LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 17/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16/01-04/:”The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, ‘When it is evening, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.” And in the morning, “It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.” You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.’ Then he left them and went away.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on August 16-17/2019
Mr. Hassan Nasrallah’s Delusional and Boasting speech Of Today
Aoun Moves to Summer Presidential Residence, Jumblat 'Welcomes' Him in Beiteddine
Banners Welcoming Aoun to Chouf Torn Down, LDP and PSP Denounce Act
Hariri Says US Mediation on Israel Border Issue 'Viable'
Lebanon’s Hariri hopes for decision in September on sea border talks
Hariri caps off grueling five-day visit to the U.S.
Aoun Marking July War: Victory Will Be Repeated If War is Repeated
Israeli Drone Causes Blaze, Mine Explosions on Lebanon Border
Nasrallah marking July War victory: Israeli battalions to be destroyed live on TV if they enter Lebanon
Nasrallah Calls on Some Parties Not to 'Eliminate Others' in Their Sects
Hizbullah Shows 'Missile Arsenal' Used against Israeli Warship
PSP Takes Part in Hizbullah Rally, Calls for Dialogue
Lebanon: After Reconciliation, Government and Parliament Set to Approve Projects
Retired Servicemen Appeal Budget before Constitutional Council
Rahi meets Lazzarini, Attalah, Mouawad
Abu Faour: Aoun's visit to Chouf consecrates reconciliation
Dinnieh's Btormaz bids farewell Hussein Fashikh in solemn funeral
Former Lebanese prime minister: Christian leaders are making a historical mistake
13 Years Later, Is The IDF (Israeli Army) Ready For Another War With Hezbollah?
Hermel top Lebanese ecotourism region

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 16-17/2019
Iran Says It Didn't Give Gibraltar Any Assurances for Release of Tanker
Iran Says Tanker Freed by Gibraltar Preparing to Set Sail
Childbearing is a type of Jihad’ says Khamenei army representative
Houthis believe Khamenei is continuing the Prophet’s leadership: Spokesman
Germany charges man with spying for Iran
Air strikes kill 15 civilians in northwest Syria, says monitor
Syria's Neighbors Weary of War Refugees
Turkey Speeds Up ‘Safe Zone’ Measures in Syria
Yemeni Presidential Advisor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Ongoing Insurgency Weakens Government
Trump Urges India-Pakistan Talks on Kashmir in Call with PM Khan
U.S. Lawmaker Scraps West Bank Trip over Israel 'Oppressive' Demands
Israel intercepts Gaza rocket after weeks of calm
Israel Says to Let in US Rep Tlaib to Visit Family
Palestinian shot dead after ramming car into Israeli civilians in West Bank

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 16-17/2019
Mr. Hassan Nasrallah’s Delusional and Boasting speech Of Today/Elias Bejjani/August 16/2019
Hariri caps off grueling five-day visit to the U.S./Georgi Azar/Annahar/August 16/ 2019
Nasrallah marking July War victory: Israeli battalions to be destroyed live on TV if they enter Lebanon/NNA/August 16/2019
Former Lebanese prime minister: Christian leaders are making a historical mistake/Sunniva Rose/The National/August 16/2019
13 Years Later, Is The IDF (Israeli Army) Ready For Another War With Hezbollah?/Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem Post/August 16/2019
Hermel top Lebanese ecotourism region/NNA/Aug 16/2019
Could this Be the Year of Persian Poetry/Amir Taheri/ Asharq Al-Awsat/August 16/2019
Pound Slide More About Brexit Than the Economy/Marcus Ashworth/Bloomberg/August 16/2019
Is the Palestinian Authority Preparing for a New Intifada/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/August 16/2019
Israel Announces New Units for Settlers and Palestinians/David Makovsky/The Washington Institute/August 16, 2019
Turkish base in Qatar: Against whom/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Arab News/August 16, 2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on August 16-17/2019
Mr. Hassan Nasrallah’s Delusional and Boasting speech Of Today
خطاب السيد نصرالله الإستكباري والواهم والمنسلخ بمحتواه عن الواقع
Elias Bejjani/August 16/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77594/elias-bejjani-mr-hassan-nasrallahs-delusional-and-boasting-speech-of-today-%d8%ae%d8%b7%d8%a7%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%af-%d9%86%d8%b5%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d9%87-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5/
Mr. Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s terrorist-Iranian militia, general secretary and leader delivered today a fiery and high tone speech in the 13th commemorating of what is falsely and wrongly called the 2006 Godly victory on Israel.
Simply, the content of the whole lengthy speech was a huge bundle of grandiose delusions, auditory and visual hallucinations, self deception, lies, fabrications, day dreaming and boasting of imaginary so called Godly victory in the 2006 with Israel.
All the wars and fights that Nasrallah glorified today in his high tone speech and attributed them to graces from Almighty God are in actuality and reality mere disasters, suicide acts, self destruction and uncalculated fights that he and his Iranian masters did inflict on the Lebanese people against their will through occupation, terrorism, intimidation and force.
The 2006 war with Israel was a real disaster on Lebanon and the Lebanese people on all levels and in all domains. Meanwhile, after 13 years the country did not yet rebuilt what was destroyed during the war that Hezbollah and its Iranian Mullah caused, ignited and started to serve mere Iranian aims.
In summary, Hezbollah is an Iranian army by all means and in accordance to all international standards and criteria, although its members are Lebanese. This Terrorist Iranian army and since 2005 is fully occupying Lebanon and totally controlling its decision making process in all domains.
May Almighty God and all His Saints and angles safeguard and protect Lebanon and the Lebanese people from the Iranian Mullahs’ satanic-Iranian denominational dreams and vicious schemes of terrorism, expansionism and colonization.

Aoun Moves to Summer Presidential Residence, Jumblat 'Welcomes' Him in Beiteddine
Naharnet/August 16/2019
President Michel Aoun moved to the summer presidential residence in Beiteddine in the Chouf area on Friday where a delegation of the Progressive Socialist Party is expected to visit him as a welcome gesture, the National News Agency reported. NNA said the PSP delegation comprised of PSP officials, lawmakers, religious figures, mayors and head of municipal unions are to visit Aoun on Saturday. Banners welcoming the President stretched from the Damour area to Beiteddine Palace, it added. But overnight, unknown assailants tore down some of the banners. Aoun's move comes days after the reconciliation in Baabda Palace between Druze and PSP leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat, and Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan.In a tweet Friday, Jumblat welcomed Aoun saying: “Above all else, the (Chouf) Mountain welcomes President of the Republic General Michel Aoun at the summer presidential residence in Beiteddine.”

Banners Welcoming Aoun to Chouf Torn Down, LDP and PSP Denounce Act
Naharnet/August 16/2019
The Lebanese Democratic Party and Progressive Socialist Party denounced in a statement on Friday the torn down banners welcoming President Michel Aoun in the Druze majority Chouf district. The LDP’s media office issued a statement denouncing the act saying banners stretching along the road from Multaka al Nahrain to the junction of the town of Jahlieh were all pulled apart. “These acts do not represent the values, customs or history of the people of the Mountain area,” said the statement. Media Commissioner in the Progressive Socialist Party, Rami Rayyes also condemned the act in a tweet describing it as “suspicious” and “aiming to confuse the position of the PSP welcoming Aoun in Beiteddine,” he said. Rayyes stated that a PSP delegation will visit the President as a welcoming gesture to his summer residence in Beiteddine. Aoun is scheduled to move to the summer presidential residence in Beiteddine in Chouf on Friday. Last month, a deadly incident in the Aley town of Qabrshmoun in the Mountain area sent tensions high between the LDP--an ally of the Free Patriotic Movement of Aoun-- and Progressive Socialist Party of Druze leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat.

Hariri Says US Mediation on Israel Border Issue 'Viable'
Naharnet/August 16/2019
Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Thursday that he is open to future negotiations under US mediation to resolve Lebanon's border disputes with Israel. After a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Hariri said he had "confirmed" Beirut's "commitment" to "continuing the negotiation process" launched by the US government on "land and maritime borders.""We consider the process to be viable," he told reporters, promising a "final decision in the coming months -- hopefully September." Standing by Hariri's side for brief remarks to the press, Pompeo welcomed the Lebanese prime minister's "commitment to make progress towards the resumption of productive expert-level discussions." Those discussions should cover "the handful of remaining points with respect to the 'blue line'" -- a demarcation line drawn by the United Nations to mark Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.
Also on the table will be "the initiation of discussions on the Israel-Lebanon maritime border," Pompeo said. "We are prepared to participate as a mediator and facilitator in the maritime discussions and we do hope that we will soon see substantive discussions on these important issues, the resolution of which would be greatly beneficial to Lebanon and to the broader region," the secretary of state added. Lebanon and Israel are still technically at war. The issue of the shared maritime border is sensitive, mainly because of a dispute over coastal drilling rights. In February 2018, Lebanon signed its first contract for offshore drilling for oil and gas with a consortium comprising energy giants Total, ENI and Novatek. Two blocks in the eastern Mediterranean are part of the deal, but Israel claims that part of Block 9 belongs to the Jewish state. In recent months, Washington approached both sides to propose that it act as a mediator. In late May, the Israeli government said it had agreed to enter US-mediated talks with Lebanon to resolve the maritime border dispute.

Lebanon’s Hariri hopes for decision in September on sea border talks
Reuters, Washington/Friday, 16 August 2019
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Thursday after talks in Washington that he hoped for a final decision, possibly in September, on a proposal for resolving a maritime border dispute with Israel on a gas pipeline. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed Lebanon’s commitment to the talks and reiterated Washington’s willingness to facilitate discussions. “We consider the process to be viable and will continue to support constitutional next steps leading up to a final decision in the coming months, hopefully September,” Hariri said in a statement to the press after meetings with Pompeo.
Beirut has an unresolved maritime border dispute with Israel - which it regards as an enemy country - over a sea area of about 860 square km (330 square miles) extending along the edge of three of Lebanon’s southern energy blocks. Senior US official David Satterfield has been shuttling between Lebanon and Israel trying to launch the talks between the countries, which have remained formally in a state of war since Israel was founded in 1948. In his statement, Pompeo said a resolution to the dispute would “be greatly beneficial” to Lebanon and the region. “We are prepared to participate as a mediator and a facilitator in the maritime discussions, and we do hope that we will soon see substantive discussions on these important issues,” he said. “The right solution...will be greatly beneficial to Lebanon and the greater region.”Lebanon last year licensed a consortium of Italy’s Eni, France’s Total and Russia’s Novatek to carry out the country’s first offshore energy exploration in two blocks. One of the blocks, Block 9, contains waters disputed with Israel. Lebanese leaders have repeatedly warned Israel not to encroach on its offshore oil and gas reserves.

