English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 13/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.september13.20.htm

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006

Bible Quotations For today
Who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted
Luke 14/07-11/”When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable. ‘When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, “Give this person your place”, and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher”; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 12-13/2020

Lebanon Records 686 Virus Cases, 10 Deaths
Protesters Clash with Army near Presidential Palace
Lebanese rally near presidential palace to demand justice over port blast
Report: Adib Keen on Effectual Govt. Away from Political Bickering
Kubis Urges 'Credible' Probe into Port Blast to Prevent a 'Repeat'
Presidency: Aoun Didn't Refuse to Sign Badri Daher's Exemption Decree
Lebanese lira drops slightly as clock ticks for next Cabinet formation
Hezbollah: Normalization with the enemy is high treason and a stab to the nation's just causes
European Union aid for the Red Cross and Civil Defense
A Rescue Government or a Lebanese Somalia/Rajeh Khoury/Asharq Al Awsat/September 12/2020
Minority report: The Jews of Lebanon

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 12-13/2020

Iran says Bahrain-Israel deal is shameful: State TV
Bahrain and Israel foreign ministers hold phone call day after peace deal announced
Iran executes wrestler Navid Afkari over alleged stabbing of guard: Reports
Iran ex-judiciary official gets 31 years in prison for graft
Former head of Qatar’s Al Jazeera pushes blacklist of ‘pro-Israel’ Arab journalists
Turkey Condemns Bahrain, Israel Accord
Turkey to Conduct Naval Exercises off Cyprus Coast
Historic Talks Begin between Taliban, Afghan Government
Turkish army seen pushing Erdogan to showdown with Europeans
Egypt brokers negotiations on prisoner swap between Israel, Hamas
Mohammad Makhlouf, father of Syrian tycoon Rami, dies from coronavirus
Turkey says it will conduct live fire naval exercises off Cyprus coast

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 12-13/2020

After Bahrain, spotlight on Saudi role amid normalization deals/Seth J. Frantzman/September 12/2020
How to Steal an Election - Part II/Chris Farrell/Gatestone Institute/September 12/2020
Israel and Qatar have an unlikely partnership for dealing with Gaza/Jonathan Spyer/September 12/2020
UAE-Mexico ties make even more sense in today's world/Graciela Marquez/The National/September 12/2020
UAE and Mexico will overcome distance to come closer/Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri /The National/September 12/2020
Is Erdogan interested in a deal with Europe?/Damien Mcelory/The National/September 12/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 12-13/2020

Lebanon Records 686 Virus Cases, 10 Deaths
Naharnet/September 12/2020
Lebanon recorded 686 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday and ten fatalities, the Health Ministry said. The new cases raised the total number of COVID-19 cases in Lebanon to 23,669 since the first virus case was detected on February 21. The health ministry said ten individuals have died of the virus Saturday. Lebanon saw a spike in virus cases since the mega colossal blast at Beirut port upended a planned lockdown. The pandemic has compounded the woes of a crisis-hit country reeling from a massive explosion that killed more than 130 people, wounded at least 5,000 and left an estimated 300,000 homeless.

Protesters Clash with Army near Presidential Palace
Associated Press/Naharnet/September 12/2020
Lebanese soldiers on Saturday fired rubber bullets and live rounds in the air to disperse hundreds of protesters trying to march to the presidential palace during an anti-government demonstration. Tension is high in Lebanon following last month's devastating explosion at Beirut's port that killed nearly 200 people, and after another mysterious and huge blaze at the same site Thursday. The Aug. 4 explosion was caused by the detonation of nearly three thousand tons of ammonium nitrates that had been improperly stored at the port for years. More than five weeks later, it is still not clear what started the fire that ignited the chemicals, and no one has been held accountable so far. The explosion, which created a massive shockwave that shattered glass and blasted windows, doors and injured 6,500 people, came on top of an unprecedented economic and financial crisis blamed on decades of corruption and mismanagement by the country's political class. Protesters had called for the march Saturday to the presidential palace in the suburb of Baabda to express their anger and call for accountability. Supporters of President Michel Aoun called for a counter-protest at the same location, adding to the tension. Hundreds of Lebanese soldiers separated the two camps. Later, as anti-Aoun protesters attempted to break a security cordon blocking their path on the highway leading to the palace, troops fired at first live rounds in the air, then rubber bullets, in an effort to disperse them. Some protesters threw stones and tree branches at the troops, injuring several of them. Some sat in the middle of the highway vowing to stay there. A group climbed on a sign post and hung ropes tied into nooses. The public blames the corruption and negligence of Lebanon's politicians, security and judicial officials, many of whom knew about the storage of the chemicals that exploded and did nothing.

Lebanese rally near presidential palace to demand justice over port blast
France 24/September 12/2020
Hundreds of Lebanese marched Saturday on the presidential palace to denounce a lack of progress in a probe by authorities into a monster blast that ravaged swathes of the capital 40 days ago. Some marchers carried black versions of the Lebanese flag in a sign of mourning for the more than 190 people who were killed in the August 4 explosion at the Beirut port, and others demanded the president resign. Twenty-five suspects are in custody over the tragedy that occurred when hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser that had been left unattended in a port warehouse exploded.
The blast, which wounded thousands and destroyed homes and businesses across large parts of Beirut, was one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever. The government resigned in the wake of the disaster, but Lebanon has rejected an international investigation, saying it would carry out its own probe aided by foreign experts.Saturday's march set off from the justice palace in Beirut to the hillside presidential palace, where there were also hundreds of supporters of President Michel Aoun and heavy army deployment. Troops fired warning shots into the air as brawls between rival demonstrators broke out, AFP correspondents said. "It is not possible that no one has been put on trial after an explosion like the one that happened on August 4," anti-government protester Layal Tohme said. "The country is collapsing," she added. Darine Hourani, a supporter of Aoun, said the president "cannot be held to account each time something wrong takes place" in the country. "He is the president and we must respect him," Hourani added. But Carla Moukahal, a critic of Aoun, said the president must step down. "I came here to bring down this corrupt political system. We want to oust Michel Aoun. Enough is enough," said the 19-year-old. The army said in a tweet that it had formed a cordon to separate the rival protests and that soldiers "fired into the air after some demonstrators pelted soldiers with stones and beat them with sticks".A protest movement that erupted in October last year has been revived since the blast, which rekindled smouldering rage against official neglect and a political class accused of corruption. The explosion, Lebanon's worst peace-time disaster, was followed by a fire on Thursday at the Beirut port, and came as Lebanese were already reeling from the country's worst economic crisis in decades. Among those arrested by authorities as part of the investigation into the blast are top port and customs officials, as well as Syrian workers who allegedly carried out welding work at the port hours before the explosion.
No high-ranking political official has been arrested as part of the probe.

Report: Adib Keen on Effectual Govt. Away from Political Bickering
Naharnet/September 12/2020
Prime Minister designate Mustafa Adib is keen on forming a government capable of carrying out the numerous tasks ahead away from conflicts between political parties, media reports said on Saturday. Sources following up on the government formation process said “the initial formation draft will be on the table of Baabda Palace within hours amid constitutional consultation between the presidency and speakership,” Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported. The sources added that as much as Adib is keen to adhere to constitutional principles that regulate the framework for consultation with the President, he is also keen on forming a harmonious government capable of effective productivity away from political disputes. However, political circles did not rule out the possibility of obstacles facing the government formation draft expected to be unveiled today during Adib’s visit to Baabda Palace. The draft’s success depends largely on the political parties’ realization that the French initiative is the only “survival” chance for Lebanon and any risk of obstructing it means a doomed “collapse,” according to the sources. “Paris is keeping up closely with the extent to which the presidential and political parties adhere to their pledges to facilitate the formation of a non-politicized government of experts led by Mustafa Adib. French President Emmanuel Macron does not seem to tolerate any attempt by the Lebanese parties to breach their promises,” said the sources.

