English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 01/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 19/01-10/:”He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycomore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 31- August 01/2021
MoPH: 984 new coronavirus infections, three deaths
Lebanon restricts entry to cafes, beaches amid pandemic concerns
President Aoun to graduating officers: Let the sword of military and moral education which you have received, remain raised in your hands in the face of conspirators against Lebanon’s security at home and abroad
Forest fires renewed in Akkar
FBI Probe Shows Amount of Chemicals in Beirut Blast Was Fraction of Original Shipment
Lebanon leaders say ready to cooperate in Beirut blast probe
Reports: Miqati to Submit Preliminary Line-Up Monday as Full Reshuffle Expected
EU Says Ready to Impose Sanctions over Lebanon Crisis
Berri praises Lebanese Army on its Day
Jumblatt: If I am assaulted, I know in advance who the accused is
Sami Gemayel: August 4 is a turning point between the old Lebanon and the new Lebanon
Algerian ambassador to Lebanon, Ahmed Bouziane visits Adaisseh, Kfar Kila
The Real Obstacle to the Government Formation in Lebanon/Elias Harfoush/Asharq Al Awsat/31 July/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 31- August 01/2021
US official presses Tunisia’s Saied on need for ‘swift return’ to democratic path
Tunisian president says important decisions coming soon: Algerian presidency
Ennahdha’s Ghannouchi takes ill amid political turmoil in Tunisia
Tunisian security forces place prominent judge under house arrest
With new political climate, Tunisian judiciary moves on as it faces less constraints
US voices frustration with Iran’s negotiating tactics
Explosive experts board attacked Israeli-managed tanker to assess damage: US Navy
Iran hints at role in drone attack on Israeli-managed tanker
Israel Pushes for U.N. Action against Iran over Deadly Ship Attack
Millions of Americans at Risk of Losing Homes as Virus Cases Spike
First Flight of Afghan Interpreters Fleeing Taliban Arrives in U.S.
Gadhafi’s son looks forward to Libyans choosing him as ‘their leader’
China Outbreak Spreads as WHO Sounds Alarm on Delta
Ruling family dispute exposes new tensions in Kuwait

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 31- August 01/2021
Iran and the Divisive Rule of the Mullah/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/31 July/2021
Now Is Biden’s Best Chance to Ditch the Iran Nuclear Talks/Eli Lake/Asharq Al Awsat/31 July/2021
Iran’s Mullahs are Killing; Biden Administration, EU Are Silent/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/July 31/2021
Kais Saied gives Tunisian democracy a second chance/Francis Ghiles/The Arab Weekly/July 31/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 31- August 01/2021
MoPH: 984 new coronavirus infections, three deaths
NNA/July 31/2021
Lebanon has recorded 984 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths in the last 24 hours, as reported by the Ministry of Public Health on Saturday.

Lebanon restricts entry to cafes, beaches amid pandemic concerns
The Arab Weekly/July 31/2021
Lebanon is to limit entry to restaurants, cafes, pubs and beaches to people holding COVID-19 vaccine certificates or those who have taken antibodies tests, the tourism ministry said on Friday. Non-vaccinated employees of these establishments would be required to conduct a PCR test every 72 hours, it added. The move comes amidst a surge in infections with around 1,104 positive cases registered on Thursday compared to a few hundred a day in previous months. Lebanon’s cases peaked when a total lockdown was enforced in January after hospitals became overwhelmed amid a crippling financial crisis, with medicines running low and frequent power cuts. The country gradually re-opened over the spring. Lebanon’s vaccination drive has been slow with only around 18% of the population fully vaccinated. A top hospital director warned last week Lebanon’s deepening economic crisis has piled pressure on hospitals, leaving them ill-equipped to face any new wave of the pandemic. Already struggling with shortages of medicine and an exodus of staff abroad, the country’s health facilities are now also having to contend with almost round-the-clock power cuts.“All hospitals… are now less prepared than they were during the wave at the start of the year,” said Firass Abiad, the manager of the largest public hospital in the country battling Covid. “Medical and nursing staff have left, medicine that was once available has run out,” and ever lengthening cuts to the mains power supply have left hospitals under constant threat. Even the Rafik Hariri University Hospital he runs has been struggling to cope. “We only get two to three hours of mains electricity, and for the rest of the time it’s up to the generators,” Abiad said. On top of worrying they could burn out, “we have the huge burden of having to constantly be on the hunt for fuel oil.”
Huge demand for the increasingly scarce commodity has driven up prices by more than 80 percent since June 17. Even at the prestigious RHUH, some medicines are routinely running out. “Some days it’s antibiotics, others it’s anaesthetics,” the hospital chief said. Sometimes “we’re forced to ask the patients’ relatives to go and try to find the medicine from another hospital or a pharmacy.” Private hospitals had earlier warned of a looming “catastrophe” as some were only hours away from running out of fuel to power their generators. Pharmacies said importers are refusing to make deliveries as they are unhappy with the new prices for drugs that are no longer subsidised, and cannot get lines of credit for those that still are. Around 1,300 doctors have emigrated since the economic crisis began in 2019, with the numbers picking up over the past 12 months, the doctors’ syndicate says.

President Aoun to graduating officers: Let the sword of military and moral education which you have received, remain raised in your hands in the face of conspirators against Lebanon’s security at home and abroad
NNA/July 31/2021
On the occasion of the Lebanese Army Day on August 1, the President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, congratulated the military institution, its leadership, officers, sergeants, and individuals.
The President said: “For the second year in a row, the tradition of handing over swords to graduating officers on Army Day is absent, due to the circumstances of the Corona pandemic, but this holiday, with its patriotic meanings, values, moral and historical dimensions that it injects into souls, cannot be absent from the conscience of the Lebanese and their pride in the institution that was made in various stages and circumstances. This institution was established through sacrifices, offering blood and martyrs in order to maintain security and stability, and to strengthen democratic foundations in Lebanon”. “Today, despite the harsh economic and financial conditions, and the very difficult life challenges faced by the Lebanese, including members of the army, everyone feels that the army is still the surest guarantee of stability and national unity, despite the suffering of the military from the intensification of financial hardship on them, which we hope that we will soon witness the beginning of its decline, through the formation of a salvation government. A government which the Lebanese look to as a salvation from the blockage of the doors of solutions in their faces”.
"You have never hesitated to answer the call of duty, wherever you were, spread out in the Lebanese Bekaa. No matter how heavy your burdens are today, I have great confidence that you will remain the watchful eye of the country, the chest which protects freedoms, institutions, and the foundations of the democratic state which the Lebanese meet under, from all sects and religions, as stipulated in the constitution. The constitution entrusted you with the task of defending it. I pledge to you that I will do my best, so that your dignity and rights remain preserved, and that the political authority provides you with the care you deserve” President Aoun added. “The commitment of the international community, especially in the recent period, to support the army institution is a firm sign of its confidence in your role in protecting the Lebanese entity and its constitutional institutions” the President emphasized.
Moreover, President Aoun saluted graduating officers, and said: “This year, the pandemic conditions deprived us of the sword imitation ceremony in your session, which you called the “Great Lebanon Centennial,” but I recommend that the sword of military and moral education that you received at the College of Honor, Sacrifice and Loyalty remains raised in your hands in the face of conspirators against Lebanon's security at home and abroad”.
“Let your foreheads be shining with truth, and your heads raised in the face of those who try to harm your integrity, effectiveness and morality” President Aoun continued. The President concluded by calling on the Lebanese on this occasion to rally around the army, and to preserve their national unity, “Which constitutes the solid basis for building Lebanon, and the door to exit from the dark tunnel through which they pass”.

Forest fires renewed in Akkar
NNA/July 31/2021
Forest fires were renewed in the town of Nayir in the region of Mount Akroum due to strong winds, NNA correspondent said. Residents called on the concerned authorities to intervene quickly and send a military helicopter to prevent the fire from reaching the nearby forest areas.

FBI Probe Shows Amount of Chemicals in Beirut Blast Was Fraction of Original Shipment
Reuters/July 31/2021
The amount of ammonium nitrate that blew up at Beirut port last year was one fifth of the shipment unloaded there in 2013, the FBI concluded after the blast, adding to suspicions that much of the cargo had gone missing. As the first anniversary approaches on Aug. 4, major questions remain unanswered, including how a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate - which can be used to make fertiliser or bombs - was left unsafely stored in a capital city for years. The blast was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, killing more than 200 people, wounding thousands, and devastating swathes of Beirut. The FBI's Oct. 7, 2020 report, which was seen by Reuters this week, estimates around 552 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded that day, much less than the 2,754 tonnes that arrived on a Russian-leased cargo ship in 2013. The FBI report does not give any explanation as to how the discrepancy arose, or where the rest of the shipment may have gone. In response to a detailed request for comment, an FBI spokesperson referred Reuters to the Lebanese authorities. FBI investigators came to Beirut after the blast at Lebanon's request.
A senior Lebanese official who was aware of the FBI report and its findings said the Lebanese authorities agreed with the Bureau on the quantity that exploded. Many officials in Lebanon have previously said in private they believe a lot of the shipment was stolen. The ammonium nitrate was going from Georgia to Mozambique on a Russian-leased cargo ship when the captain says he was instructed to make an unscheduled stop in Beirut and take on extra cargo. The ship arrived in Beirut in November 2013 but never left, becoming tangled in a legal dispute over unpaid port fees and ship defects. No one ever came forward to claim the shipment. The senior Lebanese official said there were no firm conclusions as to why the quantity that exploded was less than the original shipment. One theory was that part of it was stolen. A second theory was that only part of the shipment detonated, with the rest blown out to sea, the official said.
The FBI report said "an approximate amount reaching around 552 metric tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded in warehouse 12". It noted the warehouse was large enough to house the 2,754 tonne shipment, which was stored in one-tonne bags, but added "it is not logical that all of them were present at the time of the explosion".

