LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 09/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
All of you clothe yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble
Peter’s First Letter 05/01-11: “I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed. Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly; neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock. When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory that doesn’t fade away. Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you. Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings. But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on November 08-09/2019
Aoun Discusses Lebanon Developments with EU Ambassador
Lebanese Banks Close for 2 Extra Days amid Financial Turmoil
No sign of new cabinet as Lebanese leaders meet, bank curbs continue
Student demonstrations continue in Lebanon
Lebanon pupils skip school for third day to demand change
Anti-Govt. Protests Ongoing in Lebanon
Lawyer Files 'Illicit Enrichment’ Case against Bassil
In Lebanon's Streets, Women Denounce a Double Burden
Geagea Says Officials Seem to be Living 'on Another Planet'
Qassem Says Hizbullah to Have Active Role in Govt., Urges 'Salvation' Cabinet
Bassil's Lawyer Says Graft Lawsuit Part of 'Defamation Campaign'
Students Ramp Up Party Mood at Tripoli Protests
Dollar-Strapped Lebanon Hospitals Threaten to Refuse Patients
World Bank Regional Chief Urges Lebanon to Form Govt. 'within a Week'
Germany Rejects Asylum Claim by Deported Lebanese Convict
Lebanese banks face threats, Hariri said to want neutral government

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 08-09/2019
Neither the US nor Israel knows for sure when Iran will have a nuclear weapon
Iran downs a drone over southern port city of Mahshahr: Report
US Central Command refutes Iranian claims of downing drone over southern port city of Mahshahr
Fresh clashes erupt in Baghdad despite call for calm by top cleric
US condemns Syrian government air strikes on civilians in northwest region
Rockets land near Iraqi base hosting US forces, no casualties: Iraqi military
UN envoy says Syrian talks to reconvene in Geneva
Turkey says it will begin sending captured ISIS militants to home countri
Israel’s Netanyahu appoints far-right Bennett as defense minister
Turkish patrol kills protester amid shaky truce in northeast Syria
Russia deploys military helicopters to patrol Syria-Turkey border: Ifax
Syria’s oil minister says production unit in Banias refinery damaged in blast
Erdogan says Turkey will not leave Syria until other countries pull out
Iraq’s Sistani says security forces responsible for keeping protests peaceful
Twitter accounts push propaganda photos of Turkish soldiers
Five killed, 20 injured in major Iran earthquake, says state TV
Saudi Arabia calls on Iran to fully cooperate with UN nuclear watchdog
Iraqi forces kill 10 protesters in Baghdad and Basra

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 08-09/2019
Lebanon: Protect Protesters from Attacks/Security Forces Using Excessive Force to Clear Streets/Human Rights Watch/November 08/2019'
The youth revolution for a Lebanon where they can stay/Ghia Osseiran/Annahar/November 08/2019
Change has long been overdue” — Amal Clooney Speaks About the Lebanese Revolution/Naheed Ifteqar/Vogue/November 08/2019
Lebanon's complex web of corruption and its legality/Christina Farhat/Annahar/November 08/2019
The Citizen Revolution and the end of the republic of taef/Le Monde avec AFP/November 08/2019
Au Liban, le mouvement de contestation entre dans sa quatrième semaine/Le Monde avec AFP/November 08/2019
Bolivia: Protesters cut off mayor’s hair, cover her in red paint and drag her through the streets/Zoe Tidman/The Independent/,November 07/2019
Neither the US nor Israel knows for sure when Iran will have a nuclear weapon/DebkaFile/November 08/2019
The Counter-ISIS Coalition Has Much to Do After Baghdadi’s Death/Charles Thépaut and Matthew Levitt/The Washington Institute/November 80/2019
Words won't stop Iran, actions will/Alex Fishman/Ynetnews/November 08/2019
Mass uprisings do not erupt without a trigger and in Iraq there was more than one/Saad Abdulrazzak Hussain/The National/November 08/2019
How will Daesh’s Afghanistan affiliate respond to setbacks/Ajmal Shams/Arab News/November 08/2019
Russia has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of the Soviet Union/Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/November 08/2019
Levant’s geopolitical landscape facing major upheaval/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/November 08/2019
Just like Europe, Catalonia and Spain are better together/Pedro Sanchez/Arab News/November 08/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on November 08-09/2019
Aoun Discusses Lebanon Developments with EU Ambassador
Naharnet/November 08/2019
President Michel Aoun held talks with Ambassador of the European Union to Lebanon, Ralph Tarraf where talks highlighted the EU’s position from the developments in Lebanon and the issue of thousands of Syrian refugees. On the governmental developments following PM Saad Hariri’s resignation, Aoun told Tarraf that “deputies will begin to study reform laws, and that the upcoming government will implement the economic plan of the outgoing government.” On the Syrian refugees, Aoun said their “repatriation from Lebanon is going in batches. The number of returnees reached 390,000 displaced people.” Moreover, Aoun said he was “surprised” at the EU’s statement regarding the integration of displaced people in host communities. In a tweet, Tarraf said he held "good, intense discussion with President Aoun on the political and economic situation in the country and the need to find sustainable answers to the current challenges Lebanon is facing," adding that the EU "remains ready to support.""The EU wants to see the conditions in place that would allow the Syrian refugees to go back to their country. The EU has never advocated for a settlement or integration of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. We agree that their stay should be temporary," he added.

Lebanese Banks Close for 2 Extra Days amid Financial Turmoil
Associated Press/Naharnet/November 08/2019
Lebanon's National News Agency reported Friday that the country's banks will be closed for two extra days over the weekend amid deepening turmoil and public anxiety over liquidity and sustained anti-government protests.
NNA said the banks will be closed both on Saturday and Monday, along with the regular Sunday closure for the weekend. The agency said this will allow for the observation of the holiday celebrating Prophet Mohammed's birthday, which is set for Monday in Lebanon. Earlier, banks were closed for two weeks amid nationwide protests calling for the government to resign. After reopening last week, individual banks imposed irregular capital controls to protect deposits and prevent a run on the banks. Lebanon is one of the world's most heavily indebted countries.

No sign of new cabinet as Lebanese leaders meet, bank curbs continue
Reuters, Beirut/Friday, 8 November 2019
Lebanon’s outgoing Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri met President Michel Aoun on Thursday without announcing progress towards forming a new government, and banking sources said most financial transfers out of the country remained blocked. Already facing the worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, Lebanon has been pitched deeper into turmoil since Ocober 17 by a wave of protests against the ruling elite that led Hariri to resign as prime minister on October 29. Banks reopened on Friday after a two-week closure but customers have encountered restrictions on transfers abroad and withdrawals of hard currency. A banking source said that generally all international transfers were still being blocked bar some exceptions such as foreign mortgage payments and tuition fees. A second banking source said restrictions had gotten tighter. Hariri has been holding closed-door meetings with other factions in the outgoing coalition cabinet over how the next government should be formed, but there have been no signs of movement towards an agreement. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said he wanted Hariri to be nominated as prime minister again. Under Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, the president a Maronite Christian and the speaker a Shi’ite. Aoun has yet to formally start consultations with lawmakers over nominating the new prime minister. The presidency said Aoun and Hariri discussed contacts aimed at solving “the current government situation”.
The protesters have called for a new government that would exclude leaders of Lebanon’s traditional sectarian political blocs. But politicians are still wrangling over its shape. Hariri has held two meetings this week with Gebran Bassil, a son-in-law of Aoun. Both Aoun and Berri are allies of the powerful Iran-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah.
“A huge” collapse ahead
Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who had two ministers in the outgoing cabinet, said on Twitter that despite the protests, Hariri and Bassil “were meeting on how to improve and beautify” a political deal they struck in 2016. Politician Samy Gemayel, whose Kataeb party was not part of the outgoing cabinet, said the main players had not understood the depth of the protest movement. “I don’t see any change in the behavior of any of the main actors after everything that happened,” he told Reuters. “They are still trying to form a government where they can all be happy, and this is not what the people are asking for.” The unrest erupted three weeks ago after a build-up of anger at rising costs of living and political leaders accused of steering the country toward collapse. “We are protesting in front of all public institutions to shine a light on corruption, demand the change of laws, and let the political elite know their cards have been revealed,” said Nayla Geagea, a lawyer protesting in Beirut on Thursday night. The economy is choked by one of the world’s largest debt burdens. Growth, low for years, is now around zero. Capital inflows vital to financing budget and trade deficits have been slowing for years, making foreign currency harder to obtain. Gemayel said Lebanon was at the beginning of “a huge monetary and financial collapse.” “We are heading to a huge problem of purchasing power, a huge problem of inflation, a huge problem of poverty,” he said. He added that he expected restrictions on financial transactions would increase as banks sought to keep their cash. Two importers indicated access to finance was not improving. “So far we are still finding some liquidity to manage some transactions but the cash is being squeezed so we are worried about the longer-term,” said Hani Bohsali, general manager of Bohsali Foods and president of the Syndicate of Importers of Foodstuffs, Consumer Products and Drinks. A second importer said his bank would not allow him to make international transfers.

Student demonstrations continue in Lebanon
Lauren Holtmeier and Jacob Boswall, Special to Al Arabiya/English -Friday, 8 November 2019
Student-led protests in Beirut continued on Friday as Lebanon remains gripped by ongoing demonstrations. Al Arabiya’s correspondent reported protesters on the street in Hasbaya, southern Lebanon, and the capital Beirut, on Friday morning. Images circultaing on social media showed a student protest scheduled outside the Ministry of Education. Students from universities including the Lebanese American University (LAU) and American University of Beirut (AUB) have been a part of the broad protests in Lebanon, which started on October 17 in response to a proposed fee on WhatsApp call usage, and led a specific demonstration on Thursday. “Students are protesting AUB’s decision to remain open and resume classes as usual despite the ongoing situation in the country,” AUB student Cyrus Azad told Al Arabiya English on Thursday. “There’s a lot of political elite that are on the board of AUB and otherwise have influence in the decisions,” said Azad, referring to the university's decision to take an “impartial role.”Other demonstrations are set to take place outside the state-run utility company Electricite du Liban and the central bank. Electricity shortages and expensive generators have been one of the many causes of people taking to the streets, while banks have also been the target of protests. Fears of an alleged dollar shortage also helped fuel protests against a worsening economic situation. On Tuesday, ratings agency Moody's had downgraded Lebanon’s sovereign debt, saying sweeping anti-government protests had hit investor confidence and threatened marco-economic stability. Lebanon’s outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri met President Michel Aoun on Thursday without announcing progress towards forming a new government, and banking sources said most financial transfers out of the country remained blocked.

Lebanon pupils skip school for third day to demand change
Arab News/November 08/2019
BEIRUT: Thousands of high school students across Lebanon skipped classes Friday for a third day in a row to carry on the flame of the country’s anti-graft movement. Lebanon has since October 17 been gripped by massive cross-sectarian protests demanding a complete revamping of a political system they say is corrupt and inept. With youth unemployment running at over 30 percent, school students have joined en masse since Wednesday demanding a better country so they don’t have to emigrate. In Beirut, a teenage student who gave her name as Qamar was among thousands of pupils chanting slogans outside the ministry of education on Friday. “So what if we lose a school year compared to our entire future?” she said. “I don’t want to study in Lebanon and then have to travel abroad” to find a job. Around her, students waved red-green-and-white Lebanese flags, as others set off yellow, green, blue and purple flares into the sky. A poster in rhyming Arabic said: “No studying or teaching, until the president falls.”Across Lebanon, students protested outside state institutions and banks including in the southern city of Saida, Tripoli in the north and the east’s Baalbek. What started as a spontaneous and leaderless movement has become more organized in recent days, with protesters targeting institutions viewed as particularly inefficient or corrupt. Early Friday, dozens of activists and retired army officers for the first time briefly closed down the entrance to Beirut’s port. Among them, music producer Zeid Hamdan, 43, had come to denounce what he viewed as a customs collection system riddled with corruption. “As a musician whenever I bring an instrument into the country, I pay 40 percent of it” to customs, he said, sporting a light beard and wearing sunglasses.
“It stays stuck in the port for weeks. You need connections, to bribe everybody to get it out,” he said. Meanwhile, Lebanon's national news agency says the country's banks will be closed for two extra days over the weekend amid deepening turmoil and public anxiety over liquidity and sustained anti-government protests. The National News Agency says the banks will be closed both on Saturday and Monday, along with the regular Sunday closure for the weekend. The report says this will allow for the observation of the holiday celebrating Prophet Mohammad's birthday, which is set for Monday in Lebanon.
Earlier, banks were closed for two weeks amid nationwide protests calling for the government to resign. After reopening last week, individual banks imposed irregular capital controls to protect deposits and prevent a run on the banks. Lebanon is one of the world's most heavily indebted countries.
Lebanon’s cabinet stepped down last week but no official consultations have started on forming a new government, and outgoing premier Saad Hariri remains in a caretaker capacity. The World Bank has urged Lebanon to form a new government quickly, warning of the threat of a further economic downturn in a country where almost a third of the population lives in poverty.

Anti-Govt. Protests Ongoing in Lebanon
Naharnet/November 08/2019
Anti-government protests demanding an overhaul of the political system shows no sign of abating with thousands of school and university students demonstrating for the third day on Friday to boost the protests as they enter their third week. On Friday, protests mushroomed around different parts of the country. Students, retired servicemen and activists marched from Beirut’s Martyr’s Square to Beirut Port to protest “squandering of public funds.” Others staged sit-ins near the state-institutions in Dekwaneh, Jounieh, Hasbaya, Zahle, Jbeil and other parts in the country. In the eastern city of Baalbek, students rallied in the main square and marched towards the local banks in the area. People blame the country’s Central Bank for fueling the economic crisis. Grievances initially focused on poor infrastructure and abysmal public services quickly grew into an unprecedented nationwide push to drive out an elite which protesters say has ruled the country like a cartel for decades. After blocking off roads for days, protesters have switched to preventing access to institutions seen as the most egregious examples of mismanagement and corruption. In Zahle, students rallied outside the Grand Serail preventing its employees access to their offices as they sang the Lebanese anthem. Prime Minister Saad Hariri tendered his government's resignation on October 29 in response to pressure from the street. That did little for his popularity with protesters in Tripoli, where giant posters of him were replaced with the Lebanese flag in several locations, a stunt that was met with applause by residents. The cabinet has stayed on in a caretaker capacity but efforts to form a new line-up seem to be stalling, with each faction in the outgoing coalition seeking to salvage some influence.Hariri met President Michel Aoun on Thursday and said that consultations were ongoing with all political players but gave no details.

Lawyer Files 'Illicit Enrichment’ Case against Bassil
Associated Press/Naharnet/November 08/2019
A Lebanese lawyer filed a lawsuit on Friday against caretaker Minister Jebran Bassil accusing him of "embezzlement, money laundering and illicit enrichment."Lawyer Marwan Salam said he filed the lawsuit against Bassil whom he accused of “embezzling public funds, money laundering, illicit enrichment and any other crime that investigations show.”On Thursday, Lebanon's financial prosecutor ordered sweeping investigations into suspected corruption and waste of public funds by senior officials. Financial prosecutor Ali Ibrahim has launched probes into customs authority chief Badri al-Daher over suspected “waste of public funds.”The prosecutor's decision came after lawyers brought a case against the officials in question over alleged misappropriation or use of public funds for personal purposes, along with "abuses of power which caused significant damage to Lebanese citizens.”Ibrahim had ordered an inquiry into "all the ministers of successive governments since 1990.”On Thursday, Ibrahim questioned former premier Fouad Saniora for three hours over $11 billion allegedly spent during his period in office from 2006 to 2008. Saniora has in the past denied all accusations of misappropriation of public funds. Last month, another prosecutor pressed charges against former prime minister Najib Miqati over allegations he wrongly received millions of dollars in subsidised housing loans, charges he denies.

