LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 29/2019

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
01Corinthians/Chapter 10/01-18/”Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. However with most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Don’t be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Let us not commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. Let us not test Christ, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents. Don’t grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and perished by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall. No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men. Judge what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, isn’t it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, isn’t it a sharing of the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf of bread, we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf of bread. Consider Israel according to the flesh. Don’t those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 28-29/2019
Pompeo Says Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Must Return Home
Lebanon: Optimism Over Russian Promises to Solve Displaced File
Bassil, Czech PM Agree on Conference to Devise Plan on Return of Refugees
Hariri Returns to Beirut after Paris Heart Operation
Bassil Hails Pompeo’s Refugee Remarks before the Congress
EU Ambassador and British Ambassador Visit the Bekaa
Kubis Says 'Everyone Cares about Lebanon Stability', Even Israel
HMS Dragon in Lebanon: Symbol of Strong Friendship with Lebanon
Hassan: Improving Prison Conditions Urgently Needed
Berri Says 'Critical' Situation Presses for Quick Govt. Action
Lebanon Sees Eastern EU Refugee Hardline as Model to Follow

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 28-29/2019
Seven Killed in Israeli Strike in Syria, Watchdog Says
Israel Targets Iranian Ammunition Depots in Aleppo
US Decision on Golan Sparks Wide Rejection at Security Council
U.S. Wants UN Peacekeeping Force to Stay in the Golan
U.S.-Led Anti-IS Coalition Admits 1,257 Civilians Killed since 2014
Netanyahu Says Prepared for 'Comprehensive' Gaza Operation
US Decision on Golan Sparks Wide Rejection at Security Council
Sarraj Says Libya's National Conference an Opportunity for Dialogue
U.N. Expert Says Saudi Must Make Khashoggi Trials Public
Guaido Rejects Regime Announcement Stripping Him of Office
Russia Says Its Troops in Venezuela 'for as Long as Needed'
Former President Amine Gemayel: Lebanon Going Through Very Difficult Phase
Burden of Delay: Review of the Electricity Crisis

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 28-29/2019
Seven Killed in Israeli Strike in Syria, Watchdog Says
Haaretz (Jack Khoury) and Reuters/March 28/ 2019
Burden of Delay: Review of the Electricity Crisis/Ziad Baroud/The Daily Star/March 28/19/Lee Smith/Tablet magazineTablet/March 28/19
Senior Former Hashd Al-Sha'bi Official To Saudi Alarabiya.net: Iraqi Central Bank Governor Is Collaborating With Iran In Counterfeiting, Money-
Laundering – As Part Of Iran's Efforts To Circumvent U.S. Sanctions/MEMRI/March 28/19
Another Reason to Worry About the Economy/Mark Whitehouse/Bloomberg/March 28/19
Assad's New Syria: A Police State With Rampant Poverty and a Playground for Superpowers/Elizabeth Tsurkov/Haaretz/March 28/19
Palestinian Leaders Punish Gaza, Blame Israel/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/March 28/19
Turkey: Want to Win an Election? Bash the Jews!/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/March 28/19
Jews Must Never Be Afraid to Use Their Well-Earned Power/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/March 28/19

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on March 28-29/2019
Pompeo Says Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Must Return Home
Kataeb.org/Thursday 28th March 2019/U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo reportedly said that Lebanon is subject to dangers due to the tremendous number of Syrian refugees it is hosting, stressing the need to lay the groundwork for their return. “In Lebanon, there are 1.5 million Syrian refugees with all the burden they have on the country in terms of cost and the dangers posed by their presence on Lebanon and its democracy," Pompeo said in a testimony before the Congress. “The U.S. State Department was leading discussions on how to prepare the favorable conditions on the ground inside Syria so that these refugees can return to their homes," he added."This is the specific task that the Lebanese people want. I honestly believe that the return of these individuals is the best for them. We have to make sure that the conditions are appropriate for their return, which the U.S. State Department will be in the front lines to achieve,” Pompeo stressed.

Lebanon: Optimism Over Russian Promises to Solve Displaced File
Beirut - Khalil Fleihan and Caroline Akoum Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 28 March, 2019/Sources from the Lebanese delegation that accompanied President Michel Aoun to Russia said the visit was very successful and the beginning of a new and productive phase between the two countries at various levels.
The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to all the proposals presented by the Lebanese delegation and asked the team that participated in the extended meeting to put them into action.
The sources indicated that there were no talks about agreements or military assistance. They emphasized, however, that the two sides decided to activate the tripartite process by Russia, Lebanon and Syria for the return of the displaced, based on the Russian initiative, in parallel with the plan of the organized return launched by the Lebanese State Security. The sources explained that Russia would help Syria to prepare for the safe and peaceful return of refugees, after determining safe and secure areas to accommodate them. Moscow has also pledged to assist in reconstruction and to provide other technical facilities. While the Lebanese side reiterated its refusal to link the return of the displaced to the political solution in Syria, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov suggested that Lebanon participate in the Astana Conference on Syria next month as an observer, the sources said. On a different note, the Lebanese and Russian sides agreed to activate trade exchange between the two countries, which had dropped by 26% in recent years. In this regard, Putin called for finding new areas of cooperation and activating joint bilateral agreements.

Bassil, Czech PM Agree on Conference to Devise Plan on Return of Refugees
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 28 March, 2019/Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis have agreed to hold a conference to mull ways on the return of Syrian refugees to their country. The announcement was made during a visit made by Bassil on Wednesday to the Czech Republic where he met with Babis and the country's foreign minister, Tomas Petricek. A Lebanese Foreign Ministry statement said that discussions focused mainly on the Syrian refugee crisis. The two sides agreed to hold a conference in Prague or Beirut to discuss measures that help displaced Syrians return home. "This would be immensely useful for both Lebanon and Syria and in general it would be the best solution to the human, humanitarian and political crisis we have right now and which could get worse in the future," said Bassil. “Lebanon's key national interest is the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland," he told reporters in Prague. Bassil sympathized with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia's refusal to accept refugee distribution quotas proposed by the EU in the wake of the 2015-16 migrant crisis, when more than a million people streamed into Europe, mostly from war-torn Syria.
He warned that “Lebanon will not be able to guarantee them descent lives. So they will want to go elsewhere. Europe will be their first destination in search for jobs.”Bassil spoke of the Russian initiative on the return of refugees, saying the plan needs more support. He said he was working on convincing the United States and the European Union to assist in the repatriation of Syrians.

Hariri Returns to Beirut after Paris Heart Operation
Naharnet/March 28/19/Prime Minister Saad Hariri returned Thursday evening to Beirut from Paris where he underwent a heart stent operation several days ago, his office said. "He is scheduled to resume his official activities early next week," the office added in a statement. Hariri’s private doctor Issam Yassine said Monday that the operation was successful and that Hariri was in good health. "The medical procedure was precautionary," he added.

Bassil Hails Pompeo’s Refugee Remarks before the Congress
Naharnet/March 28/19/Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil praised the remarks reportedly made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before the Congress about refugees, describing it as an “advanced move” towards the repatriation of the displaced Syrians. “Pompeo’s remarks about the displaced before the US Congress is an advanced move proving that bold dialogue and clear national positions are the closest way to achieve national interest," said Bassil on Twitter. “Our battle in defense of existence is long and hard, but our will is stronger and firmer. Repatriation of refugees will be achieved, and we won’t accept it to be other than safe and dignified,” he added. Official sources in Beirut have reportedly received a diplomatic report stating that Pompeo, following his visit to Lebanon, spoke to the US House of Representatives subcommittee on aid funding to the Syrian refugees and their return. Pompeo was quoted as saying: “In Lebanon there are 1.5 million Syrian refugees with all the burden they have on the country in terms of cost and the dangers posed by their presence on Lebanon and its democracy. “The US State Department was leading discussions on how to prepare the right conditions on the ground inside Syria so that these refugees can return to their homes. This is the specific task that the Lebanese people want. I honestly believe that the return of these individuals is the best for them. We have to make sure that the conditions are appropriate for their return, which the US State Department will be in the front lines to achieve,” Pompeo said.

EU Ambassador and British Ambassador Visit the Bekaa
Naharnet/March 28/19/European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Christina Lassen and British Ambassador Chris Rampling on Thursday visited the Bekaa region to inspect EU and UK support to the local communities. Lassen visited the border town of Arsal, where she met with the Head of Municipality, Bassel al-Hujeiri. to discuss “future EU support to the Arsal area,” an EU Delegation statement said. After that she headed to the Inmaa Informal Settlement where the International Rescue Committee is implementing a program for the protection of adolescent girls with support from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). The ambassador then met with representatives from the Norwegian People’s Aid and Mines Advisory Group near landmine contaminated area where a new mine clearing program will soon be launched with EU support to the benefit of the Arsal population. Lassen was later joined by UK Ambassador Rampling at the Kayany Foundation all-girls school in Barelias. They saw how the science laboratories installed, and the academic and scholarship guidance, alongside psychosocial support activities, are benefiting the youth, both refugees and Lebanese, thanks to a grant from the HOPES project funded by the European Union, and through the PADILEIA program funded by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID). Both activities are being implemented by the American University of Beirut's Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service. The visit to the Bekaa concluded with a tour of cherry orchards in Zahle and a discussion with farmers who have received extensive technical and business trainings with EU experts through the EU's private sector development program. "Our visit to the Bekaa today showcases the vast array of support that the EU and its Member States are providing in Lebanon," Lassen said. "It shows that humanitarian aid, safety, security, education and economic development go hand-in-hand if local communities are to prosper and be able to face the difficult economic and social challenges that affect the region," she added. “The EU and the UK are working closely together to support Lebanon and will continue to do so,” Lassen went on to say. After the visit, Ambassador Rampling said: "I’m very pleased to be joining my EU colleague and friend Ambassador Lassen on a visit to the Bekaa today, to see first-hand how the UK and EU support is helping communities cope with the Syrian refugee crisis. It is good to see how DFID funding is allowing programs like PADILEIA provide short and long term study programs for Lebanese and Syrian students. This program is reaching 10,000s of children.”“The UK is preparing to leave the European Union. Throughout this process and beyond, the UK and the EU delegations in Lebanon will continue working as closely together as ever for a strong and stable Lebanon, strengthening the institutions, supporting education so no one child is left behind, and funding projects and initiatives to improve economic opportunities and job opportunities for all,” Rampling reassured. “And indeed, the UK will continue to work with all our European friends and allies to build long-term relationships with key Lebanese institutions and to support hundreds of thousands of Lebanese and refugees alike. The UK and EU have and always will share common values of upholding democracy, human rights, rule of law and open societies. This alliance will continue," he emphasized.

