LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 24/19
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
God, loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses
and made us alive together with Christ by grace
Letter to the Ephesians 02/01-10: “You were dead through the trespasses and sins
in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler
of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are
disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh,
following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of
wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love
with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us
alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with
him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in
the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness
towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and
this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God not the result of works, so
that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”hings that
are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the
presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for
us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in
order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on
February 23-24/19
Switzerland Inquires about Fate of Arms Bought by
Ex-Lebanese Minister
Report: President, Prime Minister Not in Debate over Powers
Berri Says Government Has No Choice Other Than to Work
FPM, LF in War of Words over Syrian Refugees
Bodyguard of Mt. Lebanon Prosecutor Held over Bribery Suspicions
Lebanon’s Constitutional Council Rebuffs Criticism after Removing MP from Office
Lebanon Loses to New Zealand in FIBA World Cup Qualifiers
Litles For The Latest
English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 23-24/19
Trump Picks Canada Envoy Kelly Craft as UN Ambassador
Turkey Warns against Power Vacuum in Syria
US Appeases Allies with ‘Peacekeeping’ Force in East Syria
Iraq Bolsters Security on Syria Border against ISIS Threat
Case of Suspects in Bishop’s Murder Referred to Egypt Grand Mufti
Netnayahu Accuses Rivals of Relying on Arab Votes
Arab League Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: EU Summit Rare Opportunity for Open
Dialogue
Security Council Calls for ‘Immediate’ Implementation of Hodeidah Agreement
Day into emergency rule, Sudan's Bashir names vice president and PM
Saudi royal decree appoints Prince Khalid bin Salman deputy defense minister
Iran’s Soleimani: Saudi Arabia wants to ‘destroy’ Pakistan
UN demands immediate pullback of forces from Yemen ports
Titles For The Latest
LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on
February 23-24/19
American-British Influence At Risk/Mark Gongloff/Bloomberg/February,23/19
First Druze Chief IDF Prosecutor At One Of The Hottest Desks In The IDF/Jerusalem
Post/February 23/19
Daesh’s foreign troops a moral dilemma for the West/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab
News/February 23/19
Iran’s misguided call for brotherly ties/Camelia Entekhabifard/Arab
News/February 23/19
A new Cold War is little more than an illusion/Raghida Dergham/The
National.February 23/19
Iran and the fine art of evading sanctions/Maya Margit/The Media Line/Ynetnews/February
23/19
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News published on February 23-24/19
Switzerland Inquires about Fate of Arms Bought by Ex-Lebanese Minister
Beirut - Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 23 February, 2019/Former minister
MP Ghazi Zoaiter confirmed on Friday that in 2016 he purchased from Switzerland
40 weapons for his personal security detail, saying he was still in possession
of the arms. “The weapons included ten automatic rifles and 30 pistols for my
personal protection,” Zoaiter told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday, stressing that
they aim to equip his bodyguards in Beirut, Baalbek and Hermel. His remarks came
after a Swiss decision on Thursday to freeze arms exports to Lebanon. The Swiss
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said in a statement that despite
trying multiple times, it had been unable to locate 31 of the 40 arms that it
sold to Zoaiter three years ago. The MP, who is from the Amal Movement’s
parliamentary bloc, refused to implicate the Lebanese army or other official
party in the Swiss arms fiasco. "Considering the dangerous security threats to
our country, especially the terrorist attacks on the eastern border, the
concerned authorities in Switzerland had been contacted to purchase 40
individual weapons to provide personal protection for MP Ghazi Zoaiter," his
office clarified in a statement. The MP said he had also contacted the Swiss
Embassy to inform it of the weapons' whereabouts, accusing it of rejecting to
inspect them, despite claims by Bern that it could only locate nine out of the
40 arms during a post-shipment verification in March last year. Hisham Jaber, a
retired Lebanese Army general and director of the Middle East Center for
Political Studies and Research, told Asharq Al-Awsat that states impose high
surveillance on companies selling weapons. They demand to learn the last
destination for any sold item to prevent arms from being transferred to an
unauthorized third party. On Friday, Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab
denied allegations that the weapons had been sold to the army and had gone
missing while in its possession. “Those who spread false information about the
Lebanese army should be careful,” he told a local television. Swiss Ambassador
to Lebanon Monika Schmutz Kirgöz told LBCI that her country had a contract
saying arms transmitted to security units protecting political figures must be
able to be inspected by Swiss authorities to make sure they don’t wind up in the
wrong hands.However, Switzerland said its inspectors were only able to verify
and inspect nine of the 40 small arms.
Report: President, Prime Minister Not in
Debate over Powers
Naharnet/February 23/19/President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri are
“not in a confrontation over powers,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday.
“The President has done his duty in his interventions in the Cabinet, and the
mere return to Articles 49 and 50 of the Constitution makes things easier,"
unnamed sources close to Baabda told the daily. The President “has sworn to the
Constitution and does not want to override the powers of anyone. He exercised
his powers from a national perspective towards an existential issue that does
not relate to the subject of dissociation policy,” the sources told the daily.
“The subject at hand is linked to a Lebanese national interest related to the
fate of a very large number of displaced people. It has reached dangerous levels
as they share land, water, electricity and work. Lebanese unemployment has
reached more than %43. They have to return to their homeland which is safe now.
International bodies are providing assistance,” said the sources. They
emphasized that the “issue is not related to the powers of anyone. Discussions
with the Syrians won’t go beyond the issue of refugees return. We will not
discuss any other file.”According to information obtained from security sources,
the number of displaced people in Lebanon has reached 2.285 million, said al-Joumhouria.
President Michel Aoun on Thursday ended the Cabinet's first session after the
ordinary agenda was discussed and after a war of words erupted among ministers
over the thorny issue of the relation with Syria. Aoun has stressed the need for
the return of Syrian refugees to their country without linking the issue to the
political solution, and said that he was the one who decides the country’s
higher interest. The debate over Lebanon’s relations with Syria has triggered a
row over the constitutional powers of the president and the prime minister in
outlining Lebanon’s policies.
Berri Says Government Has No Choice Other Than to Work
Naharnet/February 23/19/After a heated debate in the Cabinet earlier this week
that disrupted hopes for harmony among its components, Speaker Nabih Berri on
Saturday said the government has no choice but to work hard in order to resolve
a number of pressing issues, al-Joumhouria daily reported. “The government is
destined to work. The return of Syrian refugees issue must be addressed as fast
as possible,” he said, referring to the contentious issue that triggered the
debate during the government's first meeting after gaining confidence. “The
government has no choice but to work, and it has to work mainly because it can
not ignore the speeches of lawmakers made in the confidence session that focused
on one enemy of Lebanon which is corruption. The government has to work as a
team without any delay,” said Berri. Berri did not comment on the atmospheres
that prevailed during the government meeting which President Michel Aoun
abruptly ended, and which witnessed a war of words among ministers over
Lebanon’s ties with Syria.
FPM, LF in War of Words over Syrian Refugees
Naharnet/February 23/19/A war of words erupted Friday between the Free Patriotic
Movement and the Lebanese Forces over the thorny issue of the presence of Syrian
refugees in Lebanon. “From the position of keenness on the FPM-LF reconciliation
and on improving the agreement between us, we will not engage in debates and we
do not find a need to remind the Lebanese of the FPM's advanced stances that
reached the extent of being accused of xenophobia over the issue of the
refugees, amid the negligence of others,” the FPM central media committee said
in a statement.
“You better remain silent if you are involved in the issues of the refugees,
Daesh, al-Nusra Front and many other files,” the statement added. Ex-MP Fadi
Karam of the LF hit back swiftly, accusing the FPM of being close to Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad's regime. “Your theory that normalization would return
the refugees is like your theory that power generating ships would return
electricity. For the sake of your interests you are sacrificing the people's
interests, sovereignty and national unity,” Karam added. LF bloc MP Wehbe
Qatisha meanwhile said some are trying to “drag the Lebanese into normalization
with a regime that has destroyed its country, killed its people and is
preventing the return of the refugees whom it had displaced while it is still
adamant on blowing Lebanon up.”“A little patriotism and dignity in order to save
your country,” he added. Minister May Chidiac of the LF meanwhile said some
parties are trying to “outsmart” the Lebanese. “This will not happen, even if it
costs our blood. Those who paid the price once for the sake of their country's
dignity and freedom will not hesitate to offer everything to preserve their
principles and their country's dignity,” Chidiac added, referring to calls for
normalizing ties with Damascus. “Repatriation cannot happen through bypassing
Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim's initiatives and the rush of a minister, who does not
enjoy his government's support, to coordinate with a regime that does not enjoy
Arab and international legitimacy and is subject to sanctions,” Chidiac went on
to say, referring to Minister Saleh al-Gharib's visit to Syria. The LF had
issued a statement reminding that the refugee crisis had erupted “when the FPM
had a share of 10 ministers in Miqati's government” whereas the LF “was not in
the government.”“Accordingly, those overbidding today for populist and
Assad-related considerations should have worked on organizing their entry into
border camps and not in a chaotic manner as happened. They should have limited
this influx in light of Lebanon's capacity, like all countries in the world are
doing. Thus, the responsibility or original sin in this file falls on the
shoulders of the FPM,” the LF said. It also said that “the systematic campaign
against the LF is the result of its opposition to the return of the Assad
regime's influence and to normalization with the Syrian regime.”
Bodyguard of Mt. Lebanon Prosecutor Held over Bribery
Suspicions
Naharnet/February 23/19/The bodyguard of Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada
Aoun was detained on Friday on charges of involvement in bribery-related
offenses, the National News Agency said. “Based on the confessions of some
civilians and security personnel, it turned out that Judge Aoun's bodyguard,
State Security Sergeant H.Kh., is among those involved in acts of receiving
bribes, so he was summoned for interrogation before the Internal Security Forces
Intelligence Branch after informing Judge Aoun of the issue,” NNA said. “She
expressed keenness on continuing the investigation until the end, and in light
of the preliminary confessions, Judge Hani al-Hajjar ordered him detained along
with a number of security personnel and civilians on charges of paying and
receiving bribes in return for illegal acts, in addition to abuse of power and
the breach of military instructions,” the agency added.
Lebanon’s Constitutional Council Rebuffs Criticism after
Removing MP from Office
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 23 February, 2019/The head of Lebanon’s
Constitutional Council, Judge Issam Sleiman, has defended the court against
accusations of political interference after it removed al-Mustaqbal Movement MP
Dima Jamali from office and ordered new elections for the seat in Tripoli.
“Anyone who is affected by a judicial decision is going to say there’s political
interference, but there was no political meddling whatsoever,” said Sleiman on
Friday. “Our decision was carefully studied but unfortunately some media outlets
misinterpreted it,” he said. “This political campaign against the Constitutional
Council is rejected,” Sleiman added. Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s al-Mustaqbal
Movement has slammed the Council, which is Lebanon’s highest court on electoral
matters. A statement from al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc considered the
Council’s move as “political treason” which targets Hariri personally in order
“to settle political scores.” After the court’s decision, Jamali visited Hariri
at the Center house on Thursday telling reporters the premier had asked her to
run in the by-election for the Tripoli seat. Interior Minister Raya El Hassan
has announced that elections will take place within two months, as stipulated by
the Constitution.
Lebanon Loses to New Zealand in FIBA World
Cup Qualifiers
FIBA/Saturday 23rd February 2019/New Zealand dealt Lebanon a painful defeat,
69-67, on Friday night at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex in Zouk Mikael, thus
putting the Cedars team's qualification for the FIBA basketball World Cup in
dire straits. Just seconds after veteran player Jean Abd El Nour handed the home
team a 67-66 lead with 23 ticks to go, New Zealand's Mika Vukona drove to the
basket and kicked the ball out to find Abercrombie near the top of the key for
the game-winning three-point dagger. Lebanon now needs a win over long-time
rivals Korea in their final Asian Qualifiers fixture coupled with a Jordan loss
on the same date to New Zealand to officially punch its ticket to the World Cup.
Otherwise, a loss to Korea coupled with a Jordanian triumph will send the Cedars
crashing down to fourth place and potentially falling short of qualification.
Ali Haidar's 16 points paced four Lebanese players in double-digit scoring. Wael
Arakji's comeback game at the Asian Qualifiers saw him scoring 13 points, while
Ater Majok and Ahmad Ibrahim each tossed in 10 points in the losing effort that
was seen by 7,000 fans live at Nouhad Nawfal.Lebanon will play Korea on Sunday
also at Zouk Mikael, while New Zealand travel to Amman to face Jordan at the
Prince Hamza Arena.
Latest LCCC English
Miscellaneous Reports & News published
on February 23-24/19
Trump Picks Canada Envoy Kelly Craft as UN
Ambassador
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 23/19/President Donald
Trump said Friday he is nominating Kelly Craft, his envoy to Canada, to be the
next US ambassador to the United Nations. "Kelly has done an outstanding job
representing our Nation and I have no doubt that, under her leadership, our
Country will be represented at the highest level," Trump said in a pair of
tweets announcing his pick. If confirmed by the US Senate, she would fill the
post that has been vacant since Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor
and rising star in the Republican Party who stepped down from the UN job late
last year. Craft was nominated one week after Trump's previous choice, former
Fox News anchor and State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, withdrew from
consideration amid criticism that she lacked the experience for one of the top
diplomatic posts. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered quick praise for the
nominee. "Ambassador Craft has been an outstanding advocate for America's
national security and economic interests in Canada and she is extremely
well-qualified to do the same at the United Nations," he said in a statement.
Craft was a major supporter of George W. Bush, who as president appointed her to
serve as a US delegate to the United Nations, representing Washington at UN
meetings. The businesswoman from Kentucky, believed to be 56-years-old, has been
a major Republican donor. She raised eyebrows in 2017 as the new US ambassador
in Ottawa -- and the first woman in that post -- when she said she believes
"both sides" of climate science. "I think that both sides have their own
results, from their studies, and I appreciate and I respect both sides of the
science," Craft told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She is married to
Joe Craft, who is president of Alliance Resource Partners, which describes
itself as the second largest coal producer in the eastern United States.Joe
Craft was worth an estimated $1.4 billion in 2012, according to Forbes magazine.
Open Secrets, a non-profit group that tracks money in politics, says Craft
donated $1 million to Trump's 2017 inauguration fund. He also donated $371,100
to candidates, all Republicans, during the 2018 election cycle, the organization
said.
Turkey Warns against Power Vacuum in Syria
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 23 February, 2019/Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar
warned on against a power vacuum in Syria during the US troop withdrawal from
the country, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday. “We reminded
our partners that there should be no vacuum of power in any way during the
withdrawal,” Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told Anadolu, describing his talks in
the United States with acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. US
President Donald Trump had ordered the withdrawal of all 2,000 US troops Syria
in December after saying they had defeated ISIS in Syria. The abrupt decision
sparked an outcry from allies and US lawmakers. In a reversal on Friday, a
senior US administration official said Washington would leave about 400 troops
split between two Syrian regions, a move that could pave the way for US allies
to keep troops in Syria.
The forces would be deployed in a safe zone being negotiated for northeastern
Syria and a US military base at Tanf, near the border with Iraq and Jordan.
Trump was persuaded on Thursday that about 200 US troops would join what is
expected to be a total commitment of some 800 to 1,500 troops from European
allies to set up and observe the safe zone, the official said. Akar also said he
repeated call for Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) fighters, which Ankara
regards as terrorists, to be removed from the “safe zone”, which Turkey wants to
control. Kurdish leaders suggested the US troop decision could have a large
impact on the fate of the area, preventing a security vacuum. Washington could
keep control of the air space and European allies could complement the force
with more troops. The Kurdish-led authorities in the north welcomed the White
House reversal. They had feared that a total US withdrawal would leave their
area exposed to attack by Turkey. “We evaluate the White House decision ...
positively,” Abdulkarim Omar, co-chair of foreign relations in the region held
by the US-backed SDF told Reuters. The SDF’s top commander earlier this week
called for 1,000 to 1,500 international troops to remain in Syria to help fight
ISIS and expressed hope Washington would halt Trump’s plans for a total pullout.
“We have had tremendous success in defeating the caliphate,” Trump said. “But we
want to make sure it stays that way.”“We can leave a small force, along with
others in the force, whether it’s NATO troops or whoever it might be, so that it
doesn’t start up again,” he said. A Western diplomat said it remained to be seen
whether European allies would contribute troops, or whether the force would be
able to secure the area.
US Appeases Allies with ‘Peacekeeping’ Force in East Syria
Moscow - Washington - Raed Jaber and Elie Youssef/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 23
February, 2019/Washington announced on Friday it would leave about 400 US troops
in Syria, split between two different areas, a senior administration official
said. The first 200 troops will join about 800 to 1,500 troops from European
allies to set up and observe a safe zone being negotiated for northeastern
Syria. The other 200 US troops will remain at the US military outpost of Tanf,
near the border with Iraq and Jordan, Reuters quoted the official as saying.
Officials said the numbers agreed on this week were not firm and could still
change. “We don’t want to see a resurgence of ISIS,” the official said. A day
earlier, the White House revealed a plan to keep “a small peacekeeping group” in
Syria, an announcement which slightly changes a previous decision by President
Donald Trump, who had ordered in December the withdrawal of all 2,000 US troops
from the war-torn country. He made this decision after being told European
allies insisted on some US forces remaining on the ground as part of the
observer force. “We evaluate the White House decision ... positively,”
Abdulkarim Omar, co-chair of foreign relations in the region held by the
US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces told Reuters on Friday. He said the decision
might “encourage other European states, particularly our partners in the
international coalition against terrorism, to keep forces in the region.”The
decision came after Trump spoke by phone to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
The US president proposed to Erdogan that Turkish military officials and
Washington "continue coordinating on the creation of a potential safe
zone.”Commenting on reports saying that the US may leave a peacekeeping force of
200 troops in Syria, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters
on Friday that Moscow is closely following and analyzing the evolution of
Washington’s stance on the potential withdrawal. He expressed belief that the
situation is unclear for the time being. “Washington first said something
different, but later new statements could be heard,” Peskov said, adding that
sometimes “we hear different statements from different agencies, so we are
watching with great interest and attention the evolution of the US stance on the
issue and analyzing all these statements.” Also, Russia’s Foreign Ministry
questioned the statements of US officials concerning the pullout. "One should
not believe in these statements, no matter who they come from, because on the
next day they may be refuted by other political forces," Russian Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Iraq Bolsters Security on Syria Border against ISIS Threat
Baghdad – Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 23 February, 2019/The Joint
Operations Command in Iraq stressed Friday that it is overseeing the return of
Iraqi refugees from Syria. It said that it was following the developments on the
border region with Syria and “their possible repercussions on the internal Iraqi
scene.”Its forces were on full alert to counter any repercussions and prevent
the infiltration of terrorists from Syria, it added. The return of refugees, it
continued, is being overseen with the Ministry of Displacement and Migration,
human rights commission and other security and government agencies. The command
denied that a mass migration from Syria’s al-Hol refugee camp was taking place,
saying that the return of Iraqis from that camp was being studied in order for
the appropriate security and humanitarian decision to be taken. Media reports
revealed that the international coalition combating ISIS was seeking to return
20,000 Iraqis in Syria back to their homes.Head of the security committee in the
al-Anbar province council, Naim al-Kaoud denied these claims, saying they were
mere media speculation. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the situation on the border
is under “complete control.”Moreover, he noted the coordination between the
Iraqi military command and Syrian Democratic Forces, “which demonstrates that
the border is secure.” On the ISIS members who have been returned to Iraq, Kaoud
said that the authorities have received 130 Iraqi militants who are wanted by
the judiciary on terrorism charges. Former head of the parliamentary security
and defense committee Hakem al-Zamly told Asharq Al-Awsat that the “ISIS chapter
in Iraq can no longer be revived” after the terrorist group was dealt severe
blows. It is also rejected by locals, who had previously embraced it, he
remarked, warning, however, that the group may still employ sleeper cells to
“extort the government.” The Iraqi army has deployed more than 20,000 troops to
guard the border frontier, but militants are slipping across, mostly to the
north of the conflict zone in eastern Syria, in tunnels or under the cover of
night. Others are entering Iraq disguised as cattle herders. Hundreds — likely
more than 1,000 — ISIS extremists have crossed the open, desert border in the
past six months, defying a massive operation by US, Kurdish, and allied forces
to stamp out the remnants of the group in eastern Syria, according to three
Iraqi intelligence officials and a US military official. Indications of the
extremist group's widening reach in Iraq are clear. Cells operating in four
northern provinces are carrying out kidnappings, assassinations, and roadside
ambushes aimed at intimidating locals and restoring the extortion rackets that
financed the group's rise to power six years ago.
Case of Suspects in Bishop’s Murder Referred to Egypt Grand
Mufti
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 23 February, 2019/An Egyptian court on Saturday
referred a death sentence against two monks, accused of killing a bishop, to the
country’s top religious authority for his opinion. Coptic Bishop Epiphanius was
found dead with a head wound in July at the Saint Macarius monastery in the
plains of Wadi al-Natrun, northwest of Cairo. Prosecutors said one of the monks
Isaiah confessed to striking the abbot with a metal bar as the second monk
Philotheos kept watch. The Grand Mufti is required by law to give its legally
non-binding opinion in cases of executions. The court said the ruling will be
officially issued on April 24. In the wake of the bishop's killing, Egypt's
Coptic Church placed a one-year moratorium on accepting new monks. It also
banned monks from social media, tightened financial controls and refocused
attention on spiritual life.
Netnayahu Accuses Rivals of Relying on Arab Votes
Tel Aviv - Nazir Majali/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 23 February, 2019/Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted Benny Gantz saying that he is leading a
left-wing alliance that relies on Arab parties and seeks to destroy the Jewish
state. Netanyahu went on the offensive after Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid’s
parties united to form the Blue and White Party, accusing them of endangering
Israel’s security and economic success. "A government like this will destroy our
economy. Sooner or later, probably sooner, they will establish a Palestinian
state... that will endanger our existence,” he said. “We have been in this
picture twice before with generals on the Left who dress up as Right and talk
about unity, but want left-wing policies,” he added. “In 1992 we got Yitzhak
Rabin and the Oslo disaster, and in 1999 we got Ehud Barak and the Intifada,
with exploding buses and over a thousand killed,” Netanyahu continued. "They say
the country is in a bad condition," he said, "it's never been in a better
condition."Further, Israel's Central Elections Commission has announced that the
number of parties competing in forthcoming Kenneset elections (Israeli
parliament) reached an unprecedented record that is 47 partied compared to 28 in
the year 2015 -- the parties are competing over 120 seats. Surveys show that
Blue and White would win 35-36 seats in the elections, ahead of Likud that would
get up to 25-30. This year’s elections seems to witness one of the fiercest
battles in the history of Israel, not only because Netanyahu wants to win prime
ministry but also because he wishes to evade prison for corruption charges.