Hariri caps off grueling five-day visit to the U.S.
Georgi Azar/Annahar/August 16/ 2019
Last month, the U.S. ramped up its efforts to isolate Hezbollah and in an unprecedented move, announced fresh sanctions against elected officials from the movement for the first time.
BEIRUT: After successfully mitigating Lebanon's Cabinet deadlock, Prime Minister Saad Hariri traveled to the U.S. this week and held discussions with senior officials that focused on possible Hezbollah sanctions, the Israeli border dispute and the country's economic health.  Hariri, on his third visit as Prime Minister, met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, reaffirming his commitment to settling the dispute revolving around 860 square kilometers of the Mediterranean Sea.Hariri expected a decision being reached in September, while Pompeo hoped to “see substantive discussions on these important issues, the resolution of which would be greatly beneficial to Lebanon and to the broader region.”
By finally demarcating both its maritime and land borders, Lebanon hopes to unleash offshore oil and gas production as it continues to grapple with an economic crisis. The U.S., under the watchful eye of Acting Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield, has been mediating between the two countries, which have been officially at war since Israel’s creation in 1948. Hariri expressed hope in possibly moving "from cessation of hostilities to a ceasefire" with Israel while pointing out to the "hundreds of Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace." Touching on Hezbollah, the militant group that has managed to expand its influence both locally and regionally, Pompeo threw his support behind the “credible state institutions inside Lebanon. They are essential to preserving Lebanese security, stability and sovereignty".
“This is a region that is threatened by Iran, and a nation that is threatened by its proxy Hezbollah,” he said, adding that U.S. sanctions against "Hezbollah members and its supporters will continue."During his five day visit, Hariri also met undersecretary for political affairs David Hale, assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs David Schenker, and U.S. assistant secretary of Treasury, Marshall Billingslea, with the latter credited with concocting the U.S.' latest round of Hezbollah sanctions. Last month, the U.S. ramped up its efforts to isolate Hezbollah and in an unprecedented move, announced fresh sanctions against elected officials from the movement for the first time.
MPs Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Raad were accused of “exploiting Lebanon’s political and financial system” to benefit Hezbollah, according to a statement from the U.S. Treasury. Wafiq Safa, one of Hezbollah's top security officials, was also blacklisted, along with a number of prominent Shiite businessmen believed to have ties with the "Party of God." "My duty as Prime Minister is to spare Lebanon from these sanctions and safeguard the economy," he said. The threat of increased sanctions have raised concerns over Lebanon's ability to weather its financial storm, with Hariri believed to have lobbied for the U.S. to shield his country's banking sector. Lebanon is currently treading a thin line, with its budget deficit hovering near 11 percent of GDP in 2018. It also has one of the heaviest public debt burdens in the world at around 150 percent of GDP.
Earlier this month, Lebanon's parliament passed the 2019 budget which seeks to curb the deficit to around the 7 percent mark through a number of austerity measures, including new taxes and budget cuts. By enacting necessary reforms, Pompeo said Lebanon would unlock international economic help, most notably the $11 billion CEDRE package agreed upon in April last year.  Hariri also held talks with David Malpass, the President of the World Bank, assuring him of "continued cooperation, especially in sectors such as electricity, telecommunications and waste management.""I explained the challenges we face in Lebanon, both economically and politically," Hariri said, telling reporters that work on the 2020 budget would commence shortly.

Aoun Marking July War: Victory Will Be Repeated If War is Repeated
Naharnet/August 16/2019
Marking the anniversary of July 2006 Israeli aggression against Lebanon, President Michel Aoun said on Friday, "if war is to be repeated, then we hope victory will be repeated as well,” the National News Agency reported. The 2006 Israel–Hizbullah War and known in Lebanon as the July War, was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon. It continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006. On another level, the President stressed the importance of the financial paper that had been drafted at Baabda Palace in his presence and that of Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister, Saad Hariri. Last Friday, a high-level economic-financial meeting chaired by Aoun was held at the Baabda Palace, after which Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced that the conferees expressed their commitment to the stability of the Lebanese lira. "We are working for Lebanon's best interest, regardless of all external positions on the reconciliation. Of course, the problem is over. The effects will remain, but they will eventually subside," Aoun added in reference to Qabrshmoun ordeal. The reconciliation Aoun was referring to managed to end weeks of political deadlock and tension between Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat and Lebanese Democratic Party chief Talal Arslan.

Israeli Drone Causes Blaze, Mine Explosions on Lebanon Border
Naharnet/August 16/2019
An Israeli reconnaissance drone on Friday caused a fire that blew up several landmines on the Lebanese-Israeli border, Lebanon’s National News Agency said. The drone “dropped flammable material over several points on the border, triggering a huge blaze along the border opposite the al-Abbad military post that faces the Marjeyoun town of Houla,” NNA said, adding that the flames have spread into Israel. The fire also detonated 15 landmines left over from the Israeli occupation era, the agency added.

Nasrallah marking July War victory: Israeli battalions to be destroyed live on TV if they enter Lebanon
NNA/August 16/2019
NNA - Hezbollah leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday promised the Israeli enemy that its troops will be terminated if they set a foot in Lebanon and that their destruction will be broadcast live by TV stations. In a speech upon the anniversary of the 2006 July War victory, the Secretary General of Hezbollah addressed the enemy saying: "Should you enter our territory, your tanks and battalions will be destroyed and this will be broadcast live by TV stations."Stressing that Hezbollah has become a "regional force," Nasrallah indicated that the Israeli domestic front was not ready for war.
He explained that the Israeli enemy did not only fear Hezbollah as it had come to realized that a war on the party would ignite the entire region. "This balance of terror is in the interest of Lebanon," he added. "We are proud to be part of the axis of Resistance which can be relied on to prevent wars," he underlined
"The Resistance axis can prevent the recurrence of terrorism or a new universal war in Syria," he said. He went on to say that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Saudis were pushing for war in the region. "But we want security and peace to persist."
Moreover, he considered that a war on Iran would mean a war on the axis of Resistance and that the entire region would burn.
Nasrallah did not fail to reiterate that "the Lebanese were the ones who established their security in Lebanon and safety in the south through the army-people-Resistance trinity."He indicated that the July war was staged as per a US decision with a view to establishing "the new Middle East", in completion of the US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. "US was behind the scheme; Israel was only an executive tool in this war," he said. "Had the US scheme succeeded, the US would have taken over the region; and the war of July would have been just the beginning," he added. "Israel would have faced a huge disaster had it continued the war," he said. "I honestly say that some commanders in Hezbollah even wanted the war to continue for several weeks considering the losses we could have caused to Israel," he unveiled. "But we chose to cease the fighting for the sake of our people," he said. He maintained that the war in 2006 did not stop because of "international or the barely-existing Arab pressures," but that it only stopped because Israel failed. "What stopped the war was the strength of Lebanon and the Resistance, and the steadfastness of the Lebanese people," he said.
However, Nasrallah criticized the lack of national unity and total harmony during the July war.
He said that had there been real harmony, Lebanon would have imposed its own conditions at the time.
He also praised President Michel Aoun's stance today as "brave" and "strong."Tackling local affairs, Nasrallah maintained that Hezbollah did not act on the basis that it had won in the region. He also stressed that his party did not accept the elimination of anybody, but that some sides sought to eliminate others in their sects. "We want everybody to cooperate," he said, highlighting the necessity to respect the results of the parliamentary elections and the importance to activate the government and the Parliament. On a different note, Nasrallah announced that the party had selected Sheikh Hassan Ezzeddine to run for the parliamentary byelections in the southern district of Tyre after the resignation of former MP Nawwaf Moussawi.

Nasrallah Calls on Some Parties Not to 'Eliminate Others' in Their Sects
Naharnet/August 16/2019
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday stressed that his party is not seeking to eliminate others in Lebanon despite its “victory” in the region, as he called on some parties not to “eliminate others in their sects.”
“We do not want to eliminate anyone and let no one blow disputes out of proportion. These are illusions and fears and the Lebanese must activate the government and parliament to address the pressing files,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech marking the end of the 2006 war with Israel. “Any clash in the country is not in anyone's interest,” Nasrallah emphasized. “Some parties want to eliminate the others in their sects and regions… We call for respecting the sizes reflected by the results of the parliamentary elections and I call on them not to eliminate the others in their sects and regions and not to be arrogant towards them. They should acknowledge their real sizes and deal with them accordingly,” Nasrallah added, apparently referring to the Progressive Socialist Party and its rivals in the Druze community. “Had the other axis won, how would some local parties have acted towards Hizbullah and its allies?” Nasrallah wondered. Stressing that Hizbullah will not act in Lebanon on the basis that it has “won in the region,” Nasrallah said his party “will not accept the elimination of anyone.”As for the conflict with Israel, Nasrallah noted that “the strength of the equation in Lebanon is what’s deterring Israel from attacking Lebanon” but pointed out that “Israel does not only fear Hizbullah; it has started to realize that a war on Hizbullah will blow up the region.”“Israel's domestic front is not ready to go to war,” Nasrallah said. “This balance of terror is in Lebanon's interest and Hizbullah has become a regional force,” he added. Addressing the Israeli army, Nasrallah repeated a warning he had issued in the past. “Your battalions will be destroyed should you enter Lebanon and that will be broadcast live by TV stations,” he said. “Had there been real national unity during the July War, Lebanon would have imposed its own conditions and I laud President (Michel) Aoun for his stance today,” Nasrallah went on to say. “Today I heard remarks from President Aoun about the July War and when we have a brave and strong official stance and a strong army, people and resistance they will not manage to harm us,” Nasrallah added. Noting that the 2006 war was an “American decision,” Hizbullah’s chief said the Israelis were only an “executive tool.”

Hizbullah Shows 'Missile Arsenal' Used against Israeli Warship
Naharnet/August 16/2019
Hizbullah on Friday released footage of what it says are anti-ship missiles of the kind it used 13 years ago against Israel. Israel has fought several conflicts against the Iran-backed Hizbullah, the last in 2006. More than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, the majority soldiers, died during the last conflict but many in Israel consider the war a failure as Hizbullah was not defeated. Since 2006, Israeli officials have repeatedly warned that the Lebanese group maintains an arsenal of several hundred long-range missiles that could be used to target Israel. On Thursday night, a series of videos on Hizbullah-run media purported to show at least five anti-ship missiles stored inside metallic containers in an unknown location. Hizbullah's logo could be seen printed on the warheads. It was not clear when the footage was filmed. A Hizbullah naval commander, identified as Haj Jalal, told Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV on Thursday that the anti-ship missiles are of the same kind used in a 2006 attack on one of the Israeli navy’s top warships, the INS Hanit. The warship was struck off the coast of Beirut in July 2006, killing four soldiers and causing extensive damage to the corvette. It was the first direct strike on an Israeli warship in decades and Hizbullah celebrated it as among its biggest victories of the 34-day war. An investigation found that the missile hit because officials did not believe Hizbullah had such sophisticated technology and so didn't turn on anti-missile systems. On Thursday, Hizbullah released what it said are videos of the 2006 missile attack. One clip purported to show men dressed in Hizbullah uniform tracking the Israeli warship using a radar. It also purported to show a truck-mounted launcher firing two anti-ship missiles, that were filmed streaking through the night sky. Shortly after, the video shows a distant blaze. In the years since the 2006 war, the discovery of offshore gas fields in Israeli waters has prompted investment in new warships to protect non-moving gas platforms. Haj Jalal on Thursday told Al-Manar that an anti-ship arsenal is significant to Hizbullah because the "sea serves as an economic lung for the Zionist enemy."He mentioned "offshore gas fields, some of which are still being explored.""A threat at sea is a threat to Israel's national security," said Haj Jalal, whose face was blurred during the interview, a common security measure by the group. On Friday, Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that the 2006 war has helped Hizbullah develop "a military system to defend our villages, towns and cities.""If (Israel) enters southern Lebanon... you will see a live broadcast of the destruction of Israeli brigades," he warned.

PSP Takes Part in Hizbullah Rally, Calls for Dialogue
Naharnet/August 16/2019
A representative of the Progressive Socialist Party on Friday took part in a rally organized by Hizbullah in the southern town of Bint Jbeil to mark the anniversary of the end of the 2006 war with Israel. “We in the PSP find ourselves in our land on an occasion of such a type and magnitude,” PSP general secretary Zafer Nasser told al-Jadeed television in live remarks from the rally. Asked whether the PSP’s participation is an “introduction” for a meeting between Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and PSP leader Walid Jumblat following the latest tensions between the two parties, Nasser said “the role that is being played by Speaker Nabih Berri might push things in this direction in the coming period.”“Things are going in a positive manner and dialogue is the natural framework for discussing differences,” the PSP official added.

Lebanon: After Reconciliation, Government and Parliament Set to Approve Projects
Beirut – Khalil FleihanAsharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 16 August, 2019
The upcoming week is expected to see the implementation of decisions already taken at the financial and economic meetings, held at the presidential palace last Friday, following the reconciliation that finally ended the dispute over the deadly Shouf shooting, which paralyzed the government for more than a month. Lebanon's cabinet met on Saturday for the first time since late June. Two aides to a government minister from the Lebanese Democratic Party were killed during June's shooting in the Shouf town of Aley, and the minister's allies accused the Progressive Socialist Party of attempting to assassinate him. The cabinet session came after a reconciliation to overcome the deadly shooting. According to presidential sources, Lebanese top officials agreed on a number of decisions during last week’s talks, through new or existing bills or proposals, citing financial matters and other issues related to the Parliament. The sources underlined that efforts should currently be focused on the rating of international institutions, such as Standard & Poor’s, in addition to the Budget of 2020 and the commitment to present it within the constitutional deadlines, as agreed during a meeting that gathered President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, as well as other officials. The presidential sources also told Asharq Al-Awsat that discussions during last Friday’s meeting touched on the implementation of the CEDRE Conference recommendations and the need to determine the mechanism to initiate the McKinsey plan. On the other hand, the Council of Ministers is expected to complete administrative appointments to fill 73 vacant positions, and to tackle other projects on the fight against corruption.

