English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 23/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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15 آذار/2023

Bible Quotations For today
Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also
Saint John 12/26-30:”Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say “Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 22-23/2023
Saint. Rita, The Saint of the Impossible/The Saint Of The Day/May 22/2023
Lebanese Prosecutor Summons Central Bank Chief Following Interpol Warrant over Corruption Charges
Hezbollah Stages Wargames for Media, Draws Lebanese Condemnation
Lebanon’s Hezbollah stages war games, unveils drone weapon against Israel
Hezbollah Stages Wargames for Media, Draws Lebanese Condemnation
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller condemns Hezbollah's military drill, reinforces US position
Bukhari: Saudis barred from investing in Lebanon before president election
Paris begins new presidential talks with Christians, Gulf states
Lebanon PM condemns Hezbollah military maneuver
Mikati says Hezbollah arms need national accord after controversial drill
Bassil: We will remain flexible to reach presidential agreement
Bassil would only accept an FPM presidential candidate
Consultative meeting at Grand Serail to issue a recommendation on Central Bank Governor
Geagea slams 'reckless' Hezbollah as MP threatens to take up arms
Lebanese Central Bank Governor Salameh faces international arrest warrant
Oueidat summons Salameh over Interpol notice
Lebanon bathing suit row triggers women-led beach protest
Depositors pay the price: Examining losses amid Lebanon's loan repayment chaos
A promising summer season in Lebanon: More than 1.5 million tourists expected
MP Sami Gemayel introduces proposed law to amend Central Bank Governor's term
Mikati tackles developments, Arab Summit outcome with UN’s Wronecka, meets Asian Football Confederation President
Berri meets Maronite Archbishop of Sidon and Deir al-Qamar, broaches situation with MPs Murr and Baarini
Information Minister signs cooperation agreement with UNICEF Lebanon Representative on supporting children and youth issues
Bou Habib begins Rome visit, meets Vatican’s Cardinal Parolin, Secretary for Relations with States

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 22-23/2023
Christians in Jordan welcome progress on inheritance law
New EU sanctions on Iran target Basij, judiciary after executions
Iran replaces security chief Shamkhani with IRGC official
Israel accuses Iran of using civilian ships as 'floating terror bases'
Israel kills 3 Palestinians in West Bank; US slams latest settlement expansion
UAE invites Israeli president, PM to attend COP28 in Dubai
Israel Says Will Continue to Attack Syria Despite Return to Arab League
What's next for Syria after Assad's regional comeback?
Frantic Hunting Mission Erupts After Raid on Russian Town
Russia Says It’s Battling Cross-Border Raids; Nothing to Do with Us, Says Ukraine
Erdogan Wins Endorsement for Turkish Election Runoff from Third-Place Candidate Ogan
Air Strikes Hit Khartoum as Seven-Day Ceasefire Approaches
Armenia will accept Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan subject to rights guarantee - Armenian PM cited

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 22-23/2023
Intra-Kurdish tensions paralyze northeast Syria’s main border crossing/Lyse Mauvais & Solin Muhammed Amin/Al Monitor/May 22/2023
The Real Threat to Al-Aqsa Mosque is From Muslims, Not Jews/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/May 22, 2023
The Jeddah Summit and the Future Middle East/Nabil Amr/Asharq Al Awsat/May 22/ 2023
Jeddah summit offers hope for a reinvigorated Arab nation/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/May 22, 2023
The Jeddah Declaration shows Saudi Arabia’s seriousness/Daoud Kuttab/Arab News/May 22/2023

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 22-23/2023
Saint. Rita, The Saint of the Impossible
The Saint Of The Day/May 22/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/118432/%d8%aa%d8%b0%d9%83%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%b3%d8%a9-%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%aa%d8%a7-%d8%b4%d9%81%d9%8a%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b3%d8%aa/
Saint Rita was born Margherita Lotti in Roccaporena, Italy in 1381. The day after her baptism, Rita was surrounded by a swarm of white bees, which went in and out of her infant mouth without hurting her. Rather than being alarmed, her family believed she was marked to be virtuous and devoted to God.
At an early age, she begged her parents to allow her to enter a convent but was instead arranged to be married to a cruel man named Paolo Mancini. Young Rita became a wife and mother at only twelve years of age and her husband was a man of violent temper. In anger, he often mistreated Rita verbally and physically. He was also known to pursue other women and he had many enemies. Paolo had many enemies in Cascia, but Rita’s influence over him eventually led him to be a better man. He even renounced a family feud between the Mancinis and Chiquis. Unfortunately, the feud between the Mancini and Cascia family grew turbulent and one of Paolo’s allies betrayed and killed him. Following her husband’s death, Rita gave his murderers a public pardon, but Paolo’s brother, Bernardo, was still angry and encouraged Rita’s two sons, Giovanni Antonio and Paulo Maria, to join the feud. Under their uncle’s leadership, each boy became more and more like their father had been before Rita married him, and they wanted to avenge their father’s murder. Rita attempted to stop them, but both of her sons were determined to revenge their slain father. Rita prayed to God, asking Him to take her sons before they lost their souls to the mortal sin of murder. One year later, her prayers were answered when both of her sons fell prey to dysentery and died. Following the deaths of her sons, Rita attempted to enter the monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia, but she was not allowed to join. Though Rita’s character and piety were recognized, her husband’s association with the family feud was greatly feared.
When Rita persisted, the convent told her she could join if she could find a way to mend the wound between the Chiquis and Mancinis. After asking John the Baptist, Augustine of Hippo, and Nicholas of Tolentino to help her in her task, she attempted to end the feud.
The bubonic plague had been spreading through Italy at that time, and when Bernardo Mancini became infected, he finally abolished the feud with the Chiqui family. Once the conflict was resolved, Rita was allowed to enter the monastery at the age of thirty-six. It is said that she was transported into the monastery of Saint Magdalene through levitation at night by the three patron saints she appealed to. While at the monastery, Rita performed her duties faithfully and received the sacraments frequently. Rita had a great devotion to the Passion of Christ, and one day, when she was sixty-year-old, she asked, “Please let me suffer like you, Divine Saviour.” After her request, a wound appeared on her forehead, as if a thorn from Christ’s crown had pierced her. It left a deep wound, which did not heal, and it caused her to suffer until the day she died. It is said that as she neared the end of her life, Rita was bedridden from tuberculosis. It was then that she asked a cousin who had come to visit for a rose from the garden in her old home. As it was January, her cousin did not expect to find any roses, but there was a single rose in bloom, which was brought back to Rita at the convent.
She passed away four months later, on May 22, 1457. Following her death, she was buried at the basilica of Cascia, and was later discovered to be incorrupt. Her body can be found today in the Saint Rita shrine at Cascia. Rita was beatified by Pope Urban VIII in 1627 and canonized by Pope Leo XII on May 24, 1900. Saint Rita is often portrayed in a black habit, which is historically inaccurate as the sisters at the Saint. Magdalene monastery wore beige or brown. She is also often shown to hold a thorn, a large Crucifix, or a palm leaf with three thorns to represent her husband and two sons.
In some images, Saint Rita is shown to have a wound on her forhead, holding a rose, or to be surrounded by bees. Oration to the Saint of the Impossible.

Lebanese Prosecutor Summons Central Bank Chief Following Interpol Warrant over Corruption Charges
AP/May 22/2023
Lebanon's public prosecutor Monday summoned the country's embattled central bank governor for questioning following an international arrest warrant issued against him in France over corruption charges, judicial officials said. Riad Salameh is to answer the summons later this week, although no specific date was given. France, Germany and Luxembourg are investigating Salameh and his associates over myriad alleged financial crimes, including illicit enrichment and laundering of $330 million. A French investigative judge on May 16 issued an international arrest warrant, or Interpol red notice, for the 72-year-old Salameh after he failed to show up in Paris for questioning. Officials in Beirut said that Public Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat will formally ask France to hand over the governor's case files to decide on future measures against Salameh. Asked whether it is possible to hand the former governor over to France, the officials — who spoke on condition of anonymity — said Lebanon does not hand its citizens to foreign countries and the case will be overseen in Lebanon. They added that once Oueidat receives the case files from France, he will decide whether Salameh should face justice in Lebanon or elsewhere. In 2020, the Lebanese prosecution received two Interpol red notices for tycoon Carlos Ghosn, who faced financial misconduct charges in Japan. Ghosn remains in Lebanon. Salameh has repeatedly denied all corruption allegations, saying he made his wealth from his years working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, inherited properties, and investments. He said he would only resign if convicted of a crime. He also said last week he plans to appeal the Interpol red notice. The officials said French authorities have set May 31, as the day to question Salameh’s brother, Raja, in France and the governor’s close associate Marianne Hoayek on June 13. Reports have circulated that the Lebanese central bank had hired Forry Associates Ltd., a brokerage firm owned by Raja, to handle government bond sales from which the firm received $330 million in commissions. Riad Salameh, a Lebanese-French citizen, has held his post for almost 30 years, but says he intends to step down after his current term ends in July. The three European governments in March 2022 froze over $130 million in assets linked to the probe. During a visit to Lebanon in March, the European delegation questioned Salameh about the Lebanese central bank’s assets and investments outside the country, a Paris apartment — which the governor owns — and his brother’s brokerage firm. Once hailed as the guardian of Lebanon’s financial stability, Salameh since has been heavily blamed for Lebanon’s financial meltdown. Many say he precipitated the economic crisis, which has plunged three-quarters of Lebanon’s population of 6 million into poverty.

Hezbollah Stages Wargames for Media, Draws Lebanese Condemnation
Beirut: Caroline Akoum/Asharq Al Awsat/May 22/2023
The Hezbollah party in Lebanon put on a show of force Sunday, extending a rare media invitation to one of its training sites in southern Lebanon, where its forces staged a simulated military exercise. Masked fighters jumped through flaming hoops, fired from the backs of motorcycles, and blew up Israeli flags posted in the hills above and a wall simulating the one at the border between Lebanon and Israel. The exercise came ahead of Liberation Day, the annual celebration of the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon on May 25, 2000, and in the wake of a recent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza. Militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, has long had ties with Hezbollah. The recent heightened tensions also come months after Lebanon and Israel signed a landmark US-brokered maritime border agreement, which many analysts predicted would lower the risk of a future military confrontation between the two countries. The Israeli military declined to comment on the Hezbollah exercise. Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said in a speech Sunday that the exercise was meant to “confirm our complete readiness to confront any aggression” by Israel. He alluded to the party’s possession of precision-guided missiles, which were not on display but which he said Israel would see “later.”Turning to the Lebanese people, he said: “The resistance [Hezbollah] is committed to its vow to liberate the Shebaa Farms. The positive atmosphere in the region is a valuable opportunity that shouldn’t be wasted. The Zionist entity should be the entire Arab world’s sole enemy.”
Local condemnation
The maneuver drew widespread condemnation in Lebanon by Hezbollah’s rivals, who said it was yet another example of the party undermining the authority of the state and further evidence that it has created a state within a state in the country. Head of the Kataeb party MP Sami Gemayel tweeted: “Hezbollah’s maneuvers in the South are first and foremost a message of defiance to the Lebanese people and second, to the Arab summit.” “It is the image of the nation if the party is allowed to consolidate its hegemony over it,” he warned. Addressing the Arab and international community: “Would you accept such military maneuvers and the usurpation of the state’s voice in your own countries? We will not yield to the weapons and we refuse to have our country and youth be exploited for foreign agendas.” Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel remarked that the maneuver was more of a message to Lebanon than Israel.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the development was a “provocation” of all Lebanese people, calling on the military command and government to “take a clear stand towards the maneuver and the evident violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.”Moreover, he said the images were reminiscent of the days that preceded the 1975-90 civil war when Palestinian armed groups held sway in the country. “We reject this and will not accept it,” he declared. Moreover, the MP warned that the authorities’ failure to take an official stance over the issue means that every Lebanese can be allowed to take up arms to defend themselves and confront Israel. “At this rate, I can call on my supporters to openly carry weapons and refuse to stop at checkpoints – seeing as we are all equal and are not concerned with the army or the state,” he added. The maneuver is a “threat to everyone who refuses to comply with Hezbollah, including when it comes to the presidential elections,” he stressed. Lebanese Forces MP Ghayath Yazbeck told Asharq Al-Awsat that the maneuver “is a continuation of the party’s coup against the state.”MP Ashraf Rifi slammed Hezbollah, saying the party “won’t intimidate anyone with its shows of force. We will confront you and (...) the majority of the Lebanese people will not remain silent over a militia that is being ordered around by Iran.”