Lebanon leaders say ready to cooperate in Beirut blast probe
The Arab Weekly/July 31/2021
BEIRUT--Lebanon’s ruling elite, accused of hampering the judiciary’s investigation into last year’s Beirut port blast, in an attempt to diffuse public anger, are rallying to demonstrate their good intentions and readiness to cooperate after months of stalling. On Friday, Lebanon’s president Michel Aoun told the country’s public prosecutor he was ready to give a statement about the port blast if it were needed. “No one is above the law no matter how high up and justice can only be achieved through the specialised judicial branches that provide guarantees,” Aoun was reported as saying in a statement to prosecutor Ghassan Ouidat. A day earlier, Lebanon’s influential parliament speaker Nabih Berri said the legislature was ready to lift the immunity of its members in order allow for questioning over last year’s port blast in the capital Beirut. The massive explosion last August killed over 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed large parts of the city. Nearly a year later, however, no top officials have been questioned over the disaster, angering many Lebanese. Three weeks before the explosion, Aoun admitted knowing about the existence of ammonium nitrate, a dangerous chemical used to make fertilizer and explosives, at the port. He did not however, take any steps to remove the chemicals, given that he “does not have the powers” that would allow him to do so. Before that, a document circulated by the media showed that Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab had received a warning about the security danger of the chemicals. “The priority of parliament was and will continue to be complete cooperation with the judiciary,” Berri said in a statement Thursday after a meeting with the Future Movement, parliament’s main Sunni bloc. Veteran Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri, who heads the party, had called for lawmakers’ immunity to be lifted earlier this week by suspending all constitutional and legal regulations that allow for it.
Berri did not however say when immunity would be lifted or how. A probe into the port blast led by judge Tarek Bitar has been hindered over the past month as requests sent parliament and the government to lift immunity and enable questioning of several top officials were either declined or stalled. Media reports on Friday revealed some details of the FBI report on the blast, saying the amount of ammonium nitrate that blew up at Beirut port last year was one fifth of the shipment unloaded there in 2013, which raises suspicions that much of the cargo had gone missing. As the first anniversary approaches on August 4, major questions remain unanswered, including how a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate was left unsafely stored in a capital city for years. The blast was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded. The FBI’s October 7, 2020 report estimated around 552 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded that day, much less than the 2,754 tonnes that arrived on a Russian-leased cargo ship in 2013. The FBI report does not give any explanation as to how the discrepancy arose, or where the rest of the shipment may have gone. FBI investigators came to Beirut after the blast at Lebanon’s request. A senior Lebanese official who was aware of the FBI report and its findings said the Lebanese authorities agreed with the Bureau on the quantity that exploded. Many officials in Lebanon have previously said in private they believe a lot of the shipment was stolen. The ammonium nitrate was going from Georgia to Mozambique on a Russian-leased cargo ship when the captain says he was instructed to make an unscheduled stop in Beirut and take on extra cargo. The ship arrived in Beirut in November 2013 but never left, becoming tangled in a legal dispute over unpaid port fees and ship defects. No one ever came forward to claim the shipment. The senior Lebanese official said there were no firm conclusions as to why the quantity that exploded was less than the original shipment. One theory was that part of it was stolen. A second theory was that only part of the shipment detonated, with the rest blown out to sea, the official said.

Reports: Miqati to Submit Preliminary Line-Up Monday as Full Reshuffle Expected
Naharnet/31 July/2021
Contacts are underway behind the scenes to reach a full reshuffle regarding the draft cabinet line-up, starting by the number of ministers to the redistribution of sovereign porrfolios to the reform-related potfolios such as energy and telecom, media reports said. "The consultations over the governmental file have not stopped and the beginning of next week will witness a bigger drive, especially to resolve points that need an understanding," informed political sources told al-Liwaa newspaper in remarks published Saturday. Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati will meanwhile present a preliminary cabinet line-up to President Michel Aoun on Monday, several newspapers said. "He has started contacts with the political forces to explore their stances as to the distribution of portfolios and the selection of some candidates," al-Liwaa reported.

EU Says Ready to Impose Sanctions over Lebanon Crisis
Agence France Presse/31 July/2021
The European Union said on Friday it was ready to impose sanctions on Lebanon's ruling elite over the political crisis wracking the country, after adopting a legal framework for such measures. The crisis has left Lebanon without a functioning government since the last one resigned after a massive explosion killed dozens and destroyed swathes of Beirut in August 2020. The country has plunged into what the World Bank described as one of the worst economic crises since the 1850s, and political players continue to squabble. "This framework provides for the possibility of imposing sanctions against persons and entities who are responsible for undermining democracy or the rule of law in Lebanon," the EU said in a statement. The bloc's 27 member states must still vote unanimously for the list of people and entities to be sanctioned. On Monday, Lebanese lawmakers tasked ex-premier and billionaire Najib Mikati with forming a government, days after fellow veteran politician Saad Hariri threw in the towel. EU sanctions would target people obstructing this process, the statement read. They "consist of a travel ban to the EU and an asset freeze for persons, and an asset freeze for entities," it said. "In addition, EU persons and entities are forbidden from making funds available to those listed." The EU could also sanction people "obstructing or undermining the implementation of plans approved by Lebanese authorities and supported by relevant international actors, including the EU, to improve accountability and good governance in the public sector or the implementation of critical economic reforms."

Berri praises Lebanese Army on its Day
NNA/31 July/2021
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stressed the importance of the military institution, which encircled the country with the triumvirate of honor, sacrifice and loyalty. "Today, in light of the harsh conditions, dangers and challenges that Lebanon and the Lebanese are experiencing at all levels, we are invited on the feast of this unifying national institution as political forces, groups and individuals to imitate the morality of the army, its leadership, officers and individuals to sacrifice for the sake of the country and not sacrifice the homeland for narrow personal and individual interests.""He who does not understand the language of his army will not understand the language of his homeland," he concluded.

Jumblatt: If I am assaulted, I know in advance who the accused is
NNA/31 July/2021
"It seems that there are no longer any limits to the hate speech of some media outlets and calls to kill some groups," PSP Leader Walid Jumblatt said Saturday, via his Twitter account.
Jumblatt added: "In this regard, if anyone in my family or I is attacked, I know in advance who I am dealing with and who the accused is. This is an open letter."

Sami Gemayel: August 4 is a turning point between the old Lebanon and the new Lebanon
NNA/31 July/2021
Head of the Lebanese Kataeb Party, the resigned MP Sami Gemayel, said that the fate of Lebanon for future generations will now be decided. “Either we surrender defeated or we stand with all our strength against this political class to prevent it from dragging the country to where it wants so that the blood of the martyrs does not go in vain,” the resigned said. He called on the Lebanese to gather in front of Kataeb Central House on The fourth of August because it will be a turning point between the old Lebanon and the new Lebanon. “Everyone knows who is responsible for the port, everyone knows about the existence of nitrates, everyone knows who received correspondence about the danger of their presence, who was guarding them, and how they were used to drop barrel bombs in Syria,” Gemayel stressed.

Algerian ambassador to Lebanon, Ahmed Bouziane visits Adaisseh, Kfar Kila
NNA/31 July/2021
Algerian ambassador to Lebanon, Ahmed Bouziane, toured, on Saturday, the Lebanese-Palestinian border, where he visited Fatima Gate in Kafr-Kila for some time, and then moved to the Panorama area of Adaisseh, where he took souvenir photos and left after that.

The Real Obstacle to the Government Formation in Lebanon
Elias Harfoush/Asharq Al Awsat/31 July/2021
This is a power that does not stem from any authenticity, or from expansive representation within its community, representation which has, in any case, been called into question according to the latest referenda. Nor does it stem from its “historical” achievements. This power comes from the full support provided by Hezbollah to President Michel Aoun, and it is, in short and specifically, the power that stands in the way of attempts to form a viable and salvageable government within minimal standards -as the Lebanese no longer aspire to more, these standards being merely the ability to fill a car tank with gasoline, buy a pack of bread or afford medicine.
One prime minister goes and another comes, and visits along the road to Baabda Palace become more frequent, while the president is shielded behind Article 53 of the constitution. The person who handles matters of “justice” and the “interior” and who chooses Christian ministers, in an offensive innovation to the position of the presidency that makes the President of the Republic a mere party to political conflict. Meanwhile, the main purpose of amendments to the Taif Agreement was to make the president an arbiter between parties to political conflicts. That is, in other words, to make his position more immune to political campaigns, as he is above them and not a party to them.
Members of parliament had mandated Prime Minister Saad Hariri with forming a government, despite “advice” from Aoun who did not wish for Hariri for this position in the first place. The man spent nine months which, under normal circumstances, would be sufficient for any normal pregnancy to end with childbirth, and which ended with the farewell that Aoun addressed to Hariri: “It seems we will not agree,” and today, Prime Minister Najib Mikati begins a series of visits to Baabda. While the man adheres to optimism and patience, previous experiences with the President of the Republic do not bode well for such optimism. The cause for doubt relates to whether a man at this age is able to change the character that he has had since his youth, which the Lebanese experienced in many stages and difficult bloody experiences.
Behind the rhetoric on “Christian rights”, Aoun hides his rigid positions regarding the distribution of ministerial positions and the president's share of them. Who supports Aoun in defending these rights? Who does MP Gebran Bassil turn to for help in achieving them? It is Hezbollah, and its Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, whom Bassil “delegated” in protecting the rights of Christians in Lebanon. He told Nasrallah: “We accept for ourselves what you accept for us.” This is the slogan used today by Bassil's supporters and the Free Patriotic Movement (note the emphasis on the word “free” in the slogan that Aoun and Bassil adopted for their party).
The two take refuge in Hezbollah to protect their rights from what they claim are abuses by Sunni leaders and former prime ministers, including Najib Mikati. Thus, it is today the party of Wilayat al-Faqih that is entrusted with the task of protecting Christians in Lebanon, even if Christians had lived in dignity, with their heads held high throughout the era of Lebanese independence, and before the civil war, in full partnership with Muslims in their homeland.
This is the role played by the maestro of sectarianism in Lebanon, in distributing roles and reaping gains from all actors while he watches their conflicts and political differences, realizing that no one dares touch his share of the spoils. He is also aware that what the treasury of Lebanon, today totally incapacitated, is unable to provide, he can provide it from the treasury of Iran.
So, Lebanon has become a country in which candidates for leadership are vying for Hezbollah’s approval, from the President of the Republic, whose presidential elections were suspended for two and a half years to ensure his access to the presidency, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to whom that seat has become dedicated, and now to the Prime Minister, having become Hezbollah’s voice, has become the decisive factor in giving the best chances for a candidate instead of another.
The seat of the prime minister in Lebanon has become another that Hezbollah is responsible for promoting candidates to fill, and increasing their chances of success, or failure, in forming governments. Whoever is named by the party, as happened with Mikati, or whoever does not object to his nomination, as happened with Hariri, is the one who becomes the natural candidate to enter the Grand Serail. Thus, the premiership of Lebanon has become the last position in the troika of the Lebanese authority that Hezbollah succeeded in laying its hands on, after it was able to bring its candidate, President Michel Aoun, to the Republican Palace, and Speaker Nabih Berri became effectively the “eternal leader” of the House of Representatives. And here is the designated prime minister, now awaiting a green light from Hezbollah to facilitate the formation of his government, after granting the party a “deed of innocence” saying that it represents a large segment of Lebanese society, while ignoring the way the party has hijacked the capabilities of this helpless segment.
In playing the role of both facilitator and obstructer, Hezbollah obscures itself behind the veto set by its ally, President Michel Aoun, armed with the constitutional text that stipulates “agreement” between the President of the Republic and the government to issue decrees of its formation, while its real goal is to ensure that the party maintains hegemony over the country after the upcoming parliamentary elections, which is the reason for Aoun's adherence to the Ministries of Interior and Justice that will play a key role in managing these elections.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri was cognizant of this, and after apologizing for not forming the government, he said frankly that Hezbollah was the main obstacle. Everyone is now waiting for the fate of Premier-designate Najib Mikati's experience in the “power struggle” with the President of the Republic.
All of this prompts one to ask the question: For which country is the government of Lebanon formed, as long as the identity and goals of the overseer of this formation process are known?

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 31- August 01/2021
US official presses Tunisia’s Saied on need for ‘swift return’ to democratic path
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/31 July ,2021
A senior Biden official told Tunisia’s President Kais Saied in a phone call Saturday that the North African country needed to outline a “swift return” to a democratic path. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke to Saied for an hour-long discussion, according to a statement from the White House. “In an hour-long discussion, he conveyed President Biden’s strong support for the people of Tunisia and for Tunisian democracy based on fundamental rights, strong institutions, and a commitment to the rule of law,” the statement read. The call came nearly a week after Saied dismissed the country’s prime minister and suspended parliament for 30 days while also ordering investigations into corruption and illegal funding of political parties. With the latest turmoil in Tunisia, fears have grown that the situation could spiral out of control and result in violence. Sullivan’s call focused “on the critical need for Tunisian leaders to outline a swift return to Tunisia’s democratic path. “National Security Advisor Sullivan underscored that this would require rapidly forming a new government, led by a capable prime minister to stabilize Tunisia’s economy and confront the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as ensuring the timely return of the elected parliament,” the White House said. Sullivan reiterated that the US “and other friends of the Tunisian people” stood ready to help the country move toward “a secure, prosperous, and democratic future.”

Tunisian president says important decisions coming soon: Algerian presidency
Reuters/31 July ,2021
Tunisian President Kais Saied on Saturday told his Algerian counterpart that there will be important decisions soon, the Algerian presidency said, as Tunisians await the naming of a new prime minister. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune discussed developments in Tunisia by phone, and Saied assured him that “Tunisia is on the right path to establish democracy and pluralism, and that there will be important decisions soon,” the Algerian presidency said in a post on Facebook.Tunisians are waiting for Saied to name a new prime minister and line out a roadmap after he invoked emergency powers last week to seize control of the government, remove the prime minister and freeze parliament.

Ennahdha’s Ghannouchi takes ill amid political turmoil in Tunisia
AFP, Tunis/01 August ,2021
Rached Ghannouchi, the 80-year-old leader of turmoil-wracked Tunisia’s Islamist-inspired party Ennahdha, suddenly became unwell Saturday while working punishing hours but it was not serious, an aide said. Since President Kais Saied seized power in Tunisia on Sunday, Ghannouchi has been working 16 hours to 18 hours per day, aide Ahmed Gaaloul said. Ghannouchi, who is also speaker of parliament and the second most prominent political figure in the country, “was not hospitalised and has nothing serious,” Gaaloul said. Last Sunday, Saied sacked prime minister Hichem Mechichi and suspended parliament for 30 days. He ordered a graft crackdown targeting 460 businessmen and an investigation into alleged illegal funding of political parties, including Ennahdha. “(Ghannouchi) suffered a little malaise earlier in the day and had to go to a clinic to be examined,” Gaaloul added. “During the check-up, he was told there was nothing serious,” the former minister said. “A doctor prescribed some medication for him and he is now back home,” he said. “Mr. Ghannouchi is a little tired at this time.”Ghannouchi, in an interview with AFP, called for a return to democracy and voiced regret at the lack of dialogue with the presidency. He warned that if no agreement is reached on the formation of a government and the reopening of the legislature, “we will invite the Tunisian people to defend their democracy.” A member in all government coalitions for the last ten years, his party crystallises the discontent of a large section of Tunisians, who hold him as most responsible for the unkept promises from the 2011 revolution. On Saturday the Tunisian daily La Presse portrayed Ennahdha as a party “abandoned by all or almost,” which is “looking at all costs for a solution to emerge from its state of isolation.”

Tunisian security forces place prominent judge under house arrest
Reuters/July 31/2021
Tunisian security forces placed a judge, accused by human rights groups of being close to Islamists and hiding terrorism-related files, under house arrest for 40 days, local Radio Mosaique FM said on Saturday. The decision against Judge Bechir Akremi came after President Kais Saied pledged to lead a campaign against rampant corruption in all sectors to save the country, following his dismissal of the prime minister and freezing of parliament. Tunisia has been thrust into a political crisis by Saied's move, leading major parties to accuse him of a coup, which he denies. Two lawmakers were also arrested after he decided to lift their immunity.

With new political climate, Tunisian judiciary moves on as it faces less constraints
The Arab Weekly/July 31/2021
The Tunisian judiciary began to open enquiries into the Islamist Ennahda Movement activities as the lifting of parliamentary immunity has allowed for the arrest of two MPs based on old court sentences. President Saied has re-affimed his commitment to the rule of law as critics voiced concern about the measures. “I know the constitutional texts very well, respect them and taught them and after all this time I will not turn into a dictator as some have said,” saied told a group of reporters from the New York Times, Friday. After a judicial investigation was begun this week into suspicions of foreign funding during the 2019 elections, a judicial source in Tunisia also announced on Friday the arrest of four people belonging to the Ennahda Movement, including a member of the Shura Council, the party’s highest body, for attempting to incite violence in front of parliament. Tunisian political analysts said that the opening of an investigation against a member in the Shura Council and three other people, who were part of Rached Ghannouchi’s security and protocol staff, shows that the judiciary is evolving in the changed environment ushered in by President Kais Saied’s decision to suspend the activities of parliament and lift immunity from deputies. The four were accused of inciting people from a working-class neighborhood close to parliament to bring sticks to carry out acts of violence during the rally, according to the official TAP news agency. They were questioned and released. According to TAP, the four individuals were being investigated for an attempt to “perpetrate acts of violence in front of parliament after the president announced the exceptional measures last Sunday night, including the freezing of all of parliament’s activities and assuming authority by orders and decrees.”
Analysts pointed out that the judiciary, which in recent years has operated under huge pressure, intends to shows its ability to shoulder its responsibilities and treat all groups and individuals equally regardless of their political affiliation. A new climate has emerged in the country with Saied's staunch support for anti-corruption probes and strong popular backing for any moves that would hold political parties and politicians accountable for various aspects of the deep crisis facing the country. Observers believe that the opening of the probe into unruly protests in front of parliament and into the suspected incitement by Ennahda supporters, Monday, sent a strong message to Ghannouchi, who was himself present during the sit-in and has frequently threatened to call on the street to restore “legitimacy". The Ennahda party described President Kais Saied's announcement on Sunday as a "coup" and staged a sit-in outside Parliament in the early hours of Monday morning. During this protest, party members and supporters of the president pelted each other with bottles and stones.Ennahda leaders, including Ghannouchi, also made statements to various foreign media outlets, in which they threatened to resort to "street pressure" against the authorities.
Talking to The New York Times, Saied said Friday that threats of street pressure are "a violation of the constitution." A few days ago, the official spokesman for the economic and financial judicial court and Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohsen Dali said that an investigation had also been opened against two political parties, including the Ennahda Movement, over suspicions of illicit foreign funding of their electoral campaigns in 2019. The judiciary is now able to prosecute MPs after President Saied's decision to lift the immunity of parliamentarians. A number of MPs has been prosecuted and sentenced by courts in the past but sentences were never enforced because of their immunity. Tunisian parliamentarian Yassine Ayari was arrested on Friday based on a two-month sentence handed down by a military court in 2018 for "assailing the dignity and morale of the army" but was never carried out. Ayari formerly enjoyed parliamentary immunity after replacing another MP in 2017 and winning a seat in the 2019 elections. MP Maher Zid of the ultra-conservative I'tilaf al-Karama (Dignity Coalition) party, was also detained late on Friday, based on a 2017 prison sentence handed down by a Tunis court for unlawful possession of court documents. But the most signficant development could be the decision to confine former general prosecutor Bechir Akremi to house arrest. Akremi, who used to handle most terrorism cases, has been put under house arrest, local media reports said Saturday. The disgraced magistrate, who is known for having been in charge numerous terrorism-related investigations since 2012, has been demoted from his position in 2020 after an internal inspection. He was later barred from practice by a decision of his peers. He is under suspicion of having hindered the proper conduct of the investigations at hand, especially of the two murdered leftist leaders Mohammed Brahmi and Chokri Belaid, alledgedly in order to serve the interests of Islamists. He has denied the accusations but is now confined at home for the next 40 days and is expected to face a penal probe into his behaviour.

