LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 11/2019

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness

Matthew 06/19-24/ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 10-11/2019

What We Can Learn From The Miracle Of Healing The Man With Leprosy
Satterfield Conveys US Keenness to Safeguard Lebanon Amid Hezbollah Sanctions
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Calls for Continued Support for Lebanon
Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council Remarkably Active
Report: Satterfield Says Iran, Hizbullah Sanctions Having Major Impact
Geagea Says Circumstances Ripe for Hizbullah Disarmament
UN urges Damascus to grant it full access to returnees
Army, UNIFIL Go on Alert as Israel Removes Border Barb Wire
Maronite Patriarch Condemns Political Meddling in Lebanon's Judicial System
Hakim: Corruption Can't Be Fought Through Threats and Political Bickering
Jreissati Slams Decision to Exclude Gharib from Brussels Delegation
Lebanese-Saudi Cooperation Panel Begins Work in Riyadh
Is Lebanon a money laundering hub?
Why is Iran salty over the UK banning Hezbollah as terrorists?

Litles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 10-11/2019
30 Injured as Turbulence Hits Turkish Airlines Flight to New York
No Survivors as Ethiopian Airlines Crashes with 157 Aboard
U.S. 'Optimistic' France, Britain Will Join Stay-Behind Syria Force
Damascus Disappointed by New Developments
Zarif in Baghdad to Prepare for Rouhani’s Visit on Monday
Bloody Bombings Rock Mosul, Raise Fear of Political Clashes
Egypt Grand Mufti Joins Al-Azhar Grand Imam in Sparking Polygamy Rethink
Assassination Attempt Widens Fatah-Hamas Rift
Houthis Threaten to Escalate Conflict in Hodeidah

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 10-11/2019
What We Can Learn From The Miracle Of Healing The Man With Leprosy/Elias Bejjani/March 10/19
Is Lebanon a money laundering hub?/Dan Azzi/Annahar/March 10/2019
Why is Iran salty over the UK banning Hezbollah as terrorists?/Tallha Abdulrazaq/The Arab Weekly/March 10/19
The winds of change are blowing Iran further toward the hardliners/Camelia Entekhabifard/Arab News/March 10/2019
Peace talks should resume if Gantz dethrones Netanyahu/Zaid M. Belbagi/Arab News/March 10/19
Human rights violations on the rise in Iran/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 10/19
A new pace of time in Algeria/Oussama Romdhani/The Arab Weekly/March 10/19

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 10-11/2019
What We Can Learn From The Miracle Of Healing The Man With Leprosy
Elias Bejjani/March 10/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72843/elias-bejjani-what-we-can-learn-from-the-miracle-of-healing-the-man-with-leprosy/
Christ, the Son of God, is always ready and willing to help the sinners who seek forgiveness and repentance.

When we are remorseful and ask Him for exoneration, He never gives up on us no matter what we did or said. As a loving Father, He always comes to our rescue when we get ourselves into trouble. He grants us all kinds of graces to safeguard us from falling into the treacherous traps of Satan’s sinful temptations.
Jesus the only Son Of God willingly endured all kinds of humiliation, pain, torture and accepted death on the cross for our sake and salvation. Through His crucifixion He absolved us from the original sin that our first parents Adam and Eve committed. He showed us the righteous ways through which we can return with Him on the Day Of Judgment to His Father’s Heavenly kingdom.
Jesus made his call to the needy, persecuted, sick and sinners loud and clear: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) The outcast leper believed in Jesus’ call and came to Him asking for cleansing. Jesus took his hand, touched him with love, and responded to his request.
The leper knew deep in his heart that Jesus could cure him from his devastating and shameful leprosy if He is willing to do so. Against all odds he took the hard and right decision to seek out at once Jesus’ mercy.
With solid faith, courage and perseverance the leper approached Jesus and begging him, kneeling down to him, and says to him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.” When he had said this, immediately the leprosy departed from him and he was made clean. Jesus extended His hand and touched him with great passion and strictly warned him, “See you say nothing to anybody, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.” But the leper went out, began to proclaim it much, and spread about the matter so that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city, but was outside in desert places: and they came to him from everywhere. (Mark 01/40-45)
We sinners, all of us, ought to learn from the leper’s great example of faith. Like him we need to endeavour for sincere repentance with heartfelt prayer, begging Almighty God for absolution from all our sins. Honest pursuit of salvation and repentance requires a great deal of humility, honesty, love, transparency and perseverance. Like the leper we must trust in God’s mercy and unwaveringly go after it.
The faithful leper sensed deep inside his conscience that Jesus could cleanse him, but was not sure if he is worth Jesus’ attention and mercy.
His faith and great trust in God made him break all the laws that prohibited a leper from getting close to or touching anybody. He tossed himself at Jesus’ feet scared and trembling. With great love, confidence, meekness and passion he spoke to Jesus saying “If you will, you can make me clean.” He did not mean if you are in a good mood at present. He meant, rather, if it is not out of line with the purpose of God, and if it is not violating some cosmic program God is working out then you can make me clean.
Lepers in the old days were outcasts forced to live in isolation far away from the public. They were not allowed to continue living in their own communities or families. They were looked upon as dead people and forbidden from even entering the synagogues to worship. They were harshly persecuted, deprived of all their basic rights and dealt with as sinners. But in God’s eyes these sick lepers were His children whom He dearly loves and cares for. “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you”. Matthew(05/11-12)
The leper trusted in God’s parenthood and did not have any doubts about Jesus’ divinity and power to cleanse and cure him. Without any hesitation, and with a pure heart, he put himself with full submission into Jesus’ hands and will knowing that God our Father cannot but have mercy on His children. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”. (Matthew05/08)
We need to take the leper as a role model in our lives. His strong and steadfast faith cured him and put him back into society. We are to know God can do whatever He wants and to trust Him. If He is willing, He will. We just have to trust in the goodness and mercy of God and keep on praying and asking, and He surely will respond in His own way even though many times our limited minds can not grasp His help.
Praying on regular basis as Jesus instructed us to is an extremely comforting ritual: “Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions” (Mark 11/24-26)
The leper’s faith teaches us that God always listens and always responds to our requests when we approach Him with pure hearts, trust, confidence and humbleness. Almighty God is a loving father who loves us all , we His children and all what we have to do to get His attention is to make our requests through praying. “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened”. (Matthew 07/08 -09)
*From the 2015 Archives

