LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 18/19

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen
Letter to the Hebrews 11/01-06: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and ‘he was not found, because God had taken him.’ For it was attested before he was taken away that ‘he had pleased God.’ And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on February 17-18/19
Lebanon: Hezbollah Gives Confidence to Government, After Tailoring It to Its Own Terms
UAE Reportedly Readying to Lift Lebanon Travel Warning
Qaouq: Saudi Normalization with Israel Encourages Israel to Attack Lebanon
Adwan: Stoking Street Tensions Leads to War, Aoun President Thanks to LF
Bassil Sources Say Coordination with Syria 'Inevitable'
Brother of Slain PSP Supporter Injured in Fresh Choueifat Incident
13 Injured as Ceiling Collapses on Mourners in Hermel
Lebanese Women Hail First Female Arab Interior Minister
PSP-LDP Tensions Resurface Following Shooting Incident
Samy Gemayel Vows Unwavering Efforts Following Re-election
Kataeb Party Re-elects Leadership, Votes in New Politburo Members
Najarian: Kataeb to Adopt Political Vision Based on Self-Assessment
Bou Saab in a panel discussion on Syria in Munich: Any solution not in coordination with the Syrian government will create a new problem
Lakkis from Dubai: We seek to open foreign markets to Lebanese agricultural products
Strong Republic Bloc, LF Business Executives discuss economic situation in Lebanon
PSP: We are confident in the judiciary, and we call for uncovering the circumstances of Choueifat incident
Fatfat says Cedar resolutions an opportunity not to be missed
March by families of detainees in Abra events in demand for general amnesty law
Saad calls for consolidating citizens' rights in modern civil state
Jabak inspects AlFanar Psychiatric Hospital
High expectations for a longer ski season in Lebanon

Litles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 17-18/19
Iran's foreign minister says risk of war with Israel is 'great'
Rouhani: Iran won't 'succumb to pressure' of U.S., Israel, ready for regional ties
Iran Takes Aim at 'Hateful' Pence Comments
Iran Launches 'Cruise Missile Capable' Submarine
Syria: Tunnels, Civilians Stall Final anti-ISIS Push
In East Syria, IS in Last Stand to Defend Dying 'Caliphate'
Assad Warns Syria's Kurds that U.S. Will Not Protect Them
Polish PM Nixes Trip to Israel after Netanyahu Holocaust 'Comment’
UN Report Highlights Increase in Israeli Violence Against Palestinians in 2019
Gaza Border Saw Infiltration Attempts Amid Arrests in West Bank
Stances Vary on the End of ISIS in Iraq
Turkey Hints Military Operation with Russia, Iran in Idlib a Possibility
February Revolution’ Still Divides Libyans, Eight Years after Toppling Gaddafi
Egyptian Army Terminates 7 Terrorists in North Sinai
Ex-Fox News Host Ends Bid to be Next U.S. Ambassador to U.N.
Saudi Crown Prince Arrives in Pakistan to Kick Off Asia Tour

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 17-18/19
High expectations for a longer ski season in Lebanon/Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/February 17/19
Trump Mid East peace plan’s release – not before second half of 2019 /DEBKAfile/February 17/19/
In Germany, the Green New Deal Actually Works/Leonid Bershidsky/Bloomberg/February 17/19
Google May Employ More People Than the Entire US Newspaper Industry/Justin Fox/Bloomberg/February 17/1
We Will Displace You ...": Persecution of Christians, December 2018/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/February 17/19
EU’s appeasement of Iran counterproductive and doomed to fail/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/February 17/19
Islamic Republic a dead man walking/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/February 17/19
Sochi summit keeps Syrian peace process alive/Yasar Yakis/Arab News/February 17/19
Egypt needs a full debate on proposed constitutional changes/Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/February 17/19

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on February 17-18/19
Lebanon: Hezbollah Gives Confidence to Government, After Tailoring It to Its Own Terms
Beirut - Caroline Akoum/ Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 February, 2019/Hezbollah has given its confidence to the new government, which is headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, breaking its habit to abstain from voting to the previous Hariri-led cabinets. As some parties described the new government as the “Hezbollah government”, Former Minister and Deputy Boutros Harb noted that the movement could not oppose a cabinet, in which it has guaranteed the blocking third, hence is now controlling the decision-making in the country. Ali al-Amin, a political analyst who is known for his anti-Hezbollah positions, said that the party's last stance towards the government was only an obvious result of its success in tailoring a cabinet that meets its terms, in the absence of any major opposition among other political parties. In contrast, Qassem Kassir, a political analyst close to Hezbollah, affirmed that the movement’s position change was only a rearrangement of its priorities, by giving greater attention to the internal Lebanese arena after focusing on what he called the “resistance” against Israel and the fighting in Syria over the past years. Amin, for his part, said: “Since the presidential elections that brought the party’s candidate [to Baabda Palace], to the electoral law, through which Hezbollah achieved breakthroughs [in areas where it was not previously able to win], to imposing conditions on the government… Hezbollah has proved to be subjecting others in Lebanon to what it wants.” At the same time, Amin pointed to another reality, which he said was the “climate of compromise imposed by regional and international considerations under an Iranian strategy of “appeasement” and the dissociation of Lebanon. This is reflected not only in Hezbollah’s policy, which has seen softer rhetoric but also through the positions of its opponents, who are showing less criticism towards the party.

UAE Reportedly Readying to Lift Lebanon Travel Warning
Naharnet/February 17/19/The United Arab Emirate is readying to lift its travel warning for Lebanon but it is still monitoring the situation, a media report said. Saudi Arabia had lifted its travel warning for the country on Wednesday, citing an improvement in the security situation. “Despite the positivity of the decision taken by Saudi Arabia in allowing its citizens to travel to Lebanon, and its beneficial impact on the treasury’s revenues, the private sector and employment, we must not rule out that Riyadh and other capitals are still monitoring the Lebanese measures, starting from the extent of Lebanon’s commitment to the dissociation policy while also counting the necessary security and logistic measures at the Rafik Hariri International Airport,” ministerial and parliamentary sources told al-Hayat newspaper in remarks published Sunday. Several ministerial sources also told al-Hayat that “the UAE is readying for a similar decision as part of showing more openness to the country, but is also closely monitoring the situation.”

Qaouq: Saudi Normalization with Israel Encourages Israel to Attack Lebanon
Naharnet/February 17/19/Hizbullah central council member Sheikh Nabil Qaouq on Sunday accused Saudi Arabia of “normalization with Israel,” warning that such a move would “encourage Israel to attack Lebanon again.”“Arab-Israeli ties are a treason against Palestine, and if Gulf normalization has failed Palestine, Saudi normalization with the Israeli enemy is the most treacherous, because Saudi Arabia is the country of the two holy mosques,” Qaouq said. “This normalization represents a real threat to Arab national security and an encouragement for Israel to attack Lebanon again,” the Hizbullah official warned, stressing that “there is no place for (Lebanon’s self-declared policy of) dissociation towards the Saudi normalization with Israel.”“Lebanon will be hurt the most, because this normalization will affect our security and oil and gas rights, especially that this Gulf stance encourages Israel to carry out further aggression and emboldens it against us,” Qaouq went on to say. He added: “How can Saudi Arabia claim to be Lebanon’s friend as it emboldens Israel against it? This stance has nothing to do with friendship and Arabism, and if normalization is a sin, the bigger sin comes from the Saudi regime,” the Hizbullah official said. His remarks come after a visit to Beirut by a senior Saudi official who pledged strong support for Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has leaked a video of Gulf Arab ministers slamming Iran during a closed-door session of a Middle East conference in Warsaw. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states which do not recognize Israel sent top diplomats to attend this week's conference alongside Netanyahu, something the prime minister and his U.S. ally have talked up as a new regional axis against Iran. Though Saudi Arabia and Israel have no official diplomatic ties, they share a determination to limit the expansion of Iranian influence in the Middle East. Netanyahu praised the conference organized by Washington in the Polish capital as a "historical turning point" for the region. "An Israeli prime minister and the foreign ministers of the leading Arab countries stood together and spoke with unusual force, clarity and unity against the common threat of the Iranian regime," he told reporters on Thursday.

Adwan: Stoking Street Tensions Leads to War, Aoun President Thanks to LF
Naharnet/February 17/19/Lebanese Forces bloc MP George Adwan noted Sunday that stoking sectarian tensions on the streets would only lead to “war,” as he stressed that “had it not been for the LF,” President Michel Aoun “would not have been elected.”“MP Mohammed Raad’s apology over MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi’s remarks prevented attacks against each other’s icons,” Adwan said in an interview with MTV, stressing that “Bashir Gemayel is the founder and leader of the resistance we struggled in.”“The LF part is insisting on creating a new approach among the political parties and stoking street tensions will only lead to war,” Adwan added. Explaining the LF’s role in the mediation that led to Raad’s apology, the MP said “Moussawi called MP Eddie Abillama and acknowledged his mistake, requesting a solution to the issue.”“Abillama relayed the issue to the LF’s leadership and MP Sethrida Geagea called Moussawi, who stressed keenness to resolve the matter,” Adwan said. Raad apologized on Friday after Moussawi suggested that slain president-elect Bashir Gemayel reached the presidency “on the top of an Israeli tank” and that Aoun was elected “through the rifle of the resistance.”The remarks drew a fiery response from MP Nadim Gemayel, Bashir’s son, and the LF and the Kataeb Party staged an angry street protest in the wake of the exchange of tirades. “Had it not been for the LF, the President would not have been elected, and we’re keen on President Michel Aoun’s image the same as we are keen on martyr president Bashir Gemayel’s image and we reject the claim that Aoun was elected through the rifle of the resistance (Hizbullah),” Adwan added. Separately, the MP said the LF “extends its hand to any political group that wants to fight corruption, even if it was a rival,” noting that there is no “veto” on Iran’s assistance of Lebanon. “The state is bankrupt, tax evasion has reached the 3-billion mark and imposing taxes on the low-income class is out of the question. We will take part in the reform process together with everyone,” Adwan added.

Bassil Sources Say Coordination with Syria 'Inevitable'
Naharnet/February 17/19/Lebanon’s coordination with Damascus is inevitable, sources close to Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil have said. “It is inevitable in order to make the biggest number of gains for Lebanon’s interest, to end the refugee crisis and to take part in the process of rebuilding Syria,” the sources told al-Qabas newspaper in remarks published Sunday.“Coordination with Syria is not a violation of the dissociation principle or alignment in a regional axis,” the sources stressed. The issues of restoring full ties with Damascus and the repatriation of Syrian refugees are highly controversial in Lebanon.

Brother of Slain PSP Supporter Injured in Fresh Choueifat Incident
Naharnet/February 17/19/Nizar Abu Faraj, a brother of slain Progressive Socialist Party supporter Alaa Abi Faraj, has been shot and wounded in Choueifat, the National News Agency said. NNA said he came under gunfire as he was visiting his brother’s tomb to light candles.“He was wounded in the shoulder and several gunshots penetrated his car as he filed a lawsuit against the attackers,” the agency added. The Lebanese Democratic Party meanwhile issued a statement saying an “overnight clash” erupted after Abi Faraj harassed the tenants of the house of Amin al-Souqi, the fugitive accused of being behind the death of Alaa Abi Faraj. The statement said Nizar Abi Faraj had harassed the tenants more than seven times over the past two months. “He would carry out provocative act involving death and revenge threats,” the statement said. The statement added that Abi Faraj would always approach the house while “drunk” and “after midnight.”It also noted that a brother of al-Souqi’s wife had filed a lawsuit against PSP official Marwan Abi Faraj for “attacking al-Souqi’s house and inciting Nizar Abi Faraj to carry out similar acts.”“A lawsuit was filed this morning against Nizar Abi Faraj for attacking the house and launching death threats,” the statement added. Alaa Abi Faraj had been killed in a clash between the PSP and the LDP in the wake of the 2009 parliamentary elections.
The PSP accuses LDP chief MP Talal Arslan of facilitating the escape of the fugitive al-Souqi to Syria.

13 Injured as Ceiling Collapses on Mourners in Hermel
Thirteen people were injured Sunday when a ceiling collapsed on mourners in the Hermel area of Fissan, the National News Agency said. The wounded, most of them women, suffered fractures and bruises and were evacuated by medics and Lebanese Red Cross crews to hospitals in the area. Health Minister Jamil Jabaq meanwhile ordered the hospitalization of all the wounded at the expense of the ministry. A parliamentary delegation comprising Hizbullah MPs Hussein al-Hajj Hassan, Ali al-Moqdad, Ibrahim al-Moussawi and Ihab Hamadeh meanwhile visited the wounded to inquire about their condition.
They also inspected the incident’s site in Fissan.

Lebanese Women Hail First Female Arab Interior Minister
Reuters/Sunday 17th February 2019/Lebanon has appointed the Arab world's first female interior minister in its new government, prising open a wider foothold for women in its overwhelmingly male political scene.Raya al-Hassan is one of four women to take Cabinet jobs in the new coalition, more than ever before in Lebanon and three more than in the last government, in which even the minister for women was a man. Though Hassan has already held top jobs — including finance minister in 2009-2011 — her appointment to a portfolio managing security was hailed as a step forward for women in Lebanese politics. This is a point of pride for all women and all the people who believe in women's capabilities," Hassan said. "There are a lot of female interior and defense ministers in the world and they have proved their efficiency. It might be a new phenomenon for Lebanon and Arab countries, but hopefully it will be repeated and not be unique," she added. The three other women in the 30-strong Cabinet are in charge of energy, administrative development and the economic empowerment of women and young people. Though Lebanon is widely held to be liberal by regional standards, with women playing a prominent role in public life, some of its laws continue to uphold a patriarchal social code. Much Lebanese civil law, including personal status matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance, is applied according to religious sect and in some cases treats women differently to men. Lebanon has 17 recognized Muslim and Christian sects.
'Old male patriarchal mind'
In 2017 the parliament abolished an old law that absolved rapists if they married their victims. But marital rape and child marriage are still legal. "You can't keep up with the international community and say you have a civilized state when all the world is working on gender equality and Lebanon is still living with the old male patriarchal mind," said May Chidiac, the new administrative development minister. Lebanese politics continues to revolve around men. The complex sectarian power-sharing system has helped entrench former warlords and the scions of political dynasties — all male — who dominate the government and the parliament. "Lebanon is a male-dominated society and though women reached very important positions, when we talk about politics, especially parliament and government, their presence was modest," said the women and youth minister Violette Safadi. "I think we broke this barrier."

PSP-LDP Tensions Resurface Following Shooting Incident
Kataeb.org/Sunday 17th February 2019/Tensions have resurfaced again between the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and the Lebanese Democratic Party (LDP) after the brother of a slain PSP supporter was wounded on Saturday everning. Nizar Abi Faraj, brother of Alaa Abi Faraj who was shot dead in May by an LDP member during post-elections clashes, was shot and wounded by men who intercepted him while visiting his brother's grave in Choueifat. The Progressive Socialist Party issued a statement calling on the relevant security and judicial authorities to assume its responsibilities and launch an investigation into the incident. In a counter statement, the Lebanese Democratic Party claimed that Abi Faraj had been provoking and threatening the family of Amine Al-Souki, the main suspect in the killing of his brother Alaa and who is still at large, by going to the area where they live and addressing them publicly using loudspeakers. The PSP has been accusing LDP head Talal Erslan of harboring Souki.

Samy Gemayel Vows Unwavering Efforts Following Re-election
Kataeb.org/Sunday 17th February 2019/Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Sunday pledged to raise Lebanon and the party up to the level of aspirations and ambitions of the Kataeb partisans, vowing to do so in honor of the martyrs' sacrifices and for the sake of future generations. “I thank from the bottom of my heart the Kataeb partisans for their renewed trust, love and continuous support. I can feel the immense responsibility that I have been entrusted with for the upcoming four years," Gemayel wrote on Twitter following his re-election as president of the Lebanese Kataeb party.

Kataeb Party Re-elects Leadership, Votes in New Politburo Members
Kataeb.org/Sunday 17th February 2019/The Kataeb on Sunday elected its politburo members, with delegates that took in the party's 31st congress having transformed into an electoral body.The party's leadership, consisting of the president Samy Gemayel as well as his two deputies Joseph Abu Khalil and Salim Sayegh, has remained the same with all of them retaining their posts by acclamation. The elected politburo members are the following: Majid Al-Ayli, Joelle Abou Abboud, Rita Boulos, Naji Sfeir, Jean Zaylaa, Samir Khalaf, Serge Dagher, Lina Jalakh, George Jamhouri, Fady Haber, Fady Ardo, Serge Halka, Elie Marouni, Roger Abi Rached and Charles Saba. The 16 winners will still have to elect the remaining nine politburo members. The voter turnout reached 97% after 386 out of 395 eligible electors had cast their ballots on Sunday. "A new page has been opened in the history of Kataeb with the plan set by the party leader Samy Gemayel," the Kataeb's Secretary-General Nazar Najarian said following the results announcement."There's a lot of work awaiting us!" he stressed.

Najarian: Kataeb to Adopt Political Vision Based on Self-Assessment
Kataeb.org/Sunday 17th February 2019/Kataeb's Secretary-General Nazar Najarian on Sunday stressed that the party is returning to the political arena stronger than ever, saying that it will be adopting a clear political vision based on the Kataeb's history and on the assessment carried out during the congress. “A party's leadership must be close to its grassroots base; it shouldn't sit far away and tell people to follow it,” Najarian told Voice of Lebanon radio station, assuring that the Kataeb party will continue to communicate closely with its partisans and supporters. The Kataeb official pointed out that a thorough assessment was conducted throughout the 31st congress this weekend, adding that the party's by-laws and regulations were all re-examined. “I previously promised all the Kataeb partisans and supporters that the number 31 would remain engraved in their memory," Najarian concluded.

Bou Saab in a panel discussion on Syria in Munich: Any solution not in coordination with the Syrian government will create a new problem
Sun 17 Feb 2019/NNA - Pursuing his visit to Munich where he is partaking in the Munich Security Conference, National Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab attended today a panel discussion on the Syrian conflict. Turkish Defense Minister Hulosi Akar, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin, US Special Representative to Syria, James Jeffrey, and UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pederson also joined the panel discussion. Taking the floor and in response to a question on his opinion of the existence of safe areas in Syria, Bou Saab stressed the "unity of Syrian territory" and "the need for the Arab League to find a suitable solution with the consent of the Syrian government."He warned that "any solution that is not in coordination with the government of Syria will create a new problem that can be avoided."Bou Saab also called for "solutions instead of talking about problems, and for strengthening the unity and sovereignty of the Syrian State in accordance with UN resolutions," deeming that "the suffering of the Syrian people and their right to self-determination must be heard." He reminded attendees of the issue of the kidnapped Bishops Yuhana Ibrahim and Paul Yazji, renewing his call on his Turkish counterpart during the public dialogue to help reveal their fate. Bou Saab also spoke of his experience at the Ministry of Education in terms of "enrolling Syrian children in schools, while Daesh was trying to recruit them to fight in their ranks." In turn, Aboul Gheit reiterated Bou Saab's stance in recalling the main clause of the Arab League Charter which stipulates "protecting the sovereignty and unity of any Arab country."He also expressed his reservations about the Turkish position aimed at establishing a safe zone under the supervision of the Turkish forces. For his part, Pederson affirmed his role as "Envoy to Syria" as part of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which stipulates "the unity and sovereignty of Syrian territory."

Lakkis from Dubai: We seek to open foreign markets to Lebanese agricultural products
Sun 17 Feb 2019/NNA - Minister of Agriculture, Hassan Al-Lakkis, began Sunday his visit to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates by touring the various sections of the "Gulf Food 2019" Exhibition currently held at the World Trade Center. During the tour, Lakkis congratulated the participants on "respecting the specifications and quality," and their "seriousness and perseverance in marketing of plant and animal products and agricultural industries in foreign markets."He stressed that the Ministry of Agriculture will focus its work on opening the Arab, European and international markets to the Lebanese producers, especially those who respect international standards. Lakkis declared his readiness along with his Ministry's team to "communicate with all concerned sides in order to raise the Lebanese agricultural exports." The visit was also a chance to hold meetings with officials in Dubai to discuss "enhancing agricultural cooperation and exchanging expertise between the two countries".

Strong Republic Bloc, LF Business Executives discuss economic situation in Lebanon
Sun 17 Feb 2019/NNA - In an issued statement by the Lebanese Forces Party (LF) on Sunday, it indicated that a meeting took place today between the Party's Business Executives' branch and members of the "Strong Republic" Parliamentary Bloc, namely MPs George Okeis, Shawki Daccache and Ziad Hawat, at the Party's headquarters in Dbayeh. Talks centered on "the best ways of cooperation to approach the complicated economic dossiers, starting with the deterioration of the tourism sector to the faltering industry and agriculture sectors and how to find integration between them and the trade sector, which could reduce a quarter of the volume of imported goods worth about 20 billion dollars."Conferees also discussed the status of tenders and the role of the Central Inspection Body. The deputies asked LF's senior executives "to work on defining the laws and legislations that must be developed or proposed in each sector, in an attempt to turn the problems into bills that would regulate the Lebanese economy and its development, and thus fight corruption in the public and private sectors."Participants agreed to "develop a joint plan of action, prepare a workshop on tourism and how to promote Lebanon as an important touristic destination in the region and the world, and try to create new job opportunities for the Lebanese youth to keep them rooted in their homeland."

PSP: We are confident in the judiciary, and we call for uncovering the circumstances of Choueifat incident
Sun 17 Feb 2019/NNA - In an issued statement by the Progressive Socialist Party on Sunday, it called on the security and judicial apparatuses to "uncover all the circumstances related to the shooting incident in Choueifat," stressing "full confidence in the judiciary."
"In wake of the shooting incident that took place in Choueifat on Saturday-Sunday night, which led to the injury of the brother of Martyr Alaa Abi Faraj, the Party calls on the competent security and judicial authorities to assume their responsibilities and conduct full investigations to uncover all the circumstances related to the incident, while confirming its full confidence in the judiciary," the statement indicated. The Party expressed its rejection of any infringement on the security of citizens in Choueifat or any other Lebanese region, and renewed its firm and permanent position in resorting exclusively to the State.

Fatfat says Cedar resolutions an opportunity not to be missed
Sun 17 Feb 2019/NNA - MP Sami Fatfat stressed Sunday that "Lebanon and its government have an exceptional opportunity never to be missed, particularly in the decisions of the Cedar Conference and its solutions to the economic situation."Speaking at a memorial ceremony organized in the town of Dinnieh marking the 14th commemoration of Marty Rafic Hariri's assassination, Fatfat said: "The Future Movement will remain the guardian of Martyr Prime Minister Rafic Hariri's approach, an approach that was consolidated by Prime Minister Saad Hariri through his political practice."
"Fourteen years have passed since his absence [Martyr Rafic Hariri], yet he remains greatly present among us as we recall his approach and achievements, especially as Lebanon ventures into a new political stage at this time, namely in the birth of the government which shoulders huge burdens," Fatfat went on. "We hope that everyone is aware of the current critical phase," he added, stressing that Lebanon is before an exceptional opportunity to rectify its economic situation through benefiting from the Cedar Conference decisions. "It is unacceptable to lose such an opportunity," Fatfat emphasized. "The Lebanese youth no longer feel a sense of belonging to their homeland at a time when they are robbed of their minimum rights to a proper living and a promising future," warned Fatfat, underlining the urgent need to support the youth by providing them with decent work opportunities to prevent them from migration. "Fatfat also highlighted the importance of adopting the general amnesty law "which has become a national necessity."

March by families of detainees in Abra events in demand for general amnesty law
Sun 17 Feb 2019/NNA - The families of convicts and detainees in the Abra events dossier pursued their demands for general amnesty for their sons by organizing a march this afternoon, which set out from "Dar Al-Ifta" in Sidon towards Nejmeh Square and the trade market.Banners demanding amnesty were lifted, in addition to thanking the government for including the general amnesty law in the ministerial statement and calling for its immediate adoption.

Saad calls for consolidating citizens' rights in modern civil state
Sun 17 Feb 2019/NNA - MP Osama Saad on Sunday called for building a modern civil state, urging citizens to participate in popular movements to achieve the aspirations of the Lebanese people in a state that meets their expectations. Saad, whose words came during a demonstration held in Beirut today in rejection of the government's policy, urged the cabinet to give priority to the rights of citizens and provide them with job opportunities. MP Saad also called for social benefits, the right to electricity, water, transparent administration and political independence, while ensuring rotation of power. Finally, he stressed the efforts to establish a national political and popular bloc capable of imposing a new political equation in Lebanon, facing sectarianism that sponsors corruption and violates Lebanese laws and constitution.

Jabak inspects AlFanar Psychiatric Hospital
Sun 17 Feb 2019 /NNA - Minister of Public Health, Jamil Jabak, inspected Sunday morning Al-Fanar Psychiatric Hospital in Msayleh, saying: "What I saw is a social and health tragedy. This is not a hospital and it should have been closed a long time ago."
He added that the hospital will be closed and patients will be transferred to hospitals in different areas at the expense of the Ministry of Health.

High expectations for a longer ski season in Lebanon
سمر قعدي: توقعات مرتفعة لموسم التزلج في لبنان
Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/February 17/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72265/samar-kadi-high-expectations-for-a-longer-ski-season-in-lebanon-%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%85/
Non-skiers can enjoy the scenery on top of the highest slope by travelling in the Mountain Express chairlift to the panoramic peak 360.
ZAAROUR, Lebanon - Snowstorms that hit Lebanon in January collapsed refugee tents and damaged agriculture but they were a blessing to the country’s ski resorts, where the winter sports season opened with a big splash of dazzling white.
With snow-blanketed mountain slopes and temperatures near freezing, ski lovers and businesses are hoping for a strong skiing season.
“We had a good start of the season this year,” said Alain Sawaya, marketing director of Zaarour Ski Club. “Nothing to compare with last year’s very short season that was ruined by warm weather and hardly lasted 13 days.”
“The longer the season is the better it is for the people who make a living out of the business and ski lovers are happier. Last season was almost nil in terms of snowfall. This year we opened the slopes on December 31 and so far the operation has been going on well,” Sawaya said.
At 35km from Beirut, Zaarour’s ski slopes on the eastern face of Mount Sannine in the Matn District are the closest to the capital.
With six ski runs of various levels of difficulty, including two for beginners, the site is good for amateurs as well as seasoned skiers.
“We aim to be a family friendly resort. Two slopes are specially designed for fun activities where children can go sledging and tubing. They can reach the top of the slopes on a ‘magic carpet’ and then slide down,” Sawaya said.
Beginners can learn to ski and snowboard at the Zaarour Club Ski School, run in collaboration with the French skiing school, Ecole du Ski Francais.
Mountain Express, Red Rock and La Cabane ski lifts across the mountain take skiers to the top of multilevel slopes that start at altitudes of 1,700 metres to more than 2,000 metres.
Non-skiers can enjoy the scenery on top of the highest slope by travelling in the Mountain Express chairlift to the panoramic peak 360. “The view from there is unbeatable. You can see the Mediterranean on one side, the Bekaa Valley on the other side, as well as the mountains of Matn and Keserwan regions,” Sawaya said.
The physically disabled will soon be able to experience the thrills of sliding down the Zaarour slopes with the introduction of handiski.
“It is a 50-kilogram chair on two ski boards and driven by a certified and experienced ‘pilot’,” Sawaya said. “We are giving the opportunity for the disabled who cannot go on the slopes to discover the joy of skiing. Those who cannot ski can also use it but the rides for the handicapped will be for free.”
Faraya Mzaar, an hour from Beirut, is another popular ski station. With 25 chairlifts, 40 slopes and 100 sq.km of terrain suitable for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, it is known as the Middle East’s largest ski resort.
The resort partially opened December 21 but now all slopes are well blanketed and operational, said Atef Zgheib, head of operations at Mzaar Ski Resort.
“This year the season started early, before Christmas, and we had good snow. We hope the weather will continue to sustain the season,” Zgheib said.
While Lebanese skiers are seen less on the slopes of the costly sports, the number of foreign visitors has increased, Zgheib noted. “Those who used to ski five times a month are coming up once or twice now due to economic restraints but, on the other hand, we are seeing more foreigners from Gulf countries coming here because Lebanon is close by and suitable for short winter vacations,” he said.
“Many keep coming back and bring their friends along. They had the idea that Lebanon has desert and were pleasantly surprised,” Zgheib said.
Faraya Mzaar also boasts the longest zip line in the region, a glide of 1,000 metres over the slopes starting on Jabal Dib’s Peak at 2,250 metres.
In addition to Zaarour and Faraya Mzaar, Lebanon has three other well-equipped ski stations — Faqra, Laqlouq and the Cedars. The latter, in northern Lebanon and the farthest from Beirut (a 2-hour drive) has the most elevated slopes stretching between 2,095 and 2,850 metres.
The average cost of a day pass to the slopes is $35 on weekdays and $50 on weekends, excluding equipment rental. Shops for renting or buying ski equipment are available at all resorts.
Normally the ski season in Lebanon extends from December to March. In higher altitude resorts, such as the Cedars, the season may extend until May, depending on the weather.
There are high expectations for ski and tourism to thrive this season, though volatile factors, such as weather and political uncertainty, continue to challenge ski resorts’ performances.

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on February 17-18/19
Iran's foreign minister says risk of war with Israel is 'great'
Jerusalem Post/February 17/19/"The risk is great and the risk will be even greater if you continue to turn a blind eye to severe violations of international law," he said, pointing the finger at Israel and the United States.Iran's foreign minister said on Sunday Israel was looking for war and the way Israel and the United States were acting made the prospect of war great. "Certainly, some people are looking for war ... Israel," Mohammad Javad Zarif said at the Munich Security Conference. "The risk is great and the risk will be even greater if you continue to turn a blind eye to severe violations of international law," he said, pointing the finger at Israel and the United States. Zarif pointed a finger at the United States for being a source of "destabilization" in the region. "More and more nations are becoming explicit that the US is the single source of de-stabilization," he said. "The US is now negotiating with the Taliban.
Zarif is putting Iran forward as the main force combating ISIS in the Middle East and the force for stability in the Middle East, saying that the US "reckless obsession with Iran' threatening those efforts.""Europe needs to invest as well," he charged the continent after the US withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions. "Europe needs to be willing to get wet, if it wants to swim against the dangerous tide of US unilateralism. While we have shown our desire for engagement, we do not depend on others for security. We depend on our own people.""It is in Europe's interest to remain in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (Iran deal). The US wants Europe to break international law."

Rouhani: Iran won't 'succumb to pressure' of U.S., Israel, ready for regional ties
Reuters/February 17/19/"Our enemies, America and Israel, want to create division among Iranians."
DUBAI - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that Tehran wanted to establish close ties with all countries in the Middle East, where Iran has been involved in proxy wars with Saudi Arabia for decades."Iran is ready to work with regional states to preserve security in the Middle East ... Our enemies, America and Israel, want to create division among Iranians," Rouhani said in a public speech in southern Iran, broadcast live on state TV. Iran and Saudi Arabia are backing opposing sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen, while Saudi Arabia welcomed President Donald Trump's move to pull the United States out of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimpose sanctions on Tehran. Rouhani said the US approach towards Iran was doomed to failure."We will not succumb to pressure from America and Israel," Rouhani said in the southern city of Bandar-e Gonaveh. Tehran has suggested it could take military action in the Gulf to block other countries’ oil exports in retaliation for US sanctions intended to halt its sales of crude.

Iran Takes Aim at 'Hateful' Pence Comments
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 17/19/Iran's foreign minister on Sunday launched a blistering attack on U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, saying his allegations that Tehran was plotting a "new Holocaust" were "hateful" and "ignorant."Mohammad Javad Zarif told the Munich Security Conference that Pence's demands for the EU to follow the U.S. in abandoning the 2015 Iran nuclear deal amounted to asking Europe to undermine its own security. And Zarif piled fresh pressure on the EU, telling Brussels that a trade mechanism to bypass U.S. sanctions on Iran was inadequate and it needed to do more if it wanted to save the accord. U.S. President Donald Trump tore up the nuclear deal last year, branding it a failure, and Washington has slapped severe sanctions back on Tehran. Pence used a diplomatic tour of Europe this week to demand repeatedly that EU countries stop trying to preserve the deal, which curbed Tehran's nuclear ambitions in return for sanctions relief. Zarif slammed the vice president, saying he had "arrogantly demanded that Europe must join the U.S. in undermining its own security and breaking its obligations" to the treaty under international law. "His hateful accusations against Iran including his ignorant allegations of anti-semitism (…) are both ridiculous but at the same time very very dangerous," Zarif said. Away from the fiery rhetoric, Zarif's criticism of INSTEX -- the payment mechanism created by European countries to try to continue trade with Iran -- will cause concern in Brussels. The creation of INSTEX by Britain, France and Germany -- the so-called E3 European signatories to the nuclear deal -- was a complex, drawn-out process that has infuriated the Trump administration, exacerbating transatlantic tensions. But while Zarif welcomed the EU's political support, he said it was not enough, and demanded Europe "walk the walk.""INSTEX falls short of the commitments by the E3 to save the nuclear deal," he said. "Europe needs to be willing to get wet if it wants to swim against the dangerous tide of U.S. unilateralism." He warned that the future of the nuclear deal was "on the brink", saying that while polls showed 51 percent of Iranians still supported staying in, there were many who thought Tehran had got a bad deal.

Iran Launches 'Cruise Missile Capable' Submarine
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 17/19/Iran on Sunday launched a new locally-made submarine capable of firing cruise missiles, state TV said, in the country's latest show of military might at a time of heightened tensions with the U.S. The launch ceremony, led by President Hassan Rouhani, took place in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. "Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully self-reliant on land, air and sea," Rouhani said. "Our defensive power is meant to defend our interests and we have never sought to attack any country," he added. Named the Fateh (Farsi for 'Conqueror'), Fars news agency said the new submarine is Iran's first in the semi-heavy category, filling a gap between the light Ghadir class and the heavy Kilo class submarines that the country possesses. Fars said the near 600-tonne underwater vessel is equipped with torpedoes and naval mines in addition to cruise missiles, and can operate more than 200 meters below sea level for up to 35 days. The U.S. withdrew from a 2015 multilateral nuclear deal with Iran in May 2018 and re-imposed biting unilateral sanctions later last year. Iran's Revolutionary Guards on February 7 unveiled a new ballistic missile with a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), according to the elite unit's official media agency Sepah News. The surface-to-surface missile -- called Dezful -- is an upgrade on the older Zolfaghar model that had a range of 700 kilometers, aerospace commander Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said. Rouhani said on Sunday that "pressure by enemies, the (Iran-Iraq) war and sanctions" were incentives for Tehran to be self-reliant in its defense industry. "Maybe we would not have this motivation to industrialize our defense sector," he said, if Iran could just buy the weaponry it needed. Iran's top military brass and cabinet ministers attended the ceremony.

Syria: Tunnels, Civilians Stall Final anti-ISIS Push
Boghouz, Ankara - Kamal Sheikhou, Saeed Abdulrazzak/ Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 February, 2019/The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have insofar delayed the announcement of extinguishing the very last ISIS remnants in eastern Syria after terrorists taking human shields and digging up underground attack tunnel. SDF Commander Jiya Furat said that ISIS militants are now concentrated and lay sieged inside the east Syria Baghouz town which is now “within our fire range.”Despite the SDF, the Kurdish-Arab outfit that has spearheaded the campaign against ISIS with backing from a US-led coalition, holding the military capacity and advantage to enter the town, they are maintaining positions on the outskirts in fear of an offensive pushing ISIS to take local civilians as human shields. On the other hand, SDF military spokesman Adnan Afrin said that a search is ongoing to locate attack tunnels dug up by the terror group. The tunnel sweep is to shut down the ISIS underground network.
“The fighting is fierce,” said Afrin.
“There is significant resistance,” he told AFP in Al-Omar oil field, the main staging base for the SDF’s offensive against the very last shred of the original ISIS “caliphate.”The few hundred fighters of various nationalities holding out in their last bastion by the Iraqi border have launched bruising counterattacks in recent days, Afrin said. In the meantime, an Iraqi security source said that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi could be trapped in a small pocket near the Iraqi-Syrian border area. More so, in north Syria, Turkey, Russia and Iran may conduct joint military operations against extremist factions overrunning Idlib province if needed. After confirming chances of a soon joint Idlib offensive, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said work for the full implementation of an Ankara-Moscow protocol that brought about a partial ceasefire between the Syrian regime and the opposition terror groups in the enclave will continue. Meanwhile, civilians were killed and wounded by regime bombardment targeting Idlib’s countryside.

In East Syria, IS in Last Stand to Defend Dying 'Caliphate'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 17/19/Diehard jihadists have blocked roads out of the last scrap of their Islamic State group "caliphate" in Syria, U.S.-backed forces fighting them said Sunday, preventing hundreds of civilians from fleeing. Ahead of a victory declaration expected within days and a subsequent U.S. military pullout, U.S. President Donald Trump called on his European allies to take back hundreds of alleged jihadists captured in Syria. At a base for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces behind the frontline in eastern Syria, an AFP reporter heard airplanes darting in the sky. The jihadists declared a "caliphate" across large parts of Syria and neighboring Iraq in 2014, implementing their brutal interpretation of Islam on millions. But several offensives have expelled them from all of it, except a tiny patch of less than half a kilometer square on the banks of the Euphrates river near the Iraqi border. Thousands of people have streamed out of the so-called "Baghouz pocket" in recent weeks, but hundreds of civilians -- including IS family members -- are believed to still be inside. SDF spokesman Mustefa Bali said IS had blocked roads out of their holdout, preventing those remaining from escaping to safety. "Daesh has sealed off all the streets," he said, adding up to 2,000 civilians could still be inside. IS is confined to "a few hundred meters square in... Baghouz with a number of civilians they hold hostage and refuse to release," he earlier said.
'Human shields'
A spokesman for the U.S. coalition, which has been backing the SDF with air strikes, said IS was using these women and children as "human shields.""Civilians who have escaped are reporting ISIS is using them as human shields and killing innocent civilians in order to intimidate others from trying to leave," Sean Ryan said. Trump on Friday promised announcements linked to "the eradication of the caliphate" within 24 hours, but a top SDF commander then warned the battle would take a few more days. The U.S. president in December shocked allies when he announced he would withdraw all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria because IS had been "beaten." That plan is set to be accelerated after a victory announcement. Since 2015, the SDF have been battling IS with backing from the international coalition, retaking one major town after another until reaching Baghouz. They have detained hundreds of foreigners accused of fighting for IS and repeatedly called on their countries to repatriate them, but Western nations have been reluctant. Trump early Sunday called on his European allies to bring their nationals home. "The Caliphate is ready to fall," he said on Twitter. "The United States is asking Britain, France, Germany and other European allies to take back over 800 ISIS fighters that we captured in Syria and put them on trial," he said, using an alternative acronym for IS. "The alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them." "The US does not want to watch as these ISIS fighters permeate Europe, which is where they are expected to go."
- 'Sleeper cells'
Beyond Baghouz, IS still has thousands of fighters and sleeper cells scattered across several countries. In Syria, it retains a presence in the vast Badia desert, and has claimed deadly attacks in SDF-held territory. The U.S. Department of Defense has warned that without sustained counterterrorism pressure, IS could resurge within months."Over the past month, more than one foreign sleeper cell was arrested in multiple areas in Syria," spokesman Bali said Sunday. Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan has struggled to convince skeptical allies in the international coalition to help secure Syria once U.S. soldiers pull out. Any withdrawal would leave Syria's Kurds exposed to a long-threatened attack by neighboring Turkey, which views Kurdish fighters as "terrorists."To prevent this, they have scrambled to seek a new ally in the Damascus government after spending most of Syria's civil war working towards self-rule. Eight years into the conflict that has killed more than 360,000 people, President Bashar al-Assad's government controls nearly two-thirds of the country. But the SDF hold around a third of the country still beyond its control.

Assad Warns Syria's Kurds that U.S. Will Not Protect Them
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 17/19/President Bashar al-Assad warned Syria's Kurds Sunday that their ally the United States would not protect them against any Turkish offensive as Washington looks to withdraw its troops. The U.S. is set to pull out its soldiers from Syria after allied Kurdish-led forces capture the Islamic State group's last holdout in the war-torn country. Any withdrawal risks leaving the Kurds exposed to a long threatened attack by neighboring Turkey, which views Kurdish fighters as "terrorists." "We tell those groups who are betting on the Americans that the Americans will not protect you," Assad said in a televised speech. "The Americans do not hold you in their heart... They will put you in their pocket so you can be a bargaining chip."Apart from fighting IS, the Kurds have largely stayed out of Syria's civil war, working towards semi-autonomy in the northeast of the country. The looming prospect of a U.S. withdrawal, announced in December, has sent them scrambling to rebuild ties with the Damascus regime, but talks so far have failed to reach a compromise. "If you don't prepare yourselves to defend your country and resist, you will be nothing but a slave to the Ottomans," Assad warned, using a historic term for Turks. "No one will protect you except your state. No one will defend you except the Syrian Arab army," he said. Nearly eight years into a war that has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions, Assad's forces control almost two thirds of the country. Just two areas remain beyond its control: the jihadist-held northwestern region of Idlib, and around a third of the country under control of Kurdish-led forces.
"Every inch of Syria will be liberated," Assad said in Sunday's speech.

Polish PM Nixes Trip to Israel after Netanyahu Holocaust 'Comment’
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 17/19/Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has cancelled a visit to Israel for a high-level summit, a government spokesperson told AFP on Sunday, after uproar in Poland over reported comments by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu about the Poles and the Holocaust. Netanyahu -- who was initially quoted in Haaretz newspaper as saying that "The Poles collaborated with the Nazis" -- has been condemned in Poland for appearing to accuse all Polish people of cooperating with Germany during World War II.
Warsaw has long been at pains to point out that Poland, which was occupied by Nazi Germany, could not have and did not collaborate in the Holocaust although individual Poles may have done so.The Israeli prime minister's office has said Netanyahu did not implicate all Poles in the Holocaust. It insisted that Netanyahu was "misquoted" in Haaretz and other publications that reported different versions of the quote. "Netanyahu spoke of Poles and not the Polish people or the country of Poland," a statement read. Morawiecki will no longer attend the Visegrad Group summit, a diplomatic meeting of central European nations, in Jerusalem this week. "Prime Minister Morawiecki told Prime Minister Netanyahu in a telephone call that Poland will be represented at the summit by Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz," government spokesperson Joanna Kopcinska said. "Questions about the historical truth and sacrifice that Poland paid during the Second World War have a fundamental value for Poland," she added. Netanyahu was in Warsaw last week for a two-day summit on the Middle East, co-hosted by Poland and the United States, which focused on isolating Iran while building Arab-Israeli ties. The fresh controversy in Polish-Israeli ties comes after last year's row over a Polish law that made it illegal to accuse the Polish nation or state of complicity in Nazi German crimes. After protests from Israel and the U.S., Poland amended the law to remove the possibility of fines or a prison sentence. Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II and lost six million citizens including three million Jews.

UN Report Highlights Increase in Israeli Violence Against Palestinians in 2019
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 February, 2019/A report published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories highlighted an increase in the number off attacks by the Israeli army and settlers against Palestinian civilians with the beginning of 2019. The report, titled “Protection of Civilians,” covers the period between January 20 and February 11, 2019. It said two Palestinian children were killed by Israeli forces during the ‘Great March of Return’ protests in the Gaza Strip, another two Palestinians died of wounds sustained previously and 530 were injured. According to human rights groups, both incidents occurred between 60-250 meters from the fence, and the two boys posed no threat to Israeli forces. These bring the number of Palestinian fatalities sustained during the Gaza protests since March 2018 to 263, including 49 children. On at least 40 occasions, aside from the protests, Israeli forces opened warning fire in the Access Restricted Areas (ARA) on land and at sea in Gaza, the report elaborated. It added that one Palestinian was injured in one of the incidents. Additionally, five Palestinian boys were detained, reportedly as they were attempting to infiltrate into Israel. On three other occasions, Israeli forces entered Gaza and carried out land-leveling and excavation operations in the vicinity of the perimeter fence. In the West Bank, the report added, two Palestinians, including a girl, were shot and killed, and one boy was injured by Israeli forces in two alleged attacks near Israeli checkpoints. “Since the start of 2019, three Palestinians, including one child, have been killed by Israeli forces in attacks or alleged attacks carried out in the West Bank.”It noted that 35 Palestinians, including at least 11 children, were injured by Israeli forces during protests and clashes in the same period. Regarding the checkpoints in the West Bank, it said Israeli forces deployed at least 68 ‘flying’ ad-hoc checkpoints and, on at least 80 occasions, staffed and carried out checks at ‘partial checkpoints’ (checkpoints not regularly staffed), increasing delays and traveling time and disrupting the access of people to services and livelihoods. This represents a 110 percent increase compared to the weekly average in 2018. In addition, 15 structures were demolished or seized in East Jerusalem and Area C on the grounds of a lack of Israeli-issued building permits, displacing 39 Palestinians and affecting the livelihoods of some 70 others. “Overall, 48 structures have been demolished or seized by Israel in the West Bank since the start of 2019,” according to the report.

Gaza Border Saw Infiltration Attempts Amid Arrests in West Bank
Gaza - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 February, 2019/Israeli forces fired live ammunition towards infiltrators, fishing boats and open areas at the border with Gaza Strip, while it launched raids and arrests' campaign in the West Bank. The Israeli army said it shot two Palestinians who tried to sneak into the borderline with Gaza Strip and threw homemade IEDs at soldiers along the border before returning back. The army spokesman said that a group of young Palestinians crossed the border fence in the Strip then returned to Gaza. It announced a state of alert on the border in anticipation of similar attempts. Israeli sources said the army foiled a second attempt to infiltrate the border later on. Attempts to sneak into military sites came at a time when Israel confirmed finding "incendiary balloons" in "kibbutz" in Gaza outskirts. Israeli sources said the balloon fell in the kibbutz without causing any injuries or damage. In a subsequent development, the Israeli occupation forces opened fire on agricultural lands east of Gaza while the fishermen's boats were targeted at the Gaza sea. Local sources confirmed the incident, stressing that no injuries were reported. Israeli naval forces opened fire targeting Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, one day after Friday clashes. “At the moment, the road seems to lead to one direction, which is towards escalation,” said Israeli Maariv newspaper. “There is an escalation in confrontations at the fence and fires will return after the rains stop falling,” the newspaper said. It pointed out that after 10 months of confrontations and marches of return, there no political progress looms on the horizon. "It seems that the two sides believe that a new settlement will be achieved only after a military confrontation," it added.

Stances Vary on the End of ISIS in Iraq
Baghdad - Hamza Mustafa/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 February, 2019/While the Iraqi government hasn’t yet revealed an official stance towards the US President Donald Trump's intention to declare the eradication of ISIS, an Iraqi source told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the “military battle with ISIS has ended since late 2017 and an official announcement was made in this regard and it gained a wide world attention.”The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, added that confronting ISIS has now moved into an intelligence security phase through chasing those who infiltrated into the society or are still hiding in the rough geographical areas. The US-led coalition will become a force for supervision and protection, and will end the military operations at this stage, he continued. Hisham al-Hashimi, a researcher on militant movements, told the newspaper that Americans want to repeat an experience similar to theirs in Afghanistan where they left things pending without a decisive conclusion. On whether the US priorities have changed, Hashimi said the ISIS challenge has become less important compared to the Iranian’s. Former Governor of Nineveh Province Atheel al-Nujaifi had a different point of view and told the newspaper that: “I see announcing the eradication of ISIS as a closure of this file in Syria and transferring it to Iraq.”Nujaifi continued that ISIS members have been moving from Syria to Iraq or Idlib and joining the Nusra Front, and this is the second file of high risks. “What matters is the escalating ISIS attacks and its presence in the US-Iranian conflict zone,” he added.

Turkey Hints Military Operation with Russia, Iran in Idlib a Possibility
Ankara - Saeed Abdulrazzak/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 February, 2019/Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not rule out the possibility of conducting a joint military operation with Russia and Iran against militants in the Syrian de-escalation zone of Idlib.“Joint operations can be conducted at any time in line with the developments,” Erdogan stressed. “There is no obstacle in front of these. Current measures are for the comfort, happiness and prosperity of the people in Idlib.”“What is essential for us is the security of the people of Idlib," Erdogan was quoted as saying after the trilateral summit on Syria in Russia’s Sochi. The Turkish and Russian armies are working intensively to implement the Sochi agreement on the establishment of a demilitarized zone in Idlib and the fight against terrorist groups in the region, he explained. Speaking to reporters accompanying him on his return trip from Russia, Erdogan did not specify the concrete steps that will be taken, but he reiterated a trilateral agreement for joint operations in the enclave. He said the region is home to tens of thousands of extremists, who control around 90 percent of the Syrian province. The Turkish President stressed that all three countries were willing to continue the implementation of the protocol, with Turkish and Russian military officials in intense works to this end. Efforts are exerted to stop these groups from terrorizing the Idlib province, Erdogan said. “Our National Intelligence Organization is working intensely. They are trying to prevent terrorist actions. Our observation posts in Idlib will also fulfill a critical duty.”In this context, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Turkey is responsible for separating its opposition factions from the Nusra Front. Addressing the annual Munich Security Conference, Lavrov said efforts are currently underway in Idlib to implement the memorandum signed last year between Moscow and Ankara to establish a demilitarized zone. “There was an agreement that Russian and Turkish forces, with the consent of the Syrian government, would try to establish a gradual approach, making several areas inside the deescalation zone of joint patrol,” he added.

February Revolution’ Still Divides Libyans, Eight Years after Toppling Gaddafi
Cairo - Jamal Jawhar/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 February, 2019/There were no ceremonial signs in cities east Libya to mark the 8th anniversary of "Feb 17 revolution" that toppled Moammar al-Gaddafi in 2011, contrary to the west of the country which witnessed carnival scenes. The division was clear amid accusations against the political Islam bloc of ruining the ‘popular revolution’. Since Friday evening, citizens of all ages have been arriving at squares and fields in Tripoli and nearby cities. February High Committee said that the citizens’ marches kicked off on Saturday from the Royal Palace of Tripoli to the Martyrs' Square, Tripoli. The occasion saw a variety of shows, including music and arts' parades. The national flag was raised in the capital as the night hours came. Chairwoman of the media committee of the February High Committee Awatif Al-Teshani reported that the official program of the celebration will start early Sunday morning with entertainment activities, scheduled to end with an enormous concert for Nawal Ghachem and Libyan singers. Lawyer Ali Emlaimedi said that Feb. 17 was the revolution of a nation to demand its rights such as freedom and living with dignity, especially that Libya is a state rich with oil and funds. He told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that some entities that have other agendas, including the Muslim Brotherhood, stole the revolution just like in Egypt and Tunisia. The Libyan Interior Ministry, on behalf of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, called on Libyans to accomplish a real reconciliation among them to build the state far from conflicts that have overburdened the citizen and the country.

Egyptian Army Terminates 7 Terrorists in North Sinai
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 17 February, 2019/Spokesperson of the Egyptian Armed Forces Tamer al-Refai announced that a fire exchange with seven terrorists in North Sinai, who had attacked a force concentration, resulted in their death, and injured 15 military personnel.Terror group ISIS released a statement later claiming responsibility for the attack. These developments come after Egyptian security authorities had foiled a terrorist attempt to target a security checkpoint nearby a mosque before Friday prayers. The Interior Ministry said that "one of the elements of the Muslim Brotherhood (viewed as a terrorist by authorities) tried to target a security base west of Cairo with an improvised explosive device. Nevertheless, security forces arrived at the scene and defused the bomb. For its part, Saudi Arabia has condemned the terror attack. A Saudi Foreign Ministry official source released a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), that the Kingdom condemned the terrorist. The source reasserted that the Kingdom stands by fellow Arab states, especially Egypt, in the war against terrorism and offered condolences to the families of the victims and to the government. In February 2018, the Egyptian army and police forces launched an unprecedented operation in a number of provinces to hunt down terror remnants and pockets in North Sinai, where they are amassed. The Operation has been dubbed “The Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018”. Insofar, the operation has succeeded in eliminating hundreds of terrorists confiscating the firearms and explosive devices they possessed and destroying the vehicles they used. In January, the Egyptian Air Forces eliminated a number of terrorist elements, including two prominent leaders in North Sinai. Also, military and police forces eliminated a number of 59 terrorists, including 15 who were labeled as “highly dangerous”.On the other hand, Egyptian judicial authorities deferred Saturday the trial of 227 accused of "terror" crimes in the "ISIS-Sinai" and "returnees from Libya" cases. Cairo’s Criminal Court decided to postpone to February 16 the trial of 213 suspects in the ISIS Sinai case. They are accused of belonging to the terrorist ISIS Sinai group and committing more than 54 terror crimes, including assassinations of police officers, the attempt to kill former Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim and bombing security facilities in a number of governorates, Cairo, Dakahlia and South Sinai.

Ex-Fox News Host Ends Bid to be Next U.S. Ambassador to U.N.
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 17/19/Former Fox News anchor and State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Saturday withdrew from consideration to be the US ambassador to the United Nations amid criticism that she lacked the gravitas for one of the top diplomatic posts. "The past two months have been grueling for my family and therefore it is in the best interest of my family that I withdraw," Nauert said in a statement. The announcement came after weeks of often mocking criticism over President Donald Trump's nomination of Nauert, who had no foreign policy experience until two years ago when she was named State Department spokeswoman. Leading Democrats questioned whether Nauert, despite her poise at the podium, had the skills to negotiate on complex international issues or go head-to-head with seasoned diplomats from adversaries such as Russia. But with Trump's Republican Party in control of the Senate, her nomination did not seem to be in serious jeopardy, raising questions on why she announced her withdrawal abruptly in the evening on a holiday weekend. Bloomberg News, quoting anonymous sources, said that a White House background check had discovered that Nauert employed a nanny who was legally in the United States but not authorized to work.Trump, whose tough line on immigration is his signature issue, started looking Saturday for a new nominee, the report said.
Latest Trump vacancy
Trump, an avid viewer of conservative-leaning Fox News where Nauert was once an anchor on morning show "Fox and Friends," told reporters in December that he wanted her as U.N. ambassador. Her nomination, however, was never formally submitted to the Senate and she has vanished for over two months as she prepared for a confirmation hearing -- and, eventually, the job. The U.N. post has been vacant since the start of the year after Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor and rising star in Republican politics, decided to leave. State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said that Trump would put forward a new name "soon." Trump is notorious for the turbulence in his cabinet with top players including secretary of state, secretary of defense, chief of staff and attorney general all quitting or being pushed out in only the first two years of the administration. In an administration that regularly denounces the media, Nauert enjoyed comparatively smooth relations with reporters as State Department spokeswoman, a position that does not require Senate confirmation. She generally avoided gaffes, other than a befuddling remark last year when she cited D-Day -- the Allied assault in 1944 on the coast of Nazi-occupied France -- as evidence of strong U.S.-German relations.
Growing scrutiny
But as she prepared for Senate confirmation, liberal activists and media outlets pored over her output at Fox News, including an episode in which she gave a platform to conspiracy theories about Islamic sharia law taking root in the United States. Nauert, 49, suggested in the statement that she was leaving government entirely, saying: "Serving in the administration for the past two years has been one of the highest honors of my life." Nauert, whose family remained in New York during her tenure, did not return a message asking to confirm that she would leave as State Department spokeswoman.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised Nauert in a statement, saying that he had "great respect" for her "personal" decision to withdraw. Representing the United States at the United Nations is no easy job under Trump, who is open about his low esteem for the global body and has pulled out of broadly supported accords including the Paris climate agreement. Martin Edwards, an associate professor in the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University, said that Trump appeared set on sending fresh faces to the United Nations. "Given his penchant for real outsiders (as with Nikki Haley), it's clear that other countries, who send trained career diplomats to the U.N., will continue to outflank and outfox us there," he said.

Saudi Crown Prince Arrives in Pakistan to Kick Off Asia Tour
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 17/19/Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman was greeted with a booming 21-gun salute in Pakistan Sunday, as the powerful royal scion kicked off an Asia tour months after being tarnished by his alleged links to the murder of a journalist. The crown prince, widely known as "MBS", launched his diplomatic trip in the capital Islamabad, where he was set to sign a raft of investment deals believed to be worth billions that Pakistan hopes will provide welcome relief to its teetering economy. MBS was warmly embraced by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and powerful army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa as he stepped onto a red carpet flanked by an honor guard at a military airbase near Islamabad. The two-day visit to Pakistan comes amid high tensions in the region: India and Saudi Arabia's arch-rival Iran -- both bordering Pakistan -- have accused Islamabad of backing militant groups which have carried out bloody suicide attacks on their soil in recent days. Hours ahead of the crown prince's arrival, Pakistan dismissed Delhi's accusations, calling them "well-rehearsed tactics from (the) Indian playbook after such incidents in the past". MBS will travel to India after his Pakistan visit, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He is expected to finish the trip with a visit to China on Thursday and Friday. The Asia trip comes five months after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a fierce critic of MBS, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul ignited a diplomatic crisis. Riyadh initially denied the murder, then gave several conflicting accounts of Khashoggi's death, and now claims he was killed in an unauthorized operation.Turkey said Friday it has not yet revealed all the information it has uncovered in the extraordinary case, which launched a global wave of revulsion and profoundly tarnished the crown prince's reputation.
'Not a pariah'
But for analysts, the Asia tour -- the largest outing on the international scene for the Saudi royal since his participation in the G20 summit in Argentina last December -- is a timely demonstration to the West that he still has friends in rising Asia. He "wants to demonstrate that he is not an international pariah", said James M. Dorsey, a researcher at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. It is a matter of proving that he still has "international access and he can function... as the most senior representative of Saudi Arabia beyond the king." Li Guofu, director of Middle East studies at the China Institute of International Studies, a government-affiliated think tank, noted that the Khashoggi case continues to cause indignation in Western countries, so visiting them would have been "inconvenient." "Not travelling to the West does not mean that he cannot come to the East. Saudi Arabia is also making strategic adjustments, and Asia is the new main direction of Saudi diplomacy," he said. Asian countries, he added, "have an important special characteristic -- that is, we don't interfere in the internal affairs of other countries". The prince's trip also includes an important economic component. "China is the largest buyer of Saudi crude, and Saudi Arabia's other largest clients are all Asian: India, Japan, South Korea," said Dorsey. "Asia is a source of inward investment into Gulf energy and infrastructure investment; and the future growth of the global economy will be in Asia," said Karen Young, an analyst with the American Enterprise Institute.
Taliban 'in Islamabad'
Pakistan is facing a serious balance of payments crisis and hopes its longtime ally Saudi Arabia will throw the struggling economy a lifeline, specifically in the form of a $10 billion investment in a refinery and oil complex in the southwest of the county. Prime Minister Khan has already visited Saudi Arabia twice since coming to power last summer. The crown prince's visit to Islamabad comes as the Taliban appeared to postpone a round of talks with the U.S. set to be held in Pakistan this week, according to the group's spokesman. Neither Washington nor Pakistan confirmed the latest round of talks the Taliban earlier claimed were set to take place in Islamabad. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are both involved in a months-long push led by Washington aimed at ending the conflict in Afghanistan.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 17-18/19
Trump Mid East peace plan’s release – not before second half of 2019
DEBKAfile/February 17/19/
Both President Donald Trump’s adviser Jared Kushner and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu avoided a date when they said the US peace plan would be presented “after Israel’s election.” They spoke in a closed meeting at last week’s Warsaw Peace and Security conference. Kushner presented some general outlines of the plan, saying that it would call for concessions from both sides. Netanyahu responded by saying: “We’ll wait and see what the final plan will look like. It will be presented after the Israeli elections – as you can imagine, that takes up a little bit of my time now. I don’t think that any of us should reject the plan and reject this initiative by the American administration before it’s even presented.”The prime minister went on to say: “If we make progress and indeed a formal peace with the Palestinians, it would help us enormously in the Arab world and I would say with parts of the Muslim world, but I think it’s equally true that the normalization of relations with the Arab world also helps achieve peace with the Palestinians, and I’m happy to say that there’s progress on that.”
Netanyahu had a strong interest in these comments being released to the public on two grounds:
Reporting on the lively campaign for the April 9 general election has accentuated “the right wing” proclivities of the prime minister and his Likud party. He feels that his efforts to attain a broader peace with the Arab world are neglected and wants to bring this issue back to center stage.
Netanyahu also sought to pre-empt any attempt by his newest rival Benny Gantz’s Hosen L’Yisrael party from running off with the Israeli-Palestinian issue. He is making sure that he, and not Gantz, is Trump’s chosen partner for his “Deal of the Century.”One commentator maintained on Sunday, Feb. 17, that the Likud leader aimed his arrows at Education Naftali Bennett and the New Right party, which he co-founded and which is campaigning on the premise that no other party is capable of blocking the Trump peace plan. Amos Yadlin, head of the Israeli Strategic Institute think tank and former military intelligence chief, argued that by releasing the US peace plan after the election, Washington would avert the formation of a Likud-led government coalition with right-wing Bennett and lead Netanyahu to team up with Benny Gantz instead. All this rhetoric is based on a misapprehension of the Trump administration’s intention. DEBKAfile’s exclusive sources report that the White House does not intend its peace plan to see the light of day before the end of summer. By then, the next Israeli government should be in place and ready to deal with it. US officials calculate that the legal cases awaiting the prime minister could mire cabinet negotiations in interminable delays. The uncertain security situation also needs to be factored into to the White House’s timeline at a time that Israel’s southern and northern fronts, either or both, may be on the verge of outright hostilities.

In Germany, the Green New Deal Actually Works
Leonid Bershidsky/Bloomberg/February 17/19
Despite a sustained effort to boost sustainable sources of energy, carbon emissions haven’t fallen in recent years because the country hasn’t been able to kick its coal dependence. At the same time, renewables subsidies have helped to drive up energy bills to make them the highest in Europe, hurting business competitiveness and consumers. Though the numbers in this argument are correct, the picture is far more complex, all the more so because of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s impulsive decision to phase out nuclear energy after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and the fraught geopolitics of natural gas supplies.
For Germany, though, higher prices have been more of a blessing than a curse. They have helped transform Germany into the world’s most energy-efficient economy. It has also remained one of the world’s most competitive, in part because it adapted to higher energy costs.
Germany tied with Italy for the top spot in the latest International Energy Efficiency Scorecard. The benchmark, produced by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a green lobby group, ranks countries by energy use and policy efficiency. The US came 11th out of the 25 nations ranked, behind even China.
One can argue that complex methodologies like this, which include many qualitative indicators, are highly subjective. But on the absolute numbers, Germany is indeed far ahead of the US. The country’s economy is more efficient in its use of power: It was only 65 percent as energy-intensive as the US in 2017, according to the Global Energy Statistical Yearbook. That doesn’t quite level out the energy price differential between the US and Germany — where power is two and a half times more expensive — but it helps put things in perspective and explain why the US produces 64 percent more carbon dioxide emissions per person, despite Germany’s coal habit. German families use about 73 percent as much energy per square foot in their homes as their US counterparts, according to official data from both countries. If your electricity bill is high, the European Union’s rapid phasing-out of incandescent and halogen light bulbs makes sense; in the US, 71 percent of homes were still using incandescent bulbs in 2015. For consumers, it also helps to pay heed to the “energy passports” prominently displayed on household devices sold in Europe and choose more efficient models; Germans do.
The mammoth task of making all buildings more energy efficient — yes, all, just like the Green New Deal says — hasn’t cowed the authorities in Europe. The German Energy Agency calculates that to make the country’s building stock almost carbon-neutral by 2050 about 1.4 percent of buildings a year will need to be refurbished; the current rate is about 1 percent, so the goal looks ambitious, but not unattainable.
As for businesses, the effect of high prices on their competitiveness is greatly exaggerated. In 2016, Karsten Neuhoff of the German Institute for Economic research calculated that energy costs account for just 1.6 percent of the total costs of enterprises producing 98 percent of the European Union’s economic output. The companies that generate the remaining 2 percent of GDP are in energy-intensive industries that produce aluminum, steel, cement, paper and other materials. Germany, admittedly, isn’t a great place for these businesses, but high energy prices haven’t prevented firms from developing competitive advantages elsewhere — especially in industries where competition is based on quality and complexity rather than price. According to a 2018 study by the World Economic Forum, Germany is the world’s third most competitive economy after the US and Singapore. If that scorecard includes too many qualitative assessments, then note that Germany has the biggest trade surplus in the world, while the US is perpetually worried about its deficit.
High energy prices have helped to drive the German economy away from energy-intensive production and toward industries with more added value. That’s reflected in the employment dynamics of the energy industry itself. Between 2000 and 2016, employment in the German energy sector dropped insignificantly, to 358,200 people from 372,200. But more than a third of the workers are now involved in renewable energy and bioenergy, compared with fewer than 10 percent in 2000; the new jobs, as a rule, pay more than the old ones. Building up more complex industries is important for the social part of any Green New Deal because they create better jobs for workers than commodity industries that can only compete on price. Germany already outperforms the US on job-quality and job-security indicators. Simplistic arguments about the US Green New Deal can’t scratch the surface of Germany’s complex experience. On balance, Germany’s Energiewende, or low carbon transition policy, is helping rather than hurting one of the world’s most flexible, agile and efficient economies. U.S lawmakers would do well to study it before pooh-poohing the Democrats’ proposal.

Google May Employ More People Than the Entire US Newspaper Industry
Justin Fox/Bloomberg/February 17/19
Alphabet Inc., which is almost entirely Google, had 98,771 employees as of December. That news, contained in the annual 10-K report the company released last week, got me thinking. Google, you may remember, passed the entire US newspaper industry in advertising revenue in 2010. The numbers are now not even remotely close.This is not a perfect comparison: Google’s ad revenues are global, while the US newspaper industry’s are not. Still, it’s directionally correct, and pretty telling. So I wondered whether Google/Alphabet was about to do the same on the employment front.
With 139,900 payroll employees as of December, US newspapers are still ahead of Alphabet. The trend is clearly not their friend, though, and there’s a twist to the story. Last July, Bloomberg’s Mark Bergen and Josh Eidelson reported that Alphabet employs about as many “red-badged contract workers” as white-badged full-benefits staff.
Earlier this year, those contractors outnumbered direct employees for the first time in the company’s twenty-year history, according to a person who viewed the numbers on an internal company database. If Alphabet’s contractors in fact outnumber its employees, then it may really have 200,000-plus people working for it, far more than the US newspaper industry. Yes, newspapers have stringers and other contract workers who don’t show up in their payroll employment counts, either, and the Alphabet numbers are global while the newspaper numbers are not. It’s not that meaningful a comparison. But it’s still … unsettling. In the second half of the 20th century, newspapers in the US made money mainly by selling ads. They used some of that money to hire journalists, but they also had lots left over for the owners. In 1997, the average operating profit margin of American newspapers was 19.5 percent. Gannett Inc.’s was 26.6 percent. These big margins came under lots of criticism as newspapers began to struggle in the 2000s. I remember talking to Craig Newmark of Craigslist in those days and his message was that newspaper owners needed to stop whining so much about lost classified-ad revenue, stop laying off journalists, and get used to smaller profit margins.
They did get used to lower profits — Gannett’s operating margin for the four quarters ending in September was 6.1 percent — but, as is clear from the above chart, they didn’t stop laying off journalists. Now, of course, it’s Google and Facebook Inc. that make scads of money selling ads and boast big operating margins: Alphabet/Google’s was 22.9 percent in 2018, Facebook’s 44.6 percent. They assemble audiences in a far more cost-effective and targeted way than newspapers ever did. In recent years, they have also gotten to be big employers (Facebook reported a headcount of 35,587 as of Dec. 31). What they don’t do, with occasional exceptions, is hire journalists.
At first glance, it looks like the overall job losses stopped in 2010. But that ungainly and fast-growing category of “Internet publishing and broadcasting and web search portals,” while it includes a lot of digital-only journalists, covers most employees at Alphabet and Facebook, too. 3 “All other information services,” which has also been growing, includes, well, me, alongside libraries, archives and some other things. The broadcasting sector, which has shrunk a little but held up much better than newspapers and magazines, has lots of its employees on the entertainment side. 4 (The motion picture and sound-recording industries employ almost twice as many people now as in 1990, but as they’re even more heavily entertainment-focused, they didn’t seem to really belong on the chart.) A more direct if less reliable and timely measure here is the annual count of “reporters and correspondents” from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual Occupational Employment Statistics. There were an estimated 38,790 in the US in May 2017, down from 53,060 in 2006. The same basic story, in other words — with the added twist that by now there are probably fewer reporters and correspondents than Facebook employees.
Lots of other jobs have been wiped out by technological change over the centuries, so it can seem a bit self-involved when a journalist dwells on lost journalism jobs. OK, it is self-involved. But journalists do play a useful societal role, one that has yet to be effectively taken over by artificial intelligence, crowdsourcing or other innovations. And while a mix of new business models, previously neglected older business models (subscriptions, mainly) and nonprofit funding sources will probably be enough to keep national journalism going on a tolerably effective scale, at the local level, things really don’t look encouraging. Scholars are starting to quantify the effects of this loss of local journalists. A study published in December by two communications professors and a political scientist concluded that local newspaper closures made voters more likely to vote a straight political ticket, thus increasing partisan polarization. “When they lose local newspapers, we have found, readers turn to their political partisanship to inform their political choices,” the authors concluded.

We Will Displace You ...": Persecution of Christians, December 2018
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/February 17/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13724/christians-persecution-december
Saudi Arabia, America's close friend and ally, failed to live up to its promise to eliminate extremist content -- that promotes hostility for, and violence against, religious minorities -- from its 2018-19 school year curriculum.
"Examples of this content include demeaning non-Muslims and encouraging jihad against them. The execution of apostates is prescribed and children are encouraged not to associate with non-Muslims. Saudi Arabia not only continues to use these textbooks domestically, but exports them to other parts of the Middle East." — Report from International Christian Concern, December 1, 2018.
British authorities decided to deport a Christian man back to Pakistan, where he was previously beaten and threatened with death, "despite UK playing host to [Muslim] hijackers, extremists and rapists," to quote from one headline. Asher Samson, 41, "first arrived in the UK in 2004 to carry out his theology training in order to become a pastor, but later applied for asylum after receiving threats from Islamic extremists during visits home..." According to Samson, "If they do send me back my life will be really in danger... I'm so scared... People know who I am, they know I am a Christian..." — The Independent, December 24, 2018.
On December 1, Shabak, an Iraqi Shia militia formed in 2014 to reclaim the Nineveh Plain from the Islamic State, opened fire on the St. George Assyrian Church in Bartella, formerly a Christian-majority city in Iraq, and threatened its priest, Fr. Behnam Benoka. Pictured: St. George Assyrian Church in Bartella. (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
The Slaughter of Christians
Egypt: A Muslim policeman charged with guarding a Coptic Christian church shot and killed two Christians — a father, 49, and his son, 21 — on the night of December 12 in Minya. Eyewitnesses say a quarrel had ensued before the officer pulled out his gun and opened fire on the two men. Video footage of the incident shows the killer-cop brandishing his gun as he stalks around the bloodied but still moving Christians on the ground. He loudly curses them — or all Copts in general? — as "mother-f*****s." Thousands of angry Christians attended the funeral, chanting kyrie eleison ("Lord have mercy!"), and, "Where are the rights of the martyrs!" Coptic Solidarity said in a statement:
"Whatever punishment—if any!—the killer policeman may end up getting, the real culprit in this heinous crime is nothing but the authorities themselves, as they have allowed impunity to killers of Copts time and again, making it easy for anybody having an argument with a Copt to pull a gun, or knife, and just kill."
Attacks on Christians by Muslim officers have been taking place in Egypt. In 2011 an off-duty policeman boarded a train, identified some of its passengers as Coptic Christians (based on the tattoo of the cross on the wrists of some of them) and opened fire. He killed one elderly Christian and wounded four others, all the while shouting Islam's war cry, "Allahu Akbar!" ["Allah is the greatest!"] More recently, a Muslim "policeman tasked with guarding a church from extremists instead aggressively entered the church and hurled insults at the congregation, calling them infidels." Coptic Bishop Makarious likened the recent killing of Christian father and son at the hand of an officer guarding their church as having the "fox guard the hen house." He added that this incident is worse than the St. Samuel Monastery attacks -- in which Islamic terrorists massacred scores of Christians on two separate occasions, the more recent weeks before this double murder -- as it involves, not outlaws, but a lawman.
Nigeria: On the day after Christmas, Islamic Fulani tribesmen slaughtered seven Christians. Rawuru, where the murders took place, had been attacked by the Muslim tribesmen six months earlier; then, 230 Christians were butchered. "The size and coordination of those attacks showed that this could not just be another small local clash. It was clearly a well thought out and preplanned attack meant to kill as many people as possible," the report said. "These types of attacks are not the normal farmer-herder conflict that the Nigerian government has been trying to claim they are," the report continued, referring to both domestic and foreign mainstream media reports that habitually portray the murders as a result of clashes between nomadic Fulani herdsmen, who just so happen to be Muslim, and farmers, who just so happen to be Christians.
Attacks on Christian Churches
Egypt: Rioting Muslims shouting "Allahu Akbar!" ["Allah is the greatest!"] attacked and caused authorities to shut down yet another church on December 10. According to the report,
[G]roups of Muslim villagers ... waged attacks against the houses of the Copts in the village of Kom al-Raheb, pelting them with stones and thumping at doors and windows. They were livid that the Copts had a day earlier, Sunday 9 December, opened a new church building and celebrated Holy Mass inside. The police arrived and demanded immediate closure of the unlicensed church. The Copts persuaded the police to wait for Mass to conclude before closing the building, which they did and confiscated its keys.... [F]undamentalist Muslims had used the local mosque's microphone to rally the village Muslims against the Copts.
"It's a hard time," said one local Christian. "We don't know what we should do. How does the government permit us to open new churches and then force us to close churches? We barely open churches, and the police don't want to keep us safe!" "They are easily building many mosques, and when we try [to] build a church, all of them try to harm us," said another. "We are so depressed," added the local pastor. "It's not the first time extremists [have done] this; I think it's government policy toward the Christians. We have nothing to do, just pray... God is good."
Iraq: On December 1, Shabak, a Shia militia formed in 2014 to reclaim the Nineveh Plain from the Islamic State, opened fire on the St. George Assyrian Church in Bartella, formerly a Christian-majority city, and threatened its priest, Fr. Behnam Benoka. Discussing the incident, Benedict Kiely, a Catholic priest, wrote:
Last week I spoke with Fr. Benoka for over 40 minutes on FaceTime. A few weeks ago, the Shabak militia blocked the road to his church, preventing his congregation from attending. They also strafed the church with gunfire. Fr. Benoka told me that this was the second time his church had been attacked in the last nine months. One of the militiamen held a handgun to the priest's face when he went out to demand that they clear the street and stop shooting. Later, in a provocation unreported in any media, the same hostile militia went to Qaraqosh, the largest Christian town on the Nineveh Plain, and menaced the people living there. Fr. Benoka told me that the Shabak want to drive the Christians from the area. "They are the new ISIS," he told me. "We are really vulnerable."...
A separate December 2 report concerning the Islamic State's attacks on the Christian communities found that 120 Christian churches and shrines and thousands of Christian homes were destroyed in Mosul alone. An estimated 15 billion dinars (more than $12 million USD) is required to restore these building. According to the report,
"The damage ISIS wrecked upon Christians was not just physical property damage. ISIS targeted Christians for genocide and many believers reported how their neighbors joined the militants in their violent intentions. Mosul's Christians in particular are quick to point out that the ideology of ISIS was heavily present in their city long before the militants made it their capital in Iraq. Community trust was broken, lives lost, families separated."
Uzbekistan: Forty police and military personnel raided an unregistered Baptist church in the capital, Tashkent, during Sunday morning worship on November 25. Police detained 14 Christians, including a 14-year-old boy, kept them outside in near freezing temperatures, and later interrogated some of them for several hours. Everyone in attendance was photographed and their details recorded. Nearly 8,000 pieces of Christian literature and hymn books were seized. When one woman tried to conceal some songbooks used for worship, an official "screamed at her that you are liars, Christians must not hide anything," said a witness. Toward evening, as temperatures dropped below zero, authorities cut off the church's heat. "[We] were almost freezing as it is very cold at night," a member of a family staying in the building said. Officials told the congregation, "[W]e will come every Sunday and disrupt the church service every time until you give up and stop your activity.... We as the state cannot adjust to you, you need to adjust to our laws." As in many other Muslim majority nations, stringent legal requirements make it virtually impossible to register churches in Uzbekistan.
Lebanon: Security officials foiled an Islamic State terror plot targeting Christians and their places of worship: a 10-month police surveillance operation, code-named "Lethal Cheese," uncovered explosives hidden in buckets of cheese smuggled in from Syria. Although Lebanon was once the Arab world's only Christian majority nation, Christians now represent about 36% of the population and are quickly dwindling, thanks most recently to a large influx of Muslim refugees from Syria . In 2016, eight Islamic State suicide bombers exploded themselves — two in front of a church — in Al Qaa, a predominantly Christian town on Lebanon's border with Syria.
Attacks on Christian "Blasphemers"
Pakistan: On December 13, a court sentenced two Christian brothers to death for allegedly posting blasphemous material on a website in 2011. The brothers, Qaisar and Amoon Ayub, first got in trouble when the offensive material appeared on a website that was copyrighted to Qaisar's name. He testified that he had shut down the site in 2009, but that a Muslim acquaintance reactivated it, and kept it in Qaisar's name. Regardless, Muslims rioted and called for the Christians' life, prompting the brothers to flee to Thailand. They were arrested soon after they returned to Pakistan in 2015. "[B]ecause of threats from hardliners lower courts pass their responsibility to the higher court and then it takes years to prove the accused innocent," said human rights activist Nasir Saeed. "We have seen this in the recent case of Asia Bibi."
Egypt: On December 22, an appeals court upheld a Christian man's three-year prison sentence for blaspheming against Islam. Abd Adel Bebawy was arrested six months earlier, in July, after he linked to an article that compared Muhammad to Jesus on Facebook. On the following day, Muslims rioted in Minbal, where he resided. They attacked Christian homes and tried to storm the village church. When windows were smashed, some of the Christians sustained injuries from the shards of glass. One resident recalled:
"The Muslim extremists in our village and the nearby villages incited the Muslim villagers against us .... They began pelting the Coptic-owned houses with stones and bricks, while shouting 'Allahu akbar' ['Allah is the greatest'] and chanting slogans against Copts, such as 'We will displace you and the priest from our village, oh kafir [infidels], O worshipers of the cross, O defiled people.'"
"We lived very terrible moments while the mob were attacking our homes. Our children were screaming," said another. "We spent a painful evening... An evening of terror," another Christian resident of Minbal recalled. A lawyer involved in Bebawy's case said, "This is not a sentence based on the law, but it is meant to please the public!" "We were thinking that the appeal will end up setting Abd free, and we were thinking who will compensate Abd for the months detained in prison until we reached the appeal time. Who will compensate his family, who have left the village and his kids moved to another school?" a family friend, Mona, explained. "Now after the [three-year] prison sentence, there is no justice expected." "What [else] is expected by a blasphemy law?" asked Moheb, another family friend. "It is a law meant to be tailored for Christians so anyone can accuse a Christian and no matter what the proof of innocence is, he will be imprisoned."
Indonesia: According to one report, "On December 2, an estimated 100,000 Muslims dressed in white carrying Islamic flags gathered at the national monument in Indonesia's capitol of Jakarta. The occasion was to mark the second anniversary of a mass protest that led to the downfall, and the arrest, of Jakarta's Christian governor," known as Ahok. Two years earlier, "[o]n December 2, 2016, thousands of Muslim hardliners gathered to rallies that demanded him [to] be arrested for blasphemy." He "was arrested for blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of insulting the Quran." Ahok is still serving his sentence.
Attacks on Muslim Apostates to Christianity
Uganda: "In 24 hours earlier this month, a [Muslim] convert to Christianity ... lost his livelihood, wife and children to irate relatives and other Muslims," reads a report. On December 7, a mosque leader "led a mob to Muhamud Gusolo's banana plantation and destroyed it after Gusulo's father objected to him leaving Islam for Christ." According to Muhamud, 28, a month earlier,
"My father [had] confronted me for being a disgrace to the family as a result of my conversion to Christ. Since my expulsion from the community, no one in my community has come to my aid. My father has openly denied me as his son, and the community has openly threatened me, saying, 'No burial rites for you, a kaffir [infidel]'.... My wife and children also turned against me.... I am a very frustrated man with no family. After being ostracized from my community, I have appealed for help to the government administration, but this has fallen on deaf ears. I am very far from my family and reside in a lonely environment in another village."
In a separate incident in Uganda, a former Muslim wife, and mother of four between the ages of five and nine, was beaten, strangled, and threatened with death by her Muslim husband for embracing Christianity. Shakira Wanyenze, 31, converted six months earlier and managed to conceal her new faith from her husband, Ismail. One night, however, "My husband arrived home at around 8 p.m. on the 30th [of November] and heard me concluding the prayers using the name of Jesus," she explained. "When he interrogated me to give reasons why I was using the name of Jesus, I kept quiet." On the following morning he resumed questioning her; again she kept silent. He repeatedly began to slap her, successively harder with each strike. When she screamed for help he struck her hand with a wooden board, causing her fingers to bleed. "I fell down, and he started to strangle me. Fortunately, neighbors arrived and rescued me and took me to a clinic at Buyaga town council for treatment, and I was discharged after two days." Shakira soon learned that her husband had purchased a coffin in preparation for killing her. She and her children took refuge at a pastor's home. At last report, Ismail was sending threatening message to the pastor, such as, "If you continue housing my wife in your house, then let it be known to you that soon I will be coming for your head."
General Hostility for Christians
Saudi Arabia: America's close friend and ally failed to live up to its promise to eliminate extremist content -- that promotes hostility for, and violence against, religious minorities -- from its 2018-19 school year curriculum. According to a December 1 report:
Saudi Arabia had previously pledged to remove all incitement content from its textbooks by 2008 and the government continues to allege that this issue has long since been resolved. However, other reports say otherwise. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a study this past March which says that the curriculum contains incitement content which had been thought removed. Examples of this content include demeaning non-Muslims and encouraging jihad against them. The execution of apostates is prescribed and children are encouraged not to associate with non-Muslims. Saudi Arabia not only continues to use these textbooks domestically, but exports them to other parts of the Middle East.
Iraq: A Christian leader asked the Ministry of Education to review statements within public school curriculum that contributes to hostility for non-Muslim minorities. For instance, one fifth-grade textbook teaches that women who do not wear the veil — which includes virtually all Christian women — are "sick." A separate report that appeared on December 9 — one year to the day since Iraq's former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the Islamic State — found that Christians continued to be persecuted and discriminated against. Majid, a local Christian, said, "I think before we celebrate ISIS's defeat anniversary, we should go back to our history. We never experienced a stable situation during the past six decades... ISIS 2.0 is something possible."
Indonesia: Local Muslims sawed off the top of a cross from a deceased Christian's tomb — so that it does not resemble a crucifix — and prevented mourners from meeting and saying prayers in the deceased man's home . Although there was an uproar on social media, local Christians said they were fine with the occurrence. Of the 150 families in the village, three are Christian and 147 Muslim. "There is no grudge between the family and neighbours," Hans Supatman, an activist for religious dialogue, said. "Everything is fine and even the funeral service was done quietly." The cemetery "uproar occurred on social media and outside the village," he noted. "Everything is fine here and everyone is happy."
Christmas Time Hate
Iraq: The nation's highest Sunni authority and grand mufti, Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Sumaidaie, issued a fatwa (Islamic decree) against Christmas. He said it is haram (forbidden) for Muslims to participate in any celebrations "of the cross" or even acknowledge the Christian holiday. "It is not acceptable to take part in the New Year celebrations or to congratulate Christians during Christmas," he announced during Friday prayer at a mosque in downtown Baghdad, as doing so "means that you believe in their doctrine."
Indonesia: Authorities arrested two Islamic terrorists who were plotting to massacre Christians during Christmas and New Year celebrations. Both men belong to the Islamic State-linked organization Jamah Ansyarut Daulah. The organization "has launched several terrorist attacks, some targeting Christians and claimed dozens of lives," in recent years, notes the report. "The two come from one terrorist network, and we are now investigating the movement of this network in Java," a police spokesman added. "Hopefully, [we] can reveal the network so the atmosphere of Christmas and New Year celebrations will be conducive."
In the days leading to Christmas, security forces arrested about 20 more would-be terrorists. According to the report:
These detentions were made as preventive measure under a revised anti-terrorism law approved in May, after Islamic State followers attacked churches and police with suicide bombs, killing more than 30 people in the city of Surabaya.... radicalized Islam is growing inside the country and scores of Indonesians have travelled to the Middle East to join the Islamic State group. Attacks on churches in the nation's capital, Jakarta, and elsewhere on Christmas Eve in 2000, claimed the lives of nearly 20 people. Ever since, authorities have stepped up security at churches and tourist spots during the holiday season.
Iran: Although it is common for the number of arrests of Christians to increase around Christmastime — when the Islamic Republic seeks to deter interest through intimidation — beginning in November and into Christmas week, 2018, more than 150 Christians were arrested. Some, including two sisters in detention, were brutally beaten. "The current situation has been described by some as unprecedented," said a spokesman for the human rights group, Middle East Concern.
"There are a huge number of arrests and detentions.... Recently it seems there is definitely a coordinated and determined campaign to decimate the Christian community and to spread fear and intimidation.... There is no doubt that it's the Christian faith of these individuals that is the reason behind their arrests and detentions."
Pakistan: As in other Muslim nations (such as Indonesia, above), security for churches is often increased during Christmas and Easter. Due, however, to the widespread outrage after the announced acquittal of Asia Bibi — a Christian woman who had been on death row for nearly a decade for allegedly "blaspheming" against Muhammad — church security had to be redoubled around Christmas. According to the report:
Churches have previously been the target of suicide bombers and this year, police have trained hundreds of Christian volunteers in an effort to see the season through peacefully. More than 1,500 police have been deployed across Islamabad and Rawalpindi to protect churchgoers over Christmas... CCTV cameras have also been installed at entry points and parking restrictions have been put in place to keep cars at least 100m away from church buildings. In Abbottabad, a district north-east of Islamabad, police were sweeping churches with sniffer dogs and bomb disposal units ahead of Christmas celebrations. Christians have been fearful of retaliatory attacks since Bibi was acquitted of blasphemy, for which she had received a death sentence. She was freed from prison in November but immediately forced into hiding as Muslim extremists hunted her down."
United Kingdom: British authorities decided to deport a Christian man back to Pakistan, where he was previously beaten and threatened with death, "despite UK playing host to [Muslim] hijackers, extremists and rapists," to quote from one headline. Asher Samson, 41, "first arrived in the UK in 2004 to carry out his theology training in order to become a pastor, but later applied for asylum after receiving threats from Islamic extremists during visits home," says the report: "His asylum claim was rejected earlier this year and Mr. Samson is now being held in Morton Hall Detention Centre in Lincoln where he has been told he will be deported."
"They told me they had booked me a flight and I refused to go," Samson said. "They said next time they will take me by force." He said he has "no one and nowhere to go" in Pakistan: "If they do send me back my life will be really in danger. I'm so scared.... People know who I am, they know I am a Christian and they have seen me on social media." Revered Lorraine Shorten, the pastor of Samson's church of 10 years, confirmed that he was a "well-thought-of" member of the community.... It's shameful — we are a Christian country yet we can't help them [Samson and his brother]. It's terrifying to send him back there with the situation for Christians in Pakistan."
**Raymond Ibrahim, author of the new book, Sword and Scimitar, Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
*While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or location.
© 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.

EU’s appeasement of Iran counterproductive and doomed to fail
د. ماجد ربيزاده: استرضاء الاتحاد الأوروبي لإيران سيأتي بنتائج عكسية ومحكوم عليه بالفشل
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/February 17/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72261/dr-majid-rafizadeh-eus-appeasement-of-iran-counterproductive-and-doomed-to-fail-%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%d8%a7%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%b1%d8%b6/
The EU is continuing to pursue its soft policies toward the Iranian government. The EU’s latest appeasement moves toward Tehran include charting paths to trade with the regime and skirt the US’ sanctions.
The prominent European leaders who are in favor of marching forward with such policies are Federica Mogherini, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Theresa May, and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel.
One of the major arguments articulated by the EU for supporting such appeasement policies is grounded in the reasoning that the bloc would be capable of curtailing or making Iran abandon its nuclear ambitions if it helps Tehran with sanctions relief, bringing about more revenue and trade, and helping the Iranian leaders bypass the US sanctions.
The major pitfall in this line of argument is the fact that Iran has not moved in that direction. In fact, several high-level politicians in Iran have directly or indirectly touched on the regime’s nuclear objectives. For example, in a recent interview with Iran’s Channel 2, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, made it clear that the Islamic Republic is exploring new uranium enrichment programs and the production of centrifuges. Salehi boasted: “Thank God, the tests on the IR4 and IR2M (centrifuges) have been completed. They were tested for over 12 years. Today we have all the data, and we can easily manufacture them on an industrial scale.” Iran is also on the threshold of modernizing its mechanism to produce highly enriched uranium, which can be utilized to build a nuclear weapon.
The second shortcoming in the EU’s argument is the fact that Tehran views the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, as a temporary and transitory deal. But, from the European leaders’ perspective, it is going to be transformational.
To put it simply, the EU believes that maintaining the sanctions relief under the JCPOA will fundamentally alter Iran’s nuclear ambitions, while the Iranian leaders believe that gaining more revenue from the sanctions relief can help them achieve their nuclear ambitions in the long run. That is why Salehi surprisingly admitted recently that the JCPOA is a means to an end, not an end to the nuclear program. “Our only limitation is that in the period referred to in the JCPOA — in the first 10 years of the agreement — we can only use IR1 (centrifuges) for enrichment. When the period is over, we will be able to use our new centrifuges. You see? This is the limitation. We are enriching (uranium) right now,” he said.
The third issue is that Iran has not substantially scaled back its nuclear activities, including research and development, after almost four years of the JCPOA’s sanctions relief and increased trade. In fact, the Islamic Republic is currently in a much better position to achieve its nuclear objectives. As Salehi acknowledged: “If we have to go back and withdraw from the nuclear deal, we certainly do not go back to where we were before … We will be standing in a much, much higher position.”
Iran’s 'nerve center,' which is reportedly responsible for designing a nuclear bomb, has been continuing its work
The Islamic Republic has also not halted its attempts to obtain illicit nuclear technology. During the time that the EU intensified its appeasement policies toward the ruling mullahs, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency revealed that the Iranian government had been pursuing a “clandestine” path to obtaining nuclear technology and equipment from German companies “at what is, even by international standards, a quantitatively high level.”
A credible report also showed that Iran’s “nerve center,” which is based in the Parchin military site and is reportedly responsible for designing a nuclear bomb, has been continuing its work. This information was first revealed by the Iranian opposition, the National Council for Resistance of Iran, which also previously disclosed Iran’s clandestine nuclear activities in two major sites, Natanz and Arak. Frank Pabian, an adviser on nuclear non-proliferation matters at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, has told the New York Times that the NCRI is “right 90 percent of the time.”
Even if we accept the EU’s reasoning that sanctions reliefs will prevent Iran from pursuing or achieving its nuclear ambitions, is it really considered an informed policy to appease a rogue state in order to prevent it from becoming even more dangerous? Such policy is doomed to fail because it is capitulating to a dangerous state out of fear. The EU seems to be evading adequately addressing the problem, as well as holding the regime accountable and responsible for its actions.
Finally, appeasing the Iranian regime in order to prevent it from building nuclear weapons is totally counterproductive because it sends a strong message to the Iranian leaders that continuing their nuclear path will give them more leverage and advantage over the international community.
• 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. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Islamic Republic a dead man walking
بارعة علم الدين: الجمهورية الإسلامية في إيران هي كرجل ميت يمشي
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/February 17/19
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The Islamic Republic at 40 years old doesn’t have much to celebrate. Last week’s anniversary was a reminder of four decades of regional and global terrorism, and four decades of terrorism against long-suffering citizens whose birthright wealth is corruptly devoured and squandered on overseas aggression.
Iran is one of a small number of rogue states that measures national success by the size of its missiles. President Hassan Rouhani boasted to amassed crowds last week that “we will continue to pursue our path and our military power… We have not asked and will not ask for permission to develop various types of missile.” Yet most of Iran’s rocket tests have embarrassingly gone up in smoke. Along with engineering incompetence, many failures are reportedly due to US intelligence slipping faulty spare parts into missile supply chains.
Nevertheless, the Commander of US Central Command Vice Adm. James Malloy warned: “They have a growing capability in cruise missiles, they have a growing capability in ballistic missiles, they have a growing capability in unmanned surfaced systems, all these things that we watch that are offensive, and destabilizing in nature.” Furthermore, a fortune is recklessly wasted by Tehran on waging cyberwars against foreign states.
Despite what Iran’s apologists — like EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini — like to claim, the ayatollahs’ default mode of governance is conflict through as many different means as possible. Tehran’s warmongering regime is like the rabid neighborhood dog that senselessly and indiscriminately attacks the legs of all passers-by. The Gulf region hasn’t known peace since 1979, and won’t know peace until this theocratic war machine is derailed.
These same apologists argued that the 2015 nuclear deal would benefit ordinary Iranians. Instead, Tehran diverted billions toward a tsunami of militancy in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere, while upscaling its ballistic missile program. Architects of the nuclear deal promised to address Iran’s other nefarious activities. Instead, European leaders were seduced by the mirage of profiting from Iranian markets and oil, putting them on a collision course with Donald Trump’s pledge to get tough on Tehran. Yet Trump’s own containment strategy is incoherent. His preemptive Syria pullout (combined with ill-advised comments about “watching” Tehran from bases in Iraq) created further fissures within the foreign policy community over Iran strategy.
Meanwhile, the French, Germans and British are stubbornly defying diplomatic gravity with a mechanism that supposedly allows companies (which have long-since fled Iran’s imploding marketplace) to evade US sanctions. This farcical initiative appears solely designed to delude Iran long enough for the US to elect a different president. However, the mechanism allows Iranian diplomats to gleefully run rings around their Western counterparts. The more Iran is allowed to get away with, the more aggressive and demanding it gets. Meanwhile, India, China, Russia and Iraq are vigorously circumventing US oil sanctions.
The more Iran is allowed to get away with, the more aggressive and demanding it gets.
Sanctions cause ordinary Iranians to suffer, while conflict-thirsty hardliners pocket the profits of sanctions evasion and relish the opportunity to go on the offensive. Despite Rouhani’s increasingly anti-American rhetoric, his domestic popularity has plummeted, while Qassem Soleimani, the brains behind Tehran’s regional blitzkrieg, is rated as the most popular figure in Iran. Iranians must be forced to see that Soleimani’s war-making bankrupts state coffers and makes their country weaker and more hated; as evidenced by thousands of furious Iraqi Shiite protesters chanting “Iran get out.” Instead of disengaging from Syria and the region, Western and Arab allies must block Tehran at every turn. Sanctions alone are a blunt tool and can be counterproductive when divorced from a holistic and forceful containment strategy.
Yet last week’s Warsaw summit unhelpfully displayed conflicting agendas: While some Europeans snubbed Trump by boycotting, European right-wingers relished the opportunity to cozy up to the US administration. For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it was a ghoulish opportunity to ambush Arab officials. Sitting at the same table as an Arab foreign minister doesn’t mean peace or acceptance. This is just trashy PR. Instead of an honest effort to reach out to the Arab world, Netanyahu continues his murderous, expansionist policies against the Palestinians, meaning that 99 percent of Arab publics will always reject an unjust and meaningless peace.
China pointedly stayed away from Warsaw, while two key states — Turkey and Russia — instead of joining for a mature discussion, were meeting with Iranian officials to discuss how to carve up Syria into their respective zones of influence.
France and Germany must wake up to the escalating threat their irresponsible approach facilitates. French police last year thwarted an attempted Iranian terrorist attack against Paris-based oppositionists, with parallel actions against Iranian diplomats implicated in assassination and terrorist plots across the continent. Via Syria and Lebanon, Iran and Hezbollah have become Mediterranean powers, while Iraqi proxies agitate to strike Western assets. Are we ready to grapple with the implications of this, given Iran’s continuing threats to launch attacks and blockages in the Hormuz waterway?
Tehran has, meanwhile, derailed efforts to consolidate democracy in Iraq and Lebanon. Cabinet-forming efforts in Baghdad are held hostage, while Hezbollah threatened to block a confidence vote in the new Lebanese Cabinet after questions were raised over its dominance of this coming government. Tehran’s stranglehold over the Damascus regime is similarly all-consuming.
Iran’s leaders believe that vast expenditure on overseas aggression makes the nation invincible, yet the biggest challenge to the Islamic Republic doesn’t come from abroad. Four decades of overseas terrorism and squandered wealth has hollowed out this regime, like an ancient tree rotten on the inside and ready to collapse. Iranians are ready for change and, with global support and solidarity, this change simply becomes a matter of time. From the outside, the Islamic Republic looks like a sprawling colossus, devouring everything within its reach; but, when you take a closer look, the Islamic Republic at 40 years old is a dead man walking.
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

Sochi summit keeps Syrian peace process alive
Yasar Yakis/Arab News/February 17/19
Russian president Vladimir Putin last week hosted another summit on Syria in Sochi with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani. Three subjects seem to have dominated this latest summit of the guarantors of the Astana/Sochi process: Idlib, the northeast of Syria and the constitutional process.
On Idlib, Russia continued to show understanding for Turkey’s failure to persuade the armed opposition to lay down their arms despite Erdogan’s genuine efforts to find a non-military solution to the province’s problems and avoid an attack on the armed opposition. Nonetheless, a growing weariness is also visible on both the Russian and Iranian sides. Iran is clearly in favor of ousting the fighters of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) from the province, notwithstanding Turkey’s position. Turkey and Russia agreed to carry out joint patrols in Idlib — this will bring Turkey’s approach closer to that of Russia and help reduce reciprocal misgivings.
The toning down of Erdogan’s address gave the impression that Turkey has finally come to the conclusion that something has to be done to deal with the HTS reality in Idlib. In other words, goodwill is there, but there is no tangible progress in the Idlib case.
Erdogan said during the press conference after the summit: “We will continue to do whatever is incumbent on us according to the Idlib accord. I conveyed to my counterparts our expectation for the regime’s abidance by the cease-fire.” This means Turkey wants the Syrian government to stop attacking the armed opposition in Idlib, but it does not say what will happen if the HTS does not leave the province of its own volition.
There was also no tangible progress on the subject of the northeast of Syria and the setting up of a safe zone. Erdogan used more determined language on this subject, saying: “The safe zone that is being planned should not become an area where terrorist gangs will flourish. I want to be clear that we will not allow a terrorist corridor to emerge along our southern border. On this subject, we are looking forward to the support of our Astana partners.”
Will this support come? Yes and no. Rouhani said that the sovereignty of Syria had to be respected. Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, was more explicit, saying: “The Syrian government’s consent has to be obtained for the setting up of a safe zone in the north of the country.” Meanwhile, Putin said in the press conference: “The main task is to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity. This is valid both for Idlib and the east of the Euphrates.”
The toning down of Erdogan’s address gave the impression that Turkey has finally come to the conclusion that something has to be done to deal with the HTS reality in Idlib.
The tone in Erdogan’s statement was lowered on this subject too. He did not repeat his insistence on a safe zone to be patrolled by the Turkish army. This softening in Turkey’s approach was echoed by its Astana partners in the joint communique, issued after the summit, which read: “(The leaders) discussed the situation in the northeast of Syria and, while respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, decided to cooperate and coordinate their activities for the safety, security and stability of the region, including the cooperation within the framework of the existing agreements.”
Two points have to be underlined in this paragraph of the joint communique: One is the reference to cooperation among the partners, which is to say joint action among the partners rather than a unilateral action by Turkey. The other is the reference to the “existing agreements.” The agreements referred to here are the Adana Agreement of 1998 and Ankara Agreement of 2011 between Turkey and Syria. The Adana Agreement was raised by Putin during the press conference after the bilateral summit between the Turkish and Russian leaders on Jan. 23 in Moscow. These agreements, signed before the breaking out of the Syrian crisis, provided for cooperation between the two countries to fight terrorism. So there is a repeated reference here to the need for cooperation between Ankara and Damascus. Russia is consistently encouraging Turkey to cooperate with the Syrian government, but Erdogan has not yet given up his practice of referring to the Syrian president as “murderer.”
The constitutional process was another important subject taken up during the summit. One hundred members of the 150-strong constitutional committee have already been designated, 50 of them by the government and the other 50 by the opposition. The last group of 50, which was allocated to civil society groups, will play a determinant role since the other two groups will probably vote en masse in favor of the group they represent. Erdogan complained about the slowness of the process but said he was hopeful that a balanced constitutional committee will be set up.
The three leaders may not have achieved any concrete results, but they succeeded in keeping the process alive.
• Yasar Yakis is a former foreign minister of Turkey and founding member of the ruling AK Party. Twitter: @yakis_yasar

Egypt needs a full debate on proposed constitutional changes
Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/February 17/19
Let us first agree that state constitutions are not holy texts; they change with the times and according to the requirements of political, social and — perhaps — economic conditions. Therefore, the proposal submitted by the Support Egypt coalition, the majority parliamentary bloc, to amend a number of articles in Egypt’s constitution is formally acceptable.
Objectively, however, there is a growing controversy in society as a whole in this regard. This controversy is healthy on a political level, as long as it is governed by moral and intellectual rules and disciplines and everyone listens to all opinions without exclusion, marginalization or putting great effort into proving the other party wrong, regardless of its point of view.
The constitutional amendments proposed by the Support Egypt Members of Parliament targeted a number of articles, the most important of which was article 140, where the amendment aimed to extend presidential terms from four to six years, starting with the current president. Other amendments included the unification of the mechanism for selecting the prosecutor general from among three candidates nominated by the Supreme Judicial Council, in addition to allowing the president of the republic to appoint the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court from among the court’s five oldest vice presidents.
The amendments also included constitutional protection for the representation of women, youth and people with disabilities in Parliament, the creation of another parliamentary legislative chamber, or Senate, and considering the re-establishment of the Ministry of Information.
The proposed amendments are currently in the hands of the legislative committee of Parliament after most were approved during Parliament’s general session. The proposed amendments for articles 111 and 112 of the constitution, which targeted the abolishment of national press and media bodies, were not approved. Parliament unanimously approved the deletion of those amendments to keep the bodies as they are.
The legislative committee will now receive comments and suggestions from all parties, institutions and citizens for 30 days. This will be followed by a wide-ranging societal dialogue over the course of 60 days before the final parliamentary debate and the vote are held. After that, the amendments will be submitted to the president, who will call a popular referendum on the amendments within 30 days. The National Elections Commission will then manage the referendum process, which could see a vote held in July.
Controversy surrounding the amendments has been accentuated among society and in Parliament. In the first three parliamentary sessions that were devoted to discussing the amendments, the floor was given to 221 MPs, 126 of which were from the majority bloc, Support Egypt, while the remaining 95 were independent and opposition MPs.
The justifications of those in favor of the amendments were clear. The MPs underlined that this move is not heretical and is constitutional in terms of the law since it was signed by more than a fifth of Parliament. They also pointed out that, in the end, the people of Egypt will have their say.
For example, Margaret Azer MP said: “Egypt’s constitution of 2014 was backed by 90 percent of the Egyptian people. It is a great constitution but, when applied, we found that several articles require amendment. Therefore we, as the representatives of the people and signatories to the constitutional amendments, found it necessary to amend several articles, but the people of Egypt will have the last word.”
The constitutional amendments proposed by the Support Egypt Members of Parliament targeted a number of articles, the most important of which was article 140, where the amendment aimed to extend presidential terms from four to six years, starting with the current president
She confirmed her support for the political leadership, highlighting the amendments that targeted the presidential term and an increased female representation in Parliament. She said: “Egyptian women, whether in Parliament or in ministries or everywhere, have proved themselves, and 25 percent of the seats is not too much. In all international forums, we boast of having 90 women MPs in the Egyptian Parliament. And the appointment of a vice president of the republic is an important amendment and a popular demand if the constitutional amendments are to be in accordance with the implementation of the current constitution.”
Those who were against the amendments also had a voice in Parliament. The National Progressive Unionist Party announced that it rejected the amendments in principle due to a lack of clarity, especially since the Support Egypt coalition proposed the changes alone without prior dialogue.
The Conservative Party, which is a relatively new party, also announced its rejection. The head of the party’s parliamentary body, Talaat Khalil, said: “The amendments convey a negative message for society, and I reject them for many reasons. They must clarify that there is a safeguarded peaceful transfer of power.”
Ahmed Tantawi, a member of the 25-30 Alliance, gave the most powerful speech, which went viral on social media websites. He said that his firm and well-established personal convictions obliged him to declare the proposed amendments unconstitutional, according to two parts of article 226. He stressed that Parliament neither has the right to amend the presidential term unless it ensured greater guarantees, nor create a new article because this may result in the loss of public confidence and impartiality.
Tantawi added: “The amendments are a setback and a step backward to what is worse than the situation before Jan. 25 (the revolution), especially that absolute power corrupts absolutely. What is happening is similar to the logic of the Middle Ages. All the articles unanimously came in the wrong direction when the people were waiting for us as MPs to protect their right to live in freedom and dignity.”
Egypt’s Salafist Al-Nour Party had a stance that was halfway between the supporters and the opponents. The head of the party’s parliamentary body, Ahmed Khalil Khairallah, announced that he supported the amendments in part. He said: “The people of Egypt will have their say in the referendum on the amendments, so no one will outbid anyone. We support the amendments in part, and we have some concerns.”
Al-Nour always objects to religious and civil terms and phrases. This happened with the constitution of 2014 and in the constitutional amendments of 2011. MP Ahmed Khalil said that his party objects to the description of Egypt as a civil state in article 200. He explained: “We believe in a modern democratic state, and this term is new to the constitution. We reject the secular or theocratic state in the Western sense and we do not want to leave the future generations with an article that may get interpreted in manners that are not tolerated by Egypt. The term ‘civil’ means that Egypt is a secular state, and we want to replace it with the term ‘modern democratic’.”
No doubt Egypt awaits a new reality, especially if the constitutional amendments come into force, giving President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi the right to run for office for a third (and a fourth) term of six years.
The other amendments will also contribute to shaping a different reality, so this state of controversy and debate in society is very healthy. It is essential that the Egyptian media gets involved to allow for a plurality of opinions because the future is made by the people, not a group of MPs.
* Abdellatif El-Menawy is a critically acclaimed multimedia journalist, writer and columnist who has covered war zones and conflicts worldwide. Twitter: @ALMenawy