Middle East Press on Hamas, Iran and Lebanon: New Age Islam's Selection, 25 September 2020
By New Age Islam Edit
Bureau
25
September 2020
• Hamas Opens Up On Arms, Missile Supplies from
Iran
By Adnan Abu Amer
• Need for a Comprehensive Policy to Counter
Iran
By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
• Decentralization Might Be the Best Solution
for Lebanon
By Khaled Abou Zahr
• Lebanese Maneuvers Produce Same Mediocre
Results
By Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib
------
Hamas Opens Up On Arms, Missile Supplies from
Iran
By Adnan Abu Amer
Sep 24,
2020
While Hamas
had for years been keen on hiding how it was receiving its weapons and combat
equipment from outside the Palestinian territories, it decided to unveil, for
the first time ever, some of these security and military secrets.
The program
“What is Hidden is Greater” broadcast by the Qatari Al Jazeera channel on Sept.
13 presented exclusive footage showing members of Izz al-Din al-Qassam
Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, collecting Iranian Fajr missiles and Kornet
Anti-Tank shells. Hamas said the movement received those weapons by land and
sea, bypassing military bases, aviation and maritime patrols, and it revealed
the manufacturing of new missiles constructed of Israeli missile remnants from
the 2014 war on Gaza.
The program
was presented by Palestinian journalist Tamer al-Mashal and hosted by Ismail
Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, and a number of Hamas military
leaders.
During the
program, Haniyeh claimed the United States tried to open a discreet channel
with Hamas, but the group refused to do so. The United States has meanwhile
sanctioned Hamas and Haniyeh as terrorists. US Ambassador-at-Large Nathan
Sales, the State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, slammed Haniyeh
during a press briefing on Sept. 17, saying, "Our position is very clear.
Hamas is a designated terrorist organization. … We do not regard him as a
legitimate political actor."
Rami Abu
Zubaydah, a Palestinian military expert and part-time researcher at the
Egyptian Institute for Studies, told Al-Monitor, “Hamas’ sudden disclosure aims
to prove that the [Israeli] siege on Gaza has not prevented it from developing
its military infrastructure, given the strenuous efforts it has been deploying
to confront Israeli plans to prevent the arrival of weapons and ammunition
supplies and to manufacture whatever missile components are available locally.
This comes at a time when Arab-Israeli cooperation has emerged in a bid to
weaken the Iranian-led axis of resistance that includes Syria, Gaza and
Lebanon. It also comes in light of new alliances in the region to place
pressure on Hamas."
Hamas’
attempts to acquire weapons and equipment face many obstacles. Besides Israel,
the Egyptian border with Gaza has been witnessing accelerated events since
2013. The Egyptian army targeted the border tunnels used to smuggle weapons
inside Gaza. Also, deep-water basins have been dug on the Egyptian side of the
Gaza border to prevent the digging of such tunnels and create a buffer zone.
Buffer walls were constructed along the border, and most recently, the Berenice
military base was established [by Egypt] on the southern coast of the Red Sea
in January 2020, with Emirati funding, to prevent Hamas from obtaining weapons.
Mahmoud
Mardawi, a member of Hamas' national relations bureau and a former leader of
al-Qassam Brigades, told Al-Monitor, “Hamas wanted to shed light on the [past]
efforts of Syria, Iran and Sudan in supplying it with weapons and equipment.
This explains, according to Hamas, the conspiracy against Sudan to hinder its
role in serving the Palestinian cause (in reference to the 2019 coup against
the former regime). Syria is already absent due to its preoccupation with its
civil war. Meanwhile, Iran continues to support us without restrictions or
conditions,” he added.
Hamas
enjoyed strong ties with the former Sudanese regime of Omar al-Bashir. Sudan
had for years helped smuggle weapons to the Gaza Strip through the Sinai
Peninsula in Egypt. That is, until the coup against Bashir, when Sudan cut ties
with the Palestinian movement. For its part, Syria had long supported Hamas on
the military level, before the civil war broke out.
Meanwhile,
an arms dealer in Gaza revealed to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that
“the military factions in Gaza, headed by Hamas, possess distinct types of
Iranian R-160 and Fajr-5 missiles with a range of 100 kilometres (62 miles).
They also have drones and anti-tank missiles and shoulder-launched rockets
produced by Russia. They also plan to acquire Chinese C-704 missiles, anti-ship
missiles with a range of 35 kilometres (21 miles) and radar systems for guided
missiles.”
The source
added, “The weapons needed in Gaza are the Grad missiles, the upgraded Katyusha
with a range of 40 kilometres (24 miles), anti-armour charges, explosive belts,
hand grenades with a range of 150 meters, rocket-propelled grenades and
anti-aircraft machine guns.”
Wassef
Erekat, a former PLO artillery unit commander, told Al-Monitor, “Hamas’ disclosure
will fuel more Egyptian concerns and lead Egypt to tighten the siege on Gaza
even though the movement’s weapons are locally manufactured or recycled and
have a shelf life and expiration. These weapons do not meet the international
weapons production standards, and a number of harmful criteria, such as
humidity, temperature and gravity, may affect them.”
The Israeli
Ministry of Defense has issued several reports about weapons smuggled into Gaza
in special packages delivered by speedboats from Egyptian and Lebanese ports
and left in the Mediterranean Sea, or in barrels thrown from a specific
distance into the water within accurate measurements of the water movement and
air currents capable of leading them to the shores of Gaza. It is very
difficult to stop such operations because it is impossible to monitor every
centimetre of the coast to try to find such small packages, according to the
ministry.
Hussam
al-Dajani, a political science professor at Al-Ummah University in Gaza, told
Al-Monitor, “The timing of Hamas’ disclosure of its military secrets is not
spontaneous, as it coincides with important events. Chief among these is the
regional and international struggle over gas fields in the Eastern
Mediterranean and the show of naval strength in the region. Second, it comes at
a time when the Palestinian factions held a meeting in Beirut. Third, it
coincided with the anniversary of the 1993 Oslo Accord and the Israeli
withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. Fourth, it coincided with the normalization of
some Arab countries’ relations with Israel.
A Hamas
official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “There seems to be a link
between the timing of Hamas’ revelations on Sept. 13 and the signing of the
peace agreements between Israel on the one hand [and] the UAE and Bahrain on
the other in Washington on Sept. 15. Hamas may be responding to these
agreements by showing off its military [strength] against Israel, as the timing
also coincides with the 15th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in
2005 — as if it was a message from Hamas that the withdrawal was a result of
its military operations against the Israeli army and settlers.”
As Hamas
was revealing its secrets, the movement’s military positions across the Gaza
Strip were being hidden to avoid Israeli strikes. Hamas was also making sure to
hide the trucks transporting weapons and workshops for arms manufacturing.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/09/hamas-reveal-military-secret-weapons-smuggling.html
-----
Need For a Comprehensive Policy to Counter Iran
By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
September
24, 2020
American
officials this week announced that a full range of UN sanctions had returned on
Iran, including a permanent extension of the arms embargo. Some observers
debate the efficacy of these measures, particularly as the European powers have
signalled that they will not enforce them. But the efficacy argument serves as
secondary to a much more significant dimension of Washington's resolve: Holding
Tehran accountable for its current and future transgressions.
Regardless
of the immediate material impact on the regime’s economic situation,
accountability is a principle that undergirds a specific strategic calculus.
Consider
the facts. American intelligence officials this month reported that Tehran had
developed plans to assassinate the US ambassador to South Africa in retaliation
for the elimination of terrorist mastermind Qassem Soleimani in January.
Meanwhile, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran continues
to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium, in violation of the 2015 nuclear
agreement.
Tehran’s
terrorist activity has also escalated and, if left unchecked, such behaviour
could simply spiral out of control. In 2018, a senior Iranian diplomat
stationed in Vienna was caught red-handed by European authorities
hand-delivering an explosive device to a terrorist sleeper cell as part of a
plot to bomb a rally organized by the Iranian opposition group the National
Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Paris. At the gathering were hundreds
of international personalities, including the NCRI’s President-elect Maryam
Rajavi.
The
detained diplomat, Assadollah Assadi, is scheduled to appear at a Belgian court
in November to face trial. It is unprecedented in Europe’s modern history for a
sitting diplomat to be tried on charges of direct involvement in a terrorist
plot. Over the past two years, seven other Iranian diplomats, including an
ambassador in Albania, have been expelled for similar reasons.
Against
this backdrop, a profoundly consequential question arises for Iran policy: If
the Europeans and Americans fail to show Tehran that its malign actions carry
serious consequences, then what will stop the further escalation of such acts?
If Tehran is not held accountable when it acts with impunity, it will be
emboldened to try and impose itself on the regional and international order.
That is why the Iranian people themselves are calling for accountability.
Rajavi last
week said: “Faced with executions and massacres, the people of Iran urge the
US, and the UN Security Council in particular, to restore snapback sanctions
stipulated in the six UN resolutions against the clerical regime in Iran.
Otherwise, (Supreme Leader Ali) Khamenei will continue to ravage the nation, as
his regime’s survival depends on murder and suppression.”
Containing
the regime’s regional meddling by eliminating Soleimani has already yielded
historic results. As former US National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones told
last week’s Trans-Atlantic Summit on Iran Policy, the UAE and Bahrain’s
agreements with Israel show that “the circle of countries that are in direct
opposition to what Iran is doing is growing by leaps and bounds.”
It is
remarkable that, even during one of the most divisive election years in US
history, the same strategic principle has vocal adherents on both sides of the
aisle. For example, Rep. Brad Schneider, a Democrat from Illinois, told the
summit: “We must always play a leadership role in holding the Iranian regime
accountable for its misdeeds abroad and against their own people.” Similarly,
Republican Sen. Martha McSally said: “The US and the international community
must continue to hold Iran accountable for its human rights violations and
reprehensible behaviour.”
Both
lawmakers were among the speakers who addressed the international summit on
Iran policy, which was organized by the NCRI. It virtually linked 10,000
locations worldwide and was addressed by hundreds of public officials and
lawmakers from Europe, the US and Canada. The high-profile speakers included
Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, Joe Lieberman and more than 30 sitting members of
Congress, including Sens. Roy Blunt, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Kirsten Gillibrand
and Bob Menendez. This shows that, despite their differences, members of both
major US parties agree on holding the Iranian regime accountable for its malign
actions.
Now, the US
and European countries must pressure the UN General Assembly and Security
Council to take action on the Iranian regime’s atrocious human rights record.
The objective should not simply be to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear
weapons; it should also be to put an end to Tehran’s destabilizing behaviour in
the region, stop its support for terrorism, and help the Iranian people have a
representative, democratic and inclusive government. That is the ultimate
strategic solution to the crisis.
Again,
there is remarkable bipartisan agreement on supporting the Iranian people and
the opposition. Menendez, the most senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, summed this up by saying: “While in Congress we may have
differing approaches about the best way to address the threat from Iran, rest
assured that we remain united against the regime’s fundamental abuses against
its citizens.”
----
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated
Iranian-American political scientist.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1739556
-----
Decentralization Might Be the Best Solution For
Lebanon
By Khaled Abou Zahr
September
24, 2020
Nostalgia
is a drug and a poison. It is where we go when we have nothing more to hope for
in the future or any inspiration left to create. The past is an artificial
refuge, but it has once again become the refuge of the Lebanese. I say once
again because, after the civil war started, we would repeatedly hear the same
story from emigrants and broken Lebanese: “Lebanon was the Switzerland of the
Middle East; a financial centre, a cultural centre.” And this eulogy would
always end with the key description that I never could bear to hear: “You could
ski in the morning and enjoy the beach in the afternoon.” Today, once again, I
keep hearing people repeat these phrases — even people who would not have known
Lebanon in its heyday, but are just living in the nostalgia of days described
to them.
This new
nostalgia we are witnessing is quite worrying, as it is an abandonment of
everything. However, we can learn from other experiences in the history of
nations. If we go back to the comparison with Switzerland, maybe we took it too
superficially and could be inspired by that country’s political system, which
is a federal arrangement.
Switzerland
has not always been a nation state. Previously, it was a loose alliance of
autonomous cantons that came under a federal constitution in 1848. Like in
Lebanon, no party dominates and, more importantly, each canton has its own
constitution, parliament, government, and courts. The Swiss model is a
well-balanced mechanism that caters for the country’s many different aspects.
It has four official languages and large geographical differences, but they
coexist. Federalism was key to the transformation of Switzerland, as well as
its neutrality among Europe’s big countries, such as France and Germany. On a
security level, each canton has its own police force, while the federal police
organization focuses on federal competences.
The nation
state of Lebanon has never been a viable solution in its current structure. And
so I believe that we need to allow people to build their own fences, but as part
of the same sovereignty: A highly decentralized system might be the only
solution for Lebanon. Let each community have its own security, protection and
electoral targets. Switzerland, like Lebanon, is a small country yet it has a
political and legal structure that allows its various parts to live together.
Could we
build this in Lebanon? Could we accept that we are in a crisis and need to move
on to something new? Voices claiming that the only problem is confessionalism
and that abolishing this will solve everything are making a mistake. Abolishing
confessionalism would also condemn minorities, create the roots for another
problem or build a ruthless dictatorship.
I tend to
refuse the narrative that says we are all the same and there is no difference
between us. Quite the opposite should be said. There are differences and we can
recognize these differences while still living together under the rule of law.
All Christian minorities need to feel represented. The Druze need to feel
represented. Shiites need to feel represented. Sunnis need to feel represented.
Every community needs to feel represented and protected by the nation. Today,
Lebanon is ruled by the ruthless and the thugs. It cannot go on for much
longer.
In an ideal
world, we would say: “Let us cancel sectarianism and solve everything.” But we
are still attached to “blood and soil.” Imagine abolishing all confessionalism
in Lebanese politics and focusing on the hiring and nomination of people with
power. Once tensions rise because there are more nominations from one group
than another, then what? Until today, in Lebanon, religious alliances only
lasted when there was one oppressor. The alliance between Hezbollah and the
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) is working because Hezbollah has the real power and
the FPM is obeying. On the other side, the Future Movement, the Lebanese Forces
and the Progressive Socialist Party have been unable to do the same with their
allies and have ended up being torn apart.
In the
private sector, I have personally never looked at religion, race or gender,
just if someone has common work values and is dedicated. The same should apply
to government, which should be based on competence and meritocracy, not
people’s blood line. Currently, in Lebanon, it is not even about being from the
same minority, but being from the same family. The circle has gotten ever
smaller; hence the protesters from across the minorities were screaming, “All
means all.” I even wonder if the Shiite community really considers itself to be
protected and respected thanks to Hezbollah. Would a true nation not give them
the same, but without having to show allegiance to anyone? It would be their
right to live with their head up high and not thanks to a warlord or a clan
leader. Don’t we all have this same wish?
The risks
of dissolution exist, but not only in Lebanon. Europe was built by tribes and
even today we see demands for secession: Corsica from France, Catalonia from
Spain, and Scotland from the UK. So why are we surprised if it is the case in
Lebanon or even Syria?
Those who
oppose a drastic constitutional change in Lebanon today are the same people who
condemn Sykes-Picot and warn of a conspiracy theory of a new similar agreement
every other season. Yet they are comfortable with the division it created. It
is the same narrative that Syria and Iran have embraced.
It allows
them to oppose international interference in statements only and insist that
they protect minorities in the face of many Arabs. In fact, they crush
minorities under their authoritarianism. It is quite deranging the damage these
countries have done to our region. Their communist-religious vision has
promoted sectarianism to hide their nepotism and corruption in every country
they rule. It is also quite disturbing to see European countries accept these
views.
There are
things Lebanon can learn from Switzerland and Europe, but one main difference
that we will always stumble on is that there is only one Swiss Armed Forces.
So, regardless of our wish to be inspired by Switzerland, this would mean
transforming the country and writing a new constitution. And with the position
Hezbollah holds and its control over the country, this seems like a sterile
discussion.
The latest
events surrounding the government formation attempts seem to indicate that France
will act with pragmatism and push for a solution that encompasses and even
delivers on Hezbollah and Iran’s demands. With Saad Hariri’s continuous
concessions, it seems that Hezbollah has enough submissive actors across the
political spectrum to ensure its full control. In this sense, Lebanon might
become more like Syria or Iran before it becomes a model of coexistence.
------
Khaled Abou Zahr is CEO of Eurabia, a media and
tech company. He is also the editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1739606
------
Lebanese Maneuvers Produce Same Mediocre
Results
By Dr. Dania Koleilat
Khatib
September
24, 2020
In a press
briefing on Monday, ailing Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who had problems
reading a scripted speech properly, and answered a journalist who asked where
the country was heading to if a new government was not formed. He answered with
a cold tone: “We are heading to hell.”
The gimmick
of the formation of a new government will not save Lebanon, as French President
Emmanuel Macron is promoting. The problems and the solutions do not end with
Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib or his predecessor Hassan Diab and their
Cabinets, as both men are a cover-up for a corrupt power structure that uses
every maneuver possible to stay afloat.
The first
maneuver is the apparent rift between the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and
Hezbollah. The president’s party said it refuses Hezbollah’s claim to the
finance portfolio in the next government, stating that the different ministries
are not dedicated to a particular confession. However, this show of integrity
will not fool a sharp observer. The accord that laid the foundation of the
Hezbollah-Aoun alliance will not be broken anytime soon. The FPM is a client of
Hezbollah and it is impossible for Aoun to maintain his entourage and his base
of supporters without the financial support of the Iran-sponsored group.
Nevertheless,
as the ghost of potential sanctions comes to haunt Gebran Bassil, Aoun’s
son-in-law, the apple of his eye and the head of his political party, some
distancing — at least publicly — and a controlled feud are deemed necessary.
This will allow for the formation of a government: A government in which Aoun
will have his share and that will have the blessing of Macron, who is supposed
to offer legitimacy for this botched project among the international community.
Although
Macron knows that none of the parties are really sincere about relinquishing
power to allow for the formation of a real government of technocrats that will
implement reforms, he still wants to score a win. If he admits defeat in his
Lebanon initiative, he will lose clout on the international scene, as well at
home. Macron cannot afford a loss of political capital, especially since he is
counting on playing a more prominent role in the region as he seeks to lead
European politics in the Middle East.
The
Hezbollah-Amal Movement alliance has insisted on keeping the Ministry of
Finance, hence positioning itself as the agent and legal guardian of the Shiite
community. This meant another maneuver was needed. Former Prime Minister Saad
Hariri presented an initiative that chimed with the Amal-Hezbollah demands, as
he suggested that the finance portfolio be handed to a Shiite minister who
would be named by the acting prime minister, rather than the Shiite alliance.
They at first refused the initiative, only to later give positive signs and
encourage France to push back the latest deadline for government formation that
was supposed to expire on Wednesday evening.
One reason
why Hezbollah and Amal want a minister of their own is to keep quiet some of
their deals with the government. Though Hezbollah has funding from Iran, it has
its own companies that are contracted by the Lebanese government. The last
round of US sanctions targeted Hezbollah-linked companies. It will not want a
finance minister that it cannot control and might uncover the dubious dealings
that have been going on for years.
While
waiting for the November presidential election, American policy is marked by
indifference and a hands-off approach. It is limited to imposing sanctions on
Hezbollah and its acolytes while taking a step back to watch the system that
harbors the group crumble. So, with this American retrenchment and with the
French president looking for a win rather than substance, a true solution is
very unlikely. The next three months are leading Lebanon to hell regardless of
whether or not a new government is formed. Economists are expecting that, with
the depletion of the foreign reserves, the Lebanese pound’s exchange rate with
the US dollar will skyrocket, subsidies on essential goods will be lifted and
the country will hit rock bottom.
To add to
that, the country is witnessing occasional explosions, like the one seen at a
weapons depot in Ain Qana this week. Analysts are saying the explosion seemed
to carry the imprints of Israel. The problem is that, if Israel is planning to
target all the arms warehouses in the country, it will greatly complicate the
difficulties Lebanon is currently experiencing.
While Aoun
on Wednesday gave a speech to the UN General Assembly and thanked the different
heads of states that gave donations following last month’s tragic Beirut blast,
he does not realize that Lebanon is not at the center of any regional player’s
policy and leaving it to fail will not make any leader lose sleep, except for
Macron perhaps. Nobody is really ready to bail out Lebanon unless it conducts
reforms, but the current structure creates an inertia preventing that from
happening. France might intervene with some aid for the upcoming weak
government; however, this will only prolong the suffering of the Lebanese by
slowing the meltdown process, rather than reversing it.
Unless
there is a radical change, the country is indeed on its way to hell, as it was
so bluntly put by Aoun, even if Adib does form a government.
------
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a
focus on lobbying. She is the co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation
and Peace Building (RCCP), a Lebanese NGO focused on Track II. She is also an
affiliated scholar with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and
International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1739566
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