English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  September 09/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16/24-28/:”Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? ‘For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

”Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 08-092021
Ministry of Health: 1008 new cases, 15 dead
Report: Govt. Almost Formed before Bassil Torpedoed It
Berri Says Won’t Participate in New Govt. if Miqati Concedes to Aoun
Govt. Formation Talks Still Revolving around Three Obstacles
Egypt, Jordan and Syria Agree Energy Plan for Lebanon
Egypt to deliver gas to Lebanon via Jordan, Syria
Arab neighbours agree energy plan for Lebanon

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 08-092021
Blinken warns US getting ‘closer’ to giving up on Iran nuclear deal
Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon, should return to JCPOA talks: US official
Iran warns West of IAEA move, US says time running out to save JCPOA deal
US to discuss ‘diplomacy with Iran’ in Moscow, Paris talks
EU Warns Taliban Govt Not 'Inclusive and Representative'
Qatar manoeuvres over Afghanistan in effort to impress Biden
Armenia Says Ready for Talks with Turkey on Mending Ties
Differences remain as Egypt ends new round of talks with Turkey
Moroccans head to ballot boxes as elections get underway
Tunisian president warns Ennahda against infiltrating state bodies
EU wants to ‘do more’ to help with Libya elections
Perilous Hamas game could drag Gaza into yet another fight
Israel Arrests Family Members of Palestinian Jail Escapees
Russian Minister Dies Trying to Save Man During Arctic Drills
Syria Regime Forces Enter Daraa Under Truce

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on September 08-092021
Why Israel’s transfer to US Central Command could help deter Iran/Bradley Bowman/Behnam Ben Taleblu/FDD/September 08/2021
After twenty 9/11 anniversaries, the sleeping giant nods off again/Clifford D. May/Wasjington Times/September 08/2021
The Armenian Genocide: Past, Present, and Future?/Raymond Ibrahim/September 08/2021
Palestinians: Why Biden's Aid Will Not Bring Peace/Khaled Abu Toameh/ Gatestone Institute/September 08/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 08-092021
Ministry of Health: 1008 new cases, 15 dead
NNA /September 08/2021
The Ministry of Public Health announced 1008 new coronavirus infection cases, raising the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 610,197.
15 deaths have been recorded.

Report: Govt. Almost Formed before Bassil Torpedoed It
Naharnet/September 08/2021
sed to visit Baabda at 6pm Monday to meet President Michel Aoun and issue the decrees of the new government, but the formation process returned to square one after Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil torpedoed it, an informed political source said. “Bassil insisted on the re-distribution of some portfolios to sects and demanded the replacement of others with ones loyal to Aoun,” the source told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Wednesday. The source also revealed that Miqati had visit Speaker Nabih Berri as part of “the preparations for the announcement of the new government’s line-up, which was agreed on with Aoun through Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim.”“Berri called for issuing the line-up in tribute to the late Higher Islamic Shiite Council chief Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan, who was buried yesterday,” the source added. “Miqati practiced the highest levels of patience and did not react to the eleventh-hour setback caused by Bassil’s insistence,” the source went on to say, noting that the PM-designate heeded the desire of French President Emmanuel Macron’s presidential advisor Patrick Durrell. The source added that Bassil torpedoed the line-up in an attempt to “reshuffle the cards on the hope of securing the blocking one-third for his political camp.”“He rejected giving the economy portfolios to Sunnis and opposed consensus over the name of Hiyam Mallat for the justice portfolio instead of Judge Henri Khoury,” the source went on to say, adding that Bassil also wanted the deputy PM post to be part of his share and called for giving the Shiite community agriculture instead of tourism.

Berri Says Won’t Participate in New Govt. if Miqati Concedes to Aoun
Naharnet/September 08/2021
Sources have ruled out the possibility of Prime Minsiter-designate Najib Miqati stepping down in case an agreement isn’t reached. They told al-Akhbar newspaper, in remarks published Wednesday, that “the French and the Americans don’t want Miqati to step down,” and that “he can’t take this decision on his own.”The sources added that Speaker Nabih Berri is also urging Miqati to proceed with the consultations. “Berri warned Miqati against giving (President Michel) Aoun and (FPM chief Jebran) Bassil what they want, or else his party will not participate in the new government,” a position that al-Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh has also conveyed to Miqati, the sources said.

Govt. Formation Talks Still Revolving around Three Obstacles
Naharnet/September 08/2021
An agreement on the formation of the new government has not yet been reached but the negotiations are still ongoing, a media report said on Wednesday. According to al-Joumhouria newspaper, the discussions are still revolving around three obstacles, the first of which is the economy portfolio, which PM-designate Najib Miqati wants it to be part of the "Sunni share." "The second obstacle is related to the naming of the two Christian ministers, especially that Miqati proposed new names in the latest line-up that was carried by Maj. Gen. (Abbas) Ibrahim to the Baabda Palace on Monday," the daily said.
It identified the two candidates as Beirut Municipality member Antoine Siryani and Suleiman Obeid, the son of late minister Jean Obeid, noting that the latter was rejected by Aoun. "Ibrahim had asked the President to give a last stance on the new line-up to inform Miqati of it, but Aoun asked for more time to study it," al-Joumhouria said. The third obstacle, which is being discussed with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil, is the issue of the FPM bloc granting its vote of confidence to the new government, which Miqati is demanding in return for giving the President the number of ministers that he is asking for, the daily added.

Egypt, Jordan and Syria Agree Energy Plan for Lebanon
Agence France Presse/September 08/2021
Energy ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon on Wednesday agreed a plan to bring gas and electricity to crisis-hit Lebanon at a meeting in Amman. Egypt's minister for oil and mines Tarek al-Molla said that his country would "be ready to transfer gas (to Lebanon) as soon as possible" via the transnational Arab Gas Pipeline. But damage to the pipeline and electricity lines during the decade of civil war in Syria means that energy supplies cannot start flowing before repairs are carried out. Caretaker Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar said the country needed "600 million cubic meters (21 billion cubic feet) of gas to provide 450 megawatts of electricity" Lebanon is also "working with the World Bank to ensure the financial resources needed to pay for energy imports from Egypt," Ghajar said Syrian minister Bassam Tohme confirmed from his side that Syria will ensure the transfer of Egyptian gas to Lebanon. The gas pipeline linking Jordan and Syria was hit in August 2020 in a blast dubbed a "terrorist act" by Damascus. Meanwhile "it will take several months to repair the damaged electric lines in Syria," Jordan's Energy Minister Hala Zawati said. Zawati added that the infrastructure is "almost ready, but there are still repairs" to do. A top level Lebanese delegation went to Damascus on Saturday to strike a deal to import gas from Egypt and electricity from Jordan using Syrian infrastructure. In the push to help revive the stricken Lebanese economy, the U.S. has given rare approval for the Arab neighbors to escape punishment under sanctions targeting the Syrian regime. The U.S. approval came after Hizbullah announced last month that Iran would begin sending fuel to Lebanon. Fuel and power shortages are one of the most acute symptoms of Lebanon's economic collapse, paralyzing the economy and vital services like hospitals. The World Bank has labelled Lebanon's situation the worst economic crash since the mid-19th century.

Egypt to deliver gas to Lebanon via Jordan, Syria
NNA /September 08/2021
A four-way ministerial meeting of the Arab Gas Pipeline countries (Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon) resulted in an agreement to deliver Egyptian natural gas to Lebanon via Jordan and Syria, and an action plan and timetable for its implementation.
The meeting, hosted by Jordan on Wednesday, brought together the Kingdom's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Hala Zawati, Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El-Molla, Syria's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Bassam Tohme and Lebanon's Minister of Energy and Water, Raymond Ghajar. Zawati told reporters that the meeting mainly aimed to cooperate in the field of re-exporting Egyptian natural gas to the Lebanon using the Arab Gas Pipeline via Jordan and Syria. Jordan, under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II, will exert every possible effort to help the Lebanese people overcome the ongoing energy crisis, she underlined. She stated that the meeting stems from the belief that cooperation between the Arab Gas Pipeline countries will be an effective and influential step in supporting strategic projects and promoting common interests, which would reflect positively on economic and social development in these countries.
On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, Zawati said that several technical meetings were held to discuss the infrastructure needed to deliver the gas across each country and the necessary technical requirements, agreeing ultimately to form a team to devise a clear action plan and a timetable for the delivery of gas to Lebanon within a specific timeframe to be submitted for the approval of the parties involved.
El-Molla said that Egypt is working under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to leverage all the capacities to offer assistance to the brotherly Lebanese people and join hands with them to overcome the energy crisis and the challenges the country is facing.
Egypt, he underlined, is working swiftly to coordinate the delivery of gas to Lebanon through Jordan and Syria, stemming from its commitment to alleviating the burdens of the Lebanese people and contributing to Lebanon's support and stability.
For his part, Tohme said that the Arab Gas Pipeline project is one of the most important joint Arab cooperation projects, which was started in 2003.
"Under the directives of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to help Lebanese people overcome the difficulties they are facing in the field of energy, we will exert every possible effort for the success of the transport of Egyptian gas or Jordanian electricity to Lebanon for the good and interest of our brotherly Arab countries," said Tohme.
The Syrian minister underlined that the implementation of the action plan "will be monitored through technical meetings within the Syrian territory, so that the infrastructure is entirely ready to receive Egyptian gas and deliver it to Lebanon".
Lebanon's Minister of Energy and Water, Raymond Ghajar voiced his gratitude to Jordan, Egypt and Syria for the initiative they took to reanimate the quadripartite gas agreement. He stressed that the initiative could not have taken place without the cooperation of the four countries, and in close coordination with the World Bank during this difficult time that Lebanon is experiencing, to secure a financial cover to sign the agreement.
This cooperation, he added, will lead to the reanimation of another agreement; purchasing electrical energy from Jordan, which may be done at lower prices compared to the prices of power generation in Lebanon.
He voiced hope that the technical team will draw up the plan quickly so that Lebanon can benefit from the Egyptian gas to feed the Deir Ammar plant, which has a capacity of about 450 megawatts, providing more than 4 hours of energy supply for Lebanese citizens.
The ministers underscored that each country will bear the cost of repairing the network within its territory, adding that: "Within three weeks, we will be ready to review the agreements and evaluate the infrastructure."
Noteworthy, the Arab Gas Pipeline was implemented in three phases, the first phase from Al-Arish to Aqaba, with a length of 265 km and a diameter of 36 inches, with a capacity of 10 billion m3 per year. The supply of natural gas from Egypt to Jordan began during this phase on July 27, 2003.
The second phase began from Aqaba to the Rehab area in northern Jordan with a length of 393 km. The supply of gas to power plants in the north of the Kingdom began in February 2006. It was completed from Rehab to the Jordanian-Syrian border with a 30-km length and 36 inches in diameter in March of 2008. In July 2008, the southern part of the third phase of the Arab Gas Pipeline was implemented inside Syrian territory, extending from the Jordanian-Syrian border to the city of Homs, with a 320-km length and a 36-inch diameter. In November 2009, the export of Egyptian gas to Lebanon via Jordan was began until it was halted in 2011. On the export of Jordanian electricity to Lebanon, Minister Zawati said that another meeting will be held soon to set an action plan for preparing agreements and evaluating the infrastructure. – Jordan News Agency (Petra)

Arab neighbours agree energy plan for Lebanon
The Arab Weekly/September 08/2021
AMMAN--Energy ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon on Wednesday agreed a plan to bring gas and electricity to crisis-hit Lebanon at a meeting in Amman. Egypt’s minister for oil and mines Tarek al-Molla said that his country would “be ready to transfer gas (to Lebanon) as soon as possible” via the transnational Arab Gas Pipeline. But damage to the pipeline and electricity lines during the decade of civil war in Syria means that energy supplies cannot start flowing before repairs are carried out. “We have put a roadmap with the ministers so that within the coming few weeks we can ensure that everything is ready so that we can after this review begin pumping gas at the earliest opportunity,” Molla said. In the push to help revive the stricken Lebanese economy, the US has given rare approval for the Arab neighbours to escape punishment under sanctions targeting the Syrian regime. Fuel and power shortages are one of the most acute symptoms of Lebanon’s economic collapse, paralysing the economy and vital services like hospitals. The World Bank has labelled Lebanon’s situation the worst economic crash since the mid-19th century. On Wednesday, Lebanese Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar said the country needed “600 million cubic metres (21 billion cubic feet) of gas to provide 450 megawatts of electricity.” “In future there is the possibility of importing electricity from Jordan also through Syria after repairs to areas damaged by war,” he added. The gas pipeline linking Jordan and Syria was hit in August 2020 in a blast dubbed a “terrorist act” by Damascus. Meanwhile “it will take several months to repair the damaged electric lines in Syria,” Jordan’s Energy Minister Hala Zawati said. Zawati added that the infrastructure is “almost ready, but there are still repairs” to do. Lebanon is also “working with the World Bank to ensure the financial resources needed to pay for energy imports from Egypt,” Ghajar said. The US has said it is in talks with Egypt, Jordan and the World Bank to help find solutions to the crisis. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, designated a terrorist group by the United States, has meanwhile announced that it is bringing fuel oil from Iran to ease the crisis. The Lebanese presidency said last month Washington had decided to help with a plan providing Egyptian gas to Jordan for generation into electricity to be transmitted to Lebanon via Syria, as well as to facilitate the transfer of natural gas to Lebanon. The United States has imposed tough sanctions on the Syrian government. On a Beirut visit last week, US Senator Chris Van Hollen said ways were being looked at to address the complication despite the sanctions. Lebanon’s state-owned power company is generating minimal amounts of power, leaving businesses and households almost entirely dependent on small, privately-owned generators. Industry experts put Lebanon’s peak power demand at 3,500 MW.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 08-092021
Blinken warns US getting ‘closer’ to giving up on Iran nuclear deal
AFP/September 08, 2021
RAMSTEIN, Germany: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Wednesday that time was running out for Iran to return to a nuclear deal after a scathing report by the UN atomic watchdog. "I'm not going to put a date on it but we are getting closer to the point at which a strict return to compliance with the JCPOA does not reproduce the benefits that that agreement achieved," Blinken told reporters in Germany, referring to the deal by its acronym. The IAEA released a strongly-worded report Tuesday saying monitoring tasks in Iran have been "seriously undermined" after Tehran suspended some of the UN agency's inspections of its nuclear activities. Germany also said Tehran's suggestion that talks aimed at reviving the stalled deal were unlikely to resume for two to three months was "far too long," Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. The German minister said he had telephoned his new counterpart in Tehran to get him to "return more swiftly to the negotiating table". Nevertheless, Maas said Berlin still expects the new Iranian government to continue to support results from negotiations that had taken place so far. Ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi became Iran's president in early August, taking over from moderate Hassan Rouhani, the principal architect on the Iranian side of the 2015 agreement. The 2015 deal offered Iran an easing of Western and UN sanctions in return for tight controls on its nuclear programme, monitored by the UN. In retaliation for Trump's withdrawal three years ago and his subsequent imposition of swingeing sanctions, Iran in effect abandoned most of its commitments under the deal. But Trump's successor President Joe Biden wants to bring Washington back into the agreement.

Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon, should return to JCPOA talks: US official
Joseph Haboush & Nadia Bilbassy-Charters, Al Arabiya English/08 September /2021
A senior US official said Wednesday that Tehran would never get a nuclear weapon regardless of the outcome of talks on the Iran nuclear deal. The warning came shortly after the top US diplomat, Antony Blinken, said the time for reaching a deal on the now-defunct Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was closing. And President Joe Biden has said that the US prefers diplomacy with Iran. Asked what the options were if diplomacy failed, a senior State Department official refused to speculate. “But I will just reiterate … that the Biden administration and the president himself [have been] very, very, very clear that we are not going to let Iran obtain a nuclear weapon. And I think all of our partners in the region agree with that point,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Joey Hood. Nevertheless, the US diplomat said Washington would continue to try to use diplomacy as a tool of first resort. “But the secretary [Blinken] pointed out that that window is not open forever. We need to get back to negotiations; we need to get back to the JCPOA,” Hood told Al Arabiya. “The more that the Iranians make progress on their nuclear program, the less benefit there is to going back to the JCPOA. So, both sides need to act now. And we’re ready,” he added. The UN atomic watchdog criticized Iran on Tuesday for its lack of cooperation. Hood also hit out at Iranian officials for what’s been seen by some officials as brinksmanship. Iran has said it would not move forward with the indirect talks being held in Vienna until the US lifted all economic sanctions. Asked if this meant there would not be a seventh round of talks in Vienna, Hood said: “I think [it’s] a waste of time to sit and talk about it in the media. They [Iran] need to get back to Vienna, get back to the negotiating table, and talk about both sides reentering the JCPOA and keeping up our commitments.”

Iran warns West of IAEA move, US says time running out to save JCPOA deal
Reuters/ 08 September ,2021
Iran’s president on Wednesday warned Western states against rebuking Tehran at the UN atomic watchdog after its latest reports criticized his country, while the top US diplomat said time was running out to revive a nuclear deal with world powers.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said in reports to member states reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday that there had been no progress on two central issues: explaining uranium traces found at several old, undeclared sites and getting urgent access to some monitoring equipment so that the IAEA can continue to keep track of parts of Iran’s nuclear program. “In the event of a counterproductive approach at the IAEA, it would not make sense to expect Iran to react constructively. Counterproductive measures are naturally disruptive to the negotiation path also,” President Ebrahim Raisi said in a phone call with European Council President Charles Michel, according to Iranian state media. Tuesday’s criticism by the IAEA means the US and its European allies must now decide whether to push for a resolution at next week’s meeting of the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors pressuring Iran to yield. In 2018 then-President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 deal, under which Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions. The Islamic Republic responded to the Trump administration’s withdrawal and reimposition of sanctions by violating many of those restrictions.
Time running short
Indirect talks between US President Joe Biden’s administration and Iran on how both countries could return to compliance with the deal have not resumed since Raisi, an anti-Western hardliner, took office on Aug. 5. France and Germany have called on Iran to return soon https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-says-nuclear-talks-progressing-some-issues-need-more-discussion-2021-06-20 and Raisi has said Tehran is prepared to but not under Western “pressure”. A resolution could make resuming talks on the deal harder, since Tehran usually bristles at such moves. Speaking in Germany, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said time was running out for Iran to return to that accord. “I’m not going to put a date on it but we are getting closer to the point at which a strict return to compliance with the JCPOA (nuclear deal) does not reproduce the benefits that agreement achieved.” Western diplomats have said that a decision on how to respond to the IAEA reports has yet to be reached. “We find ourselves at a moment of discussing with all our partners in the agreement how to react to this,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said alongside Blinken. Senior diplomats from France, Britain and Germany will meet on Friday in Paris with the US envoy on Iran to discuss the matter.

US to discuss ‘diplomacy with Iran’ in Moscow, Paris talks
The Arab Weekly/September 08/2021
WASHINGTON--US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley will visit Moscow and Paris this week for talks with Russian and European officials on Iran’s nuclear programme, the State Department said in a statement on Tuesday. The talks will cover “Iran’s nuclear programme and the need to quickly reach and implement an understanding on a mutual return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” it said, referring to Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with major powers.
Former President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal, under which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions. Tehran responded to the reimposition of US sanctions by violating many of the limits. Indirect talks on reviving the deal last took place on June 20. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US official said Malley was expected to meet Russian officials in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday and British, French, German and European Union officials in Paris on Friday. The official suggested the talks would not focus on next week’s meeting of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The UN nuclear watchdog criticised Iran for stonewalling an investigation into past activities and jeopardising important monitoring work, possibly complicating efforts to resume talks on the Iran nuclear agreement. Tehran maintains its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. “The focus of our meeting will be on nuclear diplomacy with Iran and where we go from here,” said the US official, saying Washington still does not know when talks on reviving the deal might resume while Iran’s nuclear programme continues to advance. “We are also discussing what our approach would be if and when we conclude that Iran is not interested in a return (to the deal)” or envisages a return on terms Washington would not accept. “We have to consider what those alternatives would be.” While noting the trip does not include visiting China, the official said, “We are in touch with our Chinese colleagues.” Indirect talks between the US and Iran on both countries returning to compliance had stopped while Iran’s hardline President Ebrahim Raisi took office. France and Germany have called on Iran to return soon and Raisi has said Tehran is prepared to but not under Western “pressure.”
In two reports to UN member states on Tuesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that there had been no progress on two central issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme: explaining uranium traces found at several old, undeclared sites and getting urgent access to some monitoring equipment so that the agency can continue to keep track of parts of Iran’s nuclear programme. While the investigation into the uranium traces has been going on for more than a year, diplomats say the IAEA urgently needs access to the equipment to swap out memory cards so there are no gaps in its observation of activities like the production of parts for centrifuges, machines that enrich uranium. Without such monitoring and so-called continuity of knowledge, Iran could produce and hide unknown quantities of this equipment that can be used to make weapons or reactor fuel. “The Agency’s confidence that it can maintain continuity of knowledge is declining over time and has now significantly further declined,” one of the two reports said, adding that while the agency needs to access the equipment every three months, it had not had access since May 25.
“This confidence will continue to decline unless the situation is immediately rectified by Iran.”A senior diplomat said the agency’s confidence that the equipment is still working properly declines rapidly after three months and while the memory cards should keep working for slightly longer, inspectors will need access soon. ‘Without further delay’ Tuesday’s criticism by the IAEA means the United States and its European allies must now decide whether to push for a resolution at next week’s meeting of the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors pressuring Iran to yield. A resolution could also make resuming talks on the deal harder, since Tehran usually bristles at such moves. “The Director General is increasingly concerned that even after some two years the safeguards issues outlined above in relation to the four locations in Iran not declared to the Agency remain unresolved,” the second of the reports said. It said Iran must resolve outstanding issues relating to the sites, which include questions about a fourth location the IAEA has not inspected, “without further delay.” The report suggested an apparent attack in June on a workshop producing centrifuge components at the TESA Karaj complex was worse than Iran has admitted. Iran has called it attempted sabotage by Israel, saying there was minor damage to the building but none to equipment. The first IAEA report said that of four IAEA surveillance cameras installed at the workshop, one was destroyed and another severely damaged. Iran said it removed them before showing them to IAEA inspectors last Saturday. The destroyed camera’s “data storage medium and the recording unit” were, however, not among the items presented by Iran, the report said, adding that the IAEA asked Iran on Monday to locate them and explain.

EU Warns Taliban Govt Not 'Inclusive and Representative'
Agence France Presse/September 08/2021
The European Union on Wednesday said the "caretaker" government unveiled by the Taliban in Afghanistan failed to honor vows from the new rulers to include different groups. "Upon initial analysis of the names announced, it does not look like the inclusive and representative formation in terms of the rich ethnic and religious diversity of Afghanistan we hoped to see and that the Taliban were promising over the past weeks," an EU spokesperson said. The EU's 27 nations have set out five conditions for increasing their engagement with the Taliban -- including the formation of an "inclusive and representative" transitional government. The spokesperson for the bloc said that "such inclusivity and representation is expected in the composition of a future transitional government, and as result of negotiations". The Taliban on Tuesday announced a hardline caretaker government which has no women or non-Taliban members and includes key figures who are under United Nations sanctions or wanted by the United States on terrorism accusations. Foreign ministers from 20 nations are to hold talks on Wednesday led by the top diplomats from the U.S. and Germany that could deal with how to approach the new administration. The West has been scrambling to work out a way forward on Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in the wake of the U.S.-led withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.

Qatar manoeuvres over Afghanistan in effort to impress Biden
The Arab Weekly/September 08/2021
A Qatari push to tame the Taliban movement in Afghanistan and bring its leaders to the negotiating table with western countries, particularly the United States, is increasingly viewed with suspicion. Doha, experts say, wants to impress US President Joe Biden with its ability to play a role on the regional level, month after Washington dealt coldly with all the offers made by Qatar to leverage its relationship with the White House. Qatar, which had expected Biden to follow in the footsteps of former President Barack Obama in betting on its role to pacify Islamists, was reportedly shocked when the US president ignored the offers it made via some American advisers. The emirate, which knows that any provocation of Washington will not be helpful and may yield counterproductive results, is now opting to grabbing Biden’s attention and impressing the US president with acrobatic manoeuvres when it comes to the Afghan issue that the Americans want to resolve. After the longest war in its history, the US is now criticised for its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, especially after the shocking fall of the government President Ashraf Ghani and Washington’s plea for help to evacuate Americans and Afghan collaborators. Qatar is aware that the US may lose patience with Doha’s attempts to persuade the Taliban to come to the negotiating table and abandon their plans of ruling in a narrow theocratic way. Washington, in this regard, may have other options, according to experts.
This realisation has pushed the Qataris to intensify their efforts, proposing a number of incentives to the Taliban, including an offer to rehabilitate Afghanistan’s International Airport in Kabul and help with the resumption of flights. Such an offer would allow the Taliban to open to the world and obtain key humanitarian assistance, which could relieve the movement of many burdens. Experts, however, ruled out that Qatar might officially recognise the Taliban as the legitimate ruler of Afghanistan, in the absence of a US green light. Sami Hamdi, editor-in-chief of The National Interest, a global risk and intelligence company, said Qatar is working on this very delicate balance, telling the Taliban, “I’m on your side, I’m your ally and I can help you talk to the Americans.” Hamdi added, in an interview with the Arab Digest, that when the Taliban will ask for an official recognition, Qatar would say, “No, no, wait, I want to see first what Biden wants before I do that,” and the same is true for Turkey and Pakistan. Qatar had already said that the Taliban have demonstrated “pragmatism” and that they should be judged on their actions as the undisputed rulers of Afghanistan, but Doha has stopped short of announcing formal recognition of the Islamists. “They have shown a great deal of pragmatism. Let’s seize the opportunities there … and look at their public actions,” Qatari Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah al-Khater told Agence France-Presse in an exclusive interview late Monday.
“They are the de facto rulers, no question about that,” Khater added, before the Taliban unveiled their hardline interim government.
Taliban’s government
The Taliban named an acting government headed by Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund on Tuesday but have yet to receive formal recognition from any United Nations member state, including Qatar. But Khater, Qatar’s spokeswoman on the world stage, noted “some good gestures” from the new Taliban rulers of Afghanistan. “The very fact many evacuees were able to leave Kabul, including many female students, is a showcase, because without their cooperation, it would not have been possible,” she said. Qatari recognition of the Taliban would not come immediately, Khater said. “We don’t rush to a recognition. But we don’t completely disengage with the Taliban … we take the middle way.” The US meanwhile said on Tuesday that it was “concerned” about the government unveiled by the Taliban earlier in the day, noting it was comprised solely of Taliban members and did not include any women. A State Department spokesman noted that it was a “caretaker” government and said “we will judge the Taliban by its actions, not words.”
Qatar in the spotlight
Khater said that since returning to power, the Taliban had largely left Afghan health authorities, including female medics, free to continue their coronavirus response. Calls from Western countries and NGOs for the group to respect the rights of women and minorities have mounted in the days since their shock August 15 takeover of Kabul. “Afghanistan is a sovereign country … the people of Afghanistan should have their own say,” said Khater. “When we talk about Afghanistan being responsive to the international community, it does not mean that the international community can or should control the fate of the people of Afghanistan.” Qatar, a US ally which has emerged as a key player both in evacuations and diplomacy on Afghanistan, is host to the largest US airbase in the region. Nearly half of the more than 120,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan have transited through Qatar, which is also working on the ground to allow Kabul airport, barely operational following Washington’s withdrawal, to reopen. It was the deal struck between former president Donald Trump’s administration and the Taliban in Doha in February last year that set the course for Washington’s chaotic withdrawal and the militants’ subsequent takeover. On and off talks between the Afghan government and Taliban in Doha that followed the deal failed to deliver a workable blueprint for an inclusive government.
Suspicions linger
Asked if Qatar’s actions had contributed to the Taliban’s re-emergence, Khater said: “Don’t kill the messenger.” “Qatar has been the messenger … we have been facilitating,” she added. Qatar has been thrust into the international spotlight after enabling one of history’s largest airlifts in response to the takeover. Khater largely oversaw Doha’s evacuation operations and even received some refugees in person. On a two-day visit to Doha, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced appreciation to Qatar’s ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in a public relations coup for the country. Visits from a procession of top ministers and envoys, rounded off by Blinken, capped a whirlwind week of diplomacy on the world stage for Doha. “Many people were questioning our mediation and approach, but now I think we are putting this to a real test and the entire world is looking at us to help and facilitate in this mediation,” Khater said. “If (the Taliban) respect human rights, women’s rights, especially women’s education, then there will be benefits for that. If they don’t do that, then there will be consequences.” Despite Khater’s attempts to allay suspicions, the Taliban file will likely be a valuable opportunity for the Qataris to gain favour in Washington, especially after the failure of past Qatari attempts to promote the Muslim Brotherhood as an ally of the Americans in the Middle East. Qatar’s espousal of Islamist movements has yielded catastrophic results for both Doha and Washington, experts say, noting that both countries have failed to reach their goals. Doha has not achieved what it wanted, including the expansion of its influence in the region and Washington has so far failed to find a new trusted ally in the Middle East. Over the past few years, the Americans have realised that the Muslim Brotherhood movements are weak and weightless and that their positions are generally volatile. That is why the Obama administration did not show sympathy with the group after the June 30, 2013 developments that led to the rise of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the end of the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule.

Armenia Says Ready for Talks with Turkey on Mending Ties
Agence France Presse/September 08/2021
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Wednesday that Armenia was prepared to hold discussions on repairing relations with Turkey, a longstanding foe of the ex-Soviet country. Armenia and Turkey never established diplomatic ties and their shared border has been closed since the 1990s. Their relationship is strained by WWI-era mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, atrocities Armenia insists amount to a genocide. It has deteriorated more recently over Turkey's support for Azerbaijan, which fought a brief but brutal war with Armenia last year for control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Pashinyan said Wednesday that recent comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's represented an "opportunity for a conversation on settling relations.""We stand ready for such a discussion," he told a cabinet meeting. Erdogan said last month that Ankara was willing to work towards normalizing ties with Armenia if Yerevan "declares its readiness to move in this direction." Armenia and Turkey's ally Azerbaijan fought a six-week war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which claimed some 6,500 lives. Russia brokered a ceasefire that saw Yerevan cede swathes of territory it had controlled for decades. Pashinyan on Wednesday stressed the importance of opening regional transport links, saying "it is about transforming our region into a crossroad linking west and east and north and south." In 2009, Armenia and Turkey signed an agreement to normalize relations, which would have led to the opening up of their shared border. Yerevan has never ratified the agreement and in 2018 ditched the process.

Differences remain as Egypt ends new round of talks with Turkey
The Arab Weekly/September 08/2021
Turkey and Egypt agreed on Wednesday to continue talks to repair and eventually normalise strained ties after wrapping up a second round of discussions meant to address differences, the two countries said in a joint statement. The talks were held in Ankara over two days and led by the respective deputy foreign ministers. They marked the second high-level political consultations between the estranged regional rivals since May, when Egypt hosted a Turkish delegation amid a push by Ankara to ease tensions with a handful of countries. Ankara’s ties with Cairo have been frosty since the ousting of the president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood – strongly supported by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan – in 2013. Egypt, which has so far responded cautiously to the Turkish overtures, was angered by Turkey’s decision to offer a haven for Egyptian opposition figures including members of the Muslim Brotherhood and other radical elements accused of terrorism. Erdogan, whose ruling AK Party is rooted in political Islam, has supported Arab parties and politicians linked to the Brotherhood, putting him at odds not just with Egypt but also the Gulf Arab powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Egypt and Libya are also at odds over the Libyan war, where they backed opposing sides, and control of Mediterranean waters. Wednesday’s talks addressed bilateral and regional issues, including Libya, Syria, the east Mediterranean, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the countries said in the joint statement. “The two sides agreed to continue these consultations confirming their desire to make progress in areas under discussion and the need for further steps to facilitate normalisation of their relations,” it said. Earlier in March, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry warned full ties would depend on “a real change in Turkish policy.” “If we find a real change in Turkish (foreign) policy aligning with those of Egypt to stabilise the region… that could lay the groundwork to normalise relations,” Shoukry said at the time. The talks with Egypt, which have so far yielded little, come as Turkey also ramped up diplomatic efforts to ease tension with other regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Moroccans head to ballot boxes as elections get underway
The Arab Weekly/September 08/2021
RABAT--Moroccans started voting on Wednesday in a parliamentary election under new rules that were expected to make it much harder for the Islamist PJD to remain the biggest party. Doors opened at polling stations at 8am and will close at 7pm for the 18 million on the electoral roll, who will vote for 395 MPs and more than 31,000 local and regional officials. Swept to power in the wake of the 2011 uprisings around the Middle East and North Africa, the Islamist PJD party hopes to secure a third term leading a ruling coalition. Though election polls are banned, analysts expect the PJD to lose ground to its rivals, the RNI and PAM parties, which define themselves as social democrats. Morocco is a constitutional monarchy where the king picks the prime minister from the party that wins most seats in parliament and appoints key ministers. Turnout in parliamentary elections has generally been low. This year, in a bid to improve turnout, the vote is held on the same day as municipal and regional elections, which usually have higher participation. Despite having been the largest party since 2011, the PJD has failed to stop laws it opposes, including one to bolster the French language in education and another to allow cannabis for medical use. The new voting rules, seen by PJD leaders as having been introduced specifically to target their majority, change the way seats are allocated, making it harder for large parties to gain many seats. The election campaign, which started two weeks ago, was mostly quiet, with no large gatherings due to the coronavirus. In the final days, however, the PJD and its close rival the National Rally of Independents (RNI) have exchanged heftier blows. Former prime minister and PJD leader Abdelilah Benkirane attacked the RNI boss, businessman and Agriculture Minister Aziz Akhannouch, in a fiery Facebook video on Sunday. “The head of government must be a political personality with integrity who is above suspicion,” he said. Akhannouch retorted in an interview on Monday that the attacks were “an admission of failure” by his opponents, vowing not to respond. Following the last elections in 2016, the RNI leader secured critical ministerial jobs for his party, including the economy and finance and industry portfolios. Besides the PJD and RNI, the liberal Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) and the centre-right Istiqlal Party are both seen bu local media as front-runners. The election campaign has been marked by PAM’s allegations that RNI was buying votes, denied by Akhannouch’s party, while PJD blasted excessive political spending without naming names. Morocco’s economy is expected to grow 5.8% this year after it contracted by 6.8% last year under the combined impact of the pandemic and drought.

Tunisian president warns Ennahda against infiltrating state bodies
The Arab Weekly/September 08/2021
TUNIS--Tunisian sources who spoke to The Arab Weekly on Wednesday said President Kais Saied was referring to the Islamist Ennahda Movement when he pledged that “any attempt to infiltrate the vital bodies of the state and instrumentalise them to serve the interests of certain parties, will be fought by law.”
Saied made the comments on Monday at the barracks of Laouina, during a ceremony celebrating the 65th anniversary of the creation of the Tunisian National Guard. Ennahda, the same sources said, has been accused of attempting to infiltrate state security bodies and this since the era of the late President Habib Bourguiba and then during the rule of his successor Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. In the post-revolution phase, these accusations grew even more lurid and confounding as the Islamist movement led more than one government, either directly or from behind the scenes. Saied, who has been under public pressure to clip the wings of Islamists and their political allies, has been recently trying to isolate the Ennahda, especially by preventing the movement from using its agents in key ministries, such as the Interior and Justice, to confuse his plans aimed at pulling the country out of its many crises.
Saied is reportedly not satisfied with the July 25 limited measures, including his move to freeze the parliament and dismiss the government of former Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, who was accused by many Tunisians of providing political cover for the Ennahda’s manoeuvres. The president’s frustration, sources said, could lead to the creation of a broader approach that aims at dismantling Ennahda’s network of agents, whom the movement has been planting in some state institutions as part of its Tamkeen (empowerment) strategy. Since the announcement of the July 25 measures, Saied has made sweeping changes that affected some senior security officials. These came in response to popular and political demands that called for the removal of the Ennahda’s agents from sensitive ministries, such as the interior and the appointment of professional figures, who are known for their integrity. Saied also made changes that affected a number of governors affiliated with the Ennahda Movement, amid accusations they were serving the Islamist party’s agenda at the expense of national interests. A Tunisian source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Saied has so far succeeded in obtaining critical information about Ennahda’s network of agents within sensitive state ministries. The Tunisian president had earlier threatened to reveal some of these names and details of those involved in suspicious dealing with the Ennahda and other political parties, which are accused of corruption and illegal practices.
In a statement to The Arab Weekly, the source added that Saied is now in possession of key intelligence on the plans of the Ennahda. This factor, the source added, explains the attempt by Ennahda’s leader Rached Ghannouchi to reduce public appearances, which might anger the president and prompt him to reveal critical information to the public. Saied on Monday said that attempts to infiltrate the vital bodies of the state “are doomed to failure” and that “the identity of these people will be revealed,” stressing that “security is a public service where clanism has no place.
“States do not weaken and fall if there is an internal threat,” he said, recalling that “all those who died for the fight against terrorism or any other danger, died for the country, not for a party or a person.” In a sign of the Ennahda’s frustration with Saied’s strategy to counter its networks within state institutions, the Islamist party began lobbying for foreign pressure that could confuse the president’s plans. On Tuesday, Ghannouchi provoked public anger when he announced that he had assigned two MPs to attend the Inter-Parliamentary Union conference in Austria, in defiance of the president’s decision to freeze the activities of parliament. Ghannouchi said that he had received an invitation from the Inter-Parliamentary Union to participate in its work in Vienna between 6 and 9 September. “Given the exceptional circumstances that our country is going through, MPs Osama Khelifi and Fathi Al-Ayadi were asked to represent the Speaker of the Assembly of People’s Representatives in this conference,” he said in a post on his official Facebook page.

EU wants to ‘do more’ to help with Libya elections
The Arab Weekly/September 08/2021
The European Union is “ready to do more” to help Libya organise elections planned for December, the bloc’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said Wednesday in Tripoli. But “there is no time to lose to approve the necessary legislation, go to the parliament, and start the necessary preparations” for the December 24 vote, Borrell said at a news conference with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush. Borrell singled out “reform of the security area” as one field where Brussels could help, following its disintegration and replacement with a patchwork of militias and armed groups since the toppling of longtime ruler Muammar Gathafi in 2011. The oil-rich country split between two rival administrations backed by foreign powers and myriad militias. But after forces of Commander of eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar were routed from the country’s west last year, the two camps signed a ceasefire in Geneva in October and an interim government was established earlier this year to lead Libya towards polls. The lack of a constitutional framework, however, has called the vote into question as tensions resurface. Mangoush last month refused to rule out delaying the elections if parliament took too long to pass the necessary legislation. While hailing “much progress” over the past year, Borrell warned that “time is flying” in which to put the rules in place, with only 105 days remaining. “Now it is time to implement and consolidate this progress,” he said. Mangoush said Tripoli also wanted “more cooperation with the EU” on elections and “managing the porous southern borders.” Earlier in August, The Arab Weekly reported that some forces affiliated with political Islam have been reportedly attempting to obstruct plans to hold elections in Libya while manoeuvring to prevent Haftar from running for the position of President of the Republic.

Perilous Hamas game could drag Gaza into yet another fight
The Arab Weekly/September 08/2021
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories--As night falls on the Gaza Strip, Palestinian protesters approach the border fence with Israel, carrying homemade stun grenades and Molotov cocktails to hurl toward the enemy soldiers. The aim of these so-called disruption operations, sponsored by the Islamist armed group Hamas that rules Gaza, is to harass the Israeli border forces, but analysts warn it is a dangerous game. One of the protesters, 19-year-old Farid, said he studies engineering at Gaza University by day and then joins the night-time rallies demanding an end to the 15-year-old Israeli blockade. The young man had brought a homemade stun grenade, which he hurled toward the border fence, heavily-guarded by the Israeli army, about 200 metres away. A flash of light burst through the darkness, followed by a blast that, for a brief moment, drowned out the martial music playing from a huge portable sound system. “We’ll drive them crazy,” Farid said enthusiastically. “As long as we can’t sleep in safety, we won’t allow the soldiers, the occupation, to sleep!”Street vendors nearby sold cold drinks and buses waited to take the protesters back to Gaza City at the end of the evening. All this could have created an almost festival-like atmosphere, were it not for the regular casualties that result from these protests. Three Palestinians, including a member of the armed wing of Hamas and an Israeli sniper have lost their lives since mid-August in these demonstrations. The Israeli army at times fires live rounds. It also manoeuvres drones overhead which from time to time drop tear gas grenades, forcing the crowds to scatter.
A ‘calculated’ escalation
The recent deaths are a reminder of the fragility of the truce between Israel and Hamas, which fought their last full-scale war in May, the fourth since 2008. In that bloody escalation, Israeli strikes on Gaza killed 260 Palestinians, including fighters, between May 10 to 21, according to local authorities. In Israel, rocket fire from the Palestinian territory killed 13 people, including a soldier, according to the police and army. Since the Egypt-brokered ceasefire, Hamas has fired only one rocket, instead re-focussing on its disruption operations. These include activists sending incendiary balloons floating through the sky and into Israel, where they start fires in grasslands and on farms. The Israeli air force often responds with strikes, most recently targeting Hamas infrastructure on Monday night. The Hamas strategy is one of “limited and carefully calculated” escalation, said Mukhaimer Abu Saada, a political science professor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. The aim is to protest Israeli restrictions on the impoverished enclave of two million people, but without spiralling into another full-scale conflict. Since the last war, Israel has eased restrictions on the entry of goods into Gaza, widened the permitted fishing zone and approved a new system for distributing Qatari aid via the UN, which Doha has said would begin soon. Hamas, which dismisses these steps as nowhere near enough, has resumed its campaign to “irritate” Israel while avoiding “an open armed confrontation,” said Mukhaimer Abu Saada, who labelled it a risky strategy.
On a razor edge
“Hamas prefers to use disruption units along the fence because the Israeli deterrence towards Hamas works in a way,” said researcher Kobi Michael, a former Israeli strategic affairs ministry official in charge of Palestinian issues. “They understand that if they launch rockets, the probability that the Israeli retaliation will be much more rapid and aggressive is higher.” For more than a year from March 2018, every Friday demonstrators would amass along the fence, demanding an end to the blockade and the “right of return” for Palestinians driven into exile when Israel was created in 1948.
About 310 Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers’ fire and eight Israelis also died during that period. Hamas, emboldened by what it has presented as a “victory” after the latest war in May, now “feel they are able to provoke Israel … but they might be wrong,” said Michael. Hamas thinks they can “control the level of violence”, he said, adding that this might be “a miscalculation because Israel is losing its patience. Israel will have no problem retaliating very aggressively if Hamas drags it into another campaign.”

