English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For February 12/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

#elias_bejjani_news
 

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Bible Quotations For today

When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we speak kindly. We have become like the rubbish of the world, the dregs of all things, to this very day.
First Letter to the Corinthians 04/09-16/:”For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, as though sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to mortals. We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honour, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed and beaten and homeless, and we grow weary from the work of our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we speak kindly. We have become like the rubbish of the world, the dregs of all things, to this very day. I am not writing this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me.”.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 11- 12/2021

Elias Bejjani/Visit My LCCC Web site/All That you need to know on Lebanese unfolding news and events in Arabic and English
Loqman Slim bid farewell in presence of diplomats, politicians and religious figures
Multi-Faith Service for Lokman Slim Sparks Social Media Row
US ambassador to Lebanon condemns Lokman Slim killing
U.S. Ambassador Says Slim's Assassination 'Barbaric'
Diplomats, Politicians, Religious Figures Attend Funeral of Lokman Slim
South Prosecutor Meets Security Chiefs over Lokman Slim's Case
Hizbullah Bloc Says Accusations over Slim's Murder Require Prosecution
Report: List of Hizbullah Opponents under 'Threat’ Circulates on Social Media
Beirut Was ‘Lucky’ to Escape Second Chemical Blast, German Firm Clearing Port Says
Elysee Says Macron’s Visit to Lebanon Depends on Formation
Aoun discusses proceedings of forensic audit and 2021 budget with Finance Minister.
Hariri: Missiles Targeting KSA a Threat to Arab Security
Sawan listens to Kahwaji's testimony as witness
U.S. Court Won't Delay Extradition of 2 Nabbed in Ghosn's Escape
From 2019 aljumhuriya.net Archieves/I don’t like talking about fear…Interview With Lukman Slin and his Wife Monika Borgmann
Ministry of Information publishes FAQs about anti-Coronavirus vaccination

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 11- 12/2021

In possible signal to Iran, Haliva appointed head of IDF intelligence
Weeks or years: Why estimates about Iran’s nuclear program seem confusing
Iranian textbooks full of antisemitic, anti-American content - ADL
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard begins ground forces drill near Iraqi border
US to continue pressure on Iran-backed Houthis for attacks in the region: Report
Saudi Arabia is a key partner in the fight against terrorism: Pentagon
Oman content with current Israel relationship in terms of dialogue: Foreign minister
US to continue pressure on Iran-backed Houthis for attacks in the region: Report
Turkey will not turn back from Russia’s S-400s, despite US pressure: Official
Fakhrizadeh's assassination carried out by Israeli, Iranian spies - report
Qatar, Saudi Arabia Resume Trade Through Abusamra Border Crossing
Saudi Woman Activist's Family Credits Biden for Release

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 11- 12/2021

The International Criminal Court Threatens Middle East Peace/Richard Kemp/ Gatestone Institute/February 11/2021
Turkish Reforms: From Imperial Repression to Thuggish State/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/February 11/2021
In Syria the withdrawal of sanctions in phases will not work/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/Al Arabiya/February 12/2021
How was Iran nuke chief Fakhrizadeh really killed? - analysis/Yonah Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/February 12/2021
Chained, Raped, and Murdered: Christian Girls in Muslim Pakistan/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/February 12/2021
Seeing through Iran’s moderate vs hard-liner illusion/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/February 12/2021
Only terrorists target a civilian airport/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/February 11/2021
Iranian regime cannot survive without the nuclear deal/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/February 11/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 11- 12/2021

Elias Bejjani/Visit My LCCC Web site/All That you need to know on Lebanese unfolding news and events in Arabic and English

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/

Loqman Slim bid farewell in presence of diplomats, politicians and religious figures
NNA/February 11/2021
The funeral of activist Loqman Slim was held this Thursday in Ghobeiry, in the presence of ambassadors and political, media and religious figures from various sects, as well as family members and friends.
Mother of the deceased, Salma Mershak, delivered the family’s speech, in which she addressed the Lebanese youth by saying: “If you want a homeland, you must cling to the principles for which Loqman was martyred. The burden will weigh heavy on you. Accept the idea of dialogue and the logic of reason to create a country worthy of Loqman. Stay away from weapons; those have taken away my son.”
German Ambassador, Andreas Kindl, said: “I met Loqman only twice and the last time was here; we had dinner at this house. His loss is personal to me. My condolences to the deceased’s wife, mother, sister and brother. We remember Loqman through his deeds and achievements, which his family shared with him, enriching culture in this country through exhibitions and theatrical works.”
He called “not to forget what happened last week,” stressing “the need to know the truth and the need for a transparent investigation.”
US Ambassador Dorothy Shea, in turn, addressed Slim’s family and friends with heartfelt expressions of condolences. She said:
Monika and other family members of the late Lokman Slim, and friends of loved ones of Lokman:  I expressed my condolences publicly last week.  Today, I am honored to be with you — his family and his loved ones — to convey in person my deepest sympathy.  You were robbed.  We all were robbed of a great man. 
This was a barbaric act, unforgivable and unacceptable.  Today, I mourn with you and our Embassy which I represent – my Embassy family joins me in mourning with you.
But let us also celebrate some of the characteristics that made Lokman who he was:  he was tireless and relentless in his pursuit to reconcile Lebanon’s people and to promote freedom and inclusion.
These efforts cannot and will not be suppressed through fear or violence, because they are what is right. 
So, like him, let us not be deterred.   
We will push for what is just.  We will join you in demanding accountability for this horrific crime. 
And we will do our best to carry on his legacy, including by continuing our partnership with the organizations he helped found.  We are proud of these partnerships. 
We will hold Lokman’s memory with us as we move forward to advance his vision.
And as we do so, we pray that his soul may rest in peace.  And that those of you who loved him will find some consolation in his legacy. 
Li Ruhihi As-Salam.  Thank you. Shukran.”
“He who does not know the history of Loqman Slim will not understand the present and will not know how to plan for the future,” Swiss Ambassador Monica Kirgoz said. “Switzerland has lost a friend and we will make sure that the task he was undertaking will be pursued.”
She indicated that “Loqman and his wife began writing the history of Lebanon 5 years ago, and that Switzerland was a partner to them by providing support.”

Multi-Faith Service for Lokman Slim Sparks Social Media Row
Agence France Presse/February 11/2021
A multi-faith memorial service for Lebanese activist Lokman Slim, who was killed last week, triggered a row Thursday after a Shiite cleric was attacked on social media for taking part. Slim, an academic and leading secular voice from the Shiite community, was routinely criticized and often threatened over his stance against the powerful Shiite movement Hizbullah. The service, broadcast live by several channels, included a reading from the Koran and hymn-singing. It was attended by friends, family and diplomats, including U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea.
Many praised the service as an expression of co-existence between Lebanon's many sects but it also invited criticism. Ali al-Khalil, the Shiite cleric who read the Koran, came under attack on social media from Hizbullah loyalists and later apologized for attending the event.
"I apologize to all brothers and sisters who watched me on television channels I should not have appeared on," Khalil said in a video widely circulated online. "I should not have... put myself in a position that invites suspicion.
"My (political) orientation is known," he said, referring to his support for the Iran-backed Hizbullah. Activists on social media saw the apology as further evidence of the kind of pressure the movement exerts on dissenters or anyone perceived as cozying up to its opponents or enemies. "They made him apologize because he prayed for Lokman Slim," the BlogBaladi activist page said on Facebook, referring to the Shiite group. Christian supporters of the Hizbullah-allied Free Patriotic Movement also objected to the service, but for different reasons.
"This is clear heresy and an insult to sanctity," said one social media user who identified as an FPM supporter and took issue with the choice of music. "Christian rituals dictate that Good Friday hymns are to be chanted exclusively at funerals for Christians," he said. Several other FPM activists on Twitter echoed his grievance. Lokman was widely hated by Hizbullah loyalists who accused him of being a Western puppet. He was found shot dead in his car on February 4 in south Lebanon, where Hizbullah has wide influence. The Shiite group has denounced the murder and called for an investigation, a call repeated Thursday in the weekly statement of its parliamentary bloc.

US ambassador to Lebanon condemns Lokman Slim killing
Reuters, Beirut/February 11/2021
The US ambassador to Lebanon paid a rare visit to a quarter of Beirut that is a Hezbollah stronghold to attend the memorial service for activist Lokman Slim on Thursday. He was shot dead and found in his car last Thursday in south Lebanon – the first killing of a high-profile activist in years. “This was a barbaric act, unforgivable and unacceptable,” Dorothy Shea said in a speech at the service which was held at the family home in Beirut’s Dahiya quarter. He spoke out against what he described as the intimidation tactics of the Iranian-backed, armed Shia Hezbollah group and its attempts to monopolize Lebanese politics.Hezbollah has condemned the murder, but Slim’s sister has suggested he was murdered because of those views. On Thursday, his mother, Salma Merchak, quietly cried as she listened to Muslim and Christian prayers for her son at the service, which was also attended by the ambassadors of Germany, Canada, Britain and Switzerland. In a speech afterwards, she asked Lebanon’s young people to foreswear arms and embrace dialogue in his memory. “I ask you, the young, if you really want a nation to continue with the principles that he fought for and was convinced of,” Merchak said.
“Use only your logic and reason. Weapons don’t benefit the country. They didn’t benefit me – I lost my son.”

U.S. Ambassador Says Slim's Assassination 'Barbaric'
Naharnet/February 11/2021
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea described the assassination of activist Lokman Slim during his funeral on Thursday as a “barbaric act.” “The killing of activist Lokman Slim is an unacceptable barbaric act,” said Shea during the funeral ceremony of the intellectual activist held in the southern suburbs of Beirut. "Today, I am honored to be with you -- his family and his loved ones -- to convey in person my deepest sympathy. You were robbed. We all were robbed of a great man," she added.  "Let us also celebrate some of the characteristics that made Lokman who he was: he was tireless and relentless in his pursuit to reconcile Lebanon’s people and to promote freedom and inclusion. These efforts cannot and will not be suppressed through fear or violence, because they are what is right," Shea went on to say. "So, like him, let us not be deterred," she urged. 
"We will push for what is just. We will join you in demanding accountability for this horrific crime," the ambassador promised. She also said that the U.S. embassy will continue its "partnership with the organizations he helped found." "We are proud of these partnerships," she emphasized, pledging to seek to advance Slim's "vision." The German ambassador to Lebanon, Andreas Kindl, also paid tribute to Lokman during the funeral, he said: “Lokman’s death was a personal loss for me. My condolences to his family. We demand transparent investigation.”
The funeral of Slim was held Thursday in Ghobeiry, in the presence of ambassadors and political, media and religious figures from various sects, as well as family members and friends. Slim, a prominent Lebanese activist and intellectual known for his opposition to Hizbullah was found shot dead in his car in the country's south last Thursday. It drew immediate condemnation from abroad and tributes from his many friends. Slim, 58, had long been a leading secular voice in the Shiite community and was routinely criticised, and often threatened, over his anti-Hizbullah stance.
Lebanese social media erupted over the murder, as people commented on the latest in a long line of Lebanon's political killings. Slim, long a hate figure for Hizbullah loyalists who accused him of being a Western puppet, lived without personal protection.
 

Diplomats, Politicians, Religious Figures Attend Funeral of Lokman Slim
Naharnet/February 11/2021
The funeral of activist and intellectual Lokman Slim was held on Thursday in the area of Ghobeiry, in the presence of ambassadors and political, media and religious figures from various sects, and family and friends.
Mother of the deceased, Salma Mershak, delivered the family’s speech, in which she invited Lebanese for “dialogue” instead of bearing weapons.
“If you want a homeland, you must cling to the principles for which Lokman was martyred. The burden will weigh heavy on you. Accept the idea of dialogue and the logic of reason to create a country worthy of Lokman. Stay away from weapons; those have taken away my son,” the grieving mother said.
The ambassadors of the United States, Germany and Switzerland attended the funeral, in addition to several political figures.
The family of Lokman chose to have religious figures from different sects pray for their slain son. Slim, a prominent Lebanese activist and intellectual known for his opposition to Hizbullah was found shot dead in his car in the country’s south last Thursday. It drew immediate condemnation from abroad and tributes from his many friends. The US ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea described his killing in her farewell speech at the funeral as a “barbaric act.”
“He who does not know the history of Lokman Slim will not understand the present and will not know how to plan for the future,” Swiss Ambassador Monica Kirgoz said. “Switzerland has lost a friend and we will make sure that the task he was undertaking will be pursued.” She indicated that “Lokman and his wife began writing the history of Lebanon 5 years ago, and that Switzerland was a partner to them by providing support.”Slim, 58, had long been a leading secular voice in the Shiite community and was routinely criticised, and often threatened, over his anti-Hizbullah stance. Lebanese social media erupted over the murder, as people commented on the latest in a long line of Lebanon’s political killings. Slim, long a hate figure for Hizbullah loyalists who accused him of being a Western puppet, lived without personal protection.

South Prosecutor Meets Security Chiefs over Lokman Slim's Case
Naharnet/February 11/2021
The attorney general of the South, Judge Rahif Ramadan, held a broad meeting Thursday to follow up on the investigations into the killing of prominent activist and researcher Lokman Slim. The meeting, at Ramadan’s office at Sidon’s Justice Palace, was attended by the heads of the security and military agencies in the South. The conferees “stressed the need to continue the investigations and for full coordination among the security agencies in order to unveil the perpetrators,” state-run National News Agency said. The meeting was attended by the head of military intelligence in the South Col. Suheil Harb, head of the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch in the South Col. Zaher Assi, head of the ISF in the South Brig. Gen. Ghassan Shamseddine, his assistant Col. Hussein Osseiran, head of State Security in the South Col. Fadi Karanouh, head of General Security in the South Col. Ali Hoteit, Jwayya police station chief Capt. Ahmed Khreis and Nabatiyeh police station chief Maj. Hassan Hammoud.
 

Hizbullah Bloc Says Accusations over Slim's Murder Require Prosecution
Naharnet/February 11/2021
Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc on Thursday renewed the party’s condemnation of the murder of prominent activist Lokman Slim while slamming the political accusations that have been addressed to Hizbullah in this regard.
The bloc “renews the call for the competent judicial and security agencies to quickly work on unveiling the perpetrators,” it said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. “The targeted media campaigns, the political accusations and the deliberate condemnation -- that is based on slander, defamation and getting ahead of the investigations -- are deplorable acts that require prosecution and accountability because they are aimed at incitement, stirring chaos and offering free services to the Israeli enemy and its handler America,” the bloc added. Slim's family has expressed skepticism that a government investigation would lead to those who killed him, citing a history of unresolved assassinations and political crimes in Lebanon. The family had hired a private forensic pathologist to carry out an independent examination of Slim's body. Many of his friends have suspected Hizbullah supporters had a role in his killing, citing previous threats to the vocal critic of the powerful group. Slim, a secular Shiite who had good ties with Western nations, was a vocal critic of Hizbullah's hold on power in Lebanon and its regional policies. Still, he decided to continue to live in his home in Haret Hreik, a southern suburb of Beirut that became part of the militant group's stronghold decades after he was born.

Report: List of Hizbullah Opponents under 'Threat’ Circulates on Social Media
Agence France Presse/February 11/2021
Threats to Hizbullah adversaries in Lebanon have reportedly escalated since the assassination of the writer and political activist Lokman Slim last week, the Saudi Asharq el-Awsat reported on Thursday. On Wednesday, a list of names and photos of a number of Hizbullah opponents allegedly at risk, has circulated on social media. Meanwhile, Hizbullah-owned TV network al-Manar TV made a high-pitched criticism of its opponents during its prime time news bulletin. Several figures mentioned in the list refused to comment on this campaign, saying the current phase is very critical in Lebanon and that the party standing behind it is “known to all,” according to the daily. Anti-Hizbullah journalist Ali al-Amin, among the names listed, said it is part of an “escalating campaign targeting opponents of the authority and who administers it.”He told Asharq el-Awsat that Lebanon has “entered a new security phase since the assassination of Slim,” voicing distrust in the security agencies’ ability of making any difference. “Security agencies are supposed to take this campaign seriously and do the necessary, but unfortunately we no longer have confidence and we expect more threats and campaigns of distortion, intimidation and threat through electronic armies,” he told the daily. The campaign escalated on social media accompanied by video recordings and positions of ant-Hizbullah journalists, university professors and political activists accusing Hizbullah of the assassination. Slim, a prominent Lebanese activist and intellectual known for his opposition to Hizbullah was found shot dead in his car in the country's south last Thursday. It drew immediate condemnation from abroad and tributes from his many friends. Slim, 58, had long been a leading secular voice in the Shiite community and was routinely criticized, and often threatened, over his anti-Hizbullah stance.
Lebanese social media erupted over the murder, as people commented on the latest in a long line of Lebanon's political killings.

Beirut Was ‘Lucky’ to Escape Second Chemical Blast, German Firm Clearing Port Says
Naharnet/February 11/2021
After a blast of historic proportions at Beirut's port last year, Lebanon only escaped a second chemical inferno by chance, the German company clearing the dockside has said. Michael Wentler, a chemical expert managing Combi Lift's Beirut operation, said thousands of litres of dangerous substances stored in decaying containers for more than a decade at the port had turned the area into a minefield of chemical hazards. "We found substances that, if mixed together, would lead to an explosion," he told AFP on Wednesday, recounting an assignment he said compared to no other. "The port is lucky, because the containers have a distance" between them, Wentler added. There were a series of subsequent blazes in the port since the August 4 explosion, that killed more than 200 people and devastated swathes of Beirut. Heavy lift transport company Combi Lift in November signed a contract with Lebanese authorities to deal with the hazardous substances at the blast site. This month, Wentler and his team finished treating 52 containers, in a process he said revealed the lethal chaos that has long prevailed at Beirut harbour. "I have never seen a situation like this before in my life," Wentler said, describing festering chemical mixtures so corrosive they burned gaping holes right through massive shipping containers. "You have like a sea or a river of yellow and green substances that came out" of some containers, he added. "These chemicals were bubbling". The containers -- which have been at the port for more than 10 years -- were stored haphazardly in seven different locations. Most were located in an open-air cargo zone at the opposite end of the blast site.
Interim port chief Bassem al-Kaisi said in November that Beirut could have been "wiped out" if the substances caught fire.
Mysterious shipments -
The August 4 blast was caused by tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been inadequately stored for more than six years. Authorities are yet to explain why the large fertiliser shipment ended up in Lebanon, and why it stayed there so long. The origin of chemical substances treated by Combi Lift is no clearer.
"None of the authorities seem to know anything about these shipments," Wentler said, apart from the date they entered the port. "I don't think the port authorities know what they have on site, inside the port." Last year's blast severely disfigured the containers, which were already decaying and punctured with acid burns after years of neglect. "It was not possible to lift or move many of the containers, because their condition was so bad," Wentler said, meaning experts had to move the chemicals by hand. Wentler said he was saved by a hazmat suit when hydrochloric acid burned through the bottom of a barrel he was lifting and splashed to the ground. Hydrochloric acid, a corrosive and toxic substance, made up 60 percent of the chemicals Combi Lift came across, Wentler said. The firm also had to handle thousands of litres of acetone, which is highly flammable, and containers of hydrogen peroxide, a liquid substance, which if mixed together could lead to an explosion, Wentler said. By chance, the containers of acetone and hydrogen peroxide were stored in separate locations, Wentler added. The "most dangerous" chemicals treated included hydrofluoric acid, which can be deadly if it enters the bloodstream or makes contact with the skin, according to Wentler. The substances were sealed in special containers that Combi Lift plans to ship to Germany at the end of February. The Lebanese government has yet to pay the $2 million it owes the company -- $1 million of which should be paid up front when the containers are loaded before departure, Wentler added.

Elysee Says Macron’s Visit to Lebanon Depends on Formation
Naharnet/February 11/2021
French President Emmanuel Macron will not visit Lebanon unless a government is formed, a source at the Elysee told Sky News Arabia on Thursday. “Unless things progress in Lebanon and a government is formed, Macron will not visit Lebanon,” said the source on condition of anonymity.
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who is visiting Paris for talks with Macron, had announced earlier that discussions with the French President focused on the Lebanese crisis and on the hurdles hampering the formation of a cabinet. Macron had in December called on Lebanese politicians to swiftly form a reform-oriented government in order to unlock international aid for the crisis-hit country. At that time, an official in the French presidency confirmed that world powers would "continue to pressure the political class" in Lebanon to implement the reforms necessary to advance the country from the stifling political and economic crisis it is going through, that aggravated after the huge explosion in Beirut's port last August.

Aoun discusses proceedings of forensic audit and 2021 budget with Finance Minister.
NNA/February 11/2021
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met Caretaker Finance Minister, Ghazi Wazny, today at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of former Minister, Salim Jreisatti and Presidency Director General, Dr. Antoine Choucair.
The processes of forensic audit, after the issuance of Law 200/2020 and the 2021 draft budget were tackled in the meeting.
Statement of Minister Wazny:
After the meeting, the Finance Minister made the following statement:
“Today, I met with His Excellency, the President of the Republic, and we discussed forensic audit especially after the issuance of Law No. 200/2020. I briefed the President about developments, especially as I am awaiting the responses of the Central Council of Governance of the Central Bank, regarding the start of audit in financial accounts in order to proceed in what is convenient with the auditing company. The 2021 draft budget was also discussed, and I hoped that the Cabinet would address it as soon as possible, so that the draft budget can be referred to the Parliament”.
Questions & Answers:
Question: What awaits Lebanon today, two months after the passage of the law to suspend bank secrecy?
Answer: “After the approval of Law 200/2020, related to lifting bank secrecy, we sent the correspondence to the audit company “Alvarez” which showed willingness to continue its activities, but it requested answers to four questions so that its final decision will be in accordance to these answers. The BDL Governance has contacted us about the four questions because the answers to three of these questions must come from the BDL. As for the first one, regarding the concept of final accounts, we received the answer from the Legislative Commission, which clearly states that its accounts are the accounts of existing customers. As for the three answers which I mentioned that were being waited for from the BDL Governor, the Governance was waiting for the Central Council meeting which was held yesterday, and from here the Finance Ministry hopes that answers will reach it. When we receive the answers, we can then write to Alvarez for the start of forensic audit and verification”.
Question: Did His Excellency the President inform you of his agreement with the Prime Minister to set a date for discussing the budget?
Answer: “The budget is supposed to be one of the priorities of the Government now, and the relevant project has been referred to the Cabinet more than a week ago, which in turn referred it to the ministers. We are waiting in the coming days for the Prime Minister, in understanding with the President of the Republic, to determine the date of the meeting to discuss the budget. We hope that this will be done as soon as possible so that we can refer it to the Parliament, because we need financial regularity, and we cannot continue spending on the twelfth base, which limits the Government’s capabilities and the implementation of tasks related to public spending”.
Asked about the fear related to the ability to secure salaries of employees in the current year, Minister Wazny replied “In 2020, salaries were insured and there was no fear or concern about this issue. In 2021, we hope that these salaries will remain secure, as they were last year. However, we also need to discuss the budget and refer it to the Parliament and approve it because that doesn’t restrict us from spending of the 12th rule by decimal, because spending on this rule limits the ministry to spending so that 1 of 12 of total expenditures are spent for year 2020. From here, we wish that the Prime Minister hastens to set a session to discuss the budget and then quickly refer it to the Parliament”.
MP Hagop Pakradounian:
The President also met “Tashnag” Party Secretary-General, MP Hagop Pakradounian, and deliberated with him current developments regarding the formation of the upcoming Government, and the party’s position in this regard.
President of the Constitutional Council:
President Aoun received President of the Constitutional Council, Judge Tannous Meshleb, and was briefed on the status of the Council especially after the death of two of its members, late Elias Bou Eid and Abdullah Al-Shami.
The meeting also addressed the difficulties facing the Council’s work, securing requirements, in addition to the general situation in the country and the obstacles which delay judiciary work.-- Presidency Press Office
 

Hariri: Missiles Targeting KSA a Threat to Arab Security
Naharnet/February 11/2021
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Thursday condemned a new missile attack on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Huthi rebels.“We are fed up and our region is fed up with destruction and sedition,” Hariri said in a tweet.
“Haven’t those groups had enough of spilling the blood of innocents, and are self-defense wars fought through the bombardment of innocent civilians?” the PM-designate wondered. “The missiles targeting Saudi Arabia are a blatant and rejected threat to Arab security,” Hariri added. Earlier in the day, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Huthis at the Saudi region of Khamis Mushait. The Huthis have intensified their missile and drone attacks against the kingdom in recent weeks. Hariri had also condemned previous attacks.

Sawan listens to Kahwaji's testimony as witness
NNA/February 11/2021 
Judicial Investigator into the case of the Beirut port explosion, Judge Fadi Sawan, has listened to the testimony of former Army Chief, General Jean Kahwaji, as a witness, National News Agency correspondent said on Thursday.

U.S. Court Won't Delay Extradition of 2 Nabbed in Ghosn's Escape
Associated Press/February 11/2021
A U.S. appeals court refused Thursday to put on hold the extradition of two men wanted by Japan on accusations that they helped smuggle former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn out of the country in a box in 2019. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an emergency petition to halt Michael and Peter Taylor's extradition to give them time to challenge a lower court ruling. The U.S. government has said it could surrender the men to Japan as early as Friday, according to the Taylors' lawyers. In a brief ruling, the 1st Circuit said the Taylors failed to show they are likely to succeed on the merits of their case. An email seeking comment was sent to an attorney for the Taylors.Taylor, a former Green Beret and private security specialist from Massachusetts, and his son are being sought by Japan so they can tried on allegations that they aided Ghosn's daring escape from the country while he he was out on bail and awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. Lawyers for the Taylors say the men cannot be extradited because "bail jumping" is not a crime in Japan and, therefore, helping someone evade their bail conditions isn't a crime, either. Michael Taylor said in an interview with The Associated Press this month that he fears they will be treated unfairly in the Japanese legal system and feels betrayed that the U.S. would try to turn him over to Japan after his service to the country. The White House has not commented on the case. In court papers this week, the U.S. Justice Department called the claims in the Taylors' bid to block the extradition "unprecedented and meritless" and noted that they had already been rejected by other judges. The U.S. Department of State agreed in October to hand the pair over to Japan, but a Boston federal court judge put the extradition on hold after their lawyers filed an emergency petition. The judge rejected the petition last week, clearing the way for the extradition, before the lawyers appealed to the 1st Circuit. Ghosn's escape came as he was awaiting trial on allegations that he underreported his future income and committed a breach of trust by diverting Nissan Motor Co. money for his personal gain.
Ghosn, who led the Japanese automaker for two decades, rescuing it from near-bankruptcy, denies any wrongdoing. He said he fled because he could not expect a fair trial, was subjected to unfair conditions in detention and was barred from meeting his wife under his bail conditions.
He is now in Lebanon, where he has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan.
 

From 2019 aljumhuriya.net Archieves/I don’t like talking about fear…Interview With Lukman Slin and his Wife Monika Borgmann
من الأرشيف: مقابلة مع لقمان سليم وزوجته مونيكا بورغمن من موقع الجمهورية
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/95856/from-2019-aljumhuriya-net-archieves-i-dont-like-talking-about-fear-interview-with-lukman-slin-and-his-wife-monika-borgmann-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d8%b1%d8%b4%d9%8a%d9%81-%d9%85/

