LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 24/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.december24.19.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Bible Quotations For today
Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 05/01-12/:”When Jesus saw
the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came
to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.‘Blessed are those who mourn, for
they will be comforted. ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be
filled. ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the
pure in heart, for they will see God. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
will be called children of God. ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are you when
people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you
falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News
published on December 23-24/2019
President Aoun holds political meetings at Baabda Palace
Prime Minister, Hassan Diab designate avows successful civil servants' issue
will top new cabinet's agenda
Report: U.S. Plans to Withhold Aid if Hizbullah Gets Role in Lebanon Cabinet
Italian Foreign Minister in Beirut, Meets Bassil
Jumblat Says Lebanon and Mt. Lebanon 'on Brink of Hunger'
Bou Saab Slams Israel Violation of Lebanon Skies after Syria Strike
Kanaan Promises to Reveal Good News on Thursday
Report: Hale, Bassil Discussed 'Prisoner Swap’ Negotiations to ‘Free’ Fakhoury
Lower turnout as protesters rally against new Lebanon PM
Lebanon protesters shun Diab’s call for talks
Siniora: Future Movement will not participate in new government
Egyptian Ambassador: To accelerate formation of government that meets people's
aspirations
KSA Embassy confirms Fahd Al-Rakf has no official status
Hasbani confirms LF in harmony with its convictions
Minister of Economy promises harsh penalties against price manipulation
Kataeb party leader MP Sami Gemayel welcomes Rampling
Thousands protest against new PM, close roads in Lebanon
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
December 23-24/2019
Israel attacks military targets near Damascus, 3 dead – report
Iraqi protesters renew rejection of Iranian influence
Israel reverses ban, Gaza Christians can visit Christmas sites
Israeli strike on Syria killed three regime loyalists
Erdogan says Turkey cannot handle a new migrant wave from Syria
Iraqi forces bloc removes Qusay al-Suhair’s candidacy as prime minister
Ongoing clashes in Syria left 107 dead since yesterday: Monitor
Algerian army chief Ahmed Gaed Salah dies: Ennahar
Death of Army Chief Gaid Salah Caps Turbulent Year for Algeria
Saudi Court Sentences Five to Death over Khashoggi Murder
Magnitude 5.0 earthquake hits southwestern Iran: ISNA, USGS
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on December 23-24/2019
German Parliament: Its Resolution to Ban Hezbollah is Just a Legal Charade/Soeren
Kern/Gatestone Institute/December 23/2019
Lebanon’s food importers face challenges paying for goods/Nabila Rahhal/Al
Arabiya English/December 23/2019
Pressure on Lebanon’s schools as tough times force children into state
system/Reuters,/December 23/2019
Israel and Iran's game of cat and mouse/Ron Ben-Yishai/Ynetnews/December 23/2019
Lebanon's crisis is bad for my mental health/Christiane Waked/Khalegi
Times/December 23/2019
*Turkey: Stop 'Fantastical Fiction,' Free Osman Kavala/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone
Institute/December 23/2019
The global economy — review and outlook/Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/December
23/2019
On the road to Gaza: The freedom flotilla will sail again/Ramzy Baroud/Arab
News/December 23/2019
Bethlehem: The ‘little town’ the world forgot/Chris Doyle/Arab News/December
23/2019
Iranians won’t be fooled by regime’s smear tactics/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab
News/December 23/2019
Saudi sentences in Khashoggi murder will again test US relations/Simon
Henderson/The Hill//December 23/2019
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News
published on December 23-24/2019
President Aoun holds political meetings at
Baabda Palace
NNA/December 23/2019
President Michel Aoun met former MP, Faisal Al-Daoud, this morning at Baabda
Palace, and discussed with him the general situation and recent developments on
the Lebanese scene.
Al-Daoud stressed his support for the President's stances, especially his
endeavor to establish a civil state, and expressed hope that demands of the
Lebanese people will be fulfilled in light of the economic conditions that the
country is going through. Al-Daoud pointed out that "President Aoun is,
today, able to achieve many of the issues which he promised the Lebanese to
achieve, especially after the circumstances that freed him from the pressure of
warlords in the country". "We also hope that the next Government will be a
rescue Government for Lebanon, that will manage the affairs of the state with a
new mentality, especially in the field of fighting corruption, returning looted
funds and launching the economic plan by activating production sectors" Al-Daoud
said.
Former MP Emile Rahme:
The President received former MP, Emile Rahme, who considered that the current
stage is a stage of concerted efforts to emerge from the crisis. "The way to
achieve this is by forming a Government to function and address the
deteriorating economic and financial situation in the country" Rahme added,
wishing success in forming the Government quickly.
Former Minister Karim Pakradouni:
President Aoun met former Minister, Karim Pakradouni, and held a discussion with
him concerning the current political situation and recent developments.
----Presidency Press Office
Prime Minister, Hassan Diab designate avows successful civil servants' issue
will top new cabinet's agenda
NNA /December 23/2019
Prime Minister-designate, Hassan Diab, on Monday welcomed a delegation of 853
successful customs candidates, whose results were issued on June 21, 2019, in an
exam competition that was administered in 2014. The appointment decree of the
aforementioned delegation members has not been issued yet; however, Diab
stressed the eligibility of his visitors' demand. "The endorsement of the
appointment decree will be one of the top priorities of the new government,"
Diab pledged. Separately, Diab also met with a delegation of successful
applicants to the Civil Service Council whose results were issued, yet their
appointment remains pending. The delegation conveyed to the PM-designate their
sufferings and their right to be appointed in the jobs they had applied for,
"especially that the Civil Service Council is the right and proper place to
assume state positions, away from political quotas."
In turn, Diab stressed the eligibility of their demand, highlighting "the need
to address these vocational and social files."Diab had earlier met with a
delegation representing 28 thousand young men and women who are candidates to
join the Internal Security Forces and whose results have not been released to
date.
Report: U.S. Plans to Withhold Aid if
Hizbullah Gets Role in Lebanon Cabinet
Naharnet/December 23/2019
U.S. Diplomat David Hale reportedly told officials in Lebanon that his country
is to withhold aid to the economic-stricken country if Hizbullah gets
ministerial seats or indirectly controls the new government, Nidaa al-Watan
daily reported on Monday. Informed political sources said Hale told officials he
met in Beirut that the US intends to deny aid to a Lebanese government in which
Hizbullah is represented, and that Washington does not intend to give a
“password” for the Gulf countries to provide assistance to Lebanon, said the
daily. The sources said Hale has relayed a “firm” message to officials regarding
the position of Lebanon in the region, warning that “any bias” in this area
would be “strictly” unacceptable. Haled reiterated persistence of US sanctions
against Hizbullah and Iran and that the Lebanese state must distance itself from
the party. During his two-day visit to Beirut last week, the US diplomat said
Washington is ready to help Lebanon “but can do so only when Lebanon's leaders
undertake a credible, visible and demonstrable commitment to reform.”Hale had
met with the president, parliament speaker and caretaker prime minister Hariri.
He did not directly comment on the appointment of the new PM, Hassan Diab saying
only that the United States “has no role in saying who should lead” a Cabinet in
Lebanon or anywhere else. Early in December, the Trump administration quietly
released $105 million in Foreign Military Financing funds for the Lebanese Armed
Force after months of unexplained delay.
Italian Foreign Minister in Beirut, Meets Bassil
Naharnet/December 23/2019
The Italian Foreign Minister arrived in Beirut on an official visit, the Italian
embassy in Beirut said on Monday. Luigi Di met with his Lebanese counterpart
caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil and discussed the relations between
Italy and Lebanon, and the latest developments in the Middle East, the National
News Agency said. Maio will also visit the UNIFIL headquarters in al-Naqoura and
his country's battalion in south Lebanon. U.S. Under Secretary of State for
Political Affairs David Hale was in Beirut last week. He met with senior
officials. The diplomats visit Lebanon as the country grapples with nationwide
protests against mismanagement and corruption.
Jumblat Says Lebanon and Mt. Lebanon 'on Brink of Hunger'
Naharnet/December 23/2019
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has warned that the Chouf and
Aley regions and the entire country are “on the brink of hunger” due to the dire
economic crisis. “The economy is on the verge of collapse if it is not already
collapsing. Lebanon cannot continue on the same path it has followed for tens of
years – a country of services, tourism, hotels, restaurants and banks without
production – this is unhealthy,” said Jumblat in a phone call with a number of
Lebanese expats in the U.S. and Canada, according to Lebanon’s official news
agency. “There is also a need to control legitimate and illegitimate border
crossings, because the source of income in Lebanon has various standards,” he
added. He warned: “Lebanon and Mount Lebanon are on the brink of hunger, that’s
why the party’s preliminary steps are backing needy families with diesel for a
period of four months, distributing food parcels as of December 1 and
encouraging the cultivation of wheat, lentil and grains.”“We are in the
beginning of a long or rather very long crisis. The old Lebanon has ended but
what’s more important is endurance in Mount Lebanon,” Jumblat added. As for his
bloc’s vote for former Lebanese ambassador to the U.N. Nawaf Salam in the
binding parliamentary consultations to name a new premier, Jumblat said he chose
Salam because he supports “change.”“He is a reputable man who does not belong to
the political class that we know and I wonder why (caretaker PM Saad) Hariri and
the Lebanese Forces did not support him. This is a mistake, unless they want to
keep the old system,” the PSP leader added.
Bou Saab Slams Israel Violation of Lebanon Skies after
Syria Strike
Naharnet/December 23/2019
Caretaker Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab on Monday blasted Israel for violating
Lebanon’s airspace to carry out a strike on military posts in Syria. “I’ve
looked into the Lebanese Army’s report on the hostile Israeli violations of
Lebanon’s skies yesterday, which targeted Syria via the Lebanese airspace,” Bou
Saab tweeted. “This blatant aggression is condemned and deplorable,” he added.
Bou Saab also called on the international community to “intervene to prevent
such recurrent attacks on Lebanese sovereignty and to realize how dangerous they
are.” The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday that air
raids in Syria the previous night, blamed on Israel, killed at least three
foreign pro-regime fighters south of the war-torn country's capital. It said
Sunday night's attack hit Syrian regime and Iranian positions south of Damascus
and that three non-Syrian loyalist fighters were killed by a rocket blast
between the suburb of Aqraba and the nearby Sayyida Zeinab neighborhood, home to
a shrine revered by Shiite Muslims. It did not specify their nationality but
said they were likely Iranian. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency meanwhile
denied media reports claiming that General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of
the Aerospace Force of Iran’s revolutionary guard, was among the dead. Since the
beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Israel has conducted hundreds of
strikes in Syria against Iranian targets and pro-Tehran militias allied with the
regime of President Bashar al-Assad, including posts and shipments belonging to
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hizbullah.
Kanaan Promises to Reveal Good News on Thursday
Naharnet/December 23/2019
MP Ibrahim Kanaan, the secretary of the Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong
Lebanon bloc, on Monday announced that he would reveal good news to the Lebanese
on Thursday. “Can we tell people about something other than nagging, collapse
and the blocking of roads and livelihoods?” Kanaan tweeted. Can we talk to them
about something other than “linking the price of the bread pack to the recovery
of stolen finds or linking tuition fees, housing loans and bank deposits to
parliamentary polls?” Kanaan added. “Yes we can, if we work more and talk less,
and God willing, I will reveal some news on Thursday,” the MP went on to say.
