LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 30/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
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Bible Quotations For today
See to it that no one takes you captive
through philosophy and empty deceit
Letter to the Colossians 02/08-15:”See to it that no one takes you captive
through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to
the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.For in him
the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him,
who is the head of every ruler and authority. In him also you were circumcised
with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the
circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also
raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God
made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing
the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside,
nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a
public example of them, triumphing over them in it.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese
& Lebanese Related News published on May 29-30/19
Israel Not Yet Decisive on Parallel Demarcation of Land, Sea Borders
Israel Border Talks to be Held in Naqoura as Lebanon Rejects 'Timeframe'
Foreign Ministry Expects Israel Border Talks to Begin within 2 Weeks
Berri Says MPs Have Right to Take Their Time in Debating 2019 Budget
Aoun Hopes Budget Will be Swiftly Approved in Parliament
Geagea Urges Bassil to 'Rein in' His Party Members
Geagea: We did not reconcile with Free Patriotic Movement only to withdraw later
Sehnaoui, Fatfat Invite Lebanese to Watch Champions League Final for Free at
Beirut Port
Finance Minister Sends Memos on Preparing for 2020 Budget
French Embassy Welcomes Cabinet's Approval of Budget
Hariri in Saudi Arabia to attend Arab and Islamic summits
Standard & Poor's: Lebanon Budget May Not Be Enough to Restore Confidence
Maronite Patriarch Requests Retraction of Lawsuits Against Asmar
Berri Says Parliament Will Not Rush Budget Ratification
Abu Nader Calls for Shortening of Lengthy Budget Discussion Sessions
Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel Discusses Kataeb's Suggested Budget Reforms with UN
Official
Despite New Efforts to Tackle Pollution in the Litani River, Challenges Remain
Secondary sanctions would put Tehran and Hezbollah in an economic chokehold
Lebanese Bubble with Anger over Hookah Tax
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on May 29-30/19
Iran Agents Storm Church, Tear Down Cross At 100 Year-Old Christian Place Of
Worship
Just a month after being sworn in, Israel’s 21st Knesset disbands
Kushner Meets Moroccan King on Trip to Press U.S. Peace Plan
Israeli PM Confirms Strike on Military Base near Quneitra, Syria
Syria: Fresh Strike on Militant Enclave Kills 13
Paris Says Has 'Indication' of Chemical Attack in Idlib
Erekat: China, Russia to Boycott Economic Workshop
Israel Tightens Gaza Fishing Curbs After New Fire Balloons
Bolton: Ships sabotaged off UAE coast attacked ‘almost certainly by Iran’
Rouhani Suggests Talks with US Possible if it Lifts Sanctions
FireEye: Iran Used Fake Social Media Accounts to Mislead Americans during
Midterms
Travelers Stranded as Sudan Strike Enters Second Day
Iraq Hands over 188 Turkish Children of ISIS Members
6 Belgo-Moroccans Elected to Belgium’s House of Representatives
Egyptian Terrorist Hisham Ashmawy Transferred from LNA to Cairo
Egypt: Court Upholds Execution of 17, Life Sentence of 19 in Church Bombings
Yemen’s Government Urges Transparency in Operations of Int’l Organizations
Security Council Freezes Assets of 26 Tunisian Terrorists, 3 Organizations
Trump Says 'Case Closed' as Mueller Says His Report Did Not Acquit Him
US Special counsel Mueller says he’s leaving Justice Department
Statement to mark International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
Canada opposition head wants to stop ‘illegal border crossings’ from US
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on May 29-30/19
Despite New Efforts to Tackle Pollution in the Litani River, Challenges
Remain/Lauren Holtmeier/Executive Magazine/May 29/2019
Secondary sanctions would put Tehran and Hezbollah in an economic chokehold/Khairallah
Khairallah/Al Arabiya/May 29/2019
Lebanese Bubble with Anger over Hookah Tax/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May
29/2019
Iran Agents Storm Church, Tear Down Cross At 100 Year-Old Christian Place Of
Worship/Callum Paton/Newsweek/May 30/2019
Just a month after being sworn in, Israel’s 21st Knesset disbands/Debka File/May
30/2019
The Palestinian War on the Trump Peace Plan/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone
Institute/May 29/2019
Turning the Tables on "Global Zero"/Peter Huessy and David A. Deptula/Gatestone
Institute/May 29/2019
Lawmakers Show US Appetite for Confrontation/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/May
29/2019
On the Sidelines of the European Elections/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/May
29/2019
Three historic summits in Mecca amidst rising tensions with Iran/Prince Turki
al-Faisal//Al Arabiya/May 29/2019
Islam’s Greatest Victory: The Fall of Constantinople, May 29, 1453/Raymond
Ibrahim/May 29/2019
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News
published
on May 29-30/19
Israel Not Yet Decisive on Parallel Demarcation of Land,
Sea Borders
Beirut- khalil Fleihan/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/ David
Satterfield, the acting United States assistant secretary of state for Near
Eastern affairs, met on Tuesday with President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri,
Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, to update them on
his recent talks with Israeli officials on the demarcation of the land and
maritime borders. The US official is currently on a mission to reach
understandings and agreements on the demarcation of borders. He returned to
Beirut from Tel Aviv to convey the Israeli response to the relevant Lebanese
proposal.
Sources close to Berri said that positive atmosphere surrounded the talks,
adding that Lebanon “looks forward to the completion of the negotiation process
with Israel, provided that the issue of Hezbollah’s arms would not be linked to
the demarcation file.”Satterfield discussed with Hariri the latest local and regional developments and
underlined his commitment to mediate between the Lebanese and Israeli sides in
order to reach an agreement over the border demarcation.
Meanwhile, LBC television channel reported that the issue of the parallel
demarcation of the maritime and land borders has not yet been resolved by the
Israelis. It added that Satterfield would return to Tel Aviv to complete the
discussions over this point in addition to other matters, and would later inform
Lebanon of the outcome of his consultations.In this regard, a Lebanese official
with knowledge of the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon insisted on the
demarcation of the maritime and land borders at the same time, to guarantee the
full process, while Israel wanted to start first with the sea borders.
Israel Border Talks to be Held in
Naqoura as Lebanon Rejects 'Timeframe'
Naharnet/May 29/2019/The Lebanese-Israeli negotiations over the demarcation of
the land and maritime borders will be held at UNIFIL's headquarters in Naqoura,
media reports said, after U.S. envoy David Satterfield told Lebanon that Israel
has agreed to begin the talks. "The U.N. will host and sponsor the negotiations,
which will be held under its flag and with the participation of the U.S.
mediator and the attendance of the Lebanese and Israeli sides,” al-Joumhouria
newspaper reported on Wednesday. “The Lebanese delegation will be military and
will enjoy a political cover,” the daily added. Satterfield had returned Tuesday
to Beirut with Israeli responses to the Lebanese proposals. He held talks with
President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and
Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil. Berri said “things are still going in a positive
direction but so far have not been settled.”And as Berri said that Satterfield
relayed Israel's acceptance of simultaneous land and sea demarcation, he added
that “there are things that still need discussions and scrutiny and we're
awaiting the U.S. official to return with the Israeli response to them.”As for
the pending points, he clarified that “the Israelis are proposing a six-month
timeframe for the negotiations, whereas Lebanon is rejecting any timeframe for
the talks.”Lebanon wants “open-ended negotiations until an agreement is
reached,” Berri added. Al-Joumhouria said Lebanon fears that Israel would
procrastinate and waste time during the six-month period should the talks be
confined to a timeframe.The Lebanese side has insisted on UNIFIL's participation
in the U.S.-mediated negotiations. Satterfield also met with Army Commander
General Joseph Aoun on Tuesday, which indicates that logistic details related to
the possible negotiations have started to be raised in the preparatory
contacts.
Foreign Ministry Expects Israel Border
Talks to Begin within 2 Weeks
Naharnet/May 29/2019/The Lebanese Foreign Ministry expects the Lebanese-Israeli
negotiations over the demarcation of the land and maritime borders to kick off
within two weeks, ministry sources said. U.S. envoy David “Satterfield told
Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil that he carried Lebanon's viewpoint to Israel and
that the latter has agreed to Lebanon's demand that the demarcation of the land
and maritime borders be held simultaneously,” the sources told al-Joumhouria
newspaper in remarks published Wednesday. Expecting the negotiations to begin
“withing two weeks,” the sources said “the agenda of these talks and the U.N.'s
role and level of representation are being currently discussed.”“The meeting
between Bassil and Satterfield was more than positive and the vision that the
President reflected in his letter is on the right track,” the sources added.
Satterfield had returned Tuesday to Beirut with Israeli responses to the
Lebanese proposals. He held talks with President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih
Berri, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil and Army
Commander General Joseph Aoun.
Berri Says MPs Have Right to Take
Their Time in Debating 2019 Budget
Naharnet/May 29/2019/ Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced Wednesday that
lawmakers have the right to take their time in debating and approving the 2019
state budget although it has missed its constitutional deadline. “MPs have the
right to raise all issues and problems related to the draft state budget and the
current draft is not at all binding for them,” Berri told lawmakers during the
weekly Ain el-Tineh meeting. “They have enough time to debate it from square
one,” he added. “The Parliament will perform its duty and practice its role
fully in studying the budget,” Berri went on to say, expecting the finance
committee to convene Monday to scrutinize the budget's philosophy and to hold
successive sessions after Eid al-Fitr,” Berri went on to say. “The debate will
be open-ended in the committee and subsequently in the general assembly and it
will take its time,” Berri said, noting that he has instructed the committee to
hold several sessions everyday. President Michel Aoun had hoped earlier on
Wednesday that the budget will be approved in Parliament “as quickly as
possible.”The Cabinet held 19 sessions to finalize the budget after Lebanon
vowed to slash public spending to unlock $11 billion worth of aid pledged by
international donors during an April 2018 conference in Paris. Last month, Prime
Minister Saad Hariri vowed to introduce "the most austere budget in Lebanon's
history" to combat the country's bulging fiscal deficit. Lebanon is one of the
world's most indebted countries, with public debt estimated at 141 percent of
GDP in 2018, according to credit ratings agency Moody's.
Aoun Hopes Budget Will be Swiftly
Approved in Parliament
Naharnet/May 29/2019/President Michel Aoun on Wednesday hoped the 2019 draft
state budget will be approved in Parliament “as quickly as possible.”“The draft
2019 budget includes measures to strengthen the productive sectors in Lebanon,
especially industry and agriculture, with the aim of gradual transformation to a
productive economy rather than a services-based one as endorsed by the previous
governments,” Aoun said. “The economic rise process has kicked off and oil and
gas exploration at the beginning of next year will have a positive impact on the
national economy,” the president added.And noting that “the Cabinet's approval
of the draft 2019 budget has created relief in the financial markets,” Aoun said
“the implementation of the measures and steps stipulated in the new budget will
slash deficit and lay the groundwork for the 2020 budget.”He added: “The
ministers will begin submitting their budgets to Finance Minister Ali Hassan
Khalil in order to study the (2020 budget) and refer it to Parliament within the
constitutional timeframe.”The Cabinet held 19 sessions to finalize the budget
after Lebanon vowed to slash public spending to unlock $11 billion worth of aid
pledged by international donors during an April 2018 conference in Paris. Last
month, Prime Minister Saad Hariri vowed to introduce "the most austere budget in
Lebanon's history" to combat the country's bulging fiscal deficit.Lebanon is one
of the world's most indebted countries, with public debt estimated at 141
percent of GDP in 2018, according to credit ratings agency Moody's.
Geagea Urges Bassil to 'Rein in' His
Party Members
Naharnet/May 29/2019/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday called on
Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil to “rein in his party members,”
in connection with a war of words over LBP 40 billion earmarked for the Ministry
of the Displaced. “The last thing we want is to create any dispute with the FPM,
or else we would not have backed President (Michel) Aoun's election,” Geagea
said after a meeting for the Strong Republic parliamentary bloc. “I hope the FPM
chief will give his instructions (to FPM officials) to answer questions instead
of digging up the past. If they want to talk about war, we're the ones who know
the war's secrets,” Geagea added, in a jab at Minister of the Displaced Ghassan
Atallah of the FPM. “We gave our opinion on the issue of the state budget with
all due frankness, and instead of answering us with a logical sequence, he
returned to a wrong rhetoric and claims,” Geagea added. He noted that one of
Atallah's “wrong claims” was that the LF was behind the displacement of Mount
Lebanon's Christians. “Do not hit out at us or else you will hear our answers.
We did not achieve a reconciliation with the FPM in order to renounce it later,
but if someone attacks us we will respond against him personally and we will not
be dragged into a problem with the FPM as a movement,” Geagea added. “Let the
FPM chief rein in his party members,” he urged. Geagea also blasted Bassil for
saying that the LF was behind “the fall of Mount Lebanon” during the civil war,
in reference to the Chouf and Aley regions from which Christian residents were
forced to flee after deadly Christian-Druze clashes. “Do they want us to remind
them of the fall of Baabda after the LF defended it for 15 years?” Geagea added,
referring to Aoun's 1990 ouster from the Baabda Palace at the hands of the
Syrian army. Aoun was the head of a military government back then. The latest
FPM-LF war of words erupted after the LF questioned how LBP 40 billion were
earmarked for Atallah's ministry in the last moments before the Cabinet's
approval of the draft 2019 state budget.
Geagea: We did not reconcile with Free
Patriotic Movement only to withdraw later
Wed 29 May 2019/NNA - "The last thing we want to stir is trouble with the Free
Patriotic Movement," said Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, in a press
conference he held this Wednesday in Maarab in the wake of the "Strong Republic"
parliamentary bloc meeting. "We did not achieve reconciliation with the Free
Patriotic Movement only to get back on it later," he asserted. "If we did seek
trouble, we would not have supported the arrival of president Aoun to office,"
said Geagea. "We frankly gave our input on the issue of the budget and instead
of Minister of the displaced Ghassan Atallah answering logically, he resorted to
a defensive tone and wrong statements," he went on to say, wishing on the Free
Patriotic Movement leader, Minister Gebran Bassil, to give his instructions to
answer to the question and not to dig in the past. "If they want to talks about
the war, it is us who hold the secrets of that war," he warned. "It is good that
we now have a draft budget which we can discuss. It is indeed a better version
of its precedents, but it does not live up to our expectations," the LF leader
pointed out. Tackling the issue of illegal crossings, he said "all the security
services are reporting them and giving lists of the crossing. Saying there are
not enough personnel to close them is inaccurate.""I do not want to elaborate on
the subject of the budget because we will be studying it and announcing our
positions. It is okay as it is at present," Geagea concluded.
Sehnaoui, Fatfat Invite Lebanese to
Watch Champions League Final for Free at Beirut Port
“Who's gonna win? Team Nicolas or Team Sami?” An event organized by the Mouna
Bustros Foundation promises to “bring Madrid to Beirut” on Saturday, June 1 at
the Port of Beirut. The event will start at 8pm and football fans and
enthusiasts will enjoy free entrance and parking and have access to a food
court. “Are you ready for the most unforgettable sports events of the year? We
bring the Madrid Experience straight to you,” the Mouna Bustros Foundation says.
“Meet us this Saturday at the Port of Beirut, behind Forum de Beyrouth, so that
we watch the Champions League final together,” Beirut MP and deputy head of the
Free Patriotic Movement for political affairs Nicolas Sehnaoui says in a video
published on his Twitter account. “As everyone knows, the Champions League final
will pit Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur and there will be free entrance and
parking and a post-iftar food court,” young Tripoli MP Sami Fatfat says in the
video. “It will be a very nice match, and I'm personally with Liverpool,” he
adds. “I support Tottenham,” Sehnaoui meanwhile hits back. According to Fatfat,
“it will be very difficult for Tottenham to win,” a claim disputed by
Sehnaoui.“But anyone can come watch the game,” Fatfat insists.He adds that it
will be “an opportunity for us all to get to know the Port more and of course to
get to know each other.”“It will also be an opportunity to introduce you to the
Port of Beirut, to link it to the city and to show you how beautiful Ashrafieh
is,” Sehnaoui adds.
Finance Minister Sends Memos on
Preparing for 2020 Budget
Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil has sent memos to the ministries asking them
to start preparing for the 2020 state budget. The draft for the 2020 budget is
supposed to be devised next month. “Based on the deficit reduction in the 2019
budget, it is normally expected to reach a lower deficit” in the 2020 budget,
Khalil told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Wednesday. The 2019
state budget was referred to Parliament after 19 haggling sessions in which the
Cabinet managed to lower the deficit to 7.59%.
French Embassy Welcomes Cabinet's
Approval of Budget
The French embassy in Lebanon has welcomed the Lebanese Cabinet's approval of
the draft 2019 state budget, describing it as “a positive indication that
Lebanon is abiding by the pledges it committed itself to during the CEDRE
conference.” “The budget will not become final before its endorsement by
Parliament. We hope this endorsement will happen as soon as possible,” the
embassy said in a statement. Stressing that France will always support Lebanon,
the embassy added that it is “fully taking part in the implementation of the
resolutions of the CEDRE conference, which will allow Lebanon to put into action
the necessary reforms so that it faces the challenges of the future, especially
in terms of governance.”“The effective implementation of the CEDRE conference
requires devising a firm and transparent mechanism which we hope will be put
into practice soon,” the embassy added. The Cabinet 19 sessions to finalize the
budget after Lebanon vowed to slash public spending to unlock $11 billion worth
of aid pledged by international donors during an April 2018 conference in Paris.
Last month, Prime Minister Saad Hariri vowed to introduce "the most austere
budget in Lebanon's history" to combat the country's bulging fiscal deficit.
Lebanon is one of the world's most indebted countries, with public debt
estimated at 141 percent of GDP in 2018, according to credit ratings agency
Moody's.
Hariri in Saudi Arabia to attend Arab
and Islamic summits
Wed 29 May 2019 / NNA - The President of the Council of Ministers Saad Hariri
arrived this evening to Jeddah to head the Lebanese delegation to the Arab and
Islamic extraordinary summits to be held on Thursday and Friday in Makkah upon
an invitation from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin
Abdulaziz to discuss the Arab and Islamic developments.Upon his arrival at King
Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Premier Hariri was greeted by Deputy
Emir of Makkah Prince Badr bin Sultan, the Assistant Secretary General for
Political Affairs of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ambassador
Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Alem, the Kingdom's Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari
and a number of officials. The official delegation to the summit includes
Ministers Wael Abu Faour and Jamal Jarrah, the Secretary General of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Hani Shmaitli, Lebanon's Ambassador to Saudi
Arabia Fawzi Kabbara and Lebanon's permanent representative to the Arab League
Ali Halabi.
Standard & Poor's: Lebanon Budget May Not Be Enough to
Restore Confidence
ReutersKataeb.org/May 29/2019/Lebanon’s budget plan to cut its fiscal deficit to
7.6% of GDP this year may not be enough to restore damaged confidence in the
deeply-indebted country, credit rating agency S&P Global said on Tuesday.
Mounting worries about Lebanon’s finances saw S&P put the country’s B- rating on
a negative outlook at the start of March. “The announcement itself (to cut the
deficit to 7.6% from above 11% last year) may not be sufficient to improve the
confidence of non-resident depositors and investors, which has waned in recent
months,” S&P’s primary Lebanon analyst, Zahabia Saleem Gupta, said by e-mail.
She added slippage from the new target could happen, particularly since any cost
cutting measures will only be implemented in the second half of the year. “We
estimate the 2019 fiscal deficit outturn at about 10% of GDP,” Gupta said. “In
the absence of substantial revenue-enhancing and cost-cutting measures, we
forecast that Lebanon’s general government debt to GDP ratio will continue
rising to above 160% of GDP by 2022, from 143% in 2018.”
Maronite Patriarch Requests Retraction of Lawsuits Against
Asmar
Kataeb.org/May 29/2019/The Maronite League and the Maronite Diaspora Institute
on Wednesday retracted the lawsuits filed against the resigned head of the
General Confederation of Lebanese Workers, Bechara Asmar.
The move came upon the instructions of Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi, MTV
channel reported. Asmar, who was caught mocking the late Patriarch Emeritus
Nasrallah Sfeir in a video leaked earlier this month, has requested a meeting
with Al-Rahi, MTV has learned.
Berri Says Parliament Will Not Rush Budget Ratification
Kataeb.org/May 29/2019/Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday stressed that the
Parliament will not abide by a specific deadline to ratify the 2019 state
budget, saying that the legislature will scrutiny the blueprint as if it was not
already examined by the government. “Lawmakers have the right to discuss all of
the budget's items,” MP Ali Bazzi quoted Berri as saying during his weekly
meeting with deputies in Ain Al-Tineh. "They have enough time to study the
draft." Bazzi also told reporters that Berri had contacted the Audit Bureau
which assured him that the audit of the 2017 financial accounts will be
finalized within a week. President Michel Aoun Tuesday signed a decree allowing
Parliament to hold exceptional sessions from June 1 until October 21.
Parliament’s Finance and Budget Committee is expected to discuss the draft
budget, before referring it to the General Assembly.
Abu Nader Calls for Shortening of Lengthy Budget Discussion Sessions
Kataeb.org/May 29/2019/Kataeb leader's top adviser Fouad Abu Nader on Wednesday
called for reducing the lengthy Parliament sessions aimed at debating the 2019
draft budget, saying that only the opposition lawmakers must take the floor to
discuss the blueprint. “Given that all the political parties that are
represented in the government have approved the draft, then why don’t we limit
interventions to the opposition lawmakers who signed the appeal against the
electricity plan?” Abu Nader wrote on his Twitter page, noting that by doing so,
the blueprint would be debated in just one day.
Abu Nader added that limiting the budget discussions to one day would spare the
Lebanese platitudes and "fake gallantry" by lawmakers who have agreed in advance
to the government's financial plan.
Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel Discusses Kataeb's Suggested Budget Reforms with UN
Official
Kataeb.org/May 29/2019/Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Wednesday met with UN
Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis, with talks featuring high on the
latest developments in Lebanon and the region. During the meeting, held at the
Kataeb's headquarters in Saifi, the two men conferred over regional developments
and their potential repercussions on Lebanon, with both stressing the need to
control the border so as to immunize the country. Gemayel briefed the visiting
guest on the party’s suggested reforms that the government should have included
in the 2019 draft budget in a bid to avoid further inflation and economic
stagnation. Talks were attended by former Economy minister Alain Hakim and
Kataeb leader's legal adviser, Lara Saade.
Despite New Efforts to Tackle Pollution in the Litani River, Challenges Remain
Lauren Holtmeier/Executive Magazine/May 29/2019
The Litani River and its health—or lack thereof—directly impacts those Lebanese
residents living near the river or buying produce irrigated by the river. The
largest river in Lebanon, the Litani River Basin (LRB) is equivalent to 20
percent of Lebanon’s land area and winds through the Bekaa Valley and south
Lebanon. In April 2018, the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI)
officially asked all farmers—particularly those in central Bekaa from Riyaq down
to Qaraoun—to not use the water for irrigation because pollution levels were so
high. Michel Afrem, head of LARI, told Executive it will be years until water
from the Litani is safe for irrigation again. Since August 2018, there has been
an uptick in citations against alleged polluters, says Nassim Abou Hamad, head
of the Litani River Authority (LRA)’s water governance department, but a clean
river is still almost a decade away when considering the current cleanup roadmap
and the amount of time after implementation that is needed for the river to rid
itself of pollutants.
A tale with many actors
Ending pollution in the Litani is not a simple task. Legislation to tackle the
governance and protection of the river does exist, including Law 63 (2016) that:
established the governance structure for the Litani River Basin, giving the LRA
authority; set out a roadmap for improving the wastewater network and building
treatment plants, due to be completed by 2023; and earmarked $730 million to
clean up the river, though so far only $55 million has been spent, primarily on
rehabilitation of wastewater networks. Roland Riachi, visiting assistant
professor in political studies and public administration at the American
University of Beirut (AUB) said Law 63 gave the LRA more capacity to act than
the previous Law 221 (2000) or the more recent Law 77 (2018), which is the water
code for the whole sector. According to Law 63’s text, which defines 17
government entities’ roles regarding the river, the LRA’s mandate includes the
ability to “prosecute all offenders with regards to the LRB through unlicensed
construction, uncontrolled waste dumping, dumping soil, or unlicensed well
excavation” regarding industrial pollution, which the law defines as waste
coming from industrial enterprises, including farms, gas stations, health sector
institutions, and tourist institutions, as well as sand drills, quarries, and
crushers. Law 77, on the other hand, was passed hastily the week before CEDRE in
April 2018, says Riachi; it does not have implementation decrees attached to it
yet, and is currently under review at Parliament. In an attempt to satisfy
international donors, the law was pushed through to demonstrate progress being
made in the sector. Neither Abou Hamad nor Riachi knew the specifics of the
potential revisions of the law.
Coupled with these legislative powers, Sami Alawieh’s appointment as head of the
Litani River Authority (LRA) in March 2018, has furthered progress on the river,
as under his tenure there has been an increase in the number of citations issued
and in subsequent legal action surrounding accused polluters. “Since Sami
Alawieh has come into power, he’s really taken action,” says Yasmina el-Amine,
the author of an AUB policy brief on pollution in the Litani published in March.
According to the brief, the LRA has issued over 200 citations to factories and
municipalities in the basin with the help of the ministries of environment,
energy and water, and industry, as well as the Internal Security Forces.
Explaining the process to determine if a company is dumping waste in the river,
Abou Hamad says that there is a team of six or seven technicians working on the
ground who first try to visually determine if there is pollution. If it cannot
be confirmed by sight, the water is collected and sent for testing; if it tests
come back positive for pollution levels higher than those allowed under Ministry
of Environment (MoE)’s guidelines, a citation is issued and a lawsuit filed. The
case then goes to a judge at a civil court; to date no judge has ruled against
the LRA in a case, Abou Hamad says. The presiding judge may also request a third
party take another sample before the final verdict is issued. Both Abou Hamad
and Afrem told Executive of an upcoming memorandum of understanding between the
LRA and LARI that will increase cooperation between the two entities, with LARI
lending its ability to test water for pollutants.
Facing the consequences
Factories found guilty of polluting are given a grace period of three to four
months to build the necessary treatment facility before being shut down, says
Abou Hamad. In some extreme cases they will be shut down immediately, like one
slaughterhouse that was found to be dumping between half a tonne to 1 tonne a
day into the river. Shutting down factories is the mandate of the Ministry of
Industry according to Abou Hamad. “The attorney general took the decision to
shut down the slaughterhouse until a solution was implemented because of the
massive amount of waste,” he says.
The ultimate authority regarding the river is the Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW),
but the MoE also has some authority, setting the environmental standard that the
LRA use, Abou Hamad adds. According to Amine, Law 221 (2000) gave the four
regional water establishments responsibility for wastewater management, but they
lack administrative or financial capacity to play this role, leaving the
responsibility to other actors. “For wastewater they either contract a
third-party, or [in] some cases the municipalities take on the work, or (in most
cases) the job is not done,” Amine wrote in a follow-up email to Executive.
Muddying the waters
There is no single source of pollution flowing into the Litani, but factories,
municipalities, and agriculture have all contributed to the problem. Recently,
refugees have received blame for dumping their waste directly into the river,
and the LRA has sent letters to the UNHCR asking that the settlements be moved
from the banks of the Litani, citing the LRA’s authority on the matter granted
by Law 63. “Syrian refugees located on the river are dumping their sewage
directly into the river and in many cases solid waste as well,” says Abou Hamad.
However, while the refugees’ presence does contribute to the overall problem,
they are not responsible for the largest amount of—nor the most dangerous—waste,
both Afrem and Abou Hamad told Executive separately. Those titles go to
municipal and industrial waste, respectively.
LARI’s Afrem explains that while municipal waste contains largely bacterial
pollution, industrial waste contains heavy metals that have more long-term
health risks. Whereas bacterial infection can be treated with antibiotics
relatively easily, heavy metals may accumulate in the body over years,
increasing the risk of cancer. Municipal sewage is the biggest polluter, Abou
Hamad says. “At least 35-40 million cubic meters (MCM) a year enter from
household and municipal waste. The other amount comes from industries, 4 to 5
MCM, but it’s concentrated with heavy metals and it’s very dangerous effluent.”
Another pollutant is agricultural waste, generally caused by an overuse of
pesticides and lack of proper runoff and treatment networks. From sources
Executive talked to, the problem is four-fold: household waste, waste from
industry and agriculture, and, on a much smaller scale, waste from refugees
camped alongside the river bank. Making matters more complex is that each type
of waste requires its own treatment processes.
While the LRA and other actors, like the Council for Development and
Reconstruction (CDR) work to implement solutions, the level of pollution in the
Litani is intensifying. A new report by LARI due to be sent to all ministries in
May found that pollution levels were worse in 2018 than in 2017. “We are now
reaching 50 million bacteria per millimeter in some places,” Afrem says. The
permitted level as established by the Food and Agricultural Organization and the
Lebanese Standards Institution is 200 bacteria per millimeter— 250,000 times
lower.
Efforts to rehabilitate wastewater networks and build treatment plants have seen
some progress made with $55 million (7.5 percent of the allocated funds)
dispersed after Law 63 was passed. When Executive queried why such a small
amount of funding had been secured so far, Abou Hamad said that talks were held
last month with the CDR, LRA, MoEW, and World Bank in which releasing another
$300 million in funding was discussed, but he did not know if or when those
funds may be received. These funds would go toward rehabilitating and building
wastewater networks and establishing treatment facilities. Thirty years ago,
wastewater networks were built in the Bekaa, but no treatment plants were built,
effectively expediting the pollution flow to the river, says Abou Hamad. “It
would’ve been better to leave every house with its own septic pit instead of
connecting everyone to one line,” he says. In other places, he says the
wastewater network itself is deficient and leaks are prevalent.
Those Executive spoke with say that treatment plants, new and rehabilitated
wastewater networks, and stronger governance are all needed to effectively clean
up the Litani. So how long will this take? According to Abou Hamad, 2023 is the
goal, but the question remains if this is achievable. “As the LRA, we issued a
letter to CDR in November or December saying you are not upholding Law 63,” says
Abou Hamad, referring to the roadmap set out by Law 63 that stipulates all
projects related to networks and treatment stations must be finished within
seven years of the law’s issuance. CDR, he says, is not on schedule. “They said
everything was on track and everything will be finished by 2023.” Executive
reached out to CDR for comment, but did not hear back before publication.
However, assuming every plant, municipality, farmer, and refugee along the river
stops dumping waste and proper wastewater networks and treatment plants are
installed, a pollution-free river is still four to five years beyond this, Afrem
says. This would mean if everything is finished by 2023, Lebanese can expect to
see a clean river by 2028, but in a country where little runs on schedule, a
country-wide river clean up seems unlikely to arrive on time.
Secondary sanctions would put Tehran and Hezbollah in an economic chokehold
Khairallah Khairallah/Al Arabiya/May 29/2019
The Trump administration’s restored Iran sanctions have started strong and are
likely to become even stronger in the future. The US Treasury Department’s
recent announcement that the so-called “significant reduction waivers,” which
allowed certain foreign countries to continue buying Iranian oil in reduced
quantities, were ended and that no new waivers were forthcoming was a major
positive development. The US terrorist designation of the Islamic Revolutionary
Guards Corps, which in addition to their military activities control important
segments of the Iranian economy, was another welcome step. The totality of US
sanctions have been effective and have imposed heavy costs on the Iranian
regime.
To be sure, further ratcheting up of US sanctions can be highly effective and
should be undertaken. In this regard, blacklisting not just individual Iranian
banks, but the totality of the Iranian banking sector, would be the most
powerful step. It is also possible for the US to bolster the existing
shipping-related sanctions to apply to all vessels that carry cargo to and from
Iran. While these steps may well be taken by Washington in the future, it is
important for other countries concerned about Iran’s maligned activities to
support US sanctions with strong efforts of their own.
With this in mind, key US Middle Eastern allies, with the GCC in the lead, can
and should promptly impose Iran- and Hezbollah-related secondary sanctions. This
approach would have several major benefits. First, it would be effective in
intensifying the pressure on Iran by further squeezing the Iranian economy. From
a purely economic perspective, GCC-driven sanctions would be particularly
efficacious vis-à-vis those European and Asian companies that do a lot of
business in the Gulf and the Middle East. Without a sufficient footprint in the
US, such companies do not worry about US secondary sanctions. But if forced to
choose between doing business with Iran and participating in the GCC economy,
they are highly likely to opt for the latter.
The secondary sanctions process would also present a valuable opportunity to
bankrupt Hezbollah, which would be both a symbolic and practical blow to Tehran.
This is because Hezbollah is both a model utilized by Iranian foreign policy and
a vital power projection tool for Tehran. Turning Hezbollah from an asset into a
liability would be invaluable. The key element of Hezbollah focused portion of
the secondary sanctions would be to have them apply not only to Hezbollah, but
to all Hezbollah-affiliated entities, such as the Amal Movement.
GCC-led sanctions would also have an important symbolic effect, helping to drive
a wedge between the Iranian mercantile class – the bazar – and the regime. In
this regard, the fact that the thus far US-only sanctions have been multilateral
and now include key Middle Eastern powers would underscore the isolation of the
Iranian regime.
In addition to imposing secondary sanctions of its own, the GCC should consider
participating in the sanctions enforcement efforts. These should be focused on
companies and entities that are engaged in sanctions-busting activities. Turkish
or Qatari companies that have so far largely escaped punishment for Iranian
sanction violations would be particularly promising targets.
Having the GCC lead in this area, both by adopting secondary sanctions of its
own and participating in the sanctions enforcement efforts, would be greatly
beneficial. It would enhance the efficacy of the currently existing
sanctions-related efforts and manifest a united front against Tehran. This
overall strategy would help cement the alliance between GCC countries and the
US, while also serving as a powerful rebuke to the European countries that have
chosen to side with Iran. Overall, it would also demonstrate that GCC countries
are practicing a 21st century level of sophisticated diplomatic and economic
statecraft.
*Khairallah Khairallah is an Arab columnist who was formerly Annahar's foreign
editor (1976-1988) and Al-Hayat's managing editor (1988-1998).
Lebanese Bubble with Anger over Hookah Tax
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 29/2019
Flipping the hot coals on his green hookah in a crowded Beirut cafe, Abbas
Nasreddine says Lebanon's new austerity budget has spoilt his daily treat of
smoking a water pipe. "It's how we deflate stress," says the 26-year-old
university student, a long drag of mint-scented smoke rising overhead.
"But now our tool for coping with our worries has become a worry itself," he
said, fiddling with the hookah's long hose. Nasreddine is among many regular
smokers who are displeased with a government decision to impose a new tax on
water pipes as part of a larger austerity package. They will soon have to pay an
additional 1,000 Lebanese pounds ($0.66) for every water pipe they order in a
cafe or restaurant, at a time when job opportunities are scarce and the economy
is in decline.
"For politicians, 1,000 LBP may be of no value," Nasreddine says.
"But, for me, 1,000 LBP has a value -- I get to university for 1,000 LBP," he
adds. After decades of civil war, corruption and political crises made Lebanon
one of the world's most indebted countries, the government adopted a new
austerity budget on Monday to combat a ballooning budget deficit.
It reduced benefits and pensions in the public sector and introduced a series of
tax hikes, including on personal firearm licences and permits for tinted
windows. For some, the new levy on water pipes has provoked particular ire.Taxes
should not be raised "on something most people use to just relax," Nasreddine
says. "We smoke to calm our minds because we are sick of the situation in this
country."The World Health Organization has warned that a full hookah is
equivalent to smoking 20 to 30 cigarettes at once, and has linked the practice
to lung damage and cancer.But in much of the Middle East, sharing a water pipe
-- also called shisha or nargileh -- is often conceived as a social occasion
during which smokers spend hours in cafes chatting and passing the hose around.
'They're ruining us'
This is especially the case in Lebanon. Lebanon has the highest rate of shisha
smokers in the region among teenagers, according to a 2016 study in the medical
journal Ethnicity & Disease, which found that roughly a third of 13 to
15-year-olds it surveyed had smoked at least once in the past month.
Hussam Shuman, 28, sits outside a bustling cafe in the southern suburbs of
Beirut, a hookah complete with apple-flavored tobacco burning at his side. The
young accountant says he smokes more than once a day, "out of boredom" and
"mainly after work."But now, leisure is set to become more costly. "Let them get
money from somewhere else. Why are they targeting us water pipe smokers?" he
says, trying to calculate how much more he will now be spending on shisha every
month.
"They're ruining us."
Shuman and many Lebanese are disillusioned with the ruling class, whom they
accuse of nepotism and graft, and the latest austerity measures have compounded
this situation. The government has been criticized for raising prices and
limiting benefits and pensions rather than fighting corruption, tax evasion and
smuggling to reduce the deficit. On a nearby table, Fayyad Mustafa shuffles a
deck of playing cards, a water pipe gurgling beneath him. The 24-year-old
technician says the shisha tax is not the only problem.
"We are living in a state that wants to make everything more expensive," he
says. "They started with water pipes but we don't know what other things will
become more costly later on." He believes that not reacting to the hookah tax
would encourage the government to raise other goods.
"If we are silent when they raise the price of a water pipe, we will have to be
silent when they raise the price of a loaf of bread... or a sack of potatoes."
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on May 29-30/19
Iran Agents Storm Church, Tear Down Cross At 100 Year-Old Christian Place Of
Worship
نيوزويك/رجال المخابرات في إيران يقتحمون كنيسة عمرها 100 سنة ويحطمون الصلية
Callum Paton/Newsweek/May 30/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/75300/%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%83-%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%85/
Iranian intelligence agents have shut down a church in the
country’s northwestern city of Tabriz, storming the place of worship and tearing
down a cross that stood on its conical spire.
The Christian Iranian rights group Article Eighteen has said Iranian regime
security officials charged into the 100-year-old church May 9, took down its
cross, changed all the locks and ordered the church warden to leave.
According to the group, members of the Assyrian Christian community that
worshipped at the Presbyterian church had been living in a state of fear after
pastors from nearby churches were barred from visiting the Tabriz church, a
National Heritage site, in the days after Christmas
Those fears were realized earlier this month when agents from the Execution of
Imam Khomeini's Order (EIKO), a state owned holding company built on confiscated
assets and under the direct control of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, descended on
the church. As well as taking down the cross and threatening the custodian, the
agents reportedly installed monitoring instruments
While the church had been confiscated by the Iranian authorities in 2011, local
worshippers had been permitted to continue using the building and carry out
Assyrian language services. Article Eighteen’s Advocacy Director has said the
confiscation and eventual destruction of Protestant churches in Iran has become
a part of a noticeable strategy.
"In most cases the government has been unable to repurpose them, especially if
they were listed. So they typically remain as empty buildings, often neglected,
and turn into ruins before being demolished," Mansour Borji explained.
The human rights group Amnesty International has decried the treatment of the
Christian minority by the Iranian government. Under the constitution of the
Islamic Republic, the country's Assyrian and Armenian Christians are permitted
freedom of worship. However, they are not allowed to hold services in Persian,
as this could be interpreted as proselytizing, and converts face harsh sentences
of between 10 and 15 years in prison
Ahead of Christmas last year, Iran arrested more than 100 Christians during a
week-long crackdown. Many of the 114 detained were converts, who were accused of
spreading Christianity, The Telegraph reported.
Click here to read the report in the Newsweek site
Just a month after being sworn in, Israel’s 21st Knesset
disbands
Debka File/May 30/2019
On Sept. 17, Israelis face their second election this year. After midnight
Wednesday May 29, the 21th Knesset dissolved itself by 74 to 45 votes – just a
month after it was voted in and became the shortest-lived parliament in Israel’s
history. All the opposition parties voted against dissolution, except for the
two Israeli-Arab factions which cast their votes in favor, along with Likud and
the right-wing and religious parties. By this motion, Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu blocked President Reuven Rivlin’s path to passing the torch for
forming a new government to another Knesset member. Straight after the vote, the
prime minister laid the blame for the unnecessary election at the door of
Israeli Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, accusing him of willfully impeding the
formation of a right-wing government coalition by the Wednesday midnight
deadline. Lieberman, he said, had cheated his voters by aligning himself with
the left. The Yisrael Beitenu leader held out to the end against giving the
Netanyahu lineup of 60 a majority by adding the support of his 5 member-faction.
Netanyahu lamented the time wasted on another superfluous election campaign when
vital national business was at hand. The first session of a US-Russian-Israeli
committee was due to take place very soon in Jerusalem for a unique discussion
on regional and Israeli security, he revealed. He promised more information on
this development in the coming days. The White House announced shortly after
this disclosure that the US. Russian and Israeli national security advisers
would hold a joint meeting next month in Jerusalem.Opposition leader Benny Gantz
adhered to his party’s electioneering line which claimed that the coalition
negotiations failed because they did not offer Netanyahu protection against the
corruption indictments allegedly facing him,
On Thursday morning, Israel plunges straight into a fresh election campaign
which is likely to be no less turbulent than the foregoing one. It will be
interesting to see who the voter decides to punish for one of the most abject
fiascoes in the country’s political history.
Kushner Meets Moroccan King on Trip to Press
U.S. Peace Plan
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 29/2019/U.S. President Donald
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner haw met Morocco's King Mohammed VI in Rabat as
part of a fresh push on a long-promised but yet-to-be-delivered peace plan for
the region. The trip -- which will also include stops in Amman and Jerusalem --
comes amid a flurry of other administration moves to shore up alliances with
Arab allies against Iran and the deployment of warships and bombers to the
region. Kushner is accompanied by Jason Greenblatt, Trump's special
representative for international negotiations, and Brian Hook, the special U.S.
representative for Iran. The meeting in Rabat focused on developments in the
Middle East and North Africa as well as strengthening the partnership between
Morocco and the US, a palace spokesman told AFP. Greenblatt tweeted that he and
Kushner shared an iftar dinner -- the traditional meal to break the daily fast
during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan -- with Morocco's king, Crown Prince
Moulay Hassan and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. "Thank you to His Majesty for
a special evening and for sharing your wisdom," Greenblatt wrote. "Morocco is an
important friend & ally of the United States."The Trump administration is
expected to unveil the peace plan -- after numerous failures by its predecessors
-- possibly as early as next month, but the Palestinians have already rejected
it as heavily biased in favor of Israel. Washington has yet to commit to an
exact timetable with respect to the political aspects of the plan. Kushner is
the chief architect of the proposals and Greenblatt, a longtime Trump lawyer,
has served as his right-hand man on the Middle East initiative. Upon his arrival
in the White House more than two years ago, Trump proclaimed his ambition to
secure a final accord ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the odds of
his succeeding where every previous U.S. president -- Republicans as well as
Democrats -- have failed appear particularly low. Palestinians have boycotted
the process since Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in
December 2017.
Bahrain conference
The U.S. is expected to roll out the economic aspects of the peace plan at a
conference in Bahrain on June 25-26. Co-hosts U.S. and Bahrain have billed it as
"a pivotal opportunity... to share ideas, discuss strategies and galvanize
support for potential economic investments and initiatives that could be made
possible by a peace agreement." But Palestinian political leaders say they will
boycott it and Palestinian business leaders said they won't go either, raising
further questions about the plan's viability. "Any economic project without a
political solution is selling an illusion," said Arafat Asfour, chairman of the
Palestine Trade Center. Among those declining an invitation was Bashar al-Masri,
a high-profile Palestinian businessman who worked with international partners
and in cooperation with the Israelis to invest $1.4 billion in the new
Palestinian town of Rawabi. Kushner, who will join up with Trump in London after
his Middle East trip, has been evasive about the US plan, which has been
shrouded in secrecy. While promising new ideas to revive a moribund peace
process, he has refused to talk about a two-state solution, the formula that has
long been at the heart of international efforts to achieve peace and also the
official US position.Instead, he has looked to an alliance with the Saudis
against Iran as a way to gain Arab support for his plan. Three days before
Kushner's trip, Trump authorized $8.1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and
other Arab allies, bypassing Congress.Arms sales to the kingdom were frozen
after the assassination of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in October and in
response to mounting concerns over the human toll of a Saudi-led armed campaign
in Yemen. But the administration defended the sales as necessary "to deter
Iranian aggression and build partner self-defense capacity."
Israeli PM Confirms Strike on Military Base near Quneitra,
Syria
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/Israel launched a retaliatory
strike against Syrian targets after anti-aircraft fired at one of its fighter
jets during a routing flight, announced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu. In a statement, he confirmed Israeli forces destroyed the system in
response, leaving at least one person dead and another injured. The incident
took place Monday night. “Our policy is clear, we are not prepared to tolerate
any aggression against us and we will retaliate against it forcefully and
decisively,” he vowed. The incident first occurred when Israel shelled a
military vehicle in Quneitra. It then struck the vehicle with its jets. Although
Israel did not claim responsibility for the operation, a military source in Tel
Aviv said the vehicle belonged to groups affiliated with Iranian militias that
are trying to set up bases in the eastern part of the Golan Heights to launch
operations against Israel.
Other sources claimed the attack was an assassination attempt targeting a senior
militia official. His name was not revealed. Syrian regime forces responded by
firing a missile at the warplane late Monday, downing a small Israeli
reconnaissance plane. According to Israeli sources, the plane was shot down by
anti-aircraft fire and landed in the Golan Heights, without any clear indication
whether it landed in the Israeli-occupied part or not. Israel considered the
bombing a violation of the ceasefire agreement and an infringement of Israeli
sovereignty, the army spokesman said. He said the plane was on a regular
reconnaissance mission of the Israeli side of the border. He pointed out that
the Syrian missile missed its target and fell over Syrian territory, thus there
was no need to activate the iron dome. However, an Israeli plane bombed the
Syrian anti-aircraft battery from which the missile was fired. According to
Syrian sources, a Syrian lieutenant and a Syrian soldier were killed. The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Israeli missile was
"reportedly fired from the occupied part of the Golan", noting that that three
Syrian soldiers were wounded.
Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria, most of them against
what it says are Iranian and Hezbollah targets. Last week, Syrian sources
reported heavy Israeli bombing on a site near Damascus International Airport,
which destroyed a weapons cache. Syrian forces responded by firing about 10
rockets towards the Israeli border, while Israeli media claimed that the bombing
targeted an Iranian military post north of Damascus.
Syria: Fresh Strike on Militant Enclave Kills 13
Beirut/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/The latest strikes in an
unprecedented wave of regime bombardment on a militant enclave in northwestern
Syria killed at least 13 civilians on Wednesday, a war monitor said. Air
strikes, some using deadly barrel bombs, and shelling by both government and
Russian warplanes have claimed a mounting civilian death toll over the past few
weeks. The violence, which has rattled a fragile truce deal brokered by Moscow
and Ankara in September, is causing mass displacement and bringing Syria to the
brink of the worst humanitarian catastrophe yet in its eight-year-old conflict.
The United States and the United Nations demanded an end to airstrikes on
Tuesday, as bombardment by Damascus killed 27 people -- the single highest
civilian death toll in the region since the regime increased attacks in late
April. But on Wednesday, aerial bombardment did not relent. According to the
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring organization, seven
of Wednesday's victims were killed in an air raid on the village of Sarja. It
lies in Idlib province, most of which is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a
group dominated by former members of Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate.
The four other victims were a father and his three children in the village of
Bara, said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. Two others were killed in
strikes on the Idlib town of Hbeit, he said. "The bombardment by the regime and
Russia continues to be intense on several areas. The Russian strikes are focused
on Khan Sheikhun but have not caused any casualties for now," he said. Syrian
state news agency SANA reported one woman was killed by militant shelling on
northern Hama. The regime has not announced an all-out offensive to retake the
entire militant enclave, a large area which is home to almost three million
people. Analysts predict that the government of President Bashar al-Assad and
its allies will continue to chip away at the area but not unleash a major
assault that would create chaos on Turkey's doorstep. The regime is likely to
continue applying sustained military pressure whilst attempting to preserve a
fragile truce agreement reached in Russia last year to spare the region a
large-scale humanitarian disaster. On Tuesday, Syria's UN envoy Bashar Jaafari
said Damascus "will spare no effort" to free the residents of Idlib from
militant control, according to comments carried by SANA. UN deputy aid chief
Ursula Mueller, however, told the Security Council that a further escalation
would threaten humanitarian assistance for the region's residents. She said some
270,000 people had been displaced by the fighting in Idlib since late April. Aid
agencies have been forced to suspend their work in some areas, she said, adding
that 22 hospitals and clinics had been hit by air strikes or shelling since
April 28. The United States has said that "indiscriminate attacks on civilians
and public infrastructure such as schools, markets, and hospitals is a reckless
escalation." The civilian death toll has mounted in and around Idlib in recent
days, reaching more than 270 over the past month, according to the Observatory.
In villages struck by regime raids, excavators dug new graves and civilians
buried the dead stealthily at dusk to avoid being targeted by more air raids.The
conflict in Syria has killed more than 370,000 people since it started in 2011.
Paris Says Has 'Indication' of Chemical Attack in Idlib
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le
Drian has said that the country had an "indication" that a chemical attack had
been carried out in Syria's northeastern Idlib province this month as alleged by
Washington last week. "We have an indication that chemical weapons were used in
the Idlib region, but for now it has not been verified," Le Drian told a
parliamentary commission on Tuesday. "We're being cautious because we consider
that chemical weapons use has to be proven and be lethal, in which case we can
react," he said. President Emmanuel Macron has made use of chemical weapons by
the Syrian regime a "red line" that would trigger a military reprisal against
Bashar al-Assad. The United States has also threatened reprisals if the
suspected Idlib attack is proven. International inspectors say that Assad's
forces have carried out a series of chemical attacks in the course of the brutal
civil war, which has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions
since 2011. A sarin gas attack in April 2017 in the town of Khan Sheikhoun
killed 83 people, according to the United Nations, leading US President Donald
Trump to order a strike by 59 cruise missiles on a Syrian air base. And France
joined Britain and the US in launching missile strikes on three suspected
chemical weapons sites in Syria in April 2018 after a suspected chemical attack
in Douma.
Erekat: China, Russia to Boycott Economic Workshop
Ramallah- Kifah ZbounAsharq /Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/The
Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) executive
committee, Saeb Erekat, said he had been informed by China and Russia that they
would skip the next month’s workshop in Bahrain end of this month. Erekat noted
in meetings with foreign delegations and through the social media websites that
the leadership held talks with more than 20 states and international
authorities. He was briefed by China's ambassador to Palestine who informed him
and other Palestinian officials about the boycott.
Earlier, member of the PLO Executive Committee Ahmed Majdalani arrived in South
Africa, carrying with him political messages. Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister
and Information Minister Nabil Abu Rudeina handed a letter from Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the
developments in the Palestinian cause and the steps to be taken by the
leadership to face the Deal of the Century. Abu Rudeina added that any partial
solutions wouldn’t bring peace and security because the Palestinian cause was
originally political. This message was conveyed by Erekat to ambassadors and
consuls, asking them not to respond to any invitations to participate in Manama.
The “Peace to Prosperity” economic workshop, to be held on June 25 and 26 in
Bahrain, was announced last week by senior White House officials, who said that
the Trump administration is planning to release the economic component of its
upcoming Middle East peace plan during that workshop.
Israel Tightens Gaza Fishing Curbs After New Fire Balloons
Jerusalem- Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/Israel announced Wednesday it
had tightened restrictions on Palestinian fishing off the blockaded Gaza Strip
after more balloons fitted with firebombs were floated from the enclave into its
territory. The zone it allows Gaza fishermen was reduced to a maximum of 10
nautical miles from 15, COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry unit that oversees
such regulations said. The move came just days after Israel restored the fishing
limit to the 15 nautical mile maximum after a previous cut in response to fire
balloons last week. Palestinians in Gaza have frequently floated balloons fitted
with firebombs over the border to damage Israeli property and have succeeded in
setting fire to large areas of farmland.Around 80 percent of Palestinians in
impoverished Gaza are reliant on international aid, according to the United
Nations. Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza have fought three wars since
Hamas assumed power over the enclave more than a decade ago.
Bolton: Ships sabotaged off UAE coast attacked ‘almost
certainly by Iran’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 29 May 2019/US National Security
Adviser John Bolton says the ships sabotaged off the UAE coast “were navel mines
almost certainly by Iran”.He said the tanker attacks were connected to the
strike on oil pumping stations on the Kingdom's East-West pipeline and a rocket
attack on the Green Zone in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.“We take all of this very
seriously,” he said. “These attacks were unfortunately consistent with the very
serious threat information that we had been obtaining. It is one reason we
increased our deterrent capability in the region.”In statements made on
Wednesday during his visit to the UAE, Bolton added that the US is very
confident that they, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia are all on the same page about
the priority and risk of an Iran with nuclear weapons. Bolton also revealed the
US’s concern about the Quds Force and Qassem Soleimani, whome he said is using
proxy Shiite militias as an indirect way to attack US forces in Iraq. “We will
hold the Quds force responsible if we see attacks,” Bolton said. Bolton had
arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday ahead of talks scheduled for
Wednesday. “We are consulting more closely with our allies in the region to
discuss what to do next this is one of the reasons I’m here,” Bolton said.
Tensions have risen between Iran and the United States after an attack this
month on oil tankers in the Gulf. Washington blamed the attacks on Tehran, which
denied the accusations. Bolton stated on Wednesday that the point is to make it
clear to Iran and it’s surrogates that these “kind of activities risk a very
strong response from the Americans”.
Rouhani Suggests Talks with US Possible if it Lifts
Sanctions
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/President Hassan Rouhani suggested on
Wednesday that talks with the United States may be possible if it lifted
sanctions against Iran. “Whenever they lift the unjust sanctions and fulfill
their commitments and return to the negotiations table, which they left
themselves, the door is not closed,” he told a cabinet meeting without
explicitly naming the US. “But our people judge you by your actions, not your
words,” he said according to state television. Rouhani's website also quoted him
as saying that if the US chooses "another way and returns to justice and law,
the Iranian nation will keep the road open to you." He made his comments days
after US President Donald Trump said a deal with Tehran on its nuclear program
was conceivable. Washington withdrew last year from a 2015 international nuclear
deal with Tehran, and is ratcheting up sanctions in efforts to shut down Iran’s
economy by ending its international sales of crude oil. Trump said on Monday: “I
really believe that Iran would like to make a deal, and I think that’s very
smart of them, and I think that’s a possibility to happen.” Iranian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Tuesday that Iran saw no prospect of
negotiations with the United States. Tensions have risen between Iran and the
United States since Washington deployed military resources including a carrier
strike group and bombers and announced plans to deploy 1,500 troops to the
Middle East, prompting fears of a conflict.
FireEye: Iran Used Fake Social Media Accounts to Mislead Americans during
Midterms
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/A network of fake social media accounts
impersonated political candidates and journalists to spread messages in support
of Iran and against US President Donald Trump around the 2018 congressional
elections, cybersecurity firm FireEye said on Tuesday. The findings show how
unidentified, possibly government-backed, groups could manipulate social media
platforms to promote stories and other content that can influence the opinions
of American voters, the researchers said, according to Reuters. The campaign was
organized through a series of fake personas that created various social media
accounts, including on Twitter and Facebook. Most of these accounts were created
last year and have since been taken down, the report said. Spokespersons for
Twitter and Facebook confirmed FireEye’s finding that the fake accounts were
created on their platforms. Lee Foster, a researcher with FireEye, said he found
some of the fake personas - often masquerading as American journalists - had
successfully convinced several US news outlets to publish letters to the editor,
guest columns and blog posts. “We’re assessing with low confidence that this
network was organized to support Iranian political interests,” said Foster.
Before the 2018 midterms election, the nameless group created Twitter accounts
that also impersonated both Republican and Democratic congressional candidates.
It is unclear if the fake accounts had any effect on their campaigns. The
imposter Twitter accounts often plagiarized messages from the politicians’
legitimate accounts, but also mixed in posts voicing support for policies
believed to be favorable to Tehran. Twitter said in a statement that it had
“removed this network of 2,800 inauthentic accounts originating in Iran at the
beginning of May,” adding that its investigation was ongoing. Facebook said it
had removed 51 Facebook accounts, 36 Pages, seven Groups and three Instagram
accounts connected to the influence operation. Instagram is owned by Facebook.
The activity on Facebook was less expansive than that on Twitter and it appeared
to be more narrowly focused, said Facebook head of cybersecurity policy
Nathaniel Gleicher. The inauthentic Facebook accounts instead often privately
messaged high profile figures, including journalists, policy-makers and Iranian
dissidents, to promote certain issues. Facebook also concluded the activity had
originated in Iran.
Travelers Stranded as Sudan Strike Enters Second Day
Khartoum- Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/Hundreds of travelers remained
stranded in the Sudanese capital Wednesday as bus terminal staff stopped work
for a second day in support of protesters demanding the ruling generals step
down. In a bid to step up the pressure on the military council which took power
after ousting longtime president Omar al-Bashir, the Alliance for Freedom and
Change protest movement called for a two-day general strike starting on Tuesday.
Thousands of employees of government offices, banks, private sector firms and
the docks of Port Sudan observed the strike on Tuesday, insisting that only
civilian rule can lift Sudan out of its political crisis. On Wednesday, the
capital's airport began to return to normal after scores of staff stopped work
on Tuesday. But the flights of Sudanese airlines Badr, Tarco, and Nova remained
suspended.
At the main bus terminal, stranded passengers were looking for private transport
to reach their destinations as bus company staff remained on strike. "This is
the second day I came to the bus terminal with my family and I am still unable
to travel," said Mohamed al-Amin, who was trying to reach the eastern state of
Kassala. "Now I'm trying to hire a car with some other passengers." Several
newspapers were unable to bring out their editions because their printers were
on strike. "My newspaper is not on strike but we were unable to print the
edition because the technicians were on strike," the owner of Al-Mjher
newspaper, Al-Hindi Ezzeddine, tweeted. Ahead of the two-day strike, protest
leaders had said medics, lawyers, prosecutors, and staff from the electricity,
water, public transport, telecommunications, and civil aviation sectors were set
to take part in the strike. The army ousted Bashir in April after months of
protests against his autocratic rule, including a sit-in by tens of thousands
outside Khartoum's military headquarters. But the generals, backed by key Arab
powers, have resisted calls from African and Western governments to step down.
Thousands of protesters remain camped outside army HQ. Before suspending talks
last week, the two sides had agreed on many aspects of the political transition,
including its duration and the bodies that will oversee it. But negotiations
broke down over the protesters demands that a planned new sovereign council to
replace the current generals have a civilian head and a civilian majority.
Iraq Hands over 188 Turkish Children of ISIS Members
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/Iraq has handed over 188 Turkish
children of suspected ISIS members to Turkey in the presence of government
officials from both countries and UNICEF, a judiciary spokesman said on
Wednesday.
The handover took place in Baghdad airport and representatives of the Iraqi
judiciary were present until the children got on the airplane that would take
them home, he said. A legal source told Reuters the transfers took place on
Wednesday. "The central investigations court which is responsible for the
terrorism file and foreign suspects has handed the Turkish side 188 children
left behind by ISIS terrorists in Iraq," said Judge Abdul-Sattar al-Birqdar, the
spokesman, in a statement. He added that the figure included a few who had "come
of age" and had been convicted of illegally crossing the border and served out
their sentences. An Iraqi foreign ministry official, a representative of the
Turkish embassy in Baghdad, and representatives of international organizations
including UNICEF were present, Birqdar said.
6 Belgo-Moroccans Elected to Belgium’s House of
Representatives
Rabat- Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/Six Belgians of Moroccan origin
were elected to the Belgian House of Representatives during the federal,
regional, and European elections held in Belgium on Sunday, Moroccan News Agency
(MAP) reported. The newly-elected deputies are: co-president of environmental
party Ecologist Francophone (Ecolo) Zakia Khattabi, president of the Socialist
Francophone Group in the lower chamber Ahmed Laaouej, president of
Flemish-Socialist Group of the same chamber (Spa) Meriam Kitir, member of
Belgian Labour Party (PTB) Nabil Boukili, and members of the Democratic
Christian Flemish Party (CD&V) Nahima Lanjri and Nawal Farih. Some 20 Belgo-Moroccan
deputies were elected to regional parliaments: 15 in the Parliament of Brussels,
three in the Parliament of the Wallonia, and three in the Flemish Parliament.
Left-wing Francophone and Green Parties nominated in Brussels the more commonly
known as “diversity” candidates, and to a lesser extent in Wallonia and on
average among the “Flemish Socialists” and “Democratic Christians” in the
northern Flemish region. The legislative and regional elections resulted in a
major victory for the far-right Vlaams-Belang party in the northern Flemish
region. In Brussels and Wallonia, the Socialist Francophone Party ranked first.
The Belgian monarch Philippe began consultations Sunday to form the government,
which appear to be difficult after the far-right victory, which gained 18 seats
in Sunday’s elections in the lower house after it had 3 seats in the previous
elections.
Egyptian Terrorist Hisham Ashmawy Transferred from LNA to Cairo
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/The Libyan National Army (LNA)
transferred to Cairo top Egyptian terrorist Hisahm al-Ashmawy, reported state
television on Wednesday. Ashmawy, a former Egyptian special forces officer, was
apprehended in the Libyan city of Derna late last year and has been long sought
by Cairo on charges of orchestrating a deadly desert ambush on police and other
high-profile attacks. At least two private Egyptian television channels showed
live footage of the military aircraft landing in Cairo airport and a presenter
climbed inside to film a blindfolded and ear-muffed Ashmawy. Another
unidentified detainee could also be seen handcuffed, blindfolded and ear-muffed.
Two intelligence sources told Reuters the man was Safwat Zeidan, Ashmawy’s
personal guard. In his first comments on the transfer, Egyptian President Abdul
Fattah al-Sisi said in a tweet: “The war on terrorism has not ended and will not
end before the right of every martyr is restored.”The transfer came following a
visit by Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel to Benghazi where he met with
LNA commander Khalifa Haftar. Ashmway had sought refuge in Derna to operate
against the Egyptian government after the ouster of former President Mohammed
Morsi in 2013. He attempted to form the so-called “Free Egyptian Army” that was
comprised of radicalized Egyptians. He encountered complications when Egyptian
terrorists from Syria and Iraq joined the group. Libyan and Egyptian sources
said that the group was dissolved some two years ago. Ashmawy then formed the
Ansar al-Islam network, which claimed responsibility for an ambush against
police in Egypt’s Western Desert in 2017. Egyptian officials also accuse the
network, which they link to al-Qaeda, of an assassination attempt on a former
Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim in 2013. Ashmawy has been convicted in
absentia to death in Egypt for attacks in Egypt, including a 2014 raid in which
22 Egyptian military border guards were killed near the frontier with Libya.
Egypt: Court Upholds Execution of 17, Life Sentence of 19 in Church Bombings
Cairo/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/A military court in Egypt rejected
Tuesday the appeals in the bombing of three churches. It upheld the death
sentences of 20 convicts, life sentence of 17, 15-year imprisonment for one and
10-year for another. They were convicted of killing up to 80 persons in three
terrorist bombings. The first targeted a church linked to the Coptic Orthodox
Cathedral in Cairo in Dec. 2016, and was followed by two consecutive blasts in
churches in Tanta and Alexandria in April 2017. The charges include establishing
two ISIS cells in Cairo and Qena. The indictment also included attacking
security forces in the Negev, killing police officers, possessing and
manufacturing ammunition and firearms, ISIS membership and receiving military
training at ISIS camps in Libya and Syria. The Alexandria military court issued
in Oct. 2018 verdicts giving 17 defendants death sentences and 19 life
sentences, nine received 15-year jail terms and one a 10-year rigorous
imprisonment sentence. ISIS increased its presence in Egypt five years ago after
pledging allegiance to the extremist Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, which carried out
terrorist operations mainly in north Sinai before launching other attacks in
Cairo and the rest of Egyptian provinces. Mahmoud Shafiq Mohammed Mustafa was
identified as the suicide bomber who targeted Cairo's historic Coptic St. Peter
church. On Dec.8, Amr Saad Abbas and Walid Abu al-Majd Abdullah came to him with
explosive vests. They resided with him, then on Dec 9-10 they monitored the
church and the next day he blew himself up, killing 29 people and wounding 45
others. Moreover, the Cairo Criminal Court decided to release Hamada el-Sayed, a
player at Aswan club in the case known in the media as Wilayat Sina' (Sinai
Province).
Yemen’s Government Urges Transparency in Operations of
Int’l Organizations
Riyadh - Abdulhadi Habtor/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/The Yemeni
government has said that 80 percent of international organizations have rejected
to heed its demands on revealing operational expenses and the size of aid
delivered to the country’s people.
The government warned the organizations that it could take legal measures
against them, depriving them of their ability to operate in Yemen. Minister of
Planning and International Cooperation Najib al-Auj said there have been
question marks on how funds made available by donor countries were being spent
in Yemen. Auj told Asharq Al-Awsat that some organizations were exaggerating in
expenditures into operational costs by reaching 25 percent, although the norm is
just five percent. The minister said that the Yemeni government has recently
brought up the issue with international organizations, the United Nations and
the World Bank. Yet only 20 percent heeded its request. “We are planning to take
legal measures against organizations who are ignoring our demands for data on
their operations in Yemen,” he said. Auj said that the Yemeni government will
also inform donor states about the issue. Among other measures that the
government could take are rejecting to renew the licenses of organizations that
are lacking transparency in their operations, the minister warned. He denied
that the government is interfering in the activities of international agencies,
saying: “We are grating them customs and tax exemptions, and facilitating their
work. So they should in return be transparent and cooperative.”“We don’t want to
interfere in their work or impose anything on them,” Auj said. “We just want
clear data so that we could announce to the Yemeni people about the assistance
provided to them by such organizations.”
Security Council Freezes Assets of 26 Tunisian Terrorists,
3 Organizations
Tunis - Mongi Saidani/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 29 May, 2019/ The UN Security
Council froze the assets of 26 Tunisians and three organizations involved in
terrorism cases. Those included in the council’s list are Ansar Al-Sharia, Uqba
ibn Nafi battalion, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,
and Jund al-Khilafah. The list also mentioned a group of dangerous terrorists:
Saif Allah Bin Hussein, founder of Ansar al-Sharia who is also accused of
several terrorist cases, including the political assassinations in Tunisia in
2013. It also included Mohammed al-Awadi, the military commander of Ansar al-Sharia.
Notably, this group has been prohibited in the country since 2013. The
court sentenced Awadi to 20 years in prison for his implication in terrorist
activities and planning for political assassinations. Tunisia’s National
Counter-Terrorism Commission President Mokhtar Ben Nasr has announced, since
November, the third batch of decisions on freezing funds and economic resources
against terrorists. Omar Hanin, assistant undersecretary of the republic at Ben
Arous, denied that the three suspects of the attack on Rades are related to the
extremist intellect as rumored by media. Meanwhile, judicial sources revealed on
Saturday that a quarrel erupted between a coffee shop owner and employees in
Rades, in addition to four individuals who were in a car. Things later calmed
down. After a period of time, they returned with a crowd holding sticks and
attacked the shop. The Tunisian Ministry of Interior confirmed that the attack
has no links to extremists.
Trump Says 'Case Closed' as Mueller
Says His Report Did Not Acquit Him
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 29/2019/Trump said Wednesday that "nothing
changes" after long-silent Special Counsel Robert Mueller voiced new remarks on
his probe into Russia's meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
“Nothing changes from the Mueller Report. There was insufficient evidence and
therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent. The case is closed! Thank you,”
Trump tweeted. Announcing his resignation earlier in the day, Mueller said that
charging Trump with a crime of obstruction was not an option because of Justice
Department policy not to indict a sitting president."Under longstanding
department policy, a president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he
is in office," Mueller said in his first public comments in two years. "That is
unconstitutional. "A Special Counsel's Office is part of the Department of
Justice, and by regulation, it was bound by that department policy," Mueller
said. "Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could
consider," the former FBI director said. "The Constitution requires a process
other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting President of
wrongdoing," Mueller added, in what appeared to be a suggestion that any further
action would lie with Congress. At the same time, Mueller reiterated that his
report into Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential obstruction
of justice did not exonerate the president. "It would be unfair to potentially
accuse somebody of a crime when there can be no court resolution of the actual
charge," he said. "Those were the principles under which we operated, and from
them we concluded that we would not reach a determination one way or the other
about whether the president committed a crime. "If we had had confidence that
the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so," Mueller
said. "We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did
commit a crime."Mueller also said that if he was called to testify before
Congress -- as some Democrats are demanding -- he would say no more than what is
already in report. "I hope and expect this to be the only time that I will speak
about this matter," he said. "I am making that decision myself -- no one has
told me whether I can or should testify or speak further about this matter."
Mueller ended by reiterating what he called "the central allegation of our
indictments -- that there were multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our
election." "That allegation deserves the attention of every American."Mueller
said that with the completion of the investigation he was resigning from the
Justice Department to return to private life.
US Special counsel Mueller says he’s leaving Justice
Department
The Associated Press, Washington/Wednesday, 29 May 2019/Special counsel Robert
Mueller says he’s leaving the Justice Department now that he’s concluded his
Russia investigation. Mueller made the announcement Wednesday in his first
public statement since his appointment two years ago.
Mueller has been on the Justice Department’s payroll since he formally concluded
his probe in March. Last month, Attorney General William Barr publicly released
a redacted version of his Russia report. It’s unclear what Mueller has been
doing at the Justice Department since, though the Democrat-led House Judiciary
Committee has been negotiating with his office in an attempt to secure his
public testimony before Congress. So far, no deal has been made. Mueller’s
report revealed that President Donald Trump tried to seize control of the Russia
probe and force Mueller’s removal to stop him from investigating potential
obstruction of justice by the Republican president. Trump has called the
investigation a “witch hunt.”
Statement to mark International Day of United Nations
Peacekeepers
May 29, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable
Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Ralph Goodale,
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and the Honourable Maryam
Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender
Equality, today issued the following statement:
“On this International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, Canada salutes the
vital work done by all peacekeepers—women and men—to end conflict, restore
stability and protect millions of vulnerable people.
“We are proud of the many Canadian military personnel, police officers and
civilians who have supported, and who are currently supporting, United Nations
peace operations missions all over the world, and we offer our sincere thanks to
their families. We also honour the memory of all those who made the ultimate
sacrifice in the service of peace.
“As the world faces a growing number of threats, Canada is determined to support
international efforts to reform United Nations peacekeeping to meet these
challenges, as evidenced by our role in the Vancouver Principles, which aim to
end the use of child soldiers, and the Elsie Initiative, which seeks to increase
the meaningful participation of women in peace operations.
“Canada has always supported the United Nations and continues to firmly believe
that United Nations peacekeeping missions are an important tool for maintaining
international peace and security.”
Canada opposition head wants to stop ‘illegal border
crossings’ from US
AFP, Montreal/Wednesday, 29 May 2019/Canada’s Conservative Party
chief and opposition leader Andrew Scheer said Tuesday he wants to end illegal
border crossings from the United States by revisiting the two countries’ refugee
agreement. Scheer outlined his proposal for migration policy should his party
defeat Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in the October general election.
“We will work to put an end to the illegal border crossings at unofficial points
of entry like Roxham Road by closing the loophole in the Safe Third Country
Agreement that allows some people to skip the line and avoid the queue,” he
said. Under the 2004 accord, anyone applying for asylum in either the US or
Canada must file their application in whichever country they enter first. To
avoid that rule and guarantee their asylum application will be considered in
Canada, thousands of migrants have passed into the country through unofficial
border crossings, such as at Roxham Road, an area on the border between New York
and Quebec. About 55,000 people crossed the border into Canada from the US to
seek asylum in 2018, according to the government.
Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published
on May 29-30/19
The Palestinian War on the Trump Peace Plan
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/May 29/2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14298/palestinians-vs-trump-peace-plan
In the past few days, the Gaza-based groups have issued several statements
hinting that they would use all means, including terrorism, to foil the US peace
plan.
What is perhaps most worrying for the Arab leaders are the threats coming from
Iran's puppets -- Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah. It now remains to be seen
whether the Arab heads of state will be deterred by these threats or ignore them
at the risk of becoming the Palestinians' terror targets.
Clearly, the very Palestinians who are boycotting a conference -- whose aim is
to help them move beyond their leadership-imposed economic devastation -- will
wind up the big losers in this spiteful scenario of hate. This time, however, it
also seems that the Palestinians will not only deprive themselves of billions of
dollars, but will also damage -- perhaps irrevocably -- their relations with
influential Arab countries. By all accounts, the Palestinians appear to be
heading toward another "nakba" (catastrophe).
The Palestinian Authority and its political allies in the West Bank have
launched a diplomatic and media campaign to rally worldwide support for their
rejection of US President Donald Trump's upcoming plan for peace in the Middle
East, also known as the "Deal of the Century."
The Palestinians seem to be moving on two fronts to thwart US President Donald
Trump's plan for peace in the Middle East, also known as the "Deal of the
Century."
The Palestinian Authority and its political allies in the West Bank have
launched a diplomatic and media campaign to rally worldwide support for their
rejection of Trump's upcoming plan. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian
extremist groups, for their part, are already hinting that they will resort to
violence in an effort to thwart the "Deal of the Century."
Last week, Hamas called on Bahrain not to allow the "Zionist enemy to defile its
lands" by attending the economic conference.
Recently, the Palestinians intensified their attacks on the upcoming peace plan,
particularly after the US administration announced that it will unveil the
economic portions of the "Deal of the Century" at an economic workshop in
Bahrain in late June. The Palestinians have voiced strong opposition to the
workshop and said they will boycott it, despite its goal of improving the living
conditions of the residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In a rare show of unity, President Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah faction and its
rivals in Hamas and Islamic Jihad are saying that the Palestinians will not only
boycott the Bahrain conference, but that all the countries invited should also
reject the invitation to attend the workshop.
The Palestinians are particularly focusing their effort on trying to persuade
the Arab states to boycott the Bahrain workshop. They are terrified that the
Arab countries will surrender to US pressure and attend the conference, thus, as
they see it, abandoning their Palestinian brothers and leaving them isolated in
the international arena.
In addition to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have announced
that they will send delegates to the US-led economic workshop. Jordan, Egypt,
and Qatar are also expected to participate in the conference, notwithstanding
fierce Palestinian opposition.
Abbas last week visited Qatar and Jordan in a bid to persuade the two countries
to join the Palestinian boycott of the Bahrain workshop. The most Abbas managed
to get from Qatar and Jordan were the usual laconic statements of support for
the Palestinian cause and rights. His hope that Qatar and Jordan would publicly
endorse the Palestinian boycott has failed to materialize.
Even Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the country hosting the conference, have made
similar statements expressing full political support for the Palestinians, while
ignoring their call for boycotting the economic workshop. The Arabs have always
excelled in paying lip-service to the Palestinians, at the same time offering
them precious little in real support.
Echoing fears of being abandoned by their Arab brethren, Palestinian officials
are now publicly appealing to the Arab states to boycott the Bahrain economic
workshop. They have even gone as far as warning that participation in the
workshop would be considered an act of treason against Palestinians and Arabs.
Several Palestinian factions, including Fatah, have made it clear that any Arab
who attends the economic conference will be denounced as a traitor.
The Palestinians, in other words, are directly threatening the Arab heads of
state that they would be labelled traitors for "colluding" with US President
Donald Trump's administration and Israel to liquidate the Palestinian cause and
national rights. This unprecedented threat is an indication of the Palestinians'
growing predicament and sense of isolation as the Arab states appear to be
turning their back on them.
Moreover, the threat is a sign of mounting tensions between the Palestinian
leadership and Arab heads of state, who are apparently fed up with Palestinian
intransigence and refusal to adjust to the new reality in the Middle East,
particularly Iran's continued meddling in the internal affairs of Arab
countries.
PLO leaders who met in the West Bank city of Ramallah this week called on the
Arabs to heed the Palestinian call for boycotting the Bahrain workshop. "The PLO
Executive Committee calls on all the Arab countries that agreed to attend the
conference to reconsider their decision," the PLO leaders said in a statement.
They also warned that no Arab country was authorized to speak or negotiate on
behalf of the Palestinians at the conference of any other international forum.
PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat also called on Arab states that have committed
to attend the Bahrain conference to revisit their plans. "We call on the
countries that have agreed to attend the Bahrain workshop to reevaluate their
decision," he said.
Praising several Palestinian businessmen who announced that they turned down
invitations from the US to attend the conference, Abbas's Fatah said it will not
hesitate to "expose" anyone who dares to violate the Palestinian boycott or
thinks of "conspiring" against the Palestinian cause. "Our patience won't last
for long as we follow attempts by some suspicious people to open channels with
the US administration," Fatah cautioned.
In the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, representatives of the private sector said that
mere participation in the Bahrain conference was a "betrayal of the blood of
Palestinian martyrs, the suffering of the prisoners and the pain of the wounded.
The Palestinian cause is not for sale."
In light of these threats, it is hard to see how any Palestinian businessman
living under the rule of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in
the Gaza Strip would dare to take the dangerous step of participating in a
US-led conference that is being denounced by Palestinian leaders as a
"conspiracy" to eliminate the Palestinian cause and rights.
The Palestinian threats, however, are directed not only towards Palestinian
businessmen, but also against entire Arab states and their leaders. For now, it
seems that the Arabs are unfazed by these Palestinian threats.
Yet while Abbas and his officials have resorted to political pressure to
persuade the Arabs to boycott the conference, other Palestinian groups,
including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, seem to be preparing for a violent response
to Trump's "Deal of the Century." In the past few days, the Gaza-based groups
have issued several statements hinting that they would use all means, including
terrorism, to foil the US peace plan.
Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhalah said last week that the
Palestinian "resistance has enough power cards that would enable it to thwart
the Deal of the Century." Although he did not provide details about the "power
cards," al-Nakhalah was apparently referring to the possibility that his
Iran-backed Islamic Jihad would resort to violence.
Islamic Jihad and Hamas say they are now cooperating with Hezbollah, Iran's
proxy terrorist group in Lebanon, to foil the Bahrain conference and Trump's
"Deal of the Century." Last week, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah expressed
strong opposition to the "Deal of the Century," and drew praise from Hamas,
Islamic Jihad and even the Palestinian Authority.
This is the message that the Palestinians are sending to the Arab world: "Either
boycott the US administration, or we will incite the Arabs and Muslims against
you." What is perhaps most worrying for the Arab leaders are the threats coming
from Iran's puppets -- Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah. It now remains to be
seen whether the Arab heads of state will be deterred by these threats or ignore
them at the risk of becoming the Palestinians' terror targets.
Clearly, the very Palestinians who are boycotting a conference -- whose aim is
to help them move beyond their leadership-imposed economic devastation -- will
wind up the big losers in this spiteful scenario of hate. This time, however, it
also seems that the Palestinians will not only deprive themselves of billions of
dollars, but will also damage -- perhaps irrevocably -- their relations with
influential Arab countries. By all accounts, the Palestinians appear to be
heading toward another "nakba" (catastrophe).
*Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem, is a
Shillman Journalism Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
Turning the Tables on "Global Zero"
Peter Huessy and David A. Deptula/Gatestone Institute/May 29/2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14268/global-zero-nuclear-modernization
As it turns out, the modernization of America's nuclear deterrent would require,
at most, only around 3% of the annual defense budget.
"International arms control relies on adherence to reciprocal obligations and
nations should not be required to subject themselves to unilateral observance of
them. Arms control more generally is undermined by violations going
unchallenged." — Forces Network, UK, April 4, 2019.
"Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping continue to expand and modernize their nuclear
arsenals. Future arms-control agreements must take into account both the Russian
and Chinese threats, while ensuring we don't place one-sided nuclear
restrictions on ourselves." — Senator Tom Cotton; May 13, 2019.
"We must... realize that America will not be able to achieve the necessary
changes to New START unless it is negotiating from a position of strength. That
means Congress must invest in the modernization of our nuclear triad and the
additional low-yield capabilities called for in the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review.
These investments are critical to America's ability to rein in China and
Russia." — Representative Liz Cheney; May 13, 2019.
The modernization, build-up and deployment of American nuclear weapons during
the Reagan administration was what gave the U.S. leverage over the Soviet Union,
which led to the U.S.S.R. giving up its multiple thousands of SS-20 missiles in
Europe and Asia -- in the 1987 INF Treaty -- and subsequently cutting half of
Russia's strategic long-range missile warheads.
Two narratives that provided justification for cutting America's defense budget
in the 1970s and 1990s -- détente and the "end of history" -- had a key
component in common: Both were based on the assumption that existential
national-security threats to the United States were either exaggerated or a
thing of the past. In each narrative, this assumption proved to be false.
Détente favored the Soviet Union so markedly in terms of its "correlation of
forces" -- the balance of conventional and nuclear power -- that victory over
the U.S. was in sight. Détente also fueled U.S.S.R. expansionism. More than 20
countries were subjected to Soviet aggression, coups, revolutions or wars of
national liberation.
The "end of history" narrative was largely responsible for America's massive
lack of American awareness of the looming threat of Islamist radicalism that led
to the 9/11/2001 attacks, the seeds of which were taking root throughout the
previous decade, after the fall of the Soviet Union.
It was during that 10-year period, after the end of the Cold War, that there was
a near collapse of funding for America's nuclear-deterrence, in spite of the
rise of nuclear-armed countries, such as Pakistan and India, as well as North
Korea's and Iran's search for nuclear weapons.
Then, in 2000, Russia effectively killed the START II treaty by insisting that
the U.S. keep its missile-defense work in the laboratory, and not build an
actual missile-defense system in Alaska to defend against North Korea.
Since December 2010, subsequent administrations in Washington have supported the
modernization of America's nuclear deterrent -- with each leg of the nuclear
Triad scheduled for replacement beginning in 2027, nearly the end of the next
decade. Nevertheless, a small but influential community is pushing for
unilateral reductions in American nuclear forces and curtailment of much of the
deterrent modernization.
This community, the "global zero" alliance -- made up of some academics,
journalists, actors and politicians -- espouses four radical ideas:
Current nuclear modernization plans are prohibitively expensive;
Conventional, not nuclear, weapons should be used by the U.S., even in response
to a nuclear attack;
Arms control is the only serious method of reducing nuclear dangers; and
Congress should punish the Trump administration, which is hostile to
arms-control, by withholding support for nuclear modernization.
Unfortunately, each of these ideas is wrong.
Regarding the first idea: While proponents of "global zero" claim that
modernizing deterrence will cost $1.2 trillion over the next three decades, it
will actually cost less than one-third of that number. The bulk of future
nuclear expenditures will go to sustaining old nuclear systems -- such as the
B-52 bomber, the Minuteman land-based missile and the Ohio-class submarine and
associated warheads -- which are now approaching 40-70 years in service. As it
turns out, modernization would require, at most, only around 3% of the annual
defense budget, amounting to an average of $10.6 billion to be spent over the
next five years. As for the second idea: Claims by proponents of massive U.S.
defense cuts that nuclear weapons should never be employed is also unrealistic.
According to former USAF General and nuclear commander Kevin Chilton, for
example, the United States would not be able not deter a nuclear-armed adversary
using conventional weapons alone: attempting to do so would "incentivize"
enemies' first use of nuclear weapons against America.
Where the third idea is concerned: Contrary to the assertion that arms control
reduces nuclear dangers, the opposite is the case. The modernization, build-up
and deployment of American nuclear weapons during the Reagan administration was
what gave the U.S. leverage over the Soviet Union, which led to the U.S.S.R.
giving up its multiple thousands of SS-20 missiles in Europe and Asia -- in the
1987 INF Treaty -- and subsequently cutting half of Russia's strategic
long-range missile warheads.
As for the fourth idea: Although the Trump administration is often blamed for
the end of the INF treaty, Russia has been violating it for years, and
successive U.S. administrations have tried to rectify the problem, to no avail.
As a recent British study concludes, "International arms control relies on
adherence to reciprocal obligations and nations should not be required to
subject themselves to unilateral observance of them. Arms control more generally
is undermined by violations going unchallenged."
Today, the Trump administration is declaring that the 2010 New Start treaty,
which expires in 2021, can be extended, but on condition that Russian nuclear
systems be included and that China – which, as nuclear analyst Debalina Ghoshal
writes, "is working unrelentingly to make up for its quantitative disadvantage
in its nuclear arms race against the U.S. by competing qualitatively" -- join
the treaty.
Trump's critics have derided even these utterly reasonable goals, dismissing
them as "poison pill" strategies and a cover for opposing arms control in
principle. Yet, as Dr. Michael Pillsbury details in his book, The 100-Year
Marathon, while Russia under Putin seeks to restore the hegemonic power of the
former Soviet Union over Eurasia, China seeks to supplant the United States as
the world's premier economic and military power.
The good news is that supporters of Reagan's "peace through strength" doctrine
are turning the tables on the "global zero" community. Senator John Cornyn
(R-Texas), Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) have
introduced legislation stipulating that no money for the extension of New Start
will be approved by Congress unless and until the "New START or successor
agreement includes the People's Republic of China and covers all strategic and
non-strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Federation."
In a statement released on May 13, Cotton said:
"Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping continue to expand and modernize their nuclear
arsenals. Future arms-control agreements must take into account both the Russian
and Chinese threats, while ensuring we don't place one-sided nuclear
restrictions on ourselves."
Cornyn added: "As we negotiate future arms-control agreements, we should take
the current threat landscape into account. This legislation would ensure we can
protect our country's national security interests as both China and Russia
continue to make strategic expansions of their nuclear arsenals."
Cheney explained: "America deserves better than a mere New START extension. Any
meaningful arms control treaty must reflect reality as it is, rather than the
hopes and dreams of negotiators. In the decade since President Obama's New START
Treaty was ratified, the world has grown more dangerous and complex. The New
START Treaty does little to advance America's national security. Since agreeing
to this treaty, Russia has modernized its nuclear arsenal, and an unrestricted
China has taken advantage of the opportunity to do the same and more. The
changes laid out in the New START Treaty Improvement Act address Russia's
nuclear expansion and the threat emanating from China. We must also realize that
America will not be able to achieve the necessary changes to New START unless it
is negotiating from a position of strength. That means Congress must invest in
the modernization of our nuclear triad and the additional low-yield capabilities
called for in the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review. These investments are critical to
America's ability to rein in China and Russia."
*Dr. Peter Huessy is President of GeoStrategic Analysis, a defense consulting
firm he founded in 1981, as well as Director of Strategic Deterrent Studies at
the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. He was also for 20 years, the
senior defense consultant at the National Defense University Foundation.
*Lt. Gen David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.), serves as the Dean of the Mitchell
Institute for Aerospace Studies. He is a world-recognized leader and pioneer in
conceptualizing, planning, and executing national security operations from
humanitarian relief to major combat. He was the principal attack planner for the
Operation Desert Storm air campaign; commander of no-fly-zone operations over
Iraq in the late 1990s, and director of the air campaign over Afghanistan in
2001.
© 2019 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.
Lawmakers Show US Appetite for Confrontation
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 29/2019
Some believe that the Americans no longer have an appetite for confrontation;
but this is not what we feel in Washington, whether in the legislative and
executive branches, or in civil and military institutions.
Uncharacteristically, it is the Congress that is asking for more, as 400 members
signed a bipartisan letter last week urging President Donald Trump to increase
US engagement in the Syrian crisis. The lawmakers’ message to the president
reflects their concern about the war there, despite eight years of conflict, and
the failure of attempts to change the regime in Damascus.
The signatories say that the conflict in Syria is complex, potential solutions
are not perfect, and there is no choice but to develop policies that would stop
the growing threats to US interests, which is a strategy that requires US
leadership.
Syria, which neither boasts abundant oil nor possesses strategic weapons, is
today the scene of multiple conflicts, both regional and international. The
goals of Washington, as identified by the lawmakers, are: Eliminating terrorist
organizations, stopping Iran’s infiltration into Syria and its destabilizing
activities in the region, boosting Israel’s superiority, protecting US allies,
and weakening the Russian military role there.
In their letter, the lawmakers call on the US to play a key role in the Syrian
conflict, which goes against the former desire of the president to withdraw
troops and reduce the US role.
The letter says: “Dear Mr. President: At a time of grave insecurity in the
Middle East, we are deeply concerned about the role that terrorist and extremist
groups, as well as US adversaries, continue to play, particularly, in Syria.
As some of our closest allies in the region are being threatened, American
leadership and support are as crucial as ever”.
It adds “Pockets of ungoverned space have allowed terrorist groups, such as (Daesh),
Al-Qaeda, and their affiliates, to keep parts of Syria in their stranglehold.
These groups’ ability to recruit, propagandize, and grow is alarming. Though
their main purpose now may be to fight inside Syria, they retain the ability and
will to plan and implement attacks against Western targets, our allies and
partners, and the US homeland. The United States has an interest in preventing
these terrorist organizations from solidifying their foothold in the Middle
East.”
The letter goes on, stressing that: “The region has also been destabilized by
the Iranian regime’s threatening behavior. In Syria, Iran is working to
establish a permanent military presence that can threaten our allies.”
Furthermore, the lawmakers who signed the letter believe that Russia is working
to secure a permanent presence in Syria, outside its existing naval facility in
Tartus, and that it has changed the perimeters of the civil war to ensure the
survival of the Assad regime. The signatories doubt Russia’s intentions and
accuse it of complementing Iran’s role.
In addition to Hezbollah’s role in the massacres committed in Syria, the US
lawmakers see that the group “now poses a more potent threat to Israel as well.”
They believe that Hezbollah is playing the role of an advanced military
battalion serving the interests of the Iranians by putting pressure on Israel
and obtaining the concessions demanded by Tehran.
The demands of the lawmakers seem more belligerent than those of the White House
and the State Department. This is reflected in their letter, in which they
called on Trump to implement a strategy that includes the following elements:
• Increase the pressure on Iran and Russia in Syria in order to restrict their
destabilizing activities.
• Emphasize the old US policy of supporting Israel’s capability and qualitative
military superiority in the context of the current 10-year Memorandum of
Understanding.
• Continue economic and diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from supporting
Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, as well as standing up to Russia’s support
for Bashar Assad’s brutal regime. They also “encourage full implementation of
sanctions authorized in the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions
Act.”
• Increase the pressure on Hezbollah by forcefully and fully implementing the
Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015, the Hezbollah
International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 2018, and other sanctions
aimed at Hezbollah and those who fund it. In addition, they called on the
president to continue to push the UN Interim Force in Lebanon to carry out its
UN Security Council mandate, including investigating and reporting the presence
of arms and tunnels on Israel’s border.
The importance of this letter lies in its timing. It also shows that a large
group of politicians and lawmakers support confrontation and are willing to give
Trump a significant margin of movement in the region; unlike what some Arab
political analysts believe on the US desire to withdraw.
It is true that the letter from the Congress members does not call for
confronting Iran militarily in the current crisis, but it clearly urges more
work in Syria, the arena of the current confrontation between the two sides.
On the Sidelines of the European Elections
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 29/2019
It is easy to enumerate the messages and blows of the European elections: The
populist right, especially in Italy, France and Britain, made remarkable
progress, but did not achieve what it wanted. The alarm became louder, but the
conditions to avoid the tragedy are still available, even though they required
activation and capable leaders. This confirms that moderate parties and the
traditional right and left are heading towards decline, while the European Union
is more than ever required to reinvent itself in a less bureaucratic, more
attractive way.
Cooperation between supporters of Europe in the new parliament has become a
compelling issue. Repelling populist influence is a top priority, but social
responsiveness remains the necessary condition to counter that influence. This
priority trivializes the Franco-German dispute on the European commission
president. The high turnout, even if the populist rise was one of its
causes, emphasized that democracy was still working and that Europe was still a
key matter in the Europeans’ lives.
For the green parties, the European elections confirmed that cross-border
issues, which cannot be dealt with nationally, occupy a prominent position in
consciousness and behavior. When the young generation is the main supporter of
the Greens, this indicates a promising future. Here lies one of the foundations
upon which to build a force against the nationalists. But it is fine to go back
a little to what we might call the populist deception strategy. Three years ago,
Brexit looked fertile like cats in the winter: it was the only alternative to
Europe. For France, there will be a “Frexit”, and for Italy an “Italexit”, for
Deutschland, a “Dexit”, and for the Netherlands, a “Nexit”… These are not kids’
game names. These are ways of breaking Europe and making proposals that have the
hearts of millions: Europeans, who do not want to be Europeans, who are driven
by globalization, besieged by neoliberalism and terrorized by migration.
But the selfishness of the political elites has isolated them from elites and
from politics. Their suffering was in large part true, but it was uttered by a
false tongue. Their populist leaders told them that they were against the
corruption of the elite. This is a lie. The most recent and most serious
incident was that of a populist leader: Heinz Christian-Starche of the Austrian
Fascist Freedom Party.
Populist leaders also told their supporters they were nationalist and sovereign.
This is also a lie. Besides Strache, who is involved with the Russians, Marine
Le Pen received two loans from Russian banks worth 11 million euros in support
of her electoral campaign.
Investigations are ongoing into the possible Russian involvement with the
electoral campaign of Britain’s Nigel Farage, during the referendum. On the
other hand, the Hungarian leader, Viktor Orban, is now described as “the man of
Donald Trump” in Europe.
But the lie of all lies had the shortest life: Brexit itself - the fertile cat -
went floundering in its own blood. The resignation of Theresa May, after failed
rescue attempts, highlighted the dilemma. Whoever succeeds her as prime
minister, will inherit her struggle.
If she is replaced by Boris Johnson, dire consequences will follow, notably: the
“business”, which uses Britain as a route to European markets for both exports
and imports, will be affected; many job opportunities will be eroded;
investments will be directed to other countries; the sterling will weaken and
inflation will rise, reducing the standard of living.
The plight of Brexit represented the clash of ideology with reality: those who
imagined that they knew the whole truth away from experimentation and
comparison, later found their reality shamefully attacked by their ideas. They
thought that the ideology of Brexit would open for them the door to the future,
in the name of a legendary English past. But they realized that both the present
and the future were now shut. Britain’s populist supporters preferred to be
cured by the disease itself. This is why they voted for the Brexit party. But
those who wanted to import "treatment" from London were hurt. Their strategy
changed: they were hosted in Milan by the captain and Italian Interior Minister
Matteo Salvini, who celebrated their plan to change Europe from within and to
make the continent both "authentic" and "new". They sought to become the
third powerful bloc through the European parliament elections, knowing that they
disagree on many issues that prevent them from becoming a bloc: Russia, the
quotas of immigrants and refugees, the economic policies and other… However,
Europe and its values, which should be strengthened, are what they seek to
weaken. What is more dangerous is undermining the role of federal institutions,
with imperial tendencies to maximize the strength of Trump’s America, Putin’s
Russia and Xi Jinping’s China. The scandals of Strache, Le Pen, Farage and
others did not weaken their resolve and did not make them change their minds.
Europe’s glory shall not be offered to such people.
Three historic summits in Mecca amidst rising tensions with
Iran
Prince Turki al-Faisal//Al Arabiya/May 29/2019
Amid rising regional tensions, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud invited Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) and League of Arab States (LAS) leaders for emergency
summits in the holy city of Mecca on May 30, to discuss recent “aggressions and
their consequences.”
Inasmuch as the Kingdom’s policies were first established by King Abdulaziz bin
Abdul Rahman—to coordinate strategies and courses of action with Arab and Muslim
allies before confronting challenges that threaten common concerns—the Custodian
of the Two Holy Mosques revealed how Riyadh intended to address the latest
Iranian attacks on Arab interests. He spoke with determination and emulated the
founder’s paradigm both to ascertain Riyadh’s will-to-power as well as defy
potential foes.
Moreover, rather than embark on half-measures, the monarch wishes to consult
with his partners as to the best approaches to enhance regional security and
stability, in the aftermath of raids against oil installations inside the
Kingdom and commercial ships off the coast of the UAE.
These offensives—including drone strikes by Yemeni Houthi rebels on a Saudi oil
pipeline and the synchronized sabotage of four ships off the coast of the UAE
—would have required sophisticated preparations necessitating innate military
capabilities. Notwithstanding Iran’s denials of responsibility, the assaults
demonstrated Tehran’s recklessness, since it was eminently conscious that any
strike on oil facilities would trigger universal condemnation and, as necessary,
coordinated reactions.
In the past, Iran has threatened to block shipping in the Straits of Hormuz,
though fear of a global military clash prevented it from carrying out such
ill-placed acts of daring. Still, few doubt that the attacks on Saudi oil
installations were Iran’s reactions to the last American-imposed economic
sanctions on Tehran, which strangulated the regime and pushed it to take
irresponsible steps.
Such moves threaten to drag the region into a new war. As calls for combat
gather momentum, King Salman’s offers to discuss sorely needed initiatives to
address Iranian interferences in the affairs of the Arab world stand as the
ultimate attempt to avoid catastrophe. Consequently, we can assume that the
summits will witness frank discussions among allies, precisely to respond in a
coordinated fashion to these interferences. The monarch’s approach stands out
for its location too, as there is no better place on earth to hold such
discussions than in the holy city of Mecca, just a few days before Eid al-Fitr
2019 dawns on the Muslim world.
Of course, while summit leaders are likely to discuss how best to avoid a war,
King Salman is equally determined to defend Saudi and Arab interests amid
increasing tensions between the US and Iran. In fact, while US President Donald
Trump repeated that he was not looking to start a war with Tehran, and while
Iranian leaders also dismissed the possibility of war, Riyadh reaffirmed its
readiness to defend itself and its interests with all force and determination if
Tehran chose warfare.
As the May 30 GCC and LAS gatherings will be followed on May 31 by the 14th
Ordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) under the
theme “Mecca al-Mukarramah Summit: Hand in Hand toward the Future,” it is
reasonable to anticipate what might be agreed upon in the 57-nation body. The
expected “Mecca Declaration,” along with the Final Communiqué of the OIC, will
likely address many current issues that preoccupy the Muslim world.
These include the latest developments in Palestine, the plight of the Rohingya
refugee crisis in Myanmar, the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia across the
globe, the need to counter terrorism and violent extremism, and a slew of other
political, economic, cultural, and social concerns.
Yet what must stand above most of these matters are the questions of security
and stability, along with the need to develop unified stances on ongoing
developments that affect the Arab and Muslim worlds.
It may thus be fair to surmise that King Salman’s May 30 conclaves aim to find
practical solutions to ongoing dilemmas and, towards that end, aspire to resolve
critical differences with Gulf, Arab, and Muslim interlocutors. Such summits
present golden opportunities to close ranks, coordinate efforts, and preserve
the welfare of our nation as we all prepare to celebrate the end of Ramadan.
*Prince Turki al-Faisal is one of the founders of the King Faisal Foundation and
serves as chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.
Prince Turki has served as ambassador to the United States from July 2005 until
11 December 2006 and as ambassador to the Court of St. James’s.
Islam’s Greatest Victory: The Fall of Constantinople, May
29, 1453
Raymond Ibrahim/May 29/2019
Today in history, on May 29, 1453, the sword of Islam conquered Constantinople.
Of all of Islam’s conquests of Christian territory, this was by far the most
symbolically significant. For not only was Constantinople a living and direct
extension of the old Roman Empire and current capital of the Christian Roman
Empire (or Byzantium), but its cyclopean walls had prevented Islam from entering
Europe through its eastern doorway for the previous seven centuries, beginning
with the First Arab Siege of Constantinople (674-678).
When Muslim forces failed again in the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople
(717-718), conquering the ancient Christian capital became something of an
obsession for a succession of caliphates and sultanates. However, it was only
with the rise of the Ottoman sultanate—so named after its eponymous Turkic
founder, Osman (b.1258)—that conquering the city, which was arguably better
fortified than any other in the world, became a possibility, not least in thanks
to the concomitant spread of gunpowder and cannons from China to Eurasia. By
1400, his descendants had managed to invade and conquer a significant portion of
the southern Balkans—thereby isolating and essentially turning Constantinople
into a Christian island in an Islamic sea.
Enter Sultan Mehmet, or Muhammad II (r. 1451-1481)—“the mortal enemy of the
Christians,” to quote a contemporary prelate. (Note: “Mehmet” is simply an
English transliteration of the Turkish pronunciation of “Muhammad.”) On becoming
sultan in 1451, Constantinople sent a diplomatic embassy to congratulate him;
the 19-year-old responded by telling them what they sought to hear. He “swore by
the god of their false prophet, by the prophet whose name he bore,” a bitter
Christian contemporary retrospectively wrote, that “he was their friend, and
would remain for the whole of his life a friend and ally of the City and its
ruler Constantine [XI].” Although they believed him, Muhammad was taking
advantage of “the basest arts of dissimulation and deceit,” wrote Edward Gibbon.
“Peace was on his lips while war was in his heart.”
What was in his heart soon became apparent. Throughout the spring of 1453 the
city watched helplessly as Ottoman battalion after battalion made its way to and
surrounded Constantinople by land and sea. One contemporary remarked that
Muhammad’s “army seemed as numberless as grains of sand, spread . . . across the
land from shore to shore.” In the end, some one hundred thousand fighters and
one hundred warships came.
Sultan Muhammad II
Few Western Europeans came to Constantinople’s aid. In the end, less than seven
thousand fighters, two thousand of whom were foreigners, made ready to protect
fifteen miles of walls, while only twenty-six Christian ships patrolled the
harbor.
Muhammad commenced bombardment on April 6. Although he tried to go over,
through, and under the walls, he made little headway. Some six weeks after he
had started bombarding Constantinople, he was no nearer his goal. At his wit’s
end, the sultan held council with his senior officers. Although there was some
discussion of withdrawing, in the end, Muhammad decided on vomiting forth every
last man he had against the walls in one last-ditch effort.
But first he would need to inflame his men.
So he assembled and exhorted them: “As it happens in all battles, some of you
will die, as it is decreed by fate for each man,” he began. “Recall the promises
of our Prophet concerning fallen warriors in the Koran: the man who dies in
combat shall be transported bodily to Paradise and shall dine with Mohammed in
the presence of women, handsome boys, and virgins.”
Even so, Sultan Muhammad knew that rewards in the now were always preferable to
promises in the hereafter. As Sheikh Akshemsettin had earlier told him, “You
well know, that most of the soldiers [particularly the dreaded Janissaries] have
in any case been converted [to Islam] by force. The number of those who are
ready to sacrifice their lives for the love of Allah is extremely small. On the
other hand, if they glimpse the possibility of winning booty they will run
towards certain death.”
So the “Sultan swore … that his warriors would be granted the right to sack
everything, to take everyone, male or female, and all property or treasure which
was in the city; and that under no circumstances would he break his oath,” wrote
a Catholic prelate who was present. “He asked nothing for himself, except the
buildings and walls of the city; all the rest, the booty and the captives, would
be theirs.”
Any Muslim still uninspired by the boons of the here or hereafter was left with
a final thought: “[I]f I see any man lurking in the tents and not fighting at
the wall,” warned the sultan, “he will not be able to escape a lingering death,”
a reference to Muhammad’s favorite form of punishment, impalement (which Vlad
the Impaler—“Dracula”—was introduced to while his hostage/guest). Muhammad’s
“announcement was received with great joy,” and from thousands of throats came
waves of thundering cries of “Allahu Akbar!” and “There is no god but Allah and
Muhammad is his prophet!”
“Oh! If you had heard their voices raised to heaven,” wondered a Christian
behind the wall, “you would have been struck dumb with amazement… We … were
amazed at such religious fervor, and begged God with copious tears to be well
disposed towards us.” All this “most terrible shouting,” echoed another
eyewitness, “was heard as far as the coast of Anatolia twelve miles away, and we
Christians were very fearful.”
The all-out assault was set for May 29. Atonement, ablutions, prayers, and
fasting, “under penalty of death,” were ordered for the Ottoman camp the
previous day. Fanatics of all sorts were set loose to inspire the men to jihad.
Wandering “dervishes visited the tents, to instill the desire of martyrdom, and
the assurance of spending an immortal youth amidst the rivers and gardens of
paradise, and in the embraces of the black-eyed virgins [the fabled houris],”
writes one modern historian. Criers swept throughout the camp to horn blasts:
Children of Muhammad, be of good heart, for tomorrow we shall have so many
Christians in our hands that we will sell them, two slaves for a ducat, and will
have such riches that we will all be of gold, and from the beards of the Greeks
we will make leads for our dogs, and their families will be our slaves. So be of
good heart and be ready to die cheerfully for the love of our [past and present]
Muhammad.
Finally, on May 29, around two a.m., Muhammad unleashed all hell against
Constantinople: to blasting sounds of trumpets, cymbals, and Islamic war-cries,
cannon fire lit the horizon as ball after ball came careening into the wall.
Adding to the pandemonium rang church bells and alarms. After the initial wave
of cannon fire, the sultan implemented his strategy: “to engage successively and
without halt one body of fresh troops after the other,” he had told his
generals, “until harassed and worn out the enemy will be unable further to
resist.”
On and on, wave after wave, the hordes came, all desirous of booty or
paradise—or merely of evading impalement. With ladders and hooks, they fought,
clawed, and clambered onto the wall. “Who could narrate the voices, the cries of
the wounded, and the lamentation that arose on both sides?” recollected an
eyewitness. “The shouts and din went beyond the boundaries of heaven.”
After two hours of this, thousands of the Ottomans’ most expendable raiders lay
dead beneath the wall. Having served their purpose of wearying the defenders
down, Muhammad—now mounted near the wall and directing traffic with a mace in
his hand—ordered another wave of fresh Anatolian Turks to crash against the
wall. They built and clawed atop human pyramids of their own dead and wounded,
all while cannon balls careened and crashed—to no avail. Having the high ground,
the Christians slew countless. “One could only marvel at the brutes,” conceded a
defender. “Their army was being annihilated, and yet they dared to approach the
fosse again and again.”
By four a.m. nonstop cannon fire had made several breaches, which the Ottomans’
elite shock troops, the Janissaries—composed of abducted Christian boys
indoctrinated in jihad—charged, even as their former coreligionists held firm.
An eyewitness offers a snapshot:
[The defenders] fought bravely with lances, axes, pikes, javelins, and other
weapons of offense. It was a hand-to-hand encounter, and they stopped the
attackers and prevented them from getting inside the palisade. There was much
shouting on both sides—the mingled sounds of blasphemy, insults, threats,
attackers, defenders, shooters, those shot at, killers and dying, of those who
in anger and wrath did all sorts of terrible things. And it was a sight to see
there: a hard fight going on hand-to-hand with great determination and for the
greatest rewards, heroes fighting valiantly, the one party [Ottomans] struggling
with all their might to force back the defenders, get possession of the wall,
enter the city, and fall upon the children and women and the treasures, the
other party bravely agonizing to drive them off and guard their possessions,
even if they were not to succeed in prevailing and in keeping them.
A small detachment of Turks entered the city through a minor doorway which the
defenders had left open during the chaos. They quickly planted the Islamic flag,
causing consternation among the defenders.
Emperor Constantine XI
Playing on their worst fears, the sultan cried aloud, “The city is ours!” and
ordered his best Janissaries to charge. One Hassan—“a giant of a beast”—slew all
before him and inspired other Turks to press in behind him. When a well-aimed
stone took him down, he continued swinging his scimitar on one knee until
riddled and “overwhelmed by arrows” he was welcomed into paradise by the houris.
“By then, the whole host of the enemy were on our walls and our forces were put
to flight.” Thousands of invaders flooded in and slaughtered the outnumbered
defenders; others were trampled underfoot and “crushed to death” by the press of
men.
Crying, “The City is lost, but I live,” Emperor Constantine XI stripped and
flung off his royal regalia and “spurred on his horse and reached the spot where
the Turks were coming in large numbers.” With his steed he “knocked the impious
from the walls” and with “his drawn sword in his right hand, he killed many
opponents, while blood was streaming from his legs and arms.” Inspired by their
lord, men shouting “Better to die!” rushed into and were consumed by the
oncoming throng. “The Emperor was caught up among these, fell and rose again,
then fell once more.”
Thus “he died by the gate with many of his men, like any commoner, after having
reigned for three years and three months,” concludes a chronicler. And on that
May 29, 1453, the 2,206-year-old Roman state died with him, and “the saying,”
observed another contemporary, “was fulfilled: ‘It started with Constantine [the
Great, who founded Constantinople, or “New Rome” in 325] and it ended with
Constantine [XI].’”
Even so, by holding out against Islam for as long as it did—eight
centuries—Constantinople had saved the West. After all, “had the Saracens
captured Constantinople in the seventh century rather than the fifteenth,”
observes historian John Julius Norwich, “all Europe—and America—might be Muslim
today.”
Note: The above account was excerpted and adapted from the author’s recent book,
Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West. Unless
noted otherwise, all quotes come from contemporary eyewitnesses and primary
sources documented therein.