English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 31/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 07/13-27: “‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name? ” Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.” ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell and great was its fall!’

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 30-31/2020

Ministry of Health: 2878 new coronavirus cases, 13 deaths
President Aoun meets Lebanese Democratic Party Chairman, ministers Musharrafiya and al-Gharib, delegation of expatriate doctors in Australia
Ibrahim vists Rahi, confirms security situation 'under control'
Diab: We are fearful of reaching Italian Covid-19 model, but working to avert risk
Parents of students abroad close main entrance of bank in Hamra Street
US dollar exchange rate: Buying price at LBP 3850, selling price at LBP 3900
Report: Hizbullah’s Financial Institution Hacked, Party 'Perplexed'
Report: Rahi ‘Angry’ with Aoun, Hariri and Bassil
Diab Clarifies His Remarks about Ammonium Nitrate
Israeli Strikes Kill Syrian Soldier, Target Hizbullah Positions
Lebanese ICRC Spokeswoman Injured in Yemen Blasts
Heavy Shelling Heard from Inside Shebaa Farms
Lebanon set for muted NYE celebrations amid economic, health crises/Najat Houssari/Arab News/December 30/2020
Lebanon’s racism is fanning the flames of violence towards Syrian refugees/Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/December 30/2020
How Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun is paving the way for son-in-law Bassil/Michael Young/The National/December 30/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 30-31/2020

27 dead, dozens wounded in deadly attack on Aden airport
Cowardly’ Aden airport attack draws regional, global condemnation
Israeli FM Quits Gantz's Blue and White Party
Former Israeli spy in US arrives in Tel Aviv, greeted with prayer and passport
Iran allocates $150,000 for families of each victim of downed Ukraine plane
US sends new warning to Iran with bomber mission over Gulf
Turkey, US in talks to form joint working group on S-400s, sanctions: Minister
Syria's Regime Auctions off Land of the Displaced
Potential sale of US smart bombs to Saudi Arabia gets approval
Qatar Emir Invited to Gulf Summit amid Diplomatic Row
UK parliament approves Brexit trade deal as both sides look to future
Afghan Troops, Police Abandon nearly 200 Checkpoints to Taliban
Baghdad’s currency devaluation lifts lid on Iran’s exploitation of Iraqi resources
Egypt achieves self-sufficiency in rice in 2020 with 6.5 mln tons: Cabinet
Wuhan Virus Cases May be 10 Times Higher than Reported, China Health Study Says
 

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 30-31/2020

It is not the act that defines terrorism for most Americans but the appearance of the perpetrator/Ray Hanania/Arab News/December 30/2020
With his post-Brexit trip to India, UK PM Boris Johnson aims to send a statement of intent/Andrew Hammond/Arab News/December 30/2020
How to expand the China-GCC strategic partnership/Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/December 30/2020
Syrian conflict needs attention after being put on the backburner/Kareem Shaheen/The National/December 30/2020
China Using Covid to Overtake America's Economy/Gordon G. Chang/ Gatestone Institute/December 30/ 2020
 

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 30-31/2020

Ministry of Health: 2878 new coronavirus cases, 13 deaths
NNA/December 30/2020
The Ministry of Public Health announced 2878 new cases of coronavirus infection, which raises the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 177,996.
13 deaths have been recorded over the past 24 hours.

President Aoun meets Lebanese Democratic Party Chairman, ministers Musharrafiya and al-Gharib, delegation of expatriate doctors in Australia
NNA/December 30/2020
Lebanese Democratic Party Chairman, MP Mir Talal Arslan, quoted the President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, of his keenness on the serious approach to complete the formation of the upcoming government in the near future, taking into account correct representation. Arslan stressed that “It is not permissible, under any consideration, circumstance, or excuse that the Druze community is being dealt with by diminishing its rights to gain private interests for some at the expense of the general national interest, and that is based on our conviction that this country is a country of diversity, unity and common coexistence, and has privacy where no one can eliminate anyone in it”. MP Arslan also considered that "all the approaches that some have tried to take on the issue of the government are wrong, as if what is required is a specific targeting of the Druze community."
The President had received MP Arslan, at the head of a delegation that included Minister of Social Affairs and Tourism in the caretaker government, Ramzi Musharrafieh, and former Minister Saleh al-Gharib, today at the Presidential Palace.
The meeting tackled latest local developments, especially those related to the issue of forming the future government.
MP Arslan statement:
After the meeting, MP Arslan made the following statement to the journalists:
“On the occasion of the honorable holidays, we must first visit His Excellency the President of the Republic General Michel Aoun to congratulate him on Christmas and New Year's Day, wishing that Lebanon, in the coming year, will be in better conditions and oriented according to the correct and constitutional frameworks that should prevail in every aspect and approach.
The second reason for the visit is that we informed His Excellency the President, of our view in approaching the government issue that is being discussed, and our absolute rejection, under any excuse or unconvincing argument, of the government of 18 ministers, which means prejudice, injustice and an infringement of the rights of a basic sect in Lebanon Hence, it is not permissible under any consideration, circumstance, or excuse to deal with the Druze community against the background of diminishing its rights to gain special interests for some at the expense of the general national interest, and that is based on our conviction that this country is a country of diversity, unity and common living, and it has a specificity where no one can cancel anyone in it. All the approaches that some have tried to approach with the issue of the government are wrong, as if what is required is a specific targeting of the Druze community.
To clarify, I say that when the PM-designate set out, he started with the 14th government, and ascended to the 18th government, surpassing the 16th government, because in the 16th government the Druze are equitable in representation, and from 18 to 20 the Druze are treated fairly on the basis of equality in rights and duties. But we saw that the situation is going towards a complete disregard for this issue, so we would like to inform His Excellency the President directly of this position, which we had issued clear and frank about a week ago, bearing in mind that no one is called to make it a major issue, as if the 18 and 20th formation will ruin the country, while trying to portray the matter as overstepping the deadline and time and manipulating them.
From 18 to 20, the number increases with only two ministers: one is Druze, and the other is from our brothers in the Catholic community, and therefore this increase will support the government, which we hope will be formed at the earliest opportunity, taking into account the correct representation in it”.
The President also met a delegation of expatriate doctors in Australia, in the presence of MP Nabil Nicolas, who took the initiative to provide a mobile hospital for dental treatment after the explosion that occurred in Beirut Port. The hospital was placed at the disposal of the Faculty of Dentistry at the Lebanese University. The delegation showed commitment of the Lebanese Diaspora to help their resident brothers through initiatives that address various areas of assistance.
For his part, President Aoun welcomed the delegation, appreciating the initiative to provide a mobile hospital for dental treatment, and commended Lebanese diaspora solidarity with the residing Lebanon in various circumstances, especially after the explosion in the port. President Aoun also stressed that the Lebanese diaspora is a wealth of Lebanon, pointing to the laws that were approved during his era to maintain communication between expatriates and residents, especially the law of restoring nationality and enabling expatriates to vote in the parliamentary elections and other measures which shortened the distance between resident Lebanon and widespread Lebanon.
The delegation included: Fadi Abu Zaid, Mai Abu Zaid, Joel Abu Zaid, Jawad Abu Zaid, Elsa Abu Zaid, Mary May Abu Zaid, Therese Abu Rahal, and Rami Abu Zaid.—Presidency Press Office

Ibrahim vists Rahi, confirms security situation 'under control'
NNA/December 30/2020
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Rahi, on Wednesday welcomed General Security Chief, General Abbas Ibrahim, who affirmed after the meeting that the security situation in Lebanon was under control.
"It is true that the country's security situation is influenced by politics, but as security apparatuses, especially the Lebanese army, we are working on absolute control of security. The nation's dire social situation will in no doubt affect the country's security, but I do not think it will end in chaos," he added.
Regarding the possibility of terrorist groups taking advantage of the grim situation in Lebanon, General Ibrahim said that the problem was not a question of terrorism, but rather a question of poverty. "We should, therefore, not be surprised if people take to the streets," he warned, but stressed that "the situation will remain under control."Regarding the mediation that he leads between the Maronite Patriarch and the French President and the possibility of his success, Ibrahim said, "As the Cardinal said, there is always hope, and movement is always a sign of blessing. He plays the most important role in this, and we count on what he does to achieve satisfactory results." Rahi also welcomed on Wednesday Caretaker Minister of Environment and Caretaker Minister of State for Administrative Development, Demianos Kattar, with whom he discussed the general situation and the strategic and historical role of the patriarchal seat.