Kubis Says 'Everyone Cares about Lebanon Stability', Even Israel
Naharnet/March 28/19/U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis has reassured that all countries care about the stability of Lebanon. “I am very glad that in my new capacity as the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, I had the opportunity to brief the Security Council about my activities but notably about the country, about Lebanon. I spoke about opportunities and some risks as well,” Kubis said at the media stakeout after Security Council consultations at the U.N. headquarters in New York. “I mentioned also certain risks, first again economy. Economic, social issues, it is obvious from my meetings in the past six weeks that this is very high in the agenda of the government . Hopefully soon the Government will adopt the budget and the budget that hopefully will send a very strong signal that it is a reform budget,” Kubis added. Noting that there is “a national consensus even, political consensus among the major political parties, in favor of return of Syrian refugees back home,” the U.N. official said “there is another big discussion about how to do it, if there is room to do it, how to cooperate and there is another topic about how to shape relations between Lebanon and Syria as such.”Responding to a question on whether returning refugees might face security risks in Syria, Kubis emphasized upon “the principles of safe, voluntary and dignified return.” “You cannot expect from the U.N., any side or any part of the U.N., to do and think in any other different way,” he stressed. As for the impact of the tense regional circumstances on Lebanon in light of the situation in Gaza and the U.S. recognition of the Golan as Israel's territory, Kubis said: "I would say that by and large, there is a strong interest, and it is my assumption and assessment, not to go too far in destabilizing the situation.”“Everyone cares about stability of Lebanon, including the regional countries. This is what I heard also in Israel. So from that perspective, I am of course following this with certain concern, but I don’t think we should expect any total instability,” he reassured.

HMS Dragon in Lebanon: Symbol of Strong Friendship with Lebanon
Naharnet/March 28/19/Sharing the same patron Saint as the city of Beirut, Saint George, Her Majesty’s Ship HMS DRAGON, one of the world’s most advanced warships – Type 45 Destroyer, docked in Beirut port for three days. This is her first visit to Lebanon on her way back to the UK after a seven-month deployment and the second for the Royal Navy since HMS Ocean’s visit in 2017, the UK embassy said in a press release on Thursday. Standing at 152 m in length and 21 meters in height, HMS Dragon is home to over 220 officer and sailor 10% of which are females. She is an anti-air warfare destroyer designed primarily to protect UK national and allied-coalition forces against all known airborne threats. Achieving eight successful interdictions seizing over 18,000 KGs of narcotics with a street value of hundreds of million US dollars, HMS Dragon has become the most successful Royal Naval vessel to conduct counter narcotics operation, achieving the largest total, number of seizures and total weight of drugs. During her stay at the Port of Beirut, the first Type 45 destroyer hosted various events, including media tours, a capability demonstration, designed to emphasise and deepen the partnership between the two countries. The Royal Navy Marines and Lebanese navy conducted a live diving exercise and fire-fighting exercise. Lebanese Army Navy Officers and cadets also held in depth tours on board of Dragon. HMS Dragon’s visit is a symbol of the strong friendship and partnership between the UK and Lebanon. This extends from political, diplomatic, development and defence links to education, culture and trade. With a UK support of $200 million last year, we remain committed to a stable, secure and prosperous Lebanon. HMS Dragon’s Commanding Officer Commander Michael Carter Quinn, and Defence attaché Lt. Colonel Alex Hilton met with Lebanese Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hosni Daher.
During her stay, Commander Carter Quinn and Ambassador Rampling hosted an evening reception. More than 100 guests attended, led by representatives of President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri: Defence Minister Elias Bou Saab, Information Minister Jamal El Jarrah and MP Yassine Jaber respectively. Addressing his guests, British Ambassador to Lebanon Chris Rampling said: ‘The United Kingdom’s defence policy is ‘international by design’, meaning that our partnerships are central to all that we do. And standing on board this ship and looking around me, I think it is striking that Lebanon, too, is ‘International by Design.’ For our two countries share a great heritage of sailing and trading. Friends, your security is our security. We have invested heavily in the LAF and ISF since 2011, as well as in education, Service Provision, Humanitarian assistance. Lebanon is one of the highest recipients of UK Aid in the region. The UK-Lebanon trading relationship is becoming stronger by the day, and will become more so. The United Kingdom will continue to help the Lebanese people to build a strong, sovereign state. As we will continue to work with our partners, new and old, to support peace and stability in Lebanon, in this region, and across the World.’Commanding Officer Commander Michael Carter Quinn said: ‘It has been a great pleasure to bring HMS DRAGON to Beirut, a visit that has been nearly nine months in the planning, to finally get here and be afforded the opportunity to explore the wonders of Lebanon has been a great honour. This visit has afforded my team the opportunity to engage and support the Lebanese Armed Forces, through mutual training events and hosting members of the local community on board for a reception. We leave here having built new friendships and demonstrated the United Kingdom’s commitment to Lebanon. I look forward to visiting again in the future.’The visit of HMS DRAGON coincided with that of Defence Senior Adviser for the Middle East Sir John Lorimer who met with senior Lebanese officials including, Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Defence Minister Elias Bou Saab.

Hassan: Improving Prison Conditions Urgently Needed
Naharnet/March 28/19/Interior Minister Raya el-Hassan on Thursday stressed during the launching ceremony of a program aimed at developing procedures in Lebanese prisons, that improving prison conditions “is an urgent need for prisoners,” the National News Agency reported. “Improving the conditions in prisons is an urgent need based on human rights,” said Hassan during the launching of the program funded by the US embassy’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). Hassan stressed the need “to proceed with all that proves the prestige of the State."She announced a “series of field tours in coordination with the Internal Security Forces Directorate, to inspect prisons in order to develop appropriate plans to improve their situation.”Hassan also extended her gratitude to the US Embassy for its support.

Berri Says 'Critical' Situation Presses for Quick Govt. Action
Naharnet/March 28/19/In the past few days, a debate has taken place at different political levels mainly between Baabda Palace and Ain el-Tineh that focused on the need for an “urgent government momentum and effectiveness” as soon as the PM recovers from a heart operation he underwent early this week, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday. In that regard, Speaker Nabih Berri emphasized that Lebanon faces a major crisis that needs quick action. “The situation in the country not only requires putting the government on the right production track, but also presses for quick action in order to catch up with the crisis before it becomes difficult to cure," Berri told the daily in an interview. Berri and President Michel Aoun have discussed the situation in a telephone conversation. They emphasized the need to first approving the country’s state budget, said the daily. PM Saad Hariri underwent a heart stent operation on Monday. Reportedly, due to his condition, the cabinet has not met this week, and Berri has postponed a Q&A parliament session that was scheduled on Wednesday. In remarks he made during his weekly meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday, Berri said: “It would have been better if the budget had been approved before the formation of the government, because we had a golden opportunity to complete this entitlement. “The Cabinet must speed up the budget approval in order to refer it to the parliament,” he said, stressing that the budget must reduce the deficit by more than 1%, otherwise “the country will not be in a good situation.”

Lebanon Sees Eastern EU Refugee Hardline as Model to Follow
Naharnet/March 28/19/Lebanon said on Wednesday it wanted to follow the example of eastern EU states that have largely rejected refugees as a way of resolving its own refugee crisis.Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil sympathised with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia's refusal to accept refugee distribution quotas proposed by the EU in the wake of the 2015-16 migrant crisis, when more than a million people streamed into Europe, mostly from war-torn Syria. Populist eastern EU leaders including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Poland's powerbroker Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Czech President Milos Zeman, among others, blasted German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open door" policy on accepting migrants during that period. These countries "were acting in their national interest and decided that the redistribution of refugees among European countries is not in their national interest, although they faced EU sanctions for that," Bassil told reporters in Prague. "I would like this attitude to be an inspiration for Lebanon, because every state must make national interests its top priority and at this moment Lebanon's key national interest is the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland," he added. Lebanon says it is hosting 1.5 million Syrians -- around a quarter of its own population. Less than one million of them are registered with UN refugee agency the UNHCR. Most of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon live in insecurity and depend on international aid. The International Monetary Fund has said their presence has led to increased unemployment and a rise in poverty due to greater competition for jobs. The influx has also put strain on Lebanese water and electrical infrastructure. Lebanese government officials and politicians have ramped up calls for Syrians to return home, but the United Nations has consistently warned that conditions in the war-ravaged country are not suitable for such returns. "I would like Prague or Beirut to host a meeting, an initiative of countries seeking to plan and ensure the return of Syrian refugees to their country," said Bassil. "This would be immensely useful for both Lebanon and Syria and in general it would be the best solution to the human, humanitarian and political crisis we have right now and which could get worse in the future," he said.

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on March 28-29/2019
غارات اسرائيلية على مخازن أسلحة إيرانية في حلب توقع 7 قتلى من الميليشيات الفارسية
Seven Killed in Israeli Strike in Syria, Watchdog Says
Haaretz (Jack Khoury) and Reuters/March 28/ 2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73398/%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A8%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%81-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A3/
Syrian army says Israel attacked Aleppo industrial zone, causing material damage only ■ Opposition sources claim Israel hit Iranian weapons depots
Seven members of Iran-backed armed forces were killed in Israeli airstrikes on ammunition depots near Aleppo International Airport Wednesday overnight, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
There were conflicting reports as to the nationality of those killed, initial reports claimed all seven were Iranian, while later reports said one killed was Iranian, while the other six were Iraqi.
According to the Syrian military, the strikes targeted an industrial zone in Aleppo and caused material damage only. "The Israeli aggression targeted some positions in Sheikh Najjar industrial zone and a number of enemy missiles were brought down," a Syrian army statement said.
Two opposition sources familiar with Tehran's military presence in the area said large ammunitions depot and a logistics hub that belonged to Iranian-backed militias inside the industrial zone received direct hits.
Other strikes hit the vicinity of Nairab military airport on the outskirts of Aleppo in the second such strike on the installation used by Iranian troops in less than a year, they added.
Israel's Acting Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz reacted to the alleged strikes Thursday morning, saying that, "as far as Iran knows, it's Israel" who struck in Syria. The blasts caused an electrical blackout in Aleppo, the country's second largest city and a major industrial hub that bore the brunt of years of fighting and heavy Russian and Syrian aerial bombardment on its former rebel-held areas.
Military experts say Aleppo is one of the main areas where Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have a strong military presence supporting local militias that have for years been fighting alongside the Syrian army to defeat insurgents.
Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias have expanded their control over mainly Sunni areas around Damascus, southern and eastern Syria that bore the brunt of the heaviest bombardment and led to mass displacement or emigration to neighbouring countries.
Iran's growing influence in Syria, where it has struck economic and trade deals, has raised the prospect of a military confrontation with its arch-enemy Israel.
Israel, which considers Iran its biggest threat, has repeatedly attacked Iranian targets in Syria and those of allied militia, including Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Earlier this year Israeli military said they had attacked Iranian targets that included munitions stores in Damascus International Airport.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel had carried out "hundreds" of attacks over the past few years of Syria's war to curtail Iran and its ally Hezbollah.
Israel has said it was crucial to block growing Iranian military influence in Syria and has vowed it would push its troops out of the country.
With an election approaching, Israel's government has increased its attacks in Syria and has taken a tougher stance towards Hezbollah on the border with Lebanon. Iran has warned Israel it would respond if it continued attacking targets in Syria and repeatedly said its military presence in Syria is at the invitation of the Assad government and it has no immediate plans to withdraw.
The strike coincided with an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council that was held at Syria's request over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Israel Targets Iranian Ammunition Depots in Aleppo
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 28 March, 2019/Israeli warplanes have targeted ammunition depots belonging to Iranian forces and allied groups in Sheikh Najjar industrial zone, northeast of the Syrian city of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday. According to the war monitor, the strikes have “caused huge explosions."It said one Iranian and six allied militiamen were killed in the late Wednesday strike that also wounded several other fighters. If confirmed, it would be the first attack on Syrian territory since US President Donald Trump on Monday recognized the Golan Heights -- seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War -- as Israeli territory, a move which breaks with decades of international consensus. A number of residents of Aleppo told AFP that the attack led to a power cut in the whole city. Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria in the past few years targeting positions held by its main enemy Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, with the goal of stopping Iran from entrenching itself militarily in the war-torn country.

US Decision on Golan Sparks Wide Rejection at Security Council
New York - Ali Barada/ Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 28 March, 2019/“The UN position on the Golan is known and clear. That position is reflected in the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, notably Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 497 (1981),” said Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, during her brief to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East on Wednesday. “We hope that the recent developments will not be used as an excuse by anyone to pursue actions that could undermine the relative stability of the situation on Golan and beyond. We will continue to closely monitor developments on the ground and will keep the Council informed, as appropriate,” she added. She also called on the Guarantor States to work together to address the issue of terrorist groups on the Security Council’s list, in full compliance with international humanitarian law, noting that this was a necessary step to avoid mass migration and another humanitarian catastrophe. Meanwhile, during a Tuesday meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a number of Security Council members (some European countries, South Africa, Indonesia, China, and others) expressed dissatisfaction with the US decision to break with international consensus on the Golan Heights, considered by the UN as “occupied territory.”“We do not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the territories it occupies since June 1967, including the Golan Heights,” said the five European permanent members of the Security Council (Germany, France, Britain, Belgium and Poland) in a statement. They also stressed that the annexation of territory by force was prohibited by international law. “Any unilateral border changes go against the rules-based international order and the UN Charter,” they emphasized. “We raise our strong concerns about broader consequences of recognizing illegal annexation and also about the broader regional consequences,” the statement concluded.

U.S. Wants UN Peacekeeping Force to Stay in the Golan
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 28/19/The United States said Wednesday a UN peacekeeping mission deployed in the Golan Heights should remain in place despite its decision to recognize Israel's annexation of the strategic plateau. The 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) was dispatched to a buffer zone between Israel and Syria in the Golan in 1974, tasked with monitoring a ceasefire. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize the Golan as Israeli territory prompted speculation that Washington would seek to end the UNDOF mission when its mandate comes up for renewal in June. "This announcement does not affect the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, nor do we believe it undermines UNDOF's mandate in any way," US diplomat Rodney Hunter told a Security Council meeting on the Golan.
"UNDOF continues to have a vital role to play in preserving stability between Israel and Syria, most importantly by ensuring that the area of separation is a buffer zone free from any military presence or activities other than those of UNDOF," he added. The council met at Syria's request to discuss the US decision, which Damascus said was a "flagrant violation" of UN resolutions. Three Security Council resolutions call on Israel to withdraw from the Golan, which it seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981, in a move that was never recognized internationally.
The US diplomat argued that the decision would bolster Israel's security and "can contribute to the stability of the entire Middle East" by keeping Syria and its Iranian ally in check. Washington's European allies have said they continue to view the Golan as Israeli-occupied territory and will not follow in Trump's footsteps. Trump's decision is viewed with concern by the Europeans who say it legitimizes the use of force to seize land -- a stance that could have an impact in opposing Russia's annexation of Crimea. The council was not expected to release a statement criticizing the US decision following the meeting as this would require consensus among all 15 council members including the United States.

U.S.-Led Anti-IS Coalition Admits 1,257 Civilians Killed since 2014
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 28/19/The U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State jihadists in Syria and Iraq admitted Thursday that at least 1,257 civilians had been killed in air strikes since Operation Inherent Resolve began in 2014. The international coalition said in a statement it had conducted 34,038 strikes between August 2014 and the end of February this year. "At least 1,257 civilians have been unintentionally killed by Coalition strikes since the beginning of Operation Inherent Resolve," it said. The coalition also announced in a statement that it had received 147 reports of possible civilian casualties and reviewed only one, in February, which it found to be credible. That one credible report refers to a September 13, 2017 bombing on a munitions factory near Rawa, Iraq. Two civilians were wounded, the coalition said. The other 146 reports are still open. Five which had been closed and deemed not credible have been reopened "due to new information."Airwars, an NGO which monitors civilian casualties from air strikes worldwide, estimates that at least 7,595 civilians have been killed in coalition bombing raids -- well in excess of the total acknowledged by the coalition.
The Rawa incident was signaled to the coalition by Airwars. The tally offered by the coalition does not take into account air strikes in recent weeks against the last Islamic State fighters. The group's "caliphate" across parts of Iraq and Syria was declared eliminated on March 23.

Netanyahu Says Prepared for 'Comprehensive' Gaza Operation
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 28/19/Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday Israel is prepared for a widespread military campaign in Gaza as tensions simmered following the latest flare-up -- but only after all other options were exhausted. Netanyahu has been seeking to head off political pressure over Gaza ahead of April 9 elections, in which he faces a strong challenge from former military chief Benny Gantz. "In recent days I gave instructions to fortify forces, to add vehicles, to be prepared for a comprehensive campaign," he said during the inauguration of a new road in northern Israel. The premier, who was speaking after visiting military forces on the Gaza border, noted however that a war would be the last option. "All Israelis should know that if a comprehensive campaign is required, we will enter it strong and safe, after we have exhausted all other possibilities," said Netanyahu, who also serves as defense minister. Palestinian militants had on Monday fired a long-distance rocket from the Gaza Strip, hitting a house north of Tel Aviv and wounding seven Israelis, triggering Israeli air strikes and further Palestinian fire at southern Israel. Netanyahu beefed up the military presence near Gaza, but by Wednesday the fighting had abated after Hamas announced a ceasefire brokered by Egypt. Israel has been carefully monitoring the situation on the Gaza border ahead of Saturday, which will mark a year since mass protests and deadly clashes began there. A demonstration on the day of the anniversary is expected to draw thousands of Palestinians. A Hamas official said an Egyptian delegation met with the Islamist movement's leader Ismail Haniya in Gaza City on Wednesday night in further efforts to calm tensions. The official said the delegation informed Hamas and its allies in Gaza that Israel had agreed to measures such as improving the electricity supply in the strip, which suffers from severe power shortages. In exchange, Hamas would be expected to maintain calm at the weekly protests along the Gaza border, including during Saturday's anniversary. It was unclear whether any progress had been made, and an Egyptian official said they would continue to mediate between the sides to try and maintain calm.

US Decision on Golan Sparks Wide Rejection at Security Council
New York - Ali Barada/Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/19/“The UN position on the Golan is known and clear. That position is reflected in the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, notably Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 497 (1981),” said Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, during her brief to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East on Wednesday. “We hope that the recent developments will not be used as an excuse by anyone to pursue actions that could undermine the relative stability of the situation on Golan and beyond. We will continue to closely monitor developments on the ground and will keep the Council informed, as appropriate,” she added. She also called on the Guarantor States to work together to address the issue of terrorist groups on the Security Council’s list, in full compliance with international humanitarian law, noting that this was a necessary step to avoid mass migration and another humanitarian catastrophe. Meanwhile, during a Tuesday meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a number of Security Council members (some European countries, South Africa, Indonesia, China, and others) expressed dissatisfaction with the US decision to break with international consensus on the Golan Heights, considered by the UN as “occupied territory.”“We do not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the territories it occupies since June 1967, including the Golan Heights,” said the five European permanent members of the Security Council (Germany, France, Britain, Belgium and Poland) in a statement. They also stressed that the annexation of territory by force was prohibited by international law. “Any unilateral border changes go against the rules-based international order and the UN Charter,” they emphasized. “We raise our strong concerns about broader consequences of recognizing illegal annexation and also about the broader regional consequences,” the statement concluded.

Sarraj Says Libya's National Conference an Opportunity for Dialogue
Cairo - Khalid Mahmoud/Asharq Al Awsat/March 28/19/The head of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, on Wednesday expressed optimism that the National Conference will achieve consensus on controversial issues. During a news conference held in Tripoli, Sarraj’s spokesperson, Mohamed El Sallak, said the GNA chief believes that the National Conference that is set to be held in April is an opportunity for dialogue, and aims at reaching reconciliation among Libyans to resolve the country's crisis. His remarks came after UN Security Council member states affirmed full support for UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame in his mediation to reach a political solution in the country by holding peaceful and credible elections. The Council urged all UN member states and regional organizations on Tuesday to unite in support of Salame during this critical phase of Libya’s transition. According to a press statement, the members underlined that the National Conference provides a crucial opportunity for all Libyans to put aside their differences, exercise restraint for the good of the country, and achieve peace and prosperity for the Libyan people. They also welcomed the UN-facilitated talks held in Abu Dhabi in February between Sarraj and Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar, including their agreement on the need to end the transitional stages in Libya by holding general elections. The members recalled Libyan leaders’ commitments, made at the international conferences in Paris and Palermo last year, including to work constructively with the UN-facilitated efforts.Meanwhile, the EU ambassadors to Libya welcomed during their meeting with Haftar and members of the House of Representatives the effective and rules-based action against terrorist groups and organized crime, in compliance with human rights and Libya’s obligations under international law. However, the EU delegation said it was concerned by reports of human rights and international humanitarian law violations around the country, including those that took place during recent military campaigns in the east and south as well as various ongoing violations perpetrated in western Libya. The statement came as LNA Spokesman Brigadier General Ahmad al-Mesmari said that the army will advance on Tripoli at the appropriate time, without revealing further details. Mesmari said the LNA will prevent the formation of an armed party in Libya similar to Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

U.N. Expert Says Saudi Must Make Khashoggi Trials Public
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 28/19/A U.N. human rights expert said Thursday that Saudi Arabia needed to hold public trials for those accused of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi in order for the process to be credible. "Contrary to Saudi Arabia assertions, these are not internal, domestic matters," said Agnes Callamard, the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. The kingdom "is grievously mistaken if it believes that these proceedings, as currently constituted, will satisfy the international community," she added in a statement. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October. Riyadh initially said it had no knowledge of his fate, but later blamed the murder on rogue agents. The public prosecutor in the Saudi capital has charged 11 people over his murder and the government has rejected calls for an independent international investigation. Callamard is conducting what she has described as "an independent human rights inquiry" into Khashoggi's death. She has previously stated that the killing was "planned and perpetrated" by Saudi officials, but her probe was not established by a United Nations resolution and it does not carry the weight of a formal inquiry. U.N. special rapporteurs are also independent and do not speak for the world body. Callamard on Thursday issued a set of recommendations to make the Saudi-led process more credible. They include making public the names of the accused and charges against them as well as publicizing all trial proceedings and the evidence presented. Callamard also called on international monitors to be allowed at the trial and full transparency regarding any efforts to locate Khashoggi's remains. "The rights of the victim and his family are at stake, but so too are the rights of other states under international treaties and law," she added. Saudi officials have previously said they were insulted by calls for international supervision of the Khashoggi case, dismissing them as unfair attacks on the integrity of its judicial system.

Guaido Rejects Regime Announcement Stripping Him of Office
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 28/19/Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, recognized as interim president by the U.S. and its allies, on Thursday rejected an announcement by the regime that he was barred from public office. Guaido said the order, issued earlier Thursday by Auditor General Elvis Amoroso, was invalid. "He is not auditor general... The legitimate congress is the only one with power to designate an auditor general," he said.

Russia Says Its Troops in Venezuela 'for as Long as Needed'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 28/19/Russia said Thursday its troops will stay in Venezuela "for as long as needed", rejecting US President Donald Trump's demand that Russia remove its military from the crisis-stricken country. Russia's weekend deployment of troops and equipment to bolster President Nicolas Maduro has ratcheted up already high international tensions over Venezuela where the Trump administration is pushing for regime change. The Russian foreign ministry insisted Thursday the presence of its troops there did not pose a threat to anyone. "They are involved in the implementation of agreements in the sphere of military and technical cooperation," said ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, adding they would remain in the country "for as long as needed." "Russia is not changing the balance of power in the region, Russia is not threatening anyone unlike citizens in Washington whom I have just quoted," she told reporters. She was referring to Trump's comments that "Russia has to get out" of Venezuela as well as to statements by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Washington does not plan to negotiate with Maduro and wants to end Russia and Cuba's influence on Caracas. 'Coup' accusation The United States and more than 50 other countries recognise Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president while Russia, along with China, backs Maduro. "Neither Russia nor Venezuela are provinces of the United States," Zakharova said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Washington of trying to "organise a coup d'etat" in the oil-producing nation. Venezuela's military attache in Moscow also said Thursday that Russian troops were in the country under an agreement on military and technical cooperation and not to carry out a military operation. A Russian air force Antonov-124 cargo plane and a smaller Ilyushin Il-62 landed at the main airport outside Caracas on Saturday and offloaded around 100 troops and tonnes of equipment. "As for the presence of Russian specialists, we are talking about cooperation, military and technical cooperation," the attache, Jose Rafael Torrealba Perez, was quoted as saying in translated comments by RIA Novosti state news agency. "We are absolutely not talking about Russia's military presence to carry out military operations," he added. Venezuela's Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez is expected to visit Moscow in April as part of the cooperation between the two countries, the attache said.On Tuesday, Zakharova declared that Russia was "developing cooperation with Venezuela in strict accordance with the constitution of that country and with full respect for its legal norms"."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," she said. In 2011, Russia gave Venezuela a $4 billion loan to buy Russian armaments.

Former President Amine Gemayel: Lebanon Going Through Very Difficult Phase
Kataeb.org/Thursday 28th March 2019/Former President Amine Gemayel on Thursday said that Lebanon is going through a "very difficult" phase, adding that hardships the country experienced throughout its contemporary history have caused the disintegration of the State institutions and undermined national unity. "Lebanon's long-standing suffering, which started with the Palestinian and Syrian eras, led to the dismantling of the Lebanese institutions and national unity to a great extent, and disrupted the management of the country as well as the services provided to the Lebanese," Gemayel said during a lunch banquet held in his honor at the Lebanese consulate in Sydney. The ex-president emphasized the negative repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis, adding that this issue has become a heavy burden that Lebanon can no longer endure. "The Lebanese residing in Lebanon are still resisting and standing firm despite everything," he stressed. "We must not despair. Cooperation should be consolidated between the expats and their compatriots who are still in Lebanon in order to rescue the country."During another meeting with Kataeb supporters in Sydney, Gemayel said that the ruling authority has now decided to embrace Russia's initiative to help ensure the Syrian refugees' return to their country, although it disregarded the Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel's proposal to seek Russia's assistance after his visit to Moscow over one year ago. Gemayel noted that there is still no international agreement on the refugees' return, warning against turning humanitarian aids provided by the international community into funds aimed at settling the refugees in the host communities. Gemayel condemned the U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory, deeming it as a unilateral move that violates international laws and goes against the course of history. "This decision does not only disrupt the peace process in the region, but also jeopardizes the Midde East's security and stability by imposing a new status quo,” he added. "There will be no peace in the region unless it is based on justice,” Gemayel stressed.

Burden of Delay: Review of the Electricity Crisis
Ziad Baroud/The Daily Star/March 28/19
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves” - Shakespeare. I am not an expert on electricity or its technicalities, nor am I an expert in power or its state of affairs, but I am one of many citizens who dutifully settle their taxes and repeatedly contribute, knowingly or unknowingly, to financing the staggering deficits in the electricity sector. I am one of many citizens who have unwillingly become so accepting and accustomed to the state of darkness, as if we as citizens are not entitled to a permanent state of light. I am one of the same citizens who may have surrendered to a wretched state of governance, the same state of governance that seems to be unscathed by its own incompetence. It is not right to generalize, but it is also not right to fail to recognize the state of affairs that has led us to the bottom end of the bottom. This bottom end that we find ourselves in is not due to lack of merit or skill, but it is due to a persisting failure on behalf of those in government to make binding political decisions and reach final verdicts. All we’ve seen is that some theorize, some criticize, some benefit, while others try in vain.
The penalty we pay is high; a burden borne solely by Lebanon’s hardworking citizens who have been abandoned by a government that has failed to procure them with the basic human right of access to electricity. Despite this fact, the citizens have maintained their hope to cross the reform barrier into a miracle solution to reform a vital sector that harbors a large and significant positive impact on economic growth and human welfare. The purpose of this reading is twofold: the dissipation of information to the general public, which is their right, on one hand, and to hold responsible those who dare delay or block the solution on the other hand. The aim is to do this while supporting all those who strive to reform the electricity sector, end its funding reliance on the Lebanese Treasury, and on the taxpayers’ hard-earned income by extrapolation.
In a 2014 study, years before taking office, current Economy Minister Mansour Bteich wrote: “If the electricity problem was resolved in the mid-1990s, the size of the public debt would have fallen from about $68 billion to $41 billion by the end of 2014.” Bteich stressed its negative impact on the economy and growth. Indeed, between 1992 and 2018, Electricite du Liban’s “EDL” remittances reached $23 billion. When we add the cost of financing, remittances amount to $40 billion, which equals 46 percent of the total public debt. Moreover, when we aggregate the electricity’s cost of generation, its cost of transmission, its cost of distribution and the inexplicable losses due to lack of bill collection and electricity theft, with every sunrise, the government needs to allocate $5 million to support EDL’s operations. And still, it barely covers 50 percent, i.e. 1.5 gigawatts, of Lebanon’s electricity demand (after netting technical losses in transmission and distribution).
EDL LOSSES: THE REASONSExperts point out that the direct cost of production is currently around 16 cents per kilowatt hour (a cost that fluctuates with the global oil prices). The cost is further exacerbated with up to 38 percent of wasted production due to technical losses on the grid, as well as theft of electricity and uncollected bills. And when the remaining EDL operating costs are added (including salaries, maintenance and other expenses), the cost of the kilowatt hour exceeds 22 cents, compared to an average EDL tariff of 9.53 cents!
In 2018, EDL managed to cover about 1.5 gigawatts of the demand requirement of twice that figure. The difference was secured by generators at an average cost of 28 cents (being applied since October 2018). This situation results in a total electricity cost ultimately borne by the Lebanese consumer of $6.4 billion, distributed as follows: $0.9 billion (EDL collections) + $1.8 billion (EDL deficit) + $3.7 billion (private generators’ cost of securing 1.5 gigawatts); equivalent to 24.3 cents per kilowatt hour. Of course, the humanitarian Syrian refugee crisis has exacerbated Lebanon’s electricity crisis, with the United Nations Development Program estimating an increase in local demand of about 480 megawatts due to the presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
As for the terrible health risk factor, experts consider Lebanon’s usage of heavy fuel oil as one of its primary fuels for electricity generation (such as in Zouk, Jiyyeh, and the power barges) has very heavy repercussions on public health that go beyond numbers and financial costs. Most recently, Lebanon ranked as the fifth most polluted country in the Arab world, and the city of Jounieh as the 23rd most polluted city in the world! Moreover, a recent research report conducted by the American University of Beirut concluded that Lebanese citizens’ average age, has been shortened by 25 percent due to air quality!
THE SOLUTION: PAST AND PRESENTThe phrase “electricity plan” is one we’ve grown far too accustomed to over the years; the same goes for the empty promises of “24/7 electricity” that have been continuously and shamelessly transmitted without any “interruption” since 1992! Many officials have proposed plans and reforms that were blocked by political bickering, and sometimes by funding constraints. The latest electricity reform policy was published in 2010. It has since been reviewed, amended and optimized by multiple financial, technical and environmental experts, with most recently the World Bank weighing in within the framework of the CEDRE conference.
Indeed, it is widely considered that reforming the broken electricity sector is a key transit to reversing the outlook on the Lebanese economy due to its staggering weight on the fiscal budget and economic growth. In this context, it was reported in the Standard & Poor’s rating report released on 1/3/2019: “We could revise the outlook to stable if the Lebanese government is able to advance substantial economic and fiscal reforms that would boost economic growth and reduce government debt levels over the medium term, including addressing the gaps and inefficiencies in the electricity sector.”
Within the framework of the CEDRE conference, the Lebanese government has committed itself to undertake fundamental reforms in the sector, including:
1. Power generation: construction of new power plants, in both thermal power plants and renewable energy in partnership with the private sector. The newly enacted PPP law should open opportunities of collaboration and access to large pools of financing, conditioned by transparency and governance.
2. Transmission: implementation of the national transmission master plan (already approved by the Cabinet), with upgrades to the network and a quick resolution to the Mansourieh missing section of our grid, which is causing instability and large losses in the grid and leading to low quality in electricity distribution.
3. Distribution: investing in smart meters and a smart grid to control collection, ensure a better management of demand and supply and limit the theft of electricity
4. Switch to natural gas as a primary fuel of the power plants, which would reduce EDL’s fuel bill by an estimated 20-30 percent, in addition to a substantial reduction in carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and fine particles emission.
5. Tariff reform: review EDL’s electricity tariff, which is currently well below the global average (9.53 cents compared to 19 cents per kilowatt hour). However, the increase cannot be implemented until residents, who are already burdened by the heavy cost of private generators (costing 28 cents/kWh), first witness an improvement in EDL’s power supply, reducing their reliance on the private generators. Then, and only then, the subject of the tariff reform can be approached. In the meantime, all efforts should be channeled toward implementing the necessary reforms and projects for EDL to procure the deficit in power, and limiting technical and nontechnical losses.
In addition, it has become a necessity to establish the Electricity Regulatory Authority as stipulated in Law 462, and to modernize EDL’s operations and systems with a functional board to manage EDL in a commercial way (with a view of rendering EDL a profitable organization) after an in-depth review of its cost structure. If the total cost of the first reform phase is between $3.5 billion and $4 billion (according to the Capital Investment Program presented at CEDRE), the public sector has only to secure one-sixth (or $500 million). On the other hand, the cost of waiting and engaging in continuous assessments, revisions and reassessments of the plan is exponentially greater. Time is no longer available for any reconsideration or optimization of the plans, gaps and reforms in a well-elaborated strategy. Time has become a luxury that the Lebanese citizens and the state cannot afford anymore, with every day carrying heavy financial burdens that our children and grandchildren will have to bear! When assessing the numbers, it is objectively clear and unequivocal that a fast implementation of the solution will bear positive impacts on EDL’s dire financial situation. For example, plants such as the one envisaged in Zahrani, Selaata, and Deir Ammar, which generate 35 percent of their production using steam, could result in yearly savings to EDL estimated at $300 million per 570 megawatts plant compared to its existing cost of production.
INVESTING IN TECHNOLOGIES
OF THE FUTURE:
RENEWABLE ENERGYAs a signatory to the Paris Agreement on climate change, Lebanon has committed to a renewable energy target of 30 percent by 2030. There is no doubt that the target is ambitious and its success is linked to decisions and reforms that must be further elaborated and implemented. There are uncontested environmental and economic benefits to using renewable energy as a source of electricity. From an environmental aspect, renewable energy produces electricity with no greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants from fossil fuels, reducing air pollution. From an economic perspective, it diversifies energy supply and reduces our dependence on imported fuels hence improving our balance of payments. Even if we end up with large oil and gas discoveries, these could be exported to further enhance our government revenues.
In November 2017, three wind farm licenses with a total capacity of 227 megawatts were awarded at a fixed price of 10.45 cents for the first three years and 9.6 cents for subsequent years (compared with a current production cost of 16 cents for the kilowatt hour) - making Lebanon’s first wind farms the cheapest source of electricity generation in the country. For every 100 megawatts of electricity purchased from the wind farms, EDL will save around $55 million per annum compared to its current cost of production.
Besides their notable environmental benefits, the execution of these projects will require a $350 million investment, creating job opportunities, income to the local communities and large upgrades in the roads and infrastructure, especially in the province of Akkar.
Sources also indicate that the Energy and Water Ministry is in the process of awarding licenses for 12 solar farms spread across Lebanon with a total capacity of 180 megawatts, whereby the cost of electricity is expected to be around 8 cents per kilowatt hour.
The ministry is also preparing to launch tenders for more than 1,000 megawatts in solar, wind and hydro projects.
TIME IS NONRENEWABLEA good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow. Without execution, strategy is worthless. As time passes so does our opportunity for a brighter future with a curbing of our government debt and budget deficit. Immediate execution shouldn’t entail compromises in terms of tenders, transparency and proper governance as this is a key condition imposed by the international financing community and the banking sector, on which we rely for the large part of the financing that is required to execute the plan. The time frames needed to implement these projects require that they be commenced immediately to address the burden on the country’s broader economic and fiscal performance. Even so, the government will still have a deficit of about 1.5 gigawatts for the next three to four years due to the required delays for financing and construction. Therefore, and only when the long-term solution is put in place and the reduction in losses are achieved (both technical and nontechnical), he government should then seek a proposal for a short-term solution to bridge the gap until the power plants come online, instead of the costly and highly polluting private generators that have mushroomed in our cities and villages. This would allow the gradual increase in tariffs to restore financial health to EDL, which could become profitable in a five-year time frame - and more importantly, it will be able to supply Lebanese citizens with 24/7 electricity.
In parallel, why doesn’t the government impose on the private developers a listing of at least 20 percent of the project companies on the Beirut stock exchange in the tender documents? This would allow a promotion of transparency and good governance.
STOP THE BLEEDINGDarkness falls uniformly upon us all. We have all been victims of the prolonged delay. We wish to believe the promises made by the government in its ministerial statement, but our sparks of hope are conquered by our fears of yet another lost opportunity. Alas, we have even become cautious with how to hope, and with how much to hope for!
The government’s plan may not be the ideal plan and some of us may be critical of it, but this plan has taken years of drafting and scrutiny, both domestically and internationally. Whatever its gaps, whatever its weaknesses, a confirmed decision to implement it is its only vital shield, and that decision will be the necessary trigger for its elaboration and development. The wait is too expensive; as the clock ticks, it drains along with it millions of dollars a day; as the clock ticks, the deficit widens, the loss is aggravated, and the opportunities are lost ... and isn’t this the epitome of corruption?
NO EXCUSES, NO EXPLANATION ... EXECUTION WINSIn conclusion, whichever plan is the plan, its value and bearing remain in its execution, in its transparency, as well as in the time it needs to be accomplished.
While overdue, these will be the bases for the sound judgment of a plan, its foundations and its accountability. Let us temporarily uproot ourselves from our presumptions, and let us condemn the perpetrators if they falter, and let us commend the victors if they succeed.
We will then honor them with 24/7!
*Ziyad Baroud is a former interior minister of Lebanon.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 28-29/2019
System Fail
لي سميث تعليقاً على تقرير ميلر الذي برأ ترامب: فشل النظام
Lee Smith/Tablet magazineTablet/March 28/19
The Mueller Report is an unmitigated disaster for the American press and the ‘expert’ class that it promotes
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73388/lee-smith-system-fail-the-mueller-report-is-an-unmitigated-disaster-for-the-american-press-and-the-expert-class-that-it-promotes%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%AB-%D8%AA%D8%B9/
It will take weeks for the elite pundit class to unravel all the possible implications and subtexts embedded in Robert Mueller’s final report on the charge that Donald Trump and his team colluded with Russia to fix the 2016 election. The right claims that the report exonerates Trump fully, while the left contends there are lots of nuggets in the full text of the final report that may point to obstruction of justice, if not collusion.
But here’s all you need to know about the special counsel probe:
First, after nearly two years, the special counsel found no credible evidence of collusion. It found no credible evidence of a plot to obstruct justice, to hide evidence of collusion. The entire collusion theory, which has formed the center of elite political discourse for over two years now, has been publicly and definitely proclaimed to be a hoax by the very person on whom news organizations and their chosen “experts” and “high-level sources” had so loudly and insistently pinned their daily, even hourly, hopes of redemption.
Mueller should have filed his report on May 18, 2017—the day after the special counsel started and he learned the FBI had opened an investigation on the sitting president of the United States because senior officials at the world’s premier law enforcement agency thought Trump was a Russian spy. Based on what evidence? A dossier compiled by a former British spy, relying on second- and third-hand sources, paid for by the Clinton campaign.
Instead, the special counsel lasted 674 days, during which millions of people who believed Mueller was going to turn up conclusive evidence of Trump’s devious conspiracies with the Kremlin have become wrapped up in a collective hallucination that has destroyed the remaining credibility of the American press and the D.C. expert class whose authority they promote.
Mueller knew that he wasn’t ever going to find “collusion” or anything like it because all the intercepts were right there on his desk. As it turned out, two of his prosecutors, including Mueller’s so-called “pit bull,” Andrew Weissman, had been briefed on the Steele dossier prior to the 2016 election and were told that it came from the Clintons, and was likely a biased political document.
Weissman left, or was pushed out of, his employment with the special counsel a few weeks ago, after the arrival of a new attorney general, William Barr, who had deep experience in government, including stints at the Justice Department and the CIA. Knowing what we know now, here’s what seems most likely to have just happened: Barr looked at the underlying documents on which Mueller’s investigation was based. First, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s May 17, 2017, memo appointing the former FBI director to take supervision of the FBI’s investigation of Trump. And more importantly, the Aug. 2, 2017, memo from Rosenstein outlining the scope of the investigation.
Among the scope memo’s few unredacted lines are allegations regarding Paul Manafort’s “colluding with Russian government officials … to interfere with the 2016 elections.” The only known source for those allegations is the Steele dossier. What that strongly suggests is that under those redactions are other fabricated allegations that were also drawn from the Clinton-funded smear campaign—a dirty-tricks operation that was led by Fusion GPS founder and conspiracy theorist Glenn Simpson.
And now, after all the Saturday Night Live skits, the obscenity-riddled Bill Maher and Stephen Colbert routines, the half a million news stories and tens of millions of tweets all foretelling the end of Trump, the comedians and the adult authority figures are exposed as hoaxsters, or worse, based on evidence that was always transparently phony.
The Mueller report is in. But the abuse of power that the special counsel embodied is a deadly cancer on American democracy. Two years of investigations have left families in ruins, stripping them of their savings, their homes, threatening their liberty, and dragging their names through the mud. The investigation of the century was partly based on the possibility that Michael Flynn, a combat veteran who served his country for more than three decades, might be a Russian spy—because of a dinner he once attended in Moscow, and because as incoming national security adviser he spoke to the Russian ambassador to Washington. What rot.
While the length of Mueller’s investigative process may have protected the FBI from the president’s immediate rage, the release of the report has exposed the deep corruption and personal narcissism of the press and its professional networks of “experts” and “sources.” Instead of providing medicine, the press chose instead to spread the disease through a body that was already badly weakened by the advent of “free” digital media. Only, it wasn’t free.
The media criticism of the media’s performance covering Russiagate is misleadingly anodyne—OK, sure the press did a bad job, but to be fair there really was a lot of suspicious stuff going on and now let’s all get back to doing our important work. But two years of false and misleading Russiagate coverage was not a mistake, or a symptom of lax fact-checking.
Russiagate was an information operation from the beginning, in which dozens of individual reporters and institutions actively partnered with paid political operatives like Glenn Simpson and corrupt law enforcement and intelligence officials like former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and senior DOJ official Bruce Ohr to smear Trump and his circle, and then to topple him. None of what went on the last two years would have been possible without the press, an indispensable partner in the biggest political scandal in a generation.
The campaign was waged not in hidden corners of the internet, but rather by the country’s most prestigious news organizations—including, but not only, The New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, and MSNBC. The farce that has passed for public discourse the last two years was fueled by a concerted effort of the media and the pundit class to obscure gaping holes in logic as well as law. And yet, they all appeared to be credible because the institutions sustaining them are credible.
Michael McFaul was U.S. ambassador to Moscow—he knows everything about Russia. He wouldn’t invent stuff about national security matters out of thin air. Jane Mayer is a national treasure, one of America’s greatest living journalists who penned a long profile of Christopher Steele in the pages of the New Yorker. Susan Hennessy is a former intelligence community lawyer, who appears as an expert on TV. And how about her colleague at the Lawfare blog, Benjamin Wittes, a Brookings Institution fellow and a personal friend of James Comey? You think he didn’t have the inside dope, every time he posted a “Boom” GIF on Twitter predicting the final nail just about to be hammered in Trump’s coffin?
Many more jumped on the dog pile along with them, validating each other’s tweets and breathless insider sourcing. The point was to thicken the echo chamber, with voices from the right as well as the left in order to make it seem real. Hey, if this many experts are saying so, there must be something to it.
Except, there wasn’t—ever.
American democracy is premised on a free press that does its best to provide the public with information. Misinforming the public is like dumping toxic waste in the rivers. It poisoned our democracy—and it continues to do so. In fact, the most important thing for the public to understand is that Russiagate is not unique. It’s the way that the expert class opines on everything now, from immigration to foreign policy.
Take for instance last week’s big news that President Trump had decided to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The decision was universally praised in Israel, by both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and by opponents like Yair Lapid. Yet Obama’s former ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, insisted that the decision was politically motivated, telling the Washington Post that “the timing seems pretty transparent.” Surely, like his ambassadorial colleague, McFaul, Shapiro knew exactly what he’s talking about when he tweeted that the decision was made without “any policy planning process to consider potential reactions by Russia, Assad regime, Hezbollah, Arab states, Europe, etc., some of which may not be immediate. A decision like this should factor in such questions. No evidence it has.”
Shapiro was dead wrong. As the Atlantic noted in a detailed reported piece posted hours after Shapiro’s tweet, “the push for Trump to make such a move has been going on for more than a year, due to parallel efforts by Israeli officials and members of Congress.”
But whatever. Experts can say anything they like—the Saudis hacked Jeff Bezos’ emails and photos of him and his girlfriend; Jamal Khashoggi was an American journalist; Jussie Smollett was nearly lynched by Trump supporters; Brett Kavanaugh was part of a rape gang, etc., etc. And reporters will print it, and editors will shrug, because that’s what the press is now—a pass-through mechanism mostly used for manipulative, ill-informed and often nonsensical propaganda.
Americans still want and need accurate information on which to base their decisions about their own lives and the path that the country should take. But neither the legacy media nor the expert class it sustains is likely to survive the post-dossier era in any recognizable form. For them, Russiagate is an extinction level event.

Senior Former Hashd Al-Sha'bi Official To Saudi Alarabiya.net: Iraqi Central Bank Governor Is Collaborating With Iran In Counterfeiting, Money-
Laundering – As Part Of Iran's Efforts To Circumvent U.S. Sanctions
MEMRI/March 28/19
On March 11, 2019, the Saudi news outlet Alarabiya.net, which is known for its anti-Iran views, published a report that quoted a former senior Hashd Al-Sha'bi and Badr Organization official as stating that officials in Iraq's financial system, headed by Central Bank of Iraq governor Ali Al-'Alaq, were operating in service of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and participating in counterfeiting money and money-laundering for the IRGC and Hizbullah in Lebanon.
The former Hashd Al-Sha'bi and Badr Organization official told the website, in an anonymous interview, that Al-'Alaq had met many times with Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, Hashd Al-Sha'bi deputy leader and right-hand man of IRGC Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani. He added that "individuals blacklisted by the U.S.," among them Imam Ali Brigades commander Shibl Al-Zaydi, arrive frequently at Beirut's international airport to transfer the funds to the IRGC and Hizbullah.
According to the Alarabiya.net report, Iran is circumventing the U.S. sanctions in a number of ways. One is by counterfeiting Iraqi dinars in Iran and having Iranian pilgrims bring them into Iraq, where they are converted into U.S. dollars that are then smuggled into Lebanon via Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut and from there transferred to the IRGC forces there and to Hizbullah. Another is with the Central Bank of Iraq's involvement; it sells foreign currency to banks under Iranian ownership at an exchange rate lower than market rate, and the Shi'ite banks rake in profits which are used to fund IRGC activity.
It should be noted that in recent months Iran has been locking down its control of the Iraqi banking system in order to circumvent the U.S. sanctions.[1]As part of these efforts, Iranian President Hassan Rohani visited Iraq earlier this month, on March 11-13, 2019, and signed several memoranda of understandings for trade, oil, and transportation.
The following is the translation of the Alarabiya.net report:
"'An Iraqi money mafia is operating in accordance with IRGC guidelines, leading the largest money-laundering operation in Iraqi history.'
"This serious admission is by a former top commander of Hashd Al-Sha'bi and the Badr Organization, in a phone conversation with Alarabiya.net, during which he exposed the secrets of the many counterfeiting and money-smuggling operations via the Iraq-Iran border to Hizbullah at Beirut airport and the IRGC in Tehran.
"He began: 'There are influential Iraqi figures who are taking advantage of Iraq's financial system, due to pressure [on them] from the armed factions in the country, to provide Iran with U.S. dollars in roundabout ways while at the same time circumventing the American sanctions...'
"The main way [this is done is by] flooding the Iraqi market with counterfeit dinars in order to buy dollars, with the backing of Central Bank of Iraq governor Ali Al-'Alaq, who is among those closest to former Iraqi prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki. [It was Al-Maliki who] personally insisted on [Al-'Alaq's] appointment as bank governor despite the many reservations. The counterfeit currency is smuggled across the border and is not subject to checkpoints. It is brought into Iraq by Iranians who are making pilgrimage to the holy sites at Karbala and Al-Najaf.'
"According to the Al-Hashd official, Central Bank of Iraq governor Al-'Alaq has met many times with Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, deputy leader of Hashd Al-Sha'bi, who is known as Qaassem Soleimani's man... in order to facilitate the transfer of dollars to the terror organizations – Hizbullah in Lebanon or the IRGC. He stressed that [the employees of] Iraq's financial institutions fear these people, who [are members of] designated terrorist organizations. Because of the threats [by IRGC and Hizbullah supporters in Iraq], they are following the Iranian guidelines and providing backing for the money laundering, even if it is at the expense of the Iraqi economy and the destruction of the local currency.
"Alarabiya.net tried many times, with no success, to speak with Ali Al-'Alaq on his cellphone, after being told by the information department of the Central Bank that he was abroad. We also tried to contact the head of the Administration of Financial Operations at the Central Bank, but were likewise unsuccessful.
"The Hashd official further revealed that 'individuals blacklisted by the U.S.' were managing to enter Beirut airport, with the backing of Hizbullah officials, including Imam Ali Brigades secretary-general Shibl Al-Zaydi, who is the proxy of Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani. According to this information, Shibl Al-Zaydi is a regular visitor to Beirut, and has met with Hizbullah's Iraqi affairs chief Muhammad Kotharani, in the capacity of his role to transfer funds to Hizbullah.
"There are many apprehensions regarding Al-'Alaq's administration of the Central Bank of Iraq, particularly in all things concerning the foreign currency auctions.[2] Knowledgeable sources told Alarabiya.net that the Central Bank is selling dollars to civilian 'Islamic Shi'ite' banks belonging to Iranian elements, at a rate lower than market rate. Thus [the civilian banks] are raking in huge profits that are being used to provide a regular cash flow to the IRGC and Hizbullah in Lebanon...
"According to the sources, another method being used [by Iran] to keep foreign currency is that the Iranian regime does not pay Iraq the entry visa fees for Iranian pilgrims. The amount of the fees is offset against Iraq's debt to Iran for the natural gas and electricity that it imports [from Iran].[3]
"Alarabiya.net has obtained the reports on the counterfeit funds seized at Al-Najaf [International] Airport [in Iraq] in the last four months. Thus, on February 18, 2019, $28,000 in counterfeit currency and also 225,000 counterfeit Iraqi dinars were found in the possession of an Iraqi traveler coming from Beirut; on February 3, 2019, 39 million counterfeit Iraqi dinars were confiscated; on December 27, 2018, $66,000 were confiscated and on October 10, 2018, $448,000 in counterfeit bills were found in the possession of an Iraqi traveler..."[4]
[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 7932, In Advance Of Iranian President Rohani's Iraq Visit, Iran Takes Control Of Iraqi Banking System – In Cooperation with Iraqi Prime Minister – In Order To Circumvent U.S. Sanctions, March 7, 2019.
[2] Foreign currency auctions, held by the Central Bank of Iraq at least once a week, allow banks and businessmen to acquire foreign currency. The actionshave been extensively used as a method of capital flight by corrupt politicians and as a method of money laundering to help Iran obtain dollars.
[3] It should be noted that during Iranian President Rohani's visit to Iraq, he announced that both sides had agreed that there would be no charge for entry visas to each other's countries. President.ir, March 11, 2019.
[4] Alarabiya.net, March 11, 2019.

Another Reason to Worry About the Economy
Mark Whitehouse/Bloomberg/March 28/19
Will the US dip into recession sometime in the coming year? Economists increasingly disagree on what will happen — and that in itself may be an ominous sign.
Every month, Bloomberg surveys dozens of economists — from banks, research firms, universities — on the outlook for the US. On average, as of Friday, they expected the economy to grow 2.2 percent during the next 12 months, adjusted for inflation. That said, there was a lot of variation, particularly on the down side: Predictions ranged from 3.2 percent growth to a 0.8 percent contraction. Here’s how that looks:
Variation can matter. Back in 2007, when I was managing a similar survey at the Wall Street Journal, I noticed that although economists weren’t very good at predicting recessions, they did tend to disagree more when one was imminent. That’s what happened before the downturns of 1990 and 2001, and what ultimately happened before 2008. It’s not a perfect indicator, and can spike without foreshadowing anything, but it’s worth watching.
So what’s happening now? To get a sense, I gathered the Bloomberg survey data from the end of each quarter, to see how much the forecasters disagreed. Specifically, I calculated the standard deviation — a measure of divergence from the average — of predictions for growth over the next 12 months. As of Friday, it stood at 0.76 percentage point, the largest dispersion since 2012, when Europe was still immersed in its debt crisis.
The level of disagreement makes sense: With variables such as Donald Trump’s trade policy, Brexit, China’s growth prospects, risky corporate debt and an inverted yield curve in play, it’s particularly hard to guess what might happen. Whatever makes economists uncertain might also be what tips the economy into a slump.

Assad's New Syria: A Police State With Rampant Poverty and a Playground for Superpowers
إليزابيث تسوركوف/هآرتس: سوريا الأسد الجديدة: دولة بوليسية تعاني من فقر متفشي وساحة للقوى العظمى/ 28 آذار/19
Elizabeth Tsurkov/Haaretz/March 28/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73402/%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AB-%D8%AA%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%83%D9%88%D9%81-%D9%87%D8%A2%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B3-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84/
As the Syrian crisis enters its ninth year, the grievances that caused the initial outbreak of mass protests — corruption, political repression and inequality — have only gotten worse.
Eight years after the start of the Syrian uprising, the civil war sparked by the regime’s violent crackdown on Syrian protesters appears to have been decidedly won by President Bashar Assad. In the first months of the uprising, when pro-regime militias were sent to suppress and arrest protesters, they would routinely graffiti walls with the saying “Assad or we burn the country” — in other words, accept the rule of the Syrian president or face destruction.
Eight years into the crisis, Syria’s economy is in tatters, half of its population displaced, hundreds of thousands of Syrians are dead, many of Syria’s cities and towns lie in ruins. Yet on top of this pile of ashes Assad sits comfortably, quite secure in his grip on power.
In areas reconquered by the regime — or as the regime euphemistically describes it, areas that “reconciled” and whose residents “returned to the bosom of the nation” — the Syrian police state is back, more aggressive than ever.
During 2018, regime forces backed by the Russian air force and supported by pro-Iranian militias were able to retake multiple rebel-held pockets and areas, such as eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus; the northern Homs countryside; and the entire area controlled by the opposition in southern Syria, including the area adjacent to the Golan Heights.
The majority of local residents in those pockets chose to surrender to the regime rather than be displaced from their homes to rebel-held areas in Idlib and Aleppo, which are subjected to occasional Syrian regime and Russian airstrikes and shelling.
In 2011, Syrians took pride in “breaking the barrier of fear.” But fear now prevails, as the various branches of the regime’s secret police launch raids and arrest suspected disloyal elements. Many of those arrested are former activists, rebels, health and rescue workers, and civil society leaders. Syrians who wish to prove their loyalty to the regime, obtain power through it or simply settle personal scores inform on others to the regime.
Suhail al-Ghazi, a Syrian analyst based in Istanbul, told Haaretz that Syrians are informing on each other “because they have been doing it for years or because they need money or favors from the regime.” In areas recently recaptured by the regime, “some locals were always pro-regime and stayed there to work as informants or just could not leave. Now they have the chance to take revenge on the majority of civilians who apparently held a more favorable view of the opposition,” Ghazi explained.
Endemic poverty, corruption and war-profiteering
Most of Syria’s population now lives below the poverty line. Across all parts of Syria unemployment rates are high, as the normal economy has been disrupted by years of war and the mass flight of businesspeople and capital out of the country. Syria’s middle class has largely disappeared — many of them fled to neighboring countries or Europe, while others are now living in abject poverty, along with most Syrians.
A small group of war profiteers linked to the various armed groups have been able to enrich themselves by trading in oil, weapons, antiquities, stealing aid, and smuggling people and goods in and out of the country and into besieged areas, while most Syrians struggle to survive. Nearly two-thirds of Syrians are dependent on aid for their subsistence. Basic services like electricity, cooking gas, clean water and health services are lacking in many parts of the country.
Reports coming out of areas under regime control indicate that corruption has never been worse. The general lawlessness, rise of war profiteers and impoverishment of civil servants — whose salaries have not kept up with the devaluation of the Syrian pound — are all exacerbating corruption, which was systemic even before the uprising started and in fact was one of the reasons for the outbreak of public discontent.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a resident of Latakia — an area where many of the regime’s leadership and their relatives reside — told Haaretz: “You have corruption everywhere. Bribing was common before the war, but now it is endemic.”
He described the ostentatious displays of ill-gotten wealth: “High-ranking officials, they and their families, have more rights. They roam the city in fancy cars and do whatever they want. Half of the country is dying from hunger, while the sons of officials are arrogantly showing off their wealth. With money you can do everything. This is not new, but it has become more obvious because of the lawlessness prevailing in Syria.”
No mass return or reconstruction
At least 6 million Syrians have become refugees throughout the civil war, most of them residing in countries neighboring Syria. In 2018, Assad’s main backer, Russia, intensified its engagement with countries hosting Syrian refugees, encouraging them to send back refugees, alongside hefty sums of money to allow for the reconstruction of the country, necessary for the return of refugees.
Recognizing that Syrian refugees would not be safe if they returned, European countries largely ignored these calls. However, Lebanon and Jordan — which together host about 3 million Syrian refugees, who are straining their budgets and causing social tensions — are increasingly pushing Syrians to return by adopting policies depriving refugees of residency and preventing their integration into the local labor market.
Despite these coercive policies and a generally unwelcome environment in countries where most Syrian refugees reside, few among them are volunteering to return to their homeland. Reports indicate that several refugees who have returned to Syria have been arrested and killed under torture. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which avoids criticizing the Syrian regime to maintain access to the country, has resisted pressure to certify that those returning to Syria will be safe.
Many Syrians are not returning because they have no homes to which to return or lack documentation to prove they own their properties. Damascus is also expropriating properties through a series of laws intended to dispossess opposition supporters and displace communities perceived as disloyal from central locations in major cities. Those communities, such as Baba Amr in Homs, and Qaboun and Basateen al-Razi in Damascus, are being replaced by luxury apartment buildings, whose developers are intimately tied to the inner circle of the Assad regime.
The Syrian regime is broke. The country’s budget, almost in its entirely, is devoted to providing basic services and paying the salaries of state employees — a crucial constituency for the preservation and stability of the regime. Syria and its backers Iran and Russia — aptly named the “Axis of Insolvency” by journalist Gregg Carlstrom — cannot afford to reconstruct Syria at an estimated cost of at least $250 billion.
Donor countries are largely deterred from pouring money into Syria until some form of political transition occurs. Investors are disinterested in rebuilding the country due to immense corruption, fear of sanctions and the limited opportunities to make a profit, since the purchasing power of most Syrians is at an all-time low. This means Syria and its economy will be in a shambolic state for years to come, as most local residents can not afford to rebuild their homes, let alone invest in rebuilding infrastructure and factories.
Reliance on Iran and Russia
Through its brutal suppression of the armed rebellion, the regime has been able to terrorize most Syrians into submission. However, rebels continue to hold Idlib and its environs, and launch occasional attacks beyond the front lines. The threat of a small-scale insurgency in areas formerly controlled by the rebels and ISIS is already materializing in the eastern desert and Daraa. Throughout the war, the regime ceded much of its sovereignty to Russia, Iran and local militias in exchange for support for its armed forces.
As fighting subsided, Damascus disbanded some of the auxiliary militias tied to pro-regime businessmen and war profiteers. The Syrian Army, never a formidable fighting force, is exhausted after years of war and relies on mass arrest campaigns to draft Syrian men into its ranks. With the exception of elite army units largely made up of Alawite men, such as the 4th Armored Division and the Republican Guard, the Syrian Army is largely made up of forced conscripts who perform poorly in the battlefield. As a result, Damascus continues to require the support of both pro-Iranian militias and Russian advisers on the ground and the Russian air force, at least until the last pockets of the insurgency are quashed or cease to pose a threat.
While Russia and Iran are united in their goal of keeping the Syrian regime in power, they also wish to convert their military contribution to increase their influence in the country — at times at each other’s expense. Moscow and Tehran are working to establish and expand military structures that are aligned with them: In Iran’s case, militias linked to Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds force, many of them operating under the umbrella of the Local Defense Forces; Russia, on the other hand, is working to professionalize the Syrian Army, while supervising the formation of the 5th Assault Corps.
Both countries are also seeking to secure profit-generating ventures, few of which are available in Syria and are largely concentrated on the extraction of Syria’s limited reserves of national resources.
As the Syrian crisis enters its ninth year, the grievances that caused the outbreak of mass protests — corruption, political repression and inequality — remain entirely unaddressed. In fact, by all metrics conditions inside Syria have gotten worse. But the outbreak of a new uprising is not on the horizon as Syrians are exhausted after years of war and yearn for stability.
Throughout the years of the civil war, Syria shifted from being a conflict between local forces to an arena of regional and even global conflict. As fighting subsides, these power plays by foreign actors — particularly between Russia, Iran and Israel — will likely intensify, largely relegating Syrians to the role of victims and spectators.
**Elizabeth Tsurkov is a Research Fellow specializing in Syria at Israeli think tank the Forum for Regional Thinking. She can be followed on Twitter @Elizrael.

Palestinian Leaders Punish Gaza, Blame Israel
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/March 28/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13963/palestinians-punish-gaza
Rather than demanding that Hamas cease and desist from endangering the lives of Palestinians by sending them to clash with Israeli soldiers, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its leaders are condemning Israel for perpetrating "crimes" against Palestinians. According to the logic of the PA, the conflict started when Israel fired back.
Abbas and his officials have apparently not heard of the arson kites and booby-trapped balloons that have been launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli towns on nearly a daily basis over the past few months. They also apparently have not have not heard of the rockets and mortars that are fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel almost every day. The PA further appears unaware that Hamas has been sending thousands of Palestinians to attack Israeli soldiers with explosive devices, firebombs and rocks.
Abbas and the PA are simply doing the one thing they are good at: trying to frame Israel for Palestinian crimes against their own people. Clearly, the PA leaders are afraid to condemn the rocket attacks on Israel. They evidently do not want to be accused by their people of betraying the Palestinian "resistance" against Israel.
Until a few days ago, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its leaders were strongly denouncing Hamas for its brutal crackdown on Palestinians protesting economic hardship in the Gaza Strip.
Now, the PA is condemning Israel for launching military strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli strikes, however, were provoked; they came hours after a long-range rocket fired from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip hit a house in the Kfar Saba region of Israel, and injured seven people.
The PA and its leaders, including Mahmoud Abbas, have yet to condemn the launching of rockets at Israel. Instead of condemning those responsible for firing the first rocket, which miraculously did not result in any deaths when it hit a home in the early hours of the morning, the PA leaders are lashing out at Israel for launching a "new aggression" against the Gaza Strip.
According to the logic of the PA, the conflict started when Israel fired back. The leaders of the PA seem especially careful not to blame Hamas or any other Palestinian group for the latest tensions in the Gaza Strip. In a series of statements in the past few days, PA officials sought, as usual, to put all the blame on Israel. These are the same officials who, until a few days ago, were attacking Hamas for breaking the bones of Palestinian protesters who took to the streets of the Gaza Strip to demand improved living conditions and a solution to the soaring unemployment there.
Abbas and his officials have apparently not heard of the arson kites and booby-trapped balloons that have been launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli towns on nearly a daily basis over the past few months. They also apparently have not heard of the rockets and mortars that are fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel almost every day.
The PA further appears unaware that Hamas has been sending thousands of Palestinians, including women and children, to demonstrate near the border with Israel and attack Israeli soldiers with explosive devices, firebombs and rocks. These demonstrations, which began exactly a year ago under the banner of the "March of Return," have resulted in the deaths and injury of thousands of Palestinians.
Rather than demanding that Hamas cease and desist from endangering the lives of Palestinians by sending them to clash with Israeli soldiers and breach the Gaza-Israel border, the PA and its leaders are condemning Israel for perpetrating "crimes" against Palestinians.
The PA envoy to the United Nations, Riad Mansour, said this week that the current tensions in the Gaza Strip were the result of the "silence of the international community towards Israeli crimes." Another reason for the escalation, he claimed, was the "blockade" -- which Israel established at its border of the Gaza Strip to prevent weapons being brought in -- and the use of force against Palestinian demonstrators.
Mansour was echoing the official PA position of holding Israel -- and Israel alone -- responsible for the violence and suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
This is the same PA that has been imposing severe economic and financial sanctions on the Gaza Strip since 2017. Those sanctions include, among other things, cutting salaries and welfare payments to thousands of Palestinian employees and families in the Gaza Strip. The PA is even considering additional sanctions against the Gaza Strip as part of its effort to undermine the Hamas regime.
On the one hand, the PA is accusing Israel of imposing restrictions on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. On the other hand, it is the PA itself that is punishing the people there by cutting their salaries and firing thousands of civil servants. When Palestinians in the West Bank took to the streets to protest the PA sanctions against the Gaza Strip, the PA sent its security forces to break up the protests and arrest many of the demonstrators. This is the same PA that is now accusing Israel of using force to disperse Palestinian protesters at the Gaza-Israel border.
Until a few days ago, the PA was accusing Hamas of committing crimes against unarmed Palestinians protesting the high cost of living and increased taxation by Hamas. Now, the PA is denouncing Israel for targeting Hamas after Hamas fired rockets into Israeli towns.
One PLO official, Tayseer Khaled, went as far as likening Hamas's repressive measures to those of Nazi Germany's secret police, the Gestapo. Another Palestinian official, Jamal Muheissen, said that Hamas was like a terrorist group that has hijacked an airplane.
Last week, Abbas himself denounced Hamas as "dogs" and said that it will end up in the dustbin of history. "They [Hamas] can go to hell; those dogs," Abbas said while he was visiting in hospital a senior Fatah official who was reportedly badly beaten by Hamas members in the Gaza Strip. The official, Atef Abu Seif, was transferred from the Gaza Strip to a hospital in Ramallah.
Abbas and the PA are furious because Hamas militiamen and security officers have been breaking the arms and legs of protesters in the Gaza Strip. They do not seem overly concerned, however, when Hamas or other groups in the Gaza Strip indiscriminately fire rockets and booby-trapped balloons at Israeli civilians.
Abbas says he would like to see Hamas "go to hell" and "end up in the dustbin of history," but when Israel responds to Hamas's rocket attacks, he and his officials rush to condemn Israel. Clearly, the PA leaders are afraid to condemn the rocket attacks on Israel. They evidently do not want to be accused by their people of betraying the Palestinian "resistance" against Israel. The PA's anti-Israel incitement makes it impossible for Abbas and his PA officials to speak out against terror attacks on Israel.
Without a doubt, Abbas despises Hamas and would indeed see it buried and gone. Deep down, he and his officials also likely hope that Israel will one day do that job for them. The PA leaders, however, do not hate Hamas because it launches rockets at Israel. They hate Hamas because the Islamist movement humiliated them and expelled them from the Gaza Strip in 2007. They hate Hamas because since then, Hamas has been arresting, beating and torturing Abbas loyalists in the Gaza Strip.
Abbas and the PA are simply doing the one thing they are good at: trying to frame Israel for Palestinian crimes against their own people. Only when Hamas beats the brains out of PA supporters do Abbas and his associates respond. As far as they are concerned, rockets and mortars can explode to their hearts' content -- as long as they land on Israeli homes. Thanks to this double game, which the PA has been playing for a long time, Abbas and his senior officials appear increasingly to be losing credibility among their people.
*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.

Turkey: Want to Win an Election? Bash the Jews!
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/March 28/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13968/turkey-election-bash-jews
The Turkish president repeated a long-standing falsehood, claiming, "We have never persecuted any Jew here in this country. We have never done to the synagogues the things you do [to mosques]. Do not provoke us."
Contrary to Erdoğan's assertions, anti-Semitism in Turkey is actually widespread -- not surprising, given the open anti-Semitism expressed in Turkey by Erdoğan, members of parliament, journalists and political activists.
Then there is the anti-Semitism expressed by Erdogan supporters, claiming that Fethullah Gülen -- the self-exiled, U.S.-based Turkish Muslim cleric whom Erdogan blames for the failed 2016 coup attempt -- is actually a Jew.
Erdogan's implied threat to the Jews of his country, that they might suffer negative consequences as a result of the actions of Israel, should be viewed with deep concern.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently issued a veiled threat to Turkey's 15,000 Jews. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
In the run-up to the Turkey's local elections on March 31, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has taken his diplomatic brawl with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a new level, even issuing a veiled threat to Turkey's 15,000 Jews.
During a rally of supporters on March 13, Erdogan said tauntingly, "Hey Netanyahu, behave yourself. You are a tyrant...who massacred seven-year-old Palestinian children." Erdoğan went on to refer to the unrest on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem -- Judaism's holiest site, and the location of the Al Aqsa Mosque -- by implying that if Israeli soldiers and police continued to "enter our sacred places with their combat boots," Turkish Jewry would pay a heavy price.
A few days later, at a ceremony commemorating the Battle of Gallipoli, Erdoğan compared Netanyahu's son, Yair, to the white supremacist who murdered 50 Muslim worshipers in Christchurch, New Zealand the previous week.
"They [Yair Netanyahu and the Christchurch killer] are being fed by the same source, no matter where they are in the world," Erdoğan said.
The Turkish president also repeated a long-standing falsehood, claiming, "We have never persecuted any Jew here in this country. We have never done to the synagogues the things you do [to mosques]. Do not provoke us."
Contrary to Erdoğan's assertions, anti-Semitism in Turkey is actually widespread. According to a survey conducted in 2015 by the Anti-Defamation League, a full 71% of the Turkish population holds anti-Semitic views -- a trend still apparent today.
When the Kurdish-controlled Syrian city of Afrin in northern Syria fell to Turkey's army in March 2018, for instance, many Turkish Twitter users used anti-Semitic epithets celebrating the event and calling Kurdish PKK fighters there "servants of Jews," "bastards of Jews," "underbred... Jews" and other similar slurs.
Such anti-Semitic statements on Turkish social media are not surprising, given the open anti-Semitism expressed in Turkey by Erdoğan, members of parliament, journalists and political activists.
In July 2018, Erdoğan responded to Israel's passage of its Nation-State Law by saying that the "spirit of Adolf Hitler" had re-emerged in the country.
In December 2017, following U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Erdoğan took the opportunity to rail:
"Those who think they are the owners of Jerusalem today will not even be able to find trees to hide behind tomorrow."
The remark was a reference to an Islamic hadith (saying attributed to Islam's Prophet Muhammed) according to which:
"The Hour [of Judgement Day] will not begin until you fight the Jews, until a Jew will hide behind a rock or a tree, and the rock or tree will say: 'O Muslim, O slave of Allah, here is a Jew behind me; come and kill him."
Radical Turks echoed Erdoğan's sentiment on social media. Under the hashtag #KudüseSahipÇık ("Safeguard Jerusalem"), which quickly became a trending topic, Turkish Twitter was filled with anti-Semitic posts, such as:
"[With each] Jew massacred, the world will get more relaxed, and say, 'I have got rid of those filths.'"
"The Jew is cowardly. He cannot fight. He trusts his money, and recruits soldiers."
"Oh Allah! Do not take my soul before you grant me the privilege to engage in jihad against Israeli Jewish dogs."
"There is only one thing to be said about Jews: There has never been a more cowardly, dishonorable, and peasant nation like them."
"Close all synagogues in Turkey. Either arrest or deport all Jewish citizens. Close all the water lines to Israel. Then they will croak automatically."
Dr. Andrew G. Bostom, the editor of the book The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism: From Sacred Texts to Solemn History, writes:
"Sadly, the full scope of Erdogan's widely shared predominant Islamic vision — rife with jihadism and conspiratorial Jew-hatred — dates back more than four decades to a 'seminal' 1970s play the current Turkish leader wrote, directed, and 'starred' in... The ugly Islamic Jew-hating 'ethos' of Erdogan's 'Mas-Kom-Yah has been a 'green thread' knitting together his entire subsequent career as a local and national Turkish Muslim politician."
Meanwhile, a popular Turkish TV series that has been airing for the past two years contains unabashedly anti-Semitic themes. As the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported on March 21, the drama ("Sultan Abdülhamid") – broadcast by the state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation -- includes an episode in which:
"Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism, and his co-conspirator Emanuel Carasso, celebrate Purim in Istanbul while Herzl's plot to kidnap and kill Jews in Palestine is underway. Later, Herzl and Carasso get mugged in the street, and Carasso manages to contain the situation, teaching Herzl a lesson: 'We shall spread discord among the Ottomans – through money and women... fame, power mania, ethnic disputes, and lies about freedom.'"
In addition, books such as Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Hitler's Mein Kampf, and The International Jew by Henry Ford – which, as the leading scholar of Turkish Jewry, Rifat N. Bali, has pointed out -- "form the basic texts for anti-Semites the world over, are perennial bestsellers" in Turkey.
Then there is the anti-Semitism expressed by Erdogan supporters, claiming that Fethullah Gülen -- the self-exiled, U.S.-based Turkish Muslim cleric whom Erdogan blames for the failed 2016 coup attempt -- is actually a Jew.
Burhan Kuzu, a member of parliament from Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) explained this "Jewish connection" to the coup attempt as follows:
"Three American agents are involved in [the failed coup]. All of them are originally Israelis -- I mean Jewish... America is ruled by Israel or, to put it more correctly, by the Jewish lobby... 40 or 45 percent of the most powerful media belongs to them. They also own [a large portion of] the capital and intelligence units. Why did they kill Kennedy? Because Kennedy was a friend of Turks."
Erdogan's implied threat to the Jews of his country -- that they might suffer negative consequences as a result of the actions of Israel -- should be viewed with deep concern.
*Uzay Bulut, a journalist from Turkey, is a Distinguished Senior 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.

Jews Must Never Be Afraid to Use Their Well-Earned Power
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/March 28/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13960/dershowitz-jews-power
No other group is ever accused of having too much power and influence. That false claim – dating back to times and places where Jews had little or no influence – is an anti-Semitic trope that tells us more about the anti-Semites who invoke it that it does about the Jews.
History has proven that Jews need more power and influence than other groups to secure their safety. During the 1930s and early 1940s Jews had morality on their side, but they lacked the power and influence to save six million of their brothers and sisters from systematic murder.
"The truth is that if Israel were to put down its arms there would be no more Israel. If the Arabs were to put down their arms there would be no more war." -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
When Jewish power and influence are used in the cause of peace and justice -- as it is today -- there is nothing to be ashamed of. It should be a source of pride.
Recent comments by members of Congress and their defenders once again raise the question: Are Jews too powerful? This question, which has never been raised about other groups, manifests a double standard against the Jewish people. It must not be ignored. Here is my answer.
When I hear that Jews are too powerful, my response is, we are not powerful enough. When I hear that AIPAC is too influential a lobby, I say it must become even more influential. When I hear that Jews contribute too much money to support pro-Israel causes, I say we must contribute more. When I hear that Jews control the media, I ask "Why is so much of the media so anti-Israel?" When I hear that Jews have too much influence on the outcome of elections, I say we need to increase our influence. We aren't doing enough. We must do more.
Jews have contributed enormously -- disproportionately -- to America's success. Along with other immigrants, Jews have helped change our country for the better: academically, scientifically, economically, politically, militarily, medically, legally, technologically and in so many other ways. We have earned the right to act as first-class citizens. No other group is ever accused of having too much power and influence. That false claim -- dating back to times and places where Jews had little or no influence -- is an anti-Semitic trope that tells us more about the anti-Semites who invoke it that it does about the Jews.
History has proven that Jews need more power and influence than other groups to secure their safety. During the 1930s and early 1940s Jews had morality on their side, but they lacked the power and influence to save six million of their brothers and sisters from systematic murder. If Israel had existed then, with the powerful army it now has, the history of European Jewry might well have been different. If Jews had more political power in the United States during that time, the doors of our nation would not have been shut to our brothers and sisters seeking asylum from Nazism.
In the Middle East, Israel must have more military power than all of its enemies and potential enemies combined. As Benjamin Netanyahu wisely put it: "The truth is that if Israel were to put down its arms there would be no more Israel. If the Arabs were to put down their arms there would be no more war." Israel therefore must maintain, with or without the help of the United States, its qualitative military superiority in the region. And the region of its enemies has now expanded to Iran and Turkey, two Muslim, non-Arab, extreme anti-Israel nations with powerful armies. So Israel must get stronger, not weaker, despite its current military superiority.
Elie Wiesel once said that the lesson of the Holocaust is that, "We must believe the threats of our enemies, more than the promises of our friends." For me, an additional lesson is that Israel and the Jewish people must be more powerful than their enemies.
The Psalmists put it very well when they wrote, "hashem oz l'amo yiten; hashem yivarech et amo b'shalom." I interpret this wonderful verse to mean that, "God will give the Jewish people strength, and only through strength will they achieve Shalom, peace."
When anybody ever challenges Jewish power and influence, remind them that Jewish power is the best road to peace: that history has proven that Jews without power are vulnerable to the oldest prejudice known to humankind -- a prejudice that may abate, as it did for several decades following the Second World War, but it always rears its ugly head as it is now doing in England, France, Eastern Europe and on the hard left in the United States. When Jewish power and influence are used in the cause of peace and justice -- as it is today -- there is nothing to be ashamed of. It should be a source of pride.
*Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law Emeritus at Harvard Law School and author of The Case against the Democratic House Impeaching Trump, Skyhorse Publishing, 2019.
A shorter version of this article appeared in The Jewish Press.
© 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.