English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 28/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Because you have
kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that
is coming on the whole world
Book of Revelation 03/07-13/:”‘To the angel of the church
in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who
has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut,who shuts and no one opens:
‘I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is
able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my
word and have not denied my name. I will make those of the synagogue of Satan
who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying I will make them come and
bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because
you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of
trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I
am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never
go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city
of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my
own new name. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to
the churches.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials
published on
September 27-28/2021
MoPH: 205 new coronavirus cases, 10 deaths
Aoun Chairs Meeting to Discuss Negotiations with IMF
Aoun discusses with Mikati Paris visit outcome, heads financial-economic meeting
over IMF negotiations
Bitar's Probe into Port Case Suspended after Mashnouq Lawsuit
Miqati Seeking 14-Hour EDL Power Supply within Weeks
UN Security Council calls on Lebanon’s new government to enact swift reforms
Finance Committee Refuses BDL Requested Delay for Raising Bank Exchange Rate
Activists protest outside Mikati's residence in Tripoli
Jumblat to 'Defiance Axis': We Believe in a Free Diverse Lebanon that You Want
to Abolish
Army chief visits USNS Choctaw County ship
Mikati a apparemment dit à Macron que les réformes exigées étaient irréalisables
pour l'instant./Jean-Marie Kassab/September 27/ 2021
Mikati’s uphill task of saving Lebanon from Hezbollah/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab
News.September 27/ 2021
From Russia to Syria and Lebanon: One Party in Many parties/Hazem Saghieh/Ashasrq
Al Awsat/September 27/ 2021
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
September 27-28/2021
Erbil Forum for normalisation with Israel plays into hands of Iraq’s
pro-Iran militias
Iranians, Saudis continue talks in Baghdad say Iraqi officials
Erdogan rejects US ‘interference’ in Turkey’s purchase of defence systems
Amman seeks warmer ties with Israel but within limits
Afghanistan envoy withdraws from General Assembly debate: UN
Biden Aide to Meet Saudi Crown Prince On Yemen
Strong Quake Rattles Greek Island of Crete; 1 Dead
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Says 2 Members Killed in Fire
Two Algerian Ex-Premiers Handed New Jail Terms for Graft
More than 60 Killed in Clashes for Yemen's Marib
Shadow Contracts, Smoke, Mirrors Keep the Lights out in Iraq
Prosecutor Seeks to Resume ICC Probe in Afghanistan
Coptic Christian Building Abruptly Demolished in Egypt
Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC
English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on
September 27-28/2021
Buried Alive: Persecution of Christians, August 2021/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone
Institute/September 27/2021
The US, Iran and the Untying of Gordian Knots/Charles Elias Chartouni/September
27/2021
The Harsh German Lesson/Ghassan Charbel/Ashasrq Al Awsat/September 27/ 2021
Mainstream Democrats Introduce Bill Endangering Israel/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone
Institute/September 27/ 2021
Iran Switching to a New Illusion/Amir Taheri/Asharq al-Awsat/September 27/ 2021
Repulsive: John Kerry Accepts China's Genocide to Get Climate Deal/Gordon G.
Chang/Gatestone Institute/September 27/2021
Palestinian division goes far beyond Fatah-Hamas ‘split’/Ramzy Baroud/Arab
News.September 27, 2021
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 27-28/2021
MoPH: 205 new coronavirus cases, 10 deaths
NNA/September 27/ 2021
205 new coronavirus cases and 10 deaths have been recorded in Lebanon in the
past 24 hours, as reported Monday by the Ministry of Public Health.
Aoun Chairs Meeting to Discuss Negotiations
with IMF
Naharnet/September 27/ 2021
President Michel Aoun chaired a meeting Monday to proceed with the discussions
concerning the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. The meeting
was attended by Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Deputy PM Saadeh al-Shami, and the
two ministers of Finance and Economy Youssef al-Khalil and Amin Salam.Separately,
Miqati met Aoun and briefed him on the results of his visit to Paris and his
talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Aoun discusses with Mikati Paris visit outcome,
heads financial-economic meeting over IMF negotiations
NNA/September 27/ 2021
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met Premier, Najib Mikati, today
at the Presidential Palace.
PM Mikati briefed the President on the results of his recent visit to Paris, and
the discussions held with French President, Emmanuel Macron, which tackled the
Lebanese situation and the support provided by France to enable Lebanon to
overcome difficulties.
Financial-Economic Meeting:
The President chaired a financial-economic meeting attended by PM Mikati, Deputy
Prime Minister, Souada Al-Shami, Finance Minister, Youssef Al-Khalil, Economy
Minister, Amin Salam, Director-General of the Lebanese Presidency, Dr. Antoine
Choucair, and Financial Expert, Rafic Haddad.
The meeting was devoted to discuss the completion of negotiations with the
International Monetary Fund, and necessary preparations.
National Defense Minister:
The President met National Defense Minister, Brigadier Maurice Slim, and
discussed with him ministerial affairs and the situation of the Lebanese Army
institution.
Former Minister Al-Majzoub:
President Aoun received former Education Minister, Judge Tarek Al-Majzoub.
Al-Majzoub thanked the President for the cooperation, and wished that the reform
projects developed during his ministerial term would be completed for the
benefit of Lebanese education.—Presidency Press Office
Bitar's Probe into Port Case Suspended after Mashnouq
Lawsuit
Associated Press/September 27/ 2021
Judge Tarek Bitar on Monday received a request demanding his removal from the
Beirut port blast case, which effectively suspends his probe pending a decision
from the Court of Appeals.The development follows a lawsuit filed by ex-interior
minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq. The Court of Appeals will now have to decide
whether to recuse Bitar or keep him on the case. Sessions to interrogate retired
army officers Camille Daher and Ghassan Gharzeddine were meanwhile called off
after Bitar was suspended. The petition to remove Bitar was filed by Mashnouq's
lawyer on Friday.
Former public works minister Youssef Fenianos had on Wednesday filed a similar
request, citing "legitimate suspicion" over Bitar’s handling of the case.
The developments are the latest in a year-long saga surrounding the
investigation into the explosion. Months into the probe, the former lead judge
running the investigation, Fadi Sawwan, was removed by the Court of Cassation
after similar charges were filed against him by senior government officials.
The judge has accused Mashnouq, Fenianos and two other former ministers of
intentional killing and negligence that led to the deaths of more than 200
people in the explosion. Over 6,000 were injured in the massive blast that also
devastated a large section of Beirut. Bitar has also subpoenaed ex-PM Hassan
Diab after the latter failed to attend a hearing session.
Bitar's removal, if it happens, would likely be the final blow to the probe,
making it highly unlikely that a third judge would take up the job amid threats
by members of the country's political elite who have closed ranks in their
effort to block the probe. Families of the victims of the explosion have already
demanded an international probe, not trusting the Lebanese probe. Lebanon is
known for a culture of impunity that has prevailed for decades, including among
the entrenched political elites. The political campaign against Bitar began in
July when he announced intentions to go after senior Lebanese officials, and
summoned for questioning then-outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab, three former
Cabinet ministers and top security officials.
None showed up for questioning; the parliament failed to lift immunity of those
summoned -- a necessary step before any prosecution -- while Diab's office and
then-interior minister, Mohammad Fahmi, declined to let Bitar question the heads
of two security agencies.
Miqati Seeking 14-Hour EDL Power Supply within Weeks
Naharnet/September 27/ 2021
Prime Minister Najib Miqati is seeking to provide citizens with 14-hour/day
power supply from the national grid within a few weeks, MP Nicolas Nahhas, who
is close to the PM, said. “Efforts are underway to secure this for the sake of
the people and the economy,” Nahhas told the PSP’s al-Anbaa news portal in
remarks published Monday. “The number of power plants is a detail and what’s
important is how to provide 2,400 megawatts in the coming period,” Nahhas added,
noting that a panel formed by Cabinet will be in charge of the issue.
According to ministerial sources, Miqati will also hold meetings to discuss a
solution for all the aspects of the fuel shortage crisis.
UN Security Council calls on Lebanon’s new government to
enact swift reforms
Arab News.September 27, 2021
LONDON: The UN Security Council on Monday welcomed the formation of a new
government in Lebanon. The administration led by Prime Minister Najib Mikati was
announced earlier this month after more than a year of political stalemate. In
that time, Lebanon has plunged deeper into economic collapse with widespread
blackouts and fuel shortages. The Security Council statement “urged Lebanon’s
new government to swiftly and transparently implement the well‑known, necessary
and tangible reforms.” The changes are needed to deal with “the urgent security,
economic, social and humanitarian challenges facing the country,” the statement
said. The council said it was important to hold free, fair and inclusive
elections next year and an independent transparent investigation into the Beirut
port explosions that decimated the city last year.
Finance Committee Refuses BDL Requested Delay for Raising
Bank Exchange Rate
Naharnet/September 27/ 2021
Head of Parliament's Finance and Budget Committee MP Ibrahim Kanaan said Monday
that the central bank has requested a grace period until the end of the year to
study the issue of raising the value of withdrawals. The Finance and Budget
Committee had met with representatives of BDL and the depositors, in the
presence of the minister of finance and the association of banks to discuss
raising the exchange rate for bank withdrawals, currently set at LBP 3,900/USD.
Kanaan pointed out that the Committee has refused the delay period and asked the
government “to obtain an answer from the central bank before the end of
September.”
Activists protest outside Mikati's residence in Tripoli
NNA/September 27/ 2021
A crowd of activists rallied Monday outside the residences of Prime Minister
Najib Mikati and Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi in Tripoli, in protest at the
ailing livelihood conditions and what they termed as "the Iranian project."
Jumblat to 'Defiance Axis': We Believe in a Free Diverse
Lebanon that You Want to Abolish
Naharnet/September 27/ 2021
Head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblat slammed Monday the “Axis
of Defiance” in a tweet. “They only utter threats,” Jumblat said.
He added that the PSP and the National Movement “were fighting Israel” before
“your legions came.” Addressing the Axis of Resistance, Jumblat went on to say
that he believes in a Lebanon of diversity and freedom “that you want to
abolish.” The so-called Axis of Defiance is an alliance that comprises Iran,
Syria, Hizbullah and their allies in the region.
Army chief visits USNS Choctaw County ship
NNA/September 27/ 2021
The Lebanese army announced, in a tweet on Monday, that Army Commander, General
Joseph Aoun, visited the USNS Choctaw County ship in Beirut maritime base.
Mikati a apparemment dit à Macron que les réformes exigées étaient irréalisables
pour l'instant.
Jean-Marie Kassab/September 27/ 2021
Cher Najib, boucler les frontières a-t-il besoin de réformes pour être réalisé?
Même un simple soldat sait que c'est une obligation pérpetuelle.
Interdire la parade armée des PSNS à Hamra a besoin de réformes? Etc etc.
Ah j' ai failli oublier: le vice premier ministre est " kawmi Souri". A y penser
: Si Mikati se tape une grippe ou une gastro, le conseil des ministres sera
présidé par un Kawmi Souri. Un oxymore typique du Liban. Un président collabo
des iraniens et un PM national Syrien.
Triste triste pays.
Jean-Marie Kassab
Mikati’s uphill task of saving Lebanon from Hezbollah
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News.September 27, 2021
The new Lebanese government headed by Najib Mikati was finally approved by
parliament last week. This is Lebanon’s first government since the Cabinet of
former Prime Minister Hassan Diab was dissolved following the explosion that hit
Beirut Port in August last year. The resulting governmental vacuum has led to
tremendous challenges at the political, economic, social, security, and health
levels.
Despite the accomplishment of forming a new government, it seems that Lebanon’s
crises are extremely complicated and cannot be resolved through the current
systematic compromises or satisfactorily addressed through Mikati’s vision.
In short, Lebanon is witnessing a state of total collapse, for which Hezbollah
bears primary responsibility; although this blame is also shared by the
remaining Lebanese political forces because of their silence and passiveness.
The country’s situation is no different — apart from maybe even worse — than
some of the regional countries that are experiencing civil wars and foreign
interventions, such as Syria.
In Lebanon, there has been an unprecedented decline in the value of the national
currency, along with deteriorating living conditions and a severe shortage of
essential utilities, particularly water and electricity — all worsened by
rampant corruption. Due to the deepening crises in the country, which have
resulted from the aforementioned factors, the Lebanese people have embarked on
what has become known as a third wave of emigration. It is reminiscent of the
two previous large emigration waves in the country’s history, which occurred
during the First World War and the Lebanese Civil War of 1975 to 1990.
To end the domestic deterioration and prevent Lebanon from sliding into the
abyss, Mikati’s new government hopes to attract external support, primarily
foreign aid, to implement an urgent economic and social recovery plan. Mikati is
working to convince Arab and Gulf states, in particular, to provide support to
save Lebanon. He claims that his government will distance itself from the
“policy of siding with certain axes.”
Mikati’s government faces immense challenges that will impede its ability to
deliver. The formula imposed by Hezbollah — under which the new government has
been established — is the principal root cause of Lebanon’s crises and its
present impasse.
Even though Mikati’s government consists of technocrats, most of them reflect
the country’s sectarian equation. The make-up of the Lebanese Parliament means
that no radical solutions can be advanced, as the passage of vital executive
decisions remains liable to be blocked at any time by Hezbollah. As a result,
the government’s decisions will ultimately reflect the trade-offs agreed outside
of its official headquarters.
Hezbollah’s outlook and goals impede any Lebanese government from performing its
duties. The group, which presents itself as a state within a state due to its
possession of a weapons arsenal equal to that of Lebanon’s national army,
continues to drag the country into external conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Moreover, Hezbollah’s vast range of transboundary networks, which engage in
various legal and illegal activities, continues to work in its interests.
Meanwhile, the party’s economic role has mushroomed regionally and globally, in
blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty. It has also hijacked the country’s
national decision-making process and the government’s sovereignty for the sake
of Iran. This makes Lebanon more vulnerable to sanctions and isolation.
The party has hijacked the country’s national decision-making process and the
government’s sovereignty for the sake of Iran.
In addition to making Lebanon, its resources and its weapons a pawn in Iran’s
regional expansionist project, Hezbollah has also isolated the country from its
Arab sphere — depriving it of Arab and Gulf support, with the previous economic
and military assistance from the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia, in particular,
suspended. Lebanon has also become isolated internationally, with several world
powers making their help conditional on the country addressing its internal
political imbalance.
In the face of these challenges, it seems highly improbable that Mikati’s
government has the will or ability to change the reality imposed on Lebanon by
Hezbollah and Iran, even though it may want to do so. This was evident in
Mikati’s remarks regarding the entry of Iranian fuel into Lebanon, which he
condemned as a breach of the country’s sovereignty.
It also seems that Mikati, rather than addressing the original and root causes
of the current crises, has chosen to plead with donors — especially the Gulf
states — to help save Lebanon. The Gulf states have solid and compelling
justifications for not responding positively to Mikati’s call for assistance and
may simply refuse to do so. Throughout history, for example, no country has
matched Saudi Arabia in terms of its solidarity and support for Lebanon during
its repeated crises and multiple wars. As well as brokering the Taif Agreement
that ended the civil war, the Kingdom also gave Lebanon nearly $70 billion
between 1990 and 2015. Furthermore, following the disastrous Beirut Port
explosion, the Kingdom immediately launched an airlift to offer emergency relief
to the Lebanese people. In addition to these examples, the Kingdom has always
been the firefighter extinguishing the fires ignited in Lebanon by Iran and
Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia is still keen on Lebanon’s integrity and upholding its
sovereignty. But how can the Kingdom help those actors who have destroyed
Lebanon, violated its social contract, risked the country’s future, and drawn it
into a hostile alliance against itself and the Gulf states?
How can the Lebanese government be granted assistance while Hezbollah — Iran’s
regional proxy — is engaging in conflicts on multiple fronts and contributing to
the destruction of Syria, Iraq and Yemen?
Are Iran’s militias in Iraq not testament to the fact that providing help is a
rather fruitless act, as governments do not exercise full sovereignty or have
complete control over national decision-making?
In light of the above, any assistance donated to Lebanon is channeled in
numerous negative directions, rather than the right one. Neither the Lebanese
state nor the Lebanese people benefit. In fact, it is Iran’s militias that
benefit, strengthening Tehran and its influence.
There is no doubt that Arab countries need Lebanon as much as Lebanon needs them
— especially in light of the crises gripping the region and the turmoil and
chaos that Iran is spreading and seeking to normalize under the pretext of an
illusionary project for domination. Yet there is no question that saving Lebanon
from the clutches of Iran’s project requires an internal Lebanese consensus that
will facilitate the process of restoring the country’s sovereignty, rather than
leaving a vacuum for Hezbollah to exploit once again.
It is essential for Mikati’s government to exercise full authority and
sovereignty over Lebanon’s resources and weapons, and to abandon the alliance
imposed on it by Hezbollah, in order for the country to once again assume its
proud stature, guided by its history and geography, rather than by Iran’s
national interests. When this happens, Lebanon and the Lebanese people will find
all the help and support they might wish for from Saudi Arabia and other
brotherly Arab countries, enabling Lebanon to restore its stability and
strength.
• Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is President of the International Institute for Iranian
Studies (Rasanah).
Twitter: @mohalsulami
From Russia to Syria and Lebanon: One Party in Many parties
Hazem Saghieh/Ashasrq Al Awsat/September 27/ 2021
United Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s party, was granted half of the Russian
electorate’s votes. Still, the other half did not go to the opposition, any
opposition. It was shared by parties that all support the president. These
parties could object to detail here, an incompetent minister there, or minor
irregularities at the polls, but they unanimously agree that Vladimir Putin is
the only one who can embody Russia’s dignity and steadfastness in the face of
hostile foreign powers.
The Russians who do not share this view, like the dissident Alexei Navalny, were
banned, as they had been in Iran, from taking part in the elections. Putin’s
Russia, which refuses the “imposition of Western values” on non-Westerners,
finds copying nothing but Khomeinist Iran’s values tempting.
It is a farce that cannot but remind us of the farcical “people’s democracy”
created by Soviet communism to destroy democracy and, at the same time, control
the peoples of Central Europe.
However, the farce that is the Russian election would not be complete without
its similarly farcical parties and ideologies. The parties no longer express
divergent views and interests, the function that defines parties. On the other
hand, they all agree on the basics. Nothing is more basic than lining up behind
the president, and while these aligned parties’ names vary, between communist,
nationalist, democratic and liberal, those descriptions do not correspond to
what is being described. Words do not mean what they are supposed to mean.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky established this method that has made a farce of political
life since 1989, before Putin’s rise, when he called his ultra-nationalist party
the “Russian Liberal Democratic Party.”
The reality is that the parties that shared the Russian electorate’s votes are
all part of a single party that has many heads or many parties. The one party,
hidden behind the scenes, is the populist-nationalist party, and Putin is its
undisputed leader. Only thus could democracy spring from our “values” and
“authenticity,” and become a force of unity and not division and strife!
The Syrians and Lebanese understand this approach very well.
These two countries are not the only examples that could be given. Nonetheless,
they are two glaring cases: Behind Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stand the
Arab nationalists, be they Baathists or Nasserists, Syrian nationalists, the
proletarian Communists, and the Islamists who follow Hassan Nasrallah. They all
consider one another “brothers” and “comrades.” The only thing that
distinguishes one party from the others is the extent of its loyalty to the
leader and his apparatus. As for the Russian and Iranian support for Assad, it
removes any doubts that may remain about this fraternal, heavenly bond.
In order to strengthen this bond, correcting erroneous historical events is a
needed. Neither did the Syrian nationalists assassinate the Baathist officer
Adnan al-Maliki, nor did the Arab nationalists kill communist leader Farajallah
al-Helou or Syrian nationalist officer Ghassan Jadid, nor did Hezbollah
supporters assassinate the communist intellectuals Hussein Mroueh and Hassan
Hamdan... Imperialism and Zionism are always the assassins, and the victims are
their victims alone. Whoever says otherwise is either a damned orientalist or a
student of orientalism.
Defending ideas and politics thereby becomes tied to the defense of facts and
truth. That is true for both Russia and Iran, as well as Lebanon and Syria.
Blurring concepts and disdain for them have also undermined the notions of right
and left, conservatism and liberalism, religiosity and secularism... This
approach managed to make major inroads in some of the world’s oldest
democracies. We find this, for example, in the French “leftist” Jean-Luc
Melenchon, as well as in the French “rightist” Marine Le Pen. That is because
stances on ideas and interests are no longer the priority.
Instead, the focus is on the position to the outside and the identity that this
outsider is supposedly threatening. And there is always a wholesome leader, like
Putin or Assad, who is appointed protector of that identity in the face of the
outside, which is always an elastic concept; it can encompass imperialism and
Zionism just as much as it can refer to globalization and multinational
corporations, refugees and immigrants, or those aspiring for freedom or
independence in all their varieties.
It would be misguided to bet on partisans taking a stance to save their parties
and the ideas they believed in when they first joined those parties from the
lies that misrepresented them. The normalization of lying has prevailed with the
help of petty interests, implications in acts of violence here or there, and, of
course, concern for the party’s survival after the erosion of its previous
raison d’etre. In light of this persistent misrepresentation of parties and
ideas, the outcome can only be the stifling of public debate, the exacerbation
of intellectual and cultural stagnation, and their spread across countries in
their entirety.
Indeed, when the Russian model or the Iranian model is imitated and followed, it
becomes difficult for the outcome to be different from what it has been: zero
added to zero.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on September 27-28/2021
Erbil Forum for normalisation with
Israel plays into hands of Iraq’s pro-Iran militias
The Arab Weekly/Arab News/September 27/2021
BAGHDAD--A controversial Iraqi forum calling for normalisation with Israel has
turned into an opportunity for parties and militias loyal to Iran, to ratchet up
their political propaganda two weeks before the October 10 elections. Fears of
fraud, which over the past few days have dominated the political debate in Iraq,
have given way to denunciation of the normalisation calls. And even before
arrest warrants were issued against forum participants, factions linked to Iran
began condemning the event which seemed clearly to play in the hands of Iran’s
allies in Iraq. Reacting to protests, the Iraqi judiciary issued arrest warrants
against those who had participated in the “Peace and Recovery” forum, which
called for the establishment of normal relations between Iraq and Israel. The
Iraqi government said it rejected the forum as did the presidency and
parliament. Militias affiliated to Iran threatened to sue those who had taken
part while Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Sadrist movement, urged the
government to “arrest all the participants … Iraq is impervious to normalisation,”
he said. Ahmad Assadi, an MP with the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary coalition
made up of mostly pro-Iran groups, branded the participants as “traitors in the
eyes of the law”. More than 300 Iraqis, including tribal leaders, attended
Saturday’s forum in autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan organised by the New York-based
Centre for Peace Communications (CPC), which advocates normalisation between
Israel and Arab countries. Among the attendees were former officers, tribesmen
and leaders of “Awakening” organisations (Sahawats), which were supported by
Washington to fight anti-US armed factions after its 2003 invasion of Iraq. The
arrest warrants included organisers and participants such as tribal chief Wissam
Al-Hardan (the leader of the “Awakening” groups in Iraq), ex-MP Mithal al-Alusi
and Sahar al-Tai, head of research at the cultural ministry, who chaired the
conference. At the Erbil forum, in the Kurdish capital, Tai read out a closing
statement saying: “We demand our integration into the Abraham Accords.”Alusi did
not in fact attend the forum but is known to be one of the Iraqi politicians
most enthusiastic about establishing relations with Israel. He has made several
visits to Israel since 2005.
Some of the participants argued that the outcry following the forum was the
result of a misunderstanding, as it became clear that the event had prouced the
very opposite result to that sought by organisers. CPC founder Joseph Braude, a
US citizen of Iraqi Jewish origin, said that the participants hailed from six
governorates: Baghdad, Mosul, Salah al-Din, Anbar, Diyala and Babil. The vast
majority of the 300 attendees were opponents of Iranian influence in Iraq. Their
intent ,while calling for normalisation with Israel, was also to denounce the
militias affiliated with Iran and seek to galvanise a joint front against the
acts of sabotage, displacement and killing perpetrated by these militias in many
Iraqi provinces. But they ended up offering the pro-Iran militias an opportunity
to posture as defenders of the Palestinian cause. This can be seen as ironic.
During the first years of the American invasion, the Palestinians living in Iraq
were subjected to campaigns of expulsions, arrests and torture by these same
militias, until tens of thousands of them were forced to flee Iraq and abandon
their homes and possessions.
Some at the forum sought to link the event to their opposition to Iran’s
encroachment in Iraq. Former MP Mithal al-Alusi tried to present his personal
ties to Israel as part of his opposition to the Iranian presence in Iraq. In
statements after the issuance of a warrant for his arrest , he said tfrom
Germany hat he was sad “to see the Iraqi state and judiciary proceeding with
Iranian whims under the threat of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards militia.” The
Kurdistan region has previously received Israeli security officials on several
occasions, without raising objections in Baghdad. Security expert Hamza Abu al-Souf
revealed on September 13, 2015 the appointment of Odin Shukr, vice-president of
the Council of Oriental Jews and vice-president of the European Jewish Council,
who is also of Iraqi origin and lives in Britain, as the officer in charge of
arranging relations between Baghdad and Tel Aviv. His appointment came after he
visited Baghdad and toured its old neighbourhoods and brought a message to
Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister at the time. In January 2019, the
Israeli Hadashot TV channel said that three Iraqi “local leaders” visited Israel
and held meetings with Israeli academics. The members of the missions visited
the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum and met Israeli government officials.In
August, Haim Regev, the former director of the Middle East department at the
Israeli ministry of foreign affairs, said, “The list of secret Israeli contacts
extends to Baghdad, although it does not include Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.” In
2019, the Iraqi ambassador to Washington, Farid Yassin, said, “There are
objective reasons that may call for establishing relations between Iraq and
Israel.”
Iranians, Saudis continue talks in Baghdad say Iraqi
officials
The Arab Weekly/Arab News/September 27/2021
BAGHDAD--Representatives from Iran and Saudi Arabia have held a new round of
talks in Baghdad, two Iraqi officials said Monday, in the first such meeting
between the regional foes since Tehran’s new president was sworn in. The meeting
held last week discussed “pending issues between the two countries according to
a previously agreed on roadmap, including diplomatic representation between the
two countries,” according to one Iraqi official. The official, who spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to give official
statements, said the meeting was not on a ministerial level, but described the
talks as positive. Iraq has recently played the role of mediator between the two
regional foes whose rivalry has often played out with deadly consequences in
Iraq and elsewhere in the region. Multiple rounds of discussions have been held
in Baghdad since the first direct talks between Riyadh and Tehran took place in
early April. Saudi Arabia has sought talks with Iran as the kingdom tries to end
its years-long war in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, having lost an
unflinching supporter in President Joe Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump. Iran,
meanwhile, appears to have calculated that a gradual detente with Saudi Arabia,
a longtime US ally, will work in its favour during renewed nuclear talks with
Washington and world powers. Last month, Baghdad hosted a regional conference
that brought together Arab heads of state and senior officials including the
foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia. The meeting, meant to ease Mideast
tensions, cemented Baghdad’s new role as mediator. The encounter last week is
the first since Iranian hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi took office in August.
It was not clear how much progress, if any, has been made in the talks. Iran and
Saudi Arabia have long been regional rivals. Relations worsened considerably in
2016, when Riyadh removed its diplomats after protesters attacked its embassy in
Tehran and consulate in Mashhad after the kingdom executing a prominent Shia
cleric, Nimr al-Nimr. Saudi Arabia has called on Tehran to stop its destablising
activities in the region through the use of proxy militias such as Yemen’s
Houthis who have frequently targeted Saudi civilan sites and oil installations
with missiles and drones
Erdogan rejects US ‘interference’ in Turkey’s
purchase of defence systems
The Arab Weekly/Arab News/September 27/2021
WASHINGTON--Boosting his defiance of the Biden administration, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country still intended to buy a second batch of
S-400 missile defence systems from Russia, in a move that could deepen a rift
with NATO ally Washington and trigger new US sanctions.
Washington says the S-400s pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and to NATO’s
broader defence systems. Turkey says it was unable to procure air defense
systems from any NATO ally on satisfactory terms. “In the future, nobody will be
able to interfere in terms of what kind of defence systems we acquire, from
which country at what level,” Erdogan said in an interview that aired on CBS
News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “Nobody can interfere with that. We are the
only ones to make such decisions.” The United States imposed sanctions on
Turkey’s Defence Industry Directorate, its chief, Ismail Demir and three other
employees in December following the country’s acquisition of a first batch of
S-400s. Talks continued between Russia and Turkey about the delivery of a second
batch, which Washington has repeatedly said would almost certainly trigger new
sanctions.
“We urge Turkey at every level and opportunity not to retain the S-400 system
and to refrain from purchasing any additional Russian military equipment,” said
a State Department spokesperson when asked about Erdogan’s comments. “We
continue to make clear to Turkey that any significant new Russian arms purchases
would risk triggering CAATSA 231 sanctions separate from and in addition to
those imposed in December 2020,” the spokesperson added, referring to the 2017
Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The spokesperson also
said the United States regards Turkey as an ally and friend and seeks ways to
strengthen their partnership “even when we disagree.”
Before departing New York, Erdogan told journalists that relations with
President Joe Biden hadn’t started well despite what he called his good work
with previous US leaders during his 19-years at Turkey’s helm. “I cannot
honestly say that there is a healthy process in Turkish-American relations,”
state-run Anadolu news agency quoted Erdogan as saying Thursday. The two leaders
didn’t meet for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Since Biden’s victory in the US presidential election, they have met only in
June at a NATO summit where they discussed the possibility of Turkey securing
and operating the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. But that plan has
been shelved since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Erdogan also told
Turkish media that Turkey would buy new missile defence systems if needed and
that it was already developing its own.
The issue is one of several sticking points in Turkish-American relations that
also include Turkey’s human rights record, US support for Syrian Kurdish
fighters who Turkey considers terrorists and the continued US residency of a
Muslim cleric accused of plotting the failed coup attempt against Erdogan’s
government in 2016. Erdogan is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir
Putin on September 29 in Sochi, Russia.Erdogan also said that US President Joe
Biden had never raised the issue of Turkey’s human rights track record, seen as
extremely troublesome by international rights advocacy groups.
Asked whether Biden brought up the issue during their June meeting on the
sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels, Erdogan said: “No he didn’t. And because
we don’t have any problems of that nature in terms of freedoms, Turkey is
incomparably free.”Turkey is among the top jailers of journalists, according to
figures from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), while Human Rights
Watch says Erdogan’s authoritarian rule has been consolidated by the passage of
legislation that contravenes international human rights obligations.
Amman seeks warmer ties with Israel but within
limits
The Arab Weekly/Arab News/September 27/2021
AMMAN--Since Naftali Bennett became prime minister, Israeli-Jordanian talks have
taken on a new turn towards overcoming outstanding differences . But analysts
rule out the prospect of a complete normalisation which could revive the
diplomatic relations that have been dormant for years. Israeli TV channel “i24”
said on Sunday that Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid had a secret meeting in
Amman last month with King Abdullah II of Jordan. The channel added that during
the meeting, discussion centred on the situation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in
Jerusalem. The two sides had discussed tensions that were building around the
compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in May
2021, which had led to clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police in the
Old City of Jerusalem, resulting in a sharp escalation of the conflict on the
border with the Gaza Strip.
In addition, the king and Lapid discussed strengthening relations between Jordan
and Israel. This is not the first meeting that Lapid has had with Jordanian
leaders. In early July, he held talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman
Safadi at the border crossing on the Jordan River, during which an agreement was
reached on the supply of an additional 50 million cubic metres of water to
Jordan. Observers believe that the climate change issues have pushed both Jordan
and Israel to improve their cooperation in combatting drought and may compel
them to move further towards other forms of cooperation.
Jordan’s King Abdullah confirmed recently that he had met Israeli Prime Minister
Bennett and Defence Minister Benny Gantz in early July. The confirmation came
during an interview conducted by CNN with the Jordanian monarch. “I came out of
those meetings (his meetings with Bennett and Gantz) very encouraged and I think
we have seen in the past two weeks, not only a better understanding between
Israel and Jordan, but we have heard voices in both Israel and Palestine
indicating that we need to move forward,” Abdullah was quoted as saying by CNN
Arabic.
Amman’s improvement of its relations with Tel Aviv hinges on a number of
conditions. Observers believe the new Israeli leadership will not take all of
Amman’s concerns into consideration, despite the greater openness it has shown.
Ties between Jordan and Israel saw a clear deterioration during the era of
former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2009-2021), to the extent that
King Abdullah described them once during a dialogue session in the United States
as being “at their worst.”Israel’s continuous violation of arrangements around
Al-Aqsa Mosque and in Jerusalem in general, have further adversely affected
relations between the two countries. Israel’s behaviour represented for Amman a
clear disregard of its historic role in the guardianship of Palestinian holy
sites.
Harsh Israeli crackdowns on Palestinians in the occupied territories have led to
widespread popular protests in Jordan and to a widening of the rift in bilateral
relations. These relations soured last March against the backdrop of the
cancellation of Netanyahu’s visit to the UAE due to the difficulties in
coordinating the flight of Israel’s former premier to Abu Dhabi via Jordanian
airspace. Shortly before that, Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein cancelled a
visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, due to disagreements with Tel Aviv over
security arrangements. Jordan believes it has an interest in dealing with
Israel, but insists that certain basic conditions have to be met. Foremost of
these is Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the holy places and its respect
of kingdom’s guardianship over them, as well as adherence to the two-state
solution. Observers point out that any Israeli disinterest in the two-state
solution, despite the Biden administration’s support for this, will necessarily
lead to a deterioration of the relationship with Jordan. They say that the
intensification of Jordanian-Israeli contacts is also part of a Jordanian
diplomatic tack that serves Amman’s interests with the new US administration.
Jordanian political analysts rule out any major change in Jordanian-Israeli
relations during the Bennett era. They see several obstacles to this, the first
of which is that the new Israeli government currently has other priorities.
Besides, there is no indication of a change in Israeli policy towards Jerusalem,
which is one reason relations between the two countries during the Netanyahu era
turned sour in the first place.
Afghanistan envoy withdraws from General Assembly
debate: UN
AFP/September 27/ 2021
Afghanistan's ambassador to the United Nations pulled out of delivering an
address to world leaders at the General Assembly later Monday, a UN spokesperson
said. Ghulam Isaczai, who represented president Ashraf Ghani's regime that was
ousted last month, had been due to defy the Taliban with a speech but his name
was removed from the list of speakers early Monday. "The country withdraws its
participation in the general debate," Monica Grayley, a spokeswoman for the
assembly's president, confirmed to AFP. She added that Afghanistan's mission to
the UN had not cited a reason for the withdrawal. The Taliban wrote a letter to
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last week requesting that its new foreign
minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, be allowed to "participate." The letter insisted
that Isaczai "no longer represents" Afghanistan at the global body. The letter
said that the Taliban had nominated their Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as
Afghanistan's permanent representative to the UN. The note came after Guterres
had received a separate letter from Isaczai, dated September 15, containing the
list of Afghanistan's delegation for the session. That letter listed Isaczai as
Afghanistan's permanent representative. The UN still considers Isaczai the head
of Afghanistan's mission. "Only the mission can withdraw," from addressing the
assembly, a UN official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The Afghan mission
was not immediately available for comment. A nine-member credentials committee
that included the United States, Russia and China, has to approve the Taliban's
request but it did not meet in time.
Biden Aide to Meet Saudi Crown Prince On Yemen
Associated Press/September 27/ 2021
President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan is traveling to
Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the U.S.
tries to press the kingdom to move toward a cease-fire in its years long war
with Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Sullivan will be the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit
Saudi Arabia. Besides seeing the crown prince, often referred to by his
initials, MBS, Sullivan is expected to meet with deputy defense minster Khalid
bin Salman, a brother to the crown prince, according to two senior
administration officials. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly
and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Biden White House has largely
steered clear of the crown prince since making public in February a CIA report
that showed MBS likely approved the killing of Washington Post columnist and
Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi in a 2018 operation at the kingdom's consulate in
Istanbul. But the White House has resolved that bringing an end to perhaps the
world's most complex conflict can't be done without engaging with the most
senior Saudi officials face to face, one senior administration official said.
National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne confirmed to The Associated
Press that Sullivan was traveling to Riyadh on Monday and would also visit the
United Arab Emirates, a Saudi ally in the war, but did not provide additional
detail. Sullivan is being dispatched at a moment when the situation in Yemen,
the Arab world's poorest country, has further deteriorated. Fighting has
intensified in the key city of Marib, as Iran-backed rebels have sought to oust
the Saudi-backed government from the oil-rich city in the country's north. The
new U.N. special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, recently declared that the
country is "stuck in an indefinite state of war" and resuming negotiations to
end the more than six-year conflict won't be easy. Yemen's war began in
September 2014, when the Iranian-backed Houthis seized Sanaa and began a march
south to try to seize the entire country. Saudi Arabia, along with the United
Arab Emirates and other countries, entered the war alongside Yemen's
internationally recognized government in March 2015. The U.S. sold bombs and
fighter jets to Saudi Arabia that the kingdom later used in strikes on Yemen
that also killed civilians. The Obama administration in 2015 initially offered
U.S. targeting assistance to Saudi Arabia's command-and-control operations that
was supposed to minimize civilian casualties in airstrikes. It didn't, and Obama
ultimately cut back on the program.
Under President Donald Trump, targeting assistance continued although his
administration later stopped U.S. refueling operations for Saudi jets. Biden
announced weeks into his administration that he was ending all American support
for "offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales."
But there has been little progress on the ground in resolving what the United
Nations says is the world's worst humanitarian crisis. White House officials are
hopeful that the appointment of Grundberg will bring a new dynamic and put
pressure on all sides to bring an end to the conflict, according to two senior
administration officials. Sullivan is being joined for the talks with the Saudis
and the UAE by U.S. special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking and NSC senior
director for the Middle East Brett McGurk. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
planned to travel to Saudi Arabia earlier this month while he was in the region
but postponed due to what the administration said were scheduling issues.
The high-level White House push comes after Lenderking traveled to Saudi Arabia
and Oman, which has pressed for an end to the war. In addition, Secretary of
State Antony Blinken had talks with his counterpart members of the Gulf
Cooperation Council on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly.
Sullivan's visit to Saudi Arabia also comes as the administration is looking for
ways to resurrect the Iran nuclear deal. The Saudis and the UAE fiercely oppose
returning to the deal with Iran that was originally brokered in 2015 by the
Obama administration only to be scrapped by Trump in 2018.
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly on Friday, Iran's new foreign minister
Hossain Amir Abdollah said the country will return to nuclear negotiations in
Vienna "very soon." But he accused the Biden administration of sending
contradictory messages by saying it wants to rejoin the pact while slapping new
sanctions on Tehran and not taking "an iota of positive action." Biden and his
team have made a U.S. return to the deal — to which Britain, France, Russia,
China, Germany and Iran are signatories — one of their top foreign policy
priorities. But the U.S. has made limited headway in indirect talks, and Tehran
has bristled at Biden administration officials' call for a "longer and stronger"
deal than the original, which expires at the end of 2030.
Strong Quake Rattles Greek Island of Crete; 1 Dead
Associated Press/September 27/ 2021
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 struck the southern
Greek island of Crete Monday morning, killing one person and injuring several
more, authorities said. The quake sent people fleeing into the streets, while
schools were evacuated. Repeated aftershocks were rattling the area, and local
media reported damage in villages near the epicenter. The Athens Geodynamic
Institute said the quake struck at 9:17 a.m. local time (0617 GMT), with an
epicenter 246 kilometers (153 miles) south southeast of the Greek capital,
Athens. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center and the US Geological
Survey gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.0, with an epicenter seven kilometers
(4 miles) north of the village of Thrapsano. It is common for different
seismological institutes to give varying magnitudes for an earthquake in the
initial hours and days after an event. Greece's Climate Crisis and Civil
Protection Ministry said that according to reports from local authorities, one
person had been killed and a further nine people suffered injuries. The details
of the circumstances of the death and injuries were not immediately available.
"This is not an event that occurred without warning. We have seen activity in
this region for several months. This was a strong earthquake, it was not under
sea but under land and affecting populated areas," seismologist Gerasimos
Papadopoulos said on Greece's state broadcaster ERT. At least nine aftershocks
also struck the area, with the EMSC giving a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 for
the two strongest ones. Residents of the city of Heraklion rushed out into the
streets. Local media in Crete reported damage, with collapsing walls of old
stone buildings in villages near the epicenter of the temblor on the eastern
part of the island. Heraklion mayor Vassilis Lambrinos told Greek Skai
television that there were no immediate reports from emergency services of any
injuries or severe damage. He said schools were all evacuated and were to be
checked for structural damage.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Says 2 Members Killed in Fire
Associated Press/September 27/ 2021
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said on Monday that two of its members
died from injuries they suffered in an unexplained fire the day before. The
Guard said the fire erupted Sunday in a warehouse at what it described as a
"research self-sufficiency center" west of the capital, Tehran. At least three
Guard members were injured, two of whom later died. The statement did not
provide any further details. The powerful Guard runs the Research and
Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization, which the U.S. Treasury sanctioned in 2017
over its work "researching and developing ballistic missiles." It wasn't
immediately clear whether the site struck by Sunday's fire was involved in
missile development. There was no immediate footage of the blaze on social media
or other reports pinpointing the site of the fire, although the Guard runs many
facilities on the outskirts of Tehran. Missile and other sensitive sites in Iran
have seen fires before. The most notable came in 2011, when a blast at a missile
base near Tehran killed Revolutionary Guard commander Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam,
who led the paramilitary force's missile program, and 16 others. Initially,
authorities described the blast as an accident, though a former prisoner later
said the Guard interrogated him on suspicion that Israel caused the explosion.
Two Algerian Ex-Premiers Handed New Jail Terms for
Graft
Agence France Presse/September 27/ 2021
Two detained former prime ministers under Algeria's longtime ex-president
Abdelaziz Bouteflika were handed additional prison sentences on Monday for
corruption, local media reported. Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal were
sentenced to six and five years respectively for money laundering, wasting
public money, abuse of office and "awarding contracts in violation of public
procurement regulations", according to the newspapers Ennahar, Echorouk and El
Hayat. The charges related to Hamid Melzi, the former boss of a state firm that
runs a luxury residence for government officials as well as a publicly owned
hotel company. Melzi was sentenced to five years in prison, and also faces trial
for industrial espionage and "harming the national economy". Ouyahia served four
times as prime minister between 1995 and 2019, while Sellal led the government
from 2014 to 2017 and managed all four of Bouteflika's election campaigns.
Bouteflika resigned in 2019 under pressure from the army, following weeks of
mass protests against his bid for a fifth term in office. He died this month
aged 84 and was quietly buried without the honours accorded to his predecessors.
Following his fall, prosecutors launched a series of enquiries into businessmen
close to the veteran ruler, resulting in several serving prison time for graft.
Algeria ranks 104th out of 180 countries on Transparency International's
Corruption Perceptions Index.
More than 60 Killed in Clashes for Yemen's Marib
Agence France Presse/September 27/ 2021
Sixty-seven Yemeni rebels and pro-government troops have been killed as fighting
intensifies for the key city of Marib, military and medical sources said Monday.
"Fifty-eight Huthi insurgents and nine loyalists were killed in fighting and air
strikes in the provinces of Marib and Shabwa in the past 24 hours," military
sources told AFP, in figures that were confirmed by medical sources.
Shadow Contracts, Smoke, Mirrors Keep the Lights out
in Iraq
Associated Press/September 27/ 2021
In the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, glossy election campaign posters are
plastered alongside jungles of sagging electrical wires lining the alleyway to
Abu Ammar's home. But his mind is far from Iraq's Oct. 10 federal election. The
56-year-old retired soldier's social welfare payments barely cover the cost of
food and medicine, let alone electricity. Despite chronic outages from the
national grid, Abu Ammar can't afford a generator. When the lights go off, he
has no choice but to steal power from a neighbor's line. He doesn't have the
right political connections to get electricity otherwise, he says, a frail
figure seated in a spartan living room. In this country, if you don't have these
contacts, "your situation will be like ours," Abu Ammar says. In Iraq,
electricity is a potent symbol of endemic corruption, rooted in the country's
sectarian power-sharing system that allows political elites to use patronage
networks to consolidate power. It's perpetuated after each election cycle: Once
results are tallied, politicians jockey for appointments in a flurry of
negotiations based on the number of seats won. Ministry portfolios and state
institutions are divided between them into spheres of control.
In the Electricity Ministry, this system has enabled under-the-table payments to
political elites who siphon state funds from companies contracted to improve the
delivery of services. The Associated Press spoke to a dozen former and current
ministry officials and company contractors. They described tacit partnerships
secured through intimidation and mutual benefit between ministry political
appointees, political parties and the companies, ensuring that a percentage of
those funds end up in party coffers. All spoke on condition of anonymity because
they feared reprisal from political groups. "Corruption occurs as an individual
act or for political interest," said ministry spokesman Ahmed Mousa. "It happens
everywhere in Iraq, not just the Electricity Ministry."Meanwhile, the public
seethes, outraged that in Iraq, a major oil-producing country with plentiful
energy resources, the prospect of electricity 24-hours-a-day is a distant dream.
Neighborhoods nationwide face daily outages — up to 14 hours during peak summer
in the impoverished southern provinces, where temperatures can reach 52 degrees
Celsius (125 Fahrenheit). It's a conundrum that baffles energy experts. "The
technical solutions are clear, and it's not happening. One has to ask why?" said
Ali al-Saffar of the International Energy Agency.
SHADOW CONTRACTS
In June, an Iraqi businessman received a call from the representative of the
economic committee of the Sadrist Movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr, a populist
Shiite cleric with a cult-like following whose party garnered the most seats in
the 2018 election. The representative, Abbas al-Kufi, wanted to see him. He had
been informed the businessman met with Electricity Ministry officials to discuss
a multi-million-dollar project to increase languishing tariff collections —
bills owed to the government by consumers, which in Iraq are rarely paid.
At al-Kufi's office, the businessman was instructed to deliver 15% of earnings,
in cash, once the deal was inked and the ministry paid out the invoices.
"He told me, 'The Electricity Ministry belongs to me, to my party,' and I can't
do anything without his approval," the businessman recalled being told by al-Kufi,
who wields untold influence cemented by the Sadrist Movement's powerful militia
arm. "They aren't shy," the businessman added. "They tell you: 'If you don't
follow us, we will hurt you.'"Al-Kufi, once a militia figure in the fight
against the Islamic State group, is the latest example of party economic
representatives who have strong-armed companies over the years.
Through coordination among ministry loyalists, company officials and lawmakers,
representatives like al-Kufi are appointed to ensure certain contracts are
approved, a contractor of their choosing is selected to execute them and a cut
delivered to the party, according to officials at six companies involved in the
process since 2018.
Al-Kufi was named in the local media in July when a letter purportedly penned by
former Electricity Minister Majid Hantoush accused him of undermining the
ministry's work. Hantoush, who later resigned, denied writing it.
Nassar Rubaie, the head of the Sadrist Movement's political wing, said his party
earned the electricity ministry because it won the most parliament seats in the
2018 election. The ministry, with its high state budget, is among the most
sought after. He confirmed al-Kufi was a Sadrist figure, but denied the
allegations against him or the Movement, saying they amounted to "slander."
If documents exist proving the complicity of Sadrist officials, he would
personally see to it that they are prosecuted in a court of law, al-Rubaie
added.
Only, no such paper trail exists.
Contractors said intimidation is standard operating procedure in the Electricity
Ministry. One official from a major multinational company said he was ordered to
subcontract to a local company exclusively as a package of deals worth billions
was being negotiated with the government. "It was made clear to me: 'Either you
join us, or you will get nothing in the end,'" he said. To secure the funds for
payoff, sometimes more expensive materials are invoiced than what is actually
bought. One official estimated "billions" have been lost to these schemes since
2003, but accurate figures are not available. Officials who question why
contract prices are inflated receive warnings, including one who objected to a
power plant in northern Salahaddin province that was overvalued by $600 million.
He got a call when it became clear he would not sign off on the deal, he said.
Be careful, he was told.
DAUNTING EQUATIONS
Every electricity minister since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled
dictator Saddam Hussein has faced this daunting equation: Iraq should be able to
produce over 30,000 megawatts of power, enough to meet current demand, but only
about a half of that reaches consumers. Poor infrastructure, inappropriate fuel
and theft account for 40%-60% of losses, among the highest rates in the world.
In the more impoverished south, heat, urban expansion and illegal dwellings put
even more pressure on the aging grid. Revenue collections are abysmal and
subsidies astronomical. The ministry collects less than 10% of what it should in
billings. In December, a parliamentary committee reported that $81 billion had
been spent on the electricity sector since 2005, yet outages were still the
norm. That is partly to blame on politically appointed civil servants,
especially director-generals of key departments, who wield the most influence in
the ministry and are empowered to facilitate contract fraud, according to six
former and current officials. Negotiations after the 2018 election involved at
least 500 such posts. The Sadrist Movement was given the most — 200.
The future is bleak.
Demand is set to double by 2030, with Iraq's population growing by 1 million per
year. The International Energy Agency estimates that by not developing its
electricity sector, Iraq has lost $120 billion between 2014-2020 in jobs and
industrial growth due to unmet demand.
A HIGH PRICE
A hidden cost of Iraq's power woes: Sleeplessness.
Uday Ibrahim Ali, a generator repairman, is routinely wakened for urgent fixes
in Basra's Zubair neighborhood. His clients beg him: They have children
struggling to sleep in the suffocating heat. "Can I ignore them? I can't," he
says.
In the summer of 2018, poor electricity service prompted protests in Basra that
left at least 15 dead. A year later, mass protests paralyzed Baghdad and Iraq's
south, as tens of thousands decried the rampant corruption that has plagued
service delivery. Independent candidates drawn from the protest movement in
Basra are making electricity a priority as they prepare for the elections. With
temperatures going down in September, power cuts are less frequent. To avoid
protests ahead of the elections, Iraqi officials also improved distribution. In
Baghdad, Sadr City is a front line in the electricity crisis. A bastion of the
Sadrist Movement, Al-Sadr's portrait hangs in almost every home.
Publicly, his movement supports a reformist agenda. Meanwhile, disillusioned
Iraqis call for boycotting the elections. Expected low voter turnout will
guarantee grassroots movements like the Sadrists win a large share of seats.
That's because of loyalists like Mahdi Mohammed. When the lights go out, the
60-year-old asthmatic douses himself with water and wheezes in the dark, barely
able to breathe. The parties that came before the Sadrist Movement are to blame,
he says, adding that he will vote for a Sadrist candidate. He has more to say,
but in that moment the electricity returns, lights come on and a gust of cool
air strikes his face. He closes his eyes and looks up toward the heavens.
"Welcome, welcome," he cries.
Prosecutor Seeks to Resume ICC Probe in Afghanistan
Associated Press/September 27/ 2021
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought urgent clearance
Monday from the court's judges to resume investigations of war crimes and crimes
against humanity in Afghanistan, saying that under the country's new Taliban
rulers "there is no longer the prospect of genuine and effective domestic
investigations" in the country. Judges at the global court authorized an
investigation by Prosecutor Karim Khan's predecessor, Fatou Bensouda, in March
last year. The probe covers offenses allegedly committed by Afghan government
forces, the Taliban, American troops and U.S. foreign intelligence operatives
dating back to 2002. The decision to investigate Americans led to the Trump
administration slapping sanctions on Bensouda, who left office over the summer
at the end of her nine-year term. The investigation was deferred after Afghan
authorities asked to take over the case. The ICC is a court of last resort, set
up in 2002 to prosecute alleged atrocities in countries that cannot or will not
bring perpetrators to justice. Khan said in a statement Monday that he now plans
to focus on crimes committed by the Taliban and the Afghan affiliate of the
Islamic State group, adding that he will "deprioritize" other aspects of the
investigation. "The gravity, scale and continuing nature of alleged crimes by
the Taliban and the Islamic State, which include allegations of indiscriminate
attacks on civilians, targeted extrajudicial executions, persecution of women
and girls, crimes against children and other crimes affecting the civilian
population at large, demand focus and proper resources from my Office, if we are
to construct credible cases capable of being proved beyond reasonable doubt in
the courtroom," Khan said.
Coptic Christian Building Abruptly Demolished in Egypt
Raymond Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/September 27/ 2021
According to a recent Arabic language report, on September 7, yet another Coptic
Christian prayer hall was demolished in Egypt.
Copts in the village of Bastra in Damanhour, who number over 500, were not
permitted to have a church, so they decided to build a building, not to be used
as a church, but as an event hall for their Christian community, as they had
nowhere else to meet for wedding and funeral services.
Apparently this was still too much for Muslim sensibilities. Soon after the
building was constructed, and without a word of warning, the city council sent
demolition squads, supported by armed Central Security forces, to tear down the
building, which stood atop a vast and empty field, on the pretext that it did
not have the proper permits. According to the report, the “simple Copts” of the
village, who had worked hard to erect this building, instinctively rose to its
defense, and were brutally savaged for it. Among other reprisals, security
forces fired tear gas canisters into their midst, suffocating many. In the end,
four Christians, two of whom were female, were seriously injured: one woman
suffered a broken jaw and another suffered multiple injuries to her head. An
additional 21 Christians were arrested and hauled off. There and then, “before
crying and screaming women,” the city council forces proceeded to tear down the
building that the Copts had spent much time, effort, and money on. The report
concludes by mentioning how this building was “the village Copts dream
destroyed.” One Christian interviewed explained that the nearest church was very
far away and difficult to reach, and all they wanted was a place to celebrate
their newlyweds and mourn their dead—just as their Muslim counterparts do. The
most distressing though hardly surprising aspect of this particular building
demolition in Egypt is that the city council gave the Copts no warning
whatsoever, waiting until construction of the building was complete—at which
point they simply set out and demolished it, violently punishing any who dared
get in the way.
The Latest The Latest LCCC
English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on
September 27-28/2021
ريموند إبراهيم/معهد كايتستون: قائمة مفصلة بكل وقائع
الإضطهاد التي تعرض لها المسيحيون في العالم خلال شهر آب/2021 عنوانها يدفنون وهم
أحياء
Buried Alive: Persecution of Christians, August 2021
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/September 27/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/102759/raymond-ibrahim-gatestone-institute-buried-alive-persecution-of-christians-august-2021-%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-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af/
After sexually harassing a Christian sanitation worker, a Muslim
supervisor threatened to file blasphemy charges — which carry a maximum death
penalty — against her unless she withdraws her complaints against him.” —
Morning Star News, August 31, 2021, Pakistan.
“Most sanitation workers in Pakistan are Christian…. Christian sanitation
workers are routinely called derogatory terms… and face sexual harassment,
discrimination, nonpayment of salaries, irregular work contracts and extortion
by senior officers….” — Morning Star News, August 31, 2021, Pakistan.
“[T]he Taliban are going door-to-door in Afghanistan, executing Christians on
the spot…. Taliban militants are even pulling people off public transport and
killing them on the spot if they’re Christians…. The Taliban have spies and
informants everywhere.” — Religion News Service, August 17, 2021, Afghanistan.
“Women who disappear and are never recovered must live an unimaginable
nightmare. The large majority of these women are never reunited with their
families or friends because police response in Egypt is dismissive and corrupt.
There are countless families who report that police have either been complicit
in the kidnapping or… bribed into silence.” — Coptic Solidarity, 2020, Egypt.
Muslims murdered a man for leaving Islam and converting to Christianity by
burying him alive. — Morning Star News, August 26, 2021, Uganda.
“What you have witnessed happening to your husband today is for the disobedience
of your husband not heeding the advice given by the family that he should return
to Islam, since Islam cannot tolerate infidels.” According to report, “Police
have taken no action regarding the killing.” — Morning Star News, August 26,
2021, Uganda.
“Islam is now invading South Sudan. They’re saying South Sudan is a strategic
place and… the gate[way] to Africa [so that] Islam can go to all of Africa.” —
Local Christian, Vatican News, August 19, 2021, South Sudan.
In Lebanon, Muslim supporters of Hezbollah threatened the Maronite Church
patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai (pictured), with death after he
criticized the terrorist organization. On August 8, two days after Hezbollah
launched 19 rockets into Israel, Cardinal Rai said it was unacceptable for “a
party [Hezbollah] to make decisions on war” without the two-thirds quorum
required by Lebanon’s constitution. (Photo by Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)
Editor’s note: The publication of this report marks the tenth anniversary of the
“Persecution of Christians” monthly series, which Gatestone began to publish a
decade ago, starting with the month of August 2011. Scroll to the bottom of this
report to access the previous 119 reports, covering every month between August
2011 and now.
The following are among the abuses inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout
the month of August 2021:
The Sexual Abuse of Christian Women and Girls
Pakistan: Three Muslim gunmen forcibly abducted 16-year-old Muqadas, a
Christian, from her family home and seriously injured her grandmother who tried
to stop them. According to the report, “The whole incident was seen by a village
of witnesses who ran out of their homes to see what was causing loud shrill
screaming….” As usual, police initially refused to register the crime until
three days later and after much pressure, including from a foreign human rights
association.
“Even then, police visited the family home of the abductor Mohammed Azim Malik
and failed to locate him or the missing child and instead of placing Mr. Malik
on a wanted list, [they] allowed time for Mr. Malik to beat Muqadas into
submission [and then to escape].”
Instead of offering to help locate them, the Muslim wife of the rapist, when
approached by some local Christian women, proceeded to say that her husband had
“done a good deed.” According to one of these Christian women:
“I have heard from women in the village that [Muhammad’s] wife is not ashamed of
her husband’s cruel act. She has turned our Christian women away abruptly and
has said she is proud of Mr. Malik as he has converted a ‘dirty Christian girl.’
She has told women of our community that his actions have ensured ‘the whole
[Muslim] family a place in heaven.’ It breaks my heart to hear how little the
Muslim community think of us Christians, [when] we have done them no harm.”
Discussing the abduction, Juliet Chowdhry, of the British Pakistani Christian
Association, said:
“The nature of this attack—which involved a daylight raid on a Christian home
before witnesses, by men equipped with guns—is simply horrific. It not only
illustrates new levels of impunity that have increased boldness for such crimes,
but I also fear the inculcation of hardliner ideologies in Pakistani mosques is
creating a disheartening acceptance of such crime by the country’s majority….
This child’s dilemma is faced by hundreds of Christian girls every year. It is
heart-breaking that police have been investigating for more than two weeks and
do not yet have an inkling of where Muqadas and Mr. Malik are…. Every day she is
not found is a chance for her to be lost forever to her abductor.
In a separate incident in Pakistan, Chashman, a 14-year-old Christian girl,
disappeared after school. Her family frantically searched for her in the streets
and made repeated visits to local police who also initially refused to file a
missing person case. “After much pleading, our application was converted into an
FIR [First Information Report, No. 622/21], but the police remained indifferent
to the issue,” the girl’s father, Gulzar Masih, said. The following day, images
of an Islamic conversion letter and affidavit supposedly signed by the underage
girl and witnessed by a sheikh known for his “radical” tendencies, were
anonymously texted to the family. The documents indicated that she had willingly
converted to Islam and married a Muslim named Muhammad Usman. “We requested the
police to at least recover Chashman and ask her under what circumstances she had
left her home, but they are not listening to us,” Masih continued. “They say she
has changed her faith and married of her own will, so there’s nothing they can
do. But my daughter is only 14—she’s just a child…” According to the report,
“Chashman’s abduction adds to the growing list of underage Christian girls who
have been forcibly converted and married to their Muslim abductors, particularly
in Punjab and Sindh provinces.”
In a final incident, after sexually harassing a Christian sanitation worker, a
Muslim supervisor threatened to file blasphemy charges — which carry a maximum
death penalty — against her unless she withdraws her complaints against him.
According to the August 31 report:
“Salima Rani Bibi, a 50-year-old Catholic sweeper … was allegedly groped and had
clothes torn off by supervisor Ajmal Khan Dukki in front of other employees on
July 22 after she repeatedly refused his demands for sex… Dukki routinely
sexually harassed Rani Bibi, a mother of six girls, and made lewd remarks to her
in front of other Christian workers.”
After she filed her complaint,
“Dukki and other senior officials started intimidating her by stopping her
salary and going as far as threatening her with abduction of her daughters, four
of whom are minors…. This incident happened in front of a large number of
employees, but even though all of Rani Bibi’s Christian colleagues are willing
to testify in her favor, the court has been adjourning the hearing on one
pretext or the other.”
The report goes on to suggest that such treatment is standard:
“Most sanitation workers in Pakistan are Christian…. Christian sanitation
workers are routinely called derogatory terms such as Choora … and face sexual
harassment, discrimination, nonpayment of salaries, irregular work contracts and
extortion by senior officers…. Muslim sweepers use their influence in
registering daily attendance but hardly show up, whereas the salaries of
Christian sanitation workers are usually delayed…. Social security law
guarantees compensation for those who die on duty, but the families of Christian
sanitation workers are not paid the full amount. Christian workers, particularly
women, also have to face harassment by Muslim supervisors… They know that these
poor workers cannot do anything against them, hence the harassment is continuing
unabated in almost all cities of Punjab and Sindh provinces…. The manner in
which Rani Bibi has been denied justice shows how the majority population treats
the most vulnerable segment of society.
Last reported, “Rani Bibi has been forced to go into hiding along with her
children due to mounting pressure on her to withdraw the harassment case.”
Afghanistan: According to an August 17 report, since the U.S. military withdrew,
“[T]he Taliban are going door-to-door in Afghanistan, executing Christians on
the spot…. Taliban militants are even pulling people off public transport and
killing them on the spot if they’re Christians… [They are even] demand[ing]
people’s phones, and if they find a downloaded Bible on your device, they will
kill you immediately. It’s incredibly dangerous right now for Afghans to have
anything Christian on their phones. The Taliban have spies and informants
everywhere.”
Egypt: On August 9, a 15-year-old Christian girl disappeared off the streets of
Cairo and her mobile phone shut down. A few days later, online Arabic websites
reported that the underage girl had been happily returned to her family — a
posting that turned out to be false. In fact, Randa’s father and uncle were
enquiring about her at the police station the same day this false rumor began. A
family friend responded by posting on social media: “People, Randa has not been
returned. Please stop promoting false rumors. Randa must be returned! Please
copy and paste.” According to a 2020 report, this is just one of at least 500
abductions and “disappearances” of Christian girls over the last decade:
“The rampant trafficking of Coptic [Christian] women and girls is a direct
violation of their most basic rights to safety, freedom of movement, and freedom
of conscience and belief. The crimes committed against these women must be
urgently addressed by the Egyptian government, ending impunity for kidnappers,
their accomplices, and police who refuse to perform their duties. Women who
disappear and are never recovered must live an unimaginable nightmare. The large
majority of these women are never reunited with their families or friends
because police response in Egypt is dismissive and corrupt. There are countless
families who report that police have either been complicit in the kidnapping or
at the very least bribed into silence. If there is any hope for Coptic women in
Egypt to have a merely ‘primitive’ level of equality, these incidents of
trafficking must cease, and the perpetrators must be held accountable by the
judiciary.”
Death to Muslim Converts to Christianity in Uganda
A number of murders and violent outbursts against Muslim converts to
Christianity occurred in Uganda throughout August:
Muslims murdered a man for leaving Islam and converting to Christianity by
burying him alive. Saban Sajabi, 32, was an itinerant mosque preacher until
2015, when he converted to Christianity. Family threats prompted him to leave
his wife and child and flee the village. He established a new life over the
following year, married a Christian woman and had children. Threats continued,
however, including via text messaging. According to one from 2016, “If anything
happens to you, be informed that we shall not help you, especially at this time
of COVID-19. Our advice is for you to return to Islam, the religion of the
family.” Then, in mid-July, he received a call from a relative saying his
beloved uncle who had led him to Christ was sick and dying. “Without wasting
time, we left Jinja immediately, leaving behind our children,” his wife said. It
all turned out to be a ruse. Hired men ambushed the couple in a deserted place:
“They started beating my husband and then dragged him to a nearby anthill, dug
into it and pushed his head inside, and he breathed his last.” During the
assault, one of the assailants covered her mouth and said he would slaughter her
if she continued crying for help, adding:
“What you have witnessed happening to your husband today is for the disobedience
of your husband not heeding the advice given by the family that he should return
to Islam, since Islam cannot tolerate infidels.”
According to report, “Police have taken no action regarding the killing.”
Separately, on Sunday, August 15, a Muslim father slaughtered his own son for
converting to Christianity and then refusing to recant. Earlier, in 2019,
Tabiruka Tefiiro put his faith in Christ, which prompted his father to expel him
from the family home. Tabiruka went to another city and found a job and new
residence. All through 2020, however, Tabiruka’s mother pleaded with her son to
return and reconcile with his father. He finally agreed and when he returned on
Aug. 14, his father called for a family meeting to question Tabiruka on whether
he would return to Islam. “I am mature enough to join any religion that I feel
like because I am above 18 years old,” Tabiruka told his father during the
meeting, according to the victim’s sister, who was present: “I want to confirm
that I am saved by the grace of God. I can’t renounce my Christian faith now or
in the future.” On the following day, his father attacked him with a knife and
hoe; when Tabiruka fled to a neighboring home, the father “forcefully entered
the house and removed him back to the homestead, where he tied him up and
started beating him with the hoe,” confirmed another relative, on condition of
anonymity: “He fell down unconscious. He then hanged him up.” The wailing of
Tabiruka’s mother eventually drew neighbors out. “When I arrived at Kawona’s
house with other neighbors, we found the father outside the house,” a local
leader said. “He told us that he had killed his son who had disgraced the
Islamic religion by becoming a Christian.”
In another occurrence, a Muslim father beat and forced his daughter to ingest
poison because she left Islam. Earlier, Hajira Namusobya, 34, was being
routinely beaten and tortured by her Muslim husband: “I tried to commit suicide
by hanging myself with a rope,” she recalled, “but I failed because my furious
husband was following and monitoring my actions.” During this time, she secretly
began to attend a church, converted to Christianity, and eventually managed to
get a divorce, which required that she relinquish her four children, which,
according to Muslim law, remained with the father. Getting on with her new life,
she met and married a Christian man. Sometime later, she went back to her
village to visit her parents: “When I reached Pallisa, I was welcomed by my
parents, not knowing that my parents were angry about me for leaving a Muslim
man and getting married to a Christian man,” she said. Her father, an observant
Muslim who had performed the Hajj and traveled to Mecca, eventually began to
inquire about her new faith and husband:
“I told him everything, how I left the furious husband who almost took away my
life and got married to a Christian man who is friendly and treats me as a wife.
My dad in a loud voice replied that that is impossible and it’s blasphemous to
leave a Muslim for a Christian man, saying, ‘More so, you are a daughter of a
Haji.'”
He proceeded to command her to renounce Christianity and her Christian husband
and return to Islam and her Muslim husband. When she refused to agree, “He
slapped me and brought out his secret stick and Doom mosquito repellant and beat
me badly, then forced me to take mosquito Doom. It was too terrible.” Due to the
loud cries and ruckus, a neighbor came to her rescue and took her to a nearby
hospital, where she remained unconscious for three days.
Finally, while shouting jihadist slogans, a Muslim man tried to slaughter his
sister after he learned that she had converted to Christianity. Harriet Nanzala
had managed to keep her faith secret for two decades, when her brother became
suspicious on August 6: “My brother found me reading the Bible and began
questioning me, whether I had converted to Christianity,” she said. “I kept
quiet, and he left, shaking his head in disbelief.” Over the next day he
continued pressuring her for an answer, but she remained silent. Suddenly, in
the morning of August 8, he appeared at Harriet’s home. While brandishing a
knife and long spear, her brother began crying “Allahu Akbar [Allah is the
Greatest].” “He began destroying part of the door,” Harriet said. continued: “I
started running away to save my life. My brother followed me as I continued
shouting for help, but unfortunately he hit me with the sharp knife on my leg.”
A photo indicates that he made a deep gash in her ankle. The commotion prompted
neighbors and later the police to appear at the scene. As her brother was hauled
away, he continued making threats and shouting, “After my release, I will kill
Harriet for renouncing Islam, the religion of Allah.”
The General Slaughter of Christians
South Sudan: On August 16, a jihadist group ambushed nine Christian nuns
traveling by minibus. They murdered two of them — Sister Mary Daniel Abut and
Sister Regina Roba — in “cold blood,” according to the report. Discussing this
incident, a local Christian said:
“Islam is now invading South Sudan. They’re saying South Sudan is a strategic
place and… the gate[way] to Africa [so that] Islam can go to all of Africa.
[Islamic leaders] are mobilizing money from different Islamic countries and
they’re sending them to South Sudan.”
Democratic Republic of Congo: The Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamic terror
organization with ties to ISIS, launched several devastating raids throughout
the month of August in the Christian-majority (94%) nation. On August 3, the
jihadists abducted and later “knifed to death” 16 people; around Aug. 20, they
butchered another 18 civilians; and on August 28, 19 Christians were “burned and
hacked to death” by the jihadist rebels.
General Abuse of Christians
Syria: The nation’s ancient Christian community has been reduced by
approximately 66% since the rise and subsequent persecution at the hands of the
Islamic State in that nation. According to an August 9 report:
“About two-thirds of Syria’s Christians have fled the country in the past
decade… Christians made up eight to ten percent of Syria’s population before the
start of the civil war in 2011. Today that number has decreased to three
percent.”
Lebanon: Muslim supporters of Hezbollah threatened the Maronite Church
patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, with death after he criticized the
terrorist organization. On August 8, two days after Hezbollah launched 19
rockets into Israel, Cardinal Rai said it was unacceptable for “a party
[Hezbollah] to make decisions on war” without the two-thirds quorum required by
Lebanon’s constitution. Immediately, according to an August 13 report,
“Supporters of Hezbollah responded by threatening the cardinal’s life with
social media posts that pictured Cardinal Rai with a noose around his neck.” In
one post, someone from southern Beirut wrote in Arabic: “You don’t think we know
how to hang?” In response, Defence of Christians, a Lebanese human rights group,
said:
“The patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, Patriarch Rai, is just calling
for peace. He is not making a political statement. If Hezbollah and Israel go to
war, Lebanese civilians will suffer. Hezbollah should not be firing rockets from
civilian population centers in Lebanon. The Lebanese people are not human
shields.”
Egypt: The discrimination Christians regularly face in their country was even
apparent during the recent Olympics. Egypt’s delegation to the 2020 Olympics
included only one Christian out of 141 athletes, all Muslim. According to the
report,
[T]he point is crystal clear: Copts, the indigenous Christians who comprise
10-15% of Egypt’s population, are represented by less than ONE PERCENT of the
country’s delegation to the 2020 Olympics. Worse still is that this is not new:
Hardly any Copts took part in Egypt’s delegations to the 2016 (Rio) or 2012
(London) Olympics…. [T]he exclusion of Coptic athletes actually reflects the
reality of entrenched, deep rooted, systematic and systemic discrimination
practiced against the Copts in Egypt.”
Although the international human rights organization, Coptic Solidarity (CS),
has raised this issue several times with the International Olympic Committee,
according to CS, they “have yet to demonstrate a clear willingness to speak out
and implement consequences which could help end this discrimination.” This, CS
notes, is ironic, considering that the International Olympic Committee’s motto
is “to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth
through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic
spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship,
solidarity and fair play.”
Australia: Isaac El Matari, a 22-year-old Muslim man who was earlier arrested
for terrorist activities and ISIS connections, confessed during his court
hearing, according to an August 31 report, that he “had plans to target Sydney’s
St Mary’s Cathedral and the American embassy for terror attacks.”
Indonesia: On August 6, a two-month-old Christian baby died, in part because
hospitals were not as attentive as they could have been. Afterwards, authorities
banned the parents from burying their child in a nearby cemetery, on the
argument that the graveyard was reserved for Muslims only. The parents had to
bury their dead baby far away, in a cemetery open to Christians.
*Raymond Ibrahim, author of Crucified Again and Sword and Scimitar, is a
Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, a Shillman Fellow at the
David Horowitz Freedom Center, and a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle
East Forum.
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by
extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but
rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or
location. It includes incidents that take place during, or are reported on, any
given month.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17800/persecution-of-christians-august
شارل الياس الشرتوني: الولايات المتحدة وإيران وفك عقدة
غورديان
The US, Iran and the Untying of Gordian Knots
Charles Elias Chartouni/September 27/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/102762/charles-elias-chartouni-the-us-iran-and-the-untying-of-gordian-knotsi-%d8%b4%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b4%d8%b1%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%86%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%88/
The Iranian Islamic regime maintains its ambiguity and nurtures the illusion of
outmaneuvering the US and renewing the nuclear accord at minimal cost, whereby
the sanctions are removed unilaterally, while it perpetuates its duplicity,
shadowy engagements, heightened repression of the vast opposition movement
inside Iran, and destabilization strategy throughout the Larger Middle East (LMA).
It operates as if the US is desperately yearning for an understanding that saves
its image after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The actual course of
negotiations purports an imminent crash and the further complication of the
strategic, geopolitical and domestic political equation in both countries, and
their consecutive fallouts on the Middle Eastern scenery. The non existent
bipartisan consensus on Capitol Hill overlaps with the fractures of the
Democratic Party platform, and their immediate impact on the elections of 2022,
and the extreme divisiveness which characterize this volatile issue throughout
the EU, the Gulf countries, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
The Biden administration has no leeway and cannot precipitate the conclusion of
a new self defeating treaty. It’s not about speed in this negotiation, it’s
about relevance and consequential results that can help stabilize the region and
preempt the region’s destructive militarization of geopolitical and
inter-Islamic strategic, ideological and political differences. The tightening
of sanctions matched with a dissuasive military coalition should draw the line
and contain the arrogance and delusions of a warmongering totalitarianism.The
outsized projection of power which has instrumentalized the first nuclear accord
doesn’t seem to recede, and plans on doubling down and destroying whatever is
left of the waning geopolitical order in the Middle East. The stringency of the
containment strategy should blend with a conflict resolution strategy devised
jointly with regional and international partners on a shifting scale of
priorities, to tackle the widening strategic voids and the structural inability
of the fragile and failed States to rebuild Statehood matrices, sustainable
economies, address multi-ethnic quandaries, and preempt their deleterious
reverberations on Western security and overall geopolitical equilibriums.
There is no possibility to address the enduring strategic and security
imponderables short of a comprehensive blueprint to deal with the unraveling of
the ideological, institutional and geopolitical underpinnings of the centennial
interstate political order that relayed the implosion of the Ottoman Empire, its
Islamic cosmogony and the idiosyncrasies of its imperial governance. The
enduring difficulties of territorial Statehood in the Arab geopolitical realm,
the clashing grammars of politics (Muslim vs Modern notions of governance and
Statehood), and the new configurations of strategic and geopolitical conflicts,
seem to recapitulate the normative differences which characterized the first
modernity and its unresolved dilemmas, reinterpreted and re-enacted in a new
landscape. Any working political deal should be predicated on multiple premisses
if it were to tackle the normative gaps of a disintegrating world and its
conflict-ridden politics. The fragmented approach is not only methodologically
flawed but fails to address the real problems which put at stake peace,
negotiated conflict resolution, and governance reform, in a region overtaken by
religious totalitarianism, Islamist nihilism and pulverized normative metrics.
===================
Gordian Knot: The free encyclopedia
The Gordian Knot is a legend of Phrygian Gordium associated with Alexander the
Great. It is often used as a metaphor for an intractable problem (untying an
impossibly tangled knot) solved easily by finding an approach to the problem
that renders the perceived constraints of the problem moot (“cutting the Gordian
knot”):
Turn him to any cause of policy,The Gordian Knot of it he will unloose, Familiar
as his garter
— Shakespeare, Henry V, Act 1 Scene 1. 45–47
The Harsh German Lesson
Ghassan Charbel/Ashasrq Al Awsat/September 27/ 2021
The discussion revolved around Sudan and the price it was paying because its
president Omar al-Bashir is now wanted by the International Criminal Court.
Feigning ignorance, I said Bashir was better of resigning, even if he did not
turn himself over to the ICC, because the interests of the Sudanese people must
be above all else. Smiling, Jalal Talabani said: “You’ve been in London for too
long. You’ve forgotten that we are in the Middle East. Here the people leave,
not the rulers.”
How difficult it is to be a journalist in the Middle East. How horrible it is to
be from Lebanon. You wonder at governments that work without debasing the
constitution. You are astounded by officials who do not squander public funds.
You envy countries that produce officials who aim for stability and security.
We have grown accustomed to decisions being controlled by experts in dismantling
countries and destroying cities. We no longer believe our ears when a president
chooses to retire by his own will without the people kicking him out of power or
tying a noose around his neck.
The truth is, if it weren’t for that day, this story would never have been
written: It was the day that witnessed the fall of the wall and changed the fate
of Germany, Europe and that girl that aced her mathematics and Russian language
classes in East Germany. If it weren’t for that day, she would have been retired
after a long career in research after she earned her doctorate in physics.
It was hard to predict that a political future was in store for her in the
country of Erich Honecker. Her quiet demeanor did not attract the ruling
Communist Party and its Russian superiors. Perhaps she would have paid the price
of her being the daughter of a pastor even though he used his ties with the
agencies to arrange trips for her to West Berlin.
The day the wall fell opened opportunities for several people. On that day, a
camp and a model were defeated. East Germany threw itself in the lap of the
motherland and Helmut Kohl took over a united Germany in spite of the concerns
of Francois Mitterrand and Margaret Thatcher. Kohl, himself, used to call her
“my little girl”. Perhaps he never imagined that she would abandon him one day
after his reputation was tarnished by the donations scandal.
Merkel can leave the Chancellery without being weighed down by bitterness and
defeat. It is rare for an official to quit in such a way. It is rare courage for
an official to choose to leave a shining reputation, accolades and the media
spotlight and opt for retirement.
Merkel, not the constitution nor the voters, chose the time of her departure.
The constitution and her popularity allowed her to continue in her position. She
did not say she was tired. She did not claim that she was disappointed. Three
years ago, she stated that she would not seek a fifth term. She committed to
that deadline without dramatics. She acted firmly like someone who sensed that
they have performed their duties given the circumstances at the time.
She did not irritate the public with a list of her accomplishments. She did not
address history with disdain. She did not feel threatened by the opposition or
social media. She has nothing to hide and nothing to fear. No politician would
dare accuse her of stealing or squandering public funds. Or of nepotism or
clientelism. Or that she favored foreign deals and deepened the pockets of
members of her inner circle.
No one dares accuse Merkel of corruption. Perhaps they may criticize her for
being too hesitant in taking some decisions or being too welcoming of refugees
or of humoring the moods of successive White House presidents. She may be
criticized of being too keen on saving the economies of other countries in order
to preserve the European dream that is being torn to shreds by nationalists.
Criticisms are valid, but no one can deny that the past 16 years in Germany were
the most stable in its history. At the Chancellery, Merkel was true to her
country and herself. She kept the same haircut, wore similar suits and did not
pepper her statements with exaggerations and metaphors. She spoke honestly to
the people. She read out reports and respected the numbers and her government’s
commitments to Germany and beyond. Her deep sense of responsibility and
integrity did not weaken over time. She never adopted Berlusconi’s approach and
was never accused of the charges that have damaged Sarkozy’s image.
The most powerful woman in Germany, Europe and the world. Her image was all over
the media. All that gloss has never stopped her from humbly shopping at the
supermarket, cooking a modest meal or carrying out chores at her simple
apartment. Her rivals have never forced her to alter her approach in Germany and
beyond. It speaks for itself that she managed to deal with American presidents,
prioritizing cooperation in spite of different policies and conflicting
interests. It speaks for itself that she negotiated with difficult men such as
Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping. Of course, we shouldn’t forget her
complicated ties with Europe, especially France, after Britain quit the European
Union.
The German lesson is harsh, but who said we are learning? Had Bashir resigned
early, Sudan would not be in the situation it is right now. The same can be said
of Gaddafi, Saddam and many others. But we are in the Middle East. Jalal
Talabani reviewed the past and present of the region and concluded that here,
the people leave, not the president.
Mainstream Democrats Introduce Bill Endangering Israel
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/September 27/ 2021
This is not an "occupation." It is legitimate and entirely lawful self-defense.
It would be a lie — a blood libel — for the United States to declare Gaza to be
occupied territory.
Under international law, a military occupation may continue as long as there is
belligerence, as there certainly continues to be.
Had Israeli troops remained, Israel would be criticized. Now that they have
left, there is still criticism. For some, Israel can do no right.
Jerusalem is more complicated... These are not occupied territories. Nor is the
rest of East Jerusalem which is part of a united city.
Israel twice offered to end its presence in more than 90% of the West Bank in
exchange for peace. The Palestinian leadership refused these offers and are thus
responsible for the current situation.
The bill proposed by Levin and his fellow Democrats encourages the refusal of
Palestinian leaders to negotiate painful compromises that are essential to
achieving peace. It also rewards the pay-to-slay and terrorist policies... It
sends a dangerous message to Palestinian naysayers: you do not have to negotiate
or compromise; the United States will compel Israel to give in to your demands
without requiring the Palestinians to negotiate, compromise or give up
terrorism.
A far better bill would be one that conditioned reopening the Palestinian
embassy on a willingness of the Palestinian leadership to return to the
negotiating table and engage in genuine and honest discussions leading toward a
peaceful two-state solution that assured security for Israel and autonomy for
the West Bank Palestinians. (There can be no solution for Gaza except a military
one as long as Hamas remains in charge, and persists in its terrorism and
refuses to recognize Israel.)
This is not an "occupation." It is legitimate and entirely lawful self-defense.
It would be a lie — a blood libel — for the United States to declare Gaza to be
occupied territory. Many Israelis and others believe it was a mistake to end the
occupation of Gaza and allow it to become a base for terrorist attacks. Under
international law, a military occupation may continue as long as there is
belligerence, as there certainly continues to be. Pictured: Missiles, launched
by Hamas from within densely-populated residential neighborhoods in Gaza, streak
towards Israeli towns and cities on May 16, 2021.
Just when Congress overwhelmingly defeated an effort by eight radical Democrats
and one Republican to defund Israel's Iron Dome defense system, several
"mainstream" Democrats proposed legislation that is equally dangerous and filled
with half-truths, omissions and outright fabrications.
Congressman Andy Levin has introduced a bill that purports to further the
"two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although I favor two
states for two peoples, I strongly oppose Levin's perhaps well-intentioned but
ill-conceived bill, because it would destroy any prospect for peace, would
reward and encourage terrorism and disincentivize Palestinian leaders from
negotiating with Israel.
The bill declares that the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip are
occupied territories and must be referred to as such by all American statements.
It implies that the occupation is illegal and entirely the fault of Israel.
First and foremost, it is a categorical lie to say that Gaza is occupied. There
is not a single Israeli soldier, policeman, settler or citizen in Gaza. The
occupation ended in 2005. Gaza could have become Singapore on the Mediterranean,
with a seacoast, farming and democracy. Instead, Hamas overthrew the legitimate
government of Gaza by force and assassination. It "occupied," in effect, Gaza.
It was only after Gaza became a terrorist enclave and committed war crimes by
rockets, terror tunnels and terrorism that Israel imposed restrictions designed
to protect its civilians. This is not an "occupation." It is legitimate and
entirely lawful self-defense. It would be a lie — a blood libel — for the United
States to declare Gaza to be occupied territory.
Many Israelis and others believe it was a mistake to end the occupation of Gaza
and allow it to become a base for terrorist attacks. Under international law, a
military occupation may continue as long as there is belligerence, as there
certainly continues to be. Had Israeli troops remained, Israel would be
criticized. Now that they have left, there is still criticism. For some, Israel
can do no right.
Jerusalem is more complicated. The Old City's Jewish Quarter and the Western
Wall had been illegally occupied by Jordan between 1948 and 1967, and excluded
Jews. When Jordan attacked Israel in June 1967, Israel liberated these ancient
Jewish sites and opened them up to all. These are not occupied territories. Nor
is the rest of East Jerusalem, which is part of a united city.
The West Bank is also complicated. Some of the area — the Etzion Bloc, Maale
Adumim, Gilo — are disputed but will remain part of Israel even under a two
state solution, as Palestinian leaders have acknowledged. These areas are not
occupied. As to the rest, Israel twice offered to end its presence in more than
90% of the West Bank in exchange for peace. The Palestinian leadership refused
these offers and are thus responsible for the current situation.
The bill proposed by Levin and his fellow Democrats encourages the refusal of
Palestinian leaders to negotiate painful compromises that are essential to
achieving peace. It also rewards the pay-to-slay and terrorist policies that are
the primary barriers to peace. It sends a dangerous message to Palestinian
naysayers: you don't have to negotiate or compromise; the United States will
compel Israel to give in to your demands without requiring the Palestinians to
negotiate, compromise or give up terrorism.
A far better bill would be one that conditioned reopening the Palestinian
embassy on a willingness of the Palestinian leadership to return to the
negotiating table and engage in genuine and honest discussions leading toward a
peaceful two-state solution that assured security for Israel and autonomy for
the West Bank Palestinians. (There can be no solution for Gaza except a military
one as long as Hamas remains in charge, persists in its terrorism and refuses to
recognize Israel.)
A two-state solution is far from perfect, but it is far better than the
one-state solutions advocated by the hard left and Palestinian extremists (one
Palestinian state) and by some Jewish extremists (one Jewish state.). It may
also be better than the status quo.
The one way to assure that the Palestinians will persist in their refusal to
negotiate would be to enact the misguided Levin bill into law.
*Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus at
Harvard Law School and served on the legal team representing President Donald
Trump for the first Senate impeachment trial. He is the author of numerous
books, including "Guilt by Accusation: The Challenge of Proving Innocence in the
Age of #MeToo" and "The Case Against the New Censorship: Protecting Free Speech
from Big Tech, Progressives and Universities." His podcast, "The Dershow," is
available on Spotify and YouTube. He is the Jack Roth Charitable Foundation
Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Iran Switching to a New Illusion
Amir Taheri/Asharq al-Awsat/September 27/ 2021
The "American illusion" of Rafsanjani, Khatami and Rouhani did great damage to
Iran, principally by fostering the belief that the solution to Iran's problems
could only be found outside Iran. That illusion is now being replaced by the
"Russian illusion" which is based on the same analysis.
However, neither America nor Russia nor China or any other power would be
prepared to fully endorse a regime that tries to live in a fantasy world in
which Khomeinism conquers the Middle East, wipes Israel off the map and leads in
the creation of a "World Without America." US Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack
Obama went out of their way to help the Khomeinist regime consolidate itself but
were ultimately not prepared to endorse its fantasies.
Presidents Putin and Xi treat Iran with even greater brutality by keeping it on
a life-support machine and milking it as much as possible, but never accepting
it as an equal strategic partner.
The Rafsanjani-Khatami-Rouhani trio took 24 years to understand that. Raisi now
has four years to do so.
That Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and his team should seize every scrap of
feel-good news is understandable at a time that Iran is gripped by the Covid-19
disaster, a melting economy and sporadic protests by a population visibly
frustrated by the repeated failures of a leadership besotted by ideology.
Pictured: Raisi remotely addresses the United Nations General Assembly on
September 21, 2021 in New York.
These are some of the words that Tehran's state-controlled media are using these
days to describe the performance of Ebrahim Raisi, the new President of the
Islamic Republic. The undertone is that Iran is just emerging from eight years
of bad news under President Hassan Rouhani and his "New York Boys" and is braced
for a rebound under the new team.
The successes claimed include a dramatic move by the new Foreign Minister
Hussein Amir-Abdollahian, to push his way through the first rank of some heads
of state and government meeting in Baghdad, thus ignoring protocol rules. The
move angered many, including the Iraqi hosts, but gave the Iranian mullahs an
opportunity to claim that the Baghdad summit "adopted all of the policies
suggested by the Islamic Republic."
In reality, however, the summit's statement does not include even a single
proposal tabled by Tehran. The summit opted for stability, cooperation and
reduction of tensions while Abdollahian urged "resistance" and "struggle"
against unspecified foes.
The next "triumph" was trumpeted even before it was supposed to happen. Raisi
was slated to travel to Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, for a summit of
Shanghai Cooperation Organization nations, a security cooperation outfit led by
China and Russia. Tehran media waxed lyrical about the forthcoming tête-à-tête
between Raisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Because Russia is now cast
as the principal protector of the Islamic Republic, the hoped-for meeting was
labelled "historic" before it happened. In the event, it didn't happen because
Putin quarantined himself after a Covid-19 cluster was found in the Kremlin.
The next "triumph" came when Russia lifted its 16-year veto on the Islamic
Republic's application for full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization. Raisi's entourage presented this as a great victory for the new
man who "succeeded" where Presidents Khatami, Ahmadinejad and Rouhani had
failed.
However, what actually happened was rather less than a "triumph". The Dushanbe
summit agreed to trigger "the process of full membership" for the Islamic
Republic, something that could take more than five years to be completed.
The decision is in line with Russia's overall policy on the Islamic Republic,
which consists of offering dazzling promises but keeping the Tehran regime on a
tight leash. A long list of such instances could be established. Russia has
promised to sell weapons to Iran but drags its feet in actually doing so. In the
few instances that a transfer was actually made, Russia gave Iran outdated
weapons, including de-commissioned diesel submarines that are now rusting in the
Gulf of Oman.
Putin also promised to open a new trade route, branded the Volga-Caspian Route,
to facilitate Iran's trade with Europe, circumventing US sanctions.
Again, all that has happened is granting Iran access to a small port on the
northern shores of the Caspian that, even if fully operational, would handle a
small volume of bilateral trade.
Moscow's promise of "cooperation" to help Iran with its problems in
international banking is also hailed as a "success". But the agreement signed in
Moscow last week is ambiguous and, with the most favorable interpretation, would
not loosen the shackles imposed on Iran's international trade by US sanctions.
Raisi's call for "the urgent activation of the strategic partnership with China"
is also hailed as a "great success," although Beijing seems to prefer keeping
the Islamic Republic under probation for a while longer. Nor is there any sign
that China will release at least some of the $22 billion in Iranian assets
frozen in Chinese banks.
The decision by the Dushanbe University to bestow an honorary doctorate on Raisi
is also hailed as a "success" for the new president. Footage and photos showing
him wearing the academic gown has been splashed all over the place, endorsing
the title of "doktur" (doctor) that he uses alongside that of ayatollah.
However, some evil tongues have reminded the public that another president of
another Islamic Republic, that is to say Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, had
preceded Raisi in being thus honored by Dushanbe University.
The Raisi team also claim that they have "saved Lebanon" by sending quantities
of oil via Syria.
Iraq's agreement to abolish visas for Iranians travelling there by air is also
posted as a "triumph" although it would affect no more than two percent of
Iranian pilgrims per annum.
That Raisi and his team should seize every scrap of feel-good news is
understandable at a time that Iran is gripped by the Covid-19 disaster, a
melting economy and sporadic protests by a population visibly frustrated by the
repeated failures of a leadership besotted by ideology.
Ex-President Rouhani, following a course set by Presidents Hashemi Rafsanjani
and Muhammad Khatami, pursued the mirage of a grand bargain with the United
States. He called the US "the headman of the global village" and claimed that
making a deal with it would solve all of Iran's problems. That illusion may have
been shattered but it is being replaced by another illusion that alliance with
Russia would produce the miracle that "Supreme Guide" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
continues to hope for.
The "American illusion" of Rafsanjani, Khatami and Rouhani did great damage to
Iran, principally by fostering the belief that the solution to Iran's problems
could only be found outside Iran. That illusion is now being replaced by the
"Russian illusion" which is based on the same analysis.
However, neither America nor Russia nor China or any other power would be
prepared to fully endorse a regime that tries to live in a fantasy world in
which Khomeinism conquers the Middle East, wipes Israel off the map and leads in
the creation of a "World Without America." US Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack
Obama went out of their way to help the Khomeinist regime consolidate itself but
were ultimately not prepared to endorse its fantasies.
Presidents Putin and Xi treat Iran with even greater brutality by keeping it on
a life-support machine and milking it as much as possible, but never accepting
it as an equal strategic partner.
The Rafsanjani-Khatami-Rouhani trio took 24 years to understand that. Raisi now
has four years to do so. The clock is ticking.
*Amir Taheri was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from
1972 to 1979. He has worked at or written for innumerable publications,
published eleven books, and has been a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat since 1987.
Repulsive: John Kerry Accepts China's Genocide to Get
Climate Deal
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/September 27/2021
The Beijing regime has, over the course of decades, attacked fundamental U.S.
interests by, among other things, inciting violence on American streets,
deliberately spreading COVID-19 beyond China's borders to America and the rest
of the world, exporting fentanyl to the U.S. despite agreements to the contrary,
stealing U.S. technology and other intellectual property, rejecting the
principle of freedom of navigation, threatening to grab territory from American
allies, and proliferating nuclear weapons technology.
The critical question now is this: What, in addition to the human rights of
China's minorities, is the Biden administration willing to give up to get a
climate deal with Beijing?
Democracies tend to deal with each other as Kerry evidently envisions, where
cooperation on one issue can lead to warm relations and warm relations can lead
to agreement in other areas.
Unfortunately, that is not the way communist states, especially China's,
operate. Kerry's immediate predecessor as secretary of state, Hillary Rodham
Clinton, found that out the hard way in February 2009.... China did not return
Clinton's gesture of cooperation. On the contrary, Beijing pressed the advantage
and went on a bender. The following month, for instance, Chinese craft harassed
the USNS Impeccable, an unarmed U.S. Navy reconnaissance vessel, in
international waters in the South China Sea and even attacked it, trying to
sever its towed sonar array.
China puts its brightest diplomats to work on human rights issues precisely
because it knows it has no defense, especially now when Beijing is committing
not only genocide but also other crimes against humanity. Mass rape, slavery,
torture, and killing of minorities are impossible to justify. When the Biden
administration does not talk about these crimes, it relieves great pressure on
the Chinese regime.
Kerry is reinforcing that dangerous Chinese mindset by not talking about human
rights. He is surrendering the most important leverage the United States has
over China.
If you want to get Chinese communists to do something, you have to impose great
costs. That gives them an incentive to do something to relieve the pain. Offers
of cooperation never work for long. Unfortunately, Beijing believes signals of
friendship show American weakness.
John Kerry, the U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, is reinforcing a
dangerous Chinese mindset by not talking about human rights. He is surrendering
the most important leverage the U.S. has over China. Even if he thinks he should
try to obtain China's cooperation on climate — a debatable goal — he is going
about it the wrong way. If you want to get Chinese communists to do something,
you have to impose great costs. That gives them an incentive to do something to
relieve the pain. Offers of cooperation never work for long. Unfortunately,
Beijing believes signals of friendship show American weakness. Pictured: Kerry
on September 17, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)
"Well, life is always full of tough choices in the relationship between
nations," said John Kerry, responding to Bloomberg's David Weston on September
22. Weston had asked him, "What is the process by which one trades off climate
against human rights?"
What is wrong with Kerry's response? For one thing, such a trade-off violates
the Genocide Convention of 1948, which requires signatories, such as the United
States, to undertake "to prevent and to punish" acts of genocide. China is
committing "genocide," as defined in Article II of the Convention, against
Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Turkic minorities.
Second, Kerry, the U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, was going back
on his word. In January, he said that climate was a "critical standalone issue"
and promised that other matters "will never be traded for anything that has to
do with climate."
Third, Kerry should know by now that, as a practical matter, no trade-off is
possible with a militant communist regime such as the one run by the Communist
Party of China.
So why is Kerry now in favor of trade-offs? For one thing, Beijing had told the
Biden administration that relations were all or nothing, that there could be no
"stove piping" issues as American diplomats traditionally tried to do with their
cooperate-where-we-can-and-oppose-where-we-must approach. Chinese leaders,
knowing how much Biden wanted an enhanced climate deal, had said there would be
no Chinese cooperation on climate without American cooperation across-the-board.
The Beijing regime has, over the course of decades, attacked fundamental U.S.
interests by, among other things, inciting violence on American streets,
deliberately spreading COVID-19 beyond China's borders to America and the rest
of the world, exporting fentanyl to the U.S. despite agreements to the contrary,
stealing U.S. technology and other intellectual property, rejecting the
principle of freedom of navigation, threatening to grab territory from American
allies, and proliferating nuclear weapons technology.
The critical question now is this: What, in addition to the human rights of
China's minorities, is the Biden administration willing to give up to get a
climate deal with Beijing?
Democracies tend to deal with each other as Kerry evidently envisions, where
cooperation on one issue can lead to warm relations and warm relations can lead
to agreement in other areas.
Unfortunately, that is not the way communist states, especially China's,
operate. Kerry's immediate predecessor as secretary of state, Hillary Rodham
Clinton, found that out the hard way in February 2009. "We have to continue to
press them," she said in Seoul, before journeying to Beijing, referring to a
list of disagreements with the Chinese leadership. "But our pressing on those
issues can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate
change crisis, and the security crises. We have to have a dialogue that leads to
an understanding and cooperation on each of those."
As Laurence Brahm, a China-watcher with close connections then to Beijing, said
at the time, China's leaders were "ecstatic" when they heard Clinton's words
because they signaled that she would not be talking about human rights. Her
concession, he said, was a confirmation that the United States "had finally
succumbed to a full kowtow before the celestial emperor."
China did not return Clinton's gesture of cooperation. On the contrary, Beijing
pressed the advantage and went on a bender. The following month, for instance,
Chinese craft harassed the USNS Impeccable, an unarmed U.S. Navy reconnaissance
vessel, in international waters in the South China Sea and even attacked it,
trying to sever its towed sonar array. The Victorious, Impeccable's sister ship,
was subject to extreme harassment in March and May 2009 in the Yellow Sea.
The lesson is clear. Even if one does not care about human rights, it is not
productive to ignore China's atrocities. Although these rights may not be
important to Clinton or Kerry, the issue is critically important to an insecure
regime like China's.
China puts its brightest diplomats to work on human rights issues precisely
because it knows it has no defense, especially now when Beijing is committing
not only genocide but also other crimes against humanity. Mass rape, slavery,
torture, and killing of minorities are impossible to justify. When the Biden
administration does not talk about these crimes, it relieves great pressure on
the Chinese regime.
Ronald Reagan was right: the nature of these regimes does matter. Cooperation
between China and the United States, whether over climate change or anything
else, is not possible, especially in light of exceedingly belligerent Chinese
behavior. We know from the comments of Renmin University's Di Dongsheng in late
November that, with President Donald Trump gone, China's leaders now feel they
can do whatever they want.
Kerry is reinforcing that dangerous Chinese mindset by not talking about human
rights. He is surrendering the most important leverage the United States has
over China. Even if he thinks he should try to obtain China's cooperation on
climate — a debatable goal — he is going about it the wrong way.
If you want to get Chinese communists to do something, you have to impose great
costs. That gives them an incentive to do something to relieve the pain. Offers
of cooperation never work for long. Unfortunately, Beijing believes signals of
friendship show American weakness.
What makes the Chinese regime such a human rights abuser at home makes it an
irresponsible power abroad. By defending the human rights of the Chinese people,
Americans are, in a very real sense, also defending their national security.
*Gordon G. Chang is the author of The Coming Collapse of China, a Gatestone
Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Palestinian division goes far beyond Fatah-Hamas ‘split’
Ramzy Baroud/Arab News.September 27, 2021
The political division in Palestinian society is deep-rooted and must not be
reduced to convenient claims about the Hamas-Fatah “split,” elections or the
Oslo Accords and subsequent disagreements. The division is actually linked to
events that preceded all of these, and not even the death or incapacitation of
the octogenarian Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would advance unity one
iota. Palestinian political disunity is tied to the fact that the issue of
representation in Palestinian society has always been an outcome of one party
trying to dominate all others. This dates back to before the establishment of
Israel on the ruins of historic Palestine in 1948, when various Palestinian
clans fought for control over the entire Palestinian body politic. Disagreements
led to conflict, often violent; although, at times, they also resulted in
relative harmony, such as the establishment of the Arab Higher Committee in
1936.
These early years of discord were duplicated in later phases of the Palestinian
struggle. Soon after Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser relinquished his
influential role over the Palestine Liberation Organization following the
humiliating Arab defeat in 1967, the relatively new Fatah movement — established
by Yasser Arafat and others in 1959 — took over. Since then, Fatah has mostly
controlled the PLO, which was declared in 1974 to be the “sole legitimate
representative of the Palestinian people.”
The feud did not start as a result of Oslo and the establishment of the PA.
These events merely exacerbated an existing conflict.
This caveat was arguably added to ensure Arab rivals did not lay claim to the
PLO, thus imposing themselves as the benefactors of the Palestinian cause.
However, long after the danger of that possibility had passed, Arafat and Fatah
continued to control the PLO using the phrase as a moral justification for their
dominance and the elimination of political rivals.
While it is easy to jump to conclusions and blame the Palestinians for their
division, there is more to the story. Since much of the armed Palestinian
struggle took place within various Arab political and territorial spaces, PLO
groups needed to coordinate their actions, along with their political positions,
with various Arab capitals — Cairo, Damascus, Amman and even, at times, Baghdad,
Tripoli, Algiers and Sanaa. Naturally, this deprived Palestinians of any
genuinely independent initiatives.
Arafat was particularly astute at managing one of the most difficult balancing
acts in the history of liberation movements: Keeping relative peace among
Palestinian groups, appeasing Arab hosts, and maintaining control over Fatah and
the PLO. But even Arafat was often overwhelmed by circumstances far beyond his
control, leading to major military showdowns, alienating him further and
breaking down Palestinian groups into even smaller factions — each allied with
and supported by one Arab government or another.
Even Palestinian division has rarely been a Palestinian decision, although the
leadership deserves much blame for failing to develop a pluralistic political
system that does not rely on a single group or individual for its survival.
The Oslo I Accord of 1993 and the return of some Palestinian groups to Palestine
in the following months and years was presented, at the time, as a critical step
toward liberating Palestinian decision-making from Arab and other influences.
While that claim worked in theory, it failed in practice, as the newly
established Palestinian Authority was quickly held hostage by other, even
greater influences: Israel, the US and the so-called donor countries. This
US-led apparatus conditioned its political and financial support on the
Palestinians agreeing to a set of terms, including cracking down on anti-Israel
“incitement” and dismantling “terrorist infrastructures.”
While this new political regime forced Palestinian groups into yet another
conflict, only Hamas seemed powerful enough to withstand the combined pressure
of Fatah, the PA and Israel.
The Hamas-Fatah feud did not start as a result of Oslo and the establishment of
the PA. These events merely exacerbated an existing conflict. Immediately after
Hamas’ establishment in late 1987, PLO parties, especially Fatah, viewed the
Islamist movement with suspicion for several reasons. These included the fact
that Hamas formed and expanded outside of the well-controlled political system
of the PLO; it was based in Palestine, thus avoiding the pitfalls of dependency
on outside regimes; and it promoted itself as an alternative to the PLO’s past
failures and political compromises.
Expectedly, Fatah dominated the PA, as it did the PLO, and, in both cases,
rarely used truly democratic channels. As the PA grew richer and more corrupt,
many Palestinians sought answers via Hamas. Consequently, Hamas’ growth led to
the movement’s victory in the Palestinian legislative elections of 2006.
Conceding to a triumphant Hamas would have been the end of Fatah’s decades-long
dominance over the Palestinian political discourse — never mind the loss of
massive funding sources, prestige and many other perks. Thus, conflict seemed
inevitable, leading to the tragic violence seen in the summer of 2007 and the
eventual split between Palestinians, with Fatah dominating the PA in the West
Bank and Hamas ruling over besieged Gaza.
Matters are now increasingly complicated, as the crises of political
representation afflicting the PLO and PA are likely to soon worsen due to the
power struggle within the Fatah movement. Though lacking Arafat’s popularity and
respect among Palestinians, Abbas’ ultimate goal was the same: To
single-handedly dominate the Palestinian body politic. However, unlike Arafat,
who managed to keep the movement intact, Abbas is likely to oversee the
dismantling of the party into smaller factions. And the chances are that the
future absence of Abbas will lead to a difficult transition within Fatah that,
if accompanied by protests and violence, could result in the disintegration of
the movement altogether.
To depict the current Palestinian political crisis in reductionist terms as a
Hamas-Fatah “split” — as if they were ever united — and other cliches is to
ignore a history of division that must not be solely blamed on Palestinians. In
post-Abbas Palestine, Palestinians must reflect on this tragic history and,
instead of aiming for easy fixes, concentrate on finding common ground beyond
parties, factions, clans and privileges. Most importantly, the era of one party
and a single individual dominating all others must be left behind — this time
for good.
* Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is
an internationally syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of
several books, and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com.
Twitter: @RamzyBaroud