Satterfield Conveys US Keenness to Safeguard Lebanon Amid Hezbollah Sanctions
Beirut- Mohammed Shokair/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 10 March, 2019/Lebanese leaders, who met US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield during his visit to Beirut in preparation for the visit of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Lebanon next week, showed no surprise at the positions declared by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah about the US besieging his party. Sources close to these leaders told Asharq Al-Awsat that Satterfield assured them that the US sanctions imposed on Iran and Hezbollah had already achieved great results. The sources said that Satterfield spoke frankly about Washington’s keenness not to harm Lebanon as a result of these sanctions, to allow the country to continue preparations for the implementation of the reforms agreed at the CEDRE Conference, to help it gradually overcome its economic and financial crisis. The US diplomat told these leaders that Washington was not in a position to involve Lebanon in these sanctions, noting that US pressure on Iran and Hezbollah would escalate to curb Tehran’s interference in the region. Washington is keen to achieve a balance within Lebanon and to dissociate the country from conflicts in the region, and therefore will not make any prior judgments, but will monitor every step taken by the government, the sources quoted Satterfield as saying. Pompeo is expected to arrive in Beirut next week as part of a travel plan that includes other regional countries.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Calls for Continued Support for Lebanon
Beirut-/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 10 March, 2019/The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, concluded a two-day visit to Lebanon today, paying tribute to the government and its people for continuing to provide refuge to the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.
In his meetings with the government, which included President Aoun, the Speaker of Parliament, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Social and Refugee Affairs and the Director General of General Security (GSO), Grandi reaffirmed UNHCR’s commitment to continue its support to Lebanon to both refugees and Lebanese communities. He will reiterate this appeal at a major aid conference for Syria in Brussels later this week. “After eight years of this terrible war, the impact on Lebanon is very heavy and this cannot be taken for granted by the international community,” said Grandi, who arrived in Lebanon following a three-day visit to Syria. He acknowledged Lebanon’s growing fatigue at hosting over one million Syrians for so many years but expressed his hope that it would not lead to growing restrictions, which, he said could fuel social tension. A number of Syrian refugees have already made the decision to return home. During his meetings in Damascus, Grandi called for more UNHCR access to places of return, a confidence-building measure. Grandi told reporters Saturday that UNHCR is still having difficulty getting permission to access some of the areas refugees have returned to in Syria to see the conditions of the returnees, including in areas of the Damascus countryside. He said he had given a "very strong message" to Syrian authorities that the refugee agency should have access to all areas where returnees are living. "I think it is very important that in areas of return organizations like mine, UNHCR, which have experience in this matter, are present and they can observe the return and have access to the returnees and help them to address some of the problems that they face," he said. "Without that presence, there is an element of confidence that is missing."While in Syria, Grandi said he had visited Damascus, Homs and Hama, and had met some refugees who had returned from Lebanon. "Those I saw, their conditions were pretty hard, but they're pretty hard in some of the settlements here as well," he said. "It's pretty tough, because they lived in damaged houses, there are no jobs – this job issue is very big – and so it's difficult. But those that I met and that my colleagues have met ... generally say, 'Ok we made this choice, we have decided to come back, and we prefer to have hardship here rather than in a place where we're not at home.'"Grandi also expressed his grave concern for the civilians trapped in ISIS-held areas in Northeast Syria and also about the conditions for the over 50,000 people who have sought shelter in the Al Hol Camp since December. He expressed concern for the desperate conditions for people in Rukban and called for a solution to their plight.

Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council Remarkably Active

Beirut- Paula Astih/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 10 March, 2019/Damascus seeks to boost its presence in Lebanon by reviving the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council. The Council’s Secretary-General, Nasri Khoury, resumed his activities in the Lebanese internal sector, years after freezing this role due to the crisis in Syria. “The work of the Higher Council and its secretariat has not stopped in the past few years, even if such role was not highlighted in the media,” Khoury told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. He said he was always following up on the implementation of signed agreements between the two countries, within the limits permitted during the conflict in Syria. After the formation of a government in Lebanon this year, Khoury asked to meet with a number of ministers to activate work on a number of agreements signed between Lebanon and Syria, he said. Khoury has already met with some ministers and is waiting to get appointments from others. “The Higher Council secretariat contributed in 2013 and 2014 to placing a joint plan for the return of Syrian refugees to their homes. However, things got complicated after the Lebanese side withdrew from accepting a formula reached with the Syrian side,” Khoury explained. Notably, the Council was created following a treaty signed on May 22, 1991, and constituted a major leap in the two states' relationships, after Beirut was under Syrian tutelage. The Council was formed by the presidents of Lebanon and Syria, in addition to the Speaker, the Prime Minister and the Vice Prime Minister of Syria and the Speaker, the Prime Minister and the Vice Prime Minister of Lebanon. However, after the two countries resumed official diplomatic relations in 2008 by opening respective embassies in Damascus and Beirut, several observers questioned the utility of keeping the Higher Council alive. Currently, Damascus’ opponents in Beirut look suspiciously at Khoury’s dynamic to revive the council's role. They believe that Syria was using the functions of the Council to recuperate its direct political role in Lebanon after it had dramatically declined in the past eight years.

Report: Satterfield Says Iran, Hizbullah Sanctions Having Major Impact
Naharnet/March 10/19/A top U.S. State Department official who visited Lebanon in recent days told Lebanese leaders that the U.S. sanctions on Iran and Hizbullah have achieved “major results that the U.S. administration was not expecting in such a short time,” a media report said. Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs David “Satterfield spoke frankly about Washington's keenness on sparing Lebanon harm from these sanctions so that it continues to prepare for everything required to benefit from the resolutions of the CEDRE conference that is aimed at helping it in gradually overcoming its economic and financial crises,” sources close to Lebanese leaders who met Satterfield told Asharq al-Awsat daily in remarks published Sunday. “Satterfield hinted that the sanctions on Iran and Hizbullah will increase,” the sources added. The sources also emphasized that Washington is “keen on achieving balance inside Lebanon” and on “the need to neutralize it from the conflicts in the region.”“It will not judge intentions but will rather monitor every move that the government carries out in order to act accordingly,” the sources added.

Geagea Says Circumstances Ripe for Hizbullah Disarmament
Naharnet/March 10/19/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has announced that the regional and international circumstances have become ripe for asking Hizbullah to give up its controversial arsenal of weapons. “We will sooner or later reach a time when illegitimate arms in Lebanon cease to exist, seeing as the coexistence of the state and illegitimate weapons cannot last forever,” Geagea said in an interview with Saudi Arabia's al-Riyadh newspaper. Noting that the relations among the March 14 forces are not “literally cold,” the LF leader acknowledged the presence of “differences in practical approaches.” “But this does not mean that we are not in constant consultation and our visions might converge at any time and we might reach a consensus that would lead us to a free and independent Lebanese states that would monopolize arms in Lebanon and defend its territorial integrity and people,” Geagea added.
Asked what the March 14 forces need to achieve the aforementioned objective, Geagea said: “We need that some March 8 forces become convinced that reaching a result at the moment is possible in light of the presence of appropriate regional and international circumstances for achieving this goal.”

UN urges Damascus to grant it full access to returnees
AFP, Beirut/Sunday, 10 March 2019/The United Nation’s refugee agency said Saturday it has urged Syria’s government to allow it access to all parts of the war-torn country where externally displaced people have returned. “It is very important that in areas of return, organizations like mine... are present,” said Filippo Grandi, who heads the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR. “This is the very strong message that I have passed to the Syrian government,” he told reporters in Beirut, after earlier this week undertaking a three-day visit to Syria. Organizations should be present so they “can observe the returns... have access to the returnees and help them address some of the problems that they face,” he said. With the war in Syria winding down, neighboring Lebanon has been eager to encourage some of the 1.5 million Syrians it says it hosts to return. Grandi visited the central provinces of Homs and Hama this week, he said, but access to the Damascus countryside is more difficult. Tens of thousands have returned, according to the Lebanese authorities, but many more have been wary of crossing back over the border. Without full access to the UN and other organizations, “there is an element of confidence that is missing” among potential returnees, Grandi said. Going home is not attractive for many refugees living in camps in Lebanon, due to high unemployment and poor basic services, as well as continued clashes on several fronts. But for young men above 18 years old, the chief fear is that they will be conscripted into President Bashar al-Assad’s army. Eager to welcome Syrians back, Damascus has said it will allow returnees a grace period of six months before they are drafted. But “there’s been a few cases where this, in our opinion, had not been respected... and we have reported” it to the government, Grandi said. “In some places we are not (present), so we cannot raise this issue,” he said.

