Detailed
Lebanese & Lebanese Related LCCC English New Bulletin For September 01/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias
Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
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2006
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Bible
Quotations
An evil
and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it
except the sign of Jonah
Matthew 16/01-04: "The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus they
asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, ‘When it is
evening, you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red." And in the
morning, "It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening." You
know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret
the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign,
but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.’ Then he left them
and went away.""
نشرات اخبار عربية وانكليزية مطولة ومفصلة يومية على موقعنا الألكتروني على
الرابط التالي
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Daily Lebanese/Arabic - English news bulletins on our LCCC web site.Click on
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Titles For The Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published on September 01/18
The parallel
universe of Hassan Nasrallah/Dr. Yaron Friedman/Ynetnews/August 30/18
Lebanon: Families of the Missing Demand Independent National Body to Reveal
Fate of Their Sons/Sanaa Al-Jack/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 31/18
Hariri Addresses Resignation, Syria, and Relationship with Hezbollah/Euronews/August
31/18,
NAYA | Giselle Khoury: A journalist who's loyal to truth/Tala Ramadan/Annahar/August
31/18
Hacking a Prince, an Emir and a Journalist to Impress a Client
David D. Kirkpatrick and Azam Ahmed/The New York Times/August 31/18
As Cabinet Formation Drags, Lebanon Risks Economic Tailspin/AFP/August 31/18
Analysis/A Massacre Waiting to Happen: For Syria's Idlib, Diplomacy May Come
Too Late/
Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz/August 31/18
Exclusive: Iran moves missiles to Iraq in warning to enemies/John Irish,
Ahmed Rasheed/Reuters/August 31/18
Iran launches anti-US-Israel front – from W. Iraq, with Tel Aviv in missile
range, builds base facing Golan/DEBKAfile/August 31/18
The false UN report on Yemen/Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/August 31/18
Qaradawi: Politics is more important than Hajj!/Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al
Arabiya/August 31/18
Europe supports Turkey as relations with US /Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/August
31/18
Russia-US relations facing a bleak future/Maria Dubovikova/Arab News/August
31/18
Titles For The
Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on
September 01/18
Security Council Renews UNIFIL's Mandate as U.S. Slams Hizbullah, Iran
U.N.: Ceasefire Violations May Spark Lebanon-Israel Conflict
On Lebanon Border, Minister Says Israel Not Bound by Post-War Syria Deals
Push for Law to Uncover Fate of Lebanon's Missing
Lebanese Leaders Mark Anniversary of al-Sadr's Disappearance
International Community 'Warns Lebanon'
Berri: New Govt. Must Distance Lebanon from Region Events, Represent All
Forces
Hariri Wants to Meet Bassil before Talks with Aoun
'I Would Rather Deal with President Putin,' Says Hariri on Syria Ties
Bassil Says FPM Not to Blame for Govt. Obstacles, Wishes Hariri Success
U.S. Ambassador Attends Live Air Fire Exercise, Bradley Delivery Ceremony
The parallel universe of Hassan Nasrallah
Lebanon: Families of the Missing Demand Independent National Body to Reveal
Fate of Their Sons
Hariri Addresses Resignation, Syria, and Relationship with Hezbollah
NAYA | Giselle Khoury: A journalist who's loyal to truth
Hacking a Prince, an Emir and a Journalist to Impress a Client
As Cabinet Formation Drags, Lebanon Risks Economic Tailspin
Titles For The Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on September 01/18
Idlib rebels
blow up bridges to hamper expected assault
Fears over Iranian proxies’ Iraq missile factories
Opposition Factions Blow up Bridges in Idlib ahead of Syrian Regime
Offensive
Palestinians, Israeli Forces Clash in West Bank Protest
Egypt: First-ever Christian Woman Becomes Governor
ISIS Exploits Fighting in Tripoli, Preys On Sirte
UK minister to discuss Iran’s destabilizing activities in Syria, Yemen
U.S. Says Canada Has Made 'No Concessions on Agriculture' in NAFTA Talks
2 Hurt in Amsterdam Station Stabbing, Attacker Shot
U.S. May Send IS 'Beatles', Others to Guantanamo
Iraq PM Sacks Paramilitary Chief
Philippines' Duterte Eyes Arms Deals on Israel Trip
The Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on September 01/18
Security Council
Renews UNIFIL's Mandate as U.S. Slams Hizbullah, Iran
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/18/The U.N. Security Council has
voted unanimously to renew for another year the mandate of the U.N.
peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. The measure backing the United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) calls on the Lebanese government
to boost its naval capabilities, with the ultimate aim of drawing down the
mission's maritime taskforce. That requirement had been pushed by the United
States, which also demanded better enforcement of the U.N. arms embargo
against Hizbullah. "It is unacceptable that Hizbullah continues to flout
this embargo, Lebanon's sovereignty, and the will of the majority of
Lebanese people," U.S. diplomat Rodney Hunter said after the vote. He
blasted Iran for supporting Hizbullah and said the group is a "direct
threat" to peace and threatens the stability of Lebanon. But the text
adopted by the Council does not mention Hizbullah by name, despite U.S.
demands. "All states shall take the necessary measures to prevent, by their
nationals or from their territories or using flag vessels or aircraft, the
sale or supply of arms and related materiel to any entity or individual in
Lebanon other than those authorized by the Government of Lebanon or UNIFIL,"
the resolution states. A U.S. diplomat said the aim of shrinking the U.N.
maritime force, which consists of half a dozen military ships equipped with
weapons and radar, was to cut the UNIFIL mission costs. First set up in
1978, UNIFIL was beefed up after the 2006 Lebanon War, tasked with
guaranteeing a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from a demilitarized zone on
the border. UNIFIL now has 10,500 troops on the ground monitoring the
ceasefire and helping the Lebanese government secure its borders. Israel's
position on having an international naval force so close to its territory
remains unclear.
U.N.: Ceasefire Violations May Spark Lebanon-Israel
Conflict
Associated Press/Naharnet/August 31/18/ The U.N. Security Council has warned
that violations of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel could
lead to a new conflict and urged international support for Lebanon's armed
forces and their stepped up deployment in the south and at sea. The
council's warning against "a new conflict that none of the parties or the
region can afford" came in a resolution adopted unanimously extending the
mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon known as UNIFIL
until Aug. 31, 2019.
Council members urged "all parties" to exercise "maximum calm and restraint
and refrain from any action or rhetoric that could jeopardize the cessation
of hostilities or destabilize the region." UNIFIL
was originally created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops after a
1978 invasion. The mission was expanded after a 2006 war between Israel and
Hizbullah so that peacekeepers could deploy along the Lebanon-Israel border,
to help Lebanese troops extend their authority into their country's south
for the first time in decades. Israel and Lebanon
are still technically at war and the resolution reiterates the council's
call for Israel and Lebanon "to support a permanent ceasefire and a
long-term solution." The council also stressed
"the necessity of an effective and durable deployment of the Lebanese Armed
Forces in southern Lebanon and the territorial waters of Lebanon at an
accelerated pace."It called for UNIFIL, which has more than 10,000 troops
deployed in southern Lebanon, and the Lebanese military to analyze the
country's ground forces and maritime assets.
France's deputy U.N. ambassador Anne Gueguen stressed that "only the
presence of the Lebanese state and its armed forces will ensure security ...
and create the conditions of lasting stability in the south of Lebanon, and
along its territorial waters."The Security Council also commented on the
current political situation in Lebanon. Nearly four months after the country
held its first general elections in nine years, politicians are still
squabbling over the formation of a new government amid uncertainty over a
long stagnating economy, struggling businesses and concerns over the
currency. The Security Council welcomed the holding of elections and the
country's progress toward reactivating government institutions, and called
for the formation of a new Lebanese government "without further delay."
On Lebanon Border, Minister Says Israel Not Bound by
Post-War Syria Deals
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/18/Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor
Lieberman has said that Israel will not be bound by whatever agreements the
international community may reach on Syria after its civil war. Speaking on
a visit to the Israeli border with Lebanon, Lieberman said his government
would scrupulously observe existing agreements with Syria, with which it
which also shares a frontier. Government forces have been massing around
Syria's northwestern province of Idlib in recent days and look poised to
launch what could be the last major battle of the seven-year war. "We see
various gatherings here and there; in Ankara, in Tehran, in Geneva, in other
places too. They are talking about redesigning Syria after the battle for
Idlib," Lieberman said in English. "As far as the state of Israel is
concerned, with all respect and appreciation for all agreements and all
understandings, they are not binding on us," said the Israeli minister.
"What obligates us are solely the security interests of the State of Israel.
All other understandings and agreements that are reached in all kinds of
places are simply irrelevant from our point of view.
"We shall observe to the letter all previous agreements." After the 1973
war, Israel and Syria agreed an armistice which included a demilitarized
border zone. The two sides have never signed a formal peace treaty. Turkey,
Russia and fellow regime backer Iran all operate "observation points" in
Idlib as part of a "de-escalation" deal agreed last year that was meant to
reduce bloodshed in the province. Israel has stayed out of the protracted
civil war but insists that Iran, its arch-foe, withdraw its forces from
Syria, which it sees as a threat.
Lieberman also told Israeli residents living near the Lebanese border that
he had budgeted more than $60 million to strengthen civil defense in the
area, particularly in improving public bomb shelters and blast proofing of
"educational institutions."Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hizbullah is said by
Israel to have tens of thousands of rockets that could be used against it.
In 2006, Hizbullah fired 3,970 rockets into Israel during a 34-day war,
according to Israeli authorities. More than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly
civilians, and 120 Israelis, the majority soldiers, died in the fighting.
Push for Law to Uncover Fate of Lebanon's Missing
Naharnet/August 31/18/The Red Cross and Lebanese activists made a plea for
the passage of a law to uncover the fate of thousands of people missing
since the country's devastating civil war. An estimated 17,000 people remain
disappeared since Lebanon's 15-year war ended in 1990, but a draft law to
create a commission of inquiry could help determine their fate.
The draft, in the works for years, has been approved by parliamentary
committees and must now be voted on by the 128 lawmakers elected to office
in May. On Thursday, the International Day of the Disappeared, the
International Committee of the Red Cross and families of the missing called
on the MPs to pass it. "Tell us where they are. Even if they're just bones,"
said Najla Qublawi, 56. Her eight-year-old brother went missing in 1976 in
an area outside Beirut and she said her family has spent decades asking
Lebanese authorities about him and protesting to demand more transparency.
"I have hope with this draft law," said Qublawi, who fiddled nervously with
colorful prayer beads as she spoke. Thursday's call came during an artist
exhibit organized by the ICRC to highlight the prolonged suffering of
families aching to know what happened to their loved ones. In one room
designed as a cozy kitchen, a human form made out of grayish wire sits at a
table facing an empty chair. In another, an image shows a man standing by a
car with an Iranian license plate, his face blocked out by a bright white
circle. The draft law would create a commission of inquiry led by the police
and aided by special archeologists and anthropologists. Since 2012, the ICRC
has been working on a database compiling info on each disappearance case,
including the area the person went missing and the clothes they were wearing
at the time. Later on, researches began gathering DNA samples from relatives
of the disappeared in anticipation of the law's passage. Lebanon held
parliamentary elections in May for the first time in nearly a decade,
presenting a new opportunity for families to learn the fate of their loved
ones. "The time is now," said Pablo Percelsi, the deputy head of ICRC's
delegation, urging parliament to take action. "Thousands will be delivered
from their grief and the past can finally pass," he said. "I promise you
that we'll work forcefully on this," MP Roula Tabash, a lawyer and
first-time parliamentarian from Beirut, told those gathered.
Lebanese Leaders Mark Anniversary of al-Sadr's
Disappearance
Naharnet/August 31/18/Lebanon's leaders on Friday made statements
commemorating Imam Moussa al-Sadr, the revered founder of the AMAL Movement
who disappeared during a visit to Libya forty years ago. President Michel
Aoun said Sadr “struggled for Lebanon's unity and its message of
coexistence,” wishing he was still present in Lebanon to represent “a source
of inspiration in political life and to be an icon for rapprochement,
openness and keenness on people's interests.” “We remember a spiritual and
humanitarian leader who dedicated himself to defend Lebanon and coexistence
among its sons. His disappearance is a cause that concerns all Lebanese,”
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri tweeted. Lebanese Forces leader Samir
Geagea meanwhile announced that Sadr's forced disappearance was similar to
the assassination of “Bashir Gemayel, Kamal Jumblat and Rafik Hariri.” “They
do not want Lebanon to rise,” Geagea added, referring to the perpetrators.
“They have not succeeded but they are still trying,” the LF leader went on
to say.
International Community 'Warns Lebanon'
Naharnet/August 31/18/The international community has called on Lebanon to
form a “balanced government,” warning that it will not accept the presence
of veto power for Hizbullah in it, media reports said. “The international
messages have intensified over the past week, and they all stress the need
for the formation of a balanced government,” al-Joumhouria newspaper
reported on Friday. “There are warnings that any government that does not
respect the political balance in Lebanon will not receive the international
community's support. Moreover, any Western state will not accept the
presence of veto power for Hizbullah and its allies in the government,” the
daily added. In this regard, Swiss President Alain Berset advised Lebanese
officials during his visit to Lebanon days ago to endorse “neutrality,” al-Joumhouria
said. “The Lebanese society's composition is similar to the Swiss society
and Lebanon's region is similar to Switzerland's neighboring region in the
past, and such a situation can be resolved by endorsing neutrality,” the
newspaper quoted Berset as saying. The Swiss president described his remarks
as a “brotherly advice,” al-Joumhouria said.
Berri: New Govt. Must Distance Lebanon from Region Events, Represent All
Forces
Naharnet/August 31/18/Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday called for a new
government that would “distance Lebanon from the ongoing developments in the
region” and “represent all of Lebanon's forces.”“We are seeking a government
that would distance Lebanon from the ongoing developments in the region, a
government with independent decisions based on national unity,” Berri said
in a speech in Baalbek marking the 40th anniversary of the disappearance of
Imam Moussa al-Sadr, the founder of the AMAL Movement.
“Lebanon's government must represent all of Lebanon's parliamentary
forces,” the Speaker stressed. He also hoped the obstacles delaying the
government's formation will be resolved in the expected meeting between
President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri. As for the
thorny issue of restoring ties with Damascus, Berri said: “We're awaiting a
political solution for the refugee file after the formation of the
government and we need official dialogue between the governments of the two
countries.”Separately, Berri said some forces “are trying to stage a coup”
against the “resistant, patriotic Shiite duo,” in reference to AMAL and
Hizbullah. “They are desperately trying to drive a wedge between AMAL and
Hizbullah,” Berri added, noting that such an attempt has no chance of
success. Turning to the security file in the Bekaa region, the Speaker
announced that AMAL and Hizbullah are “lifting the cover off every
wrongdoer, offender or drug dealer.”“On behalf of our two parliamentary
blocs I call for issuing a calculated general amnesty that excludes
homicides and attacks on security forces,” he added. “We call for dropping
the arrest warrants through the law... We stress our confidence in the army
and the security forces to preserve Bekaa's security, but the pressing
situations in the Bekaa require developmental projects,” Berri went on to
say.
Hariri Wants to Meet Bassil before Talks with Aoun
Naharnet/August 31/18/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri prefers to hold
talks with Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil over the
government line-up before meeting President Michel Aoun, media reports said.
“Hariri will not visit Aoun carrying any draft Cabinet line-up except after
a meeting he will hold anytime before the end of the week with FPM chief
Minister Jebran Bassil,” al-Joumhouria newspaper reported Friday. “Hariri's
agreement with the Lebanese Forces on giving it four portfolios not
including a sovereign portfolio or the deputy PM post will not become final
unless Bassil accepts it, knowing that Hariri has not yet agreed with the LF
on the type of the four portfolios pending his meeting with Bassil,” the
daily quoted informed sources as saying. “The latter could voice an opposing
stance, especially that what the FPM circles are saying does not call for
optimism,” the sources added. The sources, however, noted that a Hariri-Bassil
meeting is likely to be held in the coming hours, while the meeting between
the PM-designate and Aoun is expected Saturday or Sunday. The sources also
pointed out that Hariri had formed his now-caretaker government on a Sunday
in late 2016.
'I Would Rather Deal with President Putin,' Says Hariri
on Syria Ties
Naharnet/August 31/18/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has announced
that he prefers to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding Syria
and not to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. “Russia controls Syria. So we
will deal with the Russians,” Hariri said in English in an interview with
Euronews, when asked what the end of Syria's war would mean for Lebanon.
“I think Russia will have made its point,” the PM-designate answered
when told that the Syrian regime is likely to recapture the rebel-held
northern province of Idlib in the near future.
As for his relation with Russia, Hariri described it as "very good,
perfect.” “I have a very good relationship with
Russia and I have a good relationship with President Putin that I respect
very much. And I believe he is somebody we can work with," Hariri added.
Asked whether he thinks that he “will have to deal with Assad,” the
PM-designate said: "I would rather deal with President Putin."As for the
relation with Hizbullah, Hariri said: "We have political differences.
Hizbullah knows that and I know that. They will never accept my policies
vis-a-vis the gulf and I will never accept their policy vis-a-vis Iran. But
it does mean we should stop the country from functioning."The prime
minister-designate added that he will be working hard to form a government
so he can implement the reforms Lebanon needs.
Asked what he thinks about U.S. President Donald Trump, Hariri said: "I
think President Donald Trump is someone who is very clear. He says
something, he does it. The issue we had in the past is that we didn’t know
what the policy was. At least today I know the policy and I know whether to
work around this policy or with this policy and at least there’s someone we
can talk to and convince them about our situation." Separately, Hariri
reiterated that he wanted to “shock to the system” when he announced his
resignation from Riyadh last year. “I believed the government was going the
wrong way. People were taking sides and we weren’t able to govern,” he
added.
Bassil Says FPM Not to Blame for Govt. Obstacles,
Wishes Hariri Success
Naharnet/August 31/18/Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil
stressed Friday that the FPM is not behind the obstacles that are delaying
the formation of the new government. “We're awaiting the formation of a
national unity government on the basis of fairness, balance and partnership.
This is the only way to form a government that works in a correct way and
produces results for the Lebanese and the country,” Bassil said after talks
with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in al-Diman. “The obstacles in the
PM-designate's way are coming from the parties that are raising them. He is
addressing them and we're helping him as much as possible and we wish him
success. We are waiting for him to resolve the three main hurdles that are
before him and we were hoping this would happen in these two days and God
willing we will finish this soon,” Bassil added. “We're not concerned with
the problems that the PM-designate is facing because we are not raising any
own problem or obstacle. There were issues that we could have turned into
obstacles but we did not, seeing as we're still insisting that no ministries
should be confined to certain sects, such as finance, interior, energy and
others, but we are facilitating things,” the FPM chief went on to say. He
added: “Our only demand is fairness and we have not put any condition or
veto on anyone and we have not rejected anything that falls under the
principle of fairness.”
U.S. Ambassador Attends Live Air Fire Exercise, Bradley
Delivery Ceremony
Naharnet/August 31/18/Over the last year, the United States has delivered
thirty-two Bradley Fighting Vehicles and associated ammunition, equipment,
and training valued at more than $100 million to the Lebanese Armed Forces,
the U.S. embassy said. Thursday's live fire exercise hosted by the Air
Assault Regiment “demonstrates the LAF’s (Lebanese Army's) ability to
integrate these modern combat systems and combine its new protected mobility
capabilities with A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft previously
provided by the United States,” the embassy said in a statement. The
exercise was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard. In
August 2017, the Lebanese Army demonstrated its “impressive combat
capabilities by defeating ISIS (Islamic State group) in Lebanon in Operation
Dawn of the Hills. Now armed with modern attack aircraft and top-of-the-line
armored fighting vehicles, the LAF is even more capable of defending
Lebanon,” the embassy noted. It added that the United States “remains
committed to a secure, stable, democratic, and prosperous Lebanon.”“With
U.S.-provided weapons, equipment, and training, the LAF continues to develop
combat capabilities that will ensure that the LAF remain a nationally
unifying force, a bulwark against extremism and terrorism, and the only
legitimate defender of Lebanon,” the embassy went on to say.
The parallel universe of Hassan Nasrallah
د.يارون فريدمان من صحيفة “يديعوت أحرونوت” الإسرائيلية: عالم نصرالله الموازي
Dr. Yaron Friedman/Ynetnews/August 30/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/67154/dr-yaron-friedman-ynetnews-the-parallel-universe-of-hassan-nasrallah-%d8%af-%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%88%d9%86-%d9%81%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%af%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%b5%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%81%d8%a9/
Analysis: Listening to the Hezbollah leader’s speech, one would come to
believe that a US-Saudi-Zionist conspiracy is behind the Syrian civil war
and efforts to destabilize Lebanon; Nasrallah portrays his organization as
saviors of the Arab world from Sunni jihadists when in fact only Russia’s
intervention saved Assad and allowed Hezbollah to claim credit.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke Sunday in honor of the “Second
Liberation Day on the Lebanese-Syrian border,” in which the organization
marked the Liberation of Lebanon from the Syrian rebels and during which he
laid out the organization’s worldview: Hezbollah is a stabilizing force in
the region. It is defending Lebanon, and defeated Israel and the rebels
including ISIS. As far as Nasrallah is concerned, the Syrian civil is a
failed American-Saudi-Zionist conspiracy.
Before you start laughing, you should ask the Arab-speaking Israelis among
us how many of them believe the theory; you will be surprised by the
response. Who is Nasrallah threatening this time (other than Israel)? And
what is the conspiracy theory that is so persuasive in the Arab
sector?Hezbollah leader Hassan
They defeated ISIS and the rebels
Nasrallah’s speech delivered in classical Arabic was broadcast on a screen
at the Hezbollah celebrations in al-Hermel in the Lebanon Valley, on the
northeastern border with Syria, which until recently had been threatened by
the Syrian rebels. Nsrallah was of course careful not to leave his secure
bunker, apparently located in Dahiya, the southern suburb of Beirut.
It seems that he is afraid of the new enemies he has accumulated in the
civil war even more than he is afraid of Israel.At the beginning of the
speech, Nasrallah congratulated those present for the first anniversary of
the organization’s victory in this region and the liberation of the entire
border area from the Syrian rebels. He praised the martyrs who sacrificed
themselves, and saved the whole of the Lebanon Valley from the hands of
Sunni jihad organizations.In his speech he raised the following questions:
What would have happened if ISIS and Jabhat a-Nusra had won in Syria? What
would have been the fate of the Middle East had ISIS won in Iraq? And what
would these organizations do in Lebanon?
Hezbollah rallyHezbollah rally
Nasrallah described the appalling violence used by these Wahhabi
organizations against their Sunni “brethren” in areas under their control,
and scorned the Lebanese government for not joining the struggle against the
rebels in Syria at the beginning of the civil war, because many in Lebanon
supported them. Those who acted responsibly, in his view were the axis of
resistance, i.e. Iran, the Syrian regime, and Hezbollah. According to
Nasrallah, any Lebanese person who opposed their interference seven years
ago now understands its importance for the rescue of Lebanon. In the speech,
Nasrallah explained that Hezbollah’s entry into Syria was a defensive war
for Lebanon and not an invasion, and that the organization’s victories in
al-Qusayr, Kalmon, the Damascus suburbs, a-Zabdani, and Jarud Arsal near the
Lebanese border were what prevented the invasion of Lebanon by those
“Takfiri”—those who consider the rest of Muslims as infidels and cheapen
their blood.
Who is afraid of war?
In his speech, Nasrallah emphasized the mobilization of Hezbollah youth and
the enthusiasm they demonstrated in fighting. He explained that unlike
previous generations in Hezbollah, the quality of the fighters stems from
their high school and academic education as well. They are educated in the
footsteps of Hussein Ben Ali, “the father of the martyrs,” who was the
grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and was willing to sacrifice himself in
Karbala, Iraq, for the sake of justice. The Shi’ites blame the Sunnis for
the murder of Hussein.
According to Nasrallah, the situation in Israel is the opposite: there is a
crisis of enlistment for combat units due to poor motivation and the lack of
a desire to sacrifice for the homeland, and tens of thousands of soldiers
seek leave on mental health grounds. He cited Israeli experts who say Israel
is not prepared for the next war, despite the IDF arming itself with the
best military technology. At one point, Nasrallah raised his voice and
claimed that following the “Israeli defeat” in the Second Lebanon War,
Hezbollah had achieved deterrence and that since then Israel has not dared
to attack Lebanon. He added that the American sanctions did not affect the
organization at all and that the Shi’ites in Lebanon were living well and
are not materialistic.
The “second Liberation Day” celebrates the liberation of all of Lebanon from
the Syrian rebels, while the “first Liberation Day” marked on May 25, is a
holiday invented by Hezbollah to mark the liberation of Lebanon from the
“Zionist enemy” after the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon in 2000.
Thus Nasrallah presents Hezbollah as the shield of Lebanon against external
invaders.
Israeli exit from south Lebanon, 2000 (Photo: Effi Shrir)Israeli exit from
south Lebanon, 2000 Civil war conspiracy
According to Nasrallah, the US is behind ISIS and assists them militarily.
Washington has threatened to impose sanctions on Lebanon if Hezbollah
continues to intervene in Syria. According to Nasrallah, while Hezbollah,
the Iraqi army (whose commanders are Shiite) and the Syrian army fought
against ISIS, the US has actually been working on extending the lengthening
of ISIS, just as it helped al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in the 1980s.But
according to Nasrallah, anyone who relied on American aid ultimately lost,
as happened to the Shah in Iran, who was abandoned by the US. The US has no
ideology, in Nasrallah’s eyes, but only economic interests, primarily oil.
He added that Israel also abandons its friends when they no longer serve its
purposes, as Israel abandoned the South Lebanon Army when it left Lebanon in
2000. Nasrallah specifically pointed to the joint US-Saudi military
headquarters in northern Jordan, known as the Military Operations Center (MOC),
which he says is controlling the war in Syria behind the scenes and in full
coordination with Israel since 2013.
Assad meeting Iranian official (Photo: AP)Assad meeting Iranian official
(Photo: AP)
In the past year, the Americans have also abandoned the rebels in southern
Syria and the region was recaptured by the Syrian regime. Nasrallah asked:
Why does the United States oppose the war against al-Qaeda in Idlib, the
last pocket of rebels in Syria? They are defined as terrorists by the
international community. Nasrallah also called on the world to prepare for
another “chemical show,” meaning that the rebels in Idlib would claim that
the Syrian regime was killing them with unconventional weapons. He claimed
that the rebels would use this weapon against civilians in areas under their
control in order to mobilize the international community to their advantage
and provide an excuse for an American attack against the the axis of
resistance.
The Kurds will be abandoned The International Court of Justice found that
Hezbollah activists were involved in the assassination of former Lebanese
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri . Nasrallah threatened elements in Lebanon who
intend to cooperate with the tribunal: “Do not play with fire.”The secretary
general of Hezbollah spoke of the area east of the Euphrates in Syria which
is controlled by the Kurds and advised them to continue negotiations with
the Syrian government because the Americans would soon abandoned them as
well, adding that the Americans had also abandoned the Palestinian Authority
and that the trump administration plans to remove the matter of Jerusalem
and the refugees from the agenda.
According to Nasrallah, the triangle of evil is Trump, Netanyahu and
Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince — corrupt and greedy people who
want to run the Middle East and eliminate the Palestinian issue. Nasrallah
responded to the claim that Hezbollah had taken control of Lebanon and said
that these were old accusations, ignoring the fact that Hezbollah is the
largest political party in Lebanon, a party that is justifiably worthy of
interfering in state affairs (more than 30 percent of Lebanese are Shi’ites).
He also said that the purpose of this claim is to blame the organization for
the economic crisis and other problems of Lebanon. He is careful not to
mention Iran, which is the true boss in Lebanon today. Are you convinced?
In the Land of Conspiracies
The ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra phenomenon has become Hezbollah’s most
important tool to whitewash its crimes. Lebanese militias committed heinous
crimes against the Sunni population in Iraq and Syria in the name of the war
against ISIS. Nasrallah did not save Lebanon, but on the contrary, he
brought it into the war in Syria and caused the rebels to invade northern
Lebanon in retaliation. He sent young Shiites to their deaths in order to
continue receiving funds and support from Tehran and to train his fighters
for the next war against Israel.
It is important to note that it was not the assistance of Iran and Hezbollah
that saved Assad from collapse in 2015. Had Russia not intervened in the war
in Syria, Hezbollah would have been crowned the main culprit in attracting
jihadist organizations into Lebanon and in the destruction of the state.
That is also the reason Nasrallah removed any mention of Iran from his
speech.
He did not mention Russia either, in order to win credit for Putin’s
achievements. Lebanon’s difficult economic situation is also largely due to
the transformation of Lebanon into a Hezbollah-Land, a country subject to
terrorism and drug trafficking, a country that spooks investors and is
subject to international sanctions.The balance of deterrence that has been
established since 2006 is the opposite of what Nasrallah described: It is
Israel that created a situation in which Hezbollah no longer fulfills its
goals — to attack it. As far as Hezbollah is concerned, those who fought
ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra, that is, Hezbollah, Assad and Iran, are
automatically on the good side, but in reality these are terrorist
organizations fighting each other, and at the moment Hezbollah is on the
winning side —thanks to the Russian intervention.
Shiite terrorism is replacing Sunni terrorism.The worrisome phenomenon is
Hezbollah’s success on the propaganda level. Many of the Arabs in Lebanon,
Syria and even Israel believe Nasrallah’s words. As far as they are
concerned, the war in Syria did not break out as a result of prolonged and
severe repression, but rather because of an Israeli-American-Saudi
conspiracy to topple Assad. As far as they are concerned, Hezbollah is not a
cancer spreading throughout the body of Lebanon, but rather it is the one
that saved Lebanon from the Jihad organizations. They believe that Israel
was not neutral in the war in Syria, but rather supported the rebels against
the regime while ignoring their affiliation with al-Qaeda. According to
them, Israel and Saudi Arabia are working together to push aside the
Palestinian issue and promote Trump’s “deal of the century.”
Sounds delusional? Ask your Arab neighbors, and you will be surprised by
their reactions.
**Dr. Yaron Friedman, is a Ynet commentator for Arab affairs, he is a
graduate of the Sorbonne University in Paris, a lecturer on Islam and an
Arabic teacher at the University of Haifa in the Middle East and Islamic
Studies Department. His book “The Alawites — History, Religion and Identity”
was published in English by Brill-Leiden in 2010.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5338317,00.html
Lebanon: Families of the Missing Demand Independent
National Body to Reveal Fate of Their Sons
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/67148/sanaa-al-jack-lebanese-families-of-the-missing-demand-independent-national-body-to-reveal-fate-of-their-sons-%d8%b3%d9%86%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d8%a7%d9%83-%d8%a3%d9%87%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a/
Beirut- Sanaa Al-Jack/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 31/18
“My son Maher was not 15 years old when they took him to fight Israel armed
with a rifle, facing planes, battleships and armored vehicles.” Maryam Saidi
told Asharq Al Awsat. “It was in 1982 when Maher disappeared, and when the
heads of the parties entered the parliament to represent the people.”
Maryam is one of the mothers, fathers, sisters, sons and daughters who
participated on Thursday in a gathering of the families of those who went
missing during the Lebanese war (1975-1989) on the occasion of the
International Day of Missing People.
“If the committee for the missing was doing enough work, we wouldn’t be here
today,” she said. Her “partner in sorrow”, Najat Jrouj Maoushi, stressed:
“The people are responsible because they re-elect those who have caused the
kidnapping of 17,000 persons. The people are insensible. If they weren’t,
they would have boycotted the elections.
But resolving the issue of the missing needs more than gatherings and
statements. More importantly, it needs independent professionals. This is
the first fruit of a new mechanism of action adopted by the Committee of the
Families of the Kidnapped and Missing Persons in Lebanon.
The head of the committee, Wadad Halawani, said: “The continuous work has
brought our voice to new circles, including political and partisan forces
from inside and outside the Parliament. With the help of legal experts and a
number of deputies, led by former MP Ghassan Mukheiber, we succeeded in
completing a draft-law on the establishment of the National Independent
Commission for Missing Persons.”
On this issue, Mukheiber told Asharq Al-Awsat that the proposed plan of
action included the establishment of “an independent national body, whose
mission is to reveal the fate of those missing and those who are forcibly
disappeared. The body will have the necessary powers to carry out this
mission, will not subject to any tutelage and will enjoy the maximum degree
of independence.”
He added that the committee would consist of retired judges, representatives
of the Bar Association and parents of the missing and those who are forcibly
disappeared, noting that the formation of the committee was awaiting the
adoption of the relevant law by Parliament.
“What we need is a specialized body whose mission is to make contact with
the Syrian and Palestinian authorities and the old militias, to investigate
the fate of the missing, to clarify the truth, and to set a follow-up plan,”
Mukheiber explained.
ICRC spokeswoman Yara Khawaja said in response to a question about the
responsiveness of the Lebanese authorities to the work of the organization:
“I do not want to assert, but it can be said that the atmosphere is
relatively positive. The bill passed through Parliament’s human rights and
justice committees and we hope to achieve positive results.”
Hariri Addresses Resignation, Syria, and Relationship with
Hezbollah
Euronews/August 31/18,
After seven years of ravaging war in Syria, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad
Hariri told Euronews’ correspondent Anelise Borges in an exclusive interview
that he would be dealing more with Russia rather than the Syrian regime.
Borges spoke with Hariri about what it’s like to be surrounded by war, his
relationship with Russia and Hezbollah, and the challenges he’s facing in
Lebanon.
Hariri on Syria
Borges: "Opposition forces have all but capitulated in Syria. There are
plans of a major offensive on the rebels last stronghold of Idlib... and
that would spell the end of the war. What would that mean for Lebanon?"
Hariri: "Nothing. I think Russia will have made its point — Russia control
Syria. So we will deal with the Russians."
Borges: "What is your relationship with Russia?"
Hariri: "Very good. Perfect. I have a very good relationship with Russia and
I have a good relationship with Putin that I respect very much. And I
believe he is somebody we can work with."
Borges: "So you don’t think you will have to deal with Assad?"
Hariri: "I would rather deal with President Putin."
What Hariri thinks of Trump
Borges: "What do you think about Donald Trump?"
Hariri: "I think President Donald Trump is someone who is very clear. He
says something, he does it. The issue we had in the past is that we didn’t
know what the policy was. At least today I know the policy and I know
whether to work around this policy or with this policy and at least there’s
someone we can talk to and convince them about our situation."
Lebanon's political challenges
The country held parliamentary elections this year for the first time in
nearly a decade but Hariri has yet to form a new government.
Borges: "Why did you decide to resign last year?"
Hariri: "I wanted to shock to the system. Because I believed the government
was going the wrong way. People were taking sides and we weren’t able to
govern."
Borges: "What is your relationship with Hezbollah?"
Hariri: "We have political differences. Hezbollah knows that and I know
that. They will never accept my policies vis-a-vis the gulf and I will never
accept their policy vis-a-vis Iran. But it does mean we should stop the
country from functioning."
The prime minister says he will be working hard to form a government so he
can implement the reforms Lebanon needs.
NAYA | Giselle Khoury:
A journalist who's loyal to truth
Tala Ramadan/Annahar/August 31/18
BEIRUT: As a journalist, Giselle Khoury built her professional image in 1986
and presented a cultural talk show on LBC. After that, she was part of the
launching of Al-Arabiya news channel, where she was hosting a political talk
show. Khoury is now working at the British Broadcasting Company.
Annahar interviewed the considerable intellectual firepower journalist
recently at the BBC studios, where she is currently hosting her programme
“Al Mash’had”.“I faced many challenges during my journalistic journey,
especially that I aimed to cover political news, it was a tough challenge
because I'm a woman, but these challenges are the juice of my career life,”
Khoury told Annahar. The shows presented by Khoury are informative. She
interviewed heads of states, leading personalities, and decision makers from
all around the world. The tactic that Khoury uses when she is interviewing
makes the guests speak from the heart; her tactic is a combination of both
insistence and gentle questioning style. This makes it easier for her to get
better material and be able to put her guests at ease, and especially, win
their trust. “My favorite interview that I've done was the one with
journalist Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, because it had a huge impact on the
Egyptian audience," Khoury said, adding that on a local level, her interview
with Ziad Rahbani was also a big highlight. Her
purpose, as Khoury puts it, is to highlight that ignorance is not a bliss,
and people should be informed and educated on any matter that surrounds
them. “I became a journalist because I'm from the Lebanese Civil War
generation, and I wanted to express my rejection of violence and war in a
certain way,” she said. Khoury, who is the wife of
the late Annahar journalist Samir Kassir who was assassinated on June 2,
2005, has launched the Samir Kassir Foundation and SKeyes Centre for Media
and Cultural Freedom in 2006 to reinforce that the media should not excuse
everything and explain nothing, instead it should be praising the value of
truth and stick to this principle. The SKF’s mission is to spread Samir
Kassir’s literary, academic and journalistic heritage. Samir Kassir
Foundation is, to Khoury, the child that she never had from Kassir. While
fulfilling her essential role in democracy and delivering the truth, Khoury
managed to keep her family safe from the world of politics, since, she
believes, it can be a dangerous world at times.“My profession taught me many
things, it taught me how to face challenges, and how to be close to fights
without fighting,” Khoury told Annahar.
Hacking a Prince, an
Emir and a Journalist to Impress a Client
By David D. Kirkpatrick and Azam Ahmed/The New York Times/August
31/18
The rulers of the United Arab Emirates had been using Israeli spyware for
more than a year, secretly turning the smartphones of dissidents at home or
rivals abroad into surveillance devices.
So when top Emirati officials were offered a pricey update of the spying
technology, they wanted to make sure it worked, according to leaked emails
submitted Thursday in two lawsuits against the spyware’s maker, the
Israel-based NSO Group.
Could the company secretly record the phones of the emir of Qatar, a
regional rival, the Emiratis asked? How about the phone of a powerful Saudi
prince who directed the kingdom’s national guard? Or what about recording
the phone of the editor of a London-based Arab newspaper?
“Please find two recordings attached,” a company representative wrote back
four days later, according to the emails. Appended were two recordings the
company had made of calls by the editor, Abdulaziz Alkhamis, who confirmed
this week that he had made the calls and said he did not know he was under
surveillance.
The NSO Group’s actions are now at the heart of the twin lawsuits accusing
the company of actively participating in illegal spying — part of a global
effort to confront the growing arms race in the world of spyware.
As private companies develop and sell cutting-edge surveillance technology
to governments for tens of millions of dollars, human rights groups say the
scant oversight over the practice invites rampant misuse. And no company is
more central to the battle than the NSO Group, one of the best-known
creators of spyware that invades smartphones.
The two lawsuits, filed in Israel and Cyprus, were brought by a Qatari
citizen and by Mexican journalists and activists who were all targeted by
the company’s spyware.
In Mexico, the NSO Group has sold the surveillance technology to the Mexican
government on the explicit condition that it be used only against criminals
and terrorists. Yet some of the nation’s most prominent human rights
lawyers, journalists and anti-corruption activists have been targeted
instead. Many are now plaintiffs in the lawsuits.
The government of Panama also purchased the spyware, and the president at
the time used it to spy on his political rivals and critics, according to
court documents in a case there.
Whenever challenged, the company has said that it merely sells the
technology to governments, which agree to deploy it exclusively against
criminals but then operate it on their own.
The new lawsuits include leaked documents and emails that directly challenge
the company’s repeated assertions that it is not responsible for any illegal
surveillance conducted by the governments that buy its spyware.
In the case of the U.A.E., the lawsuits argue, an affiliate of the NSO Group
attempted to spy on foreign government officials — and successfully recorded
the calls of a journalist — at the request of its Emirati customers four
years ago.
The technology works by sending text messages to a target’s smartphone,
hoping to bait the person into clicking on them. If the user does, the
spyware, known as Pegasus, is secretly downloaded, enabling governments to
monitor phone calls, emails, contacts and potentially even face-to-face
conversations conducted nearby.
For the U.A.E., documents show, an affiliate of the NSO Group specifically
suggested language for the corrupting text messages. Many were tailored for
the Persian Gulf with seemingly innocuous invitations like “Ramadan is near
— incredible discounts” and “keep your car tires from exploding in the
heat.”
Leaked technical documents included in the lawsuits also show that the
company helped its clients by transmitting the data gained through
surveillance through an elaborate computer network.
“We are pushing to make the law catch up with technology” and show that the
spyware makers “are complicit in these privacy violations,” said Alaa
Mahajna, an Israeli lawyer who filed the lawsuits in cooperation with Mazen
Masri, a senior lecturer in law at the City University of London.
The NSO group declined to comment until it could review the lawsuits. The
Emirati Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.
After The New York Times reported last year that prominent Mexican lawyers,
journalists and anticorruption campaigners had been targeted by the NSO
Group’s spyware, the Mexican government announced a federal investigation.
But more than a year later, the investigation has made little apparent
progress, so the Mexican journalists and human rights defenders joined the
lawsuits to uncover more about the government’s hacking program.
The lawsuits also shed new light on the political intrigues involving Israel
and the Persian Gulf monarchies, which have increasingly turned to hacking
as a favorite weapon against one another.
The NSO Group’s actions are now at the heart of the twin lawsuits accusing
the company of actively participating in illegal spying.CreditDaniella
Cheslow/Associated Press
The U.A.E. does not recognize Israel, but the two appear to have a growing
behind-the-scenes alliance. Because Israel deems the spyware a weapon, the
lawsuits note, the NSO Group and its affiliates could have sold it to the
Emirates only with approval by the Israeli Defense Ministry.
Leaked emails submitted in the lawsuits show that the U.A.E. signed a
contract to license the company’s surveillance software as early as August
2013.
A year and a half later, a British affiliate of the NSO Group asked its
Emirati client to provide a sixth payment of $3 million under the original
contract, suggesting a total licensing fee of at least $18 million over that
period.
An update the next year was sold through a different affiliate, based in
Cyprus, at a cost of $11 million in four installments, according to leaked
invoices.
Tensions between the U.A.E. and its neighbor Qatar reached a boil in 2013
over a struggle for power in Egypt. Qatar had allied itself with the
Egyptian Islamist movement that won the elections after the Arab Spring.
Then the U.A.E. backed a military takeover that cast the Islamists into
prison instead.
In the escalating feud, each side accused the other of cyberespionage.
Hackers broke into the email accounts of two outspoken opponents of Qatar —
the Emirati ambassador to Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba, and an American
Republican fund-raiser who does business with the U.A.E., Elliott Broidy.
Mr. Broidy has filed a separate lawsuit accusing Qatar and its Washington
lobbyists of conspiring to steal and leak his emails.
Other hackers briefly took over the website of the Qatari news service to
post a false report of an embarrassing speech by the emir to damage him, and
later leaked Qatari emails exposing awkward details of Qatari negotiations
over the release of a royal hunting party kidnapped in Iraq. Allies of Qatar
blamed the Emiratis. The leaked emails disclosed
in the new lawsuits may also have been stolen through hacking. Lawyers
involved said the documents were provided by a Qatari journalist who did not
disclose how he had obtained them.
The messages show that the Emiratis were seeking to intercept the phone
calls of the emir of Qatar as early as 2014.
But the Emirati target list also included Saudi Arabia. In the email
discussions about updating the NSO Group’s technology, the Emiratis asked to
intercept the phone calls of a Saudi prince, Mutaib bin Abdullah, who was
considered at the time to be a possible contender for the throne.
The Emiratis have been active promoters of Prince Mutaib’s younger rival,
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Last year, the crown prince removed Prince
Mutaib from his role as minister of the national guard and ordered his
temporary detention in connection with corruption allegations.
In a telephone interview, Prince Mutaib expressed surprise that the Emiratis
had attempted to record his calls. “They don’t need to hack my phone,” he
said. “I will tell them what I am doing.”
According to the emails, the Emiratis also asked to intercept the phone
calls of Saad Hariri, who is now prime minister of Lebanon.
Mr. Hariri has sometimes been accused of failing to push back hard enough
against Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese movement backed by Iran. Last year,
the U.A.E.’s Saudi ally, Crown Prince Mohammed, temporarily detained Mr.
Harari in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and forced him to announce his
resignation as prime minister. (He later rescinded the announcement, and he
remains prime minister.)
Mr. Alkhamis, who resigned in 2014 as the editor of the London-based
newspaper Al Arab, called the surveillance of his phone calls “very strange”
but not unexpected, since he had published “sensitive” articles about
Persian Gulf politics.
The U.A.E.’s use of the NSO Group’s spyware was first reported in 2016.
Ahmed Mansoor, an Emirati human rights advocate, noticed suspicious text
messages and exposed an attempt to hack his Apple iPhone. The U.A.E.
arrested him on apparently unrelated charges the next year and he remains in
jail.
After Mr. Mansoor’s disclosures, Apple said it had released an update that
patched the vulnerabilities exploited by the NSO Group. The NSO Group
pledged to investigate and said in a statement that “the company has no
knowledge of and cannot confirm the specific cases.”
But other leaked documents filed with the lawsuits indicate that the U.A.E.
continued to license and use the Pegasus software well after Apple announced
its fix and the NSO Group pledged to investigate.
On June 5, 2017, the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia began a blockade of Qatar in an
effort to isolate it. Ten days later, an internal Emirati email cited in the
lawsuits referred to 159 members of the Qatari royal family, officials and
others whose phones it had targeted with the NSO spyware, promising a report
based on “what we found from the top 13 targets only.”
“ur highness based on ur instructions we viewed the collecting from the Q
phone targeting,” wrote an Emirati official identified in the lawsuits as an
assistant to Prince Khalid bin Mohammed, the chairman of the Emirati
intelligence agency and the son of the de facto ruler of the U.A.E., Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. This month, Amnesty
International said one of its staff members working in Saudi Arabia had also
been targeted by spyware that appeared to be linked to the NSO Group, and
the company reiterated that it bears no responsibility for its customers’
use of its spyware.
“Our product is intended to be used exclusively for the investigation and
prevention of crime and terrorism,” the company said in a statement to
Amnesty, pledging to “investigate the issue and take appropriate action.”
**A version of this article appears in print on Aug. 31, 2018, on Page A7 of
the New York edition with the headline: How United Arab Emirates Used
Israeli Technology to Spy on
As Cabinet Formation Drags, Lebanon Risks Economic
Tailspin
AFP/August 31/18
Despite three months of wrangling, Lebanon's premier-designate has been
unable to form a new cabinet, threatening to paralyse the country's
institutions and launch its already-frail economy into a dangerous tailspin.
Lebanon is no stranger to drawn-out negotiations over forming governments,
but the current delays risk squandering a precious $11 billion package of
economic aid. On May 24, after parliamentary elections, President Michel
Aoun quickly nominated Saad Hariri for his third term as prime minister and
tasked him with forming a cabinet. "The objective
was to form a government as quickly as possible. We had hoped in the
beginning that it would be formed in two weeks," says Alain Aoun, a member
of parliament and the president's nephew. That new government would be able
to sign off on billions of dollars in aid pledged by donor countries and
international organisations at the France-led CEDRE conference in April. But
political parties have been locked in a three-month dispute over how many --
and which -- ministerial posts they will each be granted. Lebanon is
governed by a complex system which aims to maintain a precarious balance of
power across religious and political communities. Its major political
players have always ruled through consensus, which leaves little to chance,
typically includes dizzying horsetrading, and means negotiations can easily
drag out. In 2009, Hariri needed five months to pull together his first
government, and it took Tamam Salam double that time to announce his in
2014.The current delays may seem relatively harmless, but Aoun says there is
more at risk now than ever before. "We've
definitely seen worse in the past, but the context is different now," he
told AFP.
"We're facing an economic emergency."
Boost to infrastructure on hold
The Lebanese economy's downward spiral was brought on by the outbreak of
conflict in neighbouring Syria in 2011.
Economic growth plummeted from a solid nine percent at the time and has
hovered around 1.1 percent for the past three years. Public debt stands at
$82 billion, equivalent to 150 percent of gross domestic product, the third
highest worldwide after Japan and Greece.The CEDRE funds are earmarked to
boost the economy, with a focus on improving Lebanon's ailing
infrastructure. In exchange, Lebanon promised a string of reforms including
tougher measures to fight corruption and reduce budget deficits.
But without a new government, the authorities cannot introduce major
structural changes or sign off on the deal. Lebanon's parties are mainly
arguing over who will head powerful ministries, including the interior,
foreign affairs, and energy portfolios. But they
are also bitterly divided over what future ties with the government in
neighbouring Syria will look like. After seven years of fierce fighting,
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appears to have regained the upper hand
with around two-thirds of the country under his control. Lebanese officials
have increased calls for some 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon to
return home and are scrambling to ensure Beirut gets a slice of any economic
activity generated by Syria's reconstruction. But some parties long opposed
to Damascus say any new cabinet should formally adopt a policy of distancing
itself from Assad.
In the red'
The head of powerful pro-Damascus movement Hezbollah said the thorny
question should be set aside to protect Lebanon from financial disaster.
Hariri has also warned of economic collapse, saying this week that "the
responsibility to accelerate the formation of the government is that of all
parties, in order to avoid the economic deterioration in the country."In the
interim, the economy has continued to worsen. The value of cleared checks --
an indicator of investment and consumption -- dropped 13 percent between
January and June this year, according to Lebanon's central bank. "The delay
in the formation of the new cabinet has an undeniable impact on investments
and therefore on growth," says Marwan Barakat, chief economist at Bank Audi.
Barakat said seven of 11 economic indicators he studied were "in the red" in
the first seven months of 2018 compared with the same period last year.
But those close to the government say the rescue funds from CEDRE are on the
way, despite the delays. "An extra month or two won't compromise a strategy
spread out over 10 years, maybe more," Hariri's economic adviser Nadim Munla
says.
The Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News
published
on
September 01/18
Idlib rebels blow up
bridges to hamper expected assault
Agencies/Arab News/August 31/18/BEIRUT: Rebels from Idlib
have blown up two key bridges in a bid to hamper an expected government
assault on Syria’s only remaining rebel-held province, a monitor said on
Friday. The bridges over the Orontes River linked areas of neighboring Hama
province under government control to rebel-held territory in Idlib, the
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.They were blown up by
Islamist factions from the National Liberation Front (NLF), the main
non-jihadist alliance in Idlib, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
“They were the two main bridges in the area, but there are others,” he told
AFP.The bridges were located in the Al-Ghab plain, which straddles Hama and
Idlib provinces and could be one of the first targets of any government
offensive. Government forces have been massing around Idlib province for
weeks, particularly in Al-Ghab which was once a key farming area. “The
rebels have seen the intense activity on the regime side, with the arrival
of tanks and armored vehicles,” Abdel Rahman said.
“Rebel groups are reinforcing their positions in anticipation of a military
operation.”In recent days, both the government and its ally Russia have
stepped up their rhetoric against the rebel presence in Idlib, which is
dominated by the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) jihadist alliance formed by
Al-Qaeda’s former Syrian branch, Al-Nusra Front.
“The Syrian command has taken a decision to defeat Al-Nusra Front in Idlib
no matter the sacrifices that it would entail,” Foreign Minister Walid
Muallem said on Thursday. Meanwhile, Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that talks to create
humanitarian corridors in Idlib were ongoing. On Wednesday he called on the
West not to stand in the way of an “anti-terror operation” in Idlib, saying:
“This abscess needs to be liquidated.” Turkish troops are also stationed in
the area and Ankara — which backs the NLF — has expressed opposition to any
large-scale offensive that sparks a new exodus of refugees.An assault on
Idlib by Damascus and Moscow could be the last major battle of the civil war
that has torn Syria apart since 2011. More than 350,000 people have been
killed in the conflict and millions forced to flee their homes.
Fears over Iranian proxies’ Iraq missile factories
Agencies/Arab News/August 31/18
BAGHDAD: Iraqi armed factions backed by Iran have been working for months to
develop ballistic missiles and are threatening to use them against American
forces in the country, Shiite commanders and Iraqi security officials told
Arab News.Improved missile technology being developed by Iranian proxy
forces in another country in the Middle East will be of grave concern to
Arab countries and the US. Iran is already
accused of supplying Houthi militias in Yemen with ballistic missiles that
are fired at Saudi Arabia, and helping Hezbollah build factories in Lebanon
that produce similar weapons. Iran has been financing and equipping dozens
of Shiite and Sunni insurgent groups operating in Iraq since 2005. Some have
become the most powerful military groups in Iraq and the region, including
Badr Organization, Assaib Ahl Al-Haq, Kattaib Hezbollah-Iraq and Saraya Al-Kharasani.
All of the groups fought against Daesh over the last four years under the
umbrella of the Popular Mobilization, alongside the regular Iraqi military
and which was backed by the US-led coalition in Iraq.
Latest versions
Although most of these groups have been equipped by Iran, many have
established factories to manufacture they own weapons across the
country.They succeeded in producing some short-range missiles such as Al-Ashtar,
Al-Muntaqim and Al-Qaher, and have moved on to expand the ranges of these
missiles.
The most advanced — Al-Fatah — is the result two years work, a senior Shiite
commander within the Saraya Al-Kharassani faction told Arab News.
He said the ranges of the latest versions are still unclear as they
have not yet had a chance to test them. “All the (Shiite) armed factions
have participated in this by using Iraqi and foreign experts,” he said. “The
missiles are ready but have not been used before. We may experiment them in
the next few days near the border in Basra.” A
report by Reuters on Friday said ballistic missiles had been transferred
from Iran to Iraq over the past few months to threaten Iran’s enemies in the
region. The report said the missiles had a range of between 200 and 700
kilometers, putting Riyadh or the Israeli city of Tel Aviv within striking
distance if the weapons were deployed in southern or western Iraq. Shiite
commanders and Iraqi security officials, however, told Arab News that these
missiles have been built in Iraq and their range has not yet been tested to
be classified as medium-range. They said their use for targets outside Iraq
has not even discussed. Ahmed Assadi, the
commander of Kattaib Sayed Al-Shuhaddaa and a newly elected Shiite MP, told
Arab News that so far the missiles had not yet reached further than 70
kilometers when tested. “There is a Directorate of Military Manufacturing
linked to the popular mobilization that has factories spread outside the
cities and in areas known to the government,” he said. “We have been working
on developing the range of missiles along the last four years and we started
from the 6 kilometer range but have not succeeded to reach more than 70.”
Assadi denied that missiles were imported by
either the regular security forces or the Shiite armed factions from Iran in
the last few years. The Kharassani commander
claimed there was no possibility of using the new missiles against targets
outside of Iraq but admitted that the government does not have control over
the activities of the Iran-backed factions. “All
discussions until now indicate their use will be against the occupier inside
Iraq,” he said, in reference to American forces in the country. The number
of missiles are few as the experts are waiting to test them soon in southern
near the Iranian border. “If the experiment of one
(missile) succeeded, we can make ten in very short time,” the commander,
said. A senior Iraqi National Security official told Arab News that the
transfer of ballistic missiles across the Iraq-Iran border would be almost
impossible. “The border is monitored by the US-led
coalition forces by satellites, which are thermally sensitive to this type
of missiles and thus it is impossible to transfer such missiles as one piece
or even as disjointed pieces across the border without being monitored,” the
official said. “The issue is very serious
and no country can get involved even Iran.”Shiite political parties and
armed factions are Iran’s biggest and most powerful tool in Iraq, where they
have competed with the US to win influence since 2003. “The Americans know
that the ballistic Iranian missiles are in Lebanon with Hezbollah not in
Iraq,” a prominent Shiite leader told Arab News.
“Iraq is an area used by Iran to solve its problems with America not vice
versa. “Iran sees Iraq as a region that could lose
its control completely at any moment, so why would they provide Iraqis with
ballistic missiles that might be used against it one day?”
Opposition Factions
Blow up Bridges in Idlib ahead of Syrian Regime Offensive
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 31 August, 2018/Opposition factions in Idlib blew up
two key bridges in an attempt to impede a Syrian regime offensive on the
northwestern province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on
Friday. The bridges over the Orontes River linked areas of neighboring Hama
province, under regime control, to opposition-held territory in Idlib, the
Britain-based rights monitor said. "They were the two main bridges in the
area, but there are others," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
The bridges were located in the Al-Ghab plain, which straddles Hama and
Idlib provinces and could be one of the first targets of any regime
offensive. Regime forces have been massing around Idlib province for weeks,
particularly in Al-Ghab, which was once a key farming area. "The opposition
factions have seen the intense activity on the regime side, with the arrival
of tanks and armored vehicles," Abdel Rahman said."The factions are
reinforcing their positions in anticipation of a military operation."
Palestinians, Israeli Forces Clash in West Bank Protest
Gaza- Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 31 August, 2018/Israeli forces fired tear gas
and rubber bullets on Friday at rock-throwing Palestinians protesting
against land seizures for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank,
among the disputes stalling peace efforts. Around a dozen of the hundreds of
Palestinians gathered in the village of Ras Karkar were injured, witnesses
said. An Israeli police spokesman had no immediate comment. An Israeli court
broke new judicial ground on Tuesday by giving legal recognition to a Jewish
settlement built without Israeli government authorization on privately owned
Palestinian land. The court declared the settlers the legal owners, finding
that Israeli authorities were unaware the land was privately owned when they
originally mapped out the area, in territory captured in the 1967 Middle
East war. It based its ruling on an Israeli law that states that even
transactions with legal faults could be valid if they were conducted in
“good faith”. Most countries consider all of the settlements built on land
that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war to be illegal. Israel
disputes this. Some 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem, areas that are also home to more than 2.6 million Palestinians.
Palestinians say rapid settlement expansion in recent years could deny them
a viable and contiguous state. The other Palestinian territory, Gaza, was
largely quiet on Friday despite expected border demonstrations, a weekly
event in there since March 30. Israel has killed most than 170 Palestinians
during the Gaza protests, in what it called an effort to thwart breaches of
the fortified frontier. Israel withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza in
2005. The last round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014.
Egypt: First-ever Christian Woman Becomes Governor
Cairo - Waleed Abdul Rahman/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 31/18/Egypt's President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has sworn in several new provincial governors,
including the first-ever Coptic Christian woman to hold the position. A
total number of 22 governors on Thursday took the oath before Sisi in the
presence of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Local Development Minister
Mahmoud Shaarawi. After the swearing-in ceremony, the newly appointed
governors and their deputies met with Sisi, who ordered them to focus on
meeting the people’s needs and curbing rising inflation. The new reshuffle
included General Khaled Fouda, governor of South Sinai, General Ahmed Rashed
Moustafa, appointed as the new governor of Giza, Mohamed Abdelfadeel Shousha,
the new governor of North Sinai, Abdelaziz Qonsoua, the new governor of
Alexandria, and General Khaled Abdel Hafez who was appointed as the new
governor of Cairo. The appointees also include Manal Awad Mikhail in
Damietta province, who became the first Christian woman ever appointed to
such a position in the country. Ambassador Bassam Radi, the spokesman for
the Egyptian presidency, quoted the president as saying that he wishes
success and luck to the new governors in performing their tasks. “Egypt
expects lots of effort, collective action, and dedication to further
development," Sisi said.
ISIS Exploits Fighting in Tripoli, Preys On Sirte
Cairo- Jamal Jawhar/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 31/18/Security agencies in
western Libyan have detected movements of ISIS militants on the outskirts of
Sirte, raising fears that the organization is seeking to re-establish itself
in the coastal city amid fighting between armed militias in Tripoli.
Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous operations chamber reported that Sirte security forces
went on alert three days ago when ISIS movements were detected 70 kilometers
south of the city. A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that investigation
agencies in the west are chasing ISIS remnants on the outskirts of Sirte and
in desert routes, noting that some members of the group, wearing camouflage
uniforms, were stopping citizens and asking for their identity cards. The
source associated the emergence of ISIS members in south Sirte areas with
the ongoing fight among armed militias in the capital, stressing that the
terrorist organization sought to exploit the clashes and the absence of
security in the country to re-establish its presence. Further, ISIS claimed
responsibility for last week’s armed attack against Wadi Kaam gate in
Tripoli that killed seven security guards and wounded dozens.. Libyan
Interior Minister Abdulsalam Ashour stated that the perpetrators - all
Libyan nationals – have been arrested. In the same context, the
Secretary-General of the Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR) in Libya
voiced his concerns that political disputes in Tripoli would push terrorist
groups such as ISIS to exploit the fragile security system in the capital
and conduct terrorist attacks. Libya, Niger, Sudan and Chad agreed on August
11 to create a joint operation center to strengthen border security and to
combat terrorist groups, smuggling, and human trafficking.
UK minister to discuss Iran’s destabilizing activities in Syria, Yemen
Arab News/August 31/18/JEDDAH: Junior Foreign Minister Alistair
Burt arrived in Tehran on Friday to discuss the future of Iran’s
international nuclear deal, in the first visit to the country by a British
minister to Iran since US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015
agreement. His visit comes as the EU tries to keep the deal alive. Burt will
also discuss Iran’s “destabilizing role” in the ongoing conflicts in Syria
and Yemen, as well as the plight of dual nationals detained in Iran. In a
statement ahead of the visit, Burt said: “During my visit … I will stress
that Iran’s ballistic missile program and its destabilizing activities in
the Middle East must be addressed. I will also use the opportunity of my
visit to push for the resolution we all want to see in the cases of the
British dual nationals detained in Iran.”Britain is seeking the release of
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters
Foundation. She was arrested in April 2016 at Tehran’s airport as she was
heading back to Britain with her daughter, now aged four, after a family
visit.Burt will meet Iranian ministers, including his counterpart Abbas
Araghchi, and NGOs during his two-day visit. “As long as Iran meets its
commitments under the deal, we remain committed to it as we believe it is
the best way to ensure a safe, secure future for the region,” said Burt.
U.S. Says Canada Has Made 'No Concessions on Agriculture' in NAFTA Talks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August
31/18/Canada has not compromised on a key sticking point in talks with the
United States on the rewrite of the North American Free Trade Agreement, a
U.S. official said Friday. As the fourth and final day of negotiations got
underway between Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Trade
Representative Robert Lighthizer, Canada's managed dairy market remained a
roadblock. "The negotiations between the United States and Canada are
ongoing. There have been no concessions by Canada on agriculture," a USTR
spokesperson told AFP.
2 Hurt in Amsterdam Station Stabbing, Attacker Shot
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/18/Two people were hurt during a
stabbing incident at Amsterdam's busy Central Station on Friday morning
before the alleged attacker was shot and wounded, Dutch police said. "A
suspect has been shot after a stabbing incident at Amsterdam Central
Station," Dutch police said on Twitter, indicating that the station had been
evacuated and closed off to all rail traffic. However, police shortly
afterwards issued an update to say there was "no talk" of a complete
evacuation and only two platforms had been closed off to passengers. The two
wounded people and the knife-wielding suspect were taken to hospital,
Amsterdam police said. Trams, which leave from the front of the station were
not running, the police added, saying more information was not immediately
available. Around 250,000 people travel through Central Station every day,
according to statistics provided by the Amsterdam.info travel guide.
The station is located on the Dutch capital's historic canal-ringed
city center.
U.S. May Send IS 'Beatles', Others to Guantanamo
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/18/The Trump administration is
considering sending some captured Islamic State fighters, including the two
"Beatles," British citizens who took part in beheadings, to the military-run
prison in Guantanamo, Cuba, NBC has reported.
The prison could be used to jail indefinitely a number of "high-value" IS
foreign fighters captured in Iraq and Syria, while sending less important
detainees whose governments won't accept them to an Iraqi-run prison, NBC
said, citing unnamed U.S. officials and European diplomats. NBC said among
those being considered for transfer are Alexanda Amon Kotey and El Shafee
el-Sheikh, two survivors of a four-man IS unit that saw kidnapped foreign
journalists and others tortured and beheaded. The captives have been dubbed
"The Beatles" for their British accents. Moving newly captured jihadists to
Guantanamo would mark a shift in U.S. policy by the Trump administration:
after having peaked at 780 detainees, the facility has not received a new
prisoner since 2008. Most detainees have been released, and the current
population is 40, including several key al-Qaida figures accused of plotting
the September 11, 2001 and other attacks. Their trials under the military
justice system have stalled for more than a decade, and adding newcomers
will raise concerns the Trump administration has little intention to respect
their legal rights. The U.S. military recently repatriated two US citizens
detained in Syria, and has sent their cases to civilian courts where they
now face trial for supporting Islamic State. A U.S. military spokeswoman,
Commander Sarah Higgins, had no comment about the NBC report and added:
"there is no one identified for transfer to Guantanamo at this time." "The
detention facility at Guantanamo Bay is one disposition option for long-term
detention of enemy combatants. Other options include transfer to foreign
partners and prosecution in U.S. courts."
Working with Britain
The cases of Kotey and Sheikh have been controversial in Britain. According
to unconfirmed reports, they were stripped of their British citizenship
before they were captured in early 2018 in Syria, and the British government
has made no effort to have them brought to Britain for trial.
British opponents of the death penalty have demanded that the U.S. not be
allowed to take control of them. In July, Minister for Security Ben Wallace
told parliament that the British government is "working closely with
international partners to ensure that they face justice for any crimes they
have committed." At the same time, he said the British government's official
position is that the Guantanamo prison "should close.""Where we share
evidence with the U.S., it must be for the express purpose of progressing a
criminal prosecution, and we have made that clear to the United States," he
said.
Iraq PM Sacks Paramilitary Chief
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/18/Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi
has announced the dismissal of the head of the powerful Hashed al-Shaabi
paramilitary force, which played a major role in stinging defeats of the
Islamic State jihadist group. The prime minister in a statement reproached
the force's head Falih Alfayyadh for "having been implicated in partisan
political matters which contravene the rules of neutrality which apply to
members of the security and intelligence forces." Alfayyadh, 62, was also
dismissed from his position as national security adviser. Despite being on
the PM's electoral list ahead of legislative polls that took place in May,
the prime minister suspected Alfayyadh of negotiating behind his back with
rival Hadi al-Ameri as post-election talks were underway. The Hashed al-Shaabi
(Popular Mobilization) auxiliary force was created by the government in
2014, after a call to jihad by the spiritual leader of the Shiite community,
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani to help in the fight against IS.
Philippines' Duterte Eyes Arms Deals on Israel Trip
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 31/18/Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte arrives Sunday for a visit to Israel and Jordan,
pursuing a pivot away from his nation's long-time reliance on American
military hardware and backing.
The four-day stay in Israel is the first by a Philippine leader in over 60
years of diplomatic ties between the two nations, yet their links go back to
Manila sheltering Jews during the Holocaust. Duterte's visit is generating a
lot of attention, powered both by his penchant for foul-mouthed statements
-- including likening himself to Hitler -- and his internationally condemned
drug crackdown that has killed thousands. Duterte, accompanied by an
entourage including soldiers and police, will sit down with Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and hold an event with some of thousands of Filipino
migrant workers in Israel. He has pivoted the Philippines away from its
former colonial master the United States and toward warmer diplomatic and
business ties with China and Russia. The U.S. and Canada have both had
military hardware deals fall apart with the Philippines due to concerns over
Duterte's drug war. But so far sales with Israel have gone smoothly."(The
visit) is for President Duterte to look for an alternative market for...
weapons for our armed forces as well as for the police," Henelito Sevilla,
an international relations expert at University of the Philippines, told AFP.
Israel is among the world's top arms dealers, with nearly 60 percent of its
defense exports going to the Asia Pacific region, according to Israeli
defense ministry data.
'No Jerusalem embassy'
The Philippines emerged as a significant new customer in 2017 for Israel,
with sales of radar and anti-tank equipment worth $21 million. There could
be far bigger deals on the way as Manila plans a multi-billion dollar
overhaul of its armed forces. Duterte has been dismissive of American sales
overtures, saying he does not need U.S. fighter jets or submarines.
Manila says the trip is expected to yield signed agreements on
defense as well as labor, which is one of the Philippines' top exports. Some
10 million Filipinos work abroad and send home money that is a lifeline to
the economy. Manila is keen to ink agreements that protect the workers'
conditions and pay, who are seen as national heroes at home. Though the
Philippines has a special bond with Israel for giving refuge to some 1,300
Jews fleeing the Holocaust, Duterte drew global condemnation for likening
himself to Hitler in 2016. "Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now there
are three million drug addicts (in the Philippines). I'd be happy to
slaughter them," he said. Most mainstream historians say six million Jews
died in the Holocaust. Duterte later apologized to
the Jewish community over his remarks, which he said were aimed at critics
who had likened him to the Nazi leader. Just over a year later the
Philippines abstained from a U.N. vote rebuking the United States for moving
its embassy to Jerusalem. Palestinians see the eastern part of the disputed
city as the capital of their future state. The Philippines was reportedly
among a handful of nations considering following the Americans' move, but
Manila has issued repeated denials. "This is actually not a topic of
discussion," Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Ernesto Abella told
journalists at a pre-visit briefing. Duterte heads to Jordan on September 5,
where he is expected to meet with King Abdullah II.
The Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on
September 01/18
Analysis/A Massacre Waiting to Happen: For Syria's Idlib, Diplomacy May Come
Too Late
زافي برئيل من الهآررتس: مجزرة متوقعة في ادلب السورية والجهود الدبلوماسية قد
تأتي متأخرة
Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz/August 31/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/67141/zvi-barel-haaretz-a-massacre-waiting-to-happen-for-syrias-idlib-diplomacy-may-come-too-late-%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%A2%D8%B1/
The U.S. and Russia are trying to forestall the offensive by
negotiating with militias. But Assad isn't waiting – his forces are
advancing on Idlib, where some 2.5 million Syrians fearfully wait
Some 2.5 million Syrians, including 1 million displaced people, are
fearfully awaiting the Syrian army’s major offensive against the city of
Idlib and its suburbs. The United Nations has warned that the attack could
displace some 800,000 people.
America is trying to work with Russia to forestall the offensive by
negotiating agreements with the various rebel militias controlling Idlib,
but so far without success. Russia is also conducting independent
negotiations with the militias’ leaders for the same purpose, together with
its Turkish partner, but again without much success.
Idlib is considered the rebels’ last major bastion. They have migrated to it
from throughout Syria during the eight years of civil war, in part because
the cease-fire agreements the Syrian government signed with the rebels in
southern Syria, Aleppo, Hama and other cities all allowed the rebel fighters
to relocate to Idlib with their weapons. It has therefore become a fortified
zone of which each militia controls a piece.
Some of the militias have agreed to negotiate with Russia, and some have
even been invited to integrate into the Syrian army. But others have refused
to engage in any talks. The Nusra Front, which is affiliated with Al-Qaida
and is considered a terrorist organization by all the parties involved, is
actually one of the militias willing to negotiate. But unless all the
militias agree, a violent offensive against the city is probably inevitable.
This would be the last major offensive of the war, after which the focus
would shift to diplomacy.
The schedule for the diplomatic negotiations doesn’t leave much time. In
early September, Russian, Iranian and Turkish officials are slated to meet
to prepare for a meeting with representatives of the rebels and the Syrian
government. On September 14, German, French, British, Saudi, Jordanian,
Egyptian and American officials will meet in Geneva under UN auspices to
discuss Syria’s future constitution.
It’s hard to see the latter meeting producing any practical results, since
Russia, the Syrian government and the Syrian rebels will all be absent.
Apparently, it is merely intended to demonstrate some kind of international
involvement and present an alternative to Russia’s moves.
The key question is whether the Idlib offensive will precede these meetings
or not. But Syrian President Bashar Assad isn’t waiting. His forces are
advancing on Idlib, and this week’s visit to Damascus by Iranian Defense
Minister Amir Hatami was meant in part to coordinate the military operation
there.
Israel and the West were upset primarily by the public announcement that
Iran and Syria had signed an agreement under which the former would rebuild
the latter’s army. But according to Iran’s military attaché in Damascus,
Abolqassem Alinejad, in the first stage, this will only entail clearing
minefields and an offer to build weapons factories in Syria.
Hatami is the first Iranian defense minister in 20 years who didn’t come
from the ranks of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. He was appointed by
President Hassan Rohani due to the president’s bitter dispute with the
Revolutionary Guards over control of the country’s economic resources. The
organization controls more than half of the Iranian economy, and Rouhani
believes this causes great economic damage.
He therefore fired the previous defense minister, Hossein Dehghan, a
Revolutionary Guards loyalist. Dehghan became “supreme leader” Ali
Khamenei’s adviser on military production instead, and has even announced
that he plans to run in the next presidential election in 2021 “to save the
country.”
This doesn’t mean Hatami agrees with Rohani on everything. But unlike his
predecessor, he does at least consult the president on military plans.
Hatami’s statement about rebuilding the Syrian army should be taken with
skepticism mainly because of the high cost this would entail, estimated at
tens of billions of dollars. Iran, which is experiencing a deep economic
crisis, would have trouble bearing those costs alone, especially since Syria
already owes Iran some $6 billion on the loans Iran has provided. Iran’s own
military involvement in both Syria and Yemen is estimated to have cost it
another $16 billion.
Fears that Iranian soldiers or pro-Iranian militias will merge with the
Syrian army also seem dubious. Who would command these mixed units, in which
some of the soldiers wouldn’t even speak Arabic? Would Syria’s high command
agree to set up separate Iranian units that would take orders from Iranian
commanders?
Nor can the Shi’ite militias in Iraq, which are funded and trained by Iran,
be compared to those that might be established in Syria. In Iraq, the
militiamen are Iraqi citizens. In Syria, they would be foreign soldiers.
Moreover, Russia has proposed integrating any rebel militias that agree to
be part of the Syrian army. And the rebels certainly wouldn’t agree to serve
in the army alongside Iranian units.
Thus Hatami’s announcement seems to have been aimed mainly at expressing
Iran’s resolve to stay in Syria and fight for the status of an influential
power in postwar Syria. But on this front, Iran faces a tough battle against
Russia on one hand and America and Israel on the other.
U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said recently that Russia offered
to make Iranian forces redeploy if America removed its forces from Syria.
Bolton also said that his Russian counterpart asked him to present a map of
where America is willing to let Iranian forces stay. In other words, Iran
wouldn’t leave Syria completely, but would be restricted to certain areas.
But Bolton said he rejected this offer, and Washington continues to insist
that all Iranian forces leave. In response, Russian Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Maria Zakharova issued a blistering statement saying that all
U.S. forces must leave Syria before Washington asks other forces to leave.
She demanded to know why U.S. forces were deployed in Syria at all and who
had given it permission to enter the country.
Russian officials also accused America of sheltering thousands of Islamic
State fighters and other terrorists in the American-controlled region around
the Tanf border crossing. For now, Israel’s warnings that it will continue
to take action against Iranian forces in Syria don’t seem to have impressed
Russia. But Moscow’s willingness to barter an Iranian pullback for an
American pullout shows that Iran can’t fully rely on Russia. Russia’s
diplomatic dialogue with Washington indicates that it’s using Iran as a
bargaining chip, and also making good use of Iran’s dependency on it as one
of the only countries that refuses to comply with American sanctions on
Iran.
Iran has also already lost its competition with Russian over Syria’s
civilian economy. Granted, Iran signed a memorandum of understanding a year
ago to build a cellular network in Syria and form a partnership in mine
phosphates, but that memorandum remains on paper only. It hasn’t been
implemented yet because Syria would prefer business partnerships with China
and Russia to partnerships with Iran, and it is therefore using its massive
bureaucracy to delay and even thwart the Iranian deals.
Russia, not Iran, won exclusive rights to repair and develop Syria’s oil
fields, build refineries and train Syrian workers. It will also take the
lead in Syria’s civilian reconstruction, which is valued at hundreds of
billions of dollars. At commercial fairs in Syria over the last two years,
Russian, Chinese and other Asian companies won the best deals, while Iranian
companies had to make do with crumbs. Iranian businessmen thinking of doing
business in Syria understand that if they want to obtain Syrian government
contracts, they will have to share their businesses with the Revolutionary
Guards. Thus for now, they prefer to stay out of the picture.
Unlike Iran, Russia can forge partnerships with Western and Asian companies
that can make sure Syria’s oil gets marketed once full production resumes.
Iran would not only have trouble forming business consortiums, it would also
have trouble selling the oil as long as American sanctions on it remain in
force. Thus Iran will apparently have to make do with close access to the
Syrian government, a limited degree of influence over Assad’s policies and
maintaining its logistical ties with Hezbollah via Syria.
But the international considerations and strategic games that are
preoccupying both world powers and countries in the region are of little
interest to Idlib’s fearful residents. Even before the military offensive on
the city has begun, they’re living under a reign of terror by local
militias, which are kidnapping, arresting and killing civilians suspected of
“collaborating with the regime” or abetting the Islamic State. Idlib
residents heard Assad’s promise “to liquidate terror in Idlib” and Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s vow, at a meeting with his Saudi
counterpart, to cleanse the “festering abscess” of Idlib. And they know the
attacking troops and the bomber planes won’t be able to distinguish between
terrorists and innocent civilians.
Turkey, which set up several outposts in Idlib to fulfill its responsibility
for supervising implementation of the de-escalation agreement there, can’t
provide local residents with protection. Nor is there any other
international force that could prevent the expected slaughter. Thus for some
of these residents, any diplomatic solution will come too late.
Exclusive: Iran moves missiles to Iraq in warning to
enemies
جون أيرش وأحمد رشيد عبر وكالة رويترز: إيران تنقل صواريخ إلى العراق في تهديد
لأعدائها
John Irish, Ahmed Rasheed/Reuters/August 31/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/67144/john-irish-ahmed-rasheed-reuters-%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A3%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%B4-%D9%88%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%B1%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D9%88%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%B1%D9%88/
PARIS/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iran has given ballistic missiles to Shi’ite
proxies in Iraq and is developing the capacity to build more there to deter
attacks on its interests in the Middle East and to give it the means to hit
regional foes, Iranian, Iraqi and Western sources said.
Any sign that Iran is preparing a more aggressive missile policy in Iraq
will exacerbate tensions between Tehran and Washington, already heightened
by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of a 2015 nuclear deal
with world powers.
It would also embarrass France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the three
European signatories to the nuclear deal, as they have been trying to
salvage the agreement despite new U.S. sanctions against Tehran.
According to three Iranian officials, two Iraqi intelligence sources and two
Western intelligence sources, Iran has transferred short-range ballistic
missiles to allies in Iraq over the last few months. Five of the officials
said it was helping those groups to start making their own.
“The logic was to have a backup plan if Iran was attacked,” one senior
Iranian official told Reuters. “The number of missiles is not high, just a
couple of dozen, but it can be increased if necessary.”
Iran has previously said its ballistic missile activities are purely
defensive in nature. Iranian officials declined to comment when asked about
the latest moves.
The Iraqi government and military both declined to comment.
The Zelzal, Fateh-110 and Zolfaqar missiles in question have ranges of about
200 km to 700 km, putting Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh or the Israeli city
of Tel Aviv within striking distance if the weapons were deployed in
southern or western Iraq.
The Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC), has bases in both those areas. Quds Force commander
Qassem Soleimani is overseeing the program, three of the sources said.
Western countries have already accused Iran of transferring missiles and
technology to Syria and other allies of Tehran, such as Houthi rebels in
Yemen and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Iran’s Sunni Muslim Gulf neighbors and its arch-enemy Israel have expressed
concerns about Tehran’s regional activities, seeing it as a threat to their
security.
Israeli officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment about
the missile transfers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that anybody
that threatened to wipe Israel out “would put themselves in a similar
danger”.
MISSILE PRODUCTION LINE
The Western source said the number of missiles was in the 10s and that the
transfers were designed to send a warning to the United States and Israel,
especially after air raids on Iranian troops in Syria. The United States has
a significant military presence in Iraq.
“It seems Iran has been turning Iraq into its forward missile base,” the
Western source said.
The Iranian sources and one Iraqi intelligence source said a decision was
made some 18 months ago to use militias to produce missiles in Iraq, but
activity had ramped up in the last few months, including with the arrival of
missile launchers.
“We have bases like that in many places and Iraq is one of them. If America
attacks us, our friends will attack America’s interests and its allies in
the region,” said a senior IRGC commander who served during the Iran-Iraq
war in the 1980s.
The Western source and the Iraqi source said the factories being used to
develop missiles in Iraq were in al-Zafaraniya, east of Baghdad, and Jurf
al-Sakhar, north of Kerbala. One Iranian source said there was also a
factory in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The areas are controlled by Shi’ite militias, including Kata’ib Hezbollah,
one of the closest to Iran. Three sources said Iraqis had been trained in
Iran as missile operators.
The Iraqi intelligence source said the al-Zafaraniya factory produced
warheads and the ceramic of missile moulds under former President Saddam
Hussein. It was reactivated by local Shi’ite groups in 2016 with Iranian
assistance, the source said.
A team of Shi’ite engineers who used to work at the facility under Saddam
were brought in, after being screened, to make it operational, the source
said. He also said missiles had been tested near Jurf al-Sakhar.
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon declined to comment.
One U.S official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Tehran
over the last few months has transferred missiles to groups in Iraq but
could not confirm that those missiles had any launch capability from their
current positions.
Washington has been pushing its allies to adopt a tough anti-Iran policy
since it reimposed sanctions this month.
While the European signatories to the nuclear deal have so far balked at
U.S. pressure, they have grown increasingly impatient over Iran’s ballistic
missile program.
France in particular has bemoaned Iranian “frenzy” in developing and
propagating missiles and wants Tehran to open negotiations over its
ballistic weapons.
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday that Iran was arming
regional allies with rockets and allowing ballistic proliferation. “Iran
needs to avoid the temptation to be the (regional) hegemon,” he said.
In March, the three nations proposed fresh EU sanctions on Iran over its
missile activity, although they failed to push them through after opposition
from some member states.
“Such a proliferation of Iranian missile capabilities throughout the region
is an additional and serious source of concern,” a document from the three
European countries said at the time.
MESSAGE TO FOES
A regional intelligence source also said Iran was storing a number of
ballistic missiles in areas of Iraq that were under effective Shi’ite
control and had the capacity to launch them.
The source could not confirm that Iran has a missile production capacity in
Iraq.
A second Iraqi intelligence official said Baghdad had been aware of the flow
of Iranian missiles to Shi’ite militias to help fight Islamic State
militants, but that shipments had continued after the hardline Sunni
militant group was defeated.
“It was clear to Iraqi intelligence that such a missile arsenal sent by Iran
was not meant to fight Daesh (Islamic State) militants but as a pressure
card Iran can use once involved in regional conflict,” the official said.
The Iraqi source said it was difficult for the Iraqi government to stop or
persuade the groups to go against Tehran.
“We can’t restrain militias from firing Iranian rockets because simply the
firing button is not in our hands, it’s with Iranians who control the push
button,” he said.
“Iran will definitely use the missiles it handed over to Iraqi militia it
supports to send a strong message to its foes in the region and the United
States that it has the ability to use Iraqi territories as a launch pad for
its missiles to strike anywhere and anytime it decides,” the Iraqi official
said.
Iraq’s parliament passed a law in 2016 to bring an assortment of Shi’ite
militia groups known collectively as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF)
into the state apparatus. The militias report to Iraq’s prime minister, who
is a Shi’ite under the country’s unofficial governance system.
However, Iran still has a clear hand in coordinating the PMF leadership,
which frequently meets and consults with Soleimani.
*Additional reporting by Phil Stewart and Jonathan Landay in Washington;
editing by David Clarke
*Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Iran launches anti-US-Israel front – from W. Iraq, with
Tel Aviv in missile range, builds base facing Golan
من موقع دبكا: إيران تقيم جبهة ضد أميركا وإسرائيل من جنوب
العراق بنصب صواريخ يصل مداها إلى تل ابيب وذلك في مواجهة قاعدة الجولان
DEBKAfile/August 31/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/67151/debkafile-iran-launches-anti-us-israel-front-from-w-iraq-with-tel-aviv-in-missile-range-builds-base-facing-golan-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9-%D8%AF%D8%A8%D9%83%D8%A7-%D8%A5/
Russia, Iran, Syria and Hamas have launched
six steps to counter the US-Israeli plan to hit Iranian military targets in
Syria, which National Security Adviser John Bolton finalized in Jerusalem
two weeks ago. That plan is to strike Iran’s Al Qods Brigades and allied
Shiite militia forces in Syrian and western Iraq, as DEBKAfile’s military
and intelligence sources were first to reveal. The US and Israel agreed to
provide each other with reciprocal air and military cover for their
operations in Syria. This accord was first implemented on Aug. 23, when
unidentified warplanes bombed a pro-Iranian Iraqi Shiite Khataib Hezballah
convoy on the Syrian-Iraqi highway.
The Russian-backed Iranian-Syrian-Hamas alliance subsequently put together
six counter-measures:
1-Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami arrived in Damascus with a large
military delegation to sign expanded military cooperation pacts with Syrian
ruler Bashar Assad. Israeli and American officials who initially made light
of this event were forced to take a second look.
2-Iran was empowered by these accords to deepen its military grip on Syria,
backed by the promise of Russian military and air cover modeled on the
US-Israeli mutual commitment.
3-Tehran and Damascus agreed to retaliate for every US or Israel attack on
Iran’s Al-Qods or Shiite militia forces in Syria in the same coin, i.e. by
targeting US military forces posted east of the Euphrates Rive along the
Syrian-Iraqi border, or IDF forces inside the Golan enclave. Al Qods chief
Gen. Qassem Soleimani was put in charge of these operations.
4-Our exclusive sources also reveal that the new military pacts signed by
Iran and Syria provide explicitly for three large Iranian bases to go up in
Syria as hubs for the various Iranian command posts dispersed across the
country; one outside Aleppo; a second between Damascus and the Israeli Golan
border and a third at a still undetermined location.
5-In the wake of these pacts, the United States, Russia, Iran and Israel are
all engaged in military buildups in the Middle East and around Syria of
intervention forces for a potential escalation.
The Americans have prepared major naval and air strength in the region
capable of rapid responses, mainly with Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The Russians are massing a sea armada opposite the Syrian coast. Fresh
arrivals on Friday, Aug. 31, raised the number of warships to 24.
Syrian air defense networks are on the highest war alert since early this
week. The IDF’s presence in northern Israel has been beefed up and the
troops placed on high alert.
6-On Friday, Iran said it had supplied allied Iraqi Shiite militias with
ground-to-ground missiles with ranges of between 200km and 700km. From
Western Iraq, meaning Anbar, where Soleimani has concentrated a large force,
these mssiles can reach Tel Aviv; and from southern Iraq, the Saudi capital
of Riyadh. The senior US allies in the region are therefore under fresh
Iranian missile threat from Iraq.
DEBKAfile’s military sources note that these missiles have long been in the
hands of the Iraqi Shiite militias under Tehran’s thumb, but Iran’s leaders
decided it could do no harm to release the information to its enemies at
this time.
In former articles, our sources have pointed out that a US-Israeli showdown
with Iran in Syria would inevitably spill over into Iraq.
Hamas joined the emerging fray on Thursday, when its leader noted that the
Palestinian organization also had rockets capable of reaching Tel Aviv. He
was pointing up the collaboration between Gaza’s Palestinian rulers and
Tehran.
The false UN report on
Yemen
Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/August 31/18
The shock of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights’ report on Yemen, which is full of political and legal mines must be
a “positive shock.”
The “international” Arab coalition is not just the coalition of Saudi Arabia
and the UAE as these two countries are acting in Yemen under the umbrella of
international legitimacy and the UN Security Council resolutions. That’s
just a reminder!
Hence, things must be put on the right track. The war in Yemen is not
between “parties” or “conflicting parties”, let alone between Hadi’s forces
and Ansar Allah’s forces, i.e. the Khomeini Houthi militia. No, it’s a
conflict between legitimacy and illegitimacy
No, it’s a conflict between legitimacy and illegitimacy, between
international law and terror gangs, between the UN Security Council, which
is the highest international authority, and terrorist coup militias.
This language and spirit are what was missing in the UN “experts” report,
regardless of the report’s details.
Language used
Yemen’s ambassador at the UN Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak noticed something
important and said during his interview with Sky News that the report “had a
non-neutral language that’s closer to activists’ language!”
The report’s flaw – despite the fact that it condemned the Houthis a little
and this is normal! – is, as we said, that it had a strange odor and
attempted to “normalize” legal and legitimate equality between the Khomeini
Houthi coup camp, which is a danger to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in
particular, with Yemeni legitimacy.
This means recklessness in terms of protecting Saudi, Emirati, Arab and even
international security that is being threatened by the Houthi missiles and
mines in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.
While lamenting the humanitarian situation, the report, for example, ignored
Saudi Arabia’s, the UAE’s and Kuwait’s donation of $1.180 billion to UN
agencies operating in Yemen.
The report also marginalized the truth that the ruling ceiling to everything
that’s happening in Yemen and regarding Yemen is governed according to the
three internationally recognized references: the national dialogue
decisions, the Gulf initiative and the relevant UN Security Council
resolutions especially Resolution 2216.
This is an indicator that the report has an unpleasant smell. The opposing
camp quickly employed it as seen in the tweet of Qatari Foreign Minister
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani who sympathetically advised and said: “The
UN report about Yemen is worrying,” and called for morality and humanity!
Yemen’s Minister of Information Muammar al-Eryani further discussed the
report’s flaws and said: “The report described the Yemeni crisis as a
conflict and referred to the Houthi militias as a de facto authority and as
forces, not militias. It described the national army and resistance as
militias in support of Hadi.
It described the military operation launched by the government to liberate
the city of Hodeidah as aggression, in an apparent opposition to all
Security Council resolutions and references about resolving the Yemeni
crisis.”
The positive shock, which the Coalition members must think of, especially
Saudi Arabia and the UAE, is how to confront the leftist-Khomeini poisonous
propaganda against us in western capitals early, and from front lines.
This is the issue. This is the ounce of prevention that is worth a pound of
cure.
Qaradawi: Politics is more important than Hajj!
Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabiya/August 31/18
This year’s Hajj was one of the most successful and distinguished Hajj
seasons as it is evident via the testimony of more than two million pilgrims
and the praise of Arab and international media outlets and via the
astonishing development of the services provided to the pilgrims. In spite
of this success and distinction, political disputes dominated the minds of
some people, especially in Iran and Qatar.
No matter how much the Muslim Brotherhood members study sharia, they could
never be considered jurists because their understanding of Islam differs
from what Muslims have known for centuries. The Muslim Brotherhood and
political Islam jurists have jumbled up the priorities as while Islam
focuses on faith and worship, they can only understand this religion from an
angle of politics and partisan interests. Qaradawi was one of the most
famous figures to have who allowed suicidal operations and encouraged youths
to execute such operations. All violent religious militias emerged after the
issuance of his fatwas
The tutor of terror
One of the most striking examples of this mindset is demonstrated by Yusuf
al-Qaradawi, who has adopted the Qatari nationality and who is considered
one of the most important Qatari weapons for spreading chaos and terrorism
around the world via his extremist fatwas, violent political positions and
incitement to kill and destroy.
After the four Arab countries boycotted Doha, the latter continued to adopt
its stubborn and arrogant approach. Hence it went in the direction of Iran
and Turkey and sought to find any means to support terrorism and extremism.
This is what Qatar did after the anti-terror quartet put it under
international scrutiny to monitor its relations with terrorism in Sunni and
Shia countries, and this is why Qatar attacks everything related to these
four countries as for example it went as far as preventing its citizens from
performing Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, with the threat of imprisoning
and punishing them.
In order to satisfy and align with the Qatari policy, Qaradawi wrote a tweet
in which he underestimated the fifth pillar of Islam and people condemned
it. He justified the Qatari move of preventing citizens from performing the
obligatory religious duty. This is normal for Qaradawi and political Islam
jurists. They prioritize the interest of the party and the organization over
Islam. To them, Islam is a means to grab power and authority.
Agent provocateur
When he was a young member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Qaradawi wrote a poem
in which he praised Abdel Meguid Hassan, the killer of Mahmoud El Nokrashy
Pasha. The poem which the Brotherhood youths echo says:
“Respect and salutations to you Abdel Meguid,
you have become a role model for the youth
You poisoned a dog and another dog came after him
and for every dog we have someone to poison him”
Qaradawi then fled from Abdulnasser’s oppression to Qatar. He played a
dangerous role in many of the Muslim Brotherhood organizations in the Gulf.
After the Vilayat-e Faqih revolution in Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood and
Qaradawi supported it, and when the Brotherhood-Iranian axis of resistance
was formed, it was supported by Qatar and Qaradawi.
Qatar established the International Union of Muslim Scholars for him to
compete with traditional religious institutions. It gave Qaradawi millions
to gather followers across the world and in the virtual world. Qatar sought
to announce him as a religious reference that resembles the Vilayat-e Faqih
reference in Iran to a great extent.
Qaradawi was one of the most famous figures to have who allowed suicidal
operations and encouraged youths to execute such operations. All violent
religious militias emerged after the issuance of his fatwas — starting with
Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram to ISIS and dozens of terrorist militias who kill
Muslims and peaceful people around the world. He fully supported the
terrorist Lebanese Hezbollah and the terrorist Hamas Movement in splitting
Palestinians and exploiting the Palestinian cause in order to serve Iran and
its axis of resistance.
His bloody and terrorist ideology was fully exposed at the onset of the
fundamentalist spring, which is known as the Arab Spring. At that time,
Qaradawi seemed to have lost his balance and his terrorist voice grew
hoarse. He went to Egypt and hijacked Tahrir Square under the protection of
the Muslim Brotherhood.
There he talked about fundamentalism and extremism and spoke of an agenda
that had not occurred to any mind there. He started to issue provocative
remarks and unfounded fatwas based on the Brotherhood’s concepts which
believe that taking over power is religion’s most important pillar and that
restoring the Islamic Caliphate is the most important duty.
Purveyor of violence
During this ominous ‘Spring’, Qaradawi was live on television when he issued
a fatwa to kill Muammar Gaddafi and encouraged everyone around him to kill
him. This reflected a shameful compliance with the Qatari policy which was
in support of terrorism and its groups in Libya at that time. Qaradawi thus
issued this fatwa without any hesitation. Any true jurist, however, that has
nothing to do with politics and its games would have never done so.
The ominous ‘Spring’ was a significant stage that exposed the jurists of
political Islam, its groups and movements as this is when they realized that
their time has come, and they must emerge to the surface and grab power in
every country they operate in. Their political statements and positions
started to become clear, and this cautioned countries and governments to the
real danger represented by the Muslim Brotherhood and its branches across
Arab countries and the world.
Interpreting Islam by making politics its core and main duty is a pure
concoction of the Muslim Brotherhood, an approach that has never been seen
in the history of Islam. It all started with Hassan al-Banna who manipulated
religious texts to serve his project, organization and group. At one time,
he denounced politics and at another he made it central in his rhetoric.
Any serious researcher can track his contradictory statements on politics
and religion, as well as his praise of fascism and Nazism. He established
the secret organization and ordered assassinations of politicians, judges
and figures who opposed him. Yusuf al-Qaradawi is one of his disciples and
group members who resumed the path after him to spread terrorism and
extremism.
Qaradawi has lured a lot of the unspecialized intellectuals to his fold by
issuing some tolerant fatwas on sub-jurisprudential matters. Some of them
thus saw him as a symbol of tolerance and simplification. However,
Qaradawi’s equation is clear, simplification on sub-jurisprudential issues
and extremism in politics. Qaradawi is an extension of the Muslim
Brotherhood’s ideology in general but he became one of the major symbols of
this movement.
Qaradawi is the Brotherhood’s bard of modest talent. Whoever reads the poems
in his book Nafahat wa Lafahat or any of his other books would not miss the
extremism and terrorism in his writings from his famous ‘Nouniya’ poem till
his last poem. They are all highly provocative and incite terrorism and
destruction.
Finally, Qaradawi and his ilk are mere cogs in the wheel of the Muslim
Brotherhood which only finds in Islam what serves its political project.
Lebanese Families of the Missing Demand Independent National Body to Reveal
Fate of Their Sons
سناء الجاك/أهالي المفقودين اللبنانيين يطالبون بهيئة وطنية مستقلة لكشف مصيرهم
Beirut- Sanaa Al-Jack/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 31/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/67148/sanaa-al-jack-lebanese-families-of-the-missing-demand-independent-national-body-to-reveal-fate-of-their-sons-%d8%b3%d9%86%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d8%a7%d9%83-%d8%a3%d9%87%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a/
Europe supports Turkey as relations with US worsen
Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/August 31/18
While Turkey is experiencing problems with the US, European leaders have started
to make statements that lay down both political and economic support for Ankara.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s phone calls with German Chancellor
Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron were followed by meetings
between Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, who is also Erdogan’s
son-in-law, and his French and German counterparts. Albayrak is also expected to
meet his British counterpart soon. From the European capitals, consecutively
positive remarks are being made that support Ankara against American policies,
particularly after the recent Turkey-US trade row.
While US President Donald Trump was happy to announce the fall of the Turkish
lira against the dollar via Twitter, the same happiness did not occur in other
Western capitals. Moreover, the lira’s plunge rang alarm bells in the EU, which
did not waste any time in taking an opposing stance on the Turkish economy.
Turkey is a vital trading partner in the Middle East for the EU, which is
concerned about a potential spillover of economic mayhem. This made the EU
leaders come to the defense of Turkey, with the first show of support coming
from Turkey’s largest trading partner, Germany. Speaking at a press conference,
Merkel underlined that Germany would prefer an economically strong Turkey,
saying: “Nobody has an interest in the economic destabilization of Turkey.”
Needless to say, a weaker Turkey has many implications for the EU and even the
global economy. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire declared that France
would further enhance its economic ties with Turkey, sending a clear message to
the US that the EU stands with Turkey in this economic turmoil. Another response
came from the European Parliament, which urged the White House to resolve its
issues with Turkey through “constructive diplomatic engagement.” From the Middle
East peace process to the Iran nuclear deal, the US and Europe have found
themselves on differing sides of international conflicts and foreign policy
issues.
Thus, the EU’s stance not only indicates that the Turkish and European economies
are politically and economically interdependent, but also shows that Ankara and
Brussels can put their bilateral issues aside in the face of a common threat.
Here, the well-known theory of “balance of threat” comes to mind. This theory,
first proposed by Stephen M. Walt in the 1980s, says states’ alliance behavior
is determined by the threat they perceive from other states.
From the Middle East peace process to the Iran nuclear deal, the US and Europe
have found themselves on differing sides of international conflicts and foreign
policy issues. Even before Trump took office, fading American influence had led
to the thought in EU capitals that the US was no longer the traditional
guarantor of security and stability in Europe and the Middle East.
Moreover, Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal has dealt a
severe blow to EU-US relations, which are at their worst since the US invasion
of Iraq in 2003. This even led European Council President Donald Tusk to tweet:
“Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think:
With friends like that, who needs enemies?” Tusk, touching on Washington’s
attitude in dealing with the Iran nuclear deal and trade disputes, even called
on the EU to be more united than ever before to deal with what he called Trump’s
“capricious assertiveness.” Increasing anti-Americanism on Europe’s streets has
parallels with such feelings in Turkey.
Likewise, Turkey, a NATO ally and a very significant actor for the US in its
Middle East policies, is engaged in a stand-off in relations with Washington —
ranging from Ankara’s objection to American support for PKK-affiliated Kurdish
forces in Syria, to US reluctance to extradite Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen,
who is exiled in Pennsylvania and who Ankara regards as the mastermind behind
the failed 2016 coup attempt. It would not be wrong or exaggerated to say that
NATO has been experiencing a growing polarization between its members, and this
is not good news for the future of the organization or for the future of the
region, which is prone to great conflicts.
From the other side, Turkey and the EU do still have issues waiting to be
resolved. However, the policies of the Trump administration risks doing harm to
the interests of both Turkey and Europe, and this has made the latter realize
that a collective action is needed for dealing with the US. Both Turkey and the
EU have the sense that they are aboard the same ship, facing common challenges
and having to cope with American waves together.
Additionally, turmoil in Turkey is not wanted by the EU due to the potential
flow of refugees, which is a matter related to European security. Thus, the
summit proposed by Ankara involving France, Germany and Russia to discuss Syria
could be significant in this matter.
• Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkey’s
relations with the Middle East.
Russia-US relations facing a bleak future
Maria Dubovikova/Arab News/August 31/18
The new US sanctions against Russia, imposed in response to the alleged chemical
attack in the UK targeting former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal
and his daughter, came into effect on Monday after a one-week delay. The
postponement shows that there are contradictions in Washington, either between
the White House and lawmaking bodies or within the administration itself, or
possibly both.
The sanctions are to be introduced in two stages. The first, imposed this week,
placed limits on the export and supply to Russia of certain technologies that
are considered related to US national security, as well as banning non-existent
financial aid. The US also demands Russia permit access for UN chemical weapons
inspectors to certain facilities. There is a deadline of 90 days for Russia to
respond and, in case of none, the US will move on to the second stage of
sanctions — downgrading diplomatic relations and severing all ties with Russia,
except with its space industry, which is hugely important to America.
With investigations into Russian interference in the US elections ongoing, it is
very difficult to foresee any improvement in relations or cooperation in the
short term.
The Russian reaction has been restrained. The Kremlin said it would review the
sanctions in full before considering a possible response, adding that Russia
will act in its best interests. Russia stressed that the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons last year recognized that it had destroyed its
chemical weaponry and facilities, which is not the case for the US. Moscow also
insists it is not culpable in the Skripal affair. From the Russian point of
view, it has never been proved to be guilty, while the poisoning of the two
other British citizens with the nerve agent was crumpled in the shadows by the
British government, which raises serious questions regarding what went on behind
closed doors.
Russia says that the new US sanctions make dialogue between the two countries
more difficult. What is clear in Moscow is that Washington is ready to go
further and peace is not on its agenda.
The roots of the current crisis lie in the perspective with which Americans view
Russia and its leadership. Bilateral relations between the two countries are at
their worst since Trump became president because of the weakening of American
power and the rise of Russia worldwide.
At their July summit in Helsinki, Vladimir Putin and Trump looked very
pessimistic about the chances of reaching a “grand bargain.” The rapprochement
between Moscow and Washington and cooperation between the two sides to resolve a
number of global problems, from wars in Ukraine and Syria to climate change,
have gone with the wind after America continued to impose sanctions on Russia
and its economic and political figures and entities.
No one can predict the future course of US-Russian relations. This level of
unpredictability has not emerged since the early 1990s, when the Soviet Union
was dissolved. What is different in US-Russian relations today is the lack of
confidence.
After Russia rose from the ashes of the Soviet Union, the West did not know how
to respond. Eventually, in 2009, former US President Barack Obama tried to reset
the relationship between Washington and Moscow. Washington later imposed
economic and financial sanctions after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, never mind
the policy of deterrence in terms of an increased NATO presence in the Baltic
region.
At the same time, there were other structural factors working for Russia,
including the decline of the influence of the West and the rise of the Chinese
dragon. Europe has not fully recovered from the devastating impact of the 2008
financial crisis, as the collapse of confidence in the European economy, and the
West in general, has worsened with the influx of refugees across the
Mediterranean. This was followed by the 2016 British vote to leave the EU.
What is the course of Russian-US relations in the future? With investigations
into Russian interference in the US elections ongoing, it is very difficult to
foresee any improvement in relations or cooperation in the short term.
Sanctions are not and will never be effective against a country such as Russia —
they will never make Moscow change its policies, and they may even have the
opposite effect. In Russia, there is a saying that, if you face lots of
obstacles on your way and others try to stop you, it means that you are moving
in the right direction. The sanctions policy chosen by the current US
administration is counterproductive and has already proved to be ineffective.
• Maria Dubovikova is a prominent political commentator, researcher and expert
on Middle East affairs. She is president of the Moscow-based International
Middle Eastern Studies Club (IMESClub).