LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 26/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Everyone, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?
Book of Revelation 06/09-17/:”When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; they cried out with a loud voice, ‘Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?’They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow-servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed. When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and there came a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree drops its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll rolling itself up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the magnates and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on November 25-26/2019
U.N. Security Council Urges Lebanese to Avoid 'Violence', Hold 'Dialogue' & keep protests peaceful
Gunfire, Tensions as Hizbullah, AMAL Supporters Roam Streets on Motorbikes
Al-Rahi Slams Attack on Protesters as 'Attack on Lebanon'
Hizbullah Calls Car Crash near Jiye Roadblock a 'Terrorist Crime'
Kubis Urges Lebanese Parties to 'Control Supporters', Avoid Exploiting Protests
Report: British Envoy in Beirut, An ‘Initiative’ Likely to Help Lebanon
UK Envoy: Ready to Support Lebanon but Govt. Formation a Domestic Issue
Aoun, Hariri Meet UK Envoy, Discuss Lebanon Situation
Protesters Defiant despite Attack by Hizbullah, AMAL Supporters
Key Beirut road reopens after rival groups clash overnight, businesses call for strike
Lebanese army opens main north Beirut road as other cities’ roads remain blocked
Lebanese Hezbollah supporters attack protesters near the Ring Bridge
Lebanese protesters clash with supporters of Hezbollah, Amal in Beirut
Key Lebanon Roads Blocked after Hizbullah, AMAL Supporters Attack Protesters
Hizbullah, AMAL Supporters Attack Protesters as Roads Blocked across Lebanon
Vehicles Vandalized in Beirut Streets during Night Clashes
Berri Warns against Strife, Urges Security Forces to Keep Roads Open
State Prosecutor Orders Probe into Central Beirut Violence
Judge orders Lebanese bank to release depositor's funds
Hezbollah denies statement attributed to Sherry on Ring Bridge incidents
Army chief meets Murphy, Moore, retired military officers' delegation
Students, Instructors join protesters at Halba Square
Jumblatt: Roads should remain open so that average citizens can ensure daily living needs
Batish, Lazarrini tackle current economic situation
Abu Fakhr’s family refrains from decision to block Khaldeh Triangle
Arrest warrant against killer of Alaa Abu Fakhr'
Protesters stage sit-in on Baabda road, up calls for speedy PM designation
Investigations launched into Ring scuffles under supervision of Judge Oweidat

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published 
on November 25-26/2019
Arab League condemns US position on Israeli settlements
Saudi Arabia rejects the US position on settlements in Palestine: Saudi FM
Turkey not resuming military operation in northeast Syria: Security source
Turkey to test Russian S-400 systems despite US pressure: Media
US Centcom commander: Iran has ability to strike Israel
Iran says pro-government rally to show the ‘real’ Iranians
Iran rejects US order to pay $180 mln over reporter’s jailing
Arab Israeli handed life sentence for murder of settler
Riot police withdraw in southern Iraq province after clashes

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 25-26/2019
Lebanon investigates clashes between protesters and Hezbollah supportersSunniva Rose/The National/November 25/2019
How filmmaker Elie Kamal used Lebanon’s abandoned railways to explore his country's past/Kaleem Aftab/The National/November 25/2019
The call for a post-sectarian Middle East in Baghdad and Beirut/Zaid M. Belbagi//Arab News/November 25/2019
Protesters Defiant despite Attack by Hizbullah, AMAL Supporters/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 25/2019
*The Two-Faced Muslim that Pope Francis Loves and Trusts/Raymond Ibrahim/FrontPage Magazine/November 25/2019
Iran Tortures Protesters, World Yawns/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/November 25, 2019
Are Palestinians Not Entitled to Human Rights?/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/November 25/2019
FBI must investigate alleged Qatari bribery scheme in US Congress/Oren Litwin/Al Arabiya/November 25/2019
Iran uprisings show Tehran regime has got to go/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/November 25/2019
Ups and downs in the oil markets prior to OPEC+ and Aramco IPO/Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/November 25/2019
Syrian sanctions: What to do next?/Chris Doyle/Arab News/November 25/2019
Environmental problems fuel Iran protests/Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/November 25/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on November 25-26/2019
U.N. Security Council Urges Lebanese to Avoid 'Violence', Hold 'Dialogue' & keep protests peaceful
Agence France Presse/November 25/2019
The U.N. Security Council on Monday called for "the peaceful character of the protests" in Lebanon to be upheld after overnight attacks by supporters of Hizbullah and AMAL. Members "called on all actors to conduct intensive national dialogue and to maintain the peaceful character of the protests by avoiding violence and respecting the right to peaceful assembly in protest," it said in a statement approved unanimously at the end of a regular council meeting on Lebanon. They also commended "the role of the Lebanese Armed Forces and other State security institutions in protecting this right."
The members of the Security Council also noted that "this is a critical time for Lebanon," stressed the importance of "the timely formation of a new government able to respond to the aspirations of the Lebanese people and to restore the stability of the country within the constitutional framework."
At around midnight on Sunday, Hizbullah and AMAL Movement supporters attacked protesters at the Ring flyover near the capital's main protest camp.
Brandishing party flags, they hurled stones at peaceful demonstrators and taunted them with insults as riot police deployed to contain the violence and eventually fired tear gas. The attackers also ravaged a nearby encampment, tearing down tents and damaging storefronts in their most serious assault on the protesters so far. At least 10 demonstrators were wounded, according to civil defense.

Gunfire, Tensions as Hizbullah, AMAL Supporters Roam Streets on Motorbikes
Naharnet/November 25/2019
Army troops and security forces quickly intervened Monday evening after supporters of the AMAL Movement and Hizbullah arrived at Beirut’s Martyrs Square on scooters and hurled insults and a few rocks at protesters who have an encampment in the area. The situation was quickly brought under control although tensions remain high. Security forces later reinforced their presence in the capital’s Martyrs Square and Riad al-Solh. Media reports said the motorbikes arrived from the Beirut southern suburb of Msharrafiyeh, where supporters of the two parties were holding a sit-in in protest at a car crash that killed two people near a roadblock in Jiye. Later on Monday, gunfire erupted in the Beirut area of Cola after convoys of motorcycles passed in the area. The convoys had roamed several streets in Beirut and its suburbs. TV networks said the gunshots were fired in the air, causing no injuries. The army immediately sent reinforcements to the area. Supporters of al-Mustaqbal Movement had earlier blocked the Qasqas road in Beirut after Hizbullah and AMAL supporters passed in the area on motorbikes and shouted slogans. MTV said gunshots were also fired in the air there. The army quickly intervened and deployed in the area. Al-Mustaqbal meanwhile issued a statement urging its supporters not to be dragged into "provocations aimed at igniting strife" and to "refrain from taking part in any street protests or convoys."Elsewhere, supporters of Hizbullah and AMAL attacked the main protest site in the southern city of Tyre and torched the tents of protesters.

Al-Rahi Slams Attack on Protesters as 'Attack on Lebanon'
Naharnet/November 25/2019
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Monday condemned the overnight attack on protesters in central Beirut as an “attack on Lebanon.” “The attack did not only target peaceful youths, but also the army and security forces,” he said during a visit to Cairo. “We condemn this approach towards a sacred cause, because the young men and women are demanding the welfare of Lebanon and its people and institutions and the attack against them is an attack on Lebanon and the sacred cause,” the patriarch added. He also condemned the attacks on “public and private properties, cars and shops,” while urging protesters to “show restraint” and “cooperate with security forces and the army to preserve the public welfare.” At around midnight on Sunday, Hizbullah and AMAL Movement supporters attacked protesters at the Ring flyover near the capital's main protest camp. Brandishing party flags, they hurled stones at peaceful demonstrators and taunted them with insults as riot police deployed to contain the violence and eventually fired tear gas. The attackers also ravaged a nearby encampment, tearing down tents and damaging storefronts in their most serious assault on the protesters so far. At least 10 demonstrators were wounded, civil defense said, without specifying the extent of their injuries. On Monday morning, scattered stones, shattered glass and the mangled remains of tents littered the ground in the main protest camp.Around the square, car windows had been smashed with rocks.

Hizbullah Calls Car Crash near Jiye Roadblock a 'Terrorist Crime'
Naharnet/November 25/2019
Hizbullah on Monday described as a “terrorist crime” the car crash that resulted in the death of two citizens near a protest roadblock on Jiye’s highway. “The horrible crime resulted from militia-like attacks by groups of bandits who are practicing the ugliest forms of humiliation and terrorism against innocent civilians commuting on roads,” Hizbullah’s media department said in a statement. “This vicious attack that targeted the two dear martyrs is an attack on all Lebanese and a threat to civil peace and social stability, that’s why we call on everyone to fully shoulder their responsibilities in order to unveil the circumstances of this terrorist crime and punish the attackers,” the party added. The two victims have been identified as Hussein Shalhoub and his relative Sanaa al-Jundi. Shalhoub’s daughter who was with them in the car escaped unharmed. CCTV footage shows the speeding car hitting a metallic barrier before driving into a pole placed on the ground and catching fire. Protesters in the area said the metallic barrier was erected by the army and that they were hundreds of meters away. Some social media users have accused protesters of hurling rocks at the car, accusations denied by the protesters. Pro-Hizbullah media outlets have in recent weeks accused political rivals, especially al-Mustaqbal Movement, of playing a role in the blocking of some roads in the country, particularly the Jiye highway which links Beirut to the South.

Kubis Urges Lebanese Parties to 'Control Supporters', Avoid Exploiting Protests
Naharnet/November 25/2019
U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis on Monday urged Lebanon’s political parties to “control their supporters” and refrain from exploiting the protests that have been sweeping the country since October 17. “The attack of last night of groups under Hizbullah & Amal flags on demonstrators again exposed how dangerous are such actions of political activists, how easily they can trigger confrontation, even sectarian ones, how challenging it is for security forces to protect law and order,” Kubis said in a tweet. “I urge all Lebanese political forces to control their supporters, to avoid using the national protests for pursuing their political agenda,” he added. At around midnight on Sunday, Hizbullah and AMAL Movement supporters attacked protesters at the Ring flyover near the capital's main protest camp. Brandishing party flags, they hurled stones at demonstrators and taunted them with insults as riot police deployed to contain the violence and eventually fired tear gas. The attackers also ravaged a nearby encampment, tearing down tents and damaging storefronts in their most serious assault on the protesters so far. Hizbullah, the Free Patriotic Movement and their allies have meanwhile accused al-Mustaqbal Movement, the Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party of taking advantage of the protests to advance their political agendas. The three parties deny the accusations, saying some of their supporters have joined the popular uprising without being instructed to do so.

Report: British Envoy in Beirut, An ‘Initiative’ Likely to Help Lebanon
Naharnet/November 25/2019
A British envoy arrived in Beirut on Monday to meet with senior Lebanese officials in light of the latest developments in the country. Richard Moore, Director General for Political Affairs at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office first met President Michel Aoun early morning.
He will also meet Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker PM Saad Hariri and a number of officials, European diplomatic sources told al-Jomhouria daily. Britain has provided strong support to Lebanon in recent years in the military, technical and logistical fields and reinforcing land units and border regiments, especially the education and health sectors. “It is preparing to expand this initiative diplomatically and internationally, which is the first British move at this level,” said the daily. The sources linked the visit to the results of the US-French-British tripartite meeting held in Paris last Tuesday as part of an international effort to help Lebanon. The meeting was hosted by the French envoy to Beirut, Director of the Middle East and North Africa at the French Foreign Ministry Christophe Farnaud, in the presence of his US and British counterparts respectively, David Schenker and Stephanie al-Qaq and Moore. Last week France sent Farnaud to Lebanon where he held talks with all the political actors. The sources said that Britain wants to expand and invest the Paris tripartite meeting and turn it to a direct British-French initiative to help Lebanon out of the current crisis with US support, to present it to the Atlantic Conference in Paris this at the end of the week. Ongoing nationwide anti-government protests in Lebanon since October 17 have brought down the government, but a new government has yet to be formed.

