LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 04/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations
Where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice
James 03/Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 03-04/17
Blindness to history and common sense/Roger Bejjani/Face Book/December 03/17
Impose a "status quo" in Lebanon/Khalil Helou/Face Book/December 03/17
Palestine and the Iranian project/Ali al-Amin/The Arab Weekly/December 03/17
The lessons of Hariri’s resignation should not be unlearned/Makram Rabah//The Arab Weekly/December 03/17
Netanyahu: We Won't Allow Iran To Entranch Itself In Syria/Jerusalem Post/December 03/17
CIA Director Pompeo: Saudis Working With Israel To Fight Terror/Jerusalem Post/December 03/17
Europe's Migrant Crisis: Millions Still to Come/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/December 03/17
Preparing for Terrorist Attacks in Greece/Maria Polizoidou/Gatestone Institute/December 03/17
Airstrike On Iranian Base In Syria Raises Questions/Jerusalem Post/December 03/17
Abu Dhabi’s quest for modernity offers lessons for the region/Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/December 03/17

Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on December 03-04/17
Blindness to history and common sense
Impose a "status quo" in Lebanon
Berri Insists on Govt. Statement that would 'Reassure Saudi'
Hariri, Bassil Put 'Final Touches' in Paris on 'New Settlement'
Paris Wants Lebanon 'Solution' before December 8
AlRahi in commemoration of Fakhri Martyrs: We have great confidence in the judiciary and hope the perpetrators will be arrested
Lebanon denies Saudi allegations that banking sector launders Hizballah funds Open in fullscreen
Riachi represents Aoun at inaugural ceremony of Wadih Safi's memorial statue
North Lebanon commemorates its Martyr President Mouawwad
Majdalani to Radio Lebanon: No government amendment, Relation with LF shaken a little as a result of recent incidents, but existing friendliness not affected
Abu Faour: Next ministerial statement an upcoming stage indicator
Grand reception on the National Day of Emirates at Biel
Hashem: No Cabinet Reshuffle and No Intention to Isolate LF
U.S. Reportedly Promises Aoun $1 Billion in Yearly Aid
Erdogan: It is necessary to establish a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital
US withdraws from UN Global Charter on Migration
Palestine and the Iranian project
The lessons of Hariri’s resignation should not be unlearned

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 03-04/17
Yemen Rebel Alliance Crumbles as 'Street War' Rocks Capital
Iran's Rouhani Calls for Middle East 'Dialogue'
UAE Denies Claim of Huthi Missile Attack
Iraqi Shiites Slam Calls to Disband Militia Group after IS Fight
N. Korea Blasts 'Dangerous' U.S.-South Joint Military Drill
Trump Denies Asking FBI to Drop Flynn Probe
Hamas Threatens 'Intifada' over U.S. Moves on Jerusalem
UAE 'Deports' Egypt Presidential Hopeful Shafiq to Cairo
Netanyahu: We Won't Allow Iran To Entranch Itself In Syria
CIA Director Pompeo: Saudis Working With Israel To Fight Terror
Trump To Announce Jerusalem As Capital Of Israel
Kurds announce Daesh losses in east Syria with US, Russia help

Latest Lebanese Related News published on December 03-04/17
Blindness to history and common sense
Roger Bejjani/Face Book/December 03/17
I find difficult to understand how people are so blind to history and common sense. How can those morons believe that a bankrupt country with 0 technological input, 0 attractive values and a dramatic retreat since the 80', such as Russia, is a "winning" camp attractive enough to join or bet on. Idem for a demential country such as Iran.
My hope is that Berri will save the Lebanese Shia from Hezbollah and by doing so save Lebanon.

Impose a "status quo" in Lebanon
Khalil Helou/Face Book/December 03/17
International and regional geopolitical factors impose a "status quo" in Lebanon, at the cost of internal balance, democracy and justice. This situation is very similar to what prevailed between 1990 and 2005: at that time, not yet forgotten, all political parties in power were single-Obédience, leading to an oligarchie from Damascus. Today, obedience has become Iranian, and this has been said by Iranian officials, i.e. wilayati, jaafari, etc., saying that they have not been reniés by the people of power at the level of the state and at the level of hierarchies. Government or parliamentarians. Not one of our officials has responded to Iranian claims. The current oligarchie excels in patronage, and in the fog show to mislead the citizen. Remain Free, those who cherish their freedom before their daily bread, honest citizens who believe in values, those who have never exploited the public treasury, those who have kept the rose of freedom alive for 30 years of Syrian occupation , those who work in silence for Lebanon to continue to live, those who love other citizens, those attached to their land and their society, these are the true Lebanon, it is thanks to them that he will continue to live forever . Happy Sunday to all.

Berri Insists on Govt. Statement that would 'Reassure Saudi'
Naharnet/December 03/17/Speaker Nabih Berri is insisting on “reassuring Saudi Arabia” in the statement that will be issued by the government next week as part of the new settlement between the political forces, a media report said. “The drafting of the statement has made progress despite the regional escalation,” ministerial and parliamentary sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in remarks published Sunday. President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Hizbullah are “exchanging ideas about the draft statement,” the sources added. “Berri, who is in charge of communicating with Hizbullah, is insisting on a clear text that reflects keenness on non-interference in the affairs of Arab countries and that would also reassure Saudi Arabia,” the sources said. The draft will then be discussed in “a cabinet session that Hariri will call for in the first half of next week.”Political sources meanwhile told al-Hayat that “Saudi officials are not expecting a positive outcome and they still believe that President Michel Aoun is appeasing Hizbullah.”Hariri had caused widespread perplexity on November 4 when he resigned during a TV broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing assassination threats and blasting the policies of Iran and Hizbullah in Lebanon and the region. After a puzzling mini-odyssey that took him to France, Egypt and Cyprus, Hariri arrived back in Lebanon on November 21 and then announced that he was putting his decision to quit on hold ahead of negotiations. But while Hariri and his Saudi backers seemed on a collision course with Hizbullah last month, an apparent behind-the-scenes deal now appears to be restoring the status quo. The premier has called for dissociating Lebanon from the regional conflicts through ending Hizbullah’s involvement in them, revealing that “there is seriousness in the ongoing contacts and dialogues” and that the other parties seem to be inclined to accept his proposals.

Hariri, Bassil Put 'Final Touches' in Paris on 'New Settlement'
Naharnet/December 03/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil have met in Paris to put the “final touches” on a new political settlement that will be announced next week, a media report published Sunday said. “The new settlement is supposed to be announced before December 9 and the Cabinet will resume its sessions,” informed sources told Kuwait’s al-Jarida newspaper. Hariri had caused widespread perplexity on November 4 when he resigned during a TV broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing assassination threats and blasting the policies of Iran and Hizbullah in Lebanon and the region. After a puzzling mini-odyssey that took him to France, Egypt and Cyprus, Hariri arrived back in Lebanon on November 21 and then announced that he was putting his decision to quit on hold ahead of negotiations. But while Hariri and his Saudi backers seemed on a collision course with Hizbullah last month, an apparent behind-the-scenes deal now appears to be restoring the status quo. The premier has called for dissociating Lebanon from the regional conflicts through ending Hizbullah’s involvement in them, revealing that “there is seriousness in the ongoing contacts and dialogues” and that the other parties seem to be inclined to accept his proposals.

Paris Wants Lebanon 'Solution' before December 8
Naharnet/December 03/17/France is pressing the Lebanese parties to reach a solution to the political crisis before December 8, the date of the International Support Group for Lebanon’s meeting that Paris has called for, a media report published Sunday said. “The atmosphere is positive and a cabinet session will be held on Thursday at the latest to issue a statement” that defines the government’s policy towards the regional conflicts, Lebanese sources informed on the ongoing contacts told Kuwait’s al-Qabas daily. “It will not replace the Policy Statement according to which the government had won the confidence vote,” the sources noted. The expected statement will “underline the principles that guarantee Lebanon’s interest and will address the current questions, including the dissociation policy, the Taef Accord and Lebanon’s ties with its Arab neighbors,” the sources added. They said that negotiations are underway to finalize the statement before the upcoming cabinet session. “In parallel with the domestic negotiations, there are external consultations with the states that contributed to ending the crisis, topped by France and Egypt,” the sources added. Prime Minister Saad Hariri had caused widespread perplexity on November 4 when he resigned during a TV broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing assassination threats and blasting the policies of Iran and Hizbullah in Lebanon and the region. After a puzzling mini-odyssey that took him to France, Egypt and Cyprus, Hariri arrived back in Lebanon after around two weeks of absence and then announced that he was putting his decision to quit on hold ahead of negotiations. Many questions remain unanswered following the unprecedented scenario that saw Lebanon's prime minister resign in a foreign country suspected of keeping him under “house arrest” and return only after the apparent intervention of France. But while Hariri and his backers seemed on a collision course with Hizbullah last month, an apparent behind-the-scenes deal now appears to be restoring the status quo.

AlRahi in commemoration of Fakhri Martyrs: We have great confidence in the judiciary and hope the perpetrators will be arrested
Sun 03 Dec 2017/NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rahi, presided over Sunday Mass in Bkirki this morning, in the presence of the families and relatives of the two Martyrs, Sobhi and Nadima Fakhri, and faithful believers from the villages of Btedhi, Deir al-Ahmar and Nabha. In his homily, the Patriarch expressed great trust in the judiciary, hoping that the perpetrators of the crime against the Fakhri family will be arrested and punished. In addition, al-Rahi urged the Lebanese political community to step out of the circle of exchanging accusations and intransigence towards coming together to consolidate national unity. "Gratitude is to the Lord that we have managed to override the naturalization of refugees in Lebanon and the ongoing clashes in the region, and we have overcome the attempts to turn Lebanon into a substitute arena for regional conflicts," said the Patriarch. "We hope and pray that the results of the deliberations conducted by His Excellency the President of the Republic with various blocs and political figures will lead to a new political approach, and our country will move forward economically and developmentally, maintaining good relations with all the countries of the region within the Arab family," al-Rahi added.

Lebanon denies Saudi allegations that banking sector launders Hizballah funds Open in fullscreen
Karim Traboulsi/The New Arab/December 03/17/Lebanon denies Saudi allegations that banking sector launders Hizballah funds
Lebanon has denied Saudi allegations that its prestigious banking system is being used to smuggle and launder funds for powerful political and militant group Hizballah. BDL, Hizballah, US sanctions, terrorism, money laundry, Adel al-Jubeir
Lebanon has denied Saudi allegations that its prestigious banking system is being used to smuggle and launder funds for powerful political and militant group Hizballah. "The Lebanese banking system enjoys international legitimacy in relation to its financial and monetary transactions," Riad Salameh, the governor of Lebanon's central bank Banque Du Liban (BDL), told Lebanon's LBCI television network on Saturday. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Friday claimed that Hizballah finances itself by laundering money through Lebanese banks.
During a conference in Italy, Jubeir said "Iran is harbouring and facilitating the movement of terrorists, establishing Hizballah in Lebanon, using it to launder money and smuggle drugs".He also added that "Lebanon will only survive or prosper if you disarm Hizballah. As long as you have an armed militia, you will not have peace in Lebanon".Echoing Salameh, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Lebanese banks "are completely complying with the central bank's instructions to coordinate with the US treasury department, and take it upon themselves to apply international standards and banking systems".
"I do not think there are any funds for Hizballah going through the Lebanese banking system," he added. Tensions spiked between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon after Houthi rebels in Yemen fired a ballistic missile that was intercepted outside Riyadh earlier this month.
Saudi Arabia has accused Iran and Hizbllah of arming the rebels, charges denied by both. Riyadh is alleged to have forced its ally Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri to resign as head of a coalition government that included Hizballah ministers. Hariri has since signalled he would reverse his decision if Hizballah commits to a policy of non-interference in Arab countries.  Former US President Barack Obama signed the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act in 2015, imposing sanctions on foreign financial institutions that deal with the political party and its affiliated TV channel al-Manar.
Since then, banks in Lebanon have refused to deal with Hizballah ministers, MPs and affiliates to dodge the huge fines imposed as a result of the act. However, many argue that US sanctions will not harm the party's financial activities, as Hizballah is said to run its own banking system and does not deal with the dollar. The Lebanese government and central bank have been successfully lobbying US politicians to push Washington towards a softer anti-Hizballah stance to preserve economic stability. Their main concern is that US correspondent banks may find it too risky to carry out business with the Lebanese financial sector and as a result undermine the country's economy, which heavily relies on dollar deposits.

Riachi represents Aoun at inaugural ceremony of Wadih Safi's memorial statue
Sun 03 Dec 2017/NNA - Information Minister Melhem Riachi represented Sunday President Michel Aoun at the ceremony to inaugurate a monument honoring the late Lebanese singer and music composer, Wadih Al-Safi. The statue was placed on Antoine Boutros Bou Abboud Street in Dekwaneh, in cooperation with the "Heritage and Home" Association. Minister Riachi, who paid a heartfelt tribute to the deceased artist, said that such pioneering figures remain rooted in the collective memory of the Lebanese.

North Lebanon commemorates its Martyr President Mouawwad
Sun 03 Dec 2017/NNA - North Lebanon and the family of Martyr President Rene Mouawwad marked Sunday the lapse of 28 years since the assassination of late President Mouawwad, under the patronage of President Michel Aoun represented by State Minister Pierre Raffoul. As a memorial tribute to the late President, a Mass service was held in the Church of "John the Baptist" in Zgharta, presided over by the representative of the Maronite Patriarch, Bishop Joseph Naffah, in the presence of MP Estephan Doueihi representing the House Speaker and Cabinet Minister Mohammad Kabbara representing the Prime Minister, alongside several other political and social figures. In his eulogizing word, son of the late President Michel Mouawwad, who heads the Independence Movement, said, "Martyr President René Moawad was assassinated 28 years ago because he insisted that the Lebanese decision be restored...that the Lebanese decision be independent, sovereign and self-respecting of the State...Twenty-eight years have passed, yet we still see countless interventions in Lebanon's internal affairs from all sides." Mouawwad stressed that there can be no stability in Lebanon outside the State and its institutions, highlighting the need to keep Lebanon away from the ongoing conflicts in the region. "The interest of Lebanon, which is a founding state in the United Nations and the Arab League, is to abide by the international resolutions, the Arab consensus and the decisions of the Arab League, because there are Lebanese expatriates spread throughout the world and all the Arab countries and their role and economy are deeply linked to relations with these countries. In this sense, it is Lebanon's interest to maintain the best relations with the Arab countries and all the countries of the World, and not to enter into axes and bring about financial and economic sanctions, the consequences of which will not exclude anyone," Mouawwad added.

Majdalani to Radio Lebanon: No government amendment, Relation with LF shaken a little as a result of recent incidents, but existing friendliness not affected
Sun 03 Dec 2017/NNA - "The expected ministerial statement when the Council of Ministers convenes will be very clear in terms of the dissociation policy, in action and not words," MP Atef Majdalani said in an interview with "Radio Lebanon" on Sunday. Regarding the relationship between the Lebanese Forces and the Future Movement, Majdalani explained that "in practice there is no belief of a conflict. The relationship with the Lebanese Forces has been shaken a little by what happened recently and this requires reassessment, but it does not affect the existing friendliness." "The relation with the Lebanese Forces is based on the principles of the Cedar Revolution, and with LF there is much more that unites rather than divides," asserted Majdalani. On the regional scene, the MP stated that, "Unfortunately, we know that there is a Lebanese side intervening through military forces in all neighboring countries, whether in Syria or Iraq or Yemen or Bahrain, as well as in Kuwait, and this has had negative repercussions on the Gulf States and Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia." Majdalani hoped that "the developments in Yemen yesterday would have positive repercussions on the region," adding, "These developments have turned all standards, and this is a fundamental point and an indication that the war in Yemen is nearing its end." As for the Syrian issue, Majdalani pointed out that "if we review the Geneva conferences, we will notice a positive development with regards to the representatives of the regime sitting with the opposition, which is a recognition of the opposition, and in turn, the opposition that has recognized the regime while insisting on change." He added that Russia has also played a great role in this respect. Over the recent statement by the Saudi Foreign Minister, Majdalani said, "The position of the Central Bank Governor is very clear on the matter. Lebanon is committed to international standards in dealing with banks. Salameh has stressed that banks are committed to circulars issued." He emphasized that, "The dissociation issue is practically the answer to this matter, and there is no money laundering of funds in Lebanon. The Central Bank is in constant contact with the US Treasury." "We in Lebanon do not interfere in the affairs of other countries. Saudi Arabia is the closest country to Lebanon. It has always been alongside Lebanon, especially in crises and in support of its economic and financial stability, and it knows that it only wants the good of Lebanon," Majdalani concluded.

Abu Faour: Next ministerial statement an upcoming stage indicator
Sun 03 Dec 2017/NNA - MP Wael Abu Faour deemed Sunday that "the next ministerial statement will be an indication of the upcoming stage of agreement on a political course that does not expose Lebanon to the same crisis that we have experienced." Speaking in an interview with Radio Lebanon, Abu Faour likened Lebanese politics to "mobile sand". On the possible mediation of the Progressive Socialist Party between the Lebanese Forces and the Future Movement, he said, "They do not need any mediation, although what happened recently brought some aloofness." Responding to another question, Abu Faour explained that "MP Walid Jumblatt's meeting with Mr. Bahaa Hariri's secretary and his proposal to replace PM Saad Hariri was within the framework of a personal initiative," adding that "there was no interference from Saudi Arabia."

Grand reception on the National Day of Emirates at Biel
Sun 03 Dec 2017/NNA - United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamad Said Al Chamessi, hosted a grand reception on Saturday evening at the "Royal Pavilion" of Biel in Central Beirut, on the occasion of the 46th Emirates National Day. A parterre of political, religious, economic, social, cultural, diplomatic and media dignitaries and prominent figures attended the reception, particularly in the presence of the representative of the President of the Republic, Minister Michel Pharaon, as well as MP Ali Bazzi representing the House Speaker and Minister Nuhad al-Machnouk representing the Prime Minister.

Hashem: No Cabinet Reshuffle and No Intention to Isolate LF
Naharnet/December 03/17/MP Qassem Hashem of Speaker Nabih Berri’s Development and Liberation bloc announced Sunday that the Cabinet “will remain as it is,” denying reports of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle. “The issue of replacing some ministers has not been raised and everything that has been said in this regard is mere speculation. Some talk happened but there was no such intention,” Hashem said in an interview with Radio Liban Libre. Asked about reports of an inclination to “isolate the Lebanese Forces, the MP stressed that “any political party cannot be isolated.”“Everyone must be involved in the national decision and in protecting Lebanon and fending off the threats,” Hashem added.“These ideas have not been raised by the political forces,” he emphasized.

U.S. Reportedly Promises Aoun $1 Billion in Yearly Aid
Naharnet/December 03/17/Washington has promised President Michel Aoun to offer Lebanon annual aid worth $1 billion, of which $500 million would go to the Lebanese Army and the rest would be earmarked for government plans, a media report published Sunday said. The U.S. move is aimed at “guaranteeing political and economic stability,” Kuwait’s al-Anbaa newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying. But Washington and other world powers want Lebanon’s main political forces, especially the president and the premier, to abide by certain conditions, including “a centrist policy that reflects some neutrality towards the major problems” surrounding Lebanon and preventing the use of Lebanon’s financial system for “money laundering,” the sources added. The political parties in Lebanon have “promised to respect these conditions and the rules of the new game, whose balances are different that the ones that governed the previous period,” the sources said.

Erdogan: It is necessary to establish a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital
Sun 03 Dec 2017/NNA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in a phonecall on Saturday evening that it was "necessary" to establish a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital, Anatolia News Agency reported on Sunday.

US withdraws from UN Global Charter on Migration
Sun 03 Dec 2017/NNA - The United States mission to the United Nations disclosed that President Donald Trump's administration has withdrawn the United States from a UN charter to better deal with the crisis of migrants and refugees because it was "contrary" to its policies.

Palestine and the Iranian project
Ali al-Amin/The Arab Weekly/December 03/17
The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Ali Jafari, has been showing off Iran’s power and influ­ence. His second-in-command went so far as to boast that Iran is capable of targeting Europe because its missiles have a range of 2,000km.
The Iranian show of force reflects Iran’s unease with the way things are evolving against it regionally and internationally. It indicates Iran’s readiness to build a legitimising base for its influence in the region and internationally considering negotiations taking place on a settlement plan for the crisis in Syria. Jafari clearly indicated through his description of Hezbollah’s future role in Syria and in confronting Israel that the weapons and role of the Lebanese militia are Iranian matters. These declarations by Iranian of­ficials render talk in Beirut about the need to observe a “dissocia­tion policy” null and void. Saad Hariri had required that Hezbollah agree to commit to this policy be­fore he considered returning to his role as Lebanese prime minister. The declarations reveal Iran’s total disregard for Lebanon’s presiden­cy. When he made his remarks, Jafari was very much aware of Lebanese President Michel Aoun’s position on the “dissociation policy.”Iran’s plan in the context of an eventual settlement in the region is to duplicate Hezbollah’s model everywhere in the Arab region. The model relies on imposing pairing power. So along with the official state there would be a mini-state of the pro-Iranian party and the army will be paired with the party’s militia. The strategy is already opera­tional in Lebanon with the pres­ence of Hezbollah, in Iraq with al-Hashed al-Shabbi, in Syria with the national defence forces and in Yemen with the Houthis. Iran will try to impose this model as an essential condition in any future regional settlement.
At its core, the Iranian model seeks to maintain a state of crisis in the countries where it exists. Local authorities would be dependent on outside power balances and that would make it impossible to build a state based on a national constitution.
Identity conflicts based on sectarian discrimination would continue to rage inside society. The Iranian model denies the existence of state authority and the concept of a united national population. It refuses to accept the view that a stable state is neces­sary for political, economic and social stability.
Iran’s obsession with the Arab region is essentially rooted in its own interests. The same is true of all other countries with an eye on the Arab region. The region is viewed only from the angle of oth­ers’ narrow interests.
The problem with Iran’s policies for the region, however, is to be found in the structuring princi­ples of the Iranian project for the Arab region. In the last couple of decades, we have come to know quite a lot about this project and its instruments. Iran has based its influence abroad on breaking apart targeted societies by invest­ing in sectarian strife.
This is normal since the ideo­logical basis for the regime in Iran, and which the IRGC is promot­ing abroad, relies on sectarian specificity. It refuses allegiance to the concepts of a nation or a country and insists on allegiance to Iranian ideology and its central figure, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian ideology may take differ­ent forms and shapes depending on the targeted societies but its objective remains the same. For example, the Iranian regime has used the struggle against Israel not as an opportunity to foster unity in the Palestinian camp but to garner power for its project for the Arab region and the world. Thus, the Palestinian question has been used at the service of the Iranian project rather than the Iranian project being put in place to serve the Palestinian struggle. Iran had tried to ensure its presence along some border with Israel or inside the Palestinian ter­ritories. To do so, it was necessary to eliminate resistance on the field that does not accept allegiance to Iran. This is what happened in Lebanon with Syrian support from 1985-91. It also happened inside the Palestinian territories by driv­ing a wedge of discord among the Palestinians themselves.
The Iranian regime did every­thing it could to smear former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and take away his historical role as bearer of the movement for an independent Palestine. After Ara­fat’s death in 2004, Iran continued its dirty deeds. Iran has always championed armed resistance in the Palestinian territories. It was discovered that the primary objec­tive of that policy was serving Iranian interests. For the Palestin­ians, it only brought more misery and a regression of their cause. When Israel bombed Gaza in 2008 and nearly wiped it out, the Iranian regime was of course mad and put on the usual indignation show but when Syrian President Bashar Assad was nearly pushed out of Syria, the Iranian regime rushed to his rescue. Once again, the Iranian project comes first. The Palestinian question exists only to serve the sinister goals of that project.
** Ali al-Amin is a Lebanese writer.

The lessons of Hariri’s resignation should not be unlearned
Makram Rabah//The Arab Weekly/December 03/17
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s suspension of his resignation, his office said, may soon be­come permanent. How­ever, the undue haste with which all are moving risks leaving the fundamental issues that brought them to this apparent impasse unaddressed.
Hariri’s conciliatory stance ma­terialised after Lebanese President Michel Aoun assured the prime minister that adequate measures would be taken to address his main grievance — the urgent need to re­turn to a clear policy of dissociation from regional conflicts.
Lebanon’s practice of dissocia­tion has been a central pillar of its foreign policy. It was the basis of the settlement brokered between Hariri and Aoun almost a year ago in which Aoun would be elected president and Hariri named prime minister, charged with leading a national unity government that included Hezbollah.This supposedly unwavering commitment to dissociation evapo­rated. Increasingly, through Aoun’s actions and statements, echoed faithfully by his son-in-law, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, a policy direction was established that clearly favoured Iran’s aims over those of a relatively united Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It was this, as much as anything else, that led to Lebanon’s regional aliena­tion and the theatrics in Riyadh of Hariri’s resignation.
Much ink has been spilt trying to analyse and understand the intrica­cies of Hariri’s decision to resign, a process that has seen the volume of speculation only matched by the morass of misinformation. Yet, what is certain is that, contrary to the line Hariri and his allies are peddling, the crisis is far from over. Mere lip service is unlikely to ap­pease an edgy GCC determined to confront and check Iran’s expan­sionist plans.
Thus far, in return for Hariri’s quiescence, Hezbollah promised to withdraw its advisers from Iraq and its fighters from Syria once victory has been assured. No indication has been given as to the extent of that withdrawal. Neither has there been any reference to the group’s in­volvement in the conflict in Yemen or acknowledgement that Hezbol­lah’s deployment to these areas ran counter to Lebanon’s policy of dissociation. It’s hardly a dramatic break with past policy. Moreover, neither has there been any under­taking that Hezbollah won’t be deployed so again. None of this can be lost on Hariri.
It’s a fact that the Lebanese generally, and Hariri specifically, would prefer to ignore. Instead of tackling the elephant in the room, they are opting to paper over it, loudly proclaiming their alleged commitment to the concept of dissociation while maintaining the practices that led to their predica­ment. While Hariri might be intent on shielding Lebanon from the financial and political wrath of the Saudi-led coalition, Aoun’s bloc has yet to show remorse for its part in creating the crisis.
On the contrary, during a recent visit to Italy, Aoun felt it wise to antagonise his critics by declaring Hezbollah a strategic ally in the fight against terrorism both locally and abroad.
Even supposing we give Aoun’s intentions the benefit of the doubt, it’s a surprisingly reckless state­ment to come from such a veteran politician, one sure to embolden an armed militia deeply implicated in the anarchy engulfing the region.The fact is that Aoun has never missed a chance to give legitimacy to Hezbollah and, by doing so, has lent credence to accusations hurled at Lebanon by its benefac­tors in the GCC. It’s not surprising that they and others are begin­ning to view Lebanon, including the political future of Hariri, as an unsalvageable mess. Hariri has failed to produce a blueprint to extricate Lebanon from the crisis at hand. Rather than project the image of a statesman intent on preserving the interna­tional legacy of his father, he has chosen to deepen his unholy alli­ance with Aoun. When examined closely, this has failed to do much to redeem Hariri’s faltering political career, one damaged by continual attacks on the prime minister, led not least by his current partners in govern­ment. Equally, Aoun has nullified provisions of the Taif Accord, which bestow on the prime minis­ter constitutional powers equal to those of the president. However, rather than use those powers, Hariri ignored Aoun’s transgres­sions and shared in the spoils of state.
Hariri’s statement to a French newspaper that “Hezbollah does not use its weapons on Lebanese territory” is not only a colossal fal­lacy but ample proof that depend­ing on him to steer Lebanon out of its political storm is costly and unwise.
A month after Hariri’s resigna­tion announcement, little has sub­stantially changed. What is certain from these recent weeks is that Hariri and his allies are so eager to return to “business as usual” that they have gambled recklessly with the economic safety net Lebanon’s wary allies had previously provided.
Makram Rabah is a lecturer at the American University of Beirut, Department of History. He is the author of A Campus at War: Student Politics at the American University of Beirut, 1967-1975.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 03-04/17
Yemen Rebel Alliance Crumbles as 'Street War' Rocks Capital
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 03/17/Fresh gun battles forced shops and schools to close in Yemen's capital Sanaa on Sunday as residents warned a three-year rebel alliance was collapsing into a "street war."The Iran-backed Huthi rebels' partnership with powerful ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh appeared to have fallen apart after he reached out to a Saudi-led coalition fighting the insurgents. The Huthis' political office on Saturday accused Saleh of staging a "coup" against "an alliance he never believed in." On Sunday, Saleh loyalists cut off a number of streets in central Sanaa and deployed heavily in anticipation of Huthi attacks, as security sources said clashes had already left some 60 dead across the capital and at its international airport. Saleh loyalists renewed a bid to seize control of Al-Jarraf district, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Huthis, while the Huthis fortified their positions with dozens of vehicles mounted with machine guns, witnesses said. Sanaa residents said they had barricaded themselves in their homes to avoid snipers and shelling as clashes flared up around key ministries where the two sides had been working together just days before. The education ministry canceled classes Sunday, normally the start of the school week, and witnesses said some bodies of those killed in previous clashes were still lying in the streets. Iyad al-Othmani, 33, said he had not left his house for three days because of the clashes. Mohammed Abdullah, a private sector employee, said his street had been cut off by militiamen and he was staying home to avoid checkpoints. "Sanaa is becoming like a ghost town. There is a street war and people are holed up in their houses," according to an activist who works with the International Organization for Migration in Sanaa. "If the confrontation continues, many families will be cut off" and stranded in their homes, he warned.
'Coup against our alliance'
Three years after they joined forces to drive the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi from Sanaa, the collapse of the Huthi-Saleh alliance is a key shift in Yemen's complex war. Saleh ruled Yemen as president for 33 years after the 1990 unification of north and south Yemen. A longtime ally of Saudi Arabia, he waged six separate wars against the Huthis, Zaidi Shiites who hail from northern Yemen. Saleh resigned under popular and political pressure in 2012, ceding power to his then-vice president Hadi, who now lives in exile in Saudi Arabia. In 2014, Saleh announced he had joined forces with the Iran-backed Huthis, seizing the capital and setting up a parallel government as Hadi's administration fled to Aden. That triggered a Saudi-led Arab force to intervene to prop up Hadi's government, an escalation in a war that has since killed more than 8,750 people and dragged the country towards what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. On Saturday, Saleh reached out to the Saudi-led coalition, offering to "turn the page" if it lifts a crippling blockade on the country. The Huthis accused him of staging a "coup against our alliance."
The conflict in Yemen has been a key focus of tensions between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Iran, the predominant Shiite power.
UAE denies missile claim
The Saudi-led coalition carried out dawn air raids against Huthi positions in the hills south of Sanaa on Sunday, but it was not clear if the strikes were meant to benefit Saleh's forces. A coalition spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. The United Arab Emirates, which is a key member of the coalition, on Sunday denied a Huthi claim that a missile fired from Yemen reached its air space or threatened a nuclear power plant set to open in 2018. The Huthis had earlier claimed on their Al-Masirah news channel that they had hit the Barakah plant with a cruise missile fired from Yemen. A missile fired by the Huthis which was intercepted by near Riyadh's international airport last month prompted the coalition to tighten a blockade against Sanaa airport and rebel-held sea ports. The Huthis have warned that Saudi Arabia and its allies will "pay a heavy price in their own capitals" for Saleh's "great treason."

Iran's Rouhani Calls for Middle East 'Dialogue'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 03/17/Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that Middle Eastern countries should solve their problems together without relying on external powers. "We believe that if there is a problem in the region, it can be solved through dialogue," Rouhani said in a speech at the opening of a port in the southeastern city of Chabahar, broadcast by state television. "We do not need arms nor the intervention of foreign powers. We can solve our problems ourselves through unity and dialogue."Rouhani's comments follow an escalation in the bitter rivalry between Shiite-ruled Iran and Saudi Arabia's Sunni monarchy. The two powers back opposing groups throughout the region -- notably in Syria and Yemen -- and Saudi leaders have lately stepped up efforts to counter Iran's growing influence, raising fears of further conflict. But Rouhani said recent victories against the Islamic State group opened the way for the Middle East to move past its reputation for "war and conflict between Shiite and Sunni... and the presence and interventions of foreign powers."Saudi Arabia and Iran's critics in the West have accused Tehran of seeking to dominate the region at the expense of its neighbors. Rouhani said: "No country can claim to be the superior power in this region. Just as the superpowers couldn't accomplish that either."

UAE Denies Claim of Huthi Missile Attack
Associated Press/Naharnet/December 03/17/The United Arab Emirates on Sunday denied a claim by Yemen's Shiite rebels that a rebel missile had been fired toward the country's under-construction nuclear plant. The rebels, known as Huthis, earlier in the day claimed they had launched a “winged cruise missile” toward the plant in Abu Dhabi in the first such strike toward the country. "The National Emergency and Crisis and Disasters Management Authority denies the claim that the Huthis fired a missile toward the country," the UAE's state-run WAM news agency said. "The UAE possesses an air defense system capable of dealing with any threat of any type or kind." The statement added that the nuclear power plant was well-protected. The National, a state-aligned newspaper in Abu Dhabi, also reported that Barakah's operations were "unaffected on Sunday, while sources on the ground confirmed there were no signs of an attack to the structure." The newspaper did not elaborate. The $20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant is in Abu Dhabi's far western desert. The first of its four reactors, being built in the UAE near its border with Saudi Arabia, is scheduled to come online in 2018. The UAE, like other U.S. Gulf allies in the region, has the Patriot Missile defense system capable of shooting down ballistic missiles and is the only international client to have on delivery the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.
The Huthis last month had targeted the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with a ballistic missile that was intercepted by Saudi air defenses. It was the deepest strike inside the kingdom since the war between the Saudi-led coalition and the Huthis and their allies began in March 2015. But for the Huthis to launch a missile from Yemen at the UAE, it would likely have to fly over Saudi Arabia's vast southeastern desert in order to reach Abu Dhabi. Sunday's claim came amid heavy fighting in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, where the Huthis are facing off with fighters loyal to the country's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the fifth straight day of street fighting as the alliance between the two unravels. The Huthis have accused Saleh of striking deals with the Saudi-led coalition, which has been waging an air campaign against the Huthi-Saleh alliance for nearly three years. Since the recent clashes erupted, the Saudi coalition has been targeting the Huthis and backing Saleh's camp to control Sanaa. The UAE is an active member of the coalition and its forces have mostly focused on securing the southern region of Yemen. Senior Huthi official Deif-Allah al-Shami told The Associated Press that the missile allegedly fired toward Abu Dhabi was a "message to the United Arab Emirates for its political and financial support to Saleh."He said that the UAE has hosted members of Saleh's family, including his son who was an ambassador to the UAE and believed to be residing there during the conflict. Al-Shami also said the alleged rocket attack was a message that "we will continue to target every nation that participated in the aggression against Yemen." At least 100 Emirati soldiers have been killed in the war, which was launched to dislodge the Huthis from Sanaa after they overran the capital and kicked out the internationally-backed Yemeni government from power. The conflict has killed more than 10,000 Yemeni civilians and pushed millions to the brink of famine. Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of supplying Huthis with missiles, including the one used to target Riyadh on Nov. 4. Both the Huthis and Iran deny the claim. Iran, meanwhile, has close trade ties with the UAE. In November, Iranian authorities ordered a two-day ban on a hard-line Iranian newspaper after it ran a headline saying the UAE's tourism hub of Dubai was the "next target" for Yemen's Huthi rebels. The UAE on Sunday was celebrating its 46th National Day with a four-day-long public sector holiday. On Thursday, the country also marked Martyr's Day to commemorate the country's fallen soldiers.

Iraqi Shiites Slam Calls to Disband Militia Group after IS Fight
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 03/17/Iraqi officials have blasted calls to disband a Shiite-dominated militia coalition that has been key in battling the Islamic State group, after French President Emmanuel Macron said it should disarm. The 60,000-strong Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Forces, was formed in 2014 after IS routed government forces to seize swathes of northern Iraq, and it played a central role in helping push back the jihadists. Calls have grown from the West for the Hashed, an umbrella group dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias that is officially controlled by Iraq's prime minister, to be dismantled as the IS "caliphate" has been reduced to a few pockets of desert. "Any such discussion is rejected and we do not accept interference in Iraqi affairs," said one of the group's leaders, Ahmad al-Assadi. "Asking for the dissolution of the Hashed is like asking for the dissolution of the Iraqi army because the Hashed are a key element of Iraqi security." Macron called at a press conference with Iraqi Kurdish leaders on Saturday for "a gradual demilitarization" of the Hashed and for all militias in Iraq to be "dismantled." "Emmanuel Macron interfered unexpectedly in Iraq's internal affairs by calling for the dismantling of a legal institution, Hashed al-Shaabi," vice president and former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki wrote on Facebook Saturday. "We don't want any country to impose its will on the Iraqi government and the brave Iraqi nation," the leading Shiite politician said. The Hashed is deeply divisive inside Iraq and among the country's international backers, and has been accused both of promoting Iranian interests and carrying out a wave of abuses. In October, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi strongly defended the Hashed after comments from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that Iranian militias in Iraq should "go home."

N. Korea Blasts 'Dangerous' U.S.-South Joint Military Drill
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 03/17/North Korea Sunday blasted the United States and South Korea as "warmongers" on the eve of their largest-ever joint air exercise, saying it could trigger a nuclear war. The comments came as White House National Security Advisor H.R McMaster warned of the "increasing" possibility of war with the impoverished but nuclear-armed North. The five-day Vigilant Ace drill -- involving some 230 aircraft including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters -- begins Monday, five days after the North test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile believed capable of hitting the U.S. mainland in a fresh challenge to President Donald Trump.The North's ruling party Rodong newspaper slammed the upcoming drill. "It is an open, all-out provocation against the DPRK, which may lead to a nuclear war any moment," it said in an editorial Sunday, using the North's official name.
"The U.S. and South Korean puppet warmongers would be well advised to bear in mind that their DPRK-targeted military drill will be as foolish as an act precipitating their self-destruction," it said. The commentary was published a day after Pyongyang's foreign ministry accused the Trump administration of "begging for nuclear war" by staging what it called the reckless air drills. McMaster said the possibility of war with the North was "increasing every day." "I think it's increasing every day, which means that...we are in a race to be able to solve this problem," he said at a forum on Saturday.
"There are ways to address this problem short of armed conflict, but it is a race because he's getting closer and closer, and there's not much time left," he said. The North says the Hwasong-15 missile fired Wednesday can be tipped with a "super-large heavy warhead" capable of striking the whole U.S. mainland.
But analysts remain unconvinced that it has mastered the advanced technology to allow the rocket to survive re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere. The months-long nuclear standoff between Kim and Trump has fuelled concerns of another conflict, after the 1950-53 Korean War left much of the peninsula in ruin. But even some Trump advisers say U.S. military options are limited when Pyongyang could launch an artillery barrage on the South Korean capital Seoul -- only around 50 kilometers from the border and home to 10 million people.

Trump Denies Asking FBI to Drop Flynn Probe
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 03/17/U.S. President Donald Trump denied Sunday having asked then FBI director James Comey to stop investigating ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn, who has since pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about discussions with Russia. Trump also insisted he and his campaign had not colluded with Moscow in last year's election, and shifted blame on the Justice Department and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. "I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!" Trump said in a tweet. But his position was complicated by another Twitter post in which he indicated he had fired Flynn because the national security chief had been untruthful not just to Vice President Mike Pence but to the FBI as well. That comment appeared to indicate Trump was acknowledging he knew at the time of Flynn's firing in February that he had lied to the bureau's agents. "If that is true, Mr. President, why did you wait so long to fire Flynn?" asked Representative Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. "Why did you fail to act until his lies were publicly exposed? And why did you pressure Director Comey to 'let this go?'"White House officials, however, told The New York Times that Trump was only referencing Flynn's guilty plea for lying to the FBI about his conversations with then Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak over sanctions president Barack Obama slapped on Russia for election meddling. And two people briefed on the matter said the Twitter post was in fact written by Trump's personal lawyer John Dowd, who apologized to the White House for the tactless language.
What the president knew, and when
After he was fired himself in May, Comey testified under oath before a Senate panel that, a day after Flynn's firing, Trump asked him to drop an investigation into the former national security advisor. A lingering part of the drama has been that after the White House learned through the Justice Department that Flynn lied to the White House about discussing sanctions with the Russian ambassador, Trump still waited 18 days to fire him. Trump said he had the Russia probe in mind when he fired Comey. The move backfired and led the Justice Department to appoint Robert Mueller as special counsel. Mueller's focus goes beyond possible collusion with Russia to business dealings and whether Trump himself tried to thwart the investigation. U.S. media reported that senior FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok was removed from the investigation over the summer for sending text messages critical of Trump. Trump retweeted a post from conservative commentator Paul Sperry about the news that highlighted the fact that Strzok had also worked on the probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state. Trump also retweeted another damaging Sperry post critical of Strzok's boss, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
Earlier, Trump renewed focus on the Justice Department's handling of the Clinton probe. "So General Flynn lies to the FBI and his life is destroyed, while Crooked Hillary Clinton, on that now famous FBI holiday 'interrogation' with no swearing in and no recording, lies many times...and nothing happens to her? Rigged system, or just a double standard?" he wrote. "Many people in our Country are asking what the 'Justice' Department is going to do about the fact that totally Crooked Hillary, AFTER receiving a subpoena from the United States Congress, deleted and 'acid washed' 33,000 Emails? No justice!"As he left for a day trip to New York on Saturday, Trump again insisted his team had not plotted with Moscow to sway the election in his favor over Clinton, who won the popular vote but lost the all-important electoral college count. "What has been shown is no collusion. There's been absolutely no collusion. So we're very happy," Trump said. Comey himself seemed to be addressing the latest developments in an Instagram message: "To paraphrase the Buddha -- Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun; the moon; and the truth."
Tax win overshadowed
The explosive new developments in the Russia probe have overshadowed a major legislative win for Trump: the Senate's passage of the most significant U.S. tax overhaul in 31 years. Both the Senate and House versions lower the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent, and include more modest tax cuts aimed at individuals across all income levels. Democrats argue that the plan is too expensive and will accommodate only the rich, and that it could ultimately impact cherished U.S. entitlement programs like Medicare. The Senate bill was, just 24 hours earlier, on the brink of collapse when a handful of Republican deficit hawks balked at the plan's $1.5 trillion price tag for 10 years. Trump hopes to sign a final bill before Christmas. That would be a much-needed victory for the president, who has delivered on hardly any of his major campaign promises, including repealing the health care law known as Obamacare.

Hamas Threatens 'Intifada' over U.S. Moves on Jerusalem
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 03/17/ The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas which controls Gaza has called for a new "intifada" if Washington recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel or moves its embassy to the disputed city. Reports in Washington have suggested U.S. President Donald Trump may on Monday fulfil a campaign pledge on the American embassy, which like all other foreign missions is currently located in the coastal city of Tel Aviv. "We warn against such a move and call on the Palestinian people to revive the intifada if these unjust decisions on Jerusalem are adopted," Hamas said in a statement. Any decision to move its embassy there would be "a flagrant attack on the city by the American administration" and give Israel "a cover for continuing its crime of Judaizing the city and emptying it of Palestinians," it said. The status of Jerusalem is a key issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim the city as their capital and previous peace plans have stumbled over debates on whether, and how, to divide sovereignty or oversee holy sites. The last Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which claimed the lives of some 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis, was sparked by right-wing opposition leader Ariel Sharon's visit to the city's flashpoint al-Aqsa mosque compound in 2000. The Palestinian president's office told AFP on Friday that American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would "destroy the peace process." Since 1995 it has been U.S. law that Washington's embassy in Israel must be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as demanded by the Jewish state. But every six months since the law was passed a succession of U.S. presidents have signed a waiver to hold off on a switch which would enrage Palestinians and their Arab supporters. Trump has signed the waiver once, and grudgingly, after vowing to Jewish-American supporters that he would be the president to finally make the switch permanent. The next deadline comes on Monday, and some in Washington suggest that Trump is planning a speech on the issue next week, before his deputy Mike Pence heads to Jerusalem. The White House has described reports he may refuse to sign the waiver as premature -- but sources told AFP they expect Trump to formally declare Jerusalem Israel's capital. The international community has never recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel or its unilateral annexation of a band of territory around the city's eastern sector, which it captured in the 1967 Six-Day war.

UAE 'Deports' Egypt Presidential Hopeful Shafiq to Cairo
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 03/17/UAE officials have deported former Egyptian premier and presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafiq from the Gulf country he had been living in since 2012 to Egypt after he announced his candidacy in upcoming elections, two of his aides told AFP. Shafiq landed in Cairo airport on Saturday evening and quickly left to an unknown destination, an airport official said. His relatives told AFP almost six hours after his arrival that they did not know his whereabouts. The move comes days after Shafiq, in exile in the UAE since 2012, announced his candidacy in next year's election and then said he was being prevented from leaving the country, angering his Emirati hosts. The UAE state news agency WAM had reported that Shafiq left the country for Egypt, while his family stayed behind, but did not mention that he had been deported. Shafiq, a former army general appointed as prime minister by Hosni Mubarak, had narrowly lost an election to Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2012, a year after Mubarak's overthrow. He was placed on trial after the polls on corruption charges and acquitted, and one of Shafiq's lawyers said last year that he was free to return to Egypt. One aide said she witnessed officials arriving at his Abu Dhabi house and was told that Shafiq, seen as a main challenger to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, would be deported to Egypt on a private plane. "They took him from the house and put him on a private plane. They said he would go back to Cairo, because they can deport him only to his home country," she said. Another aide confirmed to AFP that he would be deported to Cairo, and his lawyer Dina Adly wrote on Facebook that Shafiq had been "arrested" to be sent home. After his arrival, relatives said they had lost touch with him. "We don't know where he is, he hasn't called anyone, even his lawyer," said one. An aide had previously said Shafiq would leave the UAE over the weekend for France and other European countries before returning to Egypt. After he announced his candidacy on Wednesday, pro-government media and some officials assailed Shafiq, who is seen as the only challenger to Sisi with even a remote chance of winning a large number of votes.
Sisi certain to run
Another tentative candidate, leftist Khaled Ali, is facing legal troubles that may prevent him from registering, while a hitherto unknown army colonel has also announced his candidacy. Sisi, a former army chief who toppled Morsi in 2013 following mass protests against the Islamist, won an election in 2014. He is certain to run in next year's election, although he has not formally announced his candidacy yet. The authorities under Sisi had launched a bloody crackdown on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group that extended to secular and non-Islamist dissidents as well. Sisi has undertaken tough economic reforms that saw the Egyptian pound lose more than half its value while inflation sky rocketed, supported by an IMF $12 billion loan. Yet he remains popular with many Egyptians who, wearied by years of tumult that decimated tourism and foreign investment, say the country needs a firm leader. Egypt is also battling a deadly Islamic State group insurgency that the army has struggled to put out. Last month, suspected Islamic State group gunmen massacred more than 300 worshipers in a Sinai peninsula mosque, provoking outrage in Egypt but also questions on why the Sufi-associated mosque had been unguarded after receiving threats from the IS extremists.

Netanyahu: We Won't Allow Iran To Entranch Itself In Syria
Jerusalem Post/December 03/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=60787
Foreign reports say five IAF missiles damaged Iranian ammunition depot outside of Damascus
Amid reports of an alleged Israeli aircraft attack on an Iranian base outside of Damascus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that an Iranian presence in Syria will not become a reality. “Let me reiterate Israel’s policy. We will not allow a regime hell bent on the annihilation of the Jewish state to acquire nuclear weapons. We will not allow that regime to entrench itself militarily in Syria, as it seeks to do, for the express purpose of eradicating our state,” he said. The statement is part of a larger message that was taped in Jerusalem on Thursday, and which will be aired for the first time at the annual Saban Forum in Washington DC on Sunday.According to foreign media reports, Israeli launched five air-to-surface missiles from Lebanese airspace toward an Iranian base near the town of El Kiswah, 15 km. southwest of the Syrian capital. Syria’s SANA state news agency reported that regime air defenses “confronted an Israeli attack with ground-to-ground missiles” and that the air defenses intercepted and destroyed three Israeli missiles. The Arabic-language al-Masdar news agency reported that two of the Israeli missiles fired toward the 1st Division ammunition depot hit the targets. Satellite imagery of the base showed significant damage to the site. Israel rarely comments on foreign reports of military activity in Syria, though in the past it has publicly admitted to having struck over 100 Hezbollah convoys and other targets there, with Netanyahu saying that strikes will continue when “we have information and operational feasibility.”
In September, BBC revealed satellite imagery purporting to show that Iran had established a military base with several buildings that likely house soldiers and military vehicles. According to the report, which was based on a western intelligence source, the Iranian base is some 50 km. north of Israel’s Golan Heights. While the BBC stated that it could not independently verify the purpose of the base and the presence of Iranian troops, Israel has warned of the growing entrenchment of Iran in Syria. Israeli officials have repeatedly voiced concerns over the growing Iranian presence on its borders and the smuggling of sophisticated weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon from Tehran via Syria, stressing that both are redlines for the Jewish state. Recently, Israeli officials have said the IDF would not allow Iran to establish a military foothold within 40 km. of the border.
According to Channel 10 a senior White House official reassured Israel that the US would not withdraw from Syria without a permanent agreement.
The official added: “The cease-fire agreement is only the first stage. Together with the Russians, we will try to expand the buffer zone and distance the Iranians 20 km. from the northern Golan Heights, and perhaps even to Damascus.” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has told Israel that Moscow has agreed to expand a buffer zone along the Israeli-Syrian border where Iranian and Hezbollah forces will not be allowed to enter. The statement attributed to an Israeli diplomatic official by the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper said Russia had refused the Israeli request for a 40-km. buffer zone, but expressed willingness to extend a 10-15 km. off-limits zone. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has warned repeatedly of Iranian entrenchment in the war-torn country, saying in mid-November that Israel “will simply not allow for Shi’ite consolidation and Iranian entrenchment in Syria, nor will we allow Syria to become a forward operating base against the State of Israel.” Liberman also has warned repeatedly that while there is no interest by Israel to enter into Syria’s seven-year civil war, “I advise our neighbors not to test us.”Last month, Liberman asked for an increase of NIS 4.8 billion to the IDF’s budget, citing “significant” security challenges that have dramatically changed Israel’s security situation, including the massive Russian presence in Syria; precision weapons in the hands of groups such as Hezbollah; and the dramatic acceleration of Iran’s military industry.

CIA Director Pompeo: Saudis Working With Israel To Fight Terror
Jerusalem Post/December 03/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=60787
Saudi Arabia is working directly with Israel and other Sunni Arab nations to fight terror, US CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Saturday.
"We've seen them work with the Israelis to push back against terrorism throughout the Middle East, to the extent we can continue to develop those relationships and work alongside them - the Gulf states and broader Middle East will likely be more secure," said Pompeo at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California.If that statement was not enough, former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta then one-upped Pompeo, calling on the moderate Sunni Arab states to form a coalition with Israel, the US and Turkey and even to run a joint military operations center. “It is incredibly important that in the Middle East, where we have failed states, where you have ISIS, where you have Iran, that we have got to develop a stronger coalition of countries that are willing to work together to confront these challenges,” he said. He continued, “the US can’t do it on our own, obviously the Saudis can’t do it on own their own, these other countries can’t do it on their own.”Saudi Arabia is working directly with Israel and other Sunni Arab nations to fight terror, US CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Saturday. "We've seen them work with the Israelis to push back against terrorism throughout the Middle East, to the extent we can continue to develop those relationships and work alongside them - the Gulf states and broader Middle East will likely be more secure," said Pompeo at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California. If that statement was not enough, former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta then one-upped Pompeo, calling on the moderate Sunni Arab states to form a coalition with Israel, the US and Turkey and even to run a joint military operations center. “It is incredibly important that in the Middle East, where we have failed states, where you have ISIS, where you have Iran, that we have got to develop a stronger coalition of countries that are willing to work together to confront these challenges,” he said. He continued, “the US can’t do it on our own, obviously the Saudis can’t do it on own their own, these other countries can’t do it on their own.” Trump: Saudi Arabia has a “very positive” feeling toward Israel “But together in some kind of coalition of countries, of Arab countries working with the US, working with Israel, working with Turkey, to build a strong coalition that can operate, frankly, I think with a joint military headquarters that can… target the terrorists in that region, that can basically work together to try to provide stability where is necessary in these countries,” he concluded. The Israeli government said last month that Israel had covert contacts with Saudi Arabia amid common concerns over Iran, a first disclosure by a senior official from either country of long-rumored secret dealings.
Last month, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot told a Saudi newspaper that Israel is "ready to exchange experiences with Saudi Arabia and other moderate Arab countries and exchange intelligence information to confront Iran."These warming ties with Israel are part of Riyadh's push to build alliances in its fight against Iran. Saudi Arabia held an emergency meeting with Arab allies in Cairo last month to discuss confronting Iran and Hezbollah.
Reuters contributed to this report

Trump To Announce Jerusalem As Capital Of Israel
Jerusalem Post/December 03/17/
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=60787
The Trump administration plans on rolling out a detailed proposal for peace in the coming months. US President Donald Trump will announce that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, several US media organizations reported on Friday.
The reports note that Trump will not accompany the announcement with a final decision to relocate the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. They do not detail whether Trump will explain whether Jerusalem is Israel’s capital in part or in whole— one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict long left to the parties to negotiate in a final status settlement. It would be an unprecedented move which Palestinian Authority officials are already warning would kill the burgeoning peace process in the womb. The Trump administration plans on rolling out a detailed proposal for peace in the coming months. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser leading the administration’s peace effort, will speak on their plans at a Brookings Institution forum over the weekend.
US media separately reported on Friday that Kushner may be embroiled in the indictment and ultimately plea agreement of Michael Flynn in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the US election. The reports claim that Flynn lied to the FBI about contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the US over a UN Security Council resolution on Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank last December, on which he was allegedly in communication with Kushner. The Israeli government asked Trump’s team to intervene as that resolution was making its way toward a vote, and as the Obama administration was signaling it would allow its passage. It was before Trump’s inauguration, and thus Kushner and Flynn were still private citizens

Kurds announce Daesh losses in east Syria with US, Russia help
AFP /Arab News/December 03/2017/BEIRUT: A powerful Syrian Kurdish militia announced on Sunday it had cleared Daesh group fighters from key territory east of the winding Euphrates River.In a surprising announcement, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) also said the victory in Syria’s Deir Ezzor province came with logistical and air support from Russia, as well as the US-led coalition, its traditional backer. The YPG was spearheading a US-backed offensive to oust Daesh from territory east of the Euphrates River, which cuts diagonally across Deir Ezzor, while rival Russian-backed Syrian troops battled Daesh on the western bank. It appears to the first time Syria’s Kurds acknowledge receiving direct Russian support. On Sunday, YPG officials met with a Russian military delegation in a town on the eastern bank of Deir Ezzor province, according to the Kurdish-run ANHA news agency.
“The eastern countryside of the city has been fully liberated from Islamic State... with the international coalition and Russia’s support,” YPG spokesman Nuri Mahmoud said in a statement referring to Daesh. “We thank the international coalition and the Russian forces for their air, logistical, advisory support and coordination on the ground.”Mahmoud said the YPG “hoped for an increase in support and the provision of air defense and required cover.”Daesh jihadists once held most of oil-rich Deir Ezzor, but now control only a tiny sliver of the province, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. On Sunday, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Daesh still held several villages in the province, on both banks of the Euphrates River. The YPG formed the bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces, an Arab-Kurdish alliance that ousted Daesh from swathes of northern and eastern Syria, with help from the US-led coalition. In September, the SDF began its assault on Daesh positions in the eastern half of Deir Ezzor province, as Russian-backed government troops squeezed Daesh in the western half. The SDF accused Moscow of striking its forces several times during the drive, which makes Sunday’s announcement of Russian support all the more surprising. Last week, the White House said it would be making “adjustments” to its military support of militia in Syria.The US-led coalition has provided air support, weapons, and advice to the YPG and SDF in their push against Daesh.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 03-04/17
Europe's Migrant Crisis: Millions Still to Come
"African exodus of biblical proportions impossible to stop"
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/December 03/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11480/europe-migrant-crisis-exodus
More than six million migrants are waiting in countries around the Mediterranean to cross into Europe, according to a classified German government report leaked to Bild.
"Young people all have cellphones and they can see what's happening in other parts of the world, and that acts as a magnet." — Michael Møller, Director of the United Nations office in Geneva.
"The biggest migration movements are still ahead: Africa's population will double in the next decades... Nigeria [will grow] to 400 million. In our digital age with the internet and mobile phones, everyone knows about our prosperity and lifestyle.... Eight to ten million migrants are still on the way." — Gerd Müller, Germany's Development Minister.
The African Union-European Union (AU-EU) summit, held in in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, on November 29-30, 2017, has ended in abject failure after the 55 African and 28 European leaders attending the event were unable to agree on even basic measures to prevent potentially tens of millions of African migrants from flooding Europe.
Despite high expectations and grand statements, the only concrete decision to come out of Abidjan was the promise to evacuate 3,800 African migrants stranded in Libya.
More than six million migrants are waiting in countries around the Mediterranean to cross into Europe, according to a classified German government report leaked to Bild. The report said that one million people are waiting in Libya; another one million are waiting in Egypt, 720,000 in Jordan, 430,000 in Algeria, 160,000 in Tunisia, and 50,000 in Morocco. More than three million others who are waiting in Turkey are currently prevented from crossing into Europe by the EU's migrant deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Migrants crossing from Libya to Europe wait to be rescued from a boat by crew members from the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) Phoenix vessel on May 18, 2017 off Lampedusa, Italy. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
The former head of the British embassy in Benghazi, Joe Walker-Cousins, warned that as many as a million migrants from countries across Africa are already on the way to Libya and Europe. The EU's efforts to train a Libyan coast guard was "too little and too late," he said. "My informants in the area tell me there are potentially one million migrants, if not more, already coming up through the pipeline from central Africa and the Horn of Africa."
The President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, said that Europe is "underestimating" the scale and severity of the migration crisis and that "millions of Africans" will flood the continent in the next few years unless urgent action is taken.
In an interview with Il Messagero, Tajani said there would be an exodus "of biblical proportions that would be impossible to stop" if Europe failed to confront the problem now:
"Population growth, climate change, desertification, wars, famine in Somalia and Sudan. These are the factors that are forcing people to leave.
"When people lose hope, they risk crossing the Sahara and the Mediterranean because it is worse to stay at home, where they run enormous risks. If we don't confront this soon, we will find ourselves with millions of people on our doorstep within five years.
"Today we are trying to solve a problem of a few thousand people, but we need to have a strategy for millions of people."
Just days before the AU-EU summit, Tajani called for a "Marshall Plan for Africa" — a €40 billion ($48 billion) long-term investment plan to boost education and job opportunities on the continent to dissuade people from leaving. He warned that spiraling population growth in Africa will be a demographic "bomb" that could push millions of Africans to Europe. "Without a strategy we will have terrorism, illegal immigration, instability," he said.
More than half of the global population growth between now and 2050 will occur in Africa, according to a new UN report, "World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision." Africa's population is expected to jump by 1.3 billion, from 1.2 billion in 2017 to 2.5 billion in 2050. Between 2017 and 2050, the populations of 26 African countries are projected to expand to at least double their current size.
Much of Africa's population increase will occur in Nigeria, currently the world's 7th most populous country, according to the UN. By 2050, Nigeria will surpass the United States to become the world's third-largest country by population, behind India and China (the population of India is expected to surpass that of China by 2024).
Beyond 2050, Africa is forecast to be the only region in the world still experiencing "substantial population growth" — the continent's share of the global population is forecast to increase from 17% in 2017 to 40% by 2100, according to the report.
Africa currently is the youngest continent in the world: 60% of Africa's population is under 25, compared to 32% in North America and 27% in Europe.
The EU's 28 states have a GDP of $18 trillion, nine times Africa's $2 trillion.
The director of the United Nations office in Geneva, Michael Møller, has warned that Europe must prepare for the arrival of millions more migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. In an interview with The Times, Møller, a Dane, said:
"What we have been seeing is one of the biggest human migrations in history. And it's just going to accelerate. Young people all have cellphones and they can see what's happening in other parts of the world, and that acts as a magnet."
German Development Minister Gerd Müller has echoed that warning:
"The biggest migration movements are still ahead: Africa's population will double in the next decades. A country like Egypt will grow to 100 million people, Nigeria to 400 million. In our digital age with the internet and mobile phones, everyone knows about our prosperity and lifestyle."
Müller added that only 10% of those currently on the move have reached Europe: "Eight to ten million migrants are still on the way."
Writing for the Financial Times, Gideon Rachman explained Europe's predicament:
"One possible reaction for Europe is to accept that migration from the rest of the world is inevitable—and embrace it wholeheartedly. Europe's debt-ridden economies need an injection of youth and dynamism. Who will staff their old-age homes and building sites if not immigrants from the rest of the world?
"But even those Europeans who make the case for immigration tend to argue that, of course, newcomers to the continent must all accept 'European values.' That may be unrealistic... Many immigrants from the Middle East and Africa bring much more conservative and sexist attitudes with them. It will take more than a few civics classes to change that....
"It may be possible for island nations surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, such as Japan or Australia, to maintain strict controls on immigration. It will be all but impossible for an EU that is part of a Eurasian landmass and is separated from Africa only by narrow stretches of the Mediterranean."
**Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
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© 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.

Preparing for Terrorist Attacks in Greece
Maria Polizoidou/Gatestone Institute/December 03/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11438/greece-terrorism
These illegal immigrants "come to Europe looking for 'opportunities,' but do not accept any of the responsibilities of an open democracy. They usually engage in all kinds of smuggling: Drugs, trafficking, and even 'jihad.' We cannot allow that." — Former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
"Jihadists are ideologues... They see the world as a battle between believers and unbelievers." Therefore no one is "immune" to their agenda. — François Heisbourg, IISS Council Chair at the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies.
Appeasing radical Muslims through open-border policies -- and by surrendering national identity to multiculturalism -- has the opposite of the intended effect. Allowing unfettered entry, rather than causing the immigrants to integrate and liberalize, and leading to friendly ties with Muslim-majority countries, has instead led to their further radicalization.
At a recent conference in Rome, held by the think tank European Ideas Network (EIN), former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, a member of the Hellenic Parliament, declared:
"European democracies in the Mediterranean are in danger of being swept away by a tsunami of uncontrolled immigration. We cannot allow this. Our societies cannot stand it. The European Union itself cannot stand it... [More than] one million 'foreigners' passed then [2015] through Greece and ended up in various countries of the European Union, mainly in Northern and Central Europe. Some of them were real refugees, from Syria and Iraq. But most of them were illegal immigrants from other countries of the world. Today it is estimated that the true refugees that are still coming are 20% of the total or fewer. The rest are illegal immigrants."
These illegal immigrants, he said, "come to Europe looking for 'opportunities,' but do not accept any of the responsibilities of an open democracy."
"They usually engage in all kinds of smuggling: Drugs, trafficking, and even 'jihad.' We cannot allow that. Freedom and the openness of our societies also entail responsibilities. And full respect to our laws, of course. 'Moochers' of our democratic system can destroy it."
During the month of September, when the conference took place, another 4,000 illegal immigrants and refugees arrived on the Greek islands, overwhelming local communities ill-equipped to receive them. Yet absorption is only one of the difficulties Greek authorities have been facing. Equally, if not more, problematic is the concern that terrorists posing as asylum-seekers may be among the masses flowing into the country.
In September 2017, another 4,000 illegal immigrants and refugees arrived on the Greek islands, overwhelming local communities ill-equipped to receive them. Pictured: Migrants arrive at a beach on the Greek island of Kos after crossing part of the Aegean sea from Turkey in a rubber dinghy, on August 15, 2015. (Photo by Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
According to reports in the Greek press, they have good reason to suspect this is happening. Since the beginning of the migrant crisis in 2015, when it emerged that ISIS-trained terrorists were infiltrating Europe from Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere, Greek police have been monitoring some 80 makeshift mosques that have sprung up in the greater Athens area. Aside from the fact that none of these houses of worship is legal -- the first official mosque in Athens since the end of Ottoman rule 150 years ago is under construction and is expected to open its doors only in the coming months -- some are also affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.
This infiltration of terrorists is undoubtedly among the reasons for a police drill being conducted throughout October in Athens. The drill, dubbed "Tyfonas (typhoon) II," involved members of Greece's elite special forces and anti-riot units simulating terrorist attacks, such as vehicular-rammings, shootings, stabbings and bombings in urban areas.
Nevertheless, in an interview with the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) -- in the aftermath of the August 17 terrorist attacks in Spain, where 14 people were killed and another 120 were wounded -- Greek Public Order Minister Nikos Toskas, from the Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza), rejected the notion that Greece, which he reportedly referred to as a "pillar of stability in Europe and the Mediterranean," could become a target of ISIS. He said that terrorism could only be defeated through peace in the Middle East.
Toskas, like fellow members of the political echelon and intelligentsia in Greece, are making the same mistake as their European counterparts in relation to Islamic imperialism. As terrorist attacks across Western Europe have illustrated, appeasing radical Muslims through open-border policies -- and by surrendering national identity to multiculturalism -- has the opposite of the intended effect. Allowing unfettered entry, rather than causing the immigrants to integrate and liberalize, and leading to friendly ties with Muslim-majority countries, has instead led to their further radicalization.
Professor Manos Karagiannis of King's College London and the University of Macedonia said in a recent interview that Greece should stop being under the illusion that its good relations with the Arab world will shield it from jihadist attacks. "We shouldn't be complacent," he said. "The Islamic State no longer chooses its goals based on each country's foreign policy."
"Jihadists are ideologues," explained François Heisbourg, IISS Council Chair at the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies. "They see the world as a battle between believers and unbelievers," and therefore no one is "immune" to their agenda.
Maria Polizoidou, a reporter, broadcast journalist, and consultant on international and foreign affairs, is based in Greece. She has a post-graduate degree in "Geopolitics and Security Issues in the Islamic complex of Turkey and Middle East" from the University of Athens.
© 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.

Airstrike On Iranian Base In Syria Raises Questions
Jerusalem Post/December 03/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=60787
In the early hours of December 2, reports claimed that a base or ammunition warehouse south of Damascus had been hit by missiles from an airstrike. Foreign media has alleged that Israel was behind that strike.
However, unlike previous airstrikes on Syria, some of which Israel has taken credit for, this one was conducted against a site that was well known. It raises questions as to the timing of the attack and what it was meant to achieve.
Why did it take so long to target the facility and in whose interest was it to reveal the facility’s existence to the public? First, let’s look at the timeline of events in November that led to the attack.
For more than a year, there have been warnings that Iran was intent on constructing permanent bases in Syria, laying the groundwork for the era after ISIS would be defeated.
On November 10 the BBC released a report that Iran was “building permanent military base in Syria.” The report had three satellite images with it – from January, May and October – showing a site near El-Kiswah, south of Damascus. It was about 50 km. from Israeli forces on the Golan Heights. The changes at the site showed new buildings and the BBC ascribed the information to a “western intelligence source.”
The report came out the day Russian President Vladimir Putin met US President Donald Trump in Danang, Vietnam. It also was two days after a Memorandum of Principles had been concluded in Amman between the US, Russia and Jordan regarding a cease-fire in southern Syria.
The cease-fire originally had been inked in July, despite Israeli objections to the presence of Iranian-backed forces in southern Syria.
Fred Hof, a former State Department special adviser for transition in Syria, told Foreign Policy the agreement was supposed to remove foreign fighters from the area.
“This could be designed mainly to reassure the Israelis that these elements would not be operating in proximity to the Golan Heights,” he said.
According to reports between July and October, Israel wanted assurances that Iranian forces would be kept 60 km. from the Golan.
On November 12, two days after the revelations of the Iranian base at El-Kiswah, a US State Department official indicated to Israeli media that the cease-fire memorandum would include the removal of Iranian forces from areas near the Golan. Three days later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the agreement did not indicate that Iranian- backed forces would be withdrawn.
This left Israel in a very public conundrum. Israeli leaders had sworn to prevent Iran from establishing permanent bases, but the international community and local ceasefires were not enshrining Iran’s withdrawal.
On November 15, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman responded: “With regards to Iran, we will simply not allow for Shi’ite consolidation and Iranian entrenchment in Syria, nor will we allow Syria to become a forward operating base against the State of Israel.”
On the weekend of November 20, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey met in Antalya in the lead up to a major summit in Sochi on November 22 hosted by Putin that included Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Once again, Iran very publicly was inserting itself in plans for post-war Syrian agreements.
On November 26, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported that Israel had demanded Iranian facilities be kept 40 km. away from the Golan, or they would be attacked. It also claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sent a warning to Syrian President Bashar Assad via Putin.
However, in an interview with Ynet the same day, Liberman sought to downplay the Iranian presence in Syria, saying Iran was not on Israel’s border and its force consisted of advisers and experts. Nevertheless, he issued a quiet warning that Israel doesn’t only “talk.”
This was followed by the airstrike on December 2. According to the online al-Masdar News, which is generally seen as pro the Syrian regime, “Israel fired several missiles into western Syria tonight, targeting several sites near the Iranian base in the El-Kiswah area.”
Russia Today TV news also reported the airstrike and quoted Syrian media as saying the missiles struck “military positions.”
According to Press TV, which represents the Iranian government view, a source said that “an Israeli fighter jet was flying at a low altitude over Lebanon’s Baalbek region near Syria’s border when Syrian missiles were launched.”
The report went on, claiming that “Israeli missiles were fired toward the 1st-Division ammo depot in the western countryside of Damascus.”
Leith Abou Fadel, editorin- chief of Al-Masdar News, has suggested on Twitter that the attack might be “retaliation for the attack by Iranbacked Palestinian groups.”
He asserts that “the ammo storage they targeted is actually important because it also provides weapons to Palestinian groups like PIJ [Palestinian Islamic Jihad].”
He argues that the attack on El-Kiswah was retaliation for Islamic Jihad’s mortar fire from Gaza on November 30.
There are also reports in Al Qooraish, an Arabic newspaper published in London, claiming that Iranian personnel were wounded in the attack.
The conflicting reports are not necessarily mutually exclusive – an ammo depot might house weapons for multiple groups and be connected to Iran. Aerial photos of the military facilities between Sahnaya and El-Kiswah show that the alleged “Iranian base” is part of a series of military complexes with more than 100 buildings, including storage facilities and what appear to be housing or administrative buildings. The attack raises several questions.
Why wait so long to strike the Iranian base? Once the details of the base were leaked to the press, Israel was pressured to act, but the leak also allowed the Iranians time to pack up and leave and the Syrian regime to pressure them to do so.
What did “western intelligence sources” hope to accomplish by publishing information on the Iranian base? Leaking the photos also gave the international community, especially Russia, time to look into these allegations.
Why were the Iranians at the site given time to leave by their base becoming so public? An airstrike that resulted in the deaths of numerous Iranians could create a larger conflict.
The month leading up to the strike underscores the complex game being waged by Iran to entrench itself in Syria and Israel’s attempts to warn the Iranians off. Whatever was taking place at El-Kiswah, there was plenty of time for it to be moved if the Iranians or Syrian regime were concerned about it being struck.
If the reports about Israel’s threats to target sites 40-60 km. from the Golan are accurate, it would indicate that the warnings have been manifested.

Abu Dhabi’s quest for modernity offers lessons for the region
Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/December 03/17
People from around the globe were in the United Arab Emirates in late November for Formula One’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Louvre Abu Dhabi opened its doors a few weeks before.
This was no accident. It was a testament to the success of the United Arab Emirate’s approach to modernity.
The average Emirati citizen is very open to other cultures while, at the same time, being proud of his or her Arab heritage that is deeply rooted in Islamic tradition.
The UAE is a relatively young country. It became independ­ent 46 years ago and sufficient time has passed to put it on the world map in many domains. The UAE has become an important player in ensuring regional security and stability.
Not only did the original dream of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan for the UAE become a reality, it has spread to the whole region. For every country in the region wishing to effectively fight terrorism and extremism, it has become necessary to revive Sheikh Zayed’s credo of embracing the world and the present after making peace with one’s own heritage.
The UAE has chosen to free Emirati society from extrem­ism and terrorism and go the extra mile in fending off militarily the Iranian-spon­sored threat coming from Yemen. That UAE forces are taking part in field operations in Yemen is no secret. The UAE has lost many martyrs in that dirty war.
Spectators at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and visitors to the UAE could clearly see that the faraway events in Yemen have had no effect on the pace of life in the country. The Emirati Air Force displayed its superb flying skills more than once with spectacular air shows during the race.
The UAE’s path to moder­nity proves that a modern state is built one step at a time. Building a modern state requires sacrifices that Emiratis have been more than willing to make. They seem more than convinced that their unique experience needs to be protected.
Amid the storms sweeping the region, the Emirates knew how to protect themselves. The UAE was founded on wisdom, Sheikh Zayed’s wisdom. It is a federation of seven emirates coexisting in harmony and peace.
Lebanon, too, was once perfectly capable of organis­ing a sporting event of the cali­bre of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The only difference is that Lebanon did not know how to protect itself and its society. It fell victim to outside meddling.
It was a major crime against Lebanese sovereignty to allow Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to form their own state within the state. The Lebanese people are paying the heavy price of that foolishness. Former Palestin­ian leader Yasser Arafat’s banana republic inside Beirut has vanished but Hezbollah’s fiefdom is still with us. It is vying for power with the Lebanese state, with some asserting that it is more powerful than the Lebanese state.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s government has fought daily to prove that Lebanon is alive as a sovereign state, resisting systematic battering by Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. The Lebanese must continue their daily struggle to prove that their country believes in the culture of life and rejects the culture of death imposed by Iran. It is, in fact, fighting to protect its Arab identity.
*Khairallah Khairallah is a Lebanese writer.