US voices frustration with Iran’s negotiating tactics
The Arab Weekly/July 31/2021
KUWAIT--US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday the negotiating process with Iran to revive a 2015 nuclear deal could not go on indefinitely and that the ball is in Tehran’s court. Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to revive the nuclear pact, from which then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States in 2018, adjourned on June 20, two days after the hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi was elected president of the Islamic Republic. Raisi takes office on August 5. Parties involved in the negotiations, which also include China, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and the European Union, have yet to say when they might resume. “We are committed to diplomacy, but this process cannot go on indefinitely,” said Blinken, at a news conference in Kuwait. “At some point the gains achieved by the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) cannot be fully recovered by a return to the JCPOA if Iran continues the activities that it has undertaken with regard to its nuclear programme,” he said. “We have clearly demonstrated our good faith and desire to return to mutual compliance with the nuclear agreement … The ball remains in Iran’s court and we will see if they’re prepared to make the decisions necessary to come back into compliance.”Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last say on Iran’s state matters, declared on Wednesday that Tehran would not accept Washington’s “stubborn” demands in nuclear talks and again flatly rejected adding any other issues to the deal. Gulf Arab states have asked to be included in the negotiations and for any deal to address what they call Iran’s ballistic missile programme and destabilising behaviour in the region. Blinken also said he had discussed during his visit to Kuwait, where he met with the ruling emir, the subject of relocating Afghan interpreters. Blinken did not disclose details about the type of deal he is negotiating with Kuwait and other countries about the relocation. “The United States is committed to helping those who helped us during our time in Afghanistan over the last 20 years,” he said at a joint press conference with his Kuwaiti counterpart. “We’re actively engaged in that process and notably in relocation planning for those brave Afghans and their families. The evacuation planning, which could affect tens of thousands of Afghans, comes as the Taliban gain more ground throughout Afghanistan, seizing swaths of the countryside and fueling fears of a violent future. Civilian casualties surged in the first half of the year, according to a United Nations report. Kuwait’s foreign minister, standing beside Blinken, appeared to reject any suggestion it would be next to join the US-brokered normalisation agreements with Israel as its Gulf Arab neighbours, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, did last year. “It is the whole struggle of the Palestinians, now over 73 years of ordeal,” said Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah. “We truly do think that the only viable solution is a two-state solution. And if we lose focus of that, then it might be put into … jeopardy.” The United States uses several military bases in Kuwait, with which it has strong relations after leading a coalition that ended Iraq’s 1990-91 occupation of the Gulf state.

Explosive experts board attacked Israeli-managed tanker to assess damage: US Navy
Tamara Abueish, Al Arabiya English/31 July ,2021
Explosive experts have boarded the Israeli-managed tanker ship that was attacked off the coast of Oman to assess the damage and risk of another attack, the US Navy Central Command said on Saturday. Two crew members, a Briton and a Romanian, were killed late on Thursday when a petroleum products tanker managed by Zodiac Maritime came under attack in the Arabian Sea. A Pentagon official told Al Arabiya on Friday that US Navy personnel responded to a distress call in international waters after the ship was allegedly attacked by Iranian forces with a drone. The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, which was recently dispatched to the region to help protect troops withdrawing from Afghanistan, is currently accompanying the ship, according to the official. Following the attack, Israel blamed the attack on Iran and its foreign minister Yair Lapid called for a tough response.
“Iran is not just an Israeli problem, but an exporter of terrorism, destruction and instability that harms us all. The world must not be silent in the face of Iranian terrorism that also harms freedom of shipping,” Lapid said in a statement. “I am in direct contact with the British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. I mentioned to him tonight the need to respond severely to the attack on the ship in which a British citizen was killed. In addition, I instructed the embassies in Washington, London and the UN to work with their negotiators in the administration and the relevant delegations at the UN headquarters in New York,” he wrote on Twitter. Tensions in the region have been on the rise since the former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal with major powers in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.

Iran hints at role in drone attack on Israeli-managed tanker
The Arab Weekly/July 31/2021
Two crew members of an oil tanker managed by a prominent Israeli businessman’s company were killed off Oman in what appears to be a drone attack, the vessel’s London-based operator and the US military said Friday, with Israel blaming Iran. Tehran is “sowing violence and destruction,” an Israeli official said. The Islamic Republic “is not only Israel’s problem, but it is the world’s problem. Its behaviour threatens the freedom of navigation and global commerce”, the official added. US Navy forces came to the aid of the crew in response to an emergency distress call and saw evidence of the attack, said an American military statement. It added that initial indications “clearly point” to a drone-style attack, and that US Navy ships were now escorting the vessel with US personnel aboard to help. Analysts said the attack bore all the hallmarks of tit-for-tat exchanges in the “shadow war” between Israel and Iran, in which vessels linked to each nation have been targeted in waters around the Gulf. The Israeli official warned that “our campaign against them (Iran) will continue”. Zodiac Maritime, owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, said the incident on board the MT Mercer Street on Thursday killed one Romanian and a UK national, who was a guard for British maritime security firm Ambrey. The vessel was in the northern Indian Ocean, travelling from Dar es Salaam to Fujairah with no cargo onboard when the attack occurred, it said. “We are not aware of harm to any other personnel,” it said in a statement, adding that the Japanese-owned tanker was back under the control of its crew and was steaming to an undisclosed “safe location” under US naval escort. Oman’s state news agency said the country’s navy dispatched a ship and confirmed the attack took place outside the sultanate’s territorial waters.
‘Probably Iran’ The United States, a key ally of Israel and arch-rival of Iran, expressed concern and said it was working to “establish the facts”. Meir Javedanfar, an expert on Iranian diplomacy and security at Israel’s IDC Herzliya university, told AFP the attack was “most probably Iran”.
Iran’s state TV channel in Arabic Al-Alam, citing “informed regional sources”, said the attack was a “response to a recent Israeli attack” targeting an airport in central Syria. It did not provide further details. Javedanfar said Iranians “feel badly disadvantaged when it comes to responding to attacks inside Iran which have been associated to Israel”, including an April strike on the Natanz uranium enrichment site reportedly executed by Israel. An attack on a maritime vessel “is one area where (Iranians) feel they can try to at least retaliate,” he added, calling the latest strike an escalation in the “shadow war” between the two Middle Eastern powerhouses. But he assessed the fundamental dynamics of the rivalry would change little. “Both sides will continue what they’re doing,” he said.
‘Significant escalation’
Zodiac Maritime is part of the Zodiac Group, owned by billionaire Ofer, whose enterprises span shipping, real estate, technology, banking and investments. Ofer was ranked the world’s 197th richest person by Forbes this year, with a fortune of $11.3 billion. His firms own and operate over 160 ships. Zodiac initially called the attack on the MT Mercer Street “a suspected piracy incident”. The Arabian Sea and surrounding Indian Ocean were plagued by piracy around a decade ago, but incidents have waned in recent years after foreign navies stepped up patrols. An anti-piracy taskforce run by the British Royal Navy, which issued a report of “a vessel being attacked” around 152 nautical miles (280 kilometres) off the coast of Oman, classed the incident as “non-piracy”. Maritime industry analysts Dryad Global said the attack was similar to previous incidents against vessels associated with Israel and Iran.
Two ships operated by Israeli firm Ray Shipping were attacked earlier this year. “The attack on the MT Mercer Street is now assessed to be the fifth attack against a vessel connected to Israel,” Dryad said in an email note on the incident. But it said before the deaths were confirmed that the loss of two personnel “would represent a significant escalation in events that… would likely lead to significant international condemnation and would require diplomatic redress”.

