LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 27/2019

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members
James 4/1-10: “Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members? You lust, and don’t have. You kill, covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask. You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures. You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 26-27/2019
Lebanon, Russia, Syria Reportedly Launch Plan on Refugees after Aoun-Putin
Lebanon Says U.S. Golan Move Undermines Prospects for Peace
Aoun Meets State Duma Chairman, Head of Rosneft Oil Company in Moscow
Bassil: US Decisions Do Not Concern Us, Hezbollah Not Terrorist Organization
Nasrallah Says Pompeo Visit Aimed at 'Inciting Lebanese against Each Other'
Mustaqbal Says Pompeo's Visit Carried 'Double Message'
Kanaan: More than 400 Illegal State Hires at Hospitals
Berri Postpones Q&A Session
Lebanon: Race Against Time to Adopt Electricity Plan
Lebanon: Economic Crisis Beleaguers Government, Parliament
From Colombia to Lebanon to Toronto: How a DEA probe uncovered Hezbollah’s Canadian money laundering ops

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 26-27/2019
Algeria army chief demands Bouteflika be declared unfit to rule
Algeria opposition propose six-month political transition
Algeria: Calls for Prosecuting Bouteflika’s Associates
Turkey Starts Coordinated Patrols in Syrian City with Russia
Tunnels, Foreign Fighters, Suicide Bombers Complicate Baghouz Battle
U.N. Warns Gaza Violence Could Turn Catastrophic
Egypt Curbs Escalation in Gaza After Rocket Hits House North of Tel Aviv
Gaza Ceasefire Holds but Netanyahu Issues Warning
Russia Says Troops Sent to Venezuela in Accordance with 'Legal Norms'
Guaido Says Russian Troops Presence in Venezuela Violates Constitution
UN Condemns Houthi Violations Against Yemen’s Children
ISIS Claims Attack Which Killed Seven SDF Fighters In Syria's Manbij
Macron Urges Xi to 'Respect the Unity of EU'

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 26-27/2019
From Colombia to Lebanon to Toronto: How a DEA probe uncovered Hezbollah’s Canadian money laundering ops/Sam Cooper/Global News/March 25/19
The Most Important Speech of the Year in Iran: Hostile to the West, No Concessions at Home/Patrick Clawson/The Washington Institute/March 26/19
Iran's Rouhani, Hezbollah’s Nasrallah urge regional unity after US move on Golan Heights/Ynetnews/Reuters, Daniel Salalmi/March 26/19
IDF build-up continues in Gaza sector. More Hamas rockets expected this week/DEBKAfile/March 26/19
Are Palestinians getting fed up with Hamas/Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/March 26/19

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 26-27/2019
Lebanon, Russia, Syria Reportedly Launch Plan on Refugees after Aoun-Putin
Naharnet/March 26/19/President Michel Aoun agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials to “activate tripartite Lebanese-Russian-Syrian action to secure the return of Syrian refugees” to their country, Lebanese TV networks reported on Tuesday. “Moscow is seeing the success of its initiative on the return of refugees, seeing as most areas in Syria have become capable of receiving them,” OTV, which is affiliated with Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, reported. “Lebanon is at the heart of the Russian plan, seeing as it is Syria's neighbor and it is suffering more than other countries due to the presence of refugees on its soil,” OTV added. In an official joint statement, Aoun and Putin meanwhile expressed their support for “the efforts aimed at implementing Russia's initiative for securing the return of Syrian refugees and those displaced internally.”“Resolving this problem depends directly on preparing the appropriate circumstances in Syria, including the social and economic conditions, through post-conflict reconstruction,” the statement said. Separately, the statement said Lebanon and Russia intend to boost bilateral ties in “commerce, economy, investment, energy, culture, the humanitarian field, education, sports, tourism and other fields of cooperation.”

Lebanon Says U.S. Golan Move Undermines Prospects for Peace
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 26/19/President Michel Aoun denounced from Moscow on Tuesday Washington’s recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. “Washington’s recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over Golan violates international law and the resolutions of the Security Council,” said Aoun from Moscow. “No foreign country can act on land that it does not own,” added the President.After meeting with Chairman of the State Duma, Aoun added: “The Arab nation is living a black day, and Trump's decision on the Golan Heights directly affects Lebanese interests.”US President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, a border area seized from Syria in 1967. In a statement carried by the NNA state news agency, the Lebanese foreign ministry also said the move "violates all the rules of international law" and "undermines any effort to reach a just peace". "The Golan Heights are Syrian Arab land, no decision can change this, and no country can revisit history by transferring ownership of land from one country to another," it said. The ministry said attempts by Israel to expand its territory by way of "force and aggression" would only isolate the Jewish state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the recognition "historic" and said the Golan Heights, which are still claimed by Syria, would remain permanently under Israeli control. The Syrian government said Washington's recognition of Israeli claims over the Golan was a blatant attack on its sovereignty. Russia warned of a "new wave" of tensions in the Middle East after the US Golan move. The UN Security Council is scheduled to discuss the Golan on Wednesday during a meeting on renewing the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force deployed between Israel and Syria in the Golan, known as UNDOF.

Aoun Meets State Duma Chairman, Head of Rosneft Oil Company in Moscow
Naharnet/March 26/19/On his second day in Moscow, President Michel Aoun held talks with Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin where talks highlighted several issues and focused on the Syrian refugee crisis. “Europe's best interest is to resolve the problem of displaced persons because the difficult economic situation in Lebanon will push them to seek alternatives, and the countries of Europe will be their first destination,” the Presidency said on Twitter quoting Aoun. “This visit constitutes a new phase of Lebanese-Russian relations, as it develops cooperation and strengthens the bonds of friendship,” added the President. “Addressing the situation in the Middle East, mainly in Syria, is a priority. The US decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights is a black day, and an arbitrary act that contradicts the international legitimacy that sponsors the borders between countries,” he added. Later, the Presidency said that Aoun met with Igor Ivanovich Sechin, head of Russia's gigantic state oil company Rosneft. Discussions focused on the company's work in rehabilitating the oil installations in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. Aoun had earlier placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow. He is scheduled to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Tuesday. The President had arrived on Monday in Russia on an official visit accompanied by Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil and senior presidential adviser Mireille Aoun-Hachem. The visit reportedly aims to focus on the file of refugees and the activation of the Russian initiative to repatriate displaced Syrians back to their homeland.

Bassil: US Decisions Do Not Concern Us, Hezbollah Not Terrorist Organization
Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 26 March, 2019/Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said on Monday that there were disputes between Lebanon and Washington over Hezbollah. “They consider it a terrorist party, while we don’t,” he said during an interview with Russia Today. “Nothing prevents Lebanese sides from dealing with Hezbollah since it is a Lebanese component,” he added. Bassil, who is accompanying the president on an official visit to Moscow, told the television channel that Israel did not respect international principles, and the United States supported it nonetheless. The foreign minister emphasized that Washington’s aid was unconditional, adding that any attempt to link this aid with an effort to settle the displaced or refugees would be rejected. “Statements about Syrian refugees being tortured upon their return to Syria aim at preventing them from returning,” he stressed. “I have asked the foreign ministers of major countries to provide us with serious information about these claims,” he said, adding that UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi "told me he had heard about some of the displaced people being harassed, but said he had nothing tangible."

Nasrallah Says Pompeo Visit Aimed at 'Inciting Lebanese against Each Other'
Naharnet/March 26/19/Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday dissected the statement that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recited during his visit to Lebanon, saying the U.S. official's main objective was to “incite the Lebanese against each other.”“There is no problem in any additional sanctions,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech dedicated to commenting to Pompeo's visit and U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of the Golan Heights as being part of Israel. “I believe that we have largely overcome the threat emanating from Pompeo's visit,” Nasrallah added, citing unresponsiveness in Lebanon to the U.S. official's calls for rising up against Hizbullah.“We should not allow 'great satans' or 'little satans' to manipulate our situations or spark a civil war,” Nasrallah added, warning that “Washington's eye is on a civil war in Lebanon.”“As Lebanese, we are asked to preserve our civil peace and calm,” Nasrallah urged. Nasrallah also thanked all “political forces, figures, journalists and youths” who “expressed their rejection of Pompeo's visit.”“I thank President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri for what they said to the 'foreign minister of the Great Satan,'” Hizbullah's leader added, in a jab at Pompeo and the United States. Nasrallah also noted that “the unity of the Lebanese stance, the golden equation and the resistance's capabilities are what preventing Israel from waging a war,” while pointing out that “Pompeo did not say during closed-door discussions that Israel would wage a war.”“They believe that Iran and Hizbullah are an obstacle in the way of the 'deal of the century',” Nasrallah said, referring to the Americans and their plans for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. Blasting remarks on Iran in Pompeo's statement, Hizbullah's leader said: “We liberated our land with Iranian arms from the Zionist occupation that is backed by you.”“How are Qassim Suleiman and Iran undermining Lebanon's stability?” he added, in response to Pompeo's remarks.
“His problem with us is that we were among those who fought the U.S. scheme in Syria,” he added, referring to the top U.S. diplomat's remarks on Hizbullah's role in Syria. “All the achievements of the resistance were disregarded by Mr. Pompeo. You would not have come to Lebanon had it not been for Hizbullah,” Nasrallah said, suggesting that Lebanon's political significance stems from Hizbullah's presence in it. “It is not true that the U.S. wants the return of the refugees,” Nasrallah charged. “Pompeo's main objective was to incite the Lebanese against each other. He wants us to the shed the blood of each other,” he warned. In another jab at Washington, Nasrallah said “the biggest criminal and terrorist in this world” is saying that Hizbullah is “criminal and terrorist.”“We are the keenest people on stability, domestic peace and prosperity,” Nasrallah underlined. He added: “We are a key part of the peace and stability equation in Lebanon. Are we undermining domestic peace, stability and prosperity? Is the call for fighting corruption a move against prosperity in Lebanon?”“Lebanon is enjoying peace and security and Israel carries out a lot of calculations before aggressing against Lebanon due to the missiles of the resistance,” Nasrallah went on to say, in response to Pompeo's remarks on the group's huge arsenal of missiles. Also addressing Pompeo, Nasrallah said: “Where is Hizbullah spreading destruction? The U.S. is the one spreading destruction in the region.”Nasrallah also accused the United States of “preventing the return of Syrian and Palestinian refugees to their country.” As for Pompeo's statement that “Hizbullah stands in the way of the Lebanese people’s dreams,” Nasrallah noted that the Lebanese people are “dreaming of a corruption-free state.”“The Lebanese people are dreaming to liberate their occupied land, they want to maintain peace and stability,” he added. “Is it true that Hizbullah is Lebanon's only problem?” Nasrallah asked, noting that Pompeo “did not mention Israel, which violates Lebanon's sovereignty every day.”Hizbullah's leader, however, called for “caution” after Pompeo's visit, noting that the U.S. is “fighting Israel's battle in the region, and Lebanon is one of the arenas.”As for Trump's decision on the Golan, Nasrallah called on the Arab League to announce an end to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative during an upcoming summit in Tunisia, noting that Arabs should have taken this stance when the U.S. president made a similar move on Jerusalem.

Mustaqbal Says Pompeo's Visit Carried 'Double Message'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 26/19/U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Lebanon carried a “double message,” al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc said on Tuesday. The first message was about “the growing U.S. pressure on Iran” and the second was about “the United States' intention to maintain its support for Lebanese state institutions, topped by the army and the Internal Security Forces,” the bloc said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. Stressing that “the only way to protect Lebanon from the repercussions of the regional conflict is to put the national interest ahead of everything else,” Mustaqbal called for “everyone's commitment to the dissociation policy” and to “the full implementation of Resolution 1701,” which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah. Also referring to Pompeo's visit, the bloc urged the U.S. administration to “give utmost importance to Lebanon's stability, economy and banking sector in any steps that it might later decide to take” against Hizbullah. Separately, the bloc warned of “the repercussions of the U.S. president's signature of a decision on Israel's sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights,” saying it was a move that “lacks the minimum level of wisdom and diplomacy in addressing the region's crises.”“It is part of the wrong policies that jeopardize regional stability, in the vein of the previous decision to consider occupied Arab Jerusalem as Israel's eternal capital,” Mustaqbal added.

Kanaan: More than 400 Illegal State Hires at Hospitals
Naharnet/March 26/19/Head of the Finance and Budget parliamentary committee, MP Ibrahim Kanaan on Tuesday followed up on the file of illegal employment in state departments and institutions. He pointed out that around 400 employees have been hired illegally in state hospitals without the approval of the Health Minister.Supervision bodies have prepared a joint report on the numbers of contracting and employment, pointing out that irregularities in the Ministry of Energy, are “almost non-existent.”Kanaan said after August 2017 there were “no illegal employment were recorded at the Ministry of Energy.”

Berri Postpones Q&A Session
Naharnet/March 26/19/Speaker Nabih Berri has postponed on Tuesday the parliament Q&A session until Friday March 29 at 3:00 p.m. Berri had last week called for a general session on March 27 to question the government performance. According to reports Berri’s decisions could be related to the Premier’s illness. Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s media office said he underwent a “successful” heart stent operation at the American Hospital of Paris on Monday, and that the Premier is in “good health.”

Lebanon: Race Against Time to Adopt Electricity Plan
Beirut - Youssef Diab/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 26 March, 2019/The Lebanese government is in a race against time to adopt the electricity plan and solve the severe crisis, which has so far incurred the state’s treasury around USD37b losses. The ministerial committee is discussing the plan submitted by Energy Minister Nada Boustani to adopt it the soonest. Boustani’s plan was described by economists as ‘ambitious and bold’. Most of the government’s components agree that the plan must be approved quickly, with the right of each party to give remarks.  The plan has the approval of the Future bloc so far, headed by Saad Hariri, and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) to which Boustani belongs. Sources close to Speaker Nabih Berri said the plan is worthwhile. However, there is a political party that agrees to the plan but under certain conditions and priorities. Lebanon's Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman from the Lebanese Forces (LF) said that the energy minister plan needs discussion. Abousleiman affirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that there is optimism in reaching a final solution for the electricity crisis but there are three or four points that need thorough discussion. He added that providing electricity 24/24 is absolutely a positive and required matter but what is more important is for the LF is to stop the deficit, limit the waste in electricity, and prevent violations in the grid. Since the beginning of the civil war in 1990, Lebanon has been suffering from the electricity crisis because of a melange of wrong policies, the absence of visions and the corrupt networks. MP Bilal Abdallah of the Democratic Gathering told the newspaper that the first remark on the electricity plan is not forming a new broad of directors and an organizing committee. Abdallah considered that not respecting laws keeps the debate going. Economist Ghazi Wazni said that the energy minister warns of an electricity deficit of USD1.8 billion in 2019 i.e. USD150 million losses per month. “The faster the government studies and approves the plan, this would positively reflect the public finance,” he added. Lebanon is threatened to be shrouded in darkness within two weeks, if financial credits to buy fuels were not provided, especially after Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil announced that the ministry will freeze expenditure and restrict it to paying the public servants’ salaries.

Lebanon: Economic Crisis Beleaguers Government, Parliament
Beirut - Mohammed Choucair/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 26 March, 2019/One day after Central Bank Governor Riad Salemeh warned political forces from the repercussions of a slow achievement of reforms, Lebanon is urgently required to exit the current economic and financial crisis pressuring the country's cabinet and Parliament. As a response to the growing economic meltdown, Lebanon should adopt a “tightened belt” policy that requires freezing expenditure and restrict it to paying the public servants’ salaries and health-related bills. The government is called now, without any delay, to vote on the electricity plan presented by Energy Minister Nada Boustani, who is one of the Free Patriotic Movement’s representatives in the government of Saad Hariri. Asharq Al-Awsat learned from ministerial sources that a dispute emerged in the last cabinet session between President Michel Aoun and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil over the electricity file and the delicate phase through which the State’s public finance is passing, and which requires durable solutions to avoid collapse. However, the dispute ended after Aoun asked that ministers discuss other files on the cabinet’s agenda. Also, Speaker Nabih Berri telephoned the President to put an end to the dispute that emerged between Electricite du Liban and the Finance Ministry. A minister told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday that in general, there is no dispute over placing a new electricity plan for the country. However, he said, “we cannot accept Boustani’s plan without introducing some amendments, particularly that such plan does not mention the establishment of an Electricity Regulatory Authority, but restricts the building of factories and the rehabilitation of existing ones to the current ministerial committee instead of a biddings management.”Lately, some reports revealed that fighting corruption and stopping wasting money would not be sufficient to secure new financial resources, if such reform plan is not accompanied by a strict freeze of smuggling. The minister, who spoke with Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, said that smuggling cells benefited from the recent increase of taxes by creating new illegal border crossings between Lebanon and Syria to smuggle goods. He said “weighty smuggling operations also take place from the Tartous port in Syria to the Lebanese territories.” Sources said that after Lebanon has overpassed the negative repercussions of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Lebanon last week, it is now best that political forces start finding solutions to the dire economic situation. Pompeo left Beirut last week by causing little harm among local political forces, which avoided public quarrel over whether they supported Washington’s policies against Iran and Hezbollah or objected them. Therefore, those parties should quickly search for solutions to Lebanon’s economic crisis, based on a partnership between Parliament and the Cabinet before it is too late to save the economy.

From Colombia to Lebanon to Toronto: How a DEA probe uncovered Hezbollah’s Canadian money laundering ops
سام كوبر/كلوبل نيوز: من كولومبيا إلى لبنان إلى تورنتو هكذا كشف تحقيق لإدارة مكافحة المخدرات الأميركية شبكة تبض أمول تابعة لحزب الله
Sam Cooper/National Online Journalist, Investigative
Global News/March 25/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73330/%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%85-%d9%83%d9%88%d8%a8%d8%b1-%d9%83%d9%84%d9%88%d8%a8%d9%84-%d9%86%d9%8a%d9%88%d8%b2-%d9%85%d9%86-%d9%83%d9%88%d9%84%d9%88%d9%85%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d8%a5%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%86/
Professional money laundering networks are growing in Canada, washing vast sums of cocaine and fentanyl cash, and helping to drive up prices in Vancouver and Toronto real estate. Canada’s federal government proposed a new federal anti-money laundering task force last week, specifically to tackle these concerns. But according to U.S. law enforcement sources, Canada has been aware of this for over a decade. This story explains untold international details behind recent RCMP investigations, missed early warnings, and lessons from Australian police, that could jump-start Canada’s late response to these growing risks, sources say.
In January 2008, a team of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents travelled to Ottawa to meet with RCMP leaders. They had stunning news. The DEA said an elite group of Middle East narco-terrorists in Colombia was using Canada as a key money laundering hub.
According to a former senior U.S. official with knowledge of the meeting, the DEA had “dirty calls” — meaning calls providing criminal evidence of cocaine shipments and cash movements in Canada — from narco-kingpins in Colombia to a network of operatives in Halifax, Vancouver, Calgary, and London, Ont.
The evidence included allegations from an elite Colombian police unit and extensive DEA phone tap records.
“We were giving RCMP dirty calls to phone numbers and identified targets in Canada,” the former official said. “In our minds that should have been enough to begin intercepts in Canada.”
But RCMP leaders didn’t want to pursue the cases, according to the former official. He said the RCMP cited differences between Canadian and U.S. court disclosure rules, and questions about the DEA’s use of confidential sources.
The U.S. source believes the RCMP missed an early opportunity to fight the incursion of sophisticated professional money laundering networks with ties to China, the Middle East, Colombia and Mexico that are now plaguing Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.
“We were dumbfounded,” the U.S. source said.
But by 2014, police officials in Canada and the U.S. finally agreed. The DEA agents tapping phones in the hills of Colombia had been right all along.
A resurgent offshoot of Pablo Escobar’s notorious Medellin Cartel, now called La Oficina, was doing business with terrorists.
La Oficina and numerous other cartels, according to DEA records, were using services from an elite business wing of Hezbollah — the Islamist party and terror organization based in Lebanon.
The so-called Business Affairs Component was tasked with funnelling its cut from billions in drug smuggling and professional money laundering proceeds directly into Hezbollah’s military objectives, according to DEA records and statements from Colombian prosecutors. And criminals and businesses in China and Hong Kong were a big part of these professional money-washing schemes.
But Hezbollah wasn’t just interested in drug trafficking in order to fund guns and bombs.
According to a DEA affidavit obtained by Global News, they also realized the military benefits of making connections with global drug traffickers. It’s a view that some Canadian military and financial intelligence experts confirmed in background interviews.
Hezbollah assessed that this new business was “damaging or weakening their enemies both in the form of drug addiction and in terms of the societal and economic costs associated with combating trafficking and addiction,” the affidavit filed September 2016 in Miami’s U.S. District Court says.
The DEA findings came from years of related investigations in North and South America, including an operation code-named Cassandra — because the DEA felt like the Greek goddess who was cursed to utter warnings that no one paid attention to.
What really surprised a U.S. official looking back at investigation evidence records was how prominent Canadian cities were to Hezbollah’s operations — in a group with narco-hubs like Panama, Beirut and Jordan — and how disinterested the RCMP was.
“It really bothered me. It was very clear how Canada was a very, very big part of Hezbollah’s transnational narco-terrorism,” the source said. “But RCMP made it very clear at that time, they didn’t want to bear down on money laundering and drug trafficking. So when I see what is happening now in Vancouver, I have to think back to what we were seeing.”
On the other hand, in Australia, police acted aggressively on the same evidence and mounted a national anti-money laundering task force called Eligo. In one year, the covert DEA-Australian police operations seized $580 million in drugs and assets, according to Austrac, the country’s anti-money laundering agency.
So while Canada plans for a new national anti-money laundering task force, as announced in the 2019 budget proposal, the federal government could learn from examples like Australia, the former official said.
“Eligo-style policing absolutely would have illuminated previously unknown organized crime figures and schemes, and how organized crime works inside Canada, and who the command and controls are internationally,” the U.S. source said. “You can absolutely say our investigations showed how Hezbollah is involved in terrorism financing in Canada, by moving drugs for cartels.”
“And now with the fentanyl, like we are seeing in Vancouver — I think Hezbollah would love to help ship that into Canada.”
Meanwhile, a March 2019 report from the Middle East Institute of Research cites findings the DEA warned the RCMP of in 2008 — including linking a Hezbollah narco-terror kingpin named Chekry Harb to Colombian cartels and operations in Canadian cities. The study says Hezbollah’s Latin American drug laundering operations will rise, as Iran is under the pressure of U.S. sanctions.
Khanani and Mansour
In London, U.K., in 2013, several police leaders from the so-called Five Eyes intelligence countries came to an agreement based on the DEA’s evidence, according to a former U.S. official.
If drug-trafficking and terrorist organizations were merging, the Five Eyes had to treat them as related national security threats. The meeting in London was followed by a larger meeting in October 2014 at the DEA’s secret headquarters in Chantilly, Virginia, attended by dozens of investigators and analysts from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The DEA brought forward targets that they had identified with Australian police. They pointed to a handful of men with the power to launder tens of billions in drug cash annually. The DEA narrowed the focus on two men based in Dubai: Altaf Khanani, a Pakastani national described as the “Goldman Sachs” of underground banking; and Hassan Mohsen Mansour, a Canadian-Lebanese dual-citizen described as a “major figure” in Hezbollah’s Business Affairs wing.
The former U.S. official said the DEA wanted to target Mansour with Canada. But Mansour was already being investigated in France.
“Mansour would have been a very good target because we knew, Canada knew about him, and he was very active in violating Canadian laws,” the U.S. source alleged. “He is one of the top Hezbollah drug money launderers.”
According to the former U.S. official, Khanani and Mansour worked together in a “sub-contracting” relationship based on their relative strengths.
One of Hassan Mansour’s jobs for Hezbollah was to move drugs into Australia and send cash out, according to DEA records filed in 2016, in Southern Florida’s U.S. District Court. But he needed help.
“The funny thing is, Hezbollah has good ability to move cocaine into Australia, but they are not that strong getting the cash out,” a former U.S. official said. “So they contracted with Altaf Khanani to get cash out of there. He was able to produce U.S. dollars in Dubai, and wire it around the world.”
‘Using Australia’s money’
The Five Eyes plan to capture Khanani was audacious. The DEA had learned through phone intercepts in Medellin, a source said, that Hezbollah wanted to move about $1.8 million in cartel cocaine cash out of Australia.
So agents would use stacks of cash fronted by Australian taxpayers to pose as a drug cartel on the rise — employing actors from their roster of thousands of confidential informants and undercover agents — and attempt to contract Hezbollah’s money movement services.
The DEA called it reverse policing. Infiltrate the players near the top in the Middle East, and follow them down the criminal ladder in the Western cities where they collect drug cash. It was this model that made Task Force Eligo such a success, enabling Australian police to identify over a hundred organized crime figures they had no idea about.
“We were working Khanani and Mansour around the world, using Australia’s money,” the former official said. “We told Khanani we have a certain amount of drug money in Toronto. Do you have someone to pick it up? And they would give us a contact number.”
The strategy had its risks — because if criminals stole DEA “cash drop” funds, taxpayers would lose out and end up funding drug deals.
The RCMP was hesitant to participate in the DEA’s plan, according to the U.S. official, but eventually signed on.
“We pushed very hard for the RCMP to drop that cash in Toronto,” the source said. “We were trying to encourage the relationship.”
The RCMP did not directly answer detailed requests for information on the Five Eyes probe and criticisms about its co-operation with the DEA.
“For privacy and operational reasons, the RCMP will not provide any comment as doing so could have an impact on domestic or international investigations,” an RCMP response said. “The RCMP works closely with our international partners on transnational criminal investigations. We take very seriously those relationships, recognizing the critical role inter-agency cooperation plays in effectively combating crime that is increasingly global in nature.”
According to the U.S. official, if Canada can better help other Five Eyes countries disrupt money laundering, it will also stop drug sales in Canada.
For example, according to the official, the DEA learned that drug cash picked up by Hezbollah in Australian cities was tied to contracts for moving drugs in Canada.
“We gave Australian police a case tied to a money drop for Mansour,” the former U.S. official said. “They seized $1 million from him. And the result was, a drug transport from Vancouver to Toronto had to stop.”
Medellin sting
The DEA began piecing together Hezbollah’s links to cartels in Colombia and Mexico over 10 years ago. But Mansour and his associate Mohammad Ammar didn’t become a primary focus until other major figures with Canadian links were exposed.
In the case that the DEA tried to get RCMP to participate in, an alleged Lebanese narco kingpin named Chekry Harb — who went by the code name “Taliban” — was convicted for his role in commanding drug-trafficking operations out of Colombia for La Oficina. Harb’s indictment documents were unsealed in 2008, in the U.S. District Court in Miami.
DEA and Colombian police evidence reviewed by Global News alleged Harb’s network employed a number of agents in Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Halifax and Calgary.
Also, in the widely-reported Canadian Lebanese Bank case of 2011, the Eastern District of Virginia indicted a Lebanese-Colombian citizen named Ayman Joumaa.
Joumaa’s network was sending cocaine and “numerous wire transfers” of drug cash into Canada, according to a former U.S. official.
After Joumaa was indicted, Ammar, an operative who had previously worked with Joumaa according to DEA court records, started showing up on intercepts in Medellin.
In 2014 Ammar was in danger because he owed La Oficina $100,000 Canadian in drug proceeds, DEA arrest affidavit records filed September 2016 in Southern Florida U.S. District Court allege. The records say Ammar used a number of agents in Toronto to collect cash. And in this case, the funds his contacts had wired from Toronto to a bank in Beirut were seized.
In 2014 DEA agents asked Ammar to pick up a total of $500,000 in drug cash in Australia, over a period of several months. Ammar usually liked to wire drug cash through China and Hong Kong, but he also used Dubai.
“We told Ammar we had drug cash to move in Australia, and just like we knew he would, he reached out to Mansour,” the former U.S. official said. And next Mansour reached out to Khanani.
“We knew tangentially that Khanani was tied to Hezbollah and Hassan Mansour,” the U.S. source said. “But the money drops in Australia actually proved this.”
Soon, through sham companies and currency exchanges in Dubai linked to Mansour and Khanani, the Hezbollah network wired funds to Miami — where the U.S. police had undercover bank accounts — DEA records filed in the U.S. District Court in Miami in September 2016 say.
Ammar and Mansour face state felony money laundering charges in the Florida state case, documents filed in September 2016 say. Mansour was under house arrest in Paris at the time, the documents say, for unrelated money laundering charges filed by Florida’s state attorney.
The charges have not been proven in either case. And the Florida state attorney has not answered questions from Global News on the current status of the cases. As U.S. court filings do not provide information about Mansour’s legal representation, Global News has not been able to reach him for comment on the DEA’s allegations. Efforts to contact Mansour’s relatives also were not successful.
In 2017, Khanani was sentenced by a U.S. District Court in Florida to almost six years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“Extensive law enforcement co-ordination took place between multiple law enforcement agencies from Australia, Canada and the U.S., who all held a different piece of the puzzle,” a Financial Action Task Force report on the Five Eyes probe of Khanani’s professional money laundering network says.
*sam.cooper@globalnews.ca
https://globalnews.ca/news/5084587/hezbollahs-canadian-money-laundering-ops/

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on March 26-27/2019
Algeria army chief demands Bouteflika be declared unfit to rule
Agencies/Tuesday, 26 March 2019/Algeria’s army chief called on Tuesday for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be declared unfit to govern, following weeks of mass protests urging on the ailing leader to step down.
General Ahmed Gaid Salah said in a televised speech the “way out of crisis ... is in Article 102” of the constitution, under which the president could be declared unable to perform his duties due to serious illness.
Based on Article 52 of the Algerian constitution, the chairman of the parliament's upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days. People carry national flags during a protest in Algiers calling on President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to quit. (Reuters) Thousands of people rallied in Algiers on Tuesday calling on Bouteflika to quit, keeping up the pressure in weeks of protests that threaten to topple him and the elderly elite that has helped keep him in power for 20 years. Bouteflika, among the veterans of the 1954-62 war of independence against France who continue to dominate Algeria, has bowed to protesters by reversing a decision to seek another term and putting off elections that had been set for April.

Algeria opposition propose six-month political transition
AFP, Algiers/Sunday, 24 March 2019/A group of Algerian opposition parties and unions proposed on Saturday a “roadmap” to end a political crisis and weeks of protests sparked by the veteran president’s bid to stay in power.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said on February 22 he would run for a fifth term in April 18 elections, despite concerns about his ability to rule, triggering an outcry in the country which has since been gripped by demonstrations. The 82-year-old, who uses a wheelchair and has rarely appeared in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, earlier this month said he would pull out of the race. But he also postponed the elections, meaning he will stay in power until polls are held. Bouteflika’s current mandate expires on April 28 and proposals agreed at a meeting between opposition parties and unions call for a six-month transition period from that date. The roadmap stipulates the creation of a “presidential body” that would run the country during the transition period and which would be comprised of “national figures known for their credibility, integrity and competence.”But members of the body should not run in future presidential elections nor back any candidates in the poll, the statement seen by AFP said. The proposals were made during a meeting attended namely by the party of Bouteflika’s key rival Ali Benflis, a former prime minister who has joined the opposition, and the main Islamist party, the Movement for the Society of Peace. Algeria’s opposition however has been marginalized by the protest movement, which has been largely led by students angry with the country’s political system. The proposals come a day after hundreds of thousands of Algerians demonstrated nationwide for a fifth consecutive Friday, demanding that Bouteflika stand down and calling for regime change. On Saturday, around 1,000 lawyers rallied in the capital Algiers chanting “we’re fed up” with this government and calling on the political system to “go away”.

Algeria: Calls for Prosecuting Bouteflika’s Associates
Algiers - Boualem Goumrassa/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 26 March, 2019/Algerian lawyers called on the Attorney General to open an investigation into suspicions of corruption involving regime officials, meanwhile, protests continued in the capital and all over the country to pressure President Abdelaziz Bouteflika into stepping down before the end of his fourth term.Renowned lawyer and political activist, Mokrane Ait Larbi, appealed to the Attorney General saying the ongoing protests in the country are calling for prosecuting officials involved in corruption who destroyed Algeria’s economy. The statement, which Asharq Al-Awsat received a copy of, noted that the Attorney General should open an investigation against those who stole the people's money and bring them to justice. Larbi addressed the Attorney General saying that corrupted figures are known to everyone, asking him to prevent them from leaving the country and to bring them to justice. The attorney, who was the campaign manager of presidential candidate retired general Ali Ghadiri, warned that “corruption heads” must be put on trial before it is too late. It is noteworthy that Bouteflika canceled the parliamentary elections scheduled for 18 of April and dissolved the government. Larbi did not specify the alleged corrupt figures, but the names mentioned by protesters every Friday are of the president's close associates, most notably businessman Ali Haddad, who financed his previous electoral campaigns, billionaire Reza Koninav, son of Bouteflika's friend during the Liberation Revolution, and Mahieddine Tahkout, the owner of an automobile assembly company. Algiers’ lawyers' union, which has about 2,000 lawyers, issued a statement on suspicious banking transactions currently involving the transfer of large sums of money which resulted from contracts and deals that are not for the public’s best interest. The head of the union, Abdul Majid Sellini, called on the Governor of the Central Bank to safeguard the “money of the Algerian people”. He also asked for strict measures on all transactions and bank operations to prevent all attempts aimed at smuggling public funds. He urged the Central Bank’s governor and all heads of banking institutions to refrain from passing and paying all transactions or business transactions that serve special interests. Over the past few days, various newspapers reported that “close associates of the president” including former Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, have been selling their properties to transfer their money abroad. The reports indicated that they are motivated by fear of confiscation in the event of the toppling of the regime. Many businessmen want to leave the country, the newspapers explained, adding that rumors on social media had been circulating that various figures of the regime had been banned from leaving the country.
Meanwhile, Former Prime Minister Mouloud Hamrouche announced that he refused to participate in a “transitional phase” proposed by activists in preparation for the presidential elections.
National Liberation Front (FLN) former sec-gen Amar Saadani, previously suggested three names to lead the transitional period: Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Abdelaziz Belkhadem, as well as Hamrouche. Saadani claimed that Ouyahia and his associates are the “architects of the fifth term”, indicating the former PM was the one who wrote Bouteflika’s letters and statements, which were attributed to the President. The former sec-gen also said that the former intelligence services, dissolved in 2015, is the actual body governing the country through Ouyahia. In this context, thousands of public servants and government employees took to the streets of the capital and large cities to protest the president's governance.

Turkey Starts Coordinated Patrols in Syrian City with Russia
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 26/19/Turkey and Russia have conducted their first coordinated patrols in the northern Syrian region of Tal Rifaat held by a Kurdish militia opposed by Ankara, the Turkish defense ministry said Tuesday. Ankara and Moscow have been working closely to secure an end to the Syrian conflict despite Russia's support to Damascus and Turkey backing Syrian opposition fighters. "To secure the ceasefire in Tal Rifaat region, to ensure stability and to prevent attacks on our elements, Turkish and Russian armed forces conducted their first separate coordinated patrols," the defense ministry statement said. Turkey said on March 12 that officials were holding talks with Russia on joint patrols. Tal Rifaat is east of Afrin, captured by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels from a Kurdish militia after a military operation supported by Turkish forces early 2018. Turkey previously threatened to launch a cross-border offensive to capture Tal Rifaat last year after taking Afrin from the U.S.-backed People's Protection Units (YPG) militia. A Turkish soldier was killed in Afrin after coming under fire from the YPG in December, the defense ministry said at the time. Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984. The PKK is blacklisted as a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies. Turkey vowed in December to begin an offensive in the east of the Euphrates River but has remained quiet after the U.S. ordered the withdrawal of American troops from Syria. Earlier this month, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkish and Russian patrols would begin in Syria's northwestern jihadist-controlled Idlib region as part of an agreement between Moscow and Ankara signed last year. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go to Russia on April 8, the Turkish presidency said on Saturday, for meetings likely to focus on Syria.

Tunnels, Foreign Fighters, Suicide Bombers Complicate Baghouz Battle
Al-Omar Oilfield (East of Syria)- Kamal Sheikho/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 26 March, 2019/Fighters recall the last moments of the battle that lasted for weeks after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced last Saturday seizing ISIS' last bastion in Baghouz following six months of a wide attack that started in Sep. in 2018 in Deir Ezzor. Judy Kubani, a Kurdish fighter from Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) along the border with Turkey, said that the battle in Baghouz was different than the rest because those who remained were foreigners having a wide experience in fighting, and they took shelter in tunnels. Kubani added that SDF, backed by the US-led international coalition, was continuously slowing down the battle to avoid the loss of civilians used as human shield by ISIS. He stressed that they had to be cautious because hundreds of civilians were obliged to stay with the group. Raha, from Women's Protection Units, recounted how she and her fellows were involved in a six-hour battle. “They launched a sudden attack and I was in an advanced point. We were besieged. My fellow was shot, we helped her but she bled too much. We decided to fight until the end. After hours, our fellows succeeded in defying the attack.”According to Mizer, 26 from Raqqa, three of his brothers who are SDF members fought ISIS until the end. The weather and the rainfall slowed down the conclusion of the battle, he added. Gandar, 22 from Hasakah, has videos and photos of the group. He was watching a video of ISIS committing a suicide attack through an armored jeep when he said: “I was in that battle, and when this jeep arrived we knew it was armored. It was targeted by a land missile before it reached us and it burst before reaching us. The suicide bomber riding it got burnt.”

U.N. Warns Gaza Violence Could Turn Catastrophic
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 26/19/The United Nations envoy for the Middle East warned Tuesday of catastrophic consequences from escalating violence in Gaza as Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas continued to exchange fire despite a ceasefire deal. Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council that a "fragile calm" had returned to the region but that the situation remained "extremely tense" following reports that Hamas had agreed to a truce. "I am concerned that we may once again be facing another very dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza with potentially catastrophic consequences," Mladenov told a council meeting on the Middle East. "The last two days have shown how precipitously close we came to the brink of war once again."Israel kept up air strikes on Gaza into Tuesday and Palestinian militants launched new rockets despite the ceasefire claim. The United Nations is working with Egypt to ensure a the truce takes hold to avoid the outbreak of a fourth war in the Palestinian enclave. Mladenov urged the council to condemn the "continued indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas towards Israel" and also to call on all sides to show restraint. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier told a U.S. pro-Israel lobby group that he was ready to order further action in Gaza and "do what is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state.""A new conflict will be devastating for the Palestinian people. It will have consequences for Israelis, who live in the vicinity of the Gaza perimeter, and it is likely to have regional repercussions," Mladenov warned. The envoy also reported that Israel's settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem had continued despite a 2016 resolution demanding an end to the building of the Jewish outposts. More than 3,000 units have been approved or tendered in the occupied West Bank -- the largest batch of new settlements since May 2018, said Mladenov.

Egypt Curbs Escalation in Gaza After Rocket Hits House North of Tel Aviv
Ramallah - Kifah Ziboun/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 26 March, 2019/Israel started Monday striking Hamas targets in Gaza Strip after a rocket hit a house in central Israel earlier in the day. The level of violence had appeared to lessen as Palestinians said a ceasefire had been reached through mediation by Egypt late on Monday.The Israeli military said it was assigning two brigades to the Gaza area after closing all Strip’s borders and turning areas in the Strip into a closed military zone in preparation for the military operation. A small number of reservists were also called in to serve on Iron Dome missile defense systems and other select units, the army said. It said the rocket that struck the home in the central Israeli town of Mishmeret was a variety produced by Hamas, known as a J80, which has a range of 120 kilometers, making it the longest-range attack from Gaza causing casualties since the last war in Gaza in 2014. According to security experts, the missile is an updated version of the Hamas-owned M-75, which is an improved version of Iran's Fajr missiles. Monday’s violence began when seven Israelis were wounded near Tel Aviv by the rocket attack. “The launch was carried out by Hamas from one of its positions in the Rafah area,” Chief spokesman Ronen Manelis said. “We are prepared for a wide range of scenarios,” he added. Sources said Hamas has deliberately launched the rocket and there is sufficient evidence. Manelis, for his part, insisted that Hamas has launched it, holding it accountable for all what is happening in Gaza Strip. Netanyahu cut short a visit to the United States, saying he would fly home right after meeting President Donald Trump. “Israel will not tolerate this. I will not tolerate this,” Netanyahu said. “And as we speak... Israel is responding forcefully to this wanton aggression.” Trump told reporters with Netanyahu at his side that Israel has the “absolute right” to defend itself.

Gaza Ceasefire Holds but Netanyahu Issues Warning
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 26/19/Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he was prepared for further military action in Gaza after cutting short a Washington visit and returning to Israel following a shaky ceasefire announced by Hamas. After Hamas said Egypt had brokered a truce late Monday aimed at ending a severe escalation, further exchanges of fire occurred throughout the night before calm again returned at around 6:00 am (0400 GMT). Gaza and Israeli cities near the Palestinian enclave remained quiet throughout the day. U.N. envoy for the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov told the United Nations Security Council that a "fragile calm" had returned but the situation remained "extremely tense."There were no deaths on either side, but seven Israelis and seven Palestinians were wounded in the flare-up at a highly sensitive time ahead of Israel's April 9 elections. Speaking via satellite link to pro-Israel lobby AIPAC's annual conference after returning from Washington, where he met U.S. President Donald Trump, Netanyahu said "we are prepared to do a lot more."
"We will do what is necessary to defend our people and to defend our state," he said after Israeli retaliatory strikes in response to a rare long-distance rocket attack that hit a house near Tel Aviv. Later, the army said that after a situation assessment with Netanyahu, military chief of staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kohavi ordered that support forces to the brigade be sent to the southern region. Kohavi also "approved completing the summoning of additional reserve soldiers," a statement from the military read, without providing further details. The prime minister is widely believed to want to avoid a fourth war in Gaza since 2008 with unpredictable consequences ahead of the elections, but he is also under heavy political pressure.
'Clear the house'
Israel kept up air strikes on Gaza into the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday and Palestinian militants launched new rockets despite the ceasefire claim. The Israeli army reported late-night mortar fire and 30 new rocket launches from Gaza, on top of 30 rockets detected earlier Monday evening. Israel struck around 15 fresh targets, including what the army said was a Hamas military compound and an Islamic Jihad position. A security source in Gaza said there had been a total of around 80 Israeli strikes. Some of the rockets fired at Israel were intercepted by air defenses while others hit uninhabited areas, the army said. A house in the southern Israeli town of Sderot was damaged by a rocket. In Gaza, Raed al-Qahtawi, whose home was damaged in an Israeli strike on Hamas leader Ismail Haniya's office, said he received a warning call from Hamas authorities beforehand. "We were sitting in the house and then they called us and told us to clear the house immediately," he said. Schools and government offices were closed in Gaza on Tuesday, while schools in parts of southern Israel were also closed.
'Wanton aggression'
The flare-up began early Monday with a rare long-distance rocket strike from Gaza that hit a house north of Tel Aviv, wounding seven Israelis. Israel warned of a strong response, sending reinforcements to the Gaza area and announcing a limited call up of reservists. It also closed its people and goods crossing with the blockaded strip and reduced the zone in the Mediterranean it allows for Palestinian fishermen. Israel's retaliatory strikes began around the same time Netanyahu met Trump in Washington. Israel targeted dozens of Hamas sites, including Haniya's office, what it said was a secret intelligence building and a Hamas internal security building in Gaza City. The coastal enclave was rocked by explosions and fireballs rose in the sky in Gaza City. Netanyahu said it was the largest-scale attack on Hamas sites since the last war between them in 2014. Following those strikes, militants in Gaza fired a barrage of rockets in response and air raid sirens wailed in southern Israel. A joint statement from militant groups in Gaza, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, took responsibility for those rockets. Hamas then announced Egypt had brokered the ceasefire -- as it has repeatedly in the past -- but Israel did not confirm it. Israeli media quoted an unnamed official saying Israel had not accepted any ceasefire.
Long-distance rocket
Israel's army blamed Hamas for the rocket that hit the house Monday in the community of Mishmeret, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Tel Aviv. A Hamas official however denied the group was responsible for that rocket and indicated it may have been fired by accident or even due to "bad weather." The hospital that treated the wounded said the seven Israelis were injured lightly by burns and shrapnel, including three children. If Israel and Hamas manage to implement the ceasefire announced Monday, more tensions are likely on the horizon. Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of protests and clashes along the Gaza-Israel border, and large demonstrations are expected for it.

Russia Says Troops Sent to Venezuela in Accordance with 'Legal Norms'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 26/19/Russia on Tuesday said its decision to send military personnel to Venezuela in support of the embattled regime of President Nicolas Maduro was in accordance with the country's laws, after the move drew a strong rebuke from the U.S. Washington and Moscow have locked horns over the political crisis in the South American country, after Russian planes landed at an airport outside Caracas at the weekend reportedly containing around 100 soldiers and 35 tons of military equipment. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Washington of attempts to "organize a coup d'etat" in the oil-producing nation while U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that the U.S. would not "stand idly by as Russia exacerbates tensions."
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Washington of "aggressive rhetoric" over the issue in a statement on Tuesday.
Moscow is "developing cooperation with Venezuela in strict accordance with the constitution of that country and with full respect for its legal norms," she said. She added that "the presence of Russian specialists on Venezuelan territory is regulated by an agreement between the Russian and Venezuelan governments on military and technical cooperation that was signed in May 2001."Venezuela is rich in oil but has plunged into economic crisis, suffering hyperinflation and shortages of food and basic goods. Washington and its allies support Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and recognize his claim to be acting president in defiance of Maduro. Socialist leader Maduro retains the support of Russia and China, U.S. rivals who have offered him political and economic support. Moscow will continue to "develop constructive, mutually beneficial cooperation" with Venezuela, Zakharova said.

Guaido Says Russian Troops Presence in Venezuela Violates Constitution
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 26/19/The presence of Russian soldiers in Venezuela violates the country's constitution, Juan Guaido, the opposition leader recognized as interim president by the U.S. and many of its allies, said Tuesday. "It seems (the government of President Nicolas Maduro) doesn't trust its own troops, because it is importing others... once again violating the constitution," Guaido told lawmakers in the opposition-run National Assembly. The legislature, sidelined by Maduro, asserts only it has the legal power to authorize foreign military missions in Venezuela.

UN Condemns Houthi Violations Against Yemen’s Children
Riyadh, Jeddah - Saleh Al-Zeyd, Asma al-Ghabri/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 26 March, 2019/The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen signed Monday in Riyadh a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations to strengthen the protection of children affected by the armed conflict in Yemen. Virginia Gamba, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, who signed the memorandum on behalf of the UN, condemned Houthis for being involved in grave violations against children and for doing nothing to protect them. She said the annual report issued by her office to the UN Security Council contains important figures over the past years, where no action to protect children has been taken, stressing that due to their grave violations, including murder and child-recruitment, Houthis were put on list A of the report.
Gamba affirmed that this MoU is the first of its kind around the world. “Now, we seek to exert great efforts over the next two months. We will jointly establish limited activities over a long term, including a joint training and spreading knowledge about the child protection,” she said.
The UN official added she is convinced that the coalition led by Saudi Arabia will play a significant role in serving the great purpose of keeping children away from the armed conflict. Prince Lieutenant General Fahd Bin Turki Bin Abdulaziz affirmed his hopes of close cooperation in regards to this memorandum with the United Nations, especially that it serves a “noble cause” that “we should always aim to implement and improve.” For his part, the permanent representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Ambassador Abdallah AlMoullimi, who attended the ceremony, said that his country is working on bringing attention on the Houthi violations and to uncover Iran’s interferences in Yemen. Meanwhile, officials from the legitimate government in Yemen praised Operations Determination Storm and Renewal of Hope, kicked off by Saudi Arabia four years ago to support Yemenis against the Houthi coup. Yemen's Vice President Ali Mohsen Saleh said the Decisive Storm was a historical Arab decision that won over the Houthi Iranian sectarian agenda. He made the remarks in a statement to Saba referring to the military operation launched by Saudi-led Arab Coalition against the rebel militia in March 2015. Meanwhile in Aden, Prime Minister Ma'een Abdulmalik met Monday with head of the European Union's Delegation in Yemen Antonia Calvo and discussed the political, economic and security developments in Yemen.
Abdulmalik stressed the necessity of implementing the UN-sponsored Stockholm Agreement and forcing Houthi militia to withdraw from the city of Hodeidah and its ports soon as stipulated by the redeployment plan. He also called on the International Community to exert more pressure on Houthis who failed to show seriousness on implementing the agreement after passing more than 100 days on declaring it.

ISIS Claims Attack Which Killed Seven SDF Fighters In Syria's Manbij
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 26 March, 2019/An attack on a checkpoint of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northern Syrian town on Manbij had left seven fighters dead on Tuesday. Sharfan Darwish of the Manbij Military Council told the Associated Press (AP) that the attack came shortly after midnight at one of the entrances to Manbij, targeting the fighters who "were carrying out their mission of protecting" the town. Meanwhile, Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group, said members of an ISIS sleeper cell carried out the attack, and that three other Manbij Military Council fighters were also wounded. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack saying its followers targeted a checkpoint on the western edge of Manbij and confiscated the weapons of the US-backed fighters. Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman said it was also the bloodiest attack in Manbij since January 16, when 19 people, including four US service personnel, were killed in a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS. The Observatory said hundreds of SDF members had been killed in attacks believed to have been carried out by ISIS sleeper cells since August.

Macron Urges Xi to 'Respect the Unity of EU'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 26/19/French President Emmanuel Macron urged his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to "respect the unity of the European Union" and called for an "exemplary relationship" between Europe and China during a joint press conference. "No one is naive but we respect China and we are determined to have dialogue and cooperation, and we naturally expect our major partners to respect the unity of the European Union and the values that it has and carries in the world," Macron said.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 26-27/2019
The Most Important Speech of the Year in Iran: Hostile to the West, No Concessions at Home
باترك كلوسن/معهد واشنطن/أخطر خطاب إيراني لسنة، معادي للغرب ودون أية تنازلات في الداخل
Patrick Clawson/The Washington Institute/March 26/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73349/patrick-clawson-the-washington-institute-the-most-important-speech-of-the-year-in-iran-hostile-to-the-west-no-concessions-at-home%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%83-%D9%83%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%86-%D9%85/
Historically a reliable indicator of Khamenei’s thinking, the Supreme Leader’s annual Mashhad address focused mainly on foreign policy, especially why the West should not be trusted, along with his usual call for Iran to develop its non-oil economy.
The oration delivered by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Nowruz, the first day of the Persian new year as well as the vernal equinox, carries more significance than any other. This year’s speech was strikingly different from last year’s in that it focused on foreign policy, was belligerent to the West, and offered little hope about the country’s economic suffering. By contrast, the 2018 address mostly entailed a recounting of the socioeconomic and other domestic accomplishments of the Islamic Republic.
BACKGROUND ON THE NOWRUZ ADDRESSES
Clerical orthodoxy has long been hostile to the Nowruz festival, with its undeniable Zoroastrian character. The annual address by Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s founding leader, never so much as used the word “Nowruz.” Khamenei takes a less antagonistic approach, but even in this year’s address, he described the only true Nowruz as Imam Ali’s birth.
Khamenei and Iran’s president—now Hassan Rouhani—offer Nowruz greetings each year that are broadcast on television; in recent years, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has also issued a Nowruz message. These should be ignored. What matters instead is the speech Khamenei gives on the first day of the new year to the hundreds of thousands who make the annual pilgrimage to the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, where tourism officials claim five million came for this year’s occasion. Khamenei loves to take advantage of the huge crowd gathered in his favorite city, where he has always felt most comfortable. His annual speech has been a good indicator for what he will do in the coming year.
GIVING UP HOPE IN THE WEST
Khamenei’s speech in 2018 relegated foreign policy to an afterthought, and the 2017 speech had no harsh or defiant rhetoric about foreign enemies. This year, Khamenei announced up front that his first theme—and by far his lengthiest—would be Iran’s problems with the West. He was blunt: he has given up on the Europeans. “In practice,” he said, “they have left the JCPOA”— referring to the acronym for the nuclear deal. He described the mechanism they created for trade with Iran as a “joke,” saying that it was as different from their obligations as night is from day. When castigating the West, he constantly lumped Europe and the United States together, at one point reflecting on the three hundred years of European colonialism when the United States was not involved. It is striking that he did not single out the United States as the source of all evil; other than his attack on “first-rate idiots” and his exaggerated claim that 60,000 U.S. military advisors were stationed in Iran before the 1979 revolution, his criticisms were trained on the West, not just the United States.
When it comes to diplomacy with Europe, talking itself isn’t the problem, according to Khamenei. Trust is the problem—because the Europeans tell lies, they laugh at Iran, they are backstabbers. He at one point became quite passionate about this: “Deep inside, Western politicians are savage individuals in the true sense of the word. You should not be surprised at this. They wear a suit, they wear a tie, they put on perfume, and they carry a Samsonite briefcase, but they are savages and they act in a bestial manner in practice.”
The logic of his speech—although Khamenei did not make this explicit—is that since Iran is getting nothing from the JCPOA and the Europeans are effectively hostile actors, then this leaves the Islamic Republic empty-handed. Nor did he hint that Iran could derive hope from JCPOA partners Russia or China. His references to China were made only in passing. But he identified Russia and Britain as countries that ruined Iran in the nineteenth century. He said not a word about Iran and Russia cooperating in Syria. And he did not exempt Russia from his judgment about the Europeans, saying, “We can have no hope in them.”
As all this applied to the JCPOA, Khamenei appeared to be giving no reason to remain in the deal but also no reason to leave it—while refraining from his past arguments on how Iran must make technical progress in the nuclear field. He did not claim Iran has no desire for nuclear weapons, but he sounded a confident note that Iran’s pinpoint-accurate missiles are an effective regional deterrent, perhaps suggesting nuclear weapons are not needed.
The message toward Arab countries was as muddled as that toward the west. Here Khamenei reassured listeners that he—contrary to recent statements by his counselor, former defense minister Ali Shamkhani—has no problem with the Saudi nuclear program. But he soon revealed his logic by citing his confidence that the Saudi regime would soon fall, with its nuclear assets ending up in the hands of the “mujadedin” (his term), who would seize power.
In turning to the economy, he gave his people no reason to expect sanctions relief. He instead focused entirely on how Iran must use the sanctions as an opportunity to build its own economy. Those who characterized the sanctions as a source of problems, he said, were giving in to the empty boasts of the enemy. Just as the country had first struggled to respond to Iraqi bombing raids during the Iran-Iraq War but has now developed missiles fierce enough to deter its enemies, the Islamic Republic must, he asserted, develop “economic deterrence” in order to withstand its enemies’ actions. This rhetoric aligned with Khamenei’s longstanding theme that Iran needs an “economy without oil”—drawing on the slogan of Muhammad Mossadegh, the deposed prime minister from the 1950s—thus granting it a “resistance economy.”
Also absent from Khamenei’s Nowruz speech was any mention of his past theme that the West would realize its mistakes and the great harm caused by its lost access to the lucrative Iranian market. While not holding out hope, he also did not make threats. Indeed, quite different from his July 2018 explicit endorsement of President Rouhani’s taunt—“If Iran cannot export its oil, no oil from any country in the region will be exported”—he made no such threats this time.
CEDING NO GROUND AT HOME
In certain past years, Khamenei talked at length about the situation of ordinary people. In 2018, he cited many statistics—even technical ones like the Gini coefficient—to argue that the poor have done well under the revolution, while offering detailed numbers indicating improvements in education. Indeed, his main theme in 2018 was how much the revolution has improved the lives of Iranians, giving them “national self-confidence,” in his phrasing. This time, he barely said a word about the poor. For instance, he mentioned nothing about how workers must be paid on time; protests over unpaid wages have become a common event across the country.
Khamenei was wise not to brag, because this year has been tough for Iranians. Central Bank of Iran numbers show that average family spending in fiscal year 2017/18 was 10% below that of a decade earlier, adjusted for inflation, with even that number likely down sharply in FY 2018/19. (Embarrassed by the Central Bank’s data, the government stripped it of authority to issue inflation figures). The latest official unemployment rate, 13.5%, is the highest in twelve years, and it would be much higher if more women joined the labor force. Indeed, a smaller percentage of Iranian women are in the labor force than Saudi women.
The problem, as Khamenei elaborated in his speech, goes far beyond sanctions. Rouhani, when running for the presidency in 2013, promised to restore competency after the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad years. But he has done the exact opposite, running the economy at least as badly as Ahmadinejad did. When hit with sanctions, Ahmadinejad allowed the currency to float, which gave a boost to exports and curtailed imports while maximizing rial revenue per dollar of oil exports for the government budget. Rouhani has instead distorted the economy in an ineffective bid to keep consumer prices low: banning exports of many items; allocating $15 billion to subsidize imports, especially food (forcing Iranians to wait hours in line in hopes of getting the cheap food); and setting an official exchange rate less than one-third the free rate, with the predictable result that corruption has boomed while consumers get little benefit. In his address—while acknowledging that he is “no economist”—he said the pressure from sanctions created an opportunity for structural reforms. He complained such reforms had been abandoned with the letup of Western pressure. Four years ago, he noted, he had been told bank reform legislation was about to be sent to the Majlis—but it still has not made it there.
As always, Khamenei proposed a phrase to describe the coming year, and as usual it centered on the economy: it would be the year for “boosting production.” He’ll need major luck to achieve that. With the banking problems curtailing credit, the fluctuating exchange rate creating great uncertainty about the price of inputs and parts, the government budget channeling resources to ineffective subsidies instead of productive spending, and export bans enacted for many of the products Iran could easily sell abroad, the Iranian economy faces all sorts of obstacles.
As a final note, Khamenei sounded uncharacteristically uncertain on many fronts. Especially from his concluding words to the religious youth, he seemed worried that the revolution’s train journey to its final destination—Islamic civilization—was quite behind schedule. He implied that the religious youth need a freer hand to eradicate “Westoxication” (gharbzadegi). But Khamenei, it bears noting, appeared to be in the bloom of health at seventy-nine, despite some recent reports suggesting the contrary. He also remains an eloquent speaker, a reality obscured by his website’s clunky English translations.
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE WEST
The U.S. campaign of maximum pressure appears to have convinced Khamenei that Iran will not see sanctions relief. The picture he painted had no light on the horizon—indeed, little if any grounds for hope at all. If that is the state of his thinking—and the Mashhad speech has been the best available indicator of his authentic views—then the Trump administration has had considerable success convincing Khamenei that the pressure will continue, and that Iran cannot count on outlasting U.S. hostility.
As of now, Khamenei is signaling no flexibility in response to these pressures—neither on foreign policy nor at home. But he is not the confident Khamenei of days past who proudly sang the successes brought by resistance. Instead, he argues that Western nations cannot be trusted, so Iran should not bother dealing with them.
*Patrick Clawson is the Morningstar Senior Fellow and director of research at The Washington Institute.

Iran's Rouhani, Hezbollah’s Nasrallah urge regional unity after US move on Golan Heights
Ynetnews/Reuters, Daniel Salalmi/March 26/19
Iranian president: ‘The excessive demands of the Zionist regime and the wrong decisions of Washington necessitate closer cooperation among regional countries;’ Nasrallah: ‘Trump emboldened by Arab silence after US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that regional countries must unite to fight against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize the Golan Heights as part of Israel, in a phone call with Iraq's prime minister on Tuesday.
"The excessive demands of the Zionist regime and the wrong decisions of Washington necessitate closer cooperation among regional countries," Rouhani was quoted as saying by the state broadcaster IRIB in a phone call with Iraq's Adel Abdul Mahdi. Rouhani said developments in the Golan Heights were "very dangerous for regional security". Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, and a key Damascus ally, said the move was evidence of US "disdain and disregard" for the Arab and Muslim world and of international law. "This absolute supporter of Israel cannot be a sponsor of the peace process and here he is today dealing a deadly blow to the so-called peace process," Nasrallah said in a televised speech. Nasrallah said Trump had been emboldened by Arab "silence" after US recognition last year of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and warned that the West Bank, also captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, could be next.
“We must expect that it is a matter of time before Trump says that he recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, in accordance with the will of the Zionists of course; they claim that it is their eternal homeland,” said Nasrallah.
“There is something called the Arab Peace initiative, although Israel doesn’t recognize it. If there remains any dignity in the world, then the Tunisia Summit must issue a declaration that the initiative is cancelled and is off the table and go back to square one,” he continued. “I am not saying that we must embark on a war, no, that is not a sensible political move.”The militia leader then reiterated that in order to reclaim land and their dignity from Israel, the Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian people must continue to “resist, resist, resist.”
On Monday, President Trump, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looking over his shoulder during a visit to Washington, signed a proclamation officially granting US recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed it in 1981, in a move the unrecognized by most of the world.
President Trump’s decision over the Golan Heights united Washington's Arab allies and their regional foe Iran in condemnation on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait criticized Monday's move to recognize Israel's 1981 annexation and said the territory was occupied Arab land. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi said it was an impediment to peace.
Iran echoed the comments, describing Trump's decision as unprecedented this century. "No one could imagine that a person in America comes and gives land of a nation to another occupying country, against international laws and conventions," President Hassan Rouhani was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.
"It will have significant negative effects on the peace process in the Middle East and the security and stability of the region," said a statement on Saudi state news agency SPA. It described the declaration as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter and of international law.
Trump's special adviser Jared Kushner visited the Gulf Arab region last month to seek support for the economic portion of a long-awaited peace proposal for the Middle East. Gulf Arab states host US troops and are important for Washington's regional defense policy.
Qatar, which has been at loggerheads with other Gulf states over its policies, joined them in rejecting Trump's move and called on Israel to end its occupation of the Golan Heights and comply with international resolutions

IDF build-up continues in Gaza sector. More Hamas rockets expected this week
DEBKAfile/March 26/19
As both sides gird up for a showdown, whether or not it will take place is anyone’s guess, given the dense blackout of secrecy on the duelers’ intentions. When Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu returned home from a visit to Washington, which he cut short after a Hamas rocket hit a home in the Sharon region, he went straight into a conference with Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi and top security officials. Their most pressing concern was how to get around the stumbling block of Hamas’ March of Return anniversary, which the Palestinian terrorist organization means to celebrate to the full, meaning a larger than ever mass onslaught on the Gaza border and the IDF military defenders this coming Friday. After that, Hamas may – or may not – be more accommodating on terms for a ceasefire, but not before.
Intelligence reaching DEBKAfile’s sources from the Gaza Strip indicate:
1-Hizballah is contemplating limited or token action against Israel as a show of solidarity with the Palestinian terrorists.
2-Hiamas’ political leadership is deeply divided on whether or not to continue its rocket offensive against Israel.
Israel’s decision-makers also appear to be at cross-purposes. One school of thought advises taking advantage of the controversy in the Hamas leadership to strengthen the “moderates.” The opposite side argues that Hamas is setting a trap for the IDF. They say that Hamas leaders want the breather they would gain from a phony ceasefire in order to then catch Israel off guard. Israel was indeed caught napping by the Hamas rocket fired at Tel Aviv on March 14 and again on March 25, when a home in the Sharon town of Mishmeret, 120km from Gaza, took a direct rocket hit. Israel’s leaders and generals must on no account be lured once again by Egyptian assurances that this time, Hamas is really, really turning over a new leaf and has committed to a truce.
Lt, Gen. Kochavi leads the second camp which refuses to be taken in again by Hamas’ wiles. He is preparing the IDF for combat in the Gaza sector that could last some days.. During the conference with Netanyahu in his capacity as defense minister, Kochavi issued the order to continue boosting the forces massing on the Gaza border and mobilizing reservists.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that it still could not be said with certainty that the Israeli government and high command were decided on their next step, when the decision was taken out of their hands by another Hamas rocket fired Tuesday night against the Eshkol district. This rocket drove home the harshness of their dilemma. No serious offensive can be conducted against Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza without exposing large parts of the country beyond the immediate Gaza neighborhood to the high risk of Palestinian rockets. On the other hand, inaction against Hamas; armed wing, aside from air strikes on empty buildings, only whets the Palestinian terrorists’ appetite for more escalation.

Are Palestinians getting fed up with Hamas?
Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/March 26/19
Gaza last week saw significant protests that focused Palestinian criticism on Hamas. Palestinians in Gaza were protesting against hunger and severe, worsening economic and living conditions. As Hamas responded violently, it risked further eroding support for its rule in the Gaza Strip. The more recent violence between Hamas and Israel might partly be an attempt by Hamas to distract from its domestic problems, though it is unclear what effect it may have.
There has been global media attention focused on the Great March of Return, which began on March 30 last year. A group of Palestinian youths and activists — independent of Hamas — began the protests, designed to start by marking the annual Land Day but with the intention of continuing protests beyond that. Every Friday for the last year, the protests have continued. The organizers emphasized nonviolence.
The Great March of Return protests have focused on Israel. They demand an end to the blockade of Gaza and highlight Palestinians’ demand for the right of return for Palestinian refugees to their original communities, many of which are in Israel. Israel’s exceedingly violent response reinforced the protesters’ criticisms. The UN reported in early March that Israeli forces have killed 260 and injured more than 27,000 Palestinians during the protests. A UN investigation released in February found that Israeli forces shot “more than 6,000 unarmed demonstrators” during the protests in 2018.
Hamas has tried to associate itself with the Great March of Return protests and attempted to co-opt them. Its success has been limited, and its attempts to associate with the protests undermined the organizers’ focus on nonviolent protest. Furthermore, reports from Gaza suggest that support for the border area protests is declining, as they do not appear to have achieved anything, while many have died and many more have been seriously injured, putting a severe strain on Gaza’s already overwhelmed medical system.
Then, on March 14, protests began in Gaza that focused anger on Hamas itself. Hamas responded violently, beating, detaining and reportedly torturing activists, journalists and political rivals. The protests revealed frustration and anger with Hamas’ inability to improve the lives of Palestinians, and perceptions of corruption among Hamas officials.
Hamas appears to be trying to distract from the situation by planning other protests, including encouraging turnout for the upcoming one-year anniversary of the Great March of Return, but this could potentially backfire, especially if there is a large number of casualties. Hamas also attempted to blame the Palestinian Authority (PA) for fomenting unrest against it — an obvious attempt to cast blame elsewhere.
The recent protests raise the question of whether Palestinians in Gaza are fed up with Hamas. The answer appears to be that they are fed up with many actors, including Hamas. Gaza is nearly unlivable, with no hope in sight for improvement. Hopelessness is widespread. If a governing organization is supposed to provide basic opportunities and meet the fundamental needs of its people, Hamas has failed. In the last two weeks, it has demonstrated its willingness to use brutal tactics against those who are simply, nonviolently, calling for a chance at life. Polling from the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) found a decline in support for Hamas at around the time of the protests.
If a governing organization is supposed to provide basic opportunities and meet the fundamental needs of its people, Hamas has failed
However, it is important to recognize that Palestinian anger is also directed at other actors. The PSR survey found that Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank were most likely to blame Israel (37 percent) for conditions in Gaza, followed by the PA (25 percent), Hamas (21 percent), and Egypt and other actors.
Many Palestinians have expressed exasperation with both Hamas and Fatah for their inability to cooperate. The PA’s use of pressure against Hamas, such as cutting electricity, hurts many Palestinians in Gaza regardless of who they support politically.
As the early days of the Great March of Return showed, Palestinians primarily blame Israel. While Hamas clearly has not demonstrated good governance, it is difficult to imagine that any Palestinian governing body could successfully meet the needs of Palestinians in Gaza while under the type of extreme blockade imposed upon them. Even before the blockade began, Palestinians in Gaza faced little hope for the future, forced into a small walled-in strip of land by the sea. The lack of peace with Israel, which could provide some options for Palestinians in Gaza to live normally, is the foundation of all Gaza’s problems. This has been true for decades, since long before Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.
Of course, there is plenty of blame to go around. Many Palestinians also blame the US for its support of Israel, and most recently for the Trump administration’s August decision to cut off all US aid to UNRWA, which is especially important to meeting the basic needs of many Palestinians in Gaza. Much of the international community condemns conditions in Gaza but does little to address the underlying causes.
Perhaps much of the blame should go to those who constantly cast blame on others. Hamas blames Israel and the PA, while assuming little responsibility itself. The PA blames Hamas and Israel. Israel and the US blame the Palestinians. On and on, with the Palestinian people caught in the middle. It is difficult to envision a better future for Gaza unless the actors involved start to acknowledge their share of the blame and try to find a solution.
• Kerry Boyd Anderson is a writer and political risk consultant with more than 14 years’ experience as a professional analyst of international security issues and Middle East political and business risk. Twitter: @KBAresearch