Anton Mukhamedov/aljumhuriya.net/11 February 2021
Click here to read the interview on The aljumhuriya.net
In a previously-unpublished interview from 2019, the late
11 February 2021
Interviews
Anton Mukhamedov
In a previously-unpublished interview from 2019, the late Lokman Slim—assassinated last week—and his wife Monika Borgmann discuss living in Hezbollah’s Beirut; their film about Syria’s notorious Tadmor prison; the nature of political violence; and the question of fear.
[Editor’s note: The below is a previously-unpublished interview with the Lebanese activist and filmmaker Lokman Slim—who was assassinated in south Lebanon last Thursday—as well as his wife, Monika Borgmann. It was originally conducted in French, and has been translated into English by the author. While much has happened in Lebanon since the interview—from the uprising of October 2019 to the deadly port blast of August 2020—the conversation remains of utmost relevance to Lebanon, Syria, and beyond. In particular, Slim’s remarks about the personal risks involved in his criticisms of Hezbollah and Syria’s Assad regime are all the more salient in light of his abhorrent murder.]
It is June 2019, and Paris’ cafés are brimming with clientele. Sipping coffee on one of the city’s terraces are Lokman Slim and Monika Borgmann, whose film Tadmor (the Arabic name for the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra) has just been screened at a Syria-related event the day before.
To an outsider observer, the conversation might seem light-hearted; the gestures and expressions almost nonchalant. Without listening in, it would be hard to guess we were discussing the sordid reality of Syria’s prison system and Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon with one of the group’s most outspoken critics.
Tadmor, which prompted this meeting, depicts life in Syria’s Palmyra prison, through the voices and bodies of a group of former Lebanese inmates incarcerated there under the regime of Syria’s Hafez al-Assad during the Lebanese civil war. Slim and Borgmann let the ex-prisoners reenact their own incarceration, giving viewers an inside glimpse at their daily routine, as well as the gruesome torture to which they were subjected at the hands of their guards (also played by ex-prisoners).
Since 2001, when they first met, Slim and Borgmann have worked together in what appears to be perfect unison. Their joint projects include their two films Massaker (2004) and Tadmor (2016); their NGO preserving the memory of the Lebanese civil war, based in the heart of Beirut’s southern suburbs; and their Middle East and North Africa Prison Forum initiative. They even complete each other’s sentences.
Al-Jumhuriya: Could you begin by telling us how you met each other, and how you started working together?
Monika Borgmann: In 2001, I came to Beirut with a project to film Massaker, a documentary drawing portraits of six men who took part in the [1982] Sabra and Shatila massacres. A Syrian friend we had in common introduced us to each other. We soon discovered we had similar interests, and so we worked on the film together from 2001 until 2004. It was our first film. When it was finished, we founded our NGO, the UMAM Documentation & Research Center. We have been collaborating ever since, and we are also married.
[Both laugh.]
The idea behind Massaker originated much earlier, perhaps three years before. I was a freelance journalist in Cairo, and I occasionally visited Beirut. It took time to find the film’s protagonists, and all those who appear in the film. We met them together.
Lokman Slim: I would say that beyond our individual circumstances, such as Monika’s German culture, or my experience of life in Beirut, we were drawn together by more abstract questions. These were questions related to the carrying out of acts of violence, as violence surrounds us.
When it comes to murder that becomes prosaic, there is also the question of memory; of how both victims and killers live with what they have done, or what they have been subjected to. What trace is there of victims that no longer have a voice, who have perished, but who shouldn’t be forgotten? Often we mix testimonies of survivors and those who no longer have a name or an address. This brings other questions: how to really exit a war, whether it be a civil war or something else. This was our common ground with Monika, and we happened to be in Beirut, with Monika having come with an idea regarding this particular massacre, which was Lebanese in name only. This event involved the Lebanese, as well as Palestinians and Israelis, and in the end all those who happened to be in Beirut, which was a much more cosmopolitan city at the time than it is now.
Borgmann: The questioning we shared was also always related to how the past impacts the present.
Al-Jumhuriya: Were you ever afraid of the repercussions your work could have on your lives in Lebanon?
Slim: I don’t like talking about fear. Fear is something very vague, it’s not quantifiable. I prefer discussing specific situations. Yes, we’ve experienced delicate, complicated situations, but ultimately the challenge has been, so long as we stay alive, to prevent these situations from paralyzing us; transforming into panic; a kind of fear that would make it impossible for us to reflect on them and go further. So far, this is how we have been operating: managing each subsequent situation and preventing…
Borgmann: …preventing ourselves from becoming hostages to the situation.
Al-Jumhuriya: You are both vocal in your criticism of Hezbollah and the Syrian regime. Is it an issue for you in Lebanon?
Borgmann: We are based in Lokman’s family house in Dahiyeh [Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah’s presence is strongest]. We live in this villa with a large garden which has existed for longer than Hezbollah has.
Slim: [Our activism] has caused us problems, but it’s the price to be paid. We have an advantage on Hezbollah: we have seen others like them. I don’t exclude the possibility of seeing them fall one day. We have to get rid of the idea that it’s some kind of an ahistorical, eternally powerful substance. I don’t have that impression. In 1982, I witnessed the PLO leave Beirut, and I saw Hezbollah emerge. This organization rose on the ruins of others, and today my view is that, after their involvement in Syria—despite what is being said of their military might—Hezbollah is incapable of translating its military gains into political victories in Syria. And therefore I don’t see why they’d be stronger in Lebanon than they are in Syria. To me, it’s the contrary: even in the Shiite pro-Hezbollah communities, people are becoming skeptical. What was the point of supporting a wavering regime which owes its survival to [Iranian Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin?
Al-Jumhuriya: What is your view of Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon and in Syria?
Slim: In practice, Hezbollah exerts over Lebanon something that lies between tutelage and occupation. Hezbollah managed to infiltrate all the inner workings of the Lebanese state, so that they now control the decisions pertaining to peace and war, and also administer refugees.
The Syrian opposition has for a long time been very naïve in its analysis of Hezbollah’s role in Syria. Not everyone had the same naïveté, but it was still largely present. Hezbollah was still seen as a resistance movement whose fighting against Israeli occupation in Lebanon justified their misdeeds. Despite the intimate ties between Lebanon and Syria, I think many Syrians hadn’t learnt what the Lebanese had in 2005, when they started to demand Hezbollah’s disarmament.
The Syrian people have paid the price of Hezbollah’s continued blackmail in the name of its eternal war against “the Zionist entity.” The Syrian opposition thought they could address Hezbollah as an independent actor, and didn’t believe what the Lebanese were telling them; in particular that Hezbollah’s decisions were taken in Tehran, and not in Haret Hreik [a neighborhood in Dahiyeh known for its heavy Hezbollah presence; also the neighborhood in which Slim and Borgmann live].
Al-Jumhuriya: Despite the differences between Massaker and Tadmor, in both there is a layer of anonymity enveloping their characters. Was this choice purely pragmatic (to preserve the protagonists’ identities), or was it artistic as well?
Borgmann: All our protagonists had been through a long process which allowed them to find their own language, to the point that they no longer needed an interpreter. In Massaker, the film’s language found itself, as we couldn’t show the characters’ faces. This meant that, aesthetically, the film had to focus on body language. We asked all six protagonists if they had an issue with removing their shirts. Two said they did and kept them. The rest were filmed without them. As we approach the part of the film about the massacre, the characters are almost naked except for their trousers. Their flesh is showing, and so we get closer to their bodies as they start discussing the killings. Personally, I find that it was an advantage for the film that we couldn’t display their faces; it made the film’s subject more general. It no longer talked only about these six specific men; it could also talk about other massacres.
Slim: Of course, anonymity was their condition to appear in the film, but as this put us in a subservient position to the characters, I thought it should also allow us to bring about a level of abstraction regarding the event of the massacre itself. In Tadmor, it was a similar choice. The reasons which brought each specific prisoner to Tadmor became mere details, and the carceral experience emerged at the center of the narrative.
Al-Jumhuriya: What did you try to say about the genesis of violence with your two films?
Slim: The question of the origin of collective violence was mostly treated in Massaker. In Tadmor, we are at a point where violence is already at its summit: it deploys itself as an almost infallible system. The film illustrates it concretely through language, the physical and geometrical positions of prisoners inside the cells… We are trying to enter inside a system of violence which continues to function almost by inertia. Even when there is no reason to torture, the guards still do it. It’s a machine that is out of control.
Borgmann: If we had been interested in how this system came about, we would have been looking for ex-prison guards, but this was not our goal in this film. The purpose was to understand and describe the carceral system and give the voice to the survivors.
Slim: It wasn’t by pure chance that we addressed this issue. Once we finished Tadmor, we embarked on another adventure; a project whose ambition is to retrace the genealogy of carceral violence, not only in Syria, but in the Arab world more generally.
Al-Jumhuriya: Let’s talk about the MENA Prison Forum in more detail.
Slim: Our political engagement is very clear. We don’t approach the carceral system from a legalistic human rights perspective only. The MENA Prison Forum goes beyond preaching rights and resolutions. Acknowledging the failure of such approaches was one of the things that drove our work on this issue. We can continue signing petitions, of course. At the same time, we look into how these regimes have developed, with time, the practice of all sorts of violence. Pointing out this genealogy is necessary so as not to fall back into a kind of juridicism. At the same time, we can also continue making films. The whole idea of the MENA Prison Forum was to bring all these different energies together. It’s not enough to denounce the present forms of the carceral systems: we also have to understand how such a system could establish itself in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. MPF is a process we believe to be unending. We had our first meeting in 2016, then another one in 2017. We hosted a closed conference to launch the Forum. As it is a sensitive subject, in lots of countries, there are a lot of people who wouldn’t like their participation to become public, which is why many of our meetings have been a bit discreet.
Borgmann: In April 2019, we held a meeting in Beirut regarding Egypt, and we couldn’t publish or communicate anything regarding it, so as not to put our participants in danger.
Slim: If, at times, we have to keep a low profile and be discreet about work—I don’t like the word “secrecy,” because we are not hiding our views—we do it. But it doesn’t mean that we enjoy it.
Al-Jumhuriya: What do you think is the role of sectarianism in upholding Syria’s carceral state?
Slim: In the behavior of the jailers towards the prisoners, we see an allegiance to their Führer. It’s much more of an esprit de corps, an allegiance to the big boss, the great mafioso, than an ideology.
Borgmann: And we don’t see this in the film, but the ex-prisoners told us that if a soldier showed even a bit of pity towards his prisoners, he would share their fate. There was a whole machinery, which doesn’t excuse the guards, but explains that the system terrified them as well.
Slim: Dehumanization through and through. To become a guard in Palmyra, you had to have already left your humanity at the door. A guard couldn’t stay in the Palmyra prison and display any sort of mercy towards the prisoners.
Borgmann: To highlight what Lokman was saying, the guards in Palmyra were mostly Alawite, and for them the sect was a sort of a mafia clan. Alawites are certainly not more brutal than anyone else; it’s the system that forces them to obey their clan.
Slim: It seems that, especially in Palmyra, the guards were either Alawite or Shawi (literally “shepherd,” referring to the predominantly-Sunni tribes of eastern Syria). So in Palmyra you found either the guards [with an absolute allegiance to their clan] or marginalized people who were ready to do anything to gain the favor of the more powerful. This brings us again to the idea of a system, one that selected even its prison guards. Not just any conscript could serve in the Palmyra prison.
Al-Jumhuriya: Tadmor’s characters sometimes display relatively minor acts of resistance that mean the world to them. These are some of the film’s most powerful moments. Is it about illustrating the fact that one of the world’s worst prisons cannot break them?
Borgmann: Such resistance was also something that pushed us to work on this film. The more we got to know our group of protagonists—we met them in 2008—the more they told us; the more we questioned them about how they managed to survive. The film tries to elaborate on this question, too. We think that everyone had their own little secret that they kept private, which was crucial for us to show. That way, we can also see the film in a positive light, as somewhere they found the necessary force to survive.
Slim: What makes a human being faced with horror succeed at preserving their personal integrity? It’s not just about these prisoners anymore, but, as Monika said, a larger reflection on how everyone elaborates their own little techniques [of resistance], how they manage to recreate dignity.
Borgmann: One of the ex-prisoners was once denounced by a cellmate [for breaking a certain rule]. It shows something interesting; maybe that person thought that by denouncing someone else he would survive. There is an effort to survive individually, but, on a collective level, there also appears a general interest.
[Borgmann mentions a scene where, at night, three prisoners who are still physically strong perform a chore out of turn, so as to avoid collective punishment for a task done badly.]
There were situations where prisoners would save others’ lives and their own lives simultaneously.
Al-Jumhuriya: What did it mean for former prisoners to play prison guards? What effect did the film have on the Lebanese survivors of Palmyra prison?
Borgmann: Two of our main protagonists act as torturers. They were part of the same group of ex-prisoners, as this group would never accept anyone outside in this role, which consisted in beating them. Our camera director tried to recruit his activist friends for these roles, but our protagonists refused. They only accepted to play the role themselves.
Slim: We have to imagine it as a collective body. If one of its members plays the torturer, the body only inflicts pain onto itself. It’s a suffering within a closed loop, contrary to what happens in prison, where suffering ultimately comes from the outside.
Al-Jumhuriya: How did the filming of Tadmor affect the protagonists? Could you talk about their treatment in Lebanon after their release from Assad’s jail?
Borgmann: Most of the prisoners were liberated following an amnesty after Hafez al-Assad’s death [in 2000], and then they came back to Lebanon, which was still occupied by the Syrian army. They were publicly seen as traitors and received no medical or psychological support. But everyone manages their fear differently. Ali Abu Dehn started talking about his experience almost immediately. Others became vocal after the retreat of the Syrian army. More than anything, the ex-prisoners were busy rebuilding their lives. Some got back with their wives; others were divorced by theirs; others got married. Most had disappeared when they were about 18-20 years old, and all these years when you’d normally learn a job, they’d spent in prison. So when they got out, most of the group became cab drivers. Driving was a liberty, and it didn’t require particular skills, but it meant that today they struggle to send their children to a decent school. And they are still fighting to obtain reparations from the Lebanese state. A Lebanese who had been imprisoned in Israel receives compensation from the government…
Slim: …and those who were in Syrian prisons do not.
Borgmann: The film served as an exorcism for the protagonists’ trauma. I think that they became stronger. They were proud of having taken part in the project. Ali Abu Dehn has travelled with us; he’s been to various film festivals, and recognition helps greatly.
Al-Jumhuriya: Since the Lebanese civil war, all Syrian prisons have become equally, if not more terrible than Palmyra. What does it change about the film’s message? How do your protagonists feel about the fact that the atrocities they experienced continue to this day?
Slim: A lot of our Syrian friends who have been to prison there identify strongly with the film. The fact that most of Tadmor’s protagonists are Lebanese doesn’t prevent them from considering it a Syrian film. We are very happy with this appropriation, and I think we won our bet. Tadmor has become a film about Syrian prisons, as well as all other prisons similar to them, whether they be in Iraq, Egypt, Latin America, or Russia.
Borgmann: Our film’s protagonists feel like the spokespeople for those dead or still imprisoned. Especially since the geopolitics of the conflict have changed. At first, everyone thought Assad would go.
Al-Jumhuriya: And now?
Borgmann: Unfortunately not.
Slim: It’s even worse than that. Today it is no longer enough for Assad to leave. On the one hand, you have the system he built; and, on the other hand, you have the Russian-Iranian condominium, which has to be dismantled. And this is much harder to do.

