Detailed
Lebanese & Lebanese Related LCCC English New Bulletin For October 01/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias
Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
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01.18.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since
2006
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Bible
Quotations
For the
Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost
Luke 19/01-10: "He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was
there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector and was rich. He was
trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not,
because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycomore tree
to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the
place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I
must stay at your house today.’So he hurried down and was happy to welcome
him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest
of one who is a sinner.’Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look,
half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have
defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’Then Jesus
said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a
son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’"
نشرات اخبار عربية وانكليزية مطولة ومفصلة يومية على موقعنا الألكتروني على
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Titles For The Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published on October 01/18
Death toll from Indonesian quake, tsunami rises to 832/AP/Reuters/September
30, 2018
EU: Politicizing the Internet/Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/September
30/18
Sanctuary Cities - for Whom/David C. Stolinsky/Gatestone Institute/September
30/18
Don’t Blame Business for Slow Wage Growth/Michael
Strain/Bloomberg/September, 30/18
Corporations of the World! Young Scientists Need You/Scott Duke Kominers/Bloomberg/September,
30/18
US between Progressive Left, the Nationalist Right/Hal
Brands/Bloomberg/September, 30/18
Facebook Security Flaw Exposes a Crisis of Faith/Shira Ovide/Bloomberg/September,
30/18
Ultranationalist mindset shapes Iran’s strategy toward Gulf states/Dr.
Mohammed Alsulami/Arab News/September 30/18
US-Gulf pressure on Iranian regime is proving effective/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab
News/September 30/18
Tara Fares murdered for daring to be female in Baghdad/Baria Alamuddin/Arab
News/September 30/18
How will the Iranian Revolutionary Guards respond to the Ahwaz attack/Ali
Al-Amin/Al Arabiya/September 30/18
The military parade attack: An incident and two platforms/Amal Abdulaziz Al–Hazani/Al
Arabiya/September 30/18
Why seek virtues in the Iraqi prime minister alone/Adnan Hussein/Al Arabiya/September
30/18
Doha's Worst Nightmare? Why the Israeli Flag May Be Flying in Qatar This
Fall/Michael Dempster/Haaretz/September 30/18
Titles For The
Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on
October 01/18
Muallem: Relation with Aoun, Others Good but Previous Equation Will Change
Formation Progress Ruled Out amid Efforts to Convene Caretaker Cabinet
Dar al-Fatwa denies calling for emergency meeting in response to Aoun's
proposal
Mustaqbal MP Says Aoun, Bassil Can Resolve 'Christian, Druze Hurdles'
Lebanon: Progressive Socialist Party, Lebanese Forces Worried as Majority
Government Looms
Lebanon Invites Ambassadors to Tour of 'Hizbullah Missile Site'
Hariri, Shiite Duo Prefer Unity Govt. as LF, PSP Hold Their Ground
Foreign Ministry to respond Monday to Netanyahu's allegations, invites
ambassadors to attend
Geagea calls on LF partisans, supporters not to engage in polemic
Toni Frangiyeh calls for national unity government that takes into account
election results
MP Mohamad Hajjar says certain sides are trying to sow frustration in
people's minds and souls
Claudine Aoun commends participants in training program on strengthening
women's political role
SSNP Foreign Dean confers with Swiss Ambassador over UNRWA, return of
displaced Syrians
Adwan: Reconciliation is between two sides who have decided to build the
Mountain together
Tohme from Moukhtara: We are attached to Taef, Mountain Reconciliation
Bridges for Dialogue and Return'...LebanesePalestinian Dialogue Committee
Annex Edition out Tomorrow
Lebanese Air Force organizes open day at Riyak base
Saad urges President of the Republic to adopt government formation decision
Caretaker Minister of Industry, Hussein Hajj Hassan Salutes Aoun's positions
at UN Assembly
Titles For The Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on October 01/18
Kellyanne Conway: 'I'm a victim of sexual assault'
Netanyahu Accepts Palestinian State That Poses 'No Threat to Israel'
Israel says ready for UN crossing with Syria to reopen
Israel frees French-Palestinian after 13 months without trial
UAE, Bahrain Call for Confronting Iran's Threats
Turkey Demands Factions’ Withdrawal from Buffer Zones
Erdogan Ends Germany's Visit with a Conciliatory Tone
Three Years of Russia Strikes on Syria Kill 18,000
Muallem Calls on U.S., French, Turkish Forces to Withdraw Immediately
Syria Rebels Deny Withdrawing Arms from North under Deal
Trump Says U.S. 'Subsidizing' Saudi, Asia Militaries
Trump 'Fell in Love' with Kim after 'Beautiful Letters'
Sisi Set to Visit Russia to Reinforce Cooperation
Death toll from Indonesian quake, tsunami rises to 832
The Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on October 01/18
Muallem: Relation with
Aoun, Others Good but Previous Equation Will Change
Naharnet/Sunday, 30 September, 2018/Damascus has a “good relation” with
President Michel Aoun and other Lebanese forces but the “previous equation”
of the relation with Lebanon “will change,” Syria's top diplomat has said.
“There is a good relation with President Aoun,” Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem
said in an interview on Russia's RT television. Told that Damascus “has
always opened its doors to all components of the Lebanese society,” Muallem
said: “This picture has now changed. We have good relations with President
Aoun. We have good relations with Hizbullah, the AMAL Movement and other
groups, but we will antagonize those who antagonize us.”“The previous
equation will change,” he stressed. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has
recently announced that the new government “will not be formed” should the
Lebanese pro-Damascus camp “insist on restoring Lebanese-Syrian ties.”
Formation Progress Ruled Out amid Efforts to Convene
Caretaker Cabinet
Naharnet/Sunday, 30 September, 2018/No positive development is expected in
the government formation process in the near future, media reports said.
Ruling out that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri would present a format
different than the one he submitted to President Michel Aoun three weeks
ago, sources following up on the negotiations said "there are no indications
of a meeting between them in the few coming days."In remarks to al-Hayat
daily published Sunday, the sources also denied reports claiming that the
Lebanese Forces has backed down from its demand to get four ministerial
portfolios that include the deputy premier post. The sources also said the
Progressive Socialist Party is still insisting on getting all three Druze
seats and that the two parties “have expressed major reservations over the
type of portfolios that the President is suggesting for them.” Senior LF
sources meanwhile told al-Hayat that after Aoun and the Free Patriotic
Movement rejected the latest formula, the party "will not accept any
solution that does not respect the popular support it received in the
parliamentary elections, which stands for getting five ministers."The
sources also revealed that LF leader Samir Geagea has told Hariri that the
caretaker Cabinet should convene to take "important decisions and facilitate
the work of institutions, akin to the necessary legislation session that the
parliament has held.""In the coming days, this will be the subject of
contacts that would involve Aoun, (Speaker Nabih) Berri and all parties,"
the sources added.
Dar al-Fatwa denies calling for emergency meeting in
response to Aoun's proposal
The Daily Star/Sunday, 30 September, 2018/BEIRUT: Dar al-Fatwa, Lebanon's
highest Sunni Muslim office, has denied reports that it called for an
emergency meeting in response to President Michel Aoun’s proposal to form a
majority government. “What is being circulated in this regard is false,” Dar
al-Fatwa said in a statement Sunday that was carried by the state-run
National News Agency. “News that is related to Dar al-Fatwa is issued
through a statement from the press office.” Aoun Friday proposed forming a
majority government in the event that a national unity government could not
be achieved, despite Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s staunch
commitment to forming a unity government that brings all the main political
parties together. Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian had previously
expressed support for Hariri's efforts to form a government and his respect
for the premier-designate's prerogatives in the process. The prime
ministership is considered to be reserved for a Sunni and is the top Sunni
post in the government.
Mustaqbal MP Says Aoun, Bassil Can Resolve 'Christian, Druze Hurdles'
Naharnet/Sunday, 30 September, 2018/A Mustaqbal bloc lawmaker has noted that
President Michel Aoun and Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil can
resolve the so-called Christian and Druze obstacles hindering the formation
of the new government. In an interview with al-Jadeed television, MP Sami
Fatfat said Aoun can resolve the Christian hurdle in connection with the
Lebanese Forces' demands and Bassil can address the Druze problem through
respecting the demands of Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat.
The LF has been insisting on getting five ministerial seats or four seats
that include the deputy PM post while Jumblat is demanding all three Druze
seats for his PSP. MP Talal Arslan, backed by the FPM and Bassil, is
meanwhile insisting on getting one of the Druze seats. Separately, Fatfat
ruled out the allocation of a Sunni seat to ex-minister Faisal Karami,
stressing that “the only Sunni minister who does not belong to Mustaqbal”
would be part of Aoun's share.
Lebanon: Progressive Socialist Party, Lebanese Forces
Worried as Majority Government Looms
Beirut - Youssef Diab/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 September, 2018/As Lebanese
President Michel Aoun hinted forming a majoritarian government, factions
that find themselves targeted by this proposal have met for discussions,
fearing to be expelled from the authority structure in case this government
was formed. Executive Chairman of the Lebanese Forces (LF) Samir Geagea
received Saturday MP Akram Shehayeb, who conveyed a message from President
of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Walid Jumblatt on the developments
of the government formation. "There is no problem of Druze representation in
the new government, except with some leading officials," Shehayeb stressed.
Following the meeting, he said that his visit to Mearab was "in favor of the
country.” Jumblatt message to Geagea aims at "agreeing on the maximum
facilities they can offer in the government formation process,” sources
close to the PSP said. The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the two parties
stressed that the government settlement should not affect either of them,
and that they will support PM Saad Hariri in his efforts to reach a formula
for a government of national unity, including all parties. “Indicators that
has been received recently by Jumblatt are not reassuring,” sources said.
“It seems that Aoun-Bassil's team is not only limiting the Druze
representation of the PSP and insisting on appointing Talal Arslan, but also
wants to grant him the portfolios of the environment and the displaced
ministries.”
Lebanon Invites Ambassadors to Tour of 'Hizbullah
Missile Site'
Naharnet/September 30/18/The Lebanese Foreign Ministry has
invited all foreign ambassadors in Lebanon to a meeting Monday afternoon at
its premises. The National News Agency said the meeting at 3:00 pm will be
dedicated to “listening to the Ministry's response to the allegations of
(Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the missile
sites.”“The presentation will be followed by a visit to one of the sites
near Beirut's airport,” NNA added. During his address before the U.N.
General Assembly on Thursday, Netanyahu claimed that Hizbullah has
positioned three missile sites near Beirut's Rafik Hariri International
Airport. Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adrai meanwhile published pictures
of the alleged sites on Twitter. He said the sites include the football
stadium of the Hizbullah-affiliated al-Ahed club, another site near the
airport and the Ouzai fishermen's harbor.
Hariri, Shiite Duo Prefer Unity Govt. as LF, PSP Hold
Their Ground
Naharnet/September 30/18/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and the
Hizbullah-AMAL Shiite alliance are not in favor of the formation of a
so-called “majority government,” media reports said.
“Hariri is insisting on a consensual government and the majority government
proposal has no place in the current process,” informed political sources
told An Nahar daily in remarks published Sunday. President Michel Aoun has
suggested that a majority government could be formed should some political
parties continue to insist on their demands. “It has become clear that the
other parties, topped by the Shiite duo, prefer a consensual government,
especially after the Israeli threats related to the claims about Hizbullah
bases near the Rafik Hariri International Airport,” the sources added. “The
formation process has become urgent more than ever in light of the
accumulating domestic and foreign pressures,” the sources noted. Turning to
the stance of the Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party, the
sources said LF leader Samir Geagea's visit to Hariri on Friday and MP Akram
Shehayyeb's visit to Geagea on Saturday indicate that the two parties are
“rejecting recent proposals aimed at forming a government at their
expense.”“Hariri is readying for a new round of consultations with Aoun, but
this does not mean that his mission will be easy should the war over sizes
and portfolios continue,” the sources warned.
Foreign Ministry to
respond Monday to Netanyahu's allegations, invites ambassadors to attend
Sun 30 Sep 2018/NNA - Lebanese Foreign Affairs and Emigrants
Ministry called Sunday on all accredited ambassadors in Lebanon to attend a
meeting at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, to hear the Ministry's response to Benjamin
Netanyahu's alleged claims regarding the missile stores.
The meeting will be followed by a visit to one of the sites nearby Beirut
Airport.
Geagea calls on LF partisans, supporters not to engage
in polemic
Sun 30 Sep 2018/ NNA - Lebanese Forces Chief, Samir Geagea,
on Sunday issued a statement urging LF supporters and partisans to stop
engaging in political debates and polemic, even if unilateral, with the
exception of solid political events and calm discussions. According to the
communiqué, Geagea also called on LF supporters and party members to use
"dialogue language" and "constructive communication" to reduce disparities
and solve problems rather than accentuate them, while emphasizing that LF
has facilitated the formation process of the new government.
Toni Frangiyeh calls for national unity government that
takes into account election results
Sun 30 Sep 2018/NNA - MP Toni Frangiyeh called for the
formation of a national unity government that takes into account the results
of legislative elections. "I call for speeding-up the formation of a
national unity government that includes all parties and respects the results
of the recent legislative elections," Frangiyeh said during a dinner banquet
for Marada partisans in Bnachii. "We do not live in a political luxury
stage, and the crisis is deeper than arguing about the number of ministers,"
he added, warning of the critical situation in the country.
"With our unity and strong determination we can overcome all our problems,"
he concluded.
MP Mohamad Hajjar says certain sides are trying to sow
frustration in people's minds and souls
Sun 30 Sep 2018/NNA - MP Mohamad Hajjar expressed concern
Sunday towards those who are trying to trigger frustration and despair among
citizens in the country. "We all know that we are living a problem in the
government formation, the reasons for which are hidden to no one...but what
frightens us today is that there are parties trying to sow frustration in
the minds and souls of people, when we hear from here and there the
insistence of some on declaring the bankruptcy of the country," said Hajjar.
"There are those who want to use the economy as a means of pressure, by
referring to the imminent collapse of the Lebanese Pound," he added,
speaking at the closing ceremony of the sports tournament organized by the
Sports and Cultural Club in Shehim. "Yes, the economic situation is very
difficult, for we are living a huge crisis and unemployment is increasing
and inflation is rising, and we can see the extent of people's
suffering...but mixing-up the economic and financial situation with the
monetary situation and claiming that the Lira will collapse, calling for
replacing it with US dollar is intended to lead citizens to frustration and
despair," Hajjar underlined. "We must work during the upcoming period on
economic and financial reforms, reducing the deficit and creating new
jobs...This will be achieved through the existing capacities of the Lebanese
people and through a full-fledged government that carries out its duties,"
the MP asserted. "Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is working in an
optimistic spirit, and is listening to the demands of all the parliamentary
blocs. He has presented a formula that reflects these demands in accordance
with the PM-designate's vision, the only one in charge of forming the
government in collaboration with the President of the Republic," he
highlighted. Hajjar pointed to the sacrifices made for the sake of the
nation and its citizens, while urging all other political counterparts to
offer similar compromises for the country's overall interests.
Claudine Aoun commends participants in training program
on strengthening women's political role
Sun 30 Sep 2018/NNA - Lebanese Women's Affairs National
Committee Head, Claudine Aoun Roukoz, praised Sunday the participation of
several women in the training program on boosting their role in political
life. In this context, Roukoz presented certificates of participation to 97
women, active in social, municipal and political affairs in Lebanon, as part
of the regional program "Empowering Women in Decision-Making in the Middle
East" (LEAD), implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation
(GIZ) at the request of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation
and Development (BMZ). The training program shed light on topics related to
"Leadership and Change" and "Building Partnership and Communication",
whereby participants were introduced to the skills of an active leader, ways
of applying the concept leadership and the techniques of building a group.
Participating women were motivated towards building partnerships and
defining the importance of networking.
SSNP Foreign Dean confers with Swiss Ambassador over
UNRWA, return of displaced Syrians
Sun 30 Sep 2018/NNA - In an issued statement by the Syrian
Social Nationalist Party on Sunday, it indicated that its Foreign Affairs
Dean, Caesar Obeid, met with Swiss Ambassador to Lebanon, Monika Schmutz
Kirgoz, with talks centering on the financial challenges facing the United
Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees ( UNRWA) following
the cessation of US contributions, in addition to the displaced Syrians'
issue. During the encounter, Obeid pointed to "the humanitarian and moral
responsibility which requires the world countries, especially the European
states, to support UNRWA to enable it to fully play its role." He stressed
"the importance of doubling European contributions to meet the deficit in
UNRWA's budget."On the issue of the displaced Syrians, Obeid briefed the
Swiss Ambassador on the Party's "national" initiative regarding their
return. "Many countries, primarily the United States, are pressing to
prevent the return of refugees in many ways. The Syrian state is always
willing to ensure their return and provide them with a decent, stable life,
while Lebanon is under heavy economic conditions and cannot bear additional
burdens," he emphasized. In turn, Ambassador Kirgoz said, "The European
Union is keen on pursuing the work of UNRWA and making efforts to provide
support to this agency in order to carry out its responsibilities towards
the Palestinian refugees." She hoped that "the Arab countries will also
contribute to the provision of necessary funding to cover the deficit after
the cessation of the US contribution."On the Syrian refugees' dossier,
Kirgoz said, "The humanitarian suffering faced by displaced people requires
a serious approach to end their distress."
Adwan: Reconciliation is between two sides who have
decided to build the Mountain together
Sun 30 Sep 2018/NNA - MP George Adwan stressed Sunday on the
reconciliation that took place in the Lebanese Mountain, deeming it a joint
agreement and determination between two sides who have decided to build the
Mountain region together. In his address earlier today at the inauguration
of the highway bearing his name, which links the towns of Wadi El-Sit and
Majd Al-Me'oush in the Shouf region, Adwan expressed sincere joy for being
present in such a uniting gathering. "I propose that this road be named the
highway of hope and the future, because through our capabilities and
determination we can build our own towns...When we decide what to do, we
need to venture into execution," said Adwan. "This is the highway of hope
and future, through which we ought to restore our self-confidence...We have
returned to live in our land with our vigor and dignity, and to ring the
bells and to rejoice together in our villages and towns," he added. Adwan
thanked all those who contributed to paving the new road, with the joint
efforts of the Wadi El-Sit Municipality and its neighboring municipalities.
He concluded by stressing that "when people have a will to do something,
nothing stands in their way!"
Tohme from Moukhtara: We are attached to Taef, Mountain
Reconciliation
Sun 30 Sep 2018/NNA - "Democratic Gathering" Member, MP Nehme
Tohme, stressed Sunday that his bloc is committed to the Taef Accord and the
reconciliation of the Lebanese Mountain. Speaking during a peace and
kindness luncheon event held at "Our Lady's Church" in Al-Moukhtara today,
under the patronage of Progressive Socialist Party Chief Walid Joumblatt,
Tohme said, ""Is there anything better than coming together in the spirit of
goodness, love and kindness...and coexistence and communication away from
the language of hatred and treason?" He added: "It is a page we have turned
forever, and no one is allowed to remind us of the language of war. Dialogue
alone remains the effective remedy for solving all problems." "It is our
destiny to live together and this is the commandment and tradition of our
ancestors that we ought to preserve," the MP asserted. "Enough wars and
hatred. Let us all look forward to building a nation of justice and
equality, a nation that restricts the migration of its youth in search of a
living, so that we can deal with people's economic, daily-living and social
issues. This is the priority of the Democratic Gathering headed by Taymour
Joumblatt and these are our goals," Tohme underscored.
Bridges for Dialogue and Return'...LebanesePalestinian
Dialogue Committee Annex Edition out Tomorrow
Sun 30 Sep 2018/NNA - In an issued statement by the Lebanese-Palestinian
Dialogue Committee on Sunday, it announced that within the framework of its
efforts since 2005 to "open spaces for dialogue on bilateral relations
spanning 70 years of asylum", the first edition of its quarterly annex
entitled, "Bridges for Dialogue and Return," will be out on Monday. The
first edition will be published in Al-Nahar and Al-Liwa'a Newspapers in
Arabic, and in The Daily Star in English, with contributions from various
Lebanese and Palestinian writers. "Since 2005, the Lebanese-Palestinian
Dialogue Committee (LPDC) continues its efforts to maintain spaces for
dialogue on bilateral relations, which extends over 70 years of asylum. In
this context, a quarterly edition entitled "JOUSOUR" (Bridges) for Dialogue
and Return" is to be published, offering a debate on variety of Lebanese and
Palestinians orientations and opinions," the statement indicated. The first
quarterly edition will pose questions on: "How do Lebanese view Palestinians
and the Palestinians the Lebanese away from projected stereotypes? Have we
taken advantage of our experiences to start a rational dialogue on the
common problems and mistakes in our bilateral relations, to restore
confidence, as Abbas Zaki says, and to build new Lebanese-Palestinian
relations while preserving the entity and individuals, as viewed by
President Amine Gemayel."It will also shed light on "how to build these
relations in light of the volatile regional situation and the international
disregard for the Israeli occupation policies in the occupied Palestinian
territories, as well as the attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause and
deprive the Palestinians of their right of return, deliberately inflicting a
financial deficit on UNRWA and ignoring its serious implications on the
stability of the host countries with Lebanon at the forefront." Another
question to be highlighted in tomorrow's edition is: "Will Lebanon enhance
its partnership with the international community and the United Nations to
serve the common interests and international peace aspired for by the UN
Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Bernell Kardel?"
Lebanese Air Force organizes open day at Riyak base
Sun 30 Sep 2018/NNA - The Lebanese Air Force organized Sunday
an open day for citizens at its Riyak Airbase to learn more about its
capabilities, amidst tight security measures set-up by the Army through
checkpoints that spread along the Airbase's external roads and within its
vicinity.
With patriotic songs and tunes playing in the background, visitors witnessed
an Air Show parade including aerial maneuvers and display of heavy military
machinery and equipment. The parade also included landing and rescue
operations with the contribution of military helicopters in extinguishing
fires, and a detailed explanation of the characteristics of each helicopter.
Concluding the open day event, 12 prizes were offered to citizens to enjoy a
tour aboard a military helicopter over the Bekaa Valley.
Saad urges President of the Republic to adopt
government formation decision
Sun 30 Sep 2018/NNA - Strong Republic Parliamentary Bloc
Member, MP Fadi Saad, called Sunday on President Michel Aoun to take the
decision to form the new government, and to give instructions to limit
greediness to facilitate its formation. "In the event of failed attempts,
the caretaking government ought to exercise its powers, as is the case when
disasters hit," Saad added. He pointed out that the country is not
economically at its best today and the cabinet has to assume its
responsibilities. Speaking during a memorial ceremony in tribute to the
Lebanese Forces fallen martyrs held in Ebrine-Batroun district this morning,
MP Saad said, "We have a long way of struggle ahead...one that is costly and
requires seriousness, sacrifice and staying away from selfishness." However,
he considered that today's sacrifices remain much less than the sacrifices
of the fallen martyrs. "Our march is long but easier, and there is a glimmer
of light in the horizon. We will not give up hope and will not give in
despite the difficult conditions we are living at all levels...Our march is
ongoing towards building an actual state which is our main project," he
asserted. "The Lebanese Forces Party is working hard to provide solutions to
all outstanding issues at the economic, daily-living and social levels and
we have suggestions for all projects whether or not we are in power, for we
have to carry out our duties," Saad concluded.
Caretaker Minister of Industry, Hussein Hajj Hassan Salutes Aoun's positions
at UN Assembly
Sun 30 Sep 2018/NNA - Caretaker Minister of Industry, Hussein Hajj Hassan,
on Sunday lauded the recent positions of President of the Republic, Michel
Aoun, at the United Nations General Assembly. "In the name of the
Resistance, we convey to President Michel Aoun our appreciation of his
national positions, which were clear on the Israeli aggression against
Lebanon and the issues facing the country at the local, regional and
international levels," Hajj Hassan said during a graduation ceremony in
Baalbeck. Finally, he reiterated the need for a swift government formation
especially with the pressing socio-economic situation in the country.
The Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News
published
on
October 01/18
Kellyanne Conway: 'I'm
a victim of sexual assault'
Michael Walsh/Yahoo/September 30/18/White House counselor
Kellyanne Conway said publicly for the first time Sunday morning that she is
a victim of sexual assault. Conway told Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the
Union” that she sympathizes with victims of sexual assault because she is
one herself during a conversation about the controversy surrounding Brett
Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. “I feel very empathetic,
frankly, for victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment and rape,” she
said before clearing her throat. “I’m a victim of sexual assault.”Conway was
arguing that the way politicians and reporters have handled the allegations
against Kavanaugh is hypocritical — saying it’s unfair to compare him to
former President Bill Clinton or disgraced comedian Bill Cosby. She urged
the women who confronted Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., in an elevator about
Kavanaugh to instead “go blame the perpetrator.”
“And if not one Senate Judiciary Committee member changes his or her vote
because of what they learned from the FBI investigation, that tells you all
you need to know about what the president and Judge Kavanaugh has said is a
sham,” she said. Tapper pointed out that this is the first time Conway said
that she had been sexually assaulted and that she works for a president who
says all the women who have accused him are lying. “Don’t conflate that with
this and certainly don’t conflate that with what happened to me,” Conway
said. “It would be a huge mistake, Jake. Let’s not do it. Let’s not always
bring Trump into everything that happens in this universe. That’s mistake
number one.” Tapper said he was only bringing up Trump because the president
has said that his personal experiences with false allegations have formed
his view of this. He continued, “As a survivor of this, and again I’m
deeply, personally very sorry for whatever pain you’ve gone through, but
does that not make you think when you hear somebody like Professor Ford or
other people make allegations, does that not make you think, ‘These women
need to be heard.’ And even if there are not corroborating witnesses, that
is not ‘absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.’”Conway responded
that all victims of sexual assault should be heard. “Jake, they should all
be heard. They should be heard in courts of law. They should be heard in
depositions. They should be heard in proceedings. Those who can prosecute.
Those who have civil and/or criminal causes of action should pursue that,”
Conway said. “But we do treat people differently who are either the victims
or the perpetrators of this based on their politics now or based on their
gender. That is a huger mistake. America, it’s a huge mistake. Don’t make
the mistake.”
Netanyahu Accepts
Palestinian State That Poses 'No Threat to Israel'
Ramallah /Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 September, 2018/Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN that he would not commit to
a two-state solution to Israel's ongoing conflict with Palestinians. He
stressed that rather than talking about labels, he would like to talk about
substance. “I've discovered that, if you use labels, you're not going to get
very far because different people mean different things when they say
'states.’ So rather than talking about labels, I'd like to talk about
substance,” he said. Netanyahu’s comments contradicted those of US President
Donald Trump, who expressed public and explicit support for the two-state
solution after meeting Israel’s PM on the sidelines of the UN General
Assembly session in New York. He said that he told Trump that the state of
affairs he would like to see was a Palestinian self-government in a
demilitarized state with "none of the powers to threaten us."He added that
Israel must have overriding security control in such a situation. "Israel
has to have the overriding security, not the UN, not Canadian Mounties, not
-- I don't know -- Austrian or Australian forces -- Israeli forces have to
have the security control, otherwise, that place will be taken over by
Islamist terrorists, either ISIS, Hamas, Iran or all of the above,"
Netanyahu said. "And that's my condition."Palestinians, however, rejected
this condition. “We would only accept an independent and sovereign
Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,”
said Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh. “Not a single
Israeli soldier will be accepted to remain on a Palestinian land,” he
stressed. As for the Middle East peace plan the Trump administration has
said it is formulating, Netanyahu said he would look at it "with a keen and
open mind because I know there's great friendship to Israel." "I always said
that I'm willing to look at peace proposals put forward by the United
States," he added.
Israel says ready for
UN crossing with Syria to reopen
AFP, JerusalemSunday, 30 September 2018/Israel is prepared to open its side
of the crossing point with Syria following the return of UN peacekeepers to
the Golan Heights following a four-year absence, the army said. Defence
Minister Avigdor Lieberman “authorized the reopening of the Alpha gate of
the Quneitra crossing between Israel and Syria, allowing the UN to resume
activity via the crossing pending Syria’s reopening their side,” it said in
a statement Saturday. The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) resumed
its patrols in the area of the crossing point in August, after withdrawing
in 2014 when Al-Qaeda-linked rebels overran the area, three years into
Syria’s devastating civil war. The return of UNDOF was made possible after
Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, recaptured territory near the
Golan, driving out rebel groups from a “de-escalation zone” agreed by
Jordan, Russia and the United States. Quneitra crossing is “an operational
crossing for UNDOF in the implementation of its mandate,” according to Nick
Birnback, a spokesman for UN Peacekeeping in New York. UNDOF is working to
“complete the rehabilitation of the Quneitra crossing” which is expected to
be reopened soon, Birnback said in an email on Friday. Israel seized much of
the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it
in a move not recognized by the international community. Established in
1974, UNDOF monitors a ceasefire line separating Israeli-occupied parts of
the Golan Heights from Syria. The Quneitra crossing was used by Druze living
on the Israeli side travelling to Syria for higher education or weddings.
Druze farmers also exported apples to Syria through Quneitra. At a tour of
the Israeli side of the crossing on Thursday, Lieberman said that once
Quneitra was open, authorities would have to “consider each possibility (for
the crossing’s use) according to the security situation”. “We’re in
different times now,” he said. Israel was “ready to open the crossing as it
had been in the past”, Lieberman told journalists accompanying him at the
site.
“The ball is now in the Syrians’ court.”Syria’s transport ministry also said
Saturday its main border crossing with Jordan would reopen to trade next
month for the first time in three years, although Amman said consultations
were still ongoing. Syrian government troops retook the Syrian side of the
crossing in July under a deal with rebel fighters brokered by Moscow. It had
been sealed completely since rebels overran it in April 2015, choking off
one of the most important trade routes for the government.
Israel frees French-Palestinian after 13 months without
trial
AFP, JerusalemSunday, 30 September 2018/Israel on Sunday
released a French-Palestinian lawyer held without charge for the past 13
months over unspecified allegations, his lawyer said.
Salah Hamouri, 33, was freed at Jerusalem police headquarters after being
brought from his cell in a prison in southern Israel’s Negev desert.
Attorney Mahmud Hassan told AFP that under the terms of his release Hamouri
was forbidden to take part in any celebrations, demonstration or protests
for a period of 30 days and required to post a bond of $ 824. He was
arrested at his home in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on August 23, 2017
and subsequently interned under what Israel calls administrative detention,
which allows detention without trial for renewable six-month periods.
Neither suspects nor their lawyers are informed of the reasons for arrests
and Israel’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency had no immediate comment
when asked by AFP for the reasons behind Hamouri’s detention. French
President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had
discussed his case several times with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, according to the French foreign ministry. Israel says
administrative detention is intended to allow authorities to hold suspects
while continuing to gather evidence, with the aim of preventing attacks or
security offences in the meantime. But the system has been criticised by
Palestinians, human rights groups and members of the international community
who say Israel abuses the measure. Hamouri was born in east Jerusalem to a
French mother and a Palestinian father. Palestinian prisoner support NGO
Addameer, which employed him as a field researcher, said he was first
arrested and placed under administrative detention in 2001, aged 16. He was
interned without trial for another five-month stretch in 2004, it said, then
arrested again in 2005. Following that arrest, he was tried and convicted by
an Israeli court on charges of plotting to assassinate Ovadia Yossef, a
prominent Israeli rabbi and spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas
political party. Hamouri was released in December 2011 as part of a swap of
over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for Gilad Shalit, a soldier held captive in
Gaza for more than five years. He has always maintained his innocence.
Addameer says more than 5,500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli
jails, including approximately 450 in administrative detention.
UAE, Bahrain Call for Confronting Iran's Threats
New York – Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 September, 2018/UAE Minister of
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed
accused Iran on Saturday of being a “rogue state” and “attacking the
security of the region.”“Certain countries, particularly Iran, are prone to
attacking the security of the region, spreading chaos, violence and
sectarianism,” he told the UN General Assembly in its 73rd session in New
York. “The first challenge is foreign interference in the affairs of the
region and the Arab world,” Sheikh Abdullah said. Its “nefarious
interference” in Yemen and its attacks, as well as the Houthis’ attacks on
Saudi Arabia with Iranian-supplied ballistic missiles, left the UAE with no
option but to join the Arab Coalition. “We cannot afford to remain mere
spectators when these threats reached Yemen and Saudi Arabia,” he stressed.
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa,
for his part, accused Qatar of adopting a "dangerous approach" by insisting
on policies that "contradict the concept of collective security." He called
for a strong political, economic and military alliance in order to deter
Iran's threats, voicing his support for US President Donald Trump’s efforts
to establish the “Strategic Alliance for Middle East” “Achieving lasting
security, stable peace and sustainable development for regional countries is
a collective responsibility that requires building a strong political,
economic and military alliance among the responsible countries,” Sheikh
Khalid said as he addressed the UN General Assembly. He pointed out that the
goal is to "deter whoever attempts to undermine the stability of this
strategic region, which faces different threats, primarily those coming from
the Iranian regime.” "This regime adopts the policy of sabotaging and
overthrowing states and their institutions, supports extremist terrorist
groups and interferes in the internal affairs of states," he added. Iran
also holds neighboring countries responsible for the incidents taking place
in its territories and vows to dominate the region, Sheikh Khalid explained.
Turkey Demands Factions’ Withdrawal from Buffer Zones
Ankara - Saiid Abdulrazzak/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 September, 2018/Turkey
demanded, during a meeting with armed opposition faction in Idlib,
withdrawal from demilitarized zones, according to Sochi deal between Russian
president Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan has announced that the withdrawal of radical groups had already
started. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday she and the leaders of
Turkey, Russia, and France planned to hold a summit next month on the
situation in war-ravaged Syria. “We are in favor of a four-way meeting with
the presidents of Turkey, Russia and France and myself because the situation
(in Syria) is still fragile,” Merkel told reporters after talks with Erdogan.
“We aim to do this in the month of October,” she added. Turkish Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is set to pay an official visit to France on Sept.
30 to hold discussions with his counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, said a
Turkish Foreign Ministry statement. In this context, Cavusoglu called on
Washington to stop the shipment of arms to the People’s Protection Units, or
YPG, according to Washington Post. Washington has used 5,000 trucks and
2,000 cargo planes to deliver weapons to the YPG in recent years, he added.
The political arm of a terrorist group seeking to peddle influence in
Washington is a shocking state of affairs, and President Trump should block
its activity.
Erdogan Ends Germany's Visit with a Conciliatory Tone
Berlin - Raghida Bahnam/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 September, 2018/Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tried to wrap up his three-day visit to
Germany in a conciliatory tone, saying the visit had been "successful."Following
an official dinner hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, which
was described by the country’s media as “scandal” because of Erdogan's
speech which hinted that Germany was a supporter of terrorism, Erdogan
seemed to choose to end his visit positively after two days of tension. He
started his speech in one of Europe's largest mosques by thanking the German
government for the warm welcome. He said talks with the German president and
German Chancellor Angela Merkel were fruitful. "In a critical period, we
have made a fruitful, successful visit to Germany," he told guests at the
opening of the Central Mosque. In Cologne, a major center of the three
million-strong Turkish community in Germany, a few hundred Erdogan
supporters gathered behind security barriers waving flags and wearing
scarves in Turkey's red-and-white national colors. Erdogan's conciliatory
tone didn't last long, as he repeated the accusations he made the night
before, accusing Germany of harboring terrorists in reference to the PKK and
supporters of Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan accused of
plotting the 2016 failed coup. He also accused Germany of "racism" and
recalled the case of soccer star Mesut Ozil. "This racism has to end," said
Erdogan. Also, plans for a large open-air event at the mosque were canceled
late on Friday by the city of Cologne, which cited security concerns. In a
statement published Saturday on Facebook, DITIB, a Turkish-German Islamic
umbrella association, expressed disappointment at the city’s decision,
stating that it opposed the move and “could not comprehend” the reasoning
behind it.
Three Years of Russia Strikes on Syria Kill 18,000
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/18/More than 18,000 people,
nearly half of them civilians, have been killed in Russian air strikes on
Syria since Moscow began its game-changing intervention three years ago, a
monitor said Sunday. Russia, a steadfast ally of Syria's ruling regime,
began carrying out bombing raids in the country on September 30, 2015 --
more than four years into the devastating conflict. Since then, they have
killed 18,096 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights."That number includes 7,988 civilians, or nearly half of the total,"
said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. Another 5,233 Islamic State
fighters were also killed in Russian strikes, with the rest of the dead
including other rebels, Islamists and jihadists, the Britain-based monitor
said. Human rights groups and Western governments have criticized Russia's
air war in Syria, saying it bombs indiscriminately and targets civilian
infrastructure including hospitals. The White Helmets, a Syrian rescue force
that works in opposition areas, said in a report released Sunday that it had
responded to dozens of strikes by Russia on buildings used by civilians
since 2015. They included Russian bombing raids on 19 schools, 12 public
markets and 20 medical facilities over the past three years, as well as 21
of its own rescue centres. "Russia has flaunted its disregard for agreements
over safe zones, no-conflict zones, cessations of hostilities, and
de-escalation zones by continuing with airstrikes on civilian spaces," the
White Helmets charged. Russia has operated a naval base in Syria's coastal
Tartus province for decades, but expanded its operations to the nearby
Hmeimim airbase in 2015. It also has special forces and military police
units on the ground in government-controlled parts of the country. The air
strikes were crucial in helping troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad
retake swathes of the country, including second city Aleppo in 2016 and
areas around Damascus, the rural centre, and the south this year alone. "The
regime controlled just 26 percent of Syrian territory" when Russia
intervened, said Abdel Rahman, compared with close to two-thirds now. In
addition to the Russian and Syrian air forces, warplanes from the U.S.-led
coalition fighting IS have also been carrying out bombing raids on Syria
since September 2014. Last week, the Observatory said that U.S.-led
coalition air strikes on Syria had killed more than 3,300 civilians since
the alliance began operations against IS targets. The Observatory, which
relies on sources inside Syria for its reports, says it determines whose
planes carried out strikes according to type, location, flight patterns and
munitions involved.
Muallem Calls on U.S., French, Turkish Forces to
Withdraw Immediately
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/18/Syria's foreign
minister has denounced U.S., French and Turkish forces operating in his
country as "occupying forces" and demanded that they leave immediately.
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly, Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem also
called on Syrian refugees to come home, even though the country's war is now
in its eighth year. Muallem, who also serves as deputy prime minister, said
the foreign forces were on Syrian soil illegally, under the pretext of
fighting terrorism, and "will be dealt with accordingly." "They must
withdraw immediately and without any conditions," he told the assembly.
Muallem insisted that the "war on terror is almost over" in Syria, where
more than 360,000 people have died since 2011, with millions more uprooted
from their homes. He said Damascus would continue "fighting this sacred
battle until we purge all Syrian territories" of both terror groups and "any
illegal foreign presence." The United States has some 2,000 troops in Syria,
mainly training and advising both Kurdish forces and Syrian Arabs opposed to
President Bashar al-Assad. France has more than 1,000 troops on the ground
in the war-wracked country.
Scaring refugees
On the issue of refugees, Muallem said the conditions were fine for them to
return, and he blamed "some western countries" for "spreading irrational
fears" that prompted refugees to stay away.
"We have called upon the international community and humanitarian
organizations to facilitate these returns," he said. "They are politicizing
what should be a purely humanitarian issue." The United States and the
European Union have warned that there will be no reconstruction aid for
Syria until there is a political agreement between Assad and the opposition
to end the war. U.N. diplomats say a recent agreement between Russia and
Turkey to set up a buffer zone in the last major rebel stronghold of Idlib
has created an opportunity to press ahead with political talks. The
Russian-Turkish deal averted a large-scale assault by Russian-backed Syrian
forces on the province, where three million people live. Muallem however
stressed that the agreement had "clear deadlines" and expressed hope that
military action will target jihadists including fighters from the
al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, who "will be eradicated."U.N. envoy Staffan de
Mistura is hoping to soon convene the first meetings of a new committee
comprised of government and opposition members to draft a post-war
constitution for Syria and pave the way to elections. Muallem laid out
conditions for the Syrian government's participation in the committee,
saying the panel's work should be restricted "to reviewing the articles of
the current constitution," and warned against interference.
Syria Rebels Deny
Withdrawing Arms from North under Deal
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/18/Syrian rebels denied on Sunday
they had pulled any heavy arms from a major opposition bastion in the north,
as the deadline to implement a demilitarization deal there draws closer.
Regime ally Moscow and rebel backer Ankara agreed earlier this month to
create a buffer zone around the opposition stronghold of Idlib that would be
free of both jihadists and heavy arms. The deal has so far averted a massive
assault on the region by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, but
its implementation in areas packed with rival jihadists and rebels is
expected to be complex. The National Liberation Front, a pro-Turkey rebel
alliance, welcomed the agreement but said Sunday it had not yet moved any
heavy arms from the planned zone. "There have been no withdrawals of heavy
weapons from any area or any front. This report is denied, completely
denied," NLF spokesman Naji Mustafa told AFP. The Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights monitor had earlier said one faction of the NLF began
withdrawing its heavy weapons under the Turkish-Russian agreement. It said
Faylaq al-Rahman, whose fighters number between 8,500 and 10,000, were
leaving three towns in the planned buffer zone on Sunday "with heavy
weapons, including tanks and cannons". The Britain-based monitor uses a vast
network of sources including fighters, officials and medical staff. A
spokesman for Faylaq al-Rahman also told AFP on Sunday it had not moved any
forces or arms. "There have been no changes in the location of weapons or
redistribution of fighters, even as we remain committed to the agreement
reached in (the Russian resort of) Sochi," said Sayf al-Raad. "We are still
coordinating with the Turkish guarantor on following the agreement and ways
to implement it," he added.
Jihadists, rebels split on deal
On September 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart
Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to set up a demilitarized zone about 15 to 20
kilometers wide ringing around Idlib.
All factions in the planned buffer must hand over their heavy weapons by
October 10, and radical groups must withdraw by October 15, according to the
agreement. The deal was welcomed by world powers, aid organizations, and the
United Nations, which all hoped it would help avoid a bloody military
assault on the area.
But observers have pointed out its implementation would be tricky for
Ankara. Most of the territory where the zone would be established is
controlled by either hardline jihadists or by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is
led by former members of al-Qaida's Syria branch and widely considered the
most powerful force in Idlib. The rest is held by the NLF and other rebels.
HTS has yet to announce its position on the agreement, and there have been
no signs it was moving out either fighters or heavy weapons. But Al-Qaeda
loyalists Hurras al-Deen, which have a presence in the zone, rejected the
deal last week. And on Saturday, formerly US-backed rebel group Jaish al-Izza
followed suit. "We are against this deal, which eats into liberated
(rebel-held) areas and bails out Bashar al-Assad," its head Jamil al-Saleh
told AFP.Jaish al-Izza, which is not part of the NLF, clashed with regime
forces throughout the night on Saturday and into Sunday in the province of
Hama, bordering Idlib.
'Purge' fighters
Separate clashes were also taking place in the coastal province of Latakia
between jihadists and government fighters, the Observatory said on Sunday.
Idlib and adjacent rebel territory are home to some three million people,
about half of them displaced from other parts of Syria. Seven years of
brutal war have forced more than half of Syria's people out of their homes,
sending more than five million into neighboring countries to seek refuge and
leaving another six million internally displaced. After losing swathes of
territory to rebel fighters, Assad appears to have regained the upper hand
and now controls around two-thirds of the country. The areas still outside
his control are Idlib in the northwest, and a northeastern chunk held by
Kurdish authorities where U.S. and other Western troops are present. On
Saturday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Damascus would keep
"fighting this sacred battle until we purge all Syrian territories" of both
radical groups and "any illegal foreign presence."
Trump Says U.S. 'Subsidizing' Saudi, Asia Militaries
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/18/President Donald Trump has
complained that the U.S. is "subsidizing" the military of Middle East ally
Saudi Arabia, as well as Japan and South Korea. The comment, at a West
Virginia rally for local candidates of his Republican Party, follows similar
jibes at European members of the NATO alliance. "When you have wealthy
countries like Saudi Arabia, like Japan, like South Korea, why are we
subsidizing their military?" asked Trump, who pushes an aggressive "America
First" policy on trade. "They'll pay us. The problem is nobody ever asks."
He added that he had spoken to Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Saturday to
make the same point. Saudi Arabia and Japan are major buyers of U.S.-made
weaponry, and the U.S. provides intelligence and aerial refueling support to
a Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen. Japan and South Korea host
tens of thousands of American troops. Trump said the United States pays
"about 60 percent" of South Korea's military. Last year he suggested Seoul
should pay for the $1.0-billion THAAD anti-missile system that the U.S. has
deployed on South Korean territory.
Trump has long complained that European members of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization do not pay enough for their own defense, singling out Germany
for particular criticism.
Trump 'Fell in Love' with Kim after 'Beautiful Letters'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/18/U.S. President Donald Trump
said he and North Korea's Kim Jong Un have fallen "in love" –- their
bromance fueled by "beautiful letters" he received from the leader of the
nuclear-armed state. Trump on Saturday elevated his recent praise of Kim to
new heights, at a West Virginia rally in support of local candidates for his
Republican Party. "And then we fell in love -- OK? No really. He wrote me
beautiful letters and they're great letters. We fell in love," Trump told
the crowd. On Monday at the United Nations General Assembly Trump lauded the
North Korean strongman -- who is accused by the U.N. and others of
widespread human rights abuses -- as "terrific," one year after Trump
eviscerated Kim from the same platform. Trump followed those comments by
saying Wednesday he had received an "extraordinary letter" from Kim, and
sounded optimistic about prospects for a second summit between the two
leaders "fairly quickly."Trump used his debut address at the U.N. General
Assembly 12 months ago to threaten to "totally destroy" North Korea and
belittle its leader as "rocket man," prompting Kim to respond by calling the
president a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard." Those were among a series of
playground-type slurs the leaders of the two nuclear-armed states hurled at
each other, setting the world on edge. Last August, after U.S. media
reported Pyongyang had successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead to fit
into a missile, Trump warned Pyongyang not to threaten the United States or
it would face "fire and fury like the world has never seen." Kim had earlier
compared comments by Trump to the bark of a "rabid dog," and Trump derided
Kim as a "sick puppy" -- before the apparent outbreak of puppy love. Trump
met Kim in Singapore in June for the first-ever summit between the two
countries that have never signed a peace treaty. The summit led to a warming
of ties and a halt in Pyongyang's missile launches, but there has been
little concrete progress since. North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho on
Saturday told the U.N. there was "no way" that his country would disarm
first as long as the U.S. to push for tough enforcement of sanctions against
Pyongyang.
Sisi Set to Visit Russia to Reinforce Cooperation
Cairo - Mohammed Nabil Helmi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 September,
2018/Cairo is preparing for the ‘anticipated visit’ of Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to Russia to reinforce cooperation in various fields.
Sisi’s last visit to Russia was in 2015, which was his third visit since
becoming a president. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting
with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on the sidelines of the 73rd
United Nations General Assembly on Friday. The two focused on how to
strengthen and develop bilateral cooperation and also discussed the
situation in the region and world. Shoukry stressed Egypt's interest in
increasing direct Russian investments in the country, especially in the
industrial domain. They focused on prospects for further development of a
comprehensive partnership uniting Russia and Egypt with an emphasis on
multifaceted cooperation to be stepped up and strengthened. The two
ministers expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the Dabaa nuclear
plant project. Meanwhile, the meeting also tackled recent developments in
Syria and Libya. The Egyptian minister stressed the need to maintain the
national institutions in both Libya and Syria and to secure their stability
and territorial integrity. He urged more efforts to achieve a political
settlement to cement regional security and stability and to prevent the
expansion and spread of terrorist groups. Shoukry also warned against
establishing safe routes to allow terrorists to leave Syria's Idlib. For his
part, Lavrov expressed Russia's support for the Egyptian efforts in Libya
and affirmed the importance of uniting the Libyan army. He also warned
against relying on militias to preserve stability in the country.
Death toll from Indonesian quake, tsunami rises to 832
AP/Reuters/September 30, 2018
PALU, Indonesia:The death toll from an earthquake and tsunami on the
Indonesian island of Sulawesi rose to 832 on Sunday, the national disaster
mitigation agency said, adding it assessed the affected area to be bigger
than initially thought. Many people were reported trapped in the rubble of
buildings brought down in the 7.5 magnitude earthquake which struck on
Friday and triggered tsunami waves as high as six metres (20 feet), agency
spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a news conference. Rescuers were
scrambling Sunday to try to find trapped victims in collapsed buildings
where voices could be heard screaming for help after a massive earthquake in
Indonesia spawned a deadly tsunami two days ago. Muhammad Syaugi, the head
of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, said that he could hear people
calling out from the collapsed eight-story Roa-Roa Hotel in the hard-hit
city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi. “I can still hear the voice of the
survivors screaming for help while inspecting the compound,” he said, adding
there could be 50 people trapped inside.
The Ministry of Information reported the official death toll at 405, with
all the fatalities coming in the hard- Palu. But disaster agency spokesman
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the toll was expected to rise once rescuers
reached surrounding coastal areas. He said others were unaccounted for,
without giving an estimate. The nearby cities of Donggala and Mamuju were
also ravaged, but little information was available due to damaged roads and
disrupted telecommunications. Nugroho said “tens to hundreds” of people were
taking part in a beach festival in Palu when the tsunami struck at dusk on
Friday. Their fate was unknown. Hundreds of people were injured and
hospitals, damaged by the magnitude 7.5 quake, were overwhelmed. Some of the
injured, including Dwi Haris, who suffered a broken back and shoulder,
rested outside Palu’s Army Hospital, where patients were being treated
outdoors due to continuing strong aftershocks. Tears filled his eyes as he
recounted feeling the violent earthquake shake the fifth-floor hotel room he
shared with his wife and daughter. “There was no time to save ourselves. I
was squeezed into the ruins of the wall, I think,” said Haris, adding that
his family was in town for a wedding. “I heard my wife cry for help, but
then silence. I don’t know what happened to her and my child. I hope they
are safe.” It’s the latest natural disaster to hit Indonesia, which is
frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of
its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in
the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off
Sumatra island in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000
people in a dozen countries. Last month, a powerful quake on the island of
Lombok killed 505 people. Palu, which has more than 380,000 people, was
strewn with debris from the earthquake and tsunami. A mosque heavily damaged
by the quake was half submerged and a shopping mall was reduced to a
crumpled hulk. A large bridge with yellow arches had collapsed. Bodies lay
partially covered by tarpaulins and a man carried a dead child through the
wreckage.
The city is built around a narrow bay that apparently magnified the force of
the tsunami waters as they raced into the tight inlet.
Indonesian TV showed dramatic smartphone video of a powerful wave hitting
Palu, with people screaming and running in fear. The water smashed into
buildings and the mosque.
Nina, a 23-year-old woman who goes by one name, was working at a laundry
service shop not far from the beach when the quake hit. She said the quake
destroyed her workplace, but she managed to escape and quickly went home to
get her mother and younger brother. “We tried to find shelter, but then I
heard people shouting, ‘Water! Water!’” she recalled, crying. “The three of
us ran, but got separated. Now I don’t know where my mother and brother are.
I don’t know how to get information. I don’t know what to do.” The
earthquake left mangled buildings with collapsed awnings and rebar sticking
out of concrete like antennae. Roads were buckled and cracked. The tsunami
created even more destruction. It was reported as being 3 meters (10 feet)
high in some areas and double that height elsewhere. “We got a report over
the phone saying that there was a guy who climbed a tree up to 6 meters
high,” said Nugroho, the disaster agency spokesman.
Communications with the area were difficult because power and
telecommunications were cut, hampering search and rescue efforts. Most
people slept outdoors, fearing strong aftershocks. “We hope there will be
international satellites crossing over Indonesia that can capture images and
provide them to us so we can use the images to prepare humanitarian aid,”
Nugroho said. Indonesia is a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands
that’s home to 260 million people. Roads and infrastructure are poor in many
areas, making access difficult in the best of conditions. The disaster
agency has said that essential aircraft can land at Palu’s airport, though
AirNav, which oversees aircraft navigation, said the runway was cracked and
the control tower damaged. AirNav said one of its air traffic controllers,
aged 21, died in the quake after staying in the tower to ensure a flight
he’d just cleared for departure got airborne safely. It did. More than half
of the 560 inmates in a Palu prison fled after its walls collapsed during
the quake, said its warden, Adhi Yan Ricoh. “It was very hard for the
security guards to stop the inmates from running away as they were so
panicked and had to save themselves too,” he told state news agency Antara.
Ricoh said there was no immediate plan to search for the inmates because the
prison staff and police were consumed with the search and rescue effort.
“Don’t even think to find the inmates. We don’t even have time yet to report
this incident to our superiors,” he said. Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo said Friday night that he instructed the security minister to
coordinate the government’s response to the disaster. Jokowi also told
reporters in his hometown of Solo that he called on the country’s military
chief to help with search and rescue efforts. United Nations spokesman
Stephane Dujarric said UN officials were in contact with Indonesian
authorities and “stand ready to provide support as required.” Sulawesi has a
history of religious tensions between Muslims and Christians, with violent
riots erupting in the town of Poso, not far from Palu, two decades ago.
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country.
The Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
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October 01/18
EU:
Politicizing the Internet
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/September 30/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13042/eu-internet-censorship
Even before such EU-wide legislation, similar ostensible "anti-terror
legislation" in France, for example, is being used as a political tool
against political opponents and to limit unwanted free speech.
In France, simply spreading information about ISIS atrocities is now
considered "incitement to terrorism". It is this kind of legislation, it
seems, that the European Commission now wishes to impose on all of the
European Union.
Social media giants -- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Microsoft, Google+ and
Instagram -- act as voluntary censors on behalf of the European Union.
The European Commission states that it is specifically interested in funding
projects that focus on the "development of technology and innovative web
tools preventing and countering illegal hate speech online and supporting
data collection", and studies that analyze "the spread of racist and
xenophobic hate speech in different Member States..."
The European Union seems fixated, at least for the internet, on killing free
speech. And social media giants -- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Microsoft,
Google+ and Instagram -- act as voluntary censors on behalf of the EU.
(Image source: iStock)
In March, the European Commission -- the unelected executive branch of the
European Union -- told social media companies to remove illegal online
terrorist content within an hour -- or risk facing EU-wide legislation on
the topic. This ultimatum was part of a new set of recommendations that
applies to all forms of supposedly "illegal content" online. This content
ranges "from terrorist content, incitement to hatred and violence, child
sexual abuse material, counterfeit products and copyright infringement."
While the one-hour ultimatum was ostensibly only about terrorist content,
the following is how the European Commission presented the new
recommendations at the time:
"... The Commission has taken a number of actions to protect Europeans
online – be it from terrorist content, illegal hate speech or fake news...
we are continuously looking into ways we can improve our fight against
illegal content online. Illegal content means any information which is not
in compliance with Union law or the law of a Member State, such as content
inciting people to terrorism, racist or xenophobic, illegal hate speech,
child sexual exploitation... What is illegal offline is also illegal
online".
"Illegal hate speech", is then broadly defined by the European Commission as
"incitement to violence or hatred directed against a group of persons or a
member of such a group defined by reference to race, colour, religion,
descent or national or ethnic origin".
The EU has now decided that these "voluntary efforts" to remove terrorist
content within an hour on the part of the social media giants are not
enough: that legislation must be introduced. According to the European
Commission's recent press release:
"The Commission has already been working on a voluntary basis with a number
of key stakeholders – including online platforms, Member States and Europol
– under the EU Internet Forum in order to limit the presence of terrorist
content online. In March, the Commission recommended a number of actions to
be taken by companies and Member States to further step up this work. Whilst
these efforts have brought positive results, overall progress has not been
sufficient".
According to the press release, the new rules will include draconian fines
issued to internet companies who fail to live up to the new legislation:
"Member States will have to put in place effective, proportionate and
dissuasive penalties for not complying with orders to remove online
terrorist content. In the event of systematic failures to remove such
content following removal orders, a service provider could face financial
penalties of up to 4% of its global turnover for the last business year".
Such astronomical penalties are likely to ensure that no internet company
will run any risks and will therefore self-censor material "just in case".
According to the European Commission press release, the rules will require
that service providers "take proactive measures – such as the use of new
tools – to better protect their platforms and their users from terrorist
abuse". The rules will also require increased cooperation between hosting
service providers, and Europol and Member States, with the stipulation that
Member states "designate points of contact reachable 24/7 to facilitate the
follow up to removal orders and referrals", as well as the establishment of:
"...effective complaint mechanisms that all service providers will have to
put in place. Where content has been removed unjustifiably, the service
provider will be required to reinstate it as soon as possible. Effective
judicial remedies will also be provided by national authorities and
platforms and content providers will have the right to challenge a removal
order. For platforms making use of automated detection tools, human
oversight and verification should be in place to prevent erroneous
removals".
It is hard to see why anyone would believe that there will be effective
judicial remedies and that erroneously removed content will be reinstated.
Even before such EU-wide legislation, similar ostensible "anti-terror
legislation" in France, for example, is being used as a political tool
against political opponents and to limit unwanted free speech. Marine Le
Pen, leader of France's Front National, was charged earlier this year for
tweeting images in 2015 of ISIS atrocities, including the beheading of
American journalist James Foley and a photo of a man being burned by ISIS in
a cage. She faces charges of circulating "violent messages that incite
terrorism or pornography or seriously harm human dignity", and that can be
viewed by a minor. The purported crime is punishable by up to three years in
prison and a fine of €75,000 ($88,000). Le Pen posted the pictures a few
weeks after the Paris terror attacks in November 2015, in which 130 people
were killed, and the text she wrote to accompany the images was "Daesh is
this!" In France, then, simply spreading information about ISIS atrocities
is now considered "incitement to terrorism". It is this kind of legislation,
it seems, that the European Commission now wishes to impose on all of the
EU.
The decision to enact legislation in this area was taken at the June 2018
European Council meeting – a gathering of all the EU's heads of state – in
which the Council welcomed "the intention of the Commission to present a
legislative proposal to improve the detection and removal of content that
incites hatred and to commit terrorist acts". It sounds, however, as if the
EU is planning to legislate about a lot more than just "terrorism".
In May 2016, the European Commission and Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and
Microsoft, agreed on a "Code of Conduct on countering illegal online hate
speech online" (Google+ and Instagram also joined the Code of Conduct in
January 2018). The Code of Conduct commits the social media companies to
review and remove, within 24 hours, content that is deemed to be "illegal
hate speech". According to the Code of Conduct, when companies receive a
request to remove content, they must "assess the request against their rules
and community guidelines and, where applicable, national laws on combating
racism and xenophobia..." In other words, the social media giants act as
voluntary censors on behalf of the European Union.
The European Council's welcoming of a legislative proposal from the European
Commission on "improving the detection and removal of content that incites
hatred" certainly sounds as if the EU plans to put the Code of Conduct into
legislation, as well.
At the EU Salzburg Informal Summit in September, EU member states agreed to,
"step up the fight against all forms of cyber crime, manipulations and
disinformation". Heads of member states were furthermore invited, "to
discuss what they expect from the Union when it comes to... preventing the
dissemination of terrorist content online" and "striking the right balance
between effectively combating disinformation and illegal cyber activities
and safeguarding fundamental rights such as the freedom of expression".
At the same time, however, the European Commission, under its Research and
Innovation Program, has a call out for research proposals on how "to
monitor, prevent and counter hate speech online," with a submission deadline
in October.
In the call for proposals, the Commission says that it is "committed to curb
the trends of online hate speech in Europe" and underlines that "proposals
building on the activities relating to the implementation of the Code of
Conduct on countering hate speech online are of particular interest".
The Commission states that it is specifically interested in funding projects
that focus on the, "development of technology and innovative web tools
preventing and countering illegal hate speech online and supporting data
collection"; studies that analyze "the spread of racist and xenophobic hate
speech in different Member States, including the source and structures of
groups generating and spreading such content..."; and projects that develop
and disseminate "online narratives promoting EU values, tolerance and
respect to EU fundamental rights and fact checking activities enhancing
critical thinking and awareness about accuracy of information" as well as
activities "aimed at training stakeholders on EU and national legal
framework criminalising hate speech online".[1] One just wonders which
member states and what "hate speech" will be held accountable -- and which
not.
The EU seems fixated, at least for the internet, on killing free speech.
Judith Bergman is a columnist, lawyer and political analyst.
[1] The European Commission writes in its call that it would like the funded
projects to have the following results:
Curbing increasing trends of illegal hate speech on the Internet and
contributing to better understanding how social media is used to recruit
followers to the hate speech narrative and ideas;
Improving data recording and establishment of trends, including on the
chilling effects of illegal hate speech online, including when addressed to
key democracy players, such as journalists;
Strengthening cooperation between national authorities, civil society
organisations and Internet companies, in the area of preventing and
countering hate speech online;
Empowering civil society organisations and grass-root movements in their
activities countering hate speech online and in the development of effective
counter-narratives;
Increasing awareness and media literacy of the general public on racist and
xenophobic online hate speech and boosting public perception of the issue.
© 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.
Sanctuary Cities - for Whom?
David C. Stolinsky/Gatestone Institute/September 30/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13024/sanctuary-cities
Kathryn Steinle's last words were, "Dad, help me, help me." But her dad
could not help her. It was up to us to help her by keeping the streets as
safe as possible. We did not. We used up all our sympathy on those who do
not deserve it, leaving none for those who do deserve it. We made a
"sanctuary city" that was safe for José Inés García Zárate, but extremely
unsafe for his victim, Kathryn Steinle.
There are many reasons that citizens vote for a candidate. Blue-collar
families often vote for the one who will bring back manufacturing jobs.
Military families often vote for the one who will leave no man behind. For
me, public safety is a primary consideration. People have a finite amount of
sympathy. I'm sure Mother Teresa had more than I do, but even hers was not
unlimited. Wisely, she spent hers for the poor. But many people are not
wise. They spend their sympathy on illegal immigrants and criminals, leaving
none for law-abiding citizens. Take, for instance, the cases of Sarah
McKinley and Kathryn Steinle.
Sarah McKinley was home with her three-month-old son on New Year's Eve 2013.
She lived in the rural community of Blanchard, Oklahoma, and police response
times tended to be long. She was an 18-year-old widow. Her husband had died
of cancer a few days earlier.
When she saw two men attempting to break in, McKinley recognized one as a
man who had been stalking her since her husband's funeral. Apparently he was
looking for drugs in the cancer victim's home. She gave her baby a bottle,
then retrieved a shotgun and a handgun and barricaded the door. She phoned
911 and asked what to do. She was told she could not shoot unless they came
through the door. The 911 dispatcher, though, who was a woman, added, "You
do what you have to do to protect your baby."
It took police 14 minutes to arrive from the time McKinley called 911. Two
minutes before they arrived, Justin Shane Martin broke down McKinley's
barricaded front door, holding a 12-inch hunting knife in his gloved hand.
She fired the shotgun, killing the Martin. His companion fled. He later
turned himself in to police.
Later Sarah explained:
"I knew that I was going to have to choose him or my son, and it wasn't
going to be my son, so I did what I had to do. There's nothing more
dangerous than a mother with a child."
If we truly want to "save just one life," we will remember Sarah McKinley
and all those like her. We will read the work of John Lott, especially More
Guns, Less Crime, which demonstrates that violent crime decreases when more
law-abiding citizens are armed, after background checks and suitable
training, and does not necessarily decrease with strict gun laws, as in
France. We will read the work of Dr. Gary Kleck, especially Point Blank:
Guns and Violence in America, which shows that guns are used more often to
defend against violent crime than to commit it.
It is bizarre that "progressives" who claim to fear the imposition of a
"Nazi" regime by President Trump or others, are the same people who work to
disarm the citizenry. They seem utterly unaware of the glaring
contradiction.
If we truly want to "save just one life," we would be guided by logic
instead of emotions.
Kathryn Steinle
Like many left-leaning cities, San Francisco declared itself a "sanctuary
city," so that illegal immigrants would be reported to Immigration Customs
Enforcement (ICE) only if they commit violent felonies. The supremacy of
federal law is a concept that seems to have eluded San Francisco's
officials. In fact, thousands of illegal immigrants have been released from
custody in California without immigration officials being notified. In fact,
about 39% of the federal prison population is composed of illegal aliens (as
of 2013), of whom more than 25,000 have been arrested for homicide.
How well the "sanctuary city" program works was illustrated with striking
clarity in the person of José Inés García Zárate (also known as Juan
Francisco López-Sánchez), who shot and killed Kathryn Steinle on July 1,
2015. García Zárate was an illegal immigrant and convicted felon who had
been deported five times before killing Steinle.
García Zárate was released from jail in San Francisco on April 15, 2015. ICE
had filed the detainer request to be notified prior to García Zárate's
release from custody, so that he could be deported again. But San Francisco
authorities followed their policy and refused to honor the hold, because
García Zárate had not committed a violent felony.
Two months later, García Zárate shot 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, who died
in her father's arms at a tourist attraction on Pier 14. Steinle had worked
for a medical technology company.
Eventually, a San Francisco jury acquitted García Zárate of murder or
manslaughter, and found him guilty only of illegal weapons possession. Of
course, he will not receive the death penalty, because California no longer
has one. Correction: California no longer has a death penalty for people
like García Zárate, but it evidently does have one for people like Kathryn
Steinle.
Her last words were, "Dad, help me, help me." But her dad could not help
her. It was up to us to help her by keeping the streets as safe as possible.
We did not. We used up all our sympathy on those who do not deserve it,
leaving none for those who do deserve it. We made a "sanctuary city" that
was safe for José Inés García Zárate, but extremely unsafe for Kathryn
Michelle Steinle.
In the case of gun control, excessive regulations are more likely to cost
lives than to save them. If you doubt this, just ask Sarah McKinley. How
else could one expect a young mother to defend herself and her baby against
armed intruders? What could she be expected to do when the police had not
yet arrived and an man breaks down her door, holding a 12-inch hunting knife
in his gloved hand? If she had not had that shotgun, she would probably be
dead, as would her baby.
Here, gun-control activists with their "if it will save just one life"
rhetoric actually would have cost two lives. Yet somehow, people like Sarah
McKinley just do not register on the "progressive" radar. People like Sarah
McKinley and her baby are dumped into Hillary Clinton's "basket of
deplorables" or are included in Barack Obama's bitter clingers who want to
hold onto their religion and guns.
After all, how can we expect the self-anointed elite -- the graduates of
prestigious Ivy League universities -- to concern themselves with ignorant
rednecks? They are much too elevated for that. When they say "social
justice," they often seem to mean big government controlling virtually every
aspect of daily life. But their version of "social justice" somehow fails to
include the very lives of Sarah McKinley and her child.
Ironically, if the advocates of tight gun control had their way, Sarah
McKinley and her baby would probably be dead, and if the advocates of tight
border control had their way, Kathryn Steinle would probably be alive.
When it comes to illegal immigration, as well as to other policies many
"progressives" appear to favor, they never seem to remember their beloved
mantra of "if it will save just one life." If our borders were more secure,
and if our immigration laws were more conscientiously enforced, and -- most
of all -- if San Francisco had not declared itself a "sanctuary city,"
Kathryn Steinle would still be alive, working at the medical technology
company, interacting with her close-knit family, and charming others with
her smile.
*Dr. David C. Stolinsky, a retired physician, is based in the US.
© 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.
Don’t Blame Business for Slow Wage Growth
Michael Strain/Bloomberg/September, 30/18
Are wages determined by market forces, or do businesses get to decide what
pay they offer to workers? This question gets at the heart of a lot of the
debate about the economy. Why has wage growth been so sluggish for so many
years?
If you’re on the market-forces side of the wage question, you might answer
that productivity growth has been weak. If you’re on the side of the debate
that believes corporations have considerable power to pay workers what they
want, thwarting market forces, then you might answer that employers have
made the decision to boost profits at the expense of raising wages. Of
course, few people — and even fewer economists — believe that one factor or
the other has no role at all in the determination of wages. But it is common
to hear some prominent analysts and organizations on the left argue that the
link between wages and productivity for most workers has effectively been
severed for decades. Likewise, many on the right quickly dismiss the
importance of non-market factors in explaining wages.
Let’s focus on typical workers and on low-wage workers. For them, the
standard story finds businesses competing for employees, driving up wages to
the point that workers are paid according to their contributions to the
company. Businesses don’t pay employees less than the value of their
productivity — the amount of revenue workers generate for their employer —
because doing so would result in their workers taking another job where they
would get paid what they’re worth. In this sense, employers don’t “decide”
what wages they pay. Instead, wages are set in markets. Not so fast, say
many economists and commentators. This story leaves out some important, and
recently much-discussed, corporate policies that allow employers to pay
workers less than market wages.
Over the summer, more than a dozen major restaurant chains — including
McDonald’s, Applebee’s and Jimmy John’s — removed “no-poaching agreements”
from their contracts with franchisees. These agreements prohibit workers at
one McDonald’s restaurant, say, from getting a job at another McDonald’s
franchise. These agreements are surprisingly common among low-wage
employers, and they may act to put some downward pressure on wages by
thwarting the competitive market mechanism through restricting the options
workers have to shop around for a different, higher-paying job.
“Non-compete agreements,” in which workers agree not to join or start a
rival company for a certain period of time after leaving their current
employer, are a similar policy. These agreements make sense in some
situations for “knowledge workers” and executives who possess considerable
intellectual assets regarding their current employer. So it may not be
surprising that over 60 percent of CEOs and four in 10 engineers have a
non-compete.
But the evidence suggests that about one-fifth of all workers, including
lower-income workers, are covered by a non-compete arrangement as well. This
is harder to understand. And again, by restricting workers’ options, these
policies may be suppressing wages somewhat.
I applaud the end of no-poaching agreements in restaurant chains and do not
see a valid reason for non-competes to apply to lower-wage workers. In
general, I’m am all for making labor markets more competitive. But I’m
skeptical that these corporate policies are having a major effect on the
earnings of typical and low-wage workers. How often are such agreements
enforced? And if a McDonald’s cashier can’t get a job at another McDonald’s
down the street, why can’t he just go to Burger King? It’s hard to imagine
that these restrictions are significantly lowering his wage. And there is
little evidence to show they do.
This is not to say that frictions in the smooth operation of the competitive
market mechanism don’t give employers some power over the wages they offer.
But the most important frictions are not driven by corporate policies.
Mobility costs, for example, are much more important. It costs time and
effort to change jobs, and takes money to move to a different city for a
better job. This gives employers some power over wages. For example, a
business could keep wages for some workers below their market level if those
workers don’t want to incur the costs of changing jobs. Another critical
factor is the lack of information workers have about what they could earn
elsewhere, which likely reduces mobility.
Governments have thrown a wrench in the market machine through the absurd
proliferation of occupational licenses, reducing wages for workers who can’t
get a license and restricting the mobility of licensed workers. A recent
study finds that the rate of migration across state lines for individuals in
occupations with state-specific licensing requirements is over one-third
lower than among individuals in occupations that don’t have such rules. A
general decline in labor market dynamism and in the prevalence of unions
likely both increase employer power over wages, as well. Despite these
important factors, in my view worker productivity remains the dominant force
in setting wages. For one, mobility costs and similar factors are much
stronger in the near term than over longer periods of time. It may be hard
for me to move my family across the country, but it’s relatively easy for a
recent college graduate without a spouse and kids or for a newly arrived
immigrant to do so. And intuitively, there is a limit to how far an employer
can push its wages below the market wage. Over time, that business will find
it hard to hire and retain workers, and to get them to put in a hard day’s
work. Market forces are powerful. A recent paper by economists Anna M.
Stansbury and Lawrence H. Summers of Harvard confirms this. They find that
over the last four decades, a one-percentage-point increase in productivity
growth is associated with a 0.73 percentage point increase in the growth
rate of median compensation. That’s a strong link.
Such evidence is dispiriting for those of us who want wages to grow faster.
It’s much harder for government policy to juice productivity growth than to
clamp down on anti-competitive corporate practices.
Corporations of the World! Young Scientists Need You
Scott Duke Kominers/Bloomberg/September, 30/18
When you were in in high school, were you hanging out at the mall or
developing new medical diagnostics? Some students are doing the latter, and
thanks to a pair of new documentaries out this year, we can travel with them
to what’s widely seen as the Olympics of research competitions, the Intel
International Science and Engineering Fair. The fair gives these students
opportunities to earn acclaim, advance their work, and make friends. But
it’s at risk — without a new source of funding, the ISEF could cease to
exist.
I’ve written before about the extraordinary students who participate in
today’s top science fairs. They do groundbreaking, graduate-level research —
studying adolescent mental health, for example, or inventing low-cost water
filters and new aircraft.
Their final products are outstanding. But equally amazing are the roads they
take to get there.
Sundance audience favorite “Science Fair,” released earlier this month by
National Geographic Documentary Films, gives us a window into the process.
Some of the competitors overcome enormous obstacles: one team from an
impoverished area in Brazil, for example, made it to ISEF for its work on
combating the Zika virus. Likewise, “Inventing Tomorrow,” which premiered
last month, tracks students whose science is inspired by environmental
threats in their home countries.
Being a teenage genius brings with it certain ironies, too: “Science Fair”
follows a student who does poorly in math class because he is so busy doing
math research.
For all these students, science is a passion. Competitions like the ISEF
give them something to aspire to — and can also be life-changing. In part,
of course, that’s because of the recognition and award money on the table.
For many — especially those from lower-income areas (or countries) — ISEF
can be exactly the boost needed on the way to a better college or
university. Moreover, for many high-school science whizzes, ISEF is the
first opportunity to be surrounded by students who share their love of
research. And the adults at the fair — scientific experts who serve as
judges and ambassadors — can provide crucial advice and connections that
help the students down the line. The whole event is an intercultural
exchange, as well, drawing students from more than 75 countries, regions,
and territories.
And ISEF doesn’t just touch the lives of the students who compete there. The
presence of fairs like ISEF drives a broader program of student research
across the world. (This too figures prominently into “Science Fair”: one of
the film’s heroines is Serena McCalla, a teacher in Jericho, New York, who
has built a top science fair team filled with immigrants.)
I know the value of science fairs firsthand, since they helped put me on the
path to the career I have today. I was lucky enough to attend a high school
with teachers who encouraged research, as well as the Center for Excellence
in Education’s Research Science Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. I then competed at ISEF, and the people I met there have been a
part of my life ever since.
That’s why I judge at ISEF every year I can, and why I recently joined the
National Leadership Council of Society for Science & the Public, the
nonprofit that runs the fair. And more broadly, it’s why I want scientific
research — and the opportunities that come with it — to become ever more
accessible to students worldwide. But we’re at risk of taking a step
backwards. In early 2017, Intel said that it plans to drop its support of
ISEF after the 2019 fair. Without new sponsorship, ISEF and the spillovers
it creates could dwindle or vanish. So American corporations (and
international ones, too), please step up. The scientists of tomorrow need
you. Go watch “Science Fair” and “Inventing Tomorrow,” and you’ll see what I
mean.
US between Progressive Left, the Nationalist Right
Hal Brands/Bloomberg/September, 30/18
When it comes to foreign policy, the Trump era offers opportunity and peril
for the Democratic Party. The opportunity lies in the fact that Trump’s
shambolic diplomacy has given the Democrats an opening to position
themselves as the most responsible stewards of American national security.
The peril lies in the possibility that the party will instead try to f Trump
on global affairs, and do lasting damage in the process.
The latter scenario, unfortunately, is looming large these days. Two recent
progressive foreign policy manifestoes have offered biting critiques not so
much of the president, but of the broader tradition of American global
engagement in support of a healthy world order.
Writing for the Atlantic, Peter Beinart argues that US foreign policy has
impoverished and weakened the republic, and that the nation must adopt a
posture of deep retrenchment and protectionism. The US should pull back from
the Western Pacific and Eastern Europe and concede China and Russia their
spheres of influence; it should throw up trade barriers to protect American
jobs. The former initiative might enable the latter: Giving China free rein
vis-a-vis Taiwan might just convince the rulers in Beijing to cut America a
break on trade, or so Beinart believes. Writing in the New York Times,
Daniel Bessner offers a similar prescription: Abandoning the “bipartisan
commitment to militarism and American hegemony” that has prevailed since
World War II, taking a more relaxed attitude to geopolitical threats posed
by actors such as China and Russia, and forbidding American corporations
from employing cheap labor overseas.
Intellectuals aren’t the only ones trying to move the Democrats in this
direction. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the face of the progressive insurgency,
has lambasted the “extreme” costs of US foreign policy. She critiques
“corporate Democrats [who] seem to find the cash to fund a $1.1 trillion jet
fighter program” so that America can keep committing “global acts of
aggression” and “re-fighting the Cold War with a new arms race that nobody
can win.” America must instead adopt a “peace economy” predicated on rolling
back US overseas commitments to fund democratic socialism at home.
Opinion polling likewise suggests Democrats are less likely than Republicans
or independents to support maintaining US military superiority. And only a
little more than two years ago, Bernie Sanders came close to defeating
Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primaries by running on a platform that was only
slightly less protectionist than Trump’s. Sanders, after all, was just as
opposed to the Trans-Pacific Partnership as Trump was.
The way to establish a fresh, constructive Democratic identity on foreign
policy in the age of Trump, a growing number of party leaders and
progressive writers seem to have concluded, is to embrace his basic approach
to global affairs.
Progressives would surely object to this characterization, and there are
myriad differences between their emerging foreign policy platform and the
Trump administration’s agenda. The Democratic left is rightly preoccupied
with climate change as a national security issue; the president, most
assuredly, is not. Progressives support the Iran nuclear deal, prefer
multilateralism over unilateralism, and often question the value of American
military power in shaping the international environment; Trump’s views
diverge from each of these positions. The list of differences could easily
go on, but the core similarities are impossible to ignore. For the ideas at
the heart of Trump’s critique of US foreign policy are also the ideas at the
heart of the progressive critique. They agree that deep global engagement of
the sort America has pursued since World War II harms rather than helps the
American people, that the US has more to fear than to gain in an open global
economy, that Washington does not have a vital interest in keeping the peace
and preventing aggression in key regions like Eastern Europe or East Asia,
and that America should therefore do less — much less — to promote a
congenial world. In fact, what Trump has merely hinted at — that Washington
should stand aside as Vladimir Putin subdues Ukraine and establishes a
buffer of “Finlandized” states in Eastern Europe — progressive commentators
now say explicitly.
This should not be so surprising. The range of views on US foreign policy is
less a spectrum than a circle, and there has long been a certain affinity
between the progressive left and the nationalist right. During the 1990s,
Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan both railed against globalization; both called
for America to pull back strategically, with the Cold War over. They and
their supporters did so for different reasons: The nationalist right
worried, as it does today, that deep global involvement would compromise
American sovereignty and national identity; the progressive left feared, as
it does today, that an engaged policy would empower elites at the expense of
average Americans. But they ended up, on some key issues and in their
broader critique of American internationalism, in essentially the same
place.
Back then, these voices were more marginalized than mainstream. Today, the
Republican Party has been taken over by a president who fundamentally
rejects the central intellectual pillars of America’s postwar statecraft.
And although the balance of power on the Democratic side is more fluid, the
advocates of retrenchment and protectionism are gaining ground. The US could
see a presidential election in 2020 pitting Trump against a Democratic
candidate who harshly attacks the president’s specific policies while
basically agreeing with his desire to get out of the business of sustaining
the American world order.
This would be a disaster. It would signal that the bipartisan consensus on
American global engagement has been replaced by a bipartisan consensus on
American global retreat. Over the long term, such a shift could undermine
the great achievements of postwar US diplomacy — preventing great-power war,
preserving relative stability in key regions, catalyzing an unprecedented
rise in global and American prosperity, promoting the remarkable spread of
democracy and human rights. Even in the shorter term, the effects could be
quite damaging.
Around the world, many of America’s allies and trading partners have been
suffering the indignities of Trump’s presidency in hopes that he represents
only a four-year aberration. (They have not, however, constrained themselves
from laughing out loud at his more outlandish statements, as at the U.N.
this week.) Yet if these countries are faced with the certainty that they
will be dealing with Trump or another critic of American internationalism
for another four years after that, they may well conclude that the current
moment is not an aberration but the new normal. That could fundamentally
break their confidence in American leadership in a way that would unleash
the geopolitical demons that leadership has traditionally suppressed — and
that would take many years to repair. Who knows what sort of instability
might have emerged, what mischief revisionist powers might have made, in the
meantime?
With Donald Trump firmly in control of the Republican Party, Democrats
represent the only chance America has to recommit itself to a tradition of
internationalism that has served the country and the world quite well. Let’s
hope the party doesn’t blow it by emulating the very president it reviles.
Facebook Security Flaw Exposes a Crisis of Faith
Shira Ovide/Bloomberg/September, 30/18
As in any relationship between people, once a company loses the trust of its
customers, there is a long, lingering period of suspicion that the company
will do something egregious again.
There is suspicion that greedy banks will take on too much risk again. That
Chipotle will make customers sick again. And that Facebook Inc. is too
creepy and irresponsible to be an unquestioned staple of daily life. Once
trust is gone, it’s incredibly hard to win back and every misstep is
magnified.
That is what is happening to Facebook on Friday after it reported it
discovered a security flaw that potentially allowed attackers to hijack
people’s Facebook accounts. The company said the flaw affected almost 50
million accounts, and Facebook logged 90 million people off their accounts
as a safety measure. The company didn’t say whether anyone’s account had
been hijacked by exploiting the security flaw it outlined.
At least based on the available information from Facebook, the company acted
quickly and responsibly once it discovered the technical vulnerability. But
again, it doesn’t matter. Facebook shares dropped more than 3 percent on the
news, and it set off another round of news reports that reminded people
about Cambridge Analytica, Russian propaganda, Myanmar violence and more. (Facebook
lost more market value from the security flaw than Tesla lost on Friday
after its CEO was sued by the government for securities fraud.)
To people already understandably weary of Facebook after two years of
scandal, the combination of the words “Facebook” and “compromised data” are
enough to bring up all the bad feelings about the company. This is what the
loss of faith looks like, and it’s hard to imagine Facebook winning people
back anytime soon. Everyone at Facebook may believe it’s unfair that the
company is being criticized at every turn, but reality bites.
Ultranationalist mindset shapes Iran’s strategy toward
Gulf states
Dr. Mohammed Alsulami/Arab News/September 30/18
The stark difference between Iran’s strategy in dealing with the Western
world and with the Arab states is evident at times of crisis. Some may
ponder why this double standard exists. What are the motives and historical
roots behind it? Has Tehran had this dual policy since the revolution or was
it inherited from previous regimes?Historically, Iran has adopted an
antagonistic posture toward the Arab states. Even when there have been
opportunities to correct this posture and improve relations, Iran’s leaders
have often preferred not to. Saudi-Iranian relations are a case in point. A
glimpse at the Shah and the post-1979 Islamic revolutionary regime will help
explain the nature of these relations.
In 1944, an Iranian was arrested in Saudi Arabia during his pilgrimage after
he defiled the Kaaba. Pilgrims testified against him and a Saudi court
sentenced him to death. The ruling was upheld, and he was executed. In
response, Iran quickly severed diplomatic ties with Riyadh. The Saudi
authorities protested that the judicial ruling was grounded on witness
testimony, and that Iran could not interfere in its internal affairs. Three
years later, the Shah restored ties with Riyadh, sending a high-level
delegation and representatives of the royal court to meet with their Saudi
counterparts during the pilgrimage season.
In 1968, tensions erupted once again, while British forces were preparing to
withdraw from the Gulf. During this period, Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal
received the ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Issa bin Salman. Iran’s ruler, the
Shah, saw the move as a tacit message from Riyadh suggesting that Bahrain
was asserting its position as an Arab state. Iran’s leadership saw this as
unacceptable. In protest at the Bahraini leader’s meeting with the Saudi
King, the Shah immediately cancelled his trip to Manama, which had been
scheduled two days later. In his book on Saudi-Iranian relations, Iranian
researcher Hamid Ahmadi wrote that, when King Faisal was asked about his
position on the Shah's decision to cancel his visit to Bahrain, he replied
that the decision was up to the Shah, suggesting that his relatively young
age at the time may have resulted in him making an impulsive decision, which
he may reconsider later. As King Faisal predicted, the Shah reversed his
decision. A few months later, he contacted the Saudi leadership to ask if he
could meet King Faisal. The Saudi king agreed, and the two leaders soon met.
Although they were scheduled to hold a 40-minute meeting, it was so
successful that it stretched to six hours and resulted in a promise by the
Shah to visit Riyadh again shortly, which he did less than six months later.
Following the 1979 so-called “Islamic revolution” in Iran, tensions erupted
between Tehran and Riyadh on two occasions.
At the height of the Iran-Iraq War in 1985, Saudi Arabia presented an
initiative to cease hostilities, and to end the bloodshed between two
fraternal Muslim nations. While King Fahd delegated his Foreign Minister
Prince Saud Al-Faisal to meet with Iranian officials in Tehran to discuss a
mutual cessation of hostilities between Iran and Iraq, Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini flatly rejected the initiative and insisted on war until the Iraqi
regime was overthrown. Two years later, having failed to achieve this goal,
Iran’s leaders reluctantly agreed to a cease-fire between the two sides,
with Khomeini likening the agreement to drinking a cup of poison.
Nearly three decades after that, Iran’s antagonism toward the Arab nations
again came to the fore when it signed the landmark 2015 Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with the P5+1 states (the US, Russia,
China, France, the UK, and Germany). The Gulf states expressed grave
reservations about empowering Iran and repeatedly warned of the deal’s
repercussions for the region. These reservations and warnings were
disregarded.
The Gulf states rejected and continue to reject any arrogant and
destabilizing behavior in the region.
Post-JCPOA, the Iranian regime grew increasingly confident in its ability to
shape and control events across the region, with the Obama administration
and the other P5+1 states failing to curb its missile program, military
expansionism and its use of sectarian militias. This led to further tensions
with the Gulf states. Tehran believed that support from the P5+1 was enough
to force the Gulf states into accepting its actions, and they would have no
choice but to improve their relationship with it and accept its regional
aggression. In fact, the Gulf states rejected and continue to reject any
arrogant and destabilizing behavior in the region, as well as Iran’s use of
its unfrozen assets and the economic revenues it received following the 2015
deal to develop and fund extremist militias, which have wreaked chaos across
the region. Less than three years after signing the deal, however, Tehran
discovered that it needed the support of the Gulf states after President
Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal and imposed political and
economic pressure on the Iranian regime. In the face of this pressure,
Tehran suddenly remembered the importance of the Gulf states to attaining
its objectives, realizing that any rapprochement with the US starts from
these states. The Iranian president and his foreign minister launched a
diplomatic charm offensive, making flattering comments about the Arab states
that they had maligned a couple of years previously in an earnest attempt to
rebuild relations, calling for a new friendly era in diplomatic relations
between the Gulf states and Iran. The Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia,
the UAE and Bahrain, were skeptical about the sincerity of this sudden
U-turn, insisting that Iran’s regime should change its behavior in the
region before they would agree to dialogue or negotiations. These are only a
few instances of the deep-rooted and long-standing problem with the mindset
of Iran’s leaders in their dealings with the Gulf states, and of Tehran’s
disregard for the concerns of its neighboring nations. Many analysts believe
that the problem stems from a demeaning view of Arabs promoted by successive
Iranian leaders, which depicts them not as neighbors or equals but as
inferiors. Although times have moved on since the days of the Persian
Empire, there remains, unfortunately, a strain of supremacism and contempt
for Arabs that has been passed down through successive generations and
exploited by authoritarian leaders. Ironically, the “Islamic Republic”
treats the Western states it attacks with far greater respect than it
accords to its predominantly Muslim Arab neighbors.
Although the Gulf states are advanced and have made great strides in many
areas, this arrogant supremacist world view toward the Arabs has remained
unchanged among Iran’s leaders, damaging the chances of regional harmony.
Perpetuating this antagonistic ultranationalist mindset, which glorifies
Iran’s imperial past and seeks to revive its position as a regional imperial
power, is not only harmful for Iranians but for regional cooperation. This
short-sightedness amongst Iran’s leaders means that Tehran continues to make
the same mistakes and fails to learn from them. It is imperative that the
wiser voices of reason within the Iranian regime urge its leadership to
change its course and reconsider its view of and relations with its Arab
neighbors if it truly wishes to pursue harmonious and cordial relations. If
Iran fails to amend its behavior and continues to pursue its current
antagonistic path, the world will continue to forge ahead, leaving Iran as
an isolated, impoverished and backward failed state lost in futile daydreams
for its long-gone imperial past, which would be a sad loss for Iran’s
leaders and people.
• Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is Head of the International Institute for Iranian
Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami
US-Gulf pressure on Iranian regime is proving effective
الدكتور ماجد ربيزاده: ضغط دول الخليج العربي على نظام إيران يؤكد فاعليته
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/September 30/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/67794/dr-majid-rafizadeh-us-gulf-pressure-on-iranian-regime-is-proving-effective-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af%d9%83%d8%aa%d9%88%d8%b1-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%d8%b6%d8%ba/
In spite of what the cynics claim, the Iran
policy of the US and Gulf Arab states is well-informed and is gradually
bringing about effective results. Those who oppose the US and Gulf states’
policy toward Tehran continue to advocate for pursuing appeasement policies
with the Iranian regime, despite the concrete evidence that such policies
have emboldened and empowered Tehran in ratcheting up its hostile activities
in the region. A detailed comparison of the regime’s military expansionism
before and after the nuclear deal ought to teach a significant lesson to
those who insist on carrying out rapprochement with the ruling mullahs. What
marked the new era of total appeasement toward the Iranian regime was the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran
nuclear deal, which was reached between President Hassan Rouhani’s
administration and six world powers (the P5+1, namely France, Russia, the
UK, China and the US, plus Germany). The advocates of appeasing Iran had a
chance to pursue their policy against Tehran when the four rounds of UN
Security Council sanctions were lifted. The result was Tehran increasing its
militaristic and political influence in several countries in the region,
particularly Syria, Iraq and Yemen. With no international pressure imposed
on Iran while the regime began receiving billions of dollars in extra
revenues, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its elite
branch the Quds Force, which conducts operations in foreign nations, gained
a greater ability to assist the Syrian regime in escalating bombardments,
bloodshed and violence, and defeat the majority of Syria’s opposition
groups.
Financial, advisory and military support to Shiite militia groups such as
Hezbollah and the Houthis also increased to an unprecedented level. Tehran
also escalated its efforts to harass other countries in the Gulf. Offering
Iran the carrot without the stick has proved to be totally unproductive.
That is why the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the US have argued that
pressure ought to be imposed on the theocratic establishment of Iran in
order to elicit constructive changes in its behavior. Any astute observer of
Iran’s politics would witness that solely appeasing the Iranian regime not
only kept the underlying problem intact, but also intensified Iran’s
aggressive policies in the region. Intriguingly, since the Trump
administration and the Gulf states increased the pressure on Iran, Tehran
has totally halted its harassment of foreign navy ships, including US and
British naval vessels, in the Gulf. During the Obama administration and
after the nuclear deal, Tehran frequently and dangerously harassed foreign
navy ships in the Gulf, and famously captured and detained 10 US sailors in
2016.
Offering Iran the carrot without the stick has proved to be totally
unproductive. That is why Gulf states and the US have put pressure on the
regime to change. For an Iran policy to be effective, it ought to have three
concentric circles of pressure: Diplomatic, financial, and domestic. The US
and Gulf states are incorporating these three dimensions in their policy
toward Iran. Diplomatically speaking, instead of condoning Iran’s
destructive behavior, the Gulf states and the US have been vocal on the
global stage with respect to Tehran’s aggressive and expansionist policies
in the region. President Donald Trump last week criticized Iran at the UN
General Assembly, stating: “Iran’s leaders sow chaos, death and
destruction.” He added: “They do not respect their neighbors or borders or
the sovereign rights of nations. Instead, Iran’s leaders plunder the
nation’s resources to enrich themselves and spread mayhem across the Middle
East and far beyond.”From a financial perspective, the reimposition of
sanctions — as well as the concerted attempts to cut off the flow of funds
to the regime that are directed toward sponsoring terror groups — have
decreased Tehran’s revenues and discouraged many Western firms from signing
business deals with the Iranian leaders.
Ahead of the reimposition of secondary sanctions by the US in November,
Iran’s oil exports declined by about 1 million barrels per day (bpd) between
April and September . The Institute of International Finance pointed out
that: “Iran may continue to be committed to the 2015 nuclear deal providing
the EU and others do the same. However, failure to renegotiate the deal with
the US would likely bring about even deeper damage to Iran’s economy.”Last
week, the price of gold went up significantly in Iran, while Tehran’s
currency, the rial, reached a historic low of 150,000 to the dollar. Saudi
Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir recently pointed out that the
Islamic Republic was unlikely to voluntarily alter its behavior. “Unless the
pressure internally is extremely intense, I don’t believe they will open up,
I think they are too ideological for that,” he said. Internally, Iran’s
domestic pressures and protests against the clerical rule continue, while
the US and Gulf states have expressed their support for the Iranian people.
The US and Gulf states’ policies toward Iran are working. Solely offering
the Iranian regime carrots is perilous and counter-productive.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated
Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US
foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American
Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
Tara Fares murdered for daring to be female in Baghdad
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/September 30/18
A grainy video showed a motorcyclist fatally pumping bullets into the car of
22-year-old Iraqi model and social media star Tara Fares last week. This
horrifying attack was the latest in a succession of murders of prominent
Iraqi women; including others from the beauty industry, Basra activist Suad
Al-Ali, and the killings of protesters by sectarian militants. Fares gained
2.7 million Instagram followers simply by daring to be an ordinary young
woman, enjoying the innocent feminine pleasures of fashion, cosmetics and
shopping. She received multiple death threats from militant psychopaths, for
whom the sight of an articulate and beautiful young lady aroused the desire
to kill. Tara initially fled abroad, before returning, first to Irbil and
then to Baghdad, determined to pursue her modeling career.
From Iraq to Afghanistan, Yemen, Nigeria, Myanmar and Pakistan, women are
always the first victims of militancy. After 2003, as Shiite militants took
control of once-cosmopolitan cities like Basra, Iraqi women venturing
outside were physically attacked or sprayed with acid. Under Daesh, women
were similarly brutalized into submission, while Yazidi women faced
extermination and sexual slavery. Today, displaced Iraqi women are the
targets of sexual attack by militants controlling vast refugee camps.
Meanwhile, a new Human Rights Watch report details widespread campaigns of
forced disappearances by sectarian militants from Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi.
Thousands of detainees are reportedly being held in illegal detention camps
in localities like Jurf Al-Sakhar, a town that the Hezbollah Brigades purged
of its Sunni inhabitants and occupied for themselves. Politicians from
Salahuddin, Anbar and Nineveh have long lists of citizens seized by
militants and never seen again. It is estimated that between 250,000 and 1
million citizens have disappeared in Iraq, which means it has the highest
number of missing people in the world.
With her striking appearance and distinctive mass of blonde hair,
Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi should be enjoying the life of an ordinary
teenager. Instead, she endured jail for challenging the Israeli forces of
occupation, having witnessed family members being shot, detained and
harassed. With the world stubbornly ignoring the ongoing theft of
Palestinian land — including their capital, Jerusalem — courageous women
like Tamimi are galvanizing the Palestinian cause, inspiring a younger
generation to resolutely defend their rights.
Never have we needed the UN more to address such colossal global injustices.
Yet never has this institution felt less relevant. Last week, the media
mostly ignored the UN General Assembly sessions in favor of covering
Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony before the US Senate about her alleged
assault at the hands of Trump’s candidate for the Supreme Court. We can
scarcely imagine the courage required for Ford to turn her life upside down
and bear witness against these powerful figures. Ford’s testimony was a
watershed moment and an inspiration to thousands of blameless women who have
endured similar appalling experiences.
Our dangerous times sorely need the inspiration of courageous women like
Nadia Murad Basee, Ahed Tamimi, Christine Blasey Ford and Malala, as well as
Tara Fares, who was murdered for simply daring to be female.
Having tormented Iraqi women and men alike, popular support has crumbled for
the Al-Hashd militant coalition, including among its Shiite support base.
Al-Hashd forces performed underwhelmingly in this year’s elections (which,
according to the Iraqi Constitution, they should have been banned from
participating in), and they faced attacks against their offices by furious
Shiite protesters. However, Iran managed to appropriate these demonstrations
and redirect anger against Prime Minister Haider Abadi, before ruthlessly
dismantling Abadi’s electoral coalition by enticing his allies over to its
side. Al-Hashd leaders, meanwhile, manipulated the parliament speaker vote
to ensure their man, Mohammed Al-Halbousi, got the job, while playing the
Kurds off against each other to influence the choice of president. Muqtada
Al-Sadr was then summoned to Beirut to agree with Hezbollah’s Hassan
Nasrallah and Quds Force’s Qassem Soleimani regarding Iran’s choice of Adel
Abdul-Mahdi for the prime minister’s role. If Al-Hashd’s power grab
succeeds, we will witness many more attacks against women who dress as they
choose or express political opinions, along with intensified abuses against
Sunnis, minorities and moderates.
Mike Pompeo and John Bolton’s extravagant threats of retaliation if Iranian
proxies struck US interests in Iraq were undermined by the panicked closure
of the US consulate in Basra, just weeks after Iranian rockets targeted the
vicinity. This will have sent a clear message to Tehran about how the US
actually responds to provocations — by cutting and running.
Sanctions are having a brutal impact on ordinary Iranians, but Tehran must
be made to understand that its seditious, destabilizing actions in the
region have consequences. Trump has made it abundantly clear that he has
little stomach for lengthy and complex military entanglements. If Iran’s
proxies can so easily compel the US to abandon its Basra consulate, they may
feel emboldened to see what they can achieve by following up on their
threats to strike American troops in Iraq and Syria.
Tehran’s theocratic agenda is not just about regional political dominance.
The ayatollahs also want to impose their unnatural and regressive social
model, which first infected the region after Ruhollah Khomeini’s 1979
revolution, and is distinguished by its hatred of women. This toxic
Khomeinist ideology is today being pumped out of religious and social
institutions from Beirut to Baghdad and Sanaa. The malign process of
Hezbollahization cannot not be defeated by sanctions or empty American
threats. Iran and other tyrants, fascists and extremists must be defeated by
women and men standing up to defend their way of life in the face of those
seeking to terrorize them into humiliated silence. Our dangerous times
sorely need the inspiration of courageous women like Nadia Murad, Tamimi,
Ford and Malala Yousafzai, along with Iranian human rights lawyers who
endure torture for steadfastly defending their clients, and Iraqi women
journalists who risk death to tell the truth. And Fares, who was murdered
for simply daring to be female. *Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning
journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of
the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.
How will the Iranian Revolutionary Guards respond to the
Ahwaz attack?
Ali Al-Amin/Al Arabiya/September 30/18
Mystery still surrounds the attack that targeted a military parade of the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Ahwaz and killed at least 25 people, including
12 soldiers and a child, and injured at least 25 others. ISIS was the first to
claim responsibility and an Arab organization that calls for the liberation of
Ahwaz also issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, while some
observers hinted that the attack might be the work of some parties within the
authority. This is in addition to accusations against this or that country.
Meanwhile, Iran’s authorities such as President Hassan Rouhani said “the bully”
US and some Gulf states supported by Washington facilitated the attack. Rouhani
claimed that a Gulf state provided the funds, weapons and support to the
perpetrators. Even if Iran were to find irrefutable proof of Washington's
involvement in this attack, the response will not affect US forces or their
interests. The Iranian leadership has abided by the policy of vocal hostility
towards Washington, in exchange for the strict commitment to not violate the red
lines set by it
Unknown identities
It can be said that the military operation revealed the first attack of its kind
taking place in Iran. It was carried out in a way that reflects the ability of
the attackers to carry out an operation of this magnitude publicly. Some
observers however do not find the fingerprints of ISIS in this operation, since
it was not a suicide bombing. What’s interesting is that Iranian authorities did
not disclose the identities of the four attackers who executed the attack and
who were subsequently killed during the operation. The
Fars news agency also noted that one of the attackers was not killed on the spot
but died at the hospital. Iran, which has confirmed
through its officials that it will respond to the attack, avoided publicly
naming any specific party as responsible for the attack and did not provide any
evidence for the involvement of foreign countries. IRNA news agency said that
Iran summoned the envoys of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark, and
accused their countries of harboring Iranian opposition groups. Iran’s Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei also did not name any of the "regional states" he claimed
were behind the armed attack. The Iranian response
will probably affect those who were not named. The party that comes up most
often on the lips of Iranian officials is Washington, which President Rouhani
mentioned without specifically naming any another country, although he did
mention that Gulf States backed by the US financed and armed the attackers.
If Iran were to militarily retaliate against Washington, the Iranian
official statements would not have been issued in this manner. On the contrary,
we would have heard about an explosion targeting a US military convoy, base, or
other US interest in the region. Iran will respond to
the “bully” the US only through words. Tehran is aware that the current US
administration will not tolerate any Iranian interference with Washington's
interests in the Middle East, like the case was during the former administration
which tolerated such acts. Repeating an.The incident which happened after the
American sailors entered Iranian territorial waters was meant as a show-off. The
Iranian leadership is aware that responding to Washington is what President
Donald Trump and his administration, which insist on changing Iran's behavior
like no other administration did before, are waiting for.
Iran’s response
Even if Iran were to find irrefutable proof of Washington's involvement in this
attack, the response will not affect US forces or their interests. The Iranian
leadership has abided by the policy of vocal hostility towards Washington, in
exchange for the strict commitment to not violate the red lines set by it. The
Iranian aggression is always focused on Arab countries, and this has become
clear in recent years. According to the calculations of the Revolutionary
Guards, the real “Great Satan” is not the United States.
The ideological tendency of the Iranian project is focused on sinking the Arab
region into internal wars and conflicts, or to rush into interfering in them
with no regard for the deaths of thousands of innocent people, in exchange for a
behavior that shows exaggerated respect for Israeli and American interests, as
is the case with Syria and Iraq. The Iranian response
to the "terrorist" attack in Ahwaz will be against those states Tehran did not
specifically name. For instance, this attack will provide a justification for
further tightening the internal grip and marginalizing the Ahwaz region. Tehran
has been marginalizing this region for many years, increasing its people’s sense
of oppression, especially since they know that they live where most of Iranian
oil wealth is located. The Iranian leadership does not
want to admit that its policies towards Ahwaz are what make the citizens of this
region ready to die in order to kill some Iranian soldiers. It is likely that by
not disclosing the identity of the perpetrators of the attack, the Iranian
authorities do not want to shed light on the internal reasons of the attack.
Iran is expecting a new round of US sanctions, which will prevent it from
exporting oil. Thus, it will try to escalate confrontation in the Arab region,
but it knows that what was once permitted to it by the US is no longer
permissible today, and that the Quds Forces which targeted Arab countries with
its sectarianism and ideology, without touching on the occupation of Jerusalem
and its judaization, has drained Iranian economy after it proudly contributed to
draining neighboring and surrounding Arab states. Iran has accomplished this
task that does not affect the interests of Israel nor Washington, i.e.
efficiently contribute to destroying Arab countries and investing in their
social divisions. The Iranian response will be due to
the good and "polite" conduct of its officials towards Washington's vital
interests, and it will be in a way that Washington cannot consider it as
targeting it, i.e. it would be in further tightening the grip inside Iran and
using its proxies to carry out attacks on military or security areas in other
Gulf states. A military action, if it happens, will most likely be ambiguous as
it would be possible to accuse more than one party especially when ISIS is more
than ever ready to be a Trojan horse, as revealed by its behavior since its
creation.
The military parade attack: An incident and two platforms
Amal Abdulaziz Al–Hazani/Al Arabiya/September 30/18
In October 1981, Nasr City in Cairo witnessed a military parade marking the
eight-year anniversary of the 1973 Arab–Israeli War. Then-Egyptian President
Mohamed Anwar Sadat was in the first line of the audience in the ceremony to
which guests from inside and outside Egypt were invited to.
It was a great national event for Egyptians and the Arab world, but the
celebration was marred when Sadat was shot. Three armed officers got out of
their car in the parade when it passed near the main platform and ran towards
Sadat to make sure he was killed after one of them shot him from the car.
Although this happened within seconds, the scene was full of critical details.
All of the shooting and firing of bullets took place within minutes.
The goal of the Islamist assassins was to eliminate President Sadat after they
deemed him an infidel for signing the Camp David Treaty, which restored Egyptian
land from Israel. The incident resulted in the death of Sadat, who had several
bullet wounds on his body. Two of his foreign guests and some employees were
also shot. Vice President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, who was sitting to the right of
Sadat, and Defense Minister Abd al-Halim Abu Ghazala, who was to his left
survived the attack. A security breach of a military
parade of this magnitude is undoubtedly a sign of weakness within Iran’s
military establishment, a kind of weakness that the United States is relying on
as a result of economic pressureز The president's
secretary tried to block bullets being fired on Sadat and held up a chair, while
a Republican Guard officer shouted at the president to stay on the ground after
he noticed that Sadat stood up after receiving the first bullet. The
perpetrators were injured; three were arrested and the fourth got arrested
later. They were tried and executed by a firing squad.
The platform incident in Cairo had a clear aim and motivation. Everyone seen
trying to protect the president and avoid being shot.
A similar armed attack took place in the southern Iranian city of Ahwaz during a
military parade marking the anniversary of Iran-Iraq war. Iranian President
Hassan Rouhani was not personally present at the parade, but was linked up via
television. What happened there raises many questions when we compare it to the
Egyptian incident.
The Ahwaz attack
In Iran, the state did not know the identity of the attackers for more than a
day, because its enemies inside Iran are more than its enemies outside. The
state thus didn’t know who was behind the attack. Then the government decided to
exploit the incident politically. It accused the United States of America, the
superpower, of standing behind the attack so that the military and the
Revolutionary Guards that claim victories in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Sanaa and
threaten Tel Aviv do not appear soft and easy-to-penetrate on an occasion that
should have been under their tight control and properly monitored.
The leaked video of the incident shows how everyone on the platform immediately
ran on hearing the shooting, and if Rouhani was around they might have left him
to suffer his fate.
The army, which was showing off its power was exposed as weak during the parade
and took a purely defensive stand.
The incident is interesting not because both ISIS and the Arab Struggle Movement
for the Liberation of Ahwaz took responsibility for the attack but because the
perpetrators may be from Ahwaz itself or Kurd or Baloch or Syrians or Iraqis or
Lebanese. Iran has made enough enemies from peoples and races to sleep with one
eye closed and the other open. A security breach of a
military parade of this magnitude is undoubtedly a sign of weakness within
Iran’s military establishment, a kind of weakness that the United States is
relying on as a result of economic pressure. The least
we can say is that Iran, which sends its Revolutionary Guards to other countries
to ignite wars, is supposed to ensure its strength at home, especially as it
operates directly under the Supreme Leader himself. It
is easy for the Iranian government to accuse Washington of being behind the
training and arming of the attackers because that would be part of an announced
war between the two countries. But the United States has been clearer and said
from the start that Iran can expect internal disruption as a result of the
economic crisis. Consequently, the party responsible for this attack is the
government of the Vilayat al-Faqih, which has exerted enough pressure and caused
marginalization of minorities, including the people of Ahwaz, and provoked them
to act in such ways that they believe as legitimate, since they’re against
military elements.
Why seek virtues in the Iraqi prime minister alone?
Adnan Hussein/Al Arabiya/September 30/18
They are busy and preoccupied with the qualities of the next prime minister.
They claim to be writing down the desired attributes without caring about the
names. They also claim that they want the premier to be, as they put it, firm,
courageous, efficient, fair and patriotic.
They are liars for sure because they will only accept a Shiite figure, and they
will not accept anyone who is not Shiite even if he is the most decisive,
courageous, efficient, fair and patriotic amongst all Iraqi people. It is as if
the mothers of the rest of the Iraqis did not give birth to anyone with these
qualities. Or it’s as if the Shiites who do not belong to any Shiite party
haven’t given birth to children with such qualities yet!
When it comes to the president of the republic, they only care about his
sectarian and ethnic origins and the party he belongs to. This is what is
required by the quota system which they want to maintain
Sectarian preferences
They are liars because they turned back on what they had said about rejecting
the quota system and how it had a role in creating several crises and disasters
that continue to afflict Iraq to this day. They elected the speaker of the
parliament on the sly based on the quota system through a corrupt deal that was
exposed by footage taken via mobile phones inside the parliament.
They never cared and will never care about the qualities of the
parliament speaker and they did not inquire about his agenda, as if they were
appointing the head of a municipality in a district and as if he is not the head
of the highest-ranking, most powerful and important authority in the country.
When it comes to the president of the republic, they only care about his
sectarian and ethnic origins and the party he belongs to. This is what is
required by the quota system which they want to maintain and keep as the sword
directed at the Iraqi’s heads.
To only be concerned about the qualities of a prime minister, (that is if this
concern was genuine and not a way to distract people’s attention from making
another corrupt deal) is wrong. The speaker of the parliament should also hold
similar virtues. All former parliament speakers played a big role in compounding
the failure of the state. They thus bear great responsibility in this regard as
they were not fit for their post and they did not keep the constitutional oath
they had taken, and they were not even questioned by anyone.
The same case applies to former presidents who stuck to the ridiculous
notion that they hold an honorary position when in fact it’s an essential
position that is a strong partner in the executive authority. In fact, the
constitution gives the President the power to reject all legislation and
practices that violate the constitution. There have been dozens and perhaps
hundreds of violations of the constitution from the executive and legislative
authorities in the past, starting from the president himself to his assistants
and counselors. After all the damage that has taken
place, we are in a desperate need of a decisive, courageous, efficient, fair and
patriotic prime minister. We also need, for the same reasons, a president with
the same qualities, and we had a similar need of a Parliament Speaker with the
same qualities.
Doha's Worst Nightmare? Why the Israeli Flag May Be
Flying in Qatar This Fall
مايكل دمبستر من الهآررتس: كابوس الدوحة الأسوأ: لماذا سيرفرف العلم الإسرائيلي في
قطر هذا الخريف
Michael Dempster/Haaretz/September 30/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/67796/michael-dempster-haaretz-dohas-worst-nightmare-why-the-israeli-flag-may-be-flying-in-qatar-this-fall-%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%84-%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84/
The emirate’s ‘sports diplomacy’ strategy faces its biggest test
in October when it hosts gymnastics’ world championships – with several Israeli
competitors seen as real medal prospects.
Israel’s top gymnasts will get a crash course in geopolitics this fall when they
participate in their sport’s world championships in Doha, Qatar. It’s the first
time the event has been hosted in the Middle East in its 115-year history, which
just happens to coincide with the ascent of the Israeli team.
Observers say a trio of Israelis – Artem Dolgopyat, Andrey Medvedev and
Alexander Shatilov – have a real shot at winning medals.
But this puts the event’s Qatari hosts in a political bind: A medal of any color
would necessitate a very public and unprecedented display of the Israeli flag on
Qatari soil. A gold, meanwhile, would mean that the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikva,”
should be played.
Will Qatar renege on its obligation as host to honor the national identity of an
event’s victor? Or glorify Zionist symbols and risk enraging the Arab street?
This is not the first time an Arab state has faced such a dilemma. Last year,
for example, the United Arab Emirates shunned public displays of Israeli emblems
at a major international judo competition held in Abu Dhabi. And Saudi Arabia
refused to issue visas to Israeli chess players for a tournament in Riyadh,
despite reported pressure from the United States to do so.
Both countries seemingly perceived their public acknowledgement of Israel as a
net loss.
Qatar, meanwhile, is holding a dizzying number of international sports
tournaments in the run-up to soccer’s FIFA World Cup in 2022 – the crown jewel
of its soft power strategy to be seen as a regional leader.
Repeatedly organizing events of this magnitude is not cheap and Qatar, with only
a modest sporting culture of its own, often struggles to fill seats. But experts
say the natural gas-rich emirate is looking for another kind of return on its
investment.
Qatar can use sport to present itself as the moderate face of a troubled region,
the argument goes – thus distinguishing its geopolitical brand from rival
monarchies that are snubbing it.
“Sporting events allow Qatar to connect with countries beyond the Gulf and the
Arab world,” says Sigurd Neubauer, a Middle East analyst based in Washington.
“They demonstrate that Qatar is not isolated by the international community. And
Israel is a member of that international community.”
The Gulf has become less neighborly in the past year, after a host of Muslim
countries, led by Saudi Arabia, severed diplomatic ties with Doha, accusing it
of support for Islamist militants and Iran. Dr. Yoel Guzansky, a senior
researcher at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies,
sees the seeming cozying-up to Israel through sport as a possible net gain for
Qatar.
Alexander Shatilov of Israel performing on the floor exercise during the men's
artistic gymnastics finals at the European Championships in Glasgow, Scotland,
August 2018.
“When Qatar is in the midst of this crisis with its neighbors, being open to
Israelis can earn it a lot of points with the American [Trump] administration.
The fact that it can host an Israeli delegation but the Saudis won’t – who’s
more tolerant, who’s more liberal?” he asks.
Balancing act
There is a precedent for Israeli athletes competing in Qatar, though not at the
level of public scrutiny that is set to accompany the Artistic Gymnastics World
Championships (from October 25 to November 3). Doha hosted the World School
Championship handball tournament in February, where a team from Holon surprised
observers by winning the bronze medal. The event’s organizers walked a fine line
with Qataris by allowing an Israeli team to participate at all, and their public
treatment of the Israelis was handled cautiously, according to the Israeli
team’s coach, Nisim Falach. “Initially, they didn’t put our games in the main
hall. They wanted to hide Israel’s participation. So when we kept winning over
and over, and advancing in the tournament, they were in shock,” recounted Falach.
“When we eventually won against Turkey, our game was in the main arena and it
was broadcast on Qatari television.”
A number of Qataris took to social media to voice their disapproval of this
apparent normalizing of relations with Israel. According to Falach, there were
also protests in the streets of Doha – surprising given the emirate’s tight
restrictions on freedom of speech.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter announces Qatar to host the 2022 soccer World Cup in
Zurich, Switzerland, Dec.2, 2010. Since it was a high school tournament, the
medal ceremony did not involve the display of national symbols for any team –
though Falach notes there was still a chorus of boos as his team took to the
podium.
If any Israeli gymnasts win medals in Doha this fall, the sport’s governing
body, the International Gymnastics Federation, assures that Qatar will conduct
the ceremony as it would for any other country. Qatar’s compliance may be driven
more by fear of consequence than camaraderie – neighbor UAE just reversed
course, agreeing to display Israeli insignia at an upcoming judo tournament
after that sport’s international body threatened to yank Abu Dhabi’s hosting
rights.
Whatever the motivation, this could prove to be a historic acknowledgement of
Israel by Qatar and will put additional pressure on the Israeli gymnasts in what
is already a high-stakes event.
It will also doubtless provoke the ire of the boycott, divestment and sanctions
movement, as well as other anti-normalization factions throughout the world.
Israeli officials sought to minimize pre-event media coverage of the handball
tournament, possibly out of fear of security threats if the athletes’
participation was known in advance. And a similarly hush-hush attitude appears
to have been adopted in the lead-up to the gymnastics championship: Neither the
Qatari Olympic Committee nor the Israeli Gymnastics Federation responded to
requests for comment for this article.
The federations’ hopes of keeping things under the radar are probably futile,
given that Qatar was announced as the event’s host in 2011 and Israeli gymnasts
have regularly been winning medals in the intervening years. Israel's Artem
Dolgopyat competing on the floor exercise during the Artistic Gymnastics World
Championships in Montreal, Canada, October 2017.
But no matter how competitive the Israeli athletes are, their ultimate
participation appears to be contingent on factors outside of their control.
Anti-Israel sentiment in the Arab world tends to spike during Israel’s
skirmishes with Hamas, and 2018 has been anything but calm in the Gaza Strip.
The situation is comparatively quiet at the moment, but Falach warned that the
Israeli gymnasts should be prepared to throw away a year’s worth of hard
training and watch the event on TV if events change.
“Leading up to our handball tournament, it was clear that if there were problems
in Gaza, there was no chance we’d be able to compete in Qatar. Luckily, the
tournament was before all the recent problems with Gaza intensified,” he said,
referring to the March of Return protests that began on the Gaza border at the
end of March, peaking with some 60 Palestinian deaths on May 14 when the U.S.
Embassy opened in Jerusalem.
A worst-case scenario for both Qatari officials and Israeli gymnasts would be a
spike in Gaza violence during the tournament itself – a confluence of events
that Saudi Arabia could exploit to augment criticism of Qatar in anti-Israel
quarters.
“The sword cuts both ways. To the West, the publicity Qatar gets from hosting
Israeli athletes plays well. But it can play very poorly with Hamas, Iran, and
with more radical elements in Qatari society and in the Gulf in general,” said
Guzansky.
“Qatar can always say, ‘It’s an international event: It’s not that we want to
host the Israelis, but we’re part of the international community,’” he noted.
“But it would be much harder for Qatar to do that in the event of a conflict
escalation. How will they maneuver that? What will they say?”
And what if everything rolls the Israeli gymnasts’ way: The Gaza border remains
relatively quiet and the athletes end up on the podium? Qatar may actually view
this seemingly problematic scenario as more of an opportunity than an obstacle,
Neubauer believes.
“Qatari citizens, like any other Arabs, are squarely sympathetic to the
Palestinians. But they also have a clear understanding that the current
existential threat to Qatar is from its own neighbors, not Israelis,” he said.
“The question is, how does Qatar build on that realization? Sporting diplomacy
could be a good way to test each other out.”