LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 19/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?’‘Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?’For from him and through him and to him are all things.
Letter to the Romans 11/25-36:”So that you may not claim to be wiser than you are, brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, ‘Out of Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.’ ‘And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’ As regards the gospel they are enemies of God for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved, for the sake of their ancestors; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all. O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?’‘Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?’For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on July 18-19/2019
Netanyahu: We Do Not Hold Back Striking Those Who Fire From Populated Areas
Argentina freezes Hezbollah assets, brands group terrorist organization
Argentina Brands Hezbollah Terrorist Organization, Freezes Assets
Hezbollah Branded As Terrorist Organization In Argentina, Assets Frozen
Growing Calls In Lebanon to Protect 'Taef Accord'
US, Israel Want Iran to Withdraw from Syria, Lebanon and Iraq
Scuffles outside Parliament as Hariri, Khalil Defend 2019 Budget
Controversial Hizbullah MP Resigns from Parliament
Graduation Ceremony Marks Completion of 7th Edition of STL-Backed
New Fishermen Port, Fish Market Inaugurated in Jiyeh with UK Support
Labor Minister: To Facilitate Work Permit Procedures for Palestinians
Parliament Meets for Third Day of Budget Talks
Bou Saab Ends a Two Day Visit to the UK
Roots of the Jebran Bassil ‘Phenomenon’
Arabists & the Arabic Civilization!!!

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 18-19/2019
Trump: USS Boxer shoots down Iranian drone over Hormuz
Iran Guards Say They Have Seized a 'Foreign Tanker'
In Rebuke to Trump, US Congress Blocks Saudi Arms Sales
Irbil’s Attack to Increase Tension Between Washington, Ankara
Bahrain to Host Gulf Navigation Security Meeting
Turkey: Defense Firms Undergo Losses after F-35 Removal
Abu Marzouq: Russian Role Required to Confront US Plan to 'Finish off'
Syria: Regime Forces Killed in IED Attack in Daraa
UN Envoy to Yemen Voices Concern over Houthi Attacks against Saudi Arabia

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 18-19/2019
Netanyahu: We Do Not Hold Back Striking Those Who Fire From Populated Areas/Jerusalem Post/Reuters/July 18/2019
Argentina freezes Hezbollah assets, brands group terrorist organization/Reuters|Ynetnews/July 18/2019
Roots of the Jebran Bassil ‘Phenomenon’/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 18 July, 2019
Arabists & the Arabic Civilization/Edmond El Chidiac/November 20/2003
Understanding Iran and Why It Distrusts Britain/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/July 18/2019
Sudan: Settlements without Solutions/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 18 July, 2019
Powerful Lessons from History: Adams on Strength, Rand on Fifth Columnists/Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/July 18, 2019
J'accuse — The New Yorker Is Trying to Silence Me/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/July 18, 2019
Assad burning Idlib’s crops to force opposition out of Syria/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab News/July 19/2019
Why the Islamic Republic is so unpopular with Iranians/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/July 19/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on July 18-19/2019
Netanyahu: We Do Not Hold Back Striking Those Who Fire From Populated Areas
Jerusalem Post/Reuters/July 18/2019
The comments came as Netanyahu spoke at thememorial service for the fallen soldiers of the Second Lebanon War.
It is time that the world understand the gravity of the threat posed by Iran and its proxy Hezbollah and act against them, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday, after Argentina designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization and ordered its assets frozen. Speaking at a memorial for the fallen of the Second Lebanon War, the prime minister warned Hezbollah and Lebanon that there will be no “immunity” for anyone who fires missiles at Israel, “even if they hide in densely populated areas.” Israel believes that tens of thousands of Hezbollah missiles in Lebanon are hidden either in, near or under homes in southern Lebanon. “We will do everything possible to prevent harm to innocent people, but we will not grant immunity to rocket launchers and those who deploy them – not in Lebanon, not in Gaza or anywhere,” he said. Netanyahu said that his government’s motto is, “If someone rises up to kill you, keep them from getting armed.”The Lebanese government, he said, “is not objecting to the military entrenchment of Hezbollah on its territory. It will also bear the responsibility for any attack.” Netanyahu warned that Israel will deploy “great force” if it must embark on another war in order to ensure victory. “Even if we have to stand alone against Iran and its entities we will,” he said. In Buenos Aires, meanwhile, Argentina’s designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist entity coincided with a visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as Argentina marks the 25th anniversary of the deadly bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, in which 85 people died. Argentina blames Iran and Hezbollah for the attack. Argentina also blames Hezbollah for an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 that killed 29 people. The Argentinean government’s Financial Information Unit ordered the freezing of assets of members of Hezbollah and the organization a day after the country created a new list for people and entities linked to terrorism. The designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist group was the first by any Latin American country.
“At present, Hezbollah continues to represent a current threat to security and the integrity of the economic and financial order of the Argentinean Republic,” the unit said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the move. Last year, Argentina froze the assets of 14 members of the Barakat clan, an extended family that officials say has close ties to Hezbollah. US and Argentinean officials say Hezbollah operates in what is known as the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, where an illicit economy funds its operations elsewhere. Argentina’s decision to freeze Hezbollah assets and join the United States in designating it a terrorist group is a significant win for US President Donald Trump’s administration as it seeks to increase pressure on Tehran and its proxies.
The financial impact on Hezbollah will likely be insignificant because it has other sources of funding, said Seth Jones, director of the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. “What the administration is hoping is that even taking little bites out of the apple right now may end up being significant in the long run if they can continue to freeze assets of organizations like Hezbollah in a range of different countries,” Jones said. The United States, looking to revive a security relationship that suffered after a souring in diplomatic ties during the previous administration of president Cristina Fernandez, views Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri as a partner, particularly as traditional European allies have been slower to offer support amid US tensions with Iran, said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Wilson Center’s Argentina Project in Washington, DC.
“Clearly, they are not a good replacement for European allies, because they don’t engage Iran significantly, so they cannot put on the same commercial and economic pressure as the Europeans,” Gedan said of Washington’s allies in Latin America. “But at least it gives the impression that the Trump administration is not standing alone,” he said.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz issued a statement welcoming “the important decision by Argentinean President Mauricio Macri.” Katz said this is “part of the international struggle against terrorism, and especially against Hezbollah and its patron Iran.” He added that the publication of the decision on the 25th anniversary of the attack on the AMIA building “has special significance and importance.” He said Israel will continue to lobby extensively to get Hezbollah designated as a terrorist organization around the world. On Wednesday, Netanyahu pressed a delegation of French parliamentarians to get Paris to follow Buenos Aires’ move.

Argentina freezes Hezbollah assets, brands group terrorist organization
Reuters|Ynetnews/July 18/2019
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Announcement of measure states that 'Hezbollah continues to represent a current threat to security and the integrity of ... the Argentine Republic'; move coincides with visit by Pompeo as country marks 25th anniversary of deadly Jewish center bombing believed carried out by Iran and Hezbollah
BUENOS AIRES - Argentinian authorities ordered the freezing of Hezbollah assets in the country on Thursday and effectively designated the Lebanese Islamist group, which it blames for two attacks on its soil, a terrorist organization. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later praised the move.
The announcement coincided with a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as Argentina marks the 25th anniversary of the deadly bombing of the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in which 85 people died. Argentina blames Iran and Hezbollah for the attack. Both deny any responsibility.
Argentina also blames Hezbollah for an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 that killed 29 people. Netanyahu praised President Mauricio Macri for the designation. "It is time the entire enlightened world understand the grave danger Iran and Hezbollah pose. It is time the entire world stand up against it," Netanyahu said. Argentina's financial information unit ordered the freezing of assets of members of Hezbollah and the organization a day after the country created a new list for people and entities linked to terrorism. "At present, Hezbollah continues to represent a current threat to security and the integrity of the economic and financial order of the Argentine Republic," the unit said in a statement. The freezing of assets automatically places Hezbollah on Argentina's registry, designating it a terrorist organization, a government source with direct knowledge of the action confirmed. The designation is the first by any country in Latin America.
U.S. and Argentine officials say Hezbollah operates in what is known as the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, where an illicit economy funds its operations elsewhere. It is not yet clear whether Argentina's new designation will lead to other concrete actions against Hezbollah in the area, but some kind of U.S. security support, including increased intelligence sharing, could follow, said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Wilson Center's Argentina Project in Washington. Argentina's decision to join the United States in designating Hezbollah a terrorist group is a significant win for President Donald Trump's administration and could put pressure on Brazil and Paraguay to follow suit, Gedan said. The United States, looking to revive a security relationship that suffered after a souring in diplomatic ties during the previous administration of President Cristina Fernandez, views Macri as a partner, particularly as traditional European allies have been slower to offer support amid U.S. tensions with Iran. "Clearly, they are not a good replacement for European allies, because they don't engage Iran significantly, so they cannot put on the same commercial and economic pressure as the Europeans," Gedan said of Washington's allies in Latin America. "But at least it gives the impression that the Trump administration is not standing alone," he said, adding that the United States put significant pressure on Argentina to prepare the announcement in time for Pompeo's visit. Argentina's investigation into the 1994 truck bomb attack on the AMIA center, meanwhile, has made little progress. No one has been brought to trial in either that case or the Israeli embassy bombing.

Argentina Brands Hezbollah Terrorist Organization, Freezes Assets
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 18 July, 2019
Argentinian authorities designated Hezbollah, which it blames for two attacks on its soil, a terrorist organization on Thursday and ordered the freezing of the Lebanese party’s assets in the country. The announcement coincided with a visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as Argentina marks the 25th anniversary of the deadly bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in which 85 people died.  Argentina also blames Hezbollah for an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 that killed 29 people. The nation's Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri's government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack. Argentine prosecutors blame Iranian officials for plotting the attack and say Hezbollah operatives carried it out. But nobody has been convicted despite years of tangled investigations. Iran has refused to turn over the people who now face charges, and denies any involvement. The unit ordered the freezing of assets of members of Hezbollah and the organization. The designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist group was the first by any Latin American country.
"At the present time, Hezbollah continues to represent a current and active threat to national security and the integrity of the financial, economic order of the Argentine Republic," the unit said. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the move. The group already has been put on terrorism lists by the US, the European Union and several other nations. Last year, Argentina froze the assets of 14 members of the Barakat Clan, an extended family that officials say has close ties to Hezbollah. US and Argentine officials say Hezbollah operates in what is known as the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, where an illicit economy funds its operations elsewhere. The financial impact on Hezbollah will likely be insignificant because it has other sources of funding, said Seth Jones, director of the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
“What the administration is hoping is that even taking little bites out of the apple right now may end up being significant in the long run if they can continue to freeze assets of organizations like Hezbollah in a range of different countries,” Jones said, according to AFP. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Macri for the designation from Jerusalem. “It is time the entire enlightened world understands the grave danger Iran and Hezbollah pose. It is time the entire world stand up against it,” Netanyahu said.

Hezbollah Branded As Terrorist Organization In Argentina, Assets Frozen
Reuters/Jerusalem Post/July 18/2019
The announcement coincided with a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as Argentina marks the 25th anniversary of the deadly bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. Argentinian authorities ordered the freezing of Hezbollah assets in the country on Thursday and effectively designated the Lebanese Islamist group, which it blames for two attacks on its soil, a terrorist organization. The announcement coincided with a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as Argentina marks the 25th anniversary of the deadly bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in which 85 people died. Argentina blames Iran and Hezbollah for the attack. Both deny any responsibility. Argentina also blames Hezbollah for an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 that killed 29 people. Argentina's financial information unit ordered the freezing of assets of members of Hezbollah and the organization a day after the country created a new list for people and entities linked to terrorism. "At present, Hezbollah continues to represent a current threat to security and the integrity of the economic and financial order of the Argentine Republic," the unit said in a statement. The freezing of assets automatically places Hezbollah on Argentina's registry, designating it a terrorist organization, a government source with direct knowledge of the action confirmed. The designation is the first by any country in Latin America. U.S. and Argentine officials say Hezbollah operates in what is known as the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, where an illicit economy funds its operations elsewhere. It is not yet clear whether Argentina's new designation will lead to other concrete actions against Hezbollah in the area, but some kind of U.S. security support, including increased intelligence sharing, could follow, said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Wilson Center's Argentina Project in Washington. Argentina's decision to join the United States in designating Hezbollah a terrorist group is a significant win for President Donald Trump's administration and could put pressure on Brazil and Paraguay to follow suit, Gedan said. The United States, looking to revive a security relationship that suffered after a souring in diplomatic ties during the previous administration of President Cristina Fernandez, views Macri as a partner, particularly as traditional European allies have been slower to offer support amid U.S. tensions with Iran.
"Clearly, they are not a good replacement for European allies, because they don't engage Iran significantly, so they cannot put on the same commercial and economic pressure as the Europeans," Gedan said of Washington's allies in Latin America. "But at least it gives the impression that the Trump administration is not standing alone," he said, adding that the United States put significant pressure on Argentina to prepare the announcement in time for Pompeo's visit. Argentina's investigation into the 1994 truck bomb attack on the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA), meanwhile, has made little progress. No one has been brought to trial in either that case or the Israeli embassy bombing.

Growing Calls In Lebanon to Protect 'Taef Accord'
Beirut - Sanaa Al-Jack/Asharq Al Awsat/July 18/2019
Lebanon has lately witnessed more calls for safeguarding the Taef Accord and for protecting the country from attempts to insert Lebanon in the “resistance axis” amid already complicated regional developments. Those calls were mainly discussed during Monday’s meeting in Jeddah of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz with Lebanese former Prime Ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Saniora and Tammam Salam. King Salman stressed this week that Saudi Arabia is keen on Lebanon’s security and stability and the need to keep it within the Arab fold. Last week, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanese politicians have been holding consultations to establish a specialized council to put a stop to constant violations of the Taef Accord.  “The Taef era ended a long time ago. Unfortunately, we can only be sorry about the situation we have reached in Lebanon and work on preventing the collapse of what is left of the country,” former minister Butros Harb told Asharq Al-Awsat. Harb said that one of the reasons that led to the collapse of the Taef Accord is the presence of an armed political party outside the rule of the state. “This party uses its surplus power to enforce its political opinion. What (Hezbollah) wants should pass and what the party does not like should not be accepted,” Harb explained. For his part, former Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi said the political settlement that led to the election of General Michel Aoun as president is the step that virtually eliminated the Taef. However, Rifi is convinced about the possibility of protecting the Taef through steps leading to the establishment of an opposition front with an aim to protect the identity and Arabism of Lebanon and to decrease the influence of Iran, which does not care about the interests of the Arab world.

US, Israel Want Iran to Withdraw from Syria, Lebanon and Iraq
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 18 July, 2019
Political sources in Tel Aviv and Washington revealed on Wednesday that the United States and Israel told Russia, during the tripartite security meeting in West Jerusalem at the end of June, that any agreement on the future of Syria should include the withdrawal of Iranian forces, not only from Syria but also from Lebanon and Iraq. The summit included US National Security Advisor John Bolton, Israeli National Security Council Director Meir Ben-Shabbat and Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council. The meeting reportedly discussed the possibility of a political settlement to end the war in Syria, as the Russians were hoping to get the support of the United States, and thus that of Israel, for their efforts to stabilize the regime of Bashar Assad, and start the process of raising funds for the reconstruction of Syria, in parallel with an end of the western economic sanctions imposed on Moscow five years ago because of the crisis of Ukraine. “Bolton made it clear to Patrushev that, in any case, Russia is the one that needs to take the first step regarding the Iranian presence in Syria—and only then the US could give them things they want,” Israeli media quoted the US officials as saying. The security advisors of the US and Israel also requested that the deal on Syria would include the withdrawal of Iranian forces from Lebanon, including the dismantling of precision-missile factories developed by Iran for Hezbollah, in addition to ending the supply of pro-Iranian militias in Iraq with long-range missiles that could reach Israel. Russian officials have been showing public support for Iran. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his special envoy to Tehran to ease tensions between Iran and the United States and briefed the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, on the outcome of the Jerusalem summit.

Scuffles outside Parliament as Hariri, Khalil Defend 2019 Budget
Naharnet/July 18/2019
Minor scuffles broke out outside parliament Thursday when protesters tried to advance towards the building during the final session of parliamentary debate on the 2019 state budget. The scuffles erupted after the protesters – a grouping of retired servicemen – crossed a barrier placed by security forces near An-Nahar newspaper’s building. The retirees have staged dozens of protests to warn authorities against slashing their salaries and benefits in the new state budget. Defending the 2019 budget before parliament, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said that “after a long absence, we are restoring the regularity of the state's accounts.”“We are before a real state budget,” he said. “The budget’s numbers do not meet our aspirations at all but we will settle for calling it the best possible budget,” Khalil added. Prime Minister Saad Hariri meanwhile snapped back at those saying the draft budget lacks an economic vision, saying its economic vision had been outlined in the government's policy statement. "We have clearly lowered the deficit in the new state budget," Hariri boasted. "How can we increase revenues without taxes?" he asked, addressing critics. "We are trying to fight corruption and the waste of public money... There can be no reform process without a cost and everyone must bear this cost and we cannot continue with a bloated public sector," Hariri argued. Speaker Nabih Berri then adjourned the session to 3:00 pm Friday.

Controversial Hizbullah MP Resigns from Parliament
Naharnet/July 18/2019
MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi of Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc resigned from parliament Thursday following a string of controversial incidents. “Hizbullah has been officially informed of the resignation of MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi” from parliament, state-run National News Agency reported. Earlier in the day, al-Jadeed TV said Moussawi has submitted a resignation request to Parliament and informed Speaker Nabih Berri and his party of his decision. “I want to shoulder my responsibilities and I do not blame Hizbullah for anything and I’m ready to bear anything resulting from these responsibilities,” Moussawi told al-Jadeed after it reported his resignation. MTV said Moussawi has resigned in connection with “the accumulation of mistakes he has committed.”Moussawi’s parliamentary activity had been recently suspended by Hizbullah’s leadership following a verbal clash with Kataeb bloc MPs over the 1982 election of Bashir Gemayel. Moussawi was caught up in fresh controversy over the weekend after media reports said he opened fire at the Damour police station in connection with a dispute involving his daughter and her divorcee. The MP had decried that he had not been able to help his daughter in her children custody dispute with her divorcee due to the laws of the Shiite religious courts. He is reportedly the only Muslim MP who has voiced support for laws aimed at empowering women in Lebanon.

Graduation Ceremony Marks Completion of 7th Edition of STL-Backed
Naharnet/July 18/2019
One hundred and seventy-six Lebanese students have successfully completed the seventh edition of the Inter-University Programme on International Criminal Law and Procedure (IUP-ICLP), the Special Tribunal for Lebanon said on Thursday. The graduation ceremony, marking the completion of the program, was held Wednesday in the auditorium of the Sin el Fil Municipality. This year’s program began in October 2018 and ended in May 2019, with the final exam taking place in June 2019. The 20 students who obtained the highest grades were awarded a three-day study trip to The Hague. They will visit the international judicial institutions in August this year. "I sincerely congratulate all the students and wish them all the best. Today we mark International Criminal Justice Day and on this occasion, I encourage the students to continue to strengthen their knowledge and experience in the field of International Criminal Law," said STL President Judge Ivana Hrdličková. Almost one thousand Lebanese students have graduated from the IUP-ICLP since its establishment in 2011. Alumni of the program now work as lawyers, academics, and in prominent positions in non-governmental organizations in Lebanon. Many have gone on to pursue advanced education in International Criminal Law. Several have succeeded in securing internships and employment at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and other international institutions. Organized by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in cooperation with T.M.C. Asser Instituut in The Hague, The Netherlands, the International and Transitional Justice Resource Center in Lebanon, and eleven Lebanese universities, the Program gives participants solid legal training in mass atrocity crimes (such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes), as well as the crimes of aggression and terrorism, from top international experts. It is unique in the Middle East-North Africa region and is one of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s main outreach and Legacy projects. Participating students came from: the American University of Science and Technology (AUST) , Beirut Arab University (BAU) , Notre Dame University (NDU) , Université La Sagesse (ULS) , Université Libanaise (UL) , Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik (USEK), University of Balamand (UOB), the American University of Beirut (AUB), the Lebanese American University (LAU), the Academic University College for Non-Violence and Human Rights (AUNHOR), and the Islamic University of Lebanon (IUL). Junior Lebanese lawyers as well as Lebanese Army and Internal Security Officers also had the opportunity to audit the course.

New Fishermen Port, Fish Market Inaugurated in Jiyeh with UK Support
Naharnet/July 18/2019
“When the impossible becomes possible… Through this project, I am now able to support my family and give them a better life,” said fisherman Wafic El Sabra. 72 fishermen are now able to work at sea fully equipped, sell their daily catch, and generate income to support their families and, more widely, Lebanon’s economy thanks to UK aid funding within the framework of the Lebanon Host Communities Support Program (LHSP), by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA). This project was implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MoPWT).
On July 16, the inauguration of the rehabilitation of the Jiyeh port took place in the presence of Minister of Social Affairs Richard Kouyoumjian, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Lebanon Chris Rampling, Ambassador of Sweden to Lebanon Jörgen Lindström, UNDP Resident Representative Celine Moyroud, Director General of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport Abdul Hafiz Qaissi, Head of the Union of North Iqlim al-Kharroub Municipalities Ziad al-Hajjar, members of the Fishermen’s Cooperative Association in the Chouf Coast, and numerous stakeholders from the area.
The rehabilitation of the Jiyeh port and the construction of a fish market and surrounding facilities transformed it into one of “the most reliable fishermen ports across the country with high standard safety measures, tools, and equipment,” the British embassy said in a statement. Today the facility – completed in coordination with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport to ensure that works fall in accordance with the ministry’s port standards - includes an increased number of boat parking spaces and a 200 m2 fish market, as well as fully equipped cooperative rooms serving 72 fishermen. The Fishermen’s Cooperative board members were also supported with a personalized and specialized capacity building program for operations and management skills to complement the project’s provisions. At the end of the event, Minister Koyoumjian said: "I am happy that the local communities are involved in the implemented projects and identify their needs, and the Ministry of Social Affairs helps municipalities with planning and guidance." He urged municipalities and the cooperative to maintain and further develop the project.
British Ambassador Chris Rampling addressed the sailors with ‘3indak bahriya ya rayes’ (Do you have sailors, boss?) and said: “It’s great to be here today to inaugurate the Jiyeh port. This is yet another demonstration of the UK’s strong relationship with Lebanon in support of its economy and prosperity. It’s always heart-warming to see the positive impact these projects are having on people’s lives.”
“This facility is now able to support over 65,831 direct and indirect beneficiaries through one of Lebanon’s best equipped ports across the country. The UK was one of the first donors to support LHSP through our partnership with MoSA and UNDP. We are always proud of this partnership that is allowing tens of thousands of the most vulnerable across Lebanon to benefit from this program,” he added. UNDP Representative Moyroud said: “The local community has expressed, through an integrated approach, their needs concerning the necessity to improve job creation and revitalize the local economy. This is a crucial issue in the response to the impact of the crisis in the country.”The word from the fishermen was delivered by the head of the Fishermen’s Cooperative Association in the Chouf Coast, Mohammed Kojok, who said: “Our patience has been rewarded and hope remains for the fishermen of Jiyeh. The sea favors the steadfast, and today’s project is a realization of a dream which started in 2003, and then funded by the UK in 2017 through LHSP that provided fishing equipment and boats to the Fishermen’s Cooperative Association in the Chouf Coast. We can now go fishing in the morning and sell our products in the evening without fear or worry about our equipment, our safety and daily bread.”Through a close partnership between UNDP, the Ministry of Social Affairs, line ministries, and municipalities, LHSP has implemented since 2014, with the support of a pool of international donors, over 566 projects in 192 most vulnerable municipalities and 11 unions of municipalities, benefitting more than 1.5 million Lebanese and 500,000 Syrians. In the Mount Lebanon Governorate alone, UK aid has funded LHSP’s projects with over $4.3 million, supporting more than 300,000 beneficiaries. Projects targeted for UK support are identified directly by the relevant municipalities and local communities in response to their most urgent needs.

Labor Minister: To Facilitate Work Permit Procedures for Palestinians
Naharnet/July 18/2019
Labor Minister Kamil Abou Sleiman on Thursday said that he had given the necessary instructions to concerned sides to facilitate the process of granting work permits to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon after a wave of protests."The Ministry of Labor is only enforcing the law, and we want to treat Palestinian workers according to the law, just the way we treat Lebanese workers,” the Minister said in a press conference he held at the Parliament. Palestinian refugees protested Tuesday in the streets of Beirut and in refugee camps against the labor ministry cracking down on businesses employing foreign workers without a permit. Last month, the ministry gave companies a one-month deadline to acquire the necessary work permits. After the grace period expired last week, it started inspections, closing down non-compliant establishments and issuing others with warnings. Abou Sleiman called for an immediate halt of street riots, confirming that the Lebanese Labor Law protected Palestinian workers from arbitrary expulsion. He assured the decision did not target Palestinian nationals: "We continue to implement the law, and there are no decision against Palestinian nationals. We are implementing laws that facilitate their work conditions.”He concluded saying: “I have explained to the Palestinian parties the truth about what we’re doing and explained to them that employment contracts actually helped Palestinian workers.”Critics have said the measure essentially targets Syrians who have fled the war next door, but Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon also fear they will be hit.

Parliament Meets for Third Day of Budget Talks
Naharnet/July 18/2019
Speaker Nabih Berri chaired the Parliament’s meeting on Thursday convening for the third day to discuss Lebanon’s months late 2019 state budget that faced scrutiny for failure to meet the requirements needed to resolve the country’s economic and financial crisis. MP Faisal Karami of the Democratic Gathering bloc criticized the government in his speech, he said: “This government is a scourge, and our only option is to deal with it as a fait accompli. It isn’t permissible to publish a budget devoid of closure of accounts.” The MP declared that he would not vote in favor of the new budget. For his part, MP Ghazi Zoaiter said in his speech delivered during the budget discussion that “reforms ought to be protected by the Constitution rather than violate it,” calling for relentless efforts to identify and names of corrupt people, especially those of the previous two governments. "The goal of the state budget is to achieve the objectives of CEDRE, and what we need is a rescue plan,” he added. He finally called on PM Saad Hariri to stand at an equal distance from all ministers. He also noted that compensations for Baalbek floods have not been paid to inflicted people yet. “We reached a conclusion that this budget can not be implemented in light of the dangers facing Lebanon. The absence of real remediation today will make any future handling almost impossible,” said MP Eddy Abilamaa of the Strong Republic bloc. The MP also condemned the failure to endorse the closure of accounts of 2018. MP Ali Fayyad of Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc meanwhile described the 2019 draft state budget as an “achievement compared to the previous one,” noting that “it lacks a vision that combines the economic and financial aspects.”“We are preventing an imminent collapse and in the 2020 budget we are required to shelve the solutions that are based on postponing collapse to shift to solutions that put the national economy on the path of salvation,” Fayyad added. Speaker Nabih Berri meanwhile announced that the voting on the budget's article will begin on Thursday, telling MPs that attendance has become obligatory from now on. A grouping of retired servicemen has meanwhile threatened to storm parliament should lawmakers approve articles that cut their salaries and benefits.

Bou Saab Ends a Two Day Visit to the UK
Naharnet/July 18/2019
Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab ended a two-day visit to the United Kingdom. The visit reflects the value Britain places on the relationship with Lebanon and in particular our defence cooperation. In London, Bou Saab met with Secretary of State for Defence Penny Mordaunt, Minister of State for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster, and Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter. Speaking after the visit Ambassador Chris Rampling said: ‘I am very pleased to see Minister Elias Bou Saab conclude a successful visit to the United Kingdom. We remain strong and committed partners of the Lebanese army and we look forward to strengthening our military and security relations even further. Lebanon’s security and stability is in the UK national interest. The UK remains a steadfast supporter to Lebanon through ongoing social, economic, educational and humanitarian projects, in addition to further support to the Lebanese Armed Forces and other security agencies. The LAF remains the sole legitimate defender of Lebanon.’

Roots of the Jebran Bassil ‘Phenomenon’
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 18 July, 2019
Mockery follows Jebran Bassil wherever he goes and that’s fine. But there appears to be a lot of mockery and very little analysis for the causes for it.
The Bassil phenomenon requires analysis rather than mockery, which sometimes stems from actual opposition discrimination and sometimes from sectarian and partisan positions. It would be wise to analyze the Lebanese foreign minister.Mockery during the time of the rise of populism does not mean much. The populist leaders of the world are no different than Bassil. The populist leaders, of course, including the fascist one, attract insults for various reasons, especially when they show their excessive narcissism. This is why comparing them to a caricature becomes a natural way to show opposition to them.
Bassil’s primary danger is that he is not a figure who suddenly landed to earth out of nowhere. He is a reflection of years of successive developments in the region, including Lebanon, that have affected its demographics and borders. These changes are a precious gift to these types of leaders, who thrive in promoting fear of the present and concern over the future. Transition periods are populists’ best ally. Ideology in this case, warns of horrors: Borders no longer protect us and hordes are breaking down demographics.
Therefore, start crying. The terrifying news will come soon enough. We know that Bashar Assad displaced half of his people from their homes and a third of them from their country. We know that ISIS attempted to merge Syria and Iraq. These are not simple or normal everyday developments. If we understand the social and psychological repercussions of these events and buy into Hezbollah’s claims of takfiri hordes that are preparing to pounce on us from beyond Syria’s border, then we will understand Bassil’s investment in fear and worries and the massive political gains he can reap from them. We also know that the myth of racism stems from actual facts on the ground, which is why he is investing it to create incitement. Of course, the flow of refugees and consequent population explosion, as well as the fading of the border, hold major repercussions and are very susceptible for exploitation for incitement.
The other truth is that this explosive geological change is occurring in a socially explosive area. This is the chronic problem of charged minorities in the Middle East, especially Lebanon. This is why the issue of numbers, coups and balances figure high in the racist rhetoric and culture of fear.
Assad took charge of terrorizing the majority, while ISIS took charge of terrorizing the minorities. These two rivals united for a single goal: Making Syrian, and ultimately Arab, unity almost a nightmare. Each has become the other’s hell.
It is most likely that the victory of the counter-revolution in the region, in Syria specifically, will exacerbate the crisis and reduce the chances of successfully approaching its majority and minority populations.
“Bassilism”, here, plays the role of poisoning the minorities. It has the task of taking minorities out of the democratic fold and dragging them into populist and racist agendas. This goes beyond the person himself and to a popular base that is willing to embrace this mentality. History is rife with such examples.
The developments in recent years have also rewarded the Aounist coup. It has become the “movement of national liberation” that places the Christians in a confrontation with all of their traditional choices towards the region and its conflicts, and the world and its alliances. The absence and failure of western powers in recent years has only encouraged this coup. All this does not deny that “Bassilism” treats reality with illusions. This treatment exaggerates the causes of the problem itself as it claims to offer a solution to it. The sources of the historic Christian crisis stems from the sense of helplessness in affecting decisions of war and peace. Aonism and Bassilism resolved this problem by striking an alliance with Hezbollah, the party that alone monopolizes these decisions. If stoking tensions is the way to “obtain the rights of Christians,” then we are confronted with a suicidal mentality that factors on the ground cannot treat. This is a threat to all people and nations and preoccupies emotions and whims. Mockery in this case has nothing to offer.

Arabists & the Arabic Civilization!!!
Edmond El Chidiac/November 20/2003
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/76788/%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%85%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b4%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%82-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%86%d9%81%d8%b5%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%86-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%aa%d8%b5%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a-2/
Introduction
Long before the establishment of “Grand Lebanon” in 1920, the Arabists were aggressively and viciously fighting to annihilate Lebanon’s distinguishable identity, eradicate its national memory, brainwash its new generations history wise, forge Lebanon’s rich, deeply rooted history and sabotage its unique pluralistic, mosaic and multi-cultural society.
The prime objectives of the Arabists’ ongoing cultural venomous scheme against the entity of Lebanon and its rich pluralism have always been crystal clear, especially during the last six years. The current scheme is extremely frantic, accusative, and intimidating in its theme and treacherous nature.
At the present time, the scheme is evilly portrayed through an ongoing debate revolving around the state’s “history book” that is still in preparation. This book will be adopted by Lebanon’s official educational curricula and taught in its schools. The Arabists have been forging the contents of this book in a bid to hide Lebanon’s actual history and portray the barbaric and savage Arabic occupation as an act of public re-liberation of a stolen country.
The Arabists and state of Lebanon
The Arabists, known also as unionists, have been, and still are, endeavoring laboriously with bold persistence and tunnel vision mentality to force their Arabism doctrine on Lebanon’s pluralistic, multi-ethnic communities. They are committing this assault on the account of the many deeply rooted civilizations that compose Lebanon’s pluralistic rich society. They justify these hostile, immoral acts by banners of fate, unity, language, life courses and even religion.
From day one since the Arabic occupation of Lebanon, the Arabists have been infringing on the Lebanese people’s rights and aggressively attempting to impose the doctrine of Arabism on them. These attempts have been taking numerous forms and changeable courses. By the end of the Ottoman era they carried their scheme under the pretext of fighting the”Turkeyiazation”, and after that under the flag of battling imperialism, occupation, Zionism and the safeguard of unity between the Near East and North Africa that they tagged as the “Arabic world”.
The Arabists who refuse to recognize tolerance toward other cultures and religious faiths do not honor any kind of civilized argument or debate. In their own narrow concepts, everybody else must adopt blindly the Arabism doctrine and blindly believe in the faith of all its principles and obligations, or otherwise those others are fascist, separatists, isolationists, Zionists and collaborators.
The Arabists have staunchly rejected the declaration of “Grand Lebanon” in 1920 due to the fact that they were longing for Lebanon’s unity with Syria and then for a a comprehensive unity of all the Arabic countries.
The Arabists’ rejection of the “Grand Lebanon” state was expressed in their hostile boycotting of the 1922 State’s General Census. They boldly and openly abstained from registering themselves in this census and refused to recognize and carry an identity card that says they are Lebanese citizens, as stated by Mohammed Jamil Bayham in his book (The Political Conflicts in Lebanon, page 12). Bayham added: “They carried on their boycotting, until General Goro convinced them to end it, after which he took off the lower section of the identity card that denoted its holder is Lebanese”.
Is the Arab Unity viable
In the early sixties, Mohammed Hassanaen Haikal, the well-known Egyptian journalist, paid a visit to the respectable Lebanese historian, Jawad Boulous and listened to his views on Arabic unity. Boulous, who opposed such unity, reminded his guest with the two setbacks in this unity realm. He reminded him of Mohammed Ali’s attempt that failed in Egypt and that of Jamal Abdel Nasser’s contemporary Egyptian-Syrian unity that ended with a bloody military Syrian coup d’état in 1961.
Why both Arabic unity attempts were nipped in the bud.
Both attempts were a failure due to many vital elements that were ignored. For example, the emotional and enthusiastic Egyptian-Syrian unity took place under the influence of language and religion, but afterwards could not hold on in the face of geographical and historical solid factors.
At the present time, what makes a political and military unity between Arab states impossible lies in the strong rejection of the people of these countries to abandon their freedom and independence for another country, even to a brotherly Arabic one. Their rejection stems from historic hardships, humiliation and oppression that they have experienced through eras of foreign occupation and hegemony to their countries.
The majority of the Middle East countries–ie., Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, and the Arabic Peninsula–form a big oasis where they are separated from each other by vast deserts. Some of these deserts comprise small oases that are inhibited by nomads (Bedouins). This geographical formation not only rendered the Arab countries’ unity–or at least some of them–difficult, but definitely makes it impossible politically and even socially on a voluntary basis. The deserts that are natural obstacles have hindered such unity, while there are no means of transpiration even among those neighboring Arabic countries.
These factors are among many other vital ones that have prevented any partial or complete unity of the Arab countries in one state all through history, except for very short intervals and only via military means. On the other side the separation has always been a trend every time the power that united these countries was weakened.
As a pretax for man-made laws and for their political, economical and social procedures to be successful, they ought to perfectly match and appeal to the environment’s needs and take into consideration the society’s natural inclinations where they are going to be implemented and adopted.
Meanwhile social changes that are enforced through decrees–mostly made by oppressive, shortsighted politicians–always end in disaster. History teaches us that nations are not reformed or changed merely by laws, but through their peoples’ faith, hard work and freedom of choice.
Facts that should be known
The unilateral rigid concepts in the domains of civilizations, ethnicities, cultures, history, religions, etc. are bold infringements on the freedom that Almighty God has granted to man and an underestimation of man’s intelligence. These sickening concepts contradict the pluralism, multi-cultural and mosaic bases on which the Lebanese state and other free world democratic countries, like Canada, USA, Australia, etc. were established.
Pluralism calls for the respect of differences in ethnicities, religions, cultures and civilizations. It calls for the kind of societies where respect among people is mutual and tolerance is honored as well as equality, freedom and democracy. It calls for no dominance of majorities over minorities on the bases of religion, culture or ethnicity.
It is worth mentioning that the so-called Arabic civilization does not have the needed elements required to eliminate other civilizations and replace them through enforced biased laws, especially when many of the Eastern civilizations are historically deeply rooted and have been solidly established through thousands of years.
The prime aim of this editorial is to amend many of the derailed, thwarted social, religious and ethnic concepts derived from an environment that bizarrely philosophizes its awkwardness and attempts to impose it on others. These stone-aged Arabists brag about a mirage civilization that has no solid foundations except in myths that they have fabricated and spread.
Realities and facts
1- More than 20% of the Arab countries’ inhabitants are not Muslims and have no inferiority complexes in regard to their ancestries’ attribution to Qoraiesh. They are fully aware of the numerous realities of their history prior to the Arabic conquest. They call on their Arabic brothers in Lebanon and other Near East countries to respect the non Arabic-Muslim cultures and the history of other peoples in the region since there is no logic or fairness in ignoring more than 7,000 years of history and civilization that prevailed in the Near East countries and its vicinity.
Meanwhile forged and manipulated history, culture and traditions that the Arabists are attempting to force on Lebanon and its neighboring countries are mere infringements on human rights. They will not hold because they are solely based on fanaticism, hatred, awkwardness and rejection of others. We strongly believe that Islam as a religion has nothing to do with these infringements, while those who carry their flags are not following the teachings of this religion.
2- If all Arabs are Muslims, it is a mistake to allege that all Muslims are Arabs. No one can deny the Pharaohian roots of the Egyptians, the Sumaric-Assyrian and Chaldean roots of the Iraqis, the Persian roots of the Iranians and the Barbarian root of the Libyans, Algerians and Tunisians. Most importantly, who can deny the Phoenician roots of the Lebanese, including many of Lebanon’s Muslim population.
It is worth mentioning that the percentage of those with Arabic roots among the peoples living in the so-called Arabic countries does not exceed 10%, while the majority of those who say they are Arabs stem from emotional and religious affiliations and not from ethnic or historical realities and facts.
Here is what the historian Dr. Philip Hitti has stated in his book (The history of Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, second edition, pages 88, 89 and 96): “The numbers of the Arabic Army that conquered Syria were around twenty thousand. The numbers of the Muslim and Arab soldiers during the reign of Merwan the First (684-685) were twenty thousand, as documented in the “Dewan Al Jond” records in Homs and its vicinity. Their numbers during Al-Walid’s reign (705-715) were forty-five thousand in Damascus and its adjuncts”.
Based on these figures, the number of Muslims in Syria in the first century after the conquest could not have exceeded two hundred thousand of the total estimated population of three and half million. Meanwhile the majority of Lebanon’s inhabitants remained Aramaics who came from Phoenician descendents. A minority of Bedouins (nomads) were scattered all around.
3- According to the Qur’an, Arabs are the descendents of Ishmael who was Abraham’s son. Abraham was Aramaic, according to the Old Testament statement in the Bible in (Deuteronomy 26-5: “Then, in the LORD’s presence you will recite these words, ‘My ancestor was a wandering Aramean”)
Abraham lived in Haran (North East Aleppo, located at the present time in Turkey). His origin was from the Chaldean Or in Iraq. Ishmael, who escaped with his mother Haggar, is an Aramean according to both the Bible and the Qur’an. He came from outside the Arabic Peninsula and his descendents have the same roots.
Based on these facts, those who allege to be of an Arabic origin are required to review the Holy Books and recognize that the Aramaic civilization represents them, or otherwise they would be contradicting these Holy Books that clearly delineate their ancestry.
4- The Arabic civilization as a productive, genuine and creative entity does not actually exist due to the fact that it is merely a transcribing one. It copied from the Aramaic civilization, and then it was detached and isolated in the dry desert that destroyed its components. Later on it was revived religiously by the emerging of Islam, but not as a civilization. Meanwhile the civilizations that Islam oppressed have molded the Arabic civilization and have given it their marvelous creativity and form.
The great Lebanese historian Jawad Bolous delineates this fact in his book (“Great transformations in the Near East History- in the third printing, page 158-160) he states: “In an inclusive sense, there is no absolute and pure Arabic civilization. The Islamic civilization during the first “Abasi era”, that by some was called, an Arabic civilization, was in fact an Eastern, Islamic one that used the Arabic language. The Arabic civilization was founded and colored by writers, authors, scientists, doctors, philosophers, scholars, theologians and artists, most of whom came from non-Arabic ancestries”.
These facts were also stressed by the Lebanese historian Dr. Philip Hitti in his book, (The Arab, a Summarized History- in pages 76-77) he says: “The Arabs’ conquest of the Fertile Crescent, Persia and Egypt made them own the most ancient centers of civilization in the world. They borrowed (learned) science and arts from them; e.g., building, philosophy, medicine, mathematics, literature and governing knowledge, as they had nothing of all of these. With the help of their brothers–from the inhabitants of the conquest countries–the Arabs were able to learn from and invest in their intellectual and educational heritage and shape them to match their mentality”.
Dr. Hitti continues to say: “Accordingly the ‘Arabic’ civilization, was not Arabic in its origin, or in its basic formation, nor in its major national characteristics. The input of the genuine Arabs in this civilization did not exceed the language knowledge and some religious facets. The Arabic – Islamic civilization was basically Aramaic, Greek and Persian. It evolved and progressed under the Qalifa’s flag and expressed itself through an Arabic tongue. The Arabic civilization was in fact a logical continuation for the ancient deeply rooted Semitic civilization that was founded by the Babylonians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Arameans and Hebrews.”
Based on all of the above we can conclude that this civilization was not Arabic, except in its name, but actually was an Islamic one that stuck to an Arabic name due to the fact that Islam’s language was and is still Arabic. Even the progress of this civilization that reached its peak in the ninth and tenth century was proportional in comparison with that of the West which was drawn into its ages of darkness (the Middle ages).
For all of the above reasons, and for many others that could not be addressed in this editorial, we call on the Arabists:
1- To use logic and abide by the Human Rights’ basic principle of tolerance before imposing their “Arabic personality” on others. Meanwhile there is no shame if this personality is tailored to their own size and to match their ambitions, but the shame lies in acts of forcing its limitations and restrictions on others while they claim to honor openness and respect for other civilizations.
2- To restrain themselves from using and abusing the Islamic religion in their irresponsible and bizarre acts, as well as in their fantasies and day dreaming strategies revolving around Arabism. They are also required to abstain from forcing their stone-aged ideologies on others in the name of the Islamic religion when in fact this religion is innocent from all these heretic acts.
Historically Arabists and those akin to them have been the worst enemies of the Muslim faith that advocates freedom of choice in matters of religion in the Qur’an. While Almighty God has given man freedom of choice in regard to religion, how could anyone justify the Arabists’ ongoing military war to force certain civilizations on others. One wonders if these Arabists are wiser in their own eyes than God’s prophets and angels!!!
The Balanco civilization
We advise the Arabists and all those who advocate for a Lebanese-Syrian unity on the bases of brotherhood and comprehensive Arabic unity to confer first with families of thousands of Lebanese innocent citizens from all denominations and ideologists whose loved ones were either kidnapped, arbitrarily detained, oppressed, humiliated, sent into exile, tortured or brutally murdered by the Syrian Baathist regime and their Lebanese, Palestinian, Irani and Arabic proxies during the past thirty years.
It would be fair, very informative and extremely helpful for those advocates, those akin to them and for all Lebanese people to know how in the name of Arabism, Arabic civilization and Arabic unity, hundreds of Lebanese villages, towns and cities were savagely destroyed, and how many thousands of innocent Lebanese citizens were murdered under these same pretenses. The only crime that all these unfortunate courageous Lebanese have committed is their longing for freedom, peace, equality, democracy, respect of their human rights and the liberation of their occupied beloved country, Lebanon from Syrian and other foreign occupiers.
The Arabists’ Balanco civilization of one religion, one civilization, one ideology, torture, murder, assassinations, oppression, infringements on other civilizations, discrimination and lack of tolerance is not the kind of civilization the majority of the Lebanese multi-cultural and pluralistic communities would welcome and hale.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 18-19/2019
Trump: USS Boxer shoots down Iranian drone over Hormuz
DebkaFile/July 18/2019
President Donald Trump said on Thursday, July 18, that the USS Boxer amphibious assault ship took defensive action in the Strait of Hormuz and destroyed an Iranian drone which closed into the near distance, approximately 1000 yards away. The action was taken after multiple calls for the drone to stand down were ignored, “threatening the safety of the ship and ship’s crew.” Speaking at the White House on Thursday afternoon, Trump called on other nations to defend Iranian attempts to “disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce” and to “protect their ships as they go through the Strait of Hormuz. The incident came hours after Tehran said it had taken over an oil tanker with its 12-man crew, without identifying its owner.

Iran Guards Say They Have Seized a 'Foreign Tanker'
Agence France-Presse/Naharnet/July 18/2019
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday they had detained a "foreign tanker" and its crew for allegedly smuggling fuel in the Gulf. The tanker was seized on Sunday "south of the (Iranian) island of Larak" in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the force's Sepahnews website said.
The Guards did not detail the name or provenance of the vessel.
"With a capacity of two million barrels and 12 foreign crew on board, the vessel was en route to deliver contraband fuel received from Iranian boats to foreign ships in farther regions when it was intercepted," the force said. The announcement comes two days after Iran said it had come to the aid of a foreign tanker after receiving a distress call -- making no mention of the vessel being seized. "Iranian forces approached it and using a tugboat brought it into Iranian waters for necessary repairs," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.
TankerTrackers reported that the Panamanian-flagged tanker Riah, used in the Strait of Hormuz "for fuelling other vessels", had crossed into Iranian waters on Sunday. According to the online oil shipment tracking service, at that point the tanker's automatic identification system stopped sending signals. The incident comes amid soaring tensions in the Gulf, with US President Donald Trump calling off air strikes against Iran at the last minute after Tehran downed an American drone. Washington has blamed Tehran for a series of tanker attacks in recent months off the United Arab Emirates coast, charges Iran denies.

In Rebuke to Trump, US Congress Blocks Saudi Arms Sales
Agence France-Presse/Naharnet/July 18/2019
The US House voted Wednesday to block $8.1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other allies, a rebuke of Donald Trump that will likely lead to a veto by the president. Lawmakers, many of whom are outraged with the kingdom over Riyadh's role in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, approved three resolutions that would prevent the controversial sales announced under emergency measures earlier this year by Trump. The resolutions blocking the sales have already cleared the US Senate, and now go to the White House, where Trump is expected to issue a veto, the third of his presidency.
While the House blocked the sales with a comfortable majority, it was about 50 votes shy of the two-thirds needed to override Trump's veto. Trump is seeking 22 separate sales of aircraft support maintenance, precision-guided munitions and other weapons and equipment to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan at a moment of heightened tensions in the Middle East. Critics say the arms sales would aggravate the devastating war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is leading a US-backed coalition in a battle against the Iranian-supported Huthi rebels, and which the UN said has triggered the world's worst humanitarian crisis. "When we see what's going on in Yemen, it's so important for the United States to take a stand," House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Eliot Engel said on the House floor. The veteran Democrat concurred that the threats from the Iranian-backed Huthis were real, "but that doesn't mean we should just look the other way in the face of violence and the slaughter of civilians." Trump's administration took the extraordinary step of bypassing Congress to approve the sale in May, as his administration declared Iran to be a "fundamental threat" to the stability of the Middle East.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the administration was responding to an emergency caused by Saudi Arabia's arch foe rival Iran, which backs the Huthi rebels in Yemen. Lawmakers including some Senate Republicans have said there were no legitimate grounds to circumvent Congress, which has the right to disapprove arms sales. Last month Senator Lindsey Graham delivered a stinging rebuke of the arms sales and Riyadh, saying he hoped the vote would "send a signal to Saudi Arabia that if you act the way you're acting, there is no space for a strategic relationship." The senator was referring to last year's brutal murder of Khashoggi in Turkey at the hands of Saudi agents, an incident that triggered a full-blown crisis in Riyadh's relations with the West. But Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the resolutions as "dangerous" at a time Iran is expanding its reach. "Iran is stretching its tentacles of terror across the Middle East," he said in a statement. "If we allow them to succeed, terrorism will flourish, instability will reign, and the security of our allies, like Israel, will be threatened," he added.

Irbil’s Attack to Increase Tension Between Washington, Ankara
Irbil, Ankara, Washington - Ihssan Aziz, Saeed Abdulrazek, Elie Youssef/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 18 July, 2019
Western diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday that the assassination of a Turkish diplomat by a gunman at a restaurant in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, would increase tension between the Washington and Ankara ahead of meetings expected in Turkey to discuss the safe zone in east Syria.  A source at the Irbil police revealed that the Turkish diplomat was killed with two others when a gunman opened fire on a group of consulate workers at a restaurant in Irbil, adding that the attacker fled the scene. The Turkish Anadolu agency said the attacker -- in plain clothes and carrying two guns – was alone when he targeted the Turkish diplomats. Turkey would provide the “necessary response” to the attack at a casual dining restaurant, which left one other civilian dead, said Ibrahim Kalin, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s official spokesman.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.However, Iraqi experts started to point fingers at the PKK in retaliation for the killing of two party members by Turkish airstrikes. Diyar Daneer, a spokesman for the Peoples’ Protection Units, the armed wing for the PKK, said in a statement: “The PKK has nothing to do with the attack on Turkish diplomats among them the deputy of the Turkish consulate in Irbil, and the PKK has no information about this attack.” In a related development, the White House announced on Wednesday that it has removed Turkey from the F-35 joint strike fighter program and that Ankara will lose its production work on the jet by March 2020. “Turkey has been a longstanding and trusted partner and NATO Ally for over 65 years, but accepting the S-400 undermines the commitments all NATO Allies made to each other to move away from Russian systems," the White House statement said, adding that the F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence-collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities." The attack in Irbil is considered the first since the establishment of the Kurdistan Region in 1992. It came ahead of talks between the US and Turkey over eastern Syria, which is connected to Turkey’s southern border and is controlled by Kurdish-dominated Syrian forces.  Earlier, discussions over the safe zone have paused after the two sides disagreed on its depth, how it would be patrolled and which groups should be allowed to stay in the area.

Bahrain to Host Gulf Navigation Security Meeting
Washington - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 18 July, 2019
Bahrain will host a maritime security conference to ensure freedom of navigation in the region’s waters, Brian Hook, the special envoy to Iran, said on Wednesday. Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said the upcoming meeting aims to discuss facing the Iranian challenges and provocations in the Gulf waters. Speaking at a seminar attended by Bahrain’s foreign minister, Hook said the meeting on maritime security in the Gulf would be held next fall, as a follow-up to the Warsaw meeting, which was organized in February. He added that 65 countries would attend the event, without naming the participating states. The conference on peace and security in the Middle East was held under the auspices of the US and Poland in Warsaw and approved in one of its provisions the file of navigation security in the Gulf. Meanwhile, Reuters quoted on Wednesday US officials as saying they were unsure whether an oil tanker pulled into Iranian waters was seized by Iran or rescued after facing mechanical faults as Tehran asserted. The MT Riah disappeared from ship tracking maps when its transponder was switched off in the Strait of Hormuz on July 14, Reuters said. Its last position was off the coast of the Iranian island of Qeshm in the strait. Iran says it towed a vessel into its waters from the strait after the ship issued a distress call. Although Tehran did not name the vessel, the Riah is the only ship whose recorded movements appear likely to match that description, Reuters reported. A US official, speaking to the news agency on the condition of anonymity, said it appeared that the tanker was in Iranian territorial waters, but it was not clear whether that was because Iran had seized it or rescued it.

Turkey: Defense Firms Undergo Losses after F-35 Removal
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 18 July, 2019
Turkish defense companies could face temporary losses after Washington's decision to remove Ankara from the F-35 fighter jet program. However, the industry will emerge stronger as a result, the head of Turkey's Defence Industry Directorate said on Thursday. US said it was removing Turkey from the F-35 jet program over its purchase of Russian S-400 defence systems, Reuters reported. Turkey had earlier ordered more than 100 of the stealth fighters and its defense firms were also involved in building the jets. Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Ismail Demir said Turkish companies would evaluate how to compensate for their losses from Turkey's removal. He also added that other countries involved in the F-35 program would face an additional cost of $7-8 million per jet as a result of the move. According to Reuters, Demir revealed that Turkey would not purchase foreign defense equipment from now on unless it was absolutely necessary, but did not elaborate further.

Abu Marzouq: Russian Role Required to Confront US Plan to 'Finish off'
Moscow - Raed Jaber/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 18/2019
Member of Hamas political bureau Mousa Abu Marzouq stressed the importance of activating the Russian role in the Palestinian issue to confront Washington’s plan to "liquidate" the Palestinian cause. Abu Marzouq told Asharq Al-Awsat that he discussed with the Russian side, during his recent visit to Moscow, the provision of a “protection network” for Palestinians in the international forums and activation of the Russian move to put pressure on Israel in line with efforts to establish a truce. He has earlier held a round of talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who said it was “frank and detailed” and lasted more than four hours. Both sides discussed the Palestinian political situation in terms of US moves, including the “Deal of the Century” and the reconciliation efforts. They also discussed the situation in Gaza and understandings reached with the Israeli side on the truce. Abu Marzouk also expressed his satisfaction with the discussions that took place with the Russian side and called on Moscow to expand its intervention in this issue. He pointed out that Russia has ended the West's dominance in the Middle East and can play a more active role in the Palestinian issue.
Discussions also tackled the importance of “working on a new strategy in the region,” Abu Marzouq noted, adding that at the regional level “we want Russia to put pressure on Israel to accomplish the Egypt-sponsored understandings reached.”He said Israel “hasn’t complied with these understandings” and is constantly causing instability, noting that “having another party put pressure on Israel to keep understandings is significant.”“Reconciliation is vital to bolster the ability to confront attempts to target Palestinians,” Abu Marzouq said, pointing out that if the situation in Palestine is coherent, the effectiveness of countering the measures would have been translated on the ground. He said the deal of the century, measures are taken by Washington and the Lebanese Ministry of Labor’s most recent decision on work permits for the Palestinians all serve the so-called US Peace plan’s interests.
Regarding Hamas’s position on the possibility of a new Russian call for dialogue between the Palestinian factions, Abu Marzouq said Hamas welcomes this step, affirming that it would attend the talks if it was invited. He also praised Russia’s policy, which maintained constructive relations with all parties, noting that this policy has proved that Russia can play a positive role in crises.“Russia can create a protection network for Palestinians in the United Nations and the Security Council in the face of many issues the United States is trying to pass,” he said.

Syria: Regime Forces Killed in IED Attack in Daraa
Beirut, London – Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 18 July, 2019
At least 6 members of the regime forces were killed when an IED detonated in a bus carrying them to al-Maftarah area in Daraa, south of Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) terrorists targeted a military car on al-Yadouda Road, west of Daraa, as a “number of army personnel were martyred and others were injured.”SOHR Director Rami Abdul Rahman told Agence-France Presse (AFP) that 6 members of the 4th Division of regime forces died as a result of the IED explosion which targeted a bus carrying them, while 15 others were injured. The Observatory was unable to determine who was behind the attack. It also reported that unidentified gunmen targeted the car of a colonel of the regime forces near Sheikh Saad village in Daraa, killing him along with his wife and son. On July 15, SOHR published that a number of unidentified gunmen believed to be of the “popular resistance” used machine guns and RPG to target Zayzoun Camp of the 4th Division in the western countryside of Daraa, injuring members of the Division. In the summer of 2018, the Syrian army regained full control over Daraa, following a military operation. Since then, Daraa has been in a state of security chaos, with hundreds of people arrested, including those who have agreed to the settlements with the regime's forces, which have also obliged many into forced conscription. This angered several residents, especially the factions that agreed to the settlements, according to the Observatory. A few months ago, a limited number of Daraa residents participated in protests against the practices of the regime's forces. In March, residents also protested a statue of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad hoisted in the same place where a previous statue was removed by demonstrators in 2011 in Daraa.

UN Envoy to Yemen Voices Concern over Houthi Attacks against Saudi Arabia
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 18 July, 2019
United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths expressed on Thursday his concern over attacks launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militias against civilian targets in Saudi Arabia. In a briefing to the UN Security Council, he said: “I am particularly alarmed by the continued attacks by the Houthis on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.”He also voiced his “dismay” with the Houthis’ announcement last week of a death sentence of 30 detainees. “The Secretary-General, as we all know, objects to the death penalty in all circumstances. Their sentences are now on appeal and I have urged both due process and ultimately clemency in the spirit of humanity,” he stated. He further expressed concern over Yemen being dragged into regional conflicts. “It’s not in the interest of Yemen to be dragged into a regional war. All parties should desist from any actions that take Yemen in that direction. We need to prevent this to reduce regional tensions, to save lives and to give Yemen a prospect for peace rather than an enlarged war,” Griffiths said. The envoy cited his meetings with various ministers and senior officials engaged on Yemen in many countries and many capitals. “I have been reassured in every case by their unanimous desire to see progress towards a political solution, and to see it quickly. The unanimity of the international community mirrors the same unanimity we see and cherish in this Council,” he remarked. “I was equally impressed, during these meetings by a common appreciation of the primacy of a political solution,” he continued.
“All those with whom I spoke were clear that progress in realizing the objectives of the Stockholm agreement, made last December, is crucial for the chances of political negotiations to end the war. Hodeidah, of course, is at the epicenter of these objectives,” he said.
“Progress in Hodeidah will allow the parties to work together whether on tripartite monitoring, collection of revenues, or on common assessments of possible ceasefire violations,” Griffiths said.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 18-19/2019
Understanding Iran and Why It Distrusts Britain
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/July 18/2019
The English Job by Jack Straw
The subtitle of Jack Straw’s new book promises to help the reader in “understanding Iran”. However, what one gets in 390 pages might best describe as a misunderstanding of Iran today, a misunderstanding that has prevented Britain, along with other Western powers, to develop a realistic Iran policy and has helped prolong the crisis caused by the Islamic Republic unorthodox behavior in the international arena.
Straw’s misunderstanding, perhaps caused by his “absolute infatuation” with his imaginary Iran, has three aspects.
The first is that he thinks that because Iran, as he reminds the reader, is an ancient civilization, has produced great poets, weaves exquisite carpets and offers one of the world’s hautes cuisines, deserves indulgence for its weird activities in other domains such as hostage-taking, hate-mongering, human rights violations and the export of terror in the name of revolution. It is like offering indulgence to Stalin because one appreciates Pushkin and Tchaikovsky and enjoys a dish of borscht with a glass of “little water’ on the side. In another register, what would you say if we gave Hitler a pass because we like Schiller, Beethoven and potato salad? That Cyrus the Great was a great king and, arguably, even the founder of human rights, as Straw suggests, does not justify, citing just one example, the mass murder of Syrians by a mercenary army led by the Iranian mullahs.
The second “misunderstanding” concerns Straw’s strange belief that the Khomeinist ruling elite includes a “reformist” faction that craves close relations with Western democracies, and must, therefore, be supported to weaken and eventually get rid of the “ hardline” faction led by “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei. But, who are the “reformists” Straw claims to have discovered in Tehran? He cites a number of names among them former Presidents Hashem Rafsanjani and Muhammad Khatami, the current president Hassan Rouhani, former presidential candidates Hussein Moussavi and Mehdi Kariba, under both house arrest, and lower rank current or former officials such as Muhammad-Javad Zarif, Kamal Kharrazi whom Straw calls “ my old friend”, and Mostafa Tajzadeh.
The trouble is that Straw is unable to cite a single reform proposed, let alone carried out, by his “reformist” faction in Tehran. Worse still, he forgets that there have been more executions and political arrests under Khatami and Rouhani than during the supposedly “hardline” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency.
The third misunderstanding is that in dealing with the Islamic Republic, all choice is limited to just two options: swallowing whatever Iran does or launching a full-scale war against it.
Straw was one of the most zealous advocates of the war to destroy Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, asserting that the Ba’athist regime was beyond reform.
However, when it comes to the Islamic Republic, the former British Foreign Secretary becomes a dyed-in-wool peacenik. The only sane way is to use diplomacy to change Tehran’s behavior. In an elliptic manner, Straw claims some credit for what we now know as the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the “Iran nuclear deal” concocted by the Obama administration. Straw first sold the ideas to President George W Bush’s Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2006 just before his boss, Prime Minister Tony Blair, moved him to another post.
In the past two decades, Straw has visited Iran seven times, five as Foreign Secretary. In one visit he was part of a British parliamentary delegation with Lord Lamont and, the current Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn then working for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s Press TV channel. In one private visit, he and his wife, along with a couple of friends, were harassed and in the end hounded out of Iran by one of the nine security agencies operating in the Islamic Republic.
Straw is critical of President Donald J Trump for rejecting secret diplomacy when Tehran’s leaders see any public attempt at rapprochement as humiliating for their regime. He claims that the “nuclear deal” would have been completed with further secret talks about other issues of interest to Western powers, including the Islamic Republic’s intrusion in the internal affairs of several Arab countries. The first JCPOA could have been followed by other JCPOAs, even dealing with human rights issues, with the ultimate aim of marginalizing and eventually clipping the wings of the “Supreme Guide”.
Nevertheless, Straw offers no evidence than any deal made with the Islamic Republic in the past 40 years has had a long-lasting impact on the Khomeinist strategy and behavior. The Khomeinist rulers of Iran have perfected the art of diplomatic cheat-retreat-advance. Whenever their bones began to creak, they offered some concessions, which were subsequently withdrawn once the pressing of the bones ceased. More importantly, perhaps, Straw fails to realize that his “moderates” including Rouhani and Khatami, lack the popular support base needed to marginalize Khamenei let alone get rid of him.
Straw has adopted several erroneous assumptions, commonplace among so-called “Iran analysts”, including the division of authorities in the Khomeinist system between elected and un-elected officials. In that context, we are invited to believe that Khamenei, supposedly un-elected, enjoys less legitimacy than, say Rouhani, who is elected. However, the fact is that the Assembly of Experts, itself elected by popular vote, elects Khamenei. At the same time, Rouhani, like his predecessors, could not become president without an edict (hukm tanfizi) from the ”Supreme Guide”. In other words, it matters not one farthing who is or isn’t elected in a system in which all elections must either be regarded of equal value or rejected as fake from the start.
Straw is also wrong in believing that the Islamic Majlis, which he wrongly calls “The Iranian Consultative Assembly”, is subordinate to the Council of the Guardians which he calls, again wrongly, a solely “a creature of the Supreme Guide”.
To buttress his assumption that the mullahs have an almost natural claim to ruling Iran Straw exaggerates the role played by Shi’ite clerics in Iranian politics over the past five centuries. A fatwa issued by an obscure ayatollah to forbid smoking tobacco is blown out of proportion as an earth-shaking event. Clerics did play a role in the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 but only as second fiddle. The mullahs also supported the Shah in dismissing Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadeq in 1953, an event that Straw dubs a “coup d’etat” plotted by British Intelligence and the CIA. The fact
that the Shah had already appointed and dismissed Mossadeq as prime minister on two occasions without anyone talking of coup d’etat is conveniently ignored.
Straw hates the Pahlavi Shah and tries hard to present them in as bad a light as possible, possibly to justify the mullahs’ revolt in 1979.
Straw also exaggerates the role the British played in Iran. Iran’s own corrupt ruling elite, especially in the final decades of Qajar rule, used intervention by Britain and Russia, the two imperialist enemies of Iran at the time, as an excuse to explain away their own corruption and ineptitude.
No foreign power could impose its will on even the weakest nations without the assistance of at least some elements in that nation’s ruling elite. True the Persian expression” It’s all the work of the English!” reflects abiding resentment about the role played by Britain in Iranian affairs for over a century. However, the expression is more often used as a joke rather than a serious comment on history. There was never a major British human presence in Iran few Iranians ever saw even a single specimen of the vilified “Inglisi”. The Anglo-Iranian Oil Company was operating in less than one per dent of Iranian territory and , at its peak, employed under 200 non-Iranians, most of them Sikh guards and drivers from Punjab. Also, Britain never featured among Iran’s top five trading partners and couldn’t compete with France and Germany, and from 1960 onwards the United States, as poles of attraction for Iranians seeking higher education abroad. The British did invade Iran, in conjunction with the Soviets, in 1941, not 1942 as Straw says, but did not “occupy the whole of Iran” as he seems to believe. In fact, the British Expeditionary Force, largely consisting of recruits from colonial India, was stationed in five localities in Iran and from 1943 onwards were put under US command until total withdrawal two years later. The myth of “The English Job”, like its French equivalent “perfide Albion” is designed to perpetuate enmity between two nations that, when all is said and done, experienced the attraction-revulsion that marks many human relatio0ns in history. The popular novel “Dear Uncle Napoleon” by Iraj Pezeshkzad uses the “this is an English job” as a joke. Incidentally, it was written in 1970 not in the 1940s as Straw asserts.
Straw’s book, an enjoyable read, includes too many factual errors and dicey speculations to be cited here. I doubt if Ayatollah Khamenei’s second son Mujtaba has any chance of succeeding him as “ Supreme Guide”, even if the regime survives. Straw also exaggerates the status of Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi and Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani who now heads the Expediency Council. Straw may be admiring of Larijani because he speaks “fluent English” but the fact is that he lacks a genuine status within the Shi’ite clergy.
Khamenei’s mother tongue is not “Turkic”, a non-existent language, but Persian as his mother hailed from Isfahan and claimed descent from the poet Kamaleddin Ismail. Khamenei’s father was from Azerbaijan and spoke Azeri, an Altaic language.
The late Ayatollah Khomeini couldn’t have extensive knowledge of Greek philosophy as most works by the Greeks, including Plato and Aristotle cited by Straw, are still not translated into Persian or any other languages of the Muslim world.
Some of Straw’s assertions are too weird to merit comment. For example, he says: “Iran is the most secular of societies, people laugh at what the mullahs have to say.”
And, yet, he believes that mullahs are bound to rule Iran seemingly forever. But even then he is not sure of his analysis. He writes: “Just below the surface, Iran is far from calm, the regime {is} going one way, the majority of the population another.”
From an apologist for the Islamic Republic, this is something!

Sudan: Settlements without Solutions
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 18 July, 2019
The last few hours were heavy going, as everyone concerned awaited the hoped for “agreement” between the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the ‘Forces of Freedom and Change’ (FFC). Everyone concerned was hopeful yet apprehensive lest another obstacle emerging, just as we have been witnessing in the past weeks.
It is quite likely that all are seeking a settlement that would accomplish the change they say they desire. However, it is also likely that optimism in achieving decisive solutions has receded significantly, since some facts became obvious, such as:
1- Despite the solid core, the diverse alliance leading the popular movement, represented by the FFC, looks fragile; which is normal in a diverse country like the Sudan, that is home to a broad spectrum of ideological, tribal, partisan, and regional affinities. Moreover, this does not discount the possibility of the presence of embedded groups within the FFC who continue to be loyal to the “deep state”, of which they were – at certain times – prominent pillars and part of its “legitimacy”.
2- The TMC has its own political concept, widespread in the “culture” of the military all over the world, as regards “protecting the homeland”, “defending the constitution” and safeguarding “national harmony”, etc. Thus, the TMC’s insistence on enjoying what it defines as its right in presiding over the “sovereignty council” – in charge of strategic security issues – seems to be unnegotiable.
3- The element of trust, necessary for political negotiations, was badly damaged by the bloody events associated with breaking the people’s stand in, starting from Colombia neighborhood in Khartoum. Indeed, trust was further undermined by threats by the TMC, which held military elements “linked” to the “former regime” responsible for the bloody events. Then, it was almost eroded when groups raising Islamist slogans protested against the FFC, accusing it of excluding Islamist groups from its campaign as well as from the negotiations.
4- Demonstrations and stand-ins were not sufficient to bring down the rule of General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, but were rather helped by senior officers’ rising against him. However, a large section in the popular movement believes that the “revolt” was nothing but a change at the top. This section is convinced that after three decades in power, Al-Bashir became a liability for his own regime, so it was beneficial for it to “reinvent” itself.
The above-mentioned facts are more than enough to create a “crisis of trust” that does not allow for more than cautious realistic settlements. Trust cannot be created overnight, especially in the current internal and external conditions the Sudan is going through.
Internally, regardless of Bashir’s direct responsibility for the secession of the South Sudan and the bloodshed in Darfur – for which he was indicted by the International Criminal Court for “crimes against humanity” –, one can point to political and economic problems that plagued his regime.
Among the leading political problems were Bashir’s losing the loyalty of many key colleagues in the army command. This happened after his decision to unconstitutionally run for re-election, and later removing several senior officers and politician from key military and party positions. As for the economic problems, they were highly influential in fueling popular resentment and anger. In January 2018, the government raised the customs US dollar rate from 6.9 to 18 Sudanese pounds, causing a sharp price rise across the market, reaching in some cases 300 percent. Bashir also announced his government’s intention of controlling cash flow, and establishing a ceiling for bank withdrawals, precipitating a severe liquidity crisis.
Such measures were bound to foment widespread popular resentment that soon developed into mass street protests against inflation and declining living conditions, throughout the Sudan.
Initially, the government took the protests lightly. Then it resorted to accusing dubious groups and “traitors” of stirring up troubles, before embarking on attempts to quell the demonstrations by force, instead of looking into the popular demands. Thus, protests grew bigger against the government’s intransigence, eventually leading to Bashir realizing that he lost the initiative.
Outside the Sudan, Bashir’s situation was not much better. Initially, regarded as a representative of “political Islam”, the deposed leader faced an acute regional polarity between “political Islam” and the “military alternative”, in addition to international pressures of the ICC’s indictment that were temporarily frozen after he had accepted the independence of South Sudan. All this meant that his tired regime was coexisting dangerously with a changing regional scene.
Indeed, some countries, such as Pakistan, have experienced the coexistence between “political Islam” and the “military alternative”. In Pakistan, Islam is both the “national identity” and the raison d’etre as an independent state. So, defending the “Islamist – nationalist” identity against a secular India, the antagonistic neighbor to the east, can only be done by the army. This is why there has always been an old “symbiosis” between the Pakistani military and its Islamist movements.
Sure enough, the Sudanese example is not a carbon copy of the Pakistani case. Although Islam is the religion of the vast majority of Sudanese people. Moreover, Islam has been part of the “sectarian” identity of the country’s two greatest civilian political parties; the Umma Party, which is the historical political representative of the Ansar sect, and the Unionist Democratic Party, which has long been connected to the Khatmiyya sect. As for “political Islam” as symbolized by the Muslim Brotherhood, it has managed to gain presence within the army; and Bashir himself was one of its figures before his well-known falling out with the Brotherhood’s historic leader Dr. Hassan al-Turabi.
Given all of the above, I expect the Sudan to go through a “foggy” period, where the best possible outcome will be a temporary settlement, since there is no chance of achieving a genuine solution.
Genuine solutions continue to wait for a non-existing trust and an absent regional consensus.

Powerful Lessons from History: Adams on Strength, Rand on Fifth Columnists
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/July 18, 2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14555/history-lessons-john-adams-ayn-rand
John Adams, the nation's second President, understood that studying history, and specifically conflict between nations, would give us the means of avoiding the next battle, conflict between nations and of protecting our shared future.
"... I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine." – Letter by President John Adams to Abigail Adams, May 12, 1780.
The reality is we remain at war -- with those who brought down the Twin Towers and attacked the Pentagon, who apparently consider a diverse, interdenominational nation an outrage that must be erased from the globe.
A portrait of US President John Adams, as painted by Gilbert Stuart circa 1800/1815.
President John Adams has something to say to students this fall but it is unlikely he will be given the chance.
Across the United States, this summer will be used by educators to convene conferences on curriculum, classroom content and study guides to present to students in September. Likely absent from most of their agendas will be a comprehensive study of the most seminal event in the last century -- World War II -- which continues to define the world we live in, our geopolitical borders, our society, the role of technology and America's leadership role around the globe.
Social studies teachers will be the first to admit despair. In many school districts, a single 45-minute period is all that is offered in the course of an entire class year for the study of this global conflict, Gloria Sesso, chairperson of the Long Island, N.Y. Committee for the Social Studies, told Gatestone.
Forty-five minutes would not even begin to cover how the Nazis took a bigoted beer hall boast and made it into mass murder on an industrial scale, much less understand the origins and consequences of World War II. (A recent survey revealed that 22% of millennials had never heard of the Holocaust.)
Adams, the nation's second President, understood that studying history, and specifically conflict between nations, would give us the means of avoiding the next battle, conflict between nations and of protecting our shared future. In a letter to his wife, Abigail, he wrote:
"... I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine."
A Founding Father, Adams was blessed with incredible insight on how best to protect, nurture and advance our fledgling democracy for generations to come. Only by studying historical conflicts, could we spot possible strategic risks, avoid potential hazards and identify even the threats within our own borders.
Sadly, his instruction to study war so that future generations could excel at the arts has not been heeded. According to the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, six in 10 Americans do not know which countries the United States fought in World War II.
Not everyone has been indifferent to history and its cautionary instructions to protect America. In 1941, as fierce isolationists such as aviator Charles Lindbergh condemned any effort to help democratic nations under siege by the Nazis, the author Ayn Rand wrote of "Innocent Fifth Columnists."
(The phrase "Fifth Columnists" -- meaning "a group of secret sympathizers or supporters of an enemy..." -- became part of the nation's vocabulary during the brutal Spanish Civil War when rebels suggested that their sympathizers were secretly waiting to join four army columns marching to take Madrid.)
Rand's open letter to "Innocent Fifth Columnists" challenged her fellow citizens:
"Are you the kind who sits at home and moans over the state of the world—but does nothing about it?... Are you the kind who says that the future is predestined by something or other, something he can't quite name or explain and isn't very clear about, but the world is doomed to dictatorship and there's nothing anyone can do about it?... Are you the kind who says that he wishes he could do something, he'd be so eager to do something—but what can one man do?... Are you the kind who are so devoted to your own career, your family, your home or your children that you will let the most unspeakable horrors be brought about to destroy your career, your family, your home and your children—because you are too busy now to prevent them?"
Rand was confronting the studied ignorance of many Americans who did not wish to see the danger posed by the isolationists -- they believed we could appease Hitler and Imperial Japan. The isolationists' ignorance of history would threaten our nation's very survival.
The reality is we remain at war -- with those who brought down the Twin Towers and attacked the Pentagon, who apparently consider a diverse, interdenominational nation an outrage that must be erased from the globe.
There are also those within our borders whom some might label modern Fifth Columnists.
We owe it to Adams, and all those who continue to caution us, to "study war" so that our children and grandchildren may live in a nation bequeathed to us through the grace of God and the sacrifice of brave men and women.
*Lawrence Kadish is a real estate developer, entrepreneur, and founder and president of the Museum of American Armor in Old Bethpage, Long Island, New York.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

J'accuse — The New Yorker Is Trying to Silence Me
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/July 18, 2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14556/alan-dershowitz-new-yorker-david-remnick
I recently learned, from a source close to The New Yorker magazine, that its editor, David Remnick, has commissioned a hit piece against me for the explicit purpose of silencing my defense of President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the State of Israel. Remnick despises Trump and Netanyahu, and is well known for his strong anti-Israel bias. Remnick explicitly told people that I must be silenced because mine has been the most persuasive voice in favor of what Remnick feels pose dangers to values he holds dear, and that he will use the credibility of The New Yorker to accomplish this goal.
The New Yorker used to be a great literary magazine. I read it for its short stories, profiles of literary figures, film and drama reviews, humorous vignettes, and clever cartoons. But since David Remnick took over as editor, left wing politics have trumped non-partisan literature. Profiles have become personal attacks on Remnick's political enemies and hagiographies of his political friends.
Among Remnick's most persistent enemies are Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump. Ad hominem attacks on the Israeli Prime Minister include mocking his name ("Netanyahoo") and calling him a "mendacious mouse." Remnick consistently singles out Israel for condemnation, while ignoring real violations of human rights.
An op-ed in the Jerusalem Post observed that "under Remnick's reign, The New Yorker, and particularly Remnick himself, repeatedly and obsessively focuses on what Remnick perceives to be the failings of the state of Israel," accusing it of "medievalism," "apartheid" and "xenophobia." Its one-sided views have been "posted prominently on the website of "Intifada – The Voice of Palestine."
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America has characterized Remnick's writings as "almost frantic agitation" against the Netanyahu government. Israel and/or its leaders are scorned for being "bigoted," "arrogant" and "stubborn," and for displaying "ineptitude" and a penchant for "fantasy." The Palestinian leaders, on the other hand, are "moderate and constructive." Remnick's attacks on President Trump are even more ad hominem, calling him "unhinged," "chaotic," "corrupt," "infantile" and comparing him to Nero.
The New Yorker's reputation for objectivity, fairness and scrupulous fact checking has been replaced by a growing awareness that nothing it publishes should be taken as true without rigorous independent checking, especially when it comes to Israel, Netanyahu, and Trump. The same is true when it comes to public figures Remnick believes are supporters of his sworn enemies. I know, because Remnick has arranged for a like-minded attack journalist named Connie Bruck to target me in a mendacious hit piece designed to still my voice on Israel, Netanyahu, and Trump.
Bruck is so emotional in her hatred toward those who say anything positive about Trump, that when her own stepson came out for the president, her family — according to the step-son — "singly excluded" him from family events "when the rest of the family was invited."* Bruck's antagonism toward Israel is reflected by the fact that the only Harvard Law School professor that she interviewed about me is a virulently anti-Israel radical, whose one-sided course on the Israel-Palestine conflict I strongly criticized.
Another academic she interviewed is Robert Trivers, who compares Israel to Nazi Germany.
Remnick's decision to have this biased reporter to profile a man who has vigorously defended the legal rights of both Trump and Netanyahu makes it clear that he was commissioning a one-sided screed, rather than an objective profile.
The New Yorker apparently got the idea of using false allegations of sexual misconduct to silence me from another like-minded web attacker of pro-Israel advocates named Phillip Weiss, who wrote the following on his Mondoweiss website: "We have picked up news about the sexual allegations against Alan Dershowitz because Dershowitz is such an outspoken defender of Israel and the matter has inevitably affected his influence in the foreign policy arena." Remnick has made similar statements about the need to reduce my influence and silence my voice.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with what I've been saying about Trump, Netanyahu, and Israel, every American should be outraged at this partisan effort by a giant of the media to stifle the marketplace of ideas by exploiting the past credibility of The New Yorker to try destroy the reputation of a public intellectual with whom they disagree. Let them publish articles challenging my views on their merits, instead of disseminating defamatory attacks that will be believed by partisans, regardless of overwhelming evidence that the accusations are false. This is the latest weapon in the partisan warfare that divides our nation. It is a misuse of freedom of the press to stifle the freedom of speech of those with whom one disagrees.
But The New Yorker picked on the wrong innocent victim, because I have the will and resources to fight back against the falsehoods he is directing at me and those who want to hear my voice. The truth is my weapon in this war of words, and the truth is unequivocally on my side. So here are the indisputable facts that The New Yorker will either not publish or will distort.
Four years ago, a woman who I had never met was "pressured" — her word — by her lawyers to falsely accuse me of having underage sex with her. They expected a big payday, but I was able to prove from travel records that I could not have been on the Caribbean island, New Mexico ranch, or other places where she perjuriously claimed we had met. She also claimed to have met Al and Tipper Gore, as well as Bill Clinton, on the island, but Secret Service and other records proved she had made up that story as well. She also made up stories about having underage sex with prominent political leaders — senators, ambassadors, prime ministers and other heads of state — but her own employment records prove conclusively that she was well above the age of consent when she falsely claimed to have met these men.
My records led her own lawyer to admit in a recorded conversation that it would have been "impossible" for me to have been in those places and that his client was "simply wrong" about her accusations. An investigation by a former head of the FBI concluded that the accusations were disproved by the evidence. The judge struck the accusations and her lawyers withdrew them, admitting it was a "mistake."
Having seen the initial accusation demolished, her lawyer told people he was trolling for a second accuser because "two is better than one." This time they "found" a real doozy: a woman who had tried to get the New York Post to publish her claim that she had sex tapes of Hillary and Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Richard Branson. She also wrote hundreds of pages of emails accusing several prominent people of having sex with her when she was in her 20s, but I was not among them — until she met the ethically challenged lawyer David Boies. I had never met this false accuser either, but her lawyer allowed this obviously mendacious or hallucinatory woman to submit a perjured affidavit accusing me.
Two provably false accusations by women with long histories of lying about famous people are not better than one, especially when both were engineered by the same lawyer. Sometimes smoke does not mean fire; it means arson.
So this is where the story stood: I had disproved these false accusations both in the courts of law and public opinion. No reasonably objective person examining the evidence would possibly conclude that I was guilty of any wrongdoing. The matter was closed. Until The New Yorker decided to resurrect these false allegations in an effort to silence me. He commissioned the hit piece from Bruck, who actually completed her article, subject only to fact checking, without even interviewing me or anyone who might say something positive about me. She ignored or minimized the evidence of my innocence. She relied on interviews with the lawyers of my false accusers and my political enemies. She did not question my accusers, simply accepting the unchallenged words of proven liars, taking them from court documents that are privileged and thus not subject to a defamation suit.
I have been advised that The New Yorker's policy, as expressed by Remnick, is that the magazine will not publish sex allegations against someone unless there are three credible independent sources. My source heard this directly from Mr. Remnick. Yet the proposed article doesn't even come close to meeting that standard. In the first place, there are only two sources. They are anything but independent, since both women were groomed by the same lawyers to lie about me for financial gain. Moreover, both sources lack credibility. They each have documented histories of telling false stories about well-known people for financial gain.
In every other "#MeToo" accusation reported by The New Yorker and other media, there was some corroboration or admission of the external facts: they had sex; they worked together; they knew each other. In my case there is absolutely no evidence I ever met these false accusers, because I did not.
The question thus arises why The New Yorker is willing to violate its own standards by publishing false accusations against me that have no credibility or corroboration and are refuted by indisputable documentary evidence. The answer is obvious to those familiar with Remnick's political misuse of his magazine to destroy his enemies, regardless of what compromise he must make with journalistic standards.
Not content to falsely accuse me of sex crimes, Bruck trolled the internet and came across a neo-Nazi, Holocaust denial website called Rense.com, which both the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center have declared to be anti-Semitic. This site accused me of beating and murdering my first wife. It showed "pictures" of her and my children, which were not them, but stereotypical Jews with long noses. No one would believe anything on this hate site — no one, that is, except a journalist prepared to use any dirt, regardless of its source and absurdity, against her target. Bruck has admitted using this discredited site as the original source for claiming in her article that I abused my first wife and "stripped" her of custody of my two sons. She even used the same words she found on the Holocaust denial site. The truth is that my first wife and I, who were married when I was 20 and she 19, grew apart. There was no abuse, and the court granted me custody based on the report of the social worker, and on his explicit finding that I committed "no misconduct." But that boring story would not achieve The New Yorker's goal of destroying me. So they went into the gutter and followed the lead of an anti-Semitic website.
This is not journalism; it is defamation motivated not by a search for truth but a determination to destroy and silence a political enemy. Bruck's reckless disregard for the truth has become all too typical of The New Yorker under Remnick. So has taking revenge against political enemies, especially those who have the temerity to fight back against The New Yorker.
Since completing the first draft of this hit piece, Bruck has been given many documents and much information that disproves her thesis. Perhaps this will cause her to alter her false narrative in the final version. I have offered to meet face to face with her, but she has refused. I have told her that in a few days, the court will be unseating emails and a book manuscript that proves conclusively — in my accuser's own words — that she never had sex with me. But The New Yorker refuses to wait to include these exculpatory documents in her story.
I fully anticipate that Remnick and Bruck will redouble their attacks against me for calling them out. Bruck has already attacked me in emails for earlier public criticism I leveled against her. I expect more vengeful responses in the pages of the magazine.
So when you read The New Yorker attack on me, read it with an understanding of its source, motive, and methodology. Remember that you are not reading The New Yorker of old that had well-earned credibility. You are reading a glossy version of the National Enquirer, with partisan and personal agendas. Only the clever cartoons are the same. On second thought, you might just want to skip the partisan articles and jump right to the cartoons.
*Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law Emeritus at Harvard Law School and author of The Case Against the Democrats Impeaching Trump, Skyhorse Publishing, 2019. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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Assad burning Idlib’s crops to force opposition out of Syria
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab News/July 19/2019
In northwestern Syria’s Idlib province, near the Turkish border, small pockets of opposition still persist in the face of the military onslaught from the combined forces of Bashar Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies. The locals, a significant proportion of whom are ethnic Turkmen, have absorbed waves of refugees from other rebel areas in the country, most notably from nearby Aleppo, and the region has become a last stand for the Sunni opposition to the Damascus government.
Their resilience has owed much to two crucial factors. The first is that neighboring Turkey is operating in the area, partly out of concern for the Sunni Turkmen living there and partly to disrupt the activities of Kurdish rebels on both sides of the border.
The second is that the region was, and still remains, a breadbasket. This has allowed both the native residents and the incoming refugees to sustain their armed resistance to Damascus, even with little humanitarian aid from the outside.
Damascus cannot do anything about Turkey. The best it can hope for is that the increasingly cordial tone between Ankara and Moscow will constrain Turkish operations on the ground, as both sides will want to avoid accidental direct confrontation while they stomp all over Idlib for their own respective purposes.
But the Assad regime can do something about Idlib’s food production: Burn it to the ground and starve the opposition into submission. As we have come to expect from Damascus, that is exactly what the government is doing.
It is hard to judge whether Assad expects that this will even convince the opposition in Idlib to surrender. Previous starvation sieges in other areas of the country have not sped up the end of hostilities. And whenever the regime does manage to subdue an opposition enclave, it is hardly magnanimous in victory. Those opposing Assad are not given a rational choice between the ongoing misery of conflict and a better, more tranquil life after surrender. They are given a choice between being killed fighting and being tortured and killed on their knees after having surrendered.
Whenever the regime does manage to subdue an opposition enclave, it is hardly magnanimous in victory.
The rather more likely explanation is that the goal of Damascus is something more akin to population cleansing. By starving the rebelling populations, it likely initially aims to sap them of their capacity to fight and resist. But this tactic dovetails with a greater strategic goal of pushing opposition-inclined populations out of the country, and across the border into Turkey.
Turkey is already doing a remarkably decent job of absorbing, and in some cases even integrating, a huge number of Syrian refugees. Indeed, some authorities in Turkey are no longer treating the Syrian refugee problem as a temporary one, but rather administer the crisis with an understanding that the new demographic situation is likely permanent. But even Turkey cannot be looking forward to having to absorb another million or so refugees from Idlib on top of the 3.5 million Syrians it already cares for. Yet, just like the Assad regime cannot do much about Turkey’s incursions south of the border, the Turkish government cannot do much to prevent the starvation tactics of Damascus in Idlib, and the likely refugee inflow this will eventually produce. Overarching the competing tactical and strategic positions of the two neighbors in Idlib is the stern gaze of Moscow, which, for the time being, has no incentive to take sides, but which neither side wants to upset by launching a direct assault on the other.
Underfoot this unedifying strategic dance, the people of Idlib, civilians and opposition fighters alike, will be stomped, until the breadbasket of Syria is burned to the ground and a new wave of refugees pours out of the country.
*Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is a director at the Center for Global Policy and author of “The Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar’s Genocide” (Hurst, 2017). Twitter: @AzeemIbrahim

Why the Islamic Republic is so unpopular with Iranians
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/July 19/2019
After the last shah of Iran, his family and loyalists fled the country on Jan. 16, 1979, nearly 99 percent of Iranian voters supported abolishing the monarchy and establishing the Islamic Republic.
The “Islamic Republic” was an undefined system of governance. People believed that this political establishment would be the opposite of the monarchy, as a large portion of the population was dissatisfied with the widespread political and financial corruption, lack of freedom of the press, infringements on the rights of assembly and free speech, elitism, forced Westernization and modernization, disregard for the society’s religious traditions, the repression of human rights activists and political dissidents by security police, and the suppression of social movements and political parties.
Based on the ruling clergy’s promises, people thought that the Islamic Republic would bring social justice, democracy and freedom.
But, year by year, the popularity of the theocratic establishment declined to the extent that even a supporter of the regime, Sadegh Zibakalam, who is a professor of political science at the University of Tehran, said last year that “if there were a referendum on the political system in Iran now, 70 percent of the people would say no to an Islamic Republic.”
In an interview with Deutsche Welle, he described the population’s disappointment and disenchantment with the political system. Infuriated with his comments, the Revolutionary Court sentenced the professor to 18 months in prison and banned him from giving interviews, writing articles and delivering public speeches on the vague charges of spreading “false information” and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”
A key question to ask is: How did a political system that was supported by an overwhelming majority of the population four decades ago become extremely unpopular and despised?
The regime’s organizations, officials and their connections became wealthier as the ordinary people became poorer.
One of the major reasons is the unfair distribution of wealth and resources. Instead of providing equal job and market opportunities, private enterprise and entrepreneurship, the regime took full control of the country’s wealth and means of production.
The Islamic Republic monopolized the industries and led a state-controlled economy. The Washington office of the Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, released a book entitled “The Rise of the Revolutionary Guards’ Financial Empire,” in which it demonstrated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps controls more than half of Iran’s gross domestic product and owns several major economic powerhouses and religious endowments, such as Astan Quds Razavi in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
The regime’s organizations, officials and their connections became wealthier as the ordinary people became poorer. For example, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who gained his wealth after he became Iran’s second supreme leader, reportedly has a financial empire that is worth at least $95 billion. One of Khamenei’s major organizations, which is rarely spoken of, is Setad Ejraiye Farmane Hazrate Emam.
Roughly half of Setad’s holdings are invested in the corporate field and the other half in real estate, mainly through “the systematic seizure of thousands of properties belonging to ordinary Iranians,” mostly dissidents and foreign expatriates. Setad enjoys the advantage of monopolizing economic sectors, exploiting the nation’s wealth and bending the law in order to maximize its profits.
As the regime and its cronies accumulated wealth and monopolized the economy, they saw no need to create jobs or improve people’s living standards. This resulted in a high unemployment rate in spite of many of the younger generation having university degrees. According to an official representative of the regime’s Planning and Management Organization, “42 percent of unemployed people in Iran have a university degree, and huge sums of money have been spent on their education.” Although Iran has an educated youth population, almost 30 percent of them cannot find jobs. In some provinces, the unemployment rate is above 60 percent.
The unemployment rate among university-educated women is much higher than that of men, hovering near 80 percent in some provinces. In addition, more than 40 percent of the population, or approximately 32 million citizens, live below the poverty line.
In some provinces, such as Sistan and Baluchistan, more than 75 percent of the population is struggling with food shortages and a lack of drinking water.
The revolutionary regime made the middle class slowly disappear, which caused a wide gap between social classes. This is all happening while the Iranian people are cognizant of the fact that their country is one of the richest in the world when it comes to natural resources and commodities. In fact, by having approximately $27.3 trillion of natural resources, Iran is ranked fifth in the world, ahead of China and Australia and only behind Canada, the US, Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Income inequality and the leaders’ failure to create jobs are among the most critical reasons why the revolutionary regime is so unpopular in Iran.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh