Middle East & Africa

On Tuesday, in an address to UN General Assembly Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Lebanese Iran-backed radical political party, Hezbollah, was hiding missiles and other armaments in Beirut’s residential neighborhood. Israeli leader highlighted that it was a disaster waiting to happen. As a proof to his statement against the militant group, he showed the UN exact locations on the map with pictures of entrances to the depot.

He said, “Here’s where the next explosion will take place, right here… You’ve got to act now, you’ve got to protest this, because if this thing explodes, it’s another tragedy,” Netanyahu in his message to the Lebanese people said, “You should tell them, ‘Tear these depots down.”

Last month Lebanon witnessed the worst blast in its history as about 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut’s port, which killed nearly 200 people, and injured  thousands. Post blast investigations revealed that the unprecedented catastrophe was result of Lebanese oblivious and highly corrupt political leaders, among whom many were aware of the deadly explosives stored at a warehouse on the port.

Israel has long accused Hezbollah of hiding explosives and armaments in residential areas especially southern Beirut and Southern Lebanon, where apparently its majority support base resides.

To add weight to Netanyahu’s claims the Arabic spokesperson of the Israeli Armyreleased a video on Twitter highlighting Hezbollah’s Precision Guided Missle (PGM) manufacturing sites in Beirut

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah denied Israeli leader’s allegations, and said, “Whoever wants to go can go now. If Hezbollah is storing missiles in this facility, then there is not enough time to remove them We don’t store missiles at the port or near gas facilities. We know where to store missiles.”

“We will allow media outlets to enter the facility so that the world knows that Netanyahu is lying,” he added. Following his address many journalists, including Associated Press photographer visited one of the factory site as mentioned by Israeli leader and reported about large pieces of iron and steel, heavy machinery and oxygen canisters – but no missiles or weapons.

Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Moran Mor Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi suggested the possibility of amendments to the Lebanese political system to give more space to the Shiite community in the management of executive power. The proposal emerged last Sunday, 20 September, during the mass in honor of the “martyrs of the Lebanese resistance” that cardinal Al-Rahi celebrated in Jbeil. He also specified that “the revision of the Lebanese political system and the division of prerogatives and functions will take place – if this proves indispensable – after the confirmation of Lebanon’s neutrality.”

The Patriarch stressed that Lebanese parties are not ready to discuss modifying the system before all components adhere to legitimacy and give up their private projects. “There shall not be any amendment in the state system with the existence of several statelets in the country,” He pointed out.

The claim is directed at the Shiite community and Hezbollah. Until now, the executive power in the country has always been divided mainly between Sunni, Christians, and Muslims, leaving the power over the parliament to the Shiites. Even the emphasis on the “neutrality of Lebanon” refers to the Shiites and in particular to Hezbollah, which made the war against Israel a reason for its presence in Lebanon. And an expedient that justifies the party in possessing – the only militia – weapons and armaments of its own. “Neutrality”, to which the patriarch dedicated a publication on the occasion of the centenary of Greater Lebanon, is the only way to survive in an increasingly complex and tense Middle East.

According to some Maronite personalities contacted by the French newspaper “Orient-Le Jour,” a revision is necessary, given the evident total failure into which the Lebanese state has fallen. The head of the Maronite Church would be open to a new concordat between the Lebanese communities.

According to the same sources, neutrality must be chosen as a pre-condition, as well as the basis of the agreements of Taef of 1989, which consecrate equality between Christians and Muslims. Hezbollah and Amal’s Shiites, in recent weeks, are fighting to have the Ministry of Finance at all costs, threatening not to give birth to a new government and threatening to want a numerical democracy, not based on the unwritten Pact that gave birth to modern Lebanon. A numerical democracy – given the majority of the Shiite community over other communities – would give it permanent power, which would lead to even greater tensions with Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom is now backing the American efforts to go all out to push by Iran from its standpoint of notoriety and unreasonable terror creating behavior. It has now pushed for complete disarmament of the Hezbollah, the Iranian funded proxy political party that has been instrumental in creating unpleasantness in Lebanon too.

According to reliable sources, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia has called for a ‘comprehensive solution and a firm international position’ on Iran, accusing it of nurturing regional ‘chaos, extremism and sectarianism’.  In the last few months, America had been pushing for an extension of the arms embargo on Iran with the United Nations Security Council.

The King has also shown great support towards its military partner on the latter’s stand over initiating peace talks between Israel and Palestinians. This was announced in a pre-recorded message to be screened at the United Nations General Assembly meeting that was held after the lockdown situations are gradually opening up across the globe.

Through a virtual session, participants from more than 150 countries contemplated the future of Iran and its non-conformance to international laws.  The Kingdom has pointed out how Iran has been systematically using terrorist networks and other tactics to create an atmosphere of unrest and communal disharmony.

The King has supported the idea of Palestine receiving an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. He feels the current peace treaty will eventually bring this forth.   While the King has applauded the American efforts to broker peaceful ties with Israel, he was not vocal about the brokered agreements by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain too. It has maintained the status quo where Saudi Arabia continues to quietly acquiesce to the deals and has signaled previously that it is not ready to take action itself.

On Friday, a senior Iranian official said that he believes the United States was behind the downing of a Ukrainian civil airliner over Tehran last January.  Brigadier General Abdolali Poorshaseb, a deputy commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, alleged that it was an electronic war waged by America. The official is working for Iran’s top military operational base and is responsible for devising, organizing, and supervising the actions of the country’s Armed Forces.

In a televised interview, he affirmed that it has not yet been proven the US was not involved in the event, recalling that on Jan. 8, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, killing all 176 onboard. After days of denying responsibility, Tehran said its armed forces misjudged the tourist plane for a cruise rocket.

Iran had admitted responsibility for the downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752. It was hit by missiles because it was mistaken for a hostile plane with human error. “The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake” and “investigations will continue to identify and prosecute” who is responsible for this “great tragedy” and “this unforgivable mistake,” Iranian president, Hassan Rohani, wrote on Twitter the day after the accident. Poorshaseb now affirms, accusing the US, that “it was even reported from the border that cruise missiles had been fired.”

The mistake was gross. Perhaps, related to the overlap of command structures between the army and Pasdaran. The latter have a base in the shooting area, they also have anti-aircraft vehicles, and perhaps they did not go too far in front of what they saw as a potential enemy. On the other hand, Iran is not new to this kind of apprehensive action: at least on three occasions, anti-aircraft batteries fired at civilian aircraft in 2007 because they thought they were Israeli fighter-bombers who arrived to attack nuclear facilities. Even once, in 2008, they confused their F14 with these. And the Pasdaran has also shown in recent months that they have an easy trigger: in July, they did not hesitate to proceed on their lines of command and shoot down a US Global Hawk that had crossed over Hormuz for a while.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, faced with the pressing of circumstances, had instead chosen a path in some ways proactive in admitting guilt, blaming the “adventurism” of the United States for what happened. The ideological anti-Americanism expressed has only limited internal use, but someone in the government may have had to split the message and sacrifice the more pragmatic line. The statements of the Iranian general are only the latest act in the saga of malicious actions, of Iran’s obscurantist policy, made up of support for terrorism and contradictions.

The UN Security Council called upon the warring sides and the international powers supporting them to comply with the arms embargo, which so far has been “totally ineffective”.

The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution demanding the poorly enforced arms embargo in Libya be respected and countries stop sending weapons and mercenaries into the war-torn North African country. There was also a call for a ceasefire, political talks and stepping away from trying for a military solution.

The resolution also extended the tenure of the United Nations’ political mission in Libya, or UNSMIL, till next September, which will continue to try to facilitate a “Libya-led and Libya-owned” political process. It also condemned the shutdown of oil facilities in the country. The vote had passed 13-0 with Russia and China abstaining.

The role of the former UN special representative, who resigned in March, has been split into two with a special envoy in charge of UNSMIL that will be focussed on mediation while a coordinator will oversee the day to day operations. There is also a demand to immediately appoint a special envoy and several candidates are in the fray.

Since the 2011 uprising that toppled long-term dictator Muammar Qaddafi, the country has sunk deeper into a civil war with the Government of National Accord on one side and the General Khalifa Haftar-led Libyan National Army on the other, each also aided by different militias. Into the mix are various international countries supporting each side who are waging a proxy war by sending in weapons and mercenaries.

A recent report by UN experts who are monitoring the sanctions in Libya said that the arms embargo remains “totally ineffective”, with not only warring parties and their international backers violating the terms but also private companies like Russian security company the Wagner Group which as recently as May sent around 1,000 fighters to prop up General Haftar’s army. Aircraft and vessels continue to arrive at the ports, uninspected, carrying weapons and ammunition.

The White House hosted Tuesday the signing ceremony of the peace agreement between the Emirates and Israel, the beginning of a new era for the Middle East.Bahrain’s Foreign Minister also attended the ceremony and signed a separate peace declaration with Israel. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the first lady, Melania Trump, held the ceremony in the garden of the White House. The Abraham Accord has been reached by Israel and the UAE after almost eighteen months of talks. President Trump opened the event by saying the signing of the accord marks the dawn of a new Middle East.

“Thanks to the great courage of the leaders of these three countries, we take a major stride toward a future in which people of all faiths and background live together in peace and prosperity,” Trump affirmed. He also stressed that these agreements will serve as the foundation for a comprehensive peace across the entire region, indicating that Muslims around the worldcan now pray at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque. From his side, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the US president has the key to the hearts of the people of Israel, anticipating that – thanks to the United Arab Emirates -five additional countries want to establish relations with Tel Aviv. Netanyahu revealed that discussions were already underway.

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed began his address before the signing of the Abraham Accord, by saying “Assalam Alaykum.”Sheikh Abdullah thanked Netanyahu for choosing peace and halting the annexation of Palestinian territories, stressing that “anything other than peace means destruction, poverty and human suffering. This is not a slogan for political gain, as everyone looks forward to a more prosperous and secure future.”As part of the agreement, announced on August 13, Israel agreed to suspend its plan to annex the Palestinian territories in the West Bank to have balanced relations with the Arab country. “We want to show our people, the region, and the world that there is good news,” said Sheikh Abdullah indicating that the Middle East has suffered far too long.

The deal sends a powerful signal that the UAE has regained control of its decision-making process and assessed its interests in a way that surprised both partners and enemies, Omar Ghobash, Deputy Minister of Affairs, said in an online forum yesterday. Ghobash indicated the UAE had in the past outsourced their relations with Israel, but that has changed. “We are a state that respects its sovereignty,” said the diplomat, part of the high-level delegation accompanying Sheikh Abdullah for the historical ceremony.

The Emirates has played a vital role in peace in the Middle East. Stopping Israel’s annexation plans means relaunching the process of dialogue and better living conditions for Palestinians, instilling hope in millions of young Arabs for a future of peace after years of tragedies, deaths, and wars. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed’s initiative to reach a peace agreement with Israel, interrupting the annexation of the Palestinian territories, has provided more time for peace opportunities that could be achieved through a two-state solution. Neighboring countries have always asked for Abu Dhabi to intervene to find a solution to the project of annexation of the Palestinian territories, and this is what they have done, putting an end to this conflict that has lasted more than sixty years.

Thanks to the UAE diplomacy, Bahrain has also agreed to normalize ties with Israel, in a decision announced earlier this month.Today, the small Gulf state also signeditspeace declaration.Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani described the Abraham accord as a “moment of hope and opportunity for all the people of the Middle East, and in particular for the millions in our younger generations”. Thanking the UAE and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed for its leadership in the peace agreements, he said that the deal will enhance Bahrain’s principles of coexistence and harmony as genuine co-operation is the most effective means to peace.

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have not fought wars with Israel, unlike Egypt and Jordan, which signed peace treaties with Tel Aviv in 1979 and 1994, respectively. The Abraham Accord represents the beginning of a new era, it will unite diplomatic with economic peace and pump billions into the economies of the three countries through investment, cooperation, and joint ventures. The deal came in a joint call between Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Trump and Netanyahu.

Related News: Abraham Accord: How the UAE-Israel Peace Agreement is first step towards geopolitics normalization in the region

Over 48 tonnes of sensitive Baath Party documents that were taken to be stored in the United States in 2003 have been secretly returned to the country.

It was a few months after the Americans arrived in Iraq, toppling Saddam Hussein and disbanding the Baath party. They had waded into the flooded headquarters of the party in Baghdad when they stumbled upon five million pages of party documents. The two men who were called to decipher the documents (one of them Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, now the prime minister of Iraq) poured over them under a flashlight and soon realised what they were.

In addition to containing information about the party membership and communications with the administration, it also had curious documents like complaints raised by neighbours accusing people of being traitors or criticising Saddam. As it would turn out, the Baathists documented everything, from the most trivial to the highly sensitive. With sectarian violence ragging, the contents of these files were deemed too dangerous to be left in the country and were quietly airlifted to the United States.

Here they were digitised and stored in Standford University with access restricted to researchers until the end of last month when they were silently flown back to Iraq and secured in a secret location. They are not going to be released to the public, according to a top Iraqi official, news that had both disappointed and soothed survivors. Relatives of people missing since the 1990s that these documents might hold to key to discovering what happened to them. Others feel the information contained in the files might help stop the whitewashing of Saddam’s rule, which is started to happen due to the current political instability and unceasing violence.

The exact opposite reasons motivate others who argue that the documents will vindicate the Baathists and show the world that they were in fact patriotic. This is why many are critical of the decision to bring them back to Iraq. With fault lines still running deep, the country has not yet begun the process of reconciliation for the documents to play any meaningful role. They in fact go on to implicate current politicians. This could only trigger fresh tensions and violence, they feel. Some researchers argue that local academics at least should be given access to the files just like their American counterparts. Maybe be after more sensitive parts of the documents are redacted. There are of course even more dangerous archives seized after the 2003 invasion that the US is still in possession of.

August 13, 2020 marked a historic day that will potentially alter the course of Arab region geopolitical situation and henceforth the entire world. The United Arab Emirates and Israel have formally agreed to enter into a peace agreement, the Abraham Accord. If the two countries, who are strong allies of the United States of America but have been at odds with each other for decades, officially sign this historic peace agreement the entire dynamics will change in the region. Israel which has been largely not recognized by Arab countries will be accepted formally and recognized by the UAE under the peace agreement. Israel on the other hand will halt its plans to annex the Jewish settlements in the West Bank region occupied by Palestine.

The UAE would be the only third Arab country, and first in Gulf region, to formally recognize Israel. The other two countries to normalize relationship with Israel are Egypt, which did in 1979, and Jordon in 1994. The agreement between UAE and Israel is scheduled to be officially signed in the White House in US on September 15, 2020 after US President Donald Trump brokered the deal. The agreement will embark changed diplomatic relationship between the two countries with formal diplomatic and business contacts settlement and launching of flight services for direct cooperation for regional diplomacy. The deal has hopefully opened the floodgates and more Arab nations can possibly follow the suit.

The peace agreement was reached through talks between President Trump, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A joint statement released by the UAE, Israel and the US after the agreement said, “This historic diplomatic breakthrough will advance peace in the Middle East region and is a testament to the bold diplomacy and vision of the three leaders and the courage of the United Arab Emirates and Israel to hart a new path that will unlock the great potential in the region.” President Trump took to Twitter to announce the historic breakthrough. He tweeted, “Huge breakthrough today! Historic Peace Agreement between our two great friends, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed noted that the agreement would be instrumental in stopping Israeli annexation of Palestinian territory any further. He said, “During a call with President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, an agreement was reached to stop further Israeli annexation of Palestinian territories. The UAE and Israel also agreed to cooperation and setting a roadmap towards establishing a bilateral relationship.”

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said in his televised address, “It’s an incomparably exciting moment, a historic moment for peace in the Middle East.”

Under the peace agreement Israel would suspend the annexation plans over areas outlined in the peace plan by Trump and would focus on expanding ties and normalizing relations with other Arab and Muslim countries. The efforts initiating from the peace deal would be aimed at achieving an enduring resolution and solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

In the days following the peace agreement in August, the UAE showcased to all speculating that it means real business through the Abraham Accord. On August 29, UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan lifted the economic boycott of Israel by issuing a royal decree. The decree would allow companies and individuals in the UAE to sign agreements and deals with Israeli entities. This would also open doors to trade between the two nations. UAE’s decree by President Khalifa was a part of “The UAE’s efforts to expand diplomatic and commercial cooperation with Israel, leading to bilateral relations by stimulating economic growth and promoting technological innovation.”

On August 28, Israel announced the first commercial flight with national carrier El-Al from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi through Saudi Arabia airspace. The flight embarked on August 31 with diplomatic delegation from Israel and US, including President Trump’s Senior Advisor Jared Kushner. The act was symbolic of firm intentions of the UAE and Israel to catch the momentum of peace agreement and establish normal relations. Interestingly, the outbound flight number was listed LY971 and return flight number was LY972 which allude to UAE and Israel’s country dialing codes respectively. Word “Peace” was written on the El-Al flight cockpit in Arabia, English and Hebrew. This was the first direct flight between countries, a result of peace agreement between UAE and Israel whose formal announcement was made by President Trump on August 13. The flight landing on Monday in Abu Dhabi was followed by talks to boost cooperation between the two immensely strong economies in the region for sectors including aviation, trade, tourism, health, security and energy.

The peace deal brokered by Washington has raised hopes for normal relationships between Israel and other Arab nations. Trump administration has been trying to persuade other Sunni Arab countries to join the peace deal with Israel. Kushner lauded UAE’s initiation towards the peaceful direction. September 15 has been earmarked as official signing day of the peace agreement between the UAE and Israel. President Donald Trump will be holding the signing ceremony in the White House. The senior delegations from both the countries, led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be reaching Washington for the signing of agreement.

There is urgency around climate change. This has never been more evident that in the case of the African continent, that is now seeing a crippling drought like condition that repeats itself year after year.

Apart from that, the climatic conditions have made food shortage a living reality for the Horn of Africa comprising Somalia, Ethiopia and northern Kenya. According to environmentalist, while reversing the climatic condition would be ideal, reinventing the traditional systems of irrigation could prove to be a better temporary solution.

Other reasons for food shortage have been attributed to ongoing conditions of civil war in other parts of Africa like South Sudan, northeastern part of Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to a list put together by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization of famine hit nations across the world, of the 41 listed, half of them comprise African countries itself. Many of these are hit by food shortage due to reasons that are not climate related. Of those affected by drought related food shortage are in need of international food assistance. These include nations like Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

Africa is suffering from the unique problem of both scarcity of rain and sudden cloud burst occurrences. In both cases, crop is destroyed and is leading to situations where farmers are being forced to sell assets to make ends meet. This is not a long term solution to the problem.

While traditional farming knowledge has kept in mind prolonged natural drought like conditions, the sudden change in climatic condition that is leading to cloud bursts or even longer periods of water shortage, has to be tackled. The water interdependent crop like sorghum and millet has suddenly no takers.

Global demand and shifting sensibilities wants more maize. And then, traditional farming methods are losing its charm leading to situations where farmers don’t know how to sell their crop or shift to suddenly growing something more profitable. Maize requires a stronger water supply.

According to William G. Moseley, a professor of geography and director of the Program for Food, Agriculture & Society at Macalester College, climate change adaptation is the need of the hour. Apart from going back and learning from traditional irrigational methods, it will also involve ‘trying out completely new approaches. Take for example the semi-arid country of Botswana that has been successfully experimenting with backyard gardens over the past eight years. It has been a grand success for them. It worked well when the government encouraged small-scale vegetable production in a water-scarce environment with the use of shade nets to conserve the water that would have otherwise been lost to evaporation. This initiative also involved efficient drip irrigation and rain barrels to collect rooftop water following rain events.’

There is also news that collaboration between the University of Botswana and Durham University is experimenting with the use of check dams. These are small dams that are built across waterways to reduce water flow and soil erosion—to help recharge aquifers and improve access to water for livelihood activities such as gardening. These are just some of the many innovative approaches that could eventually be scaled up in order to improve climate change adaptation.

Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, 75, Mali’s ex-President who was ousted last month after a coup flew on Saturday to United Arab Emirates for medical treatment after he suffered a minor stroke. The military officials who reported of latest development led a coup past month ousting the Mali leader from presidentship.

The military is currently in discussions with opposition leaders and civil society groups regarding transition of Mali’s governance to a civilian rule. It is planning to step down in two years but Mali leaders and West African leaders want a quicker transition and power transfer.

Following mass protests in Mali against Keita’s rule over extensive corruption, disputed legislative elections and economic turmoil in the country, the leader was overthrown on August 18 in a coup. Coup that was carried out by country’s military was rebuked and condemned internationally but was welcomed by Malians. Keita who was detained by military was later freed.

On Thursday, Mr. Keita was discharged after a two day stay from a hospital in capital city Bamako where he was treated for a minor stroke. Keita left for Abu Dhabi, UAE’s capital after coup leaders had talks with the representatives of regional body, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) and the United Nations. Ecowas assured the junta that Keita would return to Mali for any crimes that had been allegedly committed during his regime of seven years.

This coup is the fourth in the West African county since its independence from France in 1960. A 2012 coup led to Islamic jihadists exploit the instability in northern Mali and later seize the territory. French troops helped take back the region but attacks from militant Islamists continued. In one such instance on Saturday, two French soldiers were killed in northern Mali during an encounter with militants, and a third was injured in a roadside bomb that destroyed their vehicle. Post the incident French president Emmanuel Macron called for a swift transition of power in Mali. Coup leaders have extended their support to follow international agreements for fighting the jihadists. Mali currently has thousands of French, African and UN troops to tackle the militants.