LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 31/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 05/43-48/:”‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.”But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on October 30-31/2019
Mass Demos Continue in Tripoli, Sidon, Beirut as Tear Gas Fired in Akkar
Lebanon’s Aoun asks cabinet to continue caretaker role until new govt formed
Aoun Says Lebanon to Have 'Clean Government'
US’s Pompeo calls for new, efficient government in Lebanon
US, Gulf countries sanction entities linked to IRGC and Hezbollah
UK: ‘Vital reforms’ needed in Lebanon to create a better country for all
Lebanese army command calls on protesters to open roads
Central Beirut Attack: A Political Message that Preceded Hariri’s Resignation
Report: Binding Parliamentary Consultations Expected this Week
Lebanon: Roukoz Calls For Govt With Exceptional Powers to Implement Reforms
Geagea: Presidential Settlement Has Fallen, Hariri Our 1st Choice for Non-Political Govt.
Schools, Universities to Resume Classes Thursday, Banks to Reopen Friday
EU Delegation, Envoys Urge Fast Govt. Formation, Dialogue with Civil Society
Lebanon Reopens but Crisis Remains after Hariri Resigns
Lebanese Government Down, What's Next?

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 30-31/2019
Khamenei accuses US, Arab states of stoking unrest in Iraq, Lebanon
US keeps Turkey sanctions targets ready if needed: Mnuchin
US House backs measure that would impose sanctions on Turkey over Syria
Damascus calls on Kurdish forces to join army, police
Israeli diplomats strike over working conditions
Erdogan: US’s Armenian genocide recognition is ‘worthless’
Arab League Voices Concern Over Escalation of Violence in Iraq
Jordan Recalls Envoy to Israel to Protest Detention of Two Citizens

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 30-31/2019
How Lebanese PM Hariri defied Hezbollah/Ynetnews/Reuters|/October 30/2019
What's Riad Salameh thinking/Dan Azzi/Annahar/October 30/2019
Hariri open to return as Prime Minister/Georgi Azar/Annahar/October 30/2019
Will Hezbollah allow elections or crack down on protests?/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab News/October 30/2019
What’s Next in Lebanon?/Michael Young/October 30/2019
Protests in Iraq and Lebanon pose a challenge to Iran
Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Koseph Krauss/AP/October 30/2019
The Internet and Mass Protests/Tyler Cowen/Bloomberg/October 30/2019
Death of Daesh Leader: An Important Milestone but Not the End of Daesh/Andrew Murrison/Asharq Al Awsat/October 30/2019
Israel Blocks Terrorists, Palestinians Block Critics/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/October 30/2019
The BBC Thought Police/Andrew Ash/Gatestone Institute/October 30/2019
The oceans as an investment priority/Emma Navarro/Arab News/October 30/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on October 30-31/2019
Mass Demos Continue in Tripoli, Sidon, Beirut as Tear Gas Fired in Akkar
Naharnet/October 30/2010
Mass anti-corruption demonstrations continued Wednesday in the northern city of Tripoli and the southern city of Sidon, hours after blocked roads were re-opened across Lebanon in the wake of the government’s resignation. Some protesters in Tripoli’s al-Nour Square called for the fall of the president, the parliament speaker and the members of parliament. MTV meanwhile said that some roads will be blocked at night in the city. A mass demo was meanwhile staged in Sidon, with protesters roaming the city’s streets and re-blocking the Elia intersection. The Lebanese Red Cross later reported that three people were injured in a clash at the demo and that it was sending additional crews. In Akkar, the army fired tear gas to disperse protesters blocking the road in the town of al-Abdeh and minor injuries were reported. Protesters meanwhile blocked the international highway linking Tripoli and Minieh to al-Abdeh at the al-Beddawi point. In Beirut, dozens of protesters flocked to the Riad al-Solh Square and Martyrs Square. The National News Agency said the protesters were later joined by some supporters of caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Hariri’s supporters had earlier roamed Beirut’s streets on motorcycles in support of him. The army was meanwhile trying to reopen roads blocked by protesters in the Bekaa towns of Saadnayel, Taalabaya, Barelias, Qab Elias and al-Marj Major roads across Lebanon were reopened Wednesday following the government's resignation but protesters have vowed to keep pushing for deeper change. Euphoric protesters experiencing a rare moment of national unity have pilloried politicians of all parties, calling for better public services, an end to rampant corruption and a complete overhaul of sectarian-based politics. When Prime Minister Saad Hariri appeared on television to announce his resignation, crowds erupted into celebrations across the country but warned that the government's fall was only one of their demands. As roads reopened, the education ministry called on schools and universities to resume classes on Thursday morning. Banks are set to open on Friday. Lebanon's economy, crippled by ballooning public debt, has been sliding to the brink of collapse in recent months. Hariri announced a much-delayed reform package last week in a bid to address some of the protesters' demands and the requirements for a huge foreign assistance program to be unlocked. Some protesters want fresh elections to be organized, a move that would further delay the implementation of those reforms.

Lebanon’s Aoun asks cabinet to continue caretaker role until new govt formed
Reuters/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun on Wednesday asked the cabinet to continue in a caretaker role until a new government is formed, following the resignation of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri on Tuesday. Hariri’s resignation toppled his coalition government. He said he had hit a “dead end” in trying to resolve a crisis unleashed by 13 days of protests against the ruling elite. “My resignation comes in response to the demands of [the people in the] streets of Lebanon,” Hariri said in a televised speech, adding he will be going to Baabda presidential palace, the official residence of the President of Lebanon, to submit his resignation to Lebanese President Michel Aoun. His resignation comes as protests have swept Lebanon for nearly two weeks, demanding the government resigns amid growing anger at political leaders accused of corruption. “Positions come and go, but the dignity and safety of the country is more important,” Hariri said.

Aoun Says Lebanon to Have 'Clean Government'
Naharnet/October 30/2010
President Michel Aoun on Wednesday announced that Lebanon will have a “clean government,” a day after Saad Hariri bowed to unprecedented anti-graft street protests and submitted his government’s resignation. “Lebanon will have a clean government and the protests that happened have opened the door to major reform,” Aoun told a delegation from the Maronite League during a meeting in Baabda. “Should obstacles arise in our way, the people will return anew to the squares,” he warned. The president had earlier on Wednesday acknowledged Hariri's resignation as prime minister but asked his government to continue on a caretaker basis until a new cabinet is formed. The resignation of the government has eased a two-week-old nationwide lockdown but protesters have vowed they would keep pushing for deeper change. Euphoric protesters experiencing a rare moment of national unity have pilloried politicians of all parties, calling for better public services, an end to rampant corruption and a complete overhaul of sectarian-based politics. When a somber Hariri appeared on television Tuesday to announce his resignation, crowds erupted into celebrations across the country but warned that the government's fall was only one of their demands.

US’s Pompeo calls for new, efficient government in Lebanon
Reuters/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday urged Lebanon’s political leaders to help form a new government responsive to the needs of its people after Saad Hariri resigned as prime minister after huge protests against the ruling elite. “The United States calls on Lebanon’s political leaders to urgently facilitate the formation of a new government that can build a stable, prosperous, and secure Lebanon that is responsive to the needs of its citizens,” Pompeo said in a statement. Hariri announced his resignation on Tuesday, bowing to nearly two weeks of unprecedented nationwide protests against corruption and sectarianism.“The peaceful demonstrations and expressions of national unity over the last 13 days have sent a clear message. The Lebanese people want an efficient and effective government, economic reform, and an end to endemic corruption,” Pompeo said. “Any violence or provocative actions must stop, and we call upon Lebanon’s army and security services to continue to ensure the rights and safety of the protesters,” he added. Lebanon’s political leaders have appeared shell-shocked, trying simultaneously to express sympathy for the protest movement while warning of turmoil in the case of a power vacuum.
It has often taken months for Lebanon’s fractious political leaders to agree on a government line-up, a scenario Lebanon’s backers say the country can ill afford.

US, Gulf countries sanction entities linked to IRGC and Hezbollah
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
The United States and six Gulf countries have announced sanctions on Wednesday on 25 entities linked with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, in a move to tighten controls on both group’s finances. The sanctions were set by Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), a two-year-old group that includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in addition to the United States.They targeted companies supporting the Basij Resistance Force, a subordinate group of the Revolutionary Guard, that the Treasury said are used “to oppress domestic opposition with brutal displays of violence” and supply fighters to regional conflicts. “Today’s action is multilateral action by TFTC partners to expose and condemn the Iranian regime’s gross and repeated violations of international norms, including the attack that threatens the global economy by targeting the oil facility in Saudi Arabia,” a statement from the TFTC read. Among the 25 was Iranian Bank Mellat and mining, manufacturing and investment firms that support the Basij. Four of those listed were individuals running Hezbollah’s operations in Iraq. All 25 have previously been named in US Treasury sanctions announced in 2018. “The TFTC’s coordinated disruption of the financial networks used by the Iranian regime to fund terrorism is a powerful demonstration of Gulf unity,” said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a statement. “This action demonstrates the unified position of the Gulf nations and the United States that Iran will not be allowed to escalate its malign activity in the region,” said Mnuchin, who addressed a business forum in Riyadh on Wednesday. (With AFP)

UK: ‘Vital reforms’ needed in Lebanon to create a better country for all
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Lebanon needs a government that can “urgently deliver vital reforms necessary to create a better country for all,” the British Embassy in Lebanon said on Wednesday, following Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri's announcement of his resignation from government on Tuesday. “Violence or intimidation of peaceful protests from any group only undermines Lebanon’s unity and stability,” the embassy said on its official Twitter page. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced on Tuesday his resignation from government, weeks after an unprecedented wave of protests began in Lebanon. “My resignation comes in response to the demands of [the people in the] streets of Lebanon,” Hariri said in a televised speech, adding he will be going to Baabda presidential palace, the official residence of the President of Lebanon, to submit his resignation to Lebanese President Michel Aoun. His resignation comes as protests have swept Lebanon for nearly two weeks, demanding the government resigns amid growing anger at political leaders accused of corruption. “Positions come and go, but the dignity and safety of the country is more important,” Hariri said.

Lebanese army command calls on protesters to open roads
Reuters, Beirut/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Lebanese soldiers and security officials urged protesters to open blocked roads on Wednesday so life could return to normal, after 13 days demonstrations paralyzed the country and forced the prime minister to resign. Troops cleared one major route north of Beirut after briefly scuffling with demonstrators in the morning. A group of soldiers tried to pick up a vehicle blocking the highway before it drove off, al-Jadeed television footage showed. At the Ring Bridge in the centre of the capital, a security officer tried to persuade crowds to clear the way to nearby hospitals. “I am staying here,” one woman told Reuters as she spread blankets across the road. Saad al-Hariri resigned as Lebanon’s prime minister on Tuesday, toppling his coalition government. He said he had hit a “dead end” in trying to resolve the crisis unleashed by the huge protests against the ruling elite. In a statement, the army command said people had a right to protest, but that applied “in public squares only.”The main protest camp in a square in the centre of the capital was quiet but was closed to traffic by security forces. Hariri made his resignation speech after a crowd loyal to the Shia Muslim Hezbollah and Amal movements attacked and destroyed a camp in central Beirut. It was the most serious strife on the streets of Beirut since 2008, when Hezbollah fighters seized control of the capital in a brief eruption of armed conflict with Lebanese adversaries loyal to Hariri and his allies at the time. The departure of Hariri, who has been traditionally backed by the West and Sunni Gulf Arab allies, pushes Lebanon into unpredictable political territory. The protests have compounded Lebanon’s already serious economic woes and banks kept their doors shut on Wednesday.

Central Beirut Attack: A Political Message that Preceded Hariri’s Resignation
Beirut - Caroline Akoum/Asharq Al Awsat/Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
Many Lebanese politicians have seen attacks by Hezbollah and Amal supporters on anti-government protesters in Beirut’s central district as a direct message to Prime Minister Saad Hariri ahead of his resignation. Hariri submitted his official written resignation to President Michel Aoun on Tuesday, following a televised address to the protesters. His move came in contradiction to the stance of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who had rejected the collapse of the cabinet. Sources close to the prime minister noted that recent street violence and attacks on protesters have increased his resolve to make the decision that has been long awaited by the demonstrators. On Tuesday, Hezbollah and Amal movement supporters wielding sticks and pipes attacked and destroyed a protest camp set up by the anti-government demonstrators near the Grand Serail in central Beirut. They have infiltrated the sit-ins and clashed with protesters several times. Former Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi said such moves were nothing more than “militia acts against independent and peaceful people.” “It was an attempt to terrorize the Lebanese and address the crisis with violence in response to Hariri’s decision to refuse to keep the status quo,” he noted. Kataeb Party MP Elias Hankash said the attacks could have one or two purposes: an attempt by Hezbollah to pressure Hariri to refrain from resigning, or to give him an image of the chaos that would prevail following such a resignation. Rifi asserted that despite Hezbollah’s attempts to appear as if it was not responsible for all the assaults on the demonstrators, the movement was to blame for the attacks. Hankash said that since Hezbollah’s plans were linked to external agendas, the movement could have many possible reactions to Hariri’s recent move. “There is no doubt that the party wanted this government to stay in power, because it is part of it; its fall will delegitimize the party and expose it,” the Kataeb deputy remarked.

Report: Binding Parliamentary Consultations Expected this Week
Naharnet/October 30/2019
People expect President Michel Aoun to make a statement on Wednesday announcing the acceptance of the resignation of PM Saad Hariri, who asserted that his Tuesday resignation is “final and effective.”The Presidency is also expected to make a second statement “probably before the end of the week,” setting the date for binding parliamentary consultations to assign the new PM, said al-Joumhouria daily. Political sources noted that setting a date for consultations is linked to reopening key roads blocked by protesters in order to facilitate the movement of deputies to Baabda Palace.
Ministerial sources said the presidential statement could be issued on Wednesday after the President concluded consultations with advisers and political allies before calling for binding parliamentary consultations.

Lebanon: Roukoz Calls For Govt With Exceptional Powers to Implement Reforms
Beirut- Paula Astih/Asharq Al Awsat/Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
MP Shamel Roukoz deplored warnings that the resignation of the government would put the country into chaos and uncertainty. He stressed, however, that a new Cabinet would give a fresh feeling of confidence both for the Lebanese people and the international community. Roukoz has recently announced his withdrawal from the Strong Lebanon parliamentary bloc, which is headed by Foreign Minister and MP Gebran Bassil. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he called for the formation of a government of competent ministers, not necessarily technocrats, with the possibility of having exceptional powers to implement the required reforms. “More importantly, any new government should gain the confidence of the people before it gets the confidence of the parliament. It shouldn’t be a government of quotas. The larger the size of the government, the more the parties will rush to share quotas,” Roukoz emphasized. He also noted that deputies should not be appointed ministers, in order to ensure the proper functioning of the new government pursuant to the principle of the separation of powers. Moreover, he called for the adoption of the standards of efficiency, competence, and ethics in the selection of ministers. The Lebanese deputy criticized some parties for considering the street protests as a conspiracy against the state, saying: “The street has not and will not be an enemy of the state or the president.” “People have taken to the streets as a result of suffering; and since we are a democratic country… it is the duty of officials to listen to the voice of the protesters and their demands,” he remarked. Roukoz highlighted a possibility to agree on a new government formation within two days if there were positive intentions, “as long as the criteria to be followed are clear.”

Pointing to Iraq, Lebanon, Khamenei recalls how Iran put down unrest
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran’s supreme leader on Wednesday accused the United States and Saudi Arabia of stoking unrest in Lebanon and Iraq, saying Tehran understood the situation in those countries because it had had to suppress similar foreign interference at home. “The U.S. and Western intelligence services, with the financial backing of reactionary countries in the region, are spreading turmoil,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted by his official website as telling graduating army cadets. Khamenei urged protesters to seek changes in a lawful way in Iraq and Lebanon, where Iran has powerful allies among Shi’ite Muslim government factions. In an apparent warning, Khamenei praised Iran’s crackdown against street protests at home in 2018. “They (U.S. and Saudi Arabia) had similar plans for our dear country, but fortunately the people... came out in time and the armed forces were ready and that plot was neutralized,” Khamenei said, in a reference to the protests which were put down by security forces while authorities held pro-government rallies. Iran’s weeks-long unrest in 2017-2018 began as protests about economic hardship and corruption but grew into political rallies, some of which criticized Khamenei by name. They were the boldest challenge to Iran’s leadership since 2009, when security forces crushed a pro-reform uprising and killed dozens of protesters. “Our advice has always been to call for peace and (stopping) interference by foreign forces in these countries (Iraq and Lebanon),” President Hassan Rouhani’s chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi was quoted as saying earlier by state media. The United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel were riding a wave of popular demands and providing those forces with financial support, he added.

Geagea: Presidential Settlement Has Fallen, Hariri Our 1st Choice for Non-Political Govt.
Naharnet/October 30/2019
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday announced that the 2016 political settlement that led to the election of President Michel Aoun “has definitely fallen,” as he noted that caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri is the LF’s “first choice” for heading a new “non-political” government.
“What’s needed is a salvation government that would be free of the traditional faces who have served in successive governments since years -- a government that truly comprises independent men,” Geagea said in an interview with the Central News Agency. “Let no one try to outsmart the people… The situation can no longer bear this,” Geagea added, calling for “an independent government containing figures with a record of success, integrity, dynamism, uprightness and achievements.” He warned: “It is true that the roads have been reopened, but let no one think that the protest movement has ended. It is waiting around the corner in anticipation of what the ruling authorities will do. If they only change the faces, the 13-day scene is expected to continue for 130 days, and then there will be no country for them to rule and control.” Noting that the presidential settlement “has definitely fallen,” Geagea stressed that the LF will not take part in a “political government.”“The country can no longer bear old and repetitive solutions,” the LF leader cautioned. He explained: “In the (binding parliamentary) consultations (with President Michel Aoun), the MPs of the Strong Republic bloc will name someone who accepts to form a government with the specifications we have mentioned, knowing that (caretaker) PM Hariri is our first choice for such a government.”“In my opinion, the street will accept a government of this type, which would garner confidence if it is headed by Hariri,” Geagea added.

Schools, Universities to Resume Classes Thursday, Banks to Reopen Friday
Naharnet/October 30/2019
Education Minister Akram Shehayyeb on Wednesday called on all public and private schools, universities and institutes to resume classes on Thursday. In a statement, the minister said the decision was taken “following the Lebanese Army’s move to reopen roads in the various Lebanese regions, and after holding consultations with the various sectors and the meeting that was held at the ministry today, Wednesday with the associations of public school teachers.” Shehayyeb also called on the educational institutions to “intensify classes and extend them to weekends if needed.” The Association of Banks in Lebanon meanwhile announced that “banks will resume normal operations as of Friday, November 1.” “Due to the accumulating work created by the closure, it has been decided to extend banks’ working hours until 5pm on Friday and Saturday,” ABL added. The statement was issued after a meeting between the association and Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh. Banks have been closed since the eruption of the massive popular demonstrations and road-blocking protests on October 17. The government's resignation Tuesday under pressure from the street has largely eased a two-week-old nationwide lockdown but protesters vowed Wednesday to keep pushing for deeper change.

EU Delegation, Envoys Urge Fast Govt. Formation, Dialogue with Civil Society
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 30/2019
The Delegation of the European Union and the EU Heads of Mission in Lebanon on Wednesday called for a speedy government formation process in the wake of Saad Hariri’s resignation. In a statement, they acknowledged that “Lebanon's citizens have taken to the streets and expressed their disillusionment with the political situation in the country.”“They have called for accountability of political leaders and better governmental performance as well as to overcome societal divisions. Their calls must be heard,” the statement urged. It added that following Hariri’s resignation “it is imperative that a new Government is formed without delay and that structural reforms will be implemented.”“We call upon the Government to engage with civil society in an inclusive dialogue,” the EU Delegation and Heads of Mission added. Expressing “grave concern about any infringement on the citizens' freedom of assembly and expression as well as about recent occasions of violence around protests,” the EU Delegation and Heads of Mission commended the security forces for “their policy of restraint shown so far.” “We continue to call on the authorities to protect all peaceful protests. Political parties bear responsibility for the behavior of their supporters. We call on all political leaders to refrain from rhetoric that could incite violence in this critical period ahead,” the statement added. “The European Union and its Member States reaffirm the strong and enduring partnership with Lebanon and its people and our support for Lebanon's stability, territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence,” it said.

Lebanon Reopens but Crisis Remains after Hariri Resigns
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 30/2019
The resignation of Lebanon's government under pressure from the street looked set to ease a two-week-old nationwide lockdown but protesters vowed they would keep pushing for deeper change. President Michel Aoun acknowledged Saad Hariri's resignation as prime minister but asked his government to continue on a caretaker basis until a new cabinet is formed. But there was no clear way out of the political crisis that has drawn warnings from Lebanon's foreign partners. On the ground, protesters, and in some places security forces, reopened most of the roads that had remained mostly blocked by protesters since a proposed tax on calls via messaging apps sparked a wave of demonstrations on October 17. The unprecedented mobilization swelled into a popular drive to remove a political elite which has remained largely unchanged since the end of the civil war three decades ago.
Euphoric protesters experiencing a rare moment of national unity have pilloried politicians of all parties, calling for better public services, an end to rampant corruption and a complete overhaul of sectarian-based politics. When a somber Hariri appeared on television Tuesday to announce his resignation, crowds erupted into celebrations across the country but warned that the government's fall was only one of their demands. "The resignation is not enough to get us off the streets," said Charbel, a 26-year-old draped in a Lebanese flag, who was still protesting in central Beirut on Wednesday. "We need to keep up the pressure, but we should not keep the roads closed because now it's bothering even the people who were supporting the movement," he said.
Protest life
Hariri's resignation came after counter-demonstrators loyal to some of his political rivals attacked the main protest site in the capital's Martyrs Square. They destroyed tents and marquees and the rest of the temporary infrastructure that has turned downtown Beirut into a huge encampment -- hosting protests and political meetings by day, concerts and parties by night. Well-organized protesters however swiftly cleaned up and returned to the site, occupying the main flyover again on Tuesday evening. Food stands serving sandwiches or corn on the cob were doing brisk business. Some protesters laid out carpets and sofas, some slept in hammocks hung between traffic signals and others brought goal posts to set up a football pitch across the four-lane highway. By Wednesday, having won the government's resignation, protesters were divided over the decision to remove roadblocks, which they see as one of the few sources of leverage for their leaderless and spontaneous movement. The resignation announced by Hariri came after the failure of days of consultations with his fractious cabinet to agree on a reshuffle and meet some of the protesters' demands for a technocratic government. Early in the protests, Hariri had hinted that resigning was an option but his rivals in the government coalition, including Aoun's party and its allies from the powerful Shiite movement Hizbullah had warned a political vacuum could lead to chaos. Hariri's suggestions were rejected by Aoun, whose son-in-law Jebran Bassil is the outgoing foreign minister and one of the most reviled figures among the protesters. Forming a government in Lebanon can typically take months, with every sectarian and party leader seeking to protect their own communal interests. "There is no time for any of the old games," Heiko Wimmen, Lebanon project director at the International Crisis Group think tank told AFP.
- What's next? -
"The pressure of the street and, perhaps even more so, the fear of economic collapse will dictate an accelerated government formation," he said. The 49-year-old Hariri, who had already stepped down twice as prime minister in 10 years, could yet return as the head of the next government. "Hariri throws it all away to better negotiate his return," wrote the French-language newspaper L'Orient-Le Jour. One rising name in the Sunni community to which the post is usually reserved is outgoing interior minister Raya al-Hassan, who is the first woman to take that job and has received praise for her bloodless handling of the protests. Lebanon's economy, crippled by ballooning public debt, has been sliding to the brink of collapse in recent months. Hariri announced a much-delayed reform package last week in a bid to address some of the protesters' demands and the requirements for a huge foreign assistance program to be unlocked. Some protesters want fresh elections to be organized, a move that would further delay the implementation of those reforms.

Lebanese Government Down, What's Next?
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 30/2019
The resignation of Lebanon's government marks a new phase in the unprecedented two-week-old protests against corruption and sectarianism that have gripped the country. It was welcomed as a victory by the protesters -- but can it really be classified as one?Karim Bitar, a professor of international relations in Paris and Beirut, answers AFP's questions on what comes next for the country.
Good news for the protesters?
Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his government's resignation on Tuesday. "The demonstrators rejoiced, with the feeling that it was a first step towards the transition they're asking for, towards a Lebanese civic identity, an independent government," said Bitar. "But it may be fake good news, with the resignation allowing the Lebanese political class to buy time, a stalling tactic to demobilize the public and make sure that life returns to the country before bringing back the same clique in a few days or weeks.""The political class is banking on the protest running out of steam, that much is clear. It hopes the Lebanese, choked by economic hardship, will resume their daily lives."
Can Hariri return as PM?
"One of the scenarios being considered is that he returns at the helm of a revamped line-up but at this stage nothing is clear.""This is an unprecedented situation, even by Lebanese standards of political uncertainty. Everybody was caught flat-footed by these events and everything is possible.""Among the demands of the protesters is... a neutral, independent and democratic government led by somebody other than Hariri. It may be tough for the elite to stomach but it remains high on the people's wish-list.""Another of the movement's demands is that this independent government, if it ever comes true, gives the country a new and more balanced electoral law." "The most important thing is for this law to provide strict oversight of electoral financing and ensure equal media access for all candidates. This is necessary for the renewal of the political class the Lebanese want."
Whither the protest movement?
"This movement needs structure and it also needs to retain a certain unanimity in its demands, which are the overhaul of the political system, as well as a neutral and technocratic government which is independent from both Lebanon's communal leaders and from foreign powers.""At first this movement's strength came from the fact that it has no leader, that everybody could identify to it and that it could not be coopted by any party." "This strength can turn into a weakness when it'll come to following through with parliamentary elections and facing parties that are very well structured and financed and -- it cannot be ignored -- have leaders who retain a following." "This is akin to what happened in Egypt in 2011 -- at first (it was) a leaderless revolution that energized the country's youth, but as soon as the elections came, we saw that those who were in the streets really struggled to convert mobilization into votes.""Eventually the Muslim Brotherhood and the salafists garnered around 60 percent of the vote."

How Lebanese PM Hariri defied Hezbollah
Ynetnews/Reuters|/October 30/2019
Hezbollah is more deeply involved than ever in the affairs of Lebanese government and as keen as anyone to stave off deeper financial problems that could lead to a destabilizing currency crisis
Reuters|Published: 10.30.19 , 22:20
After hitting a dead end in efforts to defuse the crisis sweeping Lebanon, Saad al-Hariri informed a top Hezbollah official on Monday he had no choice but to quit as prime minister in defiance of the powerful Shi'ite group. The decision by the Sunni leader shocked Hussein al-Khalil, political advisor to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who advised him against giving in to protesters who wanted to see his coalition government toppled. The meeting described to Reuters by four senior sources from outside Hariri's Future Party captures a critical moment in the crisis that has swept Lebanon for the last two weeks as Hariri yielded to the massive street protests against the ruling elite. The resignation has left a political vacuum and paralyzed a state in need of urgent action to steer Lebanon out of an economic crisis that is hitting all Lebanese hard, including Hezbollah's Shi'ite constituency.
Officials at Hariri's office and Hezbollah could not immediately be reached for comment. The meeting which began at 8 p.m. at Hariri's Beit al-Wasat residence in central Beirut did not last long.
"I have made my decision I want to resign to make a positive shock and give the protests some of what they want," Hariri told Khalil, according to one of the sources. Khalil sought to change his mind. "These protests are nearly over, breathing their last breaths, we are next to you, steel yourself," Khalil told Hariri.
But Hariri stuck by his decision.
He complained he was not getting the support he needed to carry out a major cabinet reshuffle that might have defused the street and allow the quick implementation of reforms. "I can no longer bear it and I am not getting any help," Hariri said. The main sticking point, Hariri said, was Hezbollah's Christian ally Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, a son-in-law of President Michel Aoun with whom the prime minister had clashed repeatedly since his cabinet was formed in January. While Hariri sought a major reshuffle that would remove Bassil - a target of protester ridicule - and others, Bassil and Aoun had resisted any reshuffle on the basis that demonstrators might not leave the street and demand even more concessions. "You, Hezbollah, are standing behind Gebran and supporting him," Hariri told Khalil, according to the source. Bassil could not be reached for comment. After announcing his resignation, Hariri expressed relief.
A senior official familiar with his thinking told Reuters he could form a new government if his conditions are met. The resignation is a major blow for Hezbollah, which is more deeply involved than ever in the affairs of Lebanese government and as keen as anyone to stave off deeper financial problems that could lead to a destabilizing currency crisis.
Ahead of the resignation, Nasrallah had twice said he was against the resignation of the Hariri government, suggesting that some of the protesters were financed by the group's foreign adversaries and implementing their agendas. The post of prime minister must be filled by a Sunni Muslim in Lebanon's sectarian system, and while Hezbollah has Sunni allies, Hariri is seen as critical to navigating a way out of this crisis because of his international backing. "This is a strong blow to Hezbollah. Its hands have now been tied," said a source familiar with Hezbollah's thinking. "The biggest winner is Hariri."
Hariri entered this cabinet, his third, with the balance of power tilted against him and in favor of the heavily armed Hezbollah, which together with its allies won more than 70 of parliament's 128 seats in a 2018 election.
Hariri had lost more than one third of his lawmakers in that election, including some to Sunnis aligned with Hezbollah.
Hezbollah allies, including the FPM of Bassil and Aoun, secured the lion's share of cabinet seats in Hariri's cabinet. Hariri clashed with Bassil, particularly over long-elusive reforms needed to plug gaping holes in the state finances. Hezbollah forged its alliance with the FPM in 2006, winning an influential Christian friend as Lebanese politics was recast by the withdrawal of the Syrian government forces that had dominated the country since the end of the 1975-90 civil war. As foreign minister, Bassil has consistently spoken in international forums such as the Arab league to defend Hezbollah and its possession of weapons.
He is seen as a presidential hopeful.
In line with Hezbollah's view, Bassil called for Syria to be allowed back into the Arab League at a meeting earlier this month, generating more friction with Hariri because it was at odds with Lebanese government policy. The source familiar with Hezbollah's thinking said the group had refrained from attacking Hariri over his decision to quit, to leave open the possibility of him becoming prime minister of a new coalition cabinet. Hezbollah "must preserve a way back" from the crisis, the source said.

What's Riad Salameh thinking
Dan Azzi/Annahar/October 30/2019
Salameh was used to miracles. He’d seen the country teeter on the edge, and through a combination of skillful maneuvering, luck, and loyal friends of Lebanon, was able to avert disaster multiple times.
“If you want to understand a man, walk a mile in his shoes.”
Riad Salameh sat in his plush office, with silk Persian carpets blanketing the floors, smoking his favorite Cuban cigar, as he blew concentric circles in the air, while reading the daily press reports. He didn’t like reading on a computer screen, so his long-term assistant Madame “Hallak” brought newspapers or printouts of online-only articles. Madame Hallak is one of the most important employees at the Central Bank (BDL), because she’s the filter who controls access to him. If measured by his salary and BDL’s $136 billion balance sheet, Salameh would, by far, would undoubtedly be the most important man in Lebanon. People who tried to breach Madame Hallak’s elaborate defense lines for her boss varied from chairmen of banks all the way down to “selfie with the governor” aspirants.
He cringed as he read some of the scathing criticism in the mainstream media that historically revered him. President Michel Aoun had renewed his fifth term 3 years ago, after a bitter fight among his advisors. Salameh scraped through, due to sound advice from market experts who warned the President that any change would be detrimental to monetary confidence.
He was now governor for 26 years. Whatever you may think of him, he had become indispensable. BDL was Salameh and Salameh was BDL.
Salameh’s approval rating stood at nearly 90% in 2016, triple that of any public official, attributed primarily to maintaining the Lira peg at 1507.5 per dollar for two decades. He was the most admired man in Lebanon through most of his tenure.
Salameh was briefly among the three frontrunners for president in 2016, but regional geopolitics and local deal-striking formed unimaginable alliances, leading to the election of President Aoun in 2016.
As he read more bad news, Salameh had an irresistible urge to call his most trusted lieutenant, a senior, highly-dedicated public servant “Semaan” who’s the unsung hero, quietly fighting the tactical battles. He asks him for the Reserves number. This is the dollar value of gross foreign currency reserves, which stood at $38.6 billion, or nearly $50 billion, if you include the gold stash, much of which is held for safe-keeping in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Salameh repeatedly conveys this number to the press, with his calm voice and slow drawl, in sharp contrast to the loud and animated Lebanese macho stereotype. Nonetheless, he oozed with confidence, and panicky visitors left his office calm, even ready to go long Lira and short dollar. He was the consummate salesman, a skill honed during his Merrill Lynch days 1973-1993, as a financial advisor for the wealthy, which is how he met late Prime Minister Rafiq Harriri. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship culminating in his current position.
As he thought back to his legacy under attack, Salameh put on his suit jacket. He never left it behind, because of a sensitive key hidden in a secret, specially tailored pocket, which he carried on his person at all times. As he walked towards the waiting room, he stopped to admire pictures of his predecessors. Elias Sarkis was his favorite. He was the one who made the decision to buy gold, worth $14 billion today. Despite the fact that he’s forbidden to touch it by law, it gave him, and the country, excessive self-confidence, although he knew that it was unusable — selling even one gram would require a ministerial decree, but the signaling effect would be like yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre.
He also admired President Sarkis for his courage 1976-1982, when the country disintegrated into a brutal civil war. Sarkis witnessed the PLO setting up a state within a state, two Israeli invasions, the Syrian occupation of most of the country, while keeping the Lira stable in a tight band between 3.22 and 3.92 to the dollar.
He looked up at the picture, whispering, “Tell me, Elias, what should I do now?”
His thoughts are suddenly interrupted by loud chanting outside. He looks out a corridor window, as his office is designed to prevent someone outside from looking in (or someone inside look out). In the good times, it afforded privacy. Today it projected a sense of siege, like he was in a bunker. Demonstrators outside were screaming vitriolic slogans against him and the central bank. He wondered why they hated him instead of the impotent government. Didn’t he give them 22 years of prosperity? 22 years of a strong purchasing power and a higher standard of living than any Arab country in this neighborhood? Why are they so ungrateful? Will they now erase 22 years of legacy?
Salameh knew that $38.6 billion, practically-speaking, wasn’t relevant. The real number is one of the nation’s most guarded secrets, right up there with SHN’s undisclosed location. Estimated at around $30 billion, it was still monumental for such a tiny country. The savvy governor knew that it was not all deployable to protect the peg. He had to maintain a cushion to import essentials like grain, fuel, and medicine, to avoid Venezuela scenarios. He had maybe $6-$12 billion in usable reserves, and at the current leakage rate, wasn’t a lot of ammo.
Did those demonstrators know what he was up against?
He knew where this was going ... but what about his legacy? He was Mr. Lira. He then recalled 2016 and wondered why he stayed on. He could have left as the Alan Greenspan of Lebanon, the Maestro of the East, the best central banker in the history of the country. He could have completed his memoirs, suntanning on the Côte D’Azur, or writing critical articles in An-Nahar, like all those back-seat generals questioning his judgment today, from the safety of their non-positions. He recalled the Wall Street expression from his days at Merrill Lynch: “You are your last trade.” He refused to be his last trade, but he needed a miracle.
Salameh was used to miracles. He’d seen the country teeter on the edge, and through a combination of skillful maneuvering, luck, and loyal friends of Lebanon, was able to avert disaster multiple times.
During the 2008 global credit crisis, when the West was facing Armageddon, Lebanon had a reverse capital flight to our perceived safety, an ironic twist of fate. Rich Lebanese expats stopped trusting top foreign banks, and moved their money to local banks, culminating in a Balance of Payment surplus of $20 billion between 2006 and 2010. This surplus was squandered on real estate development and government waste, resulting in a bubble, whose remnants can be seen in the shiny, vacant towers dotting the Beirut skyline.
In 2011, the surplus morphed into a persistent deficit every year until now. In 2016, Salameh recognized the danger signs. This was the fork in the road when he could have considered alternative unpopular measures, which he discarded in favor of continuing to “feed the beast” ... but the beast got bigger and hungrier. That summer he made a fateful decision to execute what he called a “financial engineering” transaction, which paid banks an obscene amount in Lira, in exchange for “fresh” dollars obtained from overseas, seduced by mythological rates of interest. Banks booked billions in profit, partially to offset losses in misguided diversification attempts in Turkey, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. They lost money in every single expansion overseas, which cannot be attributed to bad luck alone, and Salameh, like a guardian angel, was there to help them pick up the pieces, but opted not to slap them with a moral hazard penalty. Some people started throwing around words like Ponzi and Madoff. Even the venerable Economist magazine, described it “like a pyramid scheme ... works only with a constant supply of new money.”
Salameh conducted more than a dozen more financial engineering transactions over the next three years, capturing $65 billion of bank dollar deposits (one out of every two US dollars).
In August, everyone blurted a sigh of relief, when S&P maintained our credit rating. While everyone was still popping corks of Champagne, Fitch threw a curveball, and downgraded us, when they calculated BDL’s net foreign reserves at negative $32 billion. The central bank now had more dollar debt than the Lebanese government itself.
Salameh realized that the trade deficit (net imports of almost $20 billion per year) was depleting his reserves. Before 2011, remittances, tourism, and FDI, more or less, covered this import binge, but not anymore. While his FE was covering the “supply side,” providing dollars for the continued import binge, it was costing him dearly in future risk. A few months ago, he finally attacked the demand side, by sucking liquidity out of the market, both in dollars and Lira, because around 70 piasters of every Lira spent eventually ends up converted to dollars for imports ... hemorrhaging out of the country. The liquidity embargo, while effective for protecting the Lira, was catastrophic for the economy, causing growth to drop to zero, businesses to fail, and unemployment to rise. This was still not enough, so he curtailed transfers from Lira to dollars or transfers out of the country (by further restricting dollar liquidity). This overflow seeped into the real world, because customers had to go to exchange houses to buy fiat (physical) dollars.
A black market quickly developed, with the dollar trading up to 1800, for the first time in 22 years, jumping outside the band of 1500-1515.
The absence of any economic planning in the country meant that monetary policy was what lead the economy, instead of the reverse. This major flaw in the country had finally caught up with him. He recognized that any decision he makes directly affected the protestors below. It affected their livelihood, standard of living, employment, and quality of life. It also affected the ubiquitous security personnel, who were the ones who would be called to forcefully quell them, if they ever reached the critical mass to threaten the system. It also affected the top 1%, the elite who owned the country.
So any deliberate, drastic measures created too many simultaneous enemies.
However, the problem was too big for one man, and required a concerted effort from everyone in a position of authority. But even then, there was no magic pill to make the pain go away. It was really a choice between a soft (or softer) landing versus all-out chaos. Many of the decision makers, who were political appointees, did not understand the issues, and thus were incapable of offering a solution. Their expertise was in being loyal to their sponsor and giving media soundbites.
Most Lebanese economic analysts were TV media personalities, who had no training or experience in the cancer we were facing. Many of them were helpful for a while, lavishing praise on him and polishing his brand — ‘useful idiots’ during the good times. But today, the country needed something different— leadership. He needed those economists to stop sycophantically praising him, and instead convey the hard message to mobilize the country towards a form of “economic resistance.” Extreme measures were coming anyway, and it was really a choice between doing it at a time and place of our choosing ... or having it done to us. He wished that the media had never depicted him as this omnipotent heroic figure, as if he could snap his fingers and stop the gathering storm in its tracks. He recalled the sycophants chanting, “As long as Riad Salameh is in charge, the Lira is fine.” He used to feel pride whenever he heard it, but today he realized that the country’s fate should never depend on any one man — not even him — but needed to be a nation of institutions. He knew the Lira was sick, and that chant was coming back to haunt him now — it put him in a corner and took away the obvious choice, especially that the ruling class had subcontracted this problem to him for so long.
Sometimes, the right choice is not politically palatable. The answer lay at the intersection of economics and politics. Any solution would strike at the constituency supporting a specific political party. Who was going to be the politician to tell his supporters that they have to give up entitlements?
Salameh closed his eyes to think. The country appeared in his imagination as a bus, driving towards a cliff, with its passengers arguing over the number of seats each can take, instead of trying to steer away from the edge.
The bleeding of dollars due to the twin budget and fiscal deficits was now consuming bank deposits. It was like quelling your hunger by eating your own foot. The solutions all involved some type of brutal dollar diet. Maybe he should have floated the Lira in 2008-2010 when massive surpluses were flowing into the country. The Lira would have risen to 1,000 per dollar, and as the balance of payment surplus turned negative in 2011, the Lira would depreciate slowly, back down to 1,500, and then even 2,000 today, allowing a gradual and soft landing. But retrospective vision is 20/20. Who’s the genius who could honestly claim today that he could have seen that in real time? Analyzing a battle in history books isn’t the same as being the General making life and death decisions in the fog of war. He was starting to question the financial engineering. He wondered if he had given the banks so much that their top management actually believed it was real — that their profits were due to their banking acumen and skills. They certainly paid bonuses and bought Fakra chalets like they were investment geniuses, instead of guys who failed at every expansion outside Lebanon, where they competed with real bankers, with real business models, instead of the Disneyworld, for which he was partially responsible, and where they earned free money for no added value. He wondered if he could have pulled off an equity stake in the banks he bailed out, preventing any banker from earning a bonus until every last penny was returned to the Lebanese taxpayer and depositors. He got angrier as he thought about them keeping the eurobond coupons he just paid them outside the country.
The FE transactions started out rare, then increased in frequency. The banks were like junkies, excited every time he announced one, waiting to snort the delicious white powder of phantom profits, but now, when he looked at their balance sheets, he could see the bags under their eyes, the slurred speech, the red nose .... they were badly in need of rehabilitation.
Salameh knew they needed drastic intrusive surgery to extract the country out of the coming abyss. He had to weigh protecting his legacy, and stretching the reserves for 3 more years, until his tenure ended, making it the next guy’s problem, or dealing with the long term-problem now. It was really a political, as much as an economic problem. In some sense, it was the consideration that every political leader in the country was calculating. It was much easier to play the blame game or find a scapegoat than to make a tough decision that’s good for the country but that damaged your personal reputation. Like the fires burning in Mechref and Damour. What’s easier, to extinguish them or issue outraged press releases?
He remembered Nietzsche, “If you stare into the abyss, the abyss will stare onto you.” He now stared deep into the abyss of possibilities: devaluation, haircuts, default. Every single option was catastrophic, and nobody in power wanted to face the abyss that was staring back at them, so they all left it to him, while they find a scapegoat. He remembered the idiom, “If you look around the poker table and can't tell who the putz is, then it's you.”
Ask a hundred Lebanese about the reason for the devaluation of the 1980’s and you’ll get a hundred different answers. It was a “Force Majeure” ... like an earthquake. Nobody was held accountable. Nobody remembers who the governor was. Google “Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon” and he’s the only one who appears, as if no governor existed before 1993. He was like Adam and Eve of BDL. He didn’t have the advantage of anonymity now. His past success was his worst enemy today.
Success has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan.
Salameh looked out the window at the demonstrators, took a deep breath as he contemplated his options, and thought, “It’s lonely at the top.”
In an interview with CNN, he announced how dire the situation was ... days away from a crisis. It was a conscious decision, high-risk, deviating from his “everything is fine and under control” message that he had consistently and convincingly delivered for 26 years. It was the first time that he sounded gloomy. But he had to do it. He had to light a fire under the decision makers to move. His statement shocked the market and the Lebanese people. They had never heard anything like this from the Superman of Lebanon. But Salameh gambled because banks were closed, so there was no chance of a run on them or the Lira. But there was collateral damage. Yields on eurobonds climbed to 37-60%, a level not seen in the history of the nation. So he had to backtrack from his statement somewhat, by issuing a clarification that ended up like the difference between “restructure” and “reschedule.” The next day prime minister Harriri resigned, granting a victory to the protestors, who were cursing Salameh, thinking that his CNN statement was aimed against them.
Salameh looked at his watch. It was 7pm, not the latest he’s ever worked, but he was still jet lagged from his trip to the United States, and he wanted to get some rest. He informed his lone bodyguard and driver that he was leaving. He didn't have multiple bodyguards like many others in senior positions, because he was always well-loved by everyone, although he was wondering if that was still wise today. He believed that when your time came, no amount of bodyguards could protect you against a well-funded and committed group. He recalled his friend, the late Rafiq Harriri, with all his security resources, which didn’t change his fate.
As they drove out, there were some stragglers from the demonstrators. His tinted window was open. One of them, with a bandana on his head, stood right outside his window. They were a meter apart. They looked straight at each other, eye to eye — a symbol of the masses in pain and a symbol of the Lebanese capitalist system. He thought he would start yelling for the rest and they would mob his car, but maybe the demonstrator detected the sadness in his eyes. He gave the Governor his bandana, then just turned and walked back to the rest of the mob while hurling more insults at him and the central bank.

Hariri open to return as Prime Minister
Georgi Azar/Annahar/October 30/2019
In the wake of his resignation, which plunged Lebanon further into uncertainty, both the U.S and U.K called on Lebanese political leaders to facilitate the formation of a new government in line with demands of its people.
BEIRUT: Saad Hariri left the door open for his re-designation as prime minister, sources told Annahar. Reuters, quoting sources close to the outgoing prime minister, said Hariri was ready to form a new Cabinet on condition that it would be comprised of technocrats capable of implementing the necessary reforms to stave of a collapse. Hariri submitted his resignation Tuesday as protests took a violent turn after a group of Hezbollah and Amal supporters rampaged through downtown Beirut. He was reportedly willing to capitulate to the protesters’ demand of forming an independent government made up of experts, but had face stiff opposition from both the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah.
Lebanon's banking sector under pressure as protests endure
Instead, Hariri headed to the Baabda Presidential Palace where he presented his written resignation, saying that “he reached a dead end” in trying to “find a solution.”In the wake of his resignation, which plunged Lebanon further into uncertainty, both the U.S and U.K called on Lebanese political leaders to facilitate the formation of a new government in line with demands of its people. "The peaceful demonstrations and expressions of national unity over the last 13 days have sent a clear message. The Lebanese people want an efficient and effective government, economic reform, and an end to endemic corruption,” the U.S State Department said.
This was echoed by the U.K, who said that “Lebanon needs a government that can urgently deliver vital reforms necessary to create a better country for all.” Mass protests gripped the small Mediterranean country for 13 days, after decades of political incompetence and corruption deprived its people of the most basic needs. Electricity shortages, crumbling infrastructure and high unemployment finally took their toll, with protesters from all walks of life and different religious backgrounds banding together in a campaign of civil disobedience not seen in years. Following Hariri’s resignation, the vast majority of protesters elected to show political leaders a sign of good faith, lifting barricades that had blocked key roads and highways across Lebanon, including Jal el Dib and Zouk. After President Michel Aoun acceptes Hariri’s resignation, the government switched to caretaking mode and perform some governmental duties and functions until a new government is formed.
“Lebanon will now have an honest government,” Aoun said, calling on demonstrators to hit the streets again if their demands for reform aren’t met.Parliamentary consultations to nominate a new premier are expected to the coming days, as Lebanon finds itself in a race against time to settle the 2020 budget, enact necessary reforms, and convince international donors to unlock part of the CEDRE soft loan package.
Lebanon needs to slash its budget deficit, estimated at around 11 percent of GDP, while securing dollar liquidity to stabilize the Lira peg. The peg, which had acted as a guarantor of financial stability up to this point, has been put in question, with black market rates surging well above their official counterparts.
Lebanese banks had remained shuttered during the ordeal, but are set to resume normal operations on Friday. The association maintained that no capital markets would be put in place as they brace for an almost certain bank run.
Kataeb Party leader and MP Samir Gemayel welcomed Hariri’s resignation, reiterating the need for a concise government free of partisanship.
“The people have spoken and what Lebanon needs is am independent government to revamp its economy, retrieve stolen public funds and put forth expedited parliamentary elections,” he said.

Will Hezbollah allow elections or crack down on protests?
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab News/October 30/2019
Lebanon was thrown into further uncertainty with Tuesday’s surprise resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The embattled leader realized his position was no longer tenable and quit, claiming he wished to make a “positive shock.” However, despite holding the office of prime minister, Hariri was never the principal power in Lebanon. That station is retained by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, who holds no official political position. Hezbollah, the militant Shiite group designated as a terrorist organization by the US, UK and many other nations, and pivotal Iranian proxy in the Middle East, is the dominant political force in Lebanon. Yet Lebanon has witnessed unexpectedly sweeping protests against the entire political leadership of the country in recent days. What happens next depends entirely on how Hezbollah responds to the public demand for free and fair elections.
Lebanon is a state built on a fragile compact between different religious groups, most notably Maronite Christians, Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims and Eastern Orthodox Christians, but also groups such as the Druze, atheists and much smaller numbers of Jews, Baha’is, and so on. Whenever there has been a stable balance between the four largest groups, the country has prospered. Whenever that balance has been upset, the country has seen catastrophic civil wars complete with genocidal massacres.
The wonderful thing about the most recent protests is that, for the first time, they are entirely non-sectarian. For the first time in the modern history of this deeply divided country, people are not showing up to protest a rival religious group, they are not waving sectarian flags, and they are not seeking to alter the confessional balance of the political institutions in Beirut. Instead, they are waving the Lebanese flag, people are mixing freely with others from different groups, and they are asking that the respective leaderships of all the confessional groups be removed on account of corruption and mismanagement, to be replaced by people whose main qualification is that they are not corrupt.
So why is Hezbollah pivotal? Though the four largest demographic groups are very nearly equally represented in the Lebanese population at large, Hezbollah is by far the largest and best-organized sectarian political grouping. It emerged from the ill-fated Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 2006 as the “heroes of the whole nation” and has the strongest international backing of all sectarian political parties as a key regional ally of Iran.
But with power must come responsibility. The roots of the current outpouring of popular discontent lie in the fact that Lebanon has suffered a drastic economic downturn over the past year; it has struggled to cope with a significant refugee influx from the Syrian civil war (with the number of refugees now making up almost 25 percent of the pre-conflict population of Lebanon); and years of administrative mismanagement and corruption have been piling up. And though the entire cross-confessional political establishment is being criticized, Hezbollah, as the dominant party, will inevitably end up taking up most of the blame.
The current protests represent a fundamental threat to Hezbollah’s political prominence in Lebanon.
This is why the current protests represent a fundamental threat to Hezbollah’s political prominence in Lebanon, especially given that many Hezbollah foot soldiers are either actively participating in or tacitly approving of the ongoing protests. If there are to be new elections, as the protesters demand, the Hezbollah leadership stands to lose the most.  This explains why Nasrallah has been all over the television in recent days, trying to mollify the protesters by acquiescing to their concerns about corruption and mismanagement, while at the same time trying to discredit parts of the uprising as sponsored by “foreign forces” (read Israel and the US). Party goons have been dispatched to various protest flashpoints to stare down protesters, especially Shiites expected to be supportive of Hezbollah’s positions and interests, and a sinister plot is already afoot to drive a sectarian wedge between the protesters.
The key question, though, is whether Hezbollah will limit itself to these measures as it prepares to accept some kind of decline in its relative power in Lebanon by conceding to the protesters’ demands and holding elections, or whether it treats the protests as a sectarian issue and will start mobilizing its militias to crack down on the protesters and try to concentrate even more power in its hands.
*Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is a director at the Center for Global Policy and author of “The Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar’s Genocide” (Hurst, 2017). Twitter: @AzeemIbrahim

What’s Next in Lebanon?
Michael Young/October 30/2019
In an interview, Maha Yahya says that following Saad al-Hariri’s resignation the country faces a difficult transition.
Maha Yahya is the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. She has been following the protests in Lebanon closely in the past two weeks, and sat for an interview with Diwan on the day that Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri decided to step down. She spoke about the causes of his resignation as well as prospects for what lies ahead as a new government is formed. She also discussed Hezbollah’s role in the recent protests and what options the party now has.
Michael Young: Why did Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri resign after initially refusing to do so?
Maha Yahya: Hariri was left with little choice. He was under considerable pressure from protestors to resign, while his political partners in the national unity government wanted him to stay, but on their terms. These terms included a refusal to approve a cabinet reshuffle, a refusal to change the entire cabinet, and a willingness to use violence in the street, as happened hours before the prime minister’s resignation, when Hezbollah and Amal supporters attacked protestors in downtown Beirut and burned their tents. Hariri had already made it clear that he would resign should blood be shed. Meanwhile, political parties and Hariri’s former allies used the protests to settle domestic scores with their political foes.
Young: In light of this, what was the impact of his resignation?
Yahya: By resigning, Hariri turned the tables on both President Michel Aoun and Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. He effectively broke Nasrallah’s word to protestors in two previous speeches when he affirmed that the government would not fall. Hariri also crossed Aoun’s red lines by forcing out of office, among others, Gebran Bassil, Aoun’s son in law who is foreign minister. Antipathy toward Bassil was especially palpable among the protesters. All this opens the door for a new prime minister to form a government that does not include individuals objectionable to the protestors.
Young: What happens now that a new government is to be formed? What are the possible complications?
Yahya: Lebanon may enter into a period of instability. Hariri is head of a caretaker government with significantly diminished powers to address economic reform and the deep economic and financial crises that Lebanon is facing. Meanwhile, parliament must select a new prime minister, which requires a majority of votes among the parliamentary blocs. Given the makeup of the current parliament, it will be difficult to secure agreement among the various blocs on a candidate. However, with a looming financial and economic crisis, the blocs will need to move quickly to identify a candidate acceptable to them and to protestors on the street. The country simply cannot afford the time-consuming horse-trading that usually occurs when governments are formed. If there is an economic collapse and the Lebanese pound loses value, Lebanese citizens could see their incomes, pensions, and savings disappear. The fallout in terms of public anger could pale in comparison to what we’ve seen thus far.
Young: Are any names circulating to replace Hariri? How might things play out?
Yahya: Several options are on the table. One is that Hariri will be tasked with forming a government of technocrats. This is an unlikely scenario given his standoff with Bassil and Hezbollah, and is probably unacceptable to protestors. A second option may be to identify a candidate who is not a parliamentarian but who is acceptable to both the Sunni elite and other political parties. In any case, without the full support of Lebanon’s political class such a person and his or her government could be doomed. All ministries and state institutions are influenced by powerful politicians, who would be able to hinder the work of new government ministers in a multitude of ways.
One name making the rounds is Raya al-Hassan, the current interior minister and the first woman in the region to hold that post. She is part of Hariri’s parliamentary bloc but has not been tainted by corruption scandals. She is also from Tripoli, which saw the largest demonstrations. The question is could she or others with similar profiles enjoy widespread political support? More importantly in Hassan’s case, would protestors accept someone directly affiliated with the current political parties?
More critically, the biggest question revolves around Hezbollah’s choices. Will the party continue to hold on to Bassil and the current caretaker government at the expense of Lebanon’s stability? Yet if it were to do so, it would risk expanding the rift within the party’s own Shi‘a community, given that Hezbollah’s resistance to a change of government provoked considerable public anger, even among Shi‘a who supported the protest movement.
Young: Is there any possibility that violence may break out, as Hezbollah and its allies have already attacked protesters during the past two weeks?
Yahya: The prospect of violence has become more palpable than before. The attacks on peaceful protestors in downtown Beirut by Hezbollah and Amal followers indicated that the protest movement had become intolerable to them. This was not only because the protesters had named and shamed Shi‘a political leaders; it was also because both parties sought to silence dissent within their community and clamp down quickly on potential rifts that could undermine their standing in the country.
In Nasrallah’s speeches over the past two weeks, he depicted the popular demonstrations and public anger with the status quo as part of a conspiracy to undermine Hezbollah and its legitimacy. As such, he chose to perpetuate the status quo and a political order that has protected Hezbollah, a reaction that pro-Iran parties have also demonstrated in Iraq. The question is how far Hezbollah is willing to go in Lebanon. Until now the party has restricted itself to dispatching thugs to break up protests in Beirut and southern Lebanon.
Moving forward, Hezbollah has one of two choices. It can accept that the ground is shifting and that what has happened is not a conspiracy against the party, but a genuine groundswell of opposition to a system that had simply become intolerable. Here Hezbollah would endorse a new national salvation government and early elections as demanded by the protestors. Or, as is more likely, it will continue to adopt a reactionary position, in coordination with the Amal Movement and Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, which means that it will need to resort to even higher levels of force than what we’ve seen until now.
With the army continuing to protect the protestors, the question will be how far would Hezbollah be willing to go to prevent mobilization in the streets. And if the party is willing to use force, how will it deal with protests in predominantly Sunni Tripoli and Christian areas where it has a limited presence? The widespread and decentralized nature of the protests makes any effort to curtail them throughout Lebanon increasingly difficult. This is where the sectarian system comes into play. Any intervention by Hezbollah in non-Shi‘a areas can quickly lead to a sectarian conflict.

Protests in Iraq and Lebanon pose a challenge to Iran
الإحتجاجات في لبنان وإيران تشكل تحدياً لإيران
Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Koseph Krauss/AP/October 30/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/80041/protests-in-iraq-and-lebanon-pose-a-challenge-to-iran-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%ad%d8%aa%d8%ac%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%86%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%88%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86/
BAGHDAD (AP) — The day after anti-government protests erupted in Iraq, Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani flew into Baghdad late at night and took a helicopter to the heavily fortified Green Zone, where he surprised a group of top security officials by chairing a meeting in place of the prime minister.
The arrival of Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force and the architect of its regional security apparatus, signaled Tehran’s concern over the protests, which had erupted across the capital and in Iraq’s Shiite heartland, and included calls for Iran to stop meddling in the country.
The protests in Iraq and Lebanon are fueled by local grievances and mainly directed at political elites, but they also pose a challenge to Iran, which closely backs both governments as well as powerful armed groups in each country. An increasingly violent crackdown in Iraq and an attack by Hezbollah supporters on the main protest camp in Beirut have raised fears of a backlash by Iran and its allies.
“We in Iran know how to deal with protests,” Soleimani told the Iraqi officials, according to two senior officials familiar with the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secret gathering. “This happened in Iran and we got it under control.”
But nearly a month later, the protests in Iraq have resumed and demonstrations continue in Lebanon, both directed at governments and factions allied with Tehran. The protests threaten Iran’s regional influence at a time when it is struggling under crippling U.S. sanctions.
The day after Soleimani’s visit, the clashes between the protesters and security forces in Iraq became far more violent, with the death toll soaring past 100 as unidentified snipers shot demonstrators in the head and chest. Nearly 150 protesters were killed in less than a week.
During renewed protests this week, men in black plainclothes and masks stood in front of Iraqi soldiers, facing off with protesters and firing tear gas. Residents said they did not know who they were, with some speculating they were Iranians.
“Iran is afraid of these demonstrations because it has made the most gains in the government and parliament through parties close to it” since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, said Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi security analyst. “Iran does not want to lose these gains. So it has tried to work through its parties to contain the protests in a very Iranian way.”
It hasn’t worked.
The protests in Iraq resumed Friday after a brief hiatus, with protesters massing in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square and clashing with security forces as they tried to breach barricades on a bridge leading to the Green Zone, the seat of the government and home to several embassies. In southern Iraq, protesters have attacked and torched the offices of political parties and government-backed militias allied with Iran.
In a country that is OPEC’s second-largest oil producer, impoverished residents complain that powerful Shiite militias tied to Iran have built economic empires, taking control of state reconstruction projects and branching into illicit business activities.
“All the parties and factions are corrupt, and this is connected to Iran, because it’s using them to try and export its system of clerical rule to Iraq,” said Ali al-Araqi, a 35-year-old protester from the southern town of Nasiriyah, which has seen especially violent clashes between protesters and security forces.
“The people are against this, and that is why you are seeing an uprising against Iran,” he said.
Overnight Tuesday, masked men who appeared to be linked to Iraq’s security forces opened fire on protesters in Karbala, a holy city associated with the martyrdom of one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam. At least 18 protesters were killed and hundreds were wounded in bloodshed that could mark an ominous turning point in the demonstrations. In Baghdad, protesters burned an Iranian flag. Days earlier, protesters had gathered outside the Iranian Consulate in Karbala, chanting “Iran, out, out!”
In Lebanon, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets, demanding the resignation of a government dominated by pro-Iran factions. As in Iraq, the protests are focused on local grievances .
“The protests in both Iraq and Lebanon are primarily about local politics and a corrupt political class that has failed to deliver,” said Ayham Kamel, the Middle East and North Africa practice head at Eurasia Group.
The protests “showcase the failure of the proxy model where Iran is able to expand influence but its allies are unable to effectively govern,” Kamel said.
Lebanese protesters have only rarely called out Iran and its main local ally, the militant Hezbollah group, but they have focused much of their rage on Lebanon’s president and foreign minister, who come from a Christian party closely allied with Hezbollah.
A common chant, “All means all,” implies that none of Lebanon’s factions, including Hezbollah and its allies, are beyond reproach.
Last week, fistfights broke out at a main rally when protesters chanted against Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who announced at around the same time that he was withdrawing his supporters from the protests. He said unspecified foreign powers were exploiting the protests to undermine his group, warning that such actions could plunge the country back into civil war.
Iraqi anti-government protesters gather near the provincial council building during a demonstration in the southern city of Basra. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)
On Tuesday, Hezbollah supporters rampaged through the main protest camp in central Beirut. Shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a Western-backed leader who had reluctantly partnered with the pro-Iran factions in a national unity government, resigned. The protesters returned to the square by sundown, cheering their first victory since the demonstrations began Oct. 17.
Hezbollah is the most powerful armed force in Lebanon and was alone in refusing to disarm after the 1975-1990 civil war. It justifies its arsenal by saying it’s needed to defend the country from Israel, which occupied southern Lebanon from 1982 to 2000.
Hezbollah sent thousands of fighters to neighboring Syria to help defeat the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad, another key Iranian ally. Iraq’s powerful Iran-backed militias, initially mobilized to battle the Islamic State group, have also fought alongside Assad’s troops. And Iran violently suppressed its own pro-democracy protests, known as the Green Movement, after the disputed 2009 presidential election.
Iran has been largely silent on the protests until Wednesday, when Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the U.S. and its regional allies of fomenting the Iraq and Lebanon unrest, according to his website.
Khamenei, speaking at Iran’s Air Defense Academy, was quoted as saying that U.S. and Western intelligence services “are making chaos” in the region. He urged Iraq and Lebanon to prioritize national security and respect for law while also saying the protesters’ demands are “right.”
Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi offered Tehran’s “deep regret” about the scores of protesters killed in Iraq.
“We are sure that the Iraqi government, nation and clerics can overcome these problems,” he said.
*Krauss reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 30-31/2019
Khamenei accuses US, Arab states of stoking unrest in Iraq, Lebanon
Reuters, Dubai/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Iran on Wednesday accused the United States and Arab states of stoking unrest in Lebanon and Iraq, and called for calm in both countries. “Our advice has always been to call for peace and (stopping) interference by foreign forces in these countries,” President Hassan Rouhani’s chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi was quoted as saying by state media.The United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel were riding a wave of popular demands and providing those forces with financial support, he added.

Iranian general flies into Baghdad to chair top security meeting amid protests
The Associated Press/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Quds Force, had visited Baghdad and took a helicopter to the heavily fortified Green Zone where he secretly met with a group of top security officials, the Associated Press reported citing two senior officials familiar with the meeting. According to the two sources, the visit came on the day after anti-government protests first erupted in Iraq more than a month ago. Soleimani is said to have surprised a group of top security officials by chairing a meeting in place of the prime minister.
The arrival of Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force and the architect of its regional security apparatus, signaled Tehran’s concern over the protests, which had erupted across the capital and in Iraq’s Shiite heartland, and included calls for Iran to stop meddling in the country.
The protests in Iraq and Lebanon are fueled by local grievances and mainly directed at political elites, but they also pose a challenge to Iran, which closely backs both governments as well as powerful armed groups in each country. An increasingly violent crackdown in Iraq and an attack by Hezbollah supporters on the main protest camp in Beirut have raised fears of a backlash by Iran and its allies. “We in Iran know how to deal with protests,” Soleimani told the Iraqi officials, according to two senior officials familiar with the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secret gathering.
“This happened in Iran and we got it under control,” he added.
But nearly a month later, the protests in Iraq have resumed and demonstrations continue in Lebanon, both directed at governments and factions allied with Tehran. The protests threaten Iran’s regional influence at a time when it is struggling under crippling U.S. sanctions. The day after Soleimani’s visit, the clashes between the protesters and security forces in Iraq became far more violent, with the death toll soaring past 100 as unidentified snipers shot demonstrators in the head and chest. Nearly 150 protesters were killed in less than a week. During renewed protests this week, men in black plainclothes and masks stood in front of Iraqi soldiers, facing off with protesters and firing tear gas. Residents said they did not know who they were, with some speculating they were Iranians. “Iran is afraid of these demonstrations because it has made the most gains in the government and parliament through parties close to it” since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, said Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi security analyst. “Iran does not want to lose these gains. So it has tried to work through its parties to contain the protests in a very Iranian way.”The protests in Iraq resumed Friday after a brief hiatus, with protesters massing in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square and clashing with security forces as they tried to breach barricades on a bridge leading to the Green Zone, the seat of the government and home to several embassies. In southern Iraq, protesters have attacked and torched the offices of political parties and government-backed militias allied with Iran. In a country that is OPEC’s second-largest oil producer, impoverished residents complain that powerful Shiite militias tied to Iran have built economic empires, taking control of state reconstruction projects and branching into illicit business activities. “All the parties and factions are corrupt, and this is connected to Iran because it’s using them to try and export its system of clerical rule to Iraq,” said Ali al-Araqi, a 35-year-old protester from the southern town of Nasiriyah, which has seen especially violent clashes between protesters and security forces.

US keeps Turkey sanctions targets ready if needed: Mnuchin
Reuters, Riyadh/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday that the Trump administration is keeping a list of Turkish sanctions targets ready if needed, but so far is pleased with the ceasefire in Syria that caused prior sanctions to be lifted. Mnuchin said in an interview in Saudi Arabia that the listof additional targets was developed for Vice President Mike Pence to take to Ankara to negotiate the cease-fire. He added that had the talks not been successful, the financial sanctions would have been imposed. “The answer is, we still have that list. I have no reason to expect that we’ll need to use them,” Mnuchin said. “I think we are pleased with the way that this is working.”On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly for a resolution calling on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions and other restrictions on Turkey and Turkish officials over its offensive in northern Syria.

US House backs measure that would impose sanctions on Turkey over Syria
Reuters/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday for a resolution calling on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions and other restrictions on Turkey and Turkish officials over its offensive in northern Syria. House members voted 403-16 in favor of the legislation, part of an effort by both Democrats and many of Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress to push Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government to end, and not resume, its offensive against Kurdish forces who helped US troops battle ISIS militants. The House also voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday in favor of a resolution recognizing the mass killings of Armenians a century ago as a genocide, a symbolic but historic vote likely to inflame tensions with Turkey.
                                                                                                                                                        
Damascus calls on Kurdish forces to join army, police
AFP, Damascus/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Syria’s army and police Wednesday called on Kurdish fighters and security forces in northeast Syria to join their ranks following a Turkish cross-border incursion, state media said. The appeal comes after regime troops deployed along parts of Syria’s northeastern border in a deal with Kurdish authorities to help stave off the Turkish offensive, launched October 9. It is the largest Syrian army deployment in the area since 2012. A separate ceasefire agreement reached between Ankara and Damascus-backer Moscow last week provided for members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to withdraw from the border and solidified the presence of pro-government forces there. “The general command of the armed forces is ready to welcome members of SDF units who are willing to join its ranks,” said a Syrian defense ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA. It said all Syrians, including the Kurdish minority, are confronting “one enemy.” Syria’s interior ministry said it was willing to provide police services to residents of the northeast, calling on members of the Kurdish internal security services, known as Asayish, to join its ranks, SANA reported. The Turkish military and its Syrian proxies attacked Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria in early October with the aim of creating a roughly 30-kilometer (20-mile) deep buffer zone along the frontier. Left in the lurch by a US troop withdrawal from the border area, Kurdish forces turned to the Syrian government for protection. Damascus forces rushed north and are expected to deploy along much of the border zone, but a 10-kilometer-deep strip is set to be jointly patrolled by Russian and Turkish troops under their deal.

Israeli diplomats strike over working conditions
AFP, Jerusalem/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Israeli diplomats began an open-ended strike on Wednesday, closing more than 100 embassies and consulates around the world in a protest over working conditions. The stoppage follows a long-running dispute between diplomatic staff and the finance ministry, which the envoys say has unilaterally changed its rules on reimbursing expenses for entertaining official guests. “We are forced to close the Israeli representations in the world as of today (October 30),” the foreign ministry staff union said in a statement. “No services will be provided to the public and admission to delegations will not be allowed.” Israel’s ambassador to Belgium, Emmanuel Nachshon, said the row was over a treasury demand that receipts be provided with expense claims for home entertaining. “Our embassy is closed like the rest of the Israeli embassies in the world,” he told Israeli public radio. “When you host somebody in your home, when you hold a dinner or other activity, it’s not always possible to provide a receipt for everything,” he said. “They need to trust us when we declare such an expense.” Israeli financial daily Globes reported last month that the foreign ministry was in deep crisis after repeated cuts to its budget, and that its accountant general had ordered envoys to stop all business trips and entertaining and end overtime for local staff.

Erdogan: US’s Armenian genocide recognition is ‘worthless’
AFP, Ankara/Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday slammed the recognition by the US House of Representatives of the “Armenian genocide” as “worthless” and the “biggest insult” to the Turkish people. His Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also suggested Tuesday’s resolution was “revenge” for Turkish actions in Syria. Turkey has also summoned the US ambassador to Ankara. “From here I am addressing US public opinion and the entire world: this step which was taken is worthless and we do not recognize it,” Erdogan said in a televised speech. “In our faith, genocide is definitely banned,” he said. “We consider such an accusation to be the biggest insult to our people.”Turkey strongly denies the accusation of genocide and says that both Armenians and Turks died as a result of World War I. It puts the death toll in the hundreds of thousands. Tuesday’s vote was a first for the US Congress, where similar measures with such direct language have been introduced for decades but never passed.“The US House is trying to take revenge over the agreements we signed with Washington and Moscow,” referring to accords ensuring the withdrawal of Kurdish militia from areas in northern Syria,” Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by Turkish media. Erdogan said the House vote was politically motivated, and hinted that the Turkish parliament would pass a counter resolution. He did not specify what this would include but in previous speeches he has touched on the mistreatment of Native Americans. “A country whose history is full of the stain of genocide and slavery neither has the right to say anything nor to lecture Turkey,” he said Wednesday. Erdogan later told reporters he had not yet made up his mind about whether to go through with a visit to the US which had been mooted for next month.
“I haven’t made my decision yet, there is a question mark,” he said.

Arab League Voices Concern Over Escalation of Violence in Iraq
Cairo - Sawsan Abu Hussein/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit urged on Tuesday all Iraqis to cooperate to contain their country’s crisis and maintain the recent gains achieved by the government. He voiced concern and regret over the escalation of violence and the number of victims left in Iraq's protests. He extended his condolences to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery for the wounded. “The current crisis requires self-restraint and all necessary measures to meet the people's demands,” an official AL source said. The source stressed the League’s willingness to assume its responsibilities regarding Iraq and its people and adopt what is needed to preserve the country’s stability. Earlier this month, massive protests erupted in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and other central and southern provinces, calling for reform, accountability for corrupt people, improvement of public services and job opportunities.

Jordan Recalls Envoy to Israel to Protest Detention of Two Citizens
Amman- Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel for consultations in protest over Israel’s refusal to heed its demands to release two citizens it said were illegally detained for months without charges, the kingdom’s foreign minister said on Tuesday. Ayman Safadi said in a tweet he held the Israeli government responsible for the lives of Hiba Labadi and Abdul Rahman Miri whose “health conditions have severely deteriorated.” He added that recalling the envoy was a first step but did not elaborate. Labadi, 24, went on a hunger strike and was hospitalized after her health deteriorated. She was arrested in August after crossing to the West Bank to attend a family wedding and so far has not been indicted. Safadi said Israel’s administrative detention of both citizens was “illegal” and vowed his country would “take all necessary legal and diplomatic measures to ensure their safe return home.”Jordan’s relations with Israel have been strained in recent years and the kingdom fears Israel’s possible annexation of territory in the occupied West Bank, where expansion of settlement building over several decades has dimmed prospects of a future Palestinian state.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 30-31/2019
The Internet and Mass Protests
Tyler Cowen/Bloomberg/October 30/2019
The world increasingly finds itself under protest. As 2019 enters its final quarter, there have been large and often violent demonstrations in Lebanon, Chile, Spain, Haiti, Iraq, Sudan, Uganda, Indonesia, Ukraine, Peru, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Colombia, France, Turkey, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Ethiopia, Brazil, Malawi, Algeria and Ecuador, among other places.
What gives? One possibility is that all of this is a random coincidence. Another is that news of such protests is now much more widely dispersed, and so they seem more widespread. But it is also worth considering what cause or causes these protests might share — and, more important, the means they have to spread their concern.
One frequent theme is people objecting to a price increase. In Ecuador, a focal point of the protests has been a demand for restoration of fuel subsidies. Petroleum price subsidies also have been central to the Haitian protests. In Lebanon, citizens have been upset at a new tax levied on the use of WhatsApp, with a social media tax also having been an issue in Uganda. In Sudan cuts to food and fuel subsidies have been a major complaint. In Chile they are protesting subway fare hikes.
The trend is that price increases may continue to become less popular. And, crucially, the internet will help people organize against such changes.
Consider that an old-style labor-oriented protest can be organized through the workplace or plant itself, through on-the-ground techniques that long predate the internet. There is a common locale and set of social networks in place, including perhaps a union. Those who suffer from a price increase, in contrast, typically do not know each other or have common social ties. Just about everyone buys gasoline, either directly or indirectly. The internet, however, makes it possible to mobilize these people into protests with prices as the common theme.
In other words: Protests of workers seem to be becoming less important, and protests of consumers are becoming more important.
You may recall that one of the original demands of the “gilets jaunes” protests in France was for free parking in Disneyland Paris. If you think that sounds a little crazy, you haven’t yet internalized the nature of the new millennium.
In the future, efficiency-enhancing or austerity-induced changes in prices may be much harder to accomplish politically. The new trend is neither central planning nor market liberal reforms, but rather frozen prices, especially when those prices are set in the political realm.
One lesson is that fighting climate change will be harder. Fossil-fuel subsidies are broadly popular, citizens do not seem exceedingly willing to take on economic sacrifices these days, and in most poorer countries climate change is not a major concern. The demonstrations mobilized by Greta Thunberg were mostly in wealthier countries, but future carbon emissions will come increasingly from emerging economies. Even in the Netherlands, hardly a right-wing country, farmers are protesting for the right to continue their nitrogen emissions.
Another lesson is that effective redistribution may well become harder. Economists tend to see simple monetary transfers as the most effective means of redistributing wealth, whereas keeping prices low tends over time to lead to shortages and lower quality. Protests are not an especially salutary form of egalitarian pressure, so the underlying problems are unlikely to improve very much, which in turn could worsen the political pressures.
Consumer protests organized by the internet are also less likely to be ideological in the traditional left-vs.-right sense. People of widely varying political views, including people who do not have much of a view at all, can get upset by high prices. The internet may also be encouraging a “least common denominator” appeal to generate the largest protests possible. The point is that anyone expecting these protests to bring about their preferred set of policy changes is bound to be disappointed.
In particular, I would caution against interpreting the protests as within the American progressive framework of fighting inequality. While economic privation is a major theme, neither the absolute level of privation nor the degree of inequality seems to explain much. Haiti, the poorest country in the hemisphere and with some of the most dysfunctional politics, is seeing protests because the economic situation is so bad. In Chile, meanwhile, the wealthiest country in Latin America and with falling inequality, the demonstrations may be more a matter of high or rising expectations.
One thing is for sure: With mass protests, as with so much else, the internet is changing everything.

Death of Daesh Leader: An Important Milestone but Not the End of Daesh
Andrew Murrison/Asharq Al Awsat/October 30/2019
The death of Daesh’s leader represents an important milestone in the Global Coalition’s mission but it does not represent the end of our work. The UK will continue to play a leading role in the Coalition and will work with its partners to secure Daesh’s lasting ideological defeat.
We cannot allow Daesh to use Al-Baghdadi’s death for propaganda and to portray him as a martyr. He actioned hideous and abhorrent crimes – particularly towards the people of Iraq and Syria – and we must instead focus on the strength and resilience of the local communities who resisted Daesh and who are committed to rebuilding their lives. The fall of Daesh’s leader also provides us with a moment to look back on what the Global Coalition against Daesh has achieved since it was established in September 2014. Five years later, the Global Coalition now stands at 81 international partners; working together, and with regional partners firmly in the lead, we have successfully liberated more than 7.7 million people and 110,000 square kilometers across Iraq and Syria from Daesh.
The Coalition continues to adapt and strengthen its efforts to curb Daesh’s global ambitions, including its ability to carry out terrorist attacks, spread its toxic propaganda, finance its operations, recruit supporters, and develop new safe havens. For example – thanks to Coalition aircraft – an estimated $800m of Daesh’s stockpiles were destroyed while the RAF struck Daesh’s major sources of revenue.
Coalition partners have also undertaken humanitarian and stabilization work in liberated areas of Iraq and Syria, to help communities recover from the brutality of life under Daesh. Since 2014, Coalition partners have provided stabilization assistance, demining capabilities, economic support and humanitarian assistance in Iraq and Syria.
We must honor those who have known such suffering at the hands of Daesh and focus on the future, and meet the humanitarian needs of Syrian civilians still caught up in this bloody conflict. The UK is one of the biggest donors to Syria, committing over £2.81bn in UK aid since 2012 to help address the crisis by providing medical assistance, food, and education. In Iraq, which also suffered immensely under Daesh rule, UK aid has provided life-saving health care to over 4.1 million people, and food assistance for 460,000 Iraqis.
I also take this opportunity to pay tribute to the courage and resolve of the UK’s armed forces, and those of our partners, who have worked tirelessly to fight Daesh. Without their bravery and commitment, we would not be succeeding. The UK has trained over 104,000 members of Iraq’s Security Forces and remains committed to playing a leading role in the Global Coalition against Daesh to ensure a peaceful and stable future for the people of Iraq and Syria.

Israel Blocks Terrorists, Palestinians Block Critics
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/October 30/2019
On the one hand, leaders of the Palestinian Authority (PA) condemn Facebook for "surrendering to Israeli pressure" and taking action against those who incite terrorism and hate speech. On the other hand, the same PA leaders keep pressuring Facebook to silence Palestinians who demand an end to financial and administrative corruption in the PA.
"[E]very time Fatah posts a new terror message on Facebook encouraging violence or presenting murderers as role models, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are given more motivation to kill Israelis. Facebook still chooses to do nothing to stop it." — Itamar Marcus, Jerusalem Post, September 11, 2019.
What Abbas and his senior officials apparently fear is that the current wave of anti-corruption protests sweeping Lebanon and other Arab countries may reach the West Bank. They appear nervous that their critics and political rivals will use social media to encourage Palestinians to revolt against corruption and tyranny.
For these leaders, when they turn to Facebook to clamp down on criticism and voices calling for reform and democracy, that is good government. However, when Israel tries to silence those who seek to spill more Jewish blood -- well, that is criminal.
Leaders of the Palestinian Authority (PA) are seeking to block dozens of websites and social media pages, to prevent them from criticizing and exposing corruption cases related to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his senior officials in the West Bank. Pictured: Abbas on September 20, 2017.
For the past few months, Palestinians have been accusing Facebook of "waging war on Palestinian content" by suspending dozens of accounts belonging to Palestinian activists and groups suspected of anti-Israel incitement and promotion of terrorism. The Palestinians even went as far as accusing the social media giant of being in collusion with Israel to "suppress the Palestinian narrative and conceal the reality of Israeli crimes."
In the context of the campaign, the Palestinians used the hashtag #FBblocksPalestine to "reveal the double-standard policy of Facebook management in dealing with Israeli and Palestinian incitement on its site," according to the Palestinian NGO Sada Social Center.
Earlier this month, Facebook further angered Palestinians when it deleted the page of the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Center. Several Palestinian journalists, political activists and Hamas officials accused Facebook of serving as a "tool of suppression" in the hands of Israel.
The London-based group, ImpACT International for Human Rights Policies, claimed that Israel was exploiting its relations with Facebook to "combat Palestinian content." The group also claimed that the war on Palestinian content was attributed to "economic interests" between Israel and Facebook.
The past week, however, has shown that if anyone is waging war on Palestinian content, it is the Palestinians themselves.
While Facebook has been deleting pages of individuals and groups promoting terrorism, violence and hate speech, particularly against Israel, the leaders of the Palestinian Authority (PA) are now seeking to block dozens of websites and social media pages for a different reason: to prevent them from criticizing and exposing corruption cases related to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his senior officials in the West Bank.
On October 17, the PA Magistrate's Court in Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinians, issued an order to block 59 websites and social media pages for allegedly "disrupting public order and provoking public opinion." The controversial order, which has sparked widespread criticism, was issued at the request of PA Attorney General Akram al-Khatib.
Palestinian journalists and human rights groups have strongly condemned the decision to block access to the websites and social media pages, calling it a "massacre against freedom of speech and the Palestinian press" and a "black day in the history of Palestinian journalism." The Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network said that the ban "reveals the Palestinian Authority's fear of a popular explosion against it similar to the Arab uprisings, the latest of which is taking place in Lebanon."
The Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq noted that this was not the first time that the PA had blocked access to websites. Two years ago, the group said, "Palestinian internet providers began blocking approximately 16 websites that often post news or opinions critical of the Palestinian Authority."
Al-Haq warned that blocking websites on the internet "may impinge on the right to freedom of expression, including freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds. The blocking of these websites violates the provisions of the Palestinian Basic Law, the 1995 Law on Printed Materials and Publication, and the 2009 Law by Decree on the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority."
The PA, whose representatives have also been lashing out at Facebook for deleting pages promoting anti-Israel incitement and terrorism, is now saying it will approach the social media giant to demand that it remove the websites blocked by the Palestinian court. The PA demand is a striking example of the double standard the Palestinians have long used in their dealings with Israel and the international community.
On the one hand, the PA leaders condemn Facebook for "surrendering to Israeli pressure" and taking action against those who incite terrorism and hate speech. On the other hand, the same PA leaders keep pressuring Facebook to silence Palestinians who demand an end to financial and administrative corruption in the PA. As Palestinians across the political spectrum were protesting the decision to block access to websites and social media pages, the head of the Palestinian anti-cybercrime unit, Nisreen Zainah, announced that the Attorney General's office will ask Facebook management to remove the pages blocked by the PA court in Ramallah.
"We support freedom of expression as a sacred right, but we must be aware that this should be within clear criteria and without prejudice to the freedoms of others," Zainah said. Noting that the PA does not have the technical means to block Facebook pages, she explained that her office would do so "through communication and coordination with the management of Facebook itself."
Israel wants Facebook to remove pages and posts that promote violence and glorify murderers of Israelis. Itamar Marcus, CEO of the Jerusalem-based watchdog Palestinian Media Watch, recently met with the director of Facebook's global counterterrorism policy team, Brian Fishman, and presented him with a report documenting dozens of incidents in which Abbas's ruling Fatah faction used its page to promote violence and glorify terrorists.
"During our conversation, I emphasized that every time Fatah posts a new terror message on Facebook encouraging violence or presenting murderers as role models, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are given more motivation to kill Israelis," Marcus said. "Facebook still chooses to do nothing to stop it."
Abbas and the PA leadership, on the other hand, are evidently not worried about anti-Israel incitement on the internet when it promotes terrorism against Israel. In fact, their social media accounts are directly involved in the glorification of Palestinians who murder Israelis and promote terrorism.
Palestinian leaders do seem to worry, though, that their corruption, tyranny and assaults on public freedoms and human rights violations are being exposed through Facebook and other social media platforms.
Now they want Facebook, "Israel's tool," to shut down not the terrorists, but anyone who dares to call them out for their policies and corrupt practices. As far as Palestinian leaders are concerned, reporting about corruption among the top brass of the PA is more dangerous than promoting terrorism or glorifying those with Jewish blood on their hands.
What Abbas and his senior officials apparently fear is that the current wave of anti-corruption protests sweeping Lebanon and other Arab countries may reach the West Bank. They seem nervous that their critics and political rivals will use social media to encourage Palestinians to revolt against corruption and tyranny.
For these leaders, when they turn to Facebook to clamp down on criticism and voices calling for reform and democracy, that is good government. However, when Israel tries to silence those who seek to spill more Jewish blood -- well, that is criminal.
**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.

The BBC Thought Police
Andrew Ash/Gatestone Institute/October 30/2019
"The need for sensitivity in talking about religious, political or social issues has now been taken to absurd proportions... making it difficult to say anything worthwhile. The aim of Thought for the Day has changed from giving an ethical input to social and political issues to the recital of religious platitudes and the avoidance of controversy, with success measured by the absence of complaints. I believe Guru Nanak [the founder of Sikhism] and Jesus Christ, who boldly raised social concerns while stressing tolerance and respect, would not be allowed near Thought for the Day today." – Lord Indarjit Singh, The Times, October 4, 2019.
So here is another thought for the day: Why should the BBC -- or the rest of the mainstream media -- rely on journalistic accuracy, when a sensationalist misquote will do?
Celebrated interfaith activist Lord Indarjit Singh has sensationally quit BBC Radio 4 after accusing it of behaving like the "thought police".
Celebrated interfaith activist Lord Indarjit Singh has sensationally quit BBC Radio 4 after accusing it of behaving like the "thought police". He alleges that the corporation tried to prevent him discussing a historical Sikh religious figure who stood up to Muslim oppression -- in case it caused offence to Muslims, despite a lack of complaints.
The Sikh peer, who has been a contributor on Radio Four's Thought For The Day programme for more than three decades, is also accusing Radio Four bosses of "prejudice and intolerance" and over-sensitivity in relation to its coverage of Islam, after he says he was "blocked" from discussing the forced conversion of Hindus to Islam, under the Mughal emperors in 17th century India.
The 87-year-old peer's resignation comes as a blow to the show's flagship segment, that has been a part of Radio Four's Today programme since 1970, and has been described by Britain's former chief rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, as "one of the last remaining places in the public square where religious communities are given a voice in Britain."
The segment, originally aired on November 28, 2018 -- and in spite of Singh's script containing no criticism of Islam -- is the latest in a long line of suspect BBC decisions enforced by seemingly over-zealous producers. "It was like saying to a Christian that he or she should not talk about Easter for fear of giving offence to the Jews," Singh said. There were, however, no complaints about the segment reported to OFCOM, the government approved broadcasting watchdog.
According to the Times of India:
After the senior producer's initial objections to the script, Lord Singh said he would rather the slot was left empty "than have Sikh teachings insulted in this way". "The producer in question, reluctantly agreed for the talk to go ahead, rather than have to explain why no one was in the studio that morning," he said... "I can no longer accept prejudiced and intolerant attempts by the BBC to silence key Sikh teachings on tolerance, freedom of belief and the need for us all to make ours a more cohesive and responsible society..."
It also reported that after leaving... Lord Singh complained about his treatment but a review by BBC director of radio James Purnell rejected his complaint.
According to The Times of London:
Lord Singh, a longstanding interfaith activist, said that some contributors to the slot joked among themselves about being subject to the "thought police".
He said: "The need for sensitivity in talking about religious, political or social issues has now been taken to absurd proportions with telephone insistence on trivial textual changes right up to going into the studio, making it difficult to say anything worthwhile. The aim of Thought for the Day has changed from giving an ethical input to social and political issues to the recital of religious platitudes and the avoidance of controversy, with success measured by the absence of complaints. I believe Guru Nanak [the founder of Sikhism] and Jesus Christ, who boldly raised social concerns while stressing tolerance and respect, would not be allowed near Thought for the Day today."
He accused the BBC of "a misplaced sense of political correctness that pushes contributors to bland and unworldly expressions of piety that no one can complain about"...
After the incident last November Lord Singh sent a catalogue of complaints to Mr Purnell, a former culture secretary. The peer said that after the BBC had agreed in 2011 that he could discuss the birthday of Guru Nanak "I was told to scrap it and talk about the forthcoming marriage of Prince William with Kate. I reluctantly agreed to do so, to the upset of many Sikh listeners."
Another time "when I wanted to include the words 'the one God of us all' [central to Sikh teachings], I was told I could not mention this 'because it might offend Muslims' "...
Lord Singh's decision to quit comes after the BBC reversed their own ruling that presenter, Naga Munchetty, breached BBC guidelines in criticising President Donald Trump for "perceived racism".
At the time of the incident, the BBC claimed that Munchetty's comments went "beyond what the guidelines allow for" by taking issue with Trump's statement on Twitter about certain political opponents of his:
"Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came."
So here is another thought for the day: Why should the BBC – or the rest of the mainstream media -- rely on journalistic accuracy, when a sensationalist misquote will do?
*Andrew Ash is based in the United Kingdom.
© 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.

The oceans as an investment priority
Emma Navarro/Arab News/October 30/2019
The Earth’s oceans face many threats, none of which have quick fixes. Still, the solutions are known and, with a sufficiently broad coalition of partners, we can get the ball rolling on a number of fronts.
A wide range of human activities — from burning fossil fuels to over-fishing — have been degrading the oceans for years. By increasing the absorption of carbon dioxide, global warming is acidifying the oceans and reducing oxygen levels, harming or killing marine plants, animals and other organisms. And, as the ice caps melt, rising sea levels are increasingly putting hundreds of millions of people in coastal areas at risk.
Moreover, owing to a lack of modern treatment plants in many cities, especially in Africa and Asia, sewage is being dumped into rivers and canals, where it eventually runs off into the oceans, introducing large amounts of toxins. The tons of trash dumped daily into streets, backyards, rivers, beaches and coastal areas also end up in the oceans. Many of these products, such as grocery bags and bottled water containers, contain hazardous chemicals that are eaten by fish and then consumed by people, leading to a wide range of health issues.
Fixing these problems will require cooperation at all levels. It will also require new resources, and not just to repair eroded coastlines and prepare for rising seas and extreme weather. We must crack down on illegal fishing, fund research and develop lower-carbon sea transportation and sustainable seafood production. Moreover, we urgently need to devise better methods of plastic collection and forms of reusable packaging, while improving wastewater treatment and storm water management to keep plastics and other waste out of the waterways in the first place.
Saving the oceans should not be an afterthought. More than 3 billion people dependon the oceans for their livelihoods. Ocean and coastal resources and industries contribute about $3 trillion per year (5 percent of world gross domestic product) to the global economy and offer huge potential for further growth, job creation, and innovation. Oceans are also a major source of renewable energy and natural resources. Their environmental value is huge. Oceans have taken up between 20 and 30 percent of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions since the 1980s. They produce more than half of the world’s oxygenand transport heat from the equator to the poles, thus regulating our climate.
From our side, fostering a sustainable “blue” economy has been one of the priorities of the European Investment Bank (EIB). We have launched several initiatives to facilitate cooperation in cleaning up the oceans and safeguarding marine-based economic activity. Through our Blue Sustainable Ocean Strategy (Blue SOS), we will invest up to €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion) over five years, while mobilizing at least another €5 billion for investments in projects to protect the ocean economy. Among other things, these investments will address coastal erosion, help fisheries process and preserve food, make shipping more environmentally friendly, and improve research into biotechnology products.
Moreover, in partnership with the German and French development banks, we have created the Clean Oceans Initiative, which recently welcomed Spain’s development bank as a new partner. This joint initiative is providing up to €2 billion in financing over five years for projects that collect plastics and other waste before it reaches the ocean. Most of the plastic that ends up in the oceans comes from trash discarded in coastal areas or near rivers by the 2 billion people who lack waste collection services. In fact, some 90 percent of all the plastic arriving in the oceans from rivers comes from just 10 waterways, mainly in Africa and Asia.
Finally, the EIB is a key financier in the Sustainable Ocean Fund, which is raising $100 million to invest in as many as 20 ocean projects in emerging markets to improve the whole seafood supply chain.
We urgently need to devise better methods of plastic collection and forms of reusable packaging.
Some might wonder why the EIB is pursuing development work outside Europe, or advocating for the world’s oceans. The reason is that we see sustainability challenges as not just ecological, but economic. When a big institution like the EIB gets involved in an issue, it can attract private capital that would not have shown up otherwise. Encouraging innovative projects in the “blue” economy is not so much a question of more money; it is also about lifting barriers to new projects and reducing investment risk. When our climate experts give their stamp of approval to a project, that catalyzes more financing from private investors, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and insurance companies. And when such investors see that they can profit from green projects, the results benefit not just the ocean, but also workers and consumers.
We need to show that climate investments don’t have to be too risky, and we need to promote more public-private partnerships. That’s why the EIB is increasing its technical assistance and advisory services to make clean and sustainable ocean projects more attractive for other investors.
Now we are looking for more partners. We need leaders, governments, businesses and other institutions to take the bold steps necessary to safeguard our oceans, clean up our rivers and end the pollution of these vulnerable ecosystems. The urgency of the challenge cannot be overstated. We should protect the oceans as if our future depended on it, because it does.
*Emma Navarro is Vice President of the European Investment Bank. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019.