Report: Hale, Bassil Discussed 'Prisoner Swap’ Negotiations
to ‘Free’ Fakhoury
Naharnet/December 23/2019
U.S. diplomat David Hale reportedly discussed during his visit to Lebanon last
week with caretaker foreign Minister Jebran Bassil the possibility of a
“prisoner swap” to free Lebanese-American ex-Israeli collaborator Amer Fakhoury
in return for a Hizbullah "financier", reports said. Hale and Bassil held a
“lengthy meeting” at the latter’s residence in al-Bayyada on Saturday. Al-Liwaa
daily quoted unnamed sources as saying that Hale and Bassil discussed the
release of Fakhouri in return for freeing Lebanese businessman Qassem Tajeddine,
arrested in the United States of America on charges of financing Hizbullah.
Fakhoury was once a member of the former Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army. He
also worked at the Khiam prison during Israel’s occupation of south Lebanon
described by human rights groups as a center for torture. Former Minister Wiaam
Wahhab affirmed in televised remarks on LBCI station the reports as “true.” He
said that Hale “did discuss” the release of Fakhoury with Bassil in exchange for
Tajeddine. Tajeddine was arrested in 2017 in Morocco. The US says he provided
millions of dollars to Hizbullah. Fakhoury is jailed in Lebanon since September
over collaboration with Israel accusations.
Lower turnout as protesters rally against new Lebanon PM
Al Jazeera/December 23/2019
Protesters call for economic, political reforms as Prime Minister-designate
Hassan Diab readies to pick new cabinet. Protesters have continued to take to
the streets in Lebanon's capital Beirut where police and demonstrators have
clashed.
Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab's appointment has split the country into
two camps: Sunni and Shia, as Diab is backed by Hezbollah. But some seem
prepared to give Diab a shot at the job as Lebanon faces its worst economic
crisis in decades. Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Beirut.
Lebanon protesters shun Diab’s call for talks
AFP/December 23/2019
Prominent street leaders yesterday shunned an invitation by Lebanon’s prime
minister-designate to sit for talks over the formation of a new government,
saying they are not ready to extend support. Debt-burdened Lebanon has been
without a fully functioning government since former prime minister Saad Hariri
resigned on October 29 in the face of nationwide protests. Demonstrators are
demanding an overhaul of the political establishment which they deem corrupt and
inept, insisting on a government of independents and experts with no ties to the
country’s sectarian parties. Hassan Diab, an engineering professor designated on
Thursday to form a desperately-needed government, had asked protesters to give
him a “chance” to form a cabinet of independent experts within four to six
weeks. But the self-styled technocrat’s call for consultations with
representatives of the popular movement yesterday failed to draw prominent
street leaders or groups. A small crowd of protesters rallied outside Diab’s
house and slammed visitors who claimed to represent the country’s leaderless
movement. “You don’t represent us,” the protesters chanted.The few who heeded
Diab’s calls for talks included largely unknown individuals not recognised as
representatives of the protest movement. “Not a single group actually active on
the ground met today with the prime minister-designate because they are not
convinced” he can form a government of technocrats, said Wassef Harakeh, a
prominent activist.
“They want us to get mired in this game of consultations,” he said.
Siniora: Future Movement will not participate in new
government
NNA/December 23/2019
Former Prime Minister, Fouad Siniora, on Monday announced in an interview with
Al-Arabiya news channel that the Future Movement had decided not to nominate
anyone to form the new government, and therefore, Caretaker Prime Minister, Saad
Hariri, had refrained from nominating any candidate for this task. "Now, the man
in charge is Dr. Hassan Diab, who was not nominated by the Future Movement,"
Siniora explained. Moreover, the former PM added that the Future Movement had
expressed its decision that it would not partake in the new government "in line
with its basic position that this government should comprise of independent
members who are not affiliated with any political party."
Egyptian Ambassador: To accelerate formation of government
that meets people's aspirations
NNA/December 23/2019
Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Dr. Yasser Alawi, on Monday affirmed
his country's support for stability in Lebanon. The words of the Egyptian
Ambassador came during his visit to MP Bahia Hariri's residence in Majdelyoun.
"Stability entails a swift formation of a government that meets the aspiration
of the Lebanese people; this has become a national necessity so that the
international and Arab communities will be able to provide the required
support," the diplomat added. He finally expressed his firm belief that "Lebanon
has the ability to surpass and exit the prevailing crisis."
KSA Embassy confirms Fahd Al-Rakf has no official status
NNA/December 23/2019
The Saudi Embassy in Lebanon on Monday issued a statement in which it stated
that Mr. Fahd Al-Rakf, who claimed to be a Saudi expert in the Lebanese dossier
during a phone intervention via LBCI TV channel on Sunday, December 22, 2019,
was in fact a person without any official status. “His opinions represent him
personally and do not reflect the position of the KSA,” the statement added
after many of the Lebanese media outlets had given him the title of a Saudi
government official.
Consequently, the embassy called on the Lebanese media to investigate the
accuracy of the information that is being circulated, rely on official sources,
and verify the status of people being hosted on TV programs.
Hasbani confirms LF in harmony with its convictions
NNA/December 23/2019
Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister, Ghassan Hasbani, on Monday said that the
Lebanese Forces was in perfect harmony with its beliefs, stressing that the
Prime Minister-designate must prove his independence. Interviewed by Free
Lebanon radio station, Hasbani said that Lebanon had not yet plunged into total
collapse, but was in the process of collapsing. He added that for this reason,
political forces must be convinced that cheating investors and the international
community will not get Lebanon anywhere.
Minister of Economy promises harsh penalties against price manipulation
NNA/December 23/2019
Caretaker Minister of Economy and Trade, Mansour Btiesh, on Monday warned
business owners against the unjustifiable price increase of some market
products. "Those who continue to cheat and manipulate prices will be subjected
to maximum penalties -- to the extent of eventually shutting down their
businesses," the Minister said in a statement issued today. "The Consumer
Protection Directorate teams continue their monitoring tours, especially amid
these difficult circumstances. The Ministry, which understands the price
increment of some commodities, warns against the persistence of some business
owners to unjustifiably increase the prices of some other products," the
Minister said. In his statement, Bteish pledged harsh penalties of LBP ten
thousand to ten million, as well as imprisonment extending from three days to
one month.
Kataeb party leader MP Sami Gemayel welcomes Rampling
NNA/December 23/2019
Kataeb party leader MP Sami Gemayel on Monday received British Ambassador to
Lebanon, Chris Rampling. Both men discussed the most recent developments on the
local and regional scenes. According to a press release published by Kataeb
party, Gemayel warned against "the looming collapse while political leaders are
wasting time disputing over the past."
Thousands protest against new PM, close roads in Lebanon
Associated Press/December 22/2019
The protesters, many of whom came from northern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa
Valley, also gathered in Beirut’s central Martyrs Square
BEIRUT: Thousands of protesters demonstrated in central Beirut and elsewhere in
Lebanon on Sunday against the country’s new prime minister, saying he should
abandon the post because he is a member of the ruling elite.
After sunset, protesters closed several roads and highways in Beirut and other
parts of the country to rally against the nomination of Hassan Diab, who was
backed by the militant Hezbollah group and its allies and failed to win the
backing of the main Sunni Muslim groups. The protesters, many of whom came from
northern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley, also gathered in Beirut’s central
Martyrs Square, one of the key places of the protests which have been underway
for more than two months. They later marched toward the parliament building
guarded by scores of riot police. Unlike last week, when scuffles were reported
between protesters and policemen outside the parliament, there was no violence
on Sunday. Prime Minister-designate Diab, a university professor and former
education minister, will have the task of steering Lebanon out of its worst
economic and financial crisis in decades. He’s also taking office against the
backdrop of ongoing nationwide protests against the country’s ruling elite that
the protesters blame for widespread corruption and mismanagement. Former Prime
Minister Saad Hariri, the head of the largest Sunni group in Lebanon, resigned
on Oct. 29, meeting a key demand of the protesters. According to Lebanon’s
power-sharing system, the prime minister has to be a Sunni. “We are not
convinced by their choice,” protester Hanaa Saleh said about Diab’s nomination.
“We don’t believe this movie.”Diab has vowed his government will not include
politicians and will only consist of independents and experts. In Washington, a
State Department spokesperson said that U.S. Undersecretary of State for
Political Affairs David Hale had encouraged Lebanese leaders during his two-day
visit last week “to put aside partisan interests and support formation of a
government committed to and capable of undertaking meaningful, sustained
reforms.”Hale “reaffirmed America’s longstanding partnership and enduring
commitment to a secure, stable, and prosperous Lebanon,” said Morgan Ortagus.
German Parliament: Its Resolution to Ban Hezbollah is Just
a Legal Charade
سورين كاري/معهد كايتستون:
قرار البرلمان الألماني حظر حزب الله هو مجرد مهزلة قانونية
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/December 23/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/81711/%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%86-%d9%83%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af-%d9%83%d8%a7%d9%8a%d8%aa%d8%b3%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86-%d9%82%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b1%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7/
Germany, however, has refused to ban Hezbollah's "political wing," which
continues to raise funds in the country. A German foreign ministry official,
Niels Annen, has said that such a ban would be counterproductive because "we
focus on dialogue." His comment has been understood to mean that the German
government does not want to burn bridges with Hezbollah's sponsor, the Islamic
Republic of Iran.
"We don't have a military wing and a political one; we don't have Hezbollah on
one hand and the resistance party on the other.... Every element of Hezbollah,
from commanders to members as well as our various capabilities, is in the
service of the resistance, and we have nothing but the resistance as a
priority." — Hezbollah's deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem.
Germany's Social Democratic Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, however, has refused to
ban Hezbollah in its entirety. He recently repeated the German government's
distinction between Hezbollah's legitimate and illegitimate activities in
Germany.
"It remains to be seen to what extent the German federal government
will...actually 'exhaust all the resources of the rule of law' to stop
Hezbollah's money laundering and terrorist financing in Germany." — Bild,
December 19, 2019.
The German government has refused to ban the terrorist group Hezbollah in its
entirety. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas recently repeated the German government's
distinction between Hezbollah's legitimate and illegitimate activities in
Germany.
The German parliament has passed a non-binding resolution that calls on the
German government to ban the activities of the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist
group Hezbollah — Arabic for "The Party of Allah" — in Germany.
The measure — supported by center-right Christian Democrats and the center-left
Social Democrats, the two major parties that make up Germany's ruling coalition,
and also by the classical liberal Free Democrats — has been hailed as
"important," "significant," and a "crucial step."
The resolution, however, falls short of a complete ban on Hezbollah and appears
aimed at providing the German government with political cover that would allow
Germany to claim that it has banned the group even if it has not.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has faced increasing international pressure to
ban Hezbollah, but she has refused to do so. Hezbollah has more than 1,000
operatives in Germany, according to German intelligence assessments.
The three-page resolution — "Effective Action against Hezbollah" ("Wirksames
Vorgehen gegen die Hisbollah") — was passed on December 19. An abridged
translation of the text reads:
"Because of our history, Germany has a special responsibility towards the Jewish
and democratic State of Israel. Israel's security and right to exist are part of
Germany's raison d'état [Staatsräson]. The Bundestag calls on the federal
government to confront actors in the Middle East that question Israel's right to
exist or openly threaten its security. In addition to Iran's continually
aggressive policies, the most important of these anti-Israeli forces is the
terrorist group Hezbollah, which is closely linked to Iran, and due to its
widespread presence also poses a particular threat to the stability of the
entire Middle East.
"The German Bundestag is committed to Germany's special responsibility towards
Israel and its security. It adheres to the two-state solution, as confirmed by
the United Nations Security Council in numerous resolutions: a Jewish and
democratic state of Israel within secure borders and an independent, democratic
and viable Palestinian state.
"According to the federal government, Hezbollah supporters primarily use Germany
as a place of retreat and logistics. Its followers are under the watchful eye of
the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution [German domestic
intelligence]. There are around 1,000 supporters of Hezbollah in Germany, and
this number is increasing. Hezbollah cannot currently be banned because its
association structures cannot currently be determined.
"The federal government has already taken measures against the spread and
support of Hezbollah in Germany with the 2008 ban on the 'Al Manar TV'
television station, and the 2014 ban of the 'Lebanon Orphan Project.' In 2018
alone, the Federal Prosecutor General [Generalbundesanwalt] at the Federal Court
of Justice [Bundesgerichtshof] initiated 36 investigations against individuals
linked to Hezbollah....
"According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, it must
be expected that Hezbollah will continue to plan and carry out terrorist actions
against Israel or Israeli interests outside the Middle East. Our commitment to
the protection of the State of Israel also requires that funding flows from
Germany, which serve to finance Hezbollah in the Middle East, be prevented by
all means.
"The German Bundestag views as an urgent priority a consistent national and
common European approach against the activities of the terrorist organization
Hezbollah....
"The German Bundestag calls on the federal government to:
"1. Continue closely to monitor the activities of Hezbollah supporters,
particularly in Germany, and to pursue them by all means of the rule of law;
this also includes combating money laundering and preventing terrorist financing
from Germany;
"2. Impose an activity ban [Betätigungsverbot] on Hezbollah in order to prevent
any activity by representatives of the organization in Germany that is against
the principle of international understanding [respect for all people];
"3. Abandon the conceptual division of Hezbollah into a political and a military
wing and to come to a common assessment at the European level to list the group;
"4. Continue actively to advocate for the right of existence of the Jewish and
democratic State of Israel and the legitimate security interests of the State of
Israel as a central principle of German foreign and security policy;
"5. Take measures, together with international partners, to reduce Hezbollah's
influence in the Middle East, particularly in Syria."
The German government banned Hezbollah's "military wing" in 2013, after the
group was implicated in the July 2012 bombing of a bus carrying Israeli tourists
in Burgas, Bulgaria. Five Israelis were killed in the attack.
Germany, however, has refused to ban Hezbollah's "political wing," which
continues to raise funds in the country. A German foreign ministry official,
Niels Annen, has said that such a ban would be counterproductive because "we
focus on dialogue." His comment has been understood to mean that the German
government does not want to burn bridges with Hezbollah's sponsor, the Islamic
Republic of Iran.
Britain, the Netherlands, Israel, the United States, the 22-member Arab League
and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council see no distinction between
Hezbollah's military and civilian wings and all have banned the group in its
entirety. Indeed, Hezbollah's deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem, has clearly
stated that the group is structurally unified:
"We don't have a military wing and a political one; we don't have Hezbollah on
one hand and the resistance party on the other.... Every element of Hezbollah,
from commanders to members as well as our various capabilities, is in the
service of the resistance, and we have nothing but the resistance as a
priority."
On November 28, the German news magazine Der Spiegel reported that the German
government had decided to ban Hezbollah in its entirety, and that a formal
announcement would be made during a meeting of the interior ministers [Innenministerkonferenz]
of Germany's 16 federal states in early December. Der Spiegel wrote:
"This would mean that the activities and members of the militia in Germany would
be treated as equal to the Kurdish PKK and the Islamic State. All activities of
Hezbollah would be prohibited in Germany. For example, the flag of the Lebanese
terror militia (green rifle on a yellow background) should no longer be shown."
An interior ministry spokesman subsequently denied the report and no decision
was announced during or after the meeting of German interior ministers.
The idea of banning Hezbollah in its entirety was first proposed by the
conservative party Alternative for Germany (AfD). In June 2019, the German
parliament discussed, but ultimately rejected, the idea of outlawing Hezbollah.
The AfD had called on the government to "examine whether the conditions exist
for a ban on Hezbollah as one organization, and, if necessary, to issue such a
prohibition and implement it immediately." Lawmakers from the ruling coalition
said that they needed further to investigate the matter.
At the time, the author of the resolution, AfD MP Beatrix von Storch, said:
"Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. The Berlin government claims that you
must distinguish between a legitimate political wing of Hezbollah and an
illegitimate terrorist wing. This does not make sense to us, or to the voters.
"Hezbollah's goal is the destruction of Israel and the Jews, and we should not
be offering a safe haven for them to hide in Germany and to finance from our
territory their armed struggle in Lebanon against Israel."
The AfD abstained during the vote on the Bundestag resolution passed on December
19. Von Storch emphasized the importance of not only banning the entirety of
Hezbollah in Germany, but also of dissolving its mosque associations and
deporting all supporters from Germany. She said that the fact that the other
parties, after a delay of six months, were now discussing a ban on Hezbollah
activities in Germany was proof of the success of the AfD. Nevertheless, she
said that the Bundestag's resolution falls short:
"A ban on activities alone is completely inadequate and inappropriate in the
fight against a terrorist organization. We therefore call for a total ban on
Hezbollah in Germany and the dissolution of its mosque associations. The members
of Hezbollah in Germany, around 1,000 followers, must be expelled expeditiously
on the basis of Section 53 of the Residence Act. This also corresponds to the
requirement of the Bundestag's anti-Semitism resolution, which explicitly calls
for measures to combat anti-Semitism, including an end to continued residency
for offenders. If that does not apply to Hezbollah supporters, who want to 'gas
the Jews' and destroy Israel, who will? We call on the federal government fully
to implement the ban of Hezbollah before the next impending Al-Quds day
[Jerusalem day]."
Von Storch was referring to the annual demonstrations, sponsored by Iran and
supported by Hezbollah members across Germany, who, waving the Hezbollah flag,
call for the destruction of Israel.
Others welcomed the anti-Hezbollah resolution as an important first step.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the Bundestag's resolution "is an
important step in the international struggle against terrorism, particularly
against terrorist organization Hezbollah and its patron Iran." He added:
"We welcome the important resolution adopted today by the German Bundestag,
which calls Hezbollah for what it is: an-Iran sponsored terror organization,
with no distinction between its military and political wings.
"Hezbollah threatens not only Israeli civilians, but also undermines Lebanese
sovereignty and regional stability. We hope this resolution will encourage
others in Europe to take similar action.
"The world must unite against Hezbollah, designate it a terrorist organization,
and impose harsh sanctions against it in order to prevent the organization from
carrying out terrorist activities on Iran's behalf."
Israel's Ambassador to Germany, Jeremy Issacharoff, in an interview with The
Times of Israel, said:
"We welcome the important and significant resolution adopted today by the
Bundestag, which relates to Hezbollah for what it is: a terrorist organization,
with no distinction between its military and 'political' wings.
"Hezbollah is indoctrinated, trained and financed by Iran and poses a threat not
only to Israeli civilians, but also undermines Lebanese sovereignty and regional
stability. As the resolution indicates, it poses a direct threat to German and
Israeli security interests."
"Foreign policy should reflect reality and the Bundestag's resolution is clearly
a crucial step that we hope will encourage others to take similar action against
Hezbollah."
The domestic spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Mathias Middelberg,
said:
"It is unacceptable that Hezbollah is waging a terrorist fight against Israel in
the Middle East, and that this is financed, among other things, by worldwide
criminal activities. In view of Germany's special responsibility towards Israel,
we therefore call on the federal government to ban all activities for Hezbollah
in Germany. Violators must be punished consistently.
"In addition, the separation between a political and a military arm should be
abandoned and Hezbollah as a whole should be placed on the EU terror list. This
could freeze Hezbollah's funds and assets in Europe more extensively than
before."
The European Leadership Network (ELNET), a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening
Europe-Israel relations, said that the resolution is an "important milestone in
safeguarding Jewish life in Germany."
The American ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, said that the American
government was ready to assist Germany in its efforts against Hezbollah:
"We stand ready to support the government's implementation of a ban and will
continue to assist in any efforts to deny the world's most well-armed terror
group operating space in Germany. Today's vote is an acknowledgment of
Hezbollah's destructive international terrorism, and the action needed to stop
its activities throughout Europe."
Germany's Social Democratic Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, however, has refused to
ban Hezbollah in its entirety. He recently repeated the German government's
distinction between Hezbollah's legitimate and illegitimate activities in
Germany:
"Lebanon's political reality is complicated. However, this must not prevent us
from exhausting the means available to us in Germany under the rule of law in
order to stand up to Hezbollah's criminal and terrorist activities."
In fact, during Maas' leadership of German foreign policy, the German government
has become a leading proponent of anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations.
In 2018, for instance, of 21 anti-Israel UN resolutions, Germany approved 16 and
abstained on four others. In May 2016, Germany approved an especially
disgraceful UN resolution, co-sponsored by the Arab group of states and the
Palestinian delegation, that unjustly singled out Israel at the annual assembly
of the World Health Organization (WHO) as the world's only violator of "mental,
physical and environmental health."
Germany's Ambassador to the United Nations, Christoph Heusgen, has been ranked
by the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center as one of the top ten global
anti-Semites of 2019 due to his obsession with Israel at the UN.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Wiesenthal Center wrote:
"We listed Ambassador Heusgen's name on the top ten list of anti-Semitic and
anti-Israel incidents specifically because of his recent actions taken and words
spoken at the United Nations. In defining anti-Semitism in the 21st century, the
Simon Wiesenthal Center is guided by Natan Sharansky's 3 D's, which define when
anti-Israel criticism crosses into anti-Semitism: delegitimization, double
standard, and demonization."
Germany's largest newspaper, Bild, summed it up this way:
"It remains to be seen to what extent the German federal government will comply
with the Bundestag's proposal and will actually 'exhaust all the resources of
the rule of law' to stop Hezbollah's money laundering and terrorist financing in
Germany."
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Lebanon’s food importers face challenges paying for goods
Nabila Rahhal/Al Arabiya English/December 23/2019
Food producers and agro-industrialists in Lebanon are facing pressures from
restrictive monetary policies and a shortage of dollars, amid an ongoing
political and economic crisis.
Historically, Lebanon’s productivity sectors, mainly agriculture and industry,
have been severely under-developed at the expense of the services sector, which
is traditionally considered a pillar of the economy.
The country currently relies on imports across a wide variety of sectors – from
the most basic consumer needs to technical equipment for local businesses.
Banks in Lebanon have already applied a system of unofficial capital controls in
order to restrict the flow of foreign currency out of the country. Small
businesses and individuals have reported limited access to both foreign and
domestic currency.
An example of this came to light earlier this month when JP Morgan Chase,
Citibank, BNY Mellon, and Standard Chartered Bank were named in a $1 billion
lawsuit against Lebanese bank BankMed by oil trader IMMS. The lawsuit claims
BankMed delayed and withheld IMMS’ funds when requested.
“Freezing all outgoing transfers, and financial credit facilities from the
banking sector is amputating all production activities, and seriously
jeopardizing the existence of our companies,” said Mounir Bissat, secretary of
the Syndicate of Lebanese Food Industries.
Local food producers face trouble
Compared to other industries, agro-industrialists may seem to have it easy. But,
that’s far from reality.
Food products have relatively constant demand from various customers; one has to
eat after all.
Another advantage, according to Bissat, is that a good percentage of needed raw
material is locally produced or available and therefore can be paid for in local
currency.
Very few agro-industries in Lebanon are 100 percent locally produced as they
rely on at least some imported goods, be it in their packaging or for some
ingredients and components.
Meanwhile, liquidity in dollars is getting rarer by the day, and agro-industries
rely primarily on dollars to settle their dues, according to Nayef Kassatly,
owner of Lebanese juice and beverage producer Kassatly Chtaura.
Fady Aziz, founder of The Good Thymes, which produces zaatar mixes, echoed this
concern as food producers face ongoing issues paying for goods due to the dollar
shortage.
“All suppliers want cash money in dollars and we are not getting paid cash, or
in dollars,” said Aziz.
Add to this what Bissat calls the “undeclared capital control” practiced by
local banks and it does not look good for payments in agro-industry.
Still, he acknowledges that agro-industrialists are faring better than non-agro
industries, which rely on imported goods for all of their production.
Meanwhile, not all food products are created equal, and another blow for local
food producers is that consumers are only spending on the bare necessities these
days.
Both Kassatly and Aziz said local consumers do not consider their products as
necessities when compared to rice, eggs, bread and vegetables, for example.
Survival becomes the name of the game
Bissat places Lebanon’s central bank, Banque Du Liban’s governor responsible for
applying measures “to ensure foreign currencies and transfer possibilities to
the industrial sector, similar to the measures offered to the three other
importing sectors: fuel, wheat, and pharmaceutical.”
Aziz says he will resort to producing some of his mixes in bulk and using
minimal packaging to slash cost and price, while also discontinuing some
products that require imported ingredients.
There might still be some hope for local food producers, but mainly in the
export markets.
Many agro-industrialists have solid export markets in the Gulf Cooperation
Council, as well neighboring Arab countries that can be targeted for sales in
these difficult times.
“They used to be 35 percent of our turnover, and now we are trying to make it 50
percent to sustain our business. Thank God we have exports to maintain our
credibility with suppliers – industries who only sell locally have a big
problem,” said Kassatly.
Raed Malaeb, sales manager at Lebanon-based U Foods, which imports cheeses and
meats, said that many agro-industrialists are resorting to the black market to
buy dollars in order to pay for goods.
Since their clients pay them in Lebanese pounds, they have to exchange client’s
cash dollars at the black market rate, which currently reaches 30 percent higher
than the official exchange rate of 1,515 LBP, to make their own payments,
ultimately driving their prices upwards, explains Malaeb.
Meanwhile, consumer behaviors are also tightening in restaurants, which are
taking restrictive measures.
Malaeb says that purchasing orders in both supermarkets and restaurants are down
by 40 percent year on year although the festive season is traditionally very
busy for their company.
“Some restaurants are finding our prices prohibitive, and prefer to remove items
from their menu to buying local varieties which may be of inferior quality,”
says Malaeb.
Pressure on Lebanon’s schools as tough times force children
into state system
Reuters,/December 23/2019
Lebanon’s economic crisis is forcing families to pull tens of thousands of
children out of the private schools that educate most pupils in the country, and
into a long-neglected state education system that is already struggling to cope.
Unlike in many countries where private schools are often mainly for the wealthy,
Lebanon relies on them to educate two thirds of pupils, with working class
families scrimping to afford hundreds of dollars a month in fees.
Those who cannot afford it end up in an under-funded state system that educates
300,000 Lebanese pupils and has put on a second shift in recent years for
200,000 Syrian refugees.
With the worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war having struck this
year, 36,000 extra pupils have moved from private school into the state system,
Education Minister Akram Chehayeb told Reuters. He expects still more children
to follow, with no additional funds or staff to teach them.
“The pressure will increase on public schools,” he said. “Due to the 2019
budget, we can’t hire new teachers, while 1,400 retire every year.”
Eid Ramadan, a hairstylist, struggled to find more than $6,000 a year in total
for private school for his two sons. This year he was forced to pull his younger
son out.
“My kids are thankfully smart and understanding,” he said. “They know we were
doing the impossible to keep them (in private school). But we’ve reached a point
where we couldn’t. We’ve hit a brick wall.”
The country’s long-brewing economic troubles have spiraled into a financial
crisis since October, when protests erupted against the ruling elite. Businesses
have closed, workers have been laid off and wages cut. Banks are restricting
access to cash and the Lebanese pound has slumped.
“The majority of the people can no longer pay thousands of dollars for tuition
every year,” said Ramadan.
Salwa Hemadeh moved her 14-year-old daughter into a state school this year,
having previously moved her three sons out of private education as the economy
worsened and her husband’s job as a plasterer brought in less income. “She
didn’t adapt well to the new school because it was so big and there were so many
students. But we laid out the truth: either you get your education at this
public school or you get no education,” she said.
Israel and Iran's game of cat and mouse
يداعوت احرانوت/لعبة القط والفأر بين إيران وإسرائيل في سوريا
Ron Ben-Yishai/Ynetnews/December 23/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/81714/%d9%8a%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d8%ad%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%88%d8%aa-%d9%84%d8%b9%d8%a8%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%82%d8%b7-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d8%a3%d8%b1-%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a5%d9%8a/
يعتقد بأن الغارة الإسرائيلية الأخيرة على قواعد عسكرية إيرانية بالقر من دمشق قد
نتجح عنها 3 قتلى من التابعية الإيرانية وجرح عدد غير معلن من بينهم الشخص الثاني
في الحرس الثوري الإيراني وقائد القوات الجوية عامر علي حجزادا
Analysis: The latest missile attack on Iranian targets near Damascus indicates
the Revolutionary Guards have resumed with full force their attempts to
militarily entrench themselves in the region, after a lull which stemmed from
Russian pressure
According to Syrian reports, Israel is believed to be behind Sunday night's
attack on Iranian targets in Syria. The missile attack apparently targeted arms
shipments arriving at the Damascus military airport from Tehran.
After a period of relative calm, Iran has decided to resume the smuggling of
high-precision missiles and anti-aircraft missiles - the kind of high-quality
weapons known to the Israeli public as "tie-breakers" – and flood Syria with its
proxy militias.
The UK-based human rights watchdog, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,
reported shortly after the strikes that an ambulance was dispatched to the
scene, meaning there probably were casualties.
According to later reports in Syrian media, at least three people, probably
Iranian nationals, were killed in the attack.
Unverified reports in Syria also say the commander of Revolutionary Guard Corps'
Aerospace Force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, was also hurt in the alleged Israeli
attack.
Hajizadeh apparently oversaw the September drone strike on Saudi oil facilities
that debilitated half of the Gulf country's fossil fuel industry, and was in
charge of shipping state-of-the-art anti-aircraft weapons from Iran into Syria.
In 2018, Hajizadeh oversaw a shipment of anti-aircraft missile batteries to
Syria, which was targeted in alleged Israeli raid. Foreign sources reported that
seven Iranian officers were killed in the attack.
The Iranians denied the reports the commander was injured.
This is probably true because had Hajizadeh been hurt, the Iranians would have
retaliated with exceptional force since in his rank, the commander is second
only to Revolutionary Guard chief Qasem Soleimani.
If it was indeed Israel that attacked near Damascus on Sunday, it signals that
the Jewish State will not hesitate to act against any Iranian aggression in the
region. The Iranians, meanwhile, also seem to have changed their policy on
attacks attributed to the IDF and decided to respond to Israeli strikes even if
Israel did not take accountability for them.
The latest developments in the region indicate the Iranians are making
preparations to attack Israel, as evidenced by renewed arms shipments not only
to Syria but to Lebanon as well.
In Lebanon the Iranians suffered a setback after their weapons production
facilities became a target of a mysterious drone attack on a "fuel mixer" in
Beirut, which foreign media also attributed to Israel.
In addition, the Iranians are building a military base in the Al Bukamal region
near the Syria-Iraq border to establish a land corridor through Syria and
Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea, an effort that top Israeli diplomats and
senior security officials have vowed to prevent.
Israeli actions in Syria are part of the defense establishment calls the
"in-between wars" campaign, meant to prevent Iran from establishing its military
presence in Syria and to allow the Israeli Air Force freedom of action in case
an all-out war breaks out.
Therefore, as Iran resumes its efforts to entrench itself in Syria, the activity
attributed to Israel is also expected to increase in the near future.
Over the recent weeks, the Russians have put enormous pressure on the Iranians
to stop operating in Damascus International Airport and redirect its cargo
flights to other airports in Syria, mainly the T-4 Airbase near the city of
Homs. These flights also served as a way to transfer fighters of Iranian-backed
militias to the Idlib region southeast of Aleppo.
Since these flights did not impose any danger to Israel, the army avoided
attacking on Syrian soil.
However, given the increased Iranian activity near Israeli border, the military
has appealed to the Russians regarding the Iranian violations and pointed out
precise geographical locations where arms and personnel are transferred.
It is likely that as part of the de-confliction agreements, Israel had notified
Russia about the attack a few minutes in advance.
We will probably see further Iranian attempts to establish a front in Syria and
revive its precision-missile project. Israel, however, won't stand and watch
from the side.
Lebanon's crisis is bad for my mental health
Christiane Waked/Khalegi Times/December 23/2019
Now this is not just about a particular day or a person, it is a pervasive
feeling among many young people in Beirut.
Picture this, a 40 year-old-woman struggling to get out of her bed fearing that
some woeful news will leave her with a heavy heart. It is mental illness perhaps
that keeps the alarm bells on. Anxiety attacks keep her awake all night, and
depression keeps the mood sombre all day long.
Now this is not just about a particular day or a person, it is a pervasive
feeling among many young people in Beirut.
Writing about myself in third person is a defense mechanism. It helps me
dissociate, cope better with pain. But depression often takes over my feelings,
my core, and as a spider it spreads its net. Yes, depression is a constant state
of my mind some days.
I am at war with myself, and this feeling made me a fighter long time ago.
I was born in Lebanon during war, like many others. And we were all raised in an
environment infused with trauma, uncertainty, and constant panic. It intimidated
the psyche of a whole generation that is now affected with mental illness.
Yes, the Lebanese are known for their resilience and wit. But today more than
ever their survival skills are being tested again. Thirty years after the end of
the civil war, the same old guard - corrupt, greedy, sectarian - is still in
power and is using the same propaganda based on fear and ignorance to influence
the minds of the young who did not live the war but who might be swayed to make
the same mistakes of the past.
These warlords are responsible for the killing of scores of Lebanese during the
civil war. They should also be held accountable for killing people's ambitions
and dreams, including mine. In Lebanon, unless you are backed by a corrupt
politician and have 'wasta' which means nepotism, it is hard to find a job. And
nowadays it has worsened, considering the socio-economic crisis the country is
gripped in.
Corruption has been a way of life in the country for the last three decades, and
is still rampant. It has impoverished the population and pushed Lebanon to
become the third most indebted country in the world.
So since October 17 a revolution, that is uniting the Lebanese of all
denominations, religious origins, and social classes, has been taking place on
the streets. People are denouncing the corrupt and venting out the rage and
frustration.
It's a sort of collective cathartic movement that in some way is healing the
Lebanese. I have been trying not to miss hearing the news since the protests
started, and also hoping that I don't get any flashbacks from the past. I was
diagnosed many years ago with CPTSD, a complex form of post-traumatic stress
disorder, that I had developed because of the traumas I had to face such as war,
cancer, loss, etc.
Sometimes, I blame myself for coming back to Lebanon after living abroad for 17
years, other days, I feel a bit more heroic for now I am able to take care of my
parents, especially my mother who is on dialysis.
Uncertainty looms around our daily lives. I wake up every day not knowing if the
hospital would continue offering dialysis sessions for my mother. We are not
sure until when we would be able to give my mother the medicines she critically
needs. Pharmacies are running out of their stocks, and inventories in hospitals
are not being replenished at the required pace.
