Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 15-16/2024
Former President Trump's heinous assassination attempt is strongly and firmly condemned/Elias Bejjani/July 14/2024
Israeli drone strike along Lebanon-Syria border kills Syrian businessman close to the government
Hezbollah-Israel conflict holds crisis-weary Lebanese hostage in their own country
Israeli drone strike along Lebanon-Syria border kills Syrian businessman close to the government
Three Civilians Killed in an Israeli Airstrike on Bint Jbeil
Israel-Hezbollah border clashes: Latest developments
Opposition to meet Amal-Hezbollah MPs Friday
Macron: Security of our Lebanese friends must be guaranteed
Land Transport: Unions Are Active
Sami Gemayel Condemns Hezb for War’s Extensive Damage on Lebanon
Saydet el-Jabal: Hezbollah Started Feeling Tired
Banking crisis continues: New tax rules for loan repayments
Germany arrests suspected Hezbollah member: Prosecutor
Health alert: Lebanon monitors FLiRTLB1 variant as symptoms spread
Lebanon should not count on Netanyahu’s ‘good’ intentions/Ali Hamade/Arab News/July 15, 2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 15-16/2024
Republican Party formally nominates Donald Trump for Presidency
Trump’s VP pick JD Vance is first Bitcoin holder on a Presidential ticket
Who is JD Vance's wife? Here's what we know about Usha Chilukuri Vance
Secret Service agrees to independent probe over Trump shooting
Trump supporters see his narrow escape from death as God’s work
US judge dismisses Trump classified documents case
Trump Media, gun stocks surge after assassination attempt
President Joe Biden says it was a 'mistake' to say he wanted to put a 'bull's-eye' on Donald Trump
Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks haven't paused, Deif survived Israeli strike
US-made munitions used in Israeli strike on Gaza school that killed 22, experts say
Netanyahu to meet Biden in Washington two days before his speech to Congress
Two vessels report being attacked off Yemen, UKMTO says
Armenia launches joint military drills with the US amid souring ties with old ally Russia
Syria holds parliamentary vote with no surprises expected
Baath and allies virtually unopposed as Syrians vote in parliamentary election
Gambian parliament rejects bid to overturn historic ban on female genital mutilation
Is Saudi Arabia replacing the US with China in its security partner mix?

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 15-16/2024
FBI Finds Few Red Flags on a Would-Be Assassin/Campbell Robertson/The New York Times/Mon, July 15, 2024
Hamas's 'Popularity': Attempt To Deceive The American Public?/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/July 15, 2024
How Israel can confront the evil of Iran head-on - The fact is that Iran remains an existential threat to Israel./Avu Abelow/Jerusalem Post/July 15/2024
Crown Prince Pahlavi: 'Democratic secular Iran' possible with UK intervention'/Mathilda Heller/Jerusalem Post/July 15/2024
Islam in Vienna: The Fate of Those Who Reject History/Raymond Ibrahim/PJ Media/July 15/2024
American History Altered by a Fraction of an Inch/Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/July 15/2024
Pezeshkian likely to take cautious foreign policy approach/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/July 15, 2024
Syrian refugees face uncertain future/Chris Doyle/Arab News/July 15, 2024
Political Variations/Charles Chartouni/This is Beirut/July 15/2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 15-16/2024
Former President Trump's heinous assassination attempt is strongly and firmly condemned
Elias Bejjani/July 14/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/07/131889/
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew 05/09)
On behalf of all Lebanese in both Lebanon and the Diaspora who share our deeply rooted values of faith, peace, and freedom, we stand united in condemning the heinous attempt on the life of former President Donald J. Trump. This act of violence, aimed at one of the world's foremost advocates for peace, democracy, and the rule of law, is utterly deplorable. We are grateful to God for His divine protection over President Trump, who remains unharmed.
Psalm 91:11-12 reminds us, "For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." We thank the Lord for His mercy and the safety granted to President Trump during this perilous time.
Peace lovers all over the world cannot and will not tolerate acts of violence against their leaders. The perpetrators of this attack must be brought to justice swiftly and decisively. As we condemn this vile act, we must also reflect on the broader implications it has for global stability.
In addition to addressing domestic threats in the USA, we must turn our attention to the global stage, particularly the Middle East, and especially our beloved occupied Lebanon. The Middle East, has long been plagued by conflict and unrest, and it is our hope that under President Trump’s potential future leadership, significant strides toward lasting peace can be achieved.
We earnestly pray for peace in the Middle East in general, and in occupied Lebanon in particular, and believe that President Trump, with his proven track record of diplomacy, can play a crucial role in fostering harmony and stability in this volatile region.
The recent worldwide surge in violence highlights the urgent need for a return to law and order. We are confident that President Trump, once re-elected, will address all violence issues with the determination and leadership that we have come to expect from him.
Let us stand together in prayer and solidarity, thanking God for His protection and seeking His guidance as we navigate these challenging times.
"May His peace, which surpasses all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

Israeli drone strike along Lebanon-Syria border kills Syrian businessman close to the government
Bassem Mroue And Kareem Chehayeb/BEIRUT (AP)/July 15, 2024
An Israeli drone strike on a car Monday near the Lebanon-Syria border killed a prominent Syrian businessman who was sanctioned by the United States and had close ties to the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to pro-government media and an official from an Iran-backed group. Mohammed Baraa Katerji was killed when a drone strike hit his car in the area of Saboura, a few kilometers or miles inside Syria after apparently crossing from Lebanon. Israel's air force has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in recent years, mainly targeting members of Iran-backed groups and Syria's military. But it has been rare to hit personalities from within the government. The strike also came as Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah group have been exchanging fire on an almost daily basis since early October, after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. An official from an Iran-backed group said that Katerji was killed instantly while in his SUV on the highway linking Lebanon with Syria. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media. The pro-government Al-Watan daily quoted unnamed “sources” as saying that Katerji, 48, was killed in a “Zionist drone strike on his car.” It gave no further details. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based opposition war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that Katerji was killed while in a car with Lebanese licence plates, adding that he was apparently targeted because he used to fund the “Syrian resistance” against Israel in the Golan Heights, as well as his links to Iran-backed groups in Syria. Israel, which has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in its northern neighbor, has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges them. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, sanctioned Katerji in 2018 as Assad’s middleman to trade oil with the Islamic State group and for facilitating weapons shipments from Iraq to Syria. OFAC added that Katerji was responsible for import and export activities in Syria and assisted with transporting weapons and ammunition under the pretext of importing and exporting food items. These shipments were overseen by the U.S.­ designated Syrian General Intelligence Directorate, according to OFAC. It added that the Syria-based Katerji Company is a trucking company that has also shipped weapons from Iraq to Syria. Additionally, in a 2016 trade deal between the government of Syria and IS, the Katerji Company was identified as the exclusive agent for providing supplies to IS-controlled areas, including oil and other commodities. Katerji and his brother, Hussam — widely referred to in Syria as the “Katerji brothers” — got involved in oil business a few years after the country’s conflict began in March 2011. Hussam Katerji is a former member of Syria's parliament.

Hezbollah-Israel conflict holds crisis-weary Lebanese hostage in their own country
NADIA AL-FAOUR/Arab News/July 15, 2024
DUBAI: As Hezbollah and Israel continue to engage in cross-border attacks, which began with the start of the war in Gaza last year, regular Lebanese citizens find themselves surviving in an atmosphere of tension and uncertainty. Israel so far has stopped short of opening a second front in Lebanon while it seemingly implements a scorched-earth policy in Gaza in retaliation for the deadly attacks Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas carried out in southern Israel on Oct. 8 last year. The tit-for-tat exchanges have grown in intensity, with two Israeli civilians killed by a Hezbollah rocket barrage in the Golan Heights on Tuesday. Just hours prior to this, an Israeli strike in Syria killed a former bodyguard of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The death toll in south Lebanon continues to mount with more than 435 people killed and over 96,000 internally displaced, according to data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. There has also been a steady rise in the number of senior Hezbollah officials being assassinated. The most recent of these was Mohammed Nimah Nasser, commander of the Aziz Unit responsible for the western sector of southern Lebanon.
The country is already suffering from an ongoing economic collapse, soaring poverty rates, and political instability. With no diplomatic breakthrough to contain the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, many fear the start of all-out war, a scenario that would devastate the already fragile Lebanon.
Lebanon has been without a president for nearly two years, relying on Najib Mikati’s leadership as caretaker of the government. Unending quarrels and shifting alliances within Parliament make critical decision-making impossible, while rampant corruption remains the status quo. According to the May 2024 Lebanon Situation Report from the World Food Programme, the country’s food security has deteriorated rapidly, with the report predicting that just under a quarter of the population will be food insecure by September 2024. Lebanon’s poverty rates have more than tripled over the past decade, with another May report from the World Bank finding that 44 percent of the total population now lives in poverty. Conditions have compelled households to undertake a variety of coping strategies that include cutting back on food consumption, non-food expenses, and health expenditures, which will likely lead to severe long-term consequences.More than half the population also now depends on aid for survival while the rest continue to struggle to secure basic life necessities such as fuel and electricity. On July 2, Walid Bukhari, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Lebanon, announced an aid package of $10 million through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center. The aid will help launch 28 projects across Lebanon, adding to the 129 relief, humanitarian, and development projects KSrelief has implemented in the country to date. Bukhari said the Saudi support was a continuation of the “commitment of the leadership in Saudi Arabia to help humanitarian efforts and promote stability and development in Lebanon with the highest standards of transparency and accountability.” He also said the support is a “solidarity approach adopted by the Kingdom toward the Lebanese people, based on the duty of true Arab brotherhood and teachings of Islam.” While gestures are often appreciated by the Lebanese public, many remain skeptical of their own government’s ability to distribute the aid evenly and fairly. Joseph, a 40-year-old Lebanese from Jounieh who did not want his full name to be used, said he was doubtful that the ones in need would see a cent from any aid packages. “We have vultures, not politicians. We would not be in this predicament if we had decent leadership,” he told Arab News.
INNUMBERS
435+ People, mostly combatants, killed in south Lebanon since Oct. 8, 2023.
96,000+ People internally displaced in south Lebanon during the same period.
200+ Drones and rockets fired at Israel from Lebanon in first four days of July.
Another Lebanese citizen, who also did not want to reveal his full name, also likened the situation in the country to a tale of two cities.“The ones who are well off are always out and about in Beirut in areas like Gemayze and Mar Mikhael where most of the pubs are,” Samer told Arab News. “They have no notion of war, nor do they fear one, because they know they can leave. The others who have fallen on hard times are at home trying to figure out ways to make do at the end of every month. Everyone is talking about the US elections and what outcome it will have on our country.”
Joseph said that a growing number of his friends and family members have begun taking sedatives just to continue functioning. “The uncertainty has everyone in a chokehold. We had problems prior to the Gaza war and now we’re caught in the middle, not knowing what might become of us and our jobs. We have become hostages in our own country.” Since Lebanon has no adequate social safety net, mental health services range from unaffordable private care to support from local and international nongovernmental organizers that offer free or low-cost consultations. A study done last year by the mental health NGO Embrace showed that the suicide rates in Lebanon are among the highest in the last 10 years, having increased by 21 percent since 2022. Over 81 percent of suicide cases involved men, with young people aged 23 to 32 the most at risk. Lebanon’s economic collapse, the 2020 Beirut port blast, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded by war speculation and uncertainty, have taken a heavy toll on its citizens’ mental health. This week, a mental health strategy was launched in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Dr. Rabih Chammay, the head of the National Mental Health Programme in Lebanon, said that strengthening mental health during crises is a top priority. The National Mental Health Strategy 2024-2030 will aim to reform and ensure mental health services to those in need for a minimal cost.
Beirut-based Majed, 34, who works both in and outside Lebanon, does not see any signs of impending war except for high-risk areas like the south and Bekaa Valley. “I also think it depends on where you stay in Lebanon, but I would assume conversations in communities that live in and around Beirut might have a different case. “But we are seeing precautionary measures in case an all-out war takes place. I think everyone hopes that things will de-escalate but know there’s a good chance a war might happen. “Even if people don’t live in high-risk areas, this would impact them in so many ways: in terms of their ability to travel if the airport gets hit, availability of fresh produce for people to be able to eat, and we’ll definitely see an increase in crime, especially in the cities.”Citing his family’s preparation, Majed said: “My mother keeps talking about leaving Beirut and going to stay in the summer house in Chouf. She also is keeping it fully set up in case a war breaks out. She has bought an additional freezer and is now stocking it up. “Dual citizens will rely on evacuations, especially if they come from America or European countries. I guess in such a situation, optionality is a privilege.”To date, seven countries have called on their citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid traveling there, while five countries warned their citizens to be alert and avoid certain areas. In retaliation to the killing of its senior commander Nasser in Tyre, Hezbollah has so far launched 200 rockets and drones into northern Israel. As violent standoffs between the two powers continue to mount, civilians in southern Lebanon are war-weary but on guard. For Lebanese Ali Shdid, however, the current situation has become a reality of life that one ought to make peace with. “No one wishes for war. No one. But we will not be threatened into submission, nor will we cower,” he told Arab News. “If Israelis think we will cave due to their threats and bravado, they got it twisted. We will welcome war on all its fronts.”

Israeli drone strike along Lebanon-Syria border kills Syrian businessman close to the government
AP/July 16, 2024
BEIRUT: An Israeli drone strike on a car Monday near the Lebanon-Syria border killed a prominent Syrian businessman who was sanctioned by the United States and had close ties to the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to pro-government media and an official from an Iran-backed group. Mohammed Baraa Katerji was killed when a drone strike hit his car near the area of Saboura, a few kilometers or miles inside Syria after apparently crossing from Lebanon. Israel’s air force has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in recent years, mainly targeting members of Iran-backed groups and Syria’s military. But it has been rare to hit personalities from within the government. The strike also came as Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group have been exchanging fire on an almost daily basis since early October, after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. An official from an Iran-backed group said that Katerji was killed instantly while in his SUV on the highway linking Lebanon with Syria. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media. The pro-government Al-Watan daily quoted unnamed “sources” as saying that Katerji, 48, was killed in a “Zionist drone strike on his car.” It gave no further details.Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based opposition war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that Katerji was killed while in a car with Lebanese license plates, adding that he was apparently targeted because he used to fund the “Syrian resistance” against Israel in the Golan Heights, as well as his links to Iran-backed groups in Syria. Israel, which has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in its northern neighbor, has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges them.
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, sanctioned Katerji in 2018 as Assad’s middleman to trade oil with the Daesh group and for facilitating weapons shipments from Iraq to Syria. The US Treasury declined Associated Press requests for comment. The sanctions imposed on Katerji were authorized under an Obama-era executive order issued in 2011 that prohibits certain transactions with Syria. A search of the OFAC database indicates that the sanctions were still in effect against Katerji and his firm at the time of his death. OFAC said in 2018 that Katerji was responsible for import and export activities in Syria and assisted with transporting weapons and ammunition under the pretext of importing and exporting food items. These shipments were overseen by the US­ designated Syrian General Intelligence Directorate, according to OFAC. It added that the Syria-based Katerji Company is a trucking company that has also shipped weapons from Iraq to Syria. Additionally, in a 2016 trade deal between the government of Syria and IS, the Katerji Company was identified as the exclusive agent for providing supplies to IS-controlled areas, including oil and other commodities. Katerji and his brother, Hussam — widely referred to in Syria as the “Katerji brothers” — got involved in oil business a few years after the country’s conflict began in March 2011. Hussam Katerji is a former member of Syria’s parliament.

Three Civilians Killed in an Israeli Airstrike on Bint Jbeil
This Is Beirut /July 15, 2024
On Monday night, Israeli warplanes targeted a house in the southern town of Bint Jbeil in two waves, firing air-to-surface missiles. According to initial reports, three people from the Dagher family were killed in the raid on the house, which was located in the al-Awaini neighborhood to the west of the city.
Pro-regime Syrian businessman Mohamad Baraa Katerji was also killed in an Israeli air strike near the Lebanese-Syrian border on Monday night, according to Reuters. In the late afternoon, an Israeli raid targeted a car on the Lebanese-Syrian border. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, two people were killed in the strike, including a Hezbollah commander. UNIFIL spokesperson conveyed to Al-Sharq that the situation in south Lebanon remains worrisome. They emphasized that as time goes on, the potential for escalating miscalculations between Israel and Hezbollah increases. Its spokesperson Andrea Tenenti also noted that UNIFIL and the international community continue to seek a solution to the truce in South Lebanon. Earlier in the day, Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over Saida and Iqlim el-Kharroub on several occasions and over the Bekaa, Nabatiyeh, and Iqlim al-Tuffah.
The Israeli army carried out a raid on the outskirts of Birkat Mays al-Jabal. Israeli warplanes also launched two airstrikes on the border town of Marwahin in the western sector. For its part, Hezbollah announced that it had targeted two gatherings of soldiers, one near the Israeli barracks of Rweissat al-Alam in the Kfarchouba hills “with a Bourkan missile,” and a second in the vicinity of the Branit site. The pro-Iranian group also announced that it had targeted spy equipment at the Raheb site with guided missiles. On Sunday night, the Israeli army fired three flares at the Loubia hill on the Koulayat road. “We have a clear mission in the north, which is to keep Hezbollah away from the border fence,” Yediot Aharonot newspaper quoted Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari as saying.

Israel-Hezbollah border clashes: Latest developments
Naharnet/July 15, 2024
Hezbollah targeted Monday soldiers in the Biranit barracks in northern Israel and surveillance equipment in the al-Raheb post, while Israeli warplanes raided the southern border town of Mays al-Jabal and broke the sound barrier over Tyre, Sidon and al-Zahrani.Also on Monday, the Israeli army struck Marwahin and shelled the outskirts of Shebaa in south Lebanon.Hezbollah had carried out four attacks on Sunday on north Israel and the occupied Kfarshouba heights, including an attack with suicide drones on a command center in Ayelet. Hezbollah has traded almost daily fire with Israeli forces in support of ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel triggered war in the Gaza Strip.In Lebanon, the cross-border violence since October has killed more than 500 people, mostly fighters but also including more than 90 civilians, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, at least 29 people have been killed, the majority of them soldiers, according to the authorities. The violence, largely restricted to the border area, has raised fears of all-out conflict between the foes, which last went to war in the summer of 2006.

Opposition to meet Amal-Hezbollah MPs Friday
Naharnet/July 15, 2024
Opposition lawmakers will meet Friday with Amal and Hezbollah MPs, as they resume an initiative they had started last week, aiming to facilitate the election of a president. Local newspaper al-Joumhouria and Lebanese Forces MP George Okais said the meeting will take place Friday, after Shiite Muslims end the commemoration of Ashura. The expected meeting between the Shiite Duo and the opposition comes as a surprise after Speaker Nabih Berri and his camp dismissed the opposition's initiative and after LF leader Samir Geagea's repeated rejections of a dialogue with Hezbollah.
Both parties -- Amal-Hezbollah and the opposition -- accuse each other of refusing dialogue and of obstructing the presidential election. In a bid to break the impasse, opposition lawmakers started their initiative last week, announcing two suggestions to facilitate the election of a president. They met with lawmakers from the Democratic Gathering bloc, the National Moderation bloc, the Free Patriotic Movement's Strong Lebanon bloc and other change and independent MPs. Amal MP Qassem Hashem criticized the opposition's initiative, saying that "the shortest way to elect a president is Berri's initiative," and that "everything else is a waste of time," while MPs of the PSP, the FPM and the Moderation Bloc reportedly advised the opposition to communicate with Berri.

Macron: Security of our Lebanese friends must be guaranteed
Naharnet /July 15, 2024
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Paris, through its “allies and partners in the region,” will ensure that “no power, by itself or through its proxies, triggers a dreaded conflagration.”Noting that “Israel's security is not negotiable,” Macron added that “the security of our Lebanese friends must be guaranteed.”“Nearly 700 of our soldiers are engaged in UNIFIL with many partners. Their mission is essential and is carried out in conditions whose complexity I appreciate,” Macron went on to say. He added that France “will not accept that UNIFIL's action be hindered,” stressing that “Resolution 1701 must be fully implemented.”

Land Transport: Unions Are Active
This Is Beirut /July 15, 2024
Lebanon’s land transport federations and unions held a meeting on Monday chaired by Bassam Tlais and attended by Bechara al-Asmar, President of the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers (GCTL). They discussed various issues, including the Traffic Management Authority, Vehicle Registration Authority, social security, and infractions. They extensively addressed the Mechanics file, which has been stalled for over two years, urging the minister of interior to take action to “end this ordeal.” They called for the reinstatement of employees whose innocence has not been proven by the courts so that residents in administrative Beirut, southern Metn, and Shouf can complete their formalities. Concern was raised about the potential deprivation of nearly 300,000 young Lebanese men and women from obtaining driver’s licenses. Participants also called for a thorough study on the number of Lebanese trucks operating domestically and internationally, and the number of drivers holding the necessary licenses. They welcomed the decision by Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamiye, to reinstate public transport services in Beirut, with hopes for extension to all Lebanese regions. Furthermore, participants reiterated their call to halt and prevent traders from illegally importing “tuk-tuks.”Finally, it was decided that Bassam Tlais, head of the federations and unions, and Bechara al-Asmar, President of GCTL, would follow up on these issues with the prime minister and relevant ministers within a month.

Sami Gemayel Condemns Hezb for War’s Extensive Damage on Lebanon
This Is Beirut/July 15, 2024
Kataeb Party leader and MP Sami Gemayel condemned Hezbollah for the extensive damage inflicted on Lebanon due to its decision to open the southern front against Israel in support of Gaza. “The damage befallen Lebanon is enough to condemn Hezbollah for opening the southern front in support of Gaza without the consent of the Lebanese people or the Parliament,” wrote Gemayel on his X account on Monday. Gemayel further elaborated that while the current escalation is unlikely to lead to a full-scale war, both sides are taking significant risks. “The escalation will not lead to an open war, as the Israelis do not want to enter a major war in Lebanon and Hezbollah does not want a comprehensive war with Israel. But everyone is playing with fire today,” he noted. Gemayel highlighted the extensive toll of the war on Lebanon, including the hundreds of lives lost, the destruction of thousands of housing units, and the negative impact on the country’s economy and tourism.On another note, regarding Lebanon’s presidential situation, Gemayel stated that his party was “trying to fulfill its duties in this matter.”“We know that Hezbollah does not want a president because it does not want another interlocutor in light of this battle,” he concluded.

Saydet el-Jabal: Hezbollah Started Feeling Tired
This Is Beirut/July 15, 2024
The Saydet el-Jabal Gathering noted that Hezbollah started feeling fatigued, as evidenced by the increasing frequency of its attacks on citizens who criticize it, as seen in Tyre and other places. “Despite promoting its commitment to internal peace since its inception, Hezbollah’s actions betray this claim, as evidenced by recent incidents in Burj Hammoud and Hay Madi between Hezbollah supporters and residents, confirming that Hezbollah is experiencing genuine anxiety,” the gathering said after its weekly meeting. The statement criticized MP Hassan Fadlallah’s remark, “We die for Lebanon so you can enjoy peace,” and his invitation for expatriates to spend the summer in Lebanon, by saying that this remark shows “his detachment from reality in a country where no one cares about the basic needs of Lebanese citizens like water, electricity, and the internet.”The gathering suggested that “Fadlallah aimed to lay the groundwork for the formation’s narrative post-war, suggesting that those who make sacrifices should govern. This old-new rhetoric indicates that the likes of Hassan Fadlallah do not understand Lebanon.”The statement also highlighted the danger of attempting to divide the Lebanese into those who martyr themselves for Lebanon and those who “benefit” from the martyrdom of others. Such a dangerous mindset undermines Lebanon’s framework and will lead to internal conflicts, with Hezbollah being the biggest loser as a result. “The journey towards downfall and national taboos has begun, similar to what Lebanon experienced during the civil war with its internal conditions,” the statement said, adding, “Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for this downfall by uniting Lebanese from all fronts and adhering to the constants, namely the constitution and legitimate Arab and international resolutions.”The gathering pointed out that “this will create a Lebanese front capable of establishing a political, popular, and media balance with Hezbollah while also serving as an internal negotiator with international and regional decision-making centers for the future of Lebanon and the Lebanese.

Banking crisis continues: New tax rules for loan repayments
LBCI/July 15, 2024
In October 2019, as Lebanon faced a banking collapse, the total amount of loans issued by banks stood at $38 billion, sourced from depositors' funds.  According to the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), $32 billion of these loans have been repaid in Lebanese lira or via checks, known as "lollars," which do not reflect their original value. The Finance Ministry has stated that individuals and entities who repaid dollar-denominated loans in currencies other than fresh dollars are expected to pay taxes to prevent tax evasion. However, housing loans are exempt from this requirement. For instance, a company that borrowed $1 million before the crisis and repaid it during the crisis with checks worth 20% of their original value essentially settled the debt with the equivalent of $200,000. This means the company saved $800,000 and is now expected to pay taxes on this amount. ABL indicated that it currently lacks detailed statistics on the beneficiaries of these repayments and the total amount saved. They noted that the Finance Ministry will not receive the necessary information until the issuance of implementing decrees for the tax procedures law.

Germany arrests suspected Hezbollah member: Prosecutor
AFP/July 15, 2024
A suspected member of the Lebanese group Hezbollah has been arrested in Germany, accused of procuring components for drones believed to be used in attacks on Israel, German prosecutors said Monday. The man named as Fadel Z was arrested on Sunday, prosecutors said in a statement, adding that he was "strongly suspected of membership of a foreign terrorist organisation" and alleging that he "procured components, particularly engines, for the assembly of drones" for use against Israel.

Health alert: Lebanon monitors FLiRTLB1 variant as symptoms spread
LBCI/July 15, 2024
A surge of symptoms, including severe coughing, fatigue, sore throat, shortness of breath, headaches, and body aches, has been reported by many Lebanese recently.
While they resemble COVID-19 symptoms, the Health Ministry clarifies that not all cases are COVID-19 related. Various respiratory viruses could be causing these symptoms, according to health officials. The Ministry confirms that COVID-19 cases remain low, with hospitals across Lebanon occupying only 20 beds for COVID-19 patients. This coincides with the emergence of a new variant known as FLiRTLB1, first identified in the United States through wastewater surveillance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). FLiRTLB1 is a derivative of the Omicron variant and has also been detected in other countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom. This variant exhibits properties that make it more transmissible and potentially capable of evading acquired immunity from vaccines or prior COVID-19 infections. Approximately 17.5% of new COVID-19 cases in the United States are attributed to this variant. In response to the variant's detection in Lebanon, health authorities are ramping up laboratory testing capabilities. The Health Ministry, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), is acquiring additional testing tools to expand its surveillance and monitor a larger array of viruses.
As precautionary measures, adherence to preventive measures against respiratory viruses is crucial, such as maintaining proper cough etiquette, avoiding close contact if experiencing symptoms and practicing good hygiene. These measures aim to mitigate the impact of potential outbreaks during the summer season and gatherings.

Lebanon should not count on Netanyahu’s ‘good’ intentions
Ali Hamade/Arab News/July 15, 2024
Despite the bloody episode of the latest Israeli strike in Gaza aimed at eliminating Mohammed Deif, who is No. 2 in the chain of command in Hamas, there is still hope of a temporary truce between the Israeli army and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. This could begin with agreement on a first phase of prisoner and hostage exchanges between the two sides. But on the front with Lebanon, the question arises: what about US-French efforts to put an end to the war of attrition that Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian militia, is waging against Israel from Lebanese territory?
It is a question that remains unanswered, especially since the proposals that US presidential envoy Amos Hochstein has been carrying for some time and distributing between Paris, Tel Aviv and Beirut have hit a brick wall, as the pro-Iranian party absolutely refuses to consider any proposal before a definitive ceasefire in Gaza. As a result, the hopes of putting an end to this mini-war initiated by Hezbollah are fading. This is because what is being proposed in Gaza is a truce with no further obligations for Israel and with the absence of a definitive ceasefire, followed by a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
This means that the US proposals, which were based on a series of earlier French and American proposals aimed at convincing Hezbollah to halt the military escalation in southern Lebanon, will remain mere words for the time being.
In practice, the proposals revolve around a return to what looks like compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, modified in terms of the extent of the Hezbollah militants’ withdrawal and the evacuation of the area between the border with Israel and the Litani River. In exchange, Israel undertakes to respect the ceasefire and halt its violations of Lebanese airspace. Finally, the two parties will enter into negotiations aimed at settling all disputes between Lebanon and Israel relating to the demarcation of the temporary Blue Line that was established in 2000.
However, since the possibility of a truce in the Gaza Strip does not mean the end of the war, it does not meet Hezbollah’s conditions. Does this mean that Hezbollah will respond to the truce in Gaza with a truce in Lebanon? If not, how could the Israeli side manage a truce with Lebanon? Moreover, would it be realistic to attempt to build a long-term sense of stability on this basis?
Some observers believe that Israel could play the diplomatic card and blame Hezbollah for a possible open war, accusing it of igniting the front.  It is not certain that the mediators will succeed in imposing a truce in Gaza any time soon.
Let us not forget that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s recent statements, in which he separates the situation in Gaza from that in southern Lebanon, reflect a clear commitment to continuing the war against Hezbollah until one of the two following scenarios happens: One, the reality in southern Lebanon changes and Hezbollah is forced to return to Resolution 1701, withdrawing from the border. Or, two, Israel accepts the new reality of Hezbollah taking over southern Lebanon and thus putting an end to the implementation of Resolution 1701 by being deployed at zero distance from northern Israel.
In another scenario, the fighting stops at the end of the war in Gaza. The pro-Iranian party succeeds in burying Resolution 1701 and negotiating a new demarcation of the Blue Line under the weight of its bombardments. Unfortunately, this would mean the end of Resolution 1701, that the French and US idea of amending it had fallen through and that Iran had openly become a neighbor of Israel.
However, it is not certain that the mediators will succeed in imposing a truce in Gaza any time soon. It is very likely that, pending the US presidential election on Nov. 5 and following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu is maneuvering to gain time against a US administration at half-mast. Indeed, President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance and the growing calls within the Democratic camp for his withdrawal from the presidential race play in the favor of the Israeli prime minister’s plan to continue the war against Hamas for as long as it takes for its total annihilation.
July 24, the date of Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, during which he will deliver a speech to the US Congress, should also be remembered, as the Israeli PM will have no hesitation in embarking on a visit to the federal capital while it is overwhelmed by a major crisis with Biden and the progressive wing within the Democratic Party.
So, we do not think we can count on a truce in Gaza, still less on the intentions of Netanyahu and Gallant toward Hezbollah, which from the top of its tree stubbornly defies the principle of gravity.
• Ali Hamade is an editorial journalist at the Annahar newspaper in Lebanon.
X: @AliNahar

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 15-16/2024
Republican Party formally nominates Donald Trump for Presidency
AFP/July 15, 2024
The Republican Party on Monday formally confirmed Donald Trump as its nominee to take on President Joe Biden in November's election.The ex-president clinched a majority of the delegates at the party's national convention, after his son Eric, representing Florida, put him over the threshold, to cheers on the convention floor.