Israel Pushes for U.N. Action against Iran over Deadly Ship Attack
Agence France Presse31 July/2021
Israel's foreign minister said he has ordered the nation's diplomats to push for U.N. action against Iran over a deadly attack on a ship managed by an Israeli billionaire. The MT Mercer Street tanker was attacked in the northern Indian Ocean on Thursday, killing two crew members, in what the United States said appeared to be a drone strike. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, but maritime industry analysts Dryad Global said "this latest attack has the hallmarks of the ongoing Israel/Iran 'shadow war.'" "I've instructed the embassies in Washington, London and the U.N. to work with their interlocutors in government and the relevant delegations in the U.N. headquarters in New York," Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Friday on Twitter. "Iran is not just an Israeli problem, but an exporter of terrorism, destruction and instability that are hurting us all. "We must never remain silent in the face of Iranian terrorism, which also harms freedom of navigation," the top diplomat added. Lapid said he had also spoken to his British counterpart Dominic Raab, and mentioned "the need to respond severely to the attack on the ship in which a British citizen was killed". The Mercer Street, an oil products tanker, was travelling from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates with no cargo aboard when it was struck, its Israeli operator said. Zodiac Maritime, a London-based operator owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer, said the attack killed a Romanian and a British citizen. The U.S. military said that early indications "clearly point" to a drone strike on the Mercer Street, a Japanese-owned tanker flying a Liberian flag. Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam state TV channel, citing "informed regional sources", said the attack was a "response to a recent Israeli attack" targeting an airport in central Syria where Iran is backing the regime. Zodiac Maritime said a U.S. naval escort was protecting the damaged ship as it steamed to "a safe location." The strike on the tanker comes as European powers meet with Iran in an effort to shore up a 2015 agreement to curtail the Islamic republic's nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions. The accord was strained when in 2018 former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. unilaterally and reimposed sanctions. Negotiations in Vienna, where the U.S. is indirectly taking part, have stalled ahead of the August inauguration of newly elected ultra-conservative Iranian president Ebrahim Raissi.

Millions of Americans at Risk of Losing Homes as Virus Cases Spike
Agence France Presse/31 July/2021
Millions of Americans could find themselves homeless starting Sunday when a nationwide ban on evictions expires, even as billions in government funds meant to help them go untapped.
The wave of evictions would come as the fast-spreading Delta variant has taken hold in the country and rental housing is in high demand in the hot real estate market. U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday urged Congress to extend the 11-month-old eviction moratorium, after a recent Supreme Court ruling meant the White House could not extend the measure through September as intended. Democratic leaders in Congress were pushing for an extension, but it was unclear if they had the votes, even among moderates in their own party, to prevent the ban from expiring. Efforts stalled on Friday in the House after a move to pass the extension was unsuccessful, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying in a statement, that "not a single Republican would support this measure." The day before, she had said called the extension "a moral imperative."She also called on governors and local officials "to take whatever steps are necessary to distribute the rental assistance that Congress already allocated."
Unlike other pandemic-related aid that was distributed from Washington, such as stimulus checks, it was states, counties and cities that were responsible for building programs from the ground up to dole out assistance earmarked for renters.
The Treasury Department said that as of June, only $3 billion in aid had reached households out of the $25 billion sent to states and localities in early February, less than three weeks after Biden took office. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordered the eviction moratorium in September 2020, as the world's largest economy lost over 20 million jobs amid the pandemic shutdowns. The CDC feared increasing homelessness would boost coronavirus infections. Although more than half of those lost jobs were recovered as businesses were able to reopen, many families still have not caught up on missed rent payments. The Census Bureau's latest Household Pulse survey through the first week of July showed that of 51 million renters surveyed, 7.4 million were behind on their rent and nearly half of those said they were at risk of being evicted in the next two months.
Where is the help?
Through the end of June, only about 450,000 households had received aid through the Emergency Rental Assistance program, and some states and localities have yet to pay out any funds, according to Treasury data. The Treasury launched a campaign this week to spread the word about the program and help authorities get their systems up and running, modeling those in Virginia and Houston, which have been successful in helping struggling families. Immediately after taking over, the Biden administration had eased paperwork and eligibility requirements for the program, but the Treasury says management remains in the hands of state and local officials. The White House also shifted responsibility to states. Biden said "there can be no excuse for any state or locality not accelerating funds to landlords and tenants that have been hurt during this pandemic." "Every state and local government must get these funds out to ensure we prevent every eviction we can," he said in a statement Friday. And while the White House cannot act, there is nothing preventing state and local authorities from instituting their own protections, Biden added.
'Pulling out all the stops'
Pelosi called the delays an unjust "bureaucratic situation." California Democrat Maxine Waters, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, introduced the bill to extend the prohibition of evictions. "I'm pulling out all the stops right now," she tweeted Friday.  But some Democrats oppose the move, and a congressional source confirmed to AFP that several were planning to leave town rather than participate in a vote, making it hard for the party to use their slim majority to push through a bill. A handful of states and Washington, DC have imposed their own temporary eviction protections, and the White House also asked government departments involved in housing to extend eviction bans for federally-insured properties they control. Another $21.5 billion is available in a second round of funding, but it will not go out until the first tranche is spent.

First Flight of Afghan Interpreters Fleeing Taliban Arrives in U.S.
Agence France Presse/31 July/2021
The first flight carrying Afghans who worked as interpreters for the U.S. has arrived in America, President Joe Biden said Friday, the start of an operation to evacuate thousands from possible Taliban retaliation. Around 20,000 Afghans worked for the U.S. following the 2001 invasion in the wake of the September 11 attacks and have applied for evacuation under the State Department's so-called Special Immigrant Visas program. Some estimates suggest the total number of prospective evacuees under Operation Allies Refuge could be as high as 100,000 once family members are included. Many of them fear retaliation from the Taliban, which has secured a vast swath of the country since foreign troops began the last stage of a withdrawal due to be complete by late August. "Today is an important milestone as we continue to fulfill our promise to the thousands of Afghan nationals who served shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops and diplomats over the last 20 years in Afghanistan," Biden said in a statement released by the White House. Russ Travers, an official on the White House National Security Council, said the first arrivals -- numbering around 200 -- will complete health checks and other processing before being sent to new homes across the country. "They have all completed rigorous security background checks conducted by the intelligence community, and the departments of state and homeland security," Travers said. Tracey Jacobson, the State Department's Afghanistan Task Force director, said the arrivals would be taken to the Fort Lee military base near Petersburg, Virginia. "They have all been Covid-tested, they've had a fitness-to-fly exam, and we have offered vaccines in Kabul to those who are interested in having them," Jacobson told reporters. "We will also be offering those vaccines at Fort Lee."Then, with the help of the UN International Organization for Migration, they will be sent to new homes -- either with relatives already in the U.S., or arranged by the IOM and State Department.
'Hard times'
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday reiterated Washington's pledge to the locals who worked for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. "(The) U.S. is committed to helping those who helped us during hard times in Afghanistan over the last 20 years -- translators and interpreters," Blinken said during a visit to Kuwait. Officials said it will take time to vet each applicant and their family. "We absolutely intend to continue this program after the pullout of troops" on August 31, Jacobson said. "We're going to be moving folks as fast as we logistically can," she added. Jacobson said Washington is weighing how to help Afghans who do not qualify for the program but also face particular threats -- such as women leaders, human rights activists and journalists. "The administration is considering a variety of different options," she said. The US Congress on Thursday unanimously passed a measure that provides $1.1 billion to fund the resettlement of Afghans who supported the US mission. It now heads to the House, where it is expected to win approval and receive President Biden's signature.

Gadhafi’s son looks forward to Libyans choosing him as ‘their leader’
The Arab Weekly/July 31/2021
TRIPOLI - Seif al-Islam, the son of slain long time ruler Muammar Gadhafi, wants to “restore the lost unity” of Libya after a decade of chaos and does not exclude standing for the presidency. He spoke in a rare interview, given to the New York Times in Zintan in the west of the North African country. For years, mystery had surrounded the precise whereabouts of a man wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The 49-year-old, who before 2011 had been seen as his father’s presumed successor, said politicians in the decade since have brought Libyans “nothing but misery”.
“It is time for a return to the past. The country — it’s on its knees… There’s no money, no security. There’s no life here,” Seif al-Islam said in his first appearance in years. After four decades in power, Muammar Gadhafi and his relatives were the target of a popular uprising in 2011. Three of Gadhafi’s seven sons were killed, but the fate of Seif al-Islam, whose name in Arabic means “sword of Islam” was unknown. He was captured by a Libyan militia in November 2011, days after his father was killed. Four years later, a Tripoli court sentenced him in absentia to death for crimes committed during the revolt. The ICC has repeatedly asked for him to be handed over for trial.
“My friends”
Until the interview, Seif al-Islam had not been seen or heard from since June 2014, when he appeared via video link from Zintan during his trial by the Tripoli court. Seif al-Islam said in the interview that he was a free man organising a political return, and that his former captors “are now my friends”. He told the paper the militiamen eventually realised he could be a powerful ally. In recent years Libya has been split between two rival administrations backed by foreign forces and countless militias. The security situation has been slowly improving since. A provisional government was agreed in March, and general elections are expected to take place on December 24. Any possible return by Seif al-Islam to Libyan politics would face hurdles, including his conviction by the Tripoli court and the ICC warrant for his arrest. But the Britain-educated son of Muammar Gadhafi seems undeterred, according to the New York Times.
Seif al-Islam said “he was confident that these legal issues could be negotiated away if a majority of the Libyan people choose him as their leader”. The paper quoted him as saying: “I’ve been away from the Libyan people for 10 years. You need to come back slowly, slowly. Like a striptease. You need to play with their minds a little.” Asked if it felt strange to seek shelter in Libyan homes when he was on the run in 2011, he was as enigmatic as some of the opinions expressed in his late father’s ‘Green Book’. “We’re like fish, and the Libyan people are like a sea for us,” Seif al-Islam replied. “Without them, we die. That’s where we get support. We hide here. We fight here. We get support from there. The Libyan people are our ocean.”