Lebanon’s Hezbollah stages war games, unveils drone weapon against Israel
Al Monitor/May 22/2023
The exercises elicited condemnation from local parties in Lebanon.
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s paramilitary Hezbollah movement staged war games Sunday near the border with Israel. Around 200 fighters showcased Hezbollah's growing capabilities, and a heavy arsenal including a new anti-drone weapon. The Hezbollah-affiliated al-Manar media outlet posted photos of the exercises, which included simulated drone and sniper attacks. Videos of the drills circulated in the media. In one clip, fighters are seen jumping through flaming hoops. Light and heavy arms were on display including anti-aircraft weapons, rocket launchers and rocket-propelled grenades. In one photo shared via Twitter, al-Manar said Hezbollah unveiled a new weapon to intercept and destroy drones. The games simulated an attack using dirt bikes, operations to capture Israeli soldiers and raids into Israeli settlements. Hezbollah’s media office extended a rare invitation to media outlets last week to attend the live exercises at one of its training sites in the village of Aaramta, 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the Israeli border. The drills marked the 23rd so-called Resistance and Liberation Day, commemorating when the last Israeli troops withdrew from southern Lebanon on May 25, 2000, following intense battles with Hezbollah. Sunday’s drills were seen as the largest show of Hezbollah’s military force in years. “The weapons will remain in the resistance’s hands until complete victory is achieved,” said Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah's executive council. The drills aim to show “the resistance's full readiness to confront any aggression,” Safiedine added during his speech during the exercises. While Lebanon and Israel remain in a state of war since the Israeli withdrawal in 2000, the two countries’ armies have not engaged in direct confrontation. However, Hezbollah fought a brutal war with Israel in 2006 lasting more than a month. Since then, occasional skirmishes have erupted along the border. Hezbollah has also sent drones toward Israeli territory.
Condemnation inside Lebanon
The massive show of force drew widespread condemnation domestically.
“Hezbollah’s maneuvers in the south are first and foremost a message of defiance to the Lebanese people and second to the Arab summit,” the head of the Kataeb Party Sami Gemayel said in a tweet. “We will not yield to the weapons and we refuse to see our country and youth exploited for foreign agendas,” he added. For his part, the head of the Lebanese Forces political party, Samir Geagea, categorically rejected the exercises. “Hezbollah has sent a clear message to all Lebanese, as well as Arab and international communities, that whatever you try to do, we will not allow you to build a true state in Lebanon,” he said in a tweet on Monday. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed his government’s rejection of any act along the border that might undermine the country’s security, though he stopped short of condemning Hezbollah. “The issue of Hezbollah’s arms requires comprehensive national consensus,” he told UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka during a meeting at the government headquarters in Beirut. Hezbollah, founded in the 1980s under the banner of fighting the Israeli occupation, remained the only Lebanese faction to keep its weapons after the end of the country’s civil war in 1990 and after the Israeli withdrawal in 2000. The party insists that its growing arsenal is necessary for resistance against Israel. Hezbollah has continued to develop its stockpiles and expanded its military engagement into the Syria and Yemen conflicts. Politically, the movement has also expanded its influence and gained a foothold on the internal political scene. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is expected to deliver a televised speech on the occasion of Liberation Day on Thursday.

Hezbollah Stages Wargames for Media, Draws Lebanese Condemnation
Beirut: Caroline Akoum/Asharq Al Awsat/May 22/2023
The Hezbollah party in Lebanon put on a show of force Sunday, extending a rare media invitation to one of its training sites in southern Lebanon, where its forces staged a simulated military exercise.
Masked fighters jumped through flaming hoops, fired from the backs of motorcycles, and blew up Israeli flags posted in the hills above and a wall simulating the one at the border between Lebanon and Israel.
The exercise came ahead of Liberation Day, the annual celebration of the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon on May 25, 2000, and in the wake of a recent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza. Militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, has long had ties with Hezbollah.
The recent heightened tensions also come months after Lebanon and Israel signed a landmark US-brokered maritime border agreement, which many analysts predicted would lower the risk of a future military confrontation between the two countries.
The Israeli military declined to comment on the Hezbollah exercise.
Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said in a speech Sunday that the exercise was meant to “confirm our complete readiness to confront any aggression” by Israel. He alluded to the party’s possession of precision-guided missiles, which were not on display but which he said Israel would see “later.”Turning to the Lebanese people, he said: “The resistance [Hezbollah] is committed to its vow to liberate the Shebaa Farms. The positive atmosphere in the region is a valuable opportunity that shouldn’t be wasted. The Zionist entity should be the entire Arab world’s sole enemy.”
Local condemnation
The maneuver drew widespread condemnation in Lebanon by Hezbollah’s rivals, who said it was yet another example of the party undermining the authority of the state and further evidence that it has created a state within a state in the country. Head of the Kataeb party MP Sami Gemayel tweeted: “Hezbollah’s maneuvers in the South are first and foremost a message of defiance to the Lebanese people and second, to the Arab summit.”
“It is the image of the nation if the party is allowed to consolidate its hegemony over it,” he warned. Addressing the Arab and international community: “Would you accept such military maneuvers and the usurpation of the state’s voice in your own countries? We will not yield to the weapons and we refuse to have our country and youth be exploited for foreign agendas.”
Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel remarked that the maneuver was more of a message to Lebanon than Israel.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the development was a “provocation” of all Lebanese people, calling on the military command and government to “take a clear stand towards the maneuver and the evident violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.”Moreover, he said the images were reminiscent of the days that preceded the 1975-90 civil war when Palestinian armed groups held sway in the country. “We reject this and will not accept it,” he declared.
Moreover, the MP warned that the authorities’ failure to take an official stance over the issue means that every Lebanese can be allowed to take up arms to defend themselves and confront Israel. “At this rate, I can call on my supporters to openly carry weapons and refuse to stop at checkpoints – seeing as we are all equal and are not concerned with the army or the state,” he added. The maneuver is a “threat to everyone who refuses to comply with Hezbollah, including when it comes to the presidential elections,” he stressed.
Lebanese Forces MP Ghayath Yazbeck told Asharq Al-Awsat that the maneuver “is a continuation of the party’s coup against the state.”
MP Ashraf Rifi slammed Hezbollah, saying the party “won’t intimidate anyone with its shows of force. We will confront you and (...) the majority of the Lebanese people will not remain silent over a militia that is being ordered around by Iran.”

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller condemns Hezbollah's military drill, reinforces US position
LBCI/May 22, 2023
In a recent press briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller reiterated the United States' stance towards Hezbollah in light of their latest military drill. He emphasized that the United States continues to regard Hezbollah as a designated foreign terrorist organization and, notably, a global terrorist entity. Miller's comments further underscored the prevailing concerns surrounding Hezbollah's growing militarization and its implications for regional stability. According to Miller, "Hezbollah is more concerned in its own interest, and its patron Iran, more than it is interested in the Lebanese people."
Miller's comments echoed the sentiments of the Lebanese Prime Minister, who expressed his disapproval of the recent military drills. The Prime Minister reportedly stated that such activities are a clear "diminution of Lebanon's authority and sovereignty," further indicating that they pose a threat to the nation's stability and security.

Bukhari: Saudis barred from investing in Lebanon before president election
Naharnet/May 22, 2023
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari has told those he met in recent weeks that the kingdom has prevented Saudi businessmen from investing in Lebanon before the election of a new Lebanese president, a media report said.“The kingdom has stood in the way of hundreds of Saudi investors who had recently expressed their desire to invest in Lebanon,” al-Akhbar newspaper quoted Bukhari as saying. Saudi authorities “prevented them from transferring money to it before the election of a president,” the ambassador reportedly added. Separately, Bukhari told those he met that Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed that they “both would not interfere in the presidential election.”

Paris begins new presidential talks with Christians, Gulf states
Naharnet/May 22, 2023
France will launch direct dialogue with influential Christian forces and leaders because it “does not trust the seriousness of (Suleiman) Franjieh’s rivals for agreeing on a candidate,” a media report said on Monday. “After Paris’ invitation of Kataeb Party chief Sami Gemayel, efforts were made to address a similar invitation to Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who declined it because he knew that the agenda was not suitable for him,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported. “Paris will continue the discussions with the rest of the leaders, especially with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil, in an attempt to convince the first to bless Franjieh’s election as president and to urge MPs to attend the vote,” the daily said. It will also seek to convince Bassil to “endorse the settlement and vote for Franjieh, or to refrain from blocking quorum while casting blank votes,” al-Akhbar added. Moreover, France will exert efforts with Saudi Arabia and Qatar so that they don’t obstruct its endeavor and the French are hoping to transform Riyadh’s stance from “negative neutrality” into “positive neutrality,” the daily said. “This would allow Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat to invent a formula allowing Franjieh to get some of his bloc’s votes,” al-Akhbar said. “France is also hoping that Saudi Arabia’s ‘positive neutrality’ would help the hesitant Sunni, independent and Change MPs to take the stance of endorsing Franjieh,” the daily added.

Lebanon PM condemns Hezbollah military maneuver
Najia Houssari/Arab News/May 22/2023
Mikati: ‘We reject the undermining of Lebanese sovereignty’
Judiciary pursues Salameh’s brother, aide to notify them of interrogation date in France
BEIRUT: Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati has condemned a military exercise by Hezbollah that used live ammunition, warning against any action that “undermines the authority and sovereignty of the state.
His remarks came in response to a question from US Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka regarding the Hezbollah maneuver, which was held on Sunday in southern Lebanon. The exercise included demonstrations of heavy weapons, missiles and drones. Mikati said: “The issue of Hezbollah’s weapons specifically is linked to a reality that requires a comprehensive national consensus, and it must be a priority for the upcoming phase.”
He added that the government is focused on maintaining security throughout Lebanon and deterring actions that threaten stability.
Mikati also highlighted the cooperation between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL within the UN Mission’s operational area, emphasizing Lebanon’s commitment to Resolution 1701.
He called on the UN Security Council to establish a permanent ceasefire in the south and pressure Israel to halt its violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
Wronecka said in a statement: “What matters to us is the stability of Lebanon, and we always encourage the prompt election of a new president to support Lebanon and its people.”Hezbollah’s military maneuver — conducted ahead of the anniversary of the liberation of southern Lebanon from Israeli occupation — took place within a military camp belonging to the party in the Aaramta area, north of the Litani River, outside the UNIFIL operational zone.
The maneuver sparked outrage among Hezbollah’s opponents and raised questions about the group’s objectives, particularly as it took place the day after the conclusion of the Arab League Summit in Jeddah.
Attendance at the maneuver was open to Lebanese and foreign journalists, though communication in the area was banned to prevent unauthorized filming and broadcasting. Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces Party, strongly condemned the exercise, saying he “completely rejected” the maneuver.
He added that the Hezbollah exercise undermined efforts by the Lebanese public, who are “working day and night to rebuild their state and regain Arab and international confidence in the country.”
Geagea said that Hezbollah’s actions demonstrate its indifference to developments in the region, as the party is maintaining the same strategy it has deployed for two decades. He described the maneuver as a “reckless act” that would only harm Lebanon and undermine the aspirations of its people for the establishment of a genuine state, while also negatively impacting recent progress in the Arab region, ultimately benefiting only Israel.
In a joint statement, the National Council to End the Iranian Occupation in Lebanon and the Lady of the Mountain Gathering said that the maneuver appeared to sideline the role of the Lebanese Army and Resolution 1701.
The exercise came less than a month after a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to the south, where he declared that Iran, through Hezbollah, is active on the Israeli border, the statement added.
The two groups warned that Hezbollah’s intentions were to send a message, both domestically and internationally, that it was leveraging the rapid changes in the region to solidify its dominance within Lebanon, particularly in the presidential battle. The exercise was designed to intimidate potential new leaders, the statement said. Despite the attention surrounding the Hezbollah maneuver, the case of Central Bank Gov. Riad Salameh — who is facing legal action in Europe — remains the subject of significant scrutiny.
On Monday, the First Investigative Judge in Beirut, Charbel Abou Samra, appointed two units within the Internal Security Forces in Beirut and Mount Lebanon to notify Raja Salameh, the governor’s brother, and Marianne Hoayek, his assistant, of their scheduled interrogations in a Paris court on May 31 and June 13, respectively. Salameh did not appear before the Paris court on the previously scheduled session on May 16 due to his unavailability for notification, as required by Lebanese law. Consequently, the French judiciary issued an arrest warrant for Salameh through an Interpol red notice, which was delivered to Lebanon last Friday. Former Attorney General Hatem Madi told Arab News that the French judiciary’s memorandum does not have any legal effect in Lebanon. He added that it is impossible to execute an international arrest warrant against a Lebanese citizen and extradite them to France.
“However, if a Lebanese citizen is under suspicion, they should be questioned and a lawsuit must be filed against them in Lebanon,” he said. Madi said that the non-execution of the international warrant does not mean that Salameh has escaped justice. Reformist MP Elias Jarada criticized the handling of Salameh’s judicial case by some Lebanese judges, accusing them of negligence and contributing to the French judiciary’s action. He claimed that there was a deliberate decision taken to prevent Salameh’s arrest among the political class that controls the judiciary, over fears that the former governor could implicate them in financial scandals. Jarada said that the failure to notify Salameh of the May 16 session before French Judge Aude Buresi was “insulting.” He called on the Lebanese judiciary to prosecute Salameh for the charges brought against him before the French judiciary, in compliance with the provisions of the Penal Code.

Mikati says Hezbollah arms need national accord after controversial drill
Naharnet/May 22, 2023
The Lebanese government “rejects any act that infringes on the state’s authority and sovereignty, but the issue of Hezbollah’s arms requires comprehensive national consensus,” caretaker PM Najib Mikati said on Monday, after a Hezbollah military drill in the South drew condemnation from the party’s domestic rivals. “This should be among the priorities of the coming stage,” Mikati told U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, after she asked him about the drill during a meeting at the Grand Serail, the National News Agency said. “At the current time, the government stressed the need to preserve security across Lebanon and not to carry out any act that might undermine it,” Mikati added. Hezbollah put on a show of force on Sunday, extending a rare media invitation to one of its training sites in southern Lebanon, where its forces staged a simulated military exercise. Masked fighters jumped through flaming hoops, fired from the backs of motorcycles, and blew up Israeli flags posted in the hills above and a wall simulating the one at the border between Lebanon and Israel. Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said in a speech Sunday that the exercise was meant to "confirm our complete readiness to confront any aggression" by Israel.

Bassil: We will remain flexible to reach presidential agreement
Naharnet/May 22, 2023
Free patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has said that he will remain open minded, responsive and flexible regarding the presidential file. "If you reject a name, we can discuss another, there are many candidates who can reach national or Christian agreement," Bassil said from Paris. "But what matters is to reach an agreement in order to secure the needed 65 votes and to secure quorum for the election," the lawmaker added. Bassil assured that he can accept many candidates, but what he wouldn't accept is a president from the establishment, who would protect it and who has and will support corruption and refuse reforms. FPM MP Alain Aoun had said that negotiations between the FPM and the opposition have "returned to square one" and that no agreement was reached on ex-minister Jihad Azour.

Bassil would only accept an FPM presidential candidate
Naharnet/May 22, 2023
The FPM will not agree with the Lebanese Forces and the opposition on any candidate except a candidate from the FPM, MP Alain Aoun said. Aoun considered that only an FPM candidate would not be considered provocative to Hezbollah. LF MP George Adwan had also said that the agreement with the FPM has failed as FPM chief Jebran Bassil would not endorse a candidate unless his name is acceptable for Hezbollah. Adwan considered that Bassil was using the opposition to improve his negotiation cards with Hezbollah, while Aoun accused the opposition of using the FPM to harm Hezbollah. "We want to bring the parties together, not to line up against them," Aoun said. He added that the FPM MPs will attend all the voting sessions, and said that boycotting sessions must have a clear goal while the FPM currently don't have any candidate.

Consultative meeting at Grand Serail to issue a recommendation on Central Bank Governor
LBCI/May 22, 2023
During a consultative meeting held at the Grand Serail, a recommendation regarding the Central Bank of Lebanon Governor, Riad Salameh, was announced, according to ministerial sources reported by LBCI. This comes after ministers' opinions were divided on the necessary course of action following the issuance of an Interpol memorandum against him. The recommendation is as follows: "As a result of the consultation, the attendees deemed it necessary to prioritize anything that protects the official state institutions, particularly the Central Bank of Lebanon, and to comply with the decisions of the Lebanese judiciary fully. They urge everyone to demonstrate responsibility and prioritize the public interest of the state and the protection of its institutions over personal interests." The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Al Shami, as well as several ministers, including Education and Higher Education Minister Abbas Halabi, Information Minister Ziad Maakary, Justice Minister Henri Khoury, Youth and Sports Minister George Kallas, Defense Minister Maurice Slim, Housing Minister Issam Sharafeddine, Finance Minister Youssef Khalil, for State for Administrative Reform Minister Najla Riachi, Social Affairs Hector Hajjar, Industry Minister George Boujikian, Telecommunications Minister Johnny Corm, Tourism Minister Walid Nassar, Interior and Municipalities Minister Bassam Mawlawi, Culture Minister Mohammad Wissam Al-Mortada, Environment Minister Nasser Yassin, Agriculture Minister Abbas Al Hajj Hassan, Public Works, and Transportation Minister Ali Hammoud, and Economy and Trade Minister Amin Salam.

Geagea slams 'reckless' Hezbollah as MP threatens to take up arms
Naharnet/May 22, 2023
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Monday said the military drill that Hezbollah carried out Sunday in the South is “totally rejected at a time that the Lebanese are struggling night and day and every moment to rebuild their state and regain Arab and international confidence in this state.”“Hezbollah addressed a clear message to all Lebanese and the Arab and international communities by saying that ‘no matter how much you try and seek, we will not allow the rise of a real state in Lebanon,’” Geagea said. “Hezbollah is totally mistaken if it believes that this drill can boost the chances of its presidential candidate,” he added. “The drill is a reckless action that will only harm Lebanon … and benefit Israel,” the LF leader went on to say. Kataeb Party chief Sami Gemayel for his part described the drill as “a provocation message against the Lebanese and the Arab Summit.” MP Nadim Gemayel meanwhile said the military exercise was “a message to the domestic arena more than being a message to Israel,” threatening to “publicly carry arms and rebel against the state if officials do not take a stance over what happened.”“I might call on our supporters to carry visible weapons and not stop at checkpoints, because we’re supposed to be equal,” he warned, in remarks to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. MP Ashraf Rifi for his part said “it was not a resistance movement that organized military parades, but rather a tool practicing hegemony.” “You won’t terrorize anyone with these bravadoes and we will be in your face,” Rifi added. “What you did contradicts with the spirit and text of the Taif Accord and remember that the ink of the resolutions of the Jeddah Arab Summit has not dried yet,” Rifi went on to say. Hezbollah put on a show of force on Sunday, extending a rare media invitation to one of its training sites in southern Lebanon, where its forces staged a simulated military exercise. Masked fighters jumped through flaming hoops, fired from the backs of motorcycles, and blew up Israeli flags posted in the hills above and a wall simulating the one at the border between Lebanon and Israel. Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said in a speech Sunday that the exercise was meant to "confirm our complete readiness to confront any aggression" by Israel.

Lebanese Central Bank Governor Salameh faces international arrest warrant
LBCI/May 22, 2023
The issuance of the international arrest warrant against Riad Salameh, the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, constituted a fundamental element in the Lebanese judiciary's actions. State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat has scheduled a session for Salameh during the middle of this week.
However, Salameh has been informed of the session in which he will be heard and the international arrest warrant. Furthermore, his Lebanese and French passports will be confiscated, and he will be prohibited from traveling and remains subject to investigation. Thus, the issuance of a warrant is something, and the actual delivery of the required individual is another matter altogether. After the hearing session, Oueidat will request the file for the recovery of Riad Salameh from the French judiciary. He will also study the prosecution and charges against the governor, express his results, and submit them to Minister of Justice Henry Khoury. The latter may either decide not to extradite Salameh by a decision signed by the Justice Minister or propose his extradition to the Council of Ministers for a decree to be issued. But this will not happen. The lead prosecutor and the justice minister have clarified that Lebanon does not extradite its citizens according to Lebanese penal laws. Moreover, there are no existing treaties between Lebanon and France regarding the extradition of Lebanese citizens. Additionally, it is not permissible to extradite an individual who is being prosecuted in the Lebanese judicial system. The maximum action that can be taken is to transfer Salameh's case, along with the charges against him in France, to the relevant judicial authorities in Lebanon for trial if the Office of the Public Prosecutor for Discrimination sees that there are solid accusations. On another note, Justice Minister Henri Khoury told LBCI that he believes it would be appropriate for Salameh to step down, expressing concerns about the financial situation in Lebanon, especially if other European countries involved in the case follow France's lead.

Oueidat summons Salameh over Interpol notice
Naharnet/May 22, 2023
State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat has scheduled a mid-week session for Central Bank chief Riad Salameh to take measures over the Interpol red notice issued against him, LBCI television reported on Monday. The French judiciary meanwhile scheduled a May 31 session for the interrogation of Salameh’s brother Raja and a June 13 session for the interrogation of Salameh’s assistant Marianne Hoayek, LBCI added. Lebanon received the Interpol notice for Salameh on Friday, after he failed to show up in Paris earlier in the week for questioning in a key corruption case. The Interior Ministry referred the arrest warrant to the judiciary and caretaker Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi reportedly said he would enforce it if the Lebanese judiciary asked him to do so. However, Lebanon is unlikely to comply with the Interpol notice and arrest and hand over Salameh to French authorities. Under the country's laws, Lebanon does not extradite its own citizens. In 2020, it received two Interpol red notices for tycoon Carlos Ghosn, who faced financial misconduct charges in Japan. Ghosn remains in Lebanon. Judicial sources meanwhile told al-Akhbar newspaper that Oueidat would likely tell France that according to the Lebanese law, Lebanese citizens should be tried in Lebanon. He would not arrest Salameh but would ban him from traveling, the sources said.

Lebanon bathing suit row triggers women-led beach protest
Agence France Presse/May 22, 2023
Lebanese activists protested Sunday at a beach in the coastal city of Sidon after a woman said she was harassed there over her allegedly indecent bathing suit, an AFP correspondent said. Defying a municipality ban on their demonstration, dozens of protesters, mostly women, gathered briefly in the Sunni Muslim-majority conservative city, the correspondent said. "We have all come to support women's right to be in public spaces, whether in a bikini or a burkini," said Diana Moukalled, a journalist and women's rights activist. "Public spaces don't just belong to certain people as a function of their beliefs, but to everyone. It's a constitutional right," she told AFP. In last week's incident, a group of conservative religious Muslims reportedly assailed a bather and her husband at the public beach in Sidon, accusing them of not respecting local norms due to the woman's attire. The incident sparked a wave of solidarity on social media, with some women posing in bathing suits with the hashtag #Sidon. Others instead praised the conservative intervention. The Sidon municipality on Saturday had banned both the women's protest and a planned counter-demonstration that had been called "in favor of modesty, virtue and against nudity". A group of conservative Muslims later arrived to break up the pro-swimwear protest and held prayers at the beach as security forces deployed to the area. Sheikh Houssam Ilani decried the "provocations" of demonstrators flouting the protest ban. A sign at the beach entry indicates alcohol is prohibited and requests "decent attire". Lebanese law does not ban bathing suits in public, but women in the conservative coastal city often prefer to attend private beaches while wearing such dress.

Depositors pay the price: Examining losses amid Lebanon's loan repayment chaos
LBCI/May 22, 2023
Before the crisis, banks used to grant citizens loans in US dollars at a rate of LBP 1,507. Citizens could repay their loans in cash, by check, or through bank transfers. After the crisis, citizens continued to repay their loans in dollars, not cash or fresh dollars. Instead, they used bank checks known as "Lollar" or in Lebanese lira at LBP 1,507 per dollar. However, the exchange rate exceeded this rate, leading to payment methods causing losses for banks and depositors. According to the Association of Banks, $51 billion of depositors' funds were lost after October 17, 2019, due to loan repayments following the mentioned method and the depletion of reserves. Banks deposited all of these funds in the central bank. As of October 15, 2019, total private sector loans in dollars amounted to over $38 billion, and by the end of March 2023, these loans had decreased to approximately $9 billion. This means that $29 billion of depositors' funds were repaid either in Lebanese lira at a rate of LBP 1,507.5 per dollar or in "Lollars," as banks were compelled by the authorities to accept repayment in this method due to their failure to take necessary legislative and regulatory measures to protect depositors' funds. Fadi Khalaf, the Secretary-General of the Association of Banks, said, "today, borrowers have become wealthy, while depositors have become poor."

A promising summer season in Lebanon: More than 1.5 million tourists expected
LBCI/May 22, 2023
Jean Abboud, the President of the Association of Travel and Tourism Agents in Lebanon, confirmed that "2023 is witnessing a significant positive push in terms of the number of visitors to Lebanon, as the indicators suggest that 2023 will be better than 2022 regarding the tourism sector."
"Preliminary estimations indicate the arrival of more than 1.5 million tourists to Lebanon during the summer, compared to approximately 1.2 million tourists received last year," he highlighted. On Monday, Abboud indicated in a statement, "all indicators confirm that Lebanon is heading towards an extremely promising summer. There are many flight reservations to Lebanon from all locations. This year is also characterized by significant bookings, especially after Middle East Airlines opened the Beirut-Madrid route, as many Lebanese are coming from Brazil, South America, and Canada, and Lebanese working in Africa and the Gulf will be taking this route." In addition, he considered that "what distinguishes this season is the increase in the percentage of tourists from Arab and European countries, Lebanese expatriates coming from very far continents." However, he pointed out that "there are currently about 55 operating airlines at Beirut Airport, and the increase of bookings indicates the possibility of this number increasing to 66 airlines." Abboud expected the number of arrivals at Beirut Airport to be very high, noting that based on airline bookings and schedules, it is clear that there is a rate of occupancy in airlines coming to Lebanon ranging between 85% and 90%, and these rates will certainly reach 100% in the coming period.

MP Sami Gemayel introduces proposed law to amend Central Bank Governor's term
LBCI/May 22, 2023
Last week, the leader of the Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel, submitted a proposed law aimed at amending the term of the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon. The proposal seeks to make the term of the Governor and its MPs renewable only once, in accordance with the principle of rotation and to prevent the consolidation of power in the management of the central bank.The justifications for the proposal are as follows:
- The continuous tenure of the central bank governor for 27 uninterrupted years, due to multiple renewals of his term, has resulted in the adoption of catastrophic policies that led to the collapse of the country.
- The application of the principle of rotation is essential to establish a balance with the independence of the central bank's work and the immunity granted to the governor, as well as to prevent the consolidation of power in his management.
- This will also allow for the evaluation and correction of erroneous monetary and financial policies when necessary.
Therefore, this proposed law is to amend the term of the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon.

