegation.
Mufti Qabalan broaches general situation with
Japanese Ambassador
NNA/May 15/2023
Excellent Jaafari Mufti, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, on Monday received in his office
Japanese Ambassador to Lebanon, Magushi Masayuki, with whom he discussed the
current general situation in the country, and ways to develop the bilateral
relations between Lebanon and Japan.
Independent Oversight Board of the Lebanon Reform,
Recovery, and Reconstruction Framework
NNA/May 15/2023
More than a year after the signing of a Staff Level Agreement between the
Government of Lebanon (GoL) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Lebanon
is still in arrears, not least in a deliberate stalemate that has been blocking
sectoral reforms that are crucial for economic recovery. The patchwork approach
that the GoL has adopted for decades must cease; ad hoc circulars issued by the
Central Bank that fall short of a comprehensive package of reforms including a
fair capital control law, and a solid bank restructuring plan inter alia is
futile. More importantly, accountability and justice to depositors are
indispensable to nstreinstating local and international trust in the financial
sector. The standard response from officials entrusted to manage a country
facing the worst financial and economic crisis in its history should strictly
exclude depleting foreign reserves and include working around the clock on
corrective policies and laws. The IOB emphasizes that current taxation
schemes are unfair and inequitable and a well-designed fiscal policy is
indispensable. The IOB urges decision-makers to adopt reforms that simplify tax
legislation and structures, introduce more progressive personal income taxes and
broaden tax bases. Lebanon needs reforms that reduce the scope of arbitrary
implementation such as digital tools and e-government, that support growth,
improve the distribution of wealth and promote social justice. We aspire that
the national social protection strategy will bring adequate respite to all
vulnerable groups and stress that social protection programs should be given the
needed fiscal space in the 2024 budget. The IOB condemns the parliament's
postponement of municipal elections as it undermines the democratic process and
the principles of good governance. We call on the Constitutional Council to
swiftly take the appropriate verdict in protecting the right of citizens to
elect their representatives and consecrating constitutional deadlines. We call
on the Lebanese parliament to elect a President and fast-track the formation of
a Council of Ministers whose roles are indispensable to setting Lebanon on a
meaningful reform track and to sustaining and strengthening public institutions.
“3a Tarik el Gemmayzeh” – the 2nd edition of the largest street market in
Lebanon!
NNA/May 15/2023
In Action Events, Souk El Akel, and CD Global Associates, supported by the
Municipality of Beirut, Ministry of Tourism, Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants,
and LBCI bring back to the streets of Gemmayzeh Lebanon’s largest street market.
Last year Gemmayzeh was host to Lebanon’s largest street festival with over
50,000 people in a single day! This year, In Action Events will bring you the
2nd edition of 3A TARIK EL GEMMAYZEH which will be bigger, better, with more
surprises for all! “The 2nd edition of 3A TARIK EL GEMMAYZEH will not only help
support all the amazing restaurants and businesses in Gemmayzeh, but it will
once again bring life to the streets of Beirut and give Lebanese a reminder of
what was once great and what can still be with Beirut!” Not only will there be
fashion, designers, concept stores, arts and crafts, local produce, street
entertainment, street shows, Bands, DJs and three kids’ areas, street food
market, but the day will show respect for our Beirut’s heritage with the
creation of a traditional « Ahweh Square » including Arabic seating areas,
newspapers distribution, traditional carts, backgammon, Tarneeb, Likha, and many
other traditional activities. “In Action Events is committed to bringing to
Lebanon new and exciting experiences and this year’s 2nd edition of 3A TARIK EL
GEMMAYZEH will exceed even our own high expectations. The 2nd edition of 3A
TARIK EL GEMMAYZE will take place on May 21on Gemmayzeh and Pasteur streets from
10 am to 10 pm. The event is free to the public.
Nasrallah stirs a pot of provocation that will erupt
in our faces
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/May 15, 2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/118255/118255/
Another day, another “martyrs” event at which Hassan Nasrallah laboriously and
provocatively holds forth on every imaginable issue — while being inexplicably
bashful about discussing Lebanon’s dire domestic predicaments.
Lebanon is too small for “Sayyid” Nasrallah’s ego. He doesn’t just see himself
as a global leader. In his hubristic mind he’s some world-conquering historical
hero — Khalid ibn Al-Walid or Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi perhaps.
Once again, the Hezbollah leader was seeking to insert Lebanon into Palestinian
affairs. Enthusiastically embracing the regionalization of the conflict, and
unilaterally taking upon himself the divine right to decide matters of war and
peace for the entire Lebanese nation, Nasrallah declared: “The Gaza battle is
important because its impact will not only be confined to Gaza but will affect
the entire region… We will not hesitate to provide any assistance at any time.”
He bellowed that “the enemy understands very well that any assassination will
not go unanswered, and will lead to a wider confrontation” – while failing to
acknowledge how such a wider confrontation would inevitably play out.
Make no mistake, Palestine is the mother of all good causes and fully deserves
our solidarity. Indeed, as Palestinians prepare to commemorate the Nakba, there
have already been violations of a shaky truce in Gaza. Women, children and
entire families have been slaughtered in airstrikes, as Israel once again
imposes its remorseless calculus that upwards of 20 times as many Palestinians
must die in vengeance for any Israeli killed.
Nasrallah’s cynical efforts to drag the battered and half-starved Lebanese
people into direct conflict with Israel are an act of criminal lunacy. There is
only one possible outcome to his efforts to co-opt and exploit this agenda;
Israel’s infinitely greater firepower, backed with Western arms and support,
would reduce Lebanon, Syria and other Arab states caught in the crossfire to
ashes in a few short days, while Nasrallah cowers in his bunker, hoping to
dominate the aftermath.
Nasrallah urged further progress toward a “joint operations room for all
resistance groups.” These comments don’t come out of nowhere, but follow efforts
from Tehran to unify these groups under its leadership. During April, Quds Force
commander Esmail Qaani held a series of secret meetings to that end, including
one with Hezbollah at the Iranian embassy in Beirut. This was followed up by a
visit by Iran’s foreign minister, who raised tensions with a provocative visit
to Israel’s border. Increasingly assertive actions by entities such as Islamic
Jihad, with Hamas also firing rockets into Israel from southern Lebanon, appear
to be a partial consequence of Iranian encouragement for raising tensions
throughout the region.
Nasrallah’s reluctance to discuss Lebanon was understandable. Hezbollah has
never before been faced with a populace so fearlessly ready to denounce the
group on TV or via social media. Even Hezbollah’s grassroots constituencies are
crumbling amid poverty, economic meltdown, political chaos and uncertainty over
the future. Hezbollah can easily block the appointment of presidents, ministers
and officials — but its failure to implement any affirmative vision leaves it
looking like the impotent, incompetent and corrupt protagonist that broke the
nation.
Warlord theocrats such as Nasrallah, Qaani and Qais Khazali in Iraq exist solely
for the purposes of ceaseless escalation and the perpetuation of sectarian
divisions.
Nasrallah offered a distortedly one-sided account of Syrian developments,
hailing Assad’s return to the Arab League as a victory. Several Lebanese
commentators noted that Nasrallah omitted to mention that Hezbollah had been a
principal protagonist in the conflict, and that such hollow “victories” were
achieved by swimming through rivers of Syrian blood. His discomfort was
highlighted by a specific denial that Hezbollah had obstructed the return of
Syrian refugees in Lebanon to areas under Hezbollah’s control. If that is true,
why are thousands of Syrians so reluctant to return? Is it because they are
scared of what Hezbollah and Assad will do to them? Or is it because Hezbollah
has stolen their farmlands and real estate for personal profit?
Even more discomforting, Nasrallah was compelled to deny as “injustice and
slander” any relationship to prominent narcotics kingpin Merhi Al-Ramthan, who
was killed last week in a Jordanian airstrike. Jordan also targeted
Hezbollah-linked narcotics facilities in Syria. “Had we been making billions of
dollars” from the drugs trade “it would have been noticed,” Nasrallah asserted.
Oh, but it has been noticed. Hezbollah’s deep embroilment in the regional and
international narcotics trade, accompanied by Syria’s slide into narco-statehood,
has been widely observed as a matter of factual record — as highlighted by an
excellent new investigation by Arab News, among many other sources. As recently
as Sunday, a startling report appeared in The Sunday Times in the UK, providing
new details about Hezbollah and Iran’s involvement with international criminal
networks, including a major Irish drugs cartel that has made use of Hezbollah’s
hawala money transfer networks, and collaborated in the assassination of Iranian
dissidents. With Assad seeking to cosmetically clean up his act to lubricate his
re-entry into the Arab League, many Captagon factories are likely to return to
the Beqaa Valley side of the border where they originated — so expect Hezbollah
to expand its hugely profitable narcotics activities.
Is it any surprise that, at a moment when Arab states are seeking to address the
Syria issue and normalize diplomatic contacts with Tehran, Hezbollah and Quds
Force-backed “resistance” factions are going all out to ignite new conflicts?
For Tehran and Assad’s diplomatic détente with the Arab world to evolve into
anything more meaningful, decisive pressure must be exerted on them to break
with their ideology of perpetual confrontation, and the mobilization of vast
paramilitary forces and missile arsenals as a dagger held permanently to the
region’s throat.
Warlord theocrats such as Nasrallah, Qaani and Qais Khazali in Iraq exist solely
for the purposes of ceaseless escalation and the perpetuation of sectarian
divisions. By definition, the region cannot experience peace until these figures
and their mercenary armies are permanently defanged.
Arab states have sent a clear message that they wish to turn the page on the
conflicts of the past decade. But if they genuinely desire to neutralize the
entities that fueled and augmented these conflicts, the real diplomatic heavy
lifting is only just beginning.
• 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
Lebanon’s already catastrophic refugee
situation could be made worse
Nadim Shehadi/Arab News/May 15/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/118250/118250/
“I knew you would come back,” said the little boy, a Syrian refugee who had
intercepted me in Ras Beirut after I had lied to him saying “Inshallah on the
way back,” which is when he caught me. While shining my shoes he shamed me even
more with the words “I can tell you are a good man.” The boy said: “A man of his
word; you said you will come back and you did come back. A good man keeps his
word, even with someone like me. Your word is your word, whoever you give it
to.”
Then the young philosopher told me a story, in a serious tone, about a doctor
who gave him 1,000 lira (at the time 66 cents). What is 1,000 lira to him? It is
normal to give 2,000, which is fair. “It is not what I am worth, it reflects on
him. When you give, you give your own worth.” He did more than talk me into
getting my shoes shined; since I am a good man the boy said he knew I would give
him 5,000. He was sure I would; after all I had kept my word and had come back.
I left him thinking “wow, imagine someone like him with a law degree.”
That was at the end of October 2012. He would now be older than 21 and probably
still in Lebanon, where his future hangs in the balance of so many decisions
taken by others, not only in Beirut but also as far away as Washington D.C, New
York City, Brussels, Moscow, Beijing and Tehran. At the time, there were 50,000
Syrian refugees in Lebanon. People now believe there are closer to 2 million.
This young man is now considered part of the greatest existential threat in the
country’s history.
UN bureaucrats use the term “protracted” to describe the Syrian refugee crisis.
This translates to “we have no solution and they are here to stay.” It is by all
measures catastrophic, especially for Lebanon, and if handled badly it can
become much worse.
The recent flare-up of the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon was triggered by a
public school teachers’ strike which found Lebanese students staying at home
while Syrian refugee students traveled to school. It started with a call to stop
all students from attending classes and then spiraled out of control with a
combination of false information and exaggeration about abuses by some refugees,
which was amplified by social media, further poisoning the atmosphere.
The scale of the problem cannot be underestimated. In the last decade some 14
million Syrians were forced from their homes, with about half outside the
country. The international community failed to protect the Syrian people and
bears much of the responsibility for creating the problem.
To put things in perspective, refugees from Syria hosted in Europe amount to
less than half of one percent (0.5 percent) of the population. Even this tiny
proportion has created a crisis, with far-right parties gaining ground and
several EU member states considering leaving the union mainly because of the
impact of refugees. Turkey has 10 times that proportion with a far greater
crisis from Syria affecting relations with its large Kurdish population.
Lebanon’s share is 60 times that of Europe, with refugees from Syria amounting
to more than one-third of its population, equivalent to fifteen million Russians
moving into Ukraine.
The economic burden is believed to have contributed to the collapse of the
country and there is justified anxiety about the long-term demographic effects.
Since the First World War, people have questioned whether Lebanon is an
independent sovereign nation or if it was carved out of greater Syria by
colonial powers after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the refugees
are Sunni Muslims and in a country whose political system is based on communal
power sharing, this is bound to upset the balance between communities.
Perhaps because of the enormity of the issue, it has been handled incompetently
by all concerned. The Lebanese government has no strategy and reacted with
unsustainable knee-jerk measures. International organizations and NGOs are
acting irresponsibly, putting themselves in confrontations with the host
communities. Instead of finding solutions, they make the situation worse by
virtue signaling and accusing the country of racism and xenophobia.
A combination of false information and exaggeration about abuses by some are
amplified by social media, poisoning the atmosphere. So much so that, in
reaction to the bad behavior of some, there are calls to deny refugees access to
education and for the mass deportation of those who cannot justify that they
would face danger if returned to Syria. There were also calls to stop giving aid
to the refugees on the basis that some of them were only there because of the
subsidies.
At the current rate of third country resettlement by the UN, it would take more
than 100 years for registered refugee cases to be dealt with, and they
constitute less than half of the total number. The regime that drove them out is
now using them as bargaining chips, limiting their entry. This means four or
five generations causing irreversible demographic and cultural changes that
often precede political transformations.
At the current rate of third country resettlement by the UN, it would take more
than 100 years for registered refugee cases to be dealt with.
Population movements are rarely reversible; this has been so since the beginning
of time. People can move on but they mostly do not move back and the more time
passes the less likely they are to return, especially to places they left out of
fear. At the same time, Lebanese, especially the young ones, are leaving the
country. Some areas of the country are unrecognizable and other parts of Beirut
are full of old people and half-empty buildings, giving the feeling of a dying
city. This could mean that the vast majority of young people in the country will
be Syrian refugees in a couple of decades.
In the meantime, there are already people calling for cooperation with refugee
activists and lobbying vigorously for the principle of “burden and
responsibility sharing” as promoted by the UN to get support from the
international community and other Arab countries.
What is to be avoided at all costs is an increase in tension between host and
refugee communities. In the best case scenario and for the foreseeable future,
about half of the refugees are here to stay. It takes a lot of courage and
wisdom to admit this and whatever the Lebanese do, they have to take this into
account. The scenario of creating a generation of alienated, angry and
frustrated young people, born in the country through no fault of their own, can
be exploited by all sorts of bad actors.
*Nadim Shehadi is a Lebanese economist. Twitter: @Confusezeus
Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports
And News published
on May 15-16/2023
Iran Executes 2 Prisoners in Sanandaj
Central Prison
Tehran: Asharq Al Awsat/15 May 2023
Two prisoners were executed at Sanandaj Central Prison on a charge of
"intentional murder," according to Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. Iran
recorded a significant increase in death sentences and executions of
demonstrators. Widespread protests spread in Iran after the death of Mahsa
Aymani, who was arrested by the morality police in Tehran in September 2022. On
Friday, the Iranian Human Rights Organization said that authorities issued 18
death sentences, including six women, and will be carried out in the coming
days. It announced that prison authorities informed the 18 prisoners, including
two women in the Dastgerd prison in Isfahan and four others in the Dolat Abad
women's prison. Among the inmates was Samira Abbasi, a child bride who was
sentenced to death for the premeditated murder of her husband. Iran
International reported that Iran is among the countries that have the highest
number of executions in the world every year. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW)
warned Friday of the "dramatic escalation" of executions in Iran in recent
weeks, saying it is a "serious violation of the right to life and should bring
international condemnation." The Beirut branch of the human rights organization
announced that Iran witnessed during the past two weeks at least 60 executions,
including an Iranian-Swedish national, on alleged terror-related charges. Many
of them were executed after unfair trials or for charges such as drug offenses
and two executions for "blasphemy," that under international law should never
result in the death penalty. The director of the Iran Human Rights Organization,
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, warned of the unprecedented wave of executions in Iran,
especially among women. Amiry-Moghaddam called on the international community to
"stop the killing machine," warning that hundreds of people will be victims of
this regime in the coming months. An informed source told the organization that
two men and two women were informed of the date of their execution in Dastgerd
Prison. They were sentenced to retribution on charges of premeditated murder.He
added that 14 other prisoners were sentenced to death on drug-related charges.
Tehran Reveals Iraqi Mediation between Iran, Egypt
Baghdad : Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al-Awsat/15 May 2023
An Iranian official recently disclosed that talks between Iran and Egypt are
taking place in Baghdad, a subject that had previously been discussed without
official confirmation from the Iraqi side. On Sunday, Fada Hossein Maleki, a
member of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy
Committee, stated that Baghdad is hosting Iranian-Egyptian negotiations as a
preliminary step towards preparing for a meeting between Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi. In a statement
quoted by Iranian news agency Tasnim, Maleki mentioned that ongoing negotiations
between Iran and Egypt are taking place in Iraq. He expressed optimism about the
restoration of Iranian-Egyptian relations soon. Furthermore, Maleki stated that
the opening of embassies between the two countries will be witnessed, and
subsequent preparations will be made for a meeting between the Iranian and
Egyptian presidents. Amidst growing anticipation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
takes the center stage as it prepares to host the upcoming Arab Summit. The
significance of this summit lies in its inclusive participation of Arab nations,
particularly noteworthy with the return of Syria to the fold. Iraqi President
Abdul Latif Rashid has received a formal invitation from Saudi King Salman bin
Abdulaziz, inviting him to attend the 32nd regular session of the Arab Summit,
scheduled to take place in the city of Jeddah. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry, for
its part, has not yet declared its position regarding Tehran’s statement about
mediation with Egypt. Reports of Iraq mediating between Cairo and Tehran are not
new, but what is new is their official announcement for the first time by the
Iranians. However, according to an official source cited by Asharq Al-Awsat,
there seems to be some truth to the statement made by Maleki. The source, who
requested anonymity, acknowledged that there is an ongoing communication process
between Tehran and Cairo, with Baghdad playing the facilitator’s role. This
process began years ago and continues, albeit at a slow pace, the source
revealed. Other Arab countries are also looking to leverage Iraq’s strong
relationship with Iran to address unresolved issues, especially in the current
peaceful environment and ongoing agreements, explained the source.Recent
reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran has added further significance to
these developments, they noted.
Israel May Pursue Some Judicial Reforms by August, Lawmaker
Says
Reuters/ May 15, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government could pass part of its
contested judicial overhaul by August if compromise talks with the opposition
fail, a senior lawmaker in the ruling religious-nationalist coalition said on
Monday. The proposed reforms, which would curb some Supreme Court powers and
increase government sway over appointments to the bench, have set off
unprecedented protests in Israel and Western worries for the independence of
Israel's judiciary. Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges that he
denies, said the overhaul aims to balance out branches of government and redress
court overreach. But he put the legislation on hold in late March to enable
negotiations with opposition parties. "If they (opposition) don't want to reach
agreement, we will, in my opinion, have to move ahead with some of the reforms,"
Simcha Rothman, a coalition lawmaker who heads a key review committee in the
Knesset, told Channel 12 TV when asked about plans for the parliamentary session
that ends on July 30. He added that he believed a bill reordering the system for
selecting judges was "ripest" for ratification as it has already passed a
preliminary reading in the Knesset, 64 of whose 120 seats are controlled by the
coalition.There was no immediate reaction from Netanyahu, who has previously
voiced hope a compromise deal will emerge from the so-far fruitless talks
overseen by President Isaac Herzog. "The effort to reach agreements in the
President's House is the main effort," Netanyahu's national security adviser,
Tzachi Hanegbi, said in a public appearance on Saturday. "He (the prime
minister) believes it is possible, too." With other lawmakers trading barbs
across the aisle over the proposed overhaul, Herzog called for reining in the
rhetoric. "The State of Israel is at a critical moment of utmost importance. The
easy thing to do would be to blow up the talks, but the cost would be
unbearable," he said in a statement.
Cyprus says in talks with Israel over pipeline linking gas
fields
Reuters/15 May 2023
Cyprus and Israel are in talks over the construction of a pipeline linking their
offshore gas fields, Cyprus's energy minister said on Monday. But George
Papanastasiou appeared to play down prospects for an "EastMed" pipeline taking
eastern Mediterranean gas to continental Europe, saying a shipping corridor
could be set up instead from a hub in Cyprus to transport liquefied gas. "Our
objective is low-cost electricity production … so natural gas should come from
the area," Papanastasiou told journalists after briefing an opposition party on
the energy plans of the new administration, elected in February. Papanastasiou,
who held senior posts in the oil and gas industry before his ministerial
appointment this year, said Cyprus would host a workshop with industry
stakeholders on May 29. He said a liquefaction plant could take about 2.5 years
to build, and a pipeline with Israel about 18 months. Plans for a 2,000
kilometer (1,243 mile) pipeline to take eastern Mediterranean gas to Europe have
been under discussion for about a decade, and the project could potentially be
part-funded by the European Union. However, there was a setback in early 2022,
when the US pulled its previous support, saying it was too expensive and would
take too long to build. "It will be a corridor, that will exist. Instead of a
pipeline it will be a connection between Israel and Europe which can be done
through Cyprus," Papanastasiou said. "It could be a virtual pipeline which would
link though Cyprus to the rest of Europe in liquefied form," he added, saying
liquefied gas could be dispatched from Cyprus to any markets, including Asia.
Arrests Made over Drug Smuggling Near Syrian-Jordanian
Border
Daraa: Riad al-Zain/Asharq Al-Awsat/15 May 2023
Local forces connected to the military security apparatus in Syria’s southern
Daraa Governorate raided early on Sunday the village of Khirbet Al-Shaham.
Authorities successfully apprehended two individuals suspected of engaging in
drug trafficking and smuggling. According to local sources in the western Daraa
countryside, a military convoy comprising several armored vehicles and armed
personnel carried out the raid on Al-Salam Compound in the village. Abdullah Al-Khaldi,
the brother of local factional group leader Ahmed Al-Khaldi, who was previously
detained, was apprehended. Abdullah is accused of drug smuggling and
collaborating with Hezbollah. In addition, forces carried out raids on houses
near the water desalination plant and arrested a suspect named Fawaz Al-Khaldi,
who is accused of drug trafficking and smuggling in the area. The plant was the
recent target of an attack. Multiple reports have indicated the presence of a
drug production facility operated by a local faction led by Ahmed Al-Khaldi in
Khirbet Al-Shaham, which lies near the Jordanian-Syrian border. This faction was
formed after the 2018 reconciliation agreement and is affiliated with the
Security Office of the Fourth Division, which sought to attract and recruit
various former opposition factions in the western region of Daraa when
settlements were being struck. Over time, this faction has become involved in
the illicit trade and smuggling of drugs. On May 8, warplanes targeted a water
purification facility located near Khirbet Al-Shaham. A house belonging to drug
dealer Merhi Al-Ramathan was targeted in the village of Al-Shaab in the eastern
countryside of Sweida. These areas are located close to the Syrian-Jordanian
border. According to political and intelligence sources cited by Reuters, the
first airstrike targeted a Captagon laboratory in Daraa, while the second hit
the village of Al-Shaab. Al-Ramathan was killed in the raid.
UAE invites Syria's Assad to COP28 climate
summit -Syrian media
DUBAI (Reuters)/May 15, 2023
-The United Arab Emirates has invited Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the
COP28 climate summit it is hosting at the end of the year, possibly placing him
in the same venue as Western leaders who have opposed and sanctioned him for
years. The invitation was extended by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed,
Syrian state news agency SANA reported after the UAE embassy in Damascus tweeted
the same. Fellow Arab states are warming up to Syria again after isolating Assad
for over a decade following his deadly crackdown on street protests that
spiralled into a brutal civil war. Bilateral diplomatic relations ramped up in
the wake of the devastating Feb. 6 earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey. Then,
last week, the Arab League readmitted Syria and Saudi Arabia invited Assad to
the League summit in Jeddah on Friday. While Arab countries including the UAE
have actively sought to re-establish ties with Damascus, the United States is
sceptical and has said that it does not see the merit in Assad's re-admission to
the Arab League. Thousands of world leaders, diplomats and dignitariesare
expected to attend the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in December.
Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Man in West Bank
Asharq Al-Awsat/15 May 2023
Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man during a raid in the city of Nablus
early on Monday, the Palestinian health ministry said, the latest incident in
more than a year of surging violence in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli
military said suspects hurled rocks and explosives and fired at its forces in
Nablus, a flashpoint city where there have been regular raids and clashes. The
soldiers shot at the suspects and "a hit was identified", the military said. It
added that the forces were in Nablus to prepare for the possible demolition of
the home of a Palestinian suspected of killing two brothers from a Jewish
settlement near the village of Huwara on Feb. 26. The attack prompted a settler
rampage in Huwara, during which a Palestinian man was killed and cars and homes
were set alight while people were inside, Reuters reported. The raid, near a
refugee camp in a part of the West Bank where Palestinians exercise limited
self-rule, sparked "intense confrontations" with Palestinian fighters, the
Palestinian WAFA news agency reported. The Nablus raid came after an
Egyptian-mediated truce ended five days of fighting between Israel and Islamic
Jihad in Gaza last week, in which 34 Palestinians and an Israeli were killed.
Israel-Palestinian violence has been intensifying for months, with frequent
Israeli military raids and settler violence in the West Bank amid a spate of
Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
UN Envoy Hopes to Work with Arab Ministerial Committee to
Solve Syria Crisis
London : Asharq Al Awsat/15 May 2023
Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen told on Sunday Egyptian Foreign Minister
Sameh Shoukry that he looks forward to working with a ministerial committee
formed by the Arab League to start a gradual approach to resolving the Syrian
crisis. Shoukry and Pedersen spoke on the phone four days ahead of the Arab
League meeting in Saudi Arabia. “The two sides stressed the need to take
effective steps towards resolving the crisis in a step-by-step approach and in
accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry
said in a statement. They also dealt with the formation of a ministerial
committee with the membership of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon and
the Secretary General of the League of Arab States to follow up on the
implementation of the Amman Declaration and to communicate directly with the
Syrian government, it added. During the phone call, Shoukry stressed “the role
played currently by Arab countries to end the protracted crisis in Syria,”
saying all parties, including the UN and its envoy, should work closely to
alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people. Also, Pedersen met on Sunday with
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Tehran, Iran’s ISNA news
agency said. The two sides discussed “issues of common interest, including
issues related to Syria,” it added. On Saturday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince
Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received a telephone call from Pedersen. During
the call, the two sides reviewed the efforts exerted by the Kingdom and the UN
to develop a political solution that achieves stability and security in Syria
and guarantees Syrian refugees a safe return home according to relevant
international resolutions. The two sides also discussed the latest regional and
international developments and efforts to achieve international peace and
security. The Arab League has recently decided to reinstate Syria’s membership
and to allow Damascus to attend the League meetings after its suspension more
than 10 years ago.
80 percent of Palestinians welcome Chinese offer to mediate
with Israel, US seen as least favorite option
Arab News/May 15/2023
LONDON: Majority of Palestinians view China and Russia as potentially effective
mediators for their peace talks with the state of Israel, a recent survey
revealed. The survey, conducted by YouGov in May at the request of Arab News,
showed that Palestinians’ most preferred potential peace broker was Russia,
followed closely by the European Union and China, while the US proved far from
popular among the residents of the West Bank and Gaza. Commenting on the results
of the survey on the preferences of Palestinians, Russian Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Maria Zakharova concluded: “Because Russia has not betrayed those
who pinned their hopes on it.” The Information and Press Department (IPD) of the
Russian Foreign Ministry said: “Moscow, as it stated in IPD’s comment to Arab
News, continues to believe that the existing international legal framework, the
Arab peace initiative in Al-Taif and the groundwork that has been achieved
between Israelis and Palestinians throughout the negotiation process on the
basis of (a) two-state solution can serve as a foundation for resuming direct
negotiations between the parties to the conflict.”“Our position is clear,
unchangeable and not subject to political conjuncture,” the IPD added. “We are
constantly talking about this to our Palestinian friends and the Israeli side as
well.” In October last year, the Palestinian Authority told Russian President
Vladimir Putin people in Palestine may consider US mediation only if it is part
of the Quartet, a foursome of nations that includes Russia.
Following Beijing’s success in brokering the Saudi-Iranian diplomatic agreement
in March, a sweeping 80 percent of the survey respondents, who expressed a clear
opinion on the topic, supported a Chinese role in Israeli-Palestinian peace
talks. In December, President Xi Jinping expressed during an official visit to
Riyadh his country’s keenness to help resolve the conflict between Saudi Arabia
and Iran. This led to five days of intense talks in March in Beijing, delivering
an agreement that entails a respect of sovereignty of regional countries, the
restoration of diplomatic ties, and the revival of previously agreed bilateral
treaties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
In the wake of this success, China offered in April, amid rising tension in
Jerusalem, to facilitate peace talks between Israel and Palestine, urging their
resumption as soon as possible. Contrary to the stance on China, almost 60
percent of participants did not trust the US to mediate Palestinian-Israeli
negotiations despite that – or perhaps because – 86 percent believed the US had
significant influence over Israel. “Palestinians have never seen the US as a
neutral or fair broker,” said director of the London-based Council for
Arab-British Understanding (CAABU), Chris Doyle, adding that “the (Palestinian)
leadership has tolerated the US because, quite simply, as the world’s sole
superpower for many years, (they) have had no choice.” He told Arab News that
“there are many, many reasons why Palestinians – including the leadership – have
never viewed the US as that responsible broker.”“The US overtly states that it
is pro-Israel, that it has a strategic alliance with the State of Israel, it
routinely passes pro-Israel resolutions in Congress, and, of course, vetoes
attempts to pass Security Council resolutions critical of the State of Israel
and its conduct,” Doyle explained. He pointed out that the “the US position in
the region is clearly declining,” explaining that “in part, this is because of
the decisions of successive presidents going back to the Obama administration to
pivot to Asia, to have less to do with the Middle East, and to try to avoid
getting sucked into protracted conflicts. “We are seeing, therefore, less and
less US mediation efforts in the region and involvement. It is still there – it
is not a non-actor, but it is not there in the way that it once used to be. Not
in the way, for example, under the Clinton administration, or when John Kerry
was doing his very energetic diplomacy a decade ago.”And while the EU was the
respondents’ second preferred mediator among the five suggested major powers –
the US, EU, Japan, and China alongside Russia, Doyle said “the problem with the
EU is that it is increasingly divided, with a lot of Central and Eastern
European countries increasingly moving away from the international consensus
that had existed since 1980.”
“You have a core group of largely Western European states who do adopt sensible
positions based in international national law,” he continued, “So the idea of
the EU as a mediator right now seems rather far-fetched because it simply does
not have the sort of unity which would allow it to play out that role.”
Doyle highlighted that the EU “has to have the political courage to act in this
fashion and to ignore any pressures that the US and Israel would apply to the
European Union – and as yet, there has been not enough political will involved.”
A better mediation model, according to Doyle, would be to “do it through the
United Nations, with the involvement of major powers, including the US, who
would be the guarantors of any agreement that came out of that sort of process.”
Some survey respondents also blamed US bias towards Israel for the recurring
failure of peace talks. Doyle underscored that “the idea that the US can be the
sole loan broker for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians” was
“simply not credible anymore. Not to those on the outside, but above all to
Palestinians.”
UN to commemorate Palestinians' 1948 flight from Israel for
the first time
UNITED NATIONS (AP)/Mon, May 15, 2023
For the first time, the United Nations will officially commemorate the flight of
hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from what is now Israel on the 75th
anniversary of their exodus — an action stemming from the U.N.’s partition of
British-ruled Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states. Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas is headlining Monday’s U.N. commemoration of what
Palestinians call the “Nakba” or “catastrophe.”Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian
U.N. ambassador, called the U.N. observance “historic” and significant because
the General Assembly played a key role in the partition of Palestine. “It’s
acknowledging the responsibility of the U.N. of not being able to resolve this
catastrophe for the Palestinian people for 75 years,” Mansour told a group of
U.N. reporters recently. He said “the catastrophe to the Palestinian people is
still ongoing:” The Palestinians still don’t have an independent state, and they
don’t have the right to return to their homes as called for in a General
Assembly resolution adopted in December 1948. Israel’s U.N. ambassador, Gilad
Erdan, condemned the commemoration, calling it an “abominable event” and a
“blatant attempt to distort history.” He said those who attend will be condoning
antisemitism and giving a green light to Palestinians “to continue exploiting
international organs to promote their libelous narrative.” The General Assembly,
which had 57 member nations in 1947, approved the resolution dividing Palestine
by a vote of 33-13 with 10 abstentions. The Jewish side accepted the U.N.
partition plan and after the British mandate expired in 1948, Israel declared
its independence. The Arabs rejected the plan and neighboring Arab countries
launched a war against the Jewish state.
The Nakba commemorates the estimated 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were
forced from their homes in 1948.
The fate of these refugees and their descendants — estimated at over 5 million
across the Middle East — remains a major disputed issue in the Arab-Israeli
conflict. Israel rejects demands for a mass return of refugees to long-lost
homes, saying it would threaten the country’s Jewish character.
As the 75th anniversary approached, the now 193-member General Assembly approved
a resolution last Nov. 30 by a vote of 90-30 with 47 abstentions requesting the
U.N. Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian
People organize a high-level event on May 15 to commemorate the Nakba. The
United States was among the countries that joined Israel in voting against the
resolution, and the U.S. Mission said no American diplomat will attend Monday’s
commemoration. Explaining why a U.N. commemoration took so long, Mansour told
The Associated Press on Friday that the Palestinians have moved cautiously at
the United Nations since the General Assembly raised their status in 2012 from a
non-member observer to a non-member observer state. U.N. recognition as a state
enabled the Palestinians to join treaties, take cases against Israel’s
occupation to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of
Justice, which is the U.N.’s highest tribunal, and in 2019 to chair the Group of
77, the U.N. coalition of 134 mainly developing nations and China, he said. At
the 70th anniversary of the 1948 exodus five years ago, Mansour said, “the word
Nakba was used in a General Assembly resolution for the first time," and Abbas
then gave instructions to obtain a mandate from the U.N. to commemorate the 75th
anniversary. The Nakba commemoration comes as Israeli-Palestinian fighting has
intensified and protests over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing
government and its plan to overhaul Israel’s judiciary show no sign of abating.
Israel’s polarization and the Netanyahu government’s extremist positions have
also sparked growing international concern.
Mansour said Friday that Palestinian refugees “are being forcibly removed from
their homes and forcibly transferred by Israel at an unprecedented rate,”
reminiscent of 1948. In a speech to the U.N. Security Council on April 25,
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki said “it is time to bring the Nakba to
an end,” stressing that the Palestinians have suffered from the most protracted
refugee crisis in the world and “the longest occupation of an entire territory
in modern history.” He was sharply critical of the U.N. and the wider
international community for adopting resolutions that make demands and call for
action— but doing nothing to implement them. He said if the international
community made Israel's occupation costly, "I can assure you it will come to an
end.” Malki renewed his call for countries that haven’t yet recognized the state
of Palestine “to do so as a means to salvage the moribund two-state solution.”
He also urged countries to support the Palestinian request for full membership
in the United Nations, which would demonstrate international support for a
two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians lived side-by-side in peace.
To hurt Israel economically, Malki urged countries to ban products from Israeli
settlements and trade with settlements, to “sanction those who collect funds for
settlements and those who advocate for them and those who advance them,” and to
list settler organizations that carry out killings and burnings as “terrorist
organizations.” And he urged the international community to take Israel to the
International Court of Justice. The General Assembly asked the court in December
to give its opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of
Palestinian territories, a move denounced by Israel.
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy, in Britain, Wins Pledge of Long-Range
Drones
Reuters/15 May 2023
Britain greeted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday with a promise
of long-range attack drones on top of cruise missiles pledged last week, as the
Ukrainian leader tours Europe winning new arms for a counteroffensive against
Russia. Zelenskiy met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the British leader's
Chequers country residence, the first foreign leader Sunak has hosted there
since taking office in October. Earlier Zelenskiy, who arrived from visits to
Rome, Berlin and Paris, wrote on Twitter: "Today – London. The UK is a leader
when it comes to expanding our capabilities on the ground and in the air. This
cooperation will continue today." Sunak's office said Sunak would confirm the
provision of hundreds of air defense missiles and further unmanned aerial
systems, including hundreds of new long-range attack drones with a range of over
200 kilometers. "This is a crucial moment in Ukraine's resistance to a terrible
war," Sunak said in a statement. "They need the sustained support of the
international community to defend against the barrage of unrelenting and
indiscriminate attacks that have been their daily reality for over a year."
Britain also announced it would begin basic training of Ukrainian pilots this
summer, "hand in hand with UK efforts to work with other countries on providing
F16 jets – Ukraine’s fighter jets of choice." After keeping its troops on the
defensive for six months, Ukraine is planning to launch major assaults to
reclaim territory using newly acquired weapons from the West. It has already
achieved its biggest gains since last November in fighting around the city of
Bakhmut since last week. Zelenskiy, making his European tour ahead of the
planned counteroffensive, won major additional pledges of tanks, armored
vehicles and other weapons over the past two days from Germany and France.
Britain has frequently been the first country to offer Ukraine new capabilities,
often followed by similar offers from other allies. It was the first to offer
battle tanks in January. Last week, London announced it was sending Ukraine its
air-launched Storm Shadow cruise missiles, with a far longer range than Western
weapons sent previously, breaking a taboo against arms that can strike deep
behind Russian lines. After the United States, Britain has been one of the
largest suppliers of military aid to Ukraine, contributing 2.3 billion pounds
($2.9 billion) worth of support last year and pledging a similar amount for
2023. The Ukrainian president also on Monday issued a new appeal for NATO
membership, calling for a political decision at the Western alliance's summit in
July in Vilnius. "It is time to remove the biggest security uncertainty in
Europe — that is, to approve a positive political decision on (Ukrainian)
membership in NATO," he said in a video address to the Copenhagen Democracy
Summit. "This is worth doing at the July summit already. This will be a timely
signal."
White House: Russia looks to purchase more attack drones
from Iran after depleting stockpile
WASHINGTON (AP)/Mon, May 15, 2023
The White House on Monday said Russia is looking to buy additional advanced
attack drones from Iran for use in its war against Ukraine after using up most
of the 400 drones it had previously purchased from Tehran. The Biden
administration last year publicized satellite imagery and intelligence findings
that it said indicated Iran sold hundreds of attack drones to Russia. And for
months, officials have said the United States believed Iran was considering
selling hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia, but Washington did not have
evidence a deal was consummated. “Iran also continues to provide Russia with
one-way attack UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Since August, Iran has provided
Russia with more than 400 UAVs primarily of the Shahed variety,” White House
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “Russia has expended most
of these UAVs, using them to target Ukrainian critical infrastructure inside
Ukraine. By providing Russia with these UAVs, Iran has been directly enabling
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” Kirby told reporters. The latest
revelation is part of a persistent drip of intelligence findings from the
administration to detail what U.S. officials say is a deepening defense
partnership between Russia and Iran. The U.S. allegations are part of a broader
effort to declassify and publicize intelligence findings concerning Moscow’s
prosecution of its nearly 15-month war in Ukraine in hopes of furthering global
isolation of Russia. The administration says the Kremlin’s reliance on Iran as
well as North Korea— countries largely isolated on the international stage for
their nuclear programs and human rights records— shows desperation. That's in
the face of Ukrainian resistance and the success of the global coalition in
disrupting Russian military supply chains and denying replacements for weapons
lost on the battlefield. The White House says Russia has turned to North Korea
for artillery. Iran has said it provided drones to Russia prior to the start of
the war, but not since. North Korea has denied it has provided Russia artillery.
The White House has said for months that it has seen troubling signs that the
military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran could flow both ways. Iran is
seeking to purchase additional military equipment from Russia, including attack
helicopters, radars, and YAK-130 combat trainer aircraft, according to the White
House. And Iran last month announced that it had finalized a deal to buy Su-35
fighter jets from Russia. The White House has also previously said Russia and
Iran were considering starting a drone assembly line in Russia for the Ukraine
conflict. “In total, Iran is seeking billions of dollars’ worth of military
equipment from Russia,” Kirby said. The new allegations come as Biden is headed
to Hiroshima, Japan, later this week for the Group of Seven summit, where the
U.S. president is expected to make a call to fellow leaders of some world’s
biggest economies to further tighten export controls and sanctions on Moscow.
US sees more indication of Russia, Iran defense cooperation
WASHINGTON (Reuters)/Mon, May 15, 2023
The United States is seeing more indications that Russia and Iran are expanding
an unprecedented defense partnership that will help Moscow prolong its war in
Ukraine as well as pose a threat to Iran's neighbors, the White House said on
Monday. As part of the cooperation, Iran is providing Russia with one-way attack
drones, including more than 400 since August, national security adviser John
Kirby said at a news briefing. "This is about a burgeoning defense relationship"
that allows Russia to kill more people in Ukraine and also enables Iran to stock
up on its military hardware and pose a greater threat to its neighbors, Kirby
told reporters. Drones are the primary military help Iran is providing to
Russia, which is seeking to acquire advanced level types, he said. The Unites
States will be announcing additional designations targeting increased military
cooperation between Russia and Iran, Kirby added.
Ukraine hails gains in Bakhmut as Zelenskiy wins more arms
in Europe
Reuters/Dan Peleschuk and Kylie MacLellan/Mon, May 15, 2023
Ukraine on Monday hailed its first substantial battlefield advances for six
months as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy won pledges of new long-range drones in
Britain to add to a haul of Western arms for a counteroffensive against Russian
invaders. Since last week, the Ukrainian military has started to push Russian
forces back in and around the battlefield city of Bakhmut, its first significant
offensive operations since its troops recaptured the southern city of Kherson in
November. "The advance of our troops along the Bakhmut direction is the first
success of offensive actions in the defence of Bakhmut," Colonel General
"The last few days have shown that we can move forward and destroy the enemy
even in such extremely difficult conditions," he said. "We are fighting with
fewer resources than the enemy. At the same time, we are able to ruin its
plans." The battle for the small eastern city has become the longest and
bloodiest of the war and has totemic significance for Russia, which has no other
prizes to show for a winter campaign that cost thousands of lives. Over the past
half of a year, Kyiv has held its troops on the defensive while Moscow mounted
its campaign, sending hundreds of thousands of fresh reservists and mercenaries
into Europe's bloodiest ground combat since World War Two. Kyiv is now preparing
a counteroffensive using hundreds of new tanks and armoured vehicles sent by
Western countries since the start of this year, aiming to recapture the sixth of
Ukraine's territory that Moscow claims to have annexed. Zelenskiy met British
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London on Monday, the latest stop in a tour that
brought him to Rome, Berlin and Paris over the past three days, pocketing major
new pledges of weapons along the way. Britain, which last week became the first
Western country to offer Ukraine long-range cruise missiles, followed that up
during Zelenskiy's visit on Monday with a pledge of drones that could strike at
a range of 200 km (125 miles). Sunak's government also said it would soon start
training Ukrainian pilots to fly fighter jets, although it would not provide
planes for Ukraine as Kyiv wants U.S. F-16s which Britain's air force does not
use. Zelenskiy described the new weapons pledged by the Europeans as "important
and powerful". The priority during his talks has been "our counteroffensive
actions. I am very pleased with the achievements and agreements", he said.
Sunak said the war was at a "pivotal moment". "The UK will remain steadfast in
supporting Ukraine and its people to defend itself...it is important for the
Kremlin to also know that we are not going away. We are here for the long term."
The Kremlin, for its part, said it did not believe the added British hardware
would change the course of the conflict. Fifteen months after Russia launched
its full-scale invasion of its fellow former Soviet neighbour, Ukraine's
expected shift back onto the offensive is a major turning point. Ukrainian
forces drove Russian troops back from the capital Kyiv a year ago, and
recaptured ground in two major offensives in the second half of 2022, but have
since endured a punishing Russian assault while waiting for arms to arrive.
Ukrainian officials generally give few details about their offensive operations
while they are under way, but have reported substantial gains retaking territory
on both the northern and southern outskirts of Bakhmut over the past seven days.
Moscow has acknowledged retreating north of the city, and the head of the Wagner
private army fighting inside Bakhmut has said Russia's regular forces have fled
positions on the northern and southern flanks.
Ukrainian officials portray the fighting in that area as localised advances,
rather than the major counteroffensive push which they say has yet to get under
way. The public rift between Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and the commanders
of regular Russian forces has deepened over the past two weeks, with Prigozhin
releasing daily audio and video messages denouncing the Russian military brass.
However, both he and the Kremlin dismissed a Washington Post report citing U.S.
intelligence leaks that Prigozhin had offered to betray the positions of regular
Russian forces in January in return for Kyiv pulling back some troops in Bakhmut.
The Post said Ukraine had rejected the offer. Reuters could not corroborate the
report.
Putin’s Reportedly Had to Ban His Top Officials from Quitting as Ukraine War
Falters
Dan Ladden-Hall/The Daily Beast/May 15, 2023
When Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine last year, he
dragged millions of his countrymen into a conflict in which they had no say. Now
a report suggests that high-ranking officials within his administration have
been banned from resigning from their jobs while the war rages on.
The unofficial decree was reported by independent Russian outlet iStories on
Monday citing four sources who anonymously disclosed details of the ban. One
former FSB officer said they were aware of “at least two cases” where governors
made failed attempts to leave their posts in which they were not just blocked
from doing so, but the threat of “criminal cases” was also hinted. The outlet
also spoke with another source described as an acquaintance of an official
within the Kremlin’s Presidential Administration who had heard about the ban.
“There are many who want [to leave] after the start of the war,” the source
said. “If everyone leaves, control will be lost.” The report described a view in
the administration which regarded the desire to leave as flat-out betrayal, with
civil servants instead being ordered to demonstrate “unity” by remaining in
post. Officers within the FSB—Russia’s main security agency—have previously
spoken out about being unable to quit in the wake of Putin’s military
mobilization. A decree from the Russian president meant that servicemen under
contract could not leave their roles even after their contracts had expired. But
the draconian rules were not previously known to also apply to civil servants.
Sources who spoke with iStories said that because the resignation ban is both
illegal and informal, some exceptions are possible, including for those wanting
to resign on the grounds of health or corruption. News of the restriction is
just the latest sign of Moscow’s desperation to keep its war machine running in
spite of growing turmoil within Russia amid battlefield setbacks and outspoken
criticism of the Kremlin’s military leadership. Over the weekend, Moscow’s
Defense Ministry admitted that two of its high-ranking commanders were killed
while fighting for control of the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Colonel
Vyacheslav Makarov, commander of the 4th motorized rifle brigade, and Colonel
Yevgeny Brovko, the deputy commander of the army corps, were confirmed dead on
Sunday. On the same day, an embarrassing story emerged in Western media that
Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin had offered to reveal the positions of
Russian forces to Ukrainian intelligence if Kyiv withdrew its troops from
Bakhmut. The mercenary boss’s offer—which was revealed in documents leaked on
Discord—was reportedly rejected by Ukrainian officials who didn’t trust
Prigozhin to make good on his word.
Putin is on the ropes. Britain can prepare Ukraine for the
final blow
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon/The Telegraph/May 15, 2023
The Russians are down, but not quite out. With Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the UK
meeting Rishi Sunak, British arms could soon enable the Ukrainian armed forces
to deliver the killing blow. Today’s announcement has covered attack drones and
air defence missiles; last week, we saw the donation of Storm Shadow missile
systems. And, of course, there’s the offer of training for jet pilots. It’s all
good stuff, but Britain’s lead must be followed by others. America and Europe
must rally and give Kyiv everything it asks for this week; long range missiles
do no good on the shelves of warehouses when they could be blowing up Russian
tanks. And if we don’t enable Ukraine to finish the war this year, we will be
storing up trouble for years to come. What was meant to be a “Special Military
Operation” lasting a few weeks has turned into a 15-month military disaster for
the Russian autocrat. Things are bad on the battlefield, and a quick scan of the
headlines in the last month hints that far worse could be following. In a signal
humiliation, the defences of the Kremlin were apparently breached by a drone,
while a much-vaunted Russian hypersonic missile, supposedly overmatching
anything Nato could muster, was unceremoniously shot out of the sky by a
US-provided Patriot missile system.
It's not as if all is well at home, either. The price cap on oil exports has
forced the Kremlin to tax domestic producers more, slowly eroding its capability
to produce in the future. This is only going to get worse as the summer will
further lessen demand and reduce prices. Putin’s “magic money tree” is failing
him when he needs it most. Meanwhile, the infighting between the Wagner group
and the Russian MoD speaks to deep tensions that may further degrade battlefield
performance, with Wagner now apparently able to call the shots on tactics and
supplies. And the situation is worsening in Ukraine. A short time after their
arrival in Ukraine, it is clear that Western tanks and armoured vehicles are
almost ready to conduct deadly combined arms manoeuvre warfare. They will brush
aside the untrained conscripts thrown onto the front-lines by the Kremlin.
Antiquated Russian tanks hauled out of storage won’t last a minute in a scrap
with a Challenger 2; the depleted uranium shells fired by the British tanks will
punch through them as if they weren’t there, while the return fire is unlikely
to do more than scratch the paintwork. What’s more, the operational security
around their deployment has been outstanding. We don’t know where they are, or
what the plan of attack is; neither do the Russians. The sudden appearance of
formations of Western made armour is likely to produce a rout in troops already
low in morale, badly led and with little ammunition.
Things have become so desperate that the Russians are now apparently using
phosphorus bombs to try and burn their way to victory. Using this chemical in
civilian areas is a war crime. That won’t stop Putin. He knows that this
medieval style of scorched earth warfare proved highly effective for the
Russians and Assad Regime in Syria, rapidly becoming their go-to weapon when
conventional fighting failed. The last resort was chemical weapons, which we
have not yet seen in Ukraine. I would not bet against an increasingly desperate
Kremlin turning to their use; they secured Assad’s survival, the West did
nothing in response to their deployment, and Putin is aware that failure could
be the end of both his regime and his life. It is this fear that could lead to
Putin’s deployment of his deadliest weapon. Civilians are being evacuated in
droves, and in panic, from the area around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Many analysts believe this is in response to Ukrainian shelling and the threat
posed by a strong counterattack spearheaded by modern Western tanks. But while
it may be speculation, there are some who believe Moscow may be planning to use
the plant as some form of “improvised nuclear device”; a kill-switch for Russian
occupation in the area. It seems inconceivable, but how many times have we seen
Putin cross red lines we believed inviolable? This war cannot be allowed to drag
into next year. We must give the hawks circling Putin the “carrion” they need to
remove him. And we must give Zelensky all the military capability needed to kick
the Russians out of Ukraine. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British
journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9
with our US-exclusive offer.
Wagner boss accused of betraying Russians to Ukraine
Joe Barnes/The Telegraph/May 15, 2023
The leader of the Wagner mercenary group offered to reveal the location of
Russian troops to Ukraine in exchange for a withdrawal of Kyiv's forces from the
besieged city of Bakhmut, according to a purportedly leaked top-secret document.
Yevgeny Prigozhin approached Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate on a
number of occasions with the proposal as it appeared his forces would fail to
capture the Donetsk region town, the Washington Post reported. Kyiv spurned the
offer because its officials did not trust Prigozhin, a known ally of Vladimir
Putin, the Russian president, and thought his offer could have been
disingenuous. Details of the approach were revealed in an assessment from a
major leak of classified US material via the Discord social media platform.
A heavy price
The US intelligence highlighted several encounters between Prigozhin and
Ukrainian intelligence officers, including meetings in Africa, where Wagner
provides security for a number of governments. The Wagner leader reportedly
voiced concerns over the heavy price his mercenaries had paid spearheading
Russia’s push to capture Bakhmut, the bloodiest and single-longest battle since
the war broke out. According to one document, Prigozhin told Ukrainian officers
that the Russian military was struggling with ammunition supplies and urged Kyiv
to hit Moscow’s forces harder. He also advised Kyiv to launch an offensive
towards the border of Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, while
Russian troop morale was low. Moscow blamed for slow progress of mercenary
forces. The purportedly leaked intelligence emerged at the same time Prigozhin
was engaged in a public spat with the Russian defence ministry over a perceived
lack of support for his mercenary forces in Bakhmut. The businessman, known as
“Putin’s chef” because of his lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin, has
repeatedly blamed Moscow for the slow progress of his forces because of a lack
of supplies, including artillery shells and armoured vehicles. Prigozhin, who
had promised to capture Bakhmut by May 9 in time for Russia’s Victory Day
celebrations, has recently threatened to pull his troops out if he isn’t offered
more assistance. A lack of communication between Wagner and Russia’s
conventional military forces in Bakhmut last week reportedly allowed Ukraine to
break through Moscow’s defensive lines on the south-west outskirts of the city.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph
free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
Amid feud with Putin, Wagner mercenary leader offered
Ukrainians the locations of invading troops in exchange for sparing his for-hire
army, leaked documents reveal
Katherine Tangalakis-Lipper/Business Insider/May 15, 2023
Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a statement as
he stand next to Wagner fighters in an undisclosed location in the course of
Russia-Ukraine conflict, in this still image taken from video released May 5,
2023.Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERS
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has been feuding with Putin over supplies for
his mercenaries. WaPo reported leaked intelligence showed Prigozhin offered to
sell out Russian troops to Ukraine. In exchange, Prigozhin wanted Ukraine to
ease off his for-hire army on the front lines in Bakhmut.
In an apparent escalation of Yevgeny Prigozhin's public feud with Vladimir Putin
over his for-hire army, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group offered to sell
out the locations of Russian troops to Ukrainian officials in exchange for their
mercy on the battlefield, according to leaked intelligence documents.
The Washington Post reported that US military intelligence documents allegedly
shared on a Discord server by Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old airman at a National
Guard unit in Massachusetts, included a briefing on a January meeting between
Prigozhin and unnamed Ukrainian officials where the Wagner leader made his
desperate offer. In exchange for Ukrainians pulling back from the front lines of
battle in Bakhmut, where Wagner mercenaries have faced heavy losses that
Prigozhin blames on Putin's lack of support and supplies, Prigozhin would reveal
the locations of Russian troops and stand by as Ukraine attacked.
Some versions of the leaked documents circulating online have been edited,
Insider previously reported, but two anonymous Ukrainian officials confirmed to
WaPo that Prigozhin has spoken to Ukrainian intelligence officers on multiple
occasions. One official indicated Prigozhin had made the offer regarding Bakhmut
more than once but Kyiv leaders, skeptical of his objectives, declined. The
document does not specify which Russian troop positions Prigozhin offered to
reveal, WaPo reported, and US officials similarly cast doubt on the Wagner
leader's intentions. Still, multiple high-level Russian military commanders have
been killed near Bakhmut in recent weeks. Prigozhin, who has increasingly
criticized Putin for not supplying his troops with enough ammo, vowed earlier
this month to pull his troops from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the
site of one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the Russian invasion.
Hours after his announcement, Russia launched a massive incendiary attack on the
Ukrainian city using apparent chemical weapons, Insider previously reported.
Representatives for the Pentagon, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, and the
Government of the Russian Federation did not immediately respond to Insider's
requests for comment.
Türkiye Faces Runoff Election with Erdogan Leading
Asharq Al-Awsat/15 May 2023
Türkiye headed for a runoff vote after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan led over
his opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Sunday's election but fell short of
an outright majority to extend his 20-year rule of the NATO-member country.
Neither Erdogan nor Kilicdaroglu cleared the 50% threshold needed to avoid a
second round, to be held on May 28, in an election seen as a verdict on
Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian path. The presidential vote will decide not
only who leads Türkiye but also whether it reverts to a more secular, democratic
path, how it will handle its severe cost of living crisis, and manage key
relations with Russia, the Middle East and the West. Kilicdaroglu, who said he
would prevail in the runoff, urged his supporters to be patient and accused
Erdogan's party of interfering with the counting and reporting of results. But
Erdogan performed better than pre-election polls had predicted, and he appeared
in a confident and combative mood as he addressed his supporters. "We are
already ahead of our closest rival by 2.6 million votes. We expect this figure
to increase with official results," Erdogan said. With almost 97% of ballot
boxes counted, Erdogan led with 49.39% of votes and Kilicdaroglu had 44.92%,
according to state-owned news agency Anadolu. Türkiye’s High Election Board gave
Erdogan 49.49% with 91.93% of ballot boxes counted. Thousands of Erdogan voters
converged on the party's headquarters in Ankara, blasting party songs from
loudspeakers and waving flags. Some danced in the street. "We know it is not
exactly a celebration yet but we hope we will soon celebrate his victory.
Erdogan is the best leader we had for this country and we love him," said Yalcin
Yildrim, 39, who owns a textile factory.
Erdogan has edge
The results reflected deep polarization in a country at a political crossroads.
The vote was set to hand Erdogan's ruling alliance a majority in parliament,
giving him a potential edge heading into the runoff. Opinion polls before the
election had pointed to a very tight race but gave Kilicdaroglu, who heads a
six-party alliance, a slight lead. Two polls on Friday showed him above the 50%
threshold. The country of 85 million people - already struggling with soaring
inflation - now faces two weeks of uncertainty that could rattle markets, with
analysts expecting gyrations in the local currency and stock market. "The next
two weeks will probably be the longest two weeks in Türkiye’s history and a lot
will happen. I would expect a significant crash in the Istanbul stock exchange
and lots of fluctuations in the currency," said Hakan Akbas, managing director
of Strategic Advisory Services, a consultancy. "Erdogan will have an advantage
in a second vote after his alliance did far better than the opposition's
alliance," he added. A third nationalist presidential candidate, Sinan Ogan,
stood at 5.3% of the vote. He could be a "kingmaker" in the runoff depending on
which candidate he endorses, analysts said. The opposition said Erdogan's party
was delaying full results from emerging by lodging objections, while authorities
were publishing results in an order that artificially boosted Erdogan's tally.
Kilicdaroglu, in an earlier appearance, said that Erdogan's party was
"destroying the will of Türkiye" by objecting to the counts of more than 1,000
ballot boxes. "You cannot prevent what will happen with objections. We will
never let this become a fait accompli," he said. But the mood at the opposition
party's headquarters, where Kilicdaroglu expected victory, was subdued as the
votes were counted. His supporters waved flags of Türkiye’s founder Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk and beat drums.
Key Putin ally
The choice of Türkiye’s next president is one of the most consequential
political decisions in the country's 100-year history and will reverberate well
beyond Türkiye’s borders. A victory for Erdogan, one of President Vladimir
Putin's most important allies, will likely cheer the Kremlin but unnerve the
Biden administration, as well as many European and Middle Eastern leaders who
had troubled relations with Erdogan. Türkiye’s longest-serving leader has turned
the NATO member and Europe's second-largest country into a global player,
modernized it through megaprojects such as new bridges and airports and built an
arms industry sought by foreign states. But his volatile economic policy of low
interest rates, which set off a spiraling cost of living crisis and inflation,
left him prey to voters' anger. His government's slow response to a devastating
earthquake in southeast Türkiye that killed 50,000 people earlier this year
added to voters' dismay.
Parliamentary majority
Kilicdaroglu has pledged to revive democracy after years of state repression,
return to orthodox economic policies, empower institutions that lost autonomy
under Erdogan and rebuild frail ties with the West. Thousands of political
prisoners and activists could be released if the opposition prevails. Critics
fear Erdogan will govern ever more autocratically if he wins another term. The
69-year-old president, a veteran of a dozen election victories, says he respects
democracy. In the parliamentary vote, the People's Alliance of Erdogan's
Islamist-rooted AKP, the nationalist MHP and others fared better than expected
and were headed for a majority.
Sudan's Burhan Decides to Freeze RSF Bank Accounts
Khartoum: Asharq Al Awsat/15 May 2023
Sudan's military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan issued a decision to
freeze the bank accounts of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group and its
affiliated companies, his office said in a statement on Sunday. Sudan has been
mired in turmoil since a military conflict erupted between the army and the RSF
in mid-April. Burhan has also sacked central bank governor Hussain Yahia Jankol,
his office said on Sunday. Borai El Siddiq, who is one of Jankol's deputies, has
replaced the outgoing governor, Burhan's office said in a statement. The reason
for Jankol's sacking was not immediately clear.
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on May 15-16/2023
Israel-Palestine conflict: 75 years
of failed negotiations
Chris Doyle/Arab News/May 15, 2023
Why after so many years, so many decades, after so much suffering has the
international community so notably failed to resolve the Israel-Palestine
conflict? This is an understandable question as Palestinians mark another
miserable anniversary, the 75 years of the Nakba, the catastrophe. It is
reflected in the findings of the Arab News-YouGov poll that highlight the
pessimism at the situation, the disenchantment with the international community
and Palestinian despair with the possibility of a two-state solution. This is
even more intense as Palestinians reflect on those 75 years — for them the Nakba
is a continuous process, one they are still suffering from today, oppression and
dispossession at the hands of Israel. So why has peace been so elusive? The
amount of attention internationally has rarely been meager. The UN Security
Council has debated this issue more than any other, passing dozens of
resolutions. It was the UN General Assembly that opted for the partition
resolution in 1947. Since 1967, nearly every US president has made an effort to
push some peace plan or other. The European powers have looked to have a role,
and Norway even had its chance brokering the Oslo channel. Few conflicts
anywhere on the planet have attracted such interest. Those unfortunate to be
caught up in other protracted wars must be truly jealous of.
No, the issue was never the amount of attention but the quality. Time was
available but serious political will was rarely there to match and not just
amongst the parties to the conflict. From the outset, the international actors
never understood the situation in Palestine, and ever worse, at times did not
bother. Going back to 1917 and the Balfour declaration, its authors had never
visited the country nor did they understand its make up. All too often many
politicians took the Bible as their guide not the reality that was actually on
the ground. Zionist myths were all too readily swallowed that this was a land a
land without a people for a people without a land; that it was a case of an
Israeli David against an Arab Goliath and that Israeli brilliance had made the
desert bloom. Having taken dozens of British politicians to Palestine over the
last 30 years, it never ceases to amaze me how shocked they are at a reality
they discovered so at odds with what they imagined.
Secondly, many of the international actors were ignorant at best and deeply
prejudiced at worst. Arthur Balfour himself was anti-Semitic. Lloyd George was
deeply anti-Muslim. From the outset a colonial mentality ensured Palestinians
were never treated as a people with rights that had to be honoured, a situation
that still persists in too many quarters today. Many European leaders tried to
salve their conscience of the appalling treatment of Jews in Europe by giving in
to Zionist demands in Palestine regardless of the impact on the Palestinian Arab
population. Germany is a specific case here and Israeli leaders continue to
remind them of their historic guilt for what happened under the Nazis. Thirdly,
the Zionist movement and Israeli leaders were very successful in targeting the
major powers of the day. This started with the Ottoman empire, shirted to the
British and then of course the US. The Palestinian leaderships were never so
well connected in these quarters nor as adept at persuading these world leaders.
The impressive Israeli lobbying operation in the US has particularly born fruit
after 1967 as the US began to see Israel as its natural ally in the Middle East.
Today any aspiring American politician figure addresses the Israel lobby group
AIPAC and routinely gives unalloyed support to it.
In short, Israel has always enjoyed being depicted as a good faith actor when
this was far from the case. Under President Trump, the Israeli leadership could
do almost anything and expanded settlements at will. Under some less forgiving
presidents, the Israeli leadership occasionally has to slow the pace but nothing
more. The US has committed not to propose anything to the Palestinian side
without having first run it by the Israeli leadership. The result is that US is
not and never has been an impartial broker. It is no wonder as the Arab News-You
Gov poll shows that most Palestinians, around 59 percent, do not trust the US as
a broker. The remarkable thing is that this figure is not higher. Other powers
such as Russia and China are now viewed by Palestinians more sympathetically as
potential brokers. Israeli leaders have never made a serious offer to the
Palestinians nor acknowledged the wrong that was done to them. The Palestinian
leaderships have alienated friends, and even their own people. Fourth,
supporters of Palestinians have often been divided. Whilst Israel has benefited
from major power backing, all too often Arab and other states were all too
easily divided and took divergent paths. Some states like Iran attempt to use
the Palestinian issue for their own benefit rather than push for a resolution of
the conflict.
The high point of Arab unity was the Arab Peace Initiative of 2003 that called
for full Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory in exchange for full peace.
Sadly, that offer was never pushed as hard and as far as it should have been.
The opinion poll only highlights these divisions. Palestinians are just not sure
about the future options, a reflection of the grim state of play. Only 51
percent are in favour of a two-state solution which is hardly a massive
endorsement. Fifth, the sheer asymmetry of this conflict, the lopsided
relationship between Israel and Palestinians. Even in 1948, Israel was in the
more powerful position against the Arab armies that attacked. By 1967, it
smashed the Arab armies in six days. It is a nuclear power. For decades it has
been a regional superpower, militarily, economically and diplomatically. Against
that, the Palestinians are largely in enforced exile or under occupation and
blockade. The Palestinians cannot contest Israel on any front except perhaps one
— the legal and even here the diplomatic obstacles line up against them.
Israel’s demands for territory just get larger, and its rejectionism more
entrenched. Sixth, the international community has suspended any effort to
enforce its own laws and resolutions when it comes to Israel. The UN Security
Council and General Assembly resolutions, the Fourth Geneva Convention and all
the human rights conventions that Israel is in routine violation attract just
statements shifting from concern to guarded condemnation.
Even when the UN General Assembly seeks a legal opinion from the International
Court of Justice on whether Israel’s 56-year-old occupation is legal, major
powers voted against it including the US and UK. If Israeli leaders know they
can operate outside the boundaries of the norms of international law, why bother
coming to the peace table with serious offers. None of the failures of the
international community should take away from those of the parties to the
conflict themselves. Israeli leaders have never made a serious offer to the
Palestinians nor acknowledged the wrong that was done to them.
The Palestinian leaderships over the years have alienated friends, and even
their own people. It often has lacked a clear realistic strategy. The split
between Fatah and Hamas has been disastrous.
Those on all sides who have perpetrated deliberate acts of violence on civilians
have only pushed back chances for peace. Is it any wonder that this poll shows
that over half of Palestinians in the West Bank no longer trust their
leadership? A significant 44 percent say that neither Fatah nor Hamas represent
them. It should be food for thought. Moving forward from the present low point,
the international community has to reengage but in a different mindset. The US
has cease monopolising its brokering role and allow other parties a significant
say, opening the space for creative solutions. A peace process has to be founded
on core principles that has to include the end of Israeli occupation, a fair
settlement for refugees and a solution that respects the rights of both peoples
rather than privilege Israelis only.
• Chris Doyle is director of the London-based Council for Arab-British
Understanding (CAABU). He has worked with the council since 1993 after
graduating with a first class honors degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies at
Exeter University. He has organized and accompanied numerous British
parliamentary delegations to Arab countries. Twitter: @Doylech
Washington… What about the People?
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/May 15/2023
Not a day passes without an article about our region and President Biden’s
administration dealing with it, strategically and tactically, whether in
American newspapers or research center reports. Most of these stories focus on
the revival of Saudi-Iranian relations through Chinese mediation, and criticism
of the administration’s handling of the region. These analyses about Saudi
Arabia have a positive aspect following a period of systematic demonization,
accompanied by some naivety in understanding the region and the Kingdom. Most
importantly, attention is currently drawn to the vacuum created by the US
administration in this part of the world as a result of the lack of diplomatic
presence and the severance of communication channels with allies. What is odd
about most of these articles is their neglect of the most important dimension -
the people of the region, their future and their concerns. Instead, they talk
arrogantly and naively about combating terrorism and “ensuring” that Iran does
not obtain nuclear weapons. I used the inverted commas in the word above because
there is basically no trust and no strategy for dealing with Tehran. Moreover,
this coverage, which ignores the people of the region and their interests, is
constantly and blatantly focusing on peace with Israel, as if the Netanyahu
government is extending a hand for peace, while in reality, it is in conflict
with the Israelis themselves. I am saying this because I am a supporter of
peace, and I am certain that the battle after peace will be fiercer than today’s
conflicts. It will be a battle for scientific and economic supremacy, which will
be felt by the Iranian citizens, for example, now that Saudi-Iranian relations
have been restored, and movement between the two countries is possible.
Therefore, the real story in our region is the people, their right to a
dignified and secure life, education, self-development and children, health, a
decent job, and above all, the ability to cover their basic living costs.
People in the region are keen on their oil revenues to ensure a decent life more
than guaranteeing the price of oil for the sake of an electoral campaign. The
people of the region need to keep pace with technological progress to develop
their way of life and the future of their children, and their eagerness to
achieve this goal outweighs Washington’s endeavor to curb the Iranian nuclear
file. The people of the region care about their lives in a serious manner, and
more seriously than the way the US administrations have dealt with them,
specifically during the Obama era, up to the current administration, where there
is complete disregard for the lives of Syrians, and what the Assad regime has
done to them, or the way the administration deals with Afghanistan.
Despite all the US administration’s praise, for example, of the Saudi
international and regional political efforts, we find that the discourse in the
US media is focused on secondary issues, with an outdated rhetoric that does not
take into account the changes in the region. For example, Saudi Arabia is today
the best model of partnership for those who want positive change in the region,
along with the Gulf States. All of this falls in the interest of people first,
which is constantly ignored by analysts and politicians in Washington. If the
American administration and elites are serious about what is being proposed,
then the most important aspect that must be highlighted is the people who are
looking for a decent life and a bright future, instead of talking about human
beings with indelicate propaganda. Today, there is an opportunity for a
partnership that elevates human values, coexistence, and opportunities for
peace. Are some people in Washington aware of this fact? It is enough to visit
Saudi Arabia, for example, or conduct a Gulf tour, to feel this opportunity.
Does Washington want the Saudi model, or the model of demolishing the countries
around us?
The Big Performance
Samir Atallah/Asharq Al Awsat/May 15/2023
In the US, everything is a performance. Every development is heavily imbued with
elements from the Hollywood film industry and its philosophy. The scene must be
overwhelming, and the directors are the real heroes, not the actors, who are
merely tools directors use however they want. That is why the end credits always
carry the director’s signature. In Las Vegas, the wealthy are invited to throw
away their fortunes gambling in the casinos. To draw these victims in and lead
the sheep to the slaughterhouse, extremely elaborate and expensive artistic
performances are held in Las Vegas. The biggest Hollywood stars always take
part. Nonetheless, Donald Trump’s trial in New York is the most exciting and
gripping performance in history. The camera filmed his blue plane as soon as it
entered New York airspace. The massive plane. The large runway by the water. A
tense landing. As soon as the wheels hit the ground, the brakes start taming
this mighty flying object. Thank God you’re safe, Mr. President.
Once the plane lands, one man after the other steps off. Aides, bodyguards, and
who knows who else. From there, the cameras on the ground follow the plane’s
owner to his tower in Columbus Square. Millions of people around the world are
watching for free. Cut!
The next day’s papers... The most famous man in America arrives in court and is
asked to state his name, age, profession, and place of birth. For the first time
in his life, this man is calm, silent and gloomy rather than brash, impulsive,
and fussy. The director told him that this was the best way to garner the
people’s sympathy. Calm down, Mr. President; straighten your hair and avoid
moving your hands. Do not give any smile of any kind. “Cut” and scene.
The first public prosecutor to charge a former president appears. He is a
dark-skinned young man. Oh, what a pleasant twist to the story this is. A
“colored” man is prosecuting a white former president, making accusations that
threaten to undermine his reputation and could leave him behind bars.
Watching this immense performance, America is flabbergasted. It does not know
who to cheer for, the rule of law or breaking it. The president’s prosecution or
his humiliation. Does the show paint Trump as a victim who will win the upcoming
elections or a popular hero and a loser according to the constitution?
From his experience working in television, Trump knows that everything is
“drama,” especially in court. The most important thing to do is convince the
jury that decides the verdict. Do you remember the OJ Simpson trial and how it
left more Americans glued to their TVs than any other series?
Hollywood is already gearing up for a blockbuster about the man who descended
onto the White House from the city’s tallest tower. He also rendered the law an
extension of his reality TV program.
Between every scene, we hear a vulgar story for which viewer discretion is
advised.
Ukraine’s Offensive Could Set Stage for Diplomacy with
Russia, US Officials Say
Edward Wong and Michael Crowley/The New York Times/May 15/2023
Ukraine’s planned counteroffensive against Russia has overshadowed talk of a
potential negotiated settlement in the conflict, but some US and European
officials say the next phase of the war could create momentum for diplomacy.
It is unclear how the officials will define success in the counteroffensive,
which could last many months, or how its outcome might affect their approach.
Opinions range widely among military strategists about whether Ukraine is likely
to regain territory after more than a year of war.
For now, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has shown no signs of wanting to
make concessions or engage in meaningful dialogue.
And US officials remain wary of any calls for an immediate cease-fire or peace
talks, especially those coming from China. Beijing persists at trying to play
peacemaker, despite its obvious strategic alignment with Russia. Foreign
Minister Qin Gang has been traveling across Europe this week to try to sell the
notion that China can shepherd negotiations. Some European officials meeting
with Mr. Qin have expressed skepticism. And in Washington, Secretary of State
Antony J. Blinken met with his counterparts from Britain and Spain this week to
shore up commitments to military aid to Ukraine, sending a message that
battlefield gains are the priority.
Mr. Blinken said on Tuesday at a news conference with James Cleverly, the
British foreign secretary, that the Ukrainians have “what they need to continue
to be successful in regaining territory that was seized by force by Russia over
the last 14 months.” Like Mr. Blinken, Mr. Cleverly did not mention diplomacy
with Russia at all, instead focusing on military aid: “We need to continue to
support them, irrespective of whether this forthcoming offensive generates huge
gains on the battlefield, because until this conflict is resolved and resolved
properly, it is not over.”Ukrainian leaders also say they will not agree to
talks until they have pushed back Russian forces.
Still, President Biden’s aides have been exploring potential endgames, trying to
identify an outcome that could be acceptable to both Kyiv and Moscow if real
peace talks started, US officials say.
“I know that senior-level administration officials are regularly having
conversations about what peace ultimately would look like with our Ukrainian
counterparts,” said Representative Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on
the Armed Services Committee, “while at the same time having conversations about
how to arm them and win back as much territory as possible.”
Mr. Biden’s aides and European officials say their best hope is for Ukraine to
make substantial gains during the counteroffensive, which would give it more
leverage in any negotiations.
But whatever its leaders may think, American officials say that most Ukrainians
have little appetite for compromise with their Russian attackers. And US
officials fear that even if Russia’s military suffers more setbacks this summer,
Mr. Putin may still believe he can win a war of attrition.
Avril D. Haines, the director of national intelligence, said in congressional
testimony last week that while Mr. Putin was “scaling back his near-term
ambitions” in Ukraine, the chance of Russian concessions at any negotiating
table this year “will be low.”
Another senior US official said that no matter what success Ukraine achieves,
the Russian leader could simply order a wider draft mobilization to rebuild some
of his military power.
Mr. Putin could also benefit as the 2024 presidential campaign gears up in the
United States, with former President Donald J. Trump the early Republican
front-runner. Mr. Trump and several Republican politicians have called US
support for Ukraine wasteful and dangerous.
China has pushed for a mediator role since it unveiled a vague peace initiative
in February. Though Mr. Blinken and some top European diplomats say they are
open to the possibility of China playing a helpful role in the future, they
criticize Beijing for not publicly recognizing Russia as the aggressor in the
war. They insist that a country unwilling to do that cannot be trusted to be a
dispassionate mediator.
Xi Jinping, China’s leader, made a state visit to Moscow in March and voiced
continued support for his nation’s partnership with Russia, which the two
governments said had “no limits” just before Russia invaded Ukraine in February
2022. China’s special envoy for its peace initiative, Li Hui, was the ambassador
to Russia for 10 years and received a medal from Mr. Putin.
US and European officials are also suspicious of calls for peace talks that do
not include a demand that the Russian military first withdraw from Ukrainian
territory, which is the position of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
China has not taken an explicit position on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and
US officials say China and Russia might use the pretense of talks to freeze the
front lines — and Russian gains.
In her congressional testimony, Ms. Haines said Mr. Putin could use a cease-fire
to try to regain strength while “buying time for what he hopes will be an
erosion of Western support for Ukraine.”
She added that “he may be willing to claim at least a temporary victory based on
roughly the territory he has occupied.”
Mr. Blinken recently said it was “a positive thing” that Mr. Xi had finally
spoken to Mr. Zelensky last month, but he was “still not sure” China was willing
to accept that Ukraine was the victim. Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign
minister, said nearly the same thing directly to Mr. Qin at a news conference on
Tuesday: “Neutrality means taking the side of the aggressor, and that is why our
guiding principle is to make it clear that we are on the side of the victim.”
The main argument for a greater Chinese role in diplomacy is the fact that the
country is Russia’s most powerful partner, and Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin share a
personal bond. Russia’s war has roiled the global economy, creating problems for
China.
“As a matter of principle,” Mr. Blinken said, “countries — particularly
countries with significant influence like China — if they’re willing to play a
positive role in trying to bring peace, that would be a good thing.”
The White House said on Thursday that Jake Sullivan, the national security
adviser, talked about Ukraine with Wang Yi, China’s top foreign policy official,
during a two-day meeting this week in Vienna.
The debate in Washington over potential peace talks is amorphous and
paradoxical. There are even competing arguments based on the same hypothetical
outcome: If Ukraine makes substantial gains, that might mean it is time for
talks, some officials say — or it could mean Ukraine should put diplomacy on the
back burner and keep fighting.
If Ukraine is unable to seize significant territory, some US and European
officials might want to nudge Mr. Zelensky toward a negotiated settlement.
Is Any ‘One Culture Superior to Others’?
Raymond Ibrahim/May 15/2023
Drawing of the Hindu custom of Sati. Right: General Charles Napier
Recently, while apologizing to “indigenous peoples” and denouncing
Christians—without the all-important historical context—Pope Francis declared
that “Never again can the Christian community allow itself to be infected by the
idea that one culture is superior to others…”
This—claiming all cultures are equal—is a very dangerous position, not least as
it leads to relativism and the abnegation of Truth.
For most Western people today, the word culture conjures at best superficial
differences—“exotic” dress or food. In reality, however, cultures are nothing
less than entire and distinct worldviews with their own unique sets of right and
wrongs, often rooted in a religion or philosophy.
Indeed, for some thinkers, such as essayist T.S. Eliot, “culture and religion”
are inextricably linked and “different aspects of the same thing.”
Culture may even be described simply as that which makes life worth living…. [N]o
culture can appear or develop except in relation to a religion… We can see a
religion as the whole way of life of a people, from birth to the grave, from
morning to night and even in sleep, and that way of life is also its culture.
[From Eliot’s Notes Towards the Definition of Culture, 1943, p.100-101; emphasis
in original.]
Similarly, for Anglo-French historian Hilaire Belloc,
Cultures spring from religions; ultimately the vital force which maintains any
culture is its philosophy, its attitude toward the universe; the decay of a
religion involves the decay of the culture corresponding to it — we see that
most clearly in the breakdown of Christendom today.
In short, cultures bring much more than, say, the convenience of having Indian
cuisine down the street.
The fact is, all values traditionally prized by the modern West—religious
freedom, tolerance, humanism, monogamy—did not develop in a vacuum but rather
are inextricably rooted to Christian principles which, over the course of some
two-thousand years, have had a profound influence on Western epistemology,
society and, of course, culture.
While they are now taken for granted and seen as “universal,” there’s a reason
why these values were born and nourished in Christian—not Muslim, Buddhist,
Hindu, or Confucian—nations. Even if one were to accept the widely entrenched
narrative that the “Enlightenment” is what led to Western progress, it is alone
telling that this enlightenment developed in Christian—as opposed to any of the
many non-Christian—nations.
All this is missed by those ignorant of the spiritual and intellectual roots of
Western civilization—including, apparently, Pope Francis.
This is, incidentally, why all secular Western people arrogantly see themselves
as the culmination of all human history—“enlightened” thinkers who have left all
cultural and religious baggage behind with concern only for the material. For
them, all religions and cultures are superficialities that will eventually be
sloughed off by all the peoples of the world. The non-Western world, according
to this thinking, is destined to develop just like the West, which is no longer
seen as a distinct culture but rather the end point of all cultures.
The folly of such thinking is especially on display in the context of Islam and
Muslims, who in this new paradigm are seen as embryonic Westerners. Whatever a
Muslim may say—calls for jihad, hate for infidels—surely deep down inside he
values “secularism,” and appreciates the need to practice Islam privately,
respect religious freedom, gender equality, and so on. Thus is he made “in our
image,” except, of course, we forget the roots of “our image.” In reality, the
Muslim has his own unique and ancient worldview and set of principles—his own
culture—which in turn prompt behavior that is deemed “radical” by Western
standards (which are falsely assumed to be “universal” standards).
As T.S. Eliot, who gave these questions much thought, wrote, “Ultimately,
antagonistic religions must mean antagonistic cultures; and ultimately,
religions cannot be reconciled.”
Portraying what at root is a Christian paradigm as “universal,” and then
applying it to an alien culture like Islam, is doomed to failure. The idea that
Muslims can be true to their religion and yet naturally fit into Western society
is false and built on an equally false premise: that Christianity somehow also
had to moderate itself to fit into a secular society. In fact, Christian
principles, which are so alien to Islam, were fundamental to the creation of the
West. What, then, of “multiculturalism”—this word that the West is supposed to
celebrate and embrace wholeheartedly? Behind it is the idea that all cultures
are equal, and none—certainly not Christian or Western culture—“is superior to
others,” to quote Francis. In reality, multiculturalism is another euphemistic
way of undermining and replacing the truths of a religion and its culture with
relativism.
Earlier Western peoples understood that capitulating to a foreign culture was
tantamount to suicide. Again, Eliot:
[I]t is inevitable that we should, when we defend our religion, be at the same
time defending our culture, and vice versa: we are obeying the fundamental
instinct to preserve our existence [emphasis in original].
One anecdote well captures this “clash of cultures.” After the British colonial
powers banned sati—the Hindu practice of burning a widow alive on her husband’s
funeral pyre—Hindu priests complained to British governor Charles James Napier
that sati was their custom and therefore right, to which he replied:
Be it so. This burning of widows is your custom; prepare the funeral pile. But
my nation has also a custom. When men burn women alive we hang them, and
confiscate all their property. My carpenters shall therefore erect gibbets on
which to hang all concerned when the widow is consumed. Let us all act according
to national customs.
Incidentally, being opposed to “multiculturalism”—that is to say, relativism—is
in no way the same thing as being opposed to other races or ethnicities but
rather being opposed to disunity and chaos. After all, racially homogenous but
culturally heterogeneous nations are much more fractured than the reverse. One
need look no further than to the United States, where “leftist” and “rightist”
whites often abhor one another. Or look to the Middle East, where Muslims and
Christians are largely homogenous— racially, ethnically, and linguistically—but
where the former are ruthlessly persecuting the latter, exclusively over
religion. In short, there’s nothing wrong if a nation’s citizenry is composed of
different races and ethnicities, but only if they share the same worldview, the
same priorities, the same ethics, the same sense of right and wrong—in a word,
the same culture.
Who Wants to Destroy Israel? You Might Be
Surprised.
Guy Millière/Gatestone Institute./May 15, 2023
It is the first time in Israel's short history that a large-scale movement has
been launched using undemocratic means to overthrow a democratically elected
government.
The new government, in fact, is trying to restore democracy – by reforming
Supreme Court practices that were adopted starting in the 1990s, which allow
unelected, unaccountable Supreme Court justices to deliver rulings based on
"reasonableness" rather than on written law – often meaning, "whatever I think
is reasonable". Israel's Supreme Court is currently said have "virtually
limitless power': it asserts the right to veto both political appointments and
military decisions; it has no mechanism for recourse, and no requirement for
"standing" -- meaning that the litigant need not be directly affected by the
decision, such as having a personal wrong righted. On the contrary, anyone can
directly petition the Supreme Court, anytime, about anything. The last provision
has opened the floodgates for lawsuits by "concerned" non-governmental
organizations dissatisfied with decisions Israel has taken. In addition, sitting
Supreme Court justices – not the electorate and not the parliament – have the
power to approve or veto any appointment of new justices, leading to a closed
"club" in which no one is flustered by dissent.
The Biden Administration, staffed by many of the same people who were in the
Obama Administration, has behaved as an enemy of Israel from day one. The
Administration quickly restored US funding to the Palestinian Authority without
asking it to stop supporting terrorism or even to stop inciting violence. The
Biden Administration then opened a U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs and
installed, as "special representative for Palestinian affairs", Hady Amr who has
admitted being "inspired by the Palestinian intifada".
The Biden Administration has, to its credit, during the hundreds of recent
missile attacks -- 1,235 rockets over five days, launched at a country the size
of New Jersey -- said that "Israel has the right to protect itself and defend
its people from indiscriminate rocket attacks launched by terrorist groups" --
yet for the past two years, has done nothing to eliminate Israel's most serious
threat – Iran's nuclear program – apart from seemingly trying to have Iran not
use any nuclear weapons during the current administration's term.
The Biden Administration has, additionally, considerably eroded America's
influence in the Middle Easy, thereby creating a situation of extreme peril for
Israel and other erstwhile US allies in the Gulf. Biden, even during his 2020
presidential campaign, repeatedly vowed to treat Saudi Arabia as a "pariah"...
This rebuff was followed by the Biden Administration's refusal to promise either
that it would stop negotiating with Iran for a deal enabling the mullahs to have
unlimited nuclear weapons, and fears that the US would not protect Saudi Arabia
and other Arab allies in the Gulf from Iran.
Iran's mullahs also can see that the United Arab Emirates in 2021, signed a
contract with the Chinese company Huawei, now building a 5G network in the Gulf
state – thereby making the UAE totally vulnerable to Chinese intelligence
penetration. That contract was followed by the cancellation of a $23 billion
arms purchase from the United States.
The seemingly unremitting desire of the Biden administration to reach an
agreement with the Iranian regime at almost any price and to realign American
foreign policy in the Middle East toward a policy led by Iran was evidently what
led to Saudi Arabia's restoration of ties with Iran. Biden's eagerness to treat
Saudi Arabia as "pariah" had turned an ally into a question mark. Meanwhile, the
Iranian regime, more expansionist by the day -- which the Saudi regime is not --
reveals that despite the decidedly unsavory murder of Osama bin Laden's friend
and Muslim Brotherhood acolyte Jamal Khashoggi, the Iranian regime is, by light
years, far more dangerous to the stability of the region and beyond, as well as
even more hostile to human rights than Saudi Arabia ever was.
Moreover, the strategic cooperation agreement signed in March 2021 between Iran
and China has deepened the ties between the mullahs and the Chinese Communist
Party, geopolitically and economically, to the detriment of the United States.
The means of payment on which they agreed will not be the world's reserve
currency for oil, the US dollar, but instead, China's yuan.
A few weeks ago, when a key official in Israel's defense ministry was in
Washington to request more American support for Israel in case the Israeli
government thinks necessary to attack Iran's nuclear program, no answer was
given.
"The land of Israel and the State of Israel are acquired through many trials and
tribulations.... They will not overcome us; we will overcome them". — Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, April 24, 2023.
A terrorist carried out a car-ramming attack at Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market
a few hours earlier. Netanyahu was talking about terrorists, but his words could
be addressed to all enemies of Israel and to all those who want to destroy it.
For the first time in Israel's short history, a large-scale movement has been
launched using undemocratic means to overthrow a democratically elected
government. Pictured: Anti-government protesters on March 27, 2023 in Tel Aviv,
Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
On April 17-18, Israel observed Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day.
Sirens sounded across the country while people stood for two minutes of silence
in remembrance of six million Jews who had been murdered. Wreaths were laid at
the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center. Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu delivered a speech calling on Israelis for unity.
The speech, however, was apparently not heard by everyone. Protests against his
government soon resumed. A week later, on April 24-25, on Memorial Day, when
Israelis pay their respects to soldiers who have fallen so that Israel might
live, Netanyahu once again called for unity. The next day, when Israel
celebrated Independence Day, some people decided not to participate in the
official ceremony and held a "protest celebration" instead.
Following the November 2022 elections, Israel has been plunged into turmoil.
Massive demonstrations both in support of and against the government have been
organized for weeks. Ostensibly the demonstrations are concerning a proposed
judicial reform bill, but in reality appear to be about retaining or
overthrowing the newly elected government.
Some demonstrators want to overthrow of the government and permanently eliminate
Netanyahu from Israeli politics. Others, even more, believe he is the best prime
minister to lead them through a time when the entire Muddle East, including
Israel, is facing the threat of nuclear destruction from a relentless Iran.
It is the first time in Israel's short history that a large-scale movement has
been launched using undemocratic means to overthrow a democratically elected
government.
It is also the first time that Israeli opposition political leaders, including
former military chiefs of staff, have issued calls for civil disobedience and
incited IDF reservists to not appear for duty. In a country under constant
threat, such a move was considered inconceivable.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, in the United Kingdom on March 27, outlined,
with no visible shame, his strategy to topple Israel's government, which he
incorrectly defined as "basically a dictatorship". For a citizen of a democratic
country to go to a foreign country to say he wants to topple his own government
could be considered an act of treason. Barak did not even try to hide that those
who follow him are a tiny minority: 3.5% of a population, he stated, is enough
to overthrow a government.
Yair Lapid, former interim prime minister until December 2022, was in New York
in April, to meet the leaders of American Jewish organizations. He also urged
the overthrow of Israel's democratically elected government. " You have a
voice," he encouraged leaders of American Jewish organizations, "and you have
the right to use it."
The leaders of a nonprofit organization, Am Echad, committed to strengthening
the connection between Israel and Jews outside it, replied:
"It is disingenuous of you to accuse the government of undermining Israeli
democracy and calling on American Jews to get up in arms to protect Israel from
its own leadership."
Other Israeli politicians and former military chiefs joined in. Moshe Ya'alon, a
former Defense Minister and former IDF Chief of General Staff accused Netanyahu
of "sacrificing democracy" and of being "ready to burn down the country and its
values". Former IDF Chief of General Staff Gadi Eisenkot that, claimed that
Netanyahu and his government are "badly harming the national interests of the
State of Israel". And so on.
By contrast, Morton Klein, head of the Zionist Organization of America, said
that "Lapid's traitorous trip is a disgrace that has cemented his status as head
of the 'disloyal Opposition.'" Klein accused Lapid of "sowing anarchy and
fomenting outside foreign pressures that trample upon the will of the Israeli
public."
Palestinian terrorist organizations, meanwhile, took advantage of the disruption
to kill more Jews. The year 2022 had been one the deadliest years in recent
memory in Israel – which is the reason a strong government, led by Netanyahu,
was elected in the first place.
For Israel's enemies, the damage done to Israel's international reputation is
always near the top of their wish-list. The international media, always ready to
show its contempt for Israel, also seems to enjoy what is happening. Articles in
the European press blindly describe -- incorrectly of course -- the Netanyahu
government as "extreme right-wing with fascist tendencies." On March 30,
journalist Joshua Leifer wrote in the Britain's The Guardian that "Israel hasn't
been a democracy for a long time. Now, Israelis need to face this fact". In
France's Le Monde, Netanyahu, along with cabinet ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and
Bezalel Smotrich, are described as racists and "Jewish supremacists".
"Israeli Democracy Faces a Mortal Threat," Israeli novelist David Grossman wrote
in The Atlantic. The threat he speaks of is the Netanyahu government -- which
he, too, incorrectly describes as wanting to "abolish democracy."
The new government, in fact, is trying to restore democracy – by reforming
Supreme Court practices that were adopted starting in the 1990s, which allow
unelected, unaccountable Supreme Court justices to deliver rulings based on
"reasonableness" rather than on written law – often meaning, "whatever I think
is reasonable". Israel's Supreme Court is currently said have "virtually
limitless power': it asserts the right to veto both political appointments and
military decisions; it has no mechanism for recourse, and no requirement for
"standing" -- meaning that the litigant need not be directly affected by the
decision, such as having a personal wrong righted. On the contrary, anyone can
directly petition the Supreme Court, anytime, about anything. The last provision
has opened the floodgates for lawsuits by "concerned" non-governmental
organizations dissatisfied with decisions Israel has taken. In addition, sitting
Supreme Court justices – not the electorate and not the parliament – have the
power to approve or veto any appointment of new justices, leading to a closed
"club" in which no one is flustered by dissent.
Israel's Supreme Court currently has almost limitless power. There is no
mechanism for recourse.
As far as economic damage goes, 255 American Jewish business leaders on March 13
published an open letter saying that they "feel compelled to reevaluate their
reliance on Israel as a strategic destination for investment". On March 8, an
Israeli technology company, Riskified, announced that it had decided to transfer
$500 million out of the country, and offered relocation packages to staff
members. On April 16, Moody's credit rating agency downgraded the credit outlook
of the Israeli economy from "positive" to "stable." The move was seen by many as
just the continuation of ongoing efforts to overthrow Israel's government by
"economic warfare".
US President Joe Biden on March 28 harshly criticized the Israeli government.
"I'm very concerned... They [members of the Israeli government] cannot continue
down this road. And I've sort of made that clear". He added that he will not
invite Netanyahu to the White House "in the near term."
"Israel," Netanyahu answered, "is a sovereign country which makes its decisions
by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from
the best of friends."
The Biden Administration, staffed by many of the same people who were in the
Obama Administration, has behaved as an enemy of Israel from day one. The
Administration quickly restored US funding to the Palestinian Authority without
asking it to stop supporting terrorism or even to stop inciting violence. The
Biden Administration then opened a U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs and
installed, as "special representative for Palestinian affairs", Hady Amr who has
admitted being "inspired by the Palestinian intifada".
The 2022 Country Report on Human Rights practices published by the US Department
of State describes Israel as a country that does not respect the most essential
human rights: those who wrote the report base their accusations on leftist and
pro-Palestinian NGOs that are cited extensively throughout the text. The report
alleges – without any reference to the threats of extermination from and
terrorism perpetrated by the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic
Jihad, Hezbollah and, behind them all, an openly genocidal Iran -- that "the
Israeli government or its agents commit arbitrary or unlawful killings", "use
torture", and practice "arbitrary arrest and detention".
Since the day Netanyahu won the Israeli elections in November 2022, the Biden
Administration's hostility toward Israel has grown and it seems now to be
directly trying to bring down the Netanyahu government while supporting
Netanyahu's enemies both inside and outside Israel. The Administration uses US
taxpayer money to fund the Movement for Quality Government (MQG), an Israeli NGO
that organizes protests and disseminates propaganda hostile to Netanyahu and his
government.
The Biden Administration has, to its credit, during the hundreds of recent
missile attacks -- 1,235 rockets over five days, launched at a country the size
of New Jersey -- said that "Israel has the right to protect itself and defend
its people from indiscriminate rocket attacks launched by terrorist groups" --
yet for the past two years, has done nothing to eliminate Israel's most serious
threat – Iran's nuclear program – apart from seemingly trying to have Iran not
use any nuclear weapons during the current administration's term.
The Biden Administration has, additionally, considerably eroded America's
influence in the Middle Easy, thereby creating a situation of extreme peril for
Israel and other erstwhile US allies in the Gulf. Biden, even during his 2020
presidential campaign, repeatedly vowed to treat Saudi Arabia as a "pariah".
Just weeks after his inauguration, the Biden Administration removed from the US
list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, the Houthis, one of Iran's proxy
militias that had been waging a civil war in Yemen for years on the way to the
real target: Saudi Arabia. The Houthis reacted to this courtesy by ratcheting up
attacks on Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi -- while the Biden Administration refused
put the Houthis back on the terror list. This rebuff was followed by the Biden
Administration's refusal to promise either that it would stop negotiating with
Iran for a deal enabling the mullahs to have unlimited nuclear weapons, and
fears that the US would not protect Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies in the
Gulf from Iran.
The seemingly unremitting desire of the Biden administration to reach an
agreement with the Iranian regime at almost any price and to realign American
foreign policy in the Middle East toward a policy led by Iran was evidently what
led to Saudi Arabia's restoration of ties with Iran. Biden's eagerness to treat
Saudi Arabia as "pariah" had turned an ally into a question mark. Meanwhile, the
Iranian regime, more expansionist by the day (here, here and here) -- which the
Saudi regime is not -- reveals that despite the decidedly unsavory murder of
Osama bin Laden's friend and Muslim Brotherhood acolyte Jamal Khashoggi, the
Iranian regime is, by light years, far more dangerous to the stability of the
region and beyond, as well as even more hostile to human rights (here, here, and
here) than Saudi Arabia ever was.
As many of the US sanctions on Iran have been lifted, it has grown even more
aggressive, accelerating its quest for nuclear weapons. Iran can now enrich
uranium to 84% purity and raise it quickly to weapons-grade. Moreover, the
strategic cooperation agreement signed in March 2021 between Iran and China has
deepened the ties between the mullahs and the Chinese Communist Party,
geopolitically and economically, to the detriment of the United States. The
means of payment on which they agreed will not be the world's reserve currency
for oil, the US dollar, but instead, China's yuan.
Iran's mullahs also can see that the United Arab Emirates in 2021, signed a
contract with the Chinese company Huawei, now building a 5G network in the Gulf
state – thereby making the UAE totally vulnerable to Chinese intelligence
penetration. That contract was followed by the cancellation of a $23 billion
arms purchase from the United States. The mullahs also saw that the UAE Foreign
Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed the deal between Saudi Arabia and
them, and called it "an important step for the region towards stability and
prosperity".
As for Israel, Iran's mullahs can see that their access to nuclear weapons is
considered by Netanyahu and his government a mortal danger to Israel, and that
the current turmoil in Israel might, they hope, make Israeli action against Iran
more difficult.
The official Iranian media headlined statements by former Israeli PMs Barak and
Lapid claiming that Israel was on the verge of collapse.
It is quite possible that Iran's plan to "wipe Israel" off the map will never be
implemented, but the mullahs' dreams of doing so have existed since the first
days of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Hezbollah and Hamas have "many thousands of missiles, some of them
precision-guided", and "Iran has transferred a very large number of missiles and
UAVs to Syria" that "are ready to be launched ."
Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas most likely hope that a rain of missiles far more
intense than that launched by Hamas in May 2021 against Israel could exhaust the
stock of Iron Dome air defense interceptors. The mullahs apparently hope that
such an attack would have catastrophic consequences.
If an attack were launched against Israel, China, Russia and European countries
would most likely protest verbally, but would not act to defend Israel.
The mullahs probably assume that the Biden Administration, already involved in
Ukraine and anticipating trouble from the Chinese Communist Party in the
Indo-Pacific -- such as trying to take over Taiwan – would, like Europe, fail to
react. Biden, hoping to win the 2024 election, will most likely tell the cameras
that "Israel has the right to defend itself" -- but he would avoid intervening
at all costs.
Recently, the US removed munitions stored in Israel and shipped them Ukraine;
the materiel has not been replaced. A few weeks ago, when a key official in
Israel's defense ministry was in Washington to request more American support for
Israel in case the Israeli government thinks necessary to attack Iran's nuclear
program, no answer was given.
"Hezbollah, Hamas and their Iranian bosses believe they can attack Israel with
impunity," wrote Israeli journalist Caroline Glick last month.
"... Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards
Corps commander Hossein Salami, along with various Hamas and Islamic Jihad
commanders and preachers, have given speeches declaring that Israel is falling
apart and its destruction is imminent and calling for their jihadist forces to
prepare for victory."
In a later column, she wrote:
"With our ruling class in full revolt, Israel's most important
institutions—first and foremost, the IDF—are reeling. Our ability to defend
ourselves on the battlefield and in diplomatic circles is constrained as never
before. With our elites declaring our government illegitimate, and lobbying
American Jews and politicians to boycott our leaders and reject the morality of
the public that voted them into office, the government must fight against our
enemies, against anti-Semitism, against BDS campaigns and anti-Israel propaganda
machines with both hands tied behind its back, its mouth gagged while hopping on
one foot. This situation is unsustainable.
"... we must find a way to restore sanity and a sense of common destiny to our
national life. We don't have a spare country. Our ruling class needs to return
to its senses and remember this obvious fact."
On April 27, hundreds of thousands of Israelis poured into Jerusalem for a rally
to support the government. One protester said: "
Who wants to destroy Israel? Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, of course, but the Israeli
left today is also a danger for the country".
"Look how much strength we have," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said to the
crowd.
"They have the media and tycoons who finance demonstrations. We have the
majority of the people, who demand and give us full backing to fix what needs to
be fixed... We will not give up."
"The land of Israel and the State of Israel are acquired through many trials and
tribulations," Netanyahu announced on April 24. "They will not overcome us; we
will overcome them."
A terrorist carried out a car-ramming attack at Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market
a few hours earlier. Netanyahu was talking about terrorists, but his words could
be addressed to all enemies of Israel and to all those who want to destroy it.
*Dr. Guy Millière, a professor at the University of Paris, is the author of 27
books on France and Europe.
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