LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
November 26/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
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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