LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 02/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.august02.16.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
I tell you; but unless you repent,
you will all perish as they did
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 13/01-05/:"At that very time
there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had
mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these
Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those
eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them do you think that
they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell
you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’
I urge you to take some food, for it will help you survive; for none of you will
lose a hair from your heads.
Acts of the Apostles 27,27.33-37.39-44./:"When the fourteenth night had come, as
we were drifting across the sea of Adria, about midnight the sailors suspected
that they were nearing land. Just before daybreak, Paul urged all of them to
take some food, saying, ‘Today is the fourteenth day that you have been in
suspense and remaining without food, having eaten nothing. Therefore I urge you
to take some food, for it will help you survive; for none of you will lose a
hair from your heads.’After he had said this, he took bread; and giving thanks
to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. Then all of them
were encouraged and took food for themselves. (We were in all two hundred and
seventy-six persons in the ship.) In the morning they did not recognize the
land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned to run the ship
ashore, if they could. So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea. At
the same time they loosened the ropes that tied the steering-oars; then hoisting
the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. But striking a reef, they ran
the ship aground; the bow stuck and remained immovable, but the stern was being
broken up by the force of the waves. The soldiers’ plan was to kill the
prisoners, so that none might swim away and escape; but the centurion, wishing
to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could
swim to jump overboard first and make for the land,and the rest to follow, some
on planks and others on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought
safely to land."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published on August 01-02/16
Nasrallah's voice, Iran's words/Smadar
Perry|/Ynetnews/August 01/16
Muslims Go to Catholic Mass Across France to Show Solidarity/Milos Krivokapic
and Raphael Satter/AP /Time/July 31/16
A difficult battle for Hillary: America’s mood could favor Trump/Raghida Dergham/Al
Arabiya/August 01/16
The Iranian foreign ministry’s new maneuvers on Syria/Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al
Arabiya/August 01/16
The politicization of Russia’s road to Rio/Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/August
01/16
Snapchat celebrities and their relationships with books/Turki Aldakhil/Al
Arabiya/August 01/16
When will the Kashmir killings stop/Khaled Almaeena/Al Arabiya/August 01/16
Rebranded Nusra might reverse Assad's gains/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/Now
Lebanon/August 01/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on
on August 01-02/16
Qahwaji Marks Army Day, Vows to Save
IS Abducted Soldiers
Report: Hariri Would Personally Join Dialogue if Nasrallah Does
Lebanese Army Retaliates to IS Fire, Destroys Nusra Post
Boroujerdi Begins Lebanon Visit, Says Iran 'Has Never Obstructed' Political
Solutions
Hariri Meets Jumblat, Mustaqbal Bloc on Eve of National Dialogue
ISF Foils Smuggling of Over 800,000 Captagon Pills to Gulf
Kataeb: Dialogue Must Prevent Lebanon Collapse, Revive State Institutions
Bassil Says More FPM Members May be Expelled if 'Bylaws' Violated
One Wounded in Army Raids in Bekaa
Rahi chairs Bkerki mass upon Army Day
Shehayeb chairs meeting to implement waste management plan
Siniora discusses current juncture with German diplomats
Nasrallah's voice, Iran's words
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on August 01-02/16
Khamenei: Saudi ties with Zionist regime a stab in the back to Muslims
Five Dead as Russian Military Helicopter Downed in Syria
U.N. Slams Iraq PM's Efforts to Accelerate Executions
ISIS calls on members to fight Moscow in Russia
Militants launch offensive to ease Aleppo siege
Death toll in Baghdad bombing rises to 324
Khamenei: no ‘tangible’ benefits after nuke deal
Four killed in Saudi Arabia in cross-border shelling from Yemen
Salafists blow up 16-century mosque in Yemen
Turkey, U.S. Meet after Power Grab Attempt
Turkey protests against German ban on Erdogan speech
Erdogan decree brings more govt control of military
Turkey captures 11 involved in bid to seize Erdogan during coup attempt
Saudi Arabia ‘wants stronger ties’ with Russia
Israel arrests Palestinian security officer for weapons dealing
U.S. Conducts Anti-IS Strikes in Libya after Official Request
Links From Jihad Watch Site for
on August 01-02/16
Authorities pay Swedish youngsters to play with Muslim migrants
and “asylum seekers”
Police arrest 900 Muslim migrants in England and Wales for “sickening” crimes
India: Enraged Muslim mob storms police station, police seeking those who “hurt”
their “religious sentiments”
The Islamic State reveals why it hates us, and so do their Islamic supremacist
cohorts
Hugh Fitzgerald: In Erdogan’s Turkey, Kemalism is Temporary, Islam is Forever
Video: Robert Spencer at the Reagan Ranch Center on why it matters to call it
“Islamic terrorism”
“I’ve spent eight years in Afghanistan and it was the loudest and the most heavy
blast I have ever experienced”
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: Khizr Khan, Servant of the Global Umma
Pope Francis: “It’s not fair to identify Islam with violence. It’s not fair and
it’s not true.”
Belgium: Muslim migrant stabs priest who let him in to use his
shower
on August 01-02/16
Qahwaji Marks Army Day, Vows to Save
IS Abducted Soldiers
Naharnet/August 01/16/Army
Commander General Jean Qahwaji marked Lebanon's Army Day Monday and reassured
that efforts to free the soldiers abducted by the Islamic State group will
continue, as he renewed oath to defend Lebanon and protect its borders and
wealth, the National News Agency reported.“On your behalf, I renew our oath to
defend Lebanon and protect its borders and wealth. I hereby vow before the
families of your hero fellows who were taken hostage by terrorist groups that we
shall pursue our endeavors with persistence to uncover their destiny and
liberate them to ensure their safe return back to their loved ones and to the
institution they belong to,” said Qahwaji in his Order of the Day. He was
referring to the nine servicemen who have been held hostage by the Islamic State
group since the deadly 2014 battle between jihadists and the Lebanese army in
and around the northeastern border town of Arsal. Marking the 71st Army Day
anniversary, Qahwaji hailed the army's efforts in preserving Lebanon's
territories, he added: “Through your commitment to the implementation of
Resolution 1701 and in close coordination with the International Force, you have
preserved national sovereignty and Lebanon’s regional and international standing
through your deployment and tenacity throughout the southern border in the
confrontation with the Israeli enemy which is eager to take hold of our land and
oil wealth. “In parallel, you have heroically confronted the Takfiri terrorist
waves at the eastern border and you have relentlessly continued to eradicate
their cells which aim to launch sabotage attacks. Your efforts have shielded the
country from slipping into the unknown.”The Army Commander added: “While we are
convinced that the effective confrontation with terrorism, which has currently
turned into a global comprehensive danger that threatens the customs and
cultures of people throughout the world by resorting to different criminal means
and methods in its barbaric acts, necessitates a comprehensive strategy that
takes into consideration the coordination of international security efforts and
promoting cultural awareness between the different people of the world and
addressing critical economic and social issues, the national security effort
remains pivotal in this confrontation and this is what you have proven and gave
a bright example of.”He concluded and said: “Be confident that we will spare no
effort with the aim of providing the weapons and equipment that truly suits the
sacrifices you are giving and your tenacious will to carry on with the fight
against terrorism.”
Report: Hariri Would
Personally Join Dialogue if Nasrallah Does
Naharnet/August 01/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri refused to
participate personally in the national dialogue sessions with Hizbullah, and
assured that he would change his mind if Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah engaged personally in the dialogue as well, al-Akhbar daily reported
on Monday. “Speaker Nabih Berri has suggested that Hariri raises the
representation levels of the Mustaqbal bloc at the dialogue table by attending
the sessions in person,” reported the daily. To that Hariri asked whether
Nasrallah would do the same, he said: “Will Sayyed Nasrallah take part in the
session? If he attends the meetings, then I will do too. However, if the level
of (Hizbullah) representation is kept the same then head of the Mustaqbal bloc
Fouad Saniora will represent us.”For his part, Berri told An-Nahar daily that
the dialogue will prolong, he said: “They (Mustaqbal and Hizbullah) must know
that we are in front of one of the last important and sensitive opportunities at
this stage.”He pinpointed that no one (in reference to the two parties) is able
to record a progress in any of the pending files if it did not pass through the
interlocutors. The dialogue sessions are held under Berri’s sponsorship in Ain
el-Tineh.
Berri had received Hariri Sunday evening in Ain el-Tineh where discussions
touched on the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, in addition to the
three-day dialogue sessions that are set to kick of Tuesday.
Lebanese Army Retaliates to
IS Fire, Destroys Nusra Post
Naharnet/August 01/16/The army on Monday retaliated to shelling from the Islamic
State group on the border with Syria after destroying a post for al-Nusra Front
in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal, state-run National
News Agency reported. “Army posts in Ras Baalbek have come under mortar fire
from the militants of the IS group who are stationed in the eastern outskirts
and the army has responded forcefully,” NNA said. Al-Jadeed television said the
army was using heavy artillery in its bombardment. Earlier in the day, NNA said
the army's Fifth Intervention Regiment had destroyed a Nusra Front post in the
Dahr al-Safa area in Arsal's outskirts. Militants from IS and al-Nusra are
entrenched in rugged areas along the undemarcated Lebanese-Syrian border and the
army regularly shells their posts while Hizbullah and the Syrian army have
engaged in clashes with them on the Syrian side of the border. The two groups
briefly overran the town of Arsal in August 2014 before being ousted by the army
after days of deadly battles.The retreating militants abducted more than 30
troops and policemen of whom four have been executed and nine remain in the
captivity of the IS group.
Boroujerdi Begins Lebanon Visit, Says Iran 'Has Never Obstructed' Political
Solutions
Naharnet/August 01/16/Chairman of Iranian Parliament's National Security and
Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi began an official visit to Lebanon
on Monday during which he is expected to hold talks with top officials. During
his two-day visit Boroujerdi is expected to hold meetings with Speaker Nabih
Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, Loyalty to
the Resistance parliamentary bloc, Palestinian factions and the Muslim Scholars
Committee. The Iranian official held talks with FM Bassil at the Foreign
Ministry in Ashrafieh, after which he announced that “Iran's firm policy is
based on the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other
countries, including Lebanon.”“However, in light of the ties of friendship,
brotherhood and fraternity that link us to brotherly Lebanon, we would play a
part, if asked, in any political efforts aimed at resolving this political
vacuum in Lebanon,” Boroujerdi added. “We are fully confident that the rational
Lebanese political leaders will eventually manage to find the appropriate
solution to this presidential vacuum,” he went on to say. Boroujerdi later paid
a visit to the tomb of slain Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh in Ghobairi.
Answering a reporter's question, the Iranian official stressed that Tehran “has
never been an obstacle in the way of any political solution in Lebanon.” Upon
his arrival at the Rafik Hariri International Airport earlier in the day,
Boroujerdi, whose visit coincides with Army Day, hailed the “distinctive” role
of the Lebanese army and lauded its efforts in countering the Israeli threat and
extremist terrorism. MP Ali Bazzi, representing Berri, MP Ali Moqdad
representing Loyalty to the Resistance bloc and the Iranian Ambassador to
Lebanon Mohammed Fathali welcome the Iranian top diplomat at the airport.
Diplomatic sources specializing in Iranian affairs told al-Joumhouria daily that
Boroujerdi's visit comes in the framework of “promoting” the new Iranian
perspectives in the region, following the “developments on the ground in Syria's
Aleppo and in Yemen between the rebels and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh
in the face of the Arab-Islamic alliance led by Saudi Arabia.”
Hariri Meets Jumblat,
Mustaqbal Bloc on Eve of National Dialogue
Naharnet/August 01/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri held
separate consultations Monday with the members of the Mustaqbal parliamentary
bloc and Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat, on the eve of three
days of consecutive national dialogue sessions.
“Ex-PM Saad Hariri met this evening at the Center House with Democratic
Gathering leader MP Walid Jumblat, who was accompanied by Health Minister Wael
Abu Faour,” Hariri's office said. “The meeting was held in the presence of
(Hariri's adviser) ex-MP Ghattas Khoury and the talks tackled the general
situations and the latest developments,” Hariri's office added. Earlier in the
day, Hariri had presided over a meeting for the Mustaqbal bloc to discuss “the
general situations on the eve of the national dialogue sessions.”Speaker Nabih
Berri has called for the August 2, 3 and 4 dialogue sessions in a bid to resolve
several stalled issues in the country. Hoping the meetings would bring
“solutions,” the speaker has urged the parties to “make use of time” and try to
reach agreements “with all due responsibility.” “The parliament's term will not
be extended under any circumstances,” Berri has stressed. The speaker has
proposed a package deal that involves holding parliamentary elections under a
new electoral law before electing a new president and forming a new government.
Should the parties fail to agree on a new law, the parliament's current extended
term would be curtailed and the elections would be held under the 1960 law which
is currently in effect, Berri says. Lebanon has been without a president since
the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, MP Michel Aoun's
Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the
parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri,
who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate
Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal
was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as
Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more
eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary
bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.
ISF Foils Smuggling of Over
800,000 Captagon Pills to Gulf
Naharnet/August 01/16/Two operations two smuggle more than 800,000 Captagon
narcotic pills to Gulf countries have been smuggled in Lebanon in recent days,
the Internal Security Forces said on Monday. “After obtaining information that
Lebanese and Syrian individuals were preparing for major smuggling operations,
especially in the North and Bekaa regions, and following close surveillance, the
Intelligence Branch managed on July 28 and 29 to seize two refrigerated trucks,”
an ISF statement said. The first truck was intercepted in Bekaa's Chtaura area
and contained 506,000 white and yellow Captagon pills while three people were
arrested, the ISF added. It identified the three detainees as two 33-year-old
Lebanese men and a stateless 37-year-old man. “During interrogation, one of the
Lebanese detainees confessed that the cargo belonged to two Syrian brothers who
live in the (Bekaa) town of Saadnayel, describing them as two of the major drug
and Captagon dealers and smugglers,” the ISF statement said. He also confessed
that the stateless detainee was “his partner in transporting vegetables and
fruits as a cover-up for smuggling drugs to a Gulf country.”The third detainee,
who was the truck driver, meanwhile claimed that he was not aware that the
vehicle was carrying Captagon and was eventually freed, the ISF added. As for
the second truck, the ISF said that it was intercepted in the al-Ayrouniyeh area
in the northern Zgharta district and that it was being driven by a 38-year-old
Syrian national. “Fifty thousand Captagon pills were found hidden in small packs
in the vehicle while 250,000 pills were found in his house. The pills were meant
to be smuggled to Jordan,” the ISF added. “During interrogation, the man
confessed to smuggling Captagon in collaboration with a 27-year-old Syrian
national, who was eventually arrested,” the ISF explained. The driver's brother
H. D., who is being held at a Saudi prison, was also involved in the smuggling
activities, the Syrian detainee told interrogators.
Kataeb: Dialogue Must Prevent
Lebanon Collapse, Revive State Institutions
Naharnet/August 01/16/The Kataeb Party announced Monday that the consecutive
national dialogue sessions that will kick off Tuesday must seek to protect
Lebanon from “political, economic and security collapse.”The dialogue parties
must also seek to “restore regularity at state institutions,” the party's
political bureau said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting, adding
that “in order for dialogue to succeed, it must abide by the Constitution.”“The
Constitution stipulates that the election of a president has the priority over
any other act,” Kataeb noted. The party also called on the country's top leaders
to take part in the dialogue sessions in person “if they have the intention to
resolve the presidential crisis.”Lebanon has been without a president since the
term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, MP Michel Aoun's Change
and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's
electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.Al-Mustaqbal Movement
leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative
in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the
presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main
Christian parties, including Kataeb, as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of
Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become
president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in
the Christian community.
Bassil Says More FPM Members
May be Expelled if 'Bylaws' Violated
Naharnet/August 01/16/Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil warned Monday
that more FPM members might be suspended if they violate the movement's bylaws,
three days after the expulsion of four prominent FPM officials. “The issue of
our suspended comrades may be repeated, because whoever commits to a political
party must know its bylaws and their future in it would be determined
accordingly, regardless of their history,” said Bassil at a press conference
summarizing the outcome of the vote that the FPM held on Sunday to choose its
candidates for the parliamentary polls. “It turned out that the number of
dissidents is very small and we won't remain silent over those who insult the
FPM from within its ranks. I call on those who want to carry on with this
approach to resign,” he added. “Those who voted in this coup-like approach do
not exceed 1%, or less than 200 votes,” Bassil said.
Noting that the internal polls “have proved that the FPM can embrace everyone,”
the FPM chief said all members enjoyed equal opportunities “except for those who
remained out due to their non-commitment.”“Political alliances are not something
for the candidates to decide, but rather for the leadership, and the candidate
should abide by the decision that serves the FPM's interest in order to win,”
Bassil added, referring to municipal and parliamentary elections. “The FPM is
bigger than us all and no one will be able to defeat it. Whoever challenges us
will be defeated, seeing us we are defeating external rivals and we will defeat
those who try to undermine the FPM internally,” Bassil vowed. The internal polls
were held two days after the FPM expelled the prominent members Ziad Abs, Naim
Aoun, Antoine Nasrallah and Paul Abi Haidar on charges of committing what it
called “repeated public and blatant violations that contradict with the simplest
rules of organizational discipline despite repeated warnings."In a statement,
the FPM also warned all members against “tackling the movement's internal
affairs in the media and on social networking websites.”In remarks to LBCI TV on
Friday, Ziad Abs, a prominent FPM official in Beirut's Ashrafieh area, said that
his latest televised appearances were the reason behind his expulsion. Media
reports had said in May that the FPM leadership was studying the possibility of
expelling some 20 members, including Abs, for “rebelling against movement
decisions.” The dispute had first erupted over Abs' opposition to the FPM's
alliance in Beirut's municipal elections with al-Mustaqbal Movement. The dispute
pitted him against former FPM minister Nicolas Sehnaoui. Abs was reportedly not
consulted over the alliance.
One Wounded in Army Raids in
Bekaa
Naharnet/August 01/16/The Lebanese army carried out raids in Dar al-Wasaa
neighborhood in the Bekaa region where one person was reportedly wounded, the
National News Agency said on Monday.One man was wounded in raids that the army
carried out early Monday on the houses of fugitives from the Jafaar family in
Dar al-Wasaa. Members from the Jafaar family opened gunfire at the army units.
The army immediately retaliated and clashes erupted between the two sides which
left Samir Jaafar wounded. The army confiscated stolen vehicles and weapons. The
army has been hunting down several members of the Jaafar family for their
suspected involvement in the murder of Sobhi and Nadima al-Fakhri in Btadii.
Rahi chairs Bkerki mass upon Army
Day
Mon 01 Aug 2016/NNA - Maronite Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Rahi, chaired today
a mass service in Bkerki upon the Lebanese Army National Day, in presence of
army Chief, General Jean Qahwaji, and a panel of dignitaries, National News
Agency correspondent reported on Monday. Following his sermon, the prelate
reminded "the political and parliamentary blocs who are blocking the election of
a president, whether directly or indirectly," of "the danger of this blatant
violation of the Parliament's duty." Turning to the army, Rahi hailed the
efforts and sacrifices made by the Lebanese military, "especially in facing
terrorism and its organizations.""Upon the Army National Day, I would like to
call on the Lebanese youth, those endowed with dignity and patriotism, to join
the military institution for the sake of Lebanon," he concluded.
Shehayeb chairs meeting to
implement waste management plan
Mon 01 Aug 2016/NNA - Minister of Agriculture, Akram Shehayeb, chaired on Monday
a meeting for the ad-hoc committee tasked with following up on the
implementation on the government's waste management plan. Following the meeting,
Shehayeb told reporters that the committee aimed to "launch work and provide a
new spirit, especially that municipalities are still waiting for the motives
approved by the Cabinet.""Decentralized waste management does not mean chaos,
and what is happening a number of towns and municipalities is not acceptable,"
he indicated. Shehayeb also revealed that the committee would t inspect soon
Costa Brava, al-Ghadir, and Bourj Hammoud lands.
