LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
May 09/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias/english.may09.17.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed
meto bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind,to let the oppressed go free, to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 04/14-21/:"Then Jesus,
filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him
spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their
synagogues and was praised by everyone.
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue
on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of
the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place
where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed meto bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to
the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,to let the oppressed go free, to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’And he rolled up the scroll, gave it
back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed
on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled
in your hearing.".
I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble,
a rock that will make them fall, and whoever believes in him will not be put to
shame
Letter to the Romans 09/26-33/:"‘And in the very place where it was said to
them, "You are not my people", there they shall be called children of the living
God.’And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, ‘Though the number of the children
of Israel were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved;
for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth quickly and decisively.’ And
as Isaiah predicted, ‘If the Lord of hosts had not left survivors to us, we
would have fared like Sodom and been made like Gomorrah.’What then are we to
say? Gentiles, who did not strive for righteousness, have attained it, that is,
righteousness through faith; but Israel, who did strive for the righteousness
that is based on the law, did not succeed in fulfilling that law. Why not?
Because they did not strive for it on the basis of faith, but as if it were
based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling-stone, as it is written,
‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that
will make them fall, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on May 08-09/17
The Miseries of the Lebanese Rotten Rulers
and Officials/Elias Bejjani/ May 08/17
Baalbek’s Cry/Ahmad El-Assaad May 08, 2017
24 Year Old Sara Sleiman Was Killed In Zahle By Kassem Al Masri, And Her Wish To
Donate Her Organs To Save Others Will Be Fulfilled/A Separate State Of Mind/May
08/17
New ISIS mobile tactics against US in Syria, Iraq/DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis
May 8, 2017
US Judge Rules Assad Helped Al-Qaeda Kill Americans/Ryan Mauro/Clarion
Project/May 08/17
Safe Zones and the Russian Hunter/Ghassan Charbel/ASharq Al Awsat/May 08/17
Palestinians: Abbas's "Culture of Peace"/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/May
08/17
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on
May 08-09/17
The Miseries of the Lebanese Rotten Rulers
and Officials
Dr. Walid Phares: Interview in al Nahar on "Syrian refugees return back home"
Aoun promises nationwide helipads to assist Red Cross
Abi Khalil after Power Tender Opening: Power-Vessel Bids are 'Legal'
Report: Incessant Efforts to Unravel Electoral Law Difficulties
MP. Sami Gemayel: The Electricity File is Not for Political Gains and the
Suspicious Deal Shall Not Pass
Berri Says Parties Wasting Law Agreement Chance Will be Sorry Later
Hariri, National Council for Lebanese Economists tackle economic affairs
Caccia meets with Gloria Abu Zeid
Mashnouq: Fighting terrorism should be common goal among Arabs
Riachy at Halim Roumi Studio launch: Nothing shall hinder Radio Liban progress
Hariri congratulates Macron: You will find in me a partner keen to echo our
common values
Berri congratulates Macron
Landmine Maims Syrian Boy in Southern Border Town
One Wounded as Bourj al-Barajneh Dispute Escalates into Gunfire
Policeman Assaulted in Tripoli for Trying to Seize Violating Motorbike
Tensions Return to Ain el-Hilweh as Grenade Hurled near Army Troops
A message From Yair Ravid
Baalbek’s Cry
24 Year Old Sara Sleiman Was Killed In Zahle By Kassem Al Masri, And Her Wish To
Donate Her Organs To Save Others Will Be Fulfilled
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
May 08-09/17
Tehran Warns Saudi Prince for Bringing 'Battle' to Iran Remark
ISIS Kills Christian in North Sinai, Dashes Migrants’ Hope in Imminent Return
GCC: Ongoing Cooperation with Washington ahead of Trump’s Visit
Kuwait Emir, Egypt President Discuss Arab Cooperation
Russia Tables Draft U.N. Resolution on Syria Safe Zones
U.S. Studying Moscow's Syria Deal, Says Mattis
Syrian ISIS Militant Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Plotting Suicide Attack
in Hajj Season
Putin Urges Macron to Shed Mutual Distrust and 'Join Forces'
Jordan: Eight Officers Arrested after Death of Detained Man During Investigation
Netanyahu’s Government Revives Bill on ‘Jewish State’ Status
US Embassy in Saudi Arabia removes Israel from Trump itinerary
Israel Slams 'Rights Violator' Erdogan over Jerusalem Remarks
US-Jordanian Military Exercise with Arab, Foreign Participation
Bahrain Judiciary Postpones Isa Qassim’s Trial to May 21
U.N. Forum in Saudi 'Slap in the Face', Says HRW
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on May 08-09/17
The Miseries of the Lebanese
Rotten Rulers and Officials
Elias Bejjani/ May 08/17
The rulers of Iranian occupied Lebanon are mere puppets- mercenaries and are
completely detached from all that is law and constitution.
Dr. Walid Phares: Interview in al Nahar on "Syrian refugees
return back home"
May 08/17/"As of yet, we haven't seen a clear and precise plan coming from
Lebanon, asking for practical steps as to how to organize the repatriation of
Syrian refugees from Lebanon back home. Such platform should be sent by the
Lebanese Government or civil society to the international community, including
the US and other actors. Many questions are still unanswered: Where should the
refugees be located to be assisted. Who will manage their return to Syria, and
to what part of Syria will they return and under what conditions, who will find?
Let the discussion start so that the US and Lebanon's friends know exactly where
to start and what to support. Here are some modest ideas for a road map for a
solution."
Aoun promises nationwide helipads to assist Red Cross
The Daily Star/May 08/17BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun Monday praised the
Lebanese Red Cross at their yearly fundraising event, promising new helipads
across the country.“By coordinating with the army, you will specify where you want the helipads,
and we will execute your demands”, Aoun promised during a ceremony at the Baabda
Palace.
He said that speed would allow the medics to "save more lives."“Available where
there is pain, that is the basis of your humanitarian work,” the president said,
addressing the Red Cross’ commitment to the Lebanese people. Aoun took the time
to thank and praise the Red Cross for their memorable work, which has been going
on ever since the end of World War II, saying “after the election of the
Parliament, we will work on considering Red Cross [medics who were killed] as
martyrs as we consider the Lebanese Army martyrs.”
Abi Khalil after Power
Tender Opening: Power-Vessel Bids are 'Legal'
Naharnet/May 08/17/Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil stressed on Monday the
“legality” of the power-generating vessel competitive tenders, in light of
accusations voiced by some political parties alleging otherwise. Abi Khalil who
spoke at the beginning of the tender opening said: “The tender is perfectly
legal and is carried out in accordance with a book of conditions prepared by the
government of (former) PM Najib Miqati.”A total of eight interested companies
have participated in the bidding process, in addition to the committee that
opened the tenders and was composed of the Ministry of Energy, Electricity of
Lebanon (EDL), representatives of the Prime Minister, Minister of Justice,
Environment and Finance. Opening of the competitive bids for leasing
power-generating vessels to improve Lebanon's power supply was limited to
"technical tenders," media reports said. A report will be prepared and submitted
to the Energy Minister who will in turn present it to the cabinet, they added.
“Financial bids" will be opened in the next few days, they added. In March the
government approved Abi Khalil's power plan which was based on a previous idea
presented by his predecessor Minister Jebran Bassil in 2010 when he was energy
minister. His new project plans to lease three power generating Turkish vessels,
instead of two already present in Lebanon, to supply the country with needed
power before the summer season begins. When Minister Jebran Bassil was energy
minister, Lebanon leased two Turkish power generating vessels to make up for the
the Electricite du Liban's deficit. Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel submitted
an official request over the weekend to form a parliamentary panel of inquiry to
probe suspected violations in the file of power generation ships. In the
request, Gemayel says the proposed panel should “probe suspicions and violations
against the applicable Lebanese laws and public funds that have marred the
awarding of contracts and the work of the power ships since 2013 as well as
suspicions and violations related to the ships that will be rented for 2017.”A
statement issued by Gemayel's press office noted that the MP “had promised in an
April 11 press conference to submit a request to form a parliamentary panel of
inquiry and to follow up on the file of electricity until the end.”
Report: Incessant Efforts to Unravel Electoral Law
Difficulties
Naharnet/May 08/17/Ceaseless coordination between the Center House and Ain el-Tineh
are ongoing in order to find a new electoral law to rule Lebanon's parliamentary
polls scheduled in May, in light of looming deadlines mainly the end of the
parliament's term in June, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday. Prime
Minister Saad Hariri has intensified deliberations with various political
parties in that regard, said the daily. “PM Saad Hariri stepped up his
discussions in several directions in a bid to find a way out for an agreement on
an electoral file,” well-informed sources told al-Joumhouria daily. The sources
pointed out that incessant coordination between the Center House and Ain el-Tineh
(Speaker Nabih Berri) are ongoing. Meanwhile, the AMAL and Hizbullah parties
have also coordinated consultations in different directions, taking into
consideration all possibilities that will emerge after June 20, when the term of
the Parliament ends, added the sources. The country will have an electoral law
based on “full proportional representation” before June 20, head of Hizbullah's
Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad, assured on Sunday. Center House
sources said contacts have picked-up momentum on more than one level in the past
days, but were not announced to the media. The same circles confirmed that the
daily communications recorded "progress", and have narrowed the differences and
options between the various parties working on the line of the new law. On
Sunday media reports said that Hariri will convene the ministerial panel tasked
with devising a new electoral law this week with the aim of “brainstorming
consensual ideas.” A decision to reactivate the panel had been taken during
Thursday's cabinet session.President Michel Aoun said he would dissolve
parliament and force elections under the 1960 electoral law should the parties
fail to agree on a new law before June 20.
MP. Sami Gemayel: The Electricity File is Not for Political
Gains and the Suspicious Deal Shall Not Pass
Naharnet/May 08/17/Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel on Monday lashed out anew
at the proposed electricity plan, stressing that what he described as a
“suspicious deal” shall not pass. “We will not accept that the electricity file
be exploited for partisan calculations, and this issue is not for political
gains and overbidding,” Gemayel said at a press conference, urging a solution to
the power generation crisis. He reminded that Kataeb had “exposed this file and
its suspicious deals during the parliament's debriefing of the government.”“We
have a problem with the principle of renting ships,” Gemayel said, noting that
“the government wants to rent ships for three years for a cost of $1.8 billion
while they can be purchased for a cheaper price.”“In the public tender that was
held today, it turned out that the firm which I had mentioned in the past is the
firm that won on the basis that it conforms to the specifications,” Gemayel
added.
“You brought two ships in 2010 and today we are in 2017 and you want to bring
new ships after having promised us 24/24 power supply,” he went on to say.
Turning to the issue of the stalled electoral law, Gemayel emphasized that “the
people have the right to decide their future through a fair electoral law and
transparent elections.”“Elections under the 1960 law are equivalent to a
four-year extension of parliament's term,” he noted. Gemayel also held the
ruling class responsible for possible parliamentary “vacuum” because “it has not
managed throughout six months to pass a new electoral law.”
Berri Says Parties Wasting Law Agreement Chance Will be
Sorry Later
Naharnet/May 08/17/Speaker Nabih Berri said political parties who adhered to
“obstinate” positions as for an agreement on an electoral law, will be
“regretful” later, media reports said on Monday. “There are only ten days
separating us from the parliament meeting, but after May 15, those who raised
the roof of their demands will repent each moment wasted” instead of finding on
agreement on a new voting system, Berri was quoted as telling his visitors.
Lebanon's political parties are bickering over amending the current 1960
majoritarian election law which divides seats among the different religious
sects. The parliament is set to meet mid May with the aim of extending its own
mandate if consensus is not reached on a new voting system for the country's
parliamentary elections. Early in April, Aoun invoked his constitutional powers
and adjourned the parliament for one month paving way for deliberations between
political parties for an agreement on a new voting system. Lebanon's deputies
were set to vote in Parliament to postpone national elections and extend their
term for a third time since 2013. Lebanon's political parties say it is time to
scrap the country's 1960 voting law that allocates seats by religious sect, but
disagree over what system should replace it.
Hariri, National Council
for Lebanese Economists tackle economic affairs
Mon 08 May 2017/NNA - Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday met at the Grand
Serail with a delegation of the National Council for Lebanese Economists. led by
Council head Salah Osseiran. On emerging, Osseiran described the climate of the
delegation's meeting with Hariri as excellent, where they listened to his views
on the adopted economic and social principles in the country and their impact on
economic growth. The Premier also briefed the delegation on his future plans
aimed at encouraging exports, enhancing economic development and upgrading
infrastructure.Talks also touched on an array of concerns regarding the work of
young people and the mounting immigration issue.
Caccia meets with Gloria Abu Zeid
Mon 08 May 2017/NNA - Papal Ambassador to Lebanon Gabriel Caccia on Monday
received at the Embassy's headquarters in Harissa the Director General of Public
Cooperatives, Gloria Abu Zeid. Talks reportedly touched on the recent
fabrication campaign leveled against the Director General in terms of "Our Lady
of Deliverance Housing Cooperatives" file and her commitment to the
implementation of the law.
Mashnouq: Fighting
terrorism should be common goal among Arabs
Mon 08 May 2017/NNA - Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Nohad Mashnouq,
on Monday highlighted the necessity to fight terrorism and extremism with the
joint efforts of the Arab countries. "Security is no more confined to a given
country; yet it has become intertwined among all states, just like social media.
Security has become a common [concern]," Mashnouq said at the inauguration of
the Arab Police Tactical Shooting Championship, at Wissam Hassan casern. The
Minister also maintained that facing "the foreign regional schemes" should not
be done "randomly," but "through a permanent policy.""Internal Security Forces
in Lebanon managed to achieve what prestigious security agencies failed to," he
said. "This made the West, Arabs, and the Interpol, acknowledge that Lebanon has
become one of the safest countries in the region," he concluded.
Riachy at Halim Roumi Studio launch: Nothing shall hinder
Radio Liban progress
Mon 08 May 2017/NNA - Minister of Information Melhem Riachy on Monday named
Radio Lebanon's Studio 5 after the late musician Halim Roumy, in recognition of
his great contributions to the Arabic music world, at a special ceremony held at
Radio Liban in Sanayeh. The ceremony took place in the presence of Information
Ministry Director General Dr Hassan Falha, Lebanese Diva Majida Roumy, National
News Agency Director Laure Sleiman Saab, and scores of Radio officials and
concerned musical dignitaries. In his delivered word, Minister Riachy lauded the
authentic golden pioneers of Lebanon, citing the examples of Halim Roumi,
Fairouz, Rahbani Brothers, Said Aql, and other Lebanese idols, saying "We want
these people to stay with us to keep the melody and poetry rolling." Riachy
underlined that the state-run Radio Liban's progress shall continue, pledging
that no one shall stand in the face of its development.
Hariri congratulates Macron: You will find in me a partner
keen to echo our common values
Mon 08 May 2017 /NNA - Prime Minister Saad Hariri sent on Monday a letter of
congratulations to the French President elect Emanuel Macron. The letter reads
as follows: "Mr. President, Allow me to extend to you my warm congratulations
for your election as President of the French Republic. I would like to hail this
great victory of democracy which honors France and the French people, and which
is part of this 'great humanist message addressed to the world', a message of
'fraternity, peace and tolerance.' Relations between Lebanon and France are
exceptional. It is a story of friendship and shared fraternity between our two
peoples for several centuries, and it is up to us to maintain it and enrich it.
I am convinced that we will be able to preserve this precious heritage to which
I am deeply attached. France's constant support to the Lebanese institutions,
its unwavering support to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and its active
participation in the UNIFIL and the Syrian displaced file, are very valuable to
us and have always contributed to stability of Lebanon. Rest assured that you
would find in me and in my government, a partner determined to work for peace,
democracy, moderation, and for the sovereignty of the Lebanese state and its
territorial integrity, and keen to echo our common values and principles. While
expressing my sincerest wishes for the success of your mission at the service of
France and the French people, please accept, Mr. President, the renewed
assurances of my highest appreciation".
Berri congratulates Macron
Mon 08 May 2017/NNA - Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, on Monday sent a cable
to newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron, hereby congratulating him on
his victory.
In the cable, Berri also underlined the necessity to bolster the bilateral
relations and cooperation. Separately, Berri welcomed at Ain-el-Tineh Head of
National Dialogue Party, Fouad Makhzoumi, with whom he discussed the current
situation and latest developments.
He also met with the new Board of Directors of Casino du Liban, headed by Roland
Khoury.
The Speaker later received Asharq al-Awast newspaper's chief editor, Ghassan
Charbel.
On a different note, Berri cabled Ismail Haniyeh, whom he congratulated upon his
election on top of Hamas Movement's politburo.
Landmine Maims Syrian Boy in Southern Border Town
Naharnet/May 08/17/A Syrian boy lost his legs and one of his hands in a landmine
explosion Monday in the southern border town of Yaroun, Lebanon's National News
Agency reported. The boy was working with his parents in a tobacco field, NNA
said. He was taken to the Bint Jbeil state-run hospital where he underwent
several surgeries.
One Wounded as Bourj al-Barajneh Dispute Escalates into Gunfire
Naharnet/May 08/17/One person was wounded on Monday when a personal dispute in
the southern Beirut suburb of Bourj al-Barajneh escalated into gunfire, the
National News Agency said. “A man identified as A. Sh. opened fire at another
person during a personal dispute between them, wounding him seriously in the
leg,” NNA said. “Some young men then interfered and fired a volley of gunshots
at a coffee vending booth owned by A. Sh.,” the agency added.
Policeman Assaulted in Tripoli for Trying to Seize
Violating Motorbike
Naharnet/May 08/17/A member of the Internal Security Forces was wounded Monday
in the northern city of Tripoli as he was trying to seize a violating
motorcycle. The owner of the motorcycle assaulted the policeman and opened fire
in his direction at Tripoli's al-Nejmeh Square before fleeing the area, the
National News Agency said. The ISM member was wounded in the head from the
beating while the assailant is being pursued by the ISF, the agency added.
Tensions Return to Ain el-Hilweh as Grenade Hurled near
Army Troops
Naharnet/May 08/17/A man hurled a hand grenade that failed to explode during a
personal dispute Monday at a Lebanese army checkpoint at the entrance of the Ain
el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, the National News Agency said. The man,
identified as Saleh Abu Arisha, was immediately arrested by army troops as a
bomb technician defused the grenade, NNA added.Separately, the agency said the
camp was witnessing tensions sparked by the deployment of the Joint Palestinian
Security Force in the al-Youssef Hall on the camp's al-Fawqani street. “Islamist
militants refused this deployment, asking the security force to withdraw from
the hall,” NNA said. Inter-Palestinian contacts later led to the withdrawal of
the joint force from the hall “to prevent any security tensions,” the agency
added.
A message From Yair Ravid
Face Book/May 08/17
Dear friends.
Yesterday was held the cornerstone laying ceremony of the monument,
commemorating SLA casualties.
The event took place in Metula, in a spot overlooking Lebanon.
The ceremony was attended by the Director General of the Ministry of Defense,
Deputy Chief of Staff, General Golan, the families of the fallen, and residents
of Metula.
The ceremony was solemn and dignified.
The monument will be built on state-owned land, and will be financed by the
Ministry of Defense.
In addition to being a memorial site, the site will also include a cultural
center for the preservation of the legacy of SLA.
Attached are photographs taken at the ceremony.
Below see explain of some of the photos
Photo No. 3 – Myself with the Deputy Chief of Staff of the IDF.
Photo No.6 – Myself with Abu Samir and his son Samir.{ Abu Samir was one of the
first founders of the connection with Israel, and the first commander of the
militia of the villge of Kleyah.}
Photo No. 9 – A chorus of mourning .
Photo No.10 and No. 11– General photography of the participants.
Photo o. 15 – Speech by the Director General of the Ministry of Defense.
Photo No.17 – A female soldier singer, accompanied by two musicians soldiers.
Photo No. 18 – Speech by Helen Naser Asaad { The sister of Nabil, Marun and Asad
Naser from the village of Al- Aeychiya, Who were killed during their service as
battalion commander in the SLA }
Photo No. 19 – Speech by Nicolas Hadad, Head of the SLA Soldiers Association.
Photo No. 26 – Speech by Deputy Chief of Staff. {General Yair Golan.
Photo No.28 – The village of Kleyah {In the background are Israeli flags.
Photo No. 31 – A picture of a Lebanese priest who took part in the ceremony.
Special request – please Do not give publicity to photographs in which Lebanese
people appear, for fear of harming their family members living in Lebanon
Regards
Yair Ravid
Baalbek’s Cry
Ahmad El-Assaad May 08, 2017
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=55076
The people of Baalbek and the vicinity can no longer bear the security chaos in
their region, where the law of the jungle prevails, making it a refuge for all
the gangs, the wanted and the outlaws.
Yesterday, those people organized protests, and in a sit-in in front of the
police department there, demanded the relevant authorities to out an end to the
violations, murders, robberies, mugging, kidnapping and drug trafficking. The
city and the nearby towns observed a general strike, imploring the government to
take control of the security situation and assume this exclusive responsibility.
Baalbek’s cry for help mustn’t go to deaf ears, it should take the importance it
deserves, and be the catalyst for immediate action aiming to strengthen the
government’s authority in this region. The people need a government that’s a
source of comfort, protection and law enforcement. They realize that the lack
thereof made their region a lair for crime of all sorts.
What is more, Hezbollah – which has the last word in that region, as well as
control of the status quo, weapons, and military and security decisions – went
on to blame the government for its shortcomings. It even went as far as accusing
it of letting some gangs and criminals roam freely, and dared say that the
responsibility of maintaining security falls on the law enforcement agencies and
the government alone!
We are not here to defend the government, but truth of the matter is that
Hezbollah acts as though the government didn’t exist, only to go on and urge it
to do its job!
The government is unable to fulfill its role as long as some other authority is
also carrying weapons.
The government is unable to fulfill its role as long as Hezbollah, in that
region or anywhere else, has a military and security presence in parallel.
In such an environment, where weapons are circulating and criminals are finding
refuge with the Forces of the Status Quo, the government cannot be blamed nor
accused of failure.
It is simply illogical to ask the government to catch a car thief, while those
who robbed it from its authority and sovereignty are running free in the region.
The government cannot catch the wanted individuals, while fighters are coming
and going to Syria right under its nose.
The people’s cry is just, but it should be addressed to those keeping the
government from doing its job. The people’s anger is righteous, but it should be
aimed at those building parallel statelets, and provided an incubator for the
criminals, before deciding to disavow them.
The government’s return to Baalbek and the region needs to put an end to the
Statelet first; that’s when most criminals will dwindle on their own, having
lost their protective cover.
24 Year Old Sara Sleiman Was Killed In Zahle By Kassem Al
Masri, And Her Wish To Donate Her Organs To Save Others Will Be Fulfilled
A Separate State Of Mind/May 08/17
https://stateofmind13.com/2017/05/08/24-year-old-sara-sleiman-was-killed-in-zahle-by-kassem-al-masri-and-her-wish-to-donate-her-organs-to-save-others-will-be-fulfilled/
Over the weekend, a tragedy took place in Zahle that took the life of 24 year
old Sara Sleiman whose only fault, like many before her, was being at the wrong
place at the wrong time in a country that allows pests and disgusting
abominations like her killer prosper unchecked.
Outside the local pub “Blue Bar,” a car accident took place that prompted Kassem
El Masri to deal with the situation the only way his primordial brain knew how:
fire a few rounds from his gun, one of which hit Sara and took her life soon
after. This is Sara’s killer. He’s the kind of brainless Lebanese men whose
entire existence can be summarized with how they can express their manliness
better, which is why you see him pose with guns and bazookas, because he can.
Kassem El Masri is also known as Tah El Masri (in Arabic: طه المصري). He’s a
known drug dealer and criminal in the area. Despite his infamous status,
authorities never bothered to apprehend him before, even though the
aforementioned pictures were entities during which he boasted of the kind of
arsenal he possessed.
Authorities have issued arrest warrants for the Kassem El Masri, but haven’t
apprehended him yet. It’s not far-fetched to presume that such a man, who has
been a criminal for such a long time without repercussions, to be protected by
one of the many politicians that make sure our country remains a lawless land. I
hope that whoever is protecting Kassem El Masri today gives him up so he’d get
what he truly deserves: justice for all his previous crimes and for what he did
to Sara Sleiman, whose life was brought to a premature halt on what should have
been a fun evening out for her and her friends. Today, though, one of Sara
Sleiman’s wishes is coming true. A few years back, in a Facebook message to one
of her friends, Sara expressed how, through the words of another, when she would
pass away, she wanted to be as helpful as possible to those who were still alive
by donating her organs:
The message translates to:
“There will come a day when my body is laying on a carefully made bed in a
hospital whose smell is that of life and death. At some moment, the doctor will
announce I’m brain dead and that my life has ended. When that happens, don’t try
to pump artificial life into my veins and use machines on me. Let my death bed
be one of life so that others may have it better.
Give my eyes to who’s never seen a sunrise or the face of a child or the love in
a woman’s eyes.
Give my heart to those whose hearts have only received pain.
Give my blood to a teenager who was pulled out of his car wreck, so he’d see his
grandchildren grow up one day.
Give my kidney to that who needs a machine to keep him going from one day to the
next.
Take my bones and every muscle and tissue and find a way to help a paralyzed
child walk.
Take every cell of my brain and let them help a mute boy to shout, a deaf girl
to hear the sound of the rain against her windowsill.
Burn what’s left of me, and if there’s anything you need to bury, bury away my
sins and weaknesses. Bury my hate and give my soul to God.
And if you ever needed to remember me, do so with kindness onto others.
If you do all of this, I live on forever.”
Sara’s family will be doing just that, so she can live in others for years to
come. Her family will be donating her corneas, kidneys, liver and heart to help
the people that Sara wanted to help.
In death, Sara Sleiman therefore becomes a source of life for others who
wouldn’t have had this chance if it weren’t for the person that she is, and the
generosity of her family and the will for life that she has, even in death.
Organ donation in Lebanon is still a topic that many would rather brush aside
and not talk about. Our laws are very restrictive in this regard and religion
plays a detrimental role in trying to propagate the practice further. Sara
Sleiman, therefore, becomes a rebel – in death – in a country that saw her die
before her time, as she gives life to others after her.
Sara Sleiman, may you rest in peace as your heart beats in the body of another
forevermore.
You too can sign up to become an organ donor. Click on this link.
Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 08-09/17
Tehran Warns Saudi Prince for Bringing
'Battle' to Iran Remark
Associated Press/Naharnet/May 08/17/Iran's defense minister on Monday lashed
back at Saudi Arabia, slamming the kingdom's deputy crown prince over
belligerent comments last week that underscored the deep rivalries between the
Sunni and Shiite powers. In a wide-ranging interview, Saudi Prince Mohammed bin
Salman said there was no space for dialogue with rival Iran due to its Shiite
ambitions "to control the Islamic world." Framing the tensions with Iran in
sectarian terms, the prince said the Saudis would not sit and wait for war but
would "work so that it becomes a battle for them in Iran and not in Saudi
Arabia." On Monday, Iran's defense minister Gen. Hossein Dehghan was quoted as
saying that Iran would advise against "such a stupidity" because in that case,
nothing would be "left in Saudi Arabia except Mecca and Medina," the two holy
cities.Dehghan spoke to Al-Manar TV, owned by Lebanon's Hizbullah. The remarks
were published on Iranian state television's website. Referring to a possible
Saudi attack or invasion of Iran, he said he doesn't "understand how they would
attempt to do something like that ... they must imagine they have a powerful air
force to do so."Ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran have been strained since
Iran's 1979 revolution, and significantly escalated last year after Riyadh
executed a leading Shiite cleric in the kingdom. This sparked the ransacking of
the Saudi Embassy in Iran by protesters, after which the two countries severed
diplomatic and trade ties. The two nations' rivalry has played out in proxy wars
across the region. They back opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen and
they support political rivals in Lebanon, Bahrain and Iraq. The conflicts have
deepened Sunni-Shiite enmity between hard-liners on both sides. Dehghan
expressed suspicions over what he described as Riyadh's close ties with the
United States and also Israel, suggesting such ties go against "interests of
Muslim nations." The Saudis seek to "please" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu for the "purpose of provoking Netanyahu's action against us."Dehghan
also urged Saudi Arabia to withdraw from Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition of
mostly Arab states has been fighting Iran-backed Shiite rebels known as Houthis.
The conflict has worsened an already dramatic humanitarian crisis in Yemen and
killed thousands of civilians, mostly by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes.
ISIS Kills Christian in North Sinai, Dashes Migrants’ Hope
in Imminent Return
Mohamed Abdu Hassanein/REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/ASharq Al Awsat/May
08/17/Cairo- ISIS militants shot dead an Egyptian Christian in North Sinai,
local sources and parliamentary deputies said on Sunday – the first attack of
its kind after a collective migration of the city’s Christians two months ago.
The incident killed hopes of dozens of Christian households to soon return to
their homes, especially after ISIS threatened to target them. However, sources
told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the scene in Sinai should not be restricted to
violence against Christians,” revealing that there are 30,000 citizens who were
displaced from Sinai due to worsening security conditions. The Egyptian army –
in cooperation with the police – has been involved in a fierce war against ISIS
and pro-groups in North Sinai since years. The incident took place on Saturday
in the city of El-Arish, one day after ISIS warned to escalate its attacks
against Christians. Security sources reported that armed individuals shot dead a
Christian citizen called Nabil Saber, who departed from El-Arish in February and
settled with his family in Port Said but then decided to return to the city to
check on his house and store. Nabil, 40, returned to El-Arish one week ago to
check if he can reopen his store and return to work. Yet, he was surprised by
militants attacking his store and shooting him dead. Hussam Rifai, a parliament
member representing El-Arish, said that the security condition in the majority
of North Sinai is unstable and unsafe for the return of migrants in the current
time. He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “The state is working hard to impose its
control over the region. The confrontations are causing huge losses among the
group members who then resort to ignoble operations such as intimidating
citizens.” Egypt has recently witnessed a number of terrorist operations against
Christians – the last one was the bursts in two churches that killed around 50
in April and pushed the Egyptian authorities to declare the emergency state for
three months.
GCC: Ongoing Cooperation with Washington ahead of Trump’s
Visit
ASharq Al Awsat/May 08/17/Riyadh – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary
General Abdullatif Al-Zayani said that cooperation and collaboration was
maintained with the US administration within the framework of strategic
partnership forged between Gulf leaders and former US President Barack Obama. In
comments to reporters, Al-Zayani said the two sides were actively working to
promote cooperation and consolidate bilateral ties. US President Donald Trump
announced last week that he would head to Saudi Arabia on May 23, on his first
foreign official visit, to hold a Saudi-US summit and another meeting with GCC
leaders. He will also meet with a number of Muslim and Arab leaders. Following a
Saudi-US summit last year, Al-Zayani said that American and GCC leaders have
agreed to promote military cooperation. He noted in this regard that Riyadh and
Washington were still implementing decisions taken during two previous summits,
which have focused on military cooperation among other fields. During last
year’s summit, which was held in April upon the invitation of Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, leaders reaffirmed the need to
remain vigilant about addressing Iran’s destabilizing actions in the region,
including its ballistic missile program and support for terrorist groups in
Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and other countries. According to the GCC secretary
general, the summit saw an agreement on the implementation of an initiative to
train specially-designated Special Operations Forces (SOF) units from each GCC
country in order to strengthen counterterrorism capabilities. GCC countries also
supported expanded cooperation on cyber security, endorsing cyber norms codified
by Saudi Arabia, the United States and other G20 countries. Al-Zayani noted that
military cooperation would also include training military medical personnel and
countering, through joint military operations, illegal Iranian naval activities
and arms smuggling into Yemen. Last March, Kuwait hosted the Eagle Resolve 2017
military exercises with the participation of Saudi armed forces, as well as
those of other GCC countries and US military personnel, within the GCC-US
strategic partnership.
Kuwait Emir, Egypt President Discuss Arab Cooperation
ASharq Al Awsat/May 08/17/Kuwait- Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber
Al-Sabah received Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at Bayan Palace on
Sunday. The two sides discussed boosting bilateral ties and cooperation on all
levels as well as developing joint-Arab work, said Deputy Minister of Amiri
Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah al-Sabah in a statement. Sheikh Sabah also held
a luncheon in honor of the Egyptian President. Egyptian presidency spokesman
Alaa Youssef said that the emir of Kuwait underlined the uniqueness of
Egyptian-Kuwaiti ties, their mutual history and unified destiny. Youssef said
Sisi stressed that Egypt would not allow shaking the stability of the Gulf,
emphasizing that Cairo stands beside Kuwait and the Gulf in confronting any
regional or foreign threats. Sisi and Sabah agreed the two countries should join
efforts to encounter terrorism, and that the international community should work
harder to reach political settlements to the region’s crises in a way that
preserves the institutions of these countries, Youssef added. The Egyptian
president and his accompanying delegation arrived on Sunday to Kuwait on a
two-day visit. Sisi’s visit to Kuwait comes days after his return from UAE, and
from Saudi Arabia last month where he showcased some of the crises taking place
in Syria, Yemen and Libya in addition to the terrorism threat.
Russia Tables Draft U.N. Resolution on Syria Safe Zones
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/17/Russia said Monday it had tabled a draft
resolution at the United Nations Security Council to back up a deal on
establishing safe zones in Syria. "We confirm that a draft resolution has been
introduced," Russian news agencies cited the country's U.N. mission spokesman
Fyodor Strzhizhovsky as saying in New York, without giving details. A source at
the U.N. told Russia's Interfax news agency that "a vote on the draft will take
place possibly this week."Syrian regime backers Russia and Iran and rebel
supporter Turkey last week inked a deal to set up four "de-escalation zones" in
the war-torn country. The agreement, which came into force from Saturday, is
aimed at shoring up a fragile ceasefire seen as a key step to unwinding over six
years of violence that has cost some 320,000 lives. Moscow said Monday that the
situation inside the safe zones was "stable". Under the deal, Russia, Iran and
Turkey have until June 4 to agree on the exact boundaries of the four zones,
where fighting between rebels and government forces is meant to stop. Syrian
Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Monday his country would reject any U.N.
role in monitoring the implementation of four "de-escalation" zones.
U.S. Studying Moscow's Syria Deal, Says Mattis
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/17/The United States is
closely examining whether a Russia-brokered deal to establish safe zones in
Syria can work in the long term, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said. "All wars
eventually come to an end and we have been looking for a long time how to bring
this one to an end," Mattis told reporters ahead of his arrival in Denmark on
Monday. "So we will look at the proposal, see if it can work," Mattis added.
Experts are skeptical about Thursday's deal because neither the Syrian
government nor the rebels were direct signatories and the opposition offered
only a lukewarm reaction.
Washington has given the deal an extremely cautious welcome, citing concerns
about Iran's role as a guarantor even as it expressed hope the agreement could
set the stage for a later settlement. "Does this proposal have a hope for ending
this war? We'll have to look at it. The devil is always in the details, so we
are going to have to look at the details, see if we can work them out, see if we
think they are going to be effective," Mattis said. Mattis is in Copenhagen for
a meeting of the main members of the coalition fighting the Islamic State group
in Iraq and Syria. He added that "we owe it" to the people of Syria to carefully
study the proposals. The United States was not part of the deal by government
backers Russia and Iran, and rebel supporter Turkey. However, a U.S. assistant
secretary of state monitored the talks in the Kazakh capital Astana, Mattis
said. The United States takes part in separate peace talks under a U.N. mandate
in Geneva, where the rivals have been deadlocked on key issues. Several
ceasefires have been agreed since Syria's conflict broke out in 2011, but they
have failed to permanently stem the fighting. The new deal would initially last
six months but could be extended by the guarantors. It does not specify that the
safe zones take effect immediately, but gives the three guarantor states two
weeks to form working groups to delineate them and then until June 4 to come up
with definitive boundaries. The deal also calls for a continued fight against IS
and former al-Qaida affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, which could pose
challenges.In Idlib province in particular, Fateh al-Sham is a major component
of the rebel forces that control the area.
Syrian ISIS Militant Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Plotting Suicide Attack
in Hajj Season
ASharq Al Awsat/May 08/17/Riyadh- The Special Criminal Court in Riyadh issued on
Sunday a preliminary sentence of 12 years in prison for a Syrian resident on
charges of planning a suicide attack targeting the Saudi security forces
participating in the Hajj season. The convict admitted his support for the
terrorist organization and for his adoption of the Takfiri approach, which is
contrary to the Qur’an and the Sunnis. The court found him guilty of posting
several tweets asking his social media followers to pray for him to carry out
the suicide attack successfully. He was also convicted of several other charges,
including pledging allegiance to ISIS’ leadership, embracing deviant ideology,
disobeying rulers, spreading deviant ideologies through social media and posting
tweets offensive to rulers and the security personnel. The court ruled to seize
his flash drive memories containing ISIS logos and other offensive materials,
and banned him from using Twitter and other social networking sites. The Syrian
man will be deported after serving his jail term. In last year’s Hajj season,
security forces were equipped with the most developed weapons for quick
response. They carried out intensive training under different climatic
conditions.This year, security agencies are working to serve the pilgrims – from
the first day of their arrival to Saudi Arabia right until they perform the Hajj
and return to their countries safely – through a unified work plan aimed at
achieving the desired objectives in serving the pilgrims.
First Evacuations Begin from Damascus Rebel District
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/17/Syrian rebels and their families begin
evacuating from a district of the capital Damascus for the first time on Monday,
bringing the government closer to recapturing all of the city. The deal to
evacuate Barzeh district mirrors similar agreements for opposition-held
territory elsewhere in the country, allowing fighters safe passage in exchange
for surrender. It comes days after the start of a deal brokered by regime
backers Russia and Iran and rebel supporter Turkey to put in place
"de-escalation zones" where the government and opposition will halt hostilities.
"Armed men and some of their families have begun leaving Barzeh on 40 buses
heading towards northern Syria," state television said. It added that the
evacuation would continue for five days, but that rebel fighters who chose to
stay could do so if they register with the government. The channel did not
specify how many people were expected to leave, but the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights monitor said up to 1,500 people -- mostly rebels -- would leave
Barzeh today and head to the northwest province of Idlib. The evacuation deal
was struck late Sunday night, and dozens of people had gathered in Barzeh from
the morning. An AFP photographer saw rebel fighters carrying light weapons
looking on as children and women in brightly-coloured headscarves pulled shabby
suitcases and duffel bags. A source from the pro-government National Defence
Forces said rebel fighters would be allowed to take their "personal weapons"
with them. Negotiations were ongoing for a similar deal in the district of Qabun,
in Damascus's northeast, which forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have
been shelling heavily for weeks. Speaking at a press conference in the capital,
Foreign Minister Walid Muallem confirmed that the "reconciliation in Barzeh has
begun.""We are working on Qabun and there is the Yarmuk camp, where talks are
underway for the evacuation of armed groups," he added.
- 'De-escalation' zones -Assad's government controls all but six districts of
Damascus: Barzeh, Qabun, Jobar, Tishrin, Tadamun, and Yarmuk camp. The
evacuation is the first time that rebels and their families have left a district
of the capital. But the Barzeh deal follows a model of "reconciliation deals"
that have been implemented across the country. The government touts such deals
as the best way to end the six-year conflict, which erupted in March 2011 with
anti-regime protests and has killed over 320,000 people. But the opposition says
it is forced into them by heavy government bombardment and siege tactics.
Monday's evacuation began as fighting subsided across the country after a deal
signed by Russia, Iran and Turkey to implement four "de-escalation zones". The
agreement, inked in the Kazakh capital Astana, does not include Damascus city,
and also excludes Sweida and Tartus, two provinces fully under government
control. It mandates an end to hostilities, including air strikes, in specified
zones for six months. The deal came into effect on midnight Friday, with
fighting subsiding, but the co-sponsors have until June 4 to submit maps
finalising the borders of the zones. It calls for continued fighting against the
Islamic State group, which is largely absent from the areas where the zones will
be implemented, as well as former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.
Fateh al-Sham has a powerful presence particularly in Idlib province, which is
included in the zones, where it is allied with other opposition groups.
Putin Urges Macron to Shed Mutual Distrust and 'Join
Forces'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/17/Russian President Vladimir Putin on
Monday urged French election winner Emmanuel Macron to bridge deep rifts and
work together in the face of the "growing threat of terrorism and violent
extremism". "The citizens of France entrusted you to lead the country in a
difficult period for Europe and for the entire world community. The growing
threat of terrorism and violent extremism is accompanied by an escalation of
local conflicts and the destabilisation of entire regions," Putin said in a
congratulatory telegram released by the Kremlin. "In these conditions it is
especially important to overcome mutual distrust and join forces to ensure
international stability and security," it said. The Kremlin statement said Putin
"confirmed his readiness for constructive joint work on current bilateral,
regional and global issues, expressing certainty that this would be in the
fundamental interests of the Russian and French people.""Putin also wished
Macron strong health, prosperity and success in such a responsible position at
the head of state," it said. The Kremlin was widely seen as backing Macron's
far-right opponent Marine Le Pen, with Putin hosting her during a surprise visit
to Moscow in the run-up to the vote. Adding to the tensions, alleged
cyberattacks on Macron's campaign were linked to Moscow and his supporters
accused Russian state media of trying to smear the candidate. Ties between
Russia and France are currently strained as Paris has helped spearhead the
West's punitive response to Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine. The EU has
imposed tough economic sanctions on Russia over its 2014 seizure of the Crimea
peninsula from Ukraine and backing for eastern insurgents in a three-year
conflict that has killed some 10,000 people. France and Germany have led
mediation efforts to end the conflict but a 2015 peace plan they brokered has
hit a brick wall. Russia and France are also at odds over the war in Syria where
Moscow is flying a bombing campaign in support of leader Bashar al-Assad, who
Paris insists must leave power.
Jordan: Eight Officers Arrested after Death of Detained Man
During Investigation
Mohamed Al-Daameh/ASharq Al Awsat/May 08/17/Amman- Eight police officers were
charged on Sunday with beating to death a young man in custody on Tuesday in
Jiza, south of Amman, official sources said. Raed Amar, 18, was being held at
Jiza police station for an alleged theft last week when he died in Badia police
custody, allegedly as a result of torture and abuse. Various charges have
reportedly been brought against the eight officers, in addition to the main one,
including extracting confessions under pressure, abuse of power and causing
intentional harm, said Government’s Human Rights Coordinator Basil Tarawneh. “We
are very content with the outcome of the probe and the charges leveled against
the suspects. This is clear proof that no one is above the law and that the
state will not tolerate any incidents that involve torture or abuse of
detainees,” Tarawneh said in a press statement.
“It also indicates that Jordan is a country which respects the rule of law and
protects the dignity and safety of its citizens,” Tarawneh told the press.
Following the teenager’s death, Public Security Department (PSD) Director Maj.
Gen. Ahmad Sarhan Faqih ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the
incident and identify the officers involved in the questioning and alleged
abuse. “A team of government pathologists had indicated that the victim suffered
from several bruises on different parts of his body.”“We are following up
closely on this case and will inform the public about its outcome once we
receive the results from the committee that was formed,” Tarawneh stressed.
Netanyahu’s Government Revives Bill on ‘Jewish State’ Status
ASharq Al Awsat/May 08/17/Tel Aviv- The government of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu revived on Sunday hopes on declaring Israel a Jewish State after a
ministerial committee approved the revised version of a bill pushed by
right-wingers. The draft law still has to be presented to the Knesset for a vote
in a preliminary reading then sent again to the ministerial committee for
discussion. The new version of the bill stipulates the “State of Israel is the
national home of the Jewish people,” and that the “right to self-determination
in Israel is unique to the Jewish people.”The text, written by Avi Dichter of
Netanyahu’s Likud party, also declares Hebrew as the country’s only official
language. Therefore, it downgrades the status of the Arabic language from an
official second language to “a special status in the state, allowing its
speakers the right to language-accessible state services.” The bill created a
wide opposition within the ranks of the democratic forces in Israel, as well as
the ranks of the Palestinian people of 1948. The Israel Democracy Institute
described the new bill as “violating the sensitive balance between the Jewish
and democratic liners.”The Joint List parliamentary faction also rejected it.
Jamal Zahalka, an Israeli Arab member of the Knesset representing the Balad
party, said on Sunday the bill was a copy of previous sectarian laws placed in
South Africa, and is therefore an “apartheid law.” Zahalka added that the bill
proves the nature of the Israeli regime, which certainly belongs to the family
of the apartheid regimes. The Israeli government coalition had tried in the
previous parliament to push for two proposals of the “nation-state bill.” The
first was proposed by the Jewish House and the Hawks branch of the Likud party,
while the second proposal was made by Netanyahu.
US Embassy in Saudi Arabia removes Israel from Trump
itinerary
Michael Wilner/Jerusalem Post/May 08/17/WASHINGTON -- A prominent congressman
accused the US State Department on Monday of conforming to Saudi Arabia's
"rejectionist" public approach to Israel, after the US embassy in Riyadh
appeared to edit out of a promotional video mention of US President Donald
Trump's visit to both nations this month. Trump announced last week that Riyadh,
Jerusalem and Rome would be his first stops abroad as president— an homage to
the world's three major monotheistic religions. The State Department produced a
video promoting the trip, but the embassy in Riyadh released a version that
makes no mention of his stop in Israel. "This video plays into a rejectionist
narrative and thus has no place in any social media— or any other form of
communication— associated with the United States government," Rep. Eliot Engel,
a Democrat from New York, wrote US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The shorter
video has since been removed from the embassy website. The full version remains
available online.
Israel Slams 'Rights Violator' Erdogan over Jerusalem
Remarks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/17/Israel lashed out at "serial human
rights violator" Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the Turkish president on Monday
accused it of apartheid practices in seeking to infringe Muslim practices.
"Whoever systematically violates human rights in their own country should not
preach morality to the only true democracy in the region," said Israeli foreign
ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon. "Israel consistently protects total freedom
of worship for Jews, Muslims and Christians -- and will continue to do so
despite the baseless smears launched against it," he said in a statement.
Earlier on Monday, Erdogan had vowed to prevent a draft bill being advanced in
Israel that would prevent the use of speakers mounted on minarets to summon
Muslims for prayer overnight. The bill, which was approved by ministers in
February but has yet to be adopted by parliament, would apply to mosques in
Israel as well as annexed Arab east Jerusalem, but not to the highly sensitive
Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site. "God willing, we will never
allow the silencing of azan (call to prayers) in the skies of Jerusalem,"
Erdogan said at the International Jerusalem Foundations Forum in Istanbul.
Erdogan accused Israel of keeping Jerusalem "without the Muslims.""What's the
difference of Israel's current practices from the racist and discriminatory
policies implemented towards the blacks in America in the past, and in South
Africa more recently?" he asked. The Turkish president also spoke out against
the possibility of moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,
warning that even "relocating a stone" in the Holy City could have serious
implications. "The debates over the possibility of U.S. moving its Israel
embassy to Jerusalem are extremely wrong and should certainly drop from the
agenda," he said. U.S. President Donald Trump had promised during his campaign
to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, whose status is one of the thorniest
issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel occupied the West Bank and
east Jerusalem in 1967. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never
recognized by the international community. Israel supports the U.S. moving its
embassy. Erdogan, a fervent supporter of Palestinians, normalized relations with
Israel in June last year after bilateral ties deteriorated over the 2010 Israeli
raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship that killed 10 Turkish activists.
US-Jordanian Military Exercise with Arab, Foreign
Participation
Mohamed Al-Daameh/ASharq Al Awsat/May 08/17/Amman – The Jordanian Armed Forces
announced on Sunday the launching of the 7th Eager Lion military drill, which is
being held with the participation of the United States and more than 20 other
Arab and foreign countries.
In a news conference on Sunday, Director of joint training in the Jordanian
Army, Maj. Gen. Khaled Sharaa said Eager Lion, which first began in 2011, would
be held in its seventh edition at the Jordan Armed Forces- Arab Army’s training
fields, with the participation of around 7,200 land, air and naval troops,
representing the Jordan Armed Forces and NATO. He noted that security agencies,
ministries, governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as the
National Centere for Security and Crisis Management would also take part in the
drills. Countries participating in the annual exercise would include, in
addition to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq,
Lebanon, as well as the US, Japan, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland,
Greece, Poland, Pakistan, Australia and Kenya.
Sharaa told reporters that the 11-day exercise was aimed at “boosting the
capacity for planning and implementing international joint operations, setting
the relationship between military forces and agencies, organizations and
ministries in a non-conventional environment, exchanging military expertise and
enhancing operational harmony among participating nations.” He also said that
the exercises seek to raise capabilities in combatting terrorism, border
security, evacuations and humanitarian operations, crisis management, strategic
communications, search and rescue operations, protection of vital installations
and combatting cyber terrorism and logistical support among other objectives.
Deputy Commanding General of the US Army, Maj. Gen. William Hickman, described
the Eager Lion exercise as “an excellent event that allows us to continue
working with Jordanian and international forces to better confront common
threats to regional security at the operational level”.
Bahrain Judiciary Postpones Isa Qassim’s Trial to May 21
Obaid Al-Suhaymi/ASharq Al Awsat/May 08/17/Manama – A high criminal court in
Bahrain decided on Sunday to postpone the verdict issuance in the case of Isa
Qassim and two of his assistants until May 21. This is the second time the court
postpones issuing the verdict, as on March 14 the court had postponed its
issuance date until May 7, 2017. Qassim and members of his office, Hussein al-Mahrous
and Mirza al-Dirazi, are tried for “illegal fund collections, money laundering
and helping terrorism.” Collecting money in Bahrain requires the issuance of a
permit from authorities. Based on a previous statement, the public persecutor
based his accusations on records that Qassim collected money without a permit
against the laws and traditions, which prompted the money laundry charges.
Bahraini authorities stripped Qassim of his citizenship on June 20, 2016. They
later dissolved the Islamic Enlightenment Institution, founded by him, in
addition to the opposing al-Risala Islamic Association.
U.N. Forum in Saudi 'Slap in the Face', Says HRW
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 08/17/A U.N. forum held in Riyadh last week
amounted to a "slap in the face" for Saudis jailed in a country which does not
allow independent NGOs, a rights group said Monday. Adam Coogle, Middle East
researcher for Human Rights Watch (HRW), was commenting on a two-day UNESCO NGO
Forum staged in the Saudi capital. "To host a prestigious NGO event in Saudi
Arabia is a slap in the face to the more than a dozen Saudis languishing in
prison merely for trying to set up independent organizations, and an unearned
reward to the government officials who put them there," Coogle wrote. He said
Saudi Arabia took an important step in November 2015 when it approved a law
which, for the first time, allows non-governmental organizations engaged in
activities other than charity. That law has "serious flaws", including a bar on
NGOs collaborating with foreign organizations without government approval, said
Coogle of the New York-based watchdog. "And this law appears to provide
protection when the Saudi authorities continue to vigorously prosecute and
imprison independent human rights activists for setting up 'unlicensed
organizations'," he said. The forum was organized with the MiSK Foundation
founded by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is pushing economic and
social change in the kingdom. The Riyadh event marked the first time the forum
had been held in the Arab region, Irina Bokova, director general of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, said in a video
address opening the event. Aiming to empower youth, it featured speakers from
the Arab world and beyond. In January, a Saudi counter-terrorism court upheld an
eight-year prison sentence for Abdulaziz al-Shubaily, a leading member of the
Association for Civil and Political Rights which was dissolved by a Saudi court
in 2013. He was the last of the group's founders to be locked up, London-based
Amnesty International has said. On a visit to Saudi Arabia last Thursday, a
United Nations special rapporteur said the kingdom should urgently review its
definition of terrorism under a law used to prosecute non-violent journalists,
human rights defenders and others. Ben Emmerson said he presented the Saudi
government with a list of nine "priority cases," individuals who a U.N. group in
2015 said had been arbitrarily detained for exercising their rights to free
speech and peaceful association.
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 08-09/17
New ISIS
mobile tactics against US in Syria, Iraq
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis May 8, 2017
It is important to get the spate of reported successes by US-backed forces
fighting the Islamic State in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan in proper proportion -
in particular, the impression that ISIS is falling back from its strongholds in
Mosul and Raqqa and that its certain defeat is just around the corner.
On Monday, May 8, it was disclosed that Sheikh Abdul Hasib, Islamic State
commander in the Afghan province of Khorasan was killed in a raid on April 27 by
US and Afghan special operations forces, in which two US Army Rangers lost their
lives.
All these reports are accurate as far as they go, but they don’t take into
account the upbeat sense prevailing in the ISIS command. The Islamic
organization’s strategists, former officers of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein regime and
Baath party, are confident they have found a convincing tactical answer to the
American push for crushing them in Mosul. They don’t believe they are close to
defeat or that Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi’s caliphate is anywhere near collapse.
debkafile’s intelligence and counterterrorism sources offer six reasons for the
jihadists’ confidence, which the Mosul battle has if anything solidified:
1. The numbers of ISIS fighters still fighting in the Old City of Mosul is
seriously underestimated as 300-400 by American and Iraqi military sources. The
true figure is ten times larger – 3,000-4,000.
2. The American and the Iraqi commands have not worked out how to counter the
ISIS forces’ device of connecting tunnels running under buildings, which are
accessed through holes blown through the walls of attached buildings. The
jihadists can therefore move around between battles unobserved.
3. The only force able to combat ISIS tactics is the Iraqi Gold Division, the
one elite force available to the US-Iraqi command. It is not however large
enough to fight in more than one arena at once and is, moreover, too slow-moving
to overwhelm the swift, invisible ISIS fighters. Most other Iraqi army units
have been withdrawn from the Mosul front after being decimated.
4. ISIS has given up the strategy of defending large urban areas, pursued early
in its campaign of conquest in such places as Ramadi, Tikrit and Fallujah – and
the start of its defense of Mosul. Instead, their commanders have split them up
into small detachments of no more than 10-15 fighters each for commando and
suicide raids against their adversaries. These detachments are supported by a
large group well behind the front lines which is running assembly lines of
booby-trapped cars for delivery to the commando detachments.
Each is provided with more than a dozen explosive cars for release against Iraqi
and US troops for maximum losses, as well plenty of exposive vests for multiple
suicide attacks.
5. The effect of this tactic has been disastrous. Capable of penetrating as far
as 10 km inside Iraqi lines, the deadly vehicles and suiciders have managed to
slow the US-Iraqi advance and, in some places, brought it to a halt. The method
has won the title of “crust mobile defense” from American commanders in Syria
and Iraq
In short, the Mosul offensive, estimated to last a couple of months, is going
into its eighth month with no end in sight.
A live example of this method was seen in Iraq Sunday, May 7, when at least five
ISIS suicide bombers detonated their explosives vests against Kurdish Peshmerga
forces outside the K1 base near the northern oil city of Kirkuk where US
instructors are deployed. At least two Kurdish servicemen were killed.
6. High on the success of their tactics in Iraq, ISIS chiefs are duplicating it
at the Raqqa battlefield in Syria. They have begun relocating their northern
Syrian command centers to the eastern Deir ez-Zor region and Euphrates Valley,
which straddles the Syrian-Iraqi border. The terrorist organization has selected
the small desert town of Al-Mayadin east of Deir ez-Zor as the next seat for its
central command, mainly because of its isolation. Only five roads access the
town, most of them not fit for vehicular traffic and so any approaching enemy is
quickly exposed.
ISIS is now planning to post its “crust mobile defense system” squads along the
170km of road linking Al Mayadin to Raqqa.
قاضي أميركي يحكم بأن الأسد عاون القاعدة على قتل أميركيين
US Judge Rules Assad Helped Al-Qaeda Kill Americans
Ryan Mauro/Clarion Project/May 08/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=55083'
https://clarionproject.org/us-judge-rules-assad-helped-al-qaeda-kill-americans/
A district court judge ruled the Syrian regime — and specifically its ruler,
President Bashar al-Assad — are liable for the murders of three Americans by
al-Qaeda because of the regime’s massive support for the terrorist group’s
branch in Iraq.
In addition to those three Americans, tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers, Iraqis
and others have been killed or injured due to Assad’s sponsorship of al-Qaeda
and other jihadists.
The lawsuit was filed by the families of Laurence Michael Foley, a U.S. diplomat
in Jordan assassinated by al-Qaeda in 2002; Staff Sgt. Keith Matthew Maupin,
killed in Iraq in 2004 and Pvt. Kristian Menchacha, who was killed in Iraq in
2006.
The evidence blaming Assad for the death of Foley is particularly strong. Foley
was assassinated by al-Qaeda terrorists operating under the leadership of Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi, then-leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq. While in his safe haven in
Syria, Zarqawi met with the perpetrators to plan the attack and equip them with
weaponry and money.
After killing Foley in Jordan, one of the perpetrators escaped back into Syria.
Jordan demanded his extradition. Assad refused to comply and told the world that
the terrorist was imprisoned. Then, an Arab newspaper discovered that he wasn’t
in jail at all. He was running an al-Qaeda training camp in Syria.
As explained in the ruling, the Assad regime’s support was critical to the
development of al-Qaeda in Iraq under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. It
states, “individuals associated with the Syrian regime played more direct roles
in providing resources to, and even helping to create, the Zarqawi Terrorist
Organization” (my emphasis).
The assistance was authorized by the highest levels of the regime, including
Assad. Zarqawi’s al-Qaeda established an “operational and logistical supply
network” in Syria, where the Assad regime actively helped finance, protect and
transport Al-Qaeda’s jihadist recruits. Training camps were even permitted to
open on Syrian soil.
Zarqawi and his top officials operated inside Syria with “apparent impunity.”
The regime’s senior officials had “direct ties” to al-Qaeda. For example, the
person who Assad appointed as the leader of the Syrian wing of the Baath Party
immediately began sending money and suicide bombers to Zarqawi. When he died,
his successor did the same.
Assad didn’t even feel the need to do much to hide his regime’s support of
al-Qaeda and killing Americans. An office opened up right across from the U.S.
embassy in Damascus to register terrorists and book them a seat on a bus to
Baghdad to “wage the jihad against Americans.” When they came to Syrian border
guards, they were let through and their passports were stamped with phrases like
“volunteer for jihad” or “join the Arab volunteers.”
“Without Syria, there would not have been a developed foreign fighter transit
pipeline and an advanced funding network underwriting terrorist operations in
Iraq and Jordan,” the ruling states, quoting expert testimony.
Syria has been designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the State
Department since 1979. In its latest report on state sponsors published in 2015,
the State Department confirms:
“Over the past decade, the Syrian government has played an important role in the
growth of terrorist networks in Syria through the Assad regime’s permissive
attitude towards al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups’ foreign fighter
facilitation efforts during the Iraq conflict. Syria has served for years as a
hub for foreign terrorist fighters; the Syrian government’s awareness and
encouragement for many years of violent extremists’ transit through Syria to
enter Iraq, for the purpose of fighting Coalition troops, is well-documented.”
One indicator of how much responsibility rested with Assad comes in the form of
the “Sinjar records;” a stockpile of terrorist documents captured by U.S. forces
in October 2007. The U.S. discovered that the Islamist terrorists in Iraq were
much more dependent upon Assad than previously understood.
Approximately 90 percent of the foreign jihadists who arrived in Iraq between
2006 and 2007 crossed over from the Syrian border. And these jihadists were
responsible for 90 percent of the suicide bombings.
The case only reviewed the relationship between the Assad regime and al-Qaeda in
Iraq from 2002 to 2006 because that’s when the three Americans were killed. It
undoubtedly continued after that. The ideological differences, back-and-forth
condemnations and even clashes did not sever the relationship.
For example, in 2008, the Treasury Department sanctioned an anti-American TV
station based in Syria. The Treasury Department pointed out that the station was
“publicly critical” of al-Qaeda in Iraq, even as it was secretly working with
the group. Assad also used al-Qaeda affiliates to terrorize Lebanon.
In 2009, the Iraqi government confronted Assad over his support of al-Qaeda and
other terrorists wreaking havoc in Iraq. The interference was of such a
magnitude that the Iraqi government began publicly releasing evidence, including
confessions of terrorists, to show how deeply involved Assad was. The Iraqis
called out Assad for harboring Iraqi Baathists who then joined al-Qaeda’s
network.
The Iraqis even tried to have a U.N. tribunal established to indict Syrian
officials. When the Iraqis began trying to rally U.S. support for a tribunal,
terrorism in Iraq fell by three-fourths, showing just how instrumental the Assad
regime was in sustaining the violence.
The Obama Administration took a neutral stance, and the effort failed as
President Obama was insistent on reaching out to Iran and Syria. In fact, the
Iraqis withdrew their ambassador to Syria as the U.S. was sending one over.
While Assad and Iran were playing an instrumental role in creating the mayhem in
Iraq that killed about 4,500 U.S. troops and wounded about 32,000, they used
that very same mayhem to argue that the U.S. needed its cooperation for the sake
of stability.
In 2009, a political adviser to the Syrian ambassador essentially admitted that
Assad saw the killing and wounding of U.S. troops as a means of making America
kiss his feet.
“A previous administration did not want to cooperate, even if it cost American
lives. This administration is realizing you have to cooperate in order to save
lives, in order to advance U.S. interests, and that’s what we’re looking forward
into the future,” said an aide to the Syrian ambassador.
Assad and his Iranian puppeteers continued to use al-Qaeda and other Sunni
jihadists, even in recent years. The clearest proof that Iran views al-Qaeda’s
presence in Syria as beneficial to Assad is the fact that Iran still supports
al-Qaeda’s operations, specifically including the group’s activities in Syria.
There are few people on earth who have done more to kill and maim American
soldiers than Assad and his regime. Don’t let his regime sanitize its image by
pointing to the jihadists he previously strengthened and used to shed limitless
blood and tears of American military and diplomatic personnel and their
families.
*Ryan Mauro is ClarionProject.org’s Shillman Fellow and national security
analyst and an adjunct professor of counter-terrorism. He is frequently
interviewed on top-tier television and radio. To invite Ryan to speak, please
contact us.
Safe Zones and the Russian Hunter
Ghassan Charbel/ASharq Al Awsat/May 08/17
Vladimir Putin was outstandingly smart when he managed to turn the Syrian crisis
into a Russian opportunity by acting like a skilled hunter. You might miss if
you try to aim too soon or too late. One must aim at the right moment.
We can also say that FM Sergei Lavrov cleverly interpreted the options of
Kremlin’s master. Let’s not discuss the hundreds of thousands of dead civilians
and millions of refugees and displaced. Policymakers do not shed tears and are
not armed with napkins.
Using the Syrian fire, Putin prepped his battle of regaining dignity. He used
all weapons without exceptions. He stated, suggested and hinted. He even used
the strategy of advancing and retreating, which is not strange given that
delusion is part of such complicated confrontations.
Using the Syrian battleground, Putin stated his objection to the superpowers. He
then tried to convert his protest to a coup. He fully invested the presence of a
US president who would retreat under the pressure of “Iraq’s complex.” He waited
until the regime was close on falling to save it through direct military
intervention, and since then, no solution can be achieved without having Putin’s
fingerprints on it.
What was possible during Barack Obama’s presidency is no longer applicable under
Donald Trump, or at least for now.
So, Putin seized the opportunity and searched for an issue that would attract
the administration of Trump, neighboring states, regional players, and the
international community. His choice landed on the “safe zones” or de-escalation
zones, as the name suggested during the Astana talks.
The establishment of safe zones is requested by most concerned parties, even if
they differ on their borders, their nature, and what should come after such a
process.
Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon will benefit from the establishment of such zones,
which would pave way for the return of Syrian refugees to their homes, or what
was left of them. These countries will feel that Syrian refugees are not a
permanent burden.
The Trump Administration has also discussed the importance of having such safe
zones to alleviate people’s suffering and enable the international coalition to
escalate its war on terrorism. In addition, the administration hinted to its
willingness to accept the Russian vision on Syria if it would gradually come at
the expense of Iran’s plan in the war-torn country.
The UN also welcomed the establishment of these areas to reduce the refugee
crisis and enable humanitarian relief, especially in besieged areas.
The opposition too wants safe zones, seen as an opportunity to catch its breath
following the series of tough strikes it received from the regime and its
allies. It is natural for the opposition to raise the issue of Iran’s ability on
being simultaneously the guarantor and the fighter, and the link between safe
zones and a political solution based on UN resolutions.
It is worth mentioning that the general acceptance of safe zones does not
resolve differences on how their borders will be set and what role observers
will play, in addition to the comprehensive solution.
Turkey, for instance, wants safe zones without armed Kurds and the Kurds want
these areas to be free of Turkish bombardment.
Most likely Iran would rather plan more arrangements around Damascus and al-Ghouta
prior to the establishment of the areas in question. But, being the guarantor
probably compelled Tehran to accept the plan.
As for the regime, it preferred to achieve a comprehensive victory because it is
aware that an incomplete triumph would have repercussions on the Geneva talks.
The idea of safe zones can be interpreted differently and it reflects Lavrov’s
wittiness. The organization for the establishment of such areas will put the
issue of Bashar al-Assad’s fate on the back burner after it had been upfront for
weeks.
The truth is Russia hasn’t changed its position on the issue. Moscow had always
said that those who want to combat terrorism, allow Iranian militias to retreat
from Syria, and request a secure Golan Heights should request so from the party
capable of doing that, which in this case is the Syrian Army given that it is
granted the needed support.
The Syrian Army referred to by Russia is the army with Assad in the picture whom
the Trump Administration conditions his presence for a transitional phase.
A new reality prevails which is that the Trump administration hinted during its
first 100 days in office on reestablishing old alliances in the region following
a shaky situation caused by Barack Obama’s “academic policies.”
We are faced with a new US reading of the importance of the alliance with
Riyadh. This was confirmed with a decision by Trump to begin his first foreign
tour from Saudi Arabia.
There is also the US reading of the role of Egypt in the region, in addition to
the alliance with Israel.
Putin had to anticipate this whole scenario by presenting himself as the person
capable of establishing a temporary solution in Syria by setting the safe zones
and deciding on their guarantors.
Putin’s success in making the safe zones the center of attention of all
concerned parties and fortifying them by relaunching the Geneva initiative means
that the Russian hunter is still capable of shooting the target at the right
moment.
Of course, we must keep in mind that rules of dealing with Trump are different
than that of his predecessor, which makes excessive cleverness as dangerous as
lack of it.
**Ghassan Charbel is the editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
Palestinians: Abbas's "Culture of Peace"
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/May 08/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10311/palestinians-abbas-peace
Thanks to Abbas's falsehoods, his media continues to this day dishonestly to
talk about "Jewish invaders and settlers storming" Islamic and Christian holy
sites in Jerusalem. This and this alone is the source of the knife and
car-ramming attacks against Israelis.
Perhaps by a "culture of peace" Abbas means calling -- as he and his top
officials regularly do -- Israel an apartheid and racist state. Or maybe
"culture of peace" means calling all Jews "occupiers" and "colonists" -- or
denouncing and threatening Palestinian children who play soccer with Israeli
kids. Or naming schools and electoral lists after convicted murderers?
Under Abbas, anti-Israel incitement and indoctrination is a business that has
expanded exponentially. It has, in fact, grown to the point that a new
generation has been raised on the glorification of jihadists -- a generation
impatient to draw yet more Jewish blood. If this is Abbas's "culture of peace,"
one has to wonder what he would consider a culture of war?
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas may soon be known for his
sense of humor. Like many Palestinians, Abbas believes that Westerners will
swallow his lies wholesale. Abbas, for instance, ended his May 3 meeting with US
President Donald Trump with the following whopper: "We are raising our youth,
our children, our grandchildren on a culture of peace."
Abbas did not provide further details about the "culture of peace" upon which
Palestinian children are being raised. Nor did anyone bother to ask Abbas or any
member of his entourage to provide examples of the "culture of peace" in
Palestinian society. Yet major Western media outlets were quick to publish
Abbas's unmistakable lie.
US President Donald Trump meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud
Abbas in the White House, on May 3, 2016. (Image source: White House video
screenshot)
Apparently, like his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, Abbas is convinced that
Palestinians can fool "all of the people, all of the time" about their true
goals and intentions. Arafat lied to Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton
when he told them that he and the Palestinian Authority were promoting peace and
coexistence with Israel. Under Arafat, anti-Israel incitement in the Palestinian
media, schools and mosques intensified until Palestinians waged the Second
Intifada in September 2000. This intifada was the result of seven years of
vicious incitement and indoctrination that came after the inception of the PA.
In a truly ironic turn of events, the Oslo Accords, signed between Israel and
the PLO in 1993, gave the Palestinians media outlets, including television and
radio stations, which were then used to amplify hatred against Israel and Jews
on a daily basis.
Arafat used these media outlets to tell his people -- when then Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount in September 2000 -- that Israel
was planning to destroy the al-Aqsa Mosque. It was precisely this incitement
that triggered the Second Intifada, in which Palestinians wage a massive and
ruthless campaign of suicide bombings and drive-by shootings that caused the
death of hundreds of Israelis.
Under Arafat, it was anything but a "culture of peace." His message to the
Palestinians was: "We will march towards Jerusalem and we will sacrifice
millions of martyrs on the way!"
Unlike many Israelis who were murdered by Palestinians at Arafat's incitement,
Arafat's famous battle cry is still alive and well. Currently, it is being
echoed by many Palestinians, including children, during rallies and
demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This call-to-arms openly
encourages Palestinian youths to "march towards Jerusalem" and become "martyrs."
Only one week before the Abbas's meeting with Trump, the PA president's Fatah
faction called on Palestinians to take to the streets and clash with Israeli
soldiers and Jewish settlers. The call was made in "solidarity" with Palestinian
prisoners who went on a "hunger strike" in Israeli prisons. The hunger strike
was not about Israel's prisons, well-known for being among the most comfortable
in the world; the hunger strike was actually a political move to compete for
which terrorist would be Abbas's successor. The prisoners are terrorists, most
of them with blood on their hands; the more blood, the higher the promotion.
In the fight for Palestinian leadership, being a "graduate" of an Israeli prison
is far more important than being a graduate of the University of Texas at
Austin. The Palestinians' former prime minister, Salam Fayyad. Fayyad, an
economist and reformer adored in the West, received only 2% of the Palestinian
vote.
By calling for clashes with Israelis, Fatah is inciting Palestinian youths to
carry out violent attacks against Israeli soldiers and settlers. This is the
same Fatah led by Abbas -- the same Abbas mouthing lies about a "culture of
peace." By voicing solidarity with convicted murderers and praising them as role
models and heroes of Palestinians, Abbas's Fatah pushes Palestinian youths to
follow in their footsteps and engage in violence.
One day after the Abbas-Trump meeting, the current Palestinian Authority prime
minister, Rami Hamdallah, participated in a rally in Ramallah, in solidarity
with the hunger-striking terrorists. At the rally, Hamdallah affirmed the PA's
full support for the terrorists, by saying he was working to bring their case to
the attention of the international community.
Like Arafat, Abbas continues to use alleged but non-existent threats the al-Aqsa
Mosque to incite Palestinian youths against Israel. For the past 50 years,
non-Muslims, including Jews, have been permitted to visit the Temple Mount as
tourists. The visits were suspended when the Second Intifada began in 2000. But
since the tourist visits resumed a few years ago, the Muslims have been trying
to keep Jews away from the holy site. The Muslims claim that Jews are seeking to
"destroy" and "desecrate" the al-Aqsa Mosque (on the Temple Mount) -- a false
claim that is added to the long list of lies and blood libels spread by Abbas
and many Muslims. Abbas's statement came in response not to any incidents at al-Aqsa
Mosque, as Abbas and other Palestinians claimed: Tours of Jews to the Temple
Mount are routine and peaceful.
In September 2015, Abbas stated that he "welcomed every drop of blood that is
spilled in Jerusalem."
Shortly after this statement, Palestinians began waging a campaign of knife and
car-ramming attacks against Israelis, in a violent insurgency known as the
"Knife Intifada". "We will protect Jerusalem and we will not allow them [Jews]
to defile al-Aqsa (Mosque) and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with their
filthy feet," Abbas deceitfully announced.
It is still unclear why he decided to bring the church into the controversy
surrounding Jewish visits to the Temple Mount. What is clear is that Abbas was
lying: Jews had not entered either the church or al-Aqsa Mosque.
Ever since Abbas's inciting statement, however, dozens of Palestinian youths
have heeded his call by going out to stab or run over the first Jew they see.
Their blood is on Abbas's hands. He is the one who sent out the youths to
"protect" al-Aqsa Mosque against the fictitious Jewish "invaders." He is the one
who continues falsely to talk about "herds of settlers storming al-Aqsa Mosque"
-- in reality, peaceful routine visits by Jews to the Temple Mount. Thanks,
however, to Abbas's falsehoods, his media continues to this day dishonestly to
talk about "Jewish invaders and settlers storming" Islamic and Christian holy
sites in Jerusalem. This and this alone is the source of the knife and
car-ramming attacks against Israelis.
This, evidently, is the "culture of peace" to which Abbas is referring. How can
he utter such a staggering lie when his media and top officials continue to
delegitimize Israel and demonize Jews on a daily basis? How precisely is Abbas
promoting peace when his Palestinian Authority names schools and public squares
after Palestinian terrorists with Jewish blood on their hands? Earlier this
year, for example, Abbas's Fatah named a youth camp in Jericho after Dalal al-Mughrabi,
a female terrorist who killed 38 civilians, 13 of them children, and wounded
more than 70, in 1978.
By honoring the murderers of Jews, Abbas is, instead, solely promoting a culture
of hate and violence. His message to Palestinian youths is, straightforwardly:
the more Jews you kill, the more honor and respect you will receive from your
people.
Abbas talks about a "culture of peace" at a time when he and his Palestinian
Authority are even combating all forms of "normalization" with Israel. The
anti-normalization campaign, in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities, targets
any Palestinian who dares to meet with Jews (even "pro-Palestinian" Jews). It
operates solely under the auspices of the PA government. This campaign also
promotes boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Its goal is to
intimidate Palestinians who work towards peace and coexistence with Israel and
to ban any business with Jews. Can any Palestinian invite Jews to a meeting in
Ramallah without being targeted by the "anti-normalization" thugs, many of whom
are affiliated with Abbas's Fatah?
Perhaps by a "culture of peace," Abbas means calling -- as he and his top
officials regularly do -- Israel an apartheid and racist state. Or maybe
"culture of peace" means calling all Jews "occupiers" and "colonists" -- or
denouncing and threatening Palestinian children who play soccer with Israeli
kids. Or naming schools and electoral lists after convicted murderers? Those
seem like debatable ways to advance his "culture of peace."
Under Abbas, anti-Israel incitement and indoctrination is a business that has
expanded exponentially. It has, in fact, grown to the point that a new
generation has been raised on the glorification of jihadists, a generation
impatient to draw yet more Jewish blood. If this is Abbas's "culture of peace,"
what, one wonders, would he consider a culture of war?
*Bassam Tawil is a scholar based in the Middle East.
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