LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 08/17

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For Today
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14/01-07/:"‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk
Acts of the Apostles 03/01-10L:"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, ‘Look at us.’ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 07-08/17
Aounists In Diaspora: Denial, confusion and Grandiose Delusions/Elias Bejjani/June 07/17
Lebanese Diplomatic and Special Passports are under investigation/François Bainy/Face Book/June 07/17
A New Tolerance for Anti-Semitism/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/June 07/17
Facebook's Little Ethics Problem/Ruthie Blum/Gatestone Institute/June 07/17
Sweden's Multicultural Apartheid/Nima Gholam Ali Pour/Gatestone Institute/June 07/17
Are Jihadists Taking over Europe?/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/June 07/17
This Is not a Qatari Passing Cloud/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/June 07/17
How Interracial Love Is Saving America/Sheryll Cashin/The New York Times/June 07/17
Iran struck by first Islamic State attacks/Rohollah Faghihi/Al Monitor/June 07/17

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on June 07-08/17
Aounists In Diaspora: Denial, confusion and Grandiose Delusions
Lebanese Diplomatic and Special Passports are under investigation/François Bainy
Lebanon’s President: We are Determined to Combat Terrorism
Aoun meets CENTCOM leader
Hizbullah Says 'Forces' behind 'Expected' Iran Attack 'Well-Known'
Hizbullah-Linked Media Threaten Strikes on U.S. in Syria over 'Red Lines'
Aoun Calls for 'Reconciling Viewpoints' on Electoral Law
Berri Urges Speedy Electoral Law amid 'Dangerous Regional Developments'
Senior U.S. General Visits Arsal, Hails 'Progress Made in Securing Lebanon Borders'
Ex-Convict Shot Dead in Bekaa Town of Riyaq
Cabinet Approves Decrease in DSL Internet Fees
Young Man Killed in Karantina after Car Chase, Suspect Arrested
Oghassapian: Failure to Agree on Vote Law Leads to Vacuum
Hariri Vows to Keep Beirut 'Jewel of the Arabs'

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 07-08/17
Twelve Dead as IS Claims First Attacks in Iran
Iran Guards Claim U.S., Saudi 'Involved' in Tehran Attacks, Vow 'Revenge'
ISIS claims responsibility for double Iran Attacks
Canada condemns terrorist attacks in Iran
Qatari FM: We’re Willing to Talk to Resolve Crisis
Saudi FM Says Qatar Policies on Supporting Extremist Groups Must Change
Discussions to Freeze Qatar’s Membership in GCC, Arab League
Etihad Airways: Qatari Nationals Banned from Traveling to UAE or Passing Through it
Saudi FM: ‘Brother State’ Qatar Must Act to End Crisis
Closure of Salwa Road Paralyzes Qatar’s Land Transportation
Iranian Foreign Minister in Turkey as Qatar Row Rages
Saudi Arabia Solidifies Position on Promoting Protection of Human Rights
Gulf Rivals Not Seeking Qatar 'Regime Change'
UAE Says Qatar Sympathizers Could Land in Jail, More Curbs Possible
King Salman, Turkey’s Erdogan Discuss Latest Developments in Phone Call
Palestinian Expert: Hamas Might End Up Biggest Loser in Qatar Dispute
US Ambassador in Moscow Confirms ‘Assad’s Departure during Transition Period’
Disagreements between Geneva Delegation, HNC at Core of Syrian Opposition Talks in Riyadh
Germany to Withdraw Troops from Turkey’s Incirlik Base
UN: ISIS Murdered 163 Mosul Residents in One Day
Fate of Wives, Children of ISIS Terrorists in Iraq in Limbo
Cholera Outbreak in Yemen May Spiral Out of Control
Iraqi Kurds to Hold Independence Referendum on September 25

Latest Lebanese Related News published on June 07-08/17
Aounists In Diaspora: Denial, confusion and Grandiose Delusions
العونيون في بلاد الإنتشار: انكار وضياع وأوهام عظمة
Elias Bejjani/June 07/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=56048
It is very sad and extremely disappointing that certain top notch Aounists in Diaspora in general, and in the USA in particular, are currently entirely detached from reality, overwhelmed in denial, and still according to their derailed and frozen minds living in the pre 2005 era.
During the pre 2005 era, the Aounists were loudly, courageously and openly against Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy terrorist organization, and extremely active in opposing the Syrian Stalinist regime, as well as in exposing its bloody, criminal and oppressive conduct in both Lebanon and Syria.
In fact, the Diaspora Aounist activists were among the most influential and prominent groups that lobbied successfully for the passing of the USA, “Syria accountability and Lebanese sovereignty restoration act of 2003.”
The patriotic history and achievement record of these Diaspora Aounists seems to be 100% contradicting their current political affiliations, lobbying and agenda.
The FPM Lebanese Party, that they are officially or unofficially affiliated to, and since 2006 has boldly joined forces on all levels, and in all domains with both the Syrian and Iranian terrorists regimes.
At the same, the FPM Lebanese Party has adopted all the Iranian-Hezbollah anti Lebanese, anti Arab and anti Western doctrines.
Accordingly, The Diaspora Aounists at the present time are not mentally, intellectually or politically oriented to time, place and person, because falsely believe that they are still serving the independence and sovereignty of their homeland, Lebanon, and its people.
In the time disorientation domain, they are still living in the pre 2005 era, and unconsciously denying the fact that it is now the 2017 year.
In the person category of mental confusion, they are unable to see or grasp the actual shocking reality that their Lebanese FPM party’s leadership are not any more serving or representing the Lebanese Sovereignty, independence, Freedom, history, people or the common-coexistence living role of Lebanon.
They intentional blinded themselves in a bid not to recognize and not to admit that the FPM leadership has turned to be mere puppets and Trojans in the hands of the Iranian regime, and its terrorist Hezbollah armed proxy.
Their sickening denial and detachment from reality is making them politically confused and living in an Alzheimer mental like status, to the extent of total blindness.
In actuality and reality they are suffering from a chronic and ongoing sickening ailment of severe and devastating denial.
They are unconsciously denying the fact that their party, the FPM, and its leadership, that they are affiliated to, support, and lobby for are not serving Lebanon any more, but turned to be mere pro Iranian – Hezbollah tools and robots.
In conclusion, the Aounists in Diaspora did blemish and destroy all their pro Lebanese hard and genuine work record that took place in the pre 2005 era.
At the present time these Aounists are serving consciously or unconsciously (no difference) the Iranian-Hezbollah terrorist and expansionism agenda that aims to destroy any thing and every thing that is Lebanese, to keep Lebanon under occupation, and at the same time use Lebanon as a military and a propaganda base for their global terrorism, and their evil Anti Lebanese-Anti Arab schemes.
May Almighty God Bless Lebanon and its loving peace people
 
Lebanese Diplomatic and Special Passports are under investigation
جوازات السفر اللبنانية الدبلوماسية والخاصة تحت مجهر منظمات مكافحة الإرهاب
François Bainy/Face Book/June 07/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=56066
Several Western and Arabic Anti-Terrorist Agencies are thoroughly and seriously investigating reports claiming that a number of Diplomatic and Special Lebanese Passports have been issued by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Hezbollah members and affiliates.
The anti terror Agencies are looking into antecedents of Hezbollah and other Iranian backed Terrorist Groups with Venezuela .
In Venezuela more than 15 Thousands passports had been issued (by Vice President Tarek El Aissami) to pro Iranian groups in order to promote their criminal activities against several Western and Arab countries.
The issuing of these passports required the approval of President Chaves and President Maduro..
The investigators are direly concerned because:
Hezbollah controls the political Lebanese scene,
President Aoun and his son in-law, FM, Gibran Bassil are Hezbollah's closest Allies and have no choice but to approve the issuing of these passports when and if Hezbollah's General Secretary, Sayyed, Hassan Nasrallah requests them
More questionable and suspicions points are being discussed in these investigations:
The Diplomatic cover that Hezbollah and The Iranian Regime have been resorting to in most of their international subversive activities, via their own Embassies and friendly Embassies as well ....
In the present time, Lebanon needs to appoint over 40 new Ambassadors in order to fulfill the vacant posts.
The nomination of these potential ambassadors is being handled covertly.
In the middle of a triangulation between President Aoun, Minister Bassil and Hezbollah's, Hassan Nasrallah...Aoun has granted for Himself the two Embassies in Paris and Washington. The candidates to fill these posts are required to loyal to both Aoun's FPM party and Nasrallah's Hezbollah...
The rest of the Embassies will be divided on candidates loyal to Hezbollah, House Speaker Nabih Berri and other pro Syrian-Iranian politicians and parties.
In summary Hezbollah has forcibly stepped in to fully control the Lebanese Diplomatic Delegations in the both Western and Arabic countries.
(To Be Continued).

Lebanon’s President: We are Determined to Combat Terrorism
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17
Beirut – Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday that Lebanon was “determined to combat terrorist organizations and uncover all terror rings”. “The army is still carrying out air and land strikes against terrorist organizations’ bases, leaving major losses among the ranks of terrorists,” Aoun said during his meeting with US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander General Joseph Votel, at the Baabda palace. US Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard was also present at the meeting. “Preemptive military operations carried out by the army and the targeting of terrorist locations are being executed with high accuracy and competence,” the Lebanese president noted, as reported by the National News Agency (NNA). Aoun revealed that the detection of sleeping terror rings have led to the arrest of a terrorist group that was planning attacks on populated areas inside the country. On the other hand, the president thanked Votel for the support provided by the US to the Lebanese Army. “Lebanon will return to what it used to be, an oasis for peace and stability,” he stated. Votel, for his part, conveyed to Aoun the US command’s keenness on maintaining its support to the Lebanese military institution. “The meetings I held during my stay in Beirut focused on providing this support, especially that the [Lebanese] army has proven high capacity and special competence in its operations against the terrorists,” he noted. He also said that his country highly appreciated the attention Aoun was paying to the army, particularly his personal presence at the central operations room in Yarze to follow up on the mission executed by the Lebanese soldiers.He reiterated that the US would continue providing necessary aid for the Lebanese army “because it realizes the importance of this support in preserving Lebanon’s stability and safety.”

Aoun meets CENTCOM leader
The Daily Star/June 07/17
BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun said Tuesday that Lebanon was keenly engaged in the fight against terrorism, adding that the military operations currently implemented are serving their mission. Speaking during a meeting with United States Central Command’s Gen. Joseph Votel, Aoun said that the pre-emptive military operations the Lebanese Army has been carrying out against terrorist groups are being implemented with precision. According to a statement from the President’s media office, Aoun told the U.S. delegation that “pursuing sleeper cells and monitoring their movements led to the arrest of a terrorist group days ago that was planning to launch attacks in inhibited areas ... it turned out that a Yemeni was among its members.”Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk Tuesday hailed the move as an example of collaborative work between Lebanese security agencies. Aoun thanked Votel for the support the U.S. has been providing to the Lebanese Army. According to the statement, Aoun told his guests that he hoped this assistance would continue, saying it helped to enable the Lebanese Army to fulfill its duty to preserve the country’s stability and security. Tuesday’s meeting was also attended by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard. Votel in turn expressed the eagerness of the American leadership to continue its military support of the Lebanese Army. He told the president that his meetings in Beirut had focused on this issue. He added that the Army had demonstrated ability and efficiency in the operations it is carrying out against terrorists. Lebanon is fighting terrorist groups that are holed up along the country’s northeastern border. Militants belonging to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham – formerly known as the Nusra Front – and Daesh (ISIS) hold positions on the outskirts of Arsal and Ras Baalbeck, where they are pounded on a daily basis by the Army. The Army has received millions of dollars’ worth of aid from the U.S. government over recent years, in order to boost its capabilities. A statement from the U.S. Embassy said that Votel’s meetings would allow leaders to discuss important security issues. “Gen. Votel will reaffirm the U.S. government’s commitment to the Lebanese-American partnership to counter the threat of terrorism and support the Lebanese Armed Forces in their capacity as the sole defender of Lebanon,” the press release said. The CENTCOM commander also met Tuesday with Speaker Nabih Berri. The two discussed the situation in Lebanon and the region, according to Berri’s media office. The general also met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a statement from the premier’s office announced. During his flurry of appointments, Votel also met with Army head Gen. Joseph Aoun. The two discussed the situation in Lebanon and the region, according to a statement from the Army, “in addition to the Army’s needs in light of American aid and security and military developments.”The U.S. general also met with Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and discussed further means of cooperations between Lebanon and the U.S. Votel previously visited Beirut in February this year when he made a similar round of meetings to discuss ongoing relations between Lebanon and the U.S. with senior local officials.

Hizbullah Says 'Forces' behind 'Expected' Iran Attack 'Well-Known'
Naharnet/June 07/17/Hizbullah on Wednesday condemned the attacks by gunmen and suicide bombers in Tehran that killed 13 people as a “terrorist crime committed by the hands of evil.”“This twin attack is an attempt to harm the security and stability of the Islamic Republic, and to affect its firm stance that supports the resistance movements in the region as well as its position as a fortified fortress in the face of the forces of hegemony, arrogance and terrorism,” Hizbullah's media department said in a statement. “The terrorist crimes in our region and the world are the product of a destructive global scheme that is backed, protected and assisted by well-known regional leaders,” the Iran-backed party added, noting that “the forces behind the gang that carried out this terrorist military attack are well-known and not concealed to all rational and cognizant parties.” “Today's crimes in Tehran were an expected manifestation of the latest regional and international escalation in our region,” Hizbullah pointed out.The attacks that killed 13 people were the first in Iran to be claimed by the jihadist Islamic State group. The attackers struck at Iran's most potent symbols: its parliament complex in central Tehran and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who led the 1979 Islamic revolution. The country's powerful Revolutionary Guards vowed revenge and claimed the United States and Saudi Arabia were "involved." The Sunni extremists of IS consider Shiite Iranians to be apostates, and Iran is deeply involved in fighting the group in both Syria and Iraq.

Hizbullah-Linked Media Threaten Strikes on U.S. in Syria over 'Red Lines'
Associated Press/Naharnet/June 07/17/The Syrian government's allies will strike at American positions inside Syria if the U.S. crosses any "red lines," a Hizbullah-affiliated media arm warned on Wednesday. The Military Media's threat comes one day after U.S. forces bombed pro-government forces in eastern Syria. The Pentagon said Tuesday the pro-government forces were infringing on a "de-confliction" zone established to protect U.S.-backed local opposition forces, who are engaged in fighting the Islamic State group. Hizbullah's TV station al-Manar broadcast footage it said was of an Iranian drone tailing an American one over eastern Syria. It said the video was proof the Syrian government's backers could strike American units at will. Iran is a key backer of Hizbullah and the Syrian government, and is deeply involved in the Syrian civil war. Hizbullah's military media said it was only "self-restraint" keeping pro-government forces from attacking American units.

Aoun Calls for 'Reconciling Viewpoints' on Electoral Law
Naharnet/June 07/17/President Michel Aoun on Wednesday followed up on the ongoing efforts to agree on a new electoral law and dedicated his meetings and contacts to this issue, state-run National News Agency reported. The president called for “expediting the finalization of the draft law's final format ahead of discussing it in Cabinet and referring it to Parliament,” NNA said. In his meetings and phone talks, Aoun stressed “the need to reconcile viewpoints among the Lebanese parties and resolve the obstacles,” the agency added. “The new law should reflect the aspirations of the Lebanese and their hopes to have a modern law that truly represents the components of the Lebanese society in a fair and balanced manner,” Aoun said. The country's main political parties have recently agreed that the new electoral law should be fully based on proportional representation and 15 electoral districts but they are still wrangling over the electoral system's mechanisms and technicalities, especially those related to the representation of sects. Lebanon has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the legislature has since extended its own term twice. The second extended term will expire on June 20.

Berri Urges Speedy Electoral Law amid 'Dangerous Regional Developments'
Naharnet/June 07/17/Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday underscored “the need to speed up the approval of an electoral law” amid what he described as “the dangerous developments in the region.”“There is a need to agree on it and approve it in parliament,” Berri added during his weekly Ain el-Tineh meeting with lawmakers. “The region is witnessing dangerous and unprecedented developments, which obliges everyone in Lebanon to show a high level of national responsibility in order to immunize Lebanon and cross the domestic junctures, topped by the electoral law,” Berri added. The country's main political parties have recently agreed that the new electoral law should be fully based on proportional representation and 15 electoral districts but they are still wrangling over the electoral system's mechanisms and technicalities, especially those related to the representation of sects. Lebanon has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the legislature has since extended its own term twice. The second extended term will expired on June 20.

Senior U.S. General Visits Arsal, Hails 'Progress Made in Securing Lebanon Borders'
Naharnet/June 07/17/U.S. Central Command Commander General Joseph L. Votel on Wednesday visited the eastern border town of Arsal along with Lebanese Army chief General Joseph Aoun and hailed the “progress” that has been made in “securing Lebanon’s borders with Syria.”
“It is wonderful to be back in Lebanon and here up in Arsal. We deeply value the relationship with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the work they are doing to keep Lebanon safe, as we’re seeing here today,” Votel said at the Dahr al-Jabal overlook in Arsal. “I had good visits yesterday and this morning with President (Michel) Aoun, and with Prime Minister (Saad) Hariri, and with the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Jebran) Bassil and Speaker of Parliament (Nabih) Berri, and with the military leadership, namely the Minister of Defense (Yaaqoub) Sarraf and General (Joseph) Aoun, the Chief of Defense,” the U.S. general added. “We had very productive conversations and we’ve reaffirmed our shared commitment to ensuring stability and security in this important part of the world. We have many common interests that include the defeat of Daesh (Islamic State group) and other violent extremist and terrorist organizations, and we intend to continue to work together to address these and the other challenges that are presented to us,” Votel went on to say. “I appreciate the opportunity to visit the 9th Brigade here at Arsal. We thank the Commander and his team for their warm and gracious hospitality. I was proud to meet with some of the soldiers and commanders defending Lebanon’s sovereignty and I’m very impressed to see the progress that they’ve made in securing Lebanon’s borders with Syria,” Votel added. Describing the Lebanese army as one of “the most capable and valued partners,” the U.S. general said Washington is “proud to support them as the sole defenders of Lebanon.” “We look forward to building upon the strong foundation that exists between our militaries in the coming days. In these challenging times, I remain confident that there are no difficulties that cannot be overcome, so long as we are willing to work together,” Votel added.

Ex-Convict Shot Dead in Bekaa Town of Riyaq
Naharnet/June 07/17/An unknown assailant on Wednesday shot dead Ismail Ali Zoaiter in the Bekaa town of Riyaq, state-run National News Agency reported. Zoaiter was in his forties and his body was transferred to the Riyaq Hospital, the agency said. NNA noted that Zoaiter had been released from prison around a month ago after serving an 11-year sentence over a homicide. “Security agencies immediately arrived on the scene and launched an investigation while the shooter is still at large,” the agency added.

Cabinet Approves Decrease in DSL Internet Fees
Naharnet/June 07/17/The Cabinet on Wednesday agreed to slash the fees of the DSL broadband internet service and this decrease will provide citizens with “good prices and good speeds,” Telecommunications Minister Jamal al-Jarrah said. The OGERO state-run telecom operator “faces a big challenge to provide citizens with good speeds and special services and I once again thank all OGERO employees,” Jarrah added. “The prices of some internet packages have been slashed by more than 300% at the request of Prime Minister Saad Hariri,” the minister noted. He said OGERO teams “are working night and day to fix the grid,” adding that “the Cabinet has taken a decision to allow all DSL firms to obtain licenses.”“We have entered a new phase and citizens have the right to get an internet service with high speeds and low prices,” Jarrah added, noting that the DSL decrease “will reflect positively on mobile internet fees.”“The copper network has been neglected for 10 years now and it cannot currently provide the needed speeds, but OGERO is performing the needed maintenance works,” the minister noted. “I have asked the state prosecutor to interrogate those who practiced hegemony over the fiber-optic network throughout the past years,” he added.

Young Man Killed in Karantina after Car Chase, Suspect Arrested
Naharnet/June 07/17/Unknown armed assailants shot dead a 24-year old man, Roy Hamoush, at dawn on Wednesday in the Karantina area on the Dora highway after a car chase, the National News Agency reported. A car accident happened at around 2:00 am in Jal el-Dib between a vehicle driven by the victim's friend, Johnny Jreis Nassar, and a tinted-glass BMW having three armed men inside, NNA said. The accident led to a dispute that soon escalated into a car pursuit. After chasing the pair, the gunmen managed to stop the young men's car and shot Roy Hamoush in the head, killing him instantly. His friend managed to flee and contact the police. In the evening, NNA reported that the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch had managed to arrest Roy's suspected killer, identifying him as M. al-Ahmar and saying he was arrested in the Bourj Hammoud area.

Oghassapian: Failure to Agree on Vote Law Leads to Vacuum
Naharnet/June 07/17/State Minister for Women's Affairs warned on Wednesday that failure to reach a new vote law for Lebanon's parliamentary elections would drag the country into the “unknown and vacuum.”“After June 19, when the parliament's term ends, if we fail to agree on a new electoral law the country will fall into the unknown and in vacuum,” said Oghassapian in an interview to VDL (93.3). “It is constitutionally impossible to return to the (current) 1960 (majoritarian) law after June 19, because the three-month deadline in only allowed if the parliament is dissolved," added the Minister. "There is no constitutional text that allows us to return to the 1960 law," he stressed. Ogassapian emphasized that “the parliament is now exceptionally bound to endorse the law before June 19. The government is also bound to convene to approve the bill and forward it to the parliament before June 12," he said. When the regular session of the parliament ended on May 31, President Michel Aoun opened an extraordinary parliament session between June 7 and June 12 entirely dedicated for an electoral law. Ogassapian also warned against any constitutional amendments "because this would lead to further modifications." The political parties have recently agreed that the new electoral law will be based on proportional representation and 15 electoral districts but a lot of technical details and electoral rules are yet to be agreed on.

Hariri Vows to Keep Beirut 'Jewel of the Arabs'
Naharnet/June 07/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri vowed to exert all efforts needed to keep the capital Beirut the “jewel of the Arab,” and highlighted the missions tasked to the municipality of Beirut to implement development and maintenance projects in the capital.
“We will always work together to keep Beirut the jewel of the Arabs, the center of creativity, investment, tourism, medication and education, and the engine of economy and job opportunities for the youth of Beirut and all the Lebanese,” said Hariri in a speech during an Iftar held by al-Mustaqbal Movement in BIEL on Tuesday. “Beirut the capital is precious to the hearts of all the Lebanese and is the symbol of Lebanon’s message of coexistence between Muslims and Christians,” he said. Highlighting Israel's aggression against the country, he said: “35 years ago, on June 6, 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon. Israel considered that bringing Beirut to its knees was the only way to bring Lebanon to its knees. But Beirut did not kneel.
“Beirut suffered from the practices of the Lebanese and Palestinian militias, from the military domination of the Assad regime and the security martial law that was imposed by force on the Lebanese. But it always stood up victorious,” said the PM.
Pointing out to the development projects that brought the city to life when his late father, Rafik Hariri, was PM, he said: “ Rafik Hariri brought back life to the heart of Beirut that was destroyed by war and turned it into a jewel that several neighboring countries are trying to copy,” and assured “we will continue this project because we want to protect the historic and civilized face of Beirut.”
Responding to what he said were “lies” against actions taken by the municipality of Beirut he said: “Beirut Municipality is responsible for my words today because as I promised you I will follow up its work and will not tolerate any negligence: Horsh Beirut will remain open for the people of Beirut and the municipality tasked a consultant to develop it. The tender to rehabilitate, maintain and manage it will take place next month.
“Ramlet Baida beach will always remain a free beach for the people of Beirut and the municipality will enlarge and develop it,” said Hariri.
He added that a master plan has been prepared to replace all cement blocks in Beirut with 6 thousand trees, and that existing parks will be rehabilitated and new ones will be established as well as spaces for pedestrians and bicycles.
Turning to Beirut's coastline, the PM said “Beirut's water is polluted,” pointing out that the work in Bourj Hammoud processing plant and al-Ghadir will be rehabilitated to absorb all wastewater and rain water in Beirut in order to reduce pollution.
On Lebanon's waste management crisis, he said: “The sweeping and gathering tender according to international standards will take place in eight days. The comprehensive plan to sort from the source and turn waste into energy is complete. Garbage will not return to the streets of Beirut!”
The PM also assured that electricity will be provided 24 hours per day as per a municipality plan “we are discussing this with the Ministry of Energy. Meanwhile, street lights will use “Led” lights that save 50% energy consumption and protect the environment. Next year there will be eco-friendly buses for public transportation. Sports stadiums in Achrafieh and Kaskas will also be rehabilitated and the project of the new municipal stadium will be launched.
“Also next year 8 health clinics will be rehabilitated and health cards will be issued for the people of Beirut in addition to emergency services,” concluded Hariri.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 07-08/17
Twelve Dead as IS Claims First Attacks in Iran
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 07/17/Gunmen and suicide bombers stormed Iran's parliament and the shrine of its revolutionary leader on Wednesday, killing 12 people in the first attacks in the country claimed by the Islamic State group. Dozens were injured in the attacks, which targeted two of Iran's most potent symbols: its parliament complex in central Tehran and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who led the 1979 Islamic revolution. The standoff lasted around five hours before all the gunmen holed up in parliamentary office buildings were killed. IS released a video of the attackers from inside the building via its Amaq propaganda agency -- a rare claim of responsibility while an attack was still going on. The Sunni jihadists of IS consider Shiite Iran to be apostates, and Tehran is deeply involved in fighting the group in both Syria and Iraq. The assaults began mid-morning when four gunmen burst into the parliament complex in the center of Tehran, killing a security guard and one other person, according to the ISNA news agency. An interior ministry official said they were dressed as women and entered through the visitors' entrance. One eventually exploded a suicide vest while the others were killed by security forces. At roughly the same time, two assailants entered the grounds of the Khomeini mausoleum, killing a gardener and wounding several other people. One detonated a suicide vest, while the other was shot dead. It was not clear whether the shrine attackers were women, as earlier reported, or just wearing female clothing. Iran's emergency services said a total of 12 people were killed in the two attacks and 43 wounded.
Parliament undeterred
Iran's leaders sought to play down the attacks, with neither President Hassan Rouhani nor supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei making a statement by early evening. Parliament was in session as the violence unfolded and members were keen to show they were undeterred, posting selfies showing themselves as calm and continuing with regular business. Meanwhile, gunshots continued in the neighboring office buildings, with police helping staff to escape from windows and snipers taking position from rooftops. Speaker Ali Larijani dismissed the attacks, saying they were a "trivial matter" and that security forces were dealing with them. The intelligence ministry said there had been a third "terrorist" team that was neutralized before the attacks started. Tehran was on lockdown, with streets blocked and parts of the metro closed. Journalists and onlookers were kept away from the sites by police. Interior Minister Abdolrahman Fazli told ISNA he had convened a special meeting of the country's security council.
Targeted by IS
Messages of support were sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin and from the Syrian foreign ministry. The three countries are close allies in the fight against rebels and jihadist groups in Syria. Iran has also been helping to battle IS in Iraq, which also sent its condolences. This has made Iran, the predominant Shiite power, a priority target for IS, which published a rare video in Persian in March warning that it "will conquer Iran and restore it to the Sunni Muslim nation as it was before." Jihadist groups have clashed frequently with Iranian security forces along the borders with Iraq and Afghanistan, but the country has largely escaped attacks within its urban centers. The intelligence ministry said in June 2016 that it had foiled an IS plot to carry out multiple bomb attacks in Tehran and around the country. IS is under increasing pressure, having lost significant territory in the face of offensives now targeting its last two major urban bastions, Raqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq. Militant groups are also known to operate in Iran's southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, which borders Pakistan and has a large Sunni community. Jaish-ul Adl (Army of Justice), which Tehran accuses of links with al-Qaida, has carried out several armed attacks on Iranian soil in recent years. Khamenei said on Sunday that attacks by IS in Europe and elsewhere showed that Western policies in the Middle East have backfired. "This is a fire that (Western powers) themselves ignited and now has backfired on them," he told a gathering of senior officials in Tehran.

Iran Guards Claim U.S., Saudi 'Involved' in Tehran Attacks, Vow 'Revenge'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 07/17/Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday vowed revenge for twin attacks by the Islamic State group in Tehran, and said Washington and Riyadh were "involved."
"The Revolutionary Guards have always proven that they will never allow the blood of innocents to be spilled without revenge," they said in a statement. "This terrorist action, coming one week after the meeting of the president of the United States with the leader of the one of the region's reactionary governments (Saudi Arabia)... shows they are involved in this savage action." Separately, the deputy chief of the Guards' Intelligence Service, Mohammad Hossein Nejat, told the Fars news agency that the men who attacked the parliament building in Tehran were aged between 20 and 25. "(They) went to the parliament as visitors. The guards became suspicious of their bags and when they wanted to search them, shooting began and they killed the security guard," he said. "The U.S. and Saudi regime had ordered their stooges to do this."He said the men spoke Arabic in the video released by IS from inside the building, but that their nationality was not yet known. Twelve people were killed and more than 40 injured in the attacks on Tehran's parliament complex and the shrine of revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

ISIS claims responsibility for double Iran Attacks
Jerusalem Post/Reuters/June 07/17/Meanwhile, Iran's Intelligence Ministry said the attacks were carried out by terrorist groups. Cairo: Islamic State claimed responsibility for attacks on Iran's parliament and Ayatollah Khomeini's shrine on Wednesday, the group's state news agency AMAQ said. "Fighters from Islamic state attacked Khomeini's shrine and the Iranian parliament in Tehran," the news agency said.Meanwhile, state TV reported that Iran's Intelligence Ministry said the attacks were carried out by terrorist groups. "This morning two terrorist groups attacked the parliament and Imam Khomeini's shrine ... Members of a third group were arrested before being able to carry out any attack," the station quoted the ministry as saying.The claims have not been independently verified.  In another statement the news agency said the attacks on Khomeini's shrine were carried out by two suicide bombers. The two attacks happened almost simultaneously and killed up to seven people. Tasmin news agency said there were unconfirmed reports that the attackers had taken four hostages inside the parliament building. Lawmaker Elias Hazrati told state television three assailants, one with a pistol and two with AK-47 assault rifles, carried out the attack in central Tehran. Another lawmaker said one of the assailants was surrounded by security forces and all the doors to the building had been closed, ISNA news agency reported. The attackers killed seven people and wounded several others, Tasmin said."I was inside the parliament when shooting happened. Everyone was shocked and scared. I saw two men shooting randomly," said one journalist at the scene, who asked not to be named. Around half an hour later, an attacker opened fire at the Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini, injuring several members of the public, Iran's English-language Press TV said. State news agency IRNA quoted an official at the mausoleum as saying the attacker had set off a suicide bomb after shooting at people. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini launched the Islamic revolution in 1979. Iranian TV said parliament had resumed, and broadcast footage of what it said was the opening session proceeding normally.Hours laters, the head of the anti-terrorism department in the Iranian Intelligence Ministry said they have foiled another terrorist plot and have arrested "a terrorist team", state broadcaster IRIB reported. Iran's intelligence ministry has also asked people to avoid public transport, according to IRIB. The Islamic Republic of Iran, which shares its western border with Iraq, has recently indicated it has sent regular and volunteer members of its armed forces to support Syrian President Bashar Assad's fight against rebels and Islamic State militants seeking to topple his rule.
*Jpost.com Staff contributed to this report.

Canada condemns terrorist attacks in Iran
June 7, 2017 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement following two terrorist attacks in Tehran, Iran:‎
“Canada strongly condemns today’s terrorist attacks in Iran, including at their parliament. We grieve the deaths and the injuries sustained by many civilians and deplore the targeting of innocent Iranians. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the people of Iran.
“The timing of these attacks, during the holy month of Ramadan, is an offence to the spirit of this sacred time.
“Canada remains unwavering in the global fight against terrorism and the hatred on which it is based.”
Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca

Qatari FM: We’re Willing to Talk to Resolve Crisis
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/London – Qatar said it is open to mediation to resolve the crisis with its neighboring countries over claims it supports terrorist groups. “We are willing to sit and talk,” Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Tuesday in an interview with CNN. He added his country believes in diplomacy and promoting peace in the Middle East. “We are not a superpower here, we are not believing in solving things with confrontation,” he said. Abdulrahman Al Thani insisted his country was combating terror financing and “protecting the world from potential terrorists.” He said Qatar believed in diplomacy and wanted to promote peace in the Middle East. It was also combating terrorism, he added. Meanwhile, al-Azhar reiterated its support for the decision of Arab leaders to boycott the Qatari regime accusing it of terrorism. In a statement issued, al-Azhar praised the measures taken to ensure the unity of the Arab nation and resolutely addressing the plans to destabilize it and tampering with the security of its countries. It said that it is closely following the developments in the Arab arena during the past few days and confirms its support for the joint Arab position in its decision to boycott regimes that support terrorism, harbor violence and extremist groups and intervene openly in the affairs of neighboring countries. Al-Azhar hoped to redouble the efforts of the Arab nation to stop the attempts exerted by the oppressive regimes threatening the security and stability of the Arab region. It expressed its aspiration “rogue regimes” would “return to their senses.”

Saudi FM Says Qatar Policies on Supporting Extremist Groups Must Change
Michel Abu Najm/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Paris- Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir on Tuesday said that Qatar needs to take a number of steps to guarantee relinquishing its support for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood should it wish to reestablish ties with the major Arab powers that had severed their relations with the Gulf country on Monday. Jubeir said Qatar knew exactly what to do to restore relations with Riyadh and its Arab allies. “We want to see Qatar implement the promises it made a few years back regarding its support of extremist groups, its hostile media and interference in affairs of other countries,” Jubeir told reporters in Paris. “Nobody wants to hurt Qatar. It has to choose whether it must move in one direction or another direction”. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain and several other countries on Monday severed all ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. “We took this step with great pain so that it understands that these policies are not sustainable and must change,” Jubeir said. Jubeir added that Qatar was undermining the Palestinian Authority and Egypt in its support of Hamas and the Muslim brotherhood. “We don’t think this is good. Qatar has to stop these policies so that it can contribute to stability in the Middle East,” he said. “We believe that common sense and logic will convince Qatar to take the right steps.”He said the “fairly large cost” on Qatar’s economy would convince it to change its policies. Jubeir held talks with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron had recently named Le Drian Minster for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Upon his appointment, Le Drian invited Jubeir so that they go over bilateral relations, means of enhancing them and joint efforts exerted to combat terrorism and extremism, in addition to the developments on the regional and international arenas. Hot topics like finding a political solution for Syria and regime head Bashar al-Assad stepping down from power and how important it is for a healthy political transition were discussed.

Discussions to Freeze Qatar’s Membership in GCC, Arab League
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Riyadh- Discussions may lead to freezing Qatar’s membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League if it continues with its supporting terrorism and harming the interests of the Gulf and Arab countries, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Sources did not rule out the suspension of Qatar’s membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as another expected step in response to the country’s actions and non-commitment to the outcome of the Riyadh summit in which 55 Islamic countries participated with the United States. The summit’s most significant outcome was agreeing to fight the financing of terrorism and extremism. The sources did not give any further details regarding when these steps would be implemented. For his part, Saudi Military and Strategic Analyst Col Ibrahim al-Marie said that Qatar has to take concrete steps before embarking any new reconciliation. Qatar is demanded to put Muslim Brotherhood on its terrorist list and force all the leaders of this organization to leave Qatar. “Qatar must stop sponsoring terrorist organizations and hosting the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood, and it should agree with the Gulf states on listing it as a terrorist group and ordering its members to leave its lands,” Marie said. The reconciliation process will start when “Qatar stops financing and supporting the terrorist organizations, Saudi extremist opposition, and terrorist figures in London,” Marie added. He explained that Qatar pays for offices and residences of terrorist organizations and pays salaries to their members. It also threatens Egypt’s security in Sinai and supports extremist organizations in Libya. All these facts have become clear for the international community, he added. “The international community has been harmed by Qatar’s policies, and it should simply change them and stop its acts.”On the other hand, sources said that Saudi Foreign Ministry met on Tuesday with a number of Asian Ambassadors in Riyadh to explain the reason of the recent conflicts with Qatar and the Qatari practices that are risking the national security of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf and Arab states.

Etihad Airways: Qatari Nationals Banned from Traveling to UAE or Passing Through it
Asharq Al-Awsat EnglishAsharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said on Wednesday that Qatari nationals will not be allowed to board flights to the United Arab Emirates or to pass through airports in the UAE even to change planes.Foreigners living in Qatar with residence visas will no longer be eligible for visas on arrival into the UAE, a spokesman for Etihad Airways added. According to the spokesman, “this ruling applies to all airlines flying into the UAE, including Etihad Airways.” The measures come after several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar on Monday over its support for terrorism. The UAE had already said Qatari nationals would not be allowed to enter the country or cross its points of entry.

Saudi FM: ‘Brother State’ Qatar Must Act to End Crisis
Asharq Al-Awsat English/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir delivers a statement after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department in Washington, February 8, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barriaز Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said Wednesday that Qatar is a “brother state” and that punitive steps against the emirate were a well-intentioned effort to stop its support for extremism. Speaking in Berlin, the top diplomat also said efforts would be made to resolve the conflict within the Gulf Cooperation Council. “We see Qatar as a brother state, as a partner,” he told a joint press conference with German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel, according to the German simultaneous translation. “But you have to be able to tell your friend or your brother when they are doing the right thing and when they are doing the wrong thing.”Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain are among seven states that have cut diplomatic ties and many major transport links with Qatar. Jubeir said that “for many years Qatar has taken steps to support certain organizations”. “This has been condemned in the past, but unfortunately we have not received appropriate cooperation on this and that’s why these measures have now been taken.”He added that “we have taken these steps in the interest of Qatar… and in the interest of security and stability in the region”.
“And we hope that our brother Qatar will now take the right steps in order to end this crisis.”

Closure of Salwa Road Paralyzes Qatar’s Land Transportation
Nayef Al-Rasheed/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Riyadh- The General Customs Department in Saudi Arabia implemented the government’s decision to cut relations with Qatar and ordered the closure of land, sea and air transportation and the prohibition of transit in Saudi territory. Advisor and Official Spokesperson of the General Customs Authority in Saudi Arabia Isa al-Isa told Asharq Al-Awsat that the customs banned the entrance and departure of cars and trucks from Qatar. Isa pointed out that Qatari cars and trucks present in Saudi Arabia and Saudi cars and trucks present in Qatar are an exception as they are both allowed to return to their countries. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar has led to a crisis for Qatar in terms of air, sea and land transportation. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry has sent messages to the Qataris saying that the Kingdom will continue to be a support for the Qatari people in terms of the country’s security and stability, indicating that Qataris are a natural extension of their brothers in Saudi Arabia. In its messages, the ministry stressed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to providing all facilities and services for Qatari pilgrims. Salwa crossing is the only land road connecting Qatar with the world. More than 60 percent of the construction materials and infrastructure equipment and 40 percent of the food imports pass through this gateway. It follows the geography of al-Ahsa province in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. It is located 460 km from Riyadh.The crossing is managed by the Saudi Ministry of Interior and the Saudi Ministry of Finance and provides services to passengers through passports, customs, police, traffic, the Saudi Red Crescent, border guards and civil defense.

Iranian Foreign Minister in Turkey as Qatar Row Rages
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 07/17/Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was in Ankara on Wednesday for talks with the Turkish leadership as a major diplomatic crisis rages in the Gulf. Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Maldives also severed ties with gas-rich Qatar, accusing the tiny Gulf state of supporting extremist groups, including some backed by Iran. Zarif was to meet later Wednesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the presidency website. The Iranian minister was also due to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, a senior Turkish official said. The foreign ministers would discuss "bilateral and regional issues including Syria," Turkish diplomatic sources said. "There are worrying developments in our region," Zarif said, quoted by NTV broadcaster, adding that Turkey and Iran "need to exchange views closely" regarding "events."Ankara and Tehran are key players in the six-year Syrian conflict and have sponsored a ceasefire deal with Russia. While Turkey helps rebels trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad, Tehran is a regime ally with Moscow and provides Assad with military support. Earlier Monday gunmen and suicide bombers stormed Iran's parliament and the shrine of its revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, killing 12 people in the first attacks in the country claimed by the Islamic State group.The Iranian foreign minister issued a statement of defiance, quoted by NTV: "This attack will further strengthen our people's determination to confront terror."

Saudi Arabia Solidifies Position on Promoting Protection of Human Rights
Asharq Al-Awsat English/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reiterated its commitment to promote and protect human rights and its continued cooperation with international human rights measures, in particular, the universal periodic review mechanism, special procedures and international treaties, said the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). This came in the Kingdom’s speech before the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which was delivered today by the Head of Human Rights Department of the Permanent Delegation of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations and international organizations, Dr. Fahd bin Obaid Al-Mutairi. Al-Mutairi pointed out that during the last six months Saudi Arabia has received two special rapporteurs, coordinated and cooperated with them. The Kingdom also dedicated all efforts to assure that their mission is successful. He stressed that the people of Palestine deserve freedom, to live like other people of the world and exercise their rights in their state away from the Israeli occupation. Al-Mutairi called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and take necessary measures to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians. He urged that the forces come together and put an end to the Israeli disregard to international resolutions, stressing the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with Al-Quds (the Arabic name of Jerusalem) as its capital.

Gulf Rivals Not Seeking Qatar 'Regime Change'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 07/17/A senior Emirati official insisted on Wednesday that Gulf Arab states were not seeking regime change in Doha, as tensions built in a bitter feud between Qatar and its neighbors. Speaking to AFP in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates' state minister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash accused Qatar of being "the main champion of extremism and terrorism in the region." But he also said measures taken against Qatar this week by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Arab nations were not aimed at seeking new leadership in Doha.
"This is not about regime change -- this is about change of policy, change of approach," Gargash said. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain announced on Monday they were cutting diplomatic ties and closing air, sea and land links with Qatar, giving Qataris within their borders two weeks to leave. The four countries have suspended all flights to and from Qatar, pulled their ambassadors from Doha and ordered Qatari diplomats to leave. Riyadh and its allies accuse Qatar of supporting extremist groups and of serving the interests of regional arch-rival Iran, claims Doha has strongly rejected. The dispute has sparked the worst diplomatic crisis in the Arab world in years and raised fears it will cause further instability in an already-volatile region. Kuwait is leading efforts to find a mediated solution. Its Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah held talks with Saudi King Salman on Tuesday but there were no immediate signs of progress.He traveled Wednesday to the United Arab Emirates.
Dangerous 'Trumpification'
The Kuwaiti ruler played a pivotal role in mediating a compromise in a 2014 diplomatic dispute between Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states. The United States, France and Russia have called for dialogue while Turkey has defended Qatar and said it would further "develop" ties with Doha. In an apparent sign of support, Turkey's parliament will debate on Wednesday a bill that would allow deploying troops to a Turkish base in Qatar. U.S. President Donald Trump waded into the dispute on Tuesday, but seemed to only muddy the waters. After first appearing to back the Saudi-led measures against Qatar on Twitter, he shifted gears and called for unity among Gulf Arab states. Trump's Tuesday tweet -- in which he said "all reference was pointing to Qatar" as a financier of extremism -- was especially surprising given Qatar's role as host of the largest U.S. airbase in the Middle East. Al-Udeid, located in the Qatari desert, is home to some 10,000 U.S. troops and is a crucial hub in the fight against Islamic State group extremists in Syria and Iraq. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel accused the U.S. president of fanning conflict in the Middle East and risking a "new spiral in arms sales" with his remarks. "Such a 'Trumpification' of relations in a region already susceptible to crises is particularly dangerous," Gabriel said in an interview scheduled to appear on Wednesday. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told German reporters on Wednesday that Gulf countries still see Qatar as a "brother state.""But you have to be able to tell your friend or your brother when they are doing the right thing and when they are doing the wrong thing," Jubeir said in a joint press conference with Gabriel. Qatar has said it is open to talks to end the crisis but has also accused its neighbors of impinging on its sovereignty.
UAE warns Qatar sympathizers
The UAE meanwhile warned that anyone showing sympathy with Qatar could face jail time or fines.
The UAE attorney general said Wednesday that "any participation in conversation or social media or any other means that demonstrates sympathy to Qatar... may face a prison sentence of three to 15 years and a fine of no less than 500,000 dirhams ($136,000)."The measures taken against Qatar have seen dozens of flights canceled and huge problems for Qatar Airways, which has been banned from the airspace of Saudi Arabia and other countries. The severing of land and maritime links have also sparked fears of food shortages in Qatar, which relies heavily on imports. Qatar has an independent streak that has often angered its neighbors, attracting criticism for hosting the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, and supporting Islamist rebels in Syria. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies may have felt emboldened to move against Qatar by Trump's visit last month to Riyadh, which saw the president clearly align U.S. interests with the kingdom and lash out at Iran. Riyadh has itself faced accusations of tolerating or even supporting extremists, in particular after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Of the 19 hijackers of planes used in the attacks, 15 came from Saudi Arabia, also the birthplace of al-Qaida founder and attack mastermind Osama bin Laden.

UAE Says Qatar Sympathizers Could Land in Jail, More Curbs Possible
Asharq Al-Awsat English/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/The United Arab Emirates has considered expressions of sympathy towards Qatar a crime, saying it will punish offenders with a jail term of up to 15 years, and warning that more punitive measures on the Gulf state remain on the table.
“Strict and firm action will be taken against anyone who shows sympathy or any form of bias towards Qatar, or against anyone who objects to the position of the United Arab Emirates, whether it be through the means of social media, or any type of written, visual or verbal form,” UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said Monday. On top of a possible jail term, offenders would also be hit with a fine of at least 500,000 dirhams. The United Arab Emirates, along with several other Gulf and Arab states, severed diplomatic relations with Qatar on Monday over its aggressive and irresponsible polices, said al-Shamsi. Article 29 of the cybercrime law criminalizes any online publication of information “with intent to make sarcasm or damage the reputation, prestige or stature of the state or… any of its symbols,” a statement added.Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, also told Reuters on Monday that more measures against Qatar, including further curbs on business, are not ruled out. “What we are hoping is that our action will send some sense into the decision-makers in Qatar when they will see their overall interest is in not undermining their neighbours.”“We hope that cooler heads will prevail, that wiser heads will prevail and we will not get to that,” Gargash said in an interview, referring to more curbs. “But if we have to, these are all entanglements that we have to deal with as the crisis develops and create solutions to them and this will be a very, very sad course that we need to take, but I am hoping that cooler heads will prevail in Qatar.”Gargash said Qatar must make an iron-clad commitment to change its policies before talks could begin to resolve the crisis. In another interview with AFP, Gargash said the measures against Qatar are aimed at pressuring Doha into changing its policies, not at overthrowing its regime. “This is not about regime change — this is about change of policy, change of approach,” he said, accusing Qatar of being “the main champion of extremism and terrorism in the region”.

King Salman, Turkey’s Erdogan Discuss Latest Developments in Phone Call
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Jeddah, Ankara – The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Tuesday received a phone call from Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During the call, the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and means to endorse them, in all domains, in addition to discussing regional developments. Erdogan had also spoke over the phone with the leaders of Qatar, Kuwait, Russia and Saudi Arabia on lowering tension, presidential sources said, after Arab powers cut ties with Qatar. Erdogan “has initiated diplomatic efforts to resolve this dispute between friends and brothers in line with the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan,” spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said in a statement late Tuesday. Turkey confirmed that it will continue its efforts to find a solution to the crisis on severing relations with Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Yemen and a number of other countries through dialogue. More so, Ankara said that it is not possible to allow the destabilization of relations between countries, while the local opposition demanded the Turkish government remains uninvolved in the crisis. In a speech to his ruling party’s legislators Tuesday, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called on Gulf states to resolve the crisis through negotiation, reiterating Turkey’s preparedness to do what is necessary to heal the divide. “We will continue our active stance in order to develop a friendly dialogue that would suit the holy month of Ramadan,” Yildirim said. On the other hand, Turkey’s main opposition CHP party leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, said that both Erdogan’s ruling party and Qatar must halt their support for the Muslim Brotherhood, and demanded that his country’s government remains outside the conflict. “We must maintain our policy path with the Arab world and we should not be a party in emerging differences,” he said in a speech to a meeting of his party’s parliamentary bloc on Tuesday. Kilicdaroglu stressed the need for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to move away from policies supporting extremist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. “Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE view the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, and you (AKP) make it a symbol of the party. This is unacceptable.”“Saudi Arabia, in addition to six other countries, cut off relations with Qatar because of its support of terrorism. They called on Qatari citizens living in their lands to leave. Look at the situation that the Islamic world has reached because of the practices of some countries,” he said. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed their ties with Qatar on Monday over its involvement and support of groups that undermine the region’s security.

Palestinian Expert: Hamas Might End Up Biggest Loser in Qatar Dispute
Jerusalem Post /June 07/17/"Hamas could lose the different forms of political, financial and logistical support it receives from Qatar,” said Ghassan Khatib, a vice president of Bir Zeit University. The rupture in relations between Qatar and a number of its Arab neighbors could hurt Hamas, a Palestinian expert said Tuesday. “Assuming that the Arab states continue to pressure Qatar, Hamas could lose the different forms of political, financial and logistical support it receives from Qatar,” said Ghassan Khatib, a vice president of Bir Zeit University. “That would be really bad news for Hamas.”The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain officially cut ties with Qatar on Sunday, announcing a series of measures against Doha. Some of the measures include expelling Qatari diplomats and citizens and closing airspace to Qatar Airways. The four Arab states say Qatar is responsible for funding extremist groups, including Islamic State and al-Qaida. Qatar denies any backing to the groups. The four Arab states also contend that Qatar is close to their greatest adversary, Iran.According to Khatib, the four Arab states see Hamas as an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood, which they have designated a terrorist group.
“If the pressure continues, Qatar most probably would have to make some adjustments regarding its support for Hamas,” he said. Qatar is one of Hamas’s staunchest allies. It has sent millions of dollars to Gaza to support Hamas’s governance efforts, including hundreds of millions for reconstruction and millions for the energy sector.When Gazans took to the streets to protest Hamas’s handling of an electricity crisis last winter, Qatar sent $12 million to Gaza for needed fuel, effectively bailing out Hamas. Qatar has also served as the headquarters of Hamas’s diaspora leadership, hosting a number of its most senior leaders including, former Hamas politburo chairman Khaled Mashaal and his aides. Hamas spokesmen have not responded to the deterioration in ties between Qatar and the Arab states. For its part, the Palestinian Authority has refrained from addressing the issue publicly except for a brief statement by Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Tunis on Monday. “What happened saddens us. We hope that the wise and rational voices will be able to bring these brotherly states back together,” Maliki told a press conference alongside Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui. Despite Maliki’s comments calling for a resolution, Khatib said the pressure on Qatar is “indirectly playing into the hands of the Palestinian leadership” and its strategy against Hamas. The PA has taken a number of measures to pressure Hamas to cede control of the Gaza Strip in the past several weeks. In May, PA leaders informed Israel that it only wants to pay for some 64% of electricity Israel transfers to Gaza.

US Ambassador in Moscow Confirms ‘Assad’s Departure during Transition Period’
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Moscow – US Ambassador to Moscow John Tefft stressed Washington’s insistence on Syrian regime head Bashar al-Assad’s departure, adding that Iran is not contributing to Syria’s settlement process and doubted its role in the de-escalation zone. These statements were made as Moscow is preparing to receive UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura to discuss activating the Syrian settlement, said Russian deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov. Tefft said Tuesday during his meeting with representatives of Russian media that the current US administration is insistent on Assad’s departure. He added that the only difference between the current administration and that of Obama’s is that maybe Trump’s administration sees that Assad must leave, but not necessarily now as some sort of transition period must take place. Speaking to reporters, Tefft said that the United States was just an observer in the Astana process, not a guarantor, and it had several questions regarding this process even though Washington supported it overall. The United States still has questions on whether Iran should play the role of a guarantor. According to the ambassador, the United States does not believe that Iran plays a positive role in the Syrian settlement process. When asked whether counter-terror cooperation between countries, carried out at the US base in Qatar, would continue, Tefft replied: “I would assume that the contacts that go on between the Russian military and the American military at that base will continue.” In a related matter, Gatilov said that de Mistura will visit Moscow on Thursday to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the crisis in Syria. Gatilov told Interfax on Tuesday that the visit comes within the framework of constant contacts with de Mistura to exchange views about the current situation in Syria and settle the crisis in the country and means of activating the process of the Syrian talks.

Disagreements between Geneva Delegation, HNC at Core of Syrian Opposition Talks in Riyadh
Caroline AkoumظAsharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Beirut – Disagreements between opposition factions and the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) will occupy the central stage of the meetings between the “Geneva delegation” and the committee in Riyadh on Wednesday. The HNC kicked off its meetings on Monday to discuss preparations for the upcoming round of peace talks and the visit of its coordinator, Riad Hijab, to Europe. The committee will also review the formation of a group of advisors to discuss any proposals related to the drafting of a new constitution or a political solution to the crisis in Syria. While the Syrian opposition factions have raised several demands, such as the replacement of Senior Negotiator Mohammed Sabra, political members within the HNC stressed that such changes were out of question and would not serve the opposition’s interests in this particular time. In this context, a source in the Geneva delegation told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the opposition factions would discuss in Riyadh the means to resolve pending issues that have made them suspend their participation in the latest round of talks. The opposition factions have justified their absence from the sixth round of negotiations in Geneva on the grounds of lack of a clear negotiation strategy and uncertainties in decision-making. The sources said the factions were displeased by the performance of Sabra, who was trying to make unilateral decisions and constantly criticizing the political and military opposition delegation that took part in the Astana talks.“It is necessary to take the adequate measures in this regard and introduce changes to the delegation, as well as replacing the senior negotiator with a different figure,” the sources said. For his part, member of the Geneva delegation Fouad Aliko, pointed out to the same problem of unilateral decisions that are made by the HNC, but ruled out the possibility to replace Sabra. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Aliko said: “We are ready to go to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where we are expected to join the committee’s meetings.”“However, I don’t believe that the members of the delegation would be replaced,” he added.

Germany to Withdraw Troops from Turkey’s Incirlik Base
Asharq Al-Awsat English/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Germany on Wednesday announced that it was withdrawing its troops from Turkey’s Incirlik base as Berlin and Ankara failed to resolve a months-long dispute. The military personnel, Tornado surveillance jets and other hardware — deployed as part of the international coalition against the ISIS terrorist group — will be moved to Jordan’s Asraq base instead, said Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. Germany has had more than 250 troops stationed in Incirlik, flying surveillance missions over Syria and refueling flights for partner nations battling the terrorists
But the deployment has become a bone of contention after Ankara repeatedly refused to allow German lawmakers to visit the base. Ankara had first denied German parliamentarians the right to travel to the site for several months last year, angered by a Bundestag vote to recognize the Ottoman Empire’s World War I-era massacre of Armenians as a genocide. A fresh row over lawmakers’ visits to the air base erupted last month. This time, Ankara was protesting the fact that Berlin has offered political asylum to Turkish nationals accused of complicity in the July 2016 attempted coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Monday traveled to Turkey to hold last-ditch talks with his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, but failed to sway Ankara. After the talks, Cavusoglu repeated that “we would not like to see members of FETO take shelter in friendly country Germany”, referring to a movement led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen whom Ankara blames for orchestrating the failed coup. Berlin has argued that it cannot deploy its soldiers in places which lawmakers are unable to visit, given that all military missions are mandated by parliament.
Von der Leyen said the Azraq air base in Jordan would be a new base for Germany’s troops. The transfer would disrupt its air refueling missions by two or three weeks, while Tornado surveillance flights would cease for two to three months, she said. The transfer would not require a new mandate from the German parliament, as the current one specifies the deployment site as the airspace over Syria and its neighboring countries, but does not name the base. But the government may seek approval from lawmakers for political reasons — not least to bolster its point to Ankara that the deployment was decided by parliamentarians who should therefore be able to visit the troops. Later on Wednesday, NATO expressed its disappointment with the dispute between Germany and Turkey. Alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg revealed that he was in constant contact with Ankara and Berlin in an attempt to end the row. “It is unfortunate that the dispute was not resolved differently,” he said.

UN: ISIS Murdered 163 Mosul Residents in One Day
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Erbil – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein accused on Tuesday the ISIS extremist group of murdering 163 people as they were attempting to flee the western part of the Iraqi city of Mosul on June 1. He told the UN Human Rights Council: “The brutality of ISIS and other terrorist groups seemingly knows no bounds.”“Yesterday, my staff reported to me that bodies of murdered Iraqi men, women and children still lay on the streets of the al-Shira neighborhood of western Mosul, after at least 163 people were shot and killed by ISIS to prevent them from fleeing,” he added.“My staff have also received reports of missing people from this neighborhood,” he added, without providing further details. ISIS seized Mosul in 2014, and the operation that began last October to retake the city has pushed hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes.
Iraqi forces have retaken all but a handful of areas around the Old City in western Mosul, but the terrorists are fighting in densely populated areas, and have used civilians as human shields at various points in the battle. On Tuesday Iraqi forces continued their battles in the alleys and neighborhoods of the Old City. Commander of the Federal Police Force Raed Shaker Jawdat told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Our forces have seized 75 percent of the Zanjili neighborhood and are advancing towards the Bab Sinjar neighborhood, which leads to the Grand al-Nuri mosque.”
Information obtained from the federal police revealed that Tuesday’s operations left 34 terrorists dead, including commander Abou Bara al-Tunisi, who is responsible for the explosives manufacturing factories in the Old City. Meanwhile, President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani rejected the movements of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) militias in western Mosul and southern Sinjar. Breaching the Kurdistan border and imposing the conditions on the residents of these two regions is rejected, he said. He added that the PMF movements, which have not been coordinated with any side, are complicating affairs, stressed Barzani. He stated during a meeting in Erbil with General Joseph Votel, commander of United States Central Command, that the Kurdistan region had underlined the need for a military, political and administrative plan before launching the operation to liberate Mosul “because we had predicted the emergence of several problems.”

Fate of Wives, Children of ISIS Terrorists in Iraq in Limbo
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Baghdad – The residents of the regions that were liberated from ISIS are still suffering from complicated social and humanitarian conditions. Among these issues are the cases of the wives and children of the terrorists, a matter that needs a radical solution by the state. Civil activist and head of the Amal Association Hana Adwar said that the majority of the women who married members of ISIS “are broken and in dire need of psychological care.”They require the state’s “flexibility” to allow them to regain trust and feel safe, she told Asharq Al-Awsat. Even if they willingly married an ISIS member, they still need care because they simply must have been forced to do so, she explained. Perhaps they did not know the nature of their husband’s work as is often the case of other women, Adwar noted. She acknowledged however that there are no accurate statistics on the number of women who married ISIS extremists. Armed groups expert Hashem al-Hashemi, who heads a research team on such marriage cases, said that the terror organization left behind documents that reveal some 3,700 cases that were approved by the religious court. These figures do not however cover all marriages that have taken place in the three years that ISIS was in control, because several locals have married extremists off the record or outside of courts, he added. The research team said that there are four cases in which a woman marries a member of the terrorist group. She can marry him with the knowledge and consent of her parents; be forced to marry by her caregivers, such a brother of father; marry without the knowledge of her relatives, who fled ISIS oppression; or marry a foreign fighter. The fourth form of marriage is the most complicated because it is difficult to identify the father. Hashemi said that extremists from 68 nationalities had joined ISIS in Iraq and the majority of marriages to foreigners took place in western Mosul and the city of Talaafar. Iraqi authorities tackling these case have a difficulty in determining the identity of the father because he was either killed or had left Iraq. There are no official documents of the union, forcing the state to refer the children to the law on treating foundlings. They are eventually registered under the care of the father or brother from the mother’s side. Sixty-seven such cases have been recorded, said al-Hashemi. All cases, but the marriage to a foreign fighter, are treated from a legal standpoint in Iraq because they are legitimate.For the marriage to a foreign fighter, the state requires a document from the ISIS legal court that proves the union. It will then be transformed into an official government document. Should the wife fail to have this document from the ISIS court, she will need two witnesses, who can confirm the marriage, and the recognition of the extremist’s parents of the legitimacy of the child and marriage. Through the state’s efforts, 80 of these marriages have been recorded. A DNA test is taken when the parent of the ISIS member denies the marriage or the legitimacy of the child.

Cholera Outbreak in Yemen May Spiral Out of Control
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 07/17/Aden- Yemenis and international organizations are increasingly concerned about the cholera epidemic spiraling out of control, especially after the increase in numbers of death cases in the country to amount to 676 case since the beginning of the outbreak in April, according to the latest statistics released by the World Health Organization (WHO).The UN organization confirmed that more than 86,400 suspected cases of cholera have been registered in light of the state of war that the country has been going through for almost three years now. Official Spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Mohammed al-Asaadi denied the reports accusing international organizations of overrating the scale of cholera in Yemen. Asaadi told Asharq Al-Awsat: “These figures are registered at the level of each governorate and directorate through health offices and sent to a joint operating room in Sana’a, under the supervision of UNICEF, health authorities and donor groups.” “The reality is very harsh, and the crisis is huge and overlapping and is due to interrelated crises. The rainy season increases the likelihood of epidemics such as cholera and other diseases. Also, the water has become more polluted because the water establishment is unable to treat and pump water into houses, and most of the houses are not registered in the official water network,” Asaadi added. He also said that another problem is sanitation, especially in the capital Sana’a since it is the most affected by the epidemic because of the population density, where 16,000 cholera cases were reported. Asaadi also talked about a series of other causes that contributed to the outbreak of cholera in Yemen, including the collapse of the health system, the condition of workers in this system, who are passing through difficult conditions because they have not been paid for nine months now, and the extreme poverty of the citizens who neither have money to receive filtered water nor are capable of buying medications and vaccines to fight the disease. Recently, many international organizations have launched appeals to bring assistance to Yemen to overcome the cholera epidemic. In this regard, Asaadi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the epidemic’s fast outbreak is much bigger than the current international organizations and health authorities’ ability to treat it or halt its outbreak in the country.

Iraqi Kurds to Hold Independence Referendum on September 25
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 07/17/Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region will hold a referendum on statehood in September, its presidency said Wednesday, despite opposition to independence from Baghdad. "September 25, 2017 was designated as the day for holding the referendum" on independence, the presidency said in a statement. Iraqi Kurdistan is made up of three provinces that are run by an autonomous regional government and protected by their own security services, and there is broad support among Iraqi Kurds for the idea of an independent state. But in practice, such a project would face major internal and external challenges that would threaten the viability of the fledgling nation. The statement from the regional presidency highlighted one of the main issues, saying the referendum would be held "in the Kurdistan region and areas of Kurdistan outside the administration of the region."This is a reference to swathes of northern territory that are claimed by both Kurdistan and Baghdad, including the key oil-rich province of Kirkuk. There would be opposition in Baghdad to the three provinces that make up Kurdistan becoming independent, but that opposition would be vastly greater if the region tried to take disputed territory along with it, as it almost certainly would.
Internally, Iraqi Kurdistan has been hit hard by low oil prices, as it depends on revenue from crude sales to provide the vast majority of government funds. And while the concept of Kurdish independence has broad appeal, Iraqi Kurds are deeply divided politically to the point that a new state could be paralyzed by such divisions.There is also the issue of regional opposition: Turkey, Syria and Iran also have substantial Kurdish populations, and these countries could oppose Iraqi Kurdish independence out of fear that it would inspire similar moves at home.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 07-08/17
A New Tolerance for Anti-Semitism
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/June 07/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10492/anti-semitism-tolerance
Although there has been hard-right anti-Semitism for decades, the bigotry of the hard-left is far more prevalent and influential on many university campuses. Those on the left, who support left-wing anti-Semites try to downplay, ignore or deny that those they support are really anti-Semites. "They are anti-Zionist" is the excuse du jour. Those on the right do essentially the same: "they are nationalists." Neither side would accept such transparent and hollow justifications if the shoe were on the other foot.
Linda Sarsour supports Islamic religious law, Sharia. If taken literally, this would presumably mean that she also supports punishing homosexuality by death; amputation for theft; death by stoning for "adultery" (which can include being raped); women being valued at half the worth of a man, being flogged for drinking alcohol, and above all, slavery.
The growing tolerance for anti-Semitism by both the extreme left and right is quickly becoming mainstream. That is why it is so dangerous and must be exposed for what it is: complicity in, and encouragement of, the oldest form of bigotry. People on both sides of the aisle must have the same zero tolerance for anti-Semitism as they do for sexism, racism and homophobia.
All over the world anti-Semites are becoming mainstreamed. It is no longer disqualifying to be outed as a Jew hater. This is especially so if the anti-Semite uses the cover of rabid hatred for the nation-state of the Jewish people. These bigots succeed in becoming accepted -- even praised -- not because of their anti-Semitism, but despite it. Increasingly, they are given a pass on their Jew-hatred because those who support them admire or share other aspects of what they represent. This implicit tolerance of anti-Semitism -- as long as it comes from someone whose other views are acceptable -- represents a dangerous new trend from both the right and left.
In the United States, although there has been hard-right anti-Semitism for decades, the bigotry of the hard-left is far more prevalent and influential on many university campuses. Those on the left who support left-wing anti-Semites try to downplay, ignore or deny that those they support are really anti-Semites. "They are anti-Zionist" is the excuse du jour. Those on the right do essentially the same: "they are nationalists." Neither side would accept such transparent and hollow justifications if the shoe were on the other foot. I believe that when analyzing and exposing these dangerous trends, a single standard of criticism must be directed at each.
Generally speaking, extreme right-wing anti-Semitism continues to be a problem in many parts of Europe and among a relatively small group of "alt-right" Americans. But it also exists among those who self-identify as run-of-the-mill conservatives. Consider, for example, former presidential candidate and Reagan staffer, Pat Buchanan.
The list of Buchanan's anti-Jewish bigotry is exhaustive. Over the years, he has consistently blamed Jews for wide-ranging societal and political problems. In his criticism of the Iraq War, for example, Buchanan infamously quipped: "There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the Middle East-the Israeli Defense Ministry and its amen corner in the United States." He then singled out for rebuke only Jewish political figures and commentators such as Henry Kissinger, Charles Krauthammer and A.M. Rosenthal. Buchanan did not mention any of the vocal non-Jewish supporters of the war. Furthermore, Buchanan also said that "the Israeli lobby" would be responsible if President Obama decided to strike Iran, threatening that if it were to happen, "Netanyahu and his amen corner in Congress" would face "backlash worldwide." Buchanan's sordid flirtation with Nazi revisionism is also well documented.
Meanwhile, on university campuses, the absurd concept of "intersectionality" -- which has become a code word for anti-Semitism -- is dominating discussions and actions by the hard-left. The warm embrace of Palestinian-American activist, Linda Sarsour -- who recently delivered the commencement address at a City University of New York graduation -- is a case in point. A co-organizer of the Women's March on Washington in January, she has said that feminism and Zionism are incompatible, stating: "You either stand up for the rights of all women, including Palestinians, or none. There's just no way around it." And when speaking about two leading female anti-Islamists, Brigitte Gabriel and Ayaan Hirsi Ali (who is a victim of female genital mutilation) the feminist du jour, Linda Sarsour, said: "I wish I could take away their vaginas."
The irony is breathtaking. Under her own all-or-nothing criteria, Sarsour -- who is also a staunch supporter of trying to destroy Israel economically -- cannot be pro-Palestinian and a feminist because the Palestinian Authority and Hamas subjugate women and treat gays far worse than Israel does.
Sarsour supports Islamic religious law, Sharia. If taken literally, this would presumably mean that she also supports punishing homosexuality by death; amputation for theft; death by stoning for "adultery" (which can include being raped); women being valued at half the worth of a man, being flogged for drinking alcohol, and above all, slavery (see here, here and here).
Yet, Sarsour has emerged as a champion of the hard-left. Both New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and Bernie Sanders have sought her endorsement. Moreover, Deputy DNC Chair, Keith Ellison -- who himself has a sordid history with anti-Semitism, stemming from his association with Louis Farrakhan (who publicly boasted about his own Jew hatred) -- has come out in support of the bigoted Sarsour. When it comes to Ellison, an old idiom comes to mind: a man is known by the company he keeps.
The same trend is detectable among the hard-left in Europe, particularly in Britain, which is days away from an election. The British Labour Party has now been hijacked by radical extremists on the left, and is known for being soft on anti-Semitism.
In a recent interview with a BBC reporter, Emma Barnett -- who happens to be Jewish -- Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn fumbled when answering a question about how much his proposed childcare policy would cost. Rather than critique Corbyn, Labour supporters viciously trolled the Jewish BBC reporter. Tweets such as these abounded: "Allegations have surfaced that @Emmabarnett is a Zionist" and "Zionist Emma Barnett (family lived off brothels) attacks Jeremy Corbyn." Corbyn has also been accused of anti-Jewish bigotry himself. He has said in the past that the genocidal Hamas terrorist group should be removed from the UK's designated terror list, and has called Hezbollah and Hamas (which are both vowed to the destruction of the nation-state of the Jewish people) "my friends." (I recently wrote extensively on Corbyn's association with some of Britain's most notorious Holocaust-deniers and anti-Semites.)
Increasingly, anti-Semitic discourse is also seeping into the arts and academia. Consider the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish bigotry of former Pink Floyd front man, Roger Waters. A staunch supporter of the so-called BDS movement, Waters has said about the Palestinians that "parallels with what went on in the 30's in Germany are so crushingly obvious." He also had a pig-shaped balloon with a Star of David on it at one of his concerts. And when asked about his aggressive effort to recruit people to join the BDS, Waters blamed "the Jewish lobby," which he explained is "extraordinary powerful here and particularly in the industry that I work in, the music industry." In 2013, the ADL declared that "anti-Semitic conspiracy theories" had "seeped into the totality" of Waters' views.
Likewise, the marketplace of ideas on university campuses and within academic institutions has seen an embrace of anti-Semitism often disguised as anti-Zionism. Several years ago, I identified the dangerous trend of academics crossing a red line between acceptable criticism of Israel and legitimizing Jew-hatred. This was in light of the disgraceful endorsement by a number of prominent academics of an anti-Semitic book written by Gilad Atzmon -- a notorious Jew-hater who denies the Holocaust and attributed widespread economic troubles to a "Zio-punch."
When asked recently about the hullabaloo surrounding her CUNY address, Linda Sarsour disingenuously played the victim card:
"...since the Women's March on Washington, once the right-wing saw a very prominent Muslim-American woman in a hijab who was a Palestinian who was resonating with a community in a very large way, they made it their mission to do everything they can to take my platform away."
No, Ms. Sarsour. You are wrong. This is not a smear campaign by the "right-wing," but rather, a show that people of goodwill reject your manifestations of bigotry.
Those who tolerate anti-Semitism from those they otherwise admire would never accept other forms of bigotry, such as racism, sexism or homophobia. It's difficult to imagine Bernie Sanders campaigning for a socialist who didn't like black people or who was against gay marriage. But he is comfortable campaigning for Jeremy Corbyn, who has made a career out of condemning Zionists -- by which he means Jews.
The growing tolerance for anti-Semitism by both the extreme left and right is quickly becoming mainstream. That is why it is so dangerous and must be exposed for what it is: complicity in, and encouragement of, the oldest form of bigotry. Shame on those who tolerate anti-Semitism when it comes from their side of the political spectrum.
People on both sides of the aisle must have the same zero tolerance for anti-Semitism as they do for sexism, racism and homophobia. Decent people everywhere -- Jews and non-Jews -- must condemn with equal vigor all manifestations of bigotry whether they emanate from the hard alt-right or hard alt-left. I will continue to judge individuals on the basis of their own statements and actions, regardless of which side of the aisle they come from.
Members of the National Socialist Movement (NSM) march across the City Hall lawn in Los Angeles, California, on April 17, 2010. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Alan M. Dershowitz, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School and author of "Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law" and "Electile Dysfunction: A Guide for the Unaroused Voter."
© 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.

Facebook's Little Ethics Problem
Ruthie Blum/Gatestone Institute/June 07/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10457/facebook-ethics
Facebook has been aiding abusers of human-rights -- such as China, Turkey, Russia and Pakistan -- to curb the freedom of expression of their people.
"On the same day that we filed the report, the 'Stop Palestinians' page that incited against Palestinians was removed by Facebook... for 'containing credible threat of violence' which 'violated our community standards.' On the other hand, the 'Stop Israelis' page that incited against Israelis, was not removed. We received a response from Facebook stating that the page was 'not in violation of Facebook's rules.'" — Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, head of The Israel Law Center.
According to Darshan-Leitner, Facebook's insistence that it cannot control all the content on its pages is disingenuous, if not an outright lie. After all, its algorithms are perfectly accurate when it comes to detecting users' shopping habits.
There is a problem at Facebook. On May 8, the social media platform blocked and then shut down the pages of two popular moderate Muslim groups -- on the grounds that their content was "in violation of community standards" -- without explanation.
Had these pages belonged to the radicals who incite followers to violence, however, the move would have been welcome, and would have corresponded to Facebook's Online Civil Courage Initiative, founded in Berlin in January 2016, to "challeng[e] hate speech and extremism online," in the effort to prevent the use of social media as a platform for recruiting terrorists.
The pages that Facebook shut down, however -- Ex-Muslims of North America, which has 24,000 followers; and Atheist Republic, with 1.6 million -- do nothing of the sort. In fact, they are managed and followed by Arabs across the world who reject not only violence and terrorism, but Islam as a religion.
This, it turns out, is precisely the problem.
Angry Islamists, bent on silencing such "blasphemers" and "apostates," troll social media and abuse Facebook's complaint system. It's a tactic that works like a charm every time, as conservative and pro-Israel individuals and groups -- whose posts are disproportionately targeted by political opponents and removed by Facebook for "violating community standards" -- can attest. As in most of those cases, the pages of the former Muslims were reinstated the next day, after their administrators demonstrated that the charges against them were false.
The president of Ex-Muslims of North America, Muhammad Syed, who is originally from Pakistan, complained about the practice in an open letter to Facebook, and demanded that the company do more to protect former Muslims from online harassment by Islamists:
"Ironically, the same social media which empowers religious minorities is susceptible to abuse by religious fundamentalists to enforce what are essentially the equivalent of online blasphemy laws. A simple English-language search reveals hundreds of public groups and pages on Facebook explicitly dedicated to this purpose [enforcing blasphemy laws online] -- giving their members easy-to-follow instructions on how to report public groups and infiltrate private ones."
Syed also started a Change.org petition, calling on Facebook to "prevent religious extremists from censoring atheists and secularists." According to the website Heat Street, which broke the story, there are many other secular Arab groups that have been similarly flagged by religious Muslims on social media.
For its part, Facebook continues to claim that the sheer volume of material it deals with every day makes it virtually impossible even for its algorithms to distinguish accurately between posts that violate its own "community standards" and those that do not.
This claim has been refuted by attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, head of Shurat HaDin - The Israel Law Center, who has been engaged in a billion-dollar class action lawsuit against Facebook for failing to prevent or halt anti-Israel incitement on its pages. Darshan-Leitner decided to put her premise to the test at the end of December 2015, by creating two fictitious Facebook pages -- "Stop Palestinians" and "Stop Israelis" -- and posting hate-filled comments and clips on each.
For two days, from December 28-30, Darshan-Leitner's organization continued to increase the level of incitement on both pages. For example, a post on the "Stop Israelis page" featured an anti-Semitic cartoon and the phrase "death to all the Jews." Simultaneously, a post on the "Stop Palestinians" page read, "Revenge against the Arab enemy. Death to all the Arabs."
At this point, according to Darshan-Leitner, Shurat HaDin reported both pages to Facebook and requested that they be removed.
"Facebook was very quick to respond to our reports," she said on a YouTube video.
"On the same day that we filed the report, the 'Stop Palestinians' page that incited against Palestinians was removed by Facebook. Facebook sent us a response stating that the page was removed for 'containing credible threat of violence' which 'violated our community standards.' On the other hand, the 'Stop Israelis' page that incited against Israelis, was not removed. We received a response from Facebook stating that the page was 'not in violation of Facebook's rules.'"
Six days later, after a huge outcry in the Hebrew press and on social media, Facebook changed its initial judgement and removed the anti-Semitic page.
This kind of behavior is just what Muhammad Syed is railing about.
"Arab atheists, Bangladeshi secularists, and numerous other groups have been under attack for years, as religious conservatives in the Muslim world learn to abuse Facebook's reporting system to their advantage. Early last year, multiple atheist and secularist groups were targeted with mass, coordinated infiltration and reporting -- leading to the closure of many groups. These groups were eventually restored, but only after a lengthy and sustained effort by organizers to draw public attention to the issue."
Darshan-Leitner said that although she does not consider Facebook guilty of incitement, its insistence that it cannot control all the content on its pages is disingenuous, if not an outright lie. After all, its algorithms are very accurate when it comes to detecting users' shopping habits -- information that advertisers pay a lot of money for the privilege of obtaining.
Furthermore, Facebook has been aiding abusers of human rights -- such as China, Turkey, Russia and Pakistan -- to curb the freedom of expression of their people. As the New York Times reported last November, the social media giant quietly developed software to enable the Chinese government to suppress posts. This was CEO Mark Zuckerberg's way of getting back in China's good graces, after Facebook was banned from the enormous market in 2009.
Where Pakistan is concerned, the situation is just as delicate. In March, according to Al Jazeera, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif warned that blasphemous content on Facebook would be "strictly punished."
Sharif has been trying to get social media outlets to adhere to his country's blasphemy laws, which state that anything deemed insulting to Islam or Muhammad is a crime, and those convicted of it can be sentenced to death. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan called blasphemy "an issue about the honor of every Muslim," and threatened to "take strong action" against Facebook and other platforms that do not comply. He also mentioned, however, that Facebook had agreed to send a delegation to Pakistan to work something out.
This was a mere few months after Facebook signed a "Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online," produced by the European Commission and also endorsed by Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube, asserting "a collective responsibility and pride in promoting and facilitating freedom of expression throughout the online world." This, it stated, "is applicable not only to 'information' or 'ideas' that are favourably received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference, but also to those that offend, shock or disturb the State or any sector of the population." (Emphasis added.)
This is a far cry from a whispered exchange, caught on a hot mic on the sidelines of a United Nations development summit in New York in 2015, between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. Merkel confronted Zuckerberg about not doing enough to combat "xenophobic" posts relating to the influx of migrants into Europe in general and Germany in particular.
"We need to do some work on it," Zuckerberg responded.
So far, all of Zuckerberg's hard work seems to be paying off, but not for former Muslims such as Syed, seeking moral and intellectual support from the like-minded.
Ruthie Blum is a journalist and author of "To Hell in a Handbasket: Carter, Obama and the 'Arab Spring.'"
© 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.

Sweden's Multicultural Apartheid
Nima Gholam Ali Pour/Gatestone Institute/June 07/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10452/sweden-multicultural-apartheid
Swedish politicians keep trying to portray Sweden as a liberal and tolerant paradise. Experience from the suburbs, however, where most of the migrants are, shows that a large part of Sweden's population is not part of Sweden's liberals and feminists. They, in fact get harassed by Islamists every day. In those communities, there is a lack of tolerance.
These women are not some right-wing pundits who criticize Islam. Instead, they are simply Muslim women who are denied fundamental rights in Sweden because they are women and happen to live in communities where parallel Islamic social structures have been created.
The problem is that those who govern Sweden do not originate from, or have any deeper knowledge about, the immigrant suburbs, where people cannot live as free citizens, and clearly have no interest in these suburbs. The LGBT movement and the feminist movement prefer to silence those who protest Islamic oppression in Sweden's immigrant suburbs.
In Sweden, as in many other suburbs throughout Europe, the repression from which many refugees are fleeing, instead seems to be following them there. Nalin Pekgul, who defines herself as a practicing Muslim and has served as a politician in the Social Democrat Party, stated that in immigrant-settled areas, such as Stockholm's Tensta suburb, where she lives, the self-appointed "morality police" gather outside assembly rooms to prevent young people from entering if they try to organize parties with music. Islamist organizations in Sweden, Pekgul says, have strengthened their position through support from Saudi Arabia and Sweden's government agencies, media, political parties and so on.
In Stockholm's Tensta suburb, the self-appointed "morality police" gather outside assembly rooms to prevent young people from entering if they try to organize parties with music. (Image source: Holger.Ellgaard / Wikimedia Commons)
According to Pekgul, there are many Muslims in in Sweden who have become fundamentalists. For calling public attention to these changes, Pekgul has been called an "Islamophobe". When, in protest against the extremist Muslims, she began wearing short skirts in Tensta, she was harassed.
Another Muslim, Zeliha Dagli, who came to Sweden from Turkey in 1985 and was an elected representative of the Left Party in Sweden, has fought for women's rights in Stockholm's immigrant suburbs for 25 years. In 2015, she wrote:
"Once upon a time I ran away, terrified of my childhood imams in our former homeland. Some of them controlled the girls in the village. Older girls were not allowed to pass through the square in the village, but had to sneak and take detours and make themselves 'invisible'.
"That shadow persecuted me, and in Sweden I tried to get peace and quiet. But in the city of Uppsala, where I first arrived, my life continued to be controlled by my countrymen, and I fled from that shadow to Stockholm.... Even there I was persecuted by the 'shadow' and I now live in Husby. Still, even here I see all the 'shadows' you can imagine, and I do not have the right to an open and independent life: I am constantly monitored.
"I want a sanctuary, and I want to have a glass of beer with my friends, Lars, Hassan, Maria, Osman.... I also want to go to the senior citizen's association and listen to jazz and dance. I want to grow vegetables on my allotment while wearing and hang out with my friends and go to the bathhouse in a bikini.
"In my neighborhood, I would like to escape the judgmental eyes of staring men. I want to bring home whomever I want, but today I cannot because my rights are limited and controlled in my own neighborhood. All these bearded 'shadows' scare me."
For speaking out, Dagli, too, was harassed. This year, she was forced to move from Stockholm's immigrant suburbs:
"Now I have moved from my beloved Husby suburb. I miss it a lot, but I grew tired of constantly explaining to myself completely obvious things about my privacy, and being questioned because I do not use a veil despite being a Muslim, and being called a whore."
These women are not some right-wing pundits who criticize Islam. Instead, they are Muslim women who are denied fundamental rights in Sweden because they are women and happen to live in communities where parallel Islamic social structures have been created.
Such parallel Islamic social structures also affect the LGBT community. In Tensta, local politicians decided that the Gay Pride flag will be raised in the city center in August every year, when the Gay Pride week takes place. When the flag was hoisted in Tensta last year it was torn down after a few hours, and both the flag and flagpole were stolen. One of the local politicians who put forward the proposal to raise the flag said: "There are cultural, and certainly even religious, beliefs that believe that LGBT should not be in public space."
Rissne is a district in the municipality of Sundbyberg, just north of the capital Stockholm. The majority of the residents in Rissne are either immigrants or born to immigrant parents. When a park bench in the center of Rissne was painted the colors of the rainbow flag, it was burned down and a message was scribbled on the wall: "[Gay] Pride is not for Rissne". Because there were no witnesses, the police chose not to investigate the incident.
That homosexuality creates unrest in some immigrant areas is not a secret. It is precisely this situation, however, that led an activist, Jan Sjunesson, in 2015, to stage Gay Pride Järva (Järva is a district of Stockholm), a Gay Pride parade through Stockholm's immigrant suburbs. While many apparently considered Sjunesson's parade to be a provocation, Sjunesson believes he is fighting for the rights of LGBT people there. No one knows how some Muslims in these immigrant areas will react. The parade creates a lot of nervousness in the Swedish media every year because of hostile reactions from the local Muslim population.
In April, the Swedish media reported how the Al-Azhar Islamic charter school in Stockholm separates boys and girls on the school bus. The girls enter through the back door, while the boys enter through the door at the front. The history of U.S. civil rights is probably not mentioned in Al-Azhar's history class.
It is impossible now to say that Sweden is an ultra-liberal country while there are areas in Sweden where women with short skirts and LGBT citizens are harassed because of their clothes and sexual orientation. Intolerance has simply become part of today's multicultural Sweden.
The lesson to be learned from these contrasts is to see through the Swedish politicians who try to portray Sweden as a liberal and tolerant paradise. Experience from the immigrant suburbs of Sweden's cities shows that a large part of Sweden's population is not part of the feminist and liberal Sweden. Liberals are harassed by Islamists every day because in their communities, there is a lack of tolerance.
The problem is that those who govern Sweden do not originate from, or have any deeper knowledge about, the immigrant suburbs where people cannot live as free citizens, and clearly have no interest in these suburbs. The LGBT movement and the feminist movement prefer to silence those who protest Islamic oppression in Sweden's immigrant suburbs. They want to silence it to the extent that even Muslims are portrayed as "Islamophobes."
Unfortunately, immigrants in the suburbs will live under this Islamist plague until the Islamists grow so strong that they become a threat to the liberal values of the elites. When the Islamists begin to disturb the liberal elites and their cultural sphere, the liberals in Sweden may see them as a problem. Ironically, for these liberal elites, who not long ago wanted to save the world through a liberal refugee policy, their primary motivation now seems simply to be self-interest.
**Nima Gholam Ali Pour is a member of the board of education in the Swedish city of Malmö and is engaged in several Swedish think tanks concerned with the Middle East. He is also editor for the social conservative website Situation Malmö, and is the author of the Swedish book "Därför är mångkultur förtryck"("Why Multiculturalism is Oppression").
© 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.

Are Jihadists Taking over Europe?هل سيحتل الجهاديون أوروباً
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/June 07/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=56054
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10480/jihadists-europe
In the four European countries most targeted by terror attacks -- Britain, France, Belgium and Germany -- the number of official extremists has reached 66,000. That sounds like a real army -- on active duty.
The terrorists' ransom is already visible: they have destabilized the democratic process in many European countries and are drafting the terms of freedom of expression. A jihadist takeover of Europe is no longer unthinkable. Islamic extremists are already reaping what they sowed: they successfully defeated Geert Wilders and Marine Le Pen, the only two European candidates who really wanted to fight radical Islam.
Europe could be taken over the same way Islamic State took over much of Iraq: with just one-third of Iraqi territory.
"Germany is quietly building a European army under its command," according to some in the media. Apparently German Chancellor Angela Merkel, after her clash with U.S. President Donald Trump, would like to invest, along with France, in a European army.
At present, however, there is just one real army in Europe -- the Jihadist Army, as in the terrorists who struck London on June 3 and murdered seven people, just two weeks after carnage in Manchester.
In the four European countries most targeted by terror attacks -- Britain, France, Belgium and Germany -- the number of official extremists has reached 66,000. That sounds like a real army, on active duty.
Intelligence officers have identified 23,000 Islamic extremists living in Britain as potential terrorists. The number reveals the real extent of the jihadist threat in the UK. The scale of the Islamist challenge facing the security services was disclosed after intense criticism that many opportunities to stop the Manchester suicide bomber had been overlooked.
French authorities are monitoring 15,000 Islamists, according a database created in March 2015 and managed by France's Counter-Terrorism Coordination Unit. Different surveys estimate up to 20,000 French radical Islamists.
The number on Belgium's anti-terror watch-list surged from 1,875 in 2010 to 18,884 in 2017. In Molenbeek, the well-known jihadist nest in the EU capital, Brussels, intelligence services are monitoring 6,168 Islamists. Think about that: 18,884 Belgian jihadists compared to 30,174 Belgian soldiers on active duty.
The number of potential jihadists in Germany has exploded from 3,800 in 2011 to 10,000, according to Hans-Georg Maassen, head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Germany's domestic intelligence service).
These Islamists have built a powerful infrastructure of terror inside Europe's cities. These terror bases are self-segregated, multicultural enclaves in which extremist Muslims promote Islamic fundamentalism and implement Islamic law, Sharia -- with the Tower Hamlets Taliban of East London; in the French banlieues [suburbs], and in The Hague's "sharia triangle", known as "the mini-caliphate," in the Netherlands. These extremist Muslims can comfortably get their weapons from the Balkans, where, thanks to Europe's open borders, they can travel with ease. They can also get their money from abroad, thanks to countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia. These Islamists can self-finance through the mosques they run, as well as get "human resources," donated by unvetted mass migration coming through the Mediterranean.
23,000 potential jihadists in the UK, 18,000 in Belgium, 10,000 in Germany, 15,000 in France. What do these numbers tell us? There might be a war in Europe "within a few years", as the chief of the Swedish army, General Anders Brännström, told the men under his command that they must expect.
Take what happened in Europe with the terror attacks from 1970 to 2015:
"4,724 people died from bombings. 2,588 from assassinations. 2,365 from assaults. 548 from hostage situations. 159 from hijackings. 114 from building attacks. Thousands were wounded or missing".
Terrorism across Europe has killed 10,537 people in 18,803 reported attacks. And it is getting worse:
"Attacks in 2014 and 2015 have seen the highest number of fatalities, which includes terrorists targeting civilians, government officials, businesses and the media, across Europe since 2004".
A jihadist takeover of Europe is no longer unthinkable. Islamic extremists are already reaping what they sowed: they successfully defeated Geert Wilders and Marine Le Pen, the only two European candidates who really wanted to fight radical Islam. What if tomorrow these armed Islamists assault the Parliament in Rome, election polls in Paris, army bases in Germany or schools in London, in a Beslan-type attack?
The terrorists' ransom is already visible: they have destabilized the democratic process in many European countries and are drafting the terms of freedom of expression. They have been able to pressure Europe into moving the battle-front from the Middle East to Europe itself. Of all the French soldiers engaged in military operations, half are deployed inside France; in Italy, more than half of Italian soldiers are used in "Safe Streets," the operation keeping Italy's cities safe.
Of all the French soldiers engaged in military operations, half are deployed inside France.
After 9/11, the United States decided to fight the Islamists in Afghanistan and Iraq, not to have to fight them in Manhattan. Europe chose the opposite direction: it as if Europe had accepted to turn its own cities into a new Mosul.
If Europe's leaders do not act now to destroy the enemy within, the outcome may well come to be an "Afghan scenario," in which Islamists control part of the territory from where they launch attacks against cities. Europe could be taken over the same way Islamic State took over much of Iraq: with just one-third of Iraqi territory.
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.
© 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.

This Is not a Qatari Passing Cloud
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/June 07/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=56059
Countries are no strangers to political rows that happen every now and then. But in Qatar’s case, disputes proved enduring, harmful and inexcusable.
For some time, disagreements were seen as fleeting and as short-lived inconveniences—but with over 20 years of not seeing eye to eye, the destructive policies grew inescapably consistent.
Going back in time, the first tangible difference took place in 1990—the year in which Kuwait was invaded, uprooting at least a million Kuwaiti citizens and residents and sending its government to exile. Given that Kuwait is a key Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member, six Gulf leaders convened in the Qatari capital, Doha, for a summit devoted to free the GCC state from Iraqi aggression.
The then heir to Qatar monarchy, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, shocked Gulf leaders by leading discussions away from freeing Kuwait, and giving priority to the Doha-Bahrain quarrel over ownership of the Hawar Islands—which pales in comparison to Kuwait’s predicament at the time.
Gulf leaders, particularly the late Saudi King Fahd bin Abdulaziz (may his soul rest in peace), were short to infuriated by the apparent conceit shown by the Qatari party to advance personal agendas at such critical times.
King Fahd threatened Sheikh Hamad with withdrawing from the summit, so did the rest of GCC leaders. From that day onwards, Qatar’s rifts with everyone never ended.
They only worsened as Sheikh Hamad overthrew his father in bloodless palace coup d’état in 1995 and later appointed his son Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Emir of Qatar— two-decade worth of Sheikh Hamad policies fed into disagreement and undermining Gulf unity.
Increasingly, Doha began to play the backdoor part and host Saudi Arabia’s enemies. It took in protesters who wanted coercive regime change, and sponsored the alliance between Iran, the Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Syria’s regime head Bashar al Assad for a whole 10 years.
Qatar’s provocations left it at odds with most of the region’s states.
In response to its exceedingly dangerous behavior, four major Arab countries have finally decided to sever the ties with Qatar.
The decision was not based on a long record of dispute, but in the conviction of no hope in reforming the irreversible track Doha authorities have set course on.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain have announced on Monday cutting all land, maritime and transport ties with Qatar.
The fights Qatar is picking are juvenile, but also very risky.
Doha’s continued funding of organizations, individuals, media channels and social media networks that are blatantly campaigning for violent anti-government movements has only destabilized the region.
It has presented itself as an ally to groups like the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), which are evermore in quest for establishing self-styled religious ruling systems, resembling Iran’s theocracy. Despite the MB’s failures in Palestine, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, they did not second guess resuming their agenda on spreading chaos across the region.
The final nail in the coffin of Gulf-Qatar friendship was struck last week, when the Doha state-owned media outlet called for anarchy in Saudi Arabia.
Among Qatar’s most dangerous ploys is that which is being played out in Bahrain, where it has not stopped funding both armed and peaceful oppositions—but its pitch to overthrow Bahrain’s government remains a failure.
On the other hand, Doha’s investment in disrupting Lebanon received better results, where it frankly supported the Assad regime and Iran proxy Hezbollah during their assassination campaign against Lebanese leaders and occupation of West Beirut. Until this very day, Hezbollah and its allies maintain an upper-hand in Lebanon.
Taking things a step further, Doha recently embarked on reviving communications with Iran, an arch foe to Gulf countries.
As for its end game in Bahrain, Qatar might be deluded into believing that toppling the regime would play out positively for its expansionist ambitions. The same analogy is evident with its attempt to spur chaos in Saudi Arabia, another neighboring state.
Apparently, Qatar is willing to go to extremes in doing everything and supporting everyone without distinction.
It backs religiously extremist groups, Salafists and Brotherhood groups, Arab fascists and nationalist parties and leftist groups.
Paradoxically, while it hosts one of the largest US military bases in the region, Qatar did not hesitate when broadcasting video tapes in which al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden’s and Ayman al-Zawahiri openly called for American bloodshed.
It is worth noting that US operations against Afghanistan and Iraq are launched from the abovementioned base.
Qatar also funds paramilitary militias that attack American troops in Iraq.
Taking into consideration Qatar’s irrational policies, it is made clear that the logic behind the decision-making is impossible to grasp, let alone arriving to a truce with its government.
During what is perceived as critical times, the Doha approach threatens to dismantle the last of whatever stability the Middle East has known since World War II.
The method adopted by Qatari authorities is short to delirious—or what could be loosely put as a “nut job.”

How Interracial Love Is Saving America
Sheryll Cashin/The New York Times/June 07/17
As a descendant of slaves and slaveholders, I embody uncomfortable incongruities — just as America does. In “Notes on the State of Virginia,” Thomas Jefferson wrote with anguish about the risks of amalgamation, or interracial sex, to a new nation. Whites were “stained” when they mixed with blacks, whom he speculated were inferior in mind and form.
There was a Strom Thurmond-esque artificiality to this cry for racial purity. Southern patriarchs made an art out of objecting to what was happening under their own noses — or pelvises. As history would prove, human urges, whether violent or amorous, inevitably muddy lines, and master-slave rape and coupling produced many mixed people.
Today, the “ardent integrators” who pursue interracial relationships are motivated by love and are our greatest hope for racial understanding. Although America is in a state of toxic polarity, I am optimistic. Through intimacy across racial lines, a growing class of whites has come to value and empathize with African-Americans and other minorities. They are not dismantling white supremacy so much as chipping away at it.
Fifty years ago next week, on June 12, 1967, Mildred and Richard Loving won their landmark Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia, ending state bans on interracial marriage. Mildred was a homemaker of indigenous and black heritage, cast as a Negro by Jim Crow. Richard was a white brick mason who drag-raced cars with similarly mixed-race friends. They lived in Central Point, a rural hamlet with a history of racial mixing that began in the colonial era, and they were considered felons under Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act of 1924.
Such miscegenation bans were a relic of slavery. When wealthy planters transitioned from largely white indentured servitude to black chattel slavery in the second half of the 17th century, they feared that poor whites who labored alongside slaves and sometimes took them as lovers would rebel with them or help them escape.
Miscegenation laws in as many as 41 states helped to keep these dangerous whites from subverting slavery, and later Jim Crow. As Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote in the unanimous Loving opinion, such laws were an instrument of “White Supremacy” — the first time the Supreme Court used those words to name what the Civil War and the 14th Amendment should have defeated.
Today the race mixing that supremacists feared is growing apace, and interracial dating, marriage, adoption and friendship are occurring at rates that were unfathomable 50 years ago.
As of the 2010 census, the most reliable recent source, around 24 percent of adopted children in the United States were placed with a parent of a race different from their own, up from 17 percent in 2000. Christian groups in red states are part of this trend.
About 17 percent of new marriages and 20 percent of cohabiting relationships are interracial or interethnic. About one-quarter of Americans have a close relative in an interracial marriage. In the most recent Pew Research Center survey, 91 percent of respondents said that interracial marriage was a change for the better or made no difference at all.
Whites and blacks are still less likely to intermarry — they make up about 11 percent of newlywed heterosexual couples — but acceptance is growing. For whites in particular, intimate contact reduces prejudice. Whites with reduced prejudice, in turn, have a worldview similar to that of many minorities; that is, they support policies designed to reduce racial inequality.
Those who think of white people in monolithic terms miss this nuance. A small study of whites married to blacks documented increased understanding of racism. And those married to nonblack minorities were likely to experience a shift in their thinking about immigration.
This transition from blindness to sight, from anxiety to familiarity, is a process of acquiring “cultural dexterity.” Love can make people do uncomfortable things, like meeting a black lover’s family and being the only white person in the room. Culturally dexterous people have an enhanced capacity for intimate connections with people outside their own tribe, for recognizing and accepting difference rather than pretending to be colorblind. And if one undertakes the effort, the process is never-ending.
One need not marry or adopt a person of another race to experience transformational love. Close friendships across group boundaries have been shown to reduce prejudice, ease anxiety and enhance willingness to engage in the future.
Ardent integrators also transfer benefits to the less dexterous people in their tribe. Attitudes can be improved merely by knowing that someone has a close friend from another group.
Social psychologists have even documented that people can develop virtual ties with a fictional character or, say, a black president, in ways that reduce prejudice. As the media represents more diverse racial experiences with shows like “Black-ish,” it will further humanize others.
After Loving was decided, politicians dog-whistled for five decades. Divide-and-conquer tactics like union-busting and gerrymandering destroyed the possibility of class unity among struggling people. In its absence, culturally dexterous people may be our only hope for disrupting hoary race scripts. I believe that growing interracial intimacy, combined with immigration and demographic and generational change, will contribute to the rise of this group.
Eventually, a critical mass of white people will accept the loss of the centrality of whiteness. When enough whites can accept being one voice among many in a robust democracy, politics in America could finally become functional.

Iran struck by first Islamic State attacks
Rohollah Faghihi/Al Monitor/June 07/17
Iranians experienced almost six hours of terror on June 7, as terrorists attacked two important sites in the capital of Tehran, which has not seen major bombings since the post-revolutionary violence of the 1980s.
The Iranian capital was rocked today by two terrorist attacks claimed by the Islamic State.
At 10:15 a.m. local time, four terrorists disguised as women tried to enter the parliament building through the special gate for citizens who seek to meet with members of parliament. However, at the gate, the attackers started shooting at the security officers. Meanwhile, one of the parliamentarians who had just arrived at the meeting joined the clash and started shooting at the terrorists. With the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and anti-riot forces on site, the terrorists were still able to enter the offices of the members of parliament.
Mahmoud Sadeghi, a Reformist parliamentarian, said, “When we were in the parliament, we couldn’t hear anything [about what was happening]. We became aware of the story through text messages and cyberspace. “He added, “Inside the parliament, everything was as usual and the session was managed by [Deputy Speaker Masoud] Pezeshkian.”
After the terrorists entered the offices of the members of parliament, they took a few people hostage and also started shooting at pedestrians from the windows. In the first minutes, it was reported that the wife and daughter of a parliamentarian had been taken hostage, but this was later denied. However, the terrorists took over the office of the parliamentarian of the town of Shahin Shahr, Hossein Ali Haji Deligani. Deligani said that his secretary was killed, noting, “The video that Daesh [Islamic State (IS)] released from the parliament building shows my offices, and [today] two of my colleagues were martyred.”According to the official IRNA news agency, the terrorists were killed by the security officials. However, other reports indicate that two of them at the parliament building were killed by their own explosive vests. Minutes after the announcement of the end of the operation at the parliament, the spokesperson for the parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission stated that one of the terrorists had been captured.
The second attack
At 10:40 a.m., just 25 minutes after the first attack at the parliament, two terrorists who were wearing explosive vests tried to go inside the monument of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. According to the manager of the monument, once the attackers entered the building, they started shooting blindly, killing one person and injuring three others. The security officers confronted the attackers, and within minutes one of them blew himself up. In the meantime, the other attacker tried to flee but was killed by the security officers. His suicide vest was defused. The Ministry of Intelligence announced that a third attack had been planned and these attackers had been captured before beginning their operation. According to Ministry of Health officials, at least 12 people were killed and 42 others injured. It is unknown if more than one security officer is among the 12 fatalities.
In the IS video, which was released during the terrorist attacks, one man, who is believed to be Deligani's secretary, can be seen lying on the ground. A terrorist is seen in the video, and the calls of the other attacker can be heard: “Do you think we are leaving? We will stay by God’s permission.”
Moreover, Entekhab quoted an Arabic-language expert as saying that the terrorists in the video have the accents of people from Morocco, Tunisia or Libya. Meanwhile, Abdollah Shahbazi, a well-known historian and researcher, published a short text saying that the terrorists weren’t related to IS. He wrote on his Telegram page, “I think that Daesh [IS], MEK [Mujahedeen-e-Khalq] and the likes are [only] for branding. We should differentiate between which group claimed responsibility [for the attacks] and which group [really] committed [the attacks].”
He added, “If the origin of the video is the Twitter account of the SITE Intelligence Group, [then] it is not valid.” Shahbazi explained that Israeli terrorism analyst Rita Katz is the director and co-founder of SITE.
The reactions
Iranians were shocked by the attacks and for a few hours the situation took them back to the first decade after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the MEK terrorist group slayed many citizens and officials, including 72 high-ranking figures of the revolution, as well as elected President Mohammed Ali Rajai and Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar in 1981. Ordinary people in Iran have taken to social media including Instagram and Twitter to express their rejection of terrorism and call for unity. In addition, various Iranian artists and athletes have posted images that read “Pray for Tehran,” or they are calling for unity and courage in the face of the terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, some are attributing the events to Riyadh, as Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir had vowed to punish Iran minutes before the attack. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is on an official trip to Turkey, said upon his arrival June 7, “We condemn this blind action. … Terrorism is a problem that we are facing across the Middle East region and the world. … The situation is very bad in terms of security and terrorism.” Former IRGC Cmdr. Mohsen Rezaei wrote on his Instagram page after the attacks, “With their actions today, the terrorists will be punished severely wherever they are.”Moreover, in reaction to criticism of some conservatives on social media who are slamming moderate President Hassan Rouhani for saying he had distanced the shadow of war from Iran through the nuclear deal, Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, a prominent Reformist, wrote on his Telegram page June 7, “Today is the day of unity against a foreign enemy, do not increase the [internal] disagreements.”Hamid Aboutalebi, the deputy chief of staff of the presidential office for political affairs, tweeted after the attacks, "If the terrorist attacks had happened in Europe or any other place, the number of casualties would have been higher. Kudos to the power and strength of the IRGC, Basij, police and security forces of Iran."He added, "The world should show that terrorism is condemned and not differentiate between Tehran, Paris, London, and the East or West. We should fight it seriously, more coherently and as one."In a statement after the attacks, the IRGC said, "The world public opinion, especially that of the Iranian nation, views this terrorist attack that comes one week after a joint meeting between the president of the United States and the heads of a reactionary regional government — that has continuously supported extremists — as very meaningful and believes the claiming of responsibility for the attack by IS further indicates their hand in this brute attack."The IRGC has proved that it will not let any blood be lost without revenge, and just as it killed all the terrorists today with the help of the security forces, it guarantees to not hesitate in safeguarding the country’s national security and protecting the lives of its dear people."