LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 21/2019

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers
02 Timothy 02-14-26/
Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like [g]gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce [h]quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 20-21/2019

 UNIFIL Confirms Exixtance Of Six Tunnels In South Lebanon
Report: Britain 'Excludes' Hizbullah Ministers from Cooperation with Lebanon
Kubis Sees 'Absolute Consensus' in Lebanon on Returning Refugees
Hariri: Russia's Refugee Initiative is Only One on the Table
Maronite Patriarch Calls on Syrians to Go Back to Their Country
Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel Questions Government Over Inaction on Illegal Hires Issues
Aoun Tells Pedersen U.N. Must Assist Syrian Returnees
Berri Calls for Q&A Parliament Session on March 27
Hariri Opening Workshop on Digital Economy: Digitized Nations are More Intelligent
Hbeish to Submit Bill Expanding Powers of Central Inspection Bureau
Article On Hizbullah Website In Advance Of U.S. Secretary Of State Pompeo’s Lebanon Visit: Lebanon Must Not Submit To American Dictates
US Congress Prepares New Sanctions against Hezbollah
Lebanese PM: Nobody Wants to Hamper Government Work
Ahead of Pompeo Visit, Lebanon’s Syria, Iran Allies Accuse US of Supporting Syrian Resettlement
Gebran Bassil denies any interest in Lebanon’s presidency, but no one is buying his act

Litles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 20-21/2019
Pompeo on Middle East Tour to Counter Iran, Boost Netanyahu
Kuwait Says US. Mideast Peace Plan Should Weigh Regional Considerations
Kuwait Hails Washington’s Steadfast Stance in Defending Gulf Security
Fatah: Efforts Underway with Egypt to Rein in Hamas Crackdown on Protests
How does Gantz’s hacked cellphone tie in with Israel’s non-strike on Iran’s nuclear sites in 2012?
Netanyahu Denies Iran Hacked Phones of His Wife, Son
Israeli Army Kills 2 Palestinians in West Bank Clashes
Palestinians Demand UN Intervention against Israeli Settlement Plan
New Israeli Radar System in Crete to Monitor Eastern Mediterranean Basin
Algeria Military Says Protests Have ‘Noble Aims’ as Powerful Party Abandons Bouteflika
Turkey’s Erdogan triggers spat with Australia, New Zealand
Australia summons Turkish ambassador for ‘offensive’ Erdogan comments
France threatens to reject May’s Brexit delay request
Kurdish Administration Slams Damascus ‘Threats’
Speculation Rife on Muqtada Sadr’s Whereabouts
EU's Tusk: Short Brexit Delay Possible if MPs Back Deal
New Kazakh President Sworn in, Proposes Renaming Capital

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 20-21/2019
UNIFIL Confirms Exixtance Of Six Tunnels In South Lebanon/Jerusalem Post/March 20/19
Article On Hizbullah Website In Advance Of U.S. Secretary Of State Pompeo’s Lebanon Visit: Lebanon Must Not Submit To American Dictates/MEMRE/March 20/19
Gebran Bassil denies any interest in Lebanon’s presidency, but no one is buying his act/Michael Young/The National/March 20/19
Kuwait Says US. Mideast Peace Plan Should Weigh Regional Considerations/Reuters/J.Post/March 20/19
How does Gantz’s hacked cellphone tie in with Israel’s non-strike on Iran’s nuclear sites in 2012/DEBKAfile/March 20/19
IRGC Deputy Commander Gen. Naqdi Praises 1983 Beirut Marine Barracks Attack: Real Men Kill U.S. Marines; U.S. On Verge Of Economic Collapse; ‘The Marines Peed In Their Pants In The Persian Gulf‘/MEMRI/March 19/2019
What Is Purim? The History Behind the Halloween of Jewish Holidays/Elon Gilad/Haaretz/March 20/19
Will Saudi Arabia Leave the Seventh Century/Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/March 20/19
A Recession Is Coming, And Maybe a Bear Market, Too/Gary Shilling/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/19
Turkey: Tens of Thousands Prosecuted for "Insulting" Erdoğan/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/March 20/19

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 20-21/2019
UNIFIL Confirms Exixtance Of Six Tunnels In South Lebanon
Jerusalem Post/March 20/19
Two tunnels confirmed to have crossed into Israeli territory; U.N. head Guterres expressed “deep concern” about Hezbollah’s tunnels.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon has confirmed the existence of six tunnels in southern Lebanon, two of which violated the Blue Line and crossed into Israeli territory. While UNIFIL said it could not determine who built the tunnels or when, they were recorded by UNIFIL in the region of Kafr Kila after UNIFIL engineers used verification tools such as laser range finders to confirm their existence. Though the IDF reported the existence of six cross-border tunnels, UNIFIL was able to visit only five of them, as one was destroyed by Israel’s military before it notified UNIFIL.
UNIFIL is said to have requested to enter one disused brick factory across from Metulla, after Israel filled it with liquid concrete, but the government of Lebanon refused to give it access, as it was private property. The property was said to then be completely covered in blue tarpaulins within 24 hours of UNIFIL’s request. Israel launched Operation Northern Shield in early December and destroyed at least five cross-border tunnels, either by explosives or by flooding with liquid concrete.
The tunnel underneath the brick factory was the first one to be discovered by the IDF and stretched some 40 meters into kiwi and apple orchards belonging to the community of Metulla. According to the military, the tunnel, which stretched a total of 200 meters, took Hezbollah around two years to build.
Hezbollah, the military said, chose the building because of its strategic location, in near proximity to a UNIFIL post and hidden behind the security wall and not visible from Israel. The military discovered the location of the tunnel after Israeli jets noticed dozens of trucks going in and out of the building and driving some 10-12 kilometers to dispose of the material.
The IDF declared the end of the operation in mid-January, saying that it had “deprived Hezbollah of the unique offensive abilities it had built for years as part of its planned attack on Israeli territory,” and strengthened security along the northern border. On Tuesday the military held a ceremony to mark the conclusion of the operation, in the presence of OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Yoel Strick; the commander of the 91st Division, Brig.-Gen. Rafi Milo; officers from the 91st Galilee Division and its regional brigades, defense battalions, and technological units; as well as intelligence officials, combat engineering troops, representatives of the civilian communities in the Galilee region, and others. During the ceremony, Strick awarded a decoration to the Yahalom unit, the elite unit of the Combat Engineering Corps, for leading a continuous, professional and exceptional effort to locate and neutralize the tunnels. “Many different forces played a part in the operation, and the cooperation between them contributed to fulfilling the mission with efficiency, power and determination,” the military said in a statement.
On Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed “deep concern” about Hezbollah’s tunnels, Lebanon’s Naharnet News reported. Guterres encouraged the Lebanese Armed Forces to “conduct all the necessary investigations on the Lebanese side,” in order to “confirm that the tunnels are no longer a security threat.”According to the report, he also said that Hezbollah’s weapons could “jeopardize the stability of Lebanon and the region,” and called on UN member states to “carry out their duties” and stop supplying weapons and military equipment to nongovernment entities and individuals in Lebanon.

Report: Britain 'Excludes' Hizbullah Ministers from Cooperation with Lebanon
Naharnet/March 20/19/Although Britain affirmed its continued cooperation with the Lebanese government, it has reportedly affirmed that it will “exclude” Hizbullah ministers from this cooperation, Asharq al-Awast reported on Wednesday. Apart from the recent decision to include Hizbullah's military and political wings on its lists of terrorist organizations, Britain is “committed” to helping Lebanon by enabling the Lebanese army to control the border, continue to provide military assistance to the security forces, and continue its assistance to the Syrian refugees and the Lebanese government, said the newspaper.
The daily quoted western diplomatic sources, they said Britain's decision to “exclude Hizbullah ministers from its cooperation with Lebanon will not affect cooperation with the Lebanese government." They stressed that “London's relations with the Lebanese government, presidency and parliament are committed to continuing cooperation with the institutions”, but at the same time, confirmed that “this approach excludes Hizbullah ministers in the government.”They said Britain regards “Lebanon as having full sovereignty,” but they stressed that the British decision towards Hizbullah “does not mean in any way that it is directed against the Shiite community in Lebanon.”The British aid program in Lebanon “does not exclude any sect,” they assured. Hizbullah made electoral gains in Lebanon last year and now has three ministers in the government including: Health Minister Jamil Jabaq, Youth and Sports Minister Mohammed Fneish and State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mahmoud Kmati. Late in February, Britain banned the political wing of Hizbullah, making membership of the movement or inviting support for it a crime. The decision followed outrage over the display of the Hizbullah flag, which features a Kalashnikov assault rifle, at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London.

Kubis Sees 'Absolute Consensus' in Lebanon on Returning Refugees

Naharnet/March 20/19/U.N. Special Coordinator Jan Kubis held talks Wednesday with Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil ahead of his travel to New York for his first meeting with the U.N. Security Council in his capacity as Special Coordinator. “We discussed a number of topics, he gave me a number of messages: One, the issues related to different violations of Resolution 1701 by Israel and the need to deal with them more robustly, by the United Nations, not to try to just focus on one side but indeed to look at both sides what they are doing and what they should not. That is one very clear message,” Kubis said after the meeting. “The second message was about the issue of Syrian refugees and the need to return them back to Syria, to create all the necessary conditions,” he added. “Of course I made, and that was well understood by his Excellency, reference to the International Humanitarian Law and the norms that are regulating this, but I also confirm that there is an absolute consensus here in the country that there is a need to see real, rapid, tangible manifestation of efforts to return Syrian refugees back home as soon as possible,” Kubis noted.
He also acknowledged that the refugees' presence is creating “issues and problems here in the country and there is almost political consensus on this topic here in the country.”“The third point was the issue of the terrestrial and maritime borders with Israel, and the need to accelerate work on this and again His Excellency confirmed clear interest in the U.N. playing a certain role, facilitating role, in this exercise,” Kubis went on to say.

Hariri: Russia's Refugee Initiative is Only One on the Table

Naharnet/March 20/19/Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced Wednesday that the Russian initiative on the repatriation of Syrian refugees is “the only pragmatic one on the table.”“Lebanon can no longer bear the burdens of more than 1.5 million refugees of its Syrian brothers on its soil, which are massive economic, social, environmental and financial burdens,” Hariri said in a speech during a Center House dinner banquet to honor Georges Shaaban, his adviser on Russian affairs.“That's why our policy is to seek their safe and dignified return as soon as possible,” he added. Noting that “the Russian initiative in this regard, in cooperation with UNHCR, is exactly working on this objective,” Hariri pointed out that Moscow is seeking practical steps to put the initiative on track such as “the issuance of an amnesty and the suspension of military conscription for a two-year period.”“This is on occasion to ask all friends and allies to press in this direction,” the premier went on to say.

Maronite Patriarch Calls on Syrians to Go Back to Their Country
Kataeb.org/ Wednesday 20th March 2019/Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi on Wednesday said that the Syrian refugees' presence has become a burden for Lebanon at all levels, warning that linking their return to a political solution in Syria poses a great danger to the country. “I don’t want the public opinion to think that we are against the Syrian refugees; on the contrary, we want them to return back to their homeland, to their history and culture," he said during a meeting with the newly-elected Maronite League council. "What I want to say to the Syrians is the following: We are not against you. We are saying that you must go back to your country with dignity because your presence has become a danger to us."Al-Rahi voiced support for Pesident Michel Aoun's repeated calls to not link the refugees' return to a political solution in Syria, saying that doing so would be the "biggest mistake". “Palestinians have been in Lebanon for 71 years now, waiting for a political solution that has never come,” he stated.

Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel Questions Government Over Inaction on Illegal Hires Issues

Kataeb.org/ Wednesday 20th March 2019/Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Wednesday questioned the government over the measures that have been taken to deal with the illegal hires that were uncovered recently in the public sector. In a letter addressed to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Gemayel asked that the government would be asked whether it has launched a comprehensive study that would determine the exact number of public servants as well as the cost of their employment, assess the current and future needs of the sector, and restructure it by setting out clear job descriptions. In case a study has been actually launched, then the government is required to provide clarifications on why no report has been submitted yet, as stipulated by the salary scale law. If no study is conducted so far, then the government must uncover those who are responsible for this failure and blatant violation of the law, Gemayel added. Gemayel based his questioning on the Article 21 of Law 46, known as the salary scale law that grants a pay hike to public employees, which clearly stipulates that the government has six months to carry out a comprehensive survey and suggest, accordingly, the measures that must be taken to stop squandering and cut the State's expenses. The lawmaker demanded that his question would be referred to the government, asking it to provide a written response within fifteen days pursuant to Article 124 of the Parliament's by-laws. Otherwise, an interrogation will be launched, pursuant to Article 126 of the Parliament's by-laws.