Kubis Urges 'Credible' Probe into Port Blast to Prevent a 'Repeat'
Naharnet/September 12/2020
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon marked 40 days Saturday since the colossal Beirut port explosion urging “credible” investigation and accountability. “Only credible and transparent investigation, complete accountability and full justice can prevent repetitions of such tragedy, such crime,” said Kubis in a tweet. He added: “With pain in our hearts we remember the victims of the devastating Beirut blast, forty days after.”The August 4 explosion of hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer left unsupervised in a port warehouse for years, flattened large parts of the capital, killed at least 190 people, injured thousands and left more than a quarter of a million homeless. Lebanon on Saturday marks 40 days since the explosion amid calls for mass protests near the Presidential Palace in Baabda calling for accountability.

Presidency: Aoun Didn't Refuse to Sign Badri Daher's Exemption Decree
Naharnet/September 12/2020
Press office of the Presidency issued a statement on Saturday stating that President Michel Aoun did not reject signing a decree exempting customs chief Badri Daher of his duties.
The Presidency said that Aoun called for a “principle of equality” in treating all detainees of first grade employees over links to the Beirut port blast. The President did not reject signing a decree exempting Daher of his duties, but has requested, pursuant to the principle of equality, the issuance of decrees that all first grade employees subject for detention to be placed at the disposal of the PM, while exempting them from their duties, said the statement. The employees in detention are legally isolated from carrying out their duties according to laws and regulations in force, and they cannot, therefore, be assigned to new tasks, it added. There were no administrative measures taken against some first and second grade employees under judicial arrest, other than Daher. This dictates that the procedure to be applied to Daher applies to everyone without exception, in accordance with the principle of equality, concluded the statement. Head of Customs Badri Daher was arrested in August for his role in the deadly mega August 4 explosion at Beirut Port that killed more than 190 people. 25 suspects have been detained so far in relation to the blast. On Saturday, Daher was said to have been taken Friday midnight to hospital for “health conditions.”

Lebanese lira drops slightly as clock ticks for next Cabinet formation
Jacob Boswall, Al Arabiya English/Saturday 12 September 2020
The Lebanese lira has dropped eight percent in value this week, as the clock ticks for Lebanon’s next Cabinet to be formed. By the end of the week, local currency was being bought and sold on the black market for as much as 7,900 Lebanese lira, according to LebaneseLira.org, a website that tracks the value of the currency. On Monday, the currency was changing hands for around 7,300. Slow progress in Cabinet formation talks and new US sanctions against Hezbollah have caused the value of the lira, still technically pegged to the US dollar at 1,507 to one, to decrease on the parallel market. Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib is scrambling to form a new cabinet of “specialists” before September 15, a deadline agreed between local politicians and French President Emmanuel Macron who visited Lebanon last week. The main aim of the technocratic government will be to enact sweeping reforms, many of which are part of a year-long roadmap drawn up by Macron. But Adib faces numerous challenges forming the next government, with recent tensions rising over US sanctions targeting former ministers Ali Hasan Khalil and Youssef Fenianos. In the past decade, cabinet formation has taken several months. Meanwhile, the incumbent caretaker government is hamstrung and unable to approve important reforms and set an agenda for resuming bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.

Hezbollah: Normalization with the enemy is high treason and a stab to the nation's just causes
NNA/Saturday 12 September 2020
Hezbollah condemned, in an issued statement today, "the step of the ruling regime in Bahrain, in recognizing the Israeli entity and all forms of normalization with it," considering that "this step comes in the context of the traitorous regimes' moving from their secret relations with the enemy, to relations out in the open."The statement deemed that "all the justifications cited by these authoritarian rulers cannot validate this huge betrayal and painful stab to the Palestinian people and the just causes of the nation."
The Party concluded its statement by stressing that "the response to these treacherous steps taken by the rulers of the Emirates and Bahrain is by the free Arab and Islamic peoples, especially the Palestinian people and their resistance factions and all resistance movements in the region, who adhere to the right of the Palestinian people to liberate their entire land, and reject all forms of normalization and cooperation with this usurping entity, and God willingly, victory shall be theirs!"

European Union aid for the Red Cross and Civil Defense
NNA/Saturday 12 September 2020
A shipment of medical and humanitarian aid arrived at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on Saturday, provided by the European Union to the Lebanese Red Cross and the Lebanese Civil Defense, NNA correspondent reported.

A Rescue Government or a Lebanese Somalia?
Rajeh Khoury/Asharq Al Awsat/September 12/2020
Lebanon was still drowning in the disaster of the explosion that destroyed the port and half of the capital Beirut, when Prime Minister designate Mustafa Adib, tasked with forming the new government, went to Baabda to meet with President Michel Aoun and discuss his delicate mission.
However, it soon became clear that everything said during the two visits of French President Emmanuel Macron about the need to form a “government of mission” to lift Lebanon out of its fatal crisis has been put aside in Baabda in the talks with Aoun and the representatives of the nine political parties.
This is because Aoun seemed to want a government that emulates that of Hassan Diab, which was formed per Hezbollah’s list of conditions. He proposed forming an expanded government of 22-24 ministers and composed of specialist politicians, which totally contradicts everything that had been said about a small government of experts that would be distant from politics.
It also contradicts Mustafa Adib’s conviction that the government of mission should not exceed 14 ministers, and that they should all distant from the political elite so that the cabinet can actually initiate the resurgence process and regain the international confidence that previous governments had destroyed.
It seemed that all that was said to Macron about a “government of mission”, which would immediately start fighting the corruption that has bankrupted the state, was merely a reiteration of the empty promises that people have heard many times and were never implemented.
This is in spite of the series of disasters that Lebanon is facing that is not limited to the travesty at the port, the coronavirus pandemic, the deepening economic crisis that left 50 percent of the Lebanese living below the poverty line, the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund coming to a halt due to the state’s inability to agree on a unified number for its enormous losses of course, or drowning in a people’s revolution against the entire corrupt and rotten political class, as had been said by ministers in the resigned government. It also includes more dangerous and critical disastrous problems; the countries of the world’s despair from the cancer of political corruption and the blind alignment with the axis of resistance; which has closed all doors on Lebanon, be they Arab, Gulf or and international…
The horrific explosion at the port brought back international interest, especially that of France, in the tragic situation, but what is unbelievable is that some have not woken up to the gravity of what happened or the need to turn the black page. They did not take the time to understand what the French President repeated during his two visits, that if real reform doesn’t start, with a government from outside the political jungle, there will be no leniency whatsoever towards the entire political elite, which shall be subjected to a series of painful sanctions, and that he is coordinating with US President Donald Trump to make these sanctions more effective!
It was astounding that some understood that David Schenker’s visit to Beirut aimed to block the French initiative. They did not understand that when Macron threatens sanctions, he knows that France cannot act alone. He is betting on the thick American stick that affects Iran and Hezbollah and threatens the party’s allies in Lebanon. The story here does not stop at Lebanon’s share of the Caesar Act alone; rather, it goes as far as threatening to implement the provisions of the Magnitsky Act on Lebanon, which amounts to imposing penalties for money laundering.
Macron left having agreed that the government of mission must be formed within 15 days, but the formation ship quickly collided with the same archipelago of complications, that is, an expanded cabinet with political dimensions, the apparent purpose of which is to try to preserve the obstructive element that the “Doha Agreement” had introduced to the “Taif Accord” which amounts to the country’s constitution.
This element had been imposed through the superiority of power and is manifested in the so-called “obstructing third,” which is maintained by Aoun’s alliance with the Shiite duo, dropping everything said about the “Baabda Declaration” and the “dissociation” policy and closed the door on all promises Aoun made about discussing the “defense strategy.”
Over the past ten days, the PM-designate tried to keep his efforts quiet while talking about his insistence on forming a small government of experts of 14 ministers remains. And, Aoun’s sources kept talking about an expanded technocrat-political government. They are not hiding that Aoun is resentful of the discreet way the new cabinet’s formation is being managed, far from Baabda and the opinion of the parliamentary Free Patriotic Movement’s bloc, while French ambassador Bruno Fucher, was actively mediating between the two sides.
A few days ago, the same sources in Baabda said that Aoun rejects what is being reported about France’s endeavors to assign the portfolios which had been exclusively assigned to his allies, namely finance, energy, communications and foreign affairs, without asking for his input, despite his support for the French initiative and his pledge to Macron to help form the “government of mission”!
With the declarations that the Shiite duo is hanging on to the ministry of finance, and after all everything Baabda’s sources repeated about a technocrat-political government, things seemed to be going in a vicious circle. It was reported that the Director-General of the French Intelligence Service and former Ambassador to Lebanon Bernard Emie, visited Beirut a few days ago to try to push the formation. Still, diplomatic sources say that his efforts were hindered by the same obstacles!
It may be necessary to clarify here that Mustafa Adib is the relative of an advisor in the Elysee Palace and has a close relationship with Emie, who played a role in proposing his name to the former Sunni prime ministers who named him on the eve of consultations!
In face of the obstacles impeding the government formation process, reports are circulating that the prime minister-designate insists on a mini-government of specialists. Either Aoun accepts it or Adib packs his bags, without even apologizing for not forming the government, which could leave a prolonged governmental vacuum at a time when the country may descend to complete chaos due to economic decline and hunger creeping in.
Last Tuesday, it was clear that Washington’s announcement of sanctions against the two former ministers, Ali Hassan Khalil, who represents the Amal Movement, and Yusuf Finyanus of the Marada Movement and a close associate of former MP Suleiman Franjieh, who is allied with Hezbollah, was a US mobilization to remove the obstacles facing the formation of a government of specialists, which the Lebanese are betting on to turn the black political page in Lebanon.
With the shock announcement of the sanctions on the two former ministers, the US State Department said that Washington is interested in the formation of a government capable of responding to the demands of the Lebanese people. Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker repeated his suggestion that there will be a series of US sanctions that will also be announced within days targeting the supporters of Hezbollah. “We will hold them accountable,” he said, which implies that there is an attempt to dismantle Aoun’s alliance with the Shiite duo, especially since the name of his son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, may be at the top of the sanctions list.
Schenker clearly specified the task of the “government of mission” which the French and Americans are clearly in agreement on is, when he said that the new cabient must adopt the reform program and implement it. He said that it should hold accountable those who are not transparent or accountable. It must be a government dedicated to fighting corruption and uphold the principle of dissociation. It should be a government that puts regional politics aside.
Schenker’s words constitute a reiteration of the “government of mission’s” role as Macron defined it in detail. That is why the question arises: will the sequential US sanctions help remove the obstacles facing the PM-designate’s mission, and coordination here between Paris and Washington is apparent, or will it complicate his task, when the March 8 coalition, led by Hezbollah, insists on its position on the government, with the Amal Movement keeping the Ministry of Finance, the Marada keeping the Transportation and Public Works, and the Free Patriotic Movement holding onto the Ministry of Energy, whose control of that ministry cost Lebanon half of its public debt, that is, more than 50 billion dollars, and Hezbollah in the Ministry of Health, as a response to the US sanctions, based on the well-known Iranian bets on the upcoming US elections, which could change the scene despite the firm French position?
Next Tuesday, the 15-day deadline that had been set to form the government expires. Will Adib proceed with the formation of the mission government and will Aoun accept it, or will he, as seems likely, reject it? Will Adib come out to an apology, but rather to a long retreat, and plunge Aoun’s rule and the country into a longer void? Or does everyone head to a situation of total chaos that is not limited to starvation only but with increasingly intense escalation, which may return the hungry country to the barricades?

Minority report: The Jews of Lebanon
من موقع عرب نيوز: تقرير مصور عن يهود لبنان

https://www.arabnews.com/JewsOfLebanon

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 12-13/2020

Iran says Bahrain-Israel deal is shameful: State TV
AFP, Tehran/Saturday 12 September 2020
Iran said Saturday that Bahrain is now partner to the “crimes” of Israel after the two announced a deal to normalise relations after decades of animosity. “The rulers of Bahrain will from now on be partners to the crimes of the Zionist regime as a constant threat to the security of the region and the world of Islam,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. Iran accused its arch foe Israel of “decades of violence, slaughter, war, terror and bloodshed in oppressed Palestine and the region.”The Friday announcement by US President Donald Trump made Bahrain the second Arab country in a month, after the United Arab Emirates, to normalise ties with Israel under US sponsorship. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier this month that the UAE had “betrayed” the Muslim world and that he hoped they would “soon wake up and compensate for what they have done.”Iran said that through this “shameful” deal, Bahrain has “scarified the Palestinian cause at the altar of American elections.”Its “result will undoubtedly be growing anger and the lasting hatred of the oppressed people of Palestine, Muslims and the free nations of the world”. Before this year, Israel had been able to strike just two peace accords with Arab countries – Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

Bahrain and Israel foreign ministers hold phone call day after peace deal announced
Ismaeel Naar, Al Arabiya English/Saturday 12 September 2020
Bahrain's minister of foreign affairs Abdullatif al-Zayani and Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi held a phone call on Saturday, the Bahrain foreign ministry announced, after the normalization of relations the day before. The ministers stressed the need to move relations forward to promote peace and stability in the region, it said. Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates in striking an agreement to normalize relations with Israel, US President Donald Trump said Friday, in a dramatic move aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East. Trump tweeted out the news after he spoke by phone to both Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said. Israel and the UAE reached a historic peace deal on August 14 that led to a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two in an agreement that Trump helped broker. "This is a historic breakthrough to further peace in the Middle East. Opening direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and increase stability, security, and prosperity in the region," a joint statement of the US, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Israel read.

Iran executes wrestler Navid Afkari over alleged stabbing of guard: Reports
The Associated Press/Saturday 12 September 2020
Iran’s state TV is reporting that the country’s authorities has executed a wrestler for allegedly murdering a man after President Donald Trump asked for the 27-year-old condemned man’s life to be spared. State TV quoted the chief justice of Fars province, Kazem Mousavi as saying on Saturday: “The retaliation sentence against Navid Afkari, the killer of Hassan Turkman, was carried out this morning in Adelabad prison in Shiraz.”Afkari’s case had drawn the attention of a social media campaign that portrayed him and his brothers as victims targeted over participating in protests against Iran’s Shiite theocracy in 2018. Authorities accused Afkari of stabbing a water supply company employee in the southern city of Shiraz amid the unrest. Iran broadcast the wrestler’s televised confession last week. The segment resembled hundreds of other suspected coerced confessions aired over the last decade in the Islamic Republic.
The case revived a demand inside the country for Iran to stop carrying out the death penalty. Even imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, herself nearly a month into a hunger strike over conditions at Tehran’s Evin prison amid the coronavirus pandemic, passed word that she supported Afkari.
Earlier, the US president Donald tweeted out his own concern about Afkari’s case.

Iran ex-judiciary official gets 31 years in prison for graft
AFP/Saturday 12 September 2020
Iran said Saturday it condemned a former top judiciary official to 31 years in prison for corruption, one of the heaviest sentences against a former official in the Islamic republic. Akbar Tabari received the jail term after being convicted of “setting up and heading a bribery network,” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili told state television. The high-profile trial of Tabari, who served in a number of senior roles in Iran’s judiciary, opened in June alongside 21 other defendants. In its ruling, Tehran’s criminal court ordered Tabari to pay more than 430 billion rials ($1.65 million) in fines. It also ordered the seizure of illegally acquired properties. Tabari was also found guilty of money-laundering, for which he was sentenced to 12 years and ordered to pay about 600 billion rials ($2.3 million), said Esmaili. The judiciary spokesman said the verdict could still be appealed and that, based on Iran’s criminal code, Tabari would have to serve only the longest of the jail terms. Among the properties to be confiscated were four apartments in north Tehran, two business venues in the heart of the capital, and five plots of land in a popular northern tourist resort. Tabari served as the former deputy head of administrative affairs at the judiciary. He was later promoted to be the head of executive affairs and then executive deputy under then judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani from 2009 to 2019. Iran sentences citizen to death for allegedly giving Soleimani’s location to CIAIn March last year, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei replaced Larijani with Ebrahim Raisi, a religious conservative, and called on him to work “against corruption.”According to media reports, Raisi sacked Tabari “eight days after taking office” without providing a reason. Tabari’s arrest was confirmed by the judiciary on July 2019.Two other suspects on trial, Farhad Mashayekh Fereydoun and Rasool Danialzadeh, received sentences of 15 years each. Two former judges, Bijan Qasemzadeh and Hamidreza Alizadeh, were also convicted of peddling influence and receiving bribes. They were each sentenced to 10 years’ jail. Qasemzadeh is best known for ordering the blocking of Telegram, which had been the most popular messaging service in the Islamic republic at the time. According to Esmaili, the trial is still ongoing for some of the other suspects. The rare proceedings were broadcast live on state television and widely covered in local media. A touch of mystery was added to the case following the unexplained death of a fugitive judge also implicated in the case. Gholamreza Mansouri, 52, had fled Iran last year, first going to Germany and then moving to Romania.
He plunged from a top floor of his hotel in Bucharest with his death considered to be a suicide. Mansouri was wanted over receiving a 500,000-euro ($592,000) bribe.

Former head of Qatar’s Al Jazeera pushes blacklist of ‘pro-Israel’ Arab journalists
Ismaeel Naar, Al Arabiya English/Saturday 12 September 2020
The former head of Qatar state-owned and funded Al Jazeera has called for a blacklist of journalists, writers, and analysts he considers supportive of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain's decision to normalize ties with Israel, suggesting two Saudi and Emirati writers himself.
“For the purposes of documentation, who are the journalists, writers, and politicians who supported the Emirati and Bahraini normalization #normalizers_list? I remember Turki al-Hamad from Saudi Arabia, Abdulkhaleq Abdulla from the UAE, and Zaid al-Obeidat from Jordan ... the rest of the list:” Yasser Abu Hilala, the former managing director of Al Jazeera Arabic from July 2014 to May 2018, tweeted on Friday. Abu Hilala, whose tweet was seen as a direct attack on his colleagues from neighboring Arab countries, then followed up by asking his followers to provide evidence of those who appeared to support the historic peace deals signed between Israel with Bahrain and the UAE. “Thank you all for your response, we want the name of the writer or journalist attached to a picture of his article, post or tweet, not just the mentioning of their name,” Abu Hilala wrote. When one user tweeted a response to Abu Hilala that “all journalists at Al Arabiya and Al Hadath Channels must be included,” the former head of Al Jazeera responded by saying it was an “unknown generalization” and that he needed “the journalist or writer's name attached to an article, post, tweet, or position.” Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates on Friday in striking an agreement to normalize relations with Israel. Trump tweeted out the news after he spoke by phone to both Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said. Qatar, which funds and owns Al Jazeera, has so far refrained and remained silent from directly commenting on Bahrain’s peace deal with Israel. It’s emir, however, must with White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner weeks ago in which he said that Doha backs the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which calls on Israel to withdraw to its borders from before the 1967 war in exchange for diplomatic relations with Arab states. Qatar’s media arms have reacted swiftly to the Bahrain-Israel deal overnight, weeks after launching a massive campaign in order to influence Arab public opinion via media channels it funds. Al Jazeera Arabic’s coverage focused its overnight coverage via its “al-Hasad” news program mainly by pushing the narrative that Bahrain and the UAE’s deal with Israel was done in order to help US President Donald Trump’s re-election efforts. One of Al Jazeera Arabic’s guests overnight included Wasel Abu Yousef, who leads the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), a group that has been a designated terrorist organization by the United States. Bahrain on Friday became the fourth country after Jordan, Egypt and the UAE to normalize ties with Israel.

Turkey Condemns Bahrain, Israel Accord
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 12/2020
Turkey strongly condemned the deal between Israel and Bahrain to normalise relations, describing it as a "fresh blow" to the Palestinian cause. US President Donald Trump Friday announced the "peace deal" between Israel and Bahrain, which becomes the second Arab country to settle with its former foe in less than a month. Turkey's foreign ministry late Friday said Ankara was "concerned" by the move and "strongly condemned" the deal. "The step will be a fresh blow to efforts to defend the Palestinian cause and will further embolden Israel to continue its illegal practices toward Palestine and its attempts to make the occupation of Palestinian territories permanent," the ministry said in a statement. It said the move was contrary to the commitments under the Arab Peace Initiative -- which calls for Israel's complete withdrawal from the Palestinian territories occupied after 1967 -- and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a pious Muslim, is a strong advocate of Palestinian rights who has frequently criticised Israeli policies in the West Bank. After last month's deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, Erdogan warned Turkey could suspend diplomatic relations with the Gulf state in response.

Turkey to Conduct Naval Exercises off Cyprus Coast
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 12/2020
Turkey announced it would conduct a live fire naval exercise off the coast on Cyprus between Saturday and Monday despite the looming threat of EU sanctions. Turkey is at loggerheads with Greece and Cyprus over hydrocarbon resources and naval influence in the eastern Mediterranean, sparking fears of more severe conflict. In a message on NAVTEX, the international maritime navigational telex system, Turkey said on Friday there would be a gunnery exercise off the coast of Sadrazamkoy in northern Cyprus. The announcement comes after southern European leaders warned on Thursday they were ready to back EU sanctions against Turkey if Ankara shunned dialogue. The issue will be discussed again at a EU summit on 24-25 September. Tensions escalated after Turkey sent the Oruc Reis seismic research vessel and a small navy flotilla to waters claimed by Greece on August 10. Greece then responded by shadowing the Turkish ships and staging naval exercises with several EU allies and the United Arab Emirates in its own show of force. The Oruc Reis is supposed to remain in the disputed waters until Saturday.

Historic Talks Begin between Taliban, Afghan Government
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 12/2020
Afghanistan's government and the Taliban met for peace talks in Doha on Saturday in a bid to end nearly two decades of war, though a quick breakthrough seems unlikely. The US-backed negotiations come six months later than planned owing to bitter disagreements over a controversial prisoner swap agreed in February. Talks will begin a day after the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks which prompted the US to invade Afghanistan and topple the Taliban regime that had been sheltering Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
The two sides must flesh out "how to move their country forward to reduce violence and deliver what the Afghan people are demanding -- a reconciled Afghanistan with a government that reflects a country that isn't at war," said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who will attend the opening ceremony.
The talks are to be held in a large hotel conference room where chairs were dotted at socially distanced interval facing a banner emblazoned with the words "Afghan Peace Negotiations" in four languages. Delegates began to arrive from dawn at the luxury venue, which hosted the signing of a US-Taliban deal in February that paved the way for the talks. President Donald Trump, up for re-election in November, has pushed hard to end America's longest war and wants all foreign forces to leave Afghanistan by next year. But a comprehensive peace deal could take years, and will depend on the willingness of both sides to tailor their competing visions for the country. The Taliban, who have refused to recognise President Ashraf Ghani's government, will push to reshape Afghanistan into an Islamic "emirate". Ghani's administration will seek to maintain the Western-backed status quo of a constitutional republic that has enshrined many rights including greater freedoms for women.
- Ending the war -
"My beard was black when the war began, it is snow white now and we are still in war," said Kabul resident Obaidullah, 50. "I don't believe the war will end that soon, I am sceptical about the talks because both sides want their full agenda and their system enforced," added the retired civil servant. Many Afghans fear any Taliban return to power -- partial or in full -- could lead to a return of Islamic sharia law. Human Rights Watch called on all participants in the talks to pledge to uphold basic rights as they chart the nation's future. Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at the advocacy group, said that "all participants in any future Afghan government should commit to institutions and processes to uphold women's rights and a free press, end torture in custody and ensure justice for abuses". The insurgents claimed victory in February after signing the Qatari-mediated deal with Washington that laid out a timetable for talks. Qatar has quietly guided the process which has been complicated by violence in Afghanistan and the coronavirus crisis, with Doha's chief negotiator Mutlaq al-Qahtani stressing on Thursday "the power of diplomacy". Doha invited the Taliban to open a political office in 2013 and helped broker February's troop withdrawal deal between Washington and the Taliban. The arrangement has led to tense moments like when the Taliban raised their flag above the office, sparking fury in Kabul.
 

Turkish army seen pushing Erdogan to showdown with Europeans
The Arab Weekly/September 12/2020
ANKARA / PARIS – Turkey’s escalation vis à vis European nations is seen as reflecting a confrontationist attitude on the part of its army that may result soon in a military showdown in the East Med region. This is all the more so that Europeans, especially France and Greece, are intransigent in rejecting Turkey’s illegal moves aimed at exploiting the oil and natural gas riches of the Eastern Mediterranean at the expense of the rest of the countries of the region, especially Greece. The Turkish military air exercises over the island of Gallipoli carried threatening messages to the Europeans and a reminder of the famous Battle of Gallipoli during the First World War, where the coalition forces (Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and France) suffered a resounding defeat and failed to invade Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire at the time, which was a key gate for the Europeans to reach the north-eastern part of the Ottoman Empire in support for Russia against the German forces. The Turks have a particular sensitivity towards any Greek-French alliance. Between 1919 and 1922, such an alliance was able to take control of large areas of Turkey and even reach the gates of Ankara, which prompted Turkish leader Kemal Ataturk to launch a war against it after having mobilised for his cause the whole Turkish population. In 1922, the Turkish army launched a campaign of ethnic cleansing that led to the burning of large sections of Christian neighbourhoods in the city of Izmir, and one of the results of this campaign was the establishment of modern Turkey.
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar released a defiant photo of himself sitting inside an F-16 fighter jet at a military air base in Eskisehir, in western Turkey, during a training flight over the Gallipoli peninsula.
Akar’s photo reinforces the argument claiming that the hard-line military leaders in Turkey are the ones who are directing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan more than he is directing them, especially since the secularists among them were pushed aside for being suspected of involvement in the failed July 2016 attempted coup.
“Erdogan was part of the alliance with retired extremist and anti-Western military officers,” said Turkish political writer Ilhan Tanir. “These are the same officers who were defending expansionist policies in the Aegean, Mediterranean and other seas, and promoting the maritime agreement with Libya. This relationship is mutually beneficial, since Erdogan receives approval for his policies in Libya and the retired military officers get recognition, influence and celebrity.”Tanir told The Arab Weekly that since the 2016 attempted coup, “Erdogan has been able to suppress opposition in the media, the army and the state, and when the former Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar became Minister of Defence, Erdogan gained greater control of the army. Thus, Erdogan has not adopted the basics of checks and balances in the civilian or military ranks.”Henri J. Barkey, professor of international relations at Lehigh University in the United States, expects the confrontation in the Mediterranean Sea to escalate if the Turks, who have significant naval and army forces in the region, remain adamant on their ambitions regarding the riches of the eastern Mediterranean. Barkey, who serves as assistant senior researcher for Middle East studies at the US Council on Foreign Relations, did not rule out that Erdogan’s defiant discourse aims to try to push the other parties in the Mediterranean to include Turkey in the negotiations about sharing the area’s resources, which is rather unlikely to happen given that international law is on Greece’s side.
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the seven Mediterranean countries want a “dialogue in good faith” with Turkey, which is leading an expansionist policy in the Mediterranean. He referred to “the desire to initiate a responsible dialogue and find a balance (…) without any naivety and in good faith.”
The international opposition to Ankara’s projects in the Mediterranean has picked up momentum, with Washington lifting its arms embargo on Cyprus and Greece negotiating the purchase of combat aircraft from France. On Thursday, Hulusi Akar said that Washington’s lifting of the arms embargo on Greek Cypriot-administered Cyprus would lead to a dead end. “If you lift the embargo and try to disturb the balance in this way, it will bring about conflict, not peace,” he added in a veiled threat of war. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that his country had lifted restrictions imposed on the sale of non-lethal defence equipment and services to the Republic of Cyprus for the next fiscal year, which angered Turkey. Previously, Greek Finance Minister Christos Staikouras confirmed that his country is ready to spend part of its cash reserves to buy weapons and other means that will help it increase its “deterrent power”, following years of cuts in defence spending. In mid-August, France sent two Rafale fighters and a support plane to be stationed at the Andreas Papandreou Air Base in the Paphos region of Cyprus, within the framework of a recently activated military agreement between France and Cyprus. The French move was a warning message intended for Ankara. Observers believe that the epicentre of the crisis has now completely shifted from Libya to the maritime zone opposite Cyprus, which confirms that Libya was just a side show for Turkey.

Egypt brokers negotiations on prisoner swap between Israel, Hamas
AFP/Saturday 12 September 2020
Egypt is brokering negotiations on a proposed prisoner swap between Israel and the Hamas rulers of Gaza, taking advantage of a renewed truce between them, a Hamas source said Saturday.A delegation led by General Ahmed Abdel Khalek, Palestinian affairs chief in the Egyptian intelligence service, has shuttled between the two sides in a bid to broker what would be the first such exchange since 2011, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The delegation held a round of talks in Israel sandwiched between two rounds of talks in Gaza on Thursday and Friday.
“The Egyptian intelligence delegation talked with Hamas and with the occupier and delivered messages,” the source said. Hamas demanded that Israel restore the freedom of all prisoners who had been arrested since their release under the last swap deal in 2011. They also requested the release of “children, women and sick people” held by Israel in return for information about Israelis held by Hamas. Hamas is holding at least two Israeli civilians who slipped across the border illegally in 2014 and 2015. It also holds the remains of two Israeli soldiers who were killed in 2014 in the most recent of the three wars that have pitted Hamas against Israel since the Islamists seized Gaza in 2007. “The delegation is currently seeking to finalize a swap deal and we hope that it will be completed as soon as possible,” the Hamas source said. The last prisoner exchange between the two sides in 2011 centerd on Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Hamas in 2006, in return for whom Israel released 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. The latest talks come after Israel and Hamas renewed an Egyptian-brokered truce late last month after more than three weeks of tit-for-tat fire across the border. Under the deal, Israel has allowed the Gulf state of Qatar to funnel tens of millions of dollars of aid into Gaza in return for a halt to rocket and other fire into Israel.

Mohammad Makhlouf, father of Syrian tycoon Rami, dies from coronavirus
Al Arabiya English/Saturday 12 September 2020
Mohammed Makhlouf, father of Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf, has died from coronavirus in Damascus, local media reported on Saturday. Mohammad Makhlouf, who is also Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's uncle, rose to prominence in Syria when Hafez al-Assad became president after a military coup in 1970. He was made director of the tobacco monopoly, a move that was not devoid of symbolism. The Alawites of the mountains, where the Makhloufs came from, were tobacco growers. Its production, which was the famed Latakia blend known for its smoky flavor had once been controlled by the SSNP. The cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris is said to have adopted its Marlboro slogan “come to where the flavor is“ from this blend. As his son would decades later, Mohammed grew to control the Syrian economy behind the scenes, sponsoring major economic deals in the oil sector in the 1980s.

Turkey says it will conduct live fire naval exercises off Cyprus coast
AFP, Istanbul/Saturday 12 September 2020
Turkey announced it would conduct a live fire naval exercise off the coast on Cyprus between Saturday and Monday despite the looming threat of EU sanctions. Turkey is at loggerheads with Greece and Cyprus over hydrocarbon resources and naval influence in the eastern Mediterranean, sparking fears of more severe conflict. In a message on NAVTEX, the international maritime navigational telex system, Turkey said on Friday there would be a gunnery exercise off the coast of Sadrazamkoy in northern Cyprus. The announcement comes after southern European leaders warned on Thursday they were ready to back EU sanctions against Turkey if Ankara shunned dialogue. The issue will be discussed again at an EU summit on 24-25 September. Tensions escalated after Turkey sent the Oruc Reis seismic research vessel and a small navy flotilla to waters claimed by Greece on August 10. Greece then responded by shadowing the Turkish ships and staging naval exercises with several EU allies and the United Arab Emirates in its own show of force. The Oruc Reis is supposed to remain in the disputed waters until Saturday.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 12-13/2020

After Bahrain, spotlight on Saudi role amid normalization deals
Seth J. Frantzman/September 12/2020
The larger picture for Saudi Arabia is more complex. It is the leading powerhouse of the Gulf.
The announcement that Bahrain would normalize relations with Israel a month after a similar statement was made by the United Arab Emirates brings into the spotlight the role and importance of Saudi Arabia. Officially, Riyadh has stuck to the Arab Peace Initiative it supported in 2002 that envisions a two-state solution with concessions by Israel leading the way to recognition by Arab states. The larger picture for Saudi Arabia is more complex. It is the leading powerhouse of the Gulf. From a religious and military perspective, as well as size, Saudi Arabia is the driver behind the Gulf Cooperation Council and also the crisis in 2017 that caused Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Manama to break relations with Qatar.
That means Saudi Arabia is like the quiet calculating giant that has given its support for the UAE and Bahrain to move forward with Israel. Bahrain and the UAE both have different calculations in this. Bahrain was widely considered the country that could normalize relations first. However, its small size and Shi’ite population, as well as memories of the 2011 Arab Spring protests, illustrate that it may have been more vulnerable to threats had it made the normalization leap first. The UAE by contrast has been termed the “little Sparta” of the Middle East. Abu Dhabi has led efforts against the Muslim Brotherhood and also been clear on concerns about Iran’s aggressive stance in the region. The UAE and Saudi Arabia led intervention in Yemen to stop Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in 2015. This made the UAE the most dynamic of the Gulf states in many ways, including its willingness to carve out relations with Israel.
Juxtaposed to the UAE’s dynamism is the role of Qatar, which sought to punch far above its weight over the last three decades, engaging in influence peddling and support for groups well beyond the heartland of the Middle East. In a sense Qatar’s freewheeling decisions, and its cozy relationship with Iran and Turkey, led to the break in relations in 2017.
Now we can understand the key role of Saudi Arabia in all this. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is key to Riyadh’s current posture. He supported the war in Yemen and he has also stumbled at times by misreading the power of Qatar’s influence abroad and its ability to embarrass Saudi Arabia.
Latest articles from Jpost
Yet MBS has weathered that storm and must calculate the kingdom’s next move. It has not defeated the Houthis despite five years of war. The Iranians still traffic drones and missiles to Sana’a and launch them weekly at Saudi Arabia. No amount of hi-tech US military equipment has stopped the problem. Certainly Saudi Arabia and the UAE would both like more weapons, such as Reaper drones and F-35s, from the US. As we know from the controversy about the F-35 and the Israel-UAE deal, any chance for delivery of the 5th generation system will be met with controversy and also years of discussions. Saudi Arabia’s stance has likely given a blank check to Egypt to praise the Bahrain deal. The statements by Cairo embracing the deal put wind in Manama’s sails. This is important because it shows a joint work among the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. We already know that the UAE and Egypt have also formed closer ties over work with Greece and Cyprus to address Turkish aggression in Libya and the eastern Mediterranean. Israel and France have signed on as well. Here we can see a joint front emerging of Egypt-Greece-Cyprus-UAE and possibly Israel.
Where is Saudi Arabia in all this. Because it is focused on Yemen it appears to enable UAE and Egypt to go first. In this Bahrain is a bit of an after thought, since it is not a major military power.
For the US, the strategic partnership between these countries is clear. The US has the important al-Dhafra base in the UAE, where its F-35s fly from during recent drills with Israel; and the US has the 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain and Udaid airbase in Qatar. Qatar matters here because it is engaging in strategic dialogue, the third round of meetings, with the US. In addition Qatar plays a key role keeping quiet in Gaza through funding.
Herein lies the riddle of Saudi Arabia’s next calculations. It understands that US President Donald Trump has been a key ally and helped shield the kingdom from criticism during the Khashoggi affair, the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 in Istanbul at the Saudi consulate.
Riyadh is concerned about Turkish and Iranian ambitions. It also wants to maintain its power in Islamic forums and also not let Turkey insert itself into Jerusalem. It understands Turkey is trying to undermine Saudi influence in Pakistan, Malaysia and elsewhere. Riyadh is also concerned it has lost the consensus of support in Western countries and become a partisan issue. At home MBS is trying to push major economic reforms called Vision 2030. At the same time the assessment of Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, is that relations with Israel are inevitable. Saudi Arabia looks to be ushering in this era of normalization by enabling its Gulf partners to move first, one at a time, like pieces on a chess board, and monitoring the reaction. First the UAE. Then Bahrain. Riyadh also knows that Oman hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018, and Riyadh has enabled Israeli overflights. Sudan, where the pro-Turkish Muslim Brotherhood leader was pushed out in 2019, has also appeared more open to Israel.
In addition, MBS has hosted US evangelical leaders in 2018 and 2019, a sign of its growing interest not only in hearing out this group but also their views on Israel. The question for Riyadh is when it thinks normalization could come. Could it come before the US election, a gamble on Trump succeeding. Or does it prefer to wait and see? Another issue it must weigh is whether it wants to be seen as going back on its word about needing to see progress on Israel-Palestinian peace processes. Reports in the region suggest that while the US has pushed for Saudi normalization the kingdom must weigh its key personal relationship with the Trump administration against its long-term image, interests and pragmatism.That’s not to say that an October surprise might not be in the making, since the last two months have seen two key peace deals. With a lockdown looming in Israel and the government not appearing to want to make concessions to a Palestinian leadership that is divided, aging and won’t even speak with Israel or the White House, it’s unclear how this could come about.
 

How to Steal an Election - Part II
Chris Farrell/Gatestone Institute/September 12/2020
Through the release of the TIP report, the American Left has established itself and its dishonest storyline as the official narrative of the 2020 presidential election. They have alerted the militant wing of their movement to seize control of the lead-up to election day, to election day itself, and all the way out past inauguration day. This is a campaign unto itself -- not an event.
No single statement or particular recommendation is completely outrageous... they support and amplify dubious premises: Leftist protestors are non-violent while Trump supporters are agents provocateurs; Trump will misuse the military and law enforcement to hold on to power; universal mail-in voting poses no risk of fraud; finding new ballots weeks after the election is completely normal; news critical of Biden is misinformation; a Trump victory will be evidence of foreign interference, etc.
Now you understand how the Left intends to disrupt and steal the 2020 presidential election. You understand the psychological warfare techniques being used right now to convince you (wrongly) of being demoralized and weakened. You have been warned. The question for you and others in opposition to the TIP plan is: What are you going to do?
Having established the Left's documented plan to disrupt the 2020 presidential election, let's examine further some of the information operations techniques now being deployed against the American public to persuade and influence the election "season" ahead.
The very publication of the Transition Integrity Project (TIP) report and the subsequent news media reporting about it are components of psychological warfare within the broader information warfare campaign aimed at spreading demoralizing rumors to Trump supporters. The goal is to break down and weaken support before, during and after election day. Demoralized and unmotivated supporters do not make their support for their candidate public. They do not campaign in neighborhoods or post yard signs. They do not vote. They do not volunteer at polling places. They become convinced their hopes are a lost, and highly controversial cause. They do not wish to be called a racist, or a hater, or identified with other fringe elements. They stay at home and watch TV.
Having been psychologically conditioned (through the COVID-19 pandemic) to withdraw, isolate, and lock-down -- on largely fiat orders of various government officials -- many Americans will react to the "irregular" and extra-legal tactics of the Left. The Left relies on this reaction to suppress voter turnout and use varying forms of terror, such as reprisals and the threats of reprisals, against those who do not cooperate or who challenge the projected accusations detailed in the TIP report.
The TIP report is careful not to engage in sedition. They are a whisper away from advocating violence -- but these are very sharp political operatives that are all lawyered-up, so they speak in code. Here are some examples for you to read between the lines:
"If there is a crisis, events will unfold quickly, and sleep-deprived leaders will be asked to make consequential decisions quickly. Thinking through options now will help to ensure better decisions"
"Planners need to take seriously the notion that this may well be a street fight, not a legal battle; technocratic solutions, courts, and a reliance on elites observing norms are not the answer here."
"Groups, coalitions, and networks should be preparing now to establish the necessary communications and organizing infrastructure to support mass mobilization."
"Military and law enforcement leaders need to be particularly attuned to the possibility that partisan actors will seek to manipulate or misuse their coercive powers for inappropriate political ends."
No single statement or particular recommendation is completely outrageous, except that, in the context of the report, they support and amplify dubious premises: Leftist protestors are non-violent while Trump supporters are agents provocateurs; Trump will misuse the military and law enforcement to hold on to power; universal mail-in voting poses no risk of fraud; finding new ballots weeks after the election is completely normal; news critical of Biden is misinformation; a Trump victory will be evidence of foreign interference, etc.
The voter psychological conditioning campaign, wherein suppression and reprisal become a self-fulfilling prophesy, will not receive news media or social media scrutiny. Those who raise the threats of violence and reprisals will be termed conspiracy theorists, marginalized and dismissed. Once again, who wants to be called a racist, a hater, or identified with some other fringe elements?
Through the release of the TIP report, the American Left has established itself and its dishonest storyline as the official narrative of the 2020 presidential election. They have alerted the militant wing of their movement to seize control of the lead-up to election day, to election day itself, and all the way out past inauguration day. This is a campaign unto itself -- not an event. Now you understand how the Left intends to disrupt and steal the 2020 presidential election. You understand the psychological warfare techniques being used right now to convince you (wrongly) of being demoralized and weakened. You have been warned. The question for you and others in opposition to the TIP plan is: What are you going to do?
*Chris Farrell is a former counterintelligence case officer. For the past 20 years, he has served as the Director of Investigations & Research for Judicial Watch. The views expressed are the author's alone, and not necessarily those of Judicial Watch.
© 2020 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 and Qatar have an unlikely partnership for dealing with Gaza

Jonathan Spyer/September 12/2020
A deal brokered by the emirate of Qatar brought the latest round of low-level hostilities between Israel and Hamas-controlled Gaza to an end on August 31.
The agreement includes the resumption of Qatari aid to the coastal enclave. The projects Doha committed to in brokering the ceasefire, according to regional media reports, include plans to build a power station operated by Qatar, the provision of $34 million for humanitarian aid, provision of 20,000 COVID-19 testing kits by Qatar to the Health Ministry, and a number of initiatives to reduce unemployment in the Gaza Strip.
In other respects, the deal appears to simply restore the status quo that held prior to Hamas’s commencement of the escalation several weeks ago. Concerns by the rulers of Gaza regarding the possible spread of the coronavirus, and Israel’s decision to reduce the electricity supply to Gaza during the escalation, appear to have dampened Hamas’s enthusiasm to continue this round: Thus far, then, just another minor spat in the open-ended standoff between Israel and the Islamist enclave to its southwest.
The role of Qatar and its emissary Mohammad al-Emadi, however, is worthy of further consideration. The small Gulf emirate generally adopts a regional stance antithetical to the Jewish state. During the Arab Spring, its influential Al Jazeera satellite channel fanned the flames of popular Islamist revolt. Its efforts greatly contributed to the brief summer of the Muslim Brotherhood in various parts of the Middle East. It was a strong supporter of the Morsi government in Egypt, which for a moment appeared to be the possible bearer of strategic disaster for Israel, raising the specter of the abrogation of the 1979 peace treaty.
Qatar is a close ally of Turkey, from whose support it has benefited in its ongoing standoff with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Indeed, Qatar and Turkey today together constitute the main element of a loose regional alliance bringing together Muslim Brotherhood-associated forces in the region.
Hamas-controlled Gaza is also a part of this gathering. This commonality underlies Qatar’s willingness to effectively underwrite the continued viability of the Hamas territory. Doha also maintains good relations with Iran. It is engaged together with Tehran in the development of the North Dome/South Pars gas field, the largest natural gas field in the world.
Recent reports have asserted that Qatari money has facilitated the provision of weapons to the Hezbollah (full disclosure: this author co-wrote two of these reports).
So with a set of apparently anti-Israel credentials as long as that, how is Qatar able to maintain the level of trust required to act as an apparently successful mediator in the context of Israel and Gaza?
The answer is that starting from entirely different entry points, both Israel and Qatar are today committed to the survival of the Hamas-controlled entity in Gaza.
Qatar’s reasons to support the continued existence of the Hamas-controlled area are fairly self-explanatory. The area constitutes one of the few remaining parts of the Arabic-speaking world still governed by a Muslim Brotherhood-associated movement. The reaction by the old Arab order following the Arab Spring swept away Brotherhood-associated governments in Tunisia and Egypt and defeated a Sunni Islamist insurgency in Syria. Gaza remains as a forlorn pool after the receding of the tide.
Israel’s reasons for this commitment are less immediately obvious, but are also not excessively complex. Jerusalem faced and defeated a Hamas-led insurgency in the West Bank and Gaza in the 2000-2004 period. It then fought a short, destructive but inconclusive war against the Iran-supported Shi’ite Islamists of Hezbollah in 2006.
Since then, Israel has adopted, by default, a policy of seeking deterrence against, rather than destruction of the two Islamist-dominated spaces to its north and southwest.
Regarding Gaza, a determined ground maneuver by a couple of Israeli divisions would be enough to bring about the collapse of the Hamas-led administration. Such a maneuver would probably cost a hundred or more Israeli lives, but its result would be in no doubt. At its conclusion, the Israeli flag would be placed over the rubble of Gaza City, and the Muslim Brotherhood entity would be no more.
Following such a move, Israel would re-acquire responsibility for the lives of the 1.85 million hostile Arab Muslim inhabitants of the Strip. The Palestinian Authority in Ramallah would undoubtedly decline to receive the area from a conquering Israeli force.
This, to put it mildly, is not a desired outcome from an Israeli point of view. Reality does not offer an endless menu of alternatives. In effect, the two possibilities available are the scenario described above or something resembling the current status quo. Unsurprisingly, Israel chooses the latter. (The same logic, but on a far more consequential and dangerous level applies incidentally to Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon).
There is another level of consideration that also points toward the same option. Hamas domination of Gaza has brought about what now looks like a semi-permanent fissure in the Palestinian Arab national movement.
The resulting political dysfunctionality plays to Israel’s advantage. The fact that one half of the Palestinian division is committed to political Islam increases this advantage. The unpopularity of political Islam among Western political elites and publics, and the domination of half of the split Palestinian camp by an Islamist movement are an asset for Israel. Destruction of the Hamas Gaza enclave would very possibly result in the reunification of the Palestinian camp. This would be accompanied by undoubted return of both regional and Western political and media attention to the now largely dormant Palestinian issue.
The above perspective depends on the notion that deterrence against Islamist movements is possible. Two decades ago, such a notion might have seemed farfetched, given the extreme objectives and ideological fervor of such movements. In 2020, however, the high point of Islamist fervor as a revolutionary force seems to have passed.
In the period 2010-2018, revolutionary political Islam’s moment came. In addition to the aforementioned rise of Muslim Brotherhood-associated movements, the purest and least diluted version of this phenomenon – Islamic State – rose into brief being.
That moment, from the perspective of 2020, looks already distant. Today, there are no truly powerful, independent, grassroots Islamist insurgencies in the Arabic-speaking world. Those small Islamist authorities that remain are dependent on state sponsors, and keen to maintain the trappings of power they have achieved. Were it not so, indeed, it is unlikely Qatar, which enjoyed riding the wave of Islamist fervor for as long as it lasted, would be willing to broker such agreements as the one recently concluded. The agreement offers nothing, after all, for Hamas in return for ceasing the escalation other than the return of the status quo plus increased largesse from Doha itself.
Israel’s current cooperation with Qatar in maintaining Hamas rule in Gaza thus makes sense. The security challenges facing Israel in the period now opening up centrally involve the state-led alliances of Iran and Turkey. Both of these powerful countries combine imperial and revanchist ambitions with a proclaimed commitment to political Islam. An adequate region-wide and strategic response to these challenges is likely to involve the ongoing deterrence of the small and dysfunctional Islamist-controlled areas in the immediate vicinity, rather than their conquest and occupation. On this basis, Qatari involvement in Gaza, alongside that of Israel and Egypt, looks set to continue.

UAE-Mexico ties make even more sense in today's world
Graciela Marquez/The National/September 12/2020
Our partnership becomes crucial amid the coronavirus-induced global economic downturn, writes Graciela Marquez
Today we celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations between Mexico and the UAE, a commemoration that comes at an unprecedented moment in the world economic scene and that raises the need to identify opportunities over and above challenges.
In February, we had the honour of hosting, at the Ministry of Economy, the “Mexico-UAE Business and Trade Forum” to explore economic opportunities that exist in our markets within the framework of a fruitful working meeting. The occasion allowed us to exchange ideas and expectations with the visiting delegation of entrepreneurs on areas with potential to strengthen our economic co-operation. We have promoted areas of mutual interest, such as attracting investment, strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises, and tightening business relations.
Economic relations between the UAE and Mexico should continue to grow, taking into account that this country is our second trading partner in the Middle East. In 2019, we recorded an increase of about 16 per cent of our total commercial exchange, compared to the previous year, in the areas of automotive, electrical components and medical instruments.
We are keen to enhance our communication and encourage the deepening of trade and investment even as we overcome our geographical distance. To achieve this, we – the government and private sectors – are working together to take advantage of the opportunities that this relationship offers. We want to extend our support particularly to SMEs to help them overcome the first obstacle they face when entering a market: the lack of information. To this end, we have developed tools such as ExportaMx, a platform that provides information on existing economic opportunities for Mexican companies based on product and country. The idea is that we advance together, through close support and based on data analysis.
The UAE continues its rapid transition towards a more flexible and open economy, showing a keenness to receive more products and investment from our country. Mexico, meanwhile, is also an open economy that expects to create a conducive and responsible environment, in order for foreign direct investment to help produce mutual benefits and support our SMEs as they integrate with the global value chain.
Our economies are prepared to continue strengthening ties, which is cause for celebration, today more than ever.
*Dr Graciela Marquez is Mexico’s Minister of Economy

UAE and Mexico will overcome distance to come closer
Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri /The National/September 12/2020
Emirati and Mexican businesses have a great opportunity to invest in each other's markets, writes Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri
As the UAE accelerates its transition to a more flexible economic model, driven by comprehensive policies that are designed to revive and support vital economic activities, the country also celebrates the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Mexico, a historical milestone in bilateral ties with the Latin American country. In recent years, relations between the UAE and Mexico have flourished with the support and patronage of both governments and thanks to a shared aspiration to deepen co-operation in a number of fields. The success of these joint efforts is reflected in the non-oil foreign trade volume between the two countries, valued at $1.4 billion in 2019 – a 16 per cent growth from the previous year. Earlier this year, a UAE delegation attended the ”Mexico-UAE Business and Trade Forum” in Mexico, with an aim to facilitate deeper collaboration and co-operation between the business communities of both countries and highlight promising business opportunities in both markets. Such endeavours reflect our shared commitment to promote economic, commercial and investment co-operation; develop partnerships, facilitate exchange of experiences among SMEs; and establish more channels to connect business leaders from both countries. Mexico's decision to grant UAE citizens visa-free entry will add more value to our efforts in this regard.
As we continue to navigate the challenges brought about by the spread of Covid-19, the strengthening of communication channels and trade and investment ties between the two countries has become more important than ever before. Despite the geographical distance, we continue to encourage Emirati companies and investors to pursue opportunities in a diverse array of vital sectors in the Mexican market. We also welcome more Mexican businesses and investments to our shores.
Mexico is a promising global market for us. There is much to explore within the context of UAE-Mexico relations, and we look forward to stimulating mutual investment and partnerships across a multitude of sectors, which will serve as vital channels for co-operation in the next phase of our evolving ties.
**Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri is the UAE Minister of Economy

Is Erdogan interested in a deal with Europe?
Damien Mcelory/The National/September 12/2020
EU's attempts this week to reach a settlement with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean are riddled with complications
It is a big week for diplomacy around the Eastern Mediterranean crisis, with a clear risk that the region faces an inexorable rise in tensions. The European Council President Charles Michel is due to fly to Greece, Cyprus and Malta, as well as hold a scheduled negotiation with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by telephone.
Greece has appealed for support from its fellow Europeans as it faces Turkish encroachment into its territorial waters around the Mediterranean basin. Cyprus has seen a Turkish exploration flotilla linger in its waters for weeks. France has sent war planes to patrol the area. The Pentagon ordered US military exercises in the area as a show of involvement and, presumably, a caution against further escalation.
How far Mr Michel gets in his mediation is open to question.
Turkish officials accuse the EU of not being impartial in the process. This is not an entirely straightforward accusation, as Turkey is challenging the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), a convention accepted by 167 countries.
When it signed a joint maritime agreement with Tripoli’s Government of National Accord, Mr Erdogan’s government was attempting to override the geography of not only the Dodecanese islands but also Crete, the largest island in Greece – and thus the whole seabed in the eastern half of the sea.
Mr Erdogan appears bent on reversing what he views as an unequal treaty signed in Sevres, France in 1920 as Turkey emerged from the ashes of the First World War and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.
It is important to remember Mr Erdogan has a wider agenda. His government subscribes ever more closely to the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology. The Turkish state has also immersed itself far deeper in Arab affairs and the destiny of the Arab states than ever in its near century history.
Moreover, in search of allies Mr Erdogan’s government has backed revisionist foreign policies – something that seems to have contributed to its readiness to now go up against Europe in the Mediterranean.
The deadline for the current round of diplomacy is September 23, when the EU's foreign ministers are due to discuss what measures to take against Turkey.
The portents for Mr Erdogan are not good. At a caucus meeting last week of the "Med7 states" – those in the EU with shores on the Mediterranean – a statement said countries must comply with Unclos and resolve differences through dialogue. The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for the Europeans to adopt a quick, sharp shock strategy when it puts together its sanctions measures. Turkey’s complaint is that it is being shut out of the hydro-carbon riches of the sea – huge natural gas basins have been discovered in recent decades – and that its coastline is unfairly hemmed in by Greek waters.
Taking matters in its own hands threatens to unravel the stability of a massive swathe of the world. Ankara took advantage of Libya’s instability to set up a one-side arrangement with Tripoli.
In a paper last week, the London-based think tank Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) dissected what is at stake, as the pressure builds and how outside powers are being sucked into the crisis. It pointed out that Cyprus was also a great prize in the whole struggle. An end game could see a switch-back attempt to create a new framework to deal with the island in two separate parts.
Even the suggestion that Britain could play a role in the unfolding crisis is tantalising. It has managed to leave the European Union while retaining sovereign military base territory on Cyprus. Tilting its hand in favour of Turkey would be fraught with risk for all concerned. However, the footprint it retains in the Eastern Mediterranean adds to the intrigue in the pipeline.
On the other side of the coin, there is increasing talk of an expanding Greece's military budget and speculation over a potential purchase of French Rafale fighter jets. Having long been a client of the German armaments industry, a shift by Athens to Paris would signal a change in priorities from the economic relationship to military and strategic concerns.
Thus the conditions exist for a revamped focus on Europe’s “strategic south”. This would set up different powers, France, Britain and Germany, and see the capitals jockeying with separate agendas. That prospect would add fuel to the fire of the divisions already ripping the power balance in Europe to shreds.
Watch out for a historic turning point when the European sanctions on Turkey do come. It is increasingly unlikely that London will match its counterparts. The Brexit split will be for the first time made real in the field of international sanctions.
Other Europeans remain preoccupied by President Erdogan’s ability to push hundreds of thousands of migrants across the sea and land borders in to Europe. In fact he has already shown his hand. In February and March, the Greek border was flooded with a sudden influx of desperate people who had been brought by people smugglers within Turkey to the province of Edirne and virtually pushed across the 200-kilometre frontier.
The stakes for Mr Michel and the diplomats have never been higher. Unfortunately, the prize for Mr Erdogan is no longer a settlement and quiet life with Europeans gently sustaining his government.
*Damien McElroy is the London bureau chief of The National