LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 13/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.november13.19.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 08/34-38/09,01/:”Jesus called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’ And he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on November 12-13/2019
Lebanon: First death reported in nationwide protests
Soldier opens fire to disperse protest in Lebanon’s Khaldeh, wounding one
One Shot Dead in Khalde as Protesters Block Roads across Lebanon
Aoun Says May Call for Consultations Thursday, Warns against Continued Protests
Aoun Tells U.N., ISG Envoys Govt. Will be Formed 'Soon'
Kubis says Aoun outlined envisaged way to form new government soon through binding consultations
French Envoy Arrives in Beirut for Talks with Top Officials
Hariri Affirms 'Amity' with Berri after Latter’s Remarks
Report: New Proposal on Govt. Balances between Political Forces, Street Demands
Banks to Close Wednesday as Employees Strike Continues
Unions of Bank Employees to Association of Banks: No return to work before security ensured
Khoury Says ‘ATM Machines Will Be Stocked with Cash’
Al-Rahi Says Lebanese Must Not Wait for 'Solutions from Abroad'
Protesters Rally at French Embassy to Denounce 'French Interference'
Alfa, Touch Employees Go on Strike over Salary Dispute
Berri, Wife Lift Secrecy Off Their Bank Accounts
Lebanon’s Aoun: Consultations to form new government may start on Thursday
Top UN official in Lebanon calls for urgent designation of next prime minister
Banks, schools shut down as protesters maintain roadblocks amid tight security
Samir Geagea calls on the Lebanese ruling elite ‘to take responsibility


Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published 
on November 12-13/2019
Israel is at war with Islamic Jihad. Tehran weighs opening northern fronts as punishment for Al-Atta killing
Israeli forces kill Islamic Jihad field commander in Gaza strike
Three Palestinians killed in new Israeli strikes in Gaza: Hamas
Dozens of Rockets Fired at Israel after Strike Kills Gaza Commander
Syrian army fires at hostile target in skies over Damascus countryside
YOU? Really?’: Iran’s Zarif scorns EU warning over nuclear deal
Trump, Macron voice concern over Iran’s nuclear program
Iraq expresses regret at protester deaths, defends handling of unrest
New kidnapping case reported as female activists targeted in Iraq
Schools shut across southern Iraq in bid to revive protests
Turkey’s Erdogan says will tell Trump US failed to keep Syria promise
ISIS detainees in Syria a ‘ticking time-bomb’: State Dept official
Dutch state to challenge order to take back ISIS children
Pompeo urges Iraqi PM al-Mahdi to address protesters’ ‘legitimate grievances’
Turkey police rearrest journalist Ahmet Altan
Turkish patrol shoots, injures 9 civilians in northern Syria: Monitor
Jordan foils plot against US, Israeli diplomats, American soldiers

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 12-13/2019
From 2006 Archive/Michel Aoun: A psychotic Lust For The Presidency/Elias Bejjani/December 22/2006
Lebanon: First death reported in nationwide protests/Sunniva Rose/The National/November 12/2019
Demonstrators provoked by President Aoun's interview/Sally Farhat/ Annahar/November 13/2019
Protesters take offense to president’s speech, block roads and highways/Georgi Azar/Annahar/November 12/2019
Lebanese banks, schools shut as protesters push on/Najla Houssari/Arab News/November 12/ 2019
Lebanon’s elite responsible for hollowing out of the state/Zaid M. Belbagi /Arab News/November 12/ 2019
How the US should respond to the protests in Lebanon/John Hajjar/AMCFD/American Mifeast Coalition For Democracy/November 12/2019
*Israel is at war with Islamic Jihad. Tehran weighs opening northern fronts as punishment for Al-Atta killing/DEBKAfile//Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Moderate versus liberal a difficult choice for US Democrats/Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/November 12/ 2019
The Palestinian Christmas Show/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/November 12/2019
Austria: Will Politics Enable a Minority to Impose an Agenda/Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff/Gatestone Institute/November 12/2019
Kremlin's Nuclear Strategy Could Easily Get out of Hand/Hal Brands/Bloomberg/November 12/2019
Lessons From Sodom and Gomorrah/What happened in the ancient cities that drew the wrath of God?/Helen Plotkin/The Tablet Magazine/November 12/ 2019
Jordanian Regime, Press: Restoration Of Jordanian Rule Over Border Enclaves Leased To Israel For Past 25 Years Is A Resounding Diplomatic Victory Over Israel/MEMRI/November 12/2019
Former Kuwaiti Information Minister Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: Arabs Should Stop Accusing British Colonialism Of Preventing Arab Unity; We Are The Ones Who Failed To Unite After Sykes-Picot Agreement; Pan-Arab Historians Are Liars/MEMRI/November 12/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on November 12-13/2019
From 2006 Archive/Michel Aoun: A psychotic Lust For The Presidency
Elias Bejjani/December 22/06
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/elias.english06/aoun.elias9.e.21.12.06.htm

Lebanon: First death reported in nationwide protests
Sunniva Rose/The National/November 12/2019
Protesters poured into streets on Tuesday night after President Michel Aoun said formation of new government could be further delayed. A local official for a Lebanese political party was shot dead by soldiers trying to open a road that was closed by protesters in Beirut late on Tuesday, the army reported, in the first death in 27 days of nationwide protests. The army said the man was shot in the Khaldeh neighbourhood after a scuffle in which a soldier opened fire to disperse the crowd. It said army command had opened an investigation into the killing after arresting the soldier. The country has been engulfed by nationwide protests against the entire political class since October 17.
The man was identified as a local official with the Progressive Socialist Party led by Walid Jumblatt, leader of Lebanon’s Druze community. Mr Jumblatt told an angry crowd outside the hospital where the man died of his wounds to calm down, saying “no one will protect us but the state”.He said that he spoke with the army chief and was told about the investigation. Protesters poured into the streets Tuesday night closing roads around Lebanon after President Michel Aoun said there could be further delays before a new government is formed. A group of protesters trying to block the entrance to Beirut’s Justice Palace clashed with lawyers earlier on Tuesday. The protesters hoped to maintain pressure on the country’s judicial system to investigate corrupt politicians as part of a wider protest against inequality and poor economic conditions.
Sara, 23, said a lawyer attacked her as she was standing with three other people in front of the car park of the Beirut Bar Association building, which is connected to the Justice Palace. “We were not aggressive and responded respectfully to lawyers who talked to us,” Sara said. “But the lawyer started insulting us and pushing me in a very aggressive way until the police removed us.”She spoke from outside the main entrance of the Justice Palace as a small protest of several dozen people continued on Tuesday afternoon. “This is too much," she said. "He is a lawyer, he cannot act like this with people."
In a video of the incident, the lawyer shouts at Sara that the building is private property and that she cannot block it, before trying to stop the incident being filmed.
“Go back to your university,” the lawyer shouts.
A colleague who tried to defend the lawyer was struck in the face by protesters in a scuffle that cracked the glass of the revolving door to the building, said Ayman Raad, a lawyer who is part of a committee that supports protesters.
Both sides can sue each other over the incident, Mr Raad said. Another protester, Rabab Nasser, 24, who was also blocking an entrance to the Justice Palace, said that a prominent judge insulted her, threatened to beat her and forced her out of the way with his car.Protesters said a third woman suffered a scalp injury during the scuffles. By late morning, the entrance to the Justice Palace had been reopened after lawyers argued that the protesters were blocking urgent legal procedures. Hearings were adjourned because of the protest, the state-run National News Agency reported.
“We want judges to fight corruption,” said protester Sara Baghdadi, 32. “We know some follow political parties but there are some good judges who have good intentions. We’re here to push them to fight.”
Rana Abi Abdallah, 31, said: “We do not have a fair justice system. A lot of judges are bribed. This whole movement is to fight corruption.” The demonstrations in Lebanon, which brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets during the first week in mid-October, have shifted from mass rallies and roadblocks to smaller gatherings at public institutions considered to be corrupt. The protests pushed Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign on October 29.
The country is now in a political void that has compounded an existing financial crisis as Mr Aoun has yet to announce a date for binding parliamentary consultations. He was expected to do so in a television interview on Tuesday night. Corruption is one of the main drivers of the protests, which was triggered by a suggested tax increase. Lebanon was ranked 138th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index. Several political parties, including Hezbollah and the president’s Free Patriotic Movement, have promised to fight corruption and said cases against prominent officials and politicians were launched in the few past weeks.But protesters are not convinced. “We want to see action,” Ms Abi Abdallah said. “We are fed up.”

Soldier opens fire to disperse protest in Lebanon’s Khaldeh, wounding one
News Agencies/November 13/2019
A Lebanese soldier opened fire to disperse protesters blocking a road in Khaldeh south of Beirut on Tuesday night, killing one person, the army said in a statement.It said the soldier was detained and the incident is under investigation. Local media and a security source said earlier that a man had been shot dead at a road block in Khaldeh. Lebanese broadcaster al-Jadeed said the man had been protesting when he was shot. A man was shot dead by an armed man at a roablock in the town of Khaldeh south of Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Tuesday night, local media and a security source said. The shooter was detained for investigation, the source said.Protesters in Lebanon blocked roads with burning tyres in several parts of the country including the capital Beirut following a broadcast interview with President Michel Aoun in which he urged them to go home. During his interview, Aoun called on protesters to go home, saying their demands had been heard, and warned of a “catastrophe” if they stayed in the streets. Earlier in the day, banks and schools were shut down across the country as protesters continued to block roads, while dozens of others gathered near the Palace of Justice in central Beirut demanding an independent judiciary. Several protesters prevented bank employees, as well as judges and lawyers, from entering their places of work nearly a month into protests that erupted due to widespread discontent with politicians seen as inefficient and corrupt.
-with Reuters

One Shot Dead in Khalde as Protesters Block Roads across Lebanon
Agence France Presse/November 12/2019
A man was shot dead in Khalde south of Beirut, Lebanon's state news agency said early Wednesday. The victim "succumbed to his injuries" in hospital, according to the National News Agency, the second death in nearly a month of unprecedented protests that have erupted across Lebanon.
The army said in a statement that it had arrested a soldier after he opened fire in the coastal town of Khalde, just below the capital, to clear protesters "injuring one person." Media reports said the soldier is the personal driver of an army colonel as protesters said he was driving a white vehicle with no plates.
The Progressive Socialist Party said in a statement that the man was one its members. A long-time opponent of President Michel Aoun, PSP chief Walid Jumblat appealed to his supporters to stay calm. "In spite of what happened, we have no other refuge than the state. If we lose hope in the state, we enter chaos," he said. Protesters are demanding the ouster of a generation of politicians they see as inefficient and corrupt. In a televised address on Tuesday night, Aoun had warned protesters against continued blocking of roads and state institutions. The government stepped down on October 29 but stayed on in a caretaker capacity and no overt efforts have so far been made to form a new one.

Aoun Says May Call for Consultations Thursday, Warns against Continued Protest
s
Naharnet/November 12/2019
President Michel Aoun on Tuesday said that he might call for parliamentary consultations to name a new premier on Thursday or Friday if the parties concerned respond positively to the proposals, as he warned protesters against continued blocking of roads and state institutions.
“The consultations might be held Thursday or Friday pending the answers of the parties concerned and if they don’t respond, we’ll have to postpone for a few more days,” Aoun said in a TV interview broadcast on all local channels. “We have resolved most obstacles,” he said, adding that “the protest movement must have a say in the new government.”On the nature of the new government, the president said: “We cannot form a ‘shock government’… A purely technocratic government cannot decide the country's policies.”“I back the formation of a government equally composed of politicians and technocrats,” he added. As for Jebran Bassil’s possible re-appointment as a minister in the new government, Aoun said “it is up to Minister Bassil to choose whether or not to be in the new government,” stressing that “no one has the right to put a veto on him.” Asked about Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea’s insistence that the new ministers must be totally independent, the president said: “Where can I find them? On the moon?”As for the negotiations with caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Aoun said Hariri was “hesitant” during their latest meeting. “He has personal reasons,” the president added. Addressing protesters, Aoun warned: “I tell the Lebanese that their behavior should not be always negative because this would lead to counter-negativity and we would definitely reach an inter-Lebanese clash.”Asked about the first measures that must be taken after the formation of the new government, the president said: “The return of citizens to their homes so that the cycle of life can return to normal and let the government work in light and not in darkness.”“The country will die if protesters remain on the streets, even if we don’t use any force against them,” Aoun cautioned. As for the financial and monetary crisis in the country, Aoun reassured the Lebanese and told them “not to rush to banks and worsen the problem.”“Their money is secure and we will solve the crisis,” he added. He also warned that banks that smuggle funds outside Lebanon “will be held accountable.”Aoun’s remarks appeared to do little to appease protesters on the streets, who swiftly blocked roads across the country to express their dismay.

Aoun Tells U.N., ISG Envoys Govt. Will be Formed 'Soon'
Naharnet/November 12/2019
President Michel Aoun held talks Tuesday in Baabda with the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis, who was accompanied by the ambassadors representing the members of the International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG). A statement issued by Kubis’ office said Aoun informed the participants about the current political and economic situation in Lebanon and its root causes. “He outlined the envisaged way forward, notably as regards the forming of the new government soon through a process of binding parliamentary consultations. He also requested assistance of the international community in dealing with the economic situation and reforms as well as with return of Syrian refugees back home,” the statement said. In his comments on behalf of UNSCOL, Special Coordinator Kubis reminded Aoun of his call in an address to the nation for “a new Government is that it lives up to the aspirations of the people, earns their confidence first before that of the Parliament, with the aim to restore people’s confidence in their state and that ministers to be selected based on their competence.”“Kubis calls upon the leadership of Lebanon to urgently nominate the Prime Minister-designate, start the mandatory process of parliamentary consultations and to maximally accelerate the process of the formation of the new government of personalities known for their competence and integrity, trusted by the people,” the statement said. It added: “Such a Cabinet, formed in line with the aspirations of the people and supported by the broadest range of political forces through the Parliamentary vote of confidence, will also be in a better position to appeal for support from Lebanon’s international partners.”The Special Coordinator also underlined that the national interest and unity of Lebanon must be put above any other considerations, adding that “continuous protection of peaceful protesting civilians by the security forces, also against provocateurs, maintenance of law and order and the functioning of the state and its economy without using force or violence is the paramount responsibility of the leadership of Lebanon and its security forces.”
“The Special Coordinator notes that it is essential that the authorities prioritize urgent measures to maintain the country’s monetary, financial and economic stability as well as to put the necessary reforms, good governance, end to corruption and accountability without impunity on the right and fast track in a transparent manner,” the statement added. Warning that the financial and economic situation is critical, the statement said the Lebanese government and other authorities “cannot wait any longer to start addressing it, starting with measures that will give the people confidence and guarantees that their licit life-time savings are safe, that they can continue their normal life.”“The continuous absence of executive and legislative action only compounds the crisis, contributes to social instability,” the statement warned. It added that the U.N. is ready to support urgent and long-term steps and measures that will contribute to fighting and preventing corruption and strengthening good governance and accountability. “The U.N. remains committed to supporting Lebanon, its political independence, non-interference into internal matters, unity, stability, security, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement added.

Kubis says Aoun outlined envisaged way to form new government soon through binding consultations
NNA -Tue 12 Nov 2019
A press release by the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, on the meeting of President Michel Aoun with the International Support Group for Lebanon, said: "President Michel Aoun received today at Baabda the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Mr. J?n Kubi? together with the Ambassadors, representing the members of the International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG). President Aoun informed the participants about the current political and economic situation in Lebanon and its root causes. He outlined the envisaged way forward, notably as regards the forming of the new government soon through a process of binding parliamentary consultations. He also requested assistance of the international community in dealing with the economic situation and reforms as well as with return of Syrian refugees back home.
In his comments on behalf of UNSCOL, Special Coordinator Kubis i.a. recalled the statement of the President of 31 October 2019, in particular that the sole consideration for a new Government is that it lives up to the aspirations of the people, earns their confidence first before that of the Parliament, with the aim to restore people's confidence in their state and that ministers to be selected based on their competence.
Special Coordinator Kubis calls upon the leadership of Lebanon to urgently nominate the Prime Minister-designate, start the mandatory process of parliamentary consultations and to maximally accelerate the process of the formation of the new government of personalities known for their competence and integrity, trusted by the people. Such a Cabinet, formed in line with the aspirations of the people and supported by the broadest range of political forces through the Parliamentary vote of confidence, will also be in a better position to appeal for support from Lebanon's international partners.
The Special Coordinator underlines that the national interest and unity of Lebanon must be put above any other considerations. Continuous protection of peaceful protesting civilians by the security forces, also against provocateurs, maintenance of law and order and the functioning of the state and its economy without using force or violence is the paramount responsibility of the leadership of Lebanon and its security forces, the only way to ensure civil peace and national unity.
The Special Coordinator notes that it is essential that the authorities prioritize urgent measures to maintain the country's monetary, financial and economic stability as well as to put the necessary reforms, good governance, end to corruption and accountability without impunity on the right and fast track in a transparent manner. The financial and economic situation is critical, and the government and other authorities cannot wait any longer to start addressing it, starting with measures that will give the people confidence and guarantees that their licit life-time savings are safe, that they can continue their normal life. The continuous absence of executive and legislative action only compounds the crisis, contributes to social instability. The UN is ready to support urgent and long-term steps and measures, that will contribute to fighting and preventing corruption, strengthening good governance, accountability, contribute to inclusive growth and job creation, leading towards sustainable growth and stability of Lebanon, that will prioritize the needs and concerns of the people, its ever-younger population, its women. The UN remains committed to supporting Lebanon, its political independence, non-interference into internal matters, unity, stability, security, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

French Envoy Arrives in Beirut for Talks with Top Officials
Naharnet/November 12/2019
The director of the Middle East and North Africa department at the French foreign ministry, Christophe Farnaud, arrived Tuesday afternoon in Lebanon for talks with top officials. Earlier in the day, several prominent civil society groups such as Beirut Madinati and the Legal Agenda said they had declined invitations to hold meetings with Farnaud, who has apparently sought to explore the stances of the protest movement. Al-Joumhouria daily reported Friday that France is seeking to help Lebanon resolve the crisis of forming a new government in light of the stalled efforts and the swelling street protests against the political elite. High-ranking diplomatic sources told the daily that France was exerting “unremitting, robust efforts” to push for a solution. Saad Hariri tendered his government's resignation on October 29 in response to pressure from the nationwide protests. 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. The World Bank on Wednesday warned that the failure to quickly form a government that meets protesters' demands could lead to an even sharper economic downturn.

Hariri Affirms 'Amity' with Berri after Latter’s Remarks
Naharnet/November 12/2019
Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday said nothing can bring enmity to his relationship with Speaker Nabih Berri, reportedly after the latter “failed” to convince Hariri to lead the upcoming new government. Center House sources quoted Hariri as saying: “Speaker Berri is a big brother (to me), and his big heart does not bear hostility with me forever. My friendship and respect for Berri transcends all considerations. Nothing in the world is capable of making us enemies,” al-Mustaqbal Web reported. Earlier, Berri was quoted as saying that he made the "utmost" effort to convince Hariri to lead the upcoming government and that he would be “on feud with him forever if he refuses to line-up a new Cabinet.”Berri seemingly failed to persuade Hariri to form the new government. The government resigned on October 29 but stayed on in a caretaker capacity and parliamentary consultations on forming a new government are yet to be held.

Report: New Proposal on Govt. Balances between Political Forces, Street Demands
Naharnet/November 12/2019
Negotiations are underway over a new proposal for the formation of a new government which would “balance between the majority of political forces and the desire of street protesters,” a prominent ministerial source said on Tuesday. “The meeting that was held yesterday between caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri and (caretaker Foreign) Minister Jebran Bassil was positive,” the source told MTV, noting that both Hariri and Bassil “are not setting preconditions, especially in terms of their personal presence in the government.” Hariri had tendered his government's resignation on October 29 in response to pressure from unprecedented, massive and cross-sectarian street protests that have gripped Lebanon since October 17. President Michel Aoun has delayed the binding parliamentary consultations for choosing a new premier in a bid to secure prior consensus on the premier and the shape of the new government. The World Bank on Wednesday warned that the failure to quickly form a government that meets protesters' demands could lead to an even sharper economic downturn.

Banks to Close Wednesday as Employees Strike Continues
Associated Press/Naharnet/November 12/2019
Lebanon's banking association said Tuesday that banks will stay closed on Wednesday due to a strike by employees as the country's financial crisis worsens. Banks were supposed to open on Tuesday following a three-day closure, but employees have gone on strike, complaining of aggressive behavior by customers. Depositors have rushed to withdraw their money in recent days amid a rapidly deteriorating economic and financial crisis. Lebanon's financial troubles have worsened since economically driven mass protests erupted nationwide last month, paralyzing the country. The country's lenders have imposed varying capital controls that differ from bank to bank, triggering panic and anxiety among clients. Some have taken out their anger on employees. The banks have said that they will continue to meet customer needs through ATM machines.

Unions of Bank Employees to Association of Banks: No return to work before security ensured
NNA -Tue 12 Nov 2019
The Executive Council of the Union of Bank Employees in Lebanon on Tuesday issued a statement saying that a delegation representing the union had met with the President of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), in presence of a number of members of the Board of Directors.
Consequently, President of the Union asked of the Association of Banks in Lebanon to ensure full security in all bank branches across Lebanon so as to preserve the safety of depositors and users. He also pushed for the reconsideration of the extraordinary measures that had shaken the banking sector last week. The delegation then reiterated that the bank strike was ongoing and that there would be no return to work until these two demands were met. For his part, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ABL expressed his readiness to cooperate and make the necessary contacts to provide a safe atmosphere for workers in the banking sector and to continue to seek a way out of the exceptional circumstances that had led to clashes in several banks last week. Moreover, both parties confirmed that ATMs would continue to provide cash to meet the needs of customers, and that the CALL Center staff would continue to work to meet the demands of customers.

Khoury Says ‘ATM Machines Will Be Stocked with Cash’
Naharnet/November 12/2019
Head of Lebanon’s bankers’ syndicate Assad Khoury emphasized on Tuesday that ATM machines will be stocked with cash despite an open-ended strike announced yesterday over “staff security.”Khoury said: “Bank employees will not stop stocking the ATMs with cash. Our strike is intended to press the administrations of bank into taking the measures deemed possible in light of the difficult circumstances the country is witnessing," he told LBCI in a phone interview. “The administrations of banks are putting us in a confrontation with customers. We will not do well under the conditions imposed on us. The strike was taken until the situation is addressed," he added. On Tuesday, head of the Federation of Syndicates of Banks Employees announced an open-ended strike from Tuesday to protect employees in light of mass nationwide protests ongoing since October 17 against the ruling class. Banks were closed for two weeks and reopened on Nov. 1. Although the central bank announced no formal capital controls, but banks have been trying to avert capital outflow by controlling dollar withdrawal, and blocking transfers abroad. The move drew the ire of customers and have led to threats against bank workers.

Al-Rahi Says Lebanese Must Not Wait for 'Solutions from Abroad'
Naharnet/November 12/2019
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi said Tuesday that the Lebanese should decide what they want instead of “waiting for solutions from abroad which might never come.”Urging officials to “put aside their personal and partisan interests and put the public interest ahead of anything else,” al-Rahi also called on them to “liberate themselves from the regional and international tug of war.”“We urge the Lebanese not to be in the grip of any country and to get out of this international standoff… They should not wait for the countries’ interests… We are the ones who should decide what we want and we should not wait for solutions from abroad which might never come,” the patriarch added. “We have the best sign to find the solutions. The solution is the honest popular and youth protest movement,” al-Rahi said. The patriarch’s remarks came shortly after a French presidential envoy arrived in Lebanon for talks on the country’s political and economic crisis.

Protesters Rally at French Embassy to Denounce 'French Interference'
Naharnet/November 12/2019
Protesters led by the leftist Youth Movement for Change rallied Tuesday evening outside the French embassy in Beirut to denounce what they called French “interference” in Lebanese affairs, hours after a top French envoy arrived in Beirut. The envoy, Christophe Farnaud, is scheduled to meet with top Lebanese officials over the ongoing political and economic crisis in the country. Earlier on Tuesday, several prominent civil society groups such as Beirut Madinati and the Legal Agenda said they had declined invitations to hold meetings with Farnaud, who has apparently sought to explore the stances of the anti-corruption protest movement. Lebanon's financial troubles have worsened since economically driven mass protests erupted nationwide last month. The ruling class is also still bickering over the formation of a new government after Saad Hariri bowed to street pressure and tendered his government's resignation on October 29. The protesters outside the French embassy also demanded the release of Lebanese leftist militant Georges Abdallah from French jails. Abdallah has been jailed since 1984 over the separate assassinations in France of the assistant U.S. military attaché and an Israeli diplomat and the attempted assassination of an American consul. The three attacks occurred during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. In 1999, Abdallah completed the minimum portion of his life sentence, but several requests for parole were denied. In 2003, a French court granted him parole but the U.S. Department of State objected to the decision. Dominique Perben, the French Minister of Justice at the time, made an appeal against the release.

Alfa, Touch Employees Go on Strike over Salary Dispute
Naharnet/November 12/2019
Hundreds of employees at the country’s two mobile operators went on an “open-ended” strike on Tuesday over alleged plans to cut their salaries and benefits. Employees at Alfa and Touch suspended work at the companies’ headquarters and other regions, angered by an earlier plan introduced by caretaker Minister of Telecommunications to trim salaries allegedly to “reduce costs.”The workers demand the government to refrain from a 30% deduction from their annual income, calling upon the government to maintain new work contracts, and ensure the continuity of their work in any management contracts.
The workers' move comes amid ongoing nationwide protests against the country's political organization. Protests ongoing since October 17 demand a complete overhaul of a political system they say has been dominated by the same families of political leaders since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.

Berri, Wife Lift Secrecy Off Their Bank Accounts
Naharnet/November 12/2019
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and his wife Randa Assi Berri on Tuesday lifted bank secrecy off their accounts inside and outside Lebanon, state-run National News Agency reported. NNA said Berri and his spouse signed memos lifting their bank secrecy during a meeting with the notary public Shadi Rammal.
The members of the Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc have recently made a similar move, amid unprecedented anti-corruption protests in the country. Berri, 81, has been parliament speaker since 1992. He was reelected last year for a new four-year mandate. His critics accuse him of having abused his position to amass a colossal personal fortune and protesters have bashed him and his wife Randa as some of the most egregious examples of Lebanon's patronage system.

Lebanon’s Aoun: Consultations to form new government may start on Thursday
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday that formal consultations with MPs over the nomination of the next prime minister could begin on Thursday or Friday but he was waiting for answers without which it may take a few days longer. Aoun said he had found outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri hesitant about taking the job again and he backed a Cabinet mixing technocrats and politicians. “I met with Hariri and I found him hesitant between yes and no,” Aoun said in a televised interview. Hariri quit as prime minister of a coalition government on October 29. Regarding the ongoing protests across the country, Aound said “We called on the demonstrators for dialogue and we did not receive an answer from them.” He added “We need time to regain trust.” Aoun called on protesters to go home, saying their demands had been heard, and warned of a “catastrophe” if they stay in the streets. He also urged the Lebanese not to rush to the banks to withdraw their money, which he said was safe. Regarding his son-in-law who is the caretaker foreign minister Aoun said “nobody can veto Gebran Bassil being a minister.” Earlier a top UN official in Lebanon called on Tuesday for the urgent designation of the next prime minister, and for the quick formation of a new Cabinet of people known for “competence and integrity.”Jan Kubis, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, added that such a cabinet would be in a better position to appeal for international support. On Saturday, Aoun met with several Cabinet ministers and top banking officials in search for solutions for the deepening financial and economic crisis. The country’s financial troubles have worsened since nationwide protests - initially against new taxes - snowballed into calls for the entire political elite to step down. -with Reuters

Top UN official in Lebanon calls for urgent designation of next prime minister
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
A top UN official in Lebanon called on Tuesday for the urgent designation of the next prime minister, and for the quick formation of a new cabinet of people known for “competence and integrity.”Jan Kubis, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, added that such a cabinet would be in a better position to appeal for international support. “The financial and economic situation is critical, and the government and other authorities cannot wait any longer to start addressing it,” Kubis said in a statement after meeting President Michel Aoun. Kubis urged authorities to prioritize maintaining monetary and financial stability, including measures to give people confidence and protect their savings amid continued protests in the country. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned on October 29 in response to popular pressure. Protesters continue to call for the resignation of the entire government. With Reuters.

Banks, schools shut down as protesters maintain roadblocks amid tight security
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Banks and schools were shut down across Lebanon on Tuesday as protesters continued to block roads, while dozens of others gathered near the Palace of Justice in central Beirut demanding an independent judiciary. Several protesters prevented bank employees, as well as judges and lawyers, from entering their places of work nearly a month into protests that erupted due to widespread discontent with politicians seen as inefficient and corrupt. In as the town of Aley east of Beirut, in the southern city of Tyre, and the eastern town of Baalbek, demonstrators held sit-ins outside or inside the offices of the state telecommunications provider, local media reported.Many schools and universities were closed, as were  banks after their employees called for a general strike in Sidon over alleged mistreatment by customers last week. Some bank branches, which were closed for nearly half of October, shut again on fears for the safety of staff who have felt intimidated by customers demanding access to their money and protesters who have gathered at banks, a union leader said. The demonstrations have been fueled by anger at Lebanon’s ruling elite, widely perceived to have overseen rampant state corruption for decades. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Presidency said that President Aoun on Tuesday presented to Arab ambassadors residing in Lebanon the current developments in the country, and asked for their help in reviving the Lebanese economy.- With AFP

Samir Geagea calls on the Lebanese ruling elite ‘to take responsibility
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
The head of the Lebanese Forces Party (LF) Samir Geagea called upon the ruling political elite “to take responsibility” toward what is happening in the country, describing the current protests across Lebanon as “a popular uprising against the living conditions. During a press conference on Monday, Geagea said that the unprecedented wave of protests across Lebanon since October 17, points to a “crisis of years of failure for which the political class is responsible for.”He added that “it is not acceptable at all that the legislative consultations have not yet started” to form a cabinet. Earlier on Monday, the Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced the postponement of a session for the Parliament scheduled for Tuesday, due to security considerations. Geagea reiterated the Lebanese Forces position toward “adhering to a government of independent non-partisan specialists.”On October 20, Geagea announced in a televised speech the resignation of the Lebanese Forces Party’s four ministers from Saad Hariri’s government.

Demonstrators provoked by President Aoun's interview
Sally Farhat/ Annahar/November 13/2019
Protesters blocked major roads including: Ring Bridge, Zalka, Zouk, Jal el-Dib, Sidon, Tripoli, Corniche al Mazra’a and Chevrolet among others.
BEIRUT: “If people aren’t satisfied with any of the decent leaders, let them immigrate;” “if it is going to be (a government) of technocrats only, it will not have political cover and won’t be able to win a vote of confidence in parliament;” and an advice: “the country should resume normal operations, especially state institutions, or else Lebanon's economy will further get disrupted,” President Michel Aoun said in a nationally televised appearance.
The previous is just a glimpse of what negatively resonated with Lebanese demonstrators listening to President Aoun’s interview Tuesday night. Following the interview, Aoun's presidency office released a statement explaining that his comments were taken out of context.
"What the president actually meant was that if there are no honest individuals in the movement, let them immigrate because they wont get to power," the office tweeted.
After 27 days of protests, President Aoun tried reassuring demonstrators that a new government will shortly be formed, and that the new government will make sure to implement the required reforms.
Nonetheless, the positivity Aoun asked from the Lebanese was met with the exact opposite. Demonstrators considered the interview “provocative” and described it as a major disappointment. Some also considered it disrespectful to the demands of the people.
"As provocative as our President’s speech might have sounded, his words only triggered me to fight harder for my rights as a Lebanese citizen," Lina Assaf, a high school teacher protesting, told Annahar.
Ashraf Jammal also added that "I came back to Lebanon from France 5 years ago after earning my MBA because I wanted to help make my country better. Even though the president believes that protesters who are displeased with the government should immigrate, I want to say that I will not leave Lebanese grounds before my nation begins to thrive again."
Protesters blocked major roads including: Ring Bridge, Zalka, Zouk, Jal el-Dib, Sidon, Tripoli, Corniche al Mazra’a and Chevrolet among others.
“I'm here protesting for the 27th day in a row because the government is ignoring our demands. Our president's latest words only proved that the Lebanese people are being disrespected and ignored, and I won't leave these streets before we are treated with basic human decency," Linda el Ghali said.
Mounir Jaber from Ring Bridge also added, " I have never felt so disrespected. The earlier interview only shows that our cause is beyond legitimate; it's become a matter of survival.”
Aside from the streets, social media also flooded with people’s reaction to President Aoun’s interview.
"Our president just told the Lebanese people 'whoever is not happy should leave Lebanon.' Before he even finished his interview, the people in the streets responded: No, you leave. The coastal highway is literally being blocked entirely," Mhamad Charaf tweeted.
*MP Paula Yacoubian was also among those who found the content of the interview disrespectful. She invited schools, universities, banks, and public and private institutions for a general strike on Wednesday and tweeted: “If you’re not okay with the Lebanese demanding their basic human rights, you’re the one that can immigrate.”
*Nessryn Khalaf contributed to this article.

Protesters take offense to president’s speech, block roads and highways
Georgi Azar/Annahar/November 12/2019
Protesters seemingly took offense at a number of his comments, labeling them as insensitive.
BEIRUT: In an hour long televised address that spanned Lebanon’s different dilemmas, President Michel Aoun assured that the new government would work diligently to implement the necessary reforms, calling on protesters to show good faith.
Despite the assurances, protesters took to the streets and blocked roads as soon as his conversation with journalists came to a close. Protesters seemingly took offense at a number of his comments, labeling them as insensitive.
Aoun had insisted that decent and honest individuals public office still exist, with good faith necessary to lay the foundation of a functioning government.
“If people aren’t satisfied with any of the decent leaders let them immigrate,” Aoun said, This drew the ire of protesters, who promptly blocked roads and main highways linking Tripoli to Sidon.
Although protesters have been demanding a fully independent government made up of technocrats, Aoun signaled that the government will most likely be a “techno-political one.”
Aoun said discussions over the makeup of the new Cabinet are still ongoing, hinting that Prime Minister Saad Hariri has yet to agree to head a government that includes traditional political parties.
He also confirmed that parliamentary consultations would begin this week but left the door open for “delays as we are still awaiting answers from certain parties.”
“We want a government that is united, not divided,” Aoun said.
Earlier on Tuesday, thousands of protesters have blocked roads and state institutions as demonstrations entered their 27th day in a bid to force officials to capitulate to their demands.
Protesters have been calling for the formation of an independent technocrat government made up of leading experts but have been rebuked by Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement to a lesser extent.
Schools, universities and banks went on strike Tuesday as students threatened to boycott classes and exams. Bank employees, meanwhile, have reported security concerns after being faced with enraged customers looking to access their deposits.
In response, the Syndicate of Bank Employees announced an open-ended strike until normalcy is restored.
"We want to thank all the employees for their dedication the past two weeks under harsh and stressful conditions," a statement by the Association of Banks said.
Banks' ATM machines in Beirut and other areas will be stocked despite the closure, President of the Federation of Syndicates of Bank Employees George al-Hajj told Reuters.
On Monday, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh maintained that mechanisms are put in place to safeguard the Lira peg and deposits, dismissing concerns of a possible devaluation or haircut.
"The Central Bank cannot impose capital controls or haircuts and will not push for that," Salameh said.
Protesters have gathered in front of a number of institutions, including the state-owned Touch and Alfa telecom providers, Electricite Du Liban and the Central Bank. Major roads in Akkar, Tripoli and Sidon were also cut off. In front of the Judicial Palace, protestors asked judges to remain neutral and look into corruption allegations.
Lebanon has been rocked by nationwide protests over a financial crisis not witnessed since the end of its civil war in 1990. Rising unemployment, estimated at around 35 percent, coupled with scare dollar liquidity and the lack of basic services, have exasperated the animosity felt toward the ruling political class.
Almost two weeks have passed since Prime Minister Saad Hariri submitted his resignation, with sources signaling his adamancy to form a new government free "from traditional political parties."
A meeting that brought together Hariri, Speaker Nabih Berri’s aide, caretaker Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, and political adviser to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah Hussein Khalil over the weekend failed to bring about a consensus over the new Cabinet's makeup.
Despite Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil seemingly willing to step aside, sources say that Hezbollah continues to push to be represented in the new Cabinet for fear of being undercut from within which could threaten its military arsenal.
Speaking Monday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah upped the ante, launching a barrage aimed at the U.S who he accuses of orchestrating the current economic and political turmoil.
"We will stand up to the U.S and tell them to leave us alone," Nasrallah clamored before being met with chants of "death to America" by his supporters.
Nasrallah refused to elaborate on his party's stance on the government negotiations, suggesting that talks are ongoing.
"When it comes to the government formation ... the meetings are ongoing and the discussions are underway in the country," he said. "I will not discuss this matter ... and we will leave the door open."
Late last week, the World Bank urged Lebanon to form a new Cabinet “within a week” to prevent further degradation and loss of confidence in its economy, warning of grave risks to the country’s stability amid a worsening fiscal and economic crisis.
With the clock ticking and three days left before deadline expires, President Michel Aoun met Tuesday with ambassadors and representatives of the International Support Group which brings together the United Nations, the governments of China, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, along with the European Union and the Arab League.
During his sitdown with Arab ambassadors, Aoun pleaded with them for support to "revive Lebanon's economy," according to a statement issued by his office.
Attempts to secure financial assistance from Gulf allies have so far come up short despite Hariri's visit to the UAE last month to take part in an economic conference.
The lone neighbor to offer some sort of support is Qatar, who bought some Lebanese government bonds as part of a planned $500 million investment to support its struggling economy as a token gesture in June.
Saudi Arabia, a long-time backer of Hariri that's spent billions in Lebanese investments, has also withheld support as the influence of Iranian-backed Hezbollah over the government grew.

Lebanese banks, schools shut as protesters push on
Najla Houssari/Arab News/November 12/ 2019
Top UN official calls for ‘urgent formation’ of a new government made up of people known for their competence
Banks in Lebanon have been imposing restrictions on dollar withdrawals and transfers abroad
BEIRUT: School and university students joined street protests in Beirut and other Lebanese cities as widespread civil disruption in support of a “national salvation government” entered its 27th day.
Protesters blocked the entrance to the Palace of Justice in the capital on Tuesday, waving banners and chanting demands for “a fair judiciary that prosecutes corrupt people.” Clashes between lawyers and protesters erupted after access to the building was halted.
A group of women carrying posters calling for “old-age security” and “fighting poverty and the rule of the bank” staged a silent rally under the Musharrafieh bridge in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
With a date yet to be set for parliamentary consultations to appoint a new prime minister, consultations between President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri have failed to find a formula to establish the next government.
Earlier, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) announced through its parliamentary bloc that it approved a “government of technocrats.” But on Monday the FPM, Hezbollah and Amal appeared to be unanimous in agreeing to include state ministers in the government. Meanwhile, Hariri has insisted on an independent technocratic government that does not include politicians or parties.
Aoun briefed foreign and Arab envoys in two meetings on “the ongoing contacts to form a new government that achieves the reform paper adopted by the outgoing government.” Later the Lebanese president called on Arab countries to “help boost Lebanon’s economy.”
The presidential media office said that “the ambassadors expressed the support of their countries to Lebanon in these circumstances, stressing the importance of forming a new government to cope with the developments.”
A top UN official in Lebanon on Tuesday called for the urgent formation of a new government made up of people known for their competence, according to Reuters.
However, Walid Fakhreddin, a public affairs expert and activist, told Arab News that “what the authority is discussing is far from the demands of the movement in the street.”
“Pressure in the street resulted in the disruption of a parliamentary legislative session that would have passed a general amnesty law preventing the prosecution of corrupt individuals,” he said.
“What government officials are doing now with their debates is a waste of time. No one expects this authority to seriously deal with our demands.”
Fakhreddin said that “Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah told us yesterday that reforms can be carried out without a government. This means that things are going in the direction of more complexity. There is no acceptable approach to the demands of the street.
“The bodies involved in the civil movement have agreed on a single agenda, which is the demand for an independent transitional government to hold parliamentary elections,” he said.
The movement had refused to meet with French envoy Christophe Farno, who arrived in Beirut and is scheduled to meet Lebanese officials on Wednesday. “These forces will not participate in a meeting with the authority or with any external envoy,” Fakhreddin said.
Meanwhile, bank employees went on strike on Tuesday to protest against abuse directed at them by depositors and dealers because of banks’ refusal to hand over large amounts of money to depositors or to issue cash in dollars.

Lebanon’s elite responsible for hollowing out of the state
Zaid M. Belbagi /Arab News/November 12/ 2019
Sentiments on the streets of Lebanon could not be more different from 30 years ago, when the country’s leaders inspired a sense of optimism in choosing peace and prosperity over bitter civil war. However, one thing from the Taif Agreement remains — the country’s leaders are, by and large, almost identical. Having organized the Lebanese state in a way that protects their interests and systems of patronage, they have grown exorbitantly wealthy. The popular anger on display in Lebanon in recent weeks is not a symptom of sectarianism or the machinations of regional powers, it is a reaction to mismanagement and negligence. Lebanon’s leaders have failed their people.
At the heart of the Lebanese protests is the country’s disastrous financial situation. With the third-highest debt-to-gross domestic product ratio in the world, it has been running huge budget and current account deficits for years. Poverty is endemic, unemployment is high and economic growth has stalled. Within this context, the country’s billionaire politicians planned to impose a $6 monthly fee on the use of WhatsApp, the popular messaging service owned by Facebook. Whereas Lebanese politicians have grown accustomed to communities falling in line according to confessional loyalties, recent demonstrations have cut across sectarian divides — a rare phenomenon since the country’s devastating civil war ended. The public, long suffering from the chronic fatigue of the Lebanese pseudo-state, are angry.
The government barely supplies basic services, so electricity is sporadic, garbage is not collected, the tap water is unhealthy and its telephony costs are among the highest in the Arab world. The government’s pitiful response to recent wildfires exposed how serious socioeconomic woes have become, culminating in dollar shortages, devaluation of the currency and a months-long bread and fuel crisis, raising alarm bells among the wider population. Where Lebanon’s leaders could previously quell popular discontent with revolutionary slogans and the stoking up of resistance of Israel, recent attempts by political leaders to contain citizens’ frustration have proved futile, amid disillusionment and disgust at the litany of broken promises and the backdrop of rickety state institutions and the largesse of politicians.
For years, Lebanon kept itself afloat with aid from the Gulf and money deposited in local banks by wealthy expats. Those who ran the banks were often figures from within the ruling elite, more concerned with accruing interest and investing in bogus real estate developments as opposed to using the capital windfall to get the country moving. Members of this oligarchy had little issue using their political clout to further indebt the state while growing wealthier themselves. Exercising a stranglehold over economic and political power, the top 10 percent of the adult population receives approximately 55 percent of total national income, with the top 1 percent hoarding 25 percent. This places Lebanon among the countries with the highest levels of income inequality in the world, alongside Brazil, Colombia, Russia and South Africa. However, even generous interest rates of as much as 20 percent are no longer bringing in foreign money and the economy is in such deep distress that, this time, only Lebanon can solve its own problems.
Lebanon is not a failed state, it is a hollow one. The people in power, who created the crisis, have too much invested in the system to abandon it in the face of mass protests. Though Lebanon maintains the facade of a democracy, it isn’t in the sense that there is never any real change in power. Leaders who have enjoyed near immunity have adeptly leveraged the “confessional system” that awards government offices and the spoils according to religious affiliation.
Recent attempts by political leaders to contain citizens’ frustration have proved futile, amid disillusionment and disgust. Though there is not a complete failure in the delivery of public goods and the standard edifices of governance persist, the system is heavily corrupted and in thrall to monied elites. By effectively maintaining a weak state, the country’s elites, which have been in power since 1989, are able to continue to profit from smuggling and the luxury real estate developments that are a mainstay of the economy. They control the banks and profit from financing the government’s deficits, and they make money by providing the electricity the state monopoly can’t. The Lebanese citizen, priced out of basic public goods and services, is left to pick up the tab. If the system were less dysfunctional, the elite would be better able to act. The system is clearly unsustainable, but each entrenched leader of the confessional system has veto power. With the prospect of reform invariably threatening to create winners and losers, the decayed system in its present form is unable to cleanse itself. Within the context of the maintenance of private militias (from which state security services cower), illegal flows of income, gross displays of nepotism and deep-seated corruption, the state will only grow weaker. The longer this state of affairs persists, the more difficult it is to eradicate.Lebanon does not need a revolution or a return to civil war, and least of all a lifeline of foreign aid. What it needs is a complete recalibration of its government that empowers the state and limits the opportunities of political leaders to enrich themselves through the racketeering and shoddy management that has brought the country to its knees.
*Zaid M. Belbagi is a political commentator, and an adviser to private clients between London and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Twitter: @Moulay_Zaid

How the US should respond to the protests in Lebanon
جون حجار: مواقف مطلوبة من الإدارة الأميركية استجابة لإنتفاضة الشعب اللبناني
John Hajjar/AMCFD/American Mifeast Coalition For Democracy/November 12/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/80475/john-hajjarhow-the-us-should-respond-to-the-protests-in-lebanon-%d8%ac%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%ad%d8%ac%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d9%85%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82%d9%81-%d9%85%d8%b7%d9%84%d9%88%d8%a8%d8%a9-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7/
I came back to the US from Lebanon less than one month before the October protests began in Beirut and started spreading throughout its cities and towns, shaking the foundations of a regime that spent 30 years in corruption and backing Hezbollah. During my field trip to my ancestral land, mandated by the American Mideast Coalition for Democracy (AMCD), I met with students, politicians, journalists, former military, religious leaders and civil society activists. I also met with ordinary people in different places. The three major issues of discontent among all people I met were:
1-Frustration with the economic and financial situation, crumbling under the heavy corruption eroding most of Lebanon’s institutions, both public and private;
2-Fear from the constant domination of Hezbollah and its peace through intimidation of their partisans and those opposed to their domination; and,
3-Loss of trust in the ruling political, economic, and clerical establishment of the country.
Warnings from the people
During my field trip, I heard warnings that the people had had enough of corruption and militia thuggish behavior and were about to explode. I also heard criticism of US policy, particularly from America’s friends. “Where are you?” they asked me. “We are being eaten alive by Iran and its lackeys in this country.” As someone who was part of the Lebanese American community efforts in 2002-2004 to produce UNSCR 1559, I surely understood the message. Lebanon’s population, except those who are supporters of the Iranian regime, is generally not only friendly with but feel close to the United States.
I included my observations in a report I submitted to the Trump Administration, which I also detailed in a meeting at the State Department a few days after the uprising exploded in Lebanon. I stressed the importance for the United States to be prepared for what may be a tidal wave of protests. And, indeed, that is exactly what is happening.
The protests: “All means All”
On October 18, tens of thousands of Lebanese filled the public squares in Beirut in ardent anti-government demonstrations accusing all the leaders of “stealing the people’s money” and of abandoning the poor to their destiny. At first, the demands were socio-economic, but then the protests got larger and the official goal became bringing down the entire system: the Saad Hariri cabinet, Michel Aoun’s Presidency, and Nabih Berri’s Parliament, accused of being behind the mass corruption that the country has been suffering under for decades.
Soon enough, the protests spread to Tripoli, the second largest city in the country with a Sunni majority, then along the coast to Batroun, Jounieh, and Sidon. But the major political events were demonstrations hitting the hometowns of Hezbollah in Tyre, Nabatiyeh, and Baalbeck.
The core of the protests was organized by a network of liberal, patriotic, mostly civil society groups; among them a newly formed political party called “Seven.” Traditional political parties were asked not to join, though their members were welcomed. Hence the Lebanese Forces, Kataeb, and Jumblatt stayed away.
It is imperative to note that a group of leftwing militants also installed themselves in the center of downtown Beirut and gradually attempted to seize the political and organizational command of the leaderless protests.
The uprising was cross-sectarian, including youth from all religious communities, and displayed clear signs of a civil society kirmess as the gatherings were quite celebratory in nature. At one point, organizers claimed that close to two million people participated in the rallies.
Hezbollah, regime and far-left tactics
Hezbollah, the de facto ruler of Lebanon, perceived the protests as directed against its power. The demonstrators chanted that “all leaders should be forced to resign, all of them,” which in practicality included Hezbollah. The retaliation of the Iran dominated militia came fast. Hordes of militants stormed the rallies, destroyed the stands and dispersed the protesters. But the protestors would not be kept down. They came back after each act of violence perpetrated against them.
The regime, unhinged, refused to resign as Hezbollah rejected a change of system. Nasrallah’s network, which has been suffering financially from US sanctions imposed by the Trump Administration, threatened mass violence if the revolution ejected them from the state. The Secretary General, Mr. Nasrallah, even alluded that he would cut the wages of the Lebanese Army, immobilizing it, and unleash his militia on the protesters. Clearly, Hezbollah was and is a threat to the Lebanon protests.
Hundreds, if not thousands of Lebanese called on the Diaspora to help, particularly Lebanese Americans to intercede with the US government. But Hezbollah was monitoring any attempt to bring in US pressure on the Lebanese Government. One incident was very telling.
In response to a tweet by former Trump advisor, Dr. Walid Phares who simply called on the US to hear the voices of protesters in Lebanon, Hezbollah’s “electronic army” staged a massive wave of attacks and smears against the scholar – who was also an architect of the UNSCR 1559 in 2004 that supported the Cedars Revolution the following year. The pro Iran targeting of Phares lasted days and aimed at hitting a link that could bring international support to the rallies in Beirut and other cities. Interestingly enough, a network of far-left Twitter accounts linked to far-left figures in the US, such as George Soros and Bernie Sanders, joined Hezbollah’s savaging of Phares. The incident showed two matters: (1) Hezbollah is backed by American “Stalinist” networks and (2) the organization fears a Trump Administration endorsement of the popular movement in Lebanon, unlike Obama’s abandonment of the Iran Green Revolution in 2009.
Trump Administration’s position
Of course, I note that the Trump administration proceeded with caution regarding the Lebanon protests. One parameter was clear as the first statements from the State Department underlined: “The rights of the Lebanese people to express themselves should be protected.” Another parameter was to ask the Lebanese Army to protect the rallies from Hezbollah and other militias. But it was days after the Phares tweet calling on the US to stand with the movement before statements were issued by important US leaders like Secretary of State Pompeo, Senate Majority leader McConnell and other administration officials and Congressional voices.
Ironically, but not surprisingly, the Hezbollah propaganda machine and its far-left allies in Lebanon blasted any potential Trump statement as “meddling” but welcomed supportive statements from radical politicians such as Bernie Sanders as “progressive.” Hezbollah is also the only group in Lebanon that is under direct foreign control – by The Islamic Republic of Iran – thus completing the circle of Leftist-Islamist complicity.
The protests’ future
The popular forces on the streets seem to be resilient and willing to take the political fight through to the end, that is, until a full change is achieved. Despite the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the public backing the protesters has expressed its will to continue the “revolution.” Though many roads closed during the protests were re-opened by the Army and security forces, rallies continue in Beirut and other cities, most notably Tripoli. The uprising is discretely backed by anti-Hezbollah leaders such as Christian politician Samir Geagea, Sunni leader Achraf Rifi, and Druze politician Walid Jumblatt, but is practically led by a federation of NGOs, primarily Hezb 7 (with organizer Jad Dagher in the center) and with a new leadership of an old party – the “National Bloc” – who seem to have moved to the front of the youth revolt.
It is my view (and the view of experts and activists I’ve consulted with) that the “movement” won’t stop, even if attacked by Hezbollah. The sustainability of the protests, rest on several factors:
a-The protection by the Lebanese Armed Forces;
b-International and US solidarity, but not direct meddling at this point;
c-Support coming from the Lebanese Diaspora, numbering in the millions;
d-Formation of a technocrat cabinet; and,
e-Deterring Hezbollah from physical attacks on the rallies.
US Policy towards Lebanon
The question now is, what should US policy be regarding Lebanon’s protests? Should we intervene in this crisis? Refrain? Or design strategies to contain Hezbollah, empower the country’s civil society, and enable Lebanon to free itself from terror and break loose from corruption?
US interests always include national security and regional stability. So when it comes to Lebanon, we as Americans need to look at the threats that are in, and could emanate from, Lebanon at this stage.
There is no doubt that Hezbollah and its radical allies are at the core of threats against the US. Since 1983, this terror organization has targeted US citizens and personnel in Lebanon, Iraq and other locations. Thus, it is in our national interest make sure Hezbollah is checked and eventually disarmed in Lebanon.
Regionally, Hezbollah has attacked our allies Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen and has served as an ally to the Iranian regime for decades. It is involved in worldwide drug dealing and smuggling, even in our hemisphere. The terror group has been listed on our terror lists, and Washington has leveled many sanctions to deter this organization from pursuing its aggression against the US and our allies.
But more importantly, Hezbollah has assassinated, kidnapped and threatened many Lebanese politicians, military, journalists, students and other members of Lebanon’s civil society. Recently, during the October 2019 protests, it launched several thuggish raids against the protesters, all well documented online.
On all these grounds, it is clear that Hezbollah seems to be the bad guy menacing our national security and the safety of our allies, particularly the Lebanese. Thus, a chief component of US policy should be to contain the organization in Lebanon, work with the bodies that can help in this containment, and partner with the protesters to protect them from the actions of Hezbollah. However, the precarious balance between all Lebanese populations should be preserved while ensuring that the will of the majority of protesters is respected. Washington should proceed with caution as Hezbollah is lethal and can take the population hostage.
On another level, the US has an interest in seeing the Lebanese fight against corruption in their own country as a means to end such corrupt practices in the region and around the world. We want to encourage good governance and state sovereignty. Tangentially to countering terrorism and corruption, the US has an interest in seeing Lebanon stabilize and join the community of nations engaged in peaceful behavior, trade, and diplomatic efforts to resolve common issues.
From a domestic American perspective, let’s also remember that close to one million Americans (some believe 1.5 million) are from Lebanese descent with a few hundred thousand of them born in Lebanon. Many of these America-loving citizens have given a lot to this country, from holding public offices to financial contributions to involvement in American arts and sciences. Many have served in all the wars America has fought since WWI. The Lebanese American community is overwhelmingly in support of a US policy that would promote a free and pluralistic Lebanon with whom the US would partner.
Recommendations
Based on these considerations, in the wake of the October protests, I would advance the following considerations for a US policy towards Lebanon. The United States should:
Clearly state that the protesters have a fundamental universal right to express their views and organize peaceful demonstrations;
Warn the authorities in charge not to suppress these protests and call on the security forces, and particularly the Lebanese Armed Forces, to protect these demonstrators from thugs and militias;
Ask the regime to acquiesce to the demands of the protesters and resign from power, leaving it in the hands of an interim nonpartisan Government whose only mission is to organize legislative elections;
Extend support to the new Parliament to develop new legislation for the country;
Partner with the next Government to implement reforms and apply international resolutions including UNSCR 1559 and 1701; and,
Assist the Lebanese Armed Forces and the security forces to protect the citizens of Lebanon and to disarm militias.
A new US policy should also form a special team to handle the Lebanese crisis both in Beirut and in Washington, DC, in light of the dramatic events that have taken place and continue to evolve.
*John Hajjar is the Co-Chair of the American Mideast Coalition for Democracy.
*AMCFD/American Mifeast Coalition For Democracy

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 12-13/2019
Israel is at war with Islamic Jihad. Tehran weighs opening northern fronts as punishment for Al-Atta killing
DEBKAfile//Tuesday, 12 November 2019
By two targeted assassinations in Gaza and Damascus, Israel on Tuesday, Nov. 12, went to war against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Baha Abu Al-Atta, chief of the northern Gaza command, was killed in an IDF bombing raid on his home in Gaza city; Akram Al-Ajouri’s home in the Maze district of Damascus was struck by two rockets. Some sources say he escaped; others that he was injured. Al Ajouri was the liaison officer between the Palestinian Jihad in Gaza and the Iranian Al-Qods Brigades and its chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani. The Islamic Jihad’s first response was a wide-ranging rocket barrage against key towns in central and southern Israel, including Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gedera, Rishon Lezion and Tel Aviv, after announcing that “there were no borders.” Iron Dome downed some 20, including the rockets targeting Tel Aviv. DEBKAfile: The IDF initially relayed messages to Gaza City that the slaying of Abu Al-Atta did not portend a new wave of targeted assassinations against Palestinian terrorist leaders, in the hope of persuading Hamas to stay out of it and let Jihad act on its own. This was intended to avert a major conflagration. This hope was largely unfounded because it is not in the power of Hamas or Egypt or even Israel to determine how far this incident escalates but Tehran. DEBKAfile’s sources report that when Israel’s security cabinet was convening in Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning, so too were senior officials in Tehran, Damascus and Beirut. They were discussing whether to punish Israel by opening a second or third front in the north.The Palestinian Jihad also maintains armed forces in Syria and Lebanon, who may be conscripted in both countries for strikes against northern and central Israel in solidarity with their brothers in Gaza. The Gaza headquarters initially reacted to the death of its leader by announcing that their retaliation “would have no borders.” Then, after firing some 50 rockets, Jihad stated that as yet “unprecedented retaliation” was still to come, suggesting that Israel faced attacks from additional borders. Any Egyptian or UN efforts to mediate de-escalation would be irrelevant in these circumstances since neither has access to this extremist Palestinian terrorist group or its Iranian masters. And Hamas can hardly afford to stand aside in the event of a multi-front conflict erupting and is likely to be drawn into backing a fellow Palestinian terrorist organization.

Israeli forces kill Islamic Jihad field commander in Gaza strike
Agencies/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Israeli forces killed Baha abu Al-Atta, a field commander for the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, in a predawn strike on his home in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, officials on both sides said. At least one other person, a woman, was also killed in the blast that ripped through the building in Gaza City's Shejaia district, medical officials said. Two others were wounded. In a statement, the Israeli military said Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorized the operation against Al-Atta, accusing him of carrying out a recent series of cross-border rocket, drone and sniper attacks and planning more. “A building in the Gaza Strip, in which the Palestinian Islamic Jihad senior leader Baha Abu al-Ata stayed in, was attacked,” Israel’s military said in a statement, calling it a joint operation between the army and Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service. “Abu Al-Atta was responsible for most of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s activity in the Gaza Strip and was a ticking bomb,” the statement said, accusing Al-Atta of planning “imminent terror attacks through various means.”An Islamic Jihad statement confirmed the death of al-Atta, who it said had been in the midst of “heroic jihadist action.”
“Our inevitable retaliation will rock the Zionist entity,” the statement said, referring to Israel. The Islamic Jihad group vowed to respond strongly to the attack on its field commander, an Al Arabiya correspondent cited the group as saying. A number of rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip onto Israeli settlements following the incident, an Al Arabiya correspondent reported citing Gaza sources, as sirens sounded in the cities. The Israeli army confirmed, stating that Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip pounded the Jewish state with “substantial” rocket fire Tuesday after Israel killed a commander of Islamic Jihad. “There is substantial fire,” army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told journalists in a conference call. Rockets struck the south of Israel and warning sirens wailed in Tel Aviv, although there were no immediate reports of hits on the seaside city. “We are preparing for a number of days of fighting,” Conricus said. The Israeli army has blocked all roads around the border of the Gaza Strip, according to the Al Arabiya correspondent, who added that warning sirens sounded in Tel Aviv. Islamic Jihad, in its own statement, confirmed al-Atta's death and threatened retaliation against Israel.

Three Palestinians killed in new Israeli strikes in Gaza: Hamas
AFP, Gaza City/Wednesday, 13 November 2019
Three Palestinians were killed in new Israeli strikes on Tuesday targeting positions of the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza, the health ministry in the enclave said. The deaths brought the Palestinian death toll for the day to 10, including an Islamic Jihad commander and his wife killed in a targeted Israeli strike in Hamas-controlled Gaza. Israel blamed Ata for recent rocket fire into its territory and said he had been preparing further attacks. His killing sparked barrages of retaliatory rocket fire into Israel, followed by Israeli air raids.

Dozens of Rockets Fired at Israel after Strike Kills Gaza Commander
Agence France Presse/November 12/2019
Israel's military killed a commander of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in a strike on his home in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, triggering exchanges of fire and fears of a severe escalation in violence. The targeted strike led to barrages of retaliatory rocket fire into Israel followed by Israeli air raids, and Gaza's health ministry reported five people killed and 30 wounded in the Palestinian enclave. Israel said it targeted Islamic Jihad militant sites as well as rocket-launching squads in the raids. The rocket fire into Israel caused damage and several injuries, with at least one rocket hitting a house and another narrowly missing passing cars on a highway. A factory in the city of Sderot was also hit, sparking a fire. Israeli medics said they had treated 39 people. Reports that a separate strike targeted an Islamic Jihad member in Damascus added to the day's tensions. Islamic Jihad confirmed one of its officials, Akram Ajouri, was targeted in Damascus, with Syrian state news agency SANA reporting an Israeli strike had hit Ajouri's home, "killing his son Muadh and another person". Israel did not comment on that strike. The initial Israeli raid in Gaza early Tuesday, thought to have been carried out by a drone, killed Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu Al-Ata, 42. Islamic Jihad confirmed his death along with that of his wife. Israel blamed Ata for recent rocket fire into its territory and said he was preparing further attacks. As the retaliatory rocket fire followed, air raid sirens rang out in various parts of Israel as residents took cover in bomb shelters. Israel's military said on Tuesday morning that around 50 rockets had been fired at its territory and air defenses had intercepted around 20 of them, but that number increased throughout the day. Video spread online showing the rocket that hit the highway at Gan Yavne in Israel's center, narrowly missing cars.
- Schools closed -
Islamic Jihad, allied to Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules Gaza, claimed responsibility for rocket fire from the strip. Schools were closed in both the Gaza Strip and in parts of Israel, including in the commercial capital Tel Aviv. The Israeli army ordered "non-essential" workers in Tel Aviv, central Israel and the Gaza border region to stay at home and banned public gatherings. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu charged that Ata had over the past year "planned and executed many attacks" and "fired hundreds of rockets at communities adjoining Gaza". "Israel is not interested in escalation, but we shall do everything necessary in order to defend ourselves," he said in a televised statement from defense headquarters. "I'm telling you in advance, it could take time." Nadav Argaman, head of domestic security agency Shin Bet which took part in the targeted strike, said the operation "allowed us to reach the level of the bed in which he slept, the small room in which he lived, in which he hid." Damage from a blast could be seen at Ata's home in the Shejayia district of eastern Gaza City. Mosque loudspeakers rang out with news of Ata's death early Tuesday and crowds joined his funeral procession through the streets of the city, occasionally firing guns into the air. A joint statement by Gaza's militant groups said Israel had crossed "all red lines" and would face consequences. Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said "today’s crime and the Israeli bombardment in Gaza are added to the Israeli criminal record that is intended to liquidate the Palestinian cause by attacking the Palestinian people, the resistance and high-ranking resistance officers".
Politically sensitive time -
Israel said Ata was behind rocket fire towards a music festival in the Israeli city of Sderot in August as well as further rocket attacks at the start of November. It has also accused him of being behind sniper fire and drone launchings. Ata "is responsible for most of the terror attacks in the last year from the Gaza Strip," the army said, describing him as a "ticking bomb." It alleged he was "promoting preparations to commit immediate terror attacks in various ways towards Israeli civilians and (Israeli) troops during the recent few days."The strikes and rocket fire raised the possibility of a severe escalation between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza. Three wars have been fought between them since 2008 and Gaza has been under a strict Israeli blockade for more than a decade. Islamic Jihad is the second most-powerful militant group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas.The flare-up comes at a sensitive time politically for Israel. A September 17 general election ended in a deadlock and a new government is yet to be formed. It was the second election since April, when polls also ended inconclusively.

Syrian army fires at hostile target in skies over Damascus countryside
Reuters/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
The syrian army fired on a "hostile target" in the town of Daraya, west of the capital, Damascus, Syrian state media said late on Tuesday. The nature of the target was not immediately clear and the report did not say if it had been brought down in the action. Photos published by state news agency SANA, however, showed damage to a two-storey building and debris strewn over cars.
Islamic Jihad official targeted in Syria
The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said Israel targeted the house of one of its officials in the Syrian capital on Tuesday, killing one of his sons.
Syrian state media earlier reported that at least two people were killed and six wounded in an attack in the early hours that targeted a building in Damascus, without saying who had been targeted or who had carried out the attack. An Islamic Jihad official confirmed it was the same incident in which the home of political leader, Akram Al-Ajouri, was struck. In a statement, Islamic Jihad blamed the attack on "the Zionist criminal enemy". Syrian state media identified the building as a civilian home located near the Lebanese embassy in Mezzah, a western district of the capital that is home to Damascus University and many foreign embassies. They reported that at least two people were killed and six wounded in the attack. In recent years, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria against its regional arch foe Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah, which it calls the biggest threat to its borders.

YOU? Really?’: Iran’s Zarif scorns EU warning over nuclear deal
Reuters, Dubai/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Europeans have failed to fulfill their own commitments to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Tuesday, in response to a warning by the EU that urged Tehran to stick to the pact or face consequences. European countries have been trying to persuade Tehran to stick to the deal, under which it agreed to curbs on its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, despite a decision last year by US President Donald Trump to abandon it. Iran has long blamed the Europeans for failing to provide the economic benefits it was meant to receive under the deal, known as the JCPOA, and has begun steps to reduce commitments, including producing more enriched uranium than allowed.Last week Iran resumed enrichment at its underground Fordow nuclear facility, banned under the deal. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and European parties to the deal - Britain, France and Germany - issued a statement on Monday urging Tehran to comply with the accord or face action which could include sanctions. “To my EU/E3 Colleagues: 1. ‘Fully upheld commitments under JCPOA’ YOU? Really? Just show ONE that you’ve upheld in the last 18 months. 2. Iran triggered-& exhausted-dispute resolution mechanism while you were procrastinating. We’re now using para36 remedies,” Zarif tweeted. Iran says paragraph 36 of the deal allows it to reduce its commitments because other signatories are not complying. The Europeans dispute this. Some Iranian officials have warned that re-imposition of EU and UN sanctions would be a red line that would cause the deal to collapse. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on Monday that Iran is enriching uranium at the Fordow site and rapidly accelerating enrichment more broadly. Iran says it will further overstep the deal’s limits in January if Britain, France and Germany fail to shield its economy from US penalties that have reduced its oil exports by more than 80 percent since a year ago. Washington says it wants to negotiate a more sweeping deal aimed at further curbing Iran’s nuclear work, halting its ballistic missile program and limiting its meddling in other countries in the Middle East. Iran has rejected any negotiations as long as the US is not complying with the deal.

Trump, Macron voice concern over Iran’s nuclear program
Reuters/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron on a phone call on Monday discussed Syria, Iran and trade according to a series of tweets posted by White House spokesman Judd Deere on Tuesday. “The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to continue coordination on Syria. They also voiced concern over Iran’s steps to advance its nuclear program,” Deere wrote. “President Trump further emphasized the importance of ensuring an even playing field for American companies. Both leaders expressed anticipation for joining their counterparts in London next month at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Leaders Meeting.”

Iraq expresses regret at protester deaths, defends handling of unrest

Reuters, Geneva/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Iraqi officials expressed “deep regret” on Monday at the death of protesters during weeks of unrest but defended Baghdad’s handling of the situation. Nearly 300 people have been killed in Iraq since the protests against political corruption, unemployment and poor public services began on October 1.
At a UN review of member states’ human rights records in Geneva, diplomats from several countries accused the Iraqi government of using excessive force. Justice Minister Farooq Amin Othman acknowledged there had been “individual violations” by members of the law enforcement agencies but said they were being investigated. “...We would like to express our deep regret for the number of people killed,” he told international diplomats gathered at what the UN calls the Universal Periodic Review. “Our constitution guarantees peaceful assembly and the objective of our authorities is to protect the protesters,” he said.
Other Iraqi officials said plans were under way to free detained protesters and for electoral reform, both of which were among a package of reforms urged by the United Nations. “Unlawful, indiscriminate and excessive” force. But diplomats from several countries including the United States issued stinging criticisms. “We recommend that Iraq immediately cease using excessive force against peaceful demonstrators, particularly the unlawful use of tear gas canisters and live ammunition, and hold accountable, in a transparent manner, those responsible for this violence,” Daniel Kronenfeld, Human Rights Counselor at the US Mission in Geneva said. The Netherlands called the use of force “unlawful, indiscriminate and excessive.”Germany expressed deep concern and urged immediate steps to prevent further loss of life. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq released a set of recommendations on Sunday, including the release of peaceful protesters and investigations into deaths. Iraq’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Hussain Mahmood Alkhateeb, said the plan envisaged by Baghdad to address unrest was already being implemented and went “wider” than the UN proposals. “No demonstrator will stay in prison unless there is a criminal investigation against them,” he told Reuters. Asked whether Iraq would consider trying ISIS fighters on their own soil, as France and the United States has urged, he said: “Iraq believes that countries should take their nationals and this is a policy we are committed to.”

New kidnapping case reported as female activists targeted in Iraq
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 13 November 2019
Iraqi activist Mary Mohammad, one of the participants in the protests and famous for helping protesters demanding the ousting of the regime has disappeared, according to reports that are circulating on social media. Iraqi activists who condemned the kidnapping tweeted that Mary Mohammad disappeared four days ago with no trace of her whereabouts. Some of the protesters accused pro-Iranian militias of carrying out operations targeting activists and bloggers taking part in the protests in the provinces of central and southern Iraq. Mohammad is the second female activist who has disappeared since the eruption of protests in early October. On November 2, Iraqi activist and physician Siba al-Mahdawi was abducted in Baghdad by an unknown group at night when she was returning from Tahrir Square. The Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) called on the government and security forces to investigate the case. Al-Mahdawi’s mother said she had been abducted by “armed, masked men on pick-up trucks.” Last Friday, Amnesty International called on the Iraqi authorities to reveal the fate of al-Mahdawi, saying that her abduction was part of a campaign to silence freedom of expression in Iraq.
The fate of the 26 Iraqis who remain kidnapped since the protests began is uncertain. Three activists were killed in Basra and Baghdad, and about 400 activists, protesters, and bloggers are in detention in the south and center of the country, according to Iraqi security sources.
The protesters initially demanded better public services, job creation and anti-corruption before they raised their demands to topple the government after the army and security forces used excessive violence against them. The government has acknowledged this and promised to hold those responsible to account.

Schools shut across southern Iraq in bid to revive protests
AFP, Baghdad/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Most schools in southern Iraq were closed on Tuesday, after teachers announced a general strike in an attempt to boost the protest movement that has rocked the country since October 1. In recent days, security forces have sought to crack down on rallies, but protesters have kept up the movement with sit-ins across the capital and Shiite-majority south. In the southern city of Kut, hundreds of people streamed into the streets and shut down schools and public offices.In Hilla, schools were closed for lack of staff and government offices reduced their opening hours. Most schools were closed too in Nasiriyah and Diwaniyah, two southern cities that have played a major role in the protests. And in the capital, teenage boys skipped class to face off against security forces in commercial districts around the main protest site of Tahrir Square. On Monday, protesters had managed to breach the concrete blast walls erected by the security forces to seal Tahrir off from neighboring Khallani Square. But on Tuesday morning, the walls were up again and security personnel positioned behind them fired stun grenades at the young protesters on the other side, who scattered briefly before returning to their posts. “Our country is dearer to me than my only child,” read one slogan daubed on the street, where the usually bustling mechanics’ shops remained closed. In Tahrir itself, dozens of protesters kept up their nearly three-week occupation of the square and nearby buildings. Young people make up 60 percent of Iraq’s population of nearly 40 million and youth unemployment stands at 25 percent, according to the World Bank. The lack of jobs for school-leavers was one of the driving forces behind the protests that erupted on October 1 and swiftly escalated with calls for a wholesale overhaul of the political system. Demonstrators say government and state sector jobs are handed out based on bribes or nepotism, not merit. The government has faced widespread international criticism for the size of the death toll from protest-related violence which exceeds 300 in six weeks.

Turkey’s Erdogan says will tell Trump US failed to keep Syria promise
Agencies/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he would tell President Donald Trump that the United States has not fulfilled its agreement last month to remove the Kurdish-led forces from a region along Turkey’s border. It is “impossible to say” that the “terrorists” have withdrawn from the strip of northeast Syria, Erdogan told reporters before a flight to Washington where he is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on Wednesday. Erdogan also warned European nations during the press conference that his country could release all the ISIS prisoners it holds and send them to Europe, in response to EU sanctions over Cyprus. Erdogan said that Turkey would continue repatriating foreign ISIS militants to their home countries, even if those countries decline to take them back. Erdogan’s comments were in response to the EU’s unveiling on Monday of a system for imposing sanctions on Turkey over its unauthorized gas drilling in Mediterranean waters off Cyprus.Erdogan warned EU countries: “You should revise your stance toward Turkey, which holds so many IS members in prison and controls them in Syria.”

ISIS detainees in Syria a ‘ticking time-bomb’: State Dept official

Reuters, Washington/Wednesday, 13 November 2019
Some 10,000 ISIS detainees held in prisons in northeastern Syria present a major security risk, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday, urging countries to take back their citizens who joined the terrorist group and were detained. “It’s a ticking time bomb to simply have the better part of 10,000 detainees, many of them foreign fighters,” the official, told reporters in a conference call. ISIS lost almost all of its territory in Iraq and Syria. Its former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a US raid last month but it remains a security threat in Syria and beyond. Allies have been worried that ISIS militants could escape as a result of Turkey’s assault against Syrian Kurdish militia fighters who have been holding thousands of the group’s fighters and tens of thousands of their family members. The official said little progress was made on the repatriation of ISIS detainees, with only some taken back by some Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries. “Given that there are hundreds of people being held from Europe, we are very troubled by this and it’s a major issue of diplomatic discussion,” the official said. The United States will hold a meeting of foreign ministers from the US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Washington on Thursday to discuss the next step on how to recalibrate the fight against the extremist hardline group. The issue of how to handle ISIS detainees is likely to take the center stage. Trump cleared the way for a long-threatened Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria on October 9 against Kurdish forces who had been America’s top allies in the battle against ISIS since 2014. The official said the United States was confident that in the meantime, Syrian Kurdish militia can keep the detainees secure but does not want to take any risks by having a such a large group of militants in one place.

Dutch state to challenge order to take back ISIS children
Reuters, Amsterdam/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
The Dutch state said on Tuesday it will appeal against a court ruling ordering it to take back dozens of young children of mothers who joined ISIS in Syria. A court in The Hague said on Monday the government must actively help repatriate 56 children living in poor conditions in camps in Syria. “The ruling raises questions about a number of issues that may not have been sufficiently considered, including international affairs,” Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus and Foreign Minister Stef Blok wrote in a letter to parliament. “The Cabinet decided to file an appeal to gain certainty as quickly as possible.”A lawyer for 23 mothers had told the court that the families were living in “deplorable conditions” in the al-Hol camp in Northern Syria. The court ordered the Dutch government to act quickly to bring the children, all under 12 years of age, to the Netherlands. It said the state did not need to repatriate the mothers. Around 68,000 defeated fighters of ISIS and their families are being held in the camp, according to the Red Cross. They are under the custody of Syrian Kurdish forces after they took the extremist group’s last enclave. Around 55 ISIS militants who travelled from the Netherlands and at least 90 children with Dutch parents, or parents who had lived for a considerable time in the Netherlands, are in Northern Syria, according to figures from October. Turkey announced last week it would start to repatriate captured ISIS fighters to their countries of origin even if their citizenship had been revoked.

Pompeo urges Iraqi PM al-Mahdi to address protesters’ ‘legitimate grievances’

Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo has in a phone call urged Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul al-Mahdi to address protesters’ “legitimate grievances,” said State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus. “Secretary Pompeo emphasized that peaceful public demonstrations are a fundamental element of all democracies and deplored the death toll among the protesters as a result of the Government of Iraq’s crackdown and use of lethal force, as well as the reports of kidnapped protesters. “Secretary Pompeo urged Prime Minister al-Mahdi to take immediate steps to address the protesters’ legitimate grievances by enacting reforms and tackling corruption.”According to Ortagus, “Pompeo reaffirmed the United States’ enduring commitment to a strong, sovereign, and prosperous Iraq, as outlined in our bilateral Strategic Framework Agreement.” He also pledged to continue to support the Iraqi security forces in fighting the ISIS, said Ortagus.

Turkey police rearrest journalist Ahmet Altan

AFP, Ankara/Wednesday, 13 November 2019
Turkish police acting on a court order rearrested journalist and novelist Ahmet Altan on Tuesday, just a week after his release from prison over alleged links to the failed 2016 coup. Altan and another veteran journalist Nazli Ilicak were released on November 4 despite having been convicted of “helping a terrorist group.”The Istanbul court sentenced Altan to more than 10 years in jail, but ruled that he and Ilicak should be released under supervision after time already served - around three years each. They were also forbidden from leaving the country. But on Tuesday an arrest warrant was issued after the chief public prosecutor appealed against the decision to release Altan, state news agency Anadolu said. Istanbul police said later that officers detained Altan at his home in the district of Kadikoy on the city’s Asian side. Altan has been accused of having links to the outlawed movement of US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of ordering the attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016.
Gulen denies the accusation.
For their part, Ahmed Altan and Ilicak have denied any involvement in the failed coup, calling such accusations “grotesque.” Last year both Altan and Ilicak were sentenced to life in prison, but a top appeals court quashed the verdict in July and ordered a retrial on a different charge. Amnesty International’s Europe director, Marie Struthers, lambasted the “scandalous” move in a statement. “It is impossible to see this decision as anything other than further punishment for his determination not to be silenced and it compounds an already shocking catalogue of injustice he has been subjected to,” Struthers said.

Turkish patrol shoots, injures 9 civilians in northern Syria: Monitor
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
A Turkish military patrol shot and injured 9 civilians in northern Syria on Tuesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The incident occured in the Ayn al-Arab countryside, said the war monitor. Ayn al-Arab is close to Kobani, near the Turkish border, and one of the areas occupied by Turkish forces following Turkey's military operation. Since an October 22 agreement in Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin, Turkish forces have conducted several joint patrols with Russian soldiers.
“The second joint patrol ... began in the region of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) to the east of the Euphrates,” the Turkish defense ministry said in a statement. The patrols are aimed at ensuring the withdrawal of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

Jordan foils plot against US, Israeli diplomats, American soldiers
Reuters, Amman/Tuesday, 12 November 2019
Jordanian intelligence recently foiled a plot by two suspected militants to mount terror attacks against US and Israeli diplomats alongside US troops deployed at a military base in the south of the country, state-owned al-Rai newspaper reported on Tuesday. It said the suspects had planned to drive vehicles into their targets and attack them with firearms and knives. They would stand trial in Jordan’s state security court, it added. Militants from ISIS and other radical extremist groups have long targeted the US-allied kingdom and dozens of militants are currently serving lengthy prison terms.
King Abdullah, a Middle East ally of Western powers against extremist militancy, has been among the most vocal leaders in the region in warning of threats posed by radical groups. Several incidents over the past few years have jolted the Arab kingdom, which has been comparatively unscathed by the uprisings, civil wars and extremist militancy that have swept the Middle East since 2011. Jordan said last year it had foiled an ISIS plot that included plans for a series of attacks on security installations, shopping malls and moderate religious figures. It arrested the suspects.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 12-13/2019
Moderate versus liberal a difficult choice for US Democrats
Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/November 12/ 2019
As former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg last week took steps toward a run for the Democratic nomination for presidential candidate — potentially scrambling the existing field — his move fed into a debate over whether a moderate or more left-wing Democratic candidate is best able to defeat current President Donald Trump in next year’s election.
Unlike in many countries, the US president is not chosen through a direct vote by the public. Rather, the Electoral College system allocates a number of electoral votes to each state. The allocation of these votes reflects population to a degree, but also gives relative weight in favor of less-populated states. The winner-takes-all electoral system used in nearly all states means that whichever candidate wins a majority receives all of that state’s Electoral College votes. For example, in 2020, if Trump wins a majority of the vote in Pennsylvania, he will receive all of Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes.
This system means that it is possible for a presidential candidate to lose the overall national vote and still win the presidency. Indeed, in the last 20 years, this has twice happened to the benefit of the Republican candidate — in 2000 and in 2016.
This is critically important to the 2020 election. Today, multiple national polls show Trump losing to all the leading Democratic candidates by a significant margin in national polls, suggesting he will likely again lose the popular vote. However, several polls show he remains very competitive in the key battleground states that often determine the election, thus maintaining his Electoral College advantage. For example, a recent New York Times/Siena College poll of six key states showed Trump in competitive races in all six against any of the leading Democrats.
The juxtaposition of the Electoral College against the national popular vote is a key point feeding into a debate among Democrats regarding whether a moderate or a more liberal candidate is most likely to defeat Trump in 2020. Democrats who want a left-wing candidate like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren often argue that their candidates can win the White House. One typical argument is that Democrats do not have to win over any Trump voters; they argue that a candidate can win with ambitious ideas that excite Democrats to turn out to vote in large numbers — especially young people and racial minorities, who lean Democratic but typically have lower turnout rates. Alternatively, some argue that Sanders or Warren can win over white working-class voters in battleground states, who tended to vote for Trump, through their message of economic populism.
Left-wing liberals often assert that, in the age of Trump, Democrats need to fight hard and pursue bold agendas rather than aim for the middle ground. As Warren’s website argues, “Electability requires boldness.”
Warren and Sanders’ supporters often cite national polls in which Trump fares badly as evidence for their electability, but this ignores the all-important Electoral College. Still, the recent New York Times/Siena poll showed a close contest between Trump and Sanders in several battleground states; although moderate Joe Biden did better than Sanders in those contests, it suggests that Sanders might have a chance to defeat Trump.
Democrats who argue that a moderate candidate is more likely to defeat Trump tend to rely more on data and precedent and less on an instinctive preference for bold change. The New York Times/Siena poll shows Biden performing better against Trump in key battleground states than Sanders or Warren.
Proponents of a moderate candidate point out that, while left-wing figures such as Warren and Sanders, as well as some high-profile members of Congress, get a lot of media attention, the Democratic base is not nearly as left-wing as many liberal activists. Rahm Emanuel, a senior Democratic politician, has noted that “half of self-identified Democrats describe themselves as ‘moderate’ or ‘conservative’.” Some of the states that strongly matter in the Electoral College are not bastions of liberal thinking; they are likely less receptive to left-wing ideas than heavily Democratic states that will play little role in deciding the election.
Left-wing liberals often assert that Democrats need to fight hard and pursue bold agendas rather than aim for the middle ground.
Furthermore, when Democrats won a majority in the House of Representatives in 2018, they did so thanks to moderate candidates, who took seats from Republican competitors. While the same elections raised the profile of several left-wing politicians, those politicians come from heavily Democratic areas and did not play a role in flipping seats from Republican to Democrat.
Moderate Democratic strategists also point out that the nature of Republican and Democratic coalitions are different. Given his Electoral College advantage, Trump has the potential to win by motivating a relatively homogenous base, while Democrats must stitch together a broader coalition.
A problem for moderate Democrats is the lack of a compelling moderate candidate. Biden leads among moderates but has a lot of political baggage. The next closest moderate candidate, Pete Buttigieg, is inexperienced by Democratic Party standards. There is a clear risk that a left-wing liberal candidate will appeal to enough Democrats to win the primaries, but then lose against Trump in key Electoral College states.
However, the election is a year away. Even in a more traditional US political environment, much can change in a year. Many of the norms and rules have changed during Trump’s presidency, further complicating any election predictions. The election is likely to be close — one way or another.
*Kerry Boyd Anderson is a writer and political risk consultant with more than 14 years’ experience as a professional analyst of international security issues and Middle East political and business risk. Twitter: @KBAresearch

The Palestinian Christmas Show
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/November 12/2019
"The Palestinian Authority has been offering us money to remain silent. They are trying to bribe us so we would remain silent about the crimes of the police." — Marian al-Hajal, video on Facebook, October 2019.
"We want a civil and humane state based on the rule of law and justice." — Palestinian Professor Jamal Harfoush, who currently lives in Latin America.
As far as Marian is concerned, the PA police version is nothing but an attempt to cover up for their criminal behavior. She and many Christians want the world to know, particularly on the eve of Christmas, that Christians have become easy prey under the PA in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
As far as PA President Mahmoud Abbas is concerned, it is business as usual. The cries of the Christian family in Bet Jala seem entirely lost on him.... Abbas may be worried about the future of the hefty funding he gets from Christian countries and organizations, if they find out what his police did.... What he seeks is to continue ensuring the success of the Palestinian lie that Christians are fleeing because of Israel.
Will the international community and press continue to swallow -- as they have done year after year -- the diet of lies that the PA leaders and spokesmen feed them?
Following the death of her 63-year-old mother during a raid "for unpaid debts" by the Palestinian Authority (PA) police, Marian al-Hajal and many Christians want the world to know that Christians have become easy prey under the PA in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Pictured: PA policemen stand in Manger Square, Bethlehem, in front of the Church of the Nativity.
In a few weeks' time, the Palestinian Authority (PA) will perform its annual Christmas deception show. As is its custom, the PA will invite foreign journalists and diplomats to Bethlehem, where its spin doctors will wax poetic about good relations and harmony between Christians and Muslims in the city on the eve of Christmas. PA officials often seize this opportunity to blame Israel for the "plight" of Palestinian Christians, who make up only one percent of the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
There is one incident, however, that the PA officials will do their utmost to keep under wraps. It is the story of 63-year-old Terez Ta'amneh, a Christian woman from the town of Bet Jala, near Bethlehem, who died when PA police officers raided her home to arrest her son, Yusef, for unpaid debts.
The story of Ta'amneh is one of those that cause serious damage to the PA's propaganda machine, which is, instead, preoccupied with blaming Israel for the fact that a large number of Christians have left the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the past few decades.
The number of Christians in the Gaza Strip is currently estimated at a few hundred. Until 10 years ago, there were about 3,500 Christians living under Hamas rule. Most fled to Israel, the West Bank or other countries in the West.
According to a 2017 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics census, approximately 47,000 Christians live in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. In the past seven decades, since Israel was declared a state, tens of thousands of Christians have emigrated to the US, Canada, Europe and Latin America, mostly for economic reasons. The low birth rate among Christians, as well as mass emigration, has resulted in a steep decline of the Palestinian Christian population, from an estimated 10% in 1948 to around one percent today.
The timing of the death of Ta'amneh in Beit Jala could not have been worse for the Palestinian Authority leadership, particularly because it came shortly before Christmas, when PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his senior officials usually go out of their way to present a rosy picture about the conditions of Christians living under their rule in Bethlehem and other West Bank areas.
Abbas himself has made it a habit to participate every year in the Christmas eve celebrations at Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. This is his way of showing the world how much he cares about Christians and provides them with security.
Ta'amneh's daughter, Marian al-Hajal, however, presents a different picture. She has accused the Palestinian Authority police of "killing my mother" and says that as a Christian, she has no confidence in the Palestinian law and police.
Marian made her allegations in a video she posted on Facebook shortly after the death of her mother. "My name is Marian al-Hajal, from Bet Jala, and I'm the daughter of the late Terez Ta'amneh, who holds Jordanian citizenship," she said in the video.
"I appeal to His Majesty King Abdullah to seek justice for my mother, who died as a result of the barbaric behavior of the Palestinian police when they raided my mother's home."
The daughter said the incident took place at 10:30 pm on October 5. "The Palestinian police came to my mother's home in Bet Jala to arrest my brother, Yusef, because of a financial dispute he has with another person."
Marian pointed out that the Palestinian law allows the police to deal with financial disputes only between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm. "The seven officers who raided the house were led by Jamal Hmeid, the nephew of Kamel Hmeid, the Palestinian governor of Bethlehem, she said. "Here I want to ask: is the job of the police to protect citizens or is it a private company for collecting debts?"
The police officers, the daughter said, attacked her brother and began beating him in front of their mother. "My mother told them that Yusef suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure," Marian said.
"She begged them to stop beating him. In response, the commander of the force, Jamal Hmeid, pointed a pistol at my brother's head and threatened to open fire. He told my mother: We all have orders to open fire at him."
According to Marian, her mother panicked and collapsed, dying instantly. "I don't know what happened to her, but she fell to the ground and died," she said.
"The next day, my sister and I went to the hospital to retrieve my mother's body and prepare her for burial. We were shocked to find that my mother's body was not in the morgue. We were told that the body was sent for autopsy. Who gave them the right to perform an autopsy on our mother's body without our knowledge? As a Palestinian citizen, I have no confidence in the Palestinian forensic institute. I also have no confidence in the Palestinian law. I'm sure the results of the autopsy will be in favor of the police, and not in favor of my mother."
The daughter said that the PA has taken no measures against the officers she claims are responsible for her mother's death. "How can the Palestinian law protect me, when the representatives of the law themselves killed my mother?" Marian asked. "The Palestinian Authority has been offering us money to remain silent. They are trying to bribe us so we would remain silent about the crimes of the police."
Palestinian Professor Jamal Harfoush, who currently lives in Latin America, appealed to Abbas to launch an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the Christian woman. Harfoush also expressed outrage that senior PA officials were trying to bribe the woman's family in an attempt to keep them from speaking out. Addressing Abbas, the professor said: "We want a civil and humane state based on the rule of law and justice."
A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority police in the West Bank claimed that Ta'amneh's son, Yusef, tried to escape and attacked the police officers who came to arrest him. The spokesman also denied that the police officers had entered Ta'amneh's home and insisted that her son was arrested outside the house.
As far as Marian is concerned, the police version is nothing but an attempt to cover up for their criminal behavior. She and many Christians want the world to know, particularly on the eve of Christmas, that Christians have become easy prey under the PA in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
As far as Abbas is concerned, it is business as usual. The cries of the Christian family in Bet Jala seem entirely lost on him. Next month, he and his senior officials will arrive in Bethlehem and again talk about the harmony and brotherly relations between Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land.
Abbas may be worried about the future of the hefty funding he gets from Christian countries and organizations if they find out what his police did to the Christian family in Bet Jala. What he seeks is to continue ensuring the success of the Palestinian lie that Christians are fleeing because of Israel.
Another day, another opportunity. Will the international community and media continue to swallow -- as they have done year after year -- the diet of lies that the PA leaders and spokesmen feed them? Marian, for one, feels confident that she cannot rely on the international community or the PA to bring her family justice. Who, then, will step up to do so?
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Austria: Will Politics Enable a Minority to Impose an Agenda?

Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff/Gatestone Institute/November 12/2019
The Greens would be happy to replace Europe's Judeo-Christian cultural order with a radical multiculturalism that includes an acceptance of, and presumably a possible replacement by, the laws of Islam.
Replacing Europe's historical values could be the very path that [former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian] Kurz and his party have claimed to oppose.
Austria's recent general election has implications for the West as a whole. The snap legislative election, held on September 29, was spurred by what has come to be called the "Ibiza scandal" – a scandal named after the location of a shady meeting that took place earlier in the year between Heinz-Christian Strache -- Austria's deputy chancellor and head of the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) -- and a woman claiming to be the niece of a Russian oligarch.
According to a video that surfaced in May of the clandestine meeting, the woman indicated her wish to take control of Austria's leading daily newspaper, Kronen Zeitung, and Strache said that he could assist her through governmental contracts in exchange for the financial backing of his party.
When the video emerged, Strache resigned and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz -- leader of the conservative, Christian-democratic Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) -- terminated his partnership with the FPÖ, causing the coalition to dissolve and the government to fall.
Subsequently, Kurz himself was removed from office by a no-confidence motion in parliament, and new elections were called.
The election campaign that ensued was particularly dirty. The FPÖ was embroiled in internal conflict. Kurz and the ÖVP gradually shifted away from their previous willingness to adopt tough measures against mass immigration, but failed to alter the tone of their political rhetoric. The Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) lacked a cohesive position. That omission benefited the Greens, which already had the advantage of belonging to the global "climate protection" movement. The New Austria and Liberal Forum (NEOS) stabilized as a parliamentary factor.
Although the election results did not come as a surprise, they did produce profound changes in the parliamentary power structure. Kurz's ÖVP won a landslide 37.5% of the vote. The FPÖ was reduced to a catastrophic 16.2%. The SPÖ fell to an all-time low of 21.2%. The Greens remained constant at 13.9%. And the NEOS came in at 8.1%.
To understand the significance of these election results, it is necessary to review recent Austrian history.
In May 2017 -- two years before the Ibiza scandal -- Kurz became the head of the ÖVP (the long-standing junior partner in a coalition with the only slightly stronger SPÖ), by staging a coup against, and causing the resignation of, the ÖVP's weak leader and vice chancellor, Reinhold Mitterlehner. Kurz then skillfully orchestrated the collapse of the government, blaming the SPÖ for its abrupt end.
The resulting snap elections held in October 2017 brought a remarkable 31.5% for the ÖVP under its new chairman, Kurz. As head of the largest party, Kurz was tasked with the formation of the new government.
Kurz thus faced a dilemma: to forge a coalition with the left-wing SPÖ or with the right-wing FPÖ.
The relationship with his party's former coalition partner, the SPÖ, had been so shattered that a remake of the partnership was out of the question. On the other hand, although the FPÖ had become much stronger in the election -- indicating public favor -- its reputation as a party of "xenophobic" extremists in the mainstream media and among European Union members was problematic.
Kurz evidently understood all of the above. He also recognized that the consequences of unfettered mass immigration into Austria during the two years preceding the election had caused a shift in public sentiment. In other words, by the time Austrians went to the polls in 2017, a majority had begun to demand restrictions on immigration, which they considered responsible for the deterioration of their personal security, a disintegration of their social systems and a decline in Austrian cultural norms -- all due to advancing radicalization.
Having played on the fears of the public during his election campaign, Kurz decided that there was no alternative but to take the wishes of his voters seriously, and form a coalition with the FPÖ.
The negotiations between the ÖVP and the FPÖ proceeded in a constructive manner. In addition to a general commitment to a restrictive policy on asylum and immigration, the two parties agreed on a government plan that included some long-overdue reforms (as in health care and budgets).
The coalition began its work in 2018, embarking on a feel-good social campaign, with the FPÖ setting up a task force to deal with issues such as the United Nations Global Compact on Migration and same-sex marriage. The coalition partners also decided to update the Islam Law, to restore freedom of expression by eliminating penalties relating to political speech. Ironically, however, it would be these very issues that caused trouble for the coalition.
Kurz prevailed on the issue of same-sex marriage with his more right-wing coalition partners, but refused to engage in debate on freedom of expression, attempting to enact even more severe "hate speech" legislation, -- introducing laws to restrict speech even further. Remember that "hate speech" has no legal definition and can be used to mean anything and everything.
The coalition agreement, which demands that both parties abide by it, called for the investigation and lifting of speech-control measures such as the one for "incitement to hatred". The ÖVP ignored several endeavors by FPÖ to enter discussions about this provision in the agreement.
The issue on same-sex marriage was even more contentious: ÖVP, despite its conservative voter base and with the tacit support of the Catholic Church, pushed for same-sex marriage, ignoring FPÖ's wishes for further discussions.
Kurz was also unwilling to take legal action against Islamization. The only point on which he had to concede to his FPÖ coalition partners – in order to keep them from toppling the government – was that of refusing to approve the UN migration pact that advocates the idea of "orderly migration" as a necessity which needs to be enabled and promoted.
During the early months of 2019, Kurz began to feel the increasing international ostracism of the FPÖ. To protect his own reputation at his coalition partners' expense, he orchestrated strife within the FPÖ, forcing its party chairman and his vice chancellor, Strache (of subsequent "Ibiza scandal" infamy) repeatedly to distance himself from positions held by his fellow party members.
The Ibiza scandal surfaced at just at the right time for Kurz, whose coalition was becoming a curse rather than a blessing.
Today, Kurz is busily working towards the establishment of yet another coalition. From the way things appear at the moment, it will consist of a partnership between Kurz's ÖVP and the Greens.
This is a far cry, politically and ideologically, from his previous coalition. The left-wing, immigration-friendly Greens are the opposite of the anti-immigration, right-wing FPÖ. The Greens also espouse an ideology that is completely different from that of Kurz himself, who heads a conservative, Christian-democratic party, which purports to support conservative and Christian values and views itself as anti-socialist.
By contrast, the Greens would be happy to replace Europe's Judeo-Christian cultural order with a radical multiculturalism that includes an acceptance of, and presumably a possible replacement by, the laws of Islam.
Kurz may have to tread with caution before exchanging his previous political model with its polar opposite. Conservative and nationalist positions play a significant role both in the general public and within his own party.
If the Greens adopt the kind of moderate tactics and rhetoric that enable them and the ÖVP to become coalition partners, Austria could be on the path to fulfilling a globalist agenda that displaces Europe's current Judeo-Christian one. Replacing Europe's historical values could be the very path that Kurz and his party have claimed to oppose.
Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff is an Austrian human rights activist fighting for the right to freedom of speech as enshrined in the U.S. First Amendment. In 2009 she as charged for incitement to hatred and later found guilty for denigrating the religious teachings of a legally recognized religion. Her case was later accepted at the European Courts for Human Rights. She is the author of the book, "The Truth is No Defense."
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Kremlin's Nuclear Strategy Could Easily Get out of Hand
Hal Brands/Bloomberg/November 12/2019
Would the US fight a nuclear war to save Estonia? The question would probably strike most Americans as absurd. Certainly, almost no one was thinking about such a prospect when NATO expanded to include the Baltic states back in 2004.
Yet a series of reports by the nonpartisan RAND Corporation shows that the possibility of nuclear escalation in a conflict between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Russia over the Baltic region is higher than one might imagine. The best way of averting it? Invest more in the alliance’s conventional defense.
There was a time when it seemed quite normal to risk nuclear war over the sanctity of European frontiers. During the Cold War, NATO was outnumbered by Warsaw Pact forces, and it would have had great difficulty stopping a Soviet attack with conventional weapons. From the moment it was formed, NATO relied on the threat of nuclear escalation — whether rapid and spasmodic, or gradual and controlled — to maintain deterrence. American thinkers developed elaborate models and theories of deterrence. US and NATO forces regularly carried out exercises simulating the resort to nuclear weapons to make this strategy credible.
After the Cold War ended, the US and its allies had the luxury of thinking less about nuclear deterrence and war-fighting. Tensions with Russia receded and nuclear strategy came to seem like a relic of a bygone era. Yet today, with Russia rising again as a military threat, the grim logic of nuclear statecraft is returning.
The spike in tensions between Russia and the West over the past half-decade has revealed a basic problem: NATO doesn’t have the capability to prevent Russian forces from quickly overrunning Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Russian invaders would be at the gates of the Baltic capitals in two to three days; existing NATO forces in the region would be destroyed or swept aside. NATO could respond by mobilizing for a longer war to liberate the Baltic countries, but this would require a bloody, dangerous military campaign. Critically, that campaign would require striking targets — such as air defense systems — located within Russia itself, as well as suppressing Russian artillery, short-range missiles and other capabilities within the Kaliningrad enclave, which is situated behind NATO’s front lines.
Moreover, this sort of NATO counteroffensive is precisely the situation Russian nuclear doctrine seems meant to avert. Russian officials understand that their country would lose a long war against NATO. They are particularly alarmed at the possibility of NATO using its unmatched military capabilities to conduct conventional strikes within Russian borders. So the Kremlin has signaled that it might carry out limited nuclear strikes — perhaps a “demonstration strike” somewhere in the Atlantic, or against NATO forces in the theater — to force the alliance to make peace on Moscow’s terms. This concept is known as “escalate to de-escalate,” and there is a growing body of evidence that the Russians are serious about it.
A NATO-Russia war could thus go nuclear if Russia “escalates” to preserve the gains it has won early in the conflict. It could also go nuclear in a second, if somewhat less likely, way: If the US and NATO initiate their own limited nuclear strikes against Russian forces to prevent Moscow from overrunning the Baltic allies in the first place. And even the limited use of nuclear weapons raises the question of further escalation: Would crossing the nuclear threshold lead, through deliberate choice or miscalculation, to a general nuclear war involving intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic bombers and apocalyptic destruction?
So what to do? One option would be for the West to pull back — to conclude that any game that involves risking nuclear war over the Baltic states is not worth the candle. The logic here is superficially compelling. After all, the US could survive and thrive in a world where Russia dominated Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, just as it survived and thrived during the Cold War, when those countries were part of the Soviet Union. The problem is that failing to defend the Baltic states would devalue the Article 5 guarantee on which NATO rests: the principle that an attack on one is an attack on all. And given that one could raise similar questions about so many US commitments — would declining to meet a Chinese attack on the Philippines really endanger America’s existence? — this failure could undermine the broader alliance system that has delivered peace and stability for so many decades.
A second option, emphasized by the Pentagon’s 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, would be to devise new limited nuclear options as a way of strengthening deterrence and dissuading Russia from pursuing a strategy of escalate to de-escalate. For example, the US might develop low-yield nuclear weapons that could be used, in a relatively limited fashion, against a Russian invasion force or the units supporting it.
This approach is probably worthwhile, because it would help fill in missing steps on the escalatory ladder between conventional conflict and general nuclear war. The knowledge that the US has its own “tactical” nuclear options might inject greater caution into the calculations of Russian planners. It is possible, RAND analysts note, that limited nuclear strikes early in a Baltic conflict could convince the Kremlin that the risks of proceeding are unacceptable.
The dangers here are, well, obvious and drastic. There is always some possibility — although informed analysts debate how much of a possibility — that Russia might mistake a limited strike against military targets in the Baltics for part of a larger or more dangerous nuclear strike against Russia itself. And if the plan is to use limited nuclear strikes against Russian military assets involved in an invasion of the Baltic states, the implication is that NATO would be using nuclear weapons on the territory of its own members.
A third, and best, option is to strengthen the weak conventional posture that threatens to bring nuclear options into play. The root of NATO’s nuclear dilemma in the Baltics is that the forces it currently has stationed there cannot put up a credible defense. Yet as earlier studies have noted, the US and its allies could make a Russian campaign far harder and costlier — with a much-diminished chance of rapid success — by deploying an enhanced NATO force of seven to eight brigade combat teams, some 30,000 troops. That force would include three or four armored brigade combat teams (as opposed to the one NATO periodically deploys to Eastern Europe now), along with enhanced mobile air defenses and other critical capabilities.
Russia couldn’t claim credibly that such troops posed any real offensive threat to its territory. But the force would be large and robust enough that Russian troops couldn’t destroy it in a flash or bypass it at the outset of a conflict. It would therefore obviate many of the nuclear escalation dynamics by making far less likely a situation in which NATO must escalate to avoid a crippling defeat in the Baltics, or one in which Russia can escalate to protect its early victories there.
Developing this stronger conventional deterrent in the Baltics would not be cheap: Estimates run from $8 billion to $14 billion in initial costs, plus $3 billion to $5 billion in annual operating expenses. Yet neither would it be prohibitive for the richest alliance in the world. The best way of reducing the danger of a nuclear war in the Baltics is to ensure that NATO won’t immediately lose a conventional one.

Lessons From Sodom and Gomorrah/What happened in the ancient cities that drew the wrath of God?

Helen Plotkin/The Tablet Magazine/November 12/ 2019
In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah—recounted in the Torah in Parshat Vayera, which will be read this Shabbat—the Bible addresses the question of ethics head-on. These towns represent a human society so thoroughly corrupt that it is beyond the possibility of repair. There are other stories in which God finds human behavior to be abhorrent, but there is usually some redemption (as in the story of Nineveh in the book of Jonah), or a remnant remains that holds the potential to rebuild (like the living things in Noah’s ark). Only here does an entire place get annihilated with fire and brimstone.
What makes this place irredeemable? Some people assume that the biblical narrative is clear: It was “sodomy”—a particular male sex act—that infuriated God. But the oldest interpretations of the story see it very differently.
The prophet Ezekiel brings it up in one of his warnings to the kingdom of Judah in the sixth century BCE:
Only this was the sin of your sister Sodom: arrogance! She and her daughters had plenty of bread and untroubled tranquility; yet she did not support the poor and the needy. (Ezekiel 16:49)
Centuries later, the ancient rabbis fleshed out Ezekiel’s charge in a midrash—a snippet of biblical interpretation. Here is a passage from Genesis Rabbah, a collection of commentaries compiled in the third century CE:
There was an incident concerning two young girls who went down to fill pitchers with water from the spring.
One of them said to her friend, “Why is your face so sickly?”
The other said to her, “Our food is all gone and we are about to die.”
What did the first one do? She filled her pitcher with flour and switched the two, each girl taking what was in the hand of the other.
When [the people of Sodom] became aware of this, they took her and burned her.
The Holy Blessed One said, “Even if I wanted to keep silent, the judgment in the case of the young girl does not permit me to keep silent.”
This midrash paints a terrible picture: A young woman burned to death as punishment for an act of compassion. And her burning was not the work of hooligans. God uses legal terminology—“judgment” and “case” —implying that the people of Sodom took the compassionate girl to court for sneaking food to a starving neighbor. She was tried and convicted under the law of the land. In Sodom, feeding a hungry person was a criminal act that carried the death penalty. The act that forced God’s interference was a legal one.
Like most midrash, this interpretation roots itself in an oddly worded phrase in the Bible. In Genesis 18 we hear God describing the decision-making process:
The Lord said, “Because great is the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah and because weighty indeed is their sin, I shall go down and see whether they have done entirely in accordance with its outcry that has come to me. If not, I shall know. (Genesis 18:20-21)
The ancient rabbis found it odd that the text speaks of “the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah”—two cities—and then of “its outcry” in the singular. Shouldn’t it say “their outcry?” For the rabbis, this mismatched “it” is an opportunity, a hint about a direction to investigate. There was something that cried a cry that wafted up to God, something singular, not plural, and in response to that cry God began the process that led to annihilation. An explanation of what “it” refers to will be an explanation of whose pain awakened God’s action.
Every noun in Hebrew is either masculine or feminine. The form of “it” used in “its outcry” could refer to any feminine noun, or it could refer to a female person. If it were a person, we would translate it “her outcry,” but in Hebrew there is no way to distinguish “it” and “her.” The search is narrowed: The outcry comes from something feminine and singular, a person or a thing.
A sensible reader whose goal is to understand the plain meaning of the text might dismiss this entire search as nitpicking. It happens that the Hebrew word for “city” is feminine, so perhaps “it” is the place itself. Perhaps a minor editing problem led to using “its outcry” instead of “their outcry” in speaking of two cities.
The ancient rabbis were not sensible readers in this way. The idea of dismissing a peculiarity as an editing problem would horrify them. It would amount to throwing out a precious clue that might reveal something of great significance. When they perceived a slight lump in the fabric of the text, they were compelled to investigate further. They imagined peeling back the fabric to reveal another world of meaning, an alternate reality that lies beneath the text, where deeper levels of meaning might be discovered.
The midrash ends like this:
The Holy Blessed One said, “Even if I wanted to keep silent, the judgment in the case of the young girl does not permit me to keep silent.”
Thus, it does not say “If in accordance with their outcry,” but rather “If in accordance with her outcry”—the young girl’s.
The midrash solves the grammar problem: Whose outcry did God hear? The outcry of one vulnerable young girl, abused by her own city. At the same time, the midrash delivers a strong message: God stands up for the generous and the vulnerable against the stingy and the powerful. It was the cry of a young girl that caught God’s attention and compelled God to act, a cry not loud, but thin and true. The image of this righteous girl crying out to God caught the imagination of the Jewish tradition and for many she has become a symbol of the sin of Sodom.
But there is another version of this midrash that takes the issue a step further. The alternate version ends like this:
The Holy Blessed One said, “Even if I wanted to keep silent, the judgment in the case of the young girl does not permit me to keep silent.”
Thus, it does not say “If in accordance with their outcry,” but rather “If in accordance with its outcry.” What is “it”? “It” is the judgment in the case of the young girl.
According to this version, it is not the cry of the girl herself that turns God’s head. Now it is the judgment in her case that cries out.
An innocent girl, an extraordinarily brave and generous girl, was abused in Sodom. But according to this version of the midrash, there was another level of abuse that was impossible for God to ignore, and that was the abuse of judgment itself. By the law of Sodom, the case of The People v. Girl was judged fairly. She was sentenced to death by burning, and the sentence was carried out. It was not even that the judges were corrupt. The problem was that law itself was perverted. Judgment cries out in rage: If legal action results in cruel injustice then what is the value of judgment?
For most people, the abuse of an abstract concept is not as emotionally compelling as the abuse of a little girl. But the idea that her treatment reflected the ethical stance of her society is truly horrifying. It suggests that in a society whose communal values are corrupt, it eventually becomes impossible for individuals to live ethical lives. Ethics and morality are not only attributes of individual people. Ethics exist or do not exist in a community. Whether individual people are good or bad, it is the collective values of the community that make ethical life possible.
Later in the biblical story, when God’s messengers appear in Sodom, the residents—“from youngsters to old folks, the entire population, to the last one”—gather round and demand to know the visitors (Genesis 19:5). The word “know” is frequently used in the Bible to speak of sexual intimacy. When Adam “knows” Eve, she conceives and bears a son. So yes, we can assume the people want to use the visitors for sex, and this is the source of the “sodomy” charge. But there are several other words for sex in the Bible, including the very explicit “come into” and the rather crude “lay.” Both seem much more likely choices than “know in the biblical sense” for this scene that is surely about rape or something like it. Why does this text use the language of knowing, language that suggests mutuality and relationship?
Putting the word “know” in the mouths of the Sodomites is sarcastic, or at least ironic. It says, yes, this story is about relationship, but relationship corrupted. These people—every single one of them—encounter other people as an opportunity for their own advantage. This is the very model of the corruption of what it means to be in intimate relationship: Let me get to know you so I can sell you something. Let me get close to you so I can take advantage of you. Let me get you to trust me so I can use you for sex. And why does the text emphasize that all the people participated? (Really? The little kids were rapists?) Because it was the society, not just each individual, that was corrupt. The ancient rabbis imagined that the selfishness was so deep that it was codified in law. The intimacy—or the parody of intimacy—that the Sodomites demand is designed to make strangers who set foot in their city part of the economy of using and being used—part of the economy of anti-ethics.
The rabbis left us two versions of the midrash about the outcry of Sodom. In one, God heard the small voice of one girl who knew her neighbor’s suffering and acted upon that knowledge. In the other, God heard the anguished scream of law itself, contorted to forbid that girl’s humane response. When we are surrounded by suffering and injustice, should we direct our energy to helping individuals, or should we focus on political action aimed at building social frameworks that embody our values? Read together, the two versions of this midrash tell us that our communal survival depends not on one or the other, but on both.
*Rabbi Helen Plotkin teaches at Swarthmore College and at Mekom Torah, a Philadelphia-area Jewish community learning project. She edited and annotated In This Hour, a collection of early writings by Abraham Joshua Heschel.

Jordanian Regime, Press: Restoration Of Jordanian Rule Over Border Enclaves Leased To Israel For Past 25 Years Is A Resounding Diplomatic Victory Over Israel
MEMRI/November 12/2019
Under the Jordan-Israel peace treaty of 1994, two Jordanian enclaves along the border – Al-Baqoura (known as "Island of Peace" in English and "Naharayim" in Hebrew) in the north and Al-Ghamar ("Tzofar" in Hebrew) in the south – remained under Jordanian sovereignty but were leased to Israel for 25 years, enabling Israeli farmers to continue to farm there. The lease was to be renewed unless one of the sides informed the other a year in advance that it wished to end the arrangement.
On October 21, 2018, Jordan's King Abdullah announced, via Twitter, that he had decided not to renew the lease. He wrote: "Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamar were always a major priority for us, and our decision is not to renew the annexes in the peace treaty [pertaining to] Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamar, out of our commitment to do whatever is required for Jordan and the Jordanians."[1] At the same time, Jordan's foreign minister sent a memorandum to his Israeli counterpart, informing him of the decision.[2]
The decision took effect on November 10, 2019, and at the opening of the fourth session of the Jordanian parliament the king announced "the expiration of the peace treaty annexes on Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamar and the imposition of our full sovereignty over every inch of those lands."[3]
The following day, November 11, 2019, the king visited the Al-Baqoura area,[4] accompanied by his son Crown Prince Hussein, and tweeted, "Jordanian sovereignty over its land is above all consideration."[5]
Jordanian Senate speaker Faisal Al-Fayez called the reclaiming of the enclaves a "victory for Jordan's diplomatic will, represented by King Abdullah II, which confirms Jordan's sovereignty over all its lands..." He added that the king's move was "an impressive and firm response to all those who question our national positions and our ability to defend our rights, our principles and the supreme interests of our country."[6]
A Jordanian Foreign Ministry source explained that Jordan had "exercised its legal right, recognized in the [peace] treaty, not to renew the annexes," and clarified that it would not renew them in the future either. On the issue of the lands farmed by Israeli farmers in the enclaves, he added: "The peace treaty recognized the private ownership of 820 dunams in Al-Baqoura. Jordan will allow any Israeli citizen who proves his ownership [of the land] to apply for a visa at the Jordanian embassy in Tel Aviv and enter the kingdom through the official border crossings. [The kingdom] will respect his ownership rights according to Jordanian law... As for the 4,235 dunams of Al-Ghamar, they are Jordanian state land that the treaty allowed Israel to use, and today the annexes [pertaining to them] have expired... In accordance with its legal commitments, the kingdom will allow Israel to harvest the crops it planted [in Al-Ghamar] before the annexes expired, but [only] in accordance with Jordanian law..."[7]
At a November 11 press conference convened by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi, the minister said that in reclaiming the lands, Jordan had made a national decision serving its interests and reflecting its honoring of legal obligations. He noted that Jordan had proposed purchasing from Israel the private land it owns in Al-Baqoura but that Israel had rejected the proposition. Stressing that the kingdom would respect the rights of Israel's private property in the reclaimed enclaves, he underlined that Jorden is committed to the peace agreement. Asked about the change of the venue of the press conference, originally set in the Al-Baqoura area but ultimately held at Foreign Ministry headquarters in Amman, Al-Safadi responded that the change was due solely to technical considerations.[8]
The reclaiming of the enclaves was joyfully received in Jordan, and was presented as a diplomatic victory over Israel and the harbinger of more of the same. Numerous articles in the Jordanian press praised the king and Jordan's diplomats for the achievement, and harshly criticized Israel, its citizens, and its policies. Inter alia, the articles said that the king's "historic decision" allowed Jordan to reclaim the enclaves that "had fallen prey to foreign settlers who arrived like ravens bearing evil tidings" and had for 25 years "sucked the goodness" out of Jordan's land and water for 25 years, and called the land's return to Jordan a defeat for Israel, "an arrogant occupying state" that "has become accustomed to thieving and usurping."
Below are translated excerpts from some of the Jordanian articles about the reclaiming of the enclaves.
Former Al-Rai Editor: There Is No Greater Joy Than Victory Over A Thieving Enemy
In his November 10, 2019 column in the government daily Al-Rai, titled "Tomorrow a New Page of Honor Will Be Written in our Jordanian History," the daily's former editor, Majid 'Asfour, wrote: "Ever since the King made the historic decision a year ago not to renew the annexes [to the peace treaty] pertaining to Israel's use of the lands of Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamar, the Jordanians have been counting the days and eagerly anticipating the recovery of the land. Now, when tomorrow, Monday [November 11, 2019], is but a few hours away, our hearts yearn to see [the enclaves] even before our eyes [see them], and [our] feet wait to enter the land of Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamar and reclaim the precious land after an absence of 25 years. During [these years,] these two areas longed for the bosom of the homeland, and [the homeland] too year the land and the water, which had fallen prey to foreign settlers who arrived like ravens bearing evil tidings.
"Tomorrow will be a true national day for Jordan, a day like no other day, [a day] which will have ramifications... Starting tomorrow, there will be no privileges for non-Jordanians on the land of Al-Baquora and Al-Ghamar, and there will be no presence of the Zionists who had sucked the goodness out of our land and its delicious water for a quarter century...
"There is nothing sweeter than land's return to its owners, other than the return of a child to the home of its family and the bosom of its mother after a forced separation. There is no greater joy than victory over an enemy accustomed to thieving and usurping without returning the stolen [property] to its owners – [an enemy] who finds it easier to give up its soul than to relinquish its control over a single piece of land. We know our enemy well, and we anticipated its efforts to torpedo our decision and to weaken our resolve to recover Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamar by any means... But we stood firm and thwarted every attempt by the enemy and its deceptions. This strengthened our position and [transformed] our firm stance into a rock, against which the extremist Zionist aspirations to control Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamar for another quarter century, or even another quarter of an hour, were dashed.
"The recovery of Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamar is clear proof for us Jordanians and for the Arab nation that adherence to justice and support for a strong and united internal front are the factors ensuring victory despite the enemy's military superiority. This is because the balance of power depends not only on quantity of ammunition and number of troops, but on the peoples' strength and perseverance, and on their willingness to sacrifice in order to achieve their goals."[9]
November 10, 2019 Al-Rai headline: "Today, Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamar Embrace The Homeland"
Al-Ghad Editor: Today Amman Declares Victory Over Tel Aviv; This Is The Start Of More Victories Over Israel
In his November 10, 2019 column titled "Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamar: A Clear Victory," Makram Al-Tarawneh, editor-in-chief of the Al-Ghad daily, wrote: "All the political and media efforts of the Israeli occupation's leaders [to pressure] Jordan to extend the lease on the Al-Baqoura and Al-Ghamar [enclaves] met with resounding failure. This is proof of Jordan's ability to extract its rights [from Israel] and to protect them, no matter what its firm position may cost...
"For an entire year, Israel made many empty arguments and countless attempts to blackmail Jordan, but today the moment of has truth arrived and Amman declared the defeat of Tel Aviv and proclaimed its victory over this arrogant occupying state. What makes this victory even more magnificent is that it came amidst a change in the international diplomatic arena, led by the U.S., involving blatant pro-Israel bias [along with] disregard of the Palestinian issue and of the [efforts to] end the conflict and ensure the continuation of the peace agreements as a top priority. According to the American perception, which distorts the facts, Israel is no longer an element that destabilizes the region, for the [needle of the] compass has moved towards Iran, at the expense of the region's fateful issues.
"Jordan's achievement, and its steadfastness in the face of the stormy winds blowing from the west bank of the [Jordan] river [i.e. Israel] throughout the era of [Israel's] radical right-wing government, will surely pave the way to confronting Israel's arrogance in many [other] aspects of the [relations] between the two sides. [These aspects include] the issues of water, the Muslim holy places, and the [Palestinian] refugees. The victor in such an important battle as this [concerning the enclaves] can win other battles as well.
"Today Israel must realize that the adoption of provocative foreign policies and extremist positions vis-à-vis [other] countries with the aim of winning internal battles and improving the ruling party's position in partisan struggles so it can remain in power and... gain more votes from the radical right are measures that will no longer avail it. [This is] because its interest [now] lies in separating its [foreign and domestic] policies, and because developing its ties with Jordan requires renewing the trust destroyed by [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu, who misses no opportunity to violate his commitments and the agreements signed between the two sides.
"The current situation demonstrates the resounding defeat of the policy of the Israeli right, which thought for a moment that it could perpetuate the Zionist dream to this very day. Conversely, Jordan scored a clear victory by sophisticated diplomatic means, by continuing to act prudently and patiently but with unwavering determination."[10]
Former Jordanian Minister: The 1994 Atmosphere Of Peace Is No More; Improvement Of Relations Depends On Israel
In his column in the Al-Ghad daily, on November 9, 2019, Muhammad Hussein Al-Momani, head of Al-Ghad's board of directors as well as former government spokesman, and former Jordanian minister of media affairs, wrote: "...The king's decision not to renew [the lease on the enclaves]... met with sweeping national approval, as did his directive to the relevant authorities to inform Israel, as specified in the annexes [to the peace treaty], that the lease on these Jordanian areas had expired. The Jordanians regarded this decision as [proof of] the King's determination to confront the behavior of Israel's right-wing government, which has never stopped harming Jordan's interests, both on the bilateral level and those pertaining to the permanent settlement in the peace process [with the Palestinians]...
"The positive atmosphere of peace that prevailed during the signing of the Wadi Araba [Jordan-Israel peace] treaty and the [treaty's] annexes concerning Al-Ghamar and Al-Baqoura was completely different from the atmosphere that prevails today. The extent of the mutual political [mis]trust... does not allow dialogue on such sensitive sovereignty-related issues.
"It will be possible to advance many issues related to bilateral cooperation between Jordan and Israel if Israel's next government wants to strengthen the ties and renew the trust, and if it understands that Jordan has existential and strategic interests and will not remain silent if Israel toys with them as part of its endless populistic elections game. If the next Israeli government is brave enough to realize that it is imperative to restore to the Palestinians the rights and justice of which they have been deprived, then both countries will be able to achieve security and stability, and even open up a broad horizon of prosperity and development."[11]
[1] Twitter.com/KingAbdullahII, October 21, 2018.
[2] Al-Rai (Jordan), October 22, 2018.
[3] Al-Rai (Jordan), November 11, 2019.
[4] Ammonnews.net, November 11, 2019.
[5] Twitter.com/KingAbdullahII, November 11, 2019.
[6] Al-Dustour (Jordan), November 10, 2019.

Former Kuwaiti Information Minister Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: Arabs Should Stop Accusing British Colonialism Of Preventing Arab Unity; We Are The Ones Who Failed To Unite After Sykes-Picot Agreement; Pan-Arab Historians Are Liars
MEMRI/November 12/2019
Former Kuwaiti Minister of Information Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf said in an October 23, 2019 interview on Diwan Al-Mullah Internet TV (Kuwait) that the Arabs gained Mosul, South Sudan, and other territories from the British as part of the Sykes-Picot Agreement and that Arabs should stop accusing the British and British colonialism of having prevented Arab unity. He said that it was the Arabs themselves who failed to unite and that the Arabs should similarly stop blaming the Balfour Declaration for the establishment of Israel, which he said was ultimately established as a result of WWII and the actions of Hajj Amin Al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem between 1917 and 1947, who he accused of never having made a correct decision. In addition, Al-Nesf said that since the British started abandoning colonialism after 1945, any praise of post-1945 Arab "heroes" who fought off British colonialism is nonsense. He further said that Arabs are generally ignorant about history and that Arab historians are liars who fabricate history and twist shameful events into victories for the Arabs. He added that the Middle East has become the "sick man of the world."
Following are excerpts:
Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: "The English [signed] the Sykes-Picot Agreement. The Arabs did not lose anything in the Sykes-Picot Agreement. On the contrary, they gained Mosul.
"The Arabs received Mosul's 90,000 square kilometers from the English. They did not have the right to it. There had been a ceasefire agreement between the English and the Turkish army, and the English moved in and annexed Mosul. We never give the English credit for adding Mosul to the Arab world. They got us South Sudan in its entirety. Even when they ruled Egypt, they annexed Uganda to the Egyptian Crown, along with Sudan and other areas. The English annexed to the Arab world areas that we later neglected, like South Sudan, which seceded in our days and not in the days of the British. The size of South Sudan is 620,000 square kilometers.
"[it is claimed that] the British prevented Arab unity, but did the Arabs unite when the British left, or did they split into 22 countries? Now we fear for Iraq because Kurdistan and the south might secede."
Interviewer: "We fear for Lebanon, too…"
Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: "Even Lebanon. All our countries. Syria… So why do we blame the British and say that they prevented our unity? Even the Balfur Declaration could have been dissolved in the annals of history… But we sanctified it…"
Interviewer: "We made it into a big deal."
Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: "The declaration itself did not create a [Jewish] state. You could say that the declaration had 10% of the responsibility [for Israel's establishment]. Hitler alone – whom the Arabs sanctify and whose picture you can see everywhere – had 30-40% of the responsibility for the establishment of Israel, because he made what was a political issue into a humanitarian issue."
Interviewer: "True."
Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: "I would say that Hajj Amin Al-Husseini, who made all those mistakes, has 40% [of the responsibility for Israel's establishment], because his decisions…"
Interviewer: "Why do [the Arabs] sanctify Amin Al-Husseini? If you look at his record, you see…"
Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: "A very dubious man."
Interviewer: "Dubious!"
Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: "He was also wrong. He was elected but never held accountable. Over the course of 30 years – from 1917 to 1947 – he did not make a single right decision. All his decisions were wrong. Should we not have paid a price for that? Of course we should have. Imagine that I chose you to negotiate on my behalf, but you turned out to be unqualified – am I supposed to pay the price? Yes, I am. We shouldn't exaggerate in blaming the British. [People talk] about British colonialism even after 1945. In 1945, after World War II, the government of Clement Attlee, who wrote the book My Last Victory, decided that colonialism was useless, and they moved to end colonization. So everything that was said after 1945 about this-or-that patriotic hero, who fought colonialism and liberated countries… It's all nonsense. When the UAE, along with Qatar and Bahrain, became independent, and when the [Iranian] Shah was still powerful… Some of these Gulf states tried to delay the British withdrawal because they feared the Shah. But Britain refused. It insisted on pulling out. Much of what has been said about Britain is not true – like in 90% of cases in our history. Maybe sometimes we can sit together and discuss case by case, and you will see that it is all the complete opposite of the truth."
Interviewer: "For many years, we studied some politicians who were influenced by the Arab Revolution without giving any thought to the record of the people who wrote about the revolution and whatever… We glorified some people only to find out that they had nothing to contribute…"
Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: "They all fabricated history. One of them was [Hassanein] Heikal, the greatest fabricator of history. Heikal turned the shameful defeat of 1956 into victory. He even found justification for the [defeat] in 1967. He would justify anything that could harm Egypt and the Arab world. Even today we have the same kind of fabricating writers."
Interviewer: "Nothing has changed."
Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: "Nothing has changed."
Interviewer: "To this day, the public listens to people who are liars and who fabricate history – the history of Kuwait and the history of the Arabs."
Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: "And some Arabs even sanctify them…"
Interviewer: "Very much so, sadly. This is due to the general level of ignorance.
"What's going on today is perhaps more dangerous than Sykes-Picot. Today, the countries of the region…"
Sami Abdullatif Al-Nesf: "More dangerous than Sykes-Picot?"
Interviewer: "Yes, much more dangerous. In the days of Sykes-Picot, the Ottoman empire was the 'Sick Man of Europe.' Today, our region, with its countries and resources, constitutes the 'Sick Man of the World.'"