LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 05/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
The Parable of the Sower/But that on the good ground are
they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and
bring forth fruit with patience.
Luke08/04-15/And when much people were gathered together, and
were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to
sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden
down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as
soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some
fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other
fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he
had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And
his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto
you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in
parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are
they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their
hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which,
when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a
while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among
thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with
cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having
heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News & Editorials published on March 04-05/2020
Lebanon’s Iranian Cancerous Occupation and The Required Solutions/Elias Bejjani/March
03/2020
Number of registered coronavirus cases in Lebanon rises to 15/Perla Kantarjian/Annahar/March
04/ 2020
IMF Deal Seen as Only Solution for Crisis-Hit Lebanon
Differences Emerge between Hezbollah, FPM over Cooperation with IMF/Paula Astih/Asharq
Al-Awsat/March 04/2020
President Aoun follows up on work of Ministries
Hariri Hospital Report: Number of confirmed coronavirus cases rises to 15
Al-Maounat Hospital: Patient coming from Egypt isolated after testing positive
for coronavirus
Hassan, WHO Reassure Coronavirus ‘Under Control’ in Lebanon
Maronite Bishops push for forsaking depositors' funds
Roads Blocked in Lebanon as Dollar Hits Record Parallel Market High
U.S. Contractor Charged with Giving Up Military Secrets to Hizbullah-Linked
Lebanese
Berri Urges No Eurobond Payment 'Even If It Leads to Default'
Diab Meets UN Delegation on UNIFIL Role
Arab Inter-Parliamentary Meeting Postponed over Virus Concerns
Kattar, Czech ambassador discuss egovernment program
Kattar meets World Bank delegation over joint projects
Defense Minister meets ambassadors of Korea, Finland
Lebanese Hizb ut-Tahrir Preacher Ahmad Al-Qasas: The Muslims Will Kill The Jews,
Who Will Hide Behind Rocks And Trees; The Jews Are The Most Cowardly Of Allah's
Creations/MEMRI/March 04/2020
Lebanon's business conditions continue to deteriorate as March 9 deadline looms/Sarmad
Khan/The National/March 04/2020
US linguist charged for giving top-secret information to man with Hezbollah
links/Joyce Karam/The National/March 04/2020
Hezbollah’s Suicidal Red Line/Michael Young/Carnegie MEC/March 04/2020
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
March 04-05/2020
Israel heads for Netanyahu-led minority government. Fourth election? low
option/DEBKAfile/March 04/2020
Syria says air defense responds to Israeli missile strikes
UN envoy Pedersen urges ‘immediate diplomatic solution’ in Syria’s Idlib
EU offers 170 mln euros Syria aid during Turkey visit
Iranian authorities killed 23 children during November crackdown on protests,
Amnesty report
Greek Troops Clash with Migrants on Border as Erdogan Says Europe Must Back
Turkey on Syria
Germany Says Syria Safe Zone 'Up to Putin and Erdogan'
EU rejects Turkey’s ‘blackmail,’ borders to stay closed to migrants: France FM
Cyprus Detains Syrian after Migrants Brought to Shore
Kremlin hopes Putin, Erdogan can agree joint measures at Syria talks
Putin says fake coronavirus news reports being sent to Russia to spread panic
Iraqi Intelligence Denies Involvement in Soleimani's Assassination
Canada Urges Iran to Give Access to Downed Airliner's Black Boxes
US concerns with Oman over financial ties to Iran: Report
Palestinians must ‘shut up’ or make peace with Israel, Saudi Crown Prince
Palestinians Protest as Israeli Bulldozers Clear Land
U.S. must demand that China release freedom fighter Jimmy Lai
Italy's Virus Death Toll Hits 107 as Cases Pass 3,000
Tokyo urges against cherry blossom parties over coronavirus fears
George Medal for saving Princess Anne sells for £50k
Coronavirus has had no effect on Iran's oil, gas production: official
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on March 04-05/2020
On our Dead, Who Do not Die/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/March 04/2020
Is Ankara Afraid of Invasion/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/March 04/2020
Slowing the Spread of Coronavirus/Noah Feldman/Bloomberg/March 04/2020
Threatened by Iranian regime, family of Flight 752 victim flees to Edmonton/Stewart.Bell/The
Canadian Press/March 04/2020
Macron lacks leverage as he aims to avert Idlib tragedy/Randa Takieddine/Arab
News/March 04/2020
Billions poised to become economic victims of coronavirus/Afshin Molavi /Arab
News/March 04/2020
Challenges aplenty as UK and EU ‘get Brexit started’/Andrew Hammond/Arab
News/March 04/2020
Democratic rift likely to impede whoever takes on Trump/Dr. Dania Koleilat
Khatib /Arab News/March 04/2020
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published on March 04-05/2020
Lebanon’s Iranian Cancerous Occupation and
The Required Solutions
سرطان الإحتلال الإيراني للبنان والحلول الدولية المطلوبة
Elias Bejjani/March 03/2020
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/81086/elias-bejjani-lebanons-iranian-cancerous-occupation-and-the-required-solutions-%d8%b3%d8%b1%d8%b7%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%ad%d8%aa%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7/
Lebanon’s current problem is the cancerous Hezbollah’s Iranian Occupation that
is systematic, and since 1982 has been covertly and overtly devouring Lebanon
and everything that is Lebanese in all domains and on all levels.
The Solution is through the UN declaring Lebanon a rogue-failed country and the
strict implementation of the three UN Resolutions addressing Lebanon’s
ongoing dilemma of occupation:
The Armistice agreement
The 1559 UN Resolution
The 1701UN Resolution.
All other approaches, no matter what, will only serve the occupying Mullah’s
vicious scheme of destroying Lebanon and strengthening its ironic, terrorist
grip on the Lebanese.
All Pro-Lebanon’s Freedom demonstrations in any country in the Diaspora that are
carried on by the Lebanese MUST call for this only International solution.
Meanwhile, yes, Lebanon and the Lebanese are facing very serious crises,
hardships and problems in all life sectors; e.g., poverty, unemployment,
corruption, drug trafficking, money laundering, politicization of the judiciary,
electricity shortage, a scandalous disarray in trash collection, lack of health
benefits, education, and numerous social services … and the list goes on and on.
BUT, non of these hardships in any way or at any time will be solved as long as
the terrorist Iranian Hezbollah remains occupying the country and terrorizing
its people. At the same time, the majority of Lebanese officials, politicians
and political parties are actually the enemies of both Lebanon and its citizens.
In this context, President Michael Aoun, His son-in-law, the FM, Jobran Bassil,
Amin Gymael and his son Sami, PM, Saad Hariri, Druze leader Walid Jumblat, House
Speaker Nabih Berri, Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea, Slieman Frangea
and many other politicians, as well as numerous topnotch clergymen from all
denominations are all cut from the same garment of oligarchic, narcissism,
trojanism, greed, and feudalism in their mentality and education.
They all, with no sense of patriotism, have succumbed to the Hezbollah’s Iranian
savage occupation.
They all and each from his status and based on his capacity and influence, have
traded Lebanon’s independence, freedom, decision making process and sovereignty
with mere personal power and financial gains.
In reality, they have sold their country to the occupier, Hezbollah, and with no
shame have accepted the status of Dhimmitudes, puppets, tools, trumpets, cymbals
and mouthpieces for the terrorist occupier. They betrayed, and still betraying,
the country and their own people.
In this realm, the Lebanese demonstrators who are loudly shouting the Slogan,
“All of them” are 100% right and are righteously witnessing for the truth
because all of the above political and official prominent figures are
practically mere merchants with numbed consciences.
All Of Them definitely means all of them.
It is worth mentioning that the Lebanese constitution is ideal for the nature of
the multi-cultural and multi-religious denominational composition of the mosaic
of diversified Lebanese society.
The governing disasters that have been targeting and hitting Lebanon since the
early seventies has nothing to do with the great and ideal covenantal (unwritten
pact) constitution, but with the foreign occupations and the oligarchic Lebanese
corrupted officials and politicians.
My fellow patriotic and God fearing Lebanese from all religious denominations
and all walks of life in both Lebanon and the Diaspora, stand tall and steadfast
like our cedars. Do not lose faith or give up on hope, and never ever forget
that our beloved, country, Lebanon is holy.
Yes, Lebanon is holy and has been blessed by Almighty God since he created man
and woman and put them on earth.
Pray for our oppressed and occupied country and that Almighty God shall always
guard, protect and defend it through His saints and angels.
Number of registered coronavirus cases in Lebanon rises to
15
Perla Kantarjian/Annahar/March 04/ 2020
The Rafic Hariri University Hospital’s daily report on the latest updates on the
novel coronavirus stated that in total, 51 individuals underwent lab tests, of
whom 48 tested negative, and two tested positive.
BEIRUT: New coronavirus cases were registered on Wednesday, increasing the total
number of COVID-19 patients in Lebanon to 15, with news of the very first
patient slowly getting to recovery. The Rafic Hariri University Hospital’s daily
report on the latest updates on the novel coronavirus stated that in total, 51
individuals underwent lab tests, of whom 48 tested negative, and two tested
positive. The initial coronavirus case of the 45-year-old woman has become a
‘patient zero’ who is no longer symptomatic of the coronavirus, but whose
examination came slightly positive. Because of that, the medical team decided to
keep her in the hospital’s isolation unit. The second new patient, a person
coming from Egypt who appears to be in critical health, was admitted to another
hospital in Jbeil due to acute respiratory issues, and tested positive on the
virus. The patient will be transferred to RHUH. Also in its daily report, the
RHUH disclosed that during the past 24 hours, the hospital’s emergency unit
welcomed 45 individuals who suspected to have contracted the virus, and who were
subject to the necessary medical tests. Based on the evaluation of the
supervising doctor, 15 of them needed to be quarantined, while the rest were
advised to put themselves under in-house quarantine. Furthermore, nine of the
quarantined patients left the hospital after they tested negative for the virus,
but were still asked to stay under home quarantine provided with the necessary
instructions and protective means, in accordance with the World Health
Organization directions. Till now, there are 14 patients at the RHUH quarantine
unit, 15 confirmed novel coronavirus cases, one patient with hopes of recovery
(the very first case), and another with a critical condition (Iranian national).
The rest have stable health conditions and are receiving the necessary care at
the RHUH isolation unit. Also on Wednesday, and according to the Minister of
Health Hamad Hassan, the World Health Organization asserted that Lebanon is
still in the containment stage and did not reach the outbreak stage. “The
situation is under control and safe,” Hassan added, thanking the efforts of the
Red Cross, nurses, doctors, RHUH employees, and the ministry’s team for all
their conducted work.
IMF Deal Seen as Only Solution for Crisis-Hit Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
The Lebanese government must swallow its misgivings and reach a rescue deal with
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or risk economic implosion and further
turmoil, economists, diplomats and politicians said. Privately, some government
officials acknowledge that an IMF bailout is the most logical solution to
Lebanon’s economic crisis, according to a source familiar with ongoing
discussions. But to get such a rescue program in place, the new government would
have to overcome the objections of Hezbollah. As Lebanon's financial crisis
drags on and government revenues dwindle, the bill to rescue the country is
rising. Former economy minister and ex-vice central bank governor Nasser Saidi
estimates the economy will need $30 billion, and an additional $25 billion to
recapitalize a banking system in hock to the state. "Lebanon needs external
liquidity both for the balance of payments but also for the government," Saidi
said. "That's why the external package and the IMF reform program which comes
with all the associated reforms which we need is so necessary".
A $1.2 billion payment on a Eurobond is falling due on March 9 and even though
Lebanon is widely expected to restructure its foreign-currency-denominated debt
that is unlikely to be enough to deal with the total debt burden, economists and
analysts say. The IMF has estimated that Lebanon's public debt would reach 155%
of gross domestic product by the end of 2019, one of the biggest debt burdens in
the world. Any move to restructure will further pressurize local banks, which
after years of funneling their deposits to the state, have an exposure to
Lebanese sovereign debt that stands at almost twice their capital base.
The government could look at forcing depositors to take losses as another way to
alleviate its burden. But the Lebanese banking system has been built on
attracting deposits from overseas and grabbing such cash would make it more
difficult for Lebanon to attract hard currency in future. The banks have already
seen deposits drain away, despite effectively imposing capital controls on
ordinary savers, and urgently need to restock their balance sheets.
Lebanon hired US investment bank Lazard and law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen &
Hamilton LLP last week as advisers. But with inflation shooting up to 30%, the
pound depreciating by 40% since October and the number of jobless rising every
day, analysts say only a full IMF deal will unlock the tens of billions of
dollars Lebanon now needs. "The IMF opens doors to international assistance. An
IMF program is inevitable”, Reuters quoted Toufic Gaspard, a former government
and central bank economist, as saying. "It's likely Hezbollah will eventually
accept an IMF plan because they have no other option. The alternative will be
serious political and economic crises”. The government said it was working its
own rescue plan without resorting to an IMF program and was only seeking IMF
technical assistance. A senior Hezbollah official said that terms required by
any IMF bailout would spark social unrest.
"The position is not towards the Fund as an international financial institution
but on the terms offered to Lebanon, because they will lead to a popular
revolution," Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadallah told Reuters.
