English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 31/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14/15-26/:”‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’ Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 30-31/2020
Hariri Hospital: 13 recoveries, 7 patients released to home quarantine
Lebanon records 19 new COVID-19 cases
Cypriot Court Upholds Hizbullah Suspect's U.S. Extradition on Money Charges
Protesters Demand Commitment to UN Resolution 1559
Lebanon arrests five Sudanese trying to cross into Israel illegally
Hezbollah, FPM deal allows Aoun, Bassil to save face
Lebanon agrees to UNIFIL mandate extension
Report: Intl. Concern over Delayed Govt. Reforms, ‘Collapse’
Diab discusses cement companies issue with Holcim, Cementerie Nationale General Managers
Hitti: We are committed to the implementation of UN Resolution #1701
Sit-in to protest against high consumer prices at Tripoli’s Abdel-Hamid Karami Square
Rahi: There are those who are demanding to change the system, while what is required is to cease its violation, preserve the formula of coexistence
Two medical devices by Faculty of Science students to Al-Hrawi Hospital
Ministry of Education: The Minister's office is open to anyone wishing to submit any file or complaint
Shaar after visiting Derian: I urged him to accept my apology for no longer pursuing the Ifta duties in Tripoli
Moucharrafieh: Cabinet approves Social Ministry’s proposal to renew its joint project contracts

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 30-31/2020
EU renews sanctions against Assad as Syria war enters 10th year
Facing strong pressures at home and abroad, Iran makes tactical retreat in Iraq
Egypt’s El-Sisi: Foreign interference in Libya threatens stability in region
Israeli police kill unarmed Palestinian in Jerusalem
Germany Says Trump Split from WHO Will Harm Global Health
Trump to Curb China Students, Strip Hong Kong Privileges
U.S. Cop who Killed Black Man Detained, Charged with 3rd-Degree Murder

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 30-31/2020
"Victimhood Culture" UK - Except for Victims of Terrorism/Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/May 30, 2020
How Trump dropped the ball on global security/Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/May 30/2020
Netanyahu’s trial and Israel’s tribulations/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/May 30/2020
Outrage on Twitter creates more heat than light/Peter Welby/Arab News/May 30/2020
The keys to the success of a US withdrawal from Afghanistan/Luke Coffey/Arab News/May 30/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 30-31/2020
Hariri Hospital: 13 recoveries, 7 patients released to home quarantine
NNA/May 30/2020 
In its daily report on the latest developments of the novel Coronavirus, the Rafic Hariri University Hospital announced on Saturday that the number of laboratory tests conducted in the last 24 hours has reached 315 tests.
It also indicated that the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases infected with the virus that are currently present in the Hospital's isolation area has reached 46 cases, noting that it has admitted 14 cases suspected to be infected with the virus who were transferred from other hospitals during the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, the Hospital report stated that 13 infected cases have recovered in the last 24 hours, thus bringing the total number of full recoveries to-date to 207 cases. It also indicated that 7 positive cases were released to be home quarantined in the past 24 hours, after their attending physician confirmed their clinical recovery, while pointing to the presence of one critical case. The Hospital report stated that more information on the number of infected cases on all Lebanese territories can be found in the daily report issued by the Ministry of Public Health. In conclusion, the Hospital reminded that "the Corona Virus Contact Center for emergency response and knowledge of test results, operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week including public holidays, and can be reached through the number 01-820830 or through the WhatsApp contact service 76-979610."

Lebanon records 19 new COVID-19 cases
Annahar/May 30/2020
Out of the 19 cases, 16 are locals and three are from the Lebanese expats who have returned to Lebanon in the past 24 hours.
BEIRUT: The Ministry of Public Health announced on Saturday that 19 new coronavirus positive cases have been recorded, raising the total number of registered cases to 1,191. Out of the 19 cases, 16 are locals and three are from the Lebanese expats who have returned to Lebanon in the past 24 hours. The total number of active cases is 457, of which 375 are in home isolation and 82 are hospitalize.

Cypriot Court Upholds Hizbullah Suspect's U.S. Extradition on Money Charges
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 30/2020
Cyprus' supreme court on Friday upheld an order to extradite a suspected Hizbullah member to the U.S. on money laundering charges, official media said.
A five-judge bench unanimously dismissed an appeal against a decision by a lower court in September 2019 to extradite the man, identified only by his surname Diab, the Cyprus News Agency said. The suspect is wanted by authorities in Florida for alleged money laundering crimes. According to the extradition papers, the charges related to money laundering in excess of $100,000 (90,000 euros), conspiracy to money launder, the transfer of unlicensed money and illegal use of wireless communication. The court said the suspect conspired with individuals in 2014 to launder drug money. Diab was arrested at Larnaca airport in Cyprus when he arrived from Lebanon in March 2019. Police apprehended him when they found there was a U.S.-issued warrant for his arrest. The supreme court ruled he will remain in detention until his extradition can be arranged by the justice ministry.

Protesters Demand Commitment to UN Resolution 1559
Naharnet/May 30/2020
Protesters staged a sit-in on Saturday outside the Justice Palace demanding full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1559, and rejecting "Hizbullah’s arms outside the state institutions and the presence of mini-states within a state."
“We reject the presence of mini-states within Lebanon, and we reject illegal arms as well controlling the country's decision,” one activist told reporters referring to Hizbullah. “Not until Hizbullah approved Lebanon was able to ask for the International Monetary Fund’s assistance for its economic crisis. Can you imagine, we even needed permission to beg,” another protester said. The activists denounced “domination of the state’s decision,” saying “illegal arms are controlling the country’s will for survival. Resolution 1559 must be fully implemented." UN Resolution 1559 adopted on 2 September 2004, called upon Lebanon to establish its sovereignty over all of its land and called upon "foreign forces", to withdraw from Lebanon and to cease intervening in the internal politics of Lebanon. The resolution also called on all Lebanese and non-Lebanese parties to disband and declared support for a "free and fair electoral process".The UN chief has frequently stated that the participation of Hizbullah and other Lebanese groups in the conflict in Syria violates the international resolution.

Lebanon arrests five Sudanese trying to cross into Israel illegally
AFP, Beirut/Saturday 30 May 2020
The Lebanese army said Saturday that it had arrested five Sudanese who tried to slip illegally into Israel, the latest in a growing number of attempted crossings. Three of the five were arrested on Friday night after slipping across near the border village of Ayta al-Shaab, an army statement said. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. The other two were arrested as they prepared to cross, it added. The Israeli army said it had apprehended three of the Sudanese and sent them back to Lebanon. A spokeswoman said it was believed the men planned to seek work in Israel, which is home to more than 6,000 Sudanese asylum seekers, according to January figures. Earlier this month, Israeli forces caught five Sudanese men who tried to cross illegally and sent them back. Lebanon remains technically at war with Israel, having never signed a peace treaty with its neighbor, which occupied a swathe of the south from 1978 to 2000. Sudan too remains technically at war with Israel, having fought alongside Egypt in successive Middle East wars.In February, the leaders of the two countries met in Uganda for what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office described as talks aimed at normalizing ties.