Trump’s VP pick JD Vance is first Bitcoin holder on a Presidential ticket
Niamh Rowe/Fortune/July 15, 2024
If Donald Trump wins the presidential election in November, America will have its first crypto Vice President. Trump announced on Monday afternoon that Bitcoin-owning Ohio Senator JD Vance will be his running mate “after lengthy deliberation and thought,” according to a post on his Truth Social network.
The senator, former venture capitalist and author of Hillbilly Elegy—a memoir of his white, working class upbringing in Ohio’s rust-belt—has personal stakes in the legitimizing of crypto. Vance owns between $100,000 and $250,000 in Bitcoin on the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, according to a financial disclosure by Vance last year. In addition, Vance owns a brokerage account with Robinhood, up to $250,000 in a gold ETF, up to $100,000 in a crude oil ETF and up to $250,000 in a checking account with brokerage Charles Schwab.
Vance has made no secret of being a crypto-friendly voice on Capitol Hill. Politico reported last month that Vance was circulating draft legislation that would revamp how the U.S. regulates digital assets. Vance’s plan would overhaul how the SEC and the CFTC police the crypto market, and make the current policy more industry-friendly. Last year, Vance also introduced a bill that would try to protect banks from succumbing to regulatory pressure to cut off services to crypto firms, Politico reported. To do this, Vance's bill would prohibit regulators from citing “reputational risk” when taking action against lenders. On top of this, in 2021, Vance issued a statement opposing the Portman-Warner-Sinema amendment that was proposed in the Infrastructure Bill, accusing it of ushering in “mass surveillance” of the crypto industry and a “backdoor ban” of Bitcoin. Crypto is “one of the few sectors of our economy where conservatives and free thinkers can operate without pressure from the social justice mob,” he added. Crypto has taken on an increasingly significant role in Trump’s campaign over recent months, and the candidate has been explicit in recent months about in his desire to emerge as the “crypto president.” For example, this week the organizers of Bitcoin 2024 announced that Trump will speak at the annual conference, a tribal gathering for fans of the original cryptocurrency, which will take place this month in Nashville. All of this is a major shift for Trump who in 2021 told Fox Business in 2021 that Bitcoin “just seems like a scam."Trump’s efforts to court crypto stems from increasing evidence that the crypto voter is a real demographic. A Harris Poll survey published in May found that one-fifth of voters in swing states “consider cryptocurrency policies as a topic important enough to sway their support.” In an election that has consistently been close, a few hundred thousand votes in swing states could make the difference. Moreover, crypto has money for the right candidates. Political action committees Fairshake and Stand With Crypto have together raised over $357 million to spend lobbying pro-crypto policy makers, in a desperate bid to oust the current SEC administration that has been unapologetically hostile towards crypto.

Who is JD Vance's wife? Here's what we know about Usha Chilukuri Vance
Bethany Bruner, USA TODAY NETWORK/July 15, 2024
Former President Donald Trump picked J.D. Vance, 39, to be the vice presidential nominee for the Republican Party. Should the Trump/Vance ticket win in November, Vance's wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, would become the Second Lady of the United States. Usha Vance has traditionally stayed out of the spotlight, working as a litigator at a national law firm. Usha Vance, right, appears with her husband, Sen. J.D. Vance, and their children during a August 2023 tour of the Dairy Products Building at the Ohio State Fair. Usha Vance, right, appears with her husband, Sen. J.D. Vance, and their children during a August 2023 tour of the Dairy Products Building at the Ohio State Fair.
Here's what we know about her.
How did J.D. Vance and his wife meet?
Vance and his wife, Usha, 38, have been married since 2014 and have three children: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel. The pair met at Yale Law School, which both attended. Their wedding took place a year after they graduated.
Where is Usha Vance from?
The New York Times has reported Usha Vance is the daughter of Indian immigrants and grew up in the San Francisco area.
What is Usha Vance's educational background?
Usha Vance has an undergraduate degree in history from Yale University, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also has a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Cambridge. While at Yale Law School, she worked on the Yale Law Journal and participated in the school's Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic, the Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic, the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project and the Pro Bono Network, according to her LinkedIn. Usha Vance worked as a law clerk for both the Supreme Court of the United States, working for Chief Justice John Roberts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, working for Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
What does Usha Vance do now?
The New York Times has reported Mrs. Vance works as a litigator for Munger, Tolles and Olson LLP, a national firm based in San Francisco. Shortly after Trump's announcement on Monday afternoon, she was not listed as one of the more than 200 attorneys employed by the firm.
Where does Usha Vance stand politically?
According to Ohio voter registration records, Usha Vance registered to vote in Ohio in 2018. Records show she pulled a Republican primary ballot in the 2022 election. She has not voted in Hamilton County since the 2022 General Election, including the 2024 Ohio presidential primary, according to the Hamilton County voter list. J.D. Vance voted in the 2024 Ohio presidential primary at an early voting center and pulled a Republican ballot, the Hamilton County voter list shows. (Ohio voters in primaries can choose to receive a Democratic, Republican or Issues Only ballot.) Usha Vance's previous voting history shows she voted as a Democrat at least once while living in Connecticut.

Secret Service agrees to independent probe over Trump shooting
AFP/July 16, 2024
WASHINGTON: Facing growing criticism over a massive security failure, the US Secret Service on Monday vowed to cooperate with an independent review after a shooter was allowed to open fire on Donald Trump. The 78-year-old former president was injured but survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, a brazen attack that shocked a nation already deeply polarized ahead of the November election. “The Secret Service is working with all involved federal, state and local agencies to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent an incident like this from ever taking place again,” the agency’s director Kimberly Cheatle said in a statement. “We understand the importance of the independent review announced by President (Joe) Biden yesterday and will participate fully,” Cheatle added. Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when multiple bangs rang out. He clutched his ear, with blood visible on his ear and cheek, then ducked to the floor as Secret Service agents swarmed onto the podium, surrounding him and rushing him to a nearby vehicle. The shooter and a bystander were killed, and two spectators injured. Newly surfaced video backs up reports from witnesses that they had called out to police and physically pointed at the shooter as he lay on the roof preparing to open fire, the Washington Post reported Monday. The shots targeting Trump rang out 86 seconds after the first audible attempts to warn the police, the Post said, citing an analysis it did of video clips from the scene of the attack.Biden ordered a full review of the security at the rally, as well as at this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Trump will be crowned the party’s presidential nominee. He also ordered Secret Service protection for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer and long-time vaccine skeptic who has no chance of winning in November, but whose candidacy could potentially sway close contests in key swing states. The Secret Service faces intense scrutiny over how a gunman aiming an assault rifle was able to take position on a roof some 500 feet (150 meters) from one of the most protected political figures on the planet. With Trump set to star at the convention, Cheatle said the agency was working to toughen security. The Secret Service designs plans for major events “to respond to a kinetic security environment and the most up-to-date intelligence,” her statement said. Earlier in the day, Trump had called for Secret Service protection for Kennedy “in light of what is going on in the world today.”“Given the history of the Kennedy Family, this is the obvious right thing to do!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social web site.
Kenedy’s uncle, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas in 1963. Five years later, the candidate’s father, Robert, was shot to death in Los Angeles while on the campaign trail. The US Secret Service is responsible for the safety of the president, vice president and former presidents, and their families, as well as major election candidates and visiting foreign heads of state.

Trump supporters see his narrow escape from death as God’s work
REUTERS/July 16, 2024
MILWAUKEE: Donald Trump’s narrow brush with a would-be assassin’s bullet has further convinced his evangelical supporters he is blessed by God, reinforcing the messianic undertones of his populist presidential campaign. Trump and his campaign have infused his candidacy with Christian imagery, prompting critics to accuse them of fostering a cult of personality with him as its leader, solely capable of saving an America he falsely portrays as crime-ridden and on the verge of collapse. In interviews with 18 delegates on Monday at the Republican Party’s national convention in Milwaukee, all but two believed God had a hand in Trump’s escape from assassination. Many said that divine intervention was God’s way of showing American voters that Trump, and not President Joe Biden, a Democrat, is the right man to occupy the White House after the election. “To me, it was God-given protection,” said Sharon D. Regan, a Trump delegate from Florida. “It was miraculous. It was sent by heaven and I pray that protection continues.” Trump himself cast his narrow escape as the work of God. On Sunday, the eve of his formal nomination as the Republican candidate, he wrote on his Truth Social platform that “it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”In both the 2016 and 2020 elections, evangelical voters staunchly supported Trump despite claims of adultery and sexual misconduct, which he denied. Critics in both political parties denounce him as immoral and set on dismantling democracy.
With Trump convicted in May for a hush money payment to a porn star and facing dozens of other criminal charges as he pursues a second term, some Christian media are portraying him as an instrument of God’s will being persecuted by internal foes.Ray Myers, a Texas delegate, said: “There’s some kind of mystical thing going on. After everything he’s been through, everything that’s been thrown at him, and now he’s even shed his own blood. And he’s still here. I don’t know how else you can explain it, but God is involved.”For voters who believe that Trump is anointed by God, Saturday’s attempted assassination is “another piece of the puzzle that fell into place,” said Paul Djupe, a political scientist at Denison University who specializes in religion and politics. Djupe said the shooting helped affirm for those voters that “Trump is battling forces of evil on the other side, and it affirmed his special role as the protector of Christians against the vast forces of evil including Democrats.” Trump and his followers frequently post images of Trump as a Christ-like figure on social media. T-shirts at his rallies also promote this idea, including one of Jesus laying his hands on Trump’s shoulders.Melanie Collette, a New Jersey delegate, said there was a strong belief at the convention that “God interceded” to save Trump. But she cautioned: “We certainly don’t want to deify Donald Trump. That’s a cautionary tale for Christians.”Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist who is an outspoken critic of Trump, said he does not believe the deification of Trump among his supporters helps Trump in a general election. “I think it frightens a lot of voters, that a lot of his supporters think he’s the messiah,” Madrid said.

US judge dismisses Trump classified documents case
AFP/July 16, 2024
MIAMI: A Florida judge appointed by Donald Trump on Monday dismissed one of the criminal cases against him, concerning charges that he mishandled top secret documents — a decision the prosecution is set to appeal. The dismissal was a stunning victory for Trump, effectively removing a major legal threat against the former president, who faces other criminal cases that he says should be thrown out as well. The court decision added to Trump’s seemingly unstoppable momentum on the first day of the Republican National Convention, where he became the party’s official nominee to run against President Joe Biden just days after surviving an assassination attempt. In her ruling, Judge Aileen Cannon said that Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought the charges, was unlawfully appointed and that the case should be therefore tossed. Smith was named in 2022 by Biden appointee Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the investigations into Trump’s handling of classified documents after he left office, as well as his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Peter Carr, the spokesman for Smith’s office, said the prosecutor had been authorized by the Justice Department to appeal Cannon’s decision.
“The dismissal of the case deviates from the uniform conclusion of all previous courts to have considered the issue that the attorney general is statutorily authorized to appoint a special counsel,” Carr said in a statement. The Trump-appointed judge made her ruling after lawyers for the 78-year-old argued for a partial stay of proceedings to allow for an assessment of a new Supreme Court ruling that a former president has broad immunity from prosecution for actions taken in his official role as president. In a 93-page opinion, Cannon said Smith’s appointment and funding usurped the role of Congress, echoing a recent opinion put forward by Clarence Thomas, one of the conservatives who dominate the Supreme Court. “The Court is convinced that... Smith’s prosecution of this action breaches two structural cornerstones of our constitutional scheme — the role of Congress in the appointment of constitutional officers, and the role of Congress in authorizing expenditures by law,” she concluded. “The clerk is directed to close this case,” the judge wrote.
Cannon did not make a ruling on the merits of the case, which critics have accused her of slow-walking. The judge’s decision followed Trump’s win earlier this month at the Supreme Court with the immunity decision. That decision has helped Trump in his quest to delay the trials he faces until after the November election. These include charges in Washington and Georgia related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Biden. But one of the cases dogging Trump on the campaign trail already resulted in a conviction: he was found guilty in New York in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, who alleged she had a sexual encounter with the real estate tycoon. “This dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. Reaction to the decision was split down the ideological divide. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson hailed the ruling as “good news for America and the rule of law” and called on the government to halt the “witch hunt,” especially in the wake of the weekend assassination attempt on Trump.
Eric Holder, who was attorney general under president Barack Obama, said tossing the case was “so bereft of legal reasoning as to be utterly absurd.”The decision was “all about delay,” and the “incompetent” Cannon should be removed, he added.
In the case, Trump was facing 31 counts of “willful retention of national defense information,” each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He also faced charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements. Trump allegedly kept classified documents — which included records from the Pentagon and CIA — unsecured at his Mar-a-Lago home and thwarted efforts to retrieve them. The material included secret nuclear and defense documents, according to prosecutors. Republicans contended the prosecution was unfair and selective, after a federal prosecutor in February opted not to pursue charges against Biden, who kept some classified material at his home after leaving the vice presidency in 2017. Biden cooperated in returning his documents.

Trump Media, gun stocks surge after assassination attempt
REUTERS/July 16, 2024
Crypto stocks, gun stocks and shares of other companies that could benefit from a Donald Trump presidency jumped on Monday after an assassination attempt on the Republican candidate boosted expectations he would win the November election. Trump’s survival after he was shot in the ear during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday increased his already considerable lead in betting odds over President Joe Biden. Those odds rose more later on Monday after Trump chose US Senator J.D. Vance to be his vice presidential running mate as the Republican Party officially nominated the former president to run again at the start of the party’s national convention in Milwaukee. On politics-wagering website PredictIt, contracts for a Trump election victory traded at 70 cents, up from 60 cents on Friday, with a potential payout of $1. Contracts for a Biden victory were at 26 cents. Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group, majority-owned by Trump, soared 31 percent, lifting its stock market value to $7.7 billion, despite revenue comparable to two US Starbucks shops. Trump Media is the parent company of social media platform Truth Social, and its shares have now surged 132 percent in 2024 as retail traders bet Trump will win a second term as president. Added: He previously served from 2017 to 2021. “It’s nearly four months to go (until the election) and things can change, but today the markets are betting on Trump being the victor,” said Ben Laidler, head of equity strategy at Bradesco BBI, adding that Trump Media “is the tip of the spear and the most sensitive to a Trump victory.” Shares of electric vehicle maker Tesla ended 1.8 percent higher after billionaire CEO Elon Musk publicly endorsed Trump following the shooting. Tesla gave back earlier gains of as much as 7 percent after the announcement of Vance as Trump’s running mate. Vance last year introduced legislation to eliminate EV tax subsidies and replace them with tax credits for US-made gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles. The bill would gut a core part of the White House clean vehicle strategy and has no realistic chance of winning approval in the current Democratic-controlled Senate. Crypto stocks soared on Monday, tracking a 10 percent rally in bitcoin to a two-week high. Trump has presented himself as a champion of cryptocurrency. Crypto exchange Coinbase Global and bitcoin miners Riot Platforms and Marathon Digital jumped between 11 percent and 18 percent. Long-dated US bond yields rose on expectations that Trump policies would drive up government debt and stoke inflation, while the benchmark S&P 500 rose 0.3 percent. “Most investors are not changing their overall commitment to US equities. After all, the broad stock market rose under the last Trump administration and has risen under the Biden administration as well,” said Rick Meckler, partner at Cherry Lane Investments. Gun makers and ammunition stocks Smith & Wesson Brands , Sturm Ruger & Company and Ammo jumped between 5 percent and 15 percent. Gun stocks in the past have surged following mass shootings, civil unrest and fears of gun control that have led to people to buy more firearms out of fear that their availability would become limited. Shares of private prison operators Geo Group and CoreCivic each jumped about 8 percent. Both are potential beneficiaries of a Trump presidency as he has promised to crack down on illegal immigration, which could boost demand for detention centers.
Video-sharing platform Rumble, popular with conservatives, soared 21 percent. Clean energy stocks slipped as Trump has said he would reverse many of the Biden administration’s signature climate policies, including tax incentives, if he wins the election. The Invesco Solar ETF fell 5.9 percent and the iShares Global Clean Energy ETF fell 3.9 percent. The iShares MSCI China ETF dropped about 2 percent. Investors believe a second Trump presidency could fuel trade tensions between Beijing and the United States. US voters view Trump as the better candidate for the economy, according to Reuters/Ipsos polls, even as Biden’s White House seeks to benefit from a solid economy with inflation slowing and low unemployment. “In the absence of any real policy proclamations from Trump, traders are finding themselves having to speculate,” said Mark Malek, chief investment officer of Siebert Financial Corp. “A second Trump presidency would mean expansionary economic stimulus in general, lower income taxes, less regulation, and increased tariffs.”

President Joe Biden says it was a 'mistake' to say he wanted to put a 'bull's-eye' on Donald Trump
Seung Min Kim, Aamer Madhani And Mary Clare Jalonick/WASHINGTON (AP)Mon, July 15, 2024
President Joe Biden told NBC News in an interview Monday that it was a “mistake” to say he wanted to put a “bull's-eye” on Republican nominee Donald Trump, but argued that the rhetoric from his opponent was more incendiary while warning that Trump remained a threat to democratic institutions.
Those remarks from Biden came during a private call with donors last week as the Democrat had been scrambling to shore up his imperiled candidacy with key party constituencies. During that conversation, Biden declared that he was “done” talking about his poor debate performance and that it was “time to put Trump in the bull's-eye,” saying Trump has gotten far too little scrutiny on his stances, rhetoric and lack of campaigning.The NBC interview came as Biden and his reelection team prepared to resume full-throttle campaigning after a brief pause following the weekend assassination attempt on Trump. The president and his campaign let loose a flurry of criticism after the GOP nominee announced freshman Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate.
“He’s a clone of Trump on the issues,” Biden told reporters as he headed to Nevada for a series of speeches and campaign events. “I don’t see any difference.”Once Vance was tapped as Trump’s vice-presidential pick, the Biden campaign hit send on a fundraising solicitation signed by the president, and his team issued a blistering statement, saying he picked the freshman senator because he would “bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda.” For her part, Vice President Kamala Harris phoned Vance to congratulate him and left him a voicemail message, according to a person familiar with the matter. And to NBC anchor Lester Holt, Biden made it clear that he would keep up his focus on Trump. While he acknowledged his “mistake,” Biden nonetheless said he is “not the guy who said I wanted to be a dictator on day one” and that he wanted the focus to be on what Trump was saying. It's Trump, not Biden, who engages in that kind of rhetoric, Biden said, referring to Trump’s past comments about a “bloodbath” if the Republican loses to Biden in November. “Look, how do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?" Biden said. "Do you just not say anything because it may incite somebody?”The NBC interview, scheduled before the attempt on Trump’s life at a rally in Pennsylvania, had been part of Biden’s broader strategy to prove his fitness for office after angst grew among Democrats because of his disastrous June 27 debate performance.
The Biden campaign recalibrated some of its political plans in the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt on Saturday, pulling advertising off the air and hitting pause on messaging. The White House also scrapped Biden’s planned Monday visit to the Lyndon B. Johnson library, where he had been slated to deliver remarks on civil rights.
Biden also spoke privately to Trump after the assassination attempt, a call that the president described in the NBC interview as “very cordial.”
“I told him how concerned I was and wanted to make sure I knew how he was actually doing,” Biden said. “He sounded good. He said he was fine and he thanked me for calling. I told him it was literally in the prayers of Jill and me, and I hoped his whole family was weathering this.”
It’s still not finalized when Biden’s campaign ads will resume airing. But Biden is pressing on with the Nevada portion of his previously scheduled western swing, which will include remarks to the NAACP and UnidosUS, a Latino civil rights and advocacy group. He’ll also headline what’s been billed as a “campaign community event” on Wednesday in Las Vegas. Biden has acknowledged that his candidacy and agenda will be under attack at the Republican National Convention this week, and aides had felt no need to halt their campaign completely, particularly while Biden comes under scrutiny in Milwaukee.
Asked whether Biden would adjust his messaging this week in light of the assassination attempt, O'Malley Dillon pointed to his Oval Office address as a “roadmap for the whole country,” which she said was no different than Biden's broader message from the start of his candidacy.
“You're going to hear the president continue to make his affirmative agenda clear,” she said. “Not just in abstract terms, but very specifically on how it continues to help the American people versus this very negative point of view and extreme agenda that the American people have already said that they don’t want.”Biden’s renewed campaigning this week comes as Democrats have been at an impasse over whether the incumbent president should continue in the race even as he was defiant that he would stay in. Biden has made it clear in no uncertain terms that he remains in the race, and aides have been operating as such. It was unclear if the attempt on Trump’s life would blunt Democratic efforts to urge Biden to step aside, but it appears to have stalled some of the momentum, for now. No Democrats have called for him to exit the race since the shooting Saturday night.
In the hours before the shooting, Biden was still being confronted by frustration and skepticism from Democratic lawmakers. Rep. Jared Huffman of California said he asked the president during his meeting with the Congressional Progressive Caucus about objectively assessing the trajectory of the race, and if the Lord almighty doesn’t intervene would Biden consider “the best earthly alternative”: meeting with former Presidents Obama and Clinton, Democratic leadership including Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi “to seek their advice.”
Huffman said on a social media post that Biden “disagreed with the notion that we are on a losing trajectory.” And while Biden expressed a “willingness to listen” to other voices, Huffman said he doubted any would be persuasive. “I continue to believe a major course correction is needed, and that the President and his team have yet to fully acknowledge the problem, much less correct it,” he said. But now, several Democrats who requested anonymity were skeptical that there would be enough drive among lawmakers to successfully try to pressure Biden not to run, especially because they are scattered and away from Washington until next week and because Biden has said he won’t step aside and seized the opportunity to quickly respond to the shooting over the weekend. The people requested anonymity to characterize private conversations.
Asked by Holt if he has weathered the worst of it from his own party, Biden responded that 14 million Democratic voters selected him through the primaries and added, “I listen to them.” His mental acuity is “pretty damn good,” Biden added, but he said the question of his age was “legitimate” to ask.
Many in the Democratic Party had been looking to congressional leaders Jeffries and Schumer to voice concerns directly to the president. Jeffries met with Biden at the White House on Thursday night, while Schumer went to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday for his visit with Biden, which occurred just before the assassination attempt on Trump. There were still deep concerns that Biden is not up to the job and a sense that pressure to try and find another candidate could ramp up again when lawmakers return to Washington. Congressional Democrats were watching the Republican National Convention and Biden’s appearances this week with awareness that the dynamics could change — again.

Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks haven't paused, Deif survived Israeli strike
Associated Press/July 15, 2024
Hamas said that Gaza cease-fire talks were ongoing and the group's military commander was in good health, a day after the Israeli military targeted Mohammed Deif with a massive airstrike that local health officials said killed at least 90 people, including children. Deif's condition was still unclear after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night "there still isn't absolute certainty" he was killed. Army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told journalists Israel attacked a compound where Deif "was hiding" but added: "It's still too early to summarize the results of the attack, which Hamas is trying to hide." Hamas representatives gave no evidence to back up their assertion about the health of a chief architect of the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war. His killing would mark the highest profile assassination of any Hamas leader by Israel since the war began.
Deif has long topped Israel's most-wanted list and has been in hiding for years.The Israeli military said Rafa Salama, a Hamas commander it described as one of Deif's closest associates, was killed in Saturday's strike. Salama commanded Hamas' Khan Younis brigade. Netanyahu said all of Hamas' leaders are "marked for death" and asserted that killing them would move Hamas closer to accepting a cease-fire deal. Hamas rejected Sunday the idea that mediated cease-fire discussions had been suspended. Spokesperson Jihad Taha said "there is no doubt that the horrific massacres will impact any efforts in the negotiations" but added that "efforts and endeavors of the mediators remain ongoing."Hamas political officials also insisted that communication channels remained functional between the leadership inside and outside Gaza after the strike in the territory's south. Witnesses said it occurred in an area that Israel had designated as safe for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians. Israel's military would not confirm that. On Sunday, some survivors were angry that the attack targeting Deif occurred without warning in an area they were told was safe.
"I heard the first hit, and my son came screaming, 'Daddy, daddy,' and took cover with me," said Mahmoud Abu Yaseen, who clutched his children but then woke up in the hospital to find his son had died. The family had already been displaced five times since the war began. "Where do we go?" he asked.
A United Nations official described utter chaos at Nasser hospital where victims were taken, many treated on bloodstained floors with few supplies available.
"I witnessed some of the most horrific scenes I have seen in my nine months in Gaza," Scott Anderson said in a statement. "I saw toddlers who are double amputees, children paralyzed and unable to receive treatment and others separated from their parents." He said restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza hamper efforts to provide needed medical and other care. On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant praised the pilots who carried out the strike and said Hamas is being eroded every day, with no ability to arm itself, organize or "care for the wounded."At least 300 people were wounded in the strike, one of the deadliest in the nine-month war sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 200 hostage. More than 38,400 people in Gaza have been killed in Israeli ground offensives and bombardments since then, according to the territory's Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. On Sunday, an Israeli strike in Nuseirat in central Gaza killed at least 14 people at the gate of a school used as a shelter for displaced people, according to an Associated Press journalist who visited two hospitals. Children were among the 15 others wounded. Israel's military in a statement said it struck "terrorists" operating in the area of a school run by the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. "They are targeting everything," said a displaced Palestinian, Um Fadi Al-Zeer. Also on Sunday, police said a Palestinian resident of east Jerusalem carried out a car-ramming attack in central Israel that injured four Israelis, two of them seriously. Israeli border police at the scene shot the attacker dead after he hit people waiting at two bus stops along a busy road. Israel's military said four of its personnel were wounded, two of them severely. Israeli police commissioner Kobi Shabtai said such attacks were often triggered by events like Saturday's airstrike in Gaza.

US-made munitions used in Israeli strike on Gaza school that killed 22, experts say
Abeer Salman, Kareem Khadder, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Allegra Goodwin and Eyad Kourdi, CNN/Mon/July 15, 2024
Weapons experts have identified the remnants of two US-made munitions used in an Israeli missile strike Sunday on a school in central Gaza that according to local authorities killed at least 22 people. Hundreds were taking refuge at the former school in Nuseirat when it was struck by two missiles. CNN video from the scene Sunday showed an ambulance at the school, as people frantically searched through the rubble and destroyed makeshift shelters in the schoolyard. A man interviewed by a CNN stringer at the scene said there had been no warning. “We are pulling a hand here and a leg there from under the rubble. Civilians who did nothing wrong.”The man echoed what many in Gaza have said in recent days amid instructions from the Israeli military for civilians to leave certain zones in central and southern Gaza, saying: “We are displaced and we will stay here. If he wants to hit more, let him hit. We are staying, even if he wants to destroy all of Gaza and build a new one and call it Netanyahu’s Gaza, we are staying.”Abdul Kareem Al Assas, a resident of Nuseirat, voiced his despair. “Where should we go? You tell us where to go and we will. This is genocide. Why are the Arab countries silent? Don’t give us food and water; we need safety… Are there resistance fighters here? There are only women, children, and elderly.” Tayseer Al Kilani, whose family was also taking refuge at the school, said: “We all ran away. Then my son came carrying my grandson, who was injured and taken to Al Aqsa hospital. Then another missile hit. Netanyahu is targeting UNRWA schools.” In its statement on the strike, the IDF said that the Israeli Air Force struck “a number of terrorists who were operating in the area of UNRWA’s Abu Oraiban School building in Nuseirat. This location served as a hideout and operational infrastructure from which attacks against IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip were directed and carried out.” CNN is unable to verify independently whether Hamas operatives were present at the site. Weapons researchers contacted by CNN were able to identify parts of the missiles used in the attack. Patrick Senft, a research coordinator at Armament Research Services (ARES), cautioned that “Many pieces are too damaged to allow for a positive ID.”But one image, he said, featured “distinctive screw housings, fin slots, and the internal mechanism of a GBU-39’s tail section.” The GBU-39 is a 250lb small-diameter guided air-to-surface munition made by Boeing. Trevor Ball, who was a senior explosive ordnance disposal team member in the US Army, agreed that the images likely showed part of the fin of a small-diameter bomb. Ball told CNN there were also fragments of a US-made Hellfire missile at the site, including the top of the guidance system. “It’s likely there was a different munition involved as well, as there is minimal damage on the rooftop from the later strike from what pictures I saw.”

Netanyahu to meet Biden in Washington two days before his speech to Congress
Jerusalem Post/July 15/2024
It will mark Netanyahu's first trip to Washington since he was sworn into office in December 2022, but his third meeting with the President since that time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet US President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday, two days before he is scheduled to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress. It will mark his first trip to Washington since he was sworn into office in December 2022, but his third meeting with the president since that time. Netanyahu spoke with Biden during a face-to-face meeting in New York in September 2023, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, and again when Biden visited Israel in October after the Hamas-led invasion of the country on October 7.
Trouble in paradise: US-Israeli relations suffer
The two men have been friends for over 40 years, but tensions have been high between them due initially to Biden’s opposition to Netanyahu’s judicial reform program and then to aspects of his handling of the Gaza war.
This includes US complaints regarding Israel’s handling of the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the absence of a clear plan for the “day after” Hamas control of the enclave, and the civilian casualty count for the war, which Hamas has reported to be over 38,000. Israel has said that at least 14,000 of those deaths are combatants. The two men also had a very public dispute over the pace of the flow of arms to Israel for its war in Gaza, with Netanyahu publicly criticizing the Biden administration. Biden, however, has also been one of Israel’s staunched international allies during the course of the war and has led efforts to secure a deal for the release of the 120 hostages. The US army, along with those of Israel, Jordan, the United Kingdom, and France took to the skies in April to protect the Jewish state against an Iranian drone and missile attack. National Security Adviser and National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will be in the White House this week to hold talks within the framework of the Strategic Dialogue Forum between the US and Israel.

Two vessels report being attacked off Yemen, UKMTO says
Reuters/July 15, 2024
Two vessels came under attack on Monday in the Red Sea off Yemen's port city of Hodeidah, with one ship reporting it had sustained some damage, Britain's maritime agency said. A vessel 97 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah was attacked by an uncrewed surface vessel that hit its port side causing some damage and light smoke, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said. The ship and its crew were reported safe and proceeding to next port of call, UKMTO added. Another merchant vessel, 70 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, reported three missiles had exploded nearby, after the ship earlier came under attack by three small craft, UKMTO and security firm Ambrey said separately. The vessel reported one missile exploding at 0800 GMT, then another two missiles around 45 minutes later, according to UKMTO. Earlier on Monday, an unmanned small craft collided with the vessel twice and two manned small craft fired at it, UKMTO said. Both the vessel and crew were also reported as safe and proceeding to hte next port of call, Ambrey said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. But since November, Houthi militants in Yemen have launched drone and missile strikes in shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The group says these actions are in solidarity with Palestinians affected by Israel's war in Gaza. The vessel conducted "self-protection measures", then after 15 minutes the small craft aborted the attack, UKMTO said.
In dozens of attacks since November, the Houthis have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least three sailors. The attacks have upended global trade by forcing ship owners to reroute vessels away from the Suez Canal, and drawn retaliatory U.S. and British strikes since February. At least 65 countries and major energy and shipping companies have been affected by Houthis attacks, according to a report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.

Armenia launches joint military drills with the US amid souring ties with old ally Russia
Avet Demourian/YEREVAN, Armenia (AP)/July 15, 2024
Armenia on Monday launched joint military drills with the United States, a move that reflects its leader's efforts to forge closer ties with the U.S. and other Western allies as the country's relations with old ally Russia sour. The “Eagle Partner” war games are aimed at increasing interoperability of units participating in international peacekeeping missions, according to Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan. They involve Armenian peacekeeping forces, servicemen of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa, and the Kansas National Guard. It wasn't immediately clear how many troops were taking part.
The exercises were scheduled to last through July 24. Russia has been Armenia’s main economic partner and ally since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Landlocked Armenia, which used to be part of the Soviet Union, hosts a Russian military base and is part of the Moscow-led security alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Armenia’s ties with Russia, however, have grown increasingly strained since Azerbaijan waged a lightning military campaign last year to take the Karabakh region, ending three decades of ethnic Armenian separatist rule there. Armenian authorities accused Russian peacekeepers who were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh after a previous round of hostilities in 2020 of failing to stop Azerbaijan’s onslaught. Moscow rejected the accusations, arguing that its troops didn’t have a mandate to intervene. Russia has engaged in a delicate balancing act, trying to preserve close relations with Armenia while also maintaining warm ties with Azerbaijan and its main ally Turkey, a key economic partner for Moscow amid Western sanctions. The Kremlin has been angered by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s efforts to deepen Armenia’s ties with the West and distance his country from Moscow-dominated alliances. Russia was particularly vexed by Armenia’s decision to join the International Criminal Court, which last year indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes connected to Russia's war in Ukraine. As the rift with Russia kept widening, Armenia froze its participation in the Russian-dominated security alliance, canceled its involvement in joint military drills and snubbed the bloc's summits. In September 2023, Armenia also held the “Eagle Partner” drills, eliciting dismay in Moscow, where officials called the move “unfriendly."

Syria holds parliamentary vote with no surprises expected
DAMASCUS, Syria/July 15, 2024
Syrians in government-held areas headed to the polls on Monday to elect a new parliament, a vote expected to yield few surprises and labelled a farce by political opposition groups. Voters were electing 250 lawmakers to parliament, which has little real power in Syria's presidential system, with two-thirds of seats reserved for members of President Bashar al-Assad's Baath party. More than 13 years after the onset of the Syrian civil war, Assad's government controls most of Syria after Iran and Russia helped him beat back rebel groups. The north-east remains held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, and Islamist and Turkish-backed rebels hold parts of the north-west, while more than 5 million Syrians are refugees abroad and unable to vote. The country's economy remains in dire straits with high inflation and little foreign investment amid western sanctions and a stalled U.N.-led process meant to find a political solution to the conflict. At a Damascus polling centre, government employee Bassem Badran said he hoped the new chamber would help improve the economic situation. "We are always hopeful that in each phase good will come to this country, that there will be tangible steps to have real improvements for the economic and living conditions of Syrian citizens." The Istanbul-based Syrian Negotiation Commission that represents a broad coalition of mainstream opposition groups echoed a widespread sentiment by Assad opponents that the elections were a sham. "Everything that the regime does in these theatrical parliamentary elections is a sham to reproduce itself as a totalitarian and authoritarian system," said Mohamad Muthhar Shorbaji, a member of the SNC, in a statement on social media. The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard. "Syria won't become a real state except by parliamentary and presidential elections that are within the framework of a political settlement according to U.N. resolution 2254," he said, referring to a resolution unanimously passed by the U.N. Security Council in 2015 calling for a ceasefire. In the Sweida region, a stronghold of Syria's minority Druze community where protests against Assad have kept up since last August, dozens of demonstrators held a protest calling for a boycott. "No to the puppets council," read a poster carried by a female activist. Protesters there took to the streets on several highways to prevent the arrival of ballot boxes, activists closed a polling station in one town and residents said most eligible voters heeded a call by local elders to boycott the vote. Get the latest news and expert analysis about the state of the global economy with Reuters Econ World. Sign up here.

Baath and allies virtually unopposed as Syrians vote in parliamentary election
The Arab Weekly/July 15/2024
The Baath party, in power since 1963, and its secular left-wing and Arab nationalist allies are running virtually unopposed, with independents the only alternative. Syrians in government-held areas were voting Monday in their fourth parliamentary election since civil war erupted in 2011, a poll expected to keep President Bashar al-Assad’s ruling Baath party in power. The Baath party, in power since 1963, and its secular left-wing and Arab nationalist allies are running virtually unopposed, with independents the only alternative. More than 1,500 people are standing for 250 seats in the largely rubber-stamp parliament, after some 7,400 candidates withdrew in recent days, according to Syria’s Supreme Judicial Elections Committee. “We have to take responsibility for electing good people and not repeating the mistakes of the past in voting for old names who can’t change anything,” said health ministry employee Bodoor Abu Ghazaleh, 49, among those voting at a polling station in Damascus. Under Syria’s quota system, 127 seats are reserved for candidates who are workers or farmers, while the remaining 123 are open to other professions. The Baath party is expected to secure most of the seats in the legislative ballot, which is held every four years. With help from key allies Iran and Russia, Damascus has regained control of much of the territory it lost early in Syria’s 13-year-old civil war, which began with the repression of anti-government protests. It spiralled into a complex conflict drawing in foreign armies and jihadists, and has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions. In government-held areas, Syrians aged 18 and over and holding an identity card are eligible to vote at some 8,150 polling stations. Syrians living in the Kurdish-controlled northeast, in areas held by Ankara-backed rebels along the northern border with Turkey, and in the jihadist-run Idlib bastion in the northwest are effectively disenfranchised. Candidates are still vying for seats in those regions, but only voters living in government-held areas can cast ballots at specially designated polling stations. In the capital, posters were on display for candidates for Idlib and for Raqa, a former bastion of Islamic State group jihadists now controlled by Kurdish-led authorities. Polling stations are set to remain open until 7:00 pm (1600 GMT). Millions of Syrians who have sought refuge abroad during the conflict also have no vote. Syria’s exiled opposition last week condemned the election as “absurd”, saying that polls organised by the government “only represent the ruling authority”, in the absence of a political settlement to the conflict. United Nations-backed attempts to reach a political settlement have repeatedly failed, and talks since 2019 on revising the country’s constitution have also stalled.

Gambian parliament rejects bid to overturn historic ban on female genital mutilation
Nimi Princewill, CNN/Muhamadou Bittaye/AFP/July 15, 2024
Gambia’s parliament has voted to uphold a landmark law that bans female genital mutilation (FGM) in the largely Muslim nation, after religious groups pushed for the legislation to be repealed. If Monday’s bid had been successful, the tiny West African country would have been the first in the world to relegalize FGM after criminalizing it. MP Amadou Camara, who chairs a joint health and gender committee that recommended that FGM should remain outlawed, told CNN that none of the clauses seeking the repeal of the ban in the Women’s (Amendment) Bill 2024 was passed.
Parliament Speaker Fabakary Jatta ruled that it was “impossible” for the bill, which passed a second reading four months ago, to be read a third time and to pass without those clauses. “I so rule that the bill is rejected, and the legislative process exhausted,” Jatta said at plenary meeting Monday. FGM was prohibited in Gambia in 2015 by former president Yahya Jammeh who authorized the imposition of fines and prison sentences of up to three years for individuals who engaged in it. The law also punished perpetrators with life sentences in cases where the practice led to death. Pro-Islamic groups and lawmakers pushed back against the criminalization, saying that female circumcision was “one of the virtues of Islam.” Other prominent Gambians, such as opposition leader and former interior minister Mai Ahmad Fatty also defended the practice, arguing that: “There is no FGM in Gambia. We circumcise, not mutilate.”Human rights organization Amnesty International earlier described efforts to revoke the FGM ban as a “backward move” for the protection of human rights in the country. In Gambia, 73% of women aged between 15 and 49 years had experienced FGM as of 2020, according to the United Nations.
More than 65% of those women were subjected to the practice “before the age of five years,” the UN said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Women’s Day in March that he was “outraged” by moves by Gambia’s parliament to legalize FGM, describing the practice as “horrific.” Despite the ban, FGM has still been performed on children in parts of the country. Last year, three women were convicted of performing the practice on eight female minors and ordered to pay fines of around 15,000 Gambian Dalasi ($220) each or face a one-year jail sentence. The penalties were reported to have been paid by an Islamic cleric. In 2016, two women also faced charges after a 5-month-old girl died from genital mutilation.

Is Saudi Arabia replacing the US with China in its security partner mix?
South China Morning Post/Mon, July 15, 2024
Beijing and Riyadh revealed little of the substance of Prince Khalid bin Salman's trip to the Chinese capital in June, when the Saudi defence minister met his opposite number, Dong Jun, as well as Central Military Commission vice-chairman Zhang Youxia.
Publicly, both sides said they were "open to cooperation" and discussed "coordination efforts to promote international peace and security".The visit fuelled speculation that Riyadh could be looking to Beijing to ease pressure from Washington on issues such as human rights and its stand on the Israel-Gaza war. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Defence specialists said the conflict and tensions in the broader Middle East would undoubtedly have been on the agenda - along with Saudi Arabia's rising arms purchases from China. But Saudi Arabia still saw the United States as its key security partner - even as it increases rapport with and arms purchases from China. China is believed to have a minor but growing influence in the region, brokering the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran last year. The United States has urged China to use its leverage over Iran to rein in Tehran-backed Houthi militants attacking shipping in the Red Sea. These attacks are a spillover of the Israel-Gaza war, a conflict that Timothy Heath, a senior international defence researcher at the US-based think tank Rand Corporation, said would have been discussed in the Beijing meetings. "China is likely to [have talked] about the Gaza war and also [hoped to] reassure Saudi Arabia that China is not backing Iran over its Sunni competitors. Instead, China will try to depict itself as neutral and hoping to encourage peace," he said. Jesse Marks, a non-resident fellow with the Stimson Centre's China programme and a former US defence adviser, said Riyadh had low expectations of China's role in the conflict.
"China will engage rhetorically but neither the US nor Saudi Arabia see China as a reliable mediator in the current conflicts in Gaza or the Red Sea," Marks said. "Beijing did not undertake any meaningful actions to encourage a ceasefire in Gaza. When approached by the US and its coalition to help address the Houthi crisis, China chose to not engage and instead used the period of instability to escalate rhetoric against the US and erode its image in the region - an action which was broadly observed by the US officials and others in the region."
Heath said: "China is building on its robust economic relationship with Saudi Arabia by expanding arms sales, so that is likely to be part of the conversation as well ... They are meeting now in part to follow up on major arms sales and defence cooperation."
Washington remains Riyadh's largest arms supplier but Saudi Arabia has increased its imports of Chinese weapons in recent years, largely in response to three-year ban on US sales to the kingdom from 2021 over its human rights record.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia signed US$4 billion worth of arms agreements with China, including deals for armed drones, ballistic missiles, and anti-drone laser-based systems, according to a report by Bloomberg. It also had FC-31 fighter jets - China's competitor to the US' F-35 - on show at a Riyadh defence expo earlier this year and its Wing Loong-2 drones have reportedly been used by Saudi Arabia to fight in Yemen.
"I expect China will continue to offer arms to Saudi Arabia at an attractive price and quality. Drones in particular are a Chinese strength and very popular in the region," Heath said. Song Zhongping, a former People's Liberation Army (PLA) instructor, said the high-level meetings in Beijing continued a "long-standing" military cooperation between the two countries. "China's military ties with Saudi Arabia have a long history of promoting cooperation, and boosting the diplomatic strategy of Saudi Arabia and other countries to diversify their development," he said. That relationship was reflected in October in a joint naval counter-terrorism exercise involving more than 100 service personnel. But the United States is still Saudi Arabia's biggest arms supplier, accounting for nearly 80 per cent of the kingdom's arms imports between 2019 to 2023, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
"Beijing and Riyadh maintain some levels of limited defence cooperation, but it is largely dwarfed by Saudi Arabia's preference for US defence partnerships," Marks from the Stimson Centre said. "Sure, we will see a continuation of joint military exercises, military education exchanges, and defence sales, but they will exist as an addition too, not a replacement of US-Saudi defence ties." Those ties have stalled somewhat in the past year. Riyadh and Washington were expected to seal a defence treaty last year to help pave the way for normalisation of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel. But the October 7 attack on Israel and the war in Gaza put that on hold. Nevertheless, Heath said, Beijing could not offer Riyadh as much as Washington. "We should not oversell Saudi's change. They still value the United States as the preferred security partner, and China simply offers too little beyond arms sales to challenge the US position," he said. But Song said that as Saudi Arabia sought diversification and independence in its diplomacy, the kingdom would continue to build ties with China. "Saudi Arabia needs to act with balance, its independent foreign policy will not entirely depend on the United States. China's support is inevitable especially if Saudi Arabia wants to diversify its economy," he said. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 15-16/2024
FBI Finds Few Red Flags on a Would-Be Assassin
Campbell Robertson/The New York Times/Mon, July 15, 2024
He was interested in chess and coding, and had recently received an associate’s degree in engineering science. High school classmates remembered him as an intelligent student who had few friends, but who never exhibited any glaring red flags. The nursing home where he had a job helping with meals said his work gave its staff no reason for “concern.”And in an era when other people his age put troves of personal information online, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, left few clues about who he was, what he believed, or why he decided to drive to a Trump rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday and try to assassinate the former president. On Sunday, federal investigators said a shooter they identified as Crooks had used an AR-15 style rifle purchased by his father to open fire from a rooftop outside the rally where the former president, Donald Trump, was speaking. In a series of new details, FBI officials said they were investigating the incident as a possible case of domestic terrorism, and that the gunman had left behind explosive materials in the vehicle he drove to the event. But many other details of Crooks’ life and motives of were still unclear. Federal authorities said he had no apparent history of mental health issues or previous threats, and had not been on the radar of federal law enforcement. Investigators were scouring his online presence and working to gain access to his phone, but so far had not found indications of strongly held political beliefs. In fact, the clues he left behind were confusing: He was a registered Republican but had also donated to a progressive cause in 2021; his parents were registered as a Democrat and Libertarian.
Crooks was shot and killed by Secret Service agents moments after he began firing, killing a spectator, seriously wounding two others and leaving Trump with an injury to his ear. Kevin P. Rojek, the FBI official in Pittsburgh who is leading the investigation, said Crooks is believed to have acted alone and that there were no additional public safety concerns. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the shooting was “an attack on our democracy” and that federal authorities would use every available resource to investigate the shooter. Crooks grew up in the relatively affluent suburb of Bethel Park in the South Hills region of Pittsburgh, about an hour’s drive from the site of the rally. His parents are both licensed counselors, according to Pennsylvania records. His father worked at a local behavioral health provider, according to his LinkedIn profile. The neighborhood where the family lives is “pretty firmly middle class, maybe upper-middle class,” Dan Grzybek, who represents the area on the county council, said in an interview Sunday. Grzybek briefly met the gunman’s parents last year when he was canvassing for his run. He did not recall the exact conversation, but he remembered they seemed pleasant and were open to hear his platform.
He said it was not unusual to have families in which different members had different political beliefs.“You’ve got a large spattering of different backgrounds and ideals, and definitely have a lot of mixed households in Bethel Park,” he said.
Just two months ago, Crooks graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County with an associate degree in engineering science, a school official said. Crooks had been working as a dietary aide at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Marcie Grimm, the facility’s administrator, said the organization was shocked to learn of his involvement in the shooting, saying that he had “performed his job without concern and his background check was clean.” She declined to discuss further specifics of his employment, saying that center officials were cooperating with law enforcement investigators.
According to a federal law enforcement official, dozens of FBI agents, analysts, evidence technicians from multiple divisions have gathered to work the case. The FBI was trying to break into the gunman’s cellphone with court approval to learn more about his plans and motive. President Joe Biden said Sunday that officials had not identified a motive. The FBI has not found a manifesto, and Crooks had never been under FBI investigation. The official confirmed that he did not have an unusual online history for a 20-year-old man. He liked to play chess, video games and was learning how to code, according to a review of his online activities. He did not appear to have a public profile on major social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram. The messaging platform Discord said it had found an account apparently linked to the gunman, but the company said that “it was rarely utilized and we have found no evidence that it was used to plan this incident or discuss his political views.”
Two former classmates who attended Bethel Park High School with the gunman said they had not noticed any obvious warning signs. One of the classmates, Zach Bradford, said he had taken American history and government classes with him, that Crooks appeared to be “incredibly intelligent” and that his views in high school seemed “slightly right leaning.” Bradford said he remembered a couple of instances in which classmates gave Crooks a hard time, but he was shocked when he heard that Crooks had been identified as the shooter. “I honestly would’ve never expected this,” he said. The Bethel Park School District confirmed that Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022 and said it was cooperating with law enforcement, but it did not provide any additional details about the gunman’s time as a student. He was one of 20 students awarded a $500 prize for math and science that year, according to local news reports, and in April 2022 appeared in a video on the school’s Facebook page, perched over a laptop as he explained coding to another student. An AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle was found next to Crooks’ body. Investigators said Sunday that while the weapon had been purchased by the gunman’s father, they did not know how the gunman took possession of it or whether he had used it without his father’s knowledge. Rojek of the FBI said the gunman’s family was cooperating with the investigation. Law enforcement officials found materials for two explosive devices in Crooks’ car and believe they have may have found a third at his residence, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation.
On Sunday, a clue emerged as to how Crooks may have trained in the use of firearms. The Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, a wooded facility south of Pittsburgh, that features a 200-yard-rifle range, confirmed that Crooks had been a member. “The Club is unable to make any additional commentary in relation to this matter in light of pending law enforcement investigations,” the club said in a statement released by its legal counsel, Robert Bootay, expressing sympathy for the family of Corey Comperatore, a spectator who was killed. “Obviously, the Club fully admonishes the senseless act of violence that occurred yesterday. The Club also offers its sincerest condolences to the Comperatore family and extends prayers to all of those injured including the former President.”
Former FBI officials said the bureau’s behavioral analysis unit would try to build out a profile of the gunman to understand his motivations. The FBI, which is running the investigation, will cast a wide net, interviewing friends and family members and searching for clues he might have left online or in a journal.
The gunman did not have a criminal history reflected in Pennsylvania’s public court records. A voter registration record listed Crooks as a registered Republican, though federal campaign finance records show he donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, a liberal voter turnout group, through the Democratic donation platform ActBlue in January 2021. Law enforcement officers closed down all roads leading toward the home of the suspect’s family in Bethel Park. Numerous relatives did not respond to messages seeking comment. Grzybek, who lives about a half-mile down the same street as the gunman’s family, said the area was in shock. “Most people just can’t believe that this has happened in our neighborhood,” he said. “I typically walk my dogs every morning, and the number of people that I’ve seen walking through our street, just driving down and just stopping to take video and pictures, I think is pretty remarkable.”
c.2024 The New York Times Company

Hamas's 'Popularity': Attempt To Deceive The American Public?
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/July 15, 2024
"If you notice, there is a growing dissatisfaction in the West Bank, from the Palestinians, about Hamas," Biden said during a press conference. "Hamas is not popular now."
It seems that Biden does not want the American people to be aware that most Palestinians in the West Bank are enthusiastic supporters of Hamas, as that would discourage them from endorsing his idea of creating a Palestinian state there.
The broad support Hamas enjoys among the Palestinians, including those who live in the West Bank, means that a Palestinian state would be ruled by the same terrorists who masterminded and carried out the October 7 atrocities against Israelis.
Biden appears to be convinced that hiding the fact that most Palestinian people support Hamas from the American people will make it easier for him to promote the insane idea of pressuring Israel to accept a state that is controlled by Hamas and other Iran proxies, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah.
Hamas is not only deeply committed to refusing Israel's right to exist, it has also openly announced that it will use a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem as a springboard to eliminate Israel and murder as many Jews as possible.
Biden's claim that Hamas is "not popular" among the Palestinians in the West Bank actually contradicts analysis by US intelligence agencies showing that Hamas's popularity has significantly grown after the terrorist group's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023...
The latest poll, released on July 10, 2024, showed that since the October 7 attack, satisfaction among the Palestinians in the West Bank with the "performance" of Hamas murderers and rapists has risen to 82%.
When asked who the public would prefer to control the Gaza Strip after the current war, 71% of Palestinians in the West Bank chose Hamas, compared to 46% in the Gaza Strip.
The reason Hamas has such high popularity among Palestinians is because it seeks to destroy Israel though jihad (holy war).
With respect, President Biden, it was after its members murdered, sexually assaulted, tortured, and abducted hundreds of Israelis on October 7, that Hamas became even more popular among the Palestinians.
It is time for Biden and his administration to come clean with the American people about the Palestinians: the majority of them favor destroying Israel and murdering Jews.
It seems that President Joe Biden does not want the American people to be aware that most Palestinians in the West Bank are enthusiastic supporters of Hamas, as that would discourage Americans from endorsing his idea of creating a Palestinian state there. Pictured: Palestinians rally in support of Hamas on December 15, 2023 in Nablus. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Where does US President Joe Biden obtain his knowledge on Palestinians is a question that has to be asked, especially in light of his recent statement regarding the popularity of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas.
"If you notice, there is a growing dissatisfaction in the West Bank, from the Palestinians, about Hamas," Biden said during a press conference. "Hamas is not popular now."
Biden, whose approval ratings are plummeting, can only be jealous of Hamas's increasing popularity among the Palestinians.
Biden's bizarre statement, which goes against every public opinion survey released in the past few months, shows that either he is knowingly trying to deceive the American public about the genuine feelings of the Palestinians, or he is merely clueless. The first possibility appears to be more likely.
It seems that Biden does not want the American people to be aware that most Palestinians in the West Bank are enthusiastic supporters of Hamas, as that would discourage them from endorsing his idea of creating a Palestinian state there.
The broad support Hamas enjoys among the Palestinians, including those who live in the West Bank, means that a Palestinian state would be ruled by the same terrorists who masterminded and carried out the October 7 atrocities against Israelis.
Biden appears to be convinced that hiding the fact that most Palestinian people support Hamas from the American people will make it easier for him to promote the insane idea of pressuring Israel to accept a state that is controlled by Hamas and other Iran proxies, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah.
Hamas is not only deeply committed to refusing Israel's right to exist, it has also openly announced that it will use a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem as a springboard to eliminate Israel and murder as many Jews as possible. Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad has threatened that his group will carry out more October 7-style attacks on Israel:
"The Al-Aqsa Flood [the name Hamas gave to the October 7 attack] is just the first time, and there will be a second, third, and fourth.... Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We must remove that country because it constitutes a security, military, and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation, and must be finished. We are not ashamed to say this, with full force."
Biden's claim that Hamas is "not popular" among the Palestinians in the West Bank actually contradicts analysis by US intelligence agencies showing that Hamas's popularity has significantly grown after the terrorist group's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the murder of 1,200 Israelis and the wounding of thousands of others. In addition, hundreds of Israelis were raped, tortured, burned alive and kidnapped to the Gaza Strip by the Hamas terrorists and thousands of "ordinary" Palestinians who rushed into Israel to participate in the atrocities.
Now, especially in the West Bank, Hamas is increasingly "viewed as the one group actually doing something about Israeli occupation," said Jonathan Panikoff, a former US intelligence official specializing in the Middle East.
In December 2023, CNN reported:
"A flurry of new analysis by US intelligence agencies has warned that Hamas' credibility and influence has grown dramatically in the two months since the October 7 terror attack...
"Before October 7, a senior [Biden] administration official said, 'Hamas [was] not a wildly popular organization. Today it's more popular.'"
A poll conducted by the Arab World for Research & Development (AWRAD) between October 31 and November 7, 2023 found that strong support for the Hamas-led attack on Israel was much higher among Palestinians in the West Bank at 68%, compared to the Gaza Strip at 47%.
Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) has also conducted a number of polls indicating strong support for Hamas among the Palestinians, particularly those residing in the West Bank.
The latest poll, released on July 10, 2024, showed that since the October 7 attack, satisfaction among the Palestinians in the West Bank with the "performance" of Hamas murderers and rapists has risen to 82%.
Hamas arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar, one of the masterminds of the October 7 massacres, enjoys the support of 76% of the Palestinians in the West Bank compared to 50% in the Gaza Strip, where he lives, according to the PSR poll.
When asked who the public would prefer to control the Gaza Strip after the current war, 71% of Palestinians in the West Bank chose Hamas, compared to 46% in the Gaza Strip.
In March 2024, PSR published the findings of another poll that showed that a majority of Palestinians in the West Bank (64%) support Hamas and would like to see the terrorist group continue ruling the Gaza Strip after the war. The poll also found that 75% of Palestinians in the West Bank are satisfied with the performance of Hamas.
Biden needs to be reminded that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has long refused to hold general elections for the wholly justified fear that Hamas would win in a landslide. In 2021, Abbas called off planned elections for the presidency and parliament after reaching the conclusion that his fractured and corruption-riddled Fatah faction would be defeated by Hamas.
The Biden administration also needs to be reminded of the countless demonstrations that have taken place in the West Bank over the past few years in support of Hamas and its leaders. Two days after the October 7 massacres, hundreds of Palestinians in Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinians in the West Bank, took to the streets to chant slogans in support of another Hamas arch-terrorist, Mohammed Deif.
Further evidence that Hamas has always been popular among the Palestinians in the West Bank: the terrorist group's victory in elections for student councils at major universities there. In 2022, Hamas-affiliated students won the vote at Birzeit University. A year later, Hamas supporters won a majority of votes in the elections at An-Najah University, the largest academic institution in the West Bank.
Every Palestinian child knows that Hamas would easily win if elections were held today for the Palestinian presidency and parliament. The reason Hamas has such high popularity among Palestinians is because it seeks to destroy Israel though jihad (holy war).
Hamas enjoys immense popularity among the Palestinians because it has been waging terrorist attacks against Israel and Jews since its founding more than 35 years ago.
With respect, President Biden, it was after its members murdered, sexually assaulted, tortured, and abducted hundreds of Israelis on October 7, that Hamas became even more popular among the Palestinians.
It is time for Biden and his administration to come clean with the American people about the Palestinians: the majority of them favor destroying Israel and murdering Jews.
It is unfortunately Biden's insistence on falsehoods – that the Afghanistan withdrawal was an "extraordinary success"; that he inherited an inflation rate of 9% when in fact it was 1.4%; that the China spy balloon was "not a major security breach"; that his son Beau "died in Iraq" when in fact he died of brain cancer "surrounded by his extended family"; that his uncle was "eaten by cannibals"; and now, that Hamas is "not popular" -- that so often causes him to come across as disconnected from reality.
**Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. The work of Bassam Tawil is made possible through the generous donation of a couple of donors who wished to remain anonymous. Gatestone is most grateful.
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

How Israel can confront the evil of Iran head-on - The fact is that Iran remains an existential threat to Israel.
Avu Abelow/Jerusalem Post/July 15/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/07/131985/
Citing White House aides, The New York Times reported last week that President Joe Biden said he would have “abandoned Israel” had Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a large-scale attack in response to Iran’s attack on Israel.
Although Israel has not yet retaliated, the aggressive direct attack on April 13 – 170 drones, 30-plus cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles – was a first, following decades of Iran’s attempts to destroy Israel’s safety and security via proxies.
The decision to attack cannot be minimized or attributed to Iran’s lack of success. If not for the miraculous synchronization of Israel’s various anti-missile defense systems, the attack could have crippled Israel. The fact that it did not has experts baffled. Unfortunately, Netanyahu buckled under Biden’s threat and did not launch an appropriate counterattack, a natural and expected response from any other country. What’s more, it is common knowledge that Iran will continue to try and attack Israel; they have said as much outright.
The fact is that Iran remains an existential threat to Israel. RATHER THAN continue the dance of capitulation and appeasement keeping Israel in an ongoing loop that threatens its very existence, Israel’s leaders should learn from history and adopt a new, healthier approach, one that is based on the following three key historic diplomatic challenges with the United States.
Israel's three diplomatic challenges throughout history
• The 1948 War of Independence: Before David Ben-Gurion announced the establishment of the State of Israel, he sent Sharett to secure US approval from President Harry Truman. Truman’s administration warned Sharett that America did not support Israel’s establishment and would not support Israel if and when Arab armies would attack.
Ben-Gurion did not buckle under Truman’s threat, and the US did not help Israel as Arab armies attacked the fledgling Jewish state. Israel was victorious nonetheless, resulting in today’s modern State of Israel.
• The 1973 Yom Kippur War: With an impending attack against Israel by its Arab neighbors, the Nixon administration insisted that Israel “desist from a full-scale mobilization” of its reserve forces and not conduct a preemptive attack. Golda Meir, then prime minister, capitulated to US demands, which resulted in Israel paying a huge price: More than 2,000 Israeli soldiers were killed, Israel was demoralized, and Israel was threatened with near-total destruction.
• The 1981 Osirak bombing: When then-president Ronald Reagan warned then-prime minister Menachem Begin not to bomb the Iraqi nuclear reactor, Begin nevertheless decided that doing so was the only course for Israel’s continued existence.
In response, the Reagan administration sanctioned Israel with several measures, including suspending the delivery of F-16 fighter jets. Yet, at a press conference on June 7, 1981, Reagan stated that while the United States had expressed concern about the attack initially, subsequent evidence showed that Iraq was indeed working toward developing a nuclear weapon, justifying Israel’s preemptive strike.
This public statement signaled a shift in the US position toward understanding Israel’s motivations and actions in the context of regional security concerns. But Israel paid a steep price for doing what it had to do to end the Iraqi nuclear reactor threat.
AMERICA MAKES a lot of noise publicly to condition its support for Israel and has done so since the establishment of the state. Yet, when Israel’s leaders move ahead with policies more aggressive than what America can publicly endorse, those decisions have both ensured our survival and proven that the US-Israel relationship can withstand it.
Knowing this, Israel’s leaders must take American pressure today in context. The US is a strong ally, and its opinion matters – to a point. But Israel must do what it takes – regardless of optics or US diplomatic rhetoric – with the confidence of a sovereign nation whose survival is more important than winning a popularity contest. This requires bravery and ideals. There is data to support that this is the only way, at least until the current Middle East landscape changes.
Once again, Israel finds itself fighting on multiple fronts, with the threat reaching the level of existential crisis. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and other Iranian proxies in Syria, Iraq, and throughout the Middle East make up the tentacles of the dangerous Iranian octopus. The only way to end the Iranian threat to Israel – and to the entire freedom-loving world – is by taking out the head of the octopus, Iran.
And once again, Israel finds itself threatened with dire consequences by our closest ally, should it attempt to sever that head rather than enter into futile negotiations. This metaphorical truth is echoed throughout history, from battles against tyrants to the struggles against terror organizations.
More recently, we unfortunately witnessed the consequence of hesitation and indecision in dealing with rogue states and terror groups. The reluctance to confront evil head-on only emboldens the aggressors. The only effective strategy is to remove the source of evil decisively and swiftly.
Those who oppose decisive action and hinder the eradication of evil regimes only reveal their moral bankruptcy and, worse, expose themselves as complicit. In today’s tumultuous world, the path to justice and security is too often obscured by the fog of appeasement and negotiation pushed by progressive governments like the Biden administration.
The imperative to confront evil without compromise is not merely a matter of policy but a moral obligation. The path to justice and peace lies in the courage to confront and eliminate evil at its root. The public demand for negotiation and appeasement by the current US president and his administration reveals their moral bankruptcy and ignorance of history.
Netanyahu must follow Ben-Gurion and Begin’s path in doing whatever is necessary to protect the country, despite threats from the American administration. He mustn’t make choices like Meir’s, which could lead to countless Israeli deaths. The October 7 death toll is already way too high, with no sign of abating.
Netanyahu may still surprise us. Our lives, and the lives of those across the freedom-loving world – including the persecuted Iranian people – depend on it. Regardless of the Biden administration’s reaction, humanity will be grateful should Israel eliminate the evil and radical Islamic Iranian regime.
*The writer hosts the Pulse of Israel daily video/podcast and is the CEO of 12Tribe Films Foundation.

Crown Prince Pahlavi: 'Democratic secular Iran' possible with UK intervention'
Mathilda Heller/Jerusalem Post/July 15/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/07/131981
"Decades of appeasement and containment of the Iranian regime has just emboldened them and harmed British interests."
The Iranian Islamic regime is "rattled, weak and desperate," said Reza Pahlavi, exiled Crown Prince and last Shah of Iran, in an op-ed in the British publication The Telegraph over the weekend in which he discussed the role of Britain in bringing about the end of the regime, the imperativeness of listing the IRGC as a terrorist organization, and the best way to support the Iranian people.
Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has been touted as a reformist since his appointment as the successor to Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. Pahlavi, however, wrote that Pezeshkian is neither a "reformist nor moderate"; rather, his record shows him to be "unwaveringly loyal to the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Republic’s hard-line policies."
The Crown Prince said that the new president was labeled a "reformer" in a "fig leaf" attempt to rejuvenate Iran's image. He cautioned the West against falling for this, which he called "a political maneuver" on the part of Iran.
While the Iranian people want "democracy and freedom," said Pahlavi, the regime itself remains radical. This radicalism has been exported over the last four decades, evident in the extensive network of Iranian proxies across the region.
The regime, he continued, must be held accountable for their crimes, something which people across the world have gradually come to recognize over the last few years.
Regarding the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) being listed in Canada as a terrorist organization, Pahlavi encouraged the UK to follow suit, stating that the evidence against the guards was "unequivocal."
The IRGC "promotes terrorism at home and abroad. It funds and backs terrorist acts by Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and others in the region. It supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine with drones and arms. On British soil, it is responsible for dozens of attacks and attempted kidnappings against journalists, dissidents, and officials. It spreads an extreme Islamic ideology through a network of schools, charities, and mosques in the UK."
In Iran, Pahlavi wrote that the IRGC has "viciously suppressed, executed and tortured" its citizens.
Reminding Britain that they are no stranger to Iran's "hostage taking, assassination attempts and terrorist attacks," he encouraged them to "lead in Europe" by following in Canada's footsteps. In 2023, the Met Police reported that they had foiled 15 plots by Iran to either kidnap or kill British or UK-based individuals it considered “enemies of the regime."
Pahlavi commended the work of new British foreign minister David Lammy, who met with both the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers yesterday and asked him to send "a powerful message" by moving to label the IRGC as a terrorist entity. This message, he continued, was necessary to both warn the "ever-weakening regime" and to send support to the "long-suffering Iranian people."
The UK government has spoken previously on the matter, stating that a channel of communication between London and Tehran was essential for dialogue and labeling the IRGC as terrorists that would burn this bridge. Pahlavi stated that this would not be the case, and regardless, that the dialogue - in his view - had not been successful anyway.
"Decades of appeasement and containment of the Iranian regime has just emboldened them and harmed British interests."
Lord David Cameron told Benjamin Netanyahu in April 2024 that the UK would not be proscribing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror group.
Nuclear appeasement
Pahlavi warned that the Iranian regime's proximity to reaching full nuclear capacity meant that time was running out, and options would soon become more limited.
However, the former Shah criticized the belief that sanctioning Iran's military branch "would set an irreversible diplomatic precedent that could later be used against the West by bad actors such as Russia and China."
This conception hinged, in his view, on a "fundamental misunderstanding of the IRGC, whose very name does not include the word “Iran” because its mission is not Iran’s defense but the export of the Islamic Revolution around the world."
Bringing about change
He also wrote of the widening fissures in Iranian society, saying that the regime was becoming increasingly divided due to the public turning against the leadership. The evidence for this, Pahlavi said, was the "boycott of its sham elections" and "defections from within the armed forces." Iran International reported a 50% voting turnout in the May Iranian elections. A source the Jerusalem Post spoke to corroborated this.
Pahlavi recommended harnessing this existing internal tension rather than centering efforts on methods of appeasement or military action. By "backing the Iranian people’s fight for democracy," he argued, there may be more success in bringing down the regime from within, similar to apartheid in South Africa, which received international support.
"It is time for not just maximum pressure, but a policy of maximum support."
Listing the IRGC would be the first, but critical, step of this more concerted effort, said Pahlavi. "Imagine a democratic secular Iran living at peace with its neighbors. Imagine a new economic powerhouse building regional prosperity and peace. This is now possible. The Iranian people are fighting to make this a reality, and with your support, they will achieve this in less time and at a lower cost.""Change is inevitable in Iran," said Pahlavi. "It will be driven from within the country, and it may happen sooner than you think."
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-810354

Islam in Vienna: The Fate of Those Who Reject History
Raymond Ibrahim/PJ Media/July 15/2024
Recently we saw just how Islamic the Austrian capital of Vienna—where Muslims now outnumber Christians in the schoolrooms—had become. Hand in hand with this influx of Muslims has been an influx of crimes:
Muggings and beatings are becoming commonplace in the historic capital city, with passersby being attacked on almost a daily basis….The Praterstern area, just outside central Vienna, is now controlled by North Africans and is considered the worst area in the city for crime. Despite police increasing their presence in the area it has become riddled with crime. On the other side of the city, the area surrounding the West Railway Station has been taken over by Afghans who have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons…. Crimes carried out by migrants in Austria have risen rapidly over the past year as more arrive in the country. Last year [2016], there were a total 22,000 criminal complaints against migrants, up from 14,000 in 2015, the Austrian Interior Ministry revealed. Sex attacks carried out by asylum seekers has become a serious problem in Austria, with a 133 per cent increase in migrant sex attacks in the past year since the migrant crisis erupted. Swimming pools and other public venues have become some of the most prevalent areas for attacks to take place.
The ironies surrounding these developments are many, but one—which shows both the importance of history and the fate of those who reject it—occurred on this very day in history.
On July 15, 1683, the largest Islamic army ever to invade European territory—which is saying much considering that countless invasions preceded it since the eighth century—had reached, surrounded, and begun its massive bombardment of Vienna, the then heart of the Holy Roman Empire and chief nemesis of the Ottoman Empire.
Some 200,000 Muslim combatants, under the leadership of the Ottomans—the one state in nearly fourteen centuries of Islamic history most dedicated to and founded on the principles of jihad—invaded under the same rationale that so-called “radical” groups, such as the Islamic State, cite to justify their jihad on “infidels.” To quote the leader of the Muslim expedition, Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa, because Vienna was perceived as the head of the infidel snake, it needed to be laid low so that “all the Christians would obey” their Islamic overlords.
This was no idle boast; sources describe this Mustafa as “fanatically anti-Christian.” After capturing a Polish town in 1674 he ordered all the Christian prisoners to be skinned alive and their stuffed hides sent as trophies to Ottoman Sultan Muhammad IV. Such supremacist hate was standard and on display during the elaborate pre-jihad ceremony presaging the siege of Vienna. Then, the sultan, “desiring him [Mustafa] to fight generously for the Mahometan faith,” to quote a contemporary European source, placed “the standard of the Prophet…into his hands for the extirpation of infidels, and the increase of Muslemen.”
Once the massive Muslim army had reached and surrounded the walls of Vienna on July 14, Mustafa followed protocol. In 628, his prophet Muhammad had sent an ultimatum to Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius: aslam taslam, “submit [to Islam] and have peace.” Heraclius rejected the summons, jihad was declared against Christendom (as enshrined in Koran 9:29), and in a few decades, two-thirds of the then Christian world—including Spain, all of North Africa, Egypt, and Greater Syria—were conquered.
Now, over a thousand years later, the same ultimatum of submission to Islam or death had reached the heart of Europe. The Viennese commander did not bother to respond to the summons; graffiti inside the city—including “Muhammad, you dog, go home!”—seems to have captured its mood.
So it would be war. On the next day, July 15—today in history—Mustafa unleashed all hell against the city’s walls; and for two months, the holed-up and vastly outnumbered Viennese suffered plague, dysentery, starvation, and many casualties—including women and children—in the name of jihad.
Then, on September 12, when the city had reached its final extremity, and the Muslims were about to burst through, Vienna’s prayers were answered. As an anonymous Englishman explained:
After a siege of sixty days, accompanied with a thousand difficulties, sicknesses, want of provisions, and great effusion of blood, after a million of cannon and musquet shot, bombs, granadoes, and all sorts of fireworks, which has changed the face of the fairest and most flourishing city in the world, disfigured and ruined [it] . . . heaven favorably heard the prayers and tears of a cast down and mournful people.
The formidable king of Poland, John Sobieski, had finally come at the head of 65,000 horsemen—including the famed winged hussars—all hot to avenge the beleaguered city. Arguing that “It is not a city alone that we have to save, but the whole of Christianity, of which the city of Vienna is the bulwark,” Sobieski led a thunderous cavalry charge—history’s largest—against and totally routed the Muslim besiegers. (See Sword and Scimitar for a detailed recounting of this pivotal battle.)
Although a spectacular victory, the aftermath was gory: before fleeing, the Muslims ritually slaughtered some 30,000 Christian captives collected during their march to Vienna—raping the women beforehand. On entering the relieved city, the liberators encountered piles of corpses, sewage, and rubble everywhere.
Incidentally, it is this history of Islamic aggression—beginning in the fourteenth century when Muslims first established a foothold in Eastern Europe (Thrace), and into the twentieth century when the Ottoman sultanate finally collapsed—that largely informs Eastern European views on Islam. Whereas Western nations cite lack of integration, economic disparities, and grievances to explain away the exponential growth of terrorism, violence, and rapes that come with living alongside large Muslim populations—such as in Vienna—Eastern nations see only a continuity of hostility. As one Pole, echoing the words of Sobieski, said during an anti-Muslim demonstration in 2017: “a religious war between Christianity and Islam is once again underway in Europe, just like in the past.”
As for those who do not learn from the past—such as “open-doors” Vienna, which should have been especially appreciative of its history with Islam—they are on their way to becoming mere appendages of the umma, as today’s Muslim refugees achieve what yesterday’s Muslim empires could not.

American History Altered by a Fraction of an Inch
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/July 15/2024
Once again, American history has been altered by a fraction of an inch.
Donald Trump's wound could have been catastrophic by such a margin.
Teddy Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt when the bullet lodged in a rolled up copy of his speech he had casually stuffed into his breast pocket.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt when the gunman's aim was faulty, killing FDR's neighboring motorcade passenger, Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, and wounding five others.
Ronald Reagan's bullet wound to the lung from a would-be assassin nearly killed him; he survived by the heroic efforts of emergency room doctors.
So, American history will write yet another chapter of how fate, luck and the strength of the would-be victim played an enormous role in determining the future of our nation.
There will be considerable commentary and analyses of the murderous violence inflicted on the Trump rally. How did a sniper gain the upper hand against the Secret Service, securing a firing position that allowed him to create havoc and death? Appropriate and fitting homage will be paid to Corey Comperatore, the volunteer firefighter who was killed at the rally while protecting his family. And there will be remarks made by both sides of the political aisle regarding the need to consider the rhetoric uttered by candidates.
But the process of constitutional democracy cannot be allowed to be distracted or deterred. There is a presidential election in approximately 120 days, and we as Americans are entrusted with the dearly-bought right to determine who will lead our nation for the next four years. As we consider our choices, there is wisdom in revisiting the words of Confucius, who observed that nations can exist without sufficient food or a strong army. What he cautioned is that nations fail if its people do not have confidence in its ruler.
As a wounded Donald Trump was hustled by his Secret Service detail into a waiting SUV, he demonstrated his contempt for his assailant by pumping the air with his fist and repeating "fight!" In a world filled with despots, dictators and tyrants now armed with nuclear weapons, his defiance should serve as a call to action for all of us and a warning to nation states anywhere on the globe that would tear down our great nation.
*Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Pezeshkian likely to take cautious foreign policy approach
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/July 15, 2024
The election of reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s president has sparked numerous questions about his approach to foreign relations. Observers are keen to see the extent of both the change and the continuity in his foreign policy, particularly toward regional and international stakeholders, over the next four years. The potential impact on cooperation and tensions with Arab and Gulf countries is of particular interest. This comes at a time when hard-liners hold significant control over the Iranian state and the influence of reformists has waned since the end of former President Hassan Rouhani’s term.
The new president will also face a challenging inheritance of domestic crises, which have led to widespread popular protests, as well as escalating disputes with Europeans and the US over the nuclear issue.
Literature on the foreign policy of states suggests that a change in leadership affects four key areas: the content of foreign policy, the policymaking process, the tools and management of policy implementation and the outcomes of foreign policy. The extent of this impact varies based on the nature of the regime, the powers granted to the president in foreign affairs and the influence of the president’s party within the political landscape.
Iran operates under a theocratic system in which ultimate authority rests with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The president, whether reformist or hard-liner, oversees the executive branch, implementing the broad directives set by Khamenei both domestically and internationally, in line with the jurisprudence enshrined in the constitution. The constitution grants the supreme leader absolute authority, giving him overarching control over all Iranian institutions. Consequently, significant changes in the content of foreign policy and the policymaking process are unlikely, as these are tied to the regime’s primary goals and interests, which center on establishing the alleged global Iranian state under the supreme leader’s guidance and leadership.
Supporting the supreme leader’s policies is a near-constant rule in Iran, regardless of whether the president is a reformist or a hard-liner. Pezeshkian recognizes the stability of Iran’s foreign policy content and its formulation process. During his debates, he emphasized the importance of adhering to the supreme leader’s policies and directives to advance the country and address its issues. Therefore, Pezeshkian will follow his government program both domestically and internationally based on the foundational principles of the regime and the broad directives set by the supreme leader in the country’s foreign relations.
There are conflicting views regarding Pezeshkian’s approval by the Guardian Council to run in the presidential election as the sole reformist candidate alongside five conservatives. Some argue that this was not a coincidence or a miscalculation by Iran, nor was it due to the strength of Pezeshkian and his movement, which has been divided since the end of Rouhani’s term. Instead, it may have been a strategic move by the regime to present a new, more acceptable reformist figure to Western European and American leaders, in contrast to the conservative candidates. This strategy could help the regime neutralize potential pressure campaigns, especially given the high likelihood of former US President Donald Trump returning to office in January.
This perspective aligns with interpretations of Pezeshkian’s presidential victory and the leader’s preelection statements suggesting that the results would bring about global change. This implies that the outcome was anticipated, but the Guardian Council did not endorse a candidate who could not be controlled or who might challenge the regime’s policies. This is evidenced by Pezeshkian’s pledge during the debates to follow the supreme leader’s directives, his praise of Khamenei as a wise leader and the supreme leader’s encouragement of the new president to continue the path of the late Ebrahim Raisi. The latter had earned the guide’s trust through his absolute obedience and he maintained stable relations with all government institutions, in contrast to the tensions during Rouhani’s tenure, especially in foreign affairs.
Supporting the supreme leader’s policies is a near-constant in Iran, regardless of whether the president is a reformist or a hard-liner.
The previous parameters, along with the supreme leader’s tools of control — such as the dominance of hard-liners over state institutions, parallel institutions and parliament, as well as the supreme leader’s broad and absolute powers — indicate the regime’s ability to impose control over the reformist president, allowing only managed change. Externally, this pertains to the third level, involving the tools and management of foreign policy implementation, and the fourth level, which concerns the results of foreign policy. Consequently, it is expected that foreign policy will follow these trajectories:
Regionally, Pezeshkian may continue Raisi’s policy of improving relations with neighboring countries, guided by the supreme leader’s directives. This could involve strengthening ties with Arab and Gulf nations, which is consistent with Pezeshkian’s stated vision of openness to the world, starting with neighboring states. However, his stance on the so-called axis of resistance, which is pivotal to Iran’s regional strategy and a regime red line, was evident in his communications with Syrian President Bashar Assad and his correspondence with Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah and Hamas’ political bureau chief.
Pezeshkian affirmed his strong support for resistance movements, particularly against Israeli occupation and notably during the Gaza conflict. There is a potential for tensions akin to those seen during Rouhani’s tenure between the Foreign Ministry and the Revolutionary Guards, possibly stemming from the Guards’ involvement in diplomatic affairs. Internationally, Pezeshkian is likely to continue the Rouhani-Javad Zarif approach of advocating for openness to the world through diplomacy and dialogue with the West. This strategy aims to facilitate Iran’s return to negotiations, which is seen as a more effective and expeditious solution to addressing internal challenges and enhancing Iran’s international standing.
Pezeshkian’s supporters argue that relying solely on economic diplomacy to neutralize the impact of sanctions and improve living conditions may not suffice in the short term, necessitating swift negotiations, sanctions relief and potential accession to the Financial Action Task Force. Zarif’s endorsement of Pezeshkian underscores potential alignments on nuclear agreement strategies with the West, although ultimate decisions will rest with the supreme leader and institutional frameworks.
Challenges include uncertainties surrounding US political dynamics, particularly the possibility of Trump’s return, and right-wing ascendance in Europe. Concurrently, Pezeshkian may bolster cooperation with China and Russia, given their pragmatic roles in enhancing Iran’s negotiation positions vis-a-vis the West.
In conclusion, it is evident that Iranian presidents face red lines they cannot cross. They lack the authority to alter fundamental policies but play a prescribed role in implementing and managing policy tools and outcomes. Presidents operate within the constraints imposed by the institutions and councils aligned with the supreme leader. However, despite these limitations, Pezeshkian could potentially influence Iranian political life by recognizing the regime’s imperative to engage with the outside world during challenging times.
His proposals, praise for the supreme leader, declaration of loyalty to his guidance and alignment with figures like Hassan Khomeini indicate his cautious approach and desire to avoid provoking early clashes with the regime. Unlike some reformists who are critical of the regime, Pezeshkian supports its revolutionary principles and seeks backing from the supreme leader, Iran’s institutions and the public.
What is more, recent developments suggest the regime has the capacity for flexibility and innovation, aiming to bridge the widening gap with citizens, as highlighted by the low turnout in the first round of the presidential election. Externally, Iran seeks to alleviate its isolation amid ongoing protests.
• Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is the founder and president of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah).
X: @mohalsulami

Syrian refugees face uncertain future
Chris Doyle/Arab News/July 15, 2024
The future for refugees is never easy, not least in a world where richer states are ever more hostile to hosting them and even indifferent to their safety. As wars are also so often never-ending, so too refugees face never-ending exile. Yet arguably an even worse fate is being forcibly being sent back to the countries from which they fled.
This is a fate that many Syrians are now facing in Lebanon and, perhaps more alarmingly and on a greater scale, in Turkiye. This came into focus at the start of this month, when violence against Syrian refugees erupted in a number of Turkish cities, especially Gaziantep, Istanbul and Kayseri. Syrians have told me they now fear leaving their homes or showing anything written in Arabic. One said that Syrians have taken to saying they are Palestinians, tapping into the Turkish solidarity with Gaza.
Why is this happening now, given that Syrian refugees have been in Turkiye for years?
Let us be clear. Racism against Syrian refugees in Turkiye is not new, particularly since 2019 and with an escalation since 2022. The earthquake of February 2023 also triggered a sharp rise in hate crimes against Syrians.
Past attacks on Syrian refugees tended to not necessarily be part of a pattern. What terrifies Syrians now is that there is planning to some of the attacks, with several stores being targeted by ultranationalist Turks. Syrians complain that there has been no restitution for the destruction or vandalism of their property. They seek accountability and guarantees for their future safety. They want the Turkish authorities to take a clear stand against hate speech in Turkiye.
Scarily, last week there was a huge data leak of all the names and addresses of Syrians in the country. Opinions are divided as to why. Was this just because Turkiye has weak data protection, allowing the details to be hacked, or was it a deliberate strategy? What is true is that people specifically started sharing the data, including addresses and passport and banking details, of 3.6 million Syrians.
Slowly but surely, the Syrian leadership has worked its way back into the lifeblood of Middle Eastern politics.
Will this spiral out of control inside the country? It is quite possible. The popular mood in Turkiye is certainly in support of action to see the back of the refugees. The burden of hosting 3.6 million Syrian refugees has exhausted patience among the Turkish population. More Syrian refugees are now looking to cross into Europe, usually on boats to Greek islands. Here too, tensions with host communities are heating up.
All Syrians believe Turkiye wants to send them back to Syria. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has drawn up plans to resettle up to a million refugees in a “safe zone” inside Syria. Reports of tens of people being deported five years ago have now turned into hundreds every day. Those Syrians affected are compelled to sign a “voluntary” return form in Turkish. One told me that the document was neither explained nor translated for them.
This also impacts the situation inside northern Syria, in the areas directly or indirectly controlled by Turkiye. In areas where Turkish support had once been welcomed, Turkish military points have been attacked and Turkish soldiers have fired at protesters, on occasion killing them, for example in Afrin.
All of this comes against the backdrop of a slight realignment of Syrian-Turkish relations. Slowly but surely, the Syrian leadership has worked its way back into the lifeblood of Middle Eastern politics. Accepted back into the fold of the Arab League in 2023, relations have been restored, if not fully healed, with most of its neighbors and it looks like Turkiye could be next. The signs are that a thaw is on its way.
Erdogan’s priorities have changed. For years, Turkiye was the center of armed opposition to the Assad regime. Recently, other issues have dominated his horizon, not least the Kurdish issue and, of course, the Russia-Ukraine war.
Rapprochement hints started in about 2022. Erdogan is aware that there is public pressure to start negotiations with the Syrian authorities. The opposition Republican People’s Party has been very vocal about this. Russia and Iraq are also pushing for it. Many see this as being more serious today than it was in the past.It will not be a smooth path. Bashar Assad and Erdogan are not likely to have a summit just yet, despite Erdogan declaring this month that he could invite Assad to Turkiye “at any moment.” Assad has made it clear that all Turkish forces will need to leave Syria. Yet the direction has been set and, with every step closer, millions of Syrian refugees will be fearing the consequences.
*Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding in London. X: @Doylech

Political Variations
Charles Chartouni/This is Beirut/July 15/2024
The latest elections in France unveiled the evolving political chasms, the growing political and constitutional discrepancies and the systemic exclusions aimed at hobbling the National Rally (NR), and perpetuating the stigmas and the ostracism against this political formation. Ten million political voters are discounted from the French political landscape and relegated to political irrelevance at a time when they have logged 37/100 of the votes. The legacy of stigmatization and political segregation is deliberately pursued, in spite of all evidence to the contrary. This electoral contest features, in its own right, the widening cleavages between the ordinary French citizen (citoyen lambda) and the cross-sectional elitism of professional politics and the widespread disenchantment it elicited all along (Politikverdrossenheit, the weariness from politics).
After the National Rally’s consecutive victories at the European and national levels, declining political parties on the left and on the right have joined chorus to defeat the NR which, nonetheless, remains the largest individual winner of the electoral contest. The fragmented left and its extremist fringes (NPF, New Popular Front), united under the banner of defeating the rising national Right, struck a temporary alliance with the presidential center and its allies to contain the overwhelming tide which catapulted it into the heart of French politics as a major player to reckon with. Oddly enough, in the second round of elections, political programs were set aside and canvassing was all about witch-hunting. Nothing to relish about and a sign of a bad omen.
The scrambling role of President Macron has gone awry, and the country ended up in a state of disarray, incivility and political stasis. While trying to uphold his declining fortunes, the president is set on safeguarding his umpiring role, patching up the devastating consequences of the impromptu dissolution of the assembly, and negotiating an awkward broad coalition regrouping moderates at both ends of the political spectrum, dismissing the extreme fringes, or falling back on a government of technocrats who have to find their way within the labyrinthine maze of highly polarized French politics and their frenzied overtones.
The leftist coalition will have a hard time sustaining its momentum, since the casual circumstances which brought them together are not connoted with deeper commitments and a substantive agreement on a common political program. The New popular Front has drafted a very weak political platform which rehashes outdated public policy proposals based on a poor understanding of economic and societal issues and their financial collaterals (230- 300 billion Euros added annually to the monumental debt to feed the nanny State and further clientelism). Jean Luc Mélenchon and the LFI (La France Insoumise, the unbowed France) seized the state of political fragmentation to move into political subversion, promote factionalism, challenge the constitutional checks and balances, disrupt the rules of political rotation in democracy, and question the basic rules of accommodation which prevail under unruly political circumstances. To boot, the communitarian and Islamist political proclivities of the LFI and the leftist politics of denial in this regard are challenging their republican credentials.
The imperative mandates under turmoil politics are the safeguard of civil peace, the search of a common political ground which serves as a platform for the formation of a working government and effective policy making. The process is not easy, French political culture is too ideological, and the extremist political fringes on the left are not adept at democratic and constitutional governance. The culture of Bolshevik agitation (agit-prop) and political nihilism is not only incompatible with democratic institutions, but destroys their very foundation and the conditions of civil concord.
The risks of a systemic parliamentary instability, reminiscent of the fourth Republic, is putting at stake working governance, disrupting the economy, feeding the financial volatility and the monumental debt crisis, destabilizing the labor market and enhancing the unemployment doldrums. The Chavist political program of the New Popular Front is anachronistic and totally out of step with the nuts and bolts of contemporary economics, the rising geo-economics and the informational age faultlines. Hopefully, France is going to find its way back into a new balanced relationship between its constitutional powers and pave its way into a working partnership between the different aisles of the political spectrum.
The late NATO summit held in Washington-DC conveys the picture of a smoldering Cold War and its resolutions are quite reflective of dire security hazards in Ukraine, the Baltic States and Poland which mandate maximal alert, especially after China’s political endorsement of Russia and declaration of hostility towards NATO. Still, the Western security coalition which safeguarded Europe in the aftermath of WWII is challenged on multiple accounts: its internal cohesiveness, financial sustainability, honored commitments of its members and the future role of its main pillar the United States under Donald Trump in case of reelection. The 75th anniversary of NATO raises critical issues about Transatlantic security, and the coalition of rogue States clustering around the Chinese-Russian Totalitarian axis of power. The politics of deliberate turmoil spreading throughout various geopolitical spectrums is the propelling dynamic behind surrogate conflicts worldwide.
The Middle East happens to be a major theater where historical grievances, colliding imaginaries and social protracted conflicts seem to serve as vehicles and platforms for the unfolding Cold War politics. The events in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria are lifted out of their orbits and serve as surrogate warfares with tenuous relations with the originating conflicts and their future prospects. The October 7, 2023 pogrom in South Israel and the hostage-taking strategy epitomize the exponential dynamics of an open-ended conflict which dispenses with political mediations and negotiated conflict resolution between the actors.
The Iranian unholy ghost hovers over Gaza, South Lebanon and South West Syria and transforms them into permanent sites of enduring conflicts, and sources of endemic instability. The whole diplomatic efforts have failed so far, since they are manipulated by the Iranian power broker and its Sino-Russian handlers. The vicious game is unlikely to unravel unless the power relationships are inverted and the conflicts’ inner dynamics are extracted from their magnetic fields and enabled to recover their operational latitude and notional autonomy.