LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 09/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.august09.19.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
But this one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on
towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus
Letter to the
Philippians 03/07-14:”Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as
loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of
the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have
suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I
may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that
comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the
righteousness from God based on faith.I want to know Christ and the power of his
resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his
death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have
already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make
it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider
that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind
and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the
prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
’Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News published on August 08-09/2019
Dr. Walid Phares Comments In Two Twitters On The USA Beirut Embassy Statement
Military Judge Stops Looking into al-Basatin Suit Pending Appeal Fate
Hariri from Baabda: Solutions Imminent, Good News Soon
Hariri upbeat over Cabinet meeting prospects
PSP Says U.S. Statement Reflects Concern over Bid to 'Subdue Judiciary'
Bassil: Militias Always Resort to Intelligence Agencies and Embassies
Hizbullah Bloc Condemns 'Foreign Interferences' after U.S. Embassy Statement
Army: Lebanese side demonstrated enemy violations during tripartite meeting
UNIFIL: Del Col chairs regular tripartite meeting
Report: Salameh Talks to Arab, Western Capitals to Avert 'Any Financial Threat'
Lebanese Politician Naufal Daou: Hizbullah And Iran Control Our Political
Decision-Making Process By The Power Of Their Weapons
Lebanese English-Language Daily Publishes Blank Edition over Crisis
Ibrahim meets Labor Minister, US Ambassador
Othman meets Richard, US Congress senior officials
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports
And News published on August 08-09/2019
Trump accuses France’s Macron of sending ‘mixed signals’ to Iran
US tells commercial vessels to send Gulf transit plans in advance
Iran says US Gulf mission will ‘increase insecurity’
Syrian Regime Rejects US-Turkish Safe Zone Plan
Abbas Stresses to Congressional Delegation his Rejection of US Dictates
Israel says soldier stabbed to death in West Bank
Dragnet for terrorists who stabbed an IDF soldier to death at Gush Etzion
Manhunt Underway after Israeli Soldier Stabbed to Death
UN envoy regrets collapse of ceasefire in northwest Syria
Syrian govt: US-Turkish deal is an attack on Syria
Iraq Launches 'Will of Victory-3'
Kashmir an ‘internal affair,’ India tells Pakistan
India’s Modi: Changes in Kashmir will free it from ‘terrorism’
Hundreds of poor migrant workers flee Kashmir under lockdown
Russian military says 2 dead, 4 injured by rocket explosion
UK plans fast-track visa to attract scientists after Brexit
Jailed PKK leader says he is ready for solution with Turkish state
Pakistan suspends train service to India as Kashmir dispute continues
Hanoi says China ships have left disputed sea after month-long standoff
Venezuela government to skip Barbados talks to protest US sanctions
Volcano near Tokyo erupts, prompting warnings
Magnitude 6.5 earthquake hits Turkey’s southwest
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on August 08-09/2019
Dr. Walid Phares Comments In Two Twitters On The USA Beirut Embassy
Statement/Dr. Walid Phares/August 08/2019
Syrian Opposition Website Reveals Precise Locations Of Iranian Backed Shi’ite
Militia Bases In Deir Al-Zour/MEMRI/08 August/2019
What Are the Implications of the Recent Contacts the United Arab Emirates Has
Had With Iran?/Micheal Young/Carnegie MEC/August 08/2019
Analysis/ Egypt Praised for Economic Reforms, but Millions of Egyptians Barely
Survive/Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz/August 08/2019
Killing Free Speech in France, Germany and on the Internet/Judith Bergman/Gatestone
Institute/August 08/2019
A moment of truth for Trump as survivors of religious persecution visit White
House/Tala Jarjour/Arab News/August 08, 2019
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News published
on August 08-09/2019
Dr. Walid Phares Comments In Two Twitters On The USA Beirut Embassy Statement
Dr. Walid Phares/August 08/2019
1-The statement by the US embassy in Lebanon towards the latest "incidents" and
the legal process in the country are current US official policy. No need to
imagine other layers. It mirrors, on a smaller scale, the Trump Administration's
approach to events in Venezuela. Up to the Lebanese to move wherever direction
they wish, to regain their freedom.
2-Just organize a massive demonstration against Hezbollah's domination so that
whatever attention is left worldwide would pay attention to you. Right now, no
one knows, no one cares. Sorry for the bluntness, but after decades of
experience...
Military Judge Stops Looking into al-Basatin Suit Pending Appeal Fate
Naharnet/August 08/2019
Military Examining Magistrate Marcel Bassil has decided to stop looking into the
lawsuit filed over the al-Basatin incident pending a ruling from the Beirut
civilian court of appeals, which is mulling the possibility of recusing Bassil
for lack of jurisdiction, the National News Agency reported on Thursday. “Judge
Bassil’s decision comes in line with the text of Article 125 of the civilian
trials penal code,” NNA said. Defense lawyer for several defendants, Nashaat al-Hasaniyeh,
had filed a request to recuse Bassil, the agency noted.
Hariri from Baabda: Solutions Imminent, Good News Soon
Naharnet/August 08/2019
Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Thursday sounded an upbeat tone regarding the
possibility of resolving the row over the deadly Qabrshmoun incident in the
coming days. “The meeting was very positive and the solutions are imminent,”
said Hariri after talks with President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace. “I’m
more optimistic than before and God willing, you will hear good news soon,”
Hariri added. General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, who is playing a
mediation role, had joined the meeting between the two leaders. LBCI television
meanwhile reported that Ibrahim met with MP Talal Arslan following the Baabda
meeting.Quoting unnamed sources, LBCI said “the atmosphere is positive and in
light of the outcome of Maj. Gen. Ibrahim’s contacts the next step will be
decided.”“Either the contacts manage to reach a solution, under which the
Cabinet would convene Friday or Saturday, or else things would return to square
one,” the sources added. Ibrahim later headed to Ain el-Tineh for talks with
Speaker Nabih Berri, according to media reports. A Cabinet session was abruptly
adjourned in the wake of the Qabrshmoun incident and the Council of Ministers
has not convened since that meeting. Two bodyguards of State Minister for
Refugee Affairs Saleh al-Gharib were killed in the incident and his party has
insisted that the case should be referred to the Judicial Council, a demand
opposed by the Progressive Socialist Party and its allies.
Hariri upbeat over Cabinet meeting prospects
Georgi Azar/ Annahar/8 August 2019
Political infighting over the case has forced Hariri to paralyze the government,
as the Progressive Socialist Party's feud with the Free Patriotic Movement
escalates.
BEIRUT: A day after the U.S embassy in Lebanon called for impartiality in the
Qabrshamoun judicial review, Prime Minister Saad Hariri expressed "optimism" in
breaking the month-long Cabinet deadlock.
Speaking following his meeting with President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace
Thursday, Hariri signaled an end in sight, saying "good news" will be announced
soon. Political infighting over the case has forced Hariri to paralyze the
government, as the Progressive Socialist Party's feud with the Free Patriotic
Movement escalates. On Wednesday, the U.S embassy called for a "fair and
transparent judicial review" of the deadly Qabrshamoun incident "free of
political interference," adding that "any attempt to use the tragic June 30
event in Qabr el-Shamoun to advance political objectives should be rejected."
PSP Says U.S. Statement Reflects Concern over Bid to 'Subdue Judiciary'
Naharnet/August 08/2019
The Progressive Socialist Party on Thursday voiced support for the statement
issued by the U.S. embassy in Beirut regarding the Qabrshmoun incident. “The
statement reflects the West’s concern over what is happening in Lebanon, from
the attempt to subdue the judiciary and blatantly interfere in its affairs to
the attempt to fabricate a file that does not match the results of the
investigations,” the PSP said in a statement reported by LBCI television. The
embassy statement said that the United States “supports fair and transparent
judicial review without any political interference.”“Any attempt to use the
tragic June 30 event in (Qabrshmoun) to advance political objectives should be
rejected. The U.S. has conveyed in clear terms to Lebanese authorities our
expectation that they will handle this matter in a way that achieves justice
without politically motivated inflammation of sectarian or communal tensions,”
the statement added. The Free Patriotic Movement, Hizbullah and some of their
allies have slammed the statement as an “interference” in the affairs of Lebanon
and its judiciary.
Bassil: Militias Always Resort to Intelligence Agencies and
Embassies
Naharnet/August 08/2019
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Wednesday launched a vitriolic
attack on political rivals, describing them as anti-state “militias.” “They
built their castles with extortion money and the state's money and from selling
arms and drugs and yet they're accusing us of corruption,” Bassil said during an
FPM ceremony. “Militias are always linked to foreign forces, they gather and
ally against the state and they always resort to intelligence agencies and
embassies,” Bassil added, in an apparent jab at the Progressive Socialist Party
and the U.S. embassy in Lebanon. The U.S. embassy had earlier in the day issued
a statement in which it stressed that “any attempt to use the tragic June 30
event in (Qabrshmoun) to advance political objectives should be rejected.”“We
will not allow a Druze-Christian problem in Mt. Lebanon and we are working
steadily for partnership and we won’t back down no matter how much lies they
spread,” Bassil added. Referring to the Qabrshmoun incident, Bassil said “the
road was blocked and an attack occurred against ministers and MPs visiting their
regions and people.”“The facts are clear and any military, judicial or criminal
judiciary will not be able to evade them,” he added. “We will not take
permission from anyone to enter into our houses in Mount Lebanon and we will not
tolerate the presence of feudal fiefdoms,” Bassil went on to say. “Today you are
witnessing the approach of the militia versus the approach of the state,” he
added.
Hizbullah Bloc Condemns 'Foreign Interferences' after U.S. Embassy Statement
Naharnet/August 08/2019
Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc on Thursday decried
“foreign interferences” in Lebanon’s affairs, a day after the U.S. embassy in
Beirut issued a rare statement regarding the Qabrshmoun incident. “Experiences
have proved that the exchange of tirades and bickering among the parties cannot
produce a solution or resolve a problem, and that foreign interferences in the
domestic affairs are condemned, whatever their source may be, because they do
not serve the national interest or care about the country’s welfare,” the bloc
said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. “In the face of the
continuous economic deterioration in the country, we call for devising the
appropriate solutions to resume the country’s functioning and we urge everyone
to cooperate to achieve the public interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese,” the
statement added. Hizbullah's media department issued a statement later on
Thursday, describing the U.S. move as "a blatant and insolent interference in
Lebanese internal affairs" and "a severe insult to the state and its
constitutional and judicial institutions."The U.S. embassy statement issued
Wednesday said that Washington “supports fair and transparent judicial review
without any political interference.” “Any attempt to use the tragic June 30
event in (Qabrshmoun) to advance political objectives should be rejected. The
U.S. has conveyed in clear terms to Lebanese authorities our expectation that
they will handle this matter in a way that achieves justice without politically
motivated inflammation of sectarian or communal tensions,” the statement
added.The Progressive Socialist Party has accused ministers and judges loyal to
President Michel Aoun and the Free Patriotic Movement of meddling in the
judiciary in a bid to dictate the outcome of the probe.
Army: Lebanese side demonstrated enemy violations during tripartite meeting
NNA -Thu 08 Aug 2019
A regular tripartite meeting took place at the UN position in Ras al-Naqoura
today, under the chairmanship of UNFIIL Commander Major General Stefano Del Col,
in presence of a delegation of Lebanese army officers chaired by General Amine
Farhat, the Lebanese army indicated in a statement on Thursday. "The Lebanese
side renewed commitment to preserving security stability along the southern
borders in coordination with the UNIFIL, as well as to avoiding any escalation
in accordance with resolution 1701 and its provisions," the statement read. It
added that during the meeting, the Lebanese side had demonstrated the Israeli
enemy violations of Lebanon's land, airspace and waters, and called upon the UN
and the international community to condemn and work on ceasing these breaches.
Moreover, the Lebanese side maintained that the enemy must pull out from Shebaa
farms, Kfarshouba hills and the northern part of al-Ghajar town, and highlighted
Lebanon's full right to its sea water.
UNIFIL: Del Col chairs regular tripartite meeting
NNA - Thu 08 Aug 2019
UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col today
chaired a regular Tripartite meeting at the UN position in Ras Al Naqoura on
Thursday. A statement by the UNIFIL indicated that "discussions focused on the
situation along the Blue Line, air and ground violations as well as other issues
within the scope of UN Security Council resolution 1701 and related
resolutions."It added: "Noting that the situation in the UNIFIL area of
operations remains calm, Major General Del Col underlined the importance of
proactive initiatives to further strengthen the security infrastructure along
the Blue Line as a step towards sustainable peace.""We must believe that peace
is possible; and indeed, peace can begin from you in the tripartite," the UNIFIL
head stated, noting that the onus was on the parties to take advantage of
UNIFIL’s facilitation to move forward in this direction. To that end, Del Col
called for creating renewed momentum in the Blue Line marking process by working
on non-contentious Blue Line points as a "constructive confidence-building
measure" that could be leveraged to resolve in parallel the contentious areas so
that the Blue Line could be marked in its entirety. He added that continued use
of UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination mechanism -- especially when planning to
carry out works in or around contentious or sensitive areas -- would reduce
points of friction, ease tension and significantly contribute to the overall
calm prevailing between the parties on the ground. The UNIFIL head also
reiterated his call on the parties that any activity close to the Blue Line
should be predictable, with sufficient prior notification to allow for
coordination, so as to avoid misunderstandings and prevent incidents. Tripartite
meetings have been held regularly under the auspices of UNIFIL since the end of
the 2006 war in south Lebanon as an essential conflict management and confidence
building mechanism.
Report: Salameh Talks to Arab, Western Capitals to Avert
'Any Financial Threat'
Naharnet/August 08/2019
Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has communicated with several Arab and
Western capitals in an attempt to avert "any possible threat, especially to the
monetary situation," a media report said. "Salameh explained the current
situation to the Arab and foreign officials whom he communicated with, urging
them to stand by Lebanon in this critical period and to find technical monetary
solutions regardless of the local and foreign political crises," Nidaa al-Watan
daily reported on Thursday. "The governor sensed the presence of limited and
specific solutions, amid Arab and international dismay over the Lebanese
government's policies and the disputes of its components," the newspaper added.
"Some Arab countries are mulling the possibility of depositing significant sums
of money in Banque du Liban but are at the same time expressing certain
reservations," the daily said.
Lebanese Politician Naufal Daou: Hizbullah And Iran Control
Our Political Decision-Making Process By The Power Of Their Weapons
MEMRI/August 08/2019
Lebanese journalist and politician Naufal Daou, a member of the March 14
Alliance, said in an August 5, 2019 interview on LDC TV (Lebanon) that Lebanon's
political decision-making process is controlled undemocratically by Hizbullah,
which he said represents Iran and its interests. He said that Hizbullah imposed
itself on Lebanon by force, but that there is resistance to this among the
Lebanese people, who he said oppose the current reality. Naufal Daou: "The
political decision-making [process] is held undemocratically by Hizbullah.
Hizbullah has forced itself into power using its weapons, just as the Syrian
occupation had forced itself on Lebanon using its weapons. This did not prevent
the existence of resistance among the Lebanese, which prevented the Syrian
occupation from swallowing the country entirely.
"Today, the Iranian occupation of Lebanon, which is manifest in Hizbullah's
armed control of the country, holds the political decision-making [process] and
runs daily life here, but there is resistance on the part of the people, who
oppose this."
Lebanese English-Language Daily Publishes Blank Edition
over Crisis
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 8 August, 2019
The Daily Star, Lebanon's only English-language newspaper, protested on Thursday
the country's deteriorating economic and political conditions by refraining from
publishing news articles. Each page of Thursday’s edition bore a single phrase
referring to one of the country's problems, including government deadlock,
rising public debt, increasing sectarian rhetoric and unemployment. The back
page had a photo of the cedar tree, a national symbol, with a caption reading:
"Wake up before it's too late!" Lebanon has been in the grip of an economic
crisis for months, and the government has not met since a deadly June 30
shooting in a Mount Lebanon village amid demands to refer the case to the
Judicial Council. The country’s national debt is also hovering around $85
billion, or 150 percent of gross domestic product. “Despite the worsening
political, economic, financial and social problems, there is still time to save
the country. This requires a collaborative effort from all sides and sacrificing
for the good of the country,” the newspaper said on its website. The daily's
Lebanon and online editor Joseph Habboush said Thursday's move sought to convey
alarm to the ruling class. "We wanted to deliver a warning to the politicians
and officials that the situation has reached an alarming level," he said. In
October last year, the country's oldest newspaper An-Nahar printed an entirely
blank issue to protest a political deadlock over forming a cabinet.
Ibrahim meets Labor Minister, US Ambassador
NNA - Thu 08 Aug 2019
General Security Chief, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, met Thursday with Minister
of Labor, Kamil Abu Sleiman, with whom he discussed the current general
situation and the issue of foreign workforce in Lebanon. Ibrahim later met with
US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard, and an accompanying delegation of
the Senate Committee on Intelligence. Talks reportedly touched on the latest
local and regional developments in addition to the bilateral cooperation between
the General Security and the US apparatuses.
Othman meets Richard, US Congress senior officials
NNA - Thu 08 Aug 2019
Internal Security Forces (ISF) Chief, Imad Othman, on Thursday received at his
Barracks office US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard, and an accompanying
delegation of the US Congress senior officials. Talks reportedly touched on the
general security situation in the country.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
August 08-09/2019
Trump accuses France’s Macron of sending ‘mixed signals’ to Iran
Reuters, Washington/Thursday, 08 August/2019
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said no one is authorized to speak to Iran
on behalf of the United States and he accused French President Emmanuel Macron
of sending “mixed signals” to Tehran over possible talks. “I know Emmanuel means
well, as do all others, but nobody speaks for the United States but the United
States itself,” Trump said in a series of tweets. It was not immediately clear
what Trump was referring to, but a report earlier this week said Macron had
invited Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to this month’s G7 summit to meet
Trump. A French diplomat denied the report on Wednesday.
