LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 22/17

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias/english.may22.17.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today
Mary and her sister Martha sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, Lazarus whom you love is ill
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 11/01-16/:"Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’ After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’ Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’"

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead
Letter to the Philippians 03/01-12/:"Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a safeguard. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 21-22/17
Report: Lebanon allegedly detains Iraqi citizen accused of gathering intel for Israel/Joy Bernard/Jerusalem Post/May 21/17
Historic speech by President Trump in Riyad/News Agencies/May 21/17
Riyadh Declaration Cements Arab-Islamic-US Partnership in Facing Terrorism and Iran/Asharq Al-Awsat English/May 21/May/17
Three summits radiate from Riyadh/Abdulrahman Gdaia/Al Sharq Al Awsat/May 21/17
Saudis have a right to be proud/Turki Aldakhil/Al Sharq Al Awsat/May 21/17
Palestinians: Tomorrow's Secret 'Day of Rage'/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/May 21/17
Europe: Muslim Atrocities against Women? So What/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/May 21/17
The U.S., Churchill and the Middle East/Pierre Rehov/Gatestone Institute/May 21/17
The Trump Visit to Saudi Arabia: Time for Course Correction/Dr. Abdulaziz Sager/ASharq Al Awsat/May 21/17
Trump in Riyadh, Game Rules Change/Salman Al-dossary/ASharq Al Awsat/May 21/17
4 Reasons Why Trump’s Saudi Visit Is Different/Meghan O'Sullivan/Bloomberg/May 21/17

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 20-21/17
Report: Lebanon allegedly detains Iraqi citizen accused of gathering intel for Israel
Defiant Safieddine Says 'Mad U.S. Administration' Won't be Able to 'Harm Resistance'
Trump Likens Hizbullah to IS, Qaida, Lauds Lebanon and Lebanese Army
Rahi says Lebanese are discouraged and fear their future
Hariri holds talks with Tillerson, alJubeir on the sidelines of Riyadh Summit
Iran reformists sweep Tehran council elections: agencies
Khalil says "Hand Extended" positively for dialogue with all forces to reach a new electoral law
Fneish: Elections must take place, Extension based on new vote law or to avoid vacuum seems binding at this stage
Two FPM candidates win in Lebanese Order of Physicians elections
Report: Parliamentary Polls to be Likely Held under 1960 Law
General Security Arrests Iraqi Spying for Israel
Fayyad urges adoption of new electoral law
Report: U.S. Not in Favor of Israeli War on Hizbullah
Hasbani during Dead Sea Economic Forum: Most appropriate model is governance based on economic freedom with social responsibility

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 20-21/17
Pope says will create new group of cardinals next month
Trump Urges Muslim Leaders to Confront Extremism, Calls for Isolating Iran
American climber dies on Everest, Indian missing
Trump to discuss fight against ISIS at news conference
Saudi King Slams Iran as 'Spearhead of Global Terrorism'
Trump Scandals No Issue for Saudi, Says Minister
‘Iran at forefront of global terrorism,’ says King Salman
Defeating terror key message of Arab Islamic American Summit
Ankara Police Kill Two Suspected IS Members Planning Attack
What to Expect from Trump's Visit to Israel, Palestinian Territories
Netanyahu Says Will Discuss Peace Efforts with Trump
Sites Trump Will Visit in His Holy Land Trip
Trump Holds Talks with Gulf Leaders
Trump Announces Plans to Soon Visit Egypt
Scandal be Damned, Republican Base Defends Besieged Trump
Negotiators Optimistic on Trump Mideast Bid
Major US Jewish Organization Lauds Trump’s ‘Refreshing, Honest’ Speech in Saudi Arabia
Hardliners in U.S. and Iran Stand in Way of Rouhani Reforms
North Korea Fires 'Medium-Range Ballistic Missile'
Report: China Killed or Jailed Up to 20 U.S. Spies in 2010-12

Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 20-21/17
Report: Lebanon allegedly detains Iraqi citizen accused of gathering intel for Israel
Joy Bernard/Jerusalem Post/May 21/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=55511
An Iraqi citizen was recently arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of spying on the Lebanese military and forming an espionage ring at Israel's behest, Lebanese media reported Saturday.  Lebanese security forces have arrested an Iraqi citizen who allegedly gathered intelligence for Israel on behalf of a body affiliated with Israel's Defense Ministry, Lebanese news website EL Nashara reported on Saturday. Security forces detained the man on suspicion that he contacted Israel and was then asked to provide information regarding the Lebanese military as well as to establish an espionage network from within Lebanon, according to El Nashra. El Nashra further claimed that the alleged spy had confessed in his interrogation to the charges against him and also professed to having been recruited by an officer working on behalf of TASA ELITE, a mechanism affiliated with Israel's Defense Ministry that oversees operations in Arab countries. The Iraqi citizen reportedly told investigators that Israel had tasked him with gathering information about the Lebanese military as well as several individuals in Lebanon. He was also reported to have said that he was asked to help form a spy network inside Lebanon. The man's Israeli contact was then put in touch with the Iraqi citizen's brother in Iraq with the purpose of gathering information about authorities' activities there, El Nashara reported. The report cited Lebanon's General Directorate of Public Security, who released an official statement denouncing the actions of the suspect, who they reportedly accused of carrying out "counter-espionage operations in favor of the Israeli enemy."  The suspect is expected to be tried in the near future, and the report stated that efforts are underway in Lebanon to identify and arrest members of the espionage ring the Iraqi citizen had allegedly formed. This report comes on the heels of a different and highly controversial affair that linked between Israel, the US and espionage activities. Last week the New York Times reported that two US officials, one current and one former, said that Trump shared intelligence supplied by Israel in the fight against Islamic State with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Labrov and Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak during an Oval Office meeting earlier this month. The report sent ripples of shock in Israel, and shortly after it was released an ABC report followed, claiming that US officials have said the Trump's intelligence leak to Russia has endangered the life of a spy who was placed inside ISIS by Israel. The spy was tracking an ISIS plot to bring down a passenger jet on its way to the US with a bomb hidden in a laptop that US officials think could get through airport screening machines unnoticed, according to ABC.

Defiant Safieddine Says 'Mad U.S. Administration' Won't be Able to 'Harm Resistance'
Naharnet/May 21/17/Hizbullah executive council chief Sayyed Hashem Safieddine stressed Sunday that the U.S. administration will not be able to “harm the resistance,” three days after he was blacklisted by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in an unprecedented "joint terrorist designation."“America's malice and siege against our region, countries, homelands and societies prove that it has become a lot weaker than it was in the previous years and decades, and that can be evidenced by the skepticism on (Donald) Trump's continued leadership of the United States of America and the daily attacks on him from most U.S. media outlets and the world's media empires,” a defiant Safieddine said during a Hizbullah ceremony in the South. “When the U.S. administration was in a good situation, it did not manage to harm the resistance, and therefore this handicapped and mad U.S. administration led by Trump will not be able to harm the resistance and they will not get anything,” the Hizbullah official added. “What they will get is further screaming in the media and everything they have done will come to an end,” Safieddine emphasized. He also underscored that “through its culture, the blood of its martyrs and its honorable, sacrificing and cognizant people, the resistance will maintain its firmness and steadfastness and its resolve will be stronger than before.”“The victories in the upcoming months and years will be better than the victories that were achieved in all the previous days,” Safieddine went on to say. Safieddine's blacklisting on Friday by Washington and Riyadh came on the eve of Trump's landmark visit to Saudi Arabia. An Arab Islamic American Summit and an American-Gulf summit in Riyadh also have jihadist terrorism and the influence of Iran – Hizbullah's main regional backer – on the top of their agendas. "The action against Safieddine is the latest example of the strong partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia in combating the financing of terrorism," the U.S. State Department said on Friday. The official Saudi news agency SPA confirmed Safieddine's listing, and alleged he had given his organization advice on carrying out “terrorist acts” and on supplying support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Safieddine is the head of Hizbullah's executive council, which runs the group's political affairs and social and economic programs in Lebanon's Shiite community.
He is a cousin of Hizbullah's overall leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and is spoken of a potential candidate to succeed him.

Trump Likens Hizbullah to IS, Qaida, Lauds Lebanon and Lebanese Army
Naharnet/May 21/17/U.S. President Donald Trump compared Hizbullah in a landmark speech on Sunday to extremist organizations such as Islamic State and al-Qaida, as he lauded the Lebanese army for fighting IS and Lebanon for hosting a huge number of Syrian refugees. “We now face a humanitarian and security disaster in this region that is spreading across the planet. It is a tragedy of epic proportions. No description of the suffering and depravity can begin to capture its full measure,” said Trump in a speech focused on terrorism during the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh. “The true toll of ISIS, al-Qaida, Hizbullah, Hamas, and so many others, must be counted not only in the number of dead. It must also be counted in generations of vanished dreams,” Trump added. Applauding the Gulf Cooperation Council for “blocking funders from using their countries as a financial base for terror, and designating Hizbullah as a terrorist organization last year,” the U.S. leader praised Saudi Arabia for joining Washington this week in “placing sanctions on one of the most senior leaders of Hizbullah,” Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, who is the head of the party's powerful executive council. “Of course, there is still much work to do,” Trump added. He lamented that “from Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds, arms, and trains terrorists, militias, and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region.”“For decades, Iran has fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror,” Trump charged. He also applauded Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey for “their role in hosting refugees.”Trump also acknowledged the Lebanese army's role in fighting IS militants on the eastern border, saying “many are already making significant contributions to regional security” and that “the Lebanese Army is hunting ISIS operatives who try to infiltrate their territory.”A defiant Safieddine had stressed earlier on Sunday that the U.S. administration will not be able to “harm the resistance,” three days after he was blacklisted by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in an unprecedented "joint terrorist designation." “America's malice and siege against our region, countries, homelands and societies prove that it has become a lot weaker than it was in the previous years and decades, and that can be evidenced by the skepticism on Trump's continued leadership of the United States of America and the daily attacks on him from most U.S. media outlets and the world's media empires,” Safieddine said. “When the U.S. administration was in a good situation, it did not manage to harm the resistance, and therefore this mentally impeded and mad U.S. administration led by Trump will not be able to harm the resistance and they will not get anything,” the Hizbullah official added. “What they will get is further screaming in the media and everything they have done will come to an end,” Safieddine emphasized.

Rahi says Lebanese are discouraged and fear their future
Sun 21 May 2017/NNA - Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Boutros Rahi said, on Sunday, that the Lebanese people are anxious and have fears regarding their future in the country, adding that "the Lebanese are in need of a political, economic and security peace."Rahi's words came during Sunday's Mass sermon held in Bkirki. The Patriarch linked the 32% rise in poverty, 25% unemployment rate and the decline in the country's economic growth to the huge number of Syrian and Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon. "How can the political forces limit their interests to coming-up with a new electoral law for the past 12 years, while neglecting the needs and sufferings of the Lebanese people?" Rahi wondered. He noted that current crisis undermined the basis of peace and internal stability in the country, amidst the absence of any calls for ceasing wars in the region.

Hariri holds talks with Tillerson, alJubeir on the sidelines of Riyadh Summit
Sun 21 May 2017/NNA - On the sidelines of his participation in the Arab-Islamic-American Summit in the Saudi Capital, Riyadh, on Sunday, Prime Minister Saad Hariri exchanged views with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair. Hariri later joined the heads of delegations in laying the foundation stone for the "Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology."

Iran reformists sweep Tehran council elections: agencies
Sun 21 May 2017/NNA - Iran's reformists have swept to the power in Tehran's city council, winning all 21 seats and knocking the conservatives from power, local media reported on Sunday. It was another boost to the reformist camp after the resounding re-election of President Hassan Rouhani announced the day before. The results of the council elections, which were held alongside the presidential ballot on Friday, were announced by the governor's office. Voters in Tehran had to choose 21 councillors for the city of nine million, and stuck resolutely to the names put forward by the moderate-reformist camp. At the top of the list was Mohsen Hashemi, son of one of the Islamic revolution's founding fathers, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died in January. Rafsanjani was the key backroom figure behind the recent alliance of moderates and reformists that propelled Rouhani to power in 2013.
The victory in Tehran knocks the conservatives from power in the city for the first time in 14 years. The incumbent mayor, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stood for the presidential election but dropped out just before the vote to back hardliner Ebrahim Raisi. The council will choose a new mayor when it convenes, which it must do within 45 days of the results. ---AFP

Khalil says "Hand Extended" positively for dialogue with all forces to reach a new electoral law
Sun 21 May 2017/NNA - Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil stressed Sunday on "the need to continue dialogue to reach a new vote law for the parliamentary elections," noting that the hand is extended positively to all forces in this respect. "We are witnessing a deep political crisis with regards to the election law, which requires serious and quick follow-up to reach an understanding over a new law," said Khalil during an inauguration ceremony of a public hall in his Southern hometown of Khiyam. "We have always been supportive of a law that reassures all segments of the Lebanese society, one that reflects the will of the people first and the ability to develop and improve our political system," Khalil asserted. "We are confident that the opportunity remains to reach a comprehensive national understanding, which would enable us to embark on serious work to overcome our difficult economic and financial situation, and we are ready to offer everything possible in order to reach an understanding that protects our homeland, Lebanon," Khalil concluded.

Fneish: Elections must take place, Extension based on new vote law or to avoid vacuum seems binding at this stage
Sun 21 May 2017/NNA - Youth and Sports Minister, Mohamad Fneish, stressed Sunday that "parliamentary elections must take place," while noting that "resorting to parliament extension based on a new election law or in a bid to avoid vacuum seems binding at this stage."Speaking at the Hezbollah-organized "Resistance and Liberation Football Competition" in the Southern town of Adloun, Fneish emphasized the dire need to reach an end to the electoral law issue amidst the scarcity of options; otherwise, vacuum would be inevitable. He urged "all forces to resolve their matters to reach a vote law that ensures the holding of parliamentary elections, and building on the existing situation of stability and security enjoyed by the Lebanese today, as a result of eliminating the threat of Takfiri terrorist plots." "We hope to shoulder our responsibilities as political forces to reach this achievement, and to strengthen the Lebanese aspirations for a bright future for this country," Fneish concluded.

Two FPM candidates win in Lebanese Order of Physicians elections
Sun 21 May 2017/NNA - The press office of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) announced that their candidates, Marwan Zoghbi and Ziad Sleiman, won in the elections of the Lebanese Order of Physicians in Beirut on Sunday .

Report: Parliamentary Polls to be Likely Held under 1960 Law
Naharnet/May 21/17/The political and parliamentary blocs have told their members that the upcoming parliamentary elections will likely be held under the controversial 1960 electoral law due to failure to agree on a new law, a media report said. “Failure to reach a new electoral law will allow a return to the 1960 law, which enjoys the support of most political forces, although they are publicly claiming the opposite,” Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah quoted “credible parliamentary sources” as saying in remarks published Sunday. “The disagreements over the new law are still huge and there is no consensus on anything, which will lead to endorsing the 1960 law as an only choice after approving a several-month technical extension of parliament's term in order to avoid vacuum,” the sources said.

General Security Arrests Iraqi Spying for Israel
Naharnet/May 21/17/The General Directorate of General Security arrested an Iraqi national over his involvement in spying operations in favor of the Israeli enemy, the State-run National News Agency reported on Saturday. As part of its efforts to counter espionage and dismantle linked cells inside Lebanon, the General Security arrested Iraqi M.Y. for collecting data in favor of Israel, NNA said. The suspect admitted during interrogations that he was recruited by one of the Israeli officers, active in foreign operations in the Arab countries, executing assassinations and training fighters. He was tasked with collecting security data about the Lebanese army and Lebanese officials. Moreover he was requested to recruit individuals to form a sabotage ring. The man has also linked his Israeli operator to his brother in Iraq in order to gather information about the activities of the Iraqi authorities, it added.
The suspect was referred to related authorities and efforts are ongoing to arrest the rest of network.

Fayyad urges adoption of new electoral law
Sun 21 May 2017 /NNA - "Loyalty to the Resistance" Parliamentary Bloc Member, MP Ali Fayyad, deemed it necessary that political forces adopt a new electoral law, in order to protect the political stability, state institutions and democracy in the country. Speaking during a ceremony in the South on Sunday, Fayyad called on politicians to neutralize Lebanon from regional conflicts. "Through the cooperation and solidarity of the Lebanese, we are able to protect our country against the Israeli enemy and Takfeerists," Fayyad concluded.

Report: U.S. Not in Favor of Israeli War on Hizbullah
Naharnet/May 21/17/As speculation grows about a possible Israeli strike against Hizbullah, analysts and experts believe that the Trump administration is not in favor of an Israeli war on Lebanon aimed at destroying Hizbullah, Kuwaiti daily al-Anbaa reported on Sunday. “What the Trump administration wants is to protect Israel through preventing any presence for Hizbullah or Iran in Syria's Golan, and this is something that Russia agrees to,” the report said. “As for containing the threat of Hizbullah and its missiles, this issue depends on the polarization in the international and regional relations, including with Iran,” the report added. “It seems that the international and regional stance, especially the U.S.-Russian stance, is to prevent Lebanon from turning into an Israeli war battlefield,” the analysts and experts said. They noted that the leading figures of Trump's administration “have clearly announced that they are not preparing plans for war on Iran and are rather saying that Iran is only required to end its expansionist policies.”“The real efforts are currently focused on Iran's far-reaching external arms. This is the new U.S. policy,” the analysts and experts added, noting that Washington is not plotting to “use force against Iran or topple its regime.”

Hasbani during Dead Sea Economic Forum: Most appropriate model is governance based on economic freedom with social responsibility
Sun 21 May 2017/NNA - Deputy Prime Minister, Public Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani, considered Sunday that governance based on economic freedom, associated with social responsibility, is the most suitable model to adopt. He highlighted the importance of "an economic system that serves all sectors of society, and works to rebuild skills and ensure access to health care, education and housing for all."Hasbani's words came during the "World Economic Forum for the Middle East and North Africa" held at King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center in the Dead Sea in Jordan, under the headline: "Empowering the generations towards the future." More than a thousand Arab and international prominent figures from both the private and public sectors attended the forum, including a number of Heads of State and Government. Hasbani, who participated in the forum's open and closed meetings, stressed "the need for synergy between the different sectors of society to achieve comprehensive development that lays the foundation for economic communities capable of supporting pioneering ideas through modern technology, and developing creativity through public-private partnerships to formulate clear-cut legislation that works to nurture innovators.""The world today is transformed into a model based on economic freedom, with the integration of social responsibility," noted Hasbani. "This model is best suited to our community in the region, and to the world, if it is implemented in partnership between the state, the private sector and civil society," he underscored. It is to note that Hasbani also participated in a closed session that included leaders from the United Nations and European Union, during which discussions centered on the future of the Middle East, its current problems and proposed solutions, especially challenges that will face Lebanon in the coming days.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 20-21/17
Pope says will create new group of cardinals next month
Sun 21 May 2017/NNA - Pope Francis said on Sunday he would elevate five Roman Catholic prelates to the rank of cardinal, the elite group of churchmen who are his closest advisors and can enter an eventual conclave to choose his successor. Naming new cardinals is one of the most significant powers of the papacy, allowing a pontiff to put his stamp on the future of the 1.2-billion-member Roman Catholic Church. The pope made the surprise announcement during his weekly Sunday address. He said the men came from Mali, Spain, Sweden, Laos and El Salvador and the ceremony to elevate them, known as a consistory, would take place on June 28. The new cardinals were named as Archbishop Jean Zerbo of Bamako, Mali, Archbishop Juan Jos Omella of Barcelona, Bishop Anders Arborelius of Stockholm, Sweden, Bishop Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun of Pakse, Laos and Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chvez of Mulli, El Salvador. Only cardinals aged under 80 can enter a secret conclave to choose a new pope from their own ranks after Francis dies or resigns. All the new cardinals are currently under that age threshold. It will be Francis's fourth consistory since his election in 2013 as the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years and he has used each occasion to show support for the Church in far flung places or where Catholics are suffering. ---REUTERS

Trump Urges Muslim Leaders to Confront Extremism, Calls for Isolating Iran
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Islamic leaders to take a stand against violence done in the name of religion, describing the struggle against extremism as a "battle between good and evil." In a highly anticipated speech in Saudi Arabia, Trump lashed out at Iran, accusing Tehran of fueling "the fires of sectarian conflict and terror" and calling for its international isolation. Saying he came with "a message of friendship and hope and love," Trump told dozens of Muslim leaders that the time had come for "honestly confronting the crisis of Islamist extremism." "This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life, and decent people of all religions who seek to protect it. This is a battle between good and evil."The speech came on the second day of a visit to Saudi Arabia, part of Trump's first foreign tour that will take him next to Israel and the Palestinian territories and then to Europe. The White House has sought to draw a clear distinction during the visit with Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, who Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab allies saw as lecturing and soft on their Shiite rival Iran. Trump did not hesitate to single out Iran in his speech. "From Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds, arms and trains terrorists, militias and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region," Trump said. "Until the Iranian regime is willing to be a partner for peace, all nations of conscience must work together to isolate it." He appealed to Muslim nations to ensure that "terrorists find no sanctuary on their soil" and announced an agreement with Gulf countries to fight financing for extremists. Introducing Trump, Saudi King Salman called Iran "the spearhead of global terrorism."Unlike the Obama administration which would often raise concerns over civil liberties with longstanding Arab allies, Trump had made no mention of human rights during his visit so far. "We are not here to lecture -- we are not here to tell other people how to live... or how to worship. Instead, we are here to offer partnership -- based on shared interests and values," Trump said. Some 35 heads of state and government from Muslim-majority countries were in Riyadh for the Arab Islamic American Summit, mainly from Sunni states friendly to Saudi Arabia. Much of the focus during the summit was on countering what Gulf states see as the threat from Iran, which opposes Saudi Arabia in a range of regional conflicts from Syria to Yemen.
Tremendous' first day
Trump's speech was touted as a major event -- along the lines of a landmark address to the Islamic world by Obama in Cairo in 2009. It was especially sensitive given tensions sparked by the Trump administration's attempted travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority nations and his previous remarks on Islam. In December 2015, Trump told a campaign rally he was calling for a "total shutdown" of Muslims entering the United States "until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on."His words shocked many Americans, with Trump detractors noting that the U.S. Constitution prohibits religious discrimination. "I think Islam hates us. There is a tremendous hatred there. We have to get to the bottom of it," Trump said in a March 2016 interview with CNN. Still, Trump was welcomed warmly in Saudi Arabia, where he and first lady Melania Trump were given an extravagant reception by King Salman and the rest of the Saudi royal family. The first day saw the announcement of hundreds of billions of dollars in trade deals, welcome news for Trump as he faces mounting troubles at home linked with the probe into alleged Russian meddling during last year's election campaign. Among the agreements was an arms deal worth almost $110 billion with Saudi Arabia, described as the largest in U.S. history. The trade deals announced on Saturday were said to be worth in excess of $380 billion, and Trump proudly declared the first day of his visit "tremendous." On Sunday he held a series of meetings with other Arab leaders, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Bahrain's King Hamad.
Warm talks with 'friend' Sisi
The meeting with Sisi -- an avowed fan of the president -- was especially warm and Trump said he would "absolutely" be putting Egypt on his list of countries to visit "very soon." Trump referred to Sisi as "my friend" and Sisi said the U.S. president was a "unique personality" and "capable of doing the impossible," to which Trump responded: "I agree!" Trump even complimented Sisi on his footwear, saying: "Love your shoes. Boy, those shoes. Man..."Sisi has faced harsh criticism of his human rights record since he led the military overthrow of Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Trump, who travels on Monday to Israel and the Palestinian territories before visiting the Vatican, Brussels and Italy for NATO and G7 meetings, is taking his first steps on the world stage as he faces increasing scandal at home. The last week has seen a string of major developments in Trump's domestic woes, including the announcement that James Comey, the former FBI chief fired by Trump, has agreed to testify publicly about Russian interference in the U.S. elections. Reports have also emerged that Trump called Comey "a nut job" and that the FBI has identified a senior White House official as a "significant person of interest" in its probe of Russian meddling.

American climber dies on Everest, Indian missing
Sun 21 May 2017/NNA - An American climber on Mount Everest died on Sunday, officials said, the third death on the world's highest mountain in the past month and raising safety concerns for climbers. Roland Yearwood, 50, from Alabama, perished at an altitude of about 8,400 metres (27,500 feet) in an area called "death zone" which is known for thin air, Murari Sharma of the Everest Parivas trekking company that sponsored his climb said. "We have confirmation of his death but no other details are known," Sharma told Reuters in Kathmandu. "It is also unclear if he was on his way up or down from the summit," he said. Yearwood was part of a 16-member team led by American climber Dan Mazur that is climbing the normal Southeast Ridge route from the Nepali side of the mountain. Yearwood's death comes a day after 26-year-old Indian climber Ravi Kumar went missing in the same area during his descent from the peak. Kumar got separated from his guide near a place called Balcony on Saturday, Thupden Sherpa of the Arun Treks and Expedition company that sponsored Kumar's team said in Kathmandu on Sunday. "Three sherpa rescuers have been sent to search for Kumar," Thupden said, adding the climber had been out of contact. On April 30, a famed Swiss climber fell to his death near Mount Everest during preparations to climb the world's highest mountain, while an 85-year-old Nepali man died at the base camp earlier this month while trying to set a record for the oldest climber. Nepal has cleared 371 mountaineers to climb Mount Everest during the current season ending this month. ---REUTERS

Trump to discuss fight against ISIS at news conference
Sun 21 May 2017/NNA - U.S. President Donald Trump said in Riyadh on Sunday he intends to discuss the fight against Islamic State at a news conference he intends to hold in about two weeks time. Trump, on a two-day visit to Riyadh, is trying to rally support from Arab and Muslim leaders against the militant group which is still in control of swathes of land in Syria and Iraq despite an offensive by government troops in Iraq and U.S.-allied forces in Syria. ---REUTERS

Saudi King Slams Iran as 'Spearhead of Global Terrorism'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday accused regional rival Shiite Iran of exporting extremist Islamic movements to the world and vowed to eliminate the Islamic State group. "The Iranian regime has been the spearhead of global terrorism since the (Ayatollah Ruhollah) Khomeini revolution" in 1979, King Salman said in a speech to leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump. "We did not know terrorism and extremism until the Khomeini revolution reared its head," he said. Saudi Arabia was also determined to "eliminate the Islamic State group," the king said of the Sunni Muslim jihadist organization. The Saudi leader's speech came minutes before a highly anticipated address by Trump, who arrived in the Sunni kingdom on Saturday on his first foreign tour since taking office. The United States and Saudi Arabia on Saturday announced an arms deal worth almost $110 billion, described as the largest in U.S. history. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the deal was aimed at countering "malign Iranian influence."

Trump Scandals No Issue for Saudi, Says Minister
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/The scandals besetting U.S. President Donald Trump at home have no bearing on an increasingly close relationship with Saudi Arabia, a senior Saudi cabinet minister said on Sunday."Absolutely not. Our relationship is with the United States of America and it has great leadership today," Khaled al-Falih, minister of energy, industry and mineral resources, told AFP on the sidelines of summits between Trump and Muslim leaders from around the world. "We are very encouraged by the position the Trump administration has taken." The past week has seen a string of major developments in Trump's domestic woes, including the announcement that James Comey, the former FBI chief fired by Trump, has agreed to testify publicly about Russian interference in the U.S. elections last year. Some aggressive Democrats have begun to discuss methods for Trump's ouster. Reports also emerged that Trump called Comey "a nut job" and that the FBI has identified a senior White House official as a "significant person of interest" in its probe of Russian meddling. But Saudi Arabia has embraced Trump, after disappointment with his predecessor Barack Obama's perceived distance from the Middle East's problems, and a tilt toward Riyadh's rival Iran. Trump and King Salman on Saturday signed a "strategic vision" agreement to intensify ties in defense, economics and other areas. "Today was a truly historic day in the relationship between the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States," Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Saturday at a press conference with his U.S. counterpart Rex Tillerson. "And we believe it's the beginning of a turning point in the relationship between the United States and the Arab and Islamic world."

‘Iran at forefront of global terrorism,’ says King Salman
Agencies Sunday, 21 May 2017/Iran’s ruling powers represent the “tip of the spear” of global terrorism, Saudi King Salman said in a speech on Sunday during a visit of US President Donald Trump to the kingdom. “Our responsibility before God and our people and the whole world is to stand united to fight the forces of evil and extremism wherever they are ... The Iranian regime represents the tip of the spear of global terrorism.” The king also said in a televised speech that Saudi Arabia would not be lenient in trying anyone who finances terrorism.
“We will never be lenient in trying anyone who finances terrorism, in any way or means, to the full force of the law.”Trump called on all countries to work together to isolate Iran, accusing the Islamic republic of fueling “the fires of sectarian conflict and terror.”“Until the Iranian regime is willing to be a partner for peace, all nations of conscience must work together to isolate it,” he said.“Iran is responsible for so much instability in the region; it funds arms, trains militias that spread destruction and chaos.”

Defeating terror key message of Arab Islamic American Summit
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 21 May 2017/Saudi King Salman and US President Donald Trump spoke of cooperation between the Muslim world and the US in order to halt terrorism and extremism in the world at the Arab-Islamic-American summit in Riyadh on Sunday. “We will cooperate in ending terrorism and extremism in all its shapes and forms,” the king said, “Islam was and will continue to be a religion of tolerance and peace.”Trump said he was “honored to be received by such gracious hosts, King Salman, continuing King Abdulaziz’s legacy.” “I bring the message of love from the US - that is why I chose Saudi Arabia for the first foreign trip. US vision is one of peace, security and prosperity in the Middle East region and throughout the world.”“This special gathering may be the beginning of peace in the Middle East and maybe all over the world. We are not here to lecture. We are here to offer partnership, to pursue a better future for us all.”“Most of the world has suffered from horrific terrorist attacks, but not more than the Arab world. This isn't a battle between different faiths, sects, or civilizations... but with barbaric criminals.”The Saudi king announced a historic agreement with the US to track and target sources of terrorist financing. Trump said that the “Iranian regime is responsible for so much instability in the region,” and that it “funds arms, trains militias that spread destruction and chaos.” King Salman also spoke of how “the Iranian regime has spearheaded terrorism since Khomenei’s revolution.”The Arab-Islamic-American Summit kick started in the Saudi capital Riyadh with more than with 50 leaders from the Muslim world participating.King Salman on Sunday tweeted that the upcoming Arab-Islamic-American Summit hosting Trump would cement a global anti-terror alliance. “I welcome my brethren and friends to the Arab-Islamic-American Summit, which will bring positive horizons for our region and the world, we will cement our alliance against extremism and terrorism,” the king tweeted following a meeting between Trump and Gulf leaders, which aimed at addressing security and defense issues.

Ankara Police Kill Two Suspected IS Members Planning Attack
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/Turkish police on Sunday killed in Ankara two suspected members of the Islamic State jihadist group believed to have been planning an attack in the capital, the regional governor said. The two were killed during a police operation on their residence in the Etimesgut district of Ankara after a gunfight with officers, state-run news agency Anadolu quoted regional governor Ercan Topaca as saying. The raid was launched on the basis of testimony from a suspected Azerbaijani IS member who was detained by Istanbul police after allegedly driving the two men to Ankara.
"This (police) operation was quickly planned after this suspect said they and the two others he left in Ankara were Daesh (IS) members and planning an attack," Topaca said. He said police opened fire after the two suspects themselves fired on the security forces. After "neutralizing" the two men, guns and hand grenades were found, Topaca said. Although the identities and nationalities of the two men have yet to be confirmed, Topaca said they believed they were aged between 25 and 30. "We believe they were planning an attack likely in the next few days. The weapons, explosives were effective and powerful," he said.
During the past 18 months, Turkey has been hit by a wave of attacks blamed on IS and Kurdish militants, killing hundreds in cities like Istanbul, Ankara and the southeastern city of Gaziantep. The raid comes nearly six months after an IS gunman killed 39 people in attack on the elite Reina nightclub during New Year celebrations in Istanbul. The shootout took place as Ankara was hosting a special congress of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that was set to again choose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as its chairman. But there was no indication of any link to the congress.

What to Expect from Trump's Visit to Israel, Palestinian Territories
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Monday and Tuesday will be closely scrutinized as he seeks ways to restart peace efforts. Here are key issues:
- What is the current state of the conflict?
Nearly 70 years after the creation of Israel, peace with the Palestinians remains a long way off. This year marks 50 years since the Six-Day War and the beginning of Israel's occupation. Peace efforts have been at a standstill since a U.S.-led initiative collapsed in 2014. Meanwhile, Israel and Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, have fought three wars since 2008.
- Does Trump have a plan?
Trump has talked up his business experience in saying he wants to reach the "ultimate deal": Israeli-Palestinian peace. However, a detailed plan is not expected only four months after taking office. Trump is instead expected to seek ways to move the two sides closer together and build confidence, though there is widespread skepticism.
"Triggering the start of a process does not mean taking it until the end," said Palestinian political scientist Ali al-Jarbawi.
- Can he bring the two sides together?
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not had substantive direct talks since 2010. Abbas says he is ready to meet Netanyahu under Trump's peace efforts, and there has been speculation the U.S. president could seek to arrange a meeting while in the region. Many analysts see the prospect as unlikely.
- Will he commit to the two-state solution?
Trump sparked concern when he backed away from the long U.S. commitment to a two-state solution to the conflict, saying he could support one state if it meant peace. An independent Palestinian state alongside Israel remains the focus of international peace efforts. National Security Adviser HR McMaster said Trump will "express his desire for dignity and self-determination for the Palestinians."
- What role can Arab states play?
Trump arrives after a visit to Saudi Arabia, seen as essential to any peace efforts. Trump's White House has spoken of reviving the idea of a regional peace process, pulling in other Arab countries.
Analyst Ghaith al-Omari said the idea seemed to involve "key Arab States -- Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other U.S. allies -- into a regional process that would create, as Trump called it, a 'bigger canvas' for reaching peace."
- What position will he take on settlements?
Trump has been receptive to Israel's position that Palestinian leaders must do more to stop incitement to violence, including by stopping payments to the families of those who have carried out attacks and were killed or are currently in jail. But what will his position be on Israeli settlement building?
Trump has called on Israel to hold back on settlement construction, but his ambassador to Israel David Friedman has said "we have no demand for a settlement freeze."
A firm demand would put Netanyahu under pressure from his right-wing base. Israeli right-wingers rejoiced in Trump's election, believing it would allow them to move ahead with unrestrained settlement building and, for some, to move toward their goal of annexing most of the West Bank.
- Will the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem?
Trump vowed during his election campaign to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and to recognize the disputed city as Israel's capital. Such a move would break with decades of precedent. He has since backed away, saying the move was still being looked at, but there has also been speculation over whether he will make an announcement on the subject while visiting.
- Who will visit the Western Wall with Trump?
Trump is expected to become the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray. It is located in east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognized by the international community. Preparations for the visit have led to criticism from Israeli right-wingers after U.S. officials declined to say whether the Western Wall was part of Israel. Trump is currently planning to visit without being accompanied by any Israeli officials, though there has been speculation over whether that could change.

Netanyahu Says Will Discuss Peace Efforts with Trump
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will discuss peace efforts with U.S. President Donald Trump when he visits this week, while the Israeli cabinet considered economic gestures toward the Palestinians. Trump landed in Saudi Arabia on Saturday for his first foreign tour since taking office. He visits Israel and the Palestinian territories on Monday and Tuesday. "I will discuss with President Trump ways to strengthen even further the first and strongest alliance with the U.S.," Netanyahu said at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting. "We will strengthen security ties, which are strengthening daily, and we will also discuss ways to advance peace," he said.  Netanyahu also noted the significance of Trump's first presidential overseas trip including a visit to "Jerusalem, the capital of Israel," after Trump seemed to have backed away from his campaign pledge to relocate the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967 in a move never recognized by the international community. It later annexed east Jerusalem and considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
Members of Netanyahu's government were set to discuss and approve a series of measures related to Palestinians in the West Bank. The new measures were seen as confidence-building steps ahead of Trump's visit. Netanyahu's office would not provide details on the measures, which were reportedly to include more building permits for Palestinians in the West Bank. Most of the West Bank is entirely under Israeli control and Palestinians face extremely long odds in being granted building permits in those areas, while Israeli settlement building has meanwhile continued. Transportation and Intelligence Minister Israel Katz however said that Israel "wanted to improve the lives of Palestinians.""There's an intention to approve measures that would enable (Palestinian) economic development," Katz told army radio, without providing details.

Sites Trump Will Visit in His Holy Land Trip
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/When U.S. President Donald Trump lands in Tel Aviv on Monday for the Israeli-Palestinian leg of his trip, he will hold talks with leaders from both sides, but also visit key sites:
- Church of the Holy Sepulcher -
Located in the Old City of Jerusalem's annexed eastern sector, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher contains a 19th-century shrine built on the site where tradition says Jesus was buried and resurrected. The ornate shrine recently underwent a $3.7-million renovation that restored its stones to their original reddish-yellow and reinforced the heavily visited site. The church draws tens of thousands of Christian pilgrims for the "Holy Fire" ceremony, the highlight of the Eastern Christian calendar, which takes place on the eve of Orthodox Easter. One of Christianity's holiest sites, the church is shared by six denominations: the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Egyptian Copts, Syrian Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox.
The Western Wall
The Western Wall is the last remnant of the supporting wall of the second Jewish temple, built by King Herod and destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The holiest site where Jews can pray, the Western Wall is located in the Old City of east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and later annexed. It is situated below the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site, referred to by Jews as the Temple Mount. The Western Wall's plaza serves as a place of gender-segregated Jewish prayer, administered by the ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitz, who will accompany Trump on his visit there. Trump will be the first sitting U.S. president to visit the site, where it is customary to place notes containing prayers and requests between the stones. The White House reportedly refused to allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to join Trump at the site, known in Hebrew as the Kotel (wall). Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. When Trump's envoy to Israel David Friedman arrived to take up his position this month, his first act was to visit the Western Wall, where he prayed and kissed the ancient stones.
Yad Vashem
Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, perched on a forested hillside in west Jerusalem, is among the world's foremost Holocaust education, documentation and research centers. The vast complex includes a variety of monuments, archives and displays, including the Hall of Names with its cone structure featuring pictures of Holocaust victims, and the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, where thousands of trees are dedicated to non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust. Dignitaries and celebrities visiting Israel nearly always find the time for Yad Vashem, which is the second-most visited site in Israel after the Western Wall. Yad Vashem recently urged White House press secretary Sean Spicer to visit its website after he said that unlike the Syrian regime, Adolf Hitler did not use chemical weapons. Spicer later apologized for his "insensitive" remarks. More than six million predominantly European Jews were killed during the Nazi genocide in World War II, many of them by poisonous gas.
Israel Museum
Not far from Yad Vashem is the Israel Museum, where Trump is set to deliver a speech, after the more exotic location of the desert fortress Masada was ruled out. The museum boasts a collection of nearly 500,000 objects of art and archeology, ancient and modern, including the Dead Sea Scrolls which date back more than two millennia and include some of the earliest texts from the Bible. In 2013, then-president Barack Obama viewed the Dead Sea Scrolls at the museum in a move seen as a nod to the ancient roots of the Jewish state.
Bethlehem
Trump is due to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, located in the West Bank, occupied by Israel for 50 years. It is the "little town" where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born and it attracts thousands of pilgrims at Christmas. Located just 10 kilometers (six miles) from Jerusalem across Israel's separation wall, it is the site of the Church of the Nativity, which contains an underground cave where Christians believe Mary gave birth to Jesus. Israel's separation wall is part of a project begun in 2002 during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, that is to extend around 700 kilometers (450 miles) once completed. It is a stark symbol of the occupation for Palestinians, and in Bethlehem it has been covered by graffiti and street art.

Trump Holds Talks with Gulf Leaders
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/U.S. President Donald Trump held talks on Sunday with leaders of the oil-rich Gulf monarchies, a day after Washington told their arch rival Iran to dismantle its "network of terrorism." The meeting on the second day of Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, part of his first foreign tour since taking office, came hours before the U.S. president is scheduled to address an Arab Islamic American Summit. Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council posed for a photo with Trump before they walked into their meeting. The GCC groups Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, all of which are traditional allies of Washington. Most GCC monarchies accuse Tehran of meddling in their internal affairs and want Washington to be tougher with Iran, which secured a landmark nuclear deal with world powers when Trump's predecessor Barack Obama was in office. They consider Tehran to be a destablizing factor in the region. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Saturday demonstrated a tougher position on Tehran, saying multi-billion-dollar defence deals signed with Riyadh aim to protect Saudi Arabia from a "malign Iranian influence."In a joint press conference with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir, Tillerson urged newly re-elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to dismantle his country's "network of terrorism" and end "ballistic missile testing."Trump, accused of using anti-Muslim rhetoric on the election campaign trail, is later expected to tell Muslim leaders of his "hopes for a peaceful vision of Islam."

Trump Announces Plans to Soon Visit Egypt
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/U.S. President Donald Trump told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday during talks in the Saudi capital that he would soon visit Egypt. "We will absolutely be putting that on the list very soon," Trump said at the beginning of bilateral talks with Sisi, hours before the U.S. president is scheduled to address an Arab Islamic American summit. Trump praised U.S. relations with Egypt, describing the talks with Sisi as "very very important." "We've really been through a lot together positively," he said.
Trump said that "safety seems to be very strong" in Egypt, which has seen deadly bombings and attacks on Christian Copts and security forces in past months. Responding through an interpreter, Sisi said: "Egypt is secure and stable and is going very well with the cooperation of the United States. "You are a unique personality that is capable of doing the impossible," Sisi said, addressing Trump."I agree!," the billionaire president responded as everyone laughed.

Scandal be Damned, Republican Base Defends Besieged Trump
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/While many see Donald Trump's presidency as a slow-motion car crash, the core voters who elected him are standing by their man, shrugging off the scandals and thrilled he is sticking it to Washington's establishment. That was a common view at the auto races at Ace Speedway in rural North Carolina, where America's stock car racing tradition was born. "I think the Democrats are trying to make things hard for him," Robin Hall said as she sat in the grandstands on Friday. The 53-year-old daycare worker dismissed the chaos cascading into the White House in recent weeks as sour grapes from critics still shocked that Trump's populist revolt thrust him into the top job. "They've got their so-called panties in a wad right now," she said. "They're not in control."Exactly four months into his administration, Trump is by most accounts a leader under siege.
Democrats accuse him of obstructing justice by urging FBI director James Comey to halt an investigation into an adviser, then firing Comey -- the very person overseeing an investigation into his team's possible collusion with Russian meddling during last year's election campaign.
Reports have since emerged that the president passed secret intelligence to Russian officials during a recent meeting, and that the FBI has identified a senior White House official as a "significant person of interest" in its probe into Russian interference. All the while, Trump has lobbed political bombshells with his daily tweets, indignant and belligerent comments that have left many on edge. Although the political firestorm has led some Republican lawmakers to back away, Trump's base remains wholly on board.
Impeachment 'not happening'
The grass roots Republicans in conservative regions of the country are collectively swatting away the scandals, proudly defending their hero and insisting they care little or nothing about accusations that have sent reverberations through the White House. Some aggressive Democrats have begun to discuss methods for Trump's ouster, but "impeachment is not happening," asserted Wayne Booker, a black attorney from Cary, North Carolina who backs Trump. As for the Russia probe: "Drop it, move on and let the man try to do his job," he said. Although several Trump supporters said they acknowledge some of Trump's missteps, they expressed confidence he would grow into the job. "I think he'll be alright," said Cassidy Cloer, a 21-year-old university student in Raleigh. "I'm not worried" about the scandals, she added. "They're going to throw things at him."North Carolina voted for Barack Obama in 2008, but flipped Republican in 2012. Trump carried the state last year and, notably, four other states that voted twice for Obama. Core supporters say they love the non-politician's brash and unapologetic style even though it gets him in trouble. "I love to see somebody that's not politically correct," said Brenda Murphy as she scored one of the Friday night races from the tower booth. "I'm personally impressed with many of the things he's done."
'Fair shake?
Ace Speedway is located in Alamance County, one of the more conservative pockets of North Carolina. "This is Trump country," Murphy, 65, said. Auto racing enjoys near-holy status in the state, and one of the sport's pilgrimage sites is the museum dedicated to the stock car legend Richard Petty in the town of Level Cross, another conservative bastion.  Petty shook up the racing establishment as a rebel, much like Trump turned politics on its head last year, said plumbing contractor Randy Kimrey, who was displaying his renovated cherry red 1929 Model A hotrod outside the Petty museum. "Nobody in Washington wanted Trump," he said. Now Democrats and establishment Republicans should give the president "a fair shake" instead of digging up dirt. "I just felt like it's another way they're trying to take another stab at him," Kimrey, 60, said. Trump's approval ratings have slumped since his inauguration, plunging to just 37 percent, according to Gallup's Friday daily poll. Back at the track, John Barilka, 52, was driving an asphalt-modified car in one of Friday's races. He would not disclose his 2016 vote, but admitted he was "embarrassed" by Trump's performance so far. "He's leaning toward chaos and controversy," he said. "I think it's a missed opportunity." But Matt Keye, 39, a warehouse employee attending a state fairgrounds festival Saturday in Raleigh, said the Russia probes are unfairly hamstringing Trump. "I just want to get on with his agenda," he said of Trump's plans to repeal Obamacare and overhaul the tax code. "Just put the Russian collusion behind him. They're just upset that Hillary lost," he added about Trump's Democratic rival. "Suck it up and move on. We've got a new president."

Negotiators Optimistic on Trump Mideast Bid
Associated Press/Naharnet/May 21/17/A pair of veteran Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, who endured repeated failures, expressed rare optimism about President Donald Trump's efforts to strike a Mideast peace deal.Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat and former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni spoke at the World Economic Forum's regional meeting Saturday. Erekat told The Associated Press that he is encouraged by Trump's apparent determination. When asked about Trump's growing domestic difficulties, Erekat said he believes any deal on setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel would win broad bipartisan support in the U.S. the session that Arab support for any deal is a "game changer" because it could sway Israeli public opinion. She says that in this context, Trump's meetings with Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia this weekend are "very important." More than 1,100 politicians and business people have come together to find ways to transform stagnant economies of the troubled Middle East and North Africa. The World Economic Forum's regional gathering is looking at how to encourage entrepreneurship and technological innovation to create private sector jobs in a region with 30 percent youth unemployment.
Central to the theme, organizers have invited the founders of 100 start-ups from the Arab world, including some from conflict-scarred countries such as Syria, Yemen and Libya. Two days of sessions began Saturday. Some will look at the Middle East's civil wars and the fallout from a refugee crisis that has uprooted millions of people in the worst refugee crisis since World War II. Co-chairs include the German defense minister and the Norwegian foreign minister.

Major US Jewish Organization Lauds Trump’s ‘Refreshing, Honest’ Speech in Saudi Arabia
Algemeiner Staff/May 21/17/A leading American Jewish advocacy organization praised Donald Trump’s speech to Muslim leaders in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, saying the president had demonstrated “refreshing honesty…in describing the Islamist extremist threat that developed in the Middle East years ago.”“We agree that the fight against Islamist extremism is a battle between the forces of good and decency, on the one hand, and evil and a death cult, on the other, and that victory depends, above all, on what Arab and Muslim nations do to counter and defeat this violent, deadly scourge,” said David Harris, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), in a statement. Trump issued an urgent plea to the leaders of more than 50 Muslim countries to join a “coalition of nations who share the aim of stamping out extremism and providing our children a hopeful future that does honor to God.”Trump pointed out to his hosts that “in sheer numbers, the deadliest toll has been exacted on the innocent people of Arab, Muslim and Middle Eastern nations. They have borne the brunt of the killings and the worst of the destruction in this wave of fanatical violence.”Trump pointedly included organizations other than ISIS on his list of terrorist organizations.“The true toll of ISIS, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and so many others, must be counted not only in the number of dead. It must also be counted in generations of vanished dreams,” Trump declared.“He could not have been clearer in his description of Hezbollah and Hamas as the terrorist groups they most assuredly are,” the AJC’s Harris added.

Hardliners in U.S. and Iran Stand in Way of Rouhani Reforms
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/After his re-election triumph, President Hassan Rouhani must now grapple with a fiercely hostile United States and hardliners at home as he struggles to build a more moderate and connected Iran. Iran's entrenched conservative establishment -- particularly in the judiciary and elite Revolutionary Guards -- remain deeply suspicious of Rouhani's talk of civil liberties and building ties with the West. "The non-elected institutions will try to prevent Rouhani from applying his reform agenda," said Clement Therme, Iran analyst for the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
"So he will focus on the economic side. If the daily lives of the population improve, he will be in a stronger position to push for structural reforms on civil rights." Fixing the economy will not be easy. Despite a nuclear deal with world powers, Washington still maintains a raft of sanctions that are scaring off global banks and foreign investors. U.S. President Donald Trump has gone further, threatening to tear up the nuclear deal and visiting Iran's bitter regional rival Saudi Arabia this weekend, where he signed a $110 billion arms deal described as targeting "malign Iranian influence" in the region. Nonetheless, European and Asian governments are determined to keep the nuclear deal alive and take full advantage of the lucrative investment opportunities in Iran. They are cheered by Rouhani's victory over hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, who had threatened a tougher, more insular approach to foreign relations. "A lot of investors I hadn't heard from for three months were suddenly phoning me this morning. Some are already booking their tickets," said Farid Dehdilani, international adviser for the Iranian Privatization Organization after results were announced on Saturday. "Dr Rouhani will more aggressively pursue his economic agenda -- investing in factories, production and absorbing foreign capital. I think he'll make his cabinet younger and more agile," he said.
'A smarter politician'
Challenging the security forces, which control large swathes of the economy and need Iran's resources as a source of patronage, will be tough. And Rouhani notably failed to win the release of jailed opposition leaders or prevent the arrest of several dual nationals by intelligence services outside his control. Many fear his second term could mirror that of reformist president Mohammad Khatami in the early 2000s, when every attempt at reform was frustrated by the hardline establishment. But Rouhani, a long-time regime insider, may be better placed than his predecessors, said politics professor Foad Izadi, of Tehran University. "Rouhani has shown himself to be a smarter politician than Khatami was," said Izadi."He's been part of the system long enough to know how to navigate it. Khatami was more ideological which reduced his ability to get things done." Crucially, Rouhani's technocratic approach has allowed him to co-opt key conservatives such as parliament speaker Ali Larijani."The alliance with Larijani has been very helpful to Rouhani in getting his ministers and policies approved. That will continue to be crucial in his second term," said Izadi.
Next supreme leader?
The big long-term question is whether Rouhani can influence the rise of the next supreme leader after the death of the ageing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Raisi, touted as a possible successor, is now out of the running, said Izadi. "Maybe he will come back in four years, but with this type of showing we can rest assured that Raisi will not be the next supreme leader. The leader must show popular support."But with hardliners firmly in control of the Assembly of Experts that will choose the next leader, Rouhani and his allies have little influence over the succession. Nonetheless, this weekend's election has given a clear indication that Iran's youthful population supports his vision for the country's future. "Iranian people no longer believe in economic populism and radical change," said Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group. "They have the maturity to understand that the solution to their country's predicaments are in competent management of the economy and moderation in international relations."

North Korea Fires 'Medium-Range Ballistic Missile'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/A White House official on Sunday confirmed that North Korea had test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile, despite threats of tougher U.S. sanctions over its missile tests. "We are aware that North Korea launched an MRBM. This system, last tested in February, has a shorter range than the missiles launched in North Korea's three most recent tests," the official said in Saudi Arabia, where U.S. President Donald Trump is on a two-day visit. Officials in Seoul had earlier reported the test, with South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff saying it could not yet identify the type of missile fired Sunday from Pukchang in South Pyongan province but that it traveled about 500 kilometers (310 miles).  The latest launch came just a week after a similar test sparked international condemnation and a warning from Washington that new sanctions could be imposed on Pyongyang.

Report: China Killed or Jailed Up to 20 U.S. Spies in 2010-12
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/17/Beijing systematically dismantled CIA spying efforts in China beginning in 2010, killing or jailing more than a dozen covert sources, in a deep setback to U.S. intelligence there, The New York Times reported Sunday. The Times, quoting 10 current and former American officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the intelligence breach as one of the worst in decades. It said that even now intelligence officials are unsure whether the U.S. was betrayed by a mole within the CIA or whether the Chinese hacked a covert system used by the CIA to communicate with foreign sources. Of the damage inflicted on what had been one of the most productive U.S. spy networks, however, there was no doubt: at least a dozen CIA sources were killed between late 2010 and the end of 2012, including one who was shot in front of colleagues in a clear warning to anyone else who might be spying, the Times reported. In all, 18 to 20 CIA sources in China were either killed or imprisoned, according to two former senior American officials quoted. It was a grave setback to a network that, up to then, had been working at its highest level in years. Those losses were comparable to the number of U.S. assets lost in the Soviet Union and Russia because of the betrayals of two infamous spies, Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen, the report said. Western espionage services have traditionally found it exceptionally hard to develop spy networks in China and Russia. The CIA's mole hunt in China, following the severe losses to its network there, was intense and urgent. Nearly every employee of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing was scrutinized at one point, the newspaper said. Meantime, then-president Barack Obama's administration was demanding to know why its flow of intelligence from China had slowed. The revelations come as the CIA seeks to determine how some of its highly sensitive documents were released two months ago by WikiLeaks, and the FBI examines possible links between the Donald Trump campaign and Russia. Both the CIA and the FBI declined to comment.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 20-21/17
Historic speech by President Trump in Riyad//نص خطاب الرئيس ترامب التاريخي في السعودية
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News Agencies/May 21/17
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A fair & strong proposal for a worldwide Peace.
May 21/17
Donald J. Trump in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
4 hrs ·
I want to thank King Salman for his extraordinary words, and the magnificent Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting today’s summit. I am honored to be received by such gracious hosts. I have always heard about the splendor of your country and the kindness of your citizens, but words do not do justice to the grandeur of this remarkable place and the incredible hospitality you have shown us from the moment we arrived.
You also hosted me in the treasured home of King Abdulaziz, the founder of the Kingdom who united your great people. Working alongside another beloved leader – American President Franklin Roosevelt – King Abdulaziz began the enduring partnership between our two countries. King Salman: your father would be so proud to see that you are continuing his legacy – and just as he opened the first chapter in our partnership, today we begin a new chapter that will bring lasting benefits to our citizens.
Let me now also extend my deep and heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of the distinguished heads of state who made this journey here today. You greatly honor us with your presence, and I send the warmest regards from my country to yours. I know that our time together will bring many blessings to both your people and mine.
I stand before you as a representative of the American People, to deliver a message of friendship and hope. That is why I chose to make my first foreign visit a trip to the heart of the Muslim world, to the nation that serves as custodian of the two holiest sites in the Islamic Faith.
In my inaugural address to the American People, I pledged to strengthen America’s oldest friendships, and to build new partnerships in pursuit of peace. I also promised that America will not seek to impose our way of life on others, but to outstretch our hands in the spirit of cooperation and trust.
Our vision is one of peace, security, and prosperity—in this region, and in the world.
Our goal is a coalition of nations who share the aim of stamping out extremism and providing our children a hopeful future that does honor to God.
And so this historic and unprecedented gathering of leaders—unique in the history of nations—is a symbol to the world of our shared resolve and our mutual respect. To the leaders and citizens of every country assembled here today, I want you to know that the United States is eager to form closer bonds of friendship, security, culture and commerce.
For Americans, this is an exciting time. A new spirit of optimism is sweeping our country: in just a few months, we have created almost a million new jobs, added over 3 trillion dollars of new value, lifted the burdens on American industry, and made record investments in our military that will protect the safety of our people and enhance the security of our wonderful friends and allies – many of whom are here today.
Now, there is even more blessed news I am pleased to share with you. My meetings with King Salman, the Crown Prince, and the Deputy Crown Prince, have been filled with great warmth, good will, and tremendous cooperation. Yesterday, we signed historic agreements with the Kingdom that will invest almost $400 billion in our two countries and create many thousands of jobs in America and Saudi Arabia.
This landmark agreement includes the announcement of a $110 billion Saudi-funded defense purchase – and we will be sure to help our Saudi friends to get a good deal from our great American defense companies. This agreement will help the Saudi military to take a greater role in security operations.
We have also started discussions with many of the countries present today on strengthening partnerships, and forming new ones, to advance security and stability across the Middle East and beyond.
Later today, we will make history again with the opening of a new Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology – located right here, in this central part of the Islamic World.
This groundbreaking new center represents a clear declaration that Muslim-majority countries must take the lead in combatting radicalization, and I want to express our gratitude to King Salman for this strong demonstration of leadership.
I have had the pleasure of welcoming several of the leaders present today to the White House, and I look forward to working with all of you.
America is a sovereign nation and our first priority is always the safety and security of our citizens. We are not here to lecture—we are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship. Instead, we are here to offer partnership – based on shared interests and values – to pursue a better future for us all.
Here at this summit we will discuss many interests we share together. But above all we must be united in pursuing the one goal that transcends every other consideration. That goal is to meet history’s great test—to conquer extremism and vanquish the forces of terrorism.
Young Muslim boys and girls should be able to grow up free from fear, safe from violence, and innocent of hatred. And young Muslim men and women should have the chance to build a new era of prosperity for themselves and their peoples.
With God’s help, this summit will mark the beginning of the end for those who practice terror and spread its vile creed. At the same time, we pray this special gathering may someday be remembered as the beginning of peace in the Middle East – and maybe, even all over the world.
But this future can only be achieved through defeating terrorism and the ideology that drives it.
Few nations have been spared its violent reach.
America has suffered repeated barbaric attacks – from the atrocities of September 11th to the devastation of the Boston Bombing, to the horrible killings in San Bernardino and Orlando.
The nations of Europe have also endured unspeakable horror. So too have the nations of Africa and even South America. India, Russia, China and Australia have been victims.
But, in sheer numbers, the deadliest toll has been exacted on the innocent people of Arab, Muslim and Middle Eastern nations. They have borne the brunt of the killings and the worst of the destruction in this wave of fanatical violence.
Some estimates hold that more than 95 percent of the victims of terrorism are themselves Muslim.
We now face a humanitarian and security disaster in this region that is spreading across the planet. It is a tragedy of epic proportions. No description of the suffering and depravity can begin to capture its full measure.
The true toll of ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and so many others, must be counted not only in the number of dead. It must also be counted in generations of vanished dreams.
The Middle East is rich with natural beauty, vibrant cultures, and massive amounts of historic treasures. It should increasingly become one of the great global centers of commerce and opportunity.
This region should not be a place from which refugees flee, but to which newcomers flock.
Saudi Arabia is home to the holiest sites in one of the world’s great faiths. Each year millions of Muslims come from around the world to Saudi Arabia to take part in the Hajj. In addition to ancient wonders, this country is also home to modern ones—including soaring achievements in architecture.
Egypt was a thriving center of learning and achievement thousands of years before other parts of the world. The wonders of Giza, Luxor and Alexandria are proud monuments to that ancient heritage.
All over the world, people dream of walking through the ruins of Petra in Jordan. Iraq was the cradle of civilization and is a land of natural beauty. And the United Arab Emirates has reached incredible heights with glass and steel, and turned earth and water into spectacular works of art.
The entire region is at the center of the key shipping lanes of the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Straits of Hormuz. The potential of this region has never been greater. 65 percent of its population is under the age of 30. Like all young men and women, they seek great futures to build, great national projects to join, and a place for their families to call home.
But this untapped potential, this tremendous cause for optimism, is held at bay by bloodshed and terror. There can be no coexistence with this violence. There can be no tolerating it, no accepting it, no excusing it, and no ignoring it.
Every time a terrorist murders an innocent person, and falsely invokes the name of God, it should be an insult to every person of faith.
Terrorists do not worship God, they worship death.
If we do not act against this organized terror, then we know what will happen. Terrorism’s devastation of life will continue to spread. Peaceful societies will become engulfed by violence. And the futures of many generations will be sadly squandered.
If we do not stand in uniform condemnation of this killing—then not only will we be judged by our people, not only will we be judged by history, but we will be judged by God.
This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects, or different civilizations.
This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life, and decent people of all religions who seek to protect it.
This is a battle between Good and Evil.
When we see the scenes of destruction in the wake of terror, we see no signs that those murdered were Jewish or Christian, Shia or Sunni. When we look upon the streams of innocent blood soaked into the ancient ground, we cannot see the faith or sect or tribe of the victims – we see only that they were Children of God whose deaths are an insult to all that is holy.
But we can only overcome this evil if the forces of good are united and strong – and if everyone in this room does their fair share and fulfills their part of the burden.
Terrorism has spread across the world. But the path to peace begins right here, on this ancient soil, in this sacred land.
America is prepared to stand with you – in pursuit of shared interests and common security.
But the nations of the Middle East cannot wait for American power to crush this enemy for them. The nations of the Middle East will have to decide what kind of future they want for themselves, for their countries, and for their children.
It is a choice between two futures – and it is a choice America CANNOT make for you.
A better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and extremists. Drive. Them. Out.
DRIVE THEM OUT of your places of worship.
DRIVE THEM OUT of your communities.
DRIVE THEM OUT of your holy land, and
DRIVE THEM OUT OF THIS EARTH.
For our part, America is committed to adjusting our strategies to meet evolving threats and new facts. We will discard those strategies that have not worked—and will apply new approaches informed by experience and judgment. We are adopting a Principled Realism, rooted in common values and shared interests.
Our friends will never question our support, and our enemies will never doubt our determination. Our partnerships will advance security through stability, not through radical disruption. We will make decisions based on real-world outcomes – not inflexible ideology. We will be guided by the lessons of experience, not the confines of rigid thinking. And, wherever possible, we will seek gradual reforms – not sudden intervention.
We must seek partners, not perfection—and to make allies of all who share our goals.
Above all, America seeks peace – not war.
Muslim nations must be willing to take on the burden, if we are going to defeat terrorism and send its wicked ideology into oblivion.
The first task in this joint effort is for your nations to deny all territory to the foot soldiers of evil. Every country in the region has an absolute duty to ensure that terrorists find no sanctuary on their soil.
Many are already making significant contributions to regional security: Jordanian pilots are crucial partners against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Saudi Arabia and a regional coalition have taken strong action against Houthi militants in Yemen. The Lebanese Army is hunting ISIS operatives who try to infiltrate their territory. Emirati troops are supporting our Afghan partners. In Mosul, American troops are supporting Kurds, Sunnis and Shias fighting together for their homeland. Qatar, which hosts the U.S. Central Command, is a crucial strategic partner. Our longstanding partnership with Kuwait and Bahrain continue to enhance security in the region. And courageous Afghan soldiers are making tremendous sacrifices in the fight against the Taliban, and others, in the fight for their country.
As we deny terrorist organizations control of territory and populations, we must also strip them of their access to funds. We must cut off the financial channels that let ISIS sell oil, let extremists pay their fighters, and help terrorists smuggle their reinforcements.
I am proud to announce that the nations here today will be signing an agreement to prevent the financing of terrorism, called the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center – co-chaired by the United States and Saudi Arabia, and joined by every member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is another historic step in a day that will be long remembered.
I also applaud the Gulf Cooperation Council for blocking funders from using their countries as a financial base for terror, and designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization last year. Saudi Arabia also joined us this week in placing sanctions on one of the most senior leaders of Hezbollah.
Of course, there is still much work to do.
That means honestly confronting the crisis of Islamist extremism and the Islamist terror groups it inspires. And it means standing together against the murder of innocent Muslims, the oppression of women, the persecution of Jews, and the slaughter of Christians.
Religious leaders must make this absolutely clear: Barbarism will deliver you no glory – piety to evil will bring you no dignity. If you choose the path of terror, your life will be empty, your life will be brief, and YOUR SOUL WILL BE CONDEMNED.
And political leaders must speak out to affirm the same idea: heroes don’t kill innocents; they save them. Many nations here today have taken important steps to raise up that message. Saudi Arabia’s Vision for 2030 is an important and encouraging statement of tolerance, respect, empowering women, and economic development.
The United Arab Emirates has also engaged in the battle for hearts and souls—and with the U.S., launched a center to counter the online spread of hate. Bahrain too is working to undermine recruitment and radicalism.
I also applaud Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for their role in hosting refugees. The surge of migrants and refugees leaving the Middle East depletes the human capital needed to build stable societies and economies. Instead of depriving this region of so much human potential, Middle Eastern countries can give young people hope for a brighter future in their home nations and regions.
That means promoting the aspirations and dreams of all citizens who seek a better life – including women, children, and followers of all faiths. Numerous Arab and Islamic scholars have eloquently argued that protecting equality strengthens Arab and Muslim communities.
For many centuries the Middle East has been home to Christians, Muslims and Jews living side-by-side. We must practice tolerance and respect for each other once again—and make this region a place where every man and woman, no matter their faith or ethnicity, can enjoy a life of dignity and hope.
In that spirit, after concluding my visit in Riyadh, I will travel to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and then to the Vatican – visiting many of the holiest places in the three Abrahamic Faiths. If these three faiths can join together in cooperation, then peace in this world is possible – including peace between Israelis and Palestinians. I will be meeting with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Starving terrorists of their territory, their funding, and the false allure of their craven ideology, will be the basis for defeating them.
But no discussion of stamping out this threat would be complete without mentioning the government that gives terrorists all three—safe harbor, financial backing, and the social standing needed for recruitment. It is a regime that is responsible for so much instability in the region. I am speaking of course of Iran.
From Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds, arms, and trains terrorists, militias, and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region. For decades, Iran has fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror.
It is a government that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing the destruction of Israel, death to America, and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room.
Among Iran’s most tragic and destabilizing interventions have been in Syria. Bolstered by Iran, Assad has committed unspeakable crimes, and the United States has taken firm action in response to the use of banned chemical weapons by the Assad Regime – launching 59 tomahawk missiles at the Syrian air base from where that murderous attack originated.
Responsible nations must work together to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria, eradicate ISIS, and restore stability to the region. The Iranian regime’s longest-suffering victims are its own people. Iran has a rich history and culture, but the people of Iran have endured hardship and despair under their leaders’ reckless pursuit of conflict and terror.
Until the Iranian regime is willing to be a partner for peace, all nations of conscience must work together to isolate Iran, deny it funding for terrorism, and pray for the day when the Iranian people have the just and righteous government they deserve.
The decisions we make will affect countless lives.
King Salman, I thank you for the creation of this great moment in history, and for your massive investment in America, its industry and its jobs. I also thank you for investing in the future of this part of the world.
This fertile region has all the ingredients for extraordinary success – a rich history and culture, a young and vibrant people, a thriving spirit of enterprise. But you can only unlock this future if the citizens of the Middle East are freed from extremism, terror and violence.
We in this room are the leaders of our peoples. They look to us for answers, and for action. And when we look back at their faces, behind every pair of eyes is a soul that yearns for justice.
Today, billions of faces are now looking at us, waiting for us to act on the great question of our time.
Will we be indifferent in the presence of evil? Will we protect our citizens from its violent ideology? Will we let its venom spread through our societies? Will we let it destroy the most holy sites on earth? If we do not confront this deadly terror, we know what the future will bring—more suffering and despair. But if we act—if we leave this magnificent room unified and determined to do what it takes to destroy the terror that threatens the world—then there is no limit to the great future our citizens will have.
The birthplace of civilization is waiting to begin a new renaissance. Just imagine what tomorrow could bring.
Glorious wonders of science, art, medicine and commerce to inspire humankind. Great cities built on the ruins of shattered towns. New jobs and industries that will lift up millions of people. Parents who no longer worry for their children, families who no longer mourn for their loved ones, and the faithful who finally worship without fear.
These are the blessings of prosperity and peace. These are the desires that burn with a righteous flame in every human heart. And these are the just demands of our beloved peoples.
I ask you to join me, to join together, to work together, and to FIGHT together— BECAUSE UNITED, WE WILL NOT FAIL.
Thank you. God Bless You. God Bless Your Countries. And God Bless the United States of America.

Riyadh Declaration Cements Arab-Islamic-US Partnership in Facing Terrorism and Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat English/May 21/May/17
The Arab-Islamic-US summit that was held in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on Sunday was a “historic” event that marked a new chapter in ties between the Arab and Muslim worlds and the United States, announced the “Riyadh Declaration” at the conclusion of the meeting.
It said that the gathering cemented the close partnership between the leaders of Arab and Islamic countries and the United States in order to confront extremism and terrorism.
The summit was chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and attended by President Donald Trump and the leaders and delegations of 55 Arab and Muslim countries.
The gatherers stressed their countries’ commitment to combating terrorism in all of its forms. They will confront its ideological roots and cut the sources of its financing, said the Riyadh Declaration.
They will take the necessary measures to prevent and combat terror crimes in close cooperation of these states.
They hailed the announcement of the intention to form the strategic Middle East alliance in the city of Riyadh. A number of countries will take part in it in order to achieve regional and global peace and security.
The leaders hailed the efforts of Arab and Islamic countries in facing terrorism and the exchange of information among them over foreign fighters and their operations in terror organizations. They also expressed their satisfaction with working with the legitimate Yemeni government and the Arab coalition fighting terrorist groups seeking political vacuum in the country.
The gatherers welcomed the readiness of a number of Islamic countries to join the Islamic Military Coalition to Combat Terrorism in order to provide a reserve of 34,000 soldiers to back the counter-terrorism operations in Iraq and Syria if needed, said the Riyadh Declaration.
They praised the deal that was addressed during the Riyadh summits over the weekend that tackled cutting the financing of terrorism and the establishment of a center dedicated to this purpose. The center will be based in Riyadh.
Furthermore, the gatherers stressed the need to draw up clear roadmaps for the future of the youth and to build their capacities and provide them with job opportunities. This will help achieve security and stability in their countries and protect them from terrorism and extremism, added the Riyadh Declaration.
In addition, the Arab and Islamic leaders voiced their countries’ rejection of linking terrorism to any religion, race or culture.
They stressed their determination to protect and spread the culture of tolerance and constructive coexistence between countries, religions and cultures.
This can be achieved through expanding purposeful and serious cultural dialogue that clarifies the moderate image of Islam and its rejection of all forms of violence and extremism. They will seek to reveal its ability to coexist with others peacefully.
Wrong images and misconceptions of Islam should be confronted and corrected. The peaceful teachings should instead be spread, urged the Riyadh Declaration.
On the regional level, the gatherers at the Riyadh summit stressed the importance of good neighborly practices and avoiding meddling in the internal affairs of other countries. The sovereignty and independence of countries should be respected.
They stressed the rejection of sectarian agendas and the dangerous repercussions they have on regional and global security.
They completely rejected the practices of the Iranian regime that are targeting the region and world’s security and stability. They also rejected its ongoing support of terrorism and extremism.
The gatherers also condemned the hostile stances of the regime and its ongoing interference in the internal affairs of countries, which is a violation of international laws.
They vowed to confront its actions and exert efforts to preserve the security of the region and world. They will confront Iran’s disruptive actions with determination through joint cooperation, stressed the Riyadh Declaration.

Three summits radiate from Riyadh
Abdulrahman Gdaia/Al Sharq Al Awsat/May 21/17
There is no doubt that US President Donald Trump’s decision to go to Saudi Arabia on his first foreign trip as president adds another dimension to the path of relations between the US and the Saudi kingdom and confirms the special historical relations between the two countries and their people. It also proves that the strong ties reflect the depth of bilateral relations in the political, military, economic and security fields and indicate an obvious quantum leap.
The visit is marked by three summits - the Saudi-American summit, the Gulf-American summit and the American-Islamic summit. These meetings will discuss the situation in the region and the destruction it is suffering due to some regional countries’ flagrant interferences and threats to safety and stability.
The three summits indicate a new reality in international relations. This reality helps enhance the level of understanding and embodies the world’s respect for the kingdom and for its leadership and experience in the new era which is characterized with a drive that is based on taking initiatives that maintain Arab and Islamic interests. This drive also represents a new phase that rejects the policy of truces and appeasement.
It is distinguished for the decisive determination of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, may Allah bless him, to protect the security and stability of Arab countries from threats and to strengthen Arab and international solidarity against rogue states that violate international law. This drive also reflects a quantum leap on all levels and embodies a safe approach and the clarity of vision and aims as it looks forward towards a promising future within the national transformation plan and Vision 2030 which have put the kingdom on the path of a new phase to confront economic challenges.
Most important topics
Perhaps one of the most important topics which the leaders in Riyadh will focus on discussing will be negative phenomena and fateful issues that have influenced international peace and stability. The first of these phenomena which attracted the international community’s attention is related to terrorism. It is one of the major topics during regional, international and bilateral meetings and it has become a major topic on the schedule of international organizations as they seek to find formulas and measures that are more efficient in terms of international cooperation in order to confront or crush terrorism or at least limit its activity via the available local, regional and international tools.
Terrorism is a global phenomenon. Therefore, the entire international community is responsible for combating it as it represents a violent phenomenon that societies have suffered for a long time now. Terrorism is not limited to a religion or a nationality or an ethnicity or race, and it will continue to further become complicated as international communities develop, particularly following the technological and digital revolution and the emergence of social media.
Terrorism is a global phenomenon. Therefore, the entire international community is responsible for combating it as it represents a violent phenomenon that societies have suffered for a long time now. Terrorism is not limited to a religion or a nationality or an ethnicity or race, and it will continue to further become complicated as international communities develop, particularly following the technological and digital revolution and the emergence of social media.
The kingdom is a leader in solidifying the culture of dialogue and in spreading tolerance and openness among people who love peace and reject terrorism, extremism and racism.
The Saudi kingdom has taken many measures to confront the extremist rhetoric and ideology which justify dangerous phenomena and it did so out of its faith in the significance of confronting them. It is based on this that Saudi Arabia held an international conference in Riyadh in 2005 to confront terrorism and it has resumed its local, regional and international efforts since then.
Intellectual security
On the local level, it adopted the strategy of intellectual security that is based on protection, rehabilitation and aftercare. The Care Rehabilitation Center was established for this purpose.
On the international level, the United Nations Center for Counter-Terrorism was established in 2011 and it was launched through the efforts of Saudi Arabia and its international contribution to fighting terrorist groups. The kingdom has supported this center.
The kingdom has a unique and successful experience in uprooting deviant intellect and extremist Islamic ideology and in standing strong against interfering countries which want to harm Arab states. This is what gained the kingdom its prestigious status in the international arena.
Its efforts via diplomatic framework in mobilizing and intensifying international cooperation and collective work, in enhancing cultural openness and embodying what cultures have in common have shown the kingdom’s leading and efficient role, specifically in terms of the new base of its foreign policy towards strengthening international security and peace.

Saudis have a right to be proud
Turki Aldakhil/Al Sharq Al Awsat/May 21/17
US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia is not ordinary. Trump chose Riyadh as the first foreign capital to visit as president. There will be three summits, the Saudi-American summit, the Gulf-American summit and the Islamic-American summit. This is all in addition to arranging for more than 50 countries to attend in such a short time and planning economic, political and cultural events. We have the right to be proud of our capability to perform regional roles that are globally influential. Don’t take it from us – the citizens of the country – but take it from the US Secretary of Commerce. During the Saudi-US CEO Forum, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a televised speech that he did not think a country could have prepared for such an event in the presence of this massive number of companies and people in such a short time like Saudi Arabia and the US did, adding that this proves the strong administrative capabilities which will play a major role in achieving the aims of Saudi Vision 2030. We have the right to be proud of our capability to perform regional roles that are globally influential. Ross, who voiced his admiration of the kingdom, added that he envied Saudi Arabia for its ability to create this special slogan ‘Together We Prevail’ for this major event, and voiced hope that when the US hosts this event next year in Washington, it can create a similar slogan. Ross added that if they couldn’t come up with a similar slogan, he hopes Saudi Arabia will allow them to borrow its slogan. This great work would not have been achieved if it hadn’t been for the determination of this country’s people and their work, efforts and mainly their love for our great country. Great statuses do not just happen. They need a lot of work and a continuation of this work. Thank you to all those who worked for this distinction!

Palestinians: Tomorrow's Secret 'Day of Rage'
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/May 21/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10393/palestinians-trump-rage
What is really driving this Palestinian hatred of Trump and the U.S.? The Palestinians and the Arabs have long been at war with what they regard as U.S. bias in favor of Israel. What they mean is that U.S. support for Israel stands in their way of destroying Israel.
Abbas is not going to tell Trump about the "Day of Rage" because it flies in the face of his repeated claim that Palestinians are ready for peace and are even raising their children in a culture of peace.
Once again, Abbas is playing Americans and other Westerners for fools. His people remain unwilling to recognize Israel's very right to exist as a state for Jews. And so, Abbas will talk peace and coexistence while his people organize yet another "Day of Rage."
Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority (PA), preparing to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump to Bethlehem, are seeking to create the impression that their sentiments are shared by their people. Yet many Palestinians are less than enthusiastic about the visit.
It is in the best interests of Abbas and the PA to hide the truth that many Palestinians view the U.S. as an Israel-loving enemy.
While the PA president and his aides attempt to bury that inconvenient fact, they are also doing their best to cover up the truth that many Palestinians have been radicalized to a point that they would rather aim a gun or knife at Israelis than aim for peace with them.
The strongest and most vocal protests against Trump's visit have thus far come from Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinians.
Ramallah is regularly described by Western journalists as a base for moderation and pragmatism. It is in this city that Abbas and the top PA leadership live and work.
In a statement published earlier this week, the National and Islamic Forces in Ramallah and El-Bireh, a coalition of various Palestinian political and terror groups, called for a "Day of Popular Rage" in the West Bank to protest the imminent presidential visit.
In Palestinian-speak, a "Day of Rage" is a call for intensified violence and terrorism directed mainly against Jews.
ally introduced during the First Intifada, which erupted in late 1987, and consisted of stone and petrol-bomb attacks against Israel Defense Force soldiers and Jews residing in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Similarly, during the Second Intifada, which began in 2000, Days of Rage were associated with suicide bombings, drive-by shootings and other acts of terrorism and assorted crimes perpetrated against Jews living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as within Israel.
In recent years, Abbas's Fatah faction and other groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have used different occasions to urge Palestinians to declare a Day of Rage against Israel.
Generally speaking, such calls come in response to Jewish visits to the Temple Mount -- visits that have been taking place since East Jerusalem was liberated from Jordanian occupation in 1967.
The visits were temporarily suspended, however, for security reasons in the first years of the Second Intifada, out of concern for the safety of visitors. It is worth noting that non-Muslims are allowed to tour the Temple Mount, as has been true for the past five decades. The Palestinians, however, are specifically opposed to Jews visiting the site, under the false pretext that Jews are plotting to rebuild their Temple after destroying the Islamic holy sites there. This charge is, of course, another Palestinian blood libel against Jews.
So here we are again. Palestinians are calling for marking Trump's visit with a Day of Rage (read: heightened terrorism). The statement issued by the National and Islamic Forces in Ramallah and El-Bireh is a clear and direct invitation to Palestinians to take to the streets and mow down Jews.
What is really driving this Palestinian hatred of Trump and the U.S.?
From the Palestinian point of view, were it not for the U.S., the Palestinians and the Arabs would have succeeded long ago in achieving their goal of destroying Israel.
"We reject American bias in favor of Israel," read the statement. "We call for popular marches and rallies to affirm our people's adherence to their legitimate rights, including the right of return and self-determination." The statement also warned against U.S. pressure on Abbas and the PA leadership to return to the negotiating table with Israel.
The so-called "right of return" demanded by Palestinians means the right to flood Israel with millions of Palestinians, in order to create an Arab-majority state where Jews would live as a minority. This would come in addition to the creation of another Palestinian state alongside Israel in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
The Palestinians and the Arabs have long been at war with what they regard as U.S. bias in favor of Israel. What they mean is that U.S. support for Israel stands in their way of destroying Israel. They are saying: Only if Americans would stop supporting Israel financially, militarily and politically, we would be able to remove Israel from the face of the earth.
Neither Trump nor any members of his entourage is likely to notice the latest Palestinian Day of Rage. The strict, unprecedented security measures surrounding Trump's planned visit to Bethlehem, and the fact that the stop is to last for only for 45 minutes, will make sure of that. Trump will not see Palestinians protesting against his visit. Nor will he see, during his visit, Palestinians closing their businesses and hurling stones and petrol bombs at Jews.
Trump's Palestinian hosts will do their utmost to disguise many unpleasant truths. For instance, they probably will not mention that Palestinians are taking to the streets to protest his visit as well as to go after Jews. Abbas is not going to tell Trump about the Day of Rage because it flies in the face of his repeated claim that Palestinians are ready for peace and are even raising their children in a "culture of peace."
The Palestinian Day of Rage during Trump's visit is a further sign of the increased radicalization among Palestinians and their unwillingness to accept Israel's right to exist as a state for Jews. Days of Rage are far from contained responses to particular Israeli policies or actions on the ground. The Day of Rage can be traced to the Arab and Muslim world with the establishment of Israel in 1948, and continues to be used by Arabs and Muslims as a tool of terrorism.
In truth, such days are an expression of rage over the presence of Jews in a sovereign state in the Middle East, and of wrath over U.S. support for Israel and of Palestinian support for Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terror groups. Days of Rage will continue as long as Palestinians continue to believe that Israel can and should be destroyed.
Once again, Abbas is playing Americans and other Westerners for fools. His people remain unwilling to recognize Israel's very right to exist. And so, Abbas will talk peace and coexistence while his people organize yet another Day of Rage.
*Bassam Tawil is a scholar based in the Middle East.
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Europe: Muslim Atrocities against Women? So What!
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/May 21/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10381/europe-women-muslim-atrocities
These examples are merely a sampling of what is becoming commonplace across Europe. In the name of human rights, inclusion, diversity and equality, "enlightened" activists and judicial authorities are apologizing for and excusing Muslim criminals for behavior that would not be tolerated from anyone else -- and should not be tolerated.
Do these judges work for Islamic sharia courts or for secular European courts?
These court rulings are an open call to Muslim men in Europe to rape women, children, anyone they like. Those cultures in which women and children as are viewed as property deserve no respect, and certainly not preferential treatment.
It happened again last week. Two Turkish nationals in Schwerin, Germany were arrested for raping a 13-year-old girl after forcing themselves into her home.
Recently, a judge in Germany acquitted a Turkish drug dealer of raping one of his customers last August. He had forced himself on her for four hours and left her incapacitated for weeks. He told the judge that in the culture from where he came, what she "had experienced as rape" might be considered merely "wild sex".
What "culture" is this?
According to the Turkish women's rights organization "We Will Stop the Murders of Women," which publishes monthly reports, in March of this year alone, 35 women were killed; 14 others were exposed to sexual violence, and 63 children were molested. Many children, the report said, had been sexually abused for years, and often attempted suicide.
The report also stated that the murder of women in Turkey -- 63% percent of which is committed by husbands, boyfriends, fathers, brothers or sons -- is spurred more than half the time by women; it is supposedly their fault: they actually wanted to make decisions about their lives, such as getting a divorce, before they were murdered.
Worse, nearly a third of those are classified by authorities as "suspicious murders," perpetrated by "unknown assailants."
Torturing women to death is also increasingly widespread, as well as killing young children along with their mothers. One case involved a man who slit the throats of his ex-wife and their five-year-old daughter.
As above, crimes against girls and women are often shrugged off by Turkey's criminal justice system. One case in point is of a man acquitted by a judge in Eskisehir; the man was accused by his cousin of repeated rape and death threats, from the time the victim was 13 years old. After a nine-month trial and massive evidence against him, the man was acquitted.
Although crimes against women take place all over the world, practices such as sexual enslavement and stoning to death are far more widespread in Islamic societies, where they are also socially and legally tolerated -- as rooted in Islamic scripture. The Quran, for instance, allows men to beat his wives.
Tragically, Europe, when Muslims are the perpetrators, seems to be adopting the sharia approach to rape.
Britain's The Independent reported in October:
"A man who raped a 10-year-old boy at a swimming pool in Austria has had his conviction overturned after judges found he may have believed the child consented. Police said the 20-year-old Iraqi refugee, who has not been named, assaulted his victim in a toilet cubicle at the Theresienbad swimming pool in Vienna on 2 December last year.
"The child reported the rape to a lifeguard and his attacker was arrested at the scene, reportedly telling officers in initial interviews that he was experiencing a 'sexual emergency' after not having sex in four months. In June, he was jailed for a minimum of six years for rape and aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, and ordered to pay €4,700 (£3,700) compensation to the boy's family.
"Speaking to local media, the victim's mother revealed her son had been 'screaming and crying every night' since the attack and had talked of suicide."
This came from the UK's Daily Mail:
"A young left-wing German politician has admitted she lied to police about the racial background of three men who raped her in case it triggered reprisals against refugees in her country.
Selin Gören, the national spokeswoman of the left-wing youth movement Solid, was attacked by three men in January in the city of Mannheim where she works as a refugee activist.
"The 24-year-old was ambushed late at night in a playground where she said she was forced to perform a sex act on her attackers.
"After the assault, she went straight to the police -- but she did not tell them the ethnic make-up of the men, that they were speaking Arabic or Farsi.
"Selin, aware of the backlash that migrants suffered after the events in Cologne on New Year's Eve - when hundreds of women were sexually assaulted and robbed by marauding gangs of immigrant youths - instead said she was robbed and said her attackers spoke German.
"Now she has told Germany's Spiegel magazine why she lied...[because she] did not want to stoke 'more hatred against migrants in Germany.'"
These examples are merely a sampling of what is becoming commonplace across Europe. In the name of human rights, inclusion, diversity and equality, "enlightened" activists and judicial authorities are apologizing for and excusing Muslim criminals for behavior that would not be tolerated from anyone else -- and that should not be tolerated.
By overlooking or justifying Islamic atrocities, Europeans are not only endangering innocent women and children; they are actually encouraging rape and other forms of violence. Meanwhile, they are also complicit in destroying Western values.
If one such value is multiculturalism, sadly -- contrary to "progressive" belief -- not all cultures are necessarily equal. Those cultures in which women and children as are viewed as property deserve no respect, and certainly not preferential treatment.
Do these judges work for sharia courts or for secular European courts?
What kind of a message do these judges give to Muslim and other criminals in Europe with their decisions? These court rulings are an open call to Muslim men in Europe to rape women, children, anyone they like. What will a society be like to live in if the courts will be on the side of the rapists and they will not be held accountable?
Why not publicize that if people decide to move to a country, they must respect the citizens and laws of that country? Bringing the primitive aspects of one's culture to a host country should not be encouraged or tolerated. Rape is always rape, assault is always assault, no matter who the perpetrator is. Western countries must stop tolerating Muslim criminals because of their religion. That is not wise public policy or even justice. Cultures and religions that do not respect women and others do not deserve to be respected.
Unfortunately, these extremely basic truths haven been largely ignored. The politically correct multiculturalists have created an environment in which some Europeans have forgotten what it means to stand up for reason, truth and justice- perhaps out of fear of being called "racist"; or the very misguided desire to "prevent a backlash against Muslims." It would be nice if Muslims would help to prevent the "frontlash".
By tolerating Muslim criminals in the name of human rights, tolerance, inclusion, diversity, or equality, however, these judges or activists are actually destroying those values. By taking the side of the rapists and becoming complicit in their crimes, they are encouraging rapists and turning everyone -- including children -- into potential victims.
Trying to justify rapes and other crimes committed by Muslims is an attack against the safety and dignity of everyone.
*Uzay Bulut, a journalist born and raised a Muslim in Turkey, is currently based in Washington D.C. She is a writing fellow of the Middle East Forum.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

The U.S., Churchill and the Middle East
Pierre Rehov/Gatestone Institute/May 21/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10387/us-churchill-middle-east
President Donald Trump has apparently decided that on his visit to Israel this week, he will not announce the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem -- a move that will only make him look less strong to Arab leaders. They may not like all promises that are kept, but they do deeply respect and trust those who keep them. If promises are not kept to a friend, the thinking goes, why would they be kept to us?
As Plato, Churchill and even Osama bin Laden understood, people respect only a strong horse, especially when one's adversaries can only survive by creating conflicts to distract their citizens from unaccountable governance.
By recognizing the rights of Jerusalem's historical occupants of 3,000 years -- despite the lies of UNESCO and other UN organizations engulfed by the Arabs' automatic majority -- Trump could well demonstrate a new force that would elevate him to the same stature as Churchill.
In France, everything has been written about the new U.S president, as long as it could relay the most negative image possible. In a country sometimes bathed in an anti-Americanism inherited from Gaullism and communism, major political religions of the post-war era, exacerbated by the Bush years -- it experienced a noticeable lull at the arrival of former President Barack Obama. The election of Donald Trump has the effect of an avalanche.
For many, America had foundered, would never recover and the archetypal image of the uneducated, violent cowboy, fed on hamburgers, would now finally stick to this uncouth country -- too powerful, too capitalist and actually distressed by injustice and inequality.
But beyond the systematic and cleverly orchestrated detestation that the new American president engenders, it is clear that after eight years of the soft and partisan management of Obama (one will remember his hallucinatory Cairo speech, his bow of allegiance to the King of Saudi Arabia, and especially his passivity to the atrocities committed by Iran, Syria and their proxies) powerful America is back at the front of the stage.
The U.S. is no longer simply the paralyzed observer of a rise in violence, as in those terrifying scenes in movies where zombies multiply without anyone knowing how to contain, counter or stop them. Since the sheriff is back in town fighting the zombies, the zombies are fighting back.
As soon as President Trump arrived in the White House, in fact, he rolled up his sleeves to try to find solutions to the increasing threats to world peace, based on a sound principle appreciated by great leaders such as Churchill: Si vis pacem para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war.
To no one's surprise, and possibly for many reasons, the Nobelized pacifist, Obama, asked to have a bust of Winston Churchill removed from the White House on day one; Trump asked for it back on day one.
In 1938, while Chamberlain and Daladier, with their pallid complexions and sad smiles, congratulated themselves on having abandoned Czechoslovakia to Hitler's hands in exchange for a promise of peace that rapidly turned out to be just the prelude to the deadliest war in history, Churchill summed up the situation with the scathing phrase: "They had to choose between dishonor and war. They have chosen dishonor and they will have war."
One can only wonder how Churchill would have judged Obama.
Iran was on the brink of capitulating. It had already been listed by the U.S. Department of State as the world's leading promoter of terrorism, and one with nuclear, hegemonic and genocidal ambitions. History will undoubtedly remember that it was Obama (of the Iraqi debacle; of the cowardly abandonment of his ambassador, tortured to death in Benghazi; of threats never followed up when Assad crossed the U.S. president's own "red line" and gassed his own people, and of lying repeatedly to his own people about matters from healthcare choices to videos supposedly having caused the Benghazi attack, to name a few) that allowed the Ayatollahs to consolidate their imperialist aggression against a backdrop of terrorism and the denial of human rights.
This soft and non-interventionist philosophy, also adopted by former President Jimmy Carter, had already enabled Muslim extremists to overthrow the Shah of Iran. President Bill Clinton was fooled by North Korea in 1994 into negotiating economic aid in exchange for a promise to respect the non-proliferation treaty signed in 1985; the North Koreans simply took the money and used it to finance the nuclear program it had been given them to stop.
This political blindness, deliberate or not, also allowed President Obama to celebrate his diplomatic "victory" of ostensibly bringing in Iran from the cold, when it was clear all along that all Iran wanted to get was colder. Iran continues its imperialist expansion, its financing of terrorists, and its support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and, of course its long-range missile development program.
President Trump, however, in just four months, seems to have learned the lesson of Churchill. Take, for example, three of the new president's actions.
First there was the massive bombing of the Al-Sha'ayrate air base, after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had ordered the Syrian army to massacre part of the population of Khan Sheikhoun with sarin gas.
Unlike Obama, Trump had promised -- probably foolishly: the promise seems to have been interpreted as a green light to murder -- not to intervene in Syria. If the new U.S. president changed his mind, it is all to his honor, for this reversal was born of a vision of horror: children and babies suffocating, gassed.
The second action was born at the same time, when 59 Tomahawk missiles sent a clear message to the rest of the world through the destruction of the air base from which the gas-carrying planes had taken off, President Trump dined in Mar-a-Lago with his Chinese counterpart. "By the way," he announced to Xi Jinping while dessert was served, "we have just bombed Syria." With the arrival of the "most beautiful piece of chocolate cake," years of failed diplomacy were undone.
Finally, President Trump should be recognized for inducing China even symbolically to loosen its ties to its North Korean ally by slowdowns of "tourist" flights between Beijing and Pyongyang, and by blocking shipments of coal, and other mild promises, at least until the U.S. looks the other way.
In addition, NATO countries, protected by the American umbrella, recently seem to have felt inspired to pay America their 2%, thus honoring their agreements, and have also begun to develop a section for fighting terrorism -- a program evidently long forbidden.
In addition, a new strand of American foreign policy is now opening up. Recently, Israel celebrated the 69th anniversary of its independence, and this week Israel will mark 50 years since the reunification of Jerusalem, liberated in 1967 from its illegal capture by Jordan in 1948, followed by Jordan's ethnic cleaning of Jews and the illegal confiscation of their property. The White House announced the resumption of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, provided that it ceases to finance and incite terrorism by making its child-killers national heroes and wage-earners funded by the West
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will no longer be able to continue to pretend to prepare his people for peace while at the same time calling for murder. About 10% of the Palestinian budget is spent on the salaries of terrorists imprisoned in Israel, and the prisoners' families.
Abbas evidently omitted this "detail" in his statements to the press during his recent visit to the White House.
Trump has apparently decided that on his visit to Israel this week, he will not announce the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem -- a move that will only make him look less strong to Arab leaders. They may not like all promises that are kept, but they do deeply respect and trust those who keep them. If promises are not kept to a friend, the thinking goes, why would they be kept to us? They will therefore be less happy with any promises to counter Shiite threats -- considerably more important to them than the location of an embassy. As Plato, Churchill and even Osama bin Laden understood, people respect only a strong horse, especially when one's adversaries can only survive by creating conflicts to distract their citizens from unaccountable governance. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu observed:
"Israel has clearly stated its position to the US and to the world multiple times. Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem won't harm the peace process. The opposite is true. It will correct a historic injustice by advancing the [peace process] and shattering a Palestinian fantasy that Jerusalem isn't Israel's capital."
By recognizing the rights of Jerusalem's historical occupants of 3,000 years -- despite the lies of UNESCO and other UN organizations engulfed by the Arabs' automatic majority -- Trump could well demonstrate a new force that would elevate him to the same stature as Churchill, who said he regarded Islamism as the "greatest retrograde force of all time." No wonder Obama did not want his bust.
**Pierre Rehov, born and raised in North Africa, is a war reporter and documentary filmmaker specializing in counter-terrorism. His latest film, responding to UNESCO, is "Unveiling Jerusalem".
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute

The Trump Visit to Saudi Arabia: Time for Course Correction
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager/ASharq Al Awsat/May 21/17
US President Donald Trump starts his first overseas trip with three key summits in Saudi Arabia beginning May 20, 2017. This includes a summit between the US and the leadership of the Kingdom, a subsequent US-GCC summit as well as the Arab Islamic American summit bringing together 56 Arab and Muslim leaders. Given its wide scope, and the fact that the President chose Saudi Arabia as the first stop in his maiden overseas trip, the visit has generated high expectations.
The GCC states have generally greeted the Trump presidency positively and expressed cautious optimism about the way forward. For one, the election of a new president in the United States brought to an end the presidency of Barack Obama whose term in office was seen in the Gulf region as increasingly problematic as time went on. While initially sharing the widespread hope of a new era in US policy toward the Middle East as exemplified by President Obama’s Cairo speech in 2009, the enthusiasm waned due to the president’s perceived cautious and even naive approach to the very real challenges the region faces.
In fact, the GCC states see past US policies as being partly responsible for providing a fertile ground for Islamic extremism represented by groups such as the Islamic State, for allowing Iran to greatly expand its influence throughout the Middle East at the expense of the region’s stability, as well as opening the door for a renewed Russian influence in the Middle East that is seen as anything but positive.
Second, early indications are that the Trump administration will take a different approach from that of the preceding one when it comes to the key issues of concern to the GCC states. This includes the fight against extremism and terrorism in all its forms, Iran’s expansionist policies in the region, and the hitherto tepid US approach toward engaging strategically with the GCC states on all levels as a means to stem the current cycle of instability and violence. Saudi officials have stressed that the Kingdom and the United States share similar views and see eye-to-eye on the key issues impacting their relationship.
On these fronts, it is anticipated that the three summit meetings to be held in Riyadh will build on the initial meetings that have so far taken place in Washington when, for example, the Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud, met with President Trump in March 2017 or when UAE Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayid Al Nahyan was received by the President on May 15.
While it is not expected that all problems will be solved or detailed policies agreed upon in all areas, there is an expectation on the GCC side that the statements coming from the new administration will become more concrete and specific. Clearly as far as the Arab Gulf states are concerned, the time for empty rhetoric and false promises is past, as the challenges in the Middle East are simply too real and pressing.
Thus, in order to sustain the initial GCC support for the present US administration, the member states will be looking to the United States to start playing a constructive role in the Middle East with a clear commitment to bring about peace and stability. To move in this direction, the policy approach has to be constructed around four key pillars.
First, the GCC and the US share a wide-ranging commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms. To be sure, the GCC has shared and will continue to share the costs, responsibility and burden in this regard. American officials have repeatedly identified the GCC states as one of the best counterterrorism partners the US has.
Second, there is a need to operationalize the containment policy vis-à-vis Iran on all fronts. This includes Iranian regional expansionism, its support for terrorism, its missile program and nuclear policy. On the nuclear agreement with Iran, the GCC will support the US demands for the need to amend the agreement to achieve the basic objective that Iran will never be able to produce a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, it should be clear that Tehran is expected to stick to the letter as well as the spirit of the accord, which up to this time is not the case.
Yet on this front, the GCC states also do not want to the US to end the agreement without clearly knowing what the alternative is. Overall, there is an urgent need for Iran to be constructive in the region and stop its support for violent non-state actors such as Hizbollah, the Houthis, and the sectarian militias in Iraq which are tearing apart the state framework in the Middle East.
Third, linked to the above, more emphasis needs to be given to maintaining the integrity of the state structures in the region and finding viable ways to stem the growth of militias and violent non-state actors. In the post-Arab Spring phase, the states in the Middle East have been put under pressure from these actors resulting in increased fragmentation and growing extremism and sectarianism. Unless a new approach to counter this development is found quickly, there is little hope for a turning the page towards peace and security in the region.
Fourth, the current Russian expansion into the region has proven to be a negative factor by and large as exemplified by the continuing atrocities in Syria. Yet, Russia’s strength and success has mostly been the result of the weak and indecisive approach taken by the United States up to this stage. The missile strikes on Syria following the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime was an initial powerful signal indicating a shift in the US position. The GCC will need to hear more about what the US is proposing in its regional agenda.
On all these issues, the GCC states stand ready to do their share and fulfill their end of the bargain. For this to happen, however, the summit meetings must produce the sense that there will be concrete changes in policy strategies.
In the end, a common agenda on bringing back security and stability to the Gulf will also bring more tangible economic and business benefits for both the US and the GCC. This will truly produce a win-win situation. But the full benefits will not accrue until a more constructive US policy approach to the region is implemented.

Trump in Riyadh, Game Rules Change
Salman Al-dossary/ASharq Al Awsat/May 21/17
With the landing of US President Donald Trump airplane in King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as his first foreign destination, Obama’s phase in foreign policy reached an end. Choosing Saudi Arabia is a clear sign of the upcoming priorities of the US foreign policy.
This policy is embodied in the role the US administration believes that Riyadh can play in achieving their joint strategy. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz said that the visit will reinforce strategic cooperation and achieve security for the region and world.
Riyadh and Washington are not only betting on correcting bilateral relations but also on enhancing level of coalition between them and returning it to its normal state. This alliance was fulfilled with a joint Saudi-US strategy.
There are four goals behind Trump’s visit and they seem on their way to be achieved.
The first goal is that strategic cooperation with Saudi Arabia is a cornerstone that enables US to reinforce its interests and security. Trump’s administration is aware that terrorism can’t be defeated without the support of the kingdom – the country standing in the frontline at the war against ISIS and al-Qaeda.
Saudi Arabia has proven itself to be the closest security partner of US and the intelligence relations between the two countries since Sep. 11 attacks have protected thousands of Americans and deterred terrorist operations that had US as a target.
The second goal is to help the US public opinion correct its image on Saudi Arabia and its importance in facing terrorism. Without the kingdom, terrorism can’t be besieged and eradicated. This highly important concept is absent and unclear for Americans.
The third goal is related to Trump’s explaining his correct image on Islam. When he wants to clarify his stance towards extremism and not mix it with Muslims then there is no better way than a summit where presidents and heads of the Arab world meet in the land of Makkah and Medina – the two sacred cities.
The fourth goal is to deliver a strict message to the Iranian regime since it is a regime isolated from the majority of the Islamic world and the page of Washington-Tehran rapprochement – during eight years of former administration – has been flipped.
The defensive agreement signed between Riyadh and Washington expressed this clearly – the White House described its goals as defying threats of Iran and regional terrorism as well as supporting the kingdom efforts in confronting terrorism.
The 48 hours Trump will spend in Riyadh will change the rules of the game in the region and world – it is not an official visit like other visits to Riyadh. Barack Obama visited Saudi Arabia four times but none of his visits carried a change or a wish to mend and reform the coalition.
This time, however, Riyadh-Washington ties as well as Arab-Islamic-US ties are expected to come out with a new strategy that contributes in the regional and international security and stability.
Trump is aware of the huge relapse of US in the past eight years and is also aware of the security threats that have doubled on the country and the whole world. For this, he has started rearranging the region’s papers through a visit that carries much symbolism after announcing that he will reconsider the US military role. This doesn’t contradict with his slogan “America First” since without maintaining the interests of the strongest country in the world and reinforcing current coalitions, US position will shake and other powers will replace it. For sure, this is the last thing a great power such as US wants.

4 Reasons Why Trump’s Saudi Visit Is Different
Meghan O'Sullivan/Bloomberg/May 21/17
President Donald Trump prides himself on being unpredictable and, thus, no one knows what to expect of his first trip abroad. But when it comes to the first stop, Saudi Arabia, we can be sure it will be very unlike the visits of past US leaders to Riyadh when it comes to one vital topic: oil.
For decades, petroleum — specifically Saudi oil production — was high on the list of American talking points. But this time around, to the extent that oil figures into the conversation, it will not be about Saudi production, but about investments, joint ventures and the upcoming (maybe) initial public offering of the state-owned oil behemoth Saudi Aramco.
This departure from the past is not — as many Americans may think — because the US no longer imports much oil from Saudi Arabia now that the shale boom has made America an energy superpower again. In fact, despite its own energy prowess, the US continues to import a steady amount of Saudi crude. If one looks from the financial crisis onward, as a percentage of overall US imports (which have declined significantly), Saudi Arabia’s share is on a slightly positive trajectory.
US imports of Saudi crude have not really fluctuated with the ups and downs of the political relationship.
Oil imports from Saudi Arabia fell markedly in 1985 on account of the huge Saudi production cuts in the 1980s, yet the bilateral relationship remained on firm footing. From the Gulf War in 1991 until 2009, US imports of total crude and oil products from Saudi Arabia remained stable, despite the volatility in relations. They were approximately 1.4 million barrels a day following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, when President George H. W. Bush told Prince Bandar, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Washington, “If you ask for help from the United States, we will go all the way with you.”
And they were at similar levels after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when relations were so tense that some US soldiers who had received medals from the Saudi government during the Gulf War reportedly returned them in protest of the primarily Saudi group of terrorists responsible for the tragedies of that day.
In any case, even when oil markets were at their tightest, American leaders never visited Saudi Arabia to ask the kingdom to export more oil to the US. Rather, they would entreat the Saudis to increase overall oil production and add it to the global market — easing pressures on the price, which is set on the global market.
At the moment, such a conversation would be counterproductive: global markets are oversupplied and many view the oil price as too low to be sustainable, although trends are moving in a direction which would firm it up.
There has been a big turn of events, with the US now producing more crude and natural gas liquids.
But the US also loses some leverage now that it is no longer the Saudis’ largest customer. Asia has become far more important as a market for Saudi crude than the Americas. This trend will only strengthen in the coming years.
While the question of leverage is tricky, one thing is clear: The lack of need to press Saudi Arabia to step up oil production, or to increase its capacity to produce more in the future, opens up a big space for Trump and the American delegation to talk about other subjects, particularly critical regional issues and how the US can help Saudi Arabia in its own pressing quest for economic reform.