English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 17/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.november17.20.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
For those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury
Letter to the Romans 02/01-08/:”You have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgement on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. You say, ‘We know that God’s judgement on those who do such things is in accordance with truth.’ Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgement of God? Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgement will be revealed. For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honour and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 16-17/2020

The French initiative In Lebanon Aims To Rescue The Terrorist Hezbollah and Revive The Rotten Political Class/Elias Bejjani/November 15/2020
Health Ministry: 1016 new cases of Corona, 10 deaths
Remain thankful to God in all circumstances with this Bible verse
Rai Demands Non-Partisan Lebanese Govt
President Aoun meets new Chairman of Coptic Orthodox Community in Lebanon, MP Salim Aoun
Aoun, Berri Mourn Muallem as President Dispatches Minister
Macron to Discuss Lebanon with Pompeo after Futile Durel Visit
Wehbe Meets Shea, Requests Files Justifying Recent Sanctions
Wehbe partakes in first Ministerial meeting of Media Freedom Coalition: Media freedom and Lebanon are inseparable
Army Commander, LAU President discuss academic cooperation
'Let Women Cook': Lebanese Mock Fahmi over Sexist Comment
ISF Says Virus Lockdown Has So Far Succeeded
'Rise from the Rubble': Lebanese Artist Turns Blast Debris into Symbol of Hope
Israeli Army Sets Plan to Prevent Infiltration From West Bank, Lebanon
Gebran Bassil, President Of Lebanon's Free Patriotic Movement: The FPM Disagrees With Hizbullah On Core Issues; We Support Peace, Palestinian State, And Israel's Right To Security
Lebanese Journalist Hazem Saghieh Slams Islamic Leaders For Justifying Muslim Rage Against Muhammad Cartoons: The Leaders' Demand To Ban Offensive Cartoons Of The Prophet Just As Holocaust Denial Is Banned Is 'Foolish And Ignorant'

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published  on November 16-17/2020

Trump Aide Promises 'Very Professional Transition' to Biden
Pompeo says Europe, US need to work together to address Turkey's Erdogan's actions
Bahrain foreign minister to make first visit to Israel this week
Trump National Security Adviser O'Brien Says Looks Now that Biden Has Won
1 Hurt in Iranian Gas Station Blast, No Fatalities Reported
Amnesty: Iran blacked out internet to hide ‘true scale’ of 2019 killings
Armenian Foreign Minister Resigns after Unpopular Karabakh Ceasefire
Iraq Hangs 21 on Terrorism Charges
Barzani: Kurdistan Region Is Ready to Agree With Baghdad on All Issues
UN Envoy Criticizes Israel's Move to Expand Key Settlement
Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Moalem Dies
Fatah, Hamas Delegations in Cairo to Finalize Palestinian Reconciliation Talks
Media Freedom Coalition ministerial communiqué

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published  on November 16-17/2020

Europe's Lax Security Aids Islamist Terrorists/Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/November 16/2020
The Americans Have Their Elections, and We Our Interests/Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat/November, 16/2020
The World Awaits the Policeman/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/November, 16/2020
A Preview of Biden's Foreign Policy/James Stavridis/Bloomberg/November, 16/2020
Moderna says its vaccine is 94.5 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19/Paul Carey/The National/November 16/2020
Iran ponders how to deal with new US president/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/November 16/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published  on November 16-17/2020

The French initiative In Lebanon Aims To Rescue The Terrorist Hezbollah and Revive The Rotten Political Class
Elias Bejjani/November 15/2020
المبادرة الفرنسية في لبنان ولدت ميتة
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/92382/elias-bejjani-the-french-initiative-in-lebanon-aims-to-rescue-the-terrorist-hezbollah-and-revive-the-rotten-political-class/

It is a horrible mistake and a mere political miscalculation to hail and build any hope on the French Initiative that is endeavoring to form what is called a “Mission Cabinet”.
Sadly the initiative although it sounds glamorous, it is in reality a mere reviving SOS means for both the occupier Hezbollah and the Iscariot, rotten and corrupt “Political Class”.
The initiative as officially declared is based on the following distorted and biased basis:
*The initiative is carried out by the French officials in a bizarre and bold coordination with the occupier and the terrorist Hezbollah.
*The initiative does not overtly or covertly address by any means Hezbollah’s weaponry, occupation, Ministate, wars, terrorism or its total affiliation to the Mullah’s Iranian dictatorship regime.
*The initiative keeps a complete blind eye in regards to all the UN resolutions that address Lebanon, namely the Armistice Agreement with the State of Israel, UN Resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680 .
In this regard it is really very suspicious and questionable how this initiative does not address the UN resolution 1701 in particular, while France is one of the major participates in the UNIFIL force that is assigned and entusted by the UN to safeguard the implementation of this resolution.
*The initiative in a dire bias has agreed that the Shiite Hezbollah and Amal Movement would retain their iron fist on the Ministry of Finance, which means that it has accepted to keep money, weapons and power under the control of Hezbollah, and thus blocking any reforms, no matter big or small.
*The initiative did not seriously call for any role for the uprising activists.
*The initiative supports strongly Mr. Saad Al Hariri in forming the new government despite the knowledge of French officials, especially President Macron, that this individual is a failure, lazy, corrupt, surrounded by crooked people, a servant to Hezbollah, easily manipulated by the House Speaker Nabih Berri and the Druze politician Walid Jumblat, and a key partner in the presidential deal plot that handed over the country to the terrorist Hezbollah.
*The initiative gave the Shiites (Hezbollah and Amal Movement) and the Druze (Walid Jumblat) the right to name their own representatives in the government to be formed by Al Hariri, while at the same time denied the Christians this right. It gave this right to Saad Al Hariri who is a loser and a mere corrupt politician.
*In conclusion, the French initiative, has ended from day one and apparently its main goal is not to help the Lebanese people, but to rescue and revive the roles of both the occupier Hezbollah as well as the rotten and corrupt “Political Class”.

Health Ministry: 1016 new cases of Corona, 10 deaths
NNA/November 16/2020
The Ministry of Public Health announced, on Monday, the registration of 1016 new Coronavirus cases, thus raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 106,446.
It also indicated that 10 death cases were also registered during the past 24 hours.
 

Remain thankful to God in all circumstances with this Bible verse
Philip Kosloski/Aleteia/November 16/2020
Keep this Bible verse close at hand when you have difficulty being thankful to God in difficult situations. It is relatively easy to be thankful to God for positive blessings that we receive. Whether it is an enjoyable job, comfortable house, or loving family, we are naturally grateful for the good things in life.
However, are we thankful to God for everything, even when situations look dire?
This can be a more difficult disposition to have, but it is a necessary one for the Christian. We are challenged to be a people of hope, seeing God’s handiwork in all circumstances, even the difficult ones. Here is a short Bible verse that can help orient our spiritual life in the right direction. Keep it close at hand for those times when we are not naturally thankful to God. It is a reminder that God’s will is in every event, even when we don’t understand it.
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)

Rai Demands Non-Partisan Lebanese Govt
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 16 November, 2020
Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai called for forming an emergency, neutral and non-partisan cabinet to address the pending economic and financial crises, warning political forces against continuing to obstruct the creation of a new government. During his Sunday sermon, he said that “seeing the outcry of the hungry people and the wounds of the injured Beirut following the August 4 explosion as the state remains silent, and facing the urgency of friendly nations to form a new government and embark on reforms, we are forced to ask fateful questions.”“Is this persistence to obstruct the government formation and recklessness toward the interests of the people and the nation part of a plan to overthrow the State of Greater Lebanon?” he asked. The patriarch said he could not find any purpose for the obstruction amid the unprecedented economic crisis, accusing political leaders of impoverishing the people and turning them into “beggars” and forcing the youth to immigrate. He said the Church rejects any efforts that undermine partnership and turn Lebanon into an arena of conflict between regional rivals. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron’s advisor for North Africa and the Middle East, Patrick Durel, urged Lebanese officials “to expedite the formation of a competent government acceptable to all parties, in order to carry out the required reforms and restore the confidence of the international community.”

President Aoun meets new Chairman of Coptic Orthodox Community in Lebanon, MP Salim Aoun
NNA/Monday, 16 November, 2020 
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, asserted the importance of Christian presence in the Arab Mashreq region, and stressed the need to preserve this presence to ensure diversity, openness and tolerance in this important era in the history of monotheistic religions which arose in this world.
The President considered that “What Eastern Christians have been subjected to during the past years has increased their determination to cling by their land, identity and human role”.
“The whole world is called to protect the Christian presence in order to contribute to confronting extremism, isolation and the clash of civilizations, which has taken on violent and disturbing forms” President Aoun added.
President Aoun’s positions came while receiving the new Chairman of the Coptic Orthodox Community in Lebanon, Father Timon the Syriac, today at Baabda Palace.
Father Timon was appointed by Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of Saint Mark Episcopate, as the Patron of the Coptic Orthodox Community, in Lebanon and Syria on the 14th of September, succeeding the late Father, Roys Al-Orashalimi. Father Timon was accompanied by Attorney General of the sect, lawyer Abdullah Moussallem, and head of the Church Committee, engineer George Francis.
During the meeting, the Syriac Priest conveyed the greetings of Pope Tawadros II, and his wishes for success, to President Aoun, in addition to his wishes for success in leading the country towards the shores of safety. Father Timon also stressed his continued prayers for the return of stability to Lebanon, and for the country to enjoy an exit from the difficult conditions which it currently passes through.
For his part, the President of the Republic wished the Syriac Priest success in his newly assumed spiritual responsibilities, and conveyed his greetings to Pope Tawadros II, recalling his meetings with him during past years, his spiritual and patriotic stances and his constant endeavor to enhance the Christian Presence in the Arab Mashreq.
MP Salim Aoun:
The President met MP, Salim Aoun, and deliberated with him general conditions and the needs of Zahle and Beqaa region .
MP Aoun stated that he had raised the issue of the student dollar, with President Aoun, in addition to the sufferings of students’ families and their complaints about not implementing this law, especially since students abroad need small amounts to be enabled to continue their studies. MP Aoun added that this Parliament-approved law gives students part of their rights, knowing that banks were well-aware of the content of this law, which old students benefit from.
“Unfortunately, there is a delay in implementation, and the Cabinet’s position was invoked at times. The implementation mechanism lies in the text of the law, whose cost doesn’t exceed 8 Million US Dollars per month, whereas other funds are spent in other areas where there is waste and abuse” MP Aoun said.
Then, MP Salim Aoun indicated that supporting Lebanese students abroad through the Student Dollar, is an investment for the future, “Because these students will return to their country after graduation to work and enhance scientific expertise in their specialties”. Finally, MP Aoun confirmed that the President supported the approval of this law, and is still providing all the support for implementation.
Condolences to President Al-Assad:
President Aoun sent a condoling cable for Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, on the death of late Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Affairs Minister, Walid AL-Mouallem, noting the role he had played in his journey inside and outside Syria. President Aoun also wished that peace returns to Syria “So that the brotherly Syrian people enjoy the prosperity that they deserve”. ---Presidency Press Office

Aoun, Berri Mourn Muallem as President Dispatches Minister
Naharnet/Monday, 16 November, 2020
President Michel Aoun on Monday sent a cable of condolences to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the death of Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem. Lauding the role that Muallem played inside and outside Syria, Aoun hoped “peace will return to Syria so that the brotherly Syrian people can once again enjoy the prosperity they deserve.” Dispatched by Aoun, caretaker Social Affairs and Tourism Minister Ramzi Msharrafiyeh meanwhile left for Syria to represent the president at Muallem’s funeral. Speaker Nabih Berri also sent a cable of condolences to Assad and another to Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous. In the cable sent to Assad, Berri hailed Muallem as a prominent Arab politician who “did not bargain over principles” and who defended “Arabs and Arabism until the last breath.”