China Outbreak Spreads as WHO Sounds Alarm on Delta
Agence France Presse/31 July/2021
Mushrooming outbreaks of the highly contagious Delta variant prompted China and Australia to impose stricter Covid-19 restrictions on Saturday as the WHO urged the world to quickly contain the mutation before it turns into something deadlier and draws out the pandemic.
China's most serious surge of coronavirus infections in months spread to two more areas Saturday -- Fujian province and the sprawling megacity of Chongqing.
More than 200 cases have been linked to a Delta cluster in Nanjing city where nine cleaners at an international airport tested positive, with the outbreak spanning Beijing, Chongqing and five provinces as of Saturday.
The nation where the disease first emerged has rushed to prevent the highly transmissible strain from taking root by putting more than one million people under lockdown and reinstituting mass testing campaigns.
Worldwide, coronavirus infections are once again on the upswing, with the World Health Organization announcing an 80 percent average increase over the past four weeks in five of the health agency's six regions, a jump largely fuelled by the Delta variant.
First detected in India, it has now reached 132 countries and territories.
"Delta is a warning: it's a warning that the virus is evolving but it is also a call to action that we need to move now before more dangerous variants emerge," the WHO's emergencies director Michael Ryan told a press conference.
He stressed that the "game plan" still works, namely physical distancing, wearing masks, hand hygiene and vaccination. But both high- and low-income countries are struggling to gain the upper hand against Delta, with the vastly unequal sprint for shots leaving plenty of room for variants to wreak havoc and further evolve. In Australia, where only about 14 percent of the population is jabbed, the third-largest city of Brisbane and other parts of Queensland state were to enter a snap Covid-19 lockdown Saturday as a cluster of the Delta variant bubbled into six new cases.
"The only way to beat the Delta strain is to move quickly, to be fast and to be strong," Queensland's Deputy Premier Steven Miles said while informing millions they will be under three days of strict stay-at-home orders.
'The war has changed'The race for vaccines to triumph over variants appeared to suffer a blow as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control released an analysis that found fully immunised people with so-called breakthrough infections of the Delta variant can spread the disease as easily as unvaccinated people. While the jabs remain effective against severe disease and death, the U.S. government agency said in a leaked internal CDC document "the war has changed" as a result of Delta. An analysis of a superspreading event in the northeastern state of Massachusetts found three-quarters of the people sickened were vaccinated, according to a report the CDC published Friday.
The outbreak related to July 4 festivities, with the latest number of people infected swelling to 900, according to local reports. The findings were used to justify a return to masks for vaccinated people in high-risk areas.
"As a vaccinated person, if you have one of these breakthrough infections, you may have mild symptoms, you may have no symptoms, but based on what we're seeing here you could be contagious to other people," Celine Gounder, an infectious diseases physician and professor at New York University, told AFP. According to the leaked CDC document, a review of findings from other countries showed that while the original SARS-CoV-2 was as contagious as the common cold, each person with Delta infects on average eight others, making it as transmissible as chickenpox but still less than measles. Reports from Canada, Scotland and Singapore suggest Delta infections may also be more severe, resulting in more hospitalisations. Asked if Americans should expect new recommendations from health authorities or new restrictive measures, U.S. President Joe Biden responded, "in all probability," before leaving the White House by helicopter for the weekend. He did not specify what steps could be taken.

Ruling family dispute exposes new tensions in Kuwait
The Arab Weekly/July 31/2021
Well-informed political sources attributed the dismissal to the existence of old grudges.
KUWAIT CITY –A surprise decision by Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to dismiss the Minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah and replace him with Sheikh Mubarak Al-Faisal has shed a new light on a dispute within the ruling family. The dispute first erupted into public view in late 2019 and has since been hushed up to avoid risking public scrutiny. Well-informed political sources attributed the dismissal to the existence of old grudges, including a “complex problem” that involved the team of the current emir, who was then crown prince and that of the late Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The sources, who spoke to The Arab Weekly on condition of anonymity, also cited differences between Jarrah and Faisal, who served as head of Sheikh Nawaf’s Diwan when he was crown prince. The sources, however, noted that the dispute had chiefly been provoked by the graft case involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak and former Interior Minister Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah. The Amiri Diwan had reportedly asked Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah to sign an official letter stating that Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad was aware of the drawdown of military funds by Sheikh Jaber and Sheikh Khalid for sovereign purposes. However, when asked by the judge about the details of the operation, Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah said he knew nothing and that he was asked to sign the letter, so he signed. The same sources explained Jarrah’s signature had provoked the anger of Sheikh Hamad Al-Sabah, son of late Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad. Sheikh Hamad, the sources said, was outraged at the insinuation that his father might have been involved in the corruption case. For Sheikh Hamad such an insinuation is bereft of any logic especially since it was his father who referred the case to Kuwait’s ministerial court.The sources said that Sheikh Hamad had previously asked Sheikh Jarrah to adjust the letter and say that the late emir knew but little about the fate of the funds. Sheikh Jarrah, the sources added, rejected the request for fear he might be scrutinised over contradictory statements.
“When Sheikh Jarrah felt that he would be facing trouble, he submitted his resignation, but it was rejected, before he was later dismissed,” a source said.
A dispute has been raging between some members Al-Ahmad and Al-Jarrah families over the graft case, in which the then Defence Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah, son of the late Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, accused the Interior Minister Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah of being involved with others in the alleged embezzlement of millions of dollars from a military aid fund. The scandal prompted the cabinet’s resignation and forced a reckoning in the Gulf Arab state over endemic corruption that has entrapped ministers and stained the country’s sprawling bureaucracy for generations.
Last April, Kuwait’s ministerial court ordered the pre-trial detention of former Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak. Sheikh Jaber and former Interior Minister Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah rejected the charges directed against them. The court denied a request to release Sheikh Khalid, also a senior member of the Gulf Arab state’s ruling family. The court also ordered a ban on publishing information about the case based on a request from the defence team. Although the case is now under way, the family conflict has resurfaced with the leakage of the letter sent from the Minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah to the court.The letter seeks to clear the two former ministers of the embezzlement charge, suggesting that the spending of the funds was conducted with prior knowledge and approval of the late emir. The letter also says that the expenditure took place within the framework of secret missions that were not announced in government’s statements. Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah apparently took the risk of saving his family’s reputation by trying to acquit Sheikh Khalid. The Jarrah-Ahmed dispute comes after tensions faded between Al-Ahmads and Al-Fahds, another branch of the royal family, following the triumph of Al-Ahmads. With the dismissal of Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah and the imprisonment of Sheikh Khalid, as well as Sheikh Mazen Al-Jarrah, the former undersecretary of the ministry of interior, on charges of human trafficking and bribery in a high-profile case, some Kuwaitis have begun to speak about “a targeting of Al-Jarrah family.” The change at the Ministry of the Amiri Diwan Affairs comes at a critical juncture as Kuwait faces economic difficulties, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Growing tensions between the legislative and executive authorities have also created a political crisis, blocking badly-needed reforms in the tiny oil-rich Gulf Arab state.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials published on July 31- August 01/2021
Iran and the Divisive Rule of the Mullah
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/31 July/2021
In an “audience” granted to a number of anti-Shah intellectuals just weeks after seizing power, Ayatollah Khomeini said that the regime he planned to install in Iran would have one guideline: “Doing the opposite of what the cursed Shah did.” For the past four decades he and his successors have remained faithful to that promise and have taken double care to prove that.
The Shah wanted to keep Iran out of war and military conflict and succeeded in doing so for more than three decades, at times by taking painful decisions. Khomeini and his successor led Iran into an eight-year long war with Iraq plus a series of military involvements in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Afghanistan. The Shah cast Iran as a bulwark against terrorism and the use of violence as a political weapon to the point that he would not even allow the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to have an office in Tehran. The Khomeinist regime, on the other hand, provided a haven for all manner of terrorist organizations from Thailand and Philippines to Colombia and Peru, passing by the Middle Est and Europe. It also financed the creation of an African-American group seeking a “black state” in Mississippi. The Hezbollah, an umbrella group for militants controlled by Iran, ended up having more than 17 branches in the Greater Middle East. The Shah sought friendly or at least cordial relations with all of Iran’s neighbors. As a result, by the time he left the country, Iran was the only nation in the region to have fully demarcated borders with all neighbors and thus free of irredentist disputes that bedevil so many relations in the Middle East. Broadly speaking, the Shah pursued an ambitious industrialization policy based on the assumption that Iran, poor in water resources, should focus its agriculture on high-value crops capable of competing in international markets while importing mass consumption crops such as wheat and rice from countries that enjoyed a comparative advantage. In contrast, Khomeini claimed that the Shah wants Muslims to depend on “the Infidel” even for daily bread and marginalize the agricultural sector where Islam had its deepest roots. As a result, Khomeini and his successors went for an ill-taught policy of building small dams to use the waters of rivers and lakes for producing low-price crops. This led to massive damage to the country’s ecological balance, leading to the virtual disappearance of over 200 rivulets, lakes, moorlands and rivers, among them the country’s greatest lake, Urumia and such mighty rivers like Zayandehrud and, to some extent, even Karun.
“Bringing women into public life” was one of the Shah’s top priorities. Iranian women were among the first in the “Muslim world” to secure voting rights and get high public positions as members of parliament, senators, Cabinet ministers, ambassadors, mayors, and even army, police and air force officers. In 1979, when mullahs seized power, the share of women in the top 2,000 public jobs was around 17 percent. Since then, under Khomeinist rule, that has dropped to three percent in 2021.
However, the biggest and potentially more important difference between Iran’s policies under the Shah and during Khomeinist rule concerns the crucial issue of national identity. In 1979, Iran was probably the only country in the region to enjoy a broad consensus on its identity as a nation-state.
That identity had taken shape over some five centuries, completing its template with the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, the formation of the first Western-style state institutions, the reforms carried out under Reza Shah Pahlavi and the economic and social progress made under his son Muhammad Reza Shah. With its motto “unity in diversity”, this was partly based on half-historic and half mythological reading of Iran’s long history and designed to minimize parochial differences and promote an archetypical “Iranian man or woman” in the name of patriotism with “mihan”, a word hard to translate but indicating belonging to a single homeland, as key concept.
Khomeini in contrast denied the very concept, arguing that there was no Iranian nation and that the identity of his Islamic Republic indicated that Iranians were part of a universal Islamic “ummah”.
That position started by dividing Iranians into Muslims and non-Muslims. He then divided them further into Shiites and Sunnis. He went on to divide the Shiites into twelvers and others. Then it was the turn of twelvers to be divided into “osuli” (fundamentalist) and “akhbaris. Then the “osulis”, supposed to provide his core base, were divided into “wala’is” (those who believe in walayat al faqih or rule by the clergy) and “taqlidis” or those who followed traditional ayatollahs who did not endorse the new system.
While the Shah tried to forge a single, unifying identity, Khomeini based his strategy on dividing Iranians to bolster the claim that the only thing that kept Iran together was “walayat al-faqih” Khomeinist philosophers like Mesbah Yazdi, Abdul-Karim Sorush, Hassan Abbassi and Rahil Pourazghadi have tried to back that claim with pseudo-theological mumbo-jumbo.
Khomeini’s strategy has left the immense majority of Iranians wondering how to define themselves in a system that denies their common, plurimilennial identity. That, in turn, has encouraged different and contradictory reactions. Many Iranians now regard Islam and in particular Shiism as their enemy. Some try to revive long dead or dormant provincial, linguistic or ethnic identities. Khomeinism has set the young against the old with those born after the revolution, accounting for more than half the population, blaming their elders for the nation’s current miseries.
That strategy has also divided Iranians into those at home and those in the diaspora, accounting for some 10 percent of the population. This was dramatically illustrated last week in the Toyo Olympics, when an Iranian woman athlete competing as a refugee defeated another Iranian woman under the Islamic Republic flag. When the two embraced warmly after the match, many Iranians felt that the Iranian-ness shaped over the centuries was still alive and well. Khomeinism has led to antagonism between men and women as the former are shocked by the militant opposition of the latter to what they see as a patriarchal system. Khomeinism has tried to pursue its divisive strategy by branding the current protests in more than 100 towns and cities across Iran as the work of “secessionist elements”, thus justifying the killing of unarmed people in the streets.
But, here, too, Khomeinists might be on the wrong side of history. The ongoing protests seems to be reviving the national unity and a sense of Iranian-ness fostered over the past centuries, thus singling out the Khomeinist ideology as the common enemy of the nation. The fight is on.

