LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 08/19

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people
Letter to the Romans 09/01-05: “I am speaking the truth in Christ I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit. I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on February 07-08/19
The Futile Lebanese New Government Mere Rhetoric Ministerial Statement
Lebanon's New Government is A mere Iranian Tool
Lebanese cabinet approves policy document clearing way for parliament vote
Iran builds new secret missile site in Syria for Hezbollah
Lebanon: New Government’s Commitment to Dissociation Policy Under Scrutiny
Lebanese Govt. Approves Policy Statement as LF 'Strongly Objects' to Resistance Text
Jumblat Files Lawsuit against al-Jadeed Television
Berri: Oil Companies Were Warned about Israel Infringing on Territorial Waters
Israel Briefly Detains Lebanese in Occupied Territories
Report: 5 Officers Ordered Detained as Othman Gives Permission
PSP Delegation Meets Hariri, Says 'Ties Mended, Firmer than Before
Berri convenes Parliament Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss ministerial statement
Conte visits Italian peacekeepers in Shamaa
Nadim Gemayel visits Alfa Telecomunications Company, meets Hayek over new digital strategy
EU Ambassador Christina Lassen honours the press
Officer Lt. Col. Suzanne al-Hajj Says KSA Wanted Her Fired, Ghabash Says 'Coordinated' with Her on Itani
Public Housing Institute to Resume Loan Applications Processing
ISF Officers Arrested on Corruption Charges
Kataeb Delegation Discusses Draft Law on Minorities Persecution Remembrance with Hashnaq
Hariri Calls On Italy to Increase Investment in Lebanon
The Most Powerful Image Of The Week
Hizbullah Leader Nasrallah: I Am Willing To Go To Iran And Bring The Lebanese Army Air Defenses, Anything It Needs To Become Strongest Army In The Region

Litles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 07-08/19
Two Iranian flops: Putting a satellite into orbit and fitting guided warhead on long-range ballistic missile
Israel, U.S. to begin massive air force drill amid northern tension
Images suggest Iran launched satellite despite US criticism
Iran Beefs Up East Syria Base Ahead of US Withdrawal
Austrian President Refuses to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
Coalition: ISIS down to less than 1% of original ‘caliphate’
Watchdog: Revolutionary Iran jailed 1.7 mln in 30 years
US army to buy two Israeli Iron Dome air defense systems
Rouhani: Iran ready to accept friendly US ties if it ‘repents’
Turkey building collapse death toll rises to three; 12 rescued
Imran Khan, Saad Hariri and Harrison Ford among big names attending Dubai’s World Government Summit
Top Iraqi cleric rejects Trump’s plan for US troops in Iraq
Unconfirmed reports that key Abu Sayyaf leader killed in Philippines

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 07-08/19
The Futile Lebanese New Government Mere Rhetoric Ministerial Statement/Elias Bejjani/February 06/19ebruary 06/19
Lebanon's New Government is A mere Iranian Tool/Elias Bejjani/February 05/19
Lebanese cabinet approves policy document clearing way for parliament vote/The National/February 07/19
Iran builds new secret missile site in Syria for Hezbollah/Hagay Hacohen/Jerusalem Post/February 07/19
Lebanon: New Government’s Commitment to Dissociation Policy Under Scrutiny/Mohamed Choucair/Asharq Al Awsat/February 07/19
Hariri Calls On Italy to Increase Investment in Lebanon/Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/February 07/19
The Most Powerful Image Of The Week/Fatima Al Mahmoud//February 07/19
Hizbullah Leader Nasrallah: I Am Willing To Go To Iran And Bring The Lebanese Army Air Defenses, Anything It Needs To Become Strongest Army In The Region/MEMRI/February 07/19
Two Iranian flops: Putting a satellite into orbit and fitting guided warhead on long-range ballistic missile/DEBKAfile/February 07/19
Israel, U.S. to begin massive air force drill amid northern tension/Jerusalem Post/February 07/19.
EU’s new Iran trade mechanism doomed to fail/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/February 07, 2019
Are the US and Other Democracies in Trouble/Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/February 07/19
Why Won't the British Left Pick on Someone Else/Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/February 07/19
Double Standard for Historical Revisionism/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/February 07/19
Burned by Israel Strikes, Iran to Move Weapons Supply Center Out of Damascus/Amos Harel/Haaretz/February 07/10
Review Of Qatari Islamic Education Textbooks – Part II: Secularism Is Heresy; It Was Injected Into The Islamic World By The West In Order To Distance Muslims From Their Religion/MEMRI Staff/February 7, 2019
A New Non-ideological ‘Cold War/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/February 07/19
Companies Take On the Next Environmental Threats/Nathanial Bullard/Bloomberg/February 07/19

Latest LCCC English Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on February 07-08/19
The Futile Lebanese New Government Mere Rhetoric Ministerial Statement
عقم البيان الوزاري الإنشائي لحكومة الحريري في لبنان
Elias Bejjani/February 06/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/71882/elias-bejjani-the-futile-lebanese-new-government-mere-rhetoric-ministerial-statement-%d8%b9%d9%82%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%88%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84/
Practically there will be no sense or value what so ever for the new Lebanese “Hariri” Cabinet’s Ministerial Statement.
The statement is definitely going to be a mere rhetoric document as long as it does not address openly, loudly and constitutionally the oppressive Iranian occupation of Lebanon, and at the same time if it does no adopt a clear patriotic and courageous plan to end this occupation in a bid to reclaim both the Lebanese confiscated independence and sovereignty.
None of the Cabinet’s thirty ministers will be free to do any thing that is positive if it does not serve totally the Iran’s devious scheme of terrorism, expansionism, sectarianism, and denominationalism.
The ministers’ conduct with no one exception as well as even their breath of air will be monitored constrained and controlled by Hezbollah, the occupier.
In reality the Iranian Terrorist Hezbollah organization totally runs the governing show and all the rest of the officials on all levels including the thirty new ministers are a mere supernumerary “comparse” who carry verbatim its dictates, املاءات degrees فتاوى and faramens فرمانات.
In this context all the time and effort that is spent in preparing the ministerial statement is futile and shall have no practical value by any means.
Meanwhile it is worth mentioning that twenty of the thirty ministers in the new “Hariri” government are totally affiliated to Hezbollah and accordingly obey happily its dictates, while the other ten represent the three Lebanese political parties (Lebanese Forces Party headed by Dr. Samir Geagea, Progressive Socialist Party headed by Walid Jumblat, Future Movement headed by Saad Hariri) that has already succumbed to Hezbollah’s occupation agenda after abandoning and dismantling the 14th Of March coalition in exchange for marginal personal benefits and trivial local governing and castrated positions.
The current Ministerial Statement and as was the unconstitutional status since 2005 will heretically legitimize the so called “Hezbollah’s resistance” against Israeli in a bold defiance and contempt to all that is constitution and UN Resolutions (1559, 1701,The 1946 Armistice agreement with Israel).
Few ministers, especially the four Lebanese Forces’ Party ones are expected and in a camouflaging and deceiving theatrical show to verbally disagree on the “Hezbollah’s Resistance legitimization” clause of the Ministerial Statement, but will not resign from government while their party’s 15 MP’s will grant it a vote of confidence in the parliament.
In conclusion the New Lebanese “Hariri” Government is not only A Hezbollah one, but actually it is an Iranian mere tool.

Lebanon's New Government is A mere Iranian Tool
Elias Bejjani/February 05/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/71825/elias-bejjani-lebanons-new-government-is-a-mere-iranian-tool/
Hezbollah Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, alleged yesterday in a speech aired via his Iranian terrorist organization "Al-Manar TV" that the new Lebanese Government is not controlled by Hezbollah.
Definitely, and without any doubt, Nasrallah's camouflaging rhetoric of denial is not only false, but also deceiving by all means and in all domains.
In reality and based on actual facts that are related to the political, national, and strategic affiliations of the thirty ministers of the newly formed cabinet, we can loudly and freely, say that this New Government is a mere Iranian tool no more no less.
The Government was announced after Hezbollah's on going Iranian Mullah's obstacles, intimidations and procrastinations that went on evilly for nine months in a bid to serve Iran's regional and local terrorist agenda.
There is nothing in this new government that is "Lebanese" by any means except its name.
In reality and actuality it is an Iranian mere governing tool as was the status of the previous one.
It is worth mentioning that the State of Lebanon is an Iranian occupied and oppressed country.
Meanwhile all those politicians and so called corrupted political parties who participated in the new government are practically mere Trojans and have no patriotic or free saying in any matter being major or minor...and espcially in regards to Hezbollah's occupation.
Twenty ministers out of the thirty portfolios that the new government is composed of are filled either by Hezbollah active members, allies or by individuals that are picked and nominated by its leadership.
While the other 10 portfolios are designated to ministers that represent three political parties that has already succumbed to the occupier, Hezbollah, and accepted to recognize its occupation and control in exchange for trivial and marginalized governing power shares.
Sadly this new government is going to be practically like the previous one, just a mask and a cover for Hezbollah's occupation and a tool for Iranian Mullah's expansionism and terrorism schemes that are totally anti-Lebanese, anti-Arab and anti peace..

Lebanese cabinet approves policy document clearing way for parliament vote
The National/February 07/19
The new Lebanese government has passed the first hurdle to reopen the government by approving the policy statement that lays out the new cabinet’s plans.
Just a week after cabinet was formed, ending the long delay since the May 2018 election, the government now has just one final formality before it can get to work. Parliament will need to convene to approve the policy statement. While all the major parties are represented in cabinet, meaning the vote is an almost foregone conclusion, members of parliament will be able to quiz the government on policy and process. No date has yet been set for MPs to debate the plan but Speaker Nabih Berri will likely call a session in the coming days. Thursday’s Cabinet session took place at Baabda Palace and President Michel Aoun told the new intake of ministers: “The policy statement covered all main topics and we hope that it will be achieved and no time is wasted.” The document draws up a plan of aims for the Lebanese government. Prime Minister Saad Hariri and several ministers have said that the priority will be passing economic reforms to unlock $11 billion in grants and loans offered to the country to rebuild ageing infrastructure and kick start the stalled economy. Local media reported that a draft of the policy statement included a commitment for Lebanon to reduce the deficit by one per cent a year for the next five years. To do this it will reduce subsidies – currently costing some $2 billion a year, a sizable chunk of the national budget – that goes to the ageing Electricité du Liban. The state provider cannot generate enough electricity to provide 24-hour power but has been making a loss for years as the price billed to customers is well under the cost per unit. No government has been willing to take the politically unpopular move or increasing electricity bills while they cannot provide consistent electricity. The draft also reportedly stressed that Lebanon would commit to “a consistent financial and monetary policy to boost confidence in the national economy and reduce the public debt-to-GDP ratio by increasing the size of the economy and reducing the treasury budget.” Mr Hariri has said that the reforms will be “difficult and painful” but stressed that it would be necessary to prevent economic ruin.

Iran builds new secret missile site in Syria for Hezbollah
Hagay Hacohen/Jerusalem Post/February 07/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/71951/amos-harel-haaretz-burned-by-israel-strikes-iran-to-move-weapons-supply-center-out-of-damascus-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B3-%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%84-%D9%87%D8%A2%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B3-%D8%A5/
Israel exposed on Thursday Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah efforts to build a missile factory in the Syrian town of Safita.
Iran, Syria and Hezbollah are establishing a missile factory on the outskirts of the Syrian town Safita, Israel exposed on Thursday according to Channel 12.
Israel’s strategy, according to the report, is to make the efforts public to thwart the construction and success of the factory, which is supposed to be where Iran will turn Hezbollah’s missiles into precision-guided munitions, capable of striking targets in Israel with unprecedented accuracy.
The Israeli report claimed that a front organization named “Anas Group” was created to purchase materials from Italy, China and other Asian nations, and that the factory is currently run by Jamal Said, said to be a known figure in the field of missile production in the Middle East.
Speaking in the United Nations in September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressured the international community to pay attention to Israel’s findings and inspect Iran’s movements in Syria. Netanyahu at the time revealed several sites in Beirut, where he said Hezbollah attempted to convert ground-to-ground missiles to precision missiles. One of the sites, according to the prime minister, was inside a soccer stadium belonging to the Lebanese terrorist group, a second site in Hariri International Airport and a third 500 meters from the airport’s runway in the heart of the Ma’aganah residential neighborhood.
“Israel knows what you’re doing, and Israel knows where you’re doing it,” he said. “What Iran hides, Israel will find.”In December, he said the sites had been closed as a result of Israel’s exposure of them at the UN. Hezbollah’s effort to build accurate and precise missiles, facilitated by Iranian expertise, funding and guidance, has been targeted by Israel on numerous occasions in Syria – most recently late last year – when Israeli jets struck a military warehouse that held vehicles set to smuggle precision rocket converting systems from Syria to Lebanon.