Many organisations including Human Rights Watch warned that hospitals may soon
not be able to provide patients with life-saving surgery and urgent medical care
because of the financial crisis.
Most of the Lebanese like me feel trapped in a situation that is bigger than
them, a regional cold war between Iran and the United States is holding the
Lebanese as hostages.
Every day we hear about suicides because people can no longer pay hospital bills
or provide food to their kids. Even though Lebanon is not in a war, prevailing
conditions because of the economic crisis have made living conditions brutal and
deeply traumatising.
I am not sure if being a Lebanese is the main cause of my mental problems.
However, I am often consoled by a friend who says the fire that burns inside me
is much brighter than the one that burns around me.
*Christiane Waked is a political analyst based in Beirut
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
December 23-24/2019
Israel attacks military targets near
Damascus, 3 dead – report
Jerusalem Post/December 23/2019
On Sunday night, Syrian regime media said its air defenses were activated near
the capital.
Three people were allegedly killed in reported Israeli strikes in Syria on
Sunday night, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Israel attacked several targets in the Set Zaynab area near Damascus on
Sunday night, the Lebanese newspaper Al Ahbar reported on Monday morning.
During the strikes several weapons warehouses were hit, causing material
damages. Al Ahbar further said that a wave of missiles
were allegedly spotted coming from the Golan Heights and off the Lebanese coast.
On Sunday night, it was reported that a UAV fell in the area of Aqraba in
the outskirts of Damascus with the original target allegedly being an Iranian
weapons storage facility. Moreover, another report
from Lebanon claimed that Israel was attacking in Syria from the skies of the
Lebanese city of Sidon. There were a total of 10
injuries reported, according to Arabic sources. Syrian
regime media said its air defenses were activated near Damascus just after 11
p.m. on Sunday. The initial reports said there were missiles and an explosion
was heard in Damascus. The last major airstrikes on Damascus were in November
when Israel struck Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp targets and air
defense in response to rocket fire. Defense Minister
Naftali Bennett has said that Syrian could be Iran’s Vietnam, and Israel has
demanded Iran not entrench in Syria. In November, Russia released information on
Israeli airstrikes in Syria.Pro-Hamas media have claimed that raids against
Syria were carried out over Lebanon. Various social media accounts reported
explosions around Damascus and said air defense was very active. Several videos
were put online showing the alleged track of a missile in the sky. One report
even claimed that T-4 airbase was targeted.
Iraqi protesters renew rejection of Iranian influence
Joanne Serrieh, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 23 December 2019
Iraqi demonstrators protesting Iran’s interference in the country's politics, as
well as Qusay al-Suhail’s candidacy for prime minister took to the streets on
Sunday. “We don’t want whoever wants the West’s approval and sells the country.
We don’t want whoever leaves the people hungry and satisfies Iran,” protesters
were heard chanting in videos posted on social media. Officials say neighbor
Iran, a key player in Iraqi politics, wants to install al-Suhail, who served as
education minister in the government of Adel Abdel Mahdi, who tendered his
administration's resignation in November.
A number of protesters were using shoes to hit pictures of Islamic Revolutionary
Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Qassem Soleimani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Protesters also blocked off public buildings one by one in Diwaniyah, a southern
Iraqi city, and put up banners reading “The country is under construction -
please excuse the disruption.”Overnight, protesters in Diwaniyah and Basra,
another southern city, had declared a “general strike.” Sunday marked the latest
deadline, already pushed back twice by President Barham Saleh, for parliament to
choose a new premier to replace Abdel Mahdi. Demonstrators are calling for a
complete overhaul of the regime. The protest movement has lost momentum in
recent weeks as it has been hit by intimidation, including assassinations
perpetrated by militias, according to the UN.But the movement appeared to regain
some confidence on Sunday. An estimated 450 protesters have been killed and
25,000 injured since the start of the demonstrations on October 1, 2019.- With
agencies
Israel reverses ban, Gaza Christians can visit Christmas
sites
Reuters, Jerusalem/Monday, 23 December 2019
Christians in the Gaza Strip will be allowed to visit holy cities such as
Bethlehem and Jerusalem at Christmas, Israel authorities said on Sunday,
reversing a decision not to issue them permits. Israel tightly restricts
movements out of the Gaza Strip, territory controlled by Hamas, a Palestinian
militant group that it considers a terrorist organization. In a break from its
usual Christmas holiday policy, Israel’s military liaison to the Palestinians
said on December 12 that in accordance with “security orders”, Gaza Christians
would be allowed to travel abroad but none would be permitted to go to Israel or
the occupied West Bank. On Sunday, the liaison office, known as COGAT, announced
on Twitter that its director has “extended the travel facilitations for the
Christian population of Gaza for the Christmas holiday.”As a result, COGAT said,
“entry permits for Jerusalem and for the West Bank will be issued in accordance
with security assessments and without regard to age.” Gaza has only around 1,000
Christians, most of them Greek Orthodox, in a population of 2 million in the
narrow coastal strip. Last year, Israel granted permits for close to 700 Gaza
Christians to travel to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and other holy cities
that draw thousands of pilgrims each holiday season. Christian leaders in
Jerusalem had condemned the initial entry ban and said they would appeal to
Israeli authorities to lift it.
Israeli strike on Syria killed three regime loyalists
AFP, Beirut/Monday, 23 December 2019
A war monitor said Monday that air raids on Syria by Israeli warships in the
Mediterranean the previous night, killed at least three foreign pro-regime
fighters south of the war-torn country's capital. The Britain-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday night's attack hit Syrian regime and
Iranian positions south of Damascus. It said three non-Syrian loyalist fighters
were killed by a rocket blast between the suburb of Aqraba and the nearby
Sayyida Zeinab neighborhood, home to a shrine revered by Shia Muslims. It did
not specify their nationality but said they were likely Iranian. Syrian state
news agency SANA reported the attack just before midnight on Sunday. It said
Syrian air defenses fired on “hostile missiles” coming from “the Occupied
Territories”, referring to Israel. It said one missile came down in Aqraba,
southeast of Damascus. Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the
raids. An Israeli army spokeswoman contacted by AFP said Israel does not comment
on reports in foreign media. Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011,
Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria against Iranian targets and
pro-Tehran militias allied with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. An
Israeli strike on November 20 killed 21 pro-regime fighters including 16
foreigners, along with two civilians, according to the Observatory. In July, six
Iranians and three pro-regime Syrian fighters were killed in reported Israeli
missile strikes in the southern provinces of Daraa and Quneitra, according to
the Observatory. A month later, the Israeli army carried out a strike in Aqraba,
killing two Hezbollah and one Iranian fighter. The war in Syria has killed more
than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it began with anti-government
demonstrations brutally crushed by security forces.
Erdogan says Turkey cannot handle a new migrant wave from
Syria
Reuters, Ankara/Sunday, 22 December 2019
Turkey cannot handle a fresh migrant wave from Syria, President RecepTayyip
Erdogan said on Sunday, adding that European nations will feel the impact of
such an influx if violence in Syria’s Idlib region is not stopped. Speaking at
an awards ceremony in Istanbul, Erdogan said more than 80,000 people were
currently on the move from Idlib to Turkey due to Russian and Syrian
bombardments in the region. He said it was inevitable for Europe to see
conditions like those in the 2015 migrant crisis unless it helped stop violence
in the region.Erdogan also said Turkey was doing everything possible with Russia
for the bombardments in Idlib to stop. He said a Turkish delegation would go to
Moscow to discuss developments in Syria on Monday, and that Turkey will
determine what steps to take after those talks.
Iraqi forces bloc removes Qusay al-Suhair’s candidacy as
prime minister
Leen Alfaisal, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 23 December 2019
The Iraqi forces bloc removed on Monday Qusay al-Suhair’s candidacy as prime
minister, according to a statement issued by the Council of Representatives.
“Nominating Qusay al-Suhail does not match the phase’s requirements and has not
been agreed upon by the majority of the forces,” the statement said. “The Iraqi
forces bloc will only support a candidate who has popularity among the people
matched with that among politicians so that he will be able to run the country
in such a sensitive time,” the statement added. Iraqis took to the streets in
recent days to express their rejection of Qusay al-Suhail’s candidacy, chanting
songs against Iran and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qassem
Soleimani. Officials say neighbor Iran, a key player in Iraqi politics, wants to
install al-Suhail, who served as education minister in the government of Adel
Abdel Mahdi, who tendered his administration's resignation in November.
Ongoing clashes in Syria left 107 dead since yesterday: Monitor
Al Arabiya/Monday, 23 December 2019
A hundred and seven people have died since the beginning of yesterday’s ongoing
clashes in Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports.
Algerian army chief Ahmed Gaed Salah dies: Ennahar
Joanne Serrieh, Al Arabiya EnglishMonday, 23 December 2019
Algeria’s army chief Lieutenant Ahmed Gaed Salah has died, private Ennahar
television reported on Monday.
Gaed Salah was instrumental in bringing down long-time president Abdelaziz
Bouteflika. The 79-year-old's death comes at a time of mass protests across
Africa's largest country as people demand that the ruling elite quits power and
that the influential military steps back from politics.
Gaed Salah had emerged as Algeria’s most powerful political player since
Bouteflika was ousted in April. Salah had pushed for the recent elections as the
only way to resolve the country’s political crisis. He had repeatedly vowed
fairness and transparency for the vote. The army's prominent role was underlined
last week at Tebboune's inauguration, during which he embraced Gaed Salah and
presented him with an order of merit immediately after his own swearing in. The
protest movement has rocked Algeria since February, initially demanding
Bouteflika step down then pushing for the remnants of his regime to make way for
new, independent institutions. Soon after mass protests erupted early this year,
Gaed Salah's televised speech urging president Bouteflika to quit led to the
veteran leader's swift resignation. The army then backed a series of arrests of
Bouteflika allies and senior businessmen in an anti-corruption campaign that was
widely seen as a purge of the military's rivals within the ruling system. But it
was not enough to appease ordinary Algerians, many of whom had begun calling for
Gaed Salah's resignation and for the military to step away from the running of
the major natural gas exporter.
One constant chant throughout the protests has been for “A civilian state, not a
military state.”Gaed Salah's departure may not signify major changes to
Algeria's economic and political policies, however, as he had plenty of
potential successors in a military that has remained united over the handling of
the protests. Tebboune announced that the head of land forces, General Said
Chengriha, would take over as acting chief of staff of the armed forces.
Death of Army Chief Gaid Salah Caps Turbulent Year for
Algeria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 23/2019
Algeria's powerful army chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah died of a heart attack at
age 79 on Monday, threatening to deepen the country's political crisis at the
end of a turbulent year. Gaid Salah was seen as Algeria's de facto strongman
following the April resignation of longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in
the face of massive protests against his bid for a fifth term. "The deputy
defense minister and chief of staff of the army died Monday morning of a heart
attack," the presidency said in a statement read out on state news channel
Algeria 3. The general died at home of a heart attack at about 6:00 am (0500
GMT) before his body was transferred to a military hospital, the statement said.
The lifelong military man had made his last public appearance Thursday at the
swearing-in of new president Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was seen as close to Gaid
Salah.
Gaid Salah was instrumental in pushing the December 12 vote that elected
establishment insider Tebboune -- in defiance of a months-long protest movement
demanding deep-rooted political reforms before any poll.
Guardian of system
At Thursday's ceremony, Gaid Salah was also awarded the rank of "Sadr" in
Algeria's National Order of Merit, an honor normally reserved for heads of
state. As chief of the military for a record 15 years and a veteran of Algeria's
war for independence from France, the general was seen as the guardian of the
military-dominated system that has been in power since.
When Bouteflika appointed him in 2004 to head the armed forces -- the backbone
of Algeria's opaque regime -- he became one of the North African country's most
powerful men. He loyally supported Bouteflika for years until the president's
February announcement that he would run for re-election sparked unprecedented
protests by the youth-led "Hirak" movement. In early April, Gaid Salah called on
his boss to resign. Bouteflika quit the same day, leaving the armed forces chief
effectively in charge of the country. But the old soldier categorically rejected
the Hirak movement's key demands: deep reforms, the establishment of
transitional institutions and the dismantling of the military-dominated regime.
Hot temper -
Moussaab Hammoudi of the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in
Paris said weeks before Gaid Salah's death that he was "not a great strategist".
"He acts like a brutal soldier," he said. "For him, Algeria is a huge barracks,
and making a concession is a weakness."
His death comes as huge numbers of Algerians have continued protesting after
Tebboune's appointment as president, rejecting his call to engage in dialogue.
Gaid Salah was born in 1940 in Batna region, some 300 kilometers (190 miles)
southwest of Algiers, and spent more than six decades in the armed forces. At
the age of 17, he joined Algeria's National Liberation Army in its grueling
eight-year war against French colonial forces. When the country won independence
in 1962 after 132 years as a French colony, he joined the army, attended a
Soviet military academy and rose through the ranks.
Gaining a reputation for a hot temper, he commanded several regions before
becoming chief of Algeria's land forces at the height of a decade-long civil war
pitting the regime against Islamist insurgents. In 2004, as he hit retirement
age, he was picked by Bouteflika to replace overall chief of staff Mohamed
Lamari, who had opposed the president's quest for a second mandate. Tebboune on
Monday appointed land forces commander General Said Chengriha as interim
military chief of staff, Algeria 3 reported.
He also declared three days of national mourning.
Saudi Court Sentences Five to Death over Khashoggi Murder
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 23/2019
Five people were sentenced to death Monday over Saudi journalist Jamal
Khashoggi's murder, but two top aides to the powerful crown prince were
exonerated as authorities said the killing was not premeditated.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was murdered in October last year in
what Riyadh called a "rogue" operation, tipping it into one of its worst
diplomatic crises and tarnishing the reputation of de facto ruler Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman.
The verdict underscores an effort to draw a line under the crisis as the
kingdom, widely condemned over its human rights record, seeks to reboot its
international image ahead of next year's G20 summit in Riyadh.
"The public prosecution's investigation showed that the killing was not
premeditated at the start of this mission" but rather that it occurred in the
heat of the moment, Saudi deputy prosecutor Shalaan al-Shalaan told a press
conference. Khashoggi, a 59-year-old Saudi insider-turned-critic, was strangled
and his body cut into pieces by a 15-man Saudi squad inside the kingdom's
consulate in Istanbul, according to Turkish officials. His remains have not been
found.
Of the 11 unnamed individuals indicted in the case, five were sentenced to
death, three face jail terms totaling 24 years, and the others were acquitted,
Shalaan said. The verdict can be appealed.
Saudi prosecutors had said deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Assiri oversaw
Khashoggi's killing and that he was advised by the royal court's media czar Saud
al-Qahtani.
However, Qahtani was investigated but not indicted "due to insufficient
evidence" and Assiri was investigated and charged but eventually acquitted on
the same grounds, Shalaan added. Both aides were part of Prince Mohammed's
tight-knit inner circle and were formally sacked over the killing, but only
Assiri appeared in the court hearings, according to Western sources. Both the
CIA and a U.N. special envoy have directly linked Prince Mohammed to the
killing, a charge the kingdom denies.
"If the court ruling is meant to put the Khashoggi affair to rest, it is
unlikely to succeed," H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow at the Royal United
Services Institute, told AFP.
"There is a strong belief among much of the international community that the
senior Saudi establishment was behind the killing of Khashoggi and this verdict
does not inspire confidence that accountability has been achieved."
Ringleader? Qahtani, who led fiery social media campaigns against critics of the
kingdom and was seen as a conduit to the crown prince, has not appeared publicly
since the murder and his whereabouts are a subject of fevered speculation. Maher
Mutreb, an intelligence operative who frequently traveled with the crown prince
on foreign tours, forensic expert Salah al-Tubaigy and Fahad al-Balawi, a member
of the Saudi royal guard, were among the 11 on trial, sources have told AFP.
It was unclear if they were among those sentenced to death.
The sources said that many of those accused defended themselves in court by
saying they were carrying out orders by Assiri, describing him as the
"ringleader" of the operation.
Mohammed al-Otaibi, the Saudi consul in Istanbul at the time of the murder, was
not present in the room where he was killed and was released after questioning,
Shalaan said. The Riyadh court hearing the case held a total of nine sessions
attended by representatives of the international community as well as
Khashoggi's family, Shahlan added. "The verdict gives Saudi authorities the
chance to claim 'justice has been served' as they are keen to move beyond the
Khashoggi murder before next year's G20 summit," Quentin de Pimodan, a Saudi
expert at the Greece-based Research Institute for European and American Studies,
told AFP. "But that is unlikely especially after an untransparent investigation
and trial carried out by a judiciary that is far from independent."
Diplomats from the UN Security Council's permanent members –- Britain, China,
France, Russia and the US –- as well as Turkey were allowed to attend as
observers of the Saudi legal proceedings that were held entirely in Arabic. They
were not allowed to bring interpreters and are usually summoned at short notice,
Western sources say. The Khashoggi murder rattled the world at a time when Saudi
Arabia and its de facto leader, Prince Mohammed, were pushing an aggressive
public relations campaign to rebrand the ultraconservative kingdom as a modern
state. Saudi Arabia will be the first Arab nation to host world leaders for the
G20 summit, which will be held in Riyadh next November 21-22.
Magnitude 5.0 earthquake hits southwestern Iran: ISNA, USGS
Reuters, Geneva/Monday, 23 December 2019
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck southwest Iran on Sunday, the semi-official
ISNA news agency reported. ISNA did not give any information about possible
casualties or damage from the quake. The US Geological Survey said the
earthquake was magnitude 5.1 and had struck near the city of Dezful at a depth
of 10 km.
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on December 23-24/2019
Turkey: Stop 'Fantastical Fiction,' Free Osman Kavala!
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/December 23/2019
To no one's surprise, on December 10, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
called for the immediate release of Kavala, saying there was a lack of
reasonable suspicion that he had committed an offense,
According to its official statement, the [EU] court found that Kavala's
detention "pursued an ulterior purpose...namely that of reducing [him] to
silence," ruling that the charges he faced and the detention "were likely to
have a dissuasive effect on the work of human-rights defenders."
Although the indictment does not give any evidence of Kavala's involvement in
any violent protest, it claims Kavala's phone conversations with ordinary people
-- academics and NGO people -- are evidence of "terrorist activity."
Even if Kavala is released shortly, as the Constitution dictates he should be,
he will have spent nearly 800 days in jail for no crime, and, from the moment he
is released, will have to carry on with his legal struggles against a state with
no tolerance for dissent.
Even if Turkey releases Osman Kavala from jail soon, as the Constitution
dictates, he will have spent nearly 800 days in jail for no crime, and, from the
moment he is released, will have to carry on with his legal struggles against a
state with no tolerance for dissent.
Businessman-turned-philanthropist Osman Kavala has been promoting arts, culture
and history since he started to devote his time to civil society in the early
1990s. His understanding of promoting culture was to promote cultural diversity
and pluralism. His resumé says, "he dedicated his life to building a civil and
just society." His Anatolian Cultural Foundation seeks to bridge ethnic divides
through art, including with neighboring Armenia with which Turkey has no
diplomatic relations.
Kavala did not know that such activity would one day put him in jail: He has
been in jail without a verdict since Oct. 18, 2017 -- for nearly 800 days.
Kavala was detained at the Istanbul Airport as he was returning from a visit
with representatives of the (German) Goethe Institute to Gaziantep, southeastern
Turkey, where he supported a project for Syrian refugees. A criminal court
ordered him to be held in pretrial detention allegedly on suspicion that he had
organized the anti-government Gezi Park protests in Istanbul in 2013 -- which
then spread to most Turkish provinces, with millions participating. In March
2019, Kavala and 15 others were indicted on charges of "attempting to overthrow
the government or partially or wholly preventing its functions" for their
alleged role in the Gezi protests. In other words, charges against Kavala and
others came nearly six years after the Gezi protests which were brutally
suppressed by security forces.
The timing of the indictment, however, tells us the real story behind the Kavala
trial which he calls a "fantastical fiction." In two speeches, in November and
December 2018, Turkey's Islamist strongman, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,
accused Kavala of "financing terrorists," and that Kavala was Turkey's
representative of "that famous Jew (George Soros) who tries to divide and tear
up nations." Three months later an indictment accused him of the same
allegations made by Erdoğan.
Although the indictment does not give any evidence of Kavala's involvement in
any violent protest, it claims Kavala's phone conversations with ordinary people
-- academics and NGO people -- are evidence of "terrorist activity."
As in most oppression stories in Turkey the Kavala case also has its lighter
side. The police found a map of Turkey and the wider region in his smart phone.
The prosecutors took it as evidence of his intentions to destroy Turkey's
territorial integrity and his efforts to "redraw borders in the Middle East." As
it turned out the map showed bee species in the region.
The 657-page indictment also alleges that Kavala was trained to organize Gezi
protests by an organization called Otpor. In fact, Otpor is the name of a
Serbian activist organization that aimed in 1998 to overthrow ultra-nationalist
leader Slobodan Milosevic with a "philosophy of protest – laced with humor and
rock'n'roll – worldwide".
"[Dark] forces of global capital serving Otpor and its derivatives ... and coup
attempts against countries that do not obey maps imposed onto them..." read the
indictment. Kavala was absolutely right to call this whole legal theater a
"fantastical fiction."
To no one's surprise, on December 10, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
called for the immediate release of Kavala, saying there was a lack of
reasonable suspicion that he had committed an offense. According to its official
statement, the court found that Kavala's detention "pursued an ulterior
purpose... namely that of reducing [him] to silence," ruling that the charges he
faced and the detention "were likely to have a dissuasive effect on the work of
human-rights defenders." The court found violations of Article 5/1(c), which
sets out lawful grounds of detention, 5/4 which guarantees all detainees a right
to a speedy review of the legality of their detention, and 18, which prohibits
limitations on the rights of the European Convention (in this case liberty) for
ulterior motives. In calling for Kavala's immediate release, the court stressed
that "any continuation of the applicant's pre-trial detention in the present
case will entail a prolongation of the violation of Article 5/1 and of Article
18".
Turkey is a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and its
courts must abide by ECtHR's rulings. But in Erdoğan's Turkey, local courts were
seen before ignoring the rulings of the country's supreme court in line with the
supreme chief's wishes and orders. In any event, whether the Turkish courts obey
the ECtHR ruling and release Kavala (which they must according to Article 90 of
the Constitution) or they keep him in jail, the detention story will remain only
one example of the harsh Islamist crackdown on government critics.
Even if Kavala is released shortly, as the Constitution dictates he should be,
he will have spent nearly 800 days in jail for no crime, and, from the moment he
is released, will have to carry on with his legal struggles against a state with
no tolerance for dissent.
*Burak Bekdil, one of Turkey's leading journalists, was recently fired from the
country's most noted newspaper after 29 years, for writing in Gatestone what is
taking place in Turkey. He is a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The global economy — review and outlook
Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/December 23/2019
On Dec. 20, the Dow Jones index reached an all-time high of 28,533. As per
usual, global stock markets followed the US lead. Digging a bit deeper, things
look less clear cut.
2017 was an extraordinary year with volatility all but gone and a flawless
rally. Global stock markets returned to a state of considerable change and
unpredictability in 2018 and 2019.
In January 2018, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasted a 3.9 percent
synchronized growth across the globe. In came trade wars, slowing economies in
China and Europe, as well as repeated downgrades of economic growth rates of 2.9
percent in 2019 and 3 percent in 2020 as per the IMF.
The World Bank’s forecasts were even gloomier with 2.6 percent in 2019 and
gradually rising to 2.8 percent in 2021. The outlook for advanced economies
looks dimmer with the Euro area forecast for 2020 of 1.4 percent and the one for
the US of 1.6 percent for the same year.
The culprits were trade tensions between the US and China, but also between
Korea and Japan, as well as other looming commercial conflicts especially
between Europe and the US.
The updated prognosis was published in June by the World Bank and in October
during the IMF World Bank annual meetings. This was right at the height of
belligerent trade rhetoric and the introduction of ever newer tit-for-tat tariff
action.
The US and China are the world’s two largest economies and their trade conflict
had ripple effects across the world — especially in open trading economies such
as Germany and Japan, for whom both the US and China are major export markets.
IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, warned of synchronized deceleration
of growth and generational dislocation of economic alignments, especially as far
as supply chains were concerned.
All things being equal, we can look forward to interest rates remaining lower
for longer, and more volatility in stock markets.
The fact that stock markets put in an impressive rally toward the end of the
year can be attributed to an easing of trade tensions between the US and China
by concluding phase 1 of a new trade deal.
South Korea and Japan are also ratcheting up their talks, culminating in a
summit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping on
Dec. 24. The clear victory of Boris Johnson in the UK general election earlier
this month helped too, by avoiding a no-deal Brexit for the next 12 months.
Are we out of the woods then, and will we return to the rosy low-volatility,
high-growth picture of January 2018? Most definitely not.
The US and China have only reached a tentative agreement on phase 1 of a
three-pronged trade deal. Next year US President Donald Trump’s attention will
focus on Europe, especially Germany, if the recent American sanctions against
companies and executives involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2 (an
undersea pipeline allowing Russia to up its gas exports to Germany) are anything
to go by.
German car exports to the US have been a thorn in Trump’s side from day one.
Germany is Europe’s largest economy and has been the growth engine of the
eurozone for well over a decade. The country narrowly escaped a technical
recession in the third quarter. Europe always follows the German economy’s
trajectory.
We should be ready for more volatility in line with how the global trade picture
evolves.
Brexit will be an outlier. While markets reacted well to British premier
Johnson’s resounding election victory, we can expect new fears of a no-deal
Brexit toward the end of 2020, because it will be hard for the UK to reach a
trade deal with the EU 27 within 11 months. This means that the prospect of a
no-deal Brexit will be on the horizon again.
We should not forget that the EU still remains the UK’s most important trading
partner by far. Emerging market currencies will ebb and flow in line with the
strength of the dollar.
The US Federal Reserve had three rate cuts this year and will most probably
preserve its headroom as far as interest rates are concerned during 2020,
barring unforeseen circumstances.
Global economic growth rates will not allow the European Central Bank (ECB) and
the Bank of Japan to escape the negative interest-rate trap, with all its
ramifications for the financial sector and the pensions’ industry.
Most central banks have run out of ammunition, because interest rates are at
all-time lows and their balance sheets at historical highs. The demand from ECB
chair Christine Lagarde and others for fiscal measures to support the activities
of central banks will intensify.
All things being equal, we can look forward to interest rates remaining lower
for longer, and more volatility in stock markets.
At the same time, we should expect trade tensions to flare up at regular
intervals and the relative strength of currencies to be a bone of contention
among world leaders, especially Trump. Long gone are the times of synchronized
global growth devoid of all volatility.
• Cornelia Meyer is a business consultant, macroeconomist and energy expert.
On the road to Gaza: The freedom flotilla will sail again
Ramzy Baroud/Arab News/December 23/2019
What is Gaza to us but an Israeli missile, a rudimentary rocket, a demolished
home, an injured child being whisked away by his peers under a hail of bullets?
On a daily basis, Gaza is conveyed to us as a bloody image or a dramatic video,
none of which can truly capture the everyday reality of the Strip — its
formidable steadfastness, the everyday acts of resistance, and the type of
suffering that can never be really understood through a customary glance at a
social media post.
At long last, the chief prosecutor of the International Court of Justice (ICC),
Fatou Bensouda, has declared her “satisfaction” that “war crimes have been — or
are being — committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza
Strip.” As soon as the ICC statement was made on Dec. 20, pro-Palestinian groups
felt a rare moment of relief. Finally, Israel will stand accused, potentially
paying for its recurring bloodbath in the isolated and besieged Gaza Strip, its
military occupation and apartheid in the West Bank, and much more.
However, it could take years for the ICC to initiate its legal proceedings and
render its verdict. Moreover, there are no political guarantees that an ICC
decision indicting Israel would ever be respected, let alone implemented.
Meanwhile, the siege on Gaza persists, only to be interrupted by a massive war,
like the one of 2014, or a less destructive one, similar to the latest Israeli
onslaught in November. And with every war, more dismal statistics are produced,
more lives shattered, and more painful stories are told and retold.
For years, civil society groups across the world labored to destabilize this
horrific status quo. They organized, held vigils, wrote letters to their
political representatives and so on. To no avail. Frustrated by government
inaction, a small group of activists sailed to Gaza in a small boat in August
2008, succeeding in doing what the UN has failed to do: they broke, however
fleetingly, the Israeli siege on the impoverished Strip.
It must be understood that Israeli violence is not random nor is just a
reflection of Israel’s notoriety and disregard of international and humanitarian
law.
This symbolic action of the Free Gaza movement had a tremendous impact. It sent
a clear message to Palestinians in occupied Palestine; that their fate is not
only determined by the Israeli government and military machine; that there are
other actors who are capable of challenging the dreadful silence of the
international community; that not all Westerners are as complicit as their
governments in the prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people.
Since then, many more solidarity missions have attempted to follow suit, coming
across the sea atop flotillas or in large caravans through the Sinai desert.
Some have successfully reached Gaza, delivering medical aid and other supplies.
The majority, however, were sent back or had their boats hijacked in
international waters by the Israeli navy.
The outcome of all of this has been the writing of a new chapter of solidarity
with the Palestinian people that went beyond the occasional demonstration and
the typical signing of a petition.
The second Palestinian Intifada, the uprising of 2002, had already redefined the
role of the “activist” in Palestine. The formation of the International
Solidarity Movement (ISM) allowed thousands of international activists from
around the world to participate in “direct action” in Palestine — thus
fulfilling, however symbolically, a role that is typically played by a UN
protective force.
ISM activists, however, employed non-violent means of registering civil
society’s rejection of the Israeli occupation. Expectedly, Israel did not honor
the fact that many of these activists came from countries deemed “friendly” by
Tel Aviv’s standards. The killing of US and British nationals Rachel Corrie and
Tom Hurndall in Gaza in 2003 and 2004 respectively, was just the precursor of
Israeli violence that was to follow.
In May 2010, the Israeli navy attacked the Freedom Flotilla consisting of the
Turkish-owned ship MV Mavi Marmara and others, killing ten unarmed humanitarian
workers and wounding at least 50 more. As was the case with the murder of Rachel
Corrie and Tom Hurndall, there was no real accountability for the Israeli attack
on the solidarity boats.
It must be understood that Israeli violence is not random nor is just a
reflection of Israel’s notoriety and disregard of international and humanitarian
law. With every violent episode, Israel hopes to dissuade outside actors from
getting involved in “Israeli affairs.” Yet, time and again, the solidarity
movement returns with a defiant message, insisting that no country, not even
Israel, has the right to commit war crimes with impunity.
Following a recent meeting in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, the International
Coalition of the Freedom Flotilla, which consists of many international groups,
has decided to, once more, sail to Gaza. The solidarity mission is scheduled for
the summer of 2020 and, like most of the 35 previous attempts, the flotilla is
likely to be intercepted by the Israeli navy. Yet, another attempt will likely
follow, and many more, until the Gaza siege is completely lifted. It has become
clear that the purpose of these humanitarian missions is not to deliver a few
medical supplies to the nearly two million besieged Gazans, but to challenge the
Israeli narrative that has turned the occupation and isolation of Palestinians
to a status quo ante, to an “Israeli affair.”
According to the United Nations Office in Occupied Palestine, the poverty rate
in Gaza seems to be increasing at an alarming speed of 2 percent per year. By
the end of 2017, 53 percent of Gaza’s population lived in poverty, two thirds of
them living in “deep poverty.” This terrible number includes more than 400,000
children.
An image, a video, a chart or a social media post can never convey the pain of
400,000 children, who experience real hunger every single day of their lives so
that the Israeli government may achieve its military and political designs in
Gaza. Indeed, Gaza is not just an Israeli missile, a demolished home, and an
injured child. It is an entire nation that is suffering and resisting, in
near-complete isolation from the rest of the world.
True solidarity should aim at forcing Israel to end the protracted occupation
and siege on the Palestinian people, sailing the high seas, if necessary.
Thankfully, the good activists of the Freedom Flotilla are doing just that.
*Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of Palestine Chronicle. His
latest book is “The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story” (Pluto Press, London).
Baroud has a Ph.D. in Palestine studies from the University of Exeter. Twitter:
@RamzyBaroud
Bethlehem: The ‘little town’ the world forgot
Chris Doyle/Arab News/December 23/2019
The “little town” marks time itself; the common era began there 2,019 years ago,
and nearly every date refers to the place, although we give it such little
consideration except during the Christmas season.
In the streets of Bethlehem now, little shines in the darkness. Back then it was
not clear Bethlehem was a walled town. It is now. The Christmas story simply
could not happen, as traveling the 160km to there from Nazareth is possible only
if you are Israeli or otherwise non-Palestinian, cut off as the town is by
walls, fences, checkpoints and illegal Israeli settlements. Bethlehem is
overcrowded, but (unlike in the Christmas story) there are plenty of rooms in
its underused hotels. It is still a refuge, with three crammed camps hosting
about 20,000 Palestine refugees.
Bethlehem is suffused with history. Less than 10km south of Jerusalem, it always
played a key role in the region. It formed an umbilical link with Jerusalem as
its primary water source, so nearly every invading army captured Bethlehem
first. Situated on a ridge, it marked the transition from the green hills of the
West Bank to the Judean desert, from the Roman world to that of the East. It was
both an agricultural center and a trading post on the ancient Hebron road. In
1847, the theft of a silver star from the grotto in the Church of the Nativity
helped to start the Crimean War seven years later.
For a location that nearly every child has heard of, few have actually visited.
Today, Bethlehem’s tragic treatment is brushed off and ignored. In churches
across the world, carols about the city are sung in front of a manger in a
stable. The Vatican has just permitted a tiny thumb-size fragment of what many
believe to be a part of Jesus’s makeshift crib to return to Bethlehem for this
year’s Christmas celebrations. Most of the relic remains in Rome.
But how many even know Bethlehem is a Palestinian town? Today, it is cut off
from most of its agricultural lands. Its famous olive oil is no longer produced
in sufficient quantities to be exported. Many even erroneously think it is in
Israel. How many know its 25,000 Palestinian inhabitants live under a
belligerent 52-year-old occupation, hemmed in by a wall, surrounded by 42
settlements with a population of 100,000 armed Israeli settlers.
How many know Bethlehem’s 25,000 Palestinian inhabitants live under a
belligerent 52-year-old occupation, hemmed in by a wall, surrounded by 42
settlements with a population of 100,000 armed Israeli settlers.
I once stood in the center of Manger Square with a senior British politician,
who whispered in my ear: “Remind me, what went on here?” I get a small kick out
of leading such grand figures into the ancient church through the “door of
humility,” so called because it is less than a meter high so you have to stoop
to enter. Not everyone is content to allow the real Bethlehem, as opposed to the
Christmas-story one of carols and mangers, to be forgotten and ignored.
Across Bethlehem, the street artist Banksy has left his mark with works of art.
For 2019, he has created “the scar of Bethlehem,” a nativity scene with Joseph,
Mary and Jesus lying at the foot of the wall, with a huge shell hole above them.
The work is hosted in the Walled Off Hotel, the one Banksy designed. It is one
of the most remarkable I have ever visited. Its mix of unique design and luxury
is offset by what the hotel describes as “the worst view of any hotel in the
world.” It lies in the immediate shadow of the giant 8-meter slabs of pre-cast
concrete that form Israel’s separation wall. An Israeli watchtower is visible.
Access to the roof is forbidden without the permission of the Israeli army, even
though you are in a town run in theory by the Palestinian Authority.
The reality is that Israel is very much in control. It has consistently thwarted
and limited the numbers of tourists visiting the town, particularly overnight.
The Palestinian president has a helipad in Bethlehem, but of course cannot use
it with the overlord’s permission. Israel refused permission for nearly all the
Palestinian Christians from Gaza who applied to go to Bethlehem and Jerusalem
this year. So much for freedom of religion.
The Israeli occupation is never static. Under one of the “doomsday settlement”
plans, called E2, Bethlehem would be effectively cut off from the rest of the
southern part of the West Bank. To enable this, a settlement outpost at Givat
Eitam on the lands of the village of Al-Nahla is being converted to a formal
settlement. Overall, only 13 percent of the entire Bethlehem governorate’s land
is available for Palestinian use.
The settlements to the east of Bethlehem used to be considered out on the
periphery; most assumed until recently that they were destined to be given up in
any two-state solution. No longer. A new road nicknamed the Lieberman road
(after the former Israeli defense minister who lives in one of the settlements
at Nokdim) ensures a commute to Jerusalem of just 10 minutes. Since 2008, when
this road was opened, the population in these settlements has roughly doubled.
The myth of Bethlehem grows in the Western imagination as the reality shrinks in
the global consciousness. Unless something is done soon, the real Bethlehem, the
one with living people, will be left to fester in a long-forgotten backwater.
It’s time for some wise men to step forward. It may need more than three.
*Chris Doyle is director of the London-based Council for Arab-British
Understanding. Twitter: @Doylech
Iranians won’t be fooled by regime’s smear tactics
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/December 23/2019
Thousands of Iranians recently took part in massive demonstrations in cities,
towns and villages across the country, condemning the deteriorating
socioeconomic situation, particularly the government’s sudden decision to triple
gasoline prices.
President Hasan Rouhani’s claim that the price hike was an essential measure to
compensate for a shortfall in the budget caused by US sanctions was met with
skepticism and anger by the Iranian public, which is struggling to stay afloat
and saw this unannounced move on Nov. 15 as the final straw.
In addition, the unprecedented rise in the price of basic commodities,
skyrocketing inflation, and the government’s failure to tackle endemic financial
and administrative corruption have angered the public.
Protesters were influenced by continuing demonstrations in Lebanon and Iraq,
particularly since one of the most important underlying causes behind the civil
unrest is people’s rejection of the Iranian regime’s influence and interference
in the affairs of other countries. This rejection was made clear with Iraqi
protesters destroying the ubiquitous images of Iranian leaders in the
predominantly Shiite Iraqi city of Karbala, burning the Iranian flag, and
storming the Iranian consulates in both Basra and Karbala.
Slogans chanted by protesters across Iran showed solidarity with the protests in
Iraq and Lebanon. Protesters rejected Iran’s intervention in the internal
affairs of regional nations and condemned the Tehran regime for wasting billions
of dollars on its expansionist project in the region. The slogans included:
“Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, I sacrifice my soul for Iran,” “Oil money was lost —
and spent in Palestine,” and “Dictator, leave Syria and think about our
situation.”
The Iranian regime used excessive violence to crush the protests and shut down
the Internet for days so that regime forces and affiliated militias, reportedly
including some from Iraq, could indiscriminately kill and wound hundreds of
unarmed protesters and arrest thousands without any coverage or leaks on social
media. The demonstrators retaliated by attacking government buildings and
institutions.
Resorting to its usual conspiracy theories, the Iranian regime accused the
protesters of being foreign-backed insurgents and traitors trying to destabilize
the country. The regime’s usual targets, the US, Israel and Arab regional
states, were blamed, and protesters were accused of possessing arms from Iraq
and Afghanistan. The regime also organized “spontaneous” counter-demonstrations
and broadcast its usual forced confessions.
Amnesty International’s latest report mentioned that Iran’s security forces had
killed about 304 Iranians, although many in Iran say the real figure is likely
to be far higher. Regime-controlled news outlets continue to downplay the number
of those killed, although the Kalema website, closely associated with
“reformist” leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, announced the burial of 156 Iranians in
the Behesht Zahra cemetery in Tehran, and reported that another 80 protesters
had been buried in a number of Iranian cities.
At least 25 women and children were among those killed by regime forces.
Tehran’s representative to the Iranian Parliament, Parwaneh Salahshouri,
admitted that children had been killed by security forces, but gave no details.
While the regime officially admitted that 2,000 people were arrested, the
spokesman for Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Hossein
Naghavi Hosseini, put the number at 7,000.
Daily financial losses amounted to about $367 million due to the shutting down
of the Internet, costing businesses about $26 million, with the state-owned
telecoms firm Irancell suffering a 40 percent daily decline in revenue. Damage
to 731 banks, 3,000 ATMs and 140 government sites by protesters is estimated at
$714 million.
The recent protests are a natural continuation of the 2017-2018 demonstrations
whose grievances and socioeconomic causes remain unaddressed.
This means that protests will continue, but their momentum and strength will
depend on a number of factors. The first, in light of the regime shutting down
the Internet, is whether protesters will be able to transmit images of the
protests and the oppression they are facing to encourage more Iranians to take
to the streets.Second is the ability of the regime’s security forces to contain
the protests. This is a difficult task despite the level of oppression since
protesters are no longer fearful.
Third, what will happen in Lebanon and Iraq will have a direct and significant
impact on the Iranian protests, with all the demonstrations sharing grievances
and inter-dependent goals as well as protesters drawing motivation and
encouragement from each other.
More concerning for the Iranian regime is that the protests could create fertile
ground for more dangerous civil unrest directed at the country’s political
system. Even if a rapid Iranian regime downfall is unlikely due to the
deployment of its repressive apparatuses, it has already begun to lose its
legitimacy — a fatal blow since it has lost all respect and prestige in the eyes
of the Iranian people.
There is no coming back for the Iranian regime from this recent setback, and to
create a distraction it will look to increase its regional interference and
mobilize Iranian nationalism by using the threat card as it has done in the
past.
In addition, the regime will continue with its smear tactics in an effort to
deflect attention from its own failures.
However, the Iranian public is much more aware of the survival strategies
employed by the regime at desperate times and is unlikely to fall into its trap
as they have been fooled many times over.
The time is ripe to continue the challenge against the regime to ensure people’s
rights and needs are met by a negligent political system.
• Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is head of the International Institute for Iranian
Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami
Saudi sentences in Khashoggi murder will again test US
relations
Simon Henderson/The Hill//December 23/2019
The legal part of the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi is
coming to an end. The public relations phase, which already has started, will
now go into high gear — and today’s announcement by the Saudi prosecutor is not
likely to be the final word.
Five members of the hit team accused of killing Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate
in Istanbul, Turkey, last October have been sentenced to death, and three others
will go to prison for a total of 24 years. But the court’s decision is not yet
final. And, of course, King Salman can always show mercy and commute the
sentences. The challenge for the United States and other Western allies of Saudi
Arabia is whether public and political opinion will allow for the current
judgment by the CIA and a United Nations special investigator, which separately
concluded, with bureaucratic caveats, that the murder was sanctioned by Riyadh
and, in particular, by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the 34-year-old
effective leader of the country. Two months ago, MbS, as he is known, accepted
“full responsibility” for Khashoggi’s death, which is far from admitting that he
ordered it or knew it was going to happen.
Today’s statement from Riyadh does not name those who have been sentenced to
death (which, in Saudi terms, probably means beheading) but they are likely to
include the head of the hit team and the forensic surgeon who was tasked with
cutting up the body. The other three probably facing capital punishment were
those also in the room. MbS’s chief assistant, Saud al-Qahtani, was not
prosecuted, nor was a deputy intelligence chief who supposedly oversaw the
operation.
We know this level of detail because the Turkish authorities had the consulate
wired and have played the tapes to the CIA and other Western intelligence.
(Eavesdropping on diplomatic premises is quite common across the world, I am
told.) One tape is of a conversation in which the Saudi forensic specialist
worried about having to cut up a warm body so that it would fit into a black
plastic bag. Today’s Saudi statement claimed that the murder was not
premeditated but it did not explain why, if that is true, the hit team took
along a bone-saw to Turkey.
The argument of continuing a strong relationship with Saudi Arabia has several
aspects:
the importance of the Saudi kingdom in terms of the world’s oil supply;
the need to maintain a blocking alliance between the U.S. and Saudis against the
destabilizing policies of Iran;
the links between the U.S. military and the American defense industry with the
kingdom;
the need to encourage its recently-found emphasis on moderate Islam; and
the hope that MbS can be steered away from ill-thought-out actions of which the
Khashoggi operation is, allegedly, the most egregious. (Others include the
forced but brief resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, imprisoning
princely rivals and business magnates in the Riyadh Ritz Carlton, and arresting
women activists.)
The public relations campaign likely cannot rely on “Khashoggi fatigue,”
although this is emerging. The strategy appears to depict every development in
the kingdom as a positive. The recent initial public offering, or IPO, for Saudi
Aramco was disappointing, according to reporting by the New York Times, the Wall
Street Journal, the Financial Times and The Economist. The Saudi response to
that has been to emphasize its limited domestic success and to avoid the
suggestion that pushing forward with it was another sign of MbS’s stubbornness;
contrary reporting has been described as merely an indication that foreigners
don’t understand the kingdom.
Meanwhile, another consequence of MbS’s style has just taken place in Kuala
Lumpur, where Malaysia hosted an Islamic summit attended by such countries as
Turkey, Iran and Qatar. Pakistan, the Islamic world’s only nuclear-armed state,
also would have been there had Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan not been
summoned to Riyadh and had his arm twisted, according to news reports.
Saudi Arabia sees itself as the leader of the Islamic world, so it doesn’t like
that such summits occur. Is its leadership being challenged? That’s the sort of
topic about which Jamal Khashoggi might have written an op-ed in the Washington
Post.
*Simon Henderson is the Baker Fellow and director of the Bernstein Program on
Gulf and Energy Policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Follow
him on Twitter @shendersongulf.