Ministry of Information publishes FAQs about anti-Coronavirus vaccination
NNA/11 February 2021
In collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Information publishes on its website a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the anti-Coronavirus vaccine and answers provided by a specialized medical scientific committee formed by the MoPH, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the UNICEF.
The list includes answers to 48 FAQs about the vaccine, its components, the doses, the first beneficiaries, vaccination possibilities for pregnant women, children, those with chronic diseases, and people with special needs; in addition to the details of Lebanon’s agreement with COVAX.
FAQs about COVID-19 Vaccine
1-Are Covid-19 vaccines safe?
Covid-19 vaccines have been tested to ensure their safety in the short term, and till date minimal side effects have been reported.
2-What side effects should I expect from taking Covid-19 vaccines?
As with most Intramuscular vaccinations, some side effects are expected, such as redness and pain at the site where the injection is given. In some cases, a slight increase in body temperature during the first 48 hours after vaccination may occur, as well as feeling fatigue, headache, and muscle pain. In very rare cases, allergic reactions were observed.
3- How many doses of Covid-19 vaccine are needed?
Most Covid-19 vaccines that have been tested so far require two doses per recipient.
4- What is the time interval between doses of Covid-19 vaccine?
This period ranges between three to four weeks.
5- What happens if a person is unable to take the second dose?
According to recommendations, it is important to adhere to the dates of vaccination to achieve the required level of immunity and get the maximum benefit from the vaccine.
6- Since 2 doses of Covid-19 vaccine are needed, can the second dose be a different Covid-19 vaccine?
No, you must take the same Covid-19 vaccine for both doses.
7- After obtaining the required doses, how much time does the vaccine need to start working and providing us with the required protection?
Two to four weeks after the second dose of vaccination.
8- Can taking the Covid-19 vaccine itself lead to infection with Covid-19?
No
9- After the emergence of new strains of Covid-19, does the Covid-19 vaccine provide protection against these new virus strains?
Current available vaccines (mRNA) provide protection against the new strain.
10- Is it safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women to receive the vaccine?
The effectiveness of available vaccines hasn't been tested on pregnant and breastfeeding women, so we recommend that you consult your physician.
11- Is it safe to give the Covid-19 vaccine to children? If yes, at what age?
The vaccine is not licensed for use in children under 16 years of age.
12- Is it safe for people with chronic diseases to take the vaccine?
People with chronic diseases will have priority in Covid-19 vaccination. It is preferable to speak with your doctor to discuss whether or not to get vaccinated.
People who suffer from severe allergic reactions to the components of the vaccine (which is very rare) or who suffer from severe diseases or have a fever on the day scheduled for taking the vaccine should not take it.
13- Should people with special needs take the Covid-19 vaccine?
Yes
14- Which Covid-19 vaccines have been approved by the WHO till date?
As of January 2021, both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have received emergency use authorization by WHO.
15- Did the vaccine pass all the phases of the clinical trial, prior to approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)?
Yes, it passed the first 3 phases. The fourth phase is usually based on monitoring after approval. The vaccine received emergency use authorization by the FDA.
16- Are Covid-19 vaccines effective despite being produced at a record speed compared to other vaccines?
Yes, they have been produced at a record speed given the urgency. All vaccines approved for emergency use to date have demonstrated high levels of safety and efficacy.
17- This is a frequently asked question: if I was previously infected with Covid-19, do I still need to get vaccinated? Is there a specific vaccine that I should take or any available vaccine? And when is it safest to take it?
There are no contraindications, but it is preferable to wait around six months before receiving the vaccine, as, according to expectations, the person will enjoy "natural immunity" against the virus for up to six months after infection and will be protected from the virus.
18- Can a person who has been vaccinated still contract coronavirus without any symptoms?
Yes, an individual who has been vaccinated still has the ability to contract the coronavirus, although he's more likely to be asymptomatic, which is why he must practice preventive measures.
19- Can vaccination cause asymptomatic coronavirus?
No, this is not possible for the mRNA vaccine
20- What if the vaccine has side effects? Who is responsible in this case?
The Lebanese Parliament has approved a law for regulating the use of medical products to combat the Coronavirus pandemic, which includes compensating individuals who suffer from severe injuries resulting from the use of the vaccine through the Ministry of Public Health. The ministry will establish a specialized scientific committee in this regard, to evaluate and determine the damages resulting from the use of the vaccine and financing compensation, if approved, from the general budget reserve and an independent compensation fund.
Vaccine purchase, storage and distribution in Lebanon
21- Lebanon signed an agreement with COVAX. What does COVAX mean?
The COVAX program is a mechanism designed to ensure rapid, fair and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines worldwide. The COVAX program is one of the three pillars of the Access to Covid-19 Tools accelerator, and it was launched in April 2020 by the WHO, the European Commission and France in response to this pandemic. As such, governments, global health organizations, manufacturers, scientists, the private sector, civil society and charitable organizations have been brought together, with the aim of providing innovative and equitable access to Covid-19 diagnosis, treatments and vaccines.
187 countries and economies will benefit from the COVAX facility, and 92 low-income countries and economies have qualified for assistance through advanced market commitments.
22- Why did the Lebanese government choose, in the first phase, the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine?
Because it was the first vaccine that was approved for emergency use. Following the announcement that several vaccines were being tested worldwide, the ministry of public health contacted relevant authorities such as the Russian embassy, the Chinese embassy and international pharmaceutical companies located in Lebanon (Moderna, for example, does not have a scientific office or any representative in Lebanon) and asked to provide it with all the information pertaining to vaccines for evaluation and the possibility of authorizing a vaccine for emergency use.
Based on the data that was submitted to the Ministry of Public Health, and taking into consideration the effectiveness and approval of the vaccine by international authorities, which is the basis for registering and approving any medicine in Lebanon, the Pfizer vaccine was selected - it fulfilled these controls and obtained an emergency use authorization license. It should be noted that the Pfizer vaccine is currently used in the United States of America, Britain and other European countries, and health workers in the front lines are being vaccinated as a first step.
23- Which authorities approved and licensed the Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19? Did the FDA approve it?
Both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization have authorized this vaccine for emergency use.
In addition to the following bodies: European Medicines Agency (EMA), UK health authorities (MHRA), Canadian health authorities and other countries.
24- What are the components of the Covid-19 vaccine that has been purchased by the Lebanese government?
In the first stage, the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine will be secured, which is the first vaccine that was authorized for emergency use by the WHO and many international health authorities. This vaccine contains a fragment of the virus's genetic material - mRNA. The Ministry of Public Health is working to secure access to other types of Covid-19 vaccines that meet the approved standards, either through the COVAX platform or through the private sector.
25- What agencies are part of the discussions related to purchasing the vaccine in Lebanon?
The Ministry of Public Health has formed a national committee to manage the Covid-19 vaccination file; which includes independent experts, representatives from the: Doctors Syndicate, the Nurses Union, the Lebanese Society for Bacterial Diseases, WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, UNHCR, UNRWA The Lebanese Red Cross, in addition to the concerned parties in the Ministry of Public Health. Military medicine and security forces, the Dental Association and Arcenciell (an association specialized in treating medical waste) were also consulted.
26- Which entity will finance Lebanon's vaccination plan?
The Lebanese state will purchase 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine through a loan from the World Bank.
The first payment for the COVAX platform was settled by the Ministry of Public Health from the vaccine budget. Funds were also transferred from the budget reserve to the budget of the Ministry of Public Health to settle the second payment of the contract signed with the COVAX platform in order to secure 2 million and 730 thousand doses of vaccine.
27- When will the Covid-19 vaccine become available in Lebanon?
In mid-February, the vaccine will be delivered in batches.
28- Who are the parties and segments that will first receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Lebanon?
The priority groups for vaccination campaigns have been identified according to the following criteria:
oThe risk of exposure to the virus and infection
o The risk of serious complications from infection
o The segments that are considered essential to maintain: a good response to the "Covid 19" pandemic, the primary health care system, and the smooth functioning of society and its natural cycle.
Groups who should receive the first doses of Covid-19 vaccines:
Phase 1 A:
" Healthcare personnel in the public and private sector
"People aged 75 and above, irrespective of any chronic diseases they may suffer from
Phase 1B:
"People aged 65-74 years, irrespective of any chronic diseases they may suffer from
o People aged 55-64 years who suffer from one or more chronic diseases
oWorkers in the field of epidemiological surveillance who are affiliated with the Ministry of Public Health
Phase 2 A:
oPeople aged 55-64, who were not previously covered by the vaccination
o People aged 16-54 years who suffer from one or more chronic diseases
o Primary health care workers who were not previously vaccinated
Phase 2B:
oIndividuals who are necessary to maintain the smooth functioning of society
People and workers in care facilities for the elderly, individuals with special needs, and prisons
Phase 3:
Teachers of different grades (from kindergarten to grade 12), school personnel, and nursery personnel.
Other workers in places with a high risk of transmission
Other workers in the primary health care sector.
People caring for members of their family aged 65 and above, or with special needs.
Phases 4:
All individuals who want to get the vaccine
Chronic diseases according to worldwide and Lebanese statistical data
Dialysis patients
Cardiovascular disease
Diabetes
Hypertension
Obesity (BMI 40 kg / m2)
Cancer patients (especially haematological malignancies and lung cancer)
Chronic kidney disease and kidney transplant patients
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma
People who are immunocompromised for any reason (HIV / AIDS, TB)
Other chronic diseases (including but not limited to: neurological diseases, rheumatic diseases, patients with multiple sclerosis)
29- Will there be enough vaccines for everyone?
According to the national Covid-19 vaccination plan, the Lebanese state is working on securing the vaccine for 80% of the population during the year 2021-2022. The vaccine will also be introduced through the private sector to secure greater coverage.
30- Which healthcare facilities will offer vaccination?
In the first phase, vaccination centers will be set up in the main hospitals in Lebanon. A detailed list of approved vaccination centers will be published at a later date.
31- Does the Covid-19 vaccine require special handling in terms of transportation and storage at very low temperatures?
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored at very low temperatures of -80 ° C. Currently, there are 12 hospitals in Lebanon that have refrigerators suitable for storing this vaccine. Work is also underway to secure additional refrigerators, with direct support from the WHO.
32- Who will be responsible for the safety of the vaccine?
The Lebanese state passed a law pertaining to the use of medical products in cases of emergency.
33- Will the vaccine be free of charge for all residents, including all refugees and immigrants?
The vaccines that will be provided through the Ministry of Public Health will be free of charge for the targeted groups, according to priority, for all residents on Lebanese territory.
34- How can we ensure the quality of the vaccine that is distributed free of charge?
Only vaccines that have been authorized and approved by international entities will be purchased, and the storage and distribution process will follow WHO's guidelines. Also, the National Committee for the Management of Covid-19 Vaccine will carry out periodic inspections.
35- How many people are likely to receive the vaccine?
The vaccine will be given according to priority and fair distribution depending on the age, chronic disease, and type of occupation. The numbers will gradually increase when other vaccines become available, to reach 80% of the population in 2022, according to the national Covid-19 vaccination plan.
36- Can I get the vaccine through my doctor?
No. In the early stages, the vaccine will only be secured through centers / hospitals that have been authorized for vaccination.
37- How can I get the vaccine?
1- Register on the electronic platform that was launched:
Through unions / groups or individually
Obtaining a text message specifying the date, time and place to receive the vaccine
2- Upon arrival at the vaccination center:
The beneficiary arrives within the specified time period (5-10 minutes for early / late arrival)
The beneficiary is directed to the manual sterilization station through the entrance
The beneficiary's data is verified, then he/she is registered and directed to the seat assigned to him/her in the waiting area, after explaining the benefits and risks of the vaccine and after making sure that there are no contraindications to vaccination through a prepared list of questions.
3- Administration of the vaccine:
The beneficiary is called to the vaccination clinic
The beneficiary confirms the details with the service provider (triple verification: full name, ID number and identification number of the text message received from the Ministry of Public Health) while the health worker / doctor prepares the vaccine
The beneficiary is vaccinated and provided with a vaccination card
The beneficiary is asked to wait in the monitoring area
4- After receiving the vaccine
Notifying the beneficiary about the expected side effects
After a 15-minute waiting period, the beneficiary is allowed to leave the vaccination center
Beneficiaries with a known vaccine allergy are asked to wait for 30 minutes
Remind beneficiaries of the second dose via SMS or email
The beneficiary is asked to report any side effects to the center from which he/she received the vaccine or via the Covid-19 vaccine call center.
38- Is Covid-19 vaccination optional?
Yes
39- Will individuals who received the Covid-19 vaccine be exempted from doing the PCR test before travelling?
You should check the recommendations of the country you are traveling to.
Vaccination and Immunology
40- Do people who contracted and recovered from Covid-19 need to be vaccinated?
Yes, but they can wait up to six months after contracting it.
41- How long does the immunity provided by the Covid-19 vaccine last?
It is still early to answer whether the Covid-19 vaccine will provide long-term protection. More research is needed before giving a definitive answer. But the goal of vaccination is to limit the spread of the Coronavirus epidemic.
42- Will we need to take the Covid-19 vaccine annually, like other vaccines such as the influenza vaccine?
It is still early to know whether or not the COVID-19 vaccines will provide long-term protection. We need additional research to answer this question.
Most of the Covid-19 vaccines that are currently being tested or observed are given in two doses, three to four weeks apart.
43- Can the Covid-19 vaccine replace the influenza vaccine?
No. They have nothing to do with each other because they are different viruses.
44- Can the influenza vaccine replace the Covid-19 vaccine?
No, they are two different viruses.
45-Can a person who received the Covid-19 vaccine become infected with the virus?
Studies have shown that the vaccine can protect against severe infection, but mild or moderate symptoms can still occur.
46- Can individuals who received the Covid-19 vaccine stop taking public safety measures, such as stop wearing a mask?
Those who received the vaccine must continue to adhere to health safety measures, until a large percentage of the population has been vaccinated, upon which authorities will allow citizens to gradually return to normal life. Until then, individuals who received the vaccine must continue to wear masks and practice social distancing measures and hand hygiene.
47- Can individuals who received the vaccine transmit the virus to others?
When an individual is vaccinated against a disease, the risk of infection also decreases - as such he/she is less likely to pass the virus on to others, yet he/she must continue to take preventive measures.
48-What is the role of the Lebanese media during this pandemic?
Disseminating information based on valid medical evidence, contributing to raising awareness and highlighting success stories, and providing a platform for public debate on important public health issues.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 11- 12/2021

In possible signal to Iran, Haliva appointed head of IDF intelligence
Jerusalem Post/February 12/2021
Some see this move as a sign that the IDF wants an experienced, well-informed officer heading the Intelligence Directorate.
In what might be a signal toward Iran, Maj.-Gen. Aharon Haliva was appointed on Thursday to be the next head of IDF Intelligence.
Haliva is currently the head of the IDF’s Operations Directorate, which is in charge of overseeing and coordinating the IDF’s readiness for war.
Some see this move – at a time when tensions between Israel and Iran are high – as a sign that the IDF wants an experienced, well-informed officer heading the Intelligence Directorate.
Haliva was previously commander of the Paratroopers Brigade and the IDF Training Base 1 officers’ school.
His appointment is part of a round of new assignments in the IDF General Staff:
• Brig.-Gen. Eliezer Toledano, currently OC of the Gaza Division, will become OC of the Southern Command. He previously served as military secretary for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Brig.-Gen. David Sa’ar Salama, currently head of Navy staff, will become head of the Navy. He previously served as an officer in the Shayetet 13 elite unit, and OC of the Haifa Navy Base.
• Maj.-Gen. Yehudah Fuchs, currently the IDF military attaché in the United States, was appointed OC of the IDF Central Command. He previously served as OC of the Gaza division and commander of the Nahal Brigade.
• Brig.-Gen. Oded Besiok, currently head of the Planning Division in the IDF Planning Directorate, will become head of the IDF’s Operations Directorate.
• Maj.-Gen. Tamir Yadai, currently head of Central Command, will become commander of the Ground Forces. He previously served as OC of the Home Front Command and commander of the Golani Brigade.

Weeks or years: Why estimates about Iran’s nuclear program seem confusing
Jerusalem Post/February 11/2021
On Wednesday reports emerged that Iran is making small amounts of uranium metal, which could be used in a core of a nuclear weapon.
In late January US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Iran could be “weeks away” from having enough material for a nuclear bomb. An IDF intelligence estimate reported on February 9 noted that it would take Iran about two years to build a bomb if it decides to build one. These kinds of estimates, which have been repeated over the years, often leave people confused. They also lead to contradictory headlines, some appearing to justify Israel’s concern and also appearing to justify claims that Israel is fearmongering about the Iranian nuclear weapons program.
On Wednesday reports emerged that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found Iran is making small amounts of uranium metal at Isfahan, which could be used in a core of a nuclear weapon. This is yet another violation of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or Iran deal, which was supposed to stop Iran making this type of metal until 2030.
Like many things, understanding the reports requires a bit of healthy skepticism blended with expertise and also taking time to understand that what one is being presented with is not a simple zero-sum issue. Both could be true: Iran is years away from a nuclear weapon and also could have enough material to make a weapon within weeks or months. Think of nuclear material like bricks for a building. You can produce enough bricks to build a building, but if you don’t actually start building then you never have a building in front of you. So you could be “weeks away” from enough bricks, but still years away from actually finishing the building.
Let’s look at what we are actually talking about. Blinken is discussing the time it would take Iran to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon. As he noted on January 31, previous estimates have said Iran is months away from having enough of this material. Iran has broken parts of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or Iran Deal, that put limits on its enrichment and stockpiles of uranium. Over the last years Iran has systematically said it is enriching more material at a higher percent. Recent reports said it was enriching uranium up to twenty percent, more than the 3.5 percent it is supposed to. It would need to reach upwards of 90 percent to get the material to nuclear grade. The IDF assessment reported this week presents a more optimistic picture about timelines. Iran might choose to move towards a nuclear device, but this would take time. There is lack of clarity on the mixed messaging. Israel Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said in late January that a return to the Iran deal was wrong. This also appeared to threaten action against Iran if it moves forward toward a nuclear weapon. Iran responded with its own threats. Then Yediot reported on January 31 that the Mossad opposed the IDF’s position on a new nuclear deal. Add in the latest story that Military Intelligence thinks that if Iran can be prevented from reaching the 90 percent enrichment level, then that would be a feasible way to prevent Iran getting a bomb, and the confusion is understandable.
This confusion leads to headlines mocking Israel and US assessments The Atlantic claimed Iran has been two years away from a nuclear weapon for three decades. In July 2020 the New York Times reported that Iran’s nuclear program had been set back months. Back in 2009 a report looked at the confusion about Iran’s nuclear material. Iran had been supposedly hiding enriched uranium at the time. Reports said Iran had enough uranium for a bomb. What was this material? Estimated inventory of low-enriched uranium had jumped at the time to a newly estimated 209 additional kilograms. This was uranium hexflouride (UF6) which is actually 68% uranium, a report noted. “Enriched uranium is produced by feeding uranium hexafluoride gas into centrifuges to separate out the most suitable isotope for nuclear fission, called U-235,” BBC explained in January 2020. The report at the Federation of American Scientists in 2009 also noted that “Iranians are at least months away from getting significant quantities of highly enriched uranium.” Basically the goal is to put the UF6 into centrifuges to enrich it by concentrating the U-235.
Why does this matter. The 2009 article noted that Iranians may have been “novices at the centrifuge business,” walking the reader through the fact that containers used for UF6 can hold up to 2.5 tons of UF6 which is solid at room temperature.” It is stored by pumping the gas from the centrifuges into a cylinder, where the UF6 condenses into a white solid.” Now a bit of math is involved. The concept of “breakout” where Iran rushes to enrich uranium to get enough for a bomb, is often where the time limits are discussed. Weeks or months.
The FAS article cautions us to understand a bit about natural uranium and its two isotopes. Natural uranium is 99.3% U-238 and 0.7% U-235. To get bomb material you need uranium that is 90% U-235. At the time the author, Ivan Oerlich claimed “the Iranians had fed 9956 kg of natural UF6 into their machines. Natural uranium is 0.71 percent U-235 so 9956 kg of UF6 contains 47.6 kg of U-235. During this time, the Iranians produced 839 kg of 3.5 percent LEU UF6.” In short: “Their uranium enrichment program makes no economic sense. It could be consistent with a nuclear power fuel program but it is also consistent with a nuclear weapons program.”
According to reports in January the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said that Iran was producing 500 grams of 20% enriched uranium every day. Back in November 2002 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran's stockpile of low-enriched uranium had reached 2,442.9kg. It had 2,105kg in September 2020. That was enriched at less than 4.5%. Back in 2013 the AP reported that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium had reached 7,000kg at up to 20 percent enrichment.
All of these data points and factoids add up to something. They don’t add up to a bomb. The add up to a very sophisticated country that seeks to play a nuclear game with the West and the world, one usually involving blackmail. They hold up the nuclear enrichment and basically say “pay us to stop this.” Iran’s nuclear program is also extensive and widespread. At Natanz it is estimated to have some 19,000 gas centrifuges which are fed with uranium hexafluoride. It is adding more and has space for some 50,000. Under the deal Iran was allowed to have 5,000 IR-1 centrifuges. Iran also has centrifuges at Fordow, once a secret facility that was discovered in 2009. In January Iran indicated it was enriching at Fordow with up to 20% enrichment, above the 3.67% allowed under the deal. Under the deal Iran was supposed to reduce the 19,000 installed centrifuges to 6,104. It would 5,060 of those at Natanz and the 1,000 at Fordow would be dormant. Back in November 2020 Iran began to feed UF6 into a cascade of 174 IR-2 advanced centrifuges. In November 2019 Iran also said it had some 60 IR-6 centrifuges.
The above details are what is known about the Iranian nuclear enrichment project. At the same time Iran has been expanding its ballistic missile program, sometimes in discussions with North Korean experts. Iran has numerous types of missiles, many of which have origins in either Chinese, North Korean or Russian designs. Iran uses both solid and liquid fuel and it has recently launched a military satellite and a satellite-carrying rocket. Some of these are multi-stage. Could a nuclear warhead be put on the new Zuljanah rocket? Possibly. Iran has demonstrated that its Qiam missile and Fateh 313, Sejjil and Zolfaghar and Fateh 110 are all increasing in precision and accuracy. The Arms Control Association noted in 2011 that “for those seeking to prevent or dissuade Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, the most important question is how much progress the exercises demonstrate toward Iran developing and deploying the missiles, which would carry nuclear warheads. Realistically, medium-term delivery boils down to two existing systems: the liquid fuel, single stage Ghadr 1 MRBM, an advanced derivative of the Shahab 3, and the solid fuel Sejjil 2 MRBM, a two-stage system with sufficient range to target Israel from launch sites throughout Iran, but not yet operational. Neither missile was flown during ‘Great Prophet 6’ [drill].” More recent firings showed these missiles reaching ranges of 1,800km during recent Great Prophet drills dubbed number 15.
Given all this information, about the rate of enrichment, the amount being enriched and the size and precision of Iran’s missiles, it is clear that eventually Iran could reach the stage of having a nuclear weapon and a delivery system for it. However, many things would have to happen for that to materialize. It is worth looking to history to see just how complex making a workable nuclear weapon is. The US Manhattan Project that developed a nuclear weapon, took years and more than 100,000 people and enormous cost to get to the final product. In the end the bomb had to be transported by aircraft. The US used uranium-235 in its “Little Boy” bomb.
But the US program is instructive. The US attempted to use centrifuges and uranium hexafluoride in 1941 but initially abandoned the massive process. The US had also predicted the process would require 50,000 centrifuges to produce one kilogram of uranium a day. Another process was able to produce a few hundred grams of U-235 enriched to 15 percent by 1944. It wasn’t until the spring of 1945 that uranium enriched to more than 85% was ready for the bomb. At the same time a small amount of plutonium nitrate, less than 100 grams, was also initially created through reactors.
Pakistan’s nuclear program took years to enrich uranium. It knew it needed dozens of kilograms of 90 percent enriched uranium-235. Like North Korea, it had sought to produce plutonium, it would have needed less, but had a more complex process. It had to put the uranium hexafluoride into centrifuges for enrichment to get to the final process and produce uranium metal. While Pakistan had enough material for weapons grade uranium, according to reports by 1978, it took until 1988 to have the ability to make a nuclear weapon device.
What about Iran’s possible route to plutonium for bombs? A paper by Ephraim Asculai notes that Iran was working on its IR-40 heavy water natural uranium reactor at Arak in the past and that the “potential for using plutonium in the core of a nuclear explosive device is serious.”
A reading of the relevant details and comparisons with other nuclear programs points to a serious hurdle for Iran. While it has an extensive network of nuclear sites, from its Bushehr power plant to its enrichment site at Fordow, the Nuclear Technology Center of Isfahan with its small nuclear research reactors, and its Arak heavy water site, the extent of all the projects and investments makes Iran’s goals both opaque and its progress sometimes hard to measure. In the end of the day it needs to stockpile a lot of highly enriched uranium or produce plutonium and then it will need to go through the complex process of making a nuclear devise. Only then, with testing, would it be able to then put the device on a missile. Iran has friends in North Korean who know how to do that and it has certainly studied the Pakistani program. However, this complexity leads to the misunderstandings behind what Iran has in terms of “material” compared to how many years away it is from a real nuclear weapon.

Iranian textbooks full of antisemitic, anti-American content - ADL

Jerusalem Post/February 11/2021
In the first study of its kind in the past five years, ADL examined Iranian textbooks, with a focus on documenting antisemitism, incitement to violence and the promotion of hate.
Iranian state textbooks were found to be full of antisemitic and anti-American content in a new report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released on Thursday.
In the first report of its kind in the past five years, ADL examined Iranian textbooks, with a focus on documenting antisemitism, incitement to violence and the promotion of hate.
The ADL stressed that it is important to document educational materials in order to "confirm if and how such messages are in fact being propagated today, to justify greater public awareness about this issue, and to inform policymakers in Washington and around the world about the extent, nature, and importance of responding to this challenge."
The report found that Iranian state textbooks strenuously militarize the country's youth, indoctrinating them for war. Entire courses in the state curriculum are dedicated to "Defense Preparation" and militant messages are present throughout the curriculum, including in history and religious lessons. Incitement to hatred against Jews and Israel and anti-imperialist messages against the US and other countries are present in history, religion and social studies as well. Despite continued claims by the Iranian government that its enmity is against Israel and not the Jewish people, state educational material teaches hateful messages about Jews in both ancient and modern history, with Jews depicted in accordance with a wide range of antisemitic myths and tropes. For example, a Grade 11 history textbook states that "the hypocrites and the Jews" led individuals and groups in conspiring against Mohammed and the Muslims who are described as making efforts "for political unity and the peaceful coexistence among the residents of Medina." The same textbook described the continued "conspiracies of the Jews against the Muslims."
A Grade 11 sociology book described the "first Freemasonry cells" as mostly "Western Jewish gold hoarders and capitalists," who's slogans had an "anti-religious identity."The same textbook quotes the common antisemitic trope of Jewish control of the media, stating "“The gathering of media power in the hand of wealth owners and Zionist associations not only makes the cultural identity of non-Western societies vulnerable but also is a clear contradiction to the democratic values of the Western world.”
Students are instructed to chant "Death to Israel" and taught that Israel is "fake" and must be destroyed.
State textbooks also portrayed pictures of child and adult soldiers, glorifying martyrdom and terrorist leaders. A grade 10 textbook on Defense Preparation demonstrated the parts that make up a Kalashnikov automatic rifle. The same textbook includes a lesson on cyber warfare.
The state textbooks also teach that the US has been committed to regime change in Iran since 1979, as part of a "satanic plan" to subjugate true Islam, with economic sanctions portrayed as part of this scheme. American and European cultural influences are also protrayed as part of a "soft war" or "cultural attack" against Islam. For example, a Grade 12 religion and life textbook quotes Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stating "Whether we like it or not, the Zionists, America and the Soviets will be pursuing us to tarnish our religious identity and the dignity of our school of thought."
A Grade 9 textbook compared the siege of early Muslims in the valley of Abu Talib in an attempt to get them to renounce Islam to the current economic sanctions placed against Iran. Another Grade 9 textbook compared Cain, Abraha Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Hitler, Saddam Hussein and George Bush as "faithless and greedy people" and "companions of Satan" who resorted to "war and aggression."
A Grade 10 textbook described foreign media reports about the spread of the novel coronavirus as a "coordinated way" to prevent people from attending the national celebration of the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution last year.
A Grade 9 textbook described a "soft war" against Iran, including films, video games, drugs, immodesty, the mocking of Islam and the creation of divisions between Shi'ites and Sunnis. The same textbook encouraged students to "review the foreigners’ plans to defeat Islamic Iran, and talk with your friends in class about ways to confront these plans.”Iranian students are additionally taught that ISIS is a fabrication by the US, Zionists and Arab puppets. The Baha'i faith is referred to as a colonialist contrivance and Baha'i and followers of Wahhabism, the main Islamic stream in Saudi Arabia, are demonized as untrustworthy and even filthy. “While some curricula in the region are starting to improve, scaling back incitement and encouraging discussions about tolerance, Tehran’s educational antisemitism and incitement to violence is as militant as ever,” said report author David Weinberg, ADL’s Washington Director for International Affairs. “From demonizing Jews in lessons about ancient history to glorifying antisemitic terrorists as recently as 2020, Tehran’s current curriculum is brimming with state-sponsored bigotry.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard begins ground forces drill near Iraqi border
The Associated Press/February 11/2021
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Thursday began a ground forces drill near Iraqi border, state TV reported. The report said the annual exercise dubbed the “great prophet” is ongoing in southwest of the country and has aimed at readiness and assessment of forces. Drones, helicopters will be used in the drill, too. In recent months, Iran has increased its military drills as the country tries to pressure President Joe Biden over the nuclear accord, which he has said America could reenter. In January, the Guard conducted a drill and launched anti-warship ballistic missiles at a simulated target in the Indian Ocean. A week before that, Iran’s navy fired cruise missiles as part of a naval drill in the Gulf of Oman, state media reported, under surveillance of what appeared to be a US nuclear submarine. That came after speedboats parade in the Persian Gulf and a massive drone exercise across the country. Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the US from Iran’s nuclear deal, in which Tehran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. When the US then increased sanctions, Iran gradually and publicly abandoned the deal’s limits on its nuclear development.

US to continue pressure on Iran-backed Houthis for attacks in the region: Report
Tamara Abueish, Al Arabiya English/February 12/2021
The United States will continue to put pressure on the Iran-backed Houthi militia in an effort to end the group’s “heinous” attacks in the region, a State Department spokesperson told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat. The Biden administration is determined to reach a deal that puts an end to the war in Yemen, the spokesperson added. US President Joe Biden strongly supports the efforts of UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths to the conflict in the country and the suffering of the Yemeni people, according to the spokesperson. This comes a day after the White House condemned the Houthi attack on an airport in Saudi Arabia’s Abha. The US also blasted the Iran-backed militia for prolonging the war in Yemen. “We condemn the Houthi attack today at the Abha International Airport, a Saudi Arabian civilian airport. The attack coincides with Special Envoy Lenderking’s first trip to the region,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at the White House. “The Houthis, meanwhile, continually demonstrate a desire to prolong the war by attacking Saudi Arabia, including attacks on citizens,” Psaki said

Saudi Arabia is a key partner in the fight against terrorism: Pentagon
Joseph Haboush & Pierre Ghanem, Al Arabiya English/February 11/2021
Saudi Arabia is a key partner in the fight against terrorism and in ensuring regional stability, a Pentagon official said Thursday. “Saudi Arabia is a pillar of regional security architecture, and they’re a core stakeholder in the threat against terrorism and countering Iran’s destabilizing activities,” Kirby said in response to a question from Al Arabiya at the Pentagon. Kirby added that the US was committed to assisting Saudi Arabia with the defense of its borders “in light of emerging and credible threats.” The Iran-backed Houthi militia has continuously targeted civilians and targets inside Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, the Houthis claimed a drone attack on a civilian airplane at Saudi Arabia's Abha airport. The Pentagon official also reaffirmed that there was no change in US policy toward helping Riyadh defend itself from attacks. Asked if the US had enough assets in the region to defend its interests as well as Saudi Arabia, Kirby said he would not talk about future or potential operations. “Nothing has changed with our policy and commitment to helping Saudi Arabia defend its borders.”

Oman content with current Israel relationship in terms of dialogue: Foreign minister
Reuters/February 11/2021
Oman is satisfied with its current relationship with Israel, the foreign minister said on Thursday, even after two fellow Gulf Arab states normalized ties with Israel and raised US hopes others would follow suit.
“As regards Israel we are content so far with the level of our current relations and dialogue, which involves the appropriate channels of communication,” Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said. Oman, he added, was committed to peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on a two-state solution. Gulf neighbors the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalized relations with Israel last year, becoming just the third and fourth Arab states to do so in more than 70 years. The administration of then-US President Donald Trump had hoped other Gulf states would also establish formal ties. Away from the Gulf, Morocco and Sudan have also since normalized relations with Israel. Busaidi also said Oman was ready to help with rescuing Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, fraying since 2018 when Trump withdrew the United States from the pact, but felt that existing US communication lines with Tehran could suffice. Asked at an online event about the chance of Oman mediating in new efforts to restore the deal Iran signed with world powers, Busaidi said Muscat has a very good relationship with both Tehran and Washington and was ready to assist if needed. “I believe the channels are open directly between the foreign policy teams in Washington and Iran. I see no reason why those channels can’t be reactivated,” Busaidi told the Atlantic Council event. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal limited Iran’s uranium enrichment activity to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear arms, if it so chose, in return for the easing of US and other sanctions. Trump exited the deal, calling it too lenient on Iran, and reimposed sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy. New US President Joe Biden has said Washington will rejoin the JCPOA if Iran stops breaching limits on enrichment and returns to full compliance with the deal. Busaidi, who was appointed in August after Oman’s new Sultan Haitham delegated this position away from his own portfolio, reiterated Oman’s longstanding policy of neutrality in a turbulent region. “Omani foreign policy has always sought to maintain and encourage dialogue between as wide a number of parties as possible,” he said.
 

US to continue pressure on Iran-backed Houthis for attacks in the region: Report
Tamara Abueish, Al Arabiya English//February 11/2021
The United States will continue to put pressure on the Iran-backed Houthi militia in an effort to end the group’s “heinous” attacks in the region, a State Department spokesperson told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.
The Biden administration is determined to reach a deal that puts an end to the war in Yemen, the spokesperson added. US President Joe Biden strongly supports the efforts of UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths to the conflict in the country and the suffering of the Yemeni people, according to the spokesperson. This comes a day after the White House condemned the Houthi attack on an airport in Saudi Arabia’s Abha. The US also blasted the Iran-backed militia for prolonging the war in Yemen. “We condemn the Houthi attack today at the Abha International Airport, a Saudi Arabian civilian airport. The attack coincides with Special Envoy Lenderking’s first trip to the region,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at the White House.“The Houthis, meanwhile, continually demonstrate a desire to prolong the war by attacking Saudi Arabia, including attacks on citizens,” Psaki said.

Turkey will not turn back from Russia’s S-400s, despite US pressure: Official
Reuters/February 11/2021
Turkey will not turn back from its acquisition of Russian S-400 defense systems, over which the United States sanctioned Ankara, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Thursday, adding that Ankara would seek to resolve issues with its NATO ally through dialogue. Washington imposed long-anticipated sanctions on Ankara over the S-400 missiles in December, in a move Ankara has condemned. Turkey’s defense minister said on Tuesday that Ankara would propose only partially activating the S-400s in negotiations with the United States. Speaking in an interview with state broadcaster TRT Haber, Kalin said the minister’s comments had been misunderstood, but did not elaborate. He said talks were being held with Washington over disagreements, but that quick solutions to problems over a host of issues should not be expected.
 

Fakhrizadeh's assassination carried out by Israeli, Iranian spies - report

Jerusalem Post/February 11/2021
The report noted that the assassination was carried out using a "one-ton remote-controlled gun" that was smuggled into the country in pieces.
Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated with a "one-ton remote-controlled gun" that was smuggled into the country by the Mossad, The Jewish Chronicle reported on Wednesday.
The report noted that the mysterious weapon was smuggled into Iran by a team of more than 20 Israeli and Iranian nationals. It reportedly took eight months of "painstaking surveillance" for the Mossad operatives to smuggle the mysterious weapon, which was divided into pieces, into the Muslim country, intelligence sources told the JC. In November last year, The Jerusalem Post reported that according to Iranian accounts, it was remote-controlled weapons that killed Fakhrizadeh. But other accounts reported differently, leading to many competing narratives over the killing of the man who was at the pinnacle of Iran’s nuclear industrial complex. Fakhrizadeh was killed in an attack outside of Tehran last November. Fearing an Iranian response, Israel increased security measures at its embassies across the globe following the attack.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia Resume Trade Through Abusamra Border Crossing
Damam – Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 11 February, 2021
The Qatari General Authority of Customs announced Wednesday the resumption of commercial traffic through the Abusamra border crossing with Saudi Arabia. The cargo movement at the port will be carried out in accordance with a number of terms and procedures. The scheduled maintenance work at Abusamra will start during the second quarter of 2021 for 14 months. The Authority issued a statement announcing several regulatory and precautionary controls for transiting goods from the Salwa border port in Saudi Arabia to the Abu Samra border port. The Authority announced that truck drivers coming from Salwa border port in Saudi Arabia must obtain a certificate authenticated by the Saudi Ministry of Health, proving that they have been tested for coronavirus, 72 hours prior to the date of entry into Abusamra port. Otherwise, drivers and trucks transporting goods through Abusamra will not be permitted to enter the country, and the goods will be unloaded and re-loaded onto local trucks by the importer or his representative in the port. The authority stipulated the return of tucks and drivers to Salwa port in Saudi Arabia immediately after the completion of the unloading process in Abusamra port. Specialized laboratories to test goods were transferred to other locations, announced by the Authority, indicating that samples will be taken for examination and analysis by the competent authorities. Goods of a dangerous nature will be kept at the port until the results of the examination and laboratory analysis are released. All exporters of goods through Abusamara port to Salwa port shall comply with the instructions issued by Saudi Customs before proceeding to export or re-export the goods, to avoid any delay or rejection of the goods upon arrival at Salwa port. Goods exported or re-exported from Qatar are transported by local trucks through Abusamara port to Salwa port, as determined by the Saudi authorities. Saudi Arabia resumed relations with Qatar, ending a years-long boycott, during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) AlUla Summit last January.

