LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 27/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Make My joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves
Letter to the Philippians 02/01-11:”If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on June 26-27/2019
Political Castration Plague Has Hit The Majority Of Our Lebanese Christian Politicians
A hero is gone: Sheikh Ali Zein el Dine
Lebanon's Parliament elects five members of Constitutional Council
Rahi meets Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta
Fitch Ratings: Fiscal and Structural Reforms Needed as Financing Pressures Continue
Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri: We oppose U.S. plan for Mideas
Hariri: Entire Lebanon against 'Deal of the Century'
5 MPs Walk Out in Protest at Prearranged Constitutional Council Vote
Hadat Controversy: A Small Example of Lebanon's Deeply-Rooted
Retired Servicemen to 'Besiege' Beirut in Protest at Budget Articles
Arslan on Refugee Return: Problem in Lebanon, Not in Syria
Hadat Controversy: A Small Example of Lebanon's Deeply-Rooted
UAE Businessman Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor: Lebanon Needs New Politicians, Who Do Not Capitulate To Hizbullah

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 26-27/2019
With Tehran set to upgrade uranium enrichment, the USS Boxer strike force with Marines reaches Iranian shore
Iran Says It Won’t Budge in Face of US Sanctions
Rouhani to Macron: Iran 'Never Seeks War' with US
UAE Official: Attack on Single Oil Tanker is an Attack on Int’l Community
After 18 of them were killed yesterday, the regime forces and warplanes start the 58th day of the heaviest escalation by more than 325 air and ground strikes on the countryside of Hama and Idlib
Hamas Warns Israel against Deteriorating Conditions
Israel Protests Chilean President's al-Aqsa Visit
UN Libya Envoy Briefs Tripoli Authorities on his Meeting with Haftar
Oman to Open Embassy in Palestine
7 Egyptian Policemen Killed in Sinai Militant Attack
Iraqi President in Britain to Bolster Bilateral Relations
Pakistan Asks Qatar to Guarantee Rights of its Citizens Working in World Cup Projects
4 ISIS Suspects Arrested in Nicaragua

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 26-27/2019
Political Castration Plague Has Hit The Majority Of Our Lebanese Christian Politicians/Elias Bejjani/June 25/2019
A hero is gone: Sheikh Ali Zein el Dine/Dr. Walid Phares/Face Book/June 26/2019
Fitch Ratings: Fiscal and Structural Reforms Needed as Financing Pressures Continue/Kataeb.org/June 26/2019
Hadat Controversy: A Small Example of Lebanon's Deeply-Rooted/Associated Press/Naharnet/June 26/2019
Lebanon: Christians, Syrians and 2 Concepts of the Minority/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/June 26/2019
UAE Businessman Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor: Lebanon Needs New Politicians, Who Do Not Capitulate To Hizbullah/MEMRI/June 26/2019
With Tehran set to upgrade uranium enrichment, the USS Boxer strike force with Marines reaches Iranian shore/Debka File/June 26/2019
Istanbul's Election Puzzle/Daniel Pipes/Washington Times/June 26/2019
Africa: Alarming Rise of Christian Persecution/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/June 26/2019
Will Iran's Attacks on the US and Allies Escalate?/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/June 26/2019
Sudan’s Lurch Toward Democracy/Tobin Harshaw/Bloomberg View/June 26/2019
Palestinians’ missed opportunity at ‘Peace to Prosperity’/Ray Hanania/Arab News/June 26/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on June 26-27/2019
Political Castration Plague Has Hit The Majority Of Our Lebanese Christian Politicians
Elias Bejjani/June 25/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/76116/elias-bejjani-political-castration-plague-has-hit-the-majority-of-our-lebanese-christian-politicians/
Sadly the majority of our Christian politicians, and the Maronites in particular, as well as all the so called political parties, are in reality and practicality, patriotically, conscience, sovereignty and independence wise are totally castrated with no what so ever hope of any hope of recovery through surgical or non surgical therapies or treatments.
In reality, and in all fields of actuality, they are all helpless, hopeless, hungry for power, their leadership falls in the lowest scale of calibre in all spheres, and on all levels, and actually much, much worst than the Iscariot himself.
The thirty Dinars deviated concept, and the rotten thinking process of the Iscariot are the foundation of their life style, and bases of their entire attitudes and all approaches for all matters.
Meanwhile, the disastrous and sickening part of this Christian on going deteriorating of faith and hope dilemma mainly lies in the cancerous-devastated Lebanese Christian public opinion that is totally strayed and alienated from all that is freedom, identity, dignity, fear of the Judgment Day and conscience.
The corrupted politicians have evilly succeeded in turning their followers into puppets, much more like sheep.
These sheep like followers are blind and deaf and do see and hear only what their masters the Iscariotic politicians allow them to have access to.
In this very same realm of ethical, political and faith-patriotic arenas, Lebanon President’s Son in-law, Mr. Gobran Bassil is a deviated current leading and prominent disastrous politician, there is no doubt in this sad and imposed reality.
But what is more disappointing than the deviated Bassil and imposed status, is that both Sami Gymayel and Samir Geagea, the Maronite politicians and the “owners” of the two major Feudal and dictatorship Maronite falsely called political Parties are not better than Bassil in any way in any domain what so ever, but definitely, much much worse.
In conclusion, We the Maronites in Lebanon, as well as in the Diaspora, we are in an urgent need for leaders and politicians who not corrupted, not narcissistic, and who genuinely fear Almighty God and His Day Of Judgment..
We definitely are in an urgent need for politicians and leaders from the cut, calibre and garment of the Late Martyr, Bachir Gmayel.

A hero is gone: Sheikh Ali Zein el Dine
د. وليد فارس: الموت يغيب البطل اللبناني الشيخ الدرزي علي زين الدين
Dr. Walid Phares/Face Book/June 26/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/76146/%d8%af-%d9%88%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%af-%d9%81%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%b3-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d8%aa-%d9%8a%d8%ba%d9%8a%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d8%b7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a/
A patriot, a cleric and a man of wisdom, Sheikh Ali Zein el Dine, has passed away yesterday in Lebanon. Why am I posting about this Druze sheikh from the Shuf mountain"? Because he was one of the main heroes of the Lebanese resistance against terror militia Hezbollah during the May 7, 2008 invasion of Beirut and the Shuf. As we all remember, the Iranian backed militias attacked the mostly Druze villages and towns in Mount Lebanon to subdue them while other Hezbollah forces had penetrated West Beirut and seized most of the Lebanese Government institutions and isolated Sunni and Druze leaders in the capital.
Beirut was occupied in less than a day. But young Druze civilians rapidly mobilized with light weapons and fired back at Hezbollah, who lost dozens of its fighters. In the center of Druze mobilization was Sheikh Ali Zein el Dine who insured coordination and planning. I didn't have the chance to speak with him that year, while I was calling politicians in Lebanon encouraging them to stand firm. I had a call with him last year as I was writing some pages of my memoirs.
Zein el Dine was sharp, non arrogant and pragmatic. He understood that Hezbollah has a formidable military machine, but in Lebanon, his weakness is about his behavior with other community. No sect can invade and occupy another sect for ever. When Hezbollah marched on the Shuf, the young fighters resisted with their AK47 and pistols. Hezb units were stopped. Had the battle lasted longer, other anti Iran forces in many regions would have joined to push Hezbollah back to its strongholds. But most Lebanese politicians rushed to Doha to cut deals with the Iran backed organization.
Zein el Dine remained faithful to his community and to his country during the few days of resistance, and for years after this benchmark. If Lebanon has ten Zein el Dine, when they are needed, the terror networks would be pushed back.
Ironically, his story is known in Washington DC and his name will be remembered as a freedom fighter against terrorism.

Lebanon's Parliament elects five members of Constitutional Council
NNA - Wed 26 Jun 2019
The Parliament elected on Wednesday during its legislative session five members of the 10-seat Constitutional Council. As per the Constitutional Council Law, the Parliament elects 5 members of the Council, whereas the remaining five others to be named by the Council of Ministers.
The elected members after an hour-long ballot are namely: Tannous Meshleb, Antoine Breidi, Riad Abu Ghayda, Aouni Ramadan, and Akram Baaseeri. It is worth-mentioning that Deputies Sami Gemayel, Nadim Gemayel, Paula Yacoubian and Jamil Sayyid have walked out of the legislative session as the vote started, in protest against a pre-arranged agreement on the election session, and the "splitting shares" concept. The Parliament endorsed during its legislative session 11 project laws and bills of motion. Speaker Berri opened up today's legislative session at 11.00 am with 17 project laws on its agenda, in the presence of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and Cabinet ministers. Deputies who took the floor expressed their concerns about the resettlement of refugees in Lebanon, which Prime Minister Saad Hariri has refuted by assuring that the Lebanese Constitution forbids refugee resettlement.

Rahi meets Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta
NNA - Wed 26 Jun 2019
Maronite Patriarch Cardinal, Bechara Boutros Rahi, received this Wednesday in Bkerke, Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to Lebanon, Bertrand Besancenot, with whom he discussed the ongoing preparations for the imminent Lebanon visit of the organization's high commissioner on November 4. Ambassador Besancenot said that "This visit will be an occasion to meet the Christians of Lebanon and the East," hailing Lebanon as a country characterized by national coexistence amongst all its components.Besancenot said that the Sovereign Order of Malta deems Lebanon as an expemplary role model country, saying the Organization always strives to increase partnership projects and transform Lebanon into a true center for dialogue among religions and civilizations.

Fitch Ratings: Fiscal and Structural Reforms Needed as Financing Pressures Continue
Kataeb.org/June 26/2019
Fitch Ratings on Wednesday said that it is not expecting full implementation of the fiscal consolidation targeted by Lebanon's draft 2019 budget, adding that additional fiscal and structural reforms would be required to stabilise government debt/GDP. "Proposals to issue T bonds at below-market rates, most likely to the central bank, reflect the difficulty of cutting spending and tight liquidity in the financial system," Fitch Ratings said in a report on Lebanon. "Lebanon's external finances also remain under pressure, illustrated by declines in foreign reserves and bank deposits in the four months to April."The agency noted that revenue projections for tax measures may be optimistic given minimal economic growth and inefficient tax collection, noting that expenditure controls relating to new hiring and bonuses may prove difficult to enact. "We will reduce our deficit forecast for 2019 by about 1.5pp, to around 9% of GDP. Even if the budget plan were fully realised, it would only be a first step towards stabilising government debt/GDP (151% at end-2018), which would require the deficit to narrow to at least 5.5%." Turning to the suggestion that commercial banks buy low-interest-rate T bonds, the report noted that borrowing at an artificially low rate would save the government money (interest costs are 30% of total government spending), while also indicating a degree of financial stress. "This raises questions about the government's debt sustainability, especially given the greater reliance on the central bank for financing," it said. "It remains to be seen whether the government's budget, or its electricity sector reforms announced in April, will bolster confidence among depositors or foreign investors. Prospects for the authorities' ability to execute plans to reduce financing and external vulnerabilities without further damaging confidence and undermining the government's funding model will be key to resolving the Negative Outlook." "Reserves will likely have decreased in May following a USD650 million Eurobond repayment. Lebanon's next Eurobond maturities are USD1.5 billion in November and USD2.5 billion in 1H20," the report explained.
"BdL has the gross reserves to meet these repayments if Lebanon cannot issue fresh Eurobonds. But continuing reserve declines could further erode confidence in the financial system," Fitch ratings warned.

 Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri: We oppose U.S. plan for Mideas
Reuters/June 26/2019
"The government with parliament are against this deal and our constitution bans naturalisation," Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, said.
BEIRUT - The Lebanese government and parliament both oppose a US plan for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Wednesday, the National News Agency reported. The first phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to revive the peace process is being discussed at an economic workshop in Bahrain and calls for a $50 billion investment fund to boost the Palestinian and neighbouring Arab state economies. The $6 billion set aside for Lebanon has been widely seen in the country as an incentive to accept the permanent settlement of Palestinians who have lived among the Lebanese as refugees since the creation of Israel in 1948. All the main Lebanese parties oppose the permanent settlement of Palestinians, largely for fear of disturbing the sectarian balance between Christians and Muslims. "The government with parliament are against this deal and our constitution bans naturalisation," Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, said. Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Shi’ite Muslim, came out strongly against the US initiative on Sunday, saying anyone who thought "waving billions of dollars" could get Lebanon to barter "over its principles" was mistaken. The heavily armed, Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah has declared the plan a “historic crime” that must be stopped. Lebanon was invited to the Bahrain conference but is not attending.

Hariri: Entire Lebanon against 'Deal of the Century'
Naharnet/June 26/2019
Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday stressed that “the government, the parliament and entire Lebanon” are against the so-called “deal of the century,” a phrase referring to the Trump administration’s proposed plans to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“Our constitution prohibits refugee naturalization,” Hariri said in parliament. “The $90 billion debt should not be linked to the issue of naturalization, because everyone is to blame for it,” the premier added, stressing that efforts are underway to resolve the debt crisis and the economic problems. On Sunday, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said “mistaken are those who think that waving billions of dollars might tempt Lebanon” to naturalize Palestinian refugees. U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner has said that the U.S. Middle East peace plan that was presented Tuesday in Bahrain aims to raise more than $50 billion for the Palestinians and create one million jobs for them within a decade. The 10-year plan calls for projects worth $27.5 billion in the West Bank and Gaza, and $9.1 billion, $7.4 billion and $6.3 billion for Palestinians in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, respectively. Projects envisioned include those in the health care, education, power, water, high-tech, tourism, and agriculture sectors. It calls for the creation of a "master fund" to administer the finances and implementation of the projects that is says are akin to the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe after World War II.

5 MPs Walk Out in Protest at Prearranged Constitutional Council Vote
Naharnet/June 26/2019
The MPs Sami Gemayel, Nadim Gemayel, Paula Yacoubian, Jamil al-Sayyed and Jean Talouzian on Wednesday walked out of parliament during a session to elect half of the members of the Constitutional Council. In a statement, Sami Gemayel slammed what he called “a prior agreement on names and a show election.”Gemayel said the MPs walked out “in protest against the approach of splitting shares and the blow against the last judicial fortress.”“We fear that we may have lost the last refuge for the Lebanese opposition and the Lebanese people,” Gemayel decried.
Al-Sayyed meanwhile blasted the vote as “a farce to blindly approve what was agreed on among the political and sectarian parties.”“This is a systematic attack on the structure of the Lebanese state,” he said. Tannous Meshleb was elected as the head of the Council with 72 votes. The other four candidates – Antoine Breidi, Riad Abu Ghayda, Aouni Ramadan and Akram Baaseeri – were elected as members with votes ranging between 71 and 79. “The final touches on the five names were put overnight after Speaker Nabih Berri’s political aide Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil visited Prime Minister Saad Hariri during the evening session of the finance committee,” al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Wednesday. “The major blocs have agreed on the nomination of the following candidates: Tannous Meshleb (Maronite) for the presidency of the Council, Antoine Breidi for the Greek Orthodox seat, Riad Abu Ghayda for the Druze seat, Aouni Ramadan for the Shiite seat and Akram Baaseeri for the Sunni seat,” the daily said. The other five members are supposed to be named by the Council of Ministers. Judicial and political sources have however ruled out that they will be named during Thursday’s session seeing as the meeting will be chaired by Hariri and not by President Michel Aoun.

Hadat Controversy: A Small Example of Lebanon's Deeply-Rooted
Associated Press/Naharnet/June 26/2019
Mohammed Awwad and his fiancee, both Muslims, recently found an affordable apartment for rent online in the town of Hadat, southeast of Beirut.
The 27-year-old journalist called the number and asked the owner when they could drop by to take a look. He was stunned by her response: Muslims are not allowed to settle in the town, she said.
The apartment owner apologized to Awwad, saying she wouldn't mind renting to people of any sect but officials in the town of Hadat issued orders years ago that only Christians be allowed to buy and rent property from the town's Christian residents.
The young Shiite Muslim man could not believe what he heard and asked his fiancee, Sarah Raad, to call the municipality and she, too, was told that the ban had been in place for years.
Hadat is a small example of Lebanon's deeply rooted sectarian divisions that once led to a 15-year civil war that left more than 100,000 people dead. Christian communities feel under siege as Muslims, who tend to have higher birth rates, leave overcrowded areas for once predominantly Christian neighborhoods.
"There are people who live in fear and feel threatened and this can be removed through (state) policies that make citizens equal," said Pierre Abi Saab, a Lebanese journalist and critic.
Three decades ago Hadat was almost entirely Christian, but today it has a Muslim majority because the Muslim population expanded greatly between 1990, when the war ended, and 2010, when the ban was imposed. Since then, the Muslim population has hovered between 60% and 65%.
The ban only applies to Christian property — a Muslim resident or landowner of Hadat is allowed to sell or rent his property to Muslims from outside the town or to whomever he wants.
Hadat is the only area where such a ban is publicly announced. Local officials in Christian areas in central, eastern and southern Lebanon impose such bans in more discreet ways. In the predominantly Christian southern region of Jezzine, some local officials have changed the status of land in their villages from commercial to agricultural in order to prevent mass construction projects while in other villages and towns only locals are allowed to buy property.
"As a Lebanese citizen I don't see that there is justification for fear and mixing with others is our salvation in Lebanon," said Abi Saab, deputy editor-in-chief of the daily al-Akhbar newspaper. He said it's unacceptable that Lebanese citizens cannot live wherever they want in the country.
Hadat is on the edge of an area known as Dahiyeh, Beirut's heavily populated Shiite southern suburbs that is a stronghold of Hizbullah.
Hadat, along with other nearby areas, saw tens of thousands of Shiite Muslims move in over the years, raising fears among some of the country's Christians.
Lebanon, a country of about 5 million, has a very delicate sectarian balance between its 18 religious sects. The last census was conducted in Lebanon in 1932, during which Christians were the majority but over the decades their numbers have been declining because of slower birth rates and more immigration. Today, Christians make up nearly a third of the population, while the two other thirds are almost equally split between Shiites and Sunnis.
"When he says Muslims are not allowed to rent property he means that he does not want to see Muslims," Awwad said, referring to Hadat Mayor George Aoun.
Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan denounced the town's policy as unconstitutional.
Aoun strongly defended his decision, noting it was made in 2010, shortly after he was elected to the post. He said at the end of Lebanon's civil war in 1990, Hadat was a purely Christian town but by 2010, tens of thousands of Muslims, many of them Shiites from Dahiyeh, moved in.
"We are telling every Christian to be proud of his or her village. Live here, work here and raise your children here. We are an exemplary village for coexistence," he said. Asked whether his decision violates the constitution, which allows any Lebanese citizen to settle and own property anywhere in Lebanon, Aoun denied it, saying the proof is that Hadat is 60% Muslim.
"Every village should preserve itself. Every Shiite village should preserve its Shiite nature, every Christian village should preserve its Christian nature and every Sunni village should preserve its Sunni nature. We want to preserve our village or what remains of it," Aoun said in an interview in his office, which is decorated with a giant framed map of Hadat.
The mayor has received a barrage of criticism recently on social media and on local TV stations that describe his decision as "racist and discriminatory."
In response, hundreds of supporters marched in Hadat supporting the mayor's decision over the weekend. Aoun told the crowd that he will commit to the ban until "doomsday."
Christians once dominated Lebanon's politics until the 1989 Taef agreement, named after the Saudi city of Taef where it was signed, that ended the 1975-90 civil war. The agreement divided Cabinet and parliament seats as well as senior government jobs, equally between Muslims and Christians. The agreement also removed powers from the Christian president and gave them to Cabinet.
According to Lebanon's power-sharing system since independence from France in 1943, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni and the parliament speaker a Shiite.
Hadat's municipality is dominated by members of President Michel Aoun's nationalist Free Patriotic Movement, which has been leading a campaign against Syrian refugees in the country calling for their return to safe areas in war-torn Syria.
Two years ago, Hadat's municipality banned Syrians from working in the town, becoming one of the first areas to do so in Lebanon. Walking through the streets of Hadat, no Syrians can be seen unlike in other parts of Lebanon and shop owners boast that they only hire Lebanese.
Hadat resident George Asmar invited a reporter into his clothes shop near a church and proudly pointed to a woman who works for him, saying "she is one of our Shiite sisters." But Asmar said he supported the mayor because the ban on Muslims owning or renting property in the town is preserving the town's identity. "The decision of the municipality is very good because we want to keep our sons in Hadat," Asmar said. "It is good to keep our sons, to live with us rather than travel."

Retired Servicemen to 'Besiege' Beirut in Protest at Budget Articles
Naharnet/June 26/2019
Retired servicemen have decided to escalate their protests against the benefit cuts proposed in the 2019 draft state budget, vowing to block all roads leading to and from the capital on Thursday morning. In a statement, the servicemen said that they would cut off “all main roads” linking Beirut to the various regions from 5am till 10am Thursday. “This step is only a warning, because the next steps will be more severe and painful,” they warned. The retirees identified the points that will be blocked as the Chekka tunnel, the Dahr al-Baydar highway and the Khalde highway. According to the statement, the second stage of protests might include “besieging and isolating the parliament building and gradually isolating Lebanon from the outside world when the legislature convenes to discuss the draft state budget,” which is currently being debated by the finance parliamentary committee. The retirees are protesting against three articles in the new state budget . According to al-Akhbar newspaper, the first is related to taxing separate benefits that “should have been part of the main salary since the 1990s.”“An agreement had been reached on paying them separately so that they don’t be counted as part of the main salary when calculating retirement compensations,” the daily said. The second is related to suspending pre-legal age retirement for the next three years while the third would raise health care fees from 6 to 9%, equaling retired servicemen with public sector pensioners.

Arslan on Refugee Return: Problem in Lebanon, Not in Syria
Naharnet/June 26/2019
Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan on Tuesday commented on the delay in returning Syrian refugees to their country, noting that the “problem is not in Syria but rather in Lebanon.”“Under the sponsorship of President Michel Aoun, we are convinced of the importance of resolving the Syrian refugee crisis in a manner befitting of refugees as well as of Lebanese residents,” Arslan said at a press conference. “With all due honesty I say that the problem is not in Syria but rather in Lebanon,” Arslan added, suggesting that Lebanese parties are obstructing the repatriation. State Minister for Refugee Affairs Saleh al-Gharib is a member of Arslan's party. Lebanon, a country of some four million people, hosts between 1.5 and two million Syrians on its soil after they fled the eight-year civil war next door. Nearly a million of these are registered as refugees with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Lebanon: Christians, Syrians and 2 Concepts of the Minority
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/June 26/2019
Fifty years ago, Palestinian youths took up arms in Lebanon. Despite the fiery speeches, the “liberation of Palestine” was not their main goal. Most of them were born in Lebanon and had never been to Palestine. The defeat of 1967 and fragmentation that afflicted regional countries paved the way for armament. The defeated Syrian regime was generous in exporting instruments of death. And since the “liberation of Palestine” was the trendy slogan, they were taken in by organizations that promised them a heroic feat that Abdel Nassar failed to achieve.
They took up arms in response to the humiliation and marginalization imposed on them in Lebanon.
The solution that rested in weapons and the war was suicidal. The catastrophe welcomed everyone with open arms. Lebanon itself was swollen whole by the disaster.
Today, certain parties are pushing the Syrians in Lebanon to repeat what the Palestinians did. As long as the strongest voices of incitement are coming from the Christian environment, then such a possibility will threaten the Christians and the Syrians.
During a time when identities are sensitive to numbers and demographics, it is understandable for Christians to be afraid and for the Syrian presence - a product of a tragedy sparked by the regime against its people – would become a topic of heated debate. It is unacceptable, however, that discrimination be proposed as a solution to the heightened sectarian fears. No one will emerge from this battle unscathed.
The minority consciousness, progressively defined as the demand for equality, democracy and cultural development or the spread of more enlightened thought, is today coming under attack from several fronts: The majorities cannot harbor the minorities or rest assured because they too are in a state of panic. The consciousness that prevails in the region is less democratic and egalitarian, and of course, less secular, than ever before.
Populism is on the rise in Lebanon and the rest of the world. Most prominent of all is the justified Lebanese Christian sentiment that they do not have a say in major decisions in their country. They cannot say “no” to everyone who wants to take up arms and open a front to resist a certain enemy. This neglect, which cannot be compensated by any official job or administrative post, reached its peak with Hezbollah, but dates back to at least 1956. It is a product of years of feeling politically ineffective towards their life and death. Sometimes, they yield to the gunmen, sometimes they resist before being defeated.
This is why calls have emerged from within the Christian environment for Lebanon to remain neutral from regional conflicts and the Syrian war and for an international monitor to be deployed on the southern border. All of these calls have been met with insults and accusations of treason or have simply been ignored.
This excessive Christian incapacity is transferred as excessive force in confronting the weaker Muslim or Arab. The armed “populist” and “Islamic” bullying against the Christians becomes Christian bullying, through an official authority or not, against the civilian Muslim, Palestinian or Syrian. The victim is always the helpless refugee. He is, in other words, the victim of the victim.
The plight of the progressive minority consciousness lures some to adopt another form of minority consciousness that is propagated by Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil. Here, we hark back to the colonial experience in Algeria, Palestine and South Africa where the colonized are treated as minorities. Power and privilege here replace weakness and the demand for equality. The elimination of the other becomes a form of asserting oneself.
The concept of minority was formed at various stages of history: The history of colonization, then the arrival of stock market capitalism to replace the capitalism of production. Instead of building societies and strengthening its bonds, they became fragmented and segregated. The rich minority, for example, could no longer tolerate living with the poor majority.
Italy gave a glowing example of this transformation: Fiat owner Agnelli tried to repeat the Ford experience in the US, whereby technological advances would raise salaries and transform workers into consumers. After two decades, however, the Northern League was formed and it separated the poor of the South from the rich, who formed their independent “Padania state”.
Lebanon enjoys another factor: The officers whose professional minority merged into a civil minority and were able through the official authority to transform weakness into strength. Bassil is an officer in the making, but in civilian clothing.
Maintaining this course of action will lead to catastrophe, even if populism appears to be a winning concept for its advocates. The opportunities for victory, however, begin to decrease as the poison spreads.
It is true that Lebanon is one of the few remaining countries where discrimination is discussed and where racists are openly confronted. This is in credit to available freedoms and the traditional openness to western democratic societies that discuss and resist their own discrimination. The question, however, remains: How long will this openness remain, especially since several Lebanese are deprived of their right to determine their fate in ongoing regional crises?
This ugly bullying of those who do not want resistances and wars gives way to an uglier bullying against victims, who were displaced by the regimes of resistances and wars.