UK Envoy: Ready to Support Lebanon but Govt. Formation a Domestic Issue
Naharnet/November 25/2019
Richard Moore, Director General for Political Affairs at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is visiting Lebanon on Monday for high level meetings with Lebanese officials, accompanied by Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Lebanon Chris Rampling, a press release said.
His meetings will include discussions with President General Michel Aoun, Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Speaker Nabih Berri, Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, and the LAF Commander-in-Chief General Joseph Aoun. In his meetings, Richard Moore will listen to the views of interlocutors on the current situation in Lebanon, and underline the urgent need to form a government and implement policies that reflect the aspirations of the Lebanese people including for better governance. It is vital that a new government is formed quickly so that it is able to implement the economic reforms which will help Lebanon regain long-term stability and more inclusive growth. Director General Richard Moore said: ‘I am pleased to be able to visit Beirut again, at what is perhaps a seminal moment for Lebanon. We have been following developments here closely, as the UK has long been an important partner and supporter for Lebanon, for example investing $200m last year to support Lebanese security, stability, prosperity and sovereignty. We and partners in the international community stand ready to continue our support to Lebanon. But let me be clear that the matter of choosing leaders and a Cabinet is a domestic issue for the Lebanese. The people of Lebanon have been clear in their demand for improved governance, and they should be heard. As protests continue, we recognise that the security agencies have a difficult but essential role in safeguarding Lebanese security. It is vital that the right to peaceful protest continues to be respected, and suppressing the protest movement through violence or intimidation from any organisation is completely unacceptable.’Ambassador Rampling said: ‘We are pleased to have Director General Moore here at this crucial time for Lebanon. As well as listening to the views of Lebanese interlocutors, our meetings today reiterate the importance the UK places on having a new, capable, responsive Lebanese government, able to implement the overdue reforms that will benefit all Lebanese.’

Aoun, Hariri Meet UK Envoy, Discuss Lebanon Situation
Naharnet/November 25/2019
President Michel Aoun and caretaker PM Saad Hariri separately held meetings Monday with Richard Moore, Director General for Political Affairs at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office where talks discussed the latest developments. Aoun met Moore at Baabda palace and discussed with him the current general situation, the bilateral relations between Lebanon and the UK and the repercussions of the massive presence of displaced Syrians in Lebanon. During the meeting, Aoun commended the Lebanese-British ties and cooperation in various fields, especially the UK support for the Lebanese army and its land border regiments. The President maintained that the signature of a Lebanese-British partnership agreement "was the last diplomatic accomplishment made before the resignation of the government."The two men also dwelt on the file of Syrian refugees and the repercussions of their massive presence in Lebanon on all sectors.For his part, Moore briefed Aoun on the recent meeting in Paris attended by representatives of France, the UK, and USA. He also underlined his country's commitment to helping Lebanon and supporting its constitutional legitimacy. The meeting took place in presence of British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, and Caretaker State Minister for Presidency Affairs, Salim Jreissati. Later during the day, Hariri met Moore at the Center House accompanied by British Ambassador to Lebanon Chris Rampling, in the presence of former Minister Ghattas Khoury. “The meeting focused on the developments in Lebanon and the mission undertaken by the British envoy in Lebanon,” said Hariri’s office. Before meeting Hariri, Moore met with outgoing minister Jebran Bassil. Before his meeting with officials, Moore said in a statement released by the UK embassy, that “Britain and partners in international community stand ready to support Lebanon but choosing leaders and a Cabinet is a domestic issue for the Lebanese.”

Key Beirut road reopens after rival groups clash overnight, businesses call for strike
Arab News/November 25/2019
BEIRUT: A key road has reopened in the Lebanese capital following clashes throughout the night between rival groups. The confrontations began when protesters blocked the street and were attacked by supporters of the two main Shiite political parties, Hezbollah and Amal. Both sides threw stones at each other for hours as security forces formed a barrier separating them. Lebanon’s massive protests against corruption and mismanagement by the country’s political elite are now in their second month, but have so far remained largely peaceful. The confrontations on the Ring Road, which broke out late Sunday and dragged into Monday morning, were some of the worst since the nationwide demonstrations began on Oct. 17. Iran-backed Hezbollah says the protests are being exploited by foreign powers with an agenda against the group. Meanwhile, a business group representing much of Lebanon's private sector called on Monday for a three-day general strike to press the country's divided politicians to form a government and end the crisis that has brought the economy to a standstill. Despite the unprecedented nationwide protests, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri on Oct. 29 and a worsening economic crisis, deeply divided politicians have yet to agree on a new government.

Lebanese army opens main north Beirut road as other cities’ roads remain blocked
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 25 November 2019
The Lebanese army opened up the main road in Jal el-Dib, just north of Beirut, on Monday and removed protesters’ tents in the area, an Al Arabiya correspondent reported. Eight people were arrested during the operation, the correspondent reported. Meanwhile, protesters continue to block most of the main and secondary roads in and around Lebanon’s Tripoli, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Monday. The news agency added that protesters burned car tires and trash cans under a main bridge in Tripoli, while some public workers attempted to open inner roads in various neighborhoods. The city is seeing a gradual flow of traffic and the reopening of shops, schools, and universities, as well as government buildings and banks. However, many students and employees have still not been able to reach their workplaces or educational institutions. NNA also reported that roads in Sidon are witnessing normal traffic as of Monday morning, while schools and other educational institutions remained closed. Lebanon is expected to witness a general strike across the country on Monday, Al Arabiya’s correspondent reported, as the army takes action against protesters blocking roads.

Lebanese Hezbollah supporters attack protesters near the Ring Bridge
Al Arabiya English, The Associated Press/Monday, 25 November 2019
A group of Hezbollah supporters attacked demonstrators protesting against Lebanon’s political elite in central Beirut late Sunday, triggering confrontations as security forces separated the two sides. The Lebanese Civil Defense hospitalized five protesters with different injuries, one of whom was subjected to a knife attack. The attacks by young men armed with clubs and metal rods chanting pro-Hezbollah slogans continued into the early hours of Monday as riot police and soldiers formed a human barrier preventing them from reaching the protesters. The supporters, who were riding motorbikes with the flags of Hezbollah and Amal Movement, stoned the protesters, who retaliated. The attacks by young men armed with clubs and metal rods chanting pro-Hezbollah slogans began late Sunday and continued after midnight as riot police and soldiers tried to prevent them from reaching the protesters.
The attacks occurred after protesters blocked a major road that links eastern neighborhoods of the capital with western parts. Since last month, Lebanese from all religious backgrounds have taken to the streets en masse to cry out against what they view as an incompetent and corrupt ruling class, forcing the government to resign.

Lebanese protesters clash with supporters of Hezbollah, Amal in Beirut
BEIRUT (Reuters) November 25/2019
Clashes broke out between anti-government demonstrators and supporters of the Shi’ite groups Hezbollah and Amal in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, early on Monday, as tensions escalated when demonstrators blocked a main bridge. Lebanon has faced five weeks of anti-government protests, fueled by anger at corruption among the sectarian politicians who have governed Lebanon for decades. Demonstrators want to see the entire ruling class gone from power. Hezbollah and Amal were both represented in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, who quit on Oct. 29 after the protests began. The heavily armed Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, had opposed Hariri’s resignation. Army soldiers and riot police formed a barrier separating the protesters from the supporters of the Shi’ite groups on a main road known as the Ring Bridge as rocks were thrown by both sides, television footage broadcast by Lebanese media showed. Security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowds, three local television stations reported. Supporters of Hezbollah and Amal waved the groups’ flags. Earlier, they had chanted: “Shia, Shia” and slogans in support of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. On the other side, demonstrators chanted: “Revolution, revolution”. Lebanese broadcaster al-Jadeed reported that fighting apparently broke out when Hezbollah and Amal supporters blamed other demonstrators for making offensive comments about Nasrallah. Reuters could not independently verify the report. The ground was strewn with rocks. A motorcycle was set on fire. The Lebanese civil defense said on its Twitter account that it was administering first aid to five people suffering from “various injuries.” It was the worst tension in Beirut since a mob loyal to Hezbollah and Amal attacked and destroyed the main protest camp in central Beirut last month. The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful. Reporting by Issam Abdullah, Laila Bassam and Nadine Awadalla in Beirut; Additional reporting by Nayera Abdullah in Cairo; Editing by Peter Cooney. Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Key Lebanon Roads Blocked after Hizbullah, AMAL Supporters Attack Protesters
Associated Press/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 25/2019
Key roads around Lebanon were blocked by anti-government protesters on Monday following clashes throughout the night with AMAL and Hizbullah supporters. Protesters responded with anger at the night attacks blocking key roads around the country and in Beirut’s vital streets.
The confrontations began when protesters blocked the street and were attacked by supporters of Hizbullah and AMAL, with army reinforcements intervening to diffuse tensions. Shortly before midnight on Sunday, men on foot and scooters arrived at a roadblock set up by the protesters across a key street in the capital, local television showed. They shouted insults and chanted in support of the chiefs of Hizbullah and AMAL, before briefly breaking through and attacking some demonstrators. Those at the roadblock chanted "peaceful, peaceful", as the security forces and army reinforcements deployed in a thick line between both sides in the early hours of Monday morning. The counter-protesters also headed to a main nerve centre of protests nearby and destroyed tents there. Lebanon's massive protests against corruption and mismanagement by the country's political elite are now in their second month, but have so far remained largely peaceful. The confrontations on the Ring Road, which broke out late Sunday and dragged into Monday morning, were some of the worst since the nationwide demonstrations began on Oct. 17. Iran-backed Hizbullah alleges the protests are being exploited by foreign powers with an agenda against the group.

Hizbullah, AMAL Supporters Attack Protesters as Roads Blocked across Lebanon
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 25/2019
Supporters of Hizbullah and the AMAL Movement launched fresh attacks late Sunday on anti-corruption protesters in central Beirut, as roads were blocked across Lebanon in an escalation of anti-corruption protests. Shortly before midnight on Sunday, men on foot and scooters arrived at a roadblock set up by anti-graft protesters across the Ring flyover in central Beirut. Fistfights first erupted before the AMAL and Hizbullah supporters descended on Riad al-Solh and Martyrs Square where they reportedly vandalized tents and threatened protesters. They shouted insults and chanted in support of the chiefs of the Shiite movements Hizbulah and AMAL, before briefly breaking through and attacking some demonstrators. Those at the roadblock chanted "peaceful, peaceful", as the security forces and army reinforcements deployed in a thick line between both sides in the early hours of Monday morning. The tensions came after a peaceful day of demonstrations, more than a month into a spontaneous nationwide street movement against the political elite. On Saturday, Lebanese security forces briefly detained five youths, including three minors, for allegedly pulling down a sign for President Michel Aoun's political party in the town of Hammana east of Beirut, sparking outrage on social media. Security forces released them after midnight, the Committee of Lawyers for the Defence of Protesters said. The army said two of the children were 15 years old and the third was 12. "Down with the regime that arrests children," a Twitter user said.
"When a 12-year-old child manages to shake the state's throne, you know the state is corrupt," another wrote.
Hundreds of arrests
During the first month of demonstrations, security forces arrested 300 people including 12 minors who were released within 24 to 48 hours, according to the lawyers' committee. But 11 people -- including two minors -- remain in detention accused of attacking a hotel in the southern city of Tyre during the first week of the uprising. The demonstrators managed to bring down the government less than two weeks into the protests, but it remains in a caretaker capacity and no new cabinet has since been formed. Late Sunday, protesters blocked major roads in several parts of the country and called for a general strike the following day in protest at the lack of progress in forming a fresh government. Earlier, hundreds had gathered in protest centres in Beirut, the northern city of Tripoli and in Tyre. In Beirut's Martyrs' Square, hundreds of women and men demanded their rights, some waving the national red and white flag or chanting "Revolution, Revolution!" Lebanon's protests have brought together people of all ages from across the political spectrum, tired of what they describe as sectarian politics three decades after a civil war. In the latest show of unity, a festive mood had reigned Sunday afternoon as Lebanese came together in public spaces across the country on the second day of the weekend. North of the capital women prepared traditional salads to share, while a group of men danced on a beach south of the city, state television footage showed. The Free Patriotic Movement party that Aoun founded is now led by his son-in-law, outgoing foreign minister Jebran Bassil, one of the most reviled figures in the protests. Hizbollah is the only party not to have disarmed after the 1975-1990 civil war and plays a key role in Lebanese politics.

Vehicles Vandalized in Beirut Streets during Night Clashes
Naharnet/November 25/2019
Dozens of vehicles in Monot street and Saifi village, east of Beirut Central District, were vandalized after AMAL and Hizbullah supporters attacked anti-government protesters after midnight on Sunday across the Ring Bridge thoroughfare.With army reinforcements intervening to diffuse tensions, AMAL and Hizbullah supporters reportedly tried to find a way out fleeing through side roads of Monot, Saifi and other. According to witnesses, a group of men chanting 'Shia, Shia' torched vehicles and smashed with metal rods and stone bricks the windows of an entire row of cars parked on the side of Monot street and Saifi. An old man, a taxi driver, had his cab parked in Monot and all smashed up. “I live here, I woke up to the scene, I hope someone would compensate for me,” he told LBCI. “I am one of the residents of Monot street,” a young female whose car was torched told LBCI reporter. “We were at home, we were not taking part in any of the protests taking place in the Ring area. At around 2:00 a.m. we heard people screaming and chanting ‘Shia Shia’ and then we heard the sound of shattering glass. They did all that to the entire vehicles parked here,” she said. Clashes erupted throughout the night between rival groups, some of the worst violence since protests against the country’s ruling elite began last month. The confrontations began Sunday evening after supporters of the country’s two main Shiite political parties, Hizbullah and the AMAL Movement of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, attacked protesters who had blocked a main Beirut thoroughfare known as the Ring Road. The young men arrived on scooters carrying clubs and metal rods and chanting pro-Hizbullah slogans, beating up several of the protesters. Both sides then threw stones at each other for hours as security forces formed a barrier to keep them apart. The clashes lasted until early Monday morning. Lebanon’s massive protests against corruption and mismanagement by the country’s leaders are now in their second month, but have so far remained largely peaceful.

Berri Warns against Strife, Urges Security Forces to Keep Roads Open

Naharnet/November 25/2019
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday condemned the overnight incidents in central Beirut and on the Jiye highway between the capital and the South. The incidents “are condemned by all standards, seeing as the struggle for livelihood was baptized in blood with the martyrdom of Hussein Shalhoub and Sanaa al-Jundi,” Berri said, referring to a car crash in which the two citizens were killed near a roadblock on the Jiye highway. CCTV footage shows the speeding car hitting a metallic barrier before driving into a pole placed on the ground and catching fire. Protesters in the area said the metallic barrier was erected by the army and that they were hundreds of meters away. Some social media users have accused protesters of hurling rocks at the car. Berri urged security forces and army troops to keep the country’s roads open. “We call on all Lebanese to avoid descending into the dangerous implications of strife and we renew the call for security forces and the Lebanese Army to take strict measures to keep the country’s routes passable,” the Speaker added. He also called for “preserving the right to express opinions under the ceiling of the law and in a manner that does not harm civil peace, the dignities of all people and public and private property.”The Ring highway in central Beirut and the nearby Riad al-Solh, Martyrs Square and Monot areas had overnight witnessed an attack by supporters of Hizbullah and Berri’s AMAL Movement. Brandishing party flags, they hurled stones at peaceful demonstrators and taunted them with insults as riot police deployed to contain the violence. The attackers also ravaged a nearby encampment, tearing down tents and damaging storefronts in their most serious assault on the protesters so far. At least 10 demonstrators were wounded, civil defense said, without specifying the extent of their injuries.

State Prosecutor Orders Probe into Central Beirut Violence
Naharnet/November 25/2019
Judicial and security authorities on Monday launched investigations into the overnight incidents that rocked central Beirut, under the supervision of State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat, state-run National News Agency said. NNA said the violence “resulted in the injury of a large number of servicemen and civilians, the vandalizing of cars and shops on Monot Street, and aggression and intimidation against innocent civilians.” Oueidat tasked the Beirut judicial police department and the central Beirut police station to hear the testimonies of the injured servicemen and civilians, both in and outside hospitals, the agency said.
He also asked for retrieving CCTV footage from the buildings around the area of the clashes in order to “identify and arrest the assailants.”At around midnight on Sunday, Hizbullah and AMAL Movement supporters attacked protesters at the Ring flyover near the capital's main protest camp.
Brandishing party flags, they hurled stones at peaceful demonstrators and taunted them with insults as riot police deployed to contain the violence and eventually fired tear gas. The attackers also ravaged a nearby encampment, tearing down tents and damaging storefronts in their most serious assault on the protesters so far. At least 10 demonstrators were wounded, civil defense said, without specifying the extent of their injuries. On Monday morning, scattered stones, shattered glass and the mangled remains of tents littered the ground in the main protest camp. Around the square, car windows had been smashed with rocks.

Judge orders Lebanese bank to release depositor's funds
Annahar/November 25/2019
BEIRUT: A judge has ordered Bank Byblos to release a depositor's funds in their entirety, marking the first ruling of the such since Lebanese commercial banks began implementing informal capital controls. Ahmad Mezher, a judge in Nabatiyeh, ordered the Nabatiyeh branch of Byblos Bank to release EUR 129,000 that had been deposited in a current account. The judge ordered the bank to pay in cash or any other method of the depositor's choosing. The bank had refused to release the funds as demanded by the depositor, citing the "extraordinary measures" Lebanon is currently facing, which the judge had found to be "illegal."Failing to release the funds would result in the bank incurring $13,000 in damages daily.  Banks have clamped limits on withdrawals of U.S. dollars as the Central Bank’s sources for dollars continue to wane, further exacerbated by a popular uprising broke out more than a month ago. Politicians are paralyzed, struggling to form a new government in the face of tens of thousands of protesters in the streets for the past month in an unprecedented uprising demanding the entire leadership go. A similar lawsuit has been filed in Beirut against the Association of Banks, its head Salim Sfeir, and member banks of the association.

Hezbollah denies statement attributed to Sherry on Ring Bridge incidents
NNA /November 25/2019
Hezbollah's Media Relations Bureau denied the statement attributed to MP Amin Sherri by one of the media outlets on the incidents of the Ring Bridge."MP Sherri did not make any statement to any media," statement stressed.

Army chief meets Murphy, Moore, retired military officers' delegation
NNA /November 25/2019
Army Commander Joseph Aoun received at his Yarzeh office US Senator Chris Murphy, at the top of a delegation, in the presence of US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard. Maj. Gen. Aoun also met with a British delegation, chaired by Director General for Political Affairs at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Richard Moore, accompanied by British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, and Embassy's Military Attaché Alex Hilton. Talks reportedly touched on the bilateral relations between the two countries. On the other hand, Aoun received a delegation of retired military officers who voiced their full support to the military institution's efforts to maintain security and stability.

Students, Instructors join protesters at Halba Square
NNA /November 25/2019
Several students and instructors from Halba and the various Akkari towns have joined protesters gathering at Halba Square, upping calls for their rights to education and job opportunities, as well as demanding change, NNA correspondent reported on Monday. Protesters have also called for an-all inclusive university for the district of Akkar and held dialogue sessions in this regard.

Jumblatt: Roads should remain open so that average citizens can ensure daily living needs
NNA /November 25/2019
Progressive Socialist Party Leader, Walid Jumblatt, on Monday said via his Twitter account that blocking roads from any side could only lead to problems, tensions, and casualties. “I condemn yesterday’s incidents in downtown Beirut and on the road leading south Lebanon, and I offer my condolences to the families of the victims,” Jumblatt tweeted.

Batish, Lazarrini tackle current economic situation
NNA /November 25/2019
Caretaker Minister of Economy and Trade, Mansour Batish, received this Monday in his office at the Ministry the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Philippe Lazzarini, with whom he held a tour d'horizon on the current political and economic situation in light of the accurate stage and its gravity on Lebanon.Discussions also touched on the importance of according the economic dossier the needed priority to obtain the consensus of all Lebanese parties.

Abu Fakhr’s family refrains from decision to block Khaldeh Triangle
NNA /November 25/2019
Earlier on Monday, the family of Alaa Abu Fakhr called for blocking Khaldeh Triangle road at 5:00 pm in objection to a decision to release Colonel Nidal Daou, on bail, in the case of Abu Fakhr’s assassination. However, the family has officially refrained from its decision to block the aforementioned region in light of General Prosector Judge Sawan’s decision to appeal the release of Daou. '

Arrest warrant against killer of Alaa Abu Fakhr'
NNA /November 25/2019
Acting Military Investigative Judge, Fadi Sawwan, issued Monday a arrest warrant against army adjutant Charbel Ojeil, for the intentional killing of Alaa Abu Fakhr. Judge Sawwan also interrogated General Nidal D. over his role in the crime, and released him upon presentation of the proof of residence.

Protesters stage sit-in on Baabda road, up calls for speedy PM designation
NNA /November 25/2019
Protestors on Monday gathered on the road leading to Baabda presidential palace, under the pedestrian bridge, amid stringent security measures. They carried banners calling for speeding up the designation of a prime minister, NNA reporter said.

Investigations launched into Ring scuffles under supervision of Judge Oweidat
NNA /November 25/2019
The judicial and security services have launched investigations into the Ring scuffles that took place at midnight yesterday, under the supervision of the Attorney General of the Court of Cassation, Judge Ghassan Oweidat. Yesterday's scuffles in Ring area have resulted in the injury of a large number of military men and civilians, damages to cars and commercial shops in Monot Street, as well as assaults on innocent citizens.

Protesters Defiant despite Attack by Hizbullah, AMAL Supporters
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 25/2019
Security forces cleared road blocks across Lebanon Monday, facing off against protesters who took to the streets from the early morning despite being attacked overnight by Hizbullah and AMAL Movement supporters. Demonstrators demanding a complete government overhaul have stayed mobilized since protests began on October 17, but a bitterly divided political class has yet to find a way out of the crisis. Frustrated by the stalemate, protesters had called for road blocks and a general strike on Monday, but an attack by Hizbullah and AMAL supporters on Sunday night weakened the turnout.
Political parties "are trying to instill fear in us as a people, so we don't progress and stay at home," said Dany Ayyash, 21, who was blocking a key road in Beirut's Hamra district early Monday. "This is what happened today. There was supposed to be a general strike and yet the people are still at home sleeping."
At around midnight on Sunday, Hizbullah and AMAL supporters attacked protesters at the Ring flyover near the capital's main protest camp. Brandishing party flags, they hurled stones at peaceful demonstrators and taunted them with insults as riot police deployed to contain the violence. The attackers also ravaged a nearby encampment, tearing down tents and damaging storefronts in their most serious assault on the protesters so far. At least 10 demonstrators were wounded, civil defense said, without specifying the extent of their injuries.
Tense aftermath
On Monday morning, scattered stones, shattered glass and the mangled remains of tents littered the ground in the main protest camp. Around the square, car windows had been smashed with rocks. But the demonstrators said they would not cave in. "The attack gave us all -- at least the ones here right now -- a sense of determination," Ayyash said. Nearby, security forces deployed along the road after shoving aside demonstrators who had been sitting on the ground. Salim Mourad, a 31-year-old protester, showed AFP his torn shirt collar, saying riot police dragged him by his shirt.
"We don't want violence," he said. Security forces also deployed across main arteries in north and east Lebanon Monday, removing metal barricades and dirt barricades raised by demonstrators earlier. The army said it arrested nine people north of Beirut at dawn after they tried to block roads using burning petrol and shattered glass. It also arrested four other "rioters", releasing three shortly afterwards. The security forces have come under fresh criticism following Sunday's attack, with protesters accusing them of being lax with Hizbullah and AMAL supporters, most of whom were allowed to walk away. "The thugs throw stones and insult security forces but they don't confront them," said Elie, 24, who was among the protesters attacked. "They don't arrest them the way they arrest us."Such criticism prompted caretaker Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan on Monday to respond by saying the army and police remain the only "guarantors of the country's stability."
Political paralysis
Political leaders have failed to select a new government nearly one month since Prime Minister Saad Hariri's cabinet resigned, bowing to popular pressure. President Michel Aoun, whose powers include initiating parliamentary consultations to appoint a new premier, said he was open to a government that would include technocrats and representatives of the popular movement -- both key demands of the protesters. But demonstrators say they reject any government that would also include representatives of established parties. The United States, France, the World Bank and credit rating agencies have all urged officials to accelerate cabinet formation, warning of a deteriorating economic and political crisis. In the latest diplomatic push, senior British foreign office official Richard Moore was in Lebanon on Monday. He would "underline the urgent need to form a government" during meetings with the president, prime minister, foreign minister, the speaker and the army chief, a British embassy statement said. "The people of Lebanon have been clear in their demand for improved governance, and they should be heard," Moore, the director general for political affairs, was quoted as saying.

Lebanon investigates clashes between protesters and Hezbollah supporters
Sunniva Rose/The National/November 25/2019
Group and its Amal allies clashed with other demonstrators on Sunday before police joined in to break it up
Lebanon’s judicial and security authorities are investigating violent clashes between protesters blocking one of Beirut’s main motorways and supporters of two Shiite parties, Hezbollah and Amal, on Sunday.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that a large number of soldiers and civilians were injured in the clashes, and cars and shops were destroyed. Witnesses said fighting broke out shortly after dozens of people gathered about 9pm to block a motorway known as The Ring, which has become a hot spot for protests. A group of young men arrived on motorbikes and began cursing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a woman said.
To try to defuse any tension, protesters sang the national anthem and popular slogans, but a fight broke out between Hezbollah supporters and other demonstrators. A video on social media showed protesters chanting “Hezbollah are terrorists”.Others who carried Hezbollah’s yellow flag responded with shouts of “God, Syria, Bashar and that’s all”, a reference to Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad, a Hezbollah ally, local newspaper The Daily Star reported.
The pro-Hezbollah group threw rocks at protesters before the army charged and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd in the early hours of the morning.
Although two similar incidents have occurred on the same Beirut road over the past few weeks, this is the first time that an official investigation has been announced. Other clashes occurred between those who support Hezbollah and those who do not, but the slogans on Sunday evening were noticeably more sectarian than before. The Ring links Christian eastern neighbourhoods of the capital with Shiite-dominated western parts. Protesters stayed on the motorway until dawn, but it had been cleared and traffic had returned to normal by mid-morning. Joseph Tawk, a columnist at Al Joumhouria newspaper, posted a video of himself on Twitter after he was beaten up on Sunday evening at The Ring. Smiling despite a bloody nose, he accused the thugs who attacked him of not representing the Shiite community.
“We are not thugs," Tawk said. "We are Lebanese men and women. We are chanting slogans peacefully. We want a country. What do you want? Just sectarian leaders and Hezbollah?”The UN special co-ordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, urged all Lebanese political factions to try to calm their supporters.
Nationwide anti-government protests began on October 17 after the government tried to introduce new taxes.
Protesters now say they reject the entire Lebanese political system, which they accuse of corruption, and are demanding elections.
On Sunday evening, Hezbollah and Amal supporters also ransacked about 40 tents that had been set up near Al Amin Mosque in central Beirut by civil activists and people affiliated to local universities. Watching men reassembling the tents the next morning, activist Riad Issa said he believed the violence on Sunday was fuelled by ignorance. “The people who used violence against us are like us,” Mr Issa said. “They are also oppressed by politicians.
"But maybe they have not arrived at the point where they can free themselves from sectarianism.”Asked why the Shiite community felt threatened by the protests, Mr Issa said he believed it was because they felt that Hezbollah was being asked to give up its weapons.
“They think it’s against them but it’s not true,” he said. “We want a technocratic government without politicians because they have failed us for the past 30 years. "We do not want Hezbollah, but at the same time we do not want the Free Patriotic Movement and the Future Movement.”

How filmmaker Elie Kamal used Lebanon’s abandoned railways to explore his country's past
Kaleem Aftab/The National/November 25/2019
Growing up in east Beirut in the 1990s, Elie Kamal was encouraged by his parents to play on the train tracks. “For someone who hears ‘Go play on the railway’, who has a functioning railway in their country, that will feel so dangerous,” the director says.
His debut feature film, Beirut Terminus, which had its premiere in the Horizons of Arab Cinema section of the 41st Cairo International Film Festival this week, shows why loitering on the lines was not as shocking as it sounds. “In Lebanon, we don’t have a lot of parks or public spaces,” says the director, 34. But there are lots of disused railway stations and tracks.
“Because they still belong to the state, no one was allowed to build on them. They have been left alone, and over time have become overgrown and turned into fields. So they are safe places for children to play.”
As Kamal grew out of messing about on the tracks, he began looking into the history of the railway system in Lebanon and how this state of disrepair came to be. His essay film, Beirut Terminus, which received production support from the Enjaaz fund at Dubai Film Market, posits that the rise and fall of the railways is a metaphor for the country.
Kamal went to film school in Beirut and then in Belgium, where he honed his cinematography skills. He is the film’s director, cameraman and editor. For six years, he has shot the deserted train stations in an attempt to analyse, question and understand the history of his homeland, from its creation following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire to the protests of the present day. The images Kamal documents of abandoned locomotives and animals grazing where there once stood stations are beautiful – each frame could be hung in a gallery – and are the backbone of this artistic movie.
The pictures are given context by the director’s narration, in which he muses over his life and relationship with the divided country. It’s all contextualised by texts delivering a history of the nation, most notably of who invaded and when. The first railway in what is now Lebanon opened in 1895 during the Ottoman era, linking Beirut to Damascus. In later years, lines opened to Aleppo and Tripoli. It was the golden age of the railway.
'Beirut Terminus' has no dialogue, but is told through the director's narration and with the use of repeated images. Courtesy of the artist
'Beirut Terminus' has no dialogue, but is told through the director's narration and with the use of repeated images
In the Second World War, the Allies extended one line to Palestine. But it was quickly closed down after the 1948 war. The new Lebanese government took control of the railways, and it suffered from a lack of investment. The Civil War accelerated the network’s decline, and the railway was abandoned. The last route to remain open, carrying cement materials from Beirut to Chekka, closed in 1997. “The railway now looks like a skeleton, a body left to rot,” argues Kamal. “It’s a corpse. And if you don’t pump blood into the veins, eventually it dies.”
Today, the tracks that remain divide the city. “The line is not used to join people from different places together, but as a separation,” Kamal says. “You cannot cross from one region to another, and that was really problematic for someone like me. I opened my eyes, and then there was a civil war, and then for no reason that I could understand, I could not cross from one side to another because you are from a different religion.”
Kamal uses infra-red, which makes the trees in his shots look autumnal. Courtesy of the artist
A still from "Beirut Terminus' by Elie Kamal
The tracks separated east Beirut where the Christians like him traditionally live, from west Beirut, where Muslims are the majority. Growing up, however, listening to radio plays with his mother, Kamal realised he had much in common with those on the western side of the city, more than he did with his close neighbours in the east. The stillness of the images in Beirut Express is a contrast to the movement usually associated with trains. The mood and aesthetic are in the same vein as Ron Fricke’s 1992 war documentary Baraka and his 2011 follow-up, Samsara. These films have no dialogue, but tell a story through the use of poetic narration and repetition of images. Another strong influence is the work of German auteur Werner Herzog, who developed the theory of “ecstatic truth”, a hypothesis claiming that a more insightful truth can be found by looking at emotional feelings and landscapes rather than factual evidence. Kamal’s background is in cinematography, which perhaps explains the emphasis on the visual and aural elements of Beirut Terminus. One of his stylish features is the use of infrared, which makes the trees look autumnal, and the world rose-tinted.
“I was thinking about how to show this land, but in a different way,” he says. “This land has a lot of bloodshed on it. During research, I discovered that forensic teams and the police sometimes use infrared at crime scenes to gather evidence. So when I shot in infrared, it seemed that I could transform all the foliage and greenery into red and that way all the blood that was re-shed could resurface.”
The film lands in Cairo as protests are happening in his home town. “On the streets of Beirut, people are crossing from one side to the other. All these ghosts and myths that we have about the other being the enemy doesn’t exist. It was only in the minds of the few, and this is really beautiful.”
Cairo International Film Festival runs until Friday, November 29 as a professional analyst of international security issues and Middle East political and business risk. Twitter: @KBAresearch

The call for a post-sectarian Middle East in Baghdad and Beirut
Zaid M. Belbagi//Arab News/November 25/2019
Water, electricity and access to economic opportunities are not sectarian trophies to award, but basic human rights. What events in Baghdad and Beirut have in common is that citizens, rather than succumbing to sectarian strife, are united in their aspiration for better lives and representative government.
In a region known for endemic corruption, authoritarian rulers and sectarian bloodletting, citizens uniting in their calls to bring an end to dysfunctional government, irrespective of confessional and tribal divides, is a welcome development.
Not dissimilar to Europe in the Middle Ages, the Arab world has been ravaged by a Thirty Years’ War fought along ethnic and ideological lines. Citizens have found themselves at what the Arab Human Development Report has described as “a historical crossroads — caught between oppression at home and violation from abroad, Arabs are increasingly excluded from determining their own future.”
Such instability has lent itself to crude government structures, where sectarian allegiances have determined access to services. This has perpetuated the failure of government in societies rapidly in need of meeting the demands of a growing youth population.
According to Benjamin Barthe, Middle East correspondent for Le Monde, “people are fed up of behind the door deals between former warlords turned communitarian chiefs, that prioritize their own political ambitions and personal financial interests over the well-being of the nation.”
In the Lebanese context, sectarian divisions are breaking down as members of different sects have joined hands in challenging established parties and the zuama (strongmen) who lead them. In Iraq, crumbling public services and acute economic problems have brought about extraordinary circumstances whereby Iraqi citizens have thrown caution to the wind and taken to the streets under live fire to demand better government.
In some respects this has been a return to the pre-2003 status quo, when Iraq had been under Baathist rule for decades, wherein the state superseded local groups and religious affiliations. After the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, by destroying the state structure, sectarian militias and parties thrived as they acted as security providers for their communities.
If the protest movements succeed in driving real change, there is a possibility that they can contribute to building a truly non-sectarian and fair government in the Arab world.
Until Iraqi citizens came together this year, politics in Iraq had become wholly sectarian, with all parties operating along religious lines.
In both countries, government offices and representation in Parliament are distributed on the basis of sectarian quotas. Not only has this given confessional-based parties and militias a strong foothold, it has also resulted in the intervention of foreign powers in political life. In Lebanon, Hezbollah’s long dominance of Shiite politics is the primary example of this phenomenon, but Christian and Druze militia operate on the same principle. Their involvement has resulted in a complete hollowing out of the Lebanese state, empowering Iran at the expense of the Lebanese government.
In Iraq, given Iran’s bloody experience of the 1980-88 war, it has invested great resources into supporting successive pliant governments in Baghdad, more concerned with supporting Tehran’s interests than in meeting the needs of Iraqi citizens. Remarkably, however, in both Lebanon and Iraq, the protest movements have cut across sectarian lines, suggesting that they could be moving toward a post-sectarian era in their development through the erosion of the control of traditional confession-based leadership.
In Lebanon, the protest movement amazed many as Hezbollah, the longtime protector of the Shiite community, showed itself to be completely out of touch with events. Despite its impressive political organization and its substantial military muscle, for it to be challenged by the country’s Shiite community was telling of the extent of public discontent.
Similarly, Sunni Prime Minister Saad Hariri was forced to resign as his Sunni constituents lost confidence in his leadership and Maronite President Michel Aoun is under pressure from his Christian constituency to follow suit.
In Iraq, catastrophic service provision led to some of the largest protests against the Iraqi government and its Iranian leanings in Shiite-dominated cities and towns.
The spontaneous nature of recent events has taken the region by surprise. Though, without a doubt, they provide a telling barometer of public discontent with failing state structures governed along sectarian lines, they also raise questions in regards to the ability of the protesters to overhaul their respective systems.
A complete dismantling of the current, though comprised, systems of government could force both countries into a state of lawlessness and chaos. If the protest movements succeed, however, in driving real change, there is a possibility that they can contribute to building a truly non-sectarian and fair government in the Arab world.
*Zaid M. Belbagi is a political commentator, and an adviser to private clients between London and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Twitter: @Moulay_Zaid

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 25-26/2019
Arab League condemns US position on Israeli settlements
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 25 November 2019
Arab League foreign ministers released a statement on Monday condemning and rejecting the new US position on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. The statement - which came at the end of the emergency session at the Arab League headquarters in the Egyptian capital, Cairo - added that Washington’s decision is an attempt to legitimize Israeli colonial settlement. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on October 18 that after legal consultations, that Washington had concluded the establishment of settlements was “not, per se, inconsistent with international law.”That policy shift came nearly two years after President Donald Trump overturned decades of US policy by recognizing the contested holy city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, sparking Palestinian and Arab anger.
After Pompeo’s announcement the Arab League said the US shift was “an extremely adverse development.”
Saudi Arabia rejected the new US position on settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, reiterated Minister of Foreign Affairs Faisal bin Farhan on Monday in an emergency meeting held by the Arab League.
Kuwait Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Sabah said on Monday that the US declaration is a flagrant violation of international law, an attempt to legalize settlements, and the resolution undermines the chances of reviving the peace process. with AFP

Saudi Arabia rejects the US position on settlements in Palestine: Saudi FM

Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 25 November 2019
Saudi Arabia rejects the new US position on settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, reiterated Minister of Foreign Affairs Faisal bin Farhan on Monday in an emergency meeting held by the Arab League. Foreign ministers met to discuss last week's announcement from the US that it no longer considers Israeli settlements to be “inconsistent with international law,” shifting four decades of American foreign policy. The Arab League, of which Saudi Arabia is a member, condemned Pompeo’s statement as “a very negative development.”Prince Farhan also said the Palestinian issue is close to King Salman’s heart and the support for Palestine will continue until it gains its rights. The Kingdom stresses the need for a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue and insists that resolving the Palestinian issue is the cornerstone of achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, said Prince Farhan. Saudi Arabia previously issued a statement on Wednesday saying that it completely rejects the Trump administration’s new position.

Turkey not resuming military operation in northeast Syria: Security source
Reuters, Ankara/Monday, 25 November 2019
Turkey is fully abiding by the agreements it reached with Russia and the United States regarding northeast Syria and is not resuming its military offensive, a security source said on Monday. Ankara reached separate agreements with Moscow and Washington last month to remove the Kurdish-led YPG militia from a swathe of land in northeast Syria bordering Turkey, which in return stopped its military offensive against the militia. But Ankara has previously said neither Russia nor the United States had kept up their side of the deal, and threatened to launch a new operation. The security source said on Monday that Turkey was responding to attacks by the YPG in the region within the scope of self defense.

Turkey to test Russian S-400 systems despite US pressure: Media
Reuters, Istanbul/Monday, 25 November 2019
Turkish F-16 warplanes will fly over the country’s capital Ankara on Monday to test its new Russian S-400 missile defenses, Turkish media said, despite pressure from Washington for Turkey to drop the system. Ankara’s purchase of the S-400s has been a major factor souring relations with the US, which says the system is not compatible with NATO defenses and poses a threat to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth fighter jets. The provincial governor’s office announced on Sunday that the Turkish Air Force F-16s and other aircraft will conduct low- and high-altitude flights over Ankara on Monday and Tuesday to test an air defense system project. Broadcaster CNN Turk and other media said specifically that the flights were to test the S-400 radar system. Ankara began receiving the S-400s last July but they are not yet operational. Dealers said the reports had a negative impact on the lira, which weakened to 5.7380 against the dollar from a close of 5.7140 on Friday. Tensions in US-Turkish relations played a major role in a near 30 percent slide in the lira’s value last year. As recently as last Thursday, a senior State Department official told reporters Turkey needed to “get rid of” the system. Those comments came after President Tayyip Erdogan met US President Donald Trump at the White House. Trump said their talks were “wonderful” but it was unclear if the two NATO allies made any breakthrough on the S-400 issue and Erdogan subsequently said US pressure to get rid of the S-400s was an infringement of sovereign rights. Washington has suspended Turkey from the F-35 program, which it was a buyer and producer of, to punish it for the S-400 purchase. It has warned of possible US sanctions over the deal but has not yet imposed them. Trump has told Erdogan the US is ready to sell Ankara US Patriot systems if it drops the Russian system.

US Centcom commander: Iran has ability to strike Israel

Emily Judd, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 25 November 2019
Iran has the ability to strike Israel and would probably use long-range ballistic missiles if it were to carry out an attack, US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said on Saturday, adding he did not have any particular knowledge of an Iranian plan to attack.
“[The Iranian regime] do possess enough weapons they can strike Israel ... Iran works very aggressively to perfect those longer range missiles and if they were striking Israel, my guess would be that’s what they would use. But I don’t have any particular knowledge of that,” McKenzie told Al Arabiya English in an interview at the IISS Manama Dialogue summit in Bahrain. The comments came ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement on Sunday that Iran is planning attacks against Israel. Netanyahu said everything possible would be done to prevent them. McKenzie said the “centerpiece” of the Iranian military is its collection of approximately 3,000 ballistic missiles of various ranges, but added: “Israel has the ability to defend itself against that.”Israel’s “Iron Dome” missile defense system intercepted four rockets allegedly fired from Syria on Tuesday, with the army blaming an “Iranian force.” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah have been fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and have forces stationed in the country. “We are taking all necessary actions to prevent Iran from entrenching here in our region,” Netanyahu said during a visit to an army base near the border with Syria. “This includes the activity necessary to thwart the transfer of lethal weaponry from Iran to Syria, whether by air or overland,” Netanyahu said. McKenzie said that while Iran has used a variety of weapons, its go-to is the ballistic missile program. “We’ve seen [Iran] use cruise missiles, small or unmanned aerial vehicles, but for right now ... their strategic centerpiece, remains their ballistic missile force,” said McKenzie. The commander of Iran’s IRGC Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami said on June 18 that Iran’s ballistic missile technology had changed the balance of power in the Middle East.

Iran says pro-government rally to show the ‘real’ Iranians
Reuters, Dubai/Monday, 25 November 2019
A pro-government rally in Tehran on Monday will show the world who “real” Iranians are, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said, expressing surprise at foreign statements of support for a wave of protests against the authorities over a fuel price rise. The protests grew into anti-government unrest that saw at least 100 banks and dozens of buildings torched in the worst violence at least since Iran put down a “Green Revolution” in 2009, when dozens were killed over several months. Iran has blamed “thugs” linked to exiles and foreign foes - the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia - for stirring up the street unrest.
After days of state-sponsored marches in dozens of cities to condemn the unrest, Iran is holding a pro-government rally in the capital to be addressed by the commander of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which helped quell the unrest.
“I recommend they [foreign countries] look at the marches today, to see who the real people in Iran are and what they are saying,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in remarks carried by state television.
“We are surprised that the foreign minister of a certain country has stooped so low as to ask for videos of bank-burnings ... be sent to them,” Mousavi said. “We recognise the right to peaceful assembly ... But the situation is different for rioters ... and groups which take direction [from abroad] and are armed.”US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked Iranian protesters on Twitter last week to send the United States any photos or videos of the crackdown of protests. “The United States will publicize and condemn the persecution of protesters,” he said. The French government said on Wednesday it was deeply concerned by reports of many deaths during protests in Iran and called on Tehran to respect its international human rights duties. Rights group Amnesty International said last week that security forces shot into crowds of protesters from rooftops and, in one case, from a helicopter. Amnesty said at least 115 people were killed in the unrest. Iran has rejected death toll figures as “speculative.”Authorities have said about 1,000 demonstrators have been arrested. The Center for Human Rights in Iran, a New York-based advocacy group, said the numbers was likely closer to 4,000.
In response to the unrest, authorities shut the Internet for a week, making it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to report events and generate support. The move was done for security, Mousavi said, comparing it to “turning off gas pipes if there is a city-wide fire.”Residents said on Monday fixed-line internet was restored and mobile internet was partially back to normal. The United States imposed sanctions on Iran’s information minister last week for his role in “widescale internet censorship,” a reference to the shutdown. Protests began on November 15 in several towns after the government announced gasoline price hikes of at least 50 percent. They spread to 100 cities and towns and quickly turned political with protesters demanding top officials step down.

Iran rejects US order to pay $180 mln over reporter’s jailing
AFP, Tehran/Monday, 25 November 2019
Iran on Monday rejected a US court order for Tehran to pay $180 million in damages to a Washington Post reporter for jailing him on espionage charges. Jason Rezaian spent 544 days in an Iranian prison before he was released in January 2016 in exchange for seven Iranians held in the United States.
On Friday, a US district court judge ordered damages be paid to Rezaian and his family in compensation for pain and suffering as well as economic losses. The Iranian foreign ministry’s spokesman described the journalist’s decision to seek damages as “strange.”“Mr Jason Rezaian ... was a security convict and the Islamic Republic of Iran commuted his [sentence of maximum punishment] to imprisonment,” said spokesman Abbas Mousavi. “He was pardoned and despite having an open case ... he was released,” Mousavi told a news conference in Tehran. “For him to go there and lodge a complaint and for American courts to lavishly determine such figures” was a course of action that Iran “rejects”, said Mousavi. “This was a favour that the Islamic Republic of Iran did for him,” he said, adding that he could have been kept behind bars and punished more severely. Mousavi said Iran could itself take similar legal action against the United States, without elaborating. Relations between arch-foes Tehran and Washington plunged to a new low in May last year when the US withdrew from an international accord that gave Iran relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear program. Rezaian and three other Americans were released on January 16, 2016, the day the nuclear agreement entered into force.

Arab Israeli handed life sentence for murder of settler
AFP, Jerusalem/Monday, 25 November 2019
An Arab Israeli has been sentenced to life in prison for the “nationalistically motivated” murder of an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank last year, a court said. In its Sunday ruling, the Lod district court in central Israel said Abed Hakim Assi, born in 1998, fatally stabbed Itamar Ben Gal, 29, near the settlement of Ariel on February 5, 2018, after identifying the rabbi and father of four as Jewish. Assi, whose mother is an Arab Israeli and father a Palestinian from the West Bank, “had decided to commit an act of nationalistically motivated terror” following an argument with soldiers at the Ariel checkpoint the previous day, the sentencing said. A video of the incident showed Ben Gal, of the Har Bracha settlement, waiting for a bus while wearing a Jewish skull cap. A man Israeli authorities later identified as Assi crossed the road and stabbed him in the chest before fleeing the scene.
Assi went into hiding in the northern West Bank, but was arrested the following month. The three-judge panel sentenced Assi, who confessed to the crime, to life in prison and ordered he pay Ben Gal’s widow and children 258,000 shekels ($74,380). Media reports suggested Assi, who was living in Tel Aviv prior to the attack, had a background of drug abuse and social problems.

Riot police withdraw in southern Iraq province after clashes
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 25 November 2019
Police in Iraq's southern province of Dhi Qar were instructed to withdraw and follow up on the situation on Friday, following protests in the province, a security source told Al Arabiya. Dhi Qar province, particularly its capital Nasiriyah, has witnessed some of the most intense clashes between protesters and Iraqi security forces during the ongoing demonstrations which have gripped the country since early October. The order comes the night after thirteen people were killed in in one of the “worst” days of clashes in the country’s south, according to officials. Several roads remain blocked by protesters in Basra, as well as bridges and roads in Najaf. Meanwhile, Amnesty International said that there have been shocking developments as a result of a wave of violence against demonstrators in Basra. It also accused the Iraqi security forces of ignoring protesters' lives and freedom of expression. Elsewhere in the south, protesters had previously cut roads leading to Umm Qasr, the country’s main commodities port, halting all trade activity. Security forces cleared the area of protesters on Thursday, with at least two protesters killed. The al-Shayeb border crossing has been reopened for people traveling from Iraq to Iran, the border authority announced on Monday. A statement issued by the authority received by the Iraqi News Agency stated that “the Al-Shayeb border crossing is re-opened after being closed on November 16, 2019.”The closure, at the request of the Iranian side, was caused by protests in Iran. The Iraqi News Agency also reported that a group of “outlaws” targeted security forces with hand grenades and Molotov cocktails in the Hafez al-Qadi area in Baghdad, injuring 11. It added that security forces made several arrests after the incident.In the meantime, the Iranian Foreign Ministry is advising its citizens not to travel to Iraq anytime soon, reported the official IRNA news agency.Iraq’s Commission of Integrity on Monday also rejected granting a pardon to the governor of Babylon province and issued an arrest warrant against him on the back of corruption allegations. Mahmoud Al-Mulla Talal, the vice president of the National Wisdom Movement (NWM), has also been arrested in Baghdad for taking bribes. Iraqi MP Ahmed al-Jubouri has also been arrested after the issuance of an arrest warrant against him. He is charged with misappropriating funds during his tenure as Salaheddine governor.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 25-26/2019
The Two-Faced Muslim that Pope Francis Loves and Trusts
Raymond Ibrahim/FrontPage Magazine/November 25/2019
On November 15, 2019, two of the foremost representatives of Christianity and Islam, Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb of Al Azhar—the latter was once named the “most influential Muslim in the world”—met and embraced each other again as brothers.
“During the[ir] cordial discussions,” the Vatican announced in a press release, the two religious leaders discussed “the goals of the Document on Human Fraternity.” Moreover, “discussions were mainly focused on promoting interreligious dialogue and the values of tolerance and coexistence.”
Signed earlier this year, on February 4, by both Francis and al-Tayeb, this document—the name of which in full is A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together—“forcefully rejects,” to quote Vatican News, “any justification of violence undertaken in the name of God,” and affirms “respect for believers of different faiths, the condemnation of all discrimination, the need to protect all places of worship, and the right to religious liberty, as well as the recognition of the rights of women.”
Regrettably and despite all the fanfare surrounding this document—which has been and continues to be portrayed as a “historic pledge of fraternity” and a “historical breakthrough”—it is difficult to see it as anything more than for show. After all, one of its signatories, Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb, has repeatedly contradicted—if only when speaking in Arabic and appearing on Arabic media—all the lofty sentiments highlighted in the document that he signed.
Consider this Cairo Institute for Human Rights’ statement on al-Tayeb’s doublespeak from a few years ago:
In March 2016 before the German parliament, Sheikh al-Tayeb made unequivocally clear that religious freedom is guaranteed by the Koran, while in Cairo he makes the exact opposite claims…. Combating terrorism and radical religious ideologies will not be accomplished by directing at the West and its international institutions religious dialogues that are open, support international peace and respect freedoms and rights, while internally promoting ideas that contribute to the dissemination of violent extremism through the media and educational curricula of Al Azhar and the mosques [my own translation; more here; original Arabic here].
Such two-facedness has long typified al-Tayeb’s modus operandi. For instance, the Document on Human Fraternity he signed asserts that, “Freedom is a right of every person: each individual enjoys the freedom of belief, thought, expression and action… [T]he fact that people are forced to adhere to a certain religion or culture must be rejected, as too the imposition of a cultural way of life that others do not accept.”
Al-Tayeb, however, is on record saying that apostates from should be punished. As to the penalty they deserve, he reaffirmed that “Those learned in Islamic law [al-fuqaha] and the imams of the four schools of jurisprudence consider apostasy a crime and agree that the apostate must either renounce his apostasy or else be killed.” To underscore the point, he cited a hadith, or tradition, of Islam’s prophet Muhammad, saying, “Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him.”
So much for religious freedom.
The Document on Human Fraternity also calls for “respect for believers of different faiths, the condemnation of all discrimination, the need to protect all places of worship, and the right to religious liberty.” As several Muslim reformers in Egypt have insisted, however, the “unprecedented persecution” Egypt’s Christian minority, the Copts, experience, is directly traceable to the Islamic institution headed by al-Tayeb, Al Azhar.
For example, after two churches were bombed in Egypt, leaving 50 Christian worshippers dead, Dr. Islam al-Behery—a popular Muslim theologian whose incessant calls to reform Islam so irked Al Azhar that it accused him of “blaspheming” against Islam, leading to his imprisonment in 2015—was interviewed on the Egyptian television program (Amr Adib’s kul youm, or “Every Day”). After offering various details concerning the radicalized curriculum of Al Azhar, he estimated that “70-80 percent of all terror in the last five years [in Egypt] is a product of Al Azhar.”
According to a standard Al Azhar text that that al-Behery quoted from, “whoever kills an infidel [or kaffir, a non-Muslim] his blood is safeguarded, for the blood of an infidel and believer [a Muslim] are not equal.” Whereas al-Tayeb’s predecessor, Egypt’s former grand imam, Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi (d. 2010), had “without even being asked removed all the old books and placed just one introductory book, when al-Tayeb came,” said al-Behery, “he got rid of that book and brought back all the old books, which are full of slaughter and bloodshed.”
Political commentator Dr. Khalid Montaser once marveled that, “at this sensitive time—when murderous terrorists rest on [Islamic] texts and understandings of takfir [accusing Muslims of apostasy], murder, slaughter, and beheading—Al Azhar magazine is offering free of charge a book whose latter half and every page — indeed every few lines—ends with “whoever disbelieves [non-Muslims] strike off his head”? So much for the “historic” Document on Human Fraternity al-Tayeb cosigned with Pope Francis, which says that “we resolutely declare that religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism, nor must they incite violence or the shedding of blood.”
Many other commentators in Egypt have noted how, despite Al Azhar’s draconian attitude concerning “infidels” and “apostates,” when asked to denounce the Islamic State as “un-Islamic,” al-Tayeb had refused: “It’s amazing,” opined Egyptian talk show host Ibrahim Eissa: “Al Azhar insists ISIS are Muslims and refuses to denounce them. Yet Al Azhar never ceases to shoot out statements accusing novelists, writers, thinkers—anyone who says anything that contradicts their views—of lapsing into a state of infidelity. But not when it comes to ISIS!”
During another televised interview, Dr. Muhammad Abdullah Nasr, a scholar of Islamic law and Al Azhar graduate, went one step further in exposing his alma mater:
It [Al Azhar] can’t [condemn the Islamic State as un-Islamic]. The Islamic State is a byproduct of Al Azhar’s programs. So can Al Azhar denounce itself as un-Islamic? Al Azhar says there must be a caliphate and that it is an obligation for the Muslim world [to establish it]. Al Azhar teaches the law of apostasy and killing the apostate. Al Azhar is hostile towards religious minorities, and teaches things like not building churches, etc. Al Azhar upholds the institution of jizya [extortion, “protection money” demanded of non-Muslims subjects]. Al Azhar teaches stoning people. So can Al Azhar denounce itself as un-Islamic?
When the world was shocked because the Islamic State videotaped a Jordanian pilot being burned alive in 2015, Egyptian journalist Yusuf al-Husayni remarked that “The Islamic State is only doing what Al Azhar teaches.” He too went on to quote and cite from textbooks used in Al Azhar that permit burning people alive.
Al-Tayeb’s response to all these critics has been to accuse Israel. During a March 2018 televised Egyptian interview he said:
I have noticed that they are always telling us that terrorism is Islamic. All those mouthpieces that croak—out of ignorance or because they were told to—that the Al-Azhar curricula are the cause of terrorism never talk about Israel, about Israel’s prisons, about the genocides perpetrated by the Zionist entity state…. If not for the abuse of the region by means of the Zionist entity, there would never have been any problem.
Such is the true face of Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb—at least as he is known in his Egyptian homeland, where he speaks Arabic freely and plainly, as opposed to when “dialoguing” with naïve Western leaders who are all too eager to believe what they want to hear.
Accordingly, al-Tayeb’s signature on “A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” does not seem to be worth much—certainly not the fanfare surrounding it. But matters are worse than that: for if Dr. al-Tayeb is a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing, Pope Francis is apparently a starry-eyed shepherd leading—or at least leaving—his flock to the slaughter. It’s past high time he stopped playing the role of “harmless dove” and became as “wise as a serpent”—if only for the sake of the millions of Christians being persecuted under Islam.

Iran Tortures Protesters, World Yawns
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/November 25, 2019
This internet blackout, according to Iran Human Rights director Amiry-Moghaddam, "might indicate the Iranian authorities' plans to use even more violence against the protesters."
On November 22, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Twitter: "The U.S. is sanctioning the Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Mohammad Jahromi, for helping shut down the Iranian internet. We will hold members of the Iranian regime accountable for their violent repression of the Iranian people. #Internet4Iran."
It is likely that Pompeo's warnings had a direct effect: the following day, on November 23, NetBlocks confirmed that: "[Internet] connectivity has been restored with multiple fixed-line providers across much of Iran, allowing users to get online via wifi."
To help the Iranian people, at the mercy of their oppressive regime, the world would do better to emulate the Trump administration's tough posture. European appeasement and diplospeak only embolden, rather than weaken, tyrants such as those in Iran.
On November 22, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Twitter: "The U.S. is sanctioning the Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Mohammad Jahromi, for helping shut down the Iranian internet. We will hold members of the Iranian regime accountable for their violent repression of the Iranian people. #Internet4Iran." Pictured: Pompeo on September 26, 2019. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The hundreds of anti-regime protesters and civil rights activists who have been arrested by Iranian security forces since the eruption of mass demonstrations on November 15 -- after the government raised the price of gasoline -- are in danger of torture, forced confessions and even death sentences.
According to the organization Iran Human Rights (IHR):
"The detainees are held in unknown places, and their families are not informed about their whereabouts. Moreover, there has been a total internet blackout imposed by the authorities making information flow very difficult.
"'Most of the detainees could not call their families. Their relatives have tried to find out where they are held. They even do not know their beloved ones are dead or alive,' a well-informed source told IHR."
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of IHE, said: "Today, Iranian people need the international community's attention, more than ever."
According to Amnesty International, although there are reports from Iranians that "as many as 200 [demonstrators] have been killed," Tehran's state-run media has been downplaying the numbers by saying that only a "handful" of protesters have died.
In addition, Amnesty reported:
"Various government officials, including the Supreme Leader, president and head of the judiciary, have demonized the protesters and warned that security forces will confront protesters with force.
"On 16 November, Iran's interior minister said that the authorities will no longer show 'tolerance' and 'self-control' towards the protesters, despite mounting reports of protester casualties.
"During a speech on 17 November, Iran's Supreme Leader described the protesters as 'villains' who were incited to violence by counter-revolutionaries and foreign enemies of Iran. He ordered security forces to 'implement their duties' to end the protests, effectively giving the green light for the brutality to continue.
"Judicial and security bodies have also sent threatening mass text messages warning people to stay away from 'illegal gatherings' or face legal action."
Iranian officials have also threatened the protesters with execution:
"The Supreme Leader's representative at Kayhan Newspaper, Hossein Shariatmadari, wrote last Monday: 'Some of the judiciary officials are sure that the execution by hanging awaits the leaders of the protests.'
"The Supreme Leader's deputy representative at IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], Hassan Tayebifar, asked the judiciary to issue the toughest verdict for the protesters. Toughest verdict in the Iranian Islamic Penal Code is the death penalty.
"Fars Province chief prosecutor threatened the protesters in the same way. In Shiraz, the capital of Fars province, 'at least 200 people were sent to quarantine ward in Adel Abad prison. Four of them are wounded. At least one is shot,' a source from Adel Abad prison told IHR. According to the source, Seyed Reza Taheri is the name of the wounded person. He suffers from pain and is in danger of infection."
Amnesty also reported:
"On 16 November, less than a day after the protests began, the authorities implemented an ongoing near-total shutdown of the internet, shutting off nearly all means of online communications for people inside Iran. The resulting information blackout is a deliberate attempt by the authorities to prevent people from sharing images and videos of the deadly force being used by security forces.
"According to the NGO NetBlocks, Iran's connectivity to the outside world has fallen to 4% of ordinary levels since the protests began. All mobile networks have been disconnected and there is a near-total national internet and telecommunication blackout, although some users have still been able to access the internet through the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and other means."
The internet company Oracle described the information blackout as "the largest internet shutdown ever observed in Iran."
This internet blackout, according to IHR director Amiry-Moghaddam, "might indicate the Iranian authorities' plans to use even more violence against the protesters."
On November 21, US President Donald Trump tweeted:
"Iran has become so unstable that the regime has shut down their entire Internet System so that the Great Iranian people cannot talk about the tremendous violence taking place within the country....
"They want ZERO transparency, thinking the world will not find out the death and tragedy that the Iranian Regime is causing!"
The same day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted:
"I have asked the Iranian protestors to send us their videos, photos, and information documenting the regime's crackdown on protestors. The U.S. will expose and sanction the abuses."
The next day, on November 22, Pompeo announced on Twitter:
"The U.S. is sanctioning the Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Mohammad Jahromi, for helping shut down the Iranian internet. We will hold members of the Iranian regime accountable for their violent repression of the Iranian people. #Internet4Iran."
It is likely that Pompeo's warnings had a direct effect: The following day, on November 23, NetBlocks confirmed:
"[Internet] connectivity has been restored with multiple fixed-line providers across much of Iran, allowing users to get online via wifi. Current connectivity levels have risen to 64% after earlier flatlining at 5% for several days. Mobile internet remains generally unavailable.
"Network measurements indicate that most social media remain blocked in line with long-running Iranian policy, although access is possible using VPN software."
Europe's reaction, which has been far more tapered, probably is not perceived by the Iranian authorities as the kind of pressure to cause concern.
Take the following statement, released on November 21 by an EU spokeswoman, for example:
"The protests in several Iranian cities over the past days have, according to reports, led to serious loss of life and left many people injured. We convey our condolences to the families of victims and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.
"Socio-economic challenges should be addressed through inclusive dialogue and not through the use of violence. We expect Iran's security forces to exercise maximum restraint in handling the protests and for protestors to demonstrate peacefully. Any violence is unacceptable. The rights to freedom of expression and assembly must be guaranteed.
"We also expect the Iranian authorities to ensure the free flow of information and access to the internet."
To help the Iranian people, at the mercy of their oppressive regime, the world would do better to emulate the Trump administration's tough posture. European appeasement and diplospeak only embolden, rather than weaken, tyrants such as those in Iran.
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Are Palestinians Not Entitled to Human Rights?
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/November 25/2019
"The protection of rights and freedoms requires that the right to human rights be guaranteed to judges. Judges have the right to express their opinions freely in the media and social media. Al-Haq, while condemning the violation of the right of judges to express their opinions freely, calls on [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas to ensure an environment conducive to the reform of the judiciary and the justice system in Palestine." – Al Haq, Palestinian human rights organization, based in Ramallah, West Bank.
These human rights violations continue in the face of the PA government's pledge to stop any violation of press freedoms. Ibrahim Milhem, spokesman for the PA government, was quoted earlier this year as saying: "The government will exert all efforts to make the media work environment in Palestine more open and free and to stop any violation of press freedoms."
Unless the Palestinians manage to rise up against their abusive and corrupt leaders -- which they can only do with the backing of the international community and media -- their hope of building a democratic society will remain nothing more than a dream.
The international community, particularly those countries that provide financial aid to the Palestinians, should at least speak out against human rights violations committed by Palestinian leaders. That way, the Western donors will embolden reformists and other Palestinians who are working to end corruption and dictatorship. The donors should also make their financial aid to the PA leadership conditional on halting human rights violations and persecution of political opponents.
Abdel Rahman Hamdan, who studies at Bir Zeit University (pictured), was recently detained by Palestinian Authority security forces, who have not given any reason for the detention. Hamdan's detention triggered a wave of protests by fellow students. His family has accused the PA security forces of torturing their son. While Palestinian officials repeatedly condemn Israel for violating Palestinians' freedom of expression, it is actually the Palestinian Authority (PA) that continues to harass, intimidate and detain Palestinians for expressing their opinions on social media or being affiliated with rival political groups. Business as usual.
The latest victims of the PA's ongoing assault on public freedoms, particularly freedom of expression, are Palestinian lawyers, judges, political activists and university students.
The most recent accusation came after the Israeli authorities closed the offices of a television production company illegally operating in Jerusalem. The offices were shut in accordance with an Israeli law that bans the PA from operating in Israel, including Jerusalem.
This is also business as usual for the international community and foreign media, which remain complicit in the PA's effort to keep the world from learning about human rights violations committed by Palestinians against Palestinians. While several Palestinian officials have, as usual, condemned Israel for acting in accordance with the law, as far as PA leaders are concerned, Palestinians who dare to criticize Palestinian leaders or speak about corruption possess no rights whatsoever.
Muhannad Karajeh is a prominent Palestinian lawyer from the PA-ruled West Bank who, for several years, has been defending Palestinians detained by the Palestinians for expressing their views on social media. As such, Karajeh has become quite a headache for the PA and its multiple security forces. The last thing they need is for a savvy lawyer to challenge them on social media and in court.
Recently, Karajeh was informed of intention to prosecute him for allegedly violating the controversial Palestinian Cybercrime Law, which allows the PA to take legal action against anyone who publishes "news that would endanger the integrity of the Palestinian state, the public order or the internal or external security of the State."
Critics of the law say it is aimed at silencing anyone who dares to criticize the Palestinian Authority leadership and is an infringement on freedom of expression and the media. The PA has since used the law to block access to dozens of news websites considered critical of the Palestinian leadership and its policies.
According to Karajeh, the decision to prosecute him arose because of a social media post in which he criticized Palestinians and Arabs engaged in normalization with Israel. He also said he believes that the PA is trying to punish him because of his public criticism of its human rights violations.
"The Palestinian Authority must stop pursuing political opponents, activists, lawyers and human rights advocates," he said.
"I am known for defending political detainees in Palestinian Authority courts. I have no problems with anyone personally. I am being tried because of my activity and because of my work."
A Palestinian group called Lawyers for Justice expressed outrage over the decision to prosecute Karajeh and said it "falls in the context of infringement on freedom of expression." The group appealed to the PA attorney-general to halt any action against the lawyer. Needless to say, the appeal is unlikely to impress the attorney-general or any senior PA official.
Also, the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq criticized the PA for taking disciplinary measures against two judges, Ahmed al-Ashqar and Ayman Daher, for publishing critical comments on social media:
"Al-Haq considers that the protection of the right of judges to express their views falls within the framework of judicial reform and the independence of the judiciary, and that the exclusion of judges from freedom of expression implies a distinction between judges and non-judges, which is prohibited in the amended Basic Law and international standards.
"The protection of rights and freedoms requires that the right to human rights be guaranteed to judges. Judges have the right to express their opinions freely in the media and social media. Al-Haq, while condemning the violation of the right of judges to express their opinions freely, calls on [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas to ensure an environment conducive to the reform of the judiciary and the justice system in Palestine."
According to Palestinian journalist and writer Nadia Harhash, Judge Al-Ashqar is being punished for publishing an article titled, "Do not institutionalize human rights violations, what accountability do we want?"
The article, she noted, "called for ending human rights violations, redressing victims and those affected, applying the rule of law, and forming an independent commission of inquiry." Harhash said that as Palestinians face the possibility of holding new presidential and parliamentary elections, they have the burden of deciding who to vote for. She reminded the Palestinians of the writer George Orwell's famous quote: "A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims... but accomplices."
Palestinian university student Abdel Rahman Hamdan also recently became a victim of the PA's supposed human rights violations. Hamdan, who studies at the West Bank's Bir Zeit University, was detained last week by the PA security forces, who have not given any reason for the detention.
Hamdan's detention triggered a wave of protests by his fellow students, who staged a sit-in strike on campus to demand his release. His family has accused the PA security forces of torturing their son. A lawyer who was allowed to visit the student in prison said that one of his arms had been broken and there were bruises on his face.
In another assault on freedom of expression, Palestinian political activist Ghassan al-Sa'di is currently facing charges of "insulting" senior PA officials. Palestinian sources said that al-Sa'di was summoned for interrogation after he posted a comment on Facebook deemed offensive to senior PA officials, accusing them of corruption.
These human rights violations continue in the face of the PA government's pledge to stop any violation of press freedoms. Ibrahim Milhem, spokesman for the PA government, was quoted earlier this year as saying: "The government will exert all efforts to make the media work environment in Palestine more open and free and to stop any violation of press freedoms."
Of course, the PA has not only broken its promise to its people. It is has also made turning the world's attention from its abuses by blaming Israel for the misery of Palestinians into high art.
This PA strategy, of inciting its people and the international community against Israel to deflect attention from its wholesale failure, has served the PA well. Unless the Palestinians manage to rise up against their abusive and corrupt leaders -- which they can only do with the backing of the international community and media -- their hope of building a democratic society will remain nothing more than a dream.
No one is expecting the international community to provide the Palestinians with weapons that will be used against Palestinian leaders. The international community, particularly those countries that provide financial aid to the Palestinians, should at least speak out against human rights violations committed by Palestinian leaders. That way, the Western donors will embolden reformists and other Palestinians who are working to end corruption and dictatorship. The donors should also make their financial aid to the PA leadership conditional on halting human rights violations and persecution of political opponents.
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

FBI must investigate alleged Qatari bribery scheme in US Congress

Oren Litwin/Al Arabiya/November 25/2019
Explosive testimony given in a Federal Court accusing Representative Ilhan Omar of taking bribes from Qatar in exchange for leaking sensitive intelligence and influencing U.S. policy should be investigated by the FBI.
If these accusations are correct, they should serve as a warning bell for the United States and for anyone who cares about the effects of U.S. policy on the world. Selling access to power to the patrons of the Muslim Brotherhood cannot be laughed off as a trivial matter, but must be investigated with the full force of the law.
According to prominent businessman Alan Bender in a legal deposition last month, Qatari spymaster Mohammad Al-Masnad boasted of bribing politicians and journalists across America, and incorporating them into a vast campaign of disinformation and propaganda. Rep. Omar is allegedly the “jewel in the crown,” and actively recruits other elected officials into Qatar’s scheme, Bender said in sworn testimony, revealed by Al Arabiya English.
A certain level of “dirty politics” is a hazard of any government, democracies included. And American democracy is particularly vulnerable, since the U.S. Constitution protects the rights of citizens to petition their officials and lobby for changes. If citizens decide that they can more effectively advocate for change by hiring a professional to meet with officials on their behalf, there is nothing wrong with that. And thus we get lobbyists, who make money from their ability to access politicians and change their minds.
And it is only natural that foreign governments would hire lobbyists as well, or otherwise try to influence elected officials. American policy has tremendous effects across the world, for good and ill. There is too much at stake for a government not to fight for a place at the table. So when Qatar was cut off by its GCC neighbors in 2017— at one point threatening the survival of the ruling regime itself — no one can blame them for trying their hardest to get America on its side.
But we needn’t blame criminals to convict them of crimes. There is a world of difference between persuasion and bribery, which is why offering bribes is just as illegal as taking them. If Qatari agents (or anyone else, for that matter) stepped over the line into bribery, we need to uncover their schemes and punish them.
And we certainly can blame those politicians and journalists who go beyond the usual favor-trading, and sell their legitimate authority for pay. When elected officials choose to accept bribes from a foreign power that does not have their country’s interests at heart, they are allowing their greed to pervert American policy and even to destroy lives. This is particularly true when taking bribes from Qatar, which has a long history of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaida and other violent groups.
If Bender’s accusations are true, Rep. Omar’s offense is even worse. Bad enough to satisfy your personal greed by changing your own votes, or passing classified data, with all the contempt for your constituents that such corruption would imply. But to actively recruit other lawmakers to betray their voters and their country turns you from a mere participant in crime into a conspirator. The FBI must investigate thoroughly—if for no other reason than to remove the cloud of suspicion from Rep. Omar’s head if she is innocent.
The massive Qatari influence operation in the West is becoming more widely understood as time goes on. But we mostly know about the legal, public steps that Qatar has taken. If even small elements of Bender’s testimony are accurate, then there is a whole underworld of criminal corruption still to uncover. The lawsuit against Sheikh Khalid Al-Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family who is accused of mistreating American employees and even ordering them to commit murder, is an important first step.
Bender claims that Sheikh Khalid and his American company, KH Holdings, were important nodes in Qatar’s bribery network. Khalid is currently being kept in Qatar, away from American law enforcement, but his company’s dealings in the United States ought to be an open book to investigators. Any records that can be recovered from or about KH Holdings—money transfers, gifts of property, sponsored travel or vacations—may prove crucial in revealing the web of corruption that Bender alleges. And if public figures are proven to take foreign money to influence our policies, they belong in jail, not in office.
As a country, we depend on our elected officials to uphold American interests first and foremost. If there is any danger of corruption at the highest levels of government, our law-enforcement officials need to expose it to the sunlight and protect the integrity of American politics. Otherwise, the entire world will be at the mercy of whichever foreign power has the biggest briefcase of cash, and the biggest address book of corrupt politicians. If such concerns warrant impeaching a President over, they warrant investigating members of Congress as well—starting with Ilhan Omar.
*Dr. Oren Litwin is a Fellow of Islamist Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum, and previously headed the Islamism in Politics Project. He tweets at @OrenLitwin.

Iran uprisings show Tehran regime has got to go
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/November 25/2019
Popular protests have once again swept across the Middle East, particularly in areas where Iran wields influence, including in Iran itself.
The Iranian protests that broke out in 2009 — the Green Movement — which began after former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a second presidential term, came two years ahead of the so-called Arab Spring. Unfortunately, Western powers, especially the Obama administration, ignored these protests. As a result, they were given no political significance and the media turned a blind eye to the protests, and their bloody consequences, despite later lending heavy support to the Arab revolutions. Tehran, too, expressed its full support for the Arab uprisings, which broke out less than two years after crushing its own protests.
Today, major world powers and many in the media are once again adopting an ambiguous and position toward domestic uprisings in Iran.
They can rightly be viewed as a continuation and intensification of already widespread discontent. The government’s decision to triple gasoline prices, despite earlier promises by President Hassan Rouhani not to, was the straw that broke the camel’s back, igniting cross-sectarian protests that have outdone any that have gone before. The hike makes it clear that US sanctions have exhausted the regime’s coffers, prompting it to generate revenues from its own people.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has insisted that the price hikes came at the government’s behest and that it is now up to it to deal with the demonstrations. But the government’s refusal to abandon the price increases and the brutal use of violence to crush the protests must have been approved by the ayatollah, with the regime expecting to collect around $16 billion in additional income from the price rises.
Rouhani has pledged to “pay compensation for those impacted by the increases of gasoline prices,” and the government has announced that it will transfer money to banks for the benefit of some parts of society. The monthly transfer to each individual, though, ranges from just $4 to $8.
Current indications suggest that the government will not back down on its decision to raise gasoline prices. Officials have attempted to spin the protests, suggesting that the hike was in public interest. But it has also ordered internet services to be cut or impaired, with senior figures, including Khamenei, Rouhani, and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif issuing statements claiming the protests had ended to persuade protesters to return home.
Officials have also accused protesters of being paid stooges and agents of enemy states, claiming that their objective was to create instability. According to the regime’s Young Journalists Club (YJC) agency, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Reza Yazdi, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tehran, warned on Thursday: “Some in Iran and overseas are trying to make Tehran like Baghdad and Beirut.”
Dual nationals in some Iranian cities have reportedly been arrested for receiving training from foreign intelligence services to spread chaos. Sophisticated equipment for espionage has also, supposedly, been discovered, all revealed with the intention to deny demonstrators legitimacy and credibility, justifying violence against them. Despite all these efforts, though, the protests continue.
An expansionist colonialist project such as Tehran’s cannot succeed, especially when set against the backdrop of a modernizing, tolerant world.
Regardless of their trajectory, these protests, and those in Iraq and Lebanon, are further evidence of widespread anger at Iranian policies, highlighted by recently leaked documents published by The New York Times showing the scale of Tehran’s meddling in Baghdad’s affairs. The fact that the protests in Lebanon have even reached the southern suburbs of Beirut, Hezbollah’s loyalist heartlands, shows the total rejection of the fundamentalist sectarian ideology that emerged in 1979 with the Khomeinist regime.
The only way to successfully resolve them is to eradicate this ideology, which brainwashes its adherents, leading them to neglect contemporary problems in favor of planning for an apocalyptic future. It is ironic that were the venerated figure of the Mahdi to reappear, he would likely be the first to disavow this hateful creed and its adherents.
The people of the region have reached a breaking point. They are tired of repression, fundamentalism and sectarian hate. They want to be on par with the civilized world, no more, no less. It is essential at times like these simply to invoke common sense, and that says that Iran’s regime has nothing to export but weapons, extremism and sectarian militias which spread despair wherever they go.
An expansionist colonialist project such as Tehran’s cannot succeed, especially when set against the backdrop of a modernizing, tolerant world. When even Iran’s own cities and people rise up against it, there can be no other conclusion.
*Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is an expert in Iranian affairs. He received his doctorate from Leiden University in 2014. He is the founder and chairman of Rasanah: International Institute for Iranian Studies.

Ups and downs in the oil markets prior to OPEC+ and Aramco IPO
Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/November 25/2019
The beginning of December will be very important for oil markets. Not only will there be the Saudi Aramco IPO but on Dec. 5-6 there is also the meeting of OPEC and OPEC+, where the OPEC nations will be joined by 10 other oil-producing nations led by Russia. This is why all eyes will be on the price of oil over the next two weeks.
Investors in the IPO are interested in the price volume correlation and what that means for the oil giant’s earnings power. There is big interest in the offering though: Saudi Aramco is still the world’s most profitable company measured by net income, and also the world’s lowest cost producer.
The OPEC+ meetings will be important because ministers will have to decide whether to extend or even raise the production cuts of 1.2 million barrels, which they agreed on during the last meeting in early June. December is not a drop-dead date though, because ministers agreed in June to a nine-month duration of the cuts. This means that there will be a three-month grace period if an agreement cannot be reached in December.
These days the oil price is closely related to the progress of the US-China trade negotiations, which is not surprising. Global economic growth in 2020 will depend on whether the world’s two largest economies can find a resolution to their trade spat. A slowdown in global trade will have major ramifications for oil demand. Oil remains the fuel of choice for transport. A realignment or even localization of supply chains will quickly feed through into demand for oil and the commodity’s price.
Last week saw volatility. The price fell from a Monday high of 63.5 to a Wednesday low of 60.3 just to rebound to 64.3 on Friday, fall to 62.3 on Sunday and rebound by a good 30 cents on Monday’s early Asian trading. These prices moved in lockstep with announcements and rumors as to how close US and Chinese negotiators were to concluding Phase 1 of a trade deal this year. Draft US legislation supporting Hong Kong demonstrators and halting exports of certain armaments to the territory put a potential spanner in the quick conclusion of Phase 1 and with it temporarily reversed the trajectory of the oil price in the middle of last week.
These days the oil price is closely related to the progress of the US-China trade negotiations, which is not surprising.
Looking at fundamentals, US Energy Information Agency (EIA) crude stocks rose by 1.4 million bpd in the US for the tenth consecutive week ending Nov. 15. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) monthly oil market report, which was released on Nov. 12, highlighted that demand increases of 1.1 million bpd in the third quarter had more than doubled since the second quarter. It also pointed out that supply rose by 1.5 million bpd, reflecting Saudi Arabia’s ability to restore production in full after the attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais.
The IEA further said that current oil price levels did not reflect inherent geopolitical risks. That may be so. However, Royal Bank of Canada’s head of commodity research, Helima Croft, pointed out earlier this month in Abu Dhabi that oil prices no longer served as a barometer for geopolitical tensions.
Other factors affecting the price in the short to medium term will be where non-OPEC supply really ends up next year. Are the IEA’s predictions of a 2.2 million bpd increase correct? The new International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards that stipulate an 80 percent reduction in sulfur emissions from Jan. 1, 2020, will doubtlessly also feed into the supply/demand picture.
All in all, that is plenty of food for thought for the oil ministers when they gather in Vienna next week. Looking at the supply and demand picture they may want to further tighten supply. However, Russia’s Deputy Finance Minister, Vladimir Kolychev, spoke to Bloomberg of his skepticism about the usefulness of further production cuts for Russia. Others are said to be in favor. We shall know where the chips will fall on Friday next week. The grace period until the end of the first quarter in 2020 in reaching an agreement might enable oil markets to take it in their stride.
• Cornelia Meyer is a business consultant, macroeconomist and energy expert. Twitter: @MeyerResources

Syrian sanctions: What to do next?
Chris Doyle/Arab News/November 25/2019
With the Syrian economy smashed and civilians suffering severe depredations, why is there so little public debate on the sanctions on Syria? Outside a narrow circle of academics and policy wonks, nobody is discussing this or asking how the various sanctions could be modified to help those most in need.
Not only does it not appear to be even a slight concern in the lofty corridors of power in the US and the EU — the two powers that are the key implementers of sanctions on Damascus — they do not even want to entertain the discussion. This is in contrast to many other sanctions regimes in the past, such as those on Iraq, Libya and Iran. The US sanctions are far broader but the EU sanctions more relevant given the significant pre-war EU-Syria trade, largely in oil, prior to 2011.
The arguments for sanctions relief on Syria revolve around their impact on civilians. Syrian sanctions are hitting them hard, a people already suffering from the war and its attendant destruction. Some 11 million people need humanitarian assistance, around half the population.
The recent US sanctions on Iran have also affected Syrian civilians, with lengthy queues and rations for oil and mazoot (heating oil) as sanctions make it hard for Syria to import Iranian crude. Medical equipment is hard to import, not least as the US exemption licenses are so tough to obtain. Banking is practically impossible, and even Syrians outside the country find it a nightmare to open a bank account, let alone transfer money. Many are forced to use informal systems of money transfers, which only benefit the warlords and extremist groups and fall outside of any attempts to monitor flows of funds.
But let me be clear: Debating sanctions should not equal any let up in a desire to see a change in the behavior of the Syrian regime. It has committed crimes against humanity, egregious human rights abuses, used chemical weapons and bombed civilians and civilian infrastructure. Ending this should be a priority for any major player in the international community.
But have sanctions impeded the regime and deterred it from such criminal behavior? All of those crimes have taken place while sanctions have been in place over the last eight years. There is zero evidence that the regime has modified its aggressive behavior as a result of any sanctions.
It also ignores the powerful lessons from history. The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein benefited from sanctions, enabling it to hold the Iraqi population captive. The Israeli blockade in Gaza keeps Hamas in power. The Castro regime in Cuba survived decades of US sanctions. Very rarely do sanctions impact a regime after the initial period. The regime’s system and crony networks adapt and find workarounds to ensure their continued wealth.
So what is the policy intent of US and EU sanctions? Indeed, do they even have coherent Syria policies? Neither claim in 2019 that the aim of sanctions is to remove the Syrian regime. The “Assad must go” language died out some years ago. Even most segments of the Syrian opposition largely realize this now. If anything, the US policy on Syria is nothing less than a subset of its policy of maximum pressure on Iran, with zero concern for Syrians.
The sanctions will not lead to a change of regime or regime behavior. Moreover, many parts of the Syrian regime are quite content with sanctions. Warlords and regime cronies profit hugely from sanctions and their easing could actually pose a threat to this powerbase. Sanctions also provide an easy excuse for the regime as to why the economy is not picking up.
The US government is on a Cuba trajectory in regards to Syria, veering toward a decades-long regime. Sanctions are cheap and politically acceptable. Political leaders are happy to see Syria isolated and embargoed for years even decades. If anything, sanctions are about to get tougher. The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act has entered the US House of Representatives. If passed, these sanctions will slaughter what is left of the Syrian economy and what remains of the middle class.
Never-ending sanctions only equal never-ending suffering for those who have already endured too much. It is time to start the debate.
How could sanctions relief happen? Could it be part of a grand bargain? It is unlikely, but who knows given the unpredictable nature of US President Donald Trump, a man more than capable of announcing he would hold talks with Bashar Assad tomorrow.
The other option would be a phased easing of specific sanctions on certain conditions. The aim would be exclusively to ease the burden on civilians. This would be dependent on the regime agreeing to specific steps, such as safe refugee return, full chemical weapons inspections and an end to the bombing of civilian targets.
The EU could also make explicit what are the criteria for reconstruction funds to become available. Sensibly, EU leaders have not dished out huge sums because they are awaiting meaningful political reforms, but there is no clarity as to exactly how this is to be defined.
The Syrian regime would want to see some benefits for itself, ending diplomatic isolation being one. Pressure on the regime to accept a deal must come from its loyalist base who are desperate to see the economy opening up again and would not take kindly to the regime becoming an obstacle to sanctions relief.
The likelihood is that US sanctions will continue unaltered, with a faint chance the EU sanctions could change. But for those who want to help Syrian civilians now, given that the regime for the foreseeable future is not disappearing, tough questions must be asked. Never-ending sanctions only equal never-ending suffering for those who have already endured too much. It is time to start the debate.
*Chris Doyle is director of the London-based Council for Arab-British Understanding. Twitter: @Doylech

Environmental problems fuel Iran protests

Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/November 25/2019
The large-scale protests that broke out in Iran on Nov. 15 were the most significant since the 2009 Green Movement protests. They did not occur in isolation but have been preceded by hundreds of smaller, more sporadic protests throughout the country since late 2017.
A Nov. 8 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., drew on data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project to examine protests in Iran from January 2018 to October 2019. It found that economic grievances were the most common driver of protests but noted that political, environmental, and cultural grievances also play roles.
The environmental drivers behind protests in Iran often receive less attention than economic and political factors, but they are increasingly important and are very likely to play a growing role in the future.
Iran is experiencing increasing environmental pressures. Drought — and related desertification and dust storms — is the worst problem. Iran has experienced a cycle of extreme droughts since the late 1990s, with some regions afflicted for as long as 20 years. In January 2018, an official with Iran’s Meteorological Organization said that nearly 96 percent of Iran was suffering from prolonged drought. Drought has taken a major toll on Iran’s agricultural sector, damaging food production and leading to significant internal migration, as farmers and their families have left failing farms to seek work elsewhere.
Severe heatwaves are another major problem, with scientific research pointing to more frequent and extreme occurrences in the future. In June 2017, the city of Ahvaz reportedly hit 53.7 degrees Celsius – a record for Iran and just short of the world record. Ahvaz, one of the cities that has experienced frequent protests, was ranked as the world’s most polluted city by the World Health Organization in 2015.
In the spring of this year, Iran also experienced historic, massive flooding that affected 12 million people and displaced 366,000 people. Perceived government failures to prevent and respond to the floods led to protests in several affected regions.
Extreme weather patterns are a risk in many parts of the world, including Iran, but several factors are exacerbating the effects. Afghanistan’s damming of the Helmand River has badly damaged the Hamoun wetlands in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province. Water mismanagement by Iranian authorities is a major cause of many recent environmental issues. The government has practiced excessive damming and has redirected water away from agricultural communities to industries and more populated centers. In one famous example, Lake Urmia has shrunk by 80 percent or more since the 1970s; while this partly reflects drought, the primary causes stem from water mismanagement.
Climate change will worsen all of these problems. Studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and others have projected significant reductions in rainfall in the Middle East, with significant increases in temperatures. In 2017, the World Bank noted that “while population and economic growth will increase water demands, climate change will be the primary driver for the most pronounced changes in surface water stress across the region.”
Poor management, corruption and climate change are stirring up widespread popular dissatisfaction.
These environmental concerns are fueling protests in several ways in Iran. Some protests in the recent years were in direct response to environmental issues. The CSIS report cited 261 environmental protests between January 2018 and October 2019. There are many examples of farmers protesting over a lack of water. The drying up of Lake Urmia led to protests in Tabriz in 2010-2011. The spring 2019 floods also sparked unrest. Such protests have occurred in several areas, but the city of Isfahan and the province of Khuzestan have been hot spots for environmental-related demonstrations.
Environmental issues have also served as a risk multiplier — exacerbating other problems that spark protests. Prolonged droughts, as well as this year’s massive floods, have damaged the agricultural sector and overall economy, contributing to economic grievances. Climate migrants who left dried-up farms add to strains and unemployment in urban areas; notably, drought-fueled internal migration from farms to cities in Syria was a factor that led to Syrian uprising. Climate change exacerbates inequality — yet another factor behind public frustration, as those with fewer resources are less able to afford adaptations; they must deal with extreme heatwaves without air conditioning, work in unhealthy conditions, rely on poor quality water, and leave unproductive farms. Furthermore, a significant factor in water mismanagement is corruption, with accusations of officials taking bribes for water rights and of powerful factions directing water toward their industries. Anger at corruption is a huge driver of protests in Iran, and environmental corruption plays into that.
The Iranian government has publicly recognized the growing environmental concerns and, until recently, allowed relatively open public discussion of such issues. Given US sanctions and the effects of anthropogenic climate change, the Iranian government would face major challenges in addressing the public’s environmental concerns even if it undertook a highly effective and transparent approach toward water management and climate resilience. However, it so far has failed to address the mismanagement and corruption that are major factors behind water shortages and lack of resilient infrastructure.
The combination of a lack of effective and fair government action, combined with the effects of climate change, guarantee that environmental grievances will increasingly be a factor behind protest movements in Iran.
*Kerry Boyd Anderson is a writer and political risk consultant with more than 14 years’ experience