Retired Servicemen Appeal Budget before Constitutional Council
Naharnet/August 16/2019
The retired servicemen filed an appeal before the Constitutional Council on Friday against some articles in the newly approved 2019 state budget aiming to cut some of their benefits. MPs Shamel Roukoz and Jean Talouzian accompanied a mass of pensioners to the Constitutional Council where they submitted the appeal. Roukoz, a staunch defender of military rights who himself has served in the military before running in Parliament, said: “Stemming from the demands of the military and judges, we have signed an appeal against the budget and ask the Constitutional Council to look into it.”In May, Lebanon approved a long-awaited austerity budget aimed at rescuing an economy crumbling under massive debt and unlocking billions in international aid. The budget saw cuts to pensions and benefits of army veterans and retired security officers as part of an impending austerity package.

Rahi meets Lazzarini, Attalah, Mouawad
NNA - Fri 16 Aug 2019
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rahi, on Friday welcomed in Diman the U.N. resident and humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Philippe Lazzarini, with whom he discussed the general situation in Lebanon and the broad region. Patriarch Rahi also met with MP George Atallah, with talks reportedly touching on developmental projects related to North Lebanon, as well as the Country's general situation. The Patriarch then met with head of the Independence Movement MP Michel Mouawad, with the current socio-economic situation and national matters featuring high on their talks. On emerging, MP Mouawad called on the government for extraordinary measures to address the current simmering socio-economic situation. Mouawad also emphasized the dire need for consecrating political stability through anchoring Political stability requires first establishing the national Charter and the rules of coexistence and partnership among the Lebanese.

Abu Faour: Aoun's visit to Chouf consecrates reconciliation
NNA - Fri 16 Aug 2019
Industry Minister Wael Abu Faour, on Friday said that President of the Republic General Michel Aoun's visit to Chouf shall consecrate reconciliation and national coexistence. "President Aoun's visit shall consecrate the unity of the Lebanese in the Mountains and across Lebanon," Minister Abu Faour was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the annual Volleyball Festival 2019, organized by "Zaarourieh Youths" in tribute to the martyr Captain Haitham Zein. Attending the ceremony had been MP Bilal Abdullah representing Head of the "Democratic Gathering" MP Teymour Jumblatt, and scores of local dignitaries.

Dinnieh's Btormaz bids farewell Hussein Fashikh in solemn funeral
NNA - Fri 16 Aug 2019
Dinnieh's town of Btormaz on Friday bid farewell its late son Hussein Fashikh in a solemn official and popular funeral, attended by scores of political, religious and local dignitaries. Hussein Fashikh drowned during the Adha Eid as he was saving friends in a waterfall in Guinea. Attending the funeral had been the Secretary General of the Higher Relief Committee, General Mohammad Kheir, representing Prime Minister Saad Hariri, as well as Abdel Razzak Qerhani representing former Prime Minister Nejib Mikati, in addition to MP Jihad Al Samad. The late Fashikh was laid to rest in the family's cemetery in his hometown Btormaz.

Former Lebanese prime minister: Christian leaders are making a historical mistake
Sunniva Rose/The National/August 16/2019
Sunni leader Fouad Siniora criticised Lebanese politicians for acting irresponsibly
Fouad Siniora said Christians are fighting a losing battle in terms of numbers.
Former Prime Minister of Lebanon Fouad Siniora has accused Christian leaders of making a “major historical mistake” as they push for more power against a backdrop of financial difficulties and increased pressure from the US against one of the country’s most powerful parties, Hezbollah.
“Christians are fighting a losing battle in terms of numbers. They should try to emphasise their role instead of numbers,” he said, referring to president Michel Aoun’s attempts to increase the political influence of Christians in Lebanon.
Mr Siniora used an interview with The National on Wednesday to reflect on Lebanon’s current challenges both domestically and regionally, as Prime Minister Saad Hariri is meeting US officials in an attempt to hold back sanctions on Hezbollah that could destabilise the government and the fragile economy.
Despite multiple promises, the small Mediterranean country has proved incapable of implementing rapid economic reforms to avoid a looming economic crisis because of political infighting that recently brought the government to a 40-day halt. In parallel, Lebanon fears being embroiled in US-Iran tensions in the Gulf because of the military power wielded by Iran-backed Hezbollah, the only party to have kept its weapons after the end of the Lebanese civil war in the name of the fight against Israel.
Mr Siniora said the country was facing “resistance” to reform from many political parties, particularly president Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement.
One of Mr Aoun’s core policies is to restore the rights of Christians in Lebanon, a strategy he demonstrated recently when he delayed signing the 2018 budget for several days in protest against an article that included the appointment of nearly 1,000 civil servants that had successfully passed national exams two years before because only a small minority of them were Christian.
Though Mr Aoun agreed to sign the budget, he then asked the speaker of parliament in a letter to clarify the constitution, stressing that it was essential to preserve Lebanon’s “national consensus and shared life”, which he described as “essential”, reported Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star. The matter has not been discussed publicly since.
Critics of Mr Aoun such as Mr Siniora argue that the president’s request is contrary to the constitution that clearly stipulates that sectarian balance should only be maintained for top civil servants such as ambassadors.
Based on a 1932 census showing that Christians were a majority in Lebanon, a 76-year-old unwritten agreement stipulates that the president should be Christian Maronite, the prime minister Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker Shiite Muslim.
Though recent research suggests that demographics have changed and that the largest community today is Shiite Muslim, followed by Sunni Muslims and Christians, no new census has been conducted to avoid disturbing the country’s fragile balance of power.
This controversy is one of the many examples of the failure of Lebanese leaders in general, not only Christian leaders, to address the dire political and economic situation, argued Mr Siniora. “Politicians are not really acting in a responsible manner. Lebanon can no longer afford the luxury of wasting time,” he said.
Lebanon is one of the most indebted countries in the world. Its international reserves fell to $38.7 billion last year, enough for 13 months of import coverage. To unlock funds of nearly $11 billion pledged in Paris in April 2018, the country promised to implement drastic reforms, but has remained paralysed by political infighting. A new garbage crisis, similar to the one that sparked protests in 2015, is looming.
Lebanon’s Hariri in Washington to isolate Lebanon from damaging Hezbollah sanctions
The fight for mental health support for Lebanon's destitute refugees
One of the current prime minister Saad Hariri’s closest allies and a member of his Future Movement, 76-year-old Mr Siniora headed the party’s bloc in Parliament for nine years until 2018. As prime minister from 2005 to 2009 and finance minister for two terms in the 1990s and early 2000s, Mr Siniora played a defining role in shaping Lebanese politics.
A former banker, he is remembered for having introduced value-added tax (VAT) in 2002. However, other necessary economic reforms were not implemented because of resistance from other political parties, he said. “I confess that in many instances, I could not achieve what I really wanted.”
Syria’s occupation of Lebanon also hindered reforms, Mr Siniora said. “Syria was playing the role of what you call in French pompier pyromane: igniting a fire and then offering its services to extinguish it.”
Syrian troops entered Lebanon in 1976, one year after the beginning of the civil war, before being forced out 29 years later amid public outcry following the murder of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005. His supporters believe Syria orchestrated the murder, but Damascus denies this.
Mr Siniora has often clashed with Iran-backed Hezbollah, which accuses him of corruption, a charge he rejects. “Hezbollah interferes in domestic affairs in a number of countries ranging from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and probably others. All this is contrary to the interest of the Lebanese,” he said.
The US is running out of patience with Hezbollah’s increasing political and military prowess. Several sources previously told The National that it is likely to impose fresh sanctions on the party and its allies. Mr Siniora said that he hoped that Mr Hariri would convince American officials to focus instead on increasing their support for the Lebanese army, which it has assisted with aid worth more than $2.29 billion since 2005.
To counter Hezbollah’s influence, Mr Siniora has also been lobbying another Lebanese ally, Saudi Arabia, to increase its support to Mr Hariri. After a visit to Jeddah mid-July with two other former Lebanese prime ministers, “the king nicely mentioned the role of Saad Hariri and extended support,” he said. Asked whether any concrete announcements would be made soon by Saudi Arabia towards Lebanon, Mr Siniora answered “give them time. They have been busy with the Hajj.”
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/former-lebanese-prime-minister-christian-leaders-are-making-a-historical-mistake-1.898851

13 Years Later, Is The IDF (Israeli Army) Ready For Another War With Hezbollah?
آنا أهرنهايم/جيروساليم بوست: بعد مرور 13 عامًا ، هل الجيش الإسرائيلي مستعد لحرب أخرى مع حزب الله؟
Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem Post/August 16/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77590/%d8%a2%d9%86%d8%a7-%d8%a3%d9%87%d8%b1%d9%86%d9%87%d8%a7%d9%8a%d9%85-%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d9%85-%d8%a8%d9%88%d8%b3%d8%aa-%d8%a8%d8%b9%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%b1-13/
Israel lost 121 soldiers during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, and a section of the border fence where the Hezbollah ambush occurred has 121 flowers painted on it, a flower for every soldier lost.
The windy road along the border between Israel and Lebanon is quiet. Hezbollah flags are fluttering in the distance on one side of the fence, and Israeli flags on the other. But 13 years ago at the spot I found myself, at 8:40 a.m. Hezbollah ambushed an IDF patrol, sparking the Second Lebanon War.
It’s a road full of bloody memories.
While Hezbollah claimed to have lost 250 fighters during the war, other figures put the Hezbollah death toll at more than 600.
Thousands of civilians were killed in Lebanon and 43 were killed in Israel, and thousands of foreign nationals were evacuated from Lebanon by various countries via Cyprus, Turkey or Syria.
Israel lost 121 soldiers during the 34-day 2006 Second Lebanon War, and a section of the border fence where the Hezbollah ambush occurred has 121 flowers painted on it, a flower for every soldier lost, explained Lt.-Col. (res.) Sarit Zehavi, a resident of the northern community of Kfar Havradim, as we drove along Route 8993.
“It was July 12, 2006, I was at the IDF Headquarters in Tel Aviv, and I remember the first reports that we received of mortars being fired toward communities along the border,” said Zehavi, who served in the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate at the time, and who currently runs the Alma Research and Education Center in the North’s Tefen industrial park.
“Two hours later we received the report that two soldiers had been kidnapped, and I went up one floor to my commander and asked him two questions: first, ‘What are we waiting for? Why aren’t we calling up the reserves?’ since it was clear to me already that there was going to be a war; and the second was ‘How can we have war now? I’m nine months pregnant,’ to which he said: ‘Don’t worry, the baby will wait.’
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“And the baby waited. On August 12, 2006, it was midnight when my water broke and we headed to the hospital. I turned on the radio and heard of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and that the ceasefire would begin on August 14 at dawn. And on August 14 at dawn my son was born. Many soldiers were killed on the last day of the war, and I was watching the TV screen and I said that I didn’t want to name him after anyone who died, so we named him Mor,” she said.
Zehavi explained that for many years she would not drive along this road without a military escort of at least two armored Humvees. But the road is now open to civilians, and we were alone with no army escort as we drove, passing by a poster of the IDF troops who were killed in the Hezbollah ambush that set off the deadly war.
FOLLOWING THE implementation of the ceasefire, both sides claimed victory, and both sides continue to say that they’ve deterred the other from initiating a war. It’s been 13 years of relative quiet along this explosive border, with only isolated incidents.
Tilak Pokharel, deputy spokesperson of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a peacekeeping mission, told The Jerusalem Post that major escalations have been prevented due to the “continued commitment” by all sides to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the conflict.
“The last 13 years have been the quietest period the south of Lebanon has witnessed in a long time. It’s important for the parties to take advantage of this period of stability to move from cessation of hostilities to a permanent ceasefire,” Pokharel said. “The continued calm on both sides of the Blue Line, lasting for 13 years, means the people living on both sides of the Blue Line have been able to reap the dividends of peace.”
Resolution 1701 tasked UNIFIL with patrolling southern Lebanon. According to Pokharel, the peacekeepers, who are from 44 countries, carry out more than 450 operational activities every day, including foot, vehicle and air patrols, the setting up of checkpoints, training the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and community engagement activities.
Pokharel stated that “UNIFIL’s works center around securing a permanent ceasefire between the parties and a long-term solution to the conflict,” but the continued war of words between Israel and Hezbollah has increased tensions and crushed the thought of a long-term solution between the two sides.
Jerusalem has repeatedly slammed UNIFIL for failing to fulfill its duties by turning a blind eye to Hezbollah’s activities in southern Lebanon. Israel accuses the terrorist group of continuously violating the resolution and storing much of its weaponry in villages along the border.
SENIOR IDF officers as well as politicians say that Israel’s military has the ability to end any future conflict with Hezbollah as quickly as possible, and will completely destroy the group’s capabilities and infrastructure, even if that means civilian casualties.
The IDF hasn’t conducted a full and proper ground maneuver in enemy territory since troops entered Gaza in 2009 during Operation Cast Lead. During Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012 and Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the IDF and political leadership chose to rely mainly on the air force, leaving the ground troops and armored corps to stay out of the Strip or in the border area, to neutralize Hamas tunnels.
The military knows that in a war in the north, it will not be able to rely solely on the air force, and has publicly boasted about the preparedness of the ground troops, showing off major drills simulating war with Hezbollah to journalists. The military states that the next war will be more lethal, and it has shown off new technology and techniques which it says will destroy the group and send Lebanon “back to the Stone Age” if need be.
With the help of Iran, Hezbollah has rebuilt its arsenal since 2006 and has hundreds of thousands of short-range rockets and several thousand more missiles that can reach deeper into Israel.
It is believed that in the next war the terrorist group will try to fire some 1,500-2,000 rockets per day until the last day of the conflict. With more than 40,000 fighters organized in battalions and brigades, Hezbollah fighters have gained battlefield experience from fighting in Syria on the side of President Bashar Assad.
But many of the group’s capabilities and infrastructure are intertwined with the civilian infrastructure of Lebanon, a country that receives millions of dollars in military aid and equipment from the United States and other Western countries.
“Contrary to what the Americans think, the LAF is not an alternative to Hezbollah,” Zehavi said. “They coexist side by side in Lebanon, and in the next war the LAF will, of course, in my opinion, have to fight shoulder to shoulder with Hezbollah because they have to show the Lebanese population that they are protecting them. Otherwise, what good are they?”
She believes that the IDF is “as ready as it can be,” having undergone a big change in the amount of drills and operations (including the exposure and destruction of Hezbollah cross-border tunnels), but the civilian population will be greatly affected.
“It’s hard for them to accept dead bodies. Can we beat Hezbollah? Yes. But at what price? Who knows? The Hezbollah we met in 2006 is different from the Hezbollah of 2019.”
Former OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amiram Levin told the Post that “the price on both sides will depend on the number of days the war lasts.”
“You hear about all sorts of words from the army: ‘lethality’ and ‘maneuvers.’ But that’s all garbage because, at the end of the day, the IDF and Hezbollah have specific numbers, be it of ground forces, missiles, everything. The IDF has one mission: to defeat Hezbollah as fast as possible, even if that means a high cost on both sides,” he said.
“If I had to command during a wartime like this, I would aim for a war of days, not weeks or months. But only when we have brute force and good defensive options along the border,” he added.
According to Levin, the problem facing the military isn’t the readiness of the troops but a mental block of the military and country, which have great difficulty with accepting casualties, be they civilian or military.
“The issue isn’t the preparedness or capabilities of the military; it’s a mental strategic problem. We have to have a good defensive option along the border and hit the enemy with all the strength, with brute force, from the beginning.
“If we have a war that lasts days instead of weeks or months, there will be fewer civilian casualties. The main factor is to be fast – and that means brute force from day one. If they do that, then the war will last shorter and the IDF will win,” Levin said.
While Levin left the military over 20 years ago, he served as commander of the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit; a battalion and brigade commander in the Armored Corps; and commander of an armored division.
He was also appointed to investigate the Northern Command’s performance during the Second Lebanon War.
Levin told the Post that since 2006 there has been a major change with the enemy on the other side of the border.
“There is a very big difference with the enemy. In the past Hezbollah was a terrorist group, and then they morphed into guerrilla terrorism, which saw them carry out a mix of guerrilla attacks and terrorist attacks. But now they are an army, even though they still target civilians,” he said.
According to Levin, another change since the war is the understanding that Hezbollah has understood that it cannot defeat the IDF militarily. Therefore, “defeating Israel and the IDF means defeating the civilian population and politicians.”
“Their war, from the beginning, will see them targeting the civilian population, because they know they can’t defeat the IDF,” he said.
Levin believes that the military must have strong defenses along the border in order to prevent any ground infiltrations into civilian communities by Hezbollah, an incident that could turn into a major psychological defeat for the Jewish state.
Phillip Smyth, the Soref Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the Post that both the IDF and Hezbollah have had the time to develop countermeasures to the opposing side’s strengths.
“Like chess, there’s always an opening and a counter – this time from both sides,” he said.
“One [new area for Hezbollah attacks] is in the cyber realm. Just as Hezbollah has performed before, it’s in the asymmetric fashion. Israel is loaded with a lot of great tech-based responses, so Hezbollah and Iran are stepping up ways to get information and go after what they need using social media, hacking and other means. They’re also practicing for future attacks by targeting the Saudis and other regional states.”
According to Smyth, “Hezbollah is also looking for more access within Israel itself. I would guess they are attempting to create future local cells to create problems ‘behind the lines’ in a future conflict.”
Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has also recently stated that he would ask Iran for antiaircraft capabilities, and “all they need is one lucky hit,” Smyth said. “But beyond that, I think the bigger threat comes from future tunnels, other operations that may target rural villages, the use of UAVs by Hezbollah for combined-arms type operations.”
WHILE THE primary threat posed by Hezbollah remains its missile arsenal, the IDF believes that the next war will see the group trying to bring the fight to the home front by infiltrating Israeli communities to inflict significant civilian and military casualties.
In December the IDF launched Operation Northern Shield to discover and destroy all cross-border tunnels dug by Hezbollah into northern Israel. It said that it has found and destroyed six such tunnels.
Pokharel told the Post that UNIFIL has confirmed the existence of five of the six tunnels, and that three of them crossed the Blue Line “in violation of the UN Security Council resolution 1701.”
One of the tunnels was neutralized before UNIFIL could independently confirm its existence.
“UNIFIL has informed the Lebanese authorities about the violation and has requested urgent follow-up actions in accordance with the responsibilities of the government of Lebanon pursuant to resolution 1701,” Pokharel said, adding that “Secretary-General António Guterres has reiterated his call to the LAF to expeditiously undertake and conclude all necessary investigations on the Lebanese side to ensure that the tunnels no longer pose a security threat and to prevent any similar occurrences in the future.
“Any violation of resolution 1701 and the Blue Line as well as any unilateral action close to the Blue Line increase the risk of tensions, miscalculation and the possible escalation into hostilities,” he stressed.
ALTHOUGH THE military insists all cross-border tunnels have been destroyed, it has warned of other Hezbollah tunnels that have not crossed the border but can still be used by the terrorist group.
But Shula Giladi, from the community of Shtula, which sits on the border, isn’t scared of Hezbollah infiltrations.
“I was born on the border, and I’ve lived through many wars. I was never afraid – of anything,” Shula, known by many as Shula from Shutla, said as she served a plate of home-cooked food.
“I was 20 when the Yom Kippur War broke out, and no one thought we could win that war. Now the IDF is the strongest in the world. When you have enemies surrounding you on all sides, you have no choice but to be strong,” she said.
Shula stayed in Shtula during the last war, when children were evacuated from the community of 100 families. She opened her home to troops, fed them and gave them a warm bed to sleep in before they went back to the battlefield. Some never returned.
“I remember one Ethiopian soldier, he came to my home and I remember as he put on his camouflage before he went back across the border. He never came back…. I still have his laundry.”
Shula, who has lived in Shtula for the past 50 years, cooks for large groups of tourists who come to visit the North, and her garden has JNF flags fluttering in the breeze. When we visited, she was cooking for a group of 55 Israelis who were coming the next day.
She told the Post that she and other border community residents heard sounds of digging and knew of cross-border tunnels “before the IDF knew,” and that even with the risk posed by Hezbollah infiltrations, she will never leave her home of 50 years.
“Hezbollah will never walk into Shtula. It will never happen. I trust the army with my eyes closed. But if Hezbollah kills me, it’s okay, the IDF would have done everything it could have before such a thing would happen.”
The Israeli military says it’s prepared if it needs to go to war against the Lebanese Shi’ite group, but is it really? Against a group that over the past eight years of battle in Syria has grown into what the IDF calls a “terror army”?
Despite repeated requests by the Post to speak to senior officers about the situation along the northern border, the IDF’s Spokesperson’s Unit was unable or unwilling to provide anyone to explain the current state of the army.
What are they hiding?

Hermel top Lebanese ecotourism region
NNA/Aug 16/2019
Hermel is considered to be the top Lebanese region in terms of ecotourism. It is blessed by God-given natural attributes that distinguish it from other regions. On the outskirts of Hermel, in a deep valley carved amidst rocks lying at the foot of a mountain chain, gushes Al-Assi River from several fountains, mainly Ain El Zarka and Dafash stream, which, with its flooding water, gives Assi River a charming splendor. To the right lies Mar Maroun Monastery, with all its antiquity, holiness, and historical significance. Indeed it has a historical significance, one of the days of Saint Maroun and his disciples who blessed this region that was their fortress in the face of difficulties.
In front of the monastery, Hermel Pyramid stands erect on a hill, so that for caravans it is a guide, travellers a beacon, and for everyone a motivator to take a closer look at this historic landmark overlooking Hermel, Qaa, and their plains. From the same hill, to the east, you can see the bordering villages and their plains. You can see the historic remains in Labweh and Iaat, near Baalback, a sight that adds ever more interesting possibilities to these landmarks. After the Pyramid, there is the Hermel Entrance, adorned by The Triumphant Arch, colorful flowers, and green trees, into Assi Valley, whose water flows gracefully to plant goodness and beauty on its banks. Along its banks are cafes, restaurants, trout fish aquariums, and parks. Some of them kept their simplicity, some of them adopted a modern, commercial style, but all of them embrace occasions and weddings, offering the newest dishes in a calm, natural atmosphere.
To Alshawaghir town that resides on the east shoulder of Assi River, all the way to a valley in which, with its magnificent nature, manifests the glory of the Creator, the Assi River flows. It flows amidst a deep valley surrounded by willow trees that touch the water, dangling sprigs of grapes, and apricot trees after which the town is named… not to mention the blessed olive trees and poplars that spread out in clusters near ornamental trees of cafes. Meanwhile, rafting boats penetrate far into Assi River, reaching places only this river can reach with its flooding, clean water. It reaches waterfalls that add joy to this great sport, all while clubs and restaurants along the stream offer most delectable meals.
The trout fish aquariums and farms are spread according to the latest technical and health requirements. Alshawaghir municipality’s projects, in cooperation with local associations, add a certain glamour to these aquariums and farms by modernizing routes and setting up decorative walls. Many tributaries glide from the springs, reinforcing Assi River with fresh water that residents use for vegetables and other crops, a means of support for village life.
Considered to be the best spot for those longing to go back into the arms of nature is the nearby Hermel highland with its various trees, most notably the juniper. Hermel and Akkar highlands intersect with Wadi Jahannam and the Mediterranean at an altitude up to 3000 m.
“The highland is an all-in-one package of tourism in the arms of nature, getting to know the environmental surroundings, practicing sports, and exploring unique species of flowers, grasses, and the mesmerizing nature. All this is achieved along with modern offerings, like solar light and public services, while preserving the environment and natural surroundings,” confirmed Hussein Alwa, an entrepreneur. As for Deputy Mayor of Jewar al Hashish, Ali Jaafar, he considers Hermel highlands to have become, in addition to its God-given blessings, security, and stability, a destination to which visitors from various regions gravitate.  The head of El Cherbine municipality referred to the rare traces, especially in Brissa, which date back to old generations, on whose plate is written “Nebuchadnezzar History of Conquests.”Deputy Mayor of Hermel, Issam Blaibel, hopes that Hermel and Assi River “be a destination of guests for spending the most joyful time and that they enjoy the generosity and hospitality of the people of the region.”

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 16-17/2019
Iran Says It Didn't Give Gibraltar Any Assurances for Release of Tanker
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 16 August, 2019
Iranian officials on Friday denied giving any assurances to Gibraltar to release its tanker, now sailing on into the Mediterranean, calling it a "victory" for Tehran. The ship's seizure, with the help of British Royal Marines, had triggered a sharp deterioration in relations between Iran and Britain. Gibraltar's Supreme Court lifted the detention order on Thursday after it said Tehran had given written assurances that the ship would not discharge its oil in Damascus. The ship had been detained on suspicion that its cargo was destined for the Banias oil refinery in Syria, breaching an EU embargo. However, Tehran denied it had provided any assurances to secure the ship's release, saying Gibraltar was only seeking to "save face". "Iran has given no assurances over the Grace 1 not going to Syria to secure its release," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was quoted as saying Friday, according to AFP. "The tanker's destination was not Syria ... and even if it was, it did not concern anyone else."Government spokesman Ali Rabiei hailed a victory for Iran that he said had been achieved without making any concessions. "Our illegally seized oil tanker is set free. This victory without giving any collateral is the result of #powerful_diplomacy and strong will to fight for a nation's rights," Rabiei said in a tweet. “Based on the owner’s request, the oil tanker Grace 1 will depart for the Mediterranean after being reflagged under the Iranian flag and renamed Adrian Darya after preparing for the journey,”Reuters cited Jalil Eslami, deputy head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation, as saying: "At the owner's request, the Grace 1 will depart for the Mediterranean after being reflagged under the Republic of Iran's flag and renamed as Adrian Darya for the voyage."The ship was originally Panama-flagged and is carrying two million barrels of Iranian oil, he noted.

Iran Says Tanker Freed by Gibraltar Preparing to Set Sail
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 16/2019
An Iranian tanker seized by Gibraltar last month is preparing to set sail after being released, a senior Iranian shipping official said Friday.
The ship's seizure on July 4, with the help of British Royal Marines, triggered a sharp deterioration in relations between Tehran and London and the tit-for-tat detention by Iran of the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero. The Grace 1 will be renamed and switch to the Iranian flag for its onward journey, the deputy head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organisation, Jalil Eslami, told state television. "At the owner's request, the Grace 1 will depart for the Mediterranean after being reflagged under the Islamic Republic of Iran's flag and renamed as Adrian Darya for the voyage," Eslami said. "The ship was of Russian origin and Panama-flagged and is carrying two million barrels of Iranian oil," he added. But a source with knowledge of the case told the Gibraltar Chronicle daily that the tanker is unlikely to set sail before Sunday. "Six seafarers including a master will arrive on Sunday," the source said on condition of anonymity. "The ship is unlikely to sail before then." Gibraltar's Supreme Court ordered the tanker released on Thursday after the British overseas territory said it had received assurances from Iran that the Grace 1 would not head to any country subject to European Union sanctions. The vessel had been detained on suspicion that its cargo was destined for the Banyas oil refinery in Syria in breach of an EU embargo. But Iran denied it had provided any assurances to secure the ship's release, saying Gibraltar was only seeking to "save face". "Iran has given no assurances over the Grace 1 not going to Syria to secure its release," the state broadcaster's youth website quoted foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi as saying Friday. "The tanker's destination was not Syria... and even if it was, it did not concern anyone else."
'Piracy'
But the Gibraltar government insisted that Tehran had given a written commitment. "The written position... confirms that the Islamic Republic of Iran has provided the commitment referred to... The facts speak louder than the self-serving political statements we are hearing today," it said in a statement from its spokesman. It added that "the evidence located aboard the Grace 1... demonstrates that the vessel was going to Syria". Hours before the court's ruling, the United States launched a last-minute legal move demanding that the Gibraltar authorities extend the vessel's detention. On Thursday, Washington threatened a visa ban on the crew of the tanker. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the US attempt at "piracy" had failed, saying it showed Washington's "contempt for the law". Tehran and Washington have been at loggerheads since US President Donald Trump withdrew last year from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between major powers and Iran, reimposing crippling unilateral sanctions. Following the Grace 1's release, Britain renewed its demand that Iran release the British-flagged tanker it seized in the Strait of Hormuz on July 19. Tehran claimed that Stena Impero was in violation of "international maritime rules", but the move was widely seen as retaliation for the detention of the Grace 1.

Childbearing is a type of Jihad’ says Khamenei army representative
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Friday, 16 August 2019
Childbearing is a type of jihad, said the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the Iranian army on Thursday, adding that “enemies” seek to reduce the population of Muslim countries, the Iranian semi-official Mehr news agency reported. “Childbearing in the current circumstances is considered a type of jihad and it would please the Almighty God,” said Abbas Mohammad Hassani. “Enemies of Shiism are trying to prevent the Shiite population from growing, while they continue to increase their own population,” he said, adding that their goal is for Muslims not to have enough “defenders.”“All Shiites must, therefore, take on the jihad of childbearing to counter the goals and conspiracies of the enemies,” the representative said. “Countering conspiracies to overthrow the Islamic Republic” is another reason for considering childbearing a type of jihad, according to Hassani. “We need warriors to preserve our existence, identity, and capital.” Muslim women who have children with the intention of stopping the enemies from reaching their goals will “undoubtedly” receive the reward of jihad for the sake of God, said Hassani. He also compared childbearing with performing the Hajj pilgrimage and fasting during Ramadan, saying that those are also “difficult religious duties,” but they are completed despite their difficulty. Some” use the state of livelihood in Iran as an “excuse” to oppose an increase in population, said Hassani. “It is a misconception with no religious justification.” The World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report for 2019 forecasted a 4.5 negative percent growth for Iran, making it the worst-ranked economy only ahead of Nicaragua. In 2018, Iran’s GDP per capita was $5,037, less than half of the global average based on World Bank statistics. According to CEIC Data, Iran’s unemployment rate stands at 12.1 percent, while the official youth unemployment rate is 27 percent. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had also emphasized the importance of a population increase in remarks published by his official website. “You see, in some Western countries, for example in America, a family has 15 to 20 children … they are even encouraged, and no one blames them. But when it is our turn, the opposite is encouraged,” said Khamenei.

Houthis believe Khamenei is continuing the Prophet’s leadership: Spokesman
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Friday, 16 August 2019
The Houthis consider Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s leadership to be the continuation of that of the Prophet Muhammad and his son-in-law Ali, said the spokesman of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia during a meeting with Khamenei, the Supreme Leader’s official website reported.
Twelver Shias believe that Ali is one of 12 spiritual and political successors to the Prophet, or imams. Khamenei met with Mohammed Abdul Salam in Tehran on Tuesday. During the meeting, Abdul Salam gave Khamenei a letter from the leader of the Houthi militia Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. “The oppressed and mujahid Yemeni nation will undoubtedly be victorious,” Khamenei told Abdul Salam. Khamenei offered his condolences for the death of Ibrahim al-Houthi, brother of the group’s leader, who was killed on August 9. The Arab Coalition supporting the legitimate government in Yemen said on Sunday that Ibrahim al-Houthi had been killed as part of an “internal operation” because of a dispute between different factions of the group and within its leadership, Saudi Press Agency reported. Khamenei accused Saudi Arabia and the UAE of “seeking to separate Yemen” and called for a Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue. Iran’s anti-US and anti-Western stances are “based on facts as well as the West’s and US officials’ actions,” said Khamenei, accusing the US and European countries of committing “heinous” crimes “while faking a humane, civil, and ethical face and constantly preaching about human rights.”Iran has developed “important abilities” in defensive arms despite sanctions, he said.

Germany charges man with spying for Iran
The Associated Press, Berlin/Friday, 16 August 2019
Prosecutors in Germany say they have indicted an army employee with spying for an Iranian intelligence service. The federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the German-Afghan dual citizen is charged with “a particularly serious case” of treason and of breaching official secrecy laws in 18 cases. The suspect, identified only as Abdul Hamid S. in line with German privacy rules, had worked as a translator and adviser to the German army for several years. He was arrested Jan. 15 and has been detained since.

Air strikes kill 15 civilians in northwest Syria, says monitor
AFP, Beirut/Friday, 16 August 2019
Air strikes on Friday by Syria’s regime and its Russian ally killed 15 civilians, most of them in a camp for the displaced in Idlib province, a war monitor said. Four children where among 13 civilians killed in a Russian air strike on a camp for the displaced near the town of Hass in southern Idlib, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Two other children were killed in regime air raids in different parts of the region controlled by Syria’s former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the monitor said. The strikes came as regime forces battled HTS jihadists and allied rebels in the region, where fierce fighting Friday claimed the lives of 13 loyalists and 18 jihadists and allied rebels, the Observatory said. Over the past week, pro-regime fighters have advanced on the southern edges of Idlib province, with the aim of capturing the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which lies on a key highway coveted by the regime.
The road in question runs through Idlib, connecting government-held Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, which was retaken by regime forces from rebels in December 2016. HTS has since January controlled most of Idlib province as well as parts of neighboring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia provinces.
A buffer zone deal brokered by Russia and Turkey last year was supposed to protect the Idlib region’s inhabitants from an all-out regime offensive, but it was never fully implemented. Regime and Russian air strikes and shelling since late April have killed more than 820 civilians, according to the Observatory. The violence has displaced 400,000 people, according to the United Nations. AFP correspondents have reported seeing dozens of families flee fighting over the past few days, heading north in trucks stacked high with belongings. Syria’s conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions at home and abroad since starting with the brutal repression of anti-regime protests in 2011.

Syria's Neighbors Weary of War Refugees
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 16 August, 2019
After being suddenly deported from Turkey, Nidal Hussein stood dazed just inside war-torn Syria, the latest victim of neighboring countries growing tired of hosting millions of Syrian refugees. "I left my wife and three children in Istanbul," the 48-year-old said last month, after he was deported for not having permission to reside in the Turkish city. "I will try to get back" into Turkey at any cost, he told Agence France Presse. Syria's conflict has displaced millions of people since 2011, and its neighbors have absorbed the majority of those fleeing abroad. But today, with no political solution to the conflict in sight, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan -- who together host at least 5.2 million Syrian refugees -- are increasingly seeing that population as a "burden". Rights groups have warned of mounting hate speech and increased government pressure on Syrians to return home, especially in Turkey and Lebanon. While Jordan has not yet upped the pressure, it too has said the Syrian presence is weighing down its infrastructure and compounding its economic woes. "With no clear-cut solutions for Syrian refugees to return, campaigns against them are increasing," said analyst Nasser Yassin. "Neighboring countries have become exhausted," said the head of the Beirut-based Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs.Turkey hosts the most Syrian refugees in the world at 3.6 million. In recent weeks, rights groups have denounced reports of hundreds of refugees being deported back into Syria as part of a crackdown on those without the right residency papers. "The hostile atmosphere towards Syrians... has worsened recently with a consensus among political parties and the media that Syrians are a source of problems," said Yildiz Onen, spokesman for the Turkish campaign "We are all migrants". It "is opening the way to measures designed to make life difficult for migrants," she said. But "sending Syrians to a country that is still at war, particularly with the deadly bombardments in Idlib, is putting people in mortal danger," she warned, referring to the ongoing Russia-backed campaign in northwest Syria. Turkey's government has flatly denied the reports, saying anyone returning to Syria -- a total of 337,729 since the war began -- has done so voluntarily. It also rejects claims Syrians were forced to sign return forms in Turkish that they did not understand. Lebanon too insists some 325,000 returns to Syria since 2017 have all been voluntary, even as rights groups decry measures to make their lives increasingly complicated. The country of some 4.5 million people says it hosts around 1.5 million Syrians, of which nearly a million are UN-registered refugees. Since June, more than 3,600 Syrian families have seen their shelters demolished in the eastern border town of Arsal, according to the municipality. Homes made of anything other than timber and plastic sheeting are not allowed. Last week, the army destroyed a further 350 structures in the north of the country and arrested dozens over not having residency documents, humanitarian groups said.
The labor ministry, meanwhile, is cracking down on foreign workers without a permit in a move activists says largely targets Syrians. Human Rights Watch has denounced both Turkey's deportation methods and Lebanon's pressure on Syrians as illicit.

Turkey Speeds Up ‘Safe Zone’ Measures in Syria
Ankara - London - Saeed Abdulrazek and Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 16 August, 2019
Ankara would not tolerate any delay from the US in setting up a safe zone in northern Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday. “They (the US) first need to be sincere and need to understand that Turkey won’t tolerate delaying tactics,” Cavusoglu said during a press conference in Ankara. Ankara announced that many details of the US-Turkish agreement still need to be nailed down, reiterating that the size of the safe zone would be 32-kilometer wide with the withdrawal of Kurdish YPG fighters. The Turkish Foreign Minister’s statements came as a US military delegation, headed by Lieutenant General Stephen Twitty, deputy commander of the US European Command, was expected in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa. The delegation would monitor the establishment of a Joint Operations Center as part of the coordination and management of the planned safe zone in northern Syria.
Last week, Turkey and the United States agreed on the establishment of this center, but no agreement has been announced on key details such as the command structure of joint patrols that would be conducted there. Cavusoglu said there would be observation posts and joint patrols.
On Wednesday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said that drones have started operating in northern Syria where Washington and Ankara have agreed to create the safe zone. In the battlefield, around 45 regime forces and opposition fighters were killed on Thursday during fierce battles in the countrysides of northern Hama and southern Idlib, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Over the past week, the Syrian army has advanced toward the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which lies on a key highway coveted by the regime that runs through Idlib, connecting government-held Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, which was retaken by loyalists from the opposition in December 2016. "The aim of the advance is to surround Khan Sheikhoun and reach the highway," Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told Agence France Presse.

Yemeni Presidential Advisor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Ongoing Insurgency Weakens Government
Riyadh - Abdul Hadi Habtor/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 16 August, 2019
Minister of State and Advisor to the Yemeni President Dr. Mohammed al-Ameri has affirmed the step taken by the Yemeni Foreign Ministry, saying that it is a normal act in light of the insurgency of the Southern Transitional Council (STC). The Yemeni Foreign Ministry suspended activities at its offices in Aden except for services that have a direct impact on citizens. In his statements to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Ameri said that the continuity of this condition is weakening the legitimacy and the coalition, whether in their militarily or political battle. If things don’t return to normal and of the internationally and regionally recognized government didn't manage to run the interim capital, Aden, then this would create an obstacle for the legitimacy and the coalition. The advisor asserted that the legitimate government relies on the Saudi standpoint, which is the criterion in this path. The Saudi brothers are capable of weighing this situation and its consequences, he added. Ameri pointed out that the meeting between Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz was positive, in which they affirmed the national constants and the unity, stability and legitimacy of Yemen. They also discussed correcting the path of deeds that only serve enemies of Yemen, on top of them the Iranian-Houthi project. The advisor described the latest developments in Aden as an insurgency by the STC against the legitimacy, adding that the presidency and the government warned repeatedly of establishing camps and armed militias that are equivalent to the security forces. Further, Government Spokesman Rajeh Badi clarified that Aden is witnessing an armed insurgency. Therefore, it is difficult for any official party to perform its missions in a routine manner. In the same context, Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar al-Aryani addressed heads of media institutions affiliated with the ministry and the state not to subdue to any party outside the ministry. His statement came on the backdrop of the STC calling media personnel and media institutions in Aden to resume their work.

Trump Urges India-Pakistan Talks on Kashmir in Call with PM Khan
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 16/2019
U.S. President Donald Trump talked by phone Friday with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and urged that Pakistan engage with India to defuse tensions in the flashpoint region of Kashmir, the White House said. "The president conveyed the importance of India and Pakistan reducing tensions through bilateral dialogue regarding the situation in Jammu and Kashmir," deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement. Khan visited the White House last month and the contacts come as the United States is apparently closing in a possible peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, tension over Kashmir between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India is throwing the region into new danger. During his meeting with Khan in July, Trump said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate in the conflict -- a claim that the Indian government denied. India has always insisted the Kashmir issue can only be resolved bilaterally with Pakistan. Earlier Friday, Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Khan and Trump had "exchanged on the situation in the region and particularly the situation in occupied Kashmir."

U.S. Lawmaker Scraps West Bank Trip over Israel 'Oppressive' Demands
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 16/2019
Palestinian-American lawmaker Rashida Tlaib on Friday turned down Israel's offer to let her visit her grandmother in the occupied West Bank, owing to restrictions she termed oppressive. It was the latest twist in a saga hinging on Israel's war against those who would boycott it over its treatment of the Palestinians. On Thursday, Israel barred from entry the U.S. Congress' first Muslim women lawmakers, Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, on the grounds that they support the boycott movement, and after President Donald Trump urged the Jewish state to block the two Democrats. But it held out the carrot of allowing Tlaib to make a private visit to her elderly grandmother, if she agreed to abide by conditions including a pledge not to advocate boycotting Israel. "This could be my last opportunity to see her. I will respect any restrictions and will not promote boycotts against Israel during my visit," she initially wrote. On Friday, Israel's Interior Minister Aryeh Deri announced that she would be permitted a "humanitarian visit", but a few hours later Tlaib announced a change of heart.
Oppressive conditions
"I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in -- fighting against racism, oppression & injustice," she wrote in a series of tweets. "When I won, it gave the Palestinian people hope that someone will finally speak the truth about the inhumane conditions," added the 43-year-old freshman congresswoman, elected in January. "I can't allow the State of Israel to take away that light by humiliating me & use my love for my sity to bow down to their oppressive & racist policies," she said, referring to her grandmother. "Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me. It would kill a piece of me." On Friday, Palestinian activists had been urging Tlaib on social media not to visit her grandmother under the Israeli terms. In the family's village of Beit Ur Al-Foqa, Muftia Tlaib had been excitedly awaiting her granddaughter's arrival. She intended to slaughter a sheep in her honor, in accordance with custom."I see her coming to the village in traditional (Palestinian) dress," she told AFP on Thursday, before the latest development.
Boycott movement
The United States, particularly under Trump, is Israel's strongest ally. But the two congresswomen are seen by many as enemies of Israel because of their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Israel sees the movement as a strategic threat and accuses it of anti-Semitism -- a claim activists deny -- and in 2017 passed a law banning entry to foreigners supporting a boycott. Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and has for decades built settlements considered illegal under international law. Settlement growth has accelerated under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close Trump ally who is seeking re-election next month. More than 600,000 Israeli live in the settlements, alongside nearly three million Palestinians, in uneasy proximity throughout the West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem.
Israel's initial refusal to allow Tlaib and Omar to transit the Jewish state on their way to the West Bank sparked outrage among Palestinians and debate about the intimate ties between Netanyahu and Trump.
Clash of interests
Despite fierce criticism of Tlaib and BDS on the Israeli side, the country's media largely slammed Netanyahu over the affair. The premier was accused of putting loyalty to Trump and the Republican Party ahead of Israel's clear interest in maintaining bipartisan US support. "After countless zigzags between what is right for Israel and what is right for Trump, Netanyahu chose Trump," analyst Shimrit Meir wrote in the top-selling Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot. The affair could cause US Democrats to rally around their two Muslim congresswomen, commentators said, in a way which could prove detrimental to Israel. Ben Caspit, a journalist with the Maariv newspaper, said Thursday's decision to block the politicians' entry "set new records for shortsightedness and wretchedness". "It will turn them into martyrs, it will turn Israel into a threshold dictatorship lacking self-confidence that is closed onto itself, that bans elected American officials, critical as they may be," he said.

Israel intercepts Gaza rocket after weeks of calm
AFP, Jerusalem/Friday, 16 August 2019
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at southern Israel on Friday night in what the army said was the first such attack in over a month. A military statement said the projectile was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, after air raid sirens sounded in the southern town of Sderot and its surroundings. An army spokesman said it was the first attack since July 12. Earlier, the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that 32 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli live fire along the Gaza border fence as part of weekly protests there. An Israeli army spokeswoman told AFP that about 5,600 people demonstrated along the border, some throwing hand grenades and explosive devices toward soldiers and attempting to reach the fence itself. She said that troops responded with “riot dispersal means” but she was unaware of any live fire.
Regular protests and clashes erupted along the border of the blockaded Gaza Strip in March 2018. At least 302 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza or the border area since then, the majority during demonstrations and clashes. Seven Israelis have also been killed in Gaza-related violence over the same period. The protests have declined in intensity in recent months following a UN and Egyptian-brokered truce. Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, ruled by Islamist movement Hamas, have fought three wars since 2008.

Israel Says to Let in US Rep Tlaib to Visit Family
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 16 August, 2019
Israel will allow US lawmaker Rashida Tlaib to visit her family in the occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds, the interior ministry said on Friday, after barring an official visit under pressure from US President Donald Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would not allow Tlaib and congresswoman Ilhan Omar, both Democrats and the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, to make a planned trip to Israel. His decision came shortly after Trump tweeted that "it would show great weakness" if Israel allowed them to visit. "They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds." He went on to call the two congresswomen "a disgrace."Tlaib and Omar have voiced support for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement over Israel's policies toward Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Under Israeli law, BDS backers can be denied entry to Israel. However, Netanyahu said that if Tlaib submitted a request to visit family on humanitarian grounds, Israel would consider it as long as she promised not to promote a boycott against Israel. Tlaib sent a letter to Israel's Ministry of Interior on Thursday requesting permission "to visit relatives, and specifically my grandmother, who is in her 90s", adding that it "could be my last opportunity to see her". "I will respect any restrictions and will not promote boycotts against Israel during my visit," Tlaib wrote in the request, which was circulated by the Israeli media. Israel's interior ministry said in a statement it decided on Friday to approve the entry of Tlaib “for a humanitarian visit to her 90-year-old grandmother."

Palestinian shot dead after ramming car into Israeli civilians in West Bank
Reuters, Jerusalem/Friday, 16 August 2019
Israeli police shot dead a Palestinian driver they said had carried out a car-ramming attack on Friday that injured two Israeli civilians in the occupied West Bank, one of them critically. Reuters journalists at the scene saw police rolling the body of the driver into a plastic sheet. Palestinian health authorities identified him as a Palestinian national. An Israeli police spokesman said an officer who had been near the scene opened fire after the attacker rammed his car into people by the roadside near the Israeli settlement of Elazar, close to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said one of the Israelis, 17, was unresponsive and “in severe condition with multisystem trauma” and that the other, 19, had sustained moderate injuries. Dozens of Israeli troops and medics were at the scene. The alleged attacker’s vehicle, which bore Israeli license plates which allow greater freedom of movement in both Israel and the West Bank, was overturned by the roadside. Police said the attacker had been driving along a road which weaves past Palestinian towns and Israeli settlements. Palestinians carried out a wave of car-ramming in the West Bank in late 2015 and 2016, but the frequency of such incidents has since ebbed. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians seek to establish a state there and in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Two Palestinian youths stabbed an Israeli policeman in Jerusalem’s Old City on Thursday and were shot by officers, killing one of them. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in 2014.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 16-17/2019
Could this Be the Year of Persian Poetry?
Amir Taheri/ Asharq Al-Awsat/August 16/2019
Whatever you may think of Iran, you are likely to acknowledge it as one of the oldest homelands of poetry. Any list of top poets from all over the world is likely to include at least one or two Persian names- say Omar Khayyam or Molavi (Roumi). Goethe believed that poetry has reached its peak of beauty with Hafez of Shiraz.
I know of only two countries, Iran and Russia, where poetry still finds a mass audience and poets could attain celebrity status.
Ask any Iranian who the persons they most admire are and you are likely to hear a list of poets- from Ferdowsi and Saadi centuries ago to Iraj Mirza and Forugh Farrokhzad more recently. For the average Iranian, the poet is not only a creator of beauty but also the guardian of the nation’s conscience. Iran is one of few countries in the world where the list of celebrities at any given time includes a number of poets and where poetry recitals draw crowds that compete with those of pop-music concerts.
Because of that deference to, not to say reverence, for poetry, Iranian poets often managed to escape the worst effects of repression during centuries of despotic rule. No autocrat, no potentate, dared send a poet to prison, let alone have him killed.
Yet, that time-honored tradition has been broken by Iran’s current “Islamic” regime created by the late Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini in 1979. A minor poet himself, Khomeini seems to have had a grudge against poets. One of the first acts of his regime was to have the young poet Saeed Soltanpour, abducted from his wedding ceremony, and executed on a spurious charge of “Communist militancy.” Later, the poet Rahman Hatefi-Monfared, alias Heydar Mehregan, also a noted journalist, was put to death under torture in one of Khomeini’s prisons.
Under President Hashemi Rafsanjani, a plan to kill a busload of Iranian poets on their way to a festival in Armenia failed at the last minute. Nevertheless, Rafsanjani succeeded in eliminating more than a dozen writers and poets. The worst spate of killings happened under President Muhammad Khatami, when more than 80 intellectuals, including the poets Mohammad Mokhtari and Mohammad-Ja’far Pouyandeh, were murdered by the Islamic regime’s security agents.
Poets who escaped prison or death were subjected to psychological pressure, including a ban on the publication of their work. The poetess Simin Behbahani was frequently called in by Islamic Security for “an informal talk”, a trick to exert psychological pressure. Mehdi Akhavan, one of the towering figures of Persian poetry in the past 100 years, suffered similar intimidation. The case of Muhammad Qahraman, a classical poet, was even worse as, it seems, he was victim to a personal grudge from “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei.
In his late 70s, Qahraman had his civil service pension stopped after he circulated a sonnet (ghazal) lampooning the mullahs.
According to an account that may be apocryphal, Khamenei developed the grudge in the 1970s when Qahraman criticized one of his poems during a private gathering in their hometown Mash’had. Since then, Khamenei has refused to read his poems to anyone or to have them published. Instead, he organizes annual poetry competitions and presides over poetry reading sessions several times a year. However, he has ordered that poets should write about revolution, martyrdom, wiping Zionism off the map, and destroying the American “Great Satan”. It is not hard to see what kind of poets may be attracted to his circle on such terms.
Since the mullahs seized power, many poets had to choose exile, among them such popular poets as Nader Naderpour, Esmail Khoi, Yadallah Royai, Reza Baraheni, Hadi Khorsandi, Mehrangiz Rasa- pour (alias M. Pagan), and Muhammad Jalal, alias M. Sahar. Even Hushang Ebtehaj, an ex-Marxist poet who still supports the regime, prefers to live in exile in Germany.
Hashem Shaabani, an Arab-Iranian poet and teacher, was hanged on the eve of President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Ahvaz in 2014. Also under Rouhani the poetess Fateme Ehktesari, possibly the most interesting Iranian surrealist, was sentenced to 11 years in prison along with his companion Mehdi Mussavi, also a poet and publisher. Ekhtesari was later released and managed to go into exile in Norway.
What is known as modern Persian poetry has a history dating back to almost 11 centuries ago when a handful of Khorassani poets revived writing in their native language. In all those centuries, we have few examples of poets being imprisoned. The most notorious case was that of Masoud Saad Salman who was born in 1042 AD in Lahore, now part of the newly created state of Pakistan. For a while, Masoud achieved star status under the Ghaznavid dynasty before falling victim to intrigues and sent to prison inthe Fortress Nay for almost 20 years. The odes (qasida) he wrote in that prison have become integral parts of the Iranian literary treasure. The poet Manuchehr Yektai once quipped that today all Iranian poets, including those who like himself are in exile, live in Fortress Nay.
What is surprising is that Persian poetry is yet to receive the accolade it deserves on a global scale, for example by granting of a Nobel Prize for Literature. In the 1980 and 1990s, Naderpour and Behbahani were nominated but died before they could be more closely considered as laureates.
This year, a number of Iranian intellectuals and literary critics are nominating Esmail Kho’i, a poet now in his 70s and living in exile in Great Britain. Khoi’s work is outstanding both for the beauty and richness of his language and the original and its exciting imagery. Because much of his recent work has a distinctly political, not to say polemical, tone some may argue that he is more of a political leader than a poet. However, one might have said the same thing about Fabre D’Eglantine, Vladimir Mayakovski or, in a different register, Gabriele D’Annunzio.
Celebrating Khoi’s great poetical achievement would be a fit tribute to what three generations of Persian poets have achieved during almost a century of exceptional creativity. Nobel judges should not miss the opportunity to share the joy that modern Persian poetry has given lovers of poetry all over the world.

Pound Slide More About Brexit Than the Economy
Marcus Ashworth/Bloomberg/August 16/2019
The pound has set a new post-Brexit referendum low against the euro and is tantalizingly close to doing the same against the dollar. This slide says more about the increasing likelihood of a no-deal departure than the state of the UK economy.
Figures released on Friday showed gross domestic product shrank by 0.2% in the second quarter, the first negative reading since 2012.
Much of this is attributable to companies unwinding their stockpiles of inventory ahead of the initial March deadline for leaving the European Union. That date has now slipped to Oct. 31.
In fact, the UK economy is holding up pretty well, with both government and household spending remaining robust. The third quarter should see a bounce back of 0.3%, according to Bloomberg Economics's Dan Hanson. His forecasts for growth in 2019 are unchanged.
Sterling is at the lowest level in a decade versus the euro. And the lowest in over two years to the dollar.
Sterling’s weakness has been far more closely linked to the prospects of a no-deal Brexit. Boris Johnson's administration has ramped up both its rhetoric and preparations for that outcome – but its majority in parliament is looking increasing doubtful and an early election thus more likely.
That has prompted currency traders to raise their expectations that the UK and EU will fail to reach a deal in time. Analysts at BNP Paribas SA now put the probability at 50%, up from 40%.
Another factor in all this is that Sajid Javid, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced a shorter, sharper review of government spending on Friday, rather than the typical three-year review. This suggests election planning is in full swing. Add in Johnson’s big spending promises on health, and it is highly likely that more gilts will have to be issued. Such fiscal relaxation is a negative for sterling, even if the gilt market remains impervious for now.
There is simply very little to support the pound regardless of how undervalued it may be. With previous lows breached, it is hard not to expect further weakness until the political landscape becomes clearer.

Is the Palestinian Authority Preparing for a New Intifada?
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/August 16/2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14730/palestinian-authority-new-intifada
Needless to say, none of the Jews visiting the Temple Mount was involved in violence or any kind of "provocation." The only violence that took place at the holy site came from Palestinians, who attacked the policemen with stones and chairs and hurled insults at the Jewish visitors.
By calling the visits "incursions" and "raids," the Palestinians are trying to create the false impression that Jews are violently storming an Islamic holy site. The Arabic word Palestinians use to describe the visits: Iktiham (storm or break in). This rhetoric is meant to imply that the "extremist settlers" are carrying out a violent action against innocent Palestinians and their holy sites, thus signaling the Palestinians to rise to defend themselves and their mosque.
In the eyes of Palestinian leaders, Jews are always the "aggressors," while Palestinians are the perpetual "victims"... in the Palestinian lexicon, a Jew peacefully touring the Temple Mount is an "aggressor," while a Palestinian who throws stones and chairs at police officers and abuses the visitors is the real "victim." This is the image Abbas, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are seeking to create in the minds of their people and the rest of the world.
The total number of Palestinians killed in Syria since 2011 now stands at 3,989. Where is the outrage from Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza Strip about that? It is reserved for a Jew peacefully visiting the Temple Mount. For them, such visits are far more important than 250 Palestinian children killed in any Arab country. This sums up the Palestinian leaders' attitude – ruinous disregard for the lives of their own children, and malign intentions for the Jews and their children.
An aerial view of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel. (Image source: Andrew Shiva/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Palestinian Authority (PA) spent the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha this week inciting against Israel because of Jewish visits to the Temple Mount, or Haram al-Sharif in Arabic, in Jerusalem. The site is also sacred to Jews and Christians: it is where the First and Second Temples had stood before being destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE and by the Romans in 70 CE. (The Western Wall, or so-called Wailing Wall, sacred to Jews, an ancient retaining wall of the Temple Mount, is all that remains of them.)
Depicting the peaceful visits as "incursions by Jewish settlers and extremists," PA officials and media outlets accused the Israeli government of repeatedly carrying out "provocations and assaults against holy sites in Jerusalem, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque."
Mahmoud Habbash, religious affairs adviser to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, went as far as describing the Jews visiting the Temple Mount as "terrorists." Habbash, who also serves as Supreme Shari'a Judge, also accused the Jewish visitors of "defiling the Haram al-Sharif and provoking the feelings of Muslims." He further appealed to all Muslims to "defend Al-Aqsa Mosque against Israeli conspiracies and barbaric violations."
Habbash was echoing Abbas's notorious statement that Palestinians won't allow Jews with their "filthy feet" to "defile our Al-Aqsa Mosque."
Abbas's statement came during a meeting with a group of Palestinians from east Jerusalem in his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Abbas even encouraged Palestinians to engage in violence by saying:
"We bless every drop of blood that has been spilled for Jerusalem, which is clean and pure blood, blood spilled for Allah, Allah willing. Every shahid (martyr) will reach Paradise, and everyone wounded will be rewarded by Allah. We will do everything in our power to protect Jerusalem."
A few days after Abbas made his statement in September 2015, Palestinians launched the "Knife Intifada" against Israel – which included a wave of terror perpetrated by individuals inspired by vicious incitement in the Palestinian media and urged on by Palestinian leaders. In the first 12 months of the terror attacks, mostly by stabbings and car-rammings, 40 Israelis were killed.
The PA government, headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, has also joined the anti-Israel campaign of incitement and praised Palestinian rioters who clashed with Israeli security forces at the Temple Mount on the first day of Eid al-Adha.
The rioters, who were trying to stop Jews from touring the holy site, threw rocks and chairs at policemen guarding the visitors. Shtayyeh's government said that the rioters were seeking to thwart Israeli schemes to "Judaize Jerusalem in the face of organized state terrorism."
Needless to say, none of the Jews visiting the Temple Mount was involved in violence or any kind of "provocation." The only violence that took place at the holy site came from Palestinians, who attacked the policemen with stones and chairs and hurled insults at the Jewish visitors.
The PA's rivals, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which occupy the Gaza Strip, in response to the Jewish visits, called for "escalating the Intifada (uprising) against Israel. When Hamas and Islamic Jihad talk about "escalating the Intifada," they are actually urging Palestinians to carry out various forms of terror attacks against Israel. The two groups are responsible for thousands of terror attacks against Israel in the past few decades.
Let this be made unquestionably clear: the PA leadership's incitement and the threats by Hamas and Islamic Jihad to step up terror attacks against Israel could trigger another wave of terrorism like the "Knife Intifada."
By describing any Jew who visits the Temple Mount as an "extremist settler," the Palestinian leaders are sending a message to their people that the peaceful Jewish visitors are legitimate targets -- and that it is open season on them.
By calling the visits "incursions" and "raids," the Palestinians are trying to create the false impression that Jews are violently storming an Islamic holy site. The Arabic word Palestinians use to describe the visits: Iktiham (storm or break in). This rhetoric is meant to imply that the "extremist settlers" are carrying out a violent action against innocent Palestinians and their holy sites, thus signaling the Palestinians to rise to defend themselves and their mosque.
In the eyes of Palestinian leaders, Jews are always the "aggressors," while Palestinians are the perpetual "victims."
Consider this: in the Palestinian lexicon, a Jew peacefully touring the Temple Mount is an "aggressor," while a Palestinian who throws stones and chairs at police officers and abuses the visitors is the real "victim." This is the image Abbas, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are seeking to create in the minds of their people and the rest of the world.
Why do Palestinians always refer to the Jewish visitors as "settlers"? Because they falsely assume that most religious Jews live in West Bank settlements -- as opposed to Haifa, Ashdod or other Israeli cities, or are affiliated, in one way or another, with settlers.
Palestinians regularly refer to settlers as "illegal colonizers" and "herds of colonizers and extremists" as a way of delegitimizing them and justifying terror attacks against these Jews. It is the Palestinian way of saying: "We have the right to murder these Jews because they are illegal colonizers living on our land."
In the eyes of Palestinian leaders, the Jews visiting the Temple Mount are not only "extremists," but also "terrorists" -- supposedly like the Israeli government and its leaders -- and not like the Palestinians who attack the policemen and Jews during those visits.
Against this backdrop of whipped-up incitement, the next murder of a Jew is no longer a matter of whether it will take place, but rather when. It is this type of rabble-rousing and fabrications by Palestinian leaders that drives terrorists to set out on their mission of murdering the first Jew they see.
Palestinians leaders are masters in condemning and delegitimizing Israel and Jews. They have specialized in this behavior for decades. Yet, when it comes to denouncing crimes committed against their own people by their Arab brothers, Palestinian leaders are happy to look the other way.
As Abbas and his officials were busy issuing one poisonous statement after another against Israel in the past week, a report released by the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria revealed that 250 Palestinian children have been killed in Syria since the beginning of the civil war in 2011.
According to the report, 128 children died under shelling; 15 were fatally shot by snipers; 11 were gunned down; two children were tortured to death; 22 drowned at sea while fleeing Syria; 22 others were killed in car explosions, and 35 died due to the blockade and medical neglect. Another 14 children died of other causes, including burns, suffocation, run-over accidents, and abduction.
The group pointed out that the total number of Palestinians killed in Syria since 2011 now stands at 3,989.
Where is the outrage from Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza Strip about that? It is reserved for a Jew peacefully visiting the Temple Mount. For them, such visits are far more important than 250 Palestinian children killed in any Arab country. this sums up the Palestinian leaders' attitude -- ruinous disregard for the lives of their own children, and malign intentions for the Jews and their children.
*Bassam Tawil is an Arab Muslim based in the Middle East.
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Israel Announces New Units for Settlers and Palestinians
David Makovsky/The Washington Institute/August 16, 2019
Whether or not Palestinian units are actually built in Area C, the announcement will be a net loss if Israeli construction outside the security barrier becomes the new norm post-election.
On August 5-6, an Israeli interministerial committee approved two batches of settlement units for the West Bank, some for Israeli settlers and some for Palestinians. Both announcements seem motivated by sundry factors, and their consequences could prove wide ranging. The new Israeli units may be tied to the upcoming do-over elections, but their placement would represent a troubling shift if repeated after the vote. As for the Palestinians, the decision marks the first time in three years they have been granted any units in Area C, the portion of the West Bank where Israel assumed full control after the Oslo Accords. The fact that both announcements were made within a few days of each other is not coincidental.
TROUBLING NEW TREND?
A large majority of Israeli settlers live in units located inside the West Bank security barrier and close to Israeli urban areas. This zone constitutes only 8% of the entire West Bank, either along or adjacent to the 1967 ceasefire lines, and most previous rounds of settlement approvals were located there. This time, however, two-thirds of the units approved or in the penultimate stage of approval—1,609 out of 2,343—are outside the barrier.
Click on image for full map of new unit approvals. For more West Bank maps, see The Washington Institute’s “Settlements and Solutions” multimedia tool.
Restricting new settlements to areas inside the barrier can help maintain the viability of a two-state solution, since these settlements would likely be annexed into Israel as part of a process of territorial exchanges during final-status negotiations. In that sense, at least, such settlements can be viewed as less provocative. Yet adding new units outside the barrier is highly provocative and makes future separation between Israelis and Palestinians more difficult. The question is whether this move is the start of a new trend or a temporary political expedient.
THE PROCESS OF SETTLEMENT APPROVAL
In recent years, Israel has restructured the approval process to reduce the prospects of sudden announcements that may prove politically embarrassing, as happened in 2010 when new East Jerusalem housing units were approved during a visit by Vice President Joe Biden. Today, new unit requests must go through six stages before authorities give final approval. The August 5-6 meetings focused on the last two stages: units approved for immediate construction, and units whose approval is nearly final pending a sixty-day period for legal challenges that are rarely sustained, meaning they can safely be grouped with the first category.
Last week’s tally of approved units was one of the largest in years, though it remains unclear how much the new units will expand the actual footprint of Israel’s presence in the West Bank. In the past, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s governments have established informal understandings with Washington whereby settlement expansion is kept within areas adjacent to built-up units rather than extending to entirely new areas; it is uncertain if these agreements still hold true.
CHANGING DEMOGRAPHIC AND GEOGRAPHIC RATIOS?
Currently, an estimated 448,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank—344,000 inside the security barrier and 104,000 outside. Since Israel has nominally annexed East Jerusalem, it does not consider the 320,000 Israelis living there to be settlers, though other countries do. Either way, the percentage of settlers living inside the barrier is high: 86% with East Jerusalem included, 77% without.
In the past, most new settlement units roughly reflected this ratio, but last week’s approvals flipped it entirely—68.7% of the new units are located outside the barrier, and 31.3% inside. Building 1,609 units outside the barrier will mean adding an estimated 6,800 new Israeli settlers there, probably more given the typically larger size of settler families.
NETANYAHU’S POLITICAL CALCULUS
Despite his electoral success running at the head of right-wing coalitions, Netanyahu is routinely routed at the ballot box when attempting to woo settler voters who live outside the barrier. Those inside the barrier are more supportive, believing they will be annexed rather than displaced under any two-state arrangement with the Palestinians. In contrast, settlers outside the barrier do not see any way for their lands to be preserved under the two-state approach; they are far more likely to be given away if land swaps occur. Therefore, they are highly suspicious of Netanyahu’s ideological commitment to their welfare, and they have not been not easily swayed by his apparent retreat from the two-state approach in recent years.
Parties to his right have taken advantage of this fact, defeating him by a three-to-one margin among voters outside the barrier. This trend held true even during the April election campaign, when Netanyahu publicly mentioned the possibility of Israel unilaterally annexing portions of the West Bank. By having the government approve more units outside the barrier ahead of next month’s revote, Netanyahu may be trying to show the settlers that he is ideologically reliable. Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the settlements that garnered the most new units (382) was Beit El. Located outside the barrier, Beit El is an ideological flagship settlement for the movement; it is also beloved by U.S. ambassador David Friedman, former head of the group American Friends of Beit El.
NEW PALESTINIAN UNITS IN AREA C
In addition to Israeli settlements, the government approved 715 new units for Palestinians in Area C, a zone that constitutes 60% of the West Bank and remains very politically sensitive. The Palestinian Authority holds various levels of control in Area A (Palestinian urban zones) and Area B (the environs of these urban zones), which total 40% of the West Bank. Israel has full security control of Area C, but the two parties have yet to agree on the status of this zone beyond that fact, making it a central arena for political combat.
The Palestinians often point to the zone’s economic value—in 2016, for example, a World Bank study concluded that the PA’s lack of economic access to Area C reduced its GDP by 35%. In Israel, however, a right-wing party led by former justice minister Ayelet Shaked and former education minister Naftali Bennett has dedicated itself to ensuring that Israel does not yield an inch of Area C. Among other measures, they engineered procedures in which no land in that area can be designated for the Palestinians without approval from the security cabinet. Both men are very explicit in calling for Israel to annex all of Area C.This political pressure explains why Israel approved so few Palestinian units in Area C prior to last week. From 2000 to 2016, it reportedly green-lit only 226 such units altogether, and none after 2016. So why 715 now?
For one thing, last week’s announcement came just as White House envoy Jared Kushner was traveling throughout the Middle East. Netanyahu may have believed that the Area C approvals would help Kushner as he toured Arab capitals and came under attack for the lack of details regarding the administration’s long-delayed peace plan. Yet the announcement of new Palestinian units received no attention in the Arab world, where governments instead focused on the new Israeli units outside the barrier. Other potential explanations include Israel’s embarrassment over recent home demolitions in areas under PA control, and its desire to blunt international objections to the large number of new Israeli units.
The exact location of these Palestinian units is unclear, and some have speculated they may never be built. In 1997, during Netanyahu’s first term as premier, he made a similar dual announcement, approving Israeli units in the East Jerusalem district of Har Homa at the same time as new Palestinian units; the latter were never built. Today, some housing in Palestinian villages at the edge of Area B has spilled over into Area C, so they are a possible venue for the 715 new units.
CONCLUSION
Despite growing skepticism, President Trump’s advisors insist they will still present their peace plan in the near future, even if not until after Israel’s September 17 elections. Yet if building two-thirds of new Israeli settlement units outside the security barrier is the new norm rather than just a pre-election aberration, it will sharply erode any remaining confidence in U.S. peace efforts. Since skepticism also abounds regarding the new Palestinian units in Area C, the Trump administration may be tempted to insist that these units will be built. In both cases, Washington should be guided by an understanding of where demography meets geography in the West Bank, and curtail excessive demands on both sides accordingly.
David Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow and director of the Project on Arab-Israel Relations at The Washington Institute, and coauthor with Dennis Ross of the soon-to-be-published book Be Strong and of Good Courage: How Israel’s Most Important Leaders Shaped Its Destiny (PublicAffairs/Hachette).

Turkish base in Qatar: Against whom?
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Arab News/August 16, 2019
“Your enemy is in front of you and the sea is behind you!” This is not the famous quote of the military commander Tariq bin Ziyad to the Muslim army when he conquered Andalusia in 711 AD. But the one who said this sentence this time is a Turkish general supervising the construction of a military base in Qatar. Clearly, the enemy here is Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, and behind him, there is nothing but the raging Gulf Sea.
The base will not benefit Qatar in protecting it from Saudi Arabia or Iran, which reflects ongoing Qatari contradictions. Doha continues to run in opposite directions to Tehran, Washington and Ankara.
The garrison is a small scarecrow that may not exceed 2,000 soldiers, and Turkey is not a great military power that can back it up at critical moments. It has limited military logistical support in the region, no battleships in Gulf waters, air supplies can only be sent with the consent of Iraq or Iran, and there is no land corridor. It is a base without a mission, unless Ankara decides to ally with Tehran in a future war against the Gulf states, which is impossible with two US bases in Qatar.
Unlike the Americans, who use the bases of Al-Udeid and Al-Sayliyah to manage the region’s wars, the Turkish presence is a political decoration and a burden on the Qataris. It is a costly alliance, but it fits the Qatari propaganda that supports organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood in the region.
The special relationship between Doha and Ankara is not at its best. Qatar had the ambition to make up for its deficiency by making Turkey a major regional country, politically and militarily, and using it to change the region. It wanted Turkey to be a powerful adventurer, like Iran, to share influence with it in Riyadh, Cairo, Baghdad and Beirut.
Unlike the Americans, who use the bases of Al-Udeid and Al-Sayliyah to manage the region’s wars, the Turkish presence is a political decoration and a burden on the Qataris.
Turkey promised to bring about change in Syria and failed because it did not intervene militarily, unlike Iran and Russia. It did not come to the aid of the Muslim Brotherhood after it was overthrown in Egypt and offered exile to its fleeing members. Its intervention in Libya is besieged, and it completely left Sudan.
The setbacks in Doha’s gambles have been heightened by the serious animosity that has befallen Ankara’s relationship with Washington. Ankara has been weakened politically, and Qatar’s financial losses have been enormous due to the deterioration of the Turkish economy and currency.
On the other hand, this relationship has been bad for Ankara. Because of its alliance with Qatar, Turkey lost its most important markets in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia, the UAE and more than half of the Arab world.
When the Turkish military presence in Qatar is raised from a barracks to a base in the coming weeks, its features will become clearer. I cannot imagine that it will add much except perhaps to protect the rule of the Al-Thani family from any internal challenges. This is a double-edged sword. Ankara’s alliances have always changed internally and externally.
It is possible to conclude this article by adding another quote that the Turkish general failed to say to the Qataris from Tariq bin Ziyad’s famous speech to his men as they prepared for their battle with the Goths, "Remember that in this country you are more unfortunate than the orphan seated at the table of the avaricious master.”
*Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a veteran columnist. He is the former general manager of Al Arabiya news channel, and former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat. Twitter: @aalrashed