LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 05/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practise every kind of impurity
Letter to the Ephesians 04/17-24:”Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practise every kind of impurity. That is not the way you learned Christ! For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on July 04-05/2019
Lebanese Officials Doubt Success of Satterfield’s Mediation
Jumblatt Urges Aoun to Put Limits to Bassil’s Behavior
Report: Bassil’s Visit to Tripoli Still as Planned
Report: Hariri Seeks FPM-PSP Meeting in Baabda
Ibrahim Says Things on Right Track as Gharib Meets Berri
Arslan Warns of Attempts to Cover Up for Ones Involved in Qabrshmoun Incident
Activists end protest in front of Beirut municipality
Geagea to Aoun: Don’t Let Anyone Spoil Your Presidential Term
Report: Bkirki Urges Appeasement, Says Christian-Druze Reconciliation Must Be Stabilized
Several Injured, Missing as Station's Fuel Tanks Explode in Bakhoun
Lebanese 'Game Cooks' Wins the VR and Beyond Challenge for Burj Khalifa Dubai
Nostalgia bridges past and future at Beirut Design Week 2019
The forgotten Lebanese

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 04-05/2019
Iran says it can talk to US if sanctions lifted, Khamenei permits
Trump warns Iran to be ‘careful with threats’
Syria, Iran Coordinate After Israeli Raids
Erdogan Offers to Mediate Between Washington, Tehran
Erdogan Says US Refusal to Deliver F-35 Jets Would Be 'Robbery'
Ships Vanish to Evade Sanctions on Iran
Palestinians Demand UNESCO Permanent Representative in Jerusalem
Oman Denies Establishing Ties with Israel
Pederson Visits Moscow to Complete Formation of Syria Constitutional Committee
Three French women arrested in Turkey for ISIS links
Canada condemns attack on migrant and refugee centre in Libya
Kuwaiti Finance Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote
Iraq: ISIS Sleeper Cells Revived on Demand
Australia Seeks to Ban Extremists' Return for 2 Years
Japan Voices Readiness to Act as Impartial Peace Broker in Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
Alarm Raised on Need for Vigilance for Saudi Tourists in Turkey
Prominent Algeria Businessman Jailed for Corruption Amid News on Arrest of Sellal’s Son

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 04-05/2019
Nostalgia bridges past and future at Beirut Design Week 2019/Maysaa Ajjan and Mohamad Shour/Annahar/July 04/2019
The forgotten Lebanese/Joseph Hchaime/Annahar/July 04/2019
Ships Vanish to Evade Sanctions on Iran/New York - Michael Forsythe and Ronen Bergman/The New York Times/Thursday, 4 July, 2019
Opinion/Jared Kushner’s Plan for Palestine Is Even Crazier Than You Thought/Teresita Cruz-Del Rosario and Victor Kattan/Haaretz/July 04/2019
 Trump on Iran – more bark than bite? - analysis/Yonah Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/July 04/2019
Germany: A Shocking Degree of Self-Censorship/Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/July 04/2019
Who is Actually Controlling Iran Policy in the Trump Administration?/Michael Young/Carnegie Middle East Centre/July 04/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on July 04-05/2019
Lebanese Officials Doubt Success of Satterfield’s Mediation
Beirut - Khalil Fleihan/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 04/2019
Recent meetings between US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield and Lebanese officials raised doubts over the success of his mediation on the demarcation of the borders with Israel. The Lebanese are now suspecting that Israel was dealing with the issue with “bad faith”, after Satterfield had conveyed more than once positive hints on Israel’s approval of the proposed Lebanese mechanism. Official sources who attended the US envoy’s meetings in Lebanon said that the latter informed the Lebanese side of the Israeli response to the proposal, namely its refusal to hold demarcation negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations and its rejection to commit to a simultaneous demarcation of the maritime and land borders. According to the sources, “the Israeli side considers that the UNIFIL forces do not have an international mandate to take care of the negotiations on the demarcation of the maritime border, as long as there is no Security Council resolution in this regard." Moreover, according to the sources, Satterfield told Lebanese officials that Israel insisted that the duration of the negotiations would stretch over a period of 6 months and that the agreement be implemented after the expiry of this period. Lebanon attaches great importance to the demarcation of the borders, especially the maritime ones, to accelerate the exploration of oil and gas in the economic zone of its southern territorial waters.

Jumblatt Urges Aoun to Put Limits to Bassil’s Behavior
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 July, 2019
Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblatt has called on Lebanese President Michel Aoun to put limits to the “childish behavior” of his son-in-law, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil. The Druze leader’s comments came at a time when Lebanese leaders were still struggling to contain the repercussions of Sunday’s clashes in the Aley region of the Shouf mountains, where two bodyguards of Minister of State for Displaced Affairs Saleh al-Gharib, a Druze minister who is close to Hezbollah and the Syrian regime, were killed after his convoy came under fire. Following an extraordinary session of the Druze Community Council held Wednesday in Beirut, under the chairmanship of Druze Sheikh Naiim Hassan, Jumblatt lashed out at the raids launched to arrest suspects involved in the clashes. He also replied to Defense Minister Elias Bou Saad, who said that what happened in the mountains was an ambush.
“Bassil’s provocative rhetoric has led to the escalation,” Jumblatt said. For his part, Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Wednesday that the Mountain has its own particularity. “What is happening cannot be dealt with by means of politics alone, or security alone or the judiciary alone. It should be addressed interdependently,” Berri was quoted as saying at his weekly meeting with deputies. Meanwhile, several meetings were held to contain the repercussions of the clashes. Bou Saab met with head of the Lebanese Democratic Party MP Talal Arslan and Gharib to discuss the latest security developments in the village of Qabrshmoun. For his part, Jumblatt received at his Beirut residence General Security Chief Abbas Ibrahim before meeting Prime Minister Saad Hariri, upon the invitation of Berri. The Jumblatt-Hariri meeting aimed to mend shaky relations between the Mustaqbal Movement and the PSP.

Report: Bassil’s Visit to Tripoli Still as Planned
Naharnet/July 04/2019
A planned visit to the northern city of Tripoli by Free Patriotic Movement chief Foreign Minister Jebran is “still on time,” the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported on Thursday. “Bassil’s visit to Tripoli is still on time,” an FPM source told the daily, refuting reports that it was cancelled after the Qabrshmoun deadly incident on Sunday. The source rejected claims that Bassil’s “visits to various regions in Lebanon are meant for political goals.”“Head of the FPM is touring several regions in order to meet with his supporters, partisans and people, and to lend a listening ear to their demands. The FPM has offices in all Lebanese areas,” he stressed. The source added that the “visits come in the context of openness and communication with all groups and sects, especially that the FPM not only includes Christians but also has cadres from different (religious) sects.”

Report: Hariri Seeks FPM-PSP Meeting in Baabda
Naharnet/July 04/2019
A meeting was held Thursday between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Industry Minister Wael Abu Faour, who was dispatched by Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat following a PSP meeting, LBCI TV said. “The meeting is a follow-up to yesterday's meeting in Ain el-Tineh and to Jumblat's announcement from the headquarters of the Druze religious authority that he is willing to show openness towards all parties,” the TV network said. “This coincides with the role that Hariri is playing in reconciling viewpoints between the Free Patriotic Movement and the PSP, amid reports that these parties could meet at the Baabda Palace,” LBCI added. The efforts are aimed at containing the repercussions of the deadly Qabrshmoun incident, which resulted in the death of two bodyguards of State Minister for Refugee Affairs Saleh al-Gharib, who belongs to the Lebanese Democratic Party which is opposed to the PSP. Several other people were wounded in the incident which has sent tensions soaring in the Aley district. The LDP and the PSP have traded blame, with the former describing the incident as an ambush and the latter accusing Gharib's bodyguards of firing at protesters. The protesters were blocking the road to prevent FPM chief Jebran Bassil from touring the region.

Ibrahim Says Things on Right Track as Gharib Meets Berri
Naharnet/July 04/2019
General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim on Thursday announced that “things are on the right track” in the efforts to contain the repercussions of the deadly Qabrshmoun incident. “I will not discuss the issue of the numbers” of those arrested, said Ibrahim after meeting Lebanese Democratic Party chief MP Talal Arslan in Khalde. “The issue of the Judicial Council is not within my jurisdiction seeing as it is related to politics,” he added. “Ex-MP Walid Jumblat said something essential yesterday by announcing that he is under the law,” Ibrahim went on to say. State Minister for Refugee Affairs Saleh al-Gharib of the LDP meanwhile visited Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh. Berri had met with Jumblat and Prime Minister Saad Hariri overnight. “I sensed Speaker Berri's keenness on stability in Mount Lebanon and the truth remains the same even if it does not find public support. He knows the truth and he is thanked for his efforts,” Gharib said after the meeting. Two of Gharib's bodyguards were killed and a third was wounded while three Jumblat supporters were injured in a clash involving the minister's convoy in Qabrshmoun. The two parties have traded blame over the incident, with Gharib and Arslan describing it as an ambush and Jumblat's Progressive Socialist Party accusing the minister's bodyguards of forcing their way and opening fire on protesters.

Arslan Warns of Attempts to Cover Up for Ones Involved in Qabrshmoun Incident

Naharnet/July 04/2019
Head of the Lebanese Democratic Party MP Talal Arslan on Thursday echoed a stern warning from attempts to hand over innocent people to cover up for the actual perpetrators of Qabrshmoun incident, which strongly shook civil peace and state security alike, the National News Agency reported. Arslan reiterated President Michel Aoun’s words with concern to the fact that there were two different paths to deal with Qabrshmoun incident. "First, there's the judicial track to punish the agitators and the perpetrators; second, there's the political track which is based on national basis for the establishment of the Republic," Arslan added."This is our clear and honest position; there is no room for approving any other futile proposals," Arslan added, thanking the security forces and Major General Abbas Ibrahim for their efforts.

Activists end protest in front of Beirut municipality
NNA -Thu 04 Jul 2019
Activists from the civil society and "Sabaa" and "National Dialogue" parties have ended their protest in front of Beirut municipality, National News Agency correspondent reported on Thursday.

Geagea to Aoun: Don’t Let Anyone Spoil Your Presidential Term

Naharnet/July 04/2019
Leader of the Lebanese Forces Party Samir Geagea on Thursday addressed a message to President Michel Aoun, urging him to intervene to save his presidential term, the National News Agency reported. “This is your presidential term, do not allow anyone to spoil it,” Geagea said, in reference to Aoun’s son-in-law, Foreign Minister and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jeban Bassil without naming him. Geagea explained that the first message he addressed from Verdun was that "there is no problem between the Druze and the Christians in the Mountain,” stressing adherence to a historic 2001 so-called Mountain Reconciliation between the Druze and Christians. "We have proved to be a large Christian party that is strongly present in the Mountain. We are committed to the Reconciliation of the Mountain until the end. All parties must exert efforts to preserve and protect it and avoid any behavior or speech that could negatively affect it," he said in an interview with French-language Beirut newspaper L'Orient Le Jour. Geagea said the "Maarab agreement is firm and stable,” in reference to the 2016 agreement between the onetime foes, himself and FPM founder Aoun. Geagea had withdrawn from the presidential race in favor of Aoun endorsing him for the head of State post.“Despite all the differences with Bassil we are keen on it. Those differences should in no way hinder reconciliation with the FPM,” he said. "We are also keen to maintain good relations with Prime Minister Saad Hariri," said Geagea. "As for the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblat, our good relations with him stem from the Mountain Reconciliation,” he said.

Report: Bkirki Urges Appeasement, Says Christian-Druze Reconciliation Must Be Stabilized

Naharnet/July 04/2019
Following the Qabrshmoun shooting incident, Bkirki emphasized that it will spare no effort to stabilize the Christian-Druze reconciliation, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday. “Bkirki refuses any imbalance between the same members of the Druze community or between the Christians and the Druze. Bkirki will spare no effort to stabilize the reconciliation and stop any attempts to destabilize it,” unnamed Bkirki sources told the daily. “Bkirki believes that any defect in any region of Lebanon also affects it in the core. National unity and understanding between all the Lebanese, within a single sect or between different sects and religions, is required today more than ever before,” added the sources. Sunday’s deadly shooting in the Aley town of Qabrshmoun, triggered tension between the Progressive Socialist Party of Druze leader Walid Jumblat, and the Christian Free Patriotic Movement of Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil. Concerns arose that the tension would “shake” a historic 2001 recociliation between the Christians and Druze. On Sunday, PSP supporters closed roads in Qabrshmoun to prevent Bassil from touring the region. Moreover, an armed clash erupted between the convoy of Saleh al-Gharib, the minister of state handling refugee issues, and the people who were closing the road to prevent Bassil from passing. Two guards were killed and one person was critically injured. Sunday’s move reportedly came as a reaction to Bassil’s “provocative” political rhetoric. Reconciliation between the Druze and Christian communities came to fruition on August 8, 2001, when the Maronite Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir made a historic visit to the Chouf and met with the Druze and Chouf leader, Walid Jumblat.

Several Injured, Missing as Station's Fuel Tanks Explode in Bakhoun

Naharnet/July 04/2019
Several people were injured Wednesday as fuel tanks exploded at the al-Shahrouq station in the Dinniyeh district town of Bakhoun. The blast fully destroyed the two-story station amid ambiguity over the fate of its five workers, the National News Agency said. Nearby shops and houses were also damaged by the explosion according to TV networks.

Lebanese 'Game Cooks' Wins the VR and Beyond Challenge for Burj Khalifa Dubai

Naharnet/July 04/2019
Game Cooks, a leading gaming studio of mobile and Virtual Reality (VR) content based in San Francisco and Beirut, has won the “VR and Beyond” challenge organized by Dubai Future Accelerators in partnership with Burj Khalifa and HTC Vive Middle East.
Game Cooks competed with around 115 VR companies from around the world and was shortlisted among 6 finalists before earning the first rank. The event organizers had invited VR developers and companies to build VR content for Burj Khalifa to enhance visitors’ experience. The competition rewards the most captivating and memorable user experience in virtual reality. Game Cooks’ award winning VR experience entitled “Dubai – A Rising Falcon” was developed in a record time for the event. It earned them the first prize of AED 500,000 and the publishing of their VR experience on HTC VIVE’s Viveport. The company will also get to install its VR experience at the top of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world and a global icon, making it accessible to millions of visitors. On this occasion, Games Cooks founder and CEO Lebnan Nader said: “This award goes not only to our team of dedicated and creative developers, but also to Lebanon because it is a reminder that our country holds an impressive pool of talents whose creativity, knowledge and competence drive their success anywhere in the world no matter the conditions or the competition.”He continued: “The VR gaming industry is expected to grow significantly over the coming five years and to bring new dynamics for both consumers and businesses. Our aim is to pursue our efforts in creating immersive experiences, new levels of interaction and new gaming content. As VR technology evolves, we will keep contributing to an elevated VR gaming experience in our home country Lebanon, the region and throughout the world.”On his final note, Nader hoped to inspire young Lebanese developers and entrepreneurs to pursue their endeavors and to know that perseverance is key to success.

Nostalgia bridges past and future at Beirut Design Week 2019
Maysaa Ajjan and Mohamad Shour/Annahar/July 04/2019
An interesting lineup of local and international creatives will uncover the theme of nostalgia through a series of workshops, exhibitions, and talks.
BEIRUT: Nostalgia has always been integral in post-war Lebanese culture; looking back sentimentally at what existed before this upheaval.
With the recent revival of specific trends in architecture, crafts, fashion, advertising, and other sectors, many artists have come forward to “reclaim” this lost culture, a movement that is perfectly captured by the Beirut Design Week, 2019.
This year, artists, tech innovators, designers, and thinkers collectively explore the concept of nostalgia through the lens of present and future designs in a signature event which takes place from July 1 to July 7. An interesting lineup of local and international creatives will uncover the theme through a series of workshops, exhibitions, and talks.
“We came up with the theme of nostalgia because it’s a very relevant theme to us today, especially with all the technological advancements around us,” Rola Ghotmeh, founder of The Creative 9 agency, and this year’s managing director for Beirut Design Week, told Annahar.
She added: “We see that people today have a lot of questions on whether to move on to the future and forget the past, or to draw inspiration from the past and move to a better future."The event’s first talk was about pursuing creativity through time and space by Danish designer Johannes Torpe, who, since the age of five, has been influenced by the sci-fi culture through his mother. “Everything comes from nostalgia, even when you’re talking about futurism,” Torpe told Annahar, adding: “You have to have the memory storage to draw upon in order to create something new.”
After that came a panel led by NAHNOO organization, a youth-led NGO that works on good governance, preserving public spaces, and preserving cultural heritage. Their talk, titled “Crafting Future Heritage,” revolved around the history and modernization of crafts and their link to the Armenian culture in Beirut, specifically Bourj Hammoud.
The participants, which included household names like Joanne Bajjaly from Biladiorganization and Arpi Magassarian from Badgeur center, also spoke of empowering rural women through teaching them how to do “mouneh” (traditional storage of homemade goods) and market themselves.
On Wednesday morning, type designer Pascal Zoghby, who is also a calligrapher, gave a talk on how Arabic typography continues to define itself in the age of technology and design. “We aspire to give designers a wide variety of styles to allow them to have different voices, as with various approaches, the Arabic letter becomes geometric in its structure,” Zoghby said during his talk. Zoghby had the chance to delve deeper into the geometric structures of the Arabic letter, with a workshop that followed his talk. Participants were given the chance for a hands-on experience, where they were asked to create their own “kufic” lettering based on their choice of dialect. They then created posters using their own "kufic" designs.
Taking place in parallel with the curated talks and workshops, were the exhibitions and installations of some Beirut’s most prominent artists. From Hamra to Mar Mikhael to Bourj Hammoud, these installations merged the concepts of old and new to create a modern take on art with a nostalgic effect.
“My work is all about nostalgia; it’s about looking back in order to look forward,” conceptual designer Nada Debs, who was displaying part of her marquetry mania collection at Starco, told Annahar. “People see my products and they always think it reminds them of their parents or grandparents. It’s a modern memory; this is how we define ourselves,” she continued. Plasticine artist and designer, Sibylle Abillama, was also one of the participating artists to display her work at her boutique in Gemmayze. “The first thing that popped in my head was old objects like cassettes, old phones, coasters, shishas and handbags,” said Abillama. “I remembered the golden days of Beirut and I always think to myself ‘where are you, Beirut?’” she added. The event carries on into the weekend, where many more exhibitions, talks, and workshops await the attendees.

The forgotten Lebanese
Advocacy groups have come a long way in voicing the concerns of disabled individuals but we still have a long way to go.
Joseph Hchaime/Annahar/July 04/2019
I graduated from college in finance and economics a few years back. I took courses in finance, economics, management, and accounting. I sent out my resume to various companies. Like many Lebanese in this difficult economy, with youth unemployment at 37%, I struggled to obtain a job. After numerous rejections, which I absorbed with patience, I shook off the disappointment, and armed with our renowned Lebanese optimism, kept trying. Finally, perseverance paid off, and after many more interviews, I landed my dream job, with a prestigious multi-national organization — one of the Big 4 accounting firms.
The job was challenging and fulfilling, but a few weeks later, I was admitted to the hospital because I had suppressed my physiological need to go to the bathroom for the whole day, which caused a severe kidney infection. You may ask yourself why I did that, but, you see, I’m physically challenged, and due to the workspace not being accessible, it would require me to go through the embarrassment of asking my coworkers to help me up and down the stairs to the bathroom, and assist me inside, while I interrupted their work several times a day.
It didn’t start with this company. I was born this way. The statistics were stacked against me, but for whatever reason, here I am, and I love life, and I have a tiny spot in this vast universe. Life was a struggle from day one, as I was in and out of operating rooms since I was literally one day old, undergoing over twenty surgeries as of this writing, not including minor procedures. When friends of mine stand at the top of the Saint Nicholas stairs in Achrafieh, they gaze down and see quaint, old, romantic stairs, that they descend and admire the cute cafes on each side. I also see that beauty, but also a nightmare that I cannot surpass, that I cannot easily enjoy, without significant assistance and inconvenience for my friends or relatives.
In college, I thought it would get easier, but I was wrong. I had to be shuttled from one building to the next, with no attempt by the administration to accommodate people like me, with suitable alternatives. But I graduated, nonetheless. Since then, I have not been able to find work in any company with an accessible workplace. I have been invited to many job interviews, and even though my qualifications were more than sufficient for the job, the workplaces were not properly prepared to host people like me, with ramps, accessible toilets, and other basics that fellow citizens take for granted.
Banks and multinational corporations, which pride themselves on their Corporate Social Responsibility policy, have continuously disregarded the needs of the physically challenged, be it employees or clients. Even government buildings, such as the Sérail, do not have accessibility ramps at the entrance.
When I went for my driving license, I had to climb a flight of stairs in an old building to take my exam, but I could not do the practical test because they did not have a car with hand controls.
When I give my car to the valet, invariably, I have to ask them for assistance to get to my destination. In the few parking garages, with spots reserved for us, they are usually occupied with cars driven by people who think we don’t exist or maybe don’t care.
Advocacy groups have come a long way in voicing the concerns of disabled individuals but we still have a long way to go.
Recently, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia organized a seminar in Beirut focused on the inclusion of the disabled in the workplace. The speakers admitted that not enough was being done to improve the conditions needed to accommodate challenged individuals and promised to do more, but, unfortunately, nothing practical has materialized since.
Back in 2000, the Lebanese Parliament adopted Law 220, which safeguards the rights of disabled persons in the workplace, including a 3% mandatory hiring quota; however, it went largely unenforced. Minister Gibran Basil hired a consultant with special needs, which gave us a lot of hope, and we’re looking forward to some positive change in the future. Many agencies provided us with assistance, and we’re highly appreciative, but what we’re really looking for is not handouts. We want to be productive members of society and contribute in our own right, through our work, our ideas, our brains, and our creativity. All we need is a small push, by employers voluntarily complying with existing laws, to help us unleash our huge potential and become full citizens of this beautiful country. Given the economic conditions in the country, I can understand how this is not an urgent matter for the government. Tens of thousands of people were physically handicapped during the war, and others, like me, know nothing else. They call the war survivors living martyrs — but we’re not martyrs, and damn it — we’re very much alive.
*Joseph Hchaime is a financial consultant, author, and motivational blogger. He is also an activist for social inclusion and equality.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 04-05/2019
Iran says it can talk to US if sanctions lifted, Khamenei permits
Reuters/Dubai Thursday, 4 July 2019
Iran’s intelligence minister said Tehran and Washington could hold talks only if the United States ended its sanctions and Iran’s top authority allowed the talks between the arch foes, state news agency IRNA reported on Thursday. “Holding talks with America can be reviewed by Iran only if (US President Donald) Trump lifts the sanctions and our supreme leaders gives permission to hold such talks,” said Mahmoud Alavi on late Wednesday. “Americans were scared of Iran’s military power that is the reason behind their decision to abort the decision to attack Iran.”Trump said last month that he aborted a military strike to retaliate for Iran’s downing of an unmanned US drone on June 20 because it could have killed 150 people, and signaled he was open to talks with Tehran. On Wednesday, President Trump warned Iran that its threats could “come back to bite” after Tehran vowed to exceed the maximum uranium enrichment level allowed by the 2015 nuclear deal. Rouhani said Wednesday’s decision to exceed the enrichment limit was in response to failure by other parties to the deal to keep up their promises and provide Iran relief from the US sanctions.

Trump warns Iran to be ‘careful with threats’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya/English Thursday, 4 July 2019
US President Donald Trump warned Iran Wednesday its threats could “come back to bite” after Tehran vowed to exceed the maximum uranium enrichment level allowed by the 2015 nuclear deal. “Iran has just issued a New Warning. Rouhani says that they will Enrich Uranium to ‘any amount we want’ if there is no new Nuclear Deal,” Trump tweeted, referring to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani. “Be careful with the threats, Iran. They can come back to bite you like nobody has been bitten before!” Iran is acting on its May 8 threat to suspend parts of the agreement in response to Trump’s reimposition of crippling sanctions after withdrawing from it in May last year. Rouhani said Wednesday’s decision to exceed the enrichment limit was in response to failure by other parties to the deal to keep up their promises and provide Iran relief from the US sanctions. The enrichment maximum set in the agreement is sufficient for power generation but far below the more than 90 percent level required for a nuclear weapon.

Syria, Iran Coordinate After Israeli Raids
Damascus, London- Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 July, 2019
Syria is ready to retaliate against Israel’s recent deadly airstrikes “twice as harsh”, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad announced Tuesday. “Syria is always ready to reciprocate twice as harsh” against Israeli attacks, according to Mekdad who was speaking at a press conference after a meeting between Foreign Minister Walid Moallem with senior aide of the Iranian foreign minister Ali-Asghar Khaji. He called on the United States and the UN Security Council to be aware of the danger of such developments because Syria would not be silent about its rights to retaliate against the strikes.
“The world, the UN Security Council and the United Nations itself need to understand the danger of such a development since Syria will not keep silent about its right.”Mekdad indicated that Syria "is at war with Israel everywhere", fighting terrorist groups that Tel Aviv uses as “tools”.
Regarding relations with Iran, Mekdad stressed that they are “strategic, pointing out that the explosive situation in the region requires more coordination and mutual visits. On the cooperation between Damascus and Tehran in dealing with the impact of the sanctions on the two countries, Mekdad Syria signed hundreds of economic and political agreements with Iran, and discussed activating them, and strengthening cooperation in light of the harsh sanctions against both countries. For his part, the Iranian official described the talks in Damascus as “very constructive”, adding that there were extensive talks on the need to activate and develop bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields. Khaji pointed out that he discussed in Damascus positive and constructive developments in Syria, and that there was a common emphasis on the need to consolidate and strengthen the strategic and distinguished relations between the two brotherly countries. Meanwhile, Russia announced Tuesday that Israeli raids in Syria blatantly violated Syria's sovereignty. Russia has maintained close ties with Syria and Israel despite tensions between the two neighbors during the Syrian civil war. Moscow said Tuesday Israel was behind a series of airstrikes on targets in Syria on Monday morning, adding that six Israeli fighter jets operating inside Lebanese airspace conducted the pre-dawn raid. Sixteen people were reportedly killed during Monday’s strikes, including six civilians.
“We are concerned about this alarming development of the situation,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a press briefing. Force actions that grossly violate the sovereignty of Syria, not only do not contribute to the normalization of the situation in this country, but also carry a threat of regional destabilization, Zakharova noted.

Erdogan Offers to Mediate Between Washington, Tehran
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 July, 2019
Ankara expressed its willingness to mediate between Tehran and Washington to ease tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.
In comments published Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had discussed the issue of a possible mediation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting. Abe asked Erdogan whether Turkey and Japan could act together, to which Erdogan responded that he would be willing to meet with Iran’s leaders, the Associated Press reported. Erdogan spoke to Turkish journalists during a visit to China and his statements were published in the pro-government Sabah newspaper. Earlier, Iran warned that it will increase its enrichment of uranium as tensions rise a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Meanwhile, Turkey-US ties are under strain over Ankara's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system, which is due for delivery in the coming days. Erdogan said it would be "robbery" for the United States to deny Turkey the F-35 fighter jets it has bought, according to comments published on Thursday. Washington has threatened to cancel Turkey's order of 116 F-35 fighter jets and kick it off the training and production programme, as well as wider economic sanctions, Reuters reported. "If you seek a customer, and a customer comes forward and makes payments like clockwork, how can you not give that customer their goods? This would be robbery," Erdogan was quoted as saying by Hurriyet daily. However, after meeting Trump on the sidelines of the G20, Erdogan said he had been assured there would be no sanctions, while Trump blamed the previous adminstration of Barack Obama for failing to finalize a deal for Turkey to buy the American Patriot system instead of the S-400. According to Reuters, Turkey has previously said Russia offered a better deal including joint production.
In his latest comments, Erdogan said Trump's attitude was "praiseworthy."

Erdogan Says US Refusal to Deliver F-35 Jets Would Be 'Robbery'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 04/2019
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it would be "robbery" for the United States to deny Turkey the F-35 fighter jets it has bought, according to comments published on Thursday. Turkey-US ties are under serious strain over Ankara's purchase of the Russian S-400 air defence system, which is due for delivery in the coming days. In response, Washington has threatened to cancel Turkey's order of 116 F-35 fighter jets and kick it off the training and production programme, as well as wider economic sanctions. "If you seek a customer, and a customer comes forward and makes payments like clockwork, how can you not give that customer their goods? This would be robbery," Erdogan was quoted as saying by Hurriyet daily. He said Turkey had already paid $1.4 billion, while its defence industry has ploughed significant sums into the warplanes' production. The acting US defence secretary, Patrick Shanahan, wrote a letter to Ankara last month, warning that Turkish pilots would be expelled from the US if the S-400 deal was not cancelled by July 31. But after meeting his US counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan on Saturday, Erdogan said he had been assured there would be no sanctions.
Trump blamed the previous adminstration of Barack Obama for failing to finalise a deal for Turkey to buy the American Patriot system instead of the S-400. Turkey has previously said Russia offered a better deal including joint production. In his latest comments, Erdogan said Trump's attitude was "praiseworthy".

Ships Vanish to Evade Sanctions on Iran
New York - Michael Forsythe and Ronen Bergman/The New York Times/Thursday, 4 July, 2019
A week ago, a small tanker ship approached the Arabian Gulf after a 19-day voyage from China. The captain, as required by international rules, reported the ship’s position, course, speed and another key detail: It was riding high in the water, meaning it was probably empty.
Then the Chinese-owned ship, the Sino Energy 1, went silent and essentially vanished from the grid. It reported in again on Sunday, near the spot where it had vanished six days earlier, only now it was heading east, away from the Strait of Hormuz near Iran. If past patterns hold, the captain will soon report that it is riding low in the water, meaning its tanks are most likely full. As the Trump administration’s sanctions on Iranian oil and petrochemical products have taken hold, some of the world’s shipping fleets have defied the restrictions by “going dark” when they pick up cargo in Iranian ports, according to commercial analysts who track shipping data and intelligence from authorities in Israel.
“They are hiding their activity,” said Samir Madani, co-founder of TankerTrackers.com, a company that uses satellite imagery to identify tankers calling on Iranian ports. “They don’t want to broadcast the fact that they have been in Iran, evading sanctions. It’s that simple.”
A maritime treaty overseen by a United Nations agency requires ships of 300 tons or more that travel international routes to have an automatic identification system. The gear helps avoid collisions and aids in search-and-rescue operations. It also allows countries to monitor shipping traffic. Foreign companies doing business with American companies or banks risk being punished by the United States under the sanctions, which went into effect last November.
“We have sanctioned dozens of Chinese state-owned enterprises for nuclear, missile, arms and other forms of proliferation ... but it is not entered into lightly,” said Richard Nephew, a research scholar at Columbia University who oversaw Iran policy on the National Security Council during the Obama administration. Brian Hook, the United States special representative for Iran, told reporters in London on Friday that the United States would punish any country importing Iranian oil. Hook was responding to a question about reports of Iranian oil going to Asia.
American and Israeli intelligence agencies say the country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps is deeply entwined with its petrochemical industry, using oil revenues to swell its coffers. Trump has labeled the military group a terrorist organization. Iran has been trying to work around the American sanctions by offering “significant reductions” in price for its oil and petrochemical products, said Gary Samore, a professor at Brandeis University who worked on weapons issues in the Obama administration. Last month, the Salina, an Iranian-flagged oil tanker under American sanctions, docked in Jinzhou Bay, a port in northeastern China, according to data from VesselsValue, a website that analyzes global shipping information. The Salina regularly reported its position, course and speed via the automatic identification system.
Oil tankers like the Salina, which can transport as much as a million barrels of crude, or about 5 percent of the daily consumption of the United States, are so big that they can call on only a limited number of ports. They are also more easily spotted by satellites than smaller ships like the Sino Energy 1.
That vessel, and its more than 40 sister ships, are far more difficult to track when they go off the grid. They were owned until April by a subsidiary of Sinochem, a state-owned company in China that is one of the world’s biggest chemical manufacturers.
Sinochem has extensive business ties in the United States. It has an office in Houston and works with big American companies including Boeing and Exxon Mobil. In March, it signed an agreement with Citibank to “deepen the partnership” between the two companies, Sinochem said. In 2013, a United States subsidiary of Sinochem bought a 40 percent stake in a Texas shale deposit for $1.7 billion.
Frank Ning, the chairman of Sinochem, speaking in a brief interview in Dalian, China, said that shipping had not been central to the company’s business. In a statement, the company said it had “adopted strict compliance policies and governance on export control and sanctions,” though a former employee who had helped manage the shipping business, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the company had shipped petrochemicals from Iran for years. The tracking data also show that some of the Sinochem ships made trips to Iran before the fleet was sold, and both before and after the American sanctions went into effect. In April 2018, for example, one of the ships, the SC Brilliant, was moored at Asalouyeh, a major Iranian petrochemical depot on the Arabian Gulf. After Trump’s announcement last August that he would reimpose sanctions on Iran’s petroleum industry, the SC Brilliant’s voyages became less transparent.
In late September and early October, shortly before the sanctions took effect, the ship went off the grid for 10 days in the same stretch of the Strait of Hormuz where the Sino Energy 1 disappeared last week. When the SC Brilliant went off the grid, it appeared empty; when it re-emerged, it appeared full. The pattern was repeated in February, with the ship disappearing for four days, according to the tracking data. That month, another Sinochem ship, the SC Neptune, stopped transmitting its position when it approached the Strait of Hormuz, the tracking data show. Four days later, for a brief period, it appeared back on the grid, transmitting its location from an export terminal on Iran’s Kharg Island. It then went quiet for another 24 hours, reappearing on its way out of the strait. In some parts of the world, including the South China Sea, it is not uncommon for ships to go silent because the automatic identification system may be overloaded by the volume of vessels, said Court Smith, a former officer in the United States Coast Guard who is now an analyst at VesselsValue. Sometimes they do so for competitive reasons, he added. But in the Arabian Gulf, where traffic is lighter, Smith said, vessels generally do not turn off the system, known in the industry as A.I.S. “If the A.I.S. signal is lost, it is almost certainly because the A.I.S. transponder has been disabled or turned off,” Smith said of ships in the Arabian Gulf. “The captain has decided to turn off the A.I.S.” Another possible clue that Iran-bound ships are disabling their reporting systems is that ships making trips to countries on the western part of the gulf are not going off the grid.

Palestinians Demand UNESCO Permanent Representative in Jerusalem
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 July, 2019
A group of Israeli settlers led by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Uri Ariel stormed on Wednesday Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, causing tension amid a call for The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to have an observer in the occupied city. Head of media and public relations in the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem Journalist Firas Dibs said Ariel and a group of settlers forced their way into the holy site and toured it under heavy security measures, carrying out Talmudic rituals in its squares. The move came in light of restrictions imposed by Israel on Palestinians wanting to enter the mosque. The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs denounced these break-ins, demanding an end to what it called an arrogance that will have undesirable consequences. It also condemned the occupation policy aimed at displacing Palestinians by destroying their homes and carrying out execution-style killings. Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque compound almost on a daily basis, creating a tense situation. Last June, 2,857 Jewish extremists stormed the holy site, according to Palestinian data. Palestinians accuse Israel of seeking to change the status quo at the site.Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has called on UNESCO to send a permanent observer to Jerusalem. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Maliki  stressed that this step aims at observing Israel’s violations and judaistic and destructive measures to obliterate historical, cultural and religious landmarks or change the status quo. “The Palestinian diplomacy will foil all their attempts to destroy our heritage, our culture, our history and to change facts on ground,” he added. Maliki highlighted the importance of international legal institutions, including UNESCO, to expose the Israeli occupational plans based on annihilating others and creating a new reality of illusions. The occupation fears history and cultural heritage, Maliki said, calling on UN organizations, especially UNESCO, to protect the heritage, culture and history of Jerusalem, "the capital of the State of Palestine.” Maliki's statement was made one day after the UN World Heritage Committee adopted a draft resolution on the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls during its session in Baku.

Oman Denies Establishing Ties with Israel
Ramallah - Kifah Ziboun Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 July, 2019
Oman denied on Tuesday it was establishing ties with Israel. A reliable source at Oman’s Foreign Ministry rejected the statements of Director of the Mossad Yossi Cohen on renewing ties with the sultanate. Oman’s Foreign Ministry said in a tweet that such claims were “baseless.”“The Sultanate is keen to make efforts to prepare diplomatic conditions favorable to restoring contacts between all international and regional parties in order to work to achieve peace between the Palestinian Authority and the State of Israel’s government, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state,” it added. Yossi Cohen said at the Herzliya Conference, hosted by the Interdisciplinary Center this week, that: “Just recently, renewal of formal relations with Oman was declared and the establishment of a representative office of the Foreign Ministry in that country.” “That is only the visible tip of a much broader secret effort,” he added. “We do not yet have with them official peace treaties, but there is already a commonality of interests, broad cooperation and open channels of communication.” Israel and Oman opened trade representative offices in the 1990s, but in 2000 the Gulf sultanate closed them. On the 26th of June, Oman said it would open an embassy in the Palestinian territories, however, the step was greeted warily by Palestinians. Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi welcomed countries' recognition of the state of Palestine and opening embassies but warned Oman against using the new embassy as a step toward establishing formal relations with Israel. “If this has a political price attached then certainly there will be ramifications,” she said. The authority’s announcement coincided with the convention of the second and last day of "Peace to Prosperity" workshop in Manama that presented the economic aspect of the US peace-plan in the Middle East – known as the Deal of the Century -- Palestinians boycotted this conference.
Oman played a key role in narrowing the divergencies in views between Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the Palestinian cause.

Pederson Visits Moscow to Complete Formation of Syria Constitutional Committee

Moscow - Raed Jabr/ Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 July, 2019
UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is expected to visit Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other officials on stepping up efforts to form Syria’s constitutional committee. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin told journalists that the UN envoy will be in Moscow for two days, saying the meeting between Lavrov and Pedersen is scheduled for Friday. Diplomatic sources revealed that Moscow wants to discuss with the envoy his vision on ways to resume Syria’s political process. They said Russian officials will put a special focus on the establishment of the constitutional committee to launch its work the soonest. The decision to set up the committee was agreed during the Syrian National Dialogue Congress held in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on January 30, 2018. The committee, tasked with drafting the country’s main laws, would include representatives of the Syrian government and opposition, as well as civil society members. In the battlefield, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday that the “fiercest military operation” launched by Russia and the Syrian regime in northwest Syria entered its 65th day. The Observatory said that this operation has failed at all levels, because despite the unlimited Russian support to Syrian regime forces and their allied militias, and despite launching around 46,000 airstrikes and ground assaults, the Syrian forces advanced in only 20 areas in the countryside of Hama and Idlib.

Three French women arrested in Turkey for ISIS links
AFP/Ankara Thursday, 4 July 2019
Three French citizens suspected of belonging to ISIS extremist group were detained along with nine children as they tried to enter Turkey from Syria, Turkish media reported on Thursday. Turkish authorities stopped the three women, sought by Interpol and identified by their initials JC, CA and MD, in the border province of Kilis, according to state news agency Anadolu. A security source told AFP that JC referred to Jennifer Clain, niece of the brothers Fabien and Jean-Michel Clain, who claimed responsibility on behalf of ISIS for the attacks that hit the Bataclan nightclub and other Paris locations in November 2015. She is also married to Kevin Gonot, a French citizen sentenced to death in Iraq last May for his role in ISIS. Anadolu said 12 people had been arrested and were being transferred to immigration authorities awaiting their expulsion from Turkey. In the first years after the Syrian conflict began in 2011, Turkey was the main point of entry for foreign fighters seeking to join extremist groups. Accused of turning a blind eye to the problem, Ankara later tightened border controls and began widespread arrests and extraditions, especially after a spate of devastating extremist attacks in Turkey.

Canada condemns attack on migrant and refugee centre in Libya
July 3, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario, Global Affairs Canada
Global Affairs Canada today issued the following statement:
“Canada strongly condemns the airstrike on the migrant and refugee detention centre in Tajoura, Libya, that occurred today. Our thoughts are with the wounded and the families of those killed in this attack.
“Canada calls on all parties to the armed conflict in Libya to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, including ensuring the protection of civilians and allowing safe, rapid, and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance for those in need.
“Canada reiterates the call for all parties to implement a ceasefire and work towards political reconciliation in Libya, under UN-led efforts.”

Kuwaiti Finance Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote
Kuwait - Merza al-Khuwaldi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 July, 2019
Kuwaiti Finance Minister Nayef al-Hajraf survived Wednesday a parliamentary no-confidence vote called in response to a grilling motion tabled by 10 lawmakers on June 25. Hajraf won 32 votes against 16 in the no-confidence session attended by 48 lawmakers. It was the second time for the finance minister to survive a no-confidence vote in less than a month, the first time being on June 11. Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah congratulated the minister on the parliament’s renewed confidence. “You have placed confidence in me for the second time,” Hajraf told lawmakers after the vote. “This trust implies a major victory not for me personally, but for our democratic course of action,” he added. The minister expressed frustration at the misleading campaigns through various media platforms and social media websites against laws and legislation.
National Assembly Speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim opened Wednesday’s session with four items on its agenda including the no-confidence motion in addition to reviewing the financial situation of the country and seven reports on investigation requests in a number of topics. The MPs who submitted the motion are Riyadh al-Adsani, Abdulkarim al-Kandari, Thamer al-Suwait, Khaled al-Otaibi, Bader al-Mulla, Adel al-Damkhi, Abdulwahab al-Babtain, Farraj al-Arbeed, Majed al-Mutairi, and Mohammad al-Mutair. Adel al-Damkhi stated that the interpellation concerns a significant category of the society (the retired) and results from his pledge to resolve the case of exorbitant interests on retirement loans. However, MP Nayef Al-Mardas defended the minister, saying he was cooperative in resolving this case and has shown tangible steps by attending four meetings of the financial and economic affairs committee.

Iraq: ISIS Sleeper Cells Revived on Demand
Baghdad- Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 July, 2019
The ISIS terrorist organization doesn’t pose a serious threat to Iraq, however, its sleeper cells are dangerous, according to Iraqi officials and security experts. Iraqi leaders and officials still believe the military institution is capable of inflicting defeats on ISIS cells, despite warnings against the emergence of new ranks of the terrorist organization, according to a US report released this week. The only thing ISIS is capable of doing now is to occupy the security forces and services, claims security expert Fadel Abu Raghef. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the expert indicated that ISIS’ activity will not affect official bodies’ pursuit of the terrorist organization, questioning the organization’s ability to affect the security given that Iraqi intelligence and military performance have developed a lot during the past years, and local community’s rejection of these terrorists. Firefighters have successfully put out a fire at a strategic oil pipeline in northern Iraq that links oil-rich Kirkuk to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, a security source told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that the pipeline is currently not operational. The source explained that the fire started after six improvised explosive devices went off in succession in the Ain al-Jahsh village of Nineveh province’s Shura sub-district, 70 km south of Mosul. Sinjar mayor Mahma Khalil Agha warned of ISIS sleeper cells in the disputed Sinjar district between Erbil and Baghdad. Agha said in a statement that every now and then, these cells attack farmers and Yazidi farm workers in Gohbal village, near Jari. He added that four cars carrying armed fighters attacked farmers and Yazidi workers in the village, and the farmers thwarted the attack without any help from army units, which did not lift a finger. The mayor called for the replacement of the army forces in the region because of their inability to control security. He pointed out that the activities of these sleeper terrorist cells can bring back migration among Yazidis, and lead to disruption of all plans devised by the Iraqi government for the return of displaced persons to their areas. In other news, directorate of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) announced the death of two ISIS elements and the destruction of four vehicles, south of Tal Afar to the west of Mosul. PMF’s “Security Media Unit” announced the death of four terrorists in a tunnel in Nineveh. The unit announced that during a pre-emptive operation, a joint force killed four terrorists who were inside a tunnel in the Sheikh Ibrahim mountain range.

Australia Seeks to Ban Extremists' Return for 2 Years
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 July, 2019
Australia's government on Thursday proposed new laws that would prevent extremist Australians from returning home for up to two years, as the country prepares for the repatriation of ISIS supporters from the Middle East. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton introduced the legislation based on British law as part of a raft of counterterrorism and asylum seeker bills in the first parliamentary session since elections in May, the Associated Press reported. The law would give Dutton the power to prevent suspected Australian extremists from returning home for up to two years while law enforcement authorities made plans to manage the risk posed. The orders could also apply to Australians who intelligence agencies assess to be a "risk to security for reasons related to politically motivated violence." According to the AP, Dutton said 230 Australians had flown to Syria and Iraq to fight with extremist groups since 2012. "Around 80 are still active in conflict zones. The advice of Australia's national security agencies is that many Australians of counterterrorism concern who have traveled to Iraq and Syria to engage in that conflict are likely to seek to return to Australia in the very near future," Dutton told Parliament. "This bill will ensure that law enforcement agencies can effectively manage these returns in a way that will reduce the threat to the Australian community," he added. The order could not be applied to an Australian under 14 years old. When considering making an order against children aged 15 to 17, Dutton must make the child's interests his primary consideration. The orders can be appealed to review boards, but the reasons might not be revealed if the disclosure of that information was not in the public interest, Dutton said. Dutton said the need for such orders was highlighted on Tuesday when 20-year-old Sydney man Isaak el Matari was arrested and charged with plotting a terrorist attack in Sydney and attempting to fly to Afghanistan to fight with ISIS. Matari had returned to Australia in June last year from Lebanon, where he had spent time in prison for allegedly attempting to travel to Syria to fight. He underwent a deradicalization program on his return to Sydney and was under continuous police surveillance.

Japan Voices Readiness to Act as Impartial Peace Broker in Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
London/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 04/2019
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, in an interview with sister news outlet Arab News, voiced his belief in Tokyo needing to undertake a key pro-peace political role in the Middle East generally, and the Arab world in particular. “We can play an honest broker in the Middle East, as we have no colonial history or negative footprint in the region,” Kono told Arab News’ Editor-in-Chief Faisal J.Abbas in Tokyo. The senior diplomat also underscored that it was in his country’s best interest to establish and consolidate regional stability. “Our energy depends on imports, mostly from the Gulf region. Forty percent of crude oil we import comes from Saudi Arabia and 80 percent of crude oil we import goes through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as 20 percent of our natural gas. So stability and peace in the Middle East are directly connected to our economy,” he said. Reflecting Tokyo's awareness of dangers of the situation in the region, Kono’s remarks followed an attack last month which targeted a Japanese oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Tehran. While the United States was quick to blame Iran, Tokyo's official position was calm and reserved. Addressing the Arab-Israeli conflict, Kono said: “Japan has been investing quite heavily in the West Bank. We have worked with Palestinians, Israelis and Jordanians to set up an industrial park near Jericho and it’s been going very well. Also, Japan set up a framework called the CEAPAD (Conference in Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development) to bring Southeast Asia to this peace process. We wanted to share how we develop the Asian economy and we want to share our experience with Palestinians and people in the region.” When asked about the exceptional meeting that joined Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with Prime Minister Abe on the sidelines of the G20 summit and the bilateral relations between Japan and Saudi Arabia, Kono reiterated his country’s support for the Kingdom Vision 2030 and highlighted anticipation for growing shared relations. “Mainly we confirmed the progress of Japan and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. The Japanese government and the Japanese private sector are determined to support His Royal Highness’s reform agenda in the Kingdom, and when His Majesty King Salman visited Japan in 2017 we agreed on this Japan-Saudi Arabia Vision 2030,” Kono said. “Our relationship started out with Japan’s import of crude oil and export of automobiles, but we wanted to develop the relationship further, so it’s not limited to energy and industry, but this vision includes cultural exchange, entertainment and many other (aspects). “
Labelling the Saudi-Japanese relation as “diversified,” Kono noted that Abe and the Crown Prince had confirmed that much progress has been made. “So we agreed on the next stage, Japan-Saudi Arabia vision 2030 version 2. I think we can go even deeper in our bilateral relationship,” he reaffirmed.

Alarm Raised on Need for Vigilance for Saudi Tourists in Turkey
Riyadh – Saleh Al Zayd//Asharq Al-Awsat/July 04/2019
The Saudi Embassy in Turkey stressed to visiting Saudi nationals the need to maintain vigilance towards mobsters looking to steal passports and other valuable belongings, especially when moving around crowded public places. According to well-informed reports, provided by sources that requested anonymity and obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, at least 165 Saudi tourists had their passports stolen in a number of Turkish cities considered as a top tourist destination. Travel agencies, however, did point out that not as much Saudis are visiting Turkey nowadays when compared to previous records. Unrestrained crime is believed to have triggered the huge drop in numbers of Saudi tourists in 2019 compared to 2018. In a press release issued on Tuesday, the embassy called on Saudi citizens not to hesitate to call the embassy in Ankara or the consulate in Istanbul in case of any emergency. The 165 Saudi passports, according to unnamed sources, were stolen in three Turkish tourist spots in the past four months. Sources revealed that the tourists were targeted in the Istanbul neighborhoods of Taksim, Ortakoy and Besiktas. The tourists said the thefts took place while they were shopping or at restaurants. Charge d’Affaires at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul Meshary Al-Thyaby told Asharq Al-Awsat that the embassy and consulate were available around the clock to receive complaints from Saudi nationals. Embassy officials, as pledged by the official press release, would be dispatched to the scene of any reported theft.
“The thefts and pick-pocketing are not limited to Saudi tourists, but we have heard similar cases among Arab tourists,” Al-Thyaby stated.

Prominent Algeria Businessman Jailed for Corruption Amid News on Arrest of Sellal’s Son
Algiers - Boualem Goumrassa/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 04/2019
A court in Algiers sentenced Wednesday a prominent businessman to jail on corruption charges. Ahmed Mazouz, owner of a food company, is close to former premiers Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal, who are in prison on similar charges. The sentence was issued following an investigation carried out by the gendarmerie’s judicial police involving the financing of a factory on the assembly of Japanese-made cars. Investigations proved that Mazouz obtained concessions and loans from government banks to finance the project with Sellal’s intervention first between 2012 and 2017, and then Ouyahia from 2017 till 2019. The probe included projects run by members of Sellal and top Algerian businessman Ali Haddad’s families, judicial sources informed of the investigation told Asharq Al-Awsat. Activists in the opposition movement confirmed Wednesday that the gendarmerie has also arrested Sellal’s son for his relationship with Mazouz. Six of the country’s top businessmen and members of their families have been jailed. All of whom are close to former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, his imprisoned brother Said Bouteflika and Ouyahia and Sellal. Most of them had made major financial contributions to Bouteflika’s election campaigns in return for lucrative deals that allowed them to amass huge wealth. The judiciary has been clamping down on suspects in corruption cases after clear instructions from Army Commander General Gaed Salah. Salah has recently stressed in a statement that the future president will not tolerate corruption, sparking controversy that the army chief would exert control over the country’s next head of state. Meanwhile, the authorities were pressed on Wednesday to release war of liberation icon Lakhdar Bouregaa, who was imprisoned on charges of “contributing to weakening the army’s morale” and “insulting authorities.”Colonel Youcef al-Khatib, one of the most prominent war of liberation figures, called for releasing Bouregaa, who led battles under his supervision. In response to a campaign launched by state television against Bouregaa, Khatib said he joined the revolution in 1956 after leaving compulsory conscription. Bouregaa was part of the first regiments to spread the revolution and had several responsibilities as the officer of the famous Zubair battalion, which carried out several heroic operations against the French army, Khatib added.

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 04-05/2019
Opinion/Jared Kushner’s Plan for Palestine Is Even Crazier Than You Thought
تحليل سياسي من صحيفة الهىارتس: خطة جيريد كوشنر للفلسطينيين هي حتى أكثر جنوناً مما تتوقع
Teresita Cruz-Del Rosario and Victor Kattan/Haaretz/July 04/2019
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Kushner’s ‘economic peace’ plan repeatedly claims that occupied Palestine can model itself after Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. That’s certainly ambitious – but also ignorant, absurd and even dangerous.
Jared Kushner’s glossy “economic peace” plan has been widely, although not universally, panned.
Critics have attacked the plan from innumerable angles: from the photographs used to promote it, culled from USAID programs whose funding had been ended by the Trump administration, to the recycling of old, largely discredited ideas, associated with previous Israeli and U.S. plans that promoted economic development before a political plan.
None of these peace plans, including those that prioritized economic development ahead of a political program, have worked.
One key claim of the plan, largely overlooked by critics, are Kushner’s case studies, which are repeatedly referenced throughout the document: Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
These case studies are central to Kushner’s economic plan. If the models as analogies to Palestine do not work, then it could be argued, neither can his peace plan.
As we shall argue, Kushner’s attempt to apply Asian economic success stories to Palestine is like comparing apples to oranges.
Leaving Taiwan to the side for the moment, which is a special case, Kushner’s Asian economic models have all had a history of being independent states at some point; even if some of them like Japan and South Korea, were occupied by U.S. and Allied forces during wartime, the U.S. had a clear plan to restore their sovereignty after the war.
But Palestine is neither a sovereign state, nor is it clear that Israel or the U.S. want it to become one. Kushner has said nothing about the occupation, or ending it. He even told Axios that he was not certain the Palestinians could govern themselves.
Kushner’s plan is opaque on the key question of Palestinian territorial integrity, a foundational issue for economic policy and development. Will Israel be required to give up the settlement blocks in any future peace deal, or reform laws that give settlers the right to confiscate Palestinian lands?
David Friedman, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, told The New York Timesthat Israel had the “right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank.” This was widely interpreted as a signal that the U.S. may be planning to allow Israel to retain – in other words, annex – the settlement blocks. Area C, which amounts to 61 per cent of the West Bank, where most of the settlements are located, is largely off-limits for Palestinian economic development.
And the entire Gaza Strip has been subject to an air, land, and maritime blockade since 2007, where Egypt’s policies also cut off trade and free movement from that direction.
In contrast, Japan, South Korea and Singapore achieved spectacular economic growth rates in a relatively short period after independence, and were able to sustain this growth path over the long term because they were independent.
Singapore, for example, achieved First World status in less than half a century after independence in 1965, transforming itself from an entrepôt to a high-performing economy built on technological innovation and human resource development, despite its lack of natural resources, its small size, and its troubled political history.
Today, this tiny city-state boasts a per capita income of almost U.S. $60,000, making it one of the most prosperous in the world.
Singapore is not merely a “financial hub” or a “regional trading center” that Palestine could emulate if it were integrated into the economies of its neighbours as suggested on page 18 of the “Peace to Prosperity” economic plan. Singapore has been an independent state since 1965.
One of the keys to its success, after its separation from Malaysia, was the ability of its government to make its own decisions that were in the interests of its own people. It was not subject to the laws of another country.
Of great relevance to Palestine and Israel is Singapore’s public housing policy, enshrined in the overarching principle of universal ownership for all Singaporeans. Various financial schemes, such as subsidies and a range of grants, are available to the more vulnerable populations who cannot afford outright housing purchases.
Today, four-fifths of the population live in public housing, a far cry from the dispossession of many Palestinians, many of whom continue to live in makeshift housing in refugee camps where they are dependent on aid from UNRWA that the Trump administration has also cut.
Most important of all, Singapore’s policymakers pushed social cohesion by avoiding the emergence of ethnic enclaves, through the strict implementation of ethnic quotas in public housing estates. These quotas ensure that the different ethnic groups – Chinese, Malay and South Asian – are proportionately represented at the neighborhood and even block levels.
Unlike Israel or the West Bank, there are no mono-ethnic or settler enclaves in Singapore. This policy on social housing lies at the heart of inter-ethnic solidarity in Singapore, and has effectively ended the racial tensions that once gripped the city-state in the 1960s.
South Korea and Taiwan are particularly intriguing examples for Kushner to have brought to Bahrain.
Although Taiwan is not widely recognized by the international community as an independent state, its government, in contrast to the Palestinian Authority, has full control over its economy, including its airspace, land, and maritime borders.
Taiwan also enjoys autonomous trading relationships with a variety of countries including China, India, Australia, Japan, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands, among others.
While South Korea and Taiwan are relatively small countries without a rich natural resource base like Palestine, both countries underwent major land reform programs: Taiwan between 1949 and 1953, and South Korea in 1949, under the tutelage of the U.S. The extensive land redistribution programs in both countries broke the stronghold of potentially obstructive landlords, settlers and other disruptive social groups. In doing so, a base for entrepreneurial activity was created.
Kushner’s economic plan does not address the settler economy in the West Bank. Nor does it mention whether confiscated Palestinian lands would be returned to their owners. Nor does it address the fragility of Palestinian land ownership in Area C, where 18 per cent of the West Bank has been designated a closed military zone for IDF training, and where there are over thirty Israeli settlements established in contravention of international law.
Having successfully redistributed land to small farmers in South Korea and Taiwan, a class of rural entrepreneurs emerged whose livelihoods were derived from a mix of farm and off-farm sources. Rural incomes increased through a critical mass of small- and medium-size rural-based enterprises. In turn, these multiple enterprises spurred growth, productivity, employment, and equity.
By 1980, non-agricultural production rose in both countries, reflecting a fundamental change in the Taiwanese and Korean economies. For the first time, Taiwanese and Korean labor entered the industrial sector. Significantly, increased participation of the labor force in the wider economy led to increased incomes and to a relatively equitable distribution of wealth in these countries.
Today, South Korea is home to the some of the world’s biggest industrial conglomerates, known as chaebols, and Singapore is ranked as the most competitive economy in the world. Taiwan’s economy today is a dynamic capitalist economy driven by industrial output directed towards the global market demand for electronics, machinery and petrochemicals.
It ranks 13th in the world in terms of economic freedom and boasts a per capita income of US$53,023 in terms of purchasing power parity.
The lessons of these Asian economic success stories is fairly straightforward: sovereignty was key to transforming these states into Asian economic power houses embedded in strong states that could drive development policies.
Without this fundamental ingredient, even the best laid economic plans are bound to fail. At worst, these plans will perpetuate economic deprivation, unrest and violence.
*Victor Kattan is Senior Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore and an Associate Fellow at the Faculty of Law. Twitter: @VictorKattan
*Teresita Cruz-del Rosario is a Senior Research Associate at the Asian Research Institute at the National University Singapore and international development consultant for the Asian Development Bank. Twitter: @delrosatess
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/.premium-jared-kushner-s-plan-for-palestine-is-even-crazier-than-you-thought-1.7435303

 Trump on Iran – more bark than bite? - analysis
تحليل من الجيرازلم بوست ليونا جيرمي يتناول ترامب والعقوبات على إيران: صراخ من الأفعال
Yonah Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/July 04/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/76369/%d8%aa%d8%ad%d9%84%d9%8a%d9%84-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b2%d9%84%d9%85-%d8%a8%d9%88%d8%b3%d8%aa-%d9%84%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%86%d8%a7-%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%85%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d9%88/
America blinked once in mid-June about responding to Iranian force with force, after the Islamic republic shot down an expensive US drone.
US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with being bitten worse than ever before in response to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s comment on Wednesday that he will order uranium enrichment to high amounts in the coming days.
In early May, Rouhani had given the world until July 7 to relieve the Islamic republic’s economy from US sanctions in the nuclear standoff or face Tehran reducing its compliance with nuclear restrictions.
Until now, such threats from Trump seemed to put even the most powerful countries on edge and convince them to at least entertain a new path that he was pressing for.
But has Iran now exposed Trump as more bark than bite?
Certainly, Trump’s maximum pressure campaign has, to date, been even more successful than expected in bringing Tehran’s economy to a grinding halt.
But the purpose of the pressure campaign was always to get Rouhani back to the negotiating table for a better nuclear deal than the 2015 one.
America blinked once in mid-June about responding to Iranian force with force, after the Islamic republic shot down an expensive US drone.
In response, Trump ordered a very limited military strike on three Iranian targets – which he then called off, settling on mere additional sanctions.
In baseball, that is called a whiff - a swinging strike.
But that is not the largest aspect of the US “blink.”
The larger one went almost completely unreported until just a few days ago, when Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and a few media organizations started to report that China had received a million barrels of Iranian oil about two weeks ago.
Numerous reports from TankerTrackers have also surfaced about Chinese and Iranian tactics for quietly continuing oil shipments.
All of this is following a June 28 statement to Reuters and other media by Fu Cong, director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Arms Control, that: “We reject the unilateral imposition of sanctions and for us, energy security is important.”
So China is not saying out loud when it is importing oil from Iran; it appears to be trying to do so in a way that avoids directly embarrassing the US, but it is also being clear that it views the sanctions as improper.
What is fascinating about this development is that China did drop its imports of oil from Iran to zero in May and for half of June.
This initial drop in oil imports from China seemed to surprise Iranian officials.
But it seems – based on China-US trade negotiations and Iran's June 17 announcement that it would breach the nuclear deal's 300-kilogram limit by June 27 – that China reversed course and started to again accept Iranian oil.
Or it could be that China was very creative and never really stopped.
There were reports of a spike in shipping oil from Iran to China in April, leading up to the early May imposition of Washington's zero-oil sanctions.
It's possible that China imported extra oil from Iran in April to cover the following six-week period. Or maybe by combining the April spike with a possible current spike, Beijing may have made Tehran whole from any missed imports.
Such a tightrope strategy would have given the Trump administration a chance to look tough, while China could return to its long-term importing relationship with the Islamic republic once the issue had quieted down a bit. And even during the six weeks when it was not importing Iranian oil, China always made it clear that it viewed US sanctions as invalid.
On Wednesday, Politico reported that the US State Department is officially considering giving China a special kind of waver based on the idea that it is not “importing oil for purchase,” but merely using oil imports from Iran to allow Tehran to pay off debts that it owes Beijing for various investments.
Call the oil purchases whatever you want. But even before the Politico report, the fact is that China was importing Iranian oil, the US administration has known about it, and for nearly two weeks it has done nothing.
If China can find a loophole to US oil sanctions on Iran, then why not India – and maybe South Korea, Turkey and even the EU?
And what new pressure can the US put on China, when it is already in a broader trade war that it is looking to end?
None of this means, however, that American sanctions on the Islamic republic will end.
But all Rouhani needs is enough oil exports to keep the economy afloat as Iran continues to escalate its nuclear deal violations and draws closer to November 2020, when it may be greeted by a new – and friendlier – US president. Nearly all US democratic presidential contenders have said that they would return the US to the nuclear deal. Whether that is realistic or not, it seems clear that any US president besides Trump will take a lighter tone with Iran.
Trump is always unpredictable, and tomorrow he might toss away his new progress in trade talks with China, or finally order a US military response to Iranian military actions.
Absent a major change, however, it is not clear why Trump believes his current threat to “bite” Iran will be taken seriously. This will mean that the decisive point could not come until the November 2020 US elections.

Germany: A Shocking Degree of Self-Censorship
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/July 04/2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14362/germany-self-censorship
There appears to be a significant gap between what Germans say in public and what they think.... Fifty-seven percent of Germans say that it is getting on their nerves that they are "increasingly being told what to say and how to behave".
"It makes a big difference... whether citizens feel that they are increasingly being watched and evaluated... Many citizens miss being respected in the sense that they want their concerns and positions to be taken seriously, [and] that important developments are openly discussed..." — From a survey on self-censorship in Germany, conducted by Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach.
This retreat [from respect for free speech], so far, culminated in 2018 with Germany's censorship law, which requires social media platforms to delete or block any alleged online "criminal offenses", such as defamation or incitement, within 24 hours of receipt of a user complaint. If the platforms fail to do so, the German government can fine them up to 50 million euros. People in Germany have been prosecuted for criticizing the government's migration policies....
Dániel Tóth-Nagy, a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in the UK, was suspended from the party for comments he made, such as: "There is no such thing as Islamophobia," and, in response to a tweet, "What about FGM? Honor Killings? Forced marriage? What do you think about the protest of women in Iran, Saudi-Arabia and other Islamic countries against the compulsory hijab? What about Sharia in Britain? LGBT rights and education denied by Muslims in Birmingham?"
A new survey on self-censorship in Germany has shown that Germans censor their own speech to an astounding degree. Asked whether it is "possible to express oneself freely in public" a mere 18% answered yes. By contrast, 59% of Germans said that in their circle of friends and acquaintances they express themselves freely.
"Nearly two-thirds of citizens are convinced that 'today one has to be very careful on which topics one expresses oneself', because there are many unwritten laws about what opinions are acceptable and admissible" according to the survey, conducted by Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach for the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).
"The refugee issue is one of the most sensitive topics for the vast majority of respondents, followed by statements of opinion on Muslims and Islam," it stated. By contrast, "The situation is different when it comes to topics such as climate protection, equal rights, unemployment or child rearing, about which one can express oneself frankly, according to the overwhelming majority". As an example, 71% of Germans say, according to the survey, that one can only comment on the refugee issue "with caution".
Among the topics considered taboo, a significant development has occurred over roughly the past two decades. In 1996, only 16% of Germans felt that patriotism was a sensitive issue. Today that figure has risen to 41%.
"Patriotism, cosmopolitanism and support for Europe", (meaning support for the EU) did not use to be mutually exclusive, according to the survey. Today, however, "The population is no longer so sure that the elites, with their strong support for European integration and in a globalized global economy, are still holding the nation in high regard... citizens increasingly fear being considered right-wing when they emerge as patriots. Meanwhile, a third of the population says that politicians should be wary of proclaiming national pride if they do not want to expose themselves to harsh attacks".
There is a very large discrepancy between what Germans consider taboo in the public sphere, as opposed to in private conversations with friends and acquaintances. For example, 62% of Germans are convinced that a politician stating that Islam has too much influence in Germany will expose himself to harsh criticism, but only 22% believe that expressing such a sentiment in private conversations would cause offense. Similarly, the sentiment that 'too much is being done for refugees in Germany' is viewed as a risky statement to air in public, but only 31% would consider it a problem to say that in private. There appears, in other words, to be a significant gap between what Germans say in public and what they think.
"Remarkably many [Germans] have the impression that social control has been reinforced when it comes to statements of opinion in the public sphere and that individual statements and behavior are increasingly under observation," the survey notes. "Every second citizen is convinced that today much more attention is paid to how one behaves in public and what one says. 41 percent say that political correctness is exaggerated, and 35 percent even conclude that free expression is only possible in private circles".
That the German public believes political correctness to have become exaggerated is exemplified by the survey's finding that two-thirds of Germans disagree that special, politically correct terms for migrants, such as "people with a migration background" should be used in public discourse rather than more everyday terms, such as "foreigner". Fifty-seven percent of Germans say that it is getting on their nerves that they are "increasingly being told what to say and how to behave". Germans from the formerly Communist GDR complain more about this than the average German, as they have "fresh historical memories of regulation and constriction" according to the survey, which ends on the following note:
"It makes a big difference whether a society generally accepts and submits to meaningful norms, or whether citizens feel that they are increasingly being watched and evaluated... Many citizens miss being respected in the sense that they want their concerns and positions to be taken seriously, [and] that important developments are openly discussed..."
The results that the survey conveys are hardly a huge surprise to observers of the retreat of respect for freedom of speech in Germany in recent years. This retreat, so far, culminated in 2018 with Germany's censorship law, which requires social media platforms to delete or block any alleged online "criminal offenses", such as defamation or incitement, within 24 hours of receipt of a user complaint. If the platforms fail to do so, the German government can fine them up to 50 million euros.
People in Germany have been prosecuted for criticizing the government's migration policies: In 2016, a married couple, Peter and Melanie M., were prosecuted in a criminal trial for creating a Facebook group that criticized the government's migration policy. According to news reports, the page stated that, "The war and economic refugees are flooding our country. They bring terror, fear, sorrow. They rape our women and put our children at risk. Make this end!"
At the trial, Peter M. defended his remarks online and said, "One cannot even express a critical opinion of refugees without getting labelled as a Nazi. I wanted to create a discussion forum where you can speak your mind about refugees..." In his verdict, the judge said, "The description of the group is a series of generalizations with a clear right-wing background." Peter M. was sentenced to a nine-month suspended prison sentence and his wife to a fine of €1,200. The judge added, "I hope you understand the seriousness of the situation. If you sit in front of me again, you will end up in jail."
In September 2015, Die Welt reported that people who air "xenophobic" views on social media, risk losing the right to see their own children. There need not even be a criminal offense for a court to consider the child's welfare to be endangered and to restrict the parents' right to see his or her child or to order "an educator" present during a meeting between parent and child, who can "intervene as required." It is also possible to forbid certain actions, expressions or meetings in the presence of the child. As a last resort, the court can take the child out of the parent's care entirely.
In August 2017, the Munich district court gave Michael Stürzenberger, a journalist, a six-month suspended jail sentence for posting on his Facebook page a historical photo of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini, shaking the hand of a senior Nazi official in Berlin in 1941. The prosecution accused Stürzenberger of "inciting hatred towards Islam" and "denigrating Islam" by publishing the photograph. The court found Stürzenberger guilty of "disseminating the propaganda of anti-constitutional organizations". After he appealed the sentence, an appeals court in Munich, in December 2017, acquitted Stürzenberger of all charges. The appeals court ruled that his comments were protected by the freedom of expression. Nevertheless, the impression left on German society is that even historical facts have now become a taboo.
So, while Germans' fears of speaking their minds in public are not motivated by any legitimate fears of being put in Soviet or Chinese types of gulags, there are extremely real fears and extremely real concerns, such as those exemplified by the prosecutions above.
While the survey was limited to Germany, it is probably reasonable to assume that if such a survey were to be conducted in like-minded Western European countries, such as the UK for instance, the results would not be much different. The space for free speech has been shrinking there, too, as exemplified here and here. In a recent case, a candidate for the Liberal Democrats, Dániel Tóth-Nagy, was suspended from the party for comments he made, such as: "There is no such thing as Islamophobia" and responding to a tweet about Islamophobia with, "What about FGM? Honor Killings? Forced marriage? What do you think about the protest of women in Iran, Saudi-Arabia and other Islamic countries against the compulsory hijab? What about Sharia in Britain? LGBT rights and education denied by Muslims in Birmingham?"
Those questions are all legitimate questions for a politician to ask, yet this is what the party's local spokesman had to say:
"These posts are completely outside of our party's values and beliefs, and will not be tolerated. Had we been aware of this before, there's no way he would have been selected as a candidate. We have immediately suspended him and we apologise to anyone that has been upset or offended by these comments".
More recently, posters advertising British singer Morrissey's new album, California Son, were removed from trains and stations in Liverpool and the surrounding areas after a traveler contacted the rail company to ask if it agreed with Morrissey's opinions, and questioned whether the posters were "appropriate". The question came after Morrissey appeared on the Tonight Show in the US, while wearing a badge supporting For Britain, the right-wing party led by Anne Marie Waters.
"It's very Third Reich, isn't it? And it proves how only the feelings of the most narrow-minded can be considered within the British Arts," Morrissey said about the removal of the posters. "We are not free to debate, and this in itself is the ultimate rejection of diversity... I am afraid we are living through the Age of Stupid, and we must pray that it passes soon."
Given how advanced the rout of free speech in Europe has become, there is little chance of it passing any time soon. If the German survey is anything to go by, Europeans will not even need to be further censored by governments: they have become expertly conditioned to do the job themselves.
*Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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Who is Actually Controlling Iran Policy in the Trump Administration?
Michael Young/Carnegie Middle East Centre/July 04/2019
Ellen Laipson | Distinguished fellow and president emeritus of the Stimson Center, former vice chair of the National Intelligence Council (1997–2002), member of former president Barack Obama's Intelligence Advisory Board (2009–2013), and member of the U.S. secretary of state’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board (2011–2014)
President Donald Trump “controls” Iran policy, but that should not be understood as the president leading a coherent, coordinated policy process. Trump sees virtue in surprise and unpredictability, and seems to have a casual response to the threat assessments and options papers presented by the bureaucracy. He trusts his instincts about managing relationships with adversaries, and enjoys the chaos created as he alternately threatens and tries to engage foreign leaders, including the supreme leader of Iran.
Much has been said about the hardline influences of National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. They clearly favor a steady, tough message to Iran, and barely disguise a preference for regime change over the behavior modification goals of most American administrations. The Defense Department mostly shares the dark view of Iran’s intentions, but does not seek conflict. Pity poor Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, on the road to explain to allies the logic of U.S. Iran policy.
Gary Sick | Executive director of Gulf 2000 at Columbia University, former member of the U.S. National Security Council under president Jimmy Carter
By withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal with Iran, the Trump administration generated a crisis that could lead to military conflict. But the United States lacks a clear objective. Does it intend to overturn the government of Iran or merely to punish it? Does it want a revised JCPOA or something entirely new? Does it wish to separate Iran from its regional allies, or does it merely want to use the Iranian threat to leverage a new alliance with Israel and the Sunni monarchies? Washington’s purpose changes from day to day. President Donald Trump’s authority to make foreign policy is not in question, but his capacity to articulate a coherent strategy is. In 2003, the U.S. invaded and changed the government in Iraq without a plan for the day after. Some of the architects of that catastrophe are at the president’s side today. Who is going to warn him against repeating those same mistakes on Iran?
Danielle Pletka | Senior vice president, foreign and defense policy studies, at the American Enterprise Institute, former senior professional staff member for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where she specialized in the Near East and South Asia
The question of who is controlling Iran policy in the Trump administration should feel a little disingenuous. After all, by definition constitutionally it is the president who controls foreign policy. However, observers can be excused a little confusion. After all, while the president has said repeatedly that his aim in imposing a “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions on Iran is to get Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his team back to the negotiating table for a new and better deal with Iran, his national security advisor, John Bolton, is on record as saying that the regime in Iran must go. And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, though more reticent than Bolton, has laid out twelve conditions for Iran to meet that together add up to someone else being in power.

So who calls the shots? At the end of the day it will be President Donald Trump. Neither he nor his base wishes that the United States be involved in another Middle Eastern conflict. That said, the Iranians should not be too complacent. There are many things short of war that can damage the regime in Tehran. Khamenei should not count on Trump to be his savior in the event of a serious Iranian miscalculation.
Gary Samore | Director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University, former member of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (2015–2017) and former White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction under president Barack Obama, former special assistant and senior director for nonproliferation and export controls under president Bill Clinton.
For better or worse, President Donald Trump controls Iran policy in his administration. Under the U.S. system, the president is the dominant decisionmaker in foreign policy and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Trump has no reservations about ignoring and overruling his senior foreign policy advisors—whether his original decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal or, more recently, his decision not to order military strikes against Iran. In both cases, Trump acted against the advice of his foreign policy team. The Iran policy reflects Trump’s genuine belief that he can force Iran to accept a “better” deal through maximum economic pressure. Unfortunately, Tehran continues to resist Trump’s offer to negotiate, despite severe economic damage. The Iran policy also reflects Trump’s genuine desire to avoid military entanglement in the Middle East. However, Tehran may read Trump’s reluctance to use military force as a green light to break away from the nuclear constraints of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal agreed with Tehran, and carry out more provocative attacks in the region.