In Lebanon's Streets, Women Denounce a Double Burden
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 08/2019
Marching along with hundreds of other women in Lebanon's capital, 41-year-old Sahar says she had twice the reasons to join in the nation's mass anti-system protests than any man. "As women, we're doubly oppressed," she said passionately, while around her hundreds waved Lebanese flags and chanted against the patriarchy. Women have been at the forefront of Lebanon's mass street movement since October 17 demanding an overhaul of a political system seen as incompetent and corrupt. Like their male counterparts, they have denounced their inability to alleviate a raft of woes from a deteriorating economy to unclean water and endless power cuts. But in a country viewed as one of the most liberal in the region, they are also crying out against discriminatory laws and religious courts governing their lives. "On top of everything we suffer as Lebanese people, there's a whole bunch of laws that are unfair for women," said Sahar, bouncing on her toes in a green T-shirt and jeans. In a country where 37 women have died from domestic violence since the start of 2018, female protesters are demanding better prevention and application of a 2014 law to punish battery. Instead of what they see as antiquated religious courts, they want a national law for all Lebanese -- whatever their sect -- to grant civil marriage, and rule on issues of divorce and child custody.They ask for the amendment of a century-old law governing citizenship that does not allow Lebanese women to pass down their nationality to their children.
Custody battles
During a women's march on Sunday, protesters held up a long banner inscribed in red paint with the words: "Our revolution is feminist". "I can't get my mother's nationality, but I can defend her revolution," read another sign, referring to the 1925 law that deprives children of Lebanese women from their rights as citizens. Zoya Jureidini Rouhana, head of a the Kafa non-governmental organisation, explained the challenges ahead in the tiny multi-confessional country. "There is no single law for personal status but different legislation for each court from 15 different religious sects in Lebanon," she said.
Among the most contentious issues is child custody, with religious authorities for each community applying a different limit to a divorced mother's custody.
In the Catholic church, children in theory must be handed over after the end to breastfeeding or at around two years of age, but a court decides in the interest of a child. For Greek Orthodox Christians, a mother loses permanent care of the child when they reach 14 years old for boys and 15 for girls.
After widespread pushback, Sunni Muslim divorcees have been granted full custody until their children turn 12. But in the Shiite community, children are whisked away to live with their fathers when they turn two for boys and seven for girls. Similar differences also apply on matters of inheritance, as well as in setting the minimum age to wed, with no national law to ban unions under the age of 18.
'Part of the revolution'
Rim, a 24-year-old student, said she has been taking to the streets since October 17 -- for cleaner water, fewer power cuts and an end to perceived state graft. "As a young Lebanese woman, I demand a secular system and for religious courts to be abolished," she said.
Women have been at the forefront of the protests since they started last month, sparked by a proposed tax on phone calls via free applications like WhatsApp before blowing up into general rage against the system. In the movement's first few days, a woman who kicked an armed ministerial bodyguard in the groin became a symbol of the growing protests. In recent days, female high school and university students have eagerly spoken to local television stations to ask for politicians to stop wasting their future. Women have taken to Beirut's main square after dark holding candles and banging pots and pans, in a clamouring racket that echoed around the capital's homes. Debate around women's rights has gained momentum in recent years, but activists says much remains to be done.In 2014, parliament passed a law to punish domestic violence, but rights advocates have demanded it be reformed to accelerate trials and increase sentences. Among the protesters, Roba, 33, a lawyer, said women's rights were crucial for radical change. "Women's issues are an integral part of the revolution," she said. "Any revolution that doesn't address women's issues is wanting."

Geagea Says Officials Seem to be Living 'on Another Planet'
Naharnet/November 08/2019
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea on Friday said that the country’s political leaders seem to be living “on another planet,” lamenting that there are no indications that the new government will be formed anytime soon. Geagea also accused Hizbullah of seeking a government similar to the resigned one by insisting on having its ally Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil in it. The World Bank's regional director on Friday urged Lebanon to form a new Cabinet "within a week" to prevent further degradation and loss of confidence in its economy. Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned his government on Oct. 29 in response to the unprecedented protests which have swept Lebanon starting in the middle of last month. The protests erupted over proposed new taxes and have snowballed into calls for the entire political elite that has ruled Lebanon since the end of its 1975-90 civil war to step aside. More than a week after Hariri resigned, President Michel Aoun has not yet set a date for consultations with heads of parliamentary blocs who would name a new premier. There appears to be sharp divisions over whether the new Cabinet should be made up of experts only or include politicians.

Qassem Says Hizbullah to Have Active Role in Govt., Urges 'Salvation' Cabinet
Naharnet/November 08/2019
Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Friday said his part is “effectively taking part in the consultations with the heads of the parliamentary blocs and the relevant officials with the aim of forming the (new) government.” “We hope the final format for the premier and the government will emerge soon,” Qassem added. Stressing that Hizbullah “will maintain its role in carrying people’s concerns and working for reform and combating corruption,” Qassem said his party’s “presence and representation will be effective in the government that will be formed.”“It will be part of the coming government because it is part of this people,” he added. Emphasizing that things will not remain the same after the sweeping popular protests that have engulfed the country since October 17, Qassem said “the demands of this protest movement should be present and should have the priority over those of capitalists.”“We are strenuously working to have a salvation government that can represent a chance to prevent the country from descending into chaos,” Hizbullah number two went on to say.

Bassil's Lawyer Says Graft Lawsuit Part of 'Defamation Campaign'
Naharnet/November 08/2019
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil’s lawyer Majed Boueiz on Friday described a graft lawsuit filed against the FPM leader as part of a “defamation campaign” targeting him.
“Some media outlets have published a report saying that a lawyer has filed a false lawsuit against minister Bassil over alleged and baseless offences,” Boueiz said. “The false news cited in the lawsuit over a purported commission from the Qatari grant, as initially reported by ad-Diyar newspaper, had been the subject of a lawsuit filed by minister Bassil against the person who published the report,” the lawyer noted. The journalist “confirmed before the judiciary that the report was false and signed a written acknowledgement in this regard,” the lawyer added. Boueiz also pointed out that the allegations about suspicious deals in the electricity sector had also been the subject of lawsuits that resulted in the “conviction” of “those who circulated the rumors.”
“It is obvious that this lawsuit and other false lawsuits are part of the defamation campaign that is targeting minister Bassil for reasons that are clear to everyone,” the lawyer went on to say. Bassil himself later tweeted about the issue and thanked the person who filed the lawsuit, while calling the claims "baseless and based on a fabricated article.""This is a new chance to unveil the truth, defeat rumors and expose unjust accusations," Bassil added.

Students Ramp Up Party Mood at Tripoli Protests
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 08/2019
The main square in Tripoli feels like a fairground during the day, when thousands of skiving schoolchildren and students meet to throw their weight behind Lebanon's anti-government protest movement. With their schoolbags on their backs and Lebanese flag in hand, al-Nour Square is abuzz with the laughter and chants of the northern city's young people. Girls -- veiled or not -- take turns to have the red, white and green colors of the national flag painted on their face while others dance to pop music or pose for selfies. Since Wednesday, university and high school students across the country have massively deserted their classrooms to join nationwide streets protests. "What we learn here on the square is more important than what we learn in school," says Nour, a 17-year-old girl. "We learn how to build a future and a nation," she says to noisy cheers from the friends swarming around her. "We want to find jobs and not just hang our diplomas on a wall." More than half of the population in Tripoli -- Lebanon's second largest city after Beirut -- lives on or below the poverty line, according to the United Nations. Tripoli has been rocked by deadly clashes involving Islamists over the years, including as part of the fallout of the more than eight years of civil war in neighboring Syria. "Here, if you're not wanted by the police, you're wanted for an electricity or water bill," says a young man near the square.
Stay in Lebanon
Al-Nour Square has become the beating heart of an unprecedented cross-sectarian and leaderless protest movement against poor services and government corruption. Often outstripping the capital Beirut for turnout, the Tripoli protests have turned the square into a permanent encampment for demonstrators. Al-Nour square is full of vendors selling juices, sodas, coffee, sandwiches and corn on the cob from carts. Some have made a business of selling flags and other protest paraphernalia, while one teenage boy is trying to flog a batch of balloons with cartoon character designs.
An older man walks around the square serving glasses of "erk sous" -- a traditional cold liquorice drink -- from a huge container strapped to his back. Tripoli has burst into life with the protest movement, which many in the long-marginalized city have seized upon to voice a long list of grievances.
Al-Nour Square, in the middle of which stands a huge sculpture of the word "Allah", has become a home for protesters who show so sign of wanting to leave it. "We took to the streets to demand our rights. We're tired, we want to prepare our future and achieve our dreams," says Lynn, a 14-year-old schoolgirl. "We don't want to have to live abroad," she says, referring to the thousands of young graduates who leave Lebanon, where youth unemployment tops 30 percent to look for opportunities. The daytime carnival atmosphere gradually gives way to full party mood as night sets and more people start filling the square. Some of the most electrifying moments of Lebanon's "revolution" were the rave parties and concerts held on al-Nour Square, watched live on TV by a bemused nation.

Dollar-Strapped Lebanon Hospitals Threaten to Refuse Patients
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 08/2019
Hospitals in Lebanon on Friday threatened to stop receiving patients over a dollar shortage impeding medicine imports. For two decades until several weeks ago, the Lebanese dollar has been pegged to the greenback, and both currencies were used interchangeably in daily life.
But banks have gradually been reducing access to dollars since the end of the summer. Hospital syndicate head Suleiman Haroun said unpaid bills and a lack of access to the U.S. currency meant the situation could deteriorate fast. Current medical "stocks in the country will not last more than a month," Haroun warned, in a statement carried by the National News Agency. We "request banks to facilitate money transfers in U.S. dollars for importers of medical supplies," he said. If not, "hospitals will as a warning for a single day on Friday, November 15, stop receiving all patients except emergency cases" including for dialysis and chemotherapy, he said. He also called on the state to pay pending bills to hospitals and doctors working under the health ministry. Banks in Lebanon have in recent days halted all ATM withdrawals in dollars and severely restricted any conversions from Lebanese pounds to dollars. Most Lebanese are instead having to buy the dollars from money changers at a higher exchange rate, in what amounts to the de-facto devaluation of the local currency that has sparked price hikes. Haroun's warning came after almost 100 medical stock importers on Saturday warned medical supplies would run out in a month.
They urged the central bank to provide them with key dollars to bring in life-saving equipment and medicine, and called on the state to speed up payment of accruals amounting to more than $1.4 billion. Lebanon has since October 17 witnessed an unprecedented popular uprising against everything from power cuts and poor social security to alleged state corruption. "We're dying at the gates of the hospitals," has been a common refrain among protesters, many of whom cannot afford decent healthcare. The government yielded to popular pressure and stepped down last week, and the World Bank has urged for the quick formation of a new cabinet to prevent the economy from further deteriorating.

World Bank Regional Chief Urges Lebanon to Form Govt. 'within a Week'
Associated Press/Naharnet/November 08/2019
The World Bank's regional director on Friday urged Lebanon to form a new Cabinet "within a week" to prevent further degradation and loss of confidence in its economy. Saroj Kumar Jha told The Associated Press that the World Bank observed in recent weeks increasing risks to Lebanon's economic and financial stability. "We are very concerned that this will impact the Lebanese poor people, middle class" and businesses, he said. Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned his government on Oct. 29 in response to the unprecedented protests which have swept Lebanon starting in the middle of last month. The protests erupted over proposed new taxes and have snowballed into calls for the entire political elite that has ruled Lebanon since the end of its 1975-90 civil war to step aside. More than a week after Hariri resigned, President Michel Aoun has not yet set a date for consultations with heads of parliamentary blocs who would name a new premier. There appears to be sharp divisions over whether the new Cabinet should be made up of experts only or include politicians. "It is extremely important that there is a political solution to the ongoing crisis and (that) we have a credible government in the office, which can launch ambitious bold reforms for economic stability, for more growth in the economy, for more jobs to be created and to restore confidence," Jha added. Jha said the losses "are enormous" and some of them can be measured but there are many that cannot. He said the World Bank estimates that before the protests started on Oct. 17, Lebanese was already in recession and "we were projecting 0.2% negative growth in the Lebanese economy. More recent "estimates suggest that the contraction in the country's economy could be about 1% of the GDP, which is quiet substantial."He added this would almost mean 600 to 700 million dollars of economic losses every day. Lebanon, which suffers from widespread corruption, has one of the highest debts in the world, standing at $86 billion or 150 of the GDP.
Jha said the new government should work on restoring confidence in the Lebanese economy, creating business opportunities for all Lebanese, improving the job market and launching a comprehensive program for the state-owned electricity company, which is draining state coffers.
"We need a government immediately. A government which is credible, meets the expectations of the Lebanese people, can work with all (sides) in the country and international community" to take these reforms forward, he said. "Given the scale of social and economic impact in terms of economic losses, increasing poverty, increasing unemployment, I think it is extremely important that we have a government within a week to prevent further degradation of the Lebanese economy and the confidence in the Lebanese economy," he said, speaking to The AP at his office in central Beirut. "If there is a government within a week, first of all it will send a very positive signal to everyone. To the markets, investors, to the international community," Jha said. Since banks in Lebanon opened again last Friday for the first time in two weeks, people have been rushing to banking institutions to withdraw money fearing that the country's crisis would further deepen amid shortage in liquidity. The banks subsequently have been imposing irregular capital controls to protect deposits and prevent a run on the banks.The banking sector -- a backbone of the economy -- suffered a blow on Thursday when Moody's Investors Service downgraded the country's three largest banks into junk territory. The international agency downgraded to Caa2 from Caa1, the local-currency deposit ratings respectively of Bank Audi, BLOM Bank and Byblos Bank.
Two days earlier Moody's said it lowered Lebanon's issuer rating to caa2 citing the possibility of rescheduling the country's massive debt. Jha said the "downgrading of several Lebanese banks ... shows that the confidence in the Lebanese economy is very sharply declining." "It presents itself as a challenge to the Lebanese political leaders to really form the government as soon as possible," he also said. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported Friday that the country's banks will be closed for two extra days over the weekend amid deepening turmoil and public anxiety over liquidity and sustained anti-government protests.It said the banks will be closed both on Saturday and Monday, along with the regular Sunday closure for the weekend. The report says this will allow for the observation of the holiday celebrating Prophet Mohammed's birthday, which is set for Monday in Lebanon.
Lebanon is one of the world's most heavily indebted countries.

Germany Rejects Asylum Claim by Deported Lebanese Convict
Associated Press/Naharnet/November 08/2019
German officials have rejected an asylum request from a Lebanese man who was convicted of drug dealing and deported but then returned to Germany. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Friday that the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees had rejected Ibrahim Miri's application as "clearly unfounded" and authorities are preparing to deport him again. Miri's lawyer said he would appeal the decision. Miri was deported to Lebanon in July and was banned from re-entering Europe's visa-free Schengen travel area, which includes Germany. However, he reappeared in the German city of Bremen late last month, applied for asylum and was arrested. Seehofer said that border police controls have been tightened to ensure that people who are banned from re-entering the country are kept out.

Lebanese banks face threats, Hariri said to want neutral government
Reuters, Beirut/Saturday, 9 November 2019
Lebanese bank staff are facing abuse from customers angered by restrictions on access to their cash, the employees’ union said on Friday, reflecting intensifying pressures in an economy gripped by its deepest crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. With Lebanon paralyzed by political and economic turmoil, its politicians have yet to make progress towards agreeing a new government to replace one that was toppled by an unprecedented wave of protests against the sectarian ruling elite. Saad al-Hariri, who quit as prime minister last week, is determined the next government should be devoid of political parties because such a cabinet will not be able to secure Western assistance, a source familiar with his view said. He is still seeking to convince the powerful, Iran-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement of the need for such a technocratic government, the source said. Hariri’s office could not immediately be reached for comment. Leading Christian politician Samir Geagea warned of great unrest if supplies of basic goods run short and said Lebanon’s financial situation was “very, very delicate”. One of the world’s most heavily indebted states, Lebanon was already in deep economic trouble before protests erupted on Oct. 17, ignited by a government plan to tax WhatsApp calls. Taking aim at rampant state corruption, the nationwide protests have targeted the entire elite.Since reopening a week ago, banks have been seeking to stave off capital flight by blocking most transfers abroad and imposing curbs on hard-currency withdrawals, though the central bank has announced no formal capital controls. The banks’ moves have led to threats against their staff.
“Clients with guns have entered banks and security guards have been afraid to speak to them as when people are in a state like this you don’t know how people will act,” said George al Hajj, president of the Federation of Syndicates of Banks Employees. Bank staff are considering going on strike, he said.
“Clients are becoming very aggressive; the situation is very critical and our colleagues cannot continue under the current circumstances,” added Hajj, whose union has around 11,000 members, just under half of the total banking staff. A senior banker expressed concern that potential industrial action by staff could force the closure of banks from Tuesday onward. Banks will be closed on Saturday and Monday for a public holiday. A big part of Lebanon’s economic crisis stems from a slowdown of capital inflows which has led to a scarcity of US dollars and spawned a black market where the Lebanese pound has weakened below its official pegged rate. A dollar was costing 1,800 pounds or more on Friday compared to 1,740 on Thursday, two market sources said. The pegged rate is 1,507.5 pounds.
“On another planet”
Some banks have lowered the cap on maximum withdrawals from dollar accounts this week, according to customers and bank employees. At least one bank cut credit card limits from $10,000 to $1,000 this week, customers said. “Anything that touches the liquidity of the bank is being restricted,” said another banker. One bank told a customer that a weekly withdrawal cap of $2,500 had been slashed to $1,500. Friday also saw the longest queues yet at ATMs, the senior banker said, as customers prepared for the two-day closure. In central Beirut, several people tried and failed to withdraw dollars from an ATM belonging to one of the banks that is still dispensing dollars from its cash machines. “It’s frustrating as I need money to keep me going for the weekend,” said one customer, a 25-year-old marketing professional. Another customer was able to withdraw cash in Lebanese pounds from the same ATM.
Hariri, who resigned on October 29, has been holding closed-door meetings with other politicians. “Hariri has made up his mind. He does not want a government with any politicians because this government cannot secure support from the West,” the source familiar with his view said.
Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces Party, said the only way out of the crisis was the formation of a competent government independent of political parties. “Every hour we hear of a crisis at the gates, whether it’s (supply of) petrol, flour, or medicine,” Geagea said in a telephone interview. “Everything is collapsing and the officials are on another planet, taking their time.”

Lebanon: Protect Protesters from Attacks/Security Forces Using Excessive Force to Clear Streets
Human Rights Watch/November 08/2019'
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/80369/%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%85%d9%86%d8%b8%d9%85%d8%a9-%d9%87%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%8a%d8%aa%d8%b3-%d9%88%d9%88%d8%aa%d8%b4-%d8%b9%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%86%d9%81%d8%a7%d8%b6/
(Beirut) – Lebanese security forces have failed to stop attacks on peaceful demonstrators by men armed with sticks, metal rods, and sharp objects, Human Rights Watch said today. The security forces have also used excessive force to disperse protests and clear roadblocks. Lebanese authorities should take all feasible measures to protect peaceful protesters and refrain from forcibly breaking up peaceful assemblies.
Human Rights Watch documented at least six instances in which the security forces failed to protect peaceful protestors from violent attacks by men armed with sticks, rocks, and metal rods. Although security forces have largely refrained from using excessive force against protesters since October 18, 2019, Human Rights Watch documented them using excessive force to disperse protesters on at least 12 occasions. Security forces have also arbitrarily arrested dozens of peaceful protesters and interfered with people filming the protest incidents.
“Lebanese security forces appear to have by and large respected citizens’ right to protest, but the authorities should make clear that they will not tolerate violent attacks and will stop forcibly dispersing protests without cause,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Security forces should protect peaceful demonstrators, including by ensuring that they themselves are properly equipped and deployed on demonstration sites.”
The Lebanese Red Cross stated that between October 17 and October 30, it treated 1,702 people for injuries at protest areas and transported 282 injured people to hospitals from protest areas around the country. The Lebanese Civil Defense told Human Rights Watch that during the same time period, it treated 82 protesters and 6 members of the security forces for injuries, and it transported 85 injured people to hospitals from protest areas. The Civil Defense noted that most of its operations took place in downtown Beirut.
Human Rights Watch interviewed 37 protesters who said they witnessed or were the victims of violent attacks by counter-demonstrators or excessive force by security forces in Beirut, Sour, Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil, Saida, Jal el Dib, and Abdeh. Five people said that the security forces prevented or tried to prevent them from filming the abuse, in some cases using excessive force. Most of the people interviewed asked Human Rights Watch not to use their names or their full names for their protection.
Protesters said that security forces failed to intervene to protect peaceful protesters from violent attackers on at least six occasions in Beirut, Bint Jbeil, Nabatieh, and Sour.
Human Rights Watch observed one such attack in downtown Beirut on October 29, when hundreds of supporters of Amal and Hezbollah used rocks and metal rods to attack peaceful demonstrators who were blocking the Ring highway in central Beirut and burned, vandalized, and looted protesters’ tents. Human Rights Watch and witnesses observed that riot police and the army who were present did not intervene decisively to stop the attack or arrest any attackers. They used tear gas to disperse the attackers only two hours later.
The Lebanese state authorities have a responsibility both to respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to protect protesters from violent attack, Human Rights Watch said. This includes ensuring that properly trained security forces are deployed in sufficient numbers at demonstration sites and that they intervene in a timely manner to prevent injuries. They should ensure the prosecution of those responsible for violent attacks.
The Lebanese security forces have in some instances used excessive force to clear roadblocks set up by protesters around the country. Human Rights Watch observed, and witnesses said, that during these incidents, security forces used batons and the butts of their rifles to beat protesters who were blocking roads, and in some cases detained protesters. In one case, the army used tear gas and fired rubber bullets at protesters blocking the road in the north Lebanon town of Abdeh.
The Lebanese army has acknowledged the protesters’ right to peaceful protest and assembly but maintained that protesters should reopen roads and only assemble in public squares. Authorities have not explained why they considered it necessary to forcibly remove roadblocks or disperse protesters in any of the incidents Human Rights Watch documented.
Human Rights Watch on numerous occasions observed protesters promptly removing the roadblocks for ambulances, medical staff, and military personnel. The secretary general of the Lebanese Red Cross confirmed that protesters have cleared the roads for ambulances.
According to the Lawyers’ Committee for the Defense of Protesters, between October 17 and November 4, Lebanese authorities detained at least 200 protesters, including in Beirut and Sour. As of November 4, 19 of them were still in detention. Five of those detained described to Human Rights Watch being abused by security forces during their arrest.
Freedom of peaceful assembly is a fundamental right, and as such should be enjoyed without restriction to the greatest extent possible. The UN expert on free assembly has stated that “the free flow of traffic should not automatically take precedence over freedom of peaceful assembly.” Further, two UN experts have concluded that “assemblies are an equally legitimate use of public space as commercial activity or the movement of vehicles and pedestrian traffic,” and therefore “a certain level of disruption to ordinary life caused by assemblies, including disruption of traffic, annoyance, and even harm to commercial activities, must be tolerated if the right is not to be deprived of substance.”
International law allows for dispersing a peaceful assembly only in rare cases, including if an assembly prevents access to essential services, such as medical care or serious and sustained interference with traffic or the economy. The onus is on the authorities to justify the limitation and prove the precise nature of the threats posed by the assembly. Further, organizers should be able to appeal such decisions in competent and independent courts. Even when security forces can lawfully disperse nonviolent assemblies, they should avoid the use of force to the greatest extent possible.
Lebanese authorities should impartially investigate allegations of excessive use of force by security forces at protests. Victims of unlawful use of force should receive prompt and adequate compensation. Detainees who have not been charged with a recognizable offense should be immediately released.
“If Lebanese authorities are serious about protecting citizens’ rights to protest, they should investigate allegations of misconduct and hold those responsible to account,” Stork said. “Only then will the Lebanese have full confidence in the security forces’ ability to protect them in their fight against corruption and impunity.”
Failure to Protect Peaceful Protesters
Protesters told Human Rights Watch that on at least six occasions, soldiers and riot police units mostly stood by instead of protecting demonstrators or trying to stop the attacks on them by violent groups whose flags and chants indicated that they were supporters of Hezbollah and Amal.
Human Rights Watch researchers observed one such attack in downtown Beirut on October 29, and interviewed six protesters who were at the scene. At about 12:30 p.m., hundreds of people chanting slogans in support of the Amal leader, Nabih Berri, who is the parliament speaker, and the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, attacked peaceful demonstrators who were blocking the Ring road in central Beirut. Riot police separated the attackers from the demonstrators, but the attackers quickly broke through the riot police formation and beat and kicked protesters and hurled rocks and metal rods at them.
Timour Azhari, a Daily Star journalist, told Human Rights Watch that one of the assailants punched him and beat him to the ground, while another punched and kicked his cameraman, Hasan Shaaban, in the ribs. Christoph, a 36-year-old tour guide, said that an attacker punched him in the face as he was observing the attack. He needed stitches on his cheek and eyelid, and his doctor told him that he had been hit with brass knuckles. Ali Awada, an An-Nahar journalist, said that the attackers viciously beat him on his legs and arms.
Human Rights Watch observed some riot police standing on the sidelines during the attacks while others tried halfheartedly to stop the attack. All the protesters interviewed said that security forces did not do enough to stop the attack. “It appeared as though security forces were acting as individuals, not as an organized force,” Awada said. “Some officers were clashing with the Amal and Hezbollah guys, and others just didn’t do anything. They were basically watching.”
By around 2 p.m., the attackers had reached Martyrs’ Square, where they burned, vandalized, and looted the protesters’ tents. Five witnesses said that security forces did not attempt to stop this attack. Azhari said that although the burning of tents lasted more than 30 minutes, the authorities sent no additional forces. A video shared on social media appeared to show a lone security officer attempting to put out a fire with a small bottle of water.
The attackers advanced onto Riad al-Solh Square. At around 2:50 p.m., riot police fired tear gas to disperse them. Human Rights Watch did not observe the security forces making any arrests. The Lawyers’ Committee for the Defense of Protesters, an ad hoc group of pro-bono lawyers that interviewed dozens of witnesses and victims, concluded that although the evidence suggested that the attack was coordinated, none of the attackers were arrested. The Lebanese Red Cross transported at least 11 wounded protesters to nearby hospitals.
Five people said that supporters of Amal and Hezbollah beat and terrorized them and other protesters in Nabatieh, in south Lebanon, on two occasions. One protester said that after midnight on October 18, at least 30 Amal supporters surrounded him and about 30 other protesters who were holding a sit-in near the Serail, the municipal government headquarters. “They began beating us with sticks and the chairs we were sitting on, while insulting us and telling us that we can’t speak negatively about Berri,” the Amal leader and parliament speaker.
He said that the Amal supporters warned protesters that “whoever comes into the street, we will break their legs.” He said that many people were seriously injured and two had to be taken to the hospital – one with a broken arm and bruises all over his body, and the other with a broken nose. Although the Internal Security Force’s Nabatieh headquarters are in the Serail, the protester said that the security forces did not intervene.
Hundreds of people attacked protesters in front of the Serail building again on October 23. Four protesters who were there said that at around 3 p.m., more than 400 men whom they knew to be Hezbollah supporters attacked peaceful protesters, with sticks and sharp metal objects, including beating women, children, and older people indiscriminately. The protesters said that municipal police, whom they allege are under Hezbollah’s control, participated in the attack.
One protester said that the attackers beat him from all sides on his neck, shoulder, and leg. Another said that he saw “thugs” beating a 4-year-old girl and a 75-year-old woman. Two said that the attackers targeted anyone filming or recording the attack. “Injured protesters were lying on the floor, beaten and some unconscious, from all ages…You cannot imagine how terrifying it was to witness,” one protester said.
All four protesters said that Internal Security Forces present did not intervene to protect the demonstrators. One said the forces retreated into their headquarters in the Serail when the attack began. An hour later, protesters said, the army intervened to separate the attackers from the demonstrators. Those interviewed said that neither the army nor the security forces arrested any attackers.
Local media reported and protesters told Human Rights Watch that at least 25 people were injured. The Lebanese Red Cross said that it transported five injured protesters to the hospital and treated four at the scene. One protester said that a 16-year-old boy suffered a severe spinal cord injury and remains in intensive care.
A protester in Bint Jbeil, in southern Lebanon, said that Amal supporters attacked peaceful protesters on October 21. At about 6 p.m., he said, 50 Amal supporters armed with big rocks, glass, pipes, and sticks descended on about 1,000 protesters gathered in front of the Bint Jbeil municipal building. They were “beating us senseless,” he said. He said that the attack lasted for less than 10 minutes because the attack was so brutal that demonstrators quickly fled.
The protester said that although the army had two tanks near the demonstration and dozens of fully armed soldiers, they did not intervene to protect the protesters and retreated when the attack began. He also said that security forces did not arrest any attackers.
A protester in Sour said that about a dozen Amal supporters attacked and destroyed the protesters’ tents in Sour’s al-Alam Square in the early hours of October 30, in a “systematic way.” He said that the Internal Security Forces were there but did not intervene and that the army eventually ejected the “thugs” from the square but did not arrest any. “At any point, we can get attacked,” he said. “But I don’t have confidence in the security forces to protect us.”
Use of Excessive Force
The Lebanese security forces have in at least 12 instances appeared to use excessive force to clear roadblocks set up by protesters around the country. On October 29, three protesters told Human Rights Watch that the army used tear gas and fired rubber bullets at about 100 protesters, including women and children, who off and on since October 17 had been blocking the main road in the north Lebanon town of Abdeh and beat the protesters with batons.
Human Rights Watch observed security forces pushing protesters and beating some with batons to clear roadblocks at the Ring road in central Beirut on October 31, and at the Tehwita intersection in Furn el-Chebbak on October 25. Human Rights Watch also spoke with witnesses and reviewed video footage of security forces beating protesters to clear roadblocks on the Ring road in Beirut on October 26, in Saida on October 23, October 24, October 28, and November 1, on the Jal el-Dib highway on October 23, October 31, and November 5, and in Nahr el Kalb on October 23.
Human Rights Watch observed, and witnesses said, that during these incidents, security forces used batons and the butts of their rifles to beat protesters who were blocking roads, and in some cases detained protesters. Six protesters said they were injured during the clearing of roadblocks in Beirut, Abdeh, and Saida.
On November 5, the army also removed the tents, stages, and sound equipment set up by protesters in the main protest squares in Saida and Jal el-Dib.
One protester in Abdeh, Omar, said that the army began gathering in the Abdeh Square at around 8 p.m. Between 100 and 150 protesters, among them women and children, and the head of the Bebnine municipality, were blocking the main road.
Omar said that at around 8:15 p.m., an army commander told the head of the municipality that if the protesters did not open the road, the army would open it by force. He said the army then started advancing toward the protesters, who were chanting “peaceful, peaceful.”
“Whoever tried to resist or speak was hit with batons,” Omar said. He said that he saw a soldier hit a woman on her head with a baton, and others hit him with batons while he was filming the incident. Omar said that the army then fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd as they dragged and detained protesters. Video footage reviewed by Human Rights Watch appears to corroborate Omar’s account.
Another protester said that as he was watching the army advance, a soldier grabbed him and dragged him away. He said that 15 to 20 soldiers started beating and kicking him, including with batons and rifle butts. The protester said that one of his eardrums exploded as a result. He said the army transferred him to the military police in al-Qobbeh who released him the next day. “People are broken,” he said. “We’re all broken. Our rights have been forgotten.”
Bilal, another protester participating in the Abdeh roadblock, said that the army shot him in the leg with a rubber bullet, and he saw soldiers injuring two other protesters. “It was a war scene, it was horrifying,” Bilal said.
The army has forcibly re-opened the Jal el-Dib highway north of Beirut on several occasions, including on October 23, October 31, and November 5. A protester, Tony, said that at 8:30 a.m. on November 5, the army cleared the highway by stepping on protesters who were blocking the road with their bodies, beating them, and arresting 20. Footage reviewed by Human Rights Watch appears to show the army beating protesters, including with batons. Tony said that the army released 17 detainees and turned over the other 3 to army intelligence.
“I got hit with a baton by the army on my back,” Tony said. “One protester suffered a head injury and got three stitches. A young woman who was sitting on the front line was stepped on by an army officer and kicked in the ribs. Her rib is broken.”
Protesters in Saida said that the army and army intelligence tried to forcibly reopen roads there on multiple occasions, including on October 23, October 24, October 28 and November 1. Four protesters at the Awwali bridge at the entrance to Saida on the morning of October 28 said that army and army intelligence forces violently re-opened the road. The protesters said that in the early hours of the morning, about 20 army trucks arrived carrying soldiers armed with batons and shields.
“They were screaming, pushing, cursing, and scaring the protesters so that we would run,” a protester said. All four protesters said that the army intelligence officers were the most violent. “The intelligence were attacking people in a barbaric way,” a protester said. “Some were beating boys and girls with the butts of their rifles.”
One of the protesters, a 22-year-old woman, said that she was standing in the front lines with other women to prevent the violence, but security forces even attacked the women. “The rifle hit my stomach and I couldn’t breathe,” she said. “I fell to the ground.” She heard a commander give an order to “finish them [protesters], and then bring the ambulances to collect them.”
Two of the protesters said that the army beat one protester so violently on his head that he had to be immediately transferred to the hospital. The protesters said the army arrested at least five people but released them the same day.
Internal Security Forces officers arrested and violently beat Salim Ghadban, 29, as he watched them arrest four protesters who occupied the Banks Association in downtown Beirut on November 1. “They beat me mercilessly,” Ghadban said. “If I dared open my mouth, they beat me harder.”
At the el-Helou police station, Ghadban said, the officers did not allow him to call a lawyer, doctor, or his family, in violation of Lebanon’s Code of Criminal Procedure. Ghadban was released at 7 p.m. the same day. “I have a serious injury to my head, my forehead, under my eye, between my eye and nose, and on my eyelid, shoulder, and back. My nose is broken,” he said. Human Rights Watch reviewed his medical report, which corroborated Ghadban’s account.
Targeting People Recording Attacks
Five people said that security forces tried to prevent them from filming the abuse, in some cases using excessive force. Awada, the An-Nahar journalist, said that officers ordered him to stop filming the security forces attack on protesters on the Ring highway in Beirut on October 29. “When I refused, an ISF officer attacked me from the back, grabbed my arm forcefully and dislocated my shoulder, forcing me to stop filming,” he said.
Layal bou Moussa, an Al Jadeed TV reporter, said that the army stopped reporters from two other local TV stations, MTV and LBCI, from filming them pushing and beating protesters to reopen the road in Nahr el Kalb and Zouk Mosbeh on October 23, although they allowed her to continue her live reporting.
A protester said that he took videos of the army beating protesters at the Tehwita roundabout on October 25. “The army then came to look through my phone and saw that I had taken the videos,” he said, adding that the army detained him briefly because he filmed the incident.
Another protester said that army intelligence officers attacked people filming the army beating protesters blocking the highway in Saida on October 28. A protester in Jal el Dib similarly said that the army were ordering people not to film them reopening the road on November 5 and were confiscating the phones of people recording the incident.

The youth revolution for a Lebanon where they can stay
Ghia Osseiran/Annahar/November 08/2019
The country came to a standstill for the first two weeks of the revolution with leading educational institutions, faculty and students supporting the mobilisation.
The 17 October Revolution in Lebanon may be a spontaneous movement wanting to remain “fluid” without clear leadership, but youth are clearly at the helm of this mass mobilisation, dubbed the “student revolution” as protests entered their fourth week. Open discussions and debates take place in downtown Beirut on a daily basis discussing a wide range of socioeconomic and political issues in bottom-up citizen-led deliberations. Discussions are participatory, democratic and equal and protests are decentralised and non-violent. Each neighbourhood or group holds its own internal discussions for mobilisations and makes its own decisions.
It is not only the scale of the revolution that is unprecedented, but also its aspirations for change. The 17 October revolution is not just a political intifada but a cultural revolution toward a more inclusive Lebanon, one where youth will no longer passively accept discrimination based on age, sect, gender, socioeconomic background or any other grounds. Equal opportunities are a basic tenet of an inclusive economy and society, and it is precisely this usurpation of equal opportunities that youth were leaving their classrooms to contest on the streets.
The country came to a standstill for the first two weeks of the revolution with leading educational institutions, faculty and students supporting the mobilisation. The University Professors’ Coalition, which brings together professors from private and public universities, actively participated in the mass mobilisation, emphasizing the need to protect the independence of higher educational institutions and particularly the Lebanese University, the only public university. A joint statement by the presidents of the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Saint Joseph University (USJ) urged the Lebanese authorities to “embrace the new spirit … to build a civil state that goes beyond sectarianism and interest-sharing.” The Parents’ Committee in Private Schools fully supported the closure of schools, with the Committee issuing a statement stating that “a degree framed on the wall is useless if its holder is unemployed.”
When schools and universities re-opened their doors during the third and fourth weeks of protests, however, it was students themselves who refused to return to business as usual. Thousands of school and university students from across the country deliberately left the classroom and joined nationwide protests on 6 November. Students from public and private universities self-organized forming the group “October 17 students” the next day to coordinate collective protests and exert pressure on universities not to open before their demands are met. On their banners and in interviews, several students repeated they were “not going [to class] to learn history,” but were “here to write it.” Their position, as summarised in one banner, was simply, “Why have an education if we have no future?”
This inability to convert educational credentials and resources into enhanced employment opportunities underpinned the frustrations of many young protestors. According to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (2019), youth unemployment rates reached 30% in Lebanon. Labour market participation rates, on the other hand, were as low as 41% for Lebanese youth between the ages of 15-29, with just one out of three youth in employment.
The expectation that equalising education opportunities would help level the playing field and enhance opportunities in the labour market for all had clearly failed. Instead, the share of university graduates in Lebanon exceeds local demand for high skills. This is evidenced by higher unemployment rates among secondary and university graduates, the low graduate wage premium and an increase in the brain drain, with an estimated 44 percent of Lebanon’s tertiary education graduates emigrating according to the World Bank.
The youth who were on the streets not in the classrooms, however, chose the streets precisely because they viewed this as their only opportunity to carve out a different future for themselves in Lebanon. Since the start of the revolution, in fact, students and university graduates have been raising banners on a daily basis expressing their anxiety about the future. “We are studying for a future we won’t have,” said one student. “Interior designer looking for a job,” said another. Emigration was also a recurrent theme: “When I grow up, I want to be an architect like my daddy but in Lebanon.” Another child held a banner showing how she was deprived of her “right” to live with her father who had to leave Lebanon in quest of a better job and had died abroad.
Yara, a 22-year- old activist who has been participating in the revolution every day since it started, introduced herself as “stateless.” She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in architecture with distinction from the Lebanese American University (LAU) but is currently unemployed. As a third-generation Palestinian refugee, Yara said she felt more Lebanese than Palestinian. Yara, however, does not have the right to work as an architect in Lebanon, as Palestinians cannot work in syndicated professions. Given Lebanon’s violation of the refugee right to work according to international conventions, including for refugees in protracted refugee situations, for Yara, the solution is also emigration.
Nepotism, including in the labour market, also loomed large. The statement “we no longer want wastas, we want to access jobs by merit,” echoed strongly in protest banners and interviews with youth. However, it was not merely recruitment by merit that protestors were demanding, but also decent employment and not working poverty, where “you work from dawn to dusk for 500,000LL ($332),” according to one banner.
On the supply side, the commodification of education was not forgotten by protestors, with several protest banners describing schools and universities as “businesses.” The number of private higher educational institutes in Lebanon, in fact, more than doubled since the end of the Civil War, reaching 49 licensed private higher educational institutions in 2019. This doubling in private universities took place in the absence of the implementation of adequate regulatory mechanisms monitoring their provision of education, as evidenced in the “fake university degrees” scandal revealed earlier this year. “Education is not business,” protested one student.
Social justice, access to quality education and decent employment are not this revolution’s primary demands at the moment. Its primary demands are political. This is because it is well understood that the social justice agenda cannot be advanced without first breaking away from the current sectarian state and moving toward a civil state. It is this new project that has mobilised millions of Lebanese in cities nationwide since 17 October with a new faith in an inclusive Lebanon. As one protestor said, “Before October 17 I will be leaving Lebanon. After October 17, I will believe in Lebanon.”
*Ghia Osseiran is a fellow researcher at the Centre for Lebanese Studies.

A moment of hope for Lebanon
Change has long been overdue” — Amal Clooney Speaks About the Lebanese Revolution
Naheed Ifteqar/Vogue/November 08/2019
A vast majority of celebrities who call Lebanon home have spoken about the revolution which reached its 20th day on November 5. The latest renowned personality to join them in support is Lebanese-British barrister, Amal Clooney. The international human rights lawyer recently vocalized her opinion in a heart-touching yet inspiring essay titled, ‘A moment of hope for Lebanon’ published by the An-Nahar newspaper’s English version online. Clooney began the essay with a personal story explaining the meaning behind her name, “When I was born in Lebanon, my parents named me Amal – meaning ‘hope’ – as they wished for better days in their war-torn country. That was more than four decades ago, and I have never had greater hope for my country of birth than I do today. “Because for the first time, I see people rallying around an idea, instead of a religion, party or sect.”
She added: “I watch a united population espouse a common vision for change based on dignity and equal opportunity. I hear excitement in the voice of my father, whose love for his country is palpable to anyone who knows him. And emotion in the voice of my brother, cousins and friends who have taken to the streets and report that ‘all of Lebanon is there’.”
She went on to share that even though she has been to Lebanon many times, “it only takes one visit to observe the stark disconnect between the government’s performance and the country’s potential.” Clooney’s essay also included her recalling the time when she left New York 13 years ago to live in Lebanon for the first time since she was a child. While concluding the essay, she expressed her pride by saying, “I watch proudly as Lebanon’s youth lead the charge to build a better country; and women show their determination to be catalysts of change. As people chant together, dance, and link arms. Not just people from one community, one party, one sect; but all Lebanese, standing shoulder to shoulder to say enough is enough.”Finally adding: “I believe we are witnessing a beautiful moment in the transformation of a beautiful country. There should be no going back.”

Lebanon's complex web of corruption and its legality
Christina Farhat/Annahar/November 08/2019
Lebanon, run under a confessionalist power-sharing governance structure, has long been subject to nepotism, systematic patronage, judicial failures, electoral fraud, bribery, cronyism, and clientelism.
BEIRUT: While one may find themselves jogging their memory to recall Lebanon’s seemingly ever-shifting political post-war alliances, remembering the names of the country's politicians will render itself a much easier task - they’ve been largely the same for thirty years.
Lebanon, run under a confessionalist power-sharing governance structure, has long been subject to nepotism, systematic patronage, judicial failures, electoral fraud, bribery, cronyism, and clientelism.
Transparency International ranked Lebanon the 138th least corrupt nation out of 175 countries in 2018. Corruption rankings in Lebanon averaged 115.25 from 2003 until 2018, reaching a peak of 143 in 2017, when the country was recovering from a period of political deadlock, and a record low of 63 in 2006.
While the international donor community holds their breath as their 11 billion USD in CEDRE funds are dangling just out of the Lebanese government’s arm’s length, and an impending sense of economic doom looms in the distance, millions of protestors have flooded the streets in a display of social dynamism and cohesion that disproved the accepted “given” of a divided, sectarian, Lebanese civil society. At the core of protestor’s demands? Combating corruption.
In-part due to political instability, Lebanon has failed to establish necessary integrity frameworks to fight corruption. Lebanon’s confessional power-sharing structures provoke quid-pro-quo arrangements, and patronage networks, in the public sector, having dire ramifications on the plummeting economy, and Lebanon at-large.
While the national anti-corruption campaign gained traction, it has been highly politicized in the past few years. The campaign has only tackled two corruption cases since 1992. With parliamentarians floating comfortably above the law, prosecution of the President and Ministers requires the consent of the Supreme Council for the Trial of Presidents and Ministers, comprised of eight senior Lebanese judges, and seven deputies chosen by the parliament.
Dr. Paul Morcos, Attorney at Law, Legal Consultant, and University Professor, told Annahar that the legal framework to address corruption is present, with an entire chapter of the Lebanese penal code dedicated to addressing crimes related to bribery and public funds embezzlement, and law 44-2015 addressing money laundering and terrorist financing.
Despite the assumption that all forms of corruption are underhanded, some aspects of corruption are legal due to the absence of existing legislation, non-reform of existing legislation to address current applications, and/ or a precedent of lack of implementation.
“We have the laws, they exist, but they need to be reformed. They need to be updated and renewed to address new challenges,” Morcos told Annahar.
Morcos went on to distinguish between verbal public approval, and legal consent, of political leaders in addressing the fight against corruption.
“Perhaps most importantly, we have to have the political will to fight corruption. Despite having the verbal, publicly proclaimed, approval of political leaders, we don’t have their legal consent yet. You can’t act consistently in the judiciary if politicians are against fighting corruption while publicly claiming they are with fighting corruption,” Morcos told Annahar.
On the Judiciary
Morcos insists that a law originating in the judiciary, and passed by parliament, is necessary to maintain the independence of the judicial body.
“We need a law to preserve and maintain the independence of the judiciary and such law should be originated from the judiciary committee and voted on in parliament. However, said ‘corrupt’ politicians will likely have no interest in passing such as law, as they have an incentive to keep their interests isolated,” Morcos told Annahar.
Morcos recommends legislation be put in place to eliminate conflict of interest post-judgeship mirroring that of the United States of America and the United Kingdom. The former disallowing employment after the Supreme Court in the event of retirement (justices serving lifelong appointments), while the latter implements a Supreme Court judge retirement age of 70 with no explicit law stopping the judges from taking up post-retirement jobs, but no judge taking a job in practice.
“In the meanwhile, the judiciary can produce an ethical code of conduct, or document, stating, or undertaking, their independence, as individuals. For example, if you talk about the high judicial council members, they could be banned from engage themselves and/or undertaking any political, or administrative positions, in the state after they resign. This will give them autonomy and independence in the present,” Morcos told Annahar.
Dr. Morcos acknowledged that it would be difficult, but not impossible, to compel the parliament to enact laws guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary.
“There were new laws enacted last year related to whistleblowing and electronic transactions in other fields. Such laws that are very old should be subject to reform and should be done by a special committee or subcommittee each and every time you have political priorities prevailing so you don't have any inconsistencies in the legislative process for reform.” Morcos told Annahar.
On Legislative Reform
Despite the Lebanese constitution stating that every Lebanese citizen has the right to hold public office, and that “no preference shall be made except on the basis of merit and competence,” the public sector has been dominated by the same families for decades.
“We need new electoral law that results in fairer representation, which is lacking in the new electoral law that was passed last year. We must form a new government, first from technocrats, and then receive legislative empowerment from the parliament to enable the new government, itself, to enact a new electoral law through a legislative decree. Some say this is unconstitutional and impossible after Taif but under the current circumstances I think it’s possible,” Morcos told Annahar.
While this is a critical constitutional matter, one option for reforming the legislative branch is passing a legislative decree and calling for new elections based on a law enacted by the current parliament to reduce this mandate.
“This is the best way to reform and reconstitute a legislative branch. At that time you can give a chance for civil society to be represented and to enable the civil society to fight for such anti-corruption laws- this is the best way.” Morcos told Annahar.
Acknowledging the challenges arising from this recommended course of action, especially due to the leaderless nature of protests, Morcos’s outlook remains principally positive.
“This is very difficult but not impossible if people on the street are organized and have an advocacy plan based on specific requests you might reach this goal.” Morcos told Annahar.
On Banking Secrecy
Despite the existence of legislation requiring that the President of the Republic, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, and the President of the Council of Ministers, judges, and public servants to disclose their financial assets in a sealed envelope to their relevant councils, this information is not readily available to the public.
In light of the protests, a recent debate on lifting banking secrecy has been framed incorrectly. Existing legislation already addresses this matter.
“The problem is presented incorrectly. Banking secrecy is no longer an obstacle for fighting corruption. It was true in 2001 when we lacked anti-money laundering legislation, but, since then, we have new legislation enacted in 2001 and amended it regularly until we passed a new law in 2015.” Morcos told Annahar.
The outlined crimes of corruption trigger the lift on banking secrecy automatically-banking secrecy is not a method to fight corruption.
“Law number 44 explicitly includes the crime of corruption in addition to illicit enrichment and embezzlement of public funds. In case of such crimes occurring, banking secrecy is automatically lifted and the special investigation commission at BDL has a right to investigate and no banking secrecy will stand in their way. Of course, you need a reform in legislation as a whole but saying that banking secrecy is the obstacle is wrong.” Morcos told Annahar.

The Citizen Revolution and the end of the republic of taef
Le Monde avec AFP/November 08/2019
The radicalization of social movements continues its journey, while the oligarchies in place believe they can come to the end of this dynamic. The political conglomerate, with these multiple components, is struggling to accept new realities and draw the consequences, delay tactics, statements of intention tinted with false, the maintenance of political locks only confirm the mental state of a class Politics that always believes to master the course of events. It is not surprising because the cynicism of a political class that has controlled this country for three decades through policies of systematically plundering, clientelistic networks and consecutive systems of reporting (Syrian, Iranian, Saudi) has Wrong to believe in the fallibility of a system that has proven itself.
The sudden and unreleased character of the citizen revolution has caught them off guard, but it is far, so far, to discourage them and lead them to inevitable swings. They have tried the politics of terror through the hordes of Gage who have unleashed on protesters, and they continue to tack on the conditions of a political regulation while focusing on the imponderables of regional policies and the possibility of a Bloody repression. This pattern seems to be gank on regional developments strongly conditioned by the civic rebellions of Lebanon and Iraq and their overflow effects on the Iranian scene, the regulations for the situation in Yemen and the progressive loss of Iran's room of maneuver On the Syrian and Palestinian scenes. The permutation of the regional order, the growing scale of civic movements, the operational autonomy of the Lebanese Army, and the difficulties of a political approach in mining, put an end to the political exclusivity of hizbollah, reverse the order of priorities of the agenda Political, break the locks and open the way to the implementation of a new social contract. This citizen revolution has highlighted the extremely political character of the obstacles this country has been suffering for decades, and the need to implement a new political dynamic that is now the condition for any reform work.
Otherwise, the oligarchic fabric is facing, for the first time, requests for justice that are linked to various levels of court, local and international. The possibility of escaping justice is getting reduced day by day as civic actors are working to implement the mechanisms of transitional justice with various international bodies. The implementation of a strategy of an is essential in order to break the locks of an airtight system, reduce the room for maneuver and evasion of the oligarchs, and ensure the conditions of operational justice: the central question of the return of the public treasure Can only be carried out in close collaboration with international legal, civic and political bodies. The Regional, institutional and political framework of the republic of taef is put out of play, and the citizen revolution is required to define a political register in order to put an end to the unacceptable hyphens in democracy between civil society and the sphere of governance. We should, in the end, let this political class know that a page is turned and that we are here in front of a new stage in the history of the country.

Au Liban, le mouvement de contestation entre dans sa quatrième semaine
Le Monde avec AFP/November 08/2019
A travers tout le pays, les contestataires sont de mieux en mieux organisés, ralliant de nouvelles catégories sociales. De nouvelles enquêtes judiciaires dans des affaires de corruption ont été ouvertes.
Le mouvement de contestation au Liban, qui entre dans sa quatrième semaine, ne s’essouffle pas. Ecoliers et étudiants ont manifesté jeudi 7 novembre par milliers à travers le pays, théâtre d’un soulèvement inédit contre les dirigeants politiques, accusés de corruption et d’incompétence. Les contestataires apparaissent même de mieux en mieux organisés, ralliant de nouvelles catégories sociales avec des initiatives qui visent à préserver l’ampleur de la mobilisation.
Depuis le 17 octobre, des centaines de milliers de personnes, toutes communautés confondues, ont battu le pavé pour dénoncer l’ensemble de la classe politique, dans un pays en proie à une grave crise économique. Geste symbolique, des manifestants ont enlevé jeudi des affiches de soutien au premier ministre démissionnaire Saad Hariri fixées à des lampadaires, qu’ils ont remplacées par des drapeaux libanais à Tripoli, grande ville du Nord, sous les applaudissements de dizaines de personnes. Les manifestants ont appelé par mégaphone les habitants et les commerçants à aussi enlever les affiches sur les façades de leurs immeubles.
Lire le portrait : Saad Hariri, un personnage-clé dans l’architecture du pouvoir libanais
Plus tôt dans la capitale, plusieurs milliers d’écoliers et d’étudiants se sont rassemblés devant le ministère de l’éducation, sacs à dos sur les épaules, allumant des fumigènes colorés et brandissant des drapeaux libanais. Des cortèges estudiantins ont aussi défilé dans les rues de Beyrouth, rythmés par les applaudissements et les sifflements des jeunes.
Graves pénuries d’eau et d’électricité
Les contestataires ont obtenu le 29 octobre leur première victoire avec la démission de M. Hariri et son gouvernement – qui continue de gérer les affaires courantes en attendant la nouvelle équipe.
M. Hariri a été brièvement reçu jeudi par le chef de l’Etat, Michel Aoun, au palais présidentiel de Baabda. Les deux hommes ont mené des « consultations au sujet du [futur] gouvernement », qui vont se poursuivre avec les autres parties, a souligné le chef du gouvernement à l’issue de la réunion. Les manifestants entendent maintenir la pression jusqu’à obtenir un gouvernement de technocrates qui ne seraient pas issus du sérail politique traditionnel.
Article réservé à nos abonnés Lire aussi Au Liban, le mouvement de protestation se laisse un répit en attendant le nouveau gouvernement
Outre Beyrouth et Tripoli, d’autres manifestations estudiantines ont eu lieu à travers le pays, notamment dans les villes majoritairement chiites de Nabatiyé et Baalbek, deux bastions du puissant mouvement du Hezbollah, selon l’agence de presse libanaise ANI (Agence nationale de l’information).
Mercredi soir, des milliers de femmes se sont rassemblées sur la place des Martyrs au cœur de Beyrouth, tenant dans leurs mains des chandelles allumées. Accompagnées par les vivats de la foule, les manifestantes ont tapé sur des casseroles dans un joyeux tintamarre. Les Libanais sont exaspérés par l’absence de services publics dignes de ce nom, avec notamment de graves pénuries d’eau et d’électricité.
Lancement d’enquêtes anticorruption
La Banque mondiale a estimé mercredi que « l’étape la plus urgente » pour le Liban était « la formation rapide d’un gouvernement correspondant aux attentes de tous les Libanais ». En cas d’impasse persistante, la moitié de la population pourrait sombrer dans la pauvreté et le chômage « augmenter fortement », a averti l’institution, à l’issue d’une rencontre d’une délégation avec le président libanais Michel Aoun. Selon la Banque mondiale, environ un tiers des Libanais vit déjà sous le seuil de pauvreté.
Ces derniers jours, les autorités ont mis en avant les mesures adoptées pour illustrer leurs efforts dans la lutte anticorruption, sans parvenir à calmer la rue. La justice a ordonné jeudi l’ouverture de nouvelles enquêtes dans des affaires de corruption ou de gaspillage de fonds publics présumés visant de hauts responsables, selon ANI.
Le parquet général a commandé une enquête concernant « tous les ministres des gouvernements successifs depuis 1990 à ce jour », tandis que le procureur financier a engagé des poursuites contre le chef des douanes Badri Al-Daher. De son côté, le chef de l’Etat a assuré mercredi que le prochain gouvernement inclurait des « ministres compétents et à l’abri de tout soupçon de corruption ».
*Article réservé à nos abonnés Lire aussi Liban : Tripoli retrouve sa fierté dans la

مصير بهدلي ليس ببعيد عن حكام وأصحاب شركات أحزاب لبنان
الياس بجاني/08 تشرين الثاني/2019
درس تحذيري وعبرة للسياسيين والحكام وأصحاب شركات الأحزاب التعتير وكلن يعني كلن في لبنان المحتل الذين يوالون الإحتلال الفارسي ويسرقون لقمة المواطن ويحتقرونه ويتجبرون ويستكبرون عليه ويتاجرون به وبوطنه خدمة لغرائزيتهم الشيطانية.....
المحتجين في بوليفيا امسكوا بريسة البلدية وسكبوا عليها البويا وحلقوا شعرها وجرجروها في الشوارع حافية القدمين
Bolivia: Protesters cut off mayor’s hair, cover her in red paint and drag her through the streets
Zoe Tidman/The Independent/,November 07/2019
https://news.yahoo.com/bolivia-protesters-cut-off-mayor-183121416.html?hl=1&noRedirect=1
Anti-government protesters have reportedly attacked a mayor from a small Bolivian town, covering her in red paint and cutting her hair. Patricia Arce, a member of the ruling Mas party, was dragged barefoot through the streets by demonstrators before being taken away by the police. The Vinto mayor was also forced to sign a resignation letter and the town hall was set on fire, according to the BBC. Crowds were blocking a bridge near Vinto, a town in the Cochabamba department which has seen demonstrations since the disputed presidential election on 20 October. After hearing rumours two anti-government protesters had been killed nearby, a crowd marched to the town hall, Los Tiempos newspaper reported. They got hold of the mayor, dragged her through the streets and attacked her while shouting “murderer”, according to reports. One of the rumoured deaths was later confirmed, the BBC said. Limbert Guzman, a 20-year-old student, is the third person to die following street clashes between supporters of the Bolivian president Evo Morales and opposition protesters. Mr Morales called the young man an “innocent victim of violence provoked by political groups encouraging racial hatred amongst our Bolivian brothers” on Twitter. Protests have been ongoing for the three weeks following the last election in which Mr Morales, who has been president since 2006, was victorious. His win was marred by almost a 24-hour half in the count which showed a sharp increase in support for Mr Morales once resumed. International governments have called for calm and are backing an audit of the election by the Organisation of American States (OAS), which has recommended that a second round vote go ahead. Mr Morales has agreed the audit will be “binding.”The OAS has called for calm while it completes its audit. Since the vote, cities have gone into lockdown, with daily marches and road blocks. A Bolivian protest leader who has become a symbol of opposition to President Evo Morales has arrived in the nation’s capital, La Paz, where he plans to formally demand the leftist leader step down after a contentious election last month.
**Luis Fernando Camacho, a civic leader from Santa Cruz, plans to march to the presidential palace with a pre-written letter of resignation for Mr Morales to sign.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 08-09/2019
Neither the US nor Israel knows for sure when Iran will have a nuclear weapon
DebkaFile/November 08/2019
The predictions of US Secretary of State and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Nov. 7 that Iran may have a nuclear weapon within a year were more an expression of concern over the reactivation of the under Fordow enrichment site than a forecast based on solid data. The identical one-year prediction was heard in 2012 and nothing was done about it – either by the US or Israel. It may be said that neither of their intelligence agencies knows for sure when Iran will advance to an operational nuclear capacity – or even where its nukes are to be cached. After all, neither had advance knowledge of Iran’s plan to let loose 25 cruise missiles and exploding drones against Saudi Arabia’s oil fields and processing plant on September 14, until the moment it happened. Can they do better to discover the moment that Iran’s nuclear program is weaponized?
This week, Massimo Aparo, the top inspector of the international nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, summoned a special board meeting to discuss Iran’s failure to level with inspectors on the source of the “man-made and natural uranium particles” found in a secret warehouse in Tehran that was uncovered last year in a daring Israeli Mossad operation to smuggle out Iran’s atomic archive. How many more secret nuclear facilities remain undiscovered in Iran? The IAEA does not have answers to this any more than the US and Israel. For 15 years, its inspectors have been denied access to an off-limits section of the Parchin military base in central Iran, where too suspicious uranium particles were discovered indicating secret testing of nuclear triggers. Nonetheless, no action was taken then either. The Fordow plant, where extra-fast centrifuges have been put to work on uranium enrichment, was only revealed by underground cells of the Iranian opposition exile movement. In contrast to an ever-present peril from Iran, a non-existent danger was made much of last week when Netanyahu and some security chiefs commented that Israel was now threatened by Iranian cruise missiles based in Yemen. Had the media who ran the story checked the facts, they would have found that Yemen had stopped firing cruise missiles and exploding drones against Saudi Arabia last year because it no longer possessed those weapons after supplies from Iran had dried up.

Iran downs a drone over southern port city of Mahshahr: Report
Reuters, Dubai/Friday, 8 November 2019
A semi-official Iranian website reported on Friday that Iran has shot down a drone over its southern port city of Mahshahr, without providing further details. The Iran Front Page website did not say whether it was a military or a civil drone. “The downed drone definitely belonged to a foreign country. Its wreckage has been recovered and is being investigated,” the governor of Iran’s southern Khuzestan province, Gholamreza Shariati, said, quoted by IRNA. The US Central Command denied on Thursday reports alleging that the drone belonged to the US, adding that all equiptment was accounted for.
In a tweet, the Central Command said, “Alleged reports of a US drone drone being shot down are incorrect. If a UAS had gone down in the CENTCOM AOR it was not a DoD asset. All US equipment has been accounted for.” The Young Journalists Club (YJC), affiliated to Iran’s state broadcasting, also said that an Iranian official had confirmed the downing of an “an unknown flying object” by the Iranian army. According to YJC, the official said the drone belonged to a foreign country. Relations between Iran and the United States have worsened since last year when President Donald Trump pulled out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed sanctions on the country. In June, Iran shot down an unmanned US surveillance drone, which Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said was flying over southern Iran. Washington said the US drone had been shot down by Iran in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz in the Arabian Gulf.

US Central Command refutes Iranian claims of downing drone over southern port city of Mahshahr
Arab News/November 08/2019
WASHINGTON: US Central Command refuted on Friday that Iran had shot down a US drone, saying reports from Iranian media were incorrect and adding in a tweet that all US equipment had been accounted for. Iranian media reported earlier on Friday that Iran had shot down a drone over its southern port city of Mahshahr, without providing further details. “Iran’s army has downed an unknown drone in the port city of Mahshahr,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Other Iranian news outlets carried the same report, without elaborating on whether it was a military or civilian drone. Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment. The Students News Agency ISNA and the Young Journalists Club (YJC), affiliated to Iran’s state broadcasting, said “an unknown flying object” had been shot down by the Iranian army, adding that the report had yet to be confirmed by Iranian officials. Iran’s Arabic-Language Al-Alam TV channel said “residents of Imam Khomeini port city heard the sound of a missile being fired on Friday morning.”In June, Iran shot down an unmanned US surveillance drone, which the elite Revolutionary Guards said was flying over southern Iran. Washington said the US drone had been shot down by Iran in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf. Relations between Iran and the United States have worsened since last year when President Donald Trump pulled out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed sanctions on the country.

Fresh clashes erupt in Baghdad despite call for calm by top cleric
Reuters, Baghdad/Saturday, 9 November 2019
Fresh clashes between Iraqi security forces and anti-government protesters broke out in Baghdad on Friday despite a call for calm by the country’s top Shi’ite Muslim cleric, as authorities grapple with the country’s biggest crisis in years. Security forces fired tear gas and threw stun grenades into crowds of protesters wearing helmets and makeshift body armor on a main road in the middle of the Iraqi capital, sending demonstrators scattering, some wounded, Reuters reporters said. More than 260 people have been killed since the protests over a lack of jobs and services began in Baghdad on October 1 and quickly spread to southern provinces, according to police and medics. Police, the military and paramilitary groups have used live gunfire against mostly unarmed protesters since the beginning of the unrest. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who only speaks on politics in times of crisis and wields enormous influence over public opinion in Shi’ite-majority Iraq, held security forces accountable for any violent escalation and urged the government to respond as quickly as possible to demonstrators’ demands. “The biggest responsibility is on the security forces,” a representative of Sistani said in a sermon after Friday prayers in the holy city of Karbala. “They must avoid using excessive force with peaceful protesters.” Protesters, some of whom view Sistani as part of the political and religious system they say is the cause of many Iraqis’ misery, took little solace from the cleric’s words. “He says he’s supporting protests and that we should keep going but he hasn’t helped. The speech won’t make a difference either way,” said one woman protesting in Baghdad whose son was killed in recent clashes. “I’m the mother of a student. They took his life,” she said, giving her name as Umm al-Shaheed, Arabic for mother of the martyr. The demonstrators, mostly unemployed youths, demand an overhaul of the political system and a corrupt ruling class which has dominated state institutions since the US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The violent response from authorities has fueled public anger. Snipers from Iran-backed militias that have participated in the crackdown were deployed last month, Reuters reported.
Deadly force
Live fire is still being used and even tear gas canisters, fired directly at protesters’ bodies instead of being lobbed into crowds, have killed at least 16 people, New York-based Human Rights Watch said on Friday.Doctors at hospitals have shown Reuters scans of tear gas canisters embedded in the skulls of dead protesters. Sistani warned against the exploitation of the unrest by “internal and external” forces which he said sought to destabilize Iraq for their own goals. He did not elaborate. He said those in power must come up with a meaningful response to the demonstrations. Handouts for the poor, promises to try corrupt officials and creation of more job opportunities for graduates have failed to placate protesters, whose demands include a new electoral system and the removal of all current political leaders. The protesters have also rejected foreign interference in Iraq, which has long been caught between its two main allies and bitter rivals the United States and Iran. Public anger has been directed particularly towards Iran, which supports the parties and paramilitary groups that dominate the Baghdad government and state institutions.

US condemns Syrian government air strikes on civilians in northwest region
Reuters, Washington/Friday, 8 November 2019
The United States strongly condemns air strikes by the Syrian government forces backed by Russia targeting hospitals and civilian infrastructure in northwestern Syria, Morgan Ortagus, State Department spokeswoman, said on Friday. “These attacks over the last 48 hours have hit a school, a maternity hospital, and homes, killing 12 and injuring nearly 40,” Ortagus said. “The latest reported incidents reflect a well-documented pattern of attacks against civilians and infrastructure by Russian and Syrian forces.”

Rockets land near Iraqi base hosting US forces, no casualties: Iraqi military
Reuters, Baghdad/Friday, 8 November 2019
A barrage of 17 rockets landed near a military base hosting US forces in northern Iraq on Friday but caused no injuries or major material damage, an Iraqi military statement said. A security source said the rockets landed near the Qayyara military base. The statement and the source did not say who was believed to have launched the attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

UN envoy says Syrian talks to reconvene in Geneva
Reuters, Geneva/Friday, 8 November 2019
A UN backed panel on Syria will meet again in Geneva later in November, the UN Special Envoy said on Friday, after it met for the first time seeking political reconciliation following 8-1/2 years of war. “The two co-chairs have agreed to meet here again in 14 days. The next round of discussions will start on November 25,” Geir Pedersen said of the Constitutional Committee.

Turkey says it will begin sending captured ISIS militants to home countries
Reuters/Friday, 8 November 2019
Turkey will begin to repatriate captured ISIS militants to their home countries as of Monday, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was quoted as saying by state media on Friday. Turkey has long criticized its European allies for refusing to take back ISIS fighters who are their citizens, and on Monday warned that Ankara would send captured extremists back to their countries even if their citizenships have been revoked. “We are telling them: ‘We’ll repatriate these people to you’, and we are starting as of Monday,” the state-run Anadolu news agency quoted Soylu as saying.

Israel’s Netanyahu appoints far-right Bennett as defense minister
Reuters, Jerusalem/Friday, 8 November 2019
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed the head of a far-right political party as defense minister of his caretaker government, a spokesman for the premier’s right-wing Likud party said on Friday. Naftali Bennett, who heads the New Right party, will take the defense portfolio from the right-wing Netanyahu, who has simultaneously served as premier and defense minister for nearly a year. “The appointment will be brought to the government for approval at an upcoming government meeting,” the Likud spokesman said in a statement. Israeli politics is deadlocked after two inconclusive elections this year. Former military chief Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party emerged neck and neck with Netanyahu following a September vote, and both leaders have struggled to put together a ruling coalition. Gantz, who was asked by Israel’s president to forge a coalition after Netanyahu failed to do so, has less than two weeks left to form a government. If he fails, the country could be headed towards an unprecedented third election although a smaller party might be given a chance before that. Netanyahu has led a caretaker government throughout the political turmoil.
Bennett previously served in Netanyahu’s cabinet as education minister. Netanyahu took over the defense portfolio following the resignation of then-chief Avigdor Lieberman, who in stepping down in November 2018 helped plunge the country towards snap elections in April. Netanyahu and Bennett also agreed to form a parliamentary alliance, the Likud spokesman said, adding that Bennett agreed another person would be appointed defense chief if a unity government or narrow right-wing coalition is formed.

Turkish patrol kills protester amid shaky truce in northeast Syria
The Associated Press, Idilb/Friday, 8 November 2019
A Syrian protester was killed after he was run over by a Turkish military vehicle conducting a joint patrol in northeastern Syria with Russian troops Friday, a Kurdish spokesman and Syria war monitor said. The man was among a group of residents who were pelting the convoy with shoes and stones. Videos circulating online showed the group trying to mount one of the vehicles and then the men shouting, apparently after the man is run over. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the man was run over in the village of Sarmasakh near the border by a Turkish vehicle during the third joint patrol under a cease-fire deal brokered by Moscow that forced Kurdish-led fighters to withdraw from areas bordering Turkey. The patrols are aimed at allowing Turkey to ensure that the Syrian Kurdish groups have evacuated the border zone. The agreement with Russia - and a separate one with the US - halted the Turkish invasion of Syria last month that targeted groups it considers a security threat for their links to a Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey. Other videos from the area showed men, women and children pelting armored vehicles as they drove near a cemetery before speeding away. The pelting of the Turkish-Russian patrol occurred east of the border town of Qamishli, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory, an opposition war monitor, and the Kurdish Hawar news agency. There was no immediate comment from the Russian or Turkish military about the incident. Turkey’s Defense Ministry said the troops were patrolling a region between Qamishli and Derik, east of the Euphrates River. It said the patrols were being supported by drones, but provided no further details. An Associated Press journalist saw four Turkish armored personnel carriers cross into Syria to join the Russian forces. Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, tweeted that Turkish troops fired tear gas on protesters in Derik, injuring 10 people. The town is controlled by SDF and American forces, but the Turkish troops were passing through on the patrol. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan complained this week that Syrian Kurdish fighters were still present in areas along the border, despite the separate agreements with Russia and the US. Erdogan also said Turkish troops were being attacked by some Syrian Kurdish fighters from areas they had retreated to, adding that Turkey would not “remain a spectator” to these assaults. The UN said on Friday that 92 civilians have died so far as a result of Turkey's incursion into northern Syria. Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the UN human rights office, said the death toll was based on “verified incidents” that included to November 5.

Russia deploys military helicopters to patrol Syria-Turkey border: Ifax
Reuters, Moscow/Friday, 8 November 2019
Russia has deployed military helicopters to patrol an area near Syria’s border with Turkey in order to help protect Russia military police working on the ground, the Interfax news agency said on Friday. Turkish and Russian forces are holding joint patrols in northeastern Syria to monitor an agreement struck by Moscow and Ankara after Turkey launched an offensive across its border with Syrian rebels a month ago, seeking to push out Kurdish-led YPG forces it sees as a threat to its security. Interfax cited Russian military pilot Dmitry Ivanov as saying that Moscow would deploy its helicopters along several patrol routes at a height of 50-60 meters. “Flights will be carried out daily along all the patrol routes,” he was quoted as saying.

Syria’s oil minister says production unit in Banias refinery damaged in blast
Reuters, Amman/Friday, 8 November 2019
There was a large explosion in one of the production units of Syria’s Banias refinery near the Mediterranean coast during maintenance operations, Syria’s oil minister said on Thursday. One worker was killed and an engineer was injured, minister Ali Ghanem was quoted as saying on state television about the blast at Syria’s largest refinery. It was not clear how extensive the damage was and if it affected the refinery, which has the capacity to process over 130,000 barrels per day of crude. A report on state-owned Ikhbariyah television station earlier said the explosion took place during welding of one of the tanks at the refinery. Banias along with Homs refinery, the only other refinery, cover a significant part of Syrian demand for diesel, fuel for heating, gasoline and other petroleum products, according to industry experts. Some crude and products have been imported from Iran and Russia during the Syrian war but US and EU sanctions have made it difficult to get many supplies of Iranian crude and some products to cover shortfalls. Oil production in government-controlled areas in Syria collapsed after Damascus lost most of its oil producing fields in a stretch east of the Euphrates River in Deir al-Zor. These oilfields have been in the hands of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) since they seized them from ISIS militants. US President Donald Trump has said that despite withdrawal of American troops from northern Syria in October he would keep a small number in the Kurdish-held areas “where they have the oil.”Banias gets a significant part of its oil needs from these areas where trucks transport crude from Kurdish controlled fields in Hasaka and Deir al Zor province into government-held territory, diplomats say. Washington allows this trade to help secure a source of revenues for the Kurdish-led authorities to finance their administration, industry experts and Western diplomats say.

Erdogan says Turkey will not leave Syria until other countries pull out
Reuters, Ankara/Friday, 8 November 2019
Turkey will not leave Syria until other countries pull out, President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Friday, and Ankara will continue its cross-border offensive against Kurdish fighters until every one of them has left the region. Turkey launched its third military incursion into northeast Syria last month to drive Kurdish YPG fighters from its border and establish a “safe zone” where it aims to settle up to 2 million Syrian refugees. After seizing a 120-km (75-mile) swathe of land along the border, Turkey struck deals with the United States and Russia to keep the Kurdish militia out of that area. Speaking to reporters on his flight home from a trip to Hungary, Erdogan said Turkey would only leave Syria once other countries have left as well, adding that the Turkish offensive would continue until all militants leave the area. “We will not let up until every last terrorist leaves the region,” Erdogan said, referring to the YPG, the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that Ankara views as a terrorist organization. “We will not leave here until the other countries get out,” he was cited as saying by broadcaster NTV. Ankara began its offensive after Trump announced an abrupt withdrawal of 1,000 US troops from northern Syria last month. The US president has since said that some troops will continue to operate there. Under its deals with Washington and Moscow, Ankara paused its offensive in return for the withdrawal of the YPG fighters. While US and Russian officials have said the Kurdish fighters have left the region, Erdogan on Thursday accused Russia and the United States of not fulfilling their part. With the deal Ankara struck with Moscow, Turkish and Russian troops have been holding joint patrols along the Turkish border with Syria. On Friday, the troops completed a third patrol, but a spokesman for the SDF said Turkish troops had used tear gas against some civilians protesting against the patrols. “Turkish troops targeted civilians peacefully protesting against the patrols...with tear gas and injured 10 people,” said SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali on Twitter. Turkey's defense ministry said in a statement that the third patrol was completed as planned along an 88-km route along the most easterly section of the border at a depth of 10 km.
US visit
Turkey's European allies have said the offensive will hinder the battle against ISIS. Ankara has rejected the accusation, saying its allies should back its plans to resettle the majority of the 3.5 million Syrian migrants Turkey hosts. Ibrahim Kalin, a top aide to Erdogan, said on Friday that the leaders of Germany, France, Britain and Turkey would meet on the sidelines of a NATO summit in London on December 3-4 to discuss the situation in Syria. The talks in London will follow Erdogan’s November 13 visit to Washington, where he will meet Trump to discuss Syria, as well as repercussions of Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems, the threat of US sanctions, and the case of Turkish state lender Halkbank, which has been charged by USprosecutors with being part of a multibillion-dollar scheme to evade US sanctions on Iran. Washington says the S-400s threaten its F-35 fighters jets, and has suspended Turkey from the F-35 program. “We believe it will be beneficial to discuss certain issues that we tackled before and some that we did not during face-to-face talks on November 13,” Erdogan told reporters on his return flight from Hungary, according to NTV. “Of course, we will discuss the safe zone in Syria and the return of refugees. We will discuss the S-400s, F-35s, our $100 billion trade volume issue. We will also discuss the battle with FETO and the Halkbank issue,” he said, referring to the network of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Ankara blames Gulen for orchestrating a 2016 failed coup, a charge he has denied, and has repeatedly demanded that Washington extradite him. Turkish officials said earlier this week that Erdogan might call off the US visit in protest at votes by US lawmakers to seek sanctions on Turkey over its offensive into northeast Syria, and recognize mass killings of Armenians a century ago as genocide. The visit was later confirmed after a phone call between Erdogan and Trump on Wednesday. Erdogan told reporters on Friday that he would hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday to “form the basis” of his talks in Washington, according to NTV.

Iraq’s Sistani says security forces responsible for keeping protests peaceful
Reuters, Baghdad/Friday, 8 November 2019
Iraq’s top Shia cleric said on Friday that it was up to the security forces to make sure protests do not descend into further violence, and urged the government to respond to demonstrators’ demands as soon as possible. “The biggest responsibility is on the security forces,” a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in a sermon after Friday prayer in the Shia Muslim holy city of Kerbala. Sistani also warned against exploitation of unrest in Iraq by “internal and external” forces which seek to cause instability in the country. Protests over lack of jobs and services broke out in Baghdad on Oct. 1 and quickly spread to southern provinces. Security forces began using live gunfire to disperse demonstrations almost immediately and have killed more than 260 people, according to police and medics. The protesters, mostly unemployed youths, now demand an overhaul of the political system and ruling class which has dominated state institutions since the US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Twitter accounts push propaganda photos of Turkish soldiers
The Associated Press/Friday, 8 November 2019
As Turkish forces launched assault in northern Syria, social media users propagated images of Turkey’s soldiers hugging, cradling or feeding children. But none of those images actually reflected the ongoing offensive in northern Syria. Some weren’t of Turkish soldiers. None of them were recent and some had been taken in other countries. Experts say the false and misleading posts promoting Turkey appeared to get a boost from a coordinated network of Twitter accounts that amplified the content through trending hashtags and retweets. The online campaign follows a pattern of social media propaganda that seeks to sway global opinion when controversial, international events erupt. The images began making the rounds after US President Donald Trump’s widely criticized withdrawal of US troops opened the way for the Turkish offensive against Kurdish-led forces.

Five killed, 20 injured in major Iran earthquake, says state TV
Reuters/Friday, 8 November 2019
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck northwestern Iran early on Friday, the US Geological Survey said, and Iranian state TV said there were five killed and 20 injured. The quake struck at 2:17 a.m. (2247 GMT) and Iran’s IRNA news agency said the tremor was relatively strong and caused many people to run out of their homes in panic in the middle of the night. The Iranian state TV said the quake was felt in several towns and cities. The epicenter of the quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.0 by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), was located 83 km (52 miles) southwest of Ardabil at a shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the USGS said. EMSC said the quake was felt by some 20 million people.

Saudi Arabia calls on Iran to fully cooperate with UN nuclear watchdog
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Friday, 8 November 2019
Saudi Arabia has affirmed its support and appreciation for the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and its inspectors’ professionalism and high transparency. According to the report by Saudi Press Agency (SPA) from Vienna, this came in a speech delivered by Prince Abdullah bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Ambassador to the Republic of Austria and the Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna. The special session of the IAEA Board of Governors was held on Thursday concerning the implementation of the safeguards agreement under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Additional Protocol in Iran. Prince Abdullah indicated that the Deputy Director-General’s briefing on Iran dealt with its delay in providing adequate information consistent with the results of testing samples taken by the IAEA from an undisclosed site where nuclear materials were detected and this site has been cleared before being visited by the IAEA inspectors without providing any logical explanations identical to the analysis and testing of the samples during the last 11 months. In his speech, Prince Abdullah expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation of Iran’ ongoing pursuit of this approach. He said the Iranian regime’s history is replete with deception and evasion, including the concealment of sensitive parts of its nuclear program, which undoubtedly confirms Iran’s non-peaceful program and its ambition to possess nuclear weapons. Prince Abdullah also expressed the Kingdom’s happiness at the arrival of the detained inspector from Iran to the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, noting that the complacency in taking deterrent measures and actions against Iran for its actions against persons enjoying the privileges and immunities being guaranteed to them by international treaties inside the Iranian territory, will encourage its regime to repeat them in the future, especially in light of its record of such violations and lack of respect for international conventions and norms. The Saudi envoy to the UN also stressed the need to call on Iran to fully cooperate without delay with the IAEA in providing the information required, and to respect the immunities and privileges of IAEA inspectors, in addition to providing the appropriate conditions for them to do their work properly.Prince Abdullah also called on the Agency to intensify verification and monitoring efforts in Iran in order to unveil more information concerning its nuclear activities, and any other undeclared sites that Iran is likely to use in this regard, especially in light of hostile policies towards the countries of the region and the world at large, and its tendency towards expansion and domination.

Iraqi forces kill 10 protesters in Baghdad and Basra
Reuters, Baghdad/Friday, 8 November 2019
Iraqi security forces shot dead at least six anti-government protesters in Baghdad on Thursday and killed four others as they broke up a sit-in in the southern city of Basra, police and medical sources said. Scores more were wounded in the clashes as weeks of deadly violence in Iraq over protests against an entrenched political elite showed no signs of abating. Security forces used live fire against protesters near Shuhada Bridge in central Baghdad. Gunfire was used against demonstrators in Basra, the main source of Iraq's oil wealth, who had staged a days-long sit-in. Elsewhere in southern Iraq, dozens of protesters burned tires and blocked the entrance to the port of Umm Qasr, preventing lorries from transporting food imports, just hours after operations had resumed, port officials said. The Iraqi government has failed to find a way out of the biggest and most complicated challenge it has faced in years. The unrest has shattered the relative calm that followed the defeat of ISIS in 2017. A crackdown by authorities against mostly unarmed protesters has killed more than 260 people since demonstrations began on October 1 over lack of jobs, chronic power and clean water shortages, poor education and healthcare and corruption. Protesters, mostly unemployed youths, blame a political elite that has ruled Iraq since the toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003, and demand a complete overhaul of the political system.
The economy is beginning to feel the pinch.
Internet outages imposed by the government to try to stem unrest have hit the private sector, a central bank source said. The source said private banks in Iraq had recorded losses of some $16 million per day since the internet was first shut down at the beginning of October. Combined losses by the private banks and mobile phone companies, money transfer services, tourism and airline booking offices had averaged more than $40 million per day, the source said - almost $1.5 billion for Iraq in just over a month. Umm Qasr briefly resumed operations early on Thursday after most protesters cleared the area. But several dozen activists, relatives of a demonstrator killed during weeks of violence, then returned to block the main gate, port officials said. Umm Qasr receives most of the grain, vegetable oils and sugar that Iraq depends upon. Oil and security officials said operations resumed on Thursday at the nearby Nassiriya oil refinery, where protesters had stopped fuel tankers entering or leaving the day before. Oil production and exports have not been significantly affected by the unrest, oil ministry officials say. But the halting of fuel tankers that transport fuel from the Nassiriya refinery to regional gas stations caused fuel shortages across the southern Iraqi province of Dhi Qar. The refinery had recently been producing around half its capacity, oil officials said. The internet returned briefly in most parts of Iraq on Thursday but went out again after 1:00 pm local time (1000 GMT). The government says it is enacting reforms but has offered nothing that is likely to satisfy most protesters. Stipends for the poor, more job opportunities for graduates and pledges to punish a handful of corrupt officials have come too late for those demanding an overhaul of state institutions, a flawed electoral process and system of governance that has fueled endemic corruption, many Iraqis say.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 08-09/2019
The Counter-ISIS Coalition Has Much to Do After Baghdadi’s Death
Charles Thépaut and Matthew Levitt/The Washington Institute/November 80/2019
From dissolving the group’s caliphate to killing its leader, the coalition has notched major achievements, but all that work may be for naught if the United States and other members do not renew their cooperation at the upcoming ministerial meeting.
After Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed on October 27, one might wonder why foreign officials are still gathering in Washington on November 14 for a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. But the threat posed by the group has persisted through years of similar setbacks, so the many countries active in countering ISIS must discuss how best to continue their efforts.
When officials held their previous “D-ISIS” meeting in Paris this June, they concluded that “taking into account the uncertain security situation on the ground, it is particularly important that Coalition military forces remain in the Levant to provide the necessary support to our partners on the ground.” This commitment is now being severely tested by Washington’s decision to remove troops and essentially abandon the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Next week’s meeting will further test U.S. leadership on preserving the coalition framework, which is essential to coordinating actions beyond the military level and continuing the march toward long-term victory against ISIS.
WHAT THE COALITION HAS ACHIEVED MILITARILY
The coalition was created in September 2014 in response to the Islamic State’s conquest of large swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territory. Since then, it has been the primary framework through which eighty-one countries have coordinated their military and civilian efforts to address the threat.
The coalition’s primary local allies in this fight have been Kurdish peshmerga and federal troops in Iraq, and Kurdish and Arab SDF troops in northeast Syria. The United States has provided the most substantial support to these troops through a small but effective counterterrorism operation. Numerous allies have contributed to this effort via intelligence collection, airstrikes, equipment provision, and military training, including Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Despite a difficult campaign with many casualties, local troops managed to retake all ISIS territories by March 2019. Steady cooperation with these forces also enabled the recent U.S. operation to kill Baghdadi.
U.S. Defense Department map showing ISIS territory at its peak in 2015, and how coalition activities shrank it significantly in the first year of operations.
NONMILITARY LINES OF EFFORT
Although only a limited number of countries have participated militarily, the coalition has been an effective mechanism for all eighty-one members to cooperate on other crucial efforts such as countering jihadist ideology and terrorist financing, stabilizing former ISIS territories, impeding the flow of ISIS fighters, and prosecuting returnees.
Since 2017, European contributions under the coalition framework have totaled more than $400 million in support to northeast Syria. These funds have contributed to clearing land mines left by ISIS, averting humanitarian crises in refugee camps, repairing basic infrastructure, providing primary healthcare, and relaunching the local economy. The coalition has also promoted bilateral and multilateral support to Iraq, including funds to rebuild the University of Mosul. Such efforts are crucial to restoring decent living conditions for populations who suffered from ISIS rule and the war against it. In addition, the coalition has coordinated projects to counter ISIS propaganda and shut down its social network accounts. Information sharing on terrorist financing and foreign fighters has been improved as well.
In short, the coalition was formed to ensure the Islamic State’s enduring defeat, and increased cooperation on nonmilitary dimensions is required to achieve this goal. That is why the alliance still has an important role to play.
KEY ISSUES FOR THE UPCOMING MEETING
Items on the agenda for next week’s small-group ministerial meeting include several burning political issues:
How to deal with the new Syria map? The most contentious issue is the instability caused by last month’s Turkish incursion and uncoordinated U.S. withdrawal in northeast Syria. French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian requested the ministerial meeting after coalition member Turkey launched its operation to retake a thirty-kilometer-deep zone along the border.
Partner countries will have to discuss the consequences of this changing map now that Turkish, Russian, and Syrian regime forces are replacing the U.S. presence in the northeast. President Trump has stated his desire to retain control of oil fields in east Syria, but it is not clear where and how Washington plans to continue its anti-ISIS operations. Without its recently abandoned bases in Syria, the coalition would likely have to rely on Erbil, Iraq, as its main logistical base, but this would require extensive engagement with the Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad.
In any case, the new situation is harming some of the coalition’s efforts, and will likely lead the U.S. delegation to ask other partners to increase their contributions and deployments. Yet while countries such as Britain, France, and Germany offered to do more in past months following President Trump’s December 2018 statement supporting troop withdrawal, European contributions to counterterrorism operations against regional ISIS cells will be difficult without a U.S. presence. Similarly, European NGOs cannot operate locally without U.S. security guarantees. Even U.S. targeting of terrorists might become more difficult in the current operating environment.
How to deal with ISIS detainees? The coalition’s most urgent task is designing a coordinated response to the detention and prosecution of ISIS detainees. In the immediate term, this means preventing ISIS prison breaks within Syria’s current security vacuum.
Accordingly, U.S. officials who attend next week’s meeting will likely be asked to explain how the SDF can be expected to continue detaining ISIS fighters while contending with the U.S. departure and Turkish-Syrian military advances. On October 15, Turkish presidential spokesman Fahrettin Altun declared that “nobody is dumping those [imprisoned] terrorists on Turkey,” so it is unclear whether a new division of labor with Ankara will be possible.
Thus far, President Trump has demanded that European countries repatriate and prosecute their citizens who joined ISIS, going so far as to threaten their potential release. In the words of one unnamed security official, European governments want to avoid creating “a new Guantanamo Bay” in Syria, but they are even more wary of the potential dangers involved in repatriation.
Among the estimated 11,000 ISIS detainees in northeast Syria, some 2,000 are foreign fighters, according to an October 25 policy brief issued by the European Council on Foreign Relations. The same source noted that only around 200 of these fighters are European, but they still pose a major threat in terms of future terrorist attacks on the continent.
The majority of the foreign fighters come from other Arab countries, where local institutions would struggle to handle them without international support. Consider the large number of Tunisian fighters, whose return home en masse could replicate Algeria’s experience three decades ago, when returning Afghanistan veterans played a key role in the country’s civil war.
Indeed, while some experts call for repatriation of detainees by each home country, logistical obstacles and potential legal shortcomings would complicate this proposal (e.g., the difficulty of gathering evidence for trial). There is no easy option for prosecuting these fighters, and other practical issues are a work in progress, such as developing reintegration programs for deeply radicalized and sometimes violent individuals who have served their sentence. Furthermore, European publics largely oppose repatriation.
Yet dealing with the foreign fighters is actually the smaller half of the problem. Most of the 11,000 detained fighters are Syrians and Iraqis who could rebuild ISIS in both countries if left to their own devices, much like al-Qaeda in Iraq went underground in 2007-2009 before reemerging as ISIS in 2011.
Since the fate of detained fighters is an international issue that affects some fifty-four countries to various degrees, another option is to prosecute them through an ad hoc international jurisdiction, similar to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Yet experts argue that setting up such a tribunal may take too much time and would likely be opposed by key states. For instance, Russia seems intent on pushing the Syrian regime to take control of the detention camps, potentially using ISIS foreign fighters as bargaining chips with the West.
A TEST OF U.S. LEADERSHIP
Beyond discussing specific solutions, the meeting will serve as a test of U.S. leadership over international counterterrorism efforts. Credibility requires stability—in the wake of Washington’s hasty Syria withdrawal, it will be very difficult for senior U.S. officials to convince Western and Middle Eastern partners that any proposals they make next week will not suddenly change the week after. Allies may therefore be unwilling to send troops or make other investments that are contingent on U.S. policy remaining constant. More likely, they will try to adapt to the reality of Russia’s strengthened position on the ground in Syria and its growing influence in the Middle East theater.
To be sure, the Trump administration’s focus on burden sharing suggests that the counter-ISIS coalition still has a vital role to play. Most important, the coalition provides the framework for technical and political discussions, especially with Arab and Turkish officials, who will likely be central to addressing the threat posed by thousands of ISIS detainees. The key question, however, is whether the administration wants to keep working through multinational alliances or invest more in bilateral relationships instead.
Here, the success of the coalition’s nonmilitary lines of effort offers a lesson on the necessity of multilateral counterterrorism cooperation, including at the strategic level. The underlying conditions that led to the rise of ISIS—poor governance, corruption, repression—persist across the Middle East, and political settlements are still needed in Syria and Iraq. These tough challenges require the United States and its allies to engage diplomatically at all levels, such as by pressuring the Syrian regime and the UN-led Constitutional Committee with Turkey’s help. In Iraq, the coalition should capitalize on the current climate of anti-government protests to advocate for more-inclusive governance in former ISIS territories. Some have also suggested expanding the coalition to counter the terrorist and insurgent threat posed by ISIS wilayat (provinces), which have sprouted in Afghanistan, Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Chechnya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, India, Libya, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Turkey, and Yemen.
The Trump administration’s 2018 national counterterrorism strategy spoke directly to the benefit of such wide-ranging partnerships: “Our increasingly interconnected world demands that we prioritize the partnerships that will lead to both actions and enduring efforts that diminish terrorism. The United States will, therefore, partner with governments and organizations,...the technology sector, financial institutions, and civil society.” In this vein, the counter-ISIS coalition is needed as much today as it was prior to the terrorist group’s latest setbacks.
*Charles Thepaut, a resident visiting fellow at The Washington Institute, previously worked for European diplomatic institutions in Syria, Algeria, Iraq, France, Belgium, and Germany. Matthew Levitt is the Institute’s Fromer-Wexler Fellow and director of its Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.

Words won't stop Iran, actions will
Alex Fishman/Ynetnews/November 08/2019
Opinion: The Islamic Republic has rebooted its efforts to obtain nuclear capabilities, but the government deadlock in Israel prevents the political echelons from making crucial decisions about these developments
The Israeli government is as if on a go-slow strike which doesn't allow any form of short- or long-term thinking, but the Middle East isn't waiting for anyone. It demands decisions and actions and it demands them now. Iran poses two major regional security issues for Israel.
The first issue, as the head of the Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva warned in a closed conference on Tuesday, is Iran's ability to fire missiles deep into the Israeli home front as retaliation for Israeli attacks against Iranian targets in the Middle East. Iran already has the ability to fire rockets at specific sensitive locations within Israel. The only difference, according to the Defense Ministry, is that Iran is now willing to use this ability. Israel is not Saudi Arabia, but Iran might confront Israel if the latter continues to constrict it steps in the region. The second issue is Iran's announcement, that it had started operating state-of-the-art centrifuges that can enrich uranium ten times faster than the old ones. In other words, Iran announced it had cut the time it will take her to reach military nuclear ability.
If on the eve of the signing of the nuclear deal's, Iran was less than a year away from obtaining a nuclear bomb, now, if willing, it will be able to get it in a shorter time period. How much shorter? I doubt anyone can estimate exactly, but it's clear that the Iranian ability to enrich 25 kilograms to a 90 percent level - the point of no return - is only a matter of months. Needless to say this is alarming news for Israel. The situation requires government decisions, political activity and allocation of recources for security, which means budgetary decisions. All of this must not be done next year or when the next government will finally be established, It must be done right now, so that if Iran goes through with it's threats, Israel will be better prepared than it is today. The Iranians keep on crossing more red lines all the time, repeatedly testing the boundaries of the American determination and the European passiveness. The timing of Iran's announcement, that it is operating new centrifuges, is like sticking a finger in the Americans' eye, because it was made on the 40th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. This week, the ultimatum that Iran has set for Europe, demanding they bypass U.S. sanctions, has expired.
Tehran still hasn't completely ditched the nuclear deal. It gnaws small pieces of it at a time, small enough for Europe not to make drastic decisions. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is so worried about the Iranian front – it is incumbent upon him to come up with solutions rather than intimidations.
However, in the current political situation, much is being talked about but only a little is being done.

Mass uprisings do not erupt without a trigger and in Iraq there was more than one
Saad Abdulrazzak Hussain/The National/November 08/2019
Unemployment is high, especially among the young who don't have access to basic services, their indignation prompted by the corruption of successive administrations
The maelstrom of factors leading to Iraq’s uprising, now in its sixth week, have been brewing for a long time. Some go back years and have their roots in the calls for reform during the government of Haider Al Abadi, which were supported by some parliamentarians but, as often happens in the political arena in Iraq, as soon as the ruling parties sensed a lull in the rage of the masses calling for change, they simply ignored their demands. Then, the pro-reform movement was limited to Friday gatherings in Baghdad’s Freedom Square, rather than the throngs of thousands that now fill the streets daily. The large majority of those crowds belonged to the Sadrist movement and were acting on the orders of the cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, who has spoken in support of this protest movement.
In the face of widespread criticism in 2015, Mr Al Abadi proposed far-reaching changes, including holding an inquiry into corruption and scrapping sectarian and party quotas in the appointment of top officials. Yet despite the gravity of the factors leading to the uprising four years ago, those promises made by ruling parties went unfulfilled.
The protesters' cry for reforms go further than ever before: they want, among other changes, a new constitution that enshrines the separation of religion and politics
The majority of the demonstrators today are young people, some of whom were born after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, or who were children at the time. So far, the protest movement has not nominated leaders through whom to channel its demands, perhaps because of the spontaneity with which the uprising began. But their indignation is clear, prompted by the corruption that has plagued a succession of administrations since 2003. It has manifested in organisations that override state institutions and in a collective failure to try corrupt officials, regardless of their social background or their political, religious and sectarian affiliations.
Protesters have also been mobilised into action by state bureaucracy that prevents them from getting anything done; the failure to provide basic services such as electricity, drinking water, education and health care; and high unemployment, particularly among young people.
They are demanding the dissolution of parliament, the immediate holding of free and fair elections, supervised by the United Nations, and changes to the Electoral Commission, enabling them to select candidates independent of the existing political parties.
Their cry for reforms go further than ever before: they want a new constitution for the country that enshrines the separation of religion and politics, the formation of an independent judiciary council, the disbanding of all militias and the use of weapons to be confined to the state alone. And they want to abolish all privileges enjoyed by the president, parliament and prime minister. Critically, they want to ensure Iraq is protected from Iranian interference in its national affairs.
So far, more than 260 people have been killed and thousands injured. There appear to be forces targeting the demonstrators with live ammunition as well as tear gas. While the government has publicly renounced the killing of demonstrators, who are expressing their legitimate right to protest, there are suggestions that elements linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are behind the shootings.
That has not stopped demonstrators gradually increasing their demands. Initially they focused on job opportunities but that quickly swelled to calls for a change in governance. This was illustrated by the rejection of all figures of the regime, from officials to leaders of parties and militias as well as top officials. Prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi offered his resignation, which was accepted by president Barham Salih conditional on finding a replacement, but that has not been enough to quell public outrage. Amid shifting allegiances, Mr Al Sadr’s attempts to forge an alliance with Hadi Al Amiri, head of the Fateh bloc, to unseat Mr Abdul Mahdi resulted in him being expelled from demonstrations in Najaf last month. Even the country’s most senior Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Al Al Sistani, has been ineffectual in establishing calm.
When Mr Abdul Mahdi first took up his post just over a year ago, there was hope of some of these endemic problems improving because he did not belong to a particular political party. He assumed power as a result of the bloody uprising in Basra, which saw Mr Al Abadi ousted as prime minister. Mr Abdul Mahdi was chosen as a result of an understanding reached by Mr Al Sadr’s Sairon bloc, the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, and Mr Al Amiri’s Fateh front. However, the major mistake made by Mr Abdul Mahdi was selecting his ministers on the basis of quotas, in the same way previous ministry appointments had been made. Mr Abdul Mahdi should have chosen his own ministers on the basis of competence and expertise. He should have rejected any request from the ruling parties in the quota system, even if this had led to his own removal by those parties. He would have gained the support and trust of the people as a result and might have had more success in instigating reforms.
Instead, the progress of his government has been very slow and it has fallen into the trap of once again making promises without delivering them. Mr Abdul Mahdi’s leadership has been marked by a failure to effect any meaningful change.
Despite the abundance of motives for revolt, the mobilisation of the masses has come relatively late. For some, the lack of earlier action was a result of religious and sectarian influence. The absence of a middle-class culture has also been a contributing factor. The people who need to see an immediate change in their situation are mainly Shiite, because the poorest provinces in Iraq are the nine Shiite districts in the centre and south. This has led to conflict between Shiite factions. Division between Shiite parties has long been a reality in Iraq, making it difficult for those parties to enter elections under a single electoral list. Disagreement has also erupted among parties whose first priority is loyalty to Iran. That conflict between Shiite citizens and parties reached its zenith in the October 1 uprising.
Mass uprisings do not erupt without a trigger. Iraq’s protests differ from Lebanon’s as there was no single clear trigger, unlike in Beirut, where the proposed taxes on WhatsApp proved a tipping point. Yet even those who called for demonstrations on social media cannot have anticipated the extent of what has transpired in Iraq.
The important thing that has unfolded over the past few weeks is the peaceable and persistent call – even in the face of violence – for the separation of religion and the state, and protecting Iraqi citizenship and soil from sectarian, tribal and regional affiliations. Although the majority of the protesting masses are Shiite, their demands do not play to sectarian intolerance. The demonstrators have also criticised the presence of armed groups outside the control of the state and Iran's blatant interference in Iraqi affairs. Women in particular have had an important role to play.
The biggest question for many remains: what can this uprising achieve? Will it be able to realise its demands? The answer to these questions is not easy because the parties that have ruled Iraq since 2003 have managed to enrich themselves by acquiring the best governmental commercial contracts for their own benefit. Financial and administrative corruption is endemic in all its forms and the deep state, made up of Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties benefiting from the country's oil exports, will fight all attempts to disrupt it.
Nor will Iran give up Iraq easily. Iraq represents a political, economic and ideological partner and it will want to tightly control Iraqis willing to do its bidding, as long as it can.
Many of the demands of the uprising cannot be achieved immediately. It will take months and possibly years to undo the ill effects of institutionalised corruption and mismanagement.
It is difficult to predict how the uprising will end. There are a number of scenarios that could take place: an understanding could be reached between the government and the demonstrators by finding a middle ground between their demands and what can be delivered. This could be the best outcome. Alternatively, the uprising could be met with further force, which will severely isolate the government at a national, regional and international level.
That is not to undo the achievements of the uprising so far: namely, that it has raised awareness among Iraqi citizens, cemented the idea of a homeland and national pride among the Iraqi people, and raised the profile of female campaigners. Above all, it has destroyed the idea that the government can do as it likes, despite the will of the people.
*Saad Abdulrazzak Hussain is a researcher for the Iraq Studies institute in Beirut and a former member of parliament in Iraq

How will Daesh’s Afghanistan affiliate respond to setbacks?
Ajmal Shams/Arab News/November 08/2019
The recent killing of Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in a US raid in Syria was welcomed by the Afghan government, which termed the action a major blow to the group and to terrorism in general. Regardless of the fact that insurgent groups have historically exhibited resilience after losing a leader, Al-Baghdadi’s death will definitely have a deep impact on Daesh’s activities in Afghanistan, at least in the short term. Al-Baghdadi might have had limited or no operational linkages with Daesh in Afghanistan, but he was an inspiration for the so-called caliphate declared by the group.
The affiliate of Daesh first emerged in Afghanistan in 2014, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, and gradually made inroads into neighboring Kunar. However, it maintained its stronghold in Nangarhar. In 2015, it named itself as Daesh’s Khorasan Province. The name Khorasan is a historical name associated with parts of Afghanistan, but it has never been used formally for the whole country. While Afghanistan already suffered from an insurgency in the form of the Taliban, the addition of Daesh has been another major security challenge for the country.
The group has now also become active in other parts of northern Afghanistan. Compared to the Taliban, Daesh has been even more violent, brutal and extremist in its views and interpretation of Islam. Any Muslim that does not adhere to its self-proclaimed version of Islam is considered to be a “kafir” (non-believer) and hence punishable by death.
The US military estimates the number of Daesh militants in Afghanistan to be about 2,000. However, this number could be higher and may grow as there are reports of new recruits as well as defections from the Taliban.
Daesh has carried out several brutal attacks targeting civilians.
In August, it claimed responsibility for attacking a wedding hall, taking the lives of dozens of innocent civilians. The attack was once again an eye-opener for Afghans that, after the Taliban, another group is keen to victimize them. However, over the past couple of years, the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have conducted several successful operations against Daesh militants in Nangarhar, weakening the group’s hold on its major territory. Some militants even abandoned the group and surrendered to the provincial government.
The Afghan leadership has vowed to eliminate all of Daesh’s safe havens following the recent successful operations.
The talks between the US and the Taliban, when they were on the verge of sealing a deal, must have been important for Daesh. If the talks resume and a peace agreement is reached, Daesh will credit itself with being the sole insurgent group challenging the Afghan government, society and any international intervention it is opposed to. Daesh must be strongly banking on a segment of the population being unhappy with the impending deal, along with defections from the Taliban by militants who are more inspired by Daesh’s more extreme ideology.
In Afghanistan, Daesh has been trying its best to attack mainly Shiite neighborhoods to spur some kind of sectarian discord. But, luckily, they have so far failed. The Shiite minority and Sunni majority have been living together in the country for centuries, maintaining mutual respect and religious tolerance.
There are also concerns that, since Daesh has been significantly weakened in Iraq and Syria, it must be looking for an alternative stronghold, from where it can lead and inspire its virtual caliphate. Afghanistan, it is feared, could become that potential new home. Meanwhile, the Afghan leadership has vowed to eliminate all of Daesh’s safe havens following the recent successful operations against the militant group.
Considering Daesh’s major setbacks in Iraq and Syria, it is unlikely the group will stay in Afghanistan much longer. But it all depends on the continuous support of the international community for the ANDSF. The other point that contributes to the defeat of Daesh in Afghanistan is the probable US peace deal with the Taliban. The Taliban and Daesh consider each other as rivals and, if a peace agreement is reached, it will definitely embolden the Afghan government to defeat Daesh in a short space of time.
*Ajmal Shams, based in Kabul, is president of the Afghanistan Social Democratic Party. He was a deputy minister in the national unity government and served as policy adviser to Ashraf Ghani before his presidential bid. Twitter: @ajmshams

Russia has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of the Soviet Union
Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/November 08/2019
Thirty years ago today (Nov. 9), the world watched with astonishment and great emotion as the Berlin Wall fell. The 97-mile, heavily guarded concrete barrier that had divided Berlin, physically and ideologically, since 1961 was the most visible and important symbol of the political divisions that separated East and the West during the Cold War.
With that barrier torn down, the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended after half a century. However, the remnants of the divisions that split the US and Russia during that era can still be seen and felt.
On Dec. 3, 1989, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George Bush sat side by side in Malta and announced the Cold War between the two powers was coming to an end. Prominent American political philosopher Francis Fukuyama said that the moment marked the “end of history,” suggesting that it was the start of a post-ideological era for the world.
His theory has been seriously challenged by global events in the years since. In particular, the Arab uprisings that swept the region and significantly affected the balance of power in the Middle East seem to offer clear proof that ideological conflicts still exist and are likely to persist for some time.
The clearest example of this can be found in Syria. Moscow’s military activity in the country in 2015 was the Russian army’s first direct operation since the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was a clear sign of Russia’s return to the fray in the Middle East, at a time when the US was trying to extract itself.
Needless to say, the decision by the leadership in Moscow to intervene militarily was a reflection of Russia’s desire to maintain its power and influence in the region in general, and Syria in particular.
One prominent Russian analyst said: “All in all, the reasons for Russian support of the Syrian regime are complex and cannot be explained using an Occam’s razor approach.” In other words, the explanation is not as simple as it might appear.
In the wider context, recent moves by the Russian leadership in the region — such as its active role in Syria, the rapprochement with Turkey, its return to the Gulf region after a decade and the desire to assume the role of broker in the deal-making process between conflicting parties in the region — reflects its global geopolitical rivalry with the US and Washington’s Western allies.
In accordance with the deal signed in Sochi by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish and Russian ground and air units on Nov. 1 launched the first joint patrols in the Darbasiyah region in northeastern Syria. It was not the first the time that Turkish and Russian troops has been deployed in the country, but the aim of this latest mission is to protect Turkey’s borders from terrorists.
To be clear: Russia is working with NATO member Turkey to protect its borders from terrorists. One might think that this should be a task for the US, with whom Turkey was an ally throughout the Cold War, to protect the interests of the Western alliance.
Assuming a role traditionally carried out by the US in the region, in partnership with a NATO member nation no less, is not the oddest thing about Russia’s actions. What is even stranger is the fact that Moscow is moving into Syria while the US is abandoning its military outposts and bases in the country. This clearly illustrates how Russia is filling the vacuum that has been left by the US not only in Syria but the wider Middle East.
The core of Moscow’s Middle East strategy has been to maintain good relations with all sides in regional conflicts.
While tensions have been running high between Ankara and Washington for some time, Turkey is actively fostering a closer relationship with Russia, as evidenced by the eight meetings between the leaders of the countries this year alone.
It would not be wrong to say that Moscow’s current political approach to the region has helped to establish it as a more reliable partner than the US in the eyes not only of a NATO member such as Turkey, but also Gulf countries that have long been allies of Washington. Even Israel, traditionally a close American ally, is now seeking a greater understanding with Moscow.
Given Russia’s proven ability to work with Iran in Syria, Arab leaders seem interested in a closer relationship with Moscow as part of which it can act as an intermediary in dealings with Iran, something Washington cannot currently do, and has no desire to.
Russia has adopted a pragmatic approach. The core of Moscow’s Middle East strategy has been to maintain good relations with all sides in regional conflicts: Turkey and the Kurds, Iran and the Gulf nations, the Syrian regime and Turkey. Unlike US policy, which divides the region into friends and enemies, Russia tries to adopt a measured approach to all.
Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy said people do not become leaders through fate or because of their personal characteristics, but as a result of social circumstances — the zeitgeist (spirit of the time).
Putin has been astute at reading the zeitgeist in the Middle East, which is probably the region in which Russia has been most successful at consolidating its influence at the expense of America. It would not be an exaggerated metaphor, therefore, if we likened the Russia of today to a phoenix that has risen from the ashes 30 years after the demise of the Soviet Union.
*Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkey’s relations with the Middle East. Twitter: @SinemCngz

Levant’s geopolitical landscape facing major upheaval
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/November 08/2019
Events across the Levant, in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, are of unique historical importance. What is occurring now is unlike the so-called Arab Spring. What is instead occurring is an uprising against an old order, in which the melting away of confessional governance is key. And that governance is infected by Iran.
What appears to be a tectonic shift is altering many factors, with the primary driver being those who are fed up with what is seen as the old order’s greed, influence and violence. A main target across both Lebanon and Iraq is Iran, and deservedly so. Iran’s ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah, is facing a real challenge to its authority. When residents, for example, of Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled neighborhood of Dahiyeh march in anti-government demonstrations, there is definitely change afoot. The optics have shocked Tehran’s security establishment.
The burning of portraits of Iranian figures in both Lebanon and Iraq, plus the raiding of an Iranian consulate and the actions in holy cities such as Karbala and Najaf, come at a critical moment. The centrality of the Iranian regime and the Quds Force under Qassem Soleimani, which are now executing retaliatory plans such as snipers in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities, is a key indicator of what comes next, regardless of the demands of some Iraqi Shiite politicians. Importantly, however, secular Shiites and non-secular Shiites are joining together and supporting the anti-Iranian fervor.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah may or may not be on its own in terms of finances, since the revolution led to the collapse of the government, which is now fighting over what comes next. Banks are open but, with reports of bankruptcy within four months, the clock is ticking. For now, the US withholding millions of dollars in aid is a pressure tactic that can be used to influence Lebanese elites to transform their system of governance. This effort also involves other countries pressing for the system of personal enrichment to stop and the banking system to be “cleaned up.” For Hezbollah’s assets, this issue is an attack on their financial system. Importantly, Iran, despite its current woes, may face a sudden boon. With the drawdown in Yemen, Iran can focus on the Levant. Given that, in both Lebanon and Iraq, the issue of Iran’s influence is a major driver against the current order, reversing this trend will continue to be very hazardous for many local interests.
These events are distinct from those in North Africa and are not an Arab Spring, but rather perhaps the first time these countries are seeing the potential to shift or transform their societies away from the current economic and social trap that their citizens face. The confessional landscape within this mix desperately needs to reorganize, reshape or fade away. In the Levant, the fracture is more significant than the events in North Africa.
Syria’s crucial challenge is its intersection with Turkey’s “Operation Peace Spring.” This operation is significant in terms of the ongoing wider shift. Turkey’s neo-Ottomanism, as defined by regional observers, is beginning to show in its tactics, which are creating hundreds of thousands more internally displaced persons, who Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said more than once could end up terrorizing Syria’s neighbors.
The confessional struggle reshaping the Levant may bring undesirable elements to the stable parts of Syria.
This type of rhetoric is dangerous and feeds into how post-Al-Baghdadi Daesh will direct its focus. The new leader appears to be following his predecessors and what comes next will add to the complexity in the region. Syria’s Bashar Assad faces a challenge in this environment not only from Daesh, but also any spillover effects from Lebanon and Iraq. The confessional struggle reshaping the Levant may bring undesirable elements to the stable parts of Syria.
Russia, which is now conducting joint patrols with Turkey in northeastern Syria, is facing off against 500 heavily armed American troops who are building a small air hub network. This shifting environment on the ground in Syria adds to this unique moment, when a sudden shift could bring about a different outcome, benefiting some and omitting others. Russia recognizes what is going on and is working on a strategy to contend with America’s Syrian plays, while contending with a shifting situation across the Levant. In a sense, these Levantine events may become more of a drag for Moscow’s policy efforts in the future and may stretch Moscow’s requirements in its other growing spheres of influence.
Tectonics is about movement on an epic scale. Across the Levant, the shifting landscape will register on the historical Richter scale.
*Dr. Theodore Karasik is a senior adviser to Gulf State Analytics in Washington, D.C. He is a former RAND Corporation senior political scientist who lived in the UAE for 10 years, focusing on security issues. Twitter: @tkarasik

Just like Europe, Catalonia and Spain are better together
Pedro Sanchez/Arab News/November 08/2019
Above all, Europe is freedom, peace and progress. We must move forward with these values and make Europe the leading model of integration and social justice that protects its citizens.
The Europe we aspire to, the Europe we need, the Europe we are building is based on democratic stability within member states, and it cannot accept the unilateral breach of its integrity. The Europe we admire has been built on the principle of overlapping identities and equality for all citizens, and on the rejection of nationalist ideologies and extremism.
For this reason, the challenge of separatism in Catalonia — devised against and outside Spain’s constitutional framework, and silencing the majority of Catalans who are against independence — is a challenge for Europe and Europeans. Preserving these values in Catalonia today means protecting the open and democratic Europe for which we stand.
Spain enshrined these values in 1978 when it created and ratified a fully democratic constitution. That historic document was endorsed by almost 88 percent of voters in a referendum. In Catalonia, support and turnout were even higher: 90.5 percent of Catalans backed the new constitution.
Spain thus escaped the long and dark shadow of dictatorship and laid the foundations for a state based on the rule of law, comparable today with the long-established democracies of western Europe. Individual freedoms, fought for and won by Spaniards of differing beliefs and backgrounds, including many Catalans, were restored.
The 1978 Constitution also provided an innovative and progressive answer to Spain’s territorial diversity by treating it as an authentic asset worthy of recognition. More than 40 years later, the Democracy Index published by The Economist rates Spain as one of the world’s 20 full democracies.
Contemporary Spain is Europe’s second-most decentralized country, and Catalonia enjoys some of the highest levels of regional self-governance on the continent, with wide-ranging devolved powers over crucial sectors such as media and public communication, health, education and prisons.
Today, however, Catalonia is associated not only with the spirit of creativity and initiative, qualities that are broadly admired around the world, but also with a profound crisis caused by the unilateral breach of Spain’s constitutional order brought about by the region’s separatist leaders in the autumn of 2017. Catalonia’s leaders reneged on all the requirements and resolutions set out by the Constitutional Court, passed unconstitutional “disconnection” laws from the Spanish state, held an illegal referendum and declared a purported Catalan Republic.
No state would ever allow the unilateral secession of a territory that forms part of its constitutional order. And no democrat should support the path taken by the separatist leaders who won less than 48 percent of the votes cast in regional elections. Their fraudulent independence bid inflamed popular passions and, aided by the deliberate proliferation of fake news, encouraged a profound sense of injustice and confrontation with the rest of Spain. Where was the voice and the vote of those Catalans, the majority, who opposed independence? Where was the voice of those Spaniards who looked on, perplexed, at a direct breach of their constitution’s guarantees?
My government has distinguished itself by putting the expansion of rights and liberties first and foremost. International organizations have recognized the high standards we have set on issues such as gender equality. We would never, therefore, agree to even the smallest restriction of freedom of expression.
The president of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalonia’s regional government) is a radical separatist but he is neither prevented from expressing his views freely, nor impeded from defending them publicly, despite the pain and damage they cause to peaceful coexistence in Catalonia.
The same is true for separatist local councils and governments, and for associations that support independence. They may express their opinions as they wish, provided that they do not promote and encourage criminal acts. All Spaniards are equal before the law, and the Constitution and democracy are inseparable realities.
No state would ever allow the unilateral secession of a territory that forms part of its constitutional order.
Under Spain’s democratic rule of law, the judiciary is fully independent and allows for the review of rulings by national and international authorities. The government respects and complies with all judicial decisions. This includes the Supreme Court’s ruling against nine separatist leaders charged for the illegal acts they carried out in the autumn of 2017. In that case, the court acted with the greatest transparency: The entire proceedings were televised live.
Reactions to the Supreme Court’s ruling have been extremely diverse: While some believe it was too lenient in handing down prison sentences of between nine and 13 years, others have organized demonstrations against the verdict. While some of these protests have been peaceful, others have descended into extreme violence.
The rights to protest and to strike are fundamental pillars of our democracy and I fully respect those Catalan citizens who have peacefully exercised this right. But the organized and intentional acts of violence that have occurred across Catalonia in recent weeks are something else altogether and in no way represent the region’s tolerance and welcoming spirit.
The illegal effort to bring about Catalonia’s independence has followed a road map that is all too familiar in today’s Europe. It leads through a web of lies, spun by fake news and viral messaging, and serves to energize right-wing extremists and enemies of European integration. It is the same route taken by those elsewhere who divide societies by exploiting the rhetoric of reaction to encourage polarization and confrontation.
Recently, leaders of this movement, such as the president of the main pro-separatist association, have stated that violence may be necessary for their cause to receive greater attention. But if we have learned anything from Europe’s painful and bloody history, it is that no political ambition can ever justify resorting to violence, much less the normalization of violence as a political tool.
My government has responded to this challenge with proportion and control. I firmly believe that restraint is our strength. We reacted with speed to restore peace and stability to Catalonia’s citizens, a majority of whom reject the current unstable impasse. We also acted with prudence to minimize the risk arising from moments of tension to the lowest possible level. And we must not forget the exemplary efforts and bravery of the Catalan police, with the support of the national police, in maintaining order at a time when their region’s leaders were openly contemptuous of the law.
It is an absurd paradox to witness a president of the Generalitat making light of the violence while denouncing a police force, which acts on his orders, for performing its duty. It is also a grave error. I call on him to condemn the violence fully and clearly, and to launch a dialogue with the Catalan people who do not want independence, and with those parties that are not pro-separatist. He must begin to act as president of all Catalans, not only of those who share his political beliefs.
I will not allow another extreme nationalist outbreak, fueled by false narratives and replete with lies, to undermine the success of Spanish democracy, which our citizens and institutions have worked hard to achieve. In the discussion about the future of Catalonia, only the healing and coexistence of the Catalan people and society, not independence, is on the agenda. This is our main challenge: To ensure that all understand and accept that a unilateral path toward independence constitutes a direct affront to fundamental democratic principles.
At this moment, restraint and moderation are imperative. We will act with all the firmness needed to defend peaceful coexistence, but with the intelligence to recognize that we have an opportunity to start a new chapter before us. I have never turned away from dialogue if both parties are willing to act within the framework of the Constitution and the law. I do not want to be an “us-against-them” leader. My job is to serve all Spaniards equally.
There are different areas of dialogue to be explored if the separatist leaders abandon their unilateral path. We can speak and listen to each other without threats or belittlement. I know that there are open wounds, and that there is pain and frustration. But, despite this, there is an opportunity for hope, recognizing what we have achieved together and thinking about what we can do, together, to improve the well-being of all our citizens. For this to happen, however, the separatist leaders must return to the domain of the Constitution and respect for the rule of law.
My government has positioned Spain at the forefront of the project of European integration, and on the front line of the fight against our greatest global challenges. We are committed to the strengthening and expansion of rights and freedoms, and to the fight against inequality. These objectives transcend a nationalist vision, and we need Catalonia and Catalan society to help achieve them.
• Pedro Sanchez is the prime minister of Spain. Copyright: Project Syndicate