English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For July 26/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed meto bring good news to the poor
Luke 04/14-21: “Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed meto bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”
 

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 25-26/2020
Lebanon Records 147 New Virus Cases and 3 Deaths
Nasrallah Urges Use of Face Masks to 'Win' Battle against COVID-19
Presidency: Mechanism of Appointments Law Violates the Constitution
Police Bust 6 Kg of Raw Cocaine
Lebanon to reimpose strict measures after surge in coronavirus cases
Lebanon’s Mustaqbal Movement Postpones its Congress
As Lebanon enters hyperinflation, the black market currency exchange has many faces
Israel's war between wars against Iran escalates in Syria/Hanin Ghaddar/Al Arabiya/July 24/2020
Lebanon and Iraq: why debates on sovereignty and neutrality are being had in the two countries/Aya Iskandarani/The National/July 25/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 25-26/2020
Israel Strikes Syrian Army Targets after Border Unrest
Iranian Judiciary: Passengers on 'Harassed' Airliner Can Sue US
Turkey’s Parliament to Vote on Bill that Could Block Facebook, Twitter
Calls for Establishing Egyptian-Greek Economic Zone in the Mediterranean
Fire breaks out at Iranian compound housing senior IRGC commanders
‘Harassed’ airliner passengers can sue US in Iran courts, judiciary says
Iran women's rights activist sentenced to over 4 years for role in January protests
Qatar, Turkey, Muslim Brotherhood leading campaign to ‘vilify’ UAE: GargashU.S. Consulate in China Readies for Closure as Diplomatic Row Rages
Gunmen kill at least 20 farmers in Sudan's Darfur: Tribal chief
Egypt’s ‘Ifta’: Muslim Brotherhood Seeks to Spread Chaos Online
Virus Surges Worldwide as Public Loses Faith in Authorities
Gunmen kill at least 20 farmers in Sudan's Darfur: Tribal chief
US, Israeli military chiefs fine-tune coordination amid rising tensions with Iran, Hizballah/DEBKAfile/July 25/2020

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 25-26/2020

France's Cathedrals on Fire: 'The Final Stage of De-Christianization'?/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute./July 25/2020
The Ironies and Delusions of the Syrian opposition/Akram Bunni/Asharq Al Awsat/July 25/2020
Marcus Sheff: PA Textbooks "Radicalize Palestinian Children"/Marilyn Stern/Middle East Forum Webinar/July 25/2020
A $2 Billion Bet on Pfizer’s Covid Vaccine Is Worth It/Max Nisen/Bloomberg/Saturday, 25 July, 2020
Mass Transit Is the Way to Get Cities Moving Again/Lionel Laurent/Bloomberg/Saturday, 25 July, 2020
How to Make Trump’s Coronavirus Briefings Actually Good/Faye Flam/Bloomberg/Saturday, 25 July, 2020
The Nile is no one’s property; it belongs to everyone/Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/July 25/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 25-26/2020

Lebanon Records 147 New Virus Cases and 3 Deaths
Naharnet/July 25/2020
Lebanon recorded 147 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Friday evening. According to the Ministry’s daily statement, 119 of the new cases were recorded among residents and 28 among expats who arrived in Lebanon in recent days. The new cases raise the country’s overall tally since February 21 to 3,407. The three fatalities meanwhile take the death toll to 46. The tally of 3,407 cases includes 1,666 recoveries. Twenty-one of the new local cases were recorded in Baabda district, 18 in Beirut, 12 in each of Northern Metn and Zahle district, eight in Sidon district, seven in Keserwan, three in each of Chouf, Aley district and Nabatieh district, two in each of Jbeil district, Koura district, Zgharta’s Mizyara, Baalbek district, Hermel, Tyre district, Bint Jbeil district and Marjeyoun district, and one in Tripoli.

Nasrallah Urges Use of Face Masks to 'Win' Battle against COVID-19
Naharnet/July 25/2020
A video recording circulated on social media outlets on Saturday of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah wearing a face mask in what seems an encouragement to abide by safety precautions against the recent surge of COVID-19 in Lebanon.
Nasrallah talked about the victory against the virus urging abidance by safety "regulations."“With patience, resistance, endurance, trust in God, prayer, pleading, work, procedures, reason, knowledge, and regulations and controls, we win this battle,” against coronavirus, said Nasrallah.
Lebanon’s government-linked anti-coronavirus committee on Friday recommended a host of measures in the face of a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. On Thursday, Lebanon confirmed 156 more COVID-19 cases, continuing a recent trend of high daily tallies.Many Lebanese are taking the virus lightly and failing to take safety precautions of wearing face masks in public.

Presidency: Mechanism of Appointments Law Violates the Constitution
Naharnet/July 25/2020
President Michel Aoun has revoked the law in force No 7 on the appointment mechanism in the first category in public administrations “because it violates the constitution,” the Presidency said in a statement on Saturday. The Presidency said in a "clarification" statement: Since the Constitutional Council's decision to nullify the law related to the appointment mechanism in the first category in public administrations, objecting voices rose linking it to political reasons or casting doubt on its legality, which requires clarification. First: When the President refused to sign the law and decided to refer it to the Constitutional Council for annulment, he was confident some of its articles violate the Constitution and has therefore decided to entrust it to the authority to monitor the constitutionality of laws. Second: Parties objecting to the decision of the Constitutional Council today, are showing lack in understanding of the Lebanese constitution or intentionally ignoring what it stipulates in its articles with the aim of politicizing the decision. Third: Political and media campaigns waged by objectors to revoke said law, raise many question marks about the reasons and intentions behind it. The decisions of the Constitutional Council are final and binding.
Fourth: Failure to approve the mechanism does not mean that competency, expertise and knowledge won't be favored in Grade One appointment mechanism.

Police Bust 6 Kg of Raw Cocaine
Naharnet/July 25/2020
Police thwarted an attempt to smuggle “35.3 kg of liquid material and 8.4 kg of other chemical agent used in the production of cocaine,” a statement released by the Internal Security Forces said on Saturday. ISF said its Intelligence branch was tracking a drug cell and obtained information about an international drug network planning to smuggle “huge amounts of liquid cocaine into Lebanon," said the statement. The smugglers invented “professional hiding tactics” inside vehicles shipped to the country through the country’s port. After thorough follow-up, the ISF was able to identify a white BMW x3 type vehicle imported and shipped from Germany to Lebanon via the port of Tyre in south Lebanon. Plans were that it be transported to Bekaa to unload the drug there. Police ambushed the transport operation from Tyre to Bekaa in the Mount Lebanon area of Aley. A special force of the division was tasked with observing the car from the moment it left the port. On July 7, 2020 police ambushed and seized the vehicle as it was being transported aboard a slab in the Mount Lebanon area of Aley. Inside its fuel tank police found 35.3 kg of liquid material, 8.4 kg of sticky material. Thorough laboratory tests showed the amounts seized contain about 6 kg of raw cocaine, according to the statement.

Lebanon to reimpose strict measures after surge in coronavirus cases
Jacob Boswall, Al Arabiya English/Saturday 25 July 2020
Lebanon is set to reimpose strict measures to limit the spread of coronavirus after a recent surge in cases and the death of the first doctor treating infected patients. The new measures will begin on July 27, according to an official circular and recommendations from the country’s coronavirus task force.
Initially, the measures will last a week and will include the complete closure of night clubs, indoor swimming pools, beach parties, cinemas, theaters, gyms, public markets and all outdoor and indoor children’s play areas. All social gatherings will be banned, except weddings with a maximum capacity of 50 attendees in indoor spaces and 150 in outdoor areas. Cases and deaths have risen sharply since the country’s only airport opened in July, reaching 147 cases and three deaths on Friday alone. In an interview with Associated Press earlier this week, Health Minister Hamad Hassan said that it was still “too early” to consider returning to increased lockdown measures, although he admitted Lebanon was at a “critical period” in its fight against the virus. Separately, a Lebanese MP revealed he tested positive for coronavirus following his encounter with a Foreign Ministry official that had announced his positive test result last week. On Friday, Hadi al-Hashem, Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry chief of cabinet, said he learned of his positive test result for COVID-19 during a lunch with visiting French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. Lebanon's defense minister and deputy prime minister, Zeina Akar, announced that her daughter had tested positive for coronavirus. Akar said she and the rest of her family were also tested, but results came back negative. “Our daughter is in quarantine, 100 percent” Akar tweeted. “We all hope that citizens will ... wear face masks and take protective measures,” she added.

Lebanon’s Mustaqbal Movement Postpones its Congress
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 25 July, 2020
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s al-Mustaqbal Movement has postponed its Congress upon the recommendation of doctors amid the coronavirus pandemic. “The Supervisory Board of the Third al-Mustaqbal Movement Congress, headed by Dr. Ahmed Fatfat, held an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Hariri” at the Center House, the ex-PM's press office said in a statement on Friday. The Board informed him of the recommendation of the movement’s doctors to postpone the Congress, which was scheduled to be held in Beirut on Sunday, to a later date, due to the rapid increase in the number of coronavirus cases in Lebanon, said the statement.“In order to preserve the health of those invited to the Congress, their families and the community in general,” the Board announced the postponement of the Congress to a date that will be determined later, it added.

As Lebanon enters hyperinflation, the black market currency exchange has many faces
Nicholas Frakes, Al Arabiya English/Saturday 25 July 2020
As Lebanon descended into economic crisis, the country’s currency sank with it, officially entering hyperinflation this week. The decades-old fixed exchange rate has given way to a black market and complex web of exchange rates despite the government’s efforts to maintain the official rate.
While Lebanon’s currency, the lira, remains pegged at 1,517 to $1, licensed exchange shops are trading at a rate closer to 3,900, as instructed by the central bank. However, this rate is significantly lower than the black market rate that now stands around 8,000, but is subject to rapid fluctuation. This system has given rise to individuals selling at this higher rate amid the economic turmoil. The devaluation of the lira has also led to hyperinflation, or when inflation exceeds 50 percent per month over a certain period of time. According to Credit Libanais, in May, food costs had risen by 190 percent while clothing costs rose by 172 percent with little indications of improving in the near future. While many people looking to change their money go to exchange houses to buy or sell dollars, some, including store owners, have had to turn to the black market to acquire dollars desperately needed to keep their businesses in operation.
One of these individuals is Mariam, a clothing store owner who spoke with Al Arabiya English on the condition of anonymity, who started to buy dollars from people when she was unable to get them any other way.
“Now we have a very big problem in finding the dollars that we need in our trade,” she explained. “So, this is creating a major problem in our work. We don’t have any other option. If you want to find dollars, we can’t find them in any other place than the black market.”Now Mariam and everyone that she knows who owns a store are doing the same. Before she started buying dollars, Mariam exhausted all of her other options in order to get by. However, in the end they were unsustainable.
“Before this, we had many options,” she explained. “First we had a great amount of gold so we sold it and we tried to find our dollars in any other way. But we couldn’t find any and this was the only solution.”In order to cope with her rising costs, Mariam also raised the prices of her products to match the 8,000 lira rate. However, because of this, people have started to buy less from her shop. While buying dollars from people has made things somewhat easier for her, if the lira continues to devaluate further, then she would have to consider temporarily closing her store.
“I can’t keep making prices according to the daily exchange [rate],” she said. “People won’t accept this. If the dollar reaches 10,000 [lira], then we will have great difficulty in continuing.”In the meantime, she continues to buy dollars in the hopes of maintaining her business.
In order to know what rate to buy dollars at, the shop owners who buy dollars use various applications and websites to track the volatile rate. One website that monitors the various rates, ranging from the official to the “sentiment” of the unofficial rate, is LebaneseLira.org who began their work after the crisis began last October in order to “empower citizens of Lebanon and its residents to make informed financial decisions.”“When banks in Lebanon stopped operating as banks – withholding over $100 billion from depositors small and large – businesses and individuals naturally sought a more liquid market to operate in, thus creating the ‘black market,’” the team at LebaneseLira told Al Arabiya English. Since October, banks have holed up depositors’ dollars, making it difficult to access funds in their accounts and impossible to transfer funds abroad. While Mariam buys dollars at the black market rate, she argues that, while others buy dollars and sell them at a higher rate, what she does is different as she buys the dollars directly and uses them for her business. She says it is “unacceptable” that people are buying and selling dollars at the black market rate to turn a profit.
Attempts made, no solutions found
Even though the government has made attempts to crack down on black market trading to ensure that only licensed exchange shops buy and sell at the central bank rate, many are still using the higher rate. According to Mariam, even the licensed shops still sell at the black market rate. This argument was backed up by an owner of an exchange shop who said that everyone was using the higher rate. “Those on TV and those who say 3,000 lira is the price are liars,” Salim stated firmly to Al Arabiya English on the condition of anonymity. “We don’t work like that and those who say they do are liars.”According to Salim, the exchange houses will open for people that they know or have dealt with in the past and then close right after. “All of them open early in the morning for just a few people and then they close,” he explained, “They are all liars. The black market works more than us. We’re not affected by the inflation because those who have dollars are fine, but those who don’t are f-----.”Throughout each day, the black market rate constantly fluctuates, often increasing in the morning and decreasing in the evening. This is due to the increase in supply and demand for dollars throughout the day. The more dollars that the exchange shops get, the lower the rate becomes. “Today what was offered was 7,400. If we got more [dollars] we lower the value and we don’t know how it’s going to be every day because it depends on demand and supply,” Salim said.
Even though those caught trading at the black market rate are arrested, Mariam said that she is not worried about these potential consequences as “there is no other option” and that she cannot “wait for the dollars from my government.”
The black market rate is often viewed as what the actual value of the lira is, but Salim argued that “the dollar rate should be much, much higher,” hinting that the lira could still devaluate further. Earlier this week, Lebanon officially entered into hyperinflation.
As Mariam and other business owners adapt to the worsening situation, she suggested they form a pact to keep their shops closed until action was taken to bring down the exchange rate. But as the coronavirus lockdown in the country lifted, no one agreed because they all “have to live and that they have to earn money.”“I wanted to talk to my friends about signing a paper that would see all of the markets in the street nearby stay closed unless something happens, like a change in the price of the dollar exchange rate,” she recalled. “But no one accepted it. People are poor here in a way that people cannot go 10 days without working. All of them are beyond the poverty line.”In the end, she had to open her shop and, lacking dollars – like those around her – she was forced to turn to the black market system that she despises.

Israel's war between wars against Iran escalates in Syria
Hanin Ghaddar/Al Arabiya/July 24/2020
In Israel’s latest wave of escalating attacks in Syria, the former seems to have targeted a major Iranian-backed ammunition depot on the edge of Damascus on Monday. However, Iran’s response to regional developments and the US maximum pressure campaign has been to bide its time, rather than retaliate or escalate and changing that strategy at this time seems unlikely. Further, there may be an opportunity to push Iran to compromise or pull back some from its regional endeavors before the upcoming elections in the US.
On the most recent attack, Reuters reported: “Syrian military defectors said the strike targeted a major Iranian-run ammunitions depot in Jabal al-Mane near the town of Kiswa, where Iranian Revolutionary Guards have long been entrenched in a rugged area almost 15 km (9.3 miles) south of the center of Damascus.”
Iran has been hit hard as pressure mounts on Iran and its proxies across the region, mainly in Iraq and Lebanon. But the most significant development is inside Iran, with a number of mysterious explosions and fires across the country, including within Iran’s missile production and nuclear facilities. While no one has confirmed that Israel was responsible, it seems likely they were behind the attacks.
The string of recent attacks indicate an escalation in Israel’s “the war between wars” military strategy, which is a series of targeted military strikes on Iran and its proxies that do not resemble the last war of 2006 but come before the next one inevitably breaks out.
Other strikes hit the towns of Muqaylabiya and Zakiya near Kiswa where Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah are deployed, and there were reports of a number of casualties among Iranians and Hezbollah.
So far, Iran has tailored its strategy to the US maximum pressure campaign by ignoring it and has opted to wait out the current US administration until the next US presidential election, whereby it hopes new American leadership will prompt a change of strategy toward the Islamic Republic and bring some relief.
However, there are concerns today that targeting Iranian sites might change this calculation and push Iran to react.
Some believe that in the lead-up to the US November 2020 elections, Washington will amplify pressure on the Iranian regime – economically through sanctions and militarily in Syria and Iran. And such a surge in pressure might push Iran to react without making calculations that would lead to a war. However, it has also been clear that Iran has been very careful not to make such a mistake that would find the regime in a war that would prove more costly than they can afford.
An Iranian retaliation against the Israeli strikes in Syria or the mysterious explosions inside Iran is highly unlikely. Iran has not yet retaliated in the magnitude promised for the loss of Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani – a loss beyond any other – and the many Israeli strikes on its facilities inside Syria, and it doesn’t seem that the regime is ready to risk a war anytime soon, knowing that any substantial retaliation could lead to a war.
Like the Islamic Republic, Iran’s proxies are also not prepared for a war. While Hezbollah would be Iran’s best weapon in case of war, the militant group cum political party is far from prepared to engage in a war. In addition to dealing with a collapsing economy on the domestic front and dealing with losses in Syria, Hezbollah is suffering its own financial crisis, which intensified as US sanctions against Iran increased.
Without access to hard currency, Hezbollah cannot fund another war, or guarantee a proliferation of its weapons and can make no promises for funding post-war reconstruction.
In addition, Hezbollah hasn’t been able to rehabilitate its fighting force since it got involved in Syria in 2011.
With the loss of many commanders and elite fighters, and with the recent loss of Soleimani, who was by default Hezbollah’s main military commander, a war with Israel means several outcomes: Hezbollah will lose its weapons, its precision missiles facilities in Lebanon will be destroyed, more of its elite commanders will be lost or injured, its finances will be depleted, and the Shia community – who are already hurting due to the Lebanese economic crisis – will blame Hezbollah for the war and further losses.
On the other hand, by being dragged into a war with Israel via Iran, Hezbollah might be able to more faithfully return to its rhetoric of resistance, which has lost clout as their involvement in the Syrian swamp grew.
However, they have recently learned that this rhetoric cannot put food on the table or help create a solution to the Lebanese crisis. That’s exactly why Hezbollah has boosted talk of war by making strong statements against Israel and disseminating videos of Israeli targets, instead of actually going to war.
However, if Iran were attacked, it would be able to defend itself, just like Hezbollah could launch 150,000 rockets at Israel if needed.
However, Iran would lose more than it could gain, and the probability of being compensated for those losses through oil revenues, international assistance, or other financial means is low.
Therefore, Iran will stick to its strategy of hiding its head in the sand as it tries to survive against escalating pressure – or the so-called war between wars – until there is a change in US strategy or new US administration.
Before the US election, there is still a window in which Iran could be maneuvered into a position where they will have to compromise, rather than wait this campaign out. Signs of this readiness to compromise were apparent when Iran agreed to a new Iraqi prime minister that was not of Tehran’s choosing. Therefore, US endeavors in Iraq – such as commitment to troop presence, diplomatic efforts, and assistance to the Iraqi army and state that succeeded in bringing about this concession in Iraq should also be implemented in other parts of the region. Iran might feel compelled.
*Hanin Ghaddar is the inaugural Friedmann Visiting Fellow at The Washington Institute's Geduld Program on Arab Politics, where she focuses on Shia politics throughout the Levant. She tweets @haningdr.
 

Lebanon and Iraq: why debates on sovereignty and neutrality are being had in the two countries
Aya Iskandarani/The National/July 25/2020
أيا اسكندراني/ذي ناشيونال: نقاشات حول السيادة والحياد في كل من لبنان والعراق -حيث الفجور والإحتلال والإرهاب الإيراني
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/88846/aya-iskandarani-lebanon-and-iraq-why-debates-on-sovereignty-and-neutrality-are-being-had-in-the-two-countries-%d8%a3%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d8%a7%d8%b3%d9%83%d9%86%d8%af%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a-%d9%86%d9%82/

Both nations are facing a similar dilemma that is rooted in history and demographics.
On the day he was nominated as Prime Minister, Mustafa Al Kadhimi told the people of Iraq in a televised address that the country’s sovereignty “is a red line”.
Mr Al Kadhimi, who is viewed as a reformer, has vowed to restore the state’s authority, undermined by widespread corruption and the rule of militias supported by Iran. “I said it and I will say it again: Iraqi sovereignty is not up for debate,” he said.
Yet since the onset of demonstrations last October, the question of sovereignty has, indeed, taken centre stage in Iraq as a subject of national debate. The protesters demanded better living conditions, an end to corruption and for Iran to stay out of Iraqi affairs.
Their rallying cry was “we want a nation”, a slogan that embodies the aspirations of an entire generation.
Mr Al Kadhimi has said nation building is his goal too. He has ordered investigations into the killings of more than 700 peaceful protesters, a crackdown widely believed to be the doing of the security apparatus and the militias. He has also reached out to Iraq’s Arab neighbours, with his most trusted ally in the cabinet, Finance Minister Ali Allawi, visiting Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on his first official trip abroad.
But the premier has faced immense challenges. After having arrested members of Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful militia, security forces had to set them free. Two weeks later, Husham Al Hashimi, a critic of Iranian-backed militias and well-known analyst advocating for protecting Iraq’s sovereignty was killed. Kataib Hezbollah had sent him death threats prior to his murder, Hashimi’s friends said.
Mr Al Kadhimi faces a tough balancing act at home and on the international scene. To be taken seriously, he must prove he is capable of reining in Iran’s proxies and managing a neighbour that has shown disregard for Iraqi lives with its support of violent, non-state groups.
But Mr Al Kadhimi is playing a weak hand, and it is pivotal for him not to appear to be taking sides and drive home the message that he represents Iraq as a whole. This week he was scheduled to visit Tehran and Riyadh on his first official trips abroad. His Riyadh visit was due to come first but it has been rescheduled after King Salman fell ill.
One-thousand kilometers away from Baghdad, politicians in Beirut face a dilemma of a similar nature.
During the past few weeks, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al Rahi, the spiritual leader of Lebanon’s largest Christian sect, has called for Lebanon to adopt a neutral stance in politics with the aim of staying out of regional conflicts and preserving its sovereignty.
His statements come at a time when Hezbollah has been calling for Lebanese to abandon hope of receiving help from Arab or western allies and “go eastwards”. The group has presented Iran and China as potential providers of a miracle solution to Lebanon’s crises.
Mr Al Rahi’s remarks sparked a debate over what it could mean for Lebanon to truly live up to the role envisaged by its founders, as a multi-religious state bridging the gap between the Arab and western worlds. The economic boom that followed helped Lebanon earn the moniker “Switzerland of the Middle East”.
In the early days of Lebanese independence, the country’s foreign policy was best described by the motto “not West nor East”. At the time, this meant rejecting both unification with Syria and the French mandate. This policy, which allowed for Lebanon to become independent in 1943, has now become taboo. Supporters of Hezbollah have called the Patriarch a “traitor” and launched an online campaign targeting him on Twitter. One Shiite cleric even suggested that Christians “brought” Israel to Lebanon. What could have been a constructive debate has instead been used to stir sectarian sentiment and deflect from the responsibility of political leaders in Lebanon’s spiralling economic crisis.
It is no coincidence that debates around sovereignty and neutrality are being had in these two countries, at around the same time. Iraq and Lebanon have yet to find a working model that fits the aspirations of their people.
These similarities are rooted in history and demographics. Beirut and Baghdad have both undergone decades of war and witnessed anti-government protests nine months ago. The two nations are at the edge of the Levant, linking the Arab world to other cultures. Iraq is only one of two Arab countries with a majority Shiite population, but the country holds great religious and historical significance to all Muslims. Iraq is also the only Arab country that shares a land border with Iran.
Lebanon, meanwhile, has a population that is roughly divided into equal parts Shiite, Sunni and Christian. Its sizable Christian population and long-standing relations with France and the US have opened up the country to western culture, making it the Arab world’s gateway to Europe and America. Beirut and Baghdad’s positions could have given them a chance of linking different cultures and acting as mediators in regional conflicts. But it has too often been the opposite, with foreign-backed sectarian allegiances overtaking national interests.
In Iraq as in Lebanon, the October demonstrations were were anti-sectarian. Each sect rebelled against its own leaders in Lebanon, and Iraq’s southern Shiite heartland stood up to Tehran and its proxies. But nine months on, the two nations have found themselves forced to pick sides once more.
During his visit to Iran, Mr Al Kadhimi met with President Hassan Rouhani and emphasised that relations between the two nations should be “based on the principle of non-interference in internal affairs”. While Mr Rouhani welcomed closer economic co-operation with Iraq, on the same day, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to take revenge for Qassem Suleimani’s killing. The late leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Al Quds Force, which co-ordinates proxies, was killed by a US drone attack in Baghdad. Tehran’s double language is a thinly veiled warning to the new Prime Minister.
Despite its many setbacks, Baghdad still holds some leverage over Tehran. Mr Rouhani hopes to increase bilateral trade with Baghdad from $12 billion to $20bn per year. The regime is running out of options to remedy a growing economic crisis, compounded by increased US sanctions and the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Al Kadhimi has also received positive signals from Arab neighbours.
Switzerland, the world’s oldest neutral country and one to which Lebanon, in its glory days, was often compared, has maintained its position only because its neighbours recognised its neutrality during the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Geneva was able to preserve neutrality, even throughout the Second World War, by strengthening the state while its cantons enjoyed wide autonomy. The Swiss maintained an army geared toward defence, and they continue to hold mandatory military service to this day.
Prior to neutrality, the Swiss economy was centred around providing mercenaries for other European nations at war, a model in some ways similar to that of Lebanese and Iraqi militia members, guided by Tehran to intervene in Syria and, for Hezbollah, in Yemen. In Lebanon as in Iraq, sovereignty rests on the ability of decision makers to impose the rule of law – and on Tehran’s willingness to respect the state’s authority.
*Aya Iskandarani is a staff comment writer at The National

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 25-26/2020

Israel Strikes Syrian Army Targets after Border Unrest
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 25/2020
Israeli army helicopters struck military targets in southern Syrian on Friday in retaliation for earlier "munitions" fire towards Israel from inside Syria, escalating tensions between the bitter rivals. The strikes came hours after America's top general Mark Milley made an unannounced visit to the Jewish state for talks on regional security including Iran, a key ally of the Syrian government. Israel said early on Friday "munitions" were fired from the Syrian side of the security fence towards Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, which the Jewish state has occupied since the 1967 Six Day war.
A vehicle and a civilian building were damaged, according to an earlier Israeli army statement. In response, "attack helicopters struck military targets in southern Syria belonging to the Syrian Armed Forces". "A number of targets were struck, including SAF observation posts and intelligence collection systems located in SAF bases," the statement said. Syrian state news agency SANA reported that Israeli missiles hit three targets, leaving two people "lightly wounded" while starting forest fires.
Israel did not directly blame Syrian forces for the munitions fire, but said it held the Damascus government responsible for the incident.
Border reinforced
Israel has over the past two days announced a reinforced troop presence on its northern border. Several Israeli media outlets reported that the moves were made in response to an increased threat from the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, which has a significant presence in Syria. On Monday, five Iran-backed fighters were killed in an Israeli missile strike south of the Syrian capital Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Hezbollah, an ally of the Syrian regime, said one of its fighters was among the dead. Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the country's civil war in 2011, but rarely comments on such operations. Israel announced an initial enhanced troop deployment to the north on Thursday and additional measures on Friday, hours before the air strikes. The army said that in ordering the redeployment it had "elevated its readiness against various potential enemy actions". It added that it held the Lebanese government responsible for all actions emanating from Lebanon, without referring to Hezbollah. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alternate premier and Defence Minister Benny Gantz and Israel's army chief Aviv Kohavi, during his visit. Gantz said the trip underscored the close security ties between Washington and the Jewish state and warned Israel was "ready for any scenario and any threat". "I do not suggest our enemies to test us," Gantz said in a statement.

Iranian Judiciary: Passengers on 'Harassed' Airliner Can Sue US
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 25 July, 2020
Iran's judiciary said on Saturday that passengers of an airliner that Tehran has said was "harassed" this week by an American fighter jet over Syria can sue the US military for damages in Iranian courts. Iranian media said on Friday that several passengers on the Mahan Air flight heading from Tehran to Beirut were injured on Thursday after the pilot rapidly changed altitude to avoid collision with the US jet. The US military said its F-15 was at a safe distance and the fighter was conducting a visual inspection of the airliner as it passed near the Tanf garrison in Syria, home to US forces.
“All passengers on Mahan Air Flight 1152, Iranians and non-Iranian, can sue the terrorist US military - commanders, perpetrators, supervisors and deputies - in Iranian courts for moral and physical damages,” Ali Bagheri-Kani, head of the judiciary's human rights office was quoted as saying by the semi-official ILNA news agency. He said complainants could also take an international legal route through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN agency that oversees international civil aviation agreements. Iran's foreign ministry said Friday that protests had been lodged with ICAO and the Swiss embassy in Tehran that handles US interests in Iran. Bagheri-Kani said Iranian courts follow laws that deal with human rights violations and “adventurist and terrorist acts of the United States in the region.”Footage of the inside of the airliner broadcast by Iranian state TV on Friday showed a passenger lying immobile on the floor and another with a wounded nose and forehead. State TV also broadcast another footage filmed on a mobile phone of screaming passengers. A security source in Lebanon said the Iranian aircraft landed safely at Beirut’s international airport with "four lightly injured passengers" on board.

Turkey’s Parliament to Vote on Bill that Could Block Facebook, Twitter
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 25 July, 2020
Turkish lawmakers are preparing to vote on a bill that would effectively block social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube unless they comply with strict new regulations, Britain’s The Guardian reported. “The draft legislation would force social media companies with more than 1 million daily users in Turkey to establish a formal presence in the country or assign an in-country representative who would be legally accountable to the Turkish authorities,” the newspaper said. Companies or their representatives would then be required to respond within 48 hours to complaints about posts that “violate personal and privacy rights” and international companies would be required to store user data inside Turkey. If they do not comply, Turkish authorities will be able to levy steep fines of up to $1.5 million and throttle sites’ bandwidth by up to 90%, effectively making them unusable, said the report. The bill would also allow courts to order Turkish news websites to remove content within 24 hours, it added. According to The Guardian, a vote is as yet unscheduled but is expected to pass with the support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party and coalition partner. The parliamentary justice committee approved the draft on Friday. “We aim to put an end to insults, swearing and harassment made through social media,” the ruling party legislator, Ozlem Zengin, said earlier this week, adding that the measures sought to balance freedoms with rights and laws.

Calls for Establishing Egyptian-Greek Economic Zone in the Mediterranean
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 25 July, 2020
Secretary General of the Union of Arab Chambers (UAC) Khaled Hanafi has called for establishing a joint economic zone between Egypt and Greece. He said the zone would serve the interest of both countries and develop maritime and tourism cooperation. His remarks were made during a panel discussion, dubbed “Greece - Egypt: Prospects for Cooperation in Shipping, Port Industry and Shipyards.”It was held via video conference on Friday and organized by the Arab-Greek Chamber of Commerce under the chairmanship of the UAC and the Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs. Hanafi said about 80 percent of global trade goes through commercial shipping, and maritime trade flows within the Mediterranean represent about 25 percent of the global traffic volume. He further noted that the coronavirus outbreak had significant direct and indirect impacts on global shipping in light of the declining demand. Based on that, he added, the global freight market is expected to witness a drop of 7.5 percent in 2020 after seeing a contraction of 1.7 percent in 2019. Despite the current difficult circumstances, Egypt’s ports such as Port Said, Damietta, Alexandria as well as Piraeus in Greece managed to remain open for shipping. “However, the global container shipping volume is expected to decrease by at least 10 percent in 2020.” Hanafi affirmed that the Egyptian ports are shipping centers not only for the transportation of goods throughout the Greater Mediterranean region but also they represent a link with the remote ports in the Americas as well as in the Far East. Egypt’s economy, like global economies, has been affected by the measures taken to contain the virus and the sudden halt in tourism, low exports, low transfers and low revenues from the Suez Canal. But in response to fierce competition, he explained, the Egyptian ports and the Suez Canal Authority reduced ship fees, and the Central Bank of Egypt has eased regulations to withdraw funds for individuals and private companies. “These restrictions now exclude the transportation and logistics sector from daily cash limits, allowing the flow of basic goods.”The senior official revealed that Egypt has made significant progress in the emerging market logistics index, due to the numerous structural reforms that the Egyptian government has undertaken, helping stabilize the economy and paving the way for a strong private sector participation. According to Hanafi, a new generation of startups and businessmen is benefiting nowadays from targeted incentives and the expressed desire on the part of the Egyptian and Arab governments to help small and medium-sized companies thrive. Accordingly, he added, it is expected that e-commerce in the Middle East will achieve significant growth in the next few years.

Fire breaks out at Iranian compound housing senior IRGC commanders
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Friday 24 July 2020
Another fire broke out Friday in Tehran, where senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) live, state media reported. The fire in the Iranian capital, which broke out in a park near the Shahid Daghayeghi residential complex, was caused by a short-circuit on a power line, the deputy chief of Tehran police, Hamid Hadavand, told the semi-official ILNA news agency.The fire has since been put out, Hadavand said. According to state media, senior IRGC commanders and their families live in the residential complex, including the current head of the IRGC Hossein Salami, former head of the IRGC Mohsen Rezaei, and former commander and current Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The family of slain commander Qassem Soleimani also lives in the area. Since late June, a string of fires and blasts have been reported at military, industrial and nuclear sites in Iran and at oil refineries, power plants, factories and businesses.On Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said foreign governments may have been behind recent cyberattacks on Iranian facilities but played down the possibility of them having a role in the fires and explosions.
- With Reuters

‘Harassed’ airliner passengers can sue US in Iran courts, judiciary says
Reuters/Saturday 25 July 2020
Iran's judiciary said on Saturday that passengers of an airliner that Tehran has said was “harassed” this week by an American fighter jet over Syria can sue the US military for damages in Iranian courts. Iranian media said on Friday that several passengers on the Mahan Air flight heading from Tehran to Beirut were injured on Thursday after the pilot rapidly changed altitude to avoid collision with the US jet. The US military said its F-15 was at a safe distance and the fighter was conducting a visual inspection of the airliner as it passed near the Tanf garrison in Syria, home to US forces. “All passengers on Mahan Air Flight 1152, Iranians and non-Iranian, can sue the terrorist US military - commanders, perpetrators, supervisors and deputies - in Iranian courts for moral and physical damages,” Ali Bagheri-Kani, head of the judiciary's human rights office was quoted as saying by the semi-official ILNA news agency. He said complainants could also take an international legal route through the International Civil Aviation Organization, the UN agency that oversees international civil aviation agreements. He said Iranian courts follow laws that deal with human rights violations and “adventurist and terrorist acts of the United States in the region.”It was not clear if any passenger would sue the US military. Iran said on Friday it had lodged a complaint with the ICAO. The incident was the latest in tensions between Tehran and Washington since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States in 2018 from Iran’s nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions that have battered Iran’s economy. Footage of the inside of the airliner broadcast by Iranian state TV on Friday showed a passenger lying immobile on the floor and another with a wounded nose and forehead.

Iran women's rights activist sentenced to over 4 years for role in January protests
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Saturday 25 July 2020
An Iranian women’s rights activist said on Saturday she has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for protesting after the government admitted to downing a Ukrainian civilian airliner in January. Bahare Hedayat said on Twitter that she has received four years in prison for partaking in the January protests and an additional eight months for “propaganda against the regime” and her tweets. This is not the first time Hedayat has been sentenced to prison. She was arrested after the disputed presidential elections in 2009 and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on charges of “insulting” the president and the supreme leader and “acting against national security.”Hedayat was released in 2016 after serving her prison sentence. This time round, Hedayat was arrested at anti-government protests in January. Iranians took to the streets in January to protest against the regime after it admitted to shooting down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 people on board, having previously denied responsibility for several days. Including Hedayat’s sentence, the Iranian judiciary has so far sentenced 20 protesters arrested during the January protests to a total of 23 years and one month in prison, Radio Farda estimated.
Meanwhile, Iran is yet to try any military personnel for their role in downing the plane. In April, an Iranian lawmaker praised the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for downing the plane, claiming it had “come under America’s control.”He added that contrary to officials claims, no arrests have been made in relation to the incident.

Qatar, Turkey, Muslim Brotherhood leading campaign to ‘vilify’ UAE: Gargash
Tuqa Khalid, Al Arabiya English/Friday 24 July 2020
Qatar, Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood are leading media campaigns to ‘vilify’ the United Arab Emirates, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Thursday. “Inflating the regional role of the UAE, which Qatari, Turkish and [Muslim] Brotherhood media platforms have been persistently doing, is a double-edged sword for those who lead this black campaign which aims to demonize the UAE,” Gargash tweeted. He added that their campaign, however, is in part an admission of the UAE’s central role in the region and its credibility. “Moreover, inflating the UAE’s role… as the country which raises the banner of confronting regional interference in Arab affairs is free publicity that we do not fully deserve. We are a partner to the forces of good in the region that seek stability and development and refuses for Arabs to submit to other regional powers,” Gargash added. Gargash said: “There is no doubt, that part of this ongoing black campaign, on which millions are spent, is due to the inability to keep up with the UAE’s ambitions, scientific leadership and our ability to benefit from the experiences of developed countries.”“We realize that our neighbor is wasting [resources] on demonizing us, but you should know that their money strengthens our status and role.”The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, had severed diplomatic, trade and transport ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism – a charge Doha denies. After the Quartet severed ties with Qatar, Turkey threw its support behind Qatar. Both Ankara and Doha have also provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood, which the UAE, Saudi Arabia and their allies designated as a terrorist organization.

U.S. Consulate in China Readies for Closure as Diplomatic Row Rages
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 25/2020
Workers removed the US insignia from the consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu on Saturday, a day after Beijing ordered its closure as relations deteriorated in a Cold War-style standoff. The Chengdu mission was told to shut in retaliation for the forced closure of Beijing's consulate in Houston, Texas, with both sides alleging the other had endangered national security. The deadline for the Americans to exit Chengdu remains unclear, but AFP reporters saw a worker on a small crane removed a circular US insignia from the front of the consulate, leaving just an American flag flying.
Three moving company trucks entered the US consulate building Saturday afternoon. Cleaners were seen carting big black bags of rubbish from the consulate in the early hours of the morning. One of them had split and appeared to contain shredded paper.
At least ten bags were removed from the building. Other staff were seen moving trolleys around inside, one carrying a large empty metal bin, while some wheeled suitcases. Beijing says closing the Chengdu consulate was a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States", and has alleged that staff at the diplomatic mission endangered China's security and interests. Washington officials, meanwhile, said there had been unacceptable efforts by the Chinese consulate in Houston to steal US corporate secrets and proprietary medical and scientific research. The last Chinese diplomats left the Houston consulate on Friday as a 72-hour deadline to close the mission passed. Officials there were seen loading large sacks of documents and other items onto trucks, and throwing some in bins.
'Legitimate response'
Tensions have soared between the two powers on a range of fronts including trade, China's handling of the coronavirus and a new security law for Hong Kong, with the US this week warning of a "new tyranny" from China. China on Friday blasted the Houston move and blamed Washington for the sharp deterioration in relations. Closing the Chengdu consulate was a "legitimate and necessary response to the unreasonable measures by the United States", the foreign ministry said in a statement. "The current situation in China-US relations is not what China desires to see, and the US is responsible for all this," it said. Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters that some US staff in the Chengdu consulate "were engaged in activities outside of their capacity, interfered in China's internal affairs, and endangered China's security and interests".The Chengdu consulate, established in 1985, has been at the centre of past controversy. It was included on a top-secret map leaked by intelligence analyst Edward Snowden showing US surveillance worldwide. The Chengdu mission was also where senior Chinese official Wang Lijun fled in 2012 from his powerful boss Bo Xilai, who was then head of the nearby metropolis Chongqing, and has since been jailed for life for corruption.

Gunmen kill at least 20 farmers in Sudan's Darfur: Tribal chief
AFP, Khartoum/Saturday 25 July 2020
Gunmen killed at least 20 people, including children, who were visiting their farms in Sudan's wartime Darfur region for the first time in years, a tribal chief said Saturday. “Two months ago, the government organized a meeting between the original landowners and those who took their fields" during the long-running war in Darfur,” Ibrahim Ahmad told AFP by telephone. “An agreement was reached whereby the landowners would return to their fields -- but armed men came on Friday and opened fire, killing 20 people, including two women and children.”The killings took place in Aboudos, some 90 kilometres south of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province, the tribal chief said. Around 20 people were wounded in the attack, he said. The death toll “could well increase, because some of the wounded are in a serious condition,” he added. Darfur has been devastated since 2003 by a conflict between ethnic minority rebels, complaining of marginalization, and forces loyal to now ousted president Omar al-Bashir, including the feared Janjaweed militia, mainly recruited from Arab pastoralist tribes. The fighting killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million others, according to the United Nations. Bashir was deposed by the army in April last year following months of mass protests against his rule, triggered mainly by economic hardship. He is wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court over charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur. A power sharing transitional government between civilians and the military was sworn in during September last year. In January this year, a coalition of nine rebel groups -- including factions from Darfur -- signed a preliminary agreement with the government after weeks of talks.
 

Egypt’s ‘Ifta’: Muslim Brotherhood Seeks to Spread Chaos Online
Cairo- Waleed Abdurrahman/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 25 July, 2020
The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) seeks to incite hatred and chaos in Egypt through electronic terrorism, said the country’s Dar al-Ifta on Friday. It stressed that the group, which is classified as terrorist by Egyptian authorities, “is affiliated with foreign agendas hostile to the Egyptian state.”
It also indicated that “leaders of violent groups, mainly the MB, seek power and exploit the youth by adopting online rhetoric based on disinformation.”According to al-Ifta, “MB elements work on producing and preparing fabricated media reports and programs that include falsified news about the internal conditions and state institutions, then promoting them online and via their satellite channels that broadcast from abroad.” It hailed the security efforts made by the Interior Ministry in line with maintaining stability and security and stopping sabotage schemes and chaos.
Former President Mohamed Morsi, the MB affiliate, was deposed on July 3, 2013, following widespread popular protests against his one-year rule. He died during his trial on June 17. Al-Ifta says that day made a difference in Egypt’s modern history as Egyptians became aware of some of the conspiracy leads against their country, attempts to affect its national security, and threats against national institutions. On Thursday, authorities announced the arrest of six MB elements, who have planned to prepare fabricated media reports and programs on the situation in the country and spread rumors among Egyptians.
In a statement in this regard, Al-Ifta said the group has been stirring unrest, through its media arms abroad, and broadcasting lies to undermine the efforts of the Egyptian state institutions. It called on Egyptians to join hands to protect the country’s resources and preserve the gains of economic and social development and state institutions. It warned them against believing its rhetoric and responding by active participation in national entitlements.

Virus Surges Worldwide as Public Loses Faith in Authorities
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 25/2020
A surge in coronavirus cases across the United States and Europe has forced governments to strengthen containment measures as a survey released Saturday showed support for the handling of their pandemics has slipped. The disease has now killed almost 635,000 people around the world and infected more than 15.5 million, according to an AFP tally, with America the hardest-hit nation. For the second straight day on Friday the US reported more than 70,000 new cases and over 1,000 deaths as the virus takes hold in the country's south and west. A similar resurgence in Europe prompted the World Health Organization to sound the alarm over the spread, as Britain joined France, Germany and Austria in tightening rules on masks and rolling out greater testing. Governments worldwide have struggled to contain the coronavirus despite long and arduous lockdowns imposed on millions of people, and a survey released Saturday showed faith in authorities to be dwindling in six rich nations. Populations in France, Germany, Britain, Japan, Sweden and the US widely believed death and infection figures to be higher than recorded, according to the study, which polled 1,000 people in each nation. "In most countries this month, support for national governments is falling," the report by the Kekst CNC communications consulting group said.
'Cause for concern'
Europe accounts for a fifth of the world's case count so far. The WHO's European chapter expressed concern Friday about the rise in cases on the continent in the past two weeks and warned tighter restrictions may be needed. A three-year-old girl this week died in Belgium, becoming the country's youngest victim of the virus. "The recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases in some countries following the easing of physical distancing measures is certainly cause for concern," a WHO Europe spokeswoman told AFP. "If the situation demands, reintroduction of stricter, targeted measures with the full engagement of communities may be needed."Outbreaks have been seen recently in the Spanish regions of Aragon and Catalonia where officials have reintroduced curbs on daily life and urged Barcelona residents to only leave home for essential trips.
Testing drive
French Prime minister Jean Castex said on-the-spot testing would be rolled out for travellers arriving in France from 16 high-risk countries. Masks are now mandatory in enclosed spaces across the nation and there are fears that the summer holiday season could see a new spike in the disease as people flock to beaches and tourist spots. Britain on Friday also made it compulsory to wear a face covering in shopping centres, banks, takeaway outlets, sandwich shops and supermarkets. Exceptions have been made, including for children under 11 or people with respiratory problems, but others who refuse to cover their nose and mouth in the UK risk a fine of up to £100 ($130). Austria has reimplemented a similar policy with face masks mandatory again in a range of places from supermarkets to pharmacies -- the rule previously having been relaxed. "It was a mistake to lift mandatory mask use so soon," said one Austrian shopper, Andreas Poschenreither.
'Wartime mode'
New outbreaks continue to wreak havoc elsewhere around the world, with fresh clusters emerging across Asia. South Korea on Saturday reported its highest infections figure in nearly four months, and in Vietnam the first locally-transmitted case in nearly 100 days was detected. Authorities in China said Friday they would introduce a new wave of testing in the port city of Dalian, home to about six million people, after fresh infections were detected there. The local government's health commission said the city must "enter wartime mode" to prevent any spread as it announced on-the-spot nucleic acid tests for people using the subway system and new lockdowns for some communities.

Gunmen kill at least 20 farmers in Sudan's Darfur: Tribal chief
AFP, Khartoum/Saturday 25 July 2020
Gunmen killed at least 20 people, including children, who were visiting their farms in Sudan's wartime Darfur region for the first time in years, a tribal chief said Saturday. “Two months ago, the government organized a meeting between the original landowners and those who took their fields" during the long-running war in Darfur,” Ibrahim Ahmad told AFP by telephone.“An agreement was reached whereby the landowners would return to their fields -- but armed men came on Friday and opened fire, killing 20 people, including two women and children.”The killings took place in Aboudos, some 90 kilometres south of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province, the tribal chief said. Around 20 people were wounded in the attack, he said.The death toll “could well increase, because some of the wounded are in a serious condition,” he added. Darfur has been devastated since 2003 by a conflict between ethnic minority rebels, complaining of marginalization, and forces loyal to now ousted president Omar al-Bashir, including the feared Janjaweed militia, mainly recruited from Arab pastoralist tribes. The fighting killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million others, according to the United Nations. Bashir was deposed by the army in April last year following months of mass protests against his rule, triggered mainly by economic hardship. He is wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court over charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur. A power sharing transitional government between civilians and the military was sworn in during September last year. In January this year, a coalition of nine rebel groups -- including factions from Darfur -- signed a preliminary agreement with the government after weeks of talks.
 

US, Israeli military chiefs fine-tune coordination amid rising tensions with Iran, Hizballah
موقع دبيكا: قادة الجيشين الأميركي والإسرائيلي ينسقون وسط حالة التوتر مع إيران وحزب الله
DEBKAfile/July 25/2020
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/88843/debkafile-us-israeli-military-chiefs-fine-tune-coordination-amid-rising-tensions-with-iran-hizballah-%d9%85%d9%88%d9%82%d8%b9-%d8%af%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%a7-%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84/
US Gen. Mark Milley paid an unannounced visit to Israel on Friday, July 24, for security talks with Israel’s military chiefs and PM Binyamin Netanyahu. His plane landed at the Israel Air Force’s southern Nevatim base, shortly after a US fighter jet nearly collided with an Iranian airliner over Syria. Hizballah had meanwhile vowed to retaliate for the death of a fighter in alleged Israeli air strikes last week near Damascus. Israel responded on Thursday by sending infantry reinforcements to its northern borders. Then, on Friday night, after Syrian air defense fire dropped shrapnel on the Golan, IDF helicopters struck Syrian observation posts near Quneitra.
These incidents jampacked in the space of 48 hours sharpened the tensions with Iran and its allies, that were already climbing after a dozen serious explosions and fires from late June gravely damaged some of Iran’s nuclear, military, missile and infrastructure facilities. Since their cause is still a mystery, Tehran fears there are more to come. Israel, meanwhile, under its new coalition government, continues to regularly batter Iran’s military presence in Syria, whether Iranian or proxy, regardless of the besetting coronavirus pandemic.
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DEBKAfile has reported that US forces take a hand in this campaign, singling out the ingress of Iran-backed militias and their weapons from Iraq into eastern Syria. When Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the US Chiefs of Staff, sat down on Friday with his hosts, he and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, and Mossad Director Yossi Cohen, they were all primed for intensive exchanges on the security threats unfolding in the region and the respective roles undertaken by the two militaries. They were all careful to observe distancing guidelines and wear masks. Gen. Milley and PM Binyamin Netanyahu discussed Iran and the latest security challenges in the region by Zoom. The US defense attachė in Jerusalem and the Israeli defense attachė in Washington, as well as the IDF’s Foreign Relations head, attended a panel chaired by Gen. Kochavi for a thorough-going intelligence and strategic overviews of the threats and IDF responses. They were presented by IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman and the head of the Strategy and Third-Circle Directorate, Maj. Gen. Tal Kalman. Defense Minister Gantz lauded the profound cooperation between the two armies and the continuing US pressure on Iran and its proxies. He stressed that the Israeli military “is prepared and ready for any scenario and any threat, and I do not advise our enemies to test us. We have no interest in escalation, but we will do all that is necessary to protect Israeli citizens.”

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 25-26/2020
France's Cathedrals on Fire: 'The Final Stage of De-Christianization'?
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute./July 25/2020
"The desecration continues to grow in Europe. Recent acts on statues of the Virgin Mary in French churches show how much these gestures are the result of barbaric hatred. They call for reactions. Catholics can no longer remain silent". — Cardinal Robert Sarah, January 10, 2020.
"We must try everything, while it is still possible, to save our civilization. Our civilization is the Greek, Roman, Judeo-Christian heritage". — Alain Finkielkraut, author, L'Opinon, December 17, 2013.
If France keeps failing to protect its Christian identity, France as we know it will cease to exist; it will become a different place entirely.
If France keeps failing to protect its Christian identity, France as we know it will cease to exist. The recent fire at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul of Nantes on July 18 is believed to have been started deliberately. Only a year ago, a massive blaze nearly totally gutted the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. After that, the historic Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris caught fire, as well as the Basilica of Saint Denis. Pictured: Firefighters work to put out the flames at the Cathedral of Nantes on July 18, 2020.
A leading curator of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Keith Christiansen, was criticized for posting on Instagram a painting of Alexandre Lenoir saving France's monuments from the ravages of the French Revolution. Christiansen wrote:
"Alexandre Lenoir battling the revolutionary zealots bent on destroying the royal tombs in Saint Denis. How many great works of art have been lost to the desire to rid ourselves of a past of which we don't approve. And how grateful we are to people like Lenoir who realized that their value — both artistic and historical — extended beyond a defining moment of social and political upheaval and change".
Christiansen was criticizing the current removal and desecration of historic monuments. He could not have known that, a few weeks later, another French cathedral would be vandalized and an ancient organ, which had survived Lenoir's revolutionary zealots, destroyed by the blaze.
The fire at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul of Nantes is believed to have been started deliberately. It was only a year ago that a massive blaze nearly totally gutted the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. After that, the historic Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris caught fire, as well as the Basilica of Saint Denis (the same depicted in the painting posted by Christiansen).
"The fire in Nantes Cathedral, after Notre-Dame de Paris, should make our elites reflect on the great disorder and the great change, decivilization is underway", Philippe de Villiers, the author and former French minister commented.
"In France there is a low-noise destruction of the Christian roots", said the philosopher Michel Onfray. "There are about one or two anti-Christian acts a day and it takes a burning cathedral to start talking about it".
Six major French cathedrals and churches have caught fire during the last year and a half: Notre Dame, Nantes, Rennes, Saint-Sulpice, Lavaur and Pontoise. Perhaps that is why historian Rémi Brague called the fire at Notre Dame "our 9/11". The Observatory of Religious Heritage listed a total of 20 French churches that caught fire in just one year.
Little publicized and less condemned, attacks against Christian places of worship in France are multiplying and reaching alarming proportions. The Nantes fire was simply the latest in a succession of church destructions that have been going on for years and have apparently not scandalized anyone.
Four years ago, the Saint-Nicolas Basilica in Nantes was almost destroyed by fire. It had completed a renovation in 2014 and was in perfect condition. The first reports in the French media about the vandalism of churches were published ten years ago. Last year, there was one week in which four French churches were desecrated.
Cardinal Robert Sarah, a Guinean prelate of the Catholic Church, wrote:
"The desecration continues to grow in Europe. Recent acts on statues of the Virgin Mary in French churches show how much these gestures are the result of barbaric hatred. They call for reactions. Catholics can no longer remain silent".
Cardinal Sarah added:
"Desecration and vandalism in churches are the sad reflection of a sick civilization that gets caught up in the net of evil. Bishops, priests, faithful must keep strength and courage".
Some secular public figures have spoken out against the attacks. "Hands off my church!" read the title of a French petition of writers, journalists, politicians and university professors, who demanded the protection of churches.
Religious affairs expert Nina Shea wrote that the perpetrators are anarchists, thieves, militant leftists, Satanists and Islamists, who all share the same hate for France and Western civilization. Anti-Semitism seems to go hand-in-hand with anti-Christian sentiment. In France, synagogues are protected "like fortresses"; Jewish schools have been targeted by terror attacks, and Jews have been advised not to wear any religious symbols for their own safety.
Anti-Christian incidents have risen by 285% between 2008 and 2019.
The magazine Reveue des deux mondes called the attacks on churches "the tragedy of French churches". In addition, more than 5,000 French churches are threatened because of their decaying structures. 875 France's churches were vandalized in 2018. In 2019, 1,052 anti-Christian acts took place.
"I think there is a rising hostility in France against Christianity and the symbols of Christianity", noted Ellen Fantini, director of the Vienna-based Observatory of Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe.
"Every day, at least two churches are profaned", French MP Valerie Boyer told the Sun.
Gilbert Collard, MP of the National Rally party, compared the fire in Nantes with the recent decision by the Turkish authorities to convert the former Cathedral of Hagia Sophia into a mosque. "The symbols go up in flames", he said.
In recent years, French churches have also been targeted by a series of provocations and attacks by Islamists. Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Grand Mosque in Paris and the president of the French Council of Muslim Faith, asked France to turn the country's empty churches into mosques. In Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, in northern France, two Islamic State terrorists killed Father Jacques Hamel during a morning Mass. The shock was immediate and immense. Islamists were also planning to strike Notre-Dame de Paris and actually did succeed in conducting an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on Strasbourg's Christmas Market.
Boubakeur's proposal reflects a realistic understanding of French Christian patrimony. "Abandoned, desecrated, transformed, churches are turned into performance halls, discos, restaurants, wine cellars... Everything to escape demolition", noted the journalist Marie de Greef-Madelin in the magazine Valeurs Actuelles. These transformations are sometimes called the "second life of France's churches". "At the current rate, France will lose 10% of its churches and chapels by 2030", predicts Édouard de Lamaze, president of the Observatory of Religious Heritage. "Either because they will be sold or because they will be destroyed".
The Basilica of Saint Denis, burial place of French kings, is already a Christian museum in an Islamized suburb of Paris, and the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, before the fire, had become a museum for tourists. "We have reached the final stage of de-Christianization", commented the political analyst Jerome Fourquet, as if the fires at its major cathedrals were a symbol of France's dispossession of a territory, a history and an identity.
"How much worse can it get depends on what line activists are willing to draw for themselves", noted Ellen Fantini, director of Vienna's Observatory of Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe. "Will they stop at burning an empty church? Will they stop at decapitating statues?"
"We are at a crossroads" said the French author Alain Finkielkraut. "We must try everything, while it is still possible, to save our civilization. Our civilization is the Greek, Roman, Judeo-Christian heritage".
Europe is not an abstract construction. Its identity is determined by many sources. Christian identity is obviously the most important. If France keeps failing to protect it, France as we know it will cease to exist; it will become a different place entirely.
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.
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The Ironies and Delusions of the Syrian opposition
Akram Bunni/Asharq Al Awsat/July 25/2020
It is remarkable that the Syrian opposition is making headlines again, but unfortunately, not for its achievements but for the painful ironies and perhaps its recent ridiculous behaviors, including the many delusions and desires that control its calculations and positions.
Isn’t it an outrageous and ridiculous irony when some factions of the Syrian opposition who claim to be committed to the values of democracy and the transfer of power strikes an explicit deal to switch roles between the president of the Syrian High Negotiations Committee (HNC) and the president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (NCSROF) such that each performs the function of the other, signifying that they have monopolistic ambitions over positions of power without considering how that would reflect on their credibility and people’s trust in them and without clarifying the necessity, incase there a justification for enabling these two figures to hold such power in two delicate political positions in the opposition?
How about when both parties proudly agree with their supporters to fight a substantial group of independent opposition who now represents the majority compared to those affiliated with parties and organizations to prevent them from being fairly represented in the HNC, reminding us of the maneuvers of the Muslim Brotherhood when they tried to dominate the NCSROF while it was being established and their success in excluding and undermining democratic and secular figures and forces without shame, nullifying their claims of supporting equality, sharing, equal opportunity and the principle of elections based on merit and not partisan allegiances.
What can be said about an opposition that opposes day and night Russian and Iranian intervention while welcoming Turkish military intervention and supports armed groups that support the government in Ankara? Even worse, it is silent about the oppressive practices against the Kurds in areas occupied by Turkey, including terrorizing them, confiscating their properties, and oppressing activists. Perhaps the scandal of the secret prison run by an opposition faction and that is crowded with Kurdish women and girls is only the tip of the iceberg of what is going on. What is worse, is that some of the Syrian opposition are covering up the Turkish role in the Libyan conflict and colluding with the Ankara government by sending thousands of young Syrian fighters as mercenaries to support the Government of National Accord, causing long-term substantial damage to the Syrian people and the legitimacy of its struggle as well as direct damage on what has remained of the Syrian opposition’s reputation and political role.
On the other hand, one is not surprised when the Syrian opposition today has gained attention fraught with criticisms so as long as it puts itself at the forefront of those advocating delusions and who are exaggerating the consequences of the crisis that is cooking in the camp of the regime, giving precedence to its desires over reality. One can ask, how undermining is it for the symbols of the opposition and facts when they are taken afar by the words of an Israeli journalist about an international agreement to change the head of the Syrian regime that was supposed to happen this month?! Where do the leaders of the opposition get their information from when they claim that the dispute with Rami Makhluf was premeditated so that it leads to the quick disintegration and collapse of the regime? Or when you hear them very confidently mentioning the names of military and political figures who will form a temporary council to lead the transition phase and the names of people who are supposed to form a government that will have vast authority and will garner international support?
How about when some of the leaders of the opposition exaggerate their bet on the differences between Russia and Iran on the future of Syria, claiming that now the two have been entirely separated and there is no chance to compromise or race an understanding, affirming that Moscow has a strong and decisive position that aims to limit the influence of Tehran and support political change in the country, without taking into consideration how humble the Russian political solution is and the magnitude of the shared interests of Moscow and Tehran and their perpetual need to unite their efforts against western sanctions and the common US enemy?
How about when the symbols of the opposition exaggerate the role of the Caesar Act, after being activated by the US, seeing it as an effective tool to change the balance of power in Syria and talks about the Caesar Act killing the regime while others see it as a strong motivation for a Russian-US agreement that would end the regime in Syria and open the horizon for a new political formulation to lead the country, as well as their reliance on the deterioration of economic and living conditions that the sanctions will entail in a hasty overthrow of the regime. They completely overlook facts and learn nothing from history, and do not seem to realize how humble the limits that the US has drawn for the Caesar Act.
Indeed, the authoritarian and selfish regime is mostly responsible for the situation we have reached after it refused to compromise for a people who had demanded the most basic rights and turned a peaceful movement into an armed struggle loaded with sectarian instincts and provocations to maintain its rule and authority. It is also true, however, that the opposition is also largely responsible for failing to gain the trust of the people and lead their revolution, encouraging militarization and covering up the armed campaign by radical Islamists, in addition to reliance on decisive foreign aid which made things worse.
It can be said that Syrians have been the most forgiving with the political opposition that claims to represent their demands and rights and have given it more than one chance to prove its credibility. However, more than nine years after the start of the revolution the opposition has revealed its reality and its capacities in a long enough period to say that the Syrian opposition was not able to carry the burden and responsibility and that there is no reason for the Syrian people to trust an opposition that is ruled by ironies and delusions. The opposition has alienated itself from national concerns and is now dependent on its regional and international sponsors. It is waiting for salvation from the sky or for its opponents to become weak so that it feels that it is powerful, perhaps then it will try to play any role in a deadlocked political scene without a shred of responsibility or seriousness in revising its positions, monitoring its actions, or admitting to its mistakes so that we can move beyond them.
 

Marcus Sheff: PA Textbooks "Radicalize Palestinian Children"
Marilyn Stern/Middle East Forum Webinar/July 25/2020
https://www.meforum.org/61310/sheff-pa-textbooks-radicalize-palestinian-children
Marcus Sheff, CEO of the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), spoke to participants in a June 15 Middle East Forum webinar (video) about his organization's fight to eliminate radicalization found in Middle East textbooks and the challenges that still remain.
IMPACT-se has been monitoring textbooks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for the past 20 years because of the power they have to either mitigate or encourage extremist influences. Good textbooks can provide a "powerful barrier against acting out violence," while bad textbooks can serve as "a blueprint for radicalization." IMPACT-se brings pressure to bear on Middle East governments and the international community to bring about change.
Surveying the textbook landscape, Sheff described positive developments in much of the Middle East. King Abdullah of Jordan has "presided over taking out objectionable religious texts." Tunisian textbooks now "educate about the importance of negotiations, peace, and respect for the other. King Mohammed VI in Morocco is currently involved in making similar changes, though IMPACT-se's judgment is being withheld until the new curriculum comes online.
Marcus Sheff
Egypt is slowly reforming textbooks under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. As the largest Arab country, "ideas out of Egypt permeate across the Sunni world," said Sheff. While IMPACT-se has yet to review Egypt's new curriculum, positive changes can be found in the country's history textbooks, which now extol "warm peace with Israel" and emphasize that it is "in the strategic interest of Egypt to have peace with Israel."Saudi Arabia is a work in progress. Although its leaders have the will to change and some improvements have been made, there is a lot of entrenched extremism and anti-Semitism that needs to be rooted out.
IMPACT-se reviewed the Turkish curriculum in 2016 and found it to be "obsessed with the Ottoman empire" but moderately inclusive of other religions and peoples. Although highly militaristic and "anti-Israel without a shadow of a doubt," it was not explicitly anti-Semitic. Since that time, however, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has presided over changes in the textbooks that need to be reviewed. Preliminary information indicates that "more radical ideas, more extreme ideas" have been introduced.
In Iran, textbooks preach "total struggle until the coming of the mahdi (the eschatological redeemer of Islam), the need for jihad, and this fascination with Arabian hegemony in the region." Syria has a "bizarre radical Baathist approach" in textbooks that were written during the civil war.
The biggest disappointment is the Palestinian Authority (PA), which had won plaudits for revising its textbooks back in 2006. In recent years, however, intolerance has been reintroduced with a vengeance. In 2019-2020 PA textbooks, "it's fair to say that peace [with Israel] is not presented as preferred or even possible," as was previously the case. Israel does not appear on any of the maps, and anti-Semitism is rife throughout. Jews are depicted as "enemies of Islam [who] attempted to kill the prophet" and as "liars and fraudsters," said Sheff.
The new radicalized curriculum imbues students with the idea of sacrificing their lives as "martyrs" (shahids). It teaches counting by enumerating the number of "martyrs" in each intifada (uprising) and illustrates Newton's second law using a slingshot. It teaches that seventy-two virgin brides are available for those who die as "martyrs" and even encourages girls to "kill and be killed." Language books include daily vows to "exterminate ... the usurper" and to "sacrifice my blood."
The PA curriculum is "a strategic program to radicalize Palestinian children every single school day."
Essentially, the PA curriculum is "a strategic program to radicalize Palestinian children every single school day" and promote the idea of "Palestine from the river to the sea," according to Sheff. Ironically, while Europeans are pressuring Israel for a two-state solution, the PA textbooks they are funding make no mention of it. In contrast, Israeli educational curriculum focuses on peace as the means for conflict resolution, with war being the last option. From kindergarten to graduation, Israeli textbooks cover the Palestinians through an Arab cultural and religious lens and seek to shed light on Palestinian national aspirations.
While millions of young people in the Middle East are still being taught to hate Jews and Israel every single day, IMPACT-se is fighting to put a stop to this toxic indoctrination. In Europe, it helped persuade the UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) to condemn anti-Semitic hate in PA textbooks last year. Earlier this year, at the urging of IMPACT-se the European Parliament passed legislation to the same effect and the Norwegian Parliament instructed its government to freeze monies slated for the PA while this curriculum is being taught.
In the U.S., IMPACT-se has lobbied in support of HR-2343, the Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act, which would require the U.S. State Department to monitor and report annually to Congress on Palestinian textbooks. HR-2343 is expected to pass the House and Senate and be signed by the president at the end of this Congress.
*Marilyn Stern is communications coordinator at the Middle East Forum.

A $2 Billion Bet on Pfizer’s Covid Vaccine Is Worth It
Max Nisen/Bloomberg/Saturday, 25 July, 2020
The US just took a step beyond funding Covid-vaccine research toward actively securing shots. On Wednesday, the government signed an agreement with Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech securing 100 million doses of their vaccine candidate for $1.95 billion, payable if the inoculation succeeds in clinical trials and gets approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Vaccine pricing is always contentious, and even more so now in the midst of a global pandemic. Setting terms in advance is the right idea even though the government doesn't know and won't know for some time if the shot works. The alternative — waiting until a candidate proves effective and relying on weak US pricing mechanisms to keep it affordable — isn’t appealing.
The value of a vaccine that protects against Covid would be enormous, from the health benefits it would accrue to individuals to the broader advantages of helping protect the community at large and allowing broader swaths of the economy to stay open safely.
Advance pricing provides security to both the drugmaker and the government. Pfizer knows it has a market, and the government doesn't have to worry about fighting over price in a variety of possible futures where it has even less leverage. The government would be in a tough position absent this contract, for example, if Pfizer's vaccine proved to be the only successful option among the many now under development. The country could wind up bidding against others for limited supply with limited recourse for ensuring affordability. A fragmented health system and curbs on federal power make it hard for the US to restrain prices.
The contract also sets something of a price ceiling; Pfizer didn’t take pre-approval government funding, unlike several competitors. It will be hard for others to charge a higher price absent a major efficacy gap if some of their government-funded research risk has been paid off.
Because each person requires two shots, 100 million doses is enough vaccine for 50 million people. While that makes the deal look a bit less appealing, it still would only come out to a price of about $39 per person, within the range of what Medicare pays for flu vaccines and below what drugmakers charge for some new inoculations. As an added bonus, the shots will be offered for free to Americans.
The contract allows for the US to acquire up to 500 million additional doses. If the same price is available, which is admittedly uncertain at this time, getting enough vaccine to inoculate 60% of the US population could cost something like an additional $6 billion. That's certainly not a pittance, but it's a rounding error set against the trillions of economic losses and stimulus packages forced by the pandemic. If the price jumps significantly after the delivery and many more doses are needed, it could be grounds for reassessing both the wisdom of the deal and Pfizer’s corporate citizen card.
Pfizer vaccine's protectiveness is impossible to predict before a large-scale trial finishes. However, if it clears the FDA's published efficacy standards and gets authorized, it will dampen the threat of Covid-19 — no small feat. If it offers durable immunity and can cut transmission, it could have a substantial effect with fewer doses.
Should other vaccines work better or price differently — AstraZeneca PLC has pledged to provide 300 million doses "at cost" after the US government gave it up to $1.2 billion in funding — Wednesday's deal could look like an overpay. Nevertheless, the contract is worth the gamble. Given the unknowns of “warp-speed” vaccine development, multiple attempts are crucial. There's a clear benefit to minimizing failure risk and maximizing supply with these types of contracts.
There's also a potential long-term benefit to the strategy. Vaccine development, especially for novel infectious diseases, is an expensive and rarely profitable endeavor. Advance commitments help ensure the development of platforms and expertise that the world is likely to need again.
The government’s execution hasn’t been perfect; an earlier bidding process could have resulted in better pricing than an ad-hoc model. But even belated preparation beats last-minute improvisation.

Mass Transit Is the Way to Get Cities Moving Again
Lionel Laurent/Bloomberg/Saturday, 25 July, 2020
History is littered with radical forecasts about what the future of 21st-century urban transit might bring. Isaac Asimov’s short stories promised us sentient self-driving cars, “Back to the Future” imagined hover-boards, and “The Jetsons” predicted jet-packs. It turns out the transportation challenge facing the world’s mega-cities in 2020 looks rather more prosaic: How to help people resume their normal commutes without risking an uncontrolled Covid-19 flare-up or a return to congested, polluted streets.
The goal isn’t impossible, even if it seems elusive right now. Cities, which have bounced back from plagues, famine and wars, are unlikely to wither and fade as a result of this crisis. And public transit — however unclean, scary and cramped it looks today — is critical to getting them moving again.
The crisis presents urban planners with potential opportunities. The lockdown has witnessed a surge in eco-friendly mobility policies like bike lanes, scooter rentals and pedestrianized plazas, which may well prove more than fleeting trends. Such innovations will reduce congestion and make urban spaces more liveable. But the cities that flourish in the post-Covid era will be those that invest in improving the infrastructure that already exists.
Even in cities that have managed to contain the virus, daily life remains trapped in a kind of halfway world between the medieval, home-bound existence of lockdown and the distant dream of normalcy. Fears of infection, coupled with government guidelines on social distancing and the wearing of face masks, are conditioning how people move. Public health and cleanliness are the top criteria when it comes to choosing a mode of transportation in the current environment, according to a survey by Boston Consulting Group.
Many people remain either unwilling or unable to clamber onto subways or buses as before. Public transit use is running at half its normal, pre-Covid-19 rate, according to Moovit data and Bloomberg Intelligence. This shunning of public transport is, predictably, leading to a rebound in private mobility — like the dreaded car. City traffic data tracked by TomTom shows current peak congestion in China, Germany, Russia and France close to or even higher than last year’s levels.
That’s spurred a counter-reaction from car skeptics. Cities from Berlin to Lisbon have rolled out almost 1,500 kilometers of new bicycle lanes, according to the European Cyclists’ Federation, often using the tools of tactical urbanism — painting lines on roads. Restaurants and cafes, eager to make up for lost business during lockdown, are covering up parking spaces with outdoor dining tables and chairs. What New York City’s former transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan called a “streetfight,” the politically-heated quest to make mega-cities liveable, is intensifying. In some cases, it’s possible “Two wheels good, four wheels bad” could win out, and maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
But the new world will probably look more like the old world than we think. Past examples of urban shocks seen this millennium, from 9/11 to SARS, suggest transportation habits in cities are sticky and resilient. Research by Graham Currie, chair of public transport at Monash University in Melbourne, finds that following historical events, disruptions in public transit demand tend to last between a few weeks to two years. And surveys show people’s future transportation plans in a “normal” scenario look remarkably similar to how they moved pre-Covid.
Some lifestyle changes are probably inevitable, whether it’s more remote work or increased interest in the suburbs, but they’ll likely happen at the margins. More than half the world’s population live in cities, which concentrate people, jobs, ideas, commerce, entertainment and power. They won’t be easily cast aside.
So don’t be surprised if transportation demand returns to pre-virus levels soon. Assuming social-distancing rules remain in place, transportation systems will have to contend with a space crunch. Currie gives the example of Melbourne, where commuters make about 385,000 trips into the city every morning, 220,000 of them on public transport. If rail, tram and bus services can only take about 10% to 15% of the usual trips, that leaves 198,000 commuters looking for alternatives.
Other modes of transport have limitations: Cars won’t be as effective in a city of congested streets and fewer parking spots, while bicycles and electric scooters have a way to go before they become dominant modes of transport in cities outside Denmark and the Netherlands. Road safety fears, and our aging populations, don’t help matters.
Instead of letting public transit wither on the vine, cities should focus on ways to help it survive and adapt. That means delivering an experience that’s more pleasant and more sanitary than the crowded subways and buses of the pre-virus days, without going down the extreme or unaffordable route of ripping out 50% of seats. For light rail or underground trains, no revolution would be necessary: Regular cleaning, materials that are less friendly to germs, and flexible fares to encourage more travel outside of rush hour would help.
Bigger changes should happen at street level, though. Space that’s taken away from private vehicles should be given to buses, not just bikes. Buses can carry large groups of people in a cost-efficient and energy-efficient manner, especially with cities investing in a shift to electric vehicles. They deserve priority, if not exclusivity.
The movement to slow our cities down has merits also, and city-dwellers understandably want to keep the few upsides of those long lockdown months: clear skies, breathable air, and walkable streets. Pedestrian plazas and permanent bike lanes could be expanded as part of a mixed approach similar to China’s, where bike-sharing schemes and walking are encouraged to feed into rail transit.
But public transportation needs to be kept at the heart of urban planning. Until cities like Paris and Milan deliver on the promise of a “15-minute city” — where residents are offered a full array of services like education, employment and healthcare within a 15-minute walk — people will need to make long cross-town journeys on a daily basis for years to come. Remote work is a luxury for the time being, and self-driving cars are nowhere near their science-fiction potential. Public transit is less exciting than jet-packs, but it works — and it’s the key to a cleaner, greener future.

How to Make Trump’s Coronavirus Briefings Actually Good
Faye Flam/Bloomberg/Saturday, 25 July, 2020
One of the greatest outrages in the US response to the coronavirus pandemic has been the way the government has failed to offer the people useful, trustworthy information. That’s still true, even as President Donald Trump has restarted his daily Covid-19 briefings. While some outlets have praised his more somber tone, the problem with the previous briefings was not a lack of pessimism and gloom.
The problem was that the president offered almost no usable information about the risks Americans faced, what was being done with our tax dollars to fight back, or an honest evaluation of the various efforts on the part of the pharmaceutical industry.
He has another chance now. But first, he should stop hogging the microphone. The new briefings have featured the president standing alone. What we need is not just more of Anthony Fauci, a bright spot from the earlier briefings, but a combination of other doctors and scientists selected for their work on specific topics — whether that’s vaccines, drug development, hospital capacity, epidemiology, virology or economics.
Trump should also provide data that’s meant to be useful rather than manipulative. We need a better real-time snapshot of what the virus is doing now.
At an online press conference Tuesday, epidemiologist Caitlin Rivers of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health said that no states are doing a good job of telling people anything about the new positive cases — where they live, what kinds of jobs they have, or how they were likely exposed. There’s rarely information about how long it takes to get test results back in different parts of the country, or whether there was any attempt to track down contacts of those who tested positive.
At the same event, former CDC director Tom Frieden noted that Covid-19 is not like AIDS, where people, once infected, remain infectious for life. There’s a window of time when people are most infectious — from a couple of days before they get symptoms to five or six days afterwards. If test results take too long, people have already transmitted the virus to most of the people they were ever going to transmit it to. Too much data now focuses on cumulative cases. The Northeastern states hit hard early in the pandemic often still top the charts or appear dark red on maps even if infection rates there have now plunged.
Rates of change are also not informative on their own. If a state has two cases and one day it doubles to four, that’s a fast rate of increase; but it’s very different from a place that has 5,000 cases and doubles to 10,000 in the same period of time.
What we really need is some information on the likely number of active cases in our regions — what percent of the population of a city, or county, is likely to be infected or infectious right now? That’s the kind of information that should go into decisions such as reopening schools or restaurants, and the kind of “Covid weather report” people need to make their own wise decisions.
Of course, there’s more to national leadership than data. These new White House press briefings could bring people together by sharing specific goals — such as making sure no hospital gets overwhelmed, or setting some number of deaths we will try to stay below. The notion of getting the virus “under control” is too vague and too slippery.
Specific, science-based guidelines for good citizenship would help all of us make better choices. They may especially help motivate many younger, healthier people who face a relatively low risk of dying. Some have decided that any personal risk is outweighed by the benefit of human contact or a paycheck or both, but their behavior is helping to keep the pandemic going.
If the president wants to be uplifting and inspiring — or even just get better ratings — what better way than to showcase the country’s scientific talent, share useful information people are hungering for, and offer the kind of concrete guidance that has been so sorely lacking?

The Nile is no one’s property; it belongs to everyone
Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/July 25/2020
Water levels at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba, Ethiopia, after PM Abiy Ahmed announced the early filling of the reservoir. (EBC Screengrab)
I think the Renaissance Dam negotiations were landed with a new problem the moment Ethiopia announced the end of the first stage of filling the dam’s reservoir. This was a unilateral decision taken by Addis Ababa after prevarications by Ethiopian officials regarding this matter.
More than two weeks ago, pictures published by international news agencies showed that Ethiopia had begun filling the dam's reservoir, a move that Egypt had strongly rejected in negotiations, with Sudan’s opinion swaying between truce and rejection. Addis Ababa, however, had announced to everyone that the photos were accurate but that it had not made a decision and that what the pictures showed was seasonal rainwater.
This deception continued for days afterward, with the Ethiopian Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Seleshi Bekele, announcing on July 15 that his country had actually begun filling the Renaissance Dam’s reservoir despite the stalled agreement between Egypt and Sudan. Bekele was quoted as saying that the Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia had reached a stage that allowed the start of the initial storage process, estimated to be 4.9 billion cubic meters. He also said: “Building the dam and filling the reservoir go hand in hand.” The same minister came out a few hours later to deny what he said and to say that his statements had been misunderstood!
The drama of prevarication did not last long; the Ethiopian prime minister himself announced at a mini-South African-sponsored summit which brought the Egyptian and Sudanese leaders together that Addis Ababa had already completed the first stage of filling the dam’s reservoir.
Egypt’s stance has remained the same for years — perhaps since the beginning of Ethiopia’s talk of building the Renaissance Dam. Egypt is not against the development carried out in Ethiopia. On the contrary, it has offered more than once to participate directly or indirectly, and the heads of successive Egyptian governments have always stressed the right of the Ethiopian people to develop and generate electricity as an important part of progress for Africa. Egypt has, however, been against any encroachment on its water rights. The current leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has drawn a red line on this and promised not to yield this right as that would expose Egypt and its people to imminent danger in the coming years.
Egypt’s stance remained the same, even going so far as seeking support from the Security Council. At the mini-summit, the Egyptian president stressed Egypt’s sincere desire to achieve progress on contentious issues as this would be essential in any fair and balanced agreement concerning the Renaissance Dam. He highlighted, however, that the matter required political will to agree on the outstanding issues in order to improve opportunities and efforts to reach an agreement and support confidence-building and cooperation which would be in line with the common interest of the three countries.
At the end of the summit, it was agreed to continue negotiations and focus at the present time on prioritizing a binding legal agreement on the rules for filling and operating the Renaissance Dam. This meant that a comprehensive agreement would be reached later in order to cover all aspects of joint cooperation between the three countries and their use of Nile water.
But will Egypt’s stance continue with the same level of patience and deliberation in the future? The coming days will surely answer this question.
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed congratulated all Ethiopians on filling the dam and said: “I would like to congratulate all the Ethiopian people on the achievement we have made in building the dam through our collective efforts.” He added, “This achievement demonstrates Ethiopians’ ability to repeat this achievement in other national efforts.” He also pointed out, “The most exciting thing is the confidence we had in building the dam ourselves and completing it when there were many uncertainties.”
“This dam is the symbol and icon of this generation,” he continued, “and it is an ideal response and a bright light for Ethiopians for years to come.”
The Ethiopian leader explained that the first year of filling the dam would enable two turbines to generate power, pointing out that if every effort were made in the next two years, the dam could be expected to generate energy at full capacity.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Guido Andargachio had a more "gloating" and escalating tone. He congratulated Ethiopia's citizens on the completion of his country’s first stage of filling the reservoir of the Renaissance Dam. He wrote on his Twitter account: “Congratulations! It was the Nile River and now it is a lake, and its waters will not flow toward the river. Ethiopia will get (from this lake) what it needs for development.” He continued: “In fact ... the Nile is ours.”
The sentence “The Nile is ours” angered many Egyptians who demanded that their president cease negotiations and respond decisively. On the other hand, some decided to respond to Ethiopia in the same vein so they created the hashtag “#Nile4All.”
Among the most notable tweets that the Egyptians wrote using this hashtag was: “The Nile is for everyone; the Nile is not for Ethiopia only; the Nile is a gift from our Lord to all.” The blogger who wrote this tweet called on the world to show solidarity and reach a solution to the crisis, explaining that the waters of the Nile were an issue of national security and national life for Egypt.
Another tweet said: “We are not fans of conflict, but the Nile is a matter of life and death, and everyone knows this. Egypt must not be deprived of its historical right to the Nile’s water. We are the creators of a civilization that was built on the Nile.”
The future of this crisis seems vague. Egypt may again return to negotiations with Ethiopia so as to minimize the impact of Addis Ababa's unilateral move. Egypt may seek support from the Security Council, having resorted to it in the past. Egypt may use its regional and international influence to re-pressure
The waters of the Nile are an issue of national security and national life for Egypt.
Ethiopia to take into account Egypt’s historical right to the waters of the Nile. And there may of course be even more escalation.
In all cases, there must be a new culture among the Egyptian people and government on the issue of using the Nile's water which in the past was a necessity. Successive governments launched a number of campaigns calling for the protection of the Nile which was a matter of life or death even before Ethiopia began building the Renaissance Dam.
Egyptians must emphasize in all cases that the Nile is no one’s property. It belongs to the life of the various peoples who have lived along its banks for thousands of years.
*Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy is a critically acclaimed multimedia journalist, writer and columnist who has covered war zones and conflicts worldwide. Twitter: @ALMenawy
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point-of-view