LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 19/17

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For Today

St. Joseph's Dayعيد مار يوسف البتول
St. Joseph's Day is a Maronite and Roman Catholic feast day that commemorats the life of St. Joseph, the step-father of Jesus and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. People with very strong religious convictions among which are the Lebanese Maronites celebrate St. Joseph's Day on March 19 and believe that this day is St. Joseph's birthday too. In Lebanon St. Joseph is considered the Family Saint and looked upon as a family and hardworking father role model because of the great role that Almighty God had assigned him to carry. His duty was to raise Jesus Christ and take care of Virgin Mary. God has chose him to look after His begotten son and Virgin Marry. He fulfilled his Godly assignment with love, passion and devotion. God bless all those that carry this name.Saint Joseph was the spouse of the Virgin Mary and foster father of Jesus Christ our Lord. He was of the line of David and worked as a carpenter at Nazareth. God chose him for the greatest mission ever conferred upon a man. His humility, his sanctity and his confidence in God were remarkable. Devotion to Saint Joseph had its orgins in the West. The whole Church now venerates him; the Maronite Church also commemorates him on the Fifth Sunday of Announcement as it prepared for the Birth of our Lord. May God guard us by his prayers. Amen

The Prodigal Son Parable
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 15/11-32/:"The Lord Jesus says: ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me." So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, "How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’ "So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. "But the father said to his slaves, "Quickly, bring out a robe the best one and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!" And they began to celebrate. ‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.
He replied, "Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound. "Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, "Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him! "Then the father said to him, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found." ’

Live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you
Second Letter to the Corinthians 13/05-13/:"Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? unless, indeed, you fail to pass the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed. But we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong not that we may appear to have passed the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. This is what we pray for, that you may become perfect. So I write these things while I am away from you, so that when I come, I may not have to be severe in using the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down. Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published On March 18-19/17
The Lost Son Parable and Repentance/Elias Bejjani/March 19/17
Are the Hard Leftists Aligned with Radical Islamists/Najat AlSaied/Gatestone Institute/March 18/17
The Trump Administration Searches for a MidEast Policy/A briefing by Thomas /Middle East Forum/March 18/17
The Euro-Turkish Impasse/Samir Atallah/Asharq Al Awsat/March 18/17
Iran Policy: Pre-emptive Surrender is No Option/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/March 18/17
A Month of Islam and Multiculturalism in France: February 2017/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/March 18/17
The President's Syria Conundrum/Dennis Ross/New York Daily News/March 18/17

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published On March 18-19/17
The Lost Son Parable and Repentance
Nasrallah: New Taxes Unnecessary to Fund Wage Scale, Concessions Must be Made to Reach Electoral Law
Berri Accuses Banking Mafias of Obstructing Wage Scale Funding
Bassil Satisfied With 'Unprecedented' Corporate, Banks, Property Taxes
Geagea Rejects New Tax Hikes, Suggests Keeping Last Year's Budget
Khatib: Electoral Laws Similar to 1960 Will be Rejected
Senator Richard Burr Visits Lebanon
Fayyed Suggests Switch to Approve Wage Scale then Find Funding Sources
Netanyahu Says Syria Raid Targeted 'Advanced' Hizbullah Arms
Abu Faour: Citizens are fedup of all talk about reform and require action!
Former President Amine Gemayel questions why current cabinet perceives not itself as 'emergency government' in face of corruption
Israeli patrols along Wazzani border
Aoun from Roma: We overcame difficult stages in history and our national unity is intact
LAF captures Palestinian affiliated with ISIS
Berri: Parliament is targeted to abort electoral law, elections

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published On March 18-19/17
Man Shot Dead at Paris Orly Airport after Taking Soldier's Gun
Pope Francis to Visit Egypt on April 28-29
Evacuation of Last Rebel-Held District of Syria's Homs Begins
Iraq Forces Near Mosul Mosque where IS Declared 'Caliphate'
Libyan Warplane Downed Striking Jihadists in Benghazi
Gaza Rocket Hits Israel Prompting Retaliatory Shelling
Saudi Intercepts Yemen Rebel Missile as Camp Toll Rises
Iran MP Slams Guards for Social Media Arrests
Erdogan Expects Parliament to Restore Capital Punishment

Links From Jihad Watch Site for March 18-19/17
Sharia BBC: Muslim presenter asks, “What is the right punishment for blasphemy?”
Michigan: Iraqi Christians join suit to stop construction of mosque in their neighborhood
Paris airport jihadi had Qur’an, screamed “I’m here to die for Allah, there will be deaths”
Video: Robert Spencer on why the blocks on Trump’s immigration ban are illegitimate
Erdogan: EU ruling on headscarf bans starts “clash between Islam and Christianity”
Pakistani girls given extra credit at school for wearing hijab, classes must begin with Hadith
Paris jihadi on terror watch list, texted family “I shot police,” cops say terror “possible motive”
Germany: Muslim charged for going to Syria to join the Islamic State
Angelina Jolie attacks “nationalism masquerading as patriotism”
Paris: Muslim seizes soldier’s gun after shooting police officer
Canadian poll: Only 14% like anti-Islamophobia motion M-103

Links From Christian Today Site For March 18-19/17
Man shot dead at Paris airport 'after trying to grab a gun'
Gordon Brown sets out 'third option' for Scotland of more powers in bid to preserve the Union
Trump stands by claims Obama tapped his phones, despite denial by GCHQ
Bangladesh police shoot suspected militant armed with explosives
Christian churches pledge funds to help Jewish community centre after wave of bomb threats

Latest Lebanese Related News published On March 18-19/17
The Lost Son Parable and Repentance
Elias Bejjani/March 19/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=37357
Lent is a prime time for spiritual change through genuine praying, serious and in depth self-examination, return to the roots of faith, repentance and forgiveness.
Almighty God is ready and always willing to turn everything around and take the hands of those who seriously and honestly pursue His mercy with perseverance forgiveness and repentance. He, with love and extreme happiness leads their steps towards all virtues of righteousness. He who in the Cana Wedding changed the water into wine and cleaned the Leper is willing all the time also to transform our minds and consciences from wickedness to goodness and salvation if and when we call for His help.
In our Maronite Catholic Church’s rite, on the Fourth Lent Sunday we recall and cite the biblical Lost Son’s parable that is known also as The Prodigal Son. This impulsive, selfish and thoughtless son, as the parable tells us, fell prey to evil’s temptation and decided to take his share of his father’s inheritance and leave the parental dwelling.
He travelled to a far-away city where he indulged badly in all evil conducts of pleasure and corruption until he lost all his money and became penniless. He experienced severe poverty, starvation, humiliation and loneliness. In the midst of his dire hardships he felt nostalgic, came back to his senses and decided with great self confidence to return back to his father’s house, kneel on his feet and ask him for forgiveness. On his return his loving and kind father received him with rejoice, open arms, accepted his repentance, and happily forgave him all his misdeeds. Because of his sincere repentance his Father gave him back all his privileges as a son.
The Lost (prodigal) Son’s parable: Luke15/11-32: He said, “A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. 15:17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants .”’ “He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate. “Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on. He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’ But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him. But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 15:30 But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ “He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.
This parable is a road map for repentance and forgiveness. It shows us how much Almighty God our Father loves us, we His children and how He is always ready with open arms and willing to forgive our sins and trespasses when we come back to our senses, recognize right from wrong, admit our weaknesses and wrongdoings, eagerly and freely return to Him and with faith and repentance ask for His forgiveness.
Asking Almighty God for what ever we need is exactly what the Holy Bible instructs us to do when encountering all kinds of doubt, weaknesses, stumbling, hard times, sickness, loneliness, persecution, injustice etc. Matthew 7/7&8: “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened” All what we have to do is pray and to ask Him with faith, self confidence and humility and He will respond. Matthew 21/22: “All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
We are not left alone at any time, especially when in trouble, no matter how far we distance ourselves from God and disobey His Holy bible. He is a Father, a loving, caring and forgiving Father. What is definite is that in spite of our foolishness, stupidity, ignorance, defiance and ingratitude He never ever abandons us or gives up on our salvation. He loves us because we His are children. He happily sent His only begotten son to be tortured, humiliated and crucified in a bid to absolve our original sin.
God carries our burdens and helps us to fight all kinds of Evil temptations. Matthew11/28-30: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
God is waiting for our repentance, let us run to Him and ask for forgiveness before it is too late

Nasrallah: New Taxes Unnecessary to Fund Wage Scale, Concessions Must be Made to Reach Electoral Law
Naharnet/March 18/17/Hizbullah Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stressed on Saturday that the party will put a comprehensive suggestion on the alternatives to fund the long-stalled wage scale and stressed that new taxes targeting the poor need not be imposed, as he urged political parties to make concessions in order to approve an electoral law. “It has been agreed that the major parliamentary blocs will meet together to review and discuss the wage scale,” said Nasrallah in a televised speech marking the birthday of Fatima al-Zahra, daughter of Muslim prophet Mohammed. “We strongly support its approval which must be addressed fairly. There must be serious efforts to fund it otherwise it's approval will fail,” added Nasrallah. “New taxes must not be imposed on the poor and low-income earners. There are other realistic sources to fund it but those require a serious decision,” he went on to say. Turning to the parliamentary electoral law, Hizbullah leader said asked political parties to make some concessions in order to agree on a new law for the upcoming parliamentary polls. “We only want fair representation for all Lebanese components which falls in the interest of everyone,” he stated. “Political parties must make some concessions because adamant stances will not help the country. No one underestimates the fate that Lebanon could reach if political parties fail to make up their mind.”

