LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 02/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17/07-10: “‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”?Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!” ’

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on June 02/2019
US Experts Study 'Hezbollah’s' Underground Tunnels
Nasrallah Warns Region to Burn if Iran Attacked, Slams Hariri's Mecca Stance
Tens of Syrian Refugees Return Home from Lebanon
Hariri Meets State Leaders on Sidelines of OIC Summit
Bustani Resumes Campaign to Remove Violations on Power Grid
Report: Budget Braces for More Changes in Parliament
Lebanon's Army Commander Slams Attempts to Weaken the Military
Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel Says Hezbollah Was First to Violate Dissociation Policy
Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel Condemns Absolute Silence on Nasrallah's Statements
Kataeb politburo member Serge Dagher Lashes out at Nasrallah's Remarks: Who Gave You the Right to Speak on Our Behalf?
Mecca summits highlight Lebanon’s precarious position
From Hezbollah spy to Haredi farmer

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 02/2019
2 rockets fired from Syria at Golan; no injuries
Iran Increases Stockpiles of Nuclear Materials: IAEA
Russia Rebuffs Iranian Request to Buy S-400 Missiles
Mecca Summit Supports Palestinians, Backs Saudis in Iran Standoff
US Denies Claims of Exemptions on Iran’s Oil Sanctions
Trump's Sanctions Hit OPEC Oil Output despite Saudi Boost
Turkey, Russia Face Conflicts over Syria's Push into Idlib
Turkey's Erdogan Absent from Mecca Islamic Summit
Algerians Rally for Change despite Dozens Detained
FBI Concerned with Release of Terrorists who Completed Jail Time
Ankara Scours for Russia-Ensured Ceasefire in Idlib, Syria
HRW Condemns France 'Outsourcing' of ISIS Trials to Iraq
Libya’s Haftar Meets Putin in Moscow for First Time
Egypt, Pakistan Agree to Bolstering Relations
Homemade Army Drones Successfully Strike Terror Targets in Algeria
New Study Says 12,000 Palestinians Volunteered to Fight Nazis during WWII
12 Dead after Gunman Fires 'Indiscriminately' in Virginia Govt Complex
Sudan recalls ambassador to Qatar for ‘consultations’

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 02/2019
US Experts Study 'Hezbollah’s' Underground Tunnels/Nazir Majali/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 01 June, 2019
Nasrallah Warns Region to Burn if Iran Attacked, Slams Hariri's Mecca Stance/Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet 01/2019
Mecca summits highlight Lebanon’s precarious position/Makram Rabah/The Arab Weekly/May 02/2019
From Hezbollah spy to Haredi farmer/Etty Abramov/Ynetnews/01 June/2019
2 rockets fired from Syria at Golan; no injuries/Ynetnews and Reuters/June 01/2019/
Sweden's Self-Inflicted Mess/The Scared Girls of Uppsala; Children of ISIS Terrorists/Judith Bergman/ Gatestone Institute/June 01/2019
Pompeo’s German visit comes up short/Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/June 01/2019
Why the UK Conservatives need another Thatcher/Zaid M. Belbagi/Arab News/June 01/2019
European Parliament election results reflect the dissatisfaction of voters/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/June 01/2019

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on June 02/2019
US Experts Study 'Hezbollah’s' Underground Tunnels
Nazir Majali/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 01 June, 2019
A high-level delegation from the US Army held on Thursday a tour inside the longest cross-border Hezbollah attack tunnel that was discovered running into Israeli territory from Lebanon during this past winter’s Operation Northern Shield. The US team wants to study the Israeli technology used in uncovering those tunnels and benefit from such technique in fighting the phenomenon of tunnels that Washington started discovering at the borders between the US and Mexico. On Wednesday, the Israel Forces revealed a Hezbollah attack tunnel that was discovered during this past winter. It said the tunnel was “the longest and most significant,” before it shut it down. Asharq Al-Awsat learned that the US delegation already met with Israeli commander of the Baram Regional Brigade, Col. Roi Levi, who explained to them how the tunnels were discovered. Levi said Hezbollah planned to send thousands of fighters in an infiltration attack on military targets in northern Israel as a surprise-opening maneuver in a future war. He said the Lebanese party would have owned an incredible weapon, had Israel not discovered the tunnels. According to the Israeli Army, the tunnel was dug to a depth of 80 meters, was a kilometer long and penetrated 77 meters into Israeli territory. It began close to the Lebanese village of Ramiya with an exit close to the Israeli villages of Shtula and Zar’it. Lebanese Army personnel, UNIFIL forces and men from the Hezbollah-linked environmental group “Green Without Borders” were seen on Thursday observing what was happening at the entrance of the sixth discovered tunnel, when the US team and reports arrived. Last December, Israel launched Operation Northern Shield to find and destroy Hezbollah cross-border tunnels. A month later, the military announced it had found all of the passages and was working to demolish them. Spokesperson Avichai Adrai said on Thursday, “From today, we can say Hezbollah has no more tunnels.”

Nasrallah Warns Region to Burn if Iran Attacked, Slams Hariri's Mecca Stance
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet 01/2019
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned on Friday that if there was a war against Iran the whole Middle East region would "erupt," amid escalating U.S.-Iranian tensions. U.S. President Donald "Trump, his administration, and his intelligence know well that any war on Iran will not remain confined to Iran's borders," Nasrallah said."Any war on Iran will mean the whole region will erupt," said the head of the Iran-backed movement in a televised speech marking Quds Day, explaining that such a war was therefore unlikely. "And any American forces and American interests will be permissible" as a target, he said. Hizbullah is listed as a "terrorist group" by the United States, and has fought several wars with U.S ally Israel. Nasrallah on Friday also slammed a proposed U.S. peace deal to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that Trump has dubbed "the deal of the century". "It's a void deal... a historic crime," he said of the plan, that has already been rejected by the Palestinians as it is expected to largely favor Israel. "This deal is a loss of Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic rights," Nasrallah said. Nasrallah also rejected what he called U.S. conditions for mediating a border and maritime dispute with Israel. He said that Washington is "using the talks" to discuss, and even make threats over, degrading his group's capabilities, bringing up an Israeli claim that Hizbullah has precision missile factories. Nasrallah acknowledged his group has the weapons but denied it produces them. "We have precision missiles in Lebanon, and enough to be able to change the face of the region," he said. "So far in Lebanon there are no factories for precision missiles," he added. Nasrallah threatened for the first time, however, that Hizbullah could consider setting up such factories if Washington continues to use the talks on border demarcation to discuss his group's capabilities.He said it is Lebanon's right to defend itself. "The Americans have no business with this. It is our right to have weapons to defend our countries and it is our right to manufacture any weapons." A U.S. official has been shuttling between Israel and Lebanon, technically still at war, to settle the dispute. Washington considers Hizbullah a terrorist group. Nasrallah said he is supportive of the Lebanese government's positions in the talks. "My problem is allowing such discussion (of Hizbullah's capabilities)" he said. "This door must be closed." Moreover, Nasrallah boasted that "today the axis of resistance is stronger than ever, contrary to what some are claiming."He also said that the Lebanese delegation's stance at Mecca's emergency Arab Summit is "rejected and condemned," noting that "it does not conform to the government's policy statement or dissociation policy." Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned what he called "continuous attempts to infiltrate the Arab societies," in reference to Iran. He also strongly deplored "the attacks on the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," calling for "the widest Arab solidarity in confronting them."

Tens of Syrian Refugees Return Home from Lebanon
Naharnet/May 01/2019/Tens of Syrian families returned on Saturday to their hometowns in Syria through several border crossings, the latest group to return to Syria from its western neighbor, the National News Agency reported on Saturday. The General Security pursued the process of helping tens of displaced Syrian nationals who wish to return to their Syrian towns and villages. Dozens of Syrian families carrying their luggage arrived at border crossing points between Lebanon and Syria. Several buses carrying scores of people crossed the border into Syria in the early morning. Names of the refugees were checked by the General Security in the presence of UNHCR's representatives. Lebanon is home to some 1 million Syrian refugees, a large number for a country of 4.5 million people.

Hariri Meets State Leaders on Sidelines of OIC Summit
Naharnet/May 01/2019/On the sidelines of his participation in the 14th Islamic Summit in Mecca, Prime Minister Saad Hariri met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and they discussed developments in Lebanon and the region and the bilateral relations, the Premier’s media office said on Saturday. Hariri also met with heads of delegations including Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi, Iraqi President Barham Salih, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato Saifuddin Abdallah. The Fourteenth Islamic Summit, under the theme "hand in hand towards the future", began at 1 am in Mecca, at the Safa Palace, under the presidency of the Custodian of the two holy mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz.It addressed the challenges facing the Arab region and the affairs of Muslim countries. The Lebanese delegation to the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is led by Hariri, and includes Ministers Jamal Jarrah and Wael Abu Faour, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Hani Chmaitli, and Lebanon's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Faouzi Kabara.

Bustani Resumes Campaign to Remove Violations on Power Grid
Naharnet/May 01/2019/Energy Minister Nada al-Bustani announced on Saturday that teams of the ministry have launched a campaign to remove the violations on the electricity grid in the area of Ain al-Rummaneh. “Today, we have started removing violations on the electricity grid in Ain al-Rummaneh. We remind the citizens that a number of measures have been taken to reduce the meter installation fees for power subscription,” said Bustani. VDL radio station (100.5) said that Bustani has accompanied a technical team to remove violations in five areas including the southern suburbs of Beirut, Barja, Sidon and Tyre. Earlier in April, the Ministry kicked off a similar campaign in the capital Beirut. The Minister emphasized that the campaign aims to help reduce theft and losses on the grid for a better distribution of power. As part of its commitments to the CEDRE Paris donor conference, Lebanon’s parliament had approved a plan to reform the ailing electricity sector to unlock major international aid and loans for infrastructure projects that need to be signed off by the new government. The plan would improve power supplies, raise electricity tariffs and reduce the fiscal deficit resulting from government transfers to state-run Electricite du Liban (EDL).

Report: Budget Braces for More Changes in Parliament
Naharnet/May 01/2019/Lebanon’s 2019 state budget awaits the parliament approval amid reports that new amendments could be introduced by some lawmakers in a bid to help slash the ballooning budget deficit further, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday. Parliamentary sources told the daily: “The budget in the form referred to parliament, lacks many sources that could provide additional treasury income which in turn could help in reducing the deficit further.”The daily said MPs of the Progressive Socialist Party plan to suggest several changes, mainly ones related to illegal seaside property, and a reduction in salaries and allocations of public authorities. Similarly, the Strong Republic bloc has agreed to keep its meetings open to follow through the meetings of the Finance and Budget Committee in order to help develop and modify some budget items, the newspaper added .“The budget is going to be scrutinized in parliament,” said the sources, “Kataeb MPs are going to raise the issue of old accounting records, and how the budget lacks an economic vision and the necessary reforms which appear almost non-existent in the government project.”“Many international financial institutions have described the budget as unconvincing. Moreover, a number of ministers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the “populist” method that governed the budget discussions in Cabinet and accordingly drew pessimistic sign about the possibility of maintaining the deficit at 7.59%,” they added.
On Monday, the Cabinet approved a budget expected to trim Lebanon's deficit to 7.59 percent of gross domestic product -- a nearly 4-point drop from the previous year. Lebanon has promised donors to slash public spending as part of reforms to unlock $11 billion in aid pledged at a conference in Paris last year.The draft budget still needs to be approved by parliament. House speaker Nabih Berri has said it could take up to a month for parliament to pass it. Growth in Lebanon has plummeted in the wake of endless political deadlocks in recent years, compounded by the 2011 breakout of civil war in neighbouring Syria. The country has been racking up public debt since the end of its own 1975-1990 civil war, which now stands at more than 150 percent of GDP, according to the finance ministry.

Lebanon's Army Commander Slams Attempts to Weaken the Military
Kataeb.org/June 01/2019/Army Commander Joseph Aoun on Saturday condemned the reduction of the military's budget in the 2019 financial plan approved by the government, denouncing campaigns aiming to dash the army's structure and discourage its officers. "It's not a secret that the Army is the backbone of Lebanon, and won't be exaggerating by saying that it is the guarantor of the country's security and stability and that its mission is not limited to wars and conflicts," Aoun said during a visit to the Fouad Chehab Museum in Jounieh. "Some could have probably forgot, whether intentionally or unintenionally, that there are still big challenges to face at our eastern, southern and maritime borders despite the prevailing security stability. Therefore, the situation on the security, economic and social levels still requires full readiness; otherwise, who would take responsibility for exposing the nation's security?"
Aoun said that it was normal that the Army is part of the Lebanese economic structure and that it would be subject, like all other state institutions, to austerity measures. However, he objected to the random and unfair approach based on which the Army's budget was reduced, saying that the military was not given the option of determining its expenditures."The Army's budget figures were made public, and open to debate and analyses as if the purpose is to convince the public opinion that the military is responsible for the country's debt."Aoun also criticized the recruitment freeze stipulated by the new budget, warning of the negative consequences that such a decision will entail. "The ban on recruiting soldiers or cadets, and the ban on dismissal, will have negative repercussions on the Army," he cautioned.

Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel Says Hezbollah Was First to Violate Dissociation Policy
Kataeb.org/June 01/2019/Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel on Saturday denounced the recent statements made by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah regarding the participation of the Lebanese delegation in the Mecca Summit. In a televised speech he delivered on Friday, Nasrallah condemned the stance expressed by the Lebanese delegation on Iran at the Mecca summit, saying that it goes against the policy of dissociation stipulated by the government's policy statement. "Sayyed Hassan is giving lectures about self-dissociation and neutrality while his party was the first to violate these two principles by shoring up the Syrian regime ans dragging Lebanon into a conflict that it had nothing to do with," Gemayel wrote on Twitter. Gemayel voiced surprise at the state officials' total silence on what Nasrallah had said, with no one having condemned his statements.

Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel Condemns Absolute Silence on Nasrallah's Statements
Kataeb.org/June 01/2019/Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Saturday voiced surprise at the state officials' total silence on what Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had said in his latest speech, stressing that the safety of Lebanon and its people are not to be compromised. “The complete silence of the government and its officials on the speech of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah which violates the State’s sovereignty and its exclusive decision-making on war and peace, and drags Lebanon and the Lebanese into conflicts they do not want, mirrors once again the repercussions of the presidential settlement and the ruling authority's submissiveness to Hezbollah's will,” Gemayel said via Twitter.

Kataeb politburo member Serge Dagher Lashes out at Nasrallah's Remarks: Who Gave You the Right to Speak on Our Behalf?
Kataeb.org/June 01/2019/Kataeb politburo member Serge Dagher on Saturday denounced stances voiced by Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah in his latest speech, blasting the state's officials silence over what was said. “Who said that the Lebanese want to get into a war for the sake of Iran? Who said that we would like to have precision rockets and facilities? Who said that we want to annihilate the Americans and fight Saudi Arabia? Who gave you the right to speak or to decide on our behalf? Where do the President and the Prime Minister stand from this statement?” Dagher wrote on his Twitter page.
“Our limits stop at Lebanon's border, economy, and the safety as well as future of its people. You are not our decision makers,” Dagher added. On Friday, Nasrallah said a war between the United States and Iran is unlikely to erupt, adding that Washington is aware that any confrontation would make it pay a heavy price."War against Iran will not stop at Iran's borders. The entire region will be set ablaze," Nasrallah warned. "All U.S. forces and interests in the region will be annihilated", he added, saying that any war would also affect U.S. allies, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Mecca summits highlight Lebanon’s precarious position
Makram Rabah/The Arab Weekly/May 02/2019
The posture of Bassil and Hariri is turning Lebanon into a rogue state that has little influence over the issues, while subjecting the country’s crumbling economy to further regional pressures.
With the US dispatching warships to the Gulf and reinforcing troops in the Middle East, many are envisioning an apocalyptic military showdown between Washington and Tehran and its proxies.
While this outcome is always possible, the United States is more immediately concerned with ensuring that its sanctions against Iran hold strong and that Tehran’s proxies, especially Hezbollah, are contained and challenged across the region.
The Iranian threat was the main subject of an emergency Arab summit May 30 in Mecca. The summit, coming as a direct response to attacks believed perpetrated by Iran-sponsored factions against commercial ships in the UAE port town of Fujairah and oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia, precedes the summits of the Gulf Cooperation Council Gulf and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, also hosted by Saudi Arabia.
For Lebanon, the Mecca summit was a chance to enthusiastically reaffirm its commitment to Arab unity and brotherhood, as well as an opportunity to begin breaking its isolation vis-a-vis Gulf states.
Beirut was represented at the summit by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, accompanied by two cabinet ministers. Predictably, Hariri’s speech was heavily scrutinised by Gulf states, who have grown concerned that he is a willing hostage to, if not outright partner with, Hezbollah.
Hariri offered a lukewarm reaction to the terrorist attacks against the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, although he did declare Lebanon’s full-fledged support to its Arab brethren. Other leading Lebanese figures, including President Michel Aoun, House Speaker Nabih Berri, both allies of Hezbollah, were silent on the matter.
This attitude underscores how many of Lebanon’s political leaders are out of sync with Gulf leaders, putting the country in a precarious spot, given rising tensions.
Aoun, especially, has been loth to support Arab Gulf states. When Lebanon received its invitation to the Mecca summit, Aoun, usually keen to attend international meetings, swiftly delegated the task to Hariri.
Adding insult to injury, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil boycotted the Arab foreign ministers’ preparatory meeting, which generally precedes any Arab summit, sending the message that his resolve and allegiance lay elsewhere.
Even Hariri, a traditional ally of Saudi Arabia, is more distant from the kingdom after falling out with the Saudi administration last year. As a result, he is more reliant on his former political opponents, such as Aoun and Bassil, the president’s ever-ambitious son-in-law.
The Hariri-Bassil alliance, based on financial rather than political considerations, has empowered Hezbollah, which sits in Hariri’s cabinet and lets Bassil run the show.
Bassil and Hariri believe their “good cop-bad cop” routine will protect Lebanon from the fallout of the Sunni-Shia conflict. However, their posture is turning Lebanon into a rogue state that has little influence over the issue, while also subjecting the country’s crumbling economy to further regional pressures.
It is an imprudent strategy, especially because Bassil’s Faustian deal with Hezbollah is fully exposed. Bassil’s continued defence of Hezbollah’s interference in Gulf countries’ affairs reflects his ambitions to climb the political ladder, eventually becoming Lebanon’s president.
Contrary to what many believe, the three Gulf summits were not aimed at preparing for a military conflict but for war of attrition, which could be even more harmful for Iran and its lackeys.
They also come as Arab states braced for the worst — a potential deal between the ever-fickle US President Donald Trump and Iran. This would put Gulf states in a very precarious position, similar to US President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran in 2015.
Hariri’s remarks during the summits only paid lip service to his hosts. He has little sway over his political allies, who have wildly different objectives. It is clear, for example, that Hariri’s pledge to keep Lebanon in line with the Arab consensus does not reflect the attitude of Aoun and Bassil, who will do nothing to combat Hezbollah’s activities.
Hariri has effectively relinquished much of his prime ministerial responsibilities, agreeing to be subordinate to Aoun and his political and economic projects. This means Hariri’s words do not carry nearly the same weight to the Saudi administration as his late father’s did.
All of this shows why Lebanon’s economic troubles are likely to continue. Hariri and Lebanon’s political class are hoping to escape economic collapse by adopting an imprudent budget that masks corruption behind a facade of reforms. Real reform can only start with reeling in Hezbollah and reclaiming full sovereignty over the Lebanese state.
It is important to note that the Mecca summits were not merely about Iran but also about Lebanon. It is about addressing the vortex of corruption and instability that has left Lebanon isolated, with not one of its Arab brethren left to come to its rescue.
*Makram Rabah is a lecturer at the American University of Beirut, Department of History. He is the author of A Campus at War: Student Politics at the American University of Beirut, 1967-1975.

From Hezbollah spy to Haredi farmer
Etty Abramov/Ynetnews/01 June/2019
تقرير من صحيفة يدعوت احرانوت: إبراهيم ياسين الجاسوس الإسرائيلي الذي أخترق حزب الله لسنين هو اليوم خاخام يهودي يعيش في صفد ويحمل اسماً
يهودياً هو أفراهام سايني
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/75396/75396/
Avraham Sinai’s life story is staggering – he was born Ibrahaim Yassin in Lebanon, and fled to Israel with his family after years of spying on the country’s most notorious terrorists; today he is a 55-year-old rabbi who lives in Safed, where he is planning his latest venture, a goat farm
In northern Israel, in the serene spirituality of Safed, lives a man whose past was anything but serene or spiritual. Today he is 55-year-old ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Avraham Sinai, a father and grandfather living in a caravan on the outskirts of the city. But in another life not too long ago, he was an Israeli spy inside Hezbollah named Ibrahim Yassin.
Sinai’s story began 36 years ago, when he was 19-year-old cattle farmer Ibrahim Yassin, who had a pregnant wife named Diba. Ibrahim was away from home taking his cattle to graze when Diba went into labor without him.
*Avraham Sinai and his former IDF handler Tzahi Bareket (Photo: Aviahu Shapira)
With no midwife or hospital nearby, the Yassin family turned to the IDF forces who were occupying Southern Lebanon for help. Tzachi Bareket, an officer in IDF’s Intelligence Unit and a farmer himself, led his forces into the village to help, breaking several army regulations.
Neither Tzachi nor Ibrahim imagined that this would be the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
Even now, Bareket remains careful not to reveal details of past operations. He delivered the baby on that day in 1983, and then arranged for mother and child to be taken to hospital in Israel.
“I came home,” Sinai recalls, “and was told my wife had given birth. Two days later my brother who was in the Israeli-backed South Lebanese Army, brought her home.”
Bareket and Sinai had not met at this point, but the IDF intelligence officer was always on the lookout for Lebanese people who could help the Israelis in their fight.
“One day I spotted a cattle farmer,” Bareket says. “In this line of work, we learned how to spot people we may be able to work with. I knew that he could be a good fit. In the course of our conversation he realized that I was the Israeli who had delivered his son.”
Sinai – who hated the Palestinian militants in south Lebanon – began working for the Israeli military.
“The Palestinians controlled the area and they terrified us,” he says. “Once they lit a fire in someone’s yard, burned him alive and ate him in front of my eyes. They would bring men into villages to torment women. They killed a girl by tying her to two cars and driving them in different directions.”
*Ibrahim Yassin, the young man who would become Avraham Sinai (Photo: Orot)
Sinai says his decision to work for Israel was in fact his way of helping himself. “When I called Tzachi to tell him about terrorists, I knew that they would be chased from my village, and that suited me fine,” he says.
“I considered Tzachi and I to be partners. I gave him valuable information and he gave me fuel for my car and a document so that I wouldn’t be stopped at checkpoints. He gave me a rifle seized from the Palestinians. Any time anything bothered me, I had someone to turn to.”
After two and a half years as Yassin’s case officer, Bareket was reassigned to another unit, but Sinai’s connection to Israel did not escape the attention of the terrorist groups in Lebanon, including Hezbollah.
In 1985, Sinai was abducted from his home by agents of the terror organizations. He was released months later, but not before his 8-month-old son was burnt to death in front of his eyes.
To this day he cannot forget the torturous interrogations at the hands of Imad Mughniyah, a senior member of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah assassinated – allegedly by the IDF – in 2008.
“The day my son was burnt alive, I had lost consciousness from the beatings I received, only to wake up and see the fire,” Sinai says.
*Notorious Hezbollah official Imad Mughniyah
He says his wife told him not to discuss the baby again. “‘That door has closed,’ she told me.”
For months after, Sinai sank into a deep depression, and it was his father who slowly brought him back to life.
A desire for vengeance prompted Sinai to call Tzachi, his old IDF handler.
“My wife came to me,” Bareket says, “and told me Sinai wanted to continue working with us. He could not contact me directly at the time.”
Sinai: “Under the protection of the Israelis and with their knowledge I entered the ranks of Hezbollah. I lived in a town that was practically owned by Hezbollah (but) they didn’t know of my connection to Israel. My handler at the time was Yoav ‘Poli’ Mordechai, who would later become the IDF spokesperson.”
His relationship with Mordechai also extended beyond their mission. “Poli helped me a lot,” Sinai says. “When my daughter died soon after birth, Poli sent my wife injections so that the next pregnancy would go well.”
Sinai recalls being imprisoned in Syria in 1989, spending a year in prison for suspicious activity. “I was held in a state prison, so my parents could come and visit me,” he says. “But the torture was just as bad.”
After his release, Sinai continued to spy on Hezbollah for Israel for another seven more years. He claims to have provided information that led to the assassination of former Hezbollah leader Abbas Musawi.
*Ibrahim Yassin, Israeli spy
With so many of its key figures being assassinated, Hezbollah began looking for spies, and in 1997, Sinai and his family were smuggled out of Lebanon.
Sinai’s life experiences led him closer to religion. During his time in Hezbollah, he became interested in the Quran, and when he arrived in Israel he visited the synagogue close to his home. In 2001, he decided to convert to Judaism.
For the past two years, Sinai has lived apart from his wife, Ziva. She was named Diba when she followed him out of Lebanon, leaving her family behind, and changed it when she also chose to convert to Judaism.
Today, only his eldest son, Haim, and his youngest child, Sara, are ultra-Orthodox. Haim, born Mohammed, was 14 years old when they arrived in Israel. The rest of his seven children all live secular lives.
Sinai now lives off a pension from the IDF and gives lectures about his life as a Hezbollah spy working for Israeli Intelligence. He is a close friend of Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and four years ago even ran (unsuccessfully) for a seat on the city council.
*Avraham Sinai with his close friend Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu (Photo: Orot)
Sinai’s life story caught the attention of Israeli director Itamar Chen, who convinced him to put his astonishing tale on camera. The documentary, “The Rabbi from Hezbollah,” is being shown at Tel Aviv’s DocAviv festival this week.
“Avraham has some Forrest Gump characteristics to him,” says Chen. “He is a sensitive man who has been through unimaginable situations.”
In the caravan he now calls home, Sinai says that there is more to his story than he previously revealed, some of which is in Chen’s documentary.
“My children do not know everything about me,” he says. “My sons look up to me because of my work with the army; they too served in the IDF. There are many things in the film they knew nothing about. Even my wife never knew the details of the things I had done.”
Bareket agrees, as he stares at an old photo from their time together in Lebanon. “Sinai did things that fighters in elite military units do not do,” he says.
The two men resumed their friendship not long after Sinai arrived in Israel in 1997.
“I was trying to contact him, but I only knew his name was Tzachi,” Sinai says. “Then on an Muslim festival, he called to wish me a happy holiday.”
*Avraham Sinai today (Photo: Haim Sinai)
Bareket: “We are not friends, we are brothers. When he lectures all over the country I come to give a short introduction. Only then he walks in with his ultra-Orthodox garb and everyone is shocked. He lectures to the intelligence community and only when addressing a classified unit does he speak freely.”
The former spy is an unusual character, full of contradiction. He is both very outgoing and at the same time enjoys wandering in the wilderness for solitude and prayer.
At the moment, he is building bee hives and a goat and chicken farm.
The above report’s link at the Ynetnews site:https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5515372,00.html

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 02/2019
2 rockets fired from Syria at Golan; no injuries
Ynetnews and Reuters/June 01/2019/
IDF says unclear who carried out launches; Golan Regional Council says one rocket was intercepted in open area, which army denies.
Two rockets were fired Saturday from Syria towards the Golan Heights, causing no casualties, the Israel Defense Forces said. A military spokeswoman said that the details were still being looked into and that it remained unclear who had fired the rockets and where they had landed.According to Golan Regional Council, "at 20:46, a report was received from the IDF Spokesperson's Office about two launches from Syria towards Mount Hermon."The council said that, "one rocket landed in Syrian territory and the other was intercepted in an open area. We are in constant contact with the army and all the security forces. There are no special instructions for civilians."The IDF Spokesperson's Office said that there had been no interception. The Hermon site said that the matter was being handled by the IDF. Israel says that arch-foe Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, both of whom are fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad in the Syrian war, are trying to turn Syria into a new front against Israel. In recent years, Israel has carried out multiple strikes against Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria. On Monday, the IDF said it attacked a Syrian anti-aircraft position that had fired on one of its warplanes, and Syrian state media said a soldier had been killed in the incident.

Iran Increases Stockpiles of Nuclear Materials: IAEA
London- Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 1 June, 2019 /Iran has stayed within the main restrictions of its nuclear deal, a quarterly report by the UN atomic watchdog indicated Friday, but its stockpiles of low-enriched uranium and heavy water are growing. As of May 26, Iran had 125.2 metric tonnes of heavy water, an increase of 0.4 tons on February but stilم under the 130-tonne limit. As of 20 May, Iran had 174.1 kg of enriched uranium, up from 163.8kg in February but again well within the relevant of limit 300kg. Earlier this month, Iran announced that it will no more comply with the nuclear deal restrictions as a protest against US withdrawal from it and imposing economic sanctions on Tehran. Iran has increased its production of enriched uranium to four times following the recent decision of the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) spokesman Behruz Kamalundi said.
Yet, this doesn’t mean withdrawal from the nuclear deal, as Iran is still compelled to commit to other terms in it. Iran has granted European countries until the eighth of July to save its banking and oil sectors from isolation caused by US sanctions, otherwise it will suspend the implementation of other commitments contained in the nuclear deal. The signed deal between Tehran and giant states (US, China, Russia, UK, France, Germany) seeks to guarantee that the Iranian nuclear program remains peaceful, while the US lifts its sanctions in return. However, US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal a year ago.

Russia Rebuffs Iranian Request to Buy S-400 Missiles
London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 1 June, 2019/Russia has rejected an Iranian request to buy the S-400 missile defense systems, concerned that the sale would stoke more tension in the Middle East, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, revealed Bloomberg.
The request was rebuffed by President Vladimir Putin, the people said on condition of anonymity. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had visited Moscow May 7, yet it is not clear whether he made the request then.
Mohsen Rezaei, Expediency Council secretary and former chief of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, refused to be drawn on the missile request when questioned at an event in Tehran. Iran was capable of defending itself “whether or not Russia helps us,” he said.
Bloomberg’s report coincided with US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would deploy more US forces to the region to deter Iranian threats. Evidence that Iran has been behind recent attacks on oil tankers and pipelines in the Gulf is likely to be presented to the UN Security Council as early as next week, said US National Security Adviser John Bolton on Thursday. Russia had completed the delivery of the S-300 air defense missile system to Iran in July 2016, concluding a USD800 million deal signed between the two states in 2007. However, Russian suspended the agreement, drawing protest from Iran, which filed a USD4 billion lawsuit before the International Criminal Court. The lawsuit was, however, waived after Moscow approved selling the system to Tehran. Moreover, Iran was disappointed with Russia’s rejection to use the veto against Security Council resolution 1929 that bans weapons sales to Iran. But the resolution has been lifted by virtue of resolution 2231 in July 2015. Starting from the summer of 2020, the restrictions are expected to be lifted. This is considered one of the main gains of the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Tehran and world powers, according to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s government.

Mecca Summit Supports Palestinians, Backs Saudis in Iran Standoff
Agence France Presse/The Arab Weekly/May 02/2019/A Saudi-hosted Islamic summit on Saturday threw its support behind Palestinians ahead of a US-led peace plan suspected to be skewed in favour of Israel, as Muslim states rallied around Saudi Arabia over tensions with Iran. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting, the third and final Iran-focused summit in the holy city of Mecca this week, denounced controversial US moves to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem and recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The summit of the 57-member bloc, marked by the notable absence of Iranian and Turkish leaders, called for a "boycott" of countries that have opened diplomatic missions in the city. Trump broke with decades of bipartisan policy to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017. The OIC's statement comes as Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner prepares to roll out economic aspects of his long-awaited Middle East peace plan at a conference in Bahrain later this month. The plan, which has been heavily talked up by Trump and dubbed his "deal of the century", has already been rejected by the Palestinians, who say the president's policies have shown him to be overwhelmingly biased in favour of Israel. The Palestinians see the eastern part of the disputed city as the capital of their future state. Kushner, who was in Jerusalem on Friday on the latest leg of a regional tour to sell the plan, had looked to an alliance with Saudi Arabia against Iran as a way to gain Arab support. But Saudi King Salman told leaders of the OIC countries gathered at the summit: "The Palestinian cause is the cornerstone of the works of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and is the focus of our attention until the brotherly Palestinian people get all their legitimate rights. "We reaffirm our unequivocal rejection of any measures that would prejudice the historical and legal status of Quds (Jerusalem)."
Aggressive threats
The OIC also backed Saudi Arabia in escalating tensions with Iran, as King Salman warned that "terrorist" attacks in the Gulf region could imperil global energy supplies. The remark came after sabotage attacks damaged four vessels, two of them Saudi oil tankers, off the UAE and twin Yemeni rebel drone attacks shut down a key Saudi oil pipeline. "We confirm that terrorist actions not only target the kingdom and the Gulf region, but also target the safety of navigation and world oil supplies," the king told Muslim leaders. Tehran has strongly denied involvement in any of the incidents. In a tweet just before the start of the summit, the king vowed to confront "aggressive threats and subversive activities". "Undermining the security of the kingdom effectively undermines the security of the Arab and Islamic world," said OIC Secretary General Yousef bin Ahmed al-Othaimeen, voicing solidarity that was shared by other members. In back-to-back summits on Friday, Gulf and Arab allies similarly threw their support behind Saudi Arabia, which drew accusations from Iran of "sowing division". The summits came after Trump's hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton said Wednesday that Iranian naval mines were "almost certainly" responsible for the damage to the four ships off the United Arab Emirates on May 12.The findings of a five-nation inquiry into what happened have yet to be released. Tehran dismissed Bolton's accusation as "laughable" and accused him of pursuing "evil desires for chaos in the region".
Erdogan absent
Regional tensions have risen sharply since US the Trump administration reimposed crippling unilateral sanctions against Iran, after he abandoned a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between major powers and Iran in May last year. But Trump has appeared to soften his tone towards Tehran, saying that his government does not seek "regime change". Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was notably absent from the key OIC summit, an AFP photographer said. A regional heavyweight, Turkey -- which maintains close ties with Iran -- was instead represented by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani was also not present but sent a representative to the talks, an AFP reporter said. Erdogan's visit would have been his first to the kingdom since the brutal murder last October of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which tarnished the international reputation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

US Denies Claims of Exemptions on Iran’s Oil Sanctions
Washington - Heba El Koudsy/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 1 June, 2019/US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Thursday that Washington's policy on Iranian oil sanctions remains the same and there will be no exemptions for any country. The US ended oil sanctions waivers for countries that were still purchasing Iranian oil in May, giving them time to wean off Tehran's supply and obtain other sources of oil after reinstating sanctions back in November. "We're going to zero, and of course, there are no extensions of these waivers and that remains our policy," Ortagus said. She stressed that Arab and Gulf unity against Iran is essential to confront it and guarantee a prosperous future for the Gulf. Ortagus continued that the US was not seeking war, but wants Iran to change its behavior, stop supporting terrorism in the region and quit imposing its influence in Beirut, Damascus, and Sanaa. Officials at the State Department pointed out that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was clear in determining the way to Iran through 12 conditions, which demand a basic change in its policy. Earlier on Wednesday, the Ortagus said that Iran is cutting the number of Hezbollah fighters in Syria due to the US economic sanctions. She added, Washington’s “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran “is working” and it will continue until Tehran is willing to reach "a comprehensive new deal.”Ortagus then went on to bring examples of how US sanctions have denied funds for Iran resulting in financial limitations to Tehran’s proxies in the region. She also welcomed the convening of an emergency meeting of Gulf state leaders in Saudi Arabia aimed at discussing Iranian threats to the region. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz told an emergency Arab summit on Friday that decisive action was needed to stop Iranian escalations.

Trump's Sanctions Hit OPEC Oil Output despite Saudi Boost
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 1 June, 2019/Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has raised production in May, a Reuters survey found, but not by enough to compensate for lower Iranian exports which collapsed after the United States tightened the screw on Tehran. The 14-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries pumped 30.17 million barrels per day (bpd) in May, the survey showed, down 60,000 bpd from April and the lowest OPEC total since 2015, the Reuters survey showed. The survey suggests that even though Saudi Arabia is raising output following pressure from US President Donald Trump to bring down prices, the Kingdom is still voluntarily pumping less than an OPEC-led supply deal in place this year allows it to. “We are seeing OPEC supply falling in May to its lowest in numerous years,” said an industry source who monitors OPEC output. “There are not many big increases this month, and lots of countries posting lower supply.” Despite lower supplies, crude oil has fallen from a six-month high above $75 a barrel in April to below $68 on Thursday, pressured by concern about the economic impact of the US-China trade dispute. An OPEC delegate said most countries had kept a lid on output in May, although they might have sought to boost sales in the faster-growing Asian market. “Producers may change the portfolio to target Asia but not increase production generally,” he said. OPEC, Russia and other non-members, an alliance known as OPEC+, agreed in December to reduce supply by 1.2 million bpd from January 1. OPEC’s share of the cut is 800,000 bpd, to be delivered by 11 members - all except Iran, Libya and Venezuela.
The producers are scheduled to meet in June to decide whether to extend the deal or adjust it. In May, the 11 OPEC members bound by the agreement achieved 96 percent of pledged cuts, the survey found, compared to 132 percent in April, due to the rise in production in Saudi Arabia, and increases in Iraq and Angola. But a drop in supply in two of the exempt producers more than offset these gains, the survey found. Iran posted OPEC’s biggest supply drop this month of 400,000 bpd. The United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in November after pulling out of a 2015 nuclear accord between Tehran and six world powers. Aiming to cut Iran’s sales to zero, Washington this month ended sanctions waivers for importers of Iranian oil. Iran has nonetheless sent abroad about 400,000 bpd so far this month, less than half as much as it exported in April.In Venezuela, supply fell by 50,000 bpd in May due to the impact of US sanctions on state oil company PDVSA and a long-term decline in production, according to the survey. Output also dropped in Nigeria - which last month overproduced its target by the largest margin - because of a pipeline shutdown that disrupted exports. Among countries pumping more, Saudi Arabia boosted supply by 200,000 bpd to 10.05 million bpd, the survey found. This is still below its OPEC quota of 10.311 bpd. Iraq boosted exports and Libya, which is volatile due to unrest, enjoyed a period of relative stability. Even so, May’s output is the lowest by OPEC since February 2015, excluding membership changes that have taken place since then, Reuters surveys show. The Reuters survey aims to track supply to the market and is based on shipping data provided by external sources, Refinitiv Eikon flows data and information provided by sources at oil companies, OPEC and consulting firms.
Oil slumped over 3% on Friday and posted its biggest monthly drop in six months, after Trump stoked global trade tensions by threatening tariffs on Mexico. Brent crude futures fell $2.38, or 3.6%, to settle at $64.49 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell $3.09 to $53.50 a barrel, a 5.5% loss. Brent touched a session low of $64.37 a barrel, lowest since March 8. WTI hit $53.41 a barrel, weakest since Feb. 14. Brent futures posted an 11% slide in May and WTI a 16% drop, their biggest monthly losses since November. Trump vowed on Thursday to ratchet up tariffs unless Mexico stopped people from illegally crossing into the United States. The plan would impose a 5% tariff on Mexican imports starting on June 10 and increase monthly, up to 25% on October 1.

Turkey, Russia Face Conflicts over Syria's Push into Idlib
Agence France Presse/The Arab Weekly/May 02/2019/Ankara and Moscow are again facing an escalation of violence in Syria's last rebel-held territory, a development that puts their cooperation to the test even as they support opposing sides in the eight-year war that has devastated Syria.
An all-out offensive by Syrian government forces to capture Idlib in northwestern Syria from insurgents could unleash an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, for the area is home to 3 million people. Turkey, which is already hosting more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees, is facing strong pressure from Syria, Iran and Russia to deliver on its pledge to control the armed rebel factions in Idlib. But Turkey also needs Russia to rein in Syrian President Bashar Assad to prevent a massive outflow of refugees and to keep Turkish soldiers on the ground safe. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin "have an incentive to cooperate and ensure that nobody's interests are totally trampled," says Aaron Stein, the director of the Middle East program in American think-tank Foreign Policy Research Institute.
In September, the two leaders brokered a cease-fire for Idlib in the Russian resort of Sochi, preventing a bloody onslaught, despite the fact that Russia has firmly backed Assad and Turkey supports opposition forces. Nine months later, the truce has failed. The agreement called for a 15-to-20 kilometer (9-to-12 mile) demilitarized zone free of insurgents and heavy weaponry and for two key highways crossing through Idlib to be reopened. The demilitarized zone has been breached and the highways are at the center of the current government offensive. Syrian ground forces have been advancing from the south of the rebel stronghold under the cover of Syrian and Russian airstrikes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 291 civilians and 369 fighters have been killed since April 30 in the rebel stronghold. In the same period, 269 government troops and 22 civilians were killed in government areas by rebel fire. The U.N.'s children's agency said more than 130 children have reportedly been killed.
Already, more than 200,000 people from the stronghold have been displaced, according to the U.N., with some seeking safety near the border with Turkey while others crammed into already crowded camps in Syria. Turkey has accused the Syrian government of violating the cease-fire and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the country has told Russia "the regime must be controlled."Russia has launched airstrikes in Idlib and is providing air cover in the Syrian government offensive. It has complained that the militants have increasingly been targeting its military base in the nearby coastal province of Latakia. But for now, Moscow is unlikely to support an all-out Syrian operation in Idlib because the benefits of a long-term alliance with Turkey outweigh one military battle.
"Russia doesn't want to ruin its relationship with Turkey because of Idlib," says Kirill Semenov, a Moscow-based Middle East analyst and expert at the Russian International Affairs Council. In late April, Putin said he would not rule out a large-scale assault but "together with our Syrian friends, we believe that this would not be advisable" due to humanitarian issues. Still, Russia's patience is wearing thin with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which it accuses of targeting its military base. HTS is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Russia and Turkey, despite its claims it has disassociated from al-Qaida. Top Russian officials have often called Idlib a "breeding ground for terrorists." Despite the cease-fire deal, Turkey has been unable to neutralize the extremists. Much of Idlib has come under the control of HTS, which has defeated Turkey-backed armed groups.
Emre Ersan, an associate professor of international relations and political science at Istanbul's Marmara University, believes Turkey may have overestimated its influence over HTS. He says Turkey's plan to split the group, with some of its members joining Turkish-backed opposition forces and the group's hard-liners isolated, has not worked. Instead of coming under the umbrella of moderate groups, HTS has used Turkey as leverage against Russia and Assad-supporter Iran, according to Ersan. Adding to the risks, Turkish troops are in the line of fire. Two Turkish soldiers were wounded in early May in a Syrian government artillery attack on an observation post. Three other attacks have been cited by Turkey's official Anadolu Agency, raising the question if the attacks were accidental or designed to pressure Ankara with Russia's knowledge. "The Turkish Armed Forces will not take a single step back from where it is," Akar, Turkey's defense minister, said last week.
Erdogan and Putin have talked on the phone, agreeing to continue working along the lines of the cease-fire agreement to prevent civilian deaths and a refugee flow. They also agreed to meet on the sidelines of next month's Group of 20 conference in Japan.
"Apart from this dialogue and cooperation, there is nothing on the ground that can prevent a catastrophe in Idlib," Ersan says. The presidents have become close since 2016, rebuilding their relations after a dramatic crisis in 2015 when Turkey shot down a Russian jet near the Syrian border. Their rapport comes amid Turkey's fragile relations with NATO ally United States, especially over Washington's support of Syrian Kurdish-led forces who control large swaths in eastern Syria. Ankara considers them an extension of a Kurdish insurgency operating inside Turkey. Erdogan is so far sticking to his promise to buy Russian-made S-400 missiles despite U.S. warnings the system would jeopardize Turkey's participation in the F-35 fighter jet program and compromise its safety. Stein calls this "a big win for Russia." Turkey is angling for a way to have both the S-400s and the F-35s.
Turkey is also talking with the U.S. about a safe zone in northeastern Syria and has repeatedly asked for the U.S. to end its military support for Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF. Erdogan will meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the G-20 as well. Ersan believes Russia may allow Turkey to grab the northern town of Tel Rifaat from the Kurdish fighters, the last town they control in western Syria. Russian support could help Turkey put pressure on the SDF, widen Turkish influence and strengthen its hand in ongoing negotiations with the U.S. In exchange, he argues, Turkey could be open to some limited Syrian operation toward Idlib.

Turkey's Erdogan Absent from Mecca Islamic Summit
Agence France Presse/The Arab Weekly/May 02/2019/Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was notably absent from a key summit of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Saudi holy city of Mecca early Saturday, an AFP photographer said.
Turkey, a regional heavyweight, was instead represented by its Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Erdogan's visit would have been his first to the kingdom since the brutal murder last October of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which tarnished the international reputation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The OIC meeting is the third and final summit hosted by Saudi Arabia this week, aimed at galvanising support among Arab and Islamic nations against arch-rival Iran, which has close ties with Turkey. Khashoggi, a Saudi royal insider and Washington Post contributor was killed and dismembered in what Saudi Arabia said was a "rogue" operation, but CIA analysis leaked to the US media pointed the finger at Prince Mohammed. Saudi prosecutors have absolved the prince and said around two dozen people implicated in the murder are in custody, with death penalties sought against five men. But attention has remained focused on whether the crown prince ordered the murder despite the kingdom's denials. Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government but has stopped short of directly blaming Prince Mohammed.

Algerians Rally for Change despite Dozens Detained
Agence France Presse/The Arab Weekly/May 02/2019/Large crowds of Algerians on Friday took to the streets of the capital, where dozens were detained ahead of the latest protest two months after leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned. Demonstrators filled avenues in central Algiers chanting slogans against a push to hold presidential elections in July and rejecting calls by the armed forces chief for dialogue. "No elections with this gang in power," the crowd shouted. Protesters are looking to keep up the pressure on the North African state's ruling elite with weekly rallies despite the end of Bouteflika's two-decade rule. Police had earlier rounded up some 50 people, mainly young men, in the heart of Algiers ahead of the planned protest. Those detained had their IDs and mobile phones confiscated and were loaded into vans, an AFP journalist reported. Demonstrators taking to the streets are demanding the resignation of all those tainted by ties to the former regime. Local journalists reported that people were out in force in the country's other biggest cities of Oran, Constantine and Annaba. Armed forces chief Ahmed Gaid Salah has become the main powerbroker after he turned on his boss Bouteflika and helped ease him from office in the face of the mass protests. He is pushing for elections on July 4 but demonstrators insist there must be a wholesale change of top officials before a new vote can be held. Only two little-known figures have submitted their candidacies on time for the disputed poll, raising doubts about plans to stage it. The Constitutional Council has until June 5 to decide whether to approve the two hopefuls, who need the backing of at least 600 elected officials or 60,000 voters to get on the ballot. The rallies that erupted across the country in February after Bouteflika announced plans to seek a new term have largely been tolerated by security officials overwhelmed by the vast crowds. Last Friday the police made numerous arrests in central Algiers of protesters carrying placards and the national flag. The crowd this week held a minute's silence for human rights campaigner Kamel Eddine Fekhar before breaking into chants blaming the authorities for his death in custody on Tuesday. Fekhar, an activist from the Mozabite Berber minority, was being held in pre-trial detention for "attacks on institutions" and had been on hunger strike since March. The justice ministry said it was probing his death after his lawyer complained he had been kept in "inhumane conditions."

FBI Concerned with Release of Terrorists who Completed Jail Time
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 1 June, 2019/The release of convicted terrorists after they complete prison sentences is "absolutely a concern," a senior FBI counter-terrorism official said, according to NPR earlier this week. The remarks followed hours after the "American Taliban," John Walker Lindh, exited a prison in Indiana after serving 17 years behind bars for providing support to the Taliban. Relatives of Johnny "Mike" Spann, a CIA operative who died in Afghanistan after questioning Lindh — and even Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — have raised questions about whether Lindh has forsaken his ties to violent extremists. Nearly 18 years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, a wave of defendants convicted of supporting terrorist groups or committing acts of violence is starting to leave prisons and jails. Lindh is perhaps the most high-profile example. At a briefing for reporters at FBI headquarters in Washington, the counter-terrorism official — who asked not to be identified discussing the prospect of future threats — said special agents near the sites of prisons designated for terrorists in Colorado and Indiana have several options to follow up if needed. "Could be a case. Could be interviews with them, [putting] agents in front of them," he said. The FBI official said the overall threat from terrorism is both "high tempo" and evolving. He highlighted a "significant increase" in racially motivated violent extremism from last fall to earlier this year, on track to meet or exceed last year's 120 domestic terrorism arrests. During the first two quarters of this fiscal year, the FBI made 66 domestic terror-related arrests and 63 international terrorism arrests, he said. "Domestic terror represents a persistent and evolving threat," the FBI official said. There have been more deaths in the US from acts of domestic terror than from international terrorism, he added. And as with international terror, there's been an evolution in the threat from big conspiracies — plots like the September 11, 2001 hijackings — toward lone offenders, giving agents fewer "dots to connect." The FBI official declined to attribute a reason for the rise in home-grown, domestic terrorism, but he said that such cases can pose a series of their own challenges for investigators. As compared with international terrorism, there's no American government entity that can designate entire groups as problematic, exposing them to financial sanctions or other measures.
The US can declare all of al-Qaeda a threat, for example — and take military, diplomatic, financial or other action — but there's no simple analog for a domestic group. Another challenge: beliefs of domestic radicals are protected by the First Amendment. "We cannot and do not investigate ideology," the FBI official said. "Membership in a group is never a sufficient basis for investigation." As a result, federal authorities often work hand-in-hand with state or local law enforcement agencies, charging and arresting suspects with unrelated gun and drug offenses, to try to disrupt violent plots before they come to fruition. One bright spot is that more good tips are coming in from the public and state or local police, the majority of which are "spot on," the FBI official said. Overall, the FBI has nearly 5,000 open terrorism investigations in the United States and beyond. About 850 of those cases involve domestic terrorism; 1,000 or so are related to ISIS; and 1,000 more are home-grown violent extremists, often radicalized via online propaganda. "Eighteen years after 9/11, we don't want Americans to forget that the threat is still very real," the official said. Of al-Qaeda, he said: "They're not down and out. They're strategic."

Ankara Scours for Russia-Ensured Ceasefire in Idlib, Syria
Ankara- Saeed Abdulrazek/Saturday, 1 June, 2019/Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, discussed late Thursday (May 30) recent developments and violence in Syria’s northern Idlib province. The two leaders, in a phone call, discussed agreements they signed as guarantor states to rival Syria warring parties during previous talks held in the Kazakh capital, Astana, and the Black Sea resort city, Sochi. Discussions come in parallel as Russia, a major power backer of the Assad regime, continued to bombard with Syrian regime air forces de-escalation zones in the war-torn country’s north, where Turkey-backed armed factions are based. In a statement, Head of the Turkish Presidential Information Office Fakhruddin Alton said Erdogan stressed to Putin the need to reinforce a ceasefire in Idlib immediately. Erdogan also told Putin by phone that Syria needed a political solution. He also pointed out the need to prevent further casualties as a result of Syrian regime attacks against civilians south of Idlib, and remove the growing risk of a mass influx of refugees crossing into Turkey. Syrians uprooted by the fighting protested on Friday at the Atmeh crossing into Turkey, calling for an end to the strikes and for Ankara to open the frontier.  Despite its calls to halt pro-regime bombardment of Turkey-backed rebel areas in Syria, Ankara has maintained a strict border policy against giving asylum to Syrian opposition families inside Syria. Instead, it has been deploying additional forces to its borders with Syria amid what seems to be heightened tensions threatening Turkish-Russian fallout in the embattled Levantine country. In September last year, Erdogan and Putin announced an agreement in Sochi to establish a buffer zone separating regime forces and opposition armed factions in Idlib and its environs. According to Turkish military sources, artillery shells landed near a Turkish observation post, located in the Jabal al-Zawiyeh area in the northern governorate of Hama, south of Idlib province. But sources said that the shelling did not result in material or human damage.
The Kremlin, for its part, blamed Turkey on Friday for failing to curb rebels it’s backing in Idlib from firing on civilian and Russian targets, signaling it would continue to back a Syrian government offensive there despite Ankara’s protests. On that note, Ankara has moved 50 military armored vehicles and commandos to its southern Hatay province which lies on the Mediterranean coast and is bordered by Syria to the south and the east.

HRW Condemns France 'Outsourcing' of ISIS Trials to Iraq
Paris- Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 1 June, 2019/Human Rights Watch on Friday condemned France's "outsourcing" of trials of ISIS group suspects to "abusive justice systems", after seven of its nationals have this week been sentenced to death in Iraq. Two of them have "alleged that they were tortured or coerced to confess", the New York-based watchdog said in a statement. "France and other countries should not be outsourcing management of their terrorism suspects to abusive justice systems," said HRW's acting Middle East director, Lama Fakih. "These countries should not be sitting idly by while their citizens are transferred to a country where their right to a fair trial and protection from torture are undermined."A Baghdad court sentenced a Frenchman to death on Wednesday for joining ISIS, bringing to seven the number of French militants on death row in Iraq. Yassine Sakkam's sentence came despite France reiterating its opposition to capital punishment this week. In January, a group of 11 French citizens and one Tunisian was handed over to Iraqi authorities by a US-backed force which expelled the militant group from its last bastion in Syria. Around 1,000 suspected foreign ISIS fighters are held in detention by this Kurdish force and Iraq has offered to put them on trial in exchange for millions of dollars, potentially solving a legal conundrum for Western governments but sparking rights concerns. France has long insisted its adult citizens captured in Iraq or Syria must face trial before local courts, while stressing its opposition to capital punishment. Iraqi law provides for the death penalty for anyone joining a "terrorist group" -- even those who did not take up arms. HRW said it had documented cases of Iraqi interrogators "using a range of torture techniques, including beating suspects on the soles of their feet, internationally known as 'falaka', and waterboarding, which would not leave lasting marks on the person´s body". It also condemned "the routine failure of the Iraqi justice system to credibly investigate torture allegations". Before that, in all but one case observed by HRW since 2016, trials had consisted of "a judge briefly interviewing the defendant, usually relying solely on a confession, often coerced, with no effective legal representation". A group representing the families of French militants has asked the government in Paris to "do everything possible to stop this fatal chain of death sentences" and to try them "on our soil".
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said France was stepping up efforts to stop Iraq executing those convicted.

Libya’s Haftar Meets Putin in Moscow for First Time
Cairo - Khaled Mahmoud/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 1 June, 2019/Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday in what was the first official and declared meeting between them. Libyan sources close to Haftar said he sought to convince Putin to help lift the embargo that as been imposed on the LNA by the United Nations Security Council. They also discussed Russian assistance in developing the LNA’s weapons, they added. Haftar had arrived in the Russian capital on Thursday. The pro-LNA Libyan news agency quoted a source from Haftar’s office as saying that the trip was a routine visit that falls within the ongoing coordination between Libya and Russia on counter-terrorism. Haftar had paid several visits to Russia in the past where he met with senior officials at the defense and foreign ministries. Separately, the LNA denied reports of the death of one of Haftar’s sons, Khaled, during the battle to liberate Tripoli from terrorist and criminal gangs that are affiliated with the Government of National Accord (GNA). It said that the claim was a rumor circulated by the Muslim Brotherhood press. Activists also alleged Khaled’s death, saying he was killed in Turkish drone attacks on Gharyan city, some 80 kms south of the capital. Khaled leads the 106 brigade. He has appeared in footage several times since the launch of the operation against Tripoli on April 4. Meanwhile, Fayez al-Sarraj’s GNA was still banking on a shift in stance by US President Donald Trump on the Libyan crisis. GNA media hailed a letter sent by four US congressmen that calls on Trump to demand a ceasefire in Libya. The congressmen expressed their concern over Haftar’s operation, warning it may ignite a more violent civil war.
Near the eastern city of Benghazi, meanwhile, the head of Libya’s oil workers’ labor union, Saad Dinar, was released on Thursday after being held by eastern security authorities for almost a month, a relative said. Earlier in the day, Dinar said on his Facebook page that he was let go after what he described as “routine interrogation.”The Tripoli-based Libyan state oil firm NOC called a week ago for Dinar’s release.

Egypt, Pakistan Agree to Bolstering Relations
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 1 June, 2019/Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan agreed on Friday to bolster ties between their countries, reported the Saudi Press Agency. The officials met in the holy Saudi city of Makkah on the sidelines of their participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit. Cairo and Islamabad will boost ties through visits by parliamentary delegations and contacts between senior officials. Sisi and Khan also discussed regional and international developments of interest, as well as Islamic affairs, said a statement from the PM’s office.

Homemade Army Drones Successfully Strike Terror Targets in Algeria
Algiers- Boualam Ghimrasah/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 01 June, 2019/Algeria’s Defense Ministry published a statement revealing that Algerian-made army drones struck terror targets near the country’s southern borders. This is the first time the ministry publicizes operating locally-made drones since it first declared war on terror in the mid-90s. In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said the flights were ordered by Algerian Army Chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid Salah, who paid a visit to the “sixth military zone” (near borders with Niger) in the last four days. It also highlighted the role of Algerian-made drones in counterterror operations, adding that the aircrafts were capable of operating both nighttime and daytime missions effectively.  Despite saying targets were successfully struck, the statement did not mention the toll inflicted on terrorist formations. In a related context, the Ministry of Defense announced that the army had discovered a weapons and munitions depot north-east the In Amenas town which lies on southeastern borders with Syria. The weapons cache included rocket launchers and RPG-7 missiles, as well as machine guns, pistols, and ammunition.

New Study Says 12,000 Palestinians Volunteered to Fight Nazis during WWII
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 1 June, 2019/In 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparked an uproar when he claimed that Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini was the one who had urged Hitler to annihilate the Jews, drawing a wave of criticism. But it turns out that there was another side to the story that also escaped mention by Netanyahu, the historian’s son: the forgotten role played by thousands of Palestinians who did not heed the Mufti of Jerusalem’s call to support the Axis countries, and went so far as to take up arms to fight the Nazis, often shoulder to shoulder with young Jews from Mandatory Palestine, reported the Israeli Haaretz on Friday. Professor Mustafa Abbasi, a historian at Tel Hai Academic College, has spent years tracing their story. Having recently published an academic article on the subject, this week he suggested an opposite narrative to the one that Netanyahu put forward. The prime minister had sought to paint the Palestinians as supporters of the Third Reich, but Abbasi says, “The Mufti did not find a receptive audience among the Palestinians for his call to aid the Nazis. Not at all.”Many studies have been published about Jewish volunteerism in the war against the Nazis, which reached a peak with the formation of the Jewish Brigade. But “the thousands of Arab volunteers are hardly mentioned and sometimes the record is often distorted,” Abbasi says. In an article in the latest issue of the periodical Cathedra (“Palestinians Fighting the Nazis: The Story of Palestinian Volunteers in World War II”), he explains why these Palestinian fighters have been left out of the history books. On the one hand, Zionist historians naturally placed an emphasis on the role played by Jewish volunteers in the fight against the Nazis. On the other hand, their Palestinian counterparts were focusing on the struggle against British rule and were not eager to glorify the names of those who cooperated with Britain not so many years after the British put down the Arab Revolt of 1936-1939, and thereby indirectly helped the Jews establish a state. “Neither side wished to highlight this subject,” says Professor Abbasi. “But I think it’s the historian’s job to be faithful to the sources and to try to describe history as it was, without being hostage to any national narrative that would limit him and prevent him from writing history freely.”No organization was ever established to commemorate the actions of these Palestinian volunteers.
“Many of them were killed and many others are still listed as missing. But no memorial has ever been established for them,” says Abbasi according to Haaretz. In fact, the records of the Palestinian volunteers, along with much of their personal archives and papers, have disappeared.
Over the last few years, Abbasi was able to learn of their story in Palestinian newspapers from the Mandate era, in memoirs and personal journals, and through interviews he conducted with a few of the last remaining volunteers who are still alive. He also collected material from various British archives, from the Zionist Archive, and the archives of the Haganah and the Israeli army. Abbasi estimates that about 12,000 young Palestinians enlisted in the British Army in World War II. Hundreds became POWs, many others (the exact figure is unknown) were killed.
“Compared to other peoples, this is not an insignificant number,” he says. Initially, the Palestinian and Jewish volunteers served in mixed units. “They received training and drilled at the same bases and in many instances fought shoulder to shoulder, and were also taken prisoner together,” says Abbasi.
The proximity of the Jewish and Palestinian fighters sometimes led to unusual outcomes, as in the case of Shehab Hadjaj, a Palestinian who enlisted in the British Army, was taken prisoner in Germany and died in 1943. To this day, he is listed at Mount Herzl as “a casualty of Israel’s wars” because someone mistakenly thought his surname indicated that he was Jewish. “Relations among the fighters were generally good, and if there was any friction it was mainly over service conditions, like mail and food,” Abbasi says. However, there were certain key differences between the two groups, too. For example, while the Jews were united in their goal of fighting the Nazis to promote the establishment of the Jewish state, the Palestinians “had no clear national agenda,” Abbasi writes. For this reason, unlike the Jews, they did not seek to form separate Palestinian units and there was no “Palestinian Brigade” parallel to the Jewish Brigade, in which thousands of Jews from Mandatory Palestine served. The Mufti of Jerusalem was never truly a leader of the Palestinian people. “He left Palestine for a decade in 1937. What kind of leader abandons his people at such a time?” Abbasi wonders. “He had no influence on the public. He was detached and the public was already tired of him and his methods. They didn’t see him as a leader,” he says. “Anyone who says differently is distorting history.”

12 Dead after Gunman Fires 'Indiscriminately' in Virginia Govt Complex
Agence France Presse/The Arab Weekly/May 02/2019/A municipal employee sprayed gunfire "indiscriminately" in a government building complex on Friday in the US state of Virginia, police said, killing 12 people and wounding four in the latest mass shooting to rock the country. The shooter was also killed after an extended gun battle with responding officers, in a scene that "best could be described as a war zone," Virginia Beach police chief James Cervera told a news conference. The shooting happened just after 4:00 pm (2000 GMT), when the gunman entered one of the buildings at the Virginia Beach municipal complex and "immediately began to indiscriminately fire on all of the victims," Cervera said. One victim was killed outside in his vehicle, while the others were found on all three floors of the building. Police upgraded the casualty toll to 12 dead and four wounded Friday night, after earlier reporting 11 dead and six wounded. The shooter was armed with a .45-caliber handgun fitted with a sound suppressor, and he reloaded multiple times with extended magazines, Cervera said. "Due to the sound of gunfire, (the four responding officers) were able to locate the floor in which the suspect was committing his crimes. They immediately engaged with the suspect, and I can tell you that it was a long gun battle," Cervera said. "During this gun battle, basically the officers stopped this individual from committing more carnage in that building."Authorities did not release the shooter's name or speculate on his motives, aside from saying that he was a longtime employee of the public utilities department. The wounded included a police officer, who was saved by his bulletproof vest. All were undergoing surgery Friday night.
'Surreal'
The building where the shooting took place in Virginia Beach -- a city of 450,000 people about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Washington -- housed the city's public works and utilities offices and can have 400 people inside at any time. "This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach," Mayor Bobby Dyer told reporters. "The people involved are our friends, co-workers, neighbors and colleagues." Megan Banton, a public utilities employee, told local television station WVEC that during the chaos she and about 20 coworkers hid in an office, where they used a desk to wedge the door shut. "We just wanted to try to keep everybody safe as much as we could and just trying to stay on the phone with 911, just because we wanted to make sure (police) were coming. They couldn't come fast enough," she said, adding that it felt like "hours." "We heard gunshots. We kept hearing gunshots and we kept hearing the cops saying, 'Get down.'"Banton said it felt "surreal" to have a mass shooting in her office building, and having survived it she just wanted to go home and hug her family. "I have an 11-month-old baby at home and all I could think about was him and trying to make it home to him," she said.
150th mass shooting
President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting and was monitoring the situation, the White House said. According to the Washington-based Gun Violence Archive monitoring group, Friday's shooting was the 150th mass shooting in the United States this year, defined as a single event in which four or more people are shot or killed. Despite the scale of gun violence across the nation, gun ownership laws are lax and efforts to address the issue legislatively have long been deadlocked at the federal level. Among Democrats, the response to the shooting was especially pointed, with many of the party's White House hopefuls weighing in on the gun violence crisis. "Another horrific shooting shocks the nation, this time in Virginia Beach," Pete Buttigieg tweeted. "Already, this much is clear: it is unacceptable for America to remain the only developed country where this is routine. We must act."
'Horrific day'
Senator Bernie Sanders decried the influence of the National Rifle Association, a powerful lobby group that routinely calls for more guns in US society so that ordinary citizens are armed and ready to confront a "bad guy." "The days of the NRA controlling Congress and writing our gun laws must end. Congress must listen to the American people and pass gun safety legislation. This sickening gun violence must stop," he said in a tweet. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said it was a "horrific day" for the state. "Our hearts ache over the senseless violence that has been inflicted upon the Virginia Beach community today. My deepest condolences and prayers go to the families of those who left home this morning and will not return tonight," he said at a news conference. Singer and music producer Pharrell Williams, a native of Virginia Beach, paid homage to the strength of his hometown. "We are praying for our city, the lives that were lost, their families and everyone affected. We are resilient," he said in a tweet. "We will not only get through this but we'll come out of this stronger than before we always do."

Sudan recalls ambassador to Qatar for ‘consultations’
AFP/June 01/2019/KHARTOUM: Sudan’s ambassador to Qatar has returned to Khartoum for consultations, the foreign ministry said Saturday, with the envoy set to fly back to Doha soon. The diplomat was summoned “to Khartoum for consultations and...will leave to Doha in the coming hours” to resume his work, Sudan’s ministry said. Earlier in the day, a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry denied claims on social media the ambassador had been recalled and said it received official notification only that he was on “short leave.”Sudan’s decision to summon its ambassador came after the country abruptly shut down the office of Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera on Thursday without giving a reason. The news channel, which regularly broadcasts footage of demonstrations that have taken place in Sudan since December, is funded by Doha, a close ally of former president Omar Al-Bashir. Sudan’s military in April ousted Bashir after months-long protests against his authoritarian, three-decade rule. The ruling military council’s head Abdelfattah Al-Burhan is currently in Saudi Arabia after traveling for a string of summits. He has already visited Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. The deputy head of the council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also visited Riyadh in May and met Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman. Saudi Arabia and allies including the UAE and Egypt, broke off diplomatic ties with Doha in 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism, which it denies.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 02/2019
Sweden's Self-Inflicted Mess/The Scared Girls of Uppsala; Children of ISIS Terrorists
Judith Bergman/ Gatestone Institute/June 01/2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14209/sweden-self-inflicted-mess
According to an Amnesty International report, in Sweden, rape investigations are under-prioritized, there are "excessively long waiting times for the results of DNA analyses", there is not enough support for rape victims and not enough work is done for preventative purposes.
In 2017, a Swedish police report, "Utsatta områden 2017", ("Vulnerable Areas 2017", commonly known as "no-go zones" or lawless areas) showed that there are 61 such areas in Sweden. They encompass 200 criminal networks, consisting of an estimated 5,000 criminals. Twenty-three of those areas were especially critical....
"I cannot bear to see children faring so badly.... There should be no doubt that the Government does what it can for these children [of ISIS terrorists] and if possible they should be brought to Sweden." — Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström.
Unfortunately, the horrific fate of enslaved Yazidi children does not appear to be something that Wallström "cannot bear".
According to the latest National Safety Report, published by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, four out of 10 women are afraid to walk outside freely. According to an Amnesty International report, "In a 2017 study, 1.4% of the population stated they had been subjected to rape or sexual abuse, corresponding to approximately 112,000 people."
In the picturesque Swedish university city of Uppsala, 80% of girls do not feel safe in the city center. One 14-year old teenager, who is afraid to reveal her identity, told the Swedish media that she always wears trainers so that she can 'run faster' if she is attacked: "I sat down on a bench and immediately guys came and sat next to me on both sides. Then more guys came and stood in front of me. They began to grab my hair and my legs and said things to me that I did not understand. I became so terrified and told them many times to stop, but they did not listen... Everything is so horrible. This is so wrong. I want to be able to feel safe", she said about taking the bus home.
A recent survey from Region Uppsala shows that only 19% of girls in high school feel safe in the inner city of Uppsala. In 2013, the number was 45%. The men and boys in the gangs that engage in the sexual harassment of Swedish girls in Uppsala are frequently newly-arrived migrants.
In response, officials from Uppsala apparently told the Swedish press, "We usually encourage girls who feel insecure to think about what they need to do to feel safe, such as not walking alone, making sure they get picked up and anything else that can reduce their sense of insecurity." In other words, the authorities are leaving the responsibility for dealing with this critical security issue to the girls themselves.
The scared girls in Uppsala are only a small part of the entire picture. According to the latest National Safety Report, published by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brottsförebyggande Rådet or Brå), four out of 10 women are afraid to walk outside freely. "Almost a quarter of the population chooses a different route or another mode of transportation as a result of anxiety about crime... Among women aged 20-24, 42 percent state that they often opted for another route or another mode of transportation, because they felt insecure and worried about being subjected to crime. The corresponding proportion among men in the same age group is 16 percent..." according to Brå.
Nevertheless, the government is cutting down on the police's resources. In the government's new spring change budget, the police are facing a reduction of 232 million Swedish kroner (US $24.5 million). "The proposals in the spring change budget will have consequences for the police's activities, but what effects it will have it is too early to respond to at present. We will now analyze how we will handle the new economic conditions," the police said in response to the proposed budget costs, with police chief Anders Thornberg criticizing the cuts. As it is, the police are already drowning in tasks they cannot perform properly, such as solving rape cases. A recent Amnesty International report, "Time for Change: Justice for rape survivors in the Nordic countries", released in April, harshly criticized Sweden for not dealing properly with rape cases. According to the Amnesty report, among other problems, rape investigations are under-prioritized, there are "excessively long waiting times for the results of DNA analyses", there is not enough support for rape victims and not enough work is done for preventative purposes.
The Amnesty report states:
"In 2017, the Swedish police received 5,236 reports of rape involving people aged 15 or over: 95% of victims were women or girls. The preliminary statistics for 2018 show 5,593 reports of rape of which 96% of victims were women or girls. However, under-reporting of rape and other sexual crimes means that these figures do not give a realistic picture of the scale of the problem. In a 2017 study, 1.4% of the population stated they had been subjected to rape or sexual abuse, corresponding to approximately 112,000 people. The vast majority of rape victims will never report the crime to the police. Of those who do, few will see their case heard in court. In 2017, prosecutions were initiated in 11% of cases involving children aged between 15 and 17 and in 6% of cases involving adults".
Sexual crimes are not the only crimes that Swedish authorities find themselves unable properly to confront. In 2018, Sweden experienced a record high number of lethal shootings; 45 people were killed in them nationwide. Most of the shootings took place in the Stockholm area, and most deaths occurred in Region South, where Malmö is located. "It is at a terribly high level," Stockholm's police commissioner , Gunnar Appelgren, said about the shootings. Previously, 2017 held the record with 43 shot to death. The number of reported shootings overall did, however, decrease slightly: from 324 in 2017, to 306 in 2018. The number of people who were injured was also slightly lower: 135 people in 2018, compared to 139 in 2017.
According to the police, many of the shootings are linked to criminal conflicts and so-called "vulnerable areas" (utsatta områden, commonly known as "no-go zones" or lawless areas). In the first six months of 2018, according to police, almost every other shooting took place in a "vulnerable area". In 2017, a Swedish police report, "Utsatta områden 2017" ("Vulnerable Areas 2017") showed that there are 61 such areas in Sweden. They encompass 200 criminal networks, consisting of an estimated 5,000 criminals. Twenty-three of those areas were especially critical: children as young as 10 had been involved in serious crimes there, including ones involving weapons and drugs. Most of the inhabitants were non-Western, sadly mainly Muslim, immigrants.
To add to these problems, Foreign Minister Margot Wallström appears to be planning to bring back children of Swedish Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists who are living in refugee camps in Syria. "It is complex and that is why it has taken time to develop a policy and a clear message, but we are working on this every day. I cannot bear to see children faring so badly", she recently said. In an April 12 Facebook post, Wallström wrote:
"The government is now working intensively to ensure that children with links to Sweden who are in Syria receive the help they need. There should be no doubt that the government does what it can for these children and if possible they should be brought to Sweden. Each case must be handled individually. The children are in different situations, some perhaps orphans, others with parents arrested for acts they committed for ISIS. Identifying Swedes who can have been born in [Syria or Iraq] is difficult. In the largest camp there are about 76,000 people. We are in contact with International Red Cross in the camps. It is of the utmost importance that the children's situation is handled with legal certainty and with the best interests of the children. International actors, Swedish authorities and Swedish municipalities, who can be recipients of children, must cooperate..."
Unfortunately, the horrific fate of enslaved Yazidi children does not appear to be something that Wallström "cannot bear".
Additionally, 41 out of 290 Swedish municipalities could be forced, or are already being forced, to accommodate returning ISIS terrorists in the near future, according to a recent report by SVT Nyheter. The ISIS terrorists are either still in Syria or already on their way back to Sweden. To "prepare" the municipalities, the Swedish Center Against Violent Extremism invited them to a "knowledge day" about ISIS returnees on April 24. The purpose was to "provide support to the municipalities that have received or will be receiving returning children and adults from areas previously controlled by the Islamic State". The municipalities involved are those where the ISIS terrorists had lived before being recruited to ISIS.
In total, 150 male and female ISIS members are expected to return to Sweden, as well as 80 children who are travelling with their parents.
According to Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, returning ISIS terrorists have a "right", as Swedish citizens, to return to Sweden. Löfven claimed that it would be against the Swedish constitution to strip them of their citizenship, but that those who had committed crimes would be prosecuted. Swedish terrorism expert, Magnus Ranstorp, though, has warned Sweden against taking back not only ISIS terrorists, but also their wives and children, who, he said, also pose a security risk:
"The women are not innocent victims, and there is also a large group of ISIS children... From the age of eight or nine, they have been sent to indoctrination camps where they have learned close combat techniques and how to handle weapons. Some of them have learned how to kill... their identities will forever be linked to their time with ISIS, and the fact that they have an ISIS father or an ISIS mother."
Sweden seems intent on importing even more problems.
*Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Pompeo’s German visit comes up short
Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/June 01/2019
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on a whistle-stop tour of Europe. He arrived in Berlin on Friday, is in Switzerland now and will join US President Donald Trump in the UK, routing himself via the Netherlands.
Germany was tense. Pompeo’s visit was preceded by Chancellor Angela Markel’s commencement speech at Harvard University, where she was praised for her commitment to free trade and for having admitted one million refugees to Germany in 2015/2016. While she never mentioned Trump by name, she still attacked many of his policies.
The second issue was a perceived slight by Pompeo in early May. He had canceled a scheduled visit with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas at short notice in order to go to Iraq. It is unusual for a US secretary of state to wait more than a year to pay an inaugural visit to Berlin – arguably America’s most important ally in continental Europe. Ever since Trump came to power, US-German relations have been on the skids.
Pompeo, Merkel and Maas tried hard to demonstrate commonalities. They could, however, not gloss over substantially different viewpoints on many issues.
There is Germany’s financial contribution to NATO. German defense expenditure is below 2 percent, which is mandated for NATO members. Germany did not fulfill promises to substantially augment the defense budget.
There is the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will bring Russian gas to Germany circumventing the Ukraine. The US considers it a security risk. The Germans consider the pipeline important in terms of energy security, and gas is considered a reliable, low-carbon-emitting fuel. Pompeo did not enlighten the Germans as to whether the US administration is considering sanctions against companies participating in Nord Stream 2.
There was no meeting of minds on Huawei either. Many European governments do not share the Trump administration’s concerns over the company’s ties to the Chinese government. Huawei technology is an integral part of rolling out 5-G networks in Germany, the UK and Switzerland.
The two countries are ideologically miles apart on many issues, none more so than trade wars.
Lastly and very importantly, Pompeo discussed Iran. Germany is one of the three European signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to ensure Iran will not build nuclear weapons. Germany, the UK and France bemoaned the fact that the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement last year.
Pompeo and Mass declared that they both agreed Iran should not have nuclear weapons and that Iran’s influence in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon is disconcerting. Yet Germany has so far not declared Hezbollah a terrorist organization, despite repeated prodding by the US. Maas did also not give Pompeo any guarantees that the German typhoon aircraft, which are part of Germany’s commitment in Syria, would remain in Jordan when their term expires this autumn.
The two countries are ideologically miles apart on many issues, none more so than trade wars. German prosperity is built on the country’s industrial prowess and ability to trade its products freely on the world markets. China is a very important trading partner of Germany. When it comes to the automotive sector, German car manufacturers’ supply chains and assembly lines in North America were configured when NAFTA was in force. Therefore, the latest spat between Mexico and the US is less than helpful.
Switzerland will be a lot easier for Pompeo. He is attending the secretive Bildeberg meeting, which assembles 100 policy-makers to discuss issues of global concerns. We will likely never hear what was discussed. Topics are said to include trade, security and the weaponization of social media. Pompeo is scheduled to attend, alongside presidential adviser Jared Kushner.
Pompeo’s meeting with Switzerland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ignazio Cassis meeting will likely focus on Iran, because Switzerland represents US interests in the Islamic Republic. Switzerland is neutral and not a signatory to the JCPOA. Its foreign policy has always been geared to mediate in conflict situations.
But when it comes to Huawei, the Swiss, who are economically minded, independent and neutral, will not yield to Pompeo. Swiscom’s landline system is built on Huawei technology and the Chinese company is a client of most of the independent operators, particularly when it comes to rolling out 5-G networks.
Pompeo’s trip has shown one thing: While the US has been Europe’s traditional ally, fault lines are starting to show. Europeans thrive on multilateral approaches, be it on trade, security or foreign policy. The current US administration believes in bilateral relationships and the full deployment of America’s might. Europe may need America more at this point, but in the long run the US will fare better with more rather than fewer friends, especially when they are long-standing allies. The world will certainly be a safer place if the US and its traditional allies share their viewpoints and act in unison.
*Cornelia Meyer is a business consultant, macro-economist and energy expert. Twitter: @MeyerResources

Why the UK Conservatives need another Thatcher
Zaid M. Belbagi/Arab News/June 01/2019
The UK is facing its “worst peacetime crisis,” and the union is “more divided than at any time since the Civil War.” Such statements have been used to describe the current impasse the country finds itself in. With embattled Prime Minister Theresa May to step down next week, Conservative Party candidates are falling over themselves to try and get the top job. Following a spectacular drubbing during the European elections last week, with the ruling party coming a spectacular fifth, the Conservatives must choose a leader who will bridge divides and avoid a potentially fatal electoral defeat.
A staggering 38 British prime ministers have come from the Conservative Party or its Tory predecessor. The party of Wellington, Disraeli, Churchill and Thatcher is first and foremost a party of government. However, May last week made it four successive Conservative prime ministers who, in one way or another, had to resign because of Europe. Three years since the British people voted to leave the EU, the UK is torn between a government so weak that it has pursued a Brexit deal that would leave the country at the mercy of fate, a ruling party fraught with division, and an electorate so utterly fed up that they have begun to vote for outlying parties in protest. Last week’s European polls were won by the Brexit Party, established only months ago, as the Conservatives astonishingly trailed behind the Greens.
There is no doubt that May’s tenure has grossly divided the party. Her cataclysmic decision to prematurely hold a general election resulted in the Conservatives losing their majority. As her voice continued to crackle, her party did too. However, May cannot be held solely responsible for its state. Europe, as ever, has driven a wedge between those who wish to remain in the EU, those who wish to leave whatever the cost, and those who wish to leave with an agreement that protects British interests into the future. This entire episode has shown that what the Conservatives require is strong, almost radical, leadership – bold enough to set a course for the party and the wider country. What the party needs is Margaret Thatcher.
What the Conservatives require is strong, almost radical, leadership — bold enough to set a course for the party and the wider country
As a staggering 11 Conservative leadership candidates begin jostling for the top job, they would do well to remind themselves of the plucky grocer’s girl who stunned the party at 50-1 odds to unseat Edward Heath as leader in 1975. In the 1970s, Britain’s industrial decline was spectacularly mismanaged, with the government at the mercy of unions and social strife an all-too-common feature of daily life. The UK had seen sustained high inflation rates, which were above 20 percent at the time of the 1979 election, unemployment had risen and, over the winter of 1978-79, there was a series of strikes that became known as the “Winter of Discontent.” Petrol stations closed, ports were picketed, bodies were left unburied and waste uncollected. In the midst of this civil disturbance, Thatcher amazed her opponents by coming to power, as the Labour Party failed in its efforts to satisfy its working-class voter base.
Though not as drastic, Britain’s present situation is not dissimilar to that of the 1970s. The Brexit process has absorbed political will and effort, leaving little else for the other big challenges of the day. Not until a deal is agreed on Brexit will Parliament be able to wholeheartedly proceed to tackle other pressing challenges.
When Thatcher came to power, a “national consensus” had dominated British politics – tolerating or encouraging nationalization, strong trade unions, heavy regulation, high taxes, and a generous welfare state – since 1945. By boldly bringing this to an end, Thatcher steered the country on a new course, whilst also taking her party to three historic election wins. By making drastic changes to trade union laws (most notably the regulation that unions had to hold a ballot of their membership before calling strikes), walkouts had fallen to their lowest level for 30 years by the time of the 1983 general election, which the Conservatives won by a landslide.
The crop of candidates that have put themselves forward to replace May is by no means a list of the party’s most impressive and extraordinary. Hollowed out by the collapse of David Cameron and May’s governments, the party is a deeply tribal beast, with any future leader having to make any policy palatable to the different factions within the party.
It is clear from the recent European and local council elections that politics in the UK is changing. Where established parties previously had the advantage of existing infrastructure and recognition to change the outlook of elections, social media and technology has allowed newer, more nimble political movements to exploit popular dissatisfaction to devastating electoral effect.
Tory leadership hopeful and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson showed understanding of this, warning that the Tories would be “dismissed from the job of running the country” if they continued to fail in delivering on their promises. If, like the unions in the 1970s, Europe is to be the critical factor in uniting the country, the new Conservative leader must act swiftly on delivering Brexit or the party risks exiting mainstream politics altogether.
*Zaid M. Belbagi is a political commentator, and an adviser to private clients between London and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Twitter: @Moulay_Zaid

European Parliament election results reflect the dissatisfaction of voters
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/June 01/2019
If anyone hoped that last week’s European Parliament elections would clear the murky waters of European politics, they set themselves for a disappointment. Voters didn’t exactly produce a decisive result, which could guide their representatives about their expectations, but in not doing so they reflected the confusion of the leaders of this massive experiment in forming a supranational polity. By the time the votes were counted, it surfaced that in the bigger picture the electorate prefers continuity to radical change, though this didn’t stop the specter of ultra-right populism from continuing to creep into mainstream politics. However, there was better news for parties with more coherent messages such the Liberals and Greens, who have done better at the expense of the center right and center left. From local to national and European elections, the main trait is of fragmentation and malaise directed at the inability of the more traditional parties to come up with answers to 21st-century challenges.
There were some sighs of relief that the center, right or left, hasn’t melted down completely. Yet for the first time in the history of European elections, the two major groups, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the center-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D), cannot together form a majority, losing between them 11 percent of the vote share.
These were also the first European elections to take place in the shadow of Brexit and the refugee crisis that has unsettled large parts of Europe. For decades this political-economic union was seen as a panacea for most countries transiting towards what they hoped would be unabated economic development, the advancement of democratic institutions and human rights, and a guarantee of peaceful relations with their neighbors – outcomes that were diametrically opposed to the course of European history before the European Union. From its beginnings as a loose economic association between a tiny group of countries, the EU has evolved into a union of 28 countries that increasingly resembles a federal system, including the free movement of people between all member states and a single currency for 19 of them.
The fragmentary outcome of these elections should not be confused in politicians’ minds with the lack of a clear message.
Relief at the election results shouldn’t turn into complacency. For better or worse, the centrist parties are not out of the woods; they have just got a temporary reprieve. Right-wing populism is here to stay, at least for the time being, and unless other parties with more complex and considered views adjust their policies to the current climate and the concerns of European citizens, they will gradually become marginalized. Look no further than the results in France, Italy and the UK, where right-wing populism did well. In Italy, Matteo Salvini’s Northern League is the outright winner, and together with the Five Star they commanded more than half of the vote. Their sister party in France, Rassemblement National (RN), led by Marine Le Pen, just edged out French President Emmanuel Macron’s La Republique En Marche, and in the UK Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party won more seats than any other. To be sure, parties committed to strengthening the European Union still hold two-thirds of seats in the EU Parliament, but the trickle not only to the right, but also towards smaller parties and single-issue ones, reflects the shifting attitudes of voters, who would like concrete answers to their daily concerns, whether on immigration, the erosion of sovereignty or climate change.
But however one deciphers the European election results, it is clear that there is a significant disconnect between the momentous project of putting together almost an entire continent under one political, economic and legal system, and the citizens of this project, who don’t necessarily have an emotional attachment to it, nor feel genuinely represented. Most hardly know the names of the people they elect, and though there was an increase in turnout for these elections, it was still barely more than 50 percent. Considering the power the European Parliament has, especially since the Lisbon Treaty was ratified, it is staggering that many more voters are not flocking to the polling stations.
Brexit also took part in the European election. From a European perspective, the very possibility of leaving, though less tempting if one looks at the havoc it has wreaked on the UK, is undermining the foundations of the EU. Until 2016 Europe was moving in one direction only, towards expansion. For a country to vote to leave, and even for Turkey, for instance, to cool its interest in joining the EU, represents a genuine challenge for the future of the union, though it is also an opportunity to assess its direction. The newly formed Brexit Party might have won more seats than any other, but the overall vote leaned towards the Remainers. What clearly emerged is that the British public is becoming increasingly polarized when it comes to Brexit. Though turnout was only 37 percent, those who bothered to vote rewarded parties that either clearly supported leaving the EU, even without a deal, or were outspoken Remainers. Both so-called big parties, the Conservatives and Labour, saw heavy losses, particularly the Conservatives, who suffered a near wipeout in the midst of bringing to a close the dismal premiership of Theresa May, while Labour lost half of the seats it had held in the previous parliament.
The fragmentary outcome of these elections should not be confused in politicians’ minds with the lack of a clear message. It is a message of deep dissatisfaction with them for not addressing their citizens’ most basic concerns and being detached from their experiences, priorities and hardships. It remains to be seen whether the establishment in Brussels is capable of listening, learning and changing.
**Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations at Regent’s University London, where he is head of the International Relations and Social Sciences Program. Twitter: @YMekelberg