English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 03/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 16/01-12/:”The Lord Jesus said to the disciples: ‘There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, “What is this that I hear about you? Give me an account of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.” Then the manager said to himself, “What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.” So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, “How much do you owe my master?” He answered, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.” He said to him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.” Then he asked another, “And how much do you owe?” He replied, “A hundred containers of wheat.” He said to him, “Take your bill and make it eighty.” And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. ‘Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 02-03/2020

Pope calls for day of prayer, fasting in solidarity with Lebanon
Pope Says Lebanon Faces 'Extreme Danger' after Blast
Maronite bishops step up calls for rescue government away from political, partisan affiliations
Lebanon Records 6 Deaths and 598 Covid-19 Cases
Pompeo Urges 'Real Changes' in Lebanon, Calls Hizbullah Arms a 'Risk'
Schenker Says U.S. and France in Close Contact on Lebanon
Schenker in Beirut for Talks with Civil Society but Not Political Leaders
Macron Rebukes French Journalist over Lebanon-Related Article
Aoun Hails 'True Friend' Macron, Urges 'Transparent' Govt.
Adib Bids to Form Crisis Cabinet within Two Weeks
Adib Vows 'Govt. of Experts' after Talks with MPs
Hamas Chief in Lebanon to Meet Palestinian Factions
Jumblat Lauds 'Unique French Initiative', Urges Gulf to Join It
Leaders Ditch Demands for Portfolios in Crisis Govt Formation Talks
Diab meets Hamas Political Bureau Head Ismail Haniyeh
World Bank-Funded Dam in Lebanon Mirrors Governance Crisis
Berri meets Hamas’s Haniyeh, Greek ambassador
President Aoun briefed by delegation of "Siemens" about assistance to improve energy production of Zahrani Factory and Deir Ammar at no cost to Lebanese state
Army: Aid from brotherly and friendly countries continues to arrive in Beirut
Army calls for observing minute of silence for souls of port explosion martyrs on Friday
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs: Qatar is an active partner in combating terrorist financing
Hezbollah commander jailed in Austria for terrorism crimes/Jamie Prentis/The National./September 02/2020
Lebanon's Michel Aoun has wasted his presidency/Michael Young/The National/September 02/2020
A pivotal birthday for Lebanon/The National Editorial/September 02/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 02-03/2020

New U.N. council president stands by dismissal of U.S. sanctions move on Iran
Iran's Ali Khamenei slammed for antisemitic tweets against Jared Kushner
Battle for Belarus: Former Soviet republic struggles to become a real republic
Saudi Crown Prince targets princely opponents to his accession
Saudi Arabia Allows UAE Flights to Overfly Kingdom to All Countries
Macron: Foreign Meddling Main Challenge Facing Iraq
Macron talks nuclear energy and ways to control militias during Iraq visit
Macron pushes ‘sovereignty initiative’ for Iraq in hint at Iran, Turkey
Senegal Sends 3,000 Tons of Ammonium Nitrate to Mali
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs: Qatar is an active partner in combating terrorist financing

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 02-03/2020

Iran imposes double execution on champion wrestler for peacefully protesting regime/Benjamin Weinthal/FDD/September 02/2020
Iran’s Multiethnic Society Explains Why Tehran Fears Democracy/Brenda Shaffer/The National Interest/September 02/2020
Iranian Laborers Need Our Help/Alireza Nader and Benjamin Weinthal/Newsweek/September 02/2020
Over the Black Sea, Moscow Escalates Its Military Provocations/Bradley Bowman and Maj. Shane “Axl” Praiswater/FDD/September 02/2020
Israel and the UAE on Iran: Shared Foe, Different Perspectives/Danny (Dennis) Citrinowicz/The Washington Institute/September 02/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 02-03/2020

Pope calls for day of prayer, fasting in solidarity with Lebanon

Robin Gomes/Vatican News/September 02/2020
One month after a massive explosion at a fertilizer storage facility tore through Beirut and reopened Lebanon’s old wounds, Pope Francis expresses his and the Church’s solidarity with the troubled nation and calls for a worldwide day of prayer on Friday, 4 September.
Pope Francis on Wednesday called for a day of prayer and fasting on Friday for Lebanon. Besides the deadly explosion of 4 August in Beirut, the nation has been going through the worst economic and political crisis in its history.
One month after the tragedy that struck the city of Beirut, my thoughts turn once again to Lebanon and its people, so sorely tried,” the Pope said during his weekly General Audience. He called a Lebanese student priest with a flag of his country to stand next to him.
Freedom and pluralism
Reiterating the 1989 appeal of Saint Pope John Paul II he said, “Lebanon cannot be abandoned in its solitude.” Holding the corner of the Lebanese flag as a gesture of his closeness with the Middle East nation, he described Lebanon as a country of hope and expressed admiration for the people’s faith in God and their ability to make their country a “place of tolerance, respect and coexistence unique in that region”.
Lebanon, the Holy Father said, is “a message of freedom and an example of pluralism, both for the East and for the West”. “For the good of the country and the world, we cannot let this legacy be lost,” he said, alluding to the long-drawn crisis in the country.
Even before Covid-19, Lebanon was undergoing the worst economic crisis in its history, which triggered large-scale anti-government protests last year. Today, nearly half the country's 6 million people are living below the poverty line. Analysts warn that the scale of the catastrophe may be worse than the 15-year civil war, which raged from 1975 to 1990
Appeal to political and religious leaders
Pope Francis encouraged “all Lebanese to persevere in hope and to summon the strength and energy needed to start anew.” He particularly urged “political and religious leaders to commit themselves with sincerity and openness to the work of rebuilding, setting aside all partisan interests and looking to the common good and the future of the nation”. The Holy Father asked "the international community to support Lebanon and to help it emerge from this grave crisis, without becoming caught up in regional tensions".
He exhorted the people of Beirut to take courage and find strength in faith and prayer. "Do not abandon your homes and your heritage. Do not abandon the dreams of those who believed in the dawn of a beautiful and prosperous country. "
Addressing the country's pastors, bishops, priests, the consecrated and lay people, he urged them to accompany their suffering faithful with apostolic zeal, poverty, austerity and humility. "Be poor together with your poor and suffering people," he said, insisting, "Be the first to give an example of poverty and humility." “Help your faithful and your people to rise up and be protagonists of a new rebirth.”The Holy Father urged the nation's Church leaders to work for harmony, the common good, and a true culture of encounter and living together in peace and fraternity, which he said was so dear to St. Francis.
"This," he pointed out, "will prove a sure basis for the continuity of the Christian presence and your own inestimable contribution to the country, the Arab world and the whole region, in a spirit of fraternity among all the religious traditions present in Lebanon."
Closeness and solidarity with prayer and fasting
Finally, Pope Francis invited "everyone to join in a universal day of prayer and fasting for Lebanon on Friday next, 4 September".
On that day, he said, he intends to send Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to Lebanon as an expression of his "spiritual closeness and solidarity" with the Lebanese people. He encouraged all to demonstrate their closeness through concrete works of charity.
The Pope also invited other Christian Churches and religious traditions to join this initiative in a manner they deem most appropriate.
At the end of the appeal, the Holy Father invited all to stand and pray silently for Lebanon. '

https://twitter.com/i/status/1301092731868061696
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-09/pope-audience-lebanon-appeal-day-prayer-fasting-sept4.html?fbclid=IwAR20jSvOCLCHrnxM9XQfOx3pk7Tm8rq540DDBvWGaD_GmQD8S2tNUuy6uu0

Pope Says Lebanon Faces 'Extreme Danger' after Blast
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 02/2020
Pope Francis used a first public audience in six months Wednesday to warn that Lebanon faces "extreme danger that threatens the very existence of the country" following last month's massive explosion. The leader of the Catholic Church focused on the disaster-hit country almost a month after the huge blast in the Beirut harbor ripped through the city, killing 190 people and wounding at least 6,500. "Lebanon cannot be abandoned to its solitude," the pope said at the limited audience with the public, meetings that had been suspended due to the coronavirus crisis. "A month after the tragedy... my thoughts are still with dear Lebanon and its particularly hard-pressed population," Francis said, holding a Lebanese flag brought to the audience by a young priest. He called for a universal day of prayer and fasting on Friday, saying that he would send the Vatican's Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to Lebanon on the day. "Faced with the repeated tragedies that each of the inhabitants of this land knows, we realize the extreme danger that threatens the very existence of this country," he said. Describing Lebanom as "a message of freedom and an example of pluralism in both the East and the West," the pope called on religious and political leaders to work together in its reconstruction. "We cannot allow this heritage to be lost," Francis said. The pope also pressed the international community to help "Lebanon emerge from a serious crisis without being involved in regional tensions."
Visibly moved by the pope's message, Maronite priest George Breidi, a student at a Catholic university in Rome thanked the pontiff for his support. The Maronite clergyman, whose Eastern Catholic Church is based in Lebanon, also thanked the pope for "saying that we cannot continue to live like this in Lebanon."

Maronite bishops step up calls for rescue government away from political, partisan affiliations
NNA//September 02/2020
The Council of Maronite Bishops on Wednesday held its monthly meeting under the chairmanship of Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rahi, in Diman. The prelates seized the occasion to thank French President Emmanuel Macron for his efforts to help remedy the situation in Lebanon.
The Maronite bishops also expressed satisfaction regarding the growing support for Patriarch Rahi's call for the adoption of neutrality in Lebanon's politics. Besides, the prelates called for the formation of a rescue government "away from political and partisan affiliations and the scourge of quotas."

Lebanon Records 6 Deaths and 598 Covid-19 Cases
Naharnet/September 02/2020
Lebanon recorded six deaths and 598 coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday evening. In a statement, the Ministry said 588 of the cases were recorded among residents and only 10 among individuals entering from abroad. 344 Covid-19 patients were meanwhile admitted into hospitals over the past 24 hours, among them 97 into intensive care units.
The new cases raise the country’s overall tally to 18,375 -- including 5,195 recoveries and 177 deaths. As for the map of the cases, 86 of them were recorded in Baabda district, 67 in Tripoli, 57 in Northern Metn, 53 in Beirut, 30 in Chouf, 30 in Aley district and 24 in Keserwan.

Pompeo Urges 'Real Changes' in Lebanon, Calls Hizbullah Arms a 'Risk'
Naharnet/September 02/2020
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday called for the formation in Lebanon of a government that would carry out “significant reforms” and “real changes.”“As for Lebanon, we’re certainly in close conversations with the French, we share the same objective. The objective is the same: business as usual in Lebanon just is unacceptable. I think (French) President (Emmanuel) Macron said the same thing,” said Pompeo at a press conference when asked about the French drive in Lebanon. “This has to be a government that conducts significant reforms, real changes, what the people of Lebanon are demanding,” he added. “The United States is gonna use its diplomatic presence and its diplomatic capabilities to make sure that we get that outcome,” Pompeo went on to say. As for Hizbullah, the top U.S. diplomat described the Iran-backed group’s arsenal of arms as a “risk” for Lebanon and the region.
“I think the French share that, I think the whole world, frankly, sees the risk, the risk stares you in the face -- missile systems, precision-guided missiles that Hizbullah holds in the south,” he said. “We all remember the history of Lebanon: everybody disarms but Hizbullah. This is the challenge that is presented, so those people who are either part of that or are playing footsie with Hizbullah should know that that’s not productive,” Pompeo added. He also stressed that “it’s not what the people of Lebanon want and it’s not what the regional security situation demands.” In an apparent snub to Lebanon’s ruling class, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker meanwhile said Wednesday that he would not meet with Lebanese politicians during a visit to Beirut later in the day, but would hold talks with civil society activists. In an interview with the pan-Arab Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, Schenker said the new Lebanese government must believe in reforms and implement them. "There is a need for a government that cares about its people and their demands, a responsible and transparent government that carries out economic and political reforms," he said. "It will no longer be business as usual," he added.

Schenker Says U.S. and France in Close Contact on Lebanon
Naharnet/September 02/2020
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker said in remarks to Saudi Asharq el-Awsat newspaper on Wednesday, that the United States and France are in “constant contact about Lebanon,” and are “very interested” in the Mediterranean country.
“We are in constant contact with the French on Lebanon. The US and France are very much interested in Lebanon,” the newspaper quoted Schenker. “This is the second visit for French President Emmanuel Macron to Lebanon, and US Deputy Secretary of State David Hale was there. I myself spent a long time with Foreign Secretary Mike Pompeo before heading to Beirut. He is very interested in Lebanon focusing on several developments because Lebanon is a very old partner and friend of the US,” Schenker told the daily.
On the devastating Beirut port explosion, the U.S. official said it is the result of years of government negligence of the people’s interests. “The Lebanese government must believe in reform. There is a need for a government that cares about its people and their demands, a responsible and transparent government that carries out economic and political reforms,” he said. Schenker said the U.S. is committed to investigations into the Beirut blast, noting that American teams are working on the ground. But he noted that an international investigation into the blast could be lengthy and may not please the entire Lebanese parties. “An international tribunal would need a long time, and the parties might not be satisfied, but we expect the government of Lebanon to be transparent as well with the presence of a number of international groups helping in the investigation,” he said, noting the probe will remain secret until its completion. Admitting that the explosion was a great shock, he said “but based on the actions of the Lebanese governments, it was not a surprise."

Schenker in Beirut for Talks with Civil Society but Not Political Leaders
Naharnet/September 02/2020
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker arrived Wednesday evening in Lebanon for talks with civil society groups but not political leaders, in an apparent snub to the ruling class.
In an interview with the pan-Arab Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, Schenker said the new Lebanese government must believe in reforms and implement them. "There is a need for a government that cares about its people and their demands, a responsible and transparent government that carries out economic and political reforms," he said. "It will no longer be business as usual," he added. In a recent statement, the U.S. State Department said Schenker “will meet with civil society representatives, discuss U.S. assistance efforts in the wake of the August 4 Beirut port explosion, and urge Lebanese leaders to implement reforms that respond to the Lebanese people’s desire for transparency, accountability, and a government free of corruption.”

Macron Rebukes French Journalist over Lebanon-Related Article
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 02/2020
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday faced accusations from opponents of trampling on press freedom after he personally berated a prominent reporter over an article the head of state described as "unprofessional and mean."Macron sternly rebuked Le Figaro journalist Georges Malbrunot, a specialist on the Middle East, after his press conference Tuesday at the end of a two-day visit to Beirut. Ironically for some, Macron's sharp words came minutes after he had loudly defended the importance of freedom of expression in France as the trial over the January 2015 deadly massacre at the Charlie Hebdo weekly gets underway. "What you have done, taking into account the sensitivity of the subject, is irresponsible," Macron told Malbrunot to his face, according to images broadcast by the LCI channel. "You have always heard me defend journalists, I always will. But I tell you frankly, what you did was grave, unprofessional and mean," he added. LCI television said Macron was angered by an article detailing head-to-head talks between the French president and Lebanese MP Mohammed Raad, a leading Hizbullah figure.
But it appeared Macron was angered most by a previous article penned by Malbrunot saying the president was considering sanctions against Lebanese politicians who resist reform. Macron had mentioned the article during the press conference, criticizing those who write "the worst nonsense... without any verification."
- 'Doing his job' -
Malbrunot, a veteran reporter who was held hostage for several months in Iraq in 2004, told AFP: "I was very surprised by the virulence of this attack, which is unacceptable. "I have talked the incident over with the Elysee. For me the incident is closed," he added. The presidency said Macron was angered that Malbrunot had not sought out a response beforehand to the claims in the article. "The president reproached (Malbrunot) for not giving the Elysee the possibility of reacting to information," the Elysee said, adding it had now spoken with Malbrunot and Le Figaro and that it also considers the incident closed.
But politicians on the right expressed consternation over Macron's tirade, especially as it came a day before the opening of the trial of 14 suspects over the January 2015 massacres on targets including Charlie Hebdo. MP for the right-wing Republicans Olivier Marleix wrote on Twitter that the "way Macron gives lessons to Georges Malbrunot... is astounding." "How can he at the same time claim 'I am Charlie' and at the same time try to humiliate a journalist who is just doing his job," added Gilles Platret, the vice president of the Republicans. Macron was in Beirut for a second time since a devastating August 4 explosion killed 190 people and wounded thousands, to urge political reform in the disaster-hit country. "Just a reminder. Georges Malbrunot is a journalist. He was just doing his job to inform," wrote Le Figaro's political editor Albert Zennou.
Macron has had a prickly relationship with some journalists during his three years in power and has rarely held press conferences, preferring to communicate through social media. His off-the-cuff reactions to situations have at times dismayed even close aides, notably in 2018 when he told a jobseeker to "cross the road" and find a job.

Aoun Hails 'True Friend' Macron, Urges 'Transparent' Govt.
Naharnet/September 02/2020
President Michel Aoun on Wednesday described French President Emmanuel Macron as a "true friend" of the Lebanese people. "He acted as a true friend of the Lebanese, and the stances he voiced cannot be considered an interference in the internal Lebanese affairs," Aoun told his visitors, according to the National News Agency. "They reflect a true will to help a country that has old and deep-rooted ties with France," the president explained. He added that Macron's drive towards Lebanon must be met with "Lebanese resolve to help ourselves.""A capable and transparent government must be formed as soon as possible to take instant reformist steps that contribute to launching the process of rescuing Lebanon and offering it international support," the president urged.

Adib Bids to Form Crisis Cabinet within Two Weeks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 02/2020
Prime minister designate Mustafa Adib was to kick off talks Wednesday on forming Lebanon's crisis government within two weeks to begin enacting desperately needed reforms in the disaster-hit country. Government formation is usually a drawn-out process in multi-confessional Lebanon where a complex political system seeks to share power between different religious groups. But a traumatic explosion at Beirut port last month has created intense pressure for swift reforms to lift the country out of its worst economic crisis in decades.The last government, only in power since the start of the year, resigned in the wake of the August 4 explosion that killed at least 188, wounded thousands and laid waste to entire districts of the capital. With the clock ticking, Adib was to meet the parliament speaker, former prime ministers and parliamentary bloc representatives. Lebanon lawmakers rushed to approve the nomination of the little-known 48-year-old diplomat Monday on the eve of a high-profile visit by French President Emmanuel Macron. Visiting to mark the centenary of the former French protectorate, Macron Tuesday said all sides had pledged to help Adib form a cabinet within two weeks. He promised to host two conferences in Paris in the second half of October -- one to help drum up aid and the other to discuss political reform. He said he would be back in Lebanon in December for a progress report. US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, David Schenker, was due in Lebanon Wednesday to "urge Lebanese leaders to implement reforms that respond to the Lebanese people's desire for transparency, accountability, and a government free of corruption", the embassy said. A protest movement, which has taken to the streets since last October demanding the ouster of the political elite, has already rejected Adib's nomination. Hundreds protested on Tuesday evening demanding a secular state to replace the decades-old sectarian system, with clashes erupting in the evening between some demonstrators and security forces. Lebanon's worst economic crunch since the 1975-1990 civil war has seen poverty rates double to more than half the population, sent prices soaring and trapped people's savings in the banks.

Adib Vows 'Govt. of Experts' after Talks with MPs
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 02/2020
Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib on Wednesday pledged to form a "government of experts" to spearhead reforms demanded by France and the rest of the international community as well as by the vast majority of the Lebanese people. "We hope that we will quickly succeed in forming a government made up of a coherent team that is focused on dealing with the many dossiers before us," Adib said in a televised statement that followed non-binding consultations with the parliamentary blocs in Ain el-Tineh. "We will proceed from the principle that the government should be a government of experts," he added, noting that such a government would "regain the confidence of the Lebanese people and the Arab and international communities."He refused to take any questions, saying "now is the time for working not for talking." His announcement came after a high-profile visit by Emmanuel Macron during which the French president said political leaders had agreed on a reform road map involving a government being put together within two weeks, following last month's devastating blast in the port of Beirut.The last government resigned in the face of public anger over the August 4 explosion that killed at least 190, wounded thousands and laid waste to entire districts of the capital. Government formation is usually a drawn-out process in multi-confessional Lebanon where a complex political system seeks to share power between different religious groups. But the country's deadliest peacetime disaster has created intense pressure for swift reforms to lift it out of its worst economic crisis in decades. Analyst Karim Bitar said that, considering the unusual speed with which the prime minister was nominated, Lebanon could have a new government within the next few weeks. "Everyone in Lebanon now realizes that we no longer have the luxury of time, that the clock is ticking," he said."I do think that the French pressure will lead to some forms of change in the short term because Lebanon is in such a difficult financial" situation, but such changes risked being only "cosmetic reforms," he said.
"I very much doubt that they... would accept the structural reforms, the systemic reforms that Lebanon desperately needs because that would mean their own disappearance ultimately," he added, referring to the political establishment.
A protest movement, which has taken to the streets since last October demanding the ouster of the political elite, has already rejected Adib's nomination on principle. They allege he is too close to a political class whose alleged corruption and incompetence they blame for the explosion of a large shipment of ammonium nitrate that had languished at Beirut's port for years.

Hamas Chief in Lebanon to Meet Palestinian Factions
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 02/2020
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was in Beirut on Wednesday for a week-long visit that will see him meet with Palestinian factions over growing cooperation between their enemy Israel and Arab states. Haniyeh's visit, his first to Lebanon in 27 years, comes after an August 13 announcement that Israel had normalized ties with the United Arab Emirates. Lebanon's National News Agency said Haniyeh met following his arrival with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab. On Thursday, he will meet representatives of other Palestinian factions in rare talks on how to respond to such accords and to a Middle East peace plan announced by Washington this year, said the Islamist movement's representative in Lebanon, Ali Baraka. The meeting at the Palestinian embassy in Beirut will coincide with talks in Ramallah between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and representatives of Palestinian factions there. Thursday's joint discussions in Ramallah and Beirut aim to develop "a unified Palestinian strategy to confront normalisation schemes ... and to reject plans to annex the West Bank as well as (Trump's) 'deal of the century'," Baraka told AFP. Speaking to AFP from Ramallah, Ahmad Majdalani, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), said the talks also sought to boost ties between the factions. They aim "to open a new page, to end divisions, achieve national reconciliation and build a national partnership between all factions," he said. The Palestinian embassy in Lebanon said that a part of the meeting was organized in Lebanon because most participating officials were residing either in Beirut, Syria or Ramallah. Baraka justified the choice of Lebanon by saying the country is a supporter of the Palestinian cause and has a large population of Palestinian refugees who would be adversely affected by U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan for the Middle East. The last time most heads of Palestinian factions held joint talks was in 2013 in Cairo. Under the U.S. plan unveiled this year, Israel would retain control of the disputed city of Jerusalem as its "undivided capital" and annex settlements and other areas in the occupied West Bank. On August 13, Washington, the UAE and Israel announced their deal to normalize ties in a watershed U.S.-brokered deal under which Israel has suspended, but not permanently dropped, annexation plans. The UAE became the third Arab country to agree to normalize ties with Israel, after Egypt signed a peace deal in 1979 and Jordan followed suit in 1994. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that "there are many more unpublicized meetings with Arab and Muslim leaders to normalize relations with the state of Israel."

Jumblat Lauds 'Unique French Initiative', Urges Gulf to Join It
Naharnet/September 02/2020
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Wednesday said the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc has named Mustafa Adib for the PM post because “there is a unique French initiative to rescue what’s left of Greater Lebanon.”In an interview with LBCI television, Jumblat added that comparing the approach of “democratic France” towards Lebanon to that of Syria’s pre-2005 administration of Lebanon would be a “silly and absurd claim.”Commenting on remarks about Hizbulla’s arms and missiles by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Jumblat said: “Let Pompeo forget the missiles for now, seeing as this is a matter that would be addressed at the appropriate time, and what’s needed now is for them to help economically.”Describing the so-called French paper as a “draft policy statement” for the new government, Jumblat decried that “the Taef Accord has ended because some of its advocates have forgotten it -- some of them ex-prime ministers.”“I do not accept a change of the Taef Accord, but if those concerned want that change then it is their business,” the PSP leader added.He also said that he advises Gulf countries to “join the French initiative” for Lebanon, while noting that he will not take part in any Baabda meeting aimed at “discussing the Taef Accord.”

Leaders Ditch Demands for Portfolios in Crisis Govt Formation Talks
Associated Press/Naharnet/September 02/2020
Lebanese leaders began consultations on Wednesday to form a new crisis government, with the majority of parliamentary blocs expressing uncommon willingness to drop demands for government portfolios. Prime minister-designate Mustafa Adib began consultations, a day after French President Emmanuel Macron said Lebanese politicians had committed to a road map that begins with the formation of a government within two weeks to enact reforms. Head of Lebanon’s largest parliamentary bloc, the Strong Lebanon bloc led by MP Jebran Bassil, said his party has no aspirations to get any portfolio in the new government. The Strong Republic bloc led by the Lebanese Forces, and Hizbullah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc also voiced similar intentions. Lebanese rival leaders traditionally bicker over shares in any new government. Ex-PMs Najib Miqati and Saad Hariri did not attend the talks for travel reasons. Meanwhile, ex-PM Tammam Salam said after meeting Adib: "We have to move quickly in the formation process away from personal interests. A small government with a homogeneous team must be formed." "Neglecting the Orthodox component is no more acceptable, similarly there is neglect of other sects," Deputy Speaker Elie Ferzli stated to reporters. Mustapha Adib, a 48-year-old diplomat, was hastily approved for the job of prime minister earlier this week, ahead of a two-day marathon visit by Macron that ended on Tuesday night. It was his second visit in less than a month as Lebanon faces multiple crises and challenges — including an unprecedented financial and economic meltdown and the aftermath of last month's massive explosion in Beirut's port that ripped through the capital.
The giant Aug. 4 explosion, caused by the ignition of nearly 3,000 tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate, has resulted in intense pressure on Lebanon's ruling elite, already blamed for driving the small country to the brink of total collapse. At least 190 people were killed and thousands were injured in the blast. Speaking at the end of two days of meetings in Beirut, Macron said France was committed to helping Lebanon get out of its crisis, but that failing to implement reforms within a three-month period would result in punitive actions, including withholding vital international assistance and possibly even sanctions against politicians. "Going back to business as usual would be madness," Macron told reporters at the end of his visit. France and the international community have said they will not provide financial assistance to Lebanon unless it implements radical changes aimed at fighting widespread corruption and mismanagement that has characterized governance here for decades. Adib, a dual Lebanese-French citizen, promised to carry out the mission as he prepared to form a new Cabinet, saying he will work on reaching a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund. Humanitarian assistance has poured into Lebanon in the wake of the Beirut explosion, with most of it going directly to NGOs and other agencies, and bypassing authorities — a reflection of the lack of trust. In an apparent snub to the ruling class, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker said he will not meet with Lebanese politicians during a visit to Beirut on Wednesday, but would hold talks with civil society activists. In an interview with the pan-Arab Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, Schenker said the new Lebanese government must believe in reforms and implement them. "There is a need for a government that cares about its people and their demands, a responsible and transparent government that carries out economic and political reforms," he said.
"It will no longer be business as usual."

Diab meets Hamas Political Bureau Head Ismail Haniyeh
NNA/September 02/2020
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab received in the afternoon at the Grand Serail, the Head of Hamas Party Political Bureau, Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, accompanied by a Hamas delegation that included the Deputy Head of the Political Bureau, Saleh al-Arouri, the head of Hamas Diaspora Office, Maher Salah, Political Bureau member, Izzat al-Rishq, Hamas Representative in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdel Hadi, and Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, in the presence of PM’s Advisor, KhoderTaleb. Haniyeh said after the meeting, "We have the pleasure, in our capacity of Islamic Resistance Movement leadership, to visit brotherly Lebanon. The meeting with Prime Minister Dr. Hassan Diab was positive and reflects the nature of the historical and fateful relationship between the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples. We have briefed the Premier about the current arrangements for holding the meeting of the Palestinian factions General Secretaries. We also expressed our thanks to the State of Lebanon, host of this meeting, and our joint wishes for a successful inter-Palestinian meeting that would mark a new phase in strengthening Palestinian national unity. We also expressed our solidarity with the State of Lebanon and the brotherly Lebanese people after the Beirut Port blast, and we wished recovery for the wounded. Lebanon is always capable of overcomingsuch difficulties and challenges, and the Palestinian people inside and outside occupied Palestine, especially in Lebanon, feel this common fate; the solidarity of thePalestinian people after this incident and their standing by their brothers in Lebanon is a duty and an assertion that this tragedy has afflicted everyone. We also broachedwith the Prime Minister political developments with respect to thePalestinian cause, especially the Deal of the Century, the Israeli annexation plan, and the normalization that is taking place between some countries and the Zionist entity. For our part, we reiterated our rejection of all these projects and our attachment to our Palestinian rights and clear constants, which are also supported by the Arab and Islamic worlds. Theseconstants encompass the right of return, including the return of our Palestinian people in Lebanon and anywhere. Our Palestinian people are attached to their territories and homeland and to the right ofreturn to Palestine. We refuse implantation, displacement, or an alternative nation. This is our consistent political position that we embrace."--Presidency of Council of Ministers

World Bank-Funded Dam in Lebanon Mirrors Governance Crisis
Associated Press/Naharnet/September 02/2020
Lebanon's Bisri Valley lies on a green fertile bed, a spot that has cradled civilizations dating as far back as the Bronze Age. Its expansive lands of pine, citrus trees and ancient ruins are threatened with being submerged by a controversial mega dam funded by the World Bank.
For years, activists and locals have voiced their opposition to it, describing it as an environmental crime and a project that mirrors Lebanon's patronage system and bad governance. The devastating explosion that rocked Beirut last month, killing more than 190 people and injuring thousands, has highlighted endemic corruption in Lebanon. It has also revived calls for investigations into mega-infrastructure projects proposed by politicians whose corruption and negligence the public blames for the disaster. The Aug. 4 explosion was caused by the igniting of nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, poorly stored for years at the capital's port. It is not clear what caused the chemicals to detonate, but it has fueled public outrage against the entire ruling elite. The Bisri dam project was approved by Lebanon's government and parliament in 2015 and is funded through a $474 million loan by the World Bank, with a total cost of $617 million.
It is supposed to store 125 million cubic meters of water, providing a solution for chronic water shortages to 1.6 million Lebanese living in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, according to the World Bank website.
But those opposed to the project, some 35 kilometers south of the capital, say the dam is fraught with technical and corruption issues. Lebanon's politicians are notorious for using projects to pass out lucrative positions to their supporters to skim off cash or otherwise profit.
"It represents everything we have been fighting against, it is a model of the confessional patronage system that has led to Lebanon's demise," says Roland Nassour, co-founder of the Save the Bisri Valley Campaign.
In a recent letter to the World Bank, the campaign organizers reiterated their call to cancel the project, drawing a parallel between failed dam projects in Lebanon and the explosion, describing both "as a major lack of integrity in the public sector.""This is one of the few projects left that the politicians and companies they hire can capitalize on and make money from," said Elias Hankash, a parliament member who resigned after the blast and has opposed the project from the beginning. "Is it possible that today, a bankrupt country like Lebanon takes a multi-million-dollar loan to build a dam?" he said.
Lebanon is mired in an unprecedented economic crisis, with a collapsing currency, increasing inflation and hundreds of thousands thrown into poverty. The government defaulted on its foreign bonds commitment for the first time earlier this spring. Activists have also voiced concerns that Bisri is on an active seismic fault line. Geologist Mohammed Khawlie says the dam won't store the expected amounts of water. "The rocks are very porous, they absorb the water, the land is karstic," he explains, referring to a terrain that is formed of soluble rocks and limestone.
"If you want to solve this problem by injecting cement into the dam structure, then you are incurring hundreds of millions of dollars in additional cost."Other recently built dams in Lebanon have failed for similar reasons, Khawlie said. Environmental expert Paul Abi Rashed says the project will destroy more than 6 million square meters of green land, among Lebanon's most scenic and pristine. "We are talking about vast agricultural lands, pine forests, the second largest roosting area for migratory birds in Lebanon," he adds.
It also threatens the historic Mar Moussa church as well as Roman and Hellenistic ruins, though the World Bank says they will be preserved or moved.
The World Bank declined an interview request. On its website, it says, "an environment and social impact assessment was carried out in close collaboration with government agencies, civil society, the private sector and community members and has been approved by the Ministry of Environment."
Abi Rashed says the assessment has not been updated since 2016. It was also conducted by Dar Al Handasah, a consulting firm that is a stakeholder in the project and listed as the supervising entity to the construction of the project's tunnel and pipeline.
"That is a clear conflict of interest," says Nassour. "The World Bank says the assessment should not be done by an entity affiliated in any way to the project." The World Bank has heavily invested in mega dam projects in developing countries in the past but not without controversy. It withdrew from contentious hydro-power projects in India and the Democratic Republic of Congo and faces complaints against its dam projects in places like Uganda. Email exchanges obtained by The Associated Press between the regional World Bank director Saroj Kumar Jha and his staff in April show the World Bank recently changed its mind about the Bisri dam project and is offering to use the rest of the loan for "protecting the poor and most vulnerable." But Kumar mentions in his email that "the president prefers to proceed with the project," referring to President Michel Aoun, whose party has held the Energy Ministry for more than a decade. The limited preliminary construction done so far on the dam has been suspended since the summer of 2019 under pressure from civil society. Recently, the World Bank gave the Lebanese government the deadline of Sept. 4 to meet "the tasks that are preconditions to the commencement of construction of the dam." But in the aftermath of the explosion, the deadline is unlikely to be met. The World Bank has already paid around $320 million to Lebanon, including $155 million for expropriations of private land in the valley. "There are many alternatives to using the land, the government can invest in agriculture, or turn the land into a natural reserve and encourage eco-tourism," suggests Hankash. Beirut's water shortages are primarily due to mismanagement, Nassour said. His group calls for parts of the loan to be redirected to support alternative water projects -- and to rebuild lives and livelihoods of people impacted by the Beirut blast.

Berri meets Hamas’s Haniyeh, Greek ambassador
NNA/September 02/2020
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, received on Wednesday in Ain Al-Tineh Head of Hamas Party Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, and an accompanying delegation, in the presence of Berri’s Political Aide, MP Ali Hassan Khalil, and "Amal" movement politburo member, Mohammad Jibawi.
Talks reportedly touched on the general developments in the region especially with respect to the Palestinian cause, and the agenda of the Conference of the General Secretaries of the Palestinian factions, which will be held in Beirut tomorrow. On emerging, Haniyeh expressed solidarity with Lebanon in the wake of the catastrophic Beirut port blast. Haniyeh congratulated Speaker Berri on the launching of consultations to form the new Lebanese government, wishing Lebanon further stability, unity and security, “since a strong, united and stable Lebanon is a strategic asset for the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people,” Haniyeh maintained. On the other hand, Berri met with the new Greek Ambassador to Lebanon, who came on a protocol visit upon her assumption of her diplomatic duties in the country.

President Aoun briefed by delegation of "Siemens" about assistance to improve energy production of Zahrani Factory and Deir Ammar at no cost to Lebanese state
NNA/September 02/2020
The President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, received this morning at Baabda Palace, in the presence of the Minister of Energy and Water, Raymond Ghajar, the German ambassador to Lebanon, Mr. Adrias Kindle, with a delegation from the German company "Siemens", including : The sales manager of the company, Mr. Fadi Abu Ghantous, and the regional director for Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, Mr. Hassan Darwish, and the Director of Energy and Gas Sales in Lebanon, Mr. Alan Al-Sufaila, who briefed the President of the Republic on the developments in the assistance that the "Siemens" company decided to provide to the Lebanese state after the explosion at Beirut port during the visit of German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas,. The company’s board of directors, Mr. Joe Kaiser, expresses standing by the Lebanese people in their ordeal. The amendment for the help of replacing the two generators that he had announced to provide with spare parts and modernizing the electrical plants in Zahrani and Deir Ammar, at no cost to the Lebanese state, which means improving the capacity of Laboratories and increase energy production. The delegation explained that this assistance achieves a remarkable improvement in energy production in all of Lebanon, instead of confining it to a specific area, and an agreement has been reached with the Ministry of Energy and the Lebanese Electricity Company in order to put this aid into practice. The delegation pointed out that “Siemens" company also provided medical assistance to a number of hospitals in Beirut. President Aoun welcomed the delegation, thanking the German government for the assistance provided to Lebanon, and for "Siemens" support that it would provide to the Zahrani and Deir Ammar plants in increasing energy production by 10 megawatts, which would improve the country's electricity supply. President Aoun thanked the German ambassador for the concern shown by Germany towards Lebanon after the explosion in the Beirut port. -- Presidency press office

Army: Aid from brotherly and friendly countries continues to arrive in Beirut
NNA/September 02/2020
The Army Command - Orientation Directorate - issued on Wednesday the following statement: "Aid continues to arrive from brotherly and friendly countries in Beirut, and in this context, a plane landed at Rafic Hariri International Airport on 9/2/2020 from Egypt with a medical team and medical aid on board, to be handed over to the Ministry of Health."

Army calls for observing minute of silence for souls of port explosion martyrs on Friday
NNA/September 02/2020
The Army Command tweeted this Wednesday: "In greeting to the souls of the 190 martyrs who were killed in the port explosion, in prayer for the recovery of the thousands of wounded, and exactly one month after the explosion, the army command calls on citizens of Beirut to observe a minute of silence in conjunction with the ringing of church bells and the call to prayer in mosques, along with a suspension of traffic in the vicinity of the port for the duration of one minute, marking the moment the explosion happened, precisely at 6:07 pm on Friday [September 4, 2020]."

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs: Qatar is an active partner in combating terrorist financing
NNA /September 02/2020
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker stressed the importance of the strong partnership between the State of Qatar and the United States of America, noting that Qatar is an important partner in the region.
In a press videoconference held Monday with the local media on the occasion of his visit to Doha, Schenker praised the efforts of the State of Qatar as an effective partner in combating terrorist financing, through its efforts, positions and legislation, stressing that these efforts contribute to preventing the financing of the phenomenon of terrorism. He added that Qatar is an important member of the Global Coalition Against ISIS, praising its commitment and partnership with the US at all levels.
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs stressed the importance of the effective Qatari role in combating terrorism, stressing that it is an indispensable role, especially the role of Qatar in efforts to combat terrorist financing, noting that Washington appreciates Doha's efforts in combating this phenomenon within the framework of partnership and cooperation relations between Qatar and the United States. Schenker underlined the importance of military and security cooperation between Qatar and the United States, stressing that this cooperation contributes to establishing peace in the Middle East region and dealing with its issues closely and effectively. He described the State of Qatar as an important ally of his country, stressing that the two countries work side by side in all international forums and organizations.
In response to a question by the Qatar News Agency (QNA) about the Gulf crisis, Schenker said that the United States, at the highest levels, whether in the White House or the State Department, is making a determined effort to solve this crisis and gather its parties to sit at the dialogue table and reach common ground. He added that the Gulf crisis does not serve the interests of the Gulf states, but rather serves the interests of some parties in the region, stressing that the US administration is working hard to solve the crisis as soon as possible.
He expressed hope for resolving the crisis, leading to a unified Gulf position in facing challenges, explaining that the United States is engaged in talks with all parties to open the airspace and restore diplomatic relations between Qatar and the blockading countries, and stressing his country's keenness to solve the crisis. David Schenker praised the Qatari role in the Afghan peace talks, whether between the United States and the Taliban movement, which resulted in the signing of a peace agreement in February in Doha, or concerning the intra-Afghan dialogue.
Schenker underlined that Qatar is an important partner pushing the peace process and dialogue in Afghanistan forward. "The United States values that and thanks Qatar for its efforts in this regard," he continued, looking forward to hosting the intra-Afghan dialogue in Doha as well.
On the strategic dialogue between the two countries, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs stressed the importance of the strategic dialogue for both sides, noting that it is a diversified dialogue that includes economic, security and military fields, as well as investments and cooperation in the areas of education, culture, health, the efforts to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and others.
Schenker added that the strategic dialogue is very important for the bilateral cooperation between Qatar and the United States, and pointed to important areas in the framework of the strategic dialogue, including trade, investments, culture, labor laws, regional security, defense cooperation, combating terrorism and the health field in particular, in addition to regional issues and other areas that should be developed. "This year, an agreement related to the cultural relations will be signed to coincide with the Year of Culture and the cultural relations between the two sides," he said.
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs stressed the importance of trade between Qatar and the United States, noting that it is one of the most important areas on the discussion table and during the strategic dialogue. He noted that the volume of trade between the two countries increased by 35% during 2019, adding that there is also more to do in the future besides strengthening the military and defense relations between the two countries, and working to make the region more stable.
He pointed to discussions on cooperation in the education field and the possibility of increasing the number of Qatari students who receive their education in the United States, stressing that this cooperation contributes to strengthening the relations between the two friendly peoples, in addition to discussion related to regional issues of common interest, including peace in Afghanistan. The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs noted that his next stop will be Lebanon, expressing in this context his thanks to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, for the important support and assistance Qatar has provided to Lebanon since the explosion of Beirut port. He stressed that the United States values its relations with Doha at all levels, which helps the region to be more stable and secure. He also praised Qatars humanitarian efforts everywhere in the world, and its great role in providing support and aid to the international humanitarian community. In response to a question by Qatar News Agency (QNA) about the reason for the absence of the US role in the Middle East crises such as the Turkish-Greek crisis, the Libyan crisis and the Yemeni crisis, Schenker affirmed his country's full involvement in the regional issues, including the conflict in Libya. He noted that the United States is working with partners in Europe to solve this worsening crisis, warning at the same time that the Libyan crisis has become global after the entry of regional and international parties into the conflict.
He demanded all militias to leave Libya, adding that his country is involved in efforts to establish peace, foremost among which is the Berlin track.--(QNA)

Hezbollah commander jailed in Austria for terrorism crimes
Jamie Prentis/The National./September 02/2020
Lebanese man seeking asylum in Europe underwent training in Iran and headed a group of 60 fighters A Lebanese Hezbollah commander who underwent military training in Iran has been jailed for nine years in Austria after being convicted of terrorism charges. The unnamed 41-year-old was accused of being a member of Hezbollah since 2006 and having temporarily commanded a unit of 60 fighters on the border of Syria. The indictment said he also recruited 250 people over the age of 14 to join Hezbollah. MPs in Austria have called on the European Union to proscribe the entire Lebanese group as a terrorist organisation instead of only its military wing. The court heard that the man was not merely a minor figure in Hezbollah but an important one, as shown by the ideological training he had previously undergone in Iran. Some of the information about his membership in the group was provided by the man as part of his asylum application. After he was found guilty, the man protested violently and it took three police officers to escort him out of the courtroom. He was then taken to hospital for a check-up. The man can appeal against the verdict.
The status of Hezbollah in Austria and the wider EU has been the subject of controversy in 2020 with the bloc so far refusing to blacklist the organisation’s political party - despite its extensive funding operations in the continent, as this map depicts. Legislators from Europe and the United States have urged Brussels not to distinguish between Hezbollah’s different wings. In April, Germany banned the group in its entirety and blamed it for numerous terrorist attacks and kidnappings.

Lebanon's Michel Aoun has wasted his presidency
Michael Young/The National/September 02/2020
The constitution does not grant a president much power, but in Beirut high office is what a politician makes of it.
On Sunday night, Lebanese President Michel Aoun made a speech on television to mark the establishment by France of Greater Lebanon on September 1, 1920. In the speech, Mr Aoun called for a “civil state”, declaring that Lebanon’s sectarian system “constitutes an obstacle to all progress and reforms and the fight against corruption”. At any other moment, such radical remarks should have represented a stirring call to arms for change, with broader implications for Lebanese society. However, coming from a largely invisible President, it fell on a mostly indifferent public. It also does not help matters that Mr Aoun is perceived as covering for the corruption of his son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, who is also a politician. Yet the antagonism directed against Mr Aoun has underlined how the Lebanese understand that their presidents have considerable influence, even if the constitution does not accord them very much formally. They can be the object of significant popular expectations or, alternatively, profound revulsion, despite the fact that they have little real power to implement decisions.
When Greater Lebanon was established in 1920, France put in place a presidential system that it very much controlled as mandatory power in the country. At the time, the competition between two presidential rivals, Bishara Al Khoury and Emile Eddeh, defined Lebanese politics to a great extent. Ultimately, both men would become presidents, though Al Khoury perhaps ultimately won out by holding the office at the time Lebanon became independent in 1943.
Following independence, the presidency would remain a source of competition between Maronite Christian politicians. According to an agreement known as the "national pact" between Al Khoury and a leading Sunni Muslim politician, Riad Al Solh, the president would always be a Maronite, the prime minister always a Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker always a Shia Muslim.
At the time, the president had extensive powers, appointing prime ministers, dissolving governments and having a major voice over ministerial appointments. That changed in 1989, when constitutional amendments agreed at Taif, Saudi Arabia, led to a transformation of the system into one where executive power was vested in the council of ministers. The president’s role was curtailed, even if he remained head of state “and the symbol of the nation’s unity”. Many Christians, including Mr Aoun, regarded the transformation of the president’s role as a defeat for the Maronite community. Mr Aoun for many years was highly critical of Taif, even as he engineered, with the help of Hezbollah, his own ascension to the role in 2016. Evidently, Mr Aoun had grasped that, with or without Taif, in a sectarian system where a president also represents a major Lebanese religious community, he could play a role larger than what the constitution mandated. Yet what Mr Aoun has also shown since then is that he did not have the acumen to consolidate the powers of his office. Instead, the President has completely undermined his position by failing to take the lead in guiding Lebanon out of its profound economic and financial crisis. He is now seen as part of the problem, having used his office largely to benefit the personal and political interests of his family, particularly the widely reviled Mr Bassil.
Things could have been different. Mr Aoun could have exploited the implicit powers of his office to his advantage since October 2019, when hundreds of thousands of Lebanese began denouncing the ineptitude and dishonesty of their political leaders. He could have caught the wave to enhance his authority and speak for a nation united against politicians who had brought about financial collapse.
Instead, when appearing on television at the time, Mr Aoun looked disoriented and out of touch, in part perhaps because Mr Bassil was among those the protesters had denounced most vehemently. The President paid the price for being identified too closely with his son-in-law, when a more competent politician might have used the occasion to garner power at Mr Bassil’s expense.
Fireworks thrown at riot police by anti-government protesters explode during clashes near the parliament building following last Tuesday's massive explosion in the seaport which devastated Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo
Similarly, after the massive explosion in Beirut port on August 4, Mr Aoun should have gone down on the evening of the blast to commiserate with those who had just lost their homes and loved ones. However, the President only appeared the next day to survey the blast site, with not a moment wasted on the victims. Here was a golden opportunity to bolster his appeal, and instead, Mr Aoun came across as someone indifferent to those who had suffered terrible trauma.
What is so difficult to grasp is why Mr Aoun, who effectively fought a war to become president in 1988-1990, and who helped create a ruinous presidential vacuum in 2014-2016 in order to take office, has proven to be such an inert, mediocre president. He has not brought a single original idea or programme that he has sought to implement. If there is one enduring message among many others on Lebanon’s centennial, it is that the country’s political system creates many informal spaces for the exercise of constructive power. Even if the presidency is no longer what it once was, a capable president who wants to make a difference can do so if he tries.
*Michael Young is a senior editor at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut and a columnist for The National
 

A pivotal birthday for Lebanon
The National Editorial/September 02/2020
There is still hope that Lebanon can view the next 100 years with a sense of optimism as the start of a new era
The Lebanese have found themselves looking to France, their former colonial ruler, for solutions in the weeks after a devastating blast shattered much of their capital and claimed nearly 200 lives.
On Monday, on the eve of Lebanon’s centennial, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beirut for a much-anticipated visit.
This visit is Mr Macron’s second in less than a month; his first was in the immediate aftermath of the August 4 blasts, caused by an unsecured stockpile of ammonium nitrate. At the time, he promised to help Lebanon find workable answers to a host of problems including the investigation into the blast, a disastrous financial crisis and a dysfunctional political system. As part of that effort, he gave Lebanese leaders until September 1 to form a “new political pact” to save the nation.
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Mr Macron’s push for change was welcomed by an overwhelming majority of Lebanese. Last month, a petition even circulated demanding a new French mandate for Lebanon, garnering 60,000 signatures. Far from suggesting a colonial renaissance, however, these popular overtures to Paris rather indicate the extent to which Lebanese politicians have failed.
No political leader has accepted responsibility or even apologised for Beirut’s man-made tragedy. Nearly a month on from the blast, the cause of the fire that started it and – importantly – who exactly is responsible for the stockpiling of flammable materials for years at the port remain unknown. In the hours before Mr Macron’s arrival, political leaders scrambled to find a suitable replacement for former prime minister Hassan Diab, who resigned days after the explsion. Later that day, they settled on Mustapha Adib, a career diplomat who was soon confirmed as Mr Diab’s successor.
The fact that political leaders were forced to expedite the process is a positive development. It gives some sense that change is in the air. In Lebanon, nominating a new prime minister and forming a government can take months, or even years.
As the Lebanese have often witnessed, however, it can be the case that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
While Mr Adib has promised change and the swift formation of a new Cabinet of “experts”, his close ties to the establishment have left many Lebanese sceptical. Mr Adib was an adviser to former prime minister and billionaire businessman Najib Mikati. Protesters see his nomination as the continuation of business as usual, and have greeted Mr Macron with chants of “No to Adib”, urging the French President not to support the new Cabinet. If France is to continue to play a positive role in Lebanon, it must refrain from giving automatic legitimacy to what may become yet another failed government.
There is still hope that Lebanon can view the next 100 years with a sense of optimism as the start of a new era
International pressure exerted by allies of Lebanon, such as the US and France, must continue so that the country can come to distance itself from Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia whose grip on Beirut has had ruinous effects on the country. International pressure is also crucial to push the new government to negotiate a deal with the International Monetary Fund. Hezbollah does not favour such an agreement, although it is the only way to save Lebanon from economic collapse and ensure the enacting of much-needed reform.
Local pressure from civil society and protesters advocating better governance from within has also been a pivotal driver of change. Peaceful protesters must be protected from violence and arbitrary detention by security forces. They are Lebanon’s future, and if the international community continues to support them, there is still hope that Lebanon can view the next 100 years with a sense of optimism as the start of a new era.
 

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 02-03/2020

New U.N. council president stands by dismissal of U.S. sanctions move on Iran
Michelle Nichols/Reuters/September 02/2020
Niger, the U.N. Security Council president for September, said on Tuesday it stands by a declaration that no further action can be taken on a U.S. bid to trigger a return of U.N. sanctions on Iran because there is no consensus in the 15-member body.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he triggered a 30-day process on Aug. 20 to reimpose all international sanctions on Iran - known as snapback - by lodging a complaint with the council accusing Iran of breaching a 2015 nuclear deal. But Indonesia U.N. Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, the council president for August, said that he was “not in the position to take further action” because 13 council members had expressed their opposition. “We’re staying with this decision... that was stated and announced by the president of the Security Council last month,” said Niger U.N. Ambassador Abdou Abarry, ruling out any move to put forward a draft resolution under the snapback process to extend sanctions relief for Iran. But Abarry noted: “Any other member state of the Security Council can do it. The United States themselves can do it.”
Washington would veto such a resolution, Pompeo posted on Twitter on Thursday, though he did not signal whether the United States would put forward such a text itself. He added that under the snapback process, “if no resolution is introduced, the sanctions on Iran will still return on September 20.”
Thirteen council members argue that Washington’s attempt to reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran is void given it is using a process agreed under the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, which the United States quit in 2018.
The Dominican Republic is the only council member not to have stated a position on the U.S. move.
*Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Dan Grebler

Iran's Ali Khamenei slammed for antisemitic tweets against Jared Kushner
Jerusalem Post/September 02/2020
The Iranian leader tweeted about "Jews" in English and Arabic but not in other languages.Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attacked the Israel-UAE agreement on Wednesday and called Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser – as well as pro-Israel Americans – “filthy Zionist agents.”Khamenei referred to Kushner as “the Jewish member of Trump’s family” ֿ– Kushner is Trump’s son-in-law – in a series of tweets that were condemned as reactionary and antisemitic. Khamenei’s use of the word “filthy,” and also singling out “Jewish” members of the US government, as well as calling them “cruel,” were all words used in his English-language tweets to channel antisemitic tropes and dog whistles. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweets about Jared Kushner (Screenshot)Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweets about Jared Kushner (Screenshot)
Blue and White MK Michal Cotler-Wunsh slammed the tweets, asking Twitter whether “singling out a Jew and referring to Jews as ‘filthy’ violate your hate-speech policy.” US Assistant Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Ellie Cohanim tweeted that it was time for the social media giant to permanently remove the “vile anti-Semite” from Twitter. Emily Schrader, founder of Social Creative, also slammed the tweet for being antisemitic. The Iranian leader has long spread hatred for Israel using his official Twitter account, as well as during speeches and sermons. The official regime narrative presents Iran as not being antisemitic, pointing to the relatively large Jewish community in the country as evidence of the lack of antisemitism. It argues that in contrast to the Arab nationalist regimes of the 1950s, Tehran has had a more progressive policy.
However, the tweets in English using words like “filthy” and “cruel” appear to have been written by someone who has knowledge of traditional Western antisemitism. Accusations that Jews are “cruel” or “filthy” are part of Western antisemitic tradition, appearing prominently throughout the Middle Ages. The Iranian leader did not tweet the same words in Farsi or on any of his other accounts, implying that a careful study was made by his media team to use the right words in order to push antisemitism through terms that have been used by Nazis and other regimes in the West.
In Spanish, he tweeted about “vile Zionist agents in the Trump family” but did not use the term “Jewish.” In his Arabic tweet, he did refer to the “Jew” in the Trump family, illustrating that Iran seeks to push antisemitism in the Arabic language as well. In Hindi, he also used the term “Jews.” In French, he referred to “dirty Zionist American agents,” but not “Jews.”Earlier this week, the Iranian leader portrayed the UAE agreement with Israel as a “betrayal” of the “world of Islam.” He also characterized the deal as going against the “interests of the world of Islam” and created a hashtag about how the UAE “stabs Muslims.”
The term “world of Islam” is taken from the concept of dar al-Islam – the states governed by Muslims – and dar al-harb, or states that are in war, the ones that war can be waged against or that are savage and beyond the borders of Islamic rule. The Iranian regime is a reactionary, far-right theocratic regime and views the world in these binary terms. As such, the tweets are meant as a threat against the UAE. Iran says the “betrayal won’t last long” and that the “stigma” is on the Emirates, a veiled threat against them.
Last year, Iran used drones and cruise missiles to attack Saudi Arabia and mined ships off the coast of the UAE. It has also backed the Houthis in Yemen to threaten Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
 

Battle for Belarus: Former Soviet republic struggles to become a real republic
Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/September 02/2020
It was once thought probable, if not inevitable, that from the ashes of the U.S.S.R. would arise liberal democracies. But few Soviet republics have become real republics.
Belarus has seemed a particularly hopeless case. A nation of fewer than 10 million on Russia’s western border, it proclaimed its independence in 1991. Three years later, Alexander Lukashenko, a former Soviet border guard and collective farm director (with all the charm and empathy such a background might suggest) was elected president in what may have been a reasonably free and fair election. Since then, elections certainly have not been. Prior to the most recent, on Aug. 9, would-be challengers were denied registration, imprisoned or forced to flee the country. The wife of one, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, got on the ballot after the arrest of her husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky.President Lukashenko was unconcerned about this former teacher and stay-at-home mother. A woman president “would collapse, poor thing,” he told workers at a tractor factory in May.
When the official poll results were announced — a whopping 80 percent for President Lukashenko, no more than 10 percent for Mrs. Tikhanovskaya — disbelieving and furious Belarusians by the tens of thousands took to the streets to peacefully protest — no looting, no rioting, no burning. They displayed signs reading: “We want fair elections” and “Stop the regime machine.”The dictator cracked down: thousands arrested, hundreds of credible reports of serious torture. Officers of the KGB — that’s what his intelligence agency is still called — went into factories and warned workers they could lose their jobs if they weren’t careful. Mrs. Tikhanovskaya fled across the border to Lithuania, where she had sent her two children, ages 5 and 10, prior to the election. For more than a week, she holed up, saying nothing publicly.

Saudi Crown Prince targets princely opponents to his accession
DEBKAFile/September 02/2020
The dismissal of four senior Saudi defense officials decreed on Aug. 31, including two princes, was presented officially as part of a continuing cleanup of corruption in high places. Gen. Fahd bin Turki, commander of the Saudi Joint Forces, was retired from the army to be investigated for suspected corruption. Also fired was his son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Turki, the deputy governor of the northwestern Jouf province bordering on Jordan. The two princes, along with four other officials face a probe into “suspicious financial dealings” at the Ministry of Defense.
The dismissals gave wings to speculation that the Saudi de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), 35, was engaged in his latest purge of likely obstacles within the family circle to his accession to the throne upon the death of his ailing father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz
General Fahd is a full cousin of MbS – his father, like King Salman, belonged to the exclusive circle of powerful full brothers known as the Sudairi Seven, which also included King Fahd, Crown Prince Sultan and Crown Prince Nayef.
MbS’ ouster of Mohammed bin Nayet to replace him as crown prince last June left pockets of simmering antagonism in elite royal circles over what was seen as a power grab that broke up the preset line of succession to the throne. The highest-ranking princes of the realm, who expected to become kings, were left clutching at thin air. They now appear to suspect MbS of planning to perpetuate his own princely line by appointing the next crown prince as his successor. The general’s son as deputy governor of Jouf may also be suspected also of being in cahoots with Jordanian opposition groups just across the nearby border. Since early 2018, General Fahd, a career soldier, has been the commander of the Saudi-led forces fighting against the Iranian-backed Houthi insurgency in Yemen. Displacing him may offer a neat solution for the Crown Prince to signal a change of Riyadh’s Yemen policy. This campaign costing the oil kingdom an estimated $1bn per month has deteriorated into a high-cost fiasco. The Saudis have long been urged by Washington to give up and change course but are reluctant to concede defeat to an Iran-backed victor without a diplomatic face-saver. The arrival in Riyadh on Sept. 1 of the crown prince’s good friend, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner, came in the middle of the furor over the defense ministry dismissals. Kushner was on a mission to persuade MbS – and as many Arab rulers as possible – to join the United Arab Emirates’ epic decision to establish normal relations with Israel. They all share a common enemy in Tehran and are closely allied with Washington. However, the Crown Prince is wary at this time of antagonizing the Saudi Arabi’s staunch religious establishment any further, after forcing them swallow a number of liberal, modernizing reforms, for fear that the Wahhabist imams might line up behind the opposition to his rule. MbS therefore asked Kushner to be satisfied with another landmark decision, permission to allow all flights to and from the UAE to pass through Saudi skies after this week’s historic precedent of the first Israeli commercial flights to cut through the kingdom’s air space.
 

Saudi Arabia Allows UAE Flights to Overfly Kingdom to All Countries
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 2 September, 2020
Saudi Arabia has agreed to allow United Arab Emirates flights to overly the Kingdom’s airspace to all countries, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday. An official source at the General Authority of Civil Aviation said it has approved a request from the UAE to allow such flights.Flights departing from and arriving in the UAE from all countries will now be allowed to fly over the Kingdom, he said.

Macron: Foreign Meddling Main Challenge Facing Iraq
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 2 September, 2020
French President Emmanuel Macron pledged support for Iraq on Wednesday and said the main challenges facing the country are ISIS militants and foreign interference in its internal affairs. "We are here for and we will continue to support Iraq," Macron said at a news conference in Baghdad with his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih. Iraq should not become a battleground for proxy conflicts between other states, Salih said. Macron's visit is the first by a Western leader to Iraq since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi took office in May, becoming the third head of government in a chaotic 10-week period that followed months of deadly protests. Kadhimi was selected by parliament in May to head a government that would guide the country towards early elections and has called for one to be held in June 2021. His predecessor Adel Abdul Mahdi quit under pressure from protests against corruption and foreign interference in December last year. Early elections are a main demand of anti-government protesters who staged months of mass demonstrations last year and were killed in their hundreds by security forces and gunmen suspected of links to Iran-backed militia groups.
Macron’s trip, straight from a two-day visit to Beirut, was not publicly announced until Tuesday evening, with officials in Paris and Baghdad keeping a tight lid on arrangements for security reasons. "The fight for Iraq's sovereignty is essential," Macron had told reporters on Friday, before departing for Lebanon. He said Iraqis, who "suffered so much", deserved options besides domination by regional powers or extremists. "There are leaders and a people who are aware of this, and who want to take their destiny in hand. The role of France is to help them do so," Macron said. Speaking in Lebanon on Tuesday night, Macron said that he will fly to Iraq to meet top officials. He said he would also discuss the case of French citizens who fought with ISIS, which was defeated in Iraq in 2017. Nearly a dozen French ISIS members have been sentenced to death before Iraqi courts.

Macron talks nuclear energy and ways to control militias during Iraq visit
Khaled Yacoub Oweis/The National./September 02/2020
French PM is the most significant leader to visit Iraq since Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi came to power in May.
During a visit to Baghdad on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed solving Iraq's massive power shortages with nuclear energy and expressed support for Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi's push to contain armed groups outside the control of the state.
The French leader is the first Western head of state to travel to the country since a new Iraqi government took office four months ago. Mr Kadhimi told reporters in Baghdad that he discussed with Mr Macron "a future project" to use nuclear energy to produce electricity and solve decades-long power shortages. He said the nuclear project will be under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency and "will create jobs and address electricity shortages". In 1981, an Israeli strike destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor south of Baghdad, which was being built with French help.
If realised, the project would place Iraq along with the UAE and Iran as the only Middle East countries with electricity produced by a nuclear reactor. The country currently faces massive blackouts and imports crucial gas from Iran to operate its dilapidated power stations. Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey also have ambitions to become nuclear energy producers. The electricity problem, along with collapse in other basic services, corruption and soaring unemployment, have contributed to mass discontent and a protest movement, which the authorities crushed at the start of this year in co-operation of the Iranian-aligned militias. Mr Al Kadhimi has sought to create an independent foreign policy less governed by parameters set by Iran since coming to power in May. But his government has not managed to curb the sway of militants aligned with Tehran.
Mr Macron said all armed forces in Iraq should be "normalised", in reference to a myriad mostly Shiite militias supported by Iran outside the control of the government but with associates and clients in the political system.
"There are many challenges to guarantee the sovereignty of Iraq, internally and in the region", Mr Macron said, adding that Iraq faces “foreign interference from multiple points." European powers, with the exception of Britain, opposed the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and have since taken a mostly ambivalent position towards the central government in Baghdad.
France and Germany have instead concentrated on building ties with the Kurdish administration in northern Iraq. But France's is a member of the international coalition against ISIS and Mr Macron said French soldiers are fighting "side by side" with the Iraqi military to ensure "the final defeat" of extremists.
Ali Shukri, an adviser at the Iraqi presidency, told the official news agency that Mr Macron would discuss issues related to the economy during his visit. The Iraqi economy has been hard hit since February by the decline of oil prices. Oil revenue, Iraq's main source of foreign currency, is running at about $2 billion (Dh7.3bn) a month and about $3bn short of covering public salaries. French oil company Total operates in southern Iraq. It has also operated in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq since 2012. It is a sensitive issue for the central government of Baghdad, which has had constant disputes with the Kurdistan Regional Government over oil revenue. Mr Macron's visit comes a day after he met leaders in Lebanon to press for reforms after the explosion at the Beirut port last month that left at least 190 people dead.
He is the most significant leader to visit Iraq since Mr Al Kadhimi came to power in May. The trip was not announced publicly until Tuesday evening, with officials in Paris and Baghdad keeping a lid on arrangements for security reasons.
On his final night in Beirut, Mr Macron announced he was heading to Baghdad "to launch an initiative alongside the United Nations to support a process of sovereignty".

Macron pushes ‘sovereignty initiative’ for Iraq in hint at Iran, Turkey
The Arab Weekly/September 02/2020
On his final night in Beirut, Macron announced he was heading to Baghdad “to launch an initiative alongside the United Nations to support a process of sovereignty”.
BAGHDAD – French President Emmanuel Macron pledged support for Iraq on Wednesday and said the main challenges facing the country are ISIS militants and foreign interference in its affairs, in reference to Iran’s role and the Islamic Republic’s support of militias there.
“We are here for and we will continue to support Iraq,” Macron said at a news conference in Baghdad with his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih, whom he met in Paris in 2019. Iraq should not become a battleground for proxy conflicts between other states, Salih said. Coming straight from a two-day trip to Beirut, the capital of crisis-hit Lebanon, Macron is the most significant leader to visit Iraq since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi came to power in May.
The trip was not publicly announced until Tuesday evening, with officials in Paris and Baghdad keeping a tight lid on arrangements for security reasons.
On his final night in Beirut, Macron announced he was heading to Baghdad “to launch an initiative alongside the United Nations to support a process of sovereignty.”“The fight for Iraq’s sovereignty is essential,” Macron had told reporters on Friday, before departing for Lebanon.
He said Iraqis, who “suffered so much,” deserved options besides domination by regional powers or Islamist extremists.
“There are leaders and a people who are aware of this, and who want to take their destiny in hand. The role of France is to help them do so,” Macron said.
After a US-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq was ravaged by waves of sectarian conflict that culminated in ISIS capturing swathes of the country six years ago, before the jihadists were beaten back with international support.
Iraq has been caught for years between its two main allies Iran and the US, a balancing act that has become increasingly tortured since Washington’s withdrawal in 2018 from a multilateral nuclear deal with Tehran.
France is among European nations that remain key backers of the 2015 agreement. This year alone, a US drone strike killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, prompting Iran to launch missiles against US troops in Iraq. Tehran-backed groups are suspected of launching volleys of rockets on US diplomatic, military and commercial interests in Iraq in recent months.
As oil cartel OPEC’s second biggest producer, Iraq has also been hit hard by the world price collapse and the coronavirus pandemic forced its fragile economy to sink even further.
France has signalled its support.
Top French diplomat Jean-Yves Le Drian visited Iraq in July, insisting Baghdad “should dissociate itself from regional tensions” and Defence Minister Florence Parly travelled to Baghdad last month.
On Wednesday, Macron is set to meet Kadhimi and a host of other political figures. The visit would be of “great importance, as it’s the third by French officials in a single month,” said Husham Dawood, an adviser to the Iraqi premier. Unlike most foreign officials, the French president will not stop over in Erbil, capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. Instead, Kurdish president Nechirvan Barzani is set travel to Baghdad for talks.
Soon after winning the presidency in 2017, Macron had tried to mediate between the autonomous Kurdish north and the federal government, but financial and security disputes between the two sides remain unresolved.
There would likely be no announcements of new financial or military aid, Iraqi officials said. France did not take part in the invasion that toppled Saddam, but it did join the US-led coalition launched in 2014 to fight ISIS.
Earlier this year, following ISIS’s territorial defeat and the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the last contingent of French troops deployed in Iraq as part of the coalition pulled out.
France is struggling to expand its economic ties with Iraq, ranked among the 20 most corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International.
Macron’s “sovereignty initiative” was also an indirect message to Turkey, one Iraqi official said.
Ankara launched a cross-border air and ground assault on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq in June, infuriating Baghdad, which slammed it as a violation of Iraqi territory.
Tensions are already high between France and Turkey over the conflict in Libya, where Ankara has sent military personnel and equipment and thousands of mercenaries, amid a dispute over offshore gas rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. Macron’s lightning visit follows intense talks in Lebanon — his second since a colossal August 4 explosion at Beirut port killed more than 180 people. He chaired a donors’ conference on Lebanon last month and said he would be ready to hold another one alongside political meetings in October.
“Macron is definitely trying to make a push for a France-facing Middle East,” said Karim Bitar, a political science professor in France and Lebanon.
The French leader was focusing on Lebanon and Iraq — which have ties with both Iran and Saudi Arabia — as he believes Paris could play a mediating role if regional tensions escalate further, Bitar said.

Senegal Sends 3,000 Tons of Ammonium Nitrate to Mali
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 02/2020
People in Senegal's capital, Dakar, are breathing a sigh of relief after officials removed from its port 3,050 tons of ammonium nitrate, the same substance at a slightly lesser volume that caused the explosion in Beirut last month that killed at least 190 people, injured thousands and caused extensive damage.
After the Beirut explosion, countries with ports have been scrambling to be sure they are not in a similarly vulnerable situation. "To date, no ammonium nitrate is present at the port of Dakar," said the statement issued Wednesday by the port's communication department, adding that the evacuation of the dangerous material was completed Tuesday. Senegal's President Macky Sall two weeks ago called for the ammonium nitrate, used to make fertilizers and explosives, to be removed immediately and safely. He also told the environment and interior ministers to implement a national plan for the inventory, auditing and securing of depots storing dangerous chemicals. Port authorities confirmed that the material, which had been at the port for about a month, has been trucked to Mali. Despite a recent coup d'etat and sanctions imposed by the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, about 20 trucks a day, carrying 30 tons each, were escorted by gendarmerie to Senegal's eastern border with Mali. Mali's ministry of transport has said that the substance is intended for use by Malian mining companies in its quarries. In a statement last week it reassured that the transport of this dangerous substance is done in strict conformity with regulations. In 2019, more than 21,000 tons were moved through Dakar port into Mali, the Mali ministry said. This year there are plans to move more than 12,700 tons, it said. Dakar's port authorities have said they adhere to international rules for the storage and management of dangerous materials.

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs: Qatar is an active partner in combating terrorist financing
NNA /September 02/2020
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker stressed the importance of the strong partnership between the State of Qatar and the United States of America, noting that Qatar is an important partner in the region.
In a press videoconference held Monday with the local media on the occasion of his visit to Doha, Schenker praised the efforts of the State of Qatar as an effective partner in combating terrorist financing, through its efforts, positions and legislation, stressing that these efforts contribute to preventing the financing of the phenomenon of terrorism.
He added that Qatar is an important member of the Global Coalition Against ISIS, praising its commitment and partnership with the US at all levels.
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs stressed the importance of the effective Qatari role in combating terrorism, stressing that it is an indispensable role, especially the role of Qatar in efforts to combat terrorist financing, noting that Washington appreciates Doha's efforts in combating this phenomenon within the framework of partnership and cooperation relations between Qatar and the United States.
Schenker underlined the importance of military and security cooperation between Qatar and the United States, stressing that this cooperation contributes to establishing peace in the Middle East region and dealing with its issues closely and effectively.
He described the State of Qatar as an important ally of his country, stressing that the two countries work side by side in all international forums and organizations.
In response to a question by the Qatar News Agency (QNA) about the Gulf crisis, Schenker said that the United States, at the highest levels, whether in the White House or the State Department, is making a determined effort to solve this crisis and gather its parties to sit at the dialogue table and reach common ground.
He added that the Gulf crisis does not serve the interests of the Gulf states, but rather serves the interests of some parties in the region, stressing that the US administration is working hard to solve the crisis as soon as possible.
He expressed hope for resolving the crisis, leading to a unified Gulf position in facing challenges, explaining that the United States is engaged in talks with all parties to open the airspace and restore diplomatic relations between Qatar and the blockading countries, and stressing his country's keenness to solve the crisis.
David Schenker praised the Qatari role in the Afghan peace talks, whether between the United States and the Taliban movement, which resulted in the signing of a peace agreement in February in Doha, or concerning the intra-Afghan dialogue.
Schenker underlined that Qatar is an important partner pushing the peace process and dialogue in Afghanistan forward. "The United States values that and thanks Qatar for its efforts in this regard," he continued, looking forward to hosting the intra-Afghan dialogue in Doha as well.
On the strategic dialogue between the two countries, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs stressed the importance of the strategic dialogue for both sides, noting that it is a diversified dialogue that includes economic, security and military fields, as well as investments and cooperation in the areas of education, culture, health, the efforts to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and others.
Schenker added that the strategic dialogue is very important for the bilateral cooperation between Qatar and the United States, and pointed to important areas in the framework of the strategic dialogue, including trade, investments, culture, labor laws, regional security, defense cooperation, combating terrorism and the health field in particular, in addition to regional issues and other areas that should be developed. "This year, an agreement related to the cultural relations will be signed to coincide with the Year of Culture and the cultural relations between the two sides," he said.
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs stressed the importance of trade between Qatar and the United States, noting that it is one of the most important areas on the discussion table and during the strategic dialogue. He noted that the volume of trade between the two countries increased by 35% during 2019, adding that there is also more to do in the future besides strengthening the military and defense relations between the two countries, and working to make the region more stable.
He pointed to discussions on cooperation in the education field and the possibility of increasing the number of Qatari students who receive their education in the United States, stressing that this cooperation contributes to strengthening the relations between the two friendly peoples, in addition to discussion related to regional issues of common interest, including peace in Afghanistan. The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs noted that his next stop will be Lebanon, expressing in this context his thanks to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, for the important support and assistance Qatar has provided to Lebanon since the explosion of Beirut port.
He stressed that the United States values its relations with Doha at all levels, which helps the region to be more stable and secure. He also praised Qatars humanitarian efforts everywhere in the world, and its great role in providing support and aid to the international humanitarian community.
In response to a question by Qatar News Agency (QNA) about the reason for the absence of the US role in the Middle East crises such as the Turkish-Greek crisis, the Libyan crisis and the Yemeni crisis, Schenker affirmed his country's full involvement in the regional issues, including the conflict in Libya.
He noted that the United States is working with partners in Europe to solve this worsening crisis, warning at the same time that the Libyan crisis has become global after the entry of regional and international parties into the conflict.
He demanded all militias to leave Libya, adding that his country is involved in efforts to establish peace, foremost among which is the Berlin track.--(QNA)

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 01-02/2020
Iran imposes double execution on champion wrestler for peacefully protesting regime
Benjamin Weinthal/FDD/September 02/2020
Courts in the Iranian city of Shiraz slapped a champion wrestler with a shocking penalty of two death sentences and whipping for protesting in 2018 against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s disastrous economic policies.
The sentencing against 27-year-old Navid Afkari has triggered widespread outrage from human rights activists, Iranian-Americans and a decorated American wrestler, who are demanding Tehran’s clerical rulers to stop the execution. Afkari was reportedly part of the hundreds of protesters who took to the streets in anti-government demonstrations in several cities in August 2018. They were protesting the country’s worsening economic situation and inflation. The news website Iran International reported on Saturday that Iran imposed two death sentences on Afkari as well as six years and six months in prison and 74 lashes. One death sentence was imposed by a criminal court and one by a “revolutionary court.” “This is what the Islamic Republic of Iran does to a mother. Her name is Behieh Namjou,” Masih Alinejad, a prominent Iranian dissident and journalist, tweeted to her more than 200,000 followers. “The regime has sentenced her son Navid Afkari to death for a simply protesting [sic]. Her other sons are unjustly imprisoned. She’s gone from a cheerful and happy mother into a sad and gloomy mother.”Afkari’s brother Vahid received a sentence of 54 years and six months in prison and 74 lashes. A third brother, Habib, was given a prison term of 27 years and three months and 74 lashes. In a video reviewed by Fox News, the brothers’ mother denounced the sham trial against her sons. “I’m desperately asking for help from anyone who can hear my voice,” she said. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) published an image of a letter from Navid Afkari in which he said the Iranian authorities tortured him to force him to confess to the manufactured charges against him. His head was covered with a plastic bag and alcohol was poured into his nostrils as part of the torture, he said.
Navid Afkari, who also works as a plasterer, has won several wrestling medals in Iranian tournaments. Wrestling is a beloved sport in Iran, and Iranian athletes have distinguished themselves in international freestyle and Greco-Roman competitions.
Ben Askren, a former star mixed martial artist and Olympic wrestler, tweed about Iran’s sentence on Afkari: “This is what a real authoritarian regime look like.”Politico’s chief European correspondent, Matthew Karnitschnig, wrote: “What’s the point of imposing two death sentences? They worried they might screw the first one up?”The actress Nazanin Boniadi tweeted: “Champion wrestler Navid Afkari has been sentenced to death for participating in anti-government protests in Iran. Those close to him have said he was subjected to a forced confession under torture. Stop Executions In Iran.”
Iran’s permanent mission to The United Nations, USA Wrestling and United World Wrestling, the international governing body for amateur wrestling, did not immediately return Fox News’ requests for comment.
The Los Angeles-based human rights organization The Simon Wiesenthal Center condemned the planned execution, saying the “horrific inhumane Iranian regime at its brutal worse.”
“World leaders led by Germany, France, and Japan should tell Ayatollah [to] cancel these death sentences or lose your economic lifelines,” it tweeted.
The American Iranian public intellectual Mariam Memarsadeghi tweeted that “ One of wrestling’s best is facing execution in Iran. Navid Afkari’s only crime is love of country. With his 2 brothers he joined countrywide protests for freedom. Now Supreme Leader wants to use him to say no one can oppose his rule. Sports feds: please stand with us for justice!”
*Benjamin Weinthal reports on human rights in the Middle East and is a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on Twitter @BenWeinthal.

Iran’s Multiethnic Society Explains Why Tehran Fears Democracy
Brenda Shaffer/The National Interest/September 02/2020
Iran faces the democracy conundrum: in multi-ethnic states where one non-majority group prevails over others, democratization entails risk of loss of empire.
The twentieth century was not kind to multiethnic empires. During that time, most of the world’s population transitioned from subjects to citizens. And, in most of the empires where a non-majority group ruled over other ethnic groups, the second tier ethnic groups seceded from central control. One of the few outliers is Iran. Iran has been immune to the waves of democracy that swept over most of the world during the twentieth century and has sustained control over vast territories and minority populations that do not enjoy the same rights as the Persian core. Over half of the population of Iran is comprised of non-Persian ethnic minorities: Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, Baluch and more. Most of Iran’s border provinces are populated by these non-Persian ethnic groups, which share ties with co-ethnics in bordering states. Tehran’s fear of losing its internal empire constrains Iran’s movement toward democracy. Like other multi-ethnic empires, Iran faces the democracy conundrum: in multi-ethnic states where one non-majority group prevails over others, democratization entails the risk of loss of empire.
Violent repression deters and inhibits ethnic groups from seeking self-rule. With reform and democratization processes, and thus the removal of the threat of death, imprisonment and torture, groups that have been dominated by others often seek independence. Civil war during a regime change or regime collapse also creates opportunity to attain self-rule, with the ruling elite weakened by internal battles, and even groups that did not have strong independence movements often seize the moment and breakaway from the ruling center. Thus, the trends of democratization and loss of empire are connected.
Due to this connection, the threat of the loss of empire has often squashed reform programs of various multi-ethnic empires and states. Each time the USSR initiated serious domestic reforms after World War II, powerful protest movements broke out in Eastern Europe hoping to take advantage of Moscow’s new openness to regain their freedom. Moscow violently suppressed these challenges to its control of Eastern Europe, and subsequently ended the domestic reforms that had catalyzed the anti-Soviet activity. In contrast, in the late 1980s, Moscow did not suppress the challenge to its rule in Eastern Europe that emerged during the Gorbachev period and maintained its reforms; subsequently, Russia ended up losing its domestic empire, including territories where Russians had prevailed for hundreds of years.
Both the governing systems that have ruled Iran in the twentieth century—the Pahlavi Monarchy and the Islamic Republic—have suppressed Iran’s ethnic minorities and not allowed them to use their languages in schools and government institutions. Despite possessing vastly different ideological and strategic orientations, the two regimes have given dominance to Persians, including exclusive use of the Persian language.
In the past two and a half years, widespread demonstrations and anti-regime activity have been taking place in Iran. These demonstrations are exceptional in the history of the Islamic Republic, as they encompass all economic classes, multiple professional sectors and almost all provinces and major cities in Iran. The demands of these protests are different from previous ones directed at the Islamic Republic—they are not calling for a change in policy or protesting an election outcome, but are directed against the system itself and calling for its end. Due to the Covid-19 threat which has hit Iran particularly hard, the anti-regime protests have abated. However, once the health danger subsides, they are likely to flare up again. The regime’s recent blunders—shooting down a commercial plane, firing on its own naval ships, mismanagement of the coronavirus—are reminiscent of the types of mishaps witnessed in the last years of the USSR, and seem to be signs of regime weakness.
However, fear of loss of empire constrains the democracy movement in Iran. Most of the mainstream Iranian opposition groups join the ruling regime in wanting to preserve the Persians’ dominance and the Persian language in Iran. The regime skillfully uses this fact to its advantage, warning opposition groups that regime change risks losing Iran’s domestic empire. Both the mainstream opposition and the regime seem to be aware that democratization can lead to loss of Iran’s domestic empire, as has happened in many places. And, in fact, it would be hard for a democratic government in Iran to explain why it allows various freedoms, such as gender freedom and religious freedom, but does not allow cultural and linguistic freedom to half of the population. If a new regime did not allow these freedoms, it would most likely need to violently suppress minorities, and effectively end democracy.
The ruling regime in Iran and mainstream scholarship claims that indeed Iran is an outlier and unified as one big happy mosaic where most of Iran’s ethnic minorities strongly identify as Iranians. They point to the large numbers of ethnically mixed families and also to the fact that most of Iran’s population is united under Shia identity. In addition, the Islamic Republic does allow members of the ethnic minorities access to power if they are willing to give up their native culture. In fact, Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei himself hails from an ethnically mixed family and speaks Azerbaijani, while Iran’s military chief Ali Shamkhani is an ethnic Arab, indicating that individual members of ethnic minorities can rise high in the regime.
Other factors working in Iran’s favor in holding the country together is that the Islamic Republic is not a federation or confederation, nor are the ethnic groups concentrated in overseas territories. These structures often facilitate empire disintegration. In addition, most of Iran’s neighbors do not support a change in its borders, and some, such as Turkey and Iraq, actively work to oppose it through coordinated attacks with Tehran on Kurds. As an additional protection, the ruling regime in Iran usually appoints governors and heads of local security services that are not native to the regions they govern, who also usually do not speak the local languages. Thus, unlike during the Soviet and Yugoslavia breakups, there are few local leaders in place with an interest to break from the center. In addition, many of the minority groups infight over control of land and other resources in shared regions, such as Kurds and Azerbaijanis in Iran’s West Azerbaijan Province. Tehran is quite skilled in exacerbating these conflicts.
At the same time, ethnic-based movements are carrying out regular violent attacks on the regime and its institutions. Economic disparities among ethnic groups also pull Iran apart. The ethnic minority populated provinces are poorer, have lower levels of government services and lower quality infrastructure than the Persian center. Even water supplies are unstable in the areas populated by Arabs, Kurds and Baluch. Also, while ethnically mixed families in Iran may be common in the central cities, this is not the case in the provinces, where local languages and cultures prevail. Furthermore, social and other mass media are fostering revivals of ethnic-linguistic identity. Most of the minority populations in Iran watch television and receive their news in their native languages by satellite TV or internet, and not from Tehran’s government-controlled Persian media. Through the foreign media, traveling to neighboring countries, and interactions on social media, many are gaining ethnic awareness and pride. Iranian official media in contrast, often presents very negative images of members of the ethnic groups, based on widely held stereotypes. Previous generations in Iran had by and large internalized the messages of the Pahlavi regime that the ethnic minorities are inferior to the great Persian nation that rules them. No longer. In the last two years, faced with growing opposition, some of it violent, the ruling regime in Iran has turned to fostering Persian nationalist messages as a way to bolster support among Iran’s core ethnic group. This is reminiscent of Stalin’s use of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian nationalism to galvanize Soviet subjects to fight during World War II. While this may be a useful tool to galvanize the Persians to stick with the ruling Islamic Republic, it is further isolating and inciting Iran’s ethnic minorities.
The Islamic Republic of Iran might be stuck in the democracy conundrum of multiethnic empires, with no clear path to democratize without risk of losing part or all of its domestic empire. Iranian democracy advocates are likely thinking hard how to manage a democratic transition while keeping Iran intact. Economic equity for the minorities in the provinces might help, as would viewing language rights not as a threat to the unity of the state, but as a potential tool for preserving the state’s unity, as in Canada. Some might even decide that democracy is more important than continued rule over all of Iran’s border provinces and take the risk of losing empire in order to have freedom.
*Dr. Brenda Shaffer is Senior Advisor for Energy at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a nonpartisan think tank focused on national security issues. Follow her on Twitter @ProfBShaffer.

Iranian Laborers Need Our Help
Alireza Nader and Benjamin Weinthal/Newsweek/September 02/2020
With the celebration of American employees on Labor Day in early September, U.S. workers enjoy what their counterparts in the highly repressive Islamic Republic of Iran cannot: the right to form and join a democratic and independent trade union.
Iranians are fighting back. In recent weeks, dozens of worker groups have gone on strike, especially across the crucial energy sector in the south, dealing a blow to an already overstretched regime. Tehran fears economic strikes, in particular, as they have been a powerful political weapon in recent history. Economic and energy strikes played an important role in spurring the fall of the shah and the rise of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
Iran’s labor relations mirror the plight of workers in the former communist states dominated by the Soviet Union, where they toiled under horrible working conditions and political repression. Moscow promised that the Soviet Union would serve the working class, yet it did anything but. In response to sham unions controlled by the Soviet communist ruling class, independent unions emerged in the late 1980s. Similarly, in defiance of Iranian law, Iranian workers have organized ad hoc labor unions to demand their rights.
The current round of energy strikes in Iran started on July 28, when Ebrahim Arabzadeh, a contract worker at Mahshahr petrochemical complex, died from heat exhaustion at work. Soon, workers had walked out of energy plants across Fars province, Khuzestan, Qeshm Island and even Isfahan further to the north. Many oil, natural gas and petrochemical facilities have shut or slowed down in recent weeks as a result of Iranian workers walking off the job due to unsafe working conditions and low or unpaid wages.
The strikes have gradually spread throughout the entire country. The striking workers do not appear to have explicit political goals, such as the overthrow of the regime. Many may hate the regime and want it gone, much like the wider Iranian society, but they are focused on receiving fair and just treatment by their employers. Nevertheless, the energy strikers may coalesce with other working sectors and eventually form more concrete political demands. They may even call for the regime to fall, as many Iranians did during the uprising of late 2017 and early 2018. During the November 2019 demonstrations, many protestors killed, injured and imprisoned by the regime were from working class areas around Tehran, such as Karaj, which experienced some of the worst regime violence.
However, Iranian workers cannot succeed alone. The current labor crisis presents an opportunity for Washington and Western labor unions to provide funds and messages of moral support for struggling Iranian workers.
The last expression of labor union support for Iranian workers came in 2019, when the International Trade Union Confederation and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) urged Tehran to release detained workers’ rights activists. In 2018, the Teamsters Union expressed support for truck drivers on strike in more than 290 Iranian cities. But Western labor unions have been largely silent regarding the latest strikes in Iran.
The unions should form an emergency international labor union task force to assist striking Iranian workers by providing funds and advocating on their behalf in Western countries. Such an effort has a notable precedent. In the 1980s, the AFL-CIO delivered more than $6 million in money and communications equipment to Solidarity, the Polish workers’ campaign. According to the AFL-CIO, “This aid was considered instrumental in Solidarity’s successful effort to end 50 years of Communist Party rule in Poland.”
The U.S. government or its allies should also provide greater financial support to strikers. Likewise, it should provide encrypted communications technology to Iranian workers, thereby enabling them to circumvent the regime’s powerful surveillance state.
The Islamic Republic has sold itself as a champion of the “oppressed,” especially the working class, but it has become their biggest oppressor. Iranian workers cannot win on their own. They deserve the same support from the U.S. and the international community as their counterparts received behind the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe and Russia.

*Alireza Nader is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Benjamin Weinthal is a research fellow. Follow them on Twitter @AlirezaNader and @BenWeinthal.

Over the Black Sea, Moscow Escalates Its Military Provocations
Bradley Bowman and Maj. Shane “Axl” Praiswater/FDD/September 02/2020
Following a major North Atlantic Treaty Organization bomber exercise, two Russian Su-27 fighters conducted a reckless intercept of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber in international airspace over the Black Sea on Friday. The aggressive actions of the Russian pilots suggest the NATO unity and military capability demonstrated by the bomber exercise may have rattled leaders and military planners in Moscow.
According to NATO, the “Allied Sky” exercise included six U.S. B-52 bombers overflying all 30 NATO countries. Four U.S. bombers participated in Europe, and two in North America. Fighters from 20 NATO countries apparently escorted the bombers.
“Training events like this help ensure that we fulfill our core mission: to deter aggression, prevent conflict, and preserve peace,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Following the exercise, one of the U.S. B-52 bombers flew into international airspace over the Black Sea. The two Russian Su-27 fighters approached the bomber, and at least one of the fighters displayed its weaponry to the B-52 crew. Then, according to the U.S. Air Force, the Su-27s crossed “within 100 feet of the nose of the B-52 multiple times at co-altitude and while in afterburner causing turbulence and restricting the B-52’s ability to maneuver.” A video released by the Pentagon appears to confirm this account.
General Jeff Harrigian, the top U.S. Air Force commander in Europe, expressed concern that “[a]ctions like these increase the potential for midair collisions, are unnecessary, and inconsistent with good airmanship and international flight rules.”
The U.S. bombers are based at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota but were operating temporarily out of Royal Air Force Fairford in the United Kingdom.
U.S. bombers flying out of Fairford is nothing new. Recently, however, the Air Force has been transitioning away from long-term bomber deployments in favor of shorter, four- to five-week bomber task forces (BTFs) operating out of Fairford or Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
These BTFs are part of a continued Pentagon effort to deter aggression and assure allies while making U.S. military operations less predictable for adversaries.
In fact, Russian displeasure with such bomber deployments to Europe is well-known. The exercise last week laid bare an enormous liability for Russian forces: bombers taking off from Fairford can almost immediately employ standoff weapons against Russian targets.
The NATO bomber exercise also underscored an important fact: Even as high-level political relationships among some NATO allies are strained, NATO military ties remain strong. It is telling that even as Putin attempts to woo some European leaders and sow division within the alliance, NATO is still able to present such an extraordinary show of alliance unity and force that Moscow could never replicate. Moscow’s frustrations might explain the actions of the Su-27s. Admittedly, Russian intercepts of U.S. aircraft in the Black Sea are nothing new. But the actions of the Su-27 pilots were particularly aggressive and disdainful of normal rules of conduct. And while such methods have been employed before toward U.S. Navy P-8s, using afterburners to cause turbulence for a U.S. strategic bomber represents a notable escalation.
In order to deter additional aggression from Moscow, the U.S. military should continue to conduct such aviation exercises and seek to expand the number of BTF bases. In addition, NATO must also work to strengthen its ground deterrence capability in the Black Sea region. These efforts can help make clear to Moscow that it cannot use military force to accomplish its political objectives at an acceptable cost.

*Bradley Bowman is senior director for the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where Maj. Shane Praiswater is a visiting military analyst. Views expressed or implied in this commentary are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Air Force, the Defense Department, or any other government agency. For more analysis from Bradley, Shane, and CMPP, please subscribe HERE. Follow Bradley on Twitter @Brad_L_Bowman. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_CMPP. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
 

Israel and the UAE on Iran: Shared Foe, Different Perspectives
Danny (Dennis) Citrinowicz/The Washington Institute/September 02/2020
Major (res.) Danny (Dennis) Citrinowicz has served for 25 years in a variety of command positions units in Israel Defense Intelligence (IDI). Today, he works as the knowledge and methodology director at Cobwebs technologies.
Given past developments, the UAE’s and Israel’s recent announcement of normalization in exchange for shelving annexation plans should come as no great surprise, even if the timing was unexpected. There remains, however, frequently understated differences between one aspect of this relationship often assumed to be a common denominator: Jerusalem’s and Abu Dhabi’s perspectives on Iran. Understanding and accommodating these differences will be critical issue for a lasting relationship between the two countries, with the Israeli government in particular needing to acknowledge the differences as well as similarities between the two sides.
It is no secret that Israel and the UAE see Iran as a common enemy; both countries have worked together covertly for years to prevent Iranian hegemony in the Gulf and Middle East at large. Since the beginning of their unofficial relationship several decades ago, the two countries have improved their intelligence-sharing and military relations, strengthened their diplomatic ties behind the scenes, and worked to improve their readiness for Iranian threats across the board. President Trump’s recent decisions to withdraw troops from parts of the Middle East region and the world at large have further catalyzed development of Israel-UAE relations in anticipation of weakened direct support from the United States.
Nonetheless, the UAE and Israel have fundamentally different relationships with Iran. These differences stem in part from the regional positions of these two countries. Iran and the UAE see each other as rivals jockeying for power in the region. Their differences stem from opposing views on several regional issues and a number of territorial disputes. In contrast, Israel sees the Iranian regime as the “ultimate evil” and an imminent existential threat. Israel refuses to have any interaction with Tehran, and Iran is the only state in the world whose nationals Mossad operatives can only contact for political reasons after receiving express permission from the Prime Minister, while the IDF works extensively to combat Iranian expansion and proxies in Syria.
However, the two countries also have different attitudes in their confidence in being able to handle a military confrontation with Iran. In contrast to Israel, the UAE lacks effective military power and defense capabilities, especially power projection. In addition, the UAE isn’t entirely confident in American aid or defense in the case of a military confrontation with Iran. This point is especially salient following the recent attack on Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia. The UAE seemed surprised by the lack of meaningful support and actions from Trump, and the experiences raised a question of U.S. reliability in times of conflict. In contrast, Israel remains confident in American military support.
The UAE’s situation is further complicated by its geographic location; the country lies adjacent to Iran and is home to a sizable Iranian community. Far from preparing for a confrontation, many Emiratis are concerned about the impacts of a military conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, including the potential of a refugee crisis of Saudis flooding the UAE.
Ultimately, both countries see Iran as a threat, albeit to different degrees, but choose different pathways to limiting that threat. Israel has chosen a confrontational approach: threatening the use of force and promoting intense political and economic pressure and sanctions on Iran to prevent its expansion and nuclear program. On the other hand, the UAE backs diplomatic measures to limit Iranian aggression and expansion but is concerned about the continuation of the maximum pressure campaign as it may lead to direct conflict, a scenario that the UAE is actively working to avoid.
Understanding the nature of the small direct overlap between Israeli and Emirati strategic attitudes towards Iran shows that the existence of a mutual enemy is likely not enough to ensure a strategic alliance. In the case of a military confrontation between Israel and Iran, Emirati support should not be taken as a given, even with the new formation of ties. Moreover, if support is offered, it may not be as expansive as some inside Israel currently expect.
This is particularly the case if Israel expects to work towards the use of UAE airspace or bases in a direct attack on Iran. But there may also be hesitation from UAE diplomats to stand side by side with Israelis in initiatives to increase pressure on Iran, which Israel sees as necessary to prevent direct escalation. Given these differences, Israel must actively work to find common ground with the UAE rather than assume cooperation as a given.
The recent issue of the potential of F-35 sales to the UAE highlights the ways in which mismatched expectations can threaten to limit mutually beneficial efforts. Many in the Israeli public and defense establishment have come out against the sale of the F-35–understood by the UAE as part and parcel of the UAE-Israel peace deal—in light of the sale’s weakening of Israel's qualitative military edge (QME), a longstanding American policy also enshrined in U.S. law.
But the question of whether to accept or clamor against what is likely to be a long period of negotiations on the F-35 should be reexamined by Israelis, especially as a stronger UAE would strengthen both countries regarding Iran. Aside from its role in the peace deal, Israelis should consider the benefits to a stronger UAE military along with its drawbacks. The deal would bolster the UAE's air force against Iran and allow the UAE to more easily attack Iranian targets. The jets would also increase the UAE's strategic air range to almost the entirety of the Middle East, ostensibly to deter Turkey, as the UAE's participation in a Greek joint air force drill this week exemplified. Moreover, Israel’s alleged flip-flopping over the sales has increased tension just weeks after the peace deal was announced. The UAE has responded by cancelling a trilateral meeting with the US and Israel to make a statement regarding Israeli recalcitrance on the topic.
The Israeli government should take this lesson to heart as it approaches building a strategy of deterring Iran that involves the UAE. Working together with regional partners is increasingly vital given a possible sea change in American foreign policy following the upcoming presidential election. A joint policy can and should be adapted to the potential direction of each administration: it should take into account possible escalation if President Trump is reelected, or a possible return to negotiations and eventually the JCPOA if Biden defeats Trump.
During this discussion between the two countries, Israel must search for common red lines to any future discussion with Iran on a new JCPOA. A joint presentation from Israel and the UAE to the next administration in Washington, bolstered by an agreement on the steps needed to be taken if Iran will cross the mutual red lines regarding its nuclear program, would likely go far in influencing either potential U.S. administration for the mutual benefit of Israel and the UAE.
And Israel has much to offer the UAE in terms of countering Iranian influence and expansion. These include a range of soft power capabilities such as joint diplomatic efforts, technological and economic cooperation, and even increased access to the Mediterranean, which would allow bypassing the danger of an Iranian closure of the straits of Hormuz, and enhanced intelligence sharing. Hard power options include the potential of carrying out joint offensive cyberattacks, potential collaboration on attacking Iranian nuclear or critical infrastructure sites, as well as military cooperation for limited engagement with Iranian proxy forces in Iraq, Yemen or Syria.
The recent tensions over the potential of F-35 sales demonstrate the fragility of the UAE-Israel agreement, especially if common ground on key issues such as Iran cannot be reached. And while the issue of Iran seems a safe place to start, the differences in viewpoints must also be factored into negotiations between the two states, with the understanding that the UAE has its own methods of dealing with Iran. Israel has a major opportunity at present; but if a shared baseline foreign policy isn’t developed that takes each sides’ interests into account, both run the risk of being less prepared than they could have been for an Iranian move.