LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 09/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12/22-32:”Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.’He knew what they were thinking and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on September 08-09/2019
Salim Aoun Says PSP 'Lost Its Bets', No One Sought to 'Besiege' Jumblat
Abu Faour Hopes Bassil Will 'Reevaluate His Rhetoric' after Laqlouq Meeting
PSP Says Bassil-Taymour Jumblat Meeting Reflects New Party Policy
Lebanon’s PSP, Hezbollah Agree to 'Settle Differences'
Hizbullah, PSP ‘Reconcile’ in Ain el-Tineh
Geagea says reason for postponing his Chouf visit is “simple and personal”, describes his relationship with Bassil as “below zero”
Hezbollah former official found dead inside his apartment in Bourj el-Barajneh
AlRahi concludes Chouf tour by visiting Kfar Qatra: The Mountain is the beating heart of Lebanon and the backbone that we must protect together, Christians and Druze
Jreissati launches forest cleanup workshop in Sohmor: We are fighting today to preserve what remains of our environment
Mouawad says Saudi Arabia has always stood by Lebanon and its legitimate institutions / Al-Bukhari commends the Rene Mouawad Foundation message, 'concerned with the empowerment of the individual'
Spiteri during North Bekaa tour: Lebanon, country of fraternity, must remain a model of coexistence
Abu Faour: Taymour Jumblatt determined that Laqlouq meeting won't be at the expense of constants or judiciary
State Security Agent Shoots Soldier Sister for 'Returning Home Late'
Choucair Says Hariri Won’t Let the Country 'Sink'
Lebanon: Supreme Islamic Sharia Council Slams Attempts to Provoke Sectarian Strife

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 08-09/2019
US will sanction whoever purchases Iran’s oil: Official
Iran has thousands of pro-regime social media accounts
Iranian tanker Adrian Darya reaches destination, oil sold
Iran Slams European Powers as Nuclear Deal Unravels
France says Iran actions negative, but dialogue still open
Iran’s nuclear chief says EU failed to fulfill its commitments to nuclear deal
US, Turkey launch joint patrols in northeast Syria
Damascus Condemns U.S.-Turkish Patrols in Syria
Syria says joint US-Turkish patrols violate country’s sovereignty
Turkey shouldn’t coerce Greece, Europe over migrants: Greek PM
Taliban Say U.S. 'Will be Harmed More than Anyone' after Trump Halts Talks
Libya Unity Govt. Slams UAE over 'Hostile Position'
Israeli Ministers Back Controversial Camera Bill before Vote
Haftar Forces Rule Out Dialogue to End Libya Conflict
IAEA found uranium traces at Iran ‘atomic warehouse’ - Diplomats
Sudan’s first post-al-Bashir cabinet sworn in

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 08-09/2019
Why appeasing Iran is the road to disaster/Sir John Jenkins/Arab News/September 07, 2019
The world failed to learn the lessons of WWII/Sever Plocker/Ynetnews/September 07/2019
The calm before the storm: expect more clashes between Hezbollah and Israel/
Raghida Dergham/The National/September 07/2019
Christians Massacred, Media Look the Other Way/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/September 08/2019
Israel must target the real root of the problem - Iran/Gilad Sharon/Ynetnews/September 08/2019
Analysis/Trump-Rohani Summit Is a Done Deal, Israeli Defense Officials Believe/Amos Harel/Haaretz/September 08/2019
MATTIS : Iran is the biggest threat in the Middle East/Ashe Schow/Daily Wire/September 08/2019
What If There Was a Trade War Truce/Daniel Moss/Bloomberg/September 08/2019
The Regional ‘Voters’ in Israel’s Elections/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/September 08/201

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on September 08-09/2019
Salim Aoun Says PSP 'Lost Its Bets', No One Sought to 'Besiege' Jumblat
Naharnet/September 08/2019
MP Salim Aoun of the Strong Lebanon bloc said Sunday that the Progressive Socialist Party has lost its “bets,” stressing that no one has sought to “besiege” PSP chief Walid Jumblat in recent months. “The PSP has lost its bets domestically and externally,” Aoun said. “The objective was not to besiege or defeat ex-MP Walid Jumblat and we are convinced that no one can eliminate the other in Lebanon,” the MP added. “Even the other Druze camp acknowledges that Jumblat is the strongest in the Druze community,” Aoun went on to say. His remarks comes after a meeting in Laqlouq between Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil and Democratic Gathering chief MP Taymour Jumblat – Walid Jumblat’s son and would-be political heir.It was the first rapprochement between the two parties in the wake of months of political tensions that followed the election of President Michel Aoun.

Abu Faour Hopes Bassil Will 'Reevaluate His Rhetoric' after Laqlouq Meeting
Naharnet/September 08/2019
Industry Minister Wael Abu Faour of the Progressive Socialist Party hoped Sunday that the meeting that was held in Laqlouq between Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil and Democratic Gathering head MP Taymour Jumblat will push the FPM leader to “reevaluate his rhetoric.”“His rhetoric has inflamed tensions in Lebanon,” Abu Faour noted in a radio interview. He added: “We cannot renounce our principles and the new relation with the FPM will not be at the expense of the relation with the Lebanese Forces.”“We welcome LF leader Samir Geagea’s visit to Mount Lebanon (Chouf) should it take place,” the minister went on to say.

PSP Says Bassil-Taymour Jumblat Meeting Reflects New Party Policy
Naharnet/September 08/2019
The meeting was held between Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil and the head of the Democratic Gathering bloc MP Taymour Jumblat reflects a new Progressive Socialist Party policy, PSP sources said. In remarks published Sunday in Kuwait’s al-Anbaa newspaper, the sources said the meeting in Laqlouq reflected “the pacification policy that PSP leader Walid Jumblat has decided to show towards the presidential tenure, and perhaps towards its supporters, until the end of this term.”The meeting at Bassil’s residence in Laqlouq was attended by MP Cesar Abi Khalil of the FPM-led Strong Lebanon bloc. Abi Khalil said the meeting focused on “building the future for our youths on the basis of partnership in politics, administration and development.”The talks follow soaring tensions between the two parties that had culminated in the deadly unrest that marred Bassil’s recent visit to Chouf and Aley – a stronghold of the PSP.

Lebanon’s PSP, Hezbollah Agree to 'Settle Differences'
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 8 September, 2019
Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri succeed in opening a new page in the relations between Hezbollah and the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP). The move comes after months of disputes following tensions sparked by an armed clash on June 30 between the rival Druze leaders, Walid Jumblatt, of the PSP, and MP Talal Arslan, of the Lebanese Democratic Party.A meeting was held on Saturday afternoon at Berri’s residence in Beirut in the presence of Hezbollah’s political advisor to the Secretary-General, Hussein Al-Khalil, and the Party's Liaison and Coordination Unit Head, Wafik Safa, while the PSP was represented by Industry Minister Wael Abou Faour and former Minister and MP Ghazi Aridi. A PSP source told Asharq Al-Awsat the party hopes that relations with Hezbollah would move in the positive direction. “Dialogue was our principle demand from the start, therefore we welcomed Berri’s initiative,” the source said, adding that since the start of the Syrian crisis in 2011, the PSP had requested to work on settling the dispute with Hezbollah. Following the talks that lasted for an hour and a half, PSP’s Aridi thanked Speaker Berri "for his exceptional efforts, especially in difficult times," praising his "wisdom, courage, sobriety, foresight, and care for the unity and stability of the state and its institutions."He stressed that agreement was reached during the meeting to settle their differences and resort to dialogue for the sake of preserving the state amidst the major challenges surrounding it, especially the economic, social and financial crises. "The meeting ambiance was frank, friendly and keen on restoring matters to their normal course," Aridi asserted. For his part, Hezbollah's Khalil also thanked Berri for his continuous initiatives in bringing various sides closer together in the country and encouraging reconciliation among them."The Speaker took on the responsibility of reuniting both sides to confront the major challenges facing the country, both at the external and internal levels," said Khalil. The Hezbollah official added that Saturday’s meeting culminated in reconciliation and honesty, and the atmosphere was friendly and cordial. "The leadership of Hezbollah and the PSP authorized Speaker Berri to lay the foundations for solving all the problems that have befallen during the past period, and we agreed to restore matters to their proper paths."The Hezbollah official also indicated that points of agreement are many, mostly in the political domain that constitutes a common denominator between both parties that serve the homeland, while settling their differences would be a way to safeguard the country's stability, security and economic interests.

Hizbullah, PSP ‘Reconcile’ in Ain el-Tineh
Naharnet/September 08/2019
A reconciliation meeting orchestrated by Speaker Nabih Berri was held on Saturday in Ain el-Tineh between Hizbullah and the Progressive Socialist Party. Delegations of Hizbullah and the PSP arrived at the Speakership residence in Ain el-Tineh after which Berri kept them for lunch. The Hizbullah delegation comprised of political aide to Hizbullah Secretary-General Hussein Khalil, and Head of Hizbullah's Liaison and Coordination Committee Wafiq Safa. While Industry Minister Wael Abou Faour and ex-MP Ghazi al-Aridi represented the PSP. Ties between the two took a negative turn since December last year and peaked against the backdrop of PSP leader Walid Jumblat’s repeated positions on the Syrian refugee crisis, and a license annulment to establish an industrial complex in Ain Dara. Moreover, the June 30 Qabrshmoun deadly incident aggravated the conflict between the two when Hizbullah showed support for Jumblat’s Druze rival MP Talal Arslan.

Geagea says reason for postponing his Chouf visit is “simple and personal”, describes his relationship with Bassil as “below zero”
NNA -Sun 08 Sep 2019
Lebanese Forces Party Chief, Samir Geagea, said in an interview with MTV Station today that the reason for postponing his visit to the Chouf region is "personal, simple and of not much importance", denying that his decision has anything to do with the meeting between the Free Patriotic Movement Head, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, and Democratic Gathering Head, MP Taymour Jumblatt, in Laqlouq yesterday. Geagea wished that the meeting of Laqlouq had occurred three months ago, for it would have saved two martyrs and spared the long government disruption. As for his relationship with Bassil, Geagea said: "There is no relationship with Bassil, which is below zero on a score of twenty,” adding that the reason for their political clash has nothing to do with sharing of quotas and appointments. As for the relationship with his allies, the LF Chief said: ‘Our presence does not suit others and the majority at the government table finds us annoying.”

Hezbollah former official found dead inside his apartment in Bourj el-Barajneh
NNA –Sun 08 Sep 2019
NNA – A former Hezbollah official (Ali H.) was found dead inside his apartment in the Bourj el-Barajneh area today, NNA correspondent reported this evening. Security forces arrived immediately at the scene, initiating an investigation to find out the details of the incident, pending the arrival of the forensic doctor who will determine the cause of death.

AlRahi concludes Chouf tour by visiting Kfar Qatra: The Mountain is the beating heart of Lebanon and the backbone that we must protect together, Christians and Druze
NNA - Sun 08 Sep 2019
Maronite Patriarch, Beshara Boutros al-Rahi, concluded Sunday the second day of his pastoral visit to the diocese of Sidon by visiting the town of Kfar Qatra in the Chouf region, where he presided over a Mass service at the Church of Saint Takla. In his homily, the Patriarch expressed support to the consolidation of unity in the Lebanese Mountain, and solidarity and cooperation amongst its citizens for the effective restoration of social and economic daily life. "It is urgent to make room for everyone to find a job, both in public state and private institutions. This is an essential element for maintaining stability in the Mountain, the moderator of stability in the country," he asserted. After the Mass, al-Rahi met with the parishioners and a delegation of Druze sheikhs, whereby he thanked all those who participated in organizing his successful pastoral visit. The Patriarch then paid a visit to Our Lady's Roman Catholic Church, following which he visited the "Druze House" in Kfar Qatra, where he was warmly welcomed by a crowd of sheikhs and members of the Druze Unitarian community. Al-Rahi seized the opportunity to stress on further boosting the reconciliation whose foundations were laid by the late Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir and PSP Chief Walid Jumblatt. "We have to build it every day as good citizens, and the state must help us so that the people of the Lebanese Mountain can live in it. The state must also provide them with jobs. We also hope that the private institutions will create working conditions and job opportunities for our people to stay here and not be forced to move to Beirut in search of work possibilities," the Patriarch corroborated. Al-Rahi praised the people of Kfar Qatra for living in solidarity together, stressing the importance of coexistence in the Mountain which denotes the backbone of Lebanese life. "If the mountain is fine, all of Lebanon is fine, because the mountain is the beating heart of Lebanon, and the backbone that we have to protect together, Christians and Druze," he underscored.

Jreissati launches forest cleanup workshop in Sohmor: We are fighting today to preserve what remains of our environment
NNA -Sun 08 Sep 2019
Environment Minister Fadi Jreissati patronized Sunday the launching of an environmental workshop to clean and protect forests from fires, during a ceremony organized by the Municipality of Sohmor in West Bekaa. Addressing a crowd of attendees and participants, Jreissati paid tribute to Sohmor's fallen martyrs who lost their lives in struggling for its freedom and sovereignty from the enemy's oppression. He added that "the battle today focuses on fighting to protect what remains of our environment.""With the same enthusiasm that we fought against the enemy, who wanted to take our land, we must fight to protect our land," he said, adding, "Our trees and rocks need protection from random queries, and our birds need protection from irresponsible hunters." "This is the battle for the environment," he emphasized, urging townsmen to contribute with the same vigor and fight together to preserve their region's cleanliness. Jreissati also called on the young men and women to partake committedly in this battle, for they are the most beautiful hope for a brighter and healthier tomorrow.

Mouawad says Saudi Arabia has always stood by Lebanon and its legitimate institutions / Al-Bukhari commends the Rene Mouawad Foundation message, 'concerned with the empowerment of the individual'
NNA - Sun 08 Sep 2019
The Rene Mouawad Foundation Executive Chairman, MP Michel Mouawad, praised "the long-existing historical relationship between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia," adding that "the Saudi Kingdom has always stood by the State of Lebanon and its legitimate institutions, supporting its dignity, unity and economic and social stability."For his part, Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Waleed Al-Bukhari, expressed his admiration for the message of the "Rene Mouawad Foundation", which is concerned with the empowerment of the individual and human being, and "the confidence it was able to receive from the international community," promising "joint cooperation between the Kingdom and the Foundation."Mouawad and Al-Bukhari's words came during the Saudi Ambassador's visit to the Rene Mouawad Foundation earlier today, within the framework of activating the partnership between the Foundation and the Kingdom's institutions. In his welcoming speech, Mouawad thanked Al-Bukhari for his visit "to the institution bearing the name of a Lebanese President whose election was closely linked to the Taef Accord, and whose assassination was a serious attempt to assassinate this agreement in its sovereign dimension and the partnership existing between the Lebanese.""This calls to mind the history of the Kingdom, which has always stood by Lebanon, its sovereignty, unity, legitimate institutions and economic and social stability," said Mouawad. "This visit is not only of an acquaintance nature, but also a foundational one along the path of initiating joint action and a strategic partnership between the Rene Mouawad Foundation and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a partnership based on a single theme of sustainable development," the MP corroborated. Mouawad stressed that "agriculture is a strategic need for Lebanon and its social stability, for there is nothing more important than the agricultural sector to ensure balanced development, which is not only a grant but a local economy and a sustainable economic cycle." "The Lebanese private sector is interested in investing in the agricultural sector, but we need to acquaint it with its role and what it can offer to this sector, and this idea of sustainable development," he underlined. Mouawad thanked Saudi Arabia for providing "job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of Lebanese," and hoped that "this partnership will be an opportunity to develop the agricultural sector in all of Lebanon from the far north to the far south." For his part, Al-Bukhari thanked Mouawad and the Rene Mouawad Foundation and its staff for their "warm hospitality," expressing admiration and optimism for what he witnessed during the tour. "I congratulate you on this institution, which seeks to push Lebanon towards prosperity, and my visit comes within the framework of seeking joint coordination between the Kingdom and the Foundation, and putting the experiences of the Foundation into 'on-ground implementation' mode through joint cooperation," the Saudi diplomat asserted.

Spiteri during North Bekaa tour: Lebanon, country of fraternity, must remain a model of coexistence
NNA - Sun 08 Sep 2019
The Papal Ambassador to Lebanon, Joseph Spiteri, visited Sunday the Northern Bekaa region to have a closer look at the living conditions in its villages, accompanied by Baalbek's Maronite Bishop Hanna Rahmé and Mgr. Paul Kairouz. The tour began in the village of al-Qaa, where the Apostolic Nuncio attended Sunday Mass presided over by Melkite Greek Catholic Bishop Elias Rahhal. In a word following the Mass service, Bishop Spiteri thanked all those who welcomed him with friendliness, expressing his joy to be amongst them. He urged all believers to meditate on the "Word of God" and His will, and to be in unison with the Lord in all the activities they carry out in their daily lives. Recalling Pope Francis' remarks about Lebanon being more than a homeland but a "message nation", Spiteri said that the Pope based his speech on the formula of coexistence and mutual living among the Lebanese.
"We all testify to the common life in Lebanon, and the Pope calls us to have the courage of complete brotherhood. Lebanon is the country of total brotherhood, and we must work together to keep this nation a model of coexistence," emphasized Spiteri. Later, the Papal Ambassador visited the town of Ras-Baalbek where a luncheon was held in his honor, after which he visited the Church of Our Lady of Ras-Baalbek. Spiteri's Bekaa tour ended by visiting the "Sisters of the Sacred Hearts School" in al-Fekha Village and the Jabboulé Monastery.

Abu Faour: Taymour Jumblatt determined that Laqlouq meeting won't be at the expense of constants or judiciary
NNA - Sun 08 Sep 2019
Minister of Industry, Wael Abou Faour, commented on yesterday's meeting between MP Taymour Jumblatt and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, saying: "The meeting of MP Jumblatt with Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, which was held in Laqlouq at the invitation of Bassil, aims to ensure reconciliation, maintain channels of communication and explore prospects for future political relationship, without eliminating the differences that occurred in the previous period." In this context, the minister stressed that "MP Taymour Jumblatt is decisive that this meeting will not be at the expense of the constants or the judiciary, specifically in the case of the Bsatine incident," adding, "We awaiting the wanted persons to appear before the judiciary." Abu Faour's words came during a dinner banquet for the partisans of the Progressive Socialist Party in Rashaya.

State Security Agent Shoots Soldier Sister for 'Returning Home Late'
Naharnet/September 08/2019
Lebanese Army female soldier Aya Kh. was shot Sunday by her brother in the southern town of Rmeish. The National News Agency said the soldier was admitted into the surgery room of the Hammoud hospital in Sidon after being shot in the chest by a gun. The agency said the off-duty soldier was accidentally shot and wounded as her brother, who is a State Security agent, was playing with his pistol. But al-Jadeed TV’s reporter in the area said the man shot his sister after she “returned home late,” describing her medical condition as critical.

Choucair Says Hariri Won’t Let the Country 'Sink'
Naharnet/September 08/2019
Prime Minister Saad Hariri is “a man who is as big as a nation” and he will not get entangled in “narrow politics,” a minister said on Sunday. “He will certainly not stand idly by to watch the country sink,” Telecommunications Minister Mohammed Choucair said. “Hariri will remain a spearhead in defending Lebanon and the interest of all Lebanese without exception,” he added. “Today we are going through several crises, especially at the economic, financial and social levels, but we still have a lot of elements of strength to overcome them,” Choucair reassured.

Lebanon: Supreme Islamic Sharia Council Slams Attempts to Provoke Sectarian Strife
Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 8 September, 2019
The Supreme Islamic Sharia Council called for rooting out corruption and warned against the danger of provoking sectarian strife. In a statement following its regular meeting headed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdullatif Derian on Saturday, the Council said: “Lebanon faces two common and complementary enemies simultaneously: an external enemy represented by Israel and its repeated aggressions and continued violations of Lebanese sovereignty from land, sea, and air; and an internal enemy that is the aggravation of the living crisis in its economic and social dimensions.”The Council underlined that facing the Israeli aggression required “the highest degree of national solidarity under the Lebanese legitimacy that is represented in the Constitution and the National Charter.” “It also requires putting an end to squandering, uprooting corruption, and working to develop the national economy in order to provide job opportunities for young men and women, and achieve development projects that would revive the national economy after long stumbling and disruption,” the statement noted. The Sharia Council warned against “the danger of provoking sectarian and confessional strife, especially around issues that have become outdated, whether the absurd civil wars or previous matters.”It also emphasized the importance of the CEDRE conference and called for Lebanon’s commitment to its reform pledges to encourage the international community to meet its aid promises.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 08-09/2019
US will sanction whoever purchases Iran’s oil: Official
Reuters/Sunday, 8 September 2019
The United States will continue to impose sanctions on whoever purchases Iran’s oil or conducts business with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and no oil waivers will be re-issued, a US official told Reuters on Sunday. “We will continue to put pressure on Iran and as President (Trump) said there will be no waivers of any kind for Iran’s oil,” said Sigal Mandelker, US Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Mandelker added that Iranian oil sales have taken a “serious nose dive” because of US pressure. Iran’s crude oil exports were slashed by more than 80% due to the re-imposed sanctions by the United States after President Donald Trump exited last year Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Since ditching the nuclear deal, calling it skewed to Iran’s advantage, Trump has re-imposed sanctions to strangle its vital oil trade and force Tehran to accept stricter limits on its nuclear activity, curb its ballistic missile program and end its support for proxy forces around the Middle East. In retaliation, Iran has been reducing its commitments under the deal since May, pressuring European countries to the pact to protect Tehran’s interests and its economy. France, Germany and Britain have tried to launch a barter trade mechanism with Iran protecting it from US sanctions but have struggled to get it off the ground, and Tehran on Wednesday set a 60-day deadline for effective European action. In addition to saving the deal, Tehran wants to restart selling its oil. Two Iranian officials and one diplomat told Reuters on Aug. 25 that Iran wants to export a minimum of 700,000 barrels per day of its oil and ideally up to 1.5 million bpd if the West wants to negotiate with Tehran to save the nuclear deal.

Iran has thousands of pro-regime social media accounts
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Sunday, 8 September 2019
Iran has created thousands of pro-regime user accounts on the Internet, said the commander of the Basij Gholamreza Soleimani on Saturday, the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. “The presence of revolutionary forces in cyberspace has improved, and the Basij has been able to organise 1,000 cyber battalions using motivated and specialist youth,” said Soleimani. A battalion, on average, consists of around 500 soldiers, which could mean that the Basij has deployed around half a million pro-regime user accounts online. “The enemy has expressed concern over the organised presence of revolutionary youth in cyberspace on several occasions, and that reflects the momentum that has been created. This presence will expand and be enhanced,” added Soleimani. He did not provide any details about the size and the source of funding used by the Basij for such a large number of users. The majority of social media networks, including Facebook and Twitter, are banned in Iran. Twitter has been banned in Iran since 2009, following protests in the aftermath of Iran’s 2009 presidential election. Despite the ban, many high-ranking Iranian officials have accounts and are active on Twitter. Some of these officials include Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Twitter Inc had removed thousands of accounts linked to coordinated, state-backed activities it believes were from the Iranian government on June 13 and archived them to its public database launched last year.

Iranian tanker Adrian Darya reaches destination, oil sold
Reuters, Dubai/Sunday, 8 September 2019
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman on Sunday said that the Iranian oil tanker, Adrian Darya, at the center of a dispute between Tehran and Western powers, had reached its destination and sold its oil, state television reported.
He added that he hoped that the British tanker seized in the Strait of Hormuz would go through the necessary legal steps and would be released “soon.”“The (Iranian) tanker has gone to its destination, the oil has been sold,” spokesman Abbas Mousavi told the television station without disclosing whether the crude oil had been delivered. The vessel Adrian Darya 1, which went dark off Syria last week, has been photographed by satellite off the Syrian port of Tartus. The tanker, formerly named Grace 1, was detained by British Royal Marine commandos off Gibraltar on July 4 as it was suspected to be en route to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. Two weeks later, Iran in retaliation seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz leading into the Gulf. Gibraltar released the Iranian vessel on August 15 after receiving formal written assurances from Tehran that the ship would not discharge its 2.1 million barrels of oil in Syria. However, shipping sources said that the tanker is likely to try to conduct a ship-to-ship transfer with another vessel for part of its cargo after Iran said a sale had been concluded. Washington warned any state against assisting the ship, and said it would consider that support for a terrorist organisation, namely, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The US Treasury Department blacklisted the tanker on Friday.

Iran Slams European Powers as Nuclear Deal Unravels
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 08/2019
Iran's atomic agency chief hit out Sunday at European powers, saying their broken promises gave the Islamic republic little choice but to scale back its commitments under a nuclear deal. Ali Akbar Salehi was speaking to reporters alongside Cornel Feruta, the acting head of the International Atomic Energy Agency who was on a one-day visit to Tehran. The IAEA official's visit came less than 24 hours after Iran said it was firing up advanced centrifuges that enrich uranium at a faster rate -- the latest blow to the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. It was the third step in a strategy Iran implemented in May, reducing its nuclear commitments in a bid to force the deal's remaining parties to deliver on promises of relief from crippling US sanctions. Britain, France and Germany have been trying to save the nuclear deal, which began unraveling last year when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from it and began reimposing the punitive measures against Iran.
"The European Union was supposed to be the replacement of the U.S. but, unfortunately, they failed to act on their promises," Salehi told reporters. "We heard the EU spokesperson say they would be committed to the JCPOA as long as Iran is," he said, referring to the deal by its formal name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. "I am wondering. Are they committed to non-adherence? Are they committed to breaking promises? Unfortunately, the Europeans have done this so far."
'One-way street'
The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation said the JCPOA was now just a "one-way street". "The street was supposed to be two-way. If it's going to be one-way, the Islamic Republic of Iran will definitely make the right decisions at the right time like it has done with these three steps," said Salehi. During his visit, Feruta was informed about Iran's "announced activities related to its centrifuge research and development," according to a statement from the Vienna-based IAEA. The UN nuclear watchdog said "ongoing interactions... require full and timely cooperation by Iran," which diplomats said may hint at worries about information sharing. In a report on August 30, the IAEA said it was continuing to verify compliance through cameras and on-site inspections. France, which has been leading the European efforts to rescue the nuclear deal, on Sunday urged Iran to halt its steps away from the accord. "The channels for dialogue are still open, including today... (but) Iran must give up such actions," said Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The crumbling accord was meant to give Iran relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
IAEA scrutiny
Iran has taken a series of retaliatory steps to reduce compliance with the deal since the U.S. withdrawal in May 2018. On July 1, it said it had increased its stockpile of enriched uranium to beyond the 300-kilogram limit set by the agreement. A week later, the Islamic republic announced it had exceeded the deal's uranium enrichment level of 3.67 percent. On Saturday, Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation said it had taken another step by starting up 20 IR-4 and 20 IR-6 advanced centrifuges. Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium using only first generation -- or IR-1 -- centrifuges. Despite the latest move, the agency said Iran would allow the IAEA to continue monitoring its nuclear facilities in accordance with the 2015 agreement. Feruta also held talks on Sunday with Iran's top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif. The watchdog said he would report the findings from his visit to Iran to the agency's board of governors when it convenes for a quarterly meeting in Vienna on Monday.

France says Iran actions negative, but dialogue still open
Reuters, Paris/Sunday, 8 September 2019
Iran’s decision to further reduce its commitments to the 2015 nuclear is reversible and France will continue to pursue dialogue to bring it back into full compliance, France’s foreign minister said on Sunday. “The actions they have taken are negative but not definitive. They can come back and the path of dialogue is still open,” Jean-Yves le Drian told Europe 1.He said Iran was still several months away from a nuclear bomb.

Iran’s nuclear chief says EU failed to fulfill its commitments to nuclear deal
Reuters, Dubai/Sunday, 8 September 2019
Iran’s nuclear chief said on Sunday the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal have failed to fulfill their commitments under the pact, a day after Tehran announced further breaches of limits on its nuclear activity set by the pact. The deal curbed Iran’s disputed nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions, but has unraveled since the United States withdrew last year and acted to strangle Iran’s oil trade to push it into wider security concessions. France, Germany and Britain have tried to launch a barter trade mechanism with Iran protecting it from US sanctions but have struggled to get it off the ground, and Tehran on Wednesday set a 60-day deadline for effective European action. “Unfortunately the European parties have failed to fulfil their commitments... The deal is not a one-way street and Iran will act accordingly as we have done so far by gradually downgrading our commitments,” said Ali Akbar Salehi, director of Iran’s nuclear energy agency. “Iran will continue to reduce its nuclear commitments as long as the other parties fail to carry out their commitments,” Salehi said, speaking after meeting the acting head of the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA), Cornel Feruta, in Tehran on Sunday. Feruta, whose non-proliferation inspectors monitor Iran’s nuclear program, also planned to see Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and other senior Iranian officials. The IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors will discuss Iran at a quarterly meeting that begins on Monday.
Retaliation
Since May, Iran has begun to breach caps on its nuclear capacity set by the deal in retaliation for US pressure on Iran to negotiate restrictions on its ballistic missile program and support for proxy forces around the Middle East.
Iran says its retreat from terms of the deal is reversible if European signatories manage to restore its access to foreign trade promised under the nuclear deal but blocked by the reimposition of US sanctions. “The actions they have taken are negative but not definitive. They can come back (to full compliance) and the path of dialogue is still open,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian said on Sunday. Upping the ante in its stand-off with Washington, Tehran said on Saturday it was now capable of raising uranium enrichment past the 20 percent level of fissile purity and had launched advanced centrifuge machines in further breaches of the deal. IAEA inspectors reported in July that Iran had cranked up enrichment to 4.5 percent purity, above the 3.7 percent cap suitable for civilian energy generation set by the 2015 accord. Under the deal, Iran is allowed limited research and development on advanced centrifuges, which accelerate the production of fissile material that could, if enriched to the 90 percent threshold, be used to develop a nuclear bomb.

US, Turkey launch joint patrols in northeast Syria
AFP, Akçakale/Sunday, 8 September 2019
The United States and Turkey on Sunday began joint patrols in northeastern Syria aimed at easing tensions between Ankara and US-backed Kurdish forces. Six Turkish armored vehicles crossed the border to join US troops in Syria for their first joint patrol under a deal reached between Washington and Ankara, an AFP journalist reported. Two helicopters overflew the area as the Turkish vehicles drove through an opening in the concrete wall erected between the two countries. The agreement reached on August 7 aims to establish a “safe zone” between the Turkish border and the Syrian areas east of the Euphrates river controlled by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units militia. The YPG is an ally of the US but seen as a terrorist organisation by Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch an operation against the YPG in Syria unless progress is made on setting up the safe zone.
Erdogan said his US counterpart Donald Trump had promised it would be 32 kilometers (20 miles) wide. A joint center of operations was recently established as part of the agreement. Turkey previously conducted cross-border operations in northern Syria supporting Syrian rebels in 2016 against ISIS and in early 2018 against the YPG. Ankara says the YPG militia is a “terrorist” offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party. The PKK, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is blacklisted as a terrorist group by Ankara, the US and the European Union.

Damascus Condemns U.S.-Turkish Patrols in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 08/2019
Damascus said Sunday it strongly opposes joint patrols in northeast Syria by the United States and Turkey, calling it a flagrant "aggression" that seeks to prolong the country's eight-year conflict. The Syrian government also reiterated its "absolute rejection" of a planned safe zone in the area, calling it a violation of Syria's territorial unity. "The Syrian Arab Republic condemns in the strongest terms the joint patrols conducted by the United States and the Turkish regime," said state news agency SANA, citing a foreign ministry source. The source described the patrols as an "aggression" that "aims to complicate and prolong the crisis in Syria," SANA added. The U.S. and Turkey on Sunday began joint patrols in northeastern Syria aimed at easing tensions between Ankara and US-backed Kurdish forces who have fought the Islamic State jihadist group. Six Turkish armored vehicles crossed the border to join U.S. troops in Syria for their first joint patrol under a deal reached between Washington and Ankara, an AFP journalist reported. The agreement reached on August 7 aims to establish a "safe zone" between the Turkish border and the Syrian areas east of the Euphrates river controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). The YPG is an ally of the US but seen as a terrorist organisation by Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch an operation against the YPG in Syria unless progress is made on setting up the safe zone. Syria's conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and driven millions from their homes since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

Syria says joint US-Turkish patrols violate country’s sovereignty
Reuters, Beirut/Sunday, 8 September 2019
Syria condemned on Sunday joint US-Turkish patrols in a border strip in the northeast of the country, saying it was a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty, an official statement said. Armed Turkish military vehicles crossed into Syria on Sunday and headed southwest with their US counterparts to begin planned joint patrols to establish a “safe zone” along a border region mainly controlled by Kurdish forces.The move was also a violation of the “territorial integrity” of Syria, said the Syrian foreign ministry statement, referring to what the government considers attempts by the US-backed Kurdish YPG militia to divide the country.

Turkey shouldn’t coerce Greece, Europe over migrants: Greek PM
Reuters, Thessaloniki/Sunday, 8 September 2019
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday Turkey should not attempt to coerce either Greece or Europe in its attempts to get support for a plan to resettle refugees in northern Syria. Turkey plans to resettle 1 million refugees in northern Syria and may reopen the route for migrants into Europe if it does not receive adequate international support for the plan, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.“Mr Erdogan must understand that he cannot threaten Greece and Europe in an attempt to secure more resources to handle the refugee (issue),” Mitsotakis told a news conference in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki.

Taliban Say U.S. 'Will be Harmed More than Anyone' after Trump Halts Talks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 08/2019
The Taliban said the U.S. "will be harmed more than anyone" but left the door open for future negotiations Sunday after President Donald Trump abruptly announced that he had called off year-long talks to end America's longest war.
"We still... believe that the American side will come back to this position... Our fight for the past 18 years should have proven to the Americans that we will not be satisfied until we witness the complete end of the occupation," the group said in a statement released on Twitter by spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. The statement said the insurgents had "finalized" a deal with the U.S. that had been expected to allow Washington to begin withdrawing troops in exchange for security promises from the Taliban. It added that both sides had been preparing for the deal to be announced and signed when Trump tweeted late Saturday that he had "called off peace negotiations."Trump had cited a Taliban attack in Kabul on Thursday which killed 12 people including a U.S. soldier as his reason for calling off the talks, including a secret meeting with the insurgents at Camp David in Maryland planned for this weekend. But the Taliban dismissed his reasoning in their statement, saying it showed "neither experience nor patience", and accused the U.S. of killing "hundreds of Afghans" in the fighting. "Americans will be harmed more than any other," by Trump's decision, the statement said, adding that the U.S.' "credibility will be harmed, their anti-peace stance will become more visible to the world, their casualties and financial losses will increase, and the U.S. role in international political interaction will be discredited even further."

Libya Unity Govt. Slams UAE over 'Hostile Position'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 08/2019
Libya's U.N.-recognized government Sunday slammed the UAE for hosting an officer of forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar, who has waged a months-long offensive to take the capital Tripoli. The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord denounced the "hostile position of the United Arab Emirates", which has allowed Abu Dhabi to be used as "a media platform for militias attacking the Libyan capital". The statement comes a day after the spokesman for Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army held a news conference in the UAE capital, during which he ruled out a U.N. call to return to the negotiating table. "The time of going back to dialogue is over," said LNA spokesman General Ahmed al-Mesmari. "The military solution is the best solution to spread security and reimpose the law."Libya has been wracked by chaos since the 2011 uprising in which its longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi was killed. In April, Haftar's LNA launched an offensive to conquer Tripoli, but five months on, his forces remain locked in a stalemate on the capital's outskirts. The fighting has killed at least 1,093 people and wounded 5,752, while some 120,000 others have been displaced, according to the World Health Organization. Haftar's forces are fighting militias backing the GNA, which is led by Fayed al-Sarraj. Sarraj is backed by Turkey and Qatar, while Haftar enjoys varying levels of support from Egypt, the UAE, the United States, Russia and France. In its Sunday statement, the GNA accused the UAE of giving the floor to a "militiaman" and "mouthpiece" of Haftar, "who supports a military regime and rejects a civil and democratic state" in Libya.

Israeli Ministers Back Controversial Camera Bill before Vote
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 08/2019
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government backed legislation Sunday to allow party representatives to bring cameras to polling stations in the upcoming election, an official said, despite opposition from the attorney general. Israel's Arab population sees the move as an attempt at voter intimidation since many may be afraid to turn up at polling stations due to the cameras. Netanyahu says the legislation is only intended to prevent voter fraud, but critics call it a purely political move ahead of the September 17 poll. "The best way to prevent fraud in the elections is to station cameras in every polling place and allow poll watchers from the rival parties to supervise each other," Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday's cabinet meeting. His cabinet approved the bill on Sunday, an Israeli official said, but it now must go to the parliament with little time remaining before the election. The parliament, or Knesset, said in a statement that a special session was planned for Monday on the issue. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has reportedly told ministers he was not against such legislation in theory, but said it would need to be explored in depth and not rushed through days before the vote. The current law does not permit it, he said. Israel's central elections committee has opposed the use of cameras at polling stations. The positions of both have drawn fire from Netanyahu's Likud party. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin issued rare comments Sunday, saying he regretted the harsh criticism of Mandelblit and the chairman of the elections committee, Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer. "I reject these attempts to undermine public trust in these bodies and those who are leading them with professionalism in the process of preparing for the upcoming elections," Rivlin said. The legislation would allow election supervisors from political parties to bring cameras to polling stations, though not inside voting booths. In April elections, Netanyahu faced heavy criticism when Likud members brought cameras into polling stations in Arab areas. Likud has alleged voter fraud in Arab communities in the April polls, but Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported on Sunday that investigations have so far turned up none in favor of Arab political parties. Many political commentators have viewed Netanyahu's camera push as serving two political interests: depressing Arab turnout and energizing his base of right-wing supporters by warning of the potential of a stolen election.

Haftar Forces Rule Out Dialogue to End Libya Conflict
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 08/2019
Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces have ruled out a U.N. call to return to the negotiating table, with his spokesman saying a military solution is the best way to resolve the conflict.Libya has been wracked by chaos since the 2011 uprising in which its longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi was killed. In April, Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army launched an offensive to conquer the capital, Tripoli. "The battle (for Tripoli) is in its final phases," LNA spokesman General Ahmed al-Mesmari told a press conference in the United Arab Emirates, one of Haftar's foreign backers. "When the guns speak, diplomacy goes silent. The time of going back to dialogue is over," he said. "The military solution is the best solution to spread security and reimpose the law." Haftar's forces are fighting those of the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord led by Fayed al-Sarraj. Nearly five months after launching the offensive, the strongman's forces remain locked in a stalemate against the GNA on Tripoli's southern outskirts. Sarraj is backed by Turkey and Qatar, while Haftar enjoys varying levels of support from Egypt, the UAE, the United States, Russia and France. The UN special envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, warned Wednesday that without action by the Security Council, the conflict could escalate if outside patrons step up support for the warring sides. "Many Libyans feel abandoned by part of the international community and exploited by others," he said. The envoy said the country faced "two highly unpalatable scenarios" -- either protracted low-intensity conflict, or increased support for the warring sides that would trigger a sharp escalation. "The idea that war should be given a chance and that a military solution is at all possible is quite simply a chimera," said Salame.

IAEA found uranium traces at Iran ‘atomic warehouse’ - Diplomats
Reuters, Vienna/Sunday, 8 September 2019
Samples taken by the UN nuclear watchdog at what Israel’s prime minister called a “secret atomic warehouse” in Tehran showed traces of uranium that Iran has yet to explain, two diplomats who follow the agency’s inspections work closely say. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is investigating the particles’ origin and has asked Iran to explain the traces. But Tehran has not done so, according to the diplomats, stoking tensions between Washington and Tehran. US sanctions have slashed Iranian oil sales and Iran has responded by breaching its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
In a speech a year ago Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vehemently opposed the deal, called on the IAEA to visit the site immediately, saying it had housed 15 kg (33 lb) of unspecified radioactive material that had since been removed. Reuters first reported in April that the IAEA, which is policing the nuclear deal, had inspected the site - a step it had said it takes “only when necessary” - and environmental samples taken there were sent off for analysis. Israeli and US media have since reported that the samples turned up traces of radioactive material or matter - the same vague language used by Netanyahu. Those traces were, however, of uranium, the diplomats said - the same element Iran is enriching and one of only two fissile elements with which one can make the core of a nuclear bomb. One diplomat said the uranium was not highly enriched, meaning it was not purified to a level anywhere close to that needed for weapons.
“There are lots of possible explanations,” that diplomat said. But since Iran has not yet given any to the IAEA it is hard to verify the particles’ origin, and it is also not clear whether the traces are remnants of material or activities that predate the landmark 2015 deal or more recent, diplomats say.
The IAEA did not respond to a request for comment. Iranian officials were not available to comment. The deal imposed tight restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, and was based on drawing a line under Iran’s past activities. Both the IAEA and US intelligence services believe Iran had a nuclear weapons program that it ended more than a decade before the deal. Iran says its nuclear ambitions have always been peaceful. Hawks such as Netanyahu, who has repeatedly accused Iran of seeking Israel’s destruction, point to Tehran’s past to argue that it can never be trusted. The Islamic Republic’s previous secrecy might explain why uranium traces were found at a location that was never declared to the IAEA.
Could do better
The IAEA takes environmental samples because they can pick up telltale particles even long after material has been removed from a site. Uranium traces could indicate, for example, the former presence of equipment or material somehow connected to those particles. Cornel Feruta, the IAEA’s acting director-general, met Iranian officials on Sunday. An IAEA statement said afterwards: “Feruta stressed that these interactions (on its nuclear commitments) require full and timely cooperation by Iran.” The United States, pulled out of the nuclear deal last year by President Donald Trump, is trying to force Iran to negotiate a more sweeping agreement, covering Tehran’s ballistic missiles and regional behavior, than the current accord. Iran says it will not negotiate until it is granted relief from US sanctions, which France is trying to broker. In the meantime, Iran is breaching the deal’s restrictions on its nuclear activities step-by-step in response to what it calls US “economic warfare.”A quarterly IAEA report issued a week ago did not mention the sample results because inspection-related matters are highly confidential. But it did say Iran’s cooperation could be better. “Ongoing interactions between the Agency and Iran...require full and timely cooperation by Iran. The Agency continues to pursue this objective with Iran,” the report said.
US raising pressure
It is far from the first time Iran has dragged its feet in its interactions with the IAEA over the agency’s non-proliferation mandate. The IAEA has made similar calls in previous reports, in relation to promptly granting access for inspections. The IAEA has likened its work to nuclear accounting, patiently combing through countries’ statements on their nuclear activities and materials, checking them and when necessary seeking further explanations before reaching a conclusion, which can take a long time. The process of seeking an explanation from Iran has lasted two months, the IAEA’s safeguards division chief told member states in a briefing on Thursday, diplomats present said. But he described what it was seeking an answer to far more generally as questions about Iran’s declaration of nuclear material and activities, since the details are confidential. “It is not something that is so unique to Iran. The agency has these cases in many other situations,” a senior diplomat said when asked about the current standoff with Iran. “Depending on the engagement it can take two months, six months.”That does not mean all member states will be happy to wait. “IAEA Acting Director General going to Iran just as IAEA informs its Board that #Iran may be concealing nuclear material and/or activities,” US National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Twitter on Saturday. “We join with other @iaeaorg Board member states eager to get a full report as soon as possible.”The IAEA’s policy-making, 35-nation Board of Governors holds a week-long quarterly meeting starting on Monday.

Sudan’s first post-al-Bashir cabinet sworn in
AFP, Khartoum/Sunday, 8 September 2019
Sudan’s first cabinet since the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir was sworn in on Sunday as the African country transitions to a civilian rule following nationwide protests that overthrew the autocrat. The 18-member cabinet led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, which includes four women, took oath at the presidential palace in Khartoum, an AFP correspondent reported. It is expected to steer the daily affairs of the country during a transition period of 39 months. The line-up was formed after Sudan last month swore in a “sovereign council” - a joint civilian-military ruling body that aims to oversee the transition. The 18 ministers were seen greeting members of the sovereign council, including its chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in images broadcast by state television from the palace. The council itself is the result of a power-sharing deal between the protesters and generals who had seized power after the army ousted al-Bashir in April. Hamdok’s cabinet, which has the country’s first female foreign affairs minister, is expected to lead Sudan through formidable challenges that also include ending internal conflicts in three regions. Rebel groups from marginalized regions of Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan states had waged long wars against al-Bashir’s forces. Sudan’s power-sharing deal aims to forge peace with armed groups. Hamdok’s cabinet will also be expected to fight corruption and dismantle the long-entrenched Islamist deep state created under al-Bashir. Al-Bashir had seized power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989 and ruled Sudan with an iron fist for three decades until his ouster. It was a worsening economic crisis that triggered the fall of al-Bashir, who is now on trial on charges of illegal acquisition and use of foreign funds. According to doctors linked to the umbrella protest movement that led to al-Bashir’s fall, more than 250 people have been killed in protest-related violence since December. Of that at least 127 were killed in early June during a brutal crackdown on a weeks-long protest sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum. Officials have given a lower death toll.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 08-09/2019
Why appeasing Iran is the road to disaster
Sir John Jenkins/Arab News/September 07, 2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/78306/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d8%ac%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%ac%d9%86%d9%83%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%b2-%d8%a5%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%b1%d8%b6%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%86%d8%b8%d8%a7%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b1/
Sometimes I wish Iran, like Brexit, would just disappear from the headlines. Neither subject adds to what that great Englishman, Dr Johnson, called the gaiety of nations. And their constant presence in the news simply reminds us that something somewhere is wrong, even if we can’t agree on exactly what that might be.There is, of course, a difference, especially if you speak to Europeans. Many will say that Brexit is a moment of madness, that the EU needs to stand firm in the face of outrageous British behaviour, that the Irish backstop is a mark of the EU’s resolve not to be blackmailed or to abandon one of its smaller member states, and that if it all goes wrong the responsibility will be entirely British.
Yet if you talk about Iran, the mood changes. For many in the EU, Iran, which has a 40-year record of sponsoring violence and terror internationally, executing or assassinating those among its own citizens who disagreed with the country’s direction of travel, subverting or suborning its neighbours, harboring members of Al-Qaeda, attacking shipping and now refusing to cooperate with IAEA monitoring, is simply a victim and needs to be accommodated. The real villain is the US.
I had a baffling conversation the other day with a senior EU diplomat about the recent case of the Iranian tanker detained in Gibraltar and the retaliatory Iranian action in seizing the Stena Impero. In mild exasperation my former colleague asked me why we — the British — hadn’t simply ignored the fact that the Iranians were flouting the EU’s own prohibition on oil sales to Syria. After all, everyone else did.
It’s hard to know where to start with all this. Britain — because in a very close referendum a small majority wanted to leave the EU — is to be treated as a suitable case for disciplinary action and every single word of every single document ever signed scrutinised and enforced. But Iran — which has been one of the central problems in international relations since 1979 (and, some would say, before that) and has sought to export violence to the streets of Europe — is to be given the benefit of the doubt, and any punitive EU measures simply ignored or discreetly palliated.
You can see the same syndrome at work in a recent posting on Jadaliyya, a website devoted to a relentlessly progressivist reading of Middle Eastern and North African issues, which criticizes US commentators for offering their opinions on Iran without the necessary linguistic or cultural expertise. Behind this lies an old rivalry between universities and think-tanks. It represents among other things a claim that understanding arises principally from linguistic and cultural competence, and it is this that produces empathy and therefore better policy.
Yet much Washington commentary is actually about the appropriate US policy response to observable Iranian actions and policy pronouncements. It’s not clear that empathy is in question here. And when Americans who do speak Persian dare to comment, they are often attacked as administration stooges. When I myself delivered a long piece for Policy Exchange in 2017 about the ways in which too many supporters of political Islamism and their followers distort history, I was actually attacked for knowing too much — but in the wrong, unpermitted way. You can’t win.
And here we come to President Macron’s recent generous offer to Tehran to establish a $15bn time-limited line of credit in return for full compliance with the terms of the JCPOA. This is an elaboration of the idea on which the EU has long been working, of providing a mechanism to allow Iran to continue to trade with Europe without using US dollars. It is also the latest in a series of attempted inducements offered to Iran by France and other European states to resist the temptation to overreact to the US sanctions squeeze.
Now I’m all in favour of diplomacy. I admire the creativity, expertise and persistence which the French have undoubtedly demonstrated, especially at a time when a new European Commission is bedding in and politics elsewhere in the EU are in turmoil. And there has been a degree of attempted coordination with the US that suggests at least the possibility of collective action. But every time Paris or the EU as a whole offer an incentive to Iran or suggest — however quietly — that they can act as mediators between Tehran and Washington, the Iranians do something provocative and the White House dismisses the idea. On this occasion the Iranians announced that they were removing all restrictions on their research activities and the enrichment of uranium.
Any sign of weakness only encourages Tehran to seek more concessions. They are playing Europe — not the reverse. But their real goal is Washington.
President Trump, who has certainly toyed publicly with the idea of meeting President Rouhani, has said he needs no help; a meeting will happen only if Iran is prepared to give up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile ambitions. And Rouhani has said he will meet the US only as part of a multilateral process if (essentially) Iran is allowed to do a lot of what it likes.
And this is all part of a larger picture. During Javad Zarif’s visit to Moscow a few days ago, the Russian press announced that Moscow was prepared to hold joint naval exercises with Tehran and allow the use of Russian ports for the shipment of some Iranian oil exports. The Iranians have just revealed an agreement with Beijing for an additional $280bn of Chinese investment in Iran’s energy infrastructure. And they continue to develop an ingenious system of dark funding for their economy through the IRGC, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Venezuela and other parts of South America and indeed Africa.
This is all suboptimal. It reflects a degree of global political fragmentation that is not irreversible but gives opportunists a chance to exploit. In all of this, Europe, which needs global order to thrive, is a player — but a minor and sometimes reluctant one, given intra-EU divisions. The big prize for Iran remains the US. But it’s not at all clear that Tehran actually wants a deal with Washington, certainly while it sees a chance instead to divide the US from Europe, Russia and China. It wants instead to sow division and define the terms of victory. In order to secure this it is willing to allow other historic enemies — such as Russia or Turkey (where Erdogan now says he wants a nuclear weapons capability too) — to benefit.
It may be willing to allow the Iranian energy economy to become a constituent part of the One Belt, One Road project that leads inexorably to Chinese hegemony across Central Asia. And — like Vladimir Putin — it is happy to exploit European rivalries in order to exacerbate splits within the EU and accelerate a drift away from the historic, if sometimes strained, Atlanticist posture of European political elites. That way lies disaster. Whatever Euro-optimists may claim, Europe needs the US as its principal partner for the foreseeable future. In all this it is Iran that is the minor player. Yet some European policy elites still seem to treat the issue as a choice between Iran and Washington.
It bears constant repeating that this is not the case, nor is it about Donald Trump. There may well be profound changes afoot in US domestic politics, as they are in different ways elsewhere. And it is hard to argue that this administration has helped the cause of collective action with its transactional unpredictability. But this can be exaggerated: Secretary Pompeo’s unwillingness to sign off on a so-called peace deal in Afghanistan that allows the Taliban essentially to do what they want perhaps sheds an interesting light on the limits of US willingness to disengage internationally.
And what has not changed are the fundamental geopolitical realities of shared security and economic interests and an ideological and political commonality that has lasted centuries. Europe needs to seek to ensure the US stays engaged, not simply abandon the central ideas of international order on which the post-1945 world was built because they don’t like it when a President starts behaving like the Wizard of Oz (which is pretty rich when you consider Iranian behaviour).
And any sign of weakness only encourages Tehran to seek more concessions. They are playing Europe — not the reverse. But their real goal is Washington. It is always possible that negotiations between Iran and the US will resume at some point. There are rumors of a Trump-Rouhani meeting at the UN in New York at the end of September. But for this to happen and be productive, Tehran must be convinced that the West will stay united.
While we wait, the wheels of war grind slowly but inexorably toward more conflict in southern Syria and the Gulf. Even the recent black comedy about fake Israeli casualties on the Golan was a part of this. As the Roman politician Cato saw over 2,000 years ago, strength, resolve and unity are the only sure guarantors of peace.
The real moral of President Macron’s $15bn is that Europe risks being side-lined when the choices get tougher. Because when they do, it really will be a question of who stands where, not who is willing to pay for the privilege of bribing Iran to de-escalate and then finding it won’t. And a Europe that wants to face all ways will find itself irrelevant.
*Sir John Jenkins is a senior fellow at Policy Exchange. Until December 2017, he was Corresponding Director (Middle East) at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), based in Manama, Bahrain and was a Senior Fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. He was the British ambassador to Saudi Arabia until January 2015

The world failed to learn the lessons of WWII
Sever Plocker/Ynetnews/September 07/2019
Opinion: Hitler's madness, the outrageous complacency of heads of state and the most hideous conflict humanity has ever seen claimed the lives of tens of millions, including 6 million European Jews, but it happened because of Western appeasement of a madman
"At 4.45 am on 1 September 1939 the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on the Polish garrison of the Westerplatte Fort, Danzig, in what was to become the first military engagement of World War Two," wrote historian Richard Aubrey in his famous book "1939."
The German invasion of Poland involved 1.5 million troops and 1500 airplanes. The intelligence agencies of Britain, France and the U.S.relayed to their respective governments reliable updates regarding Germany's preparations to seize control of its neighbor, which was initially supposed to happen on August 26, but none of them did anything to prevent it.
Poland was effectively abandoned to its fate, together with the 3 million Jews who lived within its borders.
World War II and the Holocaust that befell the world's Jewish population were unprecedent bloodbaths in human history.
Even after 80 years, its hard to understand and digest the blind eye that was turned towards the Nazis, Nazism and Hitler by the decision makers of the world.
They didn’t lift a finger when immediately after Hitler was elected chancellor of Germany, he disbanded parliament and effectively turned the country to a dictatorship. They didn’t lift a finger when in March 1935 Germany annexed Saarland from France and they turned a blind eye when Germany passed their anti-Semitic racial discrimination laws in Nuremberg that same year, and that's only to name a few.
Although Britain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, and France followed suit, both did nothing to backup this declaration.
The Royal Air Force settled for scattering flyers above Germany, American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced in a special national broadcast that the U.S. would remain neutral and out of the war. The Soviet Union was paralyzed by an agreement to carve up Poland struck by Hitler and Joseph Stalin, a pact that was signed by the countries' two foreign ministers, Molotov and Ribbentrop on August 23, 1939.
Stalin wouldn’t have the strength to deal with Hitler either way between 1937 and 1939 - he was too busy cleansing the higher ranks of the Red Army instead of arming it.
At any one of these historical junctures, the United Nations had the power to stop and eliminate Hitler, or at least his wild ambition for an ever-growing German-led Aryan empire bent on cleansing Jews from the world.
A couple of bombings of a few select targets in Berlin and other major German cities would have been enough to restrain Hitler and his generals. Why didn’t it happen, and what caused that complacency towards the Nazis?
The answer the historians gives us is that although the reports reaching the West of Hitler's imperialistic and murderous ambitions were accurate, the attitude was one of anti-war and pacifism.
In his chilling book "Appeasing Hitler," British historian Tim Bouverie quotes the decision of Britain's Labour Party to demilitarize completely, and call for an all-out strike should the British government decide to march to war.
The student unions at Oxford and Cambridge rallied the younger generations not to fight for the homeland in any way.
British, France and American politicians were adamant in denying Germany's vast armament, writes Bouverie. Not because they didn’t know about it, but because they preferred to surrender to a few vocal opinion leaders.
Hitler picked up on this weakness, and in the run-up to invasion of Poland was heard giving an assessment that might explain his conduct. "Our enemies are nothing but little worms," he said.
The statesman of the West created another illusion regarding Hitler, one where he sought only to expand Germany's rule to where German-speaking citizens were settled, one where he would found the German Third Reich and then calm down.
And they were wrong, Hitler did not calm down as from the very beginning, he presented himself as a super leader, one who would achieve a vision of "a world without Jews" - the name of a book by Israeli-born historian Alon Confino.
Hitler, Confino writes, saw the Jewish people as the personification of evil and the eternal enemy. In 1941, the madness of anti-Semitism drove him to declare war on the Soviet Union (the bastion of Jewish communism) and on the U.S. (the bastion of Jewish capitalism). This madness marked his eventual end.
The West's policy of appeasement towards Hitler was meant as a way to avoid war at all costs, and ended up exacting the most horrible price humankind has ever paid.
Between 80 to 110 million people killed - both soldiers and citizens - among them more than 6 million Jews murdered, the most barbaric, global, savage and disastrous war humankind has ever waged. Were the lessons learned? Is there appeasement in the air today as well?

The calm before the storm: expect more clashes between Hezbollah and Israel
Raghida Dergham/The National/September 07/2019
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Both are preparing militarily for another confrontation but are risking taking a miscalculated step
The calm before the storm: expect more clashes between Hezbollah and Israel
Both are preparing militarily for another confrontation but are risking taking a miscalculated step
Tensions between the US and Iran, and Israel and Lebanon, might be decreasing, with all sides keen to avoid descending into a full-scale war at this juncture, but they are poised to recommence at any point. Critical meetings were held in Lebanon between officials from Iran and its proxy Hezbollah to adopt pre-emptive, escalatory steps but a decision was made not to take any action on the ground, at least in the coming week.
Tehran for its part is taking action on the nuclear and oil-export front, preparing itself for radical new steps concerning the 2015 nuclear deal, in the light of failed French efforts to salvage it. The US has pre-empted the Iranian escalation by announcing a new round of sanctions and is preparing for further sanctions next week if Tehran carries out its threat of stepping up its nuclear activities.
Meanwhile Israel is preparing for a limited operation in south Lebanon against precision rockets that Hezbollah admits to having, while denying it has facilities to develop them in Lebanon, as Israel suspects. According to sources, Israel is preparing to launch Operation Justified Defence. All sides are mobilising and next week will be critical but the precise timing for the next stage of their confrontation has not been set. Rather, it remains subject to calculations related to keeping the element of surprise while avoiding a full-scale war.
Hezbollah has still to respond to the Israeli deployment of drones over Beirut’s southern suburb last month, according to Israeli calculations
Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah said the recent attack on the Israeli base Avivim carried out by his party, which led to no Israeli casualties, represented an escalation in the capabilities of his organisation and pledged more of the same. Israel responded by limited shelling of Lebanese farms, prompting celebration among Hezbollah supporters who took this as a sign of success. But while Mr Nasrallah was vowing to shoot down Israeli drones and carry out attacks, he completely sidelined the Lebanese state and commandeered its right to control decisions of war and peace decisions, even as Israel threatened the whole of Lebanon if it failed to curb Hezbollah’s activities.
The first round of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah was contained, thanks to Russian, French and US efforts. It was carefully choreographed by Israel and Hezbollah to avoid casualties, following a pledge by the latter to respond to Israel’s killing of two of its fighters in Syria. However, Hezbollah has still to respond to the Israeli deployment of drones over Beirut’s southern suburb last month, according to Israeli calculations. If Hezbollah takes action in this case, Israel is readying a response, either by following through on its successive warnings to the Lebanese government with an attack that neither spares civilians nor infrastructure, or by carrying out limited operations against precision rocket facilities, which Israel claims are in the Bekaa Valley and south Lebanon.
A second round of clashes is to be expected then but will most likely not be as contained nor as co-ordinated. The Lebanese government’s position poses a danger to the country’s sovereignty and security, whether it endorses Hezbollah’s war cry or claims it is powerless to control the party. In truth, the mutual reassurances between Israel and Hezbollah have misled the latter’s supporters and increased the level of recklessness that could lead to confrontation, while the Lebanese state appears to have abdicated responsibility.
The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a warning to Lebanese President Michel Aoun, demanding Lebanon dismantle the Bekaa Valley rocket facility. Mr Pompeo warned his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil that Lebanon should shut down the facility and made it clear the US would back an Israeli attack.
In reality, Washington deals with the Lebanese president and his son-in-law on the basis of their close association with Hezbollah, but it expects prime minister Saad Hariri to distance himself from this association, regardless of any accords to ease the smooth functioning of government.
Mr Hariri has addressed the Americans with language that might appear confrontational towards Hezbollah but on the ground, the language has remained conciliatory. Speaking to the American network CNBC, Mr Hariri said Hezbollah was both a local and regional problem, adding: "I am a pragmatic person and I know my limits and the limits of this region… I do not agree with Hezbollah [in] these actions”. Mr Hariri also said he does not endorse any Lebanese financial institutions that violated US sanctions. However, in the view of the US administration, as well as a large segment of the population of Lebanon, these remarks mean the prime minister has effectively relegated decision-making to Hezbollah.
During the Iranian-Hezbollah meetings in Beirut, which included senior commanders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, an agreement was reportedly reached for additional weapons to be delivered to the militia in the coming weeks. It was also suggested that Iranian advisers be deployed to south Lebanon.
In the meantime, Tehran is moving towards further escalation amid disappointment with European countries. Iran will not agree to Mr Macron’s proposal, which included a $15 billion lifeline in return for Tehran stepping back from increasing uranium enrichment and abiding by the nuclear agreement. The offer was rejected as Iran insists on the full lifting of US sanctions first.
According to sources, Tehran’s decision is to give Mr Macron and the EU time to conduct more talks. Most likely, the Iranian gambit will fail because US President Donald Trump does not agree to any of Mr Macron’s proposals. Washington has decided to impose more financial sanctions on Iran and its associates, with a focus on oil tankers to prevent Iran from selling its oil. The new sanctions are set to be revealed next week as Tehran begins measures to develop its centrifuges and accelerate uranium enrichment, which means edging close to shredding the nuclear deal.
Tehran might yet persuade the EU to adopt measures allowing Iran to sell its oil. However, Trump administration figures, especially national security adviser John Bolton, will work hard to block such deals. Washington continues to bet on its maximum pressure policy on Iran while Iran continues to reject dialogue or negotiations before sanctions are lifted.
Lebanon is still at risk of becoming a battleground for Iran and Israel. Hezbollah will receive new drones this week, according to sources, while precision rockets have already been delivered on ships. As both sides make military preparations, they are dancing dangerously on a cliff edge of miscalculation and arrogance.

Christians Massacred, Media Look the Other Way
المسيحيون بتعرضون للمجازر ووسائل الإعلام تغض الطرف
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/September 08/2019
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https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14827/christians-massacred-media-ignore
"In the same week as the awful attack on the mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand... more than two hundred Christians were killed in Nigeria. There was hardly any mention of the latter in the news. There were no marches for martyred Christians, no tolling of church bells ordered by governments, no 'Je suis Charlie' t-shirts... no public outrage at all." — Fr. Benedict Kiely, Crisis Magazine, September 4, 2019
NASA's satellites observed the Amazon fires, prompting world leaders to pledge to protect the rainforest. But the burning, chopping and murder of Christians is not tracked by satellites and their suffering is not seen on our televisions and newspapers. Actually, it seems in the West as if the persecution of Christians does not even exist.
The Vatican and Pope Francis have a choice: to shed light on these persecuted Christians or be accused of willful blindness.... The Vatican should dedicate the next synod to them.
"In the Amazon rainforest, which is of vital importance for the planet, a deep crisis has been triggered by prolonged human intervention, in which a 'culture of waste' (LS 16) and an extractivist mentality prevail", the Vatican stated.
"The Amazon is a region with rich biodiversity; it is multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-religious; it is a mirror of all humanity which, in defense of life, requires structural and personal changes by all human beings, by nations, and by the Church."
That is why a Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region has been scheduled to meet in Rome from October 6 to 27. In an interview with Italian paper La Stampa, Pope Francis said that one of the biggest challenges to the Amazon region is the "threat to the life of the populations and territory which derives from the economic and political interests of the dominant sectors of society."
The program for the Amazon's synod in Rome talks about "life threatened", "inculturation and interculturality", "extractivist destruction" and "indigenous peoples", among other matters. There is, however, another group of "indigenous people" whose life has been "threatened" and who live under an existential physical "destruction." They are the persecuted Christians, and the Vatican should dedicate the next synod to them.
"They asked him to deny Christ and when he refused they cut off his right hand; then he refused [again], they cut to the elbow. In which he refused, before they shot him in the forehead, the neck, and chest," a Nigerian Christian, Enoch Yeohanna, recently recounted about his father's murder in 2014. The trial of Nigerian Christians has been defined "a global nightmare." But it is happening in many countries.
"The persecution of Christians throughout the world is one of the great evils of our time", Fr. Benedict Kiely, the founder of Nasarean.org, dedicated to relieving the persecution of Christians, recently wrote.
"The mainstream media is remarkably silent about attacks on Christians. In the same week as the awful attack on the mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand—a heinous and unconscionable crime—more than two hundred Christians were killed in Nigeria. There was hardly any mention of the latter in the news. There were no marches for martyred Christians, no tolling of church bells ordered by governments, no "Je suis Charlie" t-shirts... no public outrage at all."
Boko Haram terrorists recently cut off the ears of Christian women after snatching them from their homes during a night-time raid on a mainly Christian town in northern Cameroon. The organization Barnabas Fund explained that "the Islamist extremists broke into homes, grabbed the women and dragged them to the outskirts of Gagalari town in the district of Yagoua where they sliced off one ear from each victim." A few days later, also in Cameroon, a Bible translator, Angus Fung, was butchered to death and his wife's arm cut off. Then, a Catholic priest, David Tanko, was killed in Nigeria and his car and body set ablaze. Last month, another Nigerian priest, Paul Offu, was murdered. Last year, two Catholic priests and 13 worshippers were among the victims in a single attack in Nigeria.
Four Christians in Burkina Faso were recently murdered for wearing crosses. "The Islamists arrived and forced everybody to lie face down on the ground," recounted Bishop Laurent Birfuoré Dabiré of the Diocese of Dori.
"Then they searched them. Four people were wearing crucifixes. So they killed them because they were Christians. After murdering them, the Islamists warned all the other villagers that if they did not convert to Islam they, too, would be killed."
Hundreds of Christians, including 433 children, are "facing attacks or fleeing from rampaging Islamist extremists in Mali," where in June, 100 men, women and children were slaughtered in Sobame Da, a mainly Christian village.
David Curry, the president of Open Doors, an American non-governmental organization (NGO) that tracks the persecution of Christians, has defined Christian women as "the most persecuted group in the world." Their oppression and mutilation is astonishing. In Nigeria, Boko Haram is still holding a kidnapped girl, Leah Sharibu. She could have been freed along with her schoolmates, but Leah refused to renounce her Christian faith. Christian women are also kidnapped and enslaved in Pakistan. "Every year at least a thousand girls are kidnapped, raped, and forced to convert to Islam, even forced to marry their tormentors," said Tabassum Yousaf, a Catholic lawyer linked to the Italian NGO, St. Egidio. This is a recurring pattern also in Egypt, where Christian women are facing an "epidemic of kidnapping, rape, beatings and torture."
The most famous of these persecuted Christian women, Asia Bibi, unjustly spent nearly a decade in Pakistani prison for "blasphemy" -- much of that time on death row -- before she was freed. In May, she was flown to Canada, where she was reunited with her family. According to Bibi:
"When my daughters visited me in jail, I never cried in front of them, but when they went after meeting me in jail, I used to cry alone filled with pain and grief. I used to think about them all the time, how they are living."
NASA's satellites observed the Amazon fires, prompting world leaders to pledge to protect the rainforest. But the burning, chopping and murder of Christians is not tracked by satellites and their suffering is not seen on our televisions and newspapers. Actually, it seems in the West as if the persecution of Christians does not even exist. The Vatican, Pope Francis, other clerics and the media have a choice: to shed a light on these persecuted Christians or be accused of willful blindness.
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Israel must target the real root of the problem - Iran
Gilad Sharon/Ynetnews/September 08/2019
تعليق لجلعاد شارون من يديعوت أحرونوت: على إسرائيل أن تستهدف إيران التي هي وراء كل المشاكل التي تتعرض لها وتواجهها في لبنان وغزة وسوريا
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Opinion: Why should Israelis sit in bomb shelters because of rockets fired by Iranian proxies in Gaza or Lebanon? We should be taking the fight to the real instigators in Tehran
The Iranians will fight to the last jihadist, the last Hamas man, and the last Hezbollah fighter standing.
Only this week we had another example of this in the form of anti-tank missiles fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon at IDF troops. But when it comes to the Iranians themselves, it’s a whole different story; about themselves they care a great deal.
The Iranians are behind the recent attacks on Israel from Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and since the attacks themselves didn’t come from Iranian territory, we're happy enough to punish the messengers - in other words, we return fire only to where we were attacked from.
This needs to change. Why should the people of Israel come under fire from attacks that were originated in and funded by Iran, while the Iranians themselves sit protected and safe in their country?
Israel is a sophisticated country; we can arrange attacks on Iranian soil from elsewhere as well. Iran doesn’t care if it is Gaza civilians or Hezbollah fighters who are killed by Israeli fire. They don't care about civilians, Iran's okay if it's Gazans who pay the price, but when it comes to them and their people it’s a different story.
But Iran needs to know, if it sponsors attacks on Israel, its people won't be safe either. If they don’t fire at us from Iran, we won't fire at them from Israel.
Why should IDF troops be threatened on its Lebanon and Gaza borders, while Iran's soldiers are safe in their country? And if a citizen who lives in Sderot has to sit in a bomb shelter, why should an Iranian citizen sit safely in his home?
If Tel Aviv or Haifa are threatened, why should people walk freely in Tehran? There's no shortage of Sunni militias that are at odds with Iran - you orchestrate attacks on us, we orchestrate attacks on you, simple and symmetrical.
Israel's response to rocket fire from Gaza is weak, and is explained away with the excuse of the threat on the northern front.
But both the southern and northern threats are essentially facing Iranian threats, and so an attack on the source of this evil would be far more efficient. Iranians would not be able to accept attacks on their country just as we should not have to accept attacks on ours. No country in the world would agree to this situation.
Those who are responsible, those who pulled the trigger and those who sent them should pay. Hamas positions in Gaza shouldn’t be our only targets, just as an attack on a Syrian village shouldn't be the only location where we retaliate for a drone strike on Israeli territory. Lebanon alone should not have to pay the price for Hezbollah aggression.
For more than 1,300 years there's been a feud between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims. The predominantly Shi'ite Iranians hate the Sunnis - including the predominantly Sunni Saudis - much more then they hate us.
The Persians are an ancient and wise people with history and culture and their idiotic policy regarding Israel is a surprising one.
You spend your money in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria all the while struggling under harsh sanctions when you could have lived in wealth and dignity.
You understand history - no one has ever gained a single thing by messing with the Jews.

Analysis/Trump-Rohani Summit Is a Done Deal, Israeli Defense Officials Believe
Amos Harel/Haaretz/September 08/2019
American willingness to negotiate with Iran may mean it expects Israel to restrain itself on the northern front with Hezbollah and Iran
A meeting between the U.S. and Iranian presidents is just about a done deal. That is the growing conclusion in Israel’s security establishment after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Asper in London Thursday. As always, one caveat must be added: This summit will happen unless the less predictable member of the pair, Donald Trump, changes his mind at the last minute.
Tehran and Washington are actually stepping up their mutual hawkish rhetoric. Iran announced Friday, as planned, additional violations of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The U.S. keeps piling new sanctions on Iran and Hezbollah, and Brian Hook, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, lashed out at Tehran last week. And still, a presumption is taking shape that after these mutual recriminations, the sides are gradually growing ready for a meeting, possibly on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York at the end of the month.
The meeting with Asper, rather than the courtesy call he paid to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, seems to have been the main reason for Netanyahu’s lightning visit to London last week. For three years Netanyahu enjoyed enormous influence with Trump and his aides, but that seems to be shifting somewhat. The president’s expected summit meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Hasson Rohani, will attract the clear chagrin of Jerusalem. Speaking with reporters in London, Netanyahu acknowledged that a Trump-Rohani meeting was possible and said, “I don’t tell the U.S. president who to meet with or when.”
The person leading the most hawkish line against Iran in the Trump administration is John Bolton, the national security adviser. But he seems to have fallen out of the president’s favor. Other senior officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who last year outlined a very aggressive 12-point plan against Iran, are expected to toe the president’s new line.
The American willingness to hold direct negotiations with Iran could lead later on to an expectation for Israel to turn down the heat on Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. The Israel Defense Forces has not received any directives toward that end, and it continues to take a proactive, assertive line against Tehran, as seen in the incidents of the past few weeks.
The defense establishment is still focused on the northern border. The Revolutionary Guards have not yet settled their scores over the August 24 killings in an Israel Air Force strike of two Lebanese militants who worked on behalf of the Quds force. And it’s not at all clear whether Hezbollah views its firing of anti-tank missiles near Avivim a week ago as the end of the cross-border tension. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hinted that his organization is planning additional measures, possibly against Israeli drones operating in Lebanese airspace. The 10 days that remain until the Israeli election will be particularly sensitive up north.
In the background is the unresolved problem of Hezbollah’s precision-missile project in Lebanon. Last week the IDF revealed another assembly line for precise rockets, near Nabi Chit in Lebanon’s Bekaa region. The Shi’ite organization took steps to cover its tracks there after the story broke. Lebanese media reported that Pompeo warned the country’s president, Michel Aoun, that Israel planned to strike the site unless the facility was dismantled. In actuality, these were warnings that Israel sent to Lebanon some months ago through U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield, the Trump administration’s point man on the maritime border dispute between Israel and Lebanon.
With all eyes facing northward, the Gaza Strip remains a lower priority. This weekend there was another mini-round of fighting. Hamas, recognizing that Israel is more vulnerable to extortion in the run-up to the election, eased its grip on the Friday protests, which were more violent than usual. Two Palestinian boys, aged 14 and 17, were shot dead by Israeli soldiers.
In response, five rockets were fired into Israeli territory and IDF tanks fired on a Hamas position near the border with Israel. On Saturday, for the first time, a drone dropped explosives on a military jeep near the border. Islamic Jihad was apparently behind both the rockets and the drone. Encouraged by Iran, the organization is taking a more militant line in a bid to drag Hamas into a confrontation with Israel. The Egyptian intelligence team is likely to visit Gaza this week in an effort to calm the situation.

MATTIS : Iran is the biggest threat in the Middle East,
Ashe Schow/Daily Wire/September 08/2019
“The Obama administration’s refusal to retaliate has led to the “emboldened” nation that continues to escalate attacks”
In a new book, former Defense Secretary James Mattis takes the Obama administration to task for its weak response to the growing threat of the Iranian regime. One bombshell included in the book is the Obama administration’s tepid response to what Mattis referred to as an “act of war” by Iran – the planned bombing of a café in Washington, D.C.
Mattis still believes Iran is the biggest threat in the Middle East, and that the Obama administration’s refusal to retaliate has led to the “emboldened” nation that continues to escalate attacks, including shooting down U.S. drones.
The Washington Examiner reported on Mattis’ book, where he describes how during his time as the leader of U.S. Central Command (where he served between 2010 and 2013) he repeatedly warned the Obama administration about Iran and Sunni Islamist terrorists, though he felt Iran posed the “more deadly of the two threats.”
Mattis claims in his book, Call Sign Chaos: Learning To Lead, that Obama fired him because of these warnings, and that the administration didn’t even tell him about the Iranian plot to bomb the café. Mattis was informed of the plot by a duty officer in Tampa, Florida, who told him then-Attorney General Eric Holder and then-FBI Director Robert Mueller (yes, that Robert Mueller) held a press conference announcing the arrest of two Iranians who had planned the attack on Café Milano. The Examiner describes the café as “a high-end restaurant in Washington that was a favorite of the rich and famous, including Saudi Arabia’s ambassador, Adel al-Jubeir.”
“Attorney General Eric Holder said the bombing plot was ‘directed and approved by elements of the Iranian government and, specifically, senior members of the Qods Force.’ The Qods were the Special Operations Force of the Revolutionary Guards, reporting to the top of the Iranian government,” Mattis writes in his book.
Mattis goes on to explain that he “saw the intelligence: we had recorded Tehran’s approval of the operation.”
Mattis continues, saying that if the bomb had gone off, it would have been “the worst attack on us since 9/11.”
“Had the bomb gone off, those in the restaurant and on the street would have been ripped apart, blood rushing down sewer drains. It would have been the worst attack on us since 9/11. I sensed that only Iran’s impression of America’s impotence could have led them to risk such an act within a couple of miles of the White House,” Mattis writes. “Absent one fundamental mistake — the terrorists had engaged an undercover DEA agent in an attempt to smuggle the bomb — the Iranians would have pulled off this devastating attack. Had that bomb exploded, it would have changed history.”
Mattis writes that he wanted to “respond forcefully,” but President Barack Obama refused to inform the public about just how dangerous the plot truly was.
“We treated an act of war as a law enforcement violation, jailing the low-level courier,” Mattis writes.
Mattis, by contrast, writes that he “wanted calculated actions, to restrain the regime so it couldn’t thrust us into a war.”
“In my view, we had to hold Iran to account and strike back when attacked. But there was a reason for the administration’s restraint,” Mattis writes. “The administration was secretly negotiating with Iran, although I was not privy to the details at the time.”
Those “secret” negotiations would eventually become the Iran Deal, which President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018.
In my military judgment, America had undertaken a poorly calculated, long-shot gamble. At the same time, the administration was lecturing our Arab friends that they had to accommodate Iran as if it were a moderate neighbor in the region and not an enemy committed to their destruction,” Mattis writes. “As long as its leaders consider Iran less a nation-state than a revolutionary cause, Iran will remain a terrorist threat potentially more dangerous than Al Qaeda or ISIS.”
Mattis still believes Iran is the biggest threat in the Middle East, and that the Obama administration’s refusal to retaliate has led to the “emboldened” nation that continues to escalate attacks, including shooting down U.S. drones.

What If There Was a Trade War Truce?
Daniel Moss/Bloomberg/September 08/2019
Even a trade truce could have its losers.
The economic conflict between the US and China has been jarring, no doubt – decades-old commercial relationships have been torn up, supply chains are getting upended, global growth is slowing, and investors and businesses are rattled. On days when the standoff seems endless, you might find yourself asking: Can’t we just go back to the way things were?
But that view would dismiss the relative winners of this conflict, particularly those countries in Southeast Asia that have attracted investment otherwise destined for China. Just this week, the Nikkei Asian Review reported that Google Inc. is taking steps to shift production of its Pixel smartphone to Vietnam from China. Shipments to American ports from Asia, excluding China, jumped in the first six months of the year, while imports from the mainland declined. An outbreak of trade peace, or a meaningful suspension of hostilities, could jeopardize this.
In its annual review of China's economy this month, the International Monetary Fund gamed out some scenarios for a trade deal. The baseline for such an agreement would likely aim to steer the trade balance between the countries toward zero. At the very least, it would try to make a big dent in the $419 billion U.S. merchandise deficit with China.
The IMF’s outlined scenario would see China buy more American cars, machinery and electronics; yet the lender found that it’s unlikely Beijing will stimulate its economy so much that it can absorb enough US goods without cutting back elsewhere. South Korea and Singapore – which both count China as their largest trading partner – stand to lose exports equal to about 2.1% and 3.8% of gross domestic product, respectively, under such a trade agreement, the IMF reckons.
Australian mineral exports would suffer, too, as would electronics sales from Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia. “The impact on global GDP from the distortions introduced by a trade deal would likely be negative and weigh against the benefits from reduced policy uncertainty, the withdrawal of higher tariffs, and the introduction of new reforms,” the IMF wrote.
While the biggest downsides would be felt in Asia, the disruption wouldn’t be limited to the region. More purchases of US aircraft could affect France, in particular, given that Airbus SE is Boeing Co.'s main competitor.
This isn’t to say that the IMF, a champion of free-market orthodoxy, has become an advocate of trade war. Rather the lender would prefer a pact that isn’t based on quotas or scaling up of specified purchases (though its concrete alternative isn’t immediately clear).
Of course, you could argue that the Asia region may have been better off if the trade war hadn't started at all. But that risks ignoring some of the larger forces shaping the global economy long before President Donald Trump’s election: the sustainability of the US’s record expansion, the sunset of China’s double-digit growth boom, and aging populations in Europe and North Asia.
Views on whether the trade impasse can be bridged vary with Trump's every second tweet. Beijing is right to be wary of his flip-flops. As the economic damage from the trade war becomes more apparent, however, it's worth considering whether peace would necessarily be the nirvana some are expecting come January 2021. While the Treaty of Versailles was better than the trenches, it also had serious some flaws.

The Regional ‘Voters’ in Israel’s Elections
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/September 08/2019
The Israeli elections, scheduled for September 17th, may or may not end Binyamin Netanyahu’s rule. However, be it what it may, Israeli society has enough structural problems in a state based on religion alone.
We have long read about racial tension and discrimination between Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews, new East European immigrant and old immigrants and settlers, and the wide spectrum of religious affinities. The latter comprise from the ultra-religious sects that do not recognize the Israeli state - because it was created by man, not the Messiah - and the secular and leftist Jews; and in between lies a multitude of extremist, conservatives, liberal Zionists.
On the other hand, we have always heard that Arab political errors of judgment have contributed the most to the unity and cohesion of Israeli society. This issue must not be underestimated given the following:
-Although the third and fourth Israeli generations may be less knowledgeable of Arab societies than the founding first and second generations, Arab societies do not know much about Israeli society despite coexisting with it – mostly under its terms – for more than 70 years!
-Since 1948, the Arab world has had neither enough awareness nor adequate response, first to Zionism, and second to Israel as a state.
-There is still no unified or solid Arab position towards Israel despite the loud and chaotic rhetoric. Here, I do not only mean those claiming to be bitter enemies and call for the liberation of Jerusalem, but also include the confused and fragile defenders of peace with Israel, and those going overboard in calling for normal relations in spite of Israel’s rejection of moderation and voting – time and time again – for extremists.
-There is no unified Palestinian position that is capable of building a unified Arab position. Here, some may argue that Arabs have never allowed Palestinians to be their own masters; instead, they have interfered in their affairs, fiddled with their cause, and pushed them to adopt their different agendas. This forced involvement in inter – Arab conflicts has weakened the Palestinians and deprived their cause of unanimous Arab support.
-Due to continuous Arab failure and escalating Israeli aggression, Palestinians have become desperate; and with desperation came wrong bets. From then on, mistakes have accumulated in an Arab political quagmire and an accelerated Israeli shunning any kind of genuine coexistence.
These factors among others, on both the regional and international levels, have brought us to the current ‘scenario’ in the Israeli election campaign.
Regionally, if Arab mistakes were always a decisive ‘elector’ in almost all Israeli elections, today there are two additional players; the Iranian and Turkish leaderships.
In fact, Iran and Turkey are not newcomers, neither to the Arab ‘Mashreq’ nor to the Arab – Israeli Conflict. Iran was a major power that dominated most of the region during the Persian Achaemenid rule, namely under Emperors Darius I and Xerxes I (between 522 and 465 BC), and Turkey ruled most of the Arab World between 1516 and 1918 AD) under the banner of the Ottoman Empire.
What is more relevant now, however, is that after WW II (1945), and the founding of Israel (1948), Iran was ruled by the pro-West Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (following the forced abdication of his father Reza Shah), and the pro-West and anti-Soviet Right was in power in Turkey. Thus, during ‘The Cold War’ which brought about the ‘policy of containment’ and ‘regional pacts’ Iran and Turkey were allies of the US and UK and full members of ‘The Baghdad Pact’ (later known as ‘CENTO’). This means that these two major Muslim countries were on good terms with the nascent Jewish state, since they were strategic allies to its global backers.
Today, both Iran and Turkey believe they have legitimate rights to play active regional roles outside their present borders; and here we see that the Arabs’ unprecedented weakness is providing the two countries with an excellent opportunity to claim more of the ‘Mashreq’ Arab cake. Worse still, a major factor in Iran and Turkey’s ‘legitimization’ of their ambitions in the region is religious. This is obvious because neither countries, which were historical enemies, cannot use the ethnic card as a tool, for two reasons:
1- While the Arabs accepted in the past living a non-Arab sovereign ruling under Muslim legitimacy, they have not tolerated living under a non-Arab nationalist leader.
2- Both Iran and Turkey are countries with large ethnic minorities; noting that Turkic minorities alone make up around % 30 of the country’s population, while non-Turkic minorities make up around one-quarter of the population of Turkey, most of whom are Kurds, in addition to Arabs, Circassians and others.
Military, political, and demographic Iran’s expansion inside the Arab world today is taking place under the claim of defending ‘Shi’ism’ and the Shi’a communities under its guidance and directives. As for Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ‘Islamist’ party are leading the charge of Sunni ‘political Islam’. Thus, between Iran’s Vali e Faqih’s hammer and Turkey ‘Ikhwan’s’ anvil, the fabric of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen is being torn to pieces. The remnants of ‘state’ institutions are collapsing amid the brainwashing of these countries’ youth. Moreover, development is being ruined, culture distorted, societies destroyed, and populations decimated.
Such a situation is quite suitable to Israel’s extremists, who feel that now is the right time to move post forward and seeking more, especially from ‘friendly’ leaderships in Washington and Moscow. Indeed, this month’s Israeli elections are realistically fought between two ‘hawkish’ camps only: Civilian extremists, and ‘generals’ of the military and security establishment, with little hope of a breakthrough that would serve the cause of just and permanent peace.
The tragedy of Syria, the coup in Yemen, the pseudo-victories of Lebanon’s Hezbollah have been ideal gifts to Israel’s extremists. In fact, what election manifesto those extremists can ever think of would be better than the scenes of Lebanese demonstrating in front of embassies in Beirut demanding immigrant visas, and the return of Al-Assad’s regime to the countryside of Hama and Idlib after dubious ‘deals’?