Mikati tackles developments, Arab Summit outcome with UN’s Wronecka, meets Asian Football Confederation President
NNA/May 22, 2023
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Monday met at the Grand Serail with the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, in the presence of Premier Mikati's Advisors, Ambassador Boutros Assaker and Ziad Mikati. During the meeting, they discussed the current developments in Lebanon and the outcome of the Jeddah Arab summit regarding the Lebanese situation, in terms of emphasizing that the Lebanese political leaders and parliamentarians play their role in electing a new president for Lebanon and carrying out the required reforms. The Prime Minister touched on the situation in south Lebanon, stressing "the existing cooperation between the army and UNIFIL forces within the United Nations area of operations, and Lebanon's commitment to international resolution 1701." In response to Wronecka’s inquiry about the military drill that Hezbollah carried out yesterday, the Prime Minister said: "The Lebanese government rejects any manifestation that undermines the state's authority and sovereignty, but the issue of Hezbollah's weapons in particular is linked to a reality that requires a comprehensive national consensus, a matter that ought to be among the priorities of the upcoming stage. At the current time, the government stresses on preserving security stability throughout Lebanon and not taking any action that might undermine it.” On the other hand, Premier Mikati received at the Grand Serail President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, in the presence of President of the Lebanese Football Association, Hashem Haidar. Mikati also received “Solidere” Board Chairman and General Manager, Nasser Chammaa.

Berri meets Maronite Archbishop of Sidon and Deir al-Qamar, broaches situation with MPs Murr and Baarini
NNA/May 22, 2023
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Monday received at the second presidency in Ain El-Tineh, Maronite Archbishop of Sidon and Deir al-Qamar, Maroun Al-Ammar, and Head of the Catholic Media Center Father Abdo Abou Kassem.Speaker Berri also received MP Michel Murr and Head of the Federation of Municipalities of the northern Metn, Mirna Murr. Discussions reportedly touched on the general situation and an array of developmental affairs. This afternoon, Berri met with MP Walid Baarini, with whom he discussed the current general situation and political developments, in addition to legislative affairs.

Information Minister signs cooperation agreement with UNICEF Lebanon Representative on supporting children and youth issues
NNA/May 22, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Information, Ziad Makary, on Monday signed a cooperation agreement with UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Edouard Beigbeder, on the development and implementation of communication strategies with the aim of supporting children and youth issues, and raising awareness among the public about protecting children's rights and working to respect them.The signing ceremony took place at Minister Makary’s office in Beirut.It was agreed to support the content of this agreement in the official Lebanese media outlets.

Bou Habib begins Rome visit, meets Vatican’s Cardinal Parolin, Secretary for Relations with States
NNA/May 22, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Dr. Abdallah Bou Habib, on Monday started a visit to Rome, which he began by meeting with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Discussions reportedly touched on the current situation and developments in the Middle East, as well as on the presidential vacancy crisis in Lebanon, and how to resolve it. Caretaker Minister Bou Habib also met with Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, with whom he discussed issues of the region and Lebanon.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 22-23/2023
Christians in Jordan welcome progress on inheritance law
Rana Husseini/Al Monitor/May 22/2023
Experts say the Jordanian Civil Code must differentiate between Christians and Muslims, so that the recent draft law on equal inheritance between female and male Christians can be implemented without controversies.
AMMAN — The Councils of Christian Denominations (CCD) in Jordan unanimously approved a draft law for Christians earlier this month, which will work toward granting equal inheritance rights for men and women. The draft law includes an important clause granting female Christians the right to block their male relatives from inheritance rights if there are no immediate male family members. Christine Faddoul, the first female judge at the Court of Appeals, told Al-Monitor that some Christian families who have no sons "had to go through many ‘protective’ procedures, such as writing their properties in the name of their female children, to ensure they inherit their property.”The draft law will be referred to the government for endorsement and accreditation, lawyer Yacoub Far told Al-Monitor. However, Far pointed out that there needs to be an amendment to Article 1086 of the Jordan Civil Code for 1976, which stipulates: “The designations of heirs, the determination of their shares in the estate and the devolving of the estate shall be subject to the provisions of the Muslim Sharia.” That covers Christians, as well, and Far said, "That is why we need to have an amendment so that ... the Christian denominations will have the freedom to apply their own laws.”  Once endorsed by the government, “the recent draft law will go through the legal channels of being sent to parliament for debate and approval, and finally a royal decree,” added Far, who was part of the committee that drafted the law.
A long campaign
Nuhad Matalka, a mother of three daughters, has been vocal about demanding more rights for her children since a group of Christian women started meeting regularly in late 2018. The group was initiated by Lina Nuqul, who assembled clerics, parliament members, law practitioners and notables from civil society, according to Matalka. “I attended many of the meetings over the past four years and became part of the movement that was demanding equal inheritance rights for women as stipulated in the Christian religion and being applied in neighboring countries such as Syria and Lebanon,” Matalka told Al-Monitor. She said the group reached out to heads of churches, “who showed interest in our demands and were positive about it.” “Why should distant male relatives share our family’s wealth that we accumulated over the years with my daughters? This is surely not fair,” she added. Faddoul, who belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church in Jordan, said that “despite the unanimous decision, there are still some Christian families who are against the recent step.” But the veteran judge added that she is hopeful that “these families will get accustomed to the new law once it goes through the legal channels.”In 2021, Archimandrite and General Episcopal Vicar Bassam Shahatit published on the Academia website a report on the effort to amend the law, stating that there are many verses in the Bible to address equality in inheritance. Shahatit referred to the Book of Numbers in the Old Testament, which refers to equality in inheritance, just as the epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians (3:28) in the New Testament states, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”According to a 2022 US government report, the population of Jordan was estimated to be 11 million. The report said Christians make up 2.1% of the total population.

New EU sanctions on Iran target Basij, judiciary after executions
Rina Bassist/Al Monitor/May 22/2023
The foreign ministers of the European Union have adopted an eighth round of sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities responsible for serious breaches of human rights.
PARIS — Following the execution of three Iranian protesters in Isfahan last week, the Council of the European Union adopted sanctions against additional five individuals and two entities held responsible for serious breaches of human rights in Iran. Last Friday at dawn, Iran executed Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yaqoubi, who were sentenced to death for their alleged involvement in a shooting attack that killed three security personnel in Isfahan in November 2022. According to Amnesty International, the three men were tortured, forced to make incriminating statements and subjected to unfair trials. Four other protesters have been executed by Iran in the past few months. According to a May 12 report by Human Rights Watch, since late April, Iranian authorities have executed at least 60 people including Iranian-Swedish dual national Habib Chaab. Many of them were executed after unfair trials for drug offenses and there were two executions for blasphemy. On Saturday, Iran executed a man convicted of masterminding a prostitution network and drug trafficking. Individuals sanctioned. The five people added to the EU sanctions list Monday are Tehran police commander Adinehvand Salma, Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace of Iran Aghamiri Seyyed Mohammad Amin, Public Prosecutor of Sirjan Nikvarz Mohsen, Deputy Supervisor of Public Spaces of the Public Security Police Moradi Nade and police spokesperson Montazer al-Mahdi Saeed. The EU statement highlighted the role played by Nikvartz in the case of Maryam Arvin, a defense lawyer for protesters who was herself arrested and tortured in prison. The two entities sanctioned are the Student Basij Organization, which acts as the IRGC’s violent enforcer on university campuses, and the IRGC Cooperative Foundation, which has been at the forefront of the crackdown on protests in Iran since September 2022. The EU statement highlighted the role played by the IRGC Cooperative Foundation in managing the investments of the IRGC and funneling money into the regime’s brutal repression activities. With these new sanctions, the EU list of restrictive measures against Iran includes 216 individuals and 37 entities. These measures consist of asset freezes, travel bans from the EU and a prohibition on making funds or economic resources available to those listed. They also ban exports to Iran of equipment that might be used for internal repression or for monitoring telecommunications. It is the eighth round of EU sanctions against Iran on the backdrop of human rights violations since October 2022, when protests broke out in Tehran. Reiterating its support for the aspirations of the Iranian people and the necessity to respect their human rights, the European Union stated that Iran must end the use of the death penalty for protesters and ensure due process for detainees. It added, "The EU also calls upon Iran to end the distressing practice of detaining foreign civilians with a view to making political gains.’’On Sunday the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Swiss ambassador to Tehran Nadine Olivieri Lozano for reprimand over a tweet by the embassy on Friday condemning the execution of the three protesters and urging Iran to stop executions and reduce use of the death penalty.

Iran replaces security chief Shamkhani with IRGC official
Ali Shamkhani was heavily involved in Iranian foreign policy and will be replaced by a senior member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Adam Lucente/Al Monitor/May 22/2023
Iran has replaced its top security official Ali Shamkhani, state media outlets reported on Monday, after nearly 10 years in the post. The longtime security head and interlocutor with neighboring countries has been replaced with an official from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi appointed Ali Akbar Ahmadian as the new secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported on Monday. The agency did not specify why Shamkhani left the position, simply reporting that he was “replaced.” Reuters reported that Shamkhani, 67, may be considered for a different position. Ahmadian, 62, heads the IRGC’s Strategic Center. He is also a member of the Expediency Council, an advisory council that reports to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ahmadian also served as the commander of the IRGC navy from 1997 to 2000 and as the IRGC’s chief of staff for seven years, according to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency. Why it matters: Shamkhani, a rear admiral in the Iranian navy, had served as top security adviser since 2013, and was a major force in Iranian foreign policy. In March, Shamkhani signed the China-brokered agreement that resumed relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Shamkhani also met Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in an effort to further bilateral relations and signed a security agreement with Iraq the same month. Mohammad Javad Mousavizadeh, a DC-based analyst and contributor to the National Interest, said that Shamkhani’s dismissal by Raisi was “predictable” given that Shamkhani was appointed by Raisi’s predecessor, former President Hassan Rouhani. The move may also be related to developments in Iran’s foreign policy establishment. “His recent activities in negotiations with the countries of the region, especially in the normalization of relations between Tehran and Riyadh, had somewhat diminished the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Mousavizadeh told Al-Monitor. That Shamkhani was replaced by a member of the IRGC is notable. There has long been a rivalry between Iran’s military, which includes the navy, and the IRGC. In 2020, Iranian army Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari criticized the IRGC’s involvement in the Iranian economy. IRGC-affiliated companies are prominent in Iran’s industry and construction sectors.
Mousavizadeh added that the selection of Ahmadian demonstrates “increasing the political power of IRGC and hardliners.” Know more: Shamkhani was the first Iranian of Arab descent to serve as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. He is from the city of Ahwaz in the southwest Khuzestan province, where much of Iran’s Arab community lives. The area has suffered from water scarcity and pollution issues, leading to anti-government protests in recent years.

Israel accuses Iran of using civilian ships as 'floating terror bases'
JERUSALEM (Reuters)/Mon, May 22, 2023
Israel accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on Monday of turning commercial ships into platforms for launching missiles, drones and commandos, saying the objective was to spread Tehran's clandestine naval clout well beyond the Gulf. The allegation by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant came as tensions between the regional foes surge afresh over Iran's nuclear drive and support for Palestinian and Lebanese militias. Showing images of six purportedly repurposed Iranian vessels, five of them named, Gallant told the Herzliya Conference security forum that these were "floating terror bases" and that one had recently sailed toward the Gulf of Aden. "This follows directly on the maritime terrorism Iran has been imposing on the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. It is working to expand its activity to the Indian Ocean, too, and later to the Red Sea and to the Mediterranean Sea as well," Gallant said. There was no immediate response from Iran. The last two years have seen Iran and Israel trade blame over a series of unclaimed attacks on their ships in the Gulf.

Israel kills 3 Palestinians in West Bank; US slams latest settlement expansion
Associated Press/May 22/ 2023
Three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli army raid in a West Bank refugee camp early on Monday, Palestinian health officials said, while the Biden administration sharply condemned Israel's latest act of settlement expansion. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the three men were killed during a raid in Balata, a refugee camp near the city of Nablus. Six people were wounded, including one who was in critical condition, the ministry said. The army later confirmed soldiers had raided Balata; it said troops came under fire and killed three Palestinians. Israel has stepped up raids in response to a spate of Palestinian attacks and said Monday's operations netted weapons and an explosives manufacturing operation in a home, which it detonated.Meanwhile, the Biden administration issued a sharply worded statement on Sunday criticizing Israel for moving to reestablish settlers at the formerly evacuated outpost of Homesh in northern West Bank. In March, the Israeli government repealed a 2005 act that dismantled four West Bank settlements. Over the weekend, the top Israeli army general in the West Bank signed an order attaching Homesh to a local settler regional council — a move paving the way for reconstruction of the outpost.
The United States was "deeply troubled" by what U.S. State Department spokesman Mathew Miller said was Israel's illegal policy on the outpost in the occupied territory. Miller also expressed Washington's concerns about ultranationalist National Security Minister Itmar Ben-Gvir's visit to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. The contested site is also home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam. "This holy space should not be used for political purposes, and we call on all parties to respect its sanctity," Miller said in the statement.
Under longstanding arrangements, Jews are permitted to visit the site, but not to pray there. But in recent years, a growing number of Jewish visitors have begun to quietly pray, raising fears among Palestinians that Israel is plotting to divide or take over the site. Ben-Gvir has long called for increased Jewish access.Ben-Gvir visited the hilltop compound earlier on Sunday, declaring that "we are in charge," while the Israeli Cabinet held a rare meeting in Jerusalem's Old City to celebrate its control of the area. Ben-Gvir's visit drew condemnations from the Palestinians and Israel's neighbor, Jordan. Ben-Gvir, a former West Bank settler leader and far-right activist who years ago was convicted of incitement and supporting a Jewish terror group, now serves as Israel's national security minister, overseeing the country's police force. More than 250 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the spring of 2022. About 50 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis. Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were militants, but stone throwing youths protesting the incursions and people not involved in the confrontations have also been killed. Last week, Israelis marked Jerusalem Day, which celebrates Israel's capture of east Jerusalem, including the Old City, in the 1967 Mideast war. Flag-waving nationalists marched through the main Palestinian thoroughfare in Jerusalem's Old City, some singing racist anti-Arab chants, while hundreds of Jews visited the sensitive hilltop shrine. Israel also captured the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for a future independent state, with east Jerusalem as its capital. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move unrecognized by most of the international community and considers the city its undivided, permanent capital. Tensions at the disputed compound have fueled past rounds of violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, the most right-wing in Israeli history, includes ultra-Orthodox and far-right nationalist parties and has made West Bank settlement construction a top priority.Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements, home to 700,000 people in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, to be illegal and obstacles to peace. Earlier this month, fighting also erupted between Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip. Israeli strikes killed 33, many of them militants but also women and children. Two people were killed in Israel by militant rocket fire.

UAE invites Israeli president, PM to attend COP28 in Dubai
Reuters/May 22, 2023
UAE is hosting the UN climate event from November 30 until December 12
ABU DHABI: The UAE has invited the Israeli president Isaac Herzog and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attend the climate change conference COP28 to be held in Dubai in November, the UAE embassy in Israel said on Monday. If Netanyahu attends the conference, it would mark his first trip to the UAE as prime minister, following a postponed visit earlier in the year. UAE is hosting the UN climate event from November 30 until December 12 at the Expo City in Dubai.

Israel Says Will Continue to Attack Syria Despite Return to Arab League
Ramallah: Asharq Al Awsat/May 22/ 2023
Syria's return to the Arab League will not affect Israel's action inside Syrian territory, according to an Israeli official. The official confirmed that his government had conveyed clear messages to the international community, stating that Syria's legitimacy would not prevent Tel Aviv from attacking it and would not affect Israel's actions. The Israeli security establishment expressed concerns about Syria's readmission into the Arab League after 12 years of suspension. Ynet Hebrew website reported that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with senior security officials last week to assess Syria's return to the Arab League. Sources said Israel is waiting to assess the situation, but its policy would not change. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad participated in the 32nd Arab summit held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday after the Arab League announced the participation of Syrian delegations in its meetings and affiliated bodies and organizations as of May 7. Israel regularly raids Syrian territories and targets Iranian sites in Syria. Syrian media accused Israel about two weeks ago of an attack in Aleppo, killing a Syrian soldier and injuring several others, including civilians. Last Thursday, Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets over the Quneitra area, warning Syrian army commanders to cooperate with Hezbollah.The flyers warned the Syrian regime against cooperating with the Iranian-backed group, saying that regime forces procure security passes at checkpoints for Hezbollah elements threatening Israel. Israel also called on the regime to change its policy of tolerating Hezbollah's presence in the region. Earlier, the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, praised the remarkable defense progress of Hezbollah, which now possesses advanced technologies. The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran is preparing for possible new attacks against Israel. The report said that the commander of the al-Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, held a series of meetings in recent weeks with leaders of armed groups across the region, including groups fighting in Syria and Iraq. Qaani urged them to take quick action, adding that Iran would provide the necessary tools to carry out attacks to deter Israel from making its strikes. Israel says it is ready for a multi-front confrontation.

What's next for Syria after Assad's regional comeback?
Agence France Presse/May 22, 2023
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has returned to the Arab fold after more than a decade of isolation, eyeing reconstruction and aid from formers foes as the conflict grinds on. Since the brutal civil war broke out in 2011, it has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and devastated much of the country's infrastructure and industry. AFP looks at Assad's regional rehabilitation and what it means for Syria's rebels, its refugees, reconstruction and the roaring illegal trade in the stimulant drug captagon.
- How have Arab nations mended ties? -
Several Arab capitals cut ties with Assad after the Damascus regime's repression of anti-government protests sparked war in 2011, with some supporting the opposition instead. States that once bet on Assad's demise have warmed to him as he clung to power and clawed back territory with Iranian and Russian support. "There is relief on the Syrian street in general, and great optimism about the future," said Bassam Abu Abdallah, who heads the Damascus Centre for Strategic Research and is close to the government.
"We have turned a new page."
Arab outreach peaked after a deadly February 6 earthquake struck Syria and Turkey, and gained further momentum as regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran patched up bilateral ties the following month. On Friday, a triumphant Assad made his first appearance at an Arab League summit since Syria was suspended at the start of the war. Rebel-backer Turkey, which controls stretches of Syria's north, has also made overtures to Assad. Lina Khatib, director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London, said Assad saw the Arab League return "as recognition that he has won the war and as formal acceptance of his legitimacy as president".
- Is Syria any closer to peace? -
Large parts of Syria's north remain outside government control after 12 years of war that pulled in foreign powers and global jihadists.Though the frontlines have mostly quietened in recent years, Russian, Iranian, Turkish and U.S. forces are still present in Syria. Several rounds of United Nations-brokered talks in Geneva between the government and opposition groups, aimed at forging a new constitution, have failed, with no political solution in sight. The opposition and rebels' role in determining the country's political future has vastly shrunk, said Khatib. "There is now even less hope that the U.N.-led peace process is going to be resurrected and result in meaningful political transition," she added. Nicholas Heras of the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy said "the Arab League has moved on from the Syrian opposition and is seeking to rebalance regional dynamics toward equilibrium between Iran and Arab states that compete with Iran".
- What will happen to the refugees? -
Neighboring countries host some 5.5 million Syrian refugees, according to the U.N. "Arab states should provide aid and assistance, particularly on the issue of the return of the displaced", Abu Abdallah said, noting the need for "funding and infrastructure". Assad is hoping wealthy Gulf states could help fund reconstruction, although Western sanctions are likely to deter investment and broader international funding remains elusive without a U.N.-backed political settlement. Khatib expressed skepticism about refugee returns, saying the regime was "neither willing nor able to deliver meaningfully" on issues like housing, employment and safety. "Damascus will likely flaunt refugee return as a card to attract funding for Assad and his profiteers," she said.
- Will Assad curb the captagon trade? -
Several Arab countries are seeking increased security cooperation with Syria, which has effectively turned into a narco-state with a $10 billion captagon industry. Saudi Arabia has become the largest market for the amphetamine, which draws both wealthy party-goers and poor laborers in an Islamic country where alcohol is taboo. At Friday's summit, states called for "strengthening joint Arab cooperation" on issues including "drug smuggling". This month, an air strike killed a major drug trafficker and his family in southern Syria, a war monitor said, attributing it to neighboring Jordan. Khatib said Damascus would not halt the lucrative trade, but more likely "make a show of reducing some of the flow of captagon to the Gulf in return for financial compensation through other channels". Heras said that "Arab states are treating a whole range of issues -- including the reconstruction of Assad-controlled areas, political prisoners, and narcotics flows out of Assad's territory -- as if the fait accompli in Syria is that everything is resolved".Assad can now "horse-trade on all these issues with the Arab states", he added.

Frantic Hunting Mission Erupts After Raid on Russian Town
Dan Ladden-Hall, Shannon Vavra/The Daily Beast/May 22, 2023
The Kremlin has launched a “counter-terrorist operation” in Russia’s Belgorod region after a pro-Ukrainian group claimed to have stormed and “completely liberated” the border town of Kozinka. Eight people have been injured and several buildings have been destroyed in the clashes, according to local Russian governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, who said the situation on the ground was “extremely tense” as authorities continue to hunt for the alleged saboteurs. On Monday, the Liberty of Russia Legion claimed responsibility for the incident on Telegram, adding that its forward units had even pushed farther east into the town of Graivoron. The Kremlin claimed the saboteurs entered Russian territory through its borders with Ukraine, which has denied any involvement in the incident. “We are Russians, like you,” the group said in a video. “We are people like you. We want our children to grow up in peace. It is time to put an end to the dictatorship of the Kremlin.”
Russia Accidentally Bombs Its Own City
Ukraine’s military confirmed the incursion into Belgorod. Defense Ministry spokesman Andrii Yusov said that the Russian partisans had acted to help establish a “security zone in the border regions of Russia bordering Ukraine.” Russian President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on the situation, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed. “Work is underway to squeeze them out of Russian territory and destroy this sabotage group,” Peskov said, adding that he believed that the operation was intended as a distraction for Ukraine’s alleged loss of Bakhmut, a city with Russia claimed to control over the weekend after months of heavy fighting. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the government wasn’t behind the attack, but was keeping abreast of developments. "Ukraine is watching the events in the Belgorod region of Russia with interest and is studying the situation, but is not directly related to it,” Podolyak said. “Underground guerrilla groups are composed of Russian citizens.” The attack is not the first time Russia’s war in Ukraine has appeared to trickle into Russia proper. Explosions rang out at Russia’s Engels air base and Dyagilevo base in the Ryazan region in December. The series of incidents raised alarm among some Russian officials that Ukrainians were growing more emboldened to go on the offense inside Russian territory. Ukraine’s chief military intelligence official, Kyrylo Budanov warned at the time that Russia could expect “deeper and deeper” strikes inside Russia. But the latest attack could signal growing dissent among Russians who are willing to take action against Putin’s flailing war effort. Aleksey Baranovsky, a representative of the Kyiv-based Russian Armed Opposition Political Centre, told CNN the plan is to “liberate our motherland from the tyranny of Putin.” Three people were wounded by shrapnel following the shelling, the head of the region, Gladkov, said. A man and woman with wounds went to the hospital, he said earlier. The deputy head of the Grayvoron administration and two employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were injured, according to a Baza Telegram post. The attack also reportedly hit a kindergarten, an administrative building, and some houses, according to Meduza. The government, for now, is establishing special measures and temporary restrictions in order to determine responsibility for the attacks, including monitoring telephone conversations, mail searches, and verification of documents proving people’s identities, Gladkov announced Monday. The restrictions include a “temporary resettlement of individuals residing within certain territories,” the restriction of movement on roads, and searches. The new measures also include a restriction or ban on the sale of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and alcohol, according to the post.

Russia Says It’s Battling Cross-Border Raids; Nothing to Do with Us, Says Ukraine
AFP/May 22/2023
Russia said on Monday it was battling a cross-border incursion by saboteurs who burst through the frontier from Ukraine, in what appeared to be one of the biggest attacks of its kind since the war began last year. A senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv had nothing to do with the incursion in Russia's Belgorod region, putting it down to Russia's "violent resistance movement" gradually emerging from underground. Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Belgorod bordering northeastern Ukraine, said the Russian army, border guards, presidential guards and FSB security service were taking measures to repel the raid. At least three people had been wounded and three houses and a local administrative building were damaged, he said. The Telegram channel Baza, linked to Russia's security services, published footage apparently showing a Ukrainian armored vehicle advancing on the border checkpoint. Though there have been other reports of cross-border raids, an infiltration using armored vehicles would appear to be unprecedented since Russia invaded Ukraine 15 months ago. Baza said there were indications of fighting in three settlements on the main road leading from northeastern Ukraine into Russia. A group calling itself the Liberty of Russia Legion, which claims to be made up of Russians cooperating with Ukrainian forces, said on Twitter it had "completely liberated" the border town of Kozinka and reached district center Graivoron.
"Moving on. Russia will be free!" the group wrote.
Earlier on Monday, it released a video showing five heavily armed fighters. "We are Russians, like you. We are people like you," one said, facing the camera. "It is time to put an end to the dictatorship of the Kremlin."Ukraine's military intelligence service attributed the operation to "opposition-minded Russian citizens", Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske said. In a written statement to Reuters, senior Zelenskiy aide Mykhailo Podolyak echoed Ukrainian military intelligence. "The Russian liberation movement can become something that will contribute to the correct end of the war in Ukraine and significantly speed up the beginning of transformational events in the Russian political elite," he said. "The violent Russian resistance movement, whose architects are exclusively citizens of Russia itself, is gradually coming out of the underground. They are independent in their decisions, have certain experience, and are free from fear."Ukrainian social media users made regular reference to what they called the "Belgorod People’s Republic" - a nod to events in eastern Ukraine in 2014 when Russia-backed militias purporting to be rebels against the Kyiv government declared "people’s republics" in the eastern Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk. Reuters could not verify the situation in the border towns.
Ukraine sees advances around Bakhmut
The reported incursion comes two days after Russia said it had captured the final few blocks of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Moscow's first substantial claim of victory since last summer after the bloodiest land battle in Europe since World War Two. But even as the Russians have pushed forward inside Bakhmut, their forces on the city's northern and southern outskirts were retreating last week at the war's fastest pace for six months, giving both sides reasons to claim momentum. Moscow says capturing Bakhmut now opens the way to further advances in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine says its advance on the Russian forces' flanks is more meaningful than its withdrawal inside Bakhmut itself, and Russia will have to weaken its lines elsewhere to send reinforcements to hold the shattered city. "Through our movement on the flanks - to the north and south - we manage to destroy the enemy," Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday in televised comments. "By moving along the flanks and occupying certain heights there, our armed forces have made it very difficult for the enemy to stay in the city itself."Ukrainian forces were still advancing, particularly south of Bakhmut, Maliar said, though she said fighting on the northern flank had become less intense for now. Reuters could not independently verify the situation in either location. Maliar also said Ukraine still held a foothold inside the city, although independent monitors say any remaining Ukrainian presence there is unlikely to be substantial.
"Wagner Group mercenaries likely secured the western administrative borders of Bakhmut City while Ukrainian forces are continuing to prioritize counterattacks on Bakhmut’s outskirts," the Institute for the Study of War think tank said on Monday. The battle for Bakhmut has exposed a rift between Russia's regular armed forces and Wagner, a private army whose leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has been issuing daily audio and video messages mocking the generals. In his latest message on Monday, he repeated a vow to pull his troops out of Bakhmut and hand it over to regular troops.
"If the Defense Ministry's own forces aren't enough, then we have thousands of generals - we just need to put together a battalion of generals, give them all guns, and it'll all be fine," he said. Moscow's defense ministry has acknowledged that some Russian troops fell back outside Bakhmut last week, but has denied Prigozhin's repeated assertion that the flanks were crumbling.

Erdogan Wins Endorsement for Turkish Election Runoff from Third-Place Candidate Ogan
Agencies/May 22/2023
The third-placed contender in the Turkish presidential elections on Monday formally endorsed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the second-round runoff vote to be held on May 28th. The nationalist presidential candidate Sinan Ogan, 55, has emerged as a potential kingmaker after neither Erdogan nor his main challenger, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, secured the majority needed for a first-round victory on May 14th. Ogan, a former academic who was backed by a far-right anti-migrant party, won 5.17% in the May 14 vote and could hold the key to victory in the runoff now that he’s out of the race. His endorsement of Erdogan came days after he held a surprise meeting with the Turkish leader in Istanbul on Friday. No statement was made following the one-hour meeting. Ogan had attracted votes from people who disapproved of Erdogan’s policies but didn't want support Kilicdaroglu, who leads Türkiye's center-left, pro-secular main opposition party. Analysts say that despite Ogan’s endorsement, it is not certain that all of his supporters would go to Erdogan. Some were likely to shift to Kilicdaroglu while others might choose not to vote in the runoff race. Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that the anti-migrant party that had backed Ogan hasn’t yet announced which of the two contenders it would endorse. Erdogan received 49.5% of the votes in the first round - just short of the majority needed for an outright victory - compared to Kilicdaroglu’s 44.9%. Erdogan's ruling AK party and its nationalist and Islamist allies also retained a majority in the 600-seat parliament. That increases Erdogan’s chances of re-election because voters are likely to vote for him to avoid a splintered government, analysts say. Ogan listed the conditions to earn his endorsement while speaking to Turkish media last week. Among them were taking a tough stance against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and a timeline for the expulsion of millions of refugees, including nearly 3.7 million Syrians. Erdogan, meanwhile, told CNN International in an interview that he would not bend to such demands.“I’m not a person who likes to negotiate in such a manner. It will be the people who are the kingmakers,” he said. In an apparent attempt to sway nationalists voters, Kilicdaroglu hardened his tone last week, vowing to send back refugees and ruling out any peace negotiations with the PKK if he were elected.

Air Strikes Hit Khartoum as Seven-Day Ceasefire Approaches
AFP/22 May 2023
Sudan's army conducted air strikes in the capital Khartoum on Monday, residents said, seeking to win ground against its paramilitary rivals hours before a week-long ceasefire aimed at allowing delivery of aid was due to take effect. The army also carried out air strikes into the evening on Sunday, witnesses said, targeting vehicles from mobile units of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that have been operating across residential areas in the capital since the conflict between the two military factions erupted on April 15. Both sides have said they will abide by a ceasefire starting at 21:45 local time (19:45 GMT). Though fighting has continued through previous ceasefires, this is the first truce to be formally agreed following negotiations. The ceasefire deal includes a monitoring mechanism involving the army and the RSF as well as representatives from Saudi Arabia and the United States, which brokered the agreement after talks in Jeddah. The deal has raised hopes of a pause in a war that has driven nearly 1.1 million people from their homes, including more 250,000 who have fled into neighboring countries, threatening to destabilize a volatile region. On Monday, residents reported air strikes in Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, the three cities that make up the greater capital, separated by the confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile. They also said clashes could be heard in central Khartoum. The army has struggled to dislodge the RSF from strategic positions in central Khartoum and from neighborhoods where it has occupied civilian buildings. The RSF is adept at ground fighting, while the army has depended largely on air strikes and heavy artillery.
Trapped
More than five weeks of fighting in Khartoum has trapped millions in their homes or neighborhoods. Residents have reported worsening lawlessness and looting, as well as crippling power and water cuts. Supplies of food have been running low in some areas, and most hospitals have ceased to operate.
The agreement brokered in Jeddah is focused on allowing in aid and restoring essential services. Mediators say further talks would be needed to seek the removal of forces from urban areas to broker a permanent peace deal with civilian involvement. The war erupted in Khartoum amid plans for army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, to sign up to a new political transition towards elections under a civilian government. Burhan and Hemedti took the top positions on Sudan's ruling council after the overthrow of former leader Omar al-Bashir during a popular uprising in 2019, sharing power with civilian groups. In 2021, they staged a coup as a deadline to hand leadership of the transition to civilians approached. Since last month, fighting has also flared in the western region of Darfur, already scarred by two decades of conflict and unrest that continued despite a peace deal with some groups in 2020. Some 705 people have been killed across Sudan and at least 5,287 injured, according to the World Health Organization, though the true death toll is believed to be much higher.

Armenia will accept Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan subject to rights guarantee - Armenian PM cited
Reuters/Mon, May 22, 2023
Armenia is ready to recognise the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave as part of Azerbaijan if Baku guarantees the security of its ethnic Armenian population, the Russian state news agency TASS and the Russian news outlet Ostorozhno, Novosti quoted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as saying on Monday. Nagorno-Karabakh has been a source of conflict between the two Caucasus neighbours since the years leading up to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and between ethnic Armenians and Turkic Azeris for well over a century. In 2020, Azerbaijan seized control of areas that had been controlled by ethnic Armenians in and around the mountain enclave, and since then it has periodically closed the only access road linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, on which the enclave relies for financial and military support. “The 86,600 sq km of Azerbaijan's territory includes Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinyan told a news conference, according to Ostorozhno, Novosti (Caution, News). "If we understand each other correctly, then Armenia recognises the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within the named limits, and Baku - the territorial integrity of Armenia at 29,800 sq km." The outlet quoted him as saying he was prepared to do this - in effect accept Azerbaijan's internationally recognised borders - if the rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh were guaranteed. He said the issue should be discussed in talks between the two countries. "Armenia remains committed to the peace agenda in the region. And we hope that in the near future we will come to an agreement on the text of the peace treaty and be able to sign it," he said, according to TASS.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 22-23/2023
Intra-Kurdish tensions paralyze northeast Syria’s main border crossing
Lyse Mauvais & Solin Muhammed Amin/Al Monitor/May 22/2023
Northeast Syria’s only external border crossing closed abruptly May 17 for an unknown period, disrupting trade, medical corridors and humanitarian access to the area.
QAMISHLI — Iraqi Kurdish authorities closed their only border crossing with Syria on Wednesday, disrupting trade, travel, medical trips and diplomatic visits in and out of northeast Syria. The sudden closure also prompted many humanitarian organizations to withdraw their international staff from the region.
“The closure of the crossing didn’t just impact my family, but many others as well,” Abd al-Ghani Hassan Elias told Al-Monitor from his home in the city of Qamishli, northeast Syria. Scattered around the world for many years by war, Elias’ family had planned to reunite at last in June. For the first time since their mother died two years ago during the coronvirus pandemic, two of Elias’ siblings would have been able to visit her grave and pray over it.
But after authorities in charge of the Fishkhabour-Semalka crossing announced it would close for an undisclosed period, Elias gave up on his hope to spend Eid al-Adha with his family. His elderly sister returned to Iraqi Kurdistan to avoid getting stuck in Syria and his brother canceled his visit.
It would have been the first Eid we spend together as a family since our mother died,” Elias said. “The closure of the border really impacted us — morally and financially. My sister lost 2,500 to 3,000 euros [around $2,700 to $3,200] in travel costs.”
The Fishkhabour-Semalka crossing is an economic and humanitarian lifeline for roughly 3 million people living in areas in northeast Syria controlled by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), the de facto government controlling the region. As northeast Syria’s only border crossing with a foreign country, it is the preferred passage point of thousands of people traveling every year to visit relatives and access medical care not available in northeast Syria.
The crossing is controlled on the Syrian side by the AANES and on the Iraqi side by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which manages the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
But recurrent feuds between the AANES and the KRG — or rather between the political parties that dominate them — have led their shared border to close unpredictably and abruptly several times over the past few years. Each time, the closures asphyxiate the economy and disrupt humanitarian activities in northeast Syria, which heavily depends on the crossing.
'The breathing point' of northeast Syria
Dozens of trucks arrive at Fishkhabour every day from Iraqi Kurdistan, carrying supplies destined for northeast Syrian markets, including sugar, cement and imported foodstuff. According to an official working on the AANES side of the crossing, who requested anonymity, 70 to 100 trucks carrying commercial supplies enter northeast Syria every day through Semalka, and 150 to 200 through al-Waleed, another commercial border crossing connecting the Kurdistan Region and Syria. Al-Waleed is a key exit point for locally extracted crude oil, which is a key source of revenue for the AANES. It also closed May 11 for an undetermined period.
Due to its economic importance, Semalka is sometimes nicknamed “the breathing point of northeast Syria.” But it is also a political and humanitarian lifeline for AANES-controlled regions.
Thomas Schmidinger, political scientist specialized in Kurdish politics and history, talked to Al-Monitor about the border crossing. “It is the only semi-official border crossing of the AANES, where trade, political delegations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other humanitarian organizations can cross to north and east Syria.”
When that crossing is closed, the only way to enter northeast Syria is through areas controlled by the Syrian government. “This means that humanitarian organizations, journalists, researchers or political delegations that do not cooperate with the regime or that do not receive visas from the regime no longer have access to the region,” Schmidinger said.
Semalka is also the preferred transit route for many people in northeast Syria because the crossing is not recognized nor managed by the Syrian government, and their entry into the country doesn’t appear in their passport. “This is essential for people who only have residence permits abroad and don’t have a foreign nationality,” Elias said. “Many of those who sought refuge abroad during the war fear that the countries in which they now live will monitor their movement, and that they will lose their refugee status if they return to Syria.”
But those most affected by the sudden closure are probably medical patients trying to access care outside northeast Syria, where health-care services are limited. Saleh Suleiman, a Syrian Kurd who lives in Iraqi Kurdistan, managed to get his elderly parents and two special needs brothers to visit him for several months for treatment. But they are now stuck on the Iraqi side, he told Al-Monitor, and every month they spend there costs them around $400 in residency fees.
Humanitarian impacts
The sudden closure also took a toll on the NGOs, most of which rely on the crossing to bring their international staff to northeast Syria. Over the past week, several international NGOs quietly withdrew their international staff from the area, wary of leaving them trapped for an unknown period there. Other NGOs that are not based in the area but work there through local partners were also impacted.
Alicia Allgauer, an aid worker with Volkshilfe Osterreich (People’s Aid Austria), spoke with Al-Monitor after unsuccessfully attempting to enter northeast Syria on Monday. “We wanted to go to northeast Syria to visit our project partners for the first time, to get to know their team, see their work, visit beneficiaries and do monitoring visits," she said.
One of the goals of the visit was to plan new earthquake relief projects in the Kurdish-populated enclave of Sheikh Maqsoud, which has been dramatically underserved in the aftermath of the earthquake because it is entirely surrounded by checkpoints of the Syrian regime, and access to the area is very limited.
But despite securing the necessary approvals weeks in advance, when Allgauer and her three colleagues reached the border on Monday, they were turned back by Iraqi Kurdish authorities. “We’ve been planning this visit for the past two months, and a lot of work and money went into it,” she said. The team also had to cancel a workshop with local colleagues. “Of course, it’s not a life-threatening impact, but for the people we serve and for our project partner, it’s very hard,” she added.
As long as the border remains closed, NGOs will also face challenges procuring certain goods for their activities and securing cash to run their operations and pay salaries. Due to international sanctions adopted during the war, there are no international banks nor ATMs in Syria. The only way to transfer cash into the country is through “hawalas,” a traditional money transfer system that relies on networks of trusted local agents. But their ability to physically transfer sufficient volumes of US dollars into northeast Syria is directly impacted by border restrictions, with ripple effects on money transfer fees.
The NES Forum, the main platform coordinating NGOs’ work in northeast Syria, did not respond to a request for comment on the humanitarian impact of the border closure.
A bargaining chip
Iraqi Kurdish authorities did not give an official reason for closing the border. But previous instances were all linked to political tensions between two main Kurdish parties — the Iraq-based Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Syria-based Democratic Union Party (PYD), a leading component of the political coalition that formed the AANES.
“Unfortunately, the border is a bargaining chip in the intra-Kurdish conflict between the Iraqi KDP and its allies in Syria — the so-called Kurdish National Council in Syria [KNC] and the Syrian PYD, which in turn is allied with the PKK,” Schmidinger said. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is a Turkey-based Kurdish party seen as a terrorist organization by Ankara, and a historic enemy of the KDP.
The last border closure, in December 2021, lasted 40 days. It had also closed in June 2021 for travelers during a spike in intra-Kurdish tensions, but remained open for humanitarian travel.
“The specific triggers [of border closures] are different each time,” Schmidinger said. This time, the KDP-affiliated KNC stated the closure is linked to the AANES preventing some of their members from crossing out of Syria to attend the inauguration of a new museum. Officials on the KRG side and the AANES side of the border all declined to comment on this issue.
Whatever its catalyst, this new border closure illustrates a simple truth that humanitarian actors have been denouncing for years: a single entry point into northeast Syria leaves its residents extremely vulnerable to political obstruction. Northeast Syria used to be connected to federal Iraq through the Yaroubiah crossing, which a United Nations Security Council resolution authorized humanitarian agencies to use to bring aid to the region despite obstruction by the Syrian regime. Several hundred tons of medical equipment and 19 UN shipments went through the crossing between early 2018 and January 2020, when Yaroubiah closed following Russian pressure at the UN Security Council. Today, UN agencies no longer have a cross-border mandate in northeast Syria, which means they need Damascus’ approval to operate there. NGOs are discreetly using Fishkhabour-Semalka, but they don’t have an alternative when the border closes. Around 4,000 people flocked to Semalka on Wednesday, the anonymous crossing official said, which is equivalent to what the crossing normally processes in a month. Due to this high demand, the deadline for certain travelers, including NGO staff, to cross back into Iraqi Kurdistan was extended until May 19. “The only thing that won’t stop is the reception of corpses,” the border official added.
The border could reopen virtually any day — once politicians on both sides make peace. This is the hope that relatives separated by the border and medical patients trapped inside Syria cling to. “We hope that political parties and decision-makers will think a little more about the conditions we people face, instead of their political interests,” Elias concluded.

The Real Threat to Al-Aqsa Mosque is From Muslims, Not Jews
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/May 22, 2023
If anyone has been desecrating al-Aqsa Mosque, it is Muslims who have been rioting and using rocks and fireworks to attack police officers and Jewish visitors. Muslim rioters -- not peaceful Jewish visitors -- are the real threat to the sanctity of the mosque.
Israeli authorities have clarified that the route of the "flag parade" absolutely does not include entry into any mosque.
Assurances by the Israeli authorities, however, have not stopped Palestinians and other Muslims from spreading fake news and libels against Jews.
Iran's terror proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have also used the celebrations in Jerusalem to spread the libel that Jews are planning to "desecrate" al-Aqsa Mosque.
As far as Hamas and other Palestinians are concerned, the very presence of Jews at their holy site and in Israel is supposedly a "provocation."
Hamas and several terror groups in the Gaza Strip, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also repeated the lie that "al-Aqsa Mosque is in danger."
When the terror groups talk about "resistance," they are referring to the need for terrorism against Israel, including firing rockets from the Gaza Strip, and attacks by stabbing, shooting and car-ramming.
"The people of Palestine have no historical rights to Palestine. They have no right that dates back 2,000, 3,000, or 4,000 years. The right of the Canaanites to Palestine is equal to the pharaohs' right to Egypt. Is it conceivable that any Muslim in Egypt would say: 'I am Pharaonic and proud of it?' Well, it is the same if a Muslim in Palestine said, 'I am a Canaanite and proud of it.' To hell with your Canaanite identity and to his Pharaonic identity. People, our history is simple and it is not ancient. It must not be said that the Palestinians have Canaanite roots. Our history dates back only 1,440 years.... The only thing you are allowed to say is: Oh Palestinians, you are Muslims." — Issam Amira, Palestinian Islamic scholar, al-Aqsa Mosque, April14, 2023
The revival of the "al-Aqsa is in danger" libel is part of an ongoing effort by Palestinians and other Muslims to delegitimize and eliminate Israel. Palestinian leaders and Muslim "scholars" spread lies about Israel and Jews to encourage and justify terrorism.
The real threat to the mosque and other holy sites in Jerusalem is posed those Palestinians and Muslims who use battle cries to incite violence, terrorism and Jew-hate.
Incomprehensibly, much of the international community, the media, and even prominent self-declared "human rights" organizations persist in defaming Israel and ignoring this fabricated, toxic incitement by Palestinian and Muslim leaders.
If anyone has been desecrating al-Aqsa Mosque, it is Muslims who have been rioting and using rocks and fireworks to attack police officers and Jewish visitors. Muslim rioters -- not peaceful Jewish visitors -- are the real threat to the sanctity of the mosque. Pictured: Israeli firefighters try to put out the flames of a tree that was set ablaze by Palestinian rioters on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, on April 22, 2022
Palestinians are again repeating the lie that al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is in danger because the Jews are planning to "storm" and "desecrate" it.
Some Palestinians and Muslims have gone so far as to accuse the Jews of plotting to destroy the mosque. The latest campaign of lies and misinformation arrived as Jews, on May 18, were preparing to celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem by holding a flag parade in the city.
For days, the hashtag "al-Aqsa Mosque is in Danger" was trending on various social media platforms, evidently as part of a concerted campaign to smear Jews and rally Muslims against them.
Notably, participants in the Jerusalem flag parade -- which is held every year -- never enter either the premises of al-Aqsa Mosque or the Temple Mount compound. Like all non-Muslims, however, Jews do visit the Temple Mount on other days of the year. There is no ban on such visits. Jewish visitors, however, contrary to claims by some Palestinians, do not set foot inside any mosque on the Temple Mount. They tour only outdoor parts of the Temple Mount compound, and under heavy police protection.
If anyone has been desecrating al-Aqsa Mosque, it is Muslims who have been rioting and using rocks and fireworks to attack police officers and Jewish visitors. Muslim rioters -- not peaceful Jewish visitors -- are the real threat to the sanctity of the mosque.
Israeli authorities have clarified that the route of the "flag parade" absolutely does not include entry into any mosque. According to a statement published by the Israel Police on May 18:
"In recent hours, we have witnessed the continuation of incitement attempts on social networks, along with old videos and documents that are out of context
"This morning the prayers of the Muslims on Temple Mount are held as usual and so is the movement in and to the Old City. In addition, the visitations [by non-Muslims, including Jews] are held as usual on the Temple Mount in accordance with the rules of the holy site"
Assurances by the Israeli authorities, however, have not stopped Palestinians and other Muslims from spreading fake news and libels against Jews.
Sheikh Abdel Hai Yusef, described as a Muslim "scholar," posted a video on Twitter in which he called on Muslims to converge on al-Aqsa Mosque to "defend" it against attempts by "the Zionists to desecrate the mosque during the so-called flag march." He added: "This is the duty of all Muslims. Anyone who can arrive at the mosque should do so out of loyalty to God and his prophet, Mohammed."
Egyptian Muslim "scholar" Sheikh Mohammed Al-Sughayyar called on Muslims to barricade themselves inside al-Aqsa Mosque. According to the cleric, it is the "duty" of all Muslims to converge on the mosque on the pretext that is "in danger."
Iran's terror proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have also used the celebrations in Jerusalem to spread the libel that Jews are planning to "desecrate" al-Aqsa Mosque.
Hassan Ezaddin, a Hezbollah member of the Lebanese parliament, also urged Muslims to "assume their responsibility to defend al-Aqsa Mosque."
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said that the Palestinians will not allow Israel to "tamper" with al-Aqsa Mosque. As far as Hamas and other Palestinians are concerned, the very presence of Jews at their holy site and in Israel is supposedly a "provocation."
Hamas and several terror groups in the Gaza Strip, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also repeated the lie that "al-Aqsa Mosque is in danger." The groups published a statement in which they said that the Israeli "aggression on al-Aqsa Mosque requires an escalation of resistance activities." When the terror groups talk about "resistance," they are referring to the need for terrorism against Israel, including firing rockets from the Gaza Strip, and attacks by stabbing, shooting and car-ramming.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank also joined the campaign of incitement against Israel and Jews ahead of the celebrations in Jerusalem. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas, echoed the threats by the Iranian-backed terror groups and Muslim "scholars" and also warned that the "flag parade" was a "provocation that would lead to tension and an explosion." He, too, repeated the lie that Jews were planning to "storm" al-Aqsa Mosque – a reference to totally peaceful tours by Jews to the Temple Mount.
The PA's involvement in the campaign of incitement against Israel and Jews is not new. In the past, the Palestinian Authority issued a number of statements propagating the false slogan that the Jews are planning to destroy al-Aqsa Mosque.
Abbas has, on a number of occasions, even denied any connection of Jews to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem, despite vast archeological and documentary evidence that incontrovertibly demonstrate the opposite. The Western Wall, for instance, sacred to Jews, is a retaining wall: all that is left of the Temple of Solomon, destroyed for a second time, by the Roman Empire in 70 CE. King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylonia had already destroyed it before, in 586 BCE. Additionally, the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the writings of Josephus Flavius and the name of the area Judea, all massively attest to the presence of Jews throughout the region, dating back more than 3,500 years.
This view, that the Jews do indeed have a deeply-rooted connection to the land of Israel, known previously as Canaan, was reaffirmed once again on April 14 -- inside al-Aqsa Mosque -- by the Palestinian Islamic scholar Issam Amira:
"The people of Palestine have no historical rights to Palestine. They have no right that dates back 2,000, 3,000, or 4,000 years. The right of the Canaanites to Palestine is equal to the pharaohs' right to Egypt. Is it conceivable that any Muslim in Egypt would say: 'I am Pharaonic and proud of it?' Well, it is the same if a Muslim in Palestine said, 'I am a Canaanite and proud of it.' To hell with your Canaanite identity and to his Pharaonic identity. People, our history is simple and it is not ancient. It must not be said that the Palestinians have Canaanite roots. Our history dates back only 1,440 years. 1,440 years ago we had no rights of any kind. Absolutely none. ..... The only thing you are allowed to say is: Oh Palestinians, you are Muslims."
Nevertheless, in a speech at the United Nations on May 15, Abbas again claimed there is no proof of Jewish ties to the Temple Mount and its adjacent Western Wall. "They [Israel] dug under al-Aqsa Mosque... they dug everywhere, and they could not find anything," Abbas said. He also claimed that "ownership of Al-Buraq Wall [the Western Wall] and Haram Al-Sharif [Temple Mount] belongs exclusively and only to Muslims alone."
The lie that Jews are planning to destroy the mosque is also not new.
For the past century, Palestinian leaders have used the lie that "al-Aqsa is in danger" to incite their people to attack Jews. Palestinian leaders, including the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin Al-Husseini, an ally of Hitler and Nazi collaborator, as well as former PLO leader Yasser Arafat, have denied the existence of a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and accused Israel of planning attacks on the mosque.
According to Nadav Shragai, a veteran journalist and expert on Jerusalem:
"The archaeological digs that Israel has conducted over the years near the Temple Mount, far from the mosques, are a laudable scientific and cultural endeavor. Since liberating Jerusalem in 1967 from Jordanian occupation, Israel has protected religious sites of all faiths and ensured freedom of worship for all peoples."
The revival of the "al-Aqsa is in danger" libel is part of an ongoing effort by Palestinians and other Muslims to delegitimize and eliminate Israel. Palestinian leaders and Muslim "scholars" spread lies about Israel and Jews to encourage and justify terrorism.
Moreover, this libel is part of a longtime effort to deny Judaism's 3,000-year-long connection to the Temple Mount. The mosque is by no means under threat by Jews, who since 1967 have allowed Muslims to manage the affairs of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound through the authorities of the Islamic Waqf.
The real threat to the mosque and other holy sites in Jerusalem is posed by those Palestinians and Muslims who use battle cries to incite violence, terrorism and Jew-hate.
Incomprehensibly, much of the international community (here, here, here and here), the media (here, here and here), and even prominent self-declared "human rights" organizations (here, here and here) persist in defaming Israel and ignoring this fabricated, toxic incitement by Palestinian and Muslim leaders.
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East.
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The Jeddah Summit and the Future Middle East
Nabil Amr/Asharq Al Awsat/May 22/ 2023
For decades, the Middle East brimmed with crises like nowhere else in the world. It was a breeding ground for wars and conflicts and a region that constantly drew external interventions, which were often made under utterly illogical slogans totally removed from reality.
The peoples and countries of the Middle East were split into progressive and reactionary, revolutionary and conservative, and democratic and tyrannical - schisms that engendered military coups, conflicts between countries, and civil wars. As a result, the region squandered its energy and wealth, hindering its growth and turning it into the most backward and violated region on the planet. The Arabs are the largest of the Middle East’s families. They occupy the most geographical space and are more numerous than any of the others. It is the only one with the components needed to make up a world that shares characteristics and particularities like language, culture, and heritage. Deeper than this, the Arabs have a deep sense of unity; just think of the sentiments of togetherness on display at the World Cup in Qatar.
Some parties and alliances established in our countries have raised the slogan of unity. However, they concealed their authoritarian agendas beneath these slogans, using them as pretexts for their coups and furthering their personal interests. At no point were the countries of the Arab world more divided and plagued by turmoil than when the slogan of unity was at its height. In the 1960s, summits emerged as a framework for advancing unity. There, Arab officials would regularly meet, and several experiments with unity, all of which failed, were born through these summits. Modern history attests to the fact that the Arab nation has never fought a war that it did not end up losing it. It never won a war (even then, it would win only marginally) without squandering the victory by failing to translate it politically, thereby adding new schisms and calamitous conflicts.
The previous Arab summits achieved one thing: they preserved what was called the Arab system, whose function was signaling to the world that the Arab unity had a framework and an official institution, the Arab League. However, this framework was symbolic and ineffective. The countries of the Arab world did not benefit from it, the world did not approach it as a viable institution that it could work with, and the Arab peoples did not see it as a body that could credibly resolve intra-Arab disputes.
We recently saw the 32nd summit of the Arab League being held amid exceptional regional and international circumstances. Several parts of the Arab world are in flames, as are other places (though to divergent degrees) in the countries of the Middle East.
A combination of crises, wars, epidemics, and earthquakes came together to weigh on the region and allowed non-Arab countries (Iran, Türkiye, Russia, the US, and Israel) to interfere in Arab affairs. And before the fires of the Middle East could be out, another engulfed Ukraine. The entire planet has suffered and continues to suffer from its immediate repercussions.
The idea that a new world order is taking form has become increasingly widespread since the Ukrainian-Russian war broke out. Indeed, the war has solidified China’s position as a global pole competing with the US after Russia lost that status with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
These regional and global shifts pose a crucial question to the Arabs: What is your place in all of this; what are your options for the future? Where is the Middle East? What status will it occupy, and what will it play in this new world order?
While their final outcomes remain obscure, the developments rapidly unfolding across the globe have carved out enough space to allow for the emergence of a Middle East. It is now capable of launching new projects and occupying a different position in the world. The grip that superpowers have traditionally had over the necks of the Middle East’s states and regimes, which had been dependent on them, has loosened. They now have the chance to assert their independence and shape their policies in accordance with their interests.
This state of affairs diverges sharply from that seen during the Cold War, which polarized the entire world. It is different even to the era of unipolarity and the period in which the Chinese began making inroads as its need for energy and markets grew, and its security of commercial interests ballooned.
Amid the situation we find ourselves in today, there are material reasons to believe that the Arabs and their Middle East have more opportunities to augment their presence, firstly in the region and secondly in the world that needs them more and more every day.
The Jeddah Summit should not be a typical meeting or a copy of the mundane summits that preceded it. Elaborate preparations were made before it was held, with the aim of cooling the hotbeds of conflict in the Arab world and the region. Given these efforts, we must set a new course for the states of the Arab world and the region. The location in which the summit was held allows for paving this new course. The times demand it, as does our central cause, the “Palestinian” cause, and all the other causes of the Arabs.

Jeddah summit offers hope for a reinvigorated Arab nation
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/May 22, 2023
The Arab League Summit in Jeddah was a breath of fresh air compared with what we have come to expect of such occasions. Serious journalists haven’t habitually had much positive to say about Arab summits, which tend to be long on rhetoric but short on action and relevance, with a heavy odor of underachievement and missed opportunities. Journalists and diplomats commented positively on how smoothly this latest event was conducted, with disciplined and focused speeches and a pragmatic agenda. The conspicuous inclusion of younger voices offered a nod to the increasingly forward-looking, young and dynamic regional leadership. The summit represented a gesture of intent by Arab states, Saudi Arabia in particular, to once again play a more assertive and unified role on the global stage. However, as ever, the true test will be the delivery of tangible results.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation was a bold choice, and evidence of mature readiness to listen to difficult messages and publicly delivered criticism. Ukraine’s president declared: “Anyone who defends his native land from invaders, and anyone who defends children of his nation from enslavement — every such warrior is on the path of justice, and I am proud to represent such warriors.” Can any patriotic Arabs listen to such a statement and not think of the Palestinian struggle? Let’s salute Zelensky and Ukraine’s bold response to unprovoked aggression.
For states such as Egypt and Lebanon, Ukraine has historically been a principal grain supplier, so Ukraine’s wellbeing and agricultural stability are a matter of existential survival for hundreds of millions of Arabs.
Bashar Assad was the second eyebrow-raising guest. Many of us hoped the Syrian leader would show greater contrition, acknowledging the blood on his hands and pledging reconciliation — but the speech was vintage Assad, weaving a patchwork of conspiracy theories and petty grievances. “It is important to leave internal affairs to the country’s people, as they are best able to manage them,” he declared, conveniently forgetting Iran and Russia’s intervention on his behalf.
Media outlets associated with Hezbollah, Tehran and Damascus are hailing Assad’s inclusion as a victory over other Arab states, portraying him as rolling into Jeddah as a “conquering hero.” Hezbollah’s Hashem Safieddine hyperbolically declared that Assad’s attendance offered “irrefutable evidence that the assertions of many politicians constituted fantasies, mirages, illusions, and expired promises.” This is all nonsense. In the 12 years that Assad spent destroying his country and gassing and torturing his own citizens, other Arab states have prospered and flourished, with state-of-the-art education systems, cultural florescence, economic diversification, and profound social reforms.
There is nothing victorious about Assad in 2023. Only through the heavy backing of Iran and Russia does he control modest portions of Syrian territory. Syria is a fragmented and depopulated nation, with over half its citizens displaced, five million of whom are refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. The economy is irredeemably shattered, with around 15.3 million Syrians requiring emergency aid.
The post-2011 decade was a horrific period for the Arab world, defined by civil conflicts, proxy wars, political instability, bitter divisions, and unrestrained Iranian interference.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said refugees could not return until Syria had been rebuilt. But who does he expect to rush in and rebuild Syria? As long as this puppet regime is configured to facilitate reconstruction funds being looted by Tehran and the Assad clan, they shouldn’t expect a penny from wealthy Gulf states or any other source — particularly with the regime keeping itself financially afloat by smuggling narcotics into regional states.
Assad’s airy comment that every Syrian was welcome to return failed to offer guarantees that his torturers and executioners wouldn’t persecute anyone who ventured within Syria’s borders. Stories are rife of returning Syrians being sequestered into the army or disappearing into Assad’s torture chambers. This regime must wake up and get a grip of reality if it is to benefit from the peace dividend of Arab League reintegration beyond cheap one-off handshake photo opportunities. The world will be carefully watching Assad’s Arab League rehabilitation. If he exploits it for maximum gain while offering zero compromises, there will be no appetite for Syria returning to the international fold. Decades after achieving their own nominal peace deals, most Egyptians and Jordanians still regard Israel as the enemy because of its continuing hostile and expansionist policies toward Arabs and Palestinians. Whether Arabs re-embrace trade, tourism and investment with Syria, or whether Damascus’s de facto isolation continues, will be determined by whether Assad continues acting like an enemy of humanity and his own citizens.
The Jeddah summit punctuates a dizzying period of rapid regional realignments. With Chinese brokerage, Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic ties with Iran, paving the way for an end to the Yemen conflict and with potentially profound implications for states such as Iraq, Lebanon and Syria. Saudi Arabia last year brokered a Ukraine-Russia prisoner exchange deal and has hinted at a more far-reaching mediation role. The Jeddah talks between Sudan’s warring parties likewise appear to be starting to bear fruit, with this conflict a central discussion theme during the Arab summit.
Bahrain’s restoration of diplomatic ties with Lebanon, and GCC labors to rehabilitate Iraq, are among a multitude of comprehensive efforts toward Arab realignment. The Arab summit final communique delineated ambitious objectives for addressing the drivers of regional conflict and instability, including outlawing support for “unauthorized and illegitimate” militias, rejecting meddling by hostile states such as Iran, and calling on “all Lebanese factions” to unite around a consensus choice of president and extract the country from its crisis.
These laudable goals must be combined with regionwide campaigns for economic, cultural and educational renaissance — particularly in support of nations such as Lebanon, Yemen, Jordan and Sudan, where the suffering of ordinary people is chronic and profound.
The post-2011 decade was a horrific period for the Arab world, defined by civil conflicts, proxy wars, political instability, bitter divisions, and unrestrained Iranian interference. The Jeddah summit represented a major opportunity to put this painful chapter behind us — offering the prospect of the Arab world once again being a strong and united global force.
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

The Jeddah Declaration shows Saudi Arabia’s seriousness
Daoud Kuttab/Arab News/May 22/2023
I tend to believe that words have meanings, and therefore I did a numerical analysis of the words and phrases repeated in the Jeddah Declaration of the 32nd Arab League Summit to understand more fully the official Arab positions. There is no doubt that anyone who analyzes the final statement in Jeddah and compares it, for example, to the Algiers Declaration of the 31st Arab League Summit will notice a vast difference. The differences include initiatives and concerns that were not mentioned in any previous Arab summit statement. Of course, the key to the matter remains the level of follow-up and adherence to the words that the Arab leaders committed to.
The seriousness and attention to detail that one can clearly observe will lead to the feeling that Saudi Arabia’s chairmanship in 2023 will differ from those of the Kingdom and most other Arab countries that preceded it when hosting Arab League summits.
It is normal for the words Arab and Arabs to be mentioned 28 times in a statement of the Arab League, while it is good that Palestine/Palestinian was mentioned seven times, equal to the number of mentions of Sudan. Jerusalem was mentioned six times, while Syria, whose president’s presence was important news, was mentioned only three times.
However, the key difference in the Jeddah Declaration was in the nonpolitical areas. For example, while initiative or initiatives were used eight times, only twice was this regarding political matters, namely support for the Arab Peace Initiative and the GCC Initiative on Yemen, while the rest were economic or cultural in nature. The word “economic” was mentioned seven times, the phrase “sustainable development” six times and culture/cultural four times, including focusing on the importance of the Arabic language (twice) and the need to teach Arabic to non-Arabs.
The initiatives that the Saudi government will work on during the 12-month period in which it will preside over the Arab grouping are impressive. They include, for example, an interest in green culture by supporting environmentally friendly cultural practices and employing them in support of the creative economy in Arab countries and in ensuring Arab food security. Initiatives mentioned in the final communique included an interest in water desalination and the establishment of intellectual incubators/think tanks to deal with the pressing problems facing Arabs.
The initiatives that the Saudi government will work on during the 12-month period in which it will preside over the Arab grouping are impressive.
As the Saudi foreign minister noted in his post-summit press conference, the key to the success of Arabs is in using their own resources and the powerful purchasing power they have. An interest in joint Arab action in addressing various challenges may be one of the most important things that came in the final statement. For example, the statement reflected what the declaration said in its seventh clause: “We stress that sustainable development, security, stability, and peace are inherent rights for all Arab citizens. These will only be achieved through concerted efforts and through firmly fighting crime and corruption at all levels. We also stress the need to mobilize potentials and capabilities to create a future that is based on creativity and innovation and that keeps abreast of various developments in a way that serves and enhances security, stability, and the well-being of our people.”
While the final communique of the 32nd Arab League Summit dealt with a wide range of topics, it gave the issue of Palestine and Jerusalem top billing, listing it in the opening of the statement and giving the issue of Jerusalem particularly special attention. The Palestinian cause was declared in strong terms, with the leaders present affirming “the centrality of the Palestinian issue to our countries as one of the key factors of stability in the region.”
The statement’s opening clause on Palestine and Jerusalem included 249 words, meaning the issue received about 15 percent of the entire statement, which was made up of 1,713 words. More than half of that first clause (135 words) focused on Jerusalem, support for the Hashemite custodianship of Christian and Muslim holy places, and the need to protect the status quo in the holy city.
The statement also spoke of the need to support the resilience of Palestinians in Jerusalem. Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Fadi Al-Hidmi had presented to the Arab League a full study of the status of East Jerusalem and the needs of all different sectors to support the steadfastness of Jerusalem and the Jerusalemites. Promises to support Jerusalem are not new, so the key for Jerusalemites will be in seeing this support on the ground and not simply in the final communique.
The decision-makers in Saudi Arabia have taken the idea of chairing the Arab League during the coming year very seriously. For people who have been to Saudi Arabia recently and have seen the major changes enacted there, it is clear that the Kingdom is moving in many directions with resolve and seriousness. While they can control what happens within their borders, Saudi Arabia’s leaders will have a much bigger challenge when it comes to other Arab countries. Everyone will now be looking to see whether Riyadh will be able to ensure that the promises the Arab leaders have made are fulfilled, especially the challenges that Saudi Arabia has taken upon itself.
The Arab countries that signed the Jeddah Declaration may have begun the journey of thousands of miles of Arab Renaissance with steady steps. The big test will be in the implementation of these promises.
• Daoud Kuttab is a former professor at Princeton University and the founder and former director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al-Quds University in Ramallah.
Twitter: @daoudkuttab