LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 08/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For Today
Whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 23/16-22/:"‘Woe to you, blind guides, who say, "Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath." You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? And you say, "Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath."How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it."

Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having purified himself, he entered the temple with them, making public the completion of the days of purification when the sacrifice would be made for each of them
Acts of the Apostles 21,15-26/:"After these days we got ready and started to go up to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came along and brought us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to stay. When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us warmly. The next day Paul went with us to visit James; and all the elders were present. After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. When they heard it, they praised God. Then they said to him, ‘You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the law. They have been told about you that you teach all the Jews living among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs. What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. So do what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow. Join these men, go through the rite of purification with them, and pay for the shaving of their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself observe and guard the law. But as for the Gentiles who have become believers, we have sent a letter with our judgement that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.’Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having purified himself, he entered the temple with them, making public the completion of the days of purification when the sacrifice would be made for each of them."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 07-08/17
God deliver us from the traps of temptation/Elias Bejjani/August 07/17
US troops fight with Syria, Hizballah, Lebanon/DEBKAfile Exclusive Report August 7, 2017
Israeli, German lawmakers call for Hezbollah to be banned from Germany/Lahav Harkov/Jerusalem Post/August 07/17
Calling All Liberals: Will No One Look Out for the Rights of the Women and Children/Khadija Khan//Gatestone Institute/August 07/17
An Open Letter to Omar al-Abed/Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/August 07/17
Coexistence or ISIS/Ghassan Charbel/ASharq Al Awsat/August 07/17
US Sanctions Are Another Gift to Putin/Leonid Bershidsky/Bloomberg/August 07/17
When will the Left stop insulting Trump/Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/August 07/17
Lebanon and the unfortunate alliance of minorities/Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/August 07/17
The great war in the Middle East/Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabiya/August 07/17
How Arabs lost India to Israel/Hussein Shobokshi/Al Arabiya/August 07/17
North Korea Defiant after New Sanctions, Rejects Talks/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August/07/17
Maduro Vows 'Maximum Penalty' for Attack on Venezuela Base/Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet/August/07/17

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on August 07-08/17
God deliver us from the traps of temptation
Lawyer of Iran-Held Lebanese Man Addresses Open Letter to Berri
Halta and Lebanon's media corps bid farewell to pioneer journalist Youssef Howayek
Report: Lebanese Ministers to Head to Syria at Official's Invitation
Aoun: Newly promoted national unity has protected Lebanon, enabled it to confront terrorism
Aoun Calls for Meeting With Higher Defense Council
ISIS may have fired rockets into Lebanon, security source says
IS Rockets Hit al-Qaa Peripheries amid Heavy Army Shelling
Raad: We Will Stand by the Lebanese Army
Bassil from Ras Baalbek: The Army is The One to Liberate Lebanese Land
Suspect Arrested on Terror Links in North Lebanon
Man Carrying Grenades Arrested outside Tripoli Mosque
Army Commander, interlocutors tackle general affairs
State Security apprehends Captagon dealer and Syrian broker in Bekaa
Mashnouq meets U.S. Ambassador, visits Darian
UNIFIL Sector East organizes joint training related with First Aid and Trauma at UN Position in Marjayoun
3 shells fired by Daesh land on Qaa peripheries
Army shells Daesh positions with heavy artillery in Ras Baalbek, Qaa and Fakiha
Riachy welcomes economy journalists' delegation
US troops fight with Syria, Hizballah, Lebanon
Israeli, German lawmakers call for Hezbollah to be banned from Germany
Lebanon: ‘Mountain Reconciliation’ Anniversary in the Absence of Jumblatt

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 07-08/17
Saudi Arabia Stresses Geneva as Basis of Syria Settlement
OIC Urges Greater Cooperation from Iran over 2016 Attack against Saudi Embassy
Saudi Arabia: ISIS Planned to Attack Airport on Iraqi Borders
Syria investigator del Ponte quits, blaming UN Security Council
Syrian army increases strikes on capital’s last rebel enclave
Jordan’s King Abdullah discusses holy site tensions in Ramallah
Israel to strip Arab attacker of citizenship for first time
Israeli Communications Minister Shuts Down Jazeera Local Office
Abbas to Gradually Cut Gaza’s Annual Budget
Turkey’s Erdogan says Germany abetting terrorists
The Revolutionary Guard: America wants to implement the Libyan model in Iran
Haftar Makes Surprise Visit to Cairo, Salameh Meets with Saleh in Libya
Egypt transfers Red Sea knife attacker to mental hospital

Latest Lebanese Related News published on August 07-08/17
God deliver us from the traps of temptation/صلاة: نتضرع لله ونطلب منه أن يبعد عنا أفخاخ التجارب
Elias Bejjani/August 07/17
A Prayer
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=57720
James 5-13/”If any of you is in trouble let him pray. If anyone is flourishing let him sing praises to God.”
*God, provide us with the needed strength to overcome our mortal weaknesses and to hold on to hope, no matter how badly or strongly we are exposed to temptation.
* God, help us to keep ailments of doubt and suspicion far away from our hearts, minds and souls.
*God, bless us and absolve our sins.
* God, help us to be loving, compassionate, forgiving, peaceful and devoted all that is meekness and righteousness.
*God, endow us with faith, patience and endurance.
*God, enlighten our minds and consciences with holiness and wisdom.
*God, open our eyes, cleanse our heart and make us feel your warmth and affection.
* God, we are weak, sinful, guilty, at fault and have committed too many wrongdoings.
*God, we ask You for leniency, forgiveness and we pledge to observe all the required penances and atonement.
*God, protect us from the scourges of selfishness, greed, jealousy, hatred, grudges and all other temtations of mortal earthly riches.
*God, guard us from evil thoughts and intentions.
*God, do not leave us to be a preys to our instincts and tendencies of delinquency.
*God, open our eyes and get us closer to your Holy Bible so we can understand Your teachings and see Your ways of righteousness.
*God, grant us the needed resistance, so deep down we do not hold any grudge or hatred or malice against any person, especially against those who see us as an enemies and inflict on us harm, persecution and pain.
*God, help us to reconcile with all those whom we are in conflicts with.
*God, bless our families and enrich our minds and hearts with assets of caring and responsibility.
*God, help us to courageously witness for the truth, love and support all others, and to be messengers of peace, harmony, conciliation and reunification.
*God, help us not to be, but ourselves no matter how hard and challenging difficulties and hardships are.
*God, help us to remain, honest, transparent, sincere, loving, modest, meek and pure in both heart and soul.
*God, help us not to be deterred by or afraid under any given circumstances from the consequences of witnessing for what is ethical, holy, just, and righteous.
*God, You are our Father, our hope and our salvation.
*God, we are kneeling at your feet, asking for mercy and forgiveness.
*God we are putting our lives, fate in your custody and between your blessed hands.
*God, we believe in your great mercy, judgment and wisdom.
God, we are definite by the end that you will not leave us preys to evil temptations.
*God help us to overcome divisions, separations, fear, doubts and suspicions.
*God, lead our steps and enlighten our hearts with your warmth. Open our eyes to see the way out of the temptations that we face.
*God, we know You cannot be tempted by evil and that you tempt no one, but You allow temptation to occur. Help us to endure all trials of temptations.

Lawyer of Iran-Held Lebanese Man Addresses Open Letter to Berri
Naharnet/August/07/17/The lawyer of a Lebanese man who has been held in Iran for nearly two years has addressed an open letter to Speaker Nabih Berri, urging him to address the case with Iranian officials during his official visit to Tehran. “We hope and urge you to discuss and address the case of the detainee in Iranian prisons, Mr. Nizar Zakka, who was arrested after arriving in Iran at an official invitation from the Iranian authorities,” the lawyer, Antoine Abu Dib, says in the letter. “The parliament of another country has tackled Nizar Zakka's case and the injustice he is facing, while the Lebanese parliament is yet to address this national cause,” the lawyer added, noting that Zakka has refused that his case be turned into “a sectarian or a Lebanese political file.”“We stress that Nizar Zakka did not commit any crime and it has been proven that he was detained in Iran based on wrong and baseless information,” the lawyer emphasized. The U.S. Congress had last month approved a bill calling on Iran to release Zakka, who has permanent U.S. residency, immediately and unconditionally. Zakka, 50, went missing on Sept. 18, 2015, during his fifth trip to Iran. Two weeks later, Iranian state TV reported that he was in custody and suspected of "deep links" with U.S. intelligence services. It showed what it described as an incriminating photo of Zakka and three other men in army-style uniforms, two with flags and two with rifles on their shoulders. But the photo was actually from a homecoming event at Zakka's prep school, the Riverside Military Academy in Georgia, according to the school's president and his brother. Last September, Zakka was sentenced to 10 years in prison and handed a $4.2 million fine after being convicted of espionage by a security court. Zakka's family denies the allegations. His brother said he had been invited to attend a conference at which President Hassan Rouhani spoke of sustainable development and providing more economic opportunities for women. He showed The Associated Press a letter of invitation for his brother from Iranian Vice President Shahindokht Molaverdi. The family has urged President Michel Aoun to raise Zakka's case when he visits Iran in August. Aoun is a close ally of Iran-backed Hizbullah. Zakka, who used to live in Washington, leads the Arab ICT Organization, or IJMA3, an industry consortium from 13 countries that advocates for information technology in the region.

Halta and Lebanon's media corps bid farewell to pioneer journalist Youssef Howayek
Mon 07 Aug 2017/NNA - The town of Halta and Lebanon's media corps on Monday bid farewell to the late pioneer journalist Youssef Howayek, during a solemn funeral in the courtyard of his home in Halta, with Information Minister, Melhem Riachi, honoring him with the Information Ministry's golden press medal. The late prominent journalist served as the former President of Lebanon's Press Club, MP Boutros Harb's Advisor, and the Responsible Director of Addiyar Newspaper.
The funeral prayers were led by the Maronite Diocese of Batroun, Bishop Mounir Khairallah, representing the Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rahi, aided by a crowd of priests and bishops.Attending funeral prayers had been Information Minister, Melhem Riachi, representing President of the Republic Michel Aoun, House Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, MP Boutros Harb, Army Commander Joseph Aoun's Representative Major General Raymond Nassif, National News Agency Director Laure Sleiman Saab, and scores of political, party, municipal, security and judicial dignitaries. In his eulogy, Minister Riachi deemed Howayek as "the courageous, principled, ethical" late journalist, who spared no effort to heed care to all those around him. Riachi conferred upon Howayek the Ministry's golden press medal, as a token of appreciation of his relentless efforts and devotion in the media sector.
Eulogizing Howayek in the name of his family, MP Harb said that it was very hard to select the words to bid Howayek farewell, describing him as the sincere brother, advisor and lifelong friend sharing with him the most difficult times and the long national political path. "After our long journey together, you [Youssef] embody the definition of loyalty, sincerity, honesty and commitment... I can see your name in the connotation of these words," the MP said. Harb spoke highly of the late Howayek's distinguished press path, hailing him as a committed Christian citizen and a faithful, loyal and patriotic journalist upholding unwavering national principles, constants and convictions. The Lawmaker concluded that Howayek will be always remembered as one of the pioneers in journalism and shall remain in our hearts and minds. Press Club President Bassam Abu Zeid eulogized Howayek as his longstanding "friend and colleague" heaping praises on his relentless, unwavering efforts in founding the Press Club and securing its success. Abu Zeid vowed that Howayek's name shall survive at the Press Club as "Youssef Howayek's Club", saying he shall be an example for the entire generation of journalists to follow suit in terms of the principles of freedom of opinion and expression.

Report: Lebanese Ministers to Head to Syria at Official's Invitation
Naharnet/August/07/17/As reports emerge that “coordination at the military level might take place” between Lebanon and Syria, it has also been reported that around three Lebanese ministers "might make a trip to Syria to meet an invitation" of a Syrian official, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday. “Minister of Agriculture Ghazi Zoaiter and Minister of Industry Hussein Hajj Hassan will travel to Syria on August 16 to meet the invitation of Syrian Minister of Economy and Trade,” said the daily. “Lebanon's Minister of Finance, Ali Hassan Khalil, will later travel to Damascus at the invitation of Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis,” it added.The daily said that “questions were raised as to whether these visits need approval from the council of ministers or would be considered as "private visits.””Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Samir al-Jisr told the VDL (100.5) Monday that he had ”no knowledge about the ministers' visit, but if it is true it must be a decision of the council of ministers.” Unnamed military sources over the weekend rejected reports alleging military coordination with the Syrian army to fight the Islamic State group in the outskirts of the eastern border towns of al-Qaa and Baalbek. The army has intensified its shelling of the IS jihadist group’s posts in recent days in the outskirts of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek amid reports that an army operation to oust IS from the border region has become imminent. The developments follow a Hizbullah offensive that ended the presence of the jihadist al-Nusra Front group in Arsal’s outskirts.

Aoun: Newly promoted national unity has protected Lebanon, enabled it to confront terrorism
Mon 07 Aug 2017/NNA - "The national unity that has been strengthened in the recent period has protected Lebanon and enabled it to confront terrorism," said President Michel Aoun, adding that the situation is moving towards reassurance, underlining the role of the Lebanese Diaspora spread throughout the world. President Aoun pushed expatriates to keep contacts alive with Lebanon, their motherland. His remarks came during a meeting at the Baabda Palace with a delegation of Lebanese expats residing in different countries of the world. The meeting was attended by the Lebanese ambassador to the United States, Gabi Issa. "Lebanon is a small country in terms of geography, but its territory covers the entire world through the presence of its people across the globe, which is a factor of strength for Lebanon," said President Aoun, reminding of his words at the Diaspora Energy Conference held in Beirut few months ago. "We have been able to protect Lebanon from regional problems and to impose stability and security across its territory," he said, referring to the military developments and the battle Lebanon is waging against terrorism on the eastern border. "We have succeeded in combating terrorism that has hit and is still targeting different countries of the world," he president said. "We have achieved a lot after the presidential elections, the formation of the government and the development of a new electoral law that better promotes justice and equality," he concluded. Separately, President Aoun had met with the US ambassador, Elizabeth Richard, accompanied by the new US Charge d'Affaires in Beirut, William White, with talks touching on the latest developments in the country.

Aoun Calls for Meeting With Higher Defense Council
Naharnet/August/07/17/President Michel Aoun invited the Higher Defense Council for a meeting at the Baabda Palace on Tuesday to discuss the security situation in the country, the National News Agency reported. Aoun's call came as the army gears up to battle the Islamic State militants in eastern Lebanon. The army has intensified its shelling of the jihadist group’s posts on the outskirts of the eastern border towns of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek in recent days, amid reports that an army operation to oust IS from the border region has become imminent. On Sunday, the army fired heavy artillery at the posts of the jihadist IS group in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek and al-Fakiha, reports said. The army has also seized control of the al-Zunnar Fort, which separates between Wadi Hmayyed and the Shbib area in the northern outskirts of Arsal, the sources said.The developments follow a Hizbullah offensive that ended the presence of the jihadist al-Nusra Front group in Arsal’s outskirts.

ISIS may have fired rockets into Lebanon, security source says
Reuters, Beirut Monday, 7 August 2017/ISIS may have fired seven Grad rockets into Lebanon on Monday from its enclave on the border with Syria, without causing any injuries, a Lebanese security source said. It would mark the first use of those weapons by ISIS fighters there for several years, and comes as the Lebanese army prepares for an expected assault on their enclave. The rockets fell around the town of al-Qaa and led the Lebanese army to shell ISIS positions in the hills nearby, the source said. Fighters from ISIS and the former Nusra Front group established pockets in the rugged border area near the Lebanese town of Arsal early in the six-year Syrian civil war, the biggest spillover of the violence so far into Lebanon. Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah group late last month forced the Nusra fighters to quit their pocket after a brief offensive, and the Lebanese army is expected to launch an assault on the ISIS enclave soon. The extremist militants and the Lebanese army have exchanged frequent shell, mortar and small arms fire over several years.

IS Rockets Hit al-Qaa Peripheries amid Heavy Army Shelling
Naharnet/August/07/17/Seven rockets fired by the jihadist Islamic State group on Monday landed in and around the eastern border town of al-Qaa, causing no casualties, media reports said. “Four rockets fired by the IS group landed near a Lebanese army post inside the town of al-Qaa as three others hit its peripheries, causing no casualties,” TV networks quoted security sources as saying. The army retaliated by firing artillery and multiple rocket launchers at the group's posts in the outskirts of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek, achieving direct hits, LBCI television reported. Earlier in the day, the National News Agency said the army was targeting with intense shelling the group's posts in the outskirts of al-Qaa and the neighboring towns of Ras Baalbek and al-Fakiha. The army has intensified its shelling of IS’ posts in recent days amid reports that a military operation to oust the jihadist group from the border region has become imminent. The developments follow a Hizbullah offensive that ended the presence of the jihadist al-Nusra Front group in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.

Raad: We Will Stand by the Lebanese Army
Naharnet/August/07/17/MP Mohammed Raad, the head of Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance bloc, vowed Monday that Hizbullah will stand by the Lebanese army in its expected battle against the jihadist Islamic State group. “We will stand next to the army, in front of it and behind it, so that the country triumphs in this battle. We don't care about our position in the battle, what's important is the country's victory,” Raad said. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had on Friday announced that his group and the Syrian army are ready to assist the Lebanese army in its anticipated offensive in order to “lower the casualty toll” among Lebanese troops. According to Nasrallah, the Lebanese army will decide when to launch the offensive and "from the other side the Syrian army and Hizbullah are ready." Nasrallah said if the battle against IS is launched from both Syrian and Lebanese territory "that will lead to victory and be less costly for everyone." Addressing IS directly, he said: "The Lebanese and Syrians will come at you from all sides."There was no immediate comment from the Lebanese army. Nasrallah said that IS holds around 296 square kilometers on both sides of the border, of which 141 sq km are in eastern Lebanon. His Shiite movement is a key ally of the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad and has been battling alongside regime forces since the onset of the conflict in 2011. Nasrallah's remarks came a day after nearly 8,000 Syrian refugees and jihadists from al-Qaida's former Syrian branch were bused back to Syria from a Lebanese border region following a ceasefire deal with Hizbullah.

Bassil from Ras Baalbek: The Army is The One to Liberate Lebanese Land
Naharnet/August/07/17/Foreign Minister and Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran Bassil said on Monday that it is “normal for the army to be the one to liberate Lebanese territories,” pointing out that the country is celebrating the “restoration of decision making which has been absent before.”Bassil who spoke from the border town of Ras Baalbek, chaired the party's politburo meeting which was exceptionally held in the town in a gesture of support for the Lebanese army as it wages a battle against the Islamic State group in the outskirts of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbek.
He said the battle against the jihadists also aims to uncover the fate of servicemen abducted by the IS in 2014 during the Arsal army battles. “The battle is accompanied by knowing the fate of the abducted servicemen,” he said, stressing “now we live a great joy because our State is restoring the people's trust.”Turning to the crisis of displaced Syrians and refugees in Lebanon, he said: “We have always been talking about the threats of displacement and terrorism which used to be under a foreign cover, today this cover is gone.”“The responsibility is great for the Lebanese and the army in how to deal with the issue of the Syrian displacement and the danger today comes from several quarters,” he stressed. The Minister added: “We will be in Ras Baablek today and everyday. The meeting was extraordinary because the situation is extraordinary.” The FPM's meeting was held in the presence of Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil, State Minster for Presidency Affairs Pierre Raffoul, MP Simon Abi Ramia and politburo members. The Minister later visited al-Qaa where he delivered a speech saying: “We need no one's permission to liberate our own land and confront terrorism.”

Suspect Arrested on Terror Links in North Lebanon
Naharnet/August/07/17/Internal Security Forces have arrested recently a Lebanese man in the Akkar border region of Wadi Khaled over his involvement with the Islamic State group, and plotting to carry out terror attacks against the Lebanese army and security agencies, the ISF said in a statement on Monday. The ISF said that “a special force of its division have arrested the suspect who was identified by his initials as A.Aa. late in July during a quick operation in the area.”The suspect admitted to having “embraced the ideology of the IS and started following up on the news feed about the IS via the internet.”Early in 2017, the man said he got acquainted with one of the IS cadres via Facebook in the southern refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh who asked him for a safe way of communicating via the internet. The detainee asked the IS cadre for assistance in engaging among the ranks of the IS in Syria, which he was told was a mission “hard to accomplish.” But he was tasked instead with “monitoring the military barracks of the Lebanese army and security apparatuses in the area where he resides, with plans to target them with bomb explosions,” added the statement. The detainee was referred to the related military authorities.

Man Carrying Grenades Arrested outside Tripoli Mosque
Naharnet/August/07/17/A man carrying two hand grenades was arrested Monday outside a mosque in the northern city of Tripoli, state-run National News Agency reported. The agency said the man, identified as R.Q., was detained by the Internal Security Forces after refusing to be searched. An investigation has got underway, the agency added.

Army Commander, interlocutors tackle general affairs
Mon 07 Aug 2017/NNA - Army Commander, Joseph Aoun, on Monday received at his Yarzeh office a delegation from the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), led by Martijn PLUIM. Talks reportedly touched on the existing cooperation in the rehabilitation of special training centers for land border regiments. Major General Aoun then met respectively with the Consul of Gambia, Mohamed Bazzi, "SEGMA" Foundation Executive Director, Riad Kahwaji, and President of the Lebanese Federation of Shooting and Hunting Pierre Jalakh. Talks reportedly touched on an range of relevant matters.

State Security apprehends Captagon dealer and Syrian broker in Bekaa
Mon 07 Aug 2017/NNA - State Security Directorate General on Monday arrested one of Captagon dealers in the Bekaa, and seized in his possession dozens of packed bags ready for sale. During interrogation, the detained person, who is of a Syrian nationality, admitted that he was marketing such prohibited items in collaboration with a network of agents, including a Syrian broker, nicknamed as "Al-Aswad." The detained Syrian also acknowledged that he was supplied with goods from another group of dealers, including a Lebanese under prosecution. The detained dealer and the two Syrian brokers were referred to the General Prosecutor of Appeal in the Bekaa.

Mashnouq meets U.S. Ambassador, visits Darian
Mon 07 Aug 2017/NNA - Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Nohad Mashnouq, on Monday welcomed U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richrad, with whom he discussed latest developments and challenges, especially in terms of the Lebanese army preparations for the battle against terrorism in the outskirts of Ras Baalback and al-Qaa. During the meeting, Mashnouq highlighted the important role of the UNIFIL in order to preserve stability and security, in addition to the implementation of UN resolution 1701. He also highly appreciated the US commitment to provide continuous support for the Lebanese military and reinforce its fighting and technical skills. On a different note, Mashnouq visited Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdullatif Darian, at Dar-al-Fatwa.

UNIFIL Sector East organizes joint training related with First Aid and Trauma at UN Position in Marjayoun
Mon 07 Aug 2017/NNA - In a press release by UNIFIL, it said: " UNIFIL's Sector East (SECEAST) has organized a joint training related with First Aid and Trauma at UN Position in Marjayoun for five days. It is framed among the different activities that UNIFIL units are developing with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in order to foster mutual confidence and improve the level of understanding. The Lebanese army is the strategic partner of UNIFIL and this partnership has contributed to stabilising the situation on the ground. UNIFIL's activities are carried out in close cooperation and coordination with the Lebanese Army. This joint training was attended by 26 Lebanese and UNIFIL soldiers. It was focused on different theoretical and practical aspects on the basics of First Aid and Trauma casualty care based on professional skills and varied experience of the trainers. Indian, Indonesian, Nepalese and Spanish SECEAST peacekeepers beside Lebanese soldiers too covered a wide number of other theoretical and practical aspects of first aid such as Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), burning procedure, handling head injury and drowning, snake bite procedures and general classes on hygiene and sanitation.
A closing ceremony was organized today at UN Position Base Miguel de Cervantes in Marjayoun. The ceremony was attended by SECEAST Commander Brigadier General Venancio Aguado de Diego and a representative of 7th LAF brigade along with all the participants from UNIFIL SECTOR EAST and LAF personals. Brigadier Diego in his speech said that this course is very useful for provide first aid as the lifesaving step for soldiers in operations. He congratulated all the participants for successful completion of training and added that this training will build stronger relationships and better coordination between LAF and UNIFIL.  According to personals attending, the training has provided them a good platform to revise first aid knowledge, and it is a basic must training for soldiers. After their speeches Commander and representative of 7th LAF brigade along with other senior officers of UNIFIL SECEAST and LAF awarded certificates to all participants."

3 shells fired by Daesh land on Qaa peripheries
Mon 07 Aug 2017/NNA - Three shells fired by Daesh posts in the outskirts of al-Qaa and Ras Baalback have landed on the eastern peripheries of al-Qaa, National News Agency correspondent reported on Monday.

Army shells Daesh positions with heavy artillery in Ras Baalbek, Qaa and Fakiha
Mon 07 Aug 2017/NNA - The Lebanese army is currently pounding with heavy artillery Daesh positions in the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, Qaa and Fakiha, NNA reporter said on Monday.

Riachy welcomes economy journalists' delegation
Mon 07 Aug 2017/NNA - Minister of Information, Melhem Riachy, on Monday met with a delegation of economy journalists, headed by Adnan Hajj. "Talks touched on media-related concerns in general," Hajj told reporters following the meeting, adding that the Minister will also support the mutual fund of the retired economy journalists.

US troops fight with Syria, Hizballah, Lebanonالقوات الأميركية تحارب إلى جانب سوريا وحزب الله ولبنان
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report August 7, 2017
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=57739
Israeli diplomats have filed a quiet demarche with Washington over the participation of US special forces in a joint operation with the Syrian, Hizballah and Lebanese armies to clear the Lebanese-Syrian border region of Al Qaeda’s Syrian arm the rebel Nusra Front, which is fighting with ISIS elements. This is reported by debkafile. The operation against the rebel group fighting under the command of Abu Mohammad al-Jawlani, has been divided into three parts.
The third part soon to be launched is designed to take this “coalition” up to the Israeli border.
The first part consisted of a Hizballah assault on Nusra forces holding the Arsal region on both sides of the border at its northern tip. Hizballah was claimed to have fought the enemy singlehanded. But like all the statements from Washington and Moscow about events in Syria, this one too needed a closer look at the “facts.” It so transpired that Hizballah was backed up by Syrian artillery, while the Lebanese army had the role of cutting off the rebels’ escape routes from the battle ground.
The rebel fighters seeing they were hemmed in on all sides surrendered and agreed to pull out. Over the weekend, therefore, 7,000 rebel fighters, most of them belonging to Nusra and their families, were evacuated from the border region to the northern Syrian province of Idlib on the Turkish border.
It also turned out that the trilateral Arsal operation had a US dimension. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri visited Washington last week and held talks with President Donald Trump at the White House. Straight after that meeting, the US President had harsh words for Hizballah, which he called a threat to world peace. But in his closed-doors interview with Hariri, Trump was persuaded that the Lebanese army could not defend its borders without help and had no option but to work with Hizballah and the Syrian army.
Hariri also convinced the US president to declare the Nusra Front and all its branches a terrorist organization to be fought in the same way as the Islamic State.
At that point, Israel put forward no argument, although this first instance of a joint operation between Bashar Assad’s forces, the Iranian-backed Hizballah and the Lebanese army, was red-flagged in Jerusalem as a green card for Hizballah’s extended reach beyond the Lebanese border.
Neither did Israel, whose prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is beset with his own troubles at home, demur when the Americans declared the Nusra network the target of America’s war on terror, even though this distanced the Trump administration from Jerusalem’s position.
Israel contends that the rebel groups holding the Syrian border districts opposite the Golan are indigenous defenders of their villages in the Quneitra and Hermon regions. While a small number may also have ties to Nusra, they are insignificant. This acceptance has gained Israel a narrow security strip, which acts as a buffer against the incursion of the hostile Syrian army, Hizballah and Iranian forces up to its northern border.
Washington turned a blind eye to Israeli tolerance of the Nusra presence under its auspices - until Hariri’s intervention turned the White House around. The outcome of this turnaround was soon apparent.
On Thursday, Aug. 3, the Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon announced: “Our special forces are providing training and support to the Lebanese Armed Forces.” To clarify what he meant by “support,” he added: “That not only concentrates on operation type missions, but also tactical and strategic type missions. We also have a presence with Lebanese Special Forces in all aspects of training and special operations.”
The Pentagon spokesman would hardly have made this momentous disclosure without high-level authority - at least by Defense Secretary James Mattis, if not the president in person.
His words were quickly translated into action.
Sunday, Aug. 6, the second part of the joint Syrian, Hizballah, Lebanese operation was underway against Nusra -ISIS forces holding positions in the Lebanese towns of Ras Baalbek and al-Fakiya in the northern Beqaa Valley. This time, Lebanese Special Forces went into active combat, along with US Special Forces - a new development of the highest strategic impact - not just for Israel, but in the wider Middle East context. US special forces troops are for the first time taking part in a joint military operation with Hizballah and the Lebanese government.
It may be argued that the US military is working directly only with the Lebanese government army. However, the operational plans must have been drawn up together with the Syrian high command in Damascus and Hizballah’s chiefs in Beirut - and, given the latter’s role as Tehran’s proxy, Iranian officers were no doubt part of this round-able planning conference.
Unfolding on the Syrian-Lebanese border region, therefore, is much more than a cleansing operation against an Al Qaeda affiliate; It is the start of a new military alignment, which is ready fight in the third part of the operation, which will focus on the Syrian-Jordanian and Syrian-Israeli borders.
This combination is the outcome of the US-Russian deal to cooperated in Syria, which debkafile uncovered from the first. Both powers are determined to impose their agreed ceasefire zones right up to the Golan border, whatever it takes - whether Israel likes it or not.
http://www.debka.com/article/26173/US-troops-fight-with-Syria-Hizballah-Lebanon

Israeli, German lawmakers call for Hezbollah to be banned from Germany/محامون من المانيا واسرائيل يطالبون بحظر حزب الله في ألمانيا
Lahav Harkov/Jerusalem Post/August 07/17
"Hezbollah and the PFLP are murderous terrorist organizations who can't be allowed to organize, recruit supporters and fundraise in Europe.”
Terrorist groups must not be allowed to hold events in Germany, members of the Knesset and the Bundestag wrote in a letter to German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière.
“It is unacceptable that terrorist organizations in Germany are planning events and recruiting supporters while the responsible authorities do not have any legal tools to prevent it,” the letter obtained by The Jerusalem Post reads.
The letter, spearheaded by Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid, came after a “al-Quds Day” march in June, in which participants marched with pictures of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Israeli flags with the Star of David crossed out, and touted messages like “Zionists out of Israel.” Lapid wrote to Berlin Mayor Michael Müller, was unsatisfied with his response, and asked Volker Beck, head of the Germany-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group, to write a letter with him. Five Israeli MKs and six German lawmakers signed the letter, which was sent last week.
The parliamentarians pointed to the al-Quds Day march and events organized in support of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Berlin, saying that both the PFLP and Hezbollah are designated terrorist organizations by the EU.
"Hezbollah and the PFLP are murderous terrorist organizations who can't be allowed to organize, recruit supporters and fundraise in Europe,” Lapid told The Jerusalem Post Monday. “Israel needs to work with countries across the world to cut off funding to terror groups, because the money they raise abroad is used to kill Israelis at home. That's why I organized this cross-party letter and now we expect the German government to take necessary steps."
In the letter, the lawmakers called on de Maizière to take action to ensure Hezbollah, PFLP and other terrorist organizations will no longer be able to organize publicly in Germany, asking him to consider they be banned and their activities be totally prohibited.
The legislators wrote that “Hezbollah and the PFLP have no place in a society that cherishes freedom, democracy and human rights.”
They pointed out that both Germans and Israelis have suffered at the hand of terrorism in recent years, saying that “the ideology of hatred for our way of life has been the same, and, tragically, the results have been the same.”
“These two organizations have no place in the civilized world. Germany and Israel stand united in the fight against terrorism and as parliamentarians from both countries we stand united in the call to do everything in our power to eradicate their presence from within our nations,” they added.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Israeli-German-lawmakers-call-for-Hezbollah-to-be-banned-from-Germany-501782?elqTrackId=9e1a8134cb3a446dbc3dd34a793f0535&elq=9b2fddad57e34d50aa7fba5f3cc8816d&elqaid=31509&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=18953

Lebanon: ‘Mountain Reconciliation’ Anniversary in the Absence of Jumblatt
Asharq Al-Awsat/August 07/17/Beirut- Head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) MP Walid Jumblatt did not attend a ceremony on Sunday to inaugurate “Our Lady of the Hill” Church in Mount Lebanon’s Deir al-Qamar during the anniversary of the “Mountain Reconciliation” that saw a historic promise of coexistence between Christians and Druze in the area 16 years ago. Jumblatt, however, saluted Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rahi, who performed Sunday’s Mass service in the presence of President Michel Aoun and Jumblatt’s son and political heir, Timur.
Several question marks emerged on Sunday concerning the absence of the Druze leader and whether such a move hid political messages, particularly following differences in positions between him and Aoun. However, sources close to Jumblatt denied the presence of “political justifications” behind his absence in the mass services. “Jumblatt attended a meeting with the Patriarch at the church,” sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, quoting Jumblatt as telling the Patriarch: “We could not possibly not greet you when you visit the Mountain.”According to the sources, the Druze MP also confirmed to Patriarch Rai his determination to protect the “Mountain Reconciliation.”They said Jumblatt also apologized for not attending a lunch following the mass due to health, not political reasons. In a tweet posted on his account on Sunday, Jumblatt wrote: “We welcome President Michel Aoun in the Chouf and in Deir el-Qamar at the anniversary of Our Lady of the Hill.” Aoun’s visit to the Mountain also came amid a rapprochement seen between the Lebanese Forces and the PSP, signaling an upcoming alliance in next year’s parliamentary elections.During the mass services, Patriarch Rahi urged politicians to liberate the State’s institutions from political interference in order to ensure a better life for Lebanese citizens. “I call for the establishment of the State with its institutions and departments based on efficiency and ethics, away from any political interference and discrimination,” Rahi said.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 07-08/17
Saudi Arabia Stresses Geneva as Basis of Syria Settlement
Asharq Al Awsat/August 07/17/Jeddah, Moscow, Beirut – Saudi Arabia stressed on Sunday its firm position regarding the Syrian crisis and said a solution should be based on the Geneva I Declaration and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254. The resolution stipulates establishing a transitional entity that manages the affairs of the state, drafting a new constitution for Syria and preparing for elections to build a new future for Syria without Bashar Assad. An official source at the Saudi Foreign Ministry clarified the inaccuracy of the statements attributed to its minister, Adel Al-Jubeir, by some media sources. Several media said al-Jubeir had informed the Syrian opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) of the Saudi decision to consider a political transition in Syria the first phase of which sees Assad remain in power. The source reaffirmed the Kingdom’s support of the Syrian opposition’s HNC and the procedures it is considering in order to expand participation of its members and achieve a unified front among the opposition. Separately, the three guarantor countries of a ceasefire agreement in Syria, Turkey, Russia and Iran and were still studying an implementation mechanism for the de-escalation zones deal in the province of Idlib. “Work is currently underway on the third zone, the largest and probably the most complicated, in the Idlib province… It will not be easy to coordinate the parameters of the de-escalation zone,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists on Sunday. On the sidelines of the ASEAN regional forum in Manila, Lavrov discussed the Syrian crisis in two separate meetings held with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. Lavrov said Moscow is ready to normalize its dialogue with the US, if Washington gives up its confrontational approach, a Foreign Ministry statement said. After his talks with Lavrov, Cavusoglu said they discussed the ongoing Syrian conflict and the Astana talks, describing their meeting as “positive.”The Turkish foreign minister also said he would later meet Tillerson on the sidelines of the summit.

OIC Urges Greater Cooperation from Iran over 2016 Attack against Saudi Embassy
ASharq Al Awsat/August 07/17/Jeddah – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on Iran to be more “clear” in its investigation into the attacks against the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad in early 2016.
The OIC General Secretariat urged Iranian authorities for more cooperation in the probes as it had vowed to do so. The authorities should, based on OIC principles, work seriously to deter any escalation in stances in order to eliminate any vagueness that can only complicate the case, it added.The remarks were made in wake of a Saudi Foreign Ministry statement last week that accused Iranian authorities of “persistently and consistently stalling” in the investigation into the embassy and consulate attacks. The Islamic organization stressed the importance of “transparency and integrity” that would benefit Iran and Saudi Arabia and respect Riyadh’s legitimate demands.Iran, despite an initial approval, has denied a Saudi team entry into Iran as part of the Iranian team investigating the attacks on the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, said a Foreign Ministry source last week according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Saudi Arabia: ISIS Planned to Attack Airport on Iraqi Borders
Asharq Al Awsat/August 07/17/Riyadh- ISIS was planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia before the security authorities succeeded in foiling them by arresting one of the organization’s most dangerous terrorists. A Saudi court on Sunday sentenced an ISIS member to 20 years of imprisonment for plotting terror attacks inside the Kingdom. The terrorist was accused by the court in Riyadh of planning terror attacks targeting foreign embassies and the Arar airport on the northern borders with Iraq. He has taken part in ISIS camps in Syria and Iraq, before returning to Saudi Arabia to perpetrate terror acts.
The terrorist was preparing to lead a cell that was planning to carry out operations against three main targets, including the targets mentioned above, in addition to attacking officials in the military field. The list of convictions confirmed by the Saudi judiciary against the presumed leader of the cell has revealed that the latter has met with ISIS leaders in Syria and Iraq during his presence in those two countries. He was also convicted of communicating with a member of ISIS to facilitate his exit to Syria. Pictures of the terrorist organization’s slogans were found on his mobile device.
The man’s prison sentence begins from the day of his arrest. When it ends, he will be banned from traveling outside Saudi Arabia for a further 20 years.

Syria investigator del Ponte quits, blaming UN Security Council
Reuters, Geneva Monday, 7 August 2017/A member of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said on Sunday she was quitting because a lack of political backing from the UN Security Council had made the job impossible, Swiss national news agency SDA reported. Carla del Ponte, 70, who prosecuted war crimes in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia, told a panel discussion on the sidelines of the Locarno Film Festival that she had already prepared her letter of resignation. “I am quitting this commission, which is not backed by any political will,” she said, adding that her role was just an “alibi”. “I have no power as long as the Security Council does nothing,” she said. “We are powerless, there is no justice for Syria.”Del Ponte, a former Swiss attorney general, joined the three-member Syria inquiry in September 2012, chronicling incidents such as chemical weapons attacks, a genocide against Iraq’s Yazidi population, siege tactics, and the bombing of aid convoys. The UN Commission of Inquiry said in a statement that del Ponte had informed colleagues in June of her decision to leave in the near future. It said the investigations would continue. “It is our obligation to persist in its work on behalf of the countless number of Syrian victims of the worst human rights violations and international crimes known to humanity,” it said. Del Ponte’s departure leaves only two commissioners, Brazil’s Paulo Pinheiro and Karen Koning Abu Zayd from the United States. The commission was set up in August 2011 and has regularly reported on human rights violations, but its pleas to observe international law have largely fallen on deaf ears. Although the United Nations is setting up a new body to prepare prosecutions, there is no sign of any court being established to try war crimes committed in the six-and-a-half year-old war, nor of any intention by the UN Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Del Ponte’s determination to be independent made her outspoken and occasionally controversial. She shocked Western governments in May 2013 by declaring that the United Nations had “strong suspicions” of Syrian rebels using sarin gas. Two years later, she said justice would catch up with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, even if he remained in power under a negotiated peace settlement. Earlier this year, when the commission reported on Syrian government aircraft deliberately bombing and strafing a humanitarian convoy, del Ponte hinted at her frustration with the inability to bring the perpetrators to justice. “What we have seen here in Syria, I never saw that in Rwanda, or in former Yugoslavia, in the Balkans. It is really a big tragedy,” she added. “Unfortunately we have no tribunal.”

Syrian army increases strikes on capital’s last rebel enclave
Reuters, Amman Monday, 7 August 2017/The Syrian army intensified shelling and air strikes on the last rebel enclave in the Syrian capital on Monday, its heaviest bombardment in a two-month military campaign, rebels and witnesses said. From the strategic Qasyoun Heights that overlooks Damascus, elite units of the army struck Jobar district, some 2 km (1.2 miles) east of the Old City wall and Ain Terma just to the south. The offensive has dented a Russian-sponsored ceasefire announced two weeks ago in the Eastern Ghouta area to the east of Damascus. Scores have been injured and at least ten civilians killed in three days of bombardment, civil defence sources said. Less intense shelling hit Zamalka, Harasta and Kafr Btna, also in Eastern Ghouta.
Eventual goal
If successful, the campaign would help the army in its eventual goal of regaining Eastern Ghouta, which has been under opposition control for much of the six-year conflict. Jobar is in northeast Damascus and borders the Eastern Ghouta district of Ain Terma. The army is also using more elephant rockets - inaccurate improvised munitions often made from gas canisters and fired on a high trajectory - insurgents said. “The elephant rockets are not having mercy on us. We have dug tunnels and fortified our positions so they are unable to advance,” said Abu Obada al Shami, a commander from Failaq al Rahman, the rebel group whose fighters are drawn from the area. The rebel battle to keep their last foothold in Damascus follows the loss earlier this year of Qaboun and Barzeh districts, located north of Jobar, after intense bombardment.Before the war began in 2011, more than half a million people lived in Eastern Ghouta, a sprawling mix of towns and farmland.
Ghost town
Two residents said Ain Terma was now a ghost town, with only a few hundred families taking shelter in basements after most former residents fled to other towns in Eastern Ghouta. “Life is non-existent. Permanent terror and people are not coming out of their basements,” said Abdullah al-Khatib, a former electrician, who lives there with his eight-member family. Rebels accuse the Syrian army and its Iran-backed allies of breaking the Russia-brokered truce in Eastern Ghouta to throw its full weight against Jobar and Ain Terma. The government has said it will abide by the truces Russia has brokered but says it continues to target Islamist militant factions not covered by the agreement. “This truce is a lie. The regime has not implemented it. They are shelling us without interruption using all types of weapons,” Abu Hamza, another rebel fighter said.

Jordan’s King Abdullah discusses holy site tensions in Ramallah
Reuters, Ramallah, West Bank Monday, 7 August 2017/Jordan’s King Abdullah met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Monday for the first time in five years to discuss tensions at a Jerusalem holy site and wider political developments. While the two leaders meet fairly frequently in Amman and other regional capitals, Abdullah has not visited Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, since December 2012. The king flew in by helicopter, with the visit coordinated with Israeli authorities which control all entrance and exit points to the West Bank, including its 150 km (93 mile) border with Jordan and the air space above. The visit comes two weeks since a surge in violence in Jerusalem after Israel installed metal detectors at Muslim entrances to the Al Aqsa mosque compound, following the killing of two Israeli policemen. The change in security led to days of protests and clashes between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli security forces before Israel, after consultations with Jordan, decided to remove the metal detectors and other measures. Jordan has been the custodian of Jerusalem’s Muslim holy sites since the 1920s. The compound, which sits on a tree-lined plateau in the Old City, is also revered by Jews. “We discussed all issues of mutual interest and we agreed to form a crisis committee that will continue contacts to evaluate what has happened, the lessons to be learned and the challenges we may face at Al Aqsa mosque,” Palestinian Foreign Minister Reyad Al-Maliki told reporters after the meeting. Jordan, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 and has growing, if little discussed, economic ties with its neighbour, often plays a mediating role in the region. With a large percentage of Jordan’s population made up of Palestinians, and Jordan sharing a border with the West Bank, which the Palestinians want for their own state together with East Jerusalem and Gaza, its position is sensitive. Maliki said Abbas and Abdullah also discussed U.S.-led efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which have been suspended for the past three years, and stated that Israel must “recognise the principle of a two-state solution and end provocative settlement activity that is designed to prevent the establishment of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state.”President Donald Trump’s regional envoy, Jason Greenblatt, has made several trips to Amman, Ramallah and Jerusalem this year to try to find common ground and Maliki said U.S. envoys were expected to visit again in the coming days but there is little sign of enthusiasm on anyone’s part to restart talks. Abdullah is also playing a role in liaising with Egypt and others to see if long-standing differences between Abbas’s Western-backed Fatah party and the rival Hamas Islamist movement can be resolved and Maliki said the issue was discussed. Hamas, which won the last parliamentary elections held in the Palestinian territories in 2005, seized full control of Gaza after a struggle with Fatah in 2007. Over the past several months, Abbas, as head of the Palestinian Authority, has stepped up pressure on Hamas, cutting off salaries for civil servants in Gaza, limiting payments for electricity imports and some medicines. The aim appears to be to oust Hamas from power, but there is little sign of that happening and efforts are being made by regional powers to resolve the internal fighting.

Israel to strip Arab attacker of citizenship for first time
By AFP, Jerusalem Monday, 7 August 2017/An Israeli court has decided to strip an Arab Israeli attacker of his citizenship, legal sources said Monday, in what a rights group said was the first ruling of its kind. The Haifa district court decided to strip Alla Zayud of his citizenship Sunday by applying a 2008 law that allows the interior ministry to deprive of their nationality those involved in “terrorist activities”, sources said. Adalah, an Arab Israeli rights group, said it was the first court decision of its kind. The 22-year-old, from Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel, was convicted on four counts of attempted murder after driving a car into Israeli soldiers and stabbing civilians in October 2015 and he was sentenced to 25 years in jail in June 2016. His mother is an Israeli citizen while his father is a Palestinian with permanent residence in Israel. Supreme Court ruling. Adalah and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel in a joint statement said they would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. They said the court decision deviated “from the principles of international law, and from the general rule according to which an individual cannot be stripped of (their) citizenship and left stateless”. Arab Israelis are the descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land when the Jewish state was established in 1948. They number around 1.4 million, some 18 percent of Israel's population. Since a wave of violence erupted in October 2015, more than 290 Palestinians or Arab Israelis and 47 Israelis have been killed, according to an AFP toll. Israel says the majority of Palestinians are attackers, though others were killed at protests or during raids.

Israeli Communications Minister Shuts Down Jazeera Local Office
Asharq Al Awsat/August 07/17/Tel Aviv – Despite being the Arab channel that hosts Israeli government and army spokespersons the most, Israel plans to revoke media credentials of al-Jazeera TV journalists. Communications Minister Ayoub Kara, the only Arab minister in Benjamin Netenyahu’s government, issued an order to close Jazeera’s Jerusalem bureau and pull its broadcasts from local cable and satellite providers. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Kara said he would ask the Government Press Office to revoke the accreditation of Jazeera’s journalists in Israel, where it has about 30 staff. He added that steps had to be taken against media, which has been determined by almost “all Arab countries to actually be a supporter of terror, and we know this for certain.”“There is no shortage of free speech in this country. There are plenty of dissenting voices. In democratic countries there are also things that are unacceptable, and a lot of what Al Jazeera is saying and broadcasting falls into that category,” added the minister. The official added that the government identified media outlets that do not serve freedom of speech but endanger the security of Israel’s citizens, mainly Jazeera. All countries in the region determined that Jazeera supports terrorism and religious radicalization, according to Kara, adding that the channel is a tool of ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. The closure did not appear imminent, however, as a legal process was still required to implement most of the proposed steps. Kara said the measures were intended to bolster Israel’s security and to make sure that channels based in Israel report objectively. The ban will only be in Israeli territories, but the minister stated if he had the power he would ban it in Gaza Strip as well. Yet, if Jazeera resorts to Israeli Higher court to annul the ban, the procedure will be frozen and the channel will continue with its broadcast until a judicial order has been made. Despite the minister’s decision, anyone with a satellite receiver can still watch the channel in Israel.

Abbas to Gradually Cut Gaza’s Annual Budget
Asharq Al Awsat/August 07/17/Ramallah- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would gradually stop paying up to $1.5 billion a year for Gaza Strip if Hamas refused to hand over the territory to the current Palestinian government. Abbas called on Hamas to accept his initiative of the “appeal of Jerusalem”, stressing that he would not allow the separation of Gaza from the rest of Palestine. The president was referring to an initiative launched by Palestinian political and academic figures on Thursday, calling for achieving reconciliation and ending internal divisions that have started in mid-2017. The initiative was launched by a group called “Patriots to End the Divide” at a press conference held in Ramallah and called for the formation of a Palestinian national unity government and the holding of general elections as soon as possible. The appeal called for dissolving Hamas-led administrative committee in the Gaza Strip in parallel with a move by Abbas to lift all the sanctions he had taken against Gaza in recent months, including the cut of employees’ salaries and electricity and health bills. The initiative underlined the need to implement all national agreements to end the split, in particular the Cairo agreement, which was signed in 2011. During a meeting with a delegation from Jerusalem on Sunday, Abbas said: “Our goal is to achieve Palestinian national reconciliation. We want to reach national unity by peaceful means and we have held hundreds of meetings, including dozens of agreements to this purpose until Hamas took a different path three or four months ago by forming a new government (the administrative committee)”.The Palestinian president warned that as long as Hamas did not respond to the initiative, he would gradually stop paying funds amounting to $1.5 billion, which are allocated annually to the Gaza Strip. “When they formed this government, I said that I would gradually stop these payments, step by step. There are countries in the world that have asked us about the reason behind our decision. We said that there is a cause and a result; the reason is the government and the result is cutting the funds,” Abbas said.
“When they dissolve the government, we will abolish these measures,” he added.

Turkey’s Erdogan says Germany abetting terrorists
Reuters, Ankara Monday, 7 August 2017/Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused Germany on Monday of assisting terrorists by not responding to thousands of files sent to Berlin or handing over suspects wanted by Turkish authorities. “Germany is abetting terrorists,” Erdogan told a conference in the Black Sea province of Rize, in comments likely to further escalate tensions between the two countries. “We gave (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel 4,500 dossiers, but have not received an answer on a single one of them,” he told members of his ruling AK Party. “When there is a terrorist, they can tell us to give that person back. You won’t send the ones you have to us, but can ask us for yours. So you have a judiciary, but we don’t in Turkey?” he said.

The Revolutionary Guard: America wants to implement the Libyan model in Iran
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 7 August 2017/The commander of the Air Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Brigadier General Ali Hajizadeh, said that the United States wants to apply the Libyan model in Iran in response to reports about the United States pressuring the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect suspicious military sites in Iran. According to Fares news agency, Haji Zadeh said in a press statement that “through manipulations such as sanctions, pressure and psychological warfare, the Americans are seeking to disarm Iran and are in the process of implementing the Libyan model on us, but we will not surrender to their methods.”He added, “We, the forces of the Revolutionary Guards and the sole military force of the region, support the government to be able to stand against the ambitions of enemies, especially America.”
Site search
The US Associated Press quoted US administration sources as saying that US President Donald Trump will step up surveillance and inspection of Iranian military and nuclear sites suspected of violating the terms of the agreement, particularly regarding the level of enrichment, research on the possibility of producing nuclear warheads and centrifuges , through the International Atomic Energy Agency. On the other hand, Iran is threatening to reduce the IAEA’s monitoring of its nuclear facilities and return to enriching uranium at high rates, in response to the US administration’s actions in case of reviewing the nuclear agreement.
Iran’s file in the White House. The US president had taken the Nuclear Agreement file from the US State Department’s and assigned a team of National Security members and White House advisers to review the deal within three months. After the deadline, the team will provide a comprehensive report on Iran’s compliance and details of its violations and the ensuing consequences. Trump has announced that his administration will work to amend the nuclear deal with Iran, in line with the spirit of the agreement, which prevents Tehran from producing nuclear weapons and put an end to Tehran’s expansionist and destabilizing policy in the region as well as its support for terrorism.

Haftar Makes Surprise Visit to Cairo, Salameh Meets with Saleh in Libya
Asharq Al Awsat/August 07/17/Cairo – The Commander of the Libyan Army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, arrived in Cairo on Sunday on a surprise visit, while UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salameh met with Libyan Speaker Aqila Saleh on the second day of his visit to the country.
In a brief statement, Haftar’s office said the official arrived in Cairo on a working visit, during which he would discuss prospects of joint cooperation between Egypt and Libya. It added that he would meet Egyptian Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Mahmoud Hijazi and army leaders. Meanwhile, the UN envoy held talks with Saleh in the city of Al Qubah (eastern Libya), focusing on the Skhirat Agreement, which was concluded in Morocco nearly two years ago. In a news conference, Salameh described his meeting with the Libyan speaker as “productive”, noting that discussions have touched on “the means to bolster Libya’s independence and promote its institutions”. He added that Saleh had shown “a spirit of openness towards other parties.”Libya’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Parliamentary Committee has anticipated the UN envoy’s visit by stressing its “full and unequivocal rejection” of an agreement forged between Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of Libya’s UN-backed government, and Italy on measures to control illegal immigration. The committee said the agreement was unconstitutional and a violation of the country’s sovereignty, adding: “The implications of such measures are contrary to international conventions and treaties and override the legislative and legislative authorities in the country.”It pointed out to “threats on national security when migration is exported to Libya, along with its economic, security and social burdens.”The committee called on the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League to take the necessary measures in response to the “flagrant violation of international treaties and covenants relating to the sovereignty of states.”Meanwhile, Libya’s coastguard intercepted 137 migrants including five women and three children on Sunday as they attempted to reach Europe, a migration official told AFP. The migrants, from several African countries, were aboard an inflatable boat intercepted Sunday morning around 40km north of Sayyad, a seaside village west of Tripoli, navy spokesman General Ayoub Qassem said. They were taken to a navy base in the capital where the Libyan authorities gave them food, water and medical treatment, an AFP photographer said.

Egypt transfers Red Sea knife attacker to mental hospital
Reuters, Cairo Monday, 7 August 2017/Egypt’s top national security prosecutor has ordered the transfer of an Egyptian man who stabbed three foreign tourists to death at a Red Sea resort in July to a mental hospital for psychiatric evaluation, state news agency MENA said on Monday. Security sources told Reuters that Abdel Rahman Shaban Abokorah had tried to join ISIS and investigators had initially recommended he face charges of terrorism, in what was the first major attack on foreign tourists since a similar assault on the same resort more than a year ago. Abokorah was caught by hotel staff and arrested after he killed two German women and a Czech woman and wounded three other tourists. He will remain under psychiatric evaluation for 45 days, MENA reported. The attack came as Egypt struggles to revive tourism, which has suffered from security threats and years of political upheaval. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government is battling an extremist insurgency that has killed hundreds of troops and police in northern Sinai and has started to attack other parts of Egypt.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 07-08/17
Calling All Liberals: Will No One Look Out for the Rights of the Women and Children?
Khadija Khan//Gatestone Institute/August 07/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10626/human-rights-muslims-west
"No one who comes to us has the right to put their cultural roots or their religious beliefs above our laws." — Heiko Maas, Justice Minister, Germany.
These extremist "traditions" need to be exposed and rejected. They are actually nothing more than human rights abuses taking refuge under the banner of religion.
"Domestic violence is abuse -- plain and simple. It is not, 'a beautiful blessing' as the video describes it." — Michaelia Cash, Minister for Women, Australia.
Tariq Ramadan, an Islamic scholar whom Oxford University treats as a feather in its cap, recently shocked the world by meticulously trying to avoid any criticism of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Instead, he asserted that it is a part of Islamic tradition and an internal matter for Muslims in the West.
Although Ramadan -- the grandson of the Egyptian cleric Hassan al Banna, who founded the Muslim Brotherhood -- carefully chose to mention in a recent statement that although he himself does not support FGM, it is mentioned in the Hadith (the acts and sayings of the prophet Mohamed); that it is still recommended by many of the esteemed scholars of Islam and that it cannot be termed un-Islamic.
He also suggested that those who support such rituals as FGM should not be criticized or fired from their jobs. The remark was apparently a reference to Shaker Elsayed, the imam of Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque in Falls Church, Virginia, who was fired for endorsing FGM. He had also stated that Islam encourages FGM to prevent women from being "hypersexual."
Shaker Elsayed, the imam of Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque in Falls Church, Virginia, was fired for endorsing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), stating that Islam encourages FGM to prevent women from being "hypersexual." (Image source: MEMRI video screenshot)
Elsayed's statement on the issue surfaced in the backdrop of the arrests in Michigan of a few doctors for surgically mutilating the genitals of baby girls in the name of an Islamic rite.
Elsayed went on to say that FGM should be performed in consultation with a specialist, who would decide whether the baby girl would become a hypersexual adult.
The cruel FGM procedure to which Elsayed refers varies from chopping off the clitoris to surgically removing or shortening parts of the victims' vagina, according to the local tradition.
It is sad to see someone such as Ramadan, who is fawned on by the liberal West for supposedly being a "moderate cleric" and a "bridge builder," openly defending a savage crime by naming it the cultural practice of a religion or place. His remarks on FGM signal a go-ahead for those who believe that mutilating their daughters is some kind of divine duty.
This is not the first time an apologist has been caught promoting barbaric traditions on Western soil. The demanding by Islamists for outrageous exemptions from the law in different European countries is nothing new; in many instances, people even choose to ignore that the practices they want to see continued in Europe are actually severe criminal offenses.
Another example of an outdated abuse of the rights of the child in the West are child marriages in the West -- an abuse that increased with the recent influx to Europe of migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Hundreds, if not thousands, of migrants showed up at different asylum facilities in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Sweden, with girls as young as 11, and demanded that the authorities register those children as their wives.
An imam in Aarhus, Denmark, even demanded that the local authorities accept child marriages by claiming that they were part of their culture.
Ironically, the Danish authorities facilitated such calls and promised to accept child marriages in "compelling cases" -- such as if a couple with a child bride already had children. In January, however, the Danish parliament passed a bill banning child marriage to protect children from being taken as child-brides among refugees -- but the "compelling case" loophole remains.
The situation is alarming. In Germany, a crackdown against child marriages is being debated after 1,500 minors from different immigrant groups, mainly from Middle East and Afghanistan, were brought to be registered as brides.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas stated, "No one who comes to us has the right to put their cultural roots or their religious beliefs above our laws."
Polygamy remains another challenge for the Western authorities. It is illegal in Europe, but many immigrants during the recent surge arrived bringing with multiple wives and children with them. These only added to the pressure that already existed by local Muslims hardliners who were already campaigning for polygamy. In Britain, for instance, Amra Bone, Britain's first women Islamic judge, said in an interview to The Times, "But we cannot -- and the government cannot -- ask Muslims not to have more than one wife. People have a right to decide for themselves."
Most of these extremist clerics also do not consider marital rape a crime; they seem to believe that a wife is the property of her husband and must submit to his will, no matter what.
Just recently two Australian Muslim women, belonging to the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, surfaced in a video uploaded on the organization's official Facebook page, demonstrating how a husband should beat his wife if she does not listen to him.
The women who appeared in that video kept laughing and giggling while one beat another with a handkerchief and a tiny tree branch while explaining how wife-beating is permissible in Islam in a rather "gentle" way.
These women have apparently chosen to ignore that beating someone, even with a handkerchief, is a way of insulting that person, as well as asserting not only your impunity, but your superiority over that individual. Worse, these women also seemed oblivious that most of the men do not pick up handkerchiefs when they decide to beat women.
"Domestic violence is abuse -- plain and simple. It is not, 'a beautiful blessing' as the video describes it," replied Minister for Women, Michaelia Cash.
A court in Wiesbaden, Germany recently sentenced a man of Turkish origin to 14 years in prison for hacking his wife with a machete and then dousing her with gasoline, in an attempt to burn her alive. The woman survived, miraculously, despite extreme burns and deformities; yet a large number of "disobedient" women who undergo such torture in the name of sharia do not survive the ordeal.
No one should be above law in a civilized society, or given privileges over other people. If people such as Tariq Ramadan are really keen to make Islam a European religion, they can stop these brutal practices: they are incompatible with European law.
These extremist "traditions" need to be exposed and rejected. They are actually nothing more than human rights abuses taking refuge under the banner of religion.
*Khadija Khan is a Pakistani journalist and commentator, currently based in Germany.
© 2017 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.

An Open Letter to Omar al-Abed
Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/August 07/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10781/omar-al-abed
Muslims have killed Jews many times before, and that has not advanced the Islamic cause or religion in the slightest. Not a single death Muslims have suffered has achieved prosperity or peace for the people of Islam. You know the Jews will never leave the land Allah gave to them, as promised by the prophet Musa in Surat al-Ma'ida, aya 21: "O my people, enter the Holy Land which God has prescribed for you, and turn not back in your traces, to turn about losers."
Have you not read the sound Hadith: "None of you has faith until you love for your brother what you love for yourself"? Do you not remember the words spoken by the Prophet in his Final Sermon: "Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you"?
You may think that killing Jews is a noble thing, that others will praise you and hold you a hero, a brave man, a batal, a true believer. Yet what you did was not brave, but cowardly. People will tell you that the slaughter you performed was heroic and that you took up arms to bring freedom for your fellow Muslims. But today, millions around the world detest what you did and call it by its proper name, a Satanic act. You took the lives of grandparents and parents, ruining the future for their little children. How can anyone be proud of that?
Arabs have fought six wars against the Jews and lost each time. You have fought intifadas to dislodge the Jews from the land God gave them, and they have survived and prospered. They have offered you everything you need to grow in peace and prosperity. They have guarded you so you can worship freely, attend your mosques, and preach your sermons, even when you have preached hatred for them. Are these not signs that Allah has protected them, given them the strength to survive, and blessed them?
Omar al-Abed murdered three members of a Jewish family recently: Yosef Salomon, his daughter Chaya and his son Elad. The murders took place in the settlement of Halamish, land disputed by Israelis and "Palestinians" since the War of 1967.
After reading that the murderer had survived and had been taken to hospital, I wanted to speak to him -- in part, just to tell him how counterproductive and futile his action had been. But I also thought it worth trying to address him in language he would understand, by referring to Islamic matters, by quoting the Qur'an and sacred Traditions known as Hadith. The letter below might be translated into Arabic and shared with other young men. In it, there is mention of my background as a teacher of Islamic Studies, in the hope he and others might see I am not coming out of antagonism for either him or his faith -- a faith that he and they are committed to following. I wanted to raise moral questions that seldom if ever occur to Palestinian Muslims, especially when they are roused by false rumors about al-Aqsa or other sites they consider sacred.
It is important to stress that Jews are the only religious people alongside Muslims who believe in the absolute unity of God. After all, it was from the Jews that Muhammad learned to preach that "there is no god but God". I write to Omar al-Abed that he had no right to proclaim jihad, for an individual may not do that. Even though there are provisions in shari'a law that permit an individual to use violence if he believes Islam is under attack. I wanted him to know that the individuals he murdered had not attacked him and that the Israelis actually protect al-Aqsa and that it is not even slightly under attack. I quote Qur'anic verses about loving one's enemies, even though many later verses say the opposite. But if the Qur'an for him is the Word of God, surely he cannot simply ignore the earlier verses.
The letter is just a way to try to open some eyes by speaking in terms that someone who regards you as an enemy, especially if you are not one, may grasp, and that may serve as an outreaching of hands. 'Umar al-'Abed will only change if, over the long life he will spend in prison, he has time to reflect and to use those parts of his religion that call for peace. Who knows what can happen in a lifetime?
A Facebook post by the murderer Omar al-Abed, hours before he murdered three members of the Salomon family in Halamish.
Perhaps the exercise is worthless. I am not a Muslim, and no doubt that makes a difference. I am not a Jew, but I have tried to say that, in my long experience, Jews are good people and the people he killed so brutally were good people who, like him, believed in one God.
Here is the letter:
Ya 'Umar, Ya Abu Zayd,
I have just read your Arabic will and testament. After the bismillah and salutations upon your prophet Muhammad, whom you extol as ashraf al-khalq wa'l-mursil, the most noble of mankind and the prophets, I came to your words:
I am young, not even twenty-years old, I had many dreams and many aspirations. But what life is this in which our women and our young are murdered without any justification? They are desecrating the al-Aqsa mosque and we are sleeping, it is an embarrassment that we are sitting idly by.
"أنا شاب لم يتجاوز عمري العشرين، لي أحلام وطموحات كثيرة، كنت أعلم أنه بعون الله ستتحقق أحلامي، كنت أعشق الحياة لرسم البسمة على وجوه الناس، لكن أي حياة هذه التي تُقتل فيها نساؤنا وشبابنا ظلما ويدنس أقصانا مسرى حبيبنا ونحن نائمون.
You, those who have a gun and who are worn out, you who only bring out your gun at weddings and celebrations, are you not ashamed of yourselves? Why are you not declaring war for Allah? Here they are closing the al-Aqsa mosque and your gun is silent. All that I have is a sharpened knife, and it is answering the call of al-Aqsa. Shame on you, you who preach hatred. God will take revenge on you and will make it count. All of us are the sons of Palestine and the sons of al-Aqsa. You, sons of monkeys and pigs, if you do not open the gates of al-Aqsa, I am sure that men will follow me and will hit you with an iron fist, I am warning you.
'Umar, I cannot come to your bedside in the hospital where your wounds are being treated by the people you have been taught to hate. If you had a knife, perhaps you would murder the doctors and nurses who are now saving your life.
I have taught Arabic and Islamic Studies at a British university; I have many Muslim friends and have written much about Islam, a religion I know well. Much of my life has been spent in its study. I have read the Qur'an and the Hadith in Arabic, and love Islamic art, calligraphy and poetry, and can well understand why you love the Masjid al-Aqsa, the Qubbat al-Sakhra and all of the Haram al-Sharif. Many of the most beautiful buildings ever created have been mosques. There is no bitterness in my heart.
But I do write with mingled sorrow and rage for what you have done. I know a great many Jews; they are good people who have suffered, and, like Muslims, millions of them have been slaughtered.
Jews, like all Muslims, say the equivalent of la ilaha ill'llah -- there is no god but God -- in their holiest book. God has mentioned the Torah, al-Taurat, sixteen times in the Qur'an.
In al-Taurat, you will find the words: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one". Are these not like the words pronounced by the first Mu'adhdhin of Islam, Bilal ibn Rabah, when he was tortured by his master for having abandoned idolatry and said repeatedly ahad, ahad: one, one. The Jews and the Muslims are the greatest worshipers of a single God.
Did it ever occur to you that you did something evil? You took the lives of a family of believers in one Deity.
You destroyed their lives: a father, his son, and his daughter. You gravely injured the mother who, like you, is in hospital, fighting for her life. And when she is conscious she will be told that you have taken her husband, her son and her daughter. All the members of that family are today in grief, a grief from which they will never recover.
And you have destroyed your own family. Have you not read in the Qur'an, in Surat al-Isra, that speaks of the Prophet's Night Journey to the Masjid al-Aqsa, when speaking of God's command "God has decreed that you worship none but him"? It continues: "And be virtuous to your parents. Whether one or both of them reaches old age, say not to them 'Uff' nor chide them, but speak unto them a noble word". Now, your father and mother have lost a son who might have protected them in their old age. Another son, your brother has been arrested. Today or tomorrow, soldiers will demolish the home in which your family lived. Is that what God would wish?
You write, calling on your fellow Muslims, "Why are you not declaring war for God?" What war can that be if not jihad? But what right do you have to issue a call to jihad? Do you not know shari'a law and what it says about the call to jihad? Have not the 'ulama and the fuqaha stated that "Qital or fighting can only be declared when there is an Islamic State and the leader or Amir of this Islamic State is the only one who can declare this Holy War."
"The matter of jihad is in the hands of the ruler and his ijtihad, and the people must obey him in whatever he sees fit with regard to that". -- Al-Mughni (10/368).
"It is not permissible for the army to set out on a campaign without the permission of the ruler, no matter what the situation, because the ones to whom the command to fight and engage in jihad is addressed are the rulers, not individuals. Individuals have to follow the decision-makers. So it is not permissible for anyone to fight without the permission of the imam." -- Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah.
Perhaps you thought that Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has given permission to kill Jews. But the Palestinian Authority is not an Islamic state and the Palestine Liberation Organization, of which Mahmoud Abbas is the head, is a secular body and will never be the basis even for a future Islamic state.
Today, there is no Islamic state in Palestine, nor is there an Amir with authority to issue a call to jihad. You have been greatly misled in this. Above all, no one has the right to take up arms, even a little knife, and go out as a mujahid on his own volition. Such a man would not die a martyr, for he will have acted at his own command. Doubtless there is permission for an individual to fight if Muslims are attacked. But the people you killed had not attacked you. You attacked them. They were defenseless. You did not even ask them to convert to Islam, which, under shari'a, is the first thing to be done before an attack.
You say, "Here they are closing the al-Aqsa mosque" and claim you are acting to open it. But no one had closed the mosque. It is open to all Muslims to pray there, as it has been since 1967, when the Israelis handed authority over it to the waqf authority in Jordan. Did you not know that? The Masjid al-Aqsa is built on a high place that is the holiest place in the world for Jews and has been holy to them long before the angel Jibril delivered Allah's message to Muhammad. Jews would never wish to commit acts of violence on a spot they regard as so holy, nor would they wish to destroy a mosque because that is forbidden under their own laws, which were written to protect all holy places, something they have done and do to this day.
If your purpose was to "open the mosque", tell me how has the slaughter of a God-loving family brought a solution closer? Muslims have killed Jews many times before, and that has not advanced the Islamic cause or religion in the slightest. The Jews have endured much, yet not a single death Muslims have suffered has achieved prosperity or peace for the people of Islam. You know that the Jews will never leave the land Allah gave to them, as promised by the prophet Musa in Surat al-Ma'ida, aya 21: "O my people, enter the Holy Land which God has prescribed for you, and turn not back in your traces, to turn about losers."
When you kill believers in the one God, you harden their hearts against you. Again and again, the people of Israel have offered the Muslims of Palestine peace and prosperity, and each time you have turned their offers down and brought calamity upon yourselves. That is not wisdom. That will not bring good lives to you, your family, your village or your young people born to hatred and anger. The Jews do not hate you: they hate the slaughter you have brought upon them for almost one hundred years. The Jews are commended in the Qur'an and in the books of Islamic law as "People of the Book". That is because they received a revelation from God. Yet you slaughtered them as though they were idolaters.
In Syria, war is raging and Muslims are killing Muslims in many thousands, and millions have been dispossessed and forced into exile. But even now, Israeli Jews are working in special hospitals in Syria, clinics they have built, bringing in injured men, women and children for treatment by skilled doctors and nurses. Would they do that if they hated Muslims? People from Gaza and the West Bank have been treated in Israeli hospitals in their thousands, just as you are being treated now. Would the Jews give that help if they had hatred in their hearts for your people? Yet you and others like you have nothing but hatred for them.
Have you not read the sound Hadith:
None of you has faith until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. (Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 13, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi)
Do you not remember the words spoken by the Prophet in his Final Sermon: "Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you"? And even if you think the Jews have done wrong to you, have you not read the words of Allah in Surat al-Fussilat, aya 34:
And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend. (Sahih International)
I have heard some Muslims say that you will prevail because the Jews love life and you love death. You went out on their holiest day of the week because you boasted you were happy to die. But in their love for life the Jews have brought great advances, healing, knowledge, and prosperity to the world. And in your preference for death you have brought nothing but hatred and despair and hard lives for yourselves.
You will go to prison and you will stay there until you die. You will achieve none of your ambitions, your hopes, your aspirations, a life that would bring pride and dignity to your family and your fellow Muslims. You will never become a doctor and heal the sick, a noble calling. You will never become a lawyer or a judge and deliver justice, another godly way of life. You will never become a Muslim scholar, an 'alim, a preacher, an imam, all holy callings. You will never marry, never have children, never become a great man who might have enriched the world and your own people. There are men and women in the world whom you might have summoned to Islam, but who, hearing of the evil things you have done, will reject Islam for the rest of their lives. Your name will go down in history along with names like Adolf Hitler and Pharaoh, who killed and enslaved Jews against God's will. And I fear that in the next world, if there is a world to come, you will share eternity in the company of murderers and tyrants.
You may think that killing Jews is a noble thing, that others will praise you and hold you a hero, a brave man, a batal, a true believer. Yet what you did was not brave, but cowardly. People will tell you that the slaughter you performed was heroic and that you took up arms to bring freedom for your fellow Muslims. But today, millions around the world detest what you did and call it by its proper name, a Satanic act. If you had gone into that house with an open hand and a smiling face, I assure you that the family would have welcomed you, shaken your hand, and invited you to share their meal. But you chose not to do that. Instead, you took the lives of grandparents and parents, ruining the future for their little children. How can anyone be proud of that?
I am addressing this letter to you in the hope that somewhere, today, tomorrow, or many years from now, you may see what you have done for what it is and feel shame. You have brought dishonor on your people. Perhaps in that, you will find a way to explain to your fellow believers, to young Palestinians like yourself, that, despite what they may hear to lure them into killing, they are on a path to their ruin. Arabs have fought six wars against the Jews and lost each time. You have fought intifadas to dislodge the Jews from the land God gave them, and they have survived and prospered. They have offered you everything you need to grow in peace and prosperity. They have guarded you so you can worship freely, attend your mosques, and preach your sermons, even when you have preached hatred for them. Are these not signs that Allah has protected them, given them the strength to survive, and blessed them?
It is time to seek another way, to turn your knives to ploughshares, to make peace, not war, and to put an end to the sacrifice of your young people and elderly that brings nothing but wretchedness to the Palestinian Muslims. If you alone, one man, could come to understand that peace is close as soon as you want it and work for it. Allah says in Surat al-Waqi'a, ayas 25-26, about the people of Paradise: "They hear no idle talk there, nor words that call to sin, for only the words 'Peace, Peace!' are spoken there."
*Denis MacEoin, who earned a PhD in Islamic Studies, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
© 2017 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.

Coexistence or ISIS
Ghassan Charbel/ASharq Al Awsat/August 07/17
The ISIS terrorist organization was established after the collapse of a series of coexistence trials. It changed maps and tore borders apart, and maps are like buildings, they always need maintenance. Negligence speeds up their demise with walls cracking and doors breaking down. Factionalism policies rattle their core and peace. This gives “black winds” the chance to infiltrate into them. Songs and armies are not enough to protect the borders. Based on experiences, borders fall from within before they are violated from the outside.
Today, the region rejoices the series of strikes against ISIS, and it is within its right to celebrate. ISIS is a storm of blood and mud and a heavy chapter of injustice and darkness in the story of time. Stories of those captivated or orphaned by ISIS are both heartbreaking and terrifying.
But, what is more important than victorious celebrations are the lessons learned.
This terrible organization wasn’t dropped over our societies but rather penetrated through cracks and supported by experienced fighters driven by their grudges. ISIS couldn’t have violated borders hadn’t they were already suffering and it couldn’t have settled in the region hadn’t the national will been torn apart.
War on ISIS seems a difficult one with suicide bombers, tunnels, explosives, and young men brainwashed until they became bombs searching for a chance to detonate themselves.
Yet despite its importance, this war should be part of a more comprehensive war. Real victory is overcoming the idea of ISIS and the circumstances that facilitated the birth of the organization and its infiltration into one country or another.
Without an encompassing confrontation against ISIS on the streets, in the club or school books, media and mosques, the war on the terrorist organization remains incomplete and the results are endangered.
ISIS militants can escape and live as lone wolves waiting for the right moment to explode anywhere.
The most important thing about a broad confrontation is taking a difficult and probably painful decision to coexist. This doesn’t mean returning to the fake coexistence on television that failed its first test. The point is to have people within countries and countries live together.
One must admit that ISIS leader Abu Baker al-Baghdadi couldn’t have emerged in Mosul, Iraq and open the door on this costly tragedy had the relations between Iraqi components been healthy and normal.
ISIS wouldn’t have been able to infiltrate into Syrian territories and take over the popular revolution causing its failure if relations between Syrian components had been natural within a normal state.
We must make the decision to coexist with the world and the different various beliefs, ethnicities, and colors without thinking that we should impose our beliefs on the world or otherwise destroy it.
Believing that we have to subjugate the world into becoming like us is the shortest way towards becoming a ticking bomb in this world. We enter into a crushing clash more than we can handle if we fail to admit to one’s right to be different.
Considering anyone different from us as an enemy or someone who strayed from the right path consolidates demarcation which blocks any cooperation we need to achieve progress reached by other countries.
Those countries went through their own costly experiences and survived with the belief that being different can enrich them and is a right that should be respected. Thinking that it is our duty to salvage humanity based on a single concept that can’t be interpreted or even without considering any other forms puts us in front of a wall and pushes us towards disaster.
Before making the decision to coexist with other people outside our region, living with others within the region must be determined. Considering every different idea a crime and a threat is the first step towards civil wars, identities terminations, and massacres. We must admit to other people’s right in a building, or a village, or a city to be different, and it is within their right to be equal and feel safe in a state based on citizenship and not on a majority, regardless of demographic percentages and modifications.
There is no way out of this hellhole that created hundreds of thousands of casualties and millions of refugees unless we coexist. Without deciding that, every victory is threatened of becoming another round in a war that settles and rekindles.
Without a true determination, torn societies will be the perfect opportunities for ISIS and similar organizations to resurface again.
Final triumph over ISIS can’t happen without the mission to build a truly modern state with rights and duties. It is not possible without citizenship in a country that respects the right to be different and a country of opportunities, comprehensive development, welcoming curriculum, and open and responsible media.
There is no way out of this hellhole if interventions and coups continue and if elimination and hatred policies are still used. For ages now, we tried these vindictive futile policies and retaliations that took us out of the race for the future, poisoned our states, capitals, and colleges. We can’t keep swimming in these turbid waters. Determination doesn’t mean that we are personally turning our children and their children into fuel for upcoming wars, nor does it mean we allow our countries to become pools of blood struggling with poverty and unemployment.
Our problem didn’t begin with ISIS’ existence to end with a military victory over it. Our real issue is failing the test of time to follow up development and modern age. Our problem is that we don’t want to pay for the train ticket heading towards the future.

US Sanctions Are Another Gift to Putin
Leonid Bershidsky/Bloomberg/August 07/17
Russian President Vladimir Putin tends to respond to Western sanctions in ways its authors probably didn’t anticipate: by going after those Russians who could most help their own country and who want to build ties with the West. His order last week to US diplomatic missions in Russia to cut their staff to 455 people — the exact number of staff that Russia has in the US — is the latest example.In 2012, when the US Congress passed the Magnitsky Act, which authorized the government to impose travel bans and asset freezes on Russian officials involved in human rights violations, Russia responded by banning US adoptions of Russian children. The asymmetrical response was preposterous to many Russians, and thousands protested in Moscow. Those children whom no Russians wanted to adopt — usually those with severe disabilities — were put up for foreign adoption, and it was mindlessly cruel to deprive them of a chance for a better life. But Russian state TV conducted a major campaign at the time alleging cruel treatment of Russian kids by US adoptive families and stressing national pride. Polls at the time showed about half of Russians supporting the retaliatory bill while less than a third were opposed.
In 2014, in response to Ukraine-related sanctions imposed by the US and Europe, Russia banned the import of a long list of foods from Europe. The effect on European food producers hasn’t been major: It was largely offset by export increases to other markets and by immediate European Union support measures for certain countries and sectors. But every time I have visitors from Moscow in Berlin, I watch them stock up on cheese to take home.
People who miss French cheese are a relatively Westernized minority. Most Russians loved another state TV campaign (complete with images of illegally imported food trampled by tractors) that told them the countersanctions were good for Russian agriculture. Two-thirds of Russians say the government was right to introduce the food embargo. Only 12 percent contend that it hurts Russians more than the West.
Now that the US Congress has passed a new sanctions package, which codifies and tightens some previously existing restrictions, Putin wants US diplomatic missions — the embassy in Moscow and the consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok — to shed staff. There are only about 300 people in the missions who were hired in the US; the rest, more than 900 of them, are local hires, most of them Russians who do technical work. The US will likely choose to keep most of its diplomats (and spies) in place but get rid of the locals. This means the loss of several hundred Russian jobs. But, more to the point, the cuts will almost certainly hurt Russians’ ability to travel to the US, as former ambassador Michael McFaul pointed out in a tweet.
Even today, a Russian applying for a visitor visa to the U.S. in Moscow must wait 46 days for an obligatory consular appointment. The wait times are considerably shorter in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok, but now they will likely converge toward the current Moscow norm, and in Moscow, people will have to wait long enough to make travel planning impossible.
If Putin wanted his retaliatory measures to be symmetrical, he would have taken into consideration that the Russian consular service in the US issued about 86,000 visas in 2015, while the US missions in Russia issued almost 183,000 visas in fiscal year 2016. But Putin doesn’t care about the kind of Russians who want to travel to the US He has repeatedly warned officials and law enforcement officers against going to Western countries where they could be targeted by intelligence services and where their assets could be seized under one set of sanctions or another. Those who still want to go are perceived almost as representatives of a pro-Western fifth column — just like those hapless cheese-eaters and the minority that believes Russian orphans can have a better life in the US than at home.
This pattern of Russian responses provides an important part of the answer to an often-asked question: Why is Russia preoccupied with Western sanctions despite their obvious inability to achieve stated goals?
It’s impossible to know the counterfactual — what Putin would have done were there no sanctions — but the sanctions have not deterred him from propping up separatists in eastern Ukraine, holding on to Crimea or allowing cyber campaigns against Western countries to go ahead. Nor do they really hurt his rich friends. There have been no high-profile seizures of their assets since Italy froze $30 million worth of real estate owned by Putin’s former judo partner Arkady Rotenberg — a mosquito bite to the billionaire. Sanctions have also failed to inflict much pain on the Russian economy, which has greatly reduced its debt exposure to Western nations and is working to increase its technological self-sufficiency in key areas such as oil and gas.
But just as the US sanctions were primarily about playing to a domestic audience — a way to respond to the Trump-Russia scandal — the Kremlin’s response is to use them for domestic fodder. They are held up as proof of “Russophobia” — Russian officials’ favorite term to describe what they see as the unfair treatment of Russia, a desire to curb it rather than cooperate with it. The Kremlin anger isn’t a sign of real pain; it’s strategic. Being angry about sanctions strengthens Putin’s domestic message about a country surrounded by enemies and undermined by unpatriotic Russians subverted by a hostile West. The anger is aimed largely at the domestic audience and meant to tell it that looking for friends, opportunities or just plain fun in the West is futile, perhaps even hostile to the Motherland.

When will the Left stop insulting Trump?
Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/August 07/17
The left will not stop insulting Trump even if it manages to expel him from the White House. Those who say Trump must make peace with the hostile media to avoid undue attention miss the fact that this fierce media will not stop attacking him even if he turns into another Barack Obama. The American president thus stands with his back against the wall and fights with his iPhone. It is interesting to see how Trump managed to tarnish the reputation of some of his opponents, describing them as fake through some tweets. He is the opposite of President George W. Bush who the media preyed on and promoted false rumors about. He was even called stupid and evil. Trump, on the other hand, has managed to brand his opponents and gained a popular base that sympathizes with the victim especially when attacked by the corrupt arrogant elite. The leftists have been Trump’s enemies even before he became president. The campaign against him worsened when he became a candidate but his unexpected victory shocked leftists and liberals who started rehearsing for the end of the world. A book recently published revealed the confusion and delirium which many writers and intellectuals suffered from. As Hillary Clinton’s team prepared to set off fireworks to celebrate her certain victory, the shocking news came of the victory of a man they despise and saw as a clown. One writer said the fear he felt when Trump won was similar to the fear he felt during the September 11, 2001 attacks. An intellectual and her husband stayed up all night holding hands and crying in fear. Another writer said: “something inside me died tonight,” while another lamented as he described his deep melancholy. Hysteria and fear turned into fierce resistance and disobedience against Trump and his administration. It has been six months since he became president and some still raise banners: “He is not our president.” What is happening now may explain the deep psychological shock, which transformed into resistance that became stronger due to Trump’s sharp tongue. However, the question is does Trump deserve to be attacked this way? It is early to say if Trump succeeded or failed but a logical and fair look into his term so far makes the bigger picture more objective
Not without blemish
The truth is Trump has made several mistakes. The most prominent one is attacking Attorney General of the United States, Jeff Sessions, who heads the Department of Justice in a move that is difficult to explain. The White House is in a state of overwhelming chaos that reached its peak when the unmanageable Anthony Scaramucci was appointed as the White House Communications Director. He was later fired by White House chief of staff John Kelly. Due to McCain’s mood swings, who is also unwell, Trump failed to end Obamacare. This is all in addition to the frequent leaks of Trump’s calls with world leaders – of which the most recent were his calls with the Mexican and Australian presidents – and that show him as an incapable and weak man who cannot even control his own team. This clear failure stirs a lot of chaos and distracts people from the real successes achieved in a short time. A million job opportunities have been created, the economy was revived and Dow Jones hit all-time high, moving above the 22,000 point mark for the first time. The number of smugglers and illegal immigrants decreased at the Mexican borders. A series of achievements are almost certain to follow, such as tax reforms and building of the wall between the US and Mexico, which even his opponents approve of.
Foreign policy
On the foreign front, Trump proved that he is much better than Obama whose almost all policies failed. The Riyadh Summit restored warmth and strong ties with allies and resulted in a clear strategy and policy to combat terrorism. As for Iran, he replaced the policy of soft containment with confrontation and handed over the matter to US Secretary of Defense James Mattis, aka the Mad Dog – who understands the brutality and barbarism of the regime better than anyone else – and repeatedly hinted at the possibility of toppling the regime. Sanctions have also been imposed on Iran recently.
The al-Shayrat air base in Syria was struck during Trump’s era. Trump’s speech about the pain of seeing infants suffocate following the toxic Sarin gas attack in Syria restored some respect to the principle of justice which was completely absent during the past eight years when women and children were killed and their killers escaped punishment. ISIS in Mosul was defeated thanks to American troops’ support and it will be defeated soon in Raqqa. The mother-of-all-bombs was used against ISIS in Afghanistan and dozens of their members were killed. It was a successful operation because their presence meant more terrorist attacks that target innocent people. Trump took a strong stance on Doha, its terrorist activities and support for extremists. With the help of his skilled team, Trump has restored balance in the international order. However, he also confronts major challenges now such as those related to North Korea. It is early to say if Trump succeeded or failed but a logical and fair look into his term so far makes the bigger picture more objective. This does not mean that his fierce rivals will say a single good word about him. They will not stop insulting him. They either wish to see him fired soon or to see him lose the 2020 elections. The question which cannot be ignored now is what will happen if he wins again?

Lebanon and the unfortunate alliance of minorities
Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/August 07/17
It is interesting how Lebanese Christian politicians and their social bases had a semi-unanimous consensus to support the Shiite Hezbollah group in its war against Syrian radical groups on the Lebanese-Syrian borders. Lebanese anchor and colleague Nadim Koteich recently pointed out that even Samir Geagea, the Lebanese leader who’s outspoken in terms of opposing the Iranian project, took a step back and did not resume his sharp rhetoric against Hezbollah and the country that embraces it, i.e. the Iranian Republic which was founded by the radical and revolutionary cleric Sayyid Khomeini.
It is normal for politicians like Gebran Bassil, Sleiman Franjieh and Michel Aoun to support Hezbollah’s “sectarian” wars that support the Iranian project considering they are allies. However, this enthusiasm has reached Christian bases who have traditionally protected the republic and rejected regional projects that infiltrated Lebanon’s sovereignty, such as the Iranian project. This marks a very dangerous, interesting development. who said that the heirs of Imad Mughniyeh, Mustafa Badreddine, Qassem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Sadegh Khalkhali are the prophets of peace and supporters of secularism?
The Aounist Movement
It is dangerous because it indicates the vigilance of negative sectarian feelings that emerged when the Aounist Movement tried to promote the idea of the “alliance of the minorities.” But against who? Clearly, it is against the Sunnis even if they’re affiliated with Rafiq Hariri or Fouad Siniora.
Lebanese thinker Radwan as-Sayyid recently wrote about this disastrous approach. “Delusions are not only linked to the idea that Hezbollah is fighting for Lebanon’s sake. There’s another delusion that Lebanese Christians currently suffer from as although they still hold on to the army, they also hold on to (Hezbollah) because it fights Sunni terrorism which threatens the Christians in particular!” Sayyid wrote. Sayyid also addressed the manifestations of this instinctive Lebanese Christian fear which most Christians in Lebanon, mainly the Maronites who are the protectors of the Lebanese republic and entity, feel and said: “Lebanese Christians have adhered to the state, army and international decisions the most. Today however they’re controlled by the mentality of (the alliance of the minorities) which Iran protects and they find no shame in having the army follow an Iranian militia and in forgetting the state and its constitution.”
There’s an important point – which reiterating is silly anyway – and it’s that there is no question that al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda organization and of course ISIS are all terrorist groups which must be eliminated by all means possible. This is the cause of mainly “Sunni” Muslim communities – who are the majority of Muslims – before anyone else as they must protect Muslims and preserve peace among people. But who said that the heirs of Imad Mughniyeh, Mustafa Badreddine, Qassem Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Sadegh Khalkhali are the prophets of peace and supporters of secularism and values of the modern state? Instinctive fear does bad things in critical times.

The great war in the Middle East
Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabiya/August 07/17
The great ongoing and upcoming war in the Middle East is against the governance of the jurist in Iran. The Iranian regime has followed a strategy of destruction, chaos and support for terrorism to serve larger aims such as imposing influence and domination on Arab countries in particular. The two major Arab countries confronting Iran’s projects are Saudi Arabia and Egypt – in addition to their allies. Iran has targeted their security and stability. In Saudi Arabia, Iran supported al-Qaeda and ISIS to carry out terrorist attacks and supported terrorism in the eastern region. It also supported terrorism in Bahrain, Kuwait and in Yemen via al-Qaeda and the Houthi militias with the sole purpose of destabilizing Saudi Arabia. In Egypt, Iran supported all terrorist groups either directly or through Hezbollah and the Hamas Movement. One of the streets in Tehran is named after Khalid Islambouli, the murderer of Anwar al-Sadat. Iran also uses stamps to commemorate Sayyid Qutb, the most famous preacher of modern terrorism. Iran’s official rhetoric is still very hostile against Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This great war requires calm preparations and patience. Cold wars include victories and defeats. Iran’s strongest allies in the region are the Muslim Brotherhood, the terrorist organizations which branched from it and regional countries in support of them. Before winning major wars, purging the domestic front, uniting the ranks and guaranteeing wide international support are a must. The three Riyadh summits thus paved way for major changes in the region and the world, and Qatar’s crisis marks the first step in this new direction. Qatari leaders have been groomed and mentored by the Muslim Brotherhood. Its policies, funds and soft power aim to serve them
The Qatar crisis
Many Arab and foreign analysts misread the Qatari crisis because they failed to look at the bigger picture with all its significant dimensions. This is why all western and Gulf mediations failed – especially that they thought it’s a passing crisis that can be easily overcome via simple mediations.
Qatar resorted to support from Iran and Turkey to prolong the crisis and escalate it and add a regional and international dimension to the dilemma so it finds a way out. The Qatari decision maker tried to ignore the fact that others are closely monitoring his policies and how he spends his money.
It is careless for a political leader to think that he can resolve a crisis by buying a football player or a channel or by supporting a daily or a news website instead of making political decisions. Anything that does not involve altering policies completely is obvious deceit that no one buys.
In order to defeat Iran, it is a must to defeat its allies in the region, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and countries that support it. The biggest modern supporter is Qatar, the Arab and Gulf country whose leaders have been willingly biased toward every destructive project that harms Arab countries and their people. As the Qatari crisis enters its second month, the situation has improved in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Iraq. Terrorism, and organizations and militias that use it as a tool, have weakened without Qatar’s billions. In later phases, an open war must be fought on the domestic, regional and international fronts to eliminate political Islamist groups, mainly the Brotherhood and groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, Sururism and others who have different names but share the same principles and aims as they all want to attain power and dominate governance at any price.
For the past eight decades, the Brotherhood has been a key player in sabotaging Arab countries and shaking their stability and security. The Brotherhood established branches in several countries in the east and the west and it owns legal entities, charity organizations and media outlets in western countries. These entities and institutions cover up the Brotherhood’s crimes and its ideological and organizational links to terrorist groups. There are two countries in support of the Brotherhood and political Islam. One of them is Qatar and the battle with it has begun against it. The other has the choice to back down from the radical project and look after its interests with Arab countries and the international community away from supporting radical groups and terrorism. The Sudanese model is the best example as in the past Khartoum supported radical and terrorist organizations and gained nothing at all. It is now returned to the Arab fold. Saudi Arabia, as an international center of gravity and through its many alliances, is paving way for Sudan to return to the international community as an ordinary state.
The Muslim Brotherhood
Qatari leaders have been groomed and mentored by the Muslim Brotherhood and its icons. Its policies, funds and soft power aim to serve the Brotherhood. If we look at Qatar’s policies during the past 20 years, we cannot even differentiate between Qatar and the Brotherhood.
The way Doha deals with its citizens clarifies this idea as the sate ignored their interests and ignored building a future for the upcoming generations and instead spent billions on Brotherhood terrorist groups via methods the resemble the mafias’ or gangs’. Qatar treats its own citizens as second-class citizens while the first class citizens are those who serve its project and who fully support it, like terrorist and radical movements do. Regarding citizenship, the Qatari nationality is distributed to terrorists and radicals around the world while thousands of Qataris are being deprived of their nationality and expelled from the country without due respect for their rights of belonging to their homeland. This is happening because the decision maker is not a national leader but an ideological leader that loves and supports those who serve his project even if they are in the end of the world and that punishes his citizens based on uncertainties and expels them because he does not value the concept of a homeland. The great struggle which the region is witnessing, and which is being prepared for calmly and carefully, is not against Qatar but against sectarianism and radical movements, against Iran’s expansive and sectarian project and against the expansive radical and authoritarian project. Qatar is only one step of the way. If we observe Saudi political moves, we realize they have succeeded in defeating Iran in several parts of the world and that they will force Iran to worry about its domestic affairs and abandon ambitions to expand and impose influence. The Saudi crown prince has stated this more than once.

How Arabs lost India to Israel
Hussein Shobokshi/Al Arabiya/August 07/17
Anyone who has a memory that goes back to the sixties of the last century should remember the pictures of the great Indian leader Jawaharlal Nehru together with the Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, and other leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement countries. During the period, India adopted a principled position on the Palestinian issue and also extended its support to the Arabs. Since inter-Arab relations seem to be tense, it was very natural to see Indian Prime Minister Modi embarking on a historic visit to Israel, resulting in signing of a number of agreements. The deals reflected an unprecedented level of cooperation between the two countries in the economic, military, security, political technical and educational fields. India has announced a strategic relationship with Israel. Israel has a great desire to develop its digital economy base, which is developing significantly in India, while India seeks an advanced technical education system that produces qualified candidates in the fields of programming and technology in all its aspects. As a skilled and low-cost outsource manpower, India is also looking for a distinctive military technology in the fields of air defense and radars that characterize Israel as well as electronic security means of destructive hackers and deadly electronic viruses. The Arab relationship with India has lately turned into a purely consumer relationship, with little added value. The development of the relationship between India and Israel is a natural product of the Arab Spring’s chaos, which continues to manifest its disastrous consequences
Size and impact
There is cheap Indian labor in Arab countries that transfer money, and goods from India such as tea, rice, spices, textiles, timber and other foodstuffs. But the relationship did not evolve as much, as the Arab countries as a whole did not make out what is happening in India today seriously, did not realize the size and impact of the Indian economy on the world economic map and the strength and influence of Indians Diaspora in world’s largest companies like, MasterCard, Citibank, McKinsey and others. Israel dealt with India as part of as a long-term project. It operated in India through diamond trade first and attracted Indian investors and through companies that then entered the fields of mining, medicine and education to global technology, defense and security. The Arabs lost India to Israel on this dangerous tour. And the relationship between them is likely to be strengthened, increased and sustained because equality, respect and equivalency exist and are clearly established. The development of the relationship between India and Israel is a natural product of the Arab Spring’s chaos, which continues to manifest its disastrous consequences.

North Korea Defiant after New Sanctions, Rejects Talks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August/07/17
North Korea vowed Monday that tough new United Nations sanctions would not stop it from developing its nuclear arsenal, as it rejected talks and angrily warned the United States of retaliation. The message of defiance was the first major response to the U.S.-drafted sanctions, which the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved over the weekend and which could cost North Korea $1 billion a year. The North's sole major ally China, accused by the United States of doing too little to rein in Pyongyang, piled on the diplomatic pressure by vowing to fully implement the new sanctions. "We will under no circumstances put the nukes and ballistics rockets on (the) negotiating table," North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho said in a statement released in the Philippine capital Manila where he was attending a regional security forum. "Neither shall we flinch even an inch from the road to bolstering up the nuclear forces chosen by ourselves unless the hostile policy and nuclear threat of the U.S. against the DPRK (North Korea) are fundamentally eliminated."In an earlier statement released via its official KCNA news agency, North Korea threatened to make the United States "pay the price for its crime... thousands of times" for drafting the sanctions. Ri was among two dozen ministers attending the security forum, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and top diplomats from other Asia-Pacific nations. For his part, Tillerson ruled out a quick return to dialogue with North Korea, saying Washington would only consider talks if Pyongyang halted its ballistic missile program. "The best signal that North Korea could send that they're prepared to talk would be to stop these missile launches," Tillerson told reporters. Tillerson did hold out the prospect of U.S. envoys at some point sitting down with Pyongyang, but he refused to say how long the North might have to refrain from testing more long-range missiles beforehand. "I'm not going to give someone a specific number of days or weeks. This is really about the spirit of these talks," he said. The sanctions were in response to the North's two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month, after which Kim boasted that he could now strike any part of the United States.
United stance
Tillerson, who held separate talks in Manila with Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, also sought to emphasize a united stance against the North. "It's quite clear in terms of there being no daylight between the international community as to the expectation that North Korea will take steps to achieve all of my objectives, which is a denuclearized Korean peninsula," he said. Wang then followed up by warning North Korea that China, which is Pyongyang's biggest trading partner, would be resolute in implementing the sanctions. "China will for sure implement that new resolution 100 percent, fully and strictly," Wang told reporters, according to a translator. Pyongyang's fiery statement via KCNA on Monday hit out at Beijing and Moscow, which has also offered the North diplomatic cover in the past. North Korea warned that nations which "received appreciation from the U.S." for supporting the resolution would also be "held accountable."U.S. President Donald Trump had on Sunday said on Twitter that he "appreciates" Russia and China's cooperation in backing the sanctions. Either of them could have blocked the measures with their U.N. veto. Seoul sought to extend an olive branch to the North in a brief and rare encounter on Sunday between South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-Wha and Ri at a dinner to welcome the diplomats to Manila. Kang urged Ri to accept Seoul's offers of military talks to ease tensions on the divided peninsula and for discussions on a new round of reunions for divided families, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. But Ri immediately rejected the offer and said it "lacked sincerity," Yonhap reported. Trump and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-In spoke on the phone on Sunday and agreed the North "poses a grave and growing direct threat", according to a White House statement.

Maduro Vows 'Maximum Penalty' for Attack on Venezuela Base
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet/August/07/17
President Nicolas Maduro vowed that a band of anti-government fighters who attacked a Venezuelan army base will get the "maximum penalty" as his administration roots out his enemies. Troops killed two of the 20 intruders who slipped into the Paramacay base in the central city of Valencia early Sunday, apparently intent on fomenting a military uprising, Maduro said in his weekly broadcast on state television. One of the invaders was injured, seven captured and 10 got away, the embattled leader said."We know where they are headed and all of our military and police force is deployed," Maduro said. He said he would ask for "the maximum penalty for those who participated in this terrorist attack."The attack came as Venezuela's controversial constitutional assembly is getting down to work, signaling in its initial decrees last week that delegates will target Maduro's foes as he had warned. The new assembly, whose powers supersede all other branches of government, voted to remove the nation's outspoken chief prosecutor Saturday. On Sunday, Maduro announced that a new "truth commission" created by the assembly had been installed to impose justice on those fueling the unrest that has wracked the country since early April. The constitutional assembly is expected to meet again Tuesday, while lawmakers in the opposition-controlled National Assembly scheduled their own session for Monday, vowing to continue fulfilling their responsibilities no matter what the assembly might do. Leaders of opposition groups, which boycotted the July 30 assembly election, called for renewed protests on Monday, though turnout at demonstrations has been sparse in recent days. Residents who live near the army base in Valencia attacked Sunday said they began hearing bursts of gunfire around 4:30 a.m. A video showing more than a dozen men dressed in military fatigues, some carrying rifles, began circulating widely on social media around that time. In the recording, a man who identified himself as Capt. Juan Caguaripano said the men were members of the military who oppose Maduro's socialist government and called on military units to declare themselves in open rebellion. "This is not a coup d'etat," the man said. "This is a civic and military action to re-establish the constitutional order." Maduro said 20 men entered the base and managed to reach the weapons depot undetected, but then an alarm sounded alerting troops to the incursion. He said 10 of the invaders fled, some carrying off arms, while those left behind exchanged gunfire with soldiers until about 8 a.m. before all were either killed or captured. "Today we had to defeat terrorism with bullets," Maduro said.
Nearby residents who saw the dissident group's video online gathered around the military base chanting "Freedom!" Other protests also emerged around Valencia into the afternoon. Troops dispersed protesters with tear gas and a man was fatally shot at a demonstration less than a mile from the base, said Haydee Franco, coordinating secretary of the opposition Progressive Advance party. More than 120 people have been reported killed in four months of unrest that has been fueled by anger at the socialist government over food shortages, soaring inflation and high crime. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez characterized the attackers as a "paramilitary" expedition, saying the intruders were civilians dressed in uniforms. He did not identify any of the participants, but said they included a lieutenant who had abandoned his post. He said the man who recorded the video was a former officer dismissed three years ago after being charged with rebellion and betraying the homeland. In 2014, Caguaripano released a 12-minute video denouncing Maduro during a previous wave of anti-government unrest. He later reportedly sought exile after a military tribunal ordered his arrest, appearing in an interview on CNN en Espanol to draw attention to what he said was discontent within military ranks. Venezuela's latest bout of political unrest erupted in protest to a Supreme Court decision in late March ordering the National Assembly dissolved. Although the order was quickly lifted, near-daily demonstrations snowballed into a general protest calling for a new presidential election.Opposition leaders have urged the military, which historically has served as an arbiter of Venezuela's political disputes, to break with Maduro over what his foes consider violations of the constitution. But the president is believed to still have the military's support. Like Sunday's uprising, most manifestations of dissent among troops have been small and isolated so far. "It's still very hard to know to what extent there are significant divisions within the military," Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue, said recently.