Lebanon: New Government’s Commitment to Dissociation Policy Under Scrutiny
Mohamed Choucair/Asharq Al Awsat/February 07/19
The Lebanese government is scheduled to convene this Thursday to approve its policy statement, based on which it would receive Parliament’s vote of confidence. A drafting committee concluded its three-day meetings on Wednesday, with Information Minister Jamal Jarrah stating that the final review of the ministerial statement was completed after introducing minor changes “without affecting the essence.” Speaker Nabih Berri is expected to call for a parliamentary session on Tuesday or Wednesday to hear the policy statement ahead of a vote of confidence. Then, the government’s commitment to the dissociation policy and its ability to keep Lebanon away from regional conflicts, would be put under scrutiny. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, a number of ministers, who were part of the drafting committee, warned that the new government’s failure to commit to the dissociation policy would “push the country into the game of Arab and international axes and would have dire consequences on national interests.” In this regard, sources quoted Prime Minister Saad Hariri as saying: “No one expresses the opinion of the government except for its head.”Commenting on Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil’s recent statements about the normalization of relations with the Syrian regime, he said that they reflected only Bassil’s opinion as the head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and not as a minister. “I did not talk to him before he issued such statements,” Hariri was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan took office on Wednesday, pledging to “prove the woman’s ability to assume an exceptional portfolio.”Her remarks came during the handover ceremony from her predecessor, Nohad al-Mashnouq, who had been in the post for five years.

Lebanese Govt. Approves Policy Statement as LF 'Strongly Objects' to Resistance Text
Naharnet/February 07/19/The Council of Ministers on Thursday approved the new government's Policy Statement, after it was finalized a day earlier by a ministerial panel.
“We demanded placing the strategic decisions exclusively in the hands of the state and our demand was recorded without being added to the Statement,” Social Affairs Minister Richard Kouyoumjian of the LF said after the session. “We managed to modify some terms and phrases in a minor manner,” he added. Deputy Premier Ghassan Hasbani of the LF meanwhile said his party's ministers objected to the failure to add the phrase “within the state's legitimate institutions” to a clause related to resisting Israel. Earlier in the day, State Minister for Administrative Development Affairs of the LF said her party has “reservations and strong objections to the clause related to the resistance.”“We have asked for limiting the defense strategy to the Lebanese armed forces exclusively, but of course this has not been accepted,” Chidiac added. She also said that Hizbullah would not have appointed a health minister who “wears neckties and shakes hands” if it had “an intention to confront the international community.”Briefing reporters after the Cabinet session, Information Minister Jamal al-Jarrah said President Michel Aoun lauded the completion of the 17-clause Statement. “He hoped these ideas will be achieved, describing them as necessary and related to the people's needs,” Jarrah added. “Prime Minister Saad Hariri for his part said that the finalization of the Policy Statement in three days was remarkable, calling for further governmental solidarity,” the minister said. “We should not preoccupy ourselves with political bickering and the Lebanese are waiting for a lot from us and they are expecting achievements in some crucial living issues,” Jarrah quoted Hariri as saying. He added that “most amendments were lingual to further clarify a clause or a topic and nothing essential was changed,” while pointing out that “a segment related to cultural heritage was added.”Speaking at the beginning of the session, Aoun said the statement's clauses had “covered all essential topics,” urging the parties “not to waste time.”Speaker Nabih Berri is expected to call for parliamentary confidence sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. LBCI television had reported Wednesday that the Policy Statement will stress Lebanon's “commitment to a harmonious financial and monetary policy that enhances confidence in the national economy, lowers the debt-to-GDP ratio through increasing the economy's size, and slashes the treasury's deficit.”“As of the 2019 state budget, Lebanon is committed to conducting a financial rectification with a rate of 1% over a period of five years through boosting revenues and slashing expenditure, starting by Electricite du Liban's annual deficit which would be eventually totally eliminated,” LBCI quoted the government as saying in the statement. The government also says that it is “committed the maintaining a fixed national currency exchange rate seeing as it is a priority for social and economic stability.”

Jumblat Files Lawsuit against al-Jadeed Television
Naharnet/February 07/19/Progressive Socialist Party chief ex-MP Walid Jumblat on Thursday filed a lawsuit against al-Jadeed television and Charbel Khalil's Qadh-w-Jam satirical TV show, accusing them of “libel, defamation and stirring sectarian sentiments.”The lawsuit was submitted by the justice and legislation officer of the PSP, the lawyer Suzanne Ismail. The move comes after a segment in the program featured a character named Abu al-Qaaqaa. The National News Agency said the lawsuit argues that the segment had “insulted the dignity of Druze clergymen and the dignity of the community in general.” “It also included terms that insult the other sects and political parties and re-open the wounds of war,” NNA quoted the suit as saying. Al-Jadeed TV's building in Beirut's Wata el-Msaitbeh area had come under a grenade attack after the aforementioned episode of the program was aired. Jumblat has acknowledged that he knows the identity of the attack's perpetrator, promising to hand him over when “the right circumstances” come.

Berri: Oil Companies Were Warned about Israel Infringing on Territorial Waters
Naharnet/February 07/19/Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday, said he raised with visiting Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, the Israeli violations against Lebanon’s offshore gas blocks. After meeting Conte, Berri told reporters “it was necessary to raise the issue of Israeli violations against Block 9. We have warned the oil companies excavating in Lebanon’s oil, including the Italian ENI, on the issue.”The Speaker added that he is going to discuss the matter with French President Emmanuel Macron, and how Israel is seeking to steal Lebanon’s oil.However, he did not say when the two will meet. Earlier, Berri had said that Israel had licensed a company to excavate for oil and gas near disputed areas with Lebanon. In 2018, Lebanon signed its first contract to drill for oil and gas in a pair of offshore zones, including Block 9 which Israel says belongs to it. A consortium comprising energy giants Total, ENI, and Novatek has pledged to begin drilling off Lebanon's coast in 2019. Total has said that the dispute between Lebanon and Israel over Block 9 only covers eight percent of its surface area. But Lebanese officials have said the whole zone belongs to Lebanon, and Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has insisted it is solidly in Israeli territory.

Israel Briefly Detains Lebanese in Occupied Territories
Naharnet/February 07/19/A Lebanese national who entered the occupied territories of Palestine was reportedly caught by Israeli forces in the vicinity of the radar site in the heights of Shebaa Farms, LBCI TV channel reported on Thursday. The man was identified as Omar Bahij Hakim from the Chouf area of Meshref, it added. Later in the day, the State-run National News Agency said Israel has handed over the man to UNIFIL troops operating in southern Lebanon, through the Naqoura crossing. The freed man was then handed over by the UNIFIL to the army's intelligence services.

Report: 5 Officers Ordered Detained as Othman Gives Permission
Naharnet/February 07/19/Judge Ghada Aoun on Thursday ordered the interrogation and detention of five Internal Security Forces officers and a number of ISF members after ISF chief Maj. Gen. Imad Othman gave a permission for their prosecution, a media report said.
The five officers are accused of accepting bribes in return for protecting fugitives. Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat had objected to the suspension of one of the officers – Colonel Wael Malaeb – lashing out at Othman, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and other political forces over the move. Jumblat has stressed that he supports the enforcement of the law but urged Othman to “eradicate all corruption at his directorate” and to ensure a “transparent probe” in the case of Malaeb and his colleagues. “And if he has the ability, he should rein in the major scandals at Beirut’s airport, where perhaps there are regional balances,” Jumblat added on Sunday. Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil has defended the prosecution of the five officers, describing them as a “gang.”“If every time a corrupt official is prosecuted the issue will be depicted as an attack on a sect and its leader, this means that accountability will not target any corrupt official,” Bassil has said.“Corruption has no sect and there should be two sects: the sect of corrupts and the sect of upright people,” Bassil added. “It is unacceptable to face political protections whenever we want to hold someone accountable,” the FPM chief went on to say, wondering if it is “required that we stay as we are until the collapse of the country.” “The officers gang that you are hearing about comprises Druze, Shiites, Sunnis, Maronites, Greek Orthodoxs and all sects, so why don't they all enter prison? Why is the issue being depicted as being targeted against a certain party while it is comprised of everybody?” Bassil added.

PSP Delegation Meets Hariri, Says 'Ties Mended, Firmer than Before'
Naharnet/February 07/19/A Progressive Socialist Party delegation on Thursday met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri and announced that ties between the two parties have been mended and are now “firmer than before.”The delegation comprised the ministers Akram Shehayyeb and Wael Abu Faour and the MPs Fisal al-Sayegh and Hadi Abu al-Husn. The meeting was held in the presence of Hariri's aide and ex-minister Ghattas Khoury. “The relation between this dear house and Mukhtara is historic,” Shehayyeb said after the meeting. “The PM is certainly keen, like us, on the Taef Accord... It is true that there are differences over several files, economic and otherwise, but we certainly agree on the major national principles. And on the regional issue, we and the premier are in the same position,” Shehayyeb added. “Today's meeting was very cordial and the relation has been mended and is now even firmer,” the minister went on to say. Asked what pushed PSP leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat to change his stance quickly after the fiery stances he voiced on Sunday, Shehayyeb said: “There is a common interest for the sake of the people, the institutions and the success of this government.”Jumblat and Hariri had engaged in an unprecedented war of words following the formation of the new government. The relation between the two leaders was reportedly strained in connection with several issues, including Jumblat's refusal to cede the industry ministerial portfolio, the suspension of an Internal Security Forces close to Jumblat, Hariri's rapprochement with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil, the appointment of a pro-Syria refugee affairs minister and the allocation of the internally displaced people ministry to Ghassan Atallah of the FPM.

Berri convenes Parliament Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss ministerial statement
Thu 07 Feb 2019/NNA - Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, has convened the Parliament to meet on forthcoming Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the ministerial statement and to carry out a vote of confidence for the new government.

Conte visits Italian peacekeepers in Shamaa
Thu 07 Feb 2019/NNA - Prime Minister of Italy, Giuseppe Conte, on Thursday visited the Italian Battalion operating within the UNIFIL, at its headquarters in the southern town of Shamaa. Conte was accompanied by Italian Ambassador to Lebanon, Massimo Marotti.
During the visit, Conte hailed "the excellent work and tremendous efforts" the Blue Helmets had undertaken to serve peace in south Lebanon.He also renewed Italy's commitment to support Lebanon.

Nadim Gemayel visits Alfa Telecomunications Company, meets Hayek over new digital strategy
Thu 07 Feb 2019/NNA - Head of Data and Information Parliamentary Committee, MP Nadim Gemayel, on Thursday visited Alfa Telecommunications Company, where he toured along with the Company's Board Chairman, Marwan Hayek, the various departments and units.
MP Gemayel had firsthand look at the latest services and measures undertaken by the Company's Data Center, the Operations Room and the Sales section, in a bid to ensure up-t-date communications standards.Gemayel also discussed with Hayek the digital strategy which must be adopted in cooperation between telecommunications companies and the state.

EU Ambassador Christina Lassen honours the press
Thu 07 Feb 2019/NNA - NNA - EU Ambassador Christina Lassen hosted a reception in honour of the press, this evening at her residence, in the presence of Minister of Information Jamal Jarrah.
The following is her speech:
“Your Excellency, Minister of Information Jamal Jarrah
Ahla w sahla fikon bi beit el eti7ad el orope fi lebnen! W mabrouk la lebnen lal houkoume el jdide!
How exciting it is to meet exactly one week after the formation of the new government. I'm sure you have all been working hard covering the long formation process and now in the past week been busy introducing the new ministers and their portfolios to the public.
But this is only the beginning. The Lebanese people and the international community have high expectations to the new government, whose success will be determined by its capacity to address the challenges the country faces. I am referring in particular to the implementation of the necessary institutional, economic and social reforms agreed during the CEDRE conference. These reforms, together with anti-corruption measures, can make a real difference in the lives of Lebanese citizens. And we were happy to hear the Prime Minister stress exactly those issues when all the EU ambassadors met with him this morning.
In this context and more than ever, the Lebanese public needs accurate, fact-checked information that will guide them in their daily decisions. So your role will be essential during the upcoming period. You are the source of information of every Lebanese citizen, and you have the immense responsibility of challenging their critical thinking, as much as holding the people's representatives accountable. Without you, people are left to guess. Without you, people cannot hold their officials accountable.
Dear guests,
It is my pleasure to host this annual gathering where the European Union honours you, journalists and representatives of all media in Lebanon.
I am happy to see that this gathering's crowd is evolving over the years. I see familiar faces with us tonight, veterans of Lebanon's journalism, but also newcomers from both traditional and new media outlets.
Journalism in Lebanon and worldwide has been subject to many changes and challenges in the past years. The digital age has completely transformed the media landscape, introducing new technologies, new platforms and new ways of consuming news. While these changes have fundamentally altered the nature of traditional media in our society, they have also paved the way for a new generation of journalists and reporters. But whatever the platform is, you all are 'democracy's watchdogs'.
There is no more important role in a democracy than that of a free press. We as European Union firmly believe that everyone is free to hold and express opinions and to receive and share information without interference by public authorities. Every year, in this gathering and in similar occasions, we are reminded of the declining situation of freedom of expression worldwide. Lebanon is an exception to this trend, but we have been witnessing some worrying developments when it comes to freedom of expression and freedom of the press also in Lebanon. This is an issue we constantly raise in our political dialogue with the authorities.
I would like to thank you for your commitment in covering the European Union's work in Lebanon. We will never repeat it enough; Europe is Lebanon's best friend. We have projects in every region of Lebanon, in all the sectors you can possibly think of. We are here to support Lebanon in human rights, education, security, health, environment, job creation, and so much more. We are also here to engage in an open political dialogue at every level of the decision-making process. By working together with you, we know that the voice of every Lebanese citizen is heard. Thank you for your support – and a salute to all of you here tonight, for being the dynamic, energetic and passionate press that you are.”

Officer Lt. Col. Suzanne al-Hajj Says KSA Wanted Her Fired, Ghabash Says 'Coordinated' with Her on Itani
Naharnet/February 07/19/Suspended Internal Security Forces officer Lt. Col. Suzanne al-Hajj on Thursday told the Military Court that interrogators had showed her “a paper issued by the Saudi intelligence command” asking Lebanese authorities to hand her the “severest penalties” and “expel” her from her post as head of the ISF anti-cyber crime bureau. MTV meanwhile reported that Hajj stressed in her testimony that she “never had any form of ties” to the hacker Elie Ghabash, who is accused of having fabricated the electronic evidence that landed the actor Ziad Itani in jail on charges of spying for Israel. “This is the first time that Suzanne al-Hajj was allowed to defend herself,” the TV network said. “Elie Ghabash backed down on his previous testimony as his lawyer announced that Ghabash was not in good health in the previous session,” MTV added. “Ghabash was distracted in the previous session and I did not know that he had been in hospital and today I asked the court that he be examined by a medical committee,” the lawyer told the TV network, adding that his client had taken medication prior to the previous session. MTV added that it was “proved” in Thursday's session that Ghabash had sent Itani messages from a fake Israeli Facebook account and that the actor had no ability to open them due to the fact that they were “encrypted.” “The goal was to only bring him to interrogation and intimidate him and it wasn't to implicate him in a spying for Israel case,” Ghabash himself told the court. Ghabash also told the court that he had received $1,600 from the State Security agency in return for “the information he offered about Ziad Itani” and had been promised to get $5,000 in return for submitting similar information implicating the journalist Radwan Murtada in a similar case. The hacker, however, refrained from working on Murtada's offer after his previous action entangled Itani in a case bigger than he had been hoping for, he told the court. And as he confessed to “coordinating” with al-Hajj who had asked him to “search for evidence linking Itani to the Israelis,” Ghabash denied “receiving any sum of money” from the officer in return for that. The trial of Hajj and Ghabash was later adjourned to February 21.While Ghabash is still in detention, Hajj was conditionally released several weeks ago. The ISF's disciplinary council for its part has issued a decree sending Hajj to retirement but the decision was suspended after she filed an appeal. According to media reports, Hajj had sought to take revenge on Itani for publishing a screenshot of a 'like' she had placed on a tweet by controversial TV director Charbel Khalil. The 'like' cost Hajj her job as head of the ISF anti-cybercrime unit.
In the 2017 tweet, Khalil had quipped that “Saudi women are only allowed to drive if the car is booby-trapped.”

Public Housing Institute to Resume Loan Applications Processing
Kataeb.org/Thursday 07th February 2019/The Lebanese Public Housing Institute announced on Thursday the readmission of applications, saying that no changes have been made to the pre-conditions required to obtain a loan. The maximum loan amount is still LBP270 million ($180,000), the institute said, while a new interest rate has been set at 5.5 percent by the Central Bank. Lebanon's Central Bank late in January announced the reactivation of subsidized housing loans, after it had been stopped last year given that the funds provided by the Central Bank for 2018 had been depleted. The Public Housing Institute asked applicants to make sure that all the loan requirements are met before they submit applications, and to secure the first downpayment as stipulated by the Central Bank.

ISF Officers Arrested on Corruption Charges
Kataeb.org/Thursday 07th February 2019/Judge Ghada Aoun on Thursday ordered the arrest of five Internal Security Forces officers, along with other ISF members, on corruption charges. Aoun has ordered that all of the suspected officers would undergo interrogation before being referred to Mount Lebanon's first investigative judge.

Kataeb Delegation Discusses Draft Law on Minorities Persecution Remembrance with Hashnaq
Kataeb.org/Thursday 07th February 2019/Kataeb MP Elias Hankache, Secretary-General Nazar Najarian and politburo member Pierre Jalakh on Thursday met with members of the Hanshaq party at its headquarters in Sin El Fil. The meeting focused on garnering support for the Kataeb's draft law that proposes declaring April 24 as a national day of remembrance of the genocides that targeted persecuted minorities. Last month, Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel revealed that the party's parliamentary bloc plans to submit a draft law that proposes setting April 24 as a national holiday to commemorate the genocides that inflicted persecuted minorities, be it the Armenians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Assyrians, Maronites and the Shiites. “These communities are the ones that established this country and they existed before it. Therefore, the Lebanese government must grant them the right to commemorate their sacrifices,” Gemayel said.

Hariri Calls On Italy to Increase Investment in Lebanon
Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/February 07/19
Lebanon's Prime Minister has called on Italian companies to invest in his country as it seeks to address deepening economic challenges. Saad Hariri met with his Italian counterpart, Giuseppe Conte, at the Grand Serail in Beirut on Thursday. The two Prime Ministers then held a meeting attended by Minister Jamal Jarrah, former minister Ghattas Khoury, the Italian Ambassador to Lebanon Massimo Marotti and the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers Fouad Fleifel. After Hariri and Conte held a closed meeting, they toured parts of the Serail and held a joint press conference. Hariri lauded the relations between Lebanon and Italy and said that "the coming period in Lebanon is a period of work ... with many investment opportunities." "The relations between Lebanon and Italy are historic and deeply rooted, and we will work together in the next phase to develop and activate them on all levels, especially at the economic, trade and investment levels," Hariri said. "Italy has always been at the forefront of Lebanon's commercial partners in terms of our imports, which we hope will apply to Lebanese exports to Italy in the near future."Italy is a traditional trading partner of Lebanon, has invested in its gas and oil sector and also supports Lebanese military and security forces. Rome has over 1,000 peacekeepers in the UN force monitoring the ceasefire with Israel. Hariri said he's "convinced that Lebanon can be a regional center for the Italian private sector."For his part, Conte said that Italy is ready to invest in Lebanon and Italian companies are willing to offer their expertise to their Lebanese counterparts. "We agreed to organize a visit for Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to Italy to encourage Italian companies to invest in development projects in Lebanon," Conte said. He said that Italy will continue to support Lebanon on all levels, stressing the strong friendship between the two countries "based on mutual respect and a common Mediterranean identity." "Italy has long stood by the Lebanese institutions and the Lebanese people and will continue to contribute to the peace process, to dialogue and to social cohesion."
Furthermore, Hariri thanked Italian companies that are active in fields such as oil and gas and electricity. "We want to encourage these companies to come and explore investment opportunities in Lebanon," he said. Hariri added that Lebanon is about to implement numerous infrastructure projects under the framework of CEDRE in which Italian companies can have a stake. The CEDRE is an international conference in support of Lebanon's development and reforms. Hariri's government hopes to unlock around $11 billion in soft loans and grants pledged by international donors in Paris last year. Hariri also expressed his gratitude for Italy for always standing beside Lebanon while providing humanitarian and military assistance. Later in the day, the Italian prime minister will meet with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and visit Italy's UNIFIL (the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon) contingent.

The Most Powerful Image Of The Week
By Fatima Al Mahmoud//February 07/19
An awe-inspiring image circulating on social media has captured our attention and grabbed our hearts because of all the empowerment it holds. The image shows Raya El Hassan, Lebanon’s current and the Arab world’s first female Minister of Interior and Municipalities, officially assuming her new role.
Interior Minister El Hassan has already WOW-ed the Lebanese population with her very first decision of removing the cement blocks around the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities on Sanayeh, which had been set up in 2014 and had always been a main reason for traffic.
This piece of news resulted in a good amount of confusion and controversy, with citizens and local media speculating whether the order initially came from El Hassan or former minister Nouhad Machnouk. However, during the assignment on Wednesday and contrary to his initial remarks on the matter, Machnouk explained that he ordered the removal of the blocks in compliance with his successor’s decision, meaning the removal of the barriers had been El Hassan’s first orders as Minister to ease traffic and improve transport.  El Hassan then took to the podium and shared the highlights of her agenda as minister, which include implementing stricter law enforcement on domestic violence, unauthorized weaponry, celebratory gunfire, and traffic laws. The powerful image, which is now El Hassan’s Twitter header, evoked emotional feedback from the Lebanese public, who took to social media to express their pride and hope in what the future holds. We hope that El Hassan, along with the three other female ministers in office, will live up to their responsibilities and prove that the future is indeed female.

Hizbullah Leader Nasrallah: I Am Willing To Go To Iran And Bring The Lebanese Army Air Defenses, Anything It Needs To Become Strongest Army In The Region
MEMRI/February 07/19
On February 6, 2019, Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hizbullah, delivered a speech at an event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. He praised Iran for supporting Palestinian, Lebanese, and regional resistance movements, and said that Iran was willing to go as far as necessary to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq. Nasrallah said that despite some people's attempts to drag the U.S. into a war with Iran, Iran's domestic and regional strength has prevented such a war, and he said that Iran would not stand alone in a war because the fate of the people and the region is linked to the fate of its regime. He said that people would accuse Hizbullah of dragging Lebanon into a war if it shot down Israeli planes in Lebanese airspace and, saying that he has Lebanon's interests in mind, Nasrallah offered to go to Iran and bring the Lebanese army air defenses and whatever else it needs to become the strongest military in the region. The speech aired on Al-Manar TV (Lebanon).
"It Is Not Because Of Trump's Moral Fiber That There Isn't A War – It Is Because Iran Is Strong And Powerful"
Hassan Nasrallah: "[Iran] supports the resistance movements in the region. It supports the Palestinian people and the resistance in Palestine and Lebanon. It supports the resistance axis and the resistance countries in the region.
"The latest role played by the Islamic Republic and Revolution was to confront the fitna of terrorism and takfir. It's as simple as that. When America established ISIS in Iraq, as Trump admitted – in order to use it as a pretext to return to Iraq – the authority in Najaf, Ayatollah Al-Sistani, published his fatwa. [Consequently], the Iraqi people and government rose to the occasion, but the circumstances were extremely difficult. There were problems with weapons, storage, and organization... A large number of provinces fell quickly [under ISIS control]. The rapid intervention of the Islamic Republic – within hours and days – with its generals, officers, and cadres, headed by the great mujahid brother Qasem Soleimani, and with all its weapons, cannons, and ammunition, which it brought even from the border provinces... The Islamic Republic was willing to go as far as necessary to support the Iraqi people against ISIS.
"Who would want to wage a regional war against Iran? Some people are trying to drag the Americans into a war against Iran. A lot can be said about this. The leader [Khamenei] says there won't be a war. It is logical that due to interests, the balance of power, and the deterrence... It is not because of Trump's moral fiber that there isn't a war. It is because Iran is strong and powerful. Iran is strong domestically as well as in the region. Iran will not stand alone when a war is waged against it, because the fate of our region, our peoples, and our holy places is linked to the fate and existence of this blessed Islamic regime."
"If Hizbullah Downed Such A Plane In Lebanon – Wouldn't Many People Start Complaining That Hizbullah Was Dragging Lebanon Into A War?"
"The Israeli airplanes violate our airspace. Let me make a hypothesis. If Hizbullah had air defenses capable of downing the planes of the Israeli air force, which violate Lebanese sovereignty...
"Constructive ambiguity is important... If Hizbullah had [such air defenses], and it were to down an Israeli air force plane attacking Lebanon... If Hizbullah downed such a plane in Lebanon – wouldn't many people start complaining that Hizbullah was dragging Lebanon into a war?"
"I Am Willing To Go To Iran, And Bring Whatever The Lebanese Army Needs To Become The Strongest Army In The Region"
"As a friend of Iran, I am willing to bring the Lebanese army air defenses from Iran. Just make the decision. The Lebanese army is not allowed to have high-quality anti-tank missiles. The Lebanese army is not allowed to have deterring missiles and to engage in a policy of deterrence. It is not allowed to have surface-to-surface missiles. They give us Willys (jeeps) and REO (trucks), and cannons from the American bases that they shut down in Germany, as well as some APCs, and light weapons and ammunition... I apologize if I upset anyone in the Lebanese army. This is for your own good.
"I am a friend of Iran. I am willing to go to Iran, and bring whatever the Lebanese army needs to become the strongest army in the region. What we need in Lebanon is courage, and we need real sovereignty even more. When we sit around the table of the Lebanese government, we should do what is best for Lebanon and for the Lebanese people. If the Americans, the Europeans, or whoever want to be upset, they can go right ahead. If they can provide us with an alternative – no problem. "We want air defenses. If the Americans provide them to the Lebanese army – no problem."

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on February 07-08/19
Two Iranian flops: Putting a satellite into orbit and fitting guided warhead on long-range ballistic missile
DEBKAfile/February 07/19
Two of the hi-tech military achievements Iran had prepared for the Islamic Revolution’s 40th anniversary did not come up to scratch. Tehran failed in its second attempt on Wednesday, Feb. 6, to launch a satellite into orbit from the Imam Khomeini Space center in central Iran. US sources released images showing the rocket firing after some days of preparation, but since Tehran was silent on the outcome, it is assumed that the space shot was a flop. Since the first attempt on Jan. 15, using a long-range Simorgh. also failed, the Iranians decided to use the smaller a Safir rocket for their second attempt.
DEBKAfile’s military sources also met with a skeptical response to the Iranian claim on Feb. 4 to have armed its long-range Khorramshahr missiles (2,000km range) with 2-ton “home-made guided warheads.” Tehran said the upgraded version had been renamed Khorramshahr 2.
Tehran is undoubtedly working hard to develop guidance warheads, but intelligence surveillance has discovered no evidence of its efforts leading to success.
Not all the weapons Iran has recently showcased are flops. The test launch on Feb. 2 of its new cruise missile, the Hoveizeh (1,250km range) of the Soumar family, was successful, although the images reaching the West since then indicate some trouble with its engine.
The Hoveizeh, is in fact, a replica of the Russian-Ukrainian Kh-55, a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, which was smuggled into Iran eighteen years ago. The original was designed to be fired from warplanes. This would explain technical glitches arising when the Iranians try to use it as a ground-to-ground missile.

Israel, U.S. to begin massive air force drill amid northern tension
Jerusalem Post/February 07/19.
The goal of the drill is the strengthening of cooperation, mutual learning, and coordination between the armies.
Amid growing tension along the northern border, the IDF and the United States military will hold their annual joint exercise next week to test the level of coordination between the two countries in the event of future conflicts.
The exercise is part of a long standing agreement between the US and Israel to hold bilateral training exercises on a regular basis and the IDF Spokesman’s Office stressed that it was not associated with a particular threat or world event.
The goal of the drill - known as Juniper Falcon - is to strengthen cooperation, mutual learning, and coordination between the armies. In 2017, 12 American F-15E Strike Eagles and approximately 80 Airmen attached to the 494th Fighter Squadron flew missions with the Israeli Air Force.
The drill is expected to include over 300 US Army soldiers and 400 IDF soldiers from different units.The last Juniper drill, which occurred in March 2018, was labeled as the largest IDF and US European Command joint exercise in 2018, with more than 2,500 US troops deployed in Europe participating alongside 2,000 Israeli Aerial Defense troops, logistics units, medical forces, and additional IDF units. On Wednesday, the United States purchased the Iron Dome missile defense system from Israel for an immediate need of the United States Army. “This is yet another expression of the strengthening of our strong alliance with the US," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Images suggest Iran launched satellite despite US criticism
The Associated Press, Dubai/Thursday, 7 February 2019/Iran appears to have attempted a second satellite launch despite US criticism that its space program helps the country develop ballistic missiles, satellite images released Thursday suggest. Iran did not immediately acknowledge conducting such a launch. Images released by the Colorado-based company DigitalGlobe show a rocket at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran’s Semnan province on Tuesday. Images from Wednesday show the rocket was gone with what appears to be burn marks on its launch pad. It wasn’t immediately clear if the satellite, if launched, made it into orbit. In the images, words written in Farsi in large characters on the launch pad appeared to say in part “40 years” and “Iranian made,” in different sections. That is likely in reference to the 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, which authorities have been celebrating this month.
Iranian state media did not immediately report on the rocket launch, though such delays have happened in previous launches. Iran has said it would launch its Doosti, or “friendship,” satellite. A launch in January failed to put another satellite, Payam or “message,” into orbit after successfully launching it from the same space center. DigitalGlobe analysts said the images from Tuesday suggest Iran used a Safir, or “ambassador,” rocket in the launch. In the January launch, engineers used a Simorgh, or “phoenix,” rocket. It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the rocket choice. The Doosti, a remote-sensing satellite developed by engineers at Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, was to be launched into a low orbit. The US alleges such launches defy a UN Security Council resolution calling on Iran to undertake no activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Iran, which long has said it does not seek nuclear weapons, maintains its satellite launches and rocket tests do not have a military component. Tehran also says they don’t violate a United Nations resolution that only “called upon” it not to conduct such tests. Over the past decade, Iran has sent several short-lived satellites into orbit and in 2013 launched a monkey into space. Iran usually displays space achievements in February during the anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution. This year’s 40th anniversary comes amid Iran facing increasing pressure from the US under the administration of President Donald Trump. The likely launch also comes after a Iran’s Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi reportedly said Sunday that three researchers died “because of a fire in one of the buildings of the Space Research Center,” without elaborating.

Iran Beefs Up East Syria Base Ahead of US Withdrawal
Moscow, Washington- Raed Jabr and Hiba al-Qudsi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 7 February, 2019/Iran has moved to intensify its recruitment of militia fighters based in east Syria in an attempt to fill the vacuum set to be left behind by a US withdrawal announced last December, with the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human rights reporting on an Iranian delegation touching down in Syria’s al-Mayadin city. The group of Iranian officials, according to the war monitor, worked on indoctrinating and recruiting local youth so they join Iran-backed militia ranks in Syria. The Observatory said the Iranian delegation focused on youth in cities located west of the Euphrates River, in the eastern suburb of Deir Ezzour province in Syria, calling them to join Iranian forces. More so, the Iranian delegation is said to have then visited Ayn Ali, controlled by Iranian-allied forces, the UK-based group quoted a German news agency as saying.The observatory documented the arrival of convoys bringing in Iranian, Syrian and Iraqi visitors, who were performing religious rites in the town where a large military presence for Iranian forces helped in erecting a Shiite shrine in Ayn Ali. This came the day after Iran’s of Roads and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Eslami inaugurated a highway connecting Kerman Shah in western Iran in the city of Hamel in eastern Syria. According to the semi-official Iranian newspaper, Kayhan, said that the highway passes through Iraq aims to facilitate the transit route between Iran and Syria. The minister said that the first operational stage comes after his recent visit to Syria to establish a highway with a length of 141 kilometers linking the two countries. He said the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development had hired a local contractor to implement the first phase, which covers 75 kilometers with a budget of 600 billion Iranian rials. Seeking even warmer Syrian-Iranian ties, Syria’s top diplomat Walid al-Moallem is visiting Tehran to discuss cooperation and recent developments. He met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani before meeting with the senior adviser to the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Ali Akbar Velayati.
“Whether they want to or not, the Americans must leave Syria,” Velayati said according to the Reuters news agency citing Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Austrian President Refuses to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 7 February, 2019/Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen has rejected a request made by Israeli officials to transfer his country's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, sources in Tel Aviv said. Van der Bellen, who visited Israel this week, was asked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the sources said. But Austria’s president refused the offer, saying the European Union has a unified stance regarding the matter. Van der Bellen on Tuesday criticized the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem. He made the remarks during a press conference with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. “Austria is sad about the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as well as about the cut in US assistance to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA),” he said.
The president stressed that his country would never take a similar step regarding the relocation of the embassy. “Our country is bound to EU policy vis-à-vis Palestine,” he said.Der Bellen favored “a two-state solution to the Palestine issue through negotiations,” describing Austrian-Palestinian relations as “close”.

Coalition: ISIS down to less than 1% of original ‘caliphate’
AFP, Beirut/Thursday, 7 February 2019/Recent gains by Kurdish-led forces in Syria have shrunk ISIS’ "caliphate" to less than one percent of its original size, the US-led coalition said on Thursday.Major General Christopher Ghika, the coalition’s deputy commander, described the size of the last patch of land held by the extremist group as "now less than one percent of the original caliphate".

Watchdog: Revolutionary Iran jailed 1.7 mln in 30 years
The Associated Press, Paris/Thursday, 7 February 2019/Media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders says that Iranian authorities jailed, and sometimes executed, 1.7 million people around the capital Tehran alone in the first 30 years after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The organization on Thursday revealed its count that included regime opponents, Baha’is and other religious minorities and at least 860 journalists. The group said at a news conference that its information was based on a confidential file of judicial proceedings obtained by whistleblowers. The file registering judicial procedures contains details on some 1.7 million people, including minors, locked up in Evin prison in the first three decades of the Islamic regime that overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

US army to buy two Israeli Iron Dome air defense systems
AFP, Washington/Thursday, 7 February 2019/The US Army said Wednesday it wants to purchase a pair of Iron Dome short-range air defense systems, an interceptor technology developed by Israel with US support. Army spokesman Colonel Patrick Seiber said the deal would meet a short-term need to protect troops from “indirect fire” such as rockets and mortars. No decisions have been made yet about where the two systems may be deployed. “The Iron Dome will be assessed and experimented as a system that is currently available to protect deployed US military service members against a wide variety of indirect fire threats and aerial threats,” Seiber said in a statement. Iron Dome systems have been in operation by the Israeli air force since 2011 and have seen frequent use in thwarting rocket attacks from Gaza and elsewhere. Seiber said the US Army will “assess a variety of options” for a system that could be used in the long term. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as defense minister, called the deal further proof of Israel’s alliance with the US. “Israel has an Iron Dome and an iron fist. Our systems know how to deal with any threat, both in defense and in attack. I would not recommend our enemies to try us,” he said in a defense ministry statement. Seiber said the US Army proposes spending $1.6 billion through 2024 to field an “enduring capability” that may include portions of the Iron Dome system. The Iron Dome system was developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with the help of US funding. It is designed to intercept rockets and artillery shells fired from a range of four to 70 kilometers. Each battery comprises detection and tracking radar, state-of-the-art fire control software and three launchers, each with 20 interceptor missiles.

Rouhani: Iran ready to accept friendly US ties if it ‘repents’
AFP, TehranThursday, 7 February 2019/Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday his country would be ready to establish “friendly relations” with the United States if it apologized for past wrongs. “Our slogan is friendly relations with the whole world,” he said. That would even include “America, if it repents... and apologizes for its previous interferences in Iran, and is prepared to accept the greatness and dignity of the nation of Iran and the great Islamic Revolution,” he said. “We are still ready to accept America’s... repentance despite the fact that for years it has done injustice to us,” he told foreign diplomats in Tehran during a ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. During the hostage crisis at Washington’s US embassy in 1979, Iranian students had famously demanded that the US should repent in return for the release of diplomats. The following year, the two countries cut diplomatic ties, and they have remained estranged ever since. In a message marking Persian New Year in March 2009, then-US president Barack Obama reached out to the Islamic Republic, declaring: “we know that you are a great civilization, and your accomplishments have earned the respect of the United States and the world.” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded the next day, saying “change and our attitude will change”. In June the same year, Obama became the first serving American president to recognize that the US played a role in the 1953 coup that toppled Iran’s elected government – but he stopped short of apologizing. But the detente was scuppered by Obama’s successor Donald Trump, who in May last year unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear accord and re-imposed sanctions. Rouhani last week accused the US of being an “oath-breaker”, and his hardline opponents have repeatedly hammered the 2015 deal.

Turkey building collapse death toll rises to three; 12 rescued
The Associated Press, Istanbul/Thursday, 7 February 2019/At least three people have been found dead in the rubble of the eight-story apartment building that collapsed in Istanbul, while 12 others were pulled out with injuries, officials said on Thursday. Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya told reporters that rescuers had made contact with a girl named Havva trapped inside the wreckage and were working to bring her out, about 18 hours after the building fell. Overnight, emergency services rescued a nine-year old boy from the debris of the building that collapsed on Wednesday afternoon. Yerlikaya didn’t say how many people remain unaccounted for. The building, located in the mostly residential Kartal district, on the Asian side of the city had 14 apartments with 43 people registered residents. Yerlikaya said three of the injured were in serious condition.
Rescue efforts
“All our prayers, all our hearts are with them,” Yerlikaya said. “We are continuing with our search and rescue efforts so that we can deliver good news (about survivors).”The cause of the collapse was under investigation but officials said the top three floors had been illegally built. Authorities evacuated seven surrounding buildings and one was under serious risk of collapse. The rescue operation was interrupted three times over fears that it might fall and harm rescuers, Yerlikaya said.

Imran Khan, Saad Hariri and Harrison Ford among big names attending Dubai’s World Government Summit
Arab News/February 07, 2019/DUBAI: Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, Actor Harrison Ford and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri are among the big names attending Dubai’s World Government Summit on Sunday – and there will also be a message broadcast to the conference by Pope Francis.
The annual summit brings together heads of state, Nobel laureates, and thought leaders to tackle a wide variety of global issues and topics that will span across more than 200 sessions. Harrison Ford is expected to give a 20-minute talk on ocean conservation at the plenary session, while UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan will also give a comment on the pope’s recent historic visit to the Gulf. Hariri will be giving a special session just over a week after Lebanon formed a government after nearly a year of political wrangling. Khan will speak about his vision for the future of Pakistan and what the country's role in the region and the wider world. The IMF Chief Christine Lagarde will also be attending. According to the UAE’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Future, Mohammed Al Gergawi, this year’s event will focus on seven main topics that include: the future of technology, the future of health and quality of life, the environment and climate change, education and the labor market, trade and international co-operation, societies and politics and information and communication between governments and society. Apart from the politicians, the summit – in its seventh edition – is also bringing in more than 30 global organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Other than Lebanon’s Hariri, country leaders attending the summit include Estonia’s PM Jüri Ratas and President of Rwanda Paul Kagame. The summit will begin on Sunday, Feb. 10 and run until Tuesday, Feb. 12 in Dubai.

Top Iraqi cleric rejects Trump’s plan for US troops in Iraq
The Associated Press/Thursday, 7 February 2019/Iraq’s most senior Shiite cleric on Wednesday joined a chorus of Iraqi politicians and clerics criticizing recent statements by President Donald Trump in which he said US troops should stay in Iraq to keep an eye on neighboring Iran. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said Iraq aspires to have “good and balanced relations” with all of its neighbors “based on mutual interests and without intervention in internal affairs.”Iraq “rejects being a launching pad for harming any other country,” he said during a meeting with U.N. Iraq envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert at the cleric’s base in Najaf. Both Iraq’s president and prime minister have hit back at Trump’s statements to US media this week stating that US troops should stay at a base in Iraq so that America can “watch Iran.”“We spent a fortune on building this incredible base,” Trump said. “We might as well keep it. And one of the reasons I want to keep it is because I want to be looking a little bit at Iran because Iran is a real problem.” Trump apparently was referring to the Al-Asad air base in western Iraq, where he paid a brief visit to US forces in December. The base hosts American troops but belongs to the Iraqi army. The comments angered Iraqi politicians and Iranian-backed factions and further added to concerns in Iraq about America’s long-term intentions, particularly after it withdraws its troops from Syria. Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, at his weekly news conference late Tuesday, reminded Trump that there are no US bases in Iraq and said he doesn’t accept the idea of Iraq becoming an arena for fighting a neighboring country. He called on Trump to retract his statements. Iraqi President Barham Saleh said Monday that Trump did not ask for permission to use Iraqi territory to monitor Iran and said the Iraqi constitution forbids the use of Iraq as a base to threaten the interests or security of neighboring countries.“Don’t overburden Iraq with your own issues,” he said.US forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, but returned in 2014 at the invitation of the government to help battle ISIS after it seized vast areas in the north and west of the country, including Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul. A US-led coalition provided crucial air support as Iraqi forces regrouped and drove ISIS out in a costly three-year campaign.

Unconfirmed reports that key Abu Sayyaf leader killed in Philippines
Arab News/February 07, 2019/MANILA: A key leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), believed to have been involved in the Jan. 27 twin bombings of a Roman Catholic Cathedral in the Philippines, was killed in a military offensive in southern Sulu island, authorities said on Thursday. Maj. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) — Joint Task Force Sulu, said information had been received about Indang Susukan’s death. However, the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), the police force that tracks the ASG, could not confirm the reports of Susukan’s death. “We’re still validating the information,” an AKG official told Arab News. Susukan belonged to one of the main ASG factions on the Sulu islands, commanded by Hatib Hajjan Sawadjaan. Authorities said Sawadjaan deployed the two alleged suicide bombers from Indonesia to carry out the attack on Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral, which killed 23 people and wounded more than 100. Following the bombings, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered government troops to crush the ASG and other militant groups on the island of Mindanao. On Feb. 2, the military engaged approximately 100 ASG members in a fierce gunbattle in the jungles of Patikul town in Sulu. Five soldiers and three ASG gunmen were killed, while 18 were wounded from the government side and 15 from the group, including Susukan. According to intelligence reports, he succumbed to his wounds on Feb. 4.
Pabayo said an announcement will be made when the information is confirmed, adding that Susukan was linked to high-profile kidnapping cases. AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said Susukan was reported to have been seriously wounded during last week’s clash, and reports from various sources on the ground indicate that he eventually died due to the severity of his injuries. “Notwithstanding these reports that tend to confirm each other, our troops in the area endeavor to locate his remains for us to conclusively report through a DNA test that he indeed is dead,” Arevalo said. “His death, when conclusively established, deals a serious blow to the leadership of this terrorist group,” he added. Susukan “is one of the ASG’s notorious sub-leaders who perpetrated many kidnappings, beheadings and other terrorist attacks, including the twin blast in Jolo Cathedral,” Arevalo said. Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said the cathedral bombing is considered solved with the surrender of the five main suspects. “As far as the government is concerned, the Jolo bombing case is already solved ... As to the other conspirators, an intensive manhunt is now underway, and we will continue to pursue them until all those involved are brought to the bar of justice,” he added. Ano said the bombers are an Indonesian couple, but identification is a work in progress that may take time. “This is based on the post-blast and forensic investigation, statements from the survivors, and intelligence reports,” he added.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 07-08/19
EU’s new Iran trade mechanism doomed to fail
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/February 07, 2019
The latest attempts by the EU to salvage the nuclear deal have made headlines among the state-controlled news outlets in Iran. Three European governments — Germany, France and the UK — have set up a new mechanism called the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX). These three countries were all members of the P5+1, which struck the nuclear agreement with the Iranian regime in 2015.
INSTEX — based in Paris, managed by Per Fischer, a former manager at Commerzbank, and supervised by the UK — is primarily meant to circumvent US sanctions. After US President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear agreement last year, the US Department of Treasury imposed primary and secondary sanctions against the Iranian government. The sanctions are targeting a wide spectrum of Iran’s industries and sectors, including the banking system, oil exports, and currency transactions.
But, more importantly, although the EU was hoping to be immune from the sanctions imposed on Iran, Washington made it clear that both US and non-US entities that engage in business dealings with the Iranian regime would be violating the sanctions. European companies were then given time to pull out of Iran. The Treasury Department stated: “Non-US, non-Iranian persons are advised to use these time periods (90 and 180 days) to wind down their activities with or involving Iran that will become sanctionable at the end of the applicable wind-down period.”
But the EU did not appear to take the matter seriously until the US began holding those who were allegedly breaching the sanctions accountable. For example, Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei, the largest telecoms equipment maker in the world, was arrested in Canada in December at the request of the American authorities. Previously, China’s ZTE Corp pleaded guilty to breaking US sanctions against the Iranian regime.
This sent a robust message to the EU that Washington is determined to punish those who continue to deal with the Iranian regime. Instead of cooperating with its old transatlantic partner, the EU began taking Tehran’s side and showed signs of defiance to Washington. As a result, it came up with INSTEX.
The EU is attempting to depict INSTEX as a mechanism that is built to save the nuclear deal. As German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas pointed out: “We’re making clear that we didn’t just talk about keeping the nuclear deal with Iran alive, but now we’re creating a possibility to conduct business transactions.”
Instead of cooperating with its old transatlantic partner, the EU began taking Tehran’s side and showed signs of defiance to Washington.
But, in reality, the EU is trying to appease the Iranian leaders in order to help continue trading with the regime. The Iranian leaders, as well as the conservative and moderate news outlets, have been playing the good cop, bad cop strategy. For example, according to the Fars News Agency, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi welcomed the EU’s move. He said: “The Islamic Republic of Iran believes the recent move by the European Union to register and announce its special financial mechanism (for trade) with Iran is Europe’s first step in fulfilling its obligations toward Iran as per a May 2018 statement by the foreign ministers of Iran and the three European countries.”
On the other hand, the hardline outlets urged cautioned on INSTEX. The headline of the conservative newspaper Javan read: “INSTEX, another ‘almost nothing’ for Iran.” The hardline members of the country’s Majlis (parliament) bashed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his administration. Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, a member of the Majlis presiding board, stated: “It is not clear until when the administration wants to continue this disgrace.”
The EU is unlikely to succeed in continuing to trade with the Iranian regime through its new mechanism for several reasons. First of all, the European mechanism will not help Tehran to gain more revenues due to the fact it is only for dealing with pharmaceutical, medical devices and food products. Iran’s main revenues come from the energy sector, notably the export of oil and gas. Secondly, most European firms and corporations, including French energy giant Total, have already abandoned their plans to invest in Iran.
Third, European companies will not want to risk their business with the US or access to US financial systems by dealing with Iran. The Trump administration is insistent that any move to bypass US sanctions will have severe consequences. Following the EU’s announcement of establishing INSTEX, the US embassy in Germany said it was “closely following” reports on the European mechanism. It added: “As the president has made clear, entities that continue to engage in sanctionable activity involving Iran risk severe consequences.”
The EU’s new mechanism is doomed to fail. From a political perspective, the Iranian leaders may view INSTEX as a blow to the US and a sign of a widening gap between the EU and Washington. But, more fundamentally, from an economic and financial perspective, the European mechanism will not come to the aid of the Iranian regime as it is unlikely to encourage European corporations to violate US sanctions by trading with Iran.
**Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. He serves on the boards of the Harvard International Review, the Harvard International Relations Council and the US-Middle East Chamber for Commerce and Business.

Are the US and Other Democracies in Trouble?
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/February 07/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13680/democracies-trouble
It is apparent that, over time, Jewish American Democrats will find themselves the voters and donors of a party that will initially seek to marginalize them, then ostracize them, and finally, demonize them.
With the last election cycle putting Islamists, who are openly hostile to Jews, in the House of Representatives, the Democratic Party has jettisoned even the pretense of repudiating their anti-Semites.
This transformation will be brought about by a group of new leaders who will have the means effectively to rebrand their emerging power base, either implicitly or explicitly, as the Neo-Islamic Democratic Party, thereby asserting a dominance that will make today's political landscape unrecognizable.
It is more than painful, as anti-Semitic libels are whitewashed by the media or risk becoming part of the Congressional Record, to watch the American Jewish community being played by the political party that many have called "home."
Pictured: The United States Capitol building in Washington, DC. (Image source: FEMA/Bill Koplitz/Wikimedia Commons)
Are democracies in trouble?
As someone outside the world's most powerful democracy, the United States, it is concerning to see how many countries in the West are being transformed. In Europe, free speech continues to be seriously eroded, churches are desecrated, and religious Europeans murdered.
There are signs that the same transformation is beginning in the United States, as well.
International observers have begun asking if the US has a problem. Additionally, according to the Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community, released on January 29:
"Global jihadists in dozens of groups and countries threaten local and regional US interests, despite having experienced some significant setbacks in recent years, and some of these groups will remain intent on striking the US homeland. Prominent jihadist ideologues and media platforms continue to call for and justify efforts to attack the US homeland".[1]
The report adds:
"Homegrown violent extremists (HVEs) are likely to present the most acute Sunni terrorist threat to the United States, and HVE activity almost certainly will have societal effects disproportionate to the casualties and damage it causes"[2].
Late last year, a synagogue in Pittsburgh was attacked. In Ohio, another attack was being planned, "inspired by the mass shooting" in Pittsburgh.
Threats are, of course, directed against Christians as well as Jews.
Abroad, the US is being mocked, and Europe has set up a payment channel to enable trade with Iran that evades US sanctions.
The American Jewish community seems to be facing a threat that it appears quite content to ignore.
Not since the aviator legend Charles Lindbergh gathered fellow American Nazis together and others condemned American Jews as being a "fifth column" has the American Jewish community faced such a threat as it does today from openly anti-Semitic candidates recently elected to Congress.
If the past is any way to predict how Jews will respond to this threat, sadly, the vast majority will probably remain indifferent to the ominous political changes now taking place around them. Their indifference, however, is likely to come with an eventual cost.
Today's Congressional freshmen class includes Democrats who clearly seek to upend the belief held by members of the Jewish community that they are a respected minority within the American society. These newly elected members seem to be trying to isolate the Jewish community from their political base by engaging in the traditional canard used by past demagogues, from Rep. Rashida Tlaib's tweet accusing Jews of dual loyalty to the age-old lies that Jews conspire to control the media and finance.
These anti-Semitic falsehoods are being promoted against a backdrop of increased assaults on members of the Jewish community at a rate not seen in generations (most recently here and here).
A new report from the UK-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research, and most likely also applicable in the US, has established "a clear link between antisemitism and hostility towards Israel, finding that the strongest holders of antisemitic views tend to support boycotts of Israel or consider it an apartheid state."
"Jonathan Boyd, executive director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and the report's co-author, said that people who hold 'traditional antisemitic views' about divided Jewish loyalties or the nefarious use of power are more likely to back ideas of boycott or apartheid than those who do not hold them."
The report was based on a survey of 4,000 people in Britain carried out by Ipsos Mori between late 2016 and early 2017.
The threat emerging from within the Democratic Party is not without irony. The party has been the traditional home of the majority of American Jews since the days of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. (His studied indifference to chilling evidence of the Holocaust -- that was smuggled out to the Allies -- is a topic for another day.) However, with the last election cycle putting Islamists, who are openly hostile to Jews, in the House of Representatives, the Democratic Party has jettisoned even the pretense of repudiating their anti-Semites. As of this writing, not one Democratic Congressional leader has called for disciplinary action in the wake of recent anti-Semitic slurs by Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. Rather, there are Republicans who have called out Tlaib.
These emerging political threats to the Jewish community come at a time when social media has totally altered how, where and by whom political positions are communicated throughout American society. They also come at a time when radical Islamists, who have assumed seats in Congress, are seeking to stoke the fires of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. Further, it comes at a time when a legitimate women's rights movement has been hijacked by an anti-Semitic leadership. Expect the Democratic Party to be pushed further into the Islamist camp in the months to come.
An entire generation of liberal Democratic leadership that at least recognized Israel's right to exist is being pushed aside. The leaders that remain (such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) had been "assaulted" daily with online tweets, trolls and bots launched by younger, aggressive and thoroughly committed Democratic socialists who seek to reinvent the party in their own image, sometimes by using sophisticated online tactics that seemed unstoppable, until Pelosi awarded them plum positions on the prestigious House Oversight and Foreign Relations Committees.
The Jewish American experience in standing with the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s is in the process of being relegated either to ancient history, or the realm of fiction, or discarded as inconsequential.
As an observer far from the U.S., perhaps it is easier to see, and call attention to, this threat. In Israel, for instance, the Jewish community may quarrel and debate among itself but it always appreciates the precarious nature of its survival. Today's American Jewish community, however, remains blind to the threat, repeating the mantra of the German Jews of the early 1930s that there has always been anti-Semitism and, aside from some uncomfortable moments, it is not really an existential threat.
A retired attorney, Pete Cohon, noted:
"Democrats were presumed to be for the little guy, and Republicans were assumed to be rich, white men. The Jewish community (other than the Orthodox) and the Democrats became joined at the hip. The majority of Jewish families taught its kids to vote Democrat for justice for the little guy. Voting Democrat became a part of Jewish culture in America...
"These Jews just can't let anything disturb the comfortable delusion that they inherited from their parents and grandparents that the Democrats are for the little guy, especially the Jews.
"But times have changed, and they are wrong. Today, the big issue is the survival of Israel, and it is the Republicans, not the Democrats, who are on our side."
From this offshore observation post, however, it is apparent that, over time, American Jews who are Democrats, and most apparently are, will find themselves the voters and donors of a party that will initially seek to marginalize them, then ostracize them, and finally, demonize them. This transformation will be brought about by a group of new leaders, who will have the means effectively to rebrand their emerging power base, either implicitly or explicitly, as the neo-Islamic Democratic Party, thereby asserting a dominance that will make today's political landscape unrecognizable.
It is more than painful, as anti-Semitic libels are whitewashed by the media or risk becoming part of the Congressional Record, to watch the American Jewish community being played by the political party that many have called "home."
*Judith Bergman, a columnist, lawyer and political analyst, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
[1] Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community p 10.
[2] Ibid. p 12
© 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.

Why Won't the British Left Pick on Someone Else?
Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/February 07/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13659/britain-labour-party-israel
Why are Labour members not speaking out loud about the need to boycott or overthrow such a regime as Iran, but instead focus all their venom on Israel, a country they demonize on wholly false grounds, especially considering the full IHRA definition of anti-Semitism which Labour has technically adopted -- while reserving the right, however, to criticize Israel as an apartheid or Nazi state?
Whatever its faults, Israel is a utopia for human rights that many self-congratulatory moralists identify as their personal preserve. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country to uphold all the rights the Labour Party claims to hold precious. Yet, Israel is the only country in the world that the Labour party reserves for its censure, while other countries are ignored, mildly rebuked or even cosied up to.
In reality, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have largely governed their own people since 1994, following the signing of the Oslo Accords. The Palestinians, however, continue to go through inconceivable suffering due to the atrocious governance by their own often corrupt and manipulative leaders. They continue to blame Israel and the Jews -- preferable, apparently, to blaming themselves.
"Victimization is the pain-orientated version of privilege. If it suffices to call oneself oppressed in order to be in the right, everyone will fight to occupy that slot." — Pascal Bruckner, An Imaginary Racism: Islamophobia and Guilt.
The 2018 annual conference of Britain's Labour Party proved that, however strong the criticism, and however embarrassing the scandal, there are many in England who will get on with their top priority: slandering and libelling one of the world's most outstanding countries, Israel. At the same time, they seem never to tire of singing the praises of the Palestinians, regardless of the savagery with which they govern their own people.
They also seem comfortable overlooking the Palestinians' repeated rejections of peace, and their glorifying and funding non-stop terrorism.
The oddity of this approach generally escapes the mainstream media or is amplified by them, and is proliferated across all sorts of social media such as Twitter, and anti-Zionist blogs, websites, and YouTube channels, where it often merges with Holocaust denial, on sites such as Facebook, neo-Nazi rants, Muslim anti-Zionist pages, and speeches by Muslim preachers who choose to live on the dark side of their faith.
The question, of course, is "Why Israel?" Are there not enough dictatorships and oppressive regimes in the world to keep any decent socialist busy on a hundred other fronts?
Not long after that Labour Party conference, your humble correspondent attended a smaller event in Newcastle upon Tyne on October 3, 2018, where a local Labour MP, Catherine McKinnell, addressed a packed hall to apologize for the blatant anti-Semitism in her party. It has to be said that McKinnell herself had nothing to apologize for. She is not Jewish, but she was among the hundreds of people protesting anti-Semitism in the Labour Party outside the Houses of Parliament on March 26 earlier this year. The protest brought home to many observers the simple truth that Jews were profoundly worried, if not afraid, to see a resurgence of anti-Jewish activity in the political party for which they had mainly voted all their lives.
There was one question for which McKinnell could not provide an answer. It began by referring to a news item from the day before, a story about a 24-year-old Iranian woman, Zaynab Sekanvand, who had just been executed two days after delivering a stillborn baby. Zaynab had been married at 15 to a husband who abused and beat her regularly, rejecting her wish to divorce, until one day she snapped and stabbed him to death. Arrested when 17, she was tried without legal representation or a medical report on her psychological state. She was then denied a retrial, even though the Iranian penal code itself stated that anyone who committed a crime when a minor must have a second court appearance. While in prison, she was married (probably through Iran's legal temporary marriage) to another prisoner, and became pregnant. Just before giving birth, she was traumatized when her cellmate, another woman, was taken out and hanged. Shortly after, Zaynab gave birth to a stillborn baby. Two days later, she herself was taken out and hanged.
This story led to more comments on the Iranian Shi'ite regime: that Iran executes per capita more prisoners than China, the world leader in that respect; that Iran has long backed and funded a range of terrorist groups, notably Hamas and Hezbollah; that Iran has been expanding its violent behaviour from Iraq to Yemen to Syria to Lebanon; and that Iran has long threatened to destroy the state of Israel. More than that, Iran has an abysmal human rights record regarding women, gays, ethnic and religious minorities, and political opponents.
The simple question was: Given all this, why are Labour members not speaking out about the need to boycott or overthrow such a regime, but instead focus all their venom on Israel, a country they demonize on wholly false grounds, especially considering the full IHRA definition of anti-Semitism which Labour has technically adopted -- while reserving the right, however, to criticize Israel as an apartheid or Nazi state?
Mrs McKinnell, not surprisingly, had no answer.
Perhaps the most important aspect of that question lies in the sheer hypocrisy of the Labour Party's supporters. To its credit, Labour strongly opposes the use of execution, and supports women's rights, gay rights, ethnic minority rights and religious minority rights. Many of Labour's supporters, like many others, are appalled to see Iranian women stoned to death, gay men hanged on cranes, and Baha'is, Christians and others fiercely persecuted and hanged.
In Israel, by contrast, women, homosexuals, and all racial minorities, are treated well, especially Arabs. According to Thane Rosenbaum, distinguished fellow at New York University School of Law and legal analyst for CBS News Radio:
"Arabs serve on the Israeli Supreme Court and can live, work and eat anywhere they choose, vote freely in elections and are represented in parliament. The only nation in the Middle East where civil rights exist for racial minorities, homosexuals and women is Israel".
More could definitely be done, but for the most part, they have full citizenship rights and free access to virtually all the same opportunities and professions as everyone else in the country.
All religious communities are protected, all holy places are guaranteed freedom from molestation under law. Tel Aviv has been named more than once as the world's "gay capital."
Today, no one is executed for any reason in the Jewish state, not even Palestinian terrorists who have committed murder time and again, often in gruesome circumstances. Israel hosts the world centre and holiest shrines of the Baha'is, while Iran, by contrast, has demolished all their sacred sites and cemeteries. Israel has laws that protect and enforce these and all human rights. So, would Israel not be the country that the West would most admire? Whatever its faults, it is a utopia for human rights that many self-congratulatory moralists identify as their personal preserve. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country to uphold all the rights the Labour Party claims to hold precious. Yet, Israel is the only country in the world that the Labour Party reserves for its censure, while other countries are ignored, mildly rebuked or even cosied up to.
These double standards have never been properly exposed or tested in a public forum at which Jeremy Corbyn and his acolytes could be forced to explain themselves.
This disjuncture is, in fact, only part of a wider one that allows many in Great Britain to condemn all things Western while lauding Muslim countries without reservation. They even back extremist Islamic terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, which Corbyn called his "friends".
For all this sentimentalisation, it is "Islamophobia" that takes centre stage, with antisemitism paid mere lip service, if that.
In his recently published book, An Imaginary Racism: Islamophobia and Guilt, the French philosopher Pascal Bruckner delves deeply into these issues. Those who do not have time to read it in full can peruse a long and accurate summary by David Mikics. For the present, a few quotations from the English translation must suffice to show why many left-wing ideas about Islam and Muslims are central to obsession with Jews and Israel.
The argument revolves around a number of linked notions. Led by Europe, the international left turned against Jews and Zionism after 1967, based on the claim that Jews had capitalized on their suffering during and after the Holocaust to gain privileges as the West's favoured people on that account alone. For the left, a new variety of worthy oppressed people came into being, first the Palestinians, then Muslims in general. This sympathy for all Muslims who had supposedly been victims of Western colonialism -- rather than as the invaders and colonisers of the great Christian Byzantine Empire, North Africa and the Middle East, Greece, Hungary and the Balkans as well as Spain -- moved into high gear. More and more politicians and so-called intellectuals began to support radical Islam, and deemed it a road to cheap oil and the promise of no terrorism at a time when many thought the West, as a former coloniser, was more powerful than, in their minds, it deserved to be.
Even Muslim terrorism came to be lauded as an antidote to European and American privilege.
Israel became the supposed centre of Western intolerance and outdated colonisation – even though Jews have lived in the area for nearly 4,000 years. In the minds of many, and following the anti-Semitic Islamic narrative, the Jews became the new Nazis, and the Palestinians became the new Jews. In reality, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have largely governed their own people since 1994, following the signing of the Oslo Accords. The Palestinians, however, continue to go through inconceivable suffering due to the atrocious governance by their own often corrupt and manipulative leaders. They continue to blame Israel and the Jews -- preferable, apparently, to blaming themselves.
Although following the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, there were roughly the same number of refugees -- approximately 800,000 Jews from Arab lands, and 800,000 or quite possibly fewer than 300,000 Arabs from land then governed by the British (now mainly Israel) -- the Palestinians are the only refugees in history who have been deemed entitled to their own UN agency and the freedom to pass their refugee status and resentment down through generations, rather than to be resettled, as other refugees have been under the legal stipulations of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Let us look at how Bruckner expresses some of these points. Bruckner, an opponent of political correctness, sets out the links between the political left and radical Muslims, an alliance that has reinforced existing antisemitism in Europe.
In 1994, Chris Harman, the leader of the [British] Socialist Workers' Party... published a long article entitled, "The Prophet and the Proletariat". In it, he advocated an alliance between left-wing activists and radical Muslim groups -- that he thought would be wrong to describe as retrograde. On the contrary, he maintained, we should return these lost sheep of Islam to the fold of the left, and mobilize them in the service of the only cause that matters – the destruction of capitalism. (p. 39)
The left has lost everything – the working class, the USSR, China, Cambodia, the Third World – with the exception of Islam, the new International of the outcasts... Islam becomes the last great narrative to which they can cling and which replaces communism, decolonization, and pan-Arabism. In the category of the good revolutionary subject, the Mujahideen, the Fedayeen, the Jihadists, and the martyrs of Hamas or al-Qaeda replace the proletarian, the guerrillero, the wretched of the Earth, the Palestinian. (p. 43)
In a more classic left-wing register, Jean Baudrillard saw in the mullahs' inspection of the revolution a proof of vitality. In his view, Iran presented itself as:
The sole active destabilizer of the two great powers' terrorism and strategic monopoly. [...] Whether it is at the price of medieval "barbarity", so be it, it doesn't matter. [...] (p. 45)
The future will remember that in the twenty-first century, a large part of the Western intelligentsia made common cause with fundamentalist totalitarianism, just as their elders had communed with Nazism and communism. (pp. 55-56)
... this "theft of the Holocaust" ... and the desire on the part of some Muslims to be more Jewish [i.e. more oppressed] than the Jews are contemporary with the rejection of the Hebrew state in the Middle East: "The hatred for Israel is the most powerful aphrodisiac in the Arab world", the late king of Morocco, Hassan II, is supposed to have said. (p. 71)
By raising the word "Islamophobia" to the level of anti-Semitism, people can finally brandish their certificates of malediction as titles of nobility. Victimization is the pain-orientated version of privilege. If it suffices to call oneself oppressed in order to be in the right, everyone will fight to occupy that slot. Every conqueror likes to be seen as a martyr. No-one admires the Shoah more than the revisionists, to the point of wanting to steal it from those who suffered from it. (p. 77)
The new racism... culminates in the anti-Zionism about which [it was said] that it was "an unhoped-for windfall because it gives you the permission and even the right to be an anti-Semite in the name of democracy! Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism justified, finally made available to everyone. It is the permission to be democratically anti-Semitic. What if the Jews themselves were Nazis? That would be marvellous. It would no longer be necessary to feel sorry for them: they would have deserved their fate!"
In the name of the fight against colonialism, the first duty of an anti-racist is to be an anti-Zionist. (p. 84)
In his comments and judicious use of quotations, Bruckner lays bare the monstrous grievances and immoderate allegiances that underlie the antisemitism and anti-Zionism of the European Left and the British Labour Party. These include Jeremy Corbyn's calling Hamas and Hezbollah his "friends" and supporting other extremists; his appearances on Iran's Press TV; repeated support for the absurd claim that Israel has committed a "genocide" of the Palestinian people; calls to replace Holocaust Memorial Day with a World Genocide Day; Jewish Voice for Labour's contempt for the Israeli army and vast claims that the Palestinians are the most oppressed of all people. Who can be more oppressed than the Palestinians? Well, how about the Tibetans, Yazidis, Middle Eastern and South Asian Christians, Jews, Baha'is and so on? But by Labour's false logic, it is the Palestinians that should be the most deserving of support -- meaning that only Israel (not North Korea, Iran, China, Sudan or Syria, among others) must be condemned time and again as ostensibly the most evil nation in the world.
*Denis MacEoin PhD is a former academic in Arabic, Persian, and Islamic Studies. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at New York's Gatestone Institute, and lives in the United Kingdom.
© 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.

Double Standard for Historical Revisionism
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/February 07/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13684/henry-ford-history
Henry Ford devoted his life to two passions: making cars and demonizing Jews. When Hitler said, "I regard Henry Ford as my inspiration," he wasn't referring to his car manufacturing. He was referring to Ford's anti-Semitic ideology that eventuated in the genocide of six million Jews.
Henry Ford does not deserve to be honored. The question the good people of Dearborn should ask themselves is: What would you do if the performing arts center were named after Jefferson Davis? If the answer is that you would remove Davis's name, then you should remove Ford's.
There cannot be differences between how anti-Black, anti-gay, anti-women and anti-Jewish practitioners of bigotry are treated. There must be a single standard for historical revisionism.
Henry Ford devoted his life to two passions: making cars and demonizing Jews. Pictured: Henry Ford (left) and the May 22, 1920 cover of Ford's anti-Semitic weekly periodical, The Dearborn Independent. Imagine if an American city continued to celebrate a prominent businessman who had published newspapers and books advocating overt racism and racial discrimination against Black people. Imagine if the Grand Wizard of the KKK had a picture of this man in his office and credited him with inspiring him to kill African Americans. Imagine statues and photographs commemorating the life of such a bigot. Imagine if a performing arts center was named after him and African American performers who wanted to appear in the city had to walk into a building bearing the name of this racist. The reaction would be immediate and uncompromising: all glorification of this racist must stop; statues and pictures must be removed; history must treat him as a pariah despite his positive accomplishments as a businessman.
Well, the city Dearborn, Michigan is celebrating such a racist bigot today. But no one is demanding that his images must be removed or his despicable history and ideology publicized. His name is Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company.
Ford devoted his life to two passions: making cars and demonizing Jews. When Hitler said, "I regard Henry Ford as my inspiration," he wasn't referring to his car manufacturing. He was referring to Ford's anti-Semitic ideology that eventuated in the genocide of six million Jews. A large photograph of Ford was prominently displayed in Hitler's office. The periodical Ford published weekly -- The Dearborn Independent -- was a polite version of the Nazi newspaper, Der Stürmer. It was circulated throughout the U.S. and around the world.
Hitler believed that the popularity of Ford's anti-Semitic screeds in America would encourage American citizens to support his anti-Semitic policies in Germany and through Europe. Thankfully he was wrong. Although there were anti-Semitic movements in the United States in the run-up to World War II -- advocated by the likes of Father Charles Coughlin and to some degree Charles Lindbergh -- once Pearl Harbor was attacked and the United States declared war on both Japan and Germany, anti-Semitism of the kind advocated by Henry Ford dried up. But Ford himself never changed his dangerous views.
Ford's book, The International Jew, became a bestseller in many parts of the world and was cited at the Nuremberg trials as a work that turned many Germans and Austrians into anti-Semitic Nazi leaders and followers. Ford was the single most influential anti-Semite in the first quarter of the 20th century and beyond.
Yet, according to the New York Times, Ford's "name or likeness graces everything from the performing arts center to the manhole covers." Bill McGraw, a historian of Dearborn, has written that "Ford's attacks on Jews were distributed around the world before and after World War II and, alarmingly, they influence budding neo-Nazis today."
The New York Times continues: "But Mr. McGraw also included in his report an article on how Mr. Ford's descendants have consistently supported Jewish charities and cultural organizations..." These descendants should be praised for those contributions and not condemned for the sins of their ancestor. But the truth about Henry Ford must be told -- to the residents of Dearborn and to the world.
Many buildings are named after Henry Ford, who remains Dearborn's favorite son. It's difficult to go anywhere in Dearborn without encountering the Ford name. Even buildings carrying the generic name Ford are based on his deeply flawed legacy. There is too much honoring of Henry Ford and too little educating about the horrible influence he had on promoting anti-Semitism and Nazism.
I'm not one for destroying or removing statues or other historical works of art, but I strongly believe that these images must be accompanied by contemporary descriptions of the evil deeds committed by those portrayed in the art. Removing the Ford name from Dearborn's Ford Community & Performing Arts Center raises more difficult issues. There is no art, just honoring, in the selection of a name for a center. Henry Ford does not deserve to be honored. The question the good people of Dearborn should ask themselves is: What would you do if the center were named after Jefferson Davis? If the answer is that you would remove Davis's name, then you should remove Ford's. There cannot be differences between how anti-Black, anti-gay, anti-women and anti-Jewish practitioners of bigotry are treated. There must be a single standard for historical revisionism.
*Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law Emeritus at Harvard Law School and author of The Case against the Democratic House Impeaching Trump, Skyhorse Publishing, 2019.
© 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.

Burned by Israel Strikes, Iran to Move Weapons Supply Center Out of Damascus
عاموس هاريل/هآرتس: إيران تنقل مخازن أسلحتها إلى خارج دمشق بعد ضراوة ضربها من إسرائيل
Amos Harel/Haaretz/February 07/10
Iran builds new secret missile site in Syria for Hezbollah
Hagay Hacohen/Jerusalem Post/February 07/19
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Iranians are likely headed to Syrian T4 air base, which was struck by Israel twice last year
Iran would like to move its weapons supply center for Syria from the Damascus international airport to a Syrian air base located very far from the capital city. Specifically, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which runs this operation, apparently will relocate the center to the Syrian air base known as T4, located between Homs and Palmyra.
The decision is related to the latest wave of Israeli attacks on the Damascene airport. That wave caused tensions between Iran on the one side and the Assad regime and Moscow on the other because it undermined the attempt by Syria and Russia to create the impression that the regime had restored stability to the country after scoring a series of victories in the civil war.
Iran has progressively stepped up the presence it established years ago at the Damascus airport, with the consent of the Assad regime, during nearly-eight years of the civil war. During the war years, the international airport turned into a hub where arms hailing from Iran have been received, sorted, stored and supplied.
The Quds Brigade of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, commanded by General Qasem Soleimani, has its own independent compound within the airport, just tens of meters from the international terminal through which passengers and tourists enter and leave Syria. Israel claims that the Iranian operations at the airport, which Russia is ignoring, endangers passengers and imperils the regime’s safety as well.
The Damascus facility is Syria’s main civilian airport. Traffic through it diminished during the war, in part because the regime severed diplomatic ties with several countries. Next to the civilian terminal is the seven-story Glasshouse, which was originally built as a hotel. In recent years, the Glasshouse has served as the headquarters from which Iran runs its Syrian operations. Access to the Glasshouse is restricted. Arms storage depots, including two underground bunkers (which were originally intended to protect jet planes from aerial attack), lie nearby.
War matériel, from ammunition through surface-to-air missiles to kits to improve the accuracy of Hezbollah’s guided missiles are smuggled to the Damascus airport on board planes leased from private Iranian companies by the Revolutionary Guard Corps. Arms shipments are stored for hours to weeks, before their transport by truck to Hezbollah in Lebanon, or to Iranian army bases in Syria, or to the Syrian army itself.
Israel recently admitted to two attacks on the airport. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed the first one, which took place on January 11. The second, in the wee hours of January 29, came in response to an Iranian missile being fired and intercepted by the Iron Dome system in the vicinity of Mount Hermon the day before – which itself was an Iranian response to an attack, which Israel had not confirmed, that same day. The Arab media have reported on other Israeli air raids in recent months, which according to the reports were designed to foil specific weapon shipments.
The area of the airport is protected by Syrian SAM missile batteries, which also have SA-22 missiles. The Syrian aerial defense was extensively activated during most of the Israeli attacks in the area. During the last round of attacks in late January, the Israeli air force destroyed a large number of Syrian missile launchers that had been firing at its planes.
The Israeli leadership has said on numerous occasions that it will take action to frustrate the arms smuggling and Iran’s attempts to establish a military presence in Syria.
Israel argues that the Iranian activity at the Damascene air hub involves massive weapons smuggling, which endangers civilian passengers and air traffic as well as the stability of the Assad regime. Iran’s presence also violates the Russian promise to keep the Iranians at least 80 kilometers from Israel’s border (an obligation the Russians later qualified, saying it didn’t include Damascus). The airport is about 50 kilometers from the border.
The latest series of attacks at the Damascus airport, some done in broad daylight and documented by the international press, caused some embarrassment in Assad’s circles, vis-à-vis Russia as well. In recent days Iran has been preparing for the apparent move to T-4. The Israel Air Force has attacked Iranian military installations at T-4 before, at least twice, last February and May, during two rounds of escalation in operations against Iran in Syria.

Review Of Qatari Islamic Education Textbooks – Part II: Secularism Is Heresy; It Was Injected Into The Islamic World By The West In Order To Distance Muslims From Their Religion
الكتب القطرية المدرسية للتثقيف الإسلامي: العلمانية هي هرطقة وادخلت العالم الإسلامي إبعاد المسلمين عن دينهم
By: MEMRI Staff/February 7, 2019
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Introduction
The Qatari Islamic Education textbook for grade 11 devotes an entire chapter to the topic of secularism and the dangers it represents. The book describes secularism as a negative phenomenon that originated in the West and was injected into the Islamic world by the colonialist powers in a bid to distance the Muslims from their religion and raise generations disconnected from Islam. The chapter lists the negative characteristics of secularism and its detrimental effects, and stresses that Islam views it as heresy. Presenting examples of secularization from history, the textbook claims that Britain spread secularism in Turkey by establishing cells of collaborators headed by Ataturk, and that the Arab Spring revolution in Tunisia put an end to the dictatorial anti-Islamic regime of Habib Bourguiba. The chapter concludes by stating that, in order to deal with the "destructive ideas" of secularism and confront "the ongoing attacks against Islam," Muslims must revive their Islamic identity and closely study the Quran and the Sunna.
This report reviews the chapter on secularism in the Qatari Islamic Education textbook for grade 11.
Secularism: A Western Invention Intended To Distance People From Religion
The chapter begins with a general definition of secularism, describing it as "a deceptive and misleading term invented[1] by the West to divert people away from religion and from concern with the world to come and cause them to be preoccupied exclusively with life in this world." It goes on to say: "Contemporary Islamic books usually define secularism as the separation of religion and state. [This definition] is now one of the most prevalent in both the West and the East, and it refers to separating the religious institutions (the Church) from the political ones (the administration). This limits secularism to the political domain, and perhaps [also] the economic one. But this term has developed and come to mean turning away from religion and regarding it as a spiritual relationship [between an individual and God] that is confined to the mosque or church and bears no connection to life in the public or private spheres" (p. 86).
"Definition of secularism"
The Colonialists Spread Secularism In Order To Raise Generations Disconnected From Islam
The chapter explains that secularism arose in the West as a result of people's disgust with the tyranny of the Church which controlled all spheres of life. Later, secularism "penetrated the Islamic and Arab countries by means of colonialism, which sought to distance the [native] residents of the colonies from their religion and from the mosque in order to raise generations disconnected from religion. Then [the colonialists] formed cells of local collaborators to preach secularism and [advocate] distancing religion from the affairs of [daily] life" (p. 86). Among the factors that contributed to the rise of secularism in the Arab and Muslim world, the chapter lists the colonialist military occupation; student delegations that traveled to the West to study and became Westernized; the activity of Christian missionaries; the (academic) Orientalist movement "which devoted all its time to casting doubt on Islam and its principles"; foreign education institutions in Islamic countries; secularist organizations and political parties, and the media (p. 87).
The Characteristics Of Secularism: Licentiousness, Immorality, Destruction Of The Family
Listing the characteristics of the secularist movement in Muslim countries, the chapter says that it advocates "leading a materialist lifestyle and implementing the principle of utilitarianism"; seeks to corrupt education and turn it into a tool for spreading the secularist ideology; subscribes to the principle that the end justifies the means, namely that goals can be achieved in ways that are forbidden and twisted from a moral and political perspective; spreads licentiousness, chaos and immorality and destroys the family, and "spreads propaganda in favor of liberating women from the bonds of religion and decency" (p. 87). Describing the impact of secularism on the Arab and Muslim world, the chapter states that it has caused Muslims to abandon the shari'a and place their affairs in the hands of human beings (rather than God), far from religion. In the moral and social domains, it has caused the spread of alcoholism, gambling, prostitution, "calls for licentiousness," and "contempt for the values of purity and modesty." In the economic domain, secularism has led to the practice of usury, which is forbidden in Islam, while the payment of charity (zakat) was abolished and disconnected from the state apparatuses. In the field of education, colloquial Arabic and English have taken the place of Classical Arabic; secularist educational institutions have spread while religious schools have been closed, and religious studies have lost their prestige in favor of the Western sciences (p. 87-88).
Secularism Is Clear Heresy
Articulating "Islam's position on secularism," the chapter asserts that, as a comprehensive religion that regulates all spheres of life, Islam does not accept any other way of life. It states: "Secularism is a system opposed to Islam, and everything it asserts is far removed from what is said in the Quran. Adopting secularism as a way of life and as the state constitution, instead of Islam, constitute clear heresy" (p. 88).
"Islam's position on secularism"
Britain Planted Secularist Cells In Turkey; The Arab Spring Ended The Secularization Of Tunisia
The chapter reviews processes of secularization in several Muslim countries, including Egypt in the period of Muhammad 'Ali Pasha during the first half of the 19th century. Discussing the secularization of Turkey after World War I,[2] it states that the Allies, especially Britain, dictated terms to Turkey before withdrawing their forces, including that it sever its ties with Islam, abolish the caliphate and persecute its supporters, persecute clerics and close down religious schools, replace the Arabic alphabet with the Latin one, adopt a civil constitution instead of the shari'a-based one, and transform the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul into a museum. It also claims that Britain "planted cells of collaborators known as 'secularists,' led by Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, who played a significant role in abolishing the Islamic caliphate" (p. 88).
As another example of secularization the book presents the regime of Habib Bourguiba, who was president of Tunisia in 1957-1987. Describing him as "one of the most important secular politicians in the Arab world," the book states that his presidency was characterized by oppression and the persecution of Islam. Bourguiba, it says, "called to free the Tunisian woman from all religious bonds," criminalized polygamy, instated civil law in Tunisia's courts, adopted a dictatorial and oppressive constitution, and suppressed all forms of Islamic resistance. According to the book, this continued until the popular revolution of the Arab Spring ended the dictatorship in Tunisia.
The Way To Contend With Secularism And With The Current Attack On Islam Is To Revive The Islamic Identity And Study The Quran And Sunna
The last part of the chapter, titled "How We Can Deal with These Destructive Ideas," lists the two main lessons that should be drawn: "1. [We must] revive the identity of the Islamic nation, which colonialism and its agents in the Muslim lands forcefully robbed us of; 2. [We must] closely study the Quran and the Sunna in order to discover the truth and identify the deviations [from Islam] that caused the downfall [of the Islamic caliphate], in order to confront the ongoing attacks against Islam and the Muslims (p. 89).
"How We Can Deal with These Destructive Ideas [of Secularism]"
[1] The verb used in Arabic is ibtada'a, connoting an innovation forbidden by Islam.
[2] The textbook erroneously says "World War II."
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A New Non-ideological ‘Cold War’
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/February 07/19
From Syria to Venezuela, the Western Powers on one side and Russia and China on the other, are flexing their muscles and blackmailing each other.
This scene is a reminder of how the world looked like during the 1960s and 1970s. Those were the days of the ‘Cold War’ between the West and the ‘Communist Bloc’, which was de-escalated only after the US – China ‘Ping Pong Diplomacy’ launched by President Richard Nixon and Dr Henry Kissinger towards Beijing as the end of the Vietnam War was approaching. Later on, during the 1980s, that war was nearing its end with the gradual collapse of the USSR under Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin.
The American penetration of the already ideologically fractured ‘Communist Bloc’, through rebuilding relations with Beijing, was a smart move that changed many realities during the last third of the 20th century. The repercussions of this penetration were later augmented by Washington’s gambling on ‘Political Islam’ to complete the encirclement of the USSR through turning a blind eye to – if not tacitly welcoming – the Khomeinist takeover in Iran, and making Afghanistan a quagmire for Moscow’s Red Army. Thus, we witnessed the ideal ‘American Revenge’ of Washington’s defeats in Indo-China (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia).
As myself, and those of my generation, recall that global confrontation, i.e. the ‘Cold War’, we remember its ethical justifications which sustained it for decades to come. Those justifications were initially true and sincere.
It is more than probable that Washington’s idealistic exultation of liberty and human rights were then an honest reflection of the post WW1 President Woodrow Wilson’s ‘principles’. By the same token, the revolutionary ideals of the USSR were also sincere when calling for social justice, and struggle against tyranny and class exploitation.
I dare claim that both ‘superpowers’, for a while, meant the slogan they raised and fought for; before their global confrontation metamorphosed into a war of interests between two ‘empires’ exploiting human suffering, when ordinary human beings meant almost nothing to them.
The USA, which has been up in arms against Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela under the pretext of its suppression of democracy and denying his people’s basic human rights, has a long history in supporting coup d’etats and military dictatorships during the ‘Cold War’ era. In fact, Hollywood, has courageously documented that period by films that include ‘Missing’ (1982) starring Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek. The film tells the story of a young American journalist who disappeared in the bloody aftermath of the Washington-backed Chilean coup led by General Ernesto Pinochet.
As for the Russian leadership which is actively defending the ‘Leftist’ Maduro, we must remember that it is not ‘leftist’ in order to care about ‘Socialism’; and if it is now shedding crocodile tears on Washington’s siege of the Venezuelans and their country, it is the same ‘superpower’ that is using all means – including military intervention to finish off the Syrian people’s uprising, disrespecting Syria’s sovereignty, and pressuring Arabs to normalize relations with the Damascus regime!
The bitter truth is that the peoples’ suffering is now a pretext for settling old scores and readjusting the balance of global powers, with little regard to ordinary people.
Sure, Washington was never happy with Hugo Chavez’s Leftist ‘revolution’ against the traditionally US-connected rich and bourgeoisie in the Western hemisphere, that Washington has long regarded as its ‘back garden’. Indeed, Washington attempted more than once to bring down Chavez, and later his chosen successor. Undoubtedly, even before an ultra-right wing President like Donald Trump entered the White House, it would have desired that all Latin American states would follow the footsteps of Argentina, Colombia and Brazil by choosing the Conservative Right camp rather than the Leftist or even the Center-Left camp where we find Mexico.
On the other hand, the Venezuelan people have every right to criticize and rise against a dogmatic leadership, that thought through ‘liberation’ slogans, and mobilizing the masses against “foreign Intervention” – whether direct or indirect – would be able to make it forget their daily suffering, the economic collapse, and worsening class and political divisions in their country.
Maduro’s dogmatism has led to antagonizing certain wings within the Venezuelan opposition he could have possibly neutralized, even won over. A proof of this is the fact that not all opposition groups are extreme right wingers or American and Israeli businesses, as some belong to Centrist and Center-Left organizations. Thus, had his regime been wiser and more tactful it would have sought to neutralize and isolate those organizations from the extremists who undoubtedly have their own links and coup-aspirations.
Perhaps one of the clearest proofs of Maduro’s dogmatism, and his apparent naivety, is his whole-hearted backing of the Tehran – Damascus axis while ordinary Syrians suffer suppression, genocide and displacement, and the Tehran regime carries out ‘dialogue’ with Iranians through imprisonment and hangings, and ‘co-exists’ with its neighbors by destroying their countries’ political establishments and replacing them with sectarian militias.
In the meantime, Moscow is exploiting Washington’s pre-occupation with reclaiming the initiative in its ‘back garden’, to build its own ‘back garden’ in the Middle East with Iranian, and if possible, Turkish cooperation too.
Moscow perfectly understands that Washington would not have embarked on such a hawkish campaign against the Venezuelan regime had it not for the resurgence of the Conservative Right in Brazil and Argentina, South America most populous countries; bearing in mind that it was already alive and well in Colombia, Venezuela’s neighbor and the continent’s third largest country.
It is from the standpoint of ‘attack is the best means of defense’ that the Russian leadership believes that it must benefit from America’s engagement in the West in order to establish its influence in the East. Indeed, the Kremlin is doing its best today to enhance its position – whenever it can – in the former areas of Soviet influence throughout the Middle East and North Africa; as such rehabilitating the Syrian regime is a pivotal part of Moscow’s attempts, as is its fine-tuning of its relations with the non-Arab Middle Eastern ‘trio’, i.e., Israel, Iran and Turkey.

Companies Take On the Next Environmental Threats
Nathanial Bullard/Bloomberg/February 07/19
For the past 15 years, CDP has been asking companies and investors to disclose their businesses’ impact on the environment, as well as the environment’s impact on their businesses. My Bloomberg colleague Christopher Flavelle examined how some of the U.K.-based nonprofit’s respondents view the effects — and the opportunities it might bring — of climate change on their businesses in a deep dive last month. This week, I’m looking specifically at company risks related to water security and forests, and how the effects of climate change will force companies worldwide to change how they operate.
In 2018, more than 7,000 companies filed environmental reports to the CDP; more than 2,100 of them disclosed risks to water security, and 455 reported risks to forests.
At first glance, water security looks like a less significant issue than climate change, and forestry less significant still. But that’s not a fair comparison. The absolute number of respondents on water security and forests aren’t a fair reflection of the seriousness of those risks to companies; there are fewer companies exposed to those specific risks than to climate change. A financial institution might only have a minimal direct exposure to climate change through impacts on its office buildings, while a packaged-goods company is likely to be exposed to threats to water security and forests due to climate change. As Sultana Bashir, global director of forests at CDP, wrote in an email:
There is an understanding that climate change is a universal global issue that affects all companies, whereas risks around water security and deforestation are much more material for some companies than others, depending on sector, geography and other factors.
Given the nature of these three risks, and the fact that they aren’t universally applicable, there are a few ways we can think about these company disclosures.
The first is as a response ratio, which is useful because CDP’s surveys target only the companies it considers to be most affected by a particular risk. According to CDP, in 2018, it requested water risk disclosures “from just under 5,000 of the world’s largest companies from high impact sectors including Apparel, Chemicals, Food & beverage, Metals & mining, Oil & gas, Pharmaceuticals and Power generation.” Of those, more than 2,100 responded — a response rate of more than 40 percent.
CDP also requested forest risk disclosures from 1,595 companies, “specifically many of the largest and most impactful companies in terms of their ability to directly or indirectly drive deforestation, including Unilever, Tetra Pak, and L’oreal.” Of those, 455 responded — a 28 percent response rate.
Another way to view these disclosures is to see how companies treat risks to and from water and forests, not in scale but in the number of companies making disclosures last year compared to the first year CDP received responses.
In this way, risks to water security look similar to the ones posed by climate change. CDP has been collecting climate change risk disclosures for 16 years, water security risk disclosures for nine years, and forest risks for seven years. In nine years, the number companies disclosing climate risk had increased 1,500 percent, and the number of companies disclosing threats to water security had increased 1,100 percent. In seven years, the number of companies disclosing climate risk had increased 11-fold, and the number of companies disclosing forest risk had increased 355 percent.
Chart each risk over time, and trends are easier to spot.