Saudi Woman Activist's Family Credits Biden for Release
Agence France Presse/Thursday, 11 February, 2021
The family of Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul said Thursday U.S. President Joe Biden's election win helped secure her release after nearly three years' imprisonment, but cautioned she was still far from free. Hathloul, 31, was provisionally released in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. She had been detained in May 2018 with about a dozen other women activists, just weeks before the kingdom's historic lifting of a decades-long ban on female drivers -- a reform they had long campaigned for. "I would say thank you Mr President that you helped my sister to be released," Alia al-Hathloul told a virtual press conference. "It's a fact that Loujain was imprisoned during the previous administration, and she was released a few days after Biden's arrival to power. "Biden's arrival helped and contributed a lot in my sister's release."Biden, inaugurated last month, has pledged to intensify scrutiny of powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's human rights record after the kingdom received something of a free pass under his predecessor, president Donald Trump. Saudi Arabia, which has detained hundreds of activists, clerics as well as royal family members, abruptly accelerated some political trials -- including that of Hathloul -- after Biden's election win late last year. On Wednesday, Biden welcomed the decision to release her, saying it was "the right thing to do". The US State Department said the activist should never have been jailed. The release of Hathloul, who is still under probation and is barred from leaving Saudi Arabia, came after her siblings launched a vigorous campaign overseas for her freedom in a major embarrassment for the kingdom. The siblings posted pictures on Twitter of the smiling activist, who appeared physically weaker and had streaks of grey hair.
When asked what was the first thing her sister did upon her release, Alia said she "bought an ice-cream", a joy denied to her in detention.
'Ready to electrocute me' -
In their first post-release video call with the activist on Wednesday, her other sister Lina al-Hathloul said they could not "trust her smile". "We asked her 'when you were in prison, you said you were fine,'" said Lina. "She said 'what did you want me to do?... An electric (stun gun was) on my ear... They (prison authorities) were ready to electrocute me'." Hathloul's family has alleged she experienced torture and sexual harassment in detention, claims repeatedly dismissed by a Saudi court.  In late December, a court handed Hathloul a prison term of five years and eight months for terrorism-related crimes, but her family said a partially suspended sentence -- and time already served -- paved the way for her early release. The women's rights activist was convicted of inciting regime change and seeking to disrupt public order, in what her family deplored as a "sham" trial.
Saudi authorities have not officially commented on her detention, trial or release. Her family said the activist is on probation for three years and faces a five-year travel ban, prompting her to refrain from media interviews and limit her presence on social media. "Loujain is still not free," Lina said.
The activist's parents are also banned from leaving Saudi Arabia, she added. "With Hathloul banned from travel and threatened with more prison time if she does not stay silent, her ordeal remains a flagrant miscarriage of justice," said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
"Saudi Arabia should quash the convictions against Hathloul that essentially deem her women's rights activism 'terrorism', lift the travel ban, and end her suspended sentence." While some women activists detained along with Hathloul have been provisionally released, several others remain imprisoned on what campaigners describe as opaque charges. The detentions have cast a spotlight on the human rights record of the kingdom, an absolute monarchy which has also faced intense criticism over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in its Istanbul consulate.
 

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 10- 11/2021
The International Criminal Court Threatens Middle East Peace
Richard Kemp/ Gatestone Institute/February 11/2021
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has long had its sights on what it no doubt considers an unholy trinity: Israel, the US and Britain.... First, these are the three Western democracies most active in using legitimate military force to defend their interests. This is anathema to the left-liberal doctrine of ICC officials and their soul-mates in such morally dissipated places as the UN Human Rights Council. Second, they wish to virtue signal, deflecting criticism that the court is biased against African states....
Yet by its charter, dealing with countries that lack the will or capability to bring their own to justice is the sole purpose of the ICC. This does apply to some states in Africa and elsewhere but demonstrably does not apply to Israel, the US or Britain, each of which have long-established and globally respected legal systems.
The ICC's design against Israel is the latest in a long history of endeavours to subjugate and scourge unwilling Jewish people deemed incapable of regulating themselves. When you examine the unexampled contortions the court has gone through just to get to this point, you have no choice but to question whether antisemitism is the motive.
The effects of the ICC's decision will be profound. This is only the end of the beginning. Unless halted, investigations into spurious allegations of war crimes will go on for years, perhaps decades, creating a global bonanza for all who hate Israel, including at the UN, the European Union, various governments and in universities and so-called human rights groups.
But the most detrimental effect of the ICC's decision will be felt by Palestinian Arab people who, for decades, have been abused as political pawns by their leaders and who would be the greatest beneficiaries of any peace agreement with Israel. The ICC's ruling makes such a deal even more remote today.
In an unprecedented move early last year Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Australia, Canada, Uganda and Brazil petitioned the ICC, of which all are members, arguing that a formal investigation could not be launched as the Palestinian Authority does not meet the definition of a state under the Rome Statute that established and governs the court.
The International Criminal Court's imperious judgement on its own authority over Israel is not only detrimental to peace, it also undermines the credibility of the court itself. Pictured: The ICC building in The Hague, Netherlands. (Image source: OSeveno/Wikimedia Commons)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) waited until after US President Joe Biden took the oath of office before unilaterally handing itself territorial jurisdiction over Israel — more than a full year since the pre-trial chamber was asked to rule on the matter. Mindful of President Donald J. Trump's sanctions against ICC staff, including revoking Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda's US entry visa, and his warnings against efforts to brand Israel and other allies as war criminals, court officials lacked the steel to make an announcement while he remained in the Oval Office.
The ICC has long had its sights on what it no doubt considers an unholy trinity: Israel, the US and Britain. Its reasons are twofold. First, these are the three Western democracies most active in using legitimate military force to defend their interests. This is anathema to the left-liberal doctrine of ICC officials and their soul-mates in such morally dissipated places as the UN Human Rights Council. Second, they wish to virtue signal, deflecting criticism that the court is biased against African states, which led to South Africa, Burundi and The Gambia threatening withdrawal in 2016. Yet by its charter, dealing with countries that lack the will or capability to bring their own to justice is the sole purpose of the ICC. This does apply to some states in Africa and elsewhere but demonstrably does not apply to Israel, the US or Britain, each of which have long-established and globally respected legal systems.
Bensouda failed to get her way with the US and UK. Despite having submitted more than 20,000 pages of documentation in support of her demand for a formal investigation into alleged crimes by US forces in Afghanistan over a 15-year period, the pre-trial chamber turned her down, in part due to a rightful US refusal to cooperate with a body that it considers likely to abuse its power. Having first closed a preliminary examination into allegations against UK forces in Iraq in 2006, Bensouda then re-opened her investigation in 2014 but was forced to shut it down again in 2020 with an admission that "none of the potential cases arising from the situation would be admissible before the ICC".
So for the time being, Israel remains the prize, despite the dissenting opinion of Hungarian Judge Peter Kovacs, one of the three justices who determined the ICC's jurisdiction:
"I find neither the Majority's approach nor its reasoning appropriate in answering the question before this Chamber, and in my view, they have no legal basis in the Rome Statute, and even less so, in public international law."
Israel was always highest on Bensouda's list, urged on by a Palestinian Authority intent on undermining the Jewish state through a dual strategy of brainwashing its own people to precipitate violence, and manipulating international entities such as the ICC to delegitimise lawful defensive efforts. Bensouda has also been encouraged by a vengeful UN Human Rights Council, which has for years made untold efforts to force Israelis into the dock, obsessing on this malevolent mission at the expense of genuine human rights abuses.
The ICC's design against Israel is the latest in a long history of endeavours to subjugate and scourge unwilling Jewish people deemed incapable of regulating themselves. When you examine the unexampled contortions the court has gone through just to get to this point, you have no choice but to question whether antisemitism is the motive.
The effects of the ICC's decision will be profound. This is only the end of the beginning. Unless halted, investigations into spurious allegations of war crimes will go on for years, perhaps decades, creating a global bonanza for all who hate Israel, including at the UN, the European Union, various governments and in universities and so-called human rights groups. Although determining jurisdiction does not imply guilt, it will be widely portrayed as just that and utilised to stir up hatred and violence against Israelis and Jews everywhere.
But the most detrimental effect of the ICC's decision will be felt by Palestinian Arab people who, for decades, have been abused as political pawns by their leaders and who would be the greatest beneficiaries of any peace agreement with Israel. The ICC's ruling makes such a deal even more remote today.
After years of counterproductive peace processing by the US, the EU and others, the Abraham Accords of 2020 for the first time brought an actual possibility — however slight — of peace between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. Contrary to former US Secretary of State John Kerry's categorical assurance in 2016 that "there will be no separate peace between Israel and the Arab world without the Palestinian process" — his infamous four "no"s — that is exactly what happened last year.
It came as a severe blow to Palestinian leaders who have consistently rejected all efforts at peace, most recently by Presidents Obama and Trump. Instead of trying to arrive at an understanding with Israel, they have remained intent on squandering vast sums of overseas aid for their personal benefit and on their malign anti-Israel programme, while using the hapless peace processors to gain concession after concession from the Jewish state but themselves making none.
The Palestinian leadership have also counted heavily on backing from other countries in the Middle East. But the steady dissipation of support from Arab leaders, exasperated by their intransigence, became increasingly worrisome for the Palestinians. The fears of the Palestinian leaders exploded into a catastrophe — another "nakba" — when the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, backed by Saudi Arabia, signed up to the Abraham Accords. As the Abraham process powered on at the end of last year, some among the Palestinian leadership apparently realised the game might be up. Angry denunciation of their Arab neighbours seemed to dwindle into sullen resignation as they floundered around for an answer.
Now could have been the time when the likes of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas concluded there may be no other course than to find some way of treating with the Israelis. It was impossible for him to conceal what was going on in the Middle East beyond the West Bank, with the growing realisation among his benighted people that it may after all be conceivable to work with, rather than against, Israel, as their brothers in Dubai were doing.
Here was an opportunity for creative diplomacy by the Biden administration. On the one hand encouraging further progress in the Abraham project while on the other restoring ties with the Palestinians after their refusal of any relationship with the hated Trump. A dexterous approach, rather than a return to the washed-out Kerry peace processing, have taken advantage of the Palestinian leadership's new nakba in the interests of peace and prosperity for their people.
Enter the ICC pre-trial chamber, throwing a lifeline to Abbas and his henchmen's malevolence. Hussein al-Sheikh, PA civil affairs minister, declared the ruling "a victory for rights, justice, freedom and moral values in the world". Although al-Sheikh's description is the diametric opposite of reality, for the PA it is certainly a major diplomatic triumph. In any conflict, even a symbolic morale boost can turn the tide, reviving flagging spirits and restoring the will to fight on.
Thus the ill-judged insertion of the ICC into the conflict, especially in such legally untenable and contested circumstances, makes even more difficult the potential for genuine dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians, which is the only realistic path for bringing about peace between them. Effectively, the ICC's determination to criminalize the longstanding political dispute can lead only to further polarisation as mutual recriminations are incentivised. In other words, it will exacerbate the conflict, not contribute to its resolution, at the very moment when resolution may have been closer than ever.
In an unprecedented move early last year, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Australia, Canada, Uganda and Brazil petitioned the ICC, of which all are members, arguing that a formal investigation could not be launched as the Palestinian Authority does not meet the definition of a state under the Rome Statute that established and governs the court. These countries, whose objections to the legitimacy of the legal process were overruled, should now vehemently protest the ICC's decision on jurisdiction, also legally unjustifiable.
The ICC's imperious judgement on its own authority over Israel is not only detrimental to peace, it also undermines the credibility of the court itself. Both are consequences so serious that responsible member states should consider at least temporarily defunding the ICC pending fundamental reform. As a non-member, the US should renew and reinforce its actions against court officials rather than the Biden administration's likely inclination to end the sanctions.
*Colonel Richard Kemp is a former British Army Commander. He was also head of the international terrorism team in the U.K. Cabinet Office and is now a writer and speaker on international and military affairs.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Turkish Reforms: From Imperial Repression to Thuggish State
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/February 11/2021
The Turks' political journey toward the West began a century and a half ago, but Turkey now remains as distant from universal democratic values as the Ottoman Empire was at its collapse.
Modern Turkey's darkest years came between 1976 and 1980, when a campaign of political violence, wrought by a multitude of far-left and far-right urban guerilla groups, killed more than 5,000 people. That era only came to an end when the military took over the country in a completed coup d'état and the violence subsided.
Twenty years later, a militant Islamist, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, pledged radically to reform Turkish democracy and make it an inseparable part of Europe -- via full membership in the European Union. Two decades after that pledge Turkey's democracy remains as remote from Europe's civil liberties, democratic culture and checks and balances as Abdulhamid's empire was in 1876.
The Turks' political journey toward the West began a century and a half ago, but Turkey now remains as distant from universal democratic values as the Ottoman Empire was at its collapse. Pictured: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is surrounded by a ceremonial palace guard in Ankara on January 12, 2015.
The Turks' political journey toward the West began a century and a half ago, but Turkey now remains as distant from universal democratic values as the Ottoman Empire was at its collapse. The parallels between failed Ottoman and Turkish reforms are worth a look.
During that 150-year period, in addition to building railway systems on imperial soil, systems for registering the population and control over the press were established, along with the first local modern law school in 1898. The most far-reaching reforms occurred in education: many professional schools were established for fields including the law, arts, trades, civil engineering, veterinary medicine, customs, farming and linguistics.
It was Sultan Abdulhamid II who was under Western pressure to reform his ailing empire. On December 23, 1876 the Ottoman constitution was solemnly promulgated with the aim of winning the hearts and minds of the Great Powers of Europe, only to be suspended when external pressure abated, and its author sent to exile. At the beginning of the 20th century, another constitutionalist reformer group, the Committee of Union and Progress, threatened the sultan with a coup d'état, ending Abdulhamid's reign.
Modern Turkey's darkest years came between 1976 and 1980, when a campaign of political violence, wrought by a multitude of far-left and far-right urban guerilla groups, killed more than 5,000 people. That era only came to an end when the military took over the country in a completed coup d'état and the violence subsided. Twenty years later, a militant Islamist, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, pledged radically to reform Turkish democracy and make it an inseparable part of Europe -- via full membership in the European Union. Two decades after that pledge Turkey's democracy remains as remote from Europe's civil liberties, democratic culture and checks and balances as Abdulhamid's empire was in 1876.
Cornered by the threat of EU sanctions, Erdoğan tactically said in November that "Turkey's future was in Europe" and that "democratic and economic reforms would follow quickly." On January 10, he repeated that Turkey wants to "turn a new page in its relations with the EU in the new year." Turkey claimed that it was once again back at its reform agenda.
Meanwhile, Utku Çakırözer, an opposition member of parliament, said that five journalists were physically attacked in the first 15 days of 2021. "This shameful track record on impunity regarding physical attacks should come to an end," he said.
Three of the attacks were particularly indicative. During the first incident, Selçuk Özdağ, deputy chairman of an opposition party, Future, was attacked by a gang of five men in front of his home. The attackers were armed and used sticks to hit Özdağ on the head. He was rushed to an emergency room for surgery. "This is political terror," said Future's chairman and former prime minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. Apparently, Özdağ had angered supporters of Erdoğan's ultra-nationalist coalition partner, MHP. An MHP official "congratulated" the attackers.
Ultra-nationalists also attacked journalist Orhan Uğuroğlu and television anchorman Afşin Hatipoğlu, whose anti-Erdoğan reporting had angered MHP loyalists. In his column on January 13, Uguroğlu had interviewed Future's Özdağ.
Ankara's police directorate tweeted that three suspects in the attack had been taken into custody, and that the police were searching for a fourth. Before the fourth attacker was caught, the others were released. The police were hardly convincing, given the Erdoğan government's track record of totally failing to punish crimes against his opponents.
In a Februry 2020 report, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that the violence comes after years of authorities harassing and jailing journalists who are critical of the ruling party or its political allies. The CPJ noted:
"While no clear motive has been established in the attacks last year, local journalist associations have speculated that the general climate of hostility has made journalism riskier. In May, local journalist unions told the Turkish service of the BBC the violence was in part due to a climate of impunity, with authorities not effectively investigating violence and the government targeting journalists and not publicly condemning attacks."
After recounting recent examples of how Turkish courts unconstitutionally refused to comply with rulings handed down by supreme courts such as the Turkish Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), columnist Mehmet Ocaktan wrote: "If this is your understanding of reforming... there is nothing more to say." His column's sarcastic title was "We are begging you; do not reform!" -- as all of that repression and violence are happening after Erdogan pledged democratic reforms, do not reform, do not make things worse.
A December 29 report from Expression Interrupted gloomily noted:
"Of all 47 members of the Council of Europe, Turkey has the most violations of freedom of expression under Article 10 of the Convention. Of the 845 judgments ECtHR delivered between 1959 and 2019, 356 were against Turkey — almost five times as many as against the distant runner-up, Russia."
It went on to note: "Turkey also tops the list of rights violations pertaining to all articles of the constitution. "Between 1959 and 2019, 3,645 of the 22,535 judgments delivered by the Court were against Turkey, making it the country against which the ECtHR has delivered the most judgments." Out of 5,231 cases currently pending execution by signatory parties, 689 of them are against Turkey."
A century and a half after Ottoman efforts to reform and more than 15 years since EU accession talks began, Turkey is further away from joining the rich club than ever.
*Burak Bekdil, one of Turkey's leading journalists, was recently fired from the country's most noted newspaper after 29 years, for writing in Gatestone what is taking place in Turkey. He is a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

