LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 30/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
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Bible Quotations For today
Remember those who are in prison, as though
you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you
yourselves were being tortured
“Letter to the Hebrews 12/28-29//13/01-09: “Therefore, since we are receiving a
kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an
acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming
fire. Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember
those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are
being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Let marriage be
held in honour by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will
judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money,
and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or
forsake you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not
be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’ Remember your leaders, those who spoke the
word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their
faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be
carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is well for the heart to
be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not
benefited those who observe them.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese
& Lebanese Related News published on April 29-30/19
Preparations underway for Macron’s Visit to Lebanon
Macron 'Advises' Trump to Consider Sensitive Lebanese Situation
Aoun in 2002 Interview: Shebaa Farms Are Not Lebanese
Lebanese Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt: Only 180,000 Palestinian Refugees Remained
In Lebanon; Shebaa Farms Is Not Lebanese Land
President Aoun to preside over Tuesday's 'Million Trees' celebration at Baabda
Palace, confers with alSayyed
19 people rescued from a bus following a rock collapse and snow block along
Dinnieh Hermel road
Mild earthquake hits North Bekaa
Berri meets with German parliamentary delegation, Islamic Charitable Association
Environment Minister Confirms Landfills Expansion Plan
Hankache Addressing Ruling Authority: Act Responsibly!
Jabak tours Zahrani and Tyre: Economic situation is dire, austerity can be in
all domains except the health sector
AUBMC: The incinerator is the only internationally approved technology for
treating cytotoxic waste
Hezbollah Donation Boxes Show Trump’s Sanctions Are Hurting Iran
Saudi Writers: A Confrontation With Hizbullah Has Become A Necessity; Lebanon
Cannot Fight It Alone
Samir Geagea: Lebanon cannot be effective as long as Hezbollah is armed
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on April 29-30/19
Five Dead in Burkina Church Attack
France says it has foiled terrorist act, suspects held in custody
Iran Sanctions, Unrest Hit Mideast Growth, Says IMF
Iranians Evacuate After Unidentified Aircraft Seen In East Syria
Airstrike Hits Largest Russian Base in Syria
Iran drone video of American carrier appears ‘years old,’ according to US Navy
IMF: Iran Inflation Could Hit 40 Percent
Khamenei Calls for Crackdown on Illegal Weapons in Iran
Sri Lanka Bans Face Veils After Easter Day Bombin Attacks On Churches//Human
Rights Watch condemned the ban.
LNA Intensifies Strikes against Militias in Tripoli
Sri Lanka Catholic cardinal fears attacks probe may ‘flop’
Canada Renews Military Contribution In Egypt's Sinai Peninsula
African Union Dispatches Delegate to Sudan
Saudi Arabia Condemns Meddling in Bahrain’s Affairs
Palestinian Authority Rejects Direct Arab Support to Hamas
Yazidi Spiritual Leaders Say Children of ISIS Rape Won’t Be Accepted
Turkey claims spy for UAE committed suicide in prison, family suspects foul play
Russian ‘siege’ chokes Syrian camp in shadow of US base
UN Warns of Worsening Humanitarian Situation in Libya
Spanish PM's Socialists Win Snap Polls Marked by Far-Right Gains
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on April 29-30/19
Lebanese Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt: Only 180,000 Palestinian Refugees Remained
In Lebanon; Shebaa Farms Is Not Lebanese Land/MEMRI/April 29/2019
Hezbollah Donation Boxes Show Trump’s Sanctions Are Hurting Iran/Dana Khraiche
and Arsalan Shahla/Bloomberg/April 29/2019
Saudi Writers: A Confrontation With Hizbullah Has Become A Necessity; Lebanon
Cannot Fight It Alone/MEMRI/April 29/2019
Samir Geagea: Lebanon cannot be effective as long as Hezbollah is armed/Staff
writer, Al Arabiya English/Sunday, 28 April 2019
The Crescent on a Hot Plate/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/April 29/2019
Sudan: The 3 New Messages Coming from Khartoum/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/April
29/2019
The Palestinians' Own Goals/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/April 29/
Turkish 'Justice': Life in Prison for Journalists; Leniency for ISIS Terrorist/Uzay
Bulut//Gatestone Institute/April 29/19
Are Christian Massacres “Retaliations” for Muslim Massacres?/Raymond
Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/April 29/19
A history of the Crusades, as told by crusaders' DNA/Science Daily/April 18,
2019
In First Appearance Since Declaration Of Caliphate, ISIS Leader Abu Bakr
Al-Baghdadi Calls For Attacks Against France, Its Allies, And Saudi Arabia,
Urges Algerians, Sudanese To Wage Jihad Against Their Regimes/MEMRI/April
29/2019
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News published
on April 29-30/19
Preparations underway for Macron’s Visit to Lebanon
Beirut – Khalil Fleihan/Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 29 April,
2019/Lebanon received official notice from France that President Emmanuel Macron
is planning on visiting the country at the invitation of President Michel Aoun.
The date of the trip has not been set yet, but Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le
Drian is expected to travel to Beirut in June. Le Drian is set to follow up on
Beirut’s reform commitments to the CEDRE conference that was held in Paris in
2018. Among these reforms was drafting a comprehensive reform plan to tackle
Lebanon’s electricity sector. Earlier this month, the government approved the
plan that aims to boost generation capacity while reducing state subsidies that
have led to one of the world’s heaviest public debt burdens. A diplomatic source
told Asharq Al-Awsat that Le Drian will hold frank talks with Lebanese officials
on the CEDRE pledges. The US sanctions on Iran will also figure in his
discussions. Diplomatic information from Beirut revealed that Macron had urged
his American counterpart, Donald Trump, to “take into consideration” the
situation in Lebanon in regards to the sanctions. Macron warned that the
sanctions may have a “counter-effect and force Lebanese political forces that
are opposed to Hezbollah to shift stances and support the party” to confront the
sanctions and their impact on the country. He stressed the need to take into
account the “uniqueness and diversity of Lebanese society and approach its
problems with diligence.”
Macron 'Advises' Trump to Consider Sensitive Lebanese
Situation
Naharnet/April 29/19/On the U.S. sanctions on Iran, the French President has
reportedly “advised” his U.S. counterpart to take the situation in Lebanon into
account when imposing sanctions on Iran (and it’s Lebanese ally Hizullah)
warning it may have undesirable consequences, Asharq al-Awsat reported on
Monday. Quoting diplomatic sources, the daily said President Emmanuel Macron
advised President Donald Trump to “take into account the special situation in
Lebanon,” as per its sanctions on Iran, warning of the "consequences that could
make anti-Hizbullah political parties change positions and back it instead.”The
source stressed "the uniqueness and diversity of the Lebanese society and the
need to approach its problems with wisdom and knowledge."He pointed to “the
importance of adopting a defense strategy to end armed presence weakening the
(Lebanese) state, and the need for replacing it with legitimate forces.”Adding
that “Lebanon is partly blamed for a delay in setting a defense strategy.”He
also spoke of “classified reports” without giving any details, that “Lebanon
received information that may be invoked by Israel as a pretext to launch war
and that Lebanon has not dealt with it seriously.” He noted that contacts
between France and the United States addressed said information, and that the
“US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned of this during his recent visit to
Lebanon.”
Aoun in 2002 Interview: Shebaa Farms Are Not Lebanese
Kataeb.org/Monday 29th April 2019/Aoun in 2002 /Amid the controversy sparked by
a recent statement made by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat
regarding Shebaa Farms, similar comments made by President Michel Aoun 17 years
ago have been brought back to the forefront.
In a 2002 interview on MTV three years before his return from exile in France,
Aoun made it explicitly clear that the disputed Shebaa Farms are not Lebanese,
saying that they are not occupied lands. "It is a lie and I am responsible what
I am saying," Aoun said when asked about the need for Resistance given that the
Lebanese Shebaa Farms are still occupied by Israel. "We cannot change maps as we
like. Shebaa Farms are not Lebanese. Even if so, they have been annexed to Syria
long ago and Lebanon chose to keep mum about it," he said. "The Lebanese
government has never mentioned that it has an occupied territory subject to the
implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 242. On the contrary, it
said that it is not concerned by this resolution and has no occupied territory,"
Aoun explained back then. Resolution 242 was unanimously passed by the Security
Council in an effort to secure a just and lasting peace in the wake of the
Six-Day (June) War of 1967, fought primarily between Israel and Egypt, Jordan,
and Syria. The Israelis supported the resolution because it called on the Arab
states to accept Israel’s right “to live in peace within secure and recognized
boundaries free from threats or acts of force.” It was also shored up by Arab
countries as it called for Israel to withdraw from the territories conquered in
1967. The disputed zone was occupied by Israel during the Arab-Israeli war in
1967. Following Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, the United Nations
considered the Shebaa Farms to be part of the Syrian territory. To date, Syria
has not provided documents proving its ownership. "Assuming that Syria wants to
return us this territory, then let it provide a document according to the
international laws proving that the land is Lebanese," Aoun stressed. Last week,
Jumblat ignited a fierce debate after stating that Shebaa Farms are not
Lebanese. “In my opinion, the Shebaa Farms are not Lebanese. In 2000, the
Lebanese maps were altered by Lebanese and Syrian officers,” he claimed in an
interview on Russia Today.
Lebanese Druze Leader Walid Jumblatt: Only 180,000
Palestinian Refugees Remained In Lebanon; Shebaa Farms Is Not Lebanese Land
MEMRI/April 29/2019
Russia Today TV aired an interview with Lebanese politician and Druze leader
Walid Jumblatt on April 25, 2019. In the interview, Jumblatt said that despite
claims from the "racists" in Lebanon, only 180,000 Palestinian refugees remained
in Lebanon, the rest have emigrated. He added that the disputed Shebaa Farms is
not Lebanese land. Jumblatt said that Lebanese officers, who were in cahoots
with Syria, altered maps of the area to include the Shebaa Farms. He said: “That
is when we theoretically 'occupied' the Shebaa Farms… The purpose was to keep
the Syrian pretext […] that the Shebaa Farms constitute Lebanese land that must
be liberated." In response to the interviewer’s question Jumblatt said that to
some extent, this was a Trojan Horse.
Walid Jumblatt: "The Deal of the Century relates to Palestine. Just to make it
clear to all the racist Lebanese loudmouths: Only 180,000 of the Palestinians
who came in 1948 remained in Lebanon. The rest have emigrated.
"The figures are being blown up in the media by the familiar racist Lebanese
right wing.""There is no point we haven’t managed to resolve. I’m talking about the
demarcation of the border between Lebanon and [Syria] in the Shebaa Farms area.
In my opinion, the Shebaa Farms is not Lebanese land. That’s my opinion.
Following the liberation of South Lebanon in 2000, the Lebanese maps were
altered by Lebanese officers, who collaborated with the Syrians. That is when we
theoretically 'occupied' the Shebaa Farms and Wadi Al-Asal. This was a
geographical modification on paper, not on the ground."
Interviewer: "For what purpose?"Walid Jumblatt: "The purpose was to keep the Syrian pretext, which was upheld by
others too. That the Shebaa Farms constitute Lebanese land that must be
liberated by all possible means… And this is what happened."
Interviewer: "So it was a Trojan Horse?"
Walid Jumblatt: "To some exent."
President Aoun to preside over Tuesday's 'Million Trees'
celebration at Baabda Palace, confers with alSayyed
Mon 29 Apr 2019/NNA - President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, will preside over
the ceremony marking the planting of the millionth tree in the garden of the
Baabda Presidential Palace at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow, in cooperation with the
Ministry of Agriculture, the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID), and the Lebanese Forestry Association (LRI). The ceremony will include
speeches by US Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, Agriculture Minister Hassan al-Lakkis
and a number of project beneficiaries, to be crowned by a word from the
President following his planting of the millionth tree in the 'garden of
columns' at the Palace. Meanwhile, President Aoun met this afternoon with MP
Jamil al-Sayyed, with talks centering on the general situation prevailing in the
country and latest developments. On emerging, al-Sayyed disclosed that
"discussions included the draft budget for the year 2019, especially the
proposals concerning the rights of the military and a number of observations."
"In my opinion, before targeting the rights of civil and military servants, we
should address the ongoing waste expenditure, improve the state's money
collection and increase revenues, especially that a close and careful reading of
the draft budget indicates that the proposed money cuts affect honest employees
instead of the corrupt because the latter live off bribes and not their
salaries," al-Sayyed explained. The MP continued to note that a large part of
the proposed budget cuts focus on the retired military while disregarding the
fact that certain public institutions include employees who are non-productive,
ineffective or continuously absent. Additionally, al-Sayyed pointed to the issue
of marine property that has not been addressed as well. "The proposed tax
exemptions are contrary to the principle of equality among Lebanese because they
penalize those who paid their tax dues while rewarding those who have failed to
do so. Tax exemptions reach up to 90% and this contradicts with the desire to
improve the budget," al-Sayyed emphasized. He disclosed that the President
showed understanding to the matter, noting that he will be expressing his
comments and perspectives on the draft budget during the Council of Ministers'
meetings devoted to tackling the subject, staring tomorrow.
19 people rescued from a bus following a rock collapse and
snow block along Dinnieh Hermel road
Mon 29 April/2019/NNA - Nineteen people, including 10 children, miraculously
escaped injury after a rock collapsed on their bus, which was blocked with snow
enroute to Hermel this afternoon, NNA correspondent in Hermel reported. The
Lebanese Red Cross ambulance and emergency teams arrived at the scene with
four-wheel drive vehicles, and tried to reach besieged bus and transport the
passengers to the Hermel area after providing them with water and food. The
rescue operation lasted for more than three hours.
Mild earthquake hits North Bekaa
Mon 29 Apr 2019/NNA - Residents of Hermel, Qaa and Ras Baalbek felt a light
earthquake tremor at 15:07 Beirut local time, NNA correspondent said.
Berri meets with German parliamentary delegation, Islamic Charitable Association
Mon 29 Apr 2019/NNA - House Speaker, Nabih Berri, met this afternoon in Ain al-Teeneh
with a delegation representing the German-Arab Parliamentary Group, headed by MP
Michel Henrich, with talks touching on the general prevailing situation in
Lebanon and the region and ways of promoting parliamentary cooperation between
both councils. The House Speaker later received a delegation from the Board of
Trustees of the Islamic Charitable Association, headed by its President Youssef
Mohamad Beydoun, who came to express their appreciation for Speaker Berri's
valuable contributions through his wisdom, sound advice and being a "safety
valve" for the country. Touching on the educational sector, Beydoun considered
that private charitable educational institutions are going through a very
difficult phase that requires special care and attention. He added: "Our
Charitable Institution counts on the House Speaker's support and directives to
continue to be a beacon of national education."
Environment Minister Confirms Landfills Expansion Plan
Kataeb.org/Monday 29th April 2019/Environment Minister Fady Jreissati on Monday
confirmed that the existing landfills in Burj Hammoud and Costa Brava will be
"temporarily" expanded, warning that the failure to do so will cause waste to
pile up again on the streets across Metn and Beirut. “The final solution does
not include establishing landfills along the coast, but we will for now expand
the existing ones," Jreissati said during a tour at the Costa Brava landfill. “I
cannot be held responsible for the period during which I was not in office."“I
have never presented any plan to establish a landfill along the coast, but there
are things which we are forced to do,” Jreissati stated, promising to resolve
the problem of the foul smells emanating from the landfills, especially the one
in Burj Hammoud. Kataeb MP Elias Hankache fired back at the minister's disavowal
of his predecessor's policy and actions, adding that Jreissati is actually
affiliates to the same political force as former Minister Tarek Al-Khatib. “What
happened to your promises of sustainable solutions”? Hankache asked via Twitter.
"Once again you are making people choose between the bad and the worse," he
added. “For how long will the residents of Dekwaneh, Sin el Fil, Burj Hammoud,
Jdeideh, Sad el Bauchrieh, Zalka and Jal El Dib endure pollution, foul smells
and diseases?"
Hankache Addressing Ruling Authority: Act Responsibly!
Kataeb.org/Monday 29th April 2019/Kataeb MP Elias Hankache on Monday denounced
the authority’s obscure and confused performance, demanding clarifications
regarding recent reports on heavy arms being delivered to a Palestinian faction
inside Lebanon. Voice of Lebanon radio station reported that big military trucks
had crossed army checkpoints last week in Bekaa's Kfarzabad, and delivered heavy
arms to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command in the
Ain al-Bayda. "It's your duty to clarify or deny this news. In other words: act
responsibly!" Hankache wrote on Twitter. “In the economy sector you don't know
what you want. In the budget, u didn't get anything right. In the electricity
plan, you didn't respect the laws. In the waste crisis, you don't know where you
are headed. In the pre-election hires, you are confused what to do," he added.
Jabak tours Zahrani and Tyre: Economic situation is dire,
austerity can be in all domains except the health sector
Mon 29 Apr 2019/NNA - Minister of Public Health, Jamil Jabak, stressed Monday
that despite the country's difficult economic situation, yet austerity can be
implemented in all domains except the health sector. "We have a million and
eight hundred thousand citizens who are not covered by any medical provider and
who need to be treated at the expense of the Ministry of Health...and the
Ministry's hospitals are not enough, so we had to partner with private
hospitals," Jabak added. "The private hospital sector in Lebanon accounts for
80% of the Public Health Ministry's needs to cater to the Lebanese people's
medical treatments," he maintained. Jabak's words came during his patronage of
Al-Faqih Hospital opening in the area of Khaizaran during his tour in the
Zahrani and Tyre regions today. MPs Mohammad Raad, Michel Moussa, Ali Osseiran
and Ali Khreiss, and representatives of MP's Bahiya Hariri and Ossama Saad, and
various prominent dignitaries from the region attended the opening. Jabak
expressed his total admiration and support to the new hospital initiative, in
terms of its geographical location between Sidon and Tyre and its advanced
technological equipment, patient care and operating rooms and radiation
departments. "It is our duty to secure the necessary medical treatment for all
our children in any area of Lebanon and, God willing, we will get the
Parliament's support to ensure our sufficient budget needs," the Minister
underlined. In turn, MP Raad said: "It is the duty of the State to ensure that
all its administrations and apparatuses assume their responsibilities towards
citizens, especially in the South region who have defended all of Lebanon...We
thank the Health Minister for his interest and care for this hospital, following
his completed tour among all government hospitals which we must activate and
support to enable them to carry out their duties."On the political and security
side, Raad confirmed, "We support the army, the people and the resistance
equation. We have great readiness to confront the Israeli and terrorist
enemy...We are cooperating today to yield a budget that we hope will ensure a
minimum level of fairness for our people and the vulnerable segments of the
population." Following the inauguration of the new hospital in Khaizaran,
Minister Jabak paid a visit to the Qana Government Hospital, where he also had a
closer look at its various departments and needs, pledging to secure its
necessary supplies and placing it among the Ministry's priorities.
AUBMC: The incinerator is the only internationally approved
technology for treating cytotoxic waste
Mon 29 Apr 2019/NNA - In an issued statement by the American University of
Beirut's Medical Center Administration on Monday, it confirmed that "over more
than 150 years, AUB has always been committed to the safety, health and
wellbeing of its communities.""Recent media reports have circulated inaccurate
information regarding AUB's Medical Center incinerator's function to dispose of
hospital cytotoxic waste," it added. "The Medical Center Administration would
like to clarify that AUBMC adheres to the highest international standards set
for safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste and is committed to
disposing of cytotoxic waste within its healthcare facility by adopting World
Health Organization guidelines and other relevant authorities for the safe
management of cytotoxic waste from health-care activities," the statement
emphasized. "The incinerator is the only internationally approved technology for
treating cytotoxic waste, which can only be disposed of through incineration at
extremely high temperatures. Cytotoxic waste should never be mixed with other
waste and should never be landfilled nor treated with other types of waste. In
addition, the present incinerator at AUBMC, which is currently functional but
emitting higher levels of smoke, is in the process of being upgraded to a new
one which meets the highest standards of a more efficient and environmentally
friendly incinerator," the AUBMC statement reassured. "The American University
of Beirut will be working closely with the Ministry of Public Health and the
Ministry of Environment to improve the standards of healthcare waste management
at AUB and at the national level," the statement concluded.
دانا خريش وأرسلان شهلا/موقع بلومبرغ: ظاهرة توزيع صناديق
التبرعات التابعة لحزب الله تُظهر أن عقوبات ترامب تؤذي إيران
Hezbollah Donation Boxes Show Trump’s Sanctions Are Hurting Iran
Dana Khraiche and Arsalan Shahla/Bloomberg/April 29/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/74353/%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7-%D8%AE%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D9%88%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%85%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9-%D8%A8%D9%84%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%BA-%D8%B8%D8%A7/
Hezbollah’s on a fund-raising drive and wants everyone in its Lebanese
strongholds to be able to contribute.
The militant group’s donation boxes, for years placed in shops across Beirut
neighborhoods and southern towns, are now also fixed to street poles and have
proliferated following an appeal from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for
greater assistance.
“Public support is needed,” the 58-year-old had said bluntly in one of his
regular televised addresses in early March.
Nasrallah knows well that Hezbollah’s social programs and military operations
overseas don’t come cheap. But he was also anticipating the Trump
administration’s decision this week to dramatically tighten its sanctions on oil
exports from Iran, the Lebanese movement’s main financial and military backer. A
U.S. official estimated that assistance at $700 million each year.
The U.S. announcement that it wouldn’t renew waivers enabling a handful of
countries to buy sizable quantities of crude from Iran was part of its push to
roll back the Islamic Republic’s influence across the Middle East, from Syria to
Yemen. There are few signs it’s succeeding, and analysts say the latest American
measures are unlikely to force Iran to immediately shrink its footprint in
regional conflicts.
But the steps will add to already daunting challenges facing the country’s
rulers as they seek to steady a nose-diving economy and maintain support for
allies. Hence Nasrallah’s concern.
Trump’s ‘Zero’ Pledge on Iran Oil Sales Tests Key Relationships
U.S. sanctions have already slashed Iran’s oil revenue and helped trigger a 60
percent fall in the value of the rial over a year. Shortages, in meat, medicine,
even gasoline in some regions, are spreading. Inflation, which fell
significantly following the 2015 international accord that opened Iran’s economy
for business, is again close to 40 percent. The International Monetary Fund says
Iran is staring at its deepest recession since 2012, when U.S. sanctions imposed
under Barack Obama peaked.
“The level of financial pain that they will face with this level of sanctions is
unprecedented,” said Matthew Bey, senior global analyst at Texas-based advisory
firm Stratfor Enterprises. “I do not think we can rule out a humanitarian crisis
emerging if they cannot access enough hard currency to maintain food imports.”
Patience, Bluster or Escalation: How Iran Might Respond to Trump
President Donald Trump re-introduced punitive measures last year after pulling
the U.S. out of the 2015 deal that gave Iran major sanctions relief in return
for curbing its nuclear program.
European powers opposed his campaign, and have created a workaround mechanism
that aims to protect trade with Iran. Their solidarity wasn’t enough to save the
livelihood of one 42-year-old Iranian, Alireza. He’s been unemployed since
losing his job with a French company in August. As with many Iranians wary of
talking to foreign media, he asked to be identified by first name only.
“The news is unnerving and shows the U.S. wants to put more pressure than
before,” he said of the decision to scrap oil waivers. “I expect to see higher
inflation and a more difficult life for everyone.”
Iranian officials have so far struck a defiant tone.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said U.S. actions “won’t go
unanswered,” while Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, in a speech to
parliament, declared the U.S. would fail in its stated ambition of eliminating
all of Iran’s oil exports.
‘Break’ Sanctions
Zanganeh vowed to “act wholeheartedly to break U.S. sanctions.” In the past,
Iran has resorted to discounts, bartering and smuggling to salvage some of its
oil income. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that it’s holding “intensive
consultations” in the region and beyond to limit the impact of waivers being
scrapped. China objected to the U.S. unilateral action, while India vowed to
keep pushing for relief to buy Iranian oil.
Iran has strengthened economic ties with neighboring Iraq, where multiple
militias maintain close links with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. And
it’s exporting natural gas to Turkey, and has similar agreements with Armenia
and Azerbaijan. Iran’s closest Arab ally, Syria, hasn’t done so well. Iraq won’t
allow Iranian oil to be driven across its territory to the Assad regime in
Damascus, probably fearing U.S. retaliation.
Stratfor’s Bey said history suggested tighter sanctions on Iran would do little
to diminish its enthusiasm for supporting regional partners.
Help to Marry
While that could change, Iranian rulers have plenty of reasons to stick with
hired guns like Hezbollah. For one, Tehran relies on its “asymmetric warfare
capabilities to deter the U.S. and its allies from engaging in a direct conflict
against Iran,” Bey said by email.
The U.S. Treasury broadened sanctions last year targeting Hezbollah’s financial
network in the Middle East and Africa in a bid to crack down on revenue streams
the U.S. says the group uses to fund terrorist activities.
Supporters interviewed in Beirut and southern Lebanon said Hezbollah’s
struggling to pay members and has reduced some benefits, including money for
those needing help to marry.
A Lebanese vegetable seller said for now anger is directed at the U.S., not
Hezbollah. “But for how long?” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity to
discuss a sensitive subject. “There is this cake that you have to distribute to
a certain number of people and this cake is getting smaller, what do you
expect?”
For Iran the crisis is more challenging at home, where the ruling establishment
has faced sporadic unrest for 18 months as living standards deteriorated with
the currency collapse.
And there’s every likelihood things will get tougher. Trump thinks “that Obama
was too soft,” said Robert Ford, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria who’s now a
professor at Yale University. “Expect not less American pressure, expect more.”
Saudi Writers: A Confrontation With Hizbullah Has Become A
Necessity;
Lebanon Cannot Fight It Alone
ميمري: صحافيون سعوديون: المواجهة مع حزب الله أصبحت ضرورة ولبنان لا يقدر أن يحارب
وحده
MEMRI/April 29/2019
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In a March 22, 2019 joint press conference in Beirut with Lebanese Foreign
Minister Gebran Bassil, U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo said that "Lebanon and
the Lebanese people face a choice: Bravely move forward as an independent and
proud nation or allow the dark ambitions of Iran and Hizbullah to dictate your
future," adding that Hizbullah "defies the state and the people of Lebanon
through a terrorist wing committed to spreading destruction."[1]
Saudi Arabia welcomed these statements by Pompeo, and the Saudi press published
articles condoning the curbing of Hizbullah's power. Some of the articles stated
that, in light of this organization's terrorist actions, its strength and its
deployment in the region and the world, a confrontation with it has become an
unavoidable necessity. The articles also claimed that, since Lebanon is in the
iron grip of this organization, it is unable to confront it on its own, and
therefore the campaign against it must be an international one. Avoiding this
confrontation, they said, will endanger not only Lebanon but the region and the
world.
The following are excerpts from two articles in this vein:
Former Al-Sharq Al-Awsat Editor: An International Confrontation With Hizbullah
Has Become An Unavoidable Necessity
Salman Al-Dosari, a former editor of the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat,
wrote that a confrontation with Hizbullah, whose activity relies not on support
within Lebanon but on Iran's foreign support, has become a necessity, and that
avoiding this confrontation would be the greatest danger for Lebanon. He wrote:
"For many years, Hizbullah strongly felt that it enjoyed a measure of immunity
and an exemption from accountability, and that it could act without bearing
responsibility for its aggression and terror. This was due to the superpowers'
reluctance to hold it responsible for its actions [despite the fact that] it
resembles a terror organization more than a political party... But [ultimately,
the policy of non-]confrontation with Hizbullah could not last, considering the
weight of the evidence indicating its criminal activities inside and outside
Lebanon. The countries of Europe gradually began to classify it as a terrorist
party, while the U.S. had done so long before them. Finally, the excuse of 'the
political reality' and of [Hizbullah's] membership in the Lebanese government
collapsed, and [this] party's confrontation with the world became overt.
"[Today] it is no longer possible to deceive the world that [this] party is an
element that Lebanon's political arena cannot live without. [True,] Hizbullah
has undeniable weight in this arena... but [this weight] is not based on
political support inside [Lebanon], but rather on the considerable support of
Iran. [This support] has enabled [Hizbullah] to gain significant military power,
which it uses to threaten its rivals within Lebanon's political parties and
currents, and has also enabled it to provide considerable support on the ground
to the Syrian regime... [although] no political body in any country has any
business [doing this].
"Therefore, Lebanon now faces the inevitable fate of a genuine international
confrontation with Hizbullah, aimed at turning it back into a normal country.
This scenario cannot not be realized [by elements] inside Lebanon, so the option
of growing external pressure [on Hizbullah] has become the only option. For it
is no longer possible to accept the paradox of a party that has military power
and carries out illegal actions while forming part of the government...
"Nobody can confront Hizbullah from inside [Lebanon], so a confrontation with
external [forces] has become the only feasible option for preserving not only
Lebanon's stability and borders but also the stability of the region and the
world. Avoiding a confrontation with Hizbullah poses a real danger, since, as
the Lebanese themselves constantly reiterate, this party is not just a
state-within-a-state in Lebanon. [The problem] has become even worse: Lebanon is
becoming a small state within the state of Hizbullah. But evidence indicates
that this erroneous equation, which has persisted for decades, cannot survive
indefinitely, and that a confrontation with Hizbullah has become an unavoidable
necessity."[2]
Saudi Journalist: The Campaign Against Hizbullah Will Be A Long One, Which
Lebanon Cannot Wage Alone
Similar arguments were made by journalist Fares bin Hizam, a columnist for the
Al-Hayat daily. He wrote that, given Hizbullah's iron grip on Lebanon's centers
of power and the scope of its activity – which far transcends Lebanon's borders
and reaches multiple states in the Middle East and even in Europe – Lebanon
itself is no longer able to restrain Hizbullah on its own, so the struggle
against it must be broader. He added that the struggle to ultimately dismantle
and eliminate Hizbullah will be a long one, carried out in phases.
He wrote: "Lebanon is still far from ready to stage a revolution against
Hizbullah. This militia will not be restrained before America's international
action [against it] finds support in Beirut [itself], among the parties allied
with [Hizbullah], the forces that treat it with leniency, the authorities, and
also the public... The campaign will be a long one, and the U.S. must realize
this, for this organization, like a worsening disease, is eroding every part of
the country: the presidency of the republic, the prime minister's [office], the
military and the security [forces]. None of their leaders can raise his head
without the permission of the chief terrorist [Hizbullah].
"Hizbullah thinks it is running Lebanon like a chess game between two players...
One player is Hizbullah [itself], and the other is [composed of] Lebanon's 16
sects, which Hizbullah carefully manipulates and subjugates to its doctrine
using murderous threats and verbal intimidation. It does not need to depose any
of these [leaders], for they have already succumbed to [its] force and to the
decree of fate. The [Hizbullah] militia has won the game, and now has a
president [Michel 'Aoun] who does not lift a finger [against it], a prime
minister [Sa'd Al-Hariri], who is pursuing a convoluted policy and keeps
changing direction without [managing to] change his status one whit, and a
corrupt parliament speaker [Nabih Berri] who sees nothing beyond his own
[interests]. Only the head of the Lebanese Forces party [Samir Geagea is still]
standing strong, on his own, waiting for the decree of God or for international
support...
"The problem of Hizbullah transcends [the borders of] Lebanon, and confronting
it is beyond its ability... [Therefore,] it is not enough to halt or confine [Hizbullah's
influence] to the [Lebanese] republic. There must be a broad confrontation with
it that will not allow any country in the region to provide this militia with
economic, political or media [assistance as a] way out [of its crisis].
[Currently,] this militia openly finds a way out in Iraq, Syria, Qatar, Kuwait
and Turkey, and covertly [finds a way out] in central and eastern Europe – for
Europe is still a convenient theatre [of operation] for its cells...
"The long journey [of confrontation with Hizbullah] must be carried out in
stages and stick to viable strategies. Each stage involves several goals that
will [help to] dismantle this entity, which enjoys the external support [of
Iran], and turn its popular support base back towards the homeland. This will be
a long journey, since the Iranian ship is anchored firmly in Lebanon and is
unperturbed by the small waves [of opposition], and nothing is pushing its
passengers to jump from its deck..."[3]
https://makkahnewspaper.com/uploads/images/2019/04/03/1040726.jpg
April 3, 2019 cartoon in Saudi Makkah daily: "Hizbullah" controls the "Lebanese
parliament"
[1] State.gov, March 22, 2019.
[2] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), March 24, 2019.
[3] Al-Hayat (Dubai), March 26, 2019.
Samir Geagea: Lebanon cannot be effective as long as Hezbollah is armed
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Sunday, 28 April 2019
Lebanon cannot be as effective and strong as a state as long as Hezbollah
continues to be armed, the head of the Lebanese Forces Party Samir Geagea told
Al Arabiya in a wide-ranging interview.
“The truce exists because I have a firm belief that with Hezbollah’s weapons,
there can be no effective Lebanese state as strong as we want,” Geagea told Al
Arabiya’s Rima Maktabi.
Regarding the recent sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran, Geagea said
he expected a decline in the funding of Hezbollah as an armed group.
“The tougher the sanctions the more it will be reflected in the funding of
Hezbollah as it appears on the Lebanese arena,” he said, while adding that he
predicts the group will suffer in its overall influence.
“Even though a huge part of Hezbollah is driven by ideology, doctrine and
religious sentiment, we are talking about tens of thousands of people who are
receiving salaries, social institutions, and a lot of aid. Consequently, it will
have its effect,” he said.
Geagea also spoke on the situation in neighboring Syria, saying that he expects
the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s if the Iranians and the Russians decide to
eventually withdraw from the conflict.
“The equation is well known, the power in Syria is in the hands of the Iranians,
the Russians, the Americans and the Turks consequently we cannot talk about the
presence of a state in Syria,” the leader of the Lebanese Forces Party said.
Below is the full transcript of Al Arabiya’s interview with Samir Geagea:
Welcome to this special interview with Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea
Thanks for having me.
Welcome. Let’s start with the regional files. Although we have a lot to talk to
you about the affairs of Lebanon and the world; Syria, Iran and Hezbollah are on
the verge of a new package of sanctions. In your opinion, what impact does this
have on Lebanon?
There is no direct impact, but there will be an indirect effect by virtue of our
presence in the region itself, but I do not think it will be significant.
Will Hezbollah’s funding remain the same with Iran, which is burdened with
economic troubles?
Of course, it won’t. The tougher the sanctions the more it will be reflected in
the funding of Hezbollah as it appears on the Lebanese arena.
Will Hezbollah lose influence if funding is weak or will it not affect militias?
Of course, it will. Even though a huge part of Hezbollah is driven by ideology,
doctrine and religious sentiment, we are talking about tens of thousands of
people who are receiving salaries, social institutions, and a lot of aid,
consequently it will have its effect.
In your opinion, what is the future of the party in Lebanon since it has become
an important part of the Lebanese government?
There is no future for the party or any party except adhering within the
framework of the Lebanese constitution and the exercise of its role as a
political party like others. Anything else and even from our experience as
Lebanese forces, although they are not identical, ultimately anything illegal is
doomed, only law prevail and by that I mean that in any state the army and the
security forces hold weapons and the strategic decision should be in within the
framework of the legitimate government. Anything other than that can last for a
year or two or five or ten or twenty as in our case, but in the end, things must
return to their natural state.
So, after how many years?
Nobody knows. The important thing is that we are persistent. From the first
moment, we have sought this, and you know the difficult circumstances, but I do
not doubt for a moment that this illegal situation will end and therefore the
status of Hezbollah cannot continue as it is.
Unless Iran’s regime changes, can Lebanon be free from Iranian interference?
There is no doubt that the current Iranian regime with its existence, especially
with its theory of exporting the revolution, caused unrest in many Arab
countries starting with Yemen and not ending in Lebanon. But if you want to talk
about Lebanon, the country has the elements of constitutional life and has
enough history to overcome these challenges, even if the regime as a whole does
not fall in Iran. Some may say that Lebanon and the Lebanese didn’t resist
enough in the sense that we followed Hezbollah, but in my opinion, we cannot
dismiss what happened so far, it may not have reached our ambitions but sooner
or later. We will be able to build an actual state in Lebanon where the state
and only the state hold the strategic decision and the arms.
Frankly, there is an impression in the Arab world that Lebanon has become the
state of Hezbollah and that Lebanon is in the realm of Iran.
This is absolutely false, there are many facts even if small that indicate this;
almost a month ago, a supreme council for the trial of presidents and ministers
was formed within the parliament. Hezbollah tried to include a member, MP Albert
Mansur and failed while another deputy from March 14th won the election along
with Eli Hanakash of the Kataeb Party.
But the government was only formed when Hezbollah got everything it wanted and
the Lebanese presidency can ensure Hezbollah’s interest?
Honestly, disabling the presidency cannot be assessed in the same way. Hezbollah
was not the only party involved. Hezbollah and its immediate allies were not
able to disrupt the presidential elections, but it was the large bloc of the
Free Patriotic Movement who disrupted the process to be able to deliver his
candidate to the presidency of the Republic. Consequently, there are many times
where there is a kind of intersection of interests between Hezbollah, its allies
and other Lebanese parties which can give the impression that Hezbollah alone is
leading the disruption, but in any position where there are no shared interests
we can see that Hezbollah and its immediate allies are a minority and not a
majority.
Does Hezbollah’s heavy involvement in the government mean that it has begun to
prepare itself for its purely political role in Lebanon, and not only in the
military?
I do not know what you mean by heavy involvement, in reality Hezbollah only has
three ministers as direct allies; with three ministers and two other allies
present in the Gebran Bassil bloc. The Future Movement alone has six ministers
and a prime minister so who has the greater influence? The movement of the
president has 10 ministers. Sometimes we tend to mix things together.
But there is sometimes a sense that Hezbollah is hiding behind the Amal movement
in many cabinet posts.
Yes, in certain strategic issues I agree with you as in tactical matters both
related to the administration of the state and some other things and this is
witnessed all the times at the table of the Council of Ministers and the House
of Representatives. The rule is to agree, but this rule does not always prevail.
So you declared a truce with Hezbollah and its weapon?
No, not fighting all the time does not mean a truce, and one should not fight
north and right without a reason. But the truce exists because I have a firm
belief that with Hezbollah’s weapons there can be no effective Lebanese state as
strong as we want.
There is the impression that you formed a government in which all the Lebanese
political parties participated, except for the Kataeb Party, therefore with no
real opposition in Lebanon, as if you ignored Hezbollah’s weapons under the
slogan of the economic concern of the Lebanese citizen.
First of all, it is not under the slogan of economic concern because these are
actual economic factors that lead to deterioration of the situation to
undesirable consequences and therefore this is essential.
In a deal between all the political parties?
Among many political parties
Are you among them?
Never, not for a moment or within a subject, that is why we are free to oppose
or support any position, and no one can accuse us of anything because there is
nothing to be said.
Economically speaking, there is a feeling that Lebanon is safe and a lot of
Lebanese officials have called on tourists to come to Lebanon on Al Arabiya and
Al Hadath’s screens, but there is the impression that the country is on the
verge of economic collapse or social revolution; to what extent can that be
tolerated?
I do not think we are on the brink of a social revolution on of economic
collapse like that of the Great Depression, either. The country has entered into
enormous financial and economic difficulties, but this is something and the
popular revolution is something else. If the necessary measures are not taken,
it is possible that the government will witness difficult days.
Will these measures be at the expense of the Lebanese citizen? There was talk
about the deduction of pensions and the rise in the price of gasoline.
There are a lot of steps involved. All of these steps are being discussed. At
present, we will not take a position before we see the entire picture, but for
us we have to start with huge financial possibilities and then go down to some
small economic possibilities so we can evaluate the situation. We do not agree
with rising gasoline prices and we will not be forced to do so if we deal with
the problem adequately.
The impression on the street is that the Lebanese officials enjoy a very
luxurious life, there are stories that tell about the deals of electricity to
the benefit of political parties and organs in Lebanon, there is also talk about
oil companies founded on behalf of political parties, there is a sense of
distrust which is present at the grassroots of all the supporters of political
parties.
We share this impression with the people. There is real corruption in a large
part of the political class, in terms of electricity it is no longer a
presumption since we touched it in many places, but in relation to oil there is
nothing tangible at the moment. We are following all leads to know what
happened. But let me say that because of the general situation as a whole, we
are able, even if we were 4 out of 30, to face in the cabinet and stand up to
supposed deals.
Welcome back again in this special interview with Lebanese Forces Party leader
Samir Geagea.
There is an impression that the region is on the verge of a security agitation.
First of all, the US sanctions against Iran, the performance and the actions of
the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and the other threat is Israel which we will
discuss later. Do you fear an attack on the Strait of Hormuz as reaction from
the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in areas where they enjoy influence such as
Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen?
Let me just give an idea of the region as I see it. The American confrontation
with its allies and Iran with its allies as well is a serious confrontation that
I do not consider temporary, interim or tactical. I see it until further notice
as going all the way and not necessarily with a military stage. The proof is
what we heard in the past few days, essentially that the exceptions given by the
Americans in the first stage regarding Iranian oil will stop, which means that
from now to the third or fourth of May there will be a big problem in the export
of any Iranian oil, this will increase tension in the region. In this context,
with the tightening on the Iranian economy, Iran can react at any time because
the economy is equal to the military and security.
At any given time, Iran can make an uncalculated reaction somewhere. The
Iranians are generally careful, but no one knows. In my estimation and I take
the case of the Strait of Hormuz, if any Iranian reaction is misplaced, it will
go down easily because the general atmosphere is that of escalation on all
levels.
Is Lebanon an ally of the Gulf states or that of Iran?
Lebanon adopts a foreign policy called the policy of self-distancing and we as a
state are committed to it.
This policy is not very convincing by the way.
I can give you several examples of the state’s commitment to this policy, some
sides inside the state, such as Hezbollah, for example and from time to time,
the foreign minister, unfortunately, do not comply, but the state as a state is
committed that’s why I see that the situation in Lebanon is calm.
What about the relationship with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the Arab countries?
At the present time, the relationship is very normal, it is true that has not
restored the 1990- 2010 amicable state, but normal relations have returned at
the present time. In addition to the fact that the Gulf whether Saudi Arabia or
the UAE have other pressing concerns than Lebanon, the most important of which
is Yemen today.
The other threat is Israel, with the signature of the US president, the occupied
Syrian Golan was made an Israeli territory.
It’s not possible.
This is America and it can do whatever it wants.
This is on his paper, in some things even America cannot do anything. Jerusalem
and the Golan Heights are not a declaration made by the American president.
Lebanon did not draw its borders with Syria and therefore we have Lebanese land
on Syrian paper and the Syrians refused to demarcate the border in the past.
Honestly, the Syrian regime is a situation that we have been suffering from for
over 50 years. It came to the point where Lebanon was occupied as a whole by
Syria and you are talking to me about the demarcation of the borders which is
the latest of our problems, in addition to the problem of Lebanese prisoners in
Syrian prisons and the Lebanese missing persons. Yes, we have a problem on this
level with the regime in Syria, but I do not think that this regime will
continue and I am awaiting a new Syrian state.
Some experts believe that the war with Israel is inevitable?
I’m not saying that. The situation in the region is open to all possibilities,
but that does not mean that the war is coming inevitably.
Hezbollah is your partner in the government. Do they have to talk to the
government before any military operation on the border?
Of course, this is our opinion, but if you ask me whether it will take our
opinion or not is something else and our position will be different as well.
This is what can be done with politics
Regarding Syria, did Bashar al-Assad win?
Not at all, everyone believes this wrong idea.
Will he return to the international community?
He will never return to the international community.
Lebanon has officially called for Syria’s return to the League of Arab States.
No, not officially, but Minister Gebran Bassil as a partisan. The Lebanese
government has another opinion.
President Michel Aoun was at the Arab summit and he called for the return of
Syria.
He can demand, but not formally, the official position comes from the Council of
Ministers. He made no decision and even pledged not to intervene in this regard.
Bashar al-Assad’s regime restored areas in Syria and controlled most of them.
The Iranian forces present in Syria are ones who regained these areas with the
help of the Russians, the Assad regime did not recover anything. The Assad
regime in itself will collapse if the Iranians and the Russians withdrew
together. The equation is well known, the power in Syria is in the hands of the
Iranians, the Russians, the Americans and the Turks consequently we cannot talk
about the presence of a state in Syria.
Russia says it is the protector of the Christian minority in the Middle East,
are you comfortable as the head of a Christian party in general that there is a
great force two or three hours away from Beirut?
Frankly, we do not feel at any moment that we are a minority in the region, we
are indigenous to the land. Also, when we need to defend ourselves, we defend
ourselves and do not need someone to protect us. As for Russia as a protector of
minorities, I do not see it. As the policy of every major country, Russia
protects its interests in the Middle East and they act accordingly, they do not
sacrifice their interests for the sake of minorities or majorities. We have seen
for the last 7 years that the majorities are those who need protection in the
region and not minorities.
In what sense?
Syria, for example, was the victim of the most casualties.
Sunni people?
Yes, the war is no longer between Christians and Muslims or between the
majorities and minorities, the war is between other parties, let’s call them
moderate and extremist.
A quick look at the regional countries like Algeria, Sudan, Yemen, how do you
see Lebanon and the surrounding countries?
What’s happening in Sudan, Algeria and Yemen is another issue.
In Yemen, there is a Houthi minority not to be confused with the Yazidis.
Unfortunately, Iran gave them much importance, as such circumstances helped that
they make certain alliances with the late President Ali Abdullah Saleh and we
all know how that ended so Yemen is an entirely different problem.
As far as Sudan and Algeria are concerned, what is happening now is similar to
what happened in Lebanon in 2005, it reveals a certain degree of civilization
and progress despite the difficult situation in these countries. I wish that
these popular revolutions reach their happy ends. They have made great strides
but they still have other challenges which I hope they will peacefully pass.
If I were to briefly ask you, what is the problem of Lebanon?
Many problems beginning with its geographical location. I remember that one of
the artists in Lebanon was asked what she wanted for the country, she said that
she hoped that it can be transferred from its place to a completely different
location as opposed to between Israel on the one hand and Assad’s Syria, not
Syria on the other. If we start with the geographical problem we can reach the
composition of the country, Lebanon is a group of groups. Unlike what some think
that Lebanon always has problems, I congratulate the people and Lebanon on the
ability of these groups to live with each other in an explosive situation in the
region at the moment.
In addition to that we have a political backwardness, a large group of political
class that no one envies so we have many problems, not just one.
Are the displaced Syrian a problem?
They are a big problem at the present time, and we cannot afford it because it
is certain that Bashar al-Assad does not want them for well-known strategic and
demographic reasons.
The only solution is that the Lebanese government cooperates with the Russians
which will require Russia to establish safe areas because Russia is capable of
doing so.
It seems that Russia did not accept President Michel Aoun’s proposal and we did
not hear of any radical decisions. It has been said that it can take up to 20
years from now for the political agreement and the reconstruction.
Frankly, I do not know exactly what the President of the Republic proposed, and
if this issue has been discussed in depth or just pitched.
He did not inform you as a government?
No, but in any case, the delegation’s composition does not suggest that the
issue is about the displaced.
Can the Syrian displaced go back while his home is destroyed and his life in
danger?
Do you think that the displaced living in Lebanon has a nice house and lives
safely? Therefore, we demand safe areas and the same conditions of life as they
have here, but this requires serious consideration between the Lebanese
government and Russia because they are the only ones capable of doing so.
Are you saying this because you are afraid of the demographic structure in
Lebanon, the Sunnis are becoming a majority?
From all aspects, Lebanon has a demographic population of 4 million people and
cannot afford a million and a quarter Syrian displaced with all their economic
weight, the infrastructure, the demographics and all factors.
Personal question, will you ever be president of the Republic of Lebanon?
It does not matter, I do hope so, but there is a beautiful Arabic saying that
says the joy of striving towards a certain goal is totally equal to the pleasure
of reaching it.
It is important that we do what we need to do from any position with all honesty
and integrity.
The political faces in Lebanon have not changed since the days of the Lebanese
war and many of them participated in this war. Why do we feel that Samir Geagea
was not forgiven for his past while the rest of those who participated in the
war were not held accountable while you were in jail?
The first thing is that I do not have a past that needs forgiveness. This is the
invention of the regime of Bashar al-Assad when he was in Lebanon and wanted to
put an end to the last box opposing him by inventing a past based on our
participation in the war and I think that the criminal is the one who did not
participate. Criminality is when your people are exposed and you do not
participate in the war. I was in my last year of medical studies and left to
defend them and I became a criminal. This is all the invention of the regime of
Bashar Assad and the trials he did in this regard. Others were not held
accountable because we did not attack them when we should have.
Has the Christian parties that participated in the war been demonized more than
others?
Of course, I repeat that this is the act of the Syrian regime, which considered
itself victorious in this war and demonized all those who were against it, not
because they were committing a mistake but because they were against it.
Have you been wronged?
I do not see it like that and I consider it in the context of confrontation that
began in 1975 with the Syrian regime and is still going on to this day and will
continue until its fall.
Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published
on April 29-30/19
Five Dead in Burkina Church Attack
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 29/19/Five people including a
pastor died in an attack on a church in Burkina Faso, security and local sources
said Monday in a country which has seen a surge in killings blamed on
jihadists.Sunday's assault in the small northern town of Silgadji was the first
on a church in the impoverished west African nation. "Unidentified armed
individuals have attacked the Protestant church in Silgadji killing four members
of the congregation and the pastor. At least two other people are missing," a
security source told AFP.
France says it has foiled terrorist act, suspects held in custody
Reuters, Paris/Monday, 29 April 2019/France has foiled a
terrorist act and is holding four suspects in custody, said the French interior
minister and a police source on Monday. The police source said the four suspects
had been arrested on suspicion of acquiring weapons “with a view to committing a
terrorist act”. “We had sufficient evidence to lead us to believe that a major
attack was being planned,” Interior Minister Christophe Castaner also told
reporters on Monday.
Iran Sanctions, Unrest Hit Mideast Growth, Says IMF
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 29/19/US sanctions on Iran,
rising unrest in the Middle East and North Africa and oil price volatility are
dragging regional economic growth, the International Monetary Fund said Monday.
The IMF warned in a bi-annual economic outlook report that prospects for the
region are "clouded by elevated levels of uncertainty". "Such uncertainty may
increase investors' perception of risk for the whole region, leading to capital
outflows and exchange rate pressure," the global lender said. The IMF forecasts
the economy in Iran, the second largest in the region behind Saudi Arabia, will
shrink by 6.0 percent this year after contracting by 3.9 percent in 2018. The
bad news for Tehran comes after the United States reimposed sanctions last year
following its withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear accord. Jihad Azour, IMF
Middle East and Central Asia director, said the dire projection was made before
the US tightened up measures targeting Iran's oil industry last week -- meaning
the pain could get even worse. Azour told AFP that sanctions have already pushed
inflation in Iran to around 50 percent. Iran's woes have a knock-on effect on
regional figures.
Overall regional economic growth was expected to remain subdued at 1.3 percent
this year from 1.4 percent in 2018. For oil exporters growth was down at 0.4
percent for 2019, while importing countries were expected to increase at 3.6
percent this year, from 4.2 percent in 2018. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
countries -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates -- were forecast to slightly buck the trend, improving to 2.1 percent
growth from 2.0 in 2018. The IMF said economic growth in the broader region was
negatively impacted by rising conflict, corruption, slow reforms, high levels of
debt and continued oil price fluctuations. "Social tensions are rising in the
context of lower growth and reform fatigue, threatening macroeconomic
stability," it said. After the first wave of Arab Spring uprisings in 2011, the
region is now witnessing fresh upheaval in Algeria and Sudan and fighting
intensified in Libya and Yemen. As a result, reforms in the region have become
more urgent to decrease dependence on oil and create millions of jobs,
especially for the youth. "For oil exporters, they are important to be less
dependent on the volatility of oil price and for diversifying their economies,"
Azour said. He said reforms are also vital for oil importers to face a rising
level of debt which has reached over 80 percent of GDP on average. The region,
in addition to Pakistan and Afghanistan, needs to create some 25 million jobs
over the next five years to maintain current unemployment rates, he said. For
the GCC countries that figure stands at 5 million.
Iranians Evacuate After Unidentified Aircraft Seen In East Syria
Jerusalem Post/April 29/2019/Local sources told Deir EzZor 24
that the aircraft were not Russian, Iranian or Syrian. A large presence of
military vehicles has been reported in the area since the aircraft were spotted.
Iran began evacuating headquarters in the Deir al-Zor region in eastern Syria on
Sunday after unidentified aircraft flew over the area for 30 minutes, local news
agency Deir EzZor 24 reported. Local sources told Deir EzZor 24 that the
aircraft were not Russian, Iranian or Syrian. A large presence of military
vehicles has been reported in the area since the aircraft were spotted. The
sources stated that the aircraft did not carry out any attacks, but just circled
the area for 30 minutes and then left. No shots were fired at the planes. The
incident comes amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran surrounding the
Strait of Hormuz.
Airstrike Hits Largest Russian Base in Syria
London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 29 April, 2019/Intense bombs shook at Sunday's
dawn the city of Jableh in the countryside of Latakia, where sources confirmed
the attacks were caused by drones that tried to drop unguided bombs on the
largest military Russian airbase in Hmeimim. The Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights said there is still no information about the volume of losses until the
moment. This came following a similar attack that took place 48 hours earlier
when violent explosions were heard in the Jableh area last Friday. Sources told
the Observatory that "Jihadi groups" targeted the Hmeimim military airfield with
explosions, but the Russian Forces intercepted the missiles. Sunday’s attack
comes about 3 months after militants had targeted the same area with explosions.
In total, the Syrian Observatory documented 22 attacks launched by drones on the
area, some of which were able to target the Hmeimim Airbase and cause material
damage. It noted that at least 13 attacks targeted the Airbase during July 2018.
However, it said other attacks failed to reach their targets after being
intercepted by the air defense systems that are responsible for the protection
and security of the Russian Airbase.
Observers believe that any calm witnessed in the Hmeimim base is linked to
Russia's attempts to make parties sit at the negotiating table and to secure a
negotiable climate with better terms.
Iran drone video of American carrier appears ‘years old,’ according to US
Navy
AFP, Washington/Monday, 29 April 2019/Footage of an American aircraft carrier in
the Gulf which Iran claimed it shot with a drone in the Gulf appears to be
“several years old,” the US Navy has said. The video was shot by a military
drone, Iran’s Tasnim news agency claimed on Sunday in a report on its website,
and published some of the imagery from the surveillance flight. “The footage the
Iranians recently released... appears to be several years old, and of the last
deployment to the Arabian Gulf by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69),” Lt.
Chloe Morgan, US Naval Forces Central Command spokesperson, told AFP in an
email. The video, which could not be independently verified, showed a light blue
drone of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards taking off from a desert base near the
sea, followed by imagery purportedly from its cameras of an escort ship and then
an aircraft carrier with planes parked on the deck. Tasnim did not identify the
vessels or say when the drone footage was shot, but in the video, the number
“69” is seen clearly on the aircraft carrier. The report comes during nearly
three weeks after Washington formally declared the Guards a “foreign terrorist
organization” and added it to a blacklist.
Iran retaliated swiftly by branding US troops “terrorists.”The Guards are an
ideological military force, operating in parallel to Iran’s regular army. Its
naval arm is tasked with Gulf security, including the strategic Strait of
Hormuz, a global shipping route routinely crossed by US forces.
IMF: Iran Inflation Could Hit 40 Percent
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 29 April, 2019/Iran’s economy is expected to shrink for
the second consecutive year and inflation could reach 40 percent, an
International Monetary Fund senior official said, as the country copes with the
impact of tighter sanctions imposed by the United States. Washington, which
re-imposed sanctions against Iran’s oil exports last November, this month
demanded buyers of Iranian oil to stop purchases by May or face sanctions,
ending six months of waivers which allowed Iran’s eight biggest buyers to
continue importing limited volumes. Iran’s economy shrank by 3.9 percent last
year, according to IMF estimates, and is expected to shrink by 6 percent in
2019, Jihad Azour, director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia
department, told Reuters adding, however, that the projection preceded the
latest elimination of waivers. “Clearly the re-imposition of sanctions and the
removal of the waivers will have additional negative impact on the Iranian
economy both in terms of growth and in terms of inflation, where inflation could
reach 40 percent or even more this year,” he said. US sanctions against Iran
have denied its government more than $10 billion in oil revenue, a US official
said earlier this month. The Iranian currency, the rial, lost more than 60
percent last year, disrupting Iran’s foreign trade and boosting annual
inflation. The Iranian rial official rate is set at 42,000 rials to the US
dollar, but its market rate stood at around 144,000 against the US dollar on
Sunday, according to foreign exchange website Bonbast.com. Iran should work to
eliminate the gap that currently exists between the market exchange rate and the
official exchange rate, said Azour. “By aligning the market and official rates
this will help tame and control inflation and will reduce pressure on the
exchange rate.”The currency’s slide, from levels around 43,000 at the end of
last year, has eroded the value of ordinary Iranians’ savings, triggering panic
buying of dollars. The weak currency and galloping inflation have been a
complaint of sporadic street protests since late 2017.
Khamenei Calls for Crackdown on Illegal Weapons in Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 29 April, 2019/Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called
on Sunday for a crackdown on illegal weapons after the shooting of a cleric. He
noted that easy access to guns in the United States served only a “mafia of gun
manufacturers.” “In some countries, such as the United States, weapons are
freely sold in the interest of the mafia of gun manufacturers and this causes
problems for the people,” he was quoted by his website as saying. “But in our
country there is no such problem and the sale of weapons is banned,” he told
senior police officials, adding that people must be prevented from obtaining
firearms illegally, Reuters reported. Police said on Sunday that the suspect in
the killing of a 46-year-old cleric in the western city of Hamedan had died in a
shootout with police. The suspect’s motive was unknown, Iranian media said. “The
killer ... of the cleric in Hamedan released images with four types of weapon on
his Instagram page. It is the duty of police to fight such cases,” Khamenei
added, calling for controls on social media. According to Reuters, guns are
strictly regulated in Iran but are available in some tribal and remote regions.
Poaching also occurs in protected areas.
Sri Lanka Catholic cardinal fears attacks probe may ‘flop’
AFP, Colombo/ April 29/2019/The head of Sri Lanka’s Roman Catholics Sunday
expressed fears that an official investigation into Easter bombings that killed
253 people will end up a “flop”, casting doubt on the government’s ability to
bring the attackers to justice. Speaking to reporters at his first public
appearance since last week’s attacks on churches and hotels, Cardinal Malcolm
Ranjith slammed what he described as Sri Lanka’s culture of impunity, saying
many high-profile assassinations over the past 30 years had remained largely
unsolved. “There is a certain amount of suspicion among our people that there
will be no more follow up, only words.... If they (the authorities) are sincere,
they must have a thorough investigation,” he said. The cardinal said he had
heard that President Maithripala Sirisena had appointed a commission of inquiry
into the massacre. “But we never heard if that commission had any sittings.
Nothing at all, we were never consulted. We are afraid that this commission
might just end up being a flop,” he said at a candlelight vigil organized by a
state-owned newspaper company. Police say they have arrested more than 150
people suspected to be involved with the coordinated suicide bombings that
devastated three luxury hotels and three churches, two of which are Roman
Catholic. The cardinal has repeatedly assailed the authorities for failing to
share intelligence reports that had warned of an impending jihadist attack
against Christians, saying he felt “betrayed” by the government. “If they warned
me, I would have cancelled the Easter services,” he said Sunday at a privately
televised mass after he ordered all Catholic church services to be suspended.
Sri Lanka Bans Face Veils After Easter Day Bombin Attacks
On Churches//Human Rights Watch condemned the ban.
Reuters/April 29/2019
Authorities in Sri Lanka on Monday banned women from wearing face veils under an
emergency law put in place after deadly Easter Sunday attacks by Islamist
militants. The measures would help security forces to identify people as a hunt
for any remaining attackers and their support network continues across the
Indian Ocean island, authorities said. But there are concerns within the Muslim
community that a prolonged ban could fuel tensions in the religiously-diverse
nation that emerged from a civil war with ethnic minority Tamil separatists a
decade ago. Officials have warned that the militants behind the April 21 suicide
bombings on hotels and churches that killed over 250 people were planning more
attacks, using a van and bombers disguised in military uniforms. "It is a
presidential order to ban any dress covering faces with immediate effect,"
Dharmasri Bandara Ekanayake, a spokesman for President Maithripala Sirisena,
told Reuters. Separately, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is feuding
with Sirisena, issued a statement saying he had asked the justice minister to
draft regulations to ban the burqa. The All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), the
top body of Islamic scholars in Sri Lanka, said they supported a short-term ban
on security grounds, but opposed any attempt to legislate against burqas."We
have given guidance to the Muslim women to not to cover their faces in this
emergency situation," ACJU assistant manager Farhan Faris said after the
scholars asked the government to drop plans for a law against the burqa and
niqab. "If you make it a law, people will become emotional and this will bring
another bad impact ... it is their religious right," he told Reuters.About 9.7
percent of Sri Lanka's roughly 22 million people are Muslim. Only a small
minority of women, usually in Muslim areas, fully hide their faces. Human Rights
Watch condemned the ban. "That needless restriction means that Muslim women
whose practice leads them to cover up now won't be able to leave home," the
group's executive director Kenneth Roth tweeted. In Kattankudy, the
Muslim-majority hometown of Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran, the suspected leader
of the militant group behind the attacks, there few women in the streets and
none had their faces covered. Two women declined to be interviewed by Reuters.
Residents said only a small percentage of women in the town wear the burqa.
Owais Ibrahim, a Muslim shopkeeper, said he supported a ban on face coverings
for security reasons. "If it is not allowed it is not a problem," he told
Reuters. "If we are living in Sri Lanka, we must respect their rules."
LNA Intensifies Strikes against Militias in Tripoli
Cairo – Khaled Mahmoud/Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 29 April,
2019/Four militants were killed and 20 wounded in the attacks. Witnesses and
military sources said that the raids targeted weapons and ammunition caches
belonging to the Nawasi brigades and the al-Qaaqaa camp. Residents spoke of a
major fire that erupted in the April 7 camp on the al-Sawani road in al-Qaaqaa
in southern Tripoli, confirming that the LNA had struck arms caches. Meanwhile,
Fayez al-Sarraj’s GNA circulated on Sunday a list of 64 senior LNA officers and
commander that it said were responsible for the Tripoli raids. Sarraj, in his
role as defense minister, tasked the military prosecutor to arrest and prosecute
these officials. The GNA had deemed as a “crime” the strikes on the capital,
warning that everyone involved will be wanted by the judiciary. Moreover, it
held the United Nations mission in Libya and the UN Security Council responsible
for remaining silent over the air strikes. The Special Deterrence Forces, which
is loyal to Sarraj, accused LNA commander Khlifa Haftar of resorting to foreign
jets to strike Tripoli. GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha said from Tunisia
that the government has evidence that foreign jets were involved in the attacks.
Meanwhile, the LNA dispatched a warship to the eastern Ras Lanuf port that is
located in the oil crescent region. Army spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said that
the vessel was on a training mission. The pro-GNA National Oil Corporation (NOC)
condemned the development, saying a number of gunmen, whose affiliation was not
known, had raided and captured the company’s runway. It firmly rejected the use
of oil facilities for military or political purposes.
Canada Renews Military Contribution In Egypt's Sinai Peninsula
Jerusalem Post /April 29/2019
An Islamist insurgency in the desolate, thinly populated Sinai Peninsula has
increased in violence and pace since the Egyptian military toppled President
Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Canadian government has renewed
Operation CALUMET, the Canadian military’s contribution to the Multinational
Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula and will be deploying 55
Canadian Armed Forces personnel. “Canada’s unwavering contribution to the
Multinational Force and Observers demonstrates its commitment to lasting peace
and security in the Middle East,” said Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Minister of
Foreign Affairs. The 1,600-strong peacekeeping force has been charged with
maintaining a decades-old buffer zone between Israel and Egypt since 1981 under
the direction of the MFO which supervises the implementation of the security
provisions of the Egyptian-Israel Peace Treaty signed in 1979. The MFO is
comprised of personnel from twelve nations: Australia, Canada, Colombia, the
Czech Republic, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of the Fiji
Islands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay. MFO Sinai is the
largest element of the MFO and is a joint organization with ground, air, and
naval elements, as well as civilian components.
Ottawa has contributed to the MFO based in Egypt’s El Gorah located just 10
kilometers south of the Israeli border since 1985. Under the renewed Operation
CALUMET, the Canadian delegation will include senior advisors, headquarters
staff, and experts in fields such as remote observation, logistics, engineering,
policing, and training. “These personnel serve in senior and highly-specialized
roles to support and enhance key MFO capabilities,” Canada’s Ministry of Defense
said in a statement, adding that under the renewal the Canadian contribution
will last until March 31, 2022.
“The renewal of Operation CALUMET demonstrates Canada’s long-standing support to
peace support operations in the Middle East. I am proud of the women and men of
the Canadian Armed Forces who are contributing to regional security and
stability while they participate in one of Canada’s longest ongoing
international commitments,” said Canada’s Minister of Defense Harjit S. Sajjan.
According to Canada’s Defense Ministry approximately 30 Canadian military police
officers supported the MFO Military Police Unit from March 2015 to March 2019.
They concluded their four-year mandate of leading the multinational unit
(Canada, Colombia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the United States) in the conduct of
policing duties in the North and South camps of the MFO on March 23 2019.
An Islamist insurgency in the desolate, thinly populated Sinai Peninsula has
increased in violence and pace since the Egyptian military toppled President
Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. Egyptian president Abdel
Fateh al-Sisi has waged extensive military operations against Islamic State
militants in Sinai, who despite the small size of the group in the peninsula is
considered by many to be one of the most effective ISIS franchises outside Syria
and Iraq and have carried out numerous deadly attacks on Egyptian security
forces. Israel has a 240-kilometer border with the restive Sinai peninsula and
Cairo and Jerusalem have been reported to have been closely cooperating in the
fight against militants since Sisi rose to power. According to foreign reports,
Israel has operated beyond its borders to thwart the smuggling of rockets into
the blockaded Gaza Strip, reportedly working with Egyptian forces in the Sinai
peninsula. In January CBS News aired an interview with Egyptian President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi in which he said that military cooperation between Egypt and
Israel has reached “unprecedented levels” in the Sinai Peninsula.
In Israel,the military censor has restricted reports of the cooperation and
following the interview with CBS’s Scott Pelley the channel was apparently
contacted by the Egyptian Ambassador and was told the interview could not be
aired.
African Union Dispatches Delegate to Sudan
Reuters/Monday, 29 April, 2019/Egyptian President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi poses for a photo with heads of several African states during a summit
to discuss Sudan and Libya, in Cairo, Egypt. The African Union (AU) has sent
special envoy Mauritanian diplomat Mohamed El-Hassan Ould Labbat to Sudan
following the political crisis the country has seen since the toppling of former
President Omar al-Bashir. The Union said that the new envoy is tasked with
providing African assistance to the efforts of the parties in order to lay the
foundations for an urgent democratic transitional phase in the country. The AU
stressed that this phase must end with the establishment of a democratic system
and civil governance in Sudan. By choosing Labbat as the envoy, the AU wants to
keep abreast of developments in Sudan, facilitate the transition and establish
communication between all parties. AU Commissioner Moussa Faki Mahamat had
visited Khartoum and held intensive meetings with the leaders of the ruling
transitional military council and the opposition forces. Mahamat had previously
granted the council 15 days to hand over power to civilians. The AU had held a
summit in Egypt on Tuesday and agreed to give Sudan’s ruling military council
two weeks to six months to hand over power to a civilian government - a key
opposition demand. Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, who holds the
rotating AU presidency, said that the meeting agreed on the need to deal with
the situation in Sudan by working to “quickly restore the constitutional system
through a political democratic process led and managed by the Sudanese
themselves”.“We agreed on the need to give more time to Sudanese authorities and
Sudanese parties to implement these measures,” he added. The presidents of Chad,
Djibouti, Rwanda, the Congo, Somalia and South Africa, the AU commissioner and
representatives of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria participated
in the Cairo summit. Mahamat warned that if Sudan’s military rulers fail to hand
over power to a civilian government by the end of the deadline, the country’s
membership in the Union will be suspended.
Saudi Arabia Condemns Meddling in Bahrain’s Affairs
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 29 April, 2019/Saudi Arabia condemned on Monday meddling
in the internal affairs of Bahrain. A source from the Foreign Ministry slammed
the interference and any attempt to undermine Bahrain’s sovereignty, security
and stability. He said that Saudi Arabia looks forward for the establishment of
strong ties between Bahrain and Iraq that are based on mutual respect and in a
manner that boosts regional security and stability.
Palestinian Authority Rejects Direct Arab Support to Hamas
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 29 April, 2019/The reconciliation between
Hamas movement and the Palestinian Authority (PA) has seen no development in the
past few weeks, according to informed Palestinian sources. The sources told
Asharq Al-Awsat that Fatah's position remains unaltered and that it had informed
the Egyptian leadership that there was no need for any dialogue with Hamas, but
rather it should implement the reconciliation agreement of 2017. The sources
pointed out that the policy of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, will restrict the
money that reaches Hamas. They indicated that the Authority does not want to
keep an ATM for Hamas and do not want any Arab funds to reach the movement
directly. The funds must come through the PA, because it's capable of employing
them to provide relief to Gaza Strip. Otherwise, it will be a direct support for
Hamas. A Fatah delegation recently visited Cairo and conveyed fears to Egypt
regarding the ceasefire in Gaza, especially the flow of money to Hamas. Fatah
has rejected suggestions from regional countries for a meeting of Palestinian
factions. Fatah says there won’t be any meeting with the Hamas and Islamic Jihad
movements before they recognize the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as
the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people, and there will
be no meetings regarding reconciliation. In the context, Secretary of the
Central Committee of Fatah, Major General Jibril al-Rajoub said that Hamas is
required to take practical steps to end the division. Rajoub noted that the
movement should do what's necessary to establish a national front based on
fortifying the national project based on an independent Palestinian state with
Jerusalem as its capital within the 1967 borders and the return of refugees. He
stressed that Hamas must first remove all forms of its authority in Gaza, return
the government to the Strip to carry out its duties and its responsibilities as
the Palestinian national government from Rafah to Jenin. Rajoub noted that the
concept of partnership is embodied in a genuine democratic process, such as the
recent elections of student councils in the universities of the West Bank.
Earlier, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said he was ready to meet with Abbas in
order to restore national unity in the face of the “deal of the century”. “Hamas
has no veto on any meeting that would ensure unity and end the division in order
to provide elements of perseverance and confrontation against the deal of the
century,” Haniyeh explained. “Reconciliation and unity are urgent demands... We
don’t want an alternative to the PLO,” he added. Haniyeh’s remarks on the PLO
were in response to previous accusations by its officials against Hamas. PLO
officials had previously said that the movement was seeking to form an
alternative to the organization. It had called on all Palestinian factions to
boycott a supreme body that Hamas has been trying to form on the pretext of
confronting the deal of the century.
Yazidi Spiritual Leaders Say Children of ISIS Rape Won’t Be
Accepted
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 29 April, 2019/The Yazidi Supreme Spiritual
Council said children born to Yazidi mothers raped by ISIS militants will not be
accepted into the Yazidi faith. The council had said earlier that all Yazidis
would be accepted back considering "what happened to them outside of their
will." It also sent a delegation to Syria to look for Yazidis who had escaped
ISIS. However, the council released a statement clarifying its previous comments
saying: “About the decision to accept the female survivors and children, we did
not mean the children born as a result of rape at all, but those who were born
from Yazidi parents and were kidnapped during the invasion of Sinjar by ISIS.”
ISIS slaughtered thousands of Yazidis and buried them in mass graves during its
Iraq and Syria invasion in 2014. Women were abducted and sold into sexual
slavery. Yazidis do not accept children within their community unless they are
born to Yazidi parents. There are no reliable figures for the number of Yazidi
children or for the number of unregistered children in the Iraqi departments
since 2014.
Turkey claims spy for UAE committed suicide in prison,
family suspects foul play
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 29 April 2019/A man held
by Turkey on suspicion of spying for the United Arab Emirates has died in
prison, with Istanbul’s prosecutor’s office stating that he allegedly hung
himself. But, in an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya, the Palestinian man’s
family members rejected the Turkish authorities’ statement, calling it “a mere
charade,” and accusing Turkey of killing him. Zakaria Mubarak, the brother of
the deceased Palestinian man Zaki Mubarak, said in an interview with Al Arabiya
that initially Turkish authorities claimed the two detained men were UAE
citizens. He added they later announced the men were Palestinian, which he said
proves that they are lying about his cause of death. In a telephone interview
with Al Arabiya from Bulgaria, Mubarak said he had contacted the Palestinian
ambassador in Ankara and informed him of the disappearance of his brother Zaki,
and his friend Samer Shaaban in April. “I told him that they disappeared from a
certain restaurant in Istanbul. I told him to look for Turkish security in the
city which is full of cameras, but nothing happened, and 15 days later, the
Turkish authorities called them two Emirati spies,” he said. “How could two
people who don’t speak Turkish spy (in Turkey)?” Mubarak said.“Turkey deceived
us and betrayed the Palestinian people for political gains and objectives,” he
added.Meanwhile, Zaki's son, Yusuf, called on an international commission to
investigate his father's death. “I call for the formation of a medical
committee, which includes an honest Palestinian doctor, to dissect the body of
my father and to tell the truth,” Yusuf said during a Skype interview with Al
Arabiya from Gaza where he resides. He also questioned the Turkish story,
asserting that his father did not commit suicide, and accusing Turkish security
forces of killing him. “My father traveled to Turkey to make a living, to build
us a future. We were surprised by his arrest since April 4, and we were more
shocked by the false accusations against him,” Yusuf added.
He stated that his father was a victim and “a scapegoat in a political
conflict.”
Russian ‘siege’ chokes Syrian camp in shadow of US base
Reuters, Amman/Monday, 29 April 2019
It was only when his children began to starve that Abdullah al-Amour decided
time had come to leave the sanctuary of Rukban camp with his family to face an
uncertain fate back under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The cattle trader
from Palmyra fled to Rukban on the Syrian border with Jordan and Iraq more than
three years ago after his home was destroyed in Russian air strikes targeting
areas that were held at the time by ISIS extremist group. Conditions at Rukban
are tough, but it offers one big advantage to the 36,000 people sheltering
there: protection from Russian air strikes and pro-Assad forces thanks to its
location near a US base. But in recent weeks life in the camp has gone from bad
to near impossible. Food shortages have got a lot worse as a result of a siege
by government and Russian forces that want to see Rukban dismantled and US
forces out of Syria, according to people living in the camp and diplomats.
“Today you eat. Tomorrow there is nothing to eat,” said Amour, 46, speaking to
Reuters by phone from the camp. Amour says his son Hamza, three, has become
frail from being fed sugared water instead of powdered milk. Gravel and dirt are
being added to dough to make flour supplies go further. “No one is leaving out
of their own will. I can no longer sleep with my children hungry,” he said.
Local sources say Russian and Syrian government forces have choked off supplies
to Rukban since mid-February, blocking access for smugglers who used to bribe
their way through army checkpoints, and firing on some vehicles. On Thursday,
Washington urged Damascus and Moscow to allow international aid deliveries to
Rukban and stop blocking commercial routes into the camp to “avert further
suffering.”As shortages have hit, a steady stream of people have crossed out of
Rukban into government territory.
OCHA, the UN humanitarian agency, said around 7,000 had left in the last month
or so. Some were in shelters in Homs city where some of the men were settling
their status with the authorities, and others had gone to their areas of origin
in Homs governorate. Relatives say the Homs city shelters amount to internment
centers for many of the men.
Power struggle
Rukban camp is at the heart of a struggle between Russia and the United States
for control of southeastern Syria and with it a land route to Iraq and Assad’s
major regional ally, Iran. Russia, whose military has helped Assad claw back
control of much of Syria, views Rukban as a US pretext for maintaining its
“illegal occupation in the south” and as a last pocket of anti-Assad rebels in
southern Syria who must be wiped out. The camp’s evacuation seems unlikely to
lead the United States to abandon its nearby garrison at Tanf and the
surrounding “de-confliction zone” that envelops Rukban: Tanf is seen as useful
to US aims of countering Iran. But Russia is still determined to see Rukban
gone. This would represent a gain for Moscow in Syria as its military advances
have ground to a halt in other parts of the country, and would assert its
influence over a US-controlled area. Moscow and Damascus have accused Washington
of holding the people of Rukban hostage and Russia has even compared its
conditions to the concentration camps of the second world war. The United States
has said it is not preventing anyone from leaving Rukban, while calling for a
process of “safe, voluntary and dignified departures” from the camp.The Russian
defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. With
routes to the camp controlled by Damascus, Rukban has rarely received UN aid
deliveries. Following a delivery in November, the United States said it
recognised Russia had played a role in persuading Damascus to authorize it. The
last time a UN aid convoy reached Rukban was early February. Many at Rukban fear
returning to Assad’s Syria, saying they could be detained or forced to join the
army. This concern is widely held among refugees, who are unconvinced by Russian
assurances they face no threat. Over the years, the camp has taken on some
features of permanence including houses built of mud bricks, schools and
markets. Ibrahim al-Nasser ran a grocery at Rukban until he was forced to close
it for lack of goods. Speaking to Reuters as he was about to leave Rukban, he
said he no longer cared about his own fate and only wanted to save his children
from starving. “People are gripped with fear of being arrested,” said Nasser.
“But I am forced to leave even if I might face death or prison so that my
children live,” he said. Conditions at Rukban are tough, but it offers one big
advantage to the 36,000 people sheltering there: protection from Russian air
strikes and pro-Assad forces thanks to its location near a US base.
Green buses
Abu Ahmad al-Dirbas Khalidi, the head of an opposition-run civil council in the
camp, said dwindling food supplies gave people at Rukban no choice but to leave.
“The regime and the Russians have succeeded in their siege, and with hunger and
poverty people are leaving,” he said. The camp’s only bakery stopped production
this month. A bag of flour - if available - now costs 40,000 Syrian pounds ($70)
- eight times its price in government territory. Reports in Syrian state-run
media have shown people leaving Rukban on green buses like those used to
evacuate civilians and rebel fighters from other parts of Syria recaptured from
insurgents, such as eastern Aleppo and eastern Ghouta. In an interview with the
state news agency SANA, one man leaving Rukban accused militant groups “led by
America of putting us under pressure, denying us food and water, just so that we
join them.” But sources in Rukban said men leaving had been detained for weeks
at internment camps in Homs before being jailed, released or drafted into the
army. Mahmoud al-Humeili, a camp official, said he had received reports that two
dozen men had been arrested. Shukri Shihab, a relief worker in the camp, said:
“Death in the camp is better than dying behind prison bars.”
UN Warns of Worsening Humanitarian Situation in Libya
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 29/19/Fierce fighting for control of Libya's
capital that has already displaced tens of thousands of people threatens to
bring a further worsening of humanitarian conditions, a senior UN official has
warned. "As long as the situation continues, even if it just stagnates and
continues like this, we can expect to see a continuing deterioration," UN
humanitarian coordinator for Libya Maria do Valle Ribeiro told AFP. Strongman
Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched an offensive
against Tripoli, the seat of the internationally recognised Government of
National Accord (GNA), on April 4. "When we see the use of air power, the
indiscriminate shelling of densely populated areas, it is very difficult to be
optimistic," do Valle Ribeiro, who is also the deputy UN envoy to Libya, said
late Sunday. She was speaking after air raids by the LNA on Tripoli on Saturday
killed four people and wounded 20 others, according to the GNA. "We continue to
call for a respect of civilians, we continue to call for humanitarian pauses and
most of all we continue to hope that the situation can return to a more peaceful
settlement of the crisis," she said. The fighting has killed at least 278 people
and wounded more than 1,300, according to a toll released Wednesday by the World
Health Organization. It has also forced 41,000 people to flee combat areas
around Tripoli, do Valle Ribeiro said, while many remain trapped and in need of
humanitarian assistance.
Migrants at risk
Among the most vulnerable are about 3,500 migrants and refugees held in
detention centres near the combat zone who are at "risk", the UN official said.
She said that 800 considered most in danger had been evacuated, after the UN and
rights groups said gunmen attacked a detention centre south of Tripoli last
week. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said several migrants and refugees were shot
and wounded in the attack. Libya has been mired in chaos since the NATO-backed
uprising that deposed and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. People
smugglers have taken advantage of the lawlessness, ferrying mostly sub-Saharan
Africans from Libyan shores to Europe. According to the International
Organization for Migration some 6,000 migrants are held in official detention
centres in Libya. Hundreds more are held by armed groups elsewhere in the
war-hit country. On Sunday Pope Francis called for "humanitarian corridors" to
be opened to evacuate them. The UN official also voiced concern over a breakdown
in basic services, including electricity and water supplies, and said more
relief funds were needed for Libya. "We appealed for an additional 10.2 million
(dollars) which doesn't cover all that we foresee... but it covers at least the
essential response for the first three, four weeks," she said. During the first
week of fighting, she said, "over a million schoolbooks" that were stored in a
warehouse of the ministry of education were destroyed when the compound was hit.
"Symbolically, it says a lot about the impact of such strife and clashes on not
just the immediate survival of people but on the future of Tripoli children."
Spanish PM's Socialists Win Snap Polls Marked by Far-Right
Gains
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 29/19/Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's
Socialists have won snap elections without the necessary majority to govern solo
in a fragmented political landscape marked by the far-right's entry into
parliament. The results raise the spectre of another period of instability for
Spain, with Sanchez depending on alliances with hostile rivals in an environment
that has soured since Catalonia's failed secession bid in 2017. A significant
development was the rise of the ultra-nationalist Vox party, which garnered just
over 10 percent of the vote in a country that has had no far-right party to
speak of since the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. Sanchez's
Socialist Party (PSOE) got 123 lawmakers out of 350, or close to 29 percent of
votes -- short of an absolute majority but much better than the 85 seats it got
in 2016. "The Socialists have won the general election and with it the future
has won and the past has lost," he told cheering supporters from the balcony of
the party's headquarters in Madrid, claiming victory late Sunday. The big loser
was the conservative Popular Party (PP), which bagged 66 seats compared to 137
in the previous election that saw it govern Spain with a minority government.
Possible alliances
Sanchez, who came to power in June after ousting conservative prime minister
Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence vote, could seek to forge alliances with
far-left Podemos and smaller groupings like Catalan separatist parties, as he
had done over the past 10 months. He could also try to cosy up to centre-right
Ciudadanos, which won 57 seats. Together, they would form an absolute majority
but voters from both parties would likely frown on such a move. "I hope Sanchez
won't reach an agreement with Ciudadanos, I want a left-wing government,"
51-year-old Esther Lopez, said at the Socialist Party headquarters, wearing
earrings marked "PSOE." Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera, built his campaign on
disparaging Sanchez, criticising his attempts to negotiate with Catalan
separatist parties in a bid to ease a secession crisis in the northeastern
region. In an editorial on Monday, Madrid daily El Mundo called on Sanchez to
"reach out to Rivera and consider forming a moderate government -- which would
undoubtedly go down well in Europe -- to ensure the stability" of the country.
Far-right emergence
The crisis in Catalonia was precisely what fuelled Vox's meteoric rise from the
outer margins of politics to the national scene, after gaining nearly 11 percent
of votes in December regional polls in southern Andalusia. Founded by Santiago
Abascal, a disgruntled former PP member, it will now take 24 seats in the
national parliament. This is less than what opinion polls had predicted. "I
thought Vox would get way more votes, with this result Vox won't have any weight
in parliament as no one supports them. We needed more seats," said Maria Bonilla
Ortega, a 22-year-old philosophy student in central Madrid, a Spanish flag
draped around her shoulders. Abascal was more optimistic: "We can tell Spain
with complete calm that Vox has come to stay," he told cheering supporters.
After a tense campaign, voter turnout was high at 75.76 percent, up from 66.48
percent in 2016, election authorities said.
Catalonia shadow
With a strong stance against feminism and illegal immigration, Vox stood out
with ultra-nationalist rhetoric advocating the "defence of the Spanish nation to
the end" and a hard line against separatists in Catalonia. The region in
northeastern Spain was the scene of a secession attempt in 2017 that sparked the
country's biggest political crisis in decades and caused major concern in
Europe. The issue has continued to cast a pall over Spanish politics. Sanchez
was forced to call Sunday's elections after Catalan pro-independence lawmakers
in the national parliament, angered at the trial of their leaders in Madrid,
refused to give him the support he needed for his 2019 budget. Right-wing
parties for their part lambasted Sanchez, at the head of a minority government,
for talking with separatists who still govern the region, accusing him of
cosying up to those who tried to break up Spain. That controversy is likely to
continue as two Catalan separatist parties gained even more lawmakers in the
national parliament than they did in 2016 -- up to 22 from 17. The five
separatists elected are in jail and currently being tried at Spain's Supreme
Court. In a sign of the impact the crisis had on voters, Dolores Palomo, a
48-year-old domestic worker, said she had always voted for the socialists but
cast her ballot for Ciudadanos this time at a polling station in Hospitalet de
Llobregat, near Barcelona. The reason? Sanchez "is a puppet of the separatists,"
she said.
Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on April 28-29/19
The Crescent on a Hot Plate
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/April 29/2019
The scene was strange in Baghdad in early March 2007. A plane had landed in the
country controlled by the “Great Satan”, carrying on board a president that
comes from the mantle of the spiritual leader.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saw a crowd of American armored vehicles. The head of the
accompanying delegation asked Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari about the
scene. He responded that the number of US troops reached 170,000. The visitor
was not unaware of this reality - perhaps this was the reason for his visit. The
Iraqi authorities asked US soldiers to open the barricades and to facilitate the
passage of the Iranian president’s convoy to the Green Zone, where he met with
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. On the way back, soldiers at a US checkpoint
insisted on stopping the president’s convoy and it turned out that the troops
wanted to take a souvenir photo with the visitor. Ahmadinejad smiled when Zebari
told him so, but the Iraqi authorities requested that the president remain in
his car for security reasons.
Ahmadinejad did not hesitate to whisper in the ear of President Jalal Talabani
that the Americans were temporary visitors and the land remains after the
departure of the migratory birds. The Iranian president was keen on visiting the
Shiite holy sites in another message about the Iraqi fabric.
Years before the visit, on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq, Tehran witnessed
a high-ranking Iran-Syria meeting, in which it was agreed to make every effort
to thwart the US offensive. Zebari says Tehran was keen on thwarting the US
military presence, which will abutted Iranian territories from Afghanistan;
while Damascus was determined to defeat the US occupation and the democratic
experiment in Iraq, fearing its spread in its territory.
Also prior to the visit, Tehran and Damascus also implemented a joint decision
to prevent the establishment of a pro-Western government in Lebanon, following
the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, by besieging Fouad Siniora’s
government.
Tehran benefitted from two fixations by Barack Obama’s administration: the first
is the military withdrawal from Iraq, and the second is an agreement with Iran
over its nuclear ambitions. When Iraqi army units collapsed in front of the ISIS
wave from Mosul, Tehran quickly sent weapons and ammunition to Baghdad and
Erbil. It considered that the army that collapsed was the one trained by the
Americans, who spent billions of dollars on it. It then exerted an extraordinary
effort to sponsor the Popular Mobilization Forces that transformed into a
"parallel army."
In Lebanon, the situation has stabilized on an equation that gives Hezbollah the
first and final say in big decisions. This has kept Lebanon part of the
“crescent of opposition.”
Two situations must be highlighted to complete the picture. The pro-Iranian
militias alone could not save the Syrian regime. The real rescue came from the
Russian military intervention. Russia has become a necessary partner in shaping
the Syrian future. The Iranian role in Syria was therefore affected. The Houthis
could not include Yemen in the "crescent of opposition". They were met with
Yemeni and Gulf resistance and an international understanding of the decision to
go to war there.
The picture changed with the arrival of Donald Trump. He executed his promise.
America withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran and imposed "unprecedented
sanctions" on it. He went even farther and put the Revolutionary Guards on the
terrorist list. Given the political, security and economic weight of the Iranian
regime’s "guards," Tehran's current tension can be understood. Its foreign
minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, even suggested that abandoning the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was one of his country's options.
With Trump’s determination to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero and the imminent
expiry of the deadline of the exemptions on the imports by some countries, it is
clear that the region is heading towards a major crisis that could turn into the
“mother of all crises.”
Reports leaked from Iran in recent weeks suggest that US sanctions are
undeniably painful. Tehran’s experience with the European alternative to the
nuclear deal has proven its insufficiency when the US uses its economic and
political weight to force countries and companies to choose between the world’s
superpower and Iran.
Understanding the effects of the sanctions on Iraq shows that such a policy
cannot bring down a regime. However, there is a difference here that should be
noted. Saddam Hussein’s regime did not have commitments in many parts of the
region, nor was it funding and arming militias involved in conflicts that have
become a major part of Iran’s regional presence. Moreover, the declared American
goal is to force the Iranian regime to change its policies, not to cause it to
fall.
Questions arise: What is Iran doing? And how can it respond? And where? Past
experience showed that Iran is fully aware of the danger of engaging in direct
military conflict with the US.
The current climate suggests that proxy wars will not be easy either, with a US
president whose moves are hard to predict. Inciting a war with Israel, through
Gaza or Lebanon, will not be enough to reshuffle the papers, and may be
untenable, under the current US administration.
This does not mean that Iran doesn’t have papers. For months, there has been
talk in Baghdad about pushing for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, also
through the Iraqi parliament. But Iraqi officials recognize the cost of such a
step. Their need for the US role goes beyond its contribution to fighting ISIS.
It is clear that the new crisis is not good news for the Houthis, nor for Adel
Abdul Mahdi’s government, whose complete formation is currently stalled due to
the Iranian-American tension.
Any Iranian attempt to circumvent sanctions through Baghdad would compound
difficulties for the Iraqi government. The same is true of any attempt to use
the Lebanese arena, which is being carefully monitored by the US.
“The mother of all crises” is not good news for Syria either. Any talk of
reconstruction will be delayed if the confrontation escalates, knowing that
Damascus did not decide to choose "Russian Syria" over "Iranian Syria."
The crisis goes beyond the question of Iran’s threat to close the Strait of
Hormuz. It raises a question about Iran’s ability to bear the sanctions and to
keep its commitments in the “Crescent” countries, which feel they are on the way
to living on a hot plate waiting for a solution to the “mother of all crises.”
Sudan: The 3 New Messages Coming from Khartoum
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/April 29/2019
In late August 1967, in the midst of the thick clouds of the Arabs’ heavy
military and political defeat that shook Arab conscience and fate, the leaders
of Arab countries met in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Yes, from Khartoum, the
city that has been in the news for weeks.
From there they issued a historic declaration, which was more like a ‘statement
of defiance’ aimed at forestalling a total collapse caused by the defeat in what
became known as ‘The Six Days’ War’. Its message was three simple NOs: “NO to
peace, NO to recognition, and NO to negotiations”.
Of course, those three NOs have become a distant past. Moreover, now after the
initial shock fizzled away, the Arabs realized that what happened was more than
just a defeat; but rather a disaster. Still, there was only one positive in that
disaster which is the disappearance of a blur that prevented them from realizing
how bad their situation was. How their backwardness was concealed by naïve
bravados, concocted populism, and magnified ‘historical’ false auras created by
emotions.
Since then, wise Arabs became more modest and more realistic. They began to see
that the Arabs’ status then was far inferior to that of their forefathers. The
descendants of their great sages, scientists, mathematicians and philosophers,
who were the global pioneers of their generations, are now living outside the
Arab and Muslim countries. These descendants currently live and work abroad,
where proper institutions, sponsorship, methodology, and guarantees encourage
free thinking and creativity away from restrictions and pressures of
unquestionable controls. Back home, however, there is no escape from one
absolute to an opposite absolute, and nothing in between.
In Sudan, with the military coup led by Brigadier Gen Omar Al-Bashir under the
auspices of ‘Political Islam’ around thirty years ago, the two ‘absolutes’ met.
From then on, the religious ‘absolute’ and the military ‘absolute’ dominated the
lives of the Sudanese people for three decades despite divisions and personal
and organizational conflicts. For three decades all kinds of pains and
misfortunes visited the exceptionally rich country, which was before the
secession of South Sudan was the largest country in terms of area in both the
Arab world and Africa.
During the British colonial period, Sudan was one of the ‘crown jewels’ whose
wealth attracted tens of families and thousands of individuals of all faiths and
races from the Levant, Iraq, Greece, India and other. But it suffered several
internal conflicts that culminated recently in the secession of the South and
the opening of deep wounds in the West (Darfur). Furthermore, it underwent long
radical upheavals played over by its political parties and military
establishment.
Then, the ‘Arab Spring’ of 2011 came; and here I understand that many dislike
this idiom after what we have seen in Syria, Yemen and Libya; however, I have
always argued that a ‘spring’ in the political sense does not necessarily mean
immediate change. Indeed, neither ‘The Prague Spring of 1968’ ended communism in
Czechoslovakia, nor ‘The Beijing Spring of 1989’ brought down the Chinese
regime; yet, in both cases, they presented the beginnings of change as the
people in the then Czechoslovakia and China began to believe in themselves and
their ability to protest. They were the young buds that began a process toward a
better future. Incidentally, change in Czechoslovakia had to wait until the
1990s and was achieved at the price of a civilized ‘divorce’ between the Czechs
and Slovaks.
As for China - which is quite a different case whether in culture, or size,
capabilities and demographics – change arrived in the shape of a gradual and
silent revolution whereby the ‘top’ responded to the aspirations of the ‘base,
and the ‘center’ interacted with the demands of ‘extremities’.
Well, the situation in the Arab world is totally different; in fact, there were
differences between one country and another. While the ‘centralized state’
blessed with ‘strong institutions’ remained united as we have seen in Tunisia
and Egypt, the devastating ills of sectarianism, tribalism, and localism -
complicated by regional and international projects - were all to see in Syria,
Yemen and Libya.
As a result, while everybody was passing judgments on the attempted change, and
after “avoiding the Syrian experience” an excuse for refusing any breakthroughs
or agreement after eight years of strife, the winds of change blew on Algeria
and Sudan.
Regarding Algeria, many had expected obstacles in the face of Abdul Aziz
Bouteflika’s absurd running for a fifth consecutive presidential given his
severe physical disability. In Sudan too, there were doubts whether President
Al-Bashir would continue to escape forward while political and economic
hardships escalate and accumulate. True to form, people’s power managed to score
one victory after another, pushing Bouteflika to withdraw his candidacy, and the
Sudanese army to bring down Al-Bashir and his entourage.
So far the masses in Algeria and Sudan have shown three qualities: Patience,
unity in diversity, and insistence on rejecting dubious compromises while still
managing to be drawn into a violent confrontation. This is, no doubt, a sign of
maturity, noting that the Algerians and the Sudanese must have learned from the
mistakes committed in other Arab countries that attempted change.
Still, many major challenges persist, specifically, in Algeria where the ‘deep
state’ remains and the ‘security mentality’ is strong, which is why the military
establishment continues to manoeuver, refusing to make significant concessions.
The situation in Sudan is somewhat different. Traditions of real party politics,
and trade unionism’s organizational and negotiation experience have given the
popular movement more flexibility, as well the ability to reassure the military
that there were common interests in avoiding a dead end, leading to a
confrontation.
Today in Sudan there are three YES's: YES to optimism, YES to change, and YES to
overcoming challenges. However, while it is true that the military establishment
refused to confront the masses, punished the senior officers who threatened the
people’s movement, and speedily arrested Al-Bashir and his henchmen, the leaders
of movement have to remain in control of their actions, be precise and wise in
their demands, and continue to press forward but without violent, spite and
vengefulness. This is extremely important if they are to convince the doubters
among the remnants of the fallen regime, that there is a common good in a wise
and tolerant change that remains free from exploiters who would ride its wave,
and divert away from the people’s welfare, and the people’s movement which, so
far, has avoided miscalculations.
The next few hours may be decisive, and hopefully, they will result in a great
and decisive victory to the ‘optimists’.
The Palestinians' Own Goals
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/April 29/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14141/palestinians-own-goal
"We reject normalization and adopt the approach of resistance until the
liberation of the entire Palestinian territory." — Statement rejecting job
offers, issued by Progressive Democratic Student Pole, affiliated with the
radical PLO group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
"Resistance" is a term used by Palestinians to describe the "armed struggle"
against Israel, which includes carrying out various forms of armed attacks
against Israelis. When the students talk about the "liberation of the entire
Palestinian territory," they are actually saying that they want to destroy
Israel because they do not believe in its right to exist.
A video of the protest at Bir Zeit University posted on social media shows
dozens of angry students surrounding the companies' representatives, and
chanting: "Normalization [with Israel] is Treason."
This is just another example of how the movement for boycotting Israel is
causing damage to Palestinians. Perhaps the real motive of the people promoting
these boycotts of Israel is not to help the Palestinians at all, but, like
terrorist groups, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, to destroy Israel.
On April 24, Palestinian student protestors at Bir Zeit University (pictured)
expelled representatives of two major Palestinian software development companies
who were invited to campus as part of the university's Annual Hiring Day. The
protestors accused them of engaging in "normalization" with Israel. In other
words, the students attacked, humiliated and expelled Palestinian companies that
came to offer them jobs at a time when the Palestinian economy is facing a
crisis and thousands of young Palestinians remain unemployed. (Image source:
Oromiya321/Wikimedia Commons)
On April 24, two Palestinian software development companies came to Bir Zeit
University, north of the West Bank city of Ramallah, to offer jobs to
Palestinian students. The companies were invited to campus as part of the
university's Annual Hiring Day -- an event aimed at helping students find jobs
with major Palestinian firms.
The event, however, turned ugly when students protested against the presence of
the representatives of the two companies on campus. The protesters expelled the
company representatives from the university premises after accusing them of
engaging in "normalization" with Israel. In other words, the students attacked,
humiliated and expelled Palestinian companies that came to offer them jobs at a
time when the Palestinian economy is facing a crisis and thousands of young
Palestinians remain unemployed.
The first company is ASAL Technologies, a Ramallah-based software and IT
services outsourcing firm founded in 2000. ASAL Technologies is the largest
Palestinian information and communications technology company that supplies
international companies with talented Palestinian professionals. The second
company, also based in Ramallah, is EXALT, a software development center
specialized in web services, backend/API development and mobile apps.
The students who expelled the companies' representatives from campus said they
were acting on instructions from the anti-Israel movement for boycotting Israel.
According to the students, the two Palestinian companies are guilty of
cooperating with Israelis, especially Mellanox Technologies, an Israeli
multinational supplier of computer networking products.
One of the student groups responsible for the expulsion of the companies'
representatives is called Progressive Democratic Student Pole, which is
affiliated with the radical PLO group Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP).
In a statement explaining its opposition to the attempt of the two companies to
hire students, the group accused the university administration of violating the
instructions of the anti-Israel boycott campaign.
"Our comrades protested the participation of some technology companies involved
in normalization, and which contribute to the 'economic peace' project during
the Annual Hiring Day hosted by Bir Zeit University," the statement said. It
claimed that the Palestinian companies were doing business with "Zionist
companies involved in crimes."
"Our colleagues asked the delegates of these companies to leave the university
campus, as part of a commitment from our comrades to resist normalization [with
Israel] and our absolute rejection of the university's involvement in any
normalization activity that would harm the reputation of the university and the
struggles of its students. We reject normalization and adopt the approach of
resistance until the liberation of the entire Palestinian territory."
This statement shows that for the Palestinian students, "resistance and the
liberation of the entire Palestinian territory" is more important than providing
badly needed jobs for unemployed university graduates. "Resistance" is a term
used by Palestinians to describe the "armed struggle" against Israel, which
includes carrying out various forms of armed attacks against Israelis. When the
students talk about the "liberation of the entire Palestinian territory," they
are actually saying that they want to destroy Israel because they do not believe
in its right to exist. This, by the way, is the same rhetoric used by Hamas and
Islamic Jihad, two groups that also deny Israel's right to exit.
Ahmed Atawneh, a representative of another student group called Student Unity
Bloc, defended the decision to expel the company representative from campus.
"The students of Bir Zeit University, which is also called University of the
Martyrs, reject the presence of companies engaged in normalization with the
occupation on our campus," he said. University security personnel and officials
escorted the representatives of the companies out of campus."
The only student group that has come out against the expulsion of the companies
from the university campus is the Shabiba Student Movement, which is affiliated
with President Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah faction. The group's students,
however, failed to take any measures to stop their colleagues from offending and
intimidating the company representatives who came to offer them jobs.
A statement published by the Fatah-affiliated student group called on the
university administration to punish the students who "offended" and "assaulted"
the company representatives. "The rules of student work require us to respect
our guests and express opinions without insulting anyone," the statement said.
"We call on the administration of the University of Martyrs to clarify its
position and punish all those who caused harm to our university and assaulted
our guests."
A video of the protest at Bir Zeit University posted on social media shows
dozens of angry students surrounding the company representatives, and chanting:
"Normalization [with Israel] is Treason."
The incident at Bir Zeit University drew mixed reactions from Palestinians.
While some seemed to oppose the expulsion of the company representatives, others
expressed full support for the move.
This is just another example of how the movement for boycotting Israel is
causing damage to Palestinians. Perhaps the real motive of the people promoting
these boycotts of Israel is not to help the Palestinians at all, but, like
terrorist groups, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, to destroy Israel.
The biggest losers are the hundreds of students who could have been hired by two
leading software companies in the context of efforts to find a solution to
soaring unemployment in the West Bank. This incident shows that hatred for
Israel remains the top priority for the anti-Israel boycott campaign. The
organizers of such campaigns prefer to see university graduates join the fight
against Israel than find jobs with software and technology companies. The
Palestinians have once again scored an own goal.
*Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem, is a
Shillman Journalism Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2019 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.
Turkish 'Justice': Life in Prison for Journalists; Leniency
for ISIS Terrorist
Uzay Bulut//Gatestone Institute/April 29/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14137/turkish-prison-for-journalists
"The magnitude of these punishments, and the fact that the court failed to
implement a related, binding ruling of the Constitutional Court, also raise
fundamental questions about the ability of the [Turkish] judiciary to uphold the
constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression." — Harlem Désir,
Representative on Freedom of the Media for the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
"The court decision condemning journalists to aggravated life in prison for
their work, without presenting substantial proof of their involvement in the
coup attempt or ensuring a fair trial, critically threatens journalism and with
it the remnants of freedom of expression and media freedom in Turkey." — David
Kaye, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the
Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression.
Sadly, such public denunciations have not worked. At least 144 intellectuals are
languishing in Turkish jails for their work or political views.
In February, three dissident Turkish journalists accused of "attempting to
overthrow the constitutional order" were sentenced to life in prison. Harlem
Désir (pictured), the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, said that the
punishments "raise fundamental questions about the ability of the [Turkish]
judiciary to uphold the constitutionally protected right to freedom of
expression."
Two recent criminal cases in Turkey underscore Ankara's disturbing double
standard when it comes to the concept of justice.
In February, three dissident Turkish journalists accused of "attempting to
overthrow the constitutional order" -- for their alleged "involvement in the
2016 coup attempt" against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- were sentenced to
life in prison.
In March, Neil Christopher Prakash, an Australian ISIS terrorist caught in 2016
crossing the border into Turkey from Syria, was given a light sentence by the
Kilis High Criminal Court.
Prakash, considered Australia's "most wanted ISIS member," was linked by the FBI
to a failed plot to attack the Statue of Liberty in New York. In one of his many
propaganda videos for ISIS, Prakash describes his conversion from Buddhism to
Islam after a trip to Cambodia. He recounts attending meetings at a mosque and
Islamic center in Melbourne. After reading the Koran and becoming a Muslim, he
says, he traveled to Syria to join the jihad and the caliphate in 2013.
In 2015, the Australian government issued an arrest warrant for Prakash for
membership in a terrorist organization and for his suspected involvement in a
failed plot to behead a police officer on Anzac Day.
During his hearing on November 1, 2017 at the Kilis High Criminal Court -- via
video call from the Gaziantep prison, where he has been detained since 2016 --
Prakash told the judges:
"I regret having joined ISIS. I want to be tried in Turkey. I do not want to be
returned to Australia. If I must be sent to a country, send me to a Muslim
country."
In July 2018, Turkey rejected Australia's request to extradite Prakash, a U.S.-
and UN-designated terrorist known by his alias, Abu Khaled al-Cambodi. A few
months later, the Australian government announced that it had revoked his
citizenship.
Although the Turkish Criminal Code states that membership in a terrorist
organization warrants up to 15 years imprisonment, the judges who tried Prakash
decided in the March 15 hearing to go for a seven-and-a-half-year sentence,
based on a provision that allows for mitigating circumstances, such as
"background, social relations, the behavior of the offender after the commission
of the crime and during the trial, and the potential effects of the penalty on
the future of the offender."
If Prakash's punishment is also approved by Turkey's Court of Appeals, he will
be eligible for early release in two and a half years, which means that he will
be free in 2021.
By contrast, the situation of the three journalists critical of the Erdogan
regime -- Ahmet Altan, Mehmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak -- remains grim, if not
hopeless, despite the efforts of their attorneys and condemnation from the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the UN.
Harlem Désir, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, responded to the
plight of the journalists by stating:
"The magnitude of these punishments, and the fact that the court failed to
implement a related, binding ruling of the Constitutional Court, also raise
fundamental questions about the ability of the [Turkish] judiciary to uphold the
constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression."
David Kaye, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and
Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, made a similar
declaration:
"The court decision condemning journalists to aggravated life in prison for
their work, without presenting substantial proof of their involvement in the
coup attempt or ensuring a fair trial, critically threatens journalism and with
it the remnants of freedom of expression and media freedom in Turkey."
Sadly, such public denunciations have not worked. At least 144 intellectuals are
languishing in Turkish jails for their work or political views, while an ISIS
terrorist has been given a "minimum punishment" that paves the way for his early
release.
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone
Institute.
© 2019 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.
Are Christian Massacres “Retaliations” for Muslim
Massacres?
Raymond Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/April 29/19
Islamic terrorists massacred over 300 people in a series of bombings that rocked
Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, April 21. Three of the most lethal bombings took
place in packed churches celebrating the resurrection of Christ.
Although a Sri Lankan Archbishop said that “we never expected such a thing to
happen and especially on Easter Sunday,” Islamic terror attacks targeting
Christians during or around Easter are hardly uncommon.
Most notably, in 2017 in Egypt, Islamic terrorists bombed two Coptic Christian
churches during Palm Sunday mass, which inaugurates Easter week, leaving 50 dead
and 120 injured.
While the parallel of bombing churches and massacring Christians around Easter
are evident, there is another, more subtle—and more ludicrous—parallel. In both
the Sri Lankan and Egyptian example, the Islamic State, which claimed both
attacks, cited “grievances” to justify their terrorism, which they apparently
seek to portray as “retaliation.”
Speaking two days after the Sri Lankan attack a junior defense minister said
that “preliminary investigations have revealed that what happened in Sri Lanka
was in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch,” where a New
Zealand man killed around 50 Muslims in two mosques last month.
Similarly, and though unbeknownst to most, the Islamic State cited “grievances”
to justify its grisly slaughter of 21 Christians—20 of whom were Coptic
Christians—on the shores of Libya in 2015.
An article in Dabiq, the Islamic State’s online magazine in English, titled
“Revenge for the Muslimat [Muslim women] Persecuted by the Coptic Crusaders of
Egypt” claimed that the 21 Christians were slaughtered in “revenge” for two
Coptic women who, back in 2010 and according to Islamic propaganda, were
compelled by Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church to recant their conversion to Islam
and return to Christianity.
Indeed, back then, the late Coptic Pope Shenouda III was portrayed as “a U.S.
agent, an abductor and torturer of female Muslim converts from Christianity, who
was stockpiling weapons in monasteries and churches with a view to waging war
against the Muslims and dividing Egypt to create a Coptic State.”
Such is the nature of Islamic propaganda and projection—always accusing others
of what Islamists habitually do.
The Islamic State magazine further cited the 2010 bombing of Our Lady of
Salvation Church in Iraq as a product of “revenge” for those same supposedly
forced-to-reconvert-back-to-Christianity women in Egypt. Then, armed jihadis
stormed the Iraqi church during worship service, opened fire indiscriminately
before detonating their suicide vests, which were “filled with ball bearings to
kill as many people as possible.” Nearly 60 Christians—including women,
children, and even babies (pictures of aftermath here)—were slaughtered.
Two points give the lie to all such claims of Islamic “retaliation” due to
“grievances”:
First, since when did Islamic terrorist organizations that regularly preach hate
for the other—chief among them the Islamic State—ever need a reason or excuse to
make the lives of non-Muslims, chief among them Christians, miserable? For
instance, since July 2011, I have been compiling monthly “Muslim Persecution of
Christians” reports (published by Gatestone Institute). In virtually every one
of these monthly reports (currently 91), Muslims bomb, burn, or ban churches and
generally terrorize Christians. Are we seriously to believe this is all due to
Muslim “grievances” against the disempowered Christian minorities in their
midst?
Second, what exactly do brown Sri Lankan Christians have to do with a white
terrorist in New Zealand? What did the Iraqi Christians of Our Lady Church, or
the one decapitated Ghanaian, have to do with the imagined crimes of the Coptic
Church?
The fact is, secular Western actions that have absolutely nothing to do with
Christianity are regularly cited by Muslims who vent their wrath on the
vulnerable Christian minorities in their midst.
This goes back to the Middle Ages, when Muslims such as the “magnanimous”
Saladin “retaliated” against European Crusaders by crucifying Coptic Christians
in Egypt and tarring their churches (as documented in Adel Gundy’s forthcoming
book, A Sword Over the Nile).
In short, past and present, Muslims have not needed “grievances” to attack
Christians and other “infidels”—though they have always been happy to cite them
before the naïve ones of the Western world.
A history of the Crusades, as told by crusaders' DNA
Science Daily/April 18, 2019
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190418131410.htm?fbclid=IwAR0DgmoiXCv-4pzRyrPXsEUBAst13TEfFNdXIBlq_t6PXhsTlYwhAHymSkw
History can tell us a lot about the Crusades, the series of religious wars
fought between 1095 and 1291, in which Christian invaders tried to claim the
Near East. But the DNA of nine 13th century Crusaders buried in a pit in Lebanon
shows that there's more to learn about who the Crusaders were and their
interactions with the populations they encountered. History can tell us a lot
about the Crusades, the series of religious wars fought between 1095 and 1291,
in which Christian invaders tried to claim the Near East. But the DNA of nine
13th century Crusaders buried in a pit in Lebanon shows that there's more to
learn about who the Crusaders were and their interactions with the populations
they encountered. The work appears April 18 in The American Journal of Human
Genetics.
The remains suggest that the soldiers making up the Crusader armies were
genetically diverse and intermixed with the local population in the Near East,
although they didn't have a lasting effect on the genetics of Lebanese people
living today. They also highlight the important role ancient DNA can play in
helping us understand historical events that are less well documented.
"We know that Richard the Lionheart went to fight in the Crusades, but we don't
know much about the ordinary soldiers who lived and died there, and these
ancient samples give us insights into that," says senior author Chris
Tyler-Smith, a genetics researcher at the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
"Our findings give us an unprecedented view of the ancestry of the people who
fought in the Crusader army. And it wasn't just Europeans," says first author
Marc Haber, also of the Wellcome Sanger Institute. "We see this exceptional
genetic diversity in the Near East during medieval times, with Europeans, Near
Easterners, and mixed individuals fighting in the Crusades and living and dying
side by side."
Archaeological evidence suggested that 25 individuals whose remains were found
in a burial pit near a Crusader castle near Sidon, Lebanon, were warriors who
died in battle in the 1200s. Based on that, Tyler-Smith, Haber, and their
colleagues conducted genetic analyses of the remains and were able to sequence
the DNA of nine Crusaders, revealing that three were Europeans, four were Near
Easterners, and two individuals had mixed genetic ancestry.
Throughout history, other massive human migrations -- like the movement of the
Mongols through Asia under Genghis Khan and the arrival of colonial Iberians in
South America -- have fundamentally reshaped the genetic makeup of those
regions. But the authors theorize that the Crusaders' influence was likely
shorter-lived because the Crusaders' genetic traces are insignificant in people
living in Lebanon today. "They made big efforts to expel them, and succeeded
after a couple of hundred years," says Tyler-Smith.
This ancient DNA can tell us things about history that modern DNA can't. In
fact, when the researchers sequenced the DNA of people living in Lebanon 2,000
years ago during the Roman period, they found that today's Lebanese population
is actually more genetically similar to the Roman Lebanese.
"If you look at the genetics of people who lived during the Roman period and the
genetics of people who are living there today, you would think that there was
just this continuity. You would think that nothing happened between the Roman
period and today, and you would miss that for a certain period of time the
population of Lebanon included Europeans and people with mixed ancestry," says
Haber.
These findings indicate that there may be other major events in human history
that don't show up in the DNA of people living today. And if those events aren't
as well-documented as the Crusades, we simply might not know about them. "Our
findings suggest that it's worthwhile looking at ancient DNA even from periods
when it seems like not that much was going on genetically. Our history may be
full of these transient pulses of genetic mixing that disappear without a
trace," says Tyler-Smith.
That the researchers were able to sequence and interpret the nine Crusaders' DNA
at all was also surprising. DNA degrades faster in warm climates, and the
remains studied here were burned and crudely buried. "There has been a lot of
long-term interest in the genetics of this region, because it has this very
strategic position, a lot of history, and a lot of migrations. But previous
research has focused mainly on present-day populations, partly because
recovering ancient DNA from warm climates is so difficult. Our success shows
that studying samples in a similar condition is now possible because of advances
in DNA extraction and sequencing technology," says Haber.
Next, the researchers plan to investigate what was happening genetically in the
Near East during the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age.
But they also hope that these kinds of studies will become more commonplace --
and more interdisciplinary. "Historical records are often very fragmentary and
potentially very biased," Tyler-Smith says. "But genetics gives us a
complementary approach that can confirm some of the things that we read about in
history and tell us about things that are not recorded in the historical records
that we have. And as this approach is adopted by historians and archaeologists
as a part of their field, I think it will only become more and more enriching."
This work was supported by The Wellcome Trust.
In First Appearance Since Declaration Of Caliphate, ISIS
Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Calls For Attacks Against France, Its Allies, And
Saudi Arabia, Urges Algerians, Sudanese To Wage Jihad Against Their Regimes
ميمري: في أول ظهور له منذ اعلان دولة الخلافة البغدادي يدعو لمهاجمة فرنسا
وحلفائها والسعودية ويحث الجزائريين والسودانيين لإعلان الجهاد انظمتهما الحاكمة
MEMRI/April 29/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/74347/%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A3%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%B8%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%84%D9%87-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B0-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE/
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and
Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On April 29, 2019, Al-Furqan, one of the media arms of the Islamic State (ISIS),
released a video featuring ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, calling on his
fighters to carry out attacks against France, its allies, and Saudi Arabia. In
the video, titled "In The Hospitality Of The Emir Of Believers," Al-Baghdadi
urges the people of Algeria and Sudan to declare jihadi against their
governments, praised the attacks in Sri Lanka and also recognized a group of
military commanders including foreigners and media officials.
Al-Baghdadi started by commenting on ISIS's defeat in Al-Baghouz, Syria, saying
it was part of the ongoing war between Muslims and the Crusaders and that the
group's fighters had shown steadfastness that "terrorized the hearts of the
Crusaders." He then listed the names of commanders and officials who had been in
charge of Al-Baghouz. Among them were a few Saudi citizens.
Next, he praised ISIS media officials, naming one Abu Abdallah Al-Australi,
Khallad Al-Qahtani, Abu Jihad Al-Shishani, and two French nationals named Abu
Anas Fabyan Al-Faransi and Abu Othman. He then acknowledged members of the
religious committee, naming a Saudi national called Abu Raghad Al-Da'jani and
praised ISIS commanders, naming Belgium national Abu Yassir Al-Baljiki and Abu
Tariq Al-Iraqi.
Praising ISIS fighters, Al-Baghdadi stressed that they had not lost any
territory that had been under their control without a fight and asked Allah to
accept those who were killed in Al-Baghouz as martyrs and prayed that those
imprisoned be freed. "With Allah's permission," he said, "their brothers will
never forget these sacrifices and generosity and they will avenge them and they
will not forget them as long as they live and there will be other parts to this
battle with Allah's permission." Al-Baghdadi also the series of attacks carried
out by various ISIS branches to avenge ISIS defeat in Al-Baghouz, saying that 92
operations had taken place in eight countries.
Al-Baghdadi then congratulated his fighters in Libya for briefly taking over the
town of Al-Fuqaha, Libya, saying that they "have proved to their enemies that
they are able to attack first, knowing that they are fighting a war of
attrition." He then called on them to "chase out their enemies and attack all
their assets including manpower, military, economic, and logistics... And they
should also know that jihad will continue until Judgement Day and that Allah has
ordered us to wage jihad, not to attain victory."
Al-Baghdadi then welcomed the pledge of allegiance from fighters in Burkina Faso
and Mali, saying: "We bless their pledge of allegiance and their joining the
caravan of the Caliphate and we ask Allah to protect them and to protect our
brother Abu Al-Waleed Al-Sahrawi. I urge them to intensify their attacks against
Crusader France and its allies and to avenge their brothers in Iraq and Syria."
Delving into the situation in Khorasan, Al-Baghdadi welcomed those who have
repented and joined ISIS there and prayed that Allah grant them steadfastness
and success.
Commenting on the ousting of the presidents of Algeria and Sudan, Al-Baghdadi
expressed his disappointment in the people in both countries, saying: "They
didn't know why they protested and as soon as they ousted a tyrant he was
replaced by one who is worse and more oppressive toward Muslims." Addressing
them, he said: "We remind them that the only method that would work with these
tyrants is waging jihad for the sake of Allah. By waging jihad, the tyrants
would be silenced and dignity and glory can be attained by waging jihad and only
the sword works with these tyrants."
The video featured a voice message by Al-Baghdadi in which he praised the
attacks in Sri Lanka, saying they were was revenge for those killed in Al-Bagouz,
Syria. He said that attack was "a fraction of the revenge awaiting the Crusaders
and their tails with the permission of Allah. Blessing due to Allah that among
those killed were Americans and Europeans." Al-Baghdadi acknowledged ISIS's
foiled attack against a security building in Al-Zulfi, Saudi Arabia and called
on more attacks in the country and against the House of Saud.
The video ends with Al-Baghadi skimming monthly reports about ISIS branches
around the world including those in Iraq, Syria, Khorasan, West Africa, Saini,
Somalia, Yemen, Central Africa, Caucasia, Tunisia, and Turkey.
Source: Telegram.me/Nashernews April 29, 2019.
https://www.memri.org/reports/first-appearance-declaration-caliphate-isis-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-calls-attacks