LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 27/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias
Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias18/english.february27.18.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since
2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Bible
Quotations
Woe to
those who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.
Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in
the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust;
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of
the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah05/01-30: "I will sing for the one I
love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile
hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the
choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.
“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my
vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done
for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?
Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away
its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will
be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and
briers and thorns will grow there.I will command the clouds not to rain on
it.”
The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of
Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw
bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
Woes and Judgments Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field
till no space is left and you live alone in the land. The Lord Almighty has
declared in my hearing: “Surely the great houses will become desolate, the
fine mansions left without occupants. A ten-acre vineyard will produce only
a bath[a] of wine; a homer[b] of seed will yield only an ephah of grain.”Woe
to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay
up late at night till they are inflamed with wine.
They have harps and lyres at their banquets, pipes and timbrels and wine,
but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work
of his hands. Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of
understanding; those of high rank will die of hunger and the common people
will be parched with thirst. Therefore Death expands its jaws, opening wide
its mouth; into it will descend their nobles and masses with all their
brawlers and revelers. So people will be brought low and everyone humbled,
the eyes of the arrogant humbled. But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by
his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.
Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture; lambs will feed among the
ruins of the rich. Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and
wickedness as with cart ropes, to those who say, “Let God hurry; let him
hasten his work so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One of Israel— let it approach, let it come into view,
so we may know it.”
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light
and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.
Woe to those who are heroes
at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, who acquit the guilty for a
bribe, but deny justice to the innocent. Therefore, as tongues of fire lick
up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will
decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law
of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Therefore the Lord’s anger burns against his people; his hand is raised and
he strikes them down The mountains shake, and the dead bodies are like
refuse in the streets. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his
hand is still upraised. He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he
whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and
speedily! Not one of them grows tired or stumbles, not one slumbers or
sleeps; not a belt is loosened at the waist, not a sandal strap is broken.
Their arrows are sharp, all their bows are strung; their horses’ hooves seem
like flint, their chariot wheels like a whirlwind. Their roar is like that
of the lion, they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey
and carry it off with no one to rescue. In that day they will roar over it
like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks at the land, there is only
darkness and distress; even the sun will be darkened by clouds.
Titles
For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on February 26-27/18
Sayyed decries Hariri's involvement in case against anchorwoman/Georgi
Azar/Annahar/February 26/2018
Obama's Shadow Looms Over US Lebanon Policy/Ari Lieberman/Front
Page/February 26/18
Iran Wants to Join the World Order It Undermines/Eli Lake/Bloomberg/February
26/18
The Syria Memory Hole Is Opening Up a Bigger Danger/Tyler
Cowen/Bloomberg/February 26/18
"Don't Dare Sit with Us if You Want to Live"/Muslim Persecution of
Christians, September 2017/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/February
25/18
With Red Syrian Ink/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/February 26/18
The Nature of Humanitarian Assistance Must Change/José Graziano Da Silva/Asharq
Al Awsat/February 26/18
Palestinians: Israel is One Big Settlement/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone
Institute/February 26/2018
Russia's Mercenary Debacle in Syria/Is the Kremlin Losing Control/Neil Hauer/Foreign
Affairs/February 26/18
Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on
February 26-27/18
President Aoun talks security with Gen. Aoun
Aoun Meets UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations
Aoun Accuses Israel of 'Ethnic Cleansing' in Wake of Tax Imposition on
Churches
Aoun talks southern security with top UN peacekeeping official
Aoun condemns Israel for Jerusalem church tax
AlAloula invites Hariri to Saudi Arabia
Hariri Receives Phone Call from UK Foreign Secretary
Saudi Envoy in Beirut to Meet Senior Lebanese Officials
LF Weighing Alliances with Mustaqbal, FPM
Bassil meets his Indonesian counterpart over bilateral ties
Khoury announces Francophone month program in Lebanon
Othman meets UN Safety and Security diplomat
Japan supports school rehabilitation in Ghubairi through INNODEV
Ibrahim meets Drennan, Lacroix
Saudi king affirms strong ties with Lebanon in message to Aoun
Mashnouq Says State Decisions 'Governed' by Weapons
Al-Rahi, Daryan in Vienna for Dialogue Conference Held by King Abdullah
Center
Foreign Ministry deplores Israeli occupation's incessant measures against
Christian and Islamic sites in alQuds
Sayyed decries Hariri's involvement in case against anchorwoman
Obama's Shadow Looms Over US Lebanon Policy
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And
News published on February 26-27/18
Fresh Strikes on Syria's Ghouta Enclave Kill 10
Turkey Sends Special Forces for New Fight in Afrin
Russia Blasts 'Bogus' Reports of Syria Chemical Attack
2 Lions from Iraq, Syria Head to South African Refuge
Security Council Discusses Resolution to Call Out Iran
Family of 9 Killed in Eastern Ghouta as UN Calls for Ending ‘Hell on Earth’
South Sudan Close to Famine, New Report Says
Canada calls for immediate implementation of ceasefire in Syria
Four Killed in Building Fire in Central English City
Macron Tells Erdogan Syria Ceasefire Must Apply to Afrin
Latest Lebanese Related News published
on
February 26-27/18
Saudi king affirms
strong ties with Lebanon in message to Aoun
The Daily Star/February 26, 2018/BEIRUT: Saudi envoy Nizar al-Aloula Monday
delivered a message to President Michel Aoun from Saudi King Salman bin
Abdul-Aziz al-Saud that underscored the strength of the Lebanese-Saudi
ties.The verbal message relayed to Aoun by Aloula came during a meeting
between the two at Baabda Palace at around 3 p.m., local media reported. The
message affirmed Saudi Arabia's support for Lebanon's sovereignty and
stability as well as solid bilateral ties. LBCI News reported that Aloula
informed Aoun that he will invite Prime Minister Saad Hariri to Riyadh. The
meeting with Aoun lasted for 10 minutes, before the Saudi diplomat left
without giving public comment. The high-ranking Saudi envoy arrived at
Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport at around 2 p.m., accompanied by
a delegation that included former Saudi Embassy Charge d’Affaires Walid
Bukhari. The visit marks the first official visit of a high-ranking Saudi
official to Lebanon since Hariri resigned from the premiership last year
before rescinding his decision. The shock decision, announced from Riyadh on
Nov. 4, put Lebanese-Saudi relations under strain after President Michel
Aoun accused the kingdom of detaining the prime minister against his will.
Upon his arrival in Beirut, Aloula told reporters that he was indeed going
to extend an invite to Hariri to visit Saudi Arabia. The two are set to meet
at the Grand Serail at 5 p.m.
President Aoun talks security with Gen. Aoun
The Daily Star/Feb. 26, 2018/BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun met with Lebanese
Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun at the Army’s headquarters in Yarze Monday,
discussing the security situation and the Army’s needs, an Army statement
reported. The meeting was held in the presence of several other high-ranking
military officials. The president reportedly praised the Army’s efforts in
maintaining stability across Lebanon and “defending the homeland in the face
of the Israeli enemy and terrorism.” He also affirmed official and public
support for the Army’s preparedness to guarantee Lebanon’s “rights” at the
southern border. These rights include Lebanon’s sovereignty over its land
and sea borders and its right to exploit its oil and other economic
resources, the statement said. Tensions at the southern border have been
heightened in recent weeks after an uptick in Israeli rhetoric against
Lebanon. These include comments by the Israeli defense minister, who
described Lebanon’s moves towards exploring a southern oil block as “very
provocative.” Israel also recently began construction of a southern border
wall. President Aoun and other Lebanese officials have raised concerns over
several points where they expect the wall will be constructed inside
Lebanese territory. This has led Lebanese political and security officials
to reaffirm the Army’s readiness to confront any attack on Lebanese
sovereignty.
Aoun Meets UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping
Operations
Naharnet/February 26/18/President Michel Aoun met on Monday at Baabda Palace
with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations,
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, affirming Lebanon's readiness to “defend itself”
against Israel's violations, the National News Agency reported.
“Lebanon is keen on maintaining stability and calm in South Lebanon, but it
is also ready to defend itself shall Israel carry out an assault,” Aoun told
Lacroix. Aoun referred to Israel's continued violation of UN Security
Council Resolution 1701 and the violation of Lebanese airspace by shelling
Syrian territory. “Lebanon refuses Israel's violations. Building a cement
separation wall on the southern border is an additional violation of
Lebanon's sovereignty,” said Aoun. Speaking to reporters after the meeting,
Lacroix affirmed the UNIFIL's role in serving peace in Lebanon, “it is a
role that we will continue to do in collaboration with Lebanese
authorities,” he said. “The UNIFIL's role has become more important today
with the recent Israeli declarations and the construction of a cement
separation Israeli wall with Lebanon,” he added. Lacroix assured that the
UNIFIL plays the role of a “mediator between Lebanon and Israel in order to
allow dialogue and appease tension.”
Aoun Accuses Israel of 'Ethnic Cleansing' in Wake of
Tax Imposition on Churches
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 26/18/President Michel Aoun denounced
Israel's imposition of taxes on churches and religious sites saying the
measure "targets the presence of Christians," Aoun's media office said on
Twitter on Monday. The President condemned the “decision taken by Israeli
occupation authorities to impose taxes on churches and religious shrines in
Jerusalem, in contravention of international laws revoking conventions on
places of worship in Jerusalem.”Aoun considered it “a systematic decision
targeting the remaining presence of Christians in the occupied territories,”
accusing it of “ethnic cleansing.”Christian leaders Sunday took the rare
step of closing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built at the site of
Jesus's burial in Jerusalem, in protest at Israeli tax measures and a
proposed property law. The church is considered the holiest site in
Christianity, built where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and
resurrected, and is a major pilgrimage site. Christian leaders have been
angered over attempts by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem to enforce tax
collection on church property they consider commercial, saying exemptions
only apply to places of worship or religious teaching.
Aoun talks southern security with top UN peacekeeping
official
The Daily Star/Feb. 26, 2018/BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun
said Monday that Lebanon sought stability in the south, but was ready to
defend itself if attacked by Israel, in a meeting with the top U.N.
peacekeeper Monday at the presidential palace in Baabda. United Nations
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix over
the weekend made his first visit to U.N. peacekeeping forces in south
Lebanon since taking up his position last April. Aoun pointed Lacroix to
Israel's near-daily violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701,
which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, in addition to
Israel’s use of Lebanese airspace to bomb Syria on multiple occasions,
according to a statement from the president’s office. Aoun said that recent
cuts to UNIFIL’s budget would have a “negative impact on the effectiveness
of its role,” which he said was particularly important at the current time
given Israel’s construction of a southern border wall. $600 million were cut
from the U.N.’s annual peacekeeping budget starting July 1, 2017, following
pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Additionally,
the US State Department budget proposal for 2019 is reportedly seeking a 42
percent cut over 2017's budget for UNIFIL, from $146.1 million to $84.2
million. Aoun also reportedly raised the topic of Syrian refugees in
Lebanon, of which there are reportedly roughly 1.5 million. Fewer than 1
million are registered with the U.N.’s refugee agency, UNHCR.
After the meet, Lacroix reaffirmed the U.N.’s role as a vehicle for
communication and dialogue between Lebanon and Israel through the regular
tripartite meetings that are mediated by UNIFIL in Naqoura. Lacroix
reportedly said the meetings calmed tensions, and played “a special role
[after] the declaration of Israel’s intention to build [a border] wall.”
Construction of the wall has led to increased tension in the south. “What we
are doing is contributing to the reduction of tension, and is consistent
with what UNIFIL is doing to prevent any incident that can fuel the
tension,” he was quoted as saying.Lacroix also said UNIFIL cooperated well
with Lebanese authorities. "We have close cooperation with the Lebanese
Army, which has recently doubled its presence in the UNIFIL area of
operation, and we welcome this very positively,” he said. He said UNIFIL was
in Lebanon “to maintain the cease-fire [between Lebanon and Israel] and help
to create the conditions for a truce, and [we] are determined to carry
forward this mission.”Lacroix’s visit comes after a colorful report was
published in Le Journal du Dimanche, which contained allegations that the
Lebanese Army was failing to cooperate well with UNIFIL, adversely impacting
their ability to fulfill their duties in south Lebanon. An unidentified
French captain with the French contingent was quoted as saying, “in the
evening we never leave the barracks because the Lebanese forces are not
friendly.”
Lacroix refused to comment on the report in an interview with The Daily Star
published Monday.
Aoun condemns Israel
for Jerusalem church tax
The Daily Star/Feb. 26, 2018/BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun Monday condemned
a decision by the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality to begin levying
taxes on church-owned properties in the city, tweets from his official
account said. Aoun condemned “the decision of the Israeli occupation
authorities” to impose taxes on churches and other religious sites in
Jerusalem, “in contravention of international laws and conventions.” Aoun
said he considered the move “a deliberate targeting of the remaining
Christian presence in the territories occupied by Israel.” He said that
Israel “deliberately cleanses the ethnic and religious rights of all
non-Jewish [people] in order to achieve all aspects of its racist project.”
Christian churches are some of the largest landowners in the city. They also
reportedly object to a draft bill in Israeli parliament that would make it
harder for them to sell this property. Christian leaders in the city on
Sunday responded to the Israeli moves by shutting Jerusalem’s Church of the
Holy Sepulcher, due to what they called a “systematic campaign” by Israeli
authorities.
AlAloula invites Hariri to Saudi Arabia
Mon 26 Feb 2018/NNA - The President of the Council of Ministers Saad Hariri
received today at the Grand Serail the envoy of the Custodian of the two
Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, the Advisor at the Royal court
Nizar al-Aloula, accompanied by the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid al-Yacoub,
and the Minister Plenipotentiary at the Royal court Walid al-Bukhari. After
that, al-Aloula, Al-Yacoub and Al-Bukhari visited the grave of Martyr Prime
Minister Rafic Hariri in Beirut Central District. After praying for his soul
and the souls of his martyr companions, the Saudi envoy wrote the following
in the record book: "Martyr Prime Minister Rafic Hariri will remain a
national and Arab symbol and Lebanon will return as the martyr wanted it,
free and a beacon to the world."
For his part, Prime Minister Hariri said that the talks with the Saudi envoy
were excellent, adding that al-Aloula presented to him an invitation to
visit the Kingdom and that he will do that as soon as possible. In a chat
with reporters after the meeting, Hariri said: "Saudi Arabia's main
objective is for Lebanon to be sovereign. It is also keen on the full
independence of Lebanon and we will see how to cooperate with the kingdom
regarding the upcoming international conferences." Regarding the meeting of
the ministerial committee tasked with studying the 2018 budget draft law,
held today, Hariri said: "The country needs reforms, the budgets of
ministries should be reduced and we have to send real positive signs to the
states participating in the forthcoming international conferences. There is
progress in studying the budget and we will hold consecutive sessions to
finish it before the date set by Speaker Nabih Berri on March 5, because
everyone will be busy afterwards to prepare for the parliamentary
elections." Regarding the electoral law, he said: "In my opinion no one has
a clear picture of the alliances yet. Negotiations are underway and things
will become clearer gradually. The importance of this law is that it shows
the dimension of each person. The names of the "Future movement" candidates
will be announced soon".
Hariri Receives Phone
Call from UK Foreign Secretary
Naharnet/February 26/18/Prime Minister Saad Hariri received a phone call at
noon Sunday from British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, the premier's
office said. Talks tackled "the bilateral relations and the regional
developments as well as the ongoing preparations for the Rome conference for
supporting the army and security forces and the CEDRE conference in Paris
for backing investment in Lebanon," Hariri's office said. The prime minister
thanked Johnson for "the aid that Britain is offering Lebanon in the fields
of security and economy and for its humanitarian assistance that is aimed at
confronting the burden of the Syrian refugee crisis."
Saudi Envoy in Beirut to Meet Senior Lebanese Officials
Naharnet/February 26/18/Saudi envoy Nizar al-Aloula arrived in Beirut on
Monday, a first for a Saudi diplomat since the now-reversed resignation of
Prime Minister Saad Hariri from Riyadh in November. Aloula is scheduled to
meet with senior Lebanese officials including President Michel Aoun, Prime
Minister Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri. He will reportedly meet with
officials of the March 14 camp mainly Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and
Kataeb party leader Sami Gemayel, former Minister Ashraf Rifi and ex-PM
Najib Miqati. Ties between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia were strained in the
wake of Hariri's November resignation from Riyadh which he has since
rescinded. The kingdom was widely seen as having orchestrated the botched
move as part of its regional feud with Iran and its Lebanese ally Hizbullah.
Monday's visit comes amid preparations by the Lebanese political forces for
the May parliamentary elections.
LF Weighing Alliances with Mustaqbal, FPM
Naharnet/February 26/18/Lebanese Forces MP Fadi Karam on Monday said the
current week will be decisive at the level of electoral negotiations among
political parties in preparation for the upcoming elections in May, the
National News Agency reported. “The LF is holding consultations with the
Free Patriotic Movement and al-Mustaqbal Movement to assess electoral
coalition chances,” the lawmaker told VDL (93.3) radio. “The LF had sought
an alliance with the Kataeb party in all regions, but the latter's request
to withdraw LF's Batroun candidate in favor of MP Samer Saadeh has prevented
our alliance with Kataeb party," the lawmaker added. He finally stressed the
LF's position seeking strong ties with Saudi Arabia for the benefit of
Lebanon at all levels. Political parties are gearing up for the May 6 polls
announcing the names of their candidates and striking alliances to be listed
on unified lists. Lebanon will hold its first national referendum in nine
years in May. The parliament has postponed elections several times over
security reasons. Its term was supposed to expire in 2013 but lawmakers
approved several extensions since then, the last one in June for another 11
months.
Mashnouq Says State Decisions 'Governed' by Weapons
Naharnet/February 26/18/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq on Monday said
"Lebanon's major problem" lies in the existence of illegal "weapons” and
their effect on the country's state decisions, pointing out that a motion
will be raised after the parliamentary elections to put these arms under the
state's authority, Asharq al-Awsat daily reported on Monday. “A serious part
of Lebanon's decisions are doomed to weapons, in addition to sectarianism.
All other problems can be solved,” he told the daily, revealing that demands
for a national defensive strategy to put the weapons under the state's
control will be raised after the May elections. On Lebanon's stability at
the security level, the Minister hailed the security force’s strenuous
efforts in maintaining stability, noting that “several regional and
international circumstances have helped us maintain this stability.”
He pointed out that the British Interior Minister drew his attention to the
fact that Beirut has not been subjected to any major security attack for
nearly three years now, while the European capitals like London, Paris and
Brussels were the most prominent.
“This is due, of course, to the cohesion of the security services,
especially the Information Directorate which is doing a great job, the last
of which is the liberation of a girl kidnapped from Bekaa, less than 9 hours
after her abduction,” he said.
On developmental plans for the capital Beirut, he said: “We have taken great
steps to achieve independent services in Beirut mainly in electricity,
water, waste treatment and public transport.”
Al-Rahi, Daryan in Vienna for Dialogue Conference Held
by King Abdullah Center
Naharnet/February 26/18/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, Grand Mufti
Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan and representatives of Lebanon's religious
communities arrived Sunday in Vienna to take part in a religious dialogue
conference. The conference is organized by the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID),
an inter-governmental organization that promotes inter-religious dialogue to
prevent and resolve conflict. KAICIID was opened in 2012 by Saudi Arabia,
Austria and Spain, following an initiative by the late King Abdullah of
Saudi Arabia. The Holy See is a founding observer. The Lebanese participants
were welcomed at the airport by Lebanese Ambassador Ibrahim Assaf, Lebanese
consul Jean Mrad, general president of the Congregation of the Lebanese
Maronite Missionaries Father Malek Bou Tanous, the head of the Maronite
Mission of Vienna Father Michel Harb, a number of Lebanese expats and
organizers from the conference.
Foreign Ministry deplores Israeli occupation's
incessant measures against Christian and Islamic sites in alQuds
Mon 26 Feb 2018/NNA - Foreign and Expatriates Ministry on Monday vehemently
deplored the Israeli Occupation's incessant arbitrary practices and measures
against the Christian and Islamic sites in al-Quds, most recently its
decision to impose taxes on churches and their owned properties in the city.
"These systematic Israeli measures against churches in the holy lands and
its daily assault on the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque pose a threat to the
Christian and Islamic presence in al-Quds," Foreign Ministry said in a
statement.
The Ministry considered such measures fall within the framework of the
ongoing Israeli attempts to Judaize the city of al-Quds and to change its
legal and historical status quo, not to mention seizing properties owned by
churches and confiscating Christian and Islamic endowments. "The Israeli
attacks on the holy sites constitute a blatant violation of all
international laws and conventions, including the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and the Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of
Intolerance and Discrimination based on Religion and
Belief, as well as the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Persons
belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities,"
statement added.
"These universal declarations emphasize that discrimination amongst human
beings on the basis of religion or belief constitutes an insult to human
dignity and a denial of the principles of the United Nations," statement
read. The Foreign Ministry also deemed "the extraordinary step taken by the
churches in Palestine to close the Church of the Resurrection a resounding
shout to the international community and all international legal
institutions about the need to put limits to Israel's intransigence and its
violation of the sanctity of Christian and Islamic sites in al-Quds."The
statement concluded by calling on all parties to take serious and effective
action to stop the unwanted abhorrent and reprehensible Israeli practices,
and to force the occupation authorities to retract their decision to impose
taxes on church-owned properties.
Bassil meets his Indonesian counterpart over bilateral
ties
Mon 26 Feb 2018/NNA - Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on
Monday welcomed at his ministerial office his Indonesian counterpart, Retno
Marsudi, with whom he discussed the bilateral ties between the two
countries. Minister Bassil underlined during the meeting Lebanon's support
for Indonesia's candidacy for non-permanent membership in the Security
Council. Bassil also asked Indonesia to stand by Lebanon in the face of
Israel's recurrent violations of Lebanon's sovereignty by air and sea.
Bassil also stressed Lebanon's adherence to its rights in the offshore oil
Block 9, calling for the application of international laws to resolve any
dispute. The Foreign Minister also called on Indonesia to stand by Lebanon
in the delineation of land and sea southern borders, and the international
conferences to be held in support of Lebanon economically and its army in
the face of terrorism. Minister Marsudi, for her part, affirmed Indonesia's
stand by Lebanon and its demands, voicing her country's rejection of the
American resolutions concerning the Quds city.
Khoury announces Francophone month program in Lebanon
Mon 26 Feb 2018/NNA - Culture Minister Dr Ghattas Khoury
announced on Monday during a press conference at the National Museum's
headquarters the program of upcoming Francophone month in Lebanon. The press
conference was attended by French Ambassador to Lebanon Bruno Foucher,
Belgian Ambassador Alex Lenhart, Romanian Ambassador Romanian Ambassador
Victor Mircea, Swiss Ambassador, Monika Schmutz Kirg'z, Canadian Ambassador
Emmanuelle Lamoureux, Ambassador of Uruguay Marta Inés Pizzanelli, Armenian
Ambassador Samvel Mkrtchian, and Regional Director of the Francophonie
Universal Agency Hervé Sabourin. In his delivered word, Ambassador Foucher
said that Francophone is celebrated in particular in Lebanon every March,
and he deemed relations between France and Lebanon as excellent based on the
common values of the French and Lebanese languages. Minister Khoury, for his
part, highlighted the importance of Lebanon's position within the
international Francophone family and its active role in its various
activities, starting with the International Organization of Francophonie and
Francophone Games, not to mention the cooperation and cultural exchange
between Lebanon, France, and Francophone countries. Khoury noted that the
Ministry organizes the francophone month in Lebanon For the eighth year in a
row, in cooperation with the Francophone embassies and the World
Organization of Francophonie. "The program includes a range of cultural and
artistic activities," Khoury said, announcing that the Francophone month
shall be kicked off upcoming March 2nd. He declared that "our homeland has
been and continues to be the advanced cultural platform in its
surroundings.. an attribute that we all have to support and maintain,"
Khoury concluded.
Othman meets UN Safety and Security diplomat
Mon 26 Feb 2018/NNA - Internal Security Forces' chief, General Imad Othman,
on Monday met with the United Nations' Under Secretary General for Safety
and Security, Peter Drennan, with whom he discussed the current situation in
Lebanon.
Japan supports school rehabilitation in Ghubairi
through INNODEV
Mon 26 Feb 2018/NNA - In a press release by the Embassy of
Japan in Lebanon, it said: "The Embassy supports school rehabilitation in
Baabda, in order to provide better education to local residents and
refugees. To start the project, on February 26 2018, Mr. Matahiro Yamaguchi,
Ambassador of Japan to Lebanon signed a grant contract with Layal Nehme,
Executive Director of Innovation Development Association (INNODEV), a local
NGO that has been supporting public school students with a variety of
educational activities since 2015. The Embassy provides the grant of USD
90,780 for the rehabilitation of El Ghubairi first mixed elementary public
school through the Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Program (GGP).
The funding will allow the NGO to renovate the school facilities and to
obtain new desks for the students in the school. After the project, at least
375 students including Syrian refugees will receive proper education in a
safer environment."
Ibrahim meets Drennan, Lacroix
Mon 26 Feb 2018/NNA - General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim on
Monday morning welcomed at his office UN Under-Secretary-General for Safety
and Security, Peter Drennan, on top of a delegation, with whom he discussed
security threats in Lebanon, particularly regarding the safety of United
Nations personnel and facilities. The delegation thanked the General
Directorate for its efforts in facilitating the functions of the United
Nations institutions in Lebanon and their programs. This afternoon, Major
General Ibrahim met with the United Nations Under-Secretary General for
Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, accompanied by the Force
Commander and Head of mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
(UNIFIL) Major General Michael Beary. Talks reportedly touched on the
situation on the southern borders, especially concerning the controversial
separation wall along the Blue Line, in addition to the role of UNIFIL in
stabilizing the border areas.
Sayyed decries Hariri's involvement in case against
anchorwoman
Georgi Azar/Annahar/February 26/2018
The latest saga pitting Sayyed against Azar took another twist early on
Monday, after Sayed took to Twitter to remind Hariri of the “backing he
received” during his detention in Saudi Arabia.
BEIRUT: Former chief of Lebanon’s General
Security agency Jamil el-Sayyed blasted Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s
intervention in his case against MTV channel anchorwoman Jessica Azar,
accusing him of attempting to score political points. The latest saga
pitting Sayyed against Azar took another twist early on Monday, after Sayed
took to Twitter to remind Hariri of the “backing he received” during his
detention in Saudi Arabia.“When they humiliated you in Saudi Arabia, we
stood by your side in line with our principles,” Sayyed said, in reference
to the backing Hariri received from President Michel Aoun, an ally of the
Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, who called for the premier's return
to Beirut amid reports that he was being detained in the kingdom against his
will. Hariri had resigned from Saudi Arabia, an archfoe of Iran, citing
Hezbollah's dominion over Lebanon and meddling in the affairs of Arab
states, before retracting his resignation upon his arrival in Beirut. Sayyed
also sarcastically apologized to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who
reportedly was behind Hariri's brief detention in Saudi Arabia. Sayyed’s
scathing remarks come against the backdrop of Hariri’s show of support for
Azar, who thanked the Premier for “his commitment to freedom of speech and
expression.” Sayyed first threatened the MTV anchorwoman last week with
charges of libel and defamation after she retweeted a post by another
Lebanese journalist accusing Sayyed of “having mischief on his
hands.”According to Azar, she received a letter to her office ordering her
to take down the tweet or face being sued. Speaking to Annahar, Azar said
she was “honored by this threat,” while vowing to preserve her and the
country’s right to freedom of expression. The former commander of Lebanon’s
security establishment is a candidate in the upcoming parliamentary
elections running on Hezbollah’s list, a staunch opponent of Hariri’s Future
Movement. Hariri and Sayyed’s feud dates back to 2005 after he was arrested
on charges of murder, attempted murder and terrorism in connection with the
assassination of Hariri’s late father, Rafik Hariri. Sayyed was held in
Roumieh prison from 2005 until April 2009, when the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon ordered his release.
Obama's Shadow Looms Over US Lebanon Policy
Ari Lieberman/Front Page/February 26/18
While Treasury and Justice Departments break free of the Swamp.
Early this week, Lebanon’s top army commander, Joseph Aoun, threatened to
“confront any Israeli aggression, whatever that costs.” Aoun was referring
to Lebanon’s contrived maritime and land border disputes with Israel. Aoun
further noted that the Lebanese Armed Forces “would not spare any method” in
challenging Israel. With those words, Aoun signed the LAF’s death warrant.
The dispute, which was provoked by Hezbollah and Iran, centers on a
triangular area of sea of around 330 square miles that falls squarely within
Israel’s maritime borders. Hezbollah also opposes the construction of a land
barrier that Israel is building on its side of the border to prevent
infiltration.
Aoun’s bellicose tone echoes that of Hezbollah, which has been offering
similar rhetoric in recent weeks with increasing shrill and frequency.
Hezbollah, which operates as Iran’s mercenary army, has in recent years
slowly subsumed Lebanese state institutions, including Lebanon’s army, like
a cancerous, flesh-eating malignancy.
In 2008, the Lebanese government tried to reassert control by assuming some
measure of authority over Beirut International Airport and by preventing
Hezbollah from constructing its own separate telecommunication
infrastructure. Hezbollah thwarted these efforts in May 2008 when its forces
seized key strategic sites and government media institutions. The clashes,
though sharp and violent, were brief but underscored the point that in
Lebanon, it is Iran through its proxy Hezbollah that pulls the strings. The
impotent Lebanese Army, itself a fractured mosaic of Shia, Sunni, Christians
and Druse, stood by helplessly and did not interfere.
Israel doesn’t have much to fear from the ineffectual Lebanese Army. During
the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the LAF remained neutral, and in at least one
instance, maintained courteous exchanges with advancing Israeli forces, even
serving them tea. But Aoun’s comment struck an ominous tone for other
reasons. By parroting Hezbollah talking points, Aoun is now broadcasting to
the world that he is putting the Lebanese Army at Hezbollah’s disposal.
Aoun merely confirmed what has been the de-facto case for the past several
years. The LAF has done nothing to advance United Nations Security Council
resolutions 1701 and 1559, which call for Hezbollah’s disarmament. In fact,
the LAF has acted an auxiliary force for Hezbollah, securing logistical
routes for the terrorist group and participating in the shelling of Syrian
rebel groups hostile to Hezbollah. There is also a body of credible evidence
suggesting that Hezbollah has been pilfering LAF supplies and equipment with
the LAF’s consent. Even elements of the United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL) now regard the LAF as a hostile body which acts as an agent
for Hezbollah. Prominent Lebanese writer Hanin Ghaddar, who for
understandable reasons no longer resides in Lebanon, acknowledged the
obvious when he insightfully noted that “Hezbollah used to be considered a
state within the Lebanese state. Today, it is Lebanon that is a small state
within the Hezbollah state.”
Israel has fully come to terms with the fact that the LAF and Hezbollah have
become one and the same. Israeli security officials have repeatedly been
sounding the alarm noting that the LAF is now an integral part of Hezbollah.
Accordingly, Israeli military planners have modified their offensive
doctrine to include the LAF as an active belligerent in any future conflict
against Hezbollah.
Notwithstanding the obvious writing on the wall, the United States is still
demonstrating signs of confusion and disarray when it comes to Lebanon.
Despite the LAF’s demonstrable close cooperation with Hezbollah and
Lebanon’s increasingly aggressive tone vis-à-vis Israel, the LAF remains the
fifth largest recipient of U.S. military assistance. Stipulations attached
to the military aid program have been routinely and openly contravened by
the LAF.
Of equal significance is the fact that the U.S. State Department, headed by
its ill-informed secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, continues to peddle the
ridiculous notion that there’s some vestige of sovereignty left within the
Lebanese government. On February 15, Tillerson met with Lebanese government
officials where he was deliberately humiliated by his Lebanese hosts and
compounded the humiliation by making a series of contradictory and banal
statements concerning Hezbollah and the Lebanese government.
A day prior, while in Jordan, Tillerson appeared to lend some legitimacy to
Hezbollah by stating that “We also have to acknowledge the reality that
[Hezbollah] are part of the political process in Lebanon.” That statement
drew sharp criticism and prompted the State Department to go into damage
control mode, issuing vague and incoherent statements which only added to
the confusion.
It appears that Tillerson has adopted a regurgitated form of the same
gibberish touted by Barack Obama’s CIA director, John “Al-Quds” Brennan.
Brennan absurdly believed that Hezbollah’s “political wing” was part of the
framework of the Lebanese government and there were “moderate” elements of
Hezbollah with whom the United States could negotiate. Obama was heavily
influenced by this line of thinking and consequently, ignored the telltale
signs of Lebanon’s demise as a sovereign nation. Others like analyst Tony
Badran expressed the view that Obama, besotted by the notion of establishing
détente with the Islamic Republic, deliberately pursued policies aimed at
strengthening Iran’s position in Lebanon (and Syria).
It is clear that the United States must adopt a more robust policy against
Hezbollah and there has been significant movement in that direction.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has revived the DEA’s Project Cassandra and
Steve Mnuchin’s Treasury Department has slapped new sanctions on Hezbollah
and Iran. But the State Department is still infested with the “The Swamp”
mindset and has yet to come to terms with certain unwavering truths. The
State Department must once and for all face the reality that Lebanon, as a
sovereign independent nation, is no more. It has been wholly transformed
into nothing more than a marionette with the strings being pulled by the
Islamic Republic.
As for the LAF, this once proud independent institution sealed its fate when
it decided to cast its lot with the fortunes of Hezbollah. In 2006, Israel
pummeled Hezbollah, reducing large swaths of Hezbollah-controlled territory
into cratered parking lots but largely ignored the LAF. In the coming war,
the LAF will not be so fortunate.
**Ari Lieberman is an attorney and former prosecutor who has authored
numerous articles and publications on matters concerning the Middle East and
is considered an authority on geo-political and military developments
affecting the region.
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/269426/obamas-shadow-looms-over-us-lebanon-policy-ari-lieberman
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on February 26-27/18
Fresh Strikes on
Syria's Ghouta Enclave Kill 10
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 26/18/Fresh
bombardment by the Syrian regime on Monday killed at least 10 civilians in
the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, including nine members of a same
family, a monitor said. Air strikes destroyed a building in Douma, the main
town in the Eastern Ghouta area east of Damascus, and buried alive an entire
family, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "Nine civilians from a
same family were killed in regime air strikes in Douma, after midnight," the
head of the Britain-based Observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman, said. "Some of the
bodies are still stuck in the rubble," he said. An AFP correspondent in
Douma said the bombardment had been very heavy overnight and impeded
rescuers in their work. The Observatory said another civilian was killed by
regime rocket fire in Harasta, an area of Eastern Ghouta which is directly
adjacent to the capital's eastern neighbourhoods. More than 500 civilians
have been killed in regime and Russian bombardment on the enclave, which is
controlled by Islamist and jihadist fighters, since February 18, according
to the Observatory. Among the dead are more than 130 children.
Turkey Sends Special
Forces for New Fight in Afrin
Asharq Al Awsat/February 26/18/Turkey deployed on Monday special forces to
the northwestern Syrian region of Afrin for a “new battle” in its five-week
campaign against the Kurdish YPG militia, despite a UN call at the weekend
for a ceasefire across Syria. Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies,
supported by Turkish air strikes, have pushed the Kurdish fighters back from
most of Turkey’s border with Afrin since they launched their assault on Jan.
20. "Deploying special forces is part of the preparation for a new fight
that is approaching," Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag, also government
spokesman, said. An unknown number of gendarmerie and police special forces
entered the region on Sunday night, state news agency Anadolu said. Bozdag
said the fight continued in villages and countryside far from Afrin's
center. "The fight will shift to places where there are civilians, as the
area (of fighting) narrows," Bozdag said during an interview with NTV
broadcaster. The deputy prime minister said the special forces had
experience fighting against militants in residential areas of Turkey
"without harming civilians". Turkey views the YPG as a "terrorist" Syrian
extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging an
insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. The PKK is blacklisted as a
terror group by Ankara, the United States and the European Union. But the
YPG has been working closely with the US against the ISIS extremist group in
Syria, much to Ankara's infuriation. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last
week said Turkey would lay siege to the center of the town of Afrin "in the
coming days". The UN Security Council on Saturday adopted a resolution on a
30-day truce in Syria to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries and medical
evacuations after intense regime bombardment of the rebel-held enclave of
Eastern Ghouta, which killed hundreds. French President Emmanuel Macron told
Erdogan during a telephone call on Monday that the ceasefire for Syria must
be applied across the country, including Afrin. "The President of the
Republic stressed that the humanitarian truce applied to all of Syria,
including Afrin, and should be implemented everywhere and by all without any
delay to stop the ongoing spiral of violence that could lead to a regional
explosion and push away any hope of a political solution," Macron's office
said in a statement. Macron told Erdogan that France's monitoring of
humanitarian access and chemical weapons was "total and permanent". Bozdag
said earlier on Monday that the UN decision "did not affect the Afrin
operation".
Russia Blasts 'Bogus' Reports of Syria Chemical Attack
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 26/18/Moscow on Monday said reports
of an alleged chemical attack on Syria's rebel-held Eastern Ghouta were
planted "bogus stories" and insisted armed groups attacked by regime forces
there were terrorist allies.
"There are already bogus stories in the media that yesterday chlorine was
used in Eastern Ghouta, citing an anonymous individual living in the United
States," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press-conference. A child
died and at least 13 other people suffered breathing difficulties in a
village in the Eastern Ghouta region after the suspected chemical attack
Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a medic who
treated those affected. Eastern Ghouta has been under one of the most
ferocious assaults of Syria's civil war in recent days, with over 500 people
killed in a bombing campaign by President Bashar al-Assad's forces over the
course of a week. The UN Security Council on Saturday passed a resolution
calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria, but the document did not specify
when the truce would go into force. In a concession to Russia, the
resolution also added wording saying that "individuals, groups, undertakings
and entities" associated with Al-Qaeda would not fall under the ceasefire.
Lavrov on Monday said Eastern Ghouta has groups associated with terrorist
al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, such as Jaish al-Islam. "This makes
Nusra's partners unprotected by the ceasefire," Lavrov said. "They are also
subject to actions by the Syrian air force." Fresh strikes on Monday killed
at least 10 civilians in Eastern Ghouta, which lies east of Damascus,
according to the Observatory monitor. The United Nations secretary-general
Antonio Guterres demanded that the ceasefire is immediately implemented.
Russia is a key ally of Assad, and fought a campaign for over two years in
Syria in his support, helping to turn around the multi-front war.
2 Lions from Iraq, Syria Head to South African Refuge
Asharq Al Awsat/February 26/18/Two lions rescued from neglected zoos in war
zones in Iraq and Syria will start their recovery from physical and
psychological trauma at a big cat sanctuary in South Africa. The male lions
have arrived in Johannesburg after leaving an animal refuge in Jordan, The
Associated Press quoted Fiona Miles with animal welfare group Four Paws as
saying on Monday. The lions arrived emaciated, dehydrated and
psychologically scarred in Jordan last year. Now 4-year-old Simba and
2-year-old Saeed are headed to the Lionsrock facility near the town of
Bethlehem. Some of the 80 lions at the facility came from a German circus
and zoos in France, Romania and Congo. Others are from South African
captive-bred lion operations that often earmark the predators for "trophy"
killings by customers.
Security Council Discusses Resolution to Call Out Iran
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 26/18/The United Nations Security Council is set to
discuss on Monday a resolution to call out Iran over its weapons falling
into the hands of Yemen's Houthi insurgents. But Russia has laid the
groundwork for a likely veto. The 15-member Security Council has to renew
its targeted sanctions on Yemen on Monday. The United States has been
lobbying for months for Iran to be held accountable at the United Nations,
while at the same time threatening to quit a 2015 deal among world powers to
curb Iran's nuclear program if "disastrous flaws" are not fixed.
Britain drafted a resolution in consultation with the United States and
France that initially wanted to condemn Iran for violating an arms embargo
on Houthi leaders and include a council commitment to take action over it.
The latest British draft drops the condemnation and instead expresses
concern that UN experts monitoring the sanctions reported Iran had violated
a targeted arms embargo by failing to stop missiles and unmanned aerial
vehicles reaching the Houthis. A UN Security Council resolution needs nine
votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, France or
Britain to pass.
Russia has proposed a rival resolution that would simply extend the mandate
of the sanctions regime for one year and not mention Iran. Both resolutions
seek to renew a UN ban on the supply of weapons to Houthi leaders and "those
acting on their behalf or at their direction." It can also blacklist
individuals and entities for threatening the peace and stability of Yemen or
hindering aid access.
Family of 9 Killed in Eastern Ghouta as UN Calls for Ending ‘Hell on
Earth’
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 26/18/A family of nine was killed in Syrian regime
bombardment of the rebel enclave of eastern Ghouta near Damascus overnight,
where air strikes and fighting have persisted despite a UN Security Council
resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire. "Eastern Ghouta cannot wait, it is
high time to stop this hell on earth," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. "I expect the resolution to be
immediately implemented and sustained," he said. The UN human rights chief,
Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, also spoke at the Council, echoing calls for a "full
implementation" of the truce. Zeid decried "seven years of failure to stop
the violence, seven years of unremitting and frightful mass killing" in
Syria. The bombardment of eastern Ghouta over the past week has been one of
the heaviest of Syria's war, killing at least 522 people in seven days,
according to a toll compiled by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a
UK-based war monitor. It said two bodies had been pulled from the rubble of
a home destroyed by an air strike in the Ghouta town of Douma, with seven
others from the same family dead underneath. The Security Council, including
Russia, approved the resolution demanding the 30-day truce on Saturday. The
intensity of the bombardment has diminished since then but has still killed
two dozen people, the Observatory said. Health authorities in eastern Ghouta
said late on Sunday that several people had suffered symptoms consistent
with chlorine gas exposure, killing one child, after an explosion. But
Moscow on Monday said reports of the chemical attack were planted "bogus
stories."
South Sudan Close to Famine, New Report Says
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 26/18/South Sudan is nearing another famine, aid
officials warned on Monday, after five years of devastating fighting and
failed ceasefires in the world’s youngest nation. Almost two-thirds of the
population will need food aid this year to stave off starvation and
malnutrition as aid groups prepare for the “toughest year on record”,
members of a working group including South Sudanese and UN officials said.
According to a report published Monday by the United Nations and South
Sudan's government, more than six million people, up about 40 percent from a
year ago, are at threat without aid. It says 150,000 people in 11 counties
in Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity and Western Bahr el Ghazal states could slip
into famine this year. “The situation is extremely fragile, and we are close
to seeing another famine. The projections are stark. If we ignore them,
we’ll be faced with a growing tragedy,” said Serge Tissot, from the UN Food
and Agriculture Organization in South Sudan. A total of 5.3 million people,
48 percent of the population, are already in “crisis” or “emergency” -
stages three and four on a five-point scale, according to a survey published
by the working group. The oil-rich east African nation has been torn apart
by an ethnically charged civil war since late 2013, when troops loyal to
President Salva Kiir and then-Vice President Riek Machar clashed. Since
then, more than 4 million people have been forced to flee their homes,
creating Africa’s largest refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The UN declared last year a famine in two districts where 100,000 people
faced starvation. After a rapid aid response, further crisis was averted and
the famine declaration was lifted in June. One in three people in South
Sudan have been forced from their homes by the civil war, resulting in the
worst production of the country's staple grains since the conflict began in
late 2013, the FAO said. “We are expecting to face the toughest year on
record,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator Alain Noudehou told a press conference
in the South Sudanese capital Juba. Records for South Sudan began when it
declared independence from Sudan in July, 2011. While supportive of the aid
response, South Sudan's government worries that it is crippling the nation.
"If a country relies on aid it'll develop a dependency syndrome," said
Hussein Mar Nyot, minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management.
People will forget their skills the longer they aren't able to cultivate the
land, he said. The UN humanitarian response plan for South Sudan has
received less than 4 percent of its funding for 2018, with a gap of more
than $1.7 billion. Last year Kiir ordered unrestricted access for aid
groups, but aid workers say the situation hasn't changed and the current dry
season could make it worse.
Canada calls for immediate implementation of ceasefire
in Syria
February 26, 2018 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued
the following statement regarding yesterday’s UNSC resolution on Syria:
“Canada calls for the full implementation of the UNSC’s resolution on a
humanitarian ceasefire in Syria, including eastern Ghouta.
“It is vital that all parties respect the ceasefire unconditionally to stop
the massacre of civilians and allow the delivery of humanitarian supplies.
“We are very concerned by reports that the ceasefire has been violated less
than 48 hours after it being agreed upon.
“Canada condemns the approach of the Assad regime and its allies, Russia and
Iran. The regime has targeted civilians and public services, such as schools
and hospitals, and has used siege and starvation tactics, chemical weapons,
and barrel bombs.
“Canada has been providing funding to groups working as first responders in
eastern Ghouta, including the White Helmets. We hail the courage of those
working to save lives.
“The protection of civilians is an obligation under international
humanitarian law.”
Four Killed in
Building Fire in Central English City
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 26/18/Four people were
killed and four more were in hospital on Monday after an explosion and fire
destroyed a three-storey building in the central English city of Leicester,
police said. The cause of the blast on Sunday evening has yet to be
determined but police say the incident is not being linked to terrorism. "At
this stage, there are four confirmed fatalities and four people remain in
hospital, one with serious injuries," Leicestershire Police said in a
statement. Neighbours reported that their own homes shook with the force of
the blast, which sparked a fire that engulfed the ground floor shop and
two-storey flat above it. "We believe there may be people who have not yet
been accounted for and rescue efforts continue in order to locate any
further casualties," Superintendent Shane O'Neill said. Six fire crews are
at the scene and emergency services will remain at the site throughout
Monday. Major roads in the area are closed and electricity to a number of
homes nearby was affected, but no properties were evacuated overnight. "Once
the site is deemed to be safe a joint investigation with Leicestershire Fire
and Rescue Service will begin looking into the circumstances surrounding the
incident, which at this stage are not being linked to terrorism," O'Neill
said. Firefighters worked through the night to control the blaze, which
broke out shortly after 7:00 pm (1900 GMT)on Sunday. "We've now got
specialist search and rescue teams supported by search dogs on scene," Matt
Cane, from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue, told AFP at the site. Pictures
and videos posted on social media showed a property engulfed in flames, with
rubble and debris scattered around. "It was very scary," local resident
Graeme Hudson told AFP. "I live five minutes away... but my house shook. I
went out and saw massive smoke and big flames."Another witness, Tahir Khan,
who was driving past when it happened, said: "I looked on the road and half
the building was on the road. "Literally the whole of the side of the
building had been blown out. I couldn't believe it, it was like a Hollywood
movie."
Macron Tells Erdogan
Syria Ceasefire Must Apply to Afrin
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 26/18/French President
Emmanuel Macron told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday
that a proposed UN ceasefire for Syria must be applied across the country,
including in Afrin where Turkey is waging an offensive against a Kurdish
militia. During a telephone call between the two leaders, Macron said the
30-day ceasefire "involved all Syrian territory, including in Afrin, and
must be put into effect everywhere and by everyone without delay", the
French presidency said. He added that Turkey, Russia and Iran, the three
countries overseeing talks in Astana aimed at ending the nearly seven-year
civil war, "have a direct responsibility in this regard that must be applied
on the ground". Ankara last month launched an offensive against the Kurdish
People's Protection Units (YPG) militia in Afrin in northern Syria. On
Sunday the Turkish government said the proposed UN ceasefire would not
affect its operation, which it claims is aimed at fighting "terrorist
organisations that threaten the territorial integrity and political unity of
Syria". Turkey sees the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK), which for more than three decades has waged an insurgency
against the Turkish state and is banned by Turkey, the US and the European
Union as a terror group. But the offensive has raised tensions with
Washington, which works closely with the YPG in the fight against jihadists
in Syria. The Syrian conflict has intensified with attacks by Damascus on
the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta, with at least 10 civilians killed in
the area on Monday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a
monitoring group. Macron told Erdogan he was "deeply worried" about the
bombardments of Eastern Ghouta, saying France would remain "vigilant"
concerning humanitarian access to the area and any use of chemical weapons.
On Saturday the UN Security Council approved a resolution calling for the
ceasefire "without delay" to allow for aid deliveries and medical
evacuations in Eastern Ghouta.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published
on February 26-27/18
Iran Wants to Join the World Order It Undermines
Eli Lake/Bloomberg/February 26/18
If you are a fan of unintentional comedy, I recommend checking out the Financial
Action Task Force. This is the global organization of big banks and government
agencies dedicated to combating money laundering and terrorism finance.
This week it met in Paris to discuss, among other things, whether or not Iran’s
banking system should receive a clean bill of health.
The joke writes itself. The US Treasury Department has spent more than 20 years
tracing how Iran’s banks are used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or
IRGC, to finance terror groups. As National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster told
a conference in Munich this week: “When you invest in Iran, you’re investing in
the IRGC. You might as well cut the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a check
and say, ‘Please use this to commit more murder across the Middle East.’ ”
And yet, the world body dedicated to stopping the finance of terrorism punted.
In the dry prose of bureaucrats, it called on Iran to “fully address its
remaining action items.” This includes a loophole in a law pending before Iran’s
parliament to address the state’s financing of terrorism. There is an exemption
for groups “attempting to end foreign occupation, colonialism and racism.” And
yet, the door remains open if the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism
could just address some of these technical details.
All of this illustrates the problem with integrating states like Iran into the
world order. Government envoys and ministers can be quite sensible one-on-one,
but get a bunch of them in a room under the imprimatur of the “international
community” and nonsense ensues. This is particularly true when it comes to Iran
after the 2015 nuclear deal.
Consider an Interpol conference last July in Tehran. Law-enforcement experts
from Central and South Asia met to discuss “Project Kalkan,” a new early-warning
system to share terrorist information to prevent future attacks. What’s next, a
prison-reform summit in Pyongyang?
The most egregious violator in this regard has long been the United Nations
Human Rights Council. Next week, for its annual meeting, Iran’s delegation will
include the country’s justice minister, Alireza Avaie. He is an Iranian
Torquemada. As a prosecutor, he is alleged to have overseen the torture and
arbitrary detention of activists from the Green Movement. As a younger man, he
was the prosecutor who sentenced thousands of members of the anti-regime group
People’s Mujahedin to the gallows in 1988, during one of the regime’s many
purges. The European Union imposed a travel ban and sanctions on Avaie in 2011.
And yet he is due to arrive in Geneva next week to participate in an
international conference on human rights.
All of these examples rightly cry out for mockery. But there are serious
implications as well. One of the many downsides of the 2015 nuclear deal is that
it raised expectations for the Iranian regime that it could rejoin the
international community for a temporary suspension of its nuclear program. Just
listen to Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, explain away all of Iran’s
misdeeds and predations to get a flavor of this.
The problem is that the nuclear deal was narrow. It promised the lifting of
severe nuclear sanctions in exchange for Iran allowing access to some of its
sites for inspection and removing most of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium.
Big banks and corporations, though, are still are wary of investing in Iran.
This bothers Iran’s diplomats. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi threatened
this week that Iran may withdraw from the 2015 deal if major banks continue to
shun its economy. How unfair! A regime that routinely arrests dual nationals on
trumped-up charges, allows its banks to finance terror, and elevates tormentors
of its citizens to high office is being singled out.
I realize this must be a real dilemma for Araqchi and other regime officials.
But there is no need to overcomplicate the matter: If Iran wants be treated like
a normal country, its leaders should stop acting like a bunch of terrorists.
The Syria Memory Hole Is Opening Up a Bigger Danger
Tyler Cowen/Bloomberg/February 26/18
Sometimes the biggest events are those that don’t get the most publicity, and
the lack of notice itself is part of the story. Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock
Holmes referred to the dog that didn’t bark as a telltale sign that something
unusual was going on during a horse theft. The relative lack of attention being
paid to the news that US-backed forces killed 200 to 300 Russian mercenary
soldiers this month in Syria seems like a non-barking dog to me.
In many years, this might have been the most disruptive story, holding the
headlines for weeks or maybe months. Circa February 2018, it didn’t command a
single major news cycle.
What outsiders know about the event is still fragmentary, but it sounds pretty
ominous. One Bloomberg account notes: “More than 200 contract soldiers, mostly
Russians fighting on behalf of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, died in a failed
attack on a base held by US and mainly Kurdish forces in the oil-rich Deir Ezzor
region.” It is described as the biggest clash between US and Russian forces
since the Cold War. It seems that the Russian mercenaries are pretty closely
tied to the Russian government.
One Russian commentator called this event “a big scandal and a reason for an
acute international crisis.” American foreign policy expert Ian Bremmer noted,
“At some level, it’s startling that isn’t the biggest news of the year.” Yet I
have found that I know plenty of well-educated people, with graduate degrees and
living in and near Washington, who aren’t even aware this occurred. The story
has fallen into a memory hole, in part because neither the Americans nor the
Russians wish to escalate the conflict.
Is this unusual affair a one-off, or an indication of a more basic shift in the
world? I am starting to believe the latter.
It could be argued that the international order is now less fragile, that a
minor clash can occur without major escalation. This is both good and bad news.
The good news is that when such conflicts arise, they may dwindle into
insignificance. That seems to be the case with this fighting. Politicians think
that larger values are at stake in the international world order, and they don’t
want to disrupt peace because of a single unfortunate incident. For a variety of
reasons, which of course may include state control, the news media in both
countries have gone along with this decision.
In essence, this is the opposite of a world where a minor diplomatic slight can
lead to a war, as with the Franco-Prussian conflict of 1870.
This newfound international robustness may also be showing up in the North
Korean crisis. US President Donald Trump’s insulting tweets, calling North
Korean leader Kim Jong-Un “short and fat,” are extremely unusual by the
standards of any recent diplomatic era. I don’t approve of these communications,
but it’s quite possible that they won’t much affect the final outcome of the two
Koreas dilemma. For better or worse, the world is learning to ignore much of
what Trump says and does.
Unfortunately, as is so often the case in human affairs, the bad news is very
closely tied to the good. If the world is developing a greater robustness with
respect to armed conflict and diplomatic slights, perhaps that’s because it
needs to. The fundamental underlying determinants of international order may be
growing weaker, and the greater tolerance for bad events reflects a broader
decline. There is some evidence -- admittedly fragmentary -- that international
conflicts are starting to become more violent, and hardly anyone believes that
Pax Americana is what it used to be.
As for American voters and social media activists, they seem far more interested
in a continuing series of culture wars and debates over President Trump. That’s
not a good sign for American international influence.
But it is worse yet. As the tolerance for particular instances of conflict
rises, the temptation to allow or initiate such conflicts rises, if only because
the penalties won’t be so large. Eventually more parties will experiment with
violent sorties. Do we really think that Russian President Vladimir Putin is
ordering the summary execution of the Russian “rogue” attacking forces, as
Stalin might have done? Probably not.
The sorry truth is that a world tolerant of conflict will probably end up as a
world full of conflict.
So is the Russian attack in Syria the biggest story of the year? Probably not.
But our deliberate disavowal of its newsworthiness is the true novelty, and it
is a disturbing one indeed.
"Don't Dare Sit with Us if You Want to Live"/Muslim
Persecution of Christians, September 2017
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/February 25/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11935/muslim-persecution-of-christians-september
"They get paid for every Coptic Christian girl they bring in. In some cases,
police provide the kidnappers with drugs they seize. The drugs are then given to
the girls to weaken their resistance... I even know of cases in which police
offered helped to beat up the girls to make them recite the Islamic creed." —
World Watch Monitor, Egypt; September 14, 2017.
On September 14, a court sentenced a Christian man to death for "blasphemy"
against the prophet of Islam. Nadeem James, a 27-year-old father of two, was
originally arrested in July 2016, after a Muslim angry with him for personal
reasons falsely accused James, who is illiterate, of texting a poem deemed
"blasphemous" of Muhammad. — Pakistan.
School textbooks taught her that "it was the Christians who wanted to plunder
the lands and the riches of the Muslim world" and Turks merely responded by "defend[ing]
what was rightfully theirs." (In reality, modern day Turkey consists of
territory that was Christian for more than a thousand years before it was
conquered by Turks in the name of jihad.) "Everything is used to make the
Christians look like villains," she said, adding, "It's the same all through
Muslim countries." — Turkey.
Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Pakistan: Sharoon, a Christian boy who achieved academic excellence despite
years of entrenched discrimination and bullying—and whose poverty-stricken
parents had worked hard to put him in MC Model Boys Government High School—was
beaten to death by Muslim pupils. On his first day at the school, the teacher
slapped him across the face while blurting an anti-Christian slur. Having set a
precedent, the rest of the classroom of Muslim boys continued harassing him
throughout the same first day: they hurled out derogatory terms against
Christians, denied him access to drinking water, and told him, "You're a
Christian don't dare sit with us if you want to live." According to one report:
"His academic prowess ... only added to the disdain for him felt by other
pupils." Another report said, "there were repeated attempts to convert him to
Islam. Sharoon however, never quit his faith to the chagrin of the Muslim
children around him, exacerbating his pariah status." Then, on August 27—his
fourth day at the prestigious Model school—Muslim students attacked him in the
classroom (the teacher supposedly did not notice; he was reading his paper).
"The violence," continues the report, "was of such sickening ferocity that poor
Sharoon died where he was in the classroom." A cacophony of insults accompanied
the beating; he was called a "filthy Christian" and a "demon." According to the
murdered teen's mother:
"My son was a kind-hearted, hard-working and affable boy. He has always been
loved by teachers and pupils alike and shared great sorrow that he was being
targeted by students at his new school because of his faith. Sharoon and I cried
every night as he described the daily torture he was subjected to.... The evil
boys that hated my child are now refusing to reveal who else was involved in his
murder. Nevertheless one day God will have His judgement."
Kenya: Islamic militants from Al Shabaab, centered in neighboring Somalia,
beheaded four Christian men in two separate attacks. Approximately 30
heavily-armed assailants surrounded several homes in two different areas; they
called victims out by name, before pulling them out and slitting their throats
or decapitating them. In the previous two months (August and July), Al Shabaab
militants slaughtered thirteen other Christians in a similar manner. "The knock
at the door confirmed our fears that what happened in nearby Malamande village
in 2014 [was] happening again," recounts one of the slain men's wives:
We were reluctant to open [the door] and that is when the gang of about 20 broke
in and dragged my husband out. I climbed and hid in a space up the roof and I
heard everything that was going on. My husband was struggling and screaming for
help but the gang overpowered him, slit his throat and chopped off his head. I
am very bitter and worried about how I will live without [Gerald]. I treasured
him because he loved me and provided everything that I needed. I am still in
shock from what I saw that night; blood all over, his body lying lifeless and
the head a few meters away. Why did they kill my husband?"
Separately, suspected Islamist militants opened fire on and killed two police
officers guarding a church. After the gunmen encountered police standing guard
at the entrance of an Anglican church, they "sprayed the officers with bullets,"
notes the report, before fleeing on motorbikes. "One officer was shot in the
head and died on the spot while the other," police confirmed, "died in
hospital."
"Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab's beheadings and attacks against Christians
will continue to rise," according to another report, "with the Somali-based
militants having an estimated 9,000 jihadis at their disposal." It quotes the
American Center for Law and Justice as saying:
[Y]et another radical Islamic jihadist army — just like ISIS, the Islamic State
— is ruthlessly murdering Christians, targeting them for their faith. This
global and historic persecution continues.... Al-Shabaab's actions are clearly
deadly, demented, disturbing, and disgusting. We must defeat and destroy these
Islamic jihadists."
Nigeria: Muslim Fulani herdsmen, accompanied by known "Islamic extremist
militants," states a report, raided a Christian village and massacred 20
Christians, including a three-month-old baby and eight other children, as they
slept sometime after midnight, Friday September 8. Police, who apparently
treated the incident with some indifference, said it was a "reprisal" attack for
the discovery of a decapitated Muslim boy; but dumbfounded Christians argued
that the murder happened in another village more than a year ago and that they
had nothing to do with it.
In another incident, a Catholic priest, Cyriacus Onunkwo, was abducted by
Islamic gunmen on Friday, September 1 and found slaughtered in the bushes the
following day. Nothing was stolen from his car and no ransom was demanded for
his release.
Muslim mob uprisings in Jos also left scores of Christians wounded and one dead.
On September 15, a mob attacked a vehicle with four Christians who were leaving
a weekly prayer meeting at the University of Jos chapel. "Just as I pulled out
of the main gate and [was] about to make a left turn," Professor Timothy
Oyetunde recalled, "the mob, from the Muslim-dominated neighborhood opposite the
campus, ran across the street, surrounded us and started smashing the van" with
clubs, stones and actual weapons. Two of the passengers, including another
professor, were stabbed; they all fled the van before the Muslim mob torched it.
"In a separate attack," the report continued, "two university students were
attacked in a different Muslim-dominated area of downtown Jos and stabbed. One
student died in the hospital while receiving treatment."
Muslim Rape of Christians
Pakistan: On September 13, a Christian boy (age not provided) was misled to an
isolated area, beaten, "gang raped," and ordered to recite the Islamic
profession of faith by seven Muslim men. According to the report, "initially
they started beating him violently and stripped off his clothes. They sexually
assaulted Sher Dil [the youth] and forced him to recite Kalma. Sher Dil was
again beaten and fell unconscious, and was taken to a local hospital by the
alleged rapists. They warned him of dire consequences if he would disclose the
details of the incident to anyone." Police were "reluctant" to respond and, when
pressed to act by the victim's father, "took sides" with the rapists, noted the
report. The boy is under threat of death from his tormenters for going to the
police, even as his father implored the Ministry of Human Rights for help.
Egypt: An ex-kidnapper, an ex-kidnapper known only as "G," explained the process
of how Christian girls are targeted for abduction, forced conversions and
"marriages" to Muslims. According to the report, he related that "they get paid
for every Coptic Christian girl they bring in. In some cases, police provide the
kidnappers with drugs they seize. The drugs are then given to the girls to
weaken their resistance as they put them under pressure. I even know of cases in
which police offered helped to beat up the girls to make them recite the Islamic
creed." He "admits he was in a network actively targeting Coptic girls for years
before he left Islam." Although such networks have been around since the 1970s,
they reached their "highest levels now, in the era of President Sisi," he said.
A portion of his testimony notes that:
A group of kidnappers meets in a mosque to discuss potential victims. They keep
a close eye on Christians' houses and monitor everything that's going on. On
that basis, they weave a spider's web around [the girls].... I remember a Coptic
Christian girl from a rich, well-known family in Minya. She was kidnapped by
five Muslim men. They held her in a house, stripped her and filmed her naked. In
the video, one of them also undressed. They threatened to make the video public
if the girl wouldn't marry him.... The kidnappers receive large amounts of
money. Police can help them in different ways, and when they do, they might also
receive a part of the financial reward the kidnappers are paid by the
Islamisation organisations.... And the value of the reward increases whenever
the girl has a position. For example, when she is the daughter of a priest or
comes from a well-known family.... The Salafist group I knew rented apartments
in different areas of Egypt to hide kidnapped Coptic. There, they put them under
pressure and threaten them to convert to Islam. And once they reach the legal
age, a specially arranged Islamic representative comes in to make the conversion
official, issue a certificate and accordingly they change their ID.... If all
goes to plan, the girls are also forced into marriage with a strict Muslim.
Their husbands don't love them, they just marry her to make her a Muslim. She
will be hit and humiliated. And if she tries to escape, or convert back to her
original religion, she will be killed.
Muslim Attacks on Apostates to Christianity
Germany: A group of Muslims attacked a 23-year-old Muslim convert to
Christianity. He was assaulted because "his attackers saw his Christian cross
and were angry he had converted from Islam, says the report. "They asked him why
he had changed his religion," before "one of the attackers tore the chain off
him and threw it to the ground." The report continues:
The unidentified man then punched the Afghan in the face several times. The
second attacker then held the Christian by the arms as the first man took out a
blade and cut him twice on the upper body with it..... The attack happened less
than a mile away from the most notorious radical Islamist mosque in Berlin, the
Al-Nur Mosque. An attack of this nature is also not the first to happen this
year in Berlin. In August, another man ... was attacked by three men of North
African appearance who also objected to his cross. The three men brutally beat
the 39-year-old and shouted abuse at him. Earlier this year in May ...yet
another man was attacked for wearing a cross necklace. ...The Christian charity
Open Doors claim to have recorded thousands of cases of violence and abuse
directed towards Christians in Germany. Earlier this year, an Arabic translator
working with asylum seekers in Germany said that many of the Muslims in asylum
homes express hatred toward Christians. "Pure hatred against non-believers is
preached, and children are brought here from an early age here in Germany. It's
very similar in asylum housing, where Muslim boys refuse to play with
Christians," the translator said.
Nigeria: The Muslim family of a man, Bulus, a convert to Christianity, harassed,
ostracized, threatened to kill, and finally made false charges against him that
landed him in prison—possibly for as much as ten years. His family responded by
trying to do "whatever they could to make him return to their faith," according
to a report. "When Bulus refused, his father threatened to disown him. Bulus
lost his inheritance, the support from the extended family circle for everyday
life, the protection of the status of the clan and the privilege of an arranged
marriage—in other words, and from their perspective, his entire future. When he
still refused to change his mind, his family threatened to kill him. That was
when Bulus says he knew it was time to go. He fled to Jos, further south, where
no-one knew him, and enrolled in theological training." During his training, "I
learned a lot about forgiveness," says Bulus. "After I graduated I wanted to go
home to see if there was any way my parents and I could be reunited." He instead
discovered that:
"Their hatred had increased, especially when they heard I had become a pastor.
Before I could leave, relatives trapped me and started beating me. I thought I
was going to die, but they dragged me to the police station and accused me of
stealing some of their goats. Despite the fact that there was no proof, the
police locked me up. Five days later they took me to court. I did not have the
opportunity to defend myself but was kept in prison anyway."
As of the last report, Bulus was incarcerated under extremely unhealthy and
unhygienic conditions. "He doesn't know when this ordeal will end," said the
report, "and dares not fuel any expectations of a speedy release."
Maldives: Although "Christians in the Maldives [already] have few rights," a
September report notes:
"the government is increasingly controlling the courts and simply ignoring the
law, leaving Christians in an even more vulnerable state.... Despite being a
popular tourist destination, the Maldives is one of the most difficult places in
the world to be a Christian. The 2008 Maldivian constitution bans Muslims from
becoming Christians, which leaves open the question as to whether someone who
becomes a Christian could be stripped of their citizenship."
Earlier the government "arrested 50 Maldivians suspected of having become
Christians, and is thought to have tortured them. Any Maldivian even found to
have a Bible in their house faces a prison sentence."
Iran: Iranian national media reported that several Christians, almost all of
whom are converts, in Tehran, Rey, and Pardis, were arrested after a video
surfaced showing dozens of Bibles and other Christian literature, allegedly also
confiscated by authorities. Little other information is provided.
Muslim Attacks on "Blasphemous" Christians
Egypt: In response to an old Facebook post, a Muslim mob attacked Christians in
Tawa village and destroyed several homes, buildings, and cars on September 14.
After the slaughter of several Christians traveling to a monastery four months
earlier, in May, Bassem, a 22-year-old Christian from the village, had written:
"Are we [Christian] Egyptians not from Egypt? No matter that you try to hurt us,
one day all your ways will fail.... When you demolish the homes of his [Jesus']
children, you attack him. I ask Jesus to touch your heart and change you. Our
Lord knows and sees what is happening to us. Continue and increase your
terrorism, but I'm not afraid because it is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of God."
Although he deleted the post one day later, a cached copy was seen by and shared
with other Muslims four months later. Deeming it "an insult to Islam ... [m]any
Muslims gathered and the mob began to attack Christian homes and shops," notes
an eyewitness. "They were pelting stones at the homes while shouting 'Allah
Akbar.' They hurled bricks and stones at Mar Girgis (St. George) Coptic Orthodox
Church..."
Pakistan: On September 14, a court sentenced a Christian man to death for
"blasphemy" against the prophet of Islam. Nadeem James, a 27-year-old father of
two, was originally arrested in July 2016, after a Muslim angry with him for
personal reasons falsely accused James, who is illiterate, of texting a poem
deemed "blasphemous" of Muhammad. The condemned's brother explained what next
transpired: "We were not at home when the police raided our house to arrest
Nadeem. However, when the cops couldn't find any of us in the premises, they
took away two women of the family – my wife and the wife of my elder brother,
Faryad." Around the same time, local mosques began calling on megaphones that if
he did not surrender himself, Christian homes would burn. Nadeem surrendered
himself and the women were released. "The charge against my brother is
completely baseless," the brother maintains. "Nadeem is uneducated and could not
have possibly sent that text message. I'm certain that Yasir Bashir [Muslim
accuser] downloaded the supposedly blasphemous text onto Nadeem's phone and then
forwarded it to his cell number to build a case against my brother." Nadeem's
lawyer said they will challenge the conviction in a high court.
Separately—and despite being "mentally challenged"—a Christian teen accused of
blasphemy against Islam had his first court hearing in September. A Muslim,
Muhammed Nawaz, had accused Asif Stephen, 16, of stealing at a local bazaar; he
beat the boy, and then told the local imam—who, according to the initial report,
"has a history of preaching hatred towards minority Christians"—that the youth
had also burned a Koran. Nawaz and the imam tracked down the boy and beat him
again. When a passerby saw the violence and contacted police, "instead of
protecting the teenager from his attackers, [police] arrested and booked him
into prison on blasphemy charges." Hours later, the imam and "a mob of more than
300 Muslim fundamentalists surrounded the prison, calling for a public lynching
of Stephen. As the mob overwhelmed local police, Stephen was removed from his
cell and handed over to the mob, which consequently beat him until reinforcement
officers stepped in to calm the situation. Police then moved Stephen to a higher
security district jail where he pleaded guilty to blasphemy in what his family
believed was a coerced confession." His father said that "Muhammed Nawaz has
always had a grudge against my son" and "has often threatened Asif and told him
that the tomb area is designated for him to collect recyclables as he is a
Muslim and Asif is only a worthless and untouchable Christian."
Indonesia: The world's largest Muslim nation "made it clear that the country's
dangerously ambiguous blasphemy law is here to stay – which is bad news for
beleaguered religious minorities," Human Rights Watch said after the nation
rejected the UN's stated recommendations that it "introduce legislation to
repeal the blasphemy law." Indonesia further "rejected a recommendation it amend
or revoke laws that limit the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion in the country," Human Rights Watch said. Among those recently to
suffer from these laws is Ahok, a Christian and former governor of Jakarta, who
was sentenced to two years in prison for blaspheming against Islam. "By
rejecting pleas from U.N. member states to abolish the blasphemy law," continued
Human Rights Watch, "the Indonesian government is telling the world that it will
continue to pander to bigotry and discrimination at the expense of the rights of
religious minorities."
Indonesia joined other repressive Muslim nations in May 2017 when it sentenced
the Christian governor of Jakarta, known as "Ahok," to a two-year prison term on
the charge that he committed "blasphemy" against Islam. Pictured: Ahok on the
day of his election, February 15, 2017. (Photo by Oscar Siagian/Getty Images)
Muslim Attacks on Christian Churches
Mali: Not only were several Catholic churches "ransacked and torched, forcing
parishioners to flee" throughout September, but "militants told Christians they
would be killed if they were seen in church," a report noted. A Catholic church
leader explained:
"Our churches and chapels are now being targeted by extremists who've told
Christians not to gather to pray.... But we're also alarmed the attacks are
being mounted by isolated Islamist groups, acting in their own name.... On
previous occasions, the government has deployed military units in our parishes.
But this still hasn't been done against these new attacks."
Turkey: Photos taken clandestinely of the largest Armenian cathedral in the
Middle East "reveal considerable damage to the sanctuary and walls of the now
desecrated church in southeast Turkey," a report disclosed. Its crucifix was
"defaced," its windows smashed, and its pews used as firewood; garbage was
dumped in its sanctuary. First built in the 1600s, Surp Giragos Armenian
Apostolic Church is one of six Christian churches in the Sur district to be
confiscated by the state. For three years now, Christians—Armenian, Assyrian,
Chaldean, and Protestant—have been unable to worship in their churches as
authorities placed all Christian property in Diyarbakir on the Turkish cabinet's
expropriation plan. "We have been exposed to ethnic and religious discrimination
for years," said a local pastor.
Malaysia: Police managed to foil an Islamic State terror plot targeting
Christian churches and other non-Muslim places of worship after they arrested a
21-year-old Muslim affiliated with the jihadi group. According to the General of
Police, the Muslim youth had "received instructions from a Malaysian Daesh
(Islamic State) member in Syria to buy a pistol, a M-16 rifle, an AK-47 rifle
and hand grenades from a neighbouring country with the aim of launching attacks
on non-Muslims and their places of worship." Chemicals used to assemble the
devices were discovered in his house. Although Malaysia is Muslim majority,
sizeable populations of Christians, Buddhists, and Hindus also live there.
Muslim Hate Preaching and General Contempt for Christians
Turkey: A former Muslim woman who converted to Christianity explained how "her
opinion of Christians was very low because of the things she and others were
taught to believe about Christians in a Muslim society," noted a report.
According to the convert, who now lives in the U.S. and goes by the pseudonym
Derya Little, "An anti-Christian attitude is a big part of the national
identity, so anyone or anything that promotes Christianity is automatically
suspicious." School textbooks taught her that "it was the Christians who wanted
to plunder the lands and the riches of the Muslim world" and Turks merely
responded by "defend[ing] what was rightfully theirs." (In reality, modern day
Turkey consists of territory that was Christian for more than a thousand years
before it was conquered by Turks in the name of jihad.) "Everything is used to
make the Christians look like villains," she said, adding, "It's the same all
through Muslim countries."
Saudi Arabia: School textbooks continue to promote animosity for, and violence
against, non-Muslims. "As early as first grade, students in Saudi schools are
being taught hatred toward all those perceived to be of a different faith or
school of thought," said Human Rights Watch. "The lessons in hate are reinforced
with each following year," Textbooks teach that Christians are "kafirs" (or
infidels) and that it is the duty of Muslims to disavow them: "For whoever does
not or whoever doubts their religious infidelity is himself an unbeliever."
Another textbook teaches that "The hour will not come until Muslims will fight
the Jews and Muslims will kill the Jews. The Jew will hide under the rock and
tree and the rock or tree will say O Muslim, servant of Allah, this Jew is
behind me, kill him."
Iran: The government "ordered children belonging to families of one of the
country's largest house church movements to study the Koran and Shi'a Islam
teachings or face expulsion from school," another report relates. This policy
"deprives Christian children of primary and secondary education unless they
agree to religious instruction that does not conform to their faith." According
to Firouz Khandjani, a Church of Iran council member who lives in hiding:
"Right now [Iranian President Hassan] Rouhani wants to prove that he is a good
Muslim by persecuting Christians.... Most of the new Christians are former
Muslims.... The authorities are trying to eradicate Christianity, just as the
Islamic State group, but smarter."
Sudan: "Christian children in Sudan's refugee camps are not receiving food
unless they say Islamic prayers," according to a report. After describing South
Sudanese Christian refugees as living "in a terrible situation," a local source
elaborated:
"We have heard stories where children are conditioned to say Islamic prayers
before [being] given food. This is not right. These children are Christian. They
should be respected for that.... The majority are left in camps, some in a very
terrible situation. They are confined in those places. They are not allowed to
go further north to the cities."
About this Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by
Muslims is growing. The report posits that such Muslim persecution is not random
but rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or
location.
**Raymond Ibrahim is the author of Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War on
Christians (published by Regnery with Gatestone Institute, April 2013).
With Red Syrian Ink
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al Awsat/February 26/18
Russia cannot afford to fail in Syria. The country put its entire reputation
there. Failure means the collapse of Vladimir Putin's major vengeance project,
which he submitted to the Kremlin, and which he initially hid under his smile,
awaiting the appropriate timing for execution. Taking revenge on the forces that
drove the Soviet Union into history museums… On the world of the single
superpower… On NATO, for deploying its pawns near the Russian Federation
borders… On colorful revolutions, the civil society and all forms of soft power,
which does not need permission to cross the borders…
Russia cannot afford defeat on the Syrian arena. It is about its status, the
prestige of its army, its diplomatic capacity and its image as a trustworthy
ally which can be relied on in times of adversity. Failure means the collapse of
the dream of restoring the status and forcing the United States to deal
rightfully with the countries that emerged wounded from the Soviet rubble.
Success in Syria means for Russia to impose a political solution according to
its perception. This issue is neither easy nor simple. The more Moscow fails to
impose a solution that suits it, the more it wants to go further in search of a
victory that will resolve the battle on the ground. A full resolution collides
with many difficulties, in addition to being expensive.
Moscow's concerns mounted over the past few months, as Washington seemed to
abandon the policy of allegiance to the Russian solution and to firmly grip the
papers of the Syrian arena.
This may explain Russia’s position during the strenuous negotiations that
preceded the recent Security Council resolution on Syria. Moscow feels that
time, which was running in its favor in the past, is now turning against it.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s message was honest. He did not rule out
repeating the scenario of Aleppo in eastern Ghouta. He is putting the forces
opposing the Syrian regime before a single option: surrender and go to Sochi.
This does not mean that Russia has not made great gains across the Syrian arena.
There are those who believe that the Russian cook used Syrian fire to impose
fundamental changes on the international scene. The chapters of the Syrian
tragedy showed that the world of the sole superpower did not last long.
Russia has executed its threat that it will not allow the repetition of scenes
similar to those that led to the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime and later
that of Muammar Gaddafi. It has also fulfilled its threat that it will not allow
the West to benefit from deliberate confusion in Security Council resolutions in
order to use force against a regime that is regarded as an enemy, as happened in
Libya.
At the beginning of the bloody chapters in Syria, Putin received an Arab
visitor. He told him that many people mistakenly believed that Russia was
defending a man or a family in Syria. He also said a lengthy stay in power would
lead to the accumulation of errors. But Putin stressed that the question of who
governs Syria must be decided by the Syrian people themselves, and not by
foreign countries through force or soft power. Putin has also executed his
threats in this area.
Putin showed during the crisis that he was not exposed to any serious pressure
from the inside. Before he went abroad to carry out his program, he secured the
wisest control internally. He restored the Red Army, its spirit and weapons. He
tightened his grip on the business world and the media. He has no public opinion
to worry about. His position is quite different from that of Western leaders.
Tragic images coming from Syria did not embarrass him. His media is quick to
portray the devastated hospitals as a victim of terrorists, even if they were
destroyed by Russian or Syrian missiles.
Putin has invested to the fullest extent in America’s image after the famous
story of the red line. Obama’s position was the beginning of the decline of the
US role in Syria. Today, Moscow is betting on a battle that seems imminent. It
is clear that Iran is increasing its pressure on Haider al-Abadi to demand full
American withdrawal from Iraq. The US departure from there will also accelerate
its exit from Syria, which is initially associated with its presence in Iraq to
fight ISIS.
Putin also succeeded in highlighting the limited role of NATO. There is no
desire for NATO to engage in the Syrian fire. Turkey has the second largest army
in the Alliance. Its political leadership is co-sponsoring the Sochi process.
The Turkish army is fighting in Afrin after receiving a green light from Russia
and Turkey’s Atlantic side will protect its atmosphere through missiles coming
from the Russian arsenal.
Putin has also exhausted the Security Council. His representative there holds
the veto sword to stop any decision that could hinder the Russian project in
Syria. The Russian delegate allows the adoption of a resolution only after
depleting its content and including statements that preserve the Russian and
Syrian forces’ right to use military force “against the terrorists.”
There is no doubt that terrorists are still present on the Syrian territory; but
Russia, which is seeking to strike those groups, is trying at the same time to
bend the rest of the Syrian opposition and to force it to walk towards the
Russian solution, which is so far committed to the Iranian project in Syria,
while understanding Israel’s concerns over its “interests”.
A senior diplomat goes even further. He believes that what is happening in Syria
is greater than the country itself; and that the course of the lingering tragedy
carries with it the formation of a new international order that restores the
prominent place of power in international relations and prevails stability over
change, democracy, human rights and the civil society’s aspirations.
The diplomat notes the decline of the role of the United Nations system, the
Western leadership of the world, the role of popular pressure groups and the
impact of demonstrations and information. He believes that Syria is the starting
point for a new regional order. The tragedy, as seen by the diplomat, is that
these features are painted with the blood of Syrian civilians. New features are
written in red Syrian ink.
The Nature of Humanitarian Assistance Must Change
José Graziano Da Silva/Asharq Al Awsat/February 26/18
After decades of progress in eliminating hunger, the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) announced a rise last year in the number of hungry people in
the world. This year’s analysis indicates there will be a further increase in
the number of people under the risk of famine.
This means we, collectively, have not been effective enough in our response to
humanitarian crises — despite enormous efforts. To improve results, we need to
better combine humanitarian assistance with development actions on the ground.
To save lives, we need to save livelihoods.
This is the message I am taking to the inaugural Riyadh International
Humanitarian Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this week. When a pastoralist family
loses their herd in a humanitarian crisis, they also lose their hope. They are
without any productive activity and they are quickly unable to feed themselves.
Their livelihood must be protected in order to save their lives. In fact, up to
80 percent of those at risk of severe hunger during a crisis rely on crops,
fishing, livestock and forests for their survival.
Even in the midst of a crisis, agricultural production continues. A 2017 FAO
assessment of the impact of conflict on agriculture in Syria shows that despite
six years of violence, 75 percent of rural families continue to produce their
own food. In 2016, South Sudan’s smallholders produced almost one million tonnes
of cereals despite intensifying conflict that forced many from their fields
during harvest.
Investing in the resilience of agricultural sectors is also cost effective.
During the 2017 main planting season in northeastern Nigeria, with just $20
million, FAO enabled one million people to produce enough food to meet their
needs for the next six months, easing pressure on the entire humanitarian system
well into 2018. Each kit cost just $86 per family. In Somalia, where livestock
is vital to survival for many, treatments costing just $0.40 can protect an
animal that would cost $40 to replace. With greater demand for limited
resources, we must also be more innovative in how we respond to increasingly
protracted crises.
FAO has recently partnered with the United Nations Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs to explore how, when and where multiyear funding can
have the greatest effect in the humanitarian context. More flexible funding
allows agencies to prioritize the most urgent needs.
In this regard, let me acknowledge the recent pledge of $1 billion by the
Saudi-led coalition in support of the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen.
We welcome the decision to allocate these funds according to need, with a
significant amount dedicated to addressing the growing prevalence of severe
hunger. After decades of progress toward eradicating hunger, now is the time to
renew the commitment to the Sustainable Development Goal of “zero hunger.”What
is absolutely clear is that business as usual is not an option. Agriculture and
local food production cannot be afterthoughts. Investing in agriculture not only
saves lives and protects livelihoods, but it lays the foundations for recovery
and resilience building. We must change the nature of humanitarian assistance to
grow the seeds of zero hunger.
**Director-general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) José
Graziano da Silva
Palestinians: Israel is One Big Settlement
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/February 26/2018
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11949/palestinians-israel-settlements
Let us be clear about this: When Palestinians -- and some of their supporters in
the international community, including Europe -- say that they want an end to
the "occupation," they mean they want to see an end to Israel's existence, full
stop. They do not want to throw the Jews out of their homes in the settlements;
rather, they want Jews to be expelled from the whole country.
The conflict, as far as the Palestinians are concerned, did not begin in 1967,
when east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip came under Israeli control. In
the eyes of the Palestinians, all Jews are "settlers" and "colonialists." All
the land, they argue, stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea,
is Muslim-owned land, and no Muslim is entitled to give up any part of it to a
non-Muslim. For the Palestinians, accepting Israel's "right to exist" with Jews
is seen as an act of treason.
What is really bothering the Palestinians is that Israel, with Jews, exists,
period. The Palestinians want all of Jerusalem. They want all of "Palestine."
They want Israel removed from the planet. It is time to listen carefully to what
the Palestinians are saying -- in Arabic -- to understand that the conflict is
not about Jerusalem and not about settlements.
No doubt Ismail Radwan is a terrorist, but, unlike other Palestinian leaders and
spokesmen, he is at least an honest one.
At a time when most Palestinian leaders are telling the world that settlements
are the real "obstacle" to peace, Radwan, a senior Hamas official, last week
made it clear that the conflict with Israel is not about Jews living in a
settlement in the West Bank. The truth is that the Palestinians see Israel as
one big settlement that needs to be uprooted from the Middle East.
The Palestinians do not differentiate between a Jew living in a settlement on
the outskirts of Bethlehem, in the West Bank, and a Jew living in the cities of
Haifa, Tel Aviv or Eilat. All the Jews, they say, are "occupiers" and "settlers"
who need to "go back to where they came from."
For the Palestinians, the real "occupation" began with the establishment of
Israel in 1948.
The Palestinians do not differentiate between a Jew living in a settlement on
the outskirts of Bethlehem, in the West Bank, and a Jew living in the cities of
Haifa, Tel Aviv or Eilat. All the Jews, they say, are "occupiers" and
"settlers." Pictured: The skyline of Tel Aviv.
Let us be clear about this: When Palestinians -- and some of their supporters in
the international community, including Europe -- say that they want an end to
the "occupation," they mean they want to see an end to Israel's existence, full
stop. They do not want to throw the Jews out of their homes in the settlements;
rather, they want Jews to be expelled from the whole country.
The conflict, as far as the Palestinians are concerned, did not begin in 1967,
when east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip came under Israeli control. In
the eyes of the Palestinians, all Jews are "settlers" and "colonialists." All
the land, they argue, stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea,
is Muslim-owned land, and no Muslim is entitled to give up any part of it to a
non-Muslim.
In other words, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a Muslim himself,
will be considered a kaffir," an "apostate" and a traitor if he ever agreed to
cede control over "Muslim owned" land to Jews.
That is why it is naïve to assume that Abbas would ever sign any deal with
Israel.
Neither Abbas nor any other Palestinian leader can accept anything less than 100
percent; and 100 percent means all of Israel. It does not mean a 100 percent of
the "'67 borders" or of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Yes, the
Palestinians want "peace," but that that means peace without Israel, not peace
with Israel. Real peace, the Palestinians argue, will be achieved only when
Israel is eliminated and the Jews disappear.
For the Palestinians, accepting Israel's "right to exist" with Jews is seen as
an act of treason. Muslims are not supposed to accept the presence of Jews on
Muslim-owned land.
Each time Abbas states his commitment to a two-state solution, he is immediately
condemned by his people and other Arabs and Muslims. For them, a "two-state
solution" means accepting Israel's presence in the Middle East; it also means
allowing Jews to live on "Muslim-owned" land -- a "crime," according to Islamic
teachings, punishable by death.
Now back to the Hamas official, Ismail Radwan.
Why is it fair to say that, although he is a terrorist and Jew-hater, he is
still honest? To his credit, he speaks the truth and does not hesitate to
conceal what most Palestinians merely think. There are many Palestinian
terrorists and terror groups who never miss an opportunity to remind us that
their real goal is to destroy Israel, not make peace with it.
During a Hamas rally in the Gaza Strip on February 23, Radwan told the thousands
of supporters of his terror group that there is no such thing as east and west
Jerusalem. "The whole city belongs to Palestinians and Muslims," he said. "The
united city of Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Palestine."
Why is this an important statement that needs to be brought to the attention of
the US administration and the rest of the international community? Because it
basically sums up the essence of the entire Israeli-Arab conflict: namely, that
many Arabs and Muslims have still not accepted Israel's right to exist inside
any borders.
Radwan's statement came in response to US President Donald Trump's decision to
recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem.
The Palestinians, revealingly, are totally opposed to the relocation of the
embassy -- even though it will be established in the western, and not eastern
part of the city. Why would any Palestinian who supported a two-state solution
(with east Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state) oppose the transfer
of any embassy to west Jerusalem? Do the Palestinians really accept Israeli
sovereignty over west Jerusalem? Do they accept Israeli sovereignty over any
land, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River? Do they accept Israeli
sovereignty over Tel Aviv?
The answer is clear and simple: No.
Radwan is refreshingly frank about this issue. His views do not represent those
of a minority of Palestinians: such views have long become part of the
mainstream thinking among the Palestinians.
The last time Hamas, which openly seeks the destruction of Israel, ran in a free
and fair Palestinian parliamentary election in 2006, its candidates won the vote
handily. If elections were held tomorrow, Hamas would win the vote again.
To put it simply: a majority of Palestinians continues to see Israel as a
foreign entity and an alien body that was imposed on the Arabs and Muslims by
Western superpowers, despite the Jews having lived there for four thousand
years, as evidenced every by archeological findings, which corroborate material
in the Bible. The Palestinians want to liberate "all of Palestine" – meaning all
of current-day Israel. This is what the entire Palestinian "national struggle"
is about. It is not about "liberating" a certain part of "historical Palestine."
Instead, it is about "liberating every inch of Palestine" and driving the Jews
out of the land and out of the region.
Mahmoud Abbas is a known liar who has not only questioned the Holocaust, but
also specializes in distorting history. In a speech before the Palestinian
Central Council in January this year, Abbas said that Israel was a "colonialist
project that has nothing to do with Judaism." Behind him appeared a large
placard with a map of "Palestine" that made no reference to Israel.
This time Abbas, like Hamas, is being honest. His talk about a "colonialist
project" shows that he, like many Palestinians, has a problem with Israel's very
existence.
For Abbas, the problem is not settlements or borders or the status of Jerusalem.
He sees Jews as an occupying force and as settlers, regardless of where they
live. The map behind him tells the story, namely that Abbas and most
Palestinians are fighting to drive the Jews out of the land and replace Israel
with an Islamic Arab regime.
Such maps are not new in the Palestinian landscape; they can be found in school
textbooks and various media outlets. Anyone who watches the weather forecast on
Palestinian television stations will see that Haifa, Tel Aviv, Tiberias and
Jaffa are "occupied" cities.
Anyone who follows the news on Palestinian media outlets will see how all Jews,
whether they are living in a West Bank settlement or in Tel Aviv, are referred
to as "settlers."
To sum up, it is not Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital
or to move the US embassy to the city that is behind the current Palestinian
outrage.
What is really bothering the Palestinians is that Israel, with Jews, exists,
period. The Palestinians want all of Jerusalem. They want all of "Palestine."
They want Israel removed from the planet. It is time to listen carefully to what
the Palestinians are saying -- in Arabic -- to understand that the conflict is
not about Jerusalem and not about settlements.
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim based in the Middle East.
© 2018 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.
Russia's Mercenary Debacle in Syria/Is the Kremlin Losing Control?
Neil Hauer/Foreign Affairs/February 26/18
On the night of February 7, a Kurdish-held oil field in northeastern Syria came
under sudden attack by forces allied with the regime of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad. Heavy U.S. air strikes and artillery fire repelled the assault, with
initial reports suggesting that at least 100 pro-government fighters were killed
in the span of three hours.
The next week, information began to emerge that many of those killed were
Russian mercenaries contracted to the Wagner Group, a private military company
with close ties to the Kremlin. A pair of Russian-language audio recordings
described 200 dead Wagner fighters; other sources gave casualty figures as high
as 600. Although these figures sounded absurd at first, with other Russian
sources estimating only 20 to 25 dead, corroborating evidence increasingly
backed a casualty tally in the hundreds. Former Wagner fighters with links to
those killed reported between 80 and 100 dead and 200 injured, while Russian
hospitals treated hundreds of wounded. A Chechen-language recording from Syria
claimed that 170 of 200 Wagner fighters involved in the attack were dead. Three
hundred casualties now appears not only a plausible but a probable figure.
The recent operation seems to have caught the Russian government totally
unprepared. Initial Kremlin statements were limited to a single quip on February
14 that there “may be citizens of the Russian Federation” fighting in Syria, but
that these were “not connected” to Russia’s armed forces. The next day, the
Russian Foreign Ministry admitted that “five Russians may have died” in Wagner’s
attack. In the interim, several interviews with family members of the deceased
emerged, as did independent confirmation of at least ten deaths. On February 20,
the Foreign Ministry raised that number, stating that “several dozen” citizens
of Russia and other Russian-speaking countries were killed or wounded in Syria.
Moscow’s behavior seems to have been born from genuine confusion rather than
calculated misinformation.
Over the past five years, Wagner has evolved into the preeminent Russian
military contractor, playing a central role in Moscow’s military operations in
Syria and Ukraine. This confusion surrounding the attack, however, suggests that
Wagner’s offensive actions resulted in a debacle the Kremlin did not expect.
With its ability to control the Assad regime already in question, Russia appears
to now be facing issues restraining even its own mercenary contractors. With its
ability to control the Assad regime already in question, Russia now appears to
be facing issues restraining even its own mercenary contractors.
PROFIT MOTIVES
If the February 7 attack indeed came as a surprise for the Kremlin, how and why
did it happen at all? In this case, a report from the Russian daily Kommersant
provides crucial details. A former Wagner employee and comrade of several of
those killed in the incident stated that it was an attempt by “local big
businessmen currently supporting Bashar Assad” to seize oil and gas fields
controlled by the U.S.-backed Kurds. The plan, apparently, was to attack the
Kurdish base and seize it before U.S. airpower could drive them off.
At first glance, such a move is unprecedented: since Russia intervened in Syria
in September 2015, there have been no reliable indications of Wagner operating
outside the Kremlin’s command. Yet an incident in 2013 holds more clues. That
year, the Slavonic Corps, a predecessor of Wagner, was contracted by an unknown
Syrian client to seize oil fields in the east, in roughly the same area where
the February 7 fighting took place. This, too, was a debacle—the group was
poorly outfitted and driven off by Syrian rebel fighters. It demonstrates,
though, that such attacks can occur without the express knowledge of Moscow.
A sensational scoop in The Washington Post late last week revealed that the
order for the assault came from a remarkably high-placed source: Yevgeny
Prigozhin. A member of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle in
control of a number of powerful enterprises, Prigozhin is not only closely
linked to Wagner but possesses other interests in Syria’s northeast. He heads
the firm Evro Polis, which inked a contract with Syria’s state-owned General
Petroleum Corporation early last year to secure production rights for 25 percent
of all Syrian oil and gas fields. With most of those fields under Kurdish
control, Prigozhin coordinated with senior Syrian officials to plan “a good
surprise” for Assad’s government. It appears Prigozhin secured not only promises
of additional pay from Damascus but also at least tacit agreement from the
Kremlin: the oligarch was in contact with Putin’s chief of staff, Anton Vaino,
in the days before and after the attack.
This revelation raises more questions than it answers, the most important of
which involve the degree to which the Russian government approved the attack and
whether Prigozhin and the Syrians were aware of the U.S. presence in the area.
The most likely answer at this point is that the Kremlin was aware that Wagner
and Prigozhin planned to send the Kurds a signal at Damascus’ behest but
anticipated little if any response from U.S. forces, and certainly not the
drubbing that Wagner received.
THE BOONS AND BANES OF MERCENARIES
The February 7 incident has also highlighted the role that Wagner has come to
play as an instrument of Russian foreign policy. After its inauspicious start as
the Slavonic Corps in Syria in 2013, the group was allegedly involved in the
February 2014 takeover of Crimea. Wagner mercenaries participated heavily in
Russian military operations in eastern Ukraine in 2014, including the battle for
Debaltseve in January and February 2015. And although private military companies
remain technically illegal in Russia itself, Moscow contracted the group for a
number of tasks in Syria following its 2015 intervention there. Wagner was
especially active in the country’s center and east: its fighters participated in
the March 2016 capture of Palmyra as well as the late 2017 campaign for the
eastern city of Deir ez-Zor.
Current best estimates place Wagner’s numbers in Syria at around 2,500
servicemen. For perspective, in September 2016 Russia was estimated to have just
under 5,000 personnel in Syria, making the Wagner detachment equal to about half
the size of the official one. The mercenaries have often played a light infantry
role, reconnoitering territory and spotting for air strikes, but they have also
been employed on the frontlines. The utility of such a group is obvious—it
allows Russia to employ ground forces without incurring the political risk of
potential casualties. This is particularly useful when there is heavy
fighting—in September 2017 alone, Wagner reportedly suffered 54 combat deaths.
The group’s service has been publicly rewarded: Putin was seen presenting a
medal to Wagner head Dmitry Utkin at a Kremlin ceremony in December 2016.
As the events of February 7 demonstrate, however, Wagner may diminish the
political risk of casualties but cannot eliminate the threat altogether. A
battle producing 100 deaths is impossible to hide in the social media age, and
some journalists have already spoken to family members of the deceased. The
mother of one dead fighter, in a small town in the Urals, said that the members
of his unit were treated “like pigs… sent to slaughter.” Another was similarly
indignant, saying that the Russian government is “responsible for its actions.”
The damaging publicity is not what Putin needs with the Russian general election
scheduled for mid-March.
But as bad as the February 7 attack is on the Russian domestic front, its impact
on the Syrian conflict is likely to be worse. Moscow is already finding it
difficult to control the course of the crisis, with its much-vaunted Syrian
peace congress in Sochi having recently ended in debacle. Conflict continues to
rage between Syrian Kurds and Turkey in the northwest, and reports indicate that
the Kurds and the Syrian regime—ostensibly Moscow’s client—spurned Russian
involvement in their negotiations. Even if Wagner’s assault was tacitly
sanctioned in some form by the Kremlin, its disastrous results and the scale of
the battle that ensued will do little for Moscow’s legitimacy as a force for
stabilization in Syria. The revelation that the Kremlin either cannot or will
not exercise control over proxies such as Wagner only further challenges
Russia’s narrative as kingmaker in Syria.
As for Wagner itself, the next steps are unclear. Moscow will certainly seek to
rein in the group, likely by redeploying elements from the area of the February
7 incident to the outskirts of Damascus, where a major regime offensive is
looming. Wagner is also likely to become more involved in Idlib Province in
Syria’s northwest, now becoming a focus of combat between the regime and
surviving rebel groups. The revelation that Prigozhin effectively used Wagner as
a tool for his personal enrichment in conjunction with Syrian officials, even if
sanctioned to a degree by the Kremlin, demonstrates an unsettling and heretofore
unknown potential for escalation. The United States gave Wagner a substantial
bruising sure to make its commanders think twice before attempting such a stunt
again—but the precedent of the group fighting U.S.-backed forces has nonetheless
been set. For Putin, this attack appears to be just the latest in a series of
unwelcome escalations in a country where he declared victory just two months
ago—and proof that proxy forces such as Wagner can backfire in an unintended
fashion.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/syria/2018-02-26/russias-mercenary-debacle-syria?cid=int-fls&pgtype=hpg