English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 20/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they might not look with their eyes, and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them
John 12/37-43: “Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. This was to fulfil the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ And so they could not believe, because Isaiah also said, ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they might not look with their eyes, and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them.’ Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke about him. Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 19- 20/2021
Twelve members of Congressmen (Bipartisan, US-Lebanon Friendship Caucus) issued a letter addressing Lebanon crisis urging the USA Biden Administration to diplomatically engage.
Congressional initiative requested/Dr. Walid Phares DC/Face Book May 18/2021
Germany bans groups close to Hezbollah, raids offices
Caretaker Defense Minister Zeina Akar Named Acting Foreign Minister
Lebanese foreign affairs minister Charbel Wehbe resigns after Daesh comments
Offensive statements by Charbel Wahbe drive a wedge between Gulf countries and Lebanon
Bukhari: KSA Doesn’t Seek Deportation of Lebanese Nationals
Defiant Lebanese judge referred to Judicial Inspection Authority
Israel Retaliates after Several Rockets Fired from South Lebanon
ISG: Responsibility for Averting a Deeper Crisis Rests with Lebanese Leadership
Money running out for Lebanon’s bloated subsidy system/Maha El Dahan/The Arab Weekly/May 19/2021
Lebanese-Canadian Academic Loses Last Appeal against French Bombing Trial
Geagea Says Those who Vote for Assad Must Leave Lebanon Immediately

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 19- 20/2021
U.S. and France Tangle at U.N. over Mideast Conflict
US threatens to veto French UN resolution calling an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire
Israeli Airstrikes Kill 6, Level Large Family Home in Gaza
Analysis: Biden’s quiet diplomacy may work, but Middle East will ‘follow you home’
Netanyahu Says 'Determined' to Continue Gaza Operation
German FM Heading to Israel, Palestinian Territories Thursday
Senior diplomats say that success in Iran nuclear talks is not guaranteed
Biden Tells Netanyahu He Expects 'Significant De-escalation Today'
Biden urges ‘significant de-escalation’ in Netanyahu call
Saudi FM Prince Faisal says ball is in Houthis’ court for Yemen ceasefire
Saudi foreign minister ‘hopeful’ over exploratory talks with Iran
Progress being made in Iran nuclear talks, but deal ‘far from done’: Irish FM
PM Netanyahu says Israel is destroying capabilities of extremists in Gaza, seeks to avoid civilian casualties
Jordanian forces thwart smuggling attempt near border with Syria
Egypt looking to strengthen military cooperation with Cyprus and Greece
Canada/Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs on 77th anniversary of deportation of Crimean Tatars

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 19- 20/2021
How President Biden Emboldened Hamas, Islamic Jihad/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/May 19/2021
The "We-Must-Hate-Israel" Season Re-Opens in Turkey/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/May 19/ 2021
American century’ will end when troops leave Afghanistan/Spyridon Litsas/Arab News/May 19/2021
The best way Hezbollah can help Palestine is to stay away/Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib//Arab News/May 19/2021
Time to end Iran’s nuclear blackmail/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/May 19/2021
The Conflict in Gaza and the Connection to Tehran and the United States/Jacob Nagel/Insight/FDD/May 19/2021
Le conflit israélo-palestinien au croisement d’un double déni /Charles Elias Chartouni/May 20/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 19- 20/2021
Twelve members of Congressmen (Bipartisan, US-Lebanon Friendship Caucus) issued a letter addressing Lebanon crisis urging the USA Biden Administration to diplomatically engage.
Rep. Darrell Issa on Twitter
May 19/2021
Lebanon is in crisis. Today, I joined 11 of my colleagues from the bipartisan, US-Lebanon Friendship Caucus to urge the Biden Administration to diplomatically engage.

Congressional initiative requested
Dr. Walid Phares DC/Face Book May 18/2021
I had the privilege on Tuesday May 18, of joining an NGO delegation in their working meeting with Congressman Darell Issa, member of the foreign affairs and judiciary committees and of the US-Lebanon Friendship Caucus, in Congress. The congressman briefed the delegation on his ongoing action to support Lebanon's freedom and economy. The delegation introduced a memo requesting a Congressional initiative to take steps regarding the situation in Lebanon, financially, legally, and on the security level. The delegation also explained Patriarch Rahi's call for an international conference on Lebanon. Meetings were also held at Senators Rubio and Cruz offices who also received the memorandum. Thanking Tom Harb, John Hajjar and the staffers of all three offices for organizing the meetings yesterday on the Hill. We are expecting a letter to be issued by 12 members of Congress regarding Lebanon today.

Germany bans groups close to Hezbollah, raids offices
The Arab Weekly/May 19/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/98988/germany-bans-groups-close-to-hezbollah-raids-offices-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%a3%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d9%85%d8%af%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d9%88%d8%ad%d8%b8%d8%b1-3-%d8%ac/
BERLIN – The German government said Wednesday it is banning three groups close to Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese Shia movement, against the backdrop of the current military escalation in the Middle East. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer “has banned three groups that are financing the terrorist organisation Hezbollah,” his spokesman wrote in a tweet. “Whoever supports terror will not be safe in Germany… They will find no refuge in our country.” The interior ministry said that searches were currently under way in a number of different regional states in Germany.
According to German media reports, the operations had been carried in the states of Hamburg, Bremen, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein. Hezbollah is designated a terrorist group by Israel and much of the West. Founded in the 1980s to fight the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, it has grown into Iran’s main regional proxy with operatives in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The only Lebanese faction to have kept its weapons after the 1975-90 civil war, Hezbollah now has a more powerful arsenal than the Lebanese national army. Israel’s deadly Gaza offensive has many eyes trained on the Lebanese border for a Hezbollah reaction, but observers argue the Iran-backed movement is unlikely to risk an all-out conflict. Incidents at the border in recent days have raised the temperature but, with Lebanon already on its knees amid a deep political and economic crisis, the Shiite group seems intent on refraining from an escalation. In face of the renewed violence in the region, German authorities are concerned about a rise in violence and anti-Semitism. A pro-Palestinian demonstration in Berlin resulted in clashes and arrests. Last week, Israeli flags were burned in front of synagogues in Bonn and Muenster. “Our democracy will not tolerate anti-Semitic demonstrations,” the spokesman for Angela Merkel had said at the time.

Caretaker Defense Minister Zeina Akar Named Acting Foreign Minister
Agence France Presse/May 19/2021
President Michel Aoun on Wednesday signed a decree appointing caretaker Defense Minister Zeina Akar as acting Foreign Minister, hours after the resignation of caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe over remarks that sparked a diplomatic storm with the Gulf countries. Aoun asked Akar -- who is also deputy prime minister -- "to proceed with her duties as acting foreign minister" as well as her original portfolio. Wehbe said in a televised debate on Monday that the Islamic State group's rise in the region had been engineered by Gulf states, prompting Lebanese ambassadors in several countries to be summoned. Lebanon's leaders have since tried to put out the fire and the 67-year-old announced in a brief statement after meeting Aoun that he had asked "to be relieved of his duties."The Gulf's relations with Lebanon have become frostier over the rising political influence of Iran-backed Hizbullah but Lebanon is seeking fresh financial support from its former allies. Lebanon defaulted on its debt last year, is witnessing unprecedented poverty and cannot guarantee power supply past the month of June. After his altercation with a Saudi guest on Al-Hurra TV on Monday, Wehbe stormed off the set saying he would not be "insulted by a Bedouin."His exit will likely go down as the most remarkable point of a tenure during which he was Lebanon's active foreign minister only for seven days. Wehbe served for the last 282 days as part of a caretaker government that resigned en masse following a devastating explosion in Beirut port last August. He was appointed to the post following the previous resignation of Nassif Hitti.

Lebanese foreign affairs minister Charbel Wehbe resigns after Daesh comments
Reuters/May 19/2021
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s foreign minister asked the president to be relieved of his duties on Wednesday, the presidency said, after his comments in a television interview strained ties with traditional Gulf Arab allies and donors.
Charbel Wehbe, who is a minister in the caretaker government, suggested on Monday that Gulf states had supported the rise of Daesh, among other disparaging comments. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain summoned Lebanon’s ambassadors and issued formal complaints.
The comments have threatened Lebanese efforts amid its deep economic crisis to improve ties with Gulf states. nAfter meeting President Michel Aoun, Wehbe said he had submitted a request to step down “in light of the recent developments and the circumstances that accompanied the interview I gave to a television station.”

Offensive statements by Charbel Wahbe drive a wedge between Gulf countries and Lebanon
The Arab Weekly/May 19/2021
BEIRUT - Lebanese relations with Gulf countries entered a serious area of turbulence that is expected to have adverse repercussions, not least on the situation of Lebanese expatriates in the Gulf region.
The crisis is the first of its kind since the independence of Lebanon in 1943 and raises questions about the future of about half a million Lebanese citizens working in the Gulf states, including 300,000 in Saudi Arabia alone.
The crisis was sparked by offensive statements about the Gulf states and their respective societies, uttered by the Lebanese caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Charbel Wahbe, who is perceived as closely linked to President Michel Aoun and his son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement.
To try to defuse the crisis sparked by his disparaging remarks, Lebanon’s caretaker foreign minister asked the president to relieve him of his duties on Wednesday.
After meeting President Michel Aoun, Wehbe said he had submitted a request to step down “in light of the recent developments and the circumstances that accompanied the interview I gave to a television station”.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain had summoned Lebanon’s ambassadors and issued formal complaints, Tuesday.
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf, called on the Lebanese minister of foreign affairs to issue an official apology to the GCC states after his “totally unacceptable” remarks.
Lebanese politicians noted that the official reaction put out by the Presidency of the Lebanese Republic did not level any criticism at Wahbe. It asserted only that the caretaker minister was expressing his “personal opinion” hence implicitly condoning his stance.
A statement from the media office of the Lebanese presidency said, “The remarks by the minister of foreign affairs … expressed the latter’s personal opinion and in no way reflect the position of the Lebanese state and its head, General Michel Aoun, who is keen to reject what is offensive to brotherly and friendly countries in general and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states in particular.”
Charbel Wahbe had spent 13 years of his diplomatic career as Lebanon’s ambassador to Venezuela. He maintained a close relationship with former Vice-President Tariq Al-Aissami, who is of Syrian origin and is the subject of US sanctions because of his strong ties to Hezbollah.
Wahbe was a school teacher before being appointed to an ambassadorial post with the backing of Michel Aoun.
The caretaker foreign minister appeared on a television programme on the US government’s Alhurra satellite channel and staunchly defended Hezbollah and its armaments policy following remarks by Saudi political analyst Salman Al-Ansari, also a participant in the programme, who criticised the militant Shia party and accused it of imposing its hegemony on Lebanese policy-making.
The Lebanese top diplomat then proceeded to accuse the Arab Gulf states of being behind the arrival of ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
Wahbe did not mention any Gulf countries by name. He referred to them as “countries of love,” then expressed his contempt for “Bedouins”. This was considered by Gulf officials as an insult to their societies.
While Lebanese politicians, led by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, unanimously condemned the words of the foreign minister, the Saudi ministry of foreign affairs summoned the Lebanese ambassador in Riyadh and delivered a strongly-worded message denouncing Wahbe’s remarks.
Hariri’s media office said Wahbe’s comments “have nothing to do with diplomacy and constitute a new round of absurdity and recklessness in foreign policy” during Aoun’s era causing “the most severe consequences for Lebanon and the interests of its people in the Arab countries.”
A Lebanese politician said that President Aoun found himself in a delicate predicament after the foreign minister’s statements. He was expected to push Wahbe out and ask him to quit in agreement with caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab. Wahbe said a few hours after his TV appearance, that he was “surprised by the inaccurate explanations and interpretations of his words.”
He denied that he was referring to “the brothers in the Gulf states,” and added that he “did not mention by name any country.”
Lebanon watchers say that Wahbe’s utterances indicate that some Lebanese, who are prudent by nature when it comes to their interests, have come to believe that the Gulf countries will not return to Lebanon and that the fate of Lebanon is now linked to Iran.
Analysts consider that these statements are likely to drive a wedge between Lebanon and the Gulf states on top of the silent tensions already affecting their relations due to the support voiced by many within the Lebanese elite for Hezbollah and Iran.
They point out that this alignment does not take into account the country’s foreign interests and its relationship with the Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia.
These observers indicate that public opinion in Gulf countries now holds that Lebanon no longer deserves Gulf support nor investments as long as the population there is supportive of Hezbollah’s weapons and of Iran, despite Tehran’s hostility to Saudi Arabia and its threats to Gulf national security in different places, including Lebanon and Yemen, Bahrain, Syria and Iraq.
Saudi Arabia is no longer enthusiastic about Lebanon nor certain Lebanese circles in their drive to offset the influence Hezbollah and Iran. This is illustrated by the decline of Riyadh’s confidence in Saad Hariri and its bet on him. It also often tells the Lebanese, who seek its support, of its past unreciprocated largesse.
Saudi Deputy Minister of Defence Prince Khalid bin Salman, reminded the Lebanese of this equation when he said in January of last year, “We have always been the constructive and useful party. We send tourists to Lebanon, while Iran sends terrorists. We send businessmen while Iran sends military advisors. We build hotels, the tourism sector and we create jobs while Iran creates terrorism.”
At a time when the Saudis have abandoned the idea of providing support to friendly countries that do not espouse clear positions in support of Riyadh’s foreign policy, many Lebanese figures are still reaching out for support from Saudi Arabia, but are at the same time forging alliances with Hezbollah and defending its positions and policies and expressing hostility towards its critics.
Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces Party, considered that “Wahbe was supposed to be the foreign minister of Lebanon and the Lebanese, so he ended up being the foreign minister of Hezbollah.”
Geagea pointed out that after the July 2006 war, “the Saudis and the Gulf countries came to help Lebanon and contributed billions of dollars to rebuild what was destroyed by a war that the Lebanese state did not decide, but rather was imposed on it”. Moreover the people of the Gulf “provided Lebanon with billions of dollars in various infrastructure and development projects, in addition to deposits in the Central Bank of Lebanon,”not to mention the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese who “are still working in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states until this moment. ”

Bukhari: KSA Doesn’t Seek Deportation of Lebanese Nationals
Naharnet/May 19/2021
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid al-Bukhari on Wednesday affirmed in a chat with journalists that everything being said about Saudi Arabia’s endeavors to deport Lebanese nationals from its territories against the backdrop of its minister's remarks were “absolutely unfounded. “In the midst of the Gulf War, the KSA never deported anyone because it was built on humanitarian foundations,” Bukhari said. He recollected that when he had gone to the KSA to receive his Coronavirus vaccine, he found Lebanese families queued before him after having registered their names. “This is something that pleased me because my state did not differentiate between a citizen and a resident — neither with regard to waiting in line nor with regard to the type of vaccine,” he explained.Bukhari finally expressed the belief that what had won the kingdom the respect of the international community was its unified language and political discourse, in public and in secret.

Defiant Lebanese judge referred to Judicial Inspection Authority
Najia Hossari/Arab News/May 19/2021
BEIRUT: A Lebanese judge who defied a decision dismissing her from an investigation into possible currency export breaches was Tuesday referred to the Judicial Inspection Authority over her actions. Judge Ghada Aoun had been investigating the Mecattaf money exchange company and Societe Generale Bank for allegedly withdrawing US dollars from the market and shipping the funds abroad. She staged two raids on a currency exchange earlier this month, defying a decision from Public Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oweidat to dismiss her from the case. There have been six criminal cases and 28 complaints filed against Aoun. Lebanon’s Supreme Judicial Council met the judge on Tuesday, deciding to refer her to the authority and asking it to take the necessary measures. “Any investigation or judicial case will be followed up to the end by the competent judiciary whoever the judge may be and regardless of any considerations outside of the judicial framework,” the council said, emphasizing that judicial authority was exercised by all judges. “It is their responsibility to preserve and protect it, abide by their oath and not mix between their duty and issues that do not come in line with the nature of proper judicial work.”
Aoun’s actions gained political traction when she was accompanied on one of the raids by supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), the political party led by MP Gebran Bassil. A number of FPM supporters accompanied Aoun on Tuesday to the vicinity of the Justice Palace in Beirut. They waited for her on the street while she attended the council session, which lasted for 40 minutes and took place amid strict security measures taken by the army and Internal Security Forces. On Monday, rival protests had to be broken up after fighting erupted between those who supported her and those who did not. The conflict between Aoun and Oweidat temporarily diverted attention away from the months-long political deadlock that has stopped a new government from being formed. But the involvement of FPM supporters has angered some, who said the judge was being used as a tool to settle political scores. The council downplayed the idea that there was a dispute, judicial or political. “What happened is not a dispute between those who want to fight corruption and hold the corrupt accountable, and those who do not want to and are preventing it, or a conflict between the prosecutor general and the region public prosecutor. It definitely is not a political dispute between two parties, as some are portraying it.”The council said it had asked the Court of Cassation’s Public Prosecutor and the head of the Judicial Inspection Authority to take the necessary measures, each within his jurisdiction, regarding her actions, to listen to her before the council due to her “violation of the obligation to exercise reserve, recurrent failure to meet the commitments she expressed before the council, and refusal to come to the Cassation Public Prosecution.”Its statement also referred to Aoun’s “positions and actions” following Oweidat’s decision, in which he amended the distribution of work at Mount Lebanon Public Prosecution. The council’s term ends in June and it tried, through the position it adopted on Tuesday, to save face due to the judiciary’s image suffering in the past few days.

Israel Retaliates after Several Rockets Fired from South Lebanon
Associated Press/Agence France Presse/May 19/2021
Lebanese security officials said several rockets were fired Wednesday from south Lebanon toward Israel, the third such barrage in the past week. The Israeli military said it identified four rockets fired from Lebanon into northern Israel. One landed in an open area, two landed in the sea, and one was intercepted by aerial defenses. Residents of the city of Shfaram, east of Haifa, said one rocket landed near the town. The Israeli army said it retaliated with artillery fire. "IDF artillery are striking a number of targets in Lebanese territory," it said. The Lebanese officials said the latest rockets were launched from the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of Qlayleh, adding that four fell inside Lebanese territory. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. No side has claimed responsibility for the rockets launched from Lebanon Wednesday, or earlier in the week.

ISG: Responsibility for Averting a Deeper Crisis Rests with Lebanese Leadership
Naharnet/May 19/2021
The International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG) met in Beirut on ًWednesday to take stock of the situation in the country, a press release said. The ISG noted the continuing economic, social and financial decline in Lebanon since its last meeting in March 2021, the increasing challenges faced by Lebanese institutions in addressing the multiple crises, and the growing hardship on the Lebanese population, ISG members lamented the continuing political stalemate in the government formation process. They noted that nine months have now elapsed since the resignation of the last government, and over six months since the approval by Parliament of the Prime Minister-designate. Once again, the ISG called on Lebanon’s leaders to set aside their differences in the national interest, and to delay no further the formation of a fully empowered government capable of meeting the country’s urgent needs and implementing long overdue critical reforms. Responsibility for averting a deeper crisis rests with the Lebanese leadership. The ISG called for elections to take place on time in order to preserve Lebanon’s democracy in the context of the ongoing crisis, and urged all relevant Lebanese authorities to initiate timely preparations in accordance with the electoral calendar. The ISG further urged that all necessary steps be taken to mitigate the social and economic impact of any changes to the national subsidy programme. The ISG remained united in its firm and continuing support for Lebanon and its people.

Money running out for Lebanon’s bloated subsidy system
Maha El Dahan/The Arab Weekly/May 19/2021
BEIRUT--As Lebanon’s hard currency reserves dropped alarmingly last year, its subsidy programme has expanded to include cocoa powder, cashew nuts and saffron. The move was designed to support local producers who either made the goods or used them as ingredients and to complement price support for core items like fuel and wheat aimed at ordinary people caught up in a spiralling financial crisis. But for critics of the government, these additions are a sign of a bloated and poorly-managed subsidy system that does not always reach the people it is meant to, encouraging smuggling and the waste of precious reserves. “Subsidies should be to subsidise basic things, not an entire industry,” Hani Bohsali, head of the Syndicate of Importers of Foodstuffs, Consumer Products and Drinks, said of the expanded list. “Do you really need to subsidise cocoa powder and cake-making?”Around 300 items such as cashew nuts and canned mushrooms were added. The list has now been reduced to around 150, still far too many, according to Bohsali.
Asked why so many goods were still on the list, caretaker economy minister Raoul Nehme explained that the government had hoped to move quickly to a new programme directly subsidising families with cash. He also said that any subsidy system was open to smuggling and that when it was introduced a year ago it was only meant to last a few months. Lebanon, which is in political paralysis, deeply-indebted and struggling to raise funds from potential donor states and institutions, spends about $6 billion a year on subsidies. Central bank reserves stood at just over $15 billion in March, compared with more than $30 billion before the economic crisis hit in 2019. The central bank has not given more recent figures. The caretaker government has said money for subsidies could run out as soon as the end of May, in what would be a major blow to a population more than a half of which lives in poverty. Caretaker energy minister Raymond Ghajar warned that Lebanon could be plunged into darkness and the head of the pharmacists’ syndicate said the country was running short of medicine.
Depleted reserves
Under the current system, the central bank provides hard currency to importers at the old currency peg of 1,515 Lebanese pounds to the dollar for fuel, wheat and medicine and at 3,900 to the dollar for a basket of basic items. With reserves depleted, the government has said subsidies needed reining in, but it has stopped short of ending them until an alternative cash subsidy system is approved by parliament. Meanwhile, some of those who most need access to cheap goods struggle to get it. A regulation that stipulates subsidised food items go straight from importer to retailer, for example, can cut out wholesalers who reach smaller outlets and remote areas. Shoppers can buy expensive French butter at a fifth of its value at upscale Beirut supermarkets, while others are left brawling over subsidised cooking oil elsewhere. Hani Bohsali, head of the Syndicate of Importers of Foodstuffs, Consumer .“From Africa with love” one twitter user wrote with an image of subsidised coffee showing up in her local store in Benin. Smuggling on a larger scale involves more basic items, including livestock, wheat and fuel.
Fuel smuggling to Syria
Hatem Aboualshra, a livestock trader in the northern city of Tripoli, said big profits could be made by purchasing animals from abroad with subsidised dollars and then smuggling them to a third country illegally at a healthy profit. Sheep imported from Armenia for around $100 a head, for example, can sell in the Gulf at over $200, he added. “If they just stop this subsidy the meat will become cheaper because the original traders will start normal work again.” By far the biggest outlay for the government is subsidies on fuel, which account for around half of the annual bill, or $3 billion. Many petrol stations are closed because they have nothing to sell and those that are open attract long queues of cars.
“In all of Beirut I couldn’t find any gas stations … this is the first one I find that is working,” said Mohamed Maktabi, an engineer back home from abroad for the recent Muslim Eid holidays. He had been waiting more than 20 minutes in line.
Minister Ghajar said in mid-April that fuel smuggling into neighbouring Syria, where it can be sold for ten times the price, was the main reason for shortages. Small villages like al Qasr, in Lebanon’s Baalbek and Hermel region on the border with Syria, are ideally located for the illicit trade. Villagers living metres from Syria move freely between checkpoints and small fuel containers are carried on scooters across the border for profit. A Lebanese army officer involved in patrolling the border said fuel and wheat were being smuggled into Syria, along with clothes, cigarettes and other food items. “We have managed to stop a large portion of this,” added the officer. The army has set up checkpoints and surveillance towers on top of the eastern mountains that separate the two countries.

Lebanese-Canadian Academic Loses Last Appeal against French Bombing Trial
Agence France Presse/May 19/2021
France's highest court on Wednesday upheld an order that a Lebanese-Canadian academic, who has spent years fighting claims of involvement in the bombing of a Paris synagogue, stand trial four decades after the attack. Four people were killed and 46 injured in the October 3, 1980, attack on a synagogue on Copernic street in Paris -- the first fatal attack on Jews in France since the Nazi occupation in World War II. Hassan Diab, 67, is accused of planting the bomb. He has always denied any involvement. He was extradited from Canada to France in 2014, but was released in 2018 and returned to Canada after French magistrates said the evidence against him was "not convincing enough" to hold him. In a stunning about-turn in January 2021, the Paris appeals court overturned the decision to dismiss the case and ordered he stand trial. Diab fought the decision to the Court of Cassation, France's court of final appeal, which on Wednesday upheld the decision not to dismiss the case.
'Parody of justice' -
In a statement Wednesday, Diab's Canadian lawyer, Don Bayne, called the ruling "a parody of justice" saying it showed "how political pressure is outweighing justice. At a news conference last week in Ottawa, Bayne and a group of human rights NGOs had called on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to commit to not sending Diab back to France. A former professor of sociology at the University of Ottawa, Diab is accused of planting explosives inside the saddle bag of a motorbike that exploded outside the synagogue close to the Champs-Elysees, where hundreds had gathered for Sabbath prayers. Investigators blamed the attack on the Special Operations branch of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Diab said he was taking exams in Beirut at the time. He spent a total of nine years either in jail or under strict bail conditions in Canada and France, awaiting trial.
After his release from French detention in 2018 he sued the Canadian government for extraditing him. Evidence presented against him in France included a sketch of the bomber that resembled him and the discovery of a passport in his name with entry and exit stamps from Spain, where the bomber is believed to have fled. French prosecutors admit to having "doubts" as to Diab's whereabouts at the time of the bombing but insist that a trial be held to consider all the evidence.

Geagea Says Those who Vote for Assad Must Leave Lebanon Immediately
Naharnet/May 19/2021
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday suggested that Lebanon-based Syrians who vote Thursday for President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian presidential elections must “leave” the country “immediately.”“It seems that tens of thousands of displaced Syrians in Lebanon are readying to take part tomorrow in the farce-tragedy called Syrian presidential elections at the headquarters of the Syrian embassy in Hazmieh,” Geagea said in a statement. “The definition of a displaced person is clear and international recognized and they are a person who leaves their country over a force majeure and security threats that prevent them from staying,” Geagea added. “Accordingly, we call on the President and the caretaker PM to give the necessary instructions to the ministries of interior and defense and the relevant administrations to obtain complete lists of those who will vote for Assad tomorrow, in order to ask them to leave Lebanon immediately to the areas controlled by the Assad regime in Syria, as long as they will vote for this regime and it does not pose a threat to them,” the LF leader went on to say.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 19- 20/2021
U.S. and France Tangle at U.N. over Mideast Conflict
Agence France Presse/19 May ,2021
The conflict in the Middle East has stirred up a diplomatic stand-off at the United Nations between France and the United States, the first open tension between the two allies since Joe Biden took power.
Despite guaranteed opposition from the United States, France proposed another draft U.N. Security Council resolution calling for the end of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.
The U.S. has repeatedly vetoed similar resolutions in recent days, saying it is pursuing other avenues to solve the crisis. France's latest proposal -- announced in a statement from Paris on Tuesday evening -- quickly drew a firm response from the United States, signaling it would wield its veto again if needed. A US spokesperson at the UN told AFP "we are focused on intensive diplomatic efforts underway to bring an end to the violence and that we will not support actions that we believe undermine efforts to de-escalate."At the same time, Biden announced he had directly told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he expects "significant de-escalation" on Wednesday -- highlighting the contrasting approaches to the conflict.
- 'It is a bit strange' -
France did not suggest any date for a vote on its proposed resolution, and the draft text appeared to have not been widely circulated among the 15-member Security Council. The tactics raised suggestions it was an attempt to increase pressure on the U.S. -- or to underline that Biden was not meeting his pledge to have a more multilateral approach to international affairs than his predecessor Donald Trump. "It's a bit strange considering the expectation that we all had for the Americans to return to multilateral diplomacy," one UN ambassador told AFP on condition of anonymity. "We also thought that the United States would be keen to show the relevance of the Security Council in situations like this."Another said that "we are just asking the U.S. to support a statement by the Security Council that would pretty much say similar things which are being said bilaterally from Washington."French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told parliament on Wednesday that "the American position will be quite decisive... It is true that we have seen the United States a little behind all this." The palpable tension between France and the United States could leave traces and affect other issues. The two countries have also disagreed this week on whether to give assistance to the anti-jihadist force G5 Sahel. France, which is heavily engaged politically and militarily in the region, has been campaigning for years for financial, logistical and operational support from the UN to the force's 5,000 under-equipped soldiers, provided by Niger, Chad, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso. Trump's administration had categorically refused, and France had hoped for more support after Biden took office in January. But the U.S. again opposed the French stance, instead backing bilateral aid. On the Middle East, the Security Council has been widely criticized for failing to yet adopt a declaration -- with the United States, a staunch Israel ally, already rejecting three statement drafts proposed by China, Norway and Tunisia which called for an end to the fighting. When France announced its draft proposal, the Elysee Palace said "the shooting must stop, the time has come for a ceasefire and the U.N. Security Council must take up the issue." Geraldine Byrne Nason, U.N. ambassador for Ireland, a non-permanent member of the Council said "members have a collective responsibility for international peace and Security. "It is high time the Council steps up, breaks its silence and speaks out."

US threatens to veto French UN resolution calling an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire
AFP/19 May ,2021
The US said Wednesday it would not support a United Nations Security Council draft resolution proposed by France calling for an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire, saying it could undermine efforts to de-escalate the crisis. “We’ve been clear and consistent that we are focused on intensive diplomatic efforts underway to bring an end to the violence and that we will not support actions that we believe undermine efforts to de-escalate,” a US spokesperson at the UN told AFP. The remarks indicated that Washington was ready to veto the French proposal if it came to a vote. French President Emmanuel Macron and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was in Paris for summits on Africa, agreed on the resolution in a video conference with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, according to a statement late Tuesday. The Security Council has failed to adopt a simple declaration on the conflict, with the US, a staunch Israel ally, vetoing three prior statement drafts proposed by China, Norway and Tunisia which called for an end to the fighting. Raising diplomatic pressure on the US, France had proposed a “short and simple” resolution calling for a halt to hostilities and access for humanitarian aid. US President Joe Biden on Wednesday told Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he expects “significant de-escalation” during the day. Deafening air strikes and rocket fire once more shook Gaza in the conflict that has, since May 10, claimed 219 Palestinian lives according to the Gaza health ministry and killed 12 people in Israel according to Israeli police. “The president conveyed to the prime minister that he expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire,” the White House said after a fourth phone call in a little over a week.

Israeli Airstrikes Kill 6, Level Large Family Home in Gaza
Associated Press/May 19/2021
Israeli airstrikes killed at least six people across the Gaza Strip and destroyed the home of a large extended family early on Wednesday. The military said it widened its strikes on militant targets to the south amid continuing rocket fire from the Hamas-ruled territory. Residents surveyed the piles of bricks, concrete and other debris that had once been the home of 40 members of al-Astal family. They said a warning missile struck the building in the southern town of Khan Younis five minutes before the airstrike, allowing everyone to escape. Ahmed al-Astal, a university professor, described a scene of panic before the airstrike hit, with men, women and children racing out of the building in various states of undress. "We had just gotten down to the street, breathless, when the devastating bombardment came," he said. "They left nothing but destruction, the children's cries filling the street... This is happening and there is no one to help us. We ask God to help us." The Israeli military said it struck militant targets around the towns of Khan Younis and Rafah, with 52 aircraft hitting 40 underground targets over a period of 25 minutes. Gaza's Health Ministry said a woman was killed and eight people were wounded in those strikes. Hamas-run Al-Aqsa radio said one of its reporters was killed in an airstrike in Gaza City. Doctors at the Shifa hospital said his was among five bodies brought in early Wednesday. The fatalities included two people killed when warning missiles crashed into their apartment. The latest strikes came as diplomatic efforts aimed at a cease-fire gathered strength and Gaza's infrastructure, already weakened by a 14-year blockade, rapidly deteriorated. The Palestinian territory is ruled by Hamas, an Islamic militant group. U.S. officials said the Biden administration was privately encouraging Israel to wind down its bombardment of Gaza. Egyptian negotiators also were working to halt the fighting, and while they have not made progress with Israel, they were optimistic international pressure would force it to the table, according to an Egyptian diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing diplomatic efforts. The fighting began May 10 when Hamas fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem in support of Palestinian protests against Israel's heavy-handed policing of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint site sacred to Jews and Muslims, and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.
At least 219 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes, including 63 children and 36 women, with 1,530 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not break the numbers down into fighters and civilians. Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130. Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy, have been killed in rocket attacks so far. A rocket attack on Tuesday near Gaza killed two Thai workers and wounded another seven. The Israeli military said rockets also were fired at the Erez pedestrian crossing and at the Kerem Shalom crossing, where humanitarian aid was being brought into Gaza, forcing both to close. It said a soldier was slightly wounded at Erez. The Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes it says are targeting Hamas' militant infrastructure, while Palestinian militants have fired more than 3,700 rockets at Israel, with some 550 falling short. Israel says its air defenses have a 90% interception rate. Medical supplies, fuel and water are running low in Gaza, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians and has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Some 58,000 Palestinians have fled their homes.
Israeli attacks have damaged at least 18 hospitals and clinics and destroyed one health facility, the World Health Organization said. Nearly half of all essential drugs have run out. The Gaza Health Ministry said it had salvaged coronavirus vaccines after shrapnel from an Israeli airstrike damaged the territory's only testing facility, which also administered hundreds of vaccines. The medical operation was relocated to another clinic. The WHO said the bombing of key roads, including those leading to the main Shifa Hospital, has hindered ambulances and supply vehicles in Gaza, which was already struggling to cope with a coronavirus outbreak. Among the buildings leveled by Israeli airstrikes was one housing The Associated Press' Gaza office and those of other media outlets. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating in the building. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that Israel had given the U.S. information about the bombing, without elaborating. AP President Gary Pruitt has reiterated calls for an independent investigation of the attack. Pruitt has said the AP had no indication Hamas was present in the building and that "this is something we check as best we can."
Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories meanwhile observed a general strike Tuesday in a rare collective action spanning boundaries central to decades of failed peace efforts. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians want for their future state. Although the strike was peaceful in many places, with shops in east Jerusalem's usually bustling Old City markets shuttered, violence erupted in the occupied West Bank. Hundreds of Palestinians burned tires in Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is headquartered, and hurled stones at an Israeli military checkpoint. Three protesters were killed and more than 140 wounded in clashes with Israeli troops in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron and other cities, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Israeli army said two soldiers were wounded in Ramallah by gunshots to the leg.