Aoun Tells Pedersen U.N. Must Assist Syrian Returnees

Naharnet/March 20/19/President Michel Aoun on Wednesday told U.N. envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen that Lebanon “can longer bear the repercussions of the Syrian refugee presence on the various social and economic levels.”“We, as officials, have become worried over the fate of our country,” Aoun told Pedersen during a meeting at the Baabda Palace. “We have reached the maximum acceptable capacity in shouldering the impact of the refugees' presence, and serious efforts must be exerted to return them to safe areas in Syria, which have become vast now and can accommodate their residents,” the president added. He also urged the U.N. and international donors to “offer assistance to the Syrians who are returning to their country, especially that there are Syrian regions that remained spared from destruction and accordingly residents can return to them.”Aoun also pointed out that “more than 172,000 Syrians have returned from Lebanon and we have not received any report indicating that they have faced harassment or inhumane practices.”

Berri Calls for Q&A Parliament Session on March 27

Naharnet/March 20/19/Speaker Nabih Berri has called for a general parliament session next week to question the government performance, the National News Agency reported on Wednesday. The parliament will convene on March 27 at 11:00 am as the first question and answer session since the government formation. The list of questions was distributed to lawmakers, said NNA.

Hariri Opening Workshop on Digital Economy: Digitized Nations are More Intelligent

Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Wednesday that "digitization is one of the primary building blocks for national prosperity", adding that "a digitized nation is simply more intelligent and we all need to work together, cooperate and coordinate on this issue ". Speaking at the opening of a workshop on Digital Economy at the Grand Serail, Hariri gave the following speech: "Today, digitization is one of the primary building blocks for national prosperity. A digitized nation sparks economic growth faster, and fuels transformation across all economic sectors.A digitized nation is simply more intelligent.
By 2025, which is only six years from today, it is expected that the Digital Economy should represent anywhere between 15% and 24% of world GDP. In Lebanon, we are at 4% today. Building a digital economy is an enormous and complex project. It needs all of its stakeholders working together and coordinating in order to be efficient and effective. Our problem in the country is that we don’t like to work together. Each one wants to compete with the other, thinking that he can do it better. We all need to work together, cooperate and coordinate. All the ministries and everyone should be cooperating on this issue. We aspire to a collaborative, connected republic where government institutions seamlessly serve businesses and citizens. On the world Digitization Index, Lebanon ranks 105 amongst 183 countries, scoring 57% in terms of overall digital adoption, and only 49% in terms of the government’s digital adoption. Digitization is one of the fundamental steps towards achieving the Innovation Nation. In fact, there are 12 building blocks to this vision of an Innovation Nation that I am putting forward, all of which need to be addressed before Lebanon can achieve its full innovation potential. These 12 pillars are the same 12 used to rank every economy of the world by the World Economic Forum. Lebanon aims to rise higher on this Global Competitiveness Index, our dashboard for national advancement. On the Innovation scale of the Global Competitiveness Index, Lebanon ranks 61 out of 140 countries, scoring only 39% in terms of its Innovation status. Although still low, this score has been achieved thanks to the efforts of our private sector and entrepreneurial minds, both of which are looking towards the right enabling environment from our governmental institutions. Between Digitization, which is a basic and fundamental step to be taken at Lebanon’s infrastructural level, and Innovation, which is the end objective of our Innovation Nation, is a considerable list of challenges, each of which requires a conference on its own. Take for example the case of Infrastructure, one of the 12 founding pillars of a competitive nation. The set of challenges we are facing is monumental. From waste and air pollution all the way to mobility and telecom, Digitization is the core missing element, the primary and most efficient tool to transition from problem to solution, and the first core enabler of the Innovation Nation. A digitized nation is simply more intelligent. Coupled with the expertise of our private sector and our highly skilled human capital, the opportunities will be endless. Lebanon needs to strengthen its enabling environment by driving forward education, infrastructure, institutional reform and Research & Development. Next, we must create the right legal environment to embrace the new innovative Lebanon. We must expand every ecosystem by encouraging clustering, cooperation and support to where we have a healthy cycle of education feeding into research and innovation feeding into industry. We must work on expanding Lebanon’s markets abroad and leverage technology to the largest extent to achieve that. We must install a monitoring system run by national champions who nurture all these achievements. And last but not least, we must work to continuously upgrade people, systems and institution from within, thus ensuring a sustainable Innovation Nation. Beneath it all is Technology: an underlying common denominator for national advancement. We are responsible for the Lebanon of tomorrow. The people of Lebanon are ready for change. They are sufficiently digitally –oriented to move forward. It is our public services that need to catch up. Beyond studies and strategies, the ball of implementation is in our court. Let us move forward, together.”

Hbeish to Submit Bill Expanding Powers of Central Inspection Bureau

Naharnet/March 20/19/Al-Mustaqbal Movement MP Hadi Hbeish said Wednesday he plans to submit a bill calling for the “expansion” of powers of the Central Inspection Bureau for “efficient fight corruption.”
In a press conference he held at the parliament, Hbeish said the CIB is not authorized to inspect several government institutions in Lebanon which makes the fight against corruption inefficient. “Today, the CIB can not access (for example) the National Social Security Fund, the Council for Development and Reconstruction and the Higher Relief Committee in addition to a large number of state institutions, municipalities and free private schools,” said Hbeish.
Moreover, commenting on the election of the Supreme Council to try presidents and ministers, Hbeish said it is better to lift diplomatic immunity off Lebanese officials instead of having a body to try them in case of corruption.
Turning to illegal employment in state institutions, the MP said “employment through ministers should be stopped and constitutional texts through the civil service council must be adopted.”Hbeish pointed out that text reforms is divided into two steps “first, to open the door to try the political authority in the country. Second, fight corruption in state institutions by strengthening the powers of inspection bodies to include all public bodies and municipalities in the country.”

Article On Hizbullah Website In Advance Of U.S. Secretary Of State Pompeo’s Lebanon Visit: Lebanon Must Not Submit To American Dictates
:من موقع ميمري/ترجمة لمقالة من موقع العهد التابع لحزب الله عنوانه
غراب البين قادم أيها اللبنانيون ماذا أنتم فاعلون/وذلك في اطار زيارة بومبيو
MEMRE/March 20/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73153/%D9%85%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9-%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%87%D8%AF-%D8%A7/

About a month and a half after the formation of the Lebanese government, with a majority for the pro-Syria and pro-Iran Hizbullah-led March 8 Alliance, the U.S. is increasing its pressure on Lebanon, with the aim of preventing Hizbullah from becoming even stronger in the Lebanese political arena and preventing Lebanon from moving closer to Russia.
This pressure is manifested in statements by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard, who at the conclusion of her February 19, 2019, meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Sa’d Al-Hariri expressed concern about Hizbullah’s growing role, that she said is destabilizing the country. However, she clarified that the U.S. intends to continue its aid to Lebanon.[1] U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield, who visited Lebanon in early March 2019, further underlined the link between American aid and the efforts required of Lebanon to stop Hizbullah from growing stronger. He stressed that his and other countries’ approach to Lebanon depended on “how Lebanon makes its decisions, which we hope will be positive for the good of Lebanon, and not for the good of external elements” – that is, Iran.[2] According to one report, Satterfield also said that the continuation of U.S. aid to Lebanon was conditional upon a cessation of its rapprochement with Russia.[3] Satterfield’s visit was in advance of the planned March 23 visit of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
According to reports in the Lebanese press, Pompeo is expected, in his meetings with Lebanese leaders, including President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Al-Hariri, to raise the American concern about the strengthening of Hizbullah’s position in the political arena; the concern that as a result Iran will increase its influence in Lebanon, via Hizbullah or by means of penetration into government institutions like the army and also into its spheres of health and energy; and also the concern that Lebanon will thus become a conduit for bypassing the sanctions imposed on Hizbullah and Iran.[4] Pompeo is also expected to express the American reservations about Lebanon’s increasing closeness to Russia, which over the past year has been working to establish its presence in Lebanon through joint military agreements, agreements regarding oil, and through the initiative to return the Syrian refugees in Lebanon to Syria. It is noteworthy that Pompeo is set to arrive in Lebanon just three days before Lebanese President Michel Aoun is due to go to Russia to meet with President Putin. Another topic to be discussed by Pompeo and senior Lebanese officials is the setting of the economic water border between Lebanon and Israel, a step that the U.S. would like to speed up, apparently due to concern that a stronger Hizbullah will harm the chances of doing so in the future.
The March 8 Alliance responded with bitterness to the U.S. pressure on Lebanon to prevent the strengthening of Hizbullah and its allies. Elements in this camp viewed the words of Ambassador Richard and Assistant Secretary of State Satterfield as a “rude and vulgar” intervention in Lebanon’s internal affairs.[5] The two were accused by representatives of this camp of violating Lebanon’s honor and also of incitement, in an attempt to spark civil war.[6]
Articles in the Hizbullah-affiliated Al-Akhbar daily claimed that the U.S is attempting to destabilize Lebanon and that it “is determined not to allow Lebanon to remain outside the American-Israeli-Saudi war against the axis of resistance.” As mentioned, Satterfield stated said that his country would continue to pressure Lebanon even at the cost of undermining its stability.[7]
Meanwhile, the March 8 Alliance is closely following the run-up to Pompeo’s visit, while warning against it. Sheikh Suheib Habli, who is close to Hizbullah, warned of a return to the American plans to harm Lebanon’s security and stability, and added that the wave of American incitement will end with the visit of Pompeo “who will bring with him dictates which the U.S. wants to impose on Lebanon.”[8] Former minister Wiam Wahhab even warned: “If [Prime Minister Al-Hariri] surrenders to the pressure from Secretary of State Pompeo, it will lead to the fall of the government… and to the establishment of a majority government [of the March 8 Alliance].”[9]
An article on the Hizbullah website Al-Ahed stated that Pompeo is not welcome since he is coming to incite against Hizbullah. The article describes the U.S. Embassy as an “espionage nest” whose only mission is to spy on Hizbullah.[10] The March 8 Alliance’s attack on Pompeo’s upcoming visit was also expressed in a stinging article by journalist Yasser Rahal, published on the Hizbullah website Al-Ahed, which called the U.S. the “mother of terrorism” and the “Great Satan.” He added that the American activity in Lebanon is aimed at harming the resistance and Lebanon as a whole, and that Pompeo’s visit is intended to present Lebanon with dictates and financial incentives. Therefore, he concluded, the Lebanese should not minimize their sources of strength, first and foremost the resistance.
The following is the translation of Rahal’s article:
“Every time the situation in Lebanon stabilizes, and it seems as though the Lebanese are reaching understanding and agreement and the train is getting back on track, the American ‘raven bearing ill omens’ arrives, with a plan to provoke internal controversy.
“In fact, the U.S. encourages infighting and quarrels, and is ‘the mother of terrorism.’ I would direct anyone who still believes in the American dream and all the slogans related to it, such as the international community, to take a look at America’s black record, which is overflowing with crimes and aggression against countries and peoples.
“Let’s settle for [giving here] a list of the countries it has fought against, conquered, or in whose affairs it has intervened: Colombia, Panama, Korea, Morocco, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, China, Haiti, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Turkey, Russia, Germany, Japan, Greece, Puerto Rico, Lebanon, Laos, Ecuador, Vietnam, Indonesia, Granada, Libya, Virgin Islands, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen. Thirty-six countries have suffered from the evil of the United States. There is no choice but to repeat the famous words of the imam Khomeini who described the United States as the Great Satan.
“With respect to Lebanon – let us not go back to the [U.S. forces’] landing on the coast of Beirut in 1958.[11] Let’s settle for the plans that the [U.S.] foreign ministers and their aides, and its ambassadors, had for their visits to Lebanon.
“We have no intention of recounting the history in detail. Suffice it to mention names that will remind the Lebanese of the positions of the ‘dear’ [then-U.S. Ambassador to Beirut and assistant secretary of state] Jeffrey Feltman, and the $500 million [earmarked at that time for] demonizing Hizbullah; [then-U.S. Ambassador to Beirut] Michelle Sisson and her statements about Hizbullah which were revealed through WikiLeaks;[12] [Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs] David Satterfield and the pressure he applied to deprive the Lebanese of their rights to the oil; [then-Secretary of State] Colin Powell and [his] attempt to wipe out the resistance [i.e. Hizbullah]; [then-Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice and the attempt to subjugate the people of resistance during the 2006 aggression [i.e. the Second Lebanon War]; and, prior to that, [then-Secretary of State] Madeleine Albright and her activity to prevent the liberation [of South Lebanon, and her support for] the theft of land, water, and oil for the benefit of the enemy, and [her] threat against [then-Lebanese] president Emile Lahoud.[13]
“In his upcoming visit Mike Pompeo’s behavior will be no different than that of his predecessors. He will come to ”educate’ the Lebanese because they stood up for themselves and refused to submit to the conditions of the Israeli enemy with respect to the drawing of the sea border.
“He is coming to warn that there will be ‘great calamity and catastrophe’ if the resistance [i.e. Hizbullah] remains entrenched in the hearts of the Lebanese. He is coming with hands stained with the blood of children in Yemen, Iraq, Libya, and Palestine, and in Syria, which defeated him, and he will leave with his tail between his legs in failure. He will not hide behind baseless allegations, as is common in diplomacy – he will say aloud: It’s either Israel or the whip. We will increase the sanctions, shut down your economy, and prevent agreements, and that is just the beginning. Hand over to us the head of the resistance, and what you will receive from us will amaze the world. Renounce your sovereignty, your land, and your oil, and we will compensate you 10 times over.’
“Calm down, gentlemen, times have changed. Lebanon is no longer at the nadir of its weakness, but is strong by virtue of its army, its people, and its resistance [i.e. Hizbullah].
“It has already been proven that every time we entered the fray, we won. Who would have believed that the unbeatable army [i.e. the IDF] would be defeated? Who would have believed that the war against the takfir terrorism would succeed, and that we would banish it from our country? If the Lebanese belittle all their strong points this time, then [we may as well say] goodbye to the country… and it will be too late for regret.”[14]
https://www.memri.org/reports/article-hizbullah-website-advance-us-secretary-state-pompeos-lebanon-visit-lebanon-must-not
[1] Lb.usembassy.gov, February 20, 2019.
[2] Almanar.com.lb, March 5, 2019.
[3] Elnashra.com, March 9, 2019.
[4] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series 1443, Dispute In Lebanon Over Iran’s Offer To Equip Lebanese Army, February 25, 2019.
[5] Elnashra.com, February 20, 2019.
[6] Almanar.com.lb, March 6, 2019.
[7] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), March 7, 2019; March 8, 2019.
[8] Elnashra.com, March 15, 2019.
[9] Elnashra.com, March 18, 2019.
[10] Alahednews.com.lb, March 19, 2019.
[11] In 1958 the United States intervened militarily in Lebanon to stop the civil war that had broken out in the country.
[12] The WikiLeaks website revealed telegrams about Hizbullah sent by Ambassador Sisson, for example, a telegram about Iran’s involvement in Hizbullah’s communications network. Wikileaks.org, April 16, 2008.
[13] Following Lebanon’s opposition to a draft resolution in the UN Security Council which approved the IDF withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright pressured Lebanese President Emile Lahoud to rescind his country’s opposition. In his book, Lahoud wrote that during the argument (on the phone), Albright threatened him, and he hung up on her. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 7360, In The Shadow Of U.S. Demands For Disarming Hizbullah And For Compromise In Lebanon-Israel Border Conflicts, U.S. Secretary Of State Tillerson Is Insulted In Lebanon Visit And Meetings Yield No Results, February 28, 2018.
[14] Alahednews.com.lb, March 15, 2019.

US Congress Prepares New Sanctions against Hezbollah

Washington - Elie Youssef/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/Republican and Democrat congressmen are ramping up a new list of sanctions against Hezbollah, expected to be approved next week, revealed US Congress sources Tuesday.Congressional circles have expressed their satisfaction with the results of the latest sanctions recently imposed on Iran. Separately, a high-ranking US official told a close circle of journalists that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to urge Lebanon to take independent decisions on behalf of the Lebanese people. During his upcoming visit to Beirut this week, the US official will directly tackle the current challenges posed by Iran and Tehran’s illegal activities in Lebanon, in addition to Hezbollah’s role. Pompeo’s stop in the Lebanese capital could be very significant amid the escalating tensions between Washington and several Lebanese officials over how to deal with Hezbollah and its political and military roles. “We’ll spend a lot of time talking with the Lebanese government about how we can help them disconnect from the threat that Iran and Hezbollah present to them,” said Pompeo on Tuesday. “Financial, economic, all the assistance we have provided to the Lebanese Armed Forces, talk to them about those serious issues. And meet with some of the religious leadership of the country as well.”Observers predict that Pompeo will use in Beirut the same rhetoric he uses in Iraq, which drove tensions among the country’s political leaders amid pressure Washington is exerting on Baghdad over its energy deals with neighboring Iran. Military sources said that the Washington is extremely concerned about Hezbollah possibly seizing control of Lebanon’s military intelligence and important security decision-making positions. It cited Hezbollah’s control of the airport and ports and its hindering of the army’s duties on the border with Israel. Meanwhile, an official from the US State Department denied that Washington was seeking to establish any kind of military bases in Lebanon, as alleged by some forces that were seeking to create incitement against Washington ahead of Pompeo’s visit. Washington has a regional and local target to limit the adventures, influence and presence of Iran and its forces across the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, the official said.

Lebanese PM: Nobody Wants to Hamper Government Work
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that he was working “for the interests of the citizens, the economy and Lebanon,” stressing that none of the political parties wanted to hamper the government’s work. Addressing a delegation from the Press Syndicate at the Grand Serail, Hariri announced the imminent approval of the State budget, adding that the electricity crisis would be resolved soon. “As promised in the ministerial statement, the budget will be reformative and will reduce the squandering of public funds,” he said. “All parties want solutions for electricity, waste, the displaced and the fight against squandering and corruption, as well as the adoption of the budget. My duty is to reach common ground with everyone, increase investments in the country, encourage foreign investors and restore confidence in the state,” he added. Moreover, the premier hailed Saudi Arabia’s decision to lift the travel ban on its citizens, pointing out that more than 12,000 Saudi tourists visited Lebanon within a few days after the decision was taken and that the total number of tourists through Beirut airport increased by 20 percent during the first two months of 2019.
“We are working now with the United Arab Emirates to reach a similar decision,” he remarked. On the reform plans adopted at last year’s CEDRE Conference, Hariri said: “The achievements will come and all political parties want to implement [agreements reached in] CEDRE and carry out reforms and fight corruption.”He continued: “There can be corrupt people in all political parties. The important thing is the decision that no one will cover the corrupt and there is no red line that stops the judiciary from prosecuting any perpetrator.” He also reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to its policy of dissociation from regional conflicts and to the Arab League’s stance towards the Syrian regime. “Where is Lebanon’s interest in becoming embroiled in a confrontation with the Arab League and international community?” he asked, referring to a question about the normalization of ties with the regime.

Ahead of Pompeo Visit, Lebanon’s Syria, Iran Allies Accuse US of Supporting Syrian Resettlement
Beirut - Mohammed Shuqair/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/The allies of Iran and the Syrian regime in Lebanon are preparing to receive US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s first visit to Beirut with a series of accusations. The first of those accusations is that Washington supports the resettlement of displaced Syrians in Lebanon. They cited in this regard Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil’s refusal to attend last week’s Brussels donor conference on Syria because he alleged it aimed to provide financial aid to help the displaced stay in Lebanon.
Iran and Syria’s allies will try to leave no space in the political and media arena for Pompeo to emphasize Lebanon’s commitment to US sanctions imposed on Tehran and Hezbollah. According to well-informed Lebanese sources, the allies are carrying out an order to disrupt Pompeo’s visit, which aims to confirm Washington’s stance that Lebanon would not be left prey to the Iranian agenda and Hezbollah’s control. The political sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Pompeo would focus on Washington’s insistence on “balancing the internal equation,” otherwise, Lebanon’s policy of dissociation from regional conflicts would be compromised. Abandoning the policy will negatively affect Lebanon’s internal stability and impede the implementation of the reform plan approved in the CEDRE Conference, according to the sources. Therefore, Iran and Syria’s allies see Pompeo’s visit as an opportunity to incite the Lebanese public opinion, especially Christians, on the grounds that the US administration stands by settling Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Asharq Al-Awsat spoke with Progressive Socialist Party, Lebanese Forces and Future Movement politicians, who rejected such claims. They instead noted that the international community’s insistence on linking the return of the displaced to the political solution in Syria was due to reports from Damascus that thousands of displaced persons who returned voluntarily to Syria have been persecuted and imprisoned.

Gebran Bassil denies any interest in Lebanon’s presidency, but no one is buying his act
مايكل ينك/جبران باسيل ينفي سعيه لموقع رئاسة الجمهورية ولكن لا أحد يصدقه
Michael Young/The National/March 20/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73146/michael-young-gebran-bassil-denies-any-interest-in-lebanons-presidency-but-no-one-is-buying-his-act%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%84-%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%83-%D8%AC%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8/

A recent row with Prime Minister Saad Hariri was the latest in a series of carefully planned manoeuvres by the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil appears to want to be Lebanon's next president. Bill Kotsatos for The National..
Lebanon’s government had barely been formed before a row broke out between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil. Some worried it might lead to a collapse of the government, but this week the two men showed signs of calming the atmosphere. What we’re seeing is the latest example of manoeuvring by Mr Bassil, who one day intends to become Lebanon’s president, a post reserved for the Maronite Christian community.
How do we know? A good indicator came from Mr Bassil himself. On Sunday, Mr Bassil, who is also leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), declared that those saying he was preparing to be president once his father-in-law, Michel Aoun, left the post or passed away were wrong. He denied having any personal ambitions, saying that talk about the presidential race was aimed at harming him. “This is a topic no one is allowed to bring up with me,” he insisted.
In Lebanon when politicians protest a claim too much, it’s a good sign that it happens to be true. In picking a fight recently with Mr Hariri and his Future Movement, Mr Bassil seemed to have one goal in mind: to portray himself as the pre-eminent Christian representative, who could bring back to his co-religionists the power they had lost, to the advantage of the Sunni prime minister, in the Taif Accord of 1989. By doing so, Mr Bassil believes that he will emerge as the most legitimate Christian for the presidency.
There was some irony here. Since Mr Hariri returned to Lebanon in 2016 to support Mr Aoun’s presidency, he had made a rapprochement with the Aounists a cornerstone of his political strategy, to the extent of alienating many of his political allies. However, it appears that in wanting to be flexible, the prime minister merely looked weak, and Mr Bassil sought to take advantage of this.
The official reasons for the discord between the two men are both more significant and less so. In the less significant category, last week Mr Bassil criticised an international conference in Brussels on Syrian refugees, which Mr Hariri was attending. The foreign minister portrayed himself as a defender of Lebanon by saying, without proof, that the international community wanted to resettle displaced people in the country. This is a sore point for many Christians, who fear that the settlement of the mainly Sunni Syrian refugees in Lebanon will turn Christians into an even smaller minority.
In Lebanon when politicians protest against a claim too much, it’s a pretty good sign that it happens to be true
More seriously, Mr Bassil and Mr Hariri have disagreements over senior civil service and military appointments, with Mr Bassil demanding a lion’s share for the FPM, at the expense of other Christian parties. For Mr Bassil, such demands are not only aimed at marginalising his rivals, but also at obtaining more patronage power, which can help him to expand his political base. Doing so would give him a serious leg up for the presidency.
In another dogwhistle familiar to Christians, the Aounists also opened fire on the former prime minister, Fouad Siniora, accusing him of illegal budgetary spending. Mr Siniora is regarded as a stand-in for the policies of the late prime minister Rafik Hariri, whom he served. Many Christians view Rafik Hariri as the Sunni leader who accelerated the Christians' political decline brought about by the Taif Accord.
Mr Bassil’s gamesmanship comes at a bad time. With Lebanon facing a severe economic crisis, the government cannot afford to bicker over petty matters. But that is precisely Mr Bassil’s calculation. He believes that Mr Hariri is so desperate to pass urgent economic reforms and ensure harmony in his government that concessions can be forced from him.
Mr Hariri’s problem is that he has already lost a great deal of power since returning as prime minister in 2016. He has been so willing to compromise in order to remain in his position that, were he to go any further, he would risk losing his base of support among Sunnis. Already, there is a perception that the prime minister is the patsy of Mr Bassil and Hezbollah, and it is true that he invariably seems to be the one who bends when political deadlock needs to be broken.
Watching the quarrel between Mr Bassil and Mr Hariri with satisfaction was Hezbollah. The party gains when the prime minister’s power is diminished, while Mr Bassil’s presidential ambitions mean he will have to secure its approval to be elected. Hezbollah also benefits politically whenever the government is divided, so it is likely to encourage Mr Bassil to keep the pressure up on Mr Hariri. In that way, it can gain leverage whenever it intervenes to broker deals that allow the government to move forward.
It is often said that the most destructive moments in Lebanese politics are those when Maronite Christians are vying for the presidency. That has been true on many occasions around election time. But Mr Aoun is 84 years old now, so his health and succession are ongoing issues. Mr Bassil may claim not to be thinking of what happens after his father-in-law is gone, but no one seriously believes him.
*Michael Young is editor of Diwan, the blog of the Carnegie Middle East programme, in Beirut
https://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/gebran-bassil-denies-any-interest-in-lebanon-s-presidency-but-no-one-is-buying-his-act-1.839401

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on March 20-21/2019
Pompeo on Middle East Tour to Counter Iran, Boost Netanyahu
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 20/19/Top US diplomat Mike Pompeo sought Wednesday to bolster a united front against Iran during a Middle East tour that will include talks with key ally Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israeli elections. The US secretary of state kicked off his regional tour in Kuwait where he met Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Israel and Lebanon. Pompeo told reporters on the flight from the United States that he would discuss "strategic dialogue" and the need to combat "the threat posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran" with leaders in the region. After Kuwait Pompeo will fly to Israel where an election campaign is in its final weeks with Netanyahu locked in a close battle with centrist rivals. Pompeo is also pushing for a greater role for the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), a US-sponsored Arab NATO aimed at uniting Washington's Arab allies against Tehran. "We all have the same set of threats, threats from Al-Qaeda, from (the Islamic State group), threats from the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pompeo said at a joint press conference with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled Al-Sabah. Pompeo urged Qatar and Saudi Arabia, both members of MESA, to bury the hatchet in a political dispute over regional policy that has split the two powerful Gulf states. "It's not in the best interest of the region," Pompeo said of the Saudi-Qatari rift. "It's not in the best interest of the world." Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their allies cut all ties with Doha in 2017, accusing Qatar of bankrolling Islamist fundamentalists and cosying up to Iran.
Qatar denies the allegations and says the rival states aim to incite regime change in Doha.
'Important relationship'
While Washington insists it is not interfering in Israeli politics, his visit is seen as a show of support for Netanyahu, who is struggling to keep his grip on power as he faces allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust ahead of the April 9 polls. "Leaders will change in both countries over time," Pompeo said before landing in Kuwait. That relationship matters no matter who the leaders are."Israel is one of the most outspoken members of the anti-Iranian grouping assembled by the US, and Iran is sure to be a central focus of Pompeo's talks in Jerusalem. No meetings with Netanyahu's opponents are scheduled, and the secretary of state will not meet with representatives of the Palestinian Authority. "They'd have to want to talk to us," Pompeo said of the Palestinian officials. "That'd be a good start."Washington has taken a series of steps deemed so "hostile" by the Palestinian Authority that it now refuses any contact with the US administration. The moves include cutting most of the US aid to the Palestinians. President Donald Trump's decision in December 2017 to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israeli delighted Netanyahu's government. But it enraged Palestinians, who want to make the eastern, mainly Palestinian part of the city the capital of their future state. Pompeo's two-day visit to Jerusalem also includes a symbolic stop at the new US embassy, which was transferred from Tel Aviv on Trump's orders last year. Netanyahu will travel to Washington in the last week of March for the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), an event sponsored by the influential lobbying group that draws thousands each year. While a meeting has not been officially confirmed, the Israeli premier hopes to use the opportunity of his Washington visit to meet with Trump.
Peace plan countdown
A shift in semantics and policy has marked the Trump term, particularly related to the Middle East. The US has ceased to refer to Syria's Golan Heights as "Israeli-occupied" and instead calls the territory "controlled" by Israel -- a change seen by some as a prelude to US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the strategic plateau. "That language reflects the facts as we understand them," Pompeo said. "This was a factual statement about how we observe the situation. "And we think it's very accurate, and we stand behind it."The April 9 vote in Israel will also start the countdown for the presentation, expected before the summer, of the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan that a small White House team -- strongly pro-Israeli, analysts say -- has been quietly preparing under the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. During Friday's Beirut leg of his trip, Pompeo will focus on the Hezbollah movement, which the US considers a pro-Iranian "terrorist" group even though it is represented in the coalition government of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, himself a US ally.

Kuwait Says US. Mideast Peace Plan Should Weigh Regional Considerations
Reuters/J.Post/March 20/19
"We hope the plan will take into account the situation in the region and all the relevant parties," Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Sabah told a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
KUWAIT - Kuwait's foreign minister said on Wednesday that a long-awaited US peace proposal for the Middle East should be acceptable to all stakeholders and factor in regional considerations. US President Donald Trump's special adviser Jared Kushner visited several Gulf Arab states last month - but not Kuwait - to seek support from Arab leaders on the economic portion of the proposal that Trump is expected to unveil in the coming months.Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, has given a broad outline of the plan, saying it would address final-status issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including establishing borders. "We hope the plan will take into account the situation in the region and all the relevant parties," Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Sabah told a joint news conference with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "We believe the strong relationship between the United States and several countries will lead to an acceptable resolution to all parties and to reaching a political solution that has been long waited for."Kuwait currently holds a non-permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council, where it has championed the Palestinian cause. Pompeo is on a regional tour that will also take him to Israel and Lebanon. The foreign minister of Kuwait said he had also discussed with Pompeo a Gulf dispute that has fractured the Gulf Arab bloc, as well as Syria, Iran, Iraq and Yemen. The United States and Kuwait have been trying to mediate in the bitter row that has seen Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and non-Gulf state Egypt impose a political and economic boycott on Qatar since June 2017 over allegations it supports terrorism. Doha denies the charges. "We are all working to find a solution. It's not in the best interest of the region, not in the best interest of the world. We need Gulf countries all working together on the complex set of challenges that face each of them," Pompeo said. Sheik Sabah said "there is no option" other than for the dispute to be resolved. The United States, an ally of the six-nation Gulf bloc, has said that regional unity is essential for a planned Middle East Strategic Alliance that would serve as a bulwark against Iran. Qatar is home to a major US airbase and Kuwait also hosts US troops. Pompeo said his talks on Wednesday also focused on enhancing defense and cybersecurity cooperation with Kuwait.
Trump: ISIS will be gone ‘by tonight’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya/EnglishWednesday, 20 March 2019/US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that ISIS will be “gone by tonight,” in an announcement he made on the White House South Lawn ahead of a visit to Ohio. Trump held up two maps showing the difference between lands that belonged to ISIS in 2016’s election night versus the lands of the so-called “caliphate” today. The maps had areas that fell under the control of ISIS colored in red, on which Trump commented saying: “When I took it over, it was a mess. Now there is no red. In fact, there’s actually a tiny spot which will be gone by tonight.”He added that Washington will keep around 400 troops in the north east of Syria.

Kuwait Hails Washington’s Steadfast Stance in Defending Gulf Security
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/Kuwait Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah hailed on Wednesday the United States’ steadfast stance in defending the Arab Gulf. During a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Kuwait, he expressed his faith in Washington’s ability to draft a peace plan for the region that would be accepted by all concerned parties. “We are confident that the US has ideas about peace that take into consideration the situation in the region and the parties involved,” he said of the American administration’s so-called “Deal of the Century” peace proposal. He confirmed that this issue was discussed with Pompeo, adding that Washington’s friendship with several countries in the region will ultimately reach an agreement that is accepted by everyone until a long-awaited political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is achieved.
On Yemen, the minister said that his country was in agreement with the US on the need to end its conflict peacefully according to the three references. For his part, Pompeo underscored the importance of the Strategic Dialogue with Kuwait, saying that discussions tackled defense, trade and counter-terrorism efforts. He also highlighted Kuwait’s mediation role in several regional affairs, including the Gulf crisis, which he said Washington was keen on resolving. Moreover, he stressed that the US has not altered its policy on the Middle East peace process. Pompeo added that his country is boosting its efforts to prohibit cyber threats and its dangers, underlining the US commitment to the security of Kuwait. The top US diplomat had arrived in Kuwait on Tuesday as part of a Middle East tour that will see him head to Jerusalem and Beirut.

Fatah: Efforts Underway with Egypt to Rein in Hamas Crackdown on Protests
Ramallah - Kifah Zboun/Asharq Al Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/Fatah deputy chief Mahmoud al-Aloul revealed on Tuesday that intense local and regional efforts are underway to rein in the Hamas movement’s violent crackdown on protests in the Gaza Strip. He said talks are underway with Egypt to that end. He also accused Hamas of seeking to create crises between Palestinians and spark an internal conflict in order to approve the “Deal of the Century” peace proposal that is being prepared by the US administration. He made his remarks as Hamas intensified its crackdown and arrests against popular activists who had taken to the streets of Gaza to protest against new taxes and price hikes. Hamas has resorted to excessive use of force in order stifle sedition, arresting several members of Fatah and the Palestinian left. Official reports said that they were subject to torture during investigations.
Since the eruption of the protests, the Independent Commission for Human Rights has documented a number of rights violations as Hamas’ security agencies attempted to disperse protesters by force, citing a number of injuries among the demonstrators.
Some 25 rallies have taken place since their eruption on March 14. Hamas has also arrested over 1,000 people taking part in the rallies. Some 300 remain in detention. Twenty-three journalists were also detained. Fatah, meanwhile, accused Hamas of attempting to assassinate its spokesman in Gaza, Atef Abou Seif, after he was severely beaten in the Strip. Hamas has denied the charge and condemned the attack.Abu Seif has suffered from several broken bones and is receiving medical treatment in Ramallah. Fatah stressed that it will not remain silent over Hamas’ “crimes” for very long. It did not disclose what measures it intends to take against the movement. Observers believe it would resort to legal measures if necessary. In addition, the Popular Front’s politburo revealed that Hamas has arrested several of its members. Democratic Front politburo members Taysir Khaled compared Hamas’ security agencies to the Gestapo, while Muslim and Christian clerics joined in in condemning the movement’s practices. The Palestinian government held Hamas completely responsible for the dangerous deterioration, while the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee condemned the movement’s “barbaric” crackdown on peaceful youth protests. It said that such practices are alien to Palestinian culture, calling on the de facto forces in Gaza to cease this behavior immediately, return to reason and implement the reconciliation to end the Palestinian rift. Hamas has yet to officially respond to any of the mounting backlash against it. Prominent movement member in the West Bank, Hassan Youssef, did however, propose an end to political arrests, saying he rejects the “use of force against any Palestinian over their right to freedom of expression.”Other Hamas members have distanced themselves from the movement’s practices. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 from the forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel imposed a blockade, a step meant to prevent Hamas from arming. The blockade, and three wars with Israel, have ravaged Gaza's economy but done nothing to loosen Hamas' grip on power. Unemployment is over 50 percent and much higher for young university graduates. Tap water is undrinkable, electricity is limited and travel abroad severely restricted. Hamas' cash-strapped government recently raised taxes on basic goods like bread, beans and cigarettes. Protesters accuse Hamas of corruption and imposing the hefty taxes to enrich itself. They used social media to organize protests last week with the slogan "We want to live!"This is not the first time people have taken to the streets against Hamas. Two years ago, protesters demonstrated against the chronic power cuts on a cold January day before Hamas violently dispersed them. This time around, the sporadic rallies have continued for several days, despite a similarly violent response.

How does Gantz’s hacked cellphone tie in with Israel’s non-strike on Iran’s nuclear sites in 2012?
DEBKAfile/March 20/19
The new Blue-White party fighting to win Israel’s coming election is led, or supported, by individuals who in 2012 forced PM Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to cancel their planned pre-emptive attack on Iran’s evolving nuclear weapons program. Three years later, those same individuals enthusiastically supported the nuclear accord signed by six world powers led by the Obama administration. Among them were former chiefs of staff Benny Gantz and Gaby Ashkenazi. Their fellow party leader, Yair Lapid, vocally fought Netanyahu’s drive to prevent the nuclear deal from going through. Lapid maintained that the prime minister’s dramatic appeal to the US Congress, at that time, would derail the strategic relations between the US and Israel. The “submarine affair” today is led by the same actors. It has two parts, criminal and strategic. In the first, the prime minister was exhaustively investigated on suspicion of bribery and absolved of any financial gain or other connection with the transaction. Indictments were filed against a long line of officials and a military commander. The attorney general moreover confirmed that Netanyahu had full authority to make the decision to purchase the additional submarines from Germany. Regarding the strategic aspect of the submarine controversy, the same individuals who countered the military option against Iran objected nine years ago to Israeli purchasing a sixth submarine from the German ThyssenKrupp shipyard, because it would have tipped the scales in favor of a military attack on Iran by arming Israel with a “second strike” capability against a potential Iranian attack.
This time, Netanyahu was not cowed by the generals. He bought the sixth submarine against their advice – for which they will never forgive him. Today, many experts agree that not just six, but 8 or 10, of those submarines, would enhance Israel’s strategic position in the region. Egypt’s purchase of the German submarines was also dragged into the current election campaign. Netanyahu stands accused of giving the transaction a pass, contrary to Israel’s security interests, in order to fill the pockets of members of his family and his own profit.
DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources lift the Egyptian sub transaction out of the election campaign and sets the record straight. If Netanyahu had hypothetically advised Berlin to refuse the sale, Cairo would have turned to Russia, China or South Korea instead, in which case Israel would have had no say in the sale or knowledge of the systems installed on the submarines. The Germans were willing to listen to, and share information with, Israel. Therefore, Netanyahu acted purely in the interests of national security by approving the German sub transaction with Egypt.
Nonetheless, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon, a member of the Blue-White party’s leading quartet, went so far on Wednesday, March 20, as to accuse Netanyahu of treasonable conduct!
At this low point in the party’s fight against him, Netanyahu made his voice heard. Speaking to reporters from his Jerusalem residence, he was flanked by Avi Dichter, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee and former head of the Shin Bet security service. The prime minister did not try to defend himself against the accusations, which he treats as outrageously unfounded; instead he turned his gun back on Blue-White leader Benny Gantz’s hacked smartphone. He charged his rival with continuing to run for election as a future prime minister, while exposing Israel to danger, since Iran is only waiting for the chance to use the content pulled from his cellphone for extortion. He can only save himself, said the prime minister, by coming clean to the public on the phone’s content and so neutralizing the Iranian threat. “Benny Gantz, what are you hiding from the Israeli public?” the prime minister asked. “What do the Iranians know about you that you are hiding from us? This is not a matter of of gossip but national security. So come clean!” Dichter said: “The enemy’s breach of the cellphone of a person with pretensions to become prime minister has disastrous connotations.”
It was clear from their remarks that both know exactly what Gantz’s smartphone contains and let him know that, if he did not lay its content bare, someone else would do it for him. Although Iran denied hacking the phone in Wednesday, its leaders must be chuckling quietly over having seized center stage of the Zionist state’s election campaign.

Netanyahu Denies Iran Hacked Phones of His Wife, Son
Tel Aviv- Nazir Majli/Asharq Al Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/Cellphones of Sara and Yair Netanyahu, the wife and son of the Israeli prime minister, were not hacked by Iran, the Prime Minister’s Office asserted Tuesday. Netanyahu accused rival Israeli sources in the elections of being responsible for such rumors to divert attention from the scandal of Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz's whose phone was hacked. Earlier, a report stated that Iran hacked the phones of Netanyahu's wife and son in an attempt to eavesdrop on conversations with the premier. Sara and Yair Netanyahu were not themselves the main target of the hack, but rather that it was an attempt to gain general information as the PM does not have a cellphone. It remains unclear just how much and what information was leaked, and if the hack actually took place. The Iranian espionage was heavily discussed in Israeli media ever since the right-wing journalist Amit Segal uncovered the case of hacking the phone of former Chief of General Staff of the Israeli Forces. Usually, in such cases when a former chief of staff is hacked, he is put into interrogation and then supposedly provided protection. The damage is then assessed and the issue is considered a matter of “national security.”However, in Israel in the year 2019, the subject became an “award” that Netanyahu claimed and used to attack Gantz. “If Benny Gantz can’t protect his phone, how will he protect our country?” Netanyahu stated. According to Iranian sources, the breach of Gantz’ phone happened a few years ago, but apparently the subject is now being discussed for internal Israeli elections. For his part, Gantz said that Netanyahu is personally behind this reports saying the PM is willing to target his opponents, even if it harms the security of Israel. Former head of the Mossad, Tamir Pardo, considered this publication a disastrous blow to Israel's security. “The use of classified intelligence information for political ends is very grave,” Pardo said, adding that “leaking something like this, at the height of an election campaign, tramples on all the rules of the democratic game.”Sources close to Netanyahu's rivals of the Blue and White party reported that they decided to step up the attack on the corruption of the prime minister, to become a key issue in their campaign. In their first full press conference since launching the party, Gantz, Moshe Yaalon, and Gabi Ashkenazi, as well as their ally Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of being implicated in “the greatest security-related corruption case in the history of Israel.”Blue and White said that the phone hack story was leaked in an attempt to divert attention away from new allegations that Netanyahu may have earned millions of shekels from the so-called submarine affair. Netanyahu along with several of his close associates are suspected to have received illicit funds as part of a massive graft scheme in the multi-billion-shekel purchase of three Dolphin-class submarines and four Saar 6-class corvettes from German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp.

Israeli Army Kills 2 Palestinians in West Bank Clashes

West Bank- Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in clashes near a flashpoint religious site in the occupied West Bank overnight Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said. The health ministry said Raid Hamdan, 21, and Zaid Nouri, 20, died after being shot late Tuesday by Israeli troops near the Joseph's Tomb religious site close to the Palestinian city of Nablus. The military says explosive devices were hurled on Wednesday morning at soldiers securing Jewish worshippers at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus. "Troops responded with live fire towards the vehicle." There were no reports of injuries on the Israeli side. The site is venerated by Muslims, Christians, and Jews and has often been a source of tension in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Palestinian Muslims believe an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Youssef (Joseph) Dweikat, was buried there two centuries ago. Jews believe the site contains the remains of the biblical patriarch Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob. It is located near a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, the territory occupied by Israel for more than 50 years. The Israeli army regularly escorts groups of Jewish pilgrims to the site, often sparking clashes.

Palestinians Demand UN Intervention against Israeli Settlement Plan
Ramallah – Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned on Tuesday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement of plans to build 840 new units in the Jewish settlement of Ariel in the West Bank. The ministry demanded, in a statement reported by Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the UN Security Council to break its silence, defend its remaining credibility towards the situation in occupied Palestine and take necessary measures to implement relevant international resolutions, mainly resolution 2334. “Tomorrow, we will begin building 840 housing units in Ariel in a new neighborhood as was approved two years ago,” Netanyahu said in the aftermath of a shooting attack by a Palestinian that killed and wounded Israeli soldiers and settlers on Sunday. The Palestinian ministry held the US administration responsible for providing cover for Israeli violations of occupied Palestinian territories and deepening settlement expansion. It said that this bias exposes the false US claims on achieving Palestinian-Israeli peace. All the talks about the US administration’s “Deal of the Century” undermine the international community and Middle East, it continued. It called on countries that respect international law, the UN charter and Geneva Conventions to act promptly to rescue the international order from the consequences of US policies, especially in the Middle East.

New Israeli Radar System in Crete to Monitor Eastern Mediterranean Basin
Tel Aviv – Nazir Magally/Asharq Al Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/Israel, Greece, and Cyprus will hold a tripartite summit on Thursday in Tel Aviv to discuss military cooperation and the laying of a gas pipeline from Israel to Europe. The military cooperation between the three countries led to the development of a new long horizon marine radar system in eastern Crete, with the enhanced coverage of the new surface radar to monitor the Eastern Mediterranean basin. Israeli sources said the meeting will bring together Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades along with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The new surface radar will be able to track at long range, beyond the horizon, and both Israel and Greece will have access to its enhanced coverage. “This will bring vast revenue to state coffers that will be directed to the benefit of Israel’s citizens,” Netanyahu said. Relations between Jerusalem and Athens have grown closer in recent years, according to sources in Tel Aviv. Military and economic issues are crucial in these ties, with particular attention paid to exploiting both countries’ gas reserves.This cooperation was reflected on Greece’s political positions, as Athens softened its stance on the Palestinian issue in international bodies. In 2015, Israel had participated in wide-range military exercises in Greece including a training against a Russian-supplied S-300 anti-missile system, ahead of the possible deployment of the system in Syria and Iran. Israel and Cyprus also have numerous shared regional interests, including the security situation in Syria and Lebanon as well as the complicated relations with Turkey. Both countries have large gas reserves in their territorial waters and a desire to export gas to Europe together with Greece, an important strategic gateway to the continent. European countries signed with Israel in 2017 the joint declaration to enhance the work aimed at extending the sea line to transport Israeli gas to Europe within the next 8 years. The 2,000-kilometer underwater pipeline is intended to have a capacity of 12 billion cubic meters of gas annually. The project includes the construction of a 1,300 km long submarine pipeline from the East Mediterranean gas field to southern Greece, as well as a 600 km long pipeline to western Greece, linking existing pipelines to transport gas to Italy and other EU countries.

Algeria Military Says Protests Have ‘Noble Aims’ as Powerful Party Abandons Bouteflika
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/Algerians have expressed “noble aims”, said army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah, as President Abdelaziz Bouteflika faced growing pressure from protesters to step down. Salah said the month had been "marked by the deeds of noble aims and pure intentions, through which the Algerian people has clearly expressed its values ​​and principles of sincere and dedicated work to Allah and the motherland".The general made his comments on Tuesday during a tour of a military district and carried by Algerian media on Wednesday. They were the strongest indication yet that the military is distancing itself from the ailing president. On Wednesday, the National Rally for Democracy (RND) abandoned Bouteflika to join ruling party officials, unions and business tycoons in calling on the longtime ruler to step down. In a major setback to Bouteflika, the RND, which is a member of the ruling coalition, criticized the president for seeking to stay in power. “The candidacy of president Abdelaziz Bouteflika for a new term was a big mistake,” RND spokesman Seddik Chihab told El Bilad TV. “Extra constitutional forces have seized power in the past few years and ruled state affairs outside a legal framework.”Bouteflika, who has ruled for 20 years, bowed to the protesters last week by reversing plans to stand for a fifth term. But he stopped short of stepping down and said he would stay in office until a new constitution is adopted, effectively extending his present term. His moves have done nothing to halt demonstrations, which peaked on Friday with hundreds of thousands of protesters on the streets of Algiers and have continued into this week. RND leader Ahmed Ouyahia, a former prime minister who had close ties to intelligence agencies, has also switched sides.
“The people’s demands should be met as soon as possible,” he told followers in a letter on Sunday. Leaders have emerged from the protest movement, offering an alternative to Bouteflika’s political roadmap to what he says will be a new Algeria. But they have not built up enough momentum to force the president to quit or make more concessions. The president has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke five years ago, and the protesters say a shadowy circle of aides, including his brother Said, have been ruling the country in his name. The protests continued on Tuesday, with students, university professors and health workers rallying in Algiers calling for Bouteflika to quit. A new group headed by activists and opposition figures told the army not to interfere. In the first direct public message to the generals from leaders emerging from the protests, the National Coordination for Change said the military should “play its constitutional role without interfering in the people’s choice”.

Turkey’s Erdogan triggers spat with Australia, New Zealand
The Associated Press, Ankara/Wednesday, 20 March 2019/Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, campaigning for votes in local elections this month, has sparked a diplomatic spat with New Zealand and Australia by portraying the Christchurch mosque shooting and a World War I battle as targeting Islam. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison summoned Turkey’s ambassador on Wednesday and demanded that Erdogan take back comments suggesting that Australians and New Zealanders had sent troops to fight Turkey in the WWI Gallipoli campaign motivated by an opposition to Islam. In more inflammatory comments, Erdogan has also said that Australians and New Zealanders traveling to Turkey with anti-Muslim sentiments would be sent back in coffins, “like their grandfathers” were in the Gallipoli campaign. Morrison’s government issued a travel advisory warning people visiting the Gallipoli battlefields for remembrance ceremonies during the anniversary of the campaign next month to exercise caution. Morrison said “all options are on the table” if Erdogan does not withdraw his comments. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu later held a telephone conversation with his Australian counterpart, Marise Payne, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said. They did not provide further details about the call. Ignoring widespread criticism, Erdogan at his campaign rallies has been screening excerpts of a video taken by the gunman who killed 50 people in mosques in Christchurch, to denounce what he calls rising hatred and prejudice against Islam. He has also been showing parts of a manifesto said to have been left by the gunman in which he threatens Turks and Erdogan himself. On Wednesday, Erdogan - inaugurating a theme park in Ankara as part of his campaign for the March 31 elections - called for votes for his ruling party candidates as a response to “occupiers who attempt to threaten our nation from tens of thousands of kilometers away.”

Australia summons Turkish ambassador for ‘offensive’ Erdogan comments
AFP, Sydney/Wednesday, 20 March 2019/Australia’s prime minister said he would summon Turkey’s ambassador in Canberra Wednesday to explain “very offensive” comments made by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the wake of the Christchurch massacre. Erdogan, while campaigning for local elections, presented the attack as part of an assault on Turkey and Islam and warned anti-Muslim Australians would suffer the same fate as soldiers at Gallipoli, a blood-drenched WWI battle. “I find it a very offensive comment, of course I do, and I will be calling in the Turkish ambassador today to meet with me to discuss these issues,” Scott Morrison told national broadcaster ABC. Erdogan had been sharply rebuked by New Zealand for his comments and for using gruesome video shot by the Christchurch mosque gunman as an election campaign prop. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters protested on Monday that such politicization of the massacre “imperils the future and safety of the New Zealand people and our people abroad, and it’s totally unfair”. Peters announced on Tuesday that he would be travelling to Turkey this week at Istanbul’s request to attend a special meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Three Turkish nationals were wounded in the rampage that killed 50 worshippers at two mosques in the southern New Zealand city of Christchurch on Friday. The accused gunman, a self-avowed white supremacist from Australia, livestreamed much of the attack and spread a manifesto on social media claiming it was a strike against Muslim “invaders”. The manifesto references Turkey and the minarets of Istanbul’s famed Hagia Sophia, now a museum, which was once a church before becoming a mosque during the Ottoman Empire. “This is not an isolated event, it is something more organized,” he said during a campaign event on Monday in Canakkale in western Turkey. “They are testing us with the message they are sending us from New Zealand, 16,500 km from here.”Erdogan did not project the video at the Monday event. Peters said he had complained directly to visiting Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

France threatens to reject May’s Brexit delay request

Reuters/Wednesday, 20 March 2019/France threatened to reject British Prime Minister Theresa May’s request for a three-month delay to Brexit on Wednesday unless she can guarantee to get her departure plans through parliament, potentially sending Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal.
May asked the European Union to allow Britain to extend Brexit to June 30 and EU leaders are expected to discuss the matter at a summit on Thursday. The decision must be taken unanimously by all remaining 27 EU members. Some EU states, including Germany, had given a largely positive response to May’s well-flagged request. But with the clock ticking towards Britain’s formal departure date on March 29, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said May would need to make her case before EU leaders in Brussels. “Our position is to send the British a clear and simple message: As Theresa May said repeatedly herself, there are only two options to get out of the EU: ratify the Withdrawal Agreement or exit without a deal,” Le Drian told the French parliament. “A situation in which Mrs. May was not be able to present to the European Council sufficient guarantees of the credibility of her strategy would lead to the extension request being dismissed and opting for a no-deal exit,” he said. May’s initiative came just nine days before Britain is formally due to leave the European Union and marked the latest twist in more than two years of negotiations that have left British politics in chaos and the prime minister’s authority in tatters. After the defeats in parliament opened up the possibility of Britain leaving the EU without a deal and a smooth transition, May said she remained committed to leaving “in an orderly manner” and wanted to postpone Brexit until June 30. Her announcement prompted uproar in parliament, where the opposition Labour Party accused her of “blackmail, bullying and bribery” in her attempts to push her deal through, and one prominent pro-Brexit supporter in her own Conservative Party said seeking a delay was “betraying the British people.”

Kurdish Administration Slams Damascus ‘Threats’
Beirut - London/Asharq Al Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/Syria’s Kurds slammed Tuesday the “threatening language” of Defense Minister Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayoub who has said his government would recapture all areas held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) through a “reconciliation agreement” or “by force.”"The use of threatening language against the SDF who have liberated and protected the north and east of Syria from terrorists only serves those forces working to divide Syria," the semi-autonomous administration of northern and northeastern Syria said in a statement.
“The Syrian defense minister’s statement regarding the SDF reflects the continuation of the racist and sterile policy that has led Syria to this disastrous situation,” it said, adding that "the autonomous administration stands by its position for the necessity of a solution and dialogue … for all pending issues."
“While choosing the political solution, we will spare no effort in the legitimate defense of our rights if necessary,” it stressed. Negotiations between Kurds and Damascus have reached a dead end. Kurdish officials have accused the Syrian regime of seeking to reimpose the pre-war status quo in their regions, a move unacceptable by Kurds. Kurds make up around 15 percent of Syria’s population, and the SDF is the second force after the Syrian army, seizing around 30 percent of the country’s territories. The SDF is spearheading battles against ISIS in Syria, backed by the US-led international coalition. After years of marginalization, Kurds rose to prominence with the gradual withdrawal of regime forces from their regions starting 2012. In 2013, they declared a semi-autonomous administration. The Syrian war, which erupted in 2011, has left more than 370,000 people dead, has caused massive destruction in infrastructure and displaced more than half of the country's population.

Speculation Rife on Muqtada Sadr’s Whereabouts
Baghdad - Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/The whereabouts of Sadrist Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr has been keeping Iraqis busy amid claims that he has been ill or has been infuriated by the country’s political situation. The Shiite cleric’s last tweet was posted on his account more than three months ago. Last month, unofficial reports said Sadr visited Beirut, where he met with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Suleimani. At the time, the cleric’s office neither confirmed nor denied the news. It hasn’t even issued a statement justifying Sadr’s absence from Iraq’s political scene. Some observers said Sadr has fallen ill, while others claimed the Shiite cleric has been “angered” by the country’s political developments, mainly the failure to finalize the government formation process.
Bahaa Al Araji, a member of the Sadrist Movement and a former deputy Prime Minister, made a statement on Monday night, prompting a response from Sadr’s spokesman. Araji denied Sadr was sick, blaming the political crisis on the cleric’s decision not to make any statements or be seen in public. The cleric would soon make an initiative to change the “political equation,” including a possible dismissal of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Hadi’s government and the nomination of former PM Haider Abadi, Araji said. Speculation about Sadr’s whereabouts has become more intense by the sudden appearance of former deputy Jaafar Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr, the cousin of Muqtada. Jaafar had been absent from the political scene since his resignation from Parliament in 2011. But lately, Jaafar has held a series of meetings with a number of politicians, including Abdul Hadi, Abadi, Speaker Mohammed Halbousi and head of the Hikmat Movement Ammar al-Hakim. Jaafar is expected to meet Thursday with Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf. On Tuesday, Muqtada al-Sadr's spokesman Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi refused to comment on Jaafar’s latest meetings. For its part, the Nasr Coalition, led by Abadi, denied any intentions to oust Abdul Hadi.

EU's Tusk: Short Brexit Delay Possible if MPs Back Deal
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 20/19/European Council president Donald Tusk said Wednesday that EU leaders could approve a short delay to Brexit if British lawmakers finally approve the withdrawal deal they have twice rejected. "In the light of the consultations I have conducted over the past days, I believe a short extension will be possible but it will be conditional on a positive vote on the withdrawal agreement in the House of Commons," he told reporters. "Even if the hope for a final success may seem frail, even illusory, and although Brexit fatigue is increasingly visible and justified, we cannot give up seeking until the very last moment a positive solution, of course without opening up the withdrawal agreement."
Tusk took to the podium at the European Council on the eve of a summit at which Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May will plead with fellow EU leaders for more time to win domestic support for the divorce plan.
He tacitly confirmed that no decision on an extension will be possible this week at the summit, since May will have to go home to try to push the deal through the House of Commons. But he had one olive branch.
The meeting could, he said, approve Britain's request that legal assurances on the terms of the withdrawal that were published last week in Strasbourg could be approved by the leaders, opening the way for a vote.
But he said he had not yet decided whether it will be necessary to hold another emergency summit next week to approve the extended Brexit deadline before Britain's scheduled March 29 departure. "When it comes to the approval of the Strasbourg agreement, I believe that this is possible and in my view, does not create risks, especially if it were to help the ratification process in the UK," he said. "At this time, I do not foresee an extraordinary European Council," he said. "If the leaders approve my recommendations and there is a positive vote in the House of Commons next week we can finalize and formalize the decision on an extension in a written procedure. "However if there is such a need I will not hesitate to invite the members of the European Council to Brussels for a meeting next week."
May's letter to Tusk asked for Brexit day to be delayed until June 30, despite EU warnings that it would be legally difficult to go beyond the May 23 start of European parliamentary elections. Tusk said the date "has its merits" but admitted it "creates a series of questions of a legal and political nature. Leaders will discuss this tomorrow."

New Kazakh President Sworn in, Proposes Renaming Capital

Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 20/19/The head of Kazakhstan's senate was sworn in as interim president in a pomp-filled ceremony Wednesday, and immediately proposed renaming the country's capital after his predecessor.Nursultan Nazarbayev, the only leader an independent Kazakhstan has ever known, shocked the nation on Tuesday with his resignation after nearly three decades in power. Senate chairman Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 65, was Kazakhstan's second in command and is set to serve as president until fresh elections in April next year. But Nazarbayev, 78, will retain significant influence thanks to his constitutional status as "Leader of the Nation" and lifelong position as chief of the country's security council. In his first announcement after his swearing in before the upper and lower houses of parliament, Tokayev said the capital Astana should be renamed after Nazarbayev. In the broadcast ceremony, Tokayev told deputies that Nazarbayev had "demonstrated wisdom" in deciding to resign. "Yesterday the world witnessed a historic event," Tokayev said, hailing Nazarbayev as a visionary "reformer".
"The results of independent Kazakhstan are there for all to see," Tokayev added. "I propose... naming the country's capital Astana in honour of the first president," Tokayev said, suggesting the new name be "Nursultan".
"The opinion of (Nazarbayev) will be of special, one can say priority, importance in the development and adoption of strategic decisions," the new leader added. Nazarbayev, also present, was applauded for several minutes by assembled lawmakers as he took a seat at the head of the session.
Astana replaced Almaty as the capital in 1997 and boomed from a minor provincial steppe town into a futuristic city. The name literally means "capital" in Kazakh and there has long been speculation it could at some point be renamed after the leader who shaped it.
Nazarbayev's decades at the helm transformed Kazakhstan into an energy powerhouse but he governed with little tolerance for opposition.
On Tuesday he surprised Kazakhs with a televised address saying he had made the "difficult decision" to resign. Tokayev has a strong diplomatic track record dating back to the Soviet period, serving twice as Kazakhstan's foreign minister. Nazarbayev's resignation is not expected to fundamentally alter Kazakhstan's authoritarian system, which rights groups say leaves little space for political competition, civil society, and free media.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 20-21/2019
IRGC Deputy Commander Gen. Naqdi Praises 1983 Beirut Marine Barracks Attack: Real Men Kill U.S. Marines; U.S. On Verge Of Economic Collapse; ‘The Marines Peed In Their Pants In The Persian Gulf‘
ميمري: نائب قائد الحرس الثوري الجنرال نقدي يشيد بالهجوم على ثكنات المارينز في بيروت عام 1983 ويقول بأن الولايات المتحدة على وشك الانهيار الاقتصادي ويدعي ان مشاة البحرية يتبولون في سروالهم في الخليج الفارسي
MEMRI/March 19/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73133/irgc-deputy-commander-gen-naqdi-praises-1983-beirut-marine-barracks-attack-real-men-kill-u-s-marines-u-s-on-verge-of-economic-collapse-the-marines-peed-in-their-pants-in-the-persian-gulf/

Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the deputy IRGC Commander for Cultural and Social Affairs, said in a speech that aired on Hamoon TV (Iran) on March 12, 2019, that Iran has been on a constant rise while the United States has been in a constant decline since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. General Naqdi, who was speaking at the city of Konarak, cited America’s current debt and budget deficit, saying that America’s economic collapse has passed the point of no return. He added that the same is true for the Zionists. Naqdi said that another indication that the U.S. is in decline is that people are now willing to attack and kill U.S. Marines, such as in the case of attacks against Marines in Beirut. He said: “Being real men is to kill U.S. Marines despite all their intelligence means.” Naqdi also claimed that the U.S. has conspired to give takfiri organizations a mission to take Muslim youth that want to wage Jihad and to turn them against Shiites and other Muslims.
To view the clip of Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
https://www.memri.org/tv/senior-irgc-general-reza-naqdi-real-men-kill-marines-america-decline-since-islamic-revolution
The U.S. President “Would Not Even Dare Enter Any Capital City In A Bulletproof Armored Car”
General Mohammad Reza Naqdi: “If the Prophet Moses once took the Israelites through the sea… In the Islamic Revolution and in the past 40 years, the leadership of the Revolution has taken the people through the sea 100 times. It won, and it has saved the people from Pharaoh. In the past 40 years, we have constantly been victorious against America. America has constantly been defeated. It has been in constant collapse, and the Islamic Republic has constantly been on the rise in those 40 years. Look at all that has happened: The terrorism, the cases of unrest, the coups d’état, the economic sanctions, the cultural invasions, the acts of terrorism…
Ultimately, it has been the Iranian people that have had the upper hand. Compare America of 1979 to America of 2019. See what is happening. In 2019, the U.S. has a Gross External Debt of $22 trillion, and a budget deficit of $1 trillion.
“This is the situation in America. But what was the situation [in 1979] when the Revolution won? The U.S. had a surplus and reserves of $1 trillion. The Americans used to take ships filled with wheat to the Pacific Ocean, and pour the wheat into the sea in order to keep the price of wheat stable.
“And today? Today, there are 40 million hungry people in America. Run a search on the Internet and check out the external debt counter of the U.S. counter bank. Compare each day to the day before. The debt grows by $2.5 billion each and every day.
“The economic collapse of the U.S. is completely past the point of no return. The same is true of the Zionists. Where were they then and where are they now? When the U.S. President would travel to another country, he used to sit in a car with the roof open, and he would wave at the cheering people. The women would throw flowers at him. The children and students would wave at him with American flags.
“Today, the U.S. President does not dare ride not only a car with an open roof… He would not even dare enter any capital city in a bulletproof armored car.”
“When American Marines Took Over Beirut, Lebanese Youth Killed 450 Of Them In A Single Operation… Being Real Men Is To Kill U.S. Marines Despite All Their Intelligence Means”
“Who would have dared to kill U.S. Marines?
“When American marines took over Beirut, Lebanese youth killed 450 of them in a single operation. This is what being real men means. Killing a few people in a market in secret is not what real men do.
“Being real men is to kill U.S. Marines despite all their intelligence means. When they passed near our area in the Persian Gulf, our guys in the Basij and the IRGC captured the U.S. Marines like mice. On another occasion, they did the same thing to English marines. None of them dared to do anything.”
“Did You See How Our Guys Capture Their Marines? The Marines Peed In Their Pants In The Persian Gulf”
“We have defeated them on all fronts. Did you see how our guys capture their marines? The marines peed in their pants in the Persian Gulf. Look at the films, you can see it there. The English marines peed in their pants. They see that you cannot fight the Iranians, the Afghans, the Lebanese, the Palestinians… You cannot fight people who believe in God. So what do they do? They do two things and two things only. First, they destroy their faith. How? With liquor, with drugs, with perverted movies, with immoral shows… They ensnare the youth and destroy their faith.
“In the Islamic world, following the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, many young people prepared for Jihad against America and Israel. But they conspired and took over the leadership of those youth. They said to them: ‘You want to wage Jihad? Fine. The Shi’ites come before the Zionists. The Shi’ites are your main enemies. Kill them first.’ Thousands of youth across the world of Islam were ready to liberate Palestine, but they diverted the struggle against the Muslims themselves. This is the mission that the Americans dictated to the takfiris, and many have fallen into this trap. What is missing? Which prominent reliable Sunni cleric issued such a fatwa? None! The fatwa came from the CIA.”

What Is Purim? The History Behind the Halloween of Jewish Holidays
البوريم هو احتفال يهودي في ذكرى نجاتهم من الابادة في بلاد فارس في عهد الأخمينيين وقد ذكرت الواقعة في الهد القديم من الكتاب المقدي في سفر الملكة استير
Elon Gilad/Haaretz/March 20/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73138/what-is-purim-the-history-behind-the-halloween-of-jewish-holidays-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%85-%D9%87%D9%88-%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%8A%D9%87%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D9%81/

What is its origin? When did it begin? Why did many Jews scorn it – and is the underlying tale of love, murder and betrayal true?
Purim is the most mysterious of Hebraic holidays. It suddenly appeared in the second century BCE, though many Jews ignored it for centuries. And the origin of the holiday, let alone its flagship text - the Book of Esther - are just as baffling.
The first reference to Purim is in the deuterocanonical book Maccabees II (15:32), which merely says that on the 14th of the Jewish month of Adar, Jews celebrated a holiday called "Mordecai Day." Clearly the holiday was celebrated in at least some Jewish communities as early as 124 BCE, when this book was written in Alexandria.
The Jewish historian Josephus, writing in the first century CE also mentions the holiday, noting that it was widely celebrated.
Yet it seems the holiday failed to gain acceptance by all Jews until the early Middle Ages. For example, Esther is the only megillah not found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, indicating that the desert community didn’t consider it canonical. Yet the Mishnah tells that at least from the time of the Bar Kochba revolt (132–136 CE), reading the Book of Esther on Purim was considered a mitzvah.
The Talmud itself refers to some who doubted whether Purim should be celebrated as a Jewish holiday. Still, clearly by the time of the Mishnah and Talmud, Purim was ascendant: More translations and exegeses of the Book of Esther can be found in this period than on any other biblical text.
The holiday's origin is heatedly disputed. A number of pagan holidays - Greek, Persian, Assyrian and Babylonian - have been suggested as candidates, but none really suits.
The story of the Book of Esther as it appears in the Hebrew Bible is as follows: Ahasuerus, king of Persia, wants his wife Vashti to show off her beauty before his guests. She refuses. Ahasuerus’ servants hold an ancient version of “The Bachelor,” bringing the most beautiful women of the kingdom. One is Esther, the eponymous hero of the book, an orphan raised by her uncle Mordecai.
After his niece becomes queen, Mordecai discovers a palace plot to assassinate Ahasuerus. He tells the king, who has the plotters killed.
At about this period, one of the king’s viziers Haman rises to supremacy. Everyone, including the other viziers, must bow before him. Mordecai refuses. Furious, Haman somewhat overreacts, deciding not only to have Mordecai killed but all of the kingdom’s Jews as well. To choose a propitious day to hold this genocide, he holds a lottery and the 13th of Adar is chosen.
Hearing of this, Mordecai urges Esther to talk to the king and have him rescind the execution orders sent throughout the kingdom. Although approaching the king uninvited was perilous, Esther fasts for three days, then does it, inviting him and Haman to a banquet.
At the banquet, the king asks Esther what she wanted. She wants only one thing: that he and Haman come to another banquet the next day.
That night, the king couldn't sleep. Presumably to help him relax, he asks his servants to read to him from the kingdom chronicles.
As it happened, the servants read how Mordecai saved him from certain death. He asks how Mordecai was rewarded and is told - he wasn’t.
The next morning Haman rushes into the king’s chamber to ask for permission to execute his evil plot, but the king preempts him ״What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor?” Haman, thinking the king was talking about him, told him that such a man should be paraded in the streets of the capital on a horse in splendor with a man walking in front announcing that this is what happens to men who the king “delighteth to honor.”
Naturally, he was frustrated when the king ordered that be done to Mordecai, not to him, but he carried it out as commanded.
That night he went to Esther’s banquet, where Esther told Ahasuerus about Haman’s plot. The king stormed out in anger.
Later, Haman went to Esther’s room to beg for mercy but as he lay prostrate on her bed begging, the king walked in and mistook what he has seen as an attempt by Haman to rape his wife. He ordered Haman be hanged, and ordered that Jews throughout the kingdom protect themselves from those who come to kill them, as the orders could not be rescinded any more.
On the 13th of Adar and on the next day, Jews around the kingdom killed thousands of their attackers. But they themselves were saved.
An elaborate fairy tale?
The historicity of this story is highly contested. Proponents note the great detail in dates, names and objects mentioned, even to seemingly unimportant aspects of the story. They also argue that the description of court life fits what we know about the Persian court from other sources.
But it's still unlikely. No other ancient texts tell anything like this story, critics snort. Nor does Ahasuerus' character fit any of the known Persian monarchs (though some supporters think he's Artaxerxes). And the most convincing argument against the story's veracity is that a Persian king would have never married an orphan of unknown parentage.
The Mishnah is the first text to prescribe how Purim is to be celebrated - the Book of Esther is to be read in public. The Talmud (redacted 500 CE) augments the tradition of reading the Book of Esther in public with drinking wine, making merry - and giving gifts to the poor. That is prescribed in the Book of Esther itself, but seems to be a later addition to the book. Neither that practice nor the name "Purim" itsef appear in the earlier version of the Book of Esther, which we know from the Greek translation in the Septuagint, dating from the second century BCE.
Of special importance in the Talmud is drinking wine on Purim. We are told one should drink so much that one can't tell the difference between the evil Haman and the good Mordecai.
Sometime in the late 5th century, celebrating Jews began to burn Haman in effigy. This often got them in trouble with their Christian neighbors, who sometimes thought the effigy burnt was of Jesus. This tradition has died out.
A later tradition, that of fasting on the day before Purim in commemoration of Esther’s fast, called Taanit Esther, first appears in the writings of Rabbi Akha in the late 6th century.
It was the Tosafists, German and French rabbis of the 13th Century who first mention the act of making noise to blot out the name of Haman (with noise) while reading the Book of Esther in public. At first this was done by stomping one’s feet. Later people started using ratchets (also known as groggers).
Enter the Batman costume
But the most widely observed Purim traditions are dressing up and masquerading.
These began in 13th century Renaissance.
Purim is celebrated at roughly the same time as the Venice Carnival and other Italian celebrations that began at about that period. First to mention these traditions was Kalonymus ben Kalonymus, who wrote of this tradition with some contempt. Still, it spread from Italy to the rest of the Jewish world within two or three centuries.
Baking "hamentachen" "(Haman pockets") stuffed cookies began in Europe during the early modern period. At first these were filled with poppy seeds: today Israeli bakers vie to be creative.
In 18th-century Eastern Europe a tradition of performing whimsical plays called Purim spiels began. That birthed a tradition still carried out in some communities.
In Israel, in the 20th century a new tradition was formed - the Adloyada. This is a street parade featuring floats. The first Adloyada was held in Tel Aviv in 1912.
*This article was originially published in March 2015 and updated March 2019

Will Saudi Arabia Leave the Seventh Century?
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/March 20/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13930/saudi-arabia-seventh-century
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman (known as MBS), has sought to project an image of himself as a keen reformer and modernizer, a moderate who respects women's rights and the guarantor of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan, which aims to bring the country into the 21st century, at least economically, by, among other ventures, becoming less dependent on oil revenues.
The recent charges against the eleven women's rights activists presents an opportunity for the Saudi regime to prove that its talk of modernization and reform is not just limited to bringing the Saudi economy up to date with the 21st century by reducing the dependence on oil exports or by opening the first cinema.
The regime now has a magnificent opportunity to prove that it genuinely wants to move from 7th century jurisprudence and into a more 21st century understanding of concepts such as the rule of law -- especially a law, a women's right to drive, that it has already permitted.
It could also do so by providing a general amnesty, not only to the 11 women activists recently charged, but to the many others sentenced, some of whom have been mentioned above. Such an initiative would help present the country in a refreshing new light to the West, and might even help Saudi Arabia attract the significant financial investments it so needs and desires.
In 2012, the young blogger and human rights activist, Raif Badawi, was arrested in Saudi Arabia for "insulting Islam through electronic channels" and in 2014 sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes. Pictured: Badawi with his children, before his imprisonment. (Image source: Badawi family handout)
Eleven women are on trial in Saudi Arabia this week, charged with lobbying for women's right to drive and for abolishing the system of male guardianship over women[1]. Under the male guardianship system, Saudi women are still treated as legal minors. They are assigned a male guardian, who has to approve their applying for a passport, travelling outside the country, studying abroad on a government scholarship, getting married, leaving prison, or even exiting a shelter for abuse victims, according to the BBC.
The male guardianship system drew renewed international attention in January, when a young Saudi woman, Rahaf Mohammed, barricaded herself in a hotel room in Bangkok, and said that her family would have her imprisoned if she returned to Saudi Arabia. She eventually found asylum in Canada.
The 11 women were arrested in May 2018, just one month before the Saudi regime finally granted its female citizens the right to ask their male guardian if they may apply for a driver's license.
The women have been imprisoned for 10 months without access to legal counsel, and only learned of the charges against them when they were recently brought before the Criminal Court of Riyadh.
According to the Wall Street Journal, prosecutors charged the women activists, who include Loujain al-Hathloul, Iman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, Amal al-Harbi, Dr. Ruqayyah al-Mharib, Nouf Abdulziaz, Maya'a al-Zahrani, Shadan al-Anezi, Dr. Abir Namankni, Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi and another female activist, with having broken Saudi law, "By taking foreign money to work against the kingdom and communicated with an enemy country and enemy media".
A panel of three British MPs said that the women activists were being held, "in cruel and inhumane conditions":
"The panel's report concludes that the detainees – female activists arrested last spring – had been subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment, including sleep deprivation, assault, threats to life and solitary confinement. Theeir [sic] treatment is likely to amount to torture and if they are not provided with urgent access to medical assistance they are at risk of developing long-term health conditions, the report says."
According to Crispin Blunt, the former Conservative Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, who led the panel:
"The Saudi women activist detainees have been treated so badly as to sustain an international investigation for torture. Denied proper access to medical care, legal advice or visits from their families, their solitary confinement and mistreatment are severe enough to meet the international definition of torture. Saudi Arabia stands on the brink. It is not too late to alter course and avert the spiral downwards to catastrophe that the detention of these activists represents."
In stark contrast to the human rights abuses, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (known as MBS), has sought to project an image of himself as a keen reformer and modernizer, a moderate who respects women's rights and the guarantor of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan, which aims to bring the country into the 21st century, at least economically, by, among other ventures, becoming less dependent on oil revenues.
In a recent CBS 60 Minutes interview, MBS said that women are "absolutely" equal to men, "We are all human beings and there is no difference". He added:
"We have extremists who forbid mixing between the two sexes and are unable to differentiate between a man and a woman alone together and their being together in a workplace. Many of those ideas contradict the way of life during the time of the prophet and the Caliphs. This is the real example and the true model... The laws are very clear and stipulated in the laws of Sharia: that women wear decent, respectful clothing, like men. This, however, does not particularly specify a black abaya or a black head cover. The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear".
However, when pressed more closely on the issue of human rights, Mohammad Bin Salman reveals the, mildly speaking, "alternative approach" to human rights within the kingdom. First, human rights critics appear to be seen as "radicals" presumably because they are perceived as threatening to the stability of the Saudi regime: CBS asked about the "dozens of people who have criticized your government [and] have been arrested in the last year. They include economists, clerics, intellectuals. Is this really an open and free society?" MBS answered:
"We will try to publicize as much as we can and as fast as we can, information about these individuals in order to make the world aware of what the government of Saudi Arabia is doing to combat radicalism.... Saudi Arabia believes in many of the principles of human rights. In fact, we believe in the notion of human rights, but ultimately Saudi standards are not the same as American standards. I don't want to say that we don't have shortcomings. We certainly do. But naturally, we are working to mend these shortcomings".
Saudi Arabia does not, unfortunately, seem to be working hard at all on mending "these shortcomings". In fact, it still clearly operates under seventh century standards: Authorities last year cut the heads off 48 people in eight months. The kingdom also administers public lashings for "criminal offenses" that, in the West, are considered basic human rights, such as freedom of expression or freedom of religion. In 2012, the young blogger and human rights activist, Raif Badawi, was arrested for "insulting Islam through electronic channels" and brought to court on several charges including apostasy. After his 2012 arrest, Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience, "detained solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression". He was sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes in 2013, then resentenced in 2014 to 1000 lashes, ten years in prison and a fine of 1 million riyals (approximately $267,000). He had written:
"My commitment is... to reject any oppression in the name of religion... a goal that we will reach in a peaceful and law-abiding way."
His lawyer, Walid Abu'l-Khayr, was also jailed and sentenced to 15 years, to be followed by a 15-year travel ban.
Disturbingly, executions in the last few years appear to have gone up: In the eight months after Mohammad bin Salman was appointed Crown Prince (July 2017 – February 2018 inclusive) there were 133 executions in Saudi Arabia compared to 67 in the eight months before that, according to Reprieve, a UK based human rights group. In 2017, there were 142 executions and nearly 150 executions in 2018. One of the most horrifying cases was that of an Indonesian domestic worker, Tuti Tursilawati, who killed her abusive Saudi employer, apparently to prevent him from raping her. The execution went ahead, apparently without either her family or the Indonesian government being informed.
According to Reprieve, nearly 40% of those executed in 2018 were convicted of drugs offences; 77% of those executed were foreigners, who also made up half the number of people put to death. Also, according to Reprieve, between 2014 and the end of 2018, 700 executions in Saudi Arabia took place.
Other human rights abuse cases include Abdullah Hasan al-Zaher and Ali al-Nimr. Abdullah was arrested by the Saudi authorities when he was only 15 years old for participating in a peaceful protest, according to the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights. He has been sentenced to death and is still on death row, seven years after Saudi authorities arrested him. Ali was arrested in 2012, also accused of participation in an illegal demonstration and other offences, such as "explaining how to give first aid to protestors" and using his Blackberry to invite others to join him at the protest. According to Reprieve:
"Ali was tortured and forced to sign a false confession. This was the only evidence brought against him. He was sentenced to 'death by crucifixion,' which in Saudi Arabia involves beheading and public display of the body".
Ali is the nephew of Sheikh Nimr, a cleric who had called for reform in Saudi Arabia before being executed in January 2016.
Despite its catalogue of grave human rights abuses, in 2015, Saudi Arabia was elected chair of the UN Human Rights Council panel in charge of appointing independent experts. According to the independent UN watchdog, UN Watch, Saudi Arabia was chosen to head a five-member group of ambassadors, known as the Consultative Group, which has the power to select applicants from around the world for more than 77 positions dealing with human rights mandates -- positions such as the UN Special Rapporteur for violence against women.
The recent charges against the 11 women's rights activists, however, also presents an opportunity for the Saudi regime to prove that its talk of modernization and reform is not just limited to bringing the Saudi economy up to date with the 21st century by reducing the dependence on oil exports or by opening the first cinema.
The regime now has a magnificent opportunity to prove that it genuinely wants to move from 7th century jurisprudence and into a more 21st century understanding of concepts such as the rule of law – especially a law, a women's right to drive, that it has already permitted.
It could also do so by providing a general amnesty, not only to the 11 women activists recently charged, but to the many others sentenced, some of whom have been mentioned above. Such an initiative would help present the country in a refreshing new light to the West -- especially after the recent revelations of the UN's special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnès Callamard, in investigating the Khashoggi case -- and might even help it acquire the significant financial investments it so needs and desires.
*Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
[1] According to Saudi Arabia's 2018 report to the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner:
"In 2017, a law was passed that allowed women access to services without being accompanied by a man. Those services included health and legal services, the right to divorce, choosing a place of residence, and getting an identification card". As for the male guardianship system, Saudi Arabia has asked the UN to, "consider the decades of established social norms when reviewing changes in society. All countries went through development phases and any change would have to be a gradual change".
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

A Recession Is Coming, And Maybe a Bear Market, Too

Gary Shilling/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 20/19
I first suggested the US economy was headed toward a recession more than a year ago, and now others are forecasting the same. I give a business downturn starting this year a two-thirds probability.
The recessionary indicators are numerous. Tighter monetary policy by the Federal Reserve that the central bank now worries it may have overdone. The near-inversion in the Treasury yield curve. The swoon in stocks at the end of last year. Weaker housing activity. Soft consumer spending. The tiny 20,000 increase in February payrolls, compared to the 223,000 monthly average gain last year. Then there are the effects of the deteriorating European economies and decelerating growth in China as well as President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade war with that country.
There is, of course, a small chance of a soft landing such as in the mid-1990s. At that time, the Fed ended its interest-rate hiking cycle and cut the federal funds rate with no ensuing recession. By my count, the other 12 times the central bank restricted credit in the post-World War II era, a recession resulted.
It’s also possible that the current economic softening is temporary, but a revival would bring more Fed restraint. Policy makers want higher rates in order to have significant room to cut in the next recession, and the current 2.25 percent to 2.50 percent range doesn’t give them much leeway. The Fed also dislikes investors’ zeal for riskier assets, from hedge funds to private equity and leveraged loans, to say nothing of that rankest of rank speculations, Bitcoin. With a resumption in economic growth, a tight credit-induced recession would be postponed until 2020.
“Recession” conjures up specters of 2007-2009, the most severe business downturn since the 1930s in which the S&P 500 Index plunged 57 percent from its peak to its trough. The Fed raised its target rate from 1 percent in June 2004 to 5.25 percent in June 2006, but the main event was the financial crisis spawned by the collapse in the vastly-inflated subprime mortgage market.
Similarly, the central bank increased its policy rate from 4.75 percent in June 1999 to 6.5 percent in May 2000. Still, the mild 2001 recession that followed was principally driven by the collapse in the late 1990s dot-com bubble that pushed the tech-laden Nasdaq Composite Index down by a whopping 78 percent. The 1973-1975 recession, the second deepest since the 1930s, resulted from the collapse in the early 1970s inflation hedge buying of excess inventories. That deflated the S&P 500 by 48.2 percent. The federal funds rate hike from 9 percent in February 1974 to 13 percent in July of that year was a minor contributor.
The remaining eight post-World War II recessions were not the result of major financial or economic excesses, but just the normal late economic cycle business and investor overconfidence. The average drop in the S&P 500 was 21.2 percent.
At present, I don’t see any major economic or financial bubbles that are just begging to be pricked. The only possibilities are excess debt among U.S. nonfinancial corporations and the heavy borrowing in dollars by emerging-market economies in the face of a rising greenback. Housing never fully recovered from the subprime mortgage debacle. The financial sector is still deleveraging in the wake of the financial crisis. Consumer debt remains substantial but well off its 2008 peak in relation to household income.
Consequently, the recession I foresee will probably be accompanied by about an average drop in stock prices. The S&P 500 fell 19.6 percent from Oct. 3 to Dec. 24, but the recovery since has almost eliminated that loss. A normal recession-related decline of 21.2 percent – meeting the definition of a bear market – from that Oct. 3 top would take it to 2,305, down about 18 percent from Friday’s close, but not much below the Christmas Eve low of 2,351.

Turkey: Tens of Thousands Prosecuted for "Insulting" Erdoğan
اوزاي بولوت/ معهد جيستون: في تركيا تتم مقاضاة عشرات الآلاف بتهمة "إهانة" أردوغان
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/March 20/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73150/uzay-bulut-gatestone-institute-turkey-tens-of-thousands-prosecuted-for-insulting-erdogan%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%87%D8%AF-%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B3/

Since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's 2014 election, there have been 66,691 "insult investigations" launched, resulting in 12,305 trials thus far, and the "numbers are increasing." — Yaman Akdeniz, professor of law, Istanbul Bilgi University.
Ahmet Sever, a spokesperson for Turkey's former president, Abdullah Gül, authored a book in which he wrote: "We [are] faced with a government or, more precisely, with one man, who considers books to be more dangerous than bombs."
Meanwhile, as Erdoğan continues playing a double game with the West, as part of his decades-long bid to become a member of the European Union. That plan may well be why his justice minister announced in December that he would be unveiling a new strategy for judicial reform. The EU should not fall for this transparent ploy. Instead, it should be demanding that the Turkish government cease prosecuting innocent people -- including those whose only "crime" is criticizing Erdoğan.
"Insulting the president" is a crime in Turkey. If convicted, violators face up to four years in prison -- and longer, when the insult is public. According to Istanbul Bilgi University professor of law, Yaman Akdeniz, since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's 2014 election, there have been 66,691 "insult investigations" launched, resulting in 12,305 trials thus far, and the "numbers are increasing." Pictured: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at a rally in Istanbul, Turkey on May 18, 2018. (Photo by Getty Images)
The criminalization in Turkey of "insulting the president" reached a new low in early March, when a father and daughter in Ankara accused one another of engaging in the punishable offense, as part of an internal family feud.
According to Istanbul Bilgi University professor of law, Yaman Akdeniz, since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's 2014 election, there have been 66,691 "insult investigations" launched, resulting in 12,305 trials thus far, and the "numbers are increasing."
Özgür Aktütün, chairman of the Sociology Alumni Association, told the independent Turkish daily BirGün that although Turkey has been "a society of informants" since the Ottoman Empire, "what is striking in recent times is the [rampant] use of [whistleblowing] on every issue."
"Insulting the president" is a crime according to Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code, adopted in 1926. If convicted, violators face up to four years in prison -- and longer, when the insult is public.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) decries this practice. In October 2018, Benjamin Ward, HRW acting director for Europe and Central Asia said:
"Turkish courts have convicted thousands of people in the past four years simply for speaking out against the president. The government should stop this mockery of human rights and respect people in Turkey's right to peaceful free expression."
This was not the first time that HRW called on the Erdoğan government to cease prosecuting people for insulting the president. In a 2015 article on the topic, HRW wrote:
"Turkish government figures regularly contend that insulting words are not free speech. Bodies including the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and human rights groups in Turkey and internationally have repeatedly criticized this position and Turkey's regular restriction of freedom of expression. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has repeatedly issued rulings on Turkey, finding violations of freedom of expression protected under article 10 of the European Convention...
"Since the end of 2014 the authorities have pursued a spate of such cases with the justice minister's permission, including against children, and several have entailed short periods of pretrial detention... Some cases have involved oral statements; others were for criticism on social media. In no case has the accused used or incited violence."
It is sadly ironic that "insulting the president" is one of the few issues about which there is no governmental discrimination along socioeconomic, gender or ethnic lines in Turkey. Indeed, people of all walks of life have been subject to investigations or prosecutions over this alleged offense, including high school students. Two teenagers were briefly detained and brought to court in 2015, for instance, after "insulting the president" in their speeches and slogans during an event in Konya.
The head of the main opposition party, CHP, in Turkey's parliament, the CEO of bank HSBC Turkey, Turkey's Fox News anchor, two famous actors, a former judge and a 78-year-old citizen are all examples of people who have been investigated, prosecuted, sued or jailed for "insulting Erdoğan."
Others who have been penalized for the offense are the former co-chair of the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), who is serving an 18-month prison sentence; another HDP member, who was stripped of his parliamentary seat last year; and Ahmet Sever, a spokesperson for Turkey's former president, Abdullah Gül, who authored a book in which he wrote: "We [are] faced with a government or, more precisely, with one man, who considers books to be more dangerous than bombs."
Erdoğan's use of Article 299 as an intimidation tactic may be highly effective: if such prominent figures as Sever end up in court for daring to criticize the government, what chance do average citizens have to stand up for their right to express themselves? However, if Erdoğan believes that silencing his people is a way of keeping a stranglehold on his near absolute power, he may not be taking into account the fact that increasing numbers of Turks are frustrated and angry.
Meanwhile, as Erdoğan continues to imprison anyone who opposes his rule, he is playing a double game with the West, as part of his decades-long bid to become a member of the European Union. That plan may well be why his justice minister announced in December that he would be unveiling a new strategy for judicial reform. The EU should not fall for this transparent ploy. Instead, it should be demanding that the Turkish government cease prosecuting innocent people -- including those whose only "crime" is criticizing Erdoğan.
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute. She is currently based in Washington D.C.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13863/turkey-insulting-erdogan