LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 22/2019

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded
 Saint Luke 12/42-48: "The Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says to himself, "My master is delayed in coming", and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 21-22/2019
Trump recognizes Golan to counter Iran’s first steps for annexing Lebanon to Syria
Pompeo Deems Hezbollah as 'Risk to Middle East Stability' Ahead of Beirut
Pompeo Says Former Administrations were Lax in 'Reining in' Hizbullah
Aoun: Syria Ties Already Normalized, Siege on Hizbullah Affects All Lebanese
Govt. Approves Military Council Appointments, Forms Electricity Committee
Ibrahim: My Role is Technical, Political Row over Refugee File Not My Concern
Hariri: Russia's Refugee Initiative is Only One on the Table
U.N. Special Coordinator Jan Kubis Visits Arsal and Baalbek
Building Partially Collapses in Sin el-Fil-Nabaa
Army Chief Meets US and UK ambassadors, Discuss Border Security Project
Report: Govt. Travel Costs Questions Seriousness of Austerity Drive
Brazil's ex-President Michel Temer Arrested in 'Car Wash' Probe
Former President, Amine Gemayel: Press Crisis Mirrors Lebanon's Suffering
UNIFIL Confirms Existance Of Six Tunnels In South Lebanon
Pompeo heads to Lebanon, where Hezbollah is at peak strength
As U.S. Secretary Of State Pompeo Prepares To Visit Lebanon, Hizbullah Is In Complete Control Of Lebanese Government – And The March 14 Camp, Saudi Arabia, And U.S. Have Cooperated With It And Come To Terms With The Situation

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 21-22/2019
Peace Plan Now: Deal Of The Century Should Be Revealed Before April Elections
Trump to Host Netanyahu next Week as PM, Pompeo Warn of Iranian Aggression
Abbas Slams Hamas, Accuses it of Oppressing Palestinian Protesters
Israeli Forces Kill Salfit Attacker after Refusing to Surrender
Toll Climbs at Syria’s al-Hol Camp as SDF Presses Offensive Against ISIS
Rich Syrian Businessmen Compete Over Iron in Devastated Cities
Iran Supreme Leader Calls European Trade Mechanism 'Bitter Joke'
Iran's Oil Exports Fall in March even Before Further U.S. Clampdown
Trump: U.S. Should 'Fully Recognize' Israeli Sovereignty over Golan Heights
At least 71 Dead as Ferry Sinks in North Iraq
Syria Force Combs Last IS Hideouts in Baghouz
Italy in Shock after Driver Tries to Torch Bus Carrying 51 Children
Saudi Women on Trial after Contact with Foreign Media
NGOs Urge France to Stop Selling Arms to Saudi Arabia
UAE Appoints Female Judges for First Time in Its History
Hungary's Embassy to Remain in Tel Aviv
Three ISIS Terrorists Killed in Western Tunisia
US Blames Stalled Stockholm Agreement on Houthi ‘Delays’

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 20-21/2019
Trump recognizes Golan to counter Iran’s first steps for annexing Lebanon to Syria/DEBKAfile/March 21/19
Pompeo Deems Hezbollah as 'Risk to Middle East Stability' Ahead of Beirut/ Kataeb.org/March 21/2019
Pompeo Says Former Administrations were Lax in 'Reining in' Hizbullah/Naharnet /March 21/19
UNIFIL Confirms Existance Of Six Tunnels In South Lebanon/Jerusalem Post/March 20/19
Pompeo heads to Lebanon, where Hezbollah is at peak strength/Bassam Mroue/AP/March 21/19
As U.S. Secretary Of State Pompeo Prepares To Visit Lebanon, Hizbullah Is In Complete Control Of Lebanese Government – And The March 14 Camp, Saudi Arabia, And U.S. Have Cooperated With It And Come To Terms With The Situation/C. Jacob/MEMRI/March 21/19
Peace Plan Now: Deal Of The Century Should Be Revealed Before April Elections/Jerusalem Post/March 21/19
Analysis/Russia's Planned Exit From Syria Could Spell Trouble for Israel/Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz/March 21/19
The New Zealand Massacre is an Alarm Bell for Humanity/Pankaj Mishra/Bloomberg View/March 21/19
Turkey: Women's Rights Abuses Widespread and Systematic/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/March 21/19
Palestinians: The Other Peace Deal/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/March 21/19

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 21-22/2019
Trump recognizes Golan to counter Iran’s first steps for annexing Lebanon to Syria
موقع دبيكا: ترمب يعترف بإسرائيلية الجولان ليحبط الخطوات الأولى لإلحاق لبنان بسوريا
DEBKAfile/March 21/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73185/debkafile-trump-recognizes-golan-to-counter-irans-first-steps-for-annexing-lebanon-to-syria%d9%85%d9%88%d9%82%d8%b9-%d8%af%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%a7-%d8%aa%d8%b1%d9%85%d8%a8-%d9%8a%d8%b9%d8%aa/
US President Donald Trump’s declared recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan on Thursday, March 21, had a time-sensitive object, unconnected to the Israeli election or Binyamin Netanyahu’s run for reelection, as his rivals contended. DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources reveal that it was an arrow aimed by the US president at Iran, Syria, Iraq and Hizballah, and the machinations plotted at Syrian President Bashar Assad’s meeting with Iran’s supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khameini on Feb. 25. Present at their meeting, our sources reveal, were two figures, Al Qods chief Qasem Soleimani, supreme commander of Iran’s Mid East fronts, and, for the first time, a high-ranking Hizballah military official, who is a senior strategic adviser to Hassan Nasrallah.
In answer to a question put to him in an Israel TV interview on Thursday, visiting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed out that Qassem Soleimani doesn’t’ consider elections in Israel when he acts day by day against the US and Israel. Pompeo was referring that that groundbreaking conversation in Khamenei’s office on Feb. 25. The presence of a highly representative Hizballah official at that meeting, alongside Assad and Soleimani, signified Tehran’s decision to treat Syria and Lebanon as a single political and military entity.
Iran in fact is taking the first steps towards Syria’s annexation of Lebanon.
Neither Washington nor Moscow are ready to countenance this step. It is therefore possible that President Vladimir Putin may agree to overtly join or quietly support US and Israel counter-action.
He already sent Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu to Damascus on Tuesday, March 19, the day after the Iranian, Syrian and Iraqi chiefs of staffs sat down to prepare joint operations in line with their new orders. Shoigu warned Assad against going through with the plan to join Iran, Iraq and Hizballah in a new axis non-aligned with any world powers. Shoigu told him that Russia was ready to put a stop to it taking off.
The Trump administration is setting two steps in train:
1-It was announced that the time had come for the US recognize the Golan as sovereign Israeli territory.
Pompeo arrives on Friday, March 22, for a two-day visit with a warning to 2-deliver to Lebanese President Michel Aoun: If his government joins the Iranian-Syrian-Iraqi-Hizballah axis, the US will hit hard against it, including the imposition of sanctions against Lebanon’s banking system.
US recognition of Israeli sovereignty in the Golan, though important, does not mark the end of the struggle for this strategic plateau; just the beginning

Pompeo Deems Hezbollah as 'Risk to Middle East Stability' Ahead of Beirut
 Kataeb.org/March 21/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73185/debkafile-trump-recognizes-golan-to-counter-irans-first-steps-for-annexing-lebanon-to-syria%d9%85%d9%88%d9%82%d8%b9-%d8%af%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%a7-%d8%aa%d8%b1%d9%85%d8%a8-%d9%8a%d8%b9%d8%aa/
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Wednesday deemed Hezbollah as a risk to the Middle East stability, one day before his scheduled visit to Beirut.
Following meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem, Pompeo described Hezbollah, Hamas, Yemen’s Houthis and all Iran-backed proxies as “entities that present risks to Middle East stability and to Israel”.
“They are determined to wipe this country off the face of the planet and we have a moral obligation and a political one to prevent that from happening. You should know that the United States is prepared to do that,” Pompeo said during the meeting. Pompeo voiced regret over the leniency of former U.S. administrations in dealing with Hezbollah and curbing it.
"We're going to be very clear about how America sees Hezbollah and our expectations about how Lebanon's success depends on the Lebanese people demanding that a terrorist organization not be in control of their government and not drive policies and create risk for their country as well," he told reporters.
"We all know the risk, right? Hezbollah does something inside of Lebanon, the risk of escalation is real.""The people of Lebanon don't want that. The people of Israel don't want that. The people of the United States of America don't want that," Pompeo stated. For his part, Rivlin said that Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri “cannot say to anyone that Lebanon is separate from Hezbollah”, saying that the group is represented in both the government and Parliament. “If something will happen from Lebanon toward Israel, we will hold Lebanon as the responsible”, Rivlin warned.

Pompeo Says Former Administrations were Lax in 'Reining in' Hizbullah
Naharnet /March 21/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73185/debkafile-trump-recognizes-golan-to-counter-irans-first-steps-for-annexing-lebanon-to-syria%d9%85%d9%88%d9%82%d8%b9-%d8%af%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%a7-%d8%aa%d8%b1%d9%85%d8%a8-%d9%8a%d8%b9%d8%aa/'
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday voiced regret that the previous U.S. administrations did not do much to “rein in” Hizbullah. Pompeo made the remarks in an interview with Al-Arabiya television on the eve of an official visit to Lebanon. The top U.S. diplomat hopes to use his first visit to Lebanon to step up pressure on Hizbullah and its regional backer Iran. But he is likely to face resistance even from Washington's Lebanese allies, who fear that pushing too hard could spark a backlash and endanger the tiny country's fragile peace. Hizbullah wields more power than ever in parliament and the government. Pompeo will meet Friday with President Michel Aoun and will also hold talks with Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil -- all three of whom are close Hizbullah allies. He will also meet with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who is close to the West but has opted to strike a political settlement with Hizbullah.

Aoun: Syria Ties Already Normalized, Siege on Hizbullah Affects All Lebanese
Naharnet /March 21/19/President Michel Aoun on Thursday noted that Lebanon's ties with Syria are already “normalized,” warning that any siege on Hizbullah would “affect all Lebanese.”“The ties with Syria are normalized, seeing as they're characterized by the presence of an ambassador in each of the two countries, and therefore they're not severed,” Aoun said in an interview with reporters of Russian-owned media outlets on the eve of an upcoming visit to Moscow. “Lebanon wants to take part in its reconstruction,” Aoun added, referring to war-torn Syria. Aoun also accused the international community of “taking refugees as a hostage in order to receive the price in the political solution.” “Lebanon takes notice of the international conditions but it will act according to its higher interest,” the president added. Moreover, Aoun revealed that U.N. refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi has informed Lebanese officials that “the situation of those returning to Syria is good and they are living in comfort.”Separately, the president said “Lebanon is a neutral country and will not engage in wars.”“It is rather seeking friendships with everyone and the siege on Hizbullah affects all Lebanese,” Aoun added. He also described the relations with Russia as “historic,” saying Lebanon is “seeking to develop them on all levels.”Earlier in the day, the Lebanese Presidency announced that Aoun's visit to Russia has been officially scheduled for March 25-26. “President Michel Aoun will carry out an official visit to the Russian Federation on March 25 and 26, at an invitation from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin,” the Presidency said in a statement. According to the statement, the president will meet Putin on Tuesday and will also hold talks with a number of Russian officials.

Govt. Approves Military Council Appointments, Forms Electricity Committee
Naharnet /March 21/19/The Cabinet formed a ministerial committee to follow through the electricity plan and approved key appointments to fill four empty posts in the Military Council during a session held Thursday at Baabda Palace.
Appointments to the six-member Military Council were earlier postponed due to conflict over the nomination of some candidates.
LBCI TV station listed members of the military council appointed during the session:
Brig. Gen. Amin al-Aram (Druze) as Army chief of staff.
Brig. Gen. Milad Isaac (Orthodox) inspector-general.
Brig. Gen. Elias Shamieh (Catholic) full-time member of the Military Council.
Brig. Gen.Mahmoud al-Asmar (Sunni) Secretary-General of the Higher Council of Defense.
According to LBCI, the Cabinet formed a ministerial committee to follow through an electricity plan.
According to the National News Agency, the Cabinet convened to discuss 59 items on its agenda, most notably the electricity plan prepared by the Ministry of Energy and Water; a draft on Petroleum Resources Law; the measures taken by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities for the upcoming by-elections in Tripoli, the military appointments in addition to several urgent matters.
The meeting was preceded by a closed-door meeting between President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Ibrahim: My Role is Technical, Political Row over Refugee File Not My Concern
Naharnet /March 21/19/General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said that coordination between the security apparatuses of Lebanon and Syria have never stopped, which made it possible to exchange information about terrorists who crossed the border and hence confront terrroism, al-Akhbar daily reported on Thursday. Ibrahim said that coordination goes long before the war in Syria in 2011, “there has been no interruption between the General Security and parallel security services in Syria, but it has become more urgent after the outbreak of the war,” Ibrahim told the daily. “The Syrians have provided us with abundant information about a large number of terrorists who have crossed the border into Lebanon, and thanks to that we succeeded, whether some call name that as normalization or opening channels," he said. “This coordination is administrative concerned with crossing, and also concerned with security to stop any breach. What is important to us are the results we have reached in the confrontation with terrorism,” added Ibrahim. Regarding divisions between Lebanese officials over relations with Syria and the repatriation of refugees, he said: “The political row over the refugees file is not my concern, because my work is purely technical. The President entrusted me with the task, and all the other officials were aware of this mandate. No one has ever objected to the security communication channel I have.”About the “intimidation” practiced by the Syrian regime to prevent its citizens from returning to their hometowns, Ibrahim said: “Recently, we have heard a lot about arrests, executions, etc. I have asked to be provided with evidence on such sensitive data in order to review that with the Syrian authorities,” noting that he personally has not heard about any harassment or imprisonment.

Hariri: Russia's Refugee Initiative is Only One on the Table
Naharnet /March 21/19/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.

U.N. Special Coordinator Jan Kubis Visits Arsal and Baalbek
Naharnet /March 21/19/U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis on Thursday visited the areas of Arsal and Baalbek in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate in north-eastern Lebanon. In Baalbek, the Special Coordinator met with Governor Bashir Khodr and separately with the head of the Municipality of Baalbek, Hassan Lakkis, and the head of the Union of Municipalities of Baalbek, Nasri Othman. “We had candid discussions about the challenges facing this important and strategic area of Lebanon. We agreed that reinforcing state authority, stability and security of Baalbek required additional efforts, including through increased state attention and intervention as well as support of the international community,” Kubis said. In Arsal, Kubis met with the Head of Municipality, Bassel al-Hujeiri. Hujeiri briefed the Special Coordinator on some of the main socio-economic, environmental and humanitarian challenges facing the border town, including unemployment, waste management, limited state support and access to agricultural land. “Kubis welcomed the restored security and stability, including along the border with Syria, following the successful counter-terrorism operations led by the Lebanese army against militants almost two years ago,” his office said in a statement. The U.N. official also visited a storm water drainage canal project that was implemented by UNDP with funding from donor countries and heard from local beneficiaries about the positive impact that the project had on their livelihoods. He also discussed with UNDP and local officials the support provided for the development of the area. Throughout the day, Kubis discussed the presence of Syrian refugees in the area, the needs and concerns of the refugees and host communities as well as efforts to maintain social stability. Accompanied by representatives from UNHCR, Kubis also visited a Syrian refugee tented site in Arsal and met with refugees. Arsal is hosting around 37,000 registered refugees.

Building Partially Collapses in Sin el-Fil-Nabaa
Naharnet /March 21/19/Parts of the facade of a residential building in the Sin el-Fil-Nabaa area collapsed on Thursday, causing no casualties. Media reports said the building had been evacuated prior to the incident after residents sensed that something was wrong with the structure. The National News Agency said municipal police oversaw the building's evacuation. The incident forced the closure of the Saloumi-Nabaa road and traffic was diverted to neighboring areas. Metn district officer Marlene Haddad and MPs Eddie Maalouf and Hagop Pakradounian inspected the scene in the wake of the collapse. High Relief Commission chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kheir also inspected the building and said residence compensations will be paid to residents pending the results of a technical examination. “We have allowed the building's residents to inspect their houses before evacuating them,” he added.

Army Chief Meets US and UK ambassadors, Discuss Border Security Project
Naharnet /March 21/19/Army Commander General Joseph Aoun held talks on Thursday with British Ambassador to Lebanon Chris Rampling and US Ambassador Elizabeth Richard to discuss progress on the security of the Lebanese-Syrian border, during the High Level Steering Committee (HLSC). Following the meeting Ambassador Rampling said: “I was delighted to meet today the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces General Joseph Aoun and the US Ambassador and discuss progress on our Land Border Project. The project is now in its eighth year and the LAF should be rightly proud of their achievement in controlling and securing the Lebanese – Syrian border. It is because of this progress that we were able to open up the UK Travel Advice for Lebanon in December. I reiterated to the Commander the UK’s steadfast support to Lebanon through ongoing social, economic, educational and humanitarian projects, in addition to further support to the Lebanese Armed Forces and other security agencies. The LAF remains the sole legitimate defender of Lebanon. We remain proud partners of the Lebanese army and we look forward to strengthening our military and security relations even further.”

Report: Govt. Travel Costs Questions Seriousness of Austerity Drive
Naharnet /March 21/19/While Lebanese officials race to launch positions calling for austerity and anti-corruption, the agenda of the cabinet session on Thursday reportedly includes 17 out of 54 items on travel requests for conferences, seminars or exhibitions, and travel requests for ministers and first-class staff or university professors, Asharq al-Awsat daily reported Thursday. Travel expenses, accommodation and foreign conferences had reached LBP 26.4 billion in 2017, while the presidency sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the situation would not remain as it was in the past.”
They said that President Michel Aoun adheres to his instructions, agreed with the Premier, in terms of demanding ministers and their employees to reduce their travel requests, and recommended the assignment of Lebanese ambassadors abroad to attend conferences to reduce costs.
Informed sources confirm that inclusion of these items on the agenda does not mean approval, especially in light of the decision taken by the President and the Prime Minister to reduce spending. “Even in the case of approval,” said the sources, “ministers are no longer given the freedom to choose the number of members of their delegation as it was in the past. They have to determine the number in advance,” they said. Ministers of the Progressive Socialist Party, Wael Abu Faour and Akram Shehayyeb, have taken an advanced step in this context. They took a decision banning employees at their ministries and in all their departments from traveling at the expense of the Treasury. According to reports, Lebanon’s 2017 budget has allocated LBP 15.5 billion for transport, fuel and conferences abroad, noting that, due to frequent travel and the lack of funds, additional expenditures were allocated and amounted to LBP 10.8 billion. The three presidencies (President, Premier and Speaker) have acquired the amount of LBP 9.787 billion, which constitutes 37% of the total expenditure, according to the daily.

Brazil's ex-President Michel Temer Arrested in 'Car Wash' Probe
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /March 21/19/Brazil's ex-president Michel Temer was arrested Thursday, an official said, as part of a sprawling anti-corruption probe that has already claimed dozens of political and corporate scalps. Police arrested Temer, the 78-year-old predecessor of current far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, in Sao Paulo, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office in Rio de Janeiro told AFP. Former mines and energy minister Moreira Franco was also detained along with six others, including business people, G1 reported. Temer, Brazil's most unpopular leader ever, faced a number of corruption accusations on leaving office last year. Launched in 2014, the Car Wash investigation uncovered a vast graft operation involving Petrobras and major construction companies and bribes to politicians of several parties. Temer is just the latest former president caught up in the probe that has rocked Brazil's business and political elites. The center-right politician took over as a caretaker figure after the last Workers Party president, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and removed from office in 2016. Former leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is serving a lengthy jail term after being found guilty in two corruption cases. Far-right leader Bolsonaro campaigned on a hard line against corruption and crime and his victory in October's election was in part attributed to the Car Wash investigation. Temer did not contest the ballot.

Former President, Amine Gemayel: Press Crisis Mirrors Lebanon's Suffering
Kataeb.orgThursday 21st March 2019/Former President, Amine Gemayel, on Thursday hailed the initiative of gathering the Lebanese University with documentation and research centers, saying that it has a tremendous importance given that it gets the state-run university closer to comtemporary problems. During a Lebanese University conference on the future of the Lebanese press, Gemayel warned of "the dangerous quagmire" that publications are sinking in, outlining the impact of this issue on the Lebanese given their longstanding relation with the press and given the role that Lebanon has always played as an intellectual and cultural center. Gemayel deplored hardships that forced many prominent and prestigious publications to shut down, saying that the rise of technology has exacerbated the financial crisis forcing the diminishment of the press.“In a nutshell, the crisis facing the Lebanese press mirrors the country’s suffering. By analyzing the causes of the press decline, we would probably be also detecting the reasons behind the current political, educational, cultural, social and economic stagnation that we are living,” Gemayel pointed out.

UNIFIL Confirms Existance Of Six Tunnels In South Lebanon
Jerusalem Post/March 20/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73169/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%91%D9%82-%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%AF-6-%D8%A3%D9%86%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE/
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

Pompeo heads to Lebanon, where Hezbollah is at peak strength
باسم مروة: بومبيو يزور لبنان وحزب الله في قمة قوته
Bassam Mroue/AP/March 21/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73183/bassam-mroue-ap-pompeo-heads-to-lebanon-where-hezbollah-is-at-peak-strength%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%b3%d9%85-%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%a9-%d8%a8%d9%88%d9%85%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%88-%d9%8a%d8%b2%d9%88%d8%b1-%d9%84/
BEIRUT (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hopes to use his first visit to Lebanon this week to step up pressure on Iran and its local ally, Hezbollah. But he could face resistance even from America’s local allies, who fear that pushing too hard could spark a backlash and endanger the tiny country’s fragile peace.
Hezbollah wields more power than ever in parliament and the government. Pompeo will meet Friday with President Michel Aoun and will also hold talks with Lebanon’s parliament speaker and foreign minister — all three of whom are close Hezbollah allies. He will also meet with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a close Western ally who has been reluctant to confront Hezbollah.
“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,” Pompeo told reporters earlier this week.
“Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. You ask how tough I am going to be? It is a terrorist organization. Period. Full stop,” Pompeo said in Jerusalem on Thursday.
But isolating Hezbollah, whose military power dwarfs that of the Lebanese armed forces, could prove impossible.
The Iran-backed group has an arsenal of tens of thousands of rockets and missiles. Its battle-hardened cadres fought Israel to a stalemate in 2006, and have fought alongside President Bashar Assad’s army since the early days of the Syrian civil war, securing a string of hard-won victories. Over the past year, the group has translated this power into major political gains unseen in the past.
Hezbollah and its allies today control a majority of seats in parliament and the Cabinet, after it managed in 2016 to help Aoun, an allied Christian leader, be elected president. The group has three Cabinet seats, the largest number it has ever taken, including the Health Ministry, which has one of the largest budgets.
That has angered Washington, where U.S. officials have called on Hariri’s national unity government to ensure Hezbollah does not tap into public resources. Last month, U.S. Ambassador Elizabeth Richard expressed concerns over Hezbollah’s growing role in the new Cabinet, saying it does not contribute to stability.
Lebanon has long been a political battleground in the region-wide struggle between Washington and Tehran. But tensions have risen since President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.
The United States backs a coalition of groups opposed to Hezbollah led by Hariri’s Sunni-led Future Movement and the right-wing Christian Lebanese Forces, but Washington’s local allies are proceeding with caution. Memories are fresh of the clashes that erupted in May 2008, when the Shiite Hezbollah rapidly defeated a group of Sunni opponents on the streets of Beirut.
Hezbollah supporters hold up Arabic placards that read, "We are the sons of Khomeini," during a rally to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution, in southern Beirut, Lebanon, on Feb. 6, 2019. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
“Washington should be careful not to push Lebanon to the brink, as Hezbollah would retaliate if its survival is at stake,” said Joe Macaron, a resident fellow at the Arab Center in Washington. “In the current status quo, the most effective way to restrain Hezbollah remains within the intricate parameters of the Lebanese political system,” he said.
The Trump administration appears to be aware of the difficulties it faces, and while it has talked tough about Hezbollah, it has done little beyond strengthening already tough sanctions on the group, which has long been blacklisted as a terrorist organization by Western countries.
The United States is a strong supporter of Lebanon’s national army, supplying it with arms and more than $1.5 billion in aid over the past decade. But Hezbollah, the only group that did not disarm after the 1975-1990 civil war, takes credit for ending the 18-year Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000 and says it is the only force capable of repelling another Israeli invasion.
During his visit to Lebanon, Pompeo is expected to reiterate Washington’s support to the Lebanese army. In return, he is expected to demand that Lebanon’s Central Bank act to prevent Iran from using the country’s banking sector to evade sanctions.
Asked by journalists on his way to the Middle East about his meetings with Aoun, who helped facilitate Hezbollah’s rise to power, Pompeo responded: “In my business we talk to a lot of people that we’re hoping to change their way.”
“We’re going to be very clear about how America sees Hezbollah and our expectations about how Lebanon’s success depends on the Lebanese people demand(ing) that a terrorist organization not be in control of their government and not drive policies and create risk for their country as well,” he said in Jerusalem.
Aoun is scheduled to visit Russia later this month for talks with President Vladimir Putin. The two are expected to discuss a number of topics, including the return of Syrian refugees and oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean, which has been a source of tension between Lebanon and Israel.
Pompeo will likely offer continued U.S. mediation to try and resolve the maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel. Lebanon plans to begin offshore oil and gas exploration later this year.
*Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

As U.S. Secretary Of State Pompeo Prepares To Visit Lebanon, Hizbullah Is In Complete Control Of Lebanese Government – And The March 14 Camp, Saudi Arabia, And U.S. Have Cooperated With It And Come To Terms With The Situation
سي جاكوب/موقع ميمري: بومبيو يزور لبنان في حين أن حزب الله يسطر عليه بالكامل فيما تجمع 14 آذار والسعودية وأميركا تعاونوا مع الحزب وتقبلوا الوضع القائم
By: C. Jacob/MEMRI/March 21/19
Introduction
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73194/%d8%b3%d9%8a-%d8%ac%d8%a7%d9%83%d9%88%d8%a8%d9%85%d9%86-%d9%85%d9%88%d9%82%d8%b9-%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%85%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d9%88%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%88-%d9%8a%d8%b2%d9%88%d8%b1-%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%86/
On January 31, 2019, a most significant event occurred in Lebanon. Nine months after the parliamentary elections, a new government emerged, in which Hizbullah and its allies hold a large majority, following political struggles from within as well as struggles for influence from outside the country between the axis headed by Saudi Arabia and the axis headed by Iran.[1] Of the 30 government ministerial posts, four of them held by women, Hizbullah and its allies hold 18 – with three being held by Hizbullah itself, including the important Health Ministry portfolio, in spite of strong U.S. opposition to this. Another vital portfolio, that of the Ministry of Displaced Persons through which Syria seeks to revive its influence in Lebanon, is held by Hizbullah allies.
Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'd Al-Hariri and the March 14 camp have come to terms with this historic political turn, and are cooperating; they now hold 11 portfolios.
It should be noted that although Hizbullah holds only three portfolios, together with its allies it forms a large majority in the government, and has taken political control of the country.
Once the government was formed, members of the March 14 camp feared that it would act to circumvent the sanctions on Iran and Hizbullah – which would be met with a harsh response against Lebanon from the U.S. They are presenting Lebanon as a country that has lost its sovereignty to Hizbullah and its allies, who, they argue, now control it through Hizbullah's weapons and the support it receives from Iran.
In Saudi Arabia, too, concern has been expressed about the composition of the new Lebanese government. However, even as the Saudi press is harshly critical of this, and particularly of the "terrorist Hizbullah" force within it, official Saudi elements have welcomed the government.
The U.S. has expressed its antipathy to Hizbullah's growing political strength, but it is doubtful whether it will take any steps against Hizbullah. Before the new government emerged, the U.S. clearly stated its vehement opposition to Hizbullah receiving the health portfolio – but no political element in Lebanon was able to prevent that. The U.S. will apparently not be able to monitor or thwart the transfer of Lebanese government funds to Hizbullah. It has said in the past that it will continue to support Lebanon because it seeks to strengthen the country's official government – but now the official government is controlled by Hizbullah, which is also now in charge of the Lebanese Army because the defense minister is close to Hizbullah.
Hizbullah's influence in Lebanon grows (source: Al-Arab, London, March 12, 2019)
It should be noted that in taking over the government by democratic means, Hizbullah has taken a moderate approach, and has turned its political energy to the issue of fighting corruption, for which there is a countrywide consensus. Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah himself has ranked fighting corruption as high in importance as fighting Israel.
This report reviews Hizbullah's growing political might in its takeover of power in Lebanon.
Hizbullah's Military Control In Lebanon And Its Expansion Outside its Borders
For many years, Hizbullah has been perceived as the most powerful military force in Lebanon, and its status was further strengthened when it took credit for the Israeli army's exit from Lebanon in 2000, and its subsequent exit following the 2006 Second Lebanon War, when Nasrallah declared that he had attained victory over Israel. Hizbullah's might is demonstrated by its deterrent power of more than 120,000 missiles, whose launch would cause great damage to Israel even if it led to Lebanon's complete destruction. Additionally, Hizbullah continues to receive weapons from Iran; it is involved in military clashes in Syria; it is preparing a front for fighting Israel on the Golan Heights; and it is maintaining military cooperation with the Houthis in Yemen[2] and the Polisario Front in the Sahara.[3] Its digging of tunnels at the Lebanon-Israel border shows that it has no qualms about challenging the Lebanese military and embarrassing Lebanon's leaders by blatantly violating UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brought the Second Lebanon War to an agreed-upon end.[4]
Hizbullah's Political Achievements On The Path To Taking Over The Government By Democratic Means
Since Hizbullah entered Lebanese political life, it has been clear that it is not going to be satisfied with military hegemony in Lebanon, but is also striving to control all areas of life in the country. A clear manifestation of this is the fact that it was Hizbullah that determined that Michel Aoun would be president. Prior to the May 2018 parliamentary elections, Hizbullah worked to change the electoral system so as to increase its political might – a move that contributed to its and its allies' win of a large majority in parliament.
The distribution of portfolios has given the March 8 Alliance – which includes Hizbullah, the Shi'ite Amal movement, and the Free Patriotic Movement faction of President Aoun and Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil – a distinct advantage. The Alliance has 18 portfolios – including three for Hizbullah and three for Amal – as opposed to 11 for the pro-Saudi March 14 camp, which includes Prime Minister Al-Hariri's Al-Mustaqbal faction, Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces party, which is Christian, and the Progressive Socialist Party of Walid Jumblatt, leader of Lebanon's Druze. One minister, a woman, was appointed in an agreement between Al-Hariri and Bassil.
The March 8 Alliance's most important achievement is its control of more than a third of the government ministries, with 11 ministers – more than the required third, thus allowing it to veto any resolution it wants. Furthermore, even within the coalition, Hizbullah is in control, since its allies, Aoun and Bassil, will need Hizbullah's agreement to reject any unwanted resolution – since two of the 11 ministers are pro-Syria and cannot be counted on to vote with Bassil and Aoun against a Hizbullah position.
Another notable Hizbullah accomplishment is the high value of the portfolios it holds. Despite U.S. objections, it was given the large-budget health portfolio, and the Health Ministry is headed by Jamil Jabaq, formerly Nasrallah's personal physician. Yet another achievement was the appointment of Elias Bou Saab as defense minister – who has been criticized as "identifying with Hizbullah"[5] – and the Displaced Persons portfolio being handed to a pro-Syria minister. Hizbullah and its allies advocate allowing the displaced to return home to Syria without making their return conditional upon a political solution for that country, with close Lebanese cooperation with the Assad regime in Syria, while March 14 elements are demanding a political solution before they return home, and have reservations regarding Syria's attempts to revive its influence in Lebanon by leveraging the issue of the displaced persons. Some members of the March 14 Alliance have explained that their reservations have to do with normalizing relations with Syria in light of its murderous regime, and in light of the fact that Syria has labeled Lebanese leaders, among them Prime Minister Al-Hariri, as terrorists.[6]
In the period between the May 4, 2018 parliamentary elections and the establishment of the government on January 31, 2019, Hizbullah worked in a moderate and consistent manner to further its objectives. First, the organization sat on the fence and observed how its ally Gibran Bassil worked to hobble the Lebanese Forces party and to weaken Jumblatt's influence, who was forced to cede one of the three portfolios earmarked for him and hand it to another Druze representative, who is close to Talal Arslan, his rival for the Druze community's leadership.
When it appeared that most of the disagreements in the coalition negotiations had been resolved, Hizbullah suddenly took action and supported the demand of the Sunni MPs from the March 8 Alliance that they should receive a portfolio, despite then-Interim Prime Minister Sa'd Al-Hariri opposition to relinquishing his position as the sole representative of the Sunnis. With this move, Hizbullah managed to further erode Al-Hariri's status as representative of the Sunnis, by forcing on him a Sunni minister from the pro-Syria March 8 Alliance – thus making sure that nothing can happen in Lebanon without its consent.
March 14 Alliance, Saudi Arabia Have Come to Terms With The Establishment Of The Government
While criticism and concern have been voiced by the March 14 Alliance and the Saudi press about the composition of the new government, this is of no significance, because they have come to terms with it and with the fact that Hizbullah and its allies now hold political control of Lebanon. Their criticism focused on the following:[7]
1-Iran's influence – Hizbullah has traded the Israeli "occupation" for an Iranian-Syrian occupation.
2-The legitimization of Hizbullah's weapons and its anticipated takeover of the military.
3-The fact that Hizbullah's digging of tunnels is likely to lead to a war with Israel.
4-Helping Iran circumvent the U.S. sanctions, and thus putting Lebanon's economy at risk, since Lebanon too may also become a target of sanctions.
In Advance Of U.S. Secretary Of State Pompeo's Visit: How Will The U.S. Act Towards Lebanon?
In the face of Iran's influence in Lebanon, the U.S. has stepped up its activity, and U.S. administration representatives have paid recent visits in an attempt to reduce Iran's involvement in providing aid to Lebanon. These representatives have announced that the U.S. is supplying precision weapons to the Lebanese army and stressed that it will continue to support it.[8] U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield urged Lebanon to set an independent policy not dictated by foreign elements that would serve only its own interests.[9] He clarified that the U.S. would continue to pressure Iran to withdraw its forces and Hizbullah forces from Syria, and also said that the U.S. would be following the government's actions and decisions to ensure that they serve Lebanon's interests and are not influenced by Hizbullah, behind which stands Iran, and also to ensure that Hizbullah does not take advantage of its membership in the government to circumvent the sanctions imposed on it. However, his statements have no practical significance.[10]
With respect to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's upcoming visit to Lebanon, it is likely that he will pressure the new Lebanese government not to bow to Hizbullah's dictates, while at the same time announcing that the U.S. will continue its policy of providing aid to the Lebanese army. In this way, he will complete Hizbullah's and Iran's control of Lebanon and will even be collaborating with Hizbullah on the practical and political levels – regardless of the fact that Hizbullah has been a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997.[11]
*C. Jacob is a Research Fellow at MEMRI.
[1] MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1429, Hizbullah Opponents In Lebanon: The Organization Is Subjecting Lebanon To Iranian Patronage, Preventing Formation Of Government In Retaliation For U.S. Sanctions, December 24, 2018.

[2] MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1417, Criticism In Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon Over Hizbullah's Involvement In Yemen, Support For Houthis, October 16, 2018.

[3] MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 7528, Lebanese Columnist: Hizbullah's Actions In Morocco Are Part Of Its Role As A Tool Of Iran, June 18, 2018.

[4] MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 7801, In Lebanon, Criticism Of Hizbullah's Tunnels Into Israel: Hizbullah May Drag Lebanon Into War; The Lebanese Government Must Demand That Hizbullah Stop Violating UNSC Resolution 1701, December 12, 2018.

[5] Eliasbejjaninews.com, February 4, 2019.

[6] Elnashra.com, February 4, 2019; Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), February 1, 2019.

[7] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1443 Dispute In Lebanon Over Iran's Offer To Equip Lebanese Army, February 25, 2019; See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1429,  Hizbullah Opponents In Lebanon: The Organization Is Subjecting Lebanon To Iranian Patronage, Preventing Formation Of Government In Retaliation For U.S. Sanctions, December 24, 2018.

[8] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1443 Dispute In Lebanon Over Iran's Offer To Equip Lebanese Army, February 25, 2019

[9] Aswsat.com, March 6, 2019.

[10] Alhayat.com, March 7, 2019.

[11] State.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm.

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on March 21-22/2019
Peace Plan Now: Deal Of The Century Should Be Revealed Before April Elections
Jerusalem Post/March 21/19
Co-founders of the Israeli NGO Blue White Future explain that a balanced peace plan could offer hope to both Israelis and Palestinians.
Israelis and Palestinians have been waiting for the Trump administration’s “deal of the century” peace plan since May 2018.
Now, President Donald Trump is saying he will unveil this plan only after the April 9 Israeli elections. However, there is a strong argument to be made that the peace plan should be shared immediately.
“The time politically is never ripe in the Middle East,” says Gilead Sher, a former chief of staff to prime minister Ehud Barak and a senior Israeli peace negotiator. “If the plan is ready, let’s hear about it, without any calculations as to whether or not it is supportive of this or that party’s agenda.”
In a conversation with The Jerusalem Report, Sher, Ami Ayalon and Orni Petruschka – co-founders of the Israeli NGO, Blue White Future – explain that a balanced peace plan could offer hope to both Israelis and Palestinians. It could also play a key role in restoring America’s dwindling influence in the Middle East and the rest of the international arena and enable a coalition of regional moderates to constrain Iran. The organization is unconnected to the Blue and White Party that was founded long after the organization was.
Further, by revealing it now, it would bring the subject of the Palestinians back into the discourse. Many candidates seem to be skirting this issue, which is so crucial to Israel’s future. “We are living in a virtual reality, in which there are no Palestinians during the election campaign,” says Ayalon, former director of the Israeli internal security agency Shin Bet. “Our relationship with the Palestinians will determine whether in 40 years Israel will be a Jewish democracy.”He says that current elections campaigns are centered on corruption, while they should be focused on the Palestinian issue. But how can Trump’s Mideast team succeed where predecessors failed? According to this team, by redesigning the process and framework.
Sher, Ayalon and Petruschka say it is time to discard the bilateral negotiation-exclusive paradigm and abandon the principle that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.” Rather, they say, encouraging and even incentivizing both sides to take constructive, independent steps toward disengaging from one another, thereby creating a reality of two states, and advancing gradually toward delineating a border between two distinct national entities, could bring about peace in the Middle East. “We offer a replacement formula: Whatever is agreed upon or mutually coordinated is implemented,” says Sher.
Ayalon says that the Israelis should call on every Palestinian leader who is willing to negotiate, but the country should not wait for this utopian reality of a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation and a partner for peace across the table. “Israel could simply declare: From tomorrow morning, there will be no building east of the security fence,” says Ayalon as an example. “When we have negotiations, we will agree on many issues and the borders will be one of them, but until then, we just stop building.”He says the government could pass a law offering compensation to any settler who wishes to relocate to an area that will be guaranteed part of Israel in any future two-state solution.
Relatedly, Israel could take unilateral action to create a secure, supervised port for the Gazan economy, which would create an outlet to the rest of the world and a genuine reason for a more promising future for the next generation of Gazans. But to make sure that this port won’t serve terror, Israel could put Palestinian Authority leaders and security forces in place to oversee it – and protect it from Hamas. “It is in our best interest, that the PA would control the Gaza port,” explains Ayalon. “Then, when the Gazans see and feel improvements in their lives, they will see the Palestinian Authority as being a big part of that.”Of course, says Ayalon, no matter the moves Israel makes, to ensure the country’s safety, the IDF would not pull out of any region. “The IDF will stay to make sure we do not repeat the mistake of the Gaza [disengagement], creating a vacuum that would enable Hamas or some other terrorist organization to control the West Bank,” he says. Sher, Ayalon and Petruschka do have a vision for what the Trump deal of the century must include for it to be a viable plan: For it not to be dead on arrival, the plan’s clearly stated goal must be, “two states for two peoples,” they say.

Trump to Host Netanyahu next Week as PM, Pompeo Warn of Iranian Aggression
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 20 March, 2019/US President Donald Trump will receive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington next week, announced the White House Wednesday. “The president and the prime minister will discuss their countries’ shared interests and actions in the Middle East during a working meeting on March 25,” the White House said in a statement. Trump will host Netanyahu at a dinner on Tuesday night. The Israeli leader planned to visit Washington next week to address the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, two weeks before the Israeli election on April 9. In Jerusalem, Netanyahu welcomed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for talks on bilateral ties and Iran’s hostile behavior. They vowed to counter Iranian "aggression" as Netanyahu said Trump's pressure on Iran was already having an effect, referring to his withdrawal from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and the reimposition of sanctions. "We need to increase it, we need to expand it, and together the United States and Israel are working in close coordination to roll back Iranian aggression in the region and around the world," the premier told journalists after Pompeo arrived. Netanyahu reiterated his pledge to keep Iran from entrenching itself militarily in neighboring Syria, where Tehran back Bashar Assad's regime. Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes there against Iranian and Hezbollah targets. "There is no limitation to our freedom of action, and we appreciate very much the fact that the United States backs up our actions as we do them," Netanyahu said. Pompeo spoke of a Middle East conference in Warsaw last month that included Arab nations as well as Israel, saying the discussions involved efforts "to stop Iran's regional rampage" among other issues. The US secretary of state also noted Iranian calls for Israel's destruction. "With such threats a daily reality of Israeli life, we maintain our unparalleled commitment to Israel's security and firmly support your right to defend yourself," he said. Pompeo and Netanyahu later attended a meeting in Jerusalem with leaders from Cyprus and Greece on the construction of a 2,000 km (1,243 mile) gas pipeline linking vast eastern Mediterranean gas resources to Europe through those countries and Italy at a cost of $7 billion. Lebanon - Pompeo’s next stop - has warned its Mediterranean neighbors that the planned EastMed pipeline must not be allowed to violate its maritime borders.

Abbas Slams Hamas, Accuses it of Oppressing Palestinian Protesters
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 21 March, 2019/Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has slammed Hamas, saying it is being “oppressive” in its crackdown on protesters in the Gaza Strip. The movement has used excessive force to disperse protesters as part of "We Want to Live" rallies held against price hikes and the dire economic situation in the Palestinian enclave. Abbas told Atef Abu Seif, the Fatah spokesman in Gaza and member of its central committee, in a phone call that he has honored his country. He stressed that Hamas and its elements will end up in the “dustbin of history just like those who secede from the Palestinian legitimacy.”Fatah has accused Hamas of Abu Seif’s assassination attempt after he was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen and suffered multiple bone fractures around his body. He is reported to be in serious condition. Abu Seif is among dozens of activists and journalists, who were severely beaten during demonstrations or arrests. Hamas detained about 1,000 people in just a few days, dispersed more than 25 rallies with live fire and pursued activists in their homes and on the streets. “We Want to Live” movement announced a two-day civil disobedience and public strike on Thursday, calling on people to perform Friday prayers in public squares and reject accusations by Hamas preachers against protesters. It stressed that its peaceful protests will continue until Hamas’ government in Gaza meets the people’s legitimate demands. The movement also called on the families of the detainees, the oppressed and the wounded to perform Friday prayers near the house of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. It urged them to demand the immediate release of their loved-ones, holding accountable those who ordered the imprisonment and torture of protesters and taking to court those who caused casualties in the rank of demonstrators.

Israeli Forces Kill Salfit Attacker after Refusing to Surrender
Ramallah - Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 21 March, 2019/Israeli forces killed Omar Abu Laila, the young man who on Sunday killed two Israelis and injured a third, during a shootout in the West Bank village of Abwein.
The Shin Bet said it killed the 19-year-old while besieging him in a house after intelligence forces discovered his hideout. Abu Laila refused to surrender and engaged in a shootout with the soldiers. Investigations revealed that, within a quarter of an hour, Abu Laila carried out three operations beginning with stabbing an Israeli Sargent at Ariel Junction in the northern West Bank village of Salfit, then taking his F-16 rifle and fatally wounding another soldier. He later opened fire at a car of a Rabbi killing him as well. After that, Abu Laila approached a car, and upon realizing the driver was a tourist, he ordered him to get out and drove the vehicle to Barkin village, where he abandoned it and escaped on foot searching for a hideout. Immediately, army, intelligence, and police forces surrounded all the villages in the Palestinian area and began a wide-ranging campaign of arrests, including Abu Laila’s father Amin, his 16-year-old brother and a number of acquaintances and relatives.
A group of "Mostaerbin" soldiers, term used for soldiers who are disguised in Arab clothing and are proficient in speaking the Arabic dialect of the area, arrived in Abwein. They combed the field and upon noticing suspicious movement in one of the neighborhoods, they called for back-up.
Dozens of Israeli armored vehicles stormed Abwein and soldiers surrounded the house where Abu Laila had barricaded himself. They used loudspeakers to call on him to surrender. When he refused, the Israeli soldiers opened heavy fire at him, and he responded by firing from an F-16.
The Israeli army then fired a LAW anti-tank weapon, demolishing the house and killing Abu Laila. Palestinians questioned the army’s claim, saying the young man was caught alive and then killed during the investigation process. However, Israel insisted he was killed during the shootout. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the security forces, saying “Israel’s long arm will reach all those who hurt our citizens and soldiers.”A few hours later, Israel killed two Palestinians who were in their car east of the West Bank city of Nablus. Palestinians accused Israel of using the policy of execution. Abwein Mayor Naji Saif questioned the army's report on Abu Laila's killing, saying after occupation forces left the area, residents checked the house and didn't see any blood stains despite the intensity of the shooting. Fatah movement saluted Abu Laila and said he was one of its “knights and college students”. In related news, hundreds of Palestinians attended the funeral of two young men who were killed inside their car in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces shot at the two and then destroyed their car killing them on the spot. Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 war and the Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital. In 2014, Palestinian-Israeli peace talks collapsed.

Toll Climbs at Syria’s al-Hol Camp as SDF Presses Offensive Against ISIS
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 21 March, 2019/Twelve people died overnight after arriving at a camp in northeastern Syria from ISIS’ final enclave at Baghouz, the International Rescue Committee said on Thursday, as the US-backed forces pressed an offensive against the extremist group in its last redoubt. "Last night, another 2,000 women and children arrived at al-Hol camp in northeast Syria from Baghouz. Up to 60 arrivals needed immediate hospitalization and there were another 12 deaths recorded," IRC said in a statement. "These women and children are in the worst condition we have seen since the crisis first began. Many have been caught up in the fighting and dozens have been burnt or badly injured by shrapnel," Wendy Taeuber, IRC’s Iraq and northeast Syria country director, said in the statement. An AFP team on the ground saw trucks carrying people out of Baghouz on Wednesday night. "There have now been at least 138 deaths on the way to al-Hol or soon after arriving at the camp since early December. The deaths have overwhelmingly been of babies and infants," IRC said. Taeuber’s statement came as the command of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said that "mopping up operations continue in Baghouz camp.”The SDF, which launched a final assault against Baghouz on February 9, denied reports that the ISIS enclave had completely fallen to its forces. "The information of the total liberation of the village is unfounded," said the command. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised the progress of the fight against ISIS since he came to power, saying the fall of the extremist organization's rule was imminent.

Rich Syrian Businessmen Compete Over Iron in Devastated Cities
Rif Dimashq - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 21 March, 2019/Syria has been witnessing a growing rivalry among wealthy pro-regime businessmen to share the spoils of war by buying and re-manufacturing iron scrap collected from devastated areas that were regained by regime forces.The Syrian army has been able to recover many areas, which fell under the control of the armed opposition factions, ISIS or Al-Nusra Front, after fierce battles caused the near complete destruction of many cities, as in the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo (North), the old city of Homs (central), Daraya in Rif Dimashq, and Yarmouk refugee camp south of Damascus. Well-informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that officers, who had led military operations to regain areas falling under the control of armed factions, agreed on a division of shares by installing themselves as de facto rulers of self-drawn sectors. The sources pointed out that laborers and military personnel were working to dismantle doors and windows and to remove iron bars from destroyed roofs, under the army’s supervision and the officers' orders. “The government has turned a blind eye to the sale of scrap metal by those who control these areas, including officers and pro-regime militiamen,” the sources remarked. "It is as simple as that." They said that the iron was exclusively sold to Damascus-based Hamsho International. They refrained, however, from mentioning the amounts of metal that is collected daily and sold to the company. According to eyewitnesses who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat, dozens of trucks loaded with iron scrap have crossed on a daily basis the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo towards the south of the country. During the war, the price of a ton of high-tensile iron used in construction increased from 45,000 Syrian Liras in 2010 to 340,000 Liras presently (1$=535 Syrian Liras), due to the suspension of work at a number of iron factories. Mohammad Hamsho is currently Secretary of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce, Secretary of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce and member of the People's Assembly (Parliament) of Damascus. He has been subject to US sanctions since 2011. In December 2015, Prime Minister Wael Al-Halaki issued a decree establishing the Syrian Council for Metals and Steel, headed by Hamsho, and appointing a board of directors of 17 members.

Iran Supreme Leader Calls European Trade Mechanism 'Bitter Joke'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /March 21/19/Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called a trade mechanism launched by European countries to bypass renewed U.S. sanctions a "bitter joke" on Thursday, in a speech aired by state TV. "This financial channel they recently set up resembles a joke, a bitter joke," Khamenei told a thousands-strong congregation at a shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad, where he speaks every year to mark Iranian new year. Britain, France and Germany launched the special payment system, called INSTEX -- the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges -- in late January after President Donald Trump abruptly quit the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in May last year. The three countries were the European signatories to the deal, also signed by the US, Russia and China, that curbed Tehran's nuclear ambitions in return for sanctions relief. London, Paris and Berlin launched the device in the hope it will help save the deal by allowing Tehran to keep trading with European companies despite Washington reimposing sanctions. "The difference between what they are obligated to do and what they are proposing is as far as the earth is from the sky," Khamenei said. "We should completely forego (any hope) of help or cooperation from westerners in strengthening our economy, we shouldn't wait for them," he added, calling western politicians "savages.""Once again the Europeans have stabbed us in the back, they have betrayed us," Khamenei said.

Iran's Oil Exports Fall in March even Before Further U.S. Clampdown
Reuters/ Thursday 21st March 2019/Iran's oil exports have dropped in March to their lowest daily level this year, according to tanker data and industry sources, even before Washington formally requires importing countries to reduce purchases to avoid infringing U.S. sanctions. Shipments are averaging between 1.0 and 1.1 million barrels per day (bpd) so far this month, according to Refinitiv Eikon data and three other companies that track Iranian exports. That's lower than February, when shipments were at least 1.3 million bpd. Shipments have dropped from at least 2.5 million bpd in April 2018, the month before U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sanctions, fueling a year of economic crisis in the country. Tehran has vowed to keep exporting oil despite U.S. efforts to reduce its shipments to zero, but the export decline could be another indicator of economic pressure from the embargo. In a new year speech on Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Islamic Republic had resisted U.S. sanctions and called on the government to boost national production to face enemy pressures. For the oil market, the drop in Iranian shipments will add to an OPEC-led oil supply cut and comes ahead of U.S. plans to clamp down further on Iranian exports from May, after ending of the current round of fairly generous waivers from sanctions. Still, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, which began cutting production from Jan. 1 to bolster prices, are unlikely to be in a rush to change course, analysts say, without concrete signs of a shortage. "We do expect less Iranian oil exports after May," said Sara Vakhshouri of energy consultant SVB Energy International. "However, we don't think that OPEC will increase its production in anticipation of lower Iranian oil exports, but only if there are clear signs of further Iran and/or Venezuelan export cuts in the market," Vakhshouri said. Venezuela, an OPEC member, is also under U.S. sanctions which have curbed its exports. Iran's export levels have become more opaque since U.S. sanctions on the country's oil sector took effect in November, although estimates of March supplies are falling into a narrower range than in previous months. Kpler, a company that tracks oil flows, said Iranian shipments so far in March had dropped sharply to 1.03 million bps from 1.44 million bpd in February. "Iranian crude loadings have struggled through the first half of March," Kpler said in a report, although it said exports would rise closer to 1.3 million bpd in the rest of March.

Trump: U.S. Should 'Fully Recognize' Israeli Sovereignty over Golan Heights
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /March 21/19/U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the United States should recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, an area seized from Syria and annexed in a move never recognized by the international community. "After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights," Trump said in a tweet. Trump called the territory "of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!"

At least 71 Dead as Ferry Sinks in North Iraq
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /March 21/19/At least 71 people died when an overcrowded ferry carrying families sank Thursday in a swollen river in northern Iraq during Kurdish New Year celebrations, officials said. Several other people were missing after the disaster on the Tigris in the city of Mosul, according to an interior ministry official who did not want to be named. "The boat sank because there were too many passengers on board, more than a hundred," another security official based in Mosul told AFP. The vessel was packed with men, women and children crossing the Tigris to go to a popular picnic area, he said. The authorities had warned people to be careful after several days of heavy rains led to water being released through the Mosul dam, causing the river level to rise.

Syria Force Combs Last IS Hideouts in Baghouz
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /March 21/19/Kurdish-led forces Thursday combed the banks of the Euphrates in eastern Syria to smoke out the last jihadists preventing the much-delayed announcement of the demise of the Islamic State's "caliphate". The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched an assault against the last IS bastion in the village of Baghouz on February 9. On Tuesday, they cornered diehard fighters into a few acres of farmland by the Euphrates River, after forcing them out of the main encampment where they had been confined. The six-month-old operation to wipe out the last vestige of IS' once-sprawling proto-state is close to reaching its inevitable outcome, but SDF spokesman Mustefa Bali on Thursday said a victory announcement would be premature. "Our force is still carrying out combing operations and searches" for hidden jihadists, he said. "As soon as we are done, we will announce the liberation" of Baghouz, the spokesman added. His comments came one day after U.S. President Donald Trump said the jihadists' self-proclaimed "caliphate" would be "gone as of tonight." It also came in response to reports earlier on Thursday that the IS enclave had completely fallen. "The SDF media team has not announced this" victory, Bali said. The frontline was quiet on Thursday, for the second-day in a row, as the SDF paused its push to allow for more surrenders. The eerie silence that reigned over the battlefield was interrupted only by the whooshing of warplanes overhead. SDF fighters walked unarmed in a wasteland of mangled vehicles on the camp's outskirts. The flags of the Kurdish-led force dotted the area.
'Chance to surrender
SDF official Jiaker Amed said Thursday that several IS fighters were still in hiding. "We have discovered several (jihadist) hideouts," he told AFP. "We are monitoring these fighters and if they don't surrender we will launch a new operation against them," he said.
While some fighters are refusing to surrender, other jihadists and their relatives are still turning themselves in, the SDF official said.  "We are giving them a chance to surrender by slowing the military offensive," he said. Earlier on Wednesday, AFP correspondents saw trailer trucks carrying women and children exiting the jihadist redoubt. More than 66,000 people, mostly civilians, have quit the last IS redoubt since January 9, according to the SDF. They include 37,000 civilians, 5,000 jihadists and around 24,000 of their relatives. Thousands of people who have streamed out of the last IS stronghold now fill overcrowded camps and prisons run by the Kurds further north. Around 2000 women and children from Baghouz arrived on Wednesday night at the largest camp -- Al Hol. The camp is struggling to host 72,000 people, including more than 40,000 children, the International Rescue Committee said.
"Up to 60 (of the latest) arrivals needed immediate hospitalization and there were another 12 deaths recorded," the IRC said in a statement. "These women and children are in the worst condition we have seen since the crisis first began. "Many have been caught up in the fighting and dozens have been burnt or badly injured by shrapnel," Wendy Taeuber of the IRC was quoted as saying. At least 138 people, mostly children, have died en route to Al Hol or shortly after arriving at the camp since December, according to the IRC.
"We are expecting another 3,000 to arrive soon and we are very worried that they may be in even worse shape," it said.
Final days
The "caliphate" which IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed in 2014 once covered territory larger than the United Kingdom, straddling Syria and Iraq. It has crumbled under years of military operations in which Syrian and Iraqi forces backed by their international allies clawed back the land but left cities in ruins and populations homeless. The loss of Baghouz will mark the end of IS as a land-controlling force but not as a potent military player in the region. Many of its leaders and fighters in Iraq and Syria have long reverted to a guerrilla war, launching hit-and-run attacks from desert, mountain and other hideouts. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Wednesday that the "final defeat" of IS should be announced in a few days by the SDF or the U.S.-led coalition. The battles in Baghouz are the last active front in the Syrian war that has killed more than 370,000 people since 2011.

Italy in Shock after Driver Tries to Torch Bus Carrying 51 Children
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /March 21/19/Italy was in shock Thursday after the dramatic rescue of 51 children taken hostage by their school bus driver who torched the vehicle in protest at Mediterranean migrant deaths. The Italian driver of Senegalese origin on Wednesday hijacked the bus as it was taking the 12-13 year-olds from a gym to school in Crema, east of Milan. Armed with two petrol canisters and a cigarette lighter, Ousseynou Sy threatened the youngsters, took their telephones and told the adults to tie them up with electric cable. The 40-minute ordeal, during which the bus also slammed into a car, was brought to an end when police managed to smash windows open and get those onboard out just as the driver set fire to the vehicle. A dozen children and two adults were taken to hospital for smoke and fume inhalation, according to emergency services. "It's crazy, absurd, it's unacceptable. Someone has to pay, and dearly," said Filippo Razzini, the father of a pupil at the school in the small town of Crema who was not on the bus. "It's good to go back to school today because unfortunately these things are today a reality. But if it were up to me I'd be out there waiting for this guy somewhere," he told AFP. The driver's lawyer said his client had wanted to "draw attention to the consequences of (Italy's) migration policies."Italy has clamped down on immigration under far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, demanding it close its ports to charity vessels rescuing migrants who are trying to cross the Mediterranean. "This villain has to pay for everything," said Salvini, whose League party is riding high in the polls in part because of its tough anti-migrant stance. He said Sy's citizenship could be revoked if convicted of terror under a tough security decree introduced last year.
'Lone wolf'
The Milan police anti-terrorism unit has been charged with investigating the hostage-taking, during which Sy reportedly told students: "No one is getting out of here alive."Police were alerted to the situation after one of the students held on the bus called them from his mobile phone. The incident has shaken Crema's community. "My daughter was in shock yesterday, she said 'Mummy, I could have been there too'," parent Luisa Ginelli told AFP Thursday. The driver had no links with Islamic terrorism and "acted as a lone wolf", Alberto Nobili, head of counter-terrorism at the Milan public prosecutor's office, told a press conference. Nobili said Thursday that Sy had planned the hijack over several days and "wanted the whole world talking about his story". He posted a video on YouTube to explain his actions and call on relatives and friends in Crema and Senegal to take action, saying: "Africa -- arise." Sy got his Italian nationality and job in 2004 and managed to keep subsequent convictions for drink driving and sexual assault of a minor secret from his employer, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported. A neighbor told La Stampa newspaper that he was known as "Paolo". "That's what we called him because his name was too complicated. I saw him go out every morning, he drove a bus. A quiet man but solitary," she said. Colleagues told Italian media that Sy's separation from his Italian wife, with whom he has two teenage children, was "when his problems started."

Saudi Women on Trial after Contact with Foreign Media
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /March 21/19/Saudi women held in detention for nearly a year have been charged following contact with foreign media and activists, Human Rights Watch said Thursday, after they went on trial for undermining national security. "After nearly a year of accusations... that these brave champions of women's rights are 'foreign agents', the actual charges against them appear to be simply a list of their efforts to promote women's rights," said Michael Page, HRW's Middle East deputy director. "This is hardly the act of a government that is carrying out reforms, as (Crown Prince) Mohammed bin Salman and his supporters keep claiming."The trial of at least 10 women opened in Riyadh's criminal court last week after they were detained in 2018 as part of a sweeping crackdown on activists, legal authorities said, without specifying the charges. HRW and Amnesty International put the number of women facing trial at 11. Some of them have allegedly faced torture and sexual harassment during interrogation in detention. Citing sources who reviewed the charge sheets, HRW said the women were indicted after establishing contact with fully accredited international journalists based in the kingdom as well as foreign diplomats and international human rights organizations. "If sharing information about women's rights with journalists and diplomats is illegal, then by that standard most of the Saudi leadership would be in prison right now," Page said. The charge sheets make no mention of contact with foreign spies, according to HRW. Earlier this month, the Saudi public prosecutor said the activists had been accused of "coordinated activity to undermine the security, stability and social harmony of the kingdom."State-backed media have branded them traitors and "agents of embassies." Saudi Arabia's media ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The women were initially expected to appear for trial in a court set up to handle terror-related cases. But just hours before their first court appearance, their relatives said they were informed the trial had been shifted to the criminal court, without being told why. The move has triggered speculation the trial could pave the way for the release of the women after the crackdown sparked international criticism against Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's de facto ruler. Some detainees, including prominent activist Loujain Hathloul, were recently made to sign letters in prison requesting a royal pardon from King Salman, family members told AFP. Prince Mohammed's much-trumpeted drive to modernize the conservative kingdom has been dented by the detentions, part of a wider crackdown by Saudi authorities on dissent. Saudi Arabia has also faced global outrage over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October.

NGOs Urge France to Stop Selling Arms to Saudi Arabia
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /March 21/19/A group of NGOs on Thursday urged France to suspend the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia and to work for a political solution in Yemen which has been ravaged by four years of conflict. "I don't know how many more Yemenis have to die, be injured or go hungry before the world decides that the war must end," Radhya Almutawakel, head of Yemen Mwatana human rights organization told a press conference in Paris. "Peace is possible, but it never happens because the rest of the world doesn't care. The international community must put pressure on all parties and stop feeding the conflict by selling arms to Saudi Arabia," she added . March 26 will mark the fourth anniversary of the intervention in Yemen of a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and The United Arab Emirates (UAE) -- with logistical and political backing of the United States -- in support of the government in the struggle against Huthi rebels supported by Iran. An estimated 10,000 people have been killed since March 2015, though rights groups put the toll much higher. "All sides of the conflict are committing human rights violations," said Almutawakel. NGOs have repeatedly called on the West, and particularly on France Saudi Arabia's third largest arms supplier, to halt munitions deliveries. The French government insists that the arms it sells to Saudi Arabia are strictly controlled and don't play a part in the conflict in Yemen. However, Amnesty International representative in France Aymeric Elluin urged France to "follow the German example." Last October Berlin imposed a temporary freeze on arms sales to Saudi Arabia following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
The NGOs meeting in Paris also called for aid to be sent urgently to Yemen. "Humanitarian aid is vital, but NGOs are increasingly hampered by security and administrative obstacles," said Care France's Fanny Petitbon. Meanwhile, another French NGO announced it has filed a law suit against former members of the French Foreign Legion accused of acting as UAE mercenaries and carrying out assassinations in Yemen. The International Alliance for the Defense of Rights and Liberties (AIDL), founded by exiled Yemen journalist Mohamed Al Shami, lodged the complaint with a Paris court for "war crimes" and "participating in mercenary activity." Nine former Legionnaires are cited in the court papers, seen by AFP, as members of a group led by two U.S. mercenaries alleged to have carried out more than 20 targeted killings. The plaintiffs claim their recruitment was organized by Mohammed Dahlan, a former head of security in the Palestinian Gaza Strip who is now an adviser for the Saudi crown prince.

UAE Appoints Female Judges for First Time in Its History
Kataeb.org/Thursday 21st March 2019/UAE President Khalifa Al-Nahyan has appointed the country's first two female judges, as reported on Wednesday by the state news agency WAM. “This latest appointment reflects the UAE government's stance to ensure that women are empowered in their line of work, playing an integral role in the development and progress of the nation,” UAE’s state-run news agency noted. Khadija Khamis Al-Malas and Salama Rashid Al-Ketbi have been appointed as an appeals judge and First Instance Court judge, respectively. “It highlights the achievements made by Emirati women, as well as the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to ensure women have an increased presence and role in the country's federal courts system,” WAM also pointed out. “The appointment is also part of the initiatives and policies undertaken by the UAE Cabinet to further empower Emirati women in their community, including President Khalifa's decision to increase Emirati women's representation in the Federal National Council, FNC, to 50 percent in the upcoming parliamentary term,” it added.

Hungary's Embassy to Remain in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 21 March, 2019/Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjarto announced that his country opened a new commercial office in West Jerusalem, but stressed that moving Hungary’s Israel embassy to the city is not on the agenda. Szijjarto, said in an interview with Israel Hayom newspaper on Wednesday, that the opening of the trade office aims at bolstering ties with Israel but stops short of moving the embassy to Jerusalem to be in conformity with the European Union’s policy. The right-wing newspaper criticized that four weeks after the pledge of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to open a diplomatic office in Jerusalem, the trade office was inaugurated in a humble ceremony in the attendance of US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, US Ambassador to Hungary David Cornstein and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Responding to a question on whether this step is a recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Szijjarto said: “I would like to stress that our embassy is in Tel Aviv, and there are no plans to change this.”US President Donald Trump in December 2017 drew criticism worldwide when he recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. His country's embassy moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv the following May. Guatemala was the first country to follow in America's footsteps. Since then, Netanyahu’s government has been seeking to pressure other countries to do so. Despite Netanyahu’s efforts, the EU held onto its stance. Countries such as Hungary, Romania, and Austria that had intended to relocate their embassies had to stick to the EU policy on rejecting embassy moves. The Czech Republic has only opened a cultural center in Jerusalem. The Philippines had initially vowed to follow the same path but didn’t go ahead with it. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro made similar statements that he wanted to move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem but he is not likely to make such an announcement during his anticipated visit to Israel end of this month.

Three ISIS Terrorists Killed in Western Tunisia
Tunis – Mongi Saidani/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 21 March, 2019/Security forces have shot dead three terrorists in Western Tunisia’s Kasserine region, the Tunisian interior ministry said Wednesday. The three extremists are members of Jund al-Khilafa that has pledged allegiance to ISIS. Tunisian National Guard spokesman Houssemeddine Jebabli said the cell was involved in the assassination of Mohamed Lakhdhar Makhloufi, whose body was found last month in Mount Mghilla. The death toll of the network’s members could rise, Jebabli said, adding that all security units on the ground are safe and that combing operations are underway. The military and security institutions have been pursuing around 300 terrorists hiding in mountainous areas in over five western provinces. Tunisian security sources revealed that among the killed terrorists are Nazem al-Dhibi, who in the past years was involved in several beheadings, and Hossam Thalithi, an accomplice to Dhibi in the beheading of Makhloufi and the targeting of security guards and residential areas as well as looting food and supplies. In a related development, the interior ministry confirmed the arrest of an extremist wanted in several security and judicial cases. Investigators found that the suspect had connections with high-ranking ISIS officials and had admitted to joining a terrorist group fighting as part of ISIS in Libya and Syria. The ministry revealed that the man, who is believed to be in his early 20s, has received a six-year prison sentence.

US Blames Stalled Stockholm Agreement on Houthi ‘Delays’
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 21 March, 2019/US Ambassador to Yemen Matthew Tueller blamed on Thursday the Iran-backed Houthi militias for the stalling of the Stockholm Agreement on the main port of Hodeidah.
Tueller told a televised press conference in the southern port of Aden that although Washington was "greatly frustrated" by what he said were “delays” and stalling in implementing accords by the Houthis, the US had not given up hope that the deal reached at talks held in Sweden last December would be implemented. "I have great confidence in the UN envoy and what he is doing," the diplomat said. He also stated that Houthi weapons pose a threat to regional countries. The US was willing to "see whether the Houthis can in fact demonstrate a political maturity and start to serve the interests of Yemen rather than acting on behalf of those who seek to weaken and destroy Yemen," he said. On Wednesday, Rageh Badi, spokesman for the internationally recognized Yemen government, said the insurgents are igniting more conflict by their refusal to give up control of Hodeidah. Badi urged the UN to step up pressure on the rebels to prevent another "explosion of the situation" in Hodeidah. Otherwise, renewed fighting is just a "few days" away, he said. He added that the government fears the Houthis are using the current Hodeidah ceasefire to dig in and plant land mines ahead of another round of fighting.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 21-22/2019
Analysis/Russia's Planned Exit From Syria Could Spell Trouble for Israel
زفي برئيل/هآرتس: خطة روسيا الإنسحاب من سوريا قد تسبب مشاكل لإسرائيل
Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz/March 21/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73176/zvi-barel-haaretz-russias-planned-exit-from-syria-could-spell-trouble-for-israel%D8%B2%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84-%D9%87%D8%A2%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B3-%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%A9-%D8%B1%D9%88/
Russian reports say Putin has instructed withdrawal of forces, besides aircraft ■ Israel hopes move will pressure Iran to remove its forces as well, but Tehran has not signaled any such development.
In Syrian President Bashar Assad's palace in Damascus, they had almost no time to clear and reset the tables between all the important guests who came to visit this week. First came Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Another day, it was Iraqi military Chief of Staff Othman al-Ghanmi and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Hossein Baqeri. Soon, delegations from other Arab nations are expected to arrive to discuss the possibility of inviting Syria to the Arab League summit, scheduled to be held in Tunisia at the end of the month.
Officially, the guests declared they had come to discuss the continued fight against “terrorists,” matters they also could have talked about over the telephone. But the central issue was Russia's next move, which has been keeping everyone occupied. Russian President Vladimir Putin held a working meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Shoigu – and according to reports from both Russia and Syria, Putin instructed them to begin withdrawing Russian forces and to begin with the Air Force deployment at the Khmeimim air base in northwest Syria.
It was reported on Tuesday that the first group of Russian planes, including Sukhoi-34 fighter-bombers, had left Syria and returned to Russia. The next day, it was reported that Russian attack planes that had already returned to Russia, had been sent back Syria – apparently to take part in the campaign for the Idlib region, where tens of thousands of rebels have concentrated.
Viktor Ozerov, head of the defense and security committee in the Russian upper house of parliament, estimated that Moscow would leave about 1,000 military personnel in Syria – and it seems that Russia wants to make it clear, particularly to Assad, that Russia’s active military role is nearing its end after it “completed its mission and returned Syria to his control.”
This declaration is not totally accurate, as Idlib province is still waiting for a solution and can be expected to become a brutal battlefield if Turkey does not keep its commitments to Moscow and remove the members of Jabhat al-Nusra and Jish al-Islam present there. These are the two large forces that still have the military power to block Assad from regaining control of all of Syria.
Anger and tension between Russia and Turkey sparked in recent weeks when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Russia to grant another extension without clarifying how he intended on fulfilling his end of the withdrawal agreement. Meanwhile, Russia is pushing to complete the move even through a military operation so it can proceed to the diplomatic stage and end the war.
The one who should be worried about the expected Russian withdrawal is Israel, which sees in Russia the most important guarantor for stopping Iranian military entrenchment in Syria, especially along the border on the Golan Heights. Russia, which did not keep its promise to keep the pro-Iranian forces dozens of kilometers to the east of the border, proposed in August establishing observation points along the border, with the purpose of preventing the entry of foreign forces to the border area – but only now has it completed the construction of a single observation point manned by Russian military police.
The Russian statement said that five more surveillance bases along the border will be ready for operation soon, and as far as Moscow is concerned, there is no reason for United Nations observers not to return to these bases and their patrol missions along the “Bravo Line,” which marks the Syrian side of the demilitarized buffer zone established in the separation of forces agreement from 1974 after the Yom Kippur War.
In practice, the UN observers began partially patrolling the border in August, but now it seems that these forces can soon return to carrying out their mission in full. The UN observers's return, when it actually happens, will testify not only to the return of Assad's control of the border, but also to Israel’s agreement that Syrian forces can come up to the Bravo Line – as well as the return to the cease-fire agreements that will force Israel to stop military incursions through this border – a border used by Israel to provide aid to the civilian population across the border.
Israel hopes that the removal of Russian forces will provide Moscow with more leverage over Iran to demand it withdraw its forces – but Tehran has yet to show any sign that it intends on adopting the Russian move.
The official relations between Syria and Iraq are also growing stronger, and this is particularly worrying given the announcement of the intention to reopen the important Al-Qa’im border crossing between the two countries near the city of Al-Bukamal.
Syria and Iraq are connected through three main border crossings. One, near al-Tanf, is controlled by the American forces still in Syria and whose mission is to prevent Iranian forces from entering Syria via Iraq. The second, al-Rabia in the northeast corner of Syria, is controlled – for now – by the Syrian Kurdish forces. The third, the al-Qa’im crossing, is under the control of the Assad regime and could serve as a convenient crossing point not only for Iraqi goods but also for soldiers and weapons from Iran passing through Iraq to Syria.
Syria has been heavily pressuring the Kurds to hand over the territory they control, and has presented them with two possibilities: Reconciliation with the regime, or the use of force against them. Reconciliation means handing over the land they took during their fight against the Islamic State group to the regime in return for a promise to preserve their political status and their rights in the government to be formed after the war's end. If the Kurds do not accept the demands, the regime is expected to open a new front against them that would endanger their chances for a unique status, or at least equal civil rights. The two possibilities guarantee that the northernmost crossing will wind up in the government's hand, which will multiply the risk of weapons flowing from Iraq through Syria to Lebanon.
This shows the importance of the American troop presence in Syria, which guarantees not only the Kurds’ safety from Syrian or Turkish attacks, but also enables Kurdish control over the border crossing. The question now is who will manage to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to leave his troops in Syria, or at least to postpone their withdrawal.

The New Zealand Massacre is an Alarm Bell for Humanity
Pankaj Mishra/Bloomberg View/March 21/19
The Australian-born gunman who killed 50 people at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, last week cited US President Donald Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose” with his murderous white-supremacist cause.
Trump condemned the massacre and said he was being unfairly blamed for it, setting off a familiar argument over the impact of his fondness for stoking existential fears among many white people around the world. He has indeed spoken, like the mass shooter, of immigrants as “invaders” and Islam as a “problem.”
But a rush to blame Trump for inciting racial hatreds obscures the enduring power of historical Australian white supremacism. For the settler colony, whose unparalleled "whites only" policy restricted non-European immigration from 1901 until the late 1960s, has defined a global culture of besieged whiteness.
Trump himself acknowledged as much in January, 2017, eight days into his presidency, when he confessed his admiration for Australia’s brutal measure of detaining refugees on remote islands. “That is a good idea; we should do that too,” he told Malcolm Turnbull, then Australia’s prime minister, adding, “You are worse than I am.”
Living next door to Asia, many white Australians felt most keenly the racial fear of being overwhelmed or overtaken by dark-skinned peoples, especially as globalization and mass immigration accelerated in the late 19th century.
The Christchurch killer’s argument for racial self-defense eerily echoes an 1893 text of white supremacists around the world titled “National Life and Character: A Forecast.”Authored by a British-educated Australian academic named Charles Henry Pearson, it claimed that white men were in danger of being “elbowed and hustled, and perhaps even thrust aside” by “black and yellow races.”Identifying China as a threat to white domination, Pearson urged his readers to defend “the last part of the world, in which the higher races can live and increase freely, for the higher civilization.”
His ideas were heeded by Australian politicians, who instituted a “White Australia” policy shortly thereafter, and by Australian media barons such as Keith Murdoch (father of Rupert), who enlisted their newspapers in the cause of racial unity. They also had a “great effect,” US President Theodore Roosevelt wrote to Pearson, among “all our men here in Washington.”
Pearson was also read attentively in Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. In “The Rising Tide of Color Against White World-Supremacy,” a bestselling 1920 racist tract inspired by Pearson, Lothrop Stoddard, an American lawyer, historian and philosopher of nativism, admired “the instinctive and instantaneous solidarity which binds together Australians and Afrikaners, Californians and Canadians, into a ‘sacred Union’ at the mere whisper of Asiatic immigration.”
Exposed to the “increasing virulence” of white supremacism, the African-American thinker W.E.B. Du Bois fearfully predicted in 1910 that the “problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line – the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men.”
That problem has resurfaced in our own time, with terrorism, China and mass immigration rising against a background of economic uncertainty. But the terror of racial extinction and longing for extreme measures against dark-skinned people long preceded Trump, and they were openly expressed by respectable members of the sacred union.
In 2007, the novelist Martin Amis told a wholly unfazed journalist from the Rupert Murdoch-owned Times of London:
There’s a definite urge — don’t you have it? — to say, “The Muslim community will have to suffer until it gets its house in order.” What sort of suffering? Not letting them travel. Deportation — further down the road. Curtailing of freedoms. Strip-searching people who look like they’re from the Middle East or from Pakistan.
Challenged later, Amis said he wasn’t advocating these measures but was merely “describing an urge.”
The Canadian columnist Mark Steyn hoped in 2006 in “America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It,” that Europeans will eventually figure out what the Serbs already had in their war against Bosnian Muslims: “If you can't outbreed the enemy, cull 'em.” Steyn “rejoiced” in Trump’s victory in 2016, explaining later that “the more diverse you get, the more stupid you get,” and that “we do not want to be in a world where Western civilization slides off the cliff.”It’s no accident that Trump’s most powerful supporter (and enabler) is a media baron born and raised in white Australia. And the Australian senator who insisted last year on a “final solution” for immigration involving bans on Muslims and others “from the third world” was at least partly emboldened by a global culture of white supremacism fostered by the Murdoch media.
Blaming Trump for racist outrages is easy. But attempts to erase the color line should start by recognizing the way it was drawn in the late 19th century in Australia, and how it re-emerged with appalling consequences for today’s racially mixed societies.

Turkey: Women's Rights Abuses Widespread and Systematic
أوزاي بولوت/معهد جيتسون: انتهاكات حقوق المرأة في تركيا واسعة النطاق ومنهجية
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/March 21/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73191/uzay-bulut-gatestone-institute-turkey-womens-rights-abuses-widespread-and-systematic%d8%a3%d9%88%d8%b2%d8%a7%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d9%88%d9%84%d9%88%d8%aa-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af-%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%aa%d8%b3/
"As the largest jailer of journalists in the world, it's no surprise that Turkey has the most female journalists behind bars... most detained on anti-state charges." — Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The new bill, expected to be voted on ahead of the March 31 local elections, aims to lower the age at which sexual relations with a child (under the cover of marriage) is considered a crime from 15-years-old to 12-years-old. If it passes, it will "pardon" the underage-marriage offenses of approximately 10,000 men currently serving prison sentences on sexual-abuse charges.
"Such an amnesty would whitewash... and encourage... illegal 'marriages' with children... It would also discourage the victims from appealing to the legal mechanisms and reintroduce the concept of 'marriage with rape offenders' into law." — The "TCK (Turkish Penal Code) 103 Women's Platform," an umbrella organization for 157 women's and LGBT groups.
International Women's Day kicked off in Istanbul with the murder of a woman by her boyfriend. A few hours later, thousands of mostly female demonstrators participating in the "17th Feminist Night March," were attacked with pepper spray by riot police attempting to disperse the annual March 8 event, launched in 2003. This year, however, Turkish police had declared the march "unauthorized," and closed off all streets leading to the avenue on which it was to take place. Scuffles ensued between the police and women who circumvented the barricades.
This incident gives an indication of the way in which the human rights of women are violated regularly in Turkey, not only by the government, but often at the hands of their own family members.
Last year alone, 440 women in Turkey were murdered by men, and at least 60% of these murders were committed by husbands, boyfriends, former husbands, former boyfriends, family members or relatives, according the 2018 report of the "We Will Stop Femicide Platform." The murderers of 37% of the dead women went unidentified.
These statistics were repeated in a different report, drafted by Sezgin Tanrıkulu, a deputy from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). The findings of that report included findings such as:
15,034 women have been murdered in Turkey since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002.
66 women were murdered in Turkey in 2002; in 2018, the number of women murdered was 440.
Turkey ranks 131st among 144 countries in the field of women's participation in the workforce and politics.
Participation in the workforce among women aged 15-64 is 34.6%. Men's participation is 73.4%.
There has been an increase in the number of murders of women at or on the way to work.
According to the 2019 World Bank report on "Women, Business and the Law 2019: A Decade of Reform," Turkey ranks 85 out of 187 countries where equal economic rights for women are concerned.
The report examines the way in which women's employment and entrepreneurship prospects have been affected over the past 10 years by legal gender discrimination. Turkey scored 79.38 out of 100, receiving particularly low points on equal pay and retirement. Saudi Arabia ranked last, with a score of 25.6.
According to the "Women's Labor Report," conducted by Turkey's Confederation of Revolutionary Workers' Unions (DISK) -- and based on data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Turkish Labor Ministry (ÇSGB) and the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) -- women's participation in the workforce in 2017 was 28.9%, while that of men was 65.1%.
Then there is also a recent report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which states:
"As the largest jailer of journalists in the world, it's no surprise that Turkey has the most female journalists behind bars. Fourteen of the 68 journalists jailed there are women; most detained on anti-state charges."
As if all the above were not bad enough, the Turkish government has put a "repentance" bill before the parliament that, if passed, will enable courts to "delay punishment or defer the announcement of a verdict" concerning men who marry underage girls.
Article 103 of the Turkish Penal Code states:
"Any person who abuses a child sexually is sentenced to imprisonment from three years to eight years. Sexual molestation [includes] sexual attempt[s] against children who are under the age of fifteen or against those [who] attained the age of fifteen but lack [the] ability to understand the legal consequences of such act[s]."
The new bill, expected to be voted on ahead of the March 31 local elections, aims to lower the age at which sexual relations with a child (under the cover of marriage) is considered a crime from 15-years-old to 12-years-old. If it passes, it will "pardon" the underage-marriage offenses of approximately 10,000 men currently serving prison sentences on sexual-abuse charges.
The Erdoğan government proposed a similar bill in 2016, but was withdrawn as a result of backlash from women's rights groups and the public. The current attempt to bring the bill before the parliament for a vote has also caused outrage among rights groups in Turkey. The "TCK (Turkish Penal Code) 103 Women's Platform," an umbrella organization for 157 women's and LGBT groups, released a statement in January calling on the government to withdraw the motion. The statement read in part:
"Such an amnesty would whitewash... and encourage... illegal 'marriages' with children... It would also discourage the victims from appealing to the legal mechanisms and reintroduce the concept of 'marriage with rape offenders' into law."
On March 10, two days after the women's march in Istanbul was broken up by police, Erdoğan -- who has said in the past that women are not equal to men -- accused participants of disrespecting Islam. This is not surprising, as Islamic scriptures teach that men are in charge of women and that women are worth less than men in matters such as inheritance and the ability to testify in court.
Islamic theology also sanctions violence against women, child marriages, sexual slavery and polygamy, while denying women the right to make even the most basic decisions about their own lives, such as those involving divorce or dress codes.
When the above attitudes are held and promoted by an authoritarian Islamist government such as Erdoğan's, the result is less gender equality and more abuse of women.
Nevertheless, Turkey organized a conference in New York on March 13 -- as part of the U.N.'s 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women -- titled "The Role of Women-Friendly Policies in Empowerment of New Generations."
At the conference, Turkey's minister of labor, social services and family, Zehra Zümrüt Selçuk, boasted about her country's efforts to strengthen equality between men and women, which she claimed include legal reforms and a policy of "zero tolerance toward violence against women."
Selçuk went on to present her government's "Strategy Paper and Action Plan on Women's Empowerment."
The fact that this conference took place a mere five days after women in Istanbul were prevented from participating in International Women's Day -- and only a couple of weeks before the Turkish parliament is slated to vote on legislation to benefit men who marry little girls -- provides further evidence of the way in which the Erdoğan regime does not tell the truth to the Western world about Turkey's rampant rights violations.
*Uzay Bulut, a journalist from Turkey, 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/13911/turkey-women-rights-abuse

Palestinians: The Other Peace Deal
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/March 21/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13931/palestinians-hamas-fatah-repression
Hamas is now accusing the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah of exploiting the economic crisis in the Gaza Strip to call on Palestinians to overthrow the Hamas regime. Fatah, for its part, is accusing the "dark forces" of Hamas of acting on orders from outside parties to establish a separate Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip.
The US administration says it will publish its long-awaited plan for peace in the Middle East, known as the "Deal of the Century," after the general elections in Israel on April 9. Perhaps it would be a good idea if the US administration came up with a plan to make peace between Palestinians and Palestinians before attempting to make peace between the Palestinians and Israel.
What is clear, meanwhile, is that the Fatah and Hamas leaders are more interested in warring with each other than improving the living conditions of their people. The two groups have already rejected the upcoming "Deal of the Century": for now, that is the only deal they seem ready to make.
Hamas and Fatah, the Palestinian parties ruling the Gaza Strip and West Bank respectively, have been at war with each other for the past 12 years. But when it comes to repressing and violating the human rights of their people, Hamas and Fatah are comrades-in-arms. Pictured: Palestinian Authority President and Fatah Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (right) meets with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on May 30, 2007 in Gaza.
Hamas and Fatah, the two major Palestinian parties ruling the Gaza Strip and West Bank respectively, have been at war with each other for the past 12 years. They disagree on many things, but when it comes to repressing and violating the human rights of their people, Hamas and Fatah have proven that they are comrades-in-arms.
In the past week, Fatah has been launching scathing attacks on Hamas for using excessive force to suppress Palestinians protesting economic hardship in the Gaza Strip. Fatah says that hundreds of Palestinians, including political activists and journalists, have been arrested or severely beaten by Hamas security forces.
The charges against Hamas are not baseless. Photos of wounded Palestinians have surfaced on social media. Some had black eyes and bruises over different parts of their bodies, while others appeared to have had their legs and arms broken by Hamas security officers.
The latest victim of Hamas's violent repression of the protests, which are being held under the banner, "We Want to Live!", is senior Fatah official Atef Abu Seif. Abu Seif, who is also a renowned novelist, was reportedly kidnapped from his home and badly beaten by Hamas militiamen on March 18. According to some Fatah officials, the assailants broke his arms and legs; Abu Seif is reported to be hospitalized, in serious condition.
Fatah has also published photos of dozens of Palestinian men, women and children who say they have been badly beaten by Hamas security forces during the recent protests organized by youth movements demanding a solution to the high cost of living, the high rate of unemployment and new taxes imposed by the rulers of Hamas on the two million residents of the Gaza Strip.
Several Palestinian journalists and human rights activists in the Gaza Strip have also fallen victim to Hamas's brutal measures, which seem aimed at crushing the protests and deterring Palestinians from speaking out against the rulers of the Hamas-controlled coastal enclave.
One of the human rights activists who was physically assaulted by Hamas security forces is Jamil Sarhan, director of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights. The human rights group said that the Hamas officers also confiscated Sarhan's mobile phone and arrested another one of its members, the attorney Baker Turkeman.
The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Journalists Syndicate says that at least 17 journalists in the Gaza Strip have been targeted by Hamas in the past week. Seven of the journalists were arrested for their role in covering the protests: Osama Kahlout, Ehab Fasfous, Ahmed Sahmoud, Majed Kdeih, Juma'a Daloul, Mustafa al-Dahdouh and Ahmed al-Shinbari. The syndicate said that several journalists were beaten and had their mobile phones confiscated by Hamas security officers, who tried to prevent them from covering the protests. Another four journalists have been placed under house arrest, the syndicate added.
Hamas's repressive and violent actions against Palestinians protesting poverty and unemployment is not something that should surprise anyone, particularly those familiar with the authoritarian regime of Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. The real shock would have been if Hamas had allowed Palestinians living under its rule in the Gaza Strip to take to the streets to demand an improvement in their living conditions.
Since its violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, the part of the Palestinian Authority (PA) that is Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has employed an iron-fisted policy against its political opponents and anyone who dares to challenge its rule.
Yet, in the West Bank, the same Palestinian Authority and its ruling Fatah faction, who are now strongly criticizing Hamas for its oppressive measures against protesters, are hardly distinguishable from their rivals in the Gaza Strip.
Like Hamas, the PA security forces in the West Bank have also been engaging in systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists and political opponents. The most recent victims of the PA crackdown on journalists are Hazem Nasser and Amer Abu Arafeh. Since just the beginning of this year, the Palestinian Authority security forces have already arrested at least nine journalists in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Committee for Supporting Journalists.
Like Hamas, the PA has also been using force on protesters. During 2018, PA security forces used force to disperse thousands of Palestinians who took to the streets in the West Bank to protest President Mahmoud Abbas's sanctions against the Gaza Strip. The sanctions include, among other restrictions, cutting salaries and welfare payments to thousands of Palestinian employees and families in the Gaza Strip.
Scenes of Palestinian Authority police officers beating men, women and children are not unfamiliar. As in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians in the West Bank have accused the PA security forces of using batons and tear gas against the protestors. The photos and videos documenting the recent Hamas violence against protestors in the Gaza Strip are similar to those from the West Bank, where PA security officers are seen assaulting demonstrators.
Like Hamas, the Palestinian Authority has also resorted to torture to crush political opponents and dissent. Human rights groups have documented dozens of cases of torture and harassment in PA prisons in recent years. According to a recent report published by Human Rights Watch:
"In the West Bank, some of the harshest treatment reported by detainees occurs at the Joint Security Committee detention facility in Jericho, where officers subject detainees to regular shabeh [in which a kneeling prisoner's hands are tied behind him to his ankles] and long stints in small solitary cells cut off from others."
The report concludes that when it comes to torture and human rights violations, there is no difference between the PA and Hamas:
"Both the Fatah-dominated PA in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza have in recent years have carried out scores of arbitrary arrests for peaceful criticism of the authorities, particularly on social media, among independent journalists, on university campuses, and at demonstrations."
The recent economic protests in the Gaza Strip have further exacerbated tensions between Fatah and Hamas, making it absurd even to talk about the possibility of reconciliation between the two rival parties. Hamas is defending its right to beat women and children and to break the bones of its political rivals, while the Palestinian Authority and Fatah are continuing to employ similar tactics against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Hamas is now accusing the PA and Fatah of exploiting the economic crisis in the Gaza Strip to call on Palestinians to overthrow the Hamas regime. Fatah, for its part, is accusing the "dark forces" of Hamas of acting on orders from outside parties to establish a separate Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip.
The US administration says it will publish its long-awaited plan for peace in the Middle East, known as the "Deal of the Century," after the general elections in Israel on April 9. Perhaps it would be a good idea if the US administration came up with a plan to make peace between Palestinians and Palestinians before attempting to make peace between the Palestinians and Israel. What is clear, meanwhile, is that the Fatah and Hamas leaders are more interested in warring with each other than improving the living conditions of their people. The two groups have already rejected the upcoming "Deal of the Century": for now, that is the only deal they seem ready to make.
*Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem, is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.