LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 09/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.august09.16.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
Come to me, all you that are weary
and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 11/25-30/:"‘I thank you,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the
wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for
such was your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son
except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom
the Son chooses to reveal him. ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are
carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and
learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’"
God has exhibited us apostles
as last of all, as though sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle
to the world, to angels and to mortals
First Letter to the Corinthians 04/09-17/:'For I think that God has exhibited us
apostles as last of all, as though sentenced to death, because we have become a
spectacle to the world, to angels and to mortals. We are fools for the sake of
Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are
held in honour, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we are hungry and
thirsty, we are poorly clothed and beaten and homeless, and we grow weary from
the work of our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
when slandered, we speak kindly. We have become like the rubbish of the world,
the dregs of all things, to this very day. I am not writing this to make you
ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you might have
ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in
Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. I appeal to you, then, be
imitators of me. For this reason I sent you Timothy, who is my beloved and
faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus, as I teach
them everywhere in every church."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published on August 08-09/16
Attacks on Christians in Egypt
raise alarms/Jacob Wirtschafter, Special for USA TODAY /August 7, 2016
7 et 9 août 2001 : que jamais ne revienne/Michel HAJJI GEORGIOU/L'Orient-Le
Jour//August 08/16
Lettre ouverte au général Michel Aoun/Farès SOUHAID/L'Orient-Le Jour/August
08/16
Coup-Weary Turkey: Directionless and Insecure/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone
Institute/August 08/16
The "Anti-Normalization" Campaign and Israel's Right to Exist/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone
Institute/August 08/16
Pope Francis Equates Muslim and Christian Violence/Raymond Ibrahim/FrontPage
Magazine/August 08/16
Obama: no safe haven for al-Qaeda in Syria/Week in Review/Al-Monitor/August
08/18
Chemical weapons and selective outrage/Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/August 08/16
The curious case of Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al
Arabiya/August 08/16
The curious case of Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al
Arabiya/August 08/16
Russia is the gate to Erdogan’s appetite for revenge/Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya/August
08/16
Al-Quds Intifada Summer Camps In Gaza Offer Training In Stabbing, Firearms,
Tunnel Combat/MEMRI/August 08/16/August 08/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on
on August 08-09/16
Presidential Elections Postponed again,
New Session Set for September
Report: Saudi to Lower Level of Diplomatic Representation in Lebanon
Hezbollah fighter in "leaked tape": We were abandoned
Hezbollah deploying elite force to Aleppo: Iran media
Report: Salam Says No Alternative for Dialogue, Presses for Naming a New
Presidential Candidate
Reports: Mustaqbal Bloc Records 'Sweeping Position' Against Nominating Aoun
Report: Thursday's Cabinet Agenda Does not Include Military Appointments
Army Refers Four IS Detainees to Judiciary
Qazzi Vows to Expel Swedes if Stockholm Deports Lebanese Families
Migrant Convicted of Killing Lebanese Swedish Refugee Center Worker
Shehayyeb: Tenders Open for Landfills Establishment
Fatfat deems proposal to form senate council coverup to dialogue fiasco
Hashem: Affairs no longer linked to presidential election but to full package
Moussa: Failure to agree among political factions impedes issues
Huge fire ravages through Raskifa woods
Mashnouq visits Biometric Passports Issuance Center tomorrow
Army raids Syrian refugee gatherings in Darshmezzine
Kataeb after periodic meeting: Prelude to political reform election of president
Adwan favors adopting Taef but not in twisting way
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
on August 08-09/16
70 Dead as Taliban Suicide Bomber Hits Pakistan Hospital
Canadian Green Party endorses BDS amid strong objection from leader
Canadian Jewish groups condemn Green party for passing Israeli boycott policy
Rights group denounces mass Iran hanging of 20 Sunnis
Hundreds join key battle for Syria’s Aleppo
ISIS claims capture of US weapons
Turkish jets hit PKK positions in southeast, 13 rebels dead
Erdogan: If death penalty demanded, Turkey ‘will abide’
Swedes demand Israel repair ship after court victory
Australian man charged with planning terror attack following raids
Saudi King Salman meets with Qatari Emir
Trump to focus on economy, Clinton in bid to move beyond feuds
Iran regime tries to justify the execution of young people
Iran’s political prisoners remember their fallen colleagues
Christian Today: Anglo-Iranians urge UK to hold Iran regime to account
Holding Iran regime responsible for crimes against humanity
UK human rights lawyer: 1988 massacre in Iran must not go unrecognized
Anglo-Iranians commemorate 1988 massacre in Iran
Links From Jihad Watch Site for
on August 08-09/16
Egypt: Christian’s home burned by Muslims, told to withdraw complaint or “there
will be blood”
Arrested Afghan cleric defends marriage to 6-year-old girl: she was “religious
offering”
Iranian scientist gives info to US on Iran nuke program, Hillary discusses him
in emails, Iran hangs him for treason
British MPs face booze ban as Parliament moves to building governed by Sharia
In the face of jihadist threats, young Americans worry about racism
Pakistan hospital jihad attack kills over 70; should raise questions
Video: Robert Spencer on Fox on the jihad machete attack in Belgium
Gunmen wearing Afghan military uniforms kidnap American, Australian in Kabul
Clash of civilizations: Egypt vs. Germany in Olympic beach volleyball
Video: Robert Spencer on Obama’s treasonous dealings with Iran
ISIS to Christians: Convert or “live under the authority of Islam in
humiliation,” or “only thing between you and us is the sword”
Islamic State promises jihad massacre at Rio Olympics “in the name of Allah, the
merciful”
Afghanistan: Islamic State jihadis claim they confiscated US weapons
Anni Cyrus Video: Top 10 Most Ridiculous Crimes and Punishments in Iran
Saudi judoka feigns injury, forfeits match to avoid facing
Israeli
on August 08-09/16
Berri postpones presidential
election session to September 7
Mon 08 Aug 2016/NNA - Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri has postponed the
presidential election session to September 7 due to lack of quorum.
Presidential Elections Postponed again, New Session Set for September
Naharnet/August 08/16/The 43rd session to elect a president was postponed on
Monday following a renewed lack of quorum at parliament. Speaker Nabih Berri
scheduled the new electoral session for September 7. “According to the Lebanese
constitution the deputies are obliged to attend the election sessions at the
parliament. Deputies have no right to absent themselves,” head of al-Mustaqbal
parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora stressed from the parliament. On reports
that the bloc had voted a day earlier on adopting the nomination of Change and
Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun, Saniora reiterated his bloc's support of Marada
Movement MP Suleiman Franjieh, he said: “The bloc did not vote on the nomination
of Aoun. Each member gave his own opinion and we adhere to Franjieh's
nomination.”
Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel
Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the
rival March 8 and 14 camps have thwarted the polls that are being contested
between Change and Reform bloc head MP Michel Aoun, Marada Movement chief MP
Suleiman Franjieh, and Democratic Gathering MP Henri Helou.
Report: Saudi to Lower Level of
Diplomatic Representation in Lebanon
Naharnet/August 08/16/Saudi Arabia is inclined to lower the level of its
diplomatic representation in Lebanon due to security fears related to the
expected “critical” situation in the region in the next three months, a media
report said on Monday. “Informed sources have described the current situation as
critical and dangerous, revealing that we are on the verge of three pivotal
months, especially regarding the regional crises,” MTV reported. “The
sensitivity of the current situation might prompt the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to
lower the level of its diplomatic representation in Lebanon from ambassador to
charge d'affaires,” the TV network added, quoting the sources as saying that
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri, who is currently in the kingdom,
might not return anytime soon to the country. “The confrontation will be very
fierce over the next three months in Aleppo and Yemen, seeing as negotiations
over the Yemeni crisis have stopped and preparations for a decisive military
battle have started, while in Aleppo a counterattack (by rebels and jihadists)
has kicked off,” the sources said according to MTV. “Faced by this situation,
and to avoid any security pressure in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia will temporarily
limit its representation to charge d'affaires level,” the informed sources
added. Tensions between the kingdom and Lebanon's Hizbullah are at an all-time
high and Riyadh has recently labeled the group as a “terrorist organization.” It
has also led the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab League and the Organization
of Islamic Cooperation in issuing similar resolutions. The kingdom and other
Gulf countries have accused Hizbullah of forming militant cells in the Gulf and
offering aid to Yemen's Huthi rebels. Saudi Arabia and Hizbullah are also at
odds regarding the Syrian conflict, seeing as Riyadh backs rebels seeking to
oust Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime while Hizbullah has dispatched
thousands of fighters to bolster the Syrian leader's forces. Syrian rebels said
Saturday they have broken a three-week government siege of second city Aleppo,
turning the tables on Russian- and Hizbullah-backed regime forces who are now on
the defensive.
The key northern province of Aleppo is a microcosm of Syria's chaotic
multi-front war that has killed more than 290,000 people. Rebel and regime
forces have fought to control the provincial capital since mid-2012,
transforming the former economic powerhouse into a divided, bombed-out city.
Hezbollah fighter in "leaked
tape": We were abandoned
Now Lebanon/August 08/16/BEIRUT – A purported audio tape of a Hezbollah fighter
recorded during the frantic fighting over the weekend in southern Aleppo reveals
that the Lebanese party's fighters were allegedly abandoned by other
pro-government forces. "They (fellow pro-regime fighters) all left us, the
Iranian, Afghans and Syrians… all of them left us," the unnamed fighter
complained in the audio message, which began circulating on social media Sunday
after opposition forces broke through government lines in the Ramouseh area in
southwestern Aleppo, relieving the siege on the eastern half of the city. "We
are like dummies, we don't know anything, we are fighting alone," the alleged
Hezbollah combatant—who had a southern Lebanese accent—said in the frantic
message in which he slammed the battlefield conduct of pro-regime fighters in
the flashpoint front. He added that even when regime forces counterattacked
against the advancing Jaysh al-Fatah coalition insurgents to retake positions,
they would "lose it in the night" or the following morning. "That's it… a lot of
fleeing soldiers, you bring them back from their houses, and then they flee
again, it's the same [story].""I went to the academy in the afternoon… and only
the Lebanese were still there," the fighter added in reference to the artillery
academy in Ramouseh that was overrun by opposition factions on Saturday, giving
them a corridor stretching into rebel-held eastern Aleppo. He also implored the
recipient of the tape to "talk to Hajj Abbas, he is there. Fajr is there too.
All of them are Lebanese, around two platoons, and some [fighters] from [the
Shiite villages of] Nubl and Zahraa [outside Aleppo].""What kind of cover can
they provide?" he asked angrily. He also warned that rebel forces were
repeatedly attacking, despite the fact "they are taking a lot of casualties,"
adding that "they are in good shape, [while] the [Syrian] army disintegrated."
Hezbollah suffered a number of casualties during the fierce fighting, with the
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting Monday that Hezbollah lost at
least 12 fighters along the Aleppo front.
NOW's English news desk editor Albin Szakola (@AlbinSzakola) wrote this report.
Amin Nasr translated Arabic-language material.
Hezbollah deploying elite
force to Aleppo: Iran media
Now Lebanon/August 08/16/BEIRUT – Hezbollah has deployed its elite fighting unit
to southwestern Aleppo after rebel forces over the weekend broke the regime’s
siege on the opposition-held eastern quarters of Syria’s divided second city,
according to Iranian media.The semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Sunday
that the troops from Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces, one of the party’s special
operations unit, were dispatched to Aleppo Hamdaniyah quarter amid the
intensified fighting in the city. Rebel forces on Saturday pierced through
regime lines in the Ramouseh area just south of Hamdaniyah, taking a major
artillery base while connecting with their cohorts in eastern Aleppo, who had
been under siege of pro-government troops seized control over the Castello road
in the north of the city in July. Fars News claimed that the Radwan Forces were
sent to Hamdaniyah “in preparation for the retaking of the areas in southwest
Aleppo from the hands of terrorist groups,” adding that a counteroffensive in
the flashpoint front “will be carried out jointly by resistance forces.”The
report added that despite opposition advances, the Hamdaniyah quarter “enjoys
full security,” further claiming that “there is no danger to the residents of
the area.”However, the Army of Conquest coalition that broke the regime siege on
eastern Aleppo announced a highly-ambitious offensive to retake all regime-held
areas in the city, which has been divided in half since opposition forces first
stormed into the city in the summer of 2012.
NOW's English news desk editor Albin Szakola (@AlbinSzakola) wrote this report.
Amin Nasr translated Arabic-language material.
Report: Salam Says No
Alternative for Dialogue, Presses for Naming a New Presidential Candidate
Naharnet/August 08/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam stated on Monday that although
dialogue among the political parties may not be reaping the desired effect, only
it is necessary to contain the tension among the rival sides, as he urged the
Christian leaders to name a new candidate as head of state, As Safir daily
reported. “Dialogue absorbs tension and political collision in the country which
does not produce solutions starting with the election of a president,” Salam
told the daily in an interview. Stressing the need for talks, he wondered
whether the situation in the country would be better off without it, he asked:
“Is there an alternative, and would the country be better off without dialogue?”
“Lebanon is based on it whether it has reached the desired results or not,” he
added. Salam was referring to the national dialogue sessions, the latest was
last week, that failed to reach a clear agreement on major issues including the
presidential election, a new electoral system and the formation of a new
government. The interlocutors scheduled another meeting on September 5. On the
other hand, the Premier stressed the need to push the Christian Maronite leaders
to agree on a new candidate for the presidential post in order to “spare the
country of danger,” An Nahar daily reported. Salam pointed out to the 1976
presidential elections when none of the three candidates that were running for
the presidential race then, including Camille Chamoun, Raymond Edde and Pierre
Gemayel, garnered the consensus of political parties.
They decided to support a fourth candidate, Elias Sarkis, “which was a relief
for the country,” said Salam. Lebanon has been without a president since the
term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. 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.
Reports: Mustaqbal Bloc
Records 'Sweeping Position' Against Nominating Aoun
Naharnet/August 08/16/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc reiterated on Sunday that
it refuses to support founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun for
the top state post, As Safir daily reported on Monday. Members of the bloc met
on Sunday where each explained his own point of view with regard to the
nomination of the March 8 camp candidate, Aoun. Twenty three deputies said they
were against the move while only three supported his nomination. “The outcome of
the meeting led to a sweeping position against supporting Aoun's candidacy,” a
senior source at the bloc told As Safir.
He explained “each deputy took the time to explain his view and interpret the
motives,” adding that it was not a voting process. The source pointed out that
the nomination of Aoun had been discussed during a previous bloc meeting and
before its head, Fouad Saniora, took part in the national dialogue session so
the latter would reflect a clear and formal stance with regard to Aoun's
nomination. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of President
Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Hizbullah, 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. Lebanese Forces
chief, of the March 14, withdrew his own nomination and endorsed Aoun for the
post. 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.
Report: Thursday's Cabinet Agenda Does not Include Military Appointments
Naharnet/August 08/16/Thursday's cabinet meeting will not address the
controversial issue of military appointments and reports said that the file will
be postponed for several weeks, meanwhile the term extension of Army Commander
General Jean Qahwaji has started to “mature,” An Nahar daily reported on Monday.
“The cabinet, which is maintaining the same pace in addressing many files, will
not tackle this week the file of military appointments. It will discuss its
previous agenda after failing to do so in its previous meeting for being caught
up in the (stalemate) of the telecommunications issue,” said the daily.
Ministerial sources told the daily that “it is unlikely to record a progress in
the military appointments which has been delayed for many weeks now.” In that
regard, Prime Minister Tammam Salam announced that it will be addressed on the
right time but not during Thursday’s meeting. He stressed that extending the
term of Army commander General Jean Qahwaji is addressed by Defense Minister
Samir Moqbel who will deliberate it with other officials. Moqbel had in August
last year postponed the retirement of Qahwaji, Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Walid
Salman and Higher Defense Council chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kheir, extending
their terms by one year, after the political forces failed to reach an agreement
on security and military appointments. Qahwaji's tenure expires in September
while that of Salman will end on August 7. The army chief's term has been
extended twice since 2013 despite political objections, especially from the Free
Patriotic Movement, which says it rejects term extensions for any military or
security official. FPM founder MP Michel Aoun, had been reportedly seeking the
appointment of former Commando Regiment chief Chamel Roukoz, his son-in-law, as
a successor to Qahwaji.
Army Refers Four IS Detainees
to Judiciary
Naharnet/August 08/16/The army on Monday referred four detainees from the
extremist Islamic State group to the relevant judicial authorities. In a
statement, the military said the Syrians Mohammed Hassan al-Mehanna, Mohsen
Ahmed al-Dhaibeh, Inaam Othman Wazir and Ahmed Sobaih al-Ejji were referred to
the judiciary for “belonging to the terrorist IS group and taking part in
attacks against army posts and units in Arsal.”Militants from IS and Fateh
al-Sham Front (formerly al-Qaida's Syrian branch) 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.
Qazzi Vows to Expel Swedes if
Stockholm Deports Lebanese Families
Naharnet/August 08/16/Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi on Monday warned Sweden of
tit-for-tat action if it deports dozens of Lebanese families as part of its
reported decision to ask tens of thousands of foreigners to leave the country.
“Qazzi sent a letter to Swedish Ambassador to Lebanon Peter Semneby, asking for
clarifications regarding the deportation of a number of Lebanese who are working
in Sweden,” state-run National News Agency reported. “If this expulsion is
unjustified legally and security-wise, the Lebanese Labor Ministry will take
similar measures against Swedes working in Lebanon, regardless of their
professions and status,” NNA quoted Qazzi as saying in the letter. “The Labor
Ministry rejects that Lebanese citizens be treated in this manner abroad, as if
they have no defender or a State that protects them,” the minister stressed. In
this regard, Qazzi has asked the ministry's relevant departments to provide him
with a list of the names of the Swedish citizens who work in Lebanon. “We will
take this measure against any state that does not respect Lebanese employees,
unless their presence violates the law or poses a security threat to the host
country,” the minister pledged. Swedish authorities had recently stripped over
75 Lebanese families of medical and social aid cards that had been granted to
them by the Swedish state, media reports said. The Lebanese families had
traveled to Sweden in the wake of the 2006 war. According to An Nahar newspaper,
the decision has no political motives seeing as the families hail from several
Lebanese regions and their religious affiliations are diverse. Quoting Lebanese
diplomatic sources, the newspaper said that the expulsion decision is not
limited to Lebanese citizens but is rather part of a judicial decision to deport
around 65,000 foreign expats from the country.
Migrant Convicted of Killing
Lebanese Swedish Refugee Center Worker
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 08/16/A Swedish court on Monday sentenced a
teenaged Ethiopian asylum seeker to psychiatric care for fatally stabbing a
Lebanese Swedish young woman working at a youth refugee housing center in
January. The teen, identified in court documents as Youssaf Khaliif Nuur, had
been charged with murder but the district court in the southwestern town of
Gothenburg found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault.
"Youssaf Nuur, through his heedless behavior, caused Alexandra Mezher's death.
He is therefore guilty of involuntary manslaughter," the court wrote. A
court-ordered examination found Nuur was mentally unstable, and this may have
meant that he did not know that the stabs to Mezher's thigh would cause her to
bleed to death, the court said. Mezher, a 22-year-old of Lebanese origin, was
stabbed as she tried to break up a fight in the center for unaccompanied minors.
Nuur also attacked another person who tried to help Mezher, resulting in the
conviction for aggravated assault. Nuur neither denied nor admitted the events,
telling the court he had no memory of what had happened. After undergoing
psychiatric care, Nuur was ordered deported from Sweden and banned from
returning before 2026. Nuur's exact age has not been determined. He told the
court he was 15, but the prosecution argued that he was at least 18. After
examining bone x-rays and dental records, the court sided with the prosecution.
A lawyer for Mezher's family, Hans Gaestadius, told news agency TT they were
"disappointed" by the verdict as they had hoped for a murder conviction, and
they planned to appeal. The January 25 killing sparked outrage in Sweden amid a
flare in violence linked to the migrant crisis, especially at overcrowded
reception centers. According to the Swedish Migration Agency, the number of
threats and violent incidents at asylum facilities more than doubled from 2014
to 2015 as Sweden witnessed a record number of migrant arrivals. A country of
9.8 million, Sweden took in more than 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015, putting it
among the EU states with the highest proportion of refugees per capita. It has
since tightened its asylum rules, which has curbed the migrant flow drastically.
After the killing, questions were raised about safety at the reception center,
where Mezher had been working alone at the time of her death. But a study by the
Health and Social Care Inspectorate -- a government agency responsible for
supervising health care and social services -- found no shortcomings in
routines. However, the company that runs the center no longer allows employees
to work alone.
Shehayyeb: Tenders Open for
Landfills Establishment
Naharnet/August 08/16/Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb announced on Monday
that the work has kicked off to open tenders related to the establishment of
landfills, as he assured that the trash crisis will not be returning back. “The
garbage will not be returning back to the streets of the capital, nor to the
coast. We have started opening the tenders under the guidance of Prime Minister
Tammam Salam,” said Shehayyeb from the location where the Costa Brava landfill
will be established. The Minister stressed that the Council for Development and
Reconstruction is perfectly doing its role. In March, the cabinet approved a
four-year plan to collect the garbage from the streets of Beirut and to open the
Bourj Hammoud landfill that lies north of Beirut and the Costa Brava which is
located south of the capital, pending a permanent solution. The Naameh landfill
was also opened for only two month and took in thousands of tons of trash.
Lebanon witnessed a months long trash crisis that began in July 2015 when the
Naameh landfill that received the trash of Beirut and Mount Lebanon was closed.
Rubbish has piled up on beaches, in mountain forests and river beds across
Lebanon.
Fatfat deems proposal to form
senate council coverup to dialogue fiasco
Mon 08 Aug 2016/NNA - Future Parliamentary bloc MP, Ahmad Fatfat, on Monday
expressed his political party's willingness to ensure the required
constitutional quorum to elect a Lebanese president, confirming his bloc's
intention to cooperate with whoever winds up being elected as the President of
the Lebanese Republic. "It is pretty obvious that Hezbollah doesn't wish to
elect a president at the time being and prefers void," the lawmaker told
"Orient" radio station, calling on concerned sides to pressure Hezbollah and the
Free Patriotic Movement to ensure the required presidential election session's
quorum. "We have heard Change and Reform MP Gebran Bassil say, 'We opt for
disruption until we get what we want.'," Fatfat added. Touching on the three-day
dialogue, the lawmaker regretted the fact that no official statement had been
made to pacify the public opinion about the outcome of dialogue. He deemed
proposals to form a senate council an outright attempt to cover-up the "failure"
of dialogue. "We have proposed the formation of a senate council by means of a
serious proposal that we had forwarded to the House of Parliament three years
ago. This dossier also included an elections law proposal, and a
decentralization proposal - which means the full implementation of Taef
agreement," Fatfat explained. The lawmaker went on to shed light on growing
fears that the formation of a senate council would lead to the abolishment of
political sectarianism -- a point which has already hindered the full
implementation of the Taef agreement. Touching on Berri's political initiative,
Fatfat explained that the House Speaker sought some change in the political
system at the absence of a president. "If they really desire reform as an
end-result, they should consider electing a president before anything else,"
Fatfat said, suggesting that reform discussions include be in agreement among
all sides over illegal arms, sovereignty, a senate council, the abolishment of
political sectarianism, and finally the implementation of political
decentralization. As for Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's
proclamation of victory in Syria's Aleppo, Fatfat said, "Nasrallah has rushed
declaring victory. A near decisive battle is farfetched because the Syrian was
will last for long years from now. We stand before a very long battle because
the Syrian people will never succumb."
Hashem: Affairs no longer
linked to presidential election but to full package
Mon 08 Aug 2016/NNA - Development and Liberation bloc member, MP Qassem Hashem
told As-shaab radio station that "the dossier of the presidential vacuum is
still the same and today's election session will be akin to those which preceded
it."
"It may also witness less attendance," he said, noting that the issue is no
longer linked to electing a president but rather to agreeing on a full package
deal. "The last cabinet session tackled the implementation of some of the Taif
articles. The implementation course has started, but we do not know how it would
end up," the MP said, assuring that agreement is hard to reach because of the
deep gap between political forces, in addition to the effect of regional crises
on the country.
Moussa: Failure to agree
among political factions impedes issues
Mon 08 Aug 2016/NNA - Deputy Michel Moussa told the "Voice of Lebanon" radio
that "failure to agree among all sides hampers issues". He pointed to
differences among the political factions, "no one from the external can help us
as result of the ongoing developments in the region". The MP hoped that
September 5 would be an opportunity to achieve positive contacts.
Huge fire ravages through
Raskifa woods
Mon 08 Aug 2016/NNA - A huge fire erupted in the woods of Raskifa town in
Zghorta, with Civil Defense firefighters attempting to extinguish it, National
News Agency correspondent reported on Monday.
Mashnouq visits Biometric
Passports Issuance Center tomorrow
Mon 08 Aug 2016/NNA - Interior and Municipalities Minister, Nuhad Mashnouq,
visits tomorrow [Tuesday] the Center for the Issuance of Biometric Passports at
issue biometric passports at the General Directorate of General Security
building, to see the features and stages of the issuance of such passports,
which enjoy high security specifications.
Army raids Syrian refugee
gatherings in Darshmezzine
Mon 08 Aug 2016/ NNA - Army intelligence in Koura raided Syrian refugees'
gatherings in the town of Darshmezine, and arrested a number of undocumented
Syrians, NNA reporter said on Monday.
Kataeb after periodic
meeting: Prelude to political reform election of president
Mon 08 Aug 2016/NNA - Kataeb Party stressed on Monday the paramount importance
of the election of the president of the republic as a gateway to realizing
political reform in the country. "The election of the president shall enable the
House of Parliament to exercise its duty of devising a modern electoral law and
the development of the political system," Kataeb said in a statement in the wake
of its Politburo periodic meeting, under the chairmanship of Party chief MP Sami
Gemayel. Kataeb considered that any attempt to put the president-elect in front
of an 'already-devised settlement' over fateful matters is tantamount to
undermining of his consensual role that guarantees the unity of Lebanon. The
Party also beseeched all the Lebanese youths, of all affiliations, to reject the
status quo in a way that ends the longstanding presidential vacuum, prevents the
extension once again of the mandate of the House of Parliament, and produces a
new political class that would move Lebanon on the path of modernity and robust
state. Marking the forty-day memorial commemoration of Qaa martyrs, Kataeb
called on the state to fulfill its pledges to the families of Qaa in terms of
securing maximum protection and providing them with all the necessary
structural, social and economic support that would enable families to remain
steadfast in their land. Kataeb also renewed its call for halting all tenders
taking place at ministries and the Construction and Development Council and
constraining them, as stipulated in law, with the Tenders' Department.
Adwan favors adopting Taef but
not in twisting way
Mon 08 Aug 2016/NNA - MP George Adwan confirmed Lebanese Forces support for
adopting Taef Accord in the local political course but not in a twisting way, as
the presidential election should be accomplished and the work of institutions
activated. Adwan's stance came Monday in the context of a press conference held
in the wake of the parliamentary session devoted to elect a president.
"Rectifying the political course starts by electing a president, we commit to
the necessity to find a new electoral law before talking about Taef," said Adwan.
He stressed, "Not approving on a new law means keeping the situation same as it
is."
Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
on August 08-09/16
70 Dead as Taliban Suicide Bomber
Hits Pakistan Hospital
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 08/16/A Taliban suicide bomb packed with
ball bearings tore through a Pakistani hospital Monday and killed at least 70
people, as witnesses described tearful staff rushing towards the smoking blast
site to help the wounded. The bomber struck a crowd of some 200 people gathered
at the Civil Hospital in the Balochistan provincial capital Quetta after the
fatal shooting of a senior local lawyer earlier in the day. More than 100 were
wounded, officials said. Video footage showed bodies strewn on the ground, some
still smoking, among pools of blood and shattered glass as shocked survivors
cried and comforted one another. Many of the victims were clad in the black
suits and ties traditionally worn by Pakistani lawyers. An AFP journalist was
about 20 meters away when the bomb went off. "There were huge black clouds and
dirt," he said. "I ran back to the place and saw dead bodies scattered
everywhere and many injured people crying. There were pools and pools of blood
around and pieces of human bodies and flesh." Nurses and lawyers wept as medics
from inside the hospital rushed out to help dozens of injured, he said. "People
were beating their heads, crying and mourning. They were in shock and grief."
Pervez Masi, who was injured by pieces of flying glass, said the blast was so
powerful that "we didn't know what had happened". "So many friends were
martyred," he said. "Whoever is doing this is not human, he is a beast and has
no humanity." Police confirmed the attack was a suicide blast. "The bomber had
strapped some eight kilograms (18 pounds) of explosives packed with ball
bearings and shrapnel on his body," bomb disposal unit chief Abdul Razzaq told
AFP. A faction of the Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility
for the blast and target killing of the lawyer, with a spokesman vowing more
attacks "until the imposition of an Islamic system in Pakistan". Jamaat-ul-Ahrar
has also said it was behind the deadliest attack in Pakistan so far this year, a
bombing in a crowded Lahore park that killed 75 people on Easter Sunday. "The
death toll has risen to 70 and there are 112 injured," the head of the
provincial health department, Dr Masood Nausherwani, told reporters Monday.
Officials said mobile phone jammers had been activated around hospitals in the
area -- a regular precaution after an attack -- making it hard to contact
officers on the ground to get updated information. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
who flew to Quetta from the capital, Islamabad, just after the attack, said:
"All state security institutions must respond with full might to decimate these
terrorists."He condemned the attack and ordered authorities to tighten security.
Crowd mourning lawyer's death
The crowd, mainly lawyers and journalists, had gone to the hospital after the
death of the president of the Balochistan Bar Association in a shooting earlier
Monday, said provincial home secretary Akbar Harifal. Bilal Anwar Kasi was
targeted by two unidentified gunmen as he left his home for work. Pakistan is
grimly accustomed to atrocities after a nearly decade-long insurgency. A
military operation targeting insurgents was stepped up in 2015 and saw the death
toll from militant attacks fall to its lowest since the formation in 2007 of the
umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), of which Jamaat-ul-Ahrar is a part.
But analysts have warned the group is still able to carry out major attacks.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has also claimed responsibility for other suicide blasts,
attacks on teams carrying out polio vaccinations, and called for jihad in
Myanmar. The faction taunted Sharif over Twitter after the Easter blast.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has major oil and gas
resources, but is afflicted by Islamist militancy, sectarian violence between
Sunni and Shiite Muslims and a separatist insurgency. The European Union
condemned Monday's attack, saying in a statement that there was "no
justification for such acts of terrorism." Pakistani hospitals have been
targeted by militants before, with a bomb killing 13 at a Karachi hospital in
2010.
Canadian Green Party endorses BDS amid strong objection from leader
Ynetnews/August
08/16/Canada's Green Party voted on Sunday to add the boycott, divestment and
sanctions movement (BDS) to their official party policy, but the party remains
deeply divided over the issue. According to media reports in the country, the
resolution passed despite much contention within the party and the objection of
its leader, Elizabeth May, who said she would rather support "action that can
work." She also told a workshop meeting about the policy that she would rather
not lead a party that had endorsed BDS. Former Green party candidate Richard
Zurawski called the vote "destructive for the party," while another member
worried it's not time for the Greens to be "more polarizing.""Every country has
its issues," Zurawski said. "When we specifically single out Israelis, I worry
about the buzzwords and subtext and code language, which is anti-Semitic."The
Green Party is the most supportive among Canadian political parties of the
Palestinian cause. It supports a two-state solution and Israel's right to exist.
There was an attempt to amend the resolution during the party's biennial
national convention in Ottawa, altering the wording to say that the Greens
supported "effective means" for a peaceful solution and "such effective means
may include facilitating negotiations, use of diplomatic sanctions, and consumer
action by concerned citizenry." But that effort was struck down. "I’m deeply
disappointed," party leader May said after the vote. "The party policy on this
issue is a position I can’t support," she added, saying BDS tactics were
ineffective and "polarizing." Not all members objected to the motion. "I've
never felt prouder to be a member of this party," said Dimitri Lascaris, who
tabled the resolution. "We took a brave stand today for human rights."Another
foreign policy resolution raised at the convention sought to call upon the
Canada Revenue Agency to revoke the charitable status of the Jewish National
Funds over allegations it had planted trees on the ruins of Palestinian
villages. May opposed this motion as well, and a compromise was reached
according to which the resolution would call to revoke the charitable status of
any organization complicit in human-rights violations. In February, the Canadian
parliament endorsed a motion condemning any groups or individuals supporting
BDS. While the motion was proposed by the Conservative Party, it received
significant support from the Liberals as well.
Canadian Jewish
groups condemn Green party for passing Israeli boycott policy
The Canadian Press/Published Sunday, August 7, 2016
OTTAWA -- Canadian Jewish groups are blasting the Green party for passing a
resolution this weekend supporting sanctions against Israel.
B'nai Brith issued a statement Sunday night saying it was "irate" that delegates
at the party's biennial convention in Ottawa voted in support of the so-called
Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement, also called BDS.
B'nai Brith Chief Executive Michael Mostyn says the Greens have decided to
embrace the policy position of terror apologists rather than side with the
"democratic and environmentally friendly state of Israel."
Supporters of BDS are calling for boycotts and sanctions over the way Israel has
dealt with the Palestinians.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May sought to distance herself from the party's
vote, saying she is disappointed her members have adopted a policy that favours
a movement she calls "polarizing, ineffective and unhelpful in the quest for
peace and security."
However her remarks didn't appear to mollify Mostyn, who roundly condemned the
Greens in his statement.
"This clearly reflects how out of touch the Green party has become with Canadian
culture and values and it has made itself less relevant after its convention
this weekend by voting for the politics of division and demonization," Mostyn
said in the statement.
Another Jewish organization, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs posted a
statement on its website titled: "Why is the Green party attacking Israel?"
"We condemn the Green party's decision to endorse this outrageous resolution.
The BDS movement, which seeks to censor and blacklist Israelis, is fundamentally
discriminatory and utterly at odds with Canadian values," the statement said.
A statement on the Greens' convention, posted on the party's website, said the
party's members come up with resolutions independently and aren't vetted by the
leader or the party's executive.
The BDS movement has gained momentum in recent months. Supporters say it's aimed
at supporting Palestinian independence while critics say the campaign is aimed
at delegitimizing Israel itself.In May more than 1,500 students filled the United Nations General Assembly for a
conference sponsored by the Israeli mission on how best to combat the movement
on many U.S. campuses.
Rights group denounces mass
Iran hanging of 20 Sunnis
By AFP, Beirut Monday, 8 August 2016/Human Rights Watch Monday denounced Iran’s
hanging of 20 Sunni prisoners in one of its biggest mass executions in years as
a “shameful low point in its human rights record”. Shiite-majority Iran last
week said it had hanged 20 “terrorist” Sunni prisoners on Tuesday convicted of
carrying out a string of attacks against civilians and religious leaders in the
country’s western Kurdish region. “Iran’s mass execution of prisoners on August
2 at Rajai Shahr prison is a shameful low point in its human rights record,”
said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW. “With at least 230
executions since January 1, Iran is yet again the regional leader in executions
but a laggard in implementing the so far illusory penal code reforms meant to
bridge the gap with international standards,” she said. The New York-based
rights group said “two lawyers who represented some of the men told (it) that
their clients did not get a fair trial and that their due process rights had
been violated”.It said rights groups believed the 20 were among 33 Sunni men,
including possibly a minor, arrested in 2009 and 2010 and convicted of “enmity
against God”. HRW said that recent changes to Iran’s penal code required the
judiciary to review and annul death sentences of people on that charge “if they
had not personally used weapons in committing the crime”. Iran regularly hangs
large-scale drug traffickers. Murder, rape, armed robbery and adultery are also
capital offences in the Islamic republic. Those charged with “spreading
corruption on Earth” and “enmity against God” can also be sentenced to death
under Islamic sharia law, which has been in force in Iran since the 1979
revolution. According to rights group Amnesty International, Iran was one of the
world’s top executioners in 2015 when it put 977 people to death, mostly on drug
trafficking charges. Amnesty does not include secretive China in its figures,
but the number of executions in Iran exceeded both neighbouring Pakistan and
regional rival Saudi Arabia. Last week’s execution, which was also criticised by
the European Union and France, came as the EU had reportedly proposed talks with
Iran on human rights. Mohammad Javad Larijani, secretary general of Iran’s High
Council for Human Rights, said on Wednesday that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif and top EU diplomat Federica Mogherini had already held preliminary
discussions on the issue. Larijani said Tehran was ready to discuss human rights
but that “Westerners should not put themselves forward as role models”. Over two
days in 2009, Iran hanged 44 convicted drug traffickers in one of the country’s
largest mass executions. In 2013, it hanged 16 Sunnis in the eastern province of
Zahedan, eight of whom were members of Sunni militant group Jundallah which
waged a deadly insurgency in southeastern Iran for almost a decade.
Hundreds join key battle for
Syria’s Aleppo
AFP, Beirut Monday, 8 August 2016/Regime and rebel forces have sent in hundreds
of fighters and extra military equipment to join the crucial battle for Syria’s
second city Aleppo, a monitoring group said Monday. Fighting is intensifying as
both sides prepare for what Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, said would be a decisive battle for the northern
city. “An estimated 2,000 Syrian, Iraqi, and Iranian fighters as well as
Lebanese fighters from (Shiite movement) Hezbollah have arrived in Aleppo since
Sunday night,” Abdel Rahman told AFP. The Monday edition of Al-Watan, a Syrian
daily close to the government, said the army and allied forces had received “the
necessary military reinforcements to launch the battle to retake the areas from
which it withdrew.”Al-Watan said a Palestinian loyalist militia had sent “huge
reinforcements” to Syria’s army battling to defend a cement factory south of
Aleppo. Citing a source on the ground, the newspaper said military warplanes
“are carrying out a barrage of air strikes targeting the armed groups.” Forces
loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are on the defensive in Aleppo since an
opposition alliance overran key territory south of the city at the weekend.
The coalition of rebels, Islamists, and extremists seized territory in a
military academy on Aleppo’s edges on Saturday, breaking the government
encirclement of eastern districts, home to an estimated 250,000 people.
“Hundreds of fighters, specifically from the Fateh al-Sham Front (formerly
Al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch), and others arrived in Aleppo city from other parts of
the province and Idlib province,” said Abdel Rahman. Fateh al-Sham Front --
which changed its name from Al-Nusra Front after breaking off ties with Al-Qaeda
-- leads the Army of Conquest, which has played a major role in the fight for
Aleppo.
Late Sunday, the Army of Conquest pledged to “double the number of fighters” to
recapture all of Aleppo city. “Both sides are amassing their fighters in
preparation for the great battle of Aleppo... which is existential for both the
fighters and their backers,” said Abdel Rahman.
Once Syria’s commercial hub, Aleppo has been transformed into a bombed-out,
divided city since fighting first erupted there in 2012.
ISIS claims capture of US
weapons
Reuters, Kabul Monday, 8 August 2016/Militants linked to ISIS have released
photos that purport to show weapons and equipment that belonged to American
soldiers and were captured by the group in eastern Afghanistan. The photos,
which came to light on Saturday, show an American portable rocket launcher,
radio, grenades and other gear not commonly used by Afghan troops, as well as
close up views of identification cards for a US Army soldier, Specialist Ryan
Larson. The US military command in Kabul denied any suggestion the soldier had
been captured, saying he “has been accounted for and remains in a duty status
within his unit.”American special operations troops have been fighting alongside
Afghan forces in a renewed offensive against militants who claim allegiance to
ISIS in Nangarhar Province, which borders Pakistan. “SPC Larson was attached to
a unit conducting a partnered (operation) with Afghan Forces,” US military
spokesman Commander Ron Flesvig said in an emailed statement on Sunday. “The
soldier’s ID and some of the equipment were left behind after the (operation).
The loss of personal identification is unfortunate.”In July, US commanders said
at least five special forces were injured in fighting in the province. The
website that published the photos speculated that the equipment and weapons were
left behind during that engagement, but Flesvig said American officials are
still trying to determine exactly when and how it was lost. The push in
Nangarhar came after President Barack Obama cleared American troops to take a
more active role in fighting militants in Afghanistan. Besides advising work and
special operations missions, American aircraft deployed at least 545 weapons in
the first six months of 2016.
Turkish jets hit PKK
positions in southeast, 13 rebels dead
By AP, Istanbul Monday, 8 August 2016/Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency is
reporting that an aerial operation against Kurdish rebels in the mainly Kurdish
southeast of the country has killed 13 Kurdish militants. It says F-16 fighters
were dispatched on Sunday after intelligence that members of the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party, or PKK, were operating in the countryside around Siirt province.
Turkish forces have been fighting the PKK for decades, with armed clashes
resuming after a 2½-year cease-fire collapsed in mid-2015. A truck driver was
reportedly killed in the southeastern province of Hakkari on Monday after the
PKK detonated an improvised device that had been planted on the roadside,
Anadolu said. Security forces have begun an operation in the area against those
responsible.
Erdogan: If death penalty
demanded, Turkey ‘will abide’
AFP, Ankara Monday, 8 August 2016/If the Turkish public want the death penalty
following last month’s failed coup then political parties would follow their
will, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday. “If
the nation makes such a decision (in support of death penalty), I believe
political parties will abide by this decision,” Erdogan said during a unity
rally in Yenikapi square in the touristic Sultanahmet district. “It is the
Turkish parliament that will decide on this (death penalty) given the
sovereignty rests with the nation... I declare it in advance, I will approve the
decision made by the parliament,” Erdogan said.His comments came on Sunday after
more than one million flag-waving Turks gathered in Istanbul on Sunday for an
anti-coup rally to mark the end of nightly demonstrations since the July 15
abortive military insurrection that left more than 270 people dead. The Yenikapi
meeting area by the Marmara Sea waterfront in Istanbul’s European side was
transformed into a sea of red and white, the colors of Turkey’s flag. The
“Democracy and Martyrs’ Rally” was billed as a cross-party event representing
Turkish unity in the wake of the failed coup, in which a group of renegade
military officers attempted to seize power with tanks, helicopters and fighter
jets.
Swedes demand Israel repair
ship after court victory
AFP Monday, 8 August 2016/Ship to Gaza spokesman Dror Feiler told AFP that the
Finnish-flagged Estelle was in Israel’s northern port of Haifa, still afloat but
unfit to put to sea. “Last time we had a person who checked the boat, it was
maybe one year or nine months ago, the condition of the boat was not good, to
put it mildly,” he said in English by phone from his home in Sweden. “It’s in
salt water and we don’t know the condition of the engine, we don’t know the
condition of the sails,” he said. “We will demand that the boat will be put into
seaworthy condition so we can sail.”Israeli-born activist Feiler was one of 11
Swedish nationals on the vessel when the Israeli navy commandeered it in 2012 as
it neared the coast of the blockaded Gaza Strip. He had previously renounced his
Israeli citizenship and held Swedish nationality. The Swedes, along with
activists from Norway, Canada, Spain, Italy Greece and Finland, were arrested
and later deported. In its ruling on Sunday the Supreme Court said the state
impounded the ship illegally and awarded its owners legal costs of 40,000
shekels ($10,500, 9,400 euros).“In light of everything that was said in the
ruling, the judges... ordered the release of the ship immediately,” a justice
ministry statement said. Feiler said Ship to Gaza would now file a claim for
damages. “They kept the boat for four years and now the court is stipulating
that it was illegal so we shall try to get economic compensation,” he said.
“It’s much larger (than the court expenses).”Gaza has been under an Israeli
blockade since 2006. It was tightened in 2007 after the Islamist group Hamas
seized control in Gaza. The Estelle voyage was one of several unsuccessful
attempts to breach the cordon since 2010, when Israeli commandos killed 10
Turkish activists in a raid on a flotilla seeking to run the blockade.
Australian man charged with
planning terror attack following raids
Reuters Monday, 8 August 2016/A 31-year-old man appeared in an Australian court
on Sunday charged with planning a terror attack, following a series of
counter-terrorism police raids. Phillip Galea was charged with acts done in
preparation for a terrorist act and collecting or making documents likely to
facilitate a terrorist act, after being arrested in police raids in Melbourne on
Saturday. Police did not give details of the target but said it was in the
southern state of Victoria. “I will be fighting these charges and I believe they
are a conspiracy against the patriot movement,” Galea told a Melbourne
Magistrates’ Court hearing during in a brief appearance on Sunday according to
the Australian Associated Press. Galea had links to far-right organizations
Reclaim Australia and True Blue Crew. Reclaim Australia posted on Facebook that
it had no links to the arrested man and that it “always denounced violence”.
Far-right political parties opposed to Islam and Asian immigration are on the
rise in Australia. Reclaim Australia and True Blue Crew, which are not political
parties, have previously been involved in violent clashes with pro-immigration
groups at rallies in Melbourne.
Saudi King Salman meets with
Qatari Emir
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 8 August 2016/Saudi Arabia’s King
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received at his residence Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al
Thani, Emir of Qatar. During the meeting, they reviewed the close fraternal
relations between the two countries in addition to the developments at the
regional and international arenas. The meeting was attended by Prince Khalid bin
Fahd bin Khalid; Prince Mansour bin Saud bin Abdulaziz; Prince Mohammed bin Fahd
bin Abdulaziz; Prince Saud bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz; Prince Talal bin Saud bin
Abdulaziz; Prince Sattam bin Saud bin Abdulaziz; Prince Dr. Husam bin Saud bin
Abdulaziz; Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, Consultant at the
Royal Court; Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Crown Prince,
Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense; Prince Naif bin Salman bin
Abdulaziz; Prince Rakan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz; Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin
Khoja, Saudi ambassador to Morocco; and Aqla bin Ali Al-Aqla, Deputy Chief of
the Royal Court. On the Qatari side, the audience was attended by Sheikh
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, minister of foreign affairs; Sheikh Khalid
bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chief of Emiri Court; and Qatari ambassador to the Kingdom
of Morocco Abdullah bin Falah Al-Dosari.
Trump to focus on economy,
Clinton in bid to move beyond feuds
Reuters, Washington Monday, 8 August 2016/Seeking to move beyond a week of
discord, US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will on Monday outline
plans for trade, taxes and regulation and contrast his ideas for economic growth
with those of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Senior aides and supporters said
the New York businessman, making his first run at public office, wanted to put
behind him his disputes with Republican Party leaders and the parents of a
Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq. “He is very focused. He knows what he
needs to do,” Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager, told Fox News on Sunday.
“I am confident that he's going to start doing it.”With the economy a major
issue, Trump speaks on Monday to business leaders of the Detroit Economic Club.
On Thursday in Michigan, Clinton lays out a plan for the “biggest investment in
good-paying jobs since World War Two,” her campaign said. Clinton, a Democrat
like President Barack Obama, will be buoyed in part by figures released on
Friday showing US employment rose more than expected for the second month in a
row in July and wages picked up, bolstering expectations of faster economic
growth. In a phone call lasting little more than an hour on Sunday and run by
some of Trump’s most senior aides, members of his newly announced economic
advisory group shared their views on policy, said banker Stephen Calk, one of
the members who took part.The economic advisory group includes no women and many
of the members come from hedge funds and investment banking, a make-up at odds
somewhat with Trump’s populist message.
‘Big, recognizable names’
Calk, chief executive of Federal Savings Bank and National Bancorp Holdings,
said Trump had asked advisory group members to nominate women and minorities who
could be added to the group. He said there were some “big, recognizable” names
on the call who would be announced soon as joining the team but did not
elaborate. Investor Wilbur Ross, also part of the group, said earlier the group
was a combination of “academics and people who work in the real economy and
focus on economic issues every day.” “The idea is to illustrate how tax policy,
trade policy, immigration policy, regulatory policy all fit into the mission,”
said Professor Peter Navarro of the University of California, Irvine, business
school, who is also on the advisory group. Calk described Trump’s vision for
taxes as the biggest tax revolution since President Ronald Reagan in 1986. He
said the plan was to lower the corporate tax burden and encourage US companies
with operations abroad to repatriate profits at a more digestible tax rate. The
current rate is 35 percent. A new Washington Post-ABC News opinion poll on
Sunday showed Trump trailing Clinton by 8 percentage points after her party’s
convention in Philadelphia. A Reuters/Ipsos poll out on Friday showed the race
closer three months ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election. Leaders of
Trump’s Republican Party last week distanced themselves from his spat with Khizr
and Ghazala Khan, the American Muslim Gold Star parents who criticized Trump at
last month's Democratic National Convention. Republicans were incensed when he
initially refused to endorse US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and
two Republican US senators in their re-election bids. Late on Friday, Trump said
he supported all three.
‘I’ll take the week’
Former US House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, who had been on
Trump’s short list of potential vice presidential running mates, said last week
in a Fox Business Network interview that some of Trump’s recent actions had been
“just very self-destructive” and that the candidate was “not yet performing at
the level that you need to.”But in a Fox News interview on Sunday, Gingrich said
that while Trump had made mistakes, he thought Clinton’s errors around a private
email server she used while President Barack Obama’s secretary of state were
worse. On Friday, Clinton said she had “short-circuited” when she characterized
FBI Director James Comey as having said she had been truthful about her email
server. Comey had contradicted several statements Clinton had made about the
server. “I’ll take the week. I think she managed to trump Trump in terms of
mistakes,” Gingrich said. US Senator Tim Kaine, Clinton’s vice presidential
running mate, defended her email answers on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”“She made a
mistake, and she said over and over again, ‘I made a mistake, and I’ve learned
from it, and I’m going to fix it, and I apologize for it,” Kaine said.
Iran regime tries to justify the
execution of young people
Monday, 08 August 2016/NCRI - A notorious torture expert and official of the
mullahs’ regime has attempted to justify the executions in Iran of young adults,
who were under 18 when they were charged. On August 4, Mohammad-Javad Larijani,
who in a bizarre twist is the secretary of the Iranian regime’s so-called Human
Rights Council, told the regime-affiliated Tasnim News Agency that minors are
not executed until they have reached the age of 18. Indeed, he blamed Western
criticism for bringing this to media attention and suggested that the United
Nations take the mullahs’ so-called ‘Islamic laws’ into account when addressing
the rights of children in legal cases. He attacked the UN Special Rapporteur on
the human rights situation in Iran for exposing the regime’s brutal intimidation
tactics and bloody history of human rights abuses. He said: "Ahmed Shaheed was
the least successful choice in case of discussing our human rights. We have
never authorized his position and we will not also accept the newly elected
person for this position." On March 10, 2016, Shaheed said in a report to the UN
Human Rights Council that executions in Iran surged to nearly 1,000 in 2015, the
highest level in more than a quarter-century. The number of executions in 2015
was roughly double the number in 2010 and 10 times as many as in 2005. Amnesty
International has corroborated Shaheed's reports, underscoring in its annual
report that Iran has the highest number of executions per capita the world over.
Last Tuesday, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance,
described the mass execution of Sunni prisoners in Gohardasht Prison, carried
out on the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran, an
appalling crime against humanity. The regime is trying in vain to contain the
volatile social atmosphere and popular protests by terrorizing the public, she
said. The time has come for the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Security
Council to end their silence and bring the record of the Iranian regime's crimes
before the International Criminal Court. Ali Khamenei and other leaders of the
regime as well as direct perpetrators of these crimes must be brought to
justice, Maryam Rajavi reiterated.
Iran’s political prisoners remember their fallen colleagues
Monday, 08 August 2016/NCRI - A group of Iranian political prisoners organized a
commemoration for the Sunni political prisoners executed last week. On Thursday,
August 4, prisoners in Ward 8 of Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison delivered a
speech on the brutality of the executioners and the false charges levied against
those executed. They accused the mullahs' regime of carrying out these
executions in secret because of a fear of the national outrage that it would
incur. The protesting prisoners were Ali Moezzi, Amir Amirgholi, Arash Sadeghi,
Ahmad Asgari and Behnam Moosivand. They demanded an end to the death penalty
before taking a minute of silence to remember those murdered by the regime. Last
Tuesday, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance,
described the mass execution of Sunni prisoners in Gohardasht Prison, carried
out on the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran, an
appalling crime against humanity. The regime is trying in vain to contain the
volatile social atmosphere and popular protests by terrorizing the public, she
said. The time has come for the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Security
Council to end their silence and bring the record of the Iranian regime's crimes
before the International Criminal Court. Ali Khamenei and other leaders of the
regime as well as direct perpetrators of these crimes must be brought to
justice, Maryam Rajavi reiterated.
Christian Today:
Anglo-Iranians urge UK to hold Iran regime to account
Monday, 08 August 2016/NCRI
- Under the Iranian regime’s President Hassan Rouhani, human rights violations
have rapidly deteriorated in Iran, Hossein Abedini of the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) told the
Christian Today on Monday. The following is the text of a report by the
Christian Today about a three-day hunger strike in London to raise attention to
the recent mass executions and the 1988 massacre in Iran.
Christian Today
British Iranians protest Sunni executions, urge UK government to hold Iran to
account
Carey Lodge
CHRISTIAN TODAY JOURNALIST
08 August 2016
Twenty Iranians have today entered their third day of a hunger strike in protest
against what they say are brutal violations of human rights laws by their
country's government.
The protestors, who are camping outside Downing Street in London, have been
joined by hundreds of others during the weekend in solidarity with the victims
of recent mass executions in Iran. Last week, up to 20 Sunni Kurds were hanged
by the Iranian regime for alleged terrorism offences. Human rights groups have
condemned the killings, and claimed that the convictions may have been based on
forced confessions. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al
Hussein, branded the executions "a grave injustice" and said there were "serious
doubts about the fairness of the trials, respect for due process and other
rights of the accused". Speaking to Christian Today, Hossein Abedini, the UK
spokesperson for the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) – a coalition
of Iranian opposition political organisations functioning as a parliament in
exile – also strongly condemned the executions and urged the UK to hold Iran to
account. Under President Hassan Rouhani, who has presented himself as a
'moderate', human rights violations have rapidly deteriorated, Abedini said. In
total, around 120,000 people are believed to have been executed since 1981 for
their political or religious beliefs, and the figure has escalated since Rouhani
became president. Abedini insisted that the UK's relative silence on Iran's
human rights record is "shameful". "Things have deteriorated and worsened as far
as human rights are concerned. There have been 2,500 hangings [since Rouhani
came to power in 2013], many juveniles and women have been executed, and
religious minorities, especially Christians, are suffering in Iran very badly...
There is no freedom for religious minorities; they cannot practice their
religion [and they suffer] very brutal and cruel human rights violations," he
said. Iran is ranked ninth on persecution charity Open Door's list of countries
where it's most dangerous to be a Christian. Open churches are forbidden, and
converting from Islam – the state religion – to Christianity is punishable by
death for men, and life imprisonment for women. Last year, more than 100
Christians were arrested or imprisoned, and reports of their torture have
emerged. More widely, Iran has a long history of human rights abuses and
violence is rapidly escalating across the country, facilitated by laws which
allow the legal persecution of minority communities such as Christians and
Baha'i Muslims, who have been condemned by Iranian authorities as an "illegal
cult".
"There is no religious freedom in Iran," said Abedini, noting the plight of
Saeed Abedini – an Iranian-born US pastor who was released in January after
being held in Iran's notorious Evin prison for years – and Maryam Naghash
Zargaran, a Christian convert from Islam who remains incarcerated and is said to
be in very poor health. Human rights abuses are not the only concern of
campaigners – another is Iran's persistent efforts to acquire nuclear capability
– but they are the most prominent.
"The regime itself is the most ungodly regime," Abedini said. Rouhani in 2014
described executions under his rule as the fulfilment of "God's commandments",
but Abedini said the majority of Muslims want to distance the brutal punishments
from true Islam.
"We believe this is only a fundamentalist regime carrying out [executions] in
the name of God and in the name of religion," he said. 'Islam is a religion of
compassion and mercy.... [The executions are] absolutely abhorrent, and have got
nothing to do with true Islam."
The protest in London falls on the anniversary of the 1988 executions of
political prisoners in Iran, during which Amnesty International has documented
the disappearance of more than 4,400 prisoners, though opposition groups say as
many as 30,000 were killed. Those striking are calling on the British government
not only to hold Iran to account for its wider human rights violations, but also
to recognise and condemn this massacre, which the regime denies having taken
place. Omid Ebrahimi, 18, is taking part in the hunger strike along with his
father, who was held as a political prisoner in Iran for a decade between 1981
and 1991. Several members of his mother's family were also executed during this
time.
"For us, this was one of the darkest days in the history of human beings,"
Ebrahimi told Christian Today. "And for this, we call upon all western
governments, and in particular the British government, to condemn the
massacre."Ebrahimi was insistent that the human rights situation in Iran remains
as volatile as it was in the 1980s under then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini.
"The regime hasn't changed at all," he said. Religious minorities are under
particular threat, he added, and almost anyone is at risk of accusations of
being against the regime. "This can only be solved one way, and that's a regime
change," Ebrahimi said. His fellow protestors have received some parliamentary
support already. Conservative MP Matthew Offord sent a message offering his
"best wishes" to those on hunger strike, adding that "the mass execution of
Sunni political prisoners is deeply disturbing".
Offord joined a number of political and church leaders at the NCRI's annual
conference in Paris last month. In a statement released ahead of the conference,
four bishops and others issued a joint statement setting out their "grave
concern" at Iran's human rights situation.
They said: "Repression of Christians has not only continued but intensified
during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani. "In such circumstances, we call on all
Western countries to consider the deplorable situation of human rights in Iran,
particularly the painful situation of Christians and the intensification of
their oppression, in navigating their relations with Iran. "We call upon them to
precondition improvement of those relations on the cessation of oppression of
Christians and on a halt in executions."
Holding Iran regime
responsible for crimes against humanity
Monday, 08 August 2016/NCRI - A top legal organization in Britain has condemned
the recent mass execution of political prisoners in Iran and addressed how the
mullahs’ regime can be held to account. Kirsty Brimelow QC, the Chairwoman of
the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales, expressed the difficulties
of bringing the regime to justice over the 1988 massacre in which they murdered
30,000 people, primarily opposition activists affiliated to the main opposition
group People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK). In a video message,
she states that there are two routes to hold the Iranian regime responsible for
their crimes. The first option is setting up an independent international
tribunal to examine the evidence and recommend punishments and procedural
changes. As these are only recommendations, it is unlikely the Iranian regime
would follow through with them, she said. The second option is the United
Nations’ Security Council sending those high-ranking regime members responsible
for the massacre to the International Criminal Court where they could be tried
and sentenced. When asked to comment on the most recent executions, Brimelow
said they were unjustified and the way they treat the families of the victims is
“barbaric.” She said: “The executions that were carried out of the 28 people was
appalling. The death penalty should not operate in civilized countries. Iran,
ironically, is a country that boasts of its culture and civilization and yet it
has this very dark underbelly to it, where the state is carrying out mass
killings.”She cited from international human rights groups that over 2,500
people have been murdered by the regime since Hassan Rohani began his so-called
“moderate” reign. She called for the international community, especially
politicians, public figures and religious leaders to speak out and condemn the
executions. The Bar Human Rights Committee is responsible for writing statements
of concern addressing countries with poor human rights’ records, political
lobbying and assisting the prosecution in international legal courts. Last
Tuesday, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance,
described the mass execution of Sunni prisoners in Gohardasht Prison, carried
out on the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran, an
appalling crime against humanity. The regime is trying in vain to contain the
volatile social atmosphere and popular protests by terrorizing the public, she
said. The time has come for the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Security
Council to end their silence and bring the record of the Iranian regime's crimes
before the International Criminal Court. Ali Khamenei and other leaders of the
regime as well as direct perpetrators of these crimes must be brought to
justice, Maryam Rajavi reiterated.
UK human rights lawyer: 1988 massacre in Iran must not go unrecognized
Monday, 08 August 2016/NCRI - A prominent British lawyer has expressed his
passion for the Iranian Resistance and their fight for justice. Malcolm Fowler,
a member of the Human Rights Committee of the Law Society of England and Wales,
sent a message of support to the Iranian people on the anniversary of the 1988
massacre of political prisoners in Iran. He spoke to address the brutalities of
the Iranian regime when it came to human rights. This comes in the wake of the
mass execution last week in which at least 25 Sunni political prisoners were
killed by the regime. That execution happened on the anniversary of the 1988
massacre in which the Iranian regime killed 30,000 political prisoners within
the space of a few weeks. The vast majority of those killed were affiliated to
the main Iranian opposition group People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI
or MEK). Of the 1988 massacre, Fowler said: “It’s an appalling atrocity that has
gone a long time unrecognized by the international community despite protests by
Amnesty international in 2008 and a unanimous vote of protest by the Canadian
parliament in 2011.”He tells of how, in 2001, Mohammad Mohaddessin, the Chair of
the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI),
had presented the international community with files on the 21 high-ranking
officials who were involved in the massacre the most. This case has never been
taken forward from there, he said. The Law Society of England and Wales have
protested and intervened on behalf of people suffering in Iran, and especially
the PMOI (MEK) members in Camp Liberty in Iraq. Fowler said that the Law Society
would never stop intervening or protesting until the Iranian regime is no more.
Anglo-Iranians commemorate
1988 massacre in Iran
Monday, 08 August 2016/NCRI - A group of Anglo-Iranians are on the third day of
a hunger strike in London to raise attention to the horrific mass executions
that are taking place in Iran by the mullahs' regime. Their three-day hunger
strike, which began on Saturday, coincides with the anniversary of the 1988
massacre of political prisoners in Iran. On Sunday, August 7, 2016, a large
number of Anglo-Iranians and their British supporters joined the hunger strikers
at a rally opposite Downing Street condemning the mass execution of Sunni
political prisoners in Iran last week. A human rights exhibition was put up and
symbolic mock executions were held to show the brutal realities facing political
prisoners in Iran. In the summer of 1988, some 30,000 political prisoners, the
vast majority affiliated to the main opposition group People’s Mojahedin
Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK), were summarily and extra-judicially executed
by the mullahs’ regime. The majority of those executed were either serving
prison sentences for their political activities or had already finished their
sentences but were still kept in prison. The Iranian authorities have mass
executed scores of people in the past few days, and over 2500 people have been
hanged during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani. The hunger strikers and
protesters are urging the UK government to categorically condemn the incessant
cruel hangings that are taking place unabatedly in Iran and act with its Western
allies to press for an immediate halt to the executions and torture in Iran.
They also called on the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council to
refer the human rights dossier of the mullahs’ regime to the International
Criminal Court for the prosecution of its leaders including the Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani. The rally will continue on Monday at
3pm opposite Downing Street. Last Tuesday, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect
of the Iranian Resistance, described the mass execution of Sunni prisoners in
Gohardasht Prison, carried out on the anniversary of the 1988 massacre of
political prisoners in Iran, an appalling crime against humanity. The regime is
trying in vain to contain the volatile social atmosphere and popular protests by
terrorizing the public, she said. The time has come for the UN Human Rights
Council and the UN Security Council to end their silence and bring the record of
the Iranian regime's crimes before the International Criminal Court. Ali
Khamenei and other leaders of the regime as well as direct perpetrators of these
crimes must be brought to justice, Maryam Rajavi reiterated.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on August 08-09/16
Attacks on Christians in Egypt raise alarms
Jacob Wirtschafter, Special for USA TODAY /August 7, 2016
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/08/07/attacks-christians-egypt-raise-alarms/87675974/?utm_content=buffer564af&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
CAIRO — Residents in the southern Egyptian village of Naj al-Nassara watched in
horror as their beloved Archangel Mikhail Coptic Church burned to the ground.
“We heard deafening sounds of explosions and crackling as the interior of the
church gave way,” said Salim Qamhi, a farmer in Naj al-Nassara. “The fire had
eaten up everything — the wooden sanctuary, the icons, the pews and the books.”
The fire in mid-July came amid a rash of recent attacks that have alarmed
Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, who blame the government for doing too little
to protect them. About 10% of Egypt’s mostly Muslim population of 90 million are
Christian — one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.
"The incidents we heard about are very painful," Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II
recently told an Egyptian parliamentary committee. “I'm patient and enduring,
but there have been incidents that warn of danger.”
Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II swings an incense-filled
Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II swings an incense-filled thurable as he leads a
Mass to honor Egyptian Coptic Christians killed by Islamic State militants in
Libya on Feb. 17, 2015, at Saint-Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Cairo's al-Abbassiya
district. (Photo: Khaled Desouki, AFP/Getty Images)
Tawadros told lawmakers that attacks against Christians average about one a
month over the past three years.
In May, a mob stripped naked a Christian woman in her 70s and dragged her
through the streets after her son was accused of being involved with a Muslim
woman. On July 5 in Egypt’s Minya district, a 16-year-old girl was allegedly
kidnapped by a Muslim neighbor who demanded that her family accept her
conversion to Islam. On the same day, a Coptic nun died from gunshot wounds.
Authorities said she was caught in a roadside gunbattle between two rival
Egyptian clans, but others are not so sure.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has vowed since taking power in 2014 to
bring to justice those responsible for anti-Christian attacks, to repair damaged
churches and to widen minority rights. He twice attended Christmas services, a
first for an Egyptian president. In speeches, Sisi rejects divisions between
Muslims and Christians, saying, "We are all Egyptians."
Egyptian Coptic Christians attend a Mass on July 24, 2016, in the rubble of a
makeshift chapel that was torched a few months ago during clashes in the
Egyptian village of Ismailia, south of Cairo. Egypt's Copts make up 10% of
Egypt's 90 million people. (Photo: Khaled
After Sisi met in late July with Tawadros and other Coptic leaders, he affirmed
the government’s commitment to preserving Christians’ rights, noting that new
housing developments can include both churches and mosques.
Church construction is a sensitive issue in Egypt, and some say it could be
behind the increase in attacks.
"It seems the minister of Interior is just absent," said Meshil Nasef, a civil
engineer from Minya, about the agency that oversees police in Egypt. "Our
community needs security and peace to be restored."
The Egyptian government says it is taking action, but it's not enough to prevent
the attacks, Nasef and others said. Police arrested 15 people suspected of
setting fire to five Copts’ houses on July 16 in Abu-Yacoub, a village about 140
miles south of Cairo.
“The police and firemen arrived at the scene after the houses were destroyed,”
said Anba Macarius, the Coptic bishop of Abu-Yacoub.
Macarias said the fires occurred after Muslim leaders declared that Copts
planned to build a church in Abu-Yacoub, even though the village already has a
church and no plans for another one.
Christians currently need a presidential decree to build a church, along with
approval from the local Muslim community and security services. No similar
restrictions exist for building a mosque.
Proposed legislation would require authorities to approve church projects within
four months after a developer applies for a building permit. The bill, recently
introduced by the liberal Free Egyptians Party, also states there can be no
suspension of church construction or demolitions without a judicial order.
Many Copts are skeptical the measure would address their problems even if it
becomes law.
"Christians are in real danger," said Marina Ramsis, 21, a theater arts student
in Heliopolis, an upscale Cairo neighborhood. "Being different is always a
problem, especially in a developing country like Egypt."
Marcus Abel Shahid, 37, a Coptic pharmacist in Mari Girgis, an old Christian
neighborhood south of downtown Cairo, is angry about the recent violence against
his religion.
“I don't really expect much from a country whose very system is built upon
Islamic law," Shahid said. "I'm saying this in the light of recent tragedies and
killings, like the murder of Sister Athanasia who got killed on the highway."
7 et 9 août 2001 : que jamais
ne revienne...
Michel HAJJI GEORGIOU/L'Orient-Le Jour//August 08/16
Le 7 août 2001, en réponse à la réconciliation de la Montagne scellée entre le
patriarche maronite, Mgr Nasrallah Sfeir, et le leader du Rassemblement
démocratique, Walid Joumblatt, le régime sécuritaire libano-syrien avait réagi
avec brutalité contre ce qu'il percevait – à juste raison – comme une menace
directe. Le tandem Sfeir-Joumblatt avait en effet ébranlé, par un geste
courageux de dialogue et de vivre-ensemble, plus de deux décennies de stratégie
assadienne visant à diviser les communautés pour régner au Liban.
Le régime sécuritaire avait dépêché dans un premier temps des agents de l'ordre
procéder à des rafles au sein de ce qui était à l'époque considéré comme le «
maillon faible » de l'opposition – les forces chrétiennes disloquées par leurs
guerres fratricides et amputées de leurs leaders, le Courant patriotique libre
et les Forces libanaises. À Antélias, la grande majorité des cadres supérieurs
des deux formations avaient ainsi été arrêtés, sur base d'accusations aussi
absconses que ridicules et déplacées : « atteinte à un pays-frère », «
enseignement de la doctrine aouniste à l'université », « collaboration avec
Israël », « insulte au chef de l'État », etc.
Le 8 août, le régime sécuritaire avait tenté de poursuivre sur sa lancée en
essayant de forcer les bureaux du Parti national libéral où s'étaient retranchés
quelques cadres estudiantins pour essayer de songer à un mouvement de
protestations, arrêtant quelques cadres du parti chamounien.
Le 9 août, des centaines de jeunes avaient manifesté devant le Palais de justice
pour réclamer la libération des cadres de l'opposition. Les attendaient, sous
l'ombrelle des forces de l'ordre, des dizaines de caïds-miliciens en civil.
Plusieurs cadres estudiantins seront interpellés par ces tontons macoutes,
rossés à coups de poing et de crosses de fusils, piétinés et embarqués dans les
véhicules de l'armée. Le tout sous le regard bienveillant du président de la
République de l'époque, Émile Lahoud, glorieuse image de marque du régime sécuritaire d'alors, et dont les portraits avaient été placardés dès les
premières lueurs de l'aube autour du Palais de justice, comme un mauvais augure.
Les images de cet immonde passage à tabac avaient franchi le cap de
l'autocensure grâce au courage de la MTV de Gabriel Murr. En dépit des menaces à
caractère dissuasif de Jamil Sayyed, ce dernier ne se laissera pas intimider et
sera le seul à diffuser les images de la honte – comme il l'avait fait, deux
jours auparavant, en choisissant de montrer les rafles dans les rangs aounistes
et FL.
Que sont aujourd'hui les images du 7 et du 9 août 2001 au temps où les barils de
poudres assadistes anéantissent, assassinent des enfants syriens par centaines
chaque mois, où l'aviation russe bombarde les hôpitaux à Alep, où tous les
déséquilibrés – qui au plan psychique, qui au niveau idéologique – brandissent
désormais l'étendard de Daech ou de l'extrême droite pour commettre des
atrocités qu'aucun esprit rationnel ne saurait comprendre ?
Rien, sans doute.
L'image désuète de nos chabbiha en civil version 2001 avait déjà été reléguée
loin dans les bas-fonds de l'immense musée de la tératologie humaine dès 2011,
lorsque leurs cousins tunisiens, égyptiens et syriens avaient déjà commencé à
sévir, avec bien plus de cruauté et de monstruosité, contre les jeunes
manifestants pour la démocratie, aux commencements du printemps arabe.
Auparavant, même les images des voitures calcinées de Marwan Hamadé (octobre
2004) et du convoi de Rafic Hariri (février 2005) avaient montré toute la
palette de méthodes ignobles que le régime sécuritaire libano-syrien était
capable de mettre à l'œuvre pour conserver ses conquêtes. C'était avant Rastan,
Jisr el-Choughour, Homs, Hama, Ghouta, ou Alep, comme une carte du tendre
sanglante pour les dirigeants d'un régime passé maître dans les raffinements de
la boucherie.
Pourtant, il ne faut pas sous-estimer les liens de parenté entre nos braves
loubards du Palais de justice de l'été 2001 et tous leurs héritiers. Entre eux,
la même fascination bête et morbide pour la violence, perçue comme le moyen
irréductible visant à attenter à toutes les possibilités de front
transcommunautaire contre la tyrannie. En 2001 contre l'acte de réconciliation
générateur d'unité et de souveraineté du binôme Sfeir-Joumblatt, en 2011 contre
les révoltes civiles visant à en finir avec les États arabes de barbarie.
Naturellement, aucun des agresseurs et des voyous des trois journées d'août 2001
ne seront déférés devant les tribunaux. Pourtant, leurs visages sont bien connus.
Les milieux politiques et sécuritaires dans lesquels ils gravitaient ne sont un
secret pour personne. Mais l'impunité restera totale. L'incurie de la classe
politique issue du printemps de Beyrouth ne fera rien pour les sanctionner.
Pourtant, le choc généré par ces images avait été unanime en 2001 – le congrès
des libertés organisé quelques jours plus tard à l'hôtel Carlton en présence de
ce qui allait devenir plus tard le Rassemblement du Bristol (embryon du 14
Mars), en atteste. Mais non.
Et c'est là qu'il convient de se poser une première question fondamentale : une
demande de comptes – non pas en 2001, où cela était impossible sous l'occupation
syrienne, mais après 2005 – n'était-elle pas nécessaire ? N'y a-t-il pas un
moment, en d'autres termes, où il est temps qu'un acte de violence soit enfin
sanctionné au pays de l'impunité ? Punir les auteurs du 9 août 2001 n'aurait-il
pas servi, au plan symbolique, de précédent ? Hachem Salmane, assassiné devant
l'ambassade d'Iran par d'autres caïds en chemises noires, ne serait-il pas
encore vivant ? Les tirs pour dissiper les manifestations de l'été dernier, dans
le centre-ville, auraient-ils alors été envisageables ? Certainement pas.
L'usage de la brutalité – qui existait déjà dans les prisons et dans certains
rassemblements, à l'abri des yeux du public, cependant – a été irrémédiablement
légitimé en août 2001, et aucune digue, par la suite, judiciaire ou politique,
n'a plus été en mesure de mettre fin à l'escalade. Bien avant le Tribunal
spécial pour le Liban, c'est-à-dire avant de s'en remettre à la justice
internationale, il fallait aussi commencer par avoir le courage de procéder à un
travail de purification intérieur...
Le souvenir honteux des 7 et 9 août 2001 suscite aujourd'hui aussi un autre
questionnement, moins symbolique celui-là : ces images, et toutes celles, plus
terribles encore, qui ont suivi ne devraient-elles pas sonner à jamais le glas
d'un retour potentiel d'un régime sécuritaire à la sauce Assad ? Las des
vieilles figures laides et rabougries du régime qui continuent d'occuper le
petit écran à l'appel de certains médias en quête de sensationnalisme et qui
doivent encore leur sursis à la fragile toute-puissance de la milice. Las des
politiques qui continuent à puiser leur légitimité dans le sang, celui de la
guerre civile ou de la tutelle, sans aucune possibilité de recyclage, et qui en
arrivent même jusqu'à faire la promotion de la violence, fut-elle morale ou
physique. Las, enfin, des candidats à la présidence de la République dont
l'arrivée à Baabda ne signifierait rien moins qu'une résurrection de l'appareil
sécuritaire qui prévalait avant le printemps de Beyrouth, et dont Samir Kassir,
Gebran Tuéni et tant d'autres ont payé le prix. Rien, pas même une survivance
temporaire du tyran de Damas, ne devrait légitimer une résignation de ceux au
sein de ce pays qui croient encore dans un corpus de droits et de libertés, à
des candidats issus d'une autre époque et qui appartiennent à une ère révolue.
S'il faut se souvenir de ces images, mêmes si elles appartiennent résolument au
passé, c'est surtout parce que le refoulé a la vie dure dans nos contrées – et
que le passé, au Liban, n'est jamais... dépassé.
Lettre ouverte au général Michel Aoun
Farès SOUHAID/L'Orient-Le Jour/August 08/16
Le quinzième anniversaire de la réconciliation de la Montagne, réalisée au début
du mois d'août 2001, est une occasion d'initier une réflexion sur le
comportement politique du leadership chrétien à l'époque de la tutelle syrienne,
certes, mais également dans le contexte présent. Cette réconciliation
druzo-chrétienne avait alors reflété la première ouverture publique et largement
médiatisée du patriarche maronite Nasrallah Sfeir en direction de l'islam
politique libanais. La démarche historique du cardinal Sfeir avait revêtu un
caractère particulièrement audacieux qui manque malencontreusement à certains
leaders chrétiens actuels.
La ligne de conduite responsable (au plan national) du patriarche Sfeir avait
déjà été mise en évidence lorsqu'il avait souligné que « les chrétiens sont les
serviteurs du Liban, mais le Liban ne peut pas être au service des chrétiens
seulement ». Telle était l'idée sage du cardinal Sfeir, présentée comme le fer
de lance face aux tentatives des prosyriens, qui proposaient à l'époque à notre
« Panoramix » local une loi électorale qui « favoriserait » la présence
chrétienne, à travers par exemple la remise en liberté du leader des Forces
libanaises, Samir Geagea, ou encore la réouverture de la MTV... avec, en retour,
une seule exigence : celle de ne plus hausser le ton face à la présence de 40
000 soldats syriens présents sur le sol libanais.
Le troc consistait, cher général, à céder sur le terrain de la souveraineté pour
obtenir des « intérêts » chrétiens !
Ce troc avait été bel et bien refusé par l'Église maronite, qui sut ainsi éroder,
par la patience, la persévérance et la clarté du choix politique, rien moins
qu'une montagne.
(Lire aussi : Pour Alice Chaptini, les barrières communautaires ont été
surmontées, à deux ou trois exceptions près)
Depuis, cher général, vous avez instauré une nouvelle approche.
Vous avez considéré que la souveraineté du pays n'est pas remise en cause par
les armes du Hezbollah, que les troupes syriennes se trouvaient d'ores et déjà
en dehors du pays en 2005, et que le moment était venu de remettre les pendules
à l'heure concernant le partage du pouvoir avec l'islam au plan local, perçu
comme naguère « bénéficiaire » de la mainmise syrienne, et pourtant toujours
doté d'un appétit démesuré malgré le retrait des troupes assadiennes !
Cet islam était bien entendu un islam sunnite que l'on retrouve dans le secteur
bancaire, ainsi que dans le monde des affaires, par exemple... en ville, plus
précisément dans la Cité, en d'autres termes.
« L'autre » islam, selon vous, l'islam chiite, serait notre allié potentiel pour
soustraire les fameux « droits » prétendument spoliés par les sunnites aux
chrétiens et les rendre à ces derniers.
Pour vous, cher général Aoun, les accords de Taëf, perçus comme une pure «
invention sunnite saoudienne », avaient fait des chrétiens libanais des «
citoyens déclassés », au profit de « sunnites surclassés ».
À partir de ce nouvel axiome, vous n'avez eu de cesse, cher général, d'inviter
les chrétiens à mener, 11 ans durant, une pseudo-croisade politique contre les
sunnites, représentés principalement par le camp Hariri, et inlassablement
montrés du doigt comme coupables, dans le but de recouvrer les droits « spoliés
».
Pour améliorer les conditions de votre bataille, vous n'avez pas, cher général,
hésité à vous allier avec le Hezbollah, devenu le bouclier qui « défend les
intérêts des chrétiens » et leur assure même « une garantie sécuritaire » face à
un islam sunnite perçu comme l'incarnation même de Satan sur terre.
C'est dans cette perspective que vous tentez aujourd'hui, cher général,
d'imposer votre candidature à la présidence de la République.
(Lire aussi : La reconstruction de l'église Saint-Élie de Brih, fruit du mariage
entre tradition et modernité)
Cette candidature n'est d'ailleurs pas présentée comme émanant d'un intérêt
personnel de votre part. Si le général Aoun se présente en effet à la
présidentielle, c'est pour « l'intérêt des chrétiens », ni plus ni moins,
martelez-vous !
Et, partant, si le général Aoun n'est pas élu, cet échec constituera une perte
pour l'ensemble des chrétiens, due au refus des « mauvais musulmans » (sunnites)
et en dépit des efforts des « bons musulmans » représentés par le Hezbollah...
Cher général Aoun, il est temps que cela vous soit dit noir sur blanc et sans
détour : votre approche diamétralement opposée à celle du patriarche Sfeir est
celle qui est responsable du vide présidentiel et, partant, du blocage
institutionnel général. Votre position a été utilisée par le Hezbollah pour
annuler dans un premier temps toute possibilité d'élire un président de la
République et pousser le pays, dans un deuxième temps, vers un remodelage des
accords de Taëf et une nouvelle assemblée constituante.
Cher général, vos performances n'ont pas aidé le Liban, et encore moins les
chrétiens – ni en 1989 ni aujourd'hui.
En vous transmettant mes salutations les plus cordiales, je vous invite, cher
général, à réévaluer votre expérience. Il n'est jamais trop tard. Si l'histoire
n'aime pas les retardataires, elle reste néanmoins plus clémente avec eux
qu'avec ceux qui ratent toutes les occasions.
Gardez surtout à l'esprit que ceux qui ont considéré les armes palestiniennes et
syriennes comme illégales, ne sauraient à présent percevoir les armes iraniennes
différemment, pour le simple plaisir de satisfaire votre ambition personnelle.
Veuillez recevoir, cher général, l'expression de mes sentiments les meilleurs.
Farès SOUHAID
Coordinateur général du 14 Mars
Coup-Weary Turkey:
Directionless and Insecure
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/August 08/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8618/turkey-coup-direction
The more Ankara feels distant to Washington, the more it will want to feel
closer to Moscow. As Western leaders call on President Erdogan to respect civil
liberties and democracy, Erdogan insists he will consider reinstating the death
penalty: "The people have the opinion that these terrorists [coup-plotters]
should be killed. Why should I keep them and feed them in prisons for years to
come?" Turkey once boasted of having NATO's second biggest army, equipped with
state-of-the-art weapons systems. That powerful army now lacks command: After
the failed coup of July 15, more than 8,500 officers and soldiers, including 157
of the 358 generals and admirals in the Turkish military's ranks, were
discharged. The top commanders who were purged had made up 44% of the entire
command structure. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the military's
shipyards and weapons factories will be transferred to civilian authority;
military high schools and war academies have been shut; military hospitals will
be transferred to health ministry; and the gendarmerie, a key force in
anti-terror operations, and the coast guard will be tied to the interior
ministry.
Those changes leave behind an army in deep morale shock, with political
divisions and polarization. Its ranks are suffering not just trauma but also
humiliation. The Turks are lucky their country was not attacked by an enemy (and
they are plentiful) at a time like this. Conventional war, however, is not the
only threat to Turkey's security. The Turkish army's worst decline in modern
history came at a time when it was fighting an asymmetrical war against Kurdish
insurgents inside and outside of Turkey and, as part of a U.S.-led international
campaign, the Islamic State (ISIS) in neighboring Syria.
The attempted coup not only quickly discredited the Turkish military but also
left the country once again directionless in foreign policy. President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan has been slamming his NATO ally, the United States, almost daily.
His government big guns have been implying an American hand behind the failed
coup by a faction of officers they claim are linked to a U.S.-based Muslim
cleric, Fethullah Gulen, once Erdogan's best political ally. "The putschist [Gulen]
is already in your country, you are looking after him. This is a known fact,"
Erdogan said, addressing Washington. "You can never deceive my people. My people
know who is involved in this plot, and who is the mastermind."
The White House immediately denied Erdogan's claim. Deputy Press Secretary Eric
Schultz said the U.S. was one of the first countries to condemn the failed coup,
and noted that a successful one would have put American troops serving in Turkey
at risk. "It is entirely false. There is no evidence of that at all," Schultz
said. "We feel that talk and speculation along those lines is not particularly
constructive." The failed coup has become a Turkish-American dispute -- with a
military dimension, too.
Erdogan also criticized U.S. General Joseph Votel, who voiced concerns over "the
long-term impact" of the coup on the Pentagon's relations with the Turkish
military. According to Erdogan, Votel's remarks were evidence that the U.S.
military was siding with the coup plotters. The Pentagon's press secretary,
Peter Cook, flatly denied that claim: "Any suggestion anyone in the department
supported the coup in any way would be absurd."
Erdogan probably wants to play the tough guy and is slamming Washington day
after day not just to look pretty to millions of anti-American Turks but also to
pressure Washington in Turkey's quest to extradite Gulen, presently the biggest
snag between the two allies.
But there is another dimension to Erdogan's ire: He wants to mend fences with
Moscow. Turkey's relations with Russia were frozen after Nov. 24, when Turkey,
citing a brief violation of its airspace along Turkey's border with Syria, shot
down a Russian military aircraft. Russia's President Vladimir Putting ordered
punishing economic sanctions, imposed a travel ban on Russian tourists visiting
Turkey and suspended all government-to-government relations. Unable to ignore
the damage, a repentant Erdogan conveyed regrets to Putin; the regrets were
accepted and the two leaders are scheduled to meet on August 9, when the Turks
hope that relations with Russia will be entirely normalized. Normalization,
unfortunately, will not come at the price of Turkish "regrets" alone. For full
normalization, Turkey will have to digest the Russian-Iranian-Syrian line in
Syria's civil war -- a pact which Turkey has loudly detested ever since civil
war erupted in Syria in 2011. This will be another foreign policy failure for
Erdogan and an embarrassing U-turn. But the more Ankara feels distant to
Washington, the more it will want to feel closer to Moscow.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is attempting to repair badly damaged
relations with Russia, even as he slams his NATO ally, the United States, almost
daily, and accuses the U.S. military of supporting the coup attempt against him.
Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) with Erdogan (then Prime
Minister), meeting in Istanbul on December 3, 2012. (Image source: kremlin.ru)
Meanwhile, after the coup attempt, Turkey's troubled relations with the European
Union turned even more troubled. European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker
said that the EU's deal with Turkey on halting the flow of migrants toward the
bloc may collapse. "The risk is big. The success so far of the pact is fragile.
President Erdogan has already hinted several times that he wants to scrap it,"
Juncker said. It is not just the migrant deal that may entirely suspend Turkey
as a candidate country for the EU.
As Western leaders call on Erdogan to respect civil liberties and democracy,
Erdogan insists he will consider reinstating the death penalty. "The people have
the opinion that these terrorists [coup-plotters] should be killed," Erdogan
said in interview with CNN. "Why should I keep them and feed them in prisons for
years to come? That's what the people say ... as the president, I will approve
any decision to come out of the parliament." Such a move would kill Turkey's
accession process entirely. Federica Mogherini, EU's foreign policy chief,
warned that if Turkey reintroduces the death penalty, it will not be joining the
European Union. "Let me be very clear on one thing," she said; "... No country
can become an EU member state if it introduces [the] death penalty." The
attempted coup not only destabilized NATO's second largest army and exposed it
to the risk of serious operational vulnerabilities; it also left Turkey at risk
of engaging in potentially dangerous liaisons with playmates of different kind
-- Russia and Iran & Co. -- at least for now.
**Burak
Bekdil, based in Ankara, is a Turkish columnist for the Hürriyet Daily and a
Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
The "Anti-Normalization"
Campaign and Israel's Right to Exist
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/August 08/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8656/anti-normalization-israel
For many Arabs and Muslims, the conflict with Israel is not about a withdrawal
to the pre-1967 lines. These opponents have no intention of recognizing Israel's
right to exist, even if it allows for the creation of an independent and
sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
A leading cleric, Dr. Ali Daghi, Secretary-General of the International Muslim
Scholars, wrote: "There is a consensus among Muslims, in the past and present,
that if an Islamic land is occupied, then its inhabitants must declare jihad
until it is liberated from the occupiers."
"Anyone who calls for peace with the Zionists should be brought to trial for
high treason. Normalization is treason." — Ramzi Al-Harbi, Saudi writer.
Let us be clear: these are not fringe voices. This is mainstream Arab and
Islamic society. What bothers them is not the "normalization" with the "Zionist
entity," but the fact that Israel exists. For the masses, jihad against Israel
is the solution, not another peace initiative endorsed by unelected Arab
dictatorships.
Arabs and Muslims are up in arms over a controversial visit to Israel by a
retired Saudi general, Dr. Anwar Eshki, who is being accused of promoting
"normalization with the Jews and the Zionist entity." If "normalization" with
Israel is being denounced as a major crime and sin, one can only imagine what
"peace" with Israelis would be considered in the Arab and Islamic countries.
General Eshki and a delegation of Saudi academics and businessmen met with
Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold, the Coordinator of
Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj.-Gen. Yoav Moderchai and
several Knesset members from the opposition. The Saudi delegation also travelled
to Ramallah, where its members met with Palestinian Authority (PA) President
Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials.
Retired Saudi general Anwar Eshki (center, in striped tie) and members of his
delegation, meeting with Knesset members and others during a visit to Israel, on
July 22, 2016. (Image source: Twitter)
The anger engendered by the unprecedented visit by the Saudi delegation to
Israel shows that many Arabs and Muslims continue to believe that Israel has no
right to exist despite the optimism voiced over the so-called Arab Peace
Initiative of 2002.
Several Arab and Muslim leaders insist that, according to this initiative, an
Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines and the establishment of an independent
Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital would lead to the creation
of "normal relations" between their countries and Israel.
However, the outrage the Saudi delegation's visit to Israel has triggered
throughout the Arab and Islamic countries points to one conclusion: that for
many Arabs and Muslims, the conflict with Israel is not about a withdrawal to
the pre-1967 lines. Nor is the conflict about Palestinian rights and "normal
relations" between Israel and the Arab and Islamic countries.
Those opposed to the visit are expressing their feelings under the banner of
"Anti-Normalization" with Israel. The existence of Israel on "Muslim-owned"
land, however, is the real problem. These opponents have no intention of
recognizing Israel's right to exist, even if it withdraws to the pre-1967 lines
and allows for the creation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state in
the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. This, of course, stands in sharp
contrast with the spirit of the Arab Peace Initiative, which many in the Western
world mistakenly believe would put an end to the Israeli-Arab conflict.
The first to express outrage over the visit were thousands of Saudis, including
top Islamic clerics, who took to social media to express their poison and hatred
for Israel and Jews. Many reminded their listeners of fatwas (Islamic religious
decrees) banning any form of "normalization" with Israel and Jews, who are
referred to as "infidels and polytheists." The fatwas also forbid Muslims from
giving up any part of "Muslim-owned" land to non-Muslims.
In Islam, if land has ever been under Muslim control, like southern Spain, el-Andalus,
it must belong to Muslims to be as an endowment, or waqf, held in trust for
Allah, in perpetuity. As the entire Middle East was under the control of the
Muslim Ottoman Empire from 1259-1924, many Arabs and Muslims believe that the
entire area belongs only to Islam, regardless of who may have lived there
before.
Jews, who have lived continuously in Biblical Canaan and Judea for three
thousand years, might well wonder how they can be accused of "occupying" their
own land.
One of the leading clerics, Dr. Ali Daghi, Secretary-General of the
International Muslim Scholars, wrote: "There is a consensus among Muslims, in
the past and present, that if an Islamic land is occupied, then its inhabitants
must declare jihad until it is liberated from the occupiers."
Clearly the two-state solution is not the goal of this cleric and his friends.
Nor are they interested in "Palestinian rights." Rather Dr. Daghi is concerned
about the "right" of Muslims to all the land, including those parts on which
Israel exists today.
Another senior Saudi religious leader, Adel Al-Kalbani, the former imam of the
Grand Mosque of Mecca, joined the "anti-normalization" campaign by declaring:
"When we were young, they used to call them the Zionist enemy. For sixty years,
this enemy has not changed. But we have changed!" The "change" he is talking
about relates to those few Arabs and Muslims who are willing to recognize
Israel's right to exist.
Saudi sheikh Esam Al-Zamel said, "The hatred for Israel and the Zionist enemy is
inscribed in the hearts of our generation. We must inscribe these values and
principles in the hearts of our children."
Another Saudi citizen, Sultan Al-Jumeri, said, "Normalization and extending a
hand to the Zionist entity must remain a disgrace and sin that will chase the
perpetrators to their last day. This is a betrayal of the history, the land and
the martyrs."
Fahd Al-Shumri, also of Saudi Arabia, remarked, "Normalization means recognition
of "Israel." This will lead to another phase: relinquishing the Al-Aqsa Mosque
and recognizing the Jews' right to the land of Palestine."
For his part, Hassan Al-Mutairi, a Saudi preacher, wondered, "Is there any
Muslim who supports normalization with the Zionists? The stone and tree will
remain witness to our enmity to the Jews."
He is referring to a hadith (the words and actions of Mohammed), which is also a
part of the Hamas Charter, that states:
"Judgment Day will not come before the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Jews will
hide behind the rocks and the trees, but the rocks and the trees will say: Oh
Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him --
except for the gharqad tree, which is one of the trees of the Jews."
Some Saudi and Arab writers described the visit by the Saudi delegation as a
"stab in the back" against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS)
against Israel. They urged the Saudi government to take immediate punitive
measures against the former general and his delegation members, in order to
deter others from committing such a "big crime" against Arabs and Muslims.
"Israel will remain our number one enemy in spite of the Zionists," remarked
Saudi writer Amal Zahid. Ramzi Al-Harbi, another writer from Saudi Arabia,
commented, "Anyone who calls for peace with the Zionists should be brought to
trial for high treason. Normalization is treason."
Many Palestinians also joined the bandwagon by adding their incendiary and
hateful remarks against the Saudis who visited Israel.
"We salute every Saudi who rejects normalization with the occupation," said
Palestinian political analyst Ibrahim Al-Madhoun.
Not surprisingly, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian groups also issued
statements strongly condemning the visit of the Saudi delegation to Israel and
calling for a ban on such trips. These groups even went as far as condemning a
number of Palestinian Authority officials, such as Jibril Rajoub, for
participating in the meetings between the Saudi delegation and Israeli
officials.
The Palestinian "Resistance Committees," a coalition of various Palestinian
armed groups in the Gaza Strip, denounced the visit as a "crime against
Palestine and its people." The groups described the visit as "shameful" and
warned against attempts by some Arabs and Muslims to "accept the existence of
the Zionist terrorist entity on the land of Palestine."
The widespread campaign against the visit of the Saudi delegation to Israel is
the direct result of decades of anti-Israel indoctrination in the Arab and
Islamic countries, including the Palestinians. At the core of this campaign is
the denial of Israel's right to exist and a denial of any Jewish link to
"Muslim-owned" land.
Let us be clear: these are not fringe voices. This is mainstream Arab and
Islamic society. The Palestinians, too, have long been part of this campaign,
promoting their own "anti-normalization" drive to prevent anyone from meeting
with Israelis.
By allowing (and sometimes endorsing) such campaigns, the Palestinian Authority
is shooting itself in the head. Each time a PA official, including President
Mahmoud Abbas, meets with Israelis, a large group of Palestinian
"anti-normalization" activists react by denouncing the encounters and calling
for a total boycott of Israel.
The anti-Israel BDS movement provides an inspiration to these haters. As far as
the enemies of Israel are concerned, the campaign should not be only about
boycotts, divestment and sanctions. As the fury over the visit to Israel clearly
shows, what bothers them is not the "normalization" with the "Zionist entity,"
but the fact that Israel exists.
The world can continue talking about the Arab Peace Initiative for as long as it
wants. The facts on the ground show that the Arab and Muslim masses continue to
see Israel as an alien body that was forcibly planted on "Muslim-owned" land.
For the masses, jihad against Israel is the solution, not another peace
initiative endorsed by unelected Arab dictatorships.
**Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist, is based in Jerusalem.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Pope Francis Equates Muslim
and Christian Violence
Raymond Ibrahim/FrontPage Magazine/August 08/16
http://www.meforum.org/6176/pope-francis-on-islam
Originally published under the title "Pope Francis: A Fool or Liar for Islam?"
At a time when Muslims all around the world are terrorizing and slaughtering
non-Muslims in the name of Islam, Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church,
continues trying to distance Islam from violence. Last Sunday a journalist asked
him about the recent and "barbarous assassination of Fr. Jacques Hamel" in
France, and how the priest was clearly "killed in the name of Islam." To this
Francis . replied that he doesn't like speaking about Islamic violence because
there is plenty of Christian violence as well... [He] said that every day when
he browses the newspapers, he sees violence in Italy perpetrated by Christians:
"this one who has murdered his girlfriend, another who has murdered the
mother-in-law... and these are baptized Catholics! There are violent Catholics!
If I speak of Islamic violence, I must speak of Catholic violence. And no, not
all Muslims are violent, not all Catholics are violent. It is like a fruit
salad; there's everything."Is the Pope really that dense? Is he incapable of
distinguishing between violence committed in the name of a religion, and
violence committed in contradiction of a religion? Yes, Catholics—and people of
all religions, sects, creeds—commit violence. That is because humans are prone
to violence (or, to use Christian language that some—maybe not Francis—might
understand, humans are fallen creatures). And yes, the Catholics that Francis
cites do not commit crimes—murdering girlfriends and mothers-in-law—because of
any teaching contained in Christianity or Catholicism; on the contrary,
Christian teachings of mercy and forgiveness are meant to counter such impulses.
Pope Francis conflates violence committed in the name of a religion with
violence committed in contradiction of a religion. On the other hand, the
violence that Muslims are committing around the world—the beheadings, the sex
slavery, the church burnings—are indeed contained in and a product of Islam, and
they have been from day one.Francis continued offering half-truths in the
interview. After he acknowledged that there are "violent persons of this
religion [Islam]," he immediately added that "in pretty much every religion
there is always a small group of fundamentalists. Fundamentalists. We have
them."
This is another sloppy generalization. Sure, "in pretty much every religion
there is always a small group of fundamentalists," but that which is
"fundamental" to them widely differs. One may say that Muslim and Christian
fundamentalists adhere to a literalist/strict reading of their scriptures. While
that statement may be true, left unsaid by those who think the issue is settled
right there is: what do the Bible and Koran actually teach?
The long and short of it is, the Christian fundamentalist will find himself
compelled to pray for his persecutors, and, depending on the situation, maybe
even turning the other cheek; conversely, the Muslim fundamentalist will find
himself attacking, subjugating, plundering, raping, enslaving, and slaughtering
non-Muslims. In both cases, the scriptures—Bible and Koran—say so. Not for
Francis. Poverty is supposedly the real reason behind all the Islamic violence
plaguing the world: Terrorism grows when there are no other options, and when
the center of the global economy is the god of money and not the person — men
and women — this is already the first terrorism! You have cast out the wonder of
creation — man and woman — and you have put money in its place. This is a basic
terrorism against all of humanity! Think about it!
This has got to be one of the silliest arguments ever devised to justify
terrorism. So the Muslims screaming "Allahu Akbar!" while slaughtering a priest
or driving a truck into people in France were suffering from poverty? What about
the fact that one of the richest nations in the world—Saudi Arabia—is violent to
and intolerant of non-Muslims? What about the fact that there are billions of
impoverished non-Muslims—yet, strangely, they do not engage in wanton acts of
terror against "infidels" in the name of their religion. What to make of these
facts?
But apparently none of these questions about scriptures and demographics matter;
after all, Francis "knows how Muslims think":
I had a long conversation with the imam, the Grand Imam of the Al-Azhar
University, and I know how they think. They [Muslims] seek peace, encounter.
This is just plain sad. Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, arguably
the most authoritative Islamic institution in the world, did indeed recently
visit Francis and inform him of how Muslims desire peace and harmony with the
world. But back home in Egypt, the grand imam and Al Azhar promote an Islam that
is virtually indistinguishable from that of ISIS. Indeed, days before he went to
take pictures hugging the pope, Tayeb said that it is a criminal offense to
apostatize from Islam, and the punishment is death. In response, the Cairo
Institute for Human Rights Studies blasted the grand imam and Al Azhar. After
accusing them of being twofaced—preaching a moderate Islam in the West and a
radical one in Egypt—the statement concluded with some words that people like
Francis should take to heart: Combating terrorism and radical religious
ideologies will not be accomplished by directing at the West and its
international institutions religious dialogues that are open, support
international peace and respect freedoms and rights, while internally promoting
ideas that contribute to the dissemination of violent extremism through the
media and educational curricula of Al Azhar and the mosques. In the end, and
when it comes to the question of whether Islam promotes violence against
non-Muslims, Pope Francis falls within the ranks of those Western leaders who
are either liars or fools, or a little bit of both.
**Raymond Ibrahim is a Judith Friedman Rosen fellow at the Middle East Forum and
a Shillman fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center.
Obama: no safe haven for
al-Qaeda in Syria
Week in Review/Al-Monitor/August 08/18
US President Barack Obama said that the United States will “continue intense
fire efforts against al-Qaeda in Syria, which, no matter what name it calls
itself, cannot be allowed to maintain a safe haven to train and plot attacks
against us,” after meeting Aug. 4 with his national security team at the
Pentagon.
Mona Alami provides background and context for Jabhat al-Nusra’s decision to
“rebrand” its affiliation as distinct from al-Qaeda. Jabhat al-Nusra’s
announcement — as this column reported last week — was a sign of its desperation
following US-Russian negotiations on military and intelligence coordination
against Jabhat al-Nusra and the encirclement of Aleppo by Russian- and
Iranian-backed Syrian troops. Alami explains that Jabhat al-Nusra’s name switch
was well-vetted among al-Qaeda’s non-Syrian intelligentsia, including “major
jihadi ideologues such as Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi and Abu Qatada … two
influential Jordanian Salafist jihadi clerics with close links to al-Qaeda.” The
Conquest of Syria Front (Jaish Fatah al-Sham) rebranding was designed to
emphasize Jabhat al-Nusra’s “local” Syrian bona fides in order to rally other
armed groups to the “Conquest” banner. Last week, "New Jabhat al-Nusra," Ahrar
al-Sham and other armed groups launched an offensive against Syrian troops in
Aleppo, an alleged sign of the “success” of the switch, according to their spin,
although this column and other institutions, including Amnesty International,
have documented the alignment of Ahrar al-Sham and other jihadi groups with
Jabhat al-Nusra for some time. Mohammad al-Khatieb reports from Aleppo that the
battle for the city is “life or death” for both the government and the armed
groups there. The potential for a worsening of the already alarming humanitarian
crisis is likely. ”Extremely difficult and inhumane conditions could be in store
for the residents should the blockade continue amid the lack of fuel and the
gradual depletion of food stocks,” Khatieb writes. ng focus on the threat from
both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, also decried Syrian military tactics as
“deplorable” and a sign of the Assad regime’s “depravity.” He said that Russia
has so far “failed to take the necessary steps” that would allow Washington and
Moscow to reach agreement on military coordination against terrorist groups in
Syria, as Laura Rozen reports. The Obama administration is commendably balancing
the urgency of keeping up an aggressive offense against international terrorist
groups in Syria, support for UN-brokered efforts to resume political talks on a
transition and mitigation of the humanitarian consequences of the war. This
column has consistently backed the administration’s approach, which depends
first on US-Russian cooperation, which does not come easy. One might imagine the
high fives and prayers of gratitude among al-Qaeda and their jihadi cohorts if
the United States stepped back from finding common ground with Russia and
instead attacked the Syrian government, as advocated by some critics of the
president’s policies, which would have the effect of giving the “Conquest”
coalition a reprieve. It would be irresponsible, or “completely screwed up,” as
US Secretary of State John Kerry said last month, to take the pressure off
Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate (by any other name) and its jihadi allies as they
reveal their desperation in advance of a perhaps defining battle.
Sadr, Maliki plot next steps in Iraq
Muqtada al-Sadr may be losing the street in his efforts to challenge Iraqi Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi, reports Mustafa Saadoun from Baghdad.
Sadr seemed unable to rally the numbers he has in the past for anti-government
rallies in Baghdad last month, a sign that Iraq’s civil society movement may be
splintering and reconsidering its ties to the divisive cleric. “Sadr has the
upper hand today in the protest movement in Iraq, as civilians see themselves as
part of the Sadrist movement in one way or another,” Saadoun writes.
“Ultimately, Sadr seems to dominate the upper level of popular movements and
protests in Iraq, despite the softness of his speech at times. But in fact, the
slogans that are being raised in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square emulate the ones set by
his followers." He continues, “Nevertheless, some continue to bet on Madaniyoun
[secular civil society group] to retake the lead in the protest movements and
preserve their civil society aspect and even their civilian one, given that Sadr
militia members are part of the PMU [Popular Mobilization Units] fighting the
Islamic State. This will not be an easy task for the group given the Sadrist
movement’s human and material capabilities, not to mention its legacy and name,
which can be used to mobilize large numbers of followers.”Mohammad Salih reports
on the machinations of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who may be
plotting a comeback. Maliki, who leads the State of Law Coalition — the largest
Shiite block in Iraq’s Council of Representatives (parliament) — visited
Sulaimaniyah last month to meet with leaders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK) and Movement for Change (Gorran) parties, which formed an alliance in May.
Maliki did not meet with Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region
of Iraq, sparking questions about Maliki’s ultimate intentions. Salih speculates
that Maliki’s prospects for a return to power are “unclear.” He writes that the
former prime minister “not only has strained relations with large segments of
Iraq's Kurdish and Sunni communities, but also seems to have a serious
popularity deficit among Shiites as well. He has been a constant subject of
popular anti-corruption protests, as his government was viewed as corrupt and
incompetent by many Iraqis. It also remains to be seen whether the meetings
between Maliki and PUK-Gorran leaders will lead to joint efforts in the Iraqi
parliament in the coming months.”
Chemical weapons and
selective outrage
Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/August 08/16
Using chemical weapons against civilians, torture, mass executions, beheading
children - these crimes are committed not only by terrorist and jihadist groups
in Syria and Iraq, but also by U.S.-backed, so-called moderate opposition
groups. On Aug. 2, Harakat Nour al-Zenki - which is affiliated to the Free
Syrian Army (FSA) - reportedly launched an attack in Idlib province using toxic
substances. Seven people were killed, and 20 were taken to hospital with severe
breathing problems. Some reports say the substance was chlorine gas, but this is
unverified. Rebel-linked media have accused the Syrian army of the attack,
saying the gas was in cylinders dropped on residential areas in the city of
Saraqeb. Accusations against Russia are nonsensical. That same day, there was a
chemical attack in Aleppo. Five civilians were killed, and eight others
reportedly suffered from suffocation. If rebels carried out this terrorist act,
they are most likely responsible for the one in Idlib. Moscow has accused
Washington of ignoring crimes committed by U.S.-backed rebels. Previously,
Harakat Nour al-Zenki beheaded a 10-year-old, claiming he was a soldier in the
Syrian army. The U.S. State Department condemned any use of chemical weapons,
but its spokesman said: “One incident here and there wouldn’t necessarily make
you a terrorist group.” So you are not a terrorist if you behead a child or use
chemical weapons once or twice. It seems Washington was satisfied with Harakat
Nour al-Zenki’s explanation that it beheaded the child by mistake. It is
extremely dangerous to focus only on the crimes of one’s rival. Doing so will
have far-reaching consequences. The rebels’ breaking of the army siege of Aleppo
on Saturday was praised by the media as a huge success. What is concealed is
that the breakthrough happened mainly because of Jaish al-Fatah, whose ranks
include Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly Al-Nusra Front), which is labeled by the
international community as a terrorist group. Jaish al-Fatah includes other
Islamist groups, such as Ahrar al-Sham, that can hardly be called moderate, but
who cares as long as they can effectively fight the Syrian regime? The United
States had the same approach in Afghanistan during Russia’s intervention there,
using Islamist fighters against the Soviets without calculating the
consequences. This approach is extremely dangerous in the framework of Syria and
Iraq, especially when there is no clear understanding of how to deal with
extremists if they succeed.
Investigation
The aforementioned chemical attacks should not just be condemned - as Washington
has become used to doing - but thoroughly investigated. They are not the first
in Syria committed by rebels, according to the Organization for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), whose investigation showed that the gas used was
different than the one formerly owned by the regime. Chemical attacks have
become a media-focused rebel strategy of provocations that enable accusations
against the regime. Damascus itself gave the rebels this trump card, having
carried out a deadly chemical attack in a rebel-held area in 2013, after which
the regime’s entire chemical weapons arsenal was taken from Syria and destroyed.
It is common knowledge that rebels are smuggling chemicals, much of them via
Turkey. Most of them belonged to Libya under Muammar Qaddafi. The sources of
chemical weapons in Syria should be investigated and totally cut. Groups
carrying out chemical attacks and crimes against humanity should be immediately
denied support from the U.S.-led coalition and listed as terrorist groups. This
would be a good motivation to not cross the red line. None of this is meant to
distract attention from the regime’s crimes, but it is extremely dangerous to
focus only on the crimes of one’s rival. Doing so will have far-reaching
consequences.
The curious case of Iranian
scientist Shahram Amiri
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/August 08/16
The story of Iranian defector Shahram Amiri is still unclear. Why did he return
from the United States to Iran if he had important secrets that jeopardized his
life? Why did Iranian officials receive him with warm and extensive media
coverage at the airport if they had evil plans for him? Why did they quickly
arrest him for treason after celebrating him at the airport as a respectable
patriot? Why did they sentence him to 10 years in jail and then execute him?
There are large Iranian communities outside Iran, and most have good education
and a good economic situation. Most have chosen to live in exile or were born
there, and refuse to return or even visit because they do not trust the regime,
which greatly resembles the totalitarian governments of the Middle East, such as
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s, the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s,
and the late Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s. The number of Iranians in exile is
estimated at five million, the largest number of exiles by choice in the world.
Hundreds of thousands fled following the 1979 revolution, and thousands continue
to leave. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) ranks Iran among the top
countries suffering from brain drain. Why celebrate Shahram Amiri upon his
return as a loyal patriot then quickly detain him? Why was he executed when the
judiciary sentenced him to prison? It seems Amiri was banned from traveling
because of the sensitive nature of his job as a nuclear scientist. This is why
he exploited Hajj to escape supervision, and headed from Saudi Arabia to the
United States. Iran condemned Saudi Arabia, which responded that it is not
responsible for monitoring pilgrims and does not have the right to force them to
choose their destinations. When Tehran claimed that Amiri was kidnapped in Saudi
Arabia, he appeared publicly in the United States and said he was there of his
own accord. He later surprised everyone when he appeared at the Pakistani
embassy and spoke on TV, claiming he was detained and prohibited from traveling
to Iran. Due to this embarrassing situation, then-U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton said Amiri willingly came to the United States and could leave
whenever he wanted.
Motivations
His return to Tehran was depicted as a victory, but he was arrested days later,
tried and sentenced to 10 years in prison. His family says he was executed five
years later and buried in Kermanshah. Most probably, the reason for his
contradictory statements and weird behavior is that Tehran threatened to murder
his family if he did not return. It allegedly threatened to murder his son, who
was next to him at the press conference after he returned. Iran initially said
Amiri was not a significant figure or a nuclear scientist, as he claimed. They
then said he was an intelligence officer who deceived the Americans and
convinced them he was a nuclear scientist to learn what U.S. intelligence was
doing with defectors. All these lies are understandable, but why celebrate him
upon his return as a loyal patriot then quickly detain him? Why was he executed
when the judiciary sentenced him to prison? The Iranian spokesperson did not
convince anyone when he said Amiri deserved to be punished because he exposed
important secrets to the Americans. Did imprisoning and executing him aim to
intimidate Iranians and deter frequent information leaks? Many secrets of Iran’s
nuclear facilities and military activities have been voluntarily exposed by
employees of these institutions.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Aug. 8, 2016.
The curious case of Iranian
scientist Shahram Amiri
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/August 08/16
The story of Iranian defector Shahram Amiri is still unclear. Why did he return
from the United States to Iran if he had important secrets that jeopardized his
life? Why did Iranian officials receive him with warm and extensive media
coverage at the airport if they had evil plans for him? Why did they quickly
arrest him for treason after celebrating him at the airport as a respectable
patriot? Why did they sentence him to 10 years in jail and then execute him?
There are large Iranian communities outside Iran, and most have good education
and a good economic situation. Most have chosen to live in exile or were born
there, and refuse to return or even visit because they do not trust the regime,
which greatly resembles the totalitarian governments of the Middle East, such as
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s, the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s,
and the late Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s. The number of Iranians in exile is
estimated at five million, the largest number of exiles by choice in the world.
Hundreds of thousands fled following the 1979 revolution, and thousands continue
to leave. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) ranks Iran among the top
countries suffering from brain drain. Why celebrate Shahram Amiri upon his
return as a loyal patriot then quickly detain him? Why was he executed when the
judiciary sentenced him to prison? It seems Amiri was banned from traveling
because of the sensitive nature of his job as a nuclear scientist. This is why
he exploited Hajj to escape supervision, and headed from Saudi Arabia to the
United States. Iran condemned Saudi Arabia, which responded that it is not
responsible for monitoring pilgrims and does not have the right to force them to
choose their destinations. When Tehran claimed that Amiri was kidnapped in Saudi
Arabia, he appeared publicly in the United States and said he was there of his
own accord. He later surprised everyone when he appeared at the Pakistani
embassy and spoke on TV, claiming he was detained and prohibited from traveling
to Iran. Due to this embarrassing situation, then-U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton said Amiri willingly came to the United States and could leave
whenever he wanted.
Motivations
His return to Tehran was depicted as a victory, but he was arrested days later,
tried and sentenced to 10 years in prison. His family says he was executed five
years later and buried in Kermanshah. Most probably, the reason for his
contradictory statements and weird behavior is that Tehran threatened to murder
his family if he did not return. It allegedly threatened to murder his son, who
was next to him at the press conference after he returned. Iran initially said
Amiri was not a significant figure or a nuclear scientist, as he claimed. They
then said he was an intelligence officer who deceived the Americans and
convinced them he was a nuclear scientist to learn what U.S. intelligence was
doing with defectors. All these lies are understandable, but why celebrate him
upon his return as a loyal patriot then quickly detain him? Why was he executed
when the judiciary sentenced him to prison? The Iranian spokesperson did not
convince anyone when he said Amiri deserved to be punished because he exposed
important secrets to the Americans.
Did imprisoning and executing him aim to intimidate Iranians and deter frequent
information leaks? Many secrets of Iran’s nuclear facilities and military
activities have been voluntarily exposed by employees of these institutions.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Aug. 8, 2016.
Russia is the gate to
Erdogan’s appetite for revenge
Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya/August 08/16
When the tsar Vladimir Putin meets with the sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan this
week in Moscow in the latter’s first foreign visit following the failed coup
attempt, the Russian president will feel like a vindicated peacock before a
cowering turkey. They are both apprehensive men, concerned for their repressive
authorities and powers. They are both afraid of the quagmires lurking for them:
Erdogan in his vendettas in Turkey and Putin in his Syrian adventures. Aleppo
will be present at the summit. The battle for the city is a fateful one and its
outcome will be contingent in part upon the putative deal between the two
enemies, now turned friends of necessity. The battle for Aleppo also has
implications for Iran and its militias, the regime in Damascus, and Gulf
capitals and their options after Erdogan’s about face on Russia amid continued
American reluctance to offer serious support for Syrian rebels to survive the
battle. Aleppo, a major Sunni city, is of invaluable importance for all players
in Syria. But capturing it is no easy feat and may well become a predicament
that exhausts the might of both Russia and Iran. Perhaps the goal is to turn
gains on the ground into bargaining chips for the negotiating table and it is
possible that these gains have been made easier by Erdogan’s coming concessions
to Putin in Syria.
However, there are tensions between the US and Russia at present, resulting from
Moscow’s alleged meddling in US presidential elections and Moscow’s
circumvention of John Kerry’s ambiguous understandings with his Russian
counterpart Lavrov on the Syrian issue. Washington is also apprehensive about
Moscow’s cooptation of the new Erdogan and sees it as a loss of a major card in
the equation with Russia: Namely, Turkey’s membership of NATO which Washington
wanted to use in negotiations on Syria. Today some equations may have changed
yet some strategies remain the same and Aleppo is in the heart of all of them.
They are both afraid of the quagmires lurking for them: Erdogan in his vendettas
in Turkey and Putin in his Syrian adventures. In February, I quoted in a
previous column high-level Russian sources as stressing Moscow's insistence on
the importance of winning in Aleppo, no matter the cost in favor of the regime
axis. That is, Russia will not ease its airstrikes and support for the
pro-regime ground offensive until victory is secured in Aleppo and the rebel
supply lines to Turkey are cut off. Moscow believes that a full regime victory
in Aleppo will boost its morale and allow it to resume the Russian-led fight
against Islamic groups there Moscow designates as terrorists. It was clear from
the start of the year that Aleppo will be a vital milestone for Russian
strategy, and that Russia will not stop its bombardment there for anything, be
it the Russian-midwifed Vienna process, European reaction over more waves of
refugees, or US reaction to the Russian ploy Washington is now sensing. Some
have strongly claimed that Iran is the key power behind the Aleppo offensive
rather than Russia and that it was Tehran that persuaded Moscow of fighting the
battle to advance its strategic objectives.
Tripartite axis
What is new here is the Turkish U-turn and its impact on Syria in general and
the battle for Aleppo in general. There is even talk of a new tripartite axis as
a result of Erdogan’s new course which started with him apologizing to Putin
before the failed coup, and which is culminating with the visit to Moscow.
Indeed, in addition to this landmark visit, the Turkish FM has met with his
Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif this week in what appears to be the
precursors of the emergence of a Turkish Russian Iranian axis. Erdogan has
changed the equation in Syria: in that he could concede Syria in return for
consolidating his power in Turkey. He is also prepared to settle scores with the
US and Europe through the Russian gateway.
In other words, Erdogan is prepared to offer Putin his ‘revengeful services’,
mostly through Syria: by cutting off supply routes to the Syrian rebels; by
joining the Russian-Iranian axis in Aleppo; and by reaching a deal on keeping in
power Bashar al-Assad, who Turkey had long insisted -- but no more -- must step
down. Furthermore, Turkey can use the refugee card to destabilize Europe,
especially if Turkey’s doors are opened without restrictions or checks on who is
a refugee and who could be a terrorist claiming to be one. Turkey could escalate
against the US and end cooperating with the coalition it leads against ISIS in
Syria and Iraq. And there are many more ways Erdogan will not hesitate to deploy
to secure his hold over power. Yet Erdogan, despite his heavy handed response to
the coup attempt and his assault on the constitution, the army, journalists and
judges, is a worried man. He is now facing a real coup of his own making. In
truth, it may be too late now for him to save himself from inevitable revenge.
A fateful fork in the road
Yet until the summit takes place, all stakeholders impacted by Erdogan’s
about-turn must revisit their strategies especially in Iraq and Syria. This
concerns the Gulf countries first and foremost; for if a Russian-Turkish-Iranian
axis emerges in Syria, the matter will have grave consequences for them. Some
believe the fate of Assad is merely a bargaining chip for Russia. Or that Iran
and its militias can never recover from the battle of Aleppo no matter the
outcome. Regardless, what is happening in Aleppo and Syria is a fateful fork in
the road for the country and all parties involved. To be sure the cost of the
war is too high even for the Russian army, now for the first time fighting
against a major Sunni Arab force an open war on the latter's own turf. This
investment will be costly especially if the battle becomes protracted urban
showdown. Iran will also pay a heavy price in Aleppo if perceived as a Shiite
Persian force invading a major Sunni Arab city amid massacres with cover from
its sectarian militias. The cost is too high whether an inconclusive victory or
a protracted quagmire are the outcome.
Naturally Russia’s weight far surpasses Iran’s in the battle for Aleppo. But
they have different goals there. Iran wants total victory, a goal linked to its
expansionist strategy in Iraq Syria and Lebanon. But Russia may want different
things: It may seek to shore up the regime with a limited victory as a
negotiating tactic to impose its vision for a solution in Syria. With Erdogan's
U-turn, Russia may be in a position to impose a strategic blockade in Syria with
implications for relations with the US.
These are all questions that are the key to understanding what is about to
happen in Syria. especially Aleppo. Erdogan’s visit to Moscow will shed some
light but it is the duty of Gulf leaders to radically take stock of the Turkish
developments and consider their options to avoid becoming de facto partners in
the plots being woven at their expense, that is unless they want to be
deliberately absent from their historic responsibility vis a vis Aleppo and
Syria.
**This article was first published in Al-Hayat on August 5, 2016 and translated
by Karim Traboulsi.
Al-Quds Intifada Summer Camps
In Gaza Offer Training In Stabbing, Firearms, Tunnel Combat
MEMRI/August 08/16/August 8, 2016 Special Dispatch No.6560
On July 16, 2016, Hamas's military wing, the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades,
launched its annual "Pioneers of Liberation" summer camps in Gaza. This year's
camps were dedicated to the "Al-Quds Intifada" (i.e., Jerusalem Intifada), which
is the Palestinian name for the wave of attacks against Israelis, especially in
Jerusalem, in the past few months. The camps lasted two weeks and were attended
by some 30,000 children and youths; activities included firearms training and
other military training, civil defense exercises, and lessons in religion and in
battle heritage. According to 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam officials, "the goal of the
camps is to stoke the embers of jihad among the generation of liberation, to
inculcate Islamic values and to prepare the army of victory for liberating
Palestine."[1]
The camp activities were documented on special social media accounts and under
dedicated hashtags such as #Pioneers-of-Liberation. These accounts feature
numerous posts and photos; the faces of the camp organizers and counselors, all
of them Al-Qassam fighters, are often blurred to prevent recognition.
The names of the camps reflected the "the Al-Quds Intifada" theme: one was
called the "Knife Camp," after the stabbings that have been a prominent feature
of the current wave of attacks; another was called "Soldiers of Al-Quds," and a
third was named after Baha 'Aliyan, a terrorist who participated in a combined
stabbing and shooting attack on a Jerusalem bus on October 13, 2015, in which
three people were killed and nine were wounded.
Camp Slogan: "O Al-Aqsa, We Shall Redeem You With Blood"
According to the Hamas mouthpiece Al-Risalah, the camps' slogans included "O Al-Aqsa,
We Shall Redeem You with Blood"; "Free the Prisoners from the Jails," and
"Defend the Holy Places." A 19-year-old camper, Ahmad Sami, said that the camp
activities included physical fitness exercises and instruction in martial arts
and first aid, and added that he had enrolled in the camp because of his
"intense desire to join the ranks of the resistance in the future, when he
finished his university studies, and to participate in liberating Palestine from
the occupation."[2]
As part of the "Al-Quds Intifada" theme, this year's campers received training
in the use of knives in addition to firearms training. The following are photos
of the camp activities:
At one of the camps, the Al-Qassam Brigades held an exhibition open to the
public featuring weapons used by Hamas in operations against Israel. The weapons
on display included sniper guns, mortars, anti-tank mines, Gaza-manufactured
short-range Qassam rockets (types 1, 2 and 3), longer-range rockets (type M75,
R160 and J80), and a Hamas-manufactured UAV. Also on display were an Israeli UAV
and other Israeli gear and parts of gear that had fallen into Hamas hands. In
addition, visitors were also invited to tour a tunnel dug especially for
training the campers.[6]
Ibrahim Al-Madhoun, a columnist for the Hamas mouthpiece Al-Risalah, wrote:
"This is the third year running in which the Al-Qassam Brigades have been
calling to participate in the Pioneers of Liberation camps, and the response has
been massive... We have a golden opportunity to realize the dreams of this
generation to join the training, prepare [for battle] and carry arms, and to
imbue [this generation] with national values, engage it in the Palestinian cause
and transform its passive [stance] into a proactive one... Resistance is
spreading from the elites to the general public, in an attempt to create an
entire generation of resistance [fighters] that can defend itself. The camps
expand the [circle of] popular involvement in the resistance... The Al-Qassam
Brigades are forging the Palestinian people into a solid rank of resistance
[fighters] who take part in repelling the enemy, [acting] as a large, unified
body... Our Palestinian people are jihad fighters by nature, who rise up and
aspire to take part in armed combat. Ever since the Al-Qassam Brigades' quality
victory in the Third Gaza War [in July 2014], the public, in and out [of
Palestine], has been begging its leadership to [be allowed to] take an active
part in the ranks of the resistance. These camps will lay the foundations for
building a broad popular army embracing many sectors [of society]."[7]
Hamas officials visited the camps, including Mahmoud Al-Zahhar and Hamas
Internal Security Chief Fathi Hamad, who visited one of the camps on July 21.
The Camps' Graduation Ceremonies
The camp's graduation ceremonies included speeches by Hamas officials, as well
as displays of the campers' marksmanship, weapons assembly and troop landing
skills.[8] The Hamas officials spoke in praise of armed resistance and the war
to liberate Palestine, and commended the camps for preparing "the generation of
liberation." A recorded speech by Hamas Political Bureau head Khaled Mash'al was
played at the graduation ceremony of a camp in Dir Al-Balah on July 22. He said:
"Hamas has two main goals: liberating Palestine and resisting the occupation...
There is no room in Palestine for the Zionist entity, and the only way to remove
it is though armed resistance." Mash'al praised the Al-Qassam Brigades for
"preparing the [young] generation by means of the Pioneers of Liberation camps,
and [preparing] the steadfast and determined Palestinian people to liberate its
land, its prisoners and its holy places, chief of them Al-Aqsa."[9]
Hamas official Ahmad Bahar, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative
Council, said at a camp graduation ceremony that "the next war against the
occupation will be a war to liberate our cities and villages from which we were
expelled. The resistance is preparing the generation that will liberate
Jerusalem, the generation of victory that will lead the war to liberate
Palestine . The option of resistance is the quickest [way to achieve our goals]
and the only [way to] liberate all the occupied lands and free all the prisoners
from the jails of the occupation." He too praised the Al-Qassam Brigades for the
high quality of training at the camps.[10]
Endnotes:
[1] Alqassam.ps, July 16, 2016.
[2] Alresalah.ps, July 18, 2016.
[3] Images: Alresalah.ps, July 18, 2016.
[4] Images: Alresalah.ps, July 18, 2016.
[5] Images: Facebook.com/896180390525345, July 16, 2016.
[6] Palinfo.com, July 22, 2016, Alresalah.ps, July 23, 2016.
[7] Alresalah.ps, July 18, 2016.
[8] Hamas.ps, July 23, 2016.
[9] Hafdnews.ps, July 23, 2016.
[10] Maannews.net, July 23, 2016.