US tells commercial vessels to send Gulf transit plans in
advance
Reuters, Dubai/Thursday, 8 August 2019
The US maritime agency has told US-flagged commercial vessels they should send
transit plans in advance to American and British naval authorities if they
intend to sail in Gulf waters following several incidents over tankers involving
Iran. The seizure of commercial vessels and attacks on tankers near the Strait
of Hormuz have unsettled shipping lanes that link Middle Eastern oil producers
to global markets. The United States, which has increased its military forces in
the region, has blamed Iran for blasts on several tankers near the Strait, a
charge Tehran denies. Britain said on Monday it was joining the United States in
a maritime security mission in the Gulf to protect vessels after Iran seized a
British-flagged tanker. “Heightened military activity and increased political
tensions in this region continue to pose serious threats to commercial vessels,”
the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) said in an advisory on Wednesday.
“Associated with these threats is a potential for miscalculation or
misidentification that could lead to aggressive actions,” it added. Ships should
also alert the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade
Operations in the event of any incident or suspicious activity. It warned they
could face interference to their global positioning systems (GPS). MARAD said in
at least two incidents involving commercial vessels and Iran since May 2019
ships had reported interference with their GPS and “spoofed” communications from
unknown entities falsely claiming to be US or other warships. It advised crews
to decline Iranian forces permission to board if the safety of the ship and crew
would not be at risk but said they should not forcibly resist any boarding
party. Traffic through the Strait, through which about a fifth of the world’s
oil passes, has become the focus for a standoff between Iran and the United
States after President Donald Trump quit a 2015 nuclear pact and re-imposed
sanctions on Tehran. Iran says the responsibility of securing these waters lies
with Tehran and other countries in the region. “The maritime coalition that US
is trying to form will create more instability and insecurity,” Iran’s Defense
Minister Amir Hatami was quoted as saying by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news
agency on Thursday during phone calls with his counterparts from Qatar, Oman and
Kuwait. Washington is lobbying other nations to join the coalition along with
Britain, which has the largest naval presence in the area after the United
States. Britain’s P&O Cruises said it had cancelled cruises around Dubai and the
Gulf because of the increased tensions.
Iran says US Gulf mission will ‘increase insecurity’
AFP, Tehran/Thursday, 8 August 2019
Iran’s Defense Minister Amir Hatami said on Thursday that the formation of a
US-led flotilla in the Gulf would “increase insecurity” and any Israeli
involvement would have “disastrous consequences” for the region. Tehran and
Washington have been locked in a battle of nerves since US President Donald
Trump withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran last year and
re-imposed sanctions. Tensions have soared in the region, with drones downed and
tankers mysteriously attacked in Gulf waters. Washington and its Gulf allies
have accused the Islamic republic of the tanker attacks, which Tehran denies.
In response, the US has been seeking to form a coalition whose mission- dubbed
Operation Sentinel - it says is to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Gulf.
Britain, which already has warships on protection duty in the Gulf after a
UK-flagged tanker was seized by Iranian Revolutionary Guards, has said it will
join the planned operation. But other European countries have kept out, for fear
it might harm European efforts to reach a negotiated settlement with Iran. Iran
has seized three tankers in the Gulf since last month, including the
British-flagged vessel. The ship seizures came after British Royal Marines
helped to impound a tanker carrying Iranian oil off the British overseas
territory of Gibraltar on July 4, alleging it was destined for EU-sanctioned
Syria, an accusation Iran denies.
Syrian Regime Rejects US-Turkish Safe Zone Plan
Asharq Al Awsat/Thursday, 8 August, 2019
The Syrian regime said on Thursday that an agreement between Ankara and
Washington over northeastern Syria represented a "blatant attack" on Damascus's
territorial unity and a "dangerous escalation". The agreement setting up a joint
operation center to manage a safe zone at the Turkish border showed
"American-Turkish partnership in the aggression against Syria", state news
agency SANA cited a foreign ministry source as saying. The US-Turkish
"aggression" represented "a dangerous escalation and a threat to peace and
stability in the area," the source added, according to The Associated Press.
Damascus said the planned zone "serves Turkey's expansionist ambitions,"
accusing both Ankara and Washington of violating its sovereignty. A senior
Syrian Kurdish official welcome the deal. "This deal may mark the start of a new
approach but we still need more details," Aldar Khalil told AFP on Thursday. "We
will evaluate the agreement based on details and facts, not headlines," he
noted. In recent weeks, Turkish media have repeatedly shown images of military
convoys heading for the border area, carrying equipment and fighting units.
Abbas Stresses to Congressional Delegation his Rejection of
US Dictates
Ramallah - Kifah Zboun/Asharq Al Awsat/Thursday, 8 August, 2019
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received at his office in Ramallah on
Wednesday a delegation of Democrats from the US Congress despite his boycott of
the Trump administration since December 2017. Abbas told the delegation, which
was headed by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, that he insists on a two-state
solution in line with international resolutions. He expressed his rejection of
the “US dictates and decisions related to Jerusalem, refugees, borders and
security.”He also noted that Israel “has not respected the bilateral agreements
signed under international legitimacy, and insists on destroying them, prompting
the Palestinian leadership to halt their implementation.” The delegation
members, for their part, supported the two-state solution and peace achievement,
while Abbas answered questions regarding the possibility of achieving peace
between the Palestinians and Israel.
A committee formed and chaired by Abbas will meet to put a plan and suspend the
agreements signed with Israel. The committee decided to continue its work away
from the media spotlight in order to come up with a peaceful and applicable
plan. There is no time frame for the committee, which is set to submit
recommendations to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). It has begun
working to implement a decision taken by Abbas late July to suspend all
agreements with Israel, a few days after Israel destroyed more than 100
Palestinian housing units in Wadi Homs, east of Jerusalem. "We will not bow to
dictates and imposing a fait accompli by force in Jerusalem and elsewhere,"
Abbas said back then. “There is no peace, no security and no stability in our
region and the whole world without our Palestinian people receiving their full
rights,” Abbas added. The Oslo agreement and its security and economic
implications are being tackled. However, this is not the first time that the
Palestinian leadership announces such decisions.
Israel says soldier stabbed to death in West Bank
Reuters, Ofra/Thursday, 8 August 2019
An Israeli soldier was found stabbed to death near a Jewish settlement outside
the Palestinian city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the
military said. Israeli media said the soldier was missing before he was found
killed and his body left by the side of a road. The military’s statement did not
provide any such details nor accuse anyone in the killing. It described the
soldier as a Jewish seminary student. Hebron and surrounding Israeli settlements
have often been a flashpoint of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.
Dragnet for terrorists who stabbed an IDF soldier to death
at Gush Etzion
DebkaFile/August 08/2019
An 18-year old Yeshiva student, who had just joined up for military service, was
found dead with stab wounds early Thursday, Aug. 8 in Gush Etzion. The family
has been informed. The IDF reported in a communique: When on Wednesday night,
the victim’s family reported he had been out of contact for several hours,
search teams were sent out to scour the neighborhood. Before dawn, his body was
found abandoned at the entrance to Kibbutz Migdal Oz with lethal stab wounds. He
has since been named as Dvir (Yehuda) Sorek, nearly 19, resident of Ofra, whose
grandfather Rabbi Binyamin Herling was murdered by terrorists at Mt. Eval in
2001.Details of the attack are being investigated, although the young soldier
was obviously abducted and murdered by terrorists. He was a resident of the
Binyamin region and a student at the Migdal Oz Yeshiva. He had registered for
military service but not yet had a chance to undertake any duties. Extensive IDF,
Police and Shin Bet teams have spread out through Gush Etzion and its environs
and set up roadblocks in the hunt for the terrorists who are believed to have
gone to ground at a prepared hideout.
Manhunt Underway after Israeli Soldier Stabbed to Death
Asharq Al Awsat/Thursday, 8 August, 2019 -
An Israeli soldier's body was found with multiple stab wounds near a Jewish
settlement in the occupied West Bank south of Jerusalem on Thursday. Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was killed by a Palestinian attacker. The
incident sparked a manhunt by security forces and risked boosting
Israeli-Palestinian tensions weeks ahead of September 17 Israeli polls. It
occurred between Bethlehem and the flashpoint city of Hebron in the West Bank.
"Today in the early morning hours, a soldier's body was found with stabbing
marks on it adjacent to a (Jewish) community north of Hebron," Israel's army
said in a statement, while not immediately accusing anyone. Troops, police and
the Shin Bet intelligence agency were searching the area, it said. Netanyahu
called it "a serious stabbing attack." He said security forces are now in
pursuit to capture the attacker, he said in a statement. Newly drafted
19-year-old Dvir Sorek was a student at a yeshiva -- or Jewish seminary -- in
the settlement of Migdal Oz, near where the body was found. He was in a program
that combined military service with religious study, the seminary head told
Israeli public radio. Israeli police were blocking access to the area around
where the body was found on Thursday and medics were at the scene, an AFP
correspondent said. The body appeared to have been located around 30 to 40
meters outside the gate of the settlement. Thursday's incident came at a
sensitive time, with Israel heading towards a general election on September 17.
It also occurred just ahead of Eid al-Adha holiday. Netanyahu is widely seen as
wanting to avoid a major flare-up in either the West Bank or the Gaza Strip
before the elections, but he will also likely face political pressure to act
firmly.
UN envoy regrets collapse of ceasefire in northwest Syria
Reuters, Geneva/Thursday, 8 August 2019
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Thursday regretted
the collapse of a ceasefire in the northwest, saying that fresh violence
threatens the lives of millions after more than 500 civilians were killed since
late April. Pedersen noted the agreement between the United States and Turkey
deal announced on Wednesday to set up “safe zone” in northeast Syria.
“Humanitarian actors are increasingly concerned by statements suggesting a
possible military intervention, which would have severe humanitarian
consequences in an area that has already witnessed years of military activity,
displacement, droughts and floods,” he said in a statement. On Thursday, the
Syrian government said that an agreement between Turkey and the United States
over northeastern Syria represented a “blatant attack” on Syria’s sovereignty
and territorial unity and a “dangerous escalation.”
Syrian govt: US-Turkish deal is an attack on Syria
Reuters, Beirut/Istanbul/Thursday, 8 August 2019
The Syrian government said on Thursday that an agreement between Turkey and the
United States over northeastern Syria represented a “blatant attack” on Syria’s
sovereignty and territorial unity and a “dangerous escalation.”The agreement
setting up a joint operation center to manage a strip of territory at the
Turkish border showed “American-Turkish partnership in the aggression against
Syria,” state news agency SANA cited a foreign ministry source as saying. The
US-Turkish “aggression” represented “a dangerous escalation and a threat to
peace and stability in the area.”Turkey and the United States said on Wednesday
that they agreed to establish a joint operation center in Turkey to coordinate
and manage a planned safe zone in northern Syria. After three days of talks in
Ankara, the two countries said the safe zone on Syria’s northeast border with
Turkey should be a “peace corridor,” and that every effort would be made so that
Syrians displaced by war can return to their country.
Iraq Launches 'Will of Victory-3'
Baghdad- Hamza Mustafa//Asharq Al Awsat/Thursday, 8 August, 2019
After the US Defense Department announced that ISIS has reemerged in Iraq and
Syria, Iraqi forces have launched “Will of Victory-3” operation against ISIS
operatives in Diyala, al-Anbar, Nineveh, and Kirkuk provinces. A recent report
by a Pentagon inspector general warned that despite losing its territorial
“caliphate, ISIS solidified its insurgent capabilities in Iraq and was
re-surging in Syria.” The report noted that ISIS has been able to regroup and
sustain operations in Iraq and Syria in part because the armed forces of both
countries “remain unable to sustain long-term operations, conduct multiple
operations simultaneously, or hold territory that they have cleared of ISIS
militants.”Iraqi officials acknowledge the existence of ISIS sleeper cells and
recruitment of new members despite the military victory over the organization in
2017, as recently disclosed by the head of Hawks intelligence unit of the
Interior Ministry. However, Iraqi experts and officials shrug off Western and US
fears of ISIS reemergence similar to 2017. Expert on armed groups, Hisham al-Hashemi,
told Asharq Al-Awsat that ISIS remnants have been active in the axis west of
Saladin, southern Nineveh, and northern Anbar, and another northeast of Diyala
and eastern Saladin, and southern Kirkuk, however, its resurgence west of Iraq
is different than that east of Iraq. He explained that its structure in western
Iraq is predominantly of local tribes unlike eastern Iraq, where militants of
non-local tribes constitute a clear majority. He noted that confessions of ISIS
remnants arrested in 2018 and 2019 showed that the majority of them had a
negative opinion on ISIS' approach and doctrine, adding that they only joined
the terrorist organization for financial reasons. Hashemi declared that Iraq
requires a clear strategic support, which the government can’t seem to
acknowledge the need for. It considers reconciling with the Iraqi people as its
only strategic and practical support. The mere military defeat of ISIS in areas
of the Sunni majority to the west and east of Iraq is vital, however, it does
not make any radical difference if stabilization, reconstruction programs, and
issues of displaced citizens are not addressed as planned. Meanwhile, Military
Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense announced the infiltration
and dismantling of an ISIS cell near Mosul. The Directorate issued a statement
indicating it had conducted a qualitative operation against an ISIS terrorist
cell in al-Karama neighborhood on the right side of Mosul. All elements of the
cell were arrested, as investigations revealed they were planning to carry out
terrorist operations. Authorities seized their possessions including memory
cards containing important information and documents, in addition to books
promoting ISIS rhetoric.
Kashmir an ‘internal affair,’ India tells Pakistan
AFP, New Delhi/Thursday, 8 August 2019
India on Thursday hit back at nuclear rival Pakistan’s downgrading of diplomatic
ties over its clampdown on Kashmir, saying its decision to strip the restive
region of its autonomy was an “internal affair.”India stripped Kashmir of its
special status in the constitution on Monday and brought the region under its
direct rule, angering Pakistan which has a competing claim to the
Muslim-majority state. Pakistan responded by downgrading its diplomatic ties
with India Wednesday, announcing that it would expel the Indian envoy and
suspend trade as the row between the neighbors deepened. The countries have
fought two wars over Kashmir. “The recent developments pertaining to Article 370
are entirely the internal affair of India,” the Ministry of External Affairs
said in a statement. “Seeking to interfere in that jurisdiction by invoking an
alarmist vision of the region will never succeed.”New Delhi slammed Pakistan’s
actions as “alarmist,” adding that its move would boost economic development in
the Himalayan region. The diplomatic spat came as media reports said more than
500 people were rounded up in the latest crackdown in Indian Kashmir, which is
under a strict curfew to suppress any unrest in response to the loss of
autonomy. University professors, business leaders, and activists were among the
560 people taken to makeshift detention centers – some during midnight raids –
in the cities of Srinagar, Baramulla, and Gurez, the Press Trust of India and
the Indian Express reported. The detentions came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi
was set to address the nation on the radio later Thursday to explain his Hindu
nationalist government’s decision. Tens of thousands of Indian troops are
enforcing the lockdown which includes no internet or phone services, and are
allowing only limited movement on streets usually bustling with tourists
flocking to the picturesque valley. Experts warn that the valley is likely to
erupt in anger at the government’s shock unilateral move once the restrictions
are lifted, which could come as soon as the Muslim festival of Eid on Monday.
Late Wednesday India’s aviation security agency advised airports across the
country to step up security as “civil security has emerged as a soft target for
terrorist attacks” on the back of the Kashmir move.
India’s Modi: Changes in Kashmir will free it from
‘terrorism’
The Associated Press, New Delhi/Thursday, 8 August 2019
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the nation on Thursday night that he
stripped Kashmir of its statehood and special constitutional status in order to
free the disputed Himalayan region of “terrorism and separatism.”Modi’s
Hindu-nationalist government imposed an unprecedented security lockdown and a
near-total communications blackout in the Muslim-majority region since Sunday
night, arresting more than 500 people. Kashmir is claimed in full by both India
and its archrival Pakistan, although each controls only a part of it and rebels
have been fighting Indian rule in the portion it administers for decades.
This week, India downgraded the divided region from statehood to a territory,
limited its decision-making power and eliminated its right to its own
constitution. In a nationally broadcast speech, Modi described the changes for
Jammu and Kashmir, as the region is formally known, as historic. He assured its
residents that the situation will soon “return to normal gradually,” although he
gave no specifics.
Modi said the “mainstreaming” of the Kashmiri people with the rest of the nation
would expedite development and create new jobs with investment from public and
private companies. He accused neighboring Pakistan of using the past arrangement
“as a weapon to incite people of the region against India.”“I have complete
faith under this new system we all will be able to free Jammu and Kashmir of
terrorism and separatism,” Modi said. Pakistan responded to India’s action by
saying it would downgrade diplomatic ties with New Delhi, expel the Indian
ambassador and suspend trade and a key train service with India. Prime Minister
Imran Khan told Pakistan’s National Security Committee that his government will
use all diplomatic channels “to expose the brutal Indian racist regime” and
human rights violations in Kashmir, the government’s statement said. Pakistani
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Islamabad is not considering any
military action, looking instead at its political and legal options.
State-run All India Radio, which reported on the arrests without details, also
said that cross-border firing by Indian and Pakistani troops hit the Rajouri
sector of the Indian-controlled Kashmir late Wednesday. Many people there remain
holed up in their homes. Activist Ali Mohammed told broadcaster New Delhi
Television that he has been organizing ambulances to carry sick poor people to
hospitals in Srinagar, the main city in India’s portion of Kashmir, since
residents can’t even use phones to ask for medical help. “It’s hell,” a patient
told the television channel. Modi’s national security adviser Ajit Doval visited
the region on Wednesday to assess the law and order situation in the country’s
only Muslim-majority state where most people oppose Indian rule. The insurgency
that began in 1989 and India’s ensuing crackdown have killed more than 70,000
people. A petition was filed meanwhile in India’s top court challenging the
lockdown. Opposition Congress party activist Tehseen Poonawalla said he expected
the Supreme Court to hear his petition Thursday seeking immediate lifting of
curfew and other restrictions, including blocking of phone lines, internet and
news channels in Kashmir.
He also sought the immediate release of Kashmiri leaders who have been detained,
including Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. India said it regretted Pakistan’s
steps and said in a statement that “the intention behind these measures is
obviously to present an alarming picture to the world of our bilateral ties.”The
External Affairs Ministry said it was not surprising that Pakistan has
negatively perceived India’s decision to end Kashmir’s special status as
Islamabad “has used such sentiments to justify its cross-border
terrorism.’”Describing India’s latest steps in Kashmir as an internal matter,
the statement urged Pakistan to review its decision to downgrade ties so that
normal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved. Pakistan’s Foreign
Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said authorities were considering a proposal
to approach the International Court of Justice against India for its action. He
condemned the imposition of communications blackout and security clampdown,
saying “Kashmir has been converted into the world’s biggest jail” by India by
forcing people to stay at homes.
“They are taking such actions in a panic,” he said. “They (India) have touched
something they don’t know how to get out of it,” Faisal said. He said actions
taken by India in the divided Kashmir region were even being opposed by the
Indian opposition and media. He said someone in India challenged the move about
change in Kashmir’s status. Faisal said Pakistan never shut doors for talks with
India in the past but India never positively responded to such offers from
Islamabad. “Only they can say what they want now,” he said. He said Pakistan had
apprised Washington and many other countries about India’s actions. “We will
continue to extend political diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiris
people in their struggle” aimed at getting right of self-determination, he said.
An uneasy calm prevailed along the Line of Control in Pakistan’s part of
Kashmir, where people living in border villages were awaiting government
instruction to migrate to safer places, although some residents had already
moved to nearby towns. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars
since independence over control of Kashmir. The first war ended in 1948 with a
UN-brokered cease-fire that left Kashmir divided and promised its people a
UN-sponsored referendum on the region’s future. Pakistan said it would ask the
United Nations to pressure India to reverse its decision. The government in
Islamabad also said it would give diplomatic, political and moral support to
people living in Kashmir and their “right of self-determination.”
Hundreds of poor migrant workers flee Kashmir under lockdown
The Associated Press, Jammu /Thursday, 8 August 2019
Hit by a complete security lockdown in Kashmir, hundreds of poor migrant workers
have begun fleeing the Himalayan region to return to their far-away villages in
northern and eastern India. Some complained on Wednesday that their Kashmiri
employers didn’t pay them any salary as security forces began imposing tight
travel restrictions over the weekend and asked them to leave their jobs.
Authorities in Hindu-majority India clamped a complete shutdown on Kashmir as
they scrapped the Muslim-majority state’s special status, including exclusive
hereditary rights and a separate constitution, and divided it into two
territories. The Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan and is
claimed by both. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars, two of
them over control of Kashmir, since they won independence from British
colonialists in 1947. Pakistan announced Wednesday that it is downgrading its
diplomatic ties with India and suspending bilateral trade in response to New
Delhi’s decision to reduce Kashmir’s special status. On Wednesday, workers
crowded the railroad station at Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir
state, as they waited for trains bound for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
They carried their belongings on their heads and under their arms, tied in
bedsheets. Worker Jagdish Mathur said many people walked for miles (kilometers)
on a highway and hitched rides on army trucks and buses from Srinagar to Jammu,
a distance of 260 kilometers (160 miles). “We haven’t eaten properly for the
past four days,” said Mathur, adding that he doesn’t have money to buy a rail
ticket to take him to his village in eastern Bihar state. “The government should
help me.”Surjit Singh, a carpenter, told the New Delhi television channel that
he was returning home because of Kashmir’s security lockdown. Every year, tens
of thousands of people travel to Kashmir from various Indian states looking for
work, mainly masonry, carpentry and agriculture. Whenever the security situation
deteriorates, they return homes. Insurgent groups have been fighting for
Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. India
accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.
Russian military says 2 dead, 4 injured by rocket explosion
The Associated Press, Moscow/Thursday, 8 August 2019
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that two people died and four others
were wounded when a rocket engine exploded during a test. The ministry said the
explosion occurred at a military shooting range in the northwestern Arkhangelsk
region, causing a fire. It said a total of six servicemen and civilian engineers
were injured, and two of them later died of injuries. Reuters reported that a
short-term spike in radiation levels in Severodvinsk was recorded after the
explosion, TASS news agency cited a spokeswoman for authorities in the northern
city as saying. The Defense Ministry said earlier that radiation levels were
normal. The explosion followed a massive fire that erupted Monday at a military
ammunition depot near Achinsk in eastern Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region. The blaze
triggered powerful explosions that continued for about 16 hours, killing one
person, injuring another 13 and forcing over 16,500 people to flee their homes.
UK plans fast-track visa to attract scientists after Brexit
The Associated Press, LondonThursday, 8 August 2019
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he plans to introduce a new fast-track
visa to attract more of the world’s best scientists to the UK. Johnson said on
Thursday he wanted to “ensure our immigration system attracts the very best
minds from around the world.” Few details were announced. Johnson said the
government would work with the scientific community on the new visa, “with a
view to launching it later this year.”Britain is facing its biggest immigration
shakeup in decades after it leaves the EU, currently scheduled to happen on Oct.
31. After Brexit, EU citizens will lose the automatic right to live and work in
the UK, and Britons to settle in the bloc’s 27 remaining nations. That has
sparked fears Britain may face shortages in key job areas.
Jailed PKK leader says he is ready for solution with
Turkish state
Reuters, Istanbul/Thursday, 8 August 2019
Jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan said he is ready for a solution
on the Kurdish issue and that he could stop the conflict between the Turkish
state and Kurdish militants within a week, his lawyers said in a statement on
Thursday. Ocalan is the founder of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which
launched a separatist insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. He has been
in jail in western Turkey since 1999. According to the statement, he also said
the Turkish government needed to do what is necessary for the solution to take
place and that Kurds do not need a separate state.
Pakistan suspends train service to India as Kashmir dispute
continues
Reuters, Islamabad/Thursday, 8 August 2019
Pakistan said on Thursday it would suspend a rail service linking it to India,
as relations with its arch-rival continue to sour over the contested Kashmir
region. “We have decided to shut down Samjhauta Express,” railways minister
Sheikh Rasheed told a news conference on Thursday, in reference to the train
running to India’s capital New Delhi from the Pakistani city of Lahore.“As long
as I am railways minister, Samjhauta Express can’t operate.” On Wednesday,
Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic ties with nuclear-armed rival India,
announcing that it will expel the Indian envoy and suspend trade in a deepening
row over New Delhi’s move to tighten its grip on disputed Kashmir.
Hanoi says China ships have left disputed sea after month-long standoff
AFP, Hanoi/Thursday, 8 August 2019
A fleet of Chinese ships has left Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone in the South
China Sea, Hanoi said on Thursday, ending a tense month-long standoff in the
resource-rich waterway claimed by both sides and others.
A Chinese survey vessel and several accompanying ships entered the waters around
the Spratly Islands early last month, drawing ire from Hanoi, the US and the EU
over Chinese increasing aggression in the resource-rich seas. Hanoi on Thursday
confirmed the vessels had left its exclusive economic zone, after weeks of
repeated demands to vacate. “On August 7, 2019, the group of Haiyang 8 vessels
belonging to China ended its geological survey operation and left Vietnam’s
exclusive economic zone,” foreign affairs ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang
told reporters. She added that Vietnam has been “expressing and showing goodwill
to use dialogue with relevant countries to solve disputes.”Beijing has not
confirmed the presence of its ships in the area. China claims the majority of
the South China Sea, often invoking its so-called nine-dash line as a supposed
historic justification to the waters, which are a key global shipping route. It
is accused of deploying warships, arming outposts and ramming fishing vessels in
the sea, which is also contested by Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and
Brunei. On a trip to Thailand last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged
Southeast Asian nations to push back against Chinese “coercion” in the sea. The
US earlier called for an end to China’s “bullying behavior” after reports of the
survey ship in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone emerged. This week the EU top
diplomat Federica Mogherini said the bloc was concerned over “increasing
tension” in the area and slammed China’s “militarization” in the waterway.
Venezuela government to skip Barbados talks to protest US sanctions
Reuters, Caracas/Thursday, 8 August 2019
Venezuela's government will skip a round of Norway-brokered talks on Thursday
and Friday to protest a new set of US sanctions meant to force President Nicolas
Maduro from power, the Venezuelan information ministry said on Wednesday. US
President Donald Trump on Monday imposed a freeze on Venezuelan government
assets in the United States and blocked US citizens from conducting business
with Maduro’s government, increasing pressure on him to quit. Maduro’s
government said its delegation was withdrawing from the round of talks in
Barbados aimed at resolving Venezuela's political crisis with allies of
opposition leader Juan Guaido. The two sides began meeting there in July to seek
a resolution to the political stalemate. “Venezuelans have noted how the leader
of the opposition delegation, Juan Guaido, has celebrated and promoted these
actions that are harmful to national sovereignty,” the information ministry said
in a statement. “Venezuela is willing to review the mechanisms of this process
such that its continuation is effective and in tune with the interests of the
people,” the ministry added. Legislator Stalin Gonzalez, a member of the
opposition delegation, accused the government of backtracking on its commitment
to the dialogue, which began in Oslo in May. “They've spent days saying they
believe in peace and in the Oslo mechanism, (but) they fear the possibility of
true political change in the country,” Gonzalez wrote on Twitter. Guaido, who
has been recognized by more than 50 countries including the United States as
Venezuela's legitimate leader, at a rally on Wednesday said the sanctions are
“penalties for those who steal and profit from misery.”In January, Guaido
invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency on the grounds
that Maduro's 2018 re-election was fraudulent. He said on Wednesday that Maduro
could help the country by abandoning the presidential palace, Miraflores, “that
way the sanctions will be lifted tomorrow.”
Volcano near Tokyo erupts, prompting warnings
AFP, Tokyo/Thursday, 8 August 2019
A volcano near Tokyo has erupted for the first time in four years, throwing ash
and smoke nearly two kilometers into the sky and sparking warnings not to
approach the mountain. Mount Asama, some 140 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of
the Japanese capital, exploded overnight and prompted the national
meteorological agency to raise its alert level to three out of five, meaning
people should avoid the crater. The agency warned that large rocks and
fast-moving flows of hot gas could affect a radius of four kilometers from the
crater and that nearby towns could be hit by smaller rocks and ash depending on
prevailing winds. An agency official told AFP on Thursday that gas was still
being thrown into the air but at a “normal” level. “We don’t see activity
picking up,” he said. Mount Asama last erupted in June 2015. There were no
injuries in the small eruption.
Magnitude 6.5 earthquake hits Turkey’s southwest
Reuters, Ankara/Thursday, 8 August 2019
An earthquake of 6.5 magnitude rocked Turkey’s southwestern city of Denizli, the
country’s earthquake observatory said on Thursday. It wasn’t immediately clear
if there were any casualties. The Kandilli observatory said the earthquake took
place 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) underground. The USGS said the earthquake had a
magnitude of 5.8.
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on August 08-09/2019
Syrian Opposition Website Reveals Precise
Locations Of Iranian Backed Shi’ite Militia Bases In Deir Al-Zour
أماكن توزع مستودعات الميليشيات الإيرانية في محافظة دير الزور
MEMRI/08 August/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77343/memri-syrian-opposition-website-reveals-precise-locations-of-iranian-backed-shiite-militia-bases-in-deir-al-zour/
On July 30, 2019, the Syrian opposition website Ein Al-Porat published a report
on its Facebook page detailing the locations of the Shi’ite militias supported
by Iran in the Al-Mayadin and Deir Al-Zour region in eastern Syria. The report
indicates the locations of the bases and storehouses of these forces and
provides details about the weapons in their possession, as well as aerial
photographs. According to the report, active in the area are Fatemiyoun militia
forces, comprised of Shi’ites of Afghan origin, members of the Iraqi Al-Nujaba
movement, and Hizbullah-Lebanon – all of which are U.S.-designated terror
organizations. Also stationed in the area are forces of the Baqir Brigade, a
Syrian militia loyal to Iran, which in the past has declared its intention to
confront the American forces in Syria.[1] The report also reveals that there are
anti-aircraft missiles, shoulder-fired missiles, and guided missiles in the
region as well. Some of the missiles are aimed at the U.S.-backed Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF), which are stationed on the opposite bank of the
Euphrates River.
On July 2, 2019, the site published a similar report, specifying the locations
of Iraqi and Lebanese Shi’ite militias supported by Iran in the Al-Bukamal area
on the Syria-Iraq border.[2] These areas are of strategic importance to Iran due
to their proximity to the border with Iraq, and because control over them will
help Iran to realize its goal to achieve territorial contiguity from its domain
up to the Mediterranean Sea and because of the presence there of American
forces, which support the Kurdish forces in the area.[3]
The following is a translation of the report:[4]
1-Al-Mayadin: A Fatemiyoun militia base with 75 armed men who are also in
possession of vehicles. Their mission: To patrol the city’s suburbs at night to
prevent attacks from the desert.
2- Al-Mayadin: An Al-Nujaba movement base. There are approximately 100 men armed
with heavy and light weapons. Their mission: To run the city of Al-Mayadin. They
were sent at the instruction of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
[command] in Damascus.
3-Airport in Deir Al-Zour: Weapons storehouse which was taken over by the
Iranian militias, following instructions from IRGC [command] in Damascus.
4-Deir Al-Zour: Weapons storehouses of the Iranian militia on Bur Sa’id Street,
which house Iranian-manufactured missiles that were smuggled in [to Syria]. The
area is closely guarded and under surveillance.
5-The city Al-Mayadin: The Baqir weapons base. There are about 100 armed men,
including senior Iranian commanders, with heavy weapons, guided missiles,
anti-aircraft missiles, and the latest 4×4 vehicles. Their mission: To provide
[weapons] to the Shi’ite militias located on the opposite bank of the Euphrates
River.
6-Mahkan village-Al-Mayadin: A base situated in an agricultural area on the
banks of the Euphrates, which is used by Iranian militias. There are four
missile launchers aimed at Diban village, which is under the control of the SDF.
7-Mahkan village-Al-Mayadin: An Iranian militias’ base, where there are about 40
operatives with weapons, night vision equipment, and vehicles. Their mission: To
surveil the movements of the SDF operatives posted on the parallel bank (the
Jazira-Diban village axis).
8-The city of Al-‘Asharah on the banks of the Euphrates River: A Fatemiyoun
militia base in the city of Al-‘Asharah where there are about 80 men armed with
heavy and light weapons, including anti-[aircraft missiles], missile launchers,
and shoulder-fired missiles.
9-Dahiyat Al-Assad-Deir Al-Zour: A Hizbullah-Lebanon militia base where there
are about 40 armed fighters, and 15 of the latest 4×4 vehicles carrying
anti-aircraft weapons of 12, 14.5, and 23 millimeters.
10-Dahiyat Al-Assad-Deir Al-Zour: An IRGC base in Deir Al-Zour where there are
guided missiles and mortar shells. Their mission: To provide [weapons] to all
the Iranian militias in Deir Al-Zour Province.
11-The city of Al-Muhassan, in the rural area of Deir Al-Zour: an Iranian
militias’ base on the banks of the Euphrates, where there are 70 armed
operatives who are citizens of various countries, four missile launchers, and
shoulder-fired missiles aimed at Jadeed Ekedat village.
[1] Nedaa-sy.com, April 7, 2018.
[2] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 8162 Syrian Opposition Website Reveals
Precise Locations, In Al-Bukamal, Syria, Of Iran-Backed Shi’ite Militias’
Military Outposts And Weapons Depots, July 9, 2019.
[3] See MEMRI Special Dispatch 7790 Syrian Opposition Websites: Iran
Consolidating Its Presence In Eastern Syria, West Of Euphrates, To Form
Continuum From Iran, Through Iraq And Syria, To Mediterranean, December 4, 2018.
[4] Facebook.com/euphrateseye, 30/7/2019.
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What Are the Implications of the Recent Contacts the United
Arab Emirates Has Had With Iran?
Micheal Young/Carnegie MEC/August 08/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77358/77358/
*Joe Macaron | Fellow at the Arab Center in Washington, D.C.
The United Arab Emirates’ opening to Iran is tactical rather than strategic and
is primarily a message to the Trump administration as their relationship has
recently turned sour on several issues, including the U.S. rapprochement with
Qatar. While it is true that the UAE’s economy—mainly Dubai’s—cannot afford a
confrontation with Iran, the Emiratis’ calculation was that President Donald
Trump would not confront Iran or protect navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and
would seek to begin talks with Tehran. Hence their move seems preemptive.
There are three implications for the UAE’s opening to Iran: First, it undermines
the core of the Trump administration’s strategy in the Middle East—an
Arab-Israeli alliance against Iran, driven by a flawed Israeli-Palestinian
deal—and it complicates the U.S. attempt to form a Gulf maritime coalition.
Second, it tests the strong Saudi-UAE alliance, leaving Riyadh alone with
Bahrain to rhetorically challenge Iran and with little option but to compromise
with the Houthis in Yemen. And third, it might indicate a turning point for what
has been an interventionist Emirati foreign policy.
*Fatima Alasrar | Policy analyst specializing in Yemen and the Gulf
For the time being, the United Arab Emirates is avoiding conflict with Iran and
its militias in Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthis’ attacks on Saudi Arabia, which
have been growing bolder and more deadly, as well as what appears to be Tehran’s
attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf, have revealed Iran’s inclination to escalate
with impunity. Tehran sent a strong message to the Gulf states that they would
be the first to lose should the United States pursue military action, instead of
diplomacy, with Iran. The subsequent seizure of oil tankers and inability to
secure their release demonstrated that Washington is neither in a position to
pressure Iran to deescalate nor to protect its allies in the region.
Furthermore, the United States has not been clear or consistent in its strategy
with regard to Iran, choosing diplomatic overtures at times and threatening
military action at others. Within this context, and given the high economic cost
the UAE could pay if Iran and its allies decide to target it as they have the
Saudis, Abu Dhabi, which tends to play a leading role in the UAE’s foreign
policy, had no choice but to open this diplomatic door with its rivals in
Tehran. And the UAE’s military drawdown in Yemen and deescalation around the
port of Hodeida were gestures of goodwill that it was directing at Iran.
*Hussein Ibish | Senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in
Washington, D.C.