Army, UNIFIL Go on Alert as Israel Removes Border Barb Wire
Naharnet/March 10/19/Israeli forces on Sunday removed old barbed wire along a separation wall it had constructed off the Fatima border gate, as the Lebanese Army closed roads facing the border wall. The army and UNIFIL peacekeepers took strict security measures in the area during the process, according to the National News Agency. “Assisted by bulldozers, dozens of Israeli troops removed the two-kilometer barb wire,” NNA said. UNIFIL's eastern sector commander, General Antonio Romero Losada, inspected the area and oversaw the Israeli works.
Israeli forces have also resumed works to enlarge a road in a field leading to the Hounine military post while erecting sand barriers in the area opposite the Lebanese town of Markaba in Marjeyoun district.

Maronite Patriarch Condemns Political Meddling in Lebanon's Judicial System
Kataeb.org/ Sunday 10th March 2019/Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi criticized the political meddling that keeps disrupting the Judiciary's work, deploring the impact that this is having on the country and citizens. "The worst thing distorting the Lebanese judiciary, besides bribery, is the political interference that is influencing its verdicts and preventing their implementation," Al-Rahi said in his Sunday sermon. “This is deeply hurting the Lebanese, undermining their confidence in the Judiciary and dashing the State's prestige,” he warned.

Hakim: Corruption Can't Be Fought Through Threats and Political Bickering
Kataeb.org/ Sunday 10th March 2019/Former Minister Alain Hakim on Sunday stressed that the party's opposition is absolute and staunch when it comes to issues related to Lebanon's sovereignty and freedom, while it is open and constructive when dealing with livelihood problems.In an interview on Voice of Lebanon radio station, Hakim said the country is experiencin a complete decline into a state of non -sovereignty, stressing that Kataeb party doesn’t consent to anything that goes against its values. The Kataeb politburo member cast doubt about the real motives behind the anti-corruption campaign that some political forces are claiming to be undertaking, adding that those are underestimating the Lebanese citizens' intelligence. “There is a scientific and logical way to fight corruption. There are many plans adopted by several countries that can be applied in Lebanon,” he noted. “Corruption is not fought through threats, outbidding and political bickering on the media. It is only eradicated through a real will, and an independent judicial system that has nothing to do with retaliatory actions."

Jreissati Slams Decision to Exclude Gharib from Brussels Delegation

Naharnet/March 10/19/Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Salim Jreissati on Sunday criticized a decision to exclude State Minister for Refugee Affairs Saleh al-Gharib from a Lebanese official delegation that will represent Lebanon at a Brussels conference on refugees. “The U.N. refugee agency is more and more heading into Syria to assist the Syrian refugees who are returning to their country, and as we want for the government to endorse its political paper on refugees, we have not understood the exclusion of the state minister for refugee affairs from the official delegation to the Brussels conference,” Jreissati tweeted. “Disregarding the specialties of the relevant ministers does not contribute to governmental solidarity and the government's productivity,” Jreissati added. The appointment of pro-Damascus Gharib, who is loyal to MP Talal Arslan and is a member of the Strong Lebanon bloc, has irked Syria's opponents in Lebanon, and a visit by him to Syria without the government's official approval has stirred controversy. Gharib and his supporters argue that coordination with the Syrian government is necessary to return around 1.5 million Syrian refugees to their country while opponents believe that such calls are of little benefit and are aimed at normalizing ties with the Syrian regime.

Lebanese-Saudi Cooperation Panel Begins Work in Riyadh

Naharnet/March 10/19/A technical panel tasked with discussing means to boost cooperation between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia began its works on Sunday at the InterContinental Riyadh hotel in the Saudi capital. Saudi Arabia's assistant finance minister Abdul Aziz al-Rashid opened the meetings in an address in which he stressed “the need to activate Lebanese-Saudi ties.”The head of the Lebanese delegation and the director general of the Economy Ministry Alia Abbas said the meeting of the panel highlights “the desire of the two parties and their determination to develop economic, commercial and investment relations.”She also thanked Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz for “sponsoring all activities that contribute to Lebanon's growth and prosperity,” lauding his support for Lebanese citizens who live and work in the kingdom.
“Activating economic ties with the kingdom is an important part of our strategy for the upcoming period,” Abbas added. Lebanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Fawzi Kabbara for his part said Prime Minister Saad Hariri was keen to send a “homogenous Lebanese team that enjoys major jurisdiction in order to take the necessary measures for the success of these negotiations.”

Is Lebanon a money laundering hub?
دان قزي/النهار: هل لبنان هو مركز لغسيل الأموال؟
Dan Azzi/Annahar/March 10/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72884/dan-azzi-annahar-is-lebanon-a-money-laundering-hub%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%82%D8%B2%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%87%D9%84-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%87%D9%88-%D9%85%D8%B1/

The question is, could something like this happen in Lebanon in a systemic fashion?
The term “money laundering” is overused in Lebanon, in all kinds of contexts. For example, I hear a lot of people referring to a large luxury department store or the real estate sector as a hub for money laundering.
Let’s start with a definition. Money laundering is the concealment of the source of illegally obtained large amounts of cash, through intermediate steps that result in its being placed in a legitimate bank account. Most definitions don’t include the word “large” as I have, but I think mine is better, because for small amounts of cash, it’s easy to deal with it — you just spend it.
Say Pablo Escobar, Allah yirhamo, generated billions of dollars of cash from exporting cocaine out of Colombia. He needs to “clean” his money. To do this, he has to make sure that this money enters the financial system, specifically a reputable bank, so that he can legitimately spend the money to buy clean assets in the developed world. The going rate in the international markets for this type of thing could be about 15-20 cents on the dollar, which has crept up recently due to the global clampdown. It also has to happen quickly.
Lebanese real estate certainly wouldn’t cut it, because Signor Escobar can’t afford to wait for 10-15 years for his money to dribble back in, while it’s stuck in one of the shiny vacant downtown towers barely able to sell anything. A department store located in the most expensive neighborhood in Beirut wouldn’t make sense either because of the high fixed costs, raising the fee to a much higher number.
It’s pretty clear that for an established large bank in Lebanon, their Rabieh or Verdun branch would have a far higher amount of total deposits, as well as average deposit size, than would their Damour branch. Let’s say that they now hire a young superstar branch manager. If suddenly the deposits in their Damour branch grow exponentially, such that they now exceed Rabieh or Verdun, there are two ways that this would be flagged. The first is that the Compliance Officer would catch it, with the help of some specialized software, and start an investigation. Even if he misses it, someone in the CFO office would notice this sudden spike in revenue, and if nothing else, would want to know so that they can commend this new branch manager. For there to be systemic money laundering, this spike in revenue and deposits would have to be swept under the carpet in two ways. First, the Compliance Officer would have to be muzzled; also, the CFO and General Manager would have to ignore this red flag.
A similar situation happened recently for Danske Bank’s branch in Estonia. Until this incident, Danske was one of the most reputable Scandinavian Banks in one of the most reputable countries in the world. Think of Estonia as Damour. According to an article in Foreign Affairs magazine, maybe $230 billion (9 times the GDP of Estonia) of illicit Russian money flowed through that branch, and instead of the Compliance Officer or General Manager flagging it, they sat on the problem. Regulators didn’t buy the excuse of “I didn’t Know.” In the business we describe this as “should have known” and the technical term is called “failure to supervise” and gets the managers, the bank, and its board in serious trouble. In fact, Danske Bank was shut down in Estonia and investigations with existential ramifications are still going on.
There is no question that some money laundering takes place anywhere in the world, and Lebanon is no exception. The question is, could something like this happen in Lebanon in a systemic fashion? When I say systemic, I mean a business model built on this as a major source of revenue, with the knowledge and blessing of senior management. For one thing, none of the banks have had a spike in deposits this large in years, according to their financial statements, assuming the auditing firms are doing their jobs properly. For another thing, there are so many competent intelligence outfits and supervisory agencies watching the Lebanese banking sector like a hawk, that it would be highly unlikely, because they’d shut them down forthwith, without even the need for due process. We experienced something like this in 2011, when the fifth largest bank was shut down, even though there was no admission of wrongdoing in the settlement order. Thus it would be highly unlikely that the top management at any local bank would take this kind of risk. That doesn’t mean that there couldn’t be a dirty branch manager somewhere doing some shady stuff, but it’s doubtful that it’s happening on an industrial scale.
There’s also one more reason this isn’t happening in Lebanon.
Banks are making astronomical returns, sometimes exceeding 20-30%, through financial engineering transactions (perfectly legal and sanctioned by the Lebanese government). Thus, why would they risk their existence for the petty relative returns that money laundering provides?
*Dan Azzi is a regular contributor to Annahar. He has recently been invited to be an Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow at Harvard University, a program for senior executives to leverage their experience and apply it to a problem with social impact. Dan’s research focus at Harvard will be economic and political reform in a hypothetical small country riddled with corruption and negligence. Previously, he was the Chairman and CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Lebanon.

Why is Iran salty over the UK banning Hezbollah as terrorists?
طلحة عبد الرزاق: لماذا إيران منزعجة جداً من بريطانيا لوضعها حزب الله بجناحيه على قائمة الإرهاب
Tallha Abdulrazaq/The Arab Weekly/March 10/19

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72887/tallha-abdulrazaq-why-is-iran-salty-over-the-uk-banning-hezbollah-as-terrorists%d8%b7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d8%a8%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d8%b2%d8%a7%d9%82-%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b0%d8%a7-%d8%a5/
Britain is right to be concerned about a terrorist organisation controlling state resources.
As if it was not already obvious enough, Iran has made it even clearer that the Lebanese Shia Islamist group Hezbollah is its favoured child in the Middle East.
Tehran came out swinging against the United Kingdom, branding the British government as being “irresponsible” for blacklisting the entirety of Hezbollah as terrorists.
Until then, only the military wing of the group was listed as a terrorist organisation but it is now a criminal offence in the United Kingdom to be a member of or invite support for Hezbollah at any level.
British Home Secretary Sajid Javid was absolutely correct when he said the distinction between Hezbollah’s political and military wings was blurred to the point it couldn’t be told where one started and the other ended.
Bahram Ghasemi, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, declared Britain’s decision was a “wrong move” and said Hezbollah “defends the territorial integrity of Lebanon and fights terrorism.”
Anyone who has been a victim of Hezbollah’s rabidly sectarian violence would laugh at that statement were it not for the fact that the person has likely lost family members, loved ones and even freedom because of Hezbollah’s actions and its loyal service to the fanatical Iranian regime rather than showing loyalty to even the concept of Lebanese sovereignty.
Hezbollah has been used by Tehran to not only conduct brutal sectarian massacres, particularly in Syria, but it has trained offshoot organisations in Iraq and Yemen that have perpetrated some of the worst and most savage sectarian abuses in memory.
Britain’s move is in line with others around the world. The United States has recognised Hezbollah as a terrorist group since 1997 and the Arab countries of the wealthy Gulf Cooperation Council blacklisted the group in 2016. This is no surprise considering Hezbollah’s active involvement in the laughter of the Syrian people simply for entertaining the idea of allowing someone other than Bashar Assad to lead them on the world stage, heaven forbid.
For such a “religious” organisation, Hezbollah is also actively involved in the smuggling and trafficking of illicit contraband, including narcotics, around the world. In 2017, Politico exposed the former US administration of Barack Obama for having hushed up and then-mothballed a Drug Enforcement Agency operation targeting Hezbollah drug traffickers.
Hezbollah has a drug pipeline extending from Afghanistan into the Middle East and beyond onto the shores of West Africa and across the Atlantic Ocean to Latin America. Hezbollah does not like to play with the little stuff either, preferring to deal with hard-core, community- and home-destroying substances such as cocaine from some of the most brutal drug lords in South America.
Obama hushed this up to make sure the Iranians would not walk away from the disastrous nuclear deal the Trump administration sagaciously walked away from.
Politically, Hezbollah controls ministries in the Lebanese government with the ability to access state budgets for its own illicit ends, just as Iran controls Iraqi ministries through its proxies there.
Britain is right to be concerned about a terrorist organisation controlling state resources, yet the pro-Iran lobby in the United Kingdom has been in overdrive publishing article after article to try to change the government’s mind.
The pro-Iran lobby and their activists are right to be concerned because the next time they turn up to a pro-Palestinian event to hijack the cause, they cannot hold Hezbollah flags aloft as “banners of resistance” like they normally do. If they make that foolish mistake, they may find themselves prosecuted for supporting a proscribed group.
That would be the least they deserve for supporting an organisation that has slaughtered its way to power for decades while shamelessly serving the agenda of a foreign master at the expense of the people of the region.
*Tallha Abdulrazaq is a researcher at the University of Exeter’s Strategy and Security Institute in England.

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on March 10-11/2019
30 Injured as Turbulence Hits Turkish Airlines Flight to New York

Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 10/19/A Turkish Airlines passenger jet traveling from Istanbul to New York hit severe turbulence Saturday as it approached its destination, with 30 people suffering injuries before it landed safely, officials said.
The injured were taken from New York's John F Kennedy International Airport to local hospitals, mainly for treatment of bumps, cuts and bruises. One flight attendant suffered a broken leg, according to Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the area's airports, bus terminals, bridges and tunnels. The Boeing 777 -- which had 326 passengers and 21 crew on board -- was over the Atlantic Ocean, about 45 minutes from landing, when it struck the turbulence, Coleman told AFP. Airport operations were not disrupted as a result of the incident, he added. Turkish Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier in the day, a plane operated by Canada's Air Transat made an emergency landing at another New York area airport -- in Newark, New Jersey -- after smoke was detected in the cargo hold, the company said. The Boeing 737-800, which had 189 passengers on board, was traveling from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. No one was injured, a spokeswoman for Air Transat told AFP.

No Survivors as Ethiopian Airlines Crashes with 157 Aboard
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 10/19/An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed Sunday morning en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew on board, state media reported as African leaders offered condolences. "We hereby confirm that our scheduled flight ET 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi was involved in accident today," the airline said in a statement, later confirming a report by Ethiopia's FANA Broadcasting Corp that there were no survivors. "It is believed that there were 149 passengers and eight crew on board the flight," it said. The airline has not provided information on passengers' nationalities but there are reports people from 33 countries were on board. The crash came on the eve of a major, annual assembly of the UN Environment Programme opening in Nairobi. State-owned Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest carrier, said the plane had taken off at 8:38 am (0538 GMT) from Bole International Airport and "lost contact" six minutes later near Bishoftu, a town some 60 kilometers (37 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa by road. The weather in the capital, according to an AFP reporter, was clear when the brand-new Boeing plane, delivered to Ethiopia last year, plane took off. The Boeing came down near the village of Tulu Fara outside Bishoftu. An AFP reporter said there was a massive crater at the crash site, with belongings and airplane parts scattered widely. Rescue crews were retrieving human remains from the wreckage. Police and troops were on the scene, as well as a crash investigation team from Ethiopia's civil aviation agency. In the Kenyan capital, family members, friends, and colleagues of passengers were frantically waiting for news at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). "I am still hoping that all is fine, because I have been waiting for my sister since morning and we have not been told anything," Peter Kimani told AFP in the arrivals lounge over an hour after the plane was scheduled to land at 10:25 am local time. His sister is a nurse who he said had gone to Congo. "She travels a lot on missions." "We are still expecting our loved one from Addis... we have just received news that there is a plane that has crashed. We can only hope that she is not on that flight."
Hoping for the best
Among those waiting, Khalid Ali Abdulrahman received happy news about his son, who works in Dubai. "I arrived here shortly after 10:00 am and as I waited, a security person approached me and asked me which flight are you waiting for. I answered him quickly because I wanted him to direct me to the arrivals, so I told him Ethiopia, and then he said: 'Sorry, that one has crashed'." "I was shocked, but shortly after, my son contacted me and told me he is still in Addis and did not board that flight, he is waiting for the second one which has been delayed," Khalid told AFP. "I am waiting for my colleague, I just hope for the best," added Hannah, a Chinese national. African Union commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat said he had learned of the crash "with utter shock and immense sadness. "Our prayers are with the families of the passengers + crew as authorities search for survivors. I also express our full solidarity with the Govt & people of Ethiopia," he said on Twitter. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office tweeted it "would like to express its deepest condolences to the families of those that have lost their loved ones."Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta said he was "saddened" by the news, adding: "My prayers go to all the families and associates of those on board." Mahboub Maalim, executive secretary of the IGAD East African bloc, said the region and the world were in mourning. "I cannot seem to find words comforting enough to the families and friends of those who might have lost their lives in this tragedy," he said in a statement. For its part, the plane's maker, U.S. giant company Boeing, said it was "aware" of the accident "and is closely monitoring the situation." Ethiopian Airlines said it would send staff to the accident scene to "do everything possible to assist the emergency services." It would also set up a passenger information center and a dedicated telephone number for family and friends of people who may have been on the flight, while Kenya's transport minister said officials would meet and council loved ones waiting at JKIA. The Boeing 737-800MAX is the same type of plane as the Indonesian Lion Air jet that crashed last October, 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board. The last major accident involving an Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane was a Boeing 737-800 that exploded after taking off from Lebanon in 2010, killing 83 passengers and seven crew. According to reports, Boeing delivered the plane to Ethiopian Airlines last November.

U.S. 'Optimistic' France, Britain Will Join Stay-Behind Syria Force
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 10/19/The United States is "very optimistic" that France and Britain will participate in a residual force that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to leave in Syria, his national security advisor said Sunday. "Certainly in conversations this past week with my British and French counterparts, I'm very optimistic that they're going to participate," John Bolton said, in an interview with ABC's "This Week.""It hasn't happened formally yet, but they're looking at it," he said, adding that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joe Dunford, is working to set up the force.
Bolton insisted there was no contradiction between Trump's assertion that the caliphate declared by the Islamic State group has been eliminated 100 percent, and the assessment of the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, who told Congress last week the fight is "far from over.""The president has been, I think, as clear as clear can be when he talks about the defeat of the ISIS territorial caliphate," Bolton said. "He has never said that the elimination of the territorial caliphate means the end of ISIS in total. We know that's not the case.""But one reason that the president has committed to keeping an American presence in Iraq and a small part of an observer force in Syria is against the possibility that there would be a real resurgence of ISIS, and we would then have the ability to deal with that if that arose." Trump abruptly announced in December the immediate and complete withdrawal of the 2,000 U.S. troops deployed in northeastern Syria, declaring victory against IS, or ISIS as it is also known. Then, under pressure from Congress and the Pentagon, he agreed to leave a residual force of some 200 U.S. troops, which he wants to be reinforced by allies in the anti-IS coalition. An objective of the international force is to guarantee the security of its Syrian Kurd allies. Turkey, a NATO member, views the Kurdish combatants as terrorists, and the Europeans fear they would be vulnerable if Ankara launched an offensive.

U.S.-Backed Syria Force Says Time Up for IS 'to Surrender'

Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 10/19/U.S.-backed forces said Sunday time was up for Islamic State group jihadists hunkering down in their eastern Syrian holdout and an assault was imminent."The timeline (we gave) ISIS to surrender themselves is over," Syrian Democratic Forces spokesman Mustefa Bali said on Twitter, using another acronym for IS. "Our forces have received orders for military action to finish off what is left of the terrorists in Baghouz," he said.

Damascus Disappointed by New Developments
London- Ibrahim Hamidi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 10 March, 2019/Damascus has been disappointed following recent political, military, and economic developments, including an Arab decision to freeze the process of normalization with the Syrian regime and a US announcement that it was not in a pressure to withdraw American troops from eastern Syria. Instead, Western states and Washington rely on “strategic patience” to obtain concessions from Moscow and Damascus on several files, according to diplomats who lately visited the Syrian capital.
“It remains clear that the bilateral or collective normalization of relations between any Arab country and the Syrian regime has currently stopped. The return of Damascus to the Arab League would not happen before the start of the next Arab League summit on March 31 in Tunis,” diplomats told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The diplomats added that some Arab states that begun resuming contacts with the regime of Bashar Assad have also restrained such efforts. They said the last visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the Gulf showed that leading Arab states linked resuming relations with the Syrian regime to a political solution based on UNSCR 2254. According to the same sources, the Syrian frustration was aggravated by the decision of US President Donald Trump to keep 400 American troops east Syria and in the Tanf base, with Washington exerting pressure on European states to send peacekeeping forces to east of the country. Also, the continuous European and US economic sanctions on Syria and the deterioration of the living conditions in Damascus and government-controlled areas have contributed to increased disappointment, the diplomats said.

Zarif in Baghdad to Prepare for Rouhani’s Visit on Monday

Baghdad, Tehran- Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 10 March, 2019/Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived Saturday in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, to prepare for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s three-day visit starting Monday. Zarif will hold a series of meetings with his Iraqi counterpart, Mohammed Ali Hakim, to discuss the program of Rouhani’s visit, said a source in the Iraqi government. He arrived in Baghdad as part of a senior Iranian delegation. Assistant of the head of Iranian presidential office for Relations and Media Parvez Ismaili announced that Rouhani’s visit to Baghdad comes as a response to an official invitation from President Barham Ahmed Salih and Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi. The visit will focus on bilateral relations and regional cooperation between the two countries, Ismaili explained, adding that Rouhani will also visit Ali al-Sistani. On the other hand, Head of Iraq's Fatah Alliance Hadi al-Ameri welcomed Rouhani’s visit, expressing his rejection to US military presence in Iraq. “We oppose any on-the-ground presence (of US troops) or US bases in Iraq,” Ameri said. “Even if the US military forces intend to stay in Iraq for training or technical programs, it must take place at the request of the Iraqi government, and any such request from Baghdad has to be discussed and appropriate decisions be made about it,” he stressed. On the presence of Iranian advisers in Iraq, Ameri said many of them have participated alongside the Iraqi forces in the fight against ISIS. Notably, Iran and Shiite parties in Iraq have been trying to distance Iraq from the US policy and make sure it doesn’t comply with US sanctions against Iran. In the framework of Iran’s approach toward neighboring countries to break its isolation after US sanctions, Rouhani sought to reach out to Pakistani Prime Minister to discuss joint cooperation and ease tension. He urged Islamabad on Saturday to take “decisive” action against a militant group behind a deadly suicide attack in a border area, saying failure to act could jeopardize relations. Iran’s state news agency IRNA said Rouhani’s remarks were made during a telephone conversation with neighboring Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan.A suicide bomber killed 27 members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards in mid-February in a southeastern region where security forces are facing a rise in attacks by extremists. Jaish al Adl Group (Army of Justice), which says it seeks greater rights and better living conditions for the ethnic Baluchi minority, claimed responsibility for the attack. “We are awaiting your decisive operations against these terrorists,” IRNA quoted Rouhani as telling Khan. “We should not allow decades of friendship and fraternity between the two countries to be affected by the actions of small terrorist groups, the source of whose financing and arms is known to both of us,” Rouhani said. Khan, for his part, said Pakistani forces had come close to the attackers’ hideout and there would soon be “good news” for Iran, IRNA reported.

Bloody Bombings Rock Mosul, Raise Fear of Political Clashes
Baghdad- Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 10 March, 2019/A wave of bomb attacks has swept through Mosul over the last few days, stirring fears of a political armed conflict breaking out at a time the traditional culprit of such attacks, ISIS, did not claim responsibility. Three days after the ISIS-staged ambush attack that targeted Popular Mobilization Forces units in southern Mosul, an assault which resulted in the death of six and the wounding of over 31 Iraqis, another explosion targeted a local eatery in the same area. But without ISIS claiming responsibility for any of the attacks, political parties in Nineveh province, located on the outskirts of Mosul in modern-day northern Iraq, resorted to exchanging accusations, saying that certain armed parties were out to settle scores. Nineveh province representative to parliament MP Ahmed al-Jubouri said: “The responsibility lies with the security leaders in Mosul who have to hold those responsible for the bombings accountable.”Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Local expert on the operations of paramilitary militia activity, Dr. Hisham al-Hashemi said the explosions denote the existence of undetected organized crime activity in Mosul. “These operations are dangerous in that they occurred with bomb-laden cars. This suggests that there is a factory of explosives, an electrical workshop for networking, an element of surveillance and intelligence inside Mosul,” he said. Hashemi added that the presence of “economically-driven political differences and conflict of interests” within Nineveh local government departments and politicians has compromised the area’s security standing. He also considered the ongoing events in Iraq to usher in a “new shift in terrorist operations that work on exploiting the relative calm in densely populated urban neighborhoods.”To Hashemi, perpetrators are likely seeking to create a gap between the public and security apparatuses and undermine the recently created state-citizen trust.

Egypt Grand Mufti Joins Al-Azhar Grand Imam in Sparking Polygamy Rethink
Cairo- Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 10 March, 2019/Despite over a week having passed since Al-Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb made his remarks on women experiencing injustice in some polygamous marriages, the debate of employing equality in such unions, permitted in Islam, remains in discussion. Egyptian Grand Mufti Shawki Allam has entered the debate, making clear statements in support of Tayeb’s pro-women remarks, saying the Quranic excerpts are being largely misinterpreted when it comes to gender-based issues. Tayeb, Sunni Islam’s highest authority, said that the issue of polygamy is an injustice to women and it is not the origin of Islam, but it is conditional, adding that polygamy is often practiced due to “a lack of understanding of the Quran.” His statement came during a weekly televised interview and on his Twitter account. It was considered the first comment by a top religious cleric on polygamy, stirring huge debate among people. Allam, in an official statement, said that familial stability is a shared responsibility among married couples. He added that Quranic verses that leverage men over women are present only within the context of unions and families, and not beyond. Tayeb warned that polygamy can often be “an injustice for women and children” and said husbands “must obey conditions of fairness and if there is not fairness, it is forbidden to have multiple wives.” He also went on to explain that “polygamy had pre-dated Islam in the Arab societies, and that Islam had worked to put an end to chaos it had created when left unchecked and introduce regulation."While Tayeb indicated a willingness to change al-Azhar’s policy on polygamy, many religious scholars have expressed opposition to the move.

Assassination Attempt Widens Fatah-Hamas Rift
Ramallah- Kifah Zboun/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 10 March, 2019/The head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the attempt at the life of Gaza-based Fatah central committee member, Ahmed Hillis. Fatah has accused Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza, of standing behind the assassination try.Hamas, however, denied involvement and pointed towards internal divisions within Fatah. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack, which came amid continued tensions between the two main Palestinian parties. A spokesman for the Hamas-run Ministry of the Interior said that two suspects were arrested on Saturday in connection with the failed assassination attempt. Hamas security forces also seized the car that was used by the assailants and were seeking to arrest other suspects, the group's spokesman, Eyad al-Bazm, said. “We won’t allow anyone to tamper with our internal front,” the Hamas spokesman added. “We will take all necessary measures to maintain stability and security in the Gaza Strip.”The spokesman did not provide details about the identities or political affiliation of the suspects. Fatah, on the other hand, considered the assassination an attempt to represent Hamas’ true position towards reconciliation. “The policy of physical and moral assassination is part and parcel of the practice and behavior that Hamas has employed since its inception,” a Fatah statement said. Fatah spokesman in the Gaza Strip Atef Abu Saif said that what happened to Hillis was not unusual and that Fatah movement members in Gaza constantly face threats and are frequently arrested. He added that "those who refuse to empower the government and continue to divide and reject national unity are responsible for such crimes.” Abu Saif accused Hamas of trying to derail elections in the Gaza Strip through an assassination attempt that is the quickest key to widen the Hamas-Fatah rift.

Houthis Threaten to Escalate Conflict in Hodeidah
Aden- Ali Rabih/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 10 March, 2019/Houthi militias threatened on Saturday to blow up the situation in Hodeidah as the group intensified attacks against vital sites and government-controlled positions east and south the city. Defense Minister in the “coup government” Mohammed al-Atefi warned government forces, saying, “Our combat readiness is higher than ever and we possess strong deterrent, defensive, and offensive options.”He said there would be surprises and an effective force to be used in the coming days and in a timely manner. Observers in Yemen assume that militias lately received new types of missiles from Iran. They said Iranian weapons were smuggled to Hodeidah and the western Yemeni shores, where Houthis still control a large part of land overlooking the Red Sea, including the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef, and Ras Issa. Meanwhile, Yemen’s Minister of Information Muammar al-Eryani posted on his twitter page a video record showing a large fire at the Thabet's Brothers factories east the city of Hodeidah, which is controlled by government forces. He said the fire was caused by Houthi bombs. Eryani warned that the legitimate government in Yemen has lost its patience and he called on UN envoy Martin Griffiths, and head of UN monitoring mission Lieutenant-General Michael Lollesgaard to take a clear position on the militias’ insistence on blowing up the situation in Hodeidah and violating the truce. Last week, Houthis informed UN officials in Sanaa they contended to maintain security presence in the city of Hodeidah and its ports, refusing to surrender to the legitimate government or end their security and administrative presence in the city. Griffths is holding talks with warring parties in his “last chance” to save a ceasefire agreement reached in Sweden last December between the government and Houthis, after both agreed on a preliminary compromise for redeploying their forces from the port city of Hodeidah.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on March 10-11/2019
The winds of change are blowing Iran further toward the hardliners

Camelia Entekhabifard/Arab News/March 10/2019
There is a lot happening in Iran as the Supreme Leader shakes things up politically. While Iranians continue to protest about unpaid salaries and long queues for food, Ayatollah Khamenei is busy making preparations.
The changes he is making relate to the future of the Islamic Republic and aim to guarantee that when he is gone, his loyal supporters will remain in control.
One of his first moves has been to raise the political profile of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force. He was seen sitting beside the supreme leader when Syrian President Bashar Assad paid an unexpected visit to Tehran two weeks ago. When Assad then met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Soleimani was once again present, but Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was nowhere to be seen. Zarif resigned soon after, sparking speculation that he did so in protest because he was not informed of Assad’s visit or invited to the meeting with Rouhani. The president refused to accept the resignation, and Soleimani later stated that Zarif remains the main person in charge of foreign policy in Iran.
What the unprecedented series of events showed to the world is that while Zarif is Iran’s foreign minister with regards to the EU and Western issues, Soleimani is calling the shots when it comes to Arab and regional affairs.
Gen. Ismail Ghaani, Soleimani’s deputy, admitted that the Quds Force brought Assad to Tehran. “Those who need to know, they knew of Mr. Assad’s trip to Iran and those who should not be aware, did not know. It was a sensitive job,” he said .
The next presidential election, in 2021, is one of the most important ever held in Iran, given the age of the 79-year-old supreme leader and the possibility that discussions about a successor might begin soon
Zarif, therefore, was not trusted with the information; in other words, it was not necessary for him to know about such regional matters, as they do not concern him. The chilling statement by Ghaani made it clear that the government has no role to play in Iran’s regional policies.
In another important move, Khamenei appointed Ebrahim Raisi Iran’s chief justice, while the former head of the judiciary, Sadeq Larijani, became head of the Expediency Discernment Council. Both men are notorious for their extremist views, close to the Revolutionary Guards, and highly trusted by the supreme leader. These adjustments might be followed by even bigger changes. The next presidential election, in 2021, is one of the most important ever held in Iran, given the age of the 79-year-old supreme leader and the possibility that discussions about a successor might begin soon.
The recent changes at the judiciary and the Expediency Council, and the activities of the Revolutionary Guards in bringing Assad to Tehran without bothering to inform Zarif, suggest that the grip on Iran of the militants and hardliners is tightening. The Islamic Republic appears to be preparing to adopt a different vision and policy after the next US presidential election in 2020.
*Camelia Entekhabifard is an Iranian-American journalist, political commentator and author of ‘Camelia: Save Yourself By Telling the Truth’ (Seven Stories Press, 2008) Twitter: @CameliaFard

Peace talks should resume if Gantz dethrones Netanyahu
Zaid M. Belbagi/Arab News/March 10/19
Gen. Benny Gantz declared “We will never relinquish the Golan Heights” as his 6-foot-4-inch frame towered over his bodyguards on a visit to the Syrian border last week. The former Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces has been steadily rising in the polls ahead of April’s general election. Having only made his first campaign speech in late January, the political novice is the first person in a long while to have a realistic chance of replacing Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel’s prime minister.
Until very recently, the ruling Likud party seemed on its way to securing an extension to Netanyahu’s 10-year rule. Just as he seemed on track to win his fifth consecutive term, however, Gantz entered the race, declaring: “No Israeli leader is king. I thank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his 10 years of service. We will continue from here.” In the last few weeks, just as Israel’s attorney general announced his plan to indict Netanyahu in three separate corruption cases, Gantz’s star began to rise, despite him not having submitted a single piece of legislation, never having fought an election or indeed ever conducted the delicate political negotiations that are critical for any prime ministerial contender. In an increasingly toxic political environment, Gantz has been able to position himself as a breath of fresh air, simply replying to the attorney general’s plans online with “Israel deserves better.”
In December, Gantz established a new political party named Israel Resilience (Hosen L’Yisrael), but he only began to galvanize the Israeli public when the party later allied itself with Telem and Yesh Atid to form “Kachol Lavan” or Blue and White. The members of the alliance — an unlikely band of three former army chiefs, a few former journalists, two ex-Netanyahu aides, an outgoing labor union chief, a former deputy mayor of Tel Aviv, and various other centrists — have little in common politically aside from their common goal of dethroning Netanyahu. Though the party’s specific policies remain unclear, in appealing to the public on a centrist platform, Gantz has been able to bridge the divide between left and right that has long afflicted Israeli politics.
In claiming that the corruption cases against him are merely a ploy “to topple the right wing and raise the left to the premiership,” Netanyahu has given Gantz space to occupy the center ground, appearing tough on security matters whilst simultaneously openly considering reaching a lasting peace with the Palestinians.
Though Gantz’s opponents seek to profile him as a dove as opposed to a hawk on security matters, the general brings decades of experience to a job that has long been occupied by military characters. As the 12th chief of staff to enter politics (two have previously become prime minister), Gantz is able to use his nearly 40 years of military experience as evidence of his commitment to Israel’s security.
In an increasingly toxic political environment, Gantz has been able to position himself as a breath of fresh air
No stranger to the outside world, Gantz attracted the interest of international observers at last month’s Munich Security Conference, when he called the Iranian regime “evil” and argued that the main challenges the West faces are “extremist Iran, Islamic terror, and regional instability.”
During his service as Israel’s defense attache in Washington, Gantz was also deeply involved in strengthening US-Israeli defense ties, including efforts to guarantee Washington’s ongoing support for Tel Aviv’s so-called qualitative military edge. Such experience navigating Israel’s most important international alliance would be central to Gantz’s suitability for the premiership — an attribute that has not gone unnoticed by Israel’s political class.
Though, under Netanyahu, Israel’s economy has prospered and its borders have remained secure, the recommendation to file an indictment against him for bribery has highlighted the deep-rooted malaise in the political system that has angered voters. Weary with a system that does not limit the tenure of prime ministers, the public have grown accustomed to abuses of power, given that both Netanyahu’s predecessors, Ehud Olmert and Ariel Sharon, ended their careers amidst financial scandal.
As Gantz seeks to position himself as a new breed of politician, voters would do well to acquaint themselves with recent accusations of sexual misconduct against him, as well as the implosion of Fifth Dimension, a computer security and law enforcement technology company of which he was the chairman. Though it is unclear how these will go on to affect his campaign, to many in Israel they will be an all-too-familiar reminder of the hubris of the country’s leadership.
The upcoming elections promise to be hotly contested. As Netanyahu denounces his subordinate-turned-political opponent as a closet leftist who poses a threat to Israel’s security and economy, he fails to see the transformation taking place in the country’s politics. Polls are showing that the Blue and White electoral alliance could finish up as the Knesset’s largest group and Arab states would do well to monitor its progress. Though Gantz seems to be broadly in favor of a two-state solution, he has never explicitly backed Palestinian statehood. In any case, a change of leadership would be an opportune moment to revisit the peace process of a conflict that seems increasingly forgotten yet simultaneously central to broader regional stability.
• Zaid M. Belbagi is a political commentator, and an adviser to private clients between London and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Twitter: @Moulay_Zaid

Human rights violations on the rise in Iran
د. ماجد ربيزاده/تصاعد انتهاكات حقوق الإنسان إيران
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 10/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72882/dr-majid-rafizadeh-human-rights-violations-on-the-rise-in-iran%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%d8%aa%d8%b5%d8%a7%d8%b9%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%aa%d9%87/

It is unfortunate that the Iranian regime’s human rights violations are attracting little attention from international media outlets. When President Hassan Rouhani was running for re-election, he famously criticized the human rights situation in the country and promised to improve it. But, since he won the election, the president evades discussing it.
Based on the latest developments, a report published by Amnesty International last month indicated that human rights abuses have reached a new high. This is happening while some world leaders and governments continue to label the Iranian president as a moderate political figure.
Iran’s Penal Code allows executions to be carried out by many different methods, such as hanging, stoning, and firing squad. And, according to the Oslo-based non-governmental organization Iran Human Rights, at least 273 people were executed in Iran in 2018. This made Iran second in the world when it came to the number of people it executed last year, and first in terms of the number of executions per capita. Due to a lack of transparency, the official number of people executed is believed to be higher.
It is not only the number of executions that is appalling, but also the nature of some of them. The executions involved juveniles, women and individuals from ethnic and religious minority groups, including Ahwazi Arabs, Kurds and Sunnis. Iran continues to be a leading executioner of children, as the number of juveniles executed increased in 2018. Although Iran has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Rouhani’s government has made no effort to alter the country’s Penal Code, which allows girls as young as nine to be executed.
In addition, at the discretion of the judiciary or the Islamic Revolutionary Court, many people are arrested on ambiguous charges, such as “spreading moharebeh” (corruption on earth), “waging war against God,” or endangering the country’s national security.
Despite pressure from some human rights organizations, a group of eight environmentalists who were arrested more than a year ago are still in detention
Lack of due process, forced confessions and physical or psychological torture are prominent in the process through which the judiciary sentences defendants to the death penalty. As Iran Human Rights indicated: “In 2018, the Iranian authorities once again displayed their systematic violations of due process and the rule of law. Televised confessions, unfair trials, and reports of torture are reminders of the fact that sustainable improvements in the status of human rights and serious steps toward abolition of the death penalty are not possible without fundamental changes in Iran’s judicial system.”
Another issue is related to the deterioration of ordinary citizens’ basic freedoms, including freedom of expression, assembly, association, and religion.
Due to the increasing disaffectedness of the public with the regime, the theocratic establishment has increased its censorship of the media, restrictions on journalists, arbitrary arrests, inhumane punishments, the jamming of foreign satellite television channels, and the detention of human rights defenders. Many prominent human rights lawyers, including Nasrin Sotoudeh and her husband Reza Khandan, who defended or supported social movements, such as opposition to the forced wearing of the hijab, have been unfairly prosecuted.
Despite pressure from some human rights organizations, a group of eight environmentalists who were arrested more than a year ago are still in detention. On March 2, several Members of the European Parliament from a wide range of political parties wrote a letter to Rouhani stating: “We understand that the Iranian judiciary has accused the activists of using environmental projects as a cover to collect classified strategic information, but a committee established under your authority has found no evidence of these allegations.”
In its annual report, Amnesty International acknowledges that the human rights situation has “severely deteriorated” in Iran. The report details some of the inhumane punishments carried out by the regime’s forces, including floggings and amputations, as well as inhumane prison conditions and the shooting of Kurdish citizens by Iranian guards. For example, the report states: “In July, a man known as M.R. was tied to a tree in Razavi Khorasan Province and flogged 80 times. He had been convicted a decade earlier of consuming alcohol when he was 14 or 15 years old… In January, authorities amputated the hand of a man, referred to as A.Kh., in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, reportedly for stealing livestock and other valuables.”
Instead of appeasing the regime, the EU must pressure Iran for its excruciating human rights record. It is also incumbent on the international community, particularly the UN, to hold the Islamic Republic accountable for allowing such egregious human rights violations.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

A new pace of time in Algeria
Oussama Romdhani/The Arab Weekly/March 10/19
Whatever happens, Algeria has entered a new phase in which decades-old woes cannot be swept under the rug, anymore.
With mounting street protests, Algeria bears all the hallmarks of a country whose rapid tempo of change is outpacing the ability of its political system to adjust to new realities on the ground.
It is too early to tell how events will unfold in Algeria and how the rulers who still matter there, especially in the military, will interact with the protests.
The issue of time is key to the ability — or inability — of any regime to cope with unrest and deal with the pressures for a peaceful transition.
Experience in the Arab world has shown that long-entrenched leaders can become complacent after many years of unchallenged rule. Endless terms in office can make time seem expansive. There is no rush, accordingly, to introduce significant reform.
For the older generation of leaders, meaningful change is only envisioned as a process that takes decades to mature. No major reputational damage would be usually feared from sudden ripples that could unexpectedly upset the placid power streams.
The spin doctors had it easy in those days. Damage control was a formal exercise that could outstretch the limits of political credibility with no risks. With no live satellite broadcasts and no social media, events took days to report. More important, there were no educated and politically savvy young populations with their fingers on computer keyboards and, much more commonly these days, on their smartphones.
In the age of Facebook and Twitter, the reputation of leaders can change over weeks, if not days. The catch-up game, which had assailed regimes’ attempts, becomes a near-futile exercise.
In Algeria’s case, social media seem to have been a major catalyst of the mass protests. “The internet has allowed Algerian youth to see what is happening in other countries culturally, economically, politically, as well as seeing younger presidents compared to theirs,” Brahim Oumansour, a Paris-based researcher at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations, told Agence France-Presse. “All this serves to amplify the anger, disappointment and frustration of not reaching the achievements of other countries.”
The problem with social-media-driven turmoil, however, is that it can amplify messages without offering cues as to which direction to take. This is all the more true in a place where opposition politics has been often more equated with unstructured expression of dissent than offering alternatives.
As expressed by French academic Karima Direche to France’s Le Monde newspaper, young Algerians were expected to remain “frozen in the traumatic time frame of the 1990s.” However, they weren’t inhibited anymore by the horrors of the ’90s nor impressed by the glorious days of the War of Independence that made Abdelaziz Bouteflika a hero.
With generational mutations in the background, speeches by long-revered leaders are outdated the minute they are aired. The many steps inherent in the traditional process of preparing any presidential speech are so time-consuming they cannot match the technical and political agility or spontaneity of the young crowds.
Funny how proposals that might have seemed magnanimous in a one time frame can sound irrelevant and anachronistic in another.
For decades, time seems to stand still and then suddenly both arms of the clock go crazy.
Contrary to the violent confrontations between demonstrators and security forces that broke out during the “Arab spring” uprisings in many Arab capitals, the demonstrations in Algeria have been generally peaceful. Violence was the accelerator of the forest fire that swept the region in 2011.
Algeria has been spared that kind of upheaval. It has not, however, been spared the uncertainty that comes with pent-up frustrations of the young.
The peaceful nature of the protests has reflected a striking degree of maturity on the part of both the young demonstrators and the security forces facing them but impatience is in the air. The problem is that most young people in the Arab world are unwilling to wait. They often demand instant gratification. With so many false promises, who can blame them?
Algerian youth see the current state of affairs as unbearable. They cannot rely on the largesse of the state as they did during the heydays of high oil prices. Instead, they can count on the country’s red tape and its outdated regulations and tax codes to smother any sense of creativity and entrepreneurship. They can also count on the European Union’s restrictive visa policies to hinder attempts to seek greener pastures abroad.
Whatever happens, Algeria has entered a new phase in which decades-old woes cannot be swept under the rug. The country’s coming generation is not willing to look the other way as it faces top-down decisions, corrupt practices and unfriendly business environments.
In addition, it sees the ruling class’s push to have Bouteflika serve a fifth term as president as utterly humiliating; and it views, with equal shame, the temptation for its citizens to illegally emigrate from a country so rich in natural resources.
Today, Algeria’s youth look with pride at the world’s attention to their peaceful protests. They are determined to continue advocating for a system reset that recognises the intelligence of young Algerians and ensures their access to modernity. To make that possible, they want a level playing field and a new cast of characters at the helm of the state.
Driven by frustration and impatience, there is only a thin line that they could — or could not — cross in their quest for change.
Eventually, it will all depend on the ability of the powers that be in Algiers to introduce the transformative shifts that are needed. If they hesitate for too long, it might be too late before they know it; for time, more than ever, is running short in Algeria.
*Oussama Romdhani is the chief editor of the Arab Weekly.