"Our position is against this type of program and not against the Fund as an
organization." The IMF declined to comment, referring instead to a statement
from last week when it said its staff had held five days of "very informative
and productive" talks with Lebanese authorities, and stood ready to provide
further technical advice as the Lebanese government formulated its economic
reform plans. Some analysts argue Hezbollah will have to relent because its
Shiite constituency, especially those who pad the public payroll, will be among
the worst hit by economic collapse – and because the IMF is the only alternative
to that risky outcome. "Unless the right, responsible decisions are made,
there's a big collapse coming and it’s unknown what will come out of it: will it
be the same Lebanon or a different Lebanon?," said Alain Aoun, a senior member
of the Free Patriotic Movement. "The price for the Lebanese system will be very
high, bigger than just a change of government," said Aoun, adding that so far no
party had presented a credible alternative to an IMF program. Fadallah did not
respond to a question about an IMF program being the only way to avoid economic
disaster.
Differences Emerge between Hezbollah, FPM over Cooperation
with IMF
Paula Astih/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 04/2020
Differences recently emerged between the Hezbollah party and its ally, the Free
Patriotic Movement, over how to tackle Lebanon’s crippling financial crisis.
Hezbollah had outright rejected any cooperation with the International Monetary
fund, saying contacts with it would be limited to consultations. The position
stood in contrast with that of leading members of the FPM, who rejected
preemptive statements amid the lack of serious alternative options. An IMF
rescue plan appears as the best option to tackle the crisis. A $1.2 billion
payment on a Eurobond is falling due on March 9 and even though Lebanon is
widely expected to restructure its foreign-currency-denominated debt that is
unlikely to be enough to deal with the total debt burden, economists and
analysts say.
The IMF has estimated that Lebanon’s public debt would reach 155% of gross
domestic product by the end of 2019, one of the biggest debt burdens in the
world. Any move to restructure will further pressurize local banks, which after
years of funneling their deposits to the state, have an exposure to Lebanese
sovereign debt that stands at almost twice their capital base. Lebanon hired US
investment bank Lazard and law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP last
week as advisers. But with inflation shooting up to 30%, the pound depreciating
by 40% since October and the number of jobless rising every day, analysts say
only a full IMF deal will unlock the tens of billions of dollars Lebanon now
needs. Corruption and bad governance are seen as root causes of Lebanon’s
problems and the crisis, which has seen street protests against the ruling
elite, represents the most serious threat to the country’s stability since the
1975-1990 civil war.
Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem was the first to announce his rejection of an
IMF bailout, saying: “We will not accept submitting to (imperialist) tools ...
meaning we do not accept submitting to the International Monetary Fund to manage
the crisis.” FPM MP Alain Aoun criticized his remarks, noting: “Before rejecting
any option, we must at least have an alternative one available.” “Difference of
opinion should not be blown up into a major political dispute... The financial
crisis is a new issue up for debate and the political class has enjoyed complete
ease and comfort because the state financial system did not allow it to think or
prepare for the day when it will fall over into the abyss as it is now,” he told
Asharq Al-Awsat.
“Many views have been expressed over how to resolve the crisis, but ultimately,
it is important that we reach a joint vision and place a roadmap and realistic
and serious solutions,” he stressed. “We should not make presumptions about any
issue, whether about the IMF or anything else,” he urged. “We are now studying a
rescue program. The plan must secure the necessary financial needs and other
issues, such as the debt and bank restructuring.” “Once we determine our needs
and the side we can turn to, such as the IMF or friendly nations, then we can
make our choice,” Aoun said. “Of course, any option must respect our sovereignty
and how much our society can handle.”Hezbollah has proposed alternatives to the IMF to provide much-needed liquidity
to revive the economy. It has suggested holding banks responsible for restoring
funds that have been smuggled abroad during the recent crisis. Informed sources
said Hezbollah is open to technical assistance from the IMF, but without being
obligated to adhere to its conditions. The party was also willing to go ahead
with the debt restructuring and seeking alternative liquidity sources within the
next three months. “The country needs some 4.5 billion dollars until June. We
can secure this sum, whether through internal measures or foreign help,” the
sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs Sami Nader said Lebanon
has “no choice but to turn to the IMF, because reforms, as much as they are
necessary, are no longer enough.”He told Asharq Al-Awsat that 10 billion dollars
in liquidity were needed for the economy within a year. He acknowledged that
this was a “difficult” choice, but the alternative will be a more severe crisis
and the closure of more institutions and firing of more employees. Furthermore,
Nader accused Hezbollah of waging a campaign against the IMF because it is
controlled by the United States. “How do they expect to receive loans if the
loaner does not have guarantees that it will get its money back?” he wondered.
Qassem’s remarks drew criticism from various Lebanese officials, including
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who slammed him for linking the country’s
financial woes to the party’s ideological beliefs.
President Aoun follows up on work of Ministries
NNA/March 04/2020
The President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, continued his follow-up to
Ministries' work, projects for implementation, and measures taken to enhance
their effectiveness.
Minister Lamia Yammine:President Michel Aoun received Labor Minister, Lamia
Yammine, today at Baabda Palace, and discussed with her current developments,
and her Ministry's work program.
After the meeting, Yammine stated that she briefed the President on "The action
plan which was set by the Ministry, most important of which is currently
protecting the Lebanese labor workforce and following up the increasing exchange
cases, and the way these cases are tackled by the Ministry of Public Works".
Statement: "We are currently preparing to call for an economic-social dialogue
with production owners to suggest solutions to this problem. I also informed His
Excellency about launching the project of structuring the Labor Ministry after
setting a vision and strategy to define the primary role of completing the
workshop to update the Lebanese Labor Law with the specialized team, headed by
the International Labor Organization. And we are also studying ways to activate
the role of the National Employment Corporation" Yammine said.
"We continue to meet with the Parliamentary Committee which studies the law on
the pension system and social protection. I also discussed, with His Excellency,
the issues related to the National Social Security Fund, the problems it
encounters, and possible solutions, because of the social protection this fund
provides" Yammine continued.
Questions and Answers:
Question: Is there any fear on funds of the National Social Security Fund?
Answer: "Currently, there is no fear in this issue, and I spoke with His
Excellency, and the Prime Minister, to confirm the protection of these funds".
Question: Is there a new strategic plan for the foreign workers' issue?
Answer: "There is a plan which was followed previously, and we are trying to
work in these circumstances on a new plan, in light of studying proportions
allowed according to the Labor Law, and defining the occupations which should be
limited to the Lebanese worker".
Question: To what extent does the Ministry's plan provide protection for workers
who are subjected to arbitral dismissal?
Answer: "We follow this issue from several directions, and the Ministry's role
is as a mediator for dialogue between workers and employers, to ensure that
exchange operations are actually due to the influence of the institution
concerned with the conditions and not for different reasons. We submitted a
decree to the Cabinet to reactivate the Arbitration Committee that had not been
in effect for more than a year due to judges' complaints about the insufficiency
of the amount allocated. Knowing that its role is to consider collective
exchange operations. We also asked the Justice Minister, through the judicial
formations to be done, to note the increase in the number of judges in Labor
Arbitration Councils".
Minister Michel Najjar:
The President met with Public Works and Transport Minister, Michel Najjar, and
deliberated with him the affairs of his Ministry and projects in various
Lebanese regions.
"We visited His Excellency, the President, and briefed him on the work of our
Ministry, and asked for his guidance. His Excellency stressed all the matters
that affect the safety and comfort of the citizen through roads, sewage and
sanitation. We pledged to take care of all these issues and to stay in constant
communication and take his directions, at all times" Najjar said after the
meeting. Responding to a question, Najjar stressed that "Rafic Hariri
International Airport will be sterilized by a specialized company. We are keen
on all matters concerning the citizen's health, and there is a special cell,
headed by Prime Minister Hassan Diab, which is concerned with these issues. All
public ports and means of transportation will be completely sterilized, and we
will do all procedures that public safety requires". ----Presidency Press Office
Hariri Hospital Report: Number of confirmed coronavirus
cases rises to 15
NNA/March 04/2020
The Rafic Hariri University Hospital issued its daily report on the latest
updates on the novel coronavirus. The report read: "During the past 24 hours,
the Rafic Hariri University Hospital welcomed 45 individuals at its emergency
unit devoted to patients suspected to have contracted the novel coronavirus, all
of whom were subject to the necessary medical tests. 15 of those patients needed
to be quarantined, based on the evaluation of the supervising doctor, while the
rest were asked to put themselves under home quarantine.
In total, lab tests were conducted on 51 individuals, 48 of whom tested negative
while 2 tested positive. The one remaining case is that of 'patient zero' who no
longer suffers from any symptoms; the results of her examination came slightly
positive though. The medical team took the decision to keep the lady in the
hospital’s isolation unit. Today, 9 of the quarantined patients have left the
hospital after their test results came negative. However, they were all
recommended to stay under home quarantine, and were provided with all the
necessary instructions and means of protection, in accordance with the
directives of the World Health Organization. To date, a total of 14 patients
remain at the hospital's quarantine unit. As for the positive cases, their
number has risen to 14 inside the hospital. The condition of the Iranian
national infected with coronavirus remains critical. The rest are in stable
conditions, and they are all receiving the necessary care at the isolation unit.
Furthermore, a laboratory examination was done on a patient who was admitted to
another hospital due to acute respiratory issues. The person appears to be in a
critical health condition. He tested positive for the virus, bringing the total
number of infections to 15."
Al-Maounat Hospital: Patient coming from Egypt isolated after testing positive
for coronavirus
NNA/March 04/2020
The management of "Notre Dame de Secours (Al-Maounat) Hospital" - Jbeil issued
on Wednesday the following statement: "On 3/4/2020, the hospital received a
patient who had recently arrived from Egypt, and it became clear after
conducting the necessary tests that he was carrying the coronavirus, which
required the implemetation of the necessary measures to transfer him to the
Rafic Hariri University Hospital – knowing that upon receiving the
aforementioned patient, the Ministry of Public Health was informed, and it
quickly assured that no examinations were necessary, especially that the country
from which this individual was coming was not infested. However, upon suspicious
of coronavirus infection, all the preventive measures were taken, and a
quarantine was imposed, until the results of the conducted tests came in.
Consequently, all the departments and common areas were sterilized, and
preventive measures were taken to maintain the safety of patients and visitors,
as well as the wellbeing of the medical, nursing and administrative staff."
Hassan, WHO Reassure Coronavirus ‘Under Control’ in Lebanon
Naharnet/March 04/2020
Health Minister Hamad Hassan on Wednesday assured the Lebanese that all
necessary measures were taken to contain the spread of coronavirus, saying the
situation is “under control.”In a joint press conference with representatives of
the World Health Organizations, Hassan said: “WHO has affirmed that coronavirus
has not spread out in Lebanon and the country is in the containment phase of the
virus,” said Hassan to reporters. “Our responsibility is to stop the spread of
the virus no matter what,” he added, as he hailed the efforts of the staff at
the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, the only hospital receiving coronavirus
cases in Lebanon, the Lebanese Red Cross team and teams of the health ministry.
WHO spokeswoman said: “We are here to help the Lebanese authorities spread the
correct information because spreading a single wrong information can endanger
people's lives and cause them to panic. Therefore I stress the necessity of
cooperation.”On Tuesday, Hassan said hospitals were ready to deal with any
further spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, where 13 cases have been
recorded with no deaths. All 13 people suffering from the COVID-19 illness are
being treated at Beirut's Rafik Hariri state hospital, where 140 beds have been
designated to isolate and monitor suspected cases.
Maronite Bishops push for forsaking depositors' funds
NNA /March 04/2020
The Moronite Bishops held their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday presided
over by Maronite Patriarch, Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi. The convening Bishops
broached a number of church-related and national issues, but they mostly
stressed the paramount importance of launching efforts to stir financial and
economic growth nationwide. "The Lebanese await apt measures by the cabinet
handling the impending debt deadlines; they also await appropriate reform
measures to control public funds and to salvage the nation from its financial,
economic, and daily living hardships," a statement issued in the wake of the
meeting read. Moreover, the Maronite Bishops did not fail to call on those in
charge, whether politicians or economists, to exert all the possible efforts to
preserve depositors' funds, especially those of smaller depositors. The bishops'
statement also called on political parties to halt their rampant polemic,
especially through the media, "at a time when solidarity is what the nation
needed the most." Touching on the novel Coronavirus outbreak, the Maronite
bishops said that they had been following up on the state's official measures to
contain this disease, stepping up calls for tighter border control and
heightened precautionary measures to contain the virus.
Roads Blocked in Lebanon as Dollar Hits Record Parallel
Market High
Naharnet/March 04/2020
Anti-government protesters blocked roads across Lebanon on Wednesday to denounce
the financial and economic deterioration. The demonstrators blocked the Saifi
and Sport City roads in Beirut, the Taalabaya and Jdita roads in the Bekaa and
the el-Mina, Minieh, al-Mhammara and al-Beddawi roads in the North. The Jiye
highway that links Beirut to the South was later blocked with burning tires as
the Saifi road was reopened. In Tripoli, two protesters were injured as army
troops reopened the road by force at the Pistachio roundabout. Young men on
motorcycles meanwhile roamed the city’s streets before blocking the el-Mina
highway in protest at “the deteriorating economic situation, the rise in the
dollar exchange rate and officials’ failure to take sufficient measures to
prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” the National News Agency said.
Protesters on the el-Mina highway also chanted slogans demanding the recovery of
the state’s stolen funds. In the southern city of Sidon, demonstrators forced
money exchange shops to close in protest at “their exchanging of the dollar at
the black market rate contrary to the official rate declared by Lebanon’s
central bank.” Money changers were on Wednesday selling the dollar for more than
LBP 2,550 and buying it for around 2,540. The money exchange shops have blamed
the record rate on “the unstable and ambiguous situations in relation with the
March 9 Eurobond juncture and the fears over the coronavirus repercussions,
especially as to the shrinking of the global economy.”
U.S. Contractor Charged with Giving Up Military Secrets to
Hizbullah-Linked Lebanese
Associated Press/Naharnet/March 04/2020
A U.S. Defense Department contract linguist has been charged with giving
classified information, including the names of American intelligence assets, to
a Lebanese national with ties to Hizbullah, the U.S. Justice Department
announced Wednesday. Federal prosecutors accused Mariam Taha Thompson, 61,
formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, of turning over information that placed in
danger those intelligence assets and American military personnel. Thompson was
due in court later Wednesday for an initial appearance. She was arrested last
week on the espionage-related allegation. Prosecutors said that during a
six-week period starting in late December, when U.S. airstrikes targeted
Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, Thompson repeatedly accessed dozens of files that
she had no need to review. Those files included the names of human assets, their
photographs and cables detailing the information that the sources provided to
the U.S. government. Prosecutors said that when officials searched her living
quarters, they found a handwritten note in Arabic concealed under her mattress
with information about Defense Department computer systems and warning of a
Defense Department target. They said she had given the information in the note
to a co-conspirator, in whom she had a romantic interest. The co-conspirator,
who was not identified, worked for the Lebanese government and "has apparent
connections" to Hizbullah, according to prosecutors. They said Thompson, who had
a top secret government security clearance, was arrested last Thursday at an
overseas U.S. military facility. It was not identified.
Berri Urges No Eurobond Payment 'Even If It Leads to Default'
Naharnet/March 04/2020
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday announced that “the majority of the
Lebanese people and parliament are totally against paying” a $1.2 billion
Eurobond debt on March 9. “The banks, which have led us into a loss amounting to
75% of the debt, must bear the responsibility along with the foreign buyers,”
Berri told lawmakers during the weekly Ain el-Tineh meeting. “If they want a
restructuring without conditions and without paying any portion of the sum so be
it, or else we will support any measure taken by the government, except for
payment,” Berri added. “Once again I say: the deposits are sacred and must not
be touched,” the Speaker warned. He also stressed “the unity of the domestic
stance and the opposition and the majority in the face of this crisis.”
Economists have warned that payment on time would eat away at Lebanon’s
plummeting foreign currency reserves, while bankers say a default would damage
the country’s reputation with lenders. Bank of America Merill Lynch in a
November report estimated that around 50 percent of Eurobonds were held by local
banks, while the central bank had around 11 percent. Foreign investors owned the
remainder, or around 39 percent, it said.
But these figures may have changed, with local media reporting that local banks
have recently sold a chunk of their Eurobonds to foreign lenders.
Diab Meets UN Delegation on UNIFIL Role
Naharnet/March 04/2020
Prime Minister Hassan Diab met with a UN delegation where talks touched on
UNIFIL’s role and mission in South Lebanon and necessary means to maintain
stability along the Blue Line, the National News Agency said on Wednesday. Diab
met with UN Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in
the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations,
Khaled Khiari, and Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL, General
Stefano Del Col, with UN special coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis and PM’s
diplomatic advisor in the presence of Ambassador Gebran Soufan. UNIFIL
Spokesperson, Andrea Tenenti, later released a statement saying: "A UN
delegation is currently visiting Lebanon to conduct an assessment of UNIFIL’s
resources and options for improving the efficiency and effectiveness between
UNIFIL and UNSCOL, taking into consideration the troop ceiling and the civilian
component of UNIFIL.This is pursuant to a request made by the UN Security
Council in its resolution 2485 of August 2019. The UN delegation led by Khaled
Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific in the
Departments of Political and Peace-building Affairs and Peace Operations, will
be meeting with UNIFIL, UNSCOL and Lebanese officials as well as with diplomatic
representatives in Beirut.”
Arab Inter-Parliamentary Meeting Postponed over Virus Concerns
Naharnet/March 04/2020
As the world continues to grapple with coronavirus disease, Speaker Nabih Berri
was notified that a meeting scheduled in March for the the Arab
Inter-Parliamentary Union was postponed, MTV station reported on Wednesday. The
meeting was set to be held in Cairo on March 7-8. It was postponed “until
further notice,” said the station. The fast-spreading coronavirus is forcing
various changes around the world and forcing cancellation of major events.
Report: BDL to Issue Circular Regulating Bank-Customer
Relation
Naharnet/March 04/2020
The final version of a “capital control” law prepared by a committee of legal
and financial experts will reportedly be discussed during the cabinet meeting on
Thursday, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.
According to “well-informed” sources and despite the “intended secrecy”
surrounding the matter, the committee finalized the law and handed it to Finance
Minister Ghazi Wazni in order to be discussed during the cabinet meeting to be
held at Baabda Palace, said the daily. Al-Joumhouria said the law will be
discussed in parallel with a new circular to be issued to local banks by Central
Bank governor Riad Salameh, regulating the relationship between banks and their
customers. A grinding liquidity crunch has hit Lebanon, where unprecedented
protests since October 17 have railed against the political class and a
deepening economic crisis. Since September, banks have restricted the amount of
dollars that can be withdrawn or transferred abroad. Although no formal policy
is in place, most have arbitrarily capped withdrawals at around $1,000 a month,
while others have imposed tighter restrictions.
Kattar, Czech ambassador discuss egovernment program
NNA/March 04/2020
State Minister for Administrative Development Affairs, Damianos Kattar, welcomed
in his office at the Ministry Check Ambassador to Lebanon Michaela Frankova, who
came on a protocol visit. Discussions reportedly touched on the bilateral
relations between the two countries, especially with regard to administrative
development and the e-government program.
Kattar meets World Bank delegation over joint projects
NNA /March 04/2020
Environment Minister Damianos Kattar, welcomed in his office at the Ministry a
delegation from the World Bank Group headed by Regional Director for the Middle
East and North Africa Saroj Kumar Jah. Discussions reportedly touched on the
projects undertaken by the World Bank in cooperation with the Ministry of
Environment. Minister Kattar underlined the importance of cooperation with
international partners, hailing the efforts by the World Bank for environment
and sustainable development in Lebanon.
Defense Minister meets ambassadors of Korea, Finland
NNA /March 04/2020
Vice Prime Minister, National Defense Minister Zeina Akar Adra, on Wednesday
welcomed in her office at the Ministry the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea
to Lebanon, Young Dae Kwon, accompanied by the Korean Military Attaché.
Ambassador Kown congratulated Minister Akar on her ministerial post. Discussions
reportedly touched on the tasks of the Korean contingent operating within UNIFIL
and the cooperation relations between the two countries. Minister Akar also met
with a joint delegation of the United Nations Development Program and the
European Union, with talks reportedly touching on cooperation projects. Akar
later met with the Ambassador of Finland to Lebanon, Tarja Fernandez,
accompanied by the Embassy's Military Attaché, with means of bolstering
bilateral relations featuring high on their talks.
Lebanese Hizb ut-Tahrir Preacher Ahmad Al-Qasas: The
Muslims Will Kill The Jews, Who Will Hide Behind Rocks And Trees; The Jews Are
The Most Cowardly Of Allah's Creations
MEMRI/March 04/2020
Lebanese Hizb ut-Tahrir preacher Ahmad Al-Qasas said in January 31, 2020 address
that aired on the Hizb ut-Tahrir-affiliated Al-Waqiyah TV (Lebanon) that Allah
promised that Islam would prevail over all other religions, principles, and laws
until it rules the Earth. He said that the Prophet Muhammad had predicted that
the Jews will fight the Muslims, but that the Muslims will kill the Jews, until
they hide behind rocks and trees, which will call out to the Muslims to kill the
Jews hiding behind them. Al-Qasas said that the Gharqad tree is the only tree
that won't call out to the Muslims, and that there are projects meant to keep
planting such trees in occupied Palestine, but that these trees will not offer
any protection against the promise of Allah. He added that the Jews are the most
cowardly of Allah's creations because they are greedy for any kind of life, not
only lives of honor and glory, since they know that they have displeased Allah
by rejecting His commandments.Ahmad Al-Qasas: "Allah promised that [Islam] will
prevail over all the other religions, principles, and laws, until it rules the
entire Earth according to the law of Allah, which was introduced by the Prophet
Muhammad.
"The Prophet Muhammad said: 'The Jews will fight you, and you will kill them,
until the Jews will hide behind the rocks and the trees. Then the rocks and
trees will say: 'oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, kill
him!' – except for the Gharqad tree, for it is the tree of the Jews.' Look at
the actions of the Jews and you will see how they believe the prophecy of the
Prophet Muhammad. There is a designated project to keep planting Gharqad trees
in occupied Palestine, because it is promised in their [holy] books and their
prophecies that the Gharqad trees would protect them from the Muslims. But what
good will the Gharqad tree be against the promise of Allah? "Allah has told us
about their mentality. He has told us that they are among the most cowardly of
Allah's creations, and that they are eager to protect their lives – no matter
what kind of life they have. Allah said: 'You will surely find them, of all
people, the most greedy for life.' Allah did not say: 'You will surely find
them, of all people, the most greedy to live.' Why? Because 'to live' means
living a life of honor and glory, but the Jews are greedy for life, any kind of
life, as long as they do not need to face death. Cowards! They cannot imagine
dying and meeting Allah, because they know full well that they rejected what
Allah has sent down, and that they are the descendants of the slayers of
prophets, who rejected Allah's prophets."
Lebanon's business conditions continue to deteriorate as
March 9 deadline looms
Sarmad Khan/The National/March 04/2020
Business sentiment in the country has hit a record low as the government
struggles to implement reforms
Lebanon’s business environment continued to deteriorate in February with new
orders and employment falling as the country grapples with economic uncertainty
and a March 9 deadline to repay $1.2 billion (Dh4.4bn) of maturity eurobonds.
The Blom Lebanon PMI index, a composite measure of business conditions in the
private sector compiled by IHS Markit, improved slightly to 45.4 in February
from 44.9 the previous month, staying below the 50 mark that separates economic
expansion from contraction. Contributing to another subdued month was a further
contraction in private sector output. The pace of reduction remained little
changed from January. Those polled said cited political instability among the
prime reasons for the decline, according to the survey. New orders placed with
Lebanese businesses also fell last month, extending the current sequence of
reduction that began in June 2013. Sentiment towards the 12-month business
outlook fell to the weakest level in survey history, eclipsing the previous low
registered in May 2017. Anecdotal evidence suggests negativity was driven by
expectations for a prolonged political and economic instability, according to
the survey.
“Most of the indices – especially output, new orders, new export orders, and
employment - fell at a slower rate, perhaps stimulated by the formation of the
new government and the diminution in the intensity of the uprising and street
protests,” Ali Bolbol, chief economist of Blom Bank, said.
“Most crucially, future expectations are at their lowest level in survey
history, something that can only be reversed if the new government implements
meaningfully and soon a structural reform and economic recovery plan.” Lebanon
is experiencing its worst economic crisis since the end of a 15-year civil war
in 1990, which gave rise to an unprecedented wave of public protests. The
country has one of the highest debt-to-gross domestic product ratios (166 per
cent) in the world, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF).
Its public debt increased 7.6 per cent to $91.64bn year-on-year as of the end of
December 2019.
US linguist charged for giving top-secret information to man with Hezbollah
links
Joyce Karam/The National/March 04/2020
Maria Taha Thompson was arrested in Iraq on February 27 and appeared in court
today
A US linguist working for the country’s Defence Department was charged with
sharing classified information to an individual with links to the Lebanese
militant group Hezbollah. The sharing of the information is alleged to have
occurred around the time Washington carried anti-Iran airstrikes in Iraq at the
start of this year. Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, of Rochester, Minnesota, was a
contractor working as a linguist for US troops in Iraq before she was arrested
last Thursday in Irbil and was charged in court on Wednesday. According to the
prosecutors, Ms Thompson allegedly passed classified information of about eight
people to a man of “romantic interest” and who "has apparent connections to
Hezbollah”. The US regards Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. Court
documents allege that the co-conspirator was a foreign national whose relative
worked for the Lebanese government. The information passed was “classified
national defence information regarding active human assets, including their true
names”. According to court documents, Ms Thompson admitted remembering key parts
of the classified documents, writing them down and sending an image of her notes
by mobile phone. US lawyer Timothy J Shea for the District of Columbia, saw the
case as warning to others. “The charges we’ve filed today should serve as a
warning to anyone who would consider disclosing classified national defence
information to a terrorist organisation,” he said. Ms Thompson held a top secret
government security clearance, and the investigation leading to her arrest
revealed that started on or around December 30, 2019, a day after US airstrikes
against Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, and the same day protesters stormed the
US embassy in Iraq to protest those strikes. The document added that during a
six-week period between December 30 and February 10, 2020, Ms Thompson accessed
dozens of files concerning human intelligence sources, including true names,
personal identification data, background information, and photographs of the
human assets, as well as operational cables detailing information the assets
provided to the United States government.
A court-authorised search of her living quarters on February 19 led to the
discovery of a handwritten note that contained classified information from
Department of Defence computer systems.
She was allegedly looking at nearly 60 files containing sensitive personal
information.
Hezbollah’s Suicidal Red Line
Michael Young/Carnegie MEC/March 04/2020
On February 25, Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, Na‘im Qassem, made a
statement that could ultimately mean the downfall of Prime Minister Hassan
Diab’s government. Qassem declared that his party would “not succumb to arrogant
means to address the [Lebanese financial and economic] crisis ... we will not
let the International Monetary Fund manage the crisis.”
The deputy secretary general justified this by saying that Lebanon would not
accept IMF money to address its ongoing economic collapse, because such funds
would come with tough conditions the country was unwilling to accept. What was
remarkable in his comment was that he was under the false impression that the
need to resort to IMF funding is a choice. It is usually a necessity.
It was always evident that Hezbollah would have problems with an IMF bailout,
because this would grant the institution significant control over aspects of the
Lebanese state, including the party’s patronage networks. Moreover, Hezbollah
thinks, and statements by U.S. allies appear to prove, that some are thinking of
linking IMF assistance to the achievement of U.S. demands on the party.
The problem is that without an IMF bailout, Lebanon cannot access funds to
refloat its economy, nor receive the hard currency necessary to import vital
necessities such as food, medicine, and fuel. Unless Hezbollah wants the whole
system to come tumbling down, with no prospect of a resolution, it will have to
compromise on the IMF.
Diab knows what’s at stake. That is why he made a remarkable statement on March
2 in which he admitted that “the state is no longer able to protect the Lebanese
and guarantee them a decent life.” The prime minister realizes that without IMF
funding his government is as good as finished. That is why those around him are
putting a gloss on what Qassem said, pointing out that Diab will take the
appropriate decision when the time comes and that the Hezbollah official was
merely expressing his own point of view.
That’s certainly an optimistic reading, but one that is necessary to open the
door to discussions on the matter between Diab and Hezbollah. Several things
stand out in Qassem’s comments. First, by arguing that the IMF’s conditions
would be too harsh for Lebanon to bear, he seemed not to grasp that when the
country’s foreign currency reserves run out, the Lebanese will literally be
screaming, and their pain will be far worse than anything the IMF imposes.
Second, Qassem appears not to understand that countries have a margin to
negotiate with the IMF before it intervenes in their economy. Therefore, it is
better for Lebanon to initiate such talks today, while it still has some
leverage, than wait until everything is in meltdown and the country has none.
Indeed, the IMF team that visited Beirut recently appears to have gotten the
impression that the Diab government did not want the financial institution to
bail it out.
Those in the government who understand economics, Diab among them, realize that
Qassem’s blanket rejection is simply not feasible. There are those who will
argue that Hezbollah doesn’t care and will go all the way to protect its stakes
in the system, even if it means destroying Lebanon. But that may be an extreme
interpretation, because complete ruination could sweep away the party’s allies,
but also the edifice it has spent many months trying to preserve.
Moreover, if open-ended resistance is the party’s strategy, it’s not a very good
one. Even Iran compromised at essential moments in its post-revolutionary
history—whether on ending the war with Iraq or suspending its nuclear program to
reverse its economic hardship. The only way for the party to avoid the IMF would
be to push for reform of the economy, end corruption, and put Lebanon on a
sustainable financial path. Does one expect this from a party that, like all
others in Lebanon, has been feeding parasitically off the state for years, is
continuing to protect a vile and decayed political class, and has never
formulated any economic plan worth considering?
Yet reform is inevitable if Lebanon is to emerge from the tunnel. There are
reports that the main constituents of the government still believe they can
secure funding from outside. They believe that remittances from Lebanese can
help float the economy. But that absurd reasoning in the best of circumstances
will only buy time to pursue a road to nowhere. Banks will collapse, more
businesses will close, poverty and unemployment will rise, social revolution
will be in the air, and Hezbollah will preside over a field of devastation.
Fortunately, Hezbollah’s allies are not necessarily of the same view as the
party. By all accounts the finance minister Ghazi Wazni understands the problem,
and has surely explained this to the parliament speaker Nabih Berri. In fact,
Berri’s decision to welcome an IMF advisory team weeks ago was regarded by some
observers as a cautious opening to an eventual IMF bailout plan. Berri must know
he is far more vulnerable than Hezbollah once the country runs out of foreign
currency reserves and is cut off from international markets.
What about Hassan Diab? If Hezbollah gets its way, that means that his
government, which has struggled to build public and international confidence,
may be condemned to presiding over an irreversible deterioration of the economy.
In such a context, the prime minister’s only option is to put his job on the
line and tell Hezbollah that if it insists on limiting his margin of maneuver,
he will resign. And even if Diab doesn’t do that, it is questionable whether his
government can remain intact if ministers see that their ability to resolve the
financial crisis is nil. In that case they may simply prefer to jump ship.
There will be hardliners in Washington who will try to use aid to Lebanon as
leverage to secure concessions on Hezbollah’s weapons. This would be
monumentally reckless. It would be morally repulsive because Hezbollah’s
rejection is a near certainty, therefore such a move would condemn millions of
Lebanese to dire poverty. It would provoke displeasure among countries in the
IMF, who do not want the institution to serve as a branch of U.S. foreign
policy. And it would lend credence to Hezbollah’s view that all foreign
assistance is tied to efforts to weaken the party. Undoubtedly, Hezbollah holds
Lebanon hostage, but collective punishment against the country would effectively
mean killing the Lebanese in order to save them.
There is still considerable resistance to reform among Lebanon’s political
class. No politician wants to surrender his levers in the system until the
others surrender theirs. This has created a fatal deadlock and an urge, once
more, to gain time. But that useless game has reached an end. Hassan Diab still
has the latitude to push for change, because his resignation is something
Hezbollah and its closest allies want to avoid. If an IMF bailout is inevitable,
and it is, then he has to determine what it would take for the parties to go
along with it.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on March 04-05/2020
Israel heads for Netanyahu-led
minority government. Fourth election? low option
DEBKAfile/March 04/2020
The outcome of Israel’s third election in 11 months points to at least half the
electorate’s overwhelming desire for continuity in government rather than the
chaos of another deadlocked ballot and the resulting economic havoc. For this
reason, Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud and its right-wing bloc came in first,
trailed by their challenger, Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan. Ganz and his three
co-leaders failed to accurately diagnose the dominant popular mood, because all
three of their election campaigns were firmly fixated on Netanyahu’s unfitness
to govern under three corruption indictments and imminent trial on March 17. In
any case, they argued, he would be too busy with the trial to exercise his
duties diligently as prime minister. And so, after Netanyahu trumpeted his
party’s great victory on Monday night, March 2, at the end of voting, Kahol
Lavon’s leaders waited in vain for good tidings.
What their strategists missed was that a weighty slice of the electorate was
prepared to separate Netanyahu as politician and national leader from the
persona that the police and prosecution had indicted for fraud, breach of faith
and bribery. Some credited his allegations of a conspiracy by an adverse faction
of the law enforcement body for trumping up the charges against him and
subverting witnesses to this end. The law clearly allows a prime minister to
stay in office – even if convicted – until the appeals process is exhausted,
promising long-drawn out years of litigation. In the meantime, enough voters
decided to stick with Netanyahu and his loyal bloc of right-wing and religious
parties for the sake of government continuity. While firmly in the lead after
most of the ballots were counted by Wednesday noon, this bloc appears to be shy
by one of two mandates of the magic 61 Knesset seats for establishing a majority
government, and so final results are tensely awaited. Kahol Lavan lags too far
behind to bid against Netanyahu and is trying to raise the specter of a fourth
election, as well as legislation for disqualifying the Likud leader from heading
a government. A petition to this end was also filed with the Supreme Court. The
justices face some tough deliberations before deciding to step into a
constitutional minefield by nullifying a national election. With 95.5pc of
the votes tallied, the most likely outcome of this election, say DEBKAfile
analysts, is that the president will entrust the incumbent prime minister
Binyamin Netanyahu with forming a minority government in preference to a fourth
election. Negotiations are already apace with potential defectors from the
opposition camp to come aboard and fill in the vacancies for a durable
administration
Syria says air defense responds to Israeli missile strikes
AFP, Reuters/Damascus/Thursday, 5 March 2020
Syrian air defense responded to Israeli missiles targeting the south and center
of the country, state media said early Thursday.
SANA news agency said “our air defense confronted an Israeli missile attack in
the southwest of Quneitra province” in the south and also an area in the center
of the country. “At 00:30 on Thursday our air defense monitored Israeli
warplanes coming from northern occupied Palestine towards Saida, and several
missiles were fired from Lebanese airspace towards the central area,” state
media quoted a military source as saying. “The hostile missiles were immediately
dealt with, and were successfully confronted, none was able to reach its
target,” the source added. Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011,
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, mainly targeting government
troops as well as allied Iranian forces and fighters from the Lebanese group
Hezbollah. In mid-February, Israeli strikes on Damascus airport killed seven
Syrian and Iranian fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, a Britain-based war monitor.
UN envoy Pedersen urges ‘immediate diplomatic solution’ in Syria’s Idlib
AFP, Cairo/Thursday, 5 March 2020
The UN’s Syria envoy on Wednesday urged the presidents of Russia and Turkey to
find an “immediate diplomatic solution” to the conflict in northwestern Syria,
where both powers are militarily active. “I am sure you all join me in urging
them to find an immediate diplomatic solution that could spare civilians further
suffering... and create more conducive conditions for a political process”, UN
special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen told Arab League foreign ministers in
Cairo.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - who backs some rebel groups in
Syria’s Idlib province - and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a firm supporter
of the Syrian regime, are due to meet in Moscow on Thursday. Since December, the
Syrian government has led a deadly military campaign against rebels in Idlib,
the last major opposition stronghold in the country’s northwest after nearly
nine years of civil war.
Tensions have soared further since Ankara launched its own offensive days ago
against the Syrian regime, after more than 50 Turkish soldiers were killed in
Idlib province in recent weeks. Pedersen called the direct clashes between
Syrian regime and Turkish forces “a worrying change in the nature of the
conflict.”
Despite being on opposite sides of the war, Ankara and Moscow have kept lines of
negotiation open. Erdogan has said he hopes a ceasefire will be “swiftly
established” when the two meet. Pedersen warned that “with five international
armies active inside Syria, the dangers of wider international conflagration
remain.” A “meaningful political process” is needed to avoid “a bleak and
uncertain future, with dire regional consequences”, Pedersen added. “The path
out of war to peace is plainly very difficult. There is very little trust and
confidence to move forward, and not enough political will to do so,” he said.
Close to one million people have been displaced by the regime offensive.
EU offers 170 mln euros Syria aid during Turkey visit
AFP, Ankara/Wednesday, 4 March 2020
The EU’s top diplomat on Wednesday promised an additional 170 million euros in
aid for vulnerable groups in Syria in a visit to Turkey, which has demanded
greater assistance over the conflict. “We have announced a 170 million
additionally in humanitarian aid to continue assisting the most vulnerable
people in Syria,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters,
following meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and top officials. He
said 60 million euros ($66.7 million) of that would go to addressing the
humanitarian crises in northwest Syria.
Iranian authorities killed 23 children during November
crackdown on protests, Amnesty report
The New Arab & agencies/Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
At least 23 children were killed by Iranian security forces during protests
which rocked the Islamic Republic in November last year, according to an Amnesty
International report released on Monday.
At least 22 were shot dead as a result of live fire, the report found. A wide
range of evidence was gathered to compile the 36-page report, including videos
and photographs, accounts from eyewitnesses on the ground and information
gathered from human rights activists and journalists. In at least 10 cases,
description of victim's injuries in death certificates revealed that they had
been shot in the head or torso, indicating that the security forces were
shooting to kill. Twenty-two were boys between ages of 12 and 17, one was
a girl between eight and 12.Twenty-three children were recorded as having been
killed in 13 cities in six provinces across the country, according to the
report, which reflected "the widespread nature of the bloody crackdown".
Protests erupted across Iran from November 15 after the government announced a
hike in petrol prices. A harsh crackdown was launched to quell the dissent that
Amnesty has already said left 304 dead, a figure Tehran vehemently denies.
"There must be independent and impartial investigations into these killings, and
those suspected of ordering and carrying them out must be prosecuted in fair
trials," said Philip Luther, Amnesty's research and advocacy director for the
Middle East and North Africa. Amnesty have reached out to Iran's Interior
Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli with the names of all 23 victims but recieved
no response. Families and relatives of children have been subject to harrassment
and intimidation by intelligence and security officials, which correspond with
broader state attempts to silence them from talking openly about their deaths,
Amnesty said. In its conclusion, the report calls on member states of the UN
Human Rights Council to mandate an inquiry in the unlawful use of force against
unarmed protesters and bystanders, including children, between 15 and 19
November 2019.
Greek Troops Clash with Migrants on Border as Erdogan Says Europe Must Back
Turkey on Syria
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
Greek authorities fired tear gas and stun grenades Wednesday morning to push
back migrants trying to cross its land border from Turkey, as pressure continued
along its frontier after Turkey said its own border with Europe was open to
whoever wanted to cross.
The clashes were near the border village of Kastanies, along a border fence that
covers much of the land border not demarcated by the Evros river running along
the frontier. Turkish officials claimed Wednesday that one migrant was killed by
Greek fire. "Six men were injured after live bullets were used," the Edirne
governor's office in northwestern Turkey said, adding that one of the men later
died of his injuries. Turkey made good on a threat to open its borders and send
migrants into Europe last week. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's action
triggered days of violent clashes and scenes of chaos at the land border, where
thousands of migrants and refugees have gathered. Hundreds more have headed to
Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast in dinghies. One child died when the
rubber dinghy he was in capsized off the coast of the Greek island of Lesbos
earlier this week.
European countries must support Turkey's "solutions" in Syria if they want to
resolve the migration crisis, Erdogan said Wednesday, accusing Europe of
"trampling" on refugees' rights. "If European countries want to resolve the
issue, they must support Turkey's efforts for political and humanitarian
solutions in Syria," he said in a televised speech. "All European countries
closing their borders to refugees today, trying to push them back by hitting
them and sinking their boats, in fact even shooting at them, are trampling over
the universal declaration of human rights," he said in Ankara. Following the
deaths of over 30 Turkish soldiers in Syrian regime fire last week in Idlib,
Turkey opened its borders with Europe to refugees and migrants.
‘Herding’ refugees
Turkey is home to around 3.6 million Syrian refugees and many other migrants
from countries including Afghanistan use Turkey as a transit country to Europe.
It fears another mass influx if Idlib, the last opposition stronghold, falls to
the regime. The offensive has killed dozens of Turkish troops and sent nearly a
million Syrian civilians toward Turkey’s sealed border. However, Oleg Zhuravlev,
head of the Russian military’s coordination center in Syria, said Tuesday the
claims about a humanitarian crisis in Idlib were false. Zhuravlev said Turkish
authorities were “herding" about 130,000 refugees, who were in temporary camps
near the Turkey-Syria border, toward the border with Greece. He said most were
not from Syria. Athens has called the situation a direct threat to Greece's
national security and has imposed emergency measures to carry out swift
deportations and freeze asylum applications for one month. Migrants have been
reporting being summarily pushed back across the border into Turkey. On Greece's
land border with Turkey, Greek authorities said Turkish police were firing tear
gas at the Greek border and the authorities guarding it, and supplied video they
said backed their assertion.
Turkey, for its part, accused Greece of mistreating refugees.
“Greece treats refugees horribly and then turns around to blame Turkey,”
Fahrettin Altun, the communications director of Turkey's presidency, tweeted
Tuesday night. “This is the kind of double standards and hypocrisy we have
gotten used to over the years. The country that just suspended temporary
protection and tear gassed migrations has no moral authority to speak of!"
Meanwhile, European Council head Charles Michel was scheduled to meet with
Erdogan in Ankara Wednesday, while EU Vice President Josep Borrell and
Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic will hold talks with Turkish
Vice President Fuat Oktay. Top EU officials, including Michel and European
Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, visited the Greek border area Tuesday
along with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who said Turkey "has
systematically encouraged and assisted tens of thousands of refugees and
migrants to illegally enter Greece."Greek authorities said they had prevented
26,532 people from entering Greece between Saturday morning and Tuesday
afternoon, and arrested 218. Von der Leyen expressed support for Greece, noting
the border wasn't just a national one but an external border of the EU. Those
trying to cross into Greece had “been lured by false promises into this
desperate situation," she said. Ankara has come under harsh criticism from some
European countries. "The people are being used by President Erdogan as a
political football, as weapons and as instruments of pressure on the European
Union," Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Tuesday.
Germany Says Syria Safe Zone 'Up to Putin and Erdogan'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 04/2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan should define
an area inside Syria that would be safe for refugees and aid organisations, a
spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday. Erdogan and Putin, both
of whose forces are involved in fierce fighting in Idlib province on the Turkish
border, are set to meet in Moscow Thursday. "When they talk about Idlib
tomorrow, the presidents should talk about defining an area where provisioning
for internally displaced people can take place, where they won't fall victim to
military violence," Merkel spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said in Berlin. "It's up to
Putin and Erdogan to define such a zone," Demmer said. She added that Merkel had
urged the creation of the zone in telephone calls with both leaders. Close to
one million people in Idlib have been displaced by a government assault, backed
by Russian air power, though they are currently blocked from entering Turkey.
Erdogan said Wednesday in Ankara he hoped a ceasefire would be "swiftly
established" when he meets Putin. "Effective and safe access for aid
organisations to (the safe zone) must be guaranteed," Demmer said, warning of a
"dramatic humanitarian situation on the ground." German Defense Minister
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in October suggested an internationally-controlled
secure zone on the Syrian-Turkish border to protect refugees. But the proposal
ran into internal divisions in the Berlin coalition government and was soon
overtaken by facts on the ground as Turkey launched an offensive of its own into
Syrian territory. With almost four million Syrian refugees already on Turkish
soil, Erdogan is keen to keep further people displaced by the conflict from
crossing the border. He has piled pressure on the European Union to intervene by
claiming he had opened the gates on Turkey's border with Greece to refugees,
prompting thousands to head for the crossings. But Greek officials rushed to
push them back, resulting in sometimes violent clashes. Erdogan said Europe must
support Turkey's "political and humanitarian solutions in Syria" if it wants to
resolve the refugee situation.
EU rejects Turkey’s ‘blackmail,’ borders to stay closed to migrants:
France FM
NNA/AFP/March 04/2020-
The European Union will not give in to “blackmail” by Turkey and its borders
will remain closed to migrants despite Ankara’s threat to let them pass,
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Wednesday. “The borders of
Greece and the Schengen Area are closed, and we will ensure they stay closed”
despite attempts by thousands of migrants who have massed on Turkey’s frontier
since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they would be allowed to cross into
the EU, Le Drian told senators. In a related development, The EU’s foreign
policy chief Josep Borrell promised on Wednesday an additional 170 million euros
in aid for vulnerable groups in Syria in a visit to Turkey, which has demanded
greater assistance over the conflict.
Cyprus Detains Syrian after Migrants Brought to Shore
NNA/AFP/March 04/2020
A 22-year-old Syrian man is in police custody suspected of people
smuggling after Cypriot authorities brought 101 Syrian migrants safely to shore,
police said Wednesday. He was arrested on Tuesday after Cyprus marine police
located the Syrians off the Cape Greco region in a crowded 15-meter (49 foot)
craft and towed the boat to a fishing shelter in Paralimini on the south-east
coast. On Wednesday the suspect appeared before a court in Paralimini and was
remanded in police custody for eight days on suspicion of helping migrants enter
the country illegally for profit, a police spokesman said. Head of the police
operation Petros Zeniou said the migrants were checked by health workers for
coronavirus before being brought to shore for processing. Among the migrants
were 43 children -- nine of them unaccompanied -- and 13 women, including four
who were pregnant. The Syrians -- mainly from the northern regions of Idlib and
Aleppo -- were sent to a reception center outside the capital Nicosia. Zeniou
said the boat set off from Mersin in Turkey, a route often used by people
smugglers bound for Cyprus. He said an initial police investigation indicated
the migrants had paid between 2,000-4,000 dollars each to make the journey by
boat from Turkey. "We are on the alert, there is certainly information that more
boats are likely to depart from Mersin," said Zeniou. On Tuesday, Republic of
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said his country fears a migratory influx
after Turkey allowed refugees to leave for the European Union. Turkey is home to
around 3.6 million Syrian refugees and many other migrants from countries
including Afghanistan use Turkey as a transit country to Europe. Following the
deaths of over 30 Turkish soldiers in Syrian regime fire last week in Idlib,
Turkey opened its borders with Europe to refugees and migrants. The Republic of
Cyprus, an EU members, says it is on the frontline of the Mediterranean
migration route with the highest number of first time asylum seekers per capita.
Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said on Tuesday that there were 17,000
asylum applications pending. But Cyprus, located 160 kilometers (100 miles) from
the Syrian coast, has not seen the massive inflow of migrants experienced by
Turkey and Greece.
Kremlin hopes Putin, Erdogan can agree joint measures at Syria talks
NN/Reuters/March 04/2020-
The Kremlin said on Wednesday it hoped Russian President Vladimir Putin and
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan would be able to agree on a set of joint
measures for the Syrian province of Idlib when they meet for talks in Moscow on
Thursday. "We plan to discuss the Idlib crisis... We expect to reach a common
understanding on the crisis, the cause of the crisis, the harmful effects of the
crisis and arrive at a set of necessary joint measures," Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Erdogan said on Monday that he hoped to achieve a
ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib in talks with Putin this week.
Putin says fake coronavirus news reports being
sent to Russia to spread panic
NNA/Reuters/March 04/2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that fake news reports about
coronavirus were being sent to Russia from abroad to spread panic.He urged the
government to ensure that citizens were correctly informed about the situation
in Russia.
Iraqi Intelligence Denies Involvement in Soleimani's
Assassination
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
Iraq’s Intelligence Service (IIS) said its chief Mustafa al-Kazemi was not
involved in the assassination of Iran’s chief of al-Quds Force Qassem Soleimani
and Iraqi Vice President of Popular Mobilization Forces Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis.
This came in response to earlier allegations by the top commander of Iraq’s
Hezbollah Brigades, Abu Ali al-Askari, who claimed that Kazemi assisted the US
in bombing the convoy carrying Soleimani and Mohandis, which led to their death
along with others near Baghdad airport in January. Askari tweeted that Kazemi’s
name has been suggested as a candidate for the premiership, knowing that he had
helped the US to carry out Soleimani's assassination. He described Kazemi’s
candidacy as a “declaration of war on the Iraqi people.” IIS issued a statement
saying that some statements circulating on media “offend al-Kazemi and are an
explicit threat to civil peace.”
The statement added that the accusations were “groundless” and the missions of
the agency are centered on serving the Iraqi nation and its citizens, and are
not affected by political affiliations or false accusations aimed at harming
Iraq and its security services. The services called for prosecuting "those use
freedom of opinion to promote false accusations that harm Iraq.” IIS pledged to
defend Iraq within the scope of its constitutional duties, saying these duties
are determined by the interests of the state, not the emotions and accusations
of outlaws. It asserted that it refuses to be dragged into political issues
because it represents the state, not a certain group or party. Last Wednesday,
US State Department has designated Ahmad al-Hamidawi, Secretary-General of
Hezbollah Brigades, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), seeking
to deny him the resources to plan and carry out terrorist attacks.
Counterterrorism Coordinator Nathan Sales said the Brigades continue to present
a significant terrorist threat to US forces in Iraq as well as the Iraqi people,
adding that the US will intensify its pressure on it. Earlier, Washington
accused Hezbollah Brigades of killing a US contractor who was working at a
military base in Kirkuk governorate last December. US fighters in al-Anbar have
bombed Hezbollah Brigades several times killing a number of their elements.
Hezbollah Brigades is one of the most well-equipped pro-Iranian factions
compared to other Iraqi state factions. It operates with a high degree of
secrecy in Iraq.
Canada Urges Iran to Give Access to Downed Airliner's Black
Boxes
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
Iran must give access to the black boxes from a Ukrainian airliner shot down by
an Iranian missile in early January, Canada's foreign minister said on
Wednesday. "We do expect and we demand... from Iran to give access to the black
boxes without any further delay," Francois-Philippe Champagne said during a
press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart in Kiev. Champagne stressed that
it has been more than 30 days since the accident killing all 176 on board, and
that Iran will "undermine the international law" if it chooses to keep the
recorders. "We have questions and we expect Iran to provide answers," the
minister said. "We hope that Iran will choose the way of transparency." The
Kiev-bound Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 crashed shortly after
taking off from Tehran on January 8. Tehran admitted several days later it had
accidentally shot down the airliner during a confrontation with the United
States -- Iran had launched missiles at US forces in Iraq in response to the
killing of top general Qassem Soleimani on January 3. The victims were mostly
Iranian and Canadian citizens, as well as a Ukrainian crew. Ukraine and Canada
have repeatedly pressed Tehran to hand over the black box flight recorders to
Kiev or Paris, but they remain in Iran.
US concerns with Oman over financial ties to Iran: Report
Matthew Amlôt, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 4 March 2020e
The “real concerns” for US authorities over Oman are the country’s financial
ties with Iran, including entities that were under US sanctions prior to the
2015 nuclear deal, according to a new report from the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies, a Washington DC-based policy institute.
Oman has historically been referred to as the “Switzerland of the Middle East,”
having maintained a commitment to diplomacy throughout the late Sultan Qaboos’s
reign, with a friendly relationship with Iran and an alliance with the US as a
trademark of its role in the region, the report explained. This position may no
longer be tenable, however, as US policy towards Iran adjusts during the Donald
Trump presidency, it added. “American policymakers should be sympathetic as Oman
adjusts to the diametrically opposing policies of the Trump and Obama
administrations. However, Washington should also demand that Muscat shift back
to a truly neutral position on Iran, both politically and economically,” the
report said. According to a 2018 US Senate report, Omani banks assisted Iran in
gaining access to its foreign reserves while the 2015 nuclear deal, formally
known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was still in effect.
This raises “troubling questions” over Oman’s efforts to financial assist Iran,
the report said. US policymakers should push Oman to take a genuinely neutral
position that no longer advocates for dialogue with Iran, the report said.
“Omani officials continue to insist that sanctions are the wrong policy and that
engagement with Iran is the best way forward. This is not a neutral position. If
anything, this is a policy that advocates for Iran’s interests,” it said. Oman’s
ties with Iran are, however, fundamentally a result of former US President’s
Barack Obama’s move to broaden ties with the Islamic Republic, the report said.
Obama’s shift in foreign policy led to Oman acting as a conduit for Iran-US
ties, with the sultanate acting as a discrete backchannel for both parties, and
a corresponding increase in political and economic ties between Oman and Iran.
Oman’s geographic position in the Arabian Gulf close to Iran has for a long time
been of strategic interest to Washington. The US military maintains air bases
and port facilities in the sultanate for this reason, while the US Navy uses the
country as a base for its operations to maintain the freedom of movement in the
Strait of Hormuz – a strategical important waterway through which 30 percent of
all seaborne-trade crude oil flows.
Palestinians must ‘shut up’ or make peace with Israel,
Saudi Crown Prince
Days Of The Palestine/March 04/2020
http://daysofpalestine.com/post/11103/palestinians-must-?fbclid=IwAR2nt7ONernMlPIjOMKNTq1HBjIZ5REuyCy30Clu4LcTrdmzBUThCBQeaNI
‘Palestinian issue is no longer a priority for Saudi Arabia,’ Bin Salman said.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS) has said that the Palestinians must
“shut up” or make peace with the Israeli occupation, which has been slaughtering
them for over 70 years. During a meeting with American Jewish organisations in
New York last month, MBS claimed: “In the last several decades the Palestinian
leadership has missed one opportunity after the other and rejected all the peace
proposals it was given.” Speaking to the Jewish organizations, he added: “It is
about time the Palestinians take the proposals and agree to come to the
negotiations table or shut up and stop complaining.” He also said that the
Palestinian issue was not a priority for the Saudi government, which “has much
more urgent and important issues to deal with” like Iran. MBS also urged Israel
and the Palestinians to advance peace talks in order to pave the way for his
country and other Gulf countries to normalise relations with Israel. Saudi
Arabia and Israel have grown increasingly close in the past few years, as both
countries are allegedly concerned about the claimed threat of Iran and its
allies in the region. During his American tour, MBS told “60 Minutes” that
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was “very much like Hitler.” He
also told The Atlantic that Jews “have the right to own the land of Palestine.”
Palestinians Protest as Israeli Bulldozers Clear Land
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 4 March, 2020
Palestinians have launched protests in the occupied West Bank after Israeli
bulldozers began clearing land in what villagers fear is an attempt to
confiscate it for future Jewish settlements. Scuffles intensified this week as
Israeli voters voted in an election, with Palestinians saying settlers had been
emboldened by US President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan and Israeli election
rhetoric about annexing settlements. Villagers from nearby Qusra challenged
troops guarding Israeli bulldozers as they worked in a field close to Migdalim
settlement in the northern West Bank, reported Reuters. In another nearby
village, Beita, residents protested over several days, planting a Palestinian
flag and erecting a tent on the hilltop of al-Arma to defend it against settlers
from Itamar settlement, near the city of Nablus. Some demonstrators hurled rocks
at Israeli troops. “I came here because this is my land, and I want to die on my
land but they are not letting me come near it,” said Joudat Odeh, from Qusra.
“They are happy at the victory of Netanyahu,” said Odeh, 70. “They are coming to
control this land and we are helpless.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud Party leads the
vote count after Monday’s election, but with 99% of votes counted on Wednesday
he was still short of securing enough seats for a governing coalition. Victory
would pave the way for Netanyahu to make good on his pledge to annex settlements
in the West Bank under Trump’s peace plan. Palestinians have rejected the
proposal, saying it would kill their dream of establishing a viable state in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip, territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
More than 400,000 Israeli settlers now live among about 3 million Palestinians
in the West Bank, with a further 200,000 settlers in East Jerusalem.
Palestinians and much of the world view the settlements as illegal under
international law, a position Israel and the United States dispute. An Israeli
military statement said that on March 1 Israelis were carrying out “agricultural
work” near Migdalim when around 30 Palestinians “came to the area, hurled rocks
and came into physical confrontation with the Israelis. Military forces came to
the area and dispersed the crowd.”Soon afterwards, the statement said, 120
Palestinians gathered nearby in what it termed a “riot.” It said its troops were
confronted with burning tires and “large amounts of rocks” and “responded with
riot dispersal means.”Qusra protesters said Israel had stopped Palestinians
using or farming the lands in question since the 1990s, and now they feared
settlers would seize them for their own use. “I am afraid that in a few days
Netanyahu may come to lay the cornerstone of a new settlement,” said Mohammad
Shokri, 80, from Qusra. “He gave them a promise he would increase settlement.
They want to take over all the mountains and to leave nothing for the Arabs”.
U.S. must demand that China release freedom fighter Jimmy
Lai
China's rulers let loose a deadly virus and imprison a champion of human rights
Clifford D. May/Washington Times/March 04/2020
Jimmy Lai was arrested last week. If you don’t know who Jimmy Lai is, let me
enlighten you: He’s a freedom fighter. He’s not fighting the patriarchy, or the
1 percent, or those who don sombreros on Halloween. He’s fighting the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP), which is intent on subjugating Hong Kong.
Visiting Washington last summer, Mr. Lai met with Vice President Mike Pence,
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and members of Congress. He paid a visit to my
think tank as well. I observed that he was putting himself in serious peril. He
replied that the defense of freedom has always required risk and sacrifice. Mr.
Lai, 71, began his career as a 12-year-old laborer in a Hong Kong glove factory.
By 20 he was the factory’s manager. Not long after, he became a fantastically
successful entrepreneur. To support freedom of the press and speech, he began
publishing newspapers. He could now be spending his wealth and time drinking
cocktails on a beach. Instead, he’s facing charges of “illegal assembly”
connected with a protest last August coinciding with the fifth anniversary of
Beijing’s refusal to permit fully democratic elections in Hong Kong.
Conviction could mean five years in prison. Or more: “We have every reason to
believe that the trial of traitors like Lai has only just begun,” threatened an
editorial in China’s official Xinhua News Agency. Americans and Europeans have
long seen China not as it is, but as we wish it were. At Tiananmen Square in
June 1983, thousands of pro-democracy protesters were massacred. The response of
the “international community” was tepid. Just 14 years later, Britain handed
Hong Kong, which it had ruled for 156 years, to CCP control.
Beijing promised that the people of Hong Kong — who have developed their own
distinctive culture, values and identity — would be permitted to preserve
political, legal and economic autonomy for 50 years. China’s current ruler, Xi
Jinping, has broken that promise.
Italy's Virus Death Toll Hits 107 as Cases Pass 3,000
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 04/2020
Italy on Wednesday closed all schools and universities until March 15 to help
combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. The government decision was
announced moments after health officials said the death toll from COVID-19 had
jumped to 107 and the number of cases had passed 3,000.
Tokyo urges against cherry blossom parties over coronavirus fears
NNA/AFP/March 04/2020
The Tokyo government urged residents on Wednesday (March 4) to refrain from
joining parties at parks during the famed cherry blossom season, in the latest
disruption caused by concerns over the coronavirus. The season, which is
expected to start in mid-March, is traditionally celebrated with hanami - or
viewing parties - in cherry blossom hot spots, with picnics organised beneath
the trees. The metropolitan government said such events have risks of spreading
the virus, which has infected almost 300 people in Japan and killed six. "It is
expected to be crowded at parks and near rivers managed by the Tokyo government
during the cherry blossom season," the government said in a statement. "Please
refrain from joining parties that involve food and drinks in order to prevent
the spread of the new coronavirus infections." They said walking to enjoy sakura,
or cherry blossom, is fine, but advised people to wear masks if they are
coughing. The affected areas include famous parks in Ueno and Yoyogi and also
Sumida river. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stepped up measures to
contain the virus, urging schools to close for several weeks and calling on
organisers of large events to consider cancelling or delaying them. Everything
from football matches to music concerts have been affected, while the spring
sumo tournament will be held behind closed doors. Japan's cherry blossom season
is feverishly anticipated by locals and visitors alike. Many tourists plan their
entire trips around the blooms, and Japanese flock to parks in their millions to
enjoy the spectacle. Cherry blossoms symbolise the fragility of life in Japanese
culture, as full blooms last only about a week before the petals start falling
off trees. Weathernews, a weather forecasting firm near Tokyo, predicts the
blooming will start on March 17 in Tokyo.
George Medal for saving Princess Anne sells for £50k
NNA/BBC/March 04/2020
A medal awarded to a boxer who helped save the Princess Royal from an attempted
armed kidnap has sold at auction for £50,000.
Former heavyweight Ronnie Russell, 72, punched Ian Ball in the head as he tried
to abduct the princess at gunpoint in London in 1974.
Mr Russell said he reluctantly sold the George Medal as he had been "very unwell
for quite some time". "I want to know that I've done enough to pay for my own
funeral," he said. After the auction, Mr Russell, who lives in Bristol, said:
"For something I thought that I would never sell, I never believed it would sell
for this amount, I am absolutely blown away." He said he had one request for the
UK buyer, who asked to remain anonymous, which was for them to meet in person to
tell the story of what happened. Mr Russell was heading home to his wife and
children in Strood, Kent, when he thwarted the late-night ambush on 20 March
1974. Ball had blocked the princess's car on The Mall in central London and had
fired shots, wounding four people. Mr Russell said Ball was trying to drag
Princess Anne from her car while her then husband, Captain Mark Phillips, was
pulling her back. "She was very, very together, telling him: 'Just go away and
don't be such a silly man'," he said. "He stood there glaring at me with the gun
and I hit him. I hit him as hard as I could and he was flat on the floor face
down. "I said to Princess Anne: 'We're going to walk away and he's going to have
to go through me to get you'." Ball was later sent to a psychiatric hospital by
an Old Bailey judge. Mr Russell was awarded the George Medal for bravery by the
Queen, who told him: "The medal is from the Queen, but I want to thank you as
Anne's mother."It was sold along with a letter from 10 Downing Street informing
Mr Russell of the award and a telegram from Princess Anne. -- BBC
Coronavirus has had no effect on Iran's oil, gas
production: official
NNA/ReutersMarch 04/2020
Coronavirus has not had any effect on oil or gas production in Iran, the deputy
head of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said on Wednesday, according to
the Tasnim news agency. "The production and distribution of Iran’s oil and gas
is being carried out without any effect from the outbreak," Farokh Alikhani was
quoted as saying. Iran’s crude oil exports were slashed by more than 80% after
U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a multilateral nuclear deal with the
Islamic Republic in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan
Zanganeh departed Tehran to attend a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna on Wednesday, according to SHANA, the news
site of the Iranian oil ministry.
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on March 04-05/2020
On our Dead, Who Do not Die
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/March 04/2020
Achieving Arab unity, liberating Palestine, building socialism that corresponds,
in some way or another, with the Soviet model: three headlines-slogans that
dominated Arab political and intellectual life between the mid-1950s and early
70s. Towards the end of the 70s and for a few years, the Khomeinist version of
what had been known as the Islamic Republic came to the fore.
Unity, Palestine and socialism formed the essence of the Arab Nationalist cause
led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. The Khomeini Republic was the reference point for the
radical Islamists who were inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini. Today, only a small
minority raises these headlines–slogans or takes them seriously. Sometimes, one
of them is invoked, under a weight of anger, bitterness and disappointment, but
it is quickly taken back once things turn serious. Sometimes they are invoked by
nostalgia as well, but, like all forms of longing, this nostalgia is quickly
forgotten and the nostalgic are forgotten along with it.
These four projects have been defeated several times, whether in terms of their
image of themselves or the perception of this image by the outside world. They
were defeated in war and in peace, and defeated economically, politically,
culturally and socially.
Arab unification was dealt its first defeat in 1961 with Syria’s secession from
the “United Arab Republic”, which brought it together with Egypt. Its second
defeat took place in 1970 with Nasser’s death, the champion of this unity and
who sought to unify Egypt and Syria. This was followed by the failure of the
“party of unification”, the Baath, to unite the two countries that it ruled. A
murderous hostility then prevailed between them. Later on, Saddam Hussein
permanently destroyed any hope for unity, even an imaginary one, when he invaded
Kuwait in 1990.
In the meantime, and in light of the civil wars and the explosion of minor
identities (sects, ethnicities...) in the Arab world, it has become difficult to
preserve the national unity of the existing nation-states. So, how could one
seriously consider the establishment of Arab unity "from the ocean to the
Gulf?"?
The slogan of liberating Palestine was torn apart by the adoption of the
strategy of establishing two states based on the 1967 borders. It was preceded
by the famous Nasserite call to make do with “erasing the traces of Israel’s
aggression”.
The two civil wars in Jordan and Lebanon in 1970 and 1975 turned “liberation”,
as a principle and a possibility, into mere fiction. The withdrawal of Sadat’s
Egypt from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict deprived it of its most important
tool. Hafez al-Assad’s long battle with the Palestinian Liberation Organization
ensured the total transformation of that slogan into a mere pawn in the hands of
Arab regimes.
The Oslo Agreement of 1993 illustrated the limits of what could be achieved, and
subsequent developments came to demonstrate that this was indeed the case.
Twenty years before that, during the 1973 war, the Arab regimes announced their
modest limits.
Soviet socialism collapsed in its motherland. About ten countries in Central and
Eastern Europe revolted and overthrew their regimes, while their Arab imitators'
extremely limited achievements could not justify their imitation. What remained
of this legacy are military and security dictatorships, accompanied by
resounding defeats.
In the meantime, the rest of the world recognized and began discussing the
superiority of capitalism: Do we need a humane capitalism that blends its
liberalism with some democratic socialism, or a cruel and neoliberal capitalism
that is concerned only with profit at the expense of man and his environment and
physical health?
The Islamic Republic of Iran was exposed much faster: with the war between Iraq
and Iran, it became apparent that the Khomeini revolution was in no way seeking
“Islamic unity” that cuts across the different Islamic sects and doctrines as
promised. But it also turned out that it would not become the superior
alternative model to "western capitalism" and "eastern communism". The Iranian
revolution took its place as part of the history of sectarian strife in the
region, not the history of a supposed revolutionary process. Much of what is
happening today in the Arab world confirms that. So, four slogans-headlines have
practically died at the cost of much blood, effort and money.
However, psychology says that death cannot be final until the deceased has been
mourned. For mourning solidifies death as a concrete fact, while also opening
the door for a new life devoid of its sadness. Mourning is the obligatory
passage one must take to reach beyond death.
In our case, death is not complete because we do not mourn. In other words, we
are satisfied with forcing ourselves to mumble, “Yes, these projects are
finished.” We do this though we do not review the dead projects. We do not
revise and discuss the causes of death except according to clichés about
conspiracies and so on. Thus, our dead could return with different names so long
as we have not buried and mourned them. They could return as nightmares or as
caricatures, but they return. As for the distance they need to cross to reach
us, it will not be long. Once they return, they will force us, whether we like
it or not, to live among corpses. This is a sign that we have not left death,
and that we may not leave it for long time.
Is Ankara Afraid of Invasion?
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/March 04/2020
The Syrian war, which began nine years ago, marks the first time that Turkey’s
air force and artillery targeted Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias.
Turkish F-16 fighter jets or drones would not have entered Syrian airspace —
where Syrian, Iranian and Russian defenses are stacked — had Ankara not felt
confident that they were under the protection of American forces there.
Furthermore, Russia, which gave Israeli fighter jets the freedom to bomb Iranian
and Hezbollah positions in the vicinity of Damascus, did not intercept the
Turkish air force, which shot down the Syrian regime’s Russian-built Sukhoi
Su-24 jet fighters, or Turkish drones that targeted the regime’s armored
vehicles.
From his side, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his
intention to travel to Moscow for a meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir
Putin, whose spokesperson has said that Russia does not want to expand the war
zone.
What has worried Erdogan is the move north by Iranian and Syrian forces, which
suggests that not satisfied with expelling armed factions and recovering the
rest of northern Syria, they intend to invade Turkish territory. Ankara has,
thus, responded to the perceived threat by reiterating its obligation to defend
its borders and citizens.
As for why Damascus and Tehran seem to want to expand the conflict zone
northwards and, perhaps, invade southern Turkey, is based on the same
justification Turkey gave for its invasion of the Syrian north last year; i.e.
to establish a “safe zone” inside the Syrian territories, under the pretext of
preventing the Kurds from attacking Turkey. The Damascus regime’s and Iranian
forces might then decide to cross the border on the pretext of pushing armed
groups, including Syrian and foreign fighters, out of Syria; thereby weakening
Turkey and getting rid of millions of Syrians who oppose the regime.
Ankara has discovered that all the agreements on Syria it reached with Iran and
Russia in Sochi over the past two years has come at the expense of its own
interests, and finds itself losing out. This is why it has fallen back on its
alliance with the US and asked Washington for support.
The US opposes the recent agreements about Syria and has criticized the Turkish
position. Indeed, Washington demands that the Syrian opposition be given a role
in the country’s government and that Iranian forces and their militias be
expelled from Syria. Perhaps, this explains the resumption of fighting in Daraa,
in southwestern Syria, near Jordan, after nearly two years of peace. This could
distract the Syrian regime, which has moved most of its forces to the north.
Erdogan is now paying the price of his delay in military intervention, and for
getting closer to the Iranians and Russians at the expense of the Syrian
opposition. A cursory look at the map shows that most of the fighting is within
a few miles of the Turkish border.
In the past few weeks, the Syrian regime’s forces and their allies have launched
aggressive and destructive operations in Idlib province and its surroundings.
The Turks did nothing but issue denunciations; and as a result, hundreds of
thousands of people were forced to flee toward Turkey.
Ankara does not have time for further prevarication. If it does not act to
defend Idlib and Syrians in the areas adjacent to its territory, the fighting
will spread; and millions of more people will be displaced and pushed across the
border and into Turkish cities.
Slowing the Spread of Coronavirus
Noah Feldman/Bloomberg/March 04/2020
The coronavirus called Covid-19 has spread beyond its origin in Wuhan, China,
and has arrived on US shores. I’m a law professor, not an epidemiologist, so my
thoughts immediately turned to how the law would shape America’s collective
response to a broader pandemic — and what the government’s power will mean for
individual rights under the Constitution.
It’s a question that could soon become an urgent one — I recently interviewed
Marc Lipsitch, the brilliant epidemiologist who runs the Center for Communicable
Disease Dynamics at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, for my podcast.
Lipsitch told me, very calmly, that based on past pandemics and current
information, 40-70% of adults in the world are likely to catch the virus in the
absence of strong countermeasures. Between one and two percent of those could
die.
Those are frightening numbers. A pandemic of this scale, and the efforts taken
to contain it, would likely result in fierce debates over civil liberties as
well as legal action. There’s already been one lawsuit, and there will probably
be more. (After all, it’s the American Way.)
In China, where the government isn’t burdened by a constitutional tradition that
protects civil liberties or an independent judiciary that engages in oversight
of the executive branch, the government seems to have been able to order people
to stay home and get them to listen. But would US residents do the same?
We’ve already seen one court case about Covid-19 in California. When the federal
government, working in conjunction with state public health officials, decided
to quarantine Americans who’d been infected with Covid-19 overseas in a disused
mental health facility in Costa Mesa, California, local officials went to
federal court to try to stop it. Think of it as the ultimate NIMBY suit.
The relevant legal framework doesn’t provide a very strong basis for the city to
block the plan. It’s a general principle of local government law that cities are
creatures of the state government and subordinate to it. So long as the state of
California says it is on board with the plan and agrees with the federal
government, the city is basically certain to lose. The same would be true with
any other cities or towns looking to defy state and federal officials.
That’s in part because the president clearly has the power to declare a national
health emergency and start ordering quarantines. This power comes from Congress,
and is conferred on the president by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act. As the name suggests, this is the same law that lets
the president declare disaster relief emergencies. President Donald Trump
invoked this power in late January, when he declared a public health emergency
and ordered the quarantine of Americans returning from areas of China where
Covid-19 had already spread. Quarantines can also be authorized by the surgeon
general, who is specifically given that power by federal law.
But that doesn’t mean states have to obey. As law professor Michael Dorf pointed
out in a constitutional overview of the issue he wrote in 2014, the federal
government cannot officially commandeer state officials to follow its directives
if they don’t want to cooperate. If a state wanted to refuse to cooperate with
the federal government, they could conceivably present a more convincing case
than the Costa Mesa plaintiffs.
Nevertheless, in the real world of an actual pandemic, it seems very probable
that states will cooperate with the federal government and even put their public
health and police officials under federal direction — something they’re allowed
to do.
As for any individual people who might go to court to challenge a quarantine
order, they would be almost sure to lose. The high point of government authority
is in responding to an immediate threat to citizens’ life and limb.
By definition, a quarantine limits the freedom of movement of people who are
completely innocent of any wrongdoing to serve the overall good of avoiding more
infections. Supreme Court doctrine directs that essentially all our individual
liberties can be suspended if the government has a compelling interest to do so
and if its measures are narrowly tailored to achieving that end. Slowing a
pandemic is a textbook example of a compelling state interest; and quarantine is
presumably the narrowest available method to do so in the middle of an outbreak.
Where things could get more complicated is if the government directs much or all
of the population in a given area to shelter in place — including people who do
not have the disease. If this were a mere advisory, individuals could violate it
without being subject to legal sanctions. But that might not make people stay
put, at least not in every case.
What if the US government, or state governments, issue shelter-in-place orders
that last weeks at a time? That possibility is presumably one of the reasons
that the government websites are already telling us to stockpile two weeks’
worth of food. Such orders aren’t exactly the same as quarantining the sick —
but they aren’t that different either, if they are aimed at preventing people
from getting sick.
If days or weeks pass and Covid-19 hasn’t hit an area where people have been
staying home, most would likely feel a powerful impulse to get out of the house
and start moving around again. The question would then arise of what powers the
government has to restrict our movements. If some noninfected people are
arrested for leaving their homes, I would expect the courts to get involved
again — and the outcomes to be uncertain.
Threatened by Iranian regime, family of Flight 752 victim
flees to Edmonton
Stewart.Bell/The Canadian Press/March 04/2020
https://globalnews.ca/news/6624670/iran-plane-crash-threatened-family-moved-edmonton-canada/?fbclid=IwAR3109NyhND4G3U28GyoT6dTQUXdi5i0bVm5wrZmf-ka4UtTUlxgKUDUrvk
WATCH: The relative of an Iranian-Canadian student claims the family is being
intimidated by Iran officials for speaking to the media and are refusing to
release his body.
The family of a graduate student killed when Iran shot down a commercial plane
two months ago has fled to Canada, alleging they were being threatened by
authorities.
The mother, father, brother and aunt of Amir Hossein Saeedinia, a University of
Alberta student who died in the Iranian missile attack, arrived in Edmonton last
Friday seeking refugee status.
The Canadian government facilitated their arrival by quickly issuing visas to
them in Ankara, Turkey, said Reza Akbari, president of the Iranian Heritage
Society of Edmonton, on Wednesday.
The aunt, Fatima Latifi, told Global News the family had been targeted by Iran’s
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for speaking out about the Jan. 8 downing of
the Ukraine International Airlines flight.
“I started sending videos and photos to networks outside of Iran,” said Latifi.
“But I was threatened with arrest by the IRGC intelligence and I was taken to
the IRGC intelligence.”
“They’ve been detained, they’ve been threatened,” he said. “Day by day, the
situation escalated.” In particular, they were warned not to take their case to
an international court, he said.
“They really want to speak,” he said. “And also they want to encourage the rest
of the families to stay strong, because they know they are under pressure, and
find their way to speak and tell their stories.”
When Edmonton Iranian community members learned of their situation, they
contacted the office of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Akbari said.
“The moment we sent the visa application, it just took less than 12 hours,
everything was granted and even the Canadian embassy contacted them to leave
Iran immediately,” he said.
Community members greeted them at the Edmonton airport, raised money for them,
got them a place to stay and have been helping them resettle in the city.
“They can’t go back,” Akbari said.
He said the family wants to launch a lawsuit against Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali
Khamenei, whom they hold responsible.
Flight 752 was shot down shortly after taking off from Tehran airport. Iran
spent days denying responsibility until, confronted with video evidence, they
acknowledged the IRGC had fired surface-to-air missiles at the Boeing 737. The
regime said its forces mistook the flight for a U.S. warplane. The incident
occurred as Iran was bracing for retaliation after the IRGC fired missiles at
military bases in Iraq used by U.S., Canadian and other troops. Tensions were
high at the time after Iranian-backed militias allegedly killed an American
translator in Iraq, prompting the U.S. to target Qassem Sulaimani, leader of the
IRGC’s Quds Force clandestine external operations branch, in a drone strike.
Of the 176 aboard the plane, 57 were Canadian citizens and 138 others had ties
here — all of them died. Among them was Saeedinia, who was beginning his PhD at
the U of A’s Centre for Design of Advanced Materials. Days later, his family in
Iran pleaded for Canada’s help in videos posted on social media, saying they
were being intimidated for speaking openly about the tragedy, and complaining
the regime had refused to release the body.
The downing of the plane fueled internal discontent and protests against the
Iranian regime. Iran has said it would cooperate with an international
investigation but has so far refused to hand over the black boxes for analysis.
–With a file from The Canadian Press
Macron lacks leverage as he aims to avert Idlib tragedy
Randa Takieddine/Arab News/March 04/2020
French President Emmanuel Macron has repeated more than once that “I am not
pro-Russian, I am not anti-Russian, I am pro-European.” Macron has tried since
last summer to gear his diplomacy toward a closer and better relationship with
Russian President Vladimir Putin, thinking he could obtain results on Ukraine
and influence events in Syria.
Macron appointed a retired, brilliant former French ambassador to Washington,
Pierre Vimont, as a special charge de mission for Russia with the task of
improving relations with Putin. However, despite Macron’s efforts, it seems that
France and Germany have so far failed to persuade the Russians to stop the
bombing missions in Idlib and let humanitarian assistance get through.
The Syrian population fleeing Russian and regime bombings in Idlib is, according
to the UN, about 900,000. The civilians are trapped in a fight between Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad, with the
latter helped by the Russian air bombardments. This tragedy is cornering
innocent civilians between three evils: A Syrian dictator who has killed
hundreds of thousands of his own people and displaced more than 12 million; a
Turkish leader thinking that he is heading the Ottoman empire; and a Russian
president wanting to be the czar of the Levant, deploying his air force to
empower a criminal regime against the desperate population of Idlib.
Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have called for a quadrilateral
summit with Putin and Erdogan, but that has not yet materialized. Instead,
Erdogan and Putin are due to meet in Moscow on Thursday. Fourteen European
foreign ministers last week published a column in Le Monde newspaper pleading
with Russia and the Syrian regime to stop the fighting in Idlib. But their plea
was not heard, and the fighting went on, making the ongoing humanitarian crisis
even worse.
Obviously the call of these European countries did not impress the Syrian regime
and its protector, Putin. As for Erdogan, he pressured the Europeans by allowing
about 10,000 Syrian refugees to leave Turkey and approach the borders of Greece.
Erdogan is putting pressure on the Europeans, blackmailing them with Syrian
refugees. If they don’t put their weight on NATO to help him, he will open
Turkey’s borders and allow huge numbers of refugees into Europe via Greece and
Bulgaria.
Turkey lost at least 33 troops in an attack in Idlib by the Syrian regime last
week. Erdogan retaliated by downing three regime planes and destroying Syrian
and Hezbollah positions. The Russian air force did not intervene. Putin knows he
is about to sit at a table with Erdogan, who bought the S-400 missile defense
system from Russia despite the opposition of his American ally. Erdogan is also
opposed to Putin in Libya. His mercenaries are fighting to help the government
of Fayez Al-Sarraj, while Putin is helping Al-Sarraj’s rival Khalifa Haftar.
Nevertheless, Erdogan is keen on his special, complicated relationship with
Putin
The Europeans — France and Germany in particular — have been unable to save the
Syrian civilians from this tragic humanitarian situation. But Europe has also
failed to present a unified policy toward the problem of Syrian refugees since
2015. Macron, according to sources close to him, has not lost hope and is still
trying to organize a summit of four on Idlib, but it is obvious that his
approach does not seem to be working with this Russian president, who is helping
Assad reconquer a different Syria, with its cities and villages’ populations
displaced and altered.
However, Putin needs France and Germany. His economic relations with Berlin are
very strong, but he also needs a French ally in Europe — although clearly not to
the extent of him offering any concessions over his new colony in the Levant.
Putin knows that his Syrian intervention, to protect Assad, enabled him to
regain in the Middle East what the Soviet Union had lost in Europe. Also, the
absence of US interest opened the door wide for Russia to become the prevailing
power in the region.
It is obvious that Macron’s approach does not seem to be working with this
Russian president.
Putin would have wanted Europe to start the rebuilding of Syria, but France and
Germany still have this to use as leverage as long as the Geneva process for a
political transition in Syria is blocked. However, this leverage will be limited
if any European countries resume diplomatic relations with Damascus, which the
populist governments in places like Hungary and Poland might be tempted to do.
But, as long as France and Germany are not headed by extreme-right populist
leaders, these two driving forces of Europe will not rebuild for Assad what he
previously destroyed.
Macron is still an important player in the future of Syria, but the Idlib
tragedy shows the limits of his diplomacy with Putin and Erdogan.
*Randa Takieddine is a Paris-based Lebanese journalist who headed Al-Hayat’s
bureau in France for 30 years. She has covered France’s relations with the
Middle East through the terms of four presidents.
Billions poised to become economic victims of coronavirus
Afshin Molavi /Arab News/March 04/2020
When multilateral organizations produce economic reports, they generally adorn
the front cover with a generic and emotionless photo of an urban center, a
thriving factory, or smiling children. A recent report by the Paris-based
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was different. The
multilateral development body that focuses on the world’s most advanced
economies displayed a photo that was subtle, but shocking: A hauntingly empty
airport terminal.
When we think of airports, we think of bustling terminals packed with
passengers, bright lights and movement. After all, some 4.6 billion passengers
take to the air each year worldwide — about 12.5 million per day. So the message
conveyed by the photo was clear: The world could be headed for serious trouble
with the rapid rise of what many leading scientists are calling an inevitable
global coronavirus pandemic. An empty airport terminal is simply one symptom of
a much larger problem.
The OECD has already revised downward its global growth forecast for 2020 to 2.4
percent from 2.9 percent. The organization noted, however, that growth could be
hit harder if the epidemic spreads to many other countries. At that stage, the
world could see a paltry 1.5 percent growth, according to the OECD. Much of the
global slowdown is due to the Chinese slowdown. After all, China accounts for
about 40 percent of global commodities demand, nearly 10 percent of
international tourism, 11 percent of world trade, and 17 percent of global gross
domestic product, according to the OECD.
So what effects might the virus have on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)?
The effects will be sharp and immediate on several regional economies, though
the lingering pain will largely depend on whether or not the virus is contained.
Iran is on the front lines of the virus, the hardest-hit country in the MENA
region. More than 2,300 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed, with more
than 70 deaths, according to government figures. Independent experts, however,
suggest that the infection toll could be much higher. A team of epidemiologists
at the University of Toronto suggested that Iran may actually have seen some
18,000 cases, and rising, and BBC Persian has estimated more than 200 deaths
thus far, based on hospital logs.
Though each death is a tragedy, on a more macro level, Iran’s economy can hardly
handle such a punch in the gut right now, amid increasing isolation owing to US
sanctions and chronic mismanagement and corruption. According to the
International Monetary Fund, Iran’s economy contracted by 9 percent in 2019,
making the Islamic Republic one of the worst-performing economies in the world.
The only two that did worse in 2019? Libya and Venezuela.
A World Health Organization team has landed on the ground this week and Iranian
officials have launched an aggressive campaign of disinfections and medical team
home visits. However, even if Iran is able to stem the virus, its economy will
certainly receive more body blows from the global fallout of coronavirus.
Though Iran’s case is the most severe in the MENA region, it is certainly not
alone. Oil prices could take a further battering if China’s economy continues to
sputter and if the virus strikes even harder at East Asian economies. Most Gulf
Cooperation Council countries have a heavy exposure to Chinese and broad Asian
oil or gas demand.
China, South Korea and Japan all face varying degrees of economic slowdown
resulting from coronavirus. As these economies continue to feel the pain, oil
and gas demand will pinch. Even if Russia and OPEC revise their tag-team
production cuts to boost markets, underlying demand will remain weak until
Asia’s global supply chains are back to normal. After all, the vast majority of
MENA oil goes east, not west.
As for the West, several North African countries are closely linked to European
trade, supply chains, and tourism. As China slows, so does Europe. As Europe
slows, North African states — many of whose exports and tourism industries are
heavily reliant on European markets — will be hit hard.
The coronavirus landed at a time when MENA countries were already struggling
with low growth prospects for 2020.
Major international air hubs like Dubai or Istanbul and regional carriers with
global links will be hit by slowing air travel growth, though the airlines will
benefit from lower oil prices.
What’s more, the coronavirus landed at a time when MENA countries were already
struggling with low growth prospects for 2020. With youth unemployment still
hovering at 30 percent, the region’s populous states, from Egypt to Algeria and
Iraq to Sudan, will face continued pressure from frustrated populations.While
virus watchers tend to chronicle the number of confirmed cases of infection or
death in the MENA region and worldwide, it is important to remember the other
victims of the virus: The tens of millions of people across the region — and the
billions worldwide — who will be hit hard by the coming economic slowdown.
*Afshin Molavi is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns
Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and editor and
founder of the New Silk Road Monitor. Twitter:
Challenges aplenty as UK and EU ‘get Brexit started’
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/March 04/2020
This week’s first round of EU-UK negotiations on a new trade and wider
partnership concludes on Thursday. With the final form of the UK’s departure
from the EU still far from clear, this underlines how much is yet to be agreed,
despite the London government’s claim that Brexit is already “done.”
Indeed, far from the UK’s exit having been concluded, this week is really about
“getting Brexit started” in earnest. While the nation’s withdrawal from the EU
on Jan. 31 may have been a seminal moment in post-war history, Brexit is far
from being a single, isolated event. Instead it is a much broader process of
negotiations (a catch-all term used here for formal diplomatic discussions and
wider debates about Brexit) between the UK and EU, and within the UK, about
their respective futures.
So even with a Brexit withdrawal deal now ratified, there are multiple scenarios
still possible, from a disorderly exit this year through to the outside
possibility of the transition being extended and a deep, comprehensive deal
being concluded later in the 2020s.
Turning to this week, at the start of what could be the most complex peacetime
dialogue ever undertaken by the parties, the mood music over a potential deal is
darkening. While there is overlap between the starting positions of Brussels and
London, the timeframes are very tight, with Boris Johnson asserting that the UK
will walk away from trade talks in June unless there is a “broad outline” of a
comprehensive deal capable of being “rapidly finalized” by September.
While at least an interim UK-EU deal may still be the most likely outcome this
year, there is a growing chance of talks collapsing. To this end, the UK
government said this week that it had recommenced preparations to end the
transition period without a trade deal on World Trade Organization terms.
One of the reasons that the talks this year may not go as well as hoped is the
current overstretch in the UK government on the trade negotiation side. The
responsibility for this area of policy has long been transferred by EU states to
Brussels, and London is therefore behind the curve on this issue and making up
ground after almost five decades in the bloc.
Moreover, at the same time as UK policymakers are focused on an EU deal, they
are also looking to agree trade deals with many non-European countries. Take the
example of a potential agreement with the US, which has been the focus of much
attention in London this week. The UK government declared this week, in a
180-page negotiating position for the talks, that a post-Brexit trade deal is a
big priority. Yet London’s own analysis indicates that such an agreement would
boost the nation’s economy by a puny 0.16 percent over the next 15 years.
Inevitably, this has led to concerns being expressed that the benefits of a
transatlantic deal have been much exaggerated. For instance, Liberal Democrat
international trade spokesperson Sarah Olney said on Monday that a US-UK deal
“will not come close to outweighing what we expect to lose from leaving the EU.”
Another key challenge for London with the potential new UK-US trade deal is that
it may not now be possible to secure ratification before the end of Trump’s
current four-year term, given that the administration is, in an election year,
losing traction in Congress, which would also need to vote on a deal. This means
that a new agreement will likely be kicked out to 2021, when there could be a
new president.
Even if Trump is re-elected, there is a growing range of issues where he appears
to be significantly at odds with Johnson, such as Huawei, a proposed UK digital
tax, and climate change. Moreover, while there are key areas ripe for agreement
between the two nations in such a US-UK pact, including lowering or eliminating
tariffs on goods, there are potential disagreements too, not least given the
current president’s rhetorical commitment to “America First.”
While at least an interim UK-EU deal may still be the most likely outcome this
year, there is a growing chance of talks collapsing.
What the challenges around the US deal underline is that, as keen as Johnson is
to rediscover the UK’s heritage “as a great global trading nation” post-Brexit,
this is not a straightforward agenda to realize in practice. This is not just
with leading developed nations like the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand,
but also major emerging markets like China, India and the Gulf Cooperation
Council states, given the range of issues in play.
This underlines the major trade challenges now facing London, not least on
Brexit, given the complexity of the debate. The final form of the UK’s departure
from the EU remains far from clear and there is still a very significant
possibility of a disorderly exit, given Johnson’s current red line around the
transition period ending in December.
The stakes in play therefore remain huge and historic, not just for the UK, but
also the EU, which could be damaged by a disorderly Brexit. Delivering a
smoother departure needs clear, coherent and careful thinking on all sides, so
that London, Brussels and the EU-27 can move toward a constructive new
partnership that can hopefully bring significant benefits for both at a time of
great geopolitical flux.
*Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.
Democratic rift likely to impede whoever takes on Trump
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib /Arab News/March 04/2020
Despite Bernie Sanders leading the polls early on, Joe Bidensurged ahead in the
primaries on Super Tuesday. He won nine states, while Sanders took California.
Who will clinch the nomination is still unclear. However, one thing has been
confirmed: The Democratic infighting is severe.
The US no longer has one Democratic Party. It now has two wings that are
completely different. The moderates are the traditional democrats, who carry the
conventional Democratic line of thought. Biden, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg
fall into this category. The other branch represents the progressives — those
who want a drastic change in the current economic and social system. Sanders and
Elizabeth Warren belong to this branch.
Everyone was expecting Sanders to score a major win on Super Tuesday. However,
Klobuchar and Buttigieg left the presidential campaign and endorsed Biden.
Sanders, who is seen as an intruder to the Democratic establishment, was not
able to persuade the moderate candidates who dropped out of the race to endorse
him. There is a struggle occurring between the progressive new wave, which is
spreading among Democratic voters, and the established Democratic thinking and
policy lines. If this rift persists beyond the nomination, Donald Trump will be
the ultimate winner.
Sanders brought new ideas and a new narrative that were very well-received in a
country where social differences are growing by the day. Biden does not have a
new outlook; his is more of a continuation of Barack Obama’s. Nevertheless, he
focuses on the party’s unity — and the country’s unity. His narrative is to
bring the US back to pre-Trump normalcy and to heal thedivisionsin American
society that have been brought about by the Trump presidency. Biden also
represents a more pragmatic approach; hence his ability to cut a deal with his
former competitors. Sanders, who is more of an idealist, was not able to cut a
similar deal with his fellow progressive candidate, Warren. If Warren had exited
the race and endorsed Sanders — like Buttigieg and Klobuchar did for Biden — the
result could have been different. Nevertheless, the results of Super Tuesday do
not tell us for sure who will win the nomination. There is always a chance of a
turnaround if Warren, following her poor performance on Tuesday, drops out of
the race and endorses Sanders.
Chris Wallace, the Fox News anchor, recently said: “We’re all sort of struggling
to understand the Bernie Sanders phenomenon.” He is indeed a phenomenon. The
Vermont senator is an intruder to the Democratic Party in the same way Trump is
an intruder to the Republican Party. If Sanders wins the nomination and, in
November, wins the presidency, he would have the chance to change the face of
his party the same way Trump has changed the face of the Republicans. The Grand
Old Party is now Trump’s party, with the traditional Republican Party gone. The
only one who still adheres to the now-defunct party is Mitt Romney. He is
considered a maverick by his peers, especially regarding the Ukraine issue, over
which he took a stand against Trump.
We have seen the establishment, and the moderates it represents, coalescing
around Biden, driven by the instinct of self-preservation. There is always the
question of who is more likely to beat Trump? In a recent poll by YouGov, 65
percent of Democratic voters said they would vote for the candidate who is more
likely to beat Trump in November. For many of these, Bidenseems like a safer
bet. The so-called stigma of socialism associated with Sanders casts a doubt on
his electability among many Democratic voters.
There is a struggle occurring between the progressive new wave and the
established Democratic thinking.
There is a fear that a radical figure like Sanders, who is calling for drastic
change, might scare away some voters, who will simply not vote on election day,
delivering an easy win for Trump. On the other hand, the progressives who are
energized by Sanders might not be enticed enough by Biden to vote in November.
For them, Sanders is their only and last chance for a change toward social
equity.
Biden and Sanders represent two totally different approaches. While Sanders,
similarly to Trump, is anti-establishment, Biden wants to put the American
establishment back on track, hence the endorsements from powerful congressional
figures. Sanders represents change and a clean break from traditional Democratic
policies, while Biden represents continuity and stability. However, the
differences between the two camps are irreconcilable and, no matter who clinches
the nomination of the Democratic Party, the rift will be reflected in the
turnout come November.
*Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on
lobbying. She holds a PhD in politics from the University of Exeter and is an
affiliated scholar with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and
International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.