Macron to Discuss Lebanon with Pompeo after Futile Durel Visit
Naharnet/Monday, 16 November, 2020
French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will discuss Monday in a meeting in Paris “a host of files that concern both countries, especially the situation in the region, and specifically the Lebanese crisis,” informed diplomatic sources said. Macron and Pompeo will demonstrate “the outcome of the efforts that have been exerted to guarantee the implementation of the French initiative and the obstacles that are impeding it,” the sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Monday. The French team tasked with following up on the initiative will meanwhile meet to discuss the “frail results” of French presidential envoy Patrick Durel’s visit to Lebanon. “In light of Durel’s remarks and impressions, the fate of the conference that France is preparing to help Lebanon will be decided as well as the date of Macron’s third visit to Lebanon before the end of the year,” the sources added. Political sources informed on the meetings that Durel held in Lebanon meanwhile told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that the visit “failed to achieve the needed progress.”

Wehbe Meets Shea, Requests Files Justifying Recent Sanctions
Naharnet/Monday, 16 November, 2020
Caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe met Monday with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea at the Foreign Ministry in Beirut.
Talks tackled "bilateral ties, means to enhance them and America’s support and assistance for Lebanon in many fields, in addition to the issue of sea border demarcation negotiations, the return of refugees to their country, and the phase of transition from the current administration to the new administration in the U.S.,” the Ministry said in a statement. Discussions also touched on the recent U.S. sanctions against three Lebanese politicians. Wehbe told Shea that “Lebanese authorities including the judiciary hope to obtain any information or documents on which the U.S. administration relied in taking those measures,” the statement said. In an interview published earlier, Wehbe described the meeting with Shea as an "ordinary" visit, noting that he wanted to discuss with her “a host of issues that concern our two countries.”“We are among the friends of the United States and we have historic relations and broad and various common interests,” the minister noted. “We must not forget that we are going through a critical period in which the U.S. has a major role,” Wehbe added, citing Washington’s roles in the sea border demarcation talks, military support for the army and the international investigations into the August 4 port explosion.
Asked about the latest U.S. sanctions on several Lebanese politicians, Wehbe said “this issue will certainly be on the meeting’s agenda.” “We are very interested in knowing the foundations on which the sanctions on ex-ministers Jebran Bassil, Ali Hassan Khalil and Youssef Fenianos were based, and our embassy in Washington had submitted a request to obtain (documents) incriminating these officials, at the instructions of the president of the republic,” Wehbe added. “We and the United States respect international laws aiming to combat corruption and what we are seeking is to obtain the documents that led to these sanctions,” he went on to say. “It is our right and that of the Lebanese to know the full truth related to these sanctions,” Wehbe said.

Wehbe partakes in first Ministerial meeting of Media Freedom Coalition: Media freedom and Lebanon are inseparable
NNA/Monday, 16 November, 2020
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Charbel Wehbe, on Monday participated in the first ministerial meeting of the Media Freedom Coalition, at the invitation of Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francois-Philippe Champagne, and UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
Minister Wehbe underlined that media freedom and Lebanon are inseparable.

Army Commander, LAU President discuss academic cooperation
NNA/Monday, 16 November, 2020
Lebanese Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, on a Monday welcomed at his Yarzeh office President of the Lebanese American University (LAU), Professor Michel Moawad, who visited him with an accompanying delegation
Talks reportedly discussed the best ways to strengthen academic cooperation between the university and the military institution.

'Let Women Cook': Lebanese Mock Fahmi over Sexist Comment
Agence France Presse/Monday, 16 November, 2020
Lebanese have poked fun at caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi after he suggested the solution to a ban on deliveries during a coronavirus lockdown was for women to start cooking. Lebanon started a two-week partial lockdown on Saturday to try to stem the spread of the Covid-19 virus as cases topped 100,000 and intensive care hospital departments became overwhelmed. When a journalist asked Fahmi what Lebanese should do on Sunday when a day-long curfew suspended popular food deliveries from restaurants and supermarkets, he quipped: "Let women cook a little." Appalled women reacted by lambasting the minister's sexist comment on social media, and vowing they were #Not_cooking_on_Sunday. "#Sexism results in deep rooted repression & discrimination against us women, national 'leaders' disgracefully support inequalities," associate professor Carmen Geha responded on Twitter.
"I will cook happily the day they pick up and recycle garbage," she added, referring to oft-criticized public services. Award-winning journalist Dalal Mawad slammed what she called a "sample of the level of discourse and awareness among this country's politicians." Lebanese men joined in posting images of themselves dicing up vegetables or shaking pans on the stove, as they took on the #Fahmi_challenge -- to be a man and cook. "I apologize, honorable minister, that today I cooked for my sons," one user, a divorced man raising his sons on his own, wrote beside a picture of him serving a meal on Facebook. "I apologize because their mother is a doctor like me and the head of a department in France, and I and my children are very proud of her."Lebanon is also reeling from a devastating blast at Beirut's port in August that killed more than 200 people, and a raging economic crisis that sparked mass protests last fall against entrenched politicians viewed as incompetent and out of touch. "Gender equality Mr. Fahmi, have you ever heard about it? Or too busy ruining our country with your bunch of friends?," wrote another Lebanese man on Facebook in English. Another one made a video to the tune of the "Mission: Impossible" soundtrack, encouraging others to follow suit, and finishing with the revelation: "Men... also do the washing up."

ISF Says Virus Lockdown Has So Far Succeeded
Naharnet/Monday, 16 November, 2020
The first two days of a two-week general lockdown imposed in Lebanon to curb skyrocketing coronavirus cases were “largely successful,” an Internal Security Forces spokesman said on Monday. “Until this morning, 6,873 fines were issued against those who breached the lockdown,” ISF Public Relations Branch chief Colonel Joseph Musallem said in a radio interview. “Municipalities have an important role in securing the success of the genera lockdown,” he added. Musallem also urged citizens to “cooperate in order to prevent a bigger spread of the virus” and to “relieve the medical sector and lower the daily numbers of deaths and infections.”

'Rise from the Rubble': Lebanese Artist Turns Blast Debris into Symbol of Hope
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 16 November, 2020
She stands nearly three meters tall with her arm raised, the wind whipping the hair away from her scarred face, and a broken clock at her feet with the hands showing 6.08, the time that a blast ripped through Beirut port on the evening of Aug. 4. The unnamed statue by Lebanese artist Hayat Nazer is made of broken glass and twisted materials that belonged to people’s homes before the explosion that killed 200 and injured 6,000, and symbolizes the city’s hopes of rising from the rubble. “If you look at the statue, one half has a leg standing, the hand looks surrendered, there is a scar on the face with the flying hair and the clock on this side, as if the explosion is still happening,” Nazer told Reuters Television. “But the other hand and the other leg...is leaning as if it is starting to walk and the hand is raised, it wants to continue, it wants to keep going and rise from the rubble. And this is the truth, this is our truth,” the 33-year-old said. The huge blast, which levelled a swathe of Beirut and made some 300,000 residents homeless, has compounded Lebanon’s worst financial crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. Nazer believes in Lebanese resilience. She says those affected by the blast who saw the 2.6-meter statue, temporarily displayed in front of the damaged port, drew strength and hope to carry on. Nazer had already started on a female sculpture before the blast, but volunteered to help clean up destroyed houses and streets. At night, she would return to the sculpture, using the shards of glass and metal pieces she had collected.
“I felt like Beirut was a woman...who despite what she suffered...is very strong,” she said. Inspired by Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi’s “Beirut, Lady of the World” and its lyrics “Rise from under the rubble”, Nazer says the statue took her a little more than two months to complete.
She did not name the artwork because she wanted the public to do so. This is not the first time Nazer has used debris in her art. Her previous works include a model of the mythological Phoenix made out of pieces of protesters’ burnt tents, and a heart-shaped sculpture from stones and empty teargas canisters collected from clashes between protesters and security forces.

Israeli Army Sets Plan to Prevent Infiltration From West Bank, Lebanon
Tel Aviv- Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 16 November, 2020
The Israeli army arrested a Lebanese citizen of Palestinian origins after crossing the border on Sunday, announced military sources in Tel Aviv. The sources said that the Israeli army arrested a man, in his forties, when he tried to cross the Lebanese border towards al-Ghajar village.
The Shin Bet launched an investigation to determine whether he was a job seeker, like many others who try to cross the border, or a Hezbollah operative sent to check the standing of the army. The Israeli army spokesman said the forces shot over 10 flares in the area and Chebaa Farms to uncover the reason for this infiltration. Three months ago, the Israeli army announced a state of high alert after Hezbollah declared it would avenge the assassination of one of its members during an Israeli raid in Syria last July. The decision to put military forces on high alert is strongly criticized by the Mossad, the national intelligence unit. The head of Mossad, Yossi Cohen, indicated that putting thousands of soldiers on high alert for more than three months harms the state. Cohen suggested ending the state of alert and threatening Hezbollah and the Lebanese government against any attempt to harm Israel.
However, the army remained on alert and the new infiltration attempts confirmed its decision. The Israeli army warned that Palestinians would infiltrate through the separation wall between Israel and the West Bank. It announced a new plan to secure the area in the vicinity of Judea and Samaria and limit illegal entry into Israel. The plan aims to protect the area between the separation fence and Israel, dubbed the "seam zone," and includes the deployment of army and border guards on the security fence to prevent illegal infiltrators from entering. The army will deploy troops and guards near Qalqilya, Hableh, Deir Ballut, Saffa, Bilin, Tulkarm, Pharaoh, and other villages. It warned against any attempt to undermine the security fence in the “seam zone", stressing that any illegal attempt to infiltrate, breach, or violate the fence puts the person in danger.
 

Gebran Bassil, President Of Lebanon's Free Patriotic Movement: The FPM Disagrees With Hizbullah On Core Issues; We Support Peace, Palestinian State, And Israel's Right To Security

MEMRI/November 16/2020
Former Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, the president of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), said in a November 8, 2020 address that was streamed live on YouTube by Newsgate (Lebanon) that while the FPM disagrees with Hizbullah on many core issues, it has not been subjected to sanctions by Iran or oppression by Hizbullah. He reiterated a previous statement of his that the FPM wants Lebanon to be a non-religious state that would have domestic and external peace based on justice, international law, an Arab right to land, the Palestinians' right to a state, and Israel's right to security. Bassil also said that Hizbullah supporters have attacked him on social media for having expressed this view in the past. For more about Gebran Bassil, see MEMRI TV clips No. 8286, 7411, 7303, 6548, 6347, and 3033. Gebran Bassil: "We disagree with Hizbullah on basic matters, and even ideological matters, such as peace in the region and the existence of Israel. However, we have not seen Iran imposing sanctions against us, nor have we seen Hizbullah oppressing us. "In February 2019, at the Mar Mikhaël Church, I said that Hizbullah needs to understand that the [Free Patriotic Movement] does not have the same ideas and the same narrative that Hizbullah has. This is why we made a memorandum of understanding. We want Lebanon to be a civic state – not Muslim, not Christian. We want it to be a state that wants to live with domestic stability that would be based on agreement and on external peace. External peace is based on rights, justice, and international law. "Lebanon wants peace, not war. It wants a peace based on the Arab initiative, and on the basic principal of mutual rights. The Arabs have a right to land, the Palestinians have the right to a state, and Israel has a right to security. This is, in fact, Resolution 1701, and it has [reflected] the situation on our border [with Israel] since 2006. This is exactly what I said in February 2019, and a big dispute with Hizbullah erupted. Their supporters attacked me on social media."

Lebanese Journalist Hazem Saghieh Slams Islamic Leaders For Justifying Muslim Rage Against Muhammad Cartoons: The Leaders' Demand To Ban Offensive Cartoons Of The Prophet Just As Holocaust Denial Is Banned Is 'Foolish And Ignorant'
MEMRI/November 16/2020
In a November 8, 2020 article in the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Lebanese journalist Hazem Saghieh slammed three Islamic leaders - Turkish President Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Muhammad - for justifying the recent Islamist terror attacks in Europe, and especially for endorsing an argument that is prevalent in the Muslims world, namely that Europe is hypocritical in that it allows publishing offensive cartoons of the Prophet yet condemns denial of the Holocaust. Saghieh argues that comparing these two actions is "foolish and outright ignorant," since denying the Holocaust does not involve publishing some offensive words and pictures but denying the documented deaths of six million victims whose names and faces are known. What is "truly disastrous," he says, is that these three leaders have influence over tens of millions of citizens. Saghieh adds that the reactionary mindset of the three leaders stem from the fact that, although they have modernized their countries, they are ultimately all Islamists. As such, he says, they import Western science and technology while pushing back against Western ideas; more than that, they arm themselves with Western technology only in order to fight the West and defeat it.
The following is an English translation of article published October 8, 2020 on the English-language website of Al-Arabiya TV.[1]
"Pakistani journalist and writer Kunwar Khuldune Shahid expressed his outrage over three leaders in the Islamic world: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, and Mahathir Mohamad, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia. In an article published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, [2] Khuldune emphasized the three leader’s latest actions justifying the recent terrorist acts in France. These three leader have also expressed their unanimity regarding the hypocrisy of a widely circulated argument in the Islamic world, which is how Western countries turn a blind eye when it comes to the publication of offensive anti-Muslim cartoons, yet at the same time, Holocaust denial is strictly forbidden and denounced.
"As we have noted, the three leaders voiced the same argument with the same level of hostility, and their argument would have been valid if France had allowed the publication of content offending Islam, while prohibiting the publication of content offending Christianity or Judaism, but that is not the case.
"As for this recent trend to compare the latest events with denying the Holocaust, I can only say it is simply foolish and outright ignorant. It is important to remind everyone, that when it comes to discussing the sensitive topic of the Holocaust, we are not talking about a few offensive words or pictures, we are talking about six million known victims whose names and pictures are documented. We must remember that these are victims with living relatives who can recount their stories, not to mention the few Holocaust survivors who are still alive today and they still live with the physical and mental scars of the horrors of that time.
"These three politicians are known for making such arguments. We have also witnessed this obsession with denying the Holocaust or reducing the number of its victims expressed across Islamic and Arab media since the late forties.
"In this context, what is truly disastrous is that these three leaders have influence over tens of millions of citizens. When the leaders themselves have this low level of awareness, then we cannot blame the public for their unsophisticated backward reaction. As for the global response to such statements and arguments, it ranges from despair to shock to ridicule.
"However, this line of thought and simple-minded comparisons are not new; in fact, between 1962 and 1965 the Second Vatican Council, under the rule of Paul VI, decided to exempt Jews from the collective responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This led many Arab and Islamic figures to strongly denounce this exoneration, and questioned its historic accuracy, despite the fact that Muslims do not even believe that Jesus was crucified in the first place.
"In this regard, we can safely say that there is a prevalence of ignorance among these leaders. What makes this ignorance even more dangerous is that the three aforementioned leaders are often praised for bringing about an 'economic renaissance' and sometimes a 'cultural renaissance.' Indeed, the first government formed by Mahathir Mohamad in Malaysia (1981-7) witnessed rapid industrialization and remarkable economic growth, to which he is credited. This paved the way for the establishment of a highly impressive infrastructure for his country. These accomplishments ensured Mahathir’s repeated return to power.
"Meanwhile, Imran Khan, ten years before his electoral victory in 2018, established an institute for technology called Namal Institute, and in 2005, this institute partnered with the University of Bradford in the UK. Under his rule, Pakistan made a major leap as a business-friendly country. In 2019, according to the World Bank’s classification, Pakistan was considered among the top 10 countries in the world most responsive to economic reforms.
"Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during a press conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 24, 2019. (AFP)
"Similarly, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose popularity is currently plunging[3] in lockstep with Turkey's collapsing economy, had a very successful start. In 2003, during his first years in power as prime minister, Turkey recovered from the financial crisis it faced in 2001, negotiations to join the European Union were accelerated and intensified, not no mention the massive investments he encouraged in infrastructure reforms, including roads, airports, and high-speed trains.
"How can we begin to justify this dualism, how do we explain the lack of alignment between the positive outcomes accomplished by these leaders and their recent ill-advised actions, and what do these leaders have in common? These questions can be answered in two ways. Firstly, all three leaders are neoliberals who have little interest in changing society and fostering new convictions that strengthen relations between society members by establishing rational and modern foundations.
"Secondly, aside from neoliberalism or any other Western ideological doctrine, these three leaders are all Islamists, albeit to varying degrees. Their Islamism, in this case, pushes them to adopt that old theory that says: ‘we can import Western science and technology, yet we must reject their ideas.’
"The continuation of this theory says: ‘Science and technology are the key to Western strength, and we must acquire this key by arming ourselves with science and technology in order to win the fight and defeat the West.’
"If we combine these two justifications together, we can understand why Mahathir Mohamad made his last statement regarding the terrorist acts committed in France. He stated that ‘Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past.’
"In my opinion, we can clearly note that many Islamists have no qualms about being close to the West, learning their sciences, importing their technology, and even immigrating to their countries, yet at the same time, they remain resolute in their refusal to adopt any Western beliefs and values. Recent crimes can be attributed to these prevalent mindsets. As long as both sides continue to believe that the other side seeks its destruction then this mutual animosity will keep growing."
[1] English.alarabiya.com, November 8, 2020.
[2] Haaretz.com, November 1, 2020.
[3] English.alarabiya.net, November 3, 2020.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published  on November 16-17/2020

Trump Aide Promises 'Very Professional Transition' to Biden
Associated Press/November 16/2020
President Donald Trump's national security adviser promised a "very professional transition" to the administration of President-elect Joe Biden in an interview broadcast Monday, even as Trump continues to falsely claim he won the November election. Speaking to the Global Security Forum hosted in part by Qatar, Robert O'Brien several times mentioned the transition and referred to recent peace deals that Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates struck with Israel as "a great legacy for the president to have as he leaves office." While caveating that Trump did have outstanding court challenges, O'Brien's comments signaled some of the firmest statements yet from a senior administration official acknowledging Biden's win in the Nov. 3 vote. "If the Biden-Harris ticket is determined to be the winner -- obviously things look that way now -- we'll have a very professional transition from the National Security Council. There's no question about it," O'Brien said. "They're going to have very professional folks coming in to take these positions." He added: "We've passed the baton and had peaceful, successful transitions even in the most contentious periods."Since losing, Trump has made unsubstantiated claims about the election on Twitter. There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the vote. Officials from both the Democratic and Republican parties have said the poll went well, as have international observers. The federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also says: "The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history." O'Brien, Trump's fourth national security adviser, previously served as his special envoy on hostage affairs. Asked about American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared covering Syria's civil war in 2012 and is believed to be held by Damascus, O'Brien said the U.S. was using "every lever" to get him back home. "We are using every tool, whether it's through allies, whether it's through adversaries," O'Brien said. "We would like to get him back and I'd like to see him him back and I know the president would like to see him back before he leaves office." Syria has not acknowledged holding Tice. A top Lebanese security official said Saturday that he visited Syria for two days to speak with officials there about Tice. O'Brien also said he hoped to see Qatar Airways be able to overfly boycotting Arab countries "in the next 70 days" before the end of Trump's presidency amid a yearslong political dispute. However, there's been no public sign of tensions easing between Doha and Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Pompeo says Europe, US need to work together to address Turkey's Erdogan's actions
Reuters/November 16/2020
The US administration and Europe need to work jointly on addressing actions led by Turkey in the Middle East over the past few months, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told French daily newspaper Le Figaro. "France's president Emmanuel Macron and I agree that Turkey's recent actions have been very aggressive," Pompeo said, citing Turkey's recent support to Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia as well as military moves in Libya and the Mediterranean. "Europe and the US must work together to convince Erdogan such actions are not in the interest of his people," Pompeo said, referring to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Pompeo said increased use of Turkey's military capability was a concern, but he did not say whether the country, which hosts US military forces at its Incirlik Air Base, should stay in or quit the North Atlantic Alliance. Pompeo told Le Figaro the US administration had still work to do to maintain pressure on Iran.
 

Bahrain foreign minister to make first visit to Israel this week

AFP/November 16/2020
Foreign Minister Abdellatif al-Zayani to make first visit by senior Bahraini official to Israel since signing of the Abraham Accords.
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdellatif al-Zayani is to make a visit to Israel on Wednesday, the first by a senior Bahraini official since the two countries signed a normalization deal, official media said. The BNA news agency said the visit would "affirm Bahrain's strong and permanent position in favor of supporting the peace process" and be focused on "the economic opportunities and bilateral accords with Israel". Bahrain and its Gulf neighbor, the United Arab Emirates, both signed US-sponsored normalization accords with Israel on September 15 at the White House. Israel and the UAE last month signed agreements on visa-free travel, civil aviation, investment protection, and science and technology during a first official Emirati visit to the Jewish state. The UAE led the way in forging ties between the Gulf and Israel, announcing its decision in August, before Bahrain followed suit a month later.

Trump National Security Adviser O'Brien Says Looks Now that Biden Has Won
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 16 November, 2020
US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, said on Monday he will ensure a professional transition to the team led by Democrat Joe Biden if Biden is deemed the winner of the 2020 presidential election and “obviously things look like that now.”The Republican Trump has insisted the Nov. 3 election was “rigged” and that he will be declared the winner after a series of legal challenges in several states. Speaking to the Global Security Forum, O’Brien said that while he hoped Trump would turn out to have won a second four-year term, he would work with a new administration headed by Biden and his vice presidential running mate, Kamala Harris. “If there is a new administration, look, they deserve some time to come in and implement their policies,” O’Brien said. “If the Biden-Harris ticket is determined to be the winner, and obviously things look like that now, we’ll have a very professional transition from the National Security Council, there’s no question about it.”Trump has so far failed to produce evidence that could overturn Biden’s 306-232 victory over Trump in the state-by-state Electoral College vote. States face a Dec. 8 “safe harbor” deadline to certify their elections and choose electors who will officially select the new president on Dec. 14. O’Brien said it appeared Biden was prepared to bring in a professional national security team. “The great thing is this is the United States of America,” the national security adviser said. “We passed the baton and have had peaceful, successful transitions even in the most contentious periods.”

1 Hurt in Iranian Gas Station Blast, No Fatalities Reported
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 16 November, 2020
An explosion at a gas station in Iran's capital Tehran on Monday injured at least one person, Iranian state media reported. "A fuel tanker caught fire while unloading at the gas station at Pirouzi Street in Tehran," fire department spokesman Jalal Maleki told state TV, adding that the fire had been contained. "One person was injured and there were no casualties ... everything is under control and the cause of the blast is being investigated."

Amnesty: Iran blacked out internet to hide ‘true scale’ of 2019 killings
Arab News/November 16/2020
‘Security forces used lethal force unlawfully against the vast majority of protesters and bystanders killed’
Regime’s war against freedom of speech ‘is a losing battle,’ Iranian journalist tells Arab News
LONDON: One year since anti-regime protests rocked Iran, a new report by Amnesty International has exposed how Tehran used a massive internet shutdown to hide the “true scale of the unlawful killings by security forces.”The human rights group on Monday said it had verified 304 people killed by security forces during the November 2019 protests, 23 of them children, but it suspects the real number is far higher. Tehran instigated a violent crackdown after demonstrations against a huge increase in the price of fuel morphed into widespread protests against the regime. One of the distinguishing features of the crackdown, Amnesty said, was the implementation of an internet blackout that began on the deadliest day of the protests as a way to “hide the killings.”Amnesty’s report said: “Security forces used lethal force unlawfully against the vast majority of protesters and bystanders killed, shooting most to the head or torso, indicating intent to kill. To this day, no official has been held accountable for the unlawful killings.”Mansoureh Mills, Iran researcher at Amnesty, told Arab News that the internet blackout was “a calculated move to stop more than 80 million people inside Iran from reaching the outside world and sharing information about the human rights violations that were being perpetrated by the authorities.”He said shutting down the internet for an extended period meant that protesters removed recorded evidence of human rights abuses from their phones for fear that it would be used against them if detained.
He added that people interviewed by Amnesty had deleted swathes of evidence documenting human rights abuses for this reason. “Imagine all the video footage that has been lost in this way because of the internet shutdown. All of the evidence of crimes and serious human rights violations are gone forever,” said Mills. He urged the international community to take action through the UN against Tehran. “International accountability is the only way to ensure non-repetition of what we know happened in November 2019, otherwise the Iranian authorities will know that they can get away with killing unarmed men, women and children under the cover of an internet shutdown,” he said. Sadeq Saba, an editor at Persian-language media organization Iran International, told Arab News that Tehran “is really scared of the internet and social media in general. They can control traditional media and news in the country, but not what people say online and the news coming in from outside the country, so they try to shut down the whole thing.”The regime’s war against freedom of speech “is a losing battle. Doing things like shutting down the internet may work for a while, but in the end they just become more ridiculous in the eyes of the people,” he said. “Shutting down the internet doesn’t solve anything. There are deep-rooted problems in the Islamic Republic. The regime is a failure in every sense: Ideologically, economically, politically and diplomatically. They want to run a modern, 21st-century country with rules made in the Middle Ages. This is the root of the problem,” Saba added. “Iranians are fed up with this regime. They’re doing their best to fight the Islamic Republic, and they’ll continue to do so whether their communications are restricted or not.”

Armenian Foreign Minister Resigns after Unpopular Karabakh Ceasefire
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 16 November, 2020
Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan resigned from his post on Monday in a sign of political fall-out in the ex-Soviet republic after a ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that locked in territorial gains for Azerbaijan.
Mnatsakanyan, whose departure was announced by the ministry’s spokeswoman on its Facebook page, had held the position since May 2018. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government has faced a popular backlash over the ceasefire accord that ended six weeks of fighting, with thousands of protesters last week demanding he resign. On Monday, hundreds of protesters rallied in the capital Yerevan’s central Freedom Square. The ceasefire signed by leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on Nov. 10 halted military action in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but populated by ethnic Armenians. Some 2,000 Russian peacekeeping troops are now being deployed to the region. Mnatsakanyan met Azeri counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov three times in the past month and a half in search of a ceasefire arrangement, but each effort quickly broke down. For over 25 years until fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh resumed on Sept. 27, ethnic Armenians held military control over the entire mountainous pocket and substantial swathes of Azeri territory ringing it. But when the guns fell silent, they had lost much of the enclave itself - including its second city Shushi, which Azeris call Shusha - as well as adjoining terrain. Pashinyan said on Monday the war could have been avoided if Armenia had voluntarily ceded control of seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh as well as Shushi. “But we took up the challenge of war,” he told a news conference. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan wrote on Facebook shortly afterwards that giving up Shushi was never on the agenda at any stage of negotiations between the sides. Pashinyan said the road through the Lachin region that connects Nagorno Karabakh with Armenian state territory would be reopened later on Monday, and that many displaced residents of the enclave were returning to their homes. Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday to discuss the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Kremlin said. The two leaders said the situation in the South Caucasus region had generally stabilized and that it was time to address humanitarian issues, including the return of refugees.

Iraq Hangs 21 on Terrorism Charges
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 16 November, 2020
Iraq hanged 21 convicted terrorists and murderers on Monday, an interior ministry statement said, the latest in a series of mass executions it has carried out since defeating the ISIS group in 2017. Among those executed at a prison in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya were people involved in two suicide attacks that killed dozens of people the northern town of Tal Afar, the statement said. It gave no further details of the identities of the people who were executed or the crimes for which they were convicted. Iraq has put hundreds of suspected extremists on trial and carried out several mass executions since defeating ISIS fighters in a 2014-2017 US-backed military campaign. Human rights groups have accused Iraqi and other regional forces of inconsistencies in the judicial process and flawed trials leading to unfair convictions. Iraq says its trials are fair.
ISIS captured a third of Iraq in 2014 and was largely defeated both there and in neighboring Syria over the following three years.

Barzani: Kurdistan Region Is Ready to Agree With Baghdad on All Issues
Erbil- Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 16 November, 2020
The Iraqi Kurdistan Region President, Nechirvan Barzani, slammed on Sunday the passage of an emergency spending bill by the Iraqi parliament without the approval of Kurdish lawmakers, as political failure and an effort to “punish” citizens of the autonomous region. He asserted the need to find an agreement to help stabilize the situation in Iraq. On Thursday morning, Iraqi lawmakers passed the law with a majority of its members in the absence of representatives from the Kurdistan Region, who boycotted the session over disagreements about a clause that Kurdish lawmakers described as “unfair” for the autonomous region’s share of the federal budget. “We view this as a dangerous development,” Barzani said during a press conference held after a meeting among top Kurdistan Region officials. Barzani asked Iraqi politicians, rhetorically, “is the Kurdistan Region part of Iraq or not? Are the region’s employees a part of Iraq’s employees?”Barzani added that unresolved outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad “will hamper stability in Iraq.” “Our message to Iraqi political forces is that the Kurdistan Region is ready to agree with Baghdad on oil and all other issues.”A previous deal between Baghdad and Erbil stipulated that the federal government would send the regional government 320 billion Iraqi dinars for three months. The president asserted that approving the bill “is in direct opposition to all the principles on which we built Iraq after 2003.”“Iraq’s problems are not dealt with in this way, even if some parties in the Iraqi parliament have the power to pass such laws.”“We are ready to agree on all oil imports and all the other files, and we will present all these facts to Parliament.”He noted that a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation would visit Baghdad soon for bilateral talks.

UN Envoy Criticizes Israel's Move to Expand Key Settlement
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 16 November, 2020
The UN's Mideast envoy on Monday said he was "very concerned" by Israel's decision to advance construction in a Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem that would make it even harder to establish a contiguous Palestinian state. The move also risks angering the incoming US administration, which is opposed to settlement expansion and hopes to revive negotiations over a two-state solution. The Israel Land Authority announced on its website Sunday that it had opened up tenders for more than 1,200 new homes in the settlement of Givat Hamatos, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now. "If built, it would further consolidate a ring of settlements between Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank," Nickolay Mladenov, the UN envoy to the Middle East peace process, said in a statement. "It would significantly damage prospects for a future contiguous Palestinian State and for achieving a negotiated two-state solution based on the 1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states. Settlement construction is illegal under international law and I call on the authorities to reverse this step."The Palestinian Authority and the European Union's foreign policy chief have also criticized the move. The Palestinians want a future state that includes east Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 war, and view settlements as a major obstacle to peace. With nearly 500,000 settlers now living in the West Bank, and over 220,000 more in east Jerusalem, the Palestinians say the chances of establishing their state are quickly dwindling. Israel has long dismissed international criticism of settlement activity, but the decision to move ahead with construction at Givat Hamatos could harm relations with President-elect Joe Biden, who has promised to take a more even-handed approach to the conflict. President Donald Trump has given unprecedented support to Israel, including by abandoning the decades-old US position that settlements are illegitimate. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to visit a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank later this week in a stunning departure from his predecessors, who frequently criticized settlement construction.

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Moalem Dies
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 16 November, 2020
Syria’s top diplomat and long-time foreign minister, Walid al-Moalem, a staunch defender of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters that sparked a decade old conflict, died on Monday, the government said. There were no details on the cause of death, but the 79-year old had for years been in poor health with heart problems. A source close to the Syrian government said it was widely expected his deputy, veteran diplomat Faisal Mekdad, would replace his as foreign minister. Moalem, who was first appointed foreign minister in 2006 and was also a deputy prime minister, held a succession of top diplomatic posts, including envoy to the United States and was involved in unsuccessful negotiations with Israel in the 1990’s on a peace settlement. “He was known for his honorable patriotic positions,” the government said in a statement, adding he died at dawn and would be buried later on Monday in Damascus. The veteran diplomat saw his country’s tilt further towards Iran and Russia, which have helped shore up Assad’s rule and allowed the authoritarian leader to regain most of the territory he once lost to opposition factions. Moalem, from from Damascus, publicly defended Moscow and Iran’s growing military role, backed by its proxies in Syria, which many Syrian opponents of Assad labelled as an occupation and blamed for fueling sectarian tension in the country. Syria erupted into war nearly a decade ago after Assad in 2011 began a crackdown on protesters calling for an end to his family’s rule.
Moalem accused the United States and others in the West of fueling his country’s unrest and labelled the opposition “terrorists” in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and led to the exodus of millions of refugees. The veteran diplomat’s last statements attacked the Caesar Act - the toughest US sanctions yet against Damascus which came into force last June, saying they were meant to starve Syrians. He vowed that his country would get economic help from Iran and Russia to soften its blow. Washington says the goal of the new sanctions is to hold Damascus to account for war crimes and deter it from further pursuing the war. The sanctions exempt humanitarian aid.

Fatah, Hamas Delegations in Cairo to Finalize Palestinian Reconciliation Talks
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 16 November, 2020
Delegations from the Hamas and Fatah movements arrived in Cairo on Sunday to finalize Palestinian reconciliation discussions. The two delegations are looking forward to reaching agreements on outstanding issues before President Mahmoud Abbas issues a decree on setting dates for holding legislative and presidential elections, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. Hamas said on Sunday its delegation, which is headed by deputy chief of its politburo Saleh al-Arouri, wants to complete discussions and talks with Fatah on national reconciliation. It underlined its insistence on ensuring the success of efforts to establish a joint strategy for “struggle” that will include all Palestinian patriots to confront challenges facing the Palestinian cause. The Hamas delegation also includes bureau member Khalil al-Hayya. The Fatah delegation is headed by Secretary-General of its Central Committee Jibril Rajoub and committee members Rawhi Fattouh and Ahmed Halas. The meetings put an end to speculation that Fatah was withdrawing from the reconciliation efforts in wake of Joe Biden’s victory in the US election. Some reports had accused Abbas of pulling out from the talks because he wanted to use the reconciliation to pressure the US and Israel by forging an alliance with Hamas, which is designated as terrorist by Washington and Tel Aviv, against the US peace proposal and Israeli annexation plan. Fatah and Hamas had agreed in Istanbul in September to first hold the general elections, then presidential polls, followed by the election of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) national council, within six months.

Media Freedom Coalition ministerial communiqué
Canada/Ottawa/November 16/2020
We, the members of the Media Freedom Coalition, held our first ministerial-level meeting on November 16, 2020, to exchange views and coordinate action in the defence of media freedom worldwide.
The ministerial meeting took place as part of the second Global Conference for Media Freedom, co-hosted by Canada and Botswana.
The Media Freedom Coalition is a partnership of countries working together to advocate for and support media freedom, online as well as offline, and the safety of journalists and media workers. The Coalition aims to promote accountability for those who harm journalists and media workers or unduly restrict them from doing their job.
All members have signed the Global Pledge on Media Freedom. As signatories, each member has made the commitment to work together to improve media freedom and the safety of journalists both at home and abroad.
We recalled that attacks on media freedom are also attacks on human rights, including the right to freedom of expression enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
We underlined that media freedom is essential to the protection of human rights by making the facts about human rights violations and abuses public.
We further affirmed that a free media is the cornerstone of democracy. People need free and independent media to provide them with accurate information, facilitate informed public debate and discussion, hold governments accountable, and serve as a watchdog for the public interest.
We underlined the link between media freedom and economic development and prosperity, including the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
We expressed alarm at the continued decline in media freedom driven in part by the rise of authoritarianism and the use of digital technologies to restrict media freedom. This has resulted in, inter alia, unduly restrictive laws, arbitrary and/or unlawful surveillance, censorship, undue interference in the circulation of information online, and physical violence, exacerbated by financial threats to media independence and sustainability.
We commended the crucial role played by journalists and media workers and paid tribute to those who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
Media Freedom Coalition ministers met in the midst of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting all parts of the world, imposing a tremendous cost on societies, exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities, causing societal changes, and further undermining media freedom.
We commended journalists and other media workers, including those reporting on this health crisis. Their work serves to keep societies informed, to promote proper health measures, and to counter false or misleading information.
We expressed concern at the efforts of some states to use the crisis as an excuse to put in place undue restrictions on a free and independent media. We also expressed concern that some states have undertaken pandemic-related disinformation campaigns to undermine trust in democratic political systems and their pandemic responses.
We urged governments to continue guaranteeing the freedom and independence of the media and the safety of journalists and other media professionals, as well as to refrain from imposing undue restrictions in the fight against COVID-19.
We recognized the worrying growth of threats against journalists, both online and offline, that attempt to intimidate journalists and media organizations into silence.
We condemned unequivocally all attacks and violence against journalists and media workers, such as torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary detention, as well as intimidation and harassment in both conflict and non-conflict situations.
We urged governments to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work without undue interference, including interference by means of legislative measures, unlawful or arbitrary surveillance, enforcement of excessive libel laws, and other measures that prevent journalists from carrying out their work.
We recognized that impunity for attacks against journalists constitutes one of the main challenges to strengthening the protection of journalists.
We called upon governments to do their utmost to prevent violence against journalists and media workers, to ensure accountability through the conduct of investigations into alleged violence against journalists within their jurisdictions, to bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice, and to ensure that victims have access to appropriate remedies.
We underlined that human rights, including those involving media freedom, must be protected online just as they are protected offline and acknowledged the transformative role of digital technologies in supporting access to and the dissemination of information and ideas.
We reaffirmed the responsibilities of intermediaries, such as social media platforms and search engines, to respect human rights and defend media freedom, given their effects on the exercise of the right to freedom of expression.
We expressed concern regarding measures taken by intermediaries to limit access to or remove content online, including through automated processes, such as algorithms, which have not been made transparent and the use of which may unduly restrict access to information.
We expressed profound concern about and condemned the growing trend of intentional, government-imposed Internet shutdowns, as well as targeted content filtration and removal. Government-imposed network restrictions, whether partial or complete, limit media freedom and the ability of journalists and human rights defenders to report on human rights violations or abuses and hold governments accountable.
We acknowledged the profound impact the use of artificial intelligence may have on media freedom, including the potential for enhanced capacity for large-scale unlawful and/or arbitrary surveillance of journalists and censorship of the media, and the algorithmic curation of news without transparency or accountability.
We expressed concern at laws, punitive legal measures and physical violence that have restricted journalists’ and media organizations’ vital work, often under the guise of addressing disinformation.
We expressed profound concern about the chilling effect on media freedom of the proliferation of overly broad “fake news” laws and the rise in arrests and detentions of journalists on the charge of “fake news.”
We expressed concern about the erosion of public trust, due to the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, interfering with the public’s need to access information of public interest and value for democratic participation.
We stressed the need for potential solutions to disinformation to be rooted in respect for human rights, freedom of expression, and democracy.
We commended initiatives by civil society to tackle the issue of access to reliable information during infodemics, and we called on intermediaries, including social media platforms, to be part of global efforts to protect media freedom while respecting the key principles of transparency and respecting human rights.
On the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, we recognized the imperative to undertake a gender-responsive approach to the protection and promotion of media freedom and recalled the important role media plays in shaping the public’s perception of women in society and the media’s role in the advancement of gender equality.
We acknowledged the gender-specific risks faced by women journalists in the exercise of their work, including sexual and gender-based violence, harassment, online and offline attacks, stalking, and intimidation.
We underlined that the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, intimidation, and violence against women journalists have a broader negative effect on gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment by silencing the voices of women, including their experiences and concerns.
A healthy information ecosystem depends on a free, independent, plural, accessible, and diverse media. This includes diversity of representation, with different lived experiences within media organizations themselves, acknowledging the importance of intersectionality in promoting inclusion and respect for diversity.
We therefore recognized the importance of representation in the media of groups that have often themselves been the subject of multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and other human rights violations and abuses, including members of racial, ethnic and religious minorities; persons with disabilities; and lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons.
We acknowledged the additional risks faced by journalists based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
We recognized the unprecedented economic challenges facing media due to a significant decline in advertisement revenue and the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We expressed concern that these challenges may significantly affect the health of the global information ecosystem by reducing the diversity of views disseminated to the public and putting at risk the independence of the press, with potentially corrosive effects on democratic governance. We welcomed the launch of a new working group to address the issue of media sustainability by the Forum on Information and Democracy.
Ministers discussed a range of policy options and best practices to strengthen media freedom worldwide.
We called on members of the Media Freedom Coalition to consider:
providing safe refuge for journalists at risk who have been targeted for their work
increasing coordination and investment in media development spending to support media independence, accessibility, and sustainability
providing consistent and long-term support for building robust collaborative national efforts addressing the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity
engaging in concerted advocacy as a vocal group committed to defending media freedom
strengthening measures to foster an enabling legal environment for freedom of expression, including for members of the media
seeking greater inclusion of the issue of the safety of journalists in the processes of the relevant UN and regional human rights bodies
implementing gender-responsive measures to protecting the safety of journalists that recognize and address the gender-specific risks faced by women and intersecting marginalized groups, including racial, ethnic and religious minorities, persons with disabilities, and persons in vulnerable situations, including LGBTI persons
adopting and applying targeted sanctions against known perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses in response to the repression of journalists and restrictions on media freedom
condemning all attacks against journalists and countering the increasing stigmatization and denigration of journalists by public officials
working with digital intermediaries, such as social media platforms, to promote preventative measures against the misuse of their products in ways that unduly restrict media freedom
exploring best practices to tackle the rise of infodemics and reflecting upon the proposals made by the group of experts from the Forum on Information and Democracy
We underscored the important role played by international and regional organizations in the protection and promotion of media freedom, including the UN, UNESCO, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Organization of American States, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the Council of Europe.
We welcomed Belize and Botswana as the newest members of the Media Freedom Coalition, expanding the ranks of those countries supporting the objectives of media freedom.
We welcomed the ongoing work of the independent High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom to provide advice to governments to prevent and reverse repression of media freedom.
We noted with appreciation the recommendations contained in the initial reports of the High Level Legal Panel on the use of targeted sanctions to protect journalists and on consular assistance.
We look forward to the publication of subsequent reports for our consideration ahead of the next ministerial-level meeting of the Media Freedom Coalition.
We commended the work of the civil society Advisory Network of the Media Freedom Coalition in providing expert counsel and in identifying cases of concern to be addressed through diplomatic intervention.
We committed to strengthen the working methods of the Coalition to be more responsive to cases of concern identified by the Advisory Network and other members of the Coalition.
We welcomed the progress made by UNESCO in supporting initiatives through the Global Media Defence Fund, including for grassroots organizations around the world.
We welcomed the contributions of new donors to this fund, which will expand the reach and sustainability of the fund.
We look forward to the next ministerial meeting of the Media Freedom Coalition, in Estonia in 2021, to renew commitments and to discuss emerging threats and opportunities.
We look forward to the World Press Freedom Conference, on December 9 and 10, 2020, in The Hague, organized by the Netherlands and UNESCO.
Afghanistan, Argentina, Austria, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Iceland, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Sudan, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, the United States
Ottawa/November 16, 2020
 

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published  on November 16-17/2020

Europe's Lax Security Aids Islamist Terrorists
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/November 16/2020
"I expect an end to the misconceived tolerance, and for all the nations of Europe to finally realise how dangerous the ideology of political Islam is for our freedom and the European way of life." — Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Die Welt, November 3, 2020.
"We see very clearly that terrorist actions can actually be led by some people who use migratory flows to threaten our territory." — French President Emmanuel Macron, Politico, November 5, 2020.
For once, the sudden upsurge in terror attacks appears to have prompted European leaders to acknowledge the glaring deficiencies in their ability to protect Europe against Islamist-inspired acts of terrorism.
The belated realisation by Europe's leaders about the inadequacies of their ability to defend the continent from further acts of Islamist-inspired terrorism is as welcome as it is long overdue. Pictured: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron attend a summit addressing an EU-wide response to recent terror attacks.
The latest wave of Islamist-inspired terror attacks to strike Europe has yet again exposed lamentable flaws in the ability of European security agencies to provide adequate protection for their citizens. In all three instances -- the attacks in Paris, Nice and Vienna -- it has emerged that those held responsible for carrying out the attacks had links to global jihadi networks that went undetected by European security officials. Moreover, the ease with which some of those involved in the attacks were able to travel freely across the continent has once more raised concerns about Europe's lax border controls as defined by the European Union's Schengen Agreement, and the ability of radicalised jihadis to exploit them. In the most recent attack in the Austrian capital Vienna on November 2, it transpires that the 20-year-old gunman who killed four people and wounded 22 others before he was himself shot dead by police had travelled to neighbouring Slovakia in July to buy ammunition.

This was after the terrorist responsible for the atrocity, Kujtim Fejzulai, had been released early from prison in December after serving two-thirds of a 22-month term for trying to join ISIS in Syria.
And while the Austrian interior ministry still contends that the gunman acted alone, there are suspicions that he may have been in contact with extremists in other parts of Austria and neighbouring Switzerland. And even though Fejzulai was on a watch list by Austria's BVT counter-terrorism agency, this did not prevent him from travelling to Slovakia to purchase ammunition.
Similar questions about the effectiveness of Europe's security forces have been raised by the attack in Nice, France, where it now transpires that the terrorist suspected of carrying out the murders had arrived by train from Italy, which he had reached from Tunisia after being picked up by a humanitarian organisation in the Mediterranean. Reports have also surfaced in France that the Chechen terrorist responsible for murdering schoolteacher Samuel Paty, who was decapitated outside his school in a Paris suburb last month after showing his class two cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and discussing freedom of expression, had been in contact with an Islamist fighter in Syria prior to carrying out the attack.
France's Le Parisien newspaper has reported that, prior to the murder, Abdullakh Anzorov made contact with an as yet unidentified Russian-speaking jihadist in Syria, who was located through an IP address that had been traced back to Idlib, a jihadist holdout in north-western Syria.
A French television station also reported that the killer, who arrived in France aged six with his Chechen parents and had been granted asylum and a residence permit until 2030, had first established contact with the jihadist in September this year via Instagram.
In an audio message in Russian, Anzorov said after the killing he had "avenged the prophet", whom Paty had portrayed "in an insulting way". Amid references to the Qur'an and Islamic State, he added: "Brothers, pray that Allah accepts me as a martyr."
French security officials have subsequently embarked on a nationwide round-up of suspected Muslim extremists, with French President Emmanuel Macron ordering the closure of a Paris mosque said to have links with the Palestinian terror group Hamas. Mr Macron said French security officials believed that the Cheikh Yassine Collective, named after a slain Hamas leader, was to be dissolved because the French authorities had information that the group was "directly implicated" in the attack.
For once, the sudden upsurge in terror attacks appears to have prompted European leaders to acknowledge the glaring deficiencies in their ability to protect Europe against Islamist-inspired acts of terrorism.
In Austria, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has called on Europe to form a common front in what he calls a "war on Islamism", and says he will push for such an alliance against political Islam when European Leaders meet for a summit later this month.
Speaking to the German newspaper Die Welt, Mr Kurz commented:
"I expect an end to the misconceived tolerance, and for all the nations of Europe to finally realise how dangerous the ideology of political Islam is for our freedom and the European way of life."
In France, Mr Macron has responded to the attacks on French soil by calling for a "deep overhaul" of the Schengen agreement. Appearing alongside his Europe and Interior Ministers this week, the French President committed France to double the number of guards at its national borders from 2,400 to 4,800 due to the rampant terror threat. "We see very clearly that terrorist actions can actually be led by some people who use migratory flows to threaten our territory," he said. The belated realisation by Europe's leaders about the inadequacies of their ability to defend the continent from further acts of Islamist-inspired terrorism is as welcome as it is long overdue. For, without tighter controls and monitoring, security officials will struggle to prevent further acts of Islamist-inspired carnage from taking place on the streets of Europe.
*Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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The Americans Have Their Elections, and We Our Interests
Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat/November, 16/2020
The US elections have never taken this route, alien to Western democracies in general, nor have US elections ever garnered so much internal and external interest.
US internal unrest and unprecedented polarization have become so extreme that doubts have been raised about the elections’ integrity and institutions’ legitimacy. At the same time, some are skeptical that the transition of power will be peaceful. All of this has made many states reluctant to congratulate President-Elect Joe Biden. Foremost among them Russia, with Vladimir Putin following the vote-counting process and election results meticulously. Russia is followed by China, whose congratulations were around a week late, indicating that it is not excited about a Democrat succeeding Donald Trump.
No one denies that this chaos demonstrated the flaws in the US electoral system and process and destabilized democratic practice at large in the world’s most powerful country, especially at the level of the ruling elites. Indeed, the political debate on social media reminds observers of that seen in the third world and undemocratic states. Does this mean that the US will become turbulent, unstable, and rife with internal strife? The answer is no, because no matter how sharp the attacks on the US democratic process become, it nonetheless remains stronger than we think. It is capable of healing itself, and this is what we are witnessing today as votes are recounted.
Most of the electoral analyses which examine demographic, racial, and ethnic voting patterns demonstrate that what had been said about a split in US society along these lines, racially between whites and blacks, or, ethnically, over immigration, is not accurate. The split is partisan and political, not more and not less. President Donald Trump’s character and his untraditional behavior have perhaps made its acuteness more apparent. What was said about a civil war is a joke; the protests, like the celebrations, were peaceful and did not exceed the bounds that we are used to seeing in the US, despite the armed marches we saw in particular places. We will likely see power peacefully transferred to the president-elect, but not in accordance with the traditions and principles abided by throughout US history and not with the smoothness that presidents’ mandates have begun and ended over the past 250 years.
Perhaps, it is best for us Arabs to leave US issues to Americans. Those among us betting on the lawsuits, appeals, and chaos they are heralding would be better off if they distanced themselves. Let us focus on the steps needed to deal with the forthcoming changes in the US and US behavior towards the Middle East and issues that concern us as Arab states considered allies or friends of Washington.
We already know the contours of the newly elected Democrat administration’s policies, and the president-elect has elaborated on them during his electoral campaign and the few days after being elected. In advance, we can say that his foreign policy will not be an exact copy of that of his Democrat predecessor Barack Obama, because the world, in its West and East, has changed significantly over the past four years, whereby it would not be an exaggeration to say that if Obama returned to power he would change his policies. Our region is not exempt from this change, and much new input has to be factored into the regional equation. The legacy of the obdurate nationalist discourse is no longer useful, and it has become essential that we become aware that cooperation and partnership do not imply dependence, dissolution, or congruence.
We say all of this out of a concern that Arab states grasp the new administration’s approach and how they will alter their policies and stances towards the most central dilemmas they face, which can be summed to five: Iran’s role in the region and its expansionist interventionist policy, the ongoing wars in Syria and Yemen, the battle against terrorism and extremism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the processes of normalizing relations with Israel.
At this stage, before the president-elect is sworn into office on January 20, the Arabs need to crystalize their positions on these issues and their vision for how to deal with them. Firstly, they must determine their policies and secondly, they must decide on their demands of the new administration. Clarifying stances starts with reaching a joint Arab vision on such issues. Unfortunately, the impossibility of reaching a unified Arab position is more apparent today than it had ever been in the past. For this reason, the immense burden for forming a path that determines policies falls on Washington’s friends and allies, especially the Gulf states. In this context, it must be pointed out that working with the president-elect’s team, at this stage, is more important than working with the president-elect himself, and that briefing the next president’s team is a pressing task for the Arab states.
Regarding the Iran dilemma, we must make it clear that we seek healthy and peaceful relations with the Iranian regime and are therefore not absolutely opposed to potential US-Iranian settlements. Our concern is that such agreement are not reached at the expense of our security and identity, that they do not lead to our societies’ disintegration by provoking sectarian and minoritarian strife through the actions of its proxies tasked with establishing statelets within states.
On the issue of the wars in Syria, Yemen, and Libya, we must stress the urgency of putting an end to the failed states phenomenon because of its disastrous political, security, and humanitarian repercussions on the whole world. We should also emphasize the importance of curbing the ambitions of regional and international players, shrinking their swollen influence to their natural size, as well as expressing our intention to enter the club of democratic countries.
As for terrorism, extremism, and militant political Islam, total clarity has become pressing. Just like Washington, decades later, has come to realize that there is no distinction between Sunni and Shiite terrorism, on our part, we also have to realize that terrorism, in all its forms, is terrorism, and extremism is extremism. The Arab position on this issue must be crystal clear, and we must abandon the customary addition of an exculpatory “but” and the weak arguments that follow it. Concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the issue of the two-state solution, the Gulf states and other US-allies Arab states, such as Egypt and Jordan, must pressure the Americans into adopting a balanced and fair political position. This is especially pertinent today after the normalization process began. We are aware that Washington will not abandon Israel’s security and interests. Nonetheless, we must push it to take Arab interests into account, especially those of the Palestinians.
Just as crucial as determining what we want from the US is forming a clear vision of what we, as Arab states, can do to help solve some of these dilemmas, as some of them are beyond our capacities, such as the Iranian nuclear issue and the Palestinian question. We can also contribute to resolving other critical issues that are of mutual concern, besides those that concern us directly, especially issues related to the climate, environment, water, and desertification.
We will not be able to define what we want from America and what we can offer to solve the regions’ problems unless rational and pragmatic Arab voices are loud and clear in Washington’s decision-making circles. They must express a clear vision of what is to be done to build a new partnership. We can’t just sit back and wait for the presidential election results to be declared. What is required, to repeat, is that we leave for the Americans to deal with their alone and work on solidifying an Arab position and influencing American policy. We should not allow it to use our differences, which it knows very well, against us, which it does very well.

The World Awaits the Policeman
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/November, 16/2020
The man knows about America. He knows a number of those who took over the White House, the State Department, and the Defense office. He knows Americans and worked closely with them. He does not need to be reminded of the ability of US administrations to commit colossal and costly mistakes. He understands that America belongs to another world, which often finds it difficult to perceive the size of the dormant revolutions in our history and the scale of obstacles that block our aspirations to the future.
The man criticizes US policies in more than one area, but he later concludes that the world needs a captain or a policeman and that America is the only qualified power to assume such a role.
China is not yet qualified to play the role of the captain or policeman. Its recent rise is both impressive and disturbing. It replaced Japan by becoming the world’s second economy and now threatens to steal the first position from America, perhaps in a decade or less. China has made an economic miracle and tampered with Mao Zedong’s commandments; yet, it maintained absolute control of the Communist Party over every aspect of life. The party is a huge network of nearly eighty million people. It represents a means of perpetuity for any repression in the eyes of its opponents. This is why Donald Trump regarded the Chinese Communist Party as the first enemy; a position previously occupied by the Soviet Union.
Russia is also not qualified to play the role of the policeman, except in certain parts of the world. From the Soviet system, the Russian machine inherited an extraordinary capacity for disinformation. But the facts indicate that Russia’s current powers are not as strong as the Soviet weight that was more able to obstruct than to take over leadership. There are those who believe that the Syrian experience itself shows the limits of Russian power. After years of engagement, Syria is still an arena for wars and interventions.
Saving the regime is an important step for Russia, but the recent conference on the displaced revealed the weakness of Moscow’s capabilities and its failure to rally international and regional support to crown its military intervention in a reconstruction process that would facilitate the return of the refugees.
Europe is out of the race to lead the world. At best, it can play an auxiliary role to the policeman, but cannot assume a mission of such magnitude. Europe has really aged in the absence of wars. It became addicted to security, prosperity, safety, and an almost carefree life. The Old Continent is no longer willing nor able to pay the price of changing the world.
The French-German locomotive will get weaker with Merkel’s departure in the coming year. Britain has turned into a soloist and may soon realize that it has lost the European orchestra without winning a love contract with a post-Trump America.
The task of the policeman cannot be assigned to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The matter has nothing to do with his name or his country. Security Council decisions remain unimplemented if they are not backed by powerful members, with the White House at their forefront.
Nuri al-Mismari, Muammar Gaddafi’s protocol chief and shadow, once told me a very expressive story.
Kofi Annan came to Libya to speak about the Lockerbie bombing. The Libyan leader decided to intimidate him. He asked that they bring the visitor at night and turn off the lights in the area except for the tent. The tent was set up 200 meters away from the coastal road, but the instructions were to do a long detour before arriving at the camp.
Annan felt scared, especially when he heard the grunting of the camels. He asked Mismari if this was the roar of lions and the latter reassured him and noticed that his face went white with fear. Gaddafi ordered that Annan be taken back along the same road.
Hosni Mubarak was taken to the same road, which upset him greatly. He vowed never to return to Libya if he would be taken to the desert.
However, the US power alone was able to force Gaddafi to search for a solution to the Lockerbie crisis and to stop sending explosives by land, sea, and air.
The colonel was scared when the American policeman sent his warplanes to bomb his headquarters in the Bab al-Aziziyah barracks. Later, he panicked when he felt that his fate might be similar to that of Saddam Hussein.
The world cannot sail without a captain. The world always needs a policeman. It is true that a policeman may commit mistakes and sins, but the price of his absence is greater than that of carrying out his role. The policeman is an international and regional need, as long as he always seeks to downsize his role by highlighting the strength of the United Nations and stressing the need for the playing field to accommodate more than one player.
World leadership is essential in front of great problems. Only a policeman the size of the United States can reassure countries that are trembling with fear of the Chinese dragon. Only a policeman of this type can prevent the Red Army from cutting off parts of the European mold. The same is true for deterring regional wolves and pushing them to think well before they destroy the surrounding maps and tear them apart with militias and mercenaries.
Leading the battle against pandemics also needs a policeman, who can participate in a collective tango in which responsibilities and roles are divided. America is a must, says the man who knows it. But you must know it well and learn the language of interests, roles, and the complexities of decision-making.
It is true that Joe Biden is not a hawk and advocate of war, but America is obligated to a certain degree to assume the role of policeman, even if it refrains from using its armies and fleets.
The policeman can use the weapons of economics, diplomacy, and impressive military maneuvers.
While waiting for the US election battles to subside, the world is asking when the US policeman will resume his role. Trump used the weapon of sanctions. Every boss has his own style. A new policeman in a different world.

A Preview of Biden's Foreign Policy
James Stavridis/Bloomberg/November, 16/2020
I got to know Joe Biden when I was a combatant commander for the Barack Obama administration, first at the US Southern Command and then most deeply in my four years at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Once, at a dinner hosted by America’s NATO ambassador in Brussels, I watched the then-vice president meet with ambassadors and foreign ministers from the 27 other nations then in the alliance.
Biden walked around the large table and was able to comment in depth on any number of the countries, from huge Germany to tiny Iceland, with a short vignette about a visit to this or that city, or a telling anecdote concerning a head of state, or a comment on current policy. This was not the result of memorized crib sheets from his staff: Biden did it off the top of his head, and it was a natural and unforced demonstration of his long term of service not just domestically, but also in the larger world.
While the 2020 election campaign understandably focused on domestic issues, Biden is a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and reinforcing America’s geopolitical primacy will be high on his agenda.
He will bring a deeply experienced team of foreign and security policy advisers with him into government, many veterans of the Obama administration. Having worked alongside nearly all of them, I would say this might be the deepest initial bench any president has brought to the White House in the post-Vietnam era. Among them: Nicholas Burns, William Burns and Tony Blinken held top jobs at the State Department; Avril Haines and Michael Morell similarly helped guide the CIA; Michele Flournoy, Lisa Monaco and Jeh Johnson filled senior roles involving defense and homeland security; Susan Rice was ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser.
Whether all of these serious players will take on official roles remains to be seen, but it is a very good start. And a real strength of a Biden foreign policy team would likely be stability. Donald Trump has had four national security advisers in as many years. Look for members of a Biden team to have long terms.
As we begin to contemplate the Joe Biden approach to the world, it is worth examining the similarities and differences with the outgoing Trump administration. It may come as a surprise, but many aspects of foreign and security policy will likely continue on their current trajectory, albeit with different style and grace notes. Biden has signaled that he intends to take a relatively tough stance on China, for example. This will include continuing to address the pre-Covid basket of challenges the US has with Beijing: claims of territoriality and construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea; trade and tariff imbalances; intellectual property theft; and shadowy conflicts in cybersecurity.
There will also be continuing pressure on various terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, the so-called ISIS, and Al Shabaab in East Africa. Likewise with economic and diplomatic pressure on the corrupt Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela. And the general idea of bringing home troops from “the forever wars” is likely, albeit at a more measured pace based on conditions on the ground. But the differences are going to be far more pronounced than the similarities. At the top of the list will be an immediate (and sensible) return to the Paris Climate Accords, moving the US back into a leadership role in international environmental efforts. This is a potential zone of cooperation with China that I suspect will be explored seriously. This more collegial global effort in climate will lay alongside a generally higher appreciation for cooperation with other international organizations: the World Health Organization and other United Nations entities; regional groups such as the Organization of American States and Association of Southeast Asian Nations; and, dear to my heart, NATO.
Similarly, this team will be more inclined to invest in treaties as tools to help shape the world in ways that help US objectives. At the top of the list will be a new strategic arms limitation agreement with Russia, to replace the expiring New START pact, and perhaps over time with China. Russia has signaled a willingness to hammer out an accord.
A Biden administration will also consider revisiting the intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty, which was abandoned by the Trump administration; the open skies agreement for nuclear weapons verification; and possibly the Iranian nuclear deal. All of this will signal a return to classic diplomacy.
I am being asked often about the defense budget under President Biden. Despite some calls from the left wing of the Democratic Party to slash defense deeply, I suspect the dollar amount will stay flat or drop by a percentage or two.
There will, however, be a realignment within that budget to emphasize 21st-century tools of warfare: cybersecurity; unmanned vehicles (not just aerial drones, but also satellites, unmanned submarines, and surface ships); Special Forces; hypersonic weapons; and artificial intelligence. This will come at the expense, probably, of troop levels and some number of very expensive large platforms (aircraft carriers and Army brigade combat teams). Modernization of the nation’s nuclear arsenal, begun under Obama, may be put on hold.
In terms of individual nations, the degree of similarity and difference between Trump and Biden will vary. Iran should expect a return to negotiations, but not to the exact previous nuclear deal. North Korea may find a willingness to consider creative solutions, such as allowing it some number of nuclear weapons but with restrictions and inspections on delivery systems.

Moderna says its vaccine is 94.5 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19
Paul Carey/The National/November 16/2020
Vaccine hope as company says its shots provide strong protection.
US biotech company Moderna gave new hope for an effective weapon against Covid-19 on Monday by announcing its experimental vaccine was 94.5 per cent effective in preventing the virus.
Moderna is the second US company to report results that far exceed expectations. A week ago, competitor Pfizer announced its own Covid-19 vaccine appeared similarly effective – news that puts both companies on track to seek permission within weeks for emergency use in the US.
Moderna hailed its Covid-19 vaccine as a potential “game changer”.
"We are going to have a vaccine that can stop Covid-19,” said Dr Stephen Hoge, Moderna’s president. He welcomed the “really important milestone” but said having similar results from two different companies is what is most reassuring. “That should give us all hope that actually a vaccine is going to be able to stop this pandemic and hopefully get us back to our lives,” Dr Hoge said.
“It won’t be Moderna alone that solves this problem. It’s going to require many vaccines” to meet the global demand, he said.
Stéphane Bancel, Moderna's chief executive, said: “This is a pivotal moment in the development of our Covid-19 vaccine candidate. Since early January, we have chased this virus with the intent to protect as many people around the world as possible. All along, we have known that each day matters. This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent Covid-19 disease, including severe disease.”
Both the Pfizer and Moderna shots rely on a technology called messenger RNA that has never been used to build an approved vaccine. Soon, millions of people around the world could be spared from the illness by the breakthroughs.
A preliminary analysis of data from more than 30,000 volunteers showed Moderna’s vaccine prevented virtually all symptomatic cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the company said.
A key advantage of Moderna's vaccine is that it does not need ultra-cold storage like Pfizer's, making it easier to distribute.Moderna expects it to be stable at normal fridge temperatures of 2°C to 8°C for 30 days and it can be stored for up to six months at minus 20°C. Pfizer's vaccine must be shipped and stored at minus 70°C, the sort of temperature typical of an Antarctic winter. It can be stored for up to five days at standard refrigerator temperatures or for up to 15 days in a thermal shipping box.
Moderna, part of the US government's Operation Warp Speed programme, expects to produce about 20 million doses of the vaccine for the US this year, millions of which the company has already made, and is ready to ship if it receives FDA authorisation.
"Assuming we get an emergency use authorisation, we'll be ready to ship through Warp Speed almost in hours," Dr Hoge said. "So it could start being distributed instantly."The UK government has committed to buying 5 million vaccines, which is enough for 2.5 million people.
Hajj inspiration
Lebanese-American virologist Hadi Yassine played a pivotal role in the development of the vaccine.
He fell ill in 2013 after completing the hajj pilgrimage to Makkah.
The breakneck speed at which the US team was able to roll out a vaccine candidate – the shot was given to the first volunteer during trials after just 63 days – is down to groundbreaking work that the US National Institutes of Health did in 2013 with Dr Yassine and the common coronavirus that returned with him from Makkah. The team worked on Sars and Mers before turning their attention to other coronaviruses. The work done by the NIH in 2013 through to 2017 has directly informed the progress that the institutes have made on pandemic preparedness in the run-up to the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr Yassine’s discovery has not only led to the lightning-fast roll-out of the Moderna vaccine trials but is also the science behind about half the other vaccine candidates now in the race to stop Covid-19.
Shares quadruple
Moderna's shares, which have more than quadrupled this year, rose 15 per cent in premarket trading while European stocks and Wall Street stock futures jumped on the vaccine update. The benchmark S&P 500 futures rose 1.3 per cent, stopping just short of a new record high, while the pan-European STOXX 600 hit late-February highs.
"Just as their initial dose of vaccine bullishness appeared to be waning, the markets got another injection of good news this Monday," said Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell. "One-upping BioNTech and Pfizer, Moderna has claimed its preparation is nearly '95 percent effective' after a trial involving 30,000 Americans. "As with Pfizer, there is still a way to go before Moderna's vaccine is approved. However, investors were only thinking about the long term, flashing forward to the end of this nightmare."
World oil prices soared by more than 3.5 per cent as the Moderna news stoked hopes of a recovery in energy demand.
Only five participants who received two doses of the vaccine became ill, compared with 90 coronavirus cases in participants who received a placebo, according to a review by an independent data safety monitoring board appointed by the US National Institutes of Health.
The vaccine also appeared to be effective in preventing the most serious Covid-19 infections. There were no severe cases among people who got the vaccine, compared with 11 in volunteers who received placebo shots, according to Moderna.
Volunteers vaccinated
If the US Food and Drug Administration allows emergency use of Moderna’s or Pfizer’s candidates, there will be limited, rationed supplies before the end of the year. Both require people to get two shots, several weeks apart. Moderna expects to have about 20 million doses, earmarked for the US, by the end of 2020. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech expect to have about 50 million doses globally by the year’s end.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Hamed, chairman of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, receives a vaccine during a clinical trial for the third phase of the inactive vaccine for Covid-19. Courtesy Wam.
Moderna’s vaccine, created with the National Institutes of Health, is being studied in 30,000 volunteers who received either the real vaccination or a placebo.
The study is continuing, and Moderna acknowledged the protection rate might change as more Covid-19 infections are detected and added to the calculations. Also, it is too soon to know how long protection lasts. Both cautions apply to Pfizer’s vaccine as well.
But Moderna’s independent monitors reported some additional, promising details: all 11 severe Covid-19 cases were among placebo recipients, and there were no significant safety concerns.
The main side effects were fatigue, muscle aches and injection-site pain after the vaccine’s second dose, at rates that Mr Hoge characterised as more common than with flu shots, but on par with others such as the shingles vaccine.
Andrew Hill, senior visiting research fellow in the department of pharmacology at the University of Liverpool, said: "This vaccine would be much easier to transport and administer than the one from Pfizer. Also the preliminary evidence suggests that it can prevent severe Covid-19 disease.
A patient is transported outside of Tisch Hospital in New York, US. AFP
However, the Moderna vaccine is more expensive and there are fewer doses available in the next year. No vaccine company has enough supplies available to protect everyone in need. We will need all the available vaccines with over 90 per cent efficacy to cover global demand."
Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "This announcement is a further encouragement that vaccines will be found to not only have an acceptable efficacy, but an efficacy that is much greater than we had anticipated.
"The range of minor adverse effects reported are unsurprising and typical of almost any vaccine. These reactions tend to be local to where the injection was given and are rarely long-lasting or severe.
"Although they reported efficacy being over 94 per cent, there is statistical uncertainty in this; but based on these data, the likely efficacy will be better than 85 per cent, which would be greater than most scientists would have expected."
Europe testing
The US’s top infectious disease expert said the news “is really quite impressive”.
Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that Moderna’s finding, along with similar results from Pfizer last week, “is something that foretells an impact on this outbreak”.
“So now we have two vaccines that are really quite effective, so I think this is a really strong step forward to where we want to be about getting control with this outbreak,” Dr Fauci said.
Eleanor Riley, professor of immunology and infectious disease at the University of Edinburgh, said: "It is likely that vaccines that prevent symptomatic disease will reduce the duration and level of infectiousness, and thus reduce transmission, but we don't yet know if this effect will be large enough to make any meaningful difference to the spread of the virus within communities."
Europe's health regulator said on Monday it had launched a real-time "rolling review" of Moderna's vaccine, following similar reviews of vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

Iran ponders how to deal with new US president
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/November 16/2020
Over recent months, Iran has, at least publicly, pursued a wait-and-see policy regarding the outcome of the US presidential election.
The choice was between either a second term for President Donald Trump — which Tehran did not even want to think of — or a triumph for Joe Biden, the vice president under Barack Obama, during whose tenure relations between Washington and Tehran improved, stopping just short of full normalization, which had a significantly positive impact on the Iranian regime.
Now, the vision is substantially clearer. Democrat Biden has been unofficially declared the winner of this month’s vote. However, President Trump continues to contest the result of the election.
Official statements coming out of Iran have been consistent with the narrative of the supreme leader. According to the official narrative, Iran’s regime is not interested in the outcome of the US election, which it insists is an internal American affair. The Iranian regime has also reiterated there is no difference, from their viewpoint, between Trump and Biden, although some officials, including ambassador to London Hamid Baeidinejad, have publicly celebrated Trump’s defeat, deeming this a triumph for Iran and a blow to its enemies.
Despite this official narrative, most Iranian newspapers extensively discussed the US election on their front pages. This curiosity was in stark contrast to the official narrative, which attempted to suggest apathy and indifference toward the vote and the outcome.
This attention paid to the election by the Iranian state-approved press, which publishes nothing without the regime’s approval, shows that, despite Tehran’s official narrative, it had in fact been eagerly awaiting the end of President Trump’s term of office and the Democratic Party’s return to power. It should also be remembered that the new president-elect, as Obama’s former vice president, has access to many details of the Iran-US negotiations that took place between 2013 and the end of Obama’s time in the White House.
Despite the Iranian regime’s claim that there is no difference between the two US parties, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has in the past said that he and Biden maintain a strong friendship. Besides, since the preliminary results of the US election began to emerge, the price of gold in Iran declined and the Iranian currency restored some of its value against foreign currencies. These two economic indicators confirm that the US election impacted Iran more than any other country.
After Biden was declared the winner, Abbas Mousavi, a former spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry and Iran’s current ambassador to Azerbaijan, posted on Twitter: “Just as Iran saw no difference between Carter and Reagan, Clinton and Bush and between Obama and Trump, the status quo does not represent any difference for Iran either. It is likely that Joe Biden will possibly be the same as his predecessors. But Iran should have its own Joe Biden and reach the peak of pride via the mixture of belief, vigor and zeal.” Mousavi was subsequently prompted to delete this tweet due to vast criticism, along with the mockery, derision and condemnation of such a tweet being posted by someone who is supposedly a high-ranking Iranian diplomat.
Despite the varying forecasts about how Iran will deal with President-elect Biden, there is no doubt there are divergent viewpoints in Iran regarding the best mechanism to pursue. President Hassan Rouhani’s government believes it is necessary to open early channels of communication with Biden, making some gains at home for the so-called reformist/moderate movement before the end of Rouhani’s presidential term. Meanwhile, the fundamentalists want to wait until Biden’s position on Iran becomes clearer, rather than rushing to embrace him — although such a policy could be potentially damaging for Iran’s hopes of making greater gains. One should not rule out the possibility that the Iranian regime will attempt to test the red lines set by the new president.
In addition to their stance on Biden, the fundamentalists also seek to weaken their opponents domestically with the aim of taking complete control of the state’s institutions. This difference between the reformists/moderates and the fundamentalists is solely related to Iranian domestic policy, since foreign policy and security-related issues rest wholly with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. I believe Khamenei’s position is closer to that of the fundamentalists than the position adopted by Rouhani’s moderate government and the political blocs backing it.
One should not rule out the possibility that the Iranian regime will attempt to test the red lines set by the new president, especially when it comes to Tehran’s regional behavior and support for terrorist and sectarian militias and groups in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. Iran will no doubt continue to provide covert support for such groups, awaiting a response from the US.
In the period before the new US administration takes any decisions on the country’s unilateral sanctions on Tehran — such as on the sale of oil and petrochemical derivatives or on the Iranian financial and banking sectors — Iran will continue to circumvent them. The regime will seek to gauge the seriousness of the new US administration’s approach to implementing these sanctions before arriving at the phase of negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Moreover, Tehran will continue its relations with the European countries that are supportive of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in an effort to convince the new US administration to immediately return to the 2015 nuclear deal and lift the unilateral American sanctions. Tehran could raise the level of its demands by seeking to obtain compensation from Washington for the damage it incurred following the US’ unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal. Tehran is fully aware that obtaining compensation from the US would be virtually impossible, but issuing such a demand would strengthen its negotiating position and prove a face-saving exercise with the public at home. To conclude, Iran is totally convinced that reversing the consequences of the Trump administration’s policies in the region will be extremely difficult. Also, the change in the political scene in the region, with some Arab countries normalizing relations with Israel, is not in the interest of the Iranian regime’s expansionist project. The increased awareness of the Arab region’s peoples, especially the Shiite communities in Iraq and Lebanon, and their negative position toward Iran may force Tehran to reconsider the wisdom of retaining some of its previous gains, at least until it restores its prestige and reshapes its image at home and overseas. Despite all the aforementioned points, however, Tehran will not cease its efforts and will continue knocking on various doors as it seeks to achieve some of its objectives, or at least alleviate the economic and political pressures from which it is currently suffering. If Iran truly wishes peace and good ties with its Arab neighbors, it should abandon its worn-out, repetitive and tedious narrative linking the positions of the region’s countries with those of the US and other powers.
The problem with Iran lies in its hostile behavior toward its neighbors, its support for sectarian militias and terrorism, and how it conceals this policy behind deceptive statements that oppose the reality on the ground. If Iran continues to pursue its current approach, which the region’s countries know all too well and have become all too familiar with due to Tehran’s endless repetition, the problem will remain unresolved regardless of who sits in the White House.
• Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is Head of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami