LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 02/19

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 08/12-20: “‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’Then the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgement is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.’Then they said to him, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on February 01-02/19
Guterres Says U.N. Resolutions 'Remain Essential to Stability of Lebanon, Region'
U.S. Urges Govt. to Ensure Some Ministries Don't 'Provide Support to Hizbullah'
US urges new Lebanese government to block Hezbollah
France Welcomes Formation of Lebanon Govt.
Macron welcomes new Lebanese Cabinet
Mogherini: EU to Work Closely with Lebanon's New Government
Hariri Says He is 'Proud 'of New Female Ministers
Lebanon Appoints Four Women Ministers, Khairallah Changes Ministry Name
Lebanon's New Cabinet: Up to the Challenge?
Mrad: I’ll Back My Group and Partake in Strong Lebanon Bloc Meetings
Berri Says No One Has 11-Minister Veto Power in Govt.
Qassem Says Hizbullah Won't Bow to U.S. Pressure, Urges Active Govt.
STL Registrar Ends Working Visit to Lebanon
Karami: I Honestly Don't Know How Minister Bassil Does His Counting
Moody's: Fiscal Consolidation Very Challenging for New Lebanon Government
Sayegh Says New Government Dominated by Hezbollah
US Official: We Want to Prevent Hezbollah from Using Lebanese Banks
The USA Administration Adopts the 'Dr. Walid Phares' Plan for Syria

Litles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 01-02/19
Pope Francis in Historic Arabian Peninsula Visit
Saudis, UAE, Yemen Ask UN to Pressure Huthis
Venezuela Opposition Leader Says Family Threatened by Maduro Agents
Iran marks 40th anniversary of Islamic Revolution
US Senate opposes troops’ withdrawal from Syria, Afghanistan
Russia-Turkey-Iran Summit on Syria Scheduled for Mid-February
Turkish Military Delegation in Russia to Discuss US Pullout from Syria
Washington Makes New Warning on Trade With Iran After Europe’s SPV Registration
US Holds Syrian Regime Responsible for Journalist Colvin’s 2012 Death
Egypt-Kuwait Joint Military Drills Kickoff
US Consulate Employee in Istanbul to Go on Trial over Failed Coup
Erekat: We Should Restore Gaza, Carry Out Elections
Abbas Reiterates Call for Multilateral Mechanism to Sponsor Peace Process
UN May Postpone Libya Elections Conference
Saudi Arabia, 5 Arab States Discuss Regional Crises at Jordan Meeting

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 01-02/19
Lebanon's New Cabinet: Up to the Challenge/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 01/19
US Official: We Want to Prevent Hezbollah from Using Lebanese Banks/Asharq Al-Awsat/February 01/2019
The USA Administration Adopts the 'Dr. Walid Phares' Plan for Syria/Rebecca Bynum/New English Review/February 01/2019
Why Tehran Crosses Only 'Pink Lines'/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/February 01/19
What Microsoft Can Teach Facebook About Playing Nice/Alex Webb/Bloomberg/February 01/19
The Palestinians: Who Really Cares?/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/February 01/19
Belgium Welcomes Multiculturalism/Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/February 01/19
Israel, Syria and the world through Iranian eyes/Smadar Perry|/YnetNews/January 02/19

Latest LCCC English Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on February 01-02/19
Guterres Says U.N. Resolutions 'Remain Essential to Stability of Lebanon, Region'
Naharnet/January 01/19/U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday welcomed the announcement of the formation of a new government of Lebanon and congratulated Prime Minister Saad Hariri and “Lebanon’s political leadership.” “The Secretary-General looks forward to working closely with the new Government to continue to address urgent political, security, humanitarian and economic challenges, including in the follow-up to the international conferences of support to Lebanon held last year,” a spokesperson for the U.N. chief said. “The Secretary-General reiterates the commitment of the United Nations to support Lebanon’s strengthening of its sovereignty, stability and political independence in accordance with the Taif Accord and the Baabda Declaration, and its effective implementation of Security Council resolutions 1701 (2006), 1559 (2004) and other relevant resolutions which remain essential to the stability of Lebanon and the region,” the spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, added.

U.S. Urges Govt. to Ensure Some Ministries Don't 'Provide Support to Hizbullah'
Naharnet/January 01/19/The United States said Friday that it “welcomes” Lebanon's announcement of the formation of a cabinet as it urged the new government to ensure the resources and services of Hizbullah-held ministries “do not provide support” to the Iran-backed party. Congratulating President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri on “this historic occasion,” the U.S. State Department commended Lebanese leaders for “working collectively to overcome the political obstacles that prolonged this process.”“We look forward to engaging with the new Lebanese government to strengthen further our bilateral relationship. In this regard, the Secretary (of State Mike Pompeo) looks forward to traveling to Lebanon,” the Department added in a statement. It however announced that it is “concerned that Hizbullah, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, will continue to occupy ministerial positions and was allowed to name the Minister of Public Health.” “We call on the new government to ensure the resources and services of these ministries do not provide support to Hizbullah,” the State Department urged. And calling on all parties in the new government to “uphold Lebanon's policy of disassociation from regional conflicts and its international obligations, including those contained in U.N. Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1559 and 1701,” the Dept. welcomed Lebanese leaders’ “recent statements committing to abide by UNSCR 1701” and said it appreciates “their recent efforts to avoid escalating tensions along the Blue Line.” Separately, the Department hoped Lebanon’s new government will “take urgent action to implement meaningful measures necessary to improve Lebanon’s difficult economic situation.” It also reiterated that the United States “reaffirms its strong support for Lebanon’s security, stability, and sovereignty and will continue to stand with the Government of Lebanon and the Lebanese people as they build a stable and prosperous future.”The health portfolio makes it difficult for donors to avoid Hizbullah, which is under multiple U.S. sanctions. A donor meeting in Paris last year pledged $11 billion in low-interest loans and aid for Lebanon, hoping to avert disaster amid political and economic instability and the influx of 1.5 million refugees from neighboring Syria. Hizbullah is allied with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, where Israel says it has carried out hundreds of strikes on the group and its regional backer Iran. But Hizbullah is also a major political party within Lebanon, which has a complex political system designed to ensure representation for all religious factions.

US urges new Lebanese government to block Hezbollah
AFP, Washington/February 02/19/The United States on Friday called on Lebanon to deprive Hezbollah of all official funds after the Shiite militant movement took a record three cabinet posts in a long-delayed government. The United States stressed that it was ready to work with Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s new government, welcoming the breakthrough in the eight-month deadlock and saying that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hoped to visit Lebanon. “Nevertheless, we are concerned that Hezbollah, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, will continue to occupy ministerial positions and was allowed to name the minister of public health,” State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said. “We call on the new government to ensure the resources and services of these ministries do not provide support to Hezbollah,” he said in a statement. But the health portfolio makes it difficult for donors to avoid Hezbollah, which is under multiple US sanctions. A donor meeting in Paris last year pledged $11 billion in low-interest loans and aid for Lebanon, hoping to avert disaster amid political and economic instability and the influx of 1.5 million refugees from neighboring Syria. Hezbollah is allied with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, where Israel says it has carried out hundreds of strikes on the militants and their patron Iran. But Hezbollah is a major political party within Lebanon, which has a complex political system designed to ensure representation for all religious factions. Palladino welcomed signals from Lebanese leaders that they would abide by UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which established a ceasefire in 2006 after Hezbollah attacks triggered a devastating Israeli offensive on Lebanon.

France Welcomes Formation of Lebanon Govt.
Naharnet/January 01/19/French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the formation of Lebanon’s new government and affirmed commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability, a statement from the Elysee Palace said on Friday. “President Emmanuel Macron reaffirms his commitment to the sovereignty, stability and security of Lebanon, underlining the importance of the policy of dissociation and the fight against terrorism,” read the statement. Macron expressed his hopes for the “full success of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the ministers in their future work in the service of the Lebanese people alongside President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and all the forces that make up the Lebanese society in all its diversity." Macron reiterated his commitment to the sovereignty, stability and security of Lebanon, stressing the importance of the policy of dissociation policy and combating terrorism. On Thursday, Lebanon announced a government line-up ending an eight-month wait that had heightened fears of a major economic collapse. The new cabinet, unveiled during a press conference at the presidential palace, includes 30 ministers from Lebanon's rival political clans. The new line-up is to see four women take up office, including at the head of the interior and energy ministries.

Macron welcomes new Lebanese Cabinet
The Daily Star/February 01/19/BEIRUT: French President Emmanuel Macron Friday welcomed the formation of Lebanon’s new government, reaffirming his commitment to the country. "President Emmanuel Macron reaffirms his commitment to the sovereignty, stability and security of Lebanon, underlining the importance of the policy of dissociation and the fight against terrorism," a statement from the Elysee Palace said. Lebanon Thursday formed a 30-member national unity government led by Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The eight-month political deadlock paralyzed state institutions and threatened to put in jeopardy over $11 billion in grants and soft loans pledged by international donors at the CEDRE conference France hosted in April. “France has stood by the Lebanese people and officials in the past few months to facilitate the conditions of this formation, in the spirit of the partnership and friendship that joins our country,” the statement said. It also expressed France’s desire to follow up on Lebanon's implementation of economic and social reforms linked to the CEDRE conference. Macron wished Hariri, the cabinet ministers, President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri success in their future work. France’s expression of support comes after the long-awaited Lebanese government was welcomed by the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, the EU’s top diplomat, the commander of UNIFIL, the U.K. ambassador to Lebanon, the Deputy United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon and others.

Mogherini: EU to Work Closely with Lebanon's New Government
Kataeb.org/January 01/19/The European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini on Thursday hailed the formation of a new government in Lebanon, deeming it as a positive step that is of crucial importance for the country's stability. "The Lebanese people and the international community have high expectations for the new government, whose success will be determined by its capacity to address the challenges the country faces, particularly by adopting the necessary institutional, economic and social reforms," Mogherini said in a statement. "The European Union continues to support Lebanon and most recently pledged its strong political and financial support at the three international conferences for Lebanon held in 2018 in Rome, Paris and Brussels," she stressed. "We will continue to work closely with the new government and ensure close coordination to implement the mutual commitments in the fundamental areas of security, economic recovery, and addressing the impact of the Syrian conflict," the EU official concluded.

Hariri Says He is 'Proud 'of New Female Ministers
Naharnet/January 01/19/One day after resolving the government formation gridlock, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he was proud of the women ministers that were named to allocate four ministries in the new government. “I am proud of Lebanese women, proud of the four female ministers in the government, proud of the first female interior minister in the Arab world, proud of the future and proud of Lebanon," Hariri said via Twitter. On Thursday, Lebanon announced a government line-up, ending an eight-month wait that had heightened fears of a major economic collapse. The new line-up is to see four women take up office, including at the head of the interior and energy ministries. The women who will take office are: Nada al-Bustani as Energy Minister, Raya al-Hassan as Interior Minister, Violet Khairallah as State Minister for Social and Economic Rehabilitation of Youth and Women, and May Chidiac as State Minister for Administrative Development Affairs.

Lebanon Appoints Four Women Ministers, Khairallah Changes Ministry Name
Naharnet/January 01/19/In an unprecedented move in Lebanon’s history, the newly formed 30-minister government that saw the light after nine months of delay includes four women ministers, including at the head of the interior and energy ministries. The line-up of Prime Minister Saad Hariri's new government was announced on Thursday. The women who will take office are: Nada al-Bustani as Energy Minister, Raya al-Hassan as Interior Minister, Violet Khairallah as State Minister for Social and Economic Rehabilitation of Youth and Women, and May Chidiac as State Minister for Administrative Development Affairs. Following contacts with Hariri, Khairallah later announced that she managed to modify her ministry's name to become "State Ministry for the Affairs of the Economic Enabling of Women and Youth." She had told LBCI TV on Friday that the initial name of her ministry had provoked angry reactions in protest against the word “rehabilitation.”Khairallah explained that her ministry will work to provide employment opportunities for young people and women, and would cooperate with the National Commission for Lebanese Women, mainly because she is a member.

Lebanon's New Cabinet: Up to the Challenge?
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 01/19
Lebanon's new cabinet includes three posts for Hizbullah, an Iran-backed group subject to U.S. sanctions. The incoming government will need to carry out vital reforms to stave off an economic crisis. How different from its predecessors is this administration, announced on Thursday after an eight-month delay, and can it handle the challenges?
What does Hizbullah gain?
Hizbullah, which is listed as a terror organization by the United States, has gained three places in the new cabinet -- a record number for the party. Iran-backed Hizbullah, which has a huge arsenal of weapons, is a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in neighboring war-torn Syria. The United States has slapped a series of sanctions on the group. Key Washington ally Israel has in recent months moved to destroy a network of tunnels built by Hizbullah into Israeli territory. Imad Salamey, a professor of political sciences at the Lebanese American University, said Hizbullah was seeking security in the new government. "The party is in need for national protection and national support due to the financial sanctions and military threat by Israel," he said. Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar, which is close to Hizbullah, added that Prime Minister Saad "Hariri, with his Western facade, could be a safety catch and source of help faced with the American sanctions." Hizbullah's new portfolio at the head of the health ministry will make it hard for international donors to avoid them, Salamey said. And it will be an interesting post for the group, says Karim Bitar, of the Paris-based Institute for International and Strategic Affairs think-tank. "The health ministry is one of those juicy ministries that can allow you to distribute services to voters," he said.
Has anything changed?
Lebanon is governed by a complex system which aims to maintain a precarious balance of power across religious and political communities. The new cabinet gives roles to 30 ministers from Lebanon's rival political clans, including four women. While Hizbullah has three positions, its ally the Free Patriotic Movement of President Michel Aoun has landed 10 portfolios. Fellow Shiite party AMAL also holds three. Hariri's al-Mustaqbal Movement takes five posts.
The women in the new cabinet include Raya al-Hassan, a former finance minister from the premier's grouping, as head of the interior ministry. Nada Bustani, from the Free Patriotic Movement, is to become energy and water minister. May Chidiac, a former journalist and vocal critic of Hizbullah and the Syrian regime, is to be minister of administrative planning.
But analysts say there is little hope for major change. "Power relations overall remain unchanged," Bitar said. "We've been watching rather ridiculous bargaining," he said of eight months of wrangling over cabinet positions. "We saw community leaders swap positions last minute, demanding ministries more conducive to handing out services to their allies," Bitar added.
Will there be reforms?
Finally formed, the cabinet will now have to tackle key reforms to save a service-based economy on the brink of collapse. On Thursday, Hariri said the government would have a lot on its plate. "The next government will be forced to take difficult decisions to decrease previous allocations in the general budget," he said. A conference dubbed CEDRE in the French capital in April pledged aid worth $11 billion (9.5 billion euros), promising to stave off an economic crisis.
But the protracted arguments over the cabinet's makeup threatened to scupper that aid, further damaging the ailing economy. Lebanon is one of the world's most indebted countries, with public debt estimated at 141 percent of Gross Domestic Product in 2018, according to credit ratings agency Moody's. Annual economic growth averaged 9 percent over the last two full years before the war broke out in Syria, but has since plummeted to little more than one percent in recent years. At the Paris conference, Lebanon committed to reforms including slashing public spending and overhauling the electricity sector. In exchange, the international community has pledged major aid and loans, mostly for infrastructure projects that need to be signed off by the new government. But Bitar said the announcement of a new government would only briefly relieve pressure over the economy. "This Lebanese political class is genetically incapable of proceeding with necessary structural reforms, because it abusively milks the current system" for its own benefit, he said.

Mrad: I’ll Back My Group and Partake in Strong Lebanon Bloc Meetings
Naharnet/January 01/19/Newly named State Minister for Foreign Trade Affairs Hassan Mrad of the Consultative Gathering, assured on Friday that he is going to vote in accordance with the group in the government despite being appointed as part of the Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc. "I am going to represent the Gathering in the new government and will vote in its favor, but i will also participate in the meetings of the Strong Lebanon bloc,” he told LBCI. The issue of representing the Hizbullah-backed Consultative Gathering, a grouping of six Sunni MPs, had delayed the formation of the government for the past four months. But an agreement was reached lately and culminated in forming the country’s government after nine months of delay. There were also disagreements over the distribution of portfolios and previous disagreements over Christian and Druze representation that had also hindered the formation process before being eventually resolved.

Berri Says No One Has 11-Minister Veto Power in Govt.
Naharnet/January 01/19/Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced Friday that “no one has 11 ministers” in the new government. “There are names who enjoy confidence and good reputation and no one has 11 ministers,” Berri told LBCI television, referring to the so-called one-third-plus-one veto power that requires any camp to have at least 11 ministerial seats. “The obstacles that delayed the government's formation were domestic and did not manage to change anything in it,” the Speaker added. “There is no need anymore for the legislative session that I was intending to call for and in parliament we have finalized 5/6 of the laws required by the CEDRE conference,” Berri went on to say. Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil had announced Thursday that his bloc has “more than 11” ministers in the new government.

Qassem Says Hizbullah Won't Bow to U.S. Pressure, Urges Active Govt.
Naharnet/January 01/19/Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem announced Friday that his party will not bow to the growing U.S. pressure. “Hizbullah will not bow to pressures or sanctions. These sanctions will not affect the party's stances but will rather make them firmer,” Qassem said. “In the end, we will overcome this course and we will reach victory, God willing, the same as we triumphed on several fronts,” Hizbullah number two added. “We will not abandon our land nor accept that it remain occupied by Israel. We have the right to defend this land and we won't accept to be followers of America no matter what the temptations and pressures might be, because we have the right to be independent in our country,” Qassem said. Turning to the issue of the new government, which was formed on Thursday, the Hizbullah leader said it was “normal” for it to be a “national unity government.”
“We defended this choice, because Lebanon's structure can only bear a national unity government,” he added. Qassem also called on the government to address the economic and social issues, to fight corruption, to grant contracts based on tendering and to implement developmental projects in all regions.
A senior U.S. official had warned Hizbullah on Thursday not to exploit its newly gained clout in the new government to channel funds from the health ministry. Billingslea spoke to local journalists at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut at the end of a two-day visit during which he met with Lebanon's president, prime minister, central bank governor and other officials. "If we see that Hizbullah exploits, and they will exploit whatever ministry they are given, to funnel money and other terrorist agendas, then we have significant problems with that," Billingslea was quoted as saying. He declined to elaborate what the U.S. Treasury would do in that case. The new health minister, Jamil Jabaq, is not a member of Hizbullah but is believed to be close to the group's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and was his personal physician at one point. The 30-seat government has seen an increase in the number of ministries affiliated with Hizbullah, which is under tightening sanctions from the U.S. The group has been affected recently by the U.S. sanctions as well as those imposed on its main baker Iran.

STL Registrar Ends Working Visit to Lebanon
Naharnet/January 01/19/Special Tribunal for Lebanon Registrar Daryl Mundis has met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri on a working visit to Beirut this week, the STL said on Friday. He also met with the Prosecutor General Samir Hammoud and members of the diplomatic community. “This mission is part of regular visits the Registrar undertakes to update the Lebanese officials on the work of the Tribunal,” the court said in a statement. The Registrar is responsible for all aspects of the STL's administration including the budget, fundraising, human resources and providing security. His responsibilities also include court management, oversight of the Victims’ Participation Unit, witness protection and language services.

Karami: I Honestly Don't Know How Minister Bassil Does His Counting
Naharnet/January 01/19/MP Faisal Karami of the Consultative Gathering on Friday hit out anew at Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil over the latter's announcement that his bloc has “more than 11” ministers in the new government. “I honestly don't know how Minister Bassil does his counting,” Karami said in response to a reporter's question. He also denied the presence of disputes among the Gathering's members. Reciting a statement issued after the Gathering's weekly meeting, Karami said: “Minister Hassan Mrad has openly declared and today he declares again that he will exclusively represent the Gathering in the government.” “He will attend (the Gathering's) meetings and will vote (in cabinet) based on the decision of its members,” the statement added. “We value the decision of the president of the republic who insisted on respecting the results of the parliamentary elections in representing all components of parliament,” the statement said, adding that “it would be logical for Minister Mrad to cooperate with the President and take part in the Strong Lebanon bloc as the representative of the Consultative Gathering,” the statement said.The issue of representing the Hizbullah-backed Consultative Gathering, a grouping of six Sunni MPs, had delayed the formation of the government for around four months. Previous disagreements over Christian and Druze representation had also hindered the formation process before being eventually resolved.

Moody's: Fiscal Consolidation Very Challenging for New Lebanon Government
Reuters/February 01/19/Lebanon formed a new national unity government on Thursday, ending nine months of wrangling, and Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said bold moves were needed without delay to address chronic problems facing the heavily indebted state."We expect the new Lebanese government to implement some fiscal consolidation measures in order to unlock the $11 billion CEDRE five-year investment package committed by international donors during the Paris IV conference in April 2018," Moody's analyst, Elisa Parisi-Capone, said in a note. "As long as deposit growth remains weak, potentially because of lingering uncertainty about the capacity of the government to shore up macroeconomic stability, Lebanon's fiscal and external positions will remain amongst the weakest across the sovereigns that we rate." Moody's currently rates Lebanon Caa1, which is a warning the country has substantial debt risks.Lebanon Dollar Bonds Rally 3-4 Cents after New Government Agreed

Sayegh Says New Government Dominated by Hezbollah
Kataeb.org/Reuters/February 01/19/Kataeb's Deputy-President Salim Sayegh on Friday said that the form of the new government is not surprising given the whole approach and standards based on which it was established, saying that it is now the time to question the motives and reasons that hindered its formation for nine months and, consequently, inflicted tremendous losses on the country. "We cannot consider that our problems have ended just with the formation of a new government," Sayegh told Al-Markazia news agency. "The new government is that of Hezbollah given that 18 out of 30 ministers are allied with the party. Therefore, Hezbollah has its grip tightened on the majority of the government, which will give it an advantage when deciding on major strategic issues."Sayegh stressed that the Kataeb party does not only disagree with Hezbollah on momentary, transient issues, but also mainly on the whole concept of state building, adding that Hezbollah wants to establish a state that meets its goals and serves its own interests. "The major lesson that we can be drawn from the government formation is that the concept of the 'strong president' is only validated by the alliance with Hezbollah," he said. Sayegh stressed that the new government is far from being one of national unity given that almost 50% of the Lebanese did not cast their ballots in the parliamentary elections and, therefore, are not represented in the Cabinet. The Kataeb official stressed that the party has chosen to opt out of the government because its positions and viewpoints have not been taken into consideration, assuring that the party will maintain its political positioning. "We will carry on with our course of action and our opposition will be a smart, not absolute, one. This means that we will provide alternative solutions whenever we can, and will use all means available in the democratic system," he noted.

US Official: We Want to Prevent Hezbollah from Using Lebanese Banks
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 01/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/71706/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A4%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%83/
/Preventing Hezbollah from accessing the Lebanese banking sector is a US priority, a senior official told a group of journalists in a roundtable interview at the American Embassy in Beirut on Thursday. Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing in the US Department of the Treasury Marshall Billingslea said that his country’s efforts began to materialize in preventing the party from using Lebanese banks to a large extent, and in reducing the amount of funds that it receives from Iran for financing “terrorist activities.”The official lashed out at Hezbollah, calling it “the Iranian cancer that is destroying the Lebanese democracy.” He ruled out, on the other hand, reports that the United States was targeting the Lebanese banking sector and intending to cut its support to the army. “Our support for the Lebanese army and the financial sector in Lebanon is constant. “General [Joseph] Votel was here to support military relations and I am here to pursue the means to strengthen relations and the ability of the Lebanese government and banks to combat money laundering,” he affirmed. The US would have “significant problems” with Hezbollah using ministerial portfolios to funnel funds in support of its “terrorist agenda,” Billingslea warned, noting that his government would keep a close eye on “what role Hezbollah will play” in the Cabinet. Emphasizing the US government’s commitment to Lebanon’s financial stability and its overall satisfaction with the banking sector’s compliance with US sanctions and regulations, he urged Lebanese officials to ensure that Hezbollah “stays away from the banking sector.” “We believe that it is necessary to enact legislation to prevent the existence of anonymous accounts in banks and that the Government will be able to counter these activities. I have discussed with Lebanese officials and specialists the need to create such legislation,” he noted. Billingslea underlined that the government must have the ability to block and freeze accounts that are associated with Hezbollah’s illicit activities. Commenting on foreign reports about the economic collapse in Lebanon, he stressed that the Lebanese economy was not collapsing. “There are pressing financial and economic issues that need to be addressed,” he said, maintaining the need for the new government to implement “reforms to tackle corruption.”

The USA Administration Adopts the 'Dr. Walid Phares' Plan for Syria
Rebecca Bynum/New English Review/February 01/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/71716/rebecca-bynum-the-usa-administration-adopts-the-dr-walid-phares-plan-for-syria/
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Gordon Lubold and Michael R. Gordon reveal that the Trump Administration is actively trying to gather a number of units from Europe and our Arab allies to form a separation zone along the Syrian Turkish border, just such a plan as Walid Phares laid out on January 16.
The Phares plan is a solution to the Turkish demand to establish a security zone inside northern Syria, mainly in Kurdish territories. Phares advised that the projected Turkish plan to move its forces into Syrian territory would trigger a wider war and proposed instead a multi-national force to establish narrow corridor along the border to prevent PKK militants from entering Turkey and to remove the rationale for Turkish forces to enter the Kurdish areas of Northern Syria.
The Trump Administration, according to the Wall Street Journal, believes that such a plan is the best response to address the security concerns of our two allies, NATO member Turkey and anti ISIS ally, the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF). In fact this is a strategic response to the endless confrontation between Turks and Syrian Kurds.
Dr Walid Phares, a former foreign advisor to Presidential candidate Trump during the 2016 campaign, had argued that the response to a clash between the Erdogan Government and the SDF is to simply separate them from each other. Such a concept would answer the Turkish concerns about PKK infiltration from Syria and stop terrorists from penetrating Turkey. The plan would also secure the Kurds, who rightly fear an advancing Turkish army and militias into their lands.
The plan cited areas with special status, zones of deployments and even areas where the Kurds would pull back their artillery but not their police forces. Specifically, the “Phares plan for disengagement between Turkish and SDF forces along the Turkish Syria border” contained the following elements:
1.Both sides accept a US-led initiative and/or a UN led initiative calling for cessation of hostilities between the two parties and a start of Peace Talks.
2.The deployment of a Peace and Monitoring Force, either a multinational force or a UN force operating under Chapter 7 along the border where both parties are deployed.
3.Both the Turkish forces and SDF forces allow the international force to deploy on all observation and passage points between the two parties and to deploy units in the hills and adjacent areas on both sides of the border.
4.The SDF pull back heavy weapons from the border area but maintain police and light weapons.
5.All individuals or parties traveling from the SDF zones into Turkey should be searched by the international forces.
6.A special security status would be granted to Kobani - to be discussed later.
7.All PKK centers inside Syria should be removed by the SDF.
8.Afrin should be transferred to the international forces.
9.Manbej should be transferred to the responsibility of an Arab force.
10. The small Christian area inside Qamishli should be transferred to a European force for protection from ISIS terrorists.
Phares’ plan was the only one that was offered from the private sector in Washington. It was praised by supporters in northwestern Syria and Phares sent the plan to National Security Advisor Bolton and Secretary of State Pompeo. A few weeks later, the WSJ revealed that almost the exact plan has been adopted by the Trump Administration.
As I wrote many months ago, Walid Phares didn't land a position in the Administration in 2017, but his ideas landed in the White House. And the "Phares plan for Syria" is just the latest example.

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on February 01-02/19
Pope Francis in Historic Arabian Peninsula Visit
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 01/19/Pope Francis is set for a historic trip to the UAE, the first ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula, as he seeks to boost the Vatican's outreach to Islam. The Argentine pontiff's trip to the United Arab Emirates "couldn't have come at a better time", said Bishop Paul Hinder of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia -- which encompasses the UAE, Oman and Yemen. "With advanced communication tools at everyone's disposal, we are better informed, and this can be put into a broader perspective when we couple it with dialogue," he told AFP. Pope Francis, who has made strengthening ties between the two largest religions a cornerstone of his papacy, will head to Abu Dhabi on Sunday. During his three-day visit, the pope will take part in an interfaith conference and meet Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's most prestigious seat of learning.
While Hinder said there were no plans "at the moment" for a papal visit to other Gulf countries, the pope's trip to the UAE is widely seen as a stepping stone to broader interreligious dialogue in the region.
'Peace and love'
The UAE -- which has made no secret of its focus on soft power -- prides itself on its religious tolerance and cultural diversity. It has been criticised by human rights groups for its involvement in a bloody Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen. It was also criticised for upholding a 10-year prison term against human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor on December 31 -- two weeks after the UAE declared 2019 the Year of Tolerance. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who invited the pope to the UAE, on Thursday described the pontiff as "the man of peace and love". "We are hopeful that generations to come will prosper in peace and security," he said in a tweet anticipating the meeting between the pontiff and Sheikh Ahmed. In a video message to the Emirati people on Thursday, Pope Francis said: "I am happy ... to write on your dear land a new page in the relations between religions, confirming that we are brothers although different."On the last day of his trip, Pope Francis will lead a mass in Abu Dhabi to be attended by more than 130,000 people -- the largest gathering ever in the UAE, according to local media.
'Second chance'
Catholics attending the open-air mass queued for hours at St Mary's Catholic Church in Dubai on Wednesday to collect their tickets. Parishes across the country were allocated a certain number of passes with St Mary's Catholic Church receiving 41,000 tickets, according to priest Lennie Connully. He said more than 50,000 members of the congregation had asked to attend the historic mass at Zayed Sports City stadium, adding: "We are still trying to give to all... because there may be extras in other parishes." More than 2,000 buses will be transporting worshippers from across the country to Abu Dhabi, with most departing in the early hours of Tuesday morning -- way ahead of mass that is scheduled for 10:30 am (0630 GMT). For Filipina Mylene Lao Estipona, 43, a cancer survivor, the time-consuming journey to see Pope Francis is a small price to pay for a life-long dream. She said her faith gave her a "second chance" at life and the strength to beat cancer. "I thank God that I have a ticket. I really prayed, and it's an answered prayer," said the dental hygienist, who has been living in the UAE for 13 years.
'People's pope'
The UAE has the largest number of Catholic churches in the region with eight. Oman, Kuwait and Yemen each have four, while Qatar and Bahrain have one each. Gulf kingpin Saudi Arabia bans all non-Muslim places of worship. Nearly 80 percent of the population of the UAE is Muslim, while Christians constitute around nine percent, according to the CIA World Factbook. The UAE authorities control all religious activities and suppress any group that uses religion for political ends, notably Islamists. "We do not want the pulpits to become a platform for disseminating hate and extremism and instigating violence, as we have seen in many countries, including in Europe," a UAE official told AFP on condition of anonymity. According to Hinder, nearly one million Catholics live in the emirates, the majority from the Philippines and India. Pope Francis, who made history when he was named the first Latin American pontiff in 2013, is known as the "people's pope", listening to and warmly embracing people from different walks of life. "Latin culture is an exuberant culture, an outgoing culture, quite different from European culture," Connully said.

Saudis, UAE, Yemen Ask UN to Pressure Huthis
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 01/19/Yemen's government and its allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates asked the UN Security Council on Thursday to turn up the pressure on Huthi rebels to uphold a ceasefire deal. In a letter sent to the council, the three governments accused the Huthis of violating the ceasefire in the port city of Hodeida 970 times since it came into force on December 18. They asked the council to "impress upon the Huthis, and their Iranian backers, that they will be held responsible if their continued failure to comply... leads to the collapse of the Stockholm agreement," said the letter seen by AFP. Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Huthis agreed to the ceasefire and a redeployment of forces from Hodeida during UN-brokered talks in Sweden last month. But deadlines for the pullback of forces and a prisoner swap have slipped, fueling worries that the Stockholm agreement may be in jeopardy. UAE minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday to discuss problems in implementing the Stockholm deal. "We understand that we need to exercise patience, but it can't be infinite," Gargash told reporters after this meeting. Gargash raised concerns of a flareup on the ground, triggered by a Huthi provocation. "We do not want to launch an offensive" in Hodeida, said the minister. "What we want is for the UN and the international community to exert influence and to do that work" and create pressure on the Huthis to comply with the ceasefire deal, he said. The Huthis have accused the Saudi-led coalition of violating its commitments under the Stockholm agreement. The council met behind closed doors to hear a report from UN envoy Martin Griffiths who has wrapped up a new round of shuttle diplomacy. For nearly four years, Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels have been locked in a war with a regional pro-government alliance led by Riyadh. The conflict has triggered what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions of people at risk of starvation.

Venezuela Opposition Leader Says Family Threatened by Maduro Agents
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 01/19/Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido said Thursday elite security forces went to his home to threaten his family, blaming the government of Nicolas Maduro as international support grew for his bid to oust the embattled president. The move heightened fears for the security of the 35-year-old National Assembly leader, who declared himself acting president last week in a bold challenge to Maduro's authority. The police's special action force, FAES, had gone to his home to interview his wife Fabiana Rosales, Guaido said during a speech at Caracas university.
"At this moment the dictatorship believes that it will intimidate us," Guaido said, his wife at his side. Earlier, European lawmakers recognized Guaido as the acting head of state -- another step forward in his bid to force out the socialist leader who has presided over the oil-rich country's economic collapse. Several opposition leaders have been jailed in recent years as Maduro cracked down on growing dissent in the Latin American country, where resistance has escalated with Guaido's spectacular self-proclamation. Previously unknown to the public at large, he has become the standard bearer of the opposition to Maduro, whether on the streets or on social networks. Deprived almost entirely of coverage on mainstream media, Guaido has deftly used the social networks to woo support, but even that avenue is increasingly being cut off, and there is an explicit ban against talking about him. The dramatic turn against Maduro's leftist regime culminated quickly, but it came after weeks of behind-the-scenes diplomacy including a hushed meeting in Washington with Guaido, who was quickly recognized by Washington as Venezuela's president. Henrique Capriles, 46, a former presidential candidate and an opposition leader in recent years, said the opposition was unaware Guaido would declare himself the country's leader on January 23. "That surprised a lot of political figures (but) I don't say that as a criticism," Capriles said. While marshaling international support, Guaido is seeking to maintain street pressure against Maduro, and has called more mass protests for Saturday. Venezuela's Supreme Court -- dominated by regime loyalists -- has frozen his assets and ordered him not to leave the country.
EU lawmakers' support
On Thursday, lawmakers at the Brussels-based European Parliament voted to accept Guaido as "legitimate interim president of the country" -- and urged the European Union to follow suit. Four major European powers -- Britain, France, Germany and Spain -- have said they would do so if Maduro fails to call presidential elections by the weekend. The US on Thursday urged all European countries to recognize Guaido, but Maduro has told the "imperialists" to wait until 2025 for new elections. Guaido was at the main Caracas university to present his "rescue plan" for a country in economic meltdown. "We are going to address the humanitarian emergency, stop inflation in its tracks, reactivate the oil industry and move towards the restoration of access to public goods and services," he said to cheers. Part of the plan unveiled by the opposition leader and his economic advisor Jose Guerra is to end exchange controls in force since 2003 and renegotiate Venezuela's estimated $150 billion debt. With his wife at his side on the podium, Guaido said he had a 20-month old daughter at home and would be holding FAES accountable for "whatever they do to my baby." He told officials: "Do not cross the red line."
But the National Police tweeted it is "totally false" that there had been any search of Guaido's family. US Vice President Mike Pence said on Twitter that "the world is watching – and we will not tolerate harm to those who are fighting for freedom and democracy in Venezuela."
The United States, which immediately recognized Guaido's self-proclamation, along with a dozen Latin American countries, Canada and Australia, has warned Maduro of "serious consequences" if he targets opponents.
On the streets
The two sides have held competing rallies in the streets. On Thursday workers from Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA -- hit by new US sanctions this week -- held an "anti-imperialist" march in support of Maduro. "Yankee go home," said one of their signs. A day earlier, thousands led by Guaido protested in various cities, banging pots, blowing whistles and horns, and carrying banners that read: "Armed forces, regain your dignity" and "Maduro usurper."Guaido wrote in a New York Times op-ed published on Wednesday that "clandestine meetings" had been held with members of the armed forces and security forces, who he is trying to woo with an amnesty offer. But Guaido's moves to court the military are fraught with risk. Last week fewer than 30 soldiers rose up against Maduro, precipitating protests that, according to the United Nations, ended with more than 40 dead and hundreds detained.
So far, the military high command has remained loyal to Maduro. US National Security Advisor John Bolton on Thursday said Maduro should accept Guaido's amnesty officer. The last 10 days of political upheaval have exacerbated the general disarray in Venezuela, which has the world's largest proven oil reserves but has suffered hyperinflation and shortages of basic necessities. The UN says 2.3 million have fled the country, unleashing a migration crisis in South America.

Iran marks 40th anniversary of Islamic Revolution
The Associated Press, Tehran/Friday, 1 February 2019/Iran is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Islamic Revolution that toppled the US-backed shah, overturned 2,500 years of monarchical rule and brought hard-line Shiite clerics to power. The anniversary starts every year on February 1 - the day Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 returned from France after 14 years in exile to become the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Across the country on Friday, sirens rang out from trains and boats and church bells chimed at 9:33 am. - the exact time Khomeini’s chartered Air France Boeing 747 touched down 40 years ago at Tehran’s International Mehrabad airport. The 10-day anniversary festivities, known as the “Ten Days of Dawn,” end on February 11, the date Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s government collapsed.

US Senate opposes troops’ withdrawal from Syria, Afghanistan
Reuters, Washington/Friday, 1 February 2019/In a rebuke of President Donald Trump, the Republican-led US Senate advanced largely symbolic legislation on Thursday opposing plans for any abrupt withdrawal of troops from Syria and Afghanistan. The Senate voted 68-23 in favor of a non-binding amendment, drafted by Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying it was the sense of the Senate that militant groups in both countries continue to pose a “serious threat” to the United States. The procedural vote to cut off debate meant that the amendment would be added to a broader Middle East security bill likely to come up for a final Senate vote next week. The amendment acknowledges progress against ISIS and al-Qaeda in Syria and Afghanistan but warns that “a precipitous withdrawal” without effective efforts to secure gains could destabilize the region and create a vacuum that could be filled by Iran or Russia. It calls upon the Trump administration to certify conditions have been met for the groups’ “enduring defeat” before any significant withdrawal from Syria or Afghanistan. Trump has decided to withdraw 2,000 US troops from Syria on the grounds that ISIS militants no longer pose a threat, saying on Twitter on Wednesday, “We have beaten them” as he disputed Senate testimony by his director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, on Tuesday that the group still posed a threat. Trump said earlier on Thursday he would bring American troops home if a peace deal were reached to end 17 years of war in Afghanistan. The United States and the Taliban have sketched the outlines for an eventual peace accord, a US special envoy said on Monday, but there was no sign the insurgent group had accepted key US demands.

Russia-Turkey-Iran Summit on Syria Scheduled for Mid-February
Moscow – Raed Jabr/ Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday 01 February/19/Russian media reports revealed a number of preparations were underway for another Sochi summit for the presidents of the Astana Syria talks guarantor states, Russia, Turkey, and Iran. The next summit is expected to take place on February 14. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, according to Turkish dailies, confirmed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be in Sochi for the upcoming summit on Syria.Turkey’s top diplomat said that the question of forming a Syria committee tasked with drafting a new constitution for the war-torn country will be one of the main topics tackled at the trilateral meeting, noting that candidates put forth by the Syria regime do not represent the country’s secular community. Cavusoglu added that both Iran nor Russia admitted that the names proposed by the Bashar Al-Assad regime were unacceptable, thus a request for changing them would be made. Russian media also reported that at the upcoming meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani are expected to discuss the situation in the Syrian de-escalation zone Idlib and the withdrawal of the American forces from Syria. The Sochi summit will take place right before the next round of Syria talks to happen at the Kazah capital, Astana, which for the first time will see the first participation of the newly-assigned UN Special Envoy to Syria. More so, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned against the deteriorating situation in Syria’s northern Idlib province, currently overrun by extremist Turkey-guaranteed Syrian factions. “Tensions around the Idlib de-escalation zone are not on the decline,” Zakharova pointed out. “The militants of the al-Nusra allied Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, who are running the show there, do not only shell nearby settlements on a daily basis, but are also actively building up their contingents near the contact line with the Syrian government forces,” she noted. The diplomat voiced serious concerns over incoming reports that the terrorists “have not abandoned efforts to stage a chemical attack against civilians.”Zakharova noted that according to reports, a group of activists from the notoriously bogus humanitarian group, the White Helmets, has prepped some Idlib hospitals in order to film these anticipated provocations.

Turkish Military Delegation in Russia to Discuss US Pullout from Syria
Ankara - Saeed Abdelrazek/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 1 February, 2019/A delegation from Turkey’s Defense Ministry headed on Thursday to Russia to discuss the latest developments in Syria. The delegation headed by Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Intelligence Chief Hakan Fidan went to discuss the safe zone and the US withdrawal from Syria, media reports said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week the US withdrawal from Syria, the safe zone in the country’s north and the latest developments in Idlib. Moscow expressed discomfort towards the return of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – previously known as al-Nusra Front – to control the agreed-upon de-escalation zone in Idlib. The Sochi deal, signed between Erdogan and Putin on Sep. 17, was not completely implemented, according to Moscow. The Turkish delegation’s visit followed a meeting of the Turkish National Security Council which affirmed Ankara’s standpoint from preserving the status-quo in Idlib, and swiftly implementing the roadmap in Manbij and other agreements on the area east of the Euphrates. Certain members of the US-led coalition fighting ISIS, support militants from HTS in Idlib and are aspiring to strike the Russian-Turkish agreement on the de-escalation zone, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. “Certain partners from the coalition support HTS… First, for the termination of the Idlib memorandum. Second, there are countries that are making great efforts to prevent the establishment of a constitutional committee just because we are doing it”, Cavusoglu told the Hurriyet newspaper. He specified that some Western countries from the coalition were provoking HTS militants to violate the provisions of the Idlib memorandum by paying them. Cavusoglu noted that the countries of origin of foreign fighters from HTS were unwilling to take them back.

Washington Makes New Warning on Trade With Iran After Europe’s SPV Registration
London- Adel Al-Salmi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 1 February, 2019/Hinting at chances for escalated tensions hitting Euro-American relations, the United States warned on Thursday European entities of the consequences of breaching economic sanctions in Iran. Hours later, German. French and British foreign ministers announced in a joint presser that they were ready to launch the much-anticipated Special Purpose Vehicle, a first-of-its-kind state-owned trade intermediary. The SPV will facilitate doing business with Iran without facing US sanctions. The SPV, called INSTEX, or Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, is registered in France with a German managing director. “INSTEX will support legitimate European trade with Iran, focusing initially on the sectors most essential to the Iranian population – such as pharmaceutical, medical devices, and agri-food goods,” the foreign ministers of Britain, Germany and France – Jeremy Hunt, Heiko Maas and Jean-Yves Le Drian – said in a joint statement. Nevertheless, US officials dismissed the idea that the new entity would have any impact on efforts to exert economic pressure on Tehran, and launched a fresh warning at anyone thinking of trading with the cleric-led regime. Britain, France, and Germany – the European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran– launched the device, which has been in preparation for months, at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Bucharest. Their move is designed to reassert their commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name for the Iran nuclear deal. On the other hand, Tehran considered the official launch of the European Mechanism “a first positive step” within the basket of pledges made by Europeans and said it anticipated the vehicle's implementation fully and without shortage.
European sources, however, said the trade support tool might not hold the capacity to back large-scale business transactions Iran desired. Iran has threatened to pull out of the deal unless the European powers enable it to receive economic benefits. The Europeans have promised to help companies do business with Iran as long as it abides by the deal. Washington says that, although Iran has met the terms, the accord was too generous, failing to rein in Iran’s ballistic missile program or curb its regional meddling. New US sanctions have largely succeeded in persuading European companies to abandon business with Iran, and Washington said it did not expect the SPV to change that. “We do not expect the SPV will in any way impact our maximum economic pressure campaign,” a US State Department spokeswoman said. “The United States questions the efficacy of the SPV and remains committed to fully enforcing its sanctions,” said a senior Trump administration who spoke on condition of anonymity.

US Holds Syrian Regime Responsible for Journalist Colvin’s 2012 Death
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 1 February, 2019/The United States held the Syrian regime responsible for the 2012 death of American journalist Marie Colvin, slapping it with a $302 million judgment. In a verdict unsealed late Wednesday night, US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson concluded the Syrian military had deliberately targeted the makeshift media center in the city of Homs where Colvin and other journalists were working. Sustained artillery barrages against the apartment building housing the media center killed Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik on February 22, 2012. The civil lawsuit filed in US federal court by Colvin’s family in 2016 accused officials in Bashar Assad’s regime of deliberately targeting rockets against a makeshift broadcast studio where Colvin and other reporters were living and working. Colvin’s family was represented by the San Francisco-based Center for Justice and Accountability, which focuses on human rights litigation. The group’s executive director, Dixon Osburn, said the lawsuit was the first seeking to hold the Syrian regime liable for war crimes. Since it was filed, there has been some similar legal action in Europe, including Germany. “It’s the first proving ground that the Assad regime has engaged in war crimes. He has engaged in a brutal set of crimes against humanity,” Osburn said in an interview. The judge wrote that “a targeted attack on a media center hosting foreign journalists that resulted in two fatalities and multiple injuries ... is an unconscionable act.” The judge ruled that additional damages would be calculated at a later date. Colvin’s sister, Cathleen Colvin, said in a statement she hoped the ruling will “serve as a deterrent against future attacks on the press and on civilians.”“Marie dedicated her life to fighting for justice on behalf of the victims of war and ensuring that their stories were heard. This case is an extension of her legacy, and I think she’d be proud of what we achieved,” she added. The lawsuit described the attack as part of a plan orchestrated at the highest levels of Assad’s regime to silence local and international media “as part of its effort to crush political opposition.” Some of the evidence supporting the lawsuit was provided by two defectors from the regime. Lawyers for the family included as evidence a copy of an August 2011 fax that they said was sent from Syria’s National Security Bureau instructing security bodies to launch military and intelligence campaigns against “those who tarnish the image of Syria in foreign media and international organizations.” Jackson wrote in the ruling that the day before the attack, an informant provided the location of the media center to the Syrian regime. That night, Colvin had given live interviews to CNN and two British broadcasters, the BBC and Channel 4.There is evidence that Syrian officials celebrated after the attack, Jackson added. In a 2016 interview with NBC News quoted by CNN, Assad said Colvin herself was at fault in her death. “It’s a war and she came illegally to Syria, she worked with the terrorists, and because she came illegally, she’s responsible of everything that befell her,” Assad said. Colvin, who had covered conflicts around the world for Britain’s Sunday Times, wore a signature black patch over her left eye after being blinded by a grenade in Sri Lanka in 2001. The 2018 film "A Private War" was based on her life. Technically foreign governments are immune from jurisdiction in US courts through the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. However, that immunity is lifted for crimes against American citizens by governments classified as a "state sponsor of terrorism."Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian is using a similar approach to sue the Iranian government, which jailed him for more than 500 days on espionage charges.

Egypt-Kuwait Joint Military Drills Kickoff
Cairo- Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday 01 February/19/The Egyptian and Kuwaiti forces started two simultaneous joint military drills in Kuwait code-named "Al-Yarmouk-4" and "Sabah-1" that will last for several days in Kuwait, the Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement on Thursday.
Being held for the first time between Egypt and Kuwait, "Sabah-1" started with theoretical and practical courses ahead of sailing as well as coordination of efforts to carry out a mock operation to restore and secure an island of strategic importance, according to Egypt's army spokesman Tamer al-Refaie. As for "Al-Yarmouk-4" military drill, it includes performing a number of offensive and defensive air operations targeting vital sites to enhance the combat capabilities of the two countries. "The drills contribute to supporting the ties of military cooperation between the armed forces of both countries to confront all joint challenges that may face the region," Refaie said. Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti military said in a statement that the mock battles involve elite personnel, F-18 warplanes from the Kuwaiti air forces and F-16 jet fighters from the Egyptian counterparts. Earlier in January, Egypt and Bahrain held three-day joint air-naval drills dubbed "Hamad-3" at an air base in the south of the Gulf country. Egypt regularly holds joint military exercises with Arab, African and Western states to boost military collaboration and exchange military expertise with them.

US Consulate Employee in Istanbul to Go on Trial over Failed Coup
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 1 February, 2019/A Turkish employee at the US Consulate in Istanbul is set to go on trial in March on charges of espionage and links to the failed 2016 coup against the government. Turkey's official Anadolu news agency said Friday the first hearing against Metin Topuz would be on March 26. Topuz, a translator and fixer for the Drug Enforcement Agency at the Istanbul consulate, is accused of links to US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the 2016 coup attempt.Topuz denies the allegations. In January, Turkish prosecutors said they were seeking a life sentence against the suspect. A 78-page indictment seen by The Associated Press said he was in "very intense contact" with police officers who led a 2013 anti-corruption investigation that implicated top government officials. The indictment said Topuz told authorities he had been in touch with several police officers with alleged links to Gulen for narcotic investigations. The prosecutor said this was a "reflexive acknowledgment of his crimes" and claimed Topuz's communication with the officers was "beyond the limits of consular work." The indictment includes telephone calls, text messages, CCTV frame grabs with suspected police officers, along with testimonies from four witnesses and two suspects. He is also accused of privacy violations and illegally recording personal data. Topuz's arrest increased tensions between the two NATO allies in 2017 and led to the suspension of bilateral visa services for more than two months. Relations hit rock bottom last summer when US President Donald Trump sanctioned two Turkish officials and increased tariffs on aluminum and steel imports, causing a huge loss in the Turkish lira's value, to pressure the country to release an imprisoned American pastor. Pastor Andrew Brunson was convicted in October for terror links but later allowed to leave the country. Two other local consular employees are under investigation in Turkey. Jailed translator Hamza Ulucay is accused of terror group membership with alleged links to outlawed Kurdish armed groups, and staff Mete Canturk was placed under house arrest. Ties have been on the mend since, but a host of issues remain as irritants, including US support for Kurdish groups in Syria Turkey considers terrorists, Turkey's pledge to buy Russian missile defense systems and Gulen's continued residence in Pennsylvania. The Turkish government launched a massive crackdown against Gulen's network following the 2016 coup and arrested more than 77,000 people and sacked more than 130,000 public employees through emergency decrees. Critics say the purge went beyond the suspects of the coup with the arrest of journalists, lawmakers and activists.

Erekat: We Should Restore Gaza, Carry Out Elections
Ramallah- Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 1 February, 2019/Secretary-General of the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s (PLO) executive committee Saeb Erekat said the coming Palestinian government shall restore Gaza Strip and carry out general elections. “We want from this government to work on holding general elections, do everything possible to restore Gaza Strip and end division and join efforts with other Palestinian parties to together impede the implementation of the Deal of the Century,” Erekat told a press conference in Ramallah. He called on Hamas Movement to participate in the upcoming legislative elections, stressing that it was not possible to have a Palestinian State without Gaza. PA President Mahmoud Abbas met with the head of the PA Central Elections Commission Hanna Nasser and asked him to go to Gaza, carry out an “honest dialogue” with Hamas and urge it to agree to parliamentary elections, Erekat explained. He hoped that these attempts succeed and elections take place soon. “We need to return to ballot boxes,” he said. On the other hand, Erekat condemned Hamas’s questioning of Abbas’s legitimacy along with that of the PLO, the Executive Committee, the National Council, and the Palestinian factions. He pointed out that while the Palestinian leadership decided to face the US-Israeli project aimed at gaining control over Jerusalem, Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Resurrection, former Legislative Council member Ahmed Bahr has sent a written letter to several countries questioning the President’s legitimacy. “We have a Palestinian national project, represented by the PLO and the State of Palestine, to restore Palestine and put it again on the map, with Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders.” In return, stressed Erekat, there is a partisan project of the Muslim Brotherhood, and it has become even more important than the Palestinian cause. “There is a call for holding general elections in the West Bank, including Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, and whoever rejects these elections and insists on the continuation of the coup in Gaza Strip has become a tool in the Deal of the Century, whether he likes it or not.” Erekat did not talk about the Palestinian government’s structure, noting that what is more important is its program.

Abbas Reiterates Call for Multilateral Mechanism to Sponsor Peace Process
London - Kifah Ziboun/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 1 February, 2019/Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for the establishment of a multilateral mechanism - hinting that the United States be part of it - to launch a new peace process. During a joint press conference in Ramallah on Thursday with visiting Maltese President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Abbas said: “The United States is no longer exclusively qualified to play the role of mediator. We call for an international peace conference and the establishment of a multilateral mechanism to move forward.” “The European Union and the members of the Security Council have an important role to play so that the Palestinian people can enjoy their freedom and independence in their own state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along with the state of Israel in security and good neighborliness,” he added. The Palestinian president accused the United States of encouraging Israel to “act as a state above the law.” “What encourages Israel to act as a state above the law is the US administration's support and its blind bias towards the [Israeli] occupation,” he emphasized. Abbas had announced his plan for a multilateral mediation for the peace process before the Security Council last year. He called for an international peace conference that would bring about a multilateral-international mechanism, which he said would help both sides in the negotiations to solve all permanent issues, including the status of Jerusalem, based on the Oslo Agreement. Palestinian presidential spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeina said on Thursday that peace, stability and security would not be achieved through “the so-called deal of the century and Israel’s actions that violate all resolutions of international legitimacy.” “The main address for achieving peace is the seat of the presidency in the city of Ramallah. The address is President Mahmoud Abbas - not as a person - but as the symbol of the homeland, the people and the constants of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which we will not abandon,” he affirmed.

UN May Postpone Libya Elections Conference
Cairo, London – Khaled Mahmoud and Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 1 February, 2019/The United Nations will likely delay a planned conference on elections in Libya until later this year until it receives the support of the country’s rival factions, informed sources revealed Thursday according to Reuters. The national meeting is central to a UN and Western roadmap for a vote in Libya as a way out of its eight-year war since the ouster of former ruler Moammar al-Gaddafi. But big players and their allied armed groups wield considerable power under the status quo, and there is mistrust between rival governments and parliaments. More delay in the UN-sponsored conference, where Libyans from all walks of society are supposed to decide details of their elections such as the presidential or parliamentary system, would also probably push back an actual vote. Under a French plan, Libya was meant to hold elections last December 10, but that was shelved due to divisions among rival leaders and a spike in violence in the capital Tripoli. In a new push, UN Libya envoy Ghassan Salame wanted a conference in “the first weeks of 2019” with potential polls by June. But momentum for that has been lost due to resistance from major parties backing the parallel governments in Tripoli and the east who benefit from access to oil revenues and jobs for armed groups in the absence of police. Sources familiar with the UN plans told Reuters the conference could still happen by the end of February, but a delay until at least March looked more likely. “Salame won’t announce a venue and date ahead until he thinks there is enough support from all sides,” one source said. The UN mission in Libya said it was seeking a successful meeting but no date was set yet. “We plan for the conference to happen as soon as possible,” it said in a statement to Reuters. Diplomats say the conference is a “last joker” in the pack for Salame who has toiled since September 2017 for elections. Meanwhile, the US administration renewed its support for the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord of Fayez al-Sarraj. During a visit to Misrata Wednesday, US Ambassador to Libya Peter Bodde stated that Washington remains committed to a stable, unified Libya able to counter terrorism and deliver security and prosperity for all Libyans. The envoy held talks in the city with Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga, Central Military Zone Commander Major-General Mohammad Haddad and other military officials, said the US embassy in Libya in a statement. The meeting was held shortly after a vague Interior Ministry warning over militias operating in Tripoli. It said that it opposes any armed group that violates the security arrangements in place in the capital, adding that they will be held accountable for their actions. The ministry did not identify any of the militias it was referring to in its warning.

Saudi Arabia, 5 Arab States Discuss Regional Crises at Jordan Meeting
Dead Sea (Jordan) – Mohammed al-Daama/ Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 1 February, 2019/The foreign ministers of six Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, met on the shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan in order to discuss the region’s crises and efforts to confront them. The meetings included Saudi State Minister for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir, Jordan’s FM Ayman Safadi, Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukri, the United Arab Emirates’ FM Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bahraini FM Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and Kuwaiti FM Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah. The closed-door meetings were a "consultation between brothers and friends", Safadi said in a terse statement shortly after the meeting. They were a forum "to exchange views on our regional issues and ways of cooperation to overcome regional crises and achieve security and stability," he said, without providing any details. He explained that the meetings were open and did not have an agenda and sought mechanisms to achieve joint Arab interests. “The discussions were positive and fruitful. We addressed all issues that we must work together on to achieve our common goal of security and stability,” Safadi said. Thursday’s meeting was held two weeks before a planned US-Polish conference on the Middle East. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the conference will look at "making sure Iran is not a destabilizing influence", although a senior US official has insisted it is "not an anti-Iran meeting."It will be held amid Washington’s proposal to establish a strategic Middle East alliance, or Arab NATO, that would seek to achieve peace in the turbulent region. The Dead Sea meeting also came amid debate over the return of Syria to the Arab League, which suspended Damascus's membership in November 2011, as the country appears on the verge of ending its eight-year conflict. Several Arab states, including Lebanon and Tunisia, have called for Syria's return. In December, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir made the first visit to Damascus by an Arab leader since 2011, and the UAE reopened its embassy.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 01-02/19
Why Tehran Crosses Only 'Pink Lines'
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/February 01/19
Talk to any senior European Union official and you are sure to hear the Islamic Republic in Iran designated as “a threat to regional stability.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel endorses Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s assessment of Iranian behavior as “unacceptable.”
French President Emmanuel Macron insists that Iran should carry out UN resolutions by closing its ballistic missile project. And, yet, EU’s policy on Iran, assuming such a thing exists, is plagued by contradictions.
The EU’s spokesperson for foreign policy, Ms. Federica Mogherini has devoted most of her immense energies operating as a lobbyist for the Islamic Republic. She has visited more than 30 countries to present the Islamic Republic as the poor little lamb facing the American big bad wolf. To show what a special place the mullahs have in her heart, when in Tehran, she wears the full Khomeinist hijab, but when she visits other Islamic capitals she unleashes her peroxide blonde hair in full evidence.
In private, EU officials dismiss that as childish symbolism. The problem is that symbolism does matter as much in politics as in poetics.
For example, when, just weeks after leaving office, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel heads a delegation of European businessmen to Tehran and praises the Islamic Republic as a rock of stability in the Mideast, some in the Khomeinist leadership will see that as an endorsement of Tehran’s reckless adventurism. For almost two years the EU has fostered the illusion in the Islamic Republic that it can continue doing as it pleases without risking any bad consequence. When the Trump administration unveiled a series of measures to force Tehran to modify aspects of its behavior, the EU rejected the American position but followed all the sanctions that Washington imposed on Iran. At the same time, however, the EU appointed a team to find ways of circumventing those same sanctions. This duality, not to say duplicity, led to the idea of creating an “alternative system of trade financial transactions” to help the Islamic Republic sell its oil to Europe and buy European goods and services. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas promises Tehran it would be” accommodated” in the global trading system.
The idea that the Islamic Republic merits special favorable treatment was invented by former US President Barack Obama. He created a parallel UN Security Council in the shape of the so-called 5+1 group of powers. The idea was to allow Tehran to ignore six UNSC resolutions that it did not like. Obama also ignored the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) by exempting Iran from its terms and conjuring the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (CJPOA) which clearly states it is tailor-made only for Iran.
The EU’s special favorable treatment of the Islamic Republic includes keeping mum about over 20 EU citizens currently held as hostages in Tehran. It is also indicated by the mere rap-on-the wrist response of the Europeans to the Islamic Republic’s latest terrorist operations in four European countries.
Ironically, a more credible exposure of the destructive role that the Islamic Republic plays in Europe has come from Tehran’s former Ambassador in Berlin Ali Majedi. Majedi is no defector or dissident. He is back in Tehran at the end of his Berlin mission, starting his retirement.
However, he told reporters in Tehran that he had seen that the Europeans had “extensive evidence” about Iran’s “destructive activities” which could not be attributed to “undisciplined elements” in Tehran. Europeans, including British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, delude themselves in believing that by “working with Iran” they could prevent the Islamic Republic from “crossing the red lines.”
The problem is that the Islamic Republic does not cross those real or imaginary “red lines”. Like the now-defunct Soviet Union in its time, the Islamic Republic’s strategy is to cross only “pink lines”, which constitute 99 percent of the norms of international behavior, whenever possible.
The Islamic Republic has no troops in Yemen but manages to keep that tragedy going by helping Houthi rebels hang on to the patch of territory they hold.
The last of Iranian military advisers have left Iraq. But they have left behind thousands of Iraqi military who lived in Iran for decades and hold dual nationality to lead pro-Tehran militias. Tehran sets the tune in Beirut not through Iranian troops but by hiring local manpower from all communities, notably the Hezbollah.Of the estimated 80,000 troops that Tehran has in Syria, less than 10 percent are Iranians, others being mercenaries from a dozen countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria itself. The Islamic Republic has crossed no red-line in Afghanistan but it hires thousands of armed men from all communities, most recently from among the Taliban as well. In the EU countries, Tehran is careful not to cross “red lines”. But, it crosses ”pink lines” when it can through mosques, hussainiyahs, religious endowments and fake charities. In Britain alone, the Islamic Republic controls at least a dozen tax-exempt “charities”, often used for financing violent groups across the globe or simply for money laundering.
Part of the EU’s soft spot for the Islamic Republic may be inspired by endemic anti-Americanism which is present in most European political circles, left and right. We saw one example of this latent anti-Americanism last week over the crisis in Venezuela. When members of the Organization of American States (OAS) almost unanimously rejected Nicolas Maduro’s claim to the presidency and endorsed Juan Guaido as Interim President of Venezuela, EU officials and media tried to portray this as another example of the US throwing its weight around.
Thus, they began by saying they won’t follow that policy. Once they realized that the anti-Maduro front covered virtually the whole of the Americas and was not another instance of “bullying by Trump” they used duplicity to cover their mistake. They gave Maduro eight days to organize new presidential elections or risk seeing the EU back Guaido’s claim as the OAS, including the US, had done. It was obvious that Maduro won’t accept what would amount to admitting the legitimacy of his presidency. It was obvious that no election could be organized in eight days. It was also obvious that even if an election were held by an illegitimate regime it would have no legitimacy. Anti-American demagoguery had produced a laughable policy.
On Venezuela as on the Islamic Republic in Iran, the European Union must remove its anti-US, nowadays presented as only anti-Trump, glasses to see reality.

What Microsoft Can Teach Facebook About Playing Nice
Alex Webb/Bloomberg/February 01/19
As another European Commission mega-fine on Alphabet Inc. nears, it prompts the question: can the Google parent ever free itself from the specter of penalties from the region’s regulators? The same goes for Amazon.com Inc. and Facebook Inc., each of which is facing scrutiny for how they handle data. They could do a lot worse than looking to a fellow West Coast tech giant for a playbook. It wasn’t all that long ago that Microsoft Corp. was the European Commission’s nemesis. For most of the first decade of the millennium, the firm was under fire over the way it bundled products with its then-dominant Windows operating system. It became the subject of what were then record fines. Fast forward to 2019, and Microsoft is firmly in regulators’ good books. That’s the result of a concerted effort to turn things around. Silicon Valley, take note.
For a long time, Microsoft’s approach to the Commission was antagonistic. Its attitude seemed to be that “these European bureaucrats just don’t understand technology, they’re wrong.” That pig-headedness was well exemplified by the 860 million-euro ($982 million) fine officials imposed in 2008 for failing to comply with an earlier ruling.
About five years ago, the company’s attitude started to shift. It realized that, more than just obeying the letter of the law, it had to be seen as a positive actor. It turned up the soft diplomacy: having top executives such as President Brad Smith meet more regularly with policy makers, and hosting drinks parties in Brussels. It helped that, in 2014, Satya Nadella succeeded Steve Ballmer as CEO, bringing with him an approach characterized more by humility than hubris. It went further. The technology industry was rattled in 2013 by Edward Snowden’s revelations of the extent of US surveillance. Perhaps opportunistically, Microsoft pushed to redefine itself as a privacy advocate and lock arms with the Commission in objecting to US demands for access to data. Google needs to find similarly common ground, and it could start by toning down moves that seem like threats, such as when it said last week it might shutter Google News in Europe in response to a planned copyright law which might force it to pay publishers more. Playing nice would help burnish the firm’s standing in Brussels as the investigation into alleged anticompetitive behavior in digital advertising winds down.
Amazon is meanwhile in focus for the way it might use data to imitate products that third-party vendors sell on its site in order to squeeze them out. The volume of criticism of Facebook is soaring amid concerns over the spread of false information on its platform, and its granular data on user habits.
Microsoft also offered remedies which made it seem more cooperative. For Internet Explorer, it decided to let Windows users choose which browser they wanted to use, after the regulator criticized how it linked the two products. That sort of industrial solution plays well in Brussels.
But in this case, it also fed a fundamental change in the company’s business. The browser option helped Google’s Chrome steal market share from Explorer. That would make it all the more urgent for Microsoft to find revenue elsewhere. Personal computing now accounts for less than half of sales, and the shift toward other businesses can be explained in part by regulatory pressure.
For Google and Facebook, this makes it even more important that they find revenue streams that don’t rely on targeted ads. That business accounts for almost all of the two companies’ sales, and depend on mining user data in a way that is drawing official scrutiny. Facebook sometimes appears guilty of the mindset that was once symptomatic of Microsoft, namely thinking that regulators are dumb and don’t understand its business. When Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg was quizzed by members of the European Parliament about privacy issues last May, he proved evasive and tried to unilaterally end the meeting when the line of questioning became difficult. Lawmakers were outraged.
Perhaps Zuckerberg recognizes he needs outside help: After reportedly trying to lure Smith from Microsoft, he ultimately hired former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg to head global lobbying efforts. He faces a colossal challenge to change the company’s image given the pervasive European ill will towards the company’s founder and his lieutenant, Sheryl Sandberg. As dire as relations might look for the tech firms, there’s still scope to turn them around. In 2014, former European Commissioner for Competition Neelie Kroes tweeted a selfie of herself with Smith with the words “A selfie with Brad Smith from @Microsoft ? I never would have believed if you predicted it 10yrs ago.”If Microsoft can do it, and become the world’s most valuable company once again in the process, so could they.

The Palestinians: Who Really Cares?
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/February 01/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13655/palestinians-lebanon
Protests by the Palestinians in Lebanon are unlikely to draw any attention from the international community, including so-called pro-Palestinian groups that are active especially on university campuses in the US and Canada, among other places.
The real "pro-Palestinian" groups are those who are willing to raise their voices against the mistreatment of Palestinians at the hands of their Arab brothers. The real "pro-Palestinian" groups are those who are prepared to defend the rights of women and gays living under Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The real "pro-Palestinian" groups are those that are prepared to advocate for democracy and free speech for Palestinians living under the repressive regimes of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The real "pro-Palestinian" groups are those who are prepared to condemn Lebanon for its racist and discriminatory measures against Palestinians, living and dead.
Hiding at a university campus and spewing hatred against Israel does not make one "pro-Palestinian." Rather, it makes one just an Israel-hater. Will the "pro-Palestinian" groups listen to the urgent messages coming from the people in Lebanon they claim to represent?
A Palestinian who tries to bring a bag of cement or other construction materials into a refugee camp is subjected to arrest, interrogation, trial by military court and a fine. This inhumane and unjust practice is taking place in Lebanon. (Source of construction image: iStock)
A Palestinian who tries to bring a bag of cement or other construction materials into a refugee camp to build a house is subjected to arrest, interrogation, trial by military court and a fine.
Is this happening in the Gaza Strip? No. Is it happening in the West Bank? No. This inhumane and unjust practice is taking place in an Arab country where more than 500,00 Palestinians live: Lebanon. Moreover, this ban on the entry of construction material is punishing not only the living, but also the dead. Palestinians say that because of the prohibition, they cannot even find enough stones and cement to build graves.
The wretched condition of the Palestinians living in Lebanon is often ignored by both the international community and the Western main stream media. The only Palestinians the international community seems to care about are those residing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- those whose grievances can be blamed on Israel.
Most of the Palestinians in Lebanon live in 12 refugee camps, where they suffer from poverty, overcrowding and violence, as well as Lebanon's discriminatory and apartheid laws and measures that deny them basic rights.
The Lebanese authorities claim that the ban on the entry of building materials into the camps is designed to guarantee the Palestinians' "right of return" to their former villages and towns inside Israel. The Lebanese authorities tell the Palestinians, "We do not want you to build new homes in our country: that would compromise your [purported] right of return!"
The Lebanese authorities know full well that Israel will never allow hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to move to Israel as part of a "right of return." For Israel, that would mean that Jews would become a minority in their own country, and that there would then be three Palestinian states: Gaza, Israel and the West Bank.
This minor detail, however, has not stopped Lebanon and other Arab countries that play host to Palestinian refugees and their descendants from continuing to lie to them and feeding them false hopes that one day they will go back to the homes of their fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers in Israel.
The prohibition of construction material for Palestinians in Lebanon is only one example of the discrimination they have been facing in this Arab country for the past few decades.
Palestinians in Lebanon are also banned by law from working in selected professions, including medicine, engineering, nursing, accounting, pharmaceuticals and teaching. In Lebanon, Palestinians are considered foreigners and are consequently barred from owning, selling or bequeathing property.
Housing renovations inside Palestinian camps require prior permission from the Lebanese security authorities due to concerns that the material may be used for military purposes. If the permit is granted, the army usually imposes tight measures, such as counting the number of cement bags or checking the quantity of stones that the Palestinian wishes to bring into the camp.
A Palestinian who is caught smuggling construction material into a camp is arrested, interrogated and faces a fine of 100,000 Lebanese pounds ($66).
According to a recent report in the Palestinian Information Center, the ban on the entry of construction material has been in effect for the past 22 years. "This is an inhumane measure," the report said. In 2004, according to the report, the ban was temporarily lifted for a few months before it was reinstated and expanded to additional Palestinian communities in Lebanon.
In addition to cement, the Palestinians are also banned from bringing into their camps water pipes, electrical wires, aluminum, doors, tiles, windows and glass slabs and paint.
In the past two years, the Lebanese authorities began building a concrete wall with watch towers around two Palestinian camps: Ain al-Hilweh and Rashidiyeh. The Lebanese authorities have justified building the wall for security reasons and presumably to prevent the expansion of the Palestinian camps. Palestinians refer to these walls, which have turned their compass into closed ghettos, as the "walls of shame."
Jamal Khatib, secretary-general of the Islamic Factions in Ain al-Hilweh, called on the Lebanese authorities to lift the ban. "Some of the houses have collapsed, and injured women and children," he said.
Mohammed al-Shuli, a Palestinian human rights activist, said that the ban on the entry of construction material has become a "nightmare" for all refugees.
Recently, Palestinians in Ain al-Hilweh were forced to remove stones from their houses to build a grave for a deceased resident, Khaled Zaiter. The man's body was held in a morgue for several days before the camp residents managed to take enough stones from their own homes to build a grave for him. "Burying a dead Palestinian in Ain al-Hilweh camp has become a painful and traumatic experience," said Abdel Raheem Maqdah, a Palestinian community leader in Lebanon.
Protests by the Palestinians in Lebanon are unlikely to draw any attention from the international community, including so-called pro-Palestinian groups that are active especially on university campuses in the US and Canada, among other places.
The real "pro-Palestinian" groups are those who are willing to raise their voices against the mistreatment of Palestinians at the hands of their Arab brothers. The real "pro-Palestinian" groups are those who are prepared to defend the rights of women and gays living under Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The real "pro-Palestinian" groups are those that are prepared to advocate for democracy and free speech for Palestinians living under the repressive regimes of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The real "pro-Palestinian" groups are those who are prepared to condemn Lebanon for its racist and discriminatory measures against Palestinians, living and dead.
Hiding at a university campus and spewing hatred against Israel does not make one "pro-Palestinian." Rather, it makes one an Israel-hater. Will the "pro-Palestinian" groups listen to the SOS messages coming from the people they claim to represent in Lebanon? Probably not. In all probability, they will just continue pushing their anti-Israel agenda as Palestinians in Lebanon continue to cut stones from their own homes to build graves for their dear ones.
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Belgium Welcomes Multiculturalism
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/February 01/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13606/belgium-multiculturalism
The report notes that the texts used call for gays to be stoned to death or thrown off buildings, and described Jews as "corrupt, evil and treacherous people".... The writings, the report continued...called for "war" on all people who do not follow Sunni Islam — From a recent report by the Belgian State Security Service.
"[T]he most important principle of jihad is to fight unbelievers and aggressors... Armed jihad becomes an individual duty for every Muslim." — From a teaching manual used in Belgian mosques, according to a leaked intelligence report.
Such manuals, noted the report, are widely available "thanks to the unlimited financial and technological means of the proselytizing apparatus of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states." The manuals, the report added, were found not only in Belgium but also in neighboring countries.
In May, Benjamin Herman, a criminal who converted to Islam in prison, murdered three people (including two police officers) in Liège, Belgium while out on a 48-hour leave. He then shot and wounded four more police officers while shouting "Allahu Akbar." Pictured: The city center of Liège. (Image source: iStock)
Belgium, in its well-intended welcome of newcomers from the Middle East, is now facing a persistent terrorist threat and a "wave of jihadism", according to a new report published by the Belgian State Security Service (VSSE) on November 30. The main reason for these recent acquisitions, notes the report, is the ongoing Islamic radicalization of inmates in Belgian prisons and the risk of terrorist convicts engaging in terrorist acts once they have served their sentences and are back out on the street.
"In the coming years," states the report, "the VSSE will be brought to pay particular attention to monitoring detainees convicted of acts of terrorism [after they are] released into freedom". The authors of the report do not reveal how many radicalized prisoners there are in Belgium; only that in September 2018, there were 130 inmates sentenced for terrorism or "in preventive detention in the context of a terrorism record".
"Taking into account the persistent recidivist tendency among former terrorism detainees, never mind radicalized common criminals, Belgium will continue to face a latent terror threat for some time to come," the report lets drop.
The Belgian intelligence services do not appear to consider Islam a factor in generating Islamic terrorism. Instead, the report offers up other explanations why Islamic terrorism is committed internationally: "... Real or perceived discrimination, political instability, poor economic conditions, unemployment, level of development."
Benjamin Herman, for example, was a criminal who converted to Islam in prison; then -- despite being on a state security list as a suspected radical -- last May, while out on a 48-hour leave from prison in the Belgian city of Liège, he murdered three people, including two police officers. He spared one woman, apparently because she was Muslim. Herman then shot and wounded four more police officers while shouting "Allahu Akbar." Interior Minister Jan Jambon said at the time of Herman's possible motives:
"There are signs that allow us to speak of radicalization in prison. But it can also be because he had no prospects anymore in our society, as he also committed a murder the night before."
In 2017, a leaked confidential report remarked that there were 51 organizations in Molenbeek -- an area in Brussels that has been called the "Jihadi capital of Europe", and that has fostered or harbored various jihadists, including several who were behind the 2015 Paris attacks.
Brussels itself was the site of an attack in March 2016, when Muslim terrorists killed 31 people and wounded around 300 people in the bombings of Brussels Airport and the Maalbeek metro station. There also seems to be an ongoing process of Islamization currently taking place in Belgium. Another area in which radicalization has been increasing, according to a separate confidential intelligence report leaked in May to the media, is apparently from mosques where jihad is preached. A number of them, including the Saudi-financed Great Mosque in Brussels, seem to have been training imams to promote armed jihad, Jew-hatred, and persecuting members of the LGBT community. The report notes that the texts used call for gays to be stoned to death or thrown off buildings, and described Jews as "corrupt, evil and treacherous people". The writings, the report continued, were "inspired mainly by classical Islamic law from the Middle Ages", and called for "war" on all people who do not follow Sunni Islam. "The most important principle of jihad," one teaching manual said, "is to fight unbelievers and aggressors... Armed jihad becomes an individual duty for every Muslim."
Such manuals, noted the report, are widely available "thanks to the unlimited financial and technological means of the proselytizing apparatus of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states." The manuals, the report added, were found not only in Belgium but also in neighboring countries, both in hard copy and online. Another way that Islamization is spreading in Belgium is the removal of Christian traditions, for fear of "causing offense". In Bruges, the organizers of the Christmas market changed its name to "Winter Market" in order "not to offend other beliefs", the Belgian news outlet HLN disclosed.
Christmas lights will now be replaced by "winter lights". According to Pieter Vanderyse, the organizer of Bruges' Winter Market, "If we use the word Christmas, it will be associated with a religion, but we want to be more neutral. We have no idea where the commotion comes from, this is the second year the name has changed".
Also according to HLN, other Belgian cities, such as Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Hasselt, have also changed their Christmas Markets to "Winter Markets", "Winter Lands" or "Winter Fun". One might speculate, however, that, in addition to being afraid of "causing offense", the organizers were also afraid of jihad. Christmas markets in Europe have become repeated targets of jihad. In 2016, a terrorist, Anis Amri, killed 12 people at a Christmas market in Berlin after pledging allegiance to ISIS. More recently, on December 2, 2018, a man wielding a hatchet and shouting "Allahu Akbar" ["Allah is the greatest"] visited a Christmas market in the German city of Witzenhausen, where he threatened several Christmas shoppers .
The growing desire to appease newcomers from the Middle East is not limited to commercial establishments, such as Christmas markets. The Catholic Church has also weighed in. At the funeral service in Liège for the two police officers that Benjamin Herman murdered, the Bishop of Liège, Jean-Pierre Delville, apparently innocent of Islam's tenets, said:
"We know that, if Islam has been invoked as the reason to kill, it is because it has been manipulated and held hostage by terrorists and violent people. So, we must help Islam get rid of such manipulative and perverted interpretations, by promoting dialogue and friendship all the time."Belgium has its own Islamic party, named ISLAM ("Integrité, Solidarité, Liberté, Authenticité, Moralité"), which has, as its goal, creating an Islamic State, including the separation of men and women in buses. In the 2012 municipal elections, the party won two seats, one of them in Molenbeek. In the 2018 municipal elections, the party lost its seat in Molenbeek, winning less than 2% of the vote, so perhaps its appeal may be declining.
Belgium has also seen the growth of a possibly largely imported anti-Semitism. The Chief Rabbi of Brussels has not worn a skullcap in public since 2001, when he was attacked by a group of young Arab men. When a Belgian public broadcaster asked to film the Chief Rabbi and other members of the Jewish community walking on the street while wearing their skullcaps, they declined, saying that they feared for their safety. In 2014, a Muslim terrorist killed four people at the Brussels Jewish museum.
Half of all Muslim teens in Belgium hold anti-Semitic views, according to a 2013 study conducted for the Flemish government among almost 4,000 high school students in Antwerp and Ghent. Among Muslims, 50.9% of respondents agreed with the statement "Jews foment war and blame others for it," compared to 7.1% among non-Muslims. The statement "Jews seek to control everything" received a 45.1% approval rating among Muslims, compared to a 10.8% approval among non-Muslims. Approximately 35% of Muslims agreed with the statement that "Jews have too much clout in Belgium," compared to 11.8% of non-Muslims
According to the main Belgian anti-Semitism watchdog, the Belgian League Against Antisemitism, Belgian Jews live "in a permanent stage of siege".
"The presence of military on the street in front of Jewish sites is somewhat reassuring," said the president of the Belgian League Against Antisemitism, Joël Rubinfeld, last May. Over "the last two or three years," he said, his organization had dealt with a dozen cases of Jewish school students subjected to anti-Semitic bullying, as well as a broader trend of Jewish parents unwilling to risk sending their children to public schools.
"This is what they call a double punishment: on the one hand, they are victims of these antisemitic acts, of bullying, or even sometimes of physical violence, and on the other hand, it is they, and not the aggressors, who have to leave their school."
Rubinfeld also said that it has been difficult to convince Belgian politicians that the country has a serious problem with antisemitism. "Already in 2008-2009, I told them: 'If you do not do it for my children, do it for your children.'" He added that it has been difficult to convince Belgian politicians that the country has a serious problem.
Is it possible that Belgium has a few of them?
*Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Israel, Syria and the world through Iranian eyes
سمدار بيري/يديعوت أحرونوت/إسرائيل وسوريا والعالم من خلال عيون إيرانية
Smadar Perry|/YnetNews/January 02/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/71720/smadar-perry-ynetnews-israel-syria-and-the-world-through-iranian-eyes-%d8%b3%d9%85%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%8a%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%aa-%d8%a3%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%88%d9%86/
Smadar Perry has an illuminating conversation with an well-placed academic in Iran, who shares his thoughts on – and interest in – Israeli society, as well as the true powerbrokers of the Middle East, his own country and America's reversal on the nuclear agreement.
"Let's put our cards on the table," he says. "Even if you keep bombing, blow things up or try something else, you won't be able to oust the Iranian forces, call them 'experts,' call them 'advisers,' or simply 'Quds.' I believe that in Israel you know exactly what is going on, exactly who is in Syria. You have maps, you exchange information with foreign sources, and I assume you also have agents there. In any case, neither side is going to give in. I assume that Israel will continue bombing, so we will be more careful and there will be surprises from our side."
What kind of surprises?
"I really don't know, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell," he answers. "I really love my country."
The speaker is a very senior figure in Tehran's political and academic life, who holds an important university post. The dialogue between us takes place on the explicit condition that not one of clue as to his identity is revealed, and certainly not in an Israeli newspaper. So what can I say? He has an excellent reputation in his country, and he cultivates a wide professional and personal circle of friends. His wife comes from a privileged family, and they have three children. The eldest, surprisingly, in studying in the United States and comes and goes on family visits to Tehran, without any problems or fear of arrest. "Don't forget that our upper echelons studied in higher education institutions in America or Europe," he says in fluent English. "I studied in the United States and returned immediately after. I assume my son will finish his studies and will not stay a moment longer." The unnamed Iranian academic is an impressive man by all accounts, a fascinating interlocutor who knows just what he can say and what to omit.
Syrian foothold
"Look," he says, analyzing the situation to Israel's north, "there is a close daily relationship between certain elements in Iran and senior Syrian army personnel, and you cannot bring in people or deliver shipments without prior coordination. So it's not right to say that Syria is 'Iran's playground,' or that things are happening on the ground without consultations with the Syrian commanders. It is certainly true though that the level of coordination is diminishing because of the fear of leaks to the Israeli side. Those in the know in Iran are taking into account that you're keeping a very close watch on Syria."
"But what do you want with a failing state like Syria?" I ask. "You don't even have a common language or mutual interests."
"Who cares about the internal situation there?" he quickly replies. "We need a foothold inside Syria, to have entry channels, bases of power. Even the cautious dialogue we have with the Russians is very important. Ask me who is stronger in Syria, the Iranians or the Russians, and I will tell you that the Russians are stronger, but we are the allies that Assad trusts."
Once again, the Iranian street has awakened, and over the past year they still pinned their hopes on the West, after a wave of demonstrations that followed the collapse of the rial. They included harsh slogans against the regime, criticizing their involvement in Syria, Gaza and Lebanon.
"Within Iran, there is a clear division of roles and powers: The people are not permitted and are unable to follow the events in Syria. There is simply a process that goes over their heads, between Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Quds Force, and his group of senior commanders, and the office of the Supreme Leader Khamenei. Suleimani, who is a very powerful and fascinating figure, has direct access to the leader's office, and it is there that he decides on affairs in Syria, among other things."
And what about the Russians? "There is almost total separation between the Iranian forces and the Russian forces inside Syria, and the Russians are primarily located next to the seaports. The Iranians, shall we say, are increasing the Syrian army, but also taking care of other interests. Please note that there is a language barrier – the Russian don’t speak Persian or Arabic at all. And yet, they manage. They have either learned the language or speak English. "
The Russians, he immediately hastens to add, are very careful not to approach us or disturb the Iranians there. "Each side keeps to its own territory." How much of the information ultimately arrives at the Syrian president's palace? Now he laughs. "I believe that Bashar Assad has sent people to spy on both the Russians and the Iranians. Everyone gathers information on everyone else, for no side can afford to be taken by surprise."
My interlocutor shifts the conversation to he topic of Saudi Arabia. "What has been happening there since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is very good for Iran, and we believe the time is coming when Saudi Arabia will try to make an unofficial move in our direction. By the way, it is true that the number of executions in Iran is greater, but there has been no international outcry about this like there was in the case of the Saudi journalist," he says with satisfaction.
"I enjoy watching President Trump try to get close to them, while the media and the Democrats find more and more evidence that makes it clear he should keep his distance. This gives me a glimmer of hope that in the end the Americans will have to turn to the Iranians and begin a relationship with us."
What about the possibility of an open confrontation between Iran and the IDF on Syrian soil?
"Firstly, there is no immediate reason for war. Secondly, both sides are more comfortable continuing what they are already doing. You will continue to strike from the air, and we will continue to establish ourselves inside Syria. Here and there Russian forces have comments regarding our presence, and we know how to deal with that. You also get comments from them, and are careful not to release it when you do. As it seems you have lost the upper hand in your Russia connections. Note that the Russians tried to distance us from the Israeli border a few months ago, but since then they have not mentioned it. Sometimes our side changes the deployment of forces, such as what happened on the Syrian Golan. Or, for example, we carefully go out with the Iranian experts and take care that they will not be recognized on the ground."
I ask him what he knows about Israel, and his eyes widen.
"I know who your politicians are, listen to reports about your military plans with great interest, but I am most interested in learning about life in Israel, how the society is structured, Sephardi versus Ashkenazi," he says, exhibiting an impressive amount of knowledge. "Adults and young people, trends, culture, even your legal world fascinates me." He does not see a big difference between young people in Iran and young people in Israel.
"In Tehran, like in Tel Aviv, we like contemporary music, good food and parties, and I more and more recognize a desire to shake off the old generation. The young girls, for example, go out in the street dressed modestly, and when they go to parties and private events it turns out that underneath they were wearing modern clothes."
The gray man
According to my interlocutor, about a quarter of Iran's population officially belongs to the conservative stream, while another quarter, mainly young, are affiliated with the liberal and rebellious stream. "Among them are the 'gray ones,' some of whom favor the old-fashioned, traditional one, and some who follow the new, albeit with less flamboyance. They hold demonstrations against the establishment that are mainly related to the harsh living conditions, but that does not mean that the demonstrators are part of the modernists. They are protesting against terms of employment and salaries. "
What stream do you belong to? It is an obvious question.
"I would say that I am religious-modern, in the gray realm. I pray, I follow the commandments of religion, without becoming extreme, and keep in close contact with my children and their contemporaries, but I also have an open line to the other side too."
My interlocutor tells me that it is allowed to be critical of the regime in Iran to criticize: "All of them, except for Supreme Leader Khamenei or the senior commanders of the security services," he says. The establishment, he explains, has total control and ensures that no one takes them by surprise. "There are informants everywhere. I believe they even know where and when the young people's secret parties take place and only make arrests only when they cross the line." In his eyes, the regime's hand does not rest too heavily on the shoulders of its citizens. "Yes, in Iran they jail people who brutally fight against the system, but many times they are released quietly, with a commitment not to repeat the act that led to their arrest. Yes, there are also innocent people in prisons. In general, you are likely to be thrown in jail if you are seen as a threat to the regime. It's just as bad as being a drug dealer."
Meanwhile, Iran's balance of power has shifted again. President Hassan Rouhani and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif have suddenly vanished. You don't see or hear from them and Supreme Leader Khamenei is essentially saying, "I told you so."
My companion concedes that "not everything is good in Iran, and there is great disappointment, especially among the young people, and the feeling that the move with the Americans (the Iranian nuclear deal) has failed."
Now it's the turn of the military commanders to set the tone, I say.
I completely agree with you. The regime is keeping (Rouhani and Zarif - SP) in its pocket for a situation in which there are developments in the dialogue with the American administration. Look, Trump's announcement that he was renouncing Obama's policy and banning anyone doing business with us, was a painful slap in the face, It's true that Iran can handle the sanctions, but life is much more difficult. It is not a good situation. "
Looking West
Instead of the United States and European countries, he explains, we got China. Oil exports to China stand at 700,000 barrels a day, about a third of the country's oil.
"But I do not like them," he admits. "We have no common language, they have no interest in trying to solve our problems in the world or in really getting close to us. The just want to do business at a good price and to get some sort of foothold. I prefer the Americans, and I believe they will come, on their own terms."
He breaks off for a moment, to quote a passage from a poem written by the Iranian poet Azita Ghahreman (who now lives in Sweden):
We stand back to back
to contemplate darkness
and the chirping of rain,
the rain eases
a new season dawns
we turn our heads
to contemplate Spring
but find we no longer know one another.
"Did you understand that?" he asks. "In my opinion, this is the precise essence of life in Iran: At one point you are up and one point you are down. You have to preserve your optimism at all times, look around you and look for solutions."
"And do you see yourself in it?"
"My situation is good within Iran, I have full freedom of movement, my family is well placed and I can contribute to the poor."
Most importantly, he adds, Iran is a beautiful country. "As you move away from the center of Tehran, you come across breathtaking beauty and warm, wonderful people. My children flee Tehran at every opportunity, go skiing in the winter and visit cafes and markets in the spring and summer. If only we were a little more Western, it would be perfect."