Hezbollah, FPM deal allows Aoun, Bassil to save face
The Arab Weekly/May 30/2020
BEIRUT –The Lebanese government met Friday at the Baabda Palace, headquarters of the Lebanese presidency. During the meeting, there was a tug of war between Prime Minister Hassan Diab on the one hand and President Michel Aoun and his son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, on the other.
Lebanese political sources said that there was an agreement between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement on a formula that would allow President Aoun and his son-in-law to save face by having the Lebanese cabinet approve the construction of a power plant in Selaata, a coastal town near the city of Batroun, Gebran Bassil’s birthplace. And indeed, a compromise has been reached and Aoun and Bassil were offered the opportunity to save face. The cabinet decided to reverse its previous decision and approved the construction of three new power plants in the country, one of them located in Selaata. President Aoun and Prime Minister Diab had already met before the cabinet meeting and it is very likely that the decision to approve the Selaata plant was taken then.
Sources said that Bassil, who had no cabinet position in the current government, was adamant on having the Selaata plant, which made the Lebanese president take the question of the plant as a matter of life or death to him, given his strong desire to find permanent and stable funding for the party he heads. They explained that the President’s son-in-law was arguing that the government’s already approved plan to construct two power plants, one in Zahrani in southern Lebanon and the other in Deir Ammar in Akkar, was unacceptable.
According to those close to him, Bassil considered the Deir Ammar plant as a Sunni plant, while the one in Zahrani was Shia. So he wanted one for the Christians and in one of their regions, which would be in line with his ideology of defending the “security of the Christians” in Lebanon.
The Lebanese political sources considered that the phrase “defending the security of the Christians” constituted the best slogan found at the present time in order to restore the lost popularity of the Free Patriotic Movement among a good number of Christian circles in Lebanon due to the stifling economic crisis in the country. The government has reached a formula to include the Selaata plant in the context of a comprehensive plan to make electricity available to Lebanese 24 hours a day. The same sources stated that Hezbollah is seeking to play the role of the primary agent behind bringing back electricity to all of Lebanon, a role that sits well with its policy to promote the image that it has full control of the country. The party was also keen to succeed in an area where the Free Patriotic Movement had failed even though it held the position of the Minister of Energy for more than ten years. Sources said that getting his Selaata plant was a moral victory for Gebran Bassil. Before the cabinet meeting, Hassan Diab visited some Lebanese army stations in areas close to the Syrian border. During his visit to the Elias El-Khoury barracks in Ras Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, the Prime Minister said that the government will step up its efforts to combat smuggling activities by closing all illegal crossings.The Prime minister was accompanied by the army’s chief, Joseph Aoun, and Minister of Defence Zina Akr. “We will continue efforts to stop the smuggling economy by closing the illegal crossings that cause great harm to the state and benefit a handful of smugglers,” he said. Lebanon is in a long-running financial crisis which represents the greatest threat to the country’s stability since the civil war. The crisis began to take centre stage in October when widespread protests against corruption and mismanagement by the sectarian elites erupted. In a gesture that drew widespread criticism and satirical comments on social media, the Prime Minister was seen drawing a comb from his suit pocket and fixing his hair before giving his speech. Speaking on the financial crisis, opposition Lebanese politician, Samir Geagea, said that there was little chance for Lebanon to obtain the needed assistance from the International Monetary Fund in light of the government’s failure to implement reforms demanded by donors. Geagea, whose party withdrew from the government after the outbreak of the protests, added that the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab had not implemented any reforms. The government started negotiating with the IMF in May after it failed to find alternative sources for aid. But Geagea said there was “very, very little hope” it will get it.

Lebanon agrees to UNIFIL mandate extension
The Arab Weekly/May 30/2020
LONDON –Lebanon’s government agreed Friday to extend the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel for another year, the country’s information minister said.
The extension of the peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, comes as Israel is calling for major changes in the way the mission operates on the ground in southern Lebanon. Israel is demanding that it have access to all sites and freedom of movement and that it report back to the UN Security Council if it is being blocked. The decision to extend the term of UNIFIL also comes amid rising tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border in recent weeks. Earlier Friday, Israeli troops opened fire toward a shepherd on the edge of the Israeli-occupied Chebaa Farms, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported, adding that the man was not hurt. Earlier this month, Israeli troops shot and wounded a shepherd in a nearby area, saying he crossed the border. Lebanese Information Minister Manal Abdul-Samad told reporters after a Cabinet meeting that the government has agreed to extend the term of the UN force until August 31, 2021. The announcement came two days after Prime Minister Hassan Diab visited UNIFIL’s headquarters where he described the presence of the force in the volatile area as a necessity. The government’s decision comes amid the backdrop of a war of words between Israeli and Lebanese officials, including Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group, over the mandate of UNIFIL. The quibble over the UNIFIL mandate comes up every year before the mandate is typically renewed in the summer. Last week, the debate over the role of UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon raged again, with Hezbollah fearing the US could finally succeed in imposing changes to UNIFIL’s mandate. Hezbollah’s concerns were evident May 26 when the head of the Iran-backed Shia movement rejected a US request to empower the UN peacekeeping force patrolling the border with Israel. “The Americans, as the result of Israeli demands, are raising the issue of changing the nature of UNIFIL’s mission,” Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in a radio interview to mark 20 years since Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. “Lebanon has refused to change UNIFIL’s mission, but Israel wants (…) it to have the right to raid and search private properties, and the Americans are pressuring Lebanon on this matter,” Nasrallah said. Lebanon and Israel technically remain at war and Israel has repeatedly accused Iran-backed Hezbollah of impeding the peacekeepers from carrying out their mandate. UNIFIL was first deployed in southern Lebanon in 1978 following an Israeli incursion to maintain security on the volatile border. Its mandate was greatly expanded in 2006 after a 40-day war between Israel and Hezbollah. In addition to the original mandate, it would monitor the cessation of hostilities, accompany and support the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) deployed in southern Lebanon and ensure that no illegal weapons were found within a certain distance from the border. The mission’s budget has changed accordingly.

Report: Intl. Concern over Delayed Govt. Reforms, ‘Collapse’
Naharnet/May 30/2020
International representatives reportedly warned of the consequences of Lebanon’s delay in introducing the reforms it promised, warning of an eventual collapse shall this persists, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday. According to information obtained by the daily, senior Lebanese officials received a number of “warning” messages recently inquiring about the “government’s unjustified delay in initiating urgent remedial reforms, and warned of the negative repercussions of the political struggle,” between Lebanon’s various parties. Moreover, representatives of international financial institutions and Western ambassadors reportedly voiced concerns of the crisis that is pulling Lebanon towards a “catastrophic collapse,” expressing astonishment over the government’s delay to implement much needed reforms, said the newspaper. Late last month, the government adopted a 53-page Financial Recovery Plan that said its economy is in a “free fall” and that an international financial rescue package is “urgently needed to backstop the recession and create the conditions for a rebound.”The Lebanese plan vows to fight widespread corruption and to restructure of the massive debt that is one of the highest in the world. It also vows to reform infrastructure including waste management and state-run electricity company that has been one of the main burdens on state coffers over the past years. The tiny country seeks assistance from the International Monetary Fund. Negotiations between the two paries kicked off earlier in May but the details are kept unrevealed at the request of the IMF.