Analysis: Biden’s quiet diplomacy may work, but Middle East will ‘follow you home’
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/19 May ,2021
President Joe Biden made it clear from his first days in office that the Middle East was not a priority for his administration’s foreign policy. But aerial bombardments by Israel, a worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and thousands of rockets aimed at Tel Aviv could make the region a priority once more.
Pressing issues Biden would need to deal with immediately were the coronavirus and the battered US economy after the pandemic forced businesses and shops to close for almost one year. Internationally, Biden and his team were eyeing China and Russia as the greatest threats to America, followed by North Korea and Iran. Biden rushed to press Saudi Arabia and other longtime US allies in the Gulf for their records on human rights, an issue he and his administration have tried to make a focal point of their foreign policy. Robert Malley was also quickly appointed as the US special envoy for Iran, and indirect talks began last month in an effort to reach a nuclear deal with Tehran. But the biggest outbreak of violence since 2014 between Palestinian factions and Israel has forced the US president to engage and put other “priorities” aside quickly. Even during Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Europe this week, the top US diplomat has been unable to escape questions from reporters on the violence in Gaza and Jerusalem. During a trip to Michigan on Tuesday, Biden was meant to highlight America’s work towards eco-friendly vehicles and garner support for his multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure proposal. Despite Biden refusing to answer questions from reporters on the matter, the Palestinian-Israeli fighting could not be ignored.
According to Arab diplomatic sources, who spoke to The National earlier this month, Biden ignored warnings that the situation in Jerusalem was heading towards a disaster. And since the Hamas rockets and Israeli airstrikes began more than two weeks ago, US officials have been engaging in so-called quiet diplomacy. This has drawn significant criticism from European allies and even Biden’s domestic supporters. Europe has mostly been disappointed with Washington blocking a UN Security Council statement three separate times. The US believes a statement from the UN would not help de-escalate tensions, but the latest draft statement appeared to use language that would have angered Tel Aviv.
No condemnation or mention of Hamas was made in the draft blocked by the US, and Israel was urged to exercise maximum restraint in dealing with civilians. It took the US president nearly a week and more than 200 civilian deaths later to announce “support” for a ceasefire publicly. On Wednesday, Biden held what is believed to have been his fourth call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During this call, for the first time, the White House said Biden told the outgoing Israeli premier that a path to a ceasefire was needed. Current and former US officials have expressed both support and dissatisfaction with Biden’s approach to the conflict.n Asked if the latest violence would force a change in the US administration’s foreign policy priorities, a former senior White House official said: “They will have no choice but to change.”
The former official, who asked to remain anonymous, called Biden’s “stick our heads in the sand” approach a failure.
As for the “quiet diplomatic approach,” the former official believes the White House was driven by pressure “from the far-left wing of their party.” Biden, a Democrat, has been met with heavy criticism from progressive liberals who want a more aggressive stance on Israel. “The Israelis do not want to stop their military response until they can be confident they have damaged Hamas or [Palestine Islamic Jihad] PIJ enough to buy another seven years or similarly long period,” the former official told Al Arabiya English. He was referring to reports that Biden has upped the pressure on Netanyahu in recent days to wind down the military offensive on Palestinian targets. “The Biden team understands this, yet they are nearing the point of pressing the Israelis to accede to a ceasefire that is not yet in Israel’s interest.” For his part, Robert Danin, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Quartet Jerusalem Mission Head, believes the US president has done a solid job. “Until now, the Administration has been clearly demonstrating that they can manage the crisis while staying the course, stick to their travel and meeting schedules and other priorities,” Danin told Al Arabiya English.
Asked if the “quiet diplomacy” was an effective approach, Danin said it had shown the administration to be “very disciplined.” “Ultimately, the way that the fighting ends, and the conditions on the ground when that happens, will play a large role in shaping their [Washington’s] future approach,” Danin added. Once the dust settles and the fighting ends, the longtime State Department veteran doesn’t believe Biden and his team will alter their priorities. “They will seek to address the conflict in a serious way, without it becoming a greater priority than it already is,” he said. Danin said the administration wants to show that the president is engaged and concerned “while at the same time, delegating the handling of their crisis management efforts to administration subordinates.”But the former White House official had a different take. “You may not be interested in the Middle East, but the Middle East is interested in you. And if you try to leave it, it will follow you home.”

Netanyahu Says 'Determined' to Continue Gaza Operation
Associated Press/19 May ,2021
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday vowed to press ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, pushing back against calls from U.S. President Joe Biden to wind down the operation that has left hundreds dead.
Netanyahu's tough comments marked the first public rift between the two close allies since the fighting began last week and could complicate international efforts to reach a cease-fire. After a visit to military headquarters, Netanyahu said he "greatly appreciates the support of the American president," but said Israel will push ahead "to return the calm and security to you, citizens of Israel."
He said he is "determined to continue this operation until its aim is met."
He spoke shortly after Biden told Netanyahu "that he expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire," the White House said.
Biden had previously avoided pressing Israel more directly and publicly for a cease-fire with Gaza's Hamas militant rulers. But pressure has been ramping up on him to intervene more forcefully as other diplomatic efforts also gather strength.
Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to press ahead with the operation, and his tough response to Biden signaled he had no intentions of stopping.
Egyptian negotiators have also been working to halt the fighting, and an Egyptian diplomat said that some of the country's top officials are waiting for Israel's response to a cease-fire offer. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he hoped to fly to Israel for talks Thursday with Israelis and Palestinians.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said it was widening its strikes on militant targets in southern Gaza to blunt continuing rocket fire from Hamas. At least nine people were killed in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
The current round of fighting between Israel and Hamas began May 10 when the militant group fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint site sacred to Jews and Muslims. Heavy-handed police tactics at the compound and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers had inflamed tensions.
Since then, Israel has pounded Gaza with hundreds of airstrikes it says are targeting Hamas' militant infrastructure, and Hamas and other militant groups embedded in residential areas have fired more than 3,700 rockets at Israeli cities, with hundreds falling short and most of the rest intercepted.
At least 227 Palestinians have been killed, including 64 children and 38 women, with 1,620 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not break the numbers down into fighters and civilians. Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130. Some 58,000 Palestinians have fled their homes.
Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a soldier, have been killed. In the Gaza Strip, one of the Israeli airstrikes destroyed the home of an extended family. Residents surveyed the piles of bricks, concrete and other debris that had once been the home of 40 members of al-Astal family in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. They said a warning missile struck the building five minutes before the airstrike, allowing everyone to escape.
Ahmed al-Astal, a university professor, described a scene of panic, with men, women and children racing out of the building. Some of the women didn't even have time to cover their hair with Muslim headscarves, he said.
"We had just gotten down to the street, breathless, when the devastating bombardment came," he said. "They left nothing but destruction, the children's cries filling the street. ... This is happening, and there is no one to help us. We ask God to help us."The Israeli military said it struck a militant tunnel network around the towns of Khan Younis and Rafah, with 52 aircraft hitting 40 underground targets.
Among the nine people killed Wednesday was a reporter for Hamas-run Al-Aqsa radio and two people who died when warning missiles crashed into their apartment.
Military officials, meanwhile, said a mysterious explosion that killed eight members of a Palestinian family on the first day of the fighting was caused by a misfired rocket from Gaza. "This wasn't an Israeli attack," said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman.
Since the fighting began, Gaza's infrastructure, already weakened by a 14-year blockade, has rapidly deteriorated. Medical supplies, water and fuel for electricity are running low in the territory, on which Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007.
Israeli attacks have damaged at least 18 hospitals and clinics and destroyed one health facility, the World Health Organization said. Nearly half of all essential drugs have run out. The Gaza Health Ministry said it had salvaged coronavirus vaccines after shrapnel from an Israeli airstrike damaged the territory's only testing facility, which also administered hundreds of vaccines. The operations were relocated to another clinic.
Dr. Majdi Dhair, head of preventive medicine at the ministry, said the territory was already struggling to recover from a coronavirus wave that hit in February, with more than 4,200 active cases. At least 986 people have died from COVID-19 in Gaza, which only has enough supplies to vaccinate some 55,000 people out of a population of 2 million. Among the buildings leveled by Israeli airstrikes was one housing The Associated Press' Gaza office and those of other media outlets.
Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating in the building. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that Israel had given the U.S. information about the bombing, without elaborating.
The AP has called for an independent investigation. The news organization's president, Gary Pruitt, has said the AP had no indication Hamas was present in the building and that "this is something we check as best we can."
The fighting, the worst since a 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, has ignited protests around the world and inspired Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories to call a general strike Tuesday. It was a rare collective action that spanned boundaries central to decades of failed peace efforts. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians want for their future state.

German FM Heading to Israel, Palestinian Territories Thursday
Agence France Presse/19 May ,2021
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories for talks Thursday on the escalating conflict in the Middle East, a ministry spokeswoman said. "The political talks will focus on the current escalation in the Middle East and the international efforts to end the violence," the spokeswoman said.  Maas will meet Israel's foreign and defense ministers as well as President Reuven Rivlin. He will also travel to the city of Ramallah to hold talks with the Palestinian premier. At a press conference earlier Wednesday, Maas spoke of his plan to "hold talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah" but had said that the trip was yet to be confirmed with Israeli authorities. The visit would be the first by a senior European official to Jerusalem over the latest escalation of violence in the Middle East. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was previously the country's foreign minister, however expressed doubts over the impact of Maas' visit. "Germany must use its relations in the region," he said, but pointed out "the Middle East Quartet has been activated and Europe is part of it". "I have my doubts as to whether individual nations should make their own mediation efforts," he added. Israel and the Palestinians are mired in their worst conflict in years as Israel pounds the Gaza Strip with air strikes and artillery, while Hamas militants lob rockets into the Jewish state. The conflict has claimed 219 Palestinian lives according to the Gaza health ministry and killed 12 people in Israel according to Israeli police.

Senior diplomats say that success in Iran nuclear talks is not guaranteed
Reuters/19 May ,2021
British, French and German senior diplomats said on Wednesday that there had been tangible progress in nuclear talks with Iran but that success was not guaranteed with very difficult issues still to be resolved. The diplomats also said it was vital that Iran and the UN atomic agency find a way to ensure continuity in the agency’s monitoring of Iran’s activities given that a technical understanding was due to end shortly. “IAEA access will of course be essential to our efforts to restore the JCPoA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) as a deal cannot be implemented without it,” the E3 diplomats said in a statement.

Biden Tells Netanyahu He Expects 'Significant De-escalation Today'
Agence France Presse/May 19/2021
U.S. President Joe Biden told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he expects "significant de-escalation" on Wednesday in the military confrontation with Palestinians, the White House said. "The president conveyed to the prime minister that he expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire," according to a statement released after what the White House said was the two leaders' fourth call since the crisis began.

Biden urges ‘significant de-escalation’ in Netanyahu call
Reuters/19 May ,2021
US President Joe Biden prodded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to immediately de-escalate tensions in the Gaza conflict “on the path” to a ceasefire, a White House spokeswoman said. The fourth call in a week between the two leaders came after Netanyahu was quoted by Israeli media as saying he was not setting a timeframe for an end to more than a week of hostilities. Biden has faced increasing pressure even from fellow Democrats to take a more active and public role to broker a ceasefire. “The two leaders had a detailed discussion on the state of events in Gaza, Israel’s progress in degrading the capabilities of Hamas and other terrorist elements, and ongoing diplomatic efforts by regional governments and the US,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “The president conveyed to the prime minister that he expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire,” Jean-Pierre added. The call took place shortly before Biden left Washington on a trip to a Coast Guard commencement ceremony in Connecticut. Palestinian medical officials said 219 people have been killed in 10 days of aerial bombardments, which have destroyed roads, buildings and other infrastructure, and worsened the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israeli authorities put the death toll at 12 in Israel, where repeated rocket attacks have caused panic and sent people rushing into shelters. Regional and US-led diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire have intensified but so far failed.

Saudi FM Prince Faisal says ball is in Houthis’ court for Yemen ceasefire
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/19 May ,2021
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told Al Arabiya that Saudi Arabia’s new peace initiative to end Yemen is currently stalled due to the rejection of Iran-backed Houthis. “There is no stability without addressing the concerns of the countries in the region about Iran’s behavior, the issue of Iran’s ballistic missiles and interventions must be addressed, the ball is now in Al Houthi’s court,” Prince Faisal added. Saudi Arabia has proposed a new peace initiative to end the ongoing conflict in Yemen between the internationally-recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthis in March. Prince Faisal added that Saudi Arabia hopes that the Houthis will advance the interest of Yemen over the interest of the regional parties, adding that the Kingdom is committed to a political solution to the crisis.
Lebanon
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told Al Arabiya during the interview that Hezbollah’s hegemony over political decision-making in Lebanon is holding up any real reform. “We are concerned about the future of Lebanon, but it [Lebanon] has to find a way to save itself,” Prince Faisal added. Prince Farhan commented on Lebanon’s foreign minister’s statements on Saudi Arabia and the GCC saying that “they are racist and do not express the Lebanese people.”“The statements of the Foreign Minister of Lebanon, to say the least, are non-diplomatic,” he added.
Sudan
Prince Faisal also commented on the political transition in Sudan saying that Saudi Arabia is committed with its partners to support the transitional phase in Sudan. “The prosperity and stability of Sudan are positive for the region, the political transition process that Sudan is going through is an important and sensitive stage,” Prince Faisal added. Prince Faisal added that Saudi Arabia has worked to stabilize and support the transitional process in Sudan, and it has supported Sudan during the Paris conference.

Saudi foreign minister ‘hopeful’ over exploratory talks with Iran
AFP/19 May ,2021
Saudi Arabia foreign minister says Kingdom is “hopeful” after exploratory talks with Iran, in a rare comment on delicate discussions whose details have been closely guarded. The official-level meetings aim to restore relations severed five years ago between the Sunni Muslim kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Shia Islamic Republic of Iran. “We have initiated some exploratory talks. They are at a very early stage but we are hopeful,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan said in Paris on Tuesday, where he is participating in two international summits. The talks with Iran, facilitated by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, had remained secret until the Financial Times reported that a first meeting had been held in Baghdad on April 9. The Iranian government only confirmed on May 10 that the talks had been held, adding that it was “too soon” to discuss the results. “If (the Iranians) can see that their interest is in a good relationship with their neighbors, I can be hopeful,” Prince Faisal said, emphasizing again that they were “at an early stage.”Asked what the impact of the June presidential elections in Iran might be, he said he thought it would be minimal. “Our understanding of Iran’s foreign policy is that it’s set by the Supreme Leader,” he explained. “So we don’t think there will be a substantial change.”“There may be a change in the representatives that portray that policy, but in the end, it’s what happens on the ground that matters, and that is driven by the Supreme Leader.”On May 7, a Saudi foreign ministry official said that talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran aim to reduce regional tensions, but added it was too early to judge the outcome and Riyadh wanted to see “verifiable deeds.” The comments by Ambassador Rayed Krimly, head of policy planning at the ministry, were the first public confirmation from Riyadh that the rivals - who severed ties in 2016 - were holding direct talks.

Progress being made in Iran nuclear talks, but deal ‘far from done’: Irish FM
Reuters/19 May ,2021
Progress is being made in Iran nuclear talks but a deal is far from done, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Wednesday following talks in Dublin with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. “I am glad to say that progress is being made. I think there is some optimism that we have and are continuing to make progress,” said Coveney, speaking in his role as UN Security Council facilitator of the nuclear deal agreed in 2015 between Iran and major world powers. “A deal is far from done though because this is a big technical negotiation... But we are in a much better space than we were a few months ago,” Coveney told RTE television.

PM Netanyahu says Israel is destroying capabilities of extremists in Gaza, seeks to avoid civilian casualties
Arab News/May 19/2021
DUBAI: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was destroying the capabilities of extremist groups in Gaza, Al-Arabiya TV reported on Wednesday. “Over 4,000 rockets were fired by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza,” he said. He added that Hamas rockets targeted civilian areas in Tel Aviv, and Israel wanted to deter Hamas and seeked to avoid civilian casualties, he said. The Prime Minister said Hamas had created an extensive network of tunnels in Gaza Strip. “Hamas stores weapons inside a network of tunnels in Gaza,” Netanyahu said. The extremist group is also using civilians as human shields, he added. Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said no country in the world accepted to live in such danger. He also said Hamas targeted their forces while securing the entry of humanitarian aid. The Israeli military said some 50 rockets were fired overnight from Gaza, with sirens sounding in the coastal city of Ashdod, south of Tel Aviv, and in communities closer to the Gaza border. There were no reports of damage or injuries. Gaza medical officials say 217 Palestinians have been killed, including 63 children, and more than 1,400 wounded since the fighting began on May 10. Israeli authorities say 12 people have been killed in Israel, including two children.

Jordanian forces thwart smuggling attempt near border with Syria
Arab News/May 19/2021
CAIRO: Jordanian armed forces said Wednesday they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons and a large hoard of drugs near its border with Syria. Jordanian forces said they stopped 11 people who were trying to enter Jordan from Syria in an infiltration attempt described as “the largest in months,” an official source said according to Ammon news agency. The source said three people were killed during an engagement, while two others were injured and arrested. The remaining six people retreated into Syria. The source said that after searching the area, a number of weapons were seized, as well as 1,307,665 Captagon pills and 2,100 Larica pills.

Egypt looking to strengthen military cooperation with Cyprus and Greece
Arab News/May 19/2021
CAIRO: Egypt has discussed expanding military relations with Cyprus and Greece within the framework of continued coordination between them. This came during the visit to Cyprus of Lt. Gen. Mohammed Zaki, commander in chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces and minister of defense and military production. Zaki left Cairo on Tuesday, heading a high-level military delegation on an official visit to Cyprus that will last for several days, according to an Egyptian army statement.
The visit will witness tripartite talks held by the defense ministers of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, who will discuss military relations and other issues of common interest. On Jan. 28, Egyptian and Greek forces conducted naval exercises in the Mediterranean. The Egyptian army said in a statement that these exercises came within the framework of cooperation between the Egyptian and Greek armed forces and are part of the efforts to mutually benefit from bilateral capabilities, achieve common interests and maintain maritime security and stability in the region. Last November, Egyptian and Greek units carried out maritime training in the Aegean Sea, north of the Mediterranean, during the return of the Egyptian naval units that participated in the Friendship Bridge-3 training with Russia. The Egyptian army carried out the maneuvers after crossing the Bosphorus Strait, which is controlled by Turkey.

Canada/Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs on 77th anniversary of deportation of Crimean Tatars
May 18, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:
“Seventy-seven years ago, Crimean Tatars were forcibly deported by Soviet authorities from the Crimean Peninsula. The suffering of the Tatars, including hundreds of thousands of men, women and children who were displaced from their ancestral homeland, serves as a sombre, yet powerful, reminder of the injustice that continues to this day.
“Canada remains deeply concerned by the deteriorating human rights situation on the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula. We continue to denounce Russia’s banning of the Mejlis, the self-governing body of the Crimean Tatars, and call on Russia to cease its aggressive actions in the region.
“Today, we honour the memory of the Crimean Tatar people and we reiterate that Canada will always support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 19- 20/2021
How President Biden Emboldened Hamas, Islamic Jihad
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/May 19/2021
Second, was the Biden administration's offer to resume negotiations with Iran to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, enabling Iran, in a few years, to have unlimited nuclear weapons -- while ignoring Iran's continual breaches of the deal. The administration also apparently ignored Iran's harassment of American naval vessels. In fact, as if the US is about to reward Iran for all that.
Earlier this year, the Gulf Cooperation Council expressed deep concern over the Houthi terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabia and called on Iran to stop its efforts to destabilize the security and stability of the Arab countries by supporting terrorist groups. This appeal, however, appears to have been ignored by the US and other Western powers.
"The Houthis and their Iranian backers think that the American move was the result of their military perseverance and a reflection of their superiority in the field. Moreover, the two sides (the Houthis and Iran) understood the measure as an indication of the new American administration's soft position towards them and bias against Saudi Arabia... Such messages enhance Houthis conviction that force is the key factor.... Revoking the Houthi designation without receiving anything in return raises the question about the efficiency of decision-making in this administration. In addition, revoking the designation of Houthis sends a message that Biden might return to Obama's hesitant and weak policy." — Emirates Policy Center (EPC) report, March 13, 2021.
Buoyed by the decision to resume the financial aid with no conditions attached, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas are now convinced that the Biden administration's next move will be to rescind Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. That is why the Palestinians have chosen to call the current wave of attacks on Israel as the "Jerusalem Uprising."
A number of decisions taken by the Biden administration have apparently emboldened Iran and a number of its terrorist proxies. First was the decision to revoke the designation of the Iranian-backed Houthi group in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization.
A number of decisions taken by the Biden administration -- who were handed peace in the Middle East, US energy independence, secure borders, the blueprint for a booming economy, and American adversaries such as China, Russia and Iran on the defensive -- have managed, in four short months, to blow most of that up.
Some of these decisions have apparently emboldened Iran and a number of its terrorist proxies.
First was the decision to revoke the designation of the Iranian-backed Houthi group in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization.
Second, was the Biden administration's offer to resume negotiations with Iran to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, enabling Iran, in a few years, to have unlimited nuclear weapons -- while ignoring Iran's continual breaches of the deal. The administration also apparently ignored Iran's harassment of American naval vessels. In fact, as if the US is about to reward Iran for all that.
Third, came the resumption of $235 million in financial aid to the Palestinians -- with no conditions attached.
These decisions, coupled with others, have evidently been interpreted by Iran and the Islamist terrorist groups as a sign of US weakness, as well as a green light for one of their proxies, the Houthis, to step up their missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
"The [Biden administration's] decision encouraged the Houthi militia to go ahead with targeting Saudi Arabia," Yemeni researcher Dr. Adel Dashila said.
"The Houthi militia would not have dared to carry out such attacks had it remained on the list of terrorist groups. The decision to remove the Houthi militia from the list also boosted its diplomatic and political status."
World leaders have also watched as Communist China and the World Health Organization (WHO) deceived the world about the human transmissibility of the Covid-19 virus; China's takeover of Hong Kong, and threats to Australia, Taiwan and the Philippines. The response from the Biden administration is that it is about to reward Communist China -- with increasing investments from the US, with the 2022 Winter Olympics, and with a potentially imminent windfall for unenforceable, hard-to-believe promises to stop carbon emissions -- in 40 years -- when all the participants will be safely out of office. The administration has also agreed to reward the WHO for its duplicity by resuming $200 million in funding.
Recently, when the US was hit with two major cyber-attacks from Russia -- one on Solar Winds and one on the Colonial Pipeline, presumably from moonlighting subsidiaries of the Russian government -- world leaders saw that Russia suffered no consequences.
By these failures to hold wrongdoers accountable, and by revoking the designation of the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization, the Biden administration seems to have encouraged two of Iran's remaining terrorist proxies in the Gaza Strip -- Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) -- to conclude that whatever they did, it would be regarded by Washington with kind eyes.
It is no wonder, therefore, that many Arabs, especially the Gulf states, are continuing to express deep concern over the Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia.
These Arabs are also urging the international community, especially the US, to put pressure on Iran to stop meddling in the internal affairs of Arab countries through its terrorist groups.
As far as many Arabs are concerned, the Biden administration's removal of the Houthis from the list of terrorist groups is a dangerous step that threatens the security and stability of the Arab countries, while at the same time empowering adventurism from a country, Iran, that the US Congressional Research Service designates among "State Sponsors of Acts of International Terrorism."
These are the same Arabs who had welcomed former US President Donald Trump's decision on January 2, 2021, to designate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization -- a decision the Biden Administration rescinded in February, about a month later. Just a few days after that, the Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport, and a few weeks after that, in early May, the US Navy intercepted a boat carrying " a significant shipment" of Russian arms, presumably from Iran, and bound for the Houthis.
Meanwhile, the Houthis' Palestinian allies, Hamas and PIJ, were now flush with upgraded weapons supplied by Iran, and possibly paid for with some of the billions given Iran by the US. Iran, though in financial straits, has reportedly nevertheless been financing Hamas with $30 million a month "in return for information on Israel's missile capabilities and its missile locations."
Hamas, it appears, interpreted Biden's move as a license to fire thousands of their rockets and missiles at Israel.
Hamas and PIJ seem to see the Biden administration's decision as follows: If the Houthis are no longer a terrorist group and can get away with attacking one of America's major Arab friends, Saudi Arabia, that means we can also launch rockets and missiles into Israel to kill as many Jews as possible.
The terrorist groups seem to believe that the Biden administration is about to throw Israel under the bus and distance itself from the normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab and Muslim countries. They see that the new US administration has done almost nothing to support the normalization agreements or encourage other Arab countries to make peace with Israel.
The terrorist groups are also rubbing their hands with glee as they see the Biden administration and other world powers trying to curry favor with the mullahs in Tehran by engaging in negotiations with them to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, enabling Iran in a few years to have full nuclear capability and ballistic missiles with which to deliver it.
In the past few months, reports have surfaced in a number of Arab media outlets about rapprochement between the Houthi militia and Hamas, Iran's Palestinian proxy in the Gaza Strip. The rapprochement reached its peak when Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh sent a letter to the Houthi leadership praising them and their "role in supporting the Palestinian cause."
According to a recent report, Hamas members have also been fighting alongside the Houthis in Yemen.
The Houthi militia, for its part, welcomed the Hamas leader's letter and said that it comes in the context of thwarting the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab and Muslim countries. A senior Houthi leader, Hazam al-Assad, said:
"We share the same feelings with the brothers in Hamas, and we call on the sons of the Islamic nation to unite and take serious and responsible action to thwart the efforts of normalization and rapprochement with the Zionist enemy."
Another Houthi leader, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, last month called on the United Arab Emirates and other countries that had signed normalization agreements with Israel to withdraw from the accords.
Needless to say, Hamas is also vehemently opposed to the Abraham Accords, and its leaders have pledged to work toward foiling any peace agreement between the Arab countries and Israel.
By revoking the designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group, the Biden administration sent a message to the Arabs that the US has no problem with Islamists backed by Iran, which, since its Revolution in 1979, has been working to become the dominant force in the region. To this end, it has already made extensive incursions into Iraq, Syria, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank.
If the Houthis -- whose slogan reads "God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam" -- are not seen as terrorists, then why, they and their Iranian sponsor most likely assume, should Hamas, PIJ, Hezbollah and other Islamist groups be seen as terrorists?
The Biden administration has tried to create the impression that Iran's Houthis are the "good terrorists," while Hamas and Hezbollah are the "bad terrorists."
By considering a near wholesale rollback of some of the sanctions imposed on Iran by the Trump administration, the Biden administration seems to have sent a message to Iran to the effect that Washington has no problem with the mullahs' ongoing meddling in the internal affairs of Arab countries and support for terrorist groups.
Earlier this year, the Gulf Cooperation Council expressed deep concern over the Houthis' terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabia and called on Iran to stop its efforts to destabilize the security and stability of the Arab countries by supporting terrorists. That appeal, however, appears to have been ignored by the US and other Western powers.
"The Houthis and their Iranian backers think that the American move was the result of their military perseverance and a reflection of their superiority in the field," stated a report by the Emirates Policy Center (EPC).
"Moreover, the two sides (the Houthis and Iran) understood the measure as an indication of the new American administration's soft position towards them and bias against Saudi Arabia and its allies. Based on these messages, the Houthis considered the decision to revoke their designation as a terrorist organization a victory for them and a defeat for their opponents. Such messages enhance Houthis conviction that force is the key factor. This does not only make the Houthis more obstinate towards peace efforts, but also encourages them to escalate militarily.
"As for US allies, the decision by the new American administration showed that Washington does not take threats by the Houthis and Iran seriously, rather it is lenient towards the two. The American decision will add some chill to Washington's ties with its regional allies and put those allies in a state of anxiety and apprehension towards the Biden administration's policies....
"Such a step leaves the impression that the new American administration is confused and lacks the ability to understand reality and make sound assessments... Revoking the Houthi designation without receiving anything in return raises the question about the efficiency of decision-making in this administration. In addition, revoking the designation of Houthis sends a message that Biden might return to Obama's hesitant and weak policy."
Finally, the Biden administration's decision to resume financial aid to the Palestinians without any prior conditions sent a message to the Palestinian Authority implying that the US is about to rescind all the decisions taken by the Trump administration, including the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The Trump administration had cut more than $200 million in aid to the Palestinians, citing the need "to ensure that these funds are spent in accordance with US national interests and provide value to the US taxpayer."
Buoyed by the decision to resume the financial aid with no conditions attached, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas are now convinced that the Biden administration's next move will be to rescind Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. That appears why the Palestinians have chosen to call the current wave of attacks on Israel as the "Jerusalem Uprising."
The Biden administration made a mistake by failing to condition the resumption of the aid on an end to Palestinian incitement and violence against Israel. Had the Biden administration demanded an end to the anti-Israel inflammatory statements and actions by Palestinian leaders before handing over funding, it is likely that the current round of violence would never have taken place.
*Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
© 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.

The "We-Must-Hate-Israel" Season Re-Opens in Turkey
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/May 19/ 2021
There is, however, a significant difference between Turkey in May 2018 and May 2021. In May 2018, Turkey was heading for presidential and parliamentary elections -- which Erdoğan won with 51.5% of the national vote. Erdoğan was confident of "making Turkey great again" and systematically fueled hostility against Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In May 2021, Turkey is not heading for elections but for economic collapse and political isolation,
Erdoğan has grossly profited, in domestic politics, from every form and period of violence in the Arab-Israeli dispute in the past two decades. But he will not get anything from this year's clashes between terrorists and a legitimate state. There are no elections in sight.
And the Turks, despite their usual manifest anti-Israeli behavior, are in fact too busy with their everyday struggles to bring bread to their homes and milk to their babies. Some grocery stores in big cities like Istanbul have recently started to sell "stale bread" for the first time. A stale loaf sells at five US cents cheaper than standard bread and has thousands of customers.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has grossly profited, in domestic politics, from every form and period of violence in the Arab-Israeli dispute in the past two decades. But he will not get anything from this year's clashes between terrorists and a legitimate state. There are no elections in sight.
Each time the Arab-Israel dispute turns violent on Israeli soil, Turks immediately return to their post-truth mode. One newspaper headline proudly says that Palestinian fighters shot 137 rockets into Israel within five minutes. The next headline says Israel is a state of terror because it reciprocated to attacks against its citizens.
"This is how al-Qassam Brigade hit a lifeline oil plant in Ashkelon-Eilat," one headline said. "Hamas hits, Zionists are burning," was another. "Rockets shock Zionists." "Tel Aviv turns into hell: Get worse, bastards!" "Zionists are fleeing Hamas rockets." And, according to Hamas' leader Ismail Haniyeh, Gaza militants "have defended Jerusalem." There are more.
"To the Islamic world, we say: It's time to stop Israel's heinous and cruel attacks!" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's spokesman, Fahrettin Altun, wrote on Twitter. On May 9, thousands of angry Turks demonstrated in support of Palestinians outside both Israel's Embassy in Ankara and consulate in Istanbul. The Turkish police did not intervene despite a ban in place on large public gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic. The crowds chanted: "Turkish soldiers to Gaza!"
In the meantime, Turkey withdrew an invitation extended earlier to Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz for the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on June 18-20, citing "Israel's increasing violations and attacks against Palestinians."
Secular Turks took advantage of the Islamist hysteria in humorous ways. When Ömer Lekesiz, a columnist for the Islamist daily Yeni Şafak, wrote, "May Allah give me a chance to become a martyr in the name of Palestine," some maverick Turks on social media sent him a link to the Turkish Airlines' Istanbul-Tel Aviv flight schedule, with a note that said: "Here is your flight. Go to Israel and become a martyr."
None of this anti-Israeli hysteria in Turkey is new. When Turkey and Israel decided to normalize their badly strained ties in December 2016, after more than six years of downgraded diplomatic relations, the first thing they did, as the protocol dictated, was to appoint ambassadors to each other's capital. In essence, Erdoğan had pragmatically agreed to shake hands with Israel, but his ideological hostility to the Jewish state and his ideological love affair with Hamas had not disappeared. After less than a year and a half, the Turkish and Israeli embassies in Tel Aviv and Ankara were once again ambassador-less. The loveless date had turned into a tussle after clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters caused the deaths of dozens of demonstrators.
It was another May, violent in Israel and hysterical in Turkey, three years ago. Turkey recalled its ambassador and asked the Israeli ambassador to leave the country "for a while," which became permanent.
There is, however, a significant difference between Turkey in May 2018 and May 2021. In May 2018, Turkey was heading for presidential and parliamentary elections -- which Erdoğan won with 51.5% of the national vote. Erdoğan was confident of "making Turkey great again" and systematically fueled hostility against Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In May 2021, Turkey is not heading for elections but for economic collapse and political isolation, and Erdoğan had just pushed the button to quietly reset relations with Turkey's adversaries around the Eastern Mediterranean basin, including Israel. Bad luck for Erdoğan. Wrong timing.
Erdoğan has grossly profited, in domestic politics, from every form and period of violence in the Arab-Israeli dispute in the past two decades. But he will not get anything from this year's clashes between terrorists and a legitimate state. There are no elections in sight. And the Turks, despite their usual manifest anti-Israeli behavior, are in fact too busy with their everyday struggles to bring bread to their homes and milk to their babies.
Some grocery stores in big cities like Istanbul have recently started to sell "stale bread" for the first time. A stale loaf sells at five US cents cheaper than standard bread and has thousands of customers. There are long queues in front of municipality-run shops selling subsidized bread, a dime cheaper than the market price of bread.
Erdoğan will not be able to take advantage of this year's unfortunate deaths in Israel and Gaza.
*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.

American century’ will end when troops leave Afghanistan
Spyridon Litsas/Arab News/May 19/2021
Symbolism plays a significant role in international politics, even when it goes beyond strategic necessities. The process of lowering the Stars and Stripes from every military installment in Afghanistan is already on and will be concluded by Sept. 11. The White House decided to send the strong message that the vicious circle that the terrorists opened 20 years ago will be permanently closed, and the boys can now come back home. But where does symbolism stop and political reality start to bite again?
There are many ways to read President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan and many more repercussions to discuss. First, during Donald Trump’s presidency, the US spent a tremendous amount of the soft power clout that Barack Obama had managed to save for the state. The “Make America Great Again” slogan — so profoundly populist and so categorically simplistic in its essence, thus predominant among white, blue-collar Americans — inflicted great damage to America’s image worldwide. The harm can only be compared to that of the image of nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc, the naked Vietnamese girl pictured running naked to save herself from the Napalm bombs near Trang Bang in South Vietnam in 1972. Biden is now trying his best to rebuild the image of the “shining city on a hill,” sending the message that the US is ready to open a new chapter in its foreign policy.
However, as I have argued many times in the past, there was nothing wrong with the American decision to openly confront the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. On the contrary, it would have been almost impossible to deter the terror if Afghanistan was to be allowed to continue to function as the de facto land of dystopia, much earlier than Raqqa in Syria. The Taliban, alas, continues to exist in Afghanistan, while Al-Qaeda is making a comeback in the international arena, especially in Yemen. On top of that, Daesh continues to exist in Yemen, Libya and sub-Saharan Africa. This leads to the undeniable conclusion that the US is withdrawing from Afghanistan without having secured even a fragile peace and order there, or given the Taliban the understanding that any erratic behavior will have military repercussions.
From a strategic point of view, the Taliban’s long-standing endurance feeds its narcissistic ego — this is understood since it managed to survive the methodical military operations of the strongest armies in the world today: The US and NATO forces. The fact the Taliban regards itself as an invincible power adds to the radical metaphysics surrounding its very existence, raising serious concerns regarding the peace status in Afghanistan on Sept. 12 and beyond.
Biden is trying his best to send the message that the US is ready to open a new chapter in its foreign policy.
Some would say that Biden’s decision is a realistic one as a member of the Obamian school of thought. In my latest book, “US Foreign Policy in the Eastern Mediterranean: Power Politics and Ideology Under the Sun,” I strongly support the view that these arguments are correct. Who can doubt American sincerity regarding a post-Taliban Afghanistan when so many lives and money were spent over the years that followed 9/11? Biden will bring a halt to all this, admitting what the Soviets, the British, the French, the Greeks and the Persians came to realize throughout the centuries: You cannot conquer a region that openly rejects the conventional method of political thinking, has few urban centers, and boasts terrain that is among the most difficult any army may ever encounter.
Such a concession from the most powerful army that humanity has ever witnessed brings an official end to the so-called “American century,” which started with the US entry into the First World War. The international system has been multipolar for many decades now; however, future historians will use the day of America’s final withdrawal from Afghanistan to signal the official end of an era.
What does the future hold for Afghanistan? The omens, alas, are not good. The Afghans have to exercise efficient and operational self-help and drastically oppose the return of the Taliban in the central scene. This means that, for the first time, Afghan patriotism has to triumph over loyalty to tribes or factions. In other words, the most challenging task for Afghanistan is to explore the depths of the Westphalian system and emerge as a conventional nation state.
And what does the future hold for the rest of the international system? From the statements of the US president and his close associates, it is obvious that America will concentrate even more on a double deterrence process toward China and Russia. Antagonism will rise further. Yet, as I constantly argue in my lectures and writings, this will build on systemic stability rather than instability. After all, the international arena exists in continuous antagonistic activity, meaning that multipolar conditions come closer to what international relations theory calls “systemic anomaly.”
The end of the American century is a fact. But this does not mean that the US is not the most robust and most influential Western state in international politics. On the contrary, the rise of antagonism between the US, Russia and China will allow Washington to revive the transatlantic geostrategic goal as a valuable tool to withstand the systemic pressure and diversify, once again, its tremendous and unique hard and soft power skills. Biden is more than capable of achieving this monumental transition in the smoothest possible manner.
• Spyridon Litsas, Ph.D., is Professor of International Relations at the University of Macedonia in Greece and at the Rabdan Academy in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The best way Hezbollah can help Palestine is to stay away
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib//Arab News/May 19/2021
Late last week, Naim Qassem, the No. 2 of Hezbollah, met with representatives of Islamic Jihad and Hamas in Lebanon. Pro-Hezbollah media announced that the group expressed its support for the uprising in Palestine. On Thursday, three missiles were fired from Lebanon toward Israel but fell into the sea. Hezbollah denied any involvement. But its expression of support has rendered some Lebanese nervous. Will it mean a confrontation between Lebanon and Israel, which Lebanon badly needs to avoid? In light of the current events, an intervention by Hezbollah would not only be catastrophic for Lebanon, but would also harm the Palestinian position.
This latest Israel-Palestine confrontation is different from those of 2008 and 2014 — not because the Hamas rockets are able to break through the Iron Dome missile defense system or because Hamas has drones, but because international public opinion is starting to change. The transgressions of the Netanyahu government, driven by the settler mentality that keeps on grabbing Palestinian land and evicting people from their homes, are no longer tolerated by sections of the international community. While not long ago any criticism of Israel was labeled as anti-Semitic, today people are daring to speak out.
Israel built its support from the Western world on guilt toward the Jewish people. The West, which was unable to prevent the Nazis from slaughtering millions of Jews, felt responsible for finding the survivors a home and for protecting them. Thus, Israel was planted in the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, prompting resistance from the Palestinians and their neighbors. And Israel knew very well how to market itself as the David facing Arabs’ Goliath. There is almost an obsession in the Western consciousness about the maintenance of the state of Israel; hence the hype over its right to self-defense.
However, perceptions are starting to change. The West now feels it has given Israel enough support and allowed it to become strong. Now, faced with the belligerence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli right, the West is beginning to question whether it helped create a monster.
It was shocking to see the UK’s Guardian newspaper — on the occasion of its 200th birthday this month — admit that it was wrong to support the Balfour Declaration. In 1917, the editor C.P. Scott wrote a leader column that stated: “The existing Arab population of Palestine is small and at a low stage of civilization.” The newspaper now admits Scott’s support for Zionism “blinded him to Palestinian rights.” The expression “Palestinian rights” is new to the media and intellectual glossary. But the discourse is changing from Israel’s right to self-defense to Palestinian rights. The world is seeing how Israel has abused its sympathy and feelings of guilt to keep people under occupation and tried to pacify them through oppression.
Also, the entire narrative of Israel being under attack is no longer valid. Israel has diplomatic relations with Arab countries. The narrative on which Netanyahu rode the wave of populism states: “If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more ‎violence. If the Jews put ‎down their weapons ‎today, there would be no ‎more Israel.” But this mentality of a militarized society that is constantly under attack is no longer believed by the world. The world sees that Arab countries are not going to attack Israel and that it is Israel making people live under occupation and humiliating them day in, day out. They see the Palestinians rejecting the reality being imposed on them by their occupier.
The Palestinians are benefiting from this momentum. A group of US lawmakers last week gave speeches accusing President Joe Biden of siding with the occupation, while 150 liberal advocacy organizations issued a joint statement supporting the Palestinians in what they see as a struggle for dignity. The best way to keep the momentum is to ensure the current clashes are framed as a struggle for statehood and dignity. An intervention by Hezbollah would change this perception. Hezbollah represents Iran in all its might and Iran is today’s Goliath in the eyes of the Western world. Iran has vowed to wipe Israel off the face of the planet and its proxy Hezbollah has precision missiles that can reach into the heart of the country.
Israel needs a confrontation with Hezbollah to overshadow the Palestinian narrative and frame itself as the victim.
It could be said Israel needs a confrontation with Hezbollah to overshadow the Palestinian narrative and frame itself as the victim. This would also give Netanyahu an opportunity to justify Israel’s brutality against Gaza and garner international support. Internally, he would hype up the fear to rally the increasingly ideological population around him.
Iran and Hezbollah, if they are truly honest about supporting the Palestinian people, should leave them alone, as any intervention would destroy the moral high ground the Palestinians have developed in the eyes of the Western world. They would shift the discourse back from the Palestinians’ struggle for freedom to Israel’s right to self-defense.
*Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese NGO focused on Track II. She is also an affiliate scholar with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.

Time to end Iran’s nuclear blackmail
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/May 19/2021
Iran’s recent decision to further violate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action’s (JCPOA) uranium enrichment limit coincided with its plan to limit its nuclear inspection obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Since January, Iran has produced about 65 kg of 20 percent highly enriched uranium (HEU), which can be turned into weapons-grade quality within a few weeks. Iran is way past its pre-JCPOA enrichment stockpiles in qualitative terms, while quickly amassing further quantities. With the country capable of producing nine grams of HEU per hour, President Hassan Rouhani has boasted that Iran is capable of enriching up to 90 percent purity.
Why should the world worry that Tehran is taking all these steps in a blatant manner? Iran has significantly reduced its breakout time and is dashing toward developing a nuclear bomb.
It is telling how Iran claims that it is invincible amid multifaceted threats and crises. It recently announced its alleged ability to not only reactivate the Natanz uranium enrichment facilities soon, but also produce HEU up to 60 percent purity through two cascades of more advanced centrifuges. This morale-raising announcement reflects Iran’s national pride and the importance of its nuclear program. More than a sign of capability, the announcement is an expression of a strategic objective.
The Iranian regime’s narrative of safeguarding national sovereignty and national pride does not take into account the pain inflicted by layers of sanctions imposed on the country by the US and the UN alike. Instead of being subdued, the religious establishment doubles down by adopting an aggressive posture of defiance: The more Iran is attacked and cornered, the more resilient, reactive and aggressive it will become. The US withdrawal from the JCPOA has exposed Iran’s strategic ambitions, confirming earlier assessments about its aspirations.
In its 50-year-long history, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has not proven to be a thumping success. The IAEA safeguards failed to uncover nuclear weapon programs in Iraq, Libya and South Africa. Taiwan repeatedly dodged the world with its covert nuclear program until it was eventually caught and signed the NPT. The additional safeguard system of the IAEA was put in place to inspect and verify a range of sites and employ new sets of sampling methods, but the protocol is not mandatory. As feared in the case of Iran, an aspiring nuclear country can reach a level of threat while satisfying the IAEA’s safeguard merits. Some states, like Iran, question the preferential treatment given to certain other countries in relation to enriching and managing radioactive uranium without considering their own transparency and political commitment to non-proliferation. Tehran has admitted to having a covert nuclear program before dismantling it. Despite their technological advancements due to their vast industrial base, Japan and Sweden, for instance, have acted firmly against the pursuit of nuclear weapons.
The swift decision to raise uranium enrichment up to 60 percent is evidently similar to the track followed by North Korea while being an NPT signatory. It is a separate debate if Pyongyang acquired nuclear weapons while being an NPT signatory or after exiting the treaty. Unlike Iran, North Korea does not have an expansionist and disruptive ideology.
The other question at hand is no less important: What can Iran achieve with HEU if it does not pursue a nuclear program? The NPT does not prohibit the use of nuclear energy (through smaller reactors) in submarines and ships. Hence, Tehran can remain a member of the NPT but continue to develop sophisticated nuclear reactors and amass HEU to power its submarines and, at some stage, large battleships. The IAEA forbids any use of nuclear propulsion or energy in weapon systems beyond the realm of peaceful use, so none of Iran’s missiles can be powered by small nuclear reactors, even if Tehran is able to overcome the mammoth technological challenges that even the US, Russia and China are attempting to get the better of.
The decision to raise the bar for HEU during the Vienna talks perfectly sums up Iran’s nuclear desperation. Instead of choosing to take the moral high ground at the negotiation table, it opted to justify its “victimhood” with another massive breach of the nuclear deal — the deal the meetings are intended to amend.
It is noteworthy that US policy over the last four years, coupled with Iran’s ongoing belligerency, has created a complex quagmire for global nuclear diplomacy. Since the signing of the nuclear deal in 2015, Iran’s nuclear enrichment and development activities have continued, while the deal’s sunset provision dates are fast approaching. The US returning to the JCPOA and Iran’s full compliance will not roll back the gains Tehran has made. Hence, a tense and complicated negotiation process will ensue. In the case of Washington and Tehran sticking firmly to their respective positions, the nuclear deal will be destined for the dustbin of history. In such an eventuality, not only would Iran be capable of enriching weapons-grade uranium, but it might be just a few weeks away from actually doing so.
While there appears to be much hype among the Khomeinists for defiant policies, some people are defecting due to the regime’s high-handed oppression and irrational policies. The low-profile community of defectors continues to leak vital information, while having the courage to carry out high-risk operations, ranging from smuggling the Stuxnet virus into Natanz to stealing a tranche of secret documents and smuggling them out of the country. It is also believed that these defectors informed a foreign agency about the late Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani’s whereabouts, helped to plant a sophisticated bomb to assassinate Iran’s key nuclear scientist, and transported explosives into Natanz, the highly secure uranium enrichment facility. The most recent explosion inside Natanz was not a quick sabotage act, but was meticulously timed for the day after Iran activated its more advanced centrifuges. It does not seem far-fetched to believe that some defectors might be willing to provide enriched uranium to terrorist groups in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon or elsewhere. After all, the history of smuggling radioactive material is closely tied to Iran. When the motive is not money, it is revenge.
The decision to raise the bar for highly enriched uranium during the Vienna talks perfectly sums up Iran’s nuclear desperation.
The Vienna talks must not appease Iran for its belligerent behavior. The forum must rightfully address the elephant in the room: Iran’s destabilizing and rogue behavior in the Middle East and beyond. US President Joe Biden might be keen to shift his administration’s geopolitical focus to China, but this must not happen by acting irresponsibly in one of the world’s most strategic and economically important regions. The White House must consider the risks of a covert Iranian nuclear program; its stockpiling of HEU under the NPT umbrella; increasing Iranian knowhow in designing and developing newer centrifuges; the prospect of Tehran creating smaller reactors; and, last but not least, its long-range, high-speed and heavy payload-carrying ballistic and cruise missiles. The US returning to the JCPOA against the backdrop of such Iranian aggression would further undermine the spirit of the flawed nuclear deal, which Iran’s neighbors have not found comforting.
*Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is President of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami

The Conflict in Gaza and the Connection to Tehran and the United States
Jacob Nagel/Insight/FDD/May 19/2021
This war in Gaza began like previous rounds of fighting between Israel and Hamas, but there is a chance – or a risk – of a different ending. Like before, the conflict began because of events on a different front; Hamas attacked in an attempt to portray itself as the defender of al-Aqsa. Yet the conflict may end differently because of the magnitude of Israeli Arabs’ participation in the unrest and because other adversaries, especially Tehran and its proxies, are watching for any signs of weakness.
This is the first time the mostly dormant volcano of Israeli Arab resentment has erupted with such great intensity. The problem is familiar, but apparently its intensity was underestimated. Whereas Gaza will ultimately be cut off from the State of Israel, Israeli Arabs will remain a part of the state. Israel cannot continue ignoring this problem and sweeping it under the rug.
On one hand, Israeli Arabs must internalize that it is impossible to “hold the stick at both ends”—to be both full-fledged citizens who enjoy the privileges of Israeli democracy and a standard of living much higher than most surrounding Arab countries—and still to resort to violence and illegal behaviors that undermine the delicate fabric of life of Israeli society. On the other hand, Israeli leaders must comprehend the intensity of the problem and direct resources and attention needed to try and fix it or at least reduce its intensity. There will probably be no escape without using both carrots and sticks.
In Gaza, regrettably, there is mostly a need for sticks. Israel’s main goal is to restore and strengthen deterrence. To do so, Israel must deal Hamas and its leaders a heavy, painful, and disproportionate blow, even at the cost of temporarily harming the Israeli home front, so Hamas hesitates in the future to initiate another round of fighting. Hamas leaders must suffer extensive damage to their most important assets: government symbols and government survival, their personal property, and of course, their personal survival.
As the cabinet correctly stated, Israel is not interested in a ceasefire and is responding with a firm “no” to mediators like Egypt and Russia who want to broker an end to the fighting. Even if Israel did not want a large battle at the beginning, the situation has deteriorated. Now Israel must be the only ones to determine the pace of events and the end state, and not be dragged along at the pace Hamas tries to dictate.
While the fighting is mainly in Gaza, many eyes are on the firmness with which Israel will manage the confrontation. In Vienna, Tehran’s negotiators are pressing their compliant American counterparts for additional concessions to resume nominal compliance with the fundamentally flawed 2015 nuclear deal. Tehran and its clients in Damascus and Beirut are all examining Israeli conduct and drawing conclusions about other areas of friction that are no less important in the long run than events in Gaza. In the Gulf, the Houthis attacked the Saudis again with precision missiles. There is no doubt that Iran’s long arm is stirring the cauldron in both Yemen and Gaza, for internal and external purposes.
What Tehran and its clients are looking for are any signs of division within Israel. Therefore, the Israeli response must show, in words and actions, that when it comes to security, there is no governmental vacuum and no rift between the right, center, and left. Any adversary who thinks it can take advantage of the political situation and uncertainty must see it is greatly mistaken. This message must reach Israel’s greatest ally, the United States, and its teams conducting the discussions in Vienna, which are currently headed in the wrong direction.
There are two key Israeli assets we cannot ignore; without them the conflict would have looked completely different. The Iron Dome continues to perform in a way that astonishes its inventors and developers, intercepting over 90 percent of the threats. True, the system is not hermetic, and is it true that if there were more systems and launchers, the layout would have been better, but imagine what would have happened without it. Each confrontation underscores again that this is a critical asset for the State of Israel and not a burden, as some of its opponents try to argue. In addition, the current confrontation presents a new asset, even if it cannot supply beautiful photographs, which is the underground barrier in Gaza. For the first time it proves its effectiveness at completely neutralizing one of Hamas’ important weapons, the offensive tunnels.
As with almost every technological development, in both cases these systems were built against heavy resistance, thanks to the relentless determination of a few individuals. These systems give the political (and military) echelons the time they need to make the right decisions at the right time.
When discussing the possibility of ground entry, I would recommend that the Israel Defense Forces prepare for it in case there is no other choice, but not rush into it, making the decision based on “thinking before acting,” making sure to set definite goals, and especially an end point, before starting any move.
The United States can play an important role in bringing the current round of fighting to a close under conditions that help Israel restore deterrence. To do this, the current administration needs to fundamentally change its point of view and choose the right path, and not proceed as it has in Vienna.
*Jacob Nagel is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) and Iran Program. Jacob is also a visiting professor at the Technion Aerospace Faculty and previously served as acting national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and as head of Israel’s National Security Council. For more analysis from Jacob, CMPP, and the Iran Program, please subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD and @FDD_CMPP and @FDD_Iran. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.

Le conflit israélo-palestinien au croisement d’un double déni
Charles Elias Chartouni/May 20/2021
شارل الياس شرتوني/النزاع العربي-الإسرائيلي على تقاطع انكارين
"La justice délivre de la mort", Livre des Proverbes,10:2
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/98991/charles-elias-chartouni-le-conflit-israelo-palestinien-au-croisement-dun-double-deni-%d8%b4%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84/
La reprise des affrontements entre israéliens et palestiniens et les relents nihilistes d’une violence sans fin, nous ramènent aux non-dits d’un conflit qui a longuement buté sur des dénis, et un héritage lourd de méconnaissance mutuelle qui ont ruiné les chances d’un règlement négocié tout au long des sept décennies (1948-2021): le droit respectif à l’existence nationale. Ce legs a pourtant été précédé par des négociations entre le Yishuv (Communautés juives proto-nationales) et les communautés proto-nationales en milieu arabe, des conflits alternés qui ont mené à la guerre de 1948, la proclamation de l’État d’Israël, et la résolution 181 des Nations Unies ( 29 Novembre 1947) qui ratifiait le partage des territoires ( 56/100 au Yishuv, 44/ 100 aux palestiniens) et entérinait la reconnaissance de deux États, sans pour autant enrayer les conséquences délétères des remaniements démographiques induits par la guerre, et l’émergence du problème des réfugiés palestiniens dans les États avoisinants (Jordanie, Liban, Syrie, Égypte). Ce conflit originaire finira par sceller l’émergence de deux nationalismes concurrents qui s’articulent sur des exclusions mutuelles et des anathèmes hypostasiés en crédos politique et idéologique.
La guerre de 1967 et ses relents messianiques du côté israélien, doublée de l’ostracisme idéologique du côté palestinien et de l’émergence du mouvement national palestinien opérant à partir des territoires mitoyens (Jordanie, liban, Syrie, Égypte), les lignes de démarcation de la guerre froide internationale et arabe, et l’action terroriste déterritorialisée menée de concert avec les mouvances extrémistes de la gauche marxiste, ont fini par créer le terreau à des conflits aux intrications multiples. Les échecs alternés en Jordanie et au Liban, les négociations souterraines entre Israël et l’OLP, les effets inducteurs des négociations du Camp David (1978-1979) qui ont scellé le premier traité de paix entre les pays arabes et Israël, ont pavé la voie à un réalisme politique dans les deux sens, et au renoncement à la violence comme unique recours. Les accords de Madrid et d’Oslo (1991-1993) ont mis fin, pour la première fois, à la logique de la méconnaissance mutuelle, aux anathèmes idéologiques, et inauguré une nouvelle dynamique basée sur la solution des deux États et d’un espace économique intégré, qui devrait déboucher sur une normalisation des rapports entre les deux peuples, la dé-construction des mythologies exclusivistes et meurtrières, et la mise en œuvre de stratégies de développement concerté.
Cette dynamique a été mise à mal et discréditée par les louvoiements de l’autorité palestinienne, l’assassinat d’Itzhak Rabin par la droite nationaliste extrémiste qui rejetait le plan projeté de normalisation, la succession des "intifadas" et la résurgence des islamismes palestiniens comme force de contestation ont remis en question la représentativité de l’OLP et le processus politique auquel elle est associée. Cette dynamique inédite dans l’histoire du conflit, a fini par être relayée par une contre-dynamique annexionniste impulsée par la droite nationaliste en Israël, et un nationalisme résolument islamiste qui s’inscrit dans une logique nihiliste s’inspirant de l’islamisme meurtrier de la Qaida et de DAECH. À cela s’ajoutait l’éclipse dramatique des courants de la paix en Israël, la mise en place d’un projet d’État unitaire (statut national univoque et conditions équivoques de citoyenneté commune) du côté israélien, et la régénération du récit négationniste du côté palestinien ( pas de paix, pas de négociation, pas de reconnaissance), doublées d’une démarche politique dé-contextualisée et unilatérale en Israël, et d’une politique de subversion pilotée par les islamistes palestiniens sous la houlette de l’Iran. Le projet de la "paix abrahamique" aurait pu offrir des chances réelles s’il avait réussi à associer l’autorité palestinienne à la mise au point de cette dynamique, et la relance du règlement sur la base des deux États. Les intentions sournoises qui sous-tendent, de part et d’autre, la solution de l’État unitaire sont de mauvais augure et laissent présager la perpétuation des dénis et leurs verrouillages croisés.
Cette omission délibérée a fini par entamer la crédibilité de l’Autorité Palestinienne, nourrir les ressentiments des arabes israéliens, créer le terreau de contestation nécessaire à l’islamisme palestinien, et promouvoir la politique de sabotage iranienne. les querelles autour de Jérusalem ( 536000 juifs, 319.800, musulmans, 15.800 chrétiens, 10.300 non classifiés) ne remontent pas à hier, tant au niveau de la symbolique religieuse, que des querelles de circonscriptions ou de titulatures. La surdétermination symbolique des conflits en cours témoigne de la pérennité des conflits historiques, du retour du refoulé, de la méfiance et du rejet qui sapent toute démarche irénique. Le retour de la médiation américaine sur la base de l’accord abrahamique révisée en amont, est incontournable afin de redonner aux négociations des assises réelles, mettre fin aux politiques du fait accompli, court-circuiter les politiques iraniennes de sabotage et leurs consorts, casser les plateformes idéologique et opérationnelle du Hamas, et redonner voix aux courants modérés en vue de relancer les négociations sur la base des deux États et des espaces économiques intégrés. La guerre en cours s’inscrit dans le sillage des apories de l’accord abrahamique, des conflits ouverts entre l’OLP et Hamas illustrés par la suspension des élections nationales palestiniennes, les conflits de pouvoir, et les différends stratégiques à maints égards (paix avec Israël, instrumentalisation de l’autonomie nationale palestinienne, et nommément le rapport actuel à l’Iran); les difficultés de formation de coalitions gouvernementales stables en Israël répercutent des enjeux statutaires se rapportant à la nature de l’État, de la cohésion nationale et des enjeux stratégiques actuels. La politique de sabordage de l’Iran sert de relais à sa politique de déstabilisation régionale, et donne lieu à une politique de rétorsion ferme qui peut, éventuellement, déboucher sur la destruction de la plateforme opérationnelle du Hamas et ses conséquences humanitaires tragiques causées par l’exiguïté du territoire et ses insuffisances structurelles à tous égards, et remanier la donne politique israélienne au profit de Benjamin Netanyahu.
Le discours meurtrier du Hamas n’est qu’une des variantes du terrorisme islamiste, et de l’instrumentalisation continue de la question palestinienne par les politiques de puissance arabe et islamique, et les délires messianiques de la droite nationaliste en Israël, sont loin de pouvoir créer les conditions d’une solution réaliste, durable et équitable. L’illusion d’une solution militaire (les missiles du Hamas et du Hezbollah), et les projections d’une guerre civile en Israël, ne sont que des élucubrations que la population de Gaza et les palestiniens n’ont cessé de payer au prix fort, alors que les israéliens ne peuvent, sous aucun rapport, avaliser des atteintes à leur sécurité nationale. Il faudrait se saisir de cette dérive et se dessaisir de ses déraillements imaginaires, et relancer les négociations de la paix. Le discours de la haine à l’endroit du juif et de l’État d’Israël n’a rien d’éthique, de rationnel, ou de réaliste comme le supputent la gauche antisémite, les nationalistes arabe et syrien de jadis, et les islamistes d’aujourd’hui. Sinon, la droite nationaliste en Israël gagnerait à se déprendre des mythes politico-religieux, se situer dans un temps réel, et reprendre, à son propre compte, les exigences éthiques de la justice biblique(Tsedeq). Ce n’est qu’au prix d’une telle réconciliation avec la réalité et d’une conversion éthique, qu’on viendrait à bout de la violence mimétique et des malheurs qui en découlent.