UAE Businessman Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor: Lebanon Needs New Politicians, Who Do Not Capitulate To Hizbullah
MEMRI/June 26/2019
In a June 12, 2019 column in the English-language Kuwaiti daily Arab Times, titled "Wanted – A Fresh Crop of Lebanese Sunni Politicians," UAE businessman Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor wrote that Lebanon needs new Sunni leaders to replace the current ones, who capitulate to Iran's proxy Hizbullah that has taken over the country. Lebanon's present leaders, says Habtoor, are so intimidated by Hizbullah that they have given up the struggle against it in favor of an "if you can't beat them, join them" mentality. As an example he presents Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'd Al-Hariri, who recently stated that Hizbullah has a right to keep its weapons. Al-Habtoor concedes that Al-Hariri may have no choice but to accept the reality of Hizbullah's weapons, but asks why he felt the need to "publicly announce that a terror group is free to maintain a private arsenal." He urges the Lebanese people to replace "the failed old guard" with leaders who place the good of the country before their own interests.
The following are excerpts from his column:[1]
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor (source: Arab Times, Kuwait)
"There was a time when I considered Beirut as my second home. It was one of my favorite vacation destinations, and I was more than happy to invest heavily in a place I believed had enormous potential. But, that was before it evolved into an Iranian satellite hiding beneath the façade of a confessional democracy.
"Looking at the mess poor Lebanon is in today, I can only cherish wonderful memories and pray for a solution capable of smashing Hezbollah's suffocating chains. However, I am seriously disappointed to note that the opposition, in particular the Sunni parties, appear to have given up the struggle.
"There used to be a fine balance between the political influence of Sunnis and Shi'ites who together makeup an estimated 52 percent of the country 6.9 million population. The precise demographical statistics are unknown. There has been no census since 1932 because the issue is thought to be too sensitive yet for sure Shiite militias with the cooperation of certain Christian and Druze capitulators have seized the upper hand.
"Unfortunately, the current Sunni leadership has been so intimidated by Hezbollah, Iran's armed proxy branded terrorist by the US and the world, that its role in maintaining Lebanon's security and economic growth as well as defending the interests of this core Lebanese community has been diminished. Decision-making has been replaced by 'if you can’t beat them, join them' type acquiescence. "Sunni leaders among others lack the courage to rock the boat afraid to upset the status quo. They pretend to resist Hassan Nasrallah's diktats and they often attempt to temporarily block parliamentary measures they disagree with before caving to the demands of Hezbollah and its politically Nabih Berri's Amal Movement.
"Following 29 months of arm-twisting during which time the country stagnated, in 2016 Hezbollah succeeded in anointing Michel Aoun as president and accepted Sa'd Hariri's prime ministerial bid only to throw boulders in his way of forming a government. Not content with choosing the president, Hezbollah muscled-in on the province of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet portfolio.
"Last year, Hariri described himself as 'the father of Sunnis' in Lebanon but whether or not he deserves that title is up for discussion... Prime Minister Sa'd Hariri has recently blessed Hezbollah's 'right' to keep its weapons. Admittedly he does not have much choice, but why publicly announce that a terror group is free to maintain a private arsenal? Corruption is rife on his watch and the debt-laden economy is tanking. An austerity budget is being implemented involving cuts to benefits, public services and wages. That was greeted with protests from various sectors last month and once people feel the pain there will likely be many more. "Druze leader Walid Jumblatt thinks of himself as a kingmaker and punches above his weight. He is a survivor who changes sides according to the wind. When recently asked about his relationship with Hezbollah, he said: 'we view them as an essential power in Lebanon, a political and military power…' Like almost all Lebanese leaders regardless of sect Jumblatt refrains from open criticism of Hezbollah...
"In my view, the absence of strong leadership makes Sunnis easy prey. I would, therefore, urge the Lebanese to dislodge the failed old guard. They should be retired and replaced with leaders who put the country before their own benefit; leaders like former prime ministers Riad Al-Solh, Saeb Salam and Rafik Hariri, men whose loyalty to their country was absolute and who stood in defense of Sunnis, Christians, Shiites and all who are proud to call themselves Lebanese."
[1] Arab Times (Kuwait), June 12, 2019.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 26-27/2019
With Tehran set to upgrade uranium enrichment, the USS Boxer strike force with Marines reaches Iranian shore
Debka File/June 26/2019
On Thursday, June 27, Tehran is set to make good on its ultimatum and start accelerating uranium enrichment in violation of the 300-kilo ceiling set by the 2015 nuclear accord, further boosting tensions with the US. The Atomic Energy Organization announced on Wednesday that the enrichment level of 3,67 percent is to be raised to 20 percent, much closer to nuclear weapons grade. President Donald Trump and top US officials have repeatedly warned that Iran would not be allowed to gain a nuclear weapon. Asked in a Fox Business Network interview on Wednesday if a war was brewing, Trump replied: “I hope we don’t but we’re in a very strong position if something should happen. “I’m not talking boots on the ground,” he said. “I’m just saying if something would happen, it wouldn’t last very long.” Nevertheless, in the last few days, the USS Boxer expeditionary strike group has taken up position opposite Iran’s shores, carrying some 2,200 troops of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. This fairly small helicopter carrier’s strike group also consists of two amphibious dock landing craft, the USS John P. Murtha and the USS Harpers. This group is designed to execute amphibious landings of troops on enemy shores and evacuate them upon completing their mission. On the Boxer’s decks are an AV-8B Harrier II strike aircraft which has vertical takeoff ability, transport helicopters and helicopters bearing Sea Sparrow anti-ship missiles. The deployment of the Boxer strike group and a Marine force opposite Iran’s shore is intended to inform Tehran that the Trump administration is poised ready for immediate response in the event of further threats or provocations by the Islamic Republic – whether by boosting uranium enrichment for its nuclear program or strikes at US and allied oil targets in the Persian Gulf.

Iran Says It Won’t Budge in Face of US Sanctions
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 26 June, 2019
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that the Iranian nation will not budge in the face of "cruel" US sanctions and "insults", days after Washington imposed sanctions on him and other top officials in the country. "The most vicious officials of the (US) government accuse Iran and insult it. The Iranian nation will not give in and retreat in the face of such insults," Khamenei was quoted as saying by his official website. President Donald Trump enacted the new sanctions against Khamenei and others on Monday and US officials also said they plan sanctions against Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards also said the recent sanctions against Tehran were a desperate measure after downing of US drone, worth over $100 million, in the Gulf of Oman by Iran. "The recent US sanctions against the Guards commanders show their desperation and anger in face of Iranian prowess," Hossein Salami was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA. Salami said after downing of a US drone by the Guards, Washington resorted to "illogical and senseless" reactions to save face. Iran warned on Tuesday that the new US sanctions meant "closing the doors of diplomacy" between Tehran and Washington. President Hassan Rouhani derided the White House as being "afflicted by mental retardation."Trump called that a "very ignorant and insulting statement," tweeting that an Iranian attack on any US interest will be met with "great and overwhelming force ... overwhelming will mean obliteration." His secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said the Iranian statement was "immature."

Rouhani to Macron: Iran 'Never Seeks War' with US
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 26 June, 2019
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran "never seeks war" with the US amid a spike in tensions between the two countries. "Iran has no interest to increase tension in the region and it never seeks war with any country, including (the) US," the president was quoted as saying.
Rouhani was speaking by phone to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, as Tehran and Washington engaged in an escalating war of words following Iran shooting down a US drone last week. "We have always been committed to regional peace and stability and will make efforts in this respect," the Iranian president told Macron. US President Donald Trump said he pulled back from retaliatory strikes on Iran at the last minute, rejecting Tehran's claim that the aircraft was in its airspace. But pressure mounted this week with Trump announcing sanctions on Iran's supreme leader and top officials. The new measures are the latest against Tehran since Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers. Rouhani blamed the United States for regional tensions Wednesday and said if Washington had stuck to the deal "we would have witnessed positive developments in the region".Iran announced in May it would suspend two of its pledges under the nuclear deal, giving the agreement's remaining supporters two months to help it circumvent US sanctions. On Tuesday, Tehran's top security official said Iran would "forcefully" reduce further commitments from July 7.

UAE Official: Attack on Single Oil Tanker is an Attack on Int’l Community
Abu Dhabi - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 26 June, 2019
The UAE, which boasts the world’s sixth-largest oil reserves, is highly concerned with whatever threatens the security of global energy supplies, said Dr. Sultan al-Jaber, minister of state and chief executive of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). He said Tuesday his country considers “any attack on a single tanker as an attack on the international community as a whole and a violation of the basic values of free trade, peace and prosperity.”He stressed that the UAE is committed to work with friends and allies to maintain regional stability and security of energy supplies to customers all over the world. Abu Dhabi seeks de-escalation of tension in the Middle East, he told the Emerging + Frontier Forum 2019 at Bloomberg’s European headquarters in London. “Now is the time for wisdom, diplomacy and the concerted efforts of the international community,” he noted, adding that the security and stability of energy markets are a common interest of all countries and key factors for progress and economic growth. Jaber pointed out that the UAE leadership continues to pursue bridges of cooperation, communication and concerted efforts with the international community to achieve progress, development, prosperity and sustainable development. Dialogue, openness and tolerance are basic characteristics enjoyed by the UAE, which always strives to building, growing and progressing, according to Jaber. In his speech, which was delivered in the presence of world finance ministers, economists, central bank governors and business leaders, he reviewed the impact of global economic trends on energy demand. By 2030, emerging economies will consume two-thirds of the world's energy, goods and products, driven by unprecedented growth in middle-class populations, he explained. ADNOC is working on consolidating its position as an advanced national oil company with a future vision by counting on its history and expertise to develop a business model that allows it to maintain its position and meet the increasing demand for energy, said Jaber. He added that expanding strategic partnerships and joint investments is a key pillar in ADNOC’s qualitative shift.
The four men were delivered to Costa Rican migration authorities at around 7 pm, Nicaragua’s government said.

After 18 of them were killed yesterday, the regime forces and warplanes start the 58th day of the heaviest escalation by more than 325 air and ground strikes on the countryside of Hama and Idlib
Syrian Observatory For Human Rights/June 26/2019
The heaviest escalation in “Putin – Erdogan” area entered its 58th day with increased aerial and ground bombardment, where regime’s warplanes carried out at least 46 airstrikes on Wednesday morning, targeting places on the outskirts of Maarrat al-Nu’man, Hzarin, Bsida, Sukayk, Kafr Sajna, Hish, Rabea al-Jor, Rakaya Sajna, Mdaya, and Hzarin in the southern countryside of Idlib, and al-Sakhr and Kafr Zita in the northern countryside of Hama, and the Syrian Observatory documented the death of 2 citizens and the injury of others in the aerial bombardment on the outskirts of Maarrat al-Nu’man, the while Russian “guarantor’s” warplanes carried out this morning 8 raids on the vicinity of Khan Shaykhun, Tal Aas and Hish south of Idlib, while the regime forces targeted by more than 280 shells and missiles areas in Kafr Zita town and al-Sakhr village north of Hama and al-Hbit south of Idlib.
And with the fall of more casualties, it rose to at least 1934, the number of people who were killed since the 30th of April 2019, the date of start of the most violent escalation in terms of aerial and ground bombardment, shelling, and targeting since Putin – Erdogan agreement, until the 26th of June 2019, and they are: 517 civilians including 130 children and 102 citizen women, and they are 53 including 16 children and 16 women, another woman and two of her children, were killed in Russian aerial bombardment on the countryside of Idlib and Hama, and 43 including 9 women and 5 children were killed in the fall of barrel bombs, and 314 including 84 children, 58 women, and 4 members of the rescue teams were killed in targeting by regime’s warplanes, also 71 people including 11 women and 9 children were killed in a ground shelling carried out by the regime forces, and 36 citizens including 15 children and 8 women were killed in shelling by the factions on al-Suqaylabiyah, Qamhana, Al-Nairab Camp, neighborhoods in Aleppo city and its southern countryside, while at least 786 of the jihadi groups were killed in the Russian airstrikes and the regime’s shelling including 508 of the Jihadis, in addition to the killing of 631 members of the regime forces in targeting and shelling by jihadi groups and factions.
And during the period between the 15th of February 2019; the date of the meeting of “Rouhani – Erdogan – Putin” until the 26th of June 2019, the Syrian Observatory documented the death of 2463 people in the Russian – Turkish truce areas, they are 804 civilians including 216 children under the age of eighteen and 166 women over the age of eighteen, they were killed in the Russian aerial bombardment and the rocket shelling by the regime forces and the factions, and among the death toll of civilians there are 64 people including 21 children under the age of eighteen and 14 citizen women over the age of eighteen, they were killed in the fall of shells launched by the factions, and 872 fighters were killed in different conditions within the demilitarized area since Putin – Erdogan agreement, including 553 fighters of the “Jihadis” and 787 of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them.
While the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented since the start of the Russian – Turkish truce the death of 2692 people in areas of Erdogan – Putin agreement, they are: 885 civilians including 244 children and 180 women, were killed in shelling by the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them, targeting, and bombardment by warplanes, and among them there are 66 people including 21 children and 12 women, were killed in the fall of shells launched by the factions, and 939 fighters were killed in deferent circumstances within the demilitarized area since Putin – Erdogan agreement, including 567 of the “Jihadi” fighters, and 868 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them.

Hamas Warns Israel against Deteriorating Conditions
Ramallah- Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 26 June, 2019
A senior Hamas official warned that recent Israeli policies in the Gaza Strip are endangering ceasefire understandings reached after last month’s two-day skirmishes between Israel and Hamas. “The Israeli occupation is manipulating the fishing zone and stopping fuel supply to the power stations,” Khalil al-Hayya told the Hamas-affiliated Shehab news agency. “This puts the understandings in a dangerous situation.”Hayya also warned “the Israeli occupation not to export its internal crises” to Palestinians. His comment comes in reference to Israel holding national elections in September for the second time in under six months. Israeli authorities had taken the decision to halt Qatari-sponsored fuel from operating the Gaza power station. The decision was taken in response to releasing arson balloons from Gaza into Israel. At least 13 brush fires were sparked in southern Israel on Monday by balloon-borne incendiary devices launched from the coastal Palestinian territory, the local fire service said. In response to the attacks, Israel also decided to downsize the fishing zone accessible to Gazans from 10 nautical miles to six. Tensions rose in Gaza last week as Hamas militants fired rockets against settlements near the Strip, leading Israel to respond with counter raids. On implementing understandings, Hamas said that if Israel continued to stall protests would escalate. “Israel's decision to stop the shipment of fuel to Gaza power station will badly influence the schedule of electricity distribution all over the Gaza Strip,”director general of Electricity Distribution Company in Gaza Zeyad Thabet said. “Consequently, this would certainly badly influence the general daily life and increase the people's suffering in the Gaza Strip,” he stressed. “The Gaza Strip will lose 75 megawatts of electricity if the power station completely stops,” Thabet added. He pointed out that the basic reservoirs were completely destroyed in the aggression of 2014.

Israel Protests Chilean President's al-Aqsa Visit
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 26/2019
Israel protested to Chile on Wednesday after President Sebastian Pinera visited a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site alongside a Palestinian minister. Pinera, on a visit to Israel and the West Bank, toured the Al-Aqsa mosque complex on Tuesday, with images on social media showing him accompanied by Palestinian officials, including Jerusalem affairs minister Fadi al-Hadami. The status of Al-Aqsa, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and located above the Western Wall, is one of the most sensitive issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third-holiest for Muslims after Mecca and Medina, administered by the Muslim Waqf but secured by Israeli police. According to Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Chilean Ambassador Rodrigo Fernandez was rebuked for Pinera's visit taking place "in violation of the regulations and a prior agreement." "The freedom of worship, which Israel observes more than anyone else has, should be separated from safeguarding our sovereignty on the Temple Mount," he said in a Wednesday tweet. Foreign dignitaries normally coordinate their visits to the volatile site with Israeli officials. An official source in the Chilean delegation said the visit was a "private" one, in which "formally, only the delegation from Chile participated." Pinera, who landed in Tel Aviv on Monday, was due to meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day. Israel occupied mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community. It sees the entire city as its capital, while the Palestinians view the eastern sector as the capital of their future state. Chile is home to the world's largest expatriate Palestinian community. Pinera will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Thursday before taking off for Japan.

UN Libya Envoy Briefs Tripoli Authorities on his Meeting with Haftar
Cairo - Khaled Mahmoud/Asharq Al Awsat/June 26/2019
Special Representative of UN Secretary-General (SRGC) Ghassan Salame insisted that the political solution was the way to end the crisis in Libya. He said his recent meeting with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar focused on shortening the period leading to a political solution after the end of military operations in Tripoli. The SRGC told local media after his visit to Benghazi that he found a number of elements to reach a political political solution according to Haftar’s vision. On April 4, the LNA had launched an operation against Tripoli to rid it of criminal and terrorist gangs.
Upon his return to Tripoli from his tour of the eastern region, Salame and his Deputy for Political Affairs Stephanie Williams discussed with head of the unrecognized High Council of State Khaled al-Mishri the humanitarian situation and ways to increase UN support in this area.
Mishri said Salame briefed him on the results of his visit to the eastern region. He added that the Council is working on ensuring the success of the political initiatives that are based on the political agreement, but he refuses to hold negotiations with parties that “advocate aggression and impose their ideologies and opinions on others by force.” Salame also discussed the need to expedite the quest for a political solution and the return to the political process, stressing that there can be no military solution to the Libyan crisis. The envoy also briefed head of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Saraj on his meetings in the East. On Wednesday, Sarraj had discussed with GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha the security situation in Tripoli and surrounding areas, as well as the measures taken to restore security. The situation on the ground was relatively calm for the second consecutive day between the warring LNA and GNA forces. Meanwhile, the French embassy in Libya welcomed the Interior Minister’s decision to resume bilateral cooperation with Paris in the field of security and training. The embassy said it is looking forward to cooperate again in the fight against terrorism and open new horizons in the area of training, combating money laundering, and organized crime. The Ministry had in April suspended the security cooperation with Paris over what it saw as the French government's support for Haftar. A total of 739 people have been killed and 4,407 others injured in the fighting in and around Tripoli, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday. It confirmed that it continues to ship medicine to make sure doctors have what they need to treat the injured.

Oman to Open Embassy in Palestine
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 26 June, 2019
Oman announced on Wednesday that it was planning on opening an embassy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “In line with the Sultanate’s support for the brotherly Palestinian people, it has decided to open a new diplomatic mission for Palestine at the level of embassy,” the foreign ministry said in Twitter post.A delegation from the foreign ministry will be going to Ramallah for that purpose.

7 Egyptian Policemen Killed in Sinai Militant Attack
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 26 June, 2019
Seven police officers have been killed in a militant attack in restive North Sinai, Egypt's interior ministry said Wednesday. The attack near the regional capital el-Arish targeted an "assembly center" for police, according to the ministry. Four assailants died "during clashes" following the attack, one when he detonated an explosives belt, it said. ISIS claimed the attack, saying it had carried out simultaneous raids on military positions in Arish, according to a statement carried on the group's Amaq news agency. Egypt's government has been battling militants centered in northern Sinai. The insurgency intensified in 2013.
Egypt is currently on high alert as it hosts the Africa Cup of Nations, although none of the games are taking place in Sinai.

Iraqi President in Britain to Bolster Bilateral Relations
London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 26 June, 2019
Iraqi President Barham Salih started Tuesday a three-day visit to Britain, heading a high-level government delegation, including Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali Hakim and Health Minister Alaa al-Din al-Alwan. According to a report published by the Dubai-based Foreign and Commonwealth Office Arabic Media Hub, the visit will include high-level meetings with British officials. Among these officials are Prime Minister Theresa May, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jeremy Hunt, Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt, Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox, Secretary of State for International Development Rory Stewart and Queen Elizabeth II. The visit, which included a dinner banquet hosted by Fox and Stewart, according to the report, aims at bolstering bilateral political and trade relations.
It also seeks to reaffirm their determination to continue working together to boost efforts in developing the Iraqi economy and achieving stability and prosperity in Iraq and the region as a whole, by ensuring the permanent defeat of ISIS. Alyson King, spokesperson to the UK government for the Middle East and North Africa, expressed satisfaction with the visit. “It comes at a time when Iraq has made a lot of encouraging progress with respect to stabilization, especially in achieving security and fighting corruption,” she said. King stressed that the visit also affirms Britain’s continued commitment to its partnership with Iraq and its support for the efforts to achieve stability and prosperity that Iraqis deserve. The importance Britain attaches to its relations with Iraq is clearly evident through the level of intensive meetings that Salih will be holding during his visit this week, King noted, especially with Queen Elizabeth on Thursday, she added. Salih will visit the parliament, where he will hold talks and meetings with its speaker and a number of MPs. He will deliver a speech in Chatham House and meet with Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC).
An oil and gas conference will be held on the sidelines of the visit and will be attended by Iraq’s Oil Minister Thamer al-Ghadban and its foreign minister. Salih’s visit follows that of Fox’s to Iraq in April, during which he announced that UK Export Finance will make an additional £1billion available to British firms operating in the country, bringing total support for Iraq to £2 billion.

Pakistan Asks Qatar to Guarantee Rights of its Citizens Working in World Cup Projects
London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 26 June, 2019
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said his country would ensure that its citizens, working on Qatar’s World Cup infrastructure projects, enjoy proper labor rights following repeated reports of abuse and mistreatment. Qatar has accelerated the time to implement a construction program in preparation for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making it subject to intensive scrutiny by human rights organizations and labor associations. Earlier this year, Amnesty International warned that despite “emerging reforms”, Qatar was running out of time to get rid of the serious and widespread exploitation of thousands of migrant workers, most of them from South Asia. Reports emerged about unpaid wages, the seizure of passports by employers, and some personnel working for 148 consecutive days without a day-off. Qureshi welcomed Qatar's plans to provide 100,000 work permits to his countrymen, but stressed that the rights of World Cup workers must be respected. “Certainly we will ask our embassy and we will ask the recruiting agencies to give better terms,” he told AFP during a visit to Brussels. “Where we feel Pakistani labor is contributing, we feel they should be looked after as well,” he added. Qatar, for its part, insists it is committed to labor reform, but has partially abolished the exit visa system, which requires workers to obtain permission from employers before leaving the country. Qureshi stressed that his country would press for more labor rights. “I think other things can be negotiated, such as health coverage and things like that, and we will talk to them about these issues,” he said.

4 ISIS Suspects Arrested in Nicaragua
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 26 June, 2019
Nicaraguan authorities arrested on Tuesday four suspected ISIS members after entering the country illegally from Costa Rica, Nicaraguan police said. The identities of three of the men matched those of suspects featured in an alert attributed to US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) warning that three possible terrorists had recently arrived in Central America. In a statement, Nicaraguan police said two of the men were Egyptian nationals and the other two were Iraqi. The four were due to be deported back to Costa Rica, it added. The Egyptians were named as Mohamed Ibrahim, 33, and Mahmoud Samy Eissa, 26, while the Iraqis were Ahmed Ghanim Mohamed Al Jubury, 41 and Mustafa Ali Mohamed Yaoob, 29. The first three men were named in the HSI alert published by Mexican media on Monday, which identified them as possible members of ISIS headed for the United States. Questioned on the HSI alert on Tuesday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his government was aware of the search for the suspects and was dealing with the matter. US Homeland Security officials could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters. The three men who featured in the HSI alert were registered in Costa Rica on June 9, according to the Nicaraguan statement. That date matched the information as the HSI statement. The fourth suspect, Mohamed Yaoob, was registered in Costa Rica on June 13, the statement said. The men entered Nicaragua through an unauthorized crossing point known as La Guasimada in the Cardenas municipality on the southwestern border with Costa Rica, Nicaraguan police said. After arresting the men at around 10 am, the army handed them over to national police for investigation, whereupon they were taken to migration authorities for deportation via the Penas Blancas border crossing, the statement said.

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 26-27/2019
Istanbul's Election Puzzle
Daniel Pipes/Washington Times/June 26/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/76156/%d8%af%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%8a%d8%a8%d8%b3-%d9%84%d8%ba%d8%b2-%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%aa%d8%ae%d8%a7%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a5%d8%b3%d8%b7%d9%86%d8%a8%d9%88%d9%84-daniel-pipes-istanb/
[W.T. title: "Istanbul mayoral election is an anomaly, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's tyrannical impulses may emerge"]
http://www.danielpipes.org/18916/istanbul-election-puzzle
Introduction: This is the first time since 2000 that I disagree with every other analyst on a Middle East development. Then, I alone predicted that Hafez al-Assad of Syria would not reach a diplomatic agreement with Israel. Today, I alone see the Istanbul election not as the beginning of a new era but as a temporary lapse from an old one. Let's see. DP
The Middle East rightly has a reputation for inscrutability, with seemingly illogical actions part of its routine business. The Saudi crown prince kidnapped Lebanon's visiting prime minister, forced him to resign, only to watch him return to his position on return home. The Palestinian Authority angrily refused to attend a conference in Bahrain where it could gain up to $27 billion. And then there's the Istanbul mayoral election re-run that took place Sunday.
The original election took place in March, when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's candidate lost by a microscopic 0.16 percent. Discontented with this outcome, Erdoğan did what a dictator naturally does and ordered it nullified on the basis of a minor technicality, with a redo to follow. One would imagine he also told his minions to get it right the second time and ensure that his candidate won by a substantial margin. Instead, his candidate lost by a whopping 9.22 percent, almost 60 times' larger margin than his loss the first time.
Ekrem Imamoğlu, Istanbul's newly-elected mayor, addressed his supporters after his election victory. But how long will their ebullience last?
This drama prompts two questions.
First, why did Erdoğan allow it to happen? He has ruled as a near-absolute dictator for about six years, so it would have been consistent for him to demand a big win. He controls the military, the police, the parliament, the judiciary, the banks, the media, and the educational system. He does whatever he wants. For example:
He rigs elections and, of course, undid the earlier Istanbul election. He builds palaces and airports wherever he likes at whatever cost he wishes. He orders the central bank to charge whatever interest rates please him. He ran a "controlled coup." At will, he drills for gas in a neighbors exclusive economic zone or violates its air space. He colludes with ISIS. He has thugs intimidate opponents. He fires, jails, or tortures anyone who crosses him in Turkey, including foreigners. He abducts Turks from distant countries. He creates and deploys his own, private army.
The Turkish government sent the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa, a seismographic research and survey vessel, to explore for natural gas in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone.
Given such power, why did he allow a free election in Istanbul and not tamper with the results? Dictators do not normally let their enemies win the country's most important city, and all the less so after Erdoğan called the fight for Istanbul a matter of "national survival" and predicted, "If we stumble in Istanbul we lose our footing in Turkey."
The Istanbul election oddity fits into a larger context of what I have dubbed the "Erdoğan enigma." Time and again, the Turkish president takes illogical or self-defeating steps: He gratuitously made a powerful enemy by declaring political war in 2013 on Fethullah Gülen, his long-time Islamist comrade-in-arms. He forfeited visa-free travel for Turks to the European Union, a very important goal, preferring to stick to a meaningless legalism. He made a huge effort, paying a high political price, to win a referendum in 2017 changing the constitution that he had for years ignored. He sunk the Turkish currency in 2018 because he bizarrely believes that high interest rates lead to high inflation and concludes from this that "[high] interest rates are the mother and father of all evil."
The number of Turkish lira equaling one U.S. dollar over the past decade. The graph roughly parallels the quality of Erdoğan's governance.
But the various explanations that come to mind explaining the humiliating loss – Erdoğan's will is faltering, he has a trick up his sleeve, he wants to return to democracy – all strike me as implausible.
My second question is: Why is no one but me puzzled by this development? Every analyst I read treats the functioning of democracy in Turkey as perfectly normal, ignoring the country's being dominated by a despot. Headlines tell of a "tectonic shift," a "stinging blow," and a "disastrous loss," assuming that Erdoğan will accept his loss. For them, the Istanbul election begins a new era for Turkey.
Not for me. I see it as an anomaly to be righted. Accordingly, I predict that Erdoğan's tyrannical impulse, inexplicably in remission, will soon re-emerge. When it does, he will take back control of Istanbul. He may again resort to a technicality, or he might this time accuse the mayor of connections to Gülen and "terrorism." Whatever the reason, the effect will be the same: a reassertion of the autocrat's supreme will over the entire country.
In retrospect, the Istanbul election will be seen as an exception to Erdoğan's path toward absolute control. It will be remembered not as a tectonic shift, stinging blow, or disastrous loss, but as a small interlude in the inexorable unfolding of his country's ruination.
*Mr. Pipes (DanielPipes.org, @DanielPipes) is president of the Middle East Forum. © 2019 by Daniel Pipes. All rights reserved.

Africa: Alarming Rise of Christian Persecution
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/June 26/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/76163/%d8%a3%d9%88%d8%b2%d8%a7%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d9%88%d9%84%d9%88%d8%aa-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af-%d9%83%d8%a7%d9%8a%d8%aa%d8%b3%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d9%87%d8%a7%d8%af-%d8%b6%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14448/africa-christians-persecution
"In some regions, the level and nature of persecution is arguably coming close to meeting the international definition of genocide, according to that adopted by the UN." — The Independent Review of FCO support for Persecuted Christians.
"The assailants asked the Christians to convert to Islam, but the pastor and the others refused. They ordered them to gather under a tree and took their Bibles and mobile phones. Then they called them, one after the other, behind the church building where they shot them dead." — World Watch Monitor, May 2, 2019.
As the British report demonstrates, persecution against Christians and other non-Muslims is not about the ethnicity, race or skin color of either the perpetrators or the victims; it is about their religion.
If these crimes are not stopped, it is highly likely that the fate of the African Continent will be like that of the Middle East: Once it was a majority-Christian region; now, Christians are a tiny, dying, defenseless minority.
According to Lindy Lowry, writing for Open Doors, "In the Democratic Republic of the Congo's eastern province of North Kivu, leaders of the church have been targeted and killed. Reportedly, at least 15 armed extremist groups were known to be operating in the area." Pictured: The town of Beni, in North Kivu, where dozens of Christians were murdered in an attack on September 22, 2018.
According to a recent interim report published in the U.K., "it is estimated that one third of the world's population suffers from religious persecution in some form, with Christians being the most persecuted group."
Although the full report -- commissioned by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and conducted by the Bishop of Truro, the Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen -- was due to be released by Easter this year, "the scale and nature of the phenomenon [of Christian persecution] simply required more time," according to the report. As a result, Mounstephen explained, the "interim" findings released in April are incomplete, and the final report will be published at the end of June.
According to the "overview" section of the interim "Independent Review of FCO support for Persecuted Christians":
"In some regions, the level and nature of persecution is arguably coming close to meeting the international definition of genocide, according to that adopted by the UN."
Africa -- now home to the greatest number of Christians in the world -- is one such region.
On June 16, for instance, a Christian elementary school in a Muslim village in Uganda was destroyed, International Christian Concern (ICC) reported.
On June 15, "a mob of Muslim protestors set a church ablaze in Maradi, the third largest city in Niger. The incident was a response to the arrest of a very prominent Imam who was arrested after he claimed the country's proposed legislation on worship was 'anti-Islamic.'"
On June 9 and 10, two terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso left 29 Christians dead. This purposeful slaughter of Christians came less than two months after the April 28 massacre of 80-year-old pastor, Pierre Ouédraogo, and other members of his congregation in Burkina Faso, by armed Islamists. A local leader, who requested anonymity, told World Watch Monitor:
"The assailants asked the Christians to convert to Islam, but the pastor and the others refused. They ordered them to gather under a tree and took their Bibles and mobile phones. Then they called them, one after the other, behind the church building where they shot them dead."
On June 7, a Christian woman in Niger was kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists and released three days later with a letter calling on all Christians to "leave the town within three days or be killed."
The above incidents are not isolated. According to the 2019 World Watch List compiled by Open Doors, a persecution watchdog group:
"While the violent excesses of ISIS and other Islamic militants have mostly disappeared from headlines from the Middle East, their loss of territory there means that fighters have dispersed to a larger number of countries not only in the region but, increasingly, into sub-Saharan Africa. Their radical ideology has inspired, or infiltrated, numerous splinter groups such as Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a deadly group that broke away from Nigeria's Boko Haram that also enslaves Christian women and girls as an integral part of their strategy."
Terrorist groups are not the only sources of persecution in Africa. Many Muslim governments and individuals also target Christians.
According to the Open Doors 2019 report, the situation in many African nations is as follows:
In Somalia, there is a "life of violence and isolation" for the Christian community that numbers only a few hundred.
"Estimates suggest that 99 percent of Somalis are Muslims, and any minority religions are heavily persecuted. The Christian community is small and under constant threat of attack. Sharia law and Islam are enshrined in the country's constitution, and the persecution of Christians almost always involves violence. Additionally, in many rural areas, Islamic militant groups like al-Shabab are de facto rulers. Somali Christians often must hide their faith to stay safe."
Libya is home to a Christian population of only around 38,000.
"Converts to Christianity face abuse and violence for their decision to follow Christ. Libya is also home to many migrant workers who have been attacked, sexually assaulted and detained, which can be even worse if it is discovered they are Christians."
Sudan is home to 1.9 million Christians.
"The country has been ruled as an Islamic state with limited rights for religious minorities and heavy restrictions on freedom of speech and press. Christians, whose population is over 1,900,000, face discrimination and pressure— multiple church buildings were demolished in 2017 and 2018, leaving some Christians without a place to worship. Christian converts from Islam are especially targeted for persecution."
In Eritrea, sometimes called "Africa's North Korea", there are around 2.5 million Christians, and many suffer in prisons.
"Since 1993, President Isaias Afwerki has overseen a brutal authoritarian regime that rests on massive human rights violations. In 2018, there were raids on churches, and hundreds of Christians were imprisoned in inhumane conditions. Additionally, there are estimates that other Christians are currently in Eritrea's vast prison network, but no one knows how many there are or if they are still alive."
Nigeria, where over 90 million Christians live, is one of the worst places in Africa for Christians.
"Nigeria's score for violence has stayed as high as possible, primarily due to the increased attacks on Christian communities by militant Fulani herdsmen. These attacks claimed the lives of hundreds of believers during the reporting period, and villages and churches burned to the ground. Additionally, in parts of northern Nigeria, Christians are treated as second-class citizens. Christians from Muslim backgrounds face persecution from their own families".
Christians in Egypt, whose Christian population is 9,937,600, suffer from persecution in various ways.
"Those with Muslim backgrounds face enormous pressure from immediate and extended families to return to Islam. Severe restrictions on building or securing places for worship prevent Christians from congregating, in addition to hostility and violence toward believers who do gather. In recent years, Islamic extremist groups have targeted Christians and churches in numerous violent and deadly acts of persecution."
In the Central African Republic (CAR), the main religion is Christianity, and the Christian population numbers more than 3,450,000.
"Over the last year, the situation has worsened for CAR Christians who face intensifying pressure from Muslims. Christians are also threatened by jihadists and criminal groups in the country whose actions often overlap. And Christian civilians are still caught in the violent conflict between the mainly Muslim Seleka and self-defense militant groups called anti-Balaka."
Algeria, where around 125,000 Christians live, "has seen an increasing number of churches closed" over the last year.
"At the same time, Christian converts have become more open about their faith, leading to a backlash by Muslim families and the intolerant society. Laws regulating non-Muslim worship, banning conversion and prohibiting blasphemy make proselytizing and public expression of the Christian faith dangerous as well."
In Mali, the Christian population is 425,000.
"The West African country has become increasingly militant. In the northern part of the country especially, this intolerance has resulted in increasing violence against Christians from jihadist and criminal groups that have a vested interest in keeping the country mired in chaos and instability."
In Mauritania, there are only around 10,000 Christians from population of 4.5 million people.
"The 'Islamic Republic of Mauritania' — the autocratic government of Africa's 11th largest country — often acts as protector of the Islamic religion. As a result, the state is a major source of persecution. Radical Islamic preachers and militants contribute to the radicalization of society, fueling antagonism and hatred toward non-Muslims. Additionally, a caste system marginalizes darker-skinned Mauritanians and those who do not adhere to Islam."
In Ethiopia, where the main religion is Christianity and the Christian population numbers more than 64 million, "radical Islam is growing at the local, regional and national levels. Particularly in the rural areas, where Muslims are the majority, Christians are harassed and often denied access to communal resources."
Morocco has a Christian population of around 31,500.
"Christians suffer persecution from both the state and society. There are restrictions imposed by the state on Christians, such as confiscation of Christian materials written in Arabic, restrictions on evangelization and difficulty getting places of worship for believers from a Muslim background. Radical Muslims within the general populace also put pressure on Christians. In rural areas, pressure from family and community can also be considerable."
In Tunisia, for the small community of Christians numbering around 24,000, "life within Islamic society comes with hostility and daily pressure."
"And the threat of Islamic militant activity—especially by those returning from fighting with ISIS—is still worrying, with one suicide-attack on a police station in Tunis in September and a major attack in the border region with Algeria in July 2018."
In Kenya, another African nation where the main religion is Christianity, Christians are targeted both by Muslim officials and terror groups.
"Inspired by Islamic radicals in Somalia, Muslim politicians have made it their agenda to eliminate Christianity. Officials often demand churches do things that are not in line with their faith, while militants viciously carry out suicide bomb attacks and other brutal acts against those considered to be the enemies of Islam. Due to corruption inside the government agencies, those operating against Christians tragically often enjoy impunity."
In a May 21 article for Open Doors, Lindy Lowry says that Boko Haram, founded in 2002 in Nigeria, has expanded into neighboring countries:
"They have conducted terrorist attacks in Niger, Chad and Cameroon, which have resulted in dramatic refugee and humanitarian crises. They are even regarded as 'slave raiders' who target women in raids for 'wives' in the areas around Lake Chad, which borders Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Nigeria...
"In Rwanda, the country has closed thousands of churches and has arrested at least six pastors since February 2018 for 'noise pollution' and failing to comply with building regulations. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo's eastern province of North Kivu, leaders of the church have been targeted and killed. Reportedly, at least 15 armed extremist groups were known to be operating in the area."
As the British report demonstrates, persecution against Christians and other non-Muslims is not about the ethnicity, race or skin color of either the perpetrators or the victims; it is about their religion. In Africa, various Islamist groups and individuals are attacking and attempting to annihilate Christians for being Christian. If these crimes are not stopped, it is highly likely that the fate of the African Continent will be like that of the Middle East: Once it was a majority-Christian region; now, Christians are a tiny, dying, defenseless minority.
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, 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.

Will Iran's Attacks on the US and Allies Escalate?
د.مجيد رافيزادا/معهد كايتستون/هل ستضرب إيران أميركا وحلفاء إيران سيصعدون؟
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/June 26/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/76159/%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%af-%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%81%d9%8a%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a7-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af-%d9%83%d8%a7%d9%8a%d8%aa%d8%b3%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86-%d9%87%d9%84-%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%b6%d8%b1%d8%a8/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14447/iran-attacks-escalate
Iran's actions are clear; there has been virtually no attempt on its part to disguise hostile intentions. Why is there no international outrage? The mainstream media continue to fail to report adequately Iran's attacks. There has been no focus placed on the increase over the past two months of these attacks.
On several occasions, the Trump administration invited Iran to the negotiating table in an attempt to deescalate tensions. It is Iran that rejects the talks and continues to act aggressively, all while openly threatening the U.S. and its allies.
How many people must be threatened, tortured, or slaughtered, before Trump's response will be deemed warranted?
On June 13, 2019, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, saying, "This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication."
Criticism continues to fly at the Trump administration in response to the White House's attempts to deter Iran's threats. Despite increasing acts of violence, and aggressive behavior towards the US, President Trump is criticized by some people for his determination to hold the Iranian government accountable.
By using its military to attack the US and its allies, the Islamic Republic has been unabashedly resorting to hard power tactics. Iran's actions are clear; there has been virtually no attempt on its part to disguise hostile intentions. Why is there no international outrage? The mainstream media continue to fail to report adequately Iran's attacks. There has been no focus placed on the increase over the past two months of these attacks.
The Iranian government's policy appears to be two-pronged. The first facet seems linked to instructing its proxies across the region to attack and wreak havoc on entities linked to the United States, European countries, and Gulf states.
Last week, a U.S.-linked location in Iraq was attacked. Reportedly, 40 workers employed by the energy giant Exxon Mobil were forced to evacuate in southern Iraq after coming under rocket fire.
The Houthi attack on a Saudi oil installation and the rocket that landed near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad have also been tied to the Iranian regime and its proxies. Each of these assaults has in some way caused harm to US interests.
It was recently leaked that the head of the Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, instructed a conglomerate of more than 40 militia groups, which operate under the banner of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), to "prepare for proxy war."
The second prong of Iran's policy of violence appears to consist of direct military assaults. In the last two months, six oil tankers have been attacked. First, four tankers were targeted in the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. A month later, a pair of tankers crossing the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran were sabotaged with explosives; one of the tankers went up in flames and both were left adrift.
The Strait of Hormuz, situated between the borders of Iran and Oman, one of the world's most crucial waterways, used to transport roughly 33% of total global seaborne traded oil. These attacks cause global fear and impact businesses worldwide.
Iran's fingerprints are all over these aggressions. It is believed that the attacks on the tankers were directly carried out by the Iranian regime because of the high level of sophistication. The incident was not isolated; it was apparently premeditated and organized, implying that there may well be more such attacks in the works.
As U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed out, "This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication."
Iran's overt attacks included shooting down a United States military drone. The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, threatened that shooting down the drone was a warning to the U.S. He added that, "the only way for our enemies to be safe is to respect our sovereignty, national security, and the national interests of the great Iranian nation".
On several occasions, the Trump administration invited Iran to the negotiating table in an attempt to deescalate tensions. It is Iran that rejects the talks and continues to act aggressively, all while openly threatening the U.S. and its allies.
In a tweet mentioning Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Iran's Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei wrote:
"You said Mr. @abeshinzo, that Trump has said negotiations with the U.S. would lead to Iran's progress. By the Grace of God, without negotiations & despite sanctions, we will progress."
In a meeting with Abe, Khamenei also pointed out that, "I do not consider Trump, as a person, deserving to exchange messages with. We will not negotiate with the United States."
Why, therefore, are the critics of the Trump administration so extremely quick to condemn the president, while they are comfortable disregarding Iran's attacks? Do they expect the U.S. to sit idly by, watching while the Islamic Republic carries out flurries of offenses across the region? Do they expect the U.S. to turn a blind eye as Tehran attempts to further destabilize the region in order to impose insecurity and fear worldwide, and advance its revolutionary and parochial interests? How many people must be threatened, tortured, or slaughtered, before Trump's response will be deemed warranted?
**Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 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.

Sudan’s Lurch Toward Democracy
Tobin Harshaw/Bloomberg View/June 26/2019
What’s worse than being ruled by one of history’s greatest monsters? The unfortunate people of Sudan are at risk of finding out.
Omar al-Bashir - who made the International Criminal Court’s most-wanted list for overseeing a genocidal campaign in Sudan’s Darfur region; who drove his economy to such ruin that the ATMs last year ran out of bills; who watched as a quarter of his people seceded to form a new country; and who once created a cozy haven for Osama bin Laden - was finally deposed as president in April after nearly 30 years.
The celebration didn’t last long. This month, more than 100 of the protesters whose actions had led to Bashir’s downfall were killed on the banks of the Nile by forces under the command of the military council that replaced him. Is there any hope for democracy?
For answers to these questions, there are few better to turn to than Judd Devermont. Now director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Here is an edited transcript of a discussion we had last week.
Tobin Harshaw: The world celebrated the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir. Was that a case of “be careful what you wish for”?
Judd Devermont: In the early days after Bashir was overthrown, there was cause for optimism. It was the product of four months of protests by a broad array of people, including a large role for women and the Sudanese Professionals Association. The resiliency and solidarity of that movement, and the terms which they were negotiating for, I think were really promising at first. But since June 3, we're at a juncture.
TH: The military junta says that it wants to hold elections within nine months, and the democracy protesters are against that. Can you explain why?
JD: Initially there was a conversation about having a transition over three years or four years, but later, the military threw all of that out the window and started talking about nine months. The opposition has a long view, that there'd have to be a number of structural reforms in Sudan to actually have a democratic process.
TH: What would some of these structural changes be?
JD: The Sudanese opposition is talking about the constitution, as well as greater political inclusion. It's really a soup-to-nuts revision of the democratic project in Sudan.
TH: Why is Egypt involved, and what does it want?
JD: I think it's more nuanced. Egypt would like to see stability on its southern border … They are concerned about where the next government will stand on the Nile River, which is the lifeblood of Egypt. For a couple of years now, Ethiopia has been building what's called the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Sudan has largely sided with Ethiopia on the creation of the dam, which Egypt feels would cut off some of their supply of the Nile. And so they're very clear that they want to have a partner in Sudan who is going to align with them over the Nile.
TH: The Ethiopians have been trying to mediate in Sudan. Why are they in this position?
JD: Ethiopia was deployed because Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is an energetic leader who has credibility with the protesters because of the reforms he’s instituted in Ethiopia. But he's also from the Ethiopian military, and so the view is he may appreciate the Sudanese military’s perspective.
The downside in sending Abiy is that he has a full plate in Ethiopia right now. What he’s undertaking is fully remaking that state, and he's having a tough go of it, and he really doesn't have the capacity to do the shuttle diplomacy and really work with the parties in Sudan to get to a deal.
TH: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are funneling in a reported $3 billion in assistance. What is their goal?
JD: Sudan is essentially the “near abroad” for the Gulf states ... It’s also a playing field for Iran, which is no longer active in Sudan, but has been. So it matters a great deal what happens in Sudan for the UAE and Saudi Arabia. And that's in addition to the longstanding commercial, political and religious ties.
TH: What's going to happen with Bashir? He's wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
JD: The Transitional Military Council probably will let him stay in Sudan. They may do some sort of trials and confiscate his money … The protesters are more of a mixed bag. They may also not want to send him over to the ICC, for sovereignty reasons, but they would probably do some sort of trial, given his 30 years of rule and all the harm and destruction that was done.
TH: Finally, other than the obvious humanitarian and moral concerns, what is Americans’ national interest there?
JD: Sudan is at the crossroads of Africa and the Middle East. It is an exporter of insecurity, or at least has been for most of its history, in the rest of the region. And if we're looking for a peaceful sub-Saharan Africa, if we are looking for a government that is going to be productive in the Greater Middle East ... I think Sudan is really important.

Palestinians’ missed opportunity at ‘Peace to Prosperity’
Ray Hanania/Arab News/June 26, 2019
With more than 300 investors and 150 of the world’s major news media outlets jammed into the Four Seasons Hotel in Manama, Bahrain, you would think something important was happening there this week.
Jared Kushner, special adviser and son-in-law to US President Donald Trump, delivered a 22-minute speech that tried to recast the seven decades-long Palestine-Israel conflict into 11-digit numbers. His opening remarks at the “Peace to Prosperity” workshop were impressive, although he slowly descended into a rewrite of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
“The fact that so many global leaders and experts on investment came from all around the world shows there is a serious interest, appetite and willingness by the global community to help the Palestinian people if the right context can be created,” he told a packed auditorium of investors, royals, and diplomats, as journalists watched numbly on TV monitors from an anteroom nearby.
“The Peace to Prosperity vision is a modern framework for a brighter and more prosperous future. It is a vision of what is possible with peace.” Kushner continued during his preamble: “I hear the same broken record of… why progress is not possible… We all agree on the following goals: We want to see peace, security and prosperity for Palestinians, Israelis and everyone else throughout the world. We want the freedom for people to worship without persecution. We want people to live together with dignity and respect… We do not need to spend a lot of time discussing how we got here. We all know how we got here.”
We also know how the Palestinians did not get there. It was almost as if the discussions were a eulogy for Palestinians, who barely made up a handful of the attendees, including this writer. As a Palestinian and a journalist, I felt that I was doubly left out of the focus — even though Kushner did mention the word “Palestinians” dozens and dozens of times. The speech was an effort to redefine the Middle East environment, where, for a century, Palestine has been a sacred cause.
Yet it would have been so easy for an articulate Palestinian leader to steal the show from Kushner, who also did a few one-on-one interviews.
Someone like the articulate Dr. Hanan Ashrawi would have been a media magnet. All she had to do was listen, then stand up and walk a few hundred feet to the media room, where she would have had an international platform to respond to Kushner’s ideological vision of convincing the Arab world that it must accept Israel with or without a Palestinian state. Ashrawi would have “stolen the headlines” — a journalism phrase that conveys how the intended focus of an event like “Peace to Prosperity” could easily be sidelined by a more pressing news story. Everyone who has a stake in Middle East peace was watching this meeting, including the rejectionists who have turned a political strategy of boycotts and saying no into the poster child of Palestinian existence.
Ashrawi could have said no, just as the Arabs did previously. Or she could have symbolically taken the check for nearly $50 billion that is being promised to help the Palestinians do something else besides clamor for dignity, human rights, the rule of law and, in many instances, cling to life itself when life is snuffed out by cleverly constructed verbiage like “extrajudicial killings.”
Kushner was speaking about empowering the Palestinian people in a way they never have been before.
Having relegated themselves to the sidelines, the speeches and panels discussing Palestinian economic health and rebirth sounded more like chapters of prose from Greek mythology. Everyone loves mythology, but how many really believe that world ever existed?
Still, as a Palestinian myself, it was nice to hear the word “Palestinians” being articulated in a positive way, rather than in the usual negative diatribes of media bias, terrorism, violence and demonization.
Despite the bewilderment of wondering who exactly educated Kushner on the history of the Middle East conflict, his words sounded sincere, genuine and passionate. He wasn’t throwing rhetoric like daggers but was speaking about empowering the Palestinian people in a way they never have been before. Money does drive the world, after all. It is the lifeblood of power. It opens doors and, better yet, it opens minds.
Many of Kushner’s ideas sounded reasonable, even if they didn’t include screams about Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights. Money would give the Palestinians a foundation of influence that could compete with Israel’s foundation of public relations mythology. Yes, that is where the mythology has been constructed.
Kushner was right. We do all know how we got to where we are, and how the Palestinians managed to not get there — again.
As a Palestinian, Kushner’s words resonated with me, even though deep down I wondered about his underlying motives as a pro-Israel partisan.
Just for once, couldn’t we as Palestinians set aside the failed policies of rejectionism and try something else? Maybe walk the narrow passageways of hope rather than manage to make ourselves the outsiders in a forum that is all about us.
*Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter and columnist. He can be reached at his personal website at www.Hanania.com. Twitter: @RayHanania.