LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 16/17

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For Today
If you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, "You fool", you will be liable to the hell of fire
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 05/21-26/:"‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, "You shall not murder"; and "whoever murders shall be liable to judgement."But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, "You fool", you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny."

God said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid."
Letter to the Hebrews 13/01-08/:"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured.Let marriage be held in honour by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’
So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’ Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 15-16/17
Who is in need of Michel Aoun’s mediation/Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/February 15/17
Lebanese Dailies: Hizbullah Possesses 'Game-Changing' Weapons Provided By Iran; Has Tunnels On Israeli Border, Forward Positions Overlooking Israeli Towns/MEMRI/February 15/17/
The Muslim Brotherhood: Wellspring of Terrorism/Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/February 15/17
Should Western Powers Ban The Muslim Brotherhood As A Terrorist Group/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/February 15/17
Agents of Their Own Destruction/Are Palestinians Victims or Actors/Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/February 15/17
The United Nations: Making a Mockery of Human Rights/George Igler/Gatestone Institute/February 15/17
Will Trump’s stern views on Muslim Brotherhood translate into action/Mohammed Salah/Al Arabiya/February 15/17
‘Game of nations’ and the threat of Turkish-Syrian confrontation/Ghassan Imam/Al Arabiya/February 15/17

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on February 15-16/17
Lebanon PM firm on Assad crimes despite delegation visit
Who is in need of Michel Aoun’s mediation?
Lebanese Dailies: Hizbullah Possesses 'Game-Changing' Weapons Provided By Iran; Has Tunnels On Israeli Border, Forward Positions Overlooking Israeli Towns
Lebanese Cabinet Schedules Successive Meetings Next Week to Approve State Budget
Mustaqbal Says Only State Arms Have Legitimacy to Protect Lebanon
Hizbullah Bloc Hails Aoun's Stance on Party's Arms
Berri Says Proportional Representation 'Preserves Diversity', Urges Govt. to Act on Electoral Law
Report: Aoun's Arab Tour Confirms Lebanon's Keenness to Improve Ties
France's Le Pen to Visit Lebanon
General Security Arrests 3 Tasked with Plotting 'Bomb and Ramming Attacks'
Arslan: International Resolutions Pave Way for Naturalization of Refugees
HRW Hails Residency Waiver for Syria Refugees in Lebanon
Cabinet intends to achieve budget draft before end of month
Hasbani meets Ambassador of Knights of Malta
Daesh security official killed in Arsal
Riachy says Al Jadid TV safe and sound, pledges everlasting freedom of media
Samy Gemayel, Elfic tackle latest developments
Corps of shot Syrian man found in Arsal
Awar: Aoun's position from Hezbollah's weapons is the state's official one

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 15-16/17
U.N. Chief Says 'Everything Must be Done' to Preserve 2-State Solution
President alAssad: Any step on Syria's future is up to the Syrians to decide
Syria Talks Delayed due to 'Technical Reasons'
UN 'Extremely Concerned' over Conditions in West Mosul
Bahrain Blast Wounds Two Civilians on Uprising Anniversary
Trump says Israel, Palestine must make compromises
Pentagon may recommend US deploy troops in Syria
Russia strikes Syria after ‘Death Over Humiliation’ rebel battle
Mattis Says NATO Allies Must Pay More or U.S. Will 'Moderate Its Commitment'
Trump Says 2-State Solution Not Only Answer to Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Trump Denies Talk of Russian Connection as 'Non-Sense'
Trump Promises Netanyahu that Iran Will Never Get Nuclear Bomb
Egypt Chief-of-Staff Mediates between Libyan Rivals in Cairo
Egypt Says Libya Rivals Agree to Explore Ways to End Rift
Palestinians Say U.S. Shift on 2-State Solution Irresponsible
UN Envoy: Progress on Cyprus Security Deal, Long Way to Go
Iran: Tehran Bazaar Is Not Safe and Acts Like a Time Bomb
Maryam Rajavi: The Only Solution for the Acute Crises in Khuzistan Is to Escalate Popular Protests and Rise up to Drive Back the Clerical Regime
Iran: Signing Trade Deals in Swedish Ambassador's Residence in Tehran
Iran: People Set the Police Headquarters on Fire in Protest Against Killing a Youth
Dominican journalists shot dead midbroadcast

Links From Jihad Watch Site for February 15-16/17
Trump, meeting with Netanyahu, backs away from Palestinian state
UK: Convert to Islam carried axe to meeting with Christian father
Vatican “concerned” over “spread of nationalism, populism” in US and Europe
U of Michigan: Muslim student who faked anti-Muslim hate crime won’t be charged
Asylum seekers streaming into Quebec from U.S. to escape Trump order
Dr. Bill Warner Moment: How to Use the Elements of Islam to Vet Muslim Migrants
Robert Spencer: Answering an Islamic apologist (Part VI)
UK: Man banned from maintaining train station clock for “racist” private conversation
Islamic State video shows two young boys blowing themselves up as jihad suicide bombers
Former Obama officials, loyalists waged secret campaign to oust Flynn to preserve Iran deal
Robert Spencer: Answering an Islamic apologist (Part V)
Sign petition calling on Schumer to withdraw support for Ellison for DNC Chair

Links From Christian Today Site for February 15-16/17
Church Of England's Clergy Issue Shock Rebuke To Bishops' Conservative View On Sexuality
Why The Church Of England Is Facing Schism Over Sexuality
Half Of Anglicans Now See Nothing Wrong With Gay Couples
Row Over Thought For The Day As BBC Clarifies Editorial Policy After New Editor's Comments
Church Calls For Government Action On 'Crack Cocaine' Of Gambling
How Should Christians Respond To The UK Prisons Crisis?
What's Wrong With John Piper's Advice About Nude Selfies
Does Traditional Teaching On Sexuality Make Gay People Unwell? Probably Not. Here's Why.
Swiss Catholics Will Compensate Child Sex Abuse Victims

Latest Lebanese Related News published on February 15-16/17
Lebanon PM firm on Assad crimes despite delegation visit
The Arab News/February 15/17 /Lebanon's prime minister confirmed his firm stance against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's "crimes" on Monday, at an event marking the anniversary of his father's assassination, just a week after President Aoun recieved a delegation from Damascus. Saad Hariri, whose father Rafiq Hariri was killed along with 22 other people in a 2005 bomb blast on the Beirut seafront, has since blamed Damascus for his fathers' death. The PM was appointed prime minister in November for a second time, under an arrangement struck with Lebanon's pro-Syrian Hizballah group. "We negotiated and we made compromises to preserve stability" in Lebanon, he said in an address to a packed hall in Beirut. "We have not made, and will not make, any compromise on principles such as the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, on our point of view on Assad's regime, our stand on illegitimate arms and on Hizballah's implication in Syria," he said to loud applause. The Hague-based tribunal is responsible for trying Rafiq Hariri's assassination. Saad Hariri and his allies demand the disarmament of Hizballah and its withdrawal from Syria where the group - that also forms part of the Lebanese government - has been battling alongside Assad's forces. The comments come just days after Lebanon's newly-elected president received a delegation from the Syrian regime, in a move seen likely to stoke fears of Damascus' growing influence in the country. Aoun sat down with a delegation sent by President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian ambassador at his palace in Beirut. Assad's envoy Mansour Azzam delivered a "congratulatory message" from the Syrian president to Aoun, and emphasised the "deep ties" between Lebanon and Syria, according to Hizballah media outlet al-Manar. It is believed to be the first official meeting between the two countries since 2013. Hizballah, the only group not to have disarmed in the aftermath of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, insists its arsenal is essential to defend the country against Israel, with which it fought a devastating 2006 summer war. Five Hizballah members have been accused by the international court of involvement in the 2005 assassination of the former Lebanese premier, Rafiq Hariri, but both the Syrian government and Hizballah have repeatedly denied involvement.

Who is in need of Michel Aoun’s mediation?
Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/February 15/17
Few hours before Lebanese President Michel Aoun arrived in Cairo on an official visit, Al-Ahram newspaper aired an interesting interview with him. Several issues were tackled and I will address one of them. When the daily’s editor-in-chief asked Aoun about the future of Arabs’ relations with Iran and Turkey, Aoun said: “These countries must maintain special relations because there are many mutual interests.”Aoun was then clearly asked whether Lebanon, under his command, will serve as a “bridge for a Gulf-Iranian or Arab-Iranian understanding.” I don’t know why they differentiate as such between the Gulf and Arabs when asking questions about being harmed by Iran! Anyway, Aoun, who was elected in October last year, replied and said: “Why not? Trying is better (than doing nothing) as at least there is the honor of trying.”
The way they – whether it’s Aoun or some Egyptian media outlets – depict the situation with Iran is wrong. What’s happening between Arab countries – including those in the Gulf – and the Khomeini republic is not a temporary political dispute or a media battle and more importantly, it’s not a sectarian, a Sunni-Shiite, division or a nationalistic struggle between Arabs and Persians. This is what some media outlets, which do not have a clear understanding of the entire situation, try to show.
If it hadn’t been for Iran’s invasions and interventions, there wouldn’t be any problems for Bahrain, or Saudi Arabia or Morocco, which expelled Iran’s envoy at some point. The same applies to Sudan or to Yemen’s government or to the majority of the Syrian people whom al-Nusra Front and ISIS do not represent like the Assad regime’s propaganda machine claims. The Iranian regime is governed by the ideological precepts of a man who is obsessed with control over the Islamic world in an Imam-like manner
Dangerous doctrine
No, the problem with the Khomeini republic is with the ideological regime with its dangerous doctrine that first subdues the Shiite Iranians, like the Arab Ahwaz, and other ethnic and religious groups. It even suppresses the Shiite Persians who support the republic but call for reforms. I am here referring to the suppressed Green Movement. The Iranian regime is governed by the ideological precepts of a man who is obsessed with control over the Islamic world in an Imam-like manner. He views himself as the guardian of Muslims and he is not just an extremist cleric, like thousands others across the world, but he established for a republic that possesses money and weapons and that has gangs to promote his ideas. Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon are nothing but mere arenas to this ideological Khomeini invasion.
The Lebanese Party Hezbollah is not a party of resistance. It’s not acceptable to have such parties in normal countries. Hezbollah is an authentic organic extension of Khomeini’s Revolutionary Guards. This is what Hezbollah is no matter how much any Lebanese official tries to embellish its image. It is the duty of any president of any country to control arms, maintain the state’s control over them and subjugate everyone and not just some to the authority of law.
Just a reminder… It’s been previously said: Let’s wait and see how President Aoun performs. Has he changed?
The article was first published in Asharq Al-Awsat.

Lebanese Dailies: Hizbullah Possesses 'Game-Changing' Weapons Provided By Iran; Has Tunnels On Israeli Border, Forward Positions Overlooking Israeli Towns
MEMRI/February 15/17/
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=52360
Reports have recently begun to appear again in the Lebanese press regarding military activity by Hizbullah south of the Litani River, on the Lebanon-Israel border, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and on the organization's increasing strength in the last few years, especially due to its military involvement in the Syria war. The Lebanese press reported, inter alia, that Hizbullah has tunnels on the Israeli border and that it possesses advanced weapons provided by Iran and Syria that disrupt the balance of power vis-à-vis Israel. It has also been reported that Hizbullah is cooperating with Hamas's military wing, the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades.
The reports on Hizbullah's military activity in South Lebanon are corroborated by the organization's own statement, from January 17, 2017, that its operatives had found the wreckage of an Israeli drone that had crashed near the border two days earlier and were examining it "in a safe location."[1]
The following are excerpts from the reports on Hizbullah's activity in south Lebanon:
Al-Akhbar Daily: Despite Israeli Airstrikes, Hundreds Of Convoys Transported Advanced Weapons To Hizbullah From Syria; Hizbullah Has 'Game-Changing' Weapons
Ibrahim Al-Amin, board chairman of the pro-Hizbullah Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, wrote in a January 24, 2017 editorial that Hizbullah's military, security and intelligence capabilities have grown in the recent years. This, he said, is manifest in the organization's ability to lay down the rules of the confrontation with Israel; in the extensive and varied arsenal of weapons it possesses, provided by Syria and Iran, which includes 'game-changing' weapons; in its presence not only on the Lebanon-Israel border but on the Syria-Israel border; in its transformation into a major player in Syria, Iraq and Yemen which also has considerable influence in other locations and sensitive arenas in the Arab and Muslim world, and in its ongoing cooperation with Hamas's military wing. Amin implied that the Israeli assessment that Hizbullah is capable of firing 1,500 missiles a day underestimates the organization's true capabilities.
He wrote: "Reexamining the arena of direct confrontation [between Israel] and Hizbullah, we notice something that greatly worries the enemy's leadership: [that] the enemy has failed in his vigorous efforts to change the rules of the confrontation with the resistance [i.e., Hizbullah] along the border front. [Israel's] targeted killings of senior resistance operatives compelled Hizbullah's leadership to [present a] scale of increasingly harsh retaliatory measures, up to and including readiness to enter an all-out confrontation. This forced the enemy to avoid direct military action on Lebanese soil, including localized operations.
"The enemy [then] decided to shift [its attention] to the Syrian arena and exploit the crisis there to target the capabilities of the resistance, since [the enemy] quickly realized that Hizbullah's involvement in the Syrian crisis laid [both] the Syrian and the Lebanese border [with Israel], as well as the Syrian army's weapons [arsenal], wide open to Hizbullah. This allowed a vast supply of advanced, state-of-the art weapons of various kinds, including weapons provided by Iran, to flow into Hizbullah's depots. The enemy decided to bomb military convoys or [arms] depots inside Syria that allegedly belonged to the resistance. [But the number of] airstrikes, both those that were reported and those that were not, never exceeded an average of five strikes per year since 2011, and the enemy knows that dozens if not hundreds of convoys managed to [get through and] bring the necessary [weapons] to the resistance bases in Lebanon...
"In practice, Israel reads the map and realizes that Hizbullah's weapons arsenal has steadily grown, and is now several times larger than it was in 2006, and that the kind of weapons that the enemy tried and is still trying to prevent the resistance from acquiring – namely, what Israel calls 'game-changing' weapons – is available to it in great amounts. Moreover, the enemy sees that Hizbullah, whose activity was once confined to the front along the Lebanese border, is now present along the [entire] northern front of occupied Palestine [i.e., also along the Syrian border], and has more room to maneuver than it had before. This, in addition to the extraordinary abilities it acquired in the course of the Syria war... In the security confrontation with the takfiri streams, the resistance apparatuses acquired considerable skills in the domain of intelligence, including abilities it did not have 10 years ago, [and] this in addition to the development of the resistance's military intelligence [apparatus] – [all of which] which increases the enemy's apprehension.
"The enemy now feels that Hizbullah's role in the region has grown, after it became a major player in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, with vast influence in other parts of the Arab and Muslim world [as well]. Hizbullah can influence sensitive arenas that have great [importance] for the rival axis, [an axis] which includes Arab, Israeli and Western elements. Moreover, none of the manifestations of sectarian strife [between Sunnis and Shi'ites] have harmed Hizbullah's ability to cooperate with the resistance forces in Palestine, including the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing...
"Will [the enemy] once again flee towards an all-out war [with Hizbullah]? In this context, it is pertinent to draw the attention of friend and foe alike [to the fact that] that Israel works hard to estimate the extent of Hizbullah's rocket capabilities, but after every confrontation the results prove to be the opposite [of what it predicted]. In the July 2006 war, the resistance fired 4,300 rockets at Israel in 33 days. Now the Israelis say that [in the next confrontation], Hizbullah will fire about 1,500 rockets a day. These are the enemy's estimates, and they are surely wrong!"[2]
Al-Mustaqbal Daily: Hizbullah Has Forward Positions On Border With Israel, Including Tunnels
Another report on Hizbullah's preparations for a confrontation with Israel appeared several days earlier, on January 18, 2017, in the Lebanese daily Al-Mustaqbal, owned by Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'd Al-Hariri, a prominent political rival of Hizbullah. This report indicates that Hizbullah operates south of the Litani River, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which prohibits this. It says: "Hizbullah has concealed forward positions on the international border [between Lebanon and Israel], including tunnels it dug over 10 years ago, especially in the Al-Labouna area, south of Al-Naqoura. [This area] overlooks the Palestinian coast and the [Israeli] towns of Shlomi and Nahariya."[3]
Al-Safir Daily: Hizbullah Operatives Work Day and Night Along The Israeli Border, Conducting Observations And Digging Tunnels
These reports on Hizbullah's activity in South Lebanon and its digging of tunnels join earlier reports on this in the Lebanese press that were mentioned in MEMRI reports. For example, on May 25, 2016, the pro-Hizbullah daily Al-Safir reported, in a main article marking the 16th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from South Lebanon, that Hizbullah operatives work day and night along the Israeli border, "conducting observations, preparing, and digging tunnels that cause the settlers and enemy soldiers to lose sleep." The article also noted that, in the course of its fighting in Syria, Hizbullah encountered an enemy that excavates tunnels, after becoming accustomed to being the only one digging them, and that Hizbullah had taught other resistance fighters, particularly Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the tunnel doctrine.[4]
On October 8, 2014, the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hizbullah, reported that the organization had resumed operations south of the Litani and that its activity there resembled its activity in the region in 2000-2006.[5]
[1] Moqawama.org, January 17, 2017.
[2] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), January 24, 2017.
[3] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), January 18, 2017.
[4] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No.6447, Lebanese 'Al-Safir' Daily Marks 16th Anniversary Of Israel's Withdrawal From South Lebanon: Hizbullah Is Digging Tunnels On Israel Border, May 25, 2016. Regarding the teaching of the tunnel doctrine, it should be noted that Ibrahim Al-Amin, board chairman of the pro-Hizbullah Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, wrote in a January 13, 2014 article that Hamas members fighting in Syria, in the Al-Qusayr area and other regions, had dug tunnels there, similar to the ones excavated by Hamas in Gaza. He explained that Hizbullah had taught Hamas to dig these tunnels in the days when the two organizations were cooperating in smuggling arms into Gaza and preparing military plans against Israel.
[5] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No.5857, Daily Close To Hizbullah: In Violation Of UNSCR 1701, Hizbullah Has Resumed Operations South Of The Litani River, October 13, 2014.

Lebanese Cabinet Schedules Successive Meetings Next Week to Approve State Budget
Naharnet/February 15/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri chaired a cabinet meeting on Wednesday devoted to discussing Lebanon's 2017 annual budget after the country failed to approve one since 2005. The cabinet meeting was held at the Grand Serail in the absence of Sports Minister Mohammed Fneish, State Minister for Women's Affairs Jean Oghassapian, and Defense Minister Yaaqoub al-Sarraf. “Discussions will continue on Friday and another three successive sessions have been scheduled for next week to approve the budget plan,” said Information Minister Melhem Riachi after the meeting. “Prime Minister Saad Hariri has stressed the need to improve the levying system and to approve a state budget,” added Riachi reciting the cabinet's decisions. Referring to a protest Tuesday evening outside al-Jadeed TV that aggravated into stone hurling and attempts to storm the building, Riachi said: “The cabinet has stressed the need to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the media. The justice minister assured that the judiciary will take action in that regard.”Young men from AMAL Movement staged a protest outside al-Jadeed building in Beirut after the TV network was accused of “insulting” AMAL founder Imam Moussa al-Sadr. Political rifts between Lebanon's rival political parties have obstructed an approval on a state budget since 2005. The failure to approve a budget has exacerbated Lebanon's public debt to more than $74 billion, and sent extrabudgetary spending skyrocketing. Before the cabinet convened, the ministers told media reports that new taxes will not imposed, appeasing concerns that any increase would burden the Lebanese further.

Mustaqbal Says Only State Arms Have Legitimacy to Protect Lebanon
Naharnet/February 15/17/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Wednesday stressed that only the army and the other security forces have the “legitimacy” to “protect Lebanon and its land and people,” several days after President Michel Aoun announced that Hizbullah's arms “do not contradict with the State.”“There is no legitimacy for any weapons in Lebanon other than those of the Lebanese state, as stipulated by U.N. resolution 1701,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. Mustaqbal also underlined its “insistence on the need to hold the parliamentary elections on time and according to a new law based on unified standards.” The new electoral law should not “eliminate or aggrieve any Lebanese component,” it emphasized. While Mustaqbal has rejected that the electoral law be fully based on the proportional representation system, arguing that Hizbullah's arms would prevent serious competition in the party's strongholds, Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat has totally rejected proportional representation, even within a hybrid law, warning that it would “marginalize” the minority Druze community.

Hizbullah Bloc Hails Aoun's Stance on Party's Arms
Naharnet/February 15/17/Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance bloc on Wednesday lauded President Michel Aoun's latest stance on Hizbullah's controversial arsenal of weapons. “The bloc highly appreciates the clear patriotic stances that were voiced recently by President Michel Aoun, especially in terms of his emphasis on the need for the continued presence of the resistance... and in terms of his confidence in its keenness on domestic stability,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. It also hailed Aoun for “emphasizing its positive role alongside the Lebanese army in terms of confronting Israel's attacks and liberating the rest of the occupied Lebanese land.”“This profound and confident understanding will clear things up, rectify any ambiguous apprehension and dampen any fabricated skepticism about the importance of the continued presence of the resistance and the integration of its role and performance with the project of building the State,” the bloc added. In an interview with Egypt's CBC TV on Saturday, Aoun stressed that Hizbullah's weapons “do not contradict with the State,” noting that it is “more than guaranteed” that Hizbullah will not “turn its arms inwards.”“As long as there is Israeli-occupied land and as long as the army is not strong enough to fight Israel, we sense that there is a need for the presence of the resistance's arms so that they complete the army's weapons,” Aoun said.

Berri Says Proportional Representation 'Preserves Diversity', Urges Govt. to Act on Electoral Law
Naharnet/February 15/17/Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday stressed that “protecting Lebanon and preserving diversity in the Lebanese formula can only be realized through passing a new electoral law based on proportional representation.”“In order to immunize Lebanon, we must all agree on an electoral law,” Berri said during his weekly meeting with lawmakers in Ain el-Tineh. “The government must discuss the law as soon as possible because this issue is its top priority and responsibility,” the speaker added. While al-Mustaqbal Movement has rejected that the electoral law be fully based on proportional representation, arguing that Hizbullah's arms would prevent serious competition in the party's strongholds, MP Walid Jumblat has totally rejected proportional representation, even within a hybrid law, warning it would “marginalize” his minority Druze community. Hizbullah, Mustaqbal, Berri's AMAL Movement, the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces are meanwhile discussing several formats of a so-called hybrid law. The country has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the legislature has instead twice extended its own mandate. The last polls were held under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law and the next vote is scheduled for May.

Report: Aoun's Arab Tour Confirms Lebanon's Keenness to Improve Ties
Naharnet/February 15/17/The latest visits of President Michel Aoun to Arab countries have succeeded in strengthening political and economic ties between Lebanon and its brethren Arab countries, the Kuwaiti As-Seyasah daily reported on Wednesday.“President Michel Aoun's Arab tour, which will continue through in upcoming visits to a number of Arab capitals, has achieved its objectives in terms of strengthening political and economic ties between Lebanon and its brethren Arab countries,” unnamed ministerial source told the daily. “The visit came to assure everyone that Lebanon cannot roll away from its Arab surrounding. It is keen to maintain the best Arab ties in light of the current circumstances in which Lebanon needs the help of its brothers in the redevelopment of its institutions and fortification of its political front,” added the sources. Aoun wrapped up a two-day visit on Tuesday that included Egypt and Jordan where he met with his Egyptian counter part Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II. He also visited the Cairo-based Arab League and held talks with its Secretary-General Ahmed Abul Gheit. Earlier in January, Aoun visited Saudi Arabia and met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz. He also visited Qatar where he held talks with King Hamad bin Khalifah al-Thani.

France's Le Pen to Visit Lebanon
Naharnet/February 15/17/French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen will visit Lebanon next week for talks with Lebanese leaders, a Lebanese government source said Wednesday. "Madame Le Pen will be in Beirut on the 19th and 20th, and will meet (President Michel) Aoun and (Prime Minister Saad) Hariri on Monday," the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. The latest polls for April's presidential vote show Le Pen, who heads the far-right National Front (FN) party, leading with 27 percent in the first round, but she is not expected to triumph in a run off. At her campaign launch earlier this month, Le Pen vowed to put France first and to fight "terrorism," and she has called for dialogue with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Le Pen in a magazine interview last month said Syrians were "waiting for... Assad to win this war against Islamist fundamentalists."Rival presidential hopeful and former economy minister Emmanuel Macron visited Beirut on January 24, where he met both Aoun and Hariri. While he did not call for an alliance with Assad, 39-year-old centrist Macron advocated for a "balanced policy" towards the regime and the myriad rebels fighting it. Right-wing candidate Francois Fillon, dogged by revelations his wife Penelope was paid for years for a suspected fake job as a parliamentary aide, canceled a visit early this month to Lebanon and Iraq. Paris had mandate power over Lebanon and neighboring Syria during the first half of last century.

General Security Arrests 3 Tasked with Plotting 'Bomb and Ramming Attacks'
Naharnet/February 15/17/The General Directorate of General Security on Wednesday announced the arrest of three people who were tasked by a Syria-based terrorist group to scout possible targets for “bomb and vehicle-ramming attacks” in Lebanon. In a statement, General Security said “Lebanese national M. Kh., his Lebanese wife H. H. and Palestinian refugee M. M. were arrested for belonging to a terrorist group, communicating with senior officials in it, and attempting to leave for Syria to join its ranks.”“During interrogation, they confessed to the charges, admitting that they belong to a terrorist group and that Palestinian refugee M. M. had recruited the aforementioned couple on behalf of the group,” the statement added. The Lebanese couple “traveled to Turkey with the aim of entering Syria to join the wife's relatives who fight alongside the terrorist group, but their attempt failed after they were arrested by Turkish authorities and sent back to Lebanon,” the statement said. After arriving in Lebanon, Lebanese national M. Kh. communicated with his Syria-based brother-in-law A. H. who linked him to one of the group's security handlers, General Security added. The handler tasked him with “collecting information and identifying figures or gatherings for possible bomb attacks, suicide operations or vehicle-ramming attacks that can be labeled as 'quick forays',” the statement said. He was also trained on communicating via “highly complicated encrypted messages which were deciphered by the specialized technical departments of the General Directorate of General Security.”“After interrogation, they were referred to the relevant judicial authorities and efforts are underway to arrest the rest of the culprits,” the statement added. A week ago, al-Akhbar newspaper said General Security arrested in the Choueifat area a Syrian young man suspected of plotting to carry out an act of terror. “The detainee was working as a delivery boy for one of the restaurants and he was plotting to prepare an explosive device,” al-Akhbar reported. And earlier this month, General Security announced the arrest of two Islamic State-linked men suspected of planning a suicide attack in central Beirut. Those arrests came two weeks after an attempted suicide attack at Hamra's Costa cafe that was foiled in its final minutes. Lebanon's security services claim to have prevented several attacks in recent months. The country has been hit by several suicide bombings linked to jihadist groups fighting in neighboring Syria since war broke out there in 2011. Some of the most deadly attacks took place in strongholds of Hizbullah, which is fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's forces. The last attack carried out in Lebanon was in November 2015. In June 2016, the army said it had arrested IS fighters who were preparing attacks against various parts of the Lebanese capital.

Arslan: International Resolutions Pave Way for Naturalization of Refugees
Naharnet/February 15/17/State Minister of the Displaced Talal Arslan emphasized that displaced Syrians is one of the serious challenges that Lebanon has to face, and emphasized that international decisions in that regard could pave the way for their naturalization, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday. “The crisis of displaced Syrians is one of the challenges emanating from the Syrian war. It is our duty to understand the suffering of our Syrian brothers and their agony as the result of the terror war machine, but Lebanon's potentials are much lower than it can endure at the demographic and economic levels,” said Arslan. “I have previously stated that I reject to formulate any Security Council resolution related to the displacement of Syrians so the issue won't become legitimate and turn into a documented asylum, which paves way for naturalization,” added the Minister. “Lebanon's Constitution has stated a rejection of naturalization...This will not happen.”“Everyone's contribution is more than necessary, so as to support Lebanon. The number of displaced people has become equivalent to more than one third of the Lebanese population which constitutes a threat to the socio-economic balance,” warned Arslan.
He concluded saying: “The displacement Syrians (to Lebanon) was optional compared to the involuntary Palestinian asylum. Displaced Syrians could have chosen safe regions inside Syria to flee to, which some of them have done.”Lebanon hosts more than one million Syrians who have sought refuge in Lebanon from the devastating conflict in their homeland that has killed more than 310,000 people. Another half a million undocumented Syrians also live in Lebanon.

HRW Hails Residency Waiver for Syria Refugees in Lebanon
Naharnet/February 15/17/Human Rights Watch has hailed a move by Lebanon's government to lift a $200 residency fee for Syrian nationals, but said concerns remain about some of the most vulnerable refugees. Lebanon is home to just over a million refugees from neighbouring Syria, ravaged by nearly six years of war, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees. Syrians had to pay a yearly fee of $200 to live in Lebanon legally, even if they were registered as refugees and living in tents. But last week, Lebanon's General Security announced that "Syrian refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees before 2015 can now obtain a six-month residency permit for free." The waiver was welcomed by Human Rights Watch. "A decision to lift a hefty fee that has prevented many Syrians from maintaining legal status in Lebanon is a positive step," the watchdog said on Tuesday. "If it's carried out, the decision to waive residency fees for some refugees will have a real and positive impact for many Syrian families living in Lebanon," HRW's deputy Middle East director, Lama Fakih, said. "Yet excluding large parts of the refugee population only serves to further marginalise already vulnerable people," she warned. HRW said General Security had confirmed to it that the new policy does not apply to Palestinian refugees from Syria, who are some of the most vulnerable.The waiver also excludes registered refugees who renewed their residency through a Lebanese sponsor, and those who never registered with UNHCR. At the request of the government in Beirut, UNHCR stopped registering new Syrian refugees in Lebanon in May 2015. An estimated 500,000 Syrians in Lebanon are not registered with the UN agency, according to government estimates cited by Human Rights Watch.

Cabinet intends to achieve budget draft before end of month
Wed 15 Feb 2017/NNA - Prime Minister Saad Hariri chaired today at the Grand Serail a cabinet meeting dedicated to discuss the draft state budget, in the absence of Sports Minister Mohammed Fneish, State Minister for Women's Affairs Jean Oghassapian, and Defense Minister Yaakoub al-Sarraf. After the meeting, Information Minister Melhem Riachi said: "At the onset of the meeting, Prime Minister Hariri stressed the importance of approving the 2017 budget after 12 years without budget, and the necessity of improving the tax collection system." Riachi added that he mentioned "what happened yesterday outside New TV, and asked the prime minister to invite the concerned ministers to work on protecting the freedom of media because it is essential for Lebanon's role, and also respect the freedom of expression and demonstration under the rule of law and away from violence and harming public properties."He added that the Justice Minister explained that the judiciary reacted on two levels. First it inquired about the insults against the speaker, and second about damages to public properties, the safety of people and public freedoms.
Riachi added: "After that, the cabinet discussed the draft budget for the year 2017, and it was agreed to continue discussions on Friday 17 and three other consecutive sessions scheduled next week to approve it as soon as possible". Answering reporters' questions, he said that the government intends to achieve the budget draft before the end of the month, adding: "We are discussing in details a budget after 12 years of absence of budget."

Hasbani meets Ambassador of Knights of Malta
Wed 15 Feb 2017/NNA - Charles-Henri d'Aragon, the current Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to Lebanon, on Wednesday paid an acquaintance visit to Health Minister, Ghassan Hasbani. Talks between both men reportedly touched on the strong existing relation between the order and the Lebanese state through the Ministry of Health.

Daesh security official killed in Arsal
Wed 15 Feb 2017 /NNA - A Daesh security official, Syrian national Abou Adham Al-Jawash, was found dead in Arsal, NNA field reporter said on Wednesday evening. His corps was found earlier during the day with a number of gunshots, NNA field reporter added, noting that three armed men had been seen opening fire on the deceased and then fleeing the crime scene. The corps was later transferred to Al-Rahma Hospital of Arsal.

Riachy says Al Jadid TV safe and sound, pledges everlasting freedom of media
Wed 15 Feb 2017/NNA - Information Minister, Melhem Riachy, said on Wednesday that Al-Jadid TV was safe and sound, and promised everlasting freedom of media in Lebanon. "The events that took place yesterday are behind us. Al-Jadid TV enjoys the full right to freely express its opinion. On the other hand, people have the right to protest, but they don't enjoy the right to pelt the TV station, not even with a flower," the Minister said. Angry demonstrators attempted yesterday to attack the headquarters of Al-Jadid TV channel in protest of a skit that they believe insulted Imam Musa Sadr. Around 300 protesters, some carrying the flags of the Amal Movement, gathered outside Al-Jadeed TV headquarters in Beirut's Wata Msaitbeh neighborhood, as the Lebanese Army deployed heavily to prevent them from storming into the building.The repercussions of this dispute are in the hands of the general prosecution and the Minister of Justice for pertinent follow up, the Minister confirmed, adding that both sides were very cooperative and responded positively to his attempts to end yesterday's brawl.

Samy Gemayel, Elfic tackle latest developments
Wed 15 Feb 2017/NNA - Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel met on Wednesday at the Central House in Saifi with Serbian Ambassador to Lebanon, Emir Elfic, whereby they discussed latest developments and means of bolstering ties between the two countries at the various levels especially the economic one. On the other hand, MP Gemayel met with head of the Liberal Nationalists Party MP Dory Chamoun, with talks reportedly touching on the overall situation notably the election law issue. On emerging, MP Chamoun underlined the paramount importance of respecting the Constitution and constitutional deadlines, indicating that "he has no problem with the hybrid law."

Corps of shot Syrian man found in Arsal
Wed 15 Feb 2017/NNA - An unidentified corps of a Syrian man was found in Arsal with a number of gunshots, NNA field reporter said on Wednesday, adding that the corps was later transferred to Al-Rahma Hospital of Arsal.

Awar: Aoun's position from Hezbollah's weapons is the state's official one
Wed 15 Feb 2017/NNA - "Change and Reform" parliamentary bloc member MP Fadi Al-Awar stressed on Wednesday that the President Michel Aoun's words regarding Hezbollah's weapons is the official position of the Lebanese State. "Some parties on the Lebanese scene try to trigger a disagreement between the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister," Awar told "Al-Fajr" radio station, calling upon those parties "not to fish in troubled water."Commenting on the latest developments that took place between "Amal" movement and "New T.V." station, Awar said that the incidents did not carry a clear message. Talking about the salary scale draft, he underscored that it is the right of all employees at the Lebanese state, rejecting any increase to new taxes.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 15-16/17
U.N. Chief Says 'Everything Must be Done' to Preserve 2-State Solution
Naharnet/February 15/17/U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict should be preserved, at a press conference in Cairo on Wednesday. Guterres' comments came after he met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and a day after a senior White House official said the United States would not insist on a Palestinian state alongside Israel. "There was a complete agreement" that a resolution needs a "two state-solution and that everything must be done to preserve that possibility," Guterres said after meeting Sisi. A senior Palestinian official denounced the White House comment on Wednesday, saying it was irresponsible. "This does not make sense," Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi told AFP. "This is not a responsible policy and it does not serve the cause of peace. "They cannot just say that without an alternative," she added. The White House official's comments came ahead of talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later Wednesday in Washington. "A two-state solution that doesn't bring peace is not a goal that anybody wants to achieve," the official said on condition of anonymity. For the better part of half a century, successive U.S. governments -- both Republican and Democrat -- have backed a two-state solution. PLO secretary-general Saeb Erekat said the organization remained committed to two states and would oppose any system that discriminated against Palestinians.

President alAssad: Any step on Syria's future is up to the Syrians to decide
Wed 15 Feb 2017/NNA - President Bashar al-Assad affirmed on Wednesday that any step pertaining to Syria's future is up to the Syrian people to decide. He was speaking during a meeting with the youth religious team that includes religious figures and Islamic preachers from all Syrian provinces with the attendance of Minister of Awqaf (Religious Endowments) Mohammad Abdul-Sattar al-Sayyed. During the meeting, President al-Assad affirmed that one of the most important things that the team has to tend to is reshaping terms and correcting misconceptions in order to spread the true religion in the face of extremism. President al-Assad pointed out that the war the Syrians are currently waging is a war of mind, and hence comes the need that the team members master dialogue tools and put into use the method of analysis and inference in order to establish a balanced non-superficial discourse in raising religious issues. He stressed the importance of methodology in work and the developing of criteria to the effect of creating a collective state of consciousness because "we can't understand the Holy Quran, if we do not understand life, and we can't apply it unless we understand the philosophy of life." For their part, members of the youth religious team briefed the President on their work over the past period and their plan for 2017 that will be focused on the strategy of change in the way of thinking and regarding the pattern followed in religious discourse, relying in this regard on the method of analysis and not dictation. They used the opportunity of the meeting to convey to President al-Assad Aleppo people's pride in his words when he said "the liberation of Aleppo has turned time into history. Members of the team who are from Lattakia province also conveyed to the President the great relief felt over the recent liberation of kidnapped people held by terrorist organizations in 2013. In his comments about Aleppo, President al-Assad considered that the steadfastness of the people of Aleppo has been a decisive factor in the victory over terrorism along with the sacrifices of the Syrian Arab Army, noting that Aleppo has suffered a great deal, because the plot planned against it has been a huge one. --------SANA

Syria Talks Delayed due to 'Technical Reasons'
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February 15/17/Kazakhstan said Wednesday a new round of Astana talks on the Syria conflict led by Russia, Turkey and Iran scheduled to begin February 15 would be delayed by a day due to unexplained "technical reasons". "The negotiations have been moved to February 16 for technical reasons," a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told AFP by telephone without elaboration. A subsequent statement from the foreign ministry said the talks would begin at 0600 GMT on Thursday. The "closed format" negotiations come after representatives from Damascus and the armed opposition failed to make a breakthrough at indirect talks in the city in January. The meeting -- pushed by key regime supporter Moscow -- is viewed as a warm-up for UN-led negotiations on the protracted war that are due to begin in Geneva on February 23. While Kazakh officials said they invited both the Syrian government and rebels for the new talks, several of the regime opponents who took part in the previous Astana talks told AFP that they have not received invitations. Damascus has confirmed it will be represented again by its ambassador to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari. Russia is sending presidential envoy Alexander Lavrentiev while Iran said it is dispatching deputy foreign minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari. UN envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura said he would not participate personally in the latest Astana meeting but that his office would be represented by a "technical team".  Jordan will also be represented by a "high level delegation" government spokesman Mohamed Momani said. The Astana initiative has left the West on the sidelines of the latest push to end the war in Syria that has claimed more than 300,000 lives since 2011. Moscow has invited the US to participate as an observer but the State Department has yet to confirm Washington will be involved. Talks are likely to focus on bolstering a shaky ceasefire on the ground after Moscow, Tehran and Ankara agreed to establish a "mechanism" aimed at ensuring the truce. The Geneva negotiations are expected to be wider-ranging, focussing on the key issues that divide the government and rebel sides, including the fate of President Bashar al-Assad. Russia and Iran have helped turn the tables on the ground with their military backing for Assad, while Turkey has supported rebels fighting to oust the strongman.

Syria Refugees Shrug off Peace Talks but Dream of Home
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February 15/17/Almost six years into a war that has devastated their country, Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon say they expect nothing of peace talks this month but still dream of going home. "I don't think anything will come of the talks" this week in Kazakhstan and the next in Switzerland, says Ahmad al-Khabouri, 32, at a refugee camp in Jordan. But the young man, who fled Syria with his wife and children in 2014, says he still clings on to hope of returning home some day. "I don't know if my house has been destroyed or not, but I want to return home even if we've managed to make a new life for ourselves here," he says. The war has killed more than 310,000 people and displaced millions since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011. In the Azraq refugee camp, Khabouri runs a small shop that sells shisha tobacco and bicycles, the only method of transport for around 54,000 residents in the settlement. Sitting beside him outside his shop, Khabouri's 65-year-old uncle says he still thinks about his home and surrounding fields in Daraa, the southern cradle of Syria's uprising. But he says he is just as disillusioned about the latest rounds of talks between the regime and rebels set to take place in Astana on Thursday and in Geneva on February 23. "It's all lies, whether from the regime or the opposition. They're all laughing at the Syrian people," says the man in a long white robe and a traditional keffiyeh headscarf.At a nearby electronics stall, Ali al-Ghouthani, 42, says he'll return to Syria as soon as it is safe. - 'All I want is home' -"Despite the dignified life we have here, I'll go back as soon as security returns -- even if my home is destroyed... I'll rebuild it," says the father-of-eight, who is also from Daraa. Beside him, Abdelmonem al-Muthib listens to the chirping of a caged bird brought from Syria. But he says Syria will have to be much safer for him to return. "I won't start again from scratch, even if the fighting stops... unless the situation looks at least 35 percent like it did before the war," says the father-of-six.
"If not, I'll stay here."The UN refugee agency says Jordan has taken in 655,000 Syrians since the start of the conflict, but Amman says the number is much higher at 1.4 million. In Lebanon, where the UNHCR says it has registered more than one million Syrian refugees, camp residents express similar frustration at the stagnant peace process. "We're not expecting anything. They've already met five or six times without any results," says Tarek Salloum, 24, standing outside a makeshift home in a camp in east Lebanon. "There'll be no solution because no one wants to make any concessions," says the refugee, who fled to the Marj area from the Syrian town of Zabadani across the border. "The losers are the Syrians who left their country." Qasiya Ezz, who has 10 children, says all she wants from the talks is "security and a small house for me and my children". "Whether the regime falls or not, I don't care," says the 38-year-old, her head wrapped in a black scarf. "We used to have peace in our beautiful country. All I want is to go home."

UN 'Extremely Concerned' over Conditions in West Mosul
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February 15/17/Living conditions in west Mosul, where jihadists are hunkering down among 750,000 Iraqi civilians, are deteriorating fast and a source of great concern, the UN's top aid official said Wednesday. "We are extremely concerned about the rapid deterioration of the conditions in west Mosul," United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Iraq Lise Grande told reporters. "Families are in big trouble, half of the shops have been closed," she said while visiting Hasansham, a displacement camp between Mosul and Arbil, the nearby capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.
Iraqi federal forces have almost completely encircled Mosul, whose east side they retook from the Islamic State group last month. Four months into a huge offensive to reconquer the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq, they are now poised to launch an assault on the city's west bank. Slightly smaller than the east side but densely populated, the west bank is thought to shelter around three quarters of a million people who have been living in siege-like conditions for weeks. A smaller than expected number of people fled their homes when elite Iraqi forces punched into east Mosul three months ago but Grande said the aid community was planning for larger displacement from the west. According to the UN, nearly 200,000 people have been displaced since the October 17 start of the operation to retake Iraq's second largest city. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that 46,000 of them have since returned to their homes. "We expect as many as 250,000 civilians may leave western Mosul," Grande said Wednesday during her visit to Hasansham camp. She said there were currently 20 displacement camps and emergency sites around the city and added that the UN and its partners were "rushing to construct new sites south of Mosul."

Bahrain Blast Wounds Two Civilians on Uprising Anniversary
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February 15/17/An explosion wounded two civilian passers-by in Bahrain, the interior ministry said early Wednesday, as demonstrators were marking the sixth anniversary of an anti-government uprising that was bloodily suppressed. The ministry did not say what caused Tuesday evening's blast in a village outside the capital Manama but demonstrators sometimes throw petrol bombs during the sporadic protests that still grip the Sunni-ruled but Shiite-majority kingdom. "Terrorist blast in Sitra causes minor injuries to a married couple passing the site. Police at the scene," the ministry said on its Twitter account without elaborating. It also tweeted a picture of a black 4X4 with a shattered windscreen and significant damage to the front bonnet. The blast came as demonstrators clashed with police in Manama and several nearby villages. The demonstration in the capital ended when police fired tear gas and stun grenades, witnesses said. Activists posted pictures of injured protesters online, but the interior ministry has not published any official statements about the reported demonstrations. The Shiite-led protests of February 2011 sought a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister to replace the current government dominated by the ruling Al-Khalifa family. Authorities crushed them the following month with the support of Saudi-led forces who secured key installations. Since then, the authorities have banned the Shiite opposition and handed long jail terms to many of its leaders. Some have been stripped of their citizenship. Tiny but strategic Bahrain lies just across the Gulf from Iran and is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

Trump says Israel, Palestine must make compromises
By Staff Writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 15 February 2017/US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would work to bring about peace between Israel and Palestinians, but it would be up to the parties themselves ultimately to reach an agreement. “The United States will encourage a peace and really a great peace deal,” Trump said during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We will be working on it very, very diligently. But it is the parties themselves who must directly negotiate such an agreement,” Trump said. Speaking on two-state or other solution for Mideast peace Trump added: “I’m happy with the one they like the best.” But he said Palestinians must ‘get rid of hate’.Trump said ultimately both sides would have to make compromises. And he called on Israel to hold back on building further settlements for a ‘little bit’. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he wanted to focus on “substance” and not “labels”, when asked about support for a two-state solution for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. “Rather than deal with labels, I want to deal with substance,” Netanyahu said. “There are two prerequisites for peace. First the Palestinians must recognize the Jewish state... Second, in any peace agreement, Israel must retain the overriding security control over the entire area west of the Jordan River,” he said. Meanwhile Trump hailed the United States “unbreakable” bond with Israel and promised Netanyahu that Iran would never be permitted to build a nuclear weapon. Trump’s vow was designed to address Israeli concerns over the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, which Netanyahu has warned expires too soon to permanently remove the threat. “With this visit the United States, again, reaffirms our unbreakable bond with our cherished ally, Israel,” Trump said. “The security challenges faced by Israel are enormous, including the threat of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which I’ve talked a lot about,” he said. “One of the worst deals I’ve ever seen is the Iran deal. My administration has already imposed new sanctions on Iran, and I will do more to prevent Iran from ever developing - I mean ever - a nuclear weapon.”The Iran nuclear deal was reached in July, 2015 and went into effect the next year. Under its terms Iran agreed to dismantle part of its nuclear program, surrender enriched fuel and submit to international inspection. But critics of the agreement, including Netanyahu, have argued then when some of the terms of the deal expire in 10 and 15 years it will leave Tehran on the threshold of building a bomb. (With Agencies)

Pentagon may recommend US deploy troops in Syria
By Reuters, Washington Thursday, 16 February 2017/The US Defense Department may recommend that the United States deploy regular combat troops to Syria for the first time to fight ISIS militants, CNN reported on Wednesday. The idea is one of several ideas the Pentagon is considering after President Donald Trump gave defense officials until the end of the month to come up with proposals to speed up the war against ISIS. A small number of US special forces operate in the war-torn country but the previous Obama administration had rejected putting combat troops into the middle of Syria’s civil war. CNN said sending conventional ground forces into Syria was one of several ideas being considered. It said the idea was not fully developed and the Pentagon had not yet proposed it to Trump.

Russia strikes Syria after ‘Death Over Humiliation’ rebel battle
Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Reuters Amman Wednesday, 15 February 2017/Russian jets pounded rebel-held areas of the Syrian city of Deraa on Tuesday for a second day in the first such intensive bombing campaign since Moscow's major intervention in Syria more than a year ago, rebels and witnesses said. Rebel groups on Sunday stormed the heavily-garrisoned Manshiya district in a battle dubbed "Death rather than Humiliation" saying the campaign sought to obstruct any army attempts to capture a strategic border crossing with Jordan. The army's control of the rebel held crossing and swatches of territory in the southern strip of the city would sever the rebel link between the eastern and west parts of the city. The Syrian army said the "terrorists" had failed to make gains and its troops had inflicted many casualties. State media said the armed insurgents showered civilian districts of the southern city with mortars, wrecking many homes.The opposition fighters are drawn from both moderate Free Syrian Army groups and members of a newly formed alliance - Tahrir al Sham - spearheaded by a faction that was once al-Qaeda's official affiliate. A rebel source said there were at least 30 Russian sorties on Tuesday, thwarting further rebel gains in the heavily defended enclave that had allowed them so far to secure significant parts of the Manshiya. "When the regime began to lose control of some areas ... the Russian jets began their operations," said Ibrahim Abdullah, a senior rebel commander. The fighting also spread across other parts of the city as rebels fired mortars on government controlled parts of the city. Ground-to-ground missiles were also deployed from army barracks to pound rebel held quarters of the city, residents said. The battles inside the city are the most intense since an alliance of mainstream rebels, known as "The Southern Front" who are backed by Western and Arab foes of President Bashar al Assad launched an unsuccessful large scale military campaign to capture the whole city in 2015. The province that borders both Israel and Jordan has escaped the devastation wreaked by Russia's aerial bombing of northern Syria after Moscow stepped up its military involvement in Syria in 2015. The Syrian army has so far failed to recapture the border crossing, a once thriving passenger and commercial gateway with Jordan, despite repeated efforts. "There is not a single day that passes without the regime trying to make advances," Salamah Aba Zaid, a resident in Deraa said. At least half of the southern province is in the hands of Free Syrian Army rebels but groups affiliated with ISIS have a foothold in an area to the west of Deraa in the Wadi Yarmouk area near the Golan Heights. Aid workers said jets hit a Western-funded field hospital in Deraa and raids killed at least seven members of one family in the border area, where many residents fled in the early days of the Syrian conflict.The Washington-based International Rescue Committee, which supports the hospital that was targeted, said in a statement that four health workers were injured in the attack.

Mattis Says NATO Allies Must Pay More or U.S. Will 'Moderate Its Commitment'
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February 15/17/U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis warned NATO allies Wednesday that Washington would "moderate its commitment" to the alliance unless they boost their spending. "No longer can the American taxpayer carry a disproportionate share of the defense of Western values," Mattis said in prepared remarks given to his counterparts at NATO headquarters in Brussels. "If your nations do not want to see America moderate its commitment to this alliance, each of your capitals need to show support for our common defense."

Trump Says 2-State Solution Not Only Answer to Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February 15/17/U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was open to a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict if it is acceptable to both sides while urging Israel to hold back on settlement construction "for a little bit.""I'm looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like. I'm very happy with the one that both parties like. I can live with either one," Trump said at a press conference welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House. "I thought for a while the two-state looked like it may be the easier of the two, but honestly, if Bibi and if the Palestinians -- if Israel and the Palestinians are happy, I'm happy with the one they like the best," he said. Trump expressed hope that a Middle East peace can be achieved despite a deadlock hardened by Israel's construction of settlement homes in the Palestinian territories. Israeli plans for settlement construction in the West Bank have accelerated since Trump was sworn into office on January 20. "As far as settlements, I would like to see you hold back on settlements for a little bit," Trump told Netanyahu. "We'll work something out, but I would like to see a deal be made. I think a deal will be made. I know that every president would like to."To achieve peace, Trump said, the Israelis are going to have to show "more flexibility than they have in the past." "I think the Palestinians have to get rid of some of that hate that they're taught from a very young age. They're taught tremendous hate."
Trump, who promised during the US presidential campaign to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, said he would "love to see that happen.""We're looking at it very, very strongly. We're looking at it with great care. Believe me. We'll see what happens. Okay?"Israel, which annexed East Jerusalem after capturing it in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, declared it its united capital in 1980. No U.S. president has recognized it as such despite a law passed by Congress in 1995 requiring the embassy to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Experts warn that moving the embassy would likely inflame Palestinians, creating further obstacles to peace.

Trump Denies Talk of Russian Connection as 'Non-Sense'
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February 15/17/ President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed talk of a Russian connection as "non-sense," two days after the resignation of his national security adviser Michael Flynn renewed questions about Moscow interference in U.S. politics. "This Russian connection non-sense is merely an attempt to cover-up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton's losing campaign," Trump said in an early morning post on Twitter. The New York Times on Tuesday reported that US intelligence agents intercepted calls showing that members of Trump's campaign had repeated contacts with top Russian intelligence officials in the year preceding the November 8 presidential election.
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in January that Russia had intervened in the electoral process at least in part to help Republican property tycoon Trump win.
In a barrage of tweets, Trump took fresh aim at some of the media Wednesday, while praising the conservative Fox television network. "The fake news media is going crazy with their conspiracy theories and blind hatred. @MSNBC & @CNN are unwatchable. @foxandfriends is great!" he tweeted. Trump also accused the U.S. intelligence services of having leaked information, directly pointing the finger at the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Information is being illegally given to the failing @nytimes & @washington post by the intelligence community (NSA and FBI?) Just like Russia," Trump wrote. He lobbed a hardball at his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, writing "Crimea was TAKEN by Russia during the Obama Administration. Was Obama too soft on Russia?"

Trump Promises Netanyahu that Iran Will Never Get Nuclear Bomb
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February 15/17/President Donald Trump hailed the United States' "unbreakable" bond with Israel on Wednesday and promised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Iran would never be permitted to build a nuclear weapon. Trump's vow was designed to address Israeli concerns over the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, which Netanyahu has warned expires too soon to permanently remove the threat. "With this visit the United States, again, reaffirms our unbreakable bond with our cherished ally, Israel," Trump said.
"The security challenges faced by Israel are enormous, including the threat of Iran's nuclear ambitions, which I've talked a lot about," he said. "One of the worst deals I've ever seen is the Iran deal. My administration has already imposed new sanctions on Iran, and I will do more to prevent Iran from ever developing -- I mean ever -- a nuclear weapon."The Iran nuclear deal was reached in July, 2015 and went into effect the next year. Under its terms Iran agreed to dismantle part of its nuclear program, surrender enriched fuel and submit to international inspection. But critics of the agreement, including Netanyahu, have argued then when some of the terms of the deal expire in 10 and 15 years it will leave Tehran on the threshold of building a bomb.

Egypt Chief-of-Staff Mediates between Libyan Rivals in Cairo
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February 15/17/Egypt's chief-of-staff has mediated between two Libyan rivals who refused to meet face to face in Cairo but later agreed to form a committee to renegotiate a U.N. peace deal.
Col. Tamer el-Rifai, an Egyptian army spokesman, says the two — the head of Libya's U.N.-backed government, Fayez Serraj, and Khalifa Hifter, the country's most powerful army commander — met separately with Egypt's chief-of-staff, Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy late on Tuesday. He says they agreed to form a joint committee that would make key changes to the 2015 U.N.-brokered peace deal. Once the parliament, based in eastern Libya, endorses the changes, it would pave the way for parliamentary and presidential elections next year. Libya's east-based parliament does not recognize the U.N.-backed government set up in the country's capital, Tripoli.

Egypt Says Libya Rivals Agree to Explore Ways to End Rift
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February 15/17/Rival powers in Libya have agreed to form a committee to explore amending a U.N.-backed deal to end the country's political turmoil, Egypt announced on Wednesday after hosting talks. The head of Libya's unity government Fayez al-Sarraj and rival army chief Marshal Khalifa Haftar had been in Cairo this week for talks mediated by the Egyptian army. They agreed to set up "a joint committee" to formulate amendments to the deal that set up the unity government, the military said in a statement. Libyan media reported that Sarraj and Haftar did not meet face to face during the talks in Cairo. Sarraj's U.N.-backed Government of National Accord has struggled to assert its authority across the North African country since starting work in Tripoli nearly a year ago. Haftar, whose forces control much of the eastern Cyrenaica region, is backed by a parliament based in the east that has refused to pass a vote of confidence in the unity government. Sarraj met Haftar in January last year in the eastern town of al-Marj shortly after he was named GNA head. The U.N.-brokered deal gave Haftar no role in the unity government, but the Egypt-backed strongman made clear he was a key player when he seized control of Libya's main eastern oil export terminals in September. U.N. envoy Martin Kobler said last week that talks had made progress on "possible amendments" to the deal, notably on Haftar's future role. A source close to Haftar said on Tuesday that the strongman had been seeking guarantees that any changes that were agreed would not be blocked by powerful militias from Libya's third city Misrata that have been one of the main armed supports for the unity government.

Palestinians Say U.S. Shift on 2-State Solution Irresponsible
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/February 15/17/U.S. President Donald Trump's break with decades of support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is irresponsible and does not advance peace, a senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday.
"This does not make sense," Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi told AFP. "This is not a responsible policy and it does not serve the cause of peace. "They cannot just say that without an alternative," she added. On Tuesday, a senior White House official said the United States would no longer seek to dictate the terms of any eventual peace settlement by insisting on a Palestinian state alongside Israel, but would support whatever the two sides agree together. The comments came ahead of White House talks between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later Wednesday. "A two-state solution that doesn't bring peace is not a goal that anybody wants to achieve," the official said on condition of anonymity. "Peace is the goal, whether that comes in the form of a two-state solution if that's what the parties want, or something else if that's what the parties want." For the better part of half a century, successive U.S. governments -- both Republican and Democrat -- have backed a two-state solution. PLO secretary-general Saeb Erekat said the organization remained committed to two states and would oppose any system that discriminated against Palestinians. "Israel refuses one democratic secular state where Jews, Muslims and Christians can be equal and those in government in Israel want to destroy the two-state solution," he told a press conference.
"The alternative will not and cannot be one state, two systems."
Trump has not spoken directly to the Palestinian leadership since taking office last month.
A spokesman for Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that controls Gaza, said the announcement was "confirmation that the so-called peace process is an illusion."Unlike the PLO, Hamas does not recognize Israel, and calls on the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank to drop its openness to negotiations. Netanyahu's visit comes amid pressure from many of his allies to use Trump's election as an opportunity to kill off the two-state solution. It is the first time in four terms that Netanyahu's leadership has coincided with a Republican in the White House. Gilad Erdan, the internal security minister from Netanyahu's Likud Party, said Monday that not one government minister supports a Palestinian state. Ashrawi accused Trump of bowing to Netanyahu's rightwingers. "The U.S. administration is trying to accommodate Netanyahu's extremist coalition," she said. Sallai Meridor, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. under the previous government, said the announcement may make it harder to get meaningful negotiations. "It is difficult to see the Palestinians coming to the table today without the formula of the Palestinian state," he told reporters. "Nor is it likely to see the Arab countries feel comfortable joining any process if the issue of a Palestinian state is not on the table."

UN Envoy: Progress on Cyprus Security Deal, Long Way to Go
Associated Press/Naharnet/February 15/17/A United Nations envoy says progress has been made on a compromise formula regarding how security will be enforced after ethnically divided Cyprus is reunified. But Espen Barth Eide told the AP there's still "a long way to go" on a structure meeting the security concerns of rival Greek and Turkish Cypriots, as well as the east Mediterranean island's "guarantors" — Greece, Turkey and Britain. Eide said after talks with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades Wednesday that the U.N. is assisting in "structuring" the deal. The complex issue of security has long stumped peace talks. Breakaway Turkish Cypriots insist on keeping Turkish troops and granting Turkey intervention rights in a reunified Cyprus, something which Greek Cypriots reject. Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup aimed at union with Greece.

Iran: Tehran Bazaar Is Not Safe and Acts Like a Time Bomb
NCRI/ Wednesday, 15 February 2017/- Acknowledging the lack of safety in Tehran Bazaar, a member of Tehran City Council said that Tehran Bazaar is like a time bomb that if activated, will lead to a disaster much heavier and more destructive than what happened in Plasco. Pointing to his visit to Tehran Bazaar, Ahmad Hakimpour said on Tuesday February 14 that “emergency measures need to be taken regarding Bazaar’s wiring system as the wires are hanging from the ceiling of corridors and shops with no external shields while disregarding any safety measures, so that even a spark can lead to a huge fire in this historical arena.” According to state-run ‘shoraonline.ir’ website, Hakimpour also pointed to the heating issue as one of Bazaar’s major problems, saying “many parts of Bazaar are lacking a natural gas pipeline system, with shopkeepers using electric or oil heaters for heating purposes.”
The member of Tehran City Council regarded this as a huge risk for Bazaar’s fabrics and clothing businesses. “with only a single piece of fabric getting close to such non-standard heaters, a fire the extent of a Bazaar will break out”, he said, “besides, the width of passages in some parts of Bazaar are so narrow that even firefighting motorcycles can’t go through.” Hakimipour said that the firefighting equipments and facilities in Tehran Bazaar are too little, maintaining that “the possibility of aid operations with such equipments is close to zero.”Hakimpour also lamented the fact that despite Bazaar’s critical conditions, unauthorized constructions inconsistent with Bazaar’s historical architecture are still going on, making Bazaar’s loose soil even looser. It is noteworthy that there are 256 tower blocks in Tehran, of which no information is available in Tehran municipality. If for any reason, something similar to Plasco incident happens for any of them, it will turn into yet another disaster”, says Pirooz Hanachi, Secretary of Iran High Council of Urban Development & Architecture. According to state-run ISNA news agency, Hanachi said on Wednesday February 8 that “a final report is being compiled which shows there’s no information on the conditions of this number of tower blocks in Tehran.”“The 256 tower blocks are generally located in northern parts of Tehran on narrow passages, so that it would be too difficult to carry out aid operations with available facilities”, said Hanachi. “Plasco building was fairly resistant against fire”, he added, “but it collapsed due to its not being equipped with fire suppression system.” Meanwhile, a member of Tehran City Council named ‘Ahmad Masjed Jamei’ acknowledged that crisis management in the capital is too inefficient and that it itself needs to be managed. He had previously said that when fire started in Plasco building, no crisis management team was in place. “Following the fire in Plasco building, I visited the place and saw no crisis management team over there”, he said.

Maryam Rajavi: The Only Solution for the Acute Crises in Khuzistan Is to Escalate Popular Protests and Rise up to Drive Back the Clerical Regime
NCRI Statements/ Wednesday, 15 February 2017/The people of Ahwaz shouted, "Death to tyranny", "death to repression", "we, the people of Ahwaz won't accept oppression!"The people of Ahwaz have taken to the streets today for the third consecutive day to protest the disastrous air pollution and frequent water and power cut-offs in the capital of Khuzistan Province. The clerical regime has intervened by suppressive forces and machine-gun-mounted vehicles over the past days and blocked the streets leading to the Governor's Building, the suspended bridge and the Firefighting Sq. to curb the spread of protests. The protesters chant, "Death to tyranny", "death to repression", "we, the people of Ahwaz, won't accept oppression", "incompetent officials must be expelled", "impostor (Massoumeh) Ebtekar, resign, resign", "clean air is our right, Ahwaz is our city", "Shame on the State Security Force", and "unite, unite!" They also shouted slogans against the Governor of Khuzistan. The Iranian regime has carried out an array of treacherous plans in Khuzistan Province which have led to a disastrous environmental condition in the area and jeopardized people's health and living. The plans including the diversion of Karoun and Karkheh rivers' water, excessive building of dams, and the Oil Ministry's use of quick and cheap methods of oil extraction, have dried up the ponds and lakes in the area including the famous Hoor al-Azim wetland and Shadegan lagoon. Underlining the environmental crisis and the increasing problems of the people of Ahwaz and Khuzistan, the Iranian Resistance's President-elect Maryam Rajavi called on the nation to help decrease the pressure on the deprived people of this area, especially the sick and vulnerable. The Iranian mullahs' regime is the source of all the acute problems that have caused frequent water and power cut-offs and led to unemployment and various diseases, Mrs. Rajavi said. She pointed out: One cannot expect the mullahs and the regime's leaders and officials provide any solutions. The solution lies in the people's escalation of protests and uprising to drive back the regime and its officials who have created so many problems in their daily life. The Iranian Resistance's President-elect hailed the people of Ahwaz and Khuzistan, particularly the women and youths, and urged them to unite their ranks to continue their protests and demonstrations in solidarity.
The secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/February 15, 2017

Iran: Signing Trade Deals in Swedish Ambassador's Residence in Tehran
NCRI/Wednesday, 15 February 2017/ According to terrorist Quds Force’s Tasnim news agency, several trade deals, including opening Iran-Sweden chamber of commerce, were signed during Swedish PM and his accompanying delegation’s visit to Tehran. The strange part of the story, however, is that the deals were signed in Swedish Ambassador’s residence in Tehran! A number of senior government officials attended the ceremony, including Minister of Industry and Mining ‘Nematzadeh’, Minister of Energy ‘Chitsaz’, and Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs ‘Majid Takht-Ravanchi’. It’s not clear why the ceremony was held in Swedish Ambassador’s house, with no official news being released on the details of the deals or the ceremony. Hossein Shariatmadari, Khamenei’s representative in Kayhan newspaper, has written in this regard: “our respected government officials should explain what made them accede to such humiliating measure? This raises the suspicion that as if some of our government officials planned to have whisper-in-the-ear or secret talks which they didn’t want other regime’s officials be aware of, thus to avoid any future explanation or responding! We hope that’s not the case!"
“It should also be pointed out in this regard, that the released photos of the ceremony show the women in the delegation accompanying Swedish PM were wearing no Hijab in the ceremony”, added Shariatmadari. Swedish PM Stefan Lofven arrived in Tehran Friday February 10 at the top of a diplomatic and economic delegation. He met yesterday with a number of Iranian regime’s officials, including Khamenei and Hassan Rouhani. Five memorandum of cooperation was signed on Saturday February 11 between the Iranian regime and the Swedish delegation. This comes at a time when Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish medicine expert, has been held in prison in Iran from Spring on charges of spying, while his family and human rights organizations have announced that he’s been threatened with execution. Amnesty International writes in this regard: “Ahmadreza Jalali appeared in the revolutionary court branch 15 on January 31, without a lawyer. He was informed by the judge that he’s been charged with spying and may face death penalty.”

Iran: People Set the Police Headquarters on Fire in Protest Against Killing a Youth
NCRI/ Wednesday, 15 February 2017/ According to the released reports, the people of Shadegan (located in Khuzestan Province – southwestern Iran) in a protest against the murder of a young man, attacked the police headquarters, setting it on fire. According to the reports, the sporadic clashes have continued in Shadegan on Monday night of February 13th and the city has been tightened with security. The clashes broke out on Friday night of February 11th after the police forces started shooting two motorcyclists in a police chase in the vicinity of Shadegan Dates Bazaar. During the police operation, a young man named Abu-Qabish got killed while he was shopping and the two motorcyclists were injured. The Intelligence agents of the regime said to the families of the victims that they are not allowed to hold a funeral ceremony. Additionally, the bodies are delivered to the families provided that they will be buried in Qom City, located in the south of Tehran Province.

Dominican journalists shot dead midbroadcast
Wed 15 Feb 2017/NNA - Two journalists were shot dead during a live radio broadcast in the Dominican Republic, police and media said. Unidentified attackers burst into the 103.5 FM studio as presenter Luis Manuel Medina was reading the news on air on Tuesday and shot him dead, station employees were quoted as saying by local media. Moments before that the station's director Leonidas Martinez was killed in his office, they said.In a video of the broadcast, which was streamed on Facebook, gunfire is heard as Medina reads the news and a woman's voice is heard calling "Shots, shots!""Two people have died and one has been injured," national police spokesman William Alcantara told reporters. He identified the injured person as the station's secretary. The attack occurred at the radio station's office in San Pedro de Macoris, east of the capital Santo Domingo. The Miami-based Interamerican Press Society (SIP) condemned the 103.5 FM "tragedy" in a statement. Media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders says that journalists who tackle corruption and drug trafficking in the Dominican Republic often fall victim to attacks.--AFP

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 15-16/17
The Muslim Brotherhood: Wellspring of Terrorism
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/February 15/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=52347
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9942/muslim-brotherhood-terrorism
The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Egypt released an official statement calling on its supporters to "prepare" for "jihad", in January 2015.
"The Muslim Brotherhood at all levels have repeatedly defended Hamas attacks... including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians." — UK government expert review of the Muslim Brotherhood, December 2015.
The Muslim Brotherhood not only funds one of the most virulent terrorist groups, Hamas, but there is barely any daylight between the various leaderships of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Hamas.
Most of the terrorists who later founded al Qaeda were rooted in the MB. Osama bin Laden was apparently recruited as a young man to the MB, whereas Ayman al Zawahiri joined the MB at the age of 14 and went on to found the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ),"an organization that.... holds many of the same beliefs as the MB but simply refuses to renounce violence inside Egypt" — Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The Muslim Brotherhood believes today what it has always believed: that a caliphate, where sharia law will rule, must be established through jihad. Refusing to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization would be a grave mistake, playing straight into the strategy of the Brotherhood and, once more, revealing to the world the extreme gullibility of the West.
The Trump administration is considering designating the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) a foreign terrorist organization, and Human Rights Watch is outraged.
"Designating the Muslim Brotherhood a 'foreign terrorist organization' would wrongly equate it with violent extremist groups like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State and make their otherwise lawful activities illegal," said Human Rights Watch. The press release went on to repeat the old claim that "...the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt officially renounced violence in the 1970s and sought to promote its ideas through social and political activities".
Adding its voice to the Muslim Brotherhood's apologists, the New York Times wrote:
"A political and social organization with millions of followers, the Brotherhood officially renounced violence decades ago and won elections in Egypt after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Affiliated groups have joined the political systems in places like Tunisia and Turkey, and President Barack Obama long resisted pressure to declare it a terrorist organization."
For decades, the Muslim Brotherhood has pushed a specific public narrative, intended exclusively for Western consumption. Just how extremely effective the MB has been was demonstrated in 2011, when then Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, unbelievably, claimed that the MB was "... largely secular... has eschewed violence and has decried Al Qaeda as a perversion of Islam...They have pursued social ends, a betterment of the political order in Egypt...there is no overarching agenda, particularly in pursuit of violence".
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
The founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan Al-Banna made jihadist violence a focal point of his movement. He wrote, "Death is art" and "Fighting the unbelievers involves all possible efforts that are necessary to dismantle the power of the enemies of Islam." The MB inducts members into its deliberatively secretive and opaque network with the pledge that "Jihad is our way" and "Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope."
It is, in fact, difficult to overstate the importance of the MB in promoting and spreading jihad in the 20th century and onwards[1]. As the UK government's expert review of the MB, published in December 2015, concluded:
"[The Muslim Brotherhood's] public narrative -- notably in the West -- emphasized engagement not violence. But there have been significant differences between Muslim Brotherhood communications in English and Arabic; there is little evidence that the experience of power in Egypt has caused a rethinking in the Muslim Brotherhood of its ideology or conduct. UK official engagement with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood produced no discernible change in their thinking. Indeed even by mid-2014 statements from Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood-linked media platforms seem to have deliberately incited violence".
The UK review goes on to say:
"The Muslim Brotherhood at all levels have repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians. The Muslim Brotherhood facilitate funding for Hamas. The leadership of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, its Jordanian counterpart and Hamas are closely connected. There are wider links with Muslim Brotherhood affiliates throughout the region and senior Muslim Brotherhood figures and associates have justified attacks against coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan".
In other words, the Muslim Brotherhood not only funds one of the most virulent terrorist groups, Hamas, but there is barely any daylight between the various leaderships of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Hamas. (According to article two of the Hamas Charter, "The Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] is one of the wings of Moslem Brotherhood in Palestine. Moslem Brotherhood Movement is a universal organization which constitutes the largest Islamic movement in modern times").
The indictment could not be more damning.
Another terrorist group rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood is Egyptian terrorist group Jamaat al-Islamiyya. This group came into existence, conveniently, when it broke away from the Muslim Brotherhood, after the latter denounced the use of violence in the 1970s. Creating a new terrorist organization was a brilliant strategy, which allowed for the Muslim Brotherhood to polish its image as a peaceful organization, leaving the dirty terrorist work to so-called "offshoots" or proxies. Indeed, Jamaat al-Islamiyya used the writings of the Muslim Brotherhood's chief ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, as an ideological basis. Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, who was convicted and jailed in the United States as the perpetrator of the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, was the spiritual leader of Jamaat al-Islamiyya.
The New York Times itself featured a lengthy article called "The Philosopher of Islamic Terror" about Sayyid Qutb in its magazine in March 2003, stating that he was "...the intellectual hero of every one of the groups that eventually went into Al Qaeda, their Karl Marx... their guide". Most of the terrorists who later founded al Qaeda were rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood. Osama bin Laden was apparently recruited as a young man to the MB, whereas Ayman al-Zawahiri joined the MB at the age of 14 and went on to found the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, "an organization that holds many of the same beliefs as the MB but simply refuses to renounce violence inside Egypt", according to The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). It subsequently merged with bin Laden's organization. The lead hijacker of 9/11, Mohammed Atta, was also a member of the MB. The list goes on.
"The objective, then, is to strike terror into the hearts of God's enemies, who are also the enemies of the advocates of Islam..." — Sayyid Qutb, chief ideologue of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950s and 1960s.
In January 2015, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt released an official statement calling on its supporters to "prepare" for jihad:
"It is incumbent upon everyone to be aware that we are in the process of a new phase, where we summon what is latent in our strength, where we recall the meanings of jihad and prepare ourselves, our wives, our sons, our daughters, and whoever marched on our path to a long, uncompromising jihad, and during this stage we ask for martyrdom."
The statement also quotes at length the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, disproving the claim that the Muslim Brotherhood has broken with its violent past:
"Imam al-Bana prepared the jihad brigades that he sent to Palestine to kill the Zionist usurpers and the second [Supreme] Guide Hassan al-Hudaybi reconstructed the 'secret apparatus' to bleed the British occupiers."
After the official statement was released, Eric Trager, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), stated:
"Muslim Brothers have been committing violent acts for a very long time. Under [Egypt's former president, Mohamed] Morsi, Muslim Brothers tortured protesters outside the presidential palace. After Morsi's ouster, they have frequently attacked security forces and state property... But until now, the official line from the Brotherhood was to support this implicitly by justifying its causes, without justifying the acts themselves. So the Brotherhood's open call to jihad doesn't necessarily mean a tactical shift, but a rhetorical one."
Terrorism expert and national security reporter Patrick Poole added:
"It [the call for jihad] invokes the Muslim Brotherhood's terrorist past, specifically mentioning the 'special apparatus' that waged terror in the 1940s and 1950s until the Nasser government cracked down on the group, as well as the troops sent by founder Hassan al-Banna to fight against Israel in 1948. It concludes saying that the Brotherhood has entered a new stage, warns of a long jihad ahead, and to prepare for martyrdom... What remains to be seen is how this announcement will be received inside the Beltway, where the vast majority of the 'experts' have repeatedly said that the Brotherhood had abandoned its terrorist past, which it is now clearly reviving, and had renounced violence,"
There is nothing peaceful, lawful or democratic about the Muslim Brotherhood. It believes today what it has always believed and openly stated: that a caliphate, where sharia law will rule, must be established through jihad. Refusing to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization would be a grave mistake, playing straight into the strategy of the Brotherhood and, once more, revealing to the world the extreme gullibility of the West and its boundless willingness to believe anything the Muslim Brotherhood throws its way.
**Judith Bergman is a writer, columnist, lawyer and political analyst.
[1] As Fereydoun Hoveyda writes in his book, The Broken Crescent: The "Threat" of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism:
"...aspiring terrorists from all over the world poured into Egypt... to learn from al-Banna's men the art of eliminating the enemies of Islam. While training terrorists and directing murders, Sheikh Hassan denied involvement in the assassinations and attacks, using what Shiite clerics called ketman (holy dissimulation). Indeed, deceiving infidels was admitted by all Muslims, and Shiites even extended the dissimulation to other Muslims when the security of their 'cause' was at stake".
© 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.

Should Western Powers Ban The Muslim Brotherhood As A Terrorist Group?
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/February 15/17
Should the Western powers declare the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization and ban it? Or should they engage it with a view to transforming it into a firewall against Islamist terror?
Though these questions have been posed in Western capitals for a number of years, they are now debated with greater intensity for two reasons.
The first is that with the end of President Obama’s administration in Washington old and well-entrenched suspicions of the Western powers about any form of political Islam are returning to the surface.
The second is that the new US administration under President Donald J. Trump has fixed “the total destruction of Islamic radicalism” as a high priority without spelling out what this exactly means and how it is to be achieved.
Last summer the French presidency compiled a report on the subject with the conclusion that the Muslim Brotherhood, strongly present in the officially recognized France’s Muslim Council, should be regarded as a key interlocutor in developing a national strategy to defeat terrorism.
And in November 2016, the British House of Commons’ foreign affairs committee produced a similar report but fixed a set of conditions that Islamist groups must fulfill before they are “engaged” at an official level in any joint effort to contain and combat terrorism.
Both reports were influenced by Obama’s analysis of radical Islamic movements that seek to transform the Muslim nations if not the entire world. Obama refused to use the label terrorism for any Islamic group and divided the Islamist movements into two categories: violent extremists and non-violent extremists.
As for non-violent extremists, Obama argued that Western democracies should give them full freedom within the law and engage them in pursuit of common interests. It didn’t matter if the extreme views or behavior of those groups, including dress codes and rules of physical appearance, were shocking to citizens of Western democracies. Nor did it matter if they did not share democratic values or even if they arranged their private lives in accordance with the Islamic shari’ah or traditional law.
All that they were required to do was not to have recourse to violence and operate within the laws of the land where they lived.
Obama’s analysis would isolate “violent extremists”, individuals and groups who were prepared to sue force, including terrorism, to advance their views. They could not be given space to use their violent methods in pursuit of their goals.
The British House of Commons report, however, implicitly regarded Obama’s analysis as naïve and potentially counter-productive. It fixed three criteria for engaging what it termed “political Islam” at an official level:
1)-Participation in, and preservation of, democracy. Support for democratic culture, including a commitment to give up power after an election defeat.
2)-An interpretation of faith that protects the rights, freedoms, and social policies that are broadly congruent with UK values.
3)-Non-violence, as a fundamental and unambiguous commitment.
In theory at least there is no reason why any Islamist group operating in a Western democracy should not accept those conditions, at least on the surface.
The problem, however, is that there is no commonly acceptable definition of “political Islam”. One view, espoused especially in the Islamic Republic in Iran, is that, separate from politics Islam would cease to exist. In other words, politics should be regarded as the principal expression of the Islamic faith.
At the other end of the spectrum there are Muslim scholars, especially among Sufis and quietest clerics, who insist that presenting Islam as a political movement damages the very soul of the faith.
The House of Commons select committee report insists that “some political Islamist groups have been a firewall against extremism and violence.”
Over the past two decades a number of prominent figures of the Muslim Brotherhood have closely cooperated with the British authorities, including the anti-terrorism squad, to identify radical groups planning violent action.
More importantly, perhaps, during the “Arab Spring” episode, the Brotherhood worked closely with the Obama administration to channel public anger into electoral politics and share power through parliamentary and presidential elections. So keen was Obama on seeing the end of President Hosni Mubarak’s rule and the advent of the Muslim Brotherhood power in Cairo that he publicly rebuked his own envoy Frank Wisner for trying to negotiate a transition with Mubarak acting figure-head.
Obama’s critics claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood had “infiltrated his White House”. However, Steven Merley, Editor of Global Muslim Brotherhood Watch Daily, insists that Obama acted according to a clear strategy aimed at transforming the Muslim world into an ally of the United States. To achieve that goal, Obama helped remove international pressure on the Islamic Republic in Iran and brought in a number of Muslim Brotherhood figures into his administration in key positions, and named a special ambassador to the Islamic Conference Organization (OIC).
The Brotherhood’s readiness to cooperate with Western powers on a tactical basis is nothing new. In fact, several historians, notably he French Michel Surat, have shown that the Brotherhood was initially created in Egypt by the Franco-British Suez Canal Company as a force to counter the activities of Communist-inspired trade unions active among canal workers. More recently, and on a smaller scale, the Israeli intelligence services helped created Hamas, the Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood, as means of counter-balancing the PLO.
The Trump administration, however, regards the Brotherhood as an “ante-chamber” of terrorism, if not the actual heart of a global terrorist movement. Frank Gaffney, an analyst close to the Trump administration, has consistently argued in favour of banning the Brotherhood and its affiliates.
Those who want the brotherhood banned cite four arguments:
• The Brotherhood is the principal source of literature used by terrorist groups as ideological template. Chief among brotherhood “thinkers” used in that contest of Sayed Qutb, the activist hanged under President Gamal Abdul-Nasser, and Abu-Ala Maudoodi.
• Many senior leaders of Al-Qaeda, notably Ayman Al-Zawahiri, and, more recently, of Islamic State in Raqqah are former Brotherhood members.
• The Brotherhood has always adopted an anti-West, more recently anti-American, and anti-Israeli position.
• Brotherhood’s history is punctuated by acts of violence, including political assassinations and, more recently, anti-state operations in Egypt.
Opponents of the plan to ban the Brotherhood a terrorist organization reject those arguments with their own assessment:
• The fact that terrorist groups sue literature produced by the Brotherhood should not implicate the brotherhood itself. Many leftist terror groups sued literature produced by Socialist writers or even ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato. In any case, in his time, Qutb was a maverick even within the Brotherhood. As for the Pakistani preacher Maudoodi he wasn’t a member of the Brotherhood and was philosophically closer to Lenin than to any Islamist writer.
• Many senior leaders of terrorist groups are former Brotherhood members. But the emphasis should; be on “ former”. If they have left the Brotherhood how could one hold the organization responsible for their actions?
• True, Brotherhood has often had an anti-West and anti-Israeli posture. But that doesn’t mean that anyone sharing such a posture is linked to the Brotherhood. Many hard-left groups in Europe are anti-American and anti-Semitic without even believing in God, let alone being Muslims.
• The Brotherhood has certainly committed acts of terror and is now engaged in a campaign of violence against the Egyptian government. But this doesn’t mean that it also wants to embark on terrorism in Europe and /or the United States.
Despite those arguments for and against banning the Brotherhood the balance of opinion both in Europe and the United Sates seems to be shifting away from Obama’s aim of an alliance with “ radical non-violent extremist Islam.”
The brotherhood is already banned in six countries, including its birthplace of Egypt. The House of Commons select committee cites some of the reasons why the Brotherhood cannot be trusted but concludes by endorsing the decision not to declare it a terrorist organization:
• Some political Islamists have embraced elections. Electoral processes that prevent these groups from taking part cannot be called ‘free’. But democracy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)—where we focused our inquiry—must not be reduced to ‘winners’ and ‘losers’, and the FCO must encourage both political Islamists and their opponents to accept broader cultures of democracy.
• The Muslim Brotherhood is a secretive group, with an ambiguous international structure. But this is understandable given the repression it now experiences.
• Some communications, particularly from the Brotherhood, have given contradictory messages in Arabic and English. And some of the responses that the group offered to our questions gave the impression of reluctance to offer a straight answer. The FCO is right to judge political Islamists by both their words and their actions.
• Some political Islamists have been very pragmatic in power. Others have been more dogmatic. But fears over the introduction of a restrictive interpretation of ‘Islamic law’ by the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) in Egypt were partly based on speculation rather than experience.
• The UK has not designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. We agree with this stance. Some political-Islamist groups have broadly been a firewall against extremism and violence.
Amir Taheri was the executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979. He has worked at or written for innumerable publications, published eleven books, and has been a columnist for Asharq Al-Awsat since 1987. Mr. Taheri has won several prizes for his journalism, and in 2012 was named International Journalist of the Year by the British Society of Editors and the Foreign Press Association in the annual British Media Awards.

Agents of Their Own Destruction/Are Palestinians Victims or Actors?
Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/February 15/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9540/palestinians-victims
The importance of a shift in narratives cannot be overemphasized. It is the key to peace.
"Just as real peace could come to Europe after World War II only after Germans abandoned the 'German narrative' and accepted the true history of the war that Germany started, so only abandonment of the 'Palestinian narrative' and acceptance of the true sequence of the events of 1947-48 can serve as a basis for reconciliation between Jews and Arabs." — Moshe Arens, former Defence Minister, Israel.
Psychologically, it is easier to embrace a good cause (or, for that matter, even a bad one) in simplistic, "black and white" terms. For many people a "good" cause is made up of people who suffer from "imperialism" and "colonialism", plucky minorities, third-world victims of first-world oppression, revolutionary vanguards, and anyone put upon by the United States, Great Britain, France or any former "imperialist" power. Other "imperialist" powers, such as Russia, China or Iran, are conveniently overlooked or forgotten -- not to mention the centuries of Islamist imperialism that covered Iran, Turkey, Greece, all of North Africa, Hungary, Serbia, the Balkans, virtually all of Eastern Europe and which we see still continuing.
The Palestinians, in this narrative of "good" and "bad" have purportedly been permanently "dispossessed" by, of all people, the Jews -- whom they had the misfortune to attack in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973 -- and lose to.
If members of the new U.S. administration seek to advance the moribund "peace process", they could find no better place to start than direct confrontation with Palestinian rejectionism. This means that those leaders must be pressed as hard as possible to end their persecution of their own populations.
There must be carrots, but there must also be sticks. The UN, the EU, and the OIC will offer only carrots. Will the U.S. now add the threat of real consequences to that mix?
With the advent of President Trump's administration, massive changes are expected, not just on the domestic front, but internationally. One of the first regions that will require immediate attention is the Middle East, where the policies of the Obama administration have led to a diminished role for the United States and therefore for global freedom.
If the Trump administration is to make rapid progress in the peace process (to the extent there is one), their first priority must be to demolish the Palestinian narrative. It is a false narrative from beginning to end. It tells historical falsehoods about the origins of the "Palestinian" people, the precedence of Jews in the land, the Jewish and Christian identity of holy sites, and the self-inflicted "Nakba" of 1947-48. But a purely historical approach is unlikely to appeal on the political or emotional level. Something more has to be addressed. That something more must, it would seem, be a hard-headed dismissal of the narrative of Palestinian victimhood. It is this perception of Palestinians as the constant victims of an aggressive Israel that drives pro-Palestinian Christians, human rights activists, moral campaigners, socialists, and many others.
The importance of a shift in narratives cannot be overemphasized. It is the key to peace. "Just as real peace could come to Europe after World War II only after Germans abandoned the 'German narrative' and accepted the true history of the war that Germany started, so only abandonment of the 'Palestinian narrative' and acceptance of the true sequence of the events of 1947-48 can serve as a basis for reconciliation between Jews and Arabs," wrote Moshe Arens, former Defence Minister of the State of Israel.
The Palestinian Arabs, their leaders, and their worldwide, manifold aiders and abettors have deluded the international media, the United Nations, politicians just about everywhere, religious leaders from most of the Christian churches, and human rights activists on every continent, into believing them to be the world's greatest victims, a struggling and persecuted people whose woes and sufferings have for decades eclipsed those of every other suffering minority on the face of the planet. You never have to look far for evidence of this.
Writing in 2015, shortly after Mahmoud Abbas's visit to the UN General Assembly, Dr. Eran Lerman of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies expressed this sense of Palestinian victimhood thus:
The speech delivered by Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas at the UN General Assembly last week was proof, once again, that the Palestinian "narrative" of victimhood has become a threat to any practical prospect for peace. Palestinian leaders consistently advance an interpretation of history which is at odds not only with the facts but also with their people's best interests.
At the core of Abbas' plaintive narration is the notion of the Palestinians as innocent victims, whose right to statehood and independence has been taken away and brutally ignored for much too long. In this telling of history, the Palestinians deserve to be backed by coercive intervention, as soon as possible, so as to impose on Israel a solution which would implement their "rights."
Lerman adds:
"The false Palestinian narrative of one-sided victimhood is a major hindrance to all efforts in the direction of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Global actors need to help the Palestinians move beyond wallowing in self-pity and rituals of bashing Israel, and towards difficult compromises with Israel."
Writing at Honest Reporting in October 2016, Zahava Raymond speaks of an article in Ireland's anti-Israel newspaper, the Irish Independent, promoting a photo exhibition entitled, "This is Palestine" by the choreographer and would-be Middle East authority, John McColgan.
In the world of the Irish Independent and McColgan's exhibition, every Palestinian is a victim of Israeli oppression. There are no Palestinians who harm other Palestinians, and there are no Palestinians who harm Israelis. It is the usual, one-sided, simplistic narrative that the media generally favor, where Israelis = oppressors and Palestinians = victims.
This false trope of Palestinian victimhood is pretty well universal by now, and is seldom resisted or exposed anywhere outside media and political circles unless they are pro-Israel or genuinely balanced. Whether it be the New York Times, The Guardian, or The Independent.
It is not just the media that think that way. Many Protestant churches across the world adopt the same attitude. Writing for Commentary two years ago, Melanie Phillips declared that, "within the Protestant world, many churches are deeply hostile to the State of Israel. They present the Palestinians as victims of Israeli oppression while ignoring the murderous victimization of Israeli citizens at their hands."
Psychologically, it is easier to embrace a good cause (or, for that matter, even a bad one) in simplistic, "black and white" terms. For many people a "good" cause is made up of people who suffer from "imperialism" and "colonialism", plucky minorities, third-world victims of first-world oppression, revolutionary vanguards, and anyone put upon by the United States, Great Britain, France or any former "imperialist" power. Other "imperialist" powers, such as Russia, China or Iran, are conveniently overlooked or forgotten -- not to mention the centuries of Islamist imperialism covering Iran, Turkey, Greece, all of North Africa, Hungary, Serbia, the Balkans, virtually all of Eastern Europe and which we see still continuing.
The Palestinians, in this narrative of "good" and "bad", have purportedly been permanently "dispossessed" by, of all people, the Jews -- whom they had the misfortune to attack in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973 -- and lose to. The Palestinians have been offered their own state time after time -- if they will sign an "end of conflict" agreement. They not only turned down the UN Partition Plan in 1947, they also refused 97% of their demands offered first by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and then by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. They even refused to negotiate -- "no peace, no recognition, no negotiations" -- in Khartoum, three months after the Six Day War they lost in 1967. The Israeli-Palestinian cause, therefore, has to be the blackest and whitest of all: before you attack another country, keep in mind that you might lose. In the Palestinian narrative, any hint of grey, any introduction of counter-arguments, any presentation of different facts is anathema. Only the flat, false and unvarnished Palestinian "truth" must be permitted.
In Khartoum, three months after the Six Day War they lost in 1967, Arab leaders refused to negotiate with Israel -- "no peace, no recognition, no negotiations". Pictured from left to right, on September 2, 1967 in Khartoum: King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Abdullah Sallal of Yemen, Sheikh Ahmad Sabah of Kuwait and Abd al-Rahman Arif of Iraq. (Image source: Wikimedia Commons/Bibliotheca Alexandrina)
Here is where it gets tricky. It does not take much study to learn that the Palestinians have actually been responsible for a lot of bad things themselves. Innocent Jews have been victims of decades of Palestinian wars of aggression and terrorism. Things are far from being black and white. This means that supporters of the Palestinians have to create a narrative of their own or embrace one invented by Palestinian propagandists. On one hand, the Israelis (aka the Jews) must have done "all the bad things" that are thought to have taken place in the territory set aside by the League of Nations for the Palestine Mandate. On the other, nothing "bad" can ever be said to have been done by any Palestinian. The violence, the killings, the terrorism can only be from one side, the Israeli one, whereas the Palestinian Arabs are only to be seen as the victims of Israeli barbarism and Jewish ill will.
This one-sided concern to absolve the Palestinians of their many sins and, what is worse, to offload those sins onto Jews and Israelis, has consequences. Perhaps the most serious of those is that Palestinians are deprived of any sense of responsibility. To be ever passive, to suffer and never act, to complain yet never offer constructive suggestions -- or even counter-offers -- for a way out of suffering, in the end strips the Palestinians of any sense of agency.
To become agents of their own destiny, it is time for the Palestinians -- as a group and through their leadership -- to take action to resolve their internal difficulties and their engagement with the outside world. This will require a realism that has been absent from their lives for so long, a sense of purpose for an achievable goal (namely, a state that does not entail the abolition of Israel), and a recognition of their own mistakes over many decades.
Palestinian refusal so far to do any of these things exposes a deep psychological problem, a problem that has trapped them in an endless round of violence and rejectionism -- tragically, one entirely contradictory to their own best interests. People who suffer generally opt for solutions they are offered, even if acting on them involves some pain. Someone dying of cancer or diabetic complications will usually agree to a mastectomy or an amputation on the understanding that it will save his life. The Palestinians have no hope of ever beating Israel so long as they cling to the old formula of "no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it." Yet they have consistently refused to take the least action that might bring them better lives, regardless of how far it is obvious that Israel seeks a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
If members of the new US administration seek to advance the moribund "peace process", they could find no better place to start than direct confrontation with Palestinian rejectionism. No one wishes to see ordinary Palestinians suffer needlessly, but so long as their leaders persist in a preference for victimhood, that suffering will not be relieved. This means that those leaders must be pressed as hard as possible to end their persecution of their own populations. If necessary, Palestinians must be presented with a stark choice between violence and freedom. There must be carrots, but there must also be sticks. The UN, the EU, and the OIC will offer only carrots. Will the U.S. now add the threat of real consequences to that mix?
**Dr. Denis MacEoin was a university lecturer in Arabic and Islamic Studies and is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

The United Nations: Making a Mockery of Human Rights
George Igler/Gatestone Institute/February 15/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9809/un-human-rights
"Nowhere has the UN's failure been more consistent and more outrageous than in its bias against our close ally Israel." — Governor Nikki Haley, US Ambassador-designate to the United Nations.
When those handsomely remunerated within transnational institutions make their priority spiteful political issues and arguably anti-Semitic point-scoring -- rather than protecting hard-won humanistic principles such as human rights -- the very values that differentiate segments of the modern world from the more barbarous norms of the past -- their legitimacy is eroded.
"My commitment is... to reject any oppression in the name of religion... a goal that we will reach in a peaceful and law-abiding way." — Raif Badawi, a Saudi blogger sentenced for such thoughts to 1000 lashes -- in contravention of international law -- followed by ten years in jail and a fine of approximately $260,000. His lawyer, Walid Abu'l-Khayr, was jailed as well. Where was the United Nations then? A royal pardon for both men should be granted immediately.
It is high time that democratic nations reasserted their sovereignty in the face of these unelected, untransparent, and unaccountable transnational institutions which so often make a mockery of the standards they are pledged to uphold.
The "rise of populism" has become an absorbing subject for political commentators in the West, yet as the Cato Institute scholar, Alberto Mingardi, helpfully observes, the term is "as slippery as it is popular."
Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of this current political trend is why we are struck by it. The nations of the West are, after all, democracies: systems of government designed to translate popular concerns into legislative instruments.
An answer to this dysfunction might lie in the layers of transnational governance, which proliferated after the Second World War, superseding national, and by implication democratically-accountable, decision making.
The horrendous carnage that ripped the world apart in the middle of the last century led to a principled decision by the world's leaders to promote the formulation, and then ratification, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Today, the most senior transnational body responsible for preserving such rights, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), housed within the Palace of Nations in Geneva, is arguably a pathetic joke.
To say so is not an exercise in polemic; it is a product of soberly assessing the facts.
The following nations, for example, have been elected by the UN to the UNHRC, and charged with upholding "the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights," for 2017, according to UN Watch:
The United Arab Emirates
The UAE is an autocracy where political parties are banned. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Gulf state "often uses its affluence to mask [its] government's serious human rights problems. The government arbitrarily detains, and in some cases forcibly disappears, individuals who criticized the authorities, and its security forces face allegations of torturing detainees." Violence against women is frequently recorded in the UAE, as is the abuse of the migrant workers who form 88.5% of its population, and who often live in slave-like conditions.
Burundi
The African nation apparently qualifies to preach to the rest of the world on the subject of human rights, seemingly thanks to its government being "behind systematic human rights violations, including executions and torture," according to the UN's own investigators. With 564 cases of executions between April 2015 and August 2016 -- considered a "conservative estimate" -- the nation received a warning last November not to commit genocide.
Saudi Arabia
Executions for "crimes" -- including apostasy, adultery and witchcraft -- take place in the founding nation of Islam. There is no freedom of religion -- despite 4.4% of the country secretly identifying as Christians -- and there is no freedom of speech. Saudi Arabia was also, absurdly, chosen by the UNHRC to hold a conference on "combatting religious discrimination" in June 2015. The ruling monarchy in the country is reputedly increasingly unpopular. It apparently chose to salve this decline in its appeal by beheading one its many princes in October 2016.
It is also well known for flogging -- nearly to death -- anyone who might suggest a thought with which the ruling monarchs and clergy might not agree.
In 2014, in Saudi Arabia, a young blogger, Raif Badawi, was sentenced, in violation of international law, which prohibits such punishments, to 1000 lashes -- very harshly, the flogging order read -- followed by ten years in prison and a fine of $260,000 for writing thoughts such as, "My commitment is... to reject any oppression in the name of religion... a goal that we will reach in a peaceful and law-abiding way."
"As others respect our difference with them, we should respect the differences that others have with us, and recall the great humanitarian sense of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz. ... It requires courage to respect others' views, to appreciate others' beliefs choices along with their right to believe them."
Badawi already received the first of the twenty floggings of 50 lashes each to which he was condemned; and, if that were not revolting enough, his lawyer, Walid Abu'l-Khayr (Waleed Abulkhair), was jailed as well.
Where was the United Nations then? A royal pardon for both men should be granted immediately.
China
The world's most populous nation is notorious for the brutal suppression of its ethnic minorities, chiefly the Tibetans. Freedom of association remains "severely restricted" in China whilst freedom of expression encounters government censors who erase "politically unacceptable information." In the officially atheist state, freedom of religion is subject to "crackdowns." Each freedom is supposedly protected by Articles 20, 19 and 18 respectively of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There are widespread and credible allegations of organ harvesting against religious minorities in the country, where the long-term imprisonment of dissidents continues to be commonplace.
Bangladesh
Bloggers and secular intellectuals live in perpetual fear of indiscriminate Islamist attacks in Bangladesh. A three-year "murder spree" in the country also "spread to aid workers, minority religions and Muslims who did not want their country reshaped by extremist Islam," according to the Guardian. Atheists and gay rights campaigners have also been killed. "[E]xtra judicial killings by security forces," continue to blight the country. In the past five years, "at least 298 people have vanished through enforced disappearances," says VOA News -- a "routine practise" in the nation.
Congo
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "serious" human rights violations are "pervasive" in the Congo. These include, "arbitrary executions, rape, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment," which are mostly committed by "the army, police and intelligence services." Armed groups in the country, "have perpetrated massacres, arbitrary executions, abductions of villagers, and subjected women to systematic rape, sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence with full impunity."
So, with nations with such woeful human rights records responsible for the supervision of the maintenance of human rights worldwide, which nation in the world is subjected to the greatest degree of criticism and scrutiny at the United Nations Human Rights Council?
In recent years, genocide and fighting in Syria, carried out both by Islamist forces and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, have claimed an estimated 400,000 lives and injured a further 1.9 million.
Since 2015, Syria has curiously faced only 16 separate reprimands at the UNHRC, whilst Israel -- the most condemned country within the council -- has faced 62 such reprimands.
Unsurprisingly the UNHRC has consequently earned itself, "a reputation for maintaining a blatant anti-Israel bias." Countries which "frequently stifle dissent and freedom of speech," argues counterterrorism expert Steven Emerson, "have been exempt from a single resolution or special session."
"Instead of focusing on real human rights abuses, the Commission's rights violators devote much of their time to praising each other."
In testimony before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, in May 2016, Hillel Neuer -- the executive director of UN Watch -- "recalled being present when China commended Saudi Arabia for respecting religious freedom; the following day, Saudi Arabia praised China for upholding minority rights."
In 2015, even the outgoing US Secretary of State, John Kerry, condemned the UNHRC's "obsession with Israel" as risking "undermining the credibility of the entire organization."
Secretary of State Kerry was understandably perplexed by how the UNHRC did not spend more time condemning the "appalling" human rights records of countries such as North Korea, instead of obsessively focusing on Israel.
In June 2016, Israel's envoy to the UNHRC highlighted the "politicized debates, biased resolutions, preposterous reports, discriminatory conduct and unfounded accusations," which are the hallmark of the Council's attitude towards the Jewish state.
In telling remarks, Eviatar Manor went on to question why there was an agenda item attacking Israel tabled at the UNHRC, at the time, whilst "the tragedies of Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, to name but a few, are unfolding and producing a tsunami of refugees about to engulf Europe?"
Manor's comments arguably go to the heart of how distant, unaccountable, undemocratic and often un-transparent transnational institutions, such as the European Union and the UN, are arguably fuelling the rise of populist politics throughout the West.
When those handsomely remunerated within transnational institutions make their priority spiteful political issues and arguably anti-Semitic point-scoring -- rather than protecting hard-won humanistic principles such as human rights -- the very values that differentiate segments of the modern world from the more barbarous norms of the past -- their legitimacy is eroded.
Moreover, when the United Nations abandons these irreplaceable values, how is it that the wider world has pretended not to notice?
Some commentators refer to the growth of populist opposition to the power of transnational bodies, such as the European Union, as "sovereignty's revenge."
"Nowhere has the UN's failure been more consistent and more outrageous than in its bias against our close ally Israel," argues South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley -- appointed by President Trump as the new US Ambassador to the United Nations.
Nikki Haley (pictured above from 2014), President Trump's appointment to the United Nations, has stated: "Nowhere has the UN's failure been more consistent and more outrageous than in its bias against our close ally Israel." (Image source: defenseimagery.mil)
Haley asked during her confirmation hearing, on January 18, whether the United States was "getting what we pay for? We contribute 22% of the UN's budget, far more than any other country. We are a generous nation. But we must ask ourselves what good is being accomplished by this disproportionate contribution."
Such a question mirrors the remarks of the former US ambassador to the United Nations, John R. Bolton, who argued in 2015 that there should be no mandatory funding of the UN -- that the US should "pay only for what we want, and we would insist that we get what we pay for."
Senators Lindsay Graham and Ted Cruz have suggested defunding the UN altogether, whilst others have suggested leaving the UN entirely.
It is high time that democratic nations reasserted their sovereignty in the face of these unelected, untransparent, and unaccountable transnational institutions that so often make a mockery of the standards they are pledged to uphold.
*George Igler, between 2010 and 2016, aided those facing death across Europe for criticizing Islam.
© 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.

Will Trump’s stern views on Muslim Brotherhood translate into action?
Mohammed Salah/Al Arabiya/February 15/17
It comes as no surprise that sustained pressure is being applied on the Trump administration to prevent the labelling of Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group. The pressure is coming from advocacy groups, think-tanks, print media and TV channels, and public figures, mainly Democrats or the inner circle of the administration of former president Barak Obama.It is natural for the Brotherhood to contest such a decision and rush to move its supporters, members and their massive media propaganda machinery to thwart the step. Some nations are empathizing with it, hosting its lead figures and providing safe havens for the fugitives beside financially supporting them and their families, either for mutual interest reasons or for sharing the same ideology and the principles. That is totally different when it comes to the American side as it is something that goes above and beyond a sole debate when leading US newspapers express caution over serious implications of adding the Brotherhood to the terror list. When Obama’s henchmen turned activists challenged it, in their point of view it could possibly tantamount to a confrontation with the Trump administration.
It is worth noting that these are the same sources that were hard-pressed during the eight years of Obama’s terms toward the alterations of Arab regimes granting the Islamists opportunities to rule. This pushed the gusty winds of Arab Spring to run havoc in the region resulting in total chaos and the Arab people are paying exorbitant price for nothing but an overall cataclysm and destruction. They are the people who ignited the spark that started an inferno and engulfed the Arab region.
Brotherhood figures are said to have managed not only to infiltrate Obama administration but also manipulated and influenced its decisions. They have worked for years to pave the way for the Brotherhood to infiltrate public spheres, establishing media conduits, and seizing power under the pretext of democracy.
It is natural for the Brotherhood to contest such a decision and rush to mobilize its supporters, members and their massive media propaganda machinery to thwart the step
Trump presidency
Trump winning the US presidency will not obfuscate or hinder their incessant efforts to bolster the Brotherhood. According to the New York Times, the total cost of the epic devastating proportion of Arab Spring amounted to $830 billion, in addition to other catastrophes in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria. The newspaper referred to unprecedented degeneration in the Arab world coinciding with “further progress and development” achieved by other nations, acknowledging, at the same time, that the process of tearing down the Arab world is still ongoing.
Arabs are fighting Arabs in Yemen, Syria, Libya and Iraq and causing absolute devastation in these countries. The terrorists are waging war against humanity under the name of Islam, though 70 percent of their victims are Muslims. The American factions shielding the Brotherhood as if they are a native group fighting fiercely to roadblock enlisting them as a terror group since Arab wounds bleeding and healing seems improbable. There is no future for a society’s decline to be categorized as the constituents are classified according to ethnicity and sectarianism. These groups believe opportunities still exist amid chaotic circumstances in some countries in the region. They envision the possibility of the Muslim Brotherhood seizing power here and there and simultaneously making a comeback.
Overall, undoubtedly Trump and his administration have stern views on Brotherhood and if a bill to call for declaring them a terror organization is issued it will be a move that would greatly restrict the controversial group’s global reach. However, the group is already labeled as terror entity in Egypt and other Arab countries, and the expected US decision is just a complementary step.
**This article is also available in Arabic.

‘Game of nations’ and the threat of Turkish-Syrian confrontation
Ghassan Imam/Al Arabiya/February 15/17
There is a “game of nations” being played out at the bank of the Euphrates with its ripple effect reaching far and wide. As a result, wars break out, borders are erased and drawn, countries become strong and weak, organizations fold up, cities become packed with refugees while others are destroyed.
There are sieges starving hundreds of thousands and detention and torture centers are transforming into slaughterhouses. There are mass graves with no names and militias made of mercenaries put together by neighbors and strangers.
Turks have struggled to build their country and fight tooth and nail to defend it. The Turkish government, which was cautious, shut its European gates and opened its eastern gate and it thus became the most involved and dangerous state. Turkey devised a policy without rivals; therefore, enemies increased inside and outside Turkey.
Opposition within
Immigrant Fethullah Gulen established schools outside Turkey and planted opposition inside the country. This opposition was established in the army, administration and judiciary. He could’ve established a peaceful, parliamentary, democratic and public opposition. His supporters were later accused of a failed bloody coup. The Ottoman Empire seized the Anatolian Plateau during the Middle Ages and expelled the Persian invaders. The Kurds’ presence was strong and they could not peacefully mingle with the majority and they’re neither capable of separating by force.
The Kurds exploited their neighbors’ weakness and established a semi-autonomous state in Iraq’s Kurdistan. They seized the revolution of a blind Syria which politicized its Islam and abandoned its Arabism and they established an autonomous state East of the Euphrates. This state is capable of expanding to Iraq’s Kurdistan. They crossed the Euphrates to the west to complete drawing a Syrian Kurdistan but they clashed with Turkey which is afraid over its national and border security and over its communication with Syria’s and Iraq’s Arabs.
Russians crossed the Bosphorus Strait to get involved in Syria so they were forced to be polite to Turkey. Turks crossed Syrian borders to end the Kurds’ dream of establishing a state on an Arab territory. They organized an armed Syrian opposition (the Free Syrian Army) and assigned it the task to liberate the strategic al-Bab town from ISIS. This opposition spent months without doing anything and it was too lazy to execute the task. The Turks closed al-Bab borders from the north, east and west and left the south open for ISIS to escape through it.
Where does the US stand in this auction of the ”game of the nations”? If the honeymoon continues between Trump and Putin, the US role will continue to be underneath the Russian umbrella
Aleppo and Iran
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad destroyed Aleppo and Iran encouraged him and this empowered him. Iran supplied Assad with Hezbollah mercenaries and pushed him to try his luck at seizing al-Bab from the Turks through the southern gate. Yes, through the south. The game of nations put Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Assad in a state of war at the gates of al-Bab.
ISIS awaits the end of its state in Iraq this year, and it depends on its terrorist operations inside Turkey and on Iran and its mercenaries’ war against Turkey in al-Bab to survive in Syria. Why does al-Bab open all these doors? ISIS considers al-Bab a gate of logistical communication after the eastern gate of Mosul was shut down. Is Assad’s regime capable of engaging in a war of attrition against Turkey in Syria?
Perhaps it can if Iran is capable of supporting and funding the Syrian regime that has been drained in terms of personnel and money during the six years of war. It may also be able to do so if Russia proves itself capable of curbing the Turkish power that’s superior in the Syrian pocket it occupies.
Turkey lost soldiers in al-Bab and it hopes its Syrian pocket – about 5,000 square kilometers – turns into a safe zone that houses hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. This would ease the situation on it now that it houses 3.5 million refugees. Turkey can expand the area with the arrival of its army to Aleppo – which Turkey has longed for in the “game of nations” which ended the Ottoman Empire in the 1920s.
Turkish-Russian relations continue to pose a problem shrouded in a lot of mystery. Turkey got a slap on the wrist through the Russian raid on al-Bab in which three Turkish soldiers were killed. This followed a Russian apology and a promise to organize and coordinate military activity.
Iran and Assad claim that Russia neutralized Turkey in al-Bab and allowed them to occupy the strategic town. The Topkapı Palace in Istanbul announced that its forces entered al-Bab and is carrying out a combing operation to cleanse it of ISIS members.
This means that Turkish forces will prevent Assad’s mercenaries from entering al-Bab unless there is another arrangement between Turkey and Russia. Turkey is not revealing the secret and Russia is not giving up its silence. Turkey’s abandonment of al-Bab will be met with accepting Turkey’s participation in the battle to liberate Raqqa from ISIS control and preventing Kurdish militias, which are supported by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey, from advancing toward Raqqa by using American tanks which former US President Obama and the incumbent Trump supplied them with.
Kurdish autonomy
The Turkish strategic aim is to undermine Kurdish autonomy which was established alongside Turkish borders in East of Euphrates. With that, Turkey will have succeeded at ending the Kurdish dream of establishing a Kurdish state in North Syria upon American and European support.
Where is America in this auction of the game of the nations? If the honeymoon continues between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the American role will continue to be underneath the Russian umbrella. There are also mutual interests involved in dispelling religious violence and eliminating ISIS and al-Nusra Front, which is now known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and which American air force has exclusively targeted in Idlib.
Where are Arabs in the game of the nations? Kazakhstan attended the Astana meeting while Arabs remained absent – except for Jordan, which attended as an observer following consultations with Kremlin and Washington.
Safe zones
Perhaps international and regional circumstances allow establishing a safe zone for refugees and displaced people stranded at borders. This way ISIS will not invade them with Sejil stones, Assad will not terminate them with barrel bombs and they will not be shelled with Sukhoi and F-35 fighters.
The Arabs put their eggs in the Turkish basket and sat down to watch the proceedings in Astana and in Geneva. But where is Staffan de Mistura? He too is betting on the wand of the Russian maestro as consultations are better with the comrade Sergei Lavrov. He’s the auctioneer. He’s the one who drafted the constitution and who coordinator for the transitional regime. He’s the one managing a regime that refuses to transition to the afterlife.
Who is bidding? Who is buying and selling in Syria? The bidders are many and the maestro is ready. And the game of the nations, going once, twice, going three times.
**This article is also available in Arabic.