Arab League Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: EU Summit Rare
Opportunity for Open Dialogue
Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh – Mohammed Nabil Helmi and Sawsan Abou Hussein//Asharq
Al-Awsat/Saturday, 23 February, 2019/The first Arab League-European Union summit
will kick off in Egypt on Sunday with senior officials from 50 countries
expected to attend. The two-day Sharm el-Sheikh-hosted event will be chaired by
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and seek to bolster economic, political,
security and commercial cooperation between the two sides. Libya and Syria will
likely top the political agenda. The EU will be represented at the talks by
President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European
Commission Jean-Claude Juncker. More than 20 European heads of state or
government will be at the summit, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and
British Prime Minister Theresa May. Arab League Assistant Secretary General
Houssam Zaki said that the summit was a “rare” opportunity for open dialogue on
all issues that concern that two sides. Held under the theme of “Investing in
stability,” the summit will open on Sunday with a speech delivered by Sisi and
head of the EU. Delegations are scheduled to start arriving in Sharm el-Sheikh
on Saturday. The agenda will cover counter-terrorism affairs, illegal migration,
cross-border organized crime, regional conflicts and the Palestinian cause, Zaki
told Asharq Al-Awsat. Secretary of the Palestinian National Council Mohammed
Sbeih confirmed that President Mahmoud Abbas will take part in the event. “The
summit is very important for Egypt and Arab countries through the joint dialogue
that will be held to reach an understanding on several contentious issues,” he
told Asharq Al-Awsat. Moreover, he said that Sharm el-Sheikh’s hosting of the
summit will give Sisi and Arab countries a great boost given Egypt’s standings
and role in combating terrorism. The summit will open on Sunday afternoon and
conclude Monday with a joint press conference.
Security Council Calls for ‘Immediate’ Implementation of
Hodeidah Agreement
New York - Ali Barada//Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 23 February, 2019/The United
Nations Security Council has called for the “immediate implementation of phase
one” of the Stockholm Agreement, which was struck between Yemen’s legitimate
government and Iran-backed Houthi militias near the Swedish capital in December,
on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah. In a press statement, Council members
“stressed the critical importance of the parties implementing” commitments made
in Stockholm “without delay for the sake of the Yemeni people.” They “reaffirmed
their full support for the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen and
the Chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) and called on all
parties to continue to engage in good faith with them both.”The statement, which
was issued Friday by Council President Anatolio Ndong Mba, “welcomed the
progress” made by the parties in the RCC meeting of February 16-17 “on planning
for the redeployment of forces as envisaged in the Hodeidah Agreement.”“They
welcomed the agreement reached on phase one of the mutual redeployment of forces
from the ports of Saleef, Ras Issa and Hodeidah, as well as from critical parts
of the city associated with humanitarian infrastructure.”They called for the
“immediate implementation” of that phase and welcomed agreement by the parties
“in principle” to phase two of the mutual redeployment of forces. The statement
called on the warring sides to continue their constructive engagement with
Danish General Michael Lollesgaard, the chair of the RCC, and to redouble
efforts during the next meeting in the coming days to urgently finalize
agreement on phase two. It also “stressed the importance of urgent access to
humanitarian facilities, including the Red Sea Mills, and welcomed the
arrangements agreed by the parties in the RCC meeting on February 16-17 in that
regard.”“They noted with concern the operational constraints being faced by
humanitarian actors in Yemen” and “reiterated their grave concern about the
continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation across” the country.
Around 24 million people in Yemen (80 per cent of population) are in need of
humanitarian assistance, Council members said. They “called on the parties to
facilitate the rapid, safe and unhindered flow of commercial and humanitarian
supplies and personnel into and across the country” and urged the international
community to consider additional funding for the 2019 UN Humanitarian Response
Plan. The Council expressed concern at continued reports of ceasefire
violations, calling on the parties “to seize this opportunity to move towards
sustainable peace by exercising restraint, de-escalating tensions, honoring
their commitment to the Stockholm Agreement and moving forward with its swift
implementation.”They recalled their request to UN Chief Antonio Guterres to
report on non-compliance, by any party, with resolutions 2451 and 2452 and noted
their readiness to consider “further measures” against those obstructing the
Stockholm Agreement's implementation.
Day into emergency rule, Sudan's Bashir names vice
president and PM
Reuters/February 23/19/KHARTOUM: Sudan's President Omar Al-Bashir appointed a
first vice president and a new prime minister on Saturday, a day after declaring
a state of emergency to counter the most sustained protests since he came to
power 30 years ago in a military coup. Mohamed Tahir Ayala, the former governor
of Gezira state whom Bashir had previously touted as a potential successor as
president, was appointed prime minister. Defense Minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn
Auf became first vice president while retaining his defense portfolio. Bashir
declared a one-year nationwide state of emergency on Friday and set up a
caretaker administration. He replaced all state governors with military
officials. Urging his opponents to join a "path of national reconciliation" and
dialogue, he called on parliament to postpone constitutional amendments that
would have allowed him to seek another term in 2020. There are no signs that has
calmed matters, with the National Consensus Forces, one of the main opposition
groups, saying the state of emergency was aimed at countering a "popular
revolution" and vowing to push ahead until he is toppled. Defense Minister Ibn
Auf previously served as the head of military intelligence. Earlier this month,
he became the second of several top officials to strike a conciliatory tone
towards the protests, saying that young people caught up in the recent turmoil
had "reasonable ambition".
Saudi royal decree appoints Prince Khalid
bin Salman deputy defense minister
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Sunday, 24 February 2019/A Saudi royal decree
has appointed Prince Khalid bin Salman as Deputy Defense Minister while Princess
Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan was named Ambassador to the United States. The
royal decree issued on Saturday also ordered the payment of a month’s salary in
reward to the participants in the front lines of military actions in the
southern region of the Kingdom.
Iran’s Soleimani: Saudi Arabia wants to
‘destroy’ Pakistan
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Saturday, 23 February 2019/General Qassem
Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, accused Saudi Arabia
of attempting to create tension between Pakistan and its neighbors in a Friday
sermon in the Northern city of Babol. “We are speaking to Pakistan with a
friendly tone and we are telling that country not to allow their borders to
become a source of insecurity for the neighboring countries; anyone who has made
this plot for Pakistan is seeking to disintegrate that country, the Islamic
Republic of Iran will take revenge of its martyrs from those mercenaries who
have committed this crime no matter where they are in the world,” Soleimani
said, according to reports by Farsi News Agency. Major General Mohammad Bagheri,
Chief of General Staff of the IRGC on Monday, also threatened that, “if it needs
to” Tehran will intervene in Pakistan if the presence of terrorists is not
addressed “immediately.” “We asked the Pakistani authorities to either purge the
territories where terrorist groups are stationed or to allow Iranian forces to
enter these (areas) and confront them,” Bagheri said. Soleimani said instead of
sending condolences for last week’s bus bombing, the Pakistani government should
use the money Saudi Arabia is investing in the country to combat extremist
groups they accused of having ties to the Kingdom. “Are you, who have atomic
bombs, unable to destroy a terrorist group with several hundred members in the
region? How many of your own people have been killed in different terrorist
operations? We do not want your condolences, how could your condolence help the
people of Iran?” Soleimani said. Soleimani claimed without providing evidence
that the Kingdom was only investing in the country to divide Pakistan and
increase its influence in the region, in comments reported by IFP News.Soleimani
added: “I tell the Pakistani people that the Saudi cash has influenced Pakistan
and they want to destroy Pakistan with such measures.”
Pointing fingers at Saudi Arabia and the UAE
The head of the IRGC General Mohammad Ali Jafari threatened to retaliate against
Saudi Arabia and the UAE last week over a suicide car bombing that killed 27
members of the organization. “The traitor governments of Saudi Arabia and the
UAE should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran's patience has run out and the
Islamic Republic will not tolerate your secret support for the Takfiri groups.
We will take revenge for our martyrs from the UAE and Saudi governments and want
the president to give us more free hand than in the past for retaliatory
operations,” Jafari said at a ceremony for the victims of the attack. Jafari
accused the US and Israel of ordering Saudi Arabia and the UAE to carry out the
attack, semi-official Tasnim news reported. Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant group
that operates near the Iran-Pakistan border, claimed responsibility for the
attack. Iran also urged Pakistan to crack down on the militants, or expect
military action by Tehran “to punish the terrorists,” state media reported. Iran
has previously accused Saudi Arabia of supporting militant Sunni groups that
have attacked its security forces. Riyadh denied the charges.
UN demands immediate pullback of forces from Yemen ports
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/With Agencie/ Saturday, 23 February 2019/The UN
Security Council on Friday called on all parties in Yemen to immediately
implement a deal to pull their forces out of three key ports and a key grain
depot. In a unanimous declaration, the 15-member council welcomed the recent
UN-sponsored agreement between Houthi rebels and the Arab Coalition fighting
them. They called for “the immediate implementation” of the first step of the
deal, which includes the various factions pulling their fighters first back from
the ports of Salif and Ras Issa and then from the port city of Hodeidah. Martin
Griffiths, the UN special envoy in Yemen, told Al Arabiya in an exclusive
interview on Thursday that he hoped the redeployment of forces would happen as
early as Friday or Saturday. On Thursday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
held a meeting on the issue in New York with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Under the agreement struck in Sweden on February 17, fighters would redeploy
outside the ports and away from areas that are key to the humanitarian relief
effort in Yemen, devastated by famine and outbreaks of disease after years of
conflict. The ports are in the Houthi-held west of the country. The agreement
also sets out free access to the grain warehouses at Red Sea Mills, under
control of the Yemeni government forces. The UN has not had access to the grain
depots since September and estimates that the stockpiles there could be enough
to feed 3.7 million people for a month. The Security Council members also
“expressed concern at continued reports of violations of the ceasefire” which
has been in place since December. “They called on the parties to seize this
opportunity to move towards sustainable peace by exercising restraint,
de-escalating tensions, honoring their commitment to the Stockholm Agreement and
moving forward with its swift implementation.”
Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on February 23-24/19
American-British Influence At Risk
Mark Gongloff/Bloomberg/February,23/19
One predictable thing about empires is that they eventually fall. We may be
watching one fall right now.
Since the days of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, the world has been
intellectually dominated by a US-UK alliance that John Micklethwait calls the
core “Anglosphere” (apologies to lesser Anglospherians Australia, Canada and New
Zealand, the backing musicians to Britain and America’s Mick and Keith. But
after 40 years – a relative eye-blink of history – this hegemony is already
showing signs of decline, John writes.
The fatal blows may have landed in 2016, with the shocking results of the Brexit
referendum and the election of President Donald Trump. Both were dramatic turns
away from a worldview that defined and served the partnership. Both triggered
sudden collapses in competence and moral authority. Other countries probably
found the Anglosphere cloying and/or destructive and might feel some
schadenfreude right now. But John argues the Anglosphere benefited them too, and
its troubles are nothing to celebrate. Read the whole thing.
There are signs of hope, however faint. John notes the Anglosphere’s influence
runs deeper and wider than London and Washington. And even in those cities some
people may be coming to their senses. Eleven British lawmakers have broken with
their parties to form a tiny centrist coalition advocating for such common-sense
ideas as not driving over a Brexit cliff. This isn’t much, but it’s a source of
at least a little hope, Bloomberg’s editorial board writes.
Still, here in the Colonies, the decline is tangible if you, say, drive across a
bridge in California or take a train into New York City, writes Noah Smith. He
notes economic development moves in two directions. And America’s growing
corruption and costs, crumbling infrastructure and worsening outcomes all
suggest it’s going the wrong way. We’ve seen this before with Italy, a former
economic powerhouse that stumbled backwards under an incompetent, venal,
populist leader. It can happen here.
Trump warned his supporters they would get tired of so much winning. Fortunately
for them, his presidency has also featured a healthy dose of losing. Most
famously he has failed to get Mexico or anybody else to pay for a new border
wall. And this week he gave up on his dream of a new Space Force, and we learned
FEMA has ignored his idea of taking wildfire-relief money from California.
It took a couple of months, but the Fed seems finally to have talked financial
markets out of a frightening tantrum. The minutes of its latest policy meeting,
released yesterday, gave the market more of what it wanted: soothing coos of
dovishness. The bond market is now boringly, blissfully becalmed, which is just
where Jerome Powell & Co. want it, writes Brian Chappatta.
Ah, but the Fed can never rest easy; it still has a bunch of communication
landmines ahead, writes Mohamed El-Erian, starting with its policy meeting next
month. One big risk is that the market now expects it to be super-dovish
forever, and sending any conflicting signal could break the calm again.
Making guns harder to get makes people less likely to be shot to death. “Duh,”
you might be thinking, but then you may not be a member of the National Rifle
Association. That group has been disputing this idea, in response to new
Democratic proposals for universal background checks. But studies keep proving
this seemingly obvious point, writes Bloomberg’s editorial board. One of the
latest suggests tighter state gun laws lead to fewer gun deaths among children.
This is a big deal, because guns are the second-leading cause of deaths of
American children; and because, again, it proves fewer guns = fewer deaths.
First Druze Chief IDF Prosecutor At One Of
The Hottest Desks In The IDF
تقرير من جيروزاليم بوست يتنال وضعية وعمل المقدم عاصم حامد أول مدعي عام في الجيش
الإسرائيلي من المذهب الدرزي
Jerusalem Post/February 23/19
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/First-Druze-chief-IDF-prosecutor-at-one-of-the-hottest-desks-in-the-IDF-581422
How is the first Druze chief IDF prosecutor charged with deciding how to handle
Palestinian terrorists, minors' rights issues faring?
Around two years into his role as the IDF’s chief West Bank prosecutor, Lt.-Col.
Asim Hamed, the first Druze to hold the top post, has managed to keep a low
profile at one of the hottest desks in the IDF.
As chief prosecutor, Hamed not only is the final word on how to handle most
prosecutions of Palestinian terrorists and administrative detentions, but also
decides how to handle major cases involving Palestinian minors.
Although he is recognized as a serious and professional lawyer, there was still
speculation from the beginning about how his unique ethnic background and
native-Arabic speaking abilities might change the tone of how the prosecution
and the courts operated.
While Hamed refused to interview for this article, The Jerusalem Post spoke to
four leading defense lawyers, his British-Israeli predecessor, Lt.-Col. (res.)
Maurice Hirsch, and other sources close to him about his impact.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, it appears that most view Hamed as a man of the system who
was not trying to make fundamental changes to the prosecution or the courts, but
who succeeded in making relations with defense lawyers smoother than in the
past.
One of the most memorable Palestinian cases on his watch was the prosecution of
Ahed Tamimi.
The red-haired iconic activist was controversially indicted and sent to prison
for eight months for irritating some soldiers who were much larger than her by
hitting and kicking them and for incitement in December 2017.
Another case that broke into the news during his tenure was the Judea Military
Court’s mixed ruling in October on Mamdoach Yusef Muhammad Amaro, who was
acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter in the killing of IDF Maj.
Eliav Gelman.
Gelman was killed accidentally by fellow soldiers in a cross fire as they tried
to defend themselves from Amaro, who came at them with a knife in February 2016.
The case against the alleged Palestinian murderer of American-Israeli Ari Fuld
is currently ongoing, and an increasing number of Jewish families of victims are
pressing for the death penalty on Hamed’s watch. He and the IDF have declined.
In mid-January, there was a battle at Ofer Prison, next to the IDF West Bank
Court’s primary offices, between the Prisons Service and prisoners over
confiscating concealed cellphones. This eventually even spun off into a legal
conflict between the Prisons Service and the Palestinians’ defense lawyers.
But most do not seem to view these issues and other big cases as having Hamed’s
particular signature.
Rather, the emphasis appears to be on his positive impact on interpersonal
relations and steady managerial style, which many defense lawyers contrasted to
the combative relationship they had with Hirsch.
Leading defense lawyer for Palestinians Khaled al-Araj told The Jerusalem Post
that Hamed is “different than Maurice, who was aggressive and a man of war. Asim
is the opposite. He never gets in a fight with anyone. He is a good manager and
lawyer.”
He noted that Hamed spent many years as a prosecutor, which gave him a better
than average understanding of how to best manage the prosecution and relations
with the defense lawyers. In negotiations over plea bargains, Araj said that
Hamed “always tried to reach a compromise solution which worked for everyone.”
Because of Hamed’s stability, he said, his reign has been calmer than his
predecessor’s.
He said that Hirsch enforced stiffer than regular jail sentences and was harder
to negotiate deals with. Regarding whether Hamed’s Druze and Arabic-speaking
background is an asset with the many Arabic-speaking defense lawyers, Araj said
that it did give Hamed “a better understanding of the Arab lawyers and the
ability to talk to them in a different way.”
At the same time, he said that Hamed “is a man of the system” whose final
loyalties are always clearly to the IDF. Pressed that other defense lawyers had
said that though Hamed was more open to deals, in cases that went to court he
was enforcing even stiffer jail sentences, Araj blamed this on Hamed’s deputies.
He said that Hamed is not dealing personally with many of the individual cases,
but that when he intervenes “he can help prevent misunderstandings.”
ANOTHER TOP defense lawyer for Palestinians, Gaby Lasky, complimented Hamed to
the Post as an individual for being “very approachable and ready to listen –
this is an improvement over earlier eras.”
Regarding his Druze identity, she said it made no difference and that she is not
interested in a person’s ethnic background, “and I do not want to judge a
person.”
But Lasky quickly switched directions, saying that her objections to the
military courts “is not a personal problem. The courts are still occupation
courts which believe it is acceptable to keep children detained until the end of
their trials – even if they are very young children. “The whole idea that a
military court can provide justice, I think, is dubious,” she said. Lasky
maintained that even if Hamed was nicer interpersonally, most of the major
policies in the IDF West Bank Courts which she objects to as treating
Palestinians different than Israelis, such as stricter detention policies, have
continued.
Further, she argued that law enforcement often tramples on Palestinian minors’
rights during interrogations. She added that it is a substantial injustice that
Palestinians do not get a social worker to weigh in, pretrial, about whether
they could be released, when Israeli minors get one. In 2015, IDF West Bank
Court president Col. Netanel Benishu ordered the state to start providing
Palestinian minors with more pretrial social worker evaluations about the
possibility of being released. However, Lasky said that the state and the IDF
have stalled on the issue and currently are saying that no complete change in
policy will come before June – four years after Benishu’s ruling.
However, such policy shifts are not made by the chief prosecutor alone, but in
consultation with his superiors. Defense lawyer for Palestinians Lea Tsemel told
the Post that Hamed was easier to work with than his predecessor, who she said
“was super ideological.”She said that Hirsch’s current work with right-wing
victims’ groups shows his true colors and that previously he had used his
military power to enforce his ideology.
Asked about Hamed’s background, she said that while his unique background could
be an asset, it could also be problematic. She said that “sometimes liberal
judges will not go as far” to help defendants, “and less liberal judges feel
freer” to help defendants.
Tsemel said that Hamed “could not act like an ‘Arab-lover’ when he needs to
guard” how he is perceived and remove any doubts that his primarily Jewish
colleagues might have about his loyalties.
The senior defense lawyer did say that during Hamed’s term, a Muslim prayer
space was set aside for the first time for defense lawyers, just as there had
been a prayer space for Jews for years – though the West Bank Courts’ Office was
heavily involved in that.
Discussing Hamed with the Post, defense lawyer Merav Khoury concurred with some
of the above mixed characterizations. She said that his ability to speak Arabic
as his native language had no special impact, but that he was very good to work
with, “very professional and more practical” than Hirsch had been.
“I cannot say if he is more lenient with us, but because he is not ideological,
if you make strong legal arguments, he will listen” seriously, she said. At the
same time, she said that Hamed “needs to satisfy the system” he works for, and,
like other defense lawyers, spoke of Hamed needing to prove his loyalty to the
IDF by being extra tough in some cases.
She said this was at least part of why in some cases the IDF Prosecution during
his tenure has sought more severe jail sentences. THE POST has learned that the
IDF would reject any attempt to characterize Hamed’s actions in light of his
Druze background, saying all that matters is his high level of professionalism.
Incidentally, Hamed is slated eventually for promotion to the rank of colonel
and to take over the high-powered office of IDF chief legal adviser for Judea
and Samaria.
Some in that position have even risen to become the army’s top lawyer, the
military advocate-general. Finally, the IDF would agree that, overall, sentences
during Hamed’s tenure have gotten harsher, particularly with attempted murder
and other terrorist-related crimes, as compared to Hirsch’s. But the IDF would
argue that this was because of a rise in the level of violent crimes and the
need to deter that rise, not something specifically related to Hamed as an
individual.
In discussions with the Post, Hirsch himself had positive things to say about
Hamed and his professionalism. However, Hirsch rejected negative
characterizations of his tenure.
“During my period, our relationship with the defense lawyers was excellent,
until a group of defense lawyers made baseless claims that the prosecutors who
served underneath me were not treating them respectfully,” he said.
He continued, “This was simply a lie, and then they started a strike because of
what they claimed was the treatment by the prosecution underneath me. In a
letter of complaints, they didn’t attack me at all, only my prosecutors. “My
response to the defense lawyers was that if they have a problem with the
prosecutors, then they should attack me – this caused a rift with al-Araj, Fadi
Kawasme” and others who previously had supported him.
Still, Hirsch said that in private many of the defense lawyers still have a
connection with him. He said that when a disagreement broke out at a recent
conference at the Hebrew University, which led defense lawyer Jawad Boulos to
walk out of the conference, he (Hirsch) had been the one who succeeded in
convincing him to return. Hirsch said he told Boulos, “I don’t agree with
a word you say, but you deserve to be heard. Come back and say what you have to
say.” Finally, Hirsch said that he left behind a unique legacy in “developing
new methods to fight terrorism,” such as imposing “legal ‘price tags’”
(unusually large fines) as punishments for terrorists – “sometimes with prior
permission [from superiors] and sometimes without.” When Hamed’s appointment was
announced, there were significant expectations that a first-ever Druze chief
prosecutor might bring a variety of changes. It appears that Hamed has not
reinvented the wheel in many areas, but he has calmed tensions in a court system
that often seems like a tinderbox waiting to explode.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/First-Druze-chief-IDF-prosecutor-at-one-of-the-hottest-desks-in-the-IDF-581422
Daesh’s foreign troops a moral dilemma for the West
يوسي ميكلبرج: الجهاديون الأجانب من داعش يشكلون معضلة أخلاقية لدول الغرب
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/February 23/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72411/yossi-mekelberg-daeshs-foreign-troops-a-moral-dilemma-for-the-west-%d9%8a%d9%88%d8%b3%d9%8a-%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%83%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%ac-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%86/
What makes the tragic story of Shamima Begum, the so-called “jihadi bride,”
interesting beyond the obvious is that it poses genuine and multifaceted
dilemmas for British society. Regrettably, the UK government has opted for the
easy, populist option and stripped her of her citizenship, preventing her from
returning home. At one stroke of Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s pen, she has been
made stateless. In arguing for letting her return home, there is no hint of
condoning any of her actions, or of legitimizing Daesh in any way, shape or
form. It is to argue that, as a British citizen, her alleged crimes should be
dealt with by a British court in order to guarantee her a fair trial and also to
show compassion for a child who made a gross error of judgement, but who has
also been made to pay an unimaginable price for it.
By not readmitting her, the British government is relinquishing its
responsibility for the actions of one of its own citizens and dumping her on
those who run the refugee camps to where she recently fled, and on the
international community in general. If there was a sure way to turn Begum into a
martyr and consequently become, figuratively speaking, a recruiting sergeant for
Daesh, it is the UK’s decision to make her stateless.
Begum’s story challenges society not only over its adherence to the rule of law
and respect for international law, it also poses the question to all of us of
whether we are capable of empathy when it is not necessarily our first reaction
to someone who became a member of such a brutal organization. Daesh is on the
verge of defeat, and its dispersed troops and the threat from them need to be
addressed in a rational and cool manner, not by looking to take revenge on them
or to garner some flattering headlines in the right-wing media, but by
concentrating on preventing future atrocities and reflecting on what made that
despicable organization attractive in the first place.
Begum didn’t make her case for being allowed to return to the UK any easier by
showing no remorse, and by speaking in a casual manner about being unfazed at
the sight of severed heads in bins. It might have been easier for public opinion
and politicians to show more compassion toward her — she has just given birth to
her third child — had she broken down in tears, begged for forgiveness and fully
admitted being in the wrong, while solemnly and unreservedly declaring her love
for and loyalty to her country of birth. This is the kind of reality show we
have been accustomed to, but it is a complete fantasy, not only in relation to
Begum, but to most if not all who joined Daesh. She was a 15-year-old child who
was groomed by sophisticated manipulators on social media and brainwashed for
the last four years; she has also suffered the trauma of seeing two of her
infant children die from malnutrition and lack of health care. Beyond this, she
has been living through one of the most terrifying experiences imaginable, which
is the war in Syria. And she is still a teenager. In light of all this, can we
really expect her to know right from wrong?
We must remind ourselves that two wrongs don’t make a right and that we are
signed up to international conventions that prohibit making people stateless
This is exactly where the challenge lies for those countries that saw a small
but not insignificant number of their citizens follow a route that is difficult
for us to rationally explain and, quite understandably, instils fear in us. It
is the challenge of balancing the will to punish those who were part of an
organization whose actions turned our stomachs with revulsion with adherence to
the rule of law and even showing compassion toward them; and, more importantly,
believing that they are capable of changing and becoming law-abiding citizens.
We must remind ourselves that two wrongs don’t make a right and that we are
signed up to international conventions that prohibit making people stateless.
Beyond the legal view, there is also a practical security issue of balancing
between the danger to society of readmitting now fully-fledged, trained
militants and the risk of turning them into martyrs by preventing their return.
It would be foolish to deny that some returnees, despite or maybe because of
being defeated in Iraq and Syria, will likely hang on to their distorted beliefs
and attempt to carry out acts of terrorism in Europe. However, as
counter-radicalization and counter-terrorism experts have argued, not allowing
former Daesh fighters and especially their wives and children to return only
enhances that organization’s narrative of their rejection by society despite
being citizens. Reducing this risk requires de-radicalization programs,
international intelligence cooperation, monitoring and, in certain cases,
bringing perpetrators to justice where there is evidence of violation of the law
and risk to public safety.
And, in all this debate, we cannot ignore the fact that Begum and her two
friends who joined her were 15 and 16-year-olds who were groomed over the
internet right under the noses of the security services, the “Prevent”
anti-radicalization program, their schools, and their families. This is not an
attempt to exonerate them from responsibility or to deflect from it, but there
is also some societal responsibility that must be acknowledged and considered.
In her recent interviews, Begum comes across as traumatized, in denial, and in
despair to save her surviving child. This is where, as an enlightened society,
we have an obligation to reach out to her and show compassion to her and her
British baby, who is a completely innocent victim of this very sorry saga. This
is not a naive call for unqualified compassion, but for a response that reflects
what we claim to be our true values, while setting clear parameters of behavior
for those who would like a second chance.
• Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations at Regent’s University
London, where he is head of the International Relations and Social Sciences
Program. He is also an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He
is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media.
Twitter: @YMekelber
Iran’s misguided call for brotherly ties
كاميليا إنتخابفارد: دعوة إيران المضللة للعلاقات الأخوية
Camelia Entekhabifard/Arab News/February 23/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72413/camelia-entekhabifard-irans-misguided-call-for-brotherly-ties-%d9%83%d8%a7%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d8%a5%d9%86%d8%aa%d8%ae%d8%a7%d8%a8%d9%81%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%af-%d8%af%d8%b9%d9%88/
Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, has called for brotherly relations with
regional countries. In the southern province of Hormozgan, the president last
week criticized neighboring countries that cooperate with the US and Israel,
saying they were taking the “wrong road.” He added: “We want to establish
brotherly ties with all countries of the region.”He talked about good relations
even though no attempts have been made to improve diplomatic ties with two close
neighbors, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. There is also a sign that Iran’s relations
with Pakistan have soured. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Iranian flag and
pictures of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei were all over Islamabad to mark the 40th
anniversary of the revolution — a good deed from a neighbor to participate in
its friend’s celebration. But a few days later, Pakistan welcomed Saudi Arabia’s
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of his Asia tour. With the country
economically broken, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan did not hide his
excitement and the high expectations he had over the investment possibilities
that Saudi Arabia could bring. Without a doubt, the historical ties between the
two nations have always been strong. Saudi Arabia has an excellent relationship
with Pakistan, in part because of its economic investments and financial
assistance, but also due to the religious bond that evokes so much compassion
from Pakistanis toward the Kingdom.
With Iran and Saudi Arabia engaged in verbal accusations toward each other,
Pakistan may get dragged into this competition between the two rival powers.
Being a neighbor to Iran and having strong ties with it, while at the same time
being close to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan is perhaps in the difficult position of
having to appear to remain neutral between Tehran and Riyadh. With Iran and
Saudi Arabia engaged in verbal accusations toward each other, Pakistan may get
dragged into this competition between the two rival powers
Just a few days ahead of the crown prince’s visit to Pakistan, a truck bomb
attack on a bus carrying members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
killed 27 guards and wounded 13 others in the south-eastern province of Sistan
and Baluchistan. Iran said the suicide bomber was a Pakistani. This area of
Iran, which has long borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan, is occasionally
marred by separatist attacks or drug cartels, but Tehran blamed Saudi Arabia and
Pakistan for supporting the attack, and the IRGC vowed to take revenge.
Perhaps political leaders in Tehran, being sensitive about the crown prince’s
visit to Pakistan, tried to blame the Islamabad government for the attack. This
allegation could increase regional tension — the opposite of what Rouhani said
he was wishing for.
Sistan and Baluchistan is among the poorest and most underdeveloped provinces in
Iran. The government has never wanted to invest in or improve the infrastructure
there because it does not trust the people (in terms of ethnicity or religion.)
When ethnic and religious discrimination are widely exercised, and drug use and
unemployment are common, it is easy for anyone to take advantage of these
disadvantaged people.
In a nutshell, brotherhood and close friendships first have to be practiced with
the citizens of a nation — only then can it come to one’s neighbors and the
wider region.
• Camelia Entekhabifard is an Iranian-American journalist, political commentator
and author of Camelia: Save Yourself By Telling the Truth (Seven Stories Press,
2008). Twitter: @CameliaFard
A new Cold War is little more than an illusion
Raghida Dergham/The National.February 23/19
Challenges at home, such as low living standards, will hinder the only person
who wants one: Vladimir Putin
Claims about a new Cold War are unconvincing. But ignoring them is unwise
because behind the escalation lie important messages for Europe and the Middle
East, which have often served as an arena for conflict.
In his annual speech to the Russian parliament, Russian President Vladimir Putin
boasted about new “super powerful” ballistic missiles and pledged to deploy them
in response to US threats and Nato movements in Europe. But while he was talking
up an expensive armament programme, he also admitted to Russia’s economic
hardship, which hinders its ability to spend on defence.
According to Mr Putin, 19 million Russians are currently living under the
poverty line, with millions more on the brink. Realistically then, Mr Putin will
have to choose between improving the livelihoods of his people or engaging in an
arms race to prove that US military superiority is, as he said, an illusion.
In reality, the US is truly militarily superior. What Mr Putin seems to be
aiming for, however, is to suggest to the Europeans that they would be the
victim of any US-Russian arms race and therefore that they must pressure
Washington to avoid destabilising the continent. But it is not easy for the
Kremlin to create a rift between the US and the rest of Nato and might instead
isolate Russia further, which could push Mr Putin to compensate in the Middle
East.
Mr Putin is not the only one trying to distract from his domestic problems by
flexing his military muscles. US President Donald Trump finds himself in the
same boat, issuing threats to Europe and creating crises. Both Mr Trump and Mr
Putin lack the ability to revive the Cold War, knowing that the world is no
longer bipolar, with China emerging as a third major global power.
In his speech, Mr Putin threatened not just would-be aggressors but also “those
territories where the centres of decision-making are located”, meaning the US.
Nato has since responded, with a spokesman saying threats to target allies were
“unacceptable”. Although Nato does not want an arms race, the spokesman said, it
is ready to defend itself against any threat.
Russia today is not the Soviet Union of yesterday. Mr Putin himself often
follows threats with charm and he has said that relations with Washington are
not in crisis and that the current tension is not a cause for escalation
Washington had accused Moscow of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces
(INF) treaty, which was signed in 1987 between the US and the Soviet Union, and
suspended its participation in the treaty earlier this month. Russia followed
suit the following day. Mr Putin said Russia was prepared to negotiate but
accused Washington of inventing claims about Russia to justify withdrawing.
Days after his speech, the Russian leader told the press that he was prepared
for another “Cuban missile crisis”, in reference to the 1962 nuclear stand-off
between the Soviet Union and the US.
But Russia today is not the Soviet Union of yesterday. Mr Putin himself often
follows threats with charm and he has said that relations with Washington are
not in crisis and that the current tension is not a cause for escalation.
So what does Mr Putin want? The answer is a psychological war, not a real one,
but less severe than another Cold War, which would be too costly for Russia’s
strained economy.
Andrei Fedorov, chairman of the Fund for Political Research and Consulting in
Russia and former deputy foreign minister, tells me Mr Putin wants to test
European partners of the US and that if the EU supports new US military plans,
it means that Russian relations with EU will fall apart. He says Russia might
try to take a more active role in the Middle East to compensate losses in its
western alliances.
Mr Fedorov’s view is that an arms race is inevitable and will be accompanied by
political manoeuvres. For Russia, he says, it is crucial to reach certain
positive outcomes in Syria and to ensure the US is surplus to a political
settlement there.
He foresees more tension between Russia and the US and more tension over the
situation in Syria. “Russia finally will come to the position that its new
weapons will defend not only Russia itself but also close friends like Tehran
and Damascus,” Mr Fedorov says, warning of a “new expected crisis over Iran in
the coming months, especially since “the new arms race might push countries like
Iran to play more actively on contradictions between Russia and the US and it
might lead to dangerous consequences”.
To be sure, recent statements by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem
Soleimani suggest he has interpreted US-Russian tensions to be in his country’s
favour and shut the door on any international negotiations regarding Iran’s role
in the region. Mr Soleimani cautioned his government against negotiating with
western nations over Iran’s regional role because any agreement to curtail or
contain this role would “dry the soul of Iran and its movement”.
These statements highlighted negotiations Europe is seeking with Iran regarding
Tehran’s cross-border activities. They also highlighted the sway of the
Revolutionary Guard on foreign policy, particularly since he also spoke about
support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and threatened Pakistan on account of its
special ties with Saudi Arabia, warning Islamabad against “testing Iran”.
Iran is thus likely to be a key strand to expected US-Russian escalation, in
light of the INF treaty developments and the emerging arms race. However, harsh
economic realities are going to provide a reality check to any delusions of
reviving the Cold War.
Mr Putin does not have the ability to retaliate in Europe beyond bullying weak
governments. Meanwhile, Europe finds itself trapped between the White House and
the Kremlin and is feeling resentful of Mr Trump’s attempts to export his
domestic woes to its shores. Yet if the Russian president pushes for an arms
race, this will backfire at home, where people want better living standards, not
more posturing.
In short, all talk of a new Cold War is exaggerated, premature and unconvincing.
Iran and the fine art of evading sanctions
صحيفة يديعوت أحرونوت: إيران وفنون التهرب من العقوبات
Maya Margit/The Media Line/Ynetnews/February 23/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72415/iran-and-the-fine-art-of-evading-sanctions-%d8%b5%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%81%d8%a9-%d9%8a%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%aa-%d8%a3%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%88%d9%86%d9%88%d8%aa-%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%88%d9%81/
With US penalties now back in place, Islamic Republic looks to art market both
as revenue stream and as way of advancing its ideological agenda while
simultaneously legitimizing itself on world stage.
As Iran continues to bear the brunt of punishing economic sanctions imposed by
the United States, the regime is exploring creative new ways to raise
much-needed capital. Among the strategies: exporting art. “The international
sanctions against Iran exclude cultural products,” Minister of Culture and
Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi was quoted by Jordanian media as saying
last week during a festival in Tehran. “We should take the export of art
products seriously and use this opportunity.”
Salehi added that the Islamic Republic is seeking to expand its pool of buyers
and that regulations would be eased to facilitate art exports. Notably, Iranian
art last year outperformed comparable works from other Middle Eastern nations at
global auctions, generating millions in sales. “The Iranian regime will do
anything as it is quite cash-strapped,” says Reza Parchizadeh, an Iranian-born
political activist. “That includes exporting artwork. The major artists in Iran
are either sponsored by the regime or have to do its bidding from time to time
to be able to work or even worse, to survive.”
Parchizadeh argues that Tehran not only relies on art for financial reasons but
also uses culture to further its ideological agenda while legitimizing itself
both domestically and on the world stage. For example, he says, authorities
promote Iranian films at international events with a view to dispelling the
notion that censorship is used as a tool of repression.
“There has always been popular resistance against the regime’s attempts to
monopolize culture,” Parchizadeh says. “(Nevertheless), the majority of the
cultural products that are given the green-light and are publicized in Iran have
the endorsement of the regime, albeit to different degrees and with different
shades of significance.”
The US Department of the Treasury website states that the import into America of
all Iranian goods and services is prohibited, with the following notable
exceptions: “Gifts valued at $100 or less; information and informational
materials; household and personal effects of persons arriving in the United
States…and accompanied baggage for personal use.” According to Beau Barnes, a US
attorney at the Kobre & Kim law firm, “informational materials” include items
such as books, films and art. However, he qualified to The Media Line, “it’s
actually a fairly narrow exception that isn’t likely to have a significant
effect (especially given declining oil exports).
“The exception for informational materials is part of other US embargos,
including on Cuba and North Korea,” Barnes added, “but the exception is narrowly
defined and none of those countries have been able to prop up their economies by
exporting art or literature. And any transactions would require Iranian sellers
to find both (purchasers) and financial intermediaries willing to process those
payments.”
Others similarly argue that it is difficult to ascertain the impact art exports
could have on the Iranian economy, but nevertheless note that the art market has
long been a global conduit for illicit financial dealings. “American unilateral
sanctions have been much more effective than anticipated,” says Behnam Ben
Taleblu, Senior Fellow and an Iran expert at the Washington-based Foundation for
Defense of Democracies. “The art world, however, has always been rife with
(money laundering): you can over-inflate the value of something because it’s
subjective and you can change currencies when you move art across borders.”
The Islamic Republic has over the past decades also developed other methods to
evade sanctions, including creating alternative money transfer systems;
importing tens of billions of dollars in gold from Turkey; and bartering its oil
for others goods and services. For this reason, some believe sanctions are not
enough to curb Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions.
“When you do have a sanctions-heavy strategy it’s not just about levying them
it’s also about enforcing them,” says Ben Taleblu. “In countries where there are
various Iranian networks, Iranian-owned or -controlled businesses, those would
be prime targets for sanctions evasion.”
Parchizadeh notes that the Iranian regime since the 1979 Islamic Revolution has
used methods to circumvent financial penalties such as “multinational umbrella
corporations to conduct its businesses; doing wide-ranging money laundering;
trafficking narcotics, etc. In order to completely stop the…regime in Iran, it
must be eventually overthrown and replaced with a democratic system that is
friendly to Western values.”
Requests for comment from the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance
did not receive a response.
**Article written by Maya Margit and reprinted with permission from The Media
Line
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5467611,00.html