English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For July 25/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Letter to the Hebrews 12/14-17/:”Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and through it many become defiled. See to it that no one becomes like Esau, an immoral and godless person, who sold his birthright for a single meal. You know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, even though he sought the blessing with tears.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 24-25/2021
Lebanese man dies in accident waiting in gas station queue
Lebanon signs deal to sell Iraqi fuel in move to ease crisis
Economic crisis leaves Lebanon unprepared for next Covid wave
Miqati Negotiating on 'Two Governments' as Bassil Warns over Christian Cover
Lebanon Can't Handle Next Covid Wave, Abiad Warns
Al-Rahi receives French Senate delegation, outgoing Qatari Ambassador
Lavard: Lebanese are responsible for the solution first and foremost
Camille Chamoun to MPs: People's pain more important than your pride
Fadlallah: Priority is to form the government to carry out quick rescue missions
Akar concludes Cyprus visit by inspecting the “Joint Rescue Coordination Center”
Bassil receives French Senate delegation, outgoing Qatari Ambassador
Ghajar returns from Iraq after signing an agreement to import one million tons of oil: This is not a gift, as the Iraqi state accepted to open an account in Lebanon’s Central Bank in exchange for fuel
Hawat denies news of cutting-off communications in event of mass protests
Jumblatt visits the Irfan Foundation: Current stage is delicate, will be more difficult
Tragedy of Beirut, last bastion of the true Levant/Nadim Shehadi/Arab News/July 24/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 24-25/2021
Drone attacks Iraq base hosting US troops ahead of Kadhemi-Biden meeting
Iran says four IRGC members killed in clash with ‘bandits’
US launches inquiry into Qatar’s alleged finance activities in Iran
US mulls crackdown on Chinese imports of Iranian oil
Iraq’s prime minister announces arrests over Baghdad suicide bombing
Protesters Clash with Police as Thousands March against Australia Lockdown
India Rescuers Hunt for Survivors as Monsoon Toll Hits 76
Iraqi PM to discuss ISIS, Iran and militias in Biden meeting
Government encouraged to raise prices as Egyptians learn to grin and bear it
Militias spark clashes in Tripoli, in suspected attempt to delay election

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 24-25/2021
Iranian Regime Empowered: Violating US Sovereignty, Kidnapping on American Soil/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/July 24/2021
Iranians thirsty for change are met with gunfire and brutality/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/July 24/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 24-25/2021
Lebanese man dies in accident waiting in gas station queue
Arab News/July 24/2021
BEIRUT: A man killed in a queue at a gas station on Saturday was the latest victim of the unprecedented crisis in Lebanon. Mahmoud Delbani, a 27-year-old Lebanese citizen, was waiting to fill his car with gasoline at 2.30am when an inattentive truck driver crashed into several vehicles lined up at the Coral Petrol Station on the Beirut-South Lebanon highway, an Internal Security Forces traffic officer told Arab News. Three people were also injured in the accident. For more than two months the deteriorating economic crisis has caused enormous fuel shortages in Lebanon, with queues kilometers long outside gas stations leading to unprecedented congestion on roads and horrific accidents. The lines at stations have become known as ‘the queues of humiliation and shame’ due to the long hours that drivers spend waiting to fill their cars. Local media reported that the 27-year-old man had been looking forward to catching up with his friends after filling his car with fuel. Hussein, a friend of Delbani from Tyre, in southern Lebanon, said: “He left us too early. What a tragically unexpected and humiliating end to such a loveable and smiley character. I cannot accept what happened! Why did he have to leave that way?” Tarek, another friend of Delbani, mourned him on Facebook, writing “RIP Mahmoud you will be missed … too early dear but our destiny in Lebanon … innocent people die and stupid politicians have a long life...”The traffic police have reported a number of recent accidents in petrol queues. Petrol stations have been running low on subsidized petrol for months, but shortages worsened in June and July as people’s fears of rationing and shortages intensified, leading to a large number of petrol station closures. A number of fights, heated arguments and shootings have taken place and a petrol station owner was shot dead by an angry customer in north Lebanon.

Lebanon signs deal to sell Iraqi fuel in move to ease crisis
AP/July 24, 2021
BEIRUT: Lebanon signed a deal Saturday to broker Iraqi fuel sales in hopes of alleviating a crippling financial and energy crisis in the small Mediterranean country, Lebanese and Iraqi media reported. The deal allows Beirut to resell 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil from Iraq — fuel that Lebanon cannot use in its own power plants — to companies who would then provide useable fuel to Lebanon over the next year. Lebanon would offer Iraq services in exchange, Energy Minister Raymond GHajjar said, without offering details. Local media said Iraq would benefit from Lebanese health services and agriculture consultancy.
The swap, which GHajjar estimates is valued at between $300-400 million, could offer a brief respite to Lebanon’s worsening power cuts and bring funds to its cash-strapped government. But a structural power solution, in a sector steeped in corruption and political interference, is far from sight.
Blackouts have been a fixture in Lebanon since the end of its 15-year civil war in 1990, and the small country relies on imported fuel. But the problem has intensified as the government grapples with unprecedented financial problems, and considers lifting fuel subsidies. “The Iraqi state agreed to open an account in Lebanon’s Central Bank in exchange for this fuel. This account is managed by the Iraqi Finance Ministry through which it buys services inside Lebanon... in Lebanese pounds,” GHajjar said. Then Lebanon resells the fuel in exchange for fuel it can use in its plants.
“We hope other Arab countries follow suit and give us this opportunity because it is really a golden opportunity for us,” GHajjar said at Beirut International Airport upon his return from Baghdad. A statement from Iraq’s Prime Minister’s office said the 1 million barrels of fuel oil would be offered to Lebanon in exchange for services and products, although neither side immediately mentioned what these were. Lebanon’s state electricity company has most recently been providing no more than four hours of power a day, leaving private generator operators as the main providers. Diesel supplies have dwindled, and long queues stretch outside gas stations each day. Government officials have also complained of widespread smuggling to neighboring Syria, which is also facing an economic crisis following a decade of war. Lebanon defaulted on its foreign debt last year and struggled to pay suppliers. The Central Bank has been limiting credit to purchases of basic supplies, including fuel and medicine. The energy crisis has reached unprecedented levels in Lebanon. Generator operators warned Friday they would have to turn off their engines as diesel shortages have worsened and prices on the black market have reached exorbitant levels.
Hospitals are rationing their consumption, shutting off air conditioning in waiting areas, while bakeries in some parts of Lebanon have stopped their ovens altogether. Supermarkets have warned that the power shortages threaten their merchandise and endanger food safety. The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, has warned that most water pumping will gradually cease across the country in the next four to six weeks, putting more than four million people, including one million refugees, in immediate risk of losing access to safe water.

Economic crisis leaves Lebanon unprepared for next Covid wave
The Arab Weekly/July 24/2021
BEIRUT--Lebanon’s deepening economic crisis has piled pressure on hospitals, leaving them ill-equipped to face any new wave of the coronavirus, a top hospital director has warned. Already struggling with shortages of medicine and an exodus of staff abroad, the country’s health facilities are now also having to contend with almost round-the-clock power cuts. “All hospitals… are now less prepared than they were during the wave at the start of the year,” said Firass Abiad, the manager of the largest public hospital in the country battling Covid.
Struggling to cope
“Medical and nursing staff have left, medicine that was once available has run out,” and ever lengthening cuts to the mains power supply have left hospitals under constant threat. Even the Rafik Hariri University Hospital he runs has been struggling to cope. “We only get two to three hours of mains electricity, and for the rest of the time it’s up to the generators,” Abiad said. On top of worrying they could burn out, “we have the huge burden of having to constantly be on the hunt for fuel oil.”Huge demand for the increasingly scarce commodity has driven up prices by more than 80 percent since June 17. Even at the prestigious RHUH, some medicines are routinely running out. “Some days it’s antibiotics, others it’s anaesthetics,” the hospital chief said.Sometimes “we’re forced to ask the patients’ relatives to go and try to find the medicine from another hospital or a pharmacy.”
A surge in cases
After dropping over the spring, Covid cases are on the rise again as Lebanese expats flood home for the summer, and many gather with family and friends. On Thursday alone, 98 people tested positive for Covid on arrival at Beirut airport, the health ministry said. “It could be catastrophic if this rise in coronavirus numbers leads to a spike like the one we saw at the start of the year,” Abiad said. Abiad said the solution was better social distancing and more inoculations in a country where just 15 percent of the population have been fully vaccinated. On Thursday, private hospitals warned of a looming “catastrophe” as some were only hours away from running out of fuel to power their generators. The following day, pharmacies said they were going on indefinite strike over persistent shortages of medicines, just weeks after drug importers said the central bank owed millions of dollars to their suppliers abroad. Pharmacies said importers are refusing to make deliveries as they are unhappy with the new prices for drugs that are no longer subsidised, and cannot get lines of credit for those that still are. Around 1,300 doctors have emigrated since the economic crisis began in 2019, with the numbers picking up over the past 12 months, the doctors’ syndicate says. Since February last year, Lebanon has recorded 553,615 cases of Covid-19, 7,890 of them fatal, according to health ministry figures.

Miqati Negotiating on 'Two Governments' as Bassil Warns over Christian Cover
Naharnet/July 24/2021
Ex-PM Najib Miqati will become PM-designate should the binding parliamentary consultations be held on Monday as scheduled, a source informed on the negotiations said. "If the consultations take place according to this format, Miqati would garner 60 to 65 votes, while former ambassador to the U.N. Nawwaf Salam would get around 20 votes if he was to be named by the Free Patriotic Movement," the source told Asharq al-Awsat daily in remarks published Saturday. "This formula would make designation possible but formation would be impossible, due to President Michel Aoun's opposition to Miqati's nomination," the source added. Miqati will meanwhile return to Beirut from abroad on Saturday, which would allow transition from "phone negotiations" to "direct negotiations," thus "making the picture clearer," the daily said.
A source informed on Hizbullah's stances meanwhile said that negotiations with Miqati are "serious" and that the latter is negotiating over "two governments." "He is discussing the government that will be formed after the May elections, and through this formula Miqati wants to remove the 'elections government' label from his government in order to be able to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund and the international community to get aid that would restore some balance to Lebanon's financial situation," the source added. The FPM meanwhile is still insisting on voting for Nawwaf Salam, although the ex-ambassador's former advocates -- the Lebanese Forces and the Democratic Gathering -- have given up his nomination. The source informed on Hizbullah's stance described FPM chief Jebran Bassil's inclination to endorse Salam as a jab at Hizbullah, noting that such a move "will not win American approval."
The source also revealed that a meeting was held between Bassil and Hizbullah's leadership on Thursday in whicj Bassil openly told Hizbullah of his opposition to Miqati's designation. Bassil also warned that Miqati will not enjoy Christian cover if the FPM and the LF do not vote for him.

Lebanon Can't Handle Next Covid Wave, Abiad Warns
Agence France Presse/July 24/2021
Lebanon's deepening economic crisis has piled pressure on hospitals, leaving them ill-equipped to face any new wave of the coronavirus, a top hospital director has warned. Already struggling with shortages of medicine and an exodus of staff abroad, the country's health facilities are now also having to contend with almost round-the-clock power cuts. "All hospitals... are now less prepared than they were during the wave at the start of the year," said Firass Abiad, the manager of the largest public hospital in the country battling Covid. "Medical and nursing staff have left, medicine that was once available has run out," and ever lengthening cuts to the mains power supply have left hospitals under constant threat. Even the Rafik Hariri University Hospital he runs has been struggling to cope. "We only get two to three hours of mains electricity, and for the rest of the time it's up to the generators," Abiad said. On top of worrying they could burn out, "we have the huge burden of having to constantly be on the hunt for fuel oil."Huge demand for the increasingly scarce commodity has driven up prices by more than 80 percent since June 17. Even at the prestigious RHUH, some medicines are routinely running out. "Some days it's antibiotics, others it's anesthetics," the hospital chief said. Sometimes "we're forced to ask the patients' relatives to go and try to find the medicine from another hospital or a pharmacy."
'Could be catastrophic'
After dropping over the spring, Covid cases are on the rise again as Lebanese expats flood home for the summer, and many gather with family and friends. On Thursday alone, 98 people tested positive for Covid on arrival at Beirut airport, the health ministry said. "It could be catastrophic if this rise in coronavirus numbers leads to a spike like the one we saw at the start of the year," Abiad said. Abiad said the solution was better social distancing and more inoculations in a country where just 15 percent of the population have been fully vaccinated. On Thursday, private hospitals warned of a looming "catastrophe" as some were only hours away from running out of fuel to power their generators. The following day, pharmacies said they were going on indefinite strike over persistent shortages of medicines, just weeks after drug importers said the central bank owed millions of dollars to their suppliers abroad. Pharmacies said importers are refusing to make deliveries as they are unhappy with the new prices for drugs that are no longer subsidized, and cannot get lines of credit for those that still are.Around 1,300 doctors have emigrated since the economic crisis began in 2019, with the numbers picking up over the past 12 months, the doctors' syndicate says. Since February last year, Lebanon has recorded 553,615 cases of Covid-19, 7,890 of them fatal, according to health ministry figures.

Al-Rahi receives French Senate delegation, outgoing Qatari Ambassador
Lavard: Lebanese are responsible for the solution first and foremost
NNA/July 24/2021
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, received today at the patriarchal seat in Bkirki, a delegation from the French Senate headed by Christine Lavard, President of the Lebanese-French Friendship Group in the Council, accompanied by French Ambassador Anne Grillo.
The visit was an occasion in which the delegation stressed the need for "the Lebanese to cooperate with each other and unite in order to save their homeland." After the meeting, Lavard indicated that "this is the second visit to His Beatitude after the first that took place last January. At that time, we heard from His Beatitude his position regarding the necessity of implementing Lebanon's neutrality, and today Patriarch al-Rahi renewed his position in calling for Lebanon's neutrality, because it is the only way for the country to return to its former era of prosperity, stability, security and peace.”She continued to indicate that they exchanged views with the Patriarch over the current Lebanese situation, prior to their expected meetings with various political parties, “particularly the deeply divided Christian parties in the heart of the Christian community."Over the situation prevailing in Lebanon, Lavard said: "The disparity that we saw in Lebanon has shocked us. If what happened here, occurred in any other country in the world, such as France, for example, and after the industrial disaster that the country has witnessed, we would immediately begin to return things to normal. Stability helps to start again, but in Lebanon, nearly a year after the tragic explosion of the port of Beirut, the port is still not operating."Lavard concluded by emphasizing that "the Lebanese are the owners of the solution in the first place. The international community and France, in particular, were here and provided emergency humanitarian assistance, and it will be tomorrow as well with the aim of providing organized assistance to restore the country’s health…But the Lebanese themselves, the political class and officials must take the decision to bring about change." The Patriarch later met with Qatar's Ambassador, Mohammed Hassan Jaber Al-Jaber, on a farewell visit upon the end of his diplomatic term in Lebanon.

Camille Chamoun to MPs: People's pain more important than your pride
NNA/July 24/2021
“There is no medicine, no water, no electricity, no fuel, no bread, and yet the honorable MPs are upset that they are being insulted by the people who elected them….The pain of the people is more important than your pride. Be silent, for history will judge you. You have become a disgrace to Lebanon and its reputation…You half men, deputies of shame, deputies of chairs!” tweeted regretfully National Liberal Party Chief, Camille Dory Chamoun, on Saturday.

Fadlallah: Priority is to form the government to carry out quick rescue missions
NNA/July 24/2021
MP Hassan Fadlallah revealed Saturday that "there are contacts between a number of parliamentary blocs to reach an understanding on naming a new prime minister, and in light of the options presented, the bloc will determine its position in its meeting upcoming Monday morning and announce it during the binding consultations at Baabda Palace.”“It is important for the designation to be an actual prelude to forming a cabinet without obstacles or creating conditions that waste more time, because the priority is to form the government to carry out quick rescue missions in light of the ongoing collapse,” he asserted. Fadlallah's words came during a meeting with the Union of Municipalities of Bint Jbeil District earlier today, during which discussions centered on the needs of the region. “There is a need for quick solutions to vital issues such as water and medicine, and the availability of diesel fuel, which has turned into an illegal trade on the black market at high prices,” he said.

Akar concludes Cyprus visit by inspecting the “Joint Rescue Coordination Center”
NNA/July 24/2021
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants in the caretaker government, Zeina Akar, concluded her visit to Cyprus on Saturday, by visiting the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Larnaca, accompanied by Deputy Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Pilot Bassam Yassin, Lebanon's Ambassador to Cyprus Claude Al-Hajal and Lieutenant-Colonel Haitham Dergham.Minister Akar was received by the Center's Commander, Lieutenant Commander Andreas Charalambides, and members of the Center.
Akar toured the Center and was briefed by officials on the tasks and search and rescue operations that they carry out, in addition to the advanced techniques in the rescue of ships and those on board in case of accidents at sea, and the search for missing persons and the rescue of illegal migrants.
During the meeting, which was held at the Center’s building, the subject of the agreement regarding the establishment of a similar center in Lebanon, in cooperation with Cyprus, was discussed. Minister Akar heard from Cypriot officials about the reactivation of work to achieve this end. In this connection, Brigadier General Charalambides stressed, "the importance of cooperation between the relevant security and military apparatuses in Cyprus and Lebanon in order to carry out rescue and search operations in the Mediterranean, especially in the territorial waters between the two countries," hoping to establish a similar center in Lebanon.

Bassil receives French Senate delegation, outgoing Qatari Ambassador
NNA/July 24/2021
Free Patriotic Movement Chief, MP Gebran Bassil, received on Saturday a delegation from the French Senate led by French-Lebanese Friendship Group Head, Senator Christine Lavard, with discussions touching on political relations between the two countries and government developments. Bassil stressed, "The necessity of forming a government capable of implementing reforms and inspiring confidence locally and internationally," noting that "FPM maintains its position of facilitating the cabinet formation the soonest possible." He stressed the importance of "preserving the relationship between Lebanon and France above all interests, based on its historical depth and the great legacy it holds at the level of official and popular relations." Bassil also received the Ambassador of the State of Qatar, Mohammed Hassan Jaber Al-Jaber, on a farewell visit marking the end of his tenure in Lebanon. The visit was a chance to discuss the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Qatar. Talks also touched on the projects pursued by Qatar in Lebanon and the assistance it provides, whereby Ambassador Al Jaber affirmed Qatar's continued commitment in this regard.

Ghajar returns from Iraq after signing an agreement to import one million tons of oil: This is not a gift, as the Iraqi state accepted to open an account in Lebanon’s Central Bank in exchange for fuel
NNA/July 24/2021
Caretaker Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar arrived at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut this evening, returning from Iraq, after he signed an agreement with the Iraqi government to import one million tons of Iraqi oil.
Ghajar and the Director General of Public Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, went to Baghdad yesterday, accompanied by a delegation from the Water and Energy Ministry to sign the agreement.
In a press conference held upon his arrival at the airport, Ghajar gave an overview of the agreement with the Iraqi government. He thanked the Iraqi state, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi and all the sides that exerted huge efforts during the past three months so as to reach the signed agreement, namely to purchase one million tons of heavy fuel from the State of Iraq for the Lebanese Electricity Corporation. He added, "Of course, this would not have happened without the tremendous efforts of Major General Abbas Ibrahim and our entire team, whether in the Ministry of Energy or the General Directorate of Oil and the three Presidents."Ghajar pointed out that this agreement "includes the import and purchase of one million tons of heavy fuel for the benefit of Electricité du Liban for a period of one year, and according to the prices set by the Iraqi side.” He continued to explain that this fuel cannot be used in Lebanon, since its specifications are different from the one used in Lebanese factories. “What will happen is that we will successively, as needed, bid for the purchase of fuel through Spot Cargo for Electricité du Liban and for the private sector, i.e. for oil facilities, and these bids will take place according to a premium for each company. But the difference is that instead of paying through the Banque du Liban, we will ask them to exchange the oil they are going to provide us with the Iraqi oil,” Ghajar said.
Referring to the extent of power supply that can be provided, the Minister explained that it can be given for a period of four months and according to demand, noting that situation changes between summer and winter, i.e. nine hours of power supply can be provided during summertime and fourteen hours during wintertime. In response to a question, Ghajar said: "We want the interest of the Lebanese state and the Lebanese people, and we did not go east or west, and if an offer comes to us like Iraq's, we would respond in a positive way, because in the case of the Iraqi offer, we take fuel in exchange for services," adding that “Iraqi oil has value because it is one of the world's second largest oil exporters."Over the efforts of Major General Abbas Ibrahim, Ghajar said: "Major General Ibrahim has very good relations, and the Iraqi government trusts him, and he is familiar with all the details and he has opened all doors for us. Our effort was minor, and the credit goes to Major General Abbas Ibrahim."Finally, the Caretaker Minister hoped that the brotherly Arab countries would "follow the example of the State of Iraq and accord us an opportunity like Iraq, for it is a golden opportunity for us."

Hawat denies news of cutting-off communications in event of mass protests
NNA/July 24/2021
Caretaker Tele-Communications Minister Talal Hawat categorically denied, in an issued statement today, the circulated news via one of the electronic news websites about developing a plan at the meeting of the Supreme Defense Council to block communications in the event of mass protests in the country.
Hawat pledged support to “public freedoms and respect for the right to peaceful demonstration and expression of opinion, which is guaranteed by the Lebanese Constitution - Article 12."

Jumblatt visits the Irfan Foundation: Current stage is delicate, will be more difficult
NNA/July 24/2021
Progressive Socialist Party Chief, Walid Jumblatt, described the current stage in the country as “delicate” and “seems to be increasingly difficult.”His words came during his visit today to the “Irfan Foundation” in the area of al-Semqanieh in the Chouf, in the presence of the Foundation’s administrative and educational senior staff and family members. Jumblatt promised to place all his party’s capabilities in the service of the Foundation, calling on its cadre to remain steadfast amidst the prevailing hardships. “In previous years, we succeeded in rising up to the challenge, and we will succeed despite the upcoming dire conditions…and we will see what may come from the international community. I do recall when I recently visited with the French Ambassador, Emmanuel Bonn, the Foundation...We will knock on the doors of supporters and friends, and the aid that comes to Lebanon is significant, but, as you know, sectarianism is rampant. We have to knock on the doors of our well-known ambassadors, invite them here to see the accomplishment and this educational, monotheistic and moral edifice, and we shall continue,” pledged Jumblatt.“Do not fear the future, for I am with you," he concluded.

Tragedy of Beirut, last bastion of the true Levant
Nadim Shehadi/Arab News/July 24/2021
نديم شحادة/مأساة بيروت آخر معاقل الشرق الحقيقي
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/100884/%d9%86%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%85-%d8%b4%d8%ad%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a9-%d9%85%d8%a3%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%a9-%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%aa-%d8%a2%d8%ae%d8%b1-%d9%85%d8%b9%d8%a7%d9%82%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%82/
My friend Faris Aractingi bears a striking resemblance to his ancestor, Assaad Khayat, who impressed Princess Victoria (the future Queen Victoria) when he accompanied three Persian princes on their visit to London in 1836. “He speaks many different languages, and amongst others English, very well; he is extremely handsome, and has a most interesting countenance,” she wrote in her journal. Khayat later became the first British Consul in Jaffa, where his daughter Mariana married Antoun Aractingi and where a hill still bears the family name.
Faris, now living in Beirut, was born in Baghdad and sometimes, when he speaks, words come out with the Mosul accent of his mother. In his award-winning movie “Heritages,” Philippe Aractingi, who is from another branch of the family, traces his roots to Adana in southern Turkey, with his grandmother’s family leaving the port on a boat in 1922 and heading to Damascus, which his father left for Beirut. The artist, Willy Aractingi, from yet another branch, was brought up in Cairo before moving to Beirut in the 1950s.
There are many people like the Aractingis, who were attracted to Beirut throughout the 20th century. Some came as refugees from Turkey or Palestine; others were driven out of Egypt, Iraq or Syria by the wave of homogenizing nationalism that gradually prevailed in the region or when their businesses and properties were nationalized.
They brought with them a rich history and a great cuisine, as inheritors of a type of Levantine Ottoman culture that had gradually eroded from the perimeters of the Mediterranean, and of which Beirut was the last station. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was Europeans who came to Egypt to find jobs instead of the other way round.
In Beirut, the financial expertise that built the Suez Canal, managed the Khedival debt and facilitated international trade coexisted with the remnants of Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria and the soirees of Aleppo on the trade route to India via Mosul and Baghdad. Much has been written about the Levantines, who are often described with nostalgia as people who came from everywhere and belonged anywhere they could maintain the cosmopolitan culture that connected the globe.
Beirut in 1947 had barely half a dozen financial institutions, but by 1963 it was a trade and finance hub, with more than 90 banks. It developed by absorbing the remnants of Levantine culture, while its banking sector was the distillation of centuries of trade and financial expertise from the region, with its global networks.
Hamra Street in west Beirut was largely built after 1950 by people who had moved there from Haifa. The fact that people in the Achrafieh area east of the city spoke French had little to do with the legacy of colonialism. French was the lingua franca of the Levant trade and people who moved there from Jaffa, Aleppo and Egypt found it to be the common unifying language, rather than their various Arabic dialects.
The Levantines are often described with nostalgia as people who came from everywhere and belonged anywhere they could maintain the cosmopolitan culture that connected the globe.
Beirut is now under threat of losing its character, as many are leaving or thinking of doing so. Cities and nations rise and fall, some survive major crises and re-emerge, while others never recuperate. The city of Smyrna, which was once called the “Eye of Asia,” rivaled Istanbul as a port and in the 19th century was one of the largest, richest and most international cities in the Mediterranean. In 1922, any cosmopolitan character it had was extinguished by a great fire and it never recovered.
Alexandria took at least a decade to lose its diversity after having had a continuous presence of Greeks since the days of Alexander the Great. Some of its European and Levantine population smelt the coffee due to the 1952 Egyptian revolution and left immediately, while others waited until 1956 and the confiscation of foreign property. The most resilient stayed on, but today there is hardly anything left of that Levantine culture.
Nostalgia for the diversity and cosmopolitanism of Levantine cities is very much on the rise. In discussions on the reconstruction of Mosul and Aleppo, the restoration of their Christian and Jewish populations, as well as their ethnic minorities, are seen as indispensable for the recovery of these cities. Empires rule over many nations and this is reflected in the demographic diversity of their cities, their culture and their food. Nation states, meanwhile, strive for a homogeneous population with a common identity and this often adversely affects diversity.
There is a heated debate over the merits and dangers of multiculturalism in the West, where cities like Paris, London, Brussels, Berlin and Amsterdam have developed such a mix through immigration. This was a factor in the rise of the far right in many European countries and it threatens the very unity of Europe. While the West has fundamentally aspired to homogeneity since the treaties of Westphalia, the East has always seen diversity as part of its fabric and countries like the UAE have recently celebrated it and adopted it as part of their brand.
The crisis in Lebanon threatens the very identity that the country has developed over the last 100 years. If Beirut is on its way to becoming another Gaza — isolated, under siege and in a constant state of war while being ruled by a militia — then it will lose its cosmopolitan character.
The tragedy is that, after Beirut, there is nowhere to go: It is the last refuge except for the option of blending into the anonymity of Western, particularly North American, suburbia. It would be a big blow for the whole region to lose the Levantine spirit, which has been part of its fabric for centuries.
The story of the Aractingis is similar to those of many people in the region who made Lebanon their home. A family tree built by Farid Aractingi illustrates how the family was scattered all over the Levant in the last couple of centuries, during times when people and goods moved freely. Philippe Aractingi ends his movie just like it started, with his family on a boat leaving Lebanon after the 2006 Israeli invasion, pledging to come back. He recently told me that his main ambition is to be buried in the same country in which he was born.
*Nadim Shehadi is executive director of the LAU Headquarters and Academic Center in New York and an associate fellow of Chatham House in London.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 24-25/2021
Drone attacks Iraq base hosting US troops ahead of Kadhemi-Biden meeting
AFP/July 24, 2021
BAGHDAD: A drone attack has been carried out on a military base in Iraqi Kurdistan that hosts American troops, without causing any casualties, the US-led coalition said Saturday. The attack comes with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhemi expected to meet US President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday to discuss a possible full US troop withdrawal from his country. “An unmanned aerial system impacted a coalition base in Kurdistan” in the early hours of Friday, coalition spokesman US Colonel Wayne Marotto said in a statement. “There were no casualties and no damage as a result of the attack,” he said, adding “the United States and coalition forces will stay vigilant and maintain the inherent right to self-defence.”Iraqi Kurdish media outlets said the attack targeted a base at Al-Harir, 70 kilometres (45 miles) northeast of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region. It was the latest in a spate of attacks on US military and diplomatic facilities in Iraq, blamed on pro-Iranian armed groups within a state-sponsored paramilitary force.
The United States still has around 2,500 troops deployed in Iraq, out of 3,500 men in the international coalition set up in 2014 to fight the Daesh group. Their departure is demanded by the pro-Iranian factions, which have been blamed for some 50 attacks against US interests in Iraq since the beginning of the year. The Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee on Friday threatened to continue the attacks unless the US withdraws all its forces and ends the “occupation.”Most of the American troops deployed in the coalition, which helped defeat Daesh in Iraq in 2017, were withdrawn under former US president Donald Trump. Those that remain are officially classed as advisers and trainers for Iraq’s army and counter-terrorism units. “If there is no significant announcement on the withdrawal of troops, I fear that the pro-Iran groups may... increase attacks on the US forces,” Iraqi researcher Sajad Jiyad told AFP. Such concerns are given weight by the leader of one such paramilitary group Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, who recently warned that “resistance operations will continue until all American forces have left Iraqi territory.” Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, already in Washington for several days, has assured Iraqi media that “the talks will successfully establish a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces.”
But US media outlets have only pointed to a “redefinition” of the troops’ mission.
Ramzy Mardini, an Iraq specialist at the University of Chicago’s Pearson Institute, believes there will be no “radical change” in the US position. The Biden-Kadhemi meeting may cosmetically be “shaped” to help the Iraqi premier alleviate domestic pressures, “but the reality on the ground will reflect the status quo and an enduring US presence,” he said. Mardini points to “political costs” for Biden were he to authorize a full withdrawal of US troops, stemming from the catastrophic “legacy” of the 2011 withdrawal, which created a vacuum exploited by Daesh during their lightning 2014 offensive. It took a three-year military onslaught, heavily supported by a US-led coalition at the invitation of Iraq, to wrest back all the urban centers the Sunni jihadists seized. “The last thing that the US would want would be to quit Iraq and find themselves a few years later facing... a return by IS,” according to one diplomatic source who was referring to the Daesh group. Daesh today operates from mountainous and desert regions, activating cells for attacks including Monday’s suicide bombing of a market in Baghdad’s Shiite district of Sadr City that officially killed 30.
Beyond the ever-present security issues, Kadhemi, in power for little over a year, is grappling with a cocktail of other crises three months ahead of a general election that threatens his tenure. Severe electricity shortages, endemic corruption, a spate of murders of activists blamed on pro-Iran armed groups, the coronavirus pandemic and diminished oil revenues have all stoked renewed instability. Kadhemi will therefore also seek to secure a softening of secondary US sanctions relating to Iran when in Washington, to help Iraq honor crucial transactions with its neighbor and tackle the power crisis, according to Jiyad. Shortages during the stifling summer heat have been exacerbated by Iran suspending crucial gas deliveries in recent weeks, due to payment arrears of $6 billion that Baghdad is unable to settle, in part because of US sanctions on Tehran. “The prime minister’s visit (to Washington) is inextricably tied with his electoral campaign,” according to Mardini. “It’s part of an effort to shore up international and regional support” to help him revive a faltering domestic political base, he added.

Iran says four IRGC members killed in clash with ‘bandits’
AFP/24 July ,2021
Four members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were killed during a clash with “bandits” in the country’s southeast border region, the official IRNA news agency said on Saturday. The four were killed on Friday evening “during a clash with bandits in the Khash region in Sistan-Baluchistan” province, IRNA said, citing a Guards statement. It did not identify either the “bandits” or the nature of the clash. Sistan-Baluchistan straddles the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and is home to a large, mainly Sunni Muslim ethnic Baluch community in a country where most of the population is Shia. The area has long been a flashpoint for cross-border attacks by separatists and Sunni extremists, and clashes between security forces and armed groups are common. In April, the Guards announced they had killed three “terrorists” during an operation in the province. In February, Iranian media said two people including a police officer were killed in violence in the area linked to cross-border fuel smuggling.

US launches inquiry into Qatar’s alleged finance activities in Iran
Tala Michel Issa, Al Arabiya English/24 July ,2021
The United States’ Department of State has launched an inquiry into an allegation made by the Israeli government stating that Qatar’s royal family funded Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, a US-designated terrorist organization, online news media the Washington Examiner reported Friday. The Israeli government report said that a spokesman from the state department told the Washington-based news agency about the ongoing investigation, stressing that, “Qatar and the United States have a robust strategic, security and counterterrorism partnership.”“Qatar is one of the United States’ closest military allies in the region. US-Qatar military and security cooperation contributes to the safety and stability of the region,” the department’s spokesperson added. Outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin revealed the alleged financing of the IRGC by Doha in an Oval Office meeting last month with US President Joe Biden, the Washington Examiner reported. An Israeli diplomatic official, who chose to remain anonymous, told The Times of Israel that the information came as a shock to the US. “We fear that by returning to the JCPOA [the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], the US may be able to prevent Iran from reaching the bomb in the years ahead, but once the deal sunsets, Iran will immediately be able to restart its efforts and will have hundreds of millions of dollars in extra funds provided to them by the sanctions relief that the agreement provides,” the anonymous source added. Israeli governments usually dismiss false news reports, according to the Washington Examiner, but haven’t done so in this case, suggesting that the intelligence might be serious and was indeed forwarded to the US government. The news agency also reported that it tried to contact several Israeli government officials on the matter, including the country’s foreign ministry, all of which chose to remain quiet on the subject. On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Qatar’s Deputy Pime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani to discuss the crises in Lebanon, Yemen and Afghanistan, where the two countries’ seemingly close ties were emphasized, with al-Thani hailing US efforts in calling for “peace and security” within the region.

US mulls crackdown on Chinese imports of Iranian oil
Reuters/23 July ,2021
The United States is considering cracking down on Iranian oil sales to China as it braces for the possibility that Tehran may not return to nuclear talks or may adopt a harder line whenever it does, a US official said. Washington told Beijing earlier this year its main aim was to revive compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and, assuming a timely return, there was no need to punish Chinese firms violating US sanctions by buying Iranian crude, the official said. That stance is evolving given uncertainty about when Iran may resume indirect talks in Vienna and whether incoming Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi is willing to pick up where the talks ended on June 20 or demands a fresh start. The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Iran - which has said it will not resume talks until Raisi takes over - has been “very murky” about its intentions. “If we are back in the JCPOA, then there’s no reason to sanction companies that are importing Iranian oil,” the official told Reuters this week, referring to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action under which Iran curbed its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions. “If we are in a world in which the prospect of an imminent return to the JCPOA seems to be vanishing, then that posture will have to adjust,” the official added. The Wall Street Journal first reported Washington was considering tightening enforcement of its Iran sanctions, notably against China.
Chinese refiners are the biggest importers of Iranian oil.
China’s imports of Iranian crude have averaged between 400,000 and 650,000 barrels per day this year on a monthly basis, according to data intelligence firm Kpler, with May volumes spiking to nearly 1 million bpd. Reuters reported on Thursday that the Chinese logistics firm China Concord Petroleum Co has emerged as a central player in the supply of sanctioned oil from Iran and Venezuela. That US officials are hinting at a possible crackdown may be a veiled threat that Washington has ways to exact a price from Tehran, said Brookings Institution analyst Robert Einhorn. “It’s probably to send a signal to Raisi that if the Iranians are not serious about coming back to the JCPOA, the US has options and there will be costs,” Einhorn said. How Beijing, whose relations with Washington are strained over issues from human rights to the South China Sea, might react will depend on whether it blames Iran or the United States for the impasse in the talks, Einhorn said.
Waiting for new president
One Iranian official said it was up to Iran’s supreme leader when talks resume, suggesting this could happen when Raisi takes over on Aug. 5 or a few weeks later. He also said it was unclear if Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, would remain. “We should wait for the new president to take office and decide whether he wants to change the nuclear team or not. It seems that Dr. Araqchi will not be changed, at least during the handover period,” this official said on condition of anonymity. A second Iranian official said Raisi and his nuclear team insist on starting from scratch and refuse to pick up the talks where they ended in June. “They want their own terms and conditions and they have more demands like keeping the 60% enrichment or chain of advanced centrifuges and not dismantling them as demanded by Washington,” the second Iranian official said. The uncertainty is forcing the United States to examine new approaches, even though US and European officials have said there are no good options to reviving the JCPOA. “If ... we were to conclude that the talks are dragging on for too long and we don’t have a sense of whether they are going to reach a positive outcome, then of course we would have to take a fresh look at our sanctions enforcement, including on Chinese entities that were purchasing Iranian oil,” the US official said, declining to predict the timing of any decision. “It’s not ... black and white,” he said. “We’ll make it based on the time it’s taking for Iran to come back and the posture they will take if and when they do come back.”

Iraq’s prime minister announces arrests over Baghdad suicide bombing
AFP/24 July ,2021
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi announced Saturday that members of a “terrorist cell” suspected of being behind a Baghdad suicide bombing that killed more than 30 people five days ago have been arrested. “We have arrested all the members of the cowardly terrorist cell that planned and perpetrated the attack on Al-Woheilat market” in Sadr City, a Shia suburb in the capital, “and they will be put before a judge today,” Kadhemi said on Twitter. Last Monday, a suicide bomber killed more than 35 people and wounded dozens in a crowded market in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad, on the eve of the Eid al-Adha festival.

Iraqi PM to Focus on U.S. Troop Withdrawal in Biden Meeting
Agence France Presse/July 24/2021
Weakened by pro-Iran factions at home, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday to discuss a possible full U.S. troop withdrawal from his country. The White House talks between the two allies come just a week after a deadly attack claimed by the Islamic State group, despite Baghdad declaring the Sunni extremists defeated over three years ago. Kadhemi finds himself backed into a corner by the influence of Iraq's other main ally -- neighboring Iran, which has long seen the United States as its arch-nemesis. Despite shared enmity on the part of the U.S. and Shiite Iran toward a resilient IS, Kadhemi is under intense pressure from pro-Tehran armed factions who demand the withdrawal of 2,500 US troops still deployed in Iraq. Operating under the Hashed al-Shaabi, a paramilitary network whose tentacles extend deep into the state, these Shiite factions stand accused of carrying out around 50 rocket and drone attacks this year against US interests in Iraq. "If there is no significant announcement on the withdrawal of troops, I fear that the pro-Iran groups may... increase attacks on the U.S. forces," Iraqi researcher Sajad Jiyad told AFP. Such concerns are given weight by the leader of one such paramilitary group Asaib Ahl al-Haq, who recently warned that "resistance operations will continue until all American forces have left Iraqi territory." Most of the US soldiers, deployed in 2014 to lead an international military coalition against IS, left under Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, who hosted Kadhemi at the White House last August. The troops that remain are officially classed as advisers and trainers for Iraq's army and counter-terrorism units.
'Enduring U.S. presence'
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, already in Washington for several days, has assured Iraqi media that "the talks will successfully establish a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces." But U.S. media outlets have only pointed to a "redefinition" of the troops' mission. Ramzy Mardini, an Iraq specialist at the University of Chicago's Pearson Institute, believes there will be no "radical change" in the U.S. position. The Biden-Kadhemi meeting may cosmetically be "shaped" to help the Iraqi premier alleviate domestic pressures, "but the reality on the ground will reflect the status quo and an enduring U.S. presence," he said. Mardini points to "political costs" for Biden were he to authorize a full withdrawal of US troops, stemming from the catastrophic "legacy" of the 2011 withdrawal, which created a vacuum exploited by IS during their lightning 2014 offensive. It took a three-year military onslaught, heavily supported by a U.S.-led coalition at the invitation of Iraq, to wrest back all the urban centers the Sunni jihadists seized. "The last thing that the U.S. would want would be to quit Iraq and find themselves a few years later facing... a return by IS," according to one diplomatic source. IS today operates from mountainous and desert regions, activating cells for attacks including Monday's suicide bombing of a market in Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr City that officially killed 30.
Election calculations
Beyond the ever-present security issues, Kadhemi, in power for little over a year, is grappling with a cocktail of other crises three months ahead of a general election that threatens his tenure. Severe electricity shortages, endemic corruption, a spate of murders of activists blamed on pro-Iran armed groups, the coronavirus pandemic and diminished oil revenues have all stoked renewed instability. Kadhemi will therefore also seek to secure a softening of secondary U.S. sanctions relating to Iran when in Washington, to help Iraq honor crucial transactions with its neighbor and tackle the power crisis, according to Jiyad. Shortages during the stifling summer heat have been exacerbated by Iran suspending crucial gas deliveries in recent weeks, due to payment arrears of $6 billion that Baghdad is unable to settle, in part because of US sanctions on Tehran. "The prime minister's visit (to Washington) is inextricably tied with his electoral campaign," according to Mardini. "It's part of an effort to shore up international and regional support" to help him revive a faltering domestic political base, he added.

Protesters Clash with Police as Thousands March against Australia Lockdown
Agence France Presse/July 24/2021
Thousands marched through Australia's two biggest cities in anti-lockdown protests Saturday, sparking violent clashes with police in Sydney. Dozens of protesters were arrested after an unauthorized march flouted public health orders in Sydney, while several confrontations with police broke out during the hours-long rally. Officers were pelted with pot plants and bottles of water as opponents of Sydney's month-long stay-at-home order took to the streets in numbers. Thousands also crowded several streets in Melbourne after gathering outside the state parliament in the early afternoon. The largely maskless protesters were flouting rules on non-essential travel and public gatherings, a day after authorities suggested the restrictions could remain in place until October. "I am utterly disgusted by the illegal protesters in the city today whose selfish actions have compromised the safety of all of us," the premier of Sydney's state of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, said in a statement. "The protesters have shown utter contempt for their fellow citizens who are currently doing it tough."Hundreds of police responded to the Sydney protest, with several demonstrators pulled from the crowd in handcuffs by officers. Police said they issued nearly 100 fines and arrested 57 people. Police in Melbourne said six people were arrested. New South Wales Police Minister David Elliott said a team of detectives would be scouring footage to identify and charge as many people as possible in the coming days. "What we saw today in Sydney is unfortunately something that we've seen in cities that we all shake our head at," Elliott told media after the protest. "It's quite clear that you know, Sydney isn't immune from morons as well." He also said he expected the gathering to drive a spike in Covid-19 cases and urged all those who attended to get tested and isolate. Organizers had dubbed the protest a "freedom" rally and publicized it on social media pages frequently used to spread vaccine disinformation and conspiracy theories. Attendees carried signs and banners reading "Wake up Australia" and "Drain the Swamp" -- echoing messages seen in similar demonstrations overseas.Helicopters buzzed above the streets of Sydney, a city of over five million people that is struggling to contain an outbreak of the Delta variant. The state of New South Wales reported 163 new infections Saturday to bring its total in the current outbreak to nearly 2,000. After escaping much of the early pandemic unscathed, around half of Australia's 25 million people are now in lockdown across several cities. There is growing anger at the restrictions and the conservative government's failure to provide adequate vaccine supplies. Just 11 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

India Rescuers Hunt for Survivors as Monsoon Toll Hits 76
Agence France Presse/July 24/2021
Rescuers in India combed through mud and debris Saturday in a desperate search for survivors as the death toll from heavy monsoon rains climbed to 76, with nearly 90,000 others evacuated. Torrential downpours have lashed India's western coast in recent days, leaving dozens missing near the financial capital Mumbai and causing the worst floods in decades in the resort state of Goa. "People have lost virtually everything," said Goa's health minister Vishwajit Rane, pointing out that the state had not seen such heavy rains in half a century. He said more than 1,000 houses had suffered serious damage in the area as rising waters flooded homes. Goa's floods were its worst in decades, according to its chief minister Pramod Sawant, who said the monsoons had caused "widespread damage" but no casualties, unlike in neighboring Maharashtra state, where 76 people died. More than half of the deaths occurred in hard-hit Raigad, south of Mumbai, where landslides buried dozens of houses, killing 47 and with another 53 feared trapped under layers of mud. The downpour caused the Savitri river to burst its banks, leaving the town of Mahad completely inaccessible by road, and prompting terrified residents to climb onto rooftops and upper floors to escape swelling waters. National Disaster Response Force teams could not land their choppers in the area due to bad weather on Friday but were eventually able to rescue locals as waters began to recede. The hillside resort of Mahabaleshwar recorded nearly 60 centimeters (23 inches) of rain in a 24-hour period ending Friday morning, the India Meteorological Department said. Rescue teams and military units worked frantically to evacuate stranded people but their operations were hampered by landslides blocking roads, including the main highway between Mumbai and Goa. Water levels rose to nearly 20 feet (6 meters) on Thursday in areas of Chiplun, south of Mumbai, after 24 hours of uninterrupted rain submerged roads and homes. "Contact from the town was completely cut off due to land routes being inundated," the Maharashtra state government said. Seven naval rescue teams equipped with rubber boats, life jackets and lifebuoys were sent to the affected areas, along with specialist divers and a helicopter to airlift marooned residents. Nearly 90,000 people have been evacuated in Maharashtra so far.
Red alerts
India's weather bureau has issued red alerts for several regions in the state and forecasts heavy rainfall to continue for the next few days. Flooding and landslides are common during India's treacherous monsoon season, which also often sees poorly constructed buildings and walls buckling after days of non-stop rain.Four people died before dawn on Friday when a building collapsed in a Mumbai slum, authorities said. The incident came less than a week after at least 34 people lost their lives when several homes were crushed by a collapsed wall and a landslide in the city.
Rainwater also inundated a water purification complex in Mumbai last weekend, disrupting supply "in most of the parts" of the megacity of 20 million people, civic authorities said. Roxy Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, said the monsoon flooding was "unprecedented, but not unexpected."  "We already see a threefold rise in widespread extreme rains that cause floods across India," he tweeted. Climate change is making India's monsoons stronger, according to a Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research report published in April that forecast dire consequences for food, farming and the economy affecting nearly a fifth of the world's population.

Iraqi PM to discuss ISIS, Iran and militias in Biden meeting
The Arab Weekly/July 24/2021
BAGHDAD--Weakened by pro-Iran factions at home, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi will meet with US President Joe Biden on Monday to discuss a possible full US troop withdrawal from his country. The talks take place while the US military and diplomatic facilities in Iraq faces attacks blamed on pro-Iranian armed groups.
The latest was an attack, Friday, which targeted a base at Al-Harir, 70 kilometres northeast of Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region. Well-informed Iraqi political sources told The Arab Weekly Friday that many other thorny files will also be discussed during the meeting, including Iran and its role in Iraq, the Popular Mobilisation Forces, and the increasing role of pro-Iran militias in security, politics and economy. The White House talks between the two allies come just a week after a deadly attack claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS) group, despite Baghdad declaring the Sunni extremists defeated over three years ago. Kadhimi finds himself backed into a corner by the influence of Iraq’s other main ally — neighbouring Iran, which has long seen the United States as its arch-nemesis. Despite shared enmity on the part of the US and Shia Iran toward a resilient ISIS, Kadhimi is under intense pressure from pro-Tehran armed factions who demand the withdrawal of 2,500 US troops still deployed in Iraq. Operating under the Hashed al-Shaabi, a paramilitary network whose tentacles extend deep into the state, these Shiite factions stand accused of carrying out around 50 rocket and drone attacks this year against US interests in Iraq. “If there is no significant announcement on the withdrawal of troops, I fear that the pro-Iran groups may… increase attacks on the US forces,” Iraqi researcher Sajad Jiyad said. Such concerns are given weight by the leader of one such paramilitary group Asaib Ahl al-Haq, who recently warned that “resistance operations will continue until all American forces have left Iraqi territory.”Most of the US soldiers, deployed in 2014 to lead an international military coalition against ISIS, left under Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, who hosted Kadhimi at the White House last August. The troops that remain are officially classed as advisers and trainers for Iraq’s army and counter-terrorism units.
The ISIS factor
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, already in Washington for several days, has assured Iraqi media that “the talks will successfully establish a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces”. But US media outlets have only pointed to a “redefinition” of the troops’ mission. Ramzy Mardini, an Iraq specialist at the University of Chicago’s Pearson Institute, believes there will be no “radical change” in the US position. The Biden-Kadhimi meeting may cosmetically be “shaped” to help the Iraqi premier alleviate domestic pressures, “but the reality on the ground will reflect the status quo and an enduring US presence,” he said. Mardini points to “political costs” for Biden were he to authorise a full withdrawal of US troops, stemming from the catastrophic “legacy” of the 2011 withdrawal, which created a vacuum exploited by ISIS during their lightning 2014 offensive. It took a three-year military onslaught, heavily supported by a US-led coalition at the invitation of Iraq, to wrest back all the urban centres the Sunni jihadists seized. “The last thing that the US would want would be to quit Iraq and find themselves a few years later facing… a return by ISIS,” according to one diplomatic source. ISIS today operates from mountainous and desert regions, activating cells for attacks including Monday’s suicide bombing of a market in Baghdad’s Shia district of Sadr City that officially killed 30.
Election calculations
Beyond the ever-present security issues, Kadhemi, in power for little over a year, is grappling with a cocktail of other crises three months ahead of a general election that threatens his tenure. Severe electricity shortages, endemic corruption, a spate of murders of activists blamed on pro-Iran armed groups, the coronavirus pandemic and diminished oil revenues have all stoked renewed instability. Kadhimi will therefore also seek to secure a softening of secondary US sanctions relating to Iran when in Washington, to help Iraq honour crucial transactions with its neighbour and tackle the power crisis, according to Jiyad. Shortages during the stifling summer heat have been exacerbated by Iran suspending crucial gas deliveries in recent weeks, due to payment arrears of $6 billion that Baghdad is unable to settle, in part because of US sanctions on Tehran. “The prime minister’s visit (to Washington) is inextricably tied with his electoral campaign,” according to Mardini. “It’s part of an effort to shore up international and regional support” to help him revive a faltering domestic political base, he added.

Government encouraged to raise prices as Egyptians learn to grin and bear it
The Arab Weekly/July 24/2021
CAIRO--The Egyptian government has recently raised the prices of some commodities and services more than once. The price hikes, however, were not met by any popular rebuff as Egyptians did not question their government’s economic policies. In the past, Price hikes used to trigger angry reactions, prompting the authorities to launch media campaigns aimed at easing tensions and attenuating the public’s concerns.  The Petroleum Ministry’s announcement of an increase in fuel prices on Friday did not face much opposition. The Egyptian government raised fuel prices from Friday based on the decisions of the Automatic Pricing Committee for Petroleum Products. The committee, which meets every three months, issued a statement raising gasoline prices by 25 piasters ($0.016), with the price of a litre of 80 octane gasoline rising to EGP 6.75 ($0.43). The price of 92 octane gasoline is now EGP 8 per litre and high-quality 95 octane gasoline is EGP 9. The price of diesel remains unchanged at EGP 6.75 per liter for public transport vehicles and EGP 3,900 per ton for the industrial sector. The government implemented the new gasoline prices on Friday morning, according to a statement from the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.
The rise in fuel prices will automatically increase the price of many other commodities and fuel-dependent services. The Egyptian authorities have always announced such decisions on Fridays. This week’s Friday coincided with the Eid al-Adha holiday, which was extended to about ten days. The government’s strategy that has been adopted for some time has led some Egyptians to usually voice their concerns at what they call the “the Thursday night,” when most of the government’s decisions are announced. The committee took its decision Thursday after reviewing the average prices of Brent crude on the global market and the exchange rate of the dollar against the pound from April to June of this year. Said Sadeq, professor of political sociology at the American University in Cairo, said that the Ministry of Petroleum created the committee to make periodical reviews in accordance with global price changes so as to better prepare the public for any potential hikes. In a statement to The Arab Weekly, Sadiq added that Egyptians are fully aware of the difficult economic situation exacerbated by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. He said Egyptians are also aware of the situation in the region, where many countries have been struggling with security and social crises. The current state of stability in Egypt, he explained, may be the reason why many Egyptians have been showing patience and tolerating small price hikes. The last price hike was in April, in line with the Egyptian government’s plan to gradually stop subsidising fuel products within the framework of a reform programme supported by the International Monetary Fund. The economic reform programme adopted by the Egyptian government achieved tangible progress, despite significant price hikes. Egyptian authorities were at first concerned about fuel price increases and the public anger that such moves might trigger, especially in view of previous incidents that forced the government to call off some decisions. Observers say Egypt’s government has learnt from past mistakes, avoiding steep increases in consumer prices and resorting to limited price hikes at regular intervals. They argue that Egypt’s crackdown on all forms of protest has also squeezed shut whatever limited space remained for dissident actors to gain momentum.

Militias spark clashes in Tripoli, in suspected attempt to delay election
Habib Lassoued/The Arab Weekly/July 24/2021
TUNIS – Armed clashes erupted Thursday night in Tripoli returning the Libyan capital to the atmosphere of war, with reports that rival militias were seeking to undermine the security situation and upend preparations for the elections scheduled for December 24.
The clashes sparked panic among the locals, while the government remained silent in the face of what observers described as a struggle between contending factions, especially the two largest militia organisations in Tripoli, the Special Deterrence Forces (RADA), led by Salafist leader Abdel Raouf Kara and the Stability Support Apparatus, led by Abdul Ghani al-Kikli, also known as “Ghneiwa”. Medical sources said the clashes that took place in the Bab Bin Ghashir neighbourhood in central Tripoli, with use of light and medium weapons, resulted in seven fatalities, including three civilians, in addition to a number of wounded. The media office of the so-called “Operation Volcano of Anger” tried to downplay the seriousness of the clashes. But sources on the ground said a patrol of the deterrence militia connected to the ministry of the interior clashed with an armed group affiliated with the Stability Support Apparatus. The former government of Libyan Prime Minister Faiez Sarraj had established the Stability Support Apparatus, last January. Sarraj put it under his direct control and not under that of the interior ministry or ministry of defence. The confrontations led to the closure of the Railway Road, where the government headquarters is located, while the Stability Support Apparatus announced the control of the new headquarters of Interior Minister Khaled Mazen. The belligerents deployed in other locations in downtown Tripoli. Libyan sources attributed the clashes to turf wars between the Kara and Ghneiwa militias. The fighting lasted from Thursday afternoon until the early hours of Friday morning and there are fears it could resume any time. Tensions have risen between militias fuelled by the desire of certain political factions to spread chaos in the western region of the country in order to block the way to elections. Sources told The Arab Weekly that the Tripoli militias are divided along ideological, political and social lines. They are driven by the conflicting interests and calculations of the parties behind them. Some share murky connections to regional and international powers. Experts see the violence as likely to lead to the direct intervention of the Misrata militias, which would upset the political process and disrupt the provisions of the road map, including the electoral process.
The western region is the scene of a wide ranging campaign led by politicians linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and local and regional forces who are pushing for the postponement of the elections. They have questioned the credibility of the High National Electoral Commission.
Moreover, these factions are said to be ready to start a new war if the outcome of the next elections goes against to the interests of Islamists and powerful warlords in the western region. The militias are reputed to be among the biggest supporters of the Turkish military presence in the west, as this presence constitutes sufficient justification for their own continued existence. They fear the removal of the Turkish forces and their loyal mercenaries could be a prelude to disbanding and dismantling the militias and seizing their weapons.
Observers believe that the international community, as much as it insists on the withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries, has not focused enough on the issue of illegal militias or those ostensibly affiliated with the government. There is also little international effort to hold them accountable for crimes against civilians and the state.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials published on July 24-25/2021
Iranian Regime Empowered: Violating US Sovereignty, Kidnapping on American Soil
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/July 24/2021
د. ماجد رفي زاده/معهد جيتستون: تمكين وتقوية النظام الإيراني شجعه على انتهاك السيادة الأميركية وتنفيذ عمليات خطف داخل أميركا
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/100878/dr-majid-rafizadeh-gatestone-institute-iranian-regime-empowered-violating-us-sovereignty-kidnapping-on-american-soil-%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87/
Why is the Biden administration continuing to negotiate with the mullahs of Iran to revive the nuclear deal and lift sanctions placed against them — an act that would hugely strengthen their regime — after the country, during nuclear talks, was caught plotting to kidnap a US citizen in Brooklyn, New York?
The message for the Biden administration, which has frequently proclaimed its intention to defend pro-democracy dissidents, is that a diet of US groveling and appeasement evidently will not deter Iran and other foreign dictatorships from launching increasingly hostile acts.
The Americans, it seems, want to reward the mullahs for taking over Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq, the Gaza Strip and soon possibly Jordan — so, what incentive is there for the mullahs to stop?
Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Tehran appears to have been attempting to become the dominant hegemon not only in the Middle East…. but around the world. At the same time, it is sending a warning to its population that any opposition to the political establishment will be dealt with harshly.
Will the Biden administration ever see that, to bring peace to the region and, by expansion, to the rest of the world, negotiations, concessions and offering incentive packages to the mullahs simply will not work?
Why is the Biden administration continuing to negotiate with the mullahs of Iran to revive the nuclear deal and lift sanctions placed against them, after the country, during nuclear talks, was caught plotting to kidnap Masih Alinejad, a US citizen in Brooklyn, New York? Pictured: Alinejad speaks at the Women in the World Summit, at Lincoln Center on April 12, 2019 in New York City.
Why is the Biden administration continuing to negotiate with the mullahs of Iran to revive the nuclear deal and lift sanctions placed against them — an act that would hugely strengthen their regime — after the country, during nuclear talks, was caught plotting to kidnap a US citizen in Brooklyn, New York?
Even The Washington Post pointed out that the attempted kidnapping should be a serious warning to the Biden administration:
“The message for the Biden administration, which has frequently proclaimed its intention to defend pro-democracy dissidents, is that Iran and other foreign dictatorships won’t shrink from launching attacks inside the United States unless deterred…. As Ms. Alinejad told the New York Times, the Iranians ‘are not scared of America — they’re scared of me.'”
Evidently a diet of US groveling and appeasement will not deter Iran and other foreign dictatorships from initiating increasingly hostile acts.
U.S. prosecutors have charged four Iranians, Alireza Shavaroghi Farahani, aka Vezerat Salimi/Haj Ali, 50; Mahmoud Khazein, 42; Kiya Sadeghi, 35; and Omid Noori, 45, who are believed to be intelligence operatives for the Iranian regime, with plotting to kidnap the journalist, Masih Alinejad, who has dual American-Iranian citizenship,
A fifth person, Niloufar Bahadorifar, a California resident, again originally from Iran, was charged with allegedly providing financial assistance for the plot, sanctions violations conspiracy, bank and wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. Audrey Strauss, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said:
“As alleged, four of the defendants monitored and planned to kidnap a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin who has been critical of the regime’s autocracy, and to forcibly take their intended victim to Iran, where the victim’s fate would have been uncertain at best.”
By attempting to kidnap an American citizen on American soil, Iran was actively violating US sovereignty. Nevertheless, the Biden administration not only remains silent about the incident but announced after the attempted kidnapping that it will still keep pushing ahead to revive the grotesque 2015 nuclear deal, which not only permits Iran to possess an unlimited nuclear weapons after the deal’s expiration date, but also lifts sanctions that are currently hurting the mullahs’ economy. The Americans, it seems, want to reward the mullahs for taking over Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq and soon possibly Jordan — so, what incentive is there for the mullahs to stop?
It is also extremely concerning that Tehran evidently has agents inside the United States.
The Iranian regime reportedly hired private investigators in Manhattan to surveil Ms. Alinejad and were planning to send her to Venezuela by boat and then on to Iran. The Justice Department explained the operation in detail:
“As part of the kidnapping plot, the Farahani-led intelligence network also researched methods of transporting Victim-1 out of the United States for rendition to Iran. Sadeghi, for example, researched a service offering military-style speedboats for self-operated maritime evacuation out of New York City, and maritime travel from New York to Venezuela, a country whose de facto government has friendly relations with Iran. Khazein researched travel routes from Victim-1’s residence to a waterfront neighborhood in Brooklyn; the location of Victim-1’s residence relative to Venezuela; and the location of Victim-1’s residence relative to Tehran.”
The Iranian regime has a magnificent relationship with Venezuela and continues to expand its military, political and economic ties with it. The regime has, in fact, been using Venezuela for years to increase its influence — and the presence of its proxies — in Latin America and North America. Venezuela has granted thousands of passports to Iranians — documents that can then be used for travel to North America or Europe.
The US, it seems, only a few years ago, became concerned about the presence of Iran’s proxies in Venezuela. Ambassador Nathan Sales, Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the State Department, said a bit more than a year ago:
“We’re concerned that Maduro has extended safe harbor to a number of terrorist groups, the ELN [National Liberation Army] in particular, but also FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] dissidents who rejected the peace accord, as well as supporters and sympathizers of Hezbollah.”
Although this current incident is the first time the Iranian regime has been caught trying to kidnap a dissident on the US soil, it is not the first time that Tehran has attempted to kidnap, or lure dissidents and journalists back to Iran, or silence freedom of expression. A well-known dissident was executed in late 2020 in Iran. Rouhollah Zam, a journalist who lived in exile in France, and ran an online news site, Amad News — his channel on the messaging app Telegram reportedly had more than a million followers — was reportedly kidnapped by operatives working for the Iranian regime shortly after he left for Iraq on October 11, 2019.
Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Tehran appears to have been attempting to become the dominant hegemon not only in the Middle East — by constant maneuvers to control Lebanon, Syria, Iraq , Yemen, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip — but around the world. At the same time, it is sending a warning to its population that any opposition to the political establishment will be dealt with harshly. Now, even being in the US is not safe anymore.
In other cases, Iran has assassinated dissidents on foreign soil and attempted to carry out terror plots. In July 2018, a foiled a terrorist attack in Paris targeted a large convention attended by this author as well as high-level speakers including former Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird. A few months later, in October, an Iranian diplomat and several other individuals of Iranian origin were arrested in France, Belgium and Germany for what French intelligence officials concluded was a foiled bomb plot, sponsored by the Iranian regime.
Now, the Biden administration — in its transparent eagerness to resume negotiations over the hopeless JCPOA agreement entrenching Iran’s nuclear breakout capability — appears simply to have has emboldened the Iranian regime. Will the Biden administration ever see that, to bring peace to the region and, by expansion, to the rest of the world, negotiations, concessions and offering incentive packages to the mullahs simply will not work?
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
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https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17587/iran-regime-violating-us-sovereignty

Iranians thirsty for change are met with gunfire and brutality
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/July 24/2021
بارعة علم الدين: الإيرانيون المتعطشون للتغيير يواجههم نظام الملالي بالرصاص والوحشية
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/100881/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d8%b9%d9%84%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%aa%d8%b9%d8%b7%d8%b4%d9%88%d9%86/
Iran is running out of water. Livestock and crops are dying in some of the highest temperatures on record. Thirsty, desperate people poured on to the streets, first in Khuzestan and then in cities throughout Iran. The regime’s forces quenched their thirst with live ammunition.
Amid this unimaginably brutal dystopia, out comes Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. For the first time on record, he didn’t try to blame Israel and America. Indeed, he acknowledged that “people’s water problems” were the fault of his own officials. “We cannot really blame the people,” the supreme leader generously concluded. However, he failed to clarify why his forces were shooting people dead for being thirsty.
There are many ways in which the slightest hint of dissent can carry a death sentence in Iran. Champion wrestler Navid Afkari, who took part in the 2018 protests, faced a trumped-up murder charge, and was convicted and executed. He has been transformed into a popular icon in a nation obsessed with wrestling, with a “United for Navid” campaign promoting the values he stood for. An audio recording of Navid challenging the judge at his farcical trial has been shared thousands of times. How did the regime react to this outpouring of popular sentiment? By persecuting the long-suffering Afkari family. Navid’s brothers Vahid and Habib have been jailed for 54 and 27 years respectively, and endure regular prison beatings. A memorial stone placed by Navid’s burial place was destroyed by a regime bulldozer. His grieving mother was beaten by police officers.
One of Afkari’s most vocal defenders was the Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad. When Alinejad spearheaded a 2018 campaign against compulsory hijab, Afkari tweeted his support, while venting his anger against the Supreme Leader: “I spit on your rotten soul.” This tweet perhaps sealed Afkari’s fate. And soon afterwards, Iranian intelligence went after Alinejad.
This month the FBI revealed that Alinejad had been the subject of an elaborate Iranian plot to abduct her on US soil. They even hired American private investigators to spy on her. While the Iranian media falsely denounced her as a drug addict, a Western spy, and even a rape victim, Iranian intelligence harassed her family — compelling Alinejad’s sister to disown her on TV, while detaining her brother, and trying to force her parents to lure her to Turkey for a “family reunion.” As the FBI felt compelled to clarify: “This is not some far-fetched movie plot.”
For many years, the millions of Iranians who successfully fled their homeland could feel relatively safe overseas. Even if they outspokenly voice criticism, they were far from the regime’s reach. Now this mafioso regime wants everybody to know that its critics have nowhere to hide: No matter where you flee to, if you speak up, we will get to you.
First there was a succession of bombings and assassination attempts against Iranian dissidents in Europe. Numerous Iranian diplomats were accused of involvement and were expelled.
Iranian intelligence personnel feel so comfortable delivering these threats that they give their names and phone numbers. They encourage their victims to call back when they reach a decision, or risk being dragged back to Iran “to meet the same fate as Ruhollah Zam.”
Then there was the shocking 2019 case of France-based journalist Ruhollah Zam. He was enticed to travel from his home in France to Baghdad, where he was kidnapped. Zam was then executed in 2020. Other figures, such as Jamshid Sharmahd and Habib Chaab, were abducted in comparable circumstances.
The staff of London-based BBC Persian experience similar persecution. Nearly three-quarters of employees report some form of harassment. A third have seen family members harassed, detained or summoned for questioning. Relatives have been instructed to pass on death threats. One reporter received death threats via Skype, and was told to resign, or spy on her colleagues, in return for the freedom of her sister, who had been detained in Iran.
Iranian intelligence personnel feel so comfortable delivering these threats that they give their names and phone numbers. They encourage their victims to call back when they reach a decision, or risk being dragged back to Iran “to meet the same fate as Ruhollah Zam.”
Iran exports its misgovernance to its client states. Tehran has diverted water supplies from Iraq’s eastern provinces, creating a crisis there, while threatening to halt electricity supplies to these areas. UNICEF warnsthat Lebanon’s water system is on the verge of total collapse, the consequence of systematic failures of a rotten governing system monopolized by Hezbollah and its allies.
Lebanon’s citizens are already penniless and starving, left in darkness by interminable power cuts, confined to their homes by gasoline scarcity and suffering the consequences of chronic medical shortages. Why should we expect Hassan Nasrallah, Michel Aoun and the remainder of this governing cabal to be any more responsive when citizens begin dropping dead from thirst?
While the dynamics underpinning these crises are complex, the ultimate reason for these failures is brutally simple: Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are governed by cliques who care nothing for their citizens. They are content to leave them to die, or to shoot them dead if they dare voice outrage.
Billions of dollars have been squandered through corruption, terrorism and incompetence. Water is the cheapest and most abundant of all products on planet Earth. The contents of either Khamenei or Nasrallah’s personal bank accounts could solve the crisis at a stroke. But better that the people die like flies than Nasrallah relinquish one iota of his powers, or that Khamenei is forced to divert funding destined to spread death and mayhem in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.
People can survive without electricity or gasoline. They can even cling on to life for a few weeks without food or medicine. However, when these extremities of misgovernance result in the absence of water — as is now occurring throughout Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq — Khamenei should expect the situation to turn ugly very rapidly.
*Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.