Diab: We are fearful of reaching Italian Covid-19 model, but working to avert risk
NNA/December 30/2020
Caretaker Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, on Wednesday said in a press briefing, that travelers arriving in Lebanon are contributing to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, but the main problem is internal due to the lack of citizens' commitment to the required preventive measures such as wearing a mask and observing social distancing. Premier Diab pointed out that key risk indicators are the death rate among infected people; the death rate is still low compared to other countries, as well as the number of intensive care beds available for corona patients. Diab said that we were in a race against time; that is why we recently imposed a two-week nationwide lockdown, during which we were able to increase the number of beds in public and private hospitals. We are fearful of reaching the Italian model, where corona patients won’t find a hospital bed; therefore we are working to avert this risk.
In response to a question about the possibility of returning to the lockdown after the holidays, PM Diab said: “I said and repeat, if we see non-compliance and a surge in infections, we will definitely go into full closure; but the number of infected persons is acceptable to date. The most important thing is the number of deaths and emergency cases that require intensive care. Lebanese are fortunate that the youth account for the largest percentage of critical cases, contrarily to Europe where the largest percentage is seen in elderly, and this helps us. As for the risk of infection in schools, it does not pose a risk and the infection rate is very low so far; the problem is that schools are not equipped with a convenient infrastructure and lack teacher training to cope with the corona crisis. We are waiting for the Ministry of Health’s technical committee and committee of specialists’ meetings to provide us with the required statistics. Next Monday, the inter-ministerial committee will convene to decide on the lockdown-related issue”.
Regarding airport closure, Prime Minister Diab said: “We were among the first countries to have closed the airport; expats infection rate is very low, and Lebanon cannot be closed and isolated from abroad; there is also the economic benefit to the country. However, in the event of a surge in infections arriving from abroad, we may close the airport; we will act based on the statistics and information generated by the specialized committees. We will take any decision that serves the interest of the Lebanese, based on scientific and not political grounds”.
Diab added: "I asked the Minister of the Interior to follow up on the incoming infections, and so far we have only one case from the UK with the new strain. The new Covid-19 strain is present in Europe since last September, and we cannot close the country to European capitals, especially that there are students who are visiting their families in Lebanon during the holidays. Thus, we developed a plan for the safe return from abroad. The plan features strict procedures; arriving passengers will have to undergo 3 PCR tests, one before boarding the plane, a second one upon arrival at Beirut airport, with a three-day home quarantine, then a third one to make sure that the traveler was not infected. The surge in infections is mainly due community transmission as a result of non-compliance; thus, I call on all Lebanese to abide by the necessary measures for the sake of their family members’ safety, especially the elderly, and if we commit now, as we did in February, March and April, we will definitely overcome the second wave. ''
Regarding the lack of adequate laboratories that conduct tests to detect those infected with the new strain, he replied: “There are laboratories, but commitment is absolutely necessary; we cannot dispatch a policeman at the door of every citizen; we have adopted strict procedures as the first line of defense, followed by a home quarantine and then a third test to ensure that the person was not infected".
In response to a question about the decision of the judicial investigating judge in the port case, Fadi Sawan, and the position he will take in the event that Sawan requests to question him further as defendant, Diab replied: “I refer to the Constitution, which is above all and, and to Article 70, and if he wants to charge me, he should send the file to the Parliament. I have full respect to the judiciary and I was the first to have signed the judicial formations out of respect for the judiciary and its independence”.
In response to a question about the request of Judge Sawan’s dismissal and the appointment of another judge, he said: "I have not made such a request and I will not interfere in the work of the judiciary; I did not inquire about this issue, nor did I make any suggestion in this regard."
PM Diab asked, "Did any Lebanese know what" ammonium nitrate "means before August 4?” “The first official report I received was on July 22. The reason for not visiting the port was that I received three different pieces of information within two hours on June 3. I was first informed by the security services, by chance, that there was 2000 kilograms of TNT at the port. I immediately requested to arrange a visit to the port; during the security preparations for my visit, it became clear that there was different information from what I first received. I was informed that it weighed 2,500 tons and not 2,000 kilos, and that it was not "TNT" but "nitrate", which we did not know anything about. An internet search revealed that the nitrate was a chemical fertilizer. The third piece of information I received was that this substance has been in the port for seven years and is not new. As long as the file is still under investigation and that there are three different information, let the investigation be completed and the file be send to me, and then I will visit the port with evidence in hand. I received the report on July 22.
Suppose I visited the port on June 4 and inspected Hangar 12. I would have sent a letter to the security officials who were already aware of the matter for seven years. Does anyone know when and who made an opening in Hangar 12? The FBI report revealed that the quantity that exploded was only 500 tons, so where did the 2200 tons go? Who is the owner of the ship? How did it enter the port? Who allowed it in? Who has been silent about that for so long? Are the security services aware of that? We have convened 20 sessions of the Supreme Defense Council this year, and none of the security officials raised the issue. I asked the Secretary-General of the Supreme Defense Council, Major General Mahmoud Al-Asmar, to look into the Council’s meeting minutes for the word "nitrate"; since 2014 until now, no one from the Supreme Defense Council has informed the President of the Republic, in his capacity as head of the Council, about the existence of these materials”.
Premier Diab added, "If I had a feeling that there was a danger in the port, I would have spoken immediately with the President of the Republic, and I was not to cover this crime that occurred in 2013. I usually receive dozens of official security reports and 90 percent turn out to be incorrect."
PM Diab said: “I am deeply hurt. I came to fight corruption from Day 1 but was deemed corrupt in the end because I did not visit the port.” I received the report on July 22 and I immediately transferred it to relevant ministers. The country was under a lockdown by virtue of the general mobilization decision due to the coronavirus pandemic, and we had Eid al-Adha and Army Day. Is this a deliberate act? There is something abnormal. I do not believe in coincidence. I was the first one to have opened the door to Judge Sawan, and when Judge Ghassan Oweidat called me and asked me, “Do you have an objection to meeting Judge Sawan on Tuesday, i.e. in 5 days? I told him, let him come now; he came, and I told him everything."
In response to a question about determining responsibilities after the blast, he said: “I am not the Judiciary to determine the responsibilities. I fought to transfer the case to the Judicial Council. I want to make it clear that the investigation committee that I formed was an administrative investigation committee and not a judicial committee, and it submitted recommendations to the Council of Ministers; for this reason, I delayed the Cabinet resignation in order to pass the following decisions: Firstly, we transferred the case from the Military Court to the Justice Council, for this allows the affected people to file lawsuits, and this is what happened. Secondly, we regarded the victims of the port blast as Army martyrs in terms of compensation and benefits. Thirdly, the LAF has distributed 100 billion LBP to the port blast’s victims (11300 households), in addition to 22,000 households through civil society organizations. We have also made a decision that any first-class official who would be arrested will be put at the disposal of the prime minister”.
As for activating the caretaker government, Premier Diab said: “On July 18, I declared from the Patriarchal See that I will not resign because the political divisions in Lebanon do not allow for the formation of another government, that we may act in a caretaker capacity for a long time, and that this was a crime against Lebanon, for the caretaker government cannot convene Cabinet sessions and make decisions; nevertheless, when the port explosion took place, any government in the world must resign out of a moral duty "
Regarding PM Diab's reception of Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Grand Serail, and the solidarity of former prime ministers and the Sunni community with him, he declared, "I acted based on the Constitution and Article 70. I consider myself as the prime minister of all Lebanese and I refer to the Constitution."
And whether PM Diab was fearful and anxious about what is being prepared for him behind Judge Sawan’s decision, he said: “I am a believer and I am not weak but strong because I am telling the truth. I am not coming from a political family, and I do not want to be like this. I will not run for parliamentary elections; if I am asked to head a parliamentary list, I will refuse to do so. I said in my assignment speech that I consider myself strong because I don't want anything for myself. "
On lifting subsidies, Premier Diab said: “I have taken a decisive position since last July against lifting subsidies. As for the issue of rationing, it is correct because the rich should not benefit from the subsidies that should only target the needy. I asked the Central Bank’s governor to provide the amount remaining at the bank for subsidies. According to media reports, we have two billion dollars, which must suffice for at least six months pending other solutions. The needy and poor citizen should be given priority, so the financing card is essential. A decision must be shared by the caretaker government, Parliament and the Central Bank of Lebanon. I sent a suggestion to the parliament and I spoke with Speaker Nabih Berri. The suggestion will be discussed in the joint committees, and I asked the ministers to fully cooperate with the parliamentary committees to find the appropriate solution”.
Regarding the reasons that prevented Premier Diab from making popular decisions against corruption and naming things by their names, "There is an interconnected system of corruption; I do not have full files and therefore I cannot give names in order not to do anyone wrong. We are not a revolutionary government; we work pursuant to the Constitution and within the limits of the system. But if the forensic audit uncovers the sources of corruption, as will happen in auditing the accounts of the Banque du Liban, then we can say that we are on the right judicial path. I will not give names without evidence. There is an interrelated political, financial and economic system, but I fight corruption within the system and not by breaking public property as happened during the events in the street, for this does not serve the revolution and the demands of the Lebanese. "
Regarding the way forward after the lifting of banking secrecy, Diab said: "We were very late in acting as a result of political bickering and point scoring. I called on everyone from the beginning to meet and cooperate to solve the social, financial and banking crises accumulated over decades. On February 11, when we still had 75 percent of the Eurobonds, which grants us the right to decide whether to reschedule the debts, and we would have avoided defaulting, I asked the banks not to sell the bonds; however, the banks sold a large share of the bonds; the percentage decreased to 58%, and the liquidity remained abroad. If we had rescheduled the debt, that is, I we had postponed payment for 20 years, which amounts to 4.6 billion dollars due for 2020, 5 billion for 2021, and 5 billion for 2022, we would have taken a breath for three years on the financial and economic levels”.
Regarding what Prime Minister Saad Hariri could offer, which Prime Minister Diab did not manage to offer, he replied: "Approval of the political community. Efficiency, cleanliness and patriotism are not sufficient for success. Rather, there must be political consensus. I was the first prime minister to be notified of his assignment to form a government three days before the nomination."—PM Press Office

Parents of students abroad close main entrance of bank in Hamra Street
NNA/December 30/2020
The families of students studying abroad, who have been staging a sit-in outside the Lebanese Central Bank, have moved their sit-in location to deliberately close the main entrance of another bank in Hamra Street, NNA reporter said on Wednesday.

US dollar exchange rate: Buying price at LBP 3850, selling price at LBP 3900
NNA/December 30/2020
The Money Changers Syndicate announced in a statement addressed to money changing companies and institutions Wednesday’s USD exchange rate against the Lebanese pound as follows:
Buying price at a minimum of LBP 3850
Selling price at a maximum of LBP 3900

Report: Hizbullah’s Financial Institution Hacked, Party 'Perplexed'
Naharnet/December 30/2020
Confusion arose among circles affiliated with Hizbullah after the party’s Al-Qard Al-Hasan financial institution was hacked, despite the institution's assurance the hackers had no access to any of the internal data or account numbers of depositors, the Saudi Asharq el-Awsat reported on Wednesday. A hacker group called “Spiderz” hacked into the cameras and servers of Hizbullah’s financial institution Al-Qard Al-Hasan, which the party says is a charity association. The group collected and exposed a name list of borrowers, and published the links to the information on a special page on Twitter, attaching all details related to its customers.Spiderz called on borrowers to refrain from paying their due installments for the benefit of the institution. It also urged depositors to withdraw their deposits. The hackers promised, via a video recording, to publish additional information later. Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association was established by Hizbullah in the 1980s. It was licensed by the Interior Ministry in 1987. It has 32 branches across Lebanon. The hacking process created confusion among the association’s customers, given that their data was made public, said the daily. The operation came a few months after the association launched an automated teller service in its branches in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the party's center of influence. This encouraged some to place financial deposits in the institution that is not subject to the Lebanese banking system. The association downplayed the hack, saying the hackers failed to access any of the internal information. A spokesperson for the association said the hacking only affected the external network, explaining that the hack failed to reach the numbers of deposits, the value of loans, etc. The data published to the public included lists of customers' names, account numbers and the type of currency in which they deal in. It also included a list of the most important customers, borrowers, loan amount, repayment rate, and personal information about customers. The hacking operation also revealed the accounts of Al-Qard Al-Hassan Foundation in Jammal Trust Bank, which had been subjected to US sanctions in 2019 for providing financial services to Hizbullah, and was liquidated in Lebanon.

Report: Rahi ‘Angry’ with Aoun, Hariri and Bassil
Naharnet/December 30/2020
Maronite Patriarch Beshara el-Rahi reportedly plans to seek the Vatican’s assistance in launching an international initiative towards Lebanon, amid reports he is holding “great anger” against officials mainly the President, the PSP's al-Anbaa electronic magazine said Wednesday. The magazine said Rahi was angry at President Michel Aoun, PM-designate Saad Hariri and MP Jebran Bassil over the delayed formation of a much-needed government to help steer the country out of the crisis. According to information obtained by al-Anbaa, Rahi plans to make contacts with the Vatican to launch an international initiative that “preserves” Lebanon and “shows interest” in the crisis-hit country. It said there are attempts to kick off joint efforts between the Vatican and the United States of America, as Biden’s administration prepares to take office in January, in order to show interest in the Lebanese file. "Rahi will resume his contacts on the governmental file after the holiday with Aoun and Hariri," unnamed sources told al-Anbaa.He will also make contacts with various political forces in a bid to push for the formation of an “acceptable and efficient” government, away from quotas and bickering over ministerial portfolios, it added.

Diab Clarifies His Remarks about Ammonium Nitrate
Agence France Presse/December 30/2020
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Wednesday clarified the remarks he voiced Tuesday about the ammonium nitrate quantity that exploded at Beirut’s port on August 4. “PM Diab relied in his remarks on unofficial information attributed to the FBI and he has not received an official report in this regard from the FBI,” his press office said. One of his advisers told AFP he had been referring to press reports. AFP could not independently verify the contents of the FBI report. The U.S. agency declined to comment, referring back to its August statement that "further questions should be directed to the Lebanese authorities as the lead investigators." "The FBI report revealed that the amount that exploded is only 500 tons," Diab told reporters on Tuesday. "Where did the (other) 2,200 tons go?" he asked. The caretaker prime minister, who resigned in the wake of the blast that killed more than 200 people, had previously said that more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer had been stored haphazardly at a port warehouse for years. Nearly five months after the blast, little light has been shed on the circumstances that led to Lebanon's worst peacetime disaster, which is widely blamed on decades of negligence and corruption by the country's ruling elite. Lead investigative judge Fadi Sawwan this month charged Diab and three former ministers over the explosion in the first set of indictments against politicians. He charged them with "negligence and causing death to hundreds and injuries to thousands more" in the first such official indictment against a prime minister in office in Lebanese history. The blast probe has since been suspended after two of the charged ministers called on Sawwan to be replaced. Lebanon's top Court of Cassation must rule on their request before investigations proceed. The investigation had led to the arrest of at least 25 suspects, including the chief of the port and its customs director, but not a single politician.

Israeli Strikes Kill Syrian Soldier, Target Hizbullah Positions
Agence France Presse/December 30/2020
Israeli air strikes in Syria targeting the pro-Damascus Lebanese Hizbullah group and Syrian air defence forces killed one Syrian soldier and wounded five others, a war monitor said Wednesday. The air raids early Wednesday hit positions in a rural area northwest of the capital, said the Britain-based war monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a military source, said one Syrian soldier was killed and three others wounded in an Israeli strike on a military position near the capital. "Today at 01:30 (2230 GMT) the Israeli enemy carried out an air aggression with missile bursts from northern Galilee, targeting a unit of our air defence forces in the Nabi Habeel area," the military source said. "Our air defence countered some of the missiles, which caused one martyr and wounded three soldiers." The Observatory on Wednesday morning said the number of wounded had risen to five, two of them in grave condition. The strikes targeted Hizbullah rocket and ammunition depots in a mountainous area near the town of Zabadani close to the Lebanese border, destroying them and causing casualties, it said, without providing a toll. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said pro-Iran groups use the heights around Zabadani to store weapons and ammunition. "Hizbullah uses (the area) as a storage spot before transporting weapons and ammunition into Lebanon," he said. Israel refused to confirm or deny the strike. "We do not comment on foreign media reports," an army spokesperson told AFP. Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011. It has targeted government troops, allied Iranian forces and Hizbullah fighters. It rarely confirms details of its operations in Syria, but says Iran's presence in support of President Bashar al-Assad is a threat to which it will continue to respond. In the night of Thursday to Friday last week, Israeli missile strikes on Syria killed at least six Iran-backed fighters in the Masyaf district of Hama province, the Observatory said. One of the missiles, which were fired from Lebanese airspace, also targeted a government-run research centre where surface-to-surface missiles are developed and stored, the Britain-based watchdog said. Repeated Israeli air strikes against positions of Hizbullah and other pro-Iran groups in Syria in November killed more than 50 Tehran-backed fighters, most of them non-Syrian. Syria's war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Lebanese ICRC Spokeswoman Injured in Yemen Blasts
Naharnet/December 30/2020
Lebanese national Yara Khaweja, the official spokeswoman of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yemen, was lightly wounded Wednesday in the blasts that rocked Yemen’s Aden airport. According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, Khaweja was leaving for Cairo when the explosions happened. “She is currently receiving treatment and her condition is stable,” NNA added. Prior to leaving the hotel for the airport, Khaweja had tweeted that she had carried out her last interview about the humanitarian situation in Yemen. At least 26 people were killed as the explosions rocked the airport moments after a new unity government flew in, in what some officials charged was a an attack by Iran-backed Huthi rebels. Although all government ministers were reported to be unharmed, more than 50 people were wounded, medical and government sources said, with the casualty toll feared likely to rise.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it was preparing a "mass casualty medical response plan." As smoke billowed out of the airport terminal from an initial blast, with debris strewn across the area and people rushing to tend to the wounded, a second explosion took place. Video footage shot by AFP appears to show missile-like ordnance striking the airport apron -- that moments before had been packed with crowds -- and exploding into a ball of intense flames. It was not immediately clear what had caused the explosions. Sporadic gunfire was heard soon after.

Heavy Shelling Heard from Inside Shebaa Farms
Naharnet/December 30/2020
Sounds of heavy artillery shelling coming from inside the occupied Shebaa Farms was heard by villagers close to the Lebanese southern border, the National News Agency said on Wednesday. NNA said the sound of shelling was the result of military training drills carried out by Israeli troops. Shebaa Farms is a disputed area where the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria meet. Lebanon and Syria say Shebaa Farms belong to Lebanon, while the United Nations says the area is part of Syria and that Damascus and Israel should negotiate its fate.
 

Lebanon set for muted NYE celebrations amid economic, health crises
Najat Houssari/Arab News/December 30, 2020
The country’s Internal Security Forces on Wednesday announced that strict security measures would be in place on New Year’s Eve
BEIRUT: Lebanon has begun the countdown to what are expected to be muted New Year’s Eve celebrations. Despite some hotels and nightclubs reporting healthy bookings for parties and events, the country’s dire economic situation and a surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases is likely to result in most citizens seeing in 2021 at home. Shops and catering stores have been relatively busy with people buying items to mark New Year’s Eve and pre-ordering home deliveries of food. Hotels hosting parties said bookings had exceeded expectations, but restaurant owners’ syndicate head, Pierre Al-Achkar, pointed out that 167 hotels damaged by the Beirut port explosion still required repairs and were unable to open. In the run-up to New Year’s Eve, tourist police and internal security forces permanently closed six nightclubs, bars, and restaurants and issued fines to 64 others for violating general mobilization rules and failing to comply with health and public safety measures. Breaches included employees not wearing face masks or respecting social distancing, allowing premises to become overcrowded, and offering hookah.
The country’s Internal Security Forces on Wednesday announced that strict security measures would be in place on New Year’s Eve, “to maintain the security and safety of citizens, and to ensure the protection of tourist, commercial and economic facilities and places of worship, in addition to securing traffic in order to reduce congestion.”Citizens have also been ordered not to celebrate by shooting guns into the air, and dancing in bars and restaurants has already been banned.
Lebanon has recently witnessed a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, with new daily recorded numbers hitting highs in excess of 2,800.
“The closure of nightclubs and restaurants that do not comply with the required procedures is necessary because hospitals are no longer able to admit new patients and the Christmas experience was not good,” said Dr. Sharaf Abu Sharaf, head of the Lebanese Order of Physicians.
The spike in virus cases has led many Lebanese to choose to stay at home or organize private parties in rented halls, with invitees having to take a polymerase chain reaction test two days before attending events. Due to the collapse of the Lebanese lira against the dollar, many are also struggling to make ends meet and pay toward the cost of New Year’s Eve food, drink, and entertainment.

Tony Bejjani, owner of a restaurant and bar in Beirut, said: “Customer traffic declined during the holidays and I will not receive customers on New Year’s Eve due to COVID-19 fears and because the cost will exceed profits.
“The quality of customers varies according to their financial capabilities. Many bars around me have closed their doors, but I want to continue with a small profit so that I do not become unemployed. But I do not have much confidence in the new year,” he added. Meanwhile, authorities have highlighted a recent rise in the number of armed robberies taking place throughout Lebanon, particularly in the Bekaa region, and there have also been reports of looting, most notably in the city of Zahle. Lebanese Forces deputy, Cesar Al-Maalouf, said: “What is happening in Zahle is unacceptable. Because of the state’s failure to ensure the security and safety of the city, our young people are its guards. “This is the final warning for what is left of this dilapidated system. We are no longer to be blamed for resorting to self-security,” he added. MP Michel Daher said: “The security lapse that Zahle and its districts are witnessing is no longer acceptable and we call for an increase in the number of security forces and strict measures so that people do not have to resort to self-security, the last scene that foretells the fall of the state.”
Lebanon’s head of General Security, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, on Wednesday met with Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi. After the meeting, he said: “Security is well kept and under control. It is true that it is influenced by politics, but we as organs, on top of us the Lebanese Army, are working to control the security completely. “But certainly, the stressful and difficult social situation must be reflected on security in terms of looting and security lapses, but I do not see that it will reach the stage of chaos.

Lebanon’s racism is fanning the flames of violence towards Syrian refugees
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/December 30/2020
As Lebanon celebrated Christmas, a Syrian refugee camp in Miniyeh in the north of Lebanon was attacked by a group of local youths who set fire to tents amid clashes with residents. The number of violent incidents against displaced communities living in the country has grown steadily in recent months. This has run in parallel with the public becoming apathetic to these acts, and viewing them as normal daily occurrences.
The makeshift camp houses over 375 people, and the attack highlights a worrying trend. The 1.5 million Syrian refugees based in Lebanon are increasingly targets of intimidation and violence, on the back of the country’s disastrous economic conditions.
Tensions are running high. The killing of Joseph Tawk, a Lebanese national, by a Syrian living in Bcharre, led to rioting and the eviction of the entire refugee population of the town with over 200 Syrian families forced to look for refuge elsewhere or else face physical harm.
This dangerous xenophobic atmosphere isn’t helped by several politicians, including former minister of Foreign Affairs and President Michael Aoun’s son-in-law Gebran Bassil blaming Syrian refugees for Lebanon’s collapse.
Bassil has consistently sought to use refugees as a fearmongering foil, and has previously stated: “The Syrian refugee crisis is the biggest crisis threatening the Lebanese entity.” This perception is growing among communities that were initially supportive of the Syrian revolution to topple the Assad regime. Bcharre is one example, but there are many others.
The voices calling for calm are there. Miniyeh and Bcharre support Saad al-Hariri’s Future Movement and Samir Geagea Lebanese Forces, both of which have defended and openly demanded protection for Syrian refugees living in the country. Hariri has declared, “that they [refugees] won’t go back to Syria as long as that regime is in place [and] as long as I don’t have a UN green light for their safe return, I’m not going to do anything.”Calls for eviction of the Syrian population, however, underscores that Lebanon’s traditional political parties no longer hold sway over their power base on this issue.
Local media outlets have been complicit in fueling xenophobia by exaggerating the perceived threat of refugees stealing jobs, while playing down violence on refugees as simple altercations. In many cases the media fails, or refrains, to report on violence committed in areas controlled by Hezbollah and their allies. The expulsion of refugees through force in areas deemed as a security threat saw the border town of Arsal meet this fate. The Lebanese state has conspired to make the refugees in Lebanon keep, and in some cases, make worse the suffering they endured in Syria. Introducing different measures have stripped them of their legal rights and exposed them to persecution.
Staying silent might be the way the Lebanese state wishes to deal with such crimes, but the country’s people need to stop looking for excuses to justify crimes such as the burning of the Bhanin camp – just one example among hundreds of equally heinous acts of racism perpetrated against non-Lebanese.
The Syrian refugee crisis is undoubtedly a major challenge for Lebanon. The racism, violence, and expulsion of Syrian refugees by the people of Lebanon is a different matter. Why should an already reluctant international community invest in the country when the local population fail to treat others with respect?
The sight of the burning tents in the refugee camp in Miniyeh is not simply a crime against humanity: Lebanon’s soul and moral standards have gone up in flames too.

How Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun is paving the way for son-in-law Bassil
Michael Young/The National/December 30/2020
مايكل يانغ/ذي ناشيونال: الرئيس اللبناني ميشال عون يعبد طريق صهرة جبران باسيل ليخلفه في موقع الرئاسة
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/94429/michael-young-the-national-how-lebanons-president-michel-aoun-is-paving-the-way-for-son-in-law-bassil-%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%8a%d9%83%d9%84-%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%ba-%d8%b0%d9%8a-%d9%86%d8%a7%d8%b4%d9%8a/
As Lebanon’s cabinet formation process drags on, President Michel Aoun and his son-in-law Gebran Bassil are attempting to ensure that any new government allows them to advance their political agenda. This involves two primary objectives: saving Mr Aoun’s shipwreck of a presidency and guaranteeing that Mr Bassil will become the next president, in 2022.
Saad Hariri, who was designated in October to form a government, has been unable until now to come to an agreement with Mr Aoun and Mr Bassil over certain ministerial portfolios. Normally, under the Taif agreement of 1989, whose clauses were integrated into the constitution, the prime minister-designate “signs the decree forming the government with the president”. Mr Aoun has re-interpreted this vague clause to negotiate over Mr Hariri’s ministerial choices.
Before Mr Hariri was chosen by parliament to head the new government, the president had implicitly warned that he would defend his interests in the cabinet-formation process. This had come after Mr Aoun was compelled, principally by Hezbollah, to go ahead with parliamentary consultations leading to Mr Hariri’s being tasked with forming a government. The President’s preference was to agree over a cabinet prior to Mr Hariri’s designation.
Since then Mr Aoun and Mr Bassil have fought hard for power in a new cabinet, mainly because both fear they may pay the highest price for widespread popular resentment against Lebanon’s political cartel. Their demands are a good indication of their strategy for the remaining two years of Mr Aoun’s term. Mr Aoun and Mr Bassil have demanded the Justice Ministry and the Interior Ministry, as well as what is known as a “blocking third” – meaning a certain number of ministers loyal to them whose resignation can bring the cabinet down.
The Justice Ministry is a sign that Mr Aoun intends to use the two years left of his term to open corruption files against his political enemies. In that way he can affirm that he is an honest man who is fighting shady political rivals who have not allowed his presidency to succeed. Such an effort is unlikely to work, all the more so as Mr Bassil’s integrity is a matter of considerable doubt, but it would allow Mr Aoun to create an alterative narrative for his disastrous time in office.
Control of the Interior Ministry, in turn, would mean that Mr Aoun and Mr Bassil would be in charge of organising municipal and parliamentary elections in 2022. It is vital for them to ensure that these elections do not confirm their loss of popularity, which would undermine Mr Bassil’s presidential ambitions.
As for the so-called “blocking third”, it appears that Mr Aoun has agreed to give up on this, because Hezbollah asked him to. The thinking behind the demand was that Mr Bassil would collapse the government before the end of Mr Aoun’s term, and engage in blackmail by not allowing the formation of a new one until Lebanon’s leading politicians supported his election as president.
A second facet of Mr Aoun’s and Mr Bassil’s plan is to reinvigorate the presidency, in order to reverse some changes brought about by Taif, which curtailed the powers of the Maronite Christian president. In that way both men could argue that they returned power to the Maronites. Mr Bassil could therefore portray himself as a communal champion meriting the presidency.
A central aspect of this effort is Mr Aoun’s acquiring effective veto power over Mr Hariri’s proposed cabinet line-ups. Since his signature is needed for a government to be formed, the president already has implicit veto power. But at the same time nothing in the constitution states that a president can form a government with the prime minister-designate, which is what Mr Aoun is doing.
There are two problems here. First, the constitution is vague, and there is no credible, independent judicial body in Lebanon to resolve constitutional ambiguities. And second, Mr Hariri agreed with the two main Shiite parties, Hezbollah and Amal, to allow the Shiites to retain the Finance Ministry and sign off on the naming of Shiite ministers. In that way he boxed himself in, opening the door for Mr Aoun to argue that he too should participate in shaping the government.
How long can these political games go on when Lebanon is disintegrating economically? The signs are that Hezbollah wants a government soon, for a variety of reasons including growing discontent within the Shiite community. At the same time, the party does not want to take sides in the Hariri-Aoun dispute to avoid harming its relations with either man. Hezbollah has pressed for a government to be finalised, and may well push harder after the new year.
This will not change the fact that until Mr Aoun leaves office, Mr Bassil will continue to use all the weapons at his disposal to impose himself as the successor to his father-in-law. It is far from certain that Hezbollah will allow him to do so, as this could trap the party into supporting him when it might have other preferences. What is shocking is that the steadily poorer Lebanese population, which is suffering the most, seems entirely marginal to the politicians’ calculations.
*Michael Young is a Lebanon columnist for The National

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 30-31/2020

27 dead, dozens wounded in deadly attack on Aden airport
Saeed Al Batati/Arab News/December 30, 2020
AL-MUKALLA: Terrorists declared war on Yemen’s fledgling democratic government on Wednesday with a deadly attack on Aden airport as members of the new administration flew in from Riyadh. At least 27 people were killed and 40 injured in a series of explosions just outside the airport’s main hall while the aircraft’s passengers were disembarking. A local security source said the building was hit by three mortar shells, and Yemen's information minister Muammar Al-Eryani accused Iran-backed Houthi militias of carrying out the attack. The explosions were followed by heavy gunfire from armored vehicles as plumes of smoke and dust rose from the scene. The attack took place as the airport hall was packed with local officials and well-wishers waiting to greet the new government. “Most of the dead and wounded are civilians,” a local health official told Arab News.
The cabinet members, including Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik, were taken to safety at the city’s Maasheq presidential palace, along with the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al-Jaber. Later on Wednesday, Arab coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said it shot down an explosive drone, suspected to be from the Houthi militia, which was targeting the palace. “We and the members of the government are in the temporary capital of Aden and everyone is fine,” Maeen tweeted from the palace. “The cowardly terrorist act that targeted Aden airport is part of the war that is being waged against the Yemeni state and its great people.
“It will only increase our determination to fulfill our duties until the coup is ended and the state and stability are restored.”The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced the new power-sharing cabinet this month after more than a year of intense Saudi mediation between the government and the separatist Southern Transitional Council.The government returned to Aden to put into place the final components of the Riyadh Agreement and end months of political wrangling and violence.
Al-Jaber said the terrorists were seeking to destroy the positive atmosphere created by the formation of the new government and the full implementation of the Riyadh Agreement. “Targeting the Yemeni government upon its arrival at Aden airport is a cowardly terrorist act targeting all the Yemeni people, their security, stability and their daily life,” he said. “It confirms the extent of disappointment and confusion that the creators of death and destruction have reached as a result of the success of the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement and the formation of the Yemeni government and starting its duties to serve the Yemeni people.”UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths also condemned the attack. “I wish the cabinet strength in facing the difficult tasks ahead,” he said. “This unacceptable act of violence is a tragic reminder of the importance of bringing Yemen urgently back on the path toward peace."
Michael Aron, the UN ambassador to Yemen, said: “I condemn the cowardly attack on Aden airport timed to coincide with the arrival of the new government, a despicable attempt to cause carnage and chaos and bring suffering when Yemenis had chosen to move forward together. My thoughts are with the families of those killed and injured.” Both the secretary of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Kuwaiti foreign ministry also condemed the attack, while, Emirati minister Anwar Gargash said the attack on the airport was an attack on the “prospects for peace and stability in Yemen.”

Cowardly’ Aden airport attack draws regional, global condemnation
Arab News/December 30, 2020
LONDON: A rocket and gunfire attack on Aden airport in Yemen, targeting the country’s newly formed government and claiming dozens of lives, has drawn global condemnation from political, diplomatic and non-governmental figures. Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the “treacherous” act, saying that it targeted not only the new government, but the Yemeni people also, according to a statement carried on Saudi Press Agency (SPA). It also said the Kingdom stood by the Yemeni people and its aspirations for peace, stability and security. Both the Emir of Kuwait and the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also condemed the attack, while Emirati minister Anwar Gargash said the attack on the airport was an attack on the Riyadh Agreement and “prospects for peace and stability in Yemen.” “I condemn the cowardly attack on Aden Airport timed to coincide with the arrival of the new government,” tweeted Michael Aron, Britain’s ambassador to Yemen. He called it “a despicable attempt to cause carnage & chaos & bring suffering when Yemenis had chosen to move forward together. My thoughts are with the families of those killed & injured.”Nick Dyer, the UK’s special envoy for famine prevention and humanitarian affairs, tweeted that he “fully supports” Aron’s statement, and that “those against peace will just prolong the suffering of millions in #Yemen.”Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said she “strongly” condemns “the heinous attack.”Yemeni ministers were returning to Aden after being sworn in last week as part of a reshuffle following a deal with some of the country’s opposition forces. The attack, which Yemen’s information minister has attributed to the Iran-backed Houthis, appeared to be aimed at violently disrupting the country’s fledgling peace process. Linde implored parties to not allow the attackers to disrupt the peace process, saying: “We cannot let this deplorable act derail efforts for peace.”
Martin Griffiths, UN special envoy for Yemen, called the attack an “unacceptable act of violence,” tweeting: “I strongly condemn the attack at #Aden airport upon the Cabinet’s arrival and the killing and injury of many innocent civilians. My sincere condolences and solidarity to all who lost loved ones.”
He added: “I wish the Cabinet strength in facing the difficult tasks ahead. This unacceptable act of violence is a tragic reminder of the importance of bringing #Yemen urgently back on the path towards peace.”Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), took to Twitter to express his outrage at the attack, writing in Turkish that his condolences are with the people of Yemen. A number of humanitarian NGOs have been affected directly or indirectly by the attack. ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross/Crescent) confirmed on Twitter that one of their staff was killed in the attack, two were injured and that another three remain unaccounted for. "This is a tragic day for us and the people of #Yemen," the group said on Twitter. Doctors Without Borders’ (MSF) Yemen operation said it is preparing to implement a “mass casualty medical response plan” to cope with the attack. Save the Children, which works extensively in Yemen, tweeted: “We strongly condemn the attack today in #Aden int airport #Yemen. According to authorities more than a dozen have lost their lives & many more are injured.”It added: “We call on all parties to the conflict to bring an end to the fighting, killing & civilian infrastructure destruction.”
 

Israeli FM Quits Gantz's Blue and White Party
Agence France Presse/December 30/2020
Israel's Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said Wednesday that he is leaving the Blue and White party, in the latest high profile defection from the bloc led by Defense Minister Benny Gantz. Gantz's centrist Blue and White ran neck-and-neck with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud in three inconclusive elections between April 2019 and March 2020. But the party has fractured since Gantz agreed to form a coalition government with Netanyahu in April. Ashkenazi, like Gantz a former army chief, had been Gantz's top ally in the coalition that collapsed last week after failing to pass a budget, amid bitter acrimony between Blue and White and Likud. New elections have been set for March 23, Israel's fourth vote in just under two years. Despite Blue and White's cratering poll numbers, Gantz announced Tuesday that he intended to lead the party in the upcoming vote, vowing to be player in the anti-Netanyahu bloc. On Wednesday, Ashkenazi tweeted that he did "not intend to contest in the next election with Blue and White.""I will take a break to consider the path ahead," he said. Gantz in a statement said he respected Ashkenazi's decision and expressed his "heartfelt gratitude for these past two years of partnership for the good of our country."A Blue and White spokesperson told AFP that Gantz had not asked Ashkenazi to resign from the foreign ministry. That marks a departure compared to Gantz's response to the defection of outgoing justice minister Avi Nissenkorn. Nissenkorn bolted from Blue and White to join a new centrist party formed by veteran Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai, called The Israelis. Gantz asked Nissenkorn to resign from the justice ministry on Tuesday on grounds that Nissenkorn had "chosen his new political home." Recent polls indicate Blue and White will win just handful of seats in the March vote.But polls indicate that Netanyahu has also been hurt by defections, notably the decision by prominent right-winger Gideon Saar to break with Likud and form his own New Hope party.

Former Israeli spy in US arrives in Tel Aviv, greeted with prayer and passport
Reuters, Jerusalem/Wednesday 30 December 2020
A former US Navy analyst who served 30 years in prison for spying for Israel arrived in the country early on Wednesday after parole restrictions on his travel expired and was welcomed with a prayer and passport by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Jonathan Pollard, 66, had long voiced a desire to emigrate to Israel, which granted him citizenship. The espionage affair strained US-Israel relations for decades. Sentenced in 1987 to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage, Pollard was freed on parole in 2015. A US Justice Department decision last month to let the parole terms’ five-year travel ban go unrenewed was seen by some as a parting gift to Israel by the Trump administration. Netanyahu met Pollard and his wife Esther as they disembarked in Tel Aviv, video distributed by the Israeli prime minister’s office showed. The couple, both Orthodox Jews, kissed the tarmac. After saying a Hebrew prayer of thanksgiving for the liberation of prisoners, Netanyahu presented Pollard with an Israeli passport. “Welcome home,” the prime minister said. Israel Hayom newspaper, which first reported the couple’s arrival, said they flew in aboard a private plane due to Esther Pollard’s medical condition.

Iran allocates $150,000 for families of each victim of downed Ukraine plane
Reuters/Wednesday 30 December 2020
Iran’s cabinet on Wednesday allocated $150,000 for the families of each of the 176 victims of a Ukrainian plane downed in Iranian airspace in January, the official IRNA news agency reported. “The cabinet approved the provision of $150,000 or the equivalent in euros as soon as possible to the families and survivors of each of the victims of the Ukrainian plan crash,” IRNA quoted a government statement. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they accidentally shot down the Ukraine International Airlines plane shortly after take off, mistaking it for a missile when tensions with the United States were high. Five days earlier, the US had killed Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani with a drone strike in Iraq.Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami told state television on Wednesday that the final report on the crash had been sent to the countries participating in the investigation.
Many of the victims were Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

US sends new warning to Iran with bomber mission over Gulf
The Arab News/December 30/2020
WASHINGTON - The United States flew strategic bombers over the Arabian Gulf on Wednesday for the second time this month, a show of force meant to deter Iran from attacking American or allied targets in the Middle East.
One senior US military officer said the flight by two Air Force B-52 bombers was in response to signals that Iran may be planning attacks against US allied targets in neighbouring Iraq or elsewhere in the region in the coming days, even as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office. The officer was not authorised to publicly discuss internal assessments based on sensitive intelligence and spoke on condition of anonymity. The B-52 bomber mission, flown round trip from an Air Force base in North Dakota, reflects growing concern in Washington, in the final weeks of President Donald Trump’s administration, that Iran will order further military retaliation for the US killing on January 3 of top Iranian military commander General Qassem Soleimani. Iran’s initial response, five days after the deadly US drone strike, was a ballistic missile attack on a military base in Iraq that caused brain concussion injuries to about 100 US troops.
“Health advice”–
Adding to the tension was a rocket attack last week on the US Embassy compound in Baghdad by Iranian-supported Shia militia groups. No one was killed, but Trump tweeted afterward that Iran was on notice. “Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over,” Trump wrote on December 23. Because of the potential for escalation that could lead to a wider war, the US has sought to deter Iran from additional attacks. Strategic calculations on both sides are further complicated by the political transition in Washington to a Biden administration that may seek new paths to dealing with Iran. Biden has said, for example, that he hopes to return the US to a 2015 agreement with world powers in which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. In announcing Wednesday’s bomber flight, the head of US Central Command said it was a defensive move. “The United States continues to deploy combat-ready capabilities into the US Central Command area of responsibility to deter any potential adversary, and make clear that we are ready and able to respond to any aggression directed at Americans or our interests,” said Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of Central Command. “We do not seek conflict, but no one should underestimate our ability to defend our forces or to act decisively in response to any attack.” He did not mention Iran by name. In advance of the announcement, the senior US military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said that US intelligence has detected recent signs of “fairly substantive threats” from Iran, and that included planning for possible rocket attacks against US interests in Iraq in connection with the one-year anniversary of the Soleimani killing. The US is in the process of reducing its troop presence in Iraq from 3,000 to about 2,500. Trump ordered that the reduction be achieved by January 15; officials say it is likely to be reached as early as next week. The United States has also picked up signs that Iran may be considering or planning “more complex” and broader attacks against American targets or interests in the Middle East, the senior US military officer said, adding that it represented the most concerning signs since the days immediately following the Soleimani killing. The officer cited indications that advanced weaponry has been flowing from Iran into Iraq recently and that Shia militia leaders in Iraq may have met with officers of Iran’s Quds force, previously commanded by Soleimani. The US officer said Iran might have its eye on economic targets, noting the September 2019 missile and drone attack on Saudi oil processing facilities. Iran denied involvement but was blamed by the United States for that attack.
Range of steps
In recent weeks the US military has taken a range of steps designed to deter Iran, while publicly emphasising that it is not planning, and has not been instructed, to take unprovoked action against Iran. Last week, a US Navy guided-missile submarine made an unusual transit of the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. Earlier in December, a pair of B-52 bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana flew what the military calls a “presence” mission over the Gulf — a demonstration of US force and a signal of US commitment to the region, but not an attack mission. That flight was repeated this week, with two B-52s flying nonstop from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and heading home Wednesday after cruising over the western side of the Gulf. Tensions with Iran escalated with the killing in November of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian scientist named by the West as the leader of the Islamic Republic’s disbanded military nuclear programme. Iran has blamed Israel for the killing, but US officials are concerned that any Iranian retaliation could hit US interests.

Turkey, US in talks to form joint working group on S-400s, sanctions: Minister
Reuters, Ankara/Wednesday 30 December 2020
Ankara and Washington have started talks to form a joint working group regarding Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems and the US sanctions stemming from it, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a news conference, Cavusoglu said the working group had not been formed yet but talks among experts had begun.

Syria's Regime Auctions off Land of the Displaced
Agence France Presse/December 30/2020
Many Syrians forced from their homes by their country's brutal, decade-old war are now shocked to discover that their family farms have been taken over by regime loyalists and cronies. Rights groups and legal experts say local authorities in parts of northwest Syria recaptured by government forces have staged auctions to effectively "confiscate" fertile land and punish opponents. One refugee, 30-year-old Salman, said he always knew it would be difficult to return to the family plot in Idlib province he abandoned during an offensive a year ago by President Bashar al-Assad's forces. But whatever hopes he still had to return one day were all but crushed when he learnt the rights to cultivate the land had been sold off to a complete stranger. "What right does someone have to come and take it?" the refugee, who asked to use a pseudonym, told AFP by phone from Greece where he illegally moved a few months ago. Salman said he used to plant lentils, barley and black cumin on the 37 acres (15 hectares) of land he owns with his brothers, earning up to $12,000 each harvest. He discovered through a post on social media that the rights to the land were being auctioned off. "We were shocked," he told AFP. "This land was left to us by our ancestors and we want to pass it down to our children."
- 'Exploiting displacement' -
Several other Syrians displaced from southern Idlib and adjacent Hama and Aleppo provinces told AFP that they too have had their plots expropriated. Some learnt about it through social media advertisements run by the regime-affiliated Farmers' Union in Idlib or through acquaintances still living nearby. In October, the Farmers' Union said that it was auctioning off the right to use and cultivate plots owned by Syrians "who don't reside in government-controlled areas". Victims found they were being blamed for their misfortune. The union said the original deed-holders were "indebted" to Syria's Agricultural Cooperative Bank (ACB), which offers loans to farmers -- including those who are now finding it impossible to settle dues from outside government-controlled territory. The land owners who spoke to AFP all denied having outstanding payments.
"It's just an excuse," Salman said. Other auctions are being organised by regime-linked local security committees, without any mention of outstanding debts, said opposition watchdog group The Day After and war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Assad's Russian-backed forces have over the past three years pushed deeper into Syria's last major opposition bastion in the northwest. Their latest offensive in early 2020 forced nearly a million people out of their homes, according to the United Nations. Only 235,000 have returned since a ceasefire took hold in March. Grappling with a deep economic crisis compounded by Western sanctions, Damascus is looking to make use of fertile land to boost agricultural production. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned the land expropriations in former rebel strongholds. "The land auctions exploit displacement for economic benefit," said Diana Semaan, Amnesty's Syria researcher. Authorities, she said, are "seizing lands illegally and in violation of international law".
- 'It's a facade' -
In November, an Aleppo security committee said it was taking bids for plots in reconquered villages, according to documents obtained by The Day After activist group and the Observatory. Amir, a displaced 38-year-old from Aleppo, said he was informed less than two months ago by his former neighbour that authorities were taking offers for his 20 acres of land there. Amir asked the neighbour to bid on his behalf, but he declined. "Someone who has relatives with intelligence services in the area" won the bid, said Amir, a father of five who now makes less than $2 a day picking olives in Idlib. According to judge Anwar Mejni, a member of a UN committee tasked with overseeing the drafting of a new Syria constitution, the land auctions are "a kind of punishment". "The auctions may not transfer ownership of the land, but they violate the rights" of original owners to access and cultivate them. Another issue, said Mejni, is that "there is no legal framework" governing the auctions. Even if the ACB indeed organised them to settle debts, he said, this "should be done under the supervision of the judiciary". Another farmer, Abu Adel, abandoned his village in Hama back in 2012 as battles raged nearby but continued to visit his plot until regime forces seized his area last year. The 54-year-old hired people to tend to it while he is away, but in July an "affiliate" of a local security committee won rights to use it in an auction. They "are all part of the same clique", Abu Adel said. "It's a facade."

Potential sale of US smart bombs to Saudi Arabia gets approval
The Arab News/December 30/2020
WASHINGTON – The US State Department has approved the potential sale of 3,000 precision guided munitions to Saudi Arabia in a deal valued at up to $290 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The sale comes in the final days of US President Donald Trump’s term. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s biggest buyer of American weapons, in a bid to pressure Riyadh to end its intervention in Yemen that has been launched to contain Iranian influence and restore the internationally-recognised government of Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The package would include 3,000 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb I (SDB I) munitions, containers, support equipment, spares and technical support, the Pentagon said. “The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to meet current and future threats by increasing its stocks of long-range, precision air-to-ground munitions,” the Pentagon said in a statement. It added that “the size and accuracy of the SDB I allows for an effective munition with less collateral damage.” The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Tuesday. Despite approval by the State Department, the notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded. The Pentagon said Boeing Co was the prime contractor for the weapons. The GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb I was developed by Boeing Co and went into production a decade ago. The compact size and precision guidance allow warplanes to accurately strike more targets per sort

Qatar Emir Invited to Gulf Summit amid Diplomatic Row
Agence France Presse/December 30/2020
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said Wednesday that Qatar's ruler is invited to the bloc's summit meeting next week amid efforts to heal rifts between Doha and a Saudi-led alliance. Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a "formal invitation" from Saudi King Salman to the January 5 meeting of the six-nation GCC in Saudi Arabia's northwest Al-Ula province.But it is not yet clear if Sheikh Tamim -- who was invited to the last summit but declined, sending then-prime minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani instead -- will attend. As well as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the GCC includes Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In June 2017, Saudi Arabia led its allies the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt to cut ties with Qatar, saying it was too close to Iran and funding radical Islamist movements -- charges Doha staunchly denies. After severing ties, the four countries issued a list of 13 demands for Qatar, including that it shut down its broadcaster Al Jazeera. The Saudi-led quartet subsequently forced Qataris to leave, closed their airspace to Qatari aircraft and sealed their borders and ports, separating some mixed-nationality families. Sheikh Tamim's participation would signal an easing of divisions. On Wednesday, Saudi's cabinet said that it "wished for a succesful summit to enhance joint action and enhanced cooperation between the country members," according to a statement on the official Saudi Press Agency. It follows comments earlier this month by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan who said that a resolution was in sight. Egypt and the UAE have since given their public support to the negotiations, although diplomatic sources say the UAE has been reluctant to compromise. According to a Gulf official close to the negotiations, it is unlikely the summit will deliver a comprehensive agreement but rather result in trust-building measures, including the possibility of opening up the airspace. The potential thaw comes ahead of the January 20 inauguration of Joe Biden as US president, who is expected to welcome the resolution of a row which has undercut US efforts to rein in its arch-enemy Iran. Earlier this week, Qatar's foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the crisis by telephone. "We believe that resolving the dispute is in the interest of all parties in the region, as well as in the interest of the United States," a State Department official said.
 

UK parliament approves Brexit trade deal as both sides look to future
Reuters/December 30, 2020
LONDON/BRUSSELS: British lawmakers approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union on Wednesday, as both sides looked to begin a new chapter of relations just days before their divorce becomes a reality.
Britain and the European Union were signing the deal on Wednesday and the British parliament will finalize its implementation, ending over four years of negotiation and safeguarding nearly a $1 trillion of annual trade. Both sides said it was a chance to begin a new chapter in a relationship forged as Europe rebuilt after World War Two, but which has often seen Britain as a reluctant participant in ever-tighter political and economic integration. Johnson, in a specially convened sitting of parliament, said he hoped to work “hand in glove” with the EU when its interests aligned, using Britain’s new-found sovereignty to reshape the British economy. “Brexit is not an end but a beginning,” Johnson said. “The responsibility now rests with all of us to make the best use of the powers that we regain, the tools that we’ve taken back into our hands.” Parliament’s lower house voted 521 to 73 in favor of the deal. The upper house of parliament now debates the bill and it should become law around midnight. The deal has been criticized on several fronts since it was agreed on Dec. 24. The opposition Labour Party say it is too thin and doesn’t protect trade in services, fishermen rage that Johnson has sold out their interests, and Northern Ireland’s status remains subject to much uncertainty. Nevertheless, Johnson has won the support of his party’s hard-line Brexiteers — delivering a break with the EU far more radical than many imagined when Britain shocked the world in 2016 by voting to leave. Long-time euroskeptic lawmaker Bill Cash said Johnson had saved Britain’s democracy from four decades of “subjugation” to Brussels: “Like Alexander the Great, Boris has cut the Gordian knot.” Johnson said he hoped to end the “old, tired, vexed question of Britain’s political relations with Europe” and instead become “the best friend and ally the EU could have.”
Earlier, against a backdrop of EU flags, top EU officials signed the treaties struck on Dec. 24 to preserve Britain’s tariff- and quota-free access to the bloc’s 450 million consumers. “It is of the utmost importance for the European Union and the United Kingdom to look forward, in view of opening a new chapter in their relations,” the EU said in a statement. A British Royal Air Force plane was scheduled to bring the documents, which bear the EU’s golden stars on a blue leather folder, to Johnson, who was due to sign it at around 1500 GMT. The aircraft then takes a signed copy back to Brussels.
Britain formally left the EU nearly a year ago and the new partnership agreement will regulate ties from Jan. 1 on everything from trade to transport, energy links and fishing. After both sides have signed, the deal will be in place until the end of February, pending final approval by the European Parliament to make it permanent.

Afghan Troops, Police Abandon nearly 200 Checkpoints to Taliban
Agence France Presse/December 30/2020
Afghan security personnel have abandoned nearly 200 checkpoints in restive Kandahar province in recent weeks, officials said Wednesday, in some cases leaving behind their weapons to be seized by the Taliban. Kandahar provincial governor Hayatullah Hayat and a local lawmaker separately confirmed the situation to AFP, saying commanders would be disciplined for their actions. The defence ministry in Kabul denied the reports, insisting government forces had been making progress in the region. Government forces and the Taliban have clashed regularly in Kandahar province since October despite peace talks between the warring sides. "Afghan security forces have retreated from 193 checkpoints and outposts in Zharai, Maiwand, Arghandab and Panjwai districts," Kandahar provincial governor Hayatullah Hayat told AFP. "Most of the security chiefs and officers who neglected their duties have been dismissed and referred to the judiciary." Kandahar lawmaker Hashim Alkhozai and a local police officer confirmed the details to AFP. "The security forces exited the bases leaving behind their weapons and ammunition," Alkhozai said. Most of those who left were soldiers, said Jan Mohammad, a policeman from Zharai district. "They left without firing a bullet," he said. "The Taliban now have all the weapons seized from the army and are using them against us." Governor Hayat blamed "poor coordination" for the situation amid a shortage of police and troops. Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban, who went on to rule Afghanistan with a harsh version of Islamic sharia law until being overthrown by a US-led invasion in 2001. Since a US-Taliban deal in February, the insurgents have mostly refrained from carrying out major attacks on cities, but have launched near-daily assaults against Afghan forces in rural areas. Peace talks between the two sides -- which started in September in the Qatari capital of Doha -- are currently on a break and are due to resume on January 5.

Baghdad’s currency devaluation lifts lid on Iran’s exploitation of Iraqi resources
The Arab News/December 30/2020
BAGHDAD – Although essentially economic and financial in nature, the Iraqi government’s decision to devalue the Iraqi dinar against the US dollar has had political and strategic implications for Iran and its militias in Iraq and the region. The unresponsive reaction of the black market to the government's decision revealed that Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has actually dealt a major economic blow to Iran's allies in Iraq at a sensitive moment. The Baghdad government reduced the exchange rate of the local currency so that every US dollar would be sold for 1,450 dinars instead of 1,119 in order to face an unprecedented cash liquidity crisis due to low oil prices and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the black market is still trading the US dollar at a lower price than that set by the Central Bank, which means that the government’s financial policies are achieving quick success, which may contribute to addressing the general economic recession. The old rate of the Iraqi dinar created a wide margin for speculation with the dollar at home and for smuggling of the US currency to Iran by armed militias that have at their disposal private banks and merchants linked to pro-Iran Shia parties. The figures that were made available in the days after the exchange rate was changed revealed shocking facts -- that about 80% of the hard currency that was pumped by Iraq's Central Bank to maintain a fixed exchange rate is being smuggled into Iran and Syria after being exchanged in urgent speculation inside Iraq.
Iraqi MP Mohamed al-Darraji said that the Central Bank's selling of dollars to banks, companies and merchants decreased significantly after hiking up the exchange rate, which confirms that the dollar was being smuggled out of the country.
He explained that over the past ten years, the Central Bank had sold private banks, companies and merchants about $200 million a day, which supposedly covered the cost of Iraq’s internal needs imported from abroad. However, over the past two days, the Central Bank sold only $35 million at the new exchange rate, which confirms that the remainder of the $200 million that was pumped into the market every day was being smuggled out of Iraq. Economists say that Iran has dealt with Iraq over the past ten years as a bank to revive its economy and finance its wars in Syria and Yemen. Smuggled Iraqi money is used to finance weapons purchases disguised as other material. Iraqi sources say that Iran has spent billions of dollars, after smuggling them out of Iraq, to buy Chinese weapons and smuggle them into Syria, Yemen and Lebanon in recent years. All of these funds came from Iraq's Central Bank, which was pumping dollars to maintain the old exchange rate of 1,119 dinars per dollar. But with the change in the exchange rate, dollars coming from Iraq have become expensive and are no longer profitable. For speculation purposes, the demand for dollars sold by Iraq's Central Bank has plunged, as the dollar is still being traded on the black market at prices lower than the government level. In the end, Iran may have lost an influential financial cover that Iraq was providing to sustain the process of supplying arms to its proxies in Syria and Yemen, while its militias, parties and fronts in Iraq lost a very important source of revenue that was sufficient to sustain their political activities. As soon as Iran made sure it would pay the price of changing the Iraqi dinar exchange rate against the dollar, it stopped supplying Iraq with the gas it needed to operate the electric power stations, which caused the collapse of the national electricity system.
Ahmad Musa, a spokesman for Iraq's electricity ministry, said that Iran had reduced the amount of gas exported to Iraq per day from 50 million cubic metres to three million cubic meters, explaining that the national electricity system can now supply citizens with only one hour of electricity followed by five hours of blackout. Iran claims that it has reduced the quantity of gas exported to Iraq due to the accumulation of unpaid Iraqi debt, although bilateral debt between the two countries in various sectors has never halted economic exchange before.
Government sources say that Iran is trying to punish Iraq for changing the exchange rate of its currency by implicating it in an electricity crisis that may ignite street anger against the government. Observers say that Kadhimi’s success in passing this test may reflect on the course of the confrontation between the government and the militias affiliated with Iran, which is believed to be in its most dangerous phase.

Egypt achieves self-sufficiency in rice in 2020 with 6.5 mln tons: Cabinet
Reuters, Cairo/Wednesday 30 December 2020
Egypt achieved self-sufficiency in rice in 2020 with the production of 6.5 million tons, the cabinet said on Wednesday. The country has planted 1.7 million feddans (1.76 million acres) of rice this season and the resulting harvest quantities are more than sufficient for the country’s needs, Supply Minister Ali Moselhy told reporters on Sunday.

Wuhan Virus Cases May be 10 Times Higher than Reported, China Health Study Says
Agence France Presse/December 30/2020
The number of coronavirus cases in the Chinese city where the pathogen was first detected may have been 10 times higher than official figures suggest, according to a study by health authorities in Wuhan. About 4.4 percent of the city's 11 million residents had developed antibodies against the virus causing Covid-19 by April, the report by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control (CDC) said. That correlates to around 480,000 infections in Wuhan by April, nearly 10 times the official tally to date of 50,000 cases in the city. China has faced a barrage of criticism at home and abroad over its initial handling of the virus, including attempts to silence whistle-blowers and not reporting any cases for days in early January amid high-level political consultations.  On Monday, citizen journalist Zhang Zhan was jailed for four years for reporting on conditions inside Wuhan during the height of the outbreak.
The discrepancy revealed by the CDC's data may "point to potential underreporting due to the chaos in late January and early February, when a large number of people were not tested or were not tested accurately for Covid-19," Huang Yanzhong, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), told AFP. Qin Ying, a serological expert from the CDC told AFP on Wednesday that disparities in data were not unique to China. "Several countries have already published similar serological surveys and... in most instances the number of people with antibodies against the coronavirus was several times higher than the confirmed case count," Qin said. "So this kind of disparity is a widespread phenomenon." The CDC added that only 0.44 percent of the population in central Hubei province outside of Wuhan exhibited antibodies for the virus, suggesting that the 77-day lockdown on the city may have helped prevent the spread of the disease. The findings of the survey of more than 34,000 people across the country conducted in April was only released late Monday. China does not include asymptomatic cases in its official tally, which could also explain the discrepancy between the total confirmed cases and the actual number infected. The country's total number of cases stands at 87,027 with 4,634 deaths, according to data from the National Health Commission on Wednesday. China has largely curbed the virus at home, and was the only major economy to report positive economic growth this year as restrictions on businesses and internal travel were lifted. Even in Wuhan the "rate is not as high as that in New York City (23 percent by September), which may suggest the (Chinese) government containment efforts were speedy and effective", Huang said. Officials have also rushed to test tens of millions of people to squash local mini-outbreaks.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 30-31/2020

It is not the act that defines terrorism for most Americans but the appearance of the perpetrator
Ray Hanania/Arab News/December 30/2020
When a recreational vehicle parked on a street in a major tourist area of Nashville, Tennessee exploded on Christmas Day, police officers were hesitant to call it an act of terrorism. The massive bomb, placed in a motorhome of the kind used for road-trip travel, exploded in the early hours of the morning. Three people were injured and 41 businesses were affected by property damage, including one building that completely collapsed. Police said the vehicle had been parked at the site of the explosion for several hours. Shortly before the blast a message was broadcast in English warning people to evacuate the area, accompanied by the 1964 Petula Clark song “Downtown.”Police are still trying to determine a motive for the attack. Evidence recovered at the scene included DNA from the remains of a person who was in the vehicle. Police suspect they belong to the bomber and that he intended to kill himself in the blast.
Social media was quickly flooded with all kinds of conspiracy theories. The bomber wanted to destroy a nearby AT&T transmission building, for example, over concerns about the effects of 5G networks or fears that they are being used to control people’s minds. Or evidence of stolen ballots from the US presidential election were being stored in the area.
If this attack does not appear to be terrorism, I do not know what does. Yet the FBI and police in Nashville declined to use that word, saying they are investigating the motives and need to connect them to an “ideology” before they can declare it an act of terrorism. Well, I can tell you that whenever there is an act of violence in the US and the suspect is Arab or Muslim, there is never any hesitation by the authorities and the news media in labeling it as an act of “terrorism.”
In the minds of many Americans terrorism is a culture, not a political form of violence intended to achieve a specific goal. Although, to be honest, I cannot imagine any act of violence, outside of accidental violence, that does not have as a goal the desire to be destructive and harmful.
The hesitation to declare the Nashville bombing an act of terrorism raises important questions about the use of stereotypes, racism and even hatred by Americans to label those they dislike — and Arabs and Muslims have never been popular in the US.
I know this from firsthand experience. I served honorably in the US military during the Vietnam War in the early 1970s, and for 12 more years in the Air National Guard, joining thousands of other Arab Americans who have served this country patriotically.
But that wasn’t enough for the FBI and the powers that be at the time. The FBI investigated me for two years because I wrote a letter defending Palestinian rights that was published in two once-prominent national magazines, Time and Newsweek.
I was investigated because I am Arab — and since most Americans do not know the difference between Arab Muslims and Arab Christians, they suspected I was a “Muslim terrorist.”
The hesitation to declare the Nashville bombing an act of terrorism raises important questions about the use of stereotypes, racism and even hatred by Americans to label those they dislike — and Arabs and Muslims have never been popular in the US.
In fact, as a Christian Palestinian Arab my first reaction whenever there is an act of violence is one of concern and hope that the person responsible for it is not an Arab, just to avoid the vicious and immediate backlash that will inevitably follow.
There is no doubt in my mind — and, I am sure, the minds of the majority of Arabs and Muslims — that had the suspect in Nashville been identified as Arab or a Muslim, the US would already be placing the military on alert for a possible attack on a target.
Instead of conspiracy theories about voter fraud or the effect of technologies such as 5G on our minds, the discussions would be about the Arab and Muslim “threat.” Stories in the news media would be filled with concerns about violence by Arabs and Muslims, and before we know it the Nashville bombing would be eclipsed by attacks on innocent people who happen to be “Arab-looking” or “Muslim-looking.”
After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, dozens of Arabs and Muslims in the US were targeted in revenge attacks, along with many of their businesses. Several people were killed simply because they “looked” Arab or Muslim. Among the dead were several non-Arabs, including Pakistanis and Sikhs. Yet they are not on the list of victims of Sept. 11, even though that is clearly what they were.
The logic against recognizing their suffering as being related to the attacks seems to be simple: how can people perceived, even wrongly, as being “terrorists” also be the victims of terrorism?
That kind of logic is also exactly what continues to emanate from American society in response to the violence perpetrated by Israeli authorities against Arab or Muslim civilians. Every day, Israeli soldiers arrest, beat or kill Palestinians. On Dec. 21, for example, they shot and killed a 17-year-old named Mahmoud Omar Kameel in occupied Jerusalem’s Old City. The Israeli PR spin alleged that he had fired a weapon at the soldiers.
Very few major media outlets reported on the killing, which was covered mostly by a few “pro-Arab” blogs, so the Israeli claims that Kameel was armed were just accepted as truth. The Israelis quickly labeled him a “terrorist.” Why not? He was an Arab and a Muslim, after all.
That “terrorist” label defines how the public views acts of violence and determines the level of anger in response — and fuels revenge. It determines the level of response.
In America, no one will destroy the home of the family of the Nashville bombing suspect, who has been identified as Anthony Quinn Warner. But you can bet the Israelis will destroy the home of the family of Mahmoud Omar Kameel, the Arab and Muslim. We probably will not know about such retribution for weeks, or maybe months, because it is rarely reported.
As Arabs and Muslims, we should be concerned. We should be concerned that the West views us as guilty until proven innocent when we are accused of crimes. We should be concerned that different standards are applied to us when it comes to violent acts of terrorism: Arabs and Muslims are judged as being guilty almost immediately. Even when the suspect cannot immediately be identified, the suspicion of Arab or Muslim involvement is often deliberate and pronounced.
If a group is automatically viewed as being “guilty” of terrorism — or almost anything else — it makes it easier to marginalize the concerns, rights and humanity of members of that group. That’s why it seems so easy for the West to condemn and kill Arabs and Muslims in response to violent acts, while deliberating long and hard about similar acts of violence committed by non-Arabs and non-Muslims.
*Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter and columnist. He can be reached on his personal website at www.Hanania.com. Twitter: @RayHanania

With his post-Brexit trip to India, UK PM Boris Johnson aims to send a statement of intent
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/December 30/2020
One of the unintended consequences for the UK of the coronavirus crisis and Brexit has been that Boris Johnson’s premiership has involved very little international travel recently — and what there has been was mainly limited to Europe.
That will change in 2021, potentially dramatically, as he attempts to look beyond the continent to drive forward a new “Global Britain” campaign.
After making only 11 foreign trips since July 2019, nine of them to Europe, a key sign that change is on the horizon for Johnson is his trip to India next month. It will be his first to the country (and indeed the massive Asia-Pacific region) as prime minister. He will be guest of honor at the annual Republic Day parade in New Delhi, and he intends to send a signal of what is to follow during the rest of 2021 and beyond.
For the UK Government, Global Britain is all about reinvesting in relationships, championing a rules-based international order, and demonstrating that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are open, outward-looking and confident on the world stage. So it is no coincidence that India was selected as the prime minister’s first overseas port of call in 2021.
London and New Delhi have, of course, long had a unique relationship, dating back to the days of the British Empire. But the growing warmth in bilateral ties under the leadership of Johnson and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, is striking — including, during the coronavirus crisis, a flow of medical goods from India to the UK. The letter has, for instance, received 11 million face masks and 3 million packets of paracetamol from the former since the pandemic began.
Both Johnson and Modi attach high importance to bilateral relations, and in 2018 Modi became the first Indian premier to visit Britain in more than a decade.
Under Johnson, the UK has at least three significant reasons for wanting to enhance the relationship with India as much as possible. Firstly, the cooling of ties with China has been more pronounced in London than in many other European capitals. In this context, the second reason is that London would like New Delhi to play an ever-increasing role in international affairs. To this end, Johnson has invited India — along with fellow G20 states South Korea and Australia — to next year’s UK-hosted G7 summit, as part of his ambition to work with a group of like-minded democracies to advance shared interests and tackle common challenges.
The third reason is Brexit. After leaving the EU, Johnson wants to agree a new UK-India trade deal that will grant UK firms greater access to a market that includes about 1.3 billion consumers.
For the UK Government, Global Britain is all about reinvesting in relationships, championing a rules-based international order, and demonstrating that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are open, outward-looking and confident on the world stage.
The strength of the contemporary economic relationship between the two countries is underlined by the fact that the UK is one of the biggest G20 employers and investors in India. More than 400 British firms have a presence there.
India, meanwhile, is one of largest sources of foreign investment in the UK, with more 800 Indian companies operating there.
There are several distinctive elements of this economic relationship — which has come to dominate bilateral ties recently — that Johnson wishes to emphasize in a post-Brexit trade deal. Firstly, he wants even stronger cooperation in defense manufacturing, as part of a wider bilateral dialogue on security and defense. Secondly, he wishes to encourage further international investment, via the City of London, in Indian infrastructure.
The third element he wishes to emphasize is technology, given the significant investment in Indian telecoms and tech by UK-headquartered firms. A fourth is the health, pharmaceutical and life sciences sector. As the “pharmacy of the world,” India supplies more than 50 percent of the world’s vaccines. More than a billion doses of the UK-developed Oxford University/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine will be manufactured at the Serum Institute in Pune, for example.
Yet, despite all the potential gains from a trade deal, there are some challenges that Johnson must face, too. One key issue India is pressing for in a wider agreement is UK immigration reforms that would allow more Indian businesspeople and students to travel to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
However, despite the differences that remain between India and the UK on the details of a post-Brexit trade deal, what is striking is how much economics has come to dominate bilateral relations in recent times.
As this has happened, some traditional irritants have been de-emphasized, including concerns about human rights issues in India. In 2013, for example, a motion was tabled in the House of Commons calling on the UK government to reinstate a previously imposed travel ban on Modi, citing “his (alleged) role in the communal violence in 2002” in Gujarat.
As Johnson continues to prioritize greater post-Brexit ties with India, controversies such as this have been set aside. During his time in power, any irritants in UK-India relations look likely to be overridden by a desire for greater economic cooperation, as London seeks to balance its cooling relations with Beijing by developing warmer ties with New Delhi.
*Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics

How to expand the China-GCC strategic partnership
Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/December 30/2020
China enjoys warm ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council states. Most GCC countries have upgraded their engagement with China to a “strategic partnership,” with close cooperation in all fields, including political and security areas. While these developments are important and real, I will suggest some steps to make it closer and enduring.
GCC-China engagement was not always this close. The contrast is clear in the case of Saudi Arabia and China, which did not exchange diplomatic ties until 1990. Then, Saudi Arabia accepted the “one China” policy and downgraded Taiwan’s embassy in the Kingdom to a trade mission. However, most of the change came from the Chinese side. For much of its history, the People’s Republic of China supported revolutionary change around the world, including the Gulf. In the 1970s, it supported the Dhofar rebellion in Oman and the socialist regime in South Yemen, among others. In 1979, it embraced the Iranian revolution, which ended the US influence in Tehran and gave a wider opening for China in the Gulf.
More recently, as China sought to solidify its position as a global economic superpower, it replaced revolutionary zeal with support for pragmatism and respect for international norms, stability and preserving the status quo. With that transformation, China has been able to establish a solid presence in the Gulf. In particular, as its thirst for energy increased with rapid economic growth, it recognized the need for a stable and reliable security architecture in the Gulf, the source of much of its oil, gas and petrochemicals.
The legacy of support for Tehran lingers as a relic from China’s revolutionary days, but is waning in terms of strategic interests; for example, in 2019, Iran provided China with a minuscule 3 percent of its oil imports, a trifle that could be replaced from other sources.There has been a similar transformation in economic ties. At $180 billion, GCC trade with China accounts for over 11 percent of the GCC’s overall trade. In 2020, China became the GCC’s top trading partner, replacing the EU for the first time. This is quite a change in a relatively short time. In 1992, for example, trade with China accounted for only 2 percent of GCC total trade, compared with the EU share of 24 percent. China imports more than 32 percent of its crude oil from the GCC.
The transformation in China-GCC relations is quite profound, but is still evolving. The most difficult part is managing its relations with Iran. China relies on the security architecture in the Gulf to protect its oil supplies from the region, and that security system is based on a decades-old partnership between the US and GCC states. As China-US rivalry intensifies, Beijing’s support for that security architecture grows more ironic, but it still makes pragmatic sense. The alternative of China providing security for its own oil supplies from the Gulf would be expensive.
The growing ties are not only about the security of energy supplies. The GCC has supported China’s Belt and Road Initiative and some GCC member states are actively involved in its development in the region. China has become the top export destination of GCC petrochemicals and chemicals, accounting for about 25 percent of GCC exports. During a visit in February 2019 by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a $10 billion deal was concluded for a refining and petrochemical complex in China. Coinciding with the same visit,35 bilateral economic cooperation agreements worth over $28 billion were signed at a Saudi-Chinese investment forum in Riyadh attended by more than 1,000 participants.
China can play a constructive role by persuading Iran to change its revolutionary colors, as China itself did and became a global powerhouse for it.
“We've seen huge growth in Chinese companies in the Kingdom. There was a 100 percent increase in entry to the Saudi market in the first half of 2019 compared with last year,” a Saudi official said in July 2019.
China-GCC relations have grown to include mutual support in international meetings. China has also dispatched military attaches, most of whom speak excellent Arabic, to countries of the region, seeking to expand military ties. Cultural ties are being revived and expanded. Chinese language schools are being established in the region and Saudi Arabia is moving to make Chinese a third language in its schools after Arabic and English.
A meeting in November between China and GCC foreign ministers touched on most of areas of the growing ties between China and the GCC, collectively and bilaterally. The enthusiasm in these meetings is genuine and palpable.
What could be done to expand those ties? There are several suggestions from the GCC perspective. First, China needs to reconcile its support for international norms with its Iran ties. No one doubts China’s commitment to stability in the region through compliance with international law and the UN Charter. That would mean respect for national borders, political independence, and the territorial integrity of neighboring countries. All of these norms are frequently violated by Tehran, as it continues to recruit, train, arm, fund and dispatch motley groups of terrorists and sectarian fanatics to destabilize just about every country in the neighborhood.
The UN Charter also bans the use of force or threats and calls for conflict resolution through peaceful means, including resort to multilateral legal agreements and organizations. Iran’s hardliners have dismissed these legal instruments and forums as Western-orientated and biased.
China can play a constructive role by persuading Iran to change its revolutionary colors, as China itself did a while ago, and respect the international and regional order, starting by ceasing support for sectarian and terrorist groups.
The GCC expects China to support expanding negotiations with Iran to include ballistic missile development and Tehran’s regional activities and to support GCC involvement in those talks when they resume.
For the China-GCC strategic partnership to thrive, it needs to be comprehensive and consistent, with candid and regular dialogue on all aspects of that partnership.
*Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation, and a columnist for Arab News. The views expressed in this piece are personal and do not necessarily represent GCC views. Twitter: @abuhamad1

Syrian conflict needs attention after being put on the backburner
كريم شاهين/ذي ناشيونال: الصراع السوري بحاجة إلى اهتمام بعد أن وضع على نار هادئة
Kareem Shaheen/The National/December 30/2020

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/94426/kareem-shaheen-the-national-syrian-conflict-needs-attention-after-being-put-on-the-backburner-%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%85-%d8%b4%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%b0%d9%8a-%d9%86%d8%a7%d8%b4%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%86/

For many of us, 2020 felt like a year in which the world stood still. Well-laid plans were put on hold, reunions with friends and families were postponed, careers took a backseat while we figured out how to take care of children and family while juggling work, and for all too many of us, personal loss that ground down our aspirations and hopes. The relief that the year is almost at an end is palpable, if only for the psychological need to turn the page on the calendar.
This collective stalemate, however, also meant that some of the most implacable conflicts in our part of the world have yet to be resolved. Though battlelines may not have shifted much (one of the few silver linings of the pandemic), people continue to suffer in purgatory, unable to resume their lives, fearful of what is to come when the guns start firing again.
No conflict illustrates this dilemma better than Syria, which despite a largely peaceful year on the military front, has grown steadily worse for its people. The crisis has claimed over half a million lives and half the country has been displaced, yet life is becoming more unbearable and more deprived, for a population that has endured a decade of war and now finds little solace in relative peace.
Bashar Al Assad largely secured military victory in Syria thanks to the backing of Russia and Iran. A series of brutal military campaigns between 2016 and 2018 allowed him to reclaim large swathes of territory that had been lost to rebels in Aleppo, the south, and in the area surrounding the capital Damascus. Only Idlib, a province bordering Turkey, and which stretches along the northern border, remained outside his grasp.
The year began with a renewed push to retake parts of Idlib, which sent hundreds of thousands fleeing to the Turkish border, threatening to create a new refugee crisis. The killing of a dozen Turkish soldiers in an airstrike then prompted a major incursion by Ankara that halted and reversed the regime’s advance back in March, but added to the tensions on the border. Since the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, these battle lines have largely held.
The coronavirus has ravaged Syria – despite a low official case count of just over 10,000 infections, independent reporting shows the pandemic has raged through society, both in government-controlled areas and in the destroyed environs of Idlib. The regime, which cannot afford the lockdown measures necessary to arrest the virus’s spread, has sought to hide the true extent of the suffering, rather than do anything to stop it.
The plague was coupled with an economic crisis that has left the population increasingly destitute. Neighbouring Lebanon’s economy, long a crucial access point for foreign currency and a place for Syrians to deposit their savings, collapsed. Syria’s economy also suffered, with poverty and unemployment increasing, access to food declining, and fuel becoming increasingly scarce. Long bread and diesel fuel lines are common.
The economic situation has been worsened by stalled reconstruction efforts. The US Caesar Act sanctions imposed extremely tight restrictions on any business dealings in the country, making it impossible for companies and nations that wanted to continue being part of the global financial system to operate there. The impossibility of reconstruction efforts has made an economic recovery, as a consequence of Mr Al Assad’s military victory, largely a pipe dream.
Yet even as things got steadily worse for the population, there was no progress on a peace settlement. A constitutional committee established under UN auspices has done little to advance its goal of drafting a new charter for the country. Nor have negotiations involving the main international protagonists in the country, Russia, Iran and Turkey, created any openings for peace, largely because they are mostly interested in pursuing self-serving agendas.
The only cause for optimism has been from outside the country. While hope withers that those responsible for the gravest atrocities of the war will ever be held to account, European courts have begun prosecuting some of the country’s war criminals. In Germany, police this year arrested two doctors on suspicion of taking part in torturing political detainees, while two intelligence officers, who were charged with crimes against humanity for their role in the torture, killing and rape of detainees, also stood trial.
There is little basis for hope that in 2021 there might be a resolution to the crisis in Syria. Perhaps the new administration in the US will take an interest after a decade of turning an eye away from the slaughter, and use the leverage of sanctions to push a peace plan in earnest. Perhaps the 10-year anniversary will offer a stark reminder and an impetus for global action to solve the crisis. Then again perhaps the stalemate will continue, relegated to the backs of our minds by the absence of urgency and immediate violence.
But whatever happens, Syrians can ill afford another lost year of desperation.
*Kareem Shaheen is a veteran Middle East correspondent in Canada and a columnist for The National

China Using Covid to Overtake America's Economy

Gordon G. Chang/ Gatestone Institute/December 30/ 2020
China's economy is worse than it appears, and its vaccines, needed for a full recovery, are still in development, far behind America's. In the meantime, Beijing's response to the coronavirus, which includes the smearing of America, is resulting in China losing friends worldwide.
Government stimulus is powering much of the current growth as are net exports. Yet the current "flood of defaults" in China points to widespread weakness. Beijing's spending spree, therefore, is not sustainable, even with the help of foreign investment.
Ultimately, the economy will recover only when China has an effective and safe vaccine. Although the Chinese have had months of head start, they are far behind America.
China is fast losing support in capitals around the world. It is not hard to figure out why. Chinese ruler Xi Jinping deliberately spread the virus beyond China's borders — by lying about the transmissibility of the disease and, while locking down Wuhan, forcing countries to take arrivals from China — and others are now starting to understand the maliciousness of the Communist Party. Moreover, they are learning about its venality. For instance, China this spring sold Italy medical protective gear that Italians had donated to Beijing a few weeks earlier.
China's economy is worse than it appears, and its vaccines, needed for a full recovery, are still in development, far behind America's. In the meantime, Beijing's response to the coronavirus, which includes the smearing of America, is resulting in China losing friends worldwide. (Photo by Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
The U.K.-based Centre for Economics and Business Research believes that, due to China's superior response to COVID-19, the Chinese economy will become the world's largest by 2028, five years earlier than previously forecast.
"For some time, an overarching theme of global economics has been the economic and soft power struggle between the United States and China," the Centre wrote in a December 26 report. "The COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding economic fallout have certainly tipped this rivalry in China's favor."
No, it has not. In fact, the opposite looks to be true. The Centre's prediction, which mimics one of Beijing's narratives, is more than just premature. It is based on fundamentally wrong assumptions.
China's economy is worse than it appears, and its vaccines, needed for a full recovery, are still in development, far behind America's. In the meantime, Beijing's response to the coronavirus, which includes the smearing of America, is resulting in China losing friends worldwide.
CEBR, as the Centre is known, believes there will be "a strong post-pandemic rebound in 2021" in the United States. The recovery will tail off with annual growth of gross domestic product of around 1.9% from 2022 to 2024. Yearly U.S. growth will then fall to 1.6% in following years.
China's recovery, according to CEBR, will be far more robust. The country will grow 5.7% each year through 2025. That figure will drop to a still-healthy 4.5% from 2026-2030.
CEBR's figures are not out of the mainstream. For instance, the International Monetary Fund estimates an 8.2% expansion next year. The World Bank pegs 2021 growth at 7.9%.
Those numbers, however, look widely optimistic. Government stimulus is powering much of the current growth as are net exports. Yet the current "flood of defaults" in China points to widespread weakness. Beijing's spending spree, therefore, is not sustainable, even with the help of foreign investment.
The sustainable portion of the economy — consumption — has never been as strong as advertised, but now it is far weaker due to the disease. Even official numbers paint a dreadful picture. Retail sales, a good proxy for internal consumer demand, fell 4.8% during the first eleven months of this year over the same period in 2019. Bellwether auto sales were off 2.9% for the January-November period. The consumer price index in November dropped 0.5%.
The just-released China Beige Book, a widely followed private survey, shows pronounced drops in sales growth in the luxury goods, food, and clothing sub-sectors in the fourth quarter of this year compared to the preceding one. Travel saw no growth at all, and hospitality was off as well. Moreover, the survey reveals the business community has a generally dour outlook on the Chinese economy as a whole, casting doubt on sunny predictions for 2021.
Chinese officials say life has returned to normal in China, but that is unlikely. State media celebrated the crowds in once-stricken Wuhan and noted it was the most-visited city during the Golden Week holiday at the beginning of October. Yet Wuhan reported that holiday revenue fell approximately 30% over last year. Moreover, even though the holiday was one day longer this year than in 2019, tourist spending nationwide was down a stunning 30%.
Ultimately, the economy will recover only when China has an effective and safe vaccine. Although the Chinese have had months of a head start, they are far behind America. The U.S. now has two vaccines that have received final FDA approval — the Pfizer-BioNTech one and Moderna's — and both have efficacy rates well over 90%. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is on the way.
China's vaccines — Sinovac's and Sinopharm's — have yet to complete Phase 3 trials, and Beijing has been slow to release data. Interestingly, China is testing the vaccines mostly in other countries, including Morocco, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, and Chile. Mystifyingly, the various trials are not being conducted with the same protocols.
Beijing says people accept its two vaccines, which are being administered to tens of millions, but that is because people have no choice. In Hong Kong, a separately administered part of China, residents have a choice and anecdotal evidence suggests many of them are rejecting vaccination because they do not want the Chinese ones.
Today, there are coronavirus outbreaks around China — the latest is in Beijing — and the central government has employed lockdowns, mass testing, and contact-tracing. Not much else is known, unfortunately.
Why? The Communist Party is absolutely determined to control information. On January 26 of this year, it announced the Central Leading Small Group for Work to Counter the New Coronavirus Infection Pneumonia Epidemic, China's task force.
There was only one public health official on the initial nine-person roster, which was filled with political hacks, security types, and propaganda officials. The Party's propaganda czar, Wang Huning, was named vice chair. Therefore, supporting the Party's narrative was the primary goal of the ruling organization, which means information coming from China on the disease is suspect.
"Beijing's narrative is mutating faster than the virus itself," Claudia Rosett, foreign policy fellow of the Independent Women's Forum, told Gatestone.
At first, Chinese officials acknowledged the disease started in China, but since then they have suggested it came from Italy, Spain, India, or frozen-food packaging. In March, a foreign ministry spokesman stated patient zero was in the United States and intimated the U.S. Army carried the coronavirus to Wuhan, the epicenter.
These assertions were absurd, but almost nothing is too ludicrous for Chinese officials these days. As Rosett says, "At some stage, we'll be reading in the Communist Party press that the virus was cooked up in the kitchens and stored in the freezers of Mar-a-Lago, and it was only owing to Xi Jinping's extraordinary resolve that he did not catch it in 2017 from the chocolate cake."
Rosett is expressing a sentiment resonating just about everywhere. As the Wall Street Journal reported on December 28, China is fast losing support in capitals around the world. It is not hard to figure out why. Chinese ruler Xi Jinping deliberately spread the virus beyond China's borders — by lying about the transmissibility of the disease and, while locking down Wuhan, forcing countries to take arrivals from China — and others are now starting to understand the maliciousness of the Communist Party.
Moreover, they are learning about its venality. For instance, China this spring sold Italy medical protective gear that Italians had donated to Beijing a few weeks earlier. "Foreign leaders cite complaints about the way Mr. Xi's government initially handled Covid-19," the Journal reported.
Beijing has not learned from mistakes this year, and these days, outlandish statements are evidently in vogue. In recent months, it has been working overtime to tar the U.S., even stating on December 28 that "disorder" in America at this moment was worse than at any time "since the founding of the U.S. in 1776." America, the Party's Global Times stated in the title of its editorial, is "Unrecognizable to the World in 2020."
In short, the Centre for Economics and Business Research missed the real story of China's response to the coronavirus. Beijing may have reaped temporary gains in the immediate wake of the disease, but more significantly it has, through malign and predatory actions, lost standing just about everywhere. China, for a sustained economic recovery, needs that support.
"China's GDP will overtake that of the U.S. sooner or later," the Global Times confidently stated on December 27 in another editorial, titled "China Surpassing U.S. in 2028 Is Faint Praise."
Overtake America? No, it won't.
*Gordon G. Chang is the author of The Coming Collapse of China, a Gatestone Institute Distinguished Senior Fellow, and member of its Advisory Board. Follow him on Twitter and Parler @GordonGChang.
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