Israel Arrests Family Members of Palestinian Jail Escapees
Agence France Presse/September 08/2021
Israeli troops have arrested at least five family members in the occupied West Bank of the Palestinians who escaped from a high-security jail this week, a Palestinian prisoners' group said Wednesday. The six Palestinians fled Monday through a hole dug under a sink in a Gilboa prison cell in northern Israel. Israel has deployed drones, road checkpoints and an army mission to Jenin, the West Bank hometown of many of the men locked up for their roles in attacks on the Jewish state. The Palestinian Prisoners' Club said two brothers of Mahmud Ardah, described in local media as the mastermind of the escape, have been arrested. The army has also taken into custody three other people -- fellow family member Dr. Nidal Ardah, along with the brother of a second fugitive and the father of Munadel Infeiat, another escapee. All three of these escapees are members of the Islamic Jihad armed group. Amani Sarahneh, a spokeswoman for the prisoners' group, told AFP that others could also have been arrested, while some had been only briefly detained. Asked by AFP, the Israeli army -- which has occupied the West Bank since 1967 -- said "several arrests were made overnight," without elaborating. An Israeli injunction is in effect against publishing details of the investigation, even as local media report on the scramble to recover from the embarrassing lapse and prevent any possible attack by the fugitives.

Russian Minister Dies Trying to Save Man During Arctic Drills
Agence France Presse/September 08/2021
Russian Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev has died after he jumped off a cliff trying to save a cameraman who fell during training exercises in the Arctic city of Norilsk, officials and reports said Wednesday. "The head of the emergencies ministry, Yevgeny Zinichev, tragically died saving a person's life" at inter-agency drills in the Arctic, the ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state-funded news outlet RT, said the 55-year-old minister had died as he tried to save a cameraman who fell off a cliff. "About Zinichev," she wrote on Twitter. "He and the cameraman were standing at the edge of a cliff. The cameraman slipped and fell... Before anyone even figured out what happened Zinichev jumped into the water after the fallen person and crashed against a protruding rock." It was not immediately clear when the death took place. President Vladimir Putin was notified of the minister's death, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Zinichev was a member of the KGB security service in the last years of the USSR and his career took off after he served in Putin's security detail between 2006 and 2015. He held a number of high-profile jobs, briefly serving as acting governor of Russia's exclave region of Kaliningrad and then as deputy head of the Federal Security Service (FSB). He was appointed head of the emergencies ministry in May, 2018. He was also a member of Russia's Security Council. As head of the emergencies ministry, he held one of the highest-profile cabinet jobs, dealing with natural and man-made disasters and other rapid-response situations across the vast country. The two-day drills he was participating in across several Arctic cities including Norilsk, kicked off on Tuesday and involved over 6,000 people.

Syria Regime Forces Enter Daraa Under Truce
Agence France Presse/September 08/2021
Syrian regime forces Wednesday entered part of a southern city retaken from holdout rebels under a ceasefire deal brokered by government ally Russia, official media and a war monitor said. Daraa province and its capital of the same name, the cradle of Syria's uprising, returned to government control in 2018 under a previous Moscow-backed ceasefire. But rebels remained in some areas, including the southern part of the city called Daraa al-Balad. Regime forces have stepped up their shelling of that area since late July and imposed a crippling siege on its residents, sparking retaliation from fighters inside. Russian mediation efforts throughout August led to the evacuation of dozens of opposition fighters to Syria's rebel-held north, and a final ceasefire deal on Wednesday last week. State news agency SANA said army units on Wednesday entered Daraa al-Balad. They "hoisted the national flag and started setting up positions and combing the area towards announcing it free of terrorism", it said, using its usual term for rebels. The latest version of the surrender deal provides for Russian military police to deploy around Daraa al-Balad and the Syrian army to set up checkpoints inside. It will also allow fighters and young men who avoided mandatory military service to sign up to stay in the city. Pro-Damascus radio broadcaster Sham FM reported that around 900 men had already signed up to do this. Those who refuse the terms of the surrender are expected to be evacuated at a later date.  The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor with sources inside Syria, said the army was expected to deploy at nine positions inside Daraa al-Balad. It was also to inspect homes inside the former opposition neighbourhood and continue registering people who wished to stay. The Observatory and activists from Daraa however said dozens of opposition fighters were still present in a district and inside a displacement camp on the edges of Daraa al-Balad, awaiting the outcome of ongoing negotiations about their fate. Activists now expect regime forces to seek to fully retake other patches of the Daraa countryside that have remained outside their control since the 2018 deal. Although bombings and assassinations had remained rife around the province since then, the escalation in Daraa al-Balad this summer has been the most violent in three years. It has killed 22 civilians including six children, as well as 26 members of the regime forces and 17 opposition fighters, the Observatory says. The fighting has caused more than 38,000 people to flee the southern half of the city, the United Nations has said, amid international alarm over deteriorating living conditions inside.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials published on September 08-092021
Why Israel’s transfer to US Central Command could help deter Iran
Bradley Bowman/Behnam Ben Taleblu/FDD/September 08/2021
U.S. Central Command announced Sept. 1 that it has assumed responsibility for U.S. forces in Israel. This positive development reflects changes in Arab-Israeli relations and offers an opportunity to build a more unified and militarily capable American-Israeli-Arab coalition to deter aggression from Iran and its terrorist proxies — one of CENTCOM’s top priorities.
Despite Israel’s location in the Middle East, when CENTCOM was created in 1983, responsibility for the Jewish state was assigned to U.S. European Command. That decision reflected Israel’s political isolation from its Arab neighbors. As a Pentagon news report noted in January with a bit of understatement, Israel’s regional isolation would have “complicated” efforts by CENTCOM to coordinate multilateral exercises and operations that included Israel.
Warming Arab-Israeli ties offer a major opportunity to align key partners against common regional threats. The catalyst for improved Arab-Israeli relations is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s longstanding effort to develop a nuclear weapons capability, as well as Tehran’s determined campaign to create, cultivate and co-opt terrorist proxies across the Middle East to attack both Arab and Israeli targets.
Tehran’s aggression helps explain the conclusion last year of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, enabling significant and mutually beneficial opportunities for political, economic and cultural cooperation.
Enhanced military cooperation, however, will likely carry the most direct benefits for regional stability.
In May, another round of fighting erupted between Israel and Iran-backed terror groups in the Gaza Strip. The groups fired over 4,300 rockets at Israel, also employing drones, unmanned underwater vehicles and anti-tank weapons.
These attacks are not a threat simply for Israel. Weapons employed against Israel by Iran and its army of proxies are also used against Americans and our Arab partners.
From May 2019 to the present, Iran-backed militias are believed to have been behind over 100 rocket, mortar or drone attacks against positions in Iraq associated with the U.S. force presence, with at least 27 indirect fire incidents taking place during this year alone. The U.S. and others blamed Tehran for orchestrating a 2019 attack against Saudi Arabia’s Khurais oil field and Abqaiq oil processing facility, using drones and cruise missiles — briefly knocking offline a significant portion of the world’s total production capacity.
The Islamic republic routinely harasses and targets American, Arab and Israeli interests in the maritime domain. Tehran has used drones and fast-attack craft to challenge American military vessels in the Persian Gulf and signal defiance to decision-makers in Washington. Tehran has also seized tankers and stepped up mining operations that impede the free flow of commerce, directly impacting Iran’s Arab neighbors, and is engaged in a shadow war using drones against Israeli-linked tankers.
While Iran has proliferated whole weapons systems to terrorist groups in the past, the Islamic Republic has also been enabling local weapons production in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen. That creates new challenges and puts a premium on cooperation between the United States, Israel and key Arab partners.
By itself, transferring Israel from EUCOM to CENTCOM won’t address these challenges or strengthen regional security. CENTCOM already works closely with Israel. However, as CENTCOM’s commander, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, said earlier this year, the transfer can bring a more “operational perspective” to the Abraham Accords.
One major way to do that would be to assertively seek opportunities for combined military exercises and training involving the United States, Israel and as many Arab partners as possible. CENTCOM should encourage Israel to add Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to the next Noble Dina exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, for example. CENTCOM should also encourage Abu Dhabi to invite the Israel Defense Forces to the next Iron Union exercise. And CENTCOM should work with EUCOM to encourage Greece to invite Egypt and Jordan to join Israel, the United Arab Emirates and others as full participants in the next Greek-hosted Iniochos exercise.
These and other steps would increase the individual readiness of the respective militaries, strengthen their ability to work together, and send a powerful message to Tehran and its terror proxies.
The announcement this month was an encouraging and positive development. Now the real work begins to better secure and defend mutual American, Israeli and Arab interests.
*Bradly Bowman is the director of the Center for Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow. Follow Bradley on Twitter @Brad_L_Bowman. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

After twenty 9/11 anniversaries, the sleeping giant nods off again
Clifford D. May/Wasjington Times/September 08/2021
On the first anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks, I wrote a column about a BBC radio program. I had been a guest along with “activist” Bianca Jagger and Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite. Neither evinced sympathy for what Americans had suffered at the hands of al Qaeda and its enabler, the Taliban. On the contrary, Ms. Jagger accused the Bush administration of killing “thousands” of innocent Afghans and failing to pay “reparations.”
A year later, I wrote an anniversary column praising Sen. John Kerry, then a presidential candidate, for calling the attacks “our generation’s Pearl Harbor.” But I questioned whether he grasped the implication: Had our enemies awakened a “sleeping giant” and filled him “with a terrible resolve” (as Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is reputed to have said)? I also suggested that if President Roosevelt had been asked how long we’d be at war with the Axis powers, he’d have answered: “For the duration.”
My 2004 anniversary column noted with chagrin that editors at Reuters had begun asserting that “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.”
Two years later, it seemed to me that “we have begun to understand that we have enemies, that they pose a serious threat, and that we must fight them.” I referenced the Bush administration’s National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, which declared that the U.S. would “kill or capture the terrorists; deny them safe haven and control of any nation; prevent them from gaining access to WMD.”
My 2007 anniversary column observed that Gen. David Petraeus had taken “command of the 28,000 reinforcements he needed in order to change course in Iraq” targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq, which had been “suicide-bombing mosques and markets in an attempt to foment a civil war from which they expected to benefit. He also began to challenge the Iranian-backed Shia militias that had gained power by responding to the AQI attacks.”
On Sept. 10, 2009, I expressed support for President Obama’s decision to surge 21,000 additional troops into Afghanistan. Still, I criticized him for appearing ambivalent about the mission at a time when too many, on both the left and the right, were “arguing for retreat.”
I added: “Any time infidels flee, declaring ‘This is a war that can’t be won!’ or even ‘This is a war that can’t be won militarily!’ the jihadis gain. By contrast, any time jihadis flee because they can’t stand up to ‘the strongest tribe,’ they lose more than that engagement and lines on a map.”
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The next year, I focused on President Obama’s contention that “open-ended war” does not “serve” American interests. If he wasn’t going to commit the resources necessary to defeat America’s enemies but didn’t want to accept defeat at the hands of those enemies, the only option remaining was the one he was rhetorically rejecting: a long war, a “low-intensity war,” to prevent our enemies from triumphing. That war would have to be fought, I wrote, “on a variety of fronts. Afghanistan is one of them.”
On the 11th anniversary of the attacks, Ansar al-Sharia terrorists killed four Americans at the diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. My column lamented that, nevertheless, on “television and in the editorial pages of newspapers, there was almost no discussion of who our enemies are, what they believe, what goals they seek to achieve, and what strategies they are pursuing.”
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Two years ago, I wrote that “despite his misgivings, Mr. Trump has maintained a small contingent of American troops in Syria whose main mission is to enable Kurdish and Arab partners to continue to diminish the Islamic State, which emerged following Mr. Obama’s withdrawal from Iraq in 2011.”
But I expressed concern about Mr. Trump’s dialogue with the Taliban –especially his plan to meet with Taliban leaders at Camp David. “Can you think of a better way to send a message of legitimacy and encouragement not just to the Taliban but to all jihadi groups and regimes in the Middle East and beyond?” I asked.
Though Mr. Trump canceled the meeting, talks continued, culminating in a bad deal that the Taliban soon violated but which President Biden now claims he couldn’t reject (as he has so many of his predecessor’s other policies).
Last year’s anniversary column drew from Congressional testimony by FDD’s Thomas Joscelyn, making clear that al Qaeda branches, and those of its offshoot, the Islamic State, have been “waging insurgencies” and setting up “terrorist networks” in a growing list of countries on several continents.
“These groups have not launched a catastrophic terrorist attack in the West in recent years, but that’s not because they wouldn’t like to,” I posited. “It’s in large measure because the U.S. and some allies have taken the fight to them.”
At that point, there were fewer than 10,000 troops in Afghanistan – down from more than 100,000 at the end of President Bush‘s second term. With only that small contingent supporting Afghan forces, wrote Gen. Petraeus, al Qaeda was being prevented from reestablishing the infrastructure it had “under the Taliban prior to its ouster from power in late 2001.”
“Rather than a safe haven for extremists to plot devastating strikes on the United States and its allies,” he added, “Afghanistan over the last two decades became an outpost from which the United States and its allies could project power against the terrorists.”
But, as he and others feared, President Trump’s bad deal, implemented with stunning incompetence by President Biden, has squandered those gains. We’re back to Sept. 10, 2001, except that both our enemies and our allies are now watching the sleeping giant return to his slumbers. Expect serious repercussions to follow.
• Clifford D. May is founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a columnist for the Washington Times.

ريموند إبراهيم: الإبادة الأرمنية ماضياً وحاضراً ومستقبلاً
The Armenian Genocide: Past, Present, and Future?
Raymond Ibrahim/September 08/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/102190/raymond-ibrahim-the-armenian-genocide-past-present-and-future-%d8%b1%d9%8a%d9%85%d9%88%d9%86%d8%af-%d8%a5%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%8a%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%a8%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a9-%d8%a7/
On April 24, 2021, Joe Biden became the first sitting U.S. president formally to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. What was this genocide about, and what is its significance for today?
The Genocide Education Project offers a summary of that tragic event which transpired during World War I, specifically between 1915 and 1917:
More than one million Armenians perished as the result of execution, starvation, disease, the harsh environment, and physical abuse. A people who lived in eastern Turkey for nearly 3,000 years [more than double the amount of time the invading Islamic Turks had occupied Anatolia, now known as “Turkey”] lost its homeland and was profoundly decimated in the first large-scale genocide of the twentieth century. At the beginning of 1915 there were some two million Armenians within Turkey; today there are fewer than 60,000…. Despite the vast amount of evidence that points to the historical reality of the Armenian Genocide, eyewitness accounts, official archives, photographic evidence, the reports of diplomats, and the testimony of survivors, denial of the Armenian Genocide by successive regimes in Turkey has gone on from 1915 to the present.
The evidence is indeed overwhelming. As far back as 1920, U.S. Senate Resolution 359 heard eyewitness testimony concerning the “[m]utilation, violation, torture, and death [which] have left their haunting memories in a hundred beautiful Armenian valleys, and the traveler in that region is seldom free from the evidence of this most colossal crime of all the ages.”
In her memoir, Ravished Armenia, Aurora Mardiganian described how she was raped and thrown into a harem (consistent with Islam’s rules of war). Unlike thousands of other Armenian girls who were discarded after being defiled, she managed to escape. In the city of Malatia, she saw 16 Christian girls crucified: “Each girl had been nailed alive upon her cross,” she wrote, “spikes through her feet and hands, only their hair blown by the wind, covered their bodies.” (Such scenes were portrayed in the 1919 documentary film Auction of Souls, some of which is based on Mardiganian’s memoirs.)
In short, that the Turks orchestrated and carried out a deliberate genocide of Armenians during World War I is an uncontested fact—for those who still care about facts—irrespective of who does or does not acknowledge it (Turkey itself epitomizing the latter category).
Even so, the extent of Turkish atrocities committed against Armenians far exceeds the Armenian Genocide. In fact, it is more appropriate to see the latter, not as a singular event, but as an especially severe segment of an ancient and ongoing continuum.
The Genocide before the Genocide
The Turks’ initial genocide of Armenians began slightly over a thousand years ago, when the Muslim tribesmen first began to pour into and transform a then much-larger Armenia into what it is today: the eastern portion of modern-day Turkey.
Thus, in 1019, “the first appearance of the bloodthirsty beasts … the savage nation of Turks entered Armenia … and mercilessly slaughtered the Christian faithful with the sword,” writes Matthew of Edessa (d.1144), a chief chronicler for this period. Three decades later, the raids were virtually nonstop. In 1049, the founder of the Seljuk Empire himself, Sultan Tughril Bey (r. 1037–1063), reached the unwalled city of Arzden, west of Lake Van, and “put the whole town to the sword, causing severe slaughter, as many as one hundred and fifty thousand persons.”
After thoroughly plundering the city, he ordered it, including 800 churches, to be set ablaze and turned into a desert. Arzden was “filled with bodies” and none “could count the number of those who perished in the flames.” Eight hundred oxen and forty camels were required to cart out the vast plunder, mostly taken from Arzden’s churches. “How to relate here, with a voice stifled by tears,” continues Matthew, the many butchered Armenians who were “left without graves” and “became the prey of carrion beasts,” and “the exodus of women … led with their children into slavery and condemned to an eternal servitude! That was the beginning of the misfortunes of Armenia,” laments the chronicler, “so, lend an ear to this melancholy recital.”
Other contemporaries confirm the devastation visited upon Arzden. “Like famished dogs,” writes Aristakes (d.1080) an eyewitness, the Turks “hurled themselves on our city, surrounded it and pushed inside, massacring the men and mowing everything down like reapers in the fields, making the city a desert. Without mercy, they incinerated those who had hidden themselves in houses and churches.”
Eleven years later, during the Turkish siege of Sebastia (modern-day Sivas) in 1060, 600 churches were destroyed and “many [more] maidens, brides, and ladies were led into captivity.” Another raid on Armenian territory saw “many and innumerable people who were burned [to death].” The atrocities are too many for Matthew to recount, and he frequently resigns in lamentation:
Who is able to relate the happenings and ruinous events which befell the Armenians, for everything was covered with blood. . . . Because of the great number of corpses, the land stank, and all of Persia was filled with innumerable captives; thus this whole nation of beasts became drunk with blood.
Then, between 1064 and 1065, Tughril’s successor, Sultan Muhammad bin Dawud Chaghri—known to posterity as Alp Arslan, one of modern Turkey’s most celebrated heroes—laid siege to Ani, the fortified capital of Armenia, then a great and populous city. The thunderous bombardment of Muhammad’s siege engines caused the entire city to quake, and countless terror-stricken families are described in memoirs as huddling together and weeping.
Once inside, the Turks—reportedly armed with two knives in each hand and an extra in their mouths—“began to mercilessly slaughter the inhabitants of the entire city … and piling up their bodies one on top of the other…. Innumerable and countless boys with bright faces and pretty girls were carried off together with their mothers.”
Not only do several Christian sources document the sack of Armenia’s capital—one contemporary succinctly notes that Muhammad “rendered Ani a desert by massacres and fire”—but so do Muslim sources, often in apocalyptic terms: “I wanted to enter the city and see it with my own eyes,” one Arab explained. “I tried to find a street without having to walk over the corpses. But that was impossible.”
Such is an idea of how Armenian/Turkish relations began—nearly a millennium before the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1917. The Turks naturally put the Armenians through much more in the intervening centuries—Sultan Abdulhamid massacred as many as 300,000 Armenians in the name of Islam between 1894-1896—but this should suffice as a glimpse of the past.
A Holy Hate
While human conquests are as old as time, why was the initial Turkish conquest of Armenia so inundated with excessive acts of cruelty? The answer is that, for the Turks and other Muslim peoples, conquering “the other” was further imbued with a pious rationale—an ideology, the necessary ingredient for sadistic hatred and its natural culmination: genocide. What Jews and Christians were taught was “sin”—murder and rape—took on a noble and sacred character for the already rapacious Turks, so long as their victims were non-Muslims, which by default made them enemies—“infidels” whom Islamic law requires to be killed, subjugated, or enslaved.
As Gregory Palamas, a clergyman who was taken captive by the Turks wrote in 1354, “They live by the bow, the sword, and debauchery, finding pleasure in taking slaves, devoting themselves to murder, pillage, spoil … and not only do they commit these crimes, but even—what an aberration—they believe that God approves them!” Nor were the Armenians unaware of what fueled Turkish animus: “[They attack] us because of our Christian faith and they are intent … on exterminating the Christian faithful,” one David, an Armenian chieftain, explained to his countrymen during the Muslims’ eleventh century invasions.
Equally telling is that the most savage treatment was always reserved for those visibly proclaiming their Christianity. During the aforementioned sack of Arzden, the Muslim invaders “burned priests whom they seized in the churches and massacred those whom they found outside. They put great chunks of pork in the hands of the undead to insult us”—Muslims deem the pig unclean—“and made them objects of mockery to all who saw them.”
Similarly, during the sack of Ani, clergy and monks “were burned to death, while others were flayed alive from head to toe,” writes Matthew. Every monastery and church—before this, Ani was known as “the City of 1001 Churches”—was desecrated and set aflame. A zealous jihadi climbed atop the city’s main cathedral “and pulled down the very heavy cross which was on the dome, throwing it to the ground.” Made of pure silver and the “size of a man”—and now symbolic of Islam’s might over Christianity—the broken crucifix was sent as a trophy to adorn a mosque in modern-day Azerbaijan.
The Armenian Genocide and Religion
Did this same early Muslim animus for “infidels” also fuel the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1917? Unfortunately, since its occurrence, the West has usually articulated the genocide through a singularly secular paradigm, one that only factors things such as territorial disputes and nationalism. While there is some merit to this approach, so too does it invariably project modern Western motivations onto vastly different peoples and projects.
In fact, it was the Armenians’ religious identity that ultimately led to the Armenian Genocide. This is underscored by the often-overlooked fact that, along with killing 1.5 million Armenians, the Turks also systematically massacred approximately 750,000 Greeks and 300,000 Assyrians—Christians all—during World War I. As one Armenian studies professor rhetorically asked, “If it [the Armenian Genocide] was a feud between Turks and Armenians, what explains the genocide carried out by Turkey against the Christian Assyrians at the same time?” From a Turkish perspective, the primary thing Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks had in common was that they were all Christian “infidels,” and therefore existential enemies.
As such, the genocide can be seen as the culmination of the Ottoman Empire’s jihad on its Christian population. According to the 2017 book, Year of the Sword: The Assyrian Christian Genocide, the “policy of ethnic cleansing was stirred up by pan-Islamism and religious fanaticism. Christians were considered infidels (kafir). The call to Jihad, decreed on November 29, 1914 and orchestrated for political ends, was part of the plan… [to] combine and sweep over the lands of Christians and to exterminate them.” As with Armenians and Greeks, eyewitness accounts tell of the eye-gouging of Assyrians and the gang rape of their children on church altars—hallmarks of jihadist sadism. According to key documents, all this was part of “an Ottoman plan to exterminate Turkey’s Christians.”
As for the argument that, because all of these genocidal atrocities occurred during World War I, they are, ultimately, a reflection of just that—war, in all its death-dealing destruction—reality is different. War was a factor, but only because it offered the Turks the cover to do what they had long wanted to do anyway. After describing the massacres as an “administrative holocaust,” Winston Churchill correctly observed that “The opportunity [WWI] presented itself for clearing Turkish soil of a Christian race.” Or, in the clear words of Talaat Pasha, the de facto leader of the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1917: “Turkey is taking advantage of the war in order to thoroughly liquidate its internal foes, i.e., the indigenous Christians, without being thereby disturbed by foreign intervention…. The question is settled. There are no more Armenians.”
The Nagorno-Karabakh War
Sadly, recent events indicate that, far from being repentant for the Armenian Genocide, the Turks still regard the Armenians with genocidal intent.
In October 2020, war erupted between Armenia and its other Muslim neighbor, Azerbaijan, over the disputed territory now known as Nagorno-Karabakh. Although it was Armenian for thousands of years, known as Artsakh, and remains predominantly Armenian, after the dissolution of the USSR, it was allotted to Azerbaijan, causing problems since and culminating in the recent war. (See “15 Artsakh War Myths Perpetuated By Mainstream Media.”)
Turkey quickly joined its Azerbaijani co-religionists and arguably even spearheaded the war against Armenia, though the dispute clearly did not concern it. As Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia’s prime minister, rhetorically asked on October 1, 2020, “Why has Turkey returned to the South Caucasus 100 years [after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire]?” His answer: “To continue the Armenian Genocide.”
Among other things, Turkey funded Sharia-enforcing “jihadist groups,” to quote French President Macron, that had been operating in Syria and Libya—including the pro-Muslim Brotherhood Hamza Division, which kept naked, sex slave women in prison—to terrorize and slaughter the Armenians.
One of these captured mercenaries confessed that he was “promised a monthly $2,000 payment for fighting against ‘kafirs’ in Artsakh, and an extra 100 dollar[s] for each beheaded kafir.” (Kafir, often translated as “infidel,” is Arabic for any non-Muslim who fails to submit to Islam, which makes them enemies by default.)
Among other ISIS-like behavior committed by this Islamic coalition of mercenaries, Turks, and Azerbaijanis, they “tortured beyond recognition” an intellectually disabled 58-year-old Armenian woman by sadistically hacking off her ears, hands, and feet, before finally executing her. Her family were only able to identify her by her clothes. Similarly, video footage shows camouflaged soldiers overpowering and forcing down an elderly Armenian man, who cries and implores them for mercy, before they casually carve at his throat with a knife. In one instance—and as has happened countless times throughout the ages—a jihadist stood atop an Armenian church, after its cross had been broken off, and triumphantly cried “Allahu Akbar!”
Incidentally, and as might be expected, Azerbaijan shares in Turkey’s Islamic hostility for Armenians. According to a March 27, 2021 report, over the course of just two weeks, at least three Armenian churches in the Nagorno-Karabakh region were vandalized or destroyed—even though a ceasefire was declared in November. Video footage shows Azerbaijani troops entering into one of the churches, laughing, mocking, kicking, and defacing Christian items inside it, including a fresco of the Last Supper. Turkey’s flag appears on the Azeri servicemen’s uniform, further implicating that nation. As they approach, one of the soldiers says, “Let’s now enter their church, where I will perform namaz.” Namaz is a reference to Muslim prayers; when Muslims pray inside non-Muslim temples, those temples immediately become mosques. In response to this video, Arman Tatoyan, an Armenian human rights activist, issued a statement:
The President of Azerbaijan and the country’s authorities have been implementing a policy of hatred, enmity, ethnic cleansing and genocide against Armenia, citizens of Armenia and the Armenian people for years. The Turkish authorities have done the same or have openly encouraged the same policy.
By way of example, he said that Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev proudly stated in early March that “the younger generation has grown up with hatred toward the enemy,” meaning Armenians.
An Innate Hate?
The aforementioned hate, which is always a precursor to genocide, is evident everywhere in modern-day Turkey. One need only listen to the religiously-laden rant of a Turkish man about how all Armenians are “dogs” and that any found in Turkey should be slaughtered for an idea:
What is an Armenian doing in my country? Either the state expels them or we kill them. Why do we let them live?… We will slaughter them when the time comes…. This is Turkish soil. How are we Ottoman grandchildren?…. The people of Turkey who have honor, dignity, and Allah must cut the heads of the Armenians in Turkey. It is dishonorable for anyone to meet and not kill an Armenian… If we are human, let us do this—let us do it for Allah…. Everyone listening, if you love Allah, please spread this video of me to everyone…
Similarly, in response to a question being asked to random passersby on the streets of Turkey—“If you could get away with one thing, what would you do?”—a woman said on video: “What would I do? Behead 20 Armenians.” She then looked directly at the camera, and smiled while nodding her head.
Some might argue that the two above examples are circumstantial—that is, they reflect Turkish anger brought on by the Armenian/Azerbaijan conflict. But if that were the case, what does one make of the fact that Turkish hate and violence for Armenians goes back years before the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
Consider a few examples—all of which occurred before and therefore have no connection to the recent conflict—in no special order:
In 2013, an 85-year-old Armenian woman was stabbed to death in her Istanbul apartment. Lest anyone mistake the motive, her Turkish murderer carved a crucifix on her naked corpse. According to the report, that “attack marks the fifth in the past two months against elderly Armenian women (one has lost an eye).” In one instance, another octogenarian Armenian woman was punched in the head and, after collapsing to the floor, repeatedly kicked by a masked man.
On Sunday, February 23, 2019, threatening graffiti messages were found on the main entrance door of the Armenian Church of the Holy Mother of God in Istanbul. The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople said in a statement that “There were written racist and hate speeches in both English and Arabic [saying] you are finished!” An Armenian Member of Parliament tweeted, “Every year, scores of hate attacks are being carried out against churches and synagogues. Not just the perpetrators, but also the people who are behind them, should be addressed. For the most important part, the politics that produce hate should be ended.”
In August 2020, an Armenian cemetery and church were desecrated. According to the report, “the remains were taken out of the graves and the bones of the deceased were scattered everywhere” (pictures here).
On May 22, 2020 in broad daylight, a man climbed the fence of a historic Armenian church in Istanbul and proceeded to yank off its metal cross and hurl it to the ground, as captured on surveillance footage. Two weeks earlier, another Turk broke into Holy Cross, a historic Armenian cathedral in eastern Turkey, and proceeded to recite the adhan—the Islamic call to prayer traditionally made from mosques—punctuated by chants of “Allahu Akbar.”
At this point, it increasingly seems that, when it comes to Turkey’s genocidal hate for Armenians, not only is religion a factor; it is the deciding factor. This is evident in that, just as the Turks committed a genocide against other Christians than the Armenians—notably Greeks and Assyrians—so too is contemporary Turkish hostility directed against all Christians, not just Armenians. Consider the following examples, which have nothing to do with Armenians, and which occurred before the Nagorno-Karabakh.
In 2009, a group of young Turks—including the son of a mayor—broke into a Bible publishing house in Malatya. They bound, sadistically tortured for hours, and eventually slaughtered its three Christian employees, one of whom was German. “We didn’t do this for ourselves, but for our religion,” one of the accused later said. “Let this be a lesson to enemies of our religion.” They were all later released from prison on a technicality.
In late 2019, a Muslim boy, aged 16, stabbed a Korean Christian evangelist in the heart several times; the 41-year-old husband and father died shortly thereafter. Months earlier, an “86-year-old Greek man was found murdered in his home with his hands and feet tied”; he was reportedly “tortured.”
In 2019, two Muslim men beat a Christian teenager in the street after they noticed he was wearing a crucifix around his neck. The Protestant Association of Churches said in response that “This attack is a result of the growing hatred against Christians in Turkey. We invite government officials to take action against hate speech.”
Much more common than the targeted beating or killing of Christians—but no less representative of the hate—are church-related attacks. Thus, when a man opened fire on the Saint Maria Catholic Church in Trabzon in 2018, it was just the latest in several attacks on that church. Weeks earlier, a makeshift bomb was thrown at its garden; in 2016 Muslims crying “Allahu Akbar” vandalized the church, including with sledgehammers; in 2011 the church was targeted and threatened for its visible cross; and in 2006 its Catholic priest, Andrea Santoro, was shot dead while praying during church service.
Also while shouting “Allahu Akbar” and “Revenge will be taken for Al-Aqsa Mosque,” another Muslim man in 2015 hurled a Molotov cocktail at Istanbul’s Aya Triada Orthodox Church, partially setting it on fire. In another incident, in 2016, four Turks banged and kicked at the door of Agape Church in the Black Sea region—again while shouting “Allahu Akbar!,” thereby establishing their jihadist motives.
In 2014, a random gang of Muslims disrupted a baptismal church service in Istanbul. They pushed their way into the church, yelling obscenities; one menacingly waved a knife at those in attendance. “It’s not the first, and it won’t be the last,” a local Christian responded.
In late 2019, while shouting abusively and making physical threats against Christians gathered at the Church of St. Paul in Antalya, a man said he “would take great pleasure in destroying the Christians, as he viewed them as a type of parasitism on Turkey.”
One of the most alarming instances occurred in 2015: as many as 15 churches received death threats for “denying Allah.” “Perverted infidels,” one missive read, “the time that we will strike your necks is soon. May Allah receive the glory and the praise.” “Threats are not anything new for the Protestant community who live in this country and want to raise their children here,” church leaders commented.
In March, 2020, some 20 gravestones in just one Christian cemetery in Ankara were found destroyed. Separately, but around the same time, desecraters broke a cross off a recently deceased Catholic women’s grave; days earlier, her church burial service was interrupted by cries of “Allahu Akbar!”
In discussing all these attacks on anything and everything Christian—people, buildings, and even graves—Seyfi Genç, a journalist in Turkey, laid the blame on an “environment of hate”:
But this hateful environment did not emerge out of nowhere. The seeds of this hatred are spread, beginning at primary schools, through books printed by the Ministry of National Education portraying Christians as enemies and traitors. The indoctrination continues through newspapers and television channels in line with state policies. And of course, the sermons at mosques and talk at coffee houses further stir up this hatred.
All of this is a reminder that the primary ingredient—religiously-inspired hate—that led to the genocide of Christians (Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians) between 1915-1917, is not only alive and well, but growing—and no doubt waiting to be realized once the next opportunity presents itself.
In his April 24 statement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, 2021, President Biden said, “Each year on this day, we remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring [emphasis added].”
While this sounds promising, until such time that the root cause of the Armenian Genocide—the root cause for the ongoing persecution of hundreds of millions of Christians today—is recognized and dealt with, all such claims of vigilance must be relegated to the realm of theater.

Palestinians: Why Biden's Aid Will Not Bring Peace
Khaled Abu Toameh/ Gatestone Institute/September 08/2021
Most Palestinians, however, are clearly unimpressed with both the Biden administration's renewed financial aid and the Israeli government's gestures.... These Palestinians are saying that they prefer Hamas, the Islamist group that seeks the destruction of Israel, over Abbas.
"[T]he Biden administration is deluding itself by assuming that US funds could change the hearts and minds of the Palestinians." — Arab World for Research and Development, August 25, 2021.
Those who want the Oslo Accords rescinded are, bluntly, saying that they are opposed to a peace process with Israel. They are also saying that they do not recognize Israel's right to exist.
Another crucial finding the Biden administration needs to take into account is that the poll found... a majority of those surveyed believe that Israel has no right to exist and should be replaced with a Palestinian state, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
US taxpayer dollars will not drive Palestinians to accept Israel's right to exist. The same applies to the Israeli gestures, which are not likely to achieve the Biden administration's hope of bolstering the PA's standing or advancing the "two-state solution."
The results of the poll are clear: many Palestinians have been so successfully radicalized by their leaders that they want to see Israel removed from the face of the earth.
The only way to change this brutal reality is by halting the messages of hate and the delegitimization of Israel. Until that happens, Palestinians will continue to pocket money from the US and other Western donors, while at the same time moving closer to Hamas and further from any peace with Israel.
Most Palestinians are unimpressed with the Biden administration's renewed financial aid. US taxpayer dollars will not drive Palestinians to accept Israel's right to exist. Many Palestinians have been so radicalized by their leaders that they want to see Israel removed from the face of the earth. The only way to change this brutal reality is by halting the messages of hate and the delegitimization of Israel. Until that happens, Palestinians will continue to pocket money from the US and other Western donors. Pictured: Then US Vice President Joe Biden meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on March 9, 2016.
As the Biden administration steps up its efforts to bolster the Palestinian Authority (PA), Palestinians seem to be increasingly losing faith in their leaders.
The Palestinian public also appears to be losing faith in any peace process with Israel. Many are even saying that they support the annulment of the Oslo Accords, signed in 1993 between Israel and the PLO and that the only peace process they would support is one that leads to the elimination of Israel.
The Biden administration, which earlier this year restored relations with the PA and pledged to resume unconditional financial aid to the Palestinians, apparently believes that such measures will pave the way for the revival of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians toward a "two-state solution."
As part of the policy of strengthening the PA, the Biden administration recently dispatched CIA director William Burns to Ramallah for talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials on ways to enhance bilateral relations and embark on confidence-building measures between the Palestinians and Israel. At the behest of the Biden administration, the Israeli government has announced a series of gestures aimed at strengthening the PA, including plans to lend $150 million to the cash-strapped PA government.
The gestures are reportedly aimed at bolstering the PA in order to undermine its rivals in the Islamist movement of Hamas.
Most Palestinians, however, are clearly unimpressed with both the Biden administration's renewed financial aid and the Israeli government's gestures. These Palestinians are saying no to the PA and Abbas, and to the US and Israel. These Palestinians are saying that they prefer Hamas, the Islamist group that seeks the destruction of Israel, over Abbas. A public opinion poll published on August 25 by the Arab World for Research and Development, which describes itself as "one of the Arab region's leading firms providing our partners and clients with a full range of consulting and technical services for substantial development and state building," indicate that the Biden administration is deluding itself by assuming that US funds could change the hearts and minds of the Palestinians.
According to the findings of the poll, 67% of the respondents support the annulment of the Oslo Accords, and 61% of them oppose the continuation of security coordination between the PA and Israel.
Those who want the Oslo Accords rescinded are, bluntly, saying that they are opposed to a peace process with Israel. They are also saying that they do not recognize Israel's right to exist. As part of the agreements signed between the two sides, PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat wrote a letter to then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in which he claimed that the PLO "recognizes the right of the State of Israel to exist in peace and security."The poll, which covered 1,215 adult Palestinians in the West Bank, found that if elections were to take place today, most Palestinians would not vote for Abbas or any of his loyalists.
The poll showed, in fact, that a majority of Palestinians would vote for Hamas and Abbas critic Marwan Barghouti, a senior Fatah leader presently serving five life terms in an Israeli prison for his role in the murders of five Israelis during the Second Intifada (2000-2005).
"In a choice between 10 lists, one led by Marwan Barghouti receives the highest level of support (28%), followed by a Hamas list headed by Yahya Sinwar (19%)," according to the results of the poll. On the other hand, a list supported by Abbas would receive only 15%.
The elections for the Palestinian parliament and presidency were supposed to take place on May 22, 2021 and July 30, 2021 respectively. Abbas, however, called off the votes in late April, apparently after realizing that he and his supporters were set to lose to Hamas and other political rivals.
The poll showed, as well, that Hamas continues to enjoy rising popularity among Palestinians, especially after its 11-day war with Israel in May. Hamas and other armed groups came out as the biggest winners, with 72% assessing their position/performance as "positive." Only 11% assess the position of Abbas as "positive." Seventy-four percent of the respondents believe that the Palestinians came out "victorious" in May's war with Israel. The Palestinians are essentially praising Hamas and the Gaza-based terror groups for firing thousands of rockets and missiles into Israel. The vast majority (80%) believe that Hamas came out stronger in terms of its popularity among Palestinians after the war, while 4% believe that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (the second largest terror group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas) was the winner.
Another crucial finding the Biden administration needs to take into account -- as it continues to talk about its "strong commitment to a negotiated two-state solution as the best path to reach a just and lasting resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" -- is that the poll found that 60% of respondents oppose the principle of a two-state solution. If given a choice, the same percentage (60%) supports a "unified Palestinian state on historic Palestine." This means that a majority of those surveyed believe that Israel has no right to exist and should be replaced with a Palestinian state, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. This is actually an endorsement of the Hamas charter, which states:
"... the land of Palestine has been an Islamic Waqf throughout the generations and until the Day of Resurrection; no one can renounce it or part of it, or abandon it or part of it... The liberation of that land is an individual duty binding on all Muslims everywhere... When our enemies usurp some Islamic lands, Jihad [holy war] becomes a duty binding on all Muslims. In order to face the usurpation of Palestine by the Jews, we have no escape from raising the banner of Jihad. We must spread the spirit of Jihad among the Islamic nation, clash with the enemies and join the ranks of the Jihad fighters."
While the Biden administration is talking about the need for confidence-building measures between the Palestinians and Israel and the possibility of resuming the stalled peace negotiations, the poll found that 54% of respondents oppose the resumption of the negotiations with Israel at the present time. Another 53% said that they oppose economic and trade relations with Israel.
The findings of the poll do not surprise those familiar with the inner workings of the PA and the anti-Israel and anti-US sentiments on the Palestinian street.
The US financial aid may prop up the PA in the short term and allow Abbas and his team to hold on to power for some time.
In the long term, however, the US dollars will not restore the Palestinians' confidence in Abbas or the PA leadership. US taxpayer dollars will not drive Palestinians to accept Israel's right to exist. The same applies to the Israeli gestures, which are not likely to achieve the Biden administration's hope of bolstering the PA's standing or advancing the "two-state solution." The results of the poll are clear: many Palestinians have been so successfully radicalized by their leaders that they want to see Israel removed from the face of the earth. Hate has been embedded so successfully that they would rather see their people suffer and die than accept any accommodation with Israel. These sentiments are the direct result of decades of bloody incitement against Israel among Palestinians and in most parts of the Arab world. The only way to change this brutal reality is by halting the messages of hate and the delegitimization of Israel. Until that happens, Palestinians will continue to pocket money from the US and other Western donors, while at the same time moving closer to Hamas and further from any peace with Israel.
*Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
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