Now Is Biden’s Best Chance to Ditch the Iran Nuclear Talks
Eli Lake/Asharq Al Awsat/31 July/2021
Since taking office, President Joe Biden and his top advisers have made it clear that there is almost nothing Iran can do to get his administration to rescind its offer to negotiate a return to the 2015 nuclear deal that Biden’s predecessor abandoned. Thankfully, that might finally be changing.
On Wednesday Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei trashed his government’s past nuclear negotiations in front of the outgoing and incoming presidents. He told the new president he should learn from his predecessor’s experience not to trust the West.
In a statement responding to those remarks, the State Department repeated that it was sincere in seeking a negotiated settlement to return to the deal — which would limit Iran’s nuclear enrichment for another nine years and remove the most biting secondary sanctions on Iran’s economy. That has been boilerplate for the Biden administration since January. This time though, it added a veiled threat: “That opportunity will not last forever.”
It may well be that the change is motivated by a flawed understanding of Iranian politics. As Axios reported this week, the Biden administration is worried that Iran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, a fanatic jurist responsible for sentencing thousands of political prisoners to the gallows in 1988, will take a hard line in nuclear talks. The outgoing administration of President Hassan Rouhani negotiated the nuclear deal in 2015.
But there has never been a hardline/moderate dichotomy. Khamenei has the real power in Iran, and he approved the deal, just as he now appears to be souring on the prospect of returning to it. Raisi was elevated to head the Justice Ministry in 2019, remember, as part of Rouhani’s allegedly moderate government.
A better rationale for not returning to the Iran talks are the growing signs that Khamenei’s regime is wobbly. It is failing to meet the basic needs of its people. Earlier this month, protests broke out in Khuzestan province over the failure to provide drinking water. This week, demonstrations spread to Tehran. Some videos of those protests showed Iranians calling for Khamenei to resign, just as the protests in 2018 and 2019 called for his ouster.
Some protesters are angry because Iran’s electricity grid can’t keep the power on. This round of demonstrations began because of water shortages. But in the last four years, other state failures have brought Iranians out to the street. In 2017 and 2018 it was failed banks, which wiped out the savings of average Iranians, that prompted national protests. In 2019, it was the fact that state security services shot unarmed demonstrators. In 2009, it was a stolen election.
It’s tempting to posit that US sanctions are what’s keeping Iran’s regime from providing basic services to its people. But this is too simplistic. The banking crisis of 2017 and 2018 occurred while Iran was enjoying the benefits of the 2015 nuclear deal. Sanctions didn’t force the state security services to shoot peaceful protesters, nor did they force developers in Khuzestan to divert drinking water from the population to drill for more oil. These were the choices of a corrupt and cruel regime.
So Biden now has an opportunity. He should follow up on the State Department statement this week supporting Iranian protesters and offer US technical support to help activists get around the country’s Internet blackout and slowdown. He should rally European governments to join in his solidarity campaign for the Iranian people. He should consider creating a modest fund for the families of Iranian workers going on strike. He should build on the last administration’s work to reach out to Iranians on social media.
The overriding goal of all this outreach, and the main objective of the president’s Iran policy, should be to support the efforts of Iran’s people to achieve a democratic transition. The alternative to this approach is to patiently cajole an ailing supreme leader to limit his nuclear program while his ailing country collapses around him.

د. ماجد رفي زاده/ معهد جيتستون : ملالي إيران يرتكبون المجازر بحق شعبهم في حين أن بايدين ودول الإتحاد الأروبي صامتون كصمت القبور
Iran’s Mullahs are Killing; Biden Administration, EU Are Silent
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/July 31/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/101026/%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af-%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%aa%d8%b3%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86-%d9%85%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a-%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b1/
The Biden administration has… not uttered even one word of condemnation. People can and should be wondering how a country that boasts about freedom and civil rights can be silent while other humans are being butchered because they desire that same freedom and those same rights?
Iran, with its current regime, is a danger not just to its long-suffering people, but to everyone. These protesters, who are flooding the streets and demanding that their voices be heard, are displaying acts of heroism that will be felt throughout the world and throughout history
While many in Iran are risking their lives in their struggle to change their predatory regime, and while many have been killed by the Iranian regime’s force, the Biden administration has so far not shown even the slightest interest in even verbally condemning the brutal mullahs of Iran. Instead, the current US administration continues cozying up to them, presumably in the hope of reviving the disastrous nuclear deal and lifting all sanctions to help them continue their marauding, expansion and terror.
When the people of Iran rose up by the millions against the Iranian regime in 2009, the Obama administration stayed abhorrently silent. This year, on July 15, many in Iran rose against the regime again; again, the Biden administration remained totally silent, just as Obama did. Pictured: People in Tehran, Iran, protest during the popular uprising in the name of the “Green Movement,” on June 16, 2009. (Image source: Milad Avazbeigi/Wikimedia Commons)
When the people of Iran rose up by the millions against the Iranian regime in 2009, the Obama administration stayed abhorrently silent. People on the streets in Iran began chanting, “Obama, Obama, are you with them [the ruling mullahs] or with us?” The Obama administration offered no support. The administration’s dismissal of their agony not only enabled the mullahs brutally to crush the demonstrations with impunity; the mullahs were even rewarded with a deal that would enable them to have legitimate nuclear weapons capability down the road and billions of dollars thrown in.
Obama and the Iranian regime sold the world the idea that appeasement towards the mullahs and lifting UN sanctions would supposedly help the Iranian people and make the Iranian government a constructive player. Instead, the opposite took place.
This year, on July 15, many in Iran rose against the regime again; again, the Biden administration remained totally silent, just as Obama did. When people in dozens of cities in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan rose up against the regime, young demonstrators have reportedly been killed by security forces. Videos have emerged showing that people in Tehran and other cities were heard chanting “Death to the Dictator” and “Death to Khamenei”. In addition, workers of the essential oil and gas industry have gone on a nationwide strike.
According to Amnesty International: “Iran’s security forces have deployed unlawful force, including by firing live ammunition and birdshot, to crush mostly peaceful protests taking place across the southern province of Khuzestan… Video footage from the past week, coupled with consistent accounts from the ground, indicate security forces used deadly automatic weapons, shotguns with inherently indiscriminate ammunition, and tear gas to disperse protesters.
“Since protests over severe water shortages erupted in Khuzestan on 15 July, security forces have killed at least eight protesters and bystanders, including a teenage boy, in seven different cities.”
The regime’s first reaction to peaceful protests has been to deploy brute force. As Tara Sepehri Far, a researcher on Iran at Human Rights Watch, pointed out:
“Iranian authorities have a very troubling record of responding with bullets to protesters frustrated with mounting economic difficulties and deteriorating living conditions.”
The Biden administration has, as of yet, not uttered even one word of condemnation. People can and should be wondering how a country that boasts about freedom and civil rights can be silent while other humans are being butchered because they desire that same freedom and those same rights? Is silence not a betrayal of justice, freedom and democracy?
It is also no secret that that the Iranian regime is, according to the US Department of State, not only still the leading state sponsor of terrorism; it also “wins [the] world record” for the most executions per capita. The regime, according to Amnesty International, is also a “leading executioner” of children.
The Biden administration then must surely know, then, that if the Iranian people succeed in changing this brutal Islamist regime, they will bring down the foremost state sponsor of terrorism, a leading regime in human rights violations, and a leading state sponsor of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitic propaganda.
Moreover, Iran, with its proxies, having effectively taken control of Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and the Gaza Strip — and now reportedly eyeing Jordan — seems to have plans to become the leading hegemon in the region. It also has for decades been setting up proxy operations in Latin America, particularly Cuba and Venezuela, the soft underbelly of the United States.
Iran, with its current regime, is a danger not just to its long-suffering people, but to everyone. These protesters, who are flooding the streets and demanding that their voices be heard, are displaying acts of heroism that will be felt throughout the world and throughout history.
The Biden administration should know that “he who is silent consents.” Is this the message that the Biden administration wants as his legacy to send to the protesters who are risking their lives to bring freedom not only to their nation but eventually to the world? It is just so hypocritical and heartbreaking to see that the international community and the United Nations simply watch while peaceful protesters are beaten, brutalized and killed – with not a breath of international condemnation for the tyrants or of support for these brave and long-suffering souls.
While many in Iran are risking their lives in their struggle to change their predatory regime, and while many have been killed by the Iranian regime’s force, the Biden administration has so far not shown even the slightest interest in even verbally condemning the brutal mullahs of Iran. Instead, the current US administration continues cozying up to them, presumably in the hope of reviving the disastrous nuclear deal and lifting all sanctions to help them continue their marauding, expansion and terror.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17604/iran-killing-us-eu-silence