Berri Accuses Banking Mafias of Obstructing Wage Scale Funding
Naharnet/March 18/17/Speaker Nabih Berri accused on Saturday what he described as “banking mafias” of obstructing funding for the long-stalled wage scale file. “Banks mafias and maritime institutions have mobilized efforts in all directions in a bid to prevent funding for the wage scale,” Berri said in a statement released Saturday. “What is happening is a hidden truth and an organized campaign against the parliament with aims to thwart the electoral law and the (parliamentary) elections. The proof to those attempts is that efforts were underway to reach an electoral law when suddenly the focus turned to the wage scale issue,” said the Speaker. “Knowing that the wage scale is a rightful people's demand and it should have been approved ten years ago and incorporated in the budget, but banking mafias and maritime institutions have mobilized their efforts in all directions, just as in 2014, in a bid to obstruct its funding. "I hereby address the entire Lebanese and political forces to assure that things will be back on track and the priorities will be first to devising a new electoral law, the appointment of a parliamentary investigative committee to unveil corruption and try the corrupt, approve the wage scale and finally approve the state's budget."

Bassil Satisfied With 'Unprecedented' Corporate, Banks, Property Taxes
Naharnet/March 18/17/Head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil said on Saturday that the state made a big achievement by imposing new taxes on big sectors in the economy that are able to bear the burden of new tax impositions.“We were able to make a big achievement by imposing taxes never imposed before on maritime and real estate property and on banks and corporate,” said Bassil after an extraordinary meeting held by the bloc against the backdrop of protests that thwarted a parliament's decision to impose a new batch of taxes to fund a long-stalled wage scale. Referring to rumors that circulated on social media about a false list of taxes he said: “We ask the Lebanese people not to victims of rumors. The tax list circulated on social media is false.”He added: “A large segment of the public sector employees demand the approval of the wage scale, and %80 of the taxes agreed by the parliament target the privileged classes.”He noted that an initial %4 increase in the value-added tax (VAT) was first suggested but the change and Reform bloc did not accept more than %1. On Thursday, the parliament imposed a series of new taxes that included an increase in the value-added tax (VAT) from 10 to 11% , an increase in levies on financial transactions and other taxes related to cement, stamps, cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. The Minister continued to say: “No one had the courage before to impose taxes on maritime property, on banks and corporate. But today this matter will be approved.”On the squandering of money in several institutions including the Customs, Bassil said: “We have notified the related parties at the Customs that shall there be no extra income in a year from now, there will be a wave of sacking.” The parliament says the new taxes are aimed at allocating the needed funds for the pay scale for government employees which include judges, teachers and military personnel. Kataeb party MPs have strongly denounced the measures. Kataeb chief Sami Gemayel urged the government to address corruption instead of “emptying the citizen's pockets.”
The controversial move was decried by the majority of Lebanese and protesters took to the squares in Beirut and Tripoli to reject the new taxes following calls on social networking websites.

Geagea Rejects New Tax Hikes, Suggests Keeping Last Year's Budget
Naharnet/March 18/17/Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea announced that his party will make a suggestion to the cabinet to keep the current's year's state budget the same as last year's and pointed out that his party rejects additional increases in taxes in light of the current circumstances. “We have discussed the economic, social and financial conditions in the country yesterday. We are not pleased with all the measures taken until this moment and believe that a 30-year old heavy burden of faulty financial and economic practices have led to the situation we are living now,” said Geagea during a Lebanese Forces meeting Friday evening. “In principle we reject any increase in taxes at the time being. Our ministers will suggest to the cabinet some clear proposals related to keeping the state's 2017 budget the same as last year's. We can't afford an additional expenditure of 2 or 4 thousand billion LBP,” he added. Geagea however stressed saying: “On the other hand, we adhere to a group of reforms capable of improving the the state's financial situation and not through imposing a new batch of taxes. “Squandering (of public funds) is huge and corruption is even bigger and bigger, it is a long process to get out of this situation. We need a package of measures to begin with today and lasts from one to three years. But today, until we reach this goal we must reduce the size of expenses to avoid imposition of taxes.”

Khatib: Electoral Laws Similar to 1960 Will be Rejected
Naharnet/March 18/17/Environment Minister Tarek Al-Khatib criticized the majoritarian 1960 parliamentary electoral law stressing that the entire political parties in Lebanon do not want it to rule the upcoming polls in May. “ The 1960 law is very bad and all political parties reject it,” he said, adding “We won't accept a last moment 60's- like electoral law.”In an interview with Free Lebanon radio, Khatib stressed that his party aims to accomplish a law that secures fair representation. Commenting on the controversial wage scale file, Khatib said the main hurdle facing its approval is a shortage in the state's budget as he stressed the need for “a basket of reforms” in order to be able to fund the pay scale.Responding to a question about the Lebanese Forces nomination to Fadi Saad in Batroun for the parliamentary elections, Khatib said that the Lebanese Forces (LF) has the right to choose its candidates in various Lebanese regions, adding that this would not affect the agreement with the Free Patriotic Movement which aims at protecting the Christians' rights on the national level.

Senator Richard Burr Visits Lebanon
Naharnet/March 18/17/Senator Richard Burr led a delegation of five senators including Senators John Cornyn, Marco Rubio, James Lankford, and Tom Cotton on a visit to Lebanon from March 17 to March 18, the US embassy said in a press release on Saturday. The delegation met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri during their visit and discussed the close relationship and security cooperation between the United States and Lebanon. The delegation’s visit underscores United States support for Lebanon, the Lebanese Armed Forces, and Lebanon’s institutions, added the statement.

Fayyed Suggests Switch to Approve Wage Scale then Find Funding Sources
Naharnet/March 18/17/MP Ali Fayyad said it is better to appease the people and approve the long-stalled wage scale before the cabinet discusses the sources of funding to cover it, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday. The Hizbullah MP told the daily in an interview that he will “suggest holding a legislative session to approve the salary scale in order to appease the employees, and to later discuss the revenue sources to fund it. He stressed the need to approve it “because the country can not afford any failure in that regard.”On Thursday, the parliament imposed a series of new taxes that included an increase in the value-added tax (VAT) from 10 to 11% , an increase in levies on financial transactions and other taxes related to cement, stamps, cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. The parliament says the new taxes are aimed at allocating the needed funds for the pay scale for government employees which include judges, teachers and military personnel. Kataeb party MPs have strongly denounced the measures. Kataeb chief Sami Gemayel urged the government to address corruption instead of “emptying the citizen's pockets.”The controversial move was decried by the majority of Lebanese and protesters took to the squares in Beirut and Tripoli to reject the new taxes following calls on social networking websites.

Netanyahu Says Syria Raid Targeted 'Advanced' Hizbullah Arms
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 18/17/ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel's latest air strikes into Syria targeted weapons bound for Hizbullah, and that it will continue to carry out such raids."When we identify attempts to transfer advanced weapons to Hizbullah and we have intelligence and it is operationally feasible, we act to prevent it," he said in footage aired on Israel's major television networks. "That's how it was yesterday and that's how we shall continue to act," he said. "We are fully determined and the evidence of that is that we are acting. Everybody must take that into account -- everybody," Netanyahu went on to say. In April 2016, Netanyahu admitted for the first time that Israel had attacked "dozens" of convoys transporting weapons in Syria destined for Hizbullah, which fought a devastating 2006 war with Israel and is now fighting alongside the Damascus regime.

Abu Faour: Citizens are fedup of all talk about reform and require action!
Sat 18 Mar 2017/NNA - Democratic Gathering Member, MP Wael Abu Faour, stressed, on Saturday, that "citizens are fed-up of the continuous talk about reform and need to see action instead.""The corrupted are known by names, and their audacity is increasing," added Abu Faour, considering that "it is high time we have the real courage for true reform that puts a stop to theft and thieves." He stressed herein on MP Walid Jumblatt's conviction that "funding the salary scale ought to be through restoring money from thieves and not from citizens' pockets." "If there is a true will for reform, this is the time," Abu Faour emphasized, adding that "for the first time, the political forces feel great embarrassment, and this is an opportunity to initiate actual reform."Abu Faour's words came during a commemoration ceremony held in the Southern town of Hasbaya, marking 40 years since the martyrdom of Kamal Jumblatt.

Former President Amine Gemayel questions why current cabinet perceives not itself as 'emergency government' in face of corruption
Sat 18 Mar 2017NNA - Former President Amine Gemayel questioned, on Saturday, why the current cabinet fails to consider itself as an "emergency government" in the face of corruption in the country? Gemayel's words came during his visit to Dammour Municipality accompanied by a Kataeb Party delegation, where he met with dignitaries from Dammour and Iqlim el-Kharroub region, in presence of "Democratic Gathering" Member, MP Elie Aoun. Gemayel referred to a "huge challenge confronting the Lebanese people in re-building their State and restoring the humanity of the Lebanese human." "The main condition for stability is that the Lebanese citizen receives his complete rights in living a life of dignity," he added. Gemayel indicated that the administration is losing its effectiveness as waste expenditure continues amidst the ongoing state of corruption in the country. "The first step towards achieving the aspired goals lies in confronting the rampant corruption in all public administrations," he underscored. "There ought to be a highest level decision, alongside forming a government team with a judge, to initiate opening of corruption dossiers step by step within a specific deadline," emphasized Gemayel.

Israeli patrols along Wazzani border
Sat 18 Mar 2017/NNA - Intensive Israeli military patrols were spotted along the border facing Wazzani region, following a raid on Syria, NNA field correspondent reported.

Aoun from Roma: We overcame difficult stages in history and our national unity is intact
Sat 18 Mar 2017/NNA - President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, said on Saturday that "fear is now behind us and we surpassed most dangerous phases in history...and our unity has not been affected."President Aoun reiterated that "Lebanon is a point of convergence for all communities and civilizations."Aoun, whose words came during an interview with "Aleteia" agency, added that the demographic structure in Lebanon included the Islamic and Christian sects and their coexistence was based on stability and understanding. He rejected to link terrorism to the Muslim community, considering that terrorist acts breach all forms of religious principles.

LAF captures Palestinian affiliated with ISIS
Sat 18 Mar 2017/NNA - The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Orientation Directorate issued on Saturday the following statement: "The Intelligence Directorate referred Palestinian national, Ahmad Asaad Ghadban, to specialized judiciary for belonging to the terrorist organization ISIS and plotting terrorist bombings in one of the Lebanese regions."

Berri: Parliament is targeted to abort electoral law, elections
Sat 18 Mar 2017/NNA - Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri said on Saturday in a statement "what is currently taking place on the Lebanese scene is in its intentionally hidden reality an organized campaign against the parliament in order to abort the electoral law and the elections; a good evidence is that suddenly the intensive work to agree on a new electoral law and changed to concentrate on the salary scale issue."The statement said "It is true that the parliament's duty is to approve the public's rights, and it is the cabinet's duty to provide revenues via the budget," adding, "but, unfortunately, banking mafias and maritime institutions moved just as in 2014 to bloc funding it."Berri added, "I hereby address all the Lebanese and all the forces to assure them that things are to be put on the right track again and that work will take place from now on as follows:
1- To give priority to electoral law
2- To appoint a parliamentary investigative committee to reveal corruption and corruptors and put them to trial
3- To approve the salary scale to the righteous people
4- To endorse the budget."
"This is the parliament's position. It is due time to 'cross the t's and dot the i's'. We will work according to the above mentioned points, "Berri said, reiterating that all the incidents that happened lately is purely political in order not to reach agreement on a new electoral law.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published On March 18-19/17
Man Shot Dead at Paris Orly Airport after Taking Soldier's Gun
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 18/17/Security forces at Paris' Orly airport on Saturday shot dead a man who took a weapon from a soldier, the interior ministry said, adding that nobody was hurt in the incident.Witnesses said the airport was evacuated following the shooting at around 8:30am (0730GMT). "A man took a weapon from a soldier then hid in a shop in the airport before being shot dead by security forces," an interior ministry spokesman told AFP. He said no one was wounded in the incident. Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux is due to visit the facility, which is in Paris' southern outskirts, the spokesman added. "We had queued up to check in for the Tel Aviv flight when we heard three or four shots nearby," witness Franck Lecam said. "The whole airport has been evacuated," the 54-year-old said, confirming what an airport worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, had said earlier. "We are all outside the airport, about 200 metres from the entrance," Lecam said. "There are policemen, emergency workers and soldiers everywhere in all directions. A security official told us that it happened near gates 37-38 where Turkish Airlines flights were scheduled."

Pope Francis to Visit Egypt on April 28-29
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 18/17/Pope Francis will visit Cairo on April 28-29 at the invitation of the Egyptian president and the grand imam of the capital's famed Al-Azhar mosque, the Vatican said Saturday. The pontiff had hosted the grand imam, Ahmed al-Tayeb, at the Vatican last May, in a landmark meeting with one of Islam's top clerics. That encounter was the culmination of a steady improvement in a relationship that had broken down because of a series of spats under Francis's predecessor Benedict XVI. The current pope has made interfaith dialogue and reconciliation a leading theme of his pontificate and has also overseen an improvement in relations with the Orthodox and Protestant wings of Christianity. The Argentine pope has a long-standing invitation to visit Egypt, issued by President President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi when he met Francis at the Vatican in 2014.

Evacuation of Last Rebel-Held District of Syria's Homs Begins
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 18/17/ Hundreds of rebels and civilians began leaving the last opposition-held district of Syria's Homs on Saturday under a controversial deal that will bring the whole city under government control. The Russian-supervised evacuation of Waer was agreed earlier this month and is expected to last several weeks. The new agreement aims to finalise implementation of a "reconciliation deal" that has already seen several phases of rebel evacuation from Waer district, but which had stalled in recent months. Russian troops and vehicles could be seen on Saturday morning just outside the Waer district as the first buses began to pull out, AFP's correspondent said. According to the agreement, up to 100 Russian soldiers will deploy inside the neighbourhood to oversee the evacuation and ensure the safety of residents, including any who chose to stay.
The first wave of three green buses pulled out of Waer carrying dozens of fighters, their rifles slung over their soldiers, and civilians including children. Between 400 and 500 people are expected to leave on Saturday, Syrian state television reported. Rebels will be bussed to opposition-held parts of Homs province, the town of Jarabulus on the Syrian-Turkish border or the northwest province of Idlib. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group estimates that a total of 12,000 people, including 2,500 rebels, will leave under the deal. Syria's government has agreed "reconciliation" deals in several rebel-held areas, and touts the local agreements that grant safe passage to surrendering fighters as key to ending the country's war. But the opposition says it is forced into such deals by siege and bombardment. Three waves of rebels and their families have already quit Waer under an agreement first reached in December 2015, but the deal has stalled since then. Over the past month, government forces have stepped up bombardment of the district, killing dozens of people, according to the Britain-based Observatory. And no aid has reached the area in at least four months, with a UN convoy that attempted to reach Waer in February seized by gunmen who diverted the assistance to a government-held area. Completion of the Waer agreement will bring Homs city -- once known as the "capital of the revolution" -- under the full control of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Iraq Forces Near Mosul Mosque where IS Declared 'Caliphate'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 18/17/Elite Iraqi forces battled house by house in the Old City of Mosul on Saturday, inching towards the mosque where the Islamic State group proclaimed its "caliphate" in 2014, a spokesman said. Commanders said that progress in the densely populated warren of alleyways was slow but that government forces had made new gains from IS in the heart of their last major urban bastion in Iraq. "Our forces are 800 metres (yards) from the mosque," said Captain Firas al-Zuwaidi, spokesman for the interior ministry's elite Rapid Response Force. He was referring to the Al-Nuri Mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the cross-border "caliphate" spanning jihadist-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria in his sole public appearance in July 2014. "We are encountering difficulties -- bad weather and streets too narrow for our military vehicles which cannot enter," Zuwaidi said. "The fighting is street by street, house by house," he said, as the sound of mortar fire rang out from the heart of Iraq's second city. The battle for the Old City was always expected to be the toughest of the campaign to retake Mosul from IS, further complicated by the presence of hundreds of thousands of civilians believed to have stayed on under jihadist rule. Iraqi forces launched the huge operation last October, retaking the east of the city in January before setting their sights on the smaller but more densely populated west. The Tigris River divides the two parts of Mosul. The Old City lies at the heart of the west bank. The Rapid Response Force is being backed up by the federal police who have made steady gains in recent days. They have now taken the Al-Arbiaa market and a grain silo overlooking the Old City, federal police commander Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat said on Saturday. That came after Jawdat announced the capture of the Al-Basha Mosque and the Bab al-Saray market on Friday. Iraqi forces had already taken a string of key targets in west Mosul, including the airport, the train station, Mosul Museum and the provincial government headquarters.

Libyan Warplane Downed Striking Jihadists in Benghazi
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 18/17/A fighter jet of forces loyal to a Libyan military strongman was shot down on Saturday as it attacked jihadist positions in Benghazi, a military source said.
"A MiG-21 was shot down by a heat-seeking missile," said Mohammad Ghunem, spokesman for the forces of strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is battling to oust jihadists from Libya's second city. "The plane, targeted by terrorist groups, crashed in the district of Suq al-Hut but its pilot survived."He said the jet was hit as it carried out a raid on the last bastion of "extremists" in the city's Mediterranean seafront district of Al-Saberi. The pilot, Adel Abdullah Bushisha, was able to eject and landed by parachute in the east of the city, he said. Persistent conflict in Libya since the 2011 ouster of dictator Moamer Kadhafi allowed extremist organisations, including the Islamic State group, to gain a foothold in the country. Benghazi, which fell to Islamist groups in 2014, has been the scene of deadly fighting between them and forces loyal to Haftar, who controls much of eastern Libya in defiance of the UN-backed unity government in Tripoli. Haftar's self-declared Libyan National Army (LNA) has managed to retake a large part of Benghazi, the birthplace of the 2011 revolution. But the LNA says jihadists are still present in the central districts of Al-Saberi and Suq al-Hut. Among them is the Revolutionary Shura Council of Benghazi, an alliance of Islamist militias that includes Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Al-Sharia.

Gaza Rocket Hits Israel Prompting Retaliatory Shelling
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 18/17/A rocket fired by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip slammed into southern Israel on Saturday, prompting retaliatory Israeli tank fire, sources on both sides said. The Israeli army said the rocket hit an open area. "No casualties have been reported."Palestinian security officials said the Israeli tank fire targeted an observation post of Gaza's Hamas rulers, near Beit Lahiya in the north of the territory, close to the border with Israel. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the tank fire "in response to the rocket attack". Last month, Israeli warplanes and tanks pounded Gaza in response to a similar rocket launch, hitting Hamas military facilities and wounding four Palestinians, none of them seriously. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008. Since the last one in 2014, a fragile ceasefire has been observed along the largely closed border. Missiles and rockets are periodically fired at Israel, generally by hardline Islamist groups opposed to Hamas. But Israel holds Hamas responsible for all rocket fire from Gaza regardless of who carried it out.

Saudi Intercepts Yemen Rebel Missile as Camp Toll Rises
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 18/17/A Yemeni rebel missile was intercepted over Saudi Arabia late Friday, a Saudi-led coalition said, as the death toll from a rebel attack on a Yemeni army camp rose to 32. The rebels' Saba news agency said the missile was aimed at offices of Saudi oil giant Aramco in the town of Jizan. The coalition, which has been fighting the rebels in support of government forces for the past two years, said the missile was intercepted without casualties or damage. The Yemeni army said the toll from Friday's rebel rocket attack on its camp in Marib province, east of the capital Sanaa, had risen to 32 dead and 81 wounded. Marib province lies on the border with Saudi Arabia and most of it has been retaken by government forces. Military sources said the rebels hit the Kofel camp in Sarwah district with a Katyusha-type multiple rocket launcher and hit a mosque crowded with soldiers for the main weekly prayers. Despite the coalition's military intervention, the rebels still control Sanaa and much of the northern highlands and Red Sea coast.

Iran MP Slams Guards for Social Media Arrests
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 18/17/Iranian MPs have criticized the arrests of journalists and social media organizers ahead of the presidential election in May, with one directly accusing the elite Revolutionary Guards in a letter published Saturday. The arrests in recent days are alleged to have targeted unnamed people who run channels on the popular messaging site Telegram supporting reformists and the moderate government of President Hassan Rouhani. Two prominent journalists -- Ehsan Mazandarani and Morad Saghafi -- have also been detained. Mahmoud Sadeghi, a reformist MP, wrote an open letter to Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad-Ali Jafari, calling on the organisation to stay out of politics. "Some incidents in recent days, including the simultaneous arrests of managers of Telegram channels with close associations to reformists and supporters of the government, which has apparently been done by the intelligence arm of the Sepah (Revolutionary Guards), has raised a wave of concern in society," Sadeghi wrote in the letter published by the ILNA news agency.  Several other MPs have also criticized the arrests in open letters this week. Outspoken moderate-conservative MP Ali Motahari threatened to seek the impeachment of the intelligence minister if he did not provide details of the arrests. The Revolutionary Guards operate their own intelligence wing independently of the government and answerable only to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Rouhani, who will seek re-election on May 19, has united moderates and reformists with his efforts to improve relations with the West, despite largely failing to win the release of jailed opposition leaders or improve civil rights as he promised during the 2013 campaign. Telegram, which has an estimated 20 million users in Iran, has become the leading site for political and cultural discussions in a country where Facebook and Twitter are banned. The authorities have tried to control the site, demanding that channels with more than 5,000 followers register with the government. A reformist newspaper also reported Saturday that Faezeh Hashemi, daughter of revolutionary founder Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, had again been sentenced to six months for "spreading falsehoods" after she accused the judiciary of corruption. Hashemi, a vocal supporter of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi during the mass protests that followed the disputed 2009 election, previously served six months in jail for "disrupting public opinion" in 2012-13.

Erdogan Expects Parliament to Restore Capital Punishment
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 18/17/Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said he expected parliament to approve restoring capital punishment after the April 16 referendum on expanding its powers, a move that could end Ankara's bid to join the EU. Turkey completely abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its efforts to join the European Union, which makes its removal a non-negotiable pre-condition for membership. "The families of the martyrs, the heroes (of the failed July 15 coup) don't need to worry. I believe, God willing, that after the April 16 vote parliament will do the necessary concerning your demands for capital punishment," Erdogan said in a televised rally in the western city of Canakkale. To become law, the bill would still need to be signed by the head of state. But Erdogan said he would sign it immediately. "When it comes to me I will approve it without hesitation," he said. EU officials have repeatedly warned Turkey that restoring capital punishment would spell the end of its over half century bid to join the bloc. But Turkish ministers and Erdogan have said they need to respond to popular demand for the restoration of capital punishment to deal with the ringleaders of the July 15 coup bid. Erdogan, whose announcement was greeted by loud cheers, said he did not care what Europe thought about such a move. "What Hans and George say is not important for me," he said, using two common European names. "What the people say, what the law says, that's what is important for us," he added. Erdogan has repeatedly warned the EU of the possibility Turkey could restore capital punishment. But this is the first time he has directly called on parliament to approve it after the referendum on constitutional change. Turkey and Europe are locked in diplomatic crisis after Germany and the Netherlands blocked Turkish ministers from campaigning for a 'yes' vote in next month's referendum

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published On March 18-19/17
Are the Hard Leftists Aligned with Radical Islamists?
Najat AlSaied/Gatestone Institute/March 18/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=53434
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10065/leftists-islamists-aligned
The leftist media and other American liberals insist on portraying President Trump's position as a fight against Islam and Muslims. In fact, most moderate Muslims are not offended by the phrase "radical Islam," because they are very distressed by the fact that their religion has been commandeered by the radicals and transformed from a religion of peace into a more radical version.
I just wonder where those feminists and John Kerry were when millions of Egyptian women needed their support when they marched against the Muslim Brotherhood, asking for America's help. Where were they when thousands of Syrian and Iraqi women were enslaved and raped by radical ISIS militants?
While not a single voice among these liberal feminists spoke out against these inhumane acts perpetrated against Muslim women by radical Islamists, a Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer, Linda Sarsour, co-organized the anti-Trump Women's March on Washington. What's worse, these liberal feminists want Sarsour to represent all Muslim women, while in fact she speaks for nobody except herself and those who fund her.
Since the presidential campaign began, and then right up until the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on February 24, 2017, President Donald Trump has kept saying the same thing: that the United States is at war with radical Islam, mainly represented by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Yet, the leftist media and other American liberals insist on portraying his position as a fight against Islam and Muslims. In fact, most moderate Muslims are not offended by the phrase "radical Islam," because they are very distressed by the fact that their religion has been commandeered by the radicals and transformed from a religion of peace into a more radical version. Unfortunately, instead of the leftists giving a voice to and supporting these moderate Muslims, a kind of leftist-Islamist alliance has emerged.
Abdel Rahman al-Rashed, a Saudi columnist for pan-Arab newspaper Al Sharq al Awsat, said in 2004:
"It is a certain fact that not all Muslims are terrorists, but it is equally certain, and exceptionally painful, that almost all terrorists are Muslims... The majority of those who were suicide bombers on buses, other vehicles, in schools and other places, all over the world, were Muslim".
This statement from a well-known columnist and a former General Manager of the Al Arabiya news channel demonstrates how moderate Muslims are critical of their own culture and how they are saddened by how their religion has been hijacked by radicals. However, these appeals fall on deaf ears with leftists; they call moderate Muslims passive, which instead supports and furthers the radical Islamists' cause.
In 2009, while millions of Iranians were in the streets opposing a radical, theocratic regime as part of their Green Revolution, then U.S. President Barack Obama ignored this historic moment and continued reaching out to Iran's rulers, who are designated by the U.S. government as sponsors of terrorism. His appeasing attitude was a clear sign that the US was so eager to reach a nuclear deal by befriending the Iranian regime, that it was willing to tolerate the mullahs' brutal repression and its hegemonic policies across the region.
In 2011, we witnessed the Obama Administration's support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, in the form of billions of dollars that ensured its victory, ignoring the consequences their rule has had on moderate Muslims, Coptic Christians and secular groups. Many moderate Muslim women in Egypt entreated the Obama Administration to support them against the Muslim Brotherhood's tyranny and misogyny, but to no avail.
Gameela Ismail, an Egyptian politician activist asked John Kerry in 2013 to cease supporting the Muslim Brotherhood:
"We ask you to do nothing for us. Just stop doing anything at all in our country and stop supporting tyranny and fascism, and leave us to complete our revolution and achieve our dreams. Our dreams will not stop because of your humble perceptions of us and our future."
Kerry responded: "The United States did not take sides but had to deal with the elected legitimate government in place." Then Kerry announced the United States would give the Muslim Brotherhood government another $250 million.
Ironically, we saw John Kerry protest against President Trump as part of the Women's March on Washington after Trump's inauguration. I just wonder where those feminists and John Kerry were when millions of Egyptian women needed their support while marching against the Muslim Brotherhood and asking for America's help. Where were they when thousands of Syrian and Iraqi women were enslaved and raped by radical ISIS militants? It seems that these liberal women do not recognize the dignity of human life beyond the wall of their uterus. Abortion and contraceptive pills are their ultimate concern.
While not a single voice among these liberal feminists spoke out against these inhumane acts perpetrated against Muslim women by radical Islamists, a Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer, Linda Sarsour, co-organized the anti-Trump Women's March on Washington. What's worse, these liberal feminists want Sarsour to represent all Muslim women, while in fact she speaks for nobody except herself and those who fund her.
Sarsour's interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC was full of false information, yet she was still cheered by several prominent liberal leftists. She said that Muslim children are being executed in the United States [a lie], that Muslims are prohibited from practising their faith [a lie] and that there is opposition to the building of mosques [a lie: There are more than 2,106 mosques in the US]. She also admitted that she wants Islamic sharia law to be applied in the United Sates and is offended that 22 states are opposed to this. All of these lies and allegations were not challenged by MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow. In fact, she agreed with Sarsour by saying, "What is happening domestically around issues about bigotry is spooky". This shows that she is not a tolerant, open-minded anchor, but proves that she is a professional liar, which is a million miles away from a balanced media that presents the truth.
In a recent interview on MSNBC, Linda Sarsour, a Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer, said that in the United States, Muslim children are being executed [a lie], and Muslims are prohibited from practising their faith [a lie]. Pictured above: Sarsour is interviewed in a Seriously.TV video.
This is not the only example of the liberals' hypocrisy. Their use of the "Muslim card" went to the extent that former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said she is prepared to "register as Muslim" in solidarity with Muslims against President Trump's plans to take executive action affecting Muslim immigrants into the US. We wonder where warm-hearted Albright's conscience was when she was asked in 1996 about the deaths of 576,000 Iraqi children under the brutal sanctions on Iraq during the Clinton Administration of the 1990s. She gave a cold-blooded response: that the price paid was worth it. Now she is heartbroken over restrictions on immigrants from seven majority-Muslim states.
Actually, there was nothing new about the three-month temporary block on those with passports from seven majority-Muslim countries. Donald Trump stated on his Facebook page:
"My policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months. The seven countries named in the Executive Order are the same countries previously identified by the Obama administration as sources of terror. To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting."
The fact that the liberals are trying to undermine every single action Trump takes with continuous lies, is making them very hard to believe.
It is pathetic that the liberals are not only against President Trump in his fight against radical Islamists, but are also supporting those extremists at the expense of oppressed moderate Muslims. The alignment of the liberal leftists with radical Islamists, and playing the "Muslim card" hypocritically and exploitatively, will not make Muslims support liberals. On the contrary, this will encourage more moderate Muslims to align themselves with conservatives. So, let the liberals have the radicals as their lackeys.
**Najat AlSaied is a Saudi American academic and the author of: Screens of Influence: Arab Satellite Television & Social Development. She is an Assistant Professor at Zayed University in the College of Communication and Media Sciences in Dubai-UAE. She can be reached at: najwasaied@hotmail.com
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute

The Trump Administration Searches for a MidEast Policy
A briefing by Thomas /Middle East Forum/March 16, 2017
http://www.meforum.org/6595/the-trump-administration-searches-for-a-mideast
Thomas Parker teaches security studies at George Washington University. Previously, he served as a policy planner for the Middle East at the State Department and advised the secretary of defense. Mr. Parker briefed the Middle East Forum on March 6, 2017.
Multimedia for this item
Summary account by Marilyn Stern, Middle East Forum Communications Coordinator.
After the frustrating Obama years, the conservative Arab states and Israel look forward with cautious optimism to the Trump era. But can the new administration address the numerous problems left by its predecessor? A quick review of the region's main trouble spots offers some clues:
· Iran. While the nuclear agreement seems likely to stand, it remains to be seen whether the administration will sustain its tough approach to Tehran's ballistic missile tests, which were not covered by the agreement. Judging by their cancellation of a new missile test following the American reprimand, the Iranians are likely to adhere to the agreement in the foreseeable future for fear of a U.S. or Israeli strike. The moment of truth will come when the agreement sunsets in seven or eight years, allowing Tehran to develop nuclear weapons virtually undetected.
· Turkey and the Kurds. Given longstanding Turkish-Kurdish tensions, the administration will need to weigh the relative balance of costs and benefits attending the Kurdish contribution to the anti-ISIS campaign and the military bases offered by Turkey. The administration may seek to allay Ankara's fears of the growing Kurdish assertiveness by increasing U.S. military presence in Syria.
An estimated 400 U.S. marines were deployed to Syria early this month.
· Iraq, Syria, and the war against Islamic State (ISIS). In line with President Trump's repeated vows to defeat ISIS, hundreds of U.S. Marines have recently arrived in Syria to expedite the attack on the terror group's capital of Raqqa. A general loosening of the rules of engagement will allow a more proactive approach, which will in turn lead to ISIS's eventual defeat in Syria and Iraq. For its part, the Assad regime will likely remain in power given Moscow's preference for a secular ruler.
· Egypt. After the chilly Obama-Sisi relationship, a significant warming in U.S.-Egyptian ties is likely, and notably the resumption of close military cooperation.
· Israel. The widespread euphoria in right-wing circles over Trump's election has ebbed as the administration adopts a more conventional approach to both the West Bank and moving the embassy to Jerusalem. A consensus seems to be emerging in Washington whereby neighborhoods within the security barrier, comprising some 80 percent of the West Bank's Jewish population, would be allowed to expand but those outside the barrier would not. Thus far, most Israeli discussions with the administration, including in Netanyahu's meeting with Trump, have primarily focused on the Iranian threat rather than the Palestinian issue.
· Russia. Defying widespread predictions of doom, Moscow's Syrian intervention has greatly enhanced its regional prowess, and President Putin shows no intention to relinquish this new gain. President Trump may have thus overrated his ability to translate Russia's goodwill toward his administration to concrete collaboration against ISIS. On the contrary, attributing the ongoing regional mayhem to the 2003 Iraq war and the 2011 Libyan intervention, Moscow seems bent on keeping Washington out of the region and views the persistence of U.S.-Iranian tensions as a useful means to this end.
Whatever President Trump's personal instincts, he has surrounded himself with mainstream advisors like Secretary of State Tillerson and Generals Mattis and McMaster, both military leaders with long experience and familiarity with the Arab world. This may result in a less revolutionary, yet more robust Middle Eastern policy.

The Euro-Turkish Impasse
Samir Atallah/Asharq Al Awsat/March 18/17
Europe has invested a great deal of effort in limiting the effects of Turkey’s internal conflicts pouring into its countries. Fests and rallies whether supporting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or his opposition were barred.
Had any of the rallies been allowed it would have sparked a devastating fire.
The outcome of the Turkish political process is not the highlight of European concerns—fears are chiefly spurred by fanatics that have been eyeing moderate democracies since the end of World War II. Europe’s entire spectrum has come under the threat of negative populism, whether it be France, Germany, the Netherlands or Begum. Not to mention Eastern Europe which continues to slowly shift to the right, advocating de facto authoritarian rhetoric and systems riding the international refugee crisis’ wave.
Erdogan did not comprehend where Europe was coming from, or maybe he chose not to. For his part, the Turkish President was already fighting his own legal existential battle—which he could not afford losing to his real or prospect foes.
Many residing in Europe are exposed to several versions of liberalism and fanaticism, which they are deeply influenced by. The center-wing culture is no longer defined. Each party, rather than delivering a socio-political message, is hard-wired to a self-styled fuse ready to detonate any moment.
Erdogan, adopting unorthodox behavior, stepped up his anti-European campaign. There is no doubt that to him, this was a one-time electoral advantage.
But alternatively, Europe’s alt-right managed to exploit and benefit from Erdogan’s heated rhetoric.
Added to unprecedented influx of refugees, brutal terror attacks in Paris, Berlin and Nice, Erdogan’s remarks came to be an other unexpected opportunity taken and twisted out of shape to fit Europe’s fundamentalist right propaganda.
As fear strikes the heart of Europe, it is definite that the continent needs Erdogan as an ally, not a rival. The last thing it wants is to infuriate millions of Turks who have become nationals or have taken residence in European states. More so, Turkey remains a key factor to transatlantic partnerships.
Europe’s choices were limited: It was either to regulate potential hostility at Turkish gatherings, bar a Turkish minister from entering the Netherlands and prevent Turkey’s foreign minister from landing on its territory or allow for rallies to spiral out of control.
There is no doubt that the Dutch made a political mistake, as evidenced by the crisis it led to.
The Netherlands’ mistake was in miscalculating the size of the backlash triggered by barring Turkish politicians who support Erdogan’s proposal for an executive presidency from organizing public rallies for Turks there who can vote.
They simply did not realize the extent to which Erdogan will go with the political spat, especially that he was already occupied with fighting the strategic battle for both Turkey’s international position and his leadership.
Erdogan went out of his way to accuse Germany and Europe with Nazism and fascism– despite Chancellor Angela Merkel being perhaps the least fascist or nazist person there is.
Erdogan’s rhetoric inflamed latent Nazism in Europe, and justified its resurfacing. Nazis promote their agendas through picturing today’s dilemma as a war against Islam, and not for what it is, a miscalculated risk taken with a strained foreign president.

Iran Policy: Pre-emptive Surrender is No Option
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/March 18/17
Earlier this month, the daily Kayhan, reputed to reflect the views of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the “Supreme Guide” of the Islamic Republic, published an essay about the “containment” strategy that US President Harry S Truman adopted vis-a-vis the Soviet Union in the late 1940s.
Kayhan justified giving space to such esoteric subject by claiming that some American “think-tanks” are recommending the adoption of a similar policy towards the Islamic Republic in Tehran, among them The Woodrow Wilson Foundation and The Carnegie Foundation.
Kayhan’s claim is sustained by recent op-eds by Iran lobbyists in the US, among them former US diplomats, business brokers, and “anti-war” activists.
The Truman-era containment policy was the brainchild of George Kennan in 1946 when he was in Moscow as charge d’affaires at the US Embassy. He spelled it out in an 8,000 word report, later to be known as “the Long Telegram”, addressed to the Secretary of State.
A year later, back in Washington Kennan deepened his expose in an article signed “X”.
Thanks to the Americans’ penchant for hyperbole, the “Telegram” and the “X” article ensured Kennan’s abiding reputation as a visionary strategist, and, believe it or not, the man who prevented a Third World War.
Even today, some believe that Kennan’s idea enabled the US to “contain” the USSR, securing the broader interests of Washington and its allies.
However, a less starry-eyed reading of the facts may suggest a different picture.
To start with the very concept of “containment” is too inexact to provide a solid basis for a serious strategy. The side that seeks the containment of an adversary has no control on what that adversary might do.
The only thing that the “containing” side is certain to be able to do is to contain itself. And, that means unilaterally relinquishing all other options which will remain open to the adversary.
This is exactly what happened in US-USSR relations in the following decades.
Before “containment” became fashionable in Washington, the USSR contained itself whenever it felt it had gone too far in provoking the US. For example, in 1946, President Truman made it clear to Soviet leader Josef Stalin that he could not keep his Red Army in two Iranian provinces occupied since 1941. After a brief attempt at wiggling out, Stalin complied and withdrew his troops without firing a shot.
Another example came in the same period when Washington made it clear to Moscow that the US would not allow Soviet-backed armed Communists to seize control of Greece. Anxious not to provoke the US which, at the time, had a monopoly of nuclear weapons, Stalin also agreed to scale down support for Communist rebels in the Chinese civil war where the Americans backed the Nationalists.
In Eastern and Central Europe the USSR played with “coalition” and “popular front” gimmicks, allowing pro-West parties and personalities to retain a share of power.
Shackling the US with “containment” released the USSR from whatever constraints it had imposed on itself.
“Containment” gave the USSR freedom to pursue a hegemonic strategy.
First, it expelled “liberal” partners in Eastern and Central Europe by establishing full-blood Communist regimes run from Moscow.
Stalin also stepped up support for the Chinese Communists while recruiting, training and arming the Kim Il-sung band in the Korean Peninsula.
He also launched his “Peace Movement”, a façade for KGB-controlled Communist parties in Western Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Within two years of the “X” article, Moscow had created 18 new Communist parties across the globe. At the same time, Moscow sponsored a series of “anti-colonial” groups in Asia and Africa, making sure that key US allies such as Britain and France would have their military bogged down in colonial struggles for years to come.
Six years after the “X” article, the Warsaw Pact was in place as cover for the Soviet war machine.
Assured by “containment” that the US would not react, Stalin formalized the annexation of the Baltic Republics and allowed Finland to survive as a semi-sovereign state thanks to “Finlandization”.
“Containment” encouraged Stalin to speed up a nuclear program which, two years after the “X” article, gave him the much-coveted atom bomb.
After Stalin’s death in March 1953 “containment” gave Moscow the assurance needed against punitive action by the US and allies- an assurance that was put to good use when the USSR crushed popular uprisings in Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia and created a client state in East Germany. In all those places, Soviet tanks could roll in with the certainty that the US was disarmed by its own policy of “containment.”
The true name of the metaphorical “Iron Curtain” was “containment.”
The “Long Telegram” and the “X” essay gave the Soviets a free hand in what was to be known as the Cold War. It was not until President Ronald Reagan replaced “containment” with his “roll-back” strategy that the clock started ticking for the USSR till its disintegration in 1991.
Kennan made the mistake of narrowing down options vis-a-vis the USSR to two: full-scale war or neutralizing the US with “containment.”
Knowingly or not, those who promote the idea of “containment” in the case of the Islamic Republic make the same mistake. Opportunist regimes like the defunct USSR and the Khomeinist hodge-podge in Tehran cannot be contained, especially when they claim legitimacy based on fake messianic missions.
The USSR was an anomaly in Europe.
It had to either make the whole of the continent like itself or to become like the rest of the continent.
The Khomeinist regime is in a similar position: either it imposes its brand on the whole of the greater Middle East or become like the rest of the region where Iran is located.
In dealing with the USSR yesterday and with the Islamic Republic today options are not limited to full-scale war or illusory containment.
In both contexts “containment” is another word for preemptive surrender.

A Month of Islam and Multiculturalism in France: February 2017
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/March 18/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10062/france-islam-multiculturalism-february
Children and women are being raped by human traffickers inside the Camp de la Linière, a migrant camp in the northern French city of Dunkirk; they are forced to have sex in return for blankets, food or the offer of passage to Britain. A volunteer worker referred to the children as being like "little steaks" because they were considered so appetizing and vulnerable to traffickers.
The breakdown in law and order in Muslim neighborhoods in Paris is being fueled by impunity for criminals and a lenient judicial system, according to Hugues Moutouh, a former advisor to the Interior Ministry.
"You can pass on my respects to the Grand Mufti, but I will not cover myself up." — French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, cancelling a meeting with the Grand Mufti of Lebanon.
The report implies that deradicalization, either in specialized centers or in prisons, does not work because most Islamic radicals do not want to be deradicalized.
February 1. The Interior Ministry reported a 45% decline in attacks against Jews and Muslims in France in 2016, but a 17.5% increase in attacks against Christians. The ministry said there were 1,125 attacks against Jews and Muslims in 2016, down from 2,034 attacks in 2015. It also reported 949 attacks against Christians in 2016, up from 808 attacks in 2015. Attacks against Christians jumped by 245% between 2008 and 2016.
February 2. Undercover police wearing burqas and qamis (traditional Arab gowns) were filmed apprehending a drug dealer in the Marseille's Bricarde district, a notorious no-go zone. Police confirmed the "totally normal camouflage technique" after the cellphone video was posted on social media. A local resident complained: "This gives the impression that you basically have to be Muslim or look like a Muslim in order to blend in." Another resident said:
"I think that trying to blend into the crowd in order not to attract attention is a good way of catching traffickers. What's more, the police are not really respected on the council estates, which have become no-go areas. Even the police are scared to go there, which isn't right. So it's hardly surprising that when they come they have to disguise themselves — although I can understand why lots of people are criticizing them for it."
February 3. Abdallah El-Hamahmy, a 29-year-old Egyptian national, attacked four French soldiers at the Louvre in Paris. He was carrying two backpacks when he approached the soldiers, who were on patrol at the entrance to the Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall, beneath the museum. When they told him that he could not bring his bags into the mall, he lunged at them with a machete and began shouting "Allahu Akbar." After a brief struggle, one of the soldiers opened fire, leaving El-Hamahmy in critical condition. El-Hamahmy had arrived in Paris legally on January 26 after obtaining a one-month tourist visa in Dubai. Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve called the attack "terrorist in nature."
February 5. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the anti-establishment National Front party, officially launched her campaign to become the next president of France. Speaking at a rally attended by thousands of her supporters in Lyon, Le Pen launched a two-pronged attack on globalization and radical Islam. She promised French voters a referendum on remaining in the European Union, and also to deport Muslims who are deemed a security risk to France.
February 5. A police officer was charged with raping a 22-year-old man named Théo during an identity check in the Paris suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois. The man was allegedly beaten and then raped with a police baton. He was subsequently hospitalized for injuries to his rectum that required surgery. The arrest sparked riots in Paris and other cities across France. The Inspector General of the National Police (IGPN) later determined that the sodomy was an accident which occurred after Théo refused to allow himself to be handcuffed. "It is undoubtedly very serious, it is violence that has resulted in permanent disability, but it is not a rape," the IGPN said. The police finding sparked another wave of riots.
February 7. A majority (61%) of French respondents agreed with the statement, "All further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped," according to a Chatham House survey of European attitudes toward Muslim immigration.
February 8. A new study by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) offered a partial view of the ethnic composition of French society. Journalist Yves Mamou wrote:
"In 2015, 7.3 million people born in France had at least one immigrant parent (11% of the population). Of these 7.3 million people, 45% are of European origin, most of whom are children of immigrants who arrived in France from Spain (8%) or Italy (12%) as early as the 1930s, or from Portugal in the 1970s onwards. One can assume, although it is not written in the study, that these people are of Christian origin.
"Another group is composed of Africans. 42% of the 7.3 million children born in France to an immigrant parent are of African background, mainly North Africa. They came from Algeria (15%), Morocco (11%), Tunisia (5%) and sub-Saharan Africa (11%). Although it is also not specified in the study, it would seem that the great majority are Muslim.
"Another group, children from Turkish migrant families, represent 4% of the 7.3 million. These people are classified as Asian; they are not included in the African and Muslim group. Most of these Turks are also presumably Muslim.
"A conclusion therefore would assume that 46% of the descendants of immigrants are Muslim and 45% are Christian. The remaining 9% are from East Asia or the Americas."
February 8. Two jihadists who were under house arrest in Bayonne evaded French authorities and left for Syria to join the Islamic State. The duo was intercepted in Slovenia. "This does not mean that Bayonne is a fertile ground for radicalization," said Éric Morvan, the prefect of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. "We are very far away, even if some individuals are closely monitored."
February 9. The Paris mayor's office announced a plan to build a 2.5 meter-high (8ft) wall of reinforced glass around the Eiffel Tower to protect against jihadist attacks. If approved, the €20 million ($21 million) project will begin later this year.
February 10. The Constitutional Council, the highest court in France, ruled that a law adopted in June 2016, which makes it a crime to consult jihadist websites, is unconstitutional. The ten-member council ruled that the law, which sets a two-year prison sentence and €30,000 ($32,000) fine for anyone "habitually" consulting jihadist websites, infringed on the fundamental freedom of communication. The case was brought before the court by Sami Khankan, a lawyer whose client, a convert to Islam named David Pagerie, was found guilty of the offense and was sentenced for two years by a court in Anger.
February 10. Cédric Herrou, a French farmer who helped migrants evade police to cross the French-Italian border, was handed a €3,000 suspended sentence. A court in Nice found him guilty of meeting migrants, most of them Eritrean, on Italian soil to bring them to France. The court found him not guilty of other charges, in particular housing illegal immigrants and placing them in a disused holiday home belonging to the SNCF rail company. France's immigration law punishes people who facilitate the illegal entry, movement or residence of a foreigner in France. The law allows for sentences of up to five years in prison and a fine of €30,000. After the verdict, Herrou vowed to carry on helping migrants.
February 10. The Pentagon confirmed that it targeted an Islamic State jihadist, Rachid Kassim, a French national, in a strike by the U.S.-led coalition near Mosul, Iraq. Kassim, who was in his 30s and originally from Roanne in the Loire Valley, is believed to have inspired the June 2016 attack on a senior French police officer and his partner, and the July 2016 murder of an elderly priest, whose throat was cut.
February 11. Children and women are being raped by human traffickers inside the Camp de la Linière, a migrant camp in the northern French city of Dunkirk, according to the London-based Observer. Corroborating accounts from volunteers, medics, refugees and other officials revealed that sexual abuse is common within the camp, and that children and women are forced to have sex in return for blankets, food or the offer of passage to Britain. Accounts from those at the camp, which currently holds up to 2,000 refugees, of whom an estimated 100 are unaccompanied minors, portray a squalid site with inadequate security and atrocious living conditions.
A volunteer coordinator, testifying on the condition of anonymity, said:
"Sexual assault, violence and rape are all far too common. Minors are assaulted and women are raped and forced to pay for smuggling with their bodies.
"Although the showers are meant to be locked at night, particularly dangerous individuals in the camp have keys and are able to take the women to the showers in the night to force themselves on them. This has happened to women I know very well."
She said that one of the most in-demand products distributed to women in the Dunkirk Camp are adult diapers: "Women are too scared to go to the toilets in the night," she said. "None of the locks in the women's toilets in the camp work."
The volunteer also recounted several incidents where minors had been attacked:
"A 12-year-old girl was groomed in the camp by a man well over twice her age. When she no longer wanted to speak with him because his behavior towards her had become so obscene, he threatened her. A 13-year-old boy ended up returning to his home country having been raped in the camp."
Another statement provided by an ex-NGO worker, who spent more than three years volunteering at Dunkirk, said men targeted women and children because they were so vulnerable. "You see women in a male environment with men that are disconnected from reality, so there are serious incidents such as rape. Women, children, young teens, male and female." The worker referred to the children as being like "little steaks" because they were considered so appetizing and vulnerable to traffickers, of whom dozens reside on site.
One woman travelling by herself said that unaccompanied individuals were viewed as prey: "All men see that I'm alone, and it's the same for the children. Men see me and they want to rape me."
February 13. The South Korean embassy advised Korean tourists to avoid parts of Paris after a tour group was robbed in a tour bus stuck in traffic in Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis).
February 13. The breakdown in law and order in Muslim neighborhoods in Paris is being fueled by impunity for criminals and a lenient judicial system, according to Hugues Moutouh, a former advisor to the Interior Ministry. In an essay for Le Figaro, he wrote:
"Another night of riots in the Paris suburbs. Again and again the same scenes of urban violence, the same images of cars burned, attacks of police stations, Molotov cocktails launched on the forces of law and order....
"A part of the French political class, on the left, is even an accomplice to these abuses by justifying the revolt of those whom it still persists in calling 'young people'...
"The suburbs of our big cities are being gangrened by gangs of traffickers.... They no longer fear the police and increasingly do not hesitate to attack them violently. Public utilities, schools and police stations are routinely ransacked. Our forces of order are exhausted and disgusted... Politicians, by their attitudes, may also give the impression of endorsing or even encouraging public disorder."
February 13. A hundred Eritrean and Sudanese migrants rioted at a rest area in Steenvoorde, on the highway linking Lille to Dunkirk, in northern France. Police said the fight was over "control of the territory" for trucks on their way to Britain. "When the police arrived, the migrants scattered in the woods and there were no arrests," police said.
February 13. The Paris City Hall installed large boulders to dissuade migrants from setting up makeshift camps outside an official migrant shelter at Porte de La Chapelle. Migrants often sleep outdoors while waiting for one of the 400 spaces in the shelter to become available. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the city wants to carry out "a reflection on the appropriation of public spaces to avoid the installation of new migrant camps in Paris."
February 14. Two men and a 16-year-old girl were charged in southern France on suspicion of planning a terror attack that the authorities said was imminent. The three, arrested on February 10 near the coastal city of Montpellier, were identified as Muslim convert Thomas Sauret, 20; his partner, a 16-year-old named only as Sarah; and Malik Hammami, 33. They were indicted for "criminal association in connection with a criminal terrorist enterprise."
February 18. The LigneRock Festival, an annual music festival in Saint-Christophe-du-Ligneron, Vendée, was cancelled after concert organizers received three anonymous phone calls warning of a "bloodbath" if the event went ahead as planned.
February 18. Police reported escalating tensions between Afghans and Sudanese at a new migrant reception center in northern Paris. "It was tense for a week," a police source told Le Monde. "The Sudanese and Afghans are not friends." The facility also reported a surge in migrants from Germany and Sweden. "Seventy percent of arrivals may not satisfy the criteria for asylum in France," the source said.
February 19. A 32-year-old man shouting "Allahu Akhbar" and "we are going to kill all of you" was shot by police after stabbing a female passerby and then attacking an elderly couple in Montauban, near Toulouse. The public prosecutor's office ordered the man to be hospitalized for treatment of "psychiatric disorders."
February 21. Prosecutors in Paris launched an investigation after two French Jews, aged 29 and 17, reportedly were assaulted by a group of men described as having a Middle Eastern appearance. The incident allegedly occurred at a traffic light in the Paris suburb of Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis). The attackers pulled the victims, who were wearing skullcaps, out of their vehicle and attempted to sever their fingers with a hacksaw. The attackers hurled anti-Semitic slogans at the victims, including "Dirty Jews, you're going to die." Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux expressed "outrage" and pledged to do everything he could to find the perpetrators.
February 21. Three men were arrested in separate counter-terrorism raids in Paris, Marseille and Clermont-Ferrand. "The suspects had a plot that was sufficiently advanced for the police to decide to arrest them," according to anti-terrorism prosecutors in Paris.
February 21. The Paris region lost an estimated €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion) in tourist income in 2016 due to a steep decline in tourism since the 2015-2016 terror attacks on France. The number of tourists visiting Île-de-France, a region which includes Paris and the surrounding area, fell by 1.5 million in 2016. The steepest decline was in Chinese and Japanese visitors.
February 21. French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen cancelled a meeting with Lebanon's Grand Mufti after he insisted that she wear a headscarf. "The highest authority in the Sunni world did not have this requirement, therefore, there is no reason to wear the veil," Le Pen said in reference to her meeting with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, Egypt, in May 2015. "You can pass on my respects to the Grand Mufti, but I will not cover myself up."
On Feb. 21, French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen cancelled a meeting with Lebanon's Grand Mufti after he insisted that she wear a headscarf. "You can pass on my respects to the Grand Mufti, but I will not cover myself up," she stated. (Image source: France24 video screenshot)
February 22. The government's flagship program to deradicalize jihadists is a "total failure" and must be "completely reconceptualized," according to the initial conclusions of a parliamentary fact-finding commission on deradicalization. The report reveals that the government has nothing to show for the tens of millions of taxpayer euros it has spent over the past several years to combat Islamic radicalization in France, where 238 people have been killed in jihadist attacks since January 2015. The report implies that deradicalization, either in specialized centers or in prisons, does not work because most Islamic radicals do not want to be deradicalized.
February 22. A court in Paris sentenced two French jihadists, Ibrayima Sylla, 37, and Pierre Roubertie, 26, to a combined 38 years in prison for invading the home of Jacques Penhouet, a post office teller in Seine-et-Marne, and taking his pregnant wife and son hostage, in August 2013. While Roubertie, a convert to Islam, guarded the mother and son, Sylla dragged Penhouet to his workplace to empty the post office safe. The attackers made off with a meagre €2,080 ($2,100). Prosecutors said the two men had planned to use the stolen money to fund jihadist attacks on French soil.
February 28. Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, during a visit to Jakarta, Indonesia, insisted that there is no connection between Islam, radicalism and terrorism. "Terrorism has no nationality or religion," he said.
Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.
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The President's Syria Conundrum
Dennis Ross/New York Daily News/March 15, 2017
In deciding whether to cooperate with Russia militarily, the U.S. administration must consider the Kremlin's ties to Iran and its Shiite proxies, and the associated risks of fueling future Sunni jihadist movements.
Forging a coherent policy on Syria would tax any administration. One critical priority is defeating ISIS in a way that neither leaves a vacuum nor fosters deeper sectarian differences after liberating Raqqa. Another is managing Turkey's opposition to our arming and use of the Kurdish People's Protection Forces in fighting ISIS -- and making sure that Turkey does not confront the Kurds instead of the so-called Islamic State. And, of course, this says nothing about the efforts to bring to an end the war that the Assad regime has largely inflicted on the Syrian people.
In this connection, Russia with the help of Turkey has worked out a tenuous ceasefire in Syria; the odds of its holding and turning into a real political process are poor. Assad has killed too many Syrians for any significant part of the opposition to accept his long-term presence. And yet the Russians remain wedded to the Assad regime and inclined to believe they can bludgeon Syrian rebel forces into submission.
Perhaps that will change. It should.
Indeed, as the Trump administration considers whether it will cooperate militarily with Russia in Syria, it should insist that striking the non-ISIS, non-jihadi groups, including those the U.S. has supported, must stop. To be sure, there is another even more important test by which to judge whether we should cooperate with the Russians. Put simply, Russia needs to stop abetting the power of the Iranians and their Shia militia proxies. Enhancing Iran's reach and presence is shifting the balance of power in the region against our Arab partners; moreover, it also deepens the sectarian divide within Syria -- and that has made it harder to gain Sunni support inside and outside of Syria.
The irony is that it was the growth of sectarianism that contributed to the rise of ISIS in the first place in both Iraq and Syria -- and once ISIS is defeated in Raqqa, the great danger is that Iran's preference for sectarian policies (and politics) will once again produce the kind of alienation and exclusion of Sunnis that makes the next incarnation of ISIS almost a certainty. That cannot be what the president wants. At a minimum, therefore, the key to any cooperation with the Russians in Syria must be Russia's distancing from the Iranians and their Shia militia instruments. Should this happen, Putin would demonstrate he sees what Iran is doing in the region and he is ready to join us in countering it.
Don't bet on this happening. The hints one hears from the Russians on not necessarily being tied to Assad or to the Iranians are belied by their actual behavior. Leave aside the growing signs of Russian economic and military dealings with Iran, and look at how the Russians have operated in Syria: They use indiscriminate air power to back the Iranian-guided Shia militias on the ground. Given the shortage and ineffectiveness of Assad's military forces, these are the shock troops that are covered by Russian air strikes as they try to seize and hold ground and secure the Assad regime. If, as is likely, a low-level insurgency continues and becomes more prominent, the Russian stake in Iran and the Shia militias will go up and not down. So cooperation with the Russians in Syria may not be likely, even if the president and his key advisers genuinely are ready to test its possibilities.
Should the Russians fail the tests, and should the administration decide to keep its focus largely on ISIS and not the Assad regime, its policy needs to keep one other factor in mind. Iran and Hezbollah are in Syria for the long haul. They haven't paid the price in casualties to withdraw and, at this point, Assad is a wholly owned subsidiary. Their larger strategic interest is not just keeping a corridor to Lebanon through Syria; it is opening a new front against Israel through Syria. Iran's hostility to Israel is not tactical, it is strategic, and it will seek to exert greater pressure on Israel from its expanding base in Syria over time.
The Israelis will surely resist this. But so should the Trump administration. Part of being Israel's strategic partner means backing it when it is countering new threats. In this case, the administration should bluntly warn the Russians against Iran and Hezbollah seeking to establish a position in southern Syrian adjacent to Israel and Jordan. It should be clear that we will support Israeli actions to prevent any such movement southward -- and if there is an escalation, the United States will materially back Israel and be ready to offer any assistance that Israel might require. The Iranians should know they are playing with fire, and that message should be conveyed by the United States, not just Israel.
**Dennis Ross is the counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute.