LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 09/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations
And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 06/12-19/:"Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them."

At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you
Second Letter to the Corinthians 05/20-21.06,01-07/:"We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’ See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;"

Question: "How can I believe in the goodness of God when there is so much evil in the world?"
GotQuestions.org
Answer: The evil in the world did not come from God. If Adam and Eve had only obeyed God, then they may have lived on earth forever, walking with God, tending the garden, working together—what might God’s “Plan A” have been? After they sinned, the created ones were just not on the same page with God anymore. God cannot tolerate sin and has no sin within Himself, so mankind hid from God in guilt and fear. One could perhaps blame Adam and Eve for the evil in the world, as they blamed each other and the serpent; however, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It is safe to say that, had we been in the garden instead of Adam and Eve, we would have sinned in the same way.
God is good in that He has a plan to redeem fallen mankind. The salvation Jesus provides attests to His goodness and love (Romans 5:8). The effect of the Fall is universal, but so also is the offer of divine grace (John 3:16). The Bible clearly indicates the devastating effects of sin upon man and the hopelessness of man in solving his own sin problem. The proper understanding of the doctrine of sin is essential to understanding God’s remedy for it.
God is good in that He has sent His Son “to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Jesus called Satan “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31), which means Satan has been allowed a certain amount of authority over this earth. The blame for the evil in this world should be placed squarely upon Satan. Much is written about the devil—he comes only to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). He is a fierce enemy (1 Peter 5:8). He is a liar and a murderer (John 8:44). By contrast, Jesus is the Good Shepherd who gives His life for the sheep (John 10:11). He is the Lamb of God, sacrificed for us (Revelation 5:6). He is the truth and the life (John 14:6). Jesus is the “seed of the woman” to crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). Jesus is Goodness incarnate.
God is good in that He is implementing a plan to rid the universe of evil once and for all. He is the God of justice, and He will one day make all things right (Psalm 89:14; Revelation 21:5). Sin and evil will be dealt with in perfect judgment (Revelation 20:13). Because of Christ, we have the promise of Romans 16:20, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”
God is good in that He provides for His children (Matthew 6:33). He gives life to all and upholds all things by His wisdom and power (Hebrews 1:3). He is patient with sinners, desiring them to come to repentance and find eternal life (2 Peter 3:9). God gives us eternal life and abundant life now, free from the death penalty of sin (Romans 6:23). He is “rich in mercy” because of “His great love for us” (Ephesians 2:4).
Just picture the Sinless One who created everything, willfully hanging on a cross and spilling His blood for the sin of those who put their faith in Him. Who can charge Him with injustice (Romans 9:14)? Jesus proves God’s love. “Love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).
Recommended Resource: If God, Why Evil?: A New Way to Think about the Question by Norman Geisler

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 08-09/17
Tehran Threatens US Bases As Trump Reshapes Iran Strategy/Jerusalem Post/October 08/17
Trump’s New Policy Will Focus on Iran’s Meddlers/Eli Lake/Bloomberg/October 08/17
Saudi Alliances between Washington and Moscow/Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al Awsat/October 08/17
The Iran Deal Isn't Worth Saving/John R. Bolton/Gatestone Institute/October 08/17
The Czech Donald Trump/"I have stopped believing in multiculturalism."/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/October 08/17

Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on October 08-09/17
Nasrallah: U.S. Backing IS, Wants a Collaborator in Baabda Palace
Al-Sabhan Urges International Anti-Hizbullah Coalition
Berri Says Elections on Time as West 'Warns against New Extension'
Moussawi: Saudi, Israel, U.S., Europe Seeking to Naturalize Syrians in Lebanon
Bassil: We Will Not Allow Syrian Refugee Camps
Bassil from Kherbet Kanafar: We are keen on Syrian State
Israel Breaches Lebanon's Territorial Waters Off Ras Naqoura
Rifi Says Will Wage Parliamentary Elections in Sidon
Tropical Storm Nate Lashes U.S. Gulf Coast
Lebanon claims to have arrested 3 Mossad collaborators
Lebanon’s Civil Movement Protests in Front of Central Bank to Reject Taxes
Meeting in Lebanon’s Ain el-Hilweh Addresses Latest Security Developments
Raad: Salary scale has become a constitutional legitimate right
Sarraf from Tyre: Parliamentary elections to be held on time
Riachi says no wage grid without taxes, Voices opposition to communication with Syrian regime, Says solution lies in UN's sponsoring of refugees' return

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 08-09/17
Saudi King Salman Departs Russia, Thanks Putin for Warm Welcome
Saudi Arabia: Shootout on Western Gate of Al-Salam Palace Leaves Perpetrator Dead
Erdogan Launches Idlib Offensive, Rebel Factions Prepare to Fight Nusra Front
Egypt Arrests 14 Members of Terrorist ‘Hasm’ Group
Protesters Rally against Catalan Independence in Barcelona
Spanish PM won't rule out suspending Catalonia's autonomy
Police rule out terror after car hits pedestrians near London museum
Turkey Trades Border Fire with Nusra-Led Syria Jihadists
Turkey: Ahmed Barakat Admits Killing his Two Relatives
Negotiations between Jordan, Syrian Opposition to Reopen Nassib Border-Crossing
Washington: Sudan Knows What to Do to be Removed from Terror List

Latest Lebanese Related News published on October 08-09/17
Nasrallah: U.S. Backing IS, Wants a Collaborator in Baabda Palace
Naharnet/October 08/17/Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday accused the United States of backing the terrorist Islamic State group in eastern Syria, as he noted that “the Americans are dismayed by President Michel Aoun because they want a collaborator in the Baabda Palace.”“The battle in Syria's Badia region, Deir Ezzor, Mayadeen, al-Boukamal and the Syrian-Iraqi border was inevitable and it is still inevitable because Daesh (IS) will only end through its complete eradication,” said Nasrallah in a televised address commemorating slain Hizbullah commander Ali al-Asheq and slain Hizbullah fighter Mohammed Nassereddine. “Daesh was recently ousted from a lot of cities and towns, and if anyone believes that the battle must stop before reaching the Syrian-Iraqi border, I tell them that Daesh would attack again and would wage wars and battles because this is its only project,” Nasrallah warned.
He added: “Daesh has recently tried to regain the initiative, and had it not been for the heroic confrontations that the Syrian army and resistance fighters fought, it would have been possible for the battle to take another course.” Hizbullah's chief warned that IS is plotting to “return to all the areas it has lost in Syria” and even to the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Arsal.“It is a tumor that should be eradicated,” he underlined.
Accusing Washington of assisting IS militants, Nasrallah charged that “the Americans are trying to prevent and delay the battle against Daesh.”“The U.S. only helps when its allies are the ones who would seize control of the liberated areas,” he said, referring to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces militia and its campaign to seize the IS-held city of Raqa.Recalling the Lebanese Army's recent anti-IS offensive on Lebanon's eastern border, Nasrallah said “the U.S. did not want the presence of Daesh on Lebanon's border to end.”“They pressed the Lebanese state and army, halting military assistance for a while,” he added.Turning to the issue of the looming new U.S. sanctions on Hizbullah, Nasrallah said the measures “will certainly affect Lebanon's economy.” “We back the official Lebanese effort that is trying to protect the economy,” he added. Nasrallah however stressed that the sanctions “will not change anything” in Hizbullah's “course and stance.”Nasrallah also responded to remarks voiced earlier in the day by firebrand Saudi State Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan. “Al-Sabhan's statement is a positive development because it acknowledges that sanctions are not the solution. He also admitted that Hizbullah is a major regional force that can only be confronted through a strict international coalition and this means that seeking Lebanese alliances to confront Hizbullah is something ineffective,” Nasrallah said.
“Regional peace and security can be achieved when Saudi Arabia stops backing Wahhabist groups... Saudi Arabia is preventing security and peace in Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq and Pakistan,” Nasrallah added. “Hizbullah is one of the factors that are achieving regional peace and security, which are being threatened by Saudi Arabia, Israel and America,” he went on to say. Al-Sabhan had earlier tweeted that the expected U.S. sanctions on Hizbullah are a “good” step. “U.S. sanctions against the terrorist militia in Lebanon would be good, but the solution is to form a strict international coalition to confront it and those who work with it, in order to achieve regional security and peace,” al-Sabhan said. Nasrallah also responded to recent remarks attributed to Ed Royce, the U.S. lawmaker behind two new anti-Hizbullah bills that the U.S. Congress is debating.
“Michel Aoun is definitely not an agent of Hizbullah, but what bothers the Americans is that they want a president who is an agent for them and who is subservient to the U.S. Embassy in Awkar,” Nasrallah said. “Aoun represents a popular majority in Lebanon and is a real national guarantee and whatever the Americans say will change nothing,” Nasrallah emphasized. As for the domestic situations, Hizbullah's chief said: “We want security, peace and stability. We want the elections to be held on time, we want the continuation of political dialogue and we want the government to do its job. We want it to address the financial crisis and to implement the new wage scale.”“The hand that will be extended to harm this country will be cut off regardless where it may come from. Those who conspire against this country will only face failure,” Nasrallah warned.

Al-Sabhan Urges International Anti-Hizbullah Coalition
Naharnet/October 08/17/Saudi State Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan on Sunday called for an “international coalition” to confront Hizbullah. “U.S. sanctions against the terrorist militia in Lebanon would be good, but the solution is to form a strict international coalition to confront it and those who work with it, in order to achieve regional security and peace,” the firebrand minister tweeted. Al-Sabhan has launched several anti-Hizbullah diatribes in recent months. According to media reports, an aide to al-Sabhan has been nominated to become Riyadh's new ambassador to Lebanon. “The Lebanese must choose whether they want to support or oppose (Hizbullah), seeing as the blood of Arabs is precious,” al-Sabhan said in a tweet in early September. And in a September 8 tweet, Sabhan said “Iran and its eldest child, Hizbul Shaitan (Hizbullah), are the cradle of terrorism and extremism in the world.”Hizbullah has not issued an official response to the Saudi minister's remarks.

Berri Says Elections on Time as West 'Warns against New Extension'
Naharnet/October 08/17/Speaker Nabih Berri has reassured that the upcoming parliamentary elections will be held on time as Western embassies have reportedly warned against any new extension of the legislature's term. “Holding the elections on time has become a confirmed issue and the polls will definitely be organized, and no one can act against that,” Berri told ad-Diyar newspaper in remarks published Sunday. The speaker hoped the preparations for the electoral juncture will move forward at all levels without any “hurdles or obstacles.”
Western ambassadors in Beirut meanwhile strongly warned Lebanese officials against a new extension of parliament's term, ad-Diyar reported. “European countries and the United States consider Lebanon a democratic country and they want to help it... but the extension of parliament's term represented a blow to democracy in Lebanon and gave a signal to Europe and the U.S. that democracy was deteriorating in Lebanon,” the newspaper quoted the ambassadors as saying.
“Any extension of parliament's term and delay of elections will be a black point for democracy in Lebanon. This will push European countries and the U.S. to deal negatively with Lebanon, stop labeling it a democratic country, and accuse President Michel Aoun's tenure of failing to preserve democracy in Lebanon,” ad-Diyar added.

Moussawi: Saudi, Israel, U.S., Europe Seeking to Naturalize Syrians in Lebanon
Naharnet/October 08/17/MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi of Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance bloc warned Sunday that Saudi Arabia, Israel, the U.S. and Europe are “seeking to naturalize Syrian refugees in Lebanon.”
“Saudi tools are trying to sabotage the situation in Lebanon and its sectarian political structure with the aim of returning the issue of partitioning it to the table once again,” Moussawi cautioned. “Saudi Arabia, the Zionist entity and behind them the U.S. administration are seeking to naturalize Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and the U.S. president's statement at the U.N. about resettlement was not a fleeting word but rather a blatant call for naturalizing Syrian refugees in countries neighboring Syria,” the MP added. He called on the Lebanese people to “realize that the threat of naturalizing Syrian refugees is not a fictional threat but rather a real one, because this is what the U.S. administration and Europe are working on.” “Our responsibility lies in seeking to return Syrian refugees to their country, and accordingly we tell our partners in the government, that if they are keen like us on the survival of Lebanon's entity, formula and structure, they have to realize the importance of working on returning Syrian refugees quickly to their country, before their presence turns into a de facto situation,” Moussawi went on to say. “Everyone can refer to the Palestinian experience,” he added, referring to the continued presence of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon that has been running since 1948. In his speech at the U.N., Trump said that “for the cost of resettling one refugee in the United States, we can assist more than 10 in their home region.”
“We offer financial assistance to hosting countries in the region, and we support recent agreements of the G20 nations that will seek to host refugees as close to their home countries as possible,” Trump added. “We seek an approach to refugee resettlement that is designed to help these horribly treated people, and which enables their eventual return to their home countries, to be part of the rebuilding process,” he said.

Bassil: We Will Not Allow Syrian Refugee Camps
Naharnet/October 08/17/Free Patriotic Movement chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on Sunday stressed that the FPM will not tolerate the creation of Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon. “We will not tolerate today what we had resisted in 2011, which is the creation of Syrian refugee camps,” Bassil emphasized during a tour of the Western Bekaa region. “Syrian citizens have only one route, which is the route that leads to their homeland,” Bassil underlined. He added: “Yes, we are racist Lebanese and at the same time we are open to the world and no one has the right to lecture us about being humanitarian.”More than one million Syrian refugees have flooded into Lebanon since the conflict in their own country erupted in March 2011. They live in homes and informal camps, and their presence has been largely tolerated, despite testing the limited resources and aging infrastructure available to Lebanon's citizens. In recent months, there have been rising calls to repatriate the refugees but also warnings against racist rhetoric.

Bassil from Kherbet Kanafar: We are keen on Syrian State
Sun 08 Oct 2017/NNA - Foreign Affairs Minister, Gibran Bassil, expressed keenness towards the Syrian State, saying, "Lebanon is working for the good of the Syrian people and we are keen on their State, especially that no state can exist while its people are displaced." Bassil, whose words came during a tour in Kherbet Kanafar in West Bekaa on Sunday, added, "We have previously rejected the establishment of camps for the displaced, and today we will reject them once again, especially that the Syrian crisis is coming to a solution." The minister deemed that "no human rights organizations are entitled to talk about Lebanon's humanity." "We care not about the treatises of those living on the theory of international green light," he added, stressing that "the only green light is Lebanon's sovereignty, freedom and independence." Commenting on the legislative elections, Bassil called on West Bekaa residents to cast their votes in the upcoming parliamentary elections. "You have to exercise your right to vote, despite attempts to undermine this right, which has given us the freedom of expression and transparency without any financial, political or security intimidation," said Bassil. He concluded by noting that "some are trying to manipulate the [electoral] reforms that we have agreed upon, which allow voters to vote and participate in any place that they choose."

Israel Breaches Lebanon's Territorial Waters Off Ras Naqoura
Naharnet/October 08/17/An Israeli enemy gunboat violated the Lebanese maritime borders off Ras al-Naqoura sailing to a distance of 240 meters for a period of 2 minutes, Lebanese Army Command said in a communiqué on Saturday. The breach took place at 17:45 on Friday. The Israeli breach is being followed-up in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the communiqué added

Rifi Says Will Wage Parliamentary Elections in Sidon
Naharnet/October 08/17/Former Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi stressed that he will be waging Lebanon's upcoming parliamentary elections that will be staged based on the new electoral law, and pointed out that those who “tailored it have regretted later.”
“Those who tailored the law have regretted it later. They were surprised to see that the calculations they made were wrong. Those who cooked the venom will have it as their food,” said Rifi. His remarks came in a meeting he held with a number of lawyers from Tripoli and the North. “You are all men of law. We are obliged to implement the (electoral) text despite our reservations. We know well that in all countries of the world, the proportional law is better than a majoritarian law, but there are proper ways to implement proportional laws," he added. Rifi remarked that he is going to wage the elections in the districts of Tripoli, al-Menieh, al-Dinniyeh, Akkar, in the second district of Beirut, Akkar, West and Central Bekaa and in Shouf.

Tropical Storm Nate Lashes U.S. Gulf Coast
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 08/17/Tropical storm Nate moved quickly inland from the U.S. Gulf Coast early Sunday after making landfall twice as a powerful hurricane, triggering widespread flooding and power outages. After leaving a trail of death and destruction in Central America, the storm hit the southern United States -- the third hurricane to hit the region in less than two months as part of an especially active hurricane season. More than 100,000 people were without power. Ahead of the storm, officials urged residents to evacuate some vulnerable areas before the storm first made landfall on the southeastern tip of Louisiana on Saturday evening and later hit along the Mississippi coast. At 5:00 am (0900 GMT), the storm had top winds of 70 miles (113 kilometers) per hour and was moving north-northeast at 23 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.
"Rapid weakening anticipated," the NHC said as the storm moved further inland over Mississippi and Alabama. It was expected to track further north through Monday.
It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm and hurricane warnings were discontinued.
'The worst behind us'
"This is a life-threatening situation. Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions," the NHC said. "The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline." Some areas saw storm surge flooding of up to eight feet (2.5 meters). The storm was expected to produce rainfall of up to 10 inches (25.4 centimeters), according to the NHC. In Alabama, Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier said it appeared that most of the local residents had chosen to stay home.
"We have had some homes flooded, numerous vehicles, things of that nature... We don't believe we have had any types of injuries from this," he told CNN. "Fortunately, I can say that in the last hour, I think the worst is now behind us." Alabama Governor Kay Ivey tweeted that she had asked President Donald Trump to issue an emergency declaration "to ensure we have all possible resources in place to respond to #HurricaneNate."Trump has released federal aid to help mitigate the storm's impact in Louisiana and Mississippi. New Orleans, which was ravaged in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, leaving 1,800 people dead in the region, appears to have largely escaped Nate's wrath. The mayor's office lifted a mandatory curfew that had been imposed as a safety measure, saying the hurricane warning for the city was no longer in effect.
Stocking up on supplies
As the storm approached, multiple shelters were opened for evacuees from low-lying areas, and officials urged residents to stock up on several days' supply of food and water. "I lived through Katrina and I know what that was like," said Jackie Daigre, 69, who was buying groceries in preparation for the hurricane at a busy Walmart store, where the shelves of bottled water were picked almost completely bare.
Officials said the recent hurricanes, devastating as they were, actually helped with preparations for Nate, since emergency supplies and assets deployed for the earlier storms were still in place. Still, the resources of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been stretched. The New Orleans levee system has been considerably fortified since Katrina, but authorities warn that it has not completely eliminated flood risks. Unlike Hurricane Harvey, which dumped record amounts of rain as it hovered over neighboring Texas for a week, fast-moving Nate was expected to pass through quickly along a northerly path.
Series of devastating hurricanes
Still, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards had warned that Nate could cause unexpected damage. In neighboring Mississippi, lines formed at gas stations before the storm hit. Off the coast, some oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated.
New Orleans-area power provider Entergy prepositioned repair crews and warned that outages could last up to a week. The United States is recovering from two major hurricanes: Harvey, which tore through Texas and then Louisiana in August, and Irma, which slammed Florida in September. Another powerful storm, Hurricane Maria, ripped through the Caribbean in late September, devastating several islands, including Dominica and Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. When Nate struck Central America on Thursday and Friday, at least 31 people were killed and others were still missing. Intense rains forced thousands from their homes, uprooting trees, knocking out bridges and turning roads into rivers.

Lebanon claims to have arrested 3 Mossad collaborators
Jerusalem Post/October 08/17/One of those arrested reportedly confessed to working with the Mossad.
Lebanese security forces announced Friday night that they arrested three Lebanese nationals for allegedly collaborating with the Israeli Mossad. A Saturday report from the Lebanese, Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar quoted security forces as saying: "The intelligence war between the Israeli and Palestinian security services of Lebanon and Hezbollah continues, as we recently arrested a cell with three Lebanese citizens operating out of the Bourj el-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp and Deir Koubel, a Lebanese village, who were recruited by the Mossad to gather intelligence on the resistance [to Israel]." "A Lebanese security squad managed to dismantle the cell in recent days, with three cell members who have ties to Israel and operated out of Bourj el-Barajneh," the report read. According to Lebanese security, one of the suspects, a school teacher nicknamed "Abbas S." confessed to working with the Mossad. Electronic devices were found in his home. The newspaper added: "A large number of agents of the Israeli Mossad were recently arrested in Lebanon," but did not disclose the number and date of the alleged arrests. Lebanese security forces arrested three men and two women on suspicion of spying for Israel on January 16, the security forces announced at the time. It was also reported that the cell had been in contact with Israeli embassies in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Cell members allegedly admitted they worked with the Mossad and were in contact with Israeli Embassies in Amman, Ankara, London, Kathmandu and Nepal. Two women from India, it was reported at the time, received instructions from Israel to expand the cell.

Lebanon’s Civil Movement Protests in Front of Central Bank to Reject Taxes
Asharq Al-Awsat English/October 08/17/Beirut – The civil movement in Lebanon organized on Saturday a surprise sit-in in front of the Central Bank in Beirut, warning the government against “imposing taxes on the poor.”The sit-in led to the closure of all the entrances of the Central Bank, amid tight security measures. Speaking on behalf of the protestors, lawyer Wassef al-Harakeh said that the movement “chose to gather in front of the Central Bank, because the bank belongs to the state, the nation and the citizen.” “It should assume the responsibility of managing Lebanon’s monetary policy to help the national economy grow,” he stated. Harakeh accused the Central Bank governor of protecting the interests of banks and financial companies at the expense of citizens’ interests, adding that he encouraged banks and “helped them make fictitious profits, conspiring with them to evade the payment of real and serious taxes.”On a different note, Prime Minister Saad Hariri met on Saturday with women participating in a Pedal for Peace campaign, the premier’s office said in a statement. “Lebanon is a country of coexistence, culture, history and beauty, but it may sometimes witness stages of chaos, suffering and hardship,” he said according to the statement. “When you are in Lebanon, you can see the beautiful cities and despite having 18 different sects, we all live together as if we were one person, but sometimes politics divide us,” he stated, “When you go back to your country, you have to tell your friends how beautiful this country is. I hope you will return to Lebanon with your families and friends,” he added. Activist Deta Reagan, who helped organize the venture, praised the beauty of Lebanon. “We have seen the beauty and diversity of Lebanon, and we all want to come back to visit it,” she said. “Our countries have experienced the terrorist attacks in the past few months, but we felt safe and happy in Lebanon.”

Meeting in Lebanon’s Ain el-Hilweh Addresses Latest Security Developments
Asharq Al-Awsat English/October 08/17/Beirut – A Palestinian committee met in the refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon to address the latest developments in the camp. The meeting was held by the “operations room,” a committee that was established in wake of a Palestinian embassy meeting Beirut. Saturday’s meeting was chaired by commander of Palestinian national security in Lebanon and head of the operations room Sobhi Abou Arab. The gatherers also tackled the restructuring of the joint Palestinian force. The committee’s meetings will remain open in order to address all security issues in the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp. The case of fugitives wanted by Lebanese authorities remains the most contentious issue that attracts the attention of the Lebanese and Palestinians alike. Some information said that the fugitives had fled to Syria and Turkey. Lebanese authorities fear that some of the wanted suspects may resort to attacks in Lebanon to “avenge” the expulsion of the ISIS terrorist group and the Nusra Front from the outskirts of the northeastern border region of Arsal.

Raad: Salary scale has become a constitutional legitimate right
Sun 08 Oct 2017/NNA - "Salary scale has become a constitutional legitimate right for employees," Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc Head, MP Mohammad Raad, said on Sunday, noting that the payment of the wage scale cannot be frozen or postponed.
Raad, whose words came during a funeral ceremony in South Lebanon, expected that employees will receive their salaries this month based on the new wage scale, since the tax law will be finalized and endorsed.

Sarraf from Tyre: Parliamentary elections to be held on time
Sun 08 Oct 2017/NNA - Minister of Defense, Yaacoub Sarraf, affirmed Sunday that the legislative elections would take place at their scheduled date.
"The new mandate came with a new electoral law that allows voters the freedom to choose their candidates rather than following them blindly," Minister Sarraf said during his participation in a Mass service at St. Thomas Cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Church in Tyre. He added, "It is time for Lebanese political work to rise up to the level of projects instead of persons." "These elections will witness a great turnout, and the result will be better for all of Lebanon since representation will be more comprehensive," asserted Sarraf.

Riachi says no wage grid without taxes, Voices opposition to communication with Syrian regime, Says solution lies in UN's sponsoring of refugees' return
Sun 08 Oct 2017/NNA - Information Minister Melhem Riachi disclosed Sunday that the Lebanese Forces Party agreed to the taxes issue, in order to secure finances for the salaries and ranks series. "The salary grid cannot be secured without the necessary taxes to finance it, otherwise Lebanon would become another Greece," Riachi explained. Speaking in an interview to "LBCI" TV Channel, the minister considered that approving the new taxes would be good news for the Lebanese since that would finance the wage grid, sparing Lebanon an economic collapse. According to him, taxes imposed on bank profits were not sufficient to finance the grid. Moreover, he indicated that all new taxes were realistic and not harmful to the people. Riachi urged citizens to show understanding regarding this matter, noting, "the position of the Lebanese Forces is clear in this respect, as without taxes there can be no salary grid."
"There are two ways to build the State, either by one strike or by gradually working towards its construction through putting an end to corruption and waste expenditure, which is the basic plan and main goal for the Lebanese Forces," he added.
"Changing the political class is the responsibility of the citizen," Riachi went on, considering that citizens must shoulder the responsibility of changing the corrupt political class by casting their convictions within ballot boxes. Over the Syrian refugees' issue, Riachi stated that his Party opposed any communication with the Syrian regime, which he said had committed several massacres in Lebanon. The Information Minister considered that it would be better to negotiate with the United Nations to ensure the return of refugees to their homeland. "In fact, negotiating with the Syrian regime is useless. The United Nations could sponsor the return of refugees to safe areas, protected by security forces," he underscored. Riachi deemed that the refugees and displaced issue was a non-political humanitarian case, recalling herein that his Party had opposed the method by which refugees had flooded into Lebanon. However, he asserted that this does not mean pushing them towards death! Addressing the relationship between the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement, Riachi said that reconciliation between both sides was an achievement that ensured the election of the President of the Republic and the elimination of hatred between two political components. He concluded that there would be no break-up in said relation, describing it as a "Maronite marriage".

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on October 08-09/17
Saudi King Salman Departs Russia, Thanks Putin for Warm Welcome
Asharq Al-Awsat English/October 08/17/Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz concluded on Sunday his official visit to Russia, thanking in a cable President Vladimir Putin for the warm reception, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). He said: “I leave your friendly country by offering my greatest gratitude for the reception the accompanying delegation and I received.”“The joint talks we held confirm the determination to go ahead and bolster ties between our countries in all fields,” he added. It confirms a determination to continue coordination and consultations on issues of joint interest in a manner that serves the interest of both friendly nations and peoples and international security and peace, stressed the monarch in his cable. He also hoped that the Russian people will witness continued prosperity and growth.

Saudi Arabia: Shootout on Western Gate of Al-Salam Palace Leaves Perpetrator Dead
Asharq Al-Awsat English/October 08/17/Jeddah – Saudi security authorities announced on Saturday the death of two security officers on duty and the injury of three others during a shootout at the outer western gate of Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah. The perpetrator, Saudi national Mansour al-Amiri, 28, was killed after he drove up to the gates and shot at security. Major General Mansour al-Turki, security spokesman at the Saudi Interior Ministry, said that the incident took place at about 03:25 AM (00:25 GMT). A guard post outside at the western gate of Al-Salam Palace came under fire by a person who stepped out of a Honda vehicle, and was immediately dealt with by the Royal Guard resulting in the offender’s immediate death, sated Turki. He explained that the “cowardly action resulted in the martyrdom of Sergeant Hammad Bin Shallah Al-Mutairi and Private First Class Abdullah Bin Faisal Al-Sibei.”Meanwhile, the injured royal guard personnel included Corporal Waleed Bin Ali Shaami, Private First Class Ahmed Saleh Al-Qarni and Private First Class Abdullah Hindi Al-Sibei. Al-Amri had in his possession three Molotov cocktails in addition to a Kalashnikov machinegun. Turki explained that security authorities are still conducting their investigations, the results of which will be announced later. The offender has no recorded precedents and no intelligence suggested his involvement with any extremist or terrorist groups, indicating that he may be a “lone wolf.”The US consulate in Jeddah, west of Saudi Arabia, called on US citizens to exercise caution in the vicinity of the Al-Salam palace. “Several news outlets are reporting an attack against Al-Salam Palace Saturday in Jeddah,” the consulate said on its website. “Due to the possibility of ongoing police activity, American citizens are advised to exercise caution when traveling through the area.”

Erdogan Launches Idlib Offensive, Rebel Factions Prepare to Fight Nusra Front
Asharq Al-Awsat English/October 08/17/Ankara, Beirut – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a “major military operation” in Syria’s northwestern province Idlib. The offensive is led by rebel factions belonging to the Free Syrian Army but with the support of Turkish forces and Russian air support to fight off Tahrir al-Sham factions, among which is al-Nusra Front. “There’s a serious operation in Syria’s Idlib today and it will continue,” Erdogan said in a speech to his AK Party on Saturday, adding that Turkey would not allow a “terror corridor” on its border with Syria.
“For now the Free Syrian Army is carrying out the operation there,” he said. “Russia is supporting the operation from the air, and our armed forces from inside Turkey’s borders.”Late on Saturday, Turkey deployed tanks and military vehicles on the its Syrian border, building up military presence, a Reuters witness said. Erdogan told reporters after the meeting that Russia supports the operation from the air while supported by Turkish soldiers from within the Turkish border. “As for the Russians, they will not have a role in the areas of our control at all. The role of the Russians is limited to areas under regime control,” he said.
Ankara, Moscow and Tehran announced a deal last month to establish and patrol a “de-escalation” zone in the Idlib region, where Erdogan has said Turkey will deploy troops.Turkey’s foreign minister said late on Saturday that Turkey aimed to prevent clashes in Idlib. “Russian and Iranian observers will be in some regions here, and we will have our observers inside Idlib. Of course they will be in safe places so there will be no risks,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters. More so, Erdogan said that his country is currently taking a new step to achieve security in Idlib as part of its efforts to expand the scope of the “Euphrates Shield”. He pointed out to the presence of serious action currently taking place in Idlib to achieve security. In the same context, the Turkish army deployed a large number of special forces and armored military vehicles, which were sent over the past week to the town of Reyhanlı, a town and district of Hatay Province, on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, near the country’s border with Syria.

Egypt Arrests 14 Members of Terrorist ‘Hasm’ Group
Asharq Al-Awsat English/October 08/17/Egypt announced on Saturday the arrest of 14 members of the terrorist Hasm organization. The Interior Ministry said that the detainees include one of its leaders in the Menoufiya province in the Nile Delta region. They were planning on carrying out several terrorist attacks, said the ministry in a statement on its Facebook page. The arrests were made following information received by the national security that said that the Hasm leaders had tasked the group’s members in Menoufiya to reactivate armed operations and prepare terrorist attacks in order to destabilize the country. Leading member of the group Sami Abdulhamid Abdulaal was arrested in the consequent security operation. Authorities also succeeded in unearthing the locations of various Hasm cells, detaining 13 terrorists. The Hasm movement had announced its responsibility for the murder of several Egyptian policemen in the past few months. The police in return announced that a number of members of the terror group were killed in various security raids throughout the country.

Erdogan Discusses with Macron Mediation Plan between Irbil, Baghdad
Asharq Al-Awsat English/October 08/17/Ankara, Irbil – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held telephone talks on Saturday with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on the latest developments in the aftermath of the Kurdish independence referendum. Turkish sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the two officials addressed Macron’s initiative to mediate between Irbil and Baghdad. For his part, Erdogan stressed Turkey’s commitment to the unity of Iraq and Syria. Ankara had voiced its support for France’s initiative, saying however that it was not enough to resolve the crisis caused by the referendum.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had held talks in Paris on Thursday with French FM Jean-Yves Le Drian on the Kurdish developments. He expressed Turkey’s support for all efforts that would resolve the problem, noting however that a single country alone cannot resolve this issue. Baghdad and Ankara had openly rejected the referendum. The problem should be resolved through the Iraqi constitution, added Cavusoglu. He also demanded that the Kurdistan region set a deadline for backing down from the “erroneous” referendum. Erdogan urged during a meeting for his Justice and Development Party Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani to also go back on the vote “otherwise you will be alone and isolated.”He said that Turkey is determined to stand against all powers that are threatening its internal and external security. Barzani meanwhile announced on Saturday that Irbil will not close the door against dialogue with Baghdad. “Kurdistan always wants to resolve its differences with Baghdad through dialogue. We want to end problems with it through negotiations,” he added while placing a wreath of flowers on the tomb of late Iraqi President Jalal Talbani in the city of al-Suleimanieh. Iraqi Vice President Iyad Allawi revealed that efforts are ongoing to resolve disputes between the two sides. Barazani and Allawi had held a meeting in al-Suleimanieh to address the latest Iraqi developments. This marks that first meeting between an Iraqi and Kurdish official since the September 25 referendum. An overwhelming majority of Kurds voted in favor of independence.

Protesters Rally against Catalan Independence in Barcelona
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 08/17/Ten of thousands of flag-waving demonstrators packed central Barcelona on Sunday to rally against plans by separatist leaders to declare Catalonia independent following a banned secession referendum.
Catalans calling themselves a "silent majority" opposed to leaving Spain broke their silence after a week of mounting anxiety over the country's worst political crisis in a generation. The crowd waved both Spanish and Catalan flags and chanted "Viva Espana! Viva Catalonia" as they made their way through the streets of Barcelona under a clear blue sky. "We have perhaps been silent too long," Alejandro Marcos, 44, told AFP. "It seems that the one who yells the most wins the argument. So we have to raise our voices and say loud and clear that we do not want independence."Some protesters called for the region's separatist president Carles Puigdemont to go to jail for holding a vote on independence in defiance of the Spanish government and courts.
"The unity of Spain cannot be voted on or negotiated -- it must be defended," read one sign in the crowd.
Rajoy's stern warning
Recent polls had indicated that Catalans are split on independence, though leaders said the violence during the referendum turned many against the state authorities. On the eve of the rally, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy issued a stern warning to Catalan leaders who have said they could declare independence this week. He did not rule out suspending Catalonia's regional autonomy -- a move that could risk sparking unrest.
"I rule out absolutely nothing that is allowed for under the law," he said in an interview with El Pais newspaper. "The ideal would be not to have to take drastic measures," he said. "I would like this threat of a declaration of independence to be withdrawn as quickly as possible."
Calls for dialogue
Sunday's rally came exactly one week after the contested vote that has triggered Spain's worst political crisis in decades. The slogan for the demonstration -- organized by the Societat Civil Catalana, the main anti-independence group in Catalonia -- is: "Enough, let's recover good sense!"On Saturday tens of thousands of demonstrators, many dressed in white, hit the streets of Madrid and other cities across Spain to demand dialogue to end the dispute.
'Still time'
Tensions soared after police cracked down on voters during the banned October 1 independence referendum, prompting separatist leaders to warn they would unilaterally declare independence. Tentative signs emerged Friday that the two sides may be seeking to defuse the crisis after Madrid offered a first apology to Catalans injured by police during the vote. But uncertainty still stalks the country as Catalan leaders have not backed off from plans to declare the region independent. Puigdemont is scheduled to address the regional parliament on Tuesday evening. It remains unclear what he plans to say, although some separatist leaders hope he will use the opportunity to make a declaration of independence. Rajoy in the interview assured Catalan leaders that there "is still time" to backtrack and avoid triggering a tough response from the central government in Madrid.
'Break a people'
With its own language and cultural traditions, demands for independence in Catalonia date back centuries but have surged during recent years of economic difficulty.
The latest crisis has raised fears of unrest in Catalonia, a northeastern region about the size of Belgium that is home to 7.5 million people and which accounts for a fifth of Spain's economy. Scenes of Spanish police beating unarmed voters in the October 1 referendum caused international shock. "I am very happy. To see so many people that think like me… some of us have felt very lonely and frustrated for a long time," said Angelo Rossini Calvo, 38, who attended the march with his mother and a group of friends. He said he felt the separatist lawmakers did not have a big enough majority in the Catalan parliament to justify the referendum.
Business pressure
The Catalan government on Friday published final results from the referendum indicating that 90 percent of voters backed the proposal to break away from Spain.
Turnout was 43 percent as Catalans who reject independence largely boycotted the polls. The vote was not held according to official electoral standards as there was no regular voter list, electoral commission or observers. Dozens more protesters got off the morning train from Madrid at Barcelona's Sants station to join the protests on Sunday.
"A lot of ordinary Catalans felt under pressure so we decided to come and support our compatriots and show them that they are not alone," said Juan Gil-Casares, 33, who works in Madrid and traveled up with his family.

Spanish PM won't rule out suspending Catalonia's autonomy
Sun 08 Oct 2017/NNA - Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says he won't rule out suspending Catalonia's regional autonomy if its leaders continue to threaten a declaration of independence. "I don't rule out anything," Rajoy said in an interview with the daily newspaper El Pais Sunday when asked about applying the constitutional provision that allows the suspension. "But I must do things at the proper time... I would like the threat of an independence declaration to be withdrawn as quickly as possible," Rajoy said in his first interview with a major newspaper since an outlawed referendum was held on October 1. "The ideal would be not to have to take drastic measures," he said. Since holding the referendum, in which Catalonia said an overwhelming number of those who voted chose independence, the wealthy northeast region's leaders have vowed to make a declaration of independence. In the interview Rajoy assured Catalan leaders that there "is still time" to backtrack and avoid triggering a tough response from the central government in Madrid. The prime minister reiterated his refusal "to discuss the unity of the country" stressing that in any case "we don't talk under threat".
Commenting on widely-criticised police violence during the referendum, Rajoy said that "some mistakes were made" but that the fundamental error had been committed by his adversaries, who have put "national sovereignty" in danger. ---AFP

Police rule out terror after car hits pedestrians near London museum
Sun 08 Oct 2017/NNA - A car crash that injured 11 people outside a major London tourist attraction Saturday sparked fears of a terrorist attack but turned out to be simply a traffic accident, London police said. The accident at 2:20 p.m. outside the popular Natural History Museum in the heart of central London brought a gigantic police response, including helicopters and hazardous area response teams, because of terrorist concerns. Police said 11 people were injured when a car apparently mounted the pavement and hit pedestrians. Nine people were hospitalized with head and leg injuries that were not judged to be life-changing. Panicky scenes ensued after the pedestrians were struck and it took nearly four hours for police to reassure the anxious public that it was not another terrorist attack. Britons in general, and Londoners in particular, have been jumpy after a string of extremist attacks this year, including deadly attacks using vehicles to hit pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and London Bridge. Britain has been on a "severe" terrorist threat level indicating that the Joint Terrorism Analysis Center believes an attack is viewed as highly likely. Police said one man at the scene, thought to be the driver, was detained. He has not been charged or identified. Witnesses described a rush to leave the scene, nearby shops were evacuated and the sprawling museum, a favourite site for families with children, closed down early. Police established a large security cordon around the area within minutes.
Workers in a cafe near the Natural History Museum say they fled the scene in fear. Marilin Mueller, 20, said she thought at first it was a traffic accident but had doubts when "loads of police cars" arrived. "All of these police came marching down saying, 'Move, move.' They said, 'you need to evacuate,"' she said. Dieon Rurora said people were running down the street to get away and some fell. "It was quite scary," he said. One woman draped in a red blanket was led away by a paramedic after the crash. Others were seen leaving with their legs bandaged. The crash took place on a day when the central London museum district was teeming with pedestrians. Photographs showed a dented silver car and a man being pinned to the ground outside the museum. A police forensics officer in blue coveralls took pictures of the crash site. London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted that he was in close contact with Assistant Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, who plays a lead role in the police's counter-terrorism operation. The Natural History Museum closed after the crash but its neighbour, the famed Victoria and Albert Museum, remained open. British Prime Minister Theresa May thanked the first responders and the public for their help and said her thoughts were with the injured. --- AP

Turkey Trades Border Fire with Nusra-Led Syria Jihadists
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 08/17/Turkish troops on Sunday exchanged fire with Syria-based jihadists as Ankara massed military vehicles on the frontier ahead of an expected operation to oust al-Qaida's former Syrian affiliate from Idlib province. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday announced the launch of an operation by pro-Ankara Syrian rebel forces, backed by the Turkish army, to reimpose security in Idlib. Most of the northwestern region is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group led by al-Qaida's former Syria affiliate, which ousted more moderate rebels in recent months. Turkey has massed special forces and military hardware including tanks on the border but the operation has yet to begin in earnest, monitors and sources on the ground said. But Turkish forces fired seven mortars over the border with the aim of easing the passage of the pro-Ankara Syrian forces, the Dogan news agency reported. Turkish forces have also been seen removing parts of the security wall Ankara has built on the border so that military vehicles can pass through into Syria. Pro-government media said that the operation was now into its "second day" and it was not immediately clear what the Turkish military's next move would be.
'HTS warns'
On Sunday morning, HTS jihadists opened fire on Turkish forces removing part of a wall along the border between Turkey and Idlib, witnesses and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. The Observatory reported "heavy exchanges of fire", but said the incident did not appear to mark the start of the operation Erdogan described on Saturday. Turkish armored vehicles and troops were waiting on the border, from where smoke could be seen from the mortar fire, an AFP photographer said. Television images showed locals in the Turkish border town of Reyhanli in Hatay province cheering as more armored vehicles were driven through the town overnight.
Ankara appears keen to oust the HTS from Idlib in order to create a de-escalation zone into which it can send military monitors to implement a ceasefire. Turkey, along with Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran, earlier this year agreed a deal to implement four such ceasefire zones in Syria as a prelude to talks on a peace deal. The zone encompassing Idlib is the last one to go into effect, and its implementation has been held up by fierce opposition from HTS. On Saturday, the group warned "treacherous factions that stand by the side of the Russian occupier" should only enter the area if they want "their mothers to be bereaved, their children to be orphaned, their wives to be widowed."
Tomorrow Afrin'
urkey earlier this year wrapped up its half year Euphrates Shield operation against jihadists and Kurdish militia in Aleppo province that involved both the Turkish army and Syrian rebels. The Hurriyet daily said the pro-Ankara forces involved in this operation, which Turkey calls the Free Syrian Army (FSA), would be the same as in Euphrates Shield. "Since summer, Turkey has been reorganizing those rebels and pulling them into a new politico-military structure that is supposed to be more cohesive," said Aron Lund, fellow with The Century Foundation think tank. Turkey is working in cooperation with Russia, even though they have been at loggerheads throughout the over six-year Syrian civil war, with Moscow backing the regime and Ankara the rebels seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad. After meeting Erdogan in Ankara on September 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the right conditions now existed to end the war that has killed an estimated 330,000 people since 2011. Turkey has also long warned it could also move against the People's Protection Units (YPG) Kurdish militia who control Afrin to the east and which Ankara considers a terror group. Erdogan on Saturday warned that "new initiatives" would follow after the Idlib operation. "Today Idlib, tomorrow Afrin," said the headline in the Yeni Safak daily, describing the deployment as a "peace operation."

Turkey: Ahmed Barakat Admits Killing his Two Relatives
Asharq Al-Awsat English/October 08/17/Ankara – A Turkish court has ordered the imprisonment of Ahmed Barakat, who admitted to killing Syrian opposition activist Orouba Barakat and her daughter, journalist Halla Barakat, whose bodies were found three weeks ago inside their home in Istanbul. The man was arrested on charges of “premeditated murder,” after he confessed at his trial before a court in Istanbul that he killed his two relatives. “I killed Orouba and Halla Barakat. I accept my charges. Both of them are my relatives,” local media quoted him as saying. Barakat said that he decided to come to Turkey following the death of his father and brother in the war in Syria. He added that his relative Orouba helped him find work with a construction company, but he later left the job after failing to receive fair wages. In his testimony, Ahmed said that on the night of the murder, he came to Orouba’s home to claim his wages. When Orouba did not give him the money, he stabbed her, before stabbing Orouba’s daughter Halla, who entered the house and started screaming after seeing her mother covered in blood. He then fled to Bursa after the murder. He was arrested by police on September 30 and was later transferred to Istanbul for further questioning. The Crime Office in Istanbul discovered that the man poured washing powders on the bodies and wrapped them in blankets to erase the DNA traces of the killer. Security sources said the preliminary investigation did not show links between the murderer and a terrorist organization or the Syrian regime’s intelligence.

Negotiations between Jordan, Syrian Opposition to Reopen Nassib Border-Crossing
Asharq Al-Awsat English/October 08/17/Beirut – Negotiations between the Jordan government and Syrian opposition factions have intensified in recent days ahead of the reopening of the Nassib border-crossing with Syria. The Jordanian government is working on renovating the crossing ahead of its official reopening in early 2018, two years after its closure. Head of the Yarmouk Army politburo Bashar al-Zoghby said that the Jordanian authorities consulted with the Syrian factions in the south of the war-torn country over the possibility of reopening the crossing. He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “We agreed to the possibility, but with conditions. The most important one is keeping away any regime military or security presence away from the crossing.”He said that the factions do not object to civilian powers managing the crossing. The Yarmouk Army controls the Nassib crossing from the Syrian side of the border. Zoghby added that negotiations over reopening the crossing are still in their early stages. “The only way the regime can reach the crossing is through war. It has tried the war for years and it has not made any gains from it,” he noted. The efforts to reopen the crossing coincided with a visit paid by Syrian Defense Minister Fahd Jassem al-Freij to one of the military positions in the Quneitra province. It also took place amid a warning by an opposition military commander in the South against the regime over amassing the military in the area. Jordan and Syria are connected through both the Nassib and Daraa crossings. In Quneitra, Freij said that the conflict in Syria is part of the 1973 war against Israel and its agents. “Every victory achieved by the regime and its allies in this war is a completion of the victory made in the 1973 against the Zionist entity,” he said. Syrian opposition factions made light of Freij’s visit, saying that it was an attempt to lift the morale of the forces deployed there. “These forces have not accomplished any victory in the area,” said commander of the southern alliance in Quneitra Qassem Najm. The timing of the visit coincides with the 1973 war that took place on October 6. “During the war, Hafez al-Assad sold the Golan Heights to Israel in exchange for cementing his power in Syria,” Najm told Asharq Al-Awsat. “This visit will not change the reality on the ground where the rebels have the upper hand,” he declared.

Washington: Sudan Knows What to Do to be Removed from Terror List
Asharq Al-Awsat English/October 08/17/Khartoum, Cairo – Senior US Envoy for Sudan said on Saturday that the African country “knows well” what it should do in order to be removed from Washington’s list of states sponsoring terrorism. US charge d’affaires to Khartoum Steven Koutsis said: “The government of Sudan knows fully well what it has to do to remove it from the list and we hope that those conditions will come soon.” He noted that conditions have to be “right” for holding talks with Khartoum on removing it from Washington’s blacklist of terrorism sponsors. Last week, the US announced ending its 20-year-old trade embargo on the east African country, while keeping it on the list of states sponsoring terrorism. “This is something that both sides are keenly willing to discuss, but we have to be certain that conditions are right for discussions to remove (Sudan) from the list,” Koutsis said at a press conference at the US mission in Khartoum. Sudanese officials stressed that their country’s designation on the blacklist has created difficulties in seeking exemption from external debt, a factor that is preventing the growth of the local economy. The United States imposed economic sanctions on Khartoum in 1997 on charges of supporting extremist groups, including al Qaeda, whose late leader, Osama bin Laden, resided in Sudan from 1992 to 1996.  Former US President Barack Obama relaxed sanctions in January 2017 stating that they would be finally lifted six months later. His successor, Donald Trump, extended the deadline until October 12. With the lifting of the embargo, Koutsis predicted that US companies would become more interested in trading with Sudan. “But companies will definitely make business decisions based on the level of risk, and will look at the various aspects of potential investment in Sudan,” he said.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 08-09/17
Tehran Threatens US Bases As Trump Reshapes Iran Strategy
Jerusalem Post/October 08/17
"If America's new law for sanctions is passed, this country will have to move their regional bases outside the 2,000 km range of Iran's missiles," warns Revolutionary Guards Corps chief.
BEIRUT/DUBAI - Iran warned the United States against designating its Revolutionary Guards Corp as a terrorist group and said U.S. regional military bases would be at risk if further sanctions were passed.
The warning came after the White House said on Friday that President Donald Trump would announce new US responses to Iran's missile tests, support for "terrorism" and cyber operations as part of his new Iran strategy.
"As we've announced in the past, if America's new law for sanctions is passed, this country will have to move their regional bases outside the 2,000 km range of Iran's missiles," Guards' commander Mohammad Ali Jafari said, according to state media.
Jafari also said that additional sanctions would end the chances for future dialog with the United States, according to state media, and issued a stark warning to American troops.
"If the news is correct about the stupidity of the American government in considering the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group, then the Revolutionary Guards will consider the American army to be like Islamic State all around the world particularly in the Middle East," Jafari said.
The Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are Iran's most powerful internal and external security force. The Quds Force, the IRGC's foreign espionage and paramilitary wing, and individuals and entities associated with the IRGC are on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations, but the organization as a whole is not.
Iran sees the Sunni Muslim militants of Islamic State as an existential threat to the Islamic Republic where the majority of the population are Shi'ites.
On June 7, Islamic State claimed an attack on Tehran's parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, killing 18 people. The Guards fired missiles at Islamic State bases in Syria on June 18 in response.
Guards commanders have framed their military involvement in Iraq and Syria, where they are fighting to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad, as a fight against Islamic State.
Dozens of members of the Guards, including senior commanders, have been killed in Syria and Iraq.
MISSILE PROGRAM
The website for state TV reported Jafari as adding that the United States was mistaken if it thought it could pressure Iran into negotiating on regional issues.
Jafari also said that Tehran would ramp up its defense capabilities, including its missile program, if the US undermined a nuclear deal between Iran and Western powers.
Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to limit its disputed nuclear program in return for the easing of economic sanctions.
However, Trump is expected to announce soon that he will decertify the deal, a senior administration official has said, in a step that potentially could cause the accord to unravel.
"The Americans should know that the Trump government's stupid behavior with the nuclear deal will be used by the Islamic Republic as an opportunity to move ahead with its missile, regional and conventional defense program," Jafari said, according to state media.
The prospect of Washington backtracking on the deal has worried some of the US allies that helped negotiate it, especially as the world grapples with another nuclear crisis in the shape of North Korea.
If Trump does not certify that Iran is in compliance, the U.S. Congress will have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions waived under the deal. U.N. inspectors have verified Iranian compliance with the terms.
The Guards navy was also carrying out a military exercise on Sunday in the Gulf, an area of tension with the US navy in recent months.
More than 110 vessels were involved in the exercise, including some that have rocket and missile capabilities, a state media report quoted a Guards commander as saying.

Trump’s New Policy Will Focus on Iran’s Meddlers
Eli Lake/Bloomberg/October 08/17
After more than nine months in office, President Donald Trump finally has an Iran policy.
Last month before the opening of the UN General Assembly, Trump approved the long-awaited strategy to deal with Iran, according to administration officials. These officials tell me it will outline a new aggressive approach to countering Iranian threats all over the globe and endeavor to use the leverage of Trump’s threats over the Iran nuclear deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to spur US allies to begin to address its flaws. On Wednesday at a press conference to dispel news reports that he considered quitting his post over the summer, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hinted the new policy was coming. Speaking of the Iran nuclear agreement, he said, “the JCPOA represents only a small part of the issues we have to address with Iran.”
The centerpiece of Trump’s new Iran strategy will be the designation of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, placing it in the same category as al-Qaeda and ISIS. Congress mandated this designation over the summer, but allowed Trump to waive the requirement.
The designation would be significant. The Revolutionary Guard in Iran controls a large portion of the state’s economy. Iranian economist and businessman Bijan Khajehpour, in an article in al-Monitor in August, estimated that the guard was responsible for 15 percent of Iran’s gross domestic product. (He also acknowledged that it’s difficult to arrive at a precise statistic because there are no official statistics on the web of companies it controls and its stake in enterprises with state and semi-state entities in Iran’s economy.) The designation of the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization could create problems for foreign companies seeking to invest in Iran. While the Treasury Department under President Barack Obama issued rules requiring private companies to do due diligence and avoid investment in the Revolutionary Guard, the rules were weakened in the final months of the administration. The new designation will make life harder for those companies.
“It’s important because it means if you are doing business with Iran in key sectors of its economy, you run a significant risk you are doing business with a terrorist organization,” Mark Dubowitz, the executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told me this week.
The designation of the Revolutionary Guard is one element of what administration officials have described as a whole-government approach to pushing back against Iran’s regional aggression. This includes a new policy on countering Iran’s threats to shipping lanes in the Arab Gulf and particularly the threat of anti-ship missiles and the harassment of US Navy vessels. It will include a new emphasis on countering Iranian networks inside Latin America; Iran’s development of ballistic missiles; Iranian human rights violations against its own citizens; and support for terrorist groups and proxies in the Middle East.
Two US intelligence officials tell me that an element of the strategy that will not be publicized includes a ramping up of intelligence operations against the Revolutionary Guard and other Iranian proxies like “Hezbollah” in the Middle East.
Already, CIA Director Mike Pompeo has approved new authorities for US intelligence officers to begin tracking and targeting Iranian agents abroad. These kinds of programs include psychological operations, such as placing funds in secret accounts belonging to Iranian officers in order to create the impression such officers are working for foreign powers.
Obama wound many of these programs down in his second term, particularly after the formal negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal began in 2013. Pompeo is winding them back up, according to these officials. As The New York Times reported in June, Pompeo has placed the CIA officer, nicknamed the “dark prince,” who led the hunt for Osama bin Laden, in charge of the agency’s Iran operations. Despite the administration’s crystallizing policy on Iran, US officials tell me there is still no formal plan on how to secure Syrian and Iraqi territory after the ISIS is driven out. This is particularly important in Syria today as Iran’s proxies and the Revolutionary Guard have already begun to take over some of these areas as the war against ISIS has turned. In Iraq, militias loyal to the Revolutionary Guard still play a key part in the state’s war against the terrorist group. Since 2014, the US has at times provided air support in operations that include these militias. Dubowitz told me that for now he is assessing how comprehensive the new effort against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard will be. “I’m looking for measures that will drain the Guard Corps’ resources and have an economic impact on their funding of aggression abroad and patronage networks at home,” he said. If Dubowitz gets his wish, it’s likely the Iranians themselves will accuse Trump of violating the nuclear deal forged by his predecessor, and threaten to pull out. Unlike Obama, Trump would probably consider that a favor.

Saudi Alliances between Washington and Moscow
Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al Awsat/October 08/17
Hours after Moscow’s announcement that Saudi Arabia is interested in purchasing the most advanced Russian air defense system, the S-400, Washington declared that the American government agreed to sell the advanced THAAD missile defense system to the kingdom. This means that Riyadh has obtained the two most advanced air defense systems in the world to add to its military systems.
More important than the military deal is the political one that the Saudi government is making with the two rivals in the east and west. Saudi Arabia has the unique ability, shared with a few countries in the world, to deftly grasp the lines of alliance between the two rivals, who eye each other suspiciously whenever anyone cooperates with the other. It is only natural that neither Washington nor Moscow would want any partner to cooperate with their rival, as voiced by the Pentagon when it expressed its concern that many countries that the US considers as its ally, such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, are buying military equipment from Russia. These stances are made out of understandable political, economic and commercial considerations. A country such as Saudi Arabia, which has a deep political heritage and a balanced and sound diplomacy, could not have struck deals with two of the world’s greatest powers without hurting its interests somewhere. This was voiced by the US after the THAAD deal was made, which could be interpreted as an American political message to Riyadh that it does not oppose its partnership with Moscow, albeit reluctantly.
Riyadh realizes very well that solidifying its ties with Moscow does not mean abandoning its historic ally, the US. The Riyadh-Washington ties are much deeper and more important strategically. Improving ties with Russia means that the kingdom is seeking national interests away from narrow alliances in their traditional sense. These alliances expired with Riyadh’s opting to expand its future options and exploiting Russian efforts to regain its role in the world in areas it had power in the past.
Riyadh’s actions are taking place at a time when the international scene is witnessing major changes with world powers where even the US’ major traditional European allies are seeking to improve their ties with Moscow. This is in contrast to the past when turning to the east used to be considered taboo. Despite their current shift to the east, the European powers have maintained their strong alliances with Washington. We also cannot overlook the turbulence affecting the ties among world powers caused by their differences over various contentious crises, such as the Ukraine conflict and regional issues related to Iran, Syria, Iraq and Libya. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s visit to Moscow has opened the doors wide for a meeting of Saudi and Russian visions. No one can prevent Riyadh from seeking contact with influential world powers in order to improve its interests, partnerships and investments. This will in turn garner it additional support and allow it to preserve its current alliances and balances, which would serve its security and stability. It will also preserve regional and international security and stability. This is an equation that Riyadh has been able to achieve in a manner that few other countries have been successful in over the past seven decades. Whether Saudi Arabia turns to the east or west and whether it cements its strategic alliance with Washington or opens new horizons with Moscow, Riyadh has the political and economic tools to allow it to continue to solidify its position among major players without harming its interests and those of its partners no matter where they may be.

The Iran Deal Isn't Worth Saving
John R. Bolton/Gatestone Institute/October 08/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11123/iran-deal-not-worth-saving
"Cut, and cut cleanly," Sen. Paul Laxalt advised Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, urging the Philippine president to resign and flee Manila because of widespread civil unrest. The Nevada Republican, Ronald Reagan's best friend in Congress, knew what his president wanted, and he made the point with customary Western directness.
President Trump could profitably follow Mr. Laxalt's advice today regarding Barack Obama's 2015 deal with Iran. The ayatollahs are using Mr. Obama's handiwork to legitimize their terrorist state, facilitate (and conceal) their continuing nuclear-weapons and ballistic-missile programs, and acquire valuable resources from gullible negotiating partners.
Mr. Trump's real decision is whether to fulfill his campaign promise to extricate America from this strategic debacle. Last month at the United Nations General Assembly, he lacerated the deal as an "embarrassment," "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."
Last month at the United Nations General Assembly, President Donald Trump lacerated the Iran nuclear deal as an "embarrassment," "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into." (Image source: The White House)
Fearing the worst, however, the deal's acolytes are actively obscuring this central issue, arguing that it is too arduous and too complex to withdraw cleanly. They have seized instead on a statutory requirement that every 90 days the president must certify, among other things, that adhering to the agreement is in America's national-security interest. They argue the president should stay in the deal but not make the next certification, due in October.
This morganatic strategy is a poorly concealed ploy to block withdrawal, limp through Mr. Trump's presidency, and resurrect the deal later. Paradoxically, supporters are not now asserting that the deal is beneficial. Instead, they concede its innumerable faults but argue that it can be made tougher, more verifiable and more strictly enforced. Or, if you want more, it can be extended, kicked to Congress, or deferred during the North Korea crisis. Whatever.
As Richard Nixon said during Watergate: "I want you to stonewall it, let them plead the Fifth Amendment, cover up, or anything else if it'll save it — save the plan."
Mr. Trump should not be deceived. The issue is not certification. The issue is whether we will protect U.S. interests and shatter the illusion that Mr. Obama's deal is achieving its stated goals, or instead timidly hope for the best while trading with the enemy, as the Europeans are doing. It is too cute by half to employ pettifoggery to evade this reality.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 embodies the deal and includes two annexes: the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action itself, and a statement by the other negotiating parties on "transparency... creating an atmosphere conducive" to full JCPOA implementation. Resolution 2231, the JCPOA and the statement were all crafted word-for-word with Iran (with Russia and China acting as Tehran's scriveners on the statement), as was the cash-for-hostages swap Mr. Obama sought desperately to conceal. This packaging is more than a diplomatic nicety. It means Iran's ballistic-missile program is integral to the deal — fittingly, since Iran's missiles would deliver its nuclear warheads.
The ayatollahs have neither the desire nor the incentive to renegotiate even a comma of the agreement. Why should they, when it is entirely to their advantage? Both Resolution 2231 and the statement, for example, "call upon" Iran to forgo activity regarding "ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons." The U.N. secretary-general recently reported that Iran is violating this provision and implicitly lying about it. But the deal's language allows Iran to claim solemnly that its missiles are not "designed" to carry nuclear warheads, an assertion whose verification would require polygraphs and psychologists, not weapons inspectors. This is one of many textual loopholes.
If the deal is vitiated, Tehran would not be freer than it is now to pursue nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Not only is the international compliance regime a far cry from Mr. Obama's promised "anytime, anywhere" inspections, crucial language is vague and ambiguous. Mr. Obama's negotiators crippled real international verification by pre-emptively surrendering on what were delicately termed "possible military dimensions" of Iran's nuclear program.
Moreover, simple economic logic suggests that Tehran's scientists are probably enjoying Pyongyang's hospitality, well beyond the International Atomic Energy Agency's limited capability to detect. Even U.S. intelligence could be in the dark if Iran is renting a uranium enrichment facility under a North Korean mountain. It is specious to assert that the North Korean nuclear crisis should lead to deferring action on the Iran deal. The conclusion should be precisely the opposite: Failure to act decisively on Iran now worsens the global proliferation threat.
The IAEA has interpreted Mr. Obama's possible-military-dimension concession as requiring new evidence before it attempts to visit Tehran's military bases, where the real work on weaponization and missiles is taking place—if not under mountains in North Korea. Mr. Obama acquiesced in this emasculation of the IAEA's will to inspect, making the agency today like the drunk looking for his car keys under a street lamp because the light is better there. This is a sorry caricature of a robust, Reaganesque "trust but verify" regime.
Perhaps the most inane argument is that Congress should decide the deal's fate and whether to reimpose U.S. sanctions. If a president is unwilling to solve this kind of problem, he shouldn't have applied for the job. Watching what has happened on failed legislative efforts to repeal and replace ObamaCare, can anyone doubt that Senate Democrats (joined by Rand Paul) would filibuster any legislative effort to renew sanctions? The only sure way to resume economic pressure on Iran is for President Trump to stop waiving the sanctions, as he did a few weeks ago. The power to act is in executive hands, as it should be.
Mr. Trump knows his mind on Iran. And as Mr. Laxalt said to Marcos, "the time has come" to act decisively.
*John R. Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, is Chairman of Gatestone Institute, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and author of "Surrender Is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad".
*This article first appeared in The Wall Street Journal and is reprinted here with the kind permission of the author.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute

The Czech Donald Trump/"I have stopped believing in multiculturalism."
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/October 08/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11122/andrej-babis-czech-trump
Andrej Babis, one of the Czech Republic's wealthiest people, presents himself as a non-ideological results-oriented reformer. He has pledged to run the country like a business after years of what he calls corrupt and inept management. He is demanding a return of sovereignty from the European Union and rejects the euro.
Babis's anti-establishment party ANO (which stands for "Action of Dissatisfied Citizens" and is also the Czech word for "yes") is centrist, technocratic and pro-business. ANO, which rejects political labels, has attracted voters from both left and right, pulling support away from the established parties.
"The West European politicians keep repeating that it is our duty to comply with what the immigrants want because of their human rights. But what about the human rights of the Germans or the Hungarians? Why should the British accept that the wealth which has been created by many generations of their ancestors, should be consumed by people... who are a security risk and whose desire it is not to integrate but to destroy European culture?" — Andrej Babis, candidate for prime minister of the Czech Republic.
A "politically incorrect" billionaire businessman opposed to further EU integration is on track to become the next prime minister of the Czech Republic.
Andrej Babis, a Slovak-born former finance minister who has been sharply critical of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door migration policy, is leading the polls ahead of general elections, set for October 20.
Babis, one of the country's wealthiest people, presents himself as a non-ideological results-oriented reformer. He has pledged to run the Czech Republic like a business after years of what he calls corrupt and inept management. He is demanding a return of sovereignty from the European Union and rejects the euro; he argues that it would "be another issue that Brussels would be meddling with." He has also said he plans to cut government spending, stop people from "being parasites" in the social welfare system, and fight for Czech interests abroad. Babis is often referred to as "the Czech Donald Trump."
Babis's anti-establishment party ANO (which stands for "Action of Dissatisfied Citizens" and is also the Czech word for "yes") is centrist, technocratic and pro-business. ANO, which rejects political labels, has attracted voters from both left and right, pulling support away from the established parties. Babis has said that ANO aims to replace left and right with "common sense."
A recent poll shows that support for ANO has grown to 30.9%, while the support for the Czech Social Democrats has dropped to 13.1%. The pro-Russian Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia has 11.1%; the nationalist Civic Democratic Party 9.1%. TOP 09, the only openly pro-EU party, will not pass the 5% barrier of entry into Parliament; it is supported by only 4.4% of Czech voters.
Babis's approach to the EU is pragmatic: "They give us money, so our membership is advantageous for us." He does not want the Czech Republic to leave the EU, but he is opposed to the country joining the eurozone:
"No euro. I don't want the euro. We don't want the euro here. Everybody knows it's bankrupt. It's about our sovereignty. I want the Czech koruna, and an independent central bank. I don't want another issue that Brussels would be meddling with."
Andrej Babis (left), then Finance Minister of the Czech Republic, meets with Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz (right) on February 13, 2015. (Image source: Austrian Foreign Ministry)
Babis has expressed opposition to mass migration: "I have stopped believing in successful integration and multiculturalism." He has called on Merkel "to give up her political correctness and to begin to act" on securing European borders:
"In return for billions of euros, she should make sure that Greece and Turkey completely stop the arrival of refugees in Europe. Otherwise, it will be her fault what happens to the European population. Unfortunately, Mrs. Merkel refuses to see how serious the situation is in Germany and in other EU nations. Her attitude is really tragic."
Babis blamed Merkel for the December 2016 jihadist attack on a Berlin Christmas market:
"Unfortunately, the migration policy is responsible for this dreadful act. It was she who let migrants enter Germany and the whole of Europe in uncontrolled waves, without papers, therefore without knowing who they really are. Germany is paying a high price for this policy. The solution is peace in Syria and the return of migrants to their homes. There is no place for them in Europe."
Babis has rejected pressure from the European Commission, which has launched infringement procedures against the Czechs, Hungarians and Poles for refusing to comply with an EU plan to redistribute migrants. In August 2016, he tweeted:
"I will not accept refugee quotas for the Czech Republic. The situation has changed. We see how migrants react in Europe. There is a dictator in Turkey. We must react to the needs and fears of the citizens of our country. We must guarantee the security of Czech citizens. Even if we are punished by sanctions."
In June 2017, Babis reiterated that the Czech Republic would not be taking orders from unelected bureaucrats in Brussels:
"We have to fight for what our ancestors built here. If there will be more Muslims than Belgians in Brussels, that's their problem. I don't want that here. They won't be telling us who should live here."
Babis has called on the EU to establish a system to sort economic migrants from legitimate asylum seekers: "The EU must say: You cannot come to us to be unemployed and immediately take social benefits."
In an interview with the Czech daily Pravo, Babis said:
"We are not dutybound to accept anyone and we are not even now able to do so. Our primary responsibility is to make sure that our own citizens are safe. The Czech Republic has enough of its own problems, people living on the breadline, single mothers. The West European politicians keep repeating that it is our duty to comply with what the immigrants want because of their human rights. But what about the human rights of the Germans or the Hungarians? Why should the British accept that the wealth which has been created by many generations of their ancestors, should be consumed by people without any relationship to that country and its culture? People who are a security risk and whose desire it is not to integrate but to destroy European culture?
"The public service media in some countries have been brainwashing people. They have been avoiding problems with the immigrants. Politicians have also been lying to their citizens. This has only increased tension between the indigenous population and the immigrants. It is not acceptable that Europeans should have fewer rights than immigrants.
"It is unthinkable that the indigenous European population should adapt themselves to the refugees. We must do away with such nonsensical political correctness. The refugees should behave like guests, that is they should be polite, and they certainly do not have the right to choose what they want to eat. Europe and Germany in particular are undergoing an identity crisis. There is a deep chasm between what people think and what the media tell them....
"Many of the Middle Eastern refugees are unusable in industry. Many of them are also basically illiterate and they only know two German politicians: Merkel and Hitler."
**Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.