In Syria the withdrawal of sanctions in phases will not work
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/Al Arabiya/February 12/2021
A paper recently published by the Carter Center, offered what it believes is a creative idea about how to bring a decade of Syrian bloodshed to an end. A Path to Conflict Transformation in Syria: A Framework for a Phased Approach appears reasonable, but the strategy will not work. It’s a pragmatic proposal, but while the Assad regime retains control of the country it is not feasible. With a dozen UN and Arab League proposals all in play, a settlement in Syria is not short on ideas. History teaches us that the Assad dynasty has often used any processes available that included negotiations with Western powers. For Bashar al-Assad, negotiation is not about making settlements, but to end his isolation globally, and bolster his position against his opponents. The Carter Center proposal was endorsed by the veteran US diplomat, Jeffrey Feltman, who previously served as an ambassador to Lebanon, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and the UN’s Under Secretary General for Political Affairs. The center identified seven points of contention with the Syrian regime.

These are: Political reform; the issue of political prisoners; refugee return; civilian protection and humanitarian access; an Idlib ceasefire; foreign actors present in the country, and chemical weapons. It suggested three phases for settlement with Assad. Every time the Syrian president verifiably cooperates, such as endorsing the UN’s constitutional committee, or dropping terrorism charges against committee members, America and Europe will reward him by, for example, reopening their embassies in Damascus. When Assad cooperates further, such as adopting a new, or amended constitution, or organizing credible “local, parliamentary and presidential elections, in which all Syrians, including refugees, are able to participate,” America and Europe will exchange ambassadors with him. Such a phased approach applies to the other identified contentious areas, such as political prisoners and chemical weapons. On conclusion of the phases, it's believed Syria will have transformed into an inclusive democracy from Assad's autocratic rule.
Assad has rebutted such propositions in the past, saying that what his opponents could not take through war, is not available for them through peace. Assad might find these American and European proposals good Trojan horses that can allow him back into the international community. Once in, Assad will renege on whatever promises, or even reverse whatever concessions he offered. Declaring a state of emergency — including suspending the constitution and arresting released political prisoners — is relatively easy for the Syrian regime to do. Assad might grasp America’s extended hand to improve his position without conceding anything. He will simply take a page from his father’s playbook, during which the late Syrian dictator, Hafez, pocketed Western and Arab concessions, but rarely lived up to his promises, and often asked for bigger concessions.
It was this way that Hafez always used negotiations with Israel as a tool to mitigate Western pressures on him. Whenever the late Assad found himself on the bad side of America and Europe, he flouted the idea of talks with Israel, which naturally raised hopes for Middle East peace in the West. Western capitals then turned a blind eye toward Assad’s troublemaking and rolled out the red carpet for Assad officials. Like his late father, Bashar Assad uses such techniques when finding himself in trouble. After Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri's assassination in 2005, Assad suffered severe international isolation. He asked Turkey to sponsor indirect peace talks with Israel. In a panel at the Hudson Institute in 2010, Feltman said that it was these talks that opened the door for Assad out of his international isolation. Feltman knows exactly how Assad uses the process with any kind of engagement with the West. Not to achieve settlement with his rivals, but to regain international recognition, which he uses to bolster his positions against rivals. Since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, when President Bashar Assad was militarily on the back foot, he offered concessions. When Russia and Iran put their fingers on the scale and Assad surged, he stopped showing any interest in settling with his opponents. While Assad would love to see the US and EU remove their sanctions, he can certainly survive them until the global scene changes in his favor.

How was Iran nuke chief Fakhrizadeh really killed? - analysis
Yonah Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/February 12/2021
يونا جيريمي بوب/ جيروزاليم بوست:  كيف قتل فخري زاده الخبير في برنامج إيران النووي
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/95875/95875/

Why did someone pitch the Jewish Chronicle now?
Ever since Iran’s military nuclear program chief Mohsen Fakhrizadeh met his end in a daring assassination and hail of bullets on November 27, the world has been wondering how, exactly, it happened.
Although a report in the Jewish Chronicle (JC) late Wednesday claims to have the definitive account, the world may need to wait a bit longer.
As interesting as it is exploring the pros and cons of the account given by the JC, there is another question: who had an interest in providing these details, what was that interest, and why now?
While some of this review involves deconstructing and raising doubts about aspects of the JC report, there is no doubt that the reporter, Jake Wallis Simons, did some serious journalism and research, and genuinely believes what his source(s) told him.
That said, multiple Israeli sources shed significant doubt on various aspects of the report.
There has been an ongoing battle of narratives on whether an Israeli team on the ground assassinated Fakhrizadeh up close, or whether a next-generation satellite remote-controlled gun took him down from long range with no Israelis in sight.
According to the JC, the answer is splitting the difference: there were many Israelis on the ground, but they also used a remote-controlled gun, though not one operated by satellite.
The Post previously confirmed foreign reports (unlike the JC, the Post is under the restriction of the Israeli censor) that Israelis were involved and on the ground, without a definitive conclusion on what kind of remote gun may have also been involved.
Based on the Post’s research, it is still unclear whether a remote gun was used along with the Israeli boots on the ground.
There is no question that an initial and false Iranian narrative of a remote satellite-controlled gun with no Israelis on the ground was pushed by Tehran to cover its failure to catch the assassins.
However, confirming the exact details and taking more credit in this sensitive political climate – when Israel is hoping to coax the US to listen to its views while hoping the Islamic Republic will not retaliate too severely – is not something the Mossad itself would do.
Moreover, Mossad officials would not likely take explicit credit for the deep penetration of al-Qaeda and the IRGC in Iran.
Generally, the report does not attribute to Mossad sources, but rather to sources familiar with the operations details or anonymous sources or international sources.
It is unlikely that the JC received significant material directly from Mossad sources simply because the spy agency rarely speaks to foreign journalists, and when it speaks to any journalist it is usually in-person or with journalists with whom it has a long-term relationship.
“My story is 100% accurate,” Simons told the Post. He said he was very confident about his sources, but did not give any indication that his sources were from the Mossad itself.
For a journalist with a background of working for the Daily Mail, it would be far more reasonable that his sources would come from British intelligence, or from other British officials who may have heard second-hand accounts of the operation.
Such a foreign intelligence agent might also be responsible for the slight semantic inaccuracy of referring to Mossad division heads as “brigadier-generals,” when the equivalent Israeli army rank would be”major-generals” or “aluf.”
For journalists working with spy sources, meeting a source in person can also help determine how much of what is being said is truthful, and how much is part of a complex psychological warfare game.
There are other incongruities, besides the idea that the Mossad would not boastfully draw attention to these details now.
In the one instance where the JC comes close to suggesting direct information from the Mossad, it says: “Senior Mossad figures privately believe that the breakout time is closer to five years, the JC can reveal.”
This would not be a view expressed by current senior Mossad officials, who would find such an assertion outrageous.
Rather, the Post has learned that they view the longest timeline for Iran obtaining a nuclear bomb at two years, like IDF intelligence chief Tamir Heiman said this week, or much shorter, as some Iran nuclear experts have asserted.
Regarding the impact on Tehran losing Fakhrizadeh, the Post previously reported that the loss was massive, and the JC report does a strong job giving the reader a feel for the impact of that loss.
However, the idea that his death would set back the Islamic Republic six years as the JC reports is seen by Mossad officials as off the mark.
Strong points in the JC story are its revealing of March 2020 and the eight month process leading up to the November operation, as well as confirming earlier Jerusalem Post reports about the Mossad’s strategy to convince the Biden administration of its views using clean depoliticized intelligence.
So who would be pushing this story, and why now?
If it is a British official, any European official, or any US official, the answer is easy: the story’s multiple mention of the loss of Fakhrizadeh pushes out the nuclear timeline to five years.
If Iran is five years away from a nuclear bomb, then why is Israel getting so excited? What would be wrong with the US and the EU-3 (Germany, France, and the UK) getting back the nuclear deal as it was in 2015? There are five more years at least before anyone needs to worry.
This is not the Israeli playbook, and definitely not the current Mossad’s playbook, where the emphasis is that there is enough time for the US not to have to rush back into the deal before Iran’s June election, but nowhere near five years that would take away any sense of urgency.

Chained, Raped, and Murdered: Christian Girls in Muslim Pakistan
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/February 12/2021
ريمون إبراهيم/معهد جيتستون: بالأغلال والاغتصاب والقتل تعامل الفتيات المسيحيات في باكستان حيث الإضطهاد وتطبيق أحكام الشريعة
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/95885/95885/
Keeping up with the abuse of Christian girls in Muslim Pakistan has become exceedingly difficult. Hardly does one story of abduction, enslavement, rape, forced conversion, torture and/or murder appear before another follows it—and another, and another.
Some recent examples follow:
The bloated bodies of two young Christian sisters who had long rebuffed the advances of their Muslim employers, were found in a sewer in January, 2021. Earlier, on Nov. 26, the two sisters, Sajida (28) and Abida (26), who were both married and had children, went missing. The two Muslim men they worked for had regularly pressured them to convert to Islam and marry them. Even though the young women “made it clear that they were Christian and married, the men threatened them and kept harassing the sisters.”
Forty days after they went missing, on Jan. 4, 2021, their decomposed bodies were found in a sewer. During their interrogation, the Muslim supervisors “confessed that they had abducted the sisters,” said Sadija’s husband; “and after keeping them hostage for a few days for satisfying their lust, had slit their throats and thrown their bodies into the drain.” The widower continued by describing the families’ ongoing ordeal:
I have three sons and a daughter – the eldest 11 years old, and the youngest 5 – while Abida has only one daughter, aged 9. You can imagine the emotional and mental trauma our children and all other family members have been suffering since Sajida and Abida had gone missing. When police informed us that they had identified the two bodies as those of our loved ones, it seemed that our entire world had come crumbling down…. I still cannot fathom the site of seeing my wife’s decomposed body.
Discussing this case, Nasir Saeed, Director CLAAS-UK, said, The killing of Abida and Sajida in such a merciless way is not an isolated case, but the killing, rape and forced conversion of Christian girls have become an everyday matter and the government has denied this and therefore is doing nothing to stop the ongoing persecution of Christians.
Unfortunately, such cases happen very often in the country, and nobody pays any attention – even the national media – as Christians are considered inferior and their lives worthless.
Indeed, days after the two sisters went missing, two Muslim men murdered Sonia Bibi, a 24-year-old Christian women: she too had refused to renounce her faith, embrace Islam, and marry one of them. According to a Dec. 4 report, she was walking to work when the men drove by and killed her with a pistol.
During the previous five months, one of the Muslim murderers, Muhammad Shehzad, had been harassing and even threatening Sonia to marry him, but she repeatedly refused, citing the differences in their faith. “A few days before the incident,” her grieving father explained, “Sonia was again harassed by Shehzad. Since she was a committed Christian she did not betray Jesus and sacrificed her life for her faith.” Naturally seeking justice, the father added that “We are being harassed and pressurized to withdraw the case against culprits.”
As yet another example, in early December 2020, a 12-year-old Christian girl—who was kidnapped, “raped multiple times,” converted to Islam, and “married” to one of her abductors—was found chained in one of her kidnapper’s homes. Five months earlier, on Jun. 25, 2020, three Muslim men in a van came to young Farah Shaheen’s home and forcibly abducted her. On hearing her cries, her father and brother rushed to the scene but the van had sped away. Although her father reported the case to and repeatedly plead with police and other authorities, they did nothing, until the father managed to secure the services of a lawyer who appealed to a higher court which pressured local police to act. On Dec. 5, police found the girl chained up in a room. According to a police source, “the kidnappers subjected Farah to physical and mental torture…. The dark marks on her ankles show that she was fettered [in a metal chain] for most of her time in captivity [five months].”
All charges have since been dropped against the men who tied her up like an animal and raped her. The 12-year-old testified that she “willingly married” one of her abductors, aged 45. Even if true, the man had broken Pakistani law by “marrying” a minor (girls must be at least 16). Nor did the court bother to consider, as her family and other activists point out, that the girl is too traumatized and fears retribution. “[She] has told me she was treated like a slave,” complained her father. “She was forced to work all day, cleaning filth in a cattle yard. 24-7, she was attached to a chain”—and yet her tormentors were exonerated.
According to an activist involved with Farah Shaheen’s case, “She was in trauma and couldn’t tell about the torture… Her marriage, forceful conversion, and injured feet speak of the horror. Police, judiciary, and weak laws make fun of poor parents.”
Similarly, while speaking about the endemic of rape and forced conversion back in Feb. 2020, Napoleon Qayyum, executive director of the Pakistan Center of Law of Justice, said:
Moreover, the girls are also forced to give false statements in court that they have changed their religion of free will and had married of their own choice…. Girls belonging to minority communities often succumb to pressure and consideration for their family’s security, which has further emboldened the men belonging to the majority faith. A few days after Farah was unchained, according to a Dec. 26 report, “Muslims who employed two young Christian women as live-in house cleaners in Lahore, Pakistan have forcibly converted them to Islam and are not permitting Christian relatives to see them…” Nasreen Bibi, their aunt and guardian, said. Both Anum [20] and Maham [18] have been forcibly converted [by their separate employers] to turn them into slaves, and the police and court have unfortunately acted as facilitators of this crime…. Muhammad Azmat [the employer of Anum] told me to forget about my nieces, as both of them were Muslims now. He also warned me not to come to his house, threatening that I would rot in jail if I did. I could not believe my ears. Both of my nieces were being held hostage in the name of religion, and there was nothing I could do to rescue them.
After the aunt repeatedly plead with police, who were slow to act, the two girls and their employers were finally brought to court on Dec. 15: “We hoped,” continued the aunt, “that the court would consider the circumstances under which these conversion claims were being made, but to our horror the court rejected our pleas and handed the girls back in their Muslim employers’ custody.”
Even on Christmas Day, 2020, Christian girls were being eyed by Muslim men: about 60 Muslim men assaulted a church during Christmas service. According to the report, “They aimed to kidnap and assault the women in attendance,” and made derogatory comments about the them, adding that they were “looking dashing today. Let us have all of them in our beds.” When one of the Christian defenders angrily rose up, “The Muslims,” he said, “warned me never to stop them from doing whatever they wanted to do with Christian girls.” The church’s security guards and male congregants “fought back with bare hands against the staff-wielding intruders, giving the women time to escape. Many Christian men suffered blunt trauma injuries and fractures in the fight.”
The above incidents are all recent, occurring between December 2020 and January 2021. Brief summaries of some of those to occur in 2020 follow:
“A Christian 6 year old girl was beaten and raped after being forcibly taken to the home of a Muslim rapist in broad daylight,” according to a Sept. 16 report:
In a sickening twist the local Muslim community are threatening the Christian parents with violence, the rape of their other daughters and financial ruin if they proceed with a legal case against paedophile Muhammad Waqas (18 yrs)… Tabitha [the raped child] had been verbally abused, shouted at, slapped and beaten and forced to do a number of sex acts with Waqas. She had been stripped of her clothes and had described her terror that she would be killed by Waqas…
On April 26, Maira Shahbaz, a 14-year-old Christian girl, was abducted by a group of armed Muslim men, under the leadership of one Muhammad Naqash (subsequently, her “husband”) Although her parents managed to bring the case to the Lahore High Court, it ruled in favor of Muhammad. In late August, Maira managed to escape and gave testimony on how she was being “forced into prostitution” and “filmed while by being raped,” with threats that the video would be published unless she complied with the demands of her rapist “husband” and his friends. “They threatened to murder my whole family,” the 14-year-old girl confessed: “My life was at stake in the hands of the accused and Naqash repeatedly raped me forcefully.”
In August, a married Muslim father of four kidnapped Saneha Kinza, the 15-year-old daughter of a pastor, while she was walking to church for early morning prayers.
According to a July 26 report, a group of 12 Muslim men, led by one Muhammad Irfan, broke into a Christian man’s household, “and tried to kidnap his [13-year-old] daughter, Noor, who they planned to rape and forcefully convert to Islam.”
On April 11, a Muslim man kidnapped and molested a 7-year-old Christian girl. When her father discovered she was missing on arriving home from work, he and others began a frantic search, and eventually found her in a field, “beaten and sexually assaulted.”
On April 9, a group of Muslims attempted to kidnap Ishrat, aged 9. According to the report,
[The] assault took place while Ishrat was walking in the street in Qutiba. There, a group of Muslim men approached her and asked her to convert to Islam and marry Asim, one of the men in the group. When Ishrat refused, the men beat Ishrat, made derogatory remarks against Ishrat and Christianity, and attempted to kidnap Ishrat [but failed]…
As if the sexual abuse Christian women experience inside Pakistan was not enough, on Dec. 8, 2020, the top U.S. diplomat for religious freedom, Samuel Brownback, said that “religious minorities, Christian and Hindu women” from Pakistan are “being marketed as concubines and as forced as brides [sic] into China.” This, he added, is because “there’s discrimination against religious minorities that make [sic] them more vulnerable” in Muslim Pakistan.
As for why very few authorities do anything and some even side with the abductors/rapists, according to a 2011 report from the Asian Human Rights Commission:
[P]olice … always side with the Islamic groups and treat minority groups as lowly life forms. The dark side of the forced conversion to Islam … involves the criminal elements who are engaged in rape and abduction and then justify their heinous crimes by forcing the victims to convert to Islam. The Muslim fundamentalists are happy to offer these criminals shelter and use the excuse that they are providing a great service to their sacred cause of increasing the population of Muslims.
As another indicator of the endemic abuse of Christian girls in Pakistan, back in 2010, a pedophile told his 9-year-old victim “not to worry because he had done the same service to other young Christian girls” before mauling and leaving her “in the throes of a physical and psychological trauma.”
While discussing that incident, another human rights activist summarized the situation in Pakistan:
It is shameful. Such incidents occur frequently. Christian girls are considered goods to be damaged at leisure. Abusing them is a right. According to the community’s mentality it is not even a crime. Muslims regard them as spoils of war.
Or, in the words of a group of Muslim men, seconds before they rammed their car into three young Christian girls, killing one, after they rebuffed the men’s sexual advances while walking home from work: “Christian girls are only meant for the pleasure of Muslim men.”
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Seeing through Iran’s moderate vs hard-liner illusion
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/February 12/2021
I believe the two most used phrases by Iran lobbyists in Washington and Europe are “this will strengthen the hard-liners” and “this will weaken the moderates.” Every single time a tough decision against the regime is made, they go off like synchronized alarm systems, repeating “this action is going to weaken the moderates and strengthen the hard-liners.”
As US President Joe Biden’s administration has now taken office, these lobbyists are pushing for a speedy return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal and have announced with certainty that, once money flows back to Iran and the economy gets better, then the moderates will be stronger. And, if this does not happen fast, then the hard-liners will be stronger, making it difficult for the Biden administration to address other issues.
Firstly, once the JCPOA is back, then the Iranian regime will not need to discuss any other regional issues. Secondly, does anyone still believe this “moderates versus hard-liners” narrative? Seriously, does anyone really believe that moderates — if they exist in the regime — have the capacity to do anything? Tehran has been successful in doing this diplomatic dance for decades now. The so-called moderate voices of Iran shouting their incapacity to move the needle because of the West’s decisions that are strengthening the hawks. This is just a superb invention.
But they have been able to use it because, first and foremost, Western policymakers have made the deliberate decision to believe this lie. Indeed, it has been quite a good tool or argument for Western officials to implement policies they wanted to push through for other reasons. It makes a good story to move fast before the “bad” hard-liners weaken the “good” moderates. This usually needs to happen before a presidential election, in which candidates are hand-picked by the supreme leader.
I do not believe that there are no reasonable or moderate figures with influential positions in Iran. However, short of a revolution — which will not happen — they are not capable of bringing a positive change. The regime has applied the same technique domestically. It alternates between moderate and hard-line decisions, giving small signs of hope for more personal freedoms. It tolerates little liberties that make the people who have been deprived of everything feel grateful, but does not bring enough hope or optimism for them to dare ask for more or for change. This balancing act has also been a superb tool.
And so, after these decades of diplomatic dancing between the West and Iran, it might be time to face the music. Facing the music means confronting the hard-liners and putting all the files on the table, including the negative meddling in regional affairs and the missile program, which has been cooperating again with North Korea. Unless there is a true will to stop these actions, then the diplomatic dance will continue.
The key question is what can be done to change the regime in Tehran’s actions — without a regime change, which would bring even more chaos into this region — and force it to adopt positive bilateral relations? A new policy direction from Iran would help develop trade, allow for cross-border investments and open the door to tourism and common infrastructure, from electrical to communications. The untapped potential of this new page would be a game-changer not only for the Middle East but the world.
After listing the pros and cons of Iran going ahead with this big shift, I do not see a single reason for it to continue pushing its current line of action. Iran will not achieve regional domination, just as it will not be removed from the regional equation. Yet we can agree on a formula preserving every party’s interests, both politically and economically, especially as the regime change concept is no longer valid.
Iran is a big and important country with a great population, and it is time this region was fully connected; especially as global economic competition heats up and there is a common need to diversify economies. The global and common threats the region faces are, in fact, much bigger than our current confrontation. I am surprised the Iranian regime has not yet grasped this.
Unfortunately, it seems that Tehran is feeling secure enough that the planets are aligning in its favor and that the Europeans, as well as the foreign policy team in the US, will go back to the JCPOA and will have a favorable approach to Iran. This action would remove all incentives, even if they were slim, for the regime to change anything in its modus operandi when it comes to regional affairs. I would say the opposite is true: The Iranian leaders are feeling emboldened and they will push for more destabilization and interference, as it seems it will yield better results.
The world needs a grand bargain with Iran. It should all start with a 'non-interference in domestic affairs accord.' This, more than a return to the nuclear deal, would be the key to global stability.
The regime knows exactly what the Europeans and the US diplomacy team want. Europeans want to go back and trade, especially after the coronavirus disease impact. They are eager to allow their companies to get back to the €30 billion ($36 billion) or so of deals they had in 2015. The US administration simply wants to erase the actions of the previous one and continue where President Barack Obama left off. So the Iranian regime is now making it difficult and sending different signals to put pressure on the West. In a certain way, I would say that, despite what the Western nations think, it is not they that is holding the stick and the carrot, but rather the Iranian regime — the hard-liners and no one else.
Once again, our region has many more stakeholders and players than just Iran and the West, and there will always be a counterbalance and new alliances. Therefore, the approach needs to include all the stakeholders, from Arab countries to Turkey and Israel, as well as Russia. Usually, these grand deals or bargains happen after a big war with a clear winner. So why not avoid this and consider the pandemic to be a symbol of the common threats we are likely to face in the future and map out a clear path toward a stronger Middle East? It should all start with a “non-interference in domestic affairs accord.” This, more than a return to the JCPOA, would be the key to global stability and a true win for moderates.
*Khaled Abou Zahr is CEO of Eurabia, a media and tech company. He is also the editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.

Only terrorists target a civilian airport
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/February 11/2021
The cowardly terrorist attack on Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s southern region comes as no surprise to those who are familiar with the violent nature of the Houthis. Anyone who has followed the war in Yemen needs no reminder of their savagely barbaric behavior.
Like all wars, the one in Yemen is both ugly and complicated. Let us not, however, forget how and why it began. These Houthi terrorists who have attacked civilian targets overthrew the legitimate UN-backed and internationally recognized government of Yemen. At that point, Yemen sought aid and assistance from Saudi Arabia and its Arab neighbors.
Critics will be quick to point out that the Arab coalition has also caused civilian casualties in Yemen. Yes, that is true but there is one big difference: Coalition actions were errors which were investigated and apologized for. The Houthis, on the other hand, brag about attacking Saudi cities and they regularly threaten to kill civilians. Just as they did today by claiming that they fired four armed drones at Abha airport.
In fact the Houthis have launched hundreds of missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities (including areas close to the holy city of Makkah). They have repeatedly targeted civilians and civilian targets but thanks to Saudi Arabia's air defenses, the casualties have been minimal.
The international community should not hesitate calling this what it is: A terrorist attack. Just because Saudi air defenses are highly effective and there have been no images of body bags, or because Saudi Arabia is richer and bigger than Yemen — none of that transforms the Kingdom from victim into a villain.
There have been attacks on Riyadh airport in the past. There have been attacks close to Jeddah airport as well. One thing to note is the intensified number of attacks in the last few weeks. The Houthis seem to have been emboldened by the mention of talks coming out of Washington’s corridors of power. They have seen these goodwill gestures as signs of weakness of the world community and, more specifically, America. The Houthis must be held accountable and called what they are — terrorists with a state at their disposal that they have for too long held hostage.
The Houthis must be held accountable and called what they are — terrorists.
I hope those advising the Biden administration are taking note. There have been talks of lifting the designation of Houthis as terrorists, which was imposed by the previous administration. Given the deep divisions and state of internal US politics, I am not sure if this is just mere political bickering with the previous administration — or do Joe Biden’s advisers genuinely believe the argument that not calling the Houthis terrorists will facilitate aid and relief.
Just a reminder: The Houthis have for long blocked aid and prohibited it from getting to the hands of the needy, and they have done so even with personal protective equipment at the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic last year. This fact is well documented and the Houthis have been criticized for this irresponsible behavior, not just by Saudi Arabia or the previous US administration, but by the UN and Human Rights Watch.
Of course, blocking aid is no surprise coming from a group that actively recruits children in war, preaches extremism and whose official slogan is “Death to America.” In addition, the Houthis have attacked the US Navy three times. Again, this is not idle talk; they are documented facts.
What was significant about the attacks on the US Navy was that they came in the last few days of the Obama administration, which was advised to be kind to the Iranians, the paymasters of the Houthis, in the hope of convincing them to behave responsibly. Of course, Barack Obama later found out that while Iran happily took the billions of dollars that resulted from the signing of the nuclear deal, it did not change its behavior in any way and continued to destabilize the region through injecting money and support to its armed militias.
If anything, Wednesday's attack on Abha airport shows that the Houthis — like Iran itself — misinterpret goodwill gestures and will behave only when shown the stick, not the carrot.
Let us see what the international position is and what international law can do to tackle this menace. The bottom line is that while we can agree or disagree on several things, deliberately targeting a civilian airport is not a matter of debate — it is a heinous war crime.
*Faisal J. Abbas is the editor in chief of Arab News. Twitter: @FaisalJAbbas

Iranian regime cannot survive without the nuclear deal
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/February 11/2021
On the surface, the Iranian leaders are pretending they are in no hurry to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal. For example, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last month said in a speech, according to his official website: “We have no urge, no rush for America to return to the JCPOA. Our problem is not whether the United States will return to the JCPOA or not. Our rational demand is the lifting of sanctions.”
However, the reality on the ground is that the regime is on its knees and desperately needs to revive the nuclear deal. This desire to return to the nuclear deal and have sanctions lifted can be seen in the writings of Iran’s state-owned newspapers, which are connected to the hard-liners and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Javan newspaper wrote: “The new (US) administration has spoken out on almost every issue in US foreign policy except the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the need to return to it, while Democrats and Republicans have been vocal about maintaining Donald Trump’s policy of maximum pressure.” It added: “Apparently there is no rush on the other side, in the Biden government. In his first phone call with Vladimir Putin, Biden spoke of issues such as Ukraine, Russia’s alleged involvement in the 2020 election, and the extension of the treaties, but did not say anything about the JCPOA or did not want it to be disclosed.”
The Iranian regime’s frustration is understandable, as it is facing one of the worst budget deficits in its four-decade history. The theocratic establishment is estimated to be running a $200 million budget deficit per week and, if the pressure on Tehran continues, the total deficit will be about $10 billion by next month. This huge deficit will increase inflation and devalue the currency even further.
The decrease in the country’s revenues directly impacts the regime’s hold on power, the IRGC and its affiliates, the Office of the Supreme Leader, and the regime’s associates, who control considerable parts of the economy and financial systems. The IRGC reportedly controls more than half of Iran’s gross domestic product and owns several major economic powerhouses and religious endowments, such as Astan Quds Razavi in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
Iran is also experiencing a significant shortfall in its funding for proxies and terror groups across the Middle East. This shortfall may be why, for the first time in more than three decades, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in 2019 made a public statement asking people to donate money to his group. He said: “The sanctions and terror lists are a form of warfare against the resistance and we must deal with them as such. I announce today that we are in need of the support of our popular base. It is the responsibility of the Lebanese resistance, its popular base, its milieu (to battle these measures).”
The cash-stripped clerical regime is desperate to see sanctions lifted and for billions of dollars to flow into its treasury once again. This would allow it to provide revenue for the IRGC to escalate its military adventurism and projects in the region, which include financing, arming and supporting their terror and militia groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
The JCPOA signatories must recall that the nuclear deal led to more Houthi rockets being launched at civilian targets.
The Biden administration would be well advised not to rush back into the 2015 nuclear deal, which empowered and emboldened the Iranian regime and its militia groups and made the region much less safe, stable and secure.
It appears that all members of the nuclear agreement (Russia, China, the US, the UK, France, and Germany) want to rejoin the nuclear pact with Iran. But the Biden administration, along with France, the UK and Germany, must demand a much stricter agreement. They must recall that the JCPOA led to more Houthi rockets being launched at civilian targets, the deployment of Hezbollah foot soldiers in Syria, and more attacks by Iranian-funded Iraqi militia groups.
In a nutshell, the Iranian regime needed the nuclear deal to be restored yesterday, as it cannot keep going without it. The JCPOA signatories must learn from history, take their time, and demand a stricter deal with the Tehran regime this time around.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh