LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 09/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes
Ephesians 06/10-20: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Question: "Is the Bible relevant for today?"
GotQuestions.org?/Answer: Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” While the Bible was completed approximately 1900 years ago, its accuracy and relevance for today remain unchanged. The Bible is the sole objective source of all the revelation God has given us about Himself and His plan for humanity. The Bible contains a great deal of information about the natural world that has been confirmed by scientific observations and research. Some of these passages include Leviticus 17:11; Ecclesiastes 1:6-7; Job 36:27-29; Psalm 102:25-27 and Colossians 1:16-17. As the Bible’s story of God’s redemptive plan for humanity unfolds, many different characters are vividly described. In those descriptions, the Bible provides a great deal of information about human behavior and tendencies. Our own day-to-day experience shows us that this information is more accurate and descriptive of the human condition than any psychology textbook. Many historical facts recorded in the Bible have been confirmed by extra-biblical sources. Historical research often shows a great deal of agreement between biblical accounts and extra-biblical accounts of the same events. However, the Bible is not a history book, a psychology text, or a scientific journal. The Bible is the description God gave us about who He is, and His desires and plans for humanity. The most significant component of this revelation is the story of our separation from God by sin and God’s provision for restoration of fellowship through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. Our need for redemption does not change. Neither does God’s desire to reconcile us to Himself.
The Bible contains a great deal of accurate and relevant information. The Bible’s most important message—redemption—is universally and perpetually applicable to humanity. God’s Word will never be outdated, superseded, or improved upon. Cultures change, laws change, generations come and go, but the Word of God is as relevant today as it was when it was first written. Not all of Scripture necessarily applies explicitly to us today, but all Scriptures contain truth that we can, and should, apply to our lives today.
Recommended Resource: The Quest Study Bible

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 08-09/17
Jerusalem VS Beirut/Roger Bejjani/Face Book/December 08/17
Explained How Lebanon Emerged From Saudi Arabia's Hariri Crisis With Iranian Influence Even Stronger/Reuters/Haaretz/December 08/17
The alliance between Saudi Arabia and the UAE/Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/December 08/17
North Korea, China and the US together, and at odds/Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al Arabiya/December 08/17
Yemen will not accept the Houthis, not after 1,000 years/Huda al-Husseini/Al Arabiya/December 08/17
Attorney General’s statement enshrines Saudi ideals of rule of law/Abdulrahman al-Lahim/Al Arabiya/December 08/17

Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on December 08-09/17
Tillerson to meet Lebanon’s Hariri in Paris on Friday
Leave Lebanon Alone, World Powers Tell Saudi, Iran
ISG Voices Satisfaction over 'Hariri's Return', Urges Respect for 1559, 1701
Lebanese MPs Slam Trump's Move as Berri Warns over Holy Sites
Lebanese President, First Lady light Christmas tree
Macron warns against meddling in Lebanon at Hariri support meeting
Army chief welcomes deputy foreign minister of Finland
Turkish President invites Aoun to partake in Istanbul's urgent Islamic Summit
Britain, EU in Historic Deal to Open Brexit Trade Talks
UNHCR 'Deeply Shocked' by Death of 7 Children in Bekaa Syrian Camp Fire
Thousands of Lebanese, Palestinians March in Beirut against Trump's Move
Hamadeh Asks Educational Institutions to Shed Light on 'Severity' of US Jerusalem Move
Hariri Asks World to Back Lebanon's Sovereignty
Hariri Says U.S. Jerusalem Move 'New Challenge to Regional Stability'
World Leaders at Hariri Support Meeting, Macron Warns against Meddling in Lebanon
Jumblat Says Set of Reforms Needed for ISG to Succeed

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 08-09/17
'Large number' of UN peacekeepers killed in Congo attack
Palestinian official says US Vice President ‘not welcome’
White House: Scrapping Pence-Abbas talks ‘counterproductive’
US remains committed to Mideast peace: Envoy Haley at UN
After Jerusalem outcry, Trump dangles Middle East peace plan
Israeli air strikes on Gaza injures 10, including children
Arabs agitate in Ahwaz after seizure of farm lands

Latest Lebanese Related News published on December 08-09/17
Jerusalem VS Beirut
Roger Bejjani/Face Book/December 08/17
When Beirut and Lebanon will be more important than Jerusalem in the eyes of some Lebanese, we may think that we will have a country one day.
The truth being that Jerusalem is a well kept city, clean, modern, environmental friendly and cosmopolitan and peaceful. Maybe if Levantine Palestinians were governing it, it would be like Beirut, an environmental and urbanist disaster and a scene of corruption and armed struggle between factions. Aleppo, Palmyra and Babylonian vestiges were destroyed by whoever wants to "liberate" Jerusalem. As a humanist I cannot trust Arabs (except Gulf nationals) in governing Jerusalem.

Tillerson to meet Lebanon’s Hariri in Paris on Friday
Reuters, Washington/December 08/2017/ US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri in Paris on Friday, the State Department said in a statement on Thursday. The two will meet during a ministerial meeting of the International Lebanon Support Group, a body that includes the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. Hariri rescinded his resignation on Tuesday, drawing a line under a month-long crisis triggered when he announced from Riyadh that he was stepping down and remained outside Lebanon for weeks. His coalition government, which includes the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, reaffirmed a state policy of staying out of conflicts in Arab states. The State Department statement said Tillerson would encourage the Lebanese government and other nations to “move more aggressively” in limiting Hezbollah’s “destabilizing activity in the region.

Leave Lebanon Alone, World Powers Tell Saudi, Iran
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 08-09/17/French President Emmanuel Macron led calls Friday for countries to stop meddling in Lebanon at an international meeting aimed at preventing the fragile nation becoming a pawn in the power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attended the eight-nation talks in Paris with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, whose shock resignation last month -- which he has since withdrawn -- sparked fears of a new Middle East crisis. The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, along with Germany, Italy and Egypt, sent representatives to Paris to show support for Lebanon. Hariri's surprise resignation announcement from Riyadh last month sent tremors through Lebanon, with many suspecting the Saudis of forcing him out to trigger a showdown with the pro-Iranian Lebanese group Hizbullah. Opening the meeting, Macron said it was "essential that all of the parties in Lebanon and regional actors respect the cardinal principle of non-interference" in other countries. Speaking afterwards, Tillerson urged U.S. ally Saudi Arabia to be "more measured" in its dealings with its neighbors, including Lebanon. Citing the Saudi blockade of Qatar, its bombing campaign in Yemen and its latest escalation against Lebanon's government and Hizbullah, he said: "We would encore them to be a bit more measured, a bit more thoughtful, in those actions, to fully consider the consequences."The talks on Lebanon came as the Middle East was roiled by a new crisis, with U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital sparking a "day of rage" by Palestinians. Hariri's resignation announcement plunged Lebanon -- long a proxy battleground for bigger neighbors -- into its worst crisis in years.Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of using armed proxies such as Hizbullah to advance its interests, from Lebanon to Yemen, Syria and Iraq. In his resignation statement Hariri accused Tehran and Hizbullah -- which has ministers in the government -- of destabilizing Lebanon and region. But he eventually returned home and agreed to stay on as premier after securing an agreement from Hizbullah that Lebanon should keep out of regional conflicts. Hariri remained in Riyadh for two weeks after his resignation, fueling speculation that he was being held hostage. A Lebanese source close to the premier told AFP that Riyadh had threatened Lebanon with economic sanctions unless he stepped down. Macron intervened, hosting Hariri to Paris for talks, after which he returned home to a hero's welcome.
Power play backfires
"Lebanon's stability is not only crucial for its inhabitants but for the entire region," Macron said, praising the small multifaith country as a model of pluralism in the Middle East. Hariri said the fragile stability in Lebanon "appeared like a small miracle" given the wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
"The desire of all in Lebanon is to save our democracy," he said. Friday's meeting ended with plans for three follow-up conferences: one in Paris on boosting investment in Lebanon; another in Rome on building up Lebanon's army; and a third in Brussels on helping Lebanon cope with the strain of sheltering 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Riyadh's power play in Lebanon backfired, with the various Lebanese factions coming together this week to avoid a political breakdown. "Lebanon will respect this principle of keeping its distance (from trouble beyond its borders). You will see," Hariri vowed Friday.
At a press conference with Tillerson, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the principle "applied to all, both inside and outside (Lebanon)."

ISG Voices Satisfaction over 'Hariri's Return', Urges Respect for 1559, 1701
Naharnet/December 08-09/17/The International Support Group for Lebanon on Friday expressed “satisfaction for the return to Beirut of Prime Minister Saad Hariri” and reiterated “the need for full implementation and full respect of all U.N. Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1701 (2006).”The ISG meeting was held in Paris and chaired by the United Nations and France. It was attended by PM Hariri and representatives of China, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Russia, the UK, the U.S., the EU, the Arab League, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the U.N. Development Program, the Office of the U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and the World Bank. “The participants reaffirm their commitment to the stability, security and sovereignty of Lebanon and their support for the ongoing efforts of the Lebanese authorities to restore normal functioning of institutions and prepare the holding of legislative elections by May 2018,” a joint statement said. “The Group recalls the need to protect Lebanon from the crises that are destabilizing the Middle East and calls upon all regional States and organizations to work for the political, social, economic, and financial stability and security of Lebanon, in full respect of its sovereignty and integrity,” it added. Expressing “satisfaction” over Hariri's return to Beirut after his shock resignation announcement in Riyadh, the ISG described the premier as “a key partner for safeguarding the unity and the stability of Lebanon.”
“It welcomes his decision, made in agreement with the President of the Lebanese Republic, Michel Aoun, to continue his term at the head of the Government. The Group notes the resumption of the Council of Ministers on 5 December 2017 and its decision on disassociation from any regional conflicts and wars and from internal affairs of Arab countries,” the Group added, referring to a “settlement” government statement according to which Hariri rescinded his resignation.
The ISG said it will pay “close attention to the implementation of the Council's decision by all Lebanese parties in the spirit of national concord and compromise,” calling upon all Lebanese parties to implement “this tangible policy of disassociation from and non-interference in external conflicts.”
The Group also reiterated the need for “full implementation and full respect of all U.N. Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1701 (2006),” commending the role of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in maintaining calm along the Blue Line and its cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) with the aim of “extending and consolidating the authority of the Lebanese State across the whole of the national territory.” Turning to the thorny issue of Hizbullah's arms, the Group called on all Lebanese parties to “resume discussions towards a consensus on a National Defense Strategy,” welcoming President Aoun's “statement in this regard.”And commending the “generous efforts made by the Lebanese people and the Lebanese authorities to host Syrian refugees,” the ISG recalled “the importance, when conditions allow, of a safe, dignified and non-coercive U.N.-facilitated return of refugees, in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles, including the principle of non-refoulement.”
It also called upon the international community to increase its support for Lebanese host communities and refugees in Lebanon. Hariri's Nov. 4 resignation announcement had plunged Lebanon -- long a proxy battleground for bigger neighbors -- into its worst crisis in years. Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of using armed proxies such as Hizbullah to advance its interests, from Lebanon to Yemen, Syria and Iraq. In his resignation statement Hariri accused Tehran and Hizbullah -- which has ministers in the government -- of destabilizing Lebanon and region. But he eventually returned home and agreed to stay on as premier after securing an agreement from Hizbullah that Lebanon should keep out of regional conflicts. Hariri remained in Riyadh for two weeks after his resignation, fueling speculation that he was being held hostage. A Lebanese source close to the premier has told the AFP news agency that Riyadh had threatened Lebanon with economic sanctions unless he stepped down. Macron intervened, hosting Hariri to Paris for talks, after which he returned home to a hero's welcome.

Lebanese MPs Slam Trump's Move as Berri Warns over Holy Sites
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 08-09/17Lebanon's parliament held a special session on Friday over U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. At the end of the session, Berri addressed a recommendation, in the name of the Lebanese people, to the U.S. administration. The recommendation supports “the right of the Palestinian people to resort to legitimate resistance and struggle to get rid of the Israeli occupation.”Berri also called for “unifying all Arab efforts to employ the capabilities in supporting the Palestinians as they seek their rights,” urging “the avoidance of all other conflicts.”“Parliament considers that the U.S. decision on Jerusalem would lead to wars, jeopardize regional and international peace, and represent a cover for the Israeli occupation,” the parliament's recommendation says. At the opening of the session, Berri had warned that “those who dare to aggress against Jerusalem would dare to aggress against al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Resurrection, and therefore against Lebanon.” Speaking at the session, the head of Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad described Trump's move as a “new aggression by the highest U.S. authority that is aimed at achieving common U.S.-Israeli interests at the expense of Palestine and the Arab and Islamic countries.”Raad also called for “endorsing or benefiting from the confrontation plan that Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah suggested” on Thursday. Kataeb bloc MP Fadi al-Habre meanwhile described Jerusalem as “a city for all religions.”“Holy sites belong to the world, as the Vatican has been reiterating since the beginning of the Arab-Israeli conflict,” Habre added, noting that “Lebanon's higher interest lies in stressing the right of the Palestinians to return home.”
He also warned that “recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel would undermine the peace process.”
MP Ghazi Aridi of the Progressive Socialist Party said politicians in the region should not have been “surprised” by Trump's decision, seeing as “it was taken some time ago and is not new.”“It is part of a U.S.-Israeli strategy that Trump is implementing after having announced it during his electoral campaign,” Aridi added. Congratulating the Lebanese government on “repairing its policy of dissociation from regional conflicts,” MP Butros Harb emphasized that “Lebanon, through its state and people, categorically rejects any proposal aimed at distancing it from the Arab-Israeli conflict.”“This cause transcends its national and historic aspect because it is an ethical and humanitarian cause. Today's meeting reaffirms the meaning of dissociating Lebanon from regional conflicts and Lebanon's commitment to Arab consensus,” Harb added. Lebanese Forces deputy chief MP George Adwan meanwhile slammed Trump's decision as “an insult to the sentiments of Muslims and Christians.”“We reject and condemn this illegal decision and we call on our government to inform the U.S. administration of our rejection and condemnation of Trump's decision,” Adwan added. Jamaa Islamiya MP Imad al-Hout meanwhile called for summoning U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard to the Foreign Ministry and for “boycotting her” until the U.S. administration “reverses its decision.”MP Sethrida Geagea of the LF for her part called for “avoiding violence” in responding to Trump's move. Violence would “represent a justification or a cover for passing this sinful decision,” she warned. “What is needed is a Christian-Muslim humanitarian uprising transcending borders and continents, which would be able to block this decision and seriously push for peace on the basis of the two-state solution,” Geagea added. Change and Reform bloc secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan meanwhile underscored that “Jerusalem does not need words but rather actions.”

Lebanese President, First Lady light Christmas tree
Fri 08 Dec 2017/NNA - President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, and First Lady, Nadia Al-Shami, on Friday lit Baabda Palace Christmas tree, as well as the other lights at the Palace's entrances and gardens. "Today, as we light the Christmas tree, our thoughts go to al-Quds, to the Church of the Nativity and Bethlehem, to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and al-Aqsa Mosque, to Palestine and the Palestinian cities where scores have been wounded and martyred today," Aoun said. "As we rejoice this holy occasion, we can't help but feel bitter about the holy sites that are being profaned," Aoun added.

Macron warns against meddling in Lebanon at Hariri support meeting
Fri 08 Dec 2017/NNA - French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday warned regional powers against meddling in Lebanon's affairs at a meeting aimed at fending off pressure on the vulnerable country from rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Opening the International Support Group for Lebanon meeting, Macron said it was "essential that all of the parties in Lebanon and regional actors respect the cardinal principle of non-interference" in the affairs of other countries. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attended the talks in Paris with representatives of the four other permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with Germany, Italy and Egypt. The meeting took place against a backdrop of rising tensions in the Middle East linked to US President Donald Trump's decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, an announcement that was condemned again by Macron and Hariri.
"It complicates the peace process even more (between Israel and the Palestinians) and creates a new challenge to regional security," Hariri said in opening remarks at the meeting.
Macron added: "None of the region's problems will be resolved by unilateral decisions or the strongest imposing their will." It's the first major gathering of key nations to discuss Lebanon's future since a crisis erupted following Hariri's shock resignation last month while in Saudi Arabia. Hariri rescinded his resignation on Tuesday, drawing a line under a month-long crisis triggered when he announced from Riyadh that he was stepping down and remained outside Lebanon for weeks. His coalition government, which includes the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, reaffirmed a state policy of staying out of conflicts in Arab states.
Saudi Arabia was suspected of pressuring Hariri, a longtime ally, to resign on 4 November as part of its attempts to counter growing Iranian influence in the region. In an unusual televised resignation statement made from Riyadh, Hariri lambasted Tehran and its Lebanese ally, the powerful armed movement Hezbollah, for destabilising his country. A Lebanese source close to Hariri has reported that the leader travelled to Riyadh believing he was going to discuss economic projects but instead "found himself faced with a list of economic sanctions brandished by the Saudis against Lebanon."
Saudi Arabia and other Arab states accuse Iran of using armed proxies such as Hezbollah to expand its influence the region, from Lebanon to Yemen to Syria and Iraq. Hariri remained in Riyadh for two weeks after his resignation speech, fuelling speculation that he was being held hostage.
Macron then intervened, inviting him to Paris for talks, after which Hariri returned home to a hero's welcome.
"Lebanon's stability is not only crucial for its inhabitants but for the entire region," Macron said Friday, demanding that the sovereignty of the small multifaith country, long a proxy battleground between its bigger neighbours, be respected.
Hariri said the fragile stability enjoyed by his country, which neighbours Syria, "appeared like a small miracle" in a region plagued by conflict. "The desire of all in Lebanon is to save our democracy," he said.
Power play backfire
Hasni Abidi of the Geneva-based CERMAM research centre, which specialises in Arab affairs, described the gathering as "a sort of consecration, a re-legitimisation for Mr Hariri."
"The international community is validating a return to normal for Hariri," he said.
Riyadh's power play paradoxically led divided Lebanese factions to come together in order to avoid a political breakdown. After consultations with various parties, including Hezbollah, Hariri announced Tuesday that he was withdrawing his resignation.
His cabinet members issued a joint statement to reaffirm their commitment to "dissociation" from regional conflicts, apparently putting an end to the month-long Hariri saga. After Friday's talks Hariri will give a joint press briefing with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Amina Mohammed, the UN deputy secretary general. The International Support Group for Lebanon was launched in September 2013 partly in response to the huge influx of refugees from the conflict in neighbouring Syria.--RFI/AFP

Army chief welcomes deputy foreign minister of Finland
Fri 08 Dec 2017/NNA - Lebanese Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, welcomed at his Yarzeh office on Friday Finnish Deputy Foreign Minister, Samuli Virtanen, who visited him along with an accompanying delegation and Finnish Ambassador to Lebanon, Lassila Matte. The meeting discussed developments in Lebanon and the region, and the means to boost cooperation between the armies of the two countries. Talks also touched on the endeavors of the Finnish unit operating within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

Turkish President invites Aoun to partake in Istanbul's urgent Islamic Summit
Fri 08 Dec 2017/ NNA - President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, on Friday received an invitation from his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to attend the urgent Islamic Summit to be held in Istanbul next Wednesday to discuss the measures to be taken to preserve the sanctity of al-Quds and to express support for its people. "President Aoun's participation in the Islamic summit will contribute to strengthening al-Quds cause," Erdogan said in a letter to President Aoun, following an announcement by US President Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. "The summit will work towards reaching a common position against the American decision, which we believe will only lead to chaos and instability in the region, not to mention torpedo the entire peace process," Erdogan's letter read.
On another level, Baabda Palace witnessed this afternoon a series of meetings touching on an array of political and diplomatic affairs. In this framework, President Aoun welcomed MP Walid Khoury. The pair held a round of talks on the current political developments in light of the most recent incidents. They also discussed the needs of Jbeil region. The President later welcomed a delegation representing the newly elected council of notaries public and wished them success in their duties. Aoun also highlighted the many responsibilities of a notary public and his/her role alongside the judiciary. Lebanese inventor, Fouad Maksoud, who won the title of "best Arab inventor" in "Star Science" program, also had an audience with the President today. Maksoud briefed the President on the details of his invention, which is one-of-a-kind nano-shielding textile machine. Engineer Maqsood bestowed his invention upon President Aoun, thanking him for his support during the competition. For his part, President Aoun congratulated Engineer Maksoud on his great achievement. "The ability of the Lebanese to create, and their excellence and energies, must be combined in order to strengthen and improve the situation in Lebanon at all levels," the President said.

Britain, EU in Historic Deal to Open Brexit Trade Talks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 08-09/17/Britain and the European Union reached a historic deal on Brexit divorce terms on Friday that allows them to open up talks on a future relationship after the split.
Prime Minister Theresa May rushed to Brussels for early morning talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to reach the breakthrough. The European Commission announced that it "recommends sufficient progress" had been made by Britain on separation issues including the Irish border, Britain's divorce bill, and citizens' rights. But EU President Donald Tusk -- who will recommend to leaders at a summit next week to open trade and transition talks -- warned that the toughest task was to come. "Let us remember that the most difficult challenge is still ahead. We all know that breaking up is hard but breaking up and building a new relation is much harder," Tusk said. Negotiators worked through the night to seal an agreement after the EU set a deadline of Sunday. May said the key part of the agreement was to ensure there would be no return of checkpoints on the frontier between British-ruled Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland after Britain leaves on March 29, 2019. "In Northern Ireland we will guarantee there will be no hard border," she told a press conference with Juncker.
Northern Ireland 'alignment'
Northern Irish unionists who prop up May's minority Conservative government scuppered a possible deal on Monday with their fierce opposition to wording they felt would divide the North from the rest of the UK. Arlene Foster, leader of the pro-British DUP party, told Sky News she was "pleased" to see changes to the deal following their demands. The deal commits both sides to respect the 1998 Good Friday agreement, which ended decades of violence between nationalists who want a united Ireland and Northern Ireland unionists loyal to Britain. Under the agreement, London will find a way to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland "through the overall EU-UK relationship" but if this cannot be achieved, Britain will keep "full alignment" with the EU single market and customs union rules that are crucial to the Good Friday Agreement.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar welcomed the deal as "the end of the beginning", saying his government had "achieved all that we set out to achieve" and warning they would remain "vigilant" in upcoming negotiations.
On its divorce bill, previously the most contentious issue, Britain agreed to pay a settlement amounting to between 45 billion and 55 billion euros.Concerning the welfare and social rights of some three million European citizens living in the UK after Brexit, as part of the deal Britain agreed to protect them with a mechanism to give EU citizens recourse to the EU's top court if they feel they are being treated unfairly.
Time warning
Tusk however warned that there was "de facto less than a year" for trade talks as it has taken a year and a half since Britain's June 2016 Brexit referendum to settle divorce terms. The former Polish premier, who deals with EU leaders, released nine draft guidelines on future relations so member states could approve them for next week's summit. He said he would propose the "immediate" opening of talks on a transition period, which Britain has estimated at around two years, but warned Britain would have to "respect the whole of EU law, including new law" during that period. That is likely to be a red line for pro-Brexit members of May's Conservative party. Tusk said London must also respect budgetary commitments and judicial oversight during the transition period -- in which the remaining 27 European Union states will carry on meeting and making decisions without Britain having a say. Britain will also have to collect EU customs tariffs and ensure all EU checks are performed on borders with third countries, according to a copy of the nine draft guidelines obtained by AFP. Tusk called for more clarity from Britain on what kind of trade relationship it wants, but the bloc's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said London had left little room for maneuver. He told a press conference that Britain's insistence on leaving the single market and customs union left the EU with no choice but to work on a post-Brexit free trade agreement modeled on the bloc's deal with Canada.
"It's not us, it's our British friends who are giving these red lines which close certain doors," Barnier said. The run-up to the deal had caused fevered speculation, with Juncker's chief of staff Martin Selmayr finally tweeting a picture of white smoke -- the sign used by the Vatican to signify the election of a new pope after May's arrival.

UNHCR 'Deeply Shocked' by Death of 7 Children in Bekaa Syrian Camp Fire
Associated Press/Naharnet/December 08-09/17/The U.N. refugee agency said Friday that a fire in a Syrian refugee settlement in eastern Lebanon has killed seven children. UNHCR said in a statement that it "is deeply shocked by the fire" the day before in the village of Ghazze and extended its "sincere condolences to their families and to all those affected by this tragic incident." Lebanon is home to more than a million Syrian war refugees. The UNHCR said it is coordinating with local authorities, adding that families who lost their homes and possessions in the fire have gathered at the local municipal hall. It said they have received food, water, blankets, winter clothing and other humanitarian assistance.

Thousands of Lebanese, Palestinians March in Beirut against Trump's Move
Naharnet/Associated Press/December 08-09/17/Thousands of Lebanese and Palestinians have marched in the streets of Beirut in protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. More than 5,000 people took to the streets near the Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila after Friday prayers and marched toward a cemetery where hundreds of Palestinians, including commanders, are buried. The Shatila refugee camp was the site of a massacre that left hundreds of Lebanese and Palestinians dead in 1982 during Israel's invasion of Lebanon. The massacre in Shatila and the nearby camp of Sabra was carried out by Lebanese Christian militiamen allied with Israel.Carrying Palestinian flags, the group marched from the Imam Ali mosque in Beirut's western neighborhood of Tariq al-Jedideh to the cemetery before they dispersed peacefully.

Hamadeh Asks Educational Institutions to Shed Light on 'Severity' of US Jerusalem Move
Naharnet/December 08-09/17/Minister of Education Marwan Hamadeh asked the educational institutions in Lebanon to devote a course on Monday to shed light on the “seriousness” of a US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the National News Agency reported on Friday.
Hamadeh called on the institutions to recite to students a statement he wrote and “devote an hour during their Monday classes to explain the seriousness of this approach so as to make the younger generations aware of the situation and give them a sense of responsibility towards the city of al-Quds.”
Hamadeh said: “Al-Quds embraces the symbols of unified religions,” stressing the “need to respect its reality as the capital of occupied Palestine."“The city of Jerusalem is a cradle of sanctity. (...) The city of Jerusalem occupies an important space in the conscience of all the Lebanese, who have always sought to consecrate the right of Palestinian brothers to return to their land and recognize their state with Jerusalem as its capital," Hamadeh said. On Thursday US President Donald Trump announced a decision to transfer the US embassy to Jerusalem in recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Trump's declaration has triggered a global diplomatic backlash, with several world leaders warning the move could spark fresh unrest in an already volatile region.

Hariri Asks World to Back Lebanon's Sovereignty
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 08-09/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri asked the world powers to support Lebanon's sovereignty and independence, and work toward addressing the needs of its communities as it hosts a tide of refugees from the war in neighboring Syria.
Hariri addressed French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and other dignitaries gathered at a Paris summit on Friday in support of the tiny Mediterranean nation. It's the first major gathering of key nations to discuss Lebanon's future since a crisis erupted following Hariri's shock resignation last month while in Saudi Arabia. Hariri later revoked his resignation but the affair sparked a renewed debate over foreign interference in Lebanon's domestic affairs. Hariri says Lebanon has been able to weather its crisis thanks to its international partners and that the country's many parties affirmed their "commitment to dissociation from regional conflicts."Lebanon hosts 1 million refugees from Syria, according to the United Nations. The International Support Group for Lebanon held its first major gathering of key nations to discuss Lebanon's future since a crisis erupted following Hariri's resignation while in Saudi Arabia. Hariri has since rescinded his resignation.

Hariri Says U.S. Jerusalem Move 'New Challenge to Regional Stability'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 08-09/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Friday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying it posed a new challenge to the already tense Middle East. "It complicates the peace process even more (between Israel and the Palestinians) and creates a new challenge to regional security," he said at a meeting in Paris. "In the name of the Lebanese people, I can only repeat our rejection of this decision," he said.

World Leaders at Hariri Support Meeting, Macron Warns against Meddling in Lebanon
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 08-09/17/French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday warned regional powers against meddling in Lebanon at a international meeting aimed at fending off pressure on the fragile country from rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attended the talks in Paris with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, whose shock resignation last month -- which he has since rescinded -- sparked fears of a new crisis in the Middle East. Opening the meeting, Macron said it was "essential that all of the parties in Lebanon and regional actors respect the cardinal principle of non-interference" in the affairs of other countries. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with Germany, Italy and Egypt, sent representatives to the talks, which were to discuss economic and humanitarian support for the former French territory. They took place against a backdrop of rising tensions in the Middle East linked to US President Donald Trump's decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, an announcement that was condemned again by Macron and Hariri. "It complicates the peace process even more (between Israel and the Palestinians) and creates a new challenge to regional security," Hariri said in opening remarks at the meeting. Macron added: "None of the region's problems will be resolved by unilateral decisions or the strongest imposing their will."
Proxy battleground
Saudi Arabia was suspected of pressuring Hariri, a longtime ally, to resign on November 4 as part of its attempts to counter growing Iranian influence in the region. In an unusual televised resignation statement made from Riyadh, Hariri lambasted Tehran and its Lebanese ally, the powerful armed movement Hizbullah, for destabilizing his country. A Lebanese source close to Hariri told AFP that the premier traveled to Riyadh believing he was going to discuss economic projects but instead "found himself faced with a list of economic sanctions brandished by the Saudis against Lebanon."Saudi Arabia and other Arab states accuse Iran of using armed proxies such as Hizbullah to expand its influence the region, from Lebanon to Yemen to Syria and Iraq. Hariri remained in Riyadh for two weeks after his resignation speech, fueling speculation that he was being held hostage. Macron then intervened, inviting him to Paris for talks, after which Hariri returned home to a hero's welcome. "Lebanon's stability is not only crucial for its inhabitants but for the entire region," Macron said Friday, demanding that the sovereignty of the small multifaith country, long a proxy battleground between its bigger neighbors, be respected.
Hariri said the fragile stability enjoyed by his country, which neighbors Syria, "appeared like a small miracle" in a region plagued by conflict."The desire of all in Lebanon is to save our democracy," he said.
Power play backfires
Hasni Abidi of the Geneva-based CERMAM research centre, which specialises in Arab affairs, described the gathering as "a sort of consecration, a re-legitimization for Hariri". "The international community is validating a return to normal for Hariri," he told AFP. Riyadh's power play paradoxically led divided Lebanese factions to come together in order to avoid a political breakdown. After consultations with various parties, including Hizbullah, Hariri announced Tuesday that he was withdrawing his resignation. His cabinet members issued a joint statement to reaffirm their commitment to "dissociation" from regional conflicts, apparently putting an end to the month-long Hariri saga.
The International Support Group for Lebanon, which met in Paris on Friday, was launched in September 2013 partly in response to the huge influx of refugees from the conflict in neighboring Syria.

Jumblat Says Set of Reforms Needed for ISG to Succeed
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 08-09/17/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Friday said the meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon is an important gesture that requires the introduction of reforms in order to make it “successful.”“The Paris conference to support Lebanon is extremely important, but to make it succeed we need reforms, we need to stop the squandering (of public funds) and end deficit,” Jumblat said in a tweet. The MP made the comments as world leaders prepare to meet in Paris on Friday with Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who helped Hariri resolve the crisis sparked by his shock resignation announced from Riyadh last month and rescinded this week, will kick off the talks. The French foreign ministry said the meeting would aim to support the political process in Lebanon at a crucial moment, and will send a message both to the various parties in Lebanon and to countries in the region. The International Support Group for Lebanon, which will meet in Paris Friday, was launched in September 2013 partly in response to the massive influx of refugees from the conflict in neighboring Syria.
Turning to Lebanon's longtime waste management crisis, Jumblat added: “Let the management of the country's trash be a priority rather than burying it in the sea or scattering it in the prairies, as most of the municipalities are doing.
“Finally, do not forget the Litani river and its deadly pollution,” he emphasized.

Explained How Lebanon Emerged From Saudi Arabia's Hariri Crisis With Iranian Influence Even Stronger/أزمة الحريري مع السعودية زادت من قوة حزب الله في لبنان
Reuters/Haaretz/December 08/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=60909
Iran's allies in Lebanon have emerged even stronger from a crisis triggered by Saudi Arabia, which achieved little more than to force the Saudis' main Lebanese ally - Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri - closer to Tehran's friends in Beirut.
Saudi Arabia aimed to hurt Iran in Lebanon by forcing Hariri's resignation on Nov. 4 and torpedoing his coalition deal with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allies, using its influence over the Sunni leader to cause trouble for the Shi'ite group.
Instead, the move backfired as Western states censured Riyadh over a step they feared would destabilise Lebanon, despite their shared concerns over the regional role of the heavily armed Hezbollah.
Hariri revoked his resignation on Tuesday, drawing a line under the crisis caused by his announcement from Riyadh. Lebanese officials say he was put under house arrest before French intervention led to his return home. Riyadh and Hariri deny this.
But while the crisis has abated, its causes - Hezbollah's growing military influence in the region and Saudi Arabia's determination to counter Iran - seem likely to bring more trouble Lebanon's way sooner or later.
Hariri has identified possible Gulf Arab sanctions as a major risk to the Lebanese economy. Analysts also see a risk of another war with Hezbollah's old foe, Israel, which is alarmed by the group's strength in Lebanon and Syria.
The episode also leaves big questions over Lebanese politics, long influenced by Saudi Arabia, a patron of the Lebanese Sunni community.
One senior Lebanese politician said the experience had "left a big scar" on Hariri, once the "the spiritual son of Saudi Arabia". "After this, it will not be easy to have a normal relationship again."
Meeting on Tuesday for the first time since the resignation, Hariri's government indirectly acknowledged Saudi concerns over Hezbollah's role outside Lebanon. At Hariri's behest, it reaffirmed its policy of staying out of Arab conflicts.
A top Lebanese official said Western pressure forced Saudi Arabia to retreat from its Lebanon plan but further Saudi moves could not be ruled out: "Can we restrain Saudi from going towards madness? In my view, no."
A Western diplomat said Saudi measures targeting the Lebanese economy were "a genuine possibility" at some point though the international community would likely try to influence how tough any sanctions would be.
"I think the Saudis have understood from the international reaction that Lebanon isn't a pitch on which they are playing alone. There are other players who have interests who don't want to see those undermined," the diplomat said.
"At the same time, the international community's patience isn’t unlimited. It will be hard to protect Lebanon indefinitely if there is no tangible progress on rolling back Hezbollah."
Nasrallah seen softening rhetoric
Hezbollah was the only group allowed to keep its weapons at the end of Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war to fight Israeli forces occupying southern Lebanon.
Its militia has been a source of controversy in Lebanon since the Israeli withdrawal of 2000.
With Saudi backing, Hariri led a Lebanese political alliance to confront the group, but that resulted in Hezbollah's takeover of Beirut in 2008 during a brief civil war.
Hezbollah's stature has grown in the chaos that swept the Arab world after 2011. It has backed President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and helped in the war against Islamic State in Iraq.
But its role in the Yemen conflict is seen as the main factor behind the crisis in Lebanon. Saudi Arabia accuses Iran and Hezbollah of military support for the Iranian-allied Houthis in their war with a Saudi-led coalition.
Hariri has repeatedly flagged Yemen as the cause of the latest crisis, and warned that Lebanon's economy is at stake.
The economy depends on remittances from expat workers, particularly in the Gulf. Any threat to inflows is seen as a risk to the system that finances the heavily indebted state.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has appeared to recalibrate his rhetoric in response to the crisis.
Last month, he denied his group was fighting in Yemen, or sending weapons to the Houthis, or firing rockets at Saudi Arabia from Yemeni territory. He also indicated Hezbollah could pull its fighters from Iraq. The remarks on the eve of Hariri's return were seen as "appeasing", a source close to Hariri said.
Western interests
Hariri has twice led coalition governments including Hezbollah despite his enmity towards the group: five Hezbollah members have been charged by a U.N.-backed tribunal with the 2005 assassination of his father, Rafik al-Hariri.
Hezbollah denies any involvement.
Hariri's willingness to compromise with Hezbollah was a factor behind the Saudi move against him and has drawn criticism from within the Sunni community. His status as Lebanon's most influential Sunni will be put to the test in parliamentary elections next year.
Ashraf Rifi, a hawkish Sunni politician, said the way Hariri reversed his resignation was a "farce" and a "surrender to the Hezbollah project".
The senior politician, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Hezbollah may offer Hariri a "gesture" over its regional role but saw little prospect of the group fundamentally changing course. President Michel Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah, could pressure the group "a little bit to be cooler on certain issues", the politician said.
But Lebanese in Saudi Arabia still had reason to be afraid for their livelihoods: "I think with time the Lebanese will try to disentangle themselves from Saudi Arabia, but this will cost Lebanon a lot because revenues will be reduced."
The Hariri crisis marked an unprecedented intervention in Lebanon, even in a country with a long history of foreign meddling. It also underlined the different priorities of Saudi Arabia and its Western allies in Lebanon - a major recipient of aid to help it host 1.5 million Syrian refugees.
On the last day of Hariri's stay in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman summoned him for a meeting and kept him waiting for hours, delaying his departure for France where President Emanuel Macron was waiting for him, the senior politician and a top Lebanese official said.
"Macron was calling Saad to find out where he was," said the senior politician, adding that Macron then called Crown Prince Mohammad to tell him he was expecting Hariri for lunch.
Western states want stability in Lebanon, the politician said. "They need Lebanon as a platform for observing the Arab world. They have invested a lot here, and if there is a civil war, (there is the question of) what to do with all the Syrian refugees."
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/1.827583

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 08-09/17
'Large number' of UN peacekeepers killed in Congo attack
Associated Press/December 08/17/DAKAR, Senegal – The United Nations peacekeeping chief says a "large number" of peacekeepers have been killed and wounded in an attack in eastern Congo. Jean-Pierre Lacroix says on Twitter that the attack occurred Thursday evening in North Kivu province. Lacroix says he is "outraged" by the attack and that medical evacuations are ongoing. He does not identify the attackers.The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo is the largest in the world and is aimed at calming a number of armed groups in the vast, mineral-rich Central African nation.

Palestinian official says US Vice President ‘not welcome’
AFP, Ramallah/December 08/2017/A senior Palestinian official said Thursday that US Vice President Mike Pence was “not welcome in Palestine” during his upcoming regional visit after a White House decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “The American vice president is not welcome in Palestine,” Jibril Rajoub, a senior member of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah, told AFP. Rajoub also signaled that Abbas would not meet with Pence during his planned visit later this month. “And President Abbas will not welcome him because of the statements he made” about Jerusalem. Abbas has not made similar comments and his office could not immediately be reached. The White House warned Thursday that cancelling a planned meeting between Abbas and Pence in the wake of the US policy shift on Jerusalem would be “counterproductive”. US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Wednesday in a move that outraged Palestinian leaders, but which was hailed as historic by Israel. Pence’s trip now risks becoming a lightning rod for Palestinian anger. In an effort to keep the trip on the rails, the White House is likely to only consider the meeting canceled if they hear that from Abbas himself. Pence is due to travel to Egypt and Israel in the second half of December, a visit that has taken on extra significance in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Abbas said Trump has disqualified the United States from its traditional role as peace broker in the Middle East conflict.

White House: Scrapping Pence-Abbas talks ‘counterproductive’
AFP, Washginton/December 08/2017/The White House warned Thursday that canceling a planned meeting between Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Vice President Mike Pence in the wake of the US policy shift on Jerusalem would be “counterproductive.”Amid indications that Abbas may withdraw from a planned meeting later this month, a White House aide said Pence “still plans to meet with Abbas as scheduled” and “believes it would be counterproductive for him to pull out of the meeting.”Pence is due to travel to Egypt and Israel in the second half of December, a visit that has taken on extra significance in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Jibril Rajoub, a senior member of Abbas’s Fatah party, told AFP that Pence was “not welcome in Palestine” during his upcoming visit. Rajoub also signaled that Abbas would not meet with Pence.
Statements on Jerusalem
“And President Abbas will not welcome him because of the statements he made” about Jerusalem. Abbas has not made similar comments and his office could not immediately be reached. Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel sparked Palestinian protests, sporadic clashes and a call for a new intifada on Thursday as fears grew of fresh bloodshed in the region. Some Palestinian leaders have indicated that they no longer consider the United States an honest broker in the peace process. Pence’s trip now risks becoming a lightning rod for Palestinian anger. In an effort to keep the trip on the rails, the White House is likely to only consider the meeting canceled if they hear that from Abbas himself. Breaking off ties with Washington in such a public way would be risky, but the 82-year-old Palestinian leader could be under fierce domestic pressure to make the snub.

US remains committed to Mideast peace: Envoy Haley at UN
The Associated Press/December 08/2017/US President Donald Trump is committed to ongoing efforts to reach a Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, the US ambassador to the UN said Friday amid a backlash over his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “Let me again assure you, the president and this administration remain committed to the peace process,” Nikki Haley said at an emergency meeting of the Security Council that was convened over Trump’s decision on Wednesday. Haley said that Trump in his reversal of two decades of US foreign policy was simply recognizing reality, since the Israeli government and parliament are located in Jerusalem. And she recalled that Trump insists his decision has no impact on whatever Israelis and Palestinians ultimately decide on boundaries and borders of the Holy City, the eastern part of which the Palestinians want as capital of a future state.
“I understand the concerns that members have in calling this session,” Haley said. “Change is hard.”

After Jerusalem outcry, Trump dangles Middle East peace plan
Reuters, Washington/December 08/17/ When President Donald Trump told the Palestinian president of his intention to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he assured him a peace plan being put together would please the Palestinians, officials said, an apparent effort to limit fallout over his break with longtime US policy.Trump’s phone call to Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, the day before he made his bombshell announcement on Jerusalem, appeared to shed new light on behind-the-scenes efforts by White House advisers to craft a peace blueprint expected to be rolled out in the first half of 2018 but which has now been thrown into doubt because of an angry outcry across the Middle East. With Palestinians declaring it will be difficult for the United States to act as an honest broker after essentially siding with Israel on one of the central disputes in the conflict, administration officials said they expected a “cooling-off period.”Trump’s team, led by his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, will press on with development of a plan to serve as the foundation for renewed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, hoping the furor will blow over and that any pause in diplomatic contacts with the Palestinians will not last long, US officials said. But amid protests in the Palestinian territories and uncertainty about whether the Palestinians will stay engaged in the peace effort, one US official said the process could still be disrupted. “If they are still saying they’re not going to talk, we’re not going to do it then,” the official said. Washington’s major Western and Arab allies have warned that Trump’s decision on Jerusalem could doom attempts to achieve what the US president has called the “ultimate deal” of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Details of the negotiating framework have yet to be finalized and there is little indication of tangible progress. But officials said it would deal with all the major issues, including Jerusalem, borders, security, the future of Jewish settlements on occupied land and the fate of Palestinian refugees, and would also call for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to provide significant financial support to the Palestinians. In his call to Abbas on Tuesday, Trump sought to temper the blow from his Jerusalem announcement by stressing that the Palestinians stood to gain from the peace plan that Kushner and US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt were crafting, according to two US and two Palestinian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump told Abbas, a Western-backed moderate, that the final peace blueprint would offer the Palestinians an important settlement that they would be pleased with, but did not provide specifics, the sources said. Abbas told Trump in response that any peace process must result in the Palestinians having their capital in East Jerusalem, a Palestinian official said. Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and later annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. A senior US official said Trump told Abbas he wanted to discuss the issues in person and invited him to visit the White House, although the timing was unclear. Palestinians have grown increasingly concerned that any plan Trump unveils will shortchange them, a fear that deepened with Trump’s formal endorsement of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, upending decades of US policy that the ancient city’s status must be decided in negotiations.
Kushner discussions
Kushner, who had no government or diplomatic experience before joining his father-in-law’s White House, has mostly kept his discussions under wraps. US officials say Kushner backed Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and order the eventual relocation of the US Embassy there from Tel Aviv, although he was aware of the potential for complicating his peace efforts. But one White House official said that because the peace effort had not yet led to negotiations between the two sides, Kushner’s team believed the initial outcry over the Jerusalem decision could eventually be overcome.
The official said the plan, which he described as comprehensive and going beyond frameworks put forth by previous US administrations, would likely be unveiled before the middle of next year.
A key test
A key test of keeping the peace efforts on track will be whether Abbas goes ahead with a scheduled meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region in mid-December. A senior Palestinian official said on Thursday that Pence was “unwelcome in Palestine.”Trump, the officials said, had insisted that US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was not meant to prejudge the outcome of future negotiations on that issue or others between the two sides. US officials acknowledged that Trump’s Jerusalem moves could also put a damper on cooperation from Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, which the administration is trying to enlist in the peace process. They contended, however, that the broader Arab world was also concerned about keeping Trump involved in confronting Iran and fighting ISIS militants and was therefore unlikely to remain disengaged for long from efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One US official said the Palestinians were in such a weak position that they would ultimately have no choice but to stay involved in US-led peace efforts. Another argument that Trump’s aides will likely make to Palestinians is that having granted Israel recognition of its claim to Jerusalem, the US leader might now have more leverage for seeking concessions later on from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US official said.

Israeli air strikes on Gaza injures 10, including children
Al Arabiya/December 08/2017/The Palestinian Ministry of Health said, Friday, that 10 people were injured, including children, by Israeli air strikes on Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians demonstrated, scores were hurt and at least one killed in clashes with Israeli troops on a “day of rage” on Friday against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Al Arabiya reporter confirmed that a young man was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that the number of injured has reached more than 300. Israeli forces had announced that they will increase troops in the West Bank after Friday prayers to prepare for confrontations with Palestinian protesters. Across the Arab and Muslim worlds, thousands more demonstrators took to the streets on Friday, the Muslim holy day, expressing solidarity with the Palestinians and outrage at Trump’s reversal of decades of US policy. The Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayeb announced on Wednesday that Al-Azhar rejects US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man near the Gaza border, the first confirmed death in two days of unrest. The Israeli army said hundreds of Palestinians were rolling burning tyres and throwing rocks at soldiers across the border.Hundreds were wounded in the occupied West Bank and Gaza by Israeli live fire and rubber bullets. (AP). “During the riots IDF soldiers fired selectively towards two main instigators and hits were confirmed,” it said. More than 80 Palestinians were wounded in the occupied West Bank and Gaza by Israeli live fire and rubber bullets, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service. Dozens more suffered from tear gas inhalation. Thirty-one were wounded on Thursday. As Friday prayers ended at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, worshippers made their way toward the walled Old City gates, chanting “Jerusalem is ours, Jerusalem is our capital,” and “We don’t need empty words, we need stones and Kalashnikovs”. Some scuffles broke out between protesters and police. In Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers who fired back with tear gas. In Gaza, controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, calls for worshippers to protest sounded over mosque loudspeakers. Hamas has called for a new Palestinian uprising like the “intifadas” of 1987-1993 and 2000-2005 that together saw thousands of Palestinians and more than 1,000 Israelis killed. “Whoever moves his embassy to occupied Jerusalem will become an enemy of the Palestinians and a target of Palestinian factions,” said Hamas leader Fathy Hammad as protesters in Gaza burnt posters of Trump. “We declare an intifada until the liberation of Jerusalem and all of Palestine.”
UN Middle East envoy warns risk of violent escalation .United Nations Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov warned on Friday that there was a risk of violent escalation in response to US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
“There is a serious risk today that we may see a chain of unilateral actions, which can only push us further away from achieving our shared goal of peace,” Mladenov told the UN Security Council. The Security Council meeting was requested by Britain, France, Sweden, Bolivia, Uruguay, Italy, Senegal and Egypt.
-With Reuters

Arabs agitate in Ahwaz after seizure of farm lands
Saleh Hamid, Al-Arabiya/December 08/17/Thousands of Arab citizens demonstrated, on Friday, in the streets of the city of Ahwaz, the center of the Arabistan province, protesting against the confiscation of lands of Arab farmers. The demonstrators were showing solidarity with the residents of al-Jalizi village in the north of the region, who were violently attacked by the Iranian internal security. 60 people were arrested after being violently suppressed last Monday during their demonstrations against the confiscation of their lands by the Iranian army. The protesters walked around the streets of Ahwaz on Friday, raising slogans against the Iranian regime, condemning the security forces' repression of al-Jalizi villagers, beating and humiliating women and men for the as they only rejected the confiscation of their land. Activists posted clips on social media showing youth saying “Land for the Arabs” and “Mother of the Martyr calls ... Ahwaz is the honor of my country “, “Free al-Jalizi” and “Al Ajami should get out.”They also raised pictures and banners calling for the release of detainees and to return the lands to its owners. The Ahwazi human rights organization said that 60 people from al-Jalizi village, including women, were still detained by the security forces following their arrest on Sunday and Monday. The authorities violently repressed their protest over the decision of the Iranian army's organization “Etka”; which took over 4,000 hectares in this village. Ahwazin activists circulated through social media several video sections showing the violent attack of the Iranian internal security forces shooting at the protesting Arab farmers, among which women who had been violently beaten, then the authorities started to massively arrest the residents of the village.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 08-09/17
The alliance between Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/December 08/17
The UAE has announced setting up of a joint Saudi-Emirati committee to deepen work and unite it. The decision was made before the recent Gulf summit held in Kuwait concluded. This summit was only held to guarantee that this council does not collapse and it was not held to reconcile with Qatar and it does not reflect a political victory for the latter like its media has been promoting. The decision to form the committee was made by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan and he assigned Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed as its chief. This committee is a culmination of the robust alliance between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It’s an alliance that forms the backbone of Gulf security and Arab security. According to official news reports, the committee’s task is to coordinate between the UAE and Saudi Arabia in military, political, economic, commercial and cultural fields and other fields as required by the two countries’ interests. The committee will also have the jurisdictions required to carry out its work. All these measures are meant to strengthen cooperation and synergy between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Before this “practical” committee was formed, a coordination council between the two countries headed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan was established. The council will periodically meet in the UAE and Saudi Arabia alternately. The council’s chief can form joint committees whenever needed and he can assign these committees’ members. The committees will also periodically meet and the meetings will be alternately held in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Determination Retreat
This yielded the Determination Retreat, when officials from both countries held their first meeting in Abu Dhabi for several days. All these measures are meant to strengthen cooperation and synergy between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Challenges in Yemen, Qatar, Iraq and other crises in the region revealed the importance of solidifying this alliance, not just on the military, security and political level but also on the economic, cultural, administrative and sports level. Is this an alternative to the Gulf Cooperation Council, as some said – either out of ill intentions as seen in the Qatari media or out of good intentions as seen via others? I do not think so but there is a desperate need and an urgent situation for this alliance. There is no time to waste in Gulf disputes like the case is with Qatar and perhaps with Oman. Time must not be wasted in procrastination and trivialization like the case is with Kuwait.
There are real threats and wars that affect the core of Saudi, Emirati, Bahraini and even Kuwaiti security. These threats are posed by Iran and its tools in the region and by political Islam groups, such as the Brotherhood and groups which branched from them such as al-Qaeda and ISIS. These threats must be strongly, seriously and decisively confronted “now.” The GCC will stay with its idle and slow rhythm; however, it’s not enough for the efforts and work required today.

North Korea, China and the US together, and at odds
Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al Arabiya/December 08/17
With the world reeling from President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and igniting fury and dismay from friends and foes alike, the US seems also bent on stoking an even bigger nuclear catastrophe on the Korean peninsula in the tit-for-tat spat with that country.
However, unlike the seemingly doomed and obscure so-called peace making shuttles by the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in the Middle East, now possibly buried by the Trump announcement, there seems to be some glimmer of hope on the Korean issue with once again China showing a way out, helped by an unlikely source. The United Nations Political Affairs chief, Jeffrey Feltman, embarked quietly on a four-day visit to North Korea, stopping first in Beijing on his way to meetings with senior North Korean officials, including Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho. What is the significance of this visit and who is Feltman?
It is noteworthy that the trip was in response to requests since September by North Korea for a meeting. Beyond the fact that this will be the first trip made to North Korea by a senior UN official since October of 2011, the choice of Feltman, who played an instrumental backchannel role during nuclear negotiations with Iran, as envoy to Pyongyang is also significant in and of itself.
Beijing is bracing for a period of issues with Washington in addition to bilateral trade, including Syria, Iran, South China Seas, and North Korea. That trip follows a personal call placed by President Donald Trump to President Xi Jinping of China the day after North Korea’s launch of its Hwasong-15 missile two weeks ago, a call that was polite, but firmly non-committal. In the period since, Washington has ramped up military manoeuvres with Seoul, including its display of B-1 Bombers, while Xi decided to cut China’s oil exports to North Korea by one-third to put pressure on the North Koreans to start negotiations, something that the US had been asking China to do. The day after the latest North Korean launch, President Donald Trump called China’s President Xi Jinping to ask that Beijing completely cut off all oil supplies to North Korea, ban North Korean ships from docking in China, and support UN Security Council proposals to impose additional sanctions on North Korea.
Hedging bets
The Chinese are hedging their bets. While President Xi stressed that China’s influence on North Korea is not as strong as widely assumed, he noted that China has already tried its best to prevent an outbreak of war on the Korean Peninsula and then reiterated China’s “unswerving” goals, namely the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, maintenance of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and the preservation of peace and stability in northeast Asia at large. But China also holds some strategic cards to bring North Korea to the negotiating table as Xi did subsequently order a limited cut-off of oil supplies to North Korea of around half or one-third of oil supplies to the DPRK as the country is known, starting this month. But there was also some Chinese words of reassurance to the belligerent and unpredictable North Korean leadership, a characteristic it seems they share with the US President, given the fiasco of the recent Jerusalem policy announcement. However, not all is going well between the USA and China. In a separate but related development, Chinese officials are still fuming over the Trump Administration's imposition of an anti-dumping and countervailing duty case against Chinese aluminium producers.
While downplaying its impact on the Chinese economy, Beijing is bracing for a period of issues with Washington in addition to bilateral trade, including Syria, Iran, Taiwan, the South China Seas, and North Korea.
So enter Feltman. The UN envoy to North Korea, is the same UN representative who accompanied then Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to Tehran in August of 2012.Coming fresh off his role as the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, his presence raised many an eyebrow at the time, eliciting denials by then spokeswoman for the State Department, Victoria Nuland, that he was carrying any messages from Washington to Tehran. But the next year, Feltman visited Iran’s newly-elected President, Hassan Rouhani, a visit that coincided with a stealth outreach to Tehran, via Oman. The agenda of those meetings, was to finalize negotiations between the Obama administration, P5+1, and Iran on the nuclear weapons program deal that came to be known as the JCPOA. When asked if the US backs Feltman’s visit to North Korea, State Department officials only say they are “aware” of the meetings, an interesting choice of words. It is an intriguing historical, if not negotiating, parallel to the JCPOA talks.
Pessimist belief
According to the Chinese President, the relationship between Beijing and Pyongyang, is not as good as it was in the past, but not as bad as some “pessimists” would believe. While the DPRK will not “fawn over” China, it does not want to break relations with China and maintaining relations with North Korea, Xi added, is crucial – China must never turn North Korea into an enemy, at any time, in any situation. To his internal audience, he proceeded to assert that both the DPRK and the USA were in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, with the US expanding the intent of UN resolutions at will. China, he is reported to have said, has fulfilled its obligations to the UN, at the cost of its relations with the DPRK, while the US and its allies have failed to fulfil their obligations and to push for talks. Chinese officials fully expect North Korea to bide for time to continue conducting nuclear tests, and to launch additional tests of its Hwasong-15 missile to finalize its design over the next few months. But Beijing’s official policy response will be framed by a stated imperative that UNSC sanctions not unduly harm the North Korean people, bring down the North Korean regime, or turn North Korea into an enemy of China.
Since then, Beijing, while never explicitly linking the Korea issue with trade, is also expressing deep dissatisfaction with the imposition last week by the Trump administration of the first anti-dumping and countervailing WTO duty case against Chinese aluminium producers in twenty-five years.
Still seething from the US refusal to grant China market economy status, Chinese officials downplay the latest WTO action on aluminium as more symbolic than substantive. They note that as compared to the 240,00 tons, or roughly $600 million worth, of alloy aluminium sheet China is expected to export this year to the US, domestic production stands at 80 million tons. But they add there is no question relations between the US and China have taken a turn for the worse since Trump’s visit a month ago to Beijing, from “seemingly warm” to “a delicate state.”Unlike the renewed volatility in the wider Muslim and Middle East following the unilateral US Jerusalem declaration, Beijing has been told North and South Korea intend to begin multi-channel talks soon, and with South Korea’s President scheduled to visit China in the next month, Chinese officials believe the Korean peninsula will in the short term at least remain relatively stable.
The quiet background diplomacy of Mr. Feltman could still work. Let us hope so as the world cannot contain several fires at the same time.

Yemen will not accept the Houthis, not after 1,000 years
Huda al-Husseini/Al Arabiya/December 08/17
It is Yemen. Is it happy? No. A former Yemeni official talked a while ago about five presidents in the south and five in the north and their fate which, due to violence, was either exile or death. This is the nature of givens in Yemen as those who do not get exiled get killed. All givens, including Monday’s developments, were not any different. The expected murder happened. It was no surprise but it was painful. My source, the Yemeni official, asked: “Does the new given yield a new result? No. The most significant thing in the most recent development was displaying the bodies. This happened for the first time in Yemen as political violence in the country has not produced this ‘tazir’, (i.e. punishment for offenses at the discretion of the judge or ruler) due to social and tribal aspects. This shocked the Yemenis because it does not harmonize with their social or political behavior.”
It thus happened for the first time with a Yemeni president, regardless of whether he was from the north or the south. Men were murdered before without even declaring where they were buried but the shock today is much worse. I asked my source about this development and he said: “We are not dealing with a political party but with an ideological one that believes what it did on Monday will help it go to heaven. There is a change in the political map as we’ve currently entered the phase of political Islam. This is why political Islam parties, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Houthis, adopted a vengeful rhetoric.”
He added: “If you follow up on the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel, you will be in pain as it’s still referring to Ali Abdullah Saleh as the ‘ousted president’ which is a term that does not suit a murdered man. Brotherhood supporters who appear on Al-Jazeera channel also adopt a vengeful rhetoric. This behavior is new to the Yemenis.”
Killing in cold blood
I asked him about Abdulmalik Al-Houthi and told him how I noticed on Al-Mayadeen television channel that he vengefully spoke with a great sense of victory. “Yes, he spoke calmly. It’s like killing in cold blood. He is today talking on behalf of mercy killing. We will enter a new phase of violence and it will be fierce.” The scene today came as a shock to Saleh’s family and to the General People’s Congress. We’re talking about 30 or 40 years here, i.e. entire generations which never worked with any leader but Saleh. We politically disagreed with him but we did not wish that he dies. The psychological state today is complicated and it hurts us. It’s not just due to the deaths happening but also due to the vengeful approach around us. The other party is in shock, and the real patriotic party and all these developments will put us through a new swirl of violence.”But will this swirl of violence be just among Yemenis?
He said: “We are talking about a Yemeni-Yemeni swirl of violence. The issue of a foreign or regional factor is just a supporting factor here but the Yemenis are psychologically prepared. Therefore, any regional or international interventions come within a prepared psychological context.”
He added: “How can one remove the evil which happened today. The Houthis’ speeches and practices made me realize that they do not want to schedule a political session or sit for dialogue. They need a mental institute. They talked about murder as an act that will lead them to heaven. For me, Abdulmalik al-Houthi’s appearance today is just like Osama bin Laden’s. If you notice, Bin Ladeh has the same soft and calm character as he speaks. Today, I saw Bin Laden before me as Abdulmalik spoke. He talks about death and murder in a calm and soft way, as if nothing happened. This is abnormal behavior that cannot be eliminated via politics. It needs more to be eliminated, just like al-Qaeda and other groups were eliminated. This behavior by the Houthis is new to Yemen. There’s no way for engaging in politics or shaking hands or reaching peace with them. Their past behavior and what we’ve seen in the past 48 hours imply they are in a state of ecstasy that will drag the country and the region to the abyss.”What’s the Iranian role now? He said: “Iran considers what happened as victory. However, history taught us all about temporary and fake victories. Those who read Yemen’s history and the region’s history or human history can see that what happened is a national and humanitarian disaster.”
What’s happening in Yemen will affect our brothers all the way to the African horn. The dangerous repercussions of violence will not only be seen in Yemen.What will come afterwards? He said: “The violence will be worse.”Will the Muslim Brotherhood meet with the Houthis? He said: “No. I expect them to meet with the ‘congress’ because both parties drank the same poison. What happened to the Brotherhood made them escape while those in the ‘congress’ were braver on the ground. The Brotherhood too had the state of treachery. I expect Al-Islah Party (the Brotherhood) to meet with the ‘congress’ or for the region to help in their meeting.”What pushed President Saleh to contact the coalition and announce his willingness to work with it and save whatever is left of Yemen? He said: “I will use a simple language. He was like a cat who when cornered jumps. He had two options, either to poison himself, like what happened at the International Court of Justice, or resist. He is brave. He resisted and did not give up. The Houthis cornered him. They approached his residence and his guards made a decision to besiege him. In the last 72 hours, they wanted to take his personal guard, his nephew Tarek Mohammed Abullah Saleh who was his right arm. They thought Saleh will surrender and meet his fate or defend himself and get lucky and survive.”
Strategy
What’s the Iranian role now? He said: “Iran considers what happened as victory. However, history taught us all about temporary and fake victories. Those who read Yemen’s history and the region’s history or human history can see that what happened is a national and humanitarian disaster.”
What is the role which the Arab region can play to confront this Iranian ecstasy? There is a new phase of alert. There are manifestations of a clear upcoming vision and the issue is no longer linked to matters of peace. The issue, in my opinion, revolves around two axes: the region’s victory or defeat, and its tools are the power machine and the roughness machine and nothing more. I asked: Will all the Yemeni people accept that the Houthis rule all of Yemen? He said: “No, not after 1,000 years. I am basing my words on experience. They are abnormal people. They do not seek political peace but political religion and when religion gets involved, politics is distorted. The core problem is now between the Yemeni groups. The missiles launched reflect the madness, so imagine giving them power. Imagine if North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un is here in the region. Will I give him a chance to organize himself or get rid of him?”
Will the region succeed or in this new case it will need real international support? He said: “What’s happening today is a Yemeni phenomenon. I think the international community is aware that Houthi parties are not political parties that can be dealt with.”
Will this affect Yemen’s unity? “Yes, it will greatly affect it. The southern mood today does not want to stay in this swirl of violence which will last for long. Today it’s not possible to co-exist with the mentality of the other party, whether it’s the Muslim Brotherhood or the Houthis. Attempts to end the unity will continue and some sort of negotiation is a must.”My source concluded: The mistakes which maintained the same approaches that led Yemen to where it is today must not be repeated, or else we will descend from one failure to another.”

Attorney General’s statement enshrines Saudi ideals of rule of law
Abdulrahman al-Lahim/Al Arabiya/December 08/17
The statement of the Attorney General regarding the detainees involved in corruption cases, whose number I believe exceeds 320, goes beyond the issue of corruption as a whole and to the very important principle of the rule of law, which is now the main feature of the Saudi state. When the Attorney-General speaks about the trial and the legal guarantees for suspects and the accused in a large case involving the inviolability of public funds, the office affirms the right of every human being to a fair trial according to legal guarantees and that the accused still retains presumption of innocence, which effectively means that the Public Prosecution may not win all of its cases before the courts against the accused, or that the court may not accept all the requests of the Public Prosecution because both sides stand equal in the eyes of law. These principles, when issued by the Attorney-General and in a very sensitive case, suggest something highly significant taking place in the country, in that it is not shirking away from taking bold and major steps in the judicial system. When the Attorney-General speaks about the trial and legal guarantees for suspects and the accused in a large case involving public funds, the office affirms the right of every human being to a fair trial
Increasingly intractable
It is noteworthy that the High Commission was formed by Royal decree to look into old corruption cases, which have been pending for decades and have become increasingly intractable as much time elapsed or evidence lost and in some cases even witnesses have either died or have migrated out of the country.
As such, such policies of the Supreme Committee do not imply that it is conciliatory in approach because future issues will be dealt with in accordance with normal legal strictures, and will not be abandoned until the evidence is lost. The formation of the Supreme Committee is the beginning of a process wherein the ills of corruption are looked into in all seriousness and due rigor. It commenced with the arrest of known corrupt figures, which was confirmed by the Crown Prince, Chairman of the Supreme Committee Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Thus, law will confront anyone who dares to steal public money through state-controlled institutions and that people involved in corruption could never assume they are above the law.