Siniora discusses current
juncture with German diplomats
Mon 01 Aug 2016/NNA - Head of Future parliamentary bloc, MP Fouad Siniora, met
on Monday with Head of the Lebanon and Syria Division of the Federal Foreign
Office in Berlin, Andreas Kruger, in presence of the German Chargé d'Affaires in
Beirut.
Talks reportedly touched on the current situation in Lebanon and the region, as
well as on the Lebanese-German ties.
Nasrallah's voice, Iran's words/مقالة من
يديعوت أحرونوت الإسرائيلية: نصرالله بوق وصنج إيراني
Smadar Perry|/Ynetnews/August 01/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/08/01/smadar-perryynetnews-nasrallahs-voice-irans-words%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AA-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D9%88%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5/
Op-ed: Hezbollah's secretary general is
becoming less and less relevant as his forces are stretched by the war in Syria,
and his benefactors in Iran are distracted by their economic and political
battles against Saudi Arabia.
As Nasrallah sits in his bunker (and believe me, Hassan, they know where you are
and are aware of your comings and goings), he surely realized how irrelevant he
is becoming. His threats toward Israel have lost their effect. He's being warned
– by Lieberman now – against trying something with Israel.
It's no secret that Hezbollah's military maneuverability is limited. The Iranian
Revolutionary Guard is holding it tightly, as they're also doing to Syrian
President Bashar Assad. The Lebanese terrorist organization is also experiencing
internal conflict over how many young people are to be conscripted into the
deadly war in Syria.
Nasrallah has become a hated figure in Beirut living rooms. Those who listen to
politicians, merchants, media members, and academics can hear a stream of juicy
cursed aimed toward the man who's preventing them from electing a president and
making their state into a functioning, normal entity.
Something strange is going on along the open border between Syria and Lebanon.
Bombarded civilians continue to flee from east to west, while trucks carrying
Hezbollah fighters keep going the other way, into Syria, in order to reinforce
Assad's military. The eight Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, filled with 500,000
women, children, and disabled people, are a heavy burden placed on the country's
economy.
These days were supposed to be the peak if tourism season for the Jounieh
beaches, but Arab tourists have stopped coming all of a sudden. Because of its
rivalry with Iran, Saudi Arabia has punished Lebanon collectively, withholding
donations worth billions. Six Arab states see Hezbollah as a terrorist
organization, and its large stockpiles of rockets mean Nasrallah has to be
monitored.
In his recent pathetic outburst aimed at the Suadi royal family, Nasrallah
sounded like a mosquito trying to sting an elephant. Following reports of
(retired) Saudi General Anwar Eshki's meetings in Jerusalem, the ayatollahs in
Iran sent Nasrallah to speak for them. This isn't really a "normalization," but
a new trend which Israel and Saudi Arabia aren't really trying to hide. Mostly,
it's an alliance of interests that's driving Iran's leaders crazy: Saudi Arabia,
Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, two Gulf principalities, and Israel.
And to make this picture extra clear, we should notice the rare occurrence of
CIA Director John Brennan giving his estimate this weekend that Syria will not
remain a single state when (and if) Assad is removed. In the immediate future,
this means Assad has neither a prepared heir nor a clearly defined expiration
date for his rule. And in the far future, it seems Syria will cause many a
headache in it's future forms.
The sudden announcement by Jabhat al-Nusra that it was separating itself from
al-Qaeda is also troubling Nasrallah. The different militias fighting in Syria
are starting to make things crowded now. There's ISIS, the Free Syrian Army, the
Syrian military with its allies from Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary
Guard, and now Jabhat al-Nusra founder Abu Mohammad al-Julani wants to het his
piece of the action, his plans unclear. It may be that this separation is just a
smoke screen, and that al-Julani will keep in touch with al-Qaeda in secret. It
may also be that Jabhat al-Nusra have received an intelligence analysis from a
very certain organization that told it to prepare for the day after Assad leaves
power.
The White House has a hard time buying this turnover. They're in a test period
with us, said an official spokesperson, not dismissing outright the possibility
of local fighters joining the American-led coalition against ISIS. If they make
a show of force in the field, and Jabhat al-Nusra's disassociation leads to
al-Qaeda's further weakening in Afghanistan, and if Israel provides its supposed
intelligence about al-Julani – Hezbollah and Assad swear he's a Mossad agent –
al-Nusra may become another piece of the puzzle that is the new Syria.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on August 01-02/16
Khamenei: Saudi ties with Zionist regime a stab in the back to Muslims
Jerusalem Post/August 01/16/Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
slammed Saudi Arabia on Monday for allegedly tightening its ties with Israel.
"Revelation of Saudi government’s relations with Zionist regime was stab in the
back of Islamic Ummah," Khamenei tweeted. While Israel and Saudi Arabia do not
have formal relations, media reports have suggested that common interests, such
as a fear of Iran's nuclear program and Tehran's efforts to gain influence in
the Middle East, have drawn the Kingdom and the Jewish state closer together.
Former Saudi general Anwar Eshki visited Israel last month, meeting with Foreign
Ministry Director-General Dore Gold and a number of Israeli MKs. Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted repeatedly about covert ties with the Sunni Arab
world based on common interests, such as the fight against extremism. Khamenei
suggested that the Saudi move to warm up to Israel, as well as the Kingdom's
involvement in Yemen's conflict, were being guided by the United States. "Today,
#Saudi government is in hands of unwise people, but close scrutiny shows US
hands are behind all these issues," he tweeted. The reported warming of ties
with Israel that brought criticism from Khamenei, was also condemned by
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on Friday. Nasrallah called the
developing ties "the current worst development in the Arab sphere." "This
normalization of relations would benefit Israel - free of charge," Nasrallah
said. He said the Arab world is experiencing its worst moments in history, while
Saudi Arabia is "creating contact, normalizing relations, acknowledging the
existence of Israel - and then cooperating with it." "Even a Saudi Fatwa is
prepping the grounds for normalization," he said. "All the while, Saudi Arabia
continues its regional wars and refuses contact with Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain."Yasser Okbi contributed to this report.
Five Dead as Russian Military
Helicopter Downed in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 01/16/A Russian military helicopter was
shot down over Syria on Monday, killing all five people on board in the single
deadliest incident for Moscow since it intervened in the war. The attack came as
Syrian opposition fighters and their jihadist allies battled government forces
outside Aleppo in a bid to ease the regime's siege of rebel-held parts of the
northern city. Russia's defense ministry announced the downing of the
helicopter, which it said was carrying three crew and two officers. "A Russian
Mi-8 military transport helicopter was shot down from the ground after
delivering humanitarian aid to Aleppo," the defense ministry said in a statement
quoted by Russian news agencies.The Kremlin said all five people on board were
assumed dead. "As far as we know from the information we've had from the defense
ministry, those in the helicopter died, they died heroically, because they were
trying to move the aircraft away to minimize victims on the ground," Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists. Lieutenant General Sergei Rudskoy
called the downing a "terrorist act" and said the defense ministry was still
trying to confirm the fate of the Russian servicemen "through all possible
channels."It was not immediately clear who was responsible. The incident was the
deadliest single attack on Russian forces in Syria since Moscow began its
intervention in support of President Bashar Assad's government last September.
It brought the total number of members of the Russian forces killed in Syria to
18. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the
helicopter had come down along the administrative border between Idlib province
in the northwest and neighboring Aleppo. Idlib is held almost entirely by a
powerful coalition of Islamist and jihadist forces including the former al-Nusra
Front, now known as the Fateh al-Sham Front after renouncing its status as
al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate.
Aleppo rebel assault
In neighboring Aleppo province, the Fateh al-Sham Front and allied Islamist
rebel groups were fighting fierce battles on Monday against regime troops on the
outskirts of Aleppo city. The clashes are part of an assault launched Sunday to
try to ease a government siege of the rebel-held east of the city. The
Observatory said the rebels had advanced overnight south and southwest of
Aleppo, but reported ongoing fighting, as well as government air strikes on the
battlefield and rebel-held eastern neighborhoods. Once Syria's economic
powerhouse, Aleppo city has been roughly divided between government control in
the west and rebel control in the east since mid-2012. In recent weeks,
government forces have encircled the east, cutting the sole supply route in and
raising fears of a humanitarian crisis for the estimated 250,000 people now
under siege there. The primary goal of the rebel assault is to seize the Ramussa
neighborhood on the city's southern outskirts. "The road that runs through
Ramussa is the main supply route for regime forces going to the areas they
control in western Aleppo," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. It is also
used by civilians to enter and leave government-controlled districts of Aleppo.
Taking a detour from the north would be too dangerous, he added. Islamist group
Ahrar al-Sham said on Twitter it was involved in fierce clashes near Ramussa and
advancing towards the route. State news agency SANA said rebel rocket and sniper
fire near Ramussa on Monday killed four people, including three women. The
Observatory put the toll at six dead.
'Humanitarian corridors'
SANA said people were using the route as usual, but residents of western Aleppo
expressed fears that the assault could cut them off. "If the militants break the
siege, they will besiege us and cut the Khanasser route, which is the only
artery we have," said Hossam Qassab, a 32-year-old pharmacist. A Syrian security
source acknowledged the assault but said government forces had repelled it. The
encirclement of eastern Aleppo has raised fears of starvation for remaining
residents, who have reported food shortages and spiraling prices since the
government siege began on July 17. Last week, Moscow announced the opening of
"humanitarian corridors" from the east into government territory for civilians
and surrendering rebels. On Saturday, Moscow and Syrian official media reported
dozens of civilians had fled via these corridors, but residents and rebels on
the ground dismissed the reports as "lies." Elsewhere in Aleppo province, the
Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance, advanced inside
the Islamic State group bastion of Manbij on Monday, the Observatory reported.
The SDF hold approximately 40 percent of the town, and are fighting to take it
with support from the U.S.-led coalition against IS.
U.N. Slams Iraq PM's Efforts
to Accelerate Executions
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 01/16/Given problems with Iraq's judicial
system, the premier's efforts to speed up the implementation of executions will
only "accelerate injustice," the United Nations said on Monday. Prime Minister
Haider al-Abadi last month ordered the formation of a committee to identify
factors that are delaying the implementation of the death penalty and to make
recommendations on how to speed up the process. "Given the weaknesses of the
Iraqi justice system, and the current environment in Iraq, I am gravely
concerned that innocent people have been and may continue to be convicted and
executed," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in
a statement. "Fast-tracking executions will only accelerate injustice," Zeid
said. U.N. monitoring "has revealed a consistent failure to respect due process
and fair trial standards, including a reliance on torture to extract
confessions", according to the statement. Iraq has for years faced widespread
criticism from diplomats, analysts and human rights groups who have said that,
due to a flawed justice system, those being executed are not necessarily guilty
of the crimes for which they were sentenced to die.
Following a bombing in Baghdad that killed more than 320 people earlier this
month, the justice ministry announced that five people had been put to death in
a statement linking the timing of the executions with the blast. Zeid said that,
with Iraqis facing frequent attacks, including by the Islamic State jihadist
group, "it becomes all too easy to permit such atrocities to stoke the fires of
vengeance"."But vengeance is not justice," he said.
ISIS calls on members to fight Moscow in Russia
Reuters, Cairo Monday, 1 August 2016/ISIS called on its group members to carry
out jihad in Russia in a nine-minute YouTube video on Sunday. “Listen Putin, we
will come to Russia and will kill you at your homes ... Oh Brothers, carry out
jihad and kill and fight them,” a voice said over footage of men training in the
desert. It was not immediately possible to independently verify the video but
the link to the footage was published on a Telegram messaging account used by
the militant group. It is not the first time ISIS called for jihad against
Russia. In late 2015, ISIS called on Muslims to launch a “holy war” against
Russians and Americans over what it called their “crusaders’ war” in the Middle
East, an audio message distributed by supporters of the ultra-hardline group
said on Tuesday.
The United States and Russia are carrying separate airstrike campaigns in Syria,
which they say are targeting ISIS.
Militants launch offensive to ease Aleppo siege
AFP, Beirut Monday, 1 August 2016/Militants forces allied to rebels attacked
regime forces south and southwest of Aleppo Sunday in a bid to ease the siege of
Syria’s second city, rebels and a monitor said. Since July 17, President Bashar
al-Assad’s forces have surrounded rebel-held districts of Aleppo city, one of
the main front lines in the conflict ravaging the country since 2011. Loyalists
forces cut the Castello Road, the main supply line into rebel-held neighborhoods
in the north of the city. Now insurgents have attacked from the south, a region
divided between loyalists backed by Iranian fighters and Hezbollah on the one
hand, and Syrian and foreign militants allied with rebel groups on the other. On
Sunday, groups such as the influential Ahrar al-Sham and extremists including
from the former Al-Nusra Front -- rebranded Jabhat Fateh al-Sham after breaking
from Al-Qaeda -- said they had begun a battle to try to reopen a new supply
route. Fateh al-Sham launched two car bomb attacks against regime positions in
suburban Rashidin in southwestern Aleppo and fighting also raged in the early
evening, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said. Three children were among
11 civilians killed in rebel rocket attacks launched from Rashidin on the
government-controlled district of Hamdaniyeh in western Aleppo, the Observatory
said. Other attacks focused on southern parts of the city towards the
regime-controlled suburb of Ramussa, the Britain-based monitor reported. “It
will be a long and difficult battle,” said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.
“The army is supported by a large number of Iranians and fighters from
Hezbollah, not to mention the Russian planes,” he said. Forces from Lebanon’s
Shiite group have been fighting alongside Assad’s men in Syria for years, and
Russia at the end of September last year began a campaign of air strikes in
support of loyalist fighters. In Aleppo city itself, regime forces bombarded
rebel-held districts Sunday despite the announcement by Damascus and Moscow of
humanitarian corridors to allow civilians and rebels ready to surrender to
leave.
On Saturday, government media reported that dozens of civilians and rebels had
left besieged eastern Aleppo through humanitarian corridors, but residents there
and rebels dismissed the claims as “lies.” Elsewhere, at least nine civilians
were killed Sunday in an air strike that hit a makeshift hospital at Jassem in
the southern province of Daraa. The International Rescue Committee, which
supported the facility, called on the UN Security Council “to act in defence of
the most basic principles of the UN.”“The bombing of hospitals is never
justified. All those involved must be held to account,” said IRC chief David
Miliband in a statement.
Death toll in Baghdad bombing rises to 324
Reuters, Baghdad Monday, 1 August 2016/The death toll from a suicide bombing in
central Baghdad on July 3 has reached 324 and might climb further, Iraq's health
minister said on Sunday. The attack, claimed by the militant group ISIS whose
fighters government forces are trying to eject from large parts of the north and
west, was the deadliest bombing in Iraq since US-led forces toppled Saddam
Hussein 13 years ago. The toll could climb further as forensic teams are still
working to identify bodies, the minister, Adela Hmoud, said. ISIS has lost
ground in Iraq since last year to US-backed government forces and Iranian-backed
Shiite militias. But the deadly July 3 bombing in a commercial street of the
mainly Shiite Karrada district of central Baghdad showed it can still strike in
the capital. On July 7, the ministry put the toll at 292. But it has risen as
more people, initially registered as missing, were identified as among the dead,
Hmoud said.
Khamenei: no ‘tangible’ benefits after nuke deal
AP, Tehran Monday, 1 August 2016/Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
says that average Iranians have not seen any benefit from the nuclear deal with
world powers. State media on Monday quoted Khamenei as saying: “Weren’t the
supposed sanctions lifted to change the life of the people? Is any tangible
effect seen in people’s life after six months?”Khamenei, who has final say on
all state matters, said the US has continued to thwart Iran’s economic relations
with other countries despite the landmark accord. He said Tehran will not accept
any further talks with Washington due to what he described as US violations of
the deal, though he’s previously ruled out further negotiations in other
speeches. The deal, which went into effect in January, limited Iran’s nuclear
program in return for lifting some sanctions.
Four killed in Saudi Arabia in cross-border shelling from Yemen
Reuters, Dubai Monday, 1 August 2016/Four people were killed and three wounded
in Saudi Arabia when a shell fired from inside Yemen exploded in a town close to
the border, Saudi civil defense said on Monday. The shell hit Samtah, in the
southwestern Saudi border region of Jazan, a tweet by the Saudi civil defence
said. Seven Saudi soldiers and dozens of Houthi militias were killed in heavy
fighting on the border with Yemen on Sunday. The cross-border incident comes
after Saudi military spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asiri warned
Iran-backed Houthis militias that the kingdom’s borders are a “red line” after
the latter attempted to infiltrate Saudi territories
Salafists blow up 16-century mosque in Yemen
AFP, Aden Sunday, 31 July 2016/Salafists in Yemen have blown up a 16th century
mosque housing the shrine of a revered Sufi scholar in the city of Taiz, a local
official said Sunday. Gunmen led by a Salafist local chief known as Abu al-Abbas
blew up the mosque of Sheikh Abdulhadi al-Sudi on Friday night, the official
told AFP, confirming media reports of the attack. Yemen’s commission for
antiquities and museums condemned the destruction of the site that is considered
the most famous in Taiz. It said the mosque’s white dome was “one of the biggest
domes in Yemen and one of the most beautiful religious sites in old Taiz.”Images
of the site before destruction showed a white square-shaped, single-storey
structure topped by a large central dome circled by smaller ones.
Turkey, U.S. Meet after Power Grab
Attempt
Agence France PresseNaharnet/August 01/16/Turkey's military and political
leaders were to meet on Monday in Ankara with the top US military commander in
the first direct talks since last month's failed coup. General Joseph Dunford,
chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, will meet with Turkish chief of staff
General Hulusi Akar and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in the Turkish capital.
Tensions between the two NATO allies have been aggravated by the foiled July 15
putsch by rogue elements in the military who sought to bring down the government
of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. And some Turkish officials have even alleged
that Washington could have had a hand in the plot, although the suggestion has
been firmly denied by top US officials. Turkey successfully thwarted the
attempted coup, blaming it on a military faction loyal to Erdogan's arch-foe
Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric who has been in self-imposed exile in the
United States for years. From his secluded compound in Pennsylvania, the
preacher has denied the charges. Ankara has dispatched dossiers to Washington
which it says proves Gulen's involvement in the putsch, with the White House on
Friday confirming it had received documents from the Turkish government
requesting the cleric's extradition from Pennsylvania. Last week, Erdogan lashed
out at the top US general in the Middle East after he expressed concerns over
military relations between the two allies in the wake of the putsch.
Quoted by US media, US Central Command chief General Joseph Votel had said the
failed coup and subsequent round-up of dozens of generals could affect American
cooperation with Turkey. "You are taking the side of coup plotters instead of
thanking this state for defeating the coup attempt," the Turkish leader said.
The US State Department has rejected suggestions it had any hand in the coup as
"ludicrous". Dunford will also visit the Incirlik air base, which is used by the
US-led coalition for air raids against Islamic State jihadists, a US official
told Agence France Presse.
Ankara suspects that the base in southern Turkey was used by putschists to
resupply war planes involved in the July 15 operation. Turkish authorities had
temporarily cut power to the huge base in the wake of the aborted coup, later
restoring electrical power supplies.
Turkey protests against German ban on Erdogan speech
AP, Ankara Monday, 1 August 2016/Turkey on Monday slammed a German court
decision that prevented President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from addressing a
demonstration in Germany denouncing Turkey’s failed July 15 coup, and summoned a
German diplomat in protest. The German Embassy’s charge d’affaires was due at
the ministry on Monday to discuss the issue, an official said, as the attempted
coup continued to strain Turkey's relations with allies. European officials have
expressed concern at the scope of Turkey’s post-coup crackdown, while Ankara has
accused European nations of not standing firmly in solidarity with Turkey
against the coup bid it says was masterminded by US-based Muslim cleric
Fethullah Gulen. Turkey has accused the United States of harboring Gulen, who
has denied any knowledge of the attempt to overthrow the government. The US
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, was to meet Monday
with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in Ankara for talks. A small protest against
the visit was held near the US Embassy in Ankara, with demonstrators holding up
placards reading “Dunford go home, send us Fethullhah,” and “Get out coup
plotter Dunford.”In the German city of Cologne Sunday, an estimated 30,000 to
40,000 people attended the rally to denounce the abortive coup and show support
for Erdogan. A regional court ruled, however, that no messages from speakers
elsewhere - such as politicians in Turkey - could be shown on a video screen at
the rally. Organizers instead read out a message from Erdogan thanking people
with Turkish origins in Germany for their moral support during the coup attempt.
Germany is home to roughly 3 million people with Turkish roots. Speaking after a
cabinet meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the German move was
contrary to freedom of speech. Kurtulmus said German courts normally address
cases very slowly, “yet the German Constitutional Court prohibited our president
addressing the rally via teleconference in less than 24 hours. This is a clear
double standard.”On Saturday night, Germany’s highest court threw out a
complaint against the decision, saying it was inadmissible for legal reasons and
adding there was no indication the organizers’ fundamental rights had been
violated. “The decision not to allow the broadcast was absolutely OK and also
lawful,” German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said Monday. He added that “it
had a de-escalating effect,” the German news agency dpa reported. Germany’s
Foreign Ministry downplayed Turkey’s decision to summon the German charge
d’affaires, with ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer saying it was an “everyday
normality” for “the representative of a country to be asked to go to the foreign
ministry in his host country.” Relations between the two countries had already
soured since the German Parliament voted June 2 to label the killings of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as genocide. That prompted Turkey to
recall its ambassador from Berlin for consultations. The cabinet meeting in
Turkey was held a day after a government decree introduced sweeping changes to
the military aimed at bringing the armed forces further under civilian
authority. The decree, the third issued under a three-month state of emergency
declared after the attempted coup, gives the president and prime minister the
authority to issue direct orders to the commanders of the army, air force and
navy. It also announces the discharge of 1,389 military personnel, including
Erdogan’s chief military aide. Kurtulmus said the changes would prevent military
powers being accumulated “under a single hand.” He also announced plans to
switch Turkey’s largely conscript army toward a force “made up of experts who
are totally focused on the defense of the nation.”The aim was to “create such a
system, such an armed force that no one within it will ever think about staging
a coup,” Kurtulmus stated. The government has revised down the death toll from
the attempted coup to 271. Yildirim said 237 civilians, police and soldiers died
resisting the coup, in addition to 34 putschists who were killed. More than
10,000 people, mostly military personnel, have been arrested in a crackdown that
followed the coup. Thousands more have been detained and nearly 70,000 people
have been suspended or dismissed from their jobs in the education, media, health
care, military and judicial sectors. Kurtulmus said anyone associated with
Gulen’s movement would be purged from the public sector and his government “will
show no mercy” toward suspects linked to the coup. “Citizens who don’t have any
relationship with this organization have nothing to worry about, they should
rest easy nothing will happen to you, but those who do should fear. Sorry, but
everything has a price,” Kurtulmus said. Also Monday, authorities captured two
more people suspected of being part of a group of soldiers who had raided
Erdogan’s seaside hotel in the town of Marmaris during the failed coup, bringing
the number of suspects caught in the operation that began late Sunday to 11. One
suspect was still on the run. Erdogan had been on vacation during the July 15
coup. The soldiers raided his hotel in an attempt to capture or kill the
president but are believed to have missed him by an hour or less.
Erdogan decree brings more govt control of military
The Associated Press, Istanbul Monday, 1 August 2016/Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan issued a new presidential decree Sunday that introduced sweeping
changes to Turkey’s military in the wake of a July 15 failed coup attempt,
bringing the armed forces further under civilian authority. The decree, the
third issued under a three-month state of emergency declared after the attempted
coup, gives the president and prime minister the authority to issue direct
orders to the commanders of the army, air force and navy. It also announces the
discharge of 1,389 military personnel, including Erdogan’s chief military
adviser, who had been arrested days after the attempted coup, the Chief of
General Staff’s charge d’affaires and the defense minister’s chief secretary.
The changes are part of a broad crackdown in the aftermath of the abortive
putsch, which Erdogan blames on of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen who he says
was behind the coup. Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania,
denies any knowledge of the attempt to overthrow the government. Authorities
have continued to search for army personnel suspected of participation in the
failed coup. A night-time operation outside the Aegean resort town of Marmaris
in the early hours of Monday captured nine people suspected of being part of a
group that raided a hotel at which Erdogan had been staying during the coup.
Turkey captures 11 involved in bid to seize Erdogan during coup attempt
Reuters Monday, 1 August 2016/Turkish Special Forces captured 11 fugitive
commandos who were involved in a bid to seize President Tayyip Erdogan during a
failed coup attempt last month, state-run Anadolu Agency said on Monday. The 11
soldiers were part of a group which launched an attack on a hotel where Erdogan
was holidaying on the night of July 15 in the southwestern resort of Marmaris.
The president, having been tipped off that he was in danger, had fled the hotel
by the time they arrived. Their capture came after Turkey dismissed nearly 1,400
more members of its armed forces and stacked a top military council with
government ministers on Sunday in moves to tighten control of the military after
the coup. Anadolu said the fugitives were caught in the Ula district of Mugla
province after gendarmerie special forces, supported by helicopters and drones,
were sent to the area after a tip-off from a local. Gunfire broke out as the
Special Forces clashed with the fugitives, but there were no reports of any
casualties. Dozens of protesters gathered and jeered outside the gendarmerie
outpost where the commandos were first held before being taken to a police
station in the area. A total of 37 soldiers were reportedly involved in the
operation to seize Erdogan in Marmaris and 25 of them had been caught earlier,
Anadolu said.
Saudi Arabia ‘wants stronger ties’ with Russia
Saudi Gazette, Riyadh Monday, 1 August 2016/Saudi Arabia has said it is keen to
build the best relations with Russia in a number of joint cooperation fields,
according to the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. The statements comes
after talks with Mauritius Vice Prime Minister Showkatally Sodhoon. Jubeir
described Russia as an important country which is home to more than 20 million
Muslims. He said that a number of agreements have been signed between the two
sides, including cooperation in the field of oil and energy and enhancement of
joint investments in addition to constructive cooperation in the field of
combating terrorism, noting the efforts being exerted to achieve the Kingdom’s
Vision 2030. As regards the Syrian crisis, Jubeir noted that despite difference
in viewpoints, the joint cooperation level would not be affected. He confirmed
that the coordination and cooperation between the two countries is continuing to
narrow the gap between viewpoints on the Syrian crisis.
This article first appeared in the Saudi Gazette on Aug. 1, 2016.
Israel arrests Palestinian security officer for weapons dealing
The Associated Press, Jerusalem Monday, 1 August 2016/The Israeli military says
security forces have arrested a “major weapons dealer” who is a member of the
Palestinian security services in the West Bank. The military says it arrested
Mahayub Borhan Rashad Knaza in the West Bank city of Nablus early on Monday and
confiscated weapons manufacturing equipment. Recent Israeli raids have seized
weapons, shuttered arms-making factories and arrested weapons dealers as part of
a crackdown meant to quell a spate of Palestinian attacks. The military says
seven weapons-manufacturing machines were seized this year in the Nablus area.
Since mid-September, Palestinians attacks have killed 34 Israelis and two
Americans. At least 205 Palestinians have also been killed, mainly by Israeli
forces. Most were identified by Israel as alleged attackers while the rest were
killed in clashes with Israeli forces.
U.S. Conducts Anti-IS Strikes
in Libya after Official Request
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 01/16/U.S. warplanes Monday carried out air
strikes on positions of the Islamic State jihadist group in its Libyan
stronghold of Sirte for the first time, the country's unity government
announced. "The first American air strikes on precise positions of the Daesh
(IS) organization were carried out today, causing heavy losses... in Sirte,"
prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj said in a televised speech. In Washington, the
Pentagon said the raids were launched in response to a request from Sarraj's
Government of National Accord. "At the request of the Libyan Government of
National Accord, the United States military conducted precision air strikes
against ISIL targets in Sirte, Libya, to support GNA-affiliated forces seeking
to defeat ISIL in its primary stronghold in Libya," Pentagon press secretary
Peter Cook said, using another name for IS.
Monday's action came after a U.S. raid targeted an IS training camp in a rural
area near Sabratha, outside Tripoli, in February and a targeted strike last
November. One strike on Monday destroyed an IS tank that been targeting
civilians, and a second hit two IS vehicles that "posed a threat" to local
forces, Cook said, adding that U.S. strikes in Sirte "will continue," without
elaborating. President Barack Obama authorized the bombings following
recommendations from top Pentagon officials, and the strikes are "consistent
with our approach to combating ISIL by working with capable and motivated local
forces", Cook added. "The U.S. stands with the international community in
supporting the GNA as it strives to restore stability and security to Libya," he
said.
- 'No foreign presence' -
The Tripoli-based GNA launched an operation in May to retake the IS bastion of
Sirte, the hometown of slain strongman Moammar Gadhafi which the jihadists have
controlled since June 2015. Sarraj stressed that the U.S. strikes took place in
coordination with the military command center of pro-GNA forces, and that no
foreign troops would be deployed in Libya. "This has allowed our forces on the
ground to take control of strategic positions," he said, adding that the
American involvement would be "limited in time and will not go beyond Sirte and
its suburbs". "We asked for this support from the international community,
notably the United States, but we want to point out that there will be no
foreign presence on Libyan soil." Italy, which has supported the anti-IS
offensive in Sirte by providing medical care for seriously wounded GNA forces,
said it welcomed the U.S. strikes.
"This took place on the request of the Government of National Accord, in support
of forces loyal to the government, with the shared objective of contributing to
the reestablishment of peace and security in Libya," the foreign ministry
said.Italy has offered to lead an international peacekeeping force in Libya if
the fledgling unity government requests such an intervention.A U.S. senior
administration official said Monday that U.S. action would be limited to strikes
and information sharing.
Precision strikes
Precision strikes would target key IS military infrastructure such as tanks,
high-caliber weapons and command and control nodes.
A Libyan military source told AFP that Monday's raids followed negotiations that
led to a signed agreement. The accord covers "specific" technical issues, such
as informing the Libyan side in advance of the time and location of U.S.
strikes.
The fall of Sirte, 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of Tripoli, would be a major
blow to IS, which has also faced a series of setbacks in Syria and Iraq.
The battle for Sirte has killed around 280 pro-government fighters and wounded
more than 1,500, according to medical sources at the unity forces' command
center.
The GNA advance slowed after an unexpectedly rapid initial breakthrough into the
Mediterranean city on June 9. There are between 2,000 and 5,000 IS fighters from
Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Mali, Morocco and Mauritania deployed in Sirte,
Tripoli and Derna, according to a report which U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon submitted
to the Security Council last month. The pro-GNA forces are mostly made up of
militias from western Libya established during the 2011 revolt that overthrew
Gadhafi. A militia set up to guard the country's main oil facilities has also
been advancing on IS. The GNA was the result of a U.N.-brokered power-sharing
agreement struck in December, but it has yet to be endorsed by Libya's elected
parliament based in the country's far east.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on
onAugust 01-02/16
Muslims Go to Catholic Mass Across France to Show Solidarity
Milos Krivokapic and Raphael Satter/AP /Time/July 31/16
(ROUEN, France) — In a gesture of solidarity following the gruesome killing of a
French priest, Muslims on Sunday attended Catholic Mass in churches and
cathedrals across France and Italy.
A few dozen Muslims gathered at the towering Gothic cathedral in Rouen, near
Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where the 85-year-old Rev. Jacques Hamel had his throat
slit by two teenage Muslim fanatics on Tuesday.
“We are very moved by the presence of our Muslim friends and I believe it is a
courageous act that they did by coming to us,” Dominique Lebrun, the archbishop
of Rouen, said after the service.
Some of the Muslims sat in the front row, across from the altar. Among the
parishioners was one of the nuns who was briefly taken hostage at Hamel’s church
when he was killed. She joined her fellow Catholics in turning to shake hands or
embrace the Muslim churchgoers after the service.
Outside the church, a group of Muslims were applauded when they unfurled a
banner: “Love for all. Hate for none.”
Churchgoer Jacqueline Prevot said the attendance of Muslims was “a magnificent
gesture.”
“Look at this whole Muslim community that attended Mass,” she said. “I find this
very heartwarming. I am confident. I say to myself that this assassination won’t
be lost, that it will maybe relaunch us better than politics can do. Maybe we
will react in a better way.”
Many of the Muslims who attended the service in Rouen — including those with the
banner — were Ahmadiyya Muslims, a minority sect that differs from mainstream
Islam in that it doesn’t regard Muhammad as the final prophet.
Similar interfaith gatherings were repeated elsewhere in France, as well as in
neighboring Italy.
At Paris’ iconic Notre Dame cathedral, Dalil Boubakeur, the rector of the Mosque
of Paris, said repeatedly that Muslims want to live in peace.
“The situation is serious,” Boubakeur told BFMTV. “Time has come to come
together so as not to be divided.”
In Italy, the secretary general of the country’s Islamic Confederation, Abdullah
Cozzolino, spoke from the altar in the Treasure of St. Gennaro chapel next to
Naples’ Duomo cathedral. Three imams also attended Mass at the St. Maria Church
in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood, donning their traditional dress as they
entered the sanctuary and sat down in the front row.
Mohammed ben Mohammed, a member of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy,
said he called on the faithful in his sermon Friday “to report anyone who may be
intent on damaging society. I am sure that there are those among the faithful
who are ready to speak up.”
Ahmed El Balzai, the imam of the Vobarno mosque in the Lombard province of
Brescia, said he did not fear repercussions for speaking out.
“I am not afraid. … These people are tainting our religion and it is terrible to
know that many people consider all Muslim terrorists. That is not the case,” El
Balazi said. “Religion is one thing. Another is the behavior of Muslims who
don’t represent us.”
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni thanked Italian Muslims for their
participation, saying they “are showing their communities the way of courage
against fundamentalism.”
Like in France, Italy is increasing its supervision of mosques. Interior
Minister Angelino Alfano told the Senate this week that authorities were
scrutinizing mosque financing and working with the Islamic community to ensure
that imams study in Italy, preach in Italian and are aware of Italy’s legal
structuring.
The Paris prosecutor’s office, meanwhile, said it has requested that a cousin of
one of the two 19-year-olds who slit the priest’s throat be charged with
participating in “a terrorist association with the aim of harming others.”
In a statement, it said it appeared a 30-year-old Frenchman it identified as
Farid K. “knew very well, if not of the exact place or time, of his cousin’s
impending plans for violence.”
The office added that a Syrian refugee detained in the wake of the attack was
released Saturday.
A difficult battle
for Hillary: America’s mood could favor Trump
Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya/August 01/16
The American mood is difficult in a time rife with worrying about the future and
concern about “the other”, amid resentment against the political establishment,
fear of terror, and a sense of escapism regarding the definition and purpose of
the US superpower and its responsibilities on the international arena. The
general mood reflects the lack of confidence in the Democratic presidential
nominee Hillary Clinton. This week, the Democratic National Convention focused
its efforts on marketing Hillary the approachable woman, in the hope this win
over the hearts of the Americans who have not been comfortable with her
“robot-like” demeanor. Indeed, Hillary had worked hard to enter history with
cold calculations, giving little care to her lack of charisma, compared to her
husband former president Bill Clinton. Hillary is an experienced candidate who
has assumed public office, climbing up the ladders of power gradually and with
tact, forging close ties to the poles of the ruling US establishment in the
military and the civilian institutions, inside and outside government. She is
the antithesis of the Republican nominee Donald Trump, who snatched the
nomination against the will of most traditional Republicans and jumped on the
White House-bound train amid dismissal by the political class and intellectuals.
But the media grew fond of covering Trump’s entertaining and sensational news,
or so they thought until the joke stopped being funny. A mysterious class of
Americans have turned against the elitist class, proving that solidarity with
the establishment is a failed bet. I say mysterious because the followers of
Donald Trump are a combination of angry and scared voters, as well as
xenophobes, isolationists, and those who are eager to teach the politicians in
Washington a lesson. Many are also blue-collar workers, who accuse Washington of
exploiting them, and are in awe of Trump’s wealth, success, and lifestyle as
though he was of the working class like them despite having received a
one-million-dollar check from his father at the start of his life. Yet a segment
of white-collar educated Americans will vote Trump because they cannot stand
Hillary, and see her as an extension of Barack Obama and her husband Bill
Clinton. There are also Americans who are categorically opposed to turning the
Clintons into a ruling dynasty in America, especially after Bush’s dreams of
becoming one were shattered. The calculus behind the election of the 45th
president of the United States is then related to the personality, ambitions,
and domestic concerns of the American people, rather than foreign policy, at
least so far. Interestingly, it is Donald Trump who has brought in national
security, terrorism, and immigration into the calculations of American voters,
manipulating their fears and concerns. This week, Trump set a new precedent by
inviting Russia to hack his opponent’s email and expose her scandals. Donald
Trump wants the Russian president Vladimir Putin to be an honorary voter in the
US elections, and has praised him repeatedly and hinted they would agree on many
issues. Trump wants to stoke fear of groups like ISIS to present himself as the
president who will shut down immigration and protect America from foreigners,
taking isolationism to a new terrifying level.
Isolationism and exclusionism
The isolationism of Barack Obama and the exclusionism of Donald Trump benefit
Putin, because both approaches put him in a stronger position to lead in more
than one region of the world. Putin has been lucky ever since Obama decided that
Iran is a priority for him, to the point of forging an implicit partnership with
Tehran in Syria to fight ISIS and similar groups. In Syria, Putin is now the
master player, having intervened there militarily to settle the civil war and
settle the political outcome. In Syria too, there is a silent partnership
between the US and some in the coalition it leads, and the Damascus Axis
comprising Russia, Iran, Hezbollah, the Kurds, and other militias. While Saudi
Arabia cries foul, US and Iranian intelligence collaborate secretly in European
capitals, to determine Syria’s fate. However, Putin is not comfortable about
this; he does not trust the US in principle, and has differences with Tehran
regarding the future of the Syrian army and the regime backed by Iran, as the
latter seems to prefer the militias to take over in order to retain control of
Syria. Perhaps Donald Trump wants to assign Putin to represent him in Syria,
because he is not interested in the fate of Syria and in the cost Russia would
pay in its war on ISIS, Nusra Front, and similar groups. Trump’s recipe to
protect the US homeland and national security from terror is to banish Muslims
from the country and prevent immigration. At the same time, he has hinted that
he welcomes others’ wars on others’ territories, or at least, does not mind it
in the least. And if the strategic Russian-Iranian partnership in Syria turns
into rivalry, this would be good news for Trump, who has claimed he has the
opposite position on Iran of that of Barack Obama, who is almost in love with
the Islamic Republic. A mysterious class of Americans have turned against the
elitist class, proving that solidarity with the establishment is a failed bet.
This does not mean that the CIA would stop cooperating secretly with Tehran. But
in truth, this is where one can find convergence or divergence between the
administrations that rule and the establishment that remain long term, and that
includes vital departments such as defense, national security, and intelligence.
In other words, the United States is not susceptible to becoming a fully-fledged
dictatorship. There is no comparison between the powers of the US president and
those the Russian or Turkish presidents have gifted themselves. In the United
States, there are checks and balances, and the system does not give absolute
powers to the executive branch represented by the elected administration or the
legislature represented by Congress. The president may veto Congress, but the
Supreme Court remains the highest constitutional authority in the country.
Immediate global authority
If Donald Trump becomes president, the institutions of power will not collapse.
He will not become overnight a president with extraordinary powers. However, any
US president has immediate global authority. If he is an arbitrary,
exclusionist, and isolationist president, the foundations of the global order
could be undermined, from NATO to the UN and its agencies. If he is a
provocative, trigger-happy president, the instability this will cause will be of
a global scale. The whole world could enter into unchartered territory, as
mysterious as the rise of Trump and his proximity to the Oval Office. Indeed,
Trump’s story may not be strictly one of an anomaly of the democratic electoral
process. As suggested by far, one of the key elements in Trump’s foreign policy
is Vladimir Putin. There are many things in common between them: not only hatred
for Islamism but also joint business projects. Intriguingly, the “brotherhood”
between Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart the
Democrat John Kerry, could become a feature of the relationship between Putin
and Trump, especially if Putin accepts the Donald’s invitation to intervene in
the US elections in his favor. In any case, from now until the president-elect
assumes office in January, Putin will have completed his project in Syria, for
example, where he is poised to achieve victory in Aleppo for his axis, in silent
partnership with the United States under the pretext of defeating terrorism.
Lucky Putin will force the Turkish President Erdogan to meet his demands in
Syria, including consenting to Assad remaining in power and cutting off supplies
to the Syrian rebels. For one thing, Erdogan needs Putin now, and the Russian
president is preparing a list of demands in Syria, Europe, and as concerns
Islamic movements inside Russia and its vicinity. Putin has little cause for
concern these days. The Obama administration has given him the green light to
draw Syria’s future as he sees fit, regardless of what is said by US defense
secretary Ashton Carter, apparently contradicting the suggestions of his
colleague John Kerry, desperate to appease Lavrov around the clock. The main
headline of the coming stage will be military settlement in certain areas, such
as Aleppo, and the start of overt military cooperation between the US and
Russia. At the same time, vague features of a transition will be drawn in which
Assad remains in power for a long time, while the Syrian opposition represented
by the HNC is practically dismantled and replaced with another approved by
Moscow, in parallel with a partnership on the ground with the Syrian Democratic
Forces. Back to Trump, a visitor to Moscow quoted a Russian official as saying
the Russians prefer Trump as president, because he would be America’s Yeltsin,
in reference to the former Russian president who helped marginalize Russia and
completed the dismantling of the Soviet Union. Putin may indeed prefer Trump
over Hillary, because he would well benefit from his arbitrary decision-making
process. Yet he won’t fear a Clinton presidency, because by the time she enters
the White House, he will have imposed the fait accompli he wants during Obama’s
presidency. Nevertheless, Clinton was once Lavrov’s counterpart, however, and
she has accused him of duplicity. Their relations are different from the kind of
relations between Lavrov and Kerry. Lavrov remembers well Clinton’s personal
role in Libya, when the Obama administration used a UN Security Council as an
excuse to intervene militarily, in a way that Moscow saw as a betrayal and an
insult. Putin may have made amends with Obama, but he probably thinks the same
would be more difficult with Clinton. Putin recalls Obama and Clinton’s support
for the rise of Islamists to power in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Syria. But his
reluctant rapprochement with Obama began in Syria, when Obama decided to let
Putin take the lead there. Clinton could prove more difficult to coax than
Obama.
Donald Trump, in the Russian view, therefore, is an easier president to handle
than Clinton, especially in terms with US relations with the Arab Gulf states.
To be sure, Clinton may attempt to mend US-Gulf relations, while Trump could
make them more tense. Russia may be willing to improve its relations with the
Gulf, but it is not prepared to make concessions that Saudi Arabia wants in
Syria or with regard to Russian-Iranian relations. Russia sees Trump as a good
partner who shares its hatred for radical Islam. Russia also sees Trump as
someone who might be willing to continue Obama’s policy of stoking Sunni-Shiite
tensions, while Clinton may seek to extinguish them. Putin, after all, is
complicit in inflaming these tensions.
Trump’s temper
The absurd has become reasonable, and the unlikely has become inevitable. The
temperamental acrobatic septuagenarian could enter the White House even though
he has no experience in policy, let alone decision making and foreign affairs.
Any attack by ISIS or a terrorist group linked to the Arab or Islamic world in
the US could double Trump’s chances to win the presidency, because the popular
base will become isolationist and exclusionist and press for a closure of the
border – as Trump has called for. However, it seems that Vladimir Putin is also
a voter in these elections, not only because the hacking of the emails of the
DNC originated in Russia, but also because Donald Trump has sought his help to
prevent the election of the first woman president in US history. The mood of the
Americans could bring Donald Trump to the White House. But the temper of Donald
Trump could awaken the majority of voters to the dangers of having a reckless
president. Today, despite the logic choice in voting for Clinton, she faces a
fierce battle and she will need all help she can get to win over Americans and
restore trust in her, both among the most important elements in any US
presidential election.
**This article was first published in Al-Hayat on July 29, 2016 and translated
by Karim Traboulsi.
The Iranian foreign
ministry’s new maneuvers on Syria
Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al Arabiya/August 01/16
“There are no more red lines left for terrorists to cross. Sunnis, Shiites will
both remain victims unless we stand united as one. #Medina,” Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on July 4 following the terrorist attack
near the Prophet’s Mosque in Saudi Arabia.
The recent widespread acts of terrorism, including during Ramadan, show the new
scope of extremism that militants have reached. Although Iranian interests were
not attacked, Iran is certainly not immune to the indiscriminate violence of
ISIS. The Iranian government recognizes this, as evidenced by the emphasis on
action and unity in Zarif’s recent tweets on the subject. At least half of his
tweets since June 28 contain anti-terrorism messages and call on the need for
unity to counter terrorists. Zarif’s tweets have long been a window into the
Rowhani administration’s foreign policy priorities. So these recent posts should
be seen as are more than just lip service after a tragedy. They show a real fear
on the part of Iran of the growing reach of terrorism. Iran has long touted that
its large military and proactive foreign policy—particularly its presence in
Iraq and Syria—keeps Iranians safe, but given the rise of ISIS attacks in recent
weeks, is this really enough? Zarif's decision to appoint seasoned diplomat
Hussein Sheikholeslam as assistant secretary in Syrian affairs in June may is a
signal to the region that Iran is getting serious about combatting ISIS and
decreasing the IRGC’s (Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps) obsession with wasting
its resources by propping up Assad regime.
Political observers are now asking Iran to start supporting their rhetoric with
active diplomatic engagement. While sometimes described as a hardliner,
Sheikholeslam, a former ambassador to Syria, has previously expressed a
willingness to work with the international community on regional security issues
and has spoken of the need to diminish the impact of regional rivalries. These
are the types of approaches needed to bring a political resolution to the
conflict in Syria and focus greater attention on combatting ISIS and Nusra Front
if Iran is serious about this. Diplomacy takes center stage? Finding a
resolution to the crisis is key to destroying both militant groups, instead of
wasting pro-Assad Iranian capabilities by fighting the moderate opposition. The
last deputy FM, long rumored to be a Quds Force officer, Hussain Amir
Abdullahian, would not and could not have pursued the diplomatic outreach
necessary to combat terrorism in the region and Zarif likely understood this.
But being “serious” about resolving the Syrian crisis should also mean that
Zarif finally be authorized to conduct diplomatic engagements on Syria with the
international community, including the regional countries. The United Nations
Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura was in Tehran this week and on Sunday
he met Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Jaberi Ansari ahead of intense Syria
talks supposed to be resuming in late August. If all goes well, Shaikholislam
will be able to act as Zarif’s trusted envoy to push for regional cooperation on
fighting terrorism. Of course, many Iran observers will note that it’s hard to
believe that any significant reform in the foreign ministry has been brought on,
but at the same time, this does show Iran’s willingness to shift its policies
and focus on countering terrorism.Zarif’s emphasis on unity suggests that the
Iranian government is beginning to acknowledge that it must work with others to
combat the spread of global terrorism. But given Iran’s unwavering backing of
Assad, other states might be reluctant to collaborate with Tehran, particularly
if it involves military cooperation.
Political observers are now asking Iran to start supporting their rhetoric with
active diplomatic engagement.
The politicization of
Russia’s road to Rio
Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/August 01/16
The upcoming Olympic Games in Rio are increasingly turning away from the concept
of fair competition, where the strongest and best athletes win, and are
increasingly becoming politicized, in my opinion. The politicization of the
Olympic Games is not new; the Games of 1936 in Hitler’s Germany were seen by the
Fuhrer as a triumph for the Aryan nation. Soviet Union teams had been missing
from the Olympics due to political reasons until 1952. In 1964, the South
African Olympic team was banned from taking part in the Games for practically
three decades because of its apartheid policy. The 1980 Games that took place in
the USSR were ignored by delegations of dozens of countries protesting the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 1984, the USSR did not participate in the
Olympic Games in response. After the Soviet Union collapsed, politicization of
the Olympics had more or less stopped, but it has reappeared with Russia’s rise
as a global power. The evident politicization of the Olympics started since the
Sochi Games. And in Rio it's becoming tougher. The mess started with Meldonium,
a drug that was included in a list of forbidden doping drugs in December 2015.
The drug is used to treat coronary artery diseases, affecting a person’s cardio
system and expanding the arteries to increase blood and oxygen flow throughout
the body. Developed in the 70s in the USSR, the drug had commonly been used by
sportsmen in Soviet countries, and so continued to be used thereafter. Hence,
the ban on Meldonium mostly targeted athletes from the Commonwealth of
Independent States, primarily Russia. Russia has lost a major part of its
Olympics team with blanket bans that affect athletes that are even in the clear.
Was it all an attempt to make Russia protest and refuse to participate in the
Olympics altogether? Taking into account the fact that Meldonium leaves the body
within several months after stopping its usage, the decision to disqualify
Russian athletes who had used the drug, but stopped, seems unfair to me. The
fact that drug stays in blood for several months was not just taken into
consideration. And one of the first victims of this drug ban was Russian tennis
star Maria Sharapova when she tested positive during the Australian Open in
January and received a two-year ban in June. And that was just the beginning.
Scandal
The doping scandal is surging. Following several positive tests for the drug,
the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) banned Russian
track and field athletes from taking part in Rio. The decision was respected by
the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IAAF has kept an opportunity open
for the athletes to take part if they manage to convince the organization that
they have stayed away from the drug, however they would be deprived of
performing under their national flag and take part on an individual basis.
Nevertheless, IOC president Thomas Bach said that any athletes approved by the
IAAF would come under the control of the Russian Olympic Committee and compete
under the national flag, contradicting the general anti-Russian trend. Bach has
rejected the appeal to disqualify the whole Russian team from the Rio Olympics,
prompting accusations that he was being "bought" by the Kremlin. The scandal
took a new turn with leaks about a doping cheating scandal during the Sochi
Olympics in 2014 which resulted in the disqualification of even more Russian
athletes. Drug usage is not an example of sportsmanship and contradicts the
general principles of a fair game. But I believe there was something fishy in
the quick way in which these leaks reached the World Anti-Doping Agency. Russia
has lost a major part of its Olympics team with blanket bans that affect
athletes that are even in the clear. Was it all an attempt to make Russia
protest and refuse to participate in the Olympics altogether? Does the whole
episode have anything to do with sport organizations being bogged down in
corruption and political games? No matter what the answers are, I believe world
sporting bodies are becoming more and more influenced by politics. The decisions
being taken are totally unfair for athletes in the clear, such as pole vaulter
Yelena Isinbaeva. She is a two- time Olympic champion, world record holder and
has not failed a drugs test. Yet she failed to escape blanket ban on the Russian
track and field team. Her appeal not to punish the whole team for individual
cheating was ignored. And for any fair athlete, this amounts to a personal
tragedy. And if such a decision was dictated by political motives, it's also a
global tragedy.
Snapchat celebrities and
their relationships with books
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/August 01/16
Our Al Arabiya News Channel colleague Sarah Dundarawy recently interviewed a
number of Snapchat celebrities who talked about their creations, significant
achievements and positive influences. There is nothing wrong with that. However,
what is interesting is that when asked about the last book they had read, some
said they do not usually read. This shows a real defect, as these stars are
influential and their advice, statements and instructions are directed at
current generations, even children. As such, these figures can handle a small
critical remark and receive it with an open mind.
Knowledge
Reading is not studying or compulsory education, but the space in which we
communicate with the world. Despite electronic apps and technological trends,
books remain the most important source of knowledge. Despite electronic apps and
technological trends, books remain the most important source of knowledge. There
are many accounts focused on books, novels and immortal cultural works, but the
account users are not famous enough. This is why I hope celebrities assume
responsibility toward the current generation on Snapchat - as this generation
looks up to them as role models - and that they do not stand between it and
books.
his article was first published in Okaz on August 1, 2016.
When will the Kashmir
killings stop?
Khaled Almaeena/Al Arabiya/August 01/16
Once again Kashmir is in the headlines. The killing of over 50 protestors, the
blinding of youngsters and arrests en masse have occurred. The usually volatile
Indian media has been silent except for those who occupy television networks
howling and barking in a comical way about ISIS and the Taliban!
They parrot the same mumbo-jumbo and some tweets in fact have asked for more
killings of these teenagers who are protesting gang rapes, extrajudicial
killings and disappearances, which are facts that have been attested to by even
the National Human Rights Commission of India. The media is pandering to state
propaganda and clouding the real situation in the region. Few journalists have
taken it upon themselves to write about the situation. In her NDTV program,
Barkha Dutt focused on the issue. It was indeed heart-warming to watch an
intelligent debate on the current situation. Others like Arundhati Roy have also
written about the Kashmiris who want to live in peace and dignity – free from
army men groping and molesting their women, free from waking up in the morning
and hearing that a family member has either been killed or has disappeared as
was the case of an aspiring young cricketer who was killed in Hanwara by the
army. Accounts by ordinary people about tortured confessions are increasing.
Bilal Dar said he was tortured and forced into giving false statements
incriminating others. With a large section of the media operating hand in glove
with the security agencies, the fabrication of news has been taken to a high
level. The use of lethal weapons and indiscriminate force described as
self-defence has also reached alarming proportions. However, the communal nature
of present-day Indian politics is stoking the flames. Kashmir is not about
religion. Sheikh Abdullah years ago said: “It is not necessary that our state
should become an appendage of either India or Pakistan.” Present-day Kashmiris
also believe that. I have not met one Kashmiri here or anywhere in the world who
has said that we want to go with Pakistan! The struggle for the equality and
dignity of the Kashmiri people is a just one. They never talk of recession. They
want an end to subjugation and killings. In fact, a Kashmiri doctor in London
told me it is like “jumping from the frying pan into the fire.” And this India
should realize. RSS, Shiv Sena and other organizations, wannabe politicians and
fame-seeking media people should note that inflaming the nation will bring
tragic results. Across the border, rabble-rousers, like Hafiz Saeed, who claim
that they stoke rebellion should be arrested. Vote-seeking, power-hungry
Pakistani politicians should be gagged. Do not use the Kashmiri people’s quest
for justice as a vehicle to reach your dream office!
Change focus
Both countries are in dire economic straits. India should instead focus on
so-called economic smart cities that are flooded with toxic waste, stop the
rising number of farmers committing suicide, fight corruption and waste and
respect human life. Across the border, the same problems occur, beginning with
load shedding, kidnapping and corruption. Killers roam the streets of Karachi
gunning down people at will and holding the entire city hostage. Both countries
should resolve these issues rather than go to war over a people who distrust
them equally. The struggle for the equality and dignity of the Kashmiri people
is a just one. They never talk of recession. They want an end to subjugation and
killings. They want economic equality. A 40 percent unemployment rate is not a
palatable figure! Kashmir is often described as the “Switzerland of the East”
and its people want it to be that way. They want to, for once, wake up and
breathe the free and fresh air and smell the fragrance of the beautiful flowers
and blossoms of trees without hearing the sound of army boots and gunfire.
And that is not asking for too much.
*This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on July 31, 2016.
Rebranded Nusra might reverse
Assad's gains
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/Now
Lebanon/August 01/16
The military fate of the Syrian rebels may depend on whether pro-opposition
governments believe Nusra’s public split with global jihad is genuine
An image released on July 28, 2016 by Al-Manara al-Bayda, the official news arm
of the Al-Nusra Front, allegedly shows the group
Syria saw a rapid succession of events over the past few weeks that might
foretell changes on the battlefield. The mysterious chief of the terrorist group
Jabhat al-Nusra, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has unveiled his identity as Ahmed al-Sharaa,
of Daraa, and has announced the parting of ways with his mother organization,
Al-Qaeda. He has also rebranded his group and renamed it Jabhat Fatah al-Sham.
Jolani’s transformation has been long in the making, under the auspices of
Ankara, Doha and a few Western capitals. As early as Geneva II, in January 2014,
former US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford held meetings with various Syrian
opposition factions. Ford coached these rebel groups on how to play the game and
be recognized as legitimate players. To recognize them, America set two
conditions for these groups: Denounce international jihad and let go of the
platform that calls for the creation of an Islamic state in Syria.
The rebel groups eventually issued a statement endorsing Ford's recommendations
and the Geneva Talks, which in turn crumbled, and with it went the chance of
peeling Syria’s moderate Islamists from the radical ones, a US policy in place
since at least 2009.
Ford’s effort was matched by some regional players, like Riyadh, who deployed
its diplomats to tame Ahrar al-Sham and win international recognition for them,
especially in Washington. The group’s spokesperson, Labib al-Nahhas, published
an op-ed in the Washington Post arguing that his group was not Islamist, but
that its members were proud Muslims. He later visited Washington. In July 2015,
Ford called on the US government, in an article, to hold talks with the group.
Meanwhile, starting 2015, world capitals intensified their efforts to tame the
strongest of the Islamist groups, Nusra. In May of that year, Jolani went on
Al-Jazeera, in a rare interview, in which many expected him to abandon Al-Qaeda.
Instead, he doubled down on Al-Qaeda by reaffirming his allegiance to its
Egyptian leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
The race between the US and Russia over which groups are to be classified as
terrorists, and hence destroyed, and which are to be saved, has recently heated
up, especially with Washington’s growing confidence that ISIS might fall before
President Obama leaves office. If ISIS crumbles, the only party currently able
to fill the vacuum — given the weakness of Syria’s rebels — will be either
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or Nusra.
Moscow, therefore, increased its military pressure on Aleppo to place Assad and
his pro-Iranian Shiite militias closer to ISIS land. This necessitates a large
scale operation to take Aleppo, an operation currently underway.
Jolani’s cooperation with world capitals, his repentance and distancing himself
from Al-Qaeda, all came under Russian military pressure. Like Assad, Jolani only
capitulates when he reads “the writing (of his defeat) on the wall,” to put it
in Secretary of State John Kerry’s words in 2012. Hence, Jolani unveiled and
presumably transformed his group from global jihadism to local Syrian Islamism.
His choice of attire, however, a military fatigue and a white turban, was
reminiscent of that of Al-Qaeda’s founder the late Osama Bin Laden.
Now the question is how Washington will react to Nusra’s transformation. If
America decides to downgrade the group from its current ISIS status to a
Hezbollah-like one, the Neo Nusra might benefit from a whirlwind of financial
and military support that can abort the Russo-Assad plans of recapturing Syrian
territory outside the control of Damascus.
If America, however, considers Fatah al-Sham as a mere continuation of Nusra,
then Assad will have a better chance of prevailing in Aleppo, and later in Idlib
and the south.
Telling by Russia’s reaction to the news, and Moscow’s accusations that the US
is “cheating” the terrorism labeling system, it seems that Washington — together
with London, Ankara and Doha — are willing to accept Sharaa and Fatah al-Sham as
a moderate faction, and hence support them, in defiance of Assad and Russia.
Such defiance might level the battlefield and allow the Syrian opposition, of
all stripes, to prevail over both Assad and ISIS. Later, talks might be resumed
between the two remaining power brokers of Syria, Assad and his opponents.
An image released on July 28, 2016 by Al-Manara al-Bayda, the official news arm
of the Al-Nusra Front, allegedly shows the group's chief Abu Mohammed al-Jolani
(AFP/Al-Manara Al-Baydaa)
If America, however, considers Fatah al-Sham as a mere continuation of Nusra,
then Assad will have a better chance of prevailing in Aleppo, and later in Idlib
and the south.