The United Arab Emirates’ outreach to Iran makes perfect sense. Despite frequent
claims to the contrary, the UAE has never sought a U.S.-Iran conflict, instead
advocating for realistic and achievable policy changes rather than unachievable
regime change in Tehran. And, while Emirati officials have welcomed the U.S.
administration’s campaign of “maximum pressure” against Iran, they have been
quietly warning for almost a year that there has to be a political track to
translate the pressure into improved Iranian conduct.
The UAE’s longstanding concerns that it could become a primary target in any
military conflict with Iran were underscored by Iran’s recent campaign of
low-intensity “maximum resistance” warfare, which appears to have included the
targeting of UAE oil tankers. Combined with the UAE’s decision to draw down its
military presence in Yemen, all this logically leads to the UAE’s unilateral
outreach to try to translate Iran’s new vulnerability into policy gains and add
badly-needed carrots in dealing with Tehran to the well-established sticks.
*Ahmed Nagi | Nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut
The United Arab Emirates’ decision to revive its relationship with Iran will
enable it to ensure that Iran and those aligned with it do not pose a security
threat to Emirati interests. It has been reported that the Iranian-backed
Houthis in Yemen, for example, have the ability to target the UAE with their
weapons. Meanwhile, such an opening will also help secure shipping lanes, energy
exports, and external investment for the UAE, especially at a time when tensions
are increasing in the Persian Gulf.
Internally, such step is in line with the preferences of Dubai’s leadership,
which has not been happy with the military approach adopted by the UAE in its
foreign policy, regarding this as danger for the country’s interests. In recent
years there have been differences in viewpoints between the two key states of
Abu Dhabi and Dubai over the nature of the relationship with Iran and other
related issues in the region, including the Yemen war. While Abu Dhabi has
viewed most of those issues through a security lens, Dubai has tended to look at
them through the lens of the UAE’s economic interests.
In addition, the UAE’s strategy toward Iran will most likely be reflected in its
relations with Iran’s allies in the region. For instance, in Yemen the UAE-backed
southern separatists and the Houthis will find a way of reaching new
understandings under the sponsorship of the UAE and Iran, respectively.
Analysis/ Egypt Praised for Economic Reforms, but Millions
of Egyptians Barely Survive
زفي برئيل/هآرتس: في حين يتم الإشادة بمصر لإصلاحاتها الإقتصادية فإن ملايين من
المصريين بالكاد يجدون قوتهم اليومي
Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz/August 08/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77354/%d8%b2%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a6%d9%8a%d9%84-%d9%87%d8%a2%d8%b1%d8%aa%d8%b3-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%aa%d8%aa%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%b4%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a9-%d8%a8%d9%85%d8%b5%d8%b1/
While IMF (The International Monetary Fund) dishes out compliments, more than a
third of Egypt's population lives on less than $2 a day.
It’s been many years since Egypt got so many compliments on the management of
its economy. An executive summary published by the International Monetary Fund
at the end of July leaves no room for doubt – Egypt is en route to improving its
economy.
“Egypt has successfully completed the three-year arrangement under the Extended
Fund Facility and achieved its main objectives. The macroeconomic situation has
improved markedly since 2016, supported by the authorities’ strong ownership of
their reform program and decisive upfront policy actions,” the report says.
The report, which was written in advance of the last payment of the $12 billion
loan that Egypt received from the IMF in 2016, particularly stresses the
lowering of inflation from 30 percent to 14 percent, the reduction in
unemployment, a reduction in the public debt to GDP (Gross domestic product)
ratio and the need to “keep public debt on a downward trajectory.” The
elimination of most fuel subsidies, which passed with almost no public protest,
the growth in foreign currency balances, and more effective tax collection along
with giant projects like the new administrative capital being built near Cairo
have boosted state revenues significantly.
But like with every such report, it must be read not only to see the sunny side
of the Egyptian economy, but also its gloomier aspects.
According to a report by the government’s statistical agency, 32 percent of
Egypt’s 99 million people live at the poverty line, and 6.2 percent live in
extreme poverty. The definition of the poverty line is income of less than $2 a
day per person, and extreme poverty is defined as a dollar a day. Poverty
figures indicate that the percentage of poor people has doubled since 2000, and
has climbed 5 percent since 2015.
According to an analysis by Egyptian economists, the increase in poverty is not
only due to price increases since the reforms began, but mainly due to the
movement of the Egyptian pound against the dollar, which more than doubled the
value of the dollar and thus the price of imported goods in Egyptian pounds.
This dramatic fluctuation caused the Egyptians’ purchasing power to diminish
sharply, while salaries – even after the compensation that was paid mainly to
civil servants – not only failed to keep up with inflation, but were eroded by
20 percent.
This income depreciation was particularly hard on middle class families, some of
which found themselves skirting the poverty line. A recent article on Lebanon’s
Raseef 22 website described Egypt as a “sad nation,” mainly because of people’s
economic situation.
It’s hard to learn about the economic pressure from government media outlets,
which are subject to scrutiny and censorship. But the average Egyptian does not
need the newspapers to learn about his situation. He feels it every day when he
queues in front of the government bakeries that sell pitas at a discount, or
when he pays a lot more Egyptian pounds to fill his gas tank. “Falafel costs 3
pounds and koshari [street food made from macaroni batter] costs 10 pounds. A
person who wants to eat this basic food has to spend 22 pounds a day,” one
Twitter user wrote. “How can you live like this?”
There is difficulty developing the private sector because the military controls
a significant number of projects and it doesn’t let private companies compete
fairly for market share in the manufacturing or construction sectors. While
privatization is a key element of the economic reform program, its
implementation is sluggish – either because the military is unwilling to give up
the companies it owns, or because of the fear that privatization will make large
blocs of workers redundant, leaving them to join the millions of other
jobseekers.
Since much of Egyptian GDP depends on domestic consumption, and given consumers’
shrinking income and purchasing power, it is hard to believe Egypt will realize
its 8 percent growth target, and the conservative forecast of 5.5 percent next
year is also doubtful.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi is calling on his citizens to be
patient, saying the light is just around the corner and the failures of previous
regimes cannot be corrected in a day. But he has been in power for six years and
the public’s patience is running out.
His regime is considered stable, parliament is under his control, the army is
with him, the United States and Saudi Arabia support him and gas production in
the Mediterranean assures him of economic backing. But the regime of Hosni
Mubarak was similarly stable before the Arab Spring flooded Egypt with boiling
lava.
Killing Free Speech in France, Germany and on the Internet
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/August 08/2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14678/free-speech-france-germany-internet
In early July, France's National Assembly adopted a draft bill designed to
curtail online hate speech. The draft bill gives social media platforms 24 hours
to remove "hateful content" or risk fines of up to 4% percent of their global
revenue. The bill has gone to the French Senate and could become law after
parliament's summer recess. If it does, France will be the second country in
Europe after Germany to pass a law that directly makes a social media company
censor its users on behalf of the state.
Knowing that a mere Facebook post could end you up in front of a judge in court
is very likely to put a decisive damper on anyone's desire to speak freely.
If Facebook's agreement with France is replicated by other European countries,
whatever is left of free speech in Europe, especially on the internet, is likely
to dry up fast.
While Facebook eagerly claims to be fighting hate speech online, including
claiming to have removed millions of pieces of terrorist content from its
platform, according to a recent report from the Daily Beast, 105 posts of some
of Al Qaeda's most notorious terrorists are still up on Facebook, as well as
YouTube.
When will Facebook -- and YouTube -- make it a priority to remove material
featuring the terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, whose incitement has inspired actual
terrorists to kill people?
In May, France called for increasing government oversight over Facebook. Now
Facebook has agreed to hand over to French judges the identification data of
French users suspected of hate speech on its platform, according to France's
Secretary of State for the Digital Sector, Cédric O.
Previously, according to a Reuters report, "Facebook had refrained from handing
over identification data of people suspected of hate speech because it was not
compelled to do so under U.S.-French legal conventions and because it was
worried countries without an independent judiciary could abuse it". Until now,
Reuters noted, Facebook had only cooperated with the French judiciary on matters
related to terrorist attacks and violent acts by transferring the IP addresses
and other identification data of suspected individuals to French judges who
formally demanded it.
Now, however, "hate speech" -- as speech that fails to comply with current
political orthodoxy is conveniently labelled -- appears to have become
comparable to terrorism and violent crime. How autocratic, yet Cédric O
apparently loves it: "This is huge news, it means that the judicial process will
be able to run normally".
It is highly probable that other countries will want to have a similar agreement
with Facebook; it also appears likely that Facebook would comply. In May, for
instance, as France was debating legislation that would give a new "independent
regulator" the power to fine tech companies up to 4% of their global revenue if
they do not do enough to remove "hateful content" from their network, Facebook's
CEO Mark Zuckerberg commented: "I am hopeful that it [the French proposal] can
become a model that can be used across the EU".
France is the first and so far only country to have entered into such an
agreement with Facebook.
The new agreement could signal the de-facto end of free speech on Facebook for
French citizens. Self-censorship in Europe is already widespread: a recent
survey in Germany showed that two thirds of Germans are "very careful" about
what topics they discuss in public -- Islam and migrants being the most taboo.
Knowing that a mere Facebook post could end you up in front of a judge in court
is very likely to put a decisive damper on anyone's desire to speak freely.
French authorities are already in the process of setting an extremely public
example of what can happen to those who use their freedom of speech on the
internet. Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally Party, was recently
ordered to stand trial and could face a maximum sentence of three years in
prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($85,000) for circulating "violent messages
that incite terrorism or pornography or seriously harm human dignity". In 2015,
she had tweeted images of atrocities committed by ISIS in Syria and Iraq to show
what ISIS was doing.
If Facebook's agreement with France is replicated by other European countries,
whatever is left of free speech in Europe, especially on the internet, is likely
to dry up fast.
In early July, France's National Assembly adopted a draft bill designed to
curtail online hate speech. The draft bill gives social media platforms 24 hours
to remove "hateful content" or risk fines of up to 4% percent of their global
revenue. The bill has gone to the French Senate and could become law after
parliament's summer recess. If it does, France will be the second country in
Europe after Germany to pass a law that directly makes a social media company
censor its users on behalf of the state.
Also in early July, in Germany -- where the censorship law, known as NetzDG,
also requires Facebook to remove content within 24 hours or face fines of up to
50 million euros -- the Federal Office of Justice imposed a €2 million
regulatory fine on Facebook "for the incomplete information provided in its
published report [the publication of its transparency report for the first half
of 2018 required under NetzDG] on the number of complaints received about
unlawful content. This provides the general public with a distorted image both
of the amount of unlawful content and of the social network's response".
According to Germany's Federal Office of Justice, Facebook does not inform its
users sufficiently of the option to report "criminal content" in the specific "NetzDG
reporting form":
"Facebook has two reporting systems in place: its standard feedback and
reporting channels on the one hand, and the 'NetzDG reporting form' on the
other. Users who wish to submit a complaint about criminal content under the
Network Enforcement Act find themselves steered towards the standard channels,
since the parallel existence of standard channels and the 'NetzDG reporting
form' is not made sufficiently transparent, and the 'NetzDG reporting form' is
too hidden...Where social networks offer more than one reporting channel, this
must be made clear and transparent to users, and the complaints received via
these channels are to be included in the transparency report. After all,
procedures to handle complaints of unlawful content have a considerable impact
on transparency."
In response, Facebook said: "We want to remove hate speech as quickly and
effectively as possible and work to do so. We are confident our published NetzDG
reports are in accordance with the law, but as many critics have pointed out,
the law lacks clarity."
While Facebook claims to be fighting hate speech online, including claiming to
have removed millions of pieces of terrorist content from its platform,
according to a recent report from the Daily Beast, 105 posts of some of Al
Qaeda's most notorious terrorists are still up on Facebook, as well as YouTube.
The terrorists include Ibrahim Suleiman al-Rubaish, who was imprisoned for more
than five years in Guantanamo Bay for training with al Qaeda and fighting
alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan against the United States, and Anwar al-Awlaki,
an American-born terrorist, both killed by American drone strikes. According to
one US counter-terrorism official, speaking in September of 2016:
"If you were to look at people who had committed acts of terrorism or had been
arrested and you took a poll, you'd find that the majority of them had some kind
of exposure to Awlaki."
Awlaki was preaching and spreading his message of jihad in American mosques as
early as the 1990s. At the Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami mosque in San Diego,
between 1996-2000, two of the future 9/11 hijackers attended his sermons. He is
also reported to have inspired several other terrorists, such as the Fort Hood
terrorist, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, with whom he exchanged emails, and the
Tsarnaev brothers, who bombed the 2013 Boston marathon. Apparently, that sort of
activity does not bother Facebook: The Daily Beast reportedly found the videos
through simple searches in Arabic using only the names of the jihadists.
That Facebook appears to be "creatively" selective in how it chooses to follow
its own rules is nothing new. As previously reported by Gatestone Institute,
Ahmad Qadan in Sweden publicly raised funds for ISIS for two years. Facebook
only deleted the posts after the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) approached
Facebook. In November 2017, Ahmad was sentenced to six months in prison for
using Facebook to collect money to fund weapons purchases for the ISIS and
Jabhat al-Nusra terror groups and for posting messages calling for "serious acts
of violence primarily or disproportionately aimed at civilians with the
intention of creating terror amongst the public."
In September 2018, Canadian media exposed that a Toronto terrorist leader,
Zakaria Amara, while serving a life sentence for plotting Al Qaeda-inspired
truck bombings in downtown Toronto, nevertheless had a Facebook page on which he
posted prison photos and notes about what made him a terrorist. Only after
Canadian media outlets contacted Facebook to ask about the account did Facebook
delete Amara's account "for violating our community standards."
When will Facebook -- and YouTube -- make it a priority to remove material
featuring the terrorist Awlaki, whose incitement has inspired actual terrorists
to kill people?
*Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, 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.
A moment of truth for Trump as survivors of religious persecution visit White
House
Tala Jarjour/Arab News/August 08, 2019
For the second year running, the United States Department of State has hosted an
international meeting for government officials, religious leaders and community
representatives, as well as professionals concerned with religion. The 2019
Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom was hailed as “the largest human rights
ministerial ever held at the United States State Department,” by US Vice
President Michael Pence.
The opening session of the three-day event in Washington, D.C., last month
featured welcoming remarks by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and, on the
final day, a presidential address delivered by Pence. In between, a series of
presentations and plenary sessions included high-profile speakers,
representatives of a large number of religious communities and charities, as
well as US government officials concerned with religious affairs and
interreligious relations.
Invited speakers included members of religious communities who have experienced
forms of persecution because of their religions or beliefs. Some speakers had
experienced persecution personally or through close family members. The version
of the program published online listed these speakers as “survivor” and
identified each only by their country and religion in parentheses, such as
“(Sudan, Muslim),” “(New Zealand, Muslim)” or “(Eritrea, Christian).” It is not
clear why the names of the survivors were omitted, while those of ministers, UN
officials and representatives of international organizations were not.
One survivor, Nadia Murad, was identified by name, alongside the parenthetical
country-religion note “(Iraq, Yazidi).” The Nobel Laureate spoke on the first
day of the event, along with three unnamed survivors: Jewish, Christian, and
Muslim from Pittsburgh, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, respectively. In the video
recording of the session, the guests are introduced as survivors of violent
attacks that targeted religious groups in the past year. They are Rabbi Jeffrey
Myers; Yamini Ravindran, the legal and advocacy officer of the National
Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka; and Dr Farid Ahmed, whose wife was
killed as she was attempting to help injured people in one of the mosque
shootings in Christchurch on March 15, 2019.
Their experiences underscore, according to Sam Brownback, US ambassador at large
for international religious freedom, the notion that “religious persecution is,
tragically, not a thing of the past,” and that a majority religion in one
country is the minority in another.
A highlight took place on the second day, when the speakers identified as
survivors visited the Oval Office. The international guests stood behind
President Donald Trump as he delivered a short speech from his desk. Media
representatives watched and listened, as the world was told there were 27
survivors in the room. The meeting appeared to be carefully coordinated, as most
such events typically are, down to the scripted short speeches by Trump,
Ambassador Brownback and one of the guests, introduced as "Reverend Samson from
Burma," who spoke for approximately 40 seconds.
Surviving Boko Haram, Daesh, imprisonment camps and the oppressive chaos of war
leaves marks on the human body, even when the soul is comforted by religious
faith.
When Trump initiated what appeared to be a spontaneous conversation with his
staff, members of the group interjected with individual pleas, apparently
unrehearsed, on behalf of their communities and relatives. This part seemed
unplanned, but necessary. The president listened, even when his staff appeared
to be hurried for time, to everyone who came forward with a request for help in
one region of the world or another. He gave the impression of being engaged,
even when not displaying familiarity with the particular plea.
It would be difficult to determine whether Trump was genuinely moved or just
wanted to appear sympathetic to this diverse group of people during a week in
which his exclusionary remarks about minority members of Congress were drawing
strong criticism and dominating the headlines. What we do know, however, is that
when one’s pressing plea is a matter of life or death, the listener’s political
motivation becomes of secondary importance.
This incident was in many ways similar to the regular appearances by the current
occupant of the Oval Office, flanked by elegantly dressed individuals and facing
the cameras. But in stark contrast to the smiling faces normally seen supporting
President Trump, the faces in this gathering told stories of suffering that no
elegance can hide. Surviving Boko Haram, Daesh, imprisonment camps and the
oppressive chaos of war leaves marks on the human body, even when the soul is
comforted by religious faith. Deep pain, like love, is difficult to hide.
The final day of the ministerial focused on government action. According to the
Department of State’s website, government officials from around the globe and
representatives of international organizations discussed new commitments to
protecting the freedom of religious belief and “developing innovative responses
to persecution on the basis of religion.”
It is not clear whether there will be a third installment of this global
gathering in the upcoming election year. But if the conversation that took place
in the Oval Office on July 17 is any indication, then let us hope future
recommendations will extend to supporting survivors, individuals and communities
alike, as they attempt to live with unimaginable loss.
*Tala Jarjour is author of “Sense and Sadness: Syriac Chant in Aleppo” (OUP,
2018). She is currently Visiting Research Fellow at King’s College London and
Associate Fellow of Pierson College at Yale.