LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 09/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias
Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias18/english.may09.18.htm
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Bible
Quotations
You accepted the word that you heard from us as what it really is, God’s
word
First Letter to the Thessalonians 02/13-17: “We also constantly give thanks
to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from
us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s
word, which is also at work in you believers. For you, brothers and sisters,
became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea,
for you suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from
the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out;
they displease God and oppose everyone by hindering us from speaking to the
Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus they have constantly been filling
up the measure of their sins; but God’s wrath has overtaken them at last. As
for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans
by being separated from you in person, not in heart we longed with great
eagerness to see you face to face.”
Titles For
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on May 08-09/18
All Elections in Occupied Lebanon are
illegitimate/Elias Bejjani/07 May/18
Lebanon’s Fake and illegitimate Parliamentary Elections/Elias Bejjani/07
May/18
Hizbullah’s Victory in the Lebanese Parliamentary Elections Completes Iran’s
Takeover of the Lebanese State/Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira/Jerusalem
Center for Public Affairs/May 08/18
Hizbullah Arsenal Seen as Safe after Parliamentary Vote/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May
08/18Lebanon's Winning Women: Six Females Voted into Parliament/Agence
France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/18
Outsiders in Lebanon Vote Make a Small Win Look Big/Associated Press/Naharnet/May
08/18
Five New Faces to Follow in New Parliament/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May
08/18
What Does Hezbollah’s Election Victory Mean for Lebanon/Hanin Ghaddar/The
Washington Institute/May 08/18
The Secret to Hezbollah's Electoral Success/David Kenner/The Atlantic/May
08/18
Trump declares US leaving ‘horrible’ Iran nuclear accord
Associated Press/May 08/18
Containing Iran’s Nefarious Influence in the Region/Pascal Emmanuel Gobry/Bloomberg/May
08/18
This is My Country, Oh Hell/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/May 08/18
Resilience Against Conflicts Key to Ending Hunger/José Graziano da Silva/Asharq
Al Awsat/May 08/18
The Earth is not round/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/May 08/18
Iran’s expansionist project eyes North Africa/Sawsan Al Shaer/Al Arabiya/May
08/18
My vision on the religious diversity in Saudi Arabia/Nathalie Goulet/Al
Arabiya/May 08/18
Iran in the US Backyard/Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/May 08/18
Pompeo tries to smooth path for ‘deal of the century’/Maria Dubovikova/Arab
News/May 08/18
Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on May 08-09/18
All Elections in Occupied Lebanon are illegitimate
Lebanon’s Fake and illegitimate Parliamentary Elections
Hizbullah’s Victory in the Lebanese Parliamentary Elections Completes Iran’s
Takeover of the Lebanese State
Aoun Stresses Willingness to Call for National Dialogue
Dispute between young men in Choueifat evolves into shooting
Jumblatt via Twitter: Clashes among family members shameful
Kuwait's ambassador congratulates Hariri on parliamentary elections
Bassil after 'Strong Lebanon' bloc meeting: We are main supportive piers of
current tenure
Hizbullah Arsenal Seen as Safe after Parliamentary Vote
Iran Hails Hizbullah 'Victory' in Lebanon Elections
Daryan: Those who Violated Beirut Security Must be Held Accountable
Lebanon's Winning Women: Six Females Voted into Parliament
Bassil Says 'Change' Has Begun in Chouf-Aley after 4 Seats Won
Bassil Says FPM to Have Biggest Bloc in Parliament
Berri, Hariri Slam Beirut 'Security Chaos' as Army Deploys
Outsiders in Lebanon Vote Make a Small Win Look Big
Five New Faces to Follow in New Parliament
U.N. Appeals for Stability in Lebanon after Vote
What Does Hezbollah’s Election Victory Mean for Lebanon
The Secret to Hezbollah's Electoral Success
Titles For Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on May 08-09/18
Trump declares
US leaving ‘horrible’ Iran nuclear accord
Trump announces US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal
Turkey says US decision on Iran deal will cause instability, new conflicts
US Navy jets begin sorties against ISIS in Syria from Mediterranean
US Navy is Resurrecting a Fleet to Protect the East Coast, North Atlantic
from Russia
French defense minister says weakening Iran deal would aggravate region
Iraqi intelligence reveals where ISIS’s Baghdadi believed to be hiding
2 Pilots Killed as Russian Helicopter Crashes in Syria
Tension rises as Bashar al-Assad possibly becomes Israel’s next target
Libya’s Haftar Kicks off Military Offensive to Liberate Derna from
Terrorists
Saudi FM: Iran-planned Houthi attacks do not affect kingdom’s stability
Arab coalition strike hits presidential office in Yemen’s Houthi-held
capital
Armenian Protest Leader Pashinyan Elected PM by Parliament
Syria Says Downed Two Israeli Missiles near capital
Titles For Latest
LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 08-09/18
All Elections in Occupied Lebanon are
illegitimate
Elias Bejjani/07
May/18
Lebanon is an occupied country. The Occupier is the Iran terrorist proxy,
Hezbollah. According to international laws and regulations all elections
that take place under the occupation is totally illegitimate.
Lebanon’s Fake and illegitimate
Parliamentary Elections
Elias Bejjani/07 May/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/64435/elias-bejjani-lebanons-fake-and-illegitimate-parliamentary-elections/
The parliamentary elections
in occupied Lebanon came to end yesterday at 7PM, Beirut local time.
More than 100 nominees were winners before the election process started as
designed and orchestrated by the Iranian occupier and its ally the Syrian
Assad regime.
No actual surprises took place because Hezbollah occupies the country and
did impose its Iranian tailored electoral law.
Meanwhile the whole election charade was mostly pre-set pre-fabricated and
most of the successful MP’s were practically appointed.
But in spite of the Iranian occupation, the occupier (Hezbollah) failed to
eradicate or marginalise the Lebanese Christians pride and dignity, as well
as their values for independence and sovereignty.
In Keserwan- Jbiel district Hezbollah’s nominee Sheik Hassan Zaieter was not
a winner despite all the tactics of intimidation that were forced on the
district’s residents.
In the same realm in Baalbak the Lebanese Forces Nominee Antoine Habchi won
the MP seat in spite of the rhetoric war of terrorism that Hezbollah
declared openly against him.
Sadly, this Parliament which Hezbollah controls will be heading to
legitimize its armed militia in case the Iranian occupation remains in
control of Lebanon.
In conclusion, this election is legally illegitimate due the fact that
Lebanon is an occupied country and the Lebanese people are oppressed and not
able or even allowed to elect freely.
Hizbullah’s Victory in the Lebanese Parliamentary
Elections Completes Iran’s Takeover of the Lebanese State
Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira/Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs/May
08/18
Hassan Nasrallah announced a Hizbullah victory in the Lebanese parliamentary
elections that took place on May 6, 2018.
The Lebanese constitution, which is based on the National Pact of 1943,
divides the government among the country’s religious sects. Therefore,
following the elections, the president will continue to be a Maronite
Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the chairman of Parliament
a Shiite. However, with regard to the division between 128 members of
Parliament, half of whom are Christians and half Muslims, Hizbullah has
increased its parliamentary power through pacts with the Shiite Amal Party
and the party of President Michel Aoun. The party of Prime Minister Saad
al-Hariri is the biggest loser.
The necessity for forming a national unity government will apparently
obligate all sides to maintain the present formula of power, according to
which President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, and
Parliamentary Chairman Nabih Berri will continue in their current positions.
However, the main significance of a Hizbullah victory is that it strengthens
the veto power that the Shiite organization possesses with regard to any
Lebanese government decision. Therefore, Hizbullah will continue to lay the
foundations of Lebanese policy in the spheres of foreign and internal
policy. The most important of these are:
Protecting and maintaining the military power of Hizbullah, which is
directly subject to Hassan Nasrallah and through him, to Iranian leader
Khamenei.
Using force against Israel – subject to Iran’s decision; dispatching
military forces to Syria; and supporting Iran domination in Syria.
Building institutions that are parallel to state institutions to provide
civilian services in all aspects of life for Hizbullah and army militia.
Beyond all of the above, Hizbullah’s victory completes Iran’s takeover of
the country of Lebanon. Any decisions regarding war and peace in Lebanon
will be made in Tehran, not Beirut.
Apparently, the cannon fodder that Hizbullah supplied to Iran in Syria over
the past seven years has not harmed Hizbullah’s position in Lebanon.
Nasrallah campaigned daily via television, and mobilized all his abilities
for the success of his representatives in the parliamentary elections. He
has succeeded in presenting Hizbullah as the ultimate protector of the
Shiites in Lebanon and the country itself.
For this reason, there must be an impact on any decisions regarding military
aid from the Western countries, and primarily the United States, offered to
the Lebanese army. Now, more than ever, it must be clear that giving any aid
to the Lebanese Army is essentially giving military aid to Hizbullah.
http://jcpa.org/hizbullahs-victory-in-the-lebanese-parliamentary-elections-completes-irans-takeover-of-the-lebanese-state/
Aoun Stresses
Willingness to Call for National Dialogue
Kataeb.org/Tuesday 08th May 2018/President Michel Aoun on Tuesday announced
that he will be calling for a national dialogue to discuss the
implementation of the Taef Accord and confer over a defensive strategy for
the country. "I will seek, along with both the Parliament Speaker and the
Prime Minister, to restore the Parliament's monitoring and legislative
role," the President said in his first post-election address to the
Lebanese. "I am intending to call for a national dialogue so as to complete
the implementation of all of the Taef Accord's stipulations, and to set up a
defensive strategy which regulates the defense of the nation and preserves
its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Aoun hailed the parliamentary
elections as an "achievement", saying that the new electoral system has
proved to be fair.
Dispute between young men in Choueifat evolves
into shooting
Tue 08 May 2018/NNA - A brawl on electoral backgrounds took place in
Choueifat between two young men belonging to two different parties. The
clash developed into mutual machine gun shooting, which created tension in
the area, the NNA correspondent said. No injuries were reported. Security
forces rushed to the clash scene and worked on solving it to prevent further
escalation. The joint committees of the two parties also intervened to end
the clash.
Jumblatt via Twitter: Clashes among family
members shameful
Tue 08 May/2018/NNA - "To our comrades and supporters in Choueifat, and to
the Democratic Party we say the elections are over and we must open a new
page," said the leader of the Democratic Gathering, Walid Jumblatt, via
Twitter.
"It is a shame to witness this absurd fighting between the members of one
family," he wrote. "I condemn the rhetoric of incitement in all the regions.
The Army is doing carrying out its duties to the fullest," he added.
Kuwait's ambassador congratulates Hariri on
parliamentary elections
Tue 08 May 2018/NNA - Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, welcomed on Tuesday
afternoon at the "Center House" Kuwaiti Ambassador to Lebanon Abdul-Aal al-Kinai,
who congratulated him on his victory in the parliamentary elections held on
May 6.
Bassil after 'Strong Lebanon' bloc meeting: We
are main supportive piers of current tenure
Tue 08 May 2018/NNA - Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) head, Foreign Minister,
Gebran Bassil, on Tuesday said that the "Strong Lebanon" bloc forms the main
supportive pier of President Michel Aoun and the current tenure, vowing to
implement the oath speech and the bloc's electoral program. Minister Bassil
was speaking in the wake of the first meeting of "Strong Lebanon" bloc,
which includes the Free Patriotic Movement and friendly and allied parties
and dignitaries. Bassil disclosed that the Bloc holds a clear political line
with an action plan, sounding determination to work on building the state
through abolishing corruption, and achieving prosperity based on a clear
economic plan. The Minister also noted that the Bloc forms the largest bloc
at the Parliament reaping the highest percent of votes and counts
Hizbullah Arsenal Seen as Safe after
Parliamentary Vote
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/18
With its rivals weakened and its allies enjoying a stronger position than
ever after Lebanon's parliamentary elections, Hizbullah will seek a stamp of
state legitimacy for its long-controversial weapons arsenal. Analysts say
the results of Sunday's legislative vote, the first in nine years, will give
the Shiite armed group which has close ties to both Syria and Iran a
powerful voice in the 128-seat parliament. It comes at the expense of Prime
Minister Saad Hariri, who leads the rival Saudi-backed al-Mustaqbal Movement
and will find it increasingly difficult to counter Hizbullah's expanding
clout. "Hizbullah's victory will allow it to impose better conditions,
to consolidate its role and its arsenal -- not just in Lebanon but in the
region," says Maha Yahya, head of the Carnegie Endowment's Middle East
Center. Since its founding with Iranian support in the mid-1980s, Hizbullah
has spent years carefully building up its political influence in Lebanon and
its foothold abroad. The key to its power? A cache of arms it refused to
give up after Lebanon's 15-year civil war ended in 1990 and which has
continued to grow to comprise artillery, unmanned drones, and thousands of
missiles that can reach Israel.
International efforts to contain the group have largely failed, including
several rounds of U.S. and European sanctions and a month-long war with
Israel in 2006. Hizbullah is now fighting in Syria on behalf of government
forces and in Iraq alongside paramilitary groups, and is accused of backing
Huthi rebels in Yemen. Officially, Lebanon has adopted a policy to stay away
from regional conflicts, but the newly-formed parliament is unlikely to
challenge Hizbullah's interventions.
'Veto power'
Hizbullah kept a comfortable hold on its traditional bastions of power in
Lebanon's south and east, but did not gain new seats beyond the 13 it
already had. But the rise of allied lawmakers across the country meant its
arsenal would not be questioned, said Karim Bitar, expert at the Paris-based
Institute of International and Strategic Affairs. "With its network of
alliances, Hizbullah has today a majority in Lebanon's parliament, granting
it tacit veto power over the most important decisions," said Bitar. "Even
the group's rivals, like Saad Hariri, have somewhat accepted the new balance
of power," Bitar told AFP.
Hariri's share of seats dropped from 33 to 21. The Free Patriotic Movement,
which President Michel Aoun headed for years and which is friendly to
Hizbullah, expanded its voting bloc from 21 to 29 members. And the AMAL
Movement, Hizbullah's Shiite ally, also gained several seats.
The vote was "a great political and moral victory for the resistance," said
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday, using the moniker the
group earned after decades fighting Israel. The margins are small, but they
could make the difference in a country where decision-making occurs by
consensus and little is left to chance. But Hizbullah would have to keep
close ranks with both AMAL and the FPM, analysts said. "This depends
primarily on Aoun's movement," said Imad Salamey, a political science
professor at the Lebanese American University in Beirut.
"If the FPM confirms its alliance with Hizbullah, this coalition could have
a crushing majority," he told AFP.
Beyond parliament
Now, President Aoun will begin consultations with lawmakers on who he should
appoint as the next premier. Despite his weakened position, Hariri is likely
to score another term. "He enjoys the confidence of Arab countries, but also
the Europeans and the United States," said Salamey, adding his return would
"guarantee economic support for Lebanon."Hariri, already a two-time premier,
sent shockwaves across the region last year by resigning from Saudi Arabia
and blaming Hizbullah for destabilizing the region. The bizarre announcement
triggered a flurry of international interventions that eventually saw Hariri
return to his post, adopting a more conciliatory tone towards Hizbullah in
general."The question of (Hizbullah's) arms is a regional one," said the
premier on Monday, hinting as he has in the past that domestic powers would
not challenge the group. The next prime minister elected by parliament will
be responsible for forming a new cabinet -- typically a drawn-out process
involving horse-trading among Lebanon's competing political forces. Salamey
predicted Hizbullah and its allies could stand to gain from that process,
too, by snagging key portfolios.
"The essential thing is to secure posts in the government that will protect
its political and military activities -- regionally, obviously, and not just
in Lebanon," he added.
Iran Hails Hizbullah 'Victory' in Lebanon
Elections
Agence France PresseNaharnet/May 08/18/A senior Iranian official on Tuesday
hailed the "victory" of Hizbullah in Lebanese elections as a success in the
"fight against Israel" and the United States, the state broadcaster
reported. "The Lebanese people and their representatives, Hizbullah and the
other resistance groups, scored this victory in the fight against Israel and
its allies, including the United States," said Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign
policy adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He referred to
Hizbullah's military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying
the election result reflected the group's "decisive help to Syria against
the terrorists.""This victory of the Lebanese people and of the
resistance... is a sign of approval for the Lebanese government's policy of
preserving Lebanon's independence... against Israel," he added. After
Sunday's election -- the first since 2009 -- Hizbullah and its allies look
set to secure a large parliamentary bloc. The Shiite movement was created
with Iranian support in 1982 to fight against Israel and is listed as a
“terrorist organization” by the United States.
It is the key partner in Iran's "resistance front" against Israeli and U.S.
interests in the Middle East, along with allies in Iraq, Syria and the
Palestinian Territories.
"The strength of the resistance front will be considerably reinforced in the
world" after this election and that in Iraq on Saturday, Velayati said.
Daryan: Those who Violated Beirut Security Must be
Held Accountable
Naharnet/May 08/18/Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif
Daryan on Tuesday called for holding accountable “all those who violated
Beirut's security,” after a wave of post-electoral security disturbances in
the capital. “The security of Lebanon and the Lebanese is the responsibility
of the army and security forces, and such acts that insult Beirut and its
residents should not be repeated,” Daryan said during a visit to Abu Dhabi.
He lamented that the capital's residents had lived “a night of tension and
horror.”“Had it not been for the wisdom of the president, the parliament
speaker and the prime minister, in addition to the deployment of the
Lebanese Army and security forces, Beirut would have been plunged into chaos
and strife,” the Mufti cautioned. “All those who violated Beirut's security
and its streets with acts that contradict with morals, good neighborliness
and the rule of law must be held accountable,” Daryan stressed. The National
News Agency reported Monday that “gunmen on motorbikes raised partisan flags
on the monument of Martyr Premier Rafik Hariri in the St. Georges area
before moving to Aisha Bakkar, where they attacked a number of vehicles and
opened fire without causing casualties.”A video circulated on social media
showed a fistfight that involved the use of batons near the Aisha Bakkar
Mosque. The clash erupts after dozens of young men arrive in the area on
motorbikes, carrying Hizbullah and AMAL Movement flags. The video shows them
clashing with young men carrying al-Mustaqbal Movement flags. Several other
convoys had roamed Beirut's streets over the past two days, celebrating a
major victory for Hizbullah, AMAL and their allies in the parliamentary
elections.
Lebanon's Winning Women: Six Females Voted into
Parliament
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/64481/lebanons-winning-women-six-females-voted-into-parliament-outsiders-in-lebanon-vote-make-a-small-win-look-big/
Lebanon's new parliament will include six female lawmakers across the
country, up from just four in the 2009-era parliament with several fresh
faces. The landmark May 6 election saw a record 86 women run, with virtually
every party -- except Hizbullah -- putting forth female candidates.
Here is an overview of the women who scored a spot in Lebanon's 128-member
legislative body.
Paula Yacoubian
The high-profile television journalist landed a seat in the capital Beirut
after running on a list of outsiders known as Kulluna Watani. "This is the
real change, the real opposition," she told the AFP news agency during her
campaign. The 42-year-old daughter of an Armenian genocide survivor long
hosted a show on Future TV, the channel owned by Prime Minister Saad Hariri,
but she stepped down to run for office. Yacoubian is the only candidate from
outside the traditional political class to have won a seat.
Roula Tabsh
Lawyer Roula Tabsh is also a first-time victor in the capital, but she ran
on Hariri's al-Mustaqbal Movement list which was otherwise dealt a blow at
the polls.
Tabsh pledged to advocate for women's rights in parliament, including making
sure children with Lebanese mothers and foreign fathers can get Lebanese
nationality.
The wins by Tabsh and Yacoubian will usher in the highest female
representation in parliament ever for Beirut.
Bahia Hariri
The sister of slain ex-premier Rafik Hariri and aunt of current prime
minister Saad Hariri kept the seat she has held in the southern district of
Sidon.
At 65, she has served as a member of parliament four times and as education
minister, and was awarded a Legion d'Honneur by former French president
Jacques Chirac in 2003. She is a member of the prime minister's inner
circle.
Her life was turned upside down by her brother's assassination in 2005. She
stopped wearing skirt-suits and make-up and began covering her hair with a
traditional white headscarf.
Sethrida Geagea
The 50-year-old politician from the northern district of Bsharri will return
for another term in parliament. She is married to Lebanese Forces chief
Samir Geagea, and is credited with steering the party for 11 years while he
was detained during Syria's military occupation of Lebanon, until his
release in 2005.
The tall, slender woman is seen as a hardliner within the movement.
Enaya Ezzeddine
A pathologist by training, 57-year-old Ezzeddine has served as minister for
administrative reform -- but her rise to parliament is unprecedented.
It will be her first term as a legislator, but also the first time Lebanon's
port city of Tyre has a female representative. Ezzeddine hails from the AMAL
Movement, a strong Shiite party that is allied to Hizbullah and has never
put forward a female candidate. Ezzeddine is divorced and is a mother of two
daughters.
Dima Jamali
Jamali is a professor of business management and freshman parliamentarian,
who will serve in Lebanon's second city Tripoli after running on al-Mustaqbal
Movement's list. Her father was the mayor of the coastal metropolis in the
north, but it has never before been represented by a woman. "We have a
historic opportunity to bring new faces to Tripoli," she said in a campaign
video before the vote.
Women at the vote
Among those that did not win seats are Joumana Haddad, a writer and activist
who ran in Beirut, and an all-women's list from the conservative northern
area of Akkar.
But Lebanese women flooded the polling stations on Sunday, both as voters
and party delegates. Females made up 50.8 percent of registered voters in
2018, according to the United Nations.
Bassil Says 'Change' Has Begun in Chouf-Aley
after 4 Seats Won
Naharnet/May 08/18/Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil announced
Tuesday that “change” has started in the Mount Lebanon regions of Chouf and
Aley, the bastion of Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat, after an FPM-led
coalition managed to clinch four seats in the region in the parliamentary
elections.
“We will together be in the Strong Lebanon bloc, in order to back the
presidency and Mount Lebanon, support the restoration of rights for
Christians and Druze in Mt. Lebanon, and revive prosperity and development
in Mt. Lebanon,” Bassil said after meeting Lebanese Democratic Party leader
MP Talal Arslan, with whom the FPM allied in the Chouf-Aley electoral
district.Arslan and three Christian FPM candidates have won seats in the
district in Sunday's elections. Accusing the rival Reconciliation List of
“evoking the rhetoric of war” during electoral campaigning, Bassil
emphasized that the FPM will only resort to “the rhetoric of peace,
reconciliation and complete return to Mount Lebanon, where our people from
all sects and political components can live in peace and reassurance over
the future of their sons in Mount Lebanon.” He added: “This is only the
beginning. With the four MPs who have won thanks to our common
representation with (Arslan) and all those who cooperated with us, and due
to our insistence on regaining our rights, we will have a doubled
determination to continue these reforms.”“We accept this loss, but what's
important is that change has started in Mount Lebanon and its practical and
peaceful implementation will take place over the next four years, as we
prepare for the next elections,” Bassil went on to say. He also underlined
that “no one wants to eliminate anyone” in Chouf and Aley, emphasizing that
Mukhtara, Jumblat's hometown, “cannot fall.”“It will remain standing through
its people and what it represents in Mount Lebanon and Lebanon,” Bassil
added.
Bassil Says FPM to Have Biggest Bloc in Parliament
Associated Press/Naharnet/May 08/18/Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, the head
of President Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, has announced that the
FPM won at least 29 seats in parliamentary elections, making it the largest
bloc in the assembly. Bassil told reporters that their bloc could end up
having 30 seats. The bloc will comprise allied businessmen, the Armenian
Tashnag Party and MP Talal Arslan. Bassil said the bloc would maintain its
"strategic alliance" with Hizbullah. The FPM was the second largest in the
outgoing parliament after Prime Minister Saad Hariri's bloc, which had 32
seats but appears to have lost a third of them in Sunday's elections. Hariri
is likely to remain in his post, but Hizbullah and its allies appear to have
gained enough seats in the 128-member legislature to veto legislation.
Berri, Hariri Slam Beirut 'Security Chaos' as Army Deploys
Naharnet/May 08/18/The army deployed Monday evening across the capital
Beirut, after the Aisha Bakkar area and other neighborhoods witnessed
post-elections security incidents. The National News Agency said “gunmen on
motorbikes raised partisan flags on the monument of Martyr Premier Rafik
Hariri in the St. Georges area before moving to Aisha Bakkar, where they
attacked a number of vehicles and opened fire without causing casualties.”A
video circulated on social media showed a fistfight that involved the use of
batons near the Aisha Bakkar Mosque. The clash erupts after dozens of young
men arrive in the area on motorbikes, carrying Hizbullah flags. The video
shows them clashing with young men carrying al-Mustaqbal Movement flags.A
statement issued by Prime Minister Saad Hariri's office said the premier
called Army chief General Joseph Aoun and Internal Security Forces chief
Maj. Gen. Imad Othman to ask them to “contain the chaos in Beirut and take
the necessary measures as soon as possible before things spiral out of
control.”Speaker Nabih Berri later issued a statement condemning what he
called “the shameful practices that were carried out by some convoys that
roamed the capital Beirut's streets and targeted symbols, headquarters and
leaders whom we highly respect.”“The dignity of the capital Beirut and the
dignity of its sons, dear families and leaders are part of our dignity and
any attack on them is an attack on our dignity and the dignity of all
Lebanese,” Berri added.
“We condemn in the strongest terms all the appalling practices on some
streets in the capital Beirut during which some hooligans harmed the AMAL
Movement and Hizbullah and their achievements. These irresponsible practices
do not reflect the behavior and ethics of the sons of Imam (Moussa) al-Sadr
and Hizbullah,” the Speaker went on to say. He also called on security and
judicial authorities to take the legal measures against anyone involved in
such practices.
The army deployed across the capital, made arrests and erected checkpoints
in the wake of the incidents and the appeals of Hariri and Berri.
Outsiders in Lebanon Vote Make a Small Win Look
Big
Associated Press/Naharnet/May 08/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/64481/lebanons-winning-women-six-females-voted-into-parliament-outsiders-in-lebanon-vote-make-a-small-win-look-big/
They won just one seat in
Lebanon's 128-seat national assembly, but they celebrated like they'd won
20. A grassroots movement of activists, journalists and other political
newcomers said any presence in parliament was a landmark victory for its
campaign against patronage in an era when politics is run as a family
business. Candidates and volunteers gathered at a Beirut shisha cafe erupted
in cheers Sunday night when the first positive forecasts came in for the
largest outsider campaign in recent memory — waged under the banner, "We are
all Patriots," or "Kollouna Watani" in Arabic. "I'm proud of all the
volunteers and candidates who said 'no' to the face of the corrupt political
class and to this vacuous political play we've been stuck in for years,"
said Joumana Haddad, a novelist who campaigned on a platform of reforming
Lebanon's personal status laws that govern everything from marriage,
divorce, inheritance and child custody. Initial results on Sunday had shown
that Haddad and another candidate, journalist Paula Yacoubian, were
projected to take two seats for Watani. But official results announced late
Monday showed Haddad had been edged out by another candidate and Watani won
just one seat. Haddad's supporters, gathered outside the Interior Ministry
before the official results were released, protested what they maintained
were clear signs of fraud to deny her victory. "The people in power didn't
like this result, so they proceeded with rigging the result at the last
minute," said Lucien Bourjeily, a writer and director who ran as a Watani
candidate. It had been a long struggle for those running under the Watani
banner, many involved in anti-establishment politics for years before
Sunday's vote.
They helped organize the protests that filled the capital in 2015 when a
waste management scandal left trash uncollected in the streets for weeks.
Environmental activists have accused politicians at the highest levels of
arranging lucrative deals to bury trash without treatment or recycling. "We
learned we can succeed when we persevere," said Bourjeily, who helped
organize the 2015 protests.
Watani's single-seat victory came in a district of Beirut, breaking a
monopoly traditionally held by established political parties in the capital.
On Sunday, the activists allowed themselves an evening of relief, laughing
and wiping away tears as they watched the projected results on TV.
"We changed the way people talk about politics in this country," said
Michelle Keserwany, half of a sister musical duo that has satirized
Lebanon's moribund political scene through their snappy lyrics and expertly
produced videos. "Candidates are now publishing programs to run on. It may
sound obvious in other countries, but it's these things we are demanding
here," Keserwany said.
In Lebanon, politics is about jobs and kickbacks more than it is about
platforms. Since the end of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war political bosses
have held onto their seats through networks of patronage that supported the
middle class with steady work that kept families above the poverty line but
without avenues for self-advancement. In exchange, communities gave their
patrons their votes and looked the other way as infrastructure crumbled and
services decayed. Their staying power was reinforced by a winner-takes-all
voting system that worked against independents. Politicians bequeathed their
seats to their sons and, less commonly, wives and daughters. To date many of
the country's top politicians are the warlords or heirs of the warlords of
the civil war three decades ago. That law was replaced this year with one
awarding seats by proportional representation, but other complications
worked to keep outsiders from taking a larger share. Watani had fielded 66
candidates across nine of the country's 15 districts. The new national
assembly largely reproduces the one it replaces; leading politicians looked
set to stay in their posts, while many newcomers hailed from decades-old
family dynasties in Lebanese politics. To Watani volunteers, the struggle
for political reform is much larger than one election. They say they will
run again in the next national race and win more seats as voters get
acquainted with the alternative.
"We started this election with having no seats in parliament, so every seat
is a win for us," Bourjeily said.
Five New Faces to Follow in New Parliament
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/18
Lebanon's first general election
this decade has yielded its crop of new faces -- not necessarily new names
-- entering parliament for the first time. Here are brief profiles of some
of them:
Taymour Jumblat
The reluctant heir. At 36, he was guaranteed to enter parliament when his
father, Druze leader Walid Jumblat, made him the "lord" of the minority that
lives mostly in the Chouf mountains.
In interviews, he makes no secret of his distaste for politics, especially
the feudal Lebanese brand that brought him there, but explains he has no
choice but to keep a centuries-old dynasty alive.
Paula Yacoubian
The communicator. The 42-year-old activist and daughter of an Armenian
genocide survivor long hosted a show on the channel owned by Prime Minister
Saad Hariri but won her seat on an unprecedented civil society list.
She interviewed Hariri in a dramatic live broadcast from Riyadh after he
unexpectedly announced his resignation last year and was apparently being
held against his will by the Saudi royal family.
- Jamil al-Sayyed -
The spymaster. The 68-year-old feared former head of the General Security
agency was, and still is, considered by many as the Syrian regime's man in
Lebanon.
Sayyed was jailed for four years over former premier Rafik Hariri's 2005
assassination and released without charge. Bizarrely, he was nearly made
Marshall Islands UNESCO envoy in 2014. He won his seat Sunday as an
independent.
- Fouad Makhzoumi -
The billionaire. Makhzoumi, 66, is a Sunni businessman from Beirut who made
his fortune selling pipelines. One of the election campaign's biggest
spenders, he was ubiquitous on TV channels and his posters well all over the
capital.
Makhzoumi has a residence in London's exclusive Kensington area and has had
ties to Britain's Conservatives. Last year, he was controversially reported
to have paid France's presidential candidate Francois Fillon to introduce
him to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015.
Enaya Ezzeddine
The trailblazer. The veiled 57-year-old trained pathologist from the Tyre
region, who has served as minister for administrative reform, hails from the
Shiite AMAL Movement, allied to Hizbullah.
It was the first time AMAL put forward a female candidate. Her appeal
crosses party lines and the savvy, divorced mother is fast becoming a folk
hero among Shiite women in Lebanon's conservative south.
U.N. Appeals for Stability in Lebanon after Vote
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/18/The United Nations on Monday urged
Lebanon's politicians to act responsibly to protect Lebanon's stability
following elections that saw Hizbullah and its allies make gains. "We hope
that all Lebanese political stakeholders will continue to act responsibly in
the days following polling to protect Lebanon's stability, which should
include the swift formation of a government," said U.N. spokesman Stephane
Dujarric. Hizbullah is set to cement its dominance in Lebanon after the
party of its main rival, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, suffered heavy losses.
Formed in the 1980s to fight against Israel, Hizbullah currently battles in
Syria alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces. It is listed as a
"terror organization" by the United States. Five Hizbullah members have been
accused by the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon over the 2005
assassination of Hariri's father Rafik, a charismatic former prime minister.
What Does Hezbollah’s Election Victory Mean for
Lebanon?
هذا ما يعنيه انتصار حزب الله في الانتخابات النيابية اللبنانية
Hanin Ghaddar/The Washington Institute/May 08/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/64489/hanin-ghaddar-what-does-hezbollahs-election-victory-mean-for-lebanon-%d8%ad%d9%86%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%ba%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d9%87%d8%b0%d8%a7-%d9%85%d8%a7-%d9%8a%d8%b9%d9%86%d9%8a%d9%87-%d8%a7/
The group has made further
strides toward remaking state institutions in its image, but the
international community can still slow the group’s momentum by pressuring
its domestic political enablers.
On May 6, Hezbollah and its political allies won more than half the seats in
Lebanon's first parliamentary elections in nine years. While the group’s own
tally did not change much (13 seats out of 128 total), gains by the Amal
Party, Free Patriotic Movement, and other allies mean that Hezbollah will
play a bigger role in the next government. Leading a coalition that holds a
simple majority in parliament will boost the group politically and
strengthen its chances of legitimizing its arms without any considerable
challenge.
THE ASSAD REGIME RETURNS TO LEBANON
When Bashar al-Assad withdrew his troops from Lebanon in 2005, several
prominent players in the Syrian-dominated political and security
establishment left Lebanese political life. Yet Hezbollah’s electoral
momentum has given them an opportunity to return to the stage.
At least five figures who held office during the nearly two-decade Syrian
occupation won seats in the new parliament, including Jamil al-Sayyed, a
retired Shia general and former intelligence chief who was one of the
country’s most powerful men at the time. He will enter the legislature
despite being sentenced to prison briefly for his involvement in the 2005
assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, an act that
international authorities have linked to Hezbollah. Faisal Karami, son of
the late pro-Syrian prime minister Omar Karami, also won a seat for the
first time.
These figures will undoubtedly leverage their connections with the Assad
regime to further empower Hezbollah, especially given Iran’s growing role in
Syria and continual reliance on the group as its top proxy. They will also
try to bring Lebanon’s state institutions closer to Syria’s on key issues
such as refugees and security.
LOW TURNOUT
Only 49.2 percent of 3.6 million eligible voters turned up at the polls,
compared to 54 percent in 2009. The low turnout was partly a product of a
complicated new electoral law that required citizens to vote for whole party
lists at a time of new and somewhat odd electoral alliances. For example, in
some districts Sunnis were forced to vote for the Free Patriotic Movement—a
Christian party and traditional electoral rival—if they wanted Sunni leader
Saad Hariri to win another term as prime minister, since Hariri’s Future
Movement was paired with the FPM on the ballot.
Moreover, many voters did not seem to believe that elections would lead to
positive change. In the past, the Hariri-led “March 14” coalition
represented a pro-West, anti-Hezbollah perspective, but the bloc has been
compromising with its adversaries more often of late and cynically
preserving the status quo.
This may help explain why Hariri’s party suffered the election’s biggest
blow, dropping around a third of its seats for a final tally of twenty-one.
Hezbollah-backed Sunnis did much better, mainly in Beirut, Tripoli, and
Sidon, securing ten of the twenty-seven Sunni-allocated seats. Tripoli
Sunnis likewise rejected Ashraf Rifi, an outspoken Sunni detractor of
Hezbollah who had won the city’s 2017 municipal elections. The overall
results suggest that Lebanon’s Sunni community is deeply fractured due to
weak leadership and Hezbollah’s skilled political maneuvering.
In the end, this development could prove to be Hezbollah’s biggest victory.
It is no secret that the group has been recruiting Sunnis to its parallel
domestic militia, the Resistance Brigades. As Hariri’s political and
financial fortunes have waned, many Lebanese Sunnis have aligned with this
affiliate, perhaps as an alternative source of income. Hezbollah also
appears to have benefitted from Iran’s growing regional influence and the
associated spike in Shia sectarian identity.
MOBILIZING THE SHIA BASE
Hezbollah and Amal managed to secure twenty-six of the parliament’s
twenty-seven Shia-apportioned seats, easily defeating their most prominent
opponents in the south and the Baalbek-Hermel region. Yet the low turnout
suggests that many Shia stayed home—an unsurprising outcome despite their
growing discontent with Hezbollah’s costly war in Syria. No unified
anti-Hezbollah coalition emerged with a clear message to mobilize
disaffected Shia. Opposition candidates in the south focused on traditional
political messages, while Beqa-area candidates focused on development
issues; none of them had the temerity to criticize Hezbollah’s “resistance”
agenda.
Worse, none of these rivals presented a serious economic and social
alternative to Hezbollah. This was a major missed opportunity because the
group’s regional military operations have eaten up some of the funds it
usually devotes to social services and economic projects for its Shia
constituents.
Perhaps the most important factor in Hezbollah’s victory, though, was
growing sectarian rhetoric. Although many Shia criticized the group’s
foreign adventurism in past years, these detractors became less vocal once
the Assad coalition scored a string of major victories in Syria, which
resulted in fewer Lebanese returning home in body bags, a steadily
solidifying “land bridge” to Iran, and a heightened emphasis on Shia
identity throughout the region. As the war in Syria draws down, Hezbollah
has reemerged as the protector of the Shia.
DOMESTIC POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS
Despite its reduced seat tally, Hariri’s party still represents the biggest
Sunni bloc in the parliament, so he may yet return as prime minister if he
secures a majority via coalition-building. This seems likely given his
seemingly excellent relations with the FPM and the promises he has
reportedly received from Amal leader Nabih Berri and other Hezbollah allies.
Yet the key question is whether he can form a politically balanced
government that is willing and able to limit Hezbollah’s prerogatives. With
a smaller party seat tally and no opposition allies, Hariri will be a much
weaker prime minister this time around. The Christian party “Lebanese
Forces” is the only faction that managed to increase its seats (from eight
to fifteen) while preserving its anti-Hezbollah rhetoric, but Hariri
alienated party leader Samir Geagea by accusing him of supporting the
resignation/retraction debacle reportedly orchestrated by Saudi Arabia last
year.
Currently, Hariri appears more inclined to nurture his new alliance with
Gebran Bassil of the FPM, the son-in-law of President Michel Aoun. Some in
Washington believe this team-up will prove beneficial, creating a new
parliamentary bloc and political movement that could challenge Hezbollah.
Yet this seems unlikely because Aoun and other FPM leaders have been
consistently loyal to Hezbollah since he became president in 2016.
HOW TO SLOW HEZBOLLAH’S MOMENTUM
On May 7, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared the elections “a great
moral and political victory for the resistance choice that protects the
country.” He added that the group needed larger representation in the
parliament “to ensure security protection for the resistance” and achieve
its “electoral program.” Although it did not get the two-thirds majority
needed to refashion constitutional pillars such as sectarian power-sharing,
the simple majority will allow it to make other important decisions on
security appointments and government formation.
Yet Hezbollah was only able to reach this position of political strength by
partnering with allies who have never been punished for associating with a
designated terrorist group and its supposed political “wing.” In fact, the
international community has rewarded these allies—Aoun became president with
Europe and Washington’s blessing, and the electoral law that facilitated
this weekend’s results passed without international pressure.
To minimize the damage in the coming weeks and help contain an ascendant
Hezbollah, the international community should try to foster political
balance in Lebanon. The March 14 alliance is dead and its leadership seems
resigned to continual compromises, but other channels of opposition can
still be cultivated—provided they offer a real economic and social
alternative to the Lebanese people, including the Shia community.
At the same time, foreign actors need to impose a price on Hezbollah’s
domestic political allies. The group no longer has to use its arms to
enforce its agenda at home; instead, it can rely on its allies to make
favorable decisions within state institutions. These allies, including Berri
and Aoun, should be pressured, particularly if they allow Hezbollah and Iran
to have their way in Lebanon. If they act as enablers to internationally
designated entities, then they should be treated as such.
*Hanin Ghaddar, a veteran Lebanese journalist and researcher, is the
Friedmann Visiting Fellow at The Washington Institute.
The Secret to
Hezbollah's Electoral Success
David Kenner/The Atlantic/May 08/18
Hezbollah’s yellow flags stretched for miles along the highway to Baalbek, a
Lebanese city near the frontier with Syria. They hung from every light post,
interspersed with images of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the party. In
some, he smiled; in others, he wore a grave expression and saluted. The
message to voters on the party’s banners was simple: We protect, and we
build.
Ghaleb Yaghi, a former mayor of Baalbek who ran in Lebanon’s parliamentary
elections this past weekend, its first in nine years, took issue with both
claims. (The current parliament twice extended its term, citing security
fears related to the war in neighboring Syria.) Hezbollah, he said while
leaning back on a sofa in his campaign headquarters, had been a “political
failure,” too consumed with fighting wars across the Middle East to develop
a strategy for improving the lives of citizens. Its fighters trained Shia
insurgents to fight against American soldiers in Iraq, and are now major
backers of Syria's Assad regime; the U.S. government considers it a
terrorist group. Meanwhile at home, the district, known as Baalbek-Hermel,
is plagued by a lack of security—at least one recent election-related clash
devolved into an exchange of mortar fire—which has deterred tourism and
investment. It is also one of Lebanon’s most impoverished areas, where
roughly 40 percent of residents live below the poverty line and more
than half are unemployed.
Lebanon’s political system is based on a power-sharing arrangement between
the country’s diverse sects, with a set number of the 128 parliament seats
reserved for each community. The country’s politics mirror the larger
conflicts in the Middle East, at home pitting the Iran-backed Hezbollah
against Sunni parties supported by Saudi Arabia; and internationally,
deepening the confrontation between Iran and Israel, which Hezbollah has
said it seeks to eliminate. The right-wing Israeli minister Naftali Bennett
reacted to the results by saying that Lebanon equals Hezbollah. He said that
Israel would not distinguish between them, despite Hezbollah's slim share of
the overall number of seats.
It may seem simple for a candidate to attract votes by harping on the ruling
party’s failure to improve such a dire economic situation. But not in
Baalbek: Yaghi went down in defeat, as did every other Shia candidate there
running against Hezbollah. While his list did secure a Sunni and a Christian
seat in the district, Hezbollah and its allies swept 26 out of 27 seats
reserved for Shiites across Lebanon. “There’s a saying: ‘If you starve your
dog, he’ll follow you,’” he said. “Unemployment has become very high in
Baalbek, and the young people can’t find work. So the alternative to finding
work is to join Hezbollah for $400 a month, and go off and fight somewhere.
… And then he comes back in a box, as a martyr.”
As the election results came in, it became clear that voters had punished
the largest party within the Sunni bloc for years of perceived
mismanagement. It was a different story, however, within the predominantly
Shia parts of the country. Hezbollah not only won the election in Lebanon’s
south—it dominated. Even if all the lists running against the party combined
their votes in the region, they still wouldn’t have won enough to pick up a
single seat.
Hezbollah and its allies now control a majority in Lebanon’s parliament—a
victory that they will use as evidence of popular support for the party’s
intervention in Syria, its stance toward Israel, and broader regional
alliance with Iran.
Hezbollah is, of course, genuinely popular within the Shia community. Its
message that it has protected the country against threats, both from Israel
and from Syrian jihadists alike, rings true for many of its voters, who also
see Nasrallah as devoid of corruption, unlike the rest of the crooked
political establishment. But the political resources at Hezbollah’s
disposal, which include a construction arm and a foundation to support
families whose sons have been killed fighting under its flag, dwarf those of
the other parties. The weakness of the Lebanese state also provides
Hezbollah with a trump card, allowing it to portray itself as the only power
that can protect its supporters from internal and external enemies. These
accumulated advantages have left those running against the party to question
whether there is any governance failure large enough to cause Hezbollah to
lose an election. “They’re using the sectarian card, they’re trying to bring
all the Shia together to follow them,” Yaghi said. “They’re taking people
who are hungry and paying them, and they have weapons and money that nobody
else has.”
Yaghi is accustomed to fighting for a losing cause. He served one term as
Baalbek’s mayor, during which he said he focused on developing the economy
and promoting tourism to the city’s exquisite Roman ruins. Lebanon was under
Syrian occupation at the time, and when it came time for Yaghi to run for
re-election in 2004, he said, the Syrian intelligence officer in charge of
the area told him not to run. Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, the
officer said, wanted to give the municipality to Hezbollah in order to show
the Americans that the party was not a terrorist organization, but a
political party with grassroots support. He defied the order and ran anyway,
losing in what he called a rigged election.
Like all Shia candidates running against Hezbollah in the parliamentary
elections, Yaghi steered clear of criticizing Hezbollah’s role as a military
force. Its fighters have fought in Syria and Iraq, trained Iran-backed
groups in both those countries, and likely provided some support to Tehran’s
allies in Yemen as well. The group’s original sin, he said, was entering
politics in 1992—it should have simply left the messy business of governance
to others. “We’re not against Hezbollah as a resistance, so long as it
resists in the right way,” he said. “Our quarrel with them is development.
We want development for the city, and they want to wait until they’ve
liberated everything and then look toward development.”
There is no question that Yaghi is right about the region’s need for
economic development. Syrian refugees have poured into the region in recent
years and now comprise one-third of the area’s population, according to Rami
Lakkis, the founder of the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training, a
Baalbek-based development organization. They are competing with low-income
Lebanese for jobs and putting a strain on the area’s weak institutions, he
said, particularly its water supply—a crucial component of its agriculture
sector. Lakkis said that his organization receives thousands of applications
for work. “We are operating a kitchen to provide food for poor families,” he
said. “We thought that it would be mainly for Syrians and we could not get
Lebanese to come, but now we found that the Lebanese also need to come to
get the food to feed their families.”
Hezbollah’s campaign rhetoric seemed to acknowledge economic grievances as a
potential political weakness. In a shift from past campaigns, party
officials focused on development and anti-corruption as major themes,
instead of emphasizing its struggle against Israel or in Syria. “Hezbollah
and their allies will address serious shortcomings and make up for mistakes
made in the past,” Nasrallah vowed in his final pre-election speech.
For Hezbollah’s supporters, however, such mistakes pale in significance to
its powerful security role. The party successfully convinced the vast
majority of Shia voters in Baalbek that casting a vote for its candidates
was akin to voicing their support for the party’s role in protecting them
from what they see as threats in Israel and Syria. At the same time,
Nasrallah lashed out at those running against the party: These figures, he
said, “conspired with armed groups to occupy your towns,” reiterating his
previous claim that opposition politicians are allies of the Islamic State
and other Sunni jihadists.
Such rhetoric placed Shia politicians hoping to defeat Hezbollah at the
ballot box in an impossible position. They wanted to divorce Hezbollah’s
powerful military force from the campaign, fighting the election only on
local issues, while Nasrallah made the case that you’re either with
Hezbollah or against it. Again and again, opposition Shia figures voiced the
same point: Nasrallah didn’t just want to beat them in an election—he wanted
to silence them entirely.
“Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah wants to prove that he and his alliance are the
holders of the Shia decision-making in Lebanon,” Yehya Chams, a former
member of parliament who ran against Hezbollah in Baalbek, told me. “But
there are others in Baalbek-Hermel that are partners. They can’t monopolize
the decision and erase the space for others.”
The election results may do little to change how Lebanon is actually
governed. Even parties that received a drubbing at the ballot box could very
well retain their positions after the lengthy negotiations to form a
governing coalition. The measures to which political elites have gone to
entrench their rule led one politician to opine that Lebanon was not a
democracy but a “plutocratic oligarchy.”
For Shia politicians who tried to oppose Hezbollah, it is particularly
difficult to justify the result as a reflection of the popular will.
“Lebanon is supposed to be a democratic country,” Yaghi told me as I was
leaving. “Everybody has the freedom to vote for who they want to vote for.
But really, in fact, it’s not. You cannot vote for who you want to vote for.
There are pressures in certain ways, people rely on various parties for
their livelihood. So we have this statelet within a state, but in fact the
statelet is much stronger than the state.”
Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on May 08-09/18
رزمة من التقارير (عربية وانكليزية
وفيديو) تغطي قرار الرئيس الأميركي ترامب الإنسحاب من الإتفاق النووي
Trump declares US leaving ‘horrible’ Iran nuclear accord
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/64492/%D8%B1%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%83%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF/
Trump declares US leaving ‘horrible’
Iran nuclear accord
Associated
Press CATHERINE LUCEY and JOSH LEDERMAN,Associated Press/May 08/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/64492/%D8%B1%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%83%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF/
WASHINGTON (AP) — President
Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the landmark nuclear accord with Iran
Tuesday, declaring he was making the world safer in restoring harsh
sanctions. But he also dealt a profound blow to allies, deepened his
isolation on the world stage and revived doubts about American credibility
in the most consequential foreign policy action of his presidency. The
leaders of Germany, France and Britain, co-signers of the agreement,
expressed regret and said they would try to salvage the accord with Iran.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said he was sending his foreign minister to
work with those remaining countries but warned there was only a short time
to negotiate with them and his country could soon “start enriching uranium
more than before.”The 2015 accord, which lifted major economic sanctions
against Iran, was specifically aimed at preventing that result. But Trump
said, “The Iran deal is defective at its core.””If we do nothing, we know
exactly what will happen. In just a short period of time, the world’s
leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s
most dangerous weapons,” Trump said in a televised address from the White
House. He said the United States “will be instituting the highest level of
economic sanction.” Trump’s decision means Iran’s government must now decide
whether to follow the U.S. and withdraw or try to salvage what’s left of the
deal. The leaders of Britain, Germany and France immediately urged the U.S.
not to take any actions that could prevent them and Iran from continuing to
implement the agreement. The statement from Prime Minister Theresa May,
Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Emmanuel Macron also urged Iran to
“show restraint” and continue fulfilling its own obligations such as
cooperating with inspections.
In Washington, the Trump administration said it would re-impose sanctions on
Iran immediately but allow grace periods for businesses to wind down
activity. The Treasury Department said there would be “certain 90-day and
180-day wind-down periods” but didn’t specify which sanctions would fall
under which timelines. Treasury said that at the end of those periods, the
sanctions will be in “full effect.”National Security Adviser John Bolton
said nobody should sign contracts for new business with Iran. If the deal
collapses entirely, Iran would be free to resume prohibited enrichment
activities. Meanwhile, businesses and banks doing business with Iran will
have to scramble to extricate themselves or run afoul of the U.S.
For nations contemplating striking their own sensitive deals with Trump,
such as North Korea, the withdrawal will increase suspicions that they
cannot expect lasting U.S. fidelity to international agreements it signs.
Yet nations like Israel and Saudi Arabia that loathed the deal are likely to
see it as a sign the United States is returning to a more skeptical, less
trusting approach to dealing with adversaries. Former President Barack
Obama, whose administration negotiated the deal, called the Trump decision
“misguided.” He added that “the consistent flouting of agreements that our
country is a party to risks eroding America’s credibility and puts us at
odds with the world’s major powers.”Trump, who repeatedly criticized the
accord during his presidential campaign, said Tuesday that documents
recently released by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed Iran
had attempted to develop a nuclear bomb in the previous decade, especially
before 2003. Although Trump gave no explicit evidence that Iran violated the
deal, he said Iran had clearly lied in the past and could not be trusted.
Iran has denied ever pursuing nuclear arms.
Netanyahu welcomed Trump’s announcement, calling it a “historic move.”
There was a predictably mixed reaction from Congress. Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said the Iran deal “was flawed from
the beginning,” and he looked forward to working with Trump on next steps.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, slammed Trump in
a statement, saying this “rash decision isolates America, not Iran.”
The 2015 agreement had lifted most U.S. and international sanctions against
Iran. In return, Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear program that
would make it impossible to produce a bomb, along with rigorous inspections.
In a burst of last-minute diplomacy, punctuated by a visit by Britain’s top
diplomat, the deal’s European members gave in to many of Trump’s demands,
according to officials, diplomats and others briefed on the negotiations.
Yet the Europeans realized he was unpersuaded to back off.
Trump spoke with French President Macron and Chinese leader Xi Jinping about
his decision Tuesday. The British foreign secretary traveled to Washington
this week to make a last-minute pitch to the U.S. to remain in the deal,
according to a senior British diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Hours before the announcement, European countries met in Brussels with
Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs, Abbas Araghchi.
In Iran, many are deeply concerned about how Trump’s decision could affect
the already struggling economy. In Tehran, Rouhani sought to calm nerves,
smiling as he appeared at a petroleum expo. He didn’t name Trump directly,
but emphasized that Iran continued to seek “engagement with the world.”
The first 15 months of Trump’s presidency have been filled with many “last
chances” for the Iran deal in which he’s punted the decision for another few
months, and then another. As he left his announcement Tuesday, he predicted
that Iranians would someday “want to make a new and lasting deal” and that
“when they do, I am ready, willing and able.”
Even Trump’s secretary of state and the U.N. agency that monitors nuclear
compliance agree that Iran, so far, has lived up to its side of the deal.
But the deal’s critics, such as Israel, the Gulf Arab states and many
Republicans, say it’s a giveaway to Tehran that ultimately would pave the
way to a nuclear-armed Iran.
For the Europeans, Trump’s withdrawal constitutes dispiriting proof that
trying to appease him is futile.
Although the U.S. and Europeans made progress on ballistic missiles and
inspections, there were disagreements over extending the life of the deal
and how to trigger additional penalties if Iran were found in violation,
U.S. officials and European diplomats have said.
**Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Jill Colvin, Zeke Miller and Ken
Thomas in Washington and Amir Vahdat and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran,
contributed to this report.
Trump announces US withdrawal from
Iran nuclear deal
Al Arabiya and agencies/Tuesday, 8 May 2018/US
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the Washington will pull out of the
landmark nuclear accord with Iran. "The United States does not make empty
threats," he said in a televised address. Trump's decision means Iran's
government must now decide whether to follow the US and withdraw or try to
salvage what's left of the deal. Iran has offered conflicting statements
about what it may do - and the answer may depend on exactly how Trump exits
the agreement. Trump said he would move to re-impose all sanctions on Iran
that had been lifted under the 2015 deal, not just the ones facing an
immediate deadline. This had become known informally as the "nuclear option"
because of the near-certainty that such a move would scuttle the deal. The
agreement, struck in 2015 by the United States, other world powers and Iran,
lifted most US and international sanctions against the country. In return,
Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear program making it impossible to
produce a bomb, along with rigorous inspections. In a burst of last-minute
diplomacy, punctuated by a visit by Britain's top diplomat, the deal's
European members gave in to many of Trump's demands, according to officials,
diplomats and others briefed on the negotiations. Yet they still left
convinced he was likely to re-impose sanctions. Macron was to have a
conference call with British Prime Minister Theresa May and German
Chancellor Angela Merkel about half an hour before Trump's announcement.
Turkey says US decision on Iran deal will cause
instability, new conflicts
Reuters/Wednesday, 9 May 2018/A spokesman for Turkish President Tayyip
Erdogan said on Tuesday that the decision by the United States to
unilaterally withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will cause instability
and new conflicts.
In a tweet, Ibrahim Kalin also said the multilateral agreement would
continue with the other nations, and added that Turkey would continue to
oppose all forms of nuclear weapons. President Donald Trump on Tuesday
pulled the US out of an international nuclear deal with Iran in a step that
will raise the risk of conflict in the Middle East, upset America’s European
allies and bring uncertainty to global oil supplies. Trump, speaking in a
televised address from the White House, said he would reimpose economic
sanctions on Iran. “This was a horrible one-sided deal that should have
never, ever been made,” Trump said. “It didn’t bring calm. It didn’t bring
peace. And it never will.”
US Navy jets begin sorties against
ISIS in Syria from Mediterranean
Karolina Tagaris, Reuters/Tuesday, 8 May 2018
A US naval strike force led by aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman began
sorties on May 3 against Islamic State in Syria, continuing missions by a
US-led coalition against the militants. The force joined the US Sixth Fleet
on April 18, nearly a week after the United States, Britain and France
launched air strikes targeting what Western powers said were Syrian chemical
weapons installations. The Navy said it was a scheduled deployment to
support coalition partners, NATO allies and US national security interests.
“We commenced combat operations in support of Operation Inherent Resolve,”
Truman’s commanding officer Captain Nicholas Dienna said, referring to the
coalition operation launched in 2014 against Islamic State in Iraq and
Syria. “That operation demonstrates ... our resolve to our partners and
allies in the region and our continuing fight to eliminate ISIS and their
impact to the region,” he said.
An F/A-18 fighter jet lands on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier.
(Reuters). Strike fighter squadrons commenced sorties over Syria from the
eastern Mediterranean on May 3, the Navy said in a statement. The most
recent aircraft carrier strike group to operate in the sixth fleet was the
USS George H.W. Bush which last conducted combat operations from the eastern
Mediterranean Sea in July 2017. The Truman is capable of carrying 90
aircraft, including F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets. It currently has “60 or
so” aircraft on board, Truman’s air department officer Commander Steven
Djunaedi said. Several fighter jets were catapulted in sequence on Friday
and Saturday from the Truman’s 4.5-acre flight deck and thundered into the
sky, a Reuters witness said. The strike group includes the cruiser USS
Normandy and the destroyers Arleigh Burke, Farragut, Forrest Sherman and
Bulkeley. “Our fundamental job, by our presence even alone, is to increase
the security and stability here in this part of the world,” Dienna said. The
Nimitz-class carrier was at the center of the US Navy’s strikes against ISIS
in 2016. It returned to its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, after an extended
eight-month deployment.
Officials on board would not say how long its latest deployment was expected
to last. “We’ll be here as long as they need us and we’ll move on when they
decide we need to go do something else,” the strike group’s commander Rear
Admiral Gene Black said. The United States, Britain and France have all
participated in the Syrian conflict, arming rebels, bombing Islamic State
fighters and deploying troops on the ground to fight the group. April’s
intervention was the biggest by Western countries against President Bashar
Assad and his ally Russia. The countries said the strikes were limited to
Syria’s chemical weapons capabilities and not aimed at toppling Assad or
intervening in the civil war. On Friday, the US Navy said it was
re-establishing its Second Fleet, responsible for the northern Atlantic
Ocean, amid heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow.Asked to
comment on relations with the Russian navy in the Mediterranean, Dienna
said: “We’ve had numerous interactions thus far with the Russians across the
Mediterranean. “I have been involved in virtually all of them and every
single one of those has been professional, it’s been courteous and it’s been
in accordance with international law.”
US Navy is
Resurrecting a Fleet to Protect the East Coast, North Atlantic from Russia
Washington - Alex Horton/The Washington Post /May
08/18
The US Navy has reactivated a fleet responsible for overseeing the East
Coast and North Atlantic — an escalation of the Pentagon’s focus on a
resurgent Russia and its expanding military presence. The 2nd Fleet,
deactivated in 2011 to preserve funds for new ships, will resume operations
in Norfolk on July 1, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson told
reporters Friday. “This is a dynamic response to the dynamic security
environment,” Richardson said onboard the carrier USS George H.W. Bush. “So
as we’ve seen this great-power competition emerge, the Atlantic Ocean is as
dynamic a theater as any and particular the North Atlantic, so as we
consider high-end naval warfare, fighting in the Atlantic, that will be the
2nd Fleet’s responsibility.” Navy officials had previously recommended
reactivating the fleet as part of broader reviews following last year’s row
of deadly collisions among ships in the Japan-based 7th Fleet. In a separate
statement, Richardson invoked Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s national-defense
strategy as key guidance to reestablish the fleet, which will extend halfway
across the Atlantic until it meets the area of responsibility for the
Italy-based 6th Fleet. Mattis’s framework, released in January, said
“long-term strategic competitions” with Russia and China are the top Defense
Department priorities as the Pentagon seeks to pivot away from
counterinsurgencies that have consumed funding and exhausted resources since
Sept. 11, 2001. Defense officials and analysts have said those operations
took attention away from modernizing the military, allowing Russia and China
to close the technological gap with newer and deadlier weaponry.
In that time, Russia has occupied Crimea and Ukraine and provoked a host of
hostilities against the West, including cyberattacks and interference in
elections in Europe and the United States. That also includes an uptick of
Russian submarines prowling for undersea telecommunications cables used by
NATO. The reactivation of the 2nd Fleet signals the Navy’s desire to
“operate more powerfully and credibly in the North Atlantic,” Bryan McGrath,
a former destroyer commander and deputy director of the Center of American
Seapower at the Hudson Institute, said Saturday. One concern the 2nd Fleet
will immediately address: the threat from a now-modest number of Russian
nuclear attack submarines capable of cruising in the depths off the East
Coast, McGrath told The Washington Post. Submarines like the nuclear-powered
Yasen-class fleet are equipped with hypersonic anti-ship missiles and
nuclear-capable missiles that can reach any city on the Eastern Seaboard
within range, he said. Russian submarines can also create a hazard of mines
and anti-submarine missiles that would complicate a deployment in support of
NATO allies, risking an escalation of tension with US cities in range, he
said. Patrols will likely start soon after and involve manned and unmanned
surface ships, attack submarines and air surveillance by P-8 Poseidon
aircraft, a sub-hunting warplane. McGrath also said having a likely
three-star vice admiral at the fleet will improve coordination with NATO
allies, particularly with Northern Europe and the United Kingdom. The 2nd
Fleet’s reactivation will free up the Navy’s Fleet Forces for its original
mission to train and provide forces to commanders worldwide. It had
previously assumed responsibility for the fleet’s mission after the 2011
disestablishment. The move also arrives alongside broader NATO strategies to
counter Russia. In a separate announcement Friday, the Pentagon said it
proposed a NATO Joint Force Command for the Atlantic in Norfolk.
French defense minister says weakening Iran deal
would aggravate region
By Reuters, Paris Tuesday, 8 May 2018/France's defense minister said
weakening the Iran deal would aggravate an eruptive region, as world powers
waited to see if U.S. President Donald Trump would pull out of the accord on
Tuesday. Florence Parly told French radio RTL the deal was not perfect but
had successfully suspended Iran's nuclear military programme and the
Iranians had respected the agreement. Trump has repeatedly threatened to
withdraw from the deal, which eased economic sanctions on Iran in exchange
for Tehran limiting its nuclear program, unless France, Germany and Britain
- which also signed the agreement - fix what he has called its flaws. A U.S.
official said on Monday it was unclear if efforts by European allies to
address Trump's concerns over the pact would be enough to save it."The 2015
Vienna agreement is not perfect but allowed the suspension of the Iranian
nuclear power programme and weakening it would be a factor of aggravation in
a very eruptive region," Parly said.
Iraqi intelligence reveals where ISIS’s Baghdadi believed to be hiding
Staff writer, Al Arabiya EnglishTuesday, 8 May 2018/Iraqi officials speaking
to Fox News on Sunday said that ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still at
large, and is being actively hunted. “The last information we have is he is
in Al-Hajin in Syria, 18 miles from the border in Deir ez-Zor province,” Abu
Ali al-Basri, director-general of the intelligence and counter-terrorism
office at the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, told Fox News. According to Basri,
reports of Baghdadi’s whereabouts are new, and being used to carry out a
“multi-force raid” involving Russian, Syrian and Iranian forces. Iraqi
Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool confirmed to Fox that
Baghdadi is thought to be alive, and that he may be located in the border
area east of the Euphrates River, possibly in the town of al-Shadaddah in
al-Hasakah province in northeast Syria. “It’s not difficult for him to hide
in the Syrian desert,” the officer said. The Iraqi air force has stepped up
its attacks against ISIS targets in Syria in recent days.
2 Pilots Killed as Russian Helicopter Crashes in
Syria
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 8 May, 2018/A Russian attack helicopter crashed in
Syria late on Monday killing both pilots, Moscow's defense ministry said in
a statement. A Russian Ka-52 helicopter crashed while on a routine flight
over Syria’s eastern regions. “Both pilots were killed," the statement said.
It added that the incident "may have been due to a technical malfunction"
and that a rescue team recovered the bodies. It did not give further
details. The incident is the Russian army's second deadly crash in Syria in
less than a week. On May 3, a Russian Su-300 fighter jet crashed into the
Mediterranean Sea after taking off from the Hmeimim airbase, killing both
pilots. The most recent large military loss acknowledged by Russia came when
a transport plane crashed on landing at the airbase in March, killing all 39
people on board.
Tension rises as
Bashar al-Assad possibly becomes Israel’s next target
Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 8 May 2018 /Iranian military intervention in
Syria may cost Syrian President Bashar al-Assad his life after an Israeli
minister hinted at a possible assassination attempt. Israeli Energy Minister
Yuval Steinitz on Monday demanded that Syria should turn into an Iranian
military base to wage attacks against Israel. “If Assad allows Iran to turn
Syria into a military vanguard against us, to attack us from Syrian
territory, he should know that would be the end of him, the end of his
regime,” Steinitz told the Ynet news site. Al Arabiya's Shadaan Hammam
reports.
Libya’s Haftar Kicks off Military Offensive to
Liberate Derna from Terrorists
Asharq
Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 8 May, 2018/Commander of the Libyan National Army Field
Marshal Khalifa Haftar announced on Monday the launch of military operations
to liberate the eastern city of Derna from terrorists “after peace efforts
there reached a dead end.”"The zero hour has struck for the liberation of
Derna," said Haftar, declaring his troops had already started to crush the
"bastions of terrorists" in the city. “We have given instructions to avoid
civilians,” he added during a speech at a military parade in Benghazi. Derna
is the last major bastion of opposition to the LNA in eastern Libya. The LNA
has surrounded the city, on the coastal highway between Benghazi and Egypt,
and has long threatened to begin ground operations there. However, its
campaign has so far been limited to encirclement along with occasional air
strikes and bombardments. Derna is controlled by a coalition of extremists
and rebel veterans known as the Derna Mujahideen Shura Council (DMSC).
Egypt, which backs the LNA, has also carried out air strikes in Derna on
what it said were training camps sending militants into Egypt. Late on
Sunday there were air strikes southeast of Derna, followed by clashes on
Monday morning around a flour factory east of Derna. In recent weeks the LNA
has deployed new units in the Derna area and at the end of last month Haftar
made a rare visit to forces stationed outside the city, following his return
from medical treatment in France. The United Nations is leading efforts to
stabilize Libya and prepare it for elections before the end of the year.
These efforts were met last week with an ISIS-claimed bombing of the
electoral commission in the capital Tripoli. Another flashpoint is the
southern city of Sabha, where fighting between communal groups that is
linked to the wider conflict has escalated in recent weeks. On Sunday, three
children in Sabha were killed and five people including their parents were
wounded by shelling, the manager of Sabha Medical Center said. Before that,
at least 18 people had been killed and 86 wounded in fighting since
February, he said.
Saudi FM:
Iran-planned Houthi attacks do not affect kingdom’s stability
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 8 May 2018/Saudi Foreign Minister
Adel al-Jubeir said on Monday that Houthi attacks planned by Iran do not
affect the kingdom’s stability. "The Iranian-planned Houthi attacks, which
are strongly denounced by the international community, reveal their
terrorism and never affects our stability and development," Jubeir said on
Twitter. The spokesman of the Arab coalition forces in Yemen, Col. Turki Al-Malki,
said earlier on Monday that the Houthi militia was violating international
and humanitarian law by exploiting educational, diplomatic and religious
institutions in the war. He also played a video showing Houthi gunmen enter
a mosque and ascend to its minaret to position their snipers and target
people. Malki also said that 107 posts for Houthi militias’ gatherings were
destroyed in Yemen, adding that Houthi terrorists were killed in Yemen
across the Saudi borders and a number of Houthi commanders at Al Bayda front
were also killed.
Arab coalition strike hits presidential office
in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital
Agencies Monday, 7 May 2018/An air strike targeted the office of the
presidency in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Monday. The strike came
hours after Saudi Arabia's air defenses intercepted two ballistic missiles
launched by the Houthis that targeted the south of the kingdom, coalition
spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said. He said the rockets were launched
from northern Yemen toward "populated areas" of Saudi Arabia, but were
intercepted overnight without any casualties or damage. "This hostile act...
proves the continued involvement of the Iranian regime in supporting the
Huthi militia with qualitative capabilities," Malki added. Since November of
last year, the Iran-backed insurgents have intensified missile attacks into
neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition launched a military
intervention in Yemen in 2015 with the goal of rolling back the Houthis and
restoring the internationally-recognized government to power.(With AFP)
Armenian Protest Leader Pashinyan Elected PM by Parliament
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/18/Armenia's parliament on Tuesday
elected opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister after he
spearheaded weeks of mass protests against the ruling party, transforming
the country's political landscape. Lawmakers voted 59 to 42 to approve
Pashinyan's candidacy to the nation's top job with the ruling Republican
Party backing the opposition leader's premiership bid on his second attempt
after it narrowly voting him down last week, plunging the Caucasus nation
into its most serious political crisis in years.
Syria Says Downed Two Israeli Missiles near
capital
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/18/The Syrian army on Tuesday night
intercepted two Israeli missiles fired towards a district near Damascus, the
official SANA news agency said. According to SANA, "anti-aircraft defenses
intercepted two Israeli missiles launched against (the district of) Kissweh
and destroyed them."Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that missiles targeted an "arms depot
belonging to Hizbullah and the Iranians."
Latest LCCC Bulletin
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on May 08-09/18
Containing Iran’s Nefarious Influence in
the Region
Pascal Emmanuel Gobry/Bloomberg/May 08/18
French President Emmanuel Macron wants to rescue the Iran nuclear deal,
formally known as JCPOA. His office made a joint announcement with the
office of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that the two leaders would work
together on preserving the deal, in the wake of Macron's state visit to the
United States, where he tried to convince his American counterpart to give
the deal a chance. Macron has put forward a proposal that could, indeed,
improve the situation and enable everyone to claim victory. Trump
should take up Macron’s suggestion: to treat the existing deal, known by its
acronym JCPOA, which covers Iran’s nuclear program, as one leg in a broader
accord that would cover nuclear activities beyond JCPOA’s 10-year deadline,
ballistic missile technology, and, especially, Iran’s sponsorship of
terrorism in the region.
This is clever diplomacy. It would enable Trump to claim victory by pursuing
an even bigger deal (“the biggest deal ever,” perhaps?). Trying to improve
the situation in one area by opening other areas for discussion is a good
negotiating tactic, which the author of “The Art of the Deal” might
appreciate.
It might potentially address Iranian concerns: The economic windfall from
the deal never materialized, because while it lifted nuclear
proliferation-related sanctions, it did not lift terrorism
sponsorship-related sanctions, and so deterred many companies from investing
in Iran due to the regulatory complexity. Given that, as Eli Lake points
out, the regime is embattled by economic under-performance and public
bitterness about its overseas adventures, it might jump at the chance to
have further sanctions lifted.
This is the right approach. One can see JCPOA as intensely flawed and yet
still believe that, now that it is signed, scuttling it would be worse than
staying in and trying to improve the situation from there. (This is, for
example, the position of Jim Mattis, US defense chief and Iran hawk.)
It is also good to make this case because France has successfully managed to
walk a tight line between engagement and toughness. Germany, mostly seeing
Iran as a potential export market, has at times seemed eager to get Iran
sanctions lifted at any cost. The US veers wildly in its Iran approach
depending on the party occupying the White House.
France has maintained business, scientific and cultural ties with Iran, as
well as diplomatic dialogue, and has eschewed the sort of saber-rattling
that is too often the hallmark of US foreign policy. Famously, in the 1990s,
France openly flouted the American D’Amato-Kennedy Act, which inflicted US
sanctions on companies investing in the hydrocarbon sector in Iran and
Libya, encouraging Total to invest in the country (EU companies ended up
getting an exemption). And yet, France has been unfailingly uncompromising
when it comes to Iran’s nuclear program. There is an intrinsic motive: As a
nuclear-armed country, France has always made nonproliferation a priority,
as a WikiLeaks-leaked US embassy cable on France’s Iran policy pointed out.
The French government has made serious investments in intelligence and
expertise in the area of nuclear proliferation for decades.
But there are more pragmatic geopolitical concerns as well — the two
countries have a long history, with the earliest diplomatic contacts dating
back to the 13th century. Nowadays, France supports efforts to contain
Iran-backed “Hezbollah” in Lebanon, a former colony with close ties.
In 2013, when Iran’s secret enrichment site at Fordow was discovered, it was
France that took the lead on crippling sanctions, including an oil embargo
and a freeze on Iranian central bank assets abroad. During the negotiations
over JCPOA in Geneva, with the Obama administration eager to accommodate
Iran, France was frequently more hawkish. If Trump does pull out of JCPOA,
France’s more balanced Iran policy might point the way forward. The idea
aims to fold nuclear nonproliferation into a broader effort to curtail
Iran’s nefarious influence in the region, particularly when it comes to
terrorism and Syria. Whether the aggrieved Iranian regime will go along, and
whether such a multilateral containment framework can work without American
engagement, remains to be seen.
This is My Country, Oh Hell!
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/May 08/18
Whenever an Iraqi, Libyan or Lebanese told me that he had returned to his
country so as not to die in exile, I had strange feelings. Is the tomb the
only service that troubled maps can offer to those who once tried to avoid
engaging in their massacres?
Is it conceivable that the homeland becomes a mere grave project for the
returning expatriate and for the suffering resident? And does the map become
a large tomb when people are addicted to living under partisanship, militias
and failure, and away from the State of laws and institutions and its
guarantees? And who deserves to be cried over, those who have come back and
saved some of their lives while abroad, or the residents who completely
squandered their lives inside their country?
He was sitting alone in a coffee shop with a cup of coffee and his computer,
surfing websites and sometimes smiling sarcastically. He did not look
around, giving the impression that he was waiting for no one. His presence
in that place was strange. Today, he is expected to be in his village to
assume his duty. The parliamentary elections are a national wedding. The
screens say so. They also say that it is an opportunity for the citizen to
speak. To choose. And to decide. To participate in making his future and the
future of the country to which he belongs.
The journalist quickly spots a person who has a story to tell. This man
wants nothing from his country. His age does no longer entitle him to enter
the race for the search of a future. He neither wants a job nor a role. He
wants to spend the time that is left for him in a natural place. These are
the basic rights of a citizen when he has a homeland.
The man packed his bag and returned home. He has been spoiled in his
readings abroad. He was convinced that the Lebanese had learned from bitter
experiences… From the destructive internal battle and its consequences… from
foreign tutelage and its sorrows. He was almost certain that those who were
born during successive wars would not repeat the sins of their fathers; and
that they would not fall into the traps of sorcerers, charlatans and sellers
of fanaticism and hatred and the squandering of public money and the
confiscation of the state.
He said the new generation would inject new blood into the country’s veins.
He believed that those coming from schools and universities would not hide
the daggers under their clothes, waiting for the moment of clash with their
colleagues and co-citizens.
The man returned and stayed. He had the illusion that his country was a warm
and welcoming place, and that the Lebanese have learned the lesson. He soon
discovered that the ordinary Lebanese people are despised every day… in the
streets, in public institutions, and on screens. He found out that his
country is losing its meaning, its spirit and its role. He discovered that
the decline is speeding up…
He discovered that his country has exhausted all its characteristics; that
the capital has not ceased to deteriorate for decades. The capital, which
was a window and an opportunity, has become a prisoner of past wars. The
country has grown old with its books, its members and groups. Its blood is
shed by the corrupt, the helpless and the adventurous. Even those who were
believed to be a promise . have swooped down on the feast with an old
hunger. Disappointment with their behavior will add to the deterioration of
institutions and will root out the remaining immunity of the country and the
people.
He skims through newspapers and screens and becomes more anxious. Why is the
country so arid? You find no sparkle, no idea of progress. It is a country
that expels its children and continues its path towards defeat.
Others head towards development and progress, while the country follows the
swamps of failed ideas, while enjoying same faults committed by the same
people. It’s a situation of awful aridity... Electoral lists that carry a
fair number of corrupt, shameless and perpetrators. The audience applauds.
Old and small wars in a turbulent region full of dead, interventions and
waves of refugees. As if the election season is the period of announcing
national bankruptcy. Here is Lebanon shrinking and waning.
Arrogant boys are lacking experience and moral and national immunity. Boys,
who ignore their history to an extent that they spoil their present and
their future. Their voracity knows no limits. They do not hesitate to open
the wounds and add salt out of their ambitions in a handful of votes and a
seat in Parliament, the corruption of which is well known to the Lebanese.
There is no use to grieve the old Lebanon because it wouldn’t have gone with
the wind should it had the capacity to survive. But the alternative is
really awful. While others move towards building a state and consolidating
security and stability, the Lebanese people remain prisoners of those who
have killed their sons, their dignity and their state.
There is no dignity for a map without a state… A map that is nurtured by
young politicians’ tricks and their ability to deceive people and seize what
remains of the looted resources without mercy. The war has killed some of
the spirit of Lebanon, and here is the fake peace which assassinates the
rest of it. Truce, which is held in the absence of a state and over its
ruins, is in fact an assassination. Dignity, in the absence of a state, does
not deserve to be named as such. The absence of the state means handing over
the keys to the dark old caves. The absence of the state means that groups
will always have their daggers and prepare new graves for their children.
How difficult are democratic elections when they stress the insistence on
the decline. When some politicians pounce the elections, like pirates attack
a ship carrying gold. One can see sharp fingernails, eyes full of greed and
consciences that were lost due to the excess of their wrongdoings. These are
criminal maps that punish the citizen once when he leaves, and once he makes
the mistake of surrendering to his nostalgia. However, he will not return to
France. He has run out of adventure and wasted years. He will spend his
seventies aboard the broken ship. This sick map will not spare him a grave.
He opens his hands, wondering: This is my country, but Oh Hell!
Resilience Against Conflicts Key to Ending
Hunger
José Graziano da Silva/Asharq Al Awsat/May 08/18
Many countries in the Near East and North Africa deserve praise for keeping
food security high on their agenda. As a result of this perseverance, 14
Arab countries achieved the target set by UN Millennium Development Goal 1
to halve the proportion of individuals suffering from hunger during the
period 1990 to 2015. But today the NENA region faces challenges that
threaten its ability to achieve zero hunger by 2030 and other Sustainable
Development Goals. These challenges include primarily conflict situations,
but also the impacts of climate change, scarce and mismanaged natural
resources, distress migration, and persistent poverty. This week, the UN’s
Food and Agriculture Organization is convening at its headquarters in Rome
the NENA regional conference. The event provides an opportunity for the 30
countries in the region to discuss the way forward for achieving sustainable
development.
The challenge is substantial. Some countries, mired in conflict, risk being
left behind. In fact, the costs of conflict are immense. In 2016 alone, the
number of deaths in the region due to conflict has been estimated at 82,000.
As of mid-2016, the total number of displaced persons in the world
registered by the UNHCR reached an all-time high of 67.6 million, nearly 25
million of which originated from only five countries in the NENA region:
Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq and Sudan.
The violence associated with much of the conflict has also eroded the
ability of people to feed themselves. Since 2013, the number of hungry
people in the NENA region has increased by 15 percent. In the period 2015 to
2017, 48 million people faced hunger in the region, an increase of 5.8
million on 2011 to 13. Three-quarters of those who fell into hunger came
from the previously mentioned five countries. Peace is a fundamental element
to ending the protracted crises in the region, but the international
community cannot wait for peace to take action. Even in conflict situations,
much can be done to fight hunger and give hope to those affected that a
better future is possible. Social protection programs are, for instance, an
invaluable tool in this regard. These include cash transfers, seed rations,
support for vegetable production, as well as livestock treatment and
vaccination. In the Dohuk and Irbil governorates of Iraq, for example, the
FAO is supporting internally displaced persons and vulnerable host
households to improve their livelihoods, nutrition and food security through
vegetable production using greenhouses, backyard poultry, cottage industries
and honey production. In Yemen, the FAO supports beekeeping and dairy value
chains to improve livelihoods among conflict-stricken communities while
adding value to agriculture. And in Jordan and Lebanon, the FAO is working
to improve the livelihoods and food security of vulnerable agriculture-based
communities hosting Syrian refugees. Investing in local food production is
essential to giving affected people the conditions for them to live on their
own, for them to get back to their normal work, to do what they know. To
save lives, we have to save their livelihoods.
The Earth is not round
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/May 08/18
Amid much ridicule, a conference was recently held in Britain to prove that
Earth is flat. This conference was held last year too and attended by some
people who claim to be scientists and by some who base their views on
religion. Their theories violate everything that scientists have proven
following a long historical conflict that was settled by technology. Those
who cited the conference and considered it a reference are like those who
repeatedly cite conspiracy theories to prove that Earth is flat; man did not
land on the moon, NASA is a mere tool of propaganda which the Americans
invented to use against the Soviets, the Earth does not rotate, AIDS is a
lie and cancer is a man-made diseased for commercial purposes. Those who
echo such theories are a petty minority in the West, and the majority of
people poke fun at them and is entertained by them. Meanwhile, projects to
discover and invade space are still ongoing. In our current materialistic
world, science has the upper hand. Science is what divides the world into
winners and losers, the capable and the incapable, the donors and the donor
recipients and the militarily strong and the vulnerable. No matter how
opulent a society is, like our case was during the previous phase of oil
wealth, it cannot progress without a comprehensive scientific project. Our
scientific incapability is a major reason in our backwardness no matter how
big our airports, cities and highways are and how many laborers and servants
we bring from across the world. All these are unfortunately imported
cultural and developmental projects that did not establish for a
developmental scientific project that handles developing and teaching
intensive sciences as they were based on securing easy welfare.
Brave measures
There are skeptics and people who refuse scientific advancement and they
will continue to be a part of our lives but they are not an obstacle today
like they were until a recent phase when they fought teaching science
because they feared from it over religion and faith. The real challenge is
in spreading science and developing it and transitioning into a society that
relies on it. No matter how opulent a society is, like our case was during
the previous phase of oil wealth, it cannot progress without a comprehensive
scientific project. We need to reconsider the old approach, the concept of
education and its role in the society. We need other brave measures that
focus on exact sciences and make them the core of our developmental project
and that adopt advanced global standards as our standards for progress.
Scientific minds in South Korea are what make the country at the forefront
today, like the case is with all major industrial countries. The crucial
difference is in scientific advancement which can save time and fulfill the
ambitions of developmental plans. Singapore did not only succeed because
it’s a strict government with a modern administrative system but also
because it focused on education, specifically on sciences, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The successful results achieved by this
small country are amazing compared with countries that have more
capabilities and natural resources and that are in its geographic and
political surrounding. We are before a great opportunity for change by
benefitting from the positive atmosphere brought by Vision 2030 and thanks
to the clear desire to achieve change not just in the higher roles of the
state but also in the street and not just in the Gulf but also in the entire
region.
Iran’s expansionist project eyes North Africa
Sawsan Al Shaer/Al Arabiya/May 08/18
We should know that Iran is not an ordinary state in the conventional sense
of the term. We must not be deceived if some of its cabinet members speak
English or if Iran has a wing described as “moderate,” as the regime does
not acknowledge international agreements and conventions and does not
acknowledge the sovereign borders between it and others. The Iranian regime
pursues a “settlement” project that it believes is supported by God. It is
based on exporting its revolution against regimes that do not support it.
This policy relies on a doctrine on which the constitution is based, and is
not just a minor element in its political framework. Thus any diplomatic
activity, be it cultural, religious or military, between Iran and any other
state only serves Iran’s expansionist project and is in agreement with its
constitution. Any country that has any kind of relation with Iran, whether
diplomatic, cultural or commercial, must not think that it is dealing with
Tehran upon any agreed international norms, but it must expect Iran to use
any activity outside its borders with any state to serve its colonial
project. Iran only uses the states it signs any agreements with or exchanges
any kind of relations with, as a step and a bridge for its expansionist
Persian project.
Iran targets Morocco
When Morocco severed its relations with Iran in 2009, in the wake of several
crimes the Iranian regime committed when it interfered in Bahrain’s internal
affairs, King Mohammed VI sent a message to King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al
Khalifa, and said: “Out of the strong bonds of sincere brotherhood, active
solidarity and a firm belief of a shared destiny between our two sister
kingdoms, we express to Your Highness our deep concern regarding the
suspicious and serious statements issued recently and which stipulated that
some Iranian circles tried to undermine the sanctity and sovereignty of the
sister Kingdom of Bahrain and the sanctity of its regional and territorial
safety.”In this message which was broadcast by the Maghreb Arabe Press news
agency , King Mohammed VI considered that the “absurd Iranian statements
contradict with the principles and rules of international law, as well as
with the tranquility and good neighborly values which our tolerant Islamic
faith urges us to follow.”
In May 2011, Morocco’s then-foreign minister Taieb Fassi Fihri clarified
that they severed ties with Tehran to show solidarity with Bahrain and also
because the former tried to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom
of Morocco. He said: “We severed ties with Iran almost two years ago after
it attempted to interfere in our affairs. Morocco is a religiously and
popularly unified country. We do not have Shiites.” In his response to a
question on whether Iran was a “burden” for regional security, Fihri said:
“Without any doubt. We do not support dialogue with any neighbor no matter
how important it is, if there were no pre-conditions to non-interference in
internal affairs.”
This is the truth about Iran. It does not recognize any country’s
sovereignty as the world will remain a public common for the Persian
doctrine as long as the principle of “exporting the revolution” is part of
the regime. However, Iranian-Moroccan relations normalized in 2016 and the
two sides exchanged ambassadors. Morocco hoped that Iran had learnt its
lesson and will not think of interfering in Moroccan affairs or meddling in
Moroccan-Algerian differences or supporting Algeria in its stance in the
Western Sahara against it. However, as stated above Iran is not a normal
state as it has an expansionist project and has well thought out plans
pushing in that direction. All its alliances are based on serving this plan.
Whether it establishes diplomatic ties or not, it has the same position over
any territory as it considers it a common land to export its revolution to.
Influence in North Africa
Two years have passed since relations were restored. Iran continued with its
project which was suspended for two years. As if there was no lesson learnt
for seven years. None of Iran’s actions are out of love for Algeria or for
the people of the Sahara but it’s all about serving the project that aims to
overthrow Arab regimes one by one including Algeria, to which Iran delivered
weapons to terrorist organizations. Its relation with Algeria or some
parties in Tunisia or Morocco is based on the extent to which these parties
serve Iranian agenda to extend its power in North Africa. It reached its
peak in Egypt during Mohammed Mursi’s era which has opened the doors to it.
Thus, the only thing left for it was to extend its power to the Atlantic
Ocean. Iran seeks to infiltrate Morocco and it’s working hard to do so
either by opening new centers for Shiism or through making alliances with
political parties in the Arab Maghreb countries. It delivered weapons to the
center of Algeria and provided weapons, including Iranian ballistic
missiles, to banned groups in Morocco through its Lebanese agent.
Therefore, any country that believes it’s dealing with Iran upon well-known
international norms and traditions is wrong, and it will soon regret this.
My vision on the religious diversity in Saudi Arabia
Nathalie Goulet/Al Arabiya/May 08/18
Worst than the blind are those who refuse to acknowledge the major changes
sweeping through Saudi Arabia in a short span of time. Today, news is heard
about the activities of the Muslim World League’s officials and among them
its leader Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa.
Recently, he met President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious
Dialogue and the French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran. Their discussions are
considered a major breakthrough. I have already spoken about what I have
concluded about an invitation extended to Christian leaders to visit Saudi
Arabia, and among them the Pope himself. That was during my trip to in Paris
in June 2016, during which I have had the pleasure speak with the Crown
Prince about Saudi Arabia and its movements toward the change.
Broken taboos
I believe that many taboos have been broken and only warped minds would
perceive it as a kind of tactics. Many signs had predicted this change and
no one could have imagined it occurring at such speed. It is possible that
we are at the cusp of a true cultural revolution in Saudi Arabia. More than
ever, we must support all the efforts being made. The visit of the Secretary
General of the World Arab League to the Grand Synagogue of Paris during his
visit last November was dubbed by many as a minor anecdote. Prince Mohammed
bin Salman's meetings with multifaith leaders in New York was also treated
as a public relations stunt. The visit of the highest advisor of the Pope to
Saudi Arabia was barely talked about. Today, conditions are quite different
and the 2030 vision is no longer a tool since it impacts the deepest
segments of Saudi society which is confined and closed on its own.
For more than two years, clear and indisputable acts of tolerance and
broad-mindedness have been taken showing the leadership’s accommodation of
cultural and religious diversity. Prince Mohammed bin Salman had
demonstrated this fact. This tolerance to religious diversity is a giant
step forward for modernity which will silence many critics. I have always
maintained and written that it is important to follow reforms and Saudi
Vision 2030. It is possible that we are at the cusp of a true cultural
revolution in Saudi Arabia. More than ever, we must support all the efforts
being made.
For some, the surprise comes from the fact that a politician has fulfilled
his promises. They certainly should get used to it. Saudi Arabia has just
given a strong signal towards tolerance to the world and all extremists on
the eve of Ramadan. Everyone is about to witness new stages in the opening
up of the country. There still remain some issues and taboos, but today is
the time to salute these historic decisions.
Iran in the US Backyard
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/May 08/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12268/iran-latin-america
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif went on a tour of six Latin
American nations in 2016. Iran's diplomatic efforts resulted in, among other
things, access to the use of Venezuelan territory to advance Iran's solid
rocket-fuel production.
Culturally, Iran has helped Hezbollah establish itself as the dominant force
among Shia Muslim communities throughout Latin America, and has taken control of
their mosques, schools and cultural institutions.
In 2012, there were 32 Iranian cultural centers across Latin America, to
facilitate the spread of the Iranian Islamic revolution; today, less than a
decade later, the number of centers has grown to more than 100.
Iran and Hezbollah have been operating in Latin America since the 1980s,
effectively undisturbed. During this time, Iran and its proxy, the terrorist
organization Hezbollah, have been Islamizing Latin America, seemingly to create
a forward base of operations for the Islamic Republic in the backyard of the
United States.
No Latin American country has designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization:
Hezbollah can operate with relative impunity there. In April 2017, a Hezbollah
operative, Mohamad Hamdar, arrested in Peru, was acquitted of all
terrorism-related charges. The Peruvian court found that Hamdar's role within
Hezbollah was in itself insufficient to consider him a terrorist[1]. This legal
vacuum regarding Hezbollah might also be why Islamic terrorism, drug-trafficking
and organized crime in the region is frequently underestimated.
According to testimony at a United States House of Representatives panel hearing
on Iran's global terrorism network on April 17, 2018, Iran and Hezbollah have
converted and radicalized thousands of Latin Americans to Shia Islam. In some
Latin American countries, such as Venezuela, Iran's and Hezbollah's efforts have
even been promoted by local political elites. Venezuelan Vice President Tareck
El Aissami -- of Lebanese and Syrian origins and with ties to both cocaine
trafficking and Hezbollah -- oversaw the illicit sale and distribution of at
least 10,000 Venezuelan passports and other documents to persons from Syria,
Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. These reportedly included Hezbollah
terrorists and members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. More than a
decade ago, a US congressional report warned that Venezuela was providing
support to radical Islamic groups, including the supply of identity documents.
El Aissami could, in the foreseeable future, become president of Venezuela.
Not only has Latin America's passive acceptance of Iranian infiltration also
allowed the Islamic Republic to create large networks of mosques and cultural
centers across the region; in addition, Iran and Hezbollah operate in multiple
areas and across multiple sectors, both licit and illicit, apparently to
strengthen and expand their influence in Latin America and to enrich Hezbollah
as a way to finance its growing terrorist and paramilitary activities.
These areas of operation encompass diplomacy, commercial enterprise, religious
dominance, and perhaps most significantly, substantial criminal activity. Iran
has employed diplomacy to evade sanctions imposed on it before the Iran "nuclear
deal." Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, then president of Iran, visited Latin America six
times during 2005-2012, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif went
on a tour of six Latin American nations in 2016. These diplomatic efforts
resulted in, among other things, access to the use of Venezuelan territory to
advance Iran's solid rocket-fuel production.
Culturally, Iran has helped Hezbollah establish itself as the dominant force
among Shia Muslim communities throughout the region, and has taken control of
their mosques, schools and cultural institutions. In 2012, there were 32 Iranian
cultural centers across Latin America the purpose of which is to facilitate the
spread of the Iranian Islamic revolution; today, less than a decade later, the
number of centers has grown to more than 100. Among other ways of presumably
spreading its influence, Iran also runs a Spanish-language 24-hour news
broadcast, HispanTV -- operated by IRIB, Iran's state-owned public broadcasting
corporation -- which broadcasts across Latin America.
Hezbollah has become a substantial international crime syndicate, which utilizes
its position in Latin America to deal in drug trafficking, weapons trafficking,
human trafficking, trade in counterfeit goods and money laundering, the proceeds
of which it uses to finance its activities.
Drugs, such as cocaine, are funneled into the United States to be sold there.
Some investigators believe that Hezbollah amasses $ 1 billion a year from its
criminal activities, which involve close cooperation with Latin American drug
cartels and criminal syndicates. Together, these create havoc in Latin America
and contribute to driving immigration into the United States. One expert
recently described Hezbollah as "the gold standard" of the crime-terror
convergence.
In 2008, the US began a secret law enforcement project, Operation Cassandra, to
stop Hezbollah's activities in Latin America. According to an exposé in
Politico, however, the Obama administration obstructed that operation:
"In practice, the administration's willingness to envision a new role for
Hezbollah in the Middle East, combined with its desire for a negotiated
settlement to Iran's nuclear program, translated into a reluctance to move
aggressively against the top Hezbollah operatives, according to Project
Cassandra members and others."
After Israel's revelations on April 30, 2018, that the Iran deal was based on
Iranian lies, it is probably safe to conclude that the Obama administration
empowered Iran and its proxy in Latin America to ensure the Iran deal, which has
apparently turned out to be nothing but a smokescreen for Iran's nuclear plans.
Having a seasoned and generously state-funded terrorist organization such as
Hezbollah in the US's backyard unsurprisingly poses a genuine threat to the US
homeland. According to Emmanuel Ottolenghi, speaking at the April hearing on
Iran's global terrorism networks:
"A survey of cases prosecuted against Hezbollah operatives in the past two
decades shows that the terror group remains a threat to the security of the U.S.
homeland and the integrity of its financial system. Iran and Hezbollah sought to
carry out high casualty attacks against U.S. targets multiple times.
Additionally, they built networks they used to procure weapons, sell drugs, and
conduct illicit financial activities inside the United States.
"operatives blend in; they nestle within existing expatriate communities; they
find spouses; and set up seemingly legitimate businesses, acquiring permanent
residency and citizenship in the process – all attributes that are part of their
cover story".
One recent example of Hezbollah operatives in action in the United States was
the arrest of Samer El Debek and Ali Mohammad in New York. Both held US
citizenship and had been trained by Hezbollah -- including in the use of weapons
such as rocket-propelled grenade launchers and machine guns -- and acted on its
behalf in the US. The two were charged with serious terrorism charges, such as
conducting surveillance of potential targets in America[2].
The question is, whether the US government will adopt a comprehensive strategy
to counter the ongoing efforts of Iran and Hezbollah to solidify their base of
operations in Latin America against the United States and US interests. Such a
strategy, as pointed out by several experts at the April 17 hearing, does not
currently appear to be in place.
*Judith Bergman is a columnist, lawyer and political analyst.
[1] The prosecution appealed and Hamdar will be tried again this year on the
same terrorism charges in the Peruvian Supreme Court. If convicted he will be
the first Hezbollah operative to be sentenced in Latin America, amounting to a
de facto designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist group in Peru.
[2] These included military and law enforcement facilities in New York City, as
well as conducting missions in Panama to locate the U.S. and Israeli Embassies
and to assess the vulnerabilities of the Panama Canal and ships in the Canal.
© 2018 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.
Pompeo tries to smooth
path for ‘deal of the century’
Maria Dubovikova/Arab News/May 08/18
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week visited the Middle East, taking in
Saudi Arabia, Israel and Jordan. His first trip to the region since being
approved by Congress aimed to strengthen ties with key allies, coordinate
positions on various issues,such as Iran’s nuclear deal, and maintain US
influence over key issues in the Middle East, including the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict.
Russia believes that the visit of Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to
Sochi last week and his meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov
implies that Jordan has been approached by the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel to
act on their behalf with regards to asking Moscow to pressurize Iran over the
nuclear deal.
Pompeo’s tour represented an opportunity for further mobilization in favor of
the so-called “deal of the century” on Israel and Palestine, and against Iran
and the nuclear agreement.
Trump is working on a comprehensive strategy that focuses on Iran’s nuclear file
and “confronts a wide range of non-nuclear threats, such as Iranian missile
systems, support for Hezbollah, the export of thousands of proxy fighters to
Syria and its aid to the rebels in Yemen, working closely with allies in the
face of threats and retreating from the full scope of the malignant Iranian
influence,” according to Pompeo.
During his joint press conference with his Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir,
Pompeo added: “Unlike the previous administration, we do not ignore Iran’s
widespread terrorism.”
Tehran is not prepared to end its military presence in various countries in the
region regardless of the threats waged by the US and Israel.
Pompeo’s tour showed the American administration’s determination to deal firmly
with Iran. This was also confirmed during Trump’s meetings with French President
Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The White House believes
the only way out of this stalemate is a full Iranian concession to the
international will to denuclearize and end itsballistic missile program.
However, Tehran is not prepared to end its military presence in various
countries in the region regardless of the threats waged by the US and Israel.
Russia has not yet commented on the escalating situation. However, both Russia
and Iran believe Trump will be forced to get rid of the nuclear deal, which US
officials see as an obstacle for a comprehensive peace in the Middle East and as
leeway for convincing North Korea to abandon its nuclear program. Senior aides
to Trump believe that, as long as the agreement allows Iran to maintain its
nuclear program and enable it to enrich uranium later on, there will be no room
for an agreement with Pyongyang, under which the denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula can take place.
Since Pompeo’s visit was limited to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, this means
that the US administration wanted to gauge Arab and Israeli opinion on the
nuclear deal and the movement of itsembassy, and how to absorb the anger of
Arabs and Muslims.
Washington and Riyadh now have a common language regarding Tehran because Iran
has supplied the Houthis with weapons, intervened militarily in Syria and Iraq,
and has threatened the security and stability of the whole region. The Americans
would prefer to amend the deal as a first step before ripping it up; however,
Gulf countries wanted the deal to include Iran’s ballistic missiles. Conversely,
Iran responded that it would never abandon its development of ballistic
missiles. Russia, of course,supports Iran in this perspective.
It looks like the "deal of the century” cannot be reached without ending the
nuclear deal with Iran. This cannot be cancelled by the Americans alone, but
requires EU, Russian and Chinese approval as well. Consequently, this would
likely result in launching limited strikes against Iranian targets in Lebanon
and Syria and on their allies in Yemen in order to put more pressure on Iran to
approve the American conditions vis-a-vis the deal.
**Maria Dubovikova is a prominent political commentator, researcher and expert
on Middle East affairs. She is president of the Moscow-based International
Middle Eastern Studies Club (IMESClub). Twitter: @politblogme
Lebanon’s Winning Women: Six Females Voted into Parliament
Outsiders in Lebanon Vote Make a Small Win Look Big
النساء في الجدد في المجلس النيابي والتأثير الرمزي والمحدود لأصوات المنتشرين
Associated Press/AP/Naharnet/May 08/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/64481/lebanons-winning-women-six-females-voted-into-parliament-outsiders-in-lebanon-vote-make-a-small-win-look-big/
The West Betrays the Kurds/الغرب يخون الأكراد
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/May 07/18http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/64487/giulio-meotti-the-west-betrays-the-kurds-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ba%d8%b1%d8%a8-%d9%8a%d8%ae%d9%88%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%83%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%af/
رزمة من التقارير (عربية وانكليزية وفيديو) تغطي قرار
الرئيس الأميركي ترامب الإنسحاب من الإتفاق النووي
Trump declares US leaving ‘horrible’ Iran nuclear accord
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/64492/%D8%B1%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%83%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%AF/