Kais Saied gives Tunisian democracy a second chance
Francis Ghiles/The Arab Weekly/July 31/2021
The bold move by Tunisia’s president, Kais Saied, to dismiss the government and freeze parliament, on Sunday July 25, is the biggest challenge this fledgling democracy is facing since the 2011 revolution. The Tunisian army has backed the president´s move, just as it also helped facilitate the departure of Ben Ali ten years ago.Ever since street protests overthrew the authoritarian regime of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, Tunisians have been able to vote in free elections, speak out with little fear of repression and been spared the vice-like grip of security forces, an enviable situation compared with all their Arab neighbours. Events happened so quickly then that outside powers were caught by surprise and unable to influence their outcome. A decade later, people who were once thrilled by the potential benefits of change are dumbfounded by its actual costs.
As Hussein Agha and Robert Malley noted at the time, what happened in Tunisia turned Lenin’s theory on its head. The Russian leader postulated that “a victorious revolution required a structured and disciplined political party, robust leadership and a clear programme”. The Egyptian rebellion, like its Tunisian precursor but unlike the Iranian Revolution of 1979, possessed neither organisation nor identifiable leaders nor an unambiguous agenda.
When president Kais Saied sacked his prime minister and suspended parliament on July 25, he caught Tunisians and foreign powers by surprise. Neither the US nor the EU had any inkling of what was about to unfold.
It was not Islam nor poverty itself that provoked the uprising; it was the crushing humiliation that had deprived the majority of Tunisians who are under the age of thirty of the right to assert control over their own lives.
“Hiya thawrat karama” (“This is a revolution of dignity”) shouted the anti-Ben Ali demonstrators ten years ago in the streets of Sidi Bouzid in the poor uplands of Tunisia. The revolt surprised Western leaders because the country had been held up by the World Bank and the European Union as a model of good governance. It was a convenient myth, a camouflage for practises which, under the guise of liberalism and privatisation had become increasingly predatory. Most Tunisians instinctively understood that hypocrisy and an orientalist reading of the Middle East simply did not allow the West to understand.
Ten years later, the bold move by Kais Saied may have given Tunisia fledgling democracy a second chance. The appointments of Colonel-Major Khaled Yahyaoui, a presidential security chief and of Ridha Garsalaoui, a former national security adviser to the presidency, to run the interior ministry till the formation of a new government, speak of the president´s attachment to preserving individual liberties in Tunisia.
Other senior security and army officers such as retired Admiral Kamel Akrout, who recently called on Saied to invoke Article 80 of the Constitution and denounced the government´s intention to rent out state lands to Qatari investors, thus nipping the project in the bud, appear to be playing a supportive role in the move. Akrout, who hails from a humble family, also said he was appalled by the fact that 25% of Tunisians lived in absolute poverty. Tunisia’s army is professional, non-political and has no economic interests. It is unlike any other army in the Arab world. As a de facto guarantor of the integrity of the state, many of its officers no doubt welcome what amounts to a curtain call for the chaotic and corrupt form of “democratic” politics the leading political leaders have imposed on the country. The Islamist Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi was quick to denounce a coup but has been reluctant to share the blame for the race to the bottom which has characterised the country’s economy since 2011 and the government’s inadequate handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ennahda has participated in every government since 2012. It fuelled bitter culture wars in 2012-2014 which questioned the equality of men and women, a key achievement of the post-independence leaders. The party’s incompetence when it comes to capitalist management, rentier vision of the economy and incapacity to mobilise the country’s domestic resources is shared by most political parties across the region. While calling for “national dialogue”, Ghannouchi never stopped waving the threat of “street pressure” to reverse the president’s decisions.
Ennahda’s strategy, which it shared with the capitalist and bureaucratic elites whose power and ability to manipulate the system were left untouched by the political changes sweeping the country, condemned Tunisia, a society very open to new western ideas, to a continually growing deficit. The elites were also responsible for sizeable, steadily-rising unemployment rates under Ben Ali, especially among young people. Ennahda thus had very little chance of pulling the country out of the quagmire. Today, unemployment rates are higher than in 2011, living standards have dropped and regional disparities are as stark as ever. A majority of young Tunisians dreams of leaving what they see as a sinking ship. In their eyes, the concept of democracy has been sullied by the way major parties have practised politics.
Western observers might think of the country as a “nascent democracy”, but rampant corruption, a parliament which resembles nothing so much as a noisy souk, which acts as a clearing house for money deals rather than ideas , coupled with deputies who physically abuse one another, hardly commends the democratic credentials of its speaker, Rached Ghannouchi. The second largest party Qalb Tounes is led by a media mogul, Nabil Karoui who has spent time in prison for alleged money laundering and tax evasion. The predecessor of Kais Saied, Beji Caid Essebsi showed little interest in reforming the judicial system, a key pillar of democracy. Kais Saied was elected by a landslide in 2019 but governing will now put his political skills to a far greater test than presiding. One of the reasons he chose to cut the Gordian knot is that the Constitution of 2014 does not define with any clarity the powers of the head of state and prime minister, let alone the speaker of parliament.
The consequence was endless wrangling between the three, including a prime minister, who a senior businessman in Tunis describes as “monumentality incompetent”.
The head of state sees himself as the embodiment of the second caliph of Islam, Umar Ibn-Khattab, also called Al-Farooq (he who distinguishes evil from good). The Tunisian army had backed the president’s bold move just as it helped bring about the departure of Ben Ali ten years ago. It is a small, US-trained force which has since independence enjoyed the respect of the majority of Tunisians. It remains the most trusted state institution.
Tens of thousands of Tunisians of every age and social condition took to the streets to celebrate after the president’s decision was announced on Sunday night. They were clamouring for a strong leader, respect and dignity and jobs, all of which they thought they had won in 2011. As he turns from striking an unyielding moral position to running the country, Kais Saied’s political skills will be tested to the full. So will the army’s popularity.
On Monday, the president solemnly promised to uphold the individual rights of his countrymen and talked to the US secretary of state Anthony Blinken who was supportive. He followed this with a call to the Algerian head of state, whose foreign minister, Ramtane Lamamra flew to Tunis on Monday. On Tuesday, Saied spoke with Charles Michel, the president of the European Council. Support from such heavyweights will be key to Saied’s eventual success.
Contrary to some Western and Middle East media, most Tunisians do not see themselves nor their president as burying a “democracy” whose promised economic and social benefits they never enjoyed. A recent opinion survey by a Tunisian private polling company showed that no less than 87% of the population supports his moves.
Some western and Arab media describe Tunisia as a “fragile democracy”. Many Tunisians, a majority probably, see themselves, like their president, as fighting a state captured by corrupt political and business lobbies which were leading it to ruin.
Like any bold move, president Saied´s carries risks. The next few weeks will tell whether he has been operating on a wing and a prayer or from a proper road map. The powerful trade union has expressed qualified support for the Tunisian leader’s actions and pledged to help prepare such a road map.