Diab discusses cement companies issue with Holcim, Cementerie Nationale General Managers
NNA/May 30/2020
Prime Minister Hassan Diab received Saturday the General Manager of Holcim Jamil Bou Haroun, the Manager of Cimenterie Nationale Pierre Doumet and a delegation from the Cimenterie Nationale’s Workers' Union, in the presence of the Minister of Environment and Administrative Development Demianos Kattar, Minister of Industry Imad Hoballah, Minister of Labor Lamia Yammine and PM Advisor Elias Assaf.
The meeting has touched upon the sector’s situation, the problems it faces and possible solutions with the aim of facilitating its work.
At the PM’s request, the General Manager of the Cimenterie Nationale has accepted to suspend the closure of the company pending a solution.
Under the guidance of PM Diab, it was agreed that appropriate solutions would be expeditiously elaborated, authorizing cement companies in Chekka to pursue their operations and develop this sector, while stressing the necessity of engaging the municipalities of the affected villages and the civil society to secure appropriate environmental solutions, under the supervision of the Environment and Industry Ministries. The Prime Minister also received today a delegation from shopping malls owners' gatherings in the presence of his Advisor Khodor Taleb.
PM Diab had a closer look at the problems facing the shopping malls sector, and was briefed about the preventive measures taken to re-open commercial centers. {PM Diab’s Press Office}

Hitti: We are committed to the implementation of UN Resolution #1701
NNA/May 30/2020
 Foreign Affairs Minister, Nassif Hitti, confirmed Saturday in an interview with "Sawwt Al-Mada” Radio Station, that Lebanon is committed to implementing United Nations Resolution # 1701, and is endeavoring to ensure the extension of the UNIFIL peacekeeping forces’ mandate in the South.
“We are always in the direction of strengthening cooperation and coordination between the Lebanese Army and the UNIFIL…and there is continuous communication in this area, which preserves peace and security in the South. We are committed and attached to the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 with all its components," Hitti emphasized. On the UNIFIL mandate renewal, the Foreign Minister indicated that “the annual extension of the international peacekeeping forces in the South will take place at the end of July and early August,” adding that “communication in this respect started a while back, whereby the Security Council is studying and assessing the budget, and there are suggestions by the UN Secretary General and the Advisory Body for a slight increase in UNIFIL’s budget.”“We are fighting a diplomatic battle under a very important headline, which is the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate with all its tasks, without undermining its number, because the goal of reducing the peacekeeping forces is to weaken them, and we are in contact with the permanent members of the Security Council to ensure their support for the Lebanese position in this regard," Hitti underlined.
He believed that "the interest of maintaining peace and security in the South is essential, and there are always Israeli attempts to weaken the UNIFIL force in southern Lebanon, and to alter its tasks.”
Hitti indicated that the country is always confronting these attempts, and there is a broad international stance in support of Lebanon. “Our position is consistent and stable, and we will always work to consolidate and expand this support," he corroborated. On the visit of Prime Minister Hassan Diab to South Lebanon, he deemed that "the visit, of course, carries an important message, not only in its symbolism but also in its nature and content.”
He added: “There are always Israeli events to pressure UNIFIL…At the communication level, President Michel Aoun will receive the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the Security Council next Wednesday, to confirm before them the consistent, stable, and permanent position of Lebanon in compliance with Resolution 1701.”There is always widespread support for the role of UNIFIL, which ensures stability, security and peace in southern Lebanon. However, we are not satisfied with saying that we have this broad support, but we are working to strengthen it,” Hitti concluded.

Sit-in to protest against high consumer prices at Tripoli’s Abdel-Hamid Karami Square
NNA/May 30/2020
 Protesters staged a sit-in on Saturday at Tripoli’s Abdel-Hamid Karami “Al-Nour” Square, to object against the worsening economic and daily living conditions and the high prices in consumer goods, cutting off the roads leading to the Square amid tight security measures by the army and security forces, NNA correspondent in Tripoli reported. Participants in the sit-in raised the Lebanese flags and banners attacking the policies adopted and the failures to address the issues at hand. They also chanted slogans of returning to the squares and pursuing the October 17th uprising.

Rahi: There are those who are demanding to change the system, while what is required is to cease its violation, preserve the formula of coexistence
NNA/May 30/2020
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Butros al-Rahi, indicated Saturday that there those who are demanding to change the system in the country, while what is required first and foremost is a change in behavior, and to stop breaching the system and violating it with parallel systems.
“What is required is to abide by the constitution in spirit and text, and to cooperate in serving public institutions and freeing them from deadly quotas…What is required is to preserve the beauty of the formula of coexistence, loyalty to the nation, and cooperation in managing its affairs,” the Patriarch said, speaking in his Pentecost Mass sermon in Bkirki today. He added that by doing this, Lebanon will return to being a model state in this east, as the burdens of wrong practices and breaches of the constitution, the charter, the formula and the law are lifted off its shoulders.
“Lebanon was founded to be a homeland for everyone, not for one religion alone, or for one sect alone…It is necessary to join forces to preserve, promote and develop this diversity in an oriental environment that adheres to monism,” al-Rahi said. “Because our state is a community of life, it has adopted a democratic system that supports all public freedoms, the foremost of which is freedom of belief, the language of sincere dialogue in searching for universal truth, and the best way to the common good,” he corroborated.
“Here lies the problem of societies and states in general, and the problem of our Lebanese society and our country in particular. We have lost the language of kindness that brings us together…It is a language understood by all peoples of different languages, cultures, ethnicities and colors. It is the language that can connect the worst enemies,” the Patriarch underlined. “On the Day of Pentecost, we seek the presence of the Holy Spirit in all of us…so that we may be enlightened by the light of truth, and quenched by the water of life,” he concluded.

Two medical devices by Faculty of Science students to Al-Hrawi Hospital
NNA/May 30/2020
Lebanese University President, Professor Fouad Ayoub, presented on Saturday two medical devices, namely a ventilator and a robot device implemented by students of the University’s Faculty of Science, to the Elias Al-Hrawi Governmental Hospital in Zahle, in the presence of Ministers of the Displaced Ghada Shreim, Public Health Hamad Hassan, Industry Imad Hoballah, Culture and Agriculture Abbas Mortada, and Deputies Salim Aoun and Mohammad Al-Qarawi; as well as Parliamentary Health Committee Chairman, MP Assem Araji, General Director of the Hospital, Dr. Nicola Maacaron, Head of the Health Authority in the Beqaa, Dr. Ghassan Zalaqet, and the medical and nursing staff and students.
Minister Hassan commended this initiative, praising the relentless efforts and high efficiency of the medical staff, which led to having the lowest levels of the virus spread and mortality rates in Lebanon.
“The importance of this achievement is that we need these devices, and thanks to the efficiency of the medical staff, I think Lebanon is one of the least countries in the world in terms of the spread of the virus and the registration of deaths," he said.
Hassan reminded that the slogan of the Ministry of Health during this period is "wearing a mask" which is "one of the basics of a safe return to normal life”.
He added: "Three months ago we requested 300 respirators, 150 of which were presented to government and private hospitals, due to the high global demand and lack of donations. Some countries, despite their great potentials, were busy with Corona and were unable to help, and we understand this matter."
Minister Hassan thanked the Minister of Industry "for his ongoing efforts, especially with regard to medical devices,” adding, “We are a partnership in the government at all levels."He also thanked the Minister of Agriculture, saying: "In agriculture, we will turn into an exporting country, not a producer, and we will make expats proud of our cooperation and success."In turn, the Displaced Minister indicated that her Ministry is working to promote rural development in the fields of industry, agriculture, trade, health and education.
The Industry Minister, for his part, commended the aspirations of young men and women, considering the Bekaa as “a reservoir of innovative and creative minds."
"The creativity that we saw today at the Lebanese University, and which we see continuously is what encourages us…Funds have begun to flow to the industrialists, and the decrees to stimulate industrialization and scientific research in Lebanon will be issued within the next week,” Hoballah added, thanking the Lebanese University students and professors, and the people of the Bekaa for their initiatives.
In turn, the Minister of Agriculture indicated that his Ministry will hold dialogues and visits to all places that specialize in agriculture, and to universities to share the creativity of students. He declared that "the strategic plan of the Ministry of Agriculture is nearing completion, and its presentation will be at the Lebanese University to emphasize investment in the elites and capabilities of the national University."

Ministry of Education: The Minister's office is open to anyone wishing to submit any file or complaint
NNA/May 30/2020
The Education Minister’s Press Office issued a statement on Saturday, in which it stressed that the Minister’s office is open to anyone who wishes to submit any file or complaint, which will be pursued till the end to ensure everyone’s right and to hold accountable any proven act of negligence.
This statement came in wake of circulated news by some social media sites related to the Ministry of Education.

Shaar after visiting Derian: I urged him to accept my apology for no longer pursuing the Ifta duties in Tripoli
NNA/May 30/2020
Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdul-Latif Derian, received at the Dar Al-Fatwa today, Mufti of Tripoli and the North, Sheikh Malik Al-Shaar, who said after the meeting: “I had the honor to visit His Eminence and conferred with him on a number of religious matters related to Tripoli and the North, and the great efforts undertaken by Dar Al-Fatwa to face the repercussions of the Corona crisis.” “I thanked His Eminence for his special interest in Tripoli, which suffers from a lot of deprivation,” Shaar added, noting that they also tackled the conditions of the Islamic Endowments Department in Tripoli, at both the financial and administrative levels. Shaar also disclosed that he asked Mufti Derian to accept his apology for not pursuing the tasks of the “Tripoli Ifta” anymore, despite Derian’s insistence that he continues his duties. “I thanked His Eminence for the confidence entrusted in me in extending my previous mandate, and I wished all success to the Tripoli Fatwa Secretary, Sheikh Mohammad Imam, in handling the tasks of Tripoli’s Ifta until the elections are held in the very near future,” Shaar concluded.

Moucharrafieh: Cabinet approves Social Ministry’s proposal to renew its joint project contracts
NNA/May 30/2020
“The Cabinet approved our proposal to renew the joint project contracts between the Ministry of Social Affairs and civil associations and bodies, between 1/1/2019 & 31/12/2019, giving hope once again to those working under these projects to receive their dues after a long wait,” tweeted Social Affairs Minister, Ramzi al-Moucharrafieh, on Saturday. “We will work hard to complete all the necessary administrative and financial procedures to transfer their remaining dues as soon as possible,” pledged Moucharrafieh.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 30-31/2020
EU renews sanctions against Assad as Syria war enters 10th year
The Arab Weekly/May 30/2020
LONDON –The European Union renewed sanctions against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad and other top political officials, military officers and business people for another year. The decision comes as the Assad regime continues its crackdown on civilians in the conflict-torn country, according to a May 28 statement by the European Council. The European Council, headquarters of the 27 EU countries, said sanctions would be extended until June 1, 2021, more than a decade after the conflict began, “as the repression of the civilian population continues.” “The Syrian people have had to draw on extraordinary reserves of resilience,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. He added that the bloc “remains committed to use every tool at its disposal to push for a political solution to the conflict that would benefit all Syrians and put an end to the ongoing repression.” The Syrian conflict is now in its 10th year. The United Nations says that over half the population has been forced to flee their homes, more than 11 million people — nearly 5 million of them children — need humanitarian assistance, and almost eight million people don’t have reliable access to food.
The EU’s renewal of sanctions comes as Washington has been rallying its allies to keep up the pressure on the Assad regime and not provide reconstruction money to Damascus. The administration of US President Donald Trump argues that any money intended for reconstruction would eventually be squandered by the Assad regime, which should not be rewarded for waging war on its own population. Since the outbreak of war, Syria’s economy has been devastated by conflict, government corruption and sanctions. The country’s currency has also spiraled downward, sending prices of basic commodities soaring while economic activity has been hurt even more by recent efforts to curb the coronavirus outbreak. Eight out of 10 Syrians live below the poverty line, making less than $100 a month. The EU first imposed sanctions on the country in May 2011. They have included travel bans, asset freezes and measures targeting operations like oil imports, certain investments and the trade in equipment that could be used for any crackdown on civilians. The sanctions list now includes 273 people, including members of Assad’s family, close associates and top military brass, and 70 “entities” like organisations and companies. The EU says the measures are designed to avoid hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid. No food or medical equipment are targeted. Whether international sanctions will have any effect on the Assad regime remains to be seen. In the meantime, Washington and the EU have invoked UN Security Council Resolution 2254 that calls for a peaceful transfer of power in Syria, a negotiated settlement to the war and free and fair elections. The Western hopes, however, could prove difficult to realise given Russia’s successful military campaign in support of Assad. Still, Western countries are showing no sign of changing course. State Department officials cited Assad’s recent consolidation of power over his cousin, business magnate Rami Makhlouf, as reason for cautious optimism that their strategy may be working.

Facing strong pressures at home and abroad, Iran makes tactical retreat in Iraq
The Arab Weekly/May 30/2020
BAGHDAD--Experts believe changing dynamics and mounting pressures have forced Iran in recent weeks to adopt less confrontational tactics to achieve its aims in Iraq.Some of Iran’s officials admit to the temporary need for retreat. “Sometimes you need to step back, observe and plan based on realities on the ground,” a senior Iranian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. Some Iraqi officials attribute Iran’s more flexible stance to the pressure from US sanctions, the devastating spread of the coronavirus at home and the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the IRGC Quds Force chief, last January. Others point to awareness of Iraqis’ growing resentment of Iranian encroachment as expressed in demonstrations in Baghdad and other cities. Senior Iranian officials say they have helped break the Iraqi political deadlock that prevented the selection of a prime minister for the purpose of calming down the situation. The thinking in Tehran was that further turmoil would be used by the US to justify the presence of the nearly 5,000 American troops stationed in Iraq much longer. “We want the Americans to leave the region. If there is chaos in Iraq … Americans will use it as an excuse to extend their stay,” an Iranian diplomat told Reuters. Although Iranian officials claim to have steered away from the methods of raw force used in the past by the IRGC’s Al Quds Force chief Qassem Solaimani, Iraqi experts say only circumstances have changed. Tehran’s emissaries to Iraq still have links to the IRGC and continue to wield influence over many political and paramilitary groups. The most tangible outcome of Iran’s new approach has been the approval by parliament this month of the nomination of new prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, a former intelligence chief viewed suspiciously by some groups allied to Iran for his ties to the United States.
Iraq had suffered deep political turmoil after former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, whom Iran supported, resigned in November in the face of mass protests against economic hardship and an allegedly corrupt ruling elite.
In March, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s national security council, made an official visit, meeting with President Barham Salih. “After Shamkhani’s visit, things went more smoothly,” an Iraqi official said. “Iran showed it was willing to work with some respect for Iraqi sovereignty, and to let Iraq choose its cabinet.”Kadhimi emerged as the frontrunner for premier, even though some Iran-backed militias continued to oppose him. One militia publicly suggested he was involved in Soleimani’s killing in Baghdad in his role as head of Iraq’s intelligence service, which was set up by the Americans after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein. Hours before a parliamentary vote on Kadhimi’s cabinet, Iranian Foreign Ministry official Hassan Danaifar and current Iraq envoy Iraj Masjedi convinced party and paramilitary chiefs to support Kadhimi.
Iranians and their proxies in Iraq were realistic enough to understand that with public opinion mood in turning against Tehran, a less accommodating stance could have meant stark humiliation. “The message from the Iranian delegation was clear – Kadhimi is the only choice left to maintain some stability in Iraq and save face,” said a militia official close to Iraq’s influential Badr Organisation who was briefed on the meeting. A lawmaker from the Dawa party that dominated Iraq’s government until 2018 said some of the groups in Iraq allied to Iran distrusted Kadhimi for his perceived closeness to Tehran’s arch-enemy, Washington. So even though Danaifar and Masjedi did enough to win the votes needed to install Kadhimi, some militia say they still feel suspicion and bitterness. The Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah group, which levelled the accusation over Soleimani, said there had been “great pressure” from Tehran to approve Kadhimi. An official in Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Jawad al-Tulaibawi, likened Kadhimi’s accession to “being forced to … eat a carcass”. When Kadhimi became prime minister, the United States granted Iraq a four-month extension to a sanctions waiver that allows Baghdad to import Iranian energy – an economic lifeline for Iran. Washington has said that the concession was aimed at supporting the new government. A Western diplomat said Tehran appeared to want to lower military tension with the United States “for now”, but its expansionism across the wider region, where it has allies in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, did not indicate an overall cooling of tensions. The growing power of hardliners in the Iranian parliament and the provocative posturing of the Islamic Guards’ leaders point to a mere tactical stance by Iran in front of strong pressures at home and abroad.

Egypt’s El-Sisi: Foreign interference in Libya threatens stability in region
Arab News/May 30/2020
LONDON: Foreign interference in Libya threatens stability and security in the north Africa region, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Saturday.
Putting an end to illegal foreign interventions in Libya and the chaos caused by criminal groups and terrorist militias is necessary, El-Sisi said during a telephone call with French President Emmanuel Macron. Both presidents agreed that they were keen to see a political solution reached in Libya that would pave the way for a return of security and stability in the country. They added that this could be achieved through implementing the outcomes of the Berlin process and supporting the efforts of the UN to achieve peace in Libya.

Israeli police kill unarmed Palestinian in Jerusalem
Agencies/Arab News/May 30/2020
JERUSALEM: Israeli police shot dead a Palestinian near Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday who they had suspected was carrying a weapon but turned out to be unarmed. The police say he was carrying “a suspicious object that looked like a pistol” and ran away when ordered to stop. The police say they chased him on foot and opened fire. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld later said that no gun was found in the area. The shooting came a day after Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank who they said had tried to ram them with his vehicle. No Israelis were wounded in either incident.
Tensions have risen in recent weeks as Israel has pressed ahead with plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank in line with President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan, which strongly favors Israel and was rejected by the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority said last week that it was no longer bound by past agreements with Israel and the United States and was cutting off all ties, including longstanding security coordination. Lone Palestinian attackers with no clear links to armed groups have carried out a series of stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks in recent years. The PA is not allowed to operate in east Jerusalem or the areas in the West Bank where most attacks have occurred. Rights groups have accused Israeli security forces of using excessive force in some cases, either by killing individuals who could have been arrested or using lethal force when their lives were not in danger.
Saturday’s shooting occurred in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. The Trump plan would allow the Palestinians to establish a capital on the outskirts of the city, beyond Israel’s separation barrier. It would grant them limited statehood in a cluster of enclaves surrounded by Israel, but only if they meet a long list of stringent conditions.

Germany Says Trump Split from WHO Will Harm Global Health
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 30/2020
Germany on Saturday blasted US President Donald Trump's decision to sever ties with the World Health Organization, describing it as "disappointing" and a setback for global health. Health Minister Jens Spahn said the WHO "needs reform" if it is to "make any difference", something the EU must now take a lead in doing.

Trump to Curb China Students, Strip Hong Kong Privileges
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 30/2020
President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States will restrict Chinese students and start reversing Hong Kong's special status in customs and other areas, as Beijing imposes a controversial security law. Trump said the Chinese government has been "diminishing the city's longstanding and very proud status.""This is a tragedy for the people of Hong Kong, the people of China, and indeed the people of the world," Trump told reporters. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday told Congress that the Trump administration would no longer consider Hong Kong to be separate under U.S. law but did not spell out the consequences. Trump also was light on specifics but said: "I am directing my administration to begin the process of eliminating policy that gives Hong Kong different and special treatment." "This will affect the full range of agreements, from our extradition treaty to our export controls on dual-use technologies and more, with few exceptions," he said. Trump also said he would restrict the entry of some graduate students from China -- the largest source of foreigners to U.S. universities -- but did not immediately give numbers. "For years, the government of China has conducted elicit espionage to steal our industrial secrets, of which there are many," Trump said. "Today I will issue a proclamation to better secure our nation's vital university research and to suspend the entry of certain foreign nationals from China who we have identified as potential security risks."

U.S. Cop who Killed Black Man Detained, Charged with 3rd-Degree Murder
A Minneapolis policeman accused of killing unarmed African-American George Floyd by kneeling on his neck was taken into custody Friday and charged with third-degree murder, officials said. Derek Chauvin is one of four officers who were fired shortly after an explosive video emerged showing a handcuffed Floyd lying on the street as an officer identified as Chauvin pinned his knee to Floyd's neck for at least five minutes on Monday. The death of the 46-year-old Floyd has sparked days of sometimes violent demonstrations in Minneapolis and other US cities over police brutality against African-Americans. So far, hundreds of shops have been damaged and a police station set on fire. "Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is in custody," Hennepin county prosecutor Mike Freeman told reporters.
"Chauvin has been charged... with murder and with manslaughter," he added, specifying to reporters that the charge was third-degree murder. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota applauded Chauvin's arrest, calling it "the first step towards justice."
Racism cannot be 'normal'
In the graphic video footage, Floyd is seen saying that he can not breathe. Eventually he went silent and limp, and he was later declared dead. Protests swelled after federal authorities said Thursday that they were making the case a top priority but announced no arrests at that time. Overnight, demonstrators broke through law enforcement barriers to overtake the Minneapolis police station where the four officers blamed for Floyd's death were based. A fire broke out and soon became an inferno that engulfed the structure. Minnesota's national guard announced that 500 troops were being deployed Friday for peacekeeping amid signs that the anger was nowhere near dissipating. President Donald Trump blasted local officials and labelled the protesters "thugs," threatening a harsh crackdown. "These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen," Trump tweeted. "Just spoke to (Minnesota) Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts."Twitter concealed that tweet, saying it violated its policy on glorifying violence. Former president Barack Obama said Friday he shared the "anguish" of millions of Americans over Floyd's death and that racism cannot be "normal" in the United States. "It can't be 'normal,'" Obama, the first black U.S. president, said in a statement.  "If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must do better."

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 30-31/2020
"Victimhood Culture" UK - Except for Victims of Terrorism
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/May 30, 2020
"There is currently no specially allocated government funding for victims of terror. While they can claim money.... survivors of the Manchester terror attack say that they are forced to wait years for funds to come through..." — Gabriella Swerling, The Telegraph, March 18, 2020.
It is paradoxical, to say the least, that in the era of "victimhood culture" -- in which a multitude of identity groups compete for the prize of most victimized -- where even subjectively perceived slights are registered by UK police as "non-criminal incidents" -- victims of terror, who have suffered severe physical and psychological life-disrupting injury as the result of actual manifested hatred, have to fight for their rights.
The paradox becomes especially striking when compared to the care taken by British authorities not to offend Muslim communities from where the various suicide bombers have emerged.
There appears to be little in the way of a similar level of concern for the trauma, alienation and isolation that terror victims experience after losing their hearing, their sight or the use of their limbs in terrorist attacks motivated by extreme hatred of which they were unfortunate enough to become victims.
The recent conviction of Hashem Abedi, for his role in the May 2017 bombing attack at the Manchester Arena, brought back into focus the plight of the survivors of terrorism and their relatives, as the victims of the Manchester bombing spoke to the press about feeling "abandoned" by British authorities. Pictured: Emergency response vehicles parked at the scene of the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena on May 23, 2017.
In March, Hashem Abedi, the brother of Salman Abedi, who carried out the suicide bombing attack at the Manchester Arena in May 2017 was convicted for his role in the terrorist attack. Twenty-two men, women and children, aged eight to 51, were killed in the attack; 264 "were physically injured", and 670 have "reported psychological trauma as a result of these events", according to bbc.com.
The conviction brought back into focus the plight of the survivors of terrorism and their relatives, as the victims of the Manchester bombing spoke to the press about feeling "abandoned" by British authorities.
"After the bomb, the government said we would get all the help and support we need, but we've not had anything...When you're a victim of terror, you can't just be signposted to normal services. We need specialised trauma help... like soldiers and police officers," said Martin Hibbert, who was paralyzed in the Manchester Arena bombing.
"There is currently no specially allocated government funding for victims of terror," the Telegraph wrote. "While they can claim money through the government's Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), survivors of the Manchester terror attack say that they are forced to wait years for funds to come through..."
"There needs to be a separate funding pot for victims and relatives of terror attack because it's [terror is] becoming more and more the norm." said Charlotte Hodgson, the mother of a teenage girl who was killed at the concert. "We want to access support straight away and get financial support too. We can't work - We're highly medicated, just to get us up and out of bed".
Little about those complaints appears to be new. After the UK's first major Islamist terrorist attack, the July 2005 London bombings, survivors described how abandoned they felt by authorities. Survivor Danny Biddle, who lost both legs, in the terrorist attack, told the Financial Times in 2006:
"That day, the minute Khan [Mohammed Siddique Khan, one of the suicide bombers] stepped into that carriage [on the London underground] I entered a war-zone and I didn't know -- and I had no protection. You elect a government to protect the people it governs. This government failed badly, so surely the next stage is: 'We should have protected you but didn't, so we will take care of you.' And they're not even doing that.
"The CICA system [the government's Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority]... is designed for someone who gets knocked over in the street...There needs to be an alternative system for when something like the 7th of July happens..."
Travis Frain, who was injured in the 2017 Westminster Bridge attack, said that once he left the hospital in London and returned home, "I had to fight for every scrap of support". His physical injuries were treated but it took 10 weeks to access one half-hour telephone session of trauma counselling. Frain ended up paying for private therapy.
In March 2018, an independent review, the purpose of which was to examine the quality of the emergency response to the Manchester bombing, found that many respondents did not know where to turn for support after the attack. Some suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, flashbacks, trauma and anxiety causing them to lose jobs and drop out of the educational system.
It is paradoxical, to say the least, that in the era of "victimhood culture" -- in which a multitude of identity groups compete for the prize of most victimized -- where even subjectively perceived slights are registered by UK police as "non-criminal incidents" -- victims of terror, who have suffered severe physical and psychological life-disrupting injury as the result of actual manifested hatred, have to fight for their rights.
The paradox becomes especially striking when compared to the care taken by British authorities not to offend Muslim communities from where the various suicide bombers have emerged.
In 2011, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published a report, "The impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslim communities" which examined how Muslims felt about counter-terrorism measures in the UK. The report concluded that:
"Counter-terrorism laws are not experienced in isolation but contribute to a wider sense among Muslim participants of being treated as a 'suspect community'. While some Muslims are responding to this through greater engagement, in challenging the misperceptions about them, many more report feeling increasingly alienated and isolated. This research outlines some of the drivers for this and provides the basis for further analysis and action by policymakers".
In 2017, when the Manchester bombing was still being investigated, Britain's Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Max Hill, recommended:
"...the Police should consider and reflect upon the community impact of a large-scale [terror] investigation, centering as it did on particular areas of Manchester with a large Muslim population... Good community policing, as well as good counter-terrorism policing, demands that real efforts are made to work within and with local communities, where many blameless residents will have been inconvenienced if not traumatised by the regular appearance of Police search and arrest teams on their street or in their home. I would like to see the outcome of Police reflections on this aspect..." [Emphasis added].
European authorities were so concerned about the potential impact of the Islamist July 2005 bombings on Muslim communities, not just in the UK, but in the EU as a whole, that the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, which has since been replaced by the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency, rushed to write a report, "The Impact of 7 July 2005 London bomb attacks on Muslim communities in the EU," published in November 2005, a mere four months after the attacks.
The EU report only mentioned the actual terror victims in passing, stating that:
"The four bomb attacks in London on 7 July, which claimed the lives of over fifty people and injured a further seven hundred, rightly horrified the world...The first thought of all Europeans was a feeling of profound empathy for the victims. The universal condemnation of the event, and the strong solidarity shown by European leaders, showed European cohesion at its most effective".
However, the main concern of the EU was not the terror victims, but potential hate crimes against Muslim communities in Europe. The report found that:
"In the immediate period after the attacks there was a temporary and disturbing increase in faith related hate crimes across the UK. Understandably, this made minority groups – and particularly British Muslims - feel vulnerable and fear for their safety. But... the strong stand taken by political and community leaders both in condemning the attacks and defending the legitimate rights of Muslims saw a swift reduction in such incidents".
The report concluded:
"Members of government, police officials, politicians and other high profile opinion makers must show decisive political leadership... Positive public gestures regarding Islam, and opening a dialogue with Muslim community representatives – based on the respect for human rights - must not be seen to happen only in a time of heightened tension. This will also set the agenda for the media and help avoid negative stereotyping of Muslims... Police services must encourage reporting of racist incidents, respond immediately to indications of tensions by stepping up policing among targeted communities, and provide adequate support to victims of racist crime..."
There appears to be little in the way of a similar level of concern for the trauma, alienation and isolation that terror victims experience after losing their hearing, their sight or the use of their limbs in terrorist attacks motivated by extreme hatred of which they were unfortunate enough to become victims.
*Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2020 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.

How Trump dropped the ball on global security
Hafed Al-Ghwell/Arab News/May 30/2020
The US has decided to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies, which allows its 35 signatory states to observe each other's activities in order to curb aggression and monitor military buildup. The treaty’s origins can be traced back to President Dwight D. Eisenhower's visionary leadership, which Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush built on, resulting in the powerful non-proliferation and de-escalation tool we have today.
With Open Skies, countries can perform what are known as “short-notice observation flights” over each other’s territories, subject to agreements such as the type of observation planes, their routes, the equipment they carry and even the image resolution. Images are shared with all other treaty parties — meaning Open Skies is built on the kind of international coordination and cooperation that the White House loathes, despite their immediate tangible benefits in separating facts from paranoia or false assumptions. Additionally, it builds confidence among treaty parties and even the world at large that countries with the means to wage devastating wars are not wantonly worsening tensions, especially in troubled parts of the world.
Open Skies has worked in conjunction with other non-proliferation treaties and agreements to create a formidable nuclear safety accord that has reduced the world's nuclear stockpile by 85 percent. Ideally, no country should even have such weapons given the extreme risks they pose, but this incomplete reduction is welcome given the fractious era that preceded it.
Flawed or incomplete as the world's nuclear policies may be, they have been in place for the past 75 years and some successes can be attributed to them. They leave a record fraught with myriad examples of what works and what has failed — which is exceedingly important given that the current global nuclear arms stockpile of about 13,400 missiles is still capable of wiping out all life on the planet in a single afternoon.
Unfortunately, with Open Skies now under threat combined with widening geopolitical rifts across the globe, the nuclear powers have ceased crucial negotiations and dispensed with collaboration on containment and suppression. In their place is escalatory rhetoric, a rush to upgrade arsenals and a dangerous disengagement placing the world on a terrifying path reminiscent of the 1960s, when the Soviet Union thought it was a good idea to place nuclear missiles in Cuba, less than 200km from the coast of Florida.
Unfortunately, with Open Skies now under threat combined with widening geopolitical rifts across the globe, the nuclear powers have ceased crucial negotiations and dispensed with collaboration on containment and suppression.
Granted, there are plausible arguments in the current White House’s stance, since Russia plays hard and fast with the treaty’s principles. Fortunately for the US and its allies, even Russia cannot circumvent or undermine the ironclad common-sense notions and overall purpose of Open Skies so much as to render it meaningless; the US has still been able to gather valuable data on Russian military movements in flights over Russia and Belarus. But the White House has decided to back off completely, shocking its allies, who are now urging the administration to reconsider.
Unsurprisingly, Russia pledged its continued commitment to Open Skies. Washington (yet again) has dropped the ball on this invaluable tool of national security, especially to countries that lack satellite imagery of their own. To Moscow’s benefit, a US exit from Open Skies creates an impossible dilemma for the Euro-Atlantic alliance. European countries have declared their commitment to Open Skies but because they host US military assets, Washington may pressure them to reject Russian overflight requests.
Predictably, Russia will want overflights over these assets, and when rejected it may ban Open Skies overflights over its own territory. This is a nightmare scenario for countries that have built parts of their military intelligence and national security apparatus around the data collected by Open Skies overflights. On the other hand, if European allies ignored Washington, the latter may threaten to pull out their assets, which will have ramifications for NATO and could set back Euro-Atlantic relations decades.
While the allegation that Russia misused imagery acquired from Open Skies overflights is concerning, it should not have warranted Washington storming out of this invaluable tool of global arms control. The matter should have been left to the treaty’s dispute resolution mechanisms, which have worked in the past to resolve issues. Instead, the disproportionate step of leaving Open Skies is part of a larger pattern of an American all stick, no carrot attitude to international relations that favors bravado and angry rhetoric over carefully thought out policy positions and their timely implementation. The America of old preferred collective strength over the variety, lethality and quantity of its armaments. The new “America First” has only ever amounted to “America Alone.”
Quitting Open Skies risks a return to Cold War era militarization. Ongoing internationalized proxy wars raging in Libya, Syria and Yemen, along with the increasing sophistication of non-state militant extremists in the Sahel and parts of the Middle East, mean the opportunities for the use of dangerous weaponry are rife.The time has come for a return to the spirit of transparency, cooperation and pragmatism that gave birth to Open Skies; these recent developments need not be a death knell but a wake-up call to our shared humanity.
*Hafed Al-Ghwell is a non-resident senior fellow with the Foreign Policy Institute at the John Hopkins University School of Advance International Studies. He is also senior adviser at the international economic consultancy Maxwell Stamp and at the geopolitical risk advisory firm Oxford Analytica, a member of the Strategic Advisory Solutions International Group in Washington DC and a former adviser to the board of the World Bank Group. Twitter: @HafedAlGhwell

Netanyahu’s trial and Israel’s tribulations
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/May 30/2020
Acquitted or convicted, it is Benjamin Netanyahu’s assault on the Israeli justice system, his pollution of the public debate with nationalism, racism and general intolerance of all criticism, and his corruption of the political system that will remain his legacy. His trial on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust is a tragic illustration of the lows to which Israel’s government has sunk under his stewardship.
Contrition, remorse, regret or shame are not sentiments usually associated with the longest serving prime minister in Israel’s history, nor in this context with his close family, especially his wife and eldest son. They have developed a pathological siege mentality, which initially looked like a deliberate and sinister ploy to delegitimize all criticism, but has now come to dominate their very existence; it will probably bring Netanyahu’s political career to an end, and he may spend some of his retirement behind bars.
Even those of us who disagree with Netanyahu’s politics recognize that he has had some successes, but no end of achievements could justify his efforts to destroy the rule of law and his assault on Israel’s democratic institutions and values. His shameful pre-trial speech outside the courtroom last week, a blatant attempt to intimidate the judges and prevent any future investigations into his conduct, was disgraceful behavior that should have led to his disqualification from public office even before the first charges against him were read in court.
In a surreal, though terrifying, scene resembling a mobster movie, Netanyahu, surrounded by a group of mask-wearing, pandering ministers and Knesset members from his Likud party, attacked everyone who in his distorted mind had contributed to his moment of ignominy. His followers wore the masks as protection from COVID-19, but they must have found them useful against the stench coming from that unparalleled assault on the justice system, police and media by a man who is somehow allowed to lead a democratic country while on trial for corruption.
In a complete deviation from the truth, Netanyahu had the chutzpah to declare: “Citizens of Israel, what is on trial today is an effort to frustrate the will of the people — the attempt to bring down myself and the right-wing camp.” No, Mr Netanyahu, you don’t face three judges in a court of justice because the police, the attorney general, the prosecution or the judges conspired to “frustrate the will of the people.” In fact a majority of candidates in the last election campaigned and won under the banner of ending your reign. More importantly, after four years of meticulous investigation, all the relevant authorities agree that there is enough evidence to indict you, despite your relentless evasion tactics and abuse of official powers in attempting to prevent this trial from taking place.
No, Mr Netanyahu, you don’t face three judges in a court of justice because the police, the attorney general, the prosecution or the judges conspired to “frustrate the will of the people”
The prime minister is not being prosecuted for his political opinions, or over how well he is doing his job, but is facing three grave corruption charges. It was he and his wife Sarah who accepted expensive cigars, champagne and other luxury goods from billionaire businessmen with economic interests that came under the jurisdiction of the ministries he was in charge of. It was he who discussed with media moguls legislation and regulations that could have benefited them to the tune of many hundreds of millions of shekels annually, in exchange for favorable coverage in their outlets. In another of his unsubstantiated remarks in the corridors of the courthouse, Netanyahu asserted that he of all people was the first and only person since modern democracies came into being to have “been charged with receiving positive coverage.” There is no problem with positive coverage; it is the abuse of power to obtain those flattering headlines that has led to his current predicament.
And no, those who think he should stand down during his trial do not argue this because they are leftists who wish Israel ill, or don’t love their country as much as Netanyahu does. It is because for him to hold this position while defending himself in court is both morally wrong and practically dangerous. It confuses the prime minister’s judgment, encourages him to conflate what is good for him with what is good for the country, and gives him tools available to no other citizen that might influence the outcome of his trial.
One wonders what crossed Netanyahu’s mind when he saw Liat Ben Ari, the chief prosecutor, escorted all the way to the courtroom by bodyguards — as are all the judges and the attorney general in this case as a direct result of his incitement against them. A quarter of a century after he led the vile incitement against the subsequently assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, the same old Netanyahu is using the same old methods; this time not to enhance his chances of becoming prime minister, but to intimidate the judges and prosecutors into abandoning their duty.
Had Netanyahu really wanted to know why he finds himself facing charges of corruption of such magnitude, he should have looked in the mirror; it would have revealed to him that it is his own arrogance, greed, hedonism, unchecked hunger for power, stinginess, and obsession with the media that have brought him to this point. In other words, he has only himself to blame.
• Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations at Regent’s University London, where he is head of the International Relations and Social Sciences Program. He is also an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media. Twitter: @YMekelberg

Outrage on Twitter creates more heat than light
Peter Welby/Arab News/May 30/2020
A few years ago, the think tank I worked for published a report into the availability of jihadi content on Google. We found that users searching for information on mainstream Islamic concepts would often find extremist content within the first two pages of search results. One of our main recommendations was that there should be a greater requirement on technology companies — and in particular search engines — to push extremist content down the results pages, and to draw mainstream content up.
Having done our usual political and media rounds to promote its findings and recommendations in the UK, the author and I went to the US to do the same. The response could not have been more different. In a meeting with security officials in the administration, we were told that, while our findings were concerning, it would not only be impossible but also morally wrong to “suppress free speech” in the way we were suggesting. That was the end of the conversation.
Concern about free speech in the US is so ingrained into the political culture that the very first amendment to the US Constitution affirmed it. But there has never been a time when its meaning was not contested, with debate about whether its protection was qualified (and therefore subject to other considerations) or absolute. The general position taken by the courts, as it must be in a country governed by law, has always been that it is qualified. The extent of its qualification, though, has varied.
The discussion with the administration official came back to me this week as I reflected on the row between US President Donald Trump and Twitter. Trump has issued an executive order that may have the effect of changing the way the US government judges content on social media platforms.
The social media companies’ position is that they are mere platforms, no more responsible for what its users publish than a public square is responsible for what its street preachers say. Their view is that so long as users follow the rules of the platform and the law of the land, then anything else they do is up to them. That is a position that has been accepted by the authorities in the US and much of the West — and it is that acceptance that Trump is threatening through his executive order.
The trouble for the social media organizations, however, is that they do not seem to apply the rules fairly or without bias. And this takes them into difficult ground. Such is their influence on political and media narratives that a failure to act (or to be seen to act) impartially becomes a threat to the balance of public life. In this sense, Twitter, Facebook and others are victims of their own success. If they were niche concerns, no one would care if they were ideological echo chambers. The internet abounds in such things. And if they proclaimed a partisan viewpoint openly, then their success would matter less.
But I’m not convinced that Twitter or Facebook or Google are corporately left leaning. I think they suffer much more from a form of broadly left-leaning group think in their employees — a group think that can be found in major institutions across the West. And there is one shared experience that the vast majority of skilled workers in any major field of public life will have; their time at university, an institution that across the Western world has become dominated by left-wing thought and what could at best be termed a disapproval of dissenting political views.
This shared experience, leading to a largely shared view of the world and how it ought to be, is exacerbated by the media environment that has been created by social media; a media environment driven by outrage rather than enlightenment.
The trouble for the social media organizations, however, is that they do not seem to apply the rules fairly or without bias
The entire Western political discourse is overdosed on reactive — and often performative — outrage, to the point that it can no longer tell a genuine crisis from an invented one. And the response of governments is to resist the pressures of outrage on social media and in the press, on the assumption that it is all whipped up.
This has been a latent tendency in much media for many years. Radio shock jocks, or nakedly partisan television channels, were a feature of American political life long before Twitter or Facebook. But social media ignites and amplifies it. And the major established media outlets have adjusted their output accordingly to increase readership and revenue.
Governments of all kinds, all over the world, survive only if they have some sense of the sentiments of their people. That doesn’t require democracy — even North Korea would not survive without it (though such totalitarian regimes do a lot to control the sentiment of their people). But that sense of public sentiment requires a functioning system of feedback. When that is lost, the system is in trouble.
The danger for the West today is that the system of feedback is broken. If everything requires outrage in the press or on social media, then no crisis is more serious than any other. And if most of the outrage comes from a particular frame of reference, then it is meaningless to those with a different perspective.
The social media companies are likely to be outraged themselves by Trump’s executive order. It would be better for them if they took action before they are forced to — and in the process, they can go some way to healing our political discourse too.
• Peter Welby is a consultant on religion and global affairs, specializing in the Arab world.

The keys to the success of a US withdrawal from Afghanistan
Luke Coffey/Arab News/May 30/2020
It was reported this week that the US Department of Defense is drawing up plans to bring home all American troops from Afghanistan this year.
If this goes ahead, the withdrawal would happen far ahead of the schedule agreed to in the US-Taliban deal in February. It would also mean that US President Donald Trump could claim to have kept a campaign promise — a very tempting prospect during an election year.
Earlier this year the US had about 12,000 troops in Afghanistan, the vast majority of whom were training the Afghan military. A smaller number conducted counterterrorism operations. According to publicly available information, about 9,000 US troops remain in the country.
Under the terms of the peace agreement reached by the US and representatives of the Taliban in February, the number of American forces was due to be reduced to 8,600 by July. Incidentally, this is approximately the number of troops there were in Afghanistan when Trump took office in 2017. The deal specified that all US and other foreign troops would be completely withdrawn by April 2021.
When asked during a recent press conference whether Thanksgiving Day — a major American holiday in November — was his target for a US exit from Afghanistan, Trump said: “No. I have no target but as soon as reasonable; over a period of time, but as soon as reasonable.”
It is hard to argue with Trump’s answer. He states very clearly he has no target, which is good. He acknowledges the full withdrawal will take place over a period of time, so it will not be sudden, but he wants to bring US troops home as soon as is reasonable. Most Americans would agree with this sentiment.
However, the big question that remains to be answered is this: What is reasonable? There are some who believe that after 19 years of conflict, US troops should be brought home immediately. There are others who believe it is reasonable to keep American troops in Afghanistan for as long as possible to ensure the viability of the peace process.
But in addition to focusing on what is or is not reasonable, President Trump should also focus on what is responsible.
The responsible policy choice for the US is to continue to support the Afghan government and the Afghan security forces for the foreseeable future. Not only will this help bring long-term stability to the country and the region, it will also keep America and its global partners safe.
There are two reasons why the US must remain engaged in Afghanistan to some degree, even after US troops have left.
First, the cost of funding the Afghan security forces is a relative bargain and it delivers a great return on investment for the US. The Afghan security forces have already been leading combat operations for half a decade. In the long term, they are the country’s key to stability and security.
Right now, this costs US taxpayers approximately $4.5 billion annually. Compare this with the height of the fighting, between 2010 and 2012, when the US had more than 100,000 troops leading combat operations across the country. At that time, the war was costing the US about $120 billion a year. So funding the cost of the Afghan military for a year now costs the same as what the US was paying for every 13 days of combat operations a decade ago. Therefore the US should, at a minimum, continue to pay for the Afghan security forces even if US troops are not invited to remain in the country.
Secondly, the US should learn the lessons of Afghanistan’s recent history and ensure that the nation’s security forces remain fully funded and capable. The peace agreement signed by the US and the Taliban cleared the way for intra-Afghan talks, but since then not much progress has been made.
However, there are also reasons to be cautiously optimistic. Last week, President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, reached a power-sharing agreement after two months of talks. This sends a signal to the Taliban, and the international community, that
There will be no enduring and meaningful settlement unless there is an agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Luke Coffey
Afghanistan’s political elites are united.
All sides will be watching what Washington does in the coming months. However much the Trump administration wants to end so-called “forever wars,” winding down the US military presence in Afghanistan must not also mean cutting off US financial support.
Also, there must be more of an international focus on the intra-Afghan talks. There will be no enduring and meaningful settlement unless there is an agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
The decisions taken now will have a lasting effect on the future of the country. This is why any decision to remove US troops from Afghanistan must be both reasonable and responsible.
The last thing the world, or the Afghan people, need is for the country to fall back into the chaos it experienced in the early 1990s.
*Luke Coffey is director of the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation. Twitter: @LukeDCoffey