LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

August 26/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.august26.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

The day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed all of them it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17/26-30/:"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed all of them it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed."

If you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Letter of James 02/01-13/:"My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgement.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 25-26/16
Uncertain future for Syrians as EU-Lebanon migration deal looms/Tom Rollins/Al-Monitor/August 25/16
King Of Morocco Mohammed VI: Can Anyone Of Sound Mind Believe That The Reward For Jihad Could Be Some Virgins In Paradise/MEMRI/August 25/16
Are Nonstop Muslim Atrocities the “New Norm”/Raymond Ibrahim/PJ Media/August 25/16
Palestinians: The "Mountain of Fire" Erupts Against Abbas/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/August 25/16
Are Jews who refuse to renounce Israel being excluded from "progressive" groups/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/August 25/16
Luther's Anti-Semitism Back to Life/Petra Heldt/Gatestone Institute/August 25/16
The Free Alawite Movement – First Signs Of Armed Alawite Resistance To The Assad Regime/MEMRI/August 25/16
Russia-NATO Update/MEMRI/August 25/16/August 25/16
Prove Tuncay Babali Broke the Law or Free Him/News from the Middle East Forum/August 25/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on August 25-26/16
Lebanon arrests man related to top ISIS commander
Report: Aoun Waging a 'Regime Battle' for Hizbullah to Cut Sectarian Danger
Cabinet Keeps Normal Pace, Tackles Uncontentious Files in Absence of FPM Ministers
Report: Ibrahim Holds Contacts Away From Spotlight to Heal Cabinet Rift
Hariri in Turkey for Talks with Erdogan, Yildirim
Army Arrests Fugitives in Hermel District
Hariri meets Erdogan, Yildirim in Ankara
Northern Metn locals kick off march towards Burj Hammoud landfill
Unidentified bright object found in Akkar
Loyalty to Resistance warns of marginalizing main constituent in country
Hizbullah MPs Warn against 'Marginalizing FPM', Slam Mustaqbal's 'Obstruction Faction'
Uncertain future for Syrians as EU-Lebanon migration deal looms

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 25-26/16

Egypt agrees to draft law allowing Christians to build, renovate churches
Canada: Muslim ‘Mounties’ allowed to wear hijabs on duty
Questions Mount as Italy Weeps for Quake Victims
Syria Regime Launched Chemical Attacks, IS Used Mustard Gas
U.N. Syria Envoy Expects 'Impact' from Kerry- Lavrov Meeting
Syrian Troops to Receive Training in China
Turkey Says Has 'Every Right to Intervene' if No Syrian Kurd Withdrawal
Turkey Sends More Tanks to Syria, Warns Kurdish Militia
Iraq Parliament Impeaches Defense Minister
In Saudi, Kerry Announces Yemen Peace Initiative, Slams Iran for Arming Huthis

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on August 25-26/16
Raymond Ibrahim: Meet Ahmed al-Tayeb, the “Most Influential Muslim in the World”
Germany: If you ban burqa, you have to ban Santa Claus outfit, too
Canada: Muslim ‘Mounties’ allowed to wear hijabs on duty
Iran vessels “harass,” make “high speed intercept” of US warship near Strait of Hormuz
Kansas Muslim admits role in ISIS plot to bomb military base, says “nobody’s perfect”
Australia police: “No radicalization” in Muslim who stabbed woman while screaming “Allahu akbar”
Robert Spencer in PJ Media: AP Claims ISIS Recruits Have a Poor Grasp of Islam
Colin Flaherty Moment: How Black Mob Violence and Islamic Violence are Identical
Jihad attack on American University in Afghanistan
Mississippi: Muslim gets 8 years for trying to join the Islamic State

Latest Lebanese Related News published on on August 25-26/16

Lebanon arrests man related to top ISIS commander
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English, Thursday, 25 August 2016/Lebanese security forces arrested an alleged ISIS militant on Wednesday who is said to be a relative of the militant group’s leader in Lebanon. The country’s Internal Security Forces arrested Syrian national Muhieddine al-Jarban in the eastern town of Labweh and believe him to be the uncle of Abu al-Sous - leader of the ISIS group in the northeastern Lebanese border town of Arsal, Lebanon’s The Daily Star news site reported. Little is known about Abu al-Sous other than serving as an ISIS militant field commander in long-disputed mountain range of Qalamoun, that occuopies majority of the border between Syria and Lebanon. The ISIS militant group do not have a clear military or organizational structure in Lebanon, The Daily Star sources said. However, Sous is believed to hold either Syrian, Iraqi, or Jordanian citizenship. It is unknown what the militant group’s operations are in Lebanon, but sources have said the group is trying to form sleeper cells in Lebanon.
 

Report: Aoun Waging a 'Regime Battle' for Hizbullah to Cut Sectarian Danger
Naharnet/August 25/16/Head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc Michel Aoun said on Thursday that he understands the contrasting stance of his ally (Hizbullah) as for approving the term extension of military officials including extending the term of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji, As Safir daily reported. Aoun denied any concerns claiming that the “strong strategic coalition that links it to Hizbullah is worrisome.” He even pointed positively to the calls of the Loyalty to the Resistance head MP Mohammed Raad that called for the postponement of the cabinet meeting to pave the way for “fruitful contacts that aim to enforce partnership and evade challenges,” added that daily. “As per my role, It is my destiny to reduce the risk of sectarian strife. I am saving Hizbullah from waging a regime battle that it cannot wade for sectarian precautions,” visitors to Aoun quoted him as saying. The daily also said that talks circulate among the FPM ranks that “if they continue to marginalize our rights and hit the pillars of the system, then it is worth to consider again the federal option.” Last week, Defense Minister Samir Moqbel postponed the retirement of Higher Defense Council chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kheir after no consensus was reached over three candidates that he had proposed, angering the FPM which says that it opposes term extensions for all senior officers. The movement fears that the extension of Kheir's term could pave the way for a new extension of the tenure of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji next month. Qahwaji's retirement had been postponed in September 2013 and his term was instead extended for two years. On Wednesday, Hizbullah called for postponing a controversial cabinet session scheduled for Thursday amid a declared boycott by its main Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, as Christian ministers close to ex-president Michel Suleiman and the March 14 camp announced that they would attend the meeting.

Cabinet Keeps Normal Pace, Tackles Uncontentious Files in Absence of FPM Ministers
Naharnet/August 25/16/The cabinet convened on Thursday where it deliberately tackled only normal issues and stayed away from contentious files in light of the absence of ministers from the Free Patriotic Movement and the Tashnaq party. “It has been agreed to postpone discussions on controversial issues. Prime Minister Tammam Salam has assured that the productivity of the cabinet signals that the government will continue to shoulder responsibility,” said Information Minister Ramzi Jreij after the meeting. “We expect the FPM ministers to attend the next cabinet meeting,” said Jreij, as he assured that the cabinet is not suffering from conformity to the national pact. The cabinet will meet next on September 8. On the other hand, Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon left the session before it ended as reports said that he protested the discussions that touched on major issues, in light of an agreement among the interlocutors not to tackle such subjects, which requires the presence of all parties. On the trash file, Jreij said: “The cabinet gave the Agriculture Minister (Akram Shehayyeb) the right to negotiate with regard to the trash management file to ensure a proper functioning of the plan and to make sure that the garbage does not go back to the streets.”Earlier, al-Joumhouria daily said that the cabinet's Thursday meeting will not tackle controversial issues because Prime Minister Tammam Salam wanted to avoid triggering a provocative situation to preserve “national equilibrium” and the “continuity of the government's work.”Several contacts that were held overnight have shown that the cabinet will convene today in the absence of ministers of the Free Patriotic Movement and the Tashnag party, but will be attended by AMAL and Hizbullah ministers, added the daily. The meeting will address several issues on the agenda without touching on items not listed on it. In this sense, today's meeting will not see the thorny issue of military appointments nor the term extension of the Army command chief because “although Salam is keen on the role of the council of ministers to address the affairs of the state and people, he does not intend to create a provocative situation to preserve national equilibrium and the continuity of the work of the government.” Contacts with Salam said that Hizbullah's calls for the postponement of the meeting only meant to record a stance in solidarity with the FPM.

Report: Ibrahim Holds Contacts Away From Spotlight to Heal Cabinet Rift
Naharnet/August 25/16/Several contacts away from the media spotlight were made in an attempt to mend the rift that plagued the only operating constitutional institution, as reports said that General Security chief Major Gen. Abbas Ibrahim has intervened in that regard to give momentum to a cabinet meeting set for Thursday and prevent its postponement, al-Joumhouria daily reported. Ibrahim held a series of extensive meetings on Wednesday with officials, political leaders in addition to PM Tammam Salam in an attempt to find a solution, bring the conflicting points of views together to avoid further impasse, added the daily. Al-Joumhouria added that a primary agreement was reached and that the cabinet will convene on Thursday as scheduled to salvage the government from obstruction, save the Premier's face and refrain from taking major decisions in the absence of the Free Patriotic Movement which threatened to boycott the meeting. Contacts with the political factions will continue after the government meets to find a formula satisfactory to all parties, concluded the daily. Hizbullah called Wednesday for postponing a controversial cabinet session Thursday amid a declared boycott by its main Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement. Sources close to Salam have said that the PM will not postpone the session despite the FPM's declared boycott.

Hariri in Turkey for Talks with Erdogan, Yildirim
Naharnet/August 25/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri arrived Thursday in Ankara for talks with top Turkish leaders, his office said. “He will meet with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Turkish presidential palace. Later on, Hariri is expected to meet with the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim,” the office added. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival. 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.

Army Arrests Fugitives in Hermel District
Naharnet/August 25/16/The Lebanese army staged raids on Thursday in the border towns of al-Qasr and Fiysan in the Hermel district and arrested two fugitives wanted on several arrest warrants, the National News Agency reported. The raids were carried out at dawn, NNA added. The army arrested W.G. who is wanted on financial crimes, theft and smuggling, and another man wanted on charges of opening gunfire and battling the army it added. In the Syrian refugees encampments in the area, the army arrested 14 undocumented Syrians and confiscated four vehicles and a number of violating motorcycles.

Hariri meets Erdogan, Yildirim in Ankara
Thu 25 Aug 2016/NNA - Former Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, met in Ankara on Thursday with Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim. During his meetings, Hariri reiterated "solidarity with Turkey, its people and democracy, in the face of the botched military coup attempt, as well as in the face of the terrorist attacks against it." Hariri's press office indicated in a statement that "talks touched on latest developments in the region, especially in Syria, and the means to protect Lebanon from serious repercussions." Conferees also discussed the ongoing efforts to end the presidential vacuum in Lebanon.

Northern Metn locals kick off march towards Burj Hammoud landfill
Thu 25 Aug 2016/NNA - Bourj Hammoud and North Metn locals as well as civil society activists kicked off their march towards Bourj Hammoud landfill, to voice refusal of opening said landfill and pressing for safe and healthy environmental solutions to the trash predicament, NNA reporter said on Thursday.

Unidentified bright object found in Akkar
Thu 25 Aug 2016/NNA - An unidentified object fell tonight on a local road in the Akkar town of Mashha, thought to be a meteorite considering its brightness, National News Agency correspondent reported on Thursday. Head of Mashha municipality, Khaled Abdul Qader Zoabi, immediately contacted the Lebanese army Intelligence. A military expert is currently inspecting the fishy object.

Loyalty to Resistance warns of marginalizing main constituent in country
Thu 25 Aug 2016/NNA - Loyalty to Resistance Bloc underscored the notice made by Bloc of Reform and Change regarding the disregard being given to a main constituent in the country, and called thereby upon all components of the government to beware the threats resulting from marginalizing the constituent, as the stability of political life could not find impression without such constituent. Loyalty to Resistance Bloc on Thursday convened at its headquarters in Haret Horeik. The bloc dwelled on the political crisis in Lebanon, saying that it is taking a turn for the worse and leading to hazardous situation in the country. In this regard, the bloc blamed "the disruption team in the Future Movement that is blocking the way in front of solutions to keep the country in a state of paralysis awaiting foreign commands." The bloc insisted on the necessity to treat the telecom file quickly, especially that all the threads have been revealed, according to the bloc. It thereupon called upon the judicial authority to assume its responsibilities so as preserve the state's prestige and dignity, assuring that it will counter any attempt to discard the file.

Hizbullah MPs Warn against 'Marginalizing FPM', Slam Mustaqbal's 'Obstruction Faction'
Naharnet/August 25/16/Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc on Thursday warned against “marginalizing” the Free Patriotic Movement and described it as “a main component of the country,” while claiming that there is an “obstruction faction” in the al-Mustaqbal Movement. “We warn against marginalizing a main component of the country, the FPM, seeing as the political process cannot stabilize without its participation,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. “The political crisis has reached a dangerous extent that has started to threaten the State's stricture, which requires a sense of national responsibility and an end to the intransigence that al-Mustaqbal Movement is insisting on,” it added. Loyalty to Resistance also lamented that Mustaqbal “has failed to grab the chance provided by Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's call for finding a solution to the crisis.”
“Nasrallah's remarks carried a national aspect and we hold the 'obstruction faction' in al-Mustaqbal responsible for thwarting the initiative,” the bloc added. Nasrallah has recently hinted that Hizbullah is willing to accept to the re-designation of Mustaqbal leader ex-PM Saad Hariri as prime minister in return for the election of Free FPM founder MP Michel Aoun as president and the re-election of Speaker Nabih Berri as head of parliament. The country has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and 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. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival. 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.
 

Uncertain future for Syrians as EU-Lebanon migration deal looms
Tom Rollins/Al-Monitor/August 25/16
BEIRUT — Many Syrians caught up in increasingly hostile surroundings in Lebanon believe the country is becoming a harder place to live, an existence dictated by expensive residency renewals, curfews and incitement.
“We are being regulated more and more,” Fathy, a Syrian in his 40s originally from Idlib’s Jisr al-Shughur, told Al-Monitor. “I feel like I’m fighting to stay safe.”
Fathy, who refused to reveal his full name, was one of several Syrians beaten by local men in the Mount Lebanon village of Hrajel in late June, immediately after a multiple suicide bombing attack on al-Qaa, a predominantly Christian village close to Lebanon's northeast border with Syria. The Syrians say they had no recourse to the municipality police or hospital, partly because they were not carrying valid residency papers — although a local official in Hrajel later told Al-Monitor that the men responsible for the beating had been given a “verbal warning.”
But increasingly harsh conditions for Syrian refugees in Lebanon may also present new problems for a prospective deal with the European Union, designed to bolster Lebanon’s economy while effectively keeping Syrians away from Europe.
Since October 2014, when the Lebanese Council of Ministers introduced new regulations for Syrian refugees, Lebanon has explicitly pursued a policy of “deterrence” aimed at reducing the number of Syrians in Lebanon, guaranteeing security and easing the burden on the country.
One central aim of that policy is to “encourage displaced Syrians to return to their country or to other countries by any means possible, and strictly enforce Lebanese laws on them.” Refoulement should be used against “all those who violate Lebanese laws and the conditions of entry.” Refoulement, prohibited under the 1951 Refugee Convention, means forcibly returning a refugee or asylum seeker to an unsafe origin country.
Lebanon’s deterrence policy effectively puts it at odds with its obligations under the EU's new Partnership Framework, a controversial new policy endorsed by the European Council June 28 that attempts to realign Europe’s relations with third countries purely in terms of migration management.
The Partnership Framework’s communication highlights 16 partner countries and five priority countries — including Lebanon — and effectively recommends that migration management becomes the top priority in how the EU deals with third countries, with the help of “incentives” for compliant partners, in part because the “message that migration issues are now at the top of the EU's external relations priorities has not yet been fully communicated to and appreciated by partners.”
In recent months, the EU has been busy negotiating country-specific compacts with third countries aimed at exploring possible leverage in negotiations and securing future projects.
The projects under the Partnership Framework are being rolled out in some neighboring countries, with Jordan already having handed 23,000 Syrians work permits this year in return for low-interest loans and easier access to European markets, the Associated Press reported in late July. This is part of a long-term commitment to get 50,000 Syrians to work legally before the end of 2016.
For Lebanon, the Partnership Framework offers improvements to infrastructure and basic services (waste management, water, education and health) while improving economic opportunities for Syrians and the “most vulnerable Lebanese communities,” with no mention of specific communities.
But there's a caveat. According to the framework communication, “In exchange, the Lebanese government should make efforts on the social and economic inclusion of Syrian refugees in order to improve their living conditions and legal residence status.”
While Europe tries to incentivize Lebanon to maintain its Syrian refugee population — essentially to limit migration toward the EU — Lebanese politicians are effectively pursuing a policy that aims to encourage Syrians to feel as unwelcome as possible, leave or even return home. The EU’s aims are at odds with the prevailing mood in Lebanon, where Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has been repeatedly criticized for allegedly xenophobic and inciteful remarks about Syrian refugees. Socio-economic pressures, in addition to Lebanon not having had a president since May 2014, has only made matters worse, forcing officials at the municipality level to enforce and interpret the law. One example is the introduction of curfews for Syrians at the municipality level, measures that Human Rights Watch say go against international and Lebanese law.
“The EU is seeking to improve the quality of life of refugees in terms of education, health, access to the job market while at the same time providing support … that will benefit the host communities and the whole Lebanese population and help to improve the political and economic stability of the country,” an EU spokesperson told Al-Monitor, before addressing concerns about the kind of rights abuses seen after al-Qaa. “The EU has been given assurances by the Lebanese authorities that it would not resort to any large-scale arbitrary detentions or refoulement,” the spokesperson added on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Lisa Abou Khaled, a spokesperson for the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, told Al-Monitor there have been no cases of refoulement of Syrian refugees since the incident in al-Qaa, although hundreds have been detained — many without charge — since June.
Abou Khaled said that negotiations would be “finalized shortly," while the Lebanese Ministry for Foreign Affairs refused to comment while negotiations were ongoing.
However, researchers have observed increasingly fraught relations between Beirut and Brussels during recent negotiations on traditional sticking-point issues — such as refoulement, registration of refugees and the ratification of the UNHCR Refugee Convention — largely as a result of the way Europe itself has handled migration on its own borders, argues Maja Janmyr, a researcher at the University of Bergen and the American University in Beirut.
Janmyr suggests there has been a “drastic shift” in EU-Lebanese migration talks over the past year, giving Lebanon “yet more leverage in negotiations with European states.”
She told Al-Monitor, “Lebanon is carefully watching European states' appalling responses to refugees and migrants, and is not afraid of using these observations in negotiations.”
The end result is that Syrian refugees in Lebanon are left feeling ever more uncertain about the future.
“This isn’t just about us,” Fathy said, remembering the attack in Hrajel. “This is about all Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Day after day, things are getting worse.”
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on August 25-26/16

Egypt agrees to draft law allowing Christians to build, renovate churches
Staff writer, Al Arabiya Thursday, 25 August 2016/ The Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church announced on Thursday that it had finally reached an agreement with the government over a draft law pertaining to the construction and renovation of churches throughout the country, Egyptian newspaper Ahram Online reported. The announcement followed a meeting on Wednesday hosted by the Church between 105 Coptic bishops to discuss the ramifications of the government’s “unacceptable amendments.” Talks were also held with President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Prime Minister Sherif Ismael, whose cooperation prompted the religious body to release another statement on Thursday. "The Holy Synod announces, in good faith, [that it has reached] a compromise formula [of the law] with government representatives," the church said.
Awaiting ratification
The Church added that it is looking forward to seeing the new law implemented following the cabinet’s approval and final ratification by parliament. This is not the first issue the Church has encountered. It says that Egypt’s estimated 15 million Copts face more hurdles in seeking government-sanctioned projects than their Muslim-majority counterparts. The Church hopes that, once passed, the revised draft will lessen the bureaucratic pitfalls faced by those hoping to launch construction and renovation projects.

Canada: Muslim ‘Mounties’ allowed to wear hijabs on duty
Blain Tamarin/Jihad Watch/August 2
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/08/25/canadas-muslim-mounties-allowed-to-wear-hijabs-on-duty/
Justin Trudeau’s Canada sure has some interesting priorities. While women living in Islamic countries are frequently beaten or killed for not covering up properly, the West is busy fighting to incorporate Islam into every aspect of public society. Allowing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to wear hijabs does not affect the vast majority of Canadians; however, it is representative of the Sharia normalization movement, which is trying to force its way into the lives of ordinary citizens.
In an effort to further push the leftist agenda, the West shows no bounds when appeasing the Muslim minority. According to one source, no members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had asked to wear the hijab, therefore confirming the obvious: “This is intended to better reflect the diversity in our communities and encourage more Muslim women to consider the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a career option,” says Scott Bardsley, spokesman.
As Austrian-British philosopher Karl Popper once said, “Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.”

“Canada’s Muslim Mounties allowed to wear hijabs on duty,”
RT, August 24, 2016:
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have given official permission to female officers to wear hijabs along with their famous British-style red uniforms in hopes that the stunning measure will boost recruitment of Muslim women and promote diversity. “The commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) recently approved this addition to the uniform,” Scott Bardsley, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, told AFP on Tuesday. “This is intended to better reflect the diversity in our communities and encourage more Muslim women to consider the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a career option,” he added. Police in Britain, Sweden, and Norway, as well as some US states, have adopted similar uniform policies, Bardsley said. The decision to allow hijabs was first approved in mid-January, but was officially announced on Tuesday, according to local daily La Presse, which cited internal correspondence between Goodale and RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson. Three types of hijabs were tested before one was selected as suitable for police activities, according to the newspaper. The RCMP has become the third Canadian police agency to allow hijabs to be worn on duty. Toronto police first allowed it in 2011 and Edmonton police give it the green light in 2013, according to Commissioner Paulson’s note cited by La Presse. The RCMP uniform – a red serge tunic, leather riding boots, and wide-brimmed Stetson campaign hat – is iconic for Canadians and has only undergone minor changes since it was first introduced in the 1800s, largely influenced by British military traditions of the time. Prior to the uniform change, some 30 officers had asked for the rules to be relaxed for religious or cultural reasons over the past two years, La Presse reported. In most cases, the officers wanted to grow beards.
In early 1990, RCMP Sikh officers were allowed to wear turbans, and general attitudes towards the uniforms have softened since then. Encouraging diversity appears to be a significant part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau domestic policy. Earlier on Tuesday, he dismissed the idea of Canada imposing a burkini ban – a hot and pressing issue across Europe….

Questions Mount as Italy Weeps for Quake Victims
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 25/16/The death toll from a powerful earthquake in central Italy was revised downwards to 241 Thursday but officials cautioned it could rise again as rescuers continued a grim search for corpses, as powerful aftershocks rocked the devastated area. Weeping in a campsite erected to house the homeless from a string of mountain villages, Rita Rosine, 63, said her 75-year-old sister was trapped under the ruins of a collapsed house, presumed dead. "The situation is worse than in war. It's awful, awful ... they say it will take two days to dig her out because they have to shore up the surrounding buildings. "She didn't deserve to die like that, she was so good."As rescuers sifted through the rubble, questions mounted as to why there had been so many deaths in a thinly-populated area so soon after a 2009 earthquake in the nearby city of L'Aquila left 300 people dead. That disaster, just 50 kilometers (30 miles) south, underscored the region's vulnerability to seismic events -- but preparations for a fresh quake have been exposed as limited at best. Giuseppe Saieva, the chief public prosecutor for most of the area affected, said he would be opening an investigation into whether anyone could be held responsible for the disaster. In Amatrice a 4.3 magnitude aftershock shook the already badly damaged village on Thursday, fueling fears of fresh collapses which could hamper the rescue operation. Mayor Sergio Pirozzi said over 200 people had died in the village alone, suggesting the total number of victims could increase significantly. Amatrice normally has a population of around 2,500 but it was packed with visitors when the quake struck as people slept in the early hours of Wednesday. The fate of 28 of 32 guests staying in the village's Hotel Roma was still unclear. The Red Cross began shipping in food and water supplies for homeless residents. Among those who came to pick up emergency provisions were Maria Atrimala, 48, and her 15-year-old daughter. "We escaped by pure luck, the stairs of the house held and we ran, blindly in the dark and dust," she said with tears rolling down her face. "When we got out we could hear the cries of people still trapped and we helped those we could. "We were in L'Aquila when the earthquake struck there, and now this. We have friends, relatives that didn't make it. What the future holds I don't know."
'Nothing left to lose'
Hundreds of people spent the night sleeping in their cars or in hastily-assembled tents, the aftershocks adding to their discomfort. Mario, a father of two small boys, said he was still in shock. "We slept in the car last night, though with the quakes it was hard to sleep at all," he told AFP between sips of Coke. "We've booked a tent for tonight. But then tomorrow, the next day?" The extensive damage to lightly-used properties has raised the specter of some of the smaller hamlets in the region becoming ghost towns. "If we don't get help, l'Arquata is finished," said Aleandro Petrucci, the mayor of Arquata del Tronto, which accounted for 57 of the confirmed deaths to date. Petrucci said it was impossible to say exactly how many people were in the 13 tiny communities that make up l'Arquata when the disaster struck. In Pescara del Tronto, which was virtually razed by the quake, there are only four permanently resident families but there could have been up to 300 people there on Wednesday.
Rebuild and start again
Measuring 6.0-6.2 magnitude, the quake's epicenter was near Amatrice and its shallow depth of four kilometers (2.5 miles) exacerbated its impact. It occurred without warning but in an area with a long history of killer quakes. The Civil Protection agency which is coordinating the rescue effort said that in addition to the dead, 264 people had suffered injuries serious enough to be hospitalized. Several of them are in a critical state. Rescue workers were pessimistic about the chance of finding any more survivors although the last survivor in L'Aquila was rescued after 72 hours under rubble. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi vowed lessons from L'Aquila, which still bears the scars of 2009, would be applied. "The objective is to rebuild and start again," he said.
Nothing ever done'
After L'Aquila, the Civil Protection agency made almost one billion euros available for upgrading buildings in seismically-vulnerable areas. But the take-up of grants has been low -- because of form-filling attached, critics say. "Here in the middle of a seismic zone, nothing has ever been done," said Dario Nanni of the Italian Council of Architects. "It does not cost that much more when renovating a building to make it comply with earthquake standards. But less than 20 percent of buildings do."Nanni said the quake's impact had been increased by the widespread use of cement rather than wood beams. "These indestructible beams hit walls like a hammer and that is what made so many (houses) collapse."

Syria Regime Launched Chemical Attacks, IS Used Mustard Gas
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 25/16/A U.N. investigation has established that President Bashar Assad's forces carried out at least two chemical attacks in Syria and that Islamic State jihadists used mustard gas as a weapon, according to a report seen by Agence France Presse on Wednesday.
The panel was able to identify the perpetrators of three chemical attacks carried out in 2014 and 2015, but was unable to draw conclusions in the other six cases that it has been investigating over the past year. The report from the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) found that the Syrian regime dropped chemical weapons on two villages in northwestern Idlib province: Talmenes on April 21, 2014 and Sarmin on March 16, 2015. In both instances, Syrian air force helicopters dropped "a device" on houses that was followed by the "release of a toxic substance," which in the case of Sarmin matched "the characteristics of chlorine."The panel found that the Islamic State "was the only entity with the ability, capability, motive and the means to use sulphur mustard" in an attack on the town of Marea in northern Aleppo province on August 21, 2015. The Assad regime has repeatedly denied that it has used chemical weapons in Syria, but the report said that in all three cases, it had "sufficient information to reach a conclusion on the actors involved." The JIM was set up by the Security Council a year ago to investigate the use of chemical weapons and for the first time to determine who is responsible for the attacks. Most of the nine cases investigated pointed to the alleged use of chlorine gas in barrel bombs dropped from helicopters. Britain, France and the United States had long maintained that only the regime has helicopters, but Russia, Damascus's ally, insisted that there was no concrete proof that Assad's forces carried out the attacks. - U.S. calls for swift action -U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power called for "strong and swift action" by the Security Council to follow up on the findings of the report. "It is essential that the members of the Security Council come together to ensure consequences for those who have used chemical weapons in Syria," she said in a statement. In Washington, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said "it is now impossible to deny that the Syrian regime has repeatedly used industrial chlorine as a weapon against its own people." "The United States will work with our international partners to seek accountability through appropriate diplomatic mechanisms, including through the United Nations Security Council," he added. The report "states clearly that the Syrian regime and Daesh have perpetrated chemical attacks in Syria," French Deputy Ambassador Alexis Lamek told reporters. "When it comes to proliferation, the use of chemical weapons, of such weapons of mass destruction, we cannot afford to be weak. The council will have to act." The Security Council is due to discuss the report on Tuesday and could decide to impose sanctions on Syria or ask the International Criminal Court to take up the matter as a war crime. But many diplomats say Russia would be unlikely to back such a move, despite the JIM's strong findings of chemical weapons use in the three cases. The panel recommended further investigation of three other cases of suspected chemical weapons on the village of Zafr Zita, in Hama province, on April 28, 2014, and on two towns in Idlib: Qmenas on March 16, 2015 and Binnish on March 24, 2015. The 24-member team said there was insufficient information to reach a conclusion in three other cases and recommended that there be no further investigation of those suspected attacks. Syria agreed to get rid of its chemical stockpile and to refrain from making any use of toxic substances in warfare when it joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013, under pressure from Russia. The findings prompted immediate calls for the perpetrators to face justice. "The U.N. Security Council should now ensure that those responsible for these attacks are brought to justice in a court of law," said Louis Charbonneau, Human Rights Watch's U.N. director.

U.N. Syria Envoy Expects 'Impact' from Kerry- Lavrov Meeting
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 25/16/The U.N. special envoy for Syria said Thursday upcoming U.S.-Russian talks could help his push to resume peace talks on the war-ravaged country.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Friday to discuss Syria's five-year-old conflict. U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters the meeting would be "important" and have "an impact, certainly on the... political initiatives of the U.N. in order to relaunch the political process on Syria." He did not say whether he would be meeting with the two men while they were in town. Successive rounds of international negotiations have failed to end the conflict, which has killed more than 290,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes. Moscow and Washington support opposite sides in the conflict, but have a common foe in the Islamic State group. They have been in contact on efforts to establish military cooperation against the jihadists. The two countries also co-chair a U.N.-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria, which has been struggling to ensure access for desperately-needed aid. Aleppo, Syria's second city and former economic hub, has emerged as a top concern since regime troops seized control of the last supply route into rebel-held areas in mid-July. Speaking after a weekly meeting of the humanitarian taskforce, de Mistura hinted a long-demanded 48-hour pause in fighting in Aleppo could soon happen, since Moscow last week gave its blessing. "The Russian Federation replied yes. We will wait for others to do the same," he said, without specifying which parties had yet to agree. In any case, the U.N. was on standby with large convoys: "Trucks are ready, and they can leave anytime we get that message," he said. Jan Egeland, de Mistura's deputy and head of the humanitarian taskforce, told reporters the aim was to secure a weekly 48-hour pause and deliver aid to both the rebel-held east and government-held west. He said the plan was to send two convoys of 20 trucks each, carrying enough food and supplies for 80,000 people, from Turkey and into eastern Aleppo. Simultaneously, aid mainly coming from Damascus would go into western Aleppo "where needs have also increased dramatically of late," he said. Efforts would also be made to repair the electrical plant in the disputed south of the city, which has been damaged in the fighting, cutting 1.8 million people across the city off from not only power, but also water, since electricity is needed to run the pumping stations.

Syrian Troops to Receive Training in China
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 25/16/China's military will provide training for Syrian armed forces, a spokesman for Beijing's defense ministry said Thursday, adding it would take place on Chinese soil. Beijing is a longstanding backer of the Syrian government of Bashar Assad, which has engaged in a bloody war that has left more than 290,000 people dead and displaced millions since it began in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations. Last week senior Chinese military official Guan Youfei met with Syria's defense minister in Damascus and said he wanted closer military ties with the Syrian government, state media reported. "The Chinese military will provide the Syrian side with medical and nursing professional training," defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian told reporters at a monthly briefing. The training would take place in China, he added, and was intended "to ease the humanitarian crisis in Syria."The Chinese military has already provided Syrian authorities with medical equipment and medicines "to help reduce the humanitarian suffering of the Syrian people," Wu said. "For a long period of time, China and Syria have helped each other. And China has been pushing for a political solution of the Syrian conflict and we have always supported the independence of Syria," he added. As well as supporting Assad's government, Beijing is close to Moscow, which has carried out strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo, as have Assad's forces. After Guan's visit to Damascus, China's state broadcaster questioned the authenticity of a harrowing video showing a stunned-looking four-year-old boy covered in blood and dust after an air strike in Aleppo, alleging it may have been faked as part of a Western "propaganda war."The footage brought worldwide attention to the plight of children in the bloody siege of the city, and sparked diplomatic disagreement, as Russia denied carrying out the attack, and Chinese media said the group that shot the video had links to the British military.
Iraq Forces Retake Key Town South of Mosul
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 25/16/Iraqi forces backed by coalition air strikes on Thursday pushed the Islamic State group from Qayyarah, a northern town considered strategic for any future offensive against the jihadists' last stronghold of Mosul. "We control all parts of the town and managed, in very limited time, to root out Daesh (IS)," Lieutenant General Riyadh Jalal Tawfik, who commands Iraq's ground forces, told an AFP reporter in Qayyarah. The commander said engineering units were now clearing the town, which lies about 60 kilometers (35 miles) south of Mosul, of unexploded ordnance and booby traps. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a statement hailing what he said was a key step towards reclaiming Mosul, IS' de facto Iraq capital and the country's second city. "Our heroic forces achieved a big victory, an important step towards the liberation of Mosul," Abadi said. "I present my congratulations to the Iraqi people for the liberation of the strategic town of Qayyarah and neighboring areas," he said. The operation to retake Qayyarah was launched on Tuesday and led by Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service. Iraqi forces had already recaptured a nearby air field and Qayyarah is expected to be become one of the main launchpads for an assault on Mosul in the coming weeks or months.

Turkey Says Has 'Every Right to Intervene' if No Syrian Kurd Withdrawal
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 25/16/Turkey on Thursday said it had "every right" to intervene if Syrian Kurdish militia do not withdraw east of the Euphrates River in Syria, as promised by the United States. The Syrian Kurdish forces "must move to the east of the Euphrates and Turkey is following this very closely," Defence Minister Fikri Isik told NTV television. He was speaking a day Ankara launched an operation in Syria on Wednesday aimed both at the Islamic State group (IS) and Syrian Kurdish forces. "If this withdrawal doesn't happen, Turkey has every right to intervene," Isik added. Turkey has said the operation in Syria is aimed not just at IS jihadists but also the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia. Turkey sees the YPG as a terror group bent on carving out an autonomous region in Syria. Ankara's hostility to the YPG puts it at loggerheads with its NATO ally, the United States, which works with the group on the ground in the fight against IS. US Vice President Joe Biden, visiting Turkey on Wednesday, made clear that Washington has strictly told the YPG not to move west of the Euphrates and would no longer receive American support if they did. But the minister said there was as yet no sign of the withdrawal. "They have not yet withdrawn but we are watching and monitoring whether they will withdraw. Turkey will be following, moment by moment," Isik said, adding the withdrawal was promised within a week. A spokesman for the US-led coalition against IS had tweeted that the Syrian Kurdish forces "have moved east across the Euphrates to prepare for the eventual liberation" of the IS stronghold of Raqqa. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said only a small number of the Kurdish forces had moved east back across the river, and most were still on the western side. The Kurdish forces were still present around the Syrian town of Manbij seized from IS earlier this month, which lies well west of the Euphrates, it added..But the YPG told AFP in Beirut it had no interest in listening to ultimatums laid down by Turkey. "The YPG are Syrians and they are present on Syrian land -- Turkey cannot impose restrictions on the movements of Syrians on their land," said YPG spokesman Redur Xelil.

Turkey Sends More Tanks to Syria, Warns Kurdish Militia
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 25/16/Turkey on Tuesday sent more tanks into Syria and sternly warned a Kurdish militia to withdraw from frontline positions, a day after pro-Ankara Syrian opposition fighters captured a key border town from jihadists. The tanks joined those which crossed the frontier on Wednesday in the so-called Operation Euphrates Shield, which Turkey says aims at ridding the northern Syrian border area of both Islamic State (IS) extremists and Kurdish militia. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the offensive had expelled IS from the Syrian town of Jarabulus, and pro-Ankara rebels reported the jihadists had retreated south to the town of al-Bab. But Defense Minister Fikri Isik warned the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia -- who also had designs on Jarabulus -- to move back east across the Euphrates or also face intervention from Turkey. The new contingent of tanks roared across a dirt road west of the Turkish border town of Karkamis, throwing up a cloud of dust in their wake before crossing the border, an AFP photographer said. They were then followed by around 10 armored vehicles. The operation, the most ambitious launched by Turkey during the five-and-a-half-year Syria conflict, has seen Turkish special forces deployed on the ground and jet fighters striking IS targets. They are supporting a ground offensive by hundreds of Syrian rebels who on Wednesday marched into Jarabulus and a neighboring village after meeting little resistance.
- 'Up to 15,000 troops'
It was not immediately clear if the deployment of the new tanks on Thursday was aimed at securing Jarabulus or helping the rebels move into new territory. But a Turkish official said on Wednesday that Ankara would "continue operations until we are convinced that imminent threats against the country's national security have been neutralized." The well-connected columnist of the Hurriyet daily, Abdulkadir Selvi, said the aims of the operation included creating a security zone free of "terror groups" and limiting the advances of Kurdish militia. He said 450 members of the Turkish military had been on the ground on the first day of the offensive but this number could rise to 15,000. The Hurriyet daily, citing military sources, said 100 IS militants had been killed in the offensive. It is not possible to independently verify the toll. State-run news agency Anadolu said one rebel fighter was killed but the Turkish armed forces sustained no losses.
- 'Every right' -
Jarabulus, a small town on the west bank of the Euphrates a couple of kilometers (miles) south of the border, had been held by IS jihadists since the summer of 2013. Turkey has emphasized that the offensive was also aimed at the YPG, who Ankara sees as a terror group bent on carving out an autonomous region in Syria. Ankara's hostility to the YPG puts it at loggerheads with its NATO ally, the United States, which works with the group on the ground in the fight against IS. But U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, visiting Turkey on Wednesday, made clear that Washington has strictly told the YPG not to move west of the Euphrates after recent advances or risk losing American support. Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik told NTV television there was so far no evidence of any withdrawal and Turkey reserved the right to strike the YPG if it failed to move. "If this withdrawal doesn't happen, Turkey has every right to intervene," Isik added. "They have not yet withdrawn... Turkey will be following, moment by moment," Isik said, adding the withdrawal was promised within a week.A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against IS tweeted that the "main element" of the Syrian Kurdish forces had already moved east although some remained for clean-up operations.
Selfies on the way
Ankara has in the past been accused of turning a blind eye to the rise of IS but hardened its line in the wake of a string of attacks -- the latest a weekend bombing on a Kurdish wedding in the city of Gaziantep that left 54 people dead, many of them children. The Jarabulus operation proceeded at lightning speed with the town captured from IS just 14 hours after it was launched. The speed of the advance stood in stark contrast to the long, grinding battles it had taken for Kurdish forces to recapture towns from IS in northern Syria, such as Kobane and Manbij. Television pictures showed the Syrian fighters walking into an apparently deserted and abandoned Jarabulus unchallenged and newspapers published pictures showing that the rebels even had time to take selfies along the way.The apparent efficiency of the operation also marked a major boost for the Turkish army whose reputation had been badly tarnished by the failed July 15 coup against Erdogan staged by rogue elements in the armed forces.

Iraq Parliament Impeaches Defense Minister
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 25/16/Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday voted to impeach Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi over corruption allegations, MPs said. Obeidi lost a no confidence vote by 142 votes to 102 in a secret ballot, while 18 abstained, two members of parliament told AFP. The no confidence vote removes one of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's key Sunni allies from government and comes as Iraqi forces ramp up preparations for an offensive against Mosul, the Islamic State group's last major stronghold in the country. The shock impeachment is the latest development in a bitter feud that erupted earlier this month between Obeidi and Parliament Speaker Salim al-Juburi, the highest-ranking Sunni politician in Iraq. Obeidi was questioned in parliament over corruption allegations to which he answered with accusations of his own implicating Juburi and several MPs. Juburi moved quickly and agreed to have his immunity lifted so that he could be investigated, only for a special integrity court to drop the case hours later.

In Saudi, Kerry Announces Yemen Peace Initiative, Slams Iran for Arming Huthis
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/August 25/16/U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday announced a fresh international peace initiative for Yemen aimed at forming a unity government to resolve its 17-month-old conflict. "This war needs to end and it needs to end as quickly as possible," Kerry said after a meeting in Saudi Arabia with Gulf counterparts, a British minister and the U.N. peace envoy to Yemen. He said participants "agreed on a renewed approach to negotiations" between the Saudi-backed government and Iran-supported rebels, after three months of talks in Kuwait ended earlier in August without making headway. Kerry lashed out at Iran, saying its arms shipments to the Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen posed a threat to the United States. "The threat potentially posed by the shipment of missiles and other sophisticated weapons into Yemen from Iran extends well beyond Yemen and is not a threat just to Saudi Arabia and... the region," Kerry told reporters in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. "It is a threat to the United States and it cannot continue." The new peace approach will have "both a security and political track simultaneously working in order to provide a comprehensive settlement", said Kerry, adding that Gulf states had "agreed unanimously with this new initiative." He said details of the initiative would be finalized by the "parties themselves." But the final agreement, in broad outline, would initially include a "swift formation of a national unity government with power shared among the parties."It will also include the "withdrawal of forces from Sanaa and other key areas," and the "transfer of all heavy weapons including ballistic missiles and launchers from the Huthis and forces allied with them to a third party."A Saudi-led Arab coalition in March last year launched a military campaign against Huthi rebels as they closed in on U.N.-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in his southern refuge in Aden. The intervention helped loyalists push the rebels out of five southern provinces, including Aden, but the rebels still hold onto many regions, including the capital Sanaa. More than 6,600 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since March 2015 and more than 80 percent of the population has been left in need of humanitarian aid, according to the U.N.
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on August 25-26/16

King Of Morocco Mohammed VI: Can Anyone Of Sound Mind Believe That The Reward For Jihad Could Be Some Virgins In Paradise?
MEMRI/August 25/16
In an address directed toward Moroccans living abroad, Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco, said that they should "always be among the first to defend peace, harmony, and coexistence in their countries of residence." Calling the killing of a priest in his church "unforgivable," Mohammed VI said that the Jihadists are "led by ignorance" and are "destined to dwell in Hell for all eternity." "Can anyone of sound mind believe that the reward for Jihad could be some virgins in Paradise?" he asked in the address, which was broadcast by Morocco's Channel 1 on August 20.
King Mohammed VI: "My dear countrymen, the whole world is talking about the problem of immigration, and about the human tragedies suffered by the immigrants. This situation is exacerbated by the spread of terror and extremism, and the attempts to link it - rightly or not - to the immigrants, especially in Europe. In this context, I call upon the Moroccans living abroad to adhere to the values of their religion and to their age-old customs, in confronting this phenomenon, which is alien to them. I also encourage them to protect the good reputation for which they are known, to persevere in these difficult circumstances, and to unite in their ranks. I call upon them to be always among the first to defend peace, harmony, and coexistence in their countries of residence.
"We understand the difficult situation in which they live. They are suffering from the distortion of the image of Islam, as well as from the terrorist attacks, which have harvested the lives of so many of them. They suffer from reprisals, and from accusations leveled against them by some, because of their faith. Naturally, we strongly condemn the killing of innocent people. We believe that the killing of a monk is prohibited by the shari'a, and that killing him in a church is an unforgivable act of stupidity, because he is a human being and a cleric, even if he is not a Muslim. Islam has instructed us to be good to the People of the Book. Allah said: 'We make no distinction between any of His messengers.' Allah said: '...one who believes in Allah, Judgement Day, the angels, the Quran, and the prophets.'
"The terrorists who operate in the name of Islam are not Muslims. They have nothing to do with Islam, and jump on the bandwagon in order to justify their crimes and stupid acts. They are people who have been led astray, and they are destined to dwell in Hell for all eternity.
"Led by their ignorance, they believe that what they do constitutes Jihad. When was Jihad ever about the killing of innocent people? Allah said: '...do not transgress. Allah does not love the transgressors.' Is it conceivable that Allah, the Forgiver, the Compassionate, would order a person to blow himself up or to kill innocent people?! It should be noted that Islam prohibits suicide of any kind, regardless of the reasons. Allah said: '...whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption upon the land - it is as if he had killed all of Mankind.'
"Islam is a religion of peace. Allah said: 'Oh you who believe, enter Islam one and all.' Jihad in Islam is subject to specific conditions, including the condition that it must not be waged unless for the purpose of defense, and may never be waged for the purpose of killing or aggression.
"It is prohibited to kill people under the pretext of waging Jihad. Another condition of Jihad is that it must be declared by the Emir of the Believers - not by any individual or group.
"People who call for killing and aggression, who unjustly accuse people of heresy, and who interpret the Quran and the Sunna in a manner befitting their goals are attributing lies to Allah and His Messenger. This is the true heresy.
"They are exploiting some Muslim youth, especially in Europe. They are exploiting their ignorance of the Arabic language and of true Islam, in order to convey their erroneous messages and misleading promises. Can anyone of sound mind believe that the reward for Jihad could be some virgins in Paradise? Is it conceivable that anyone who listens to music will be swallowed by the Earth? And there are similar lies. The terrorists and extremists are using all possible means to persuade the youth to join them, and to strike at societies that bask in the values of liberty, openness, and tolerance.
"We are all being targeted. Anyone who believes in what I have said serves as a target for terrorism. Terrorism struck in Morocco in the past, and then it hits in Europe and many regions in the world.
"Given the spread of ignorance in the name of religion, everybody - Muslims, Christians, and Jews - must stand together in the fight against all types of extremism, against hatred, and against close-mindedness. The history of humanity is the best proof that it is impossible to achieve progress in any society suffering from extremism and hatred, because these are the main causes for the loss of security and stability. Human history abounds with successful examples, showing that cooperation and coexistence between religions give rise to open and modern societies, ruled by love, harmony, comfort, and prosperity. This was embodied in the Islamic culture, especially in Baghdad and Andalusia, which was one of the most progressive and open human societies."
 

Are Nonstop Muslim Atrocities the “New Norm”?

Raymond Ibrahim/PJ Media/August 25/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/08/25/raymond-ibrahimpj-media-are-nonstop-muslim-atrocities-the-new-norm/
As hardly a few days pass without some Islamic terror attack in the West—recently and as of this writing an “Allahu Akbar” shouting Muslim man stabbed a Jew in France and an “Allahu Akbar” screaming Muslim woman ran over two policemen in Canada—the West risks becoming desensitized to and seeing Islamic violence as “just another part of life.”
The words and deeds of Western leaders are not helping. After the Islamic terror attack in Nice, France, where 84 were killed, counterterrorism chief Patrick Calvar said: “Today, France is clearly the most threatened country. The question about the threat is not to know ‘if’ but ‘when’ and ‘where’.” Prime Minister Manuel Valls declared that “Terrorism … is a threat that weighs heavily on France and will continue doing so for a long time.”
As if such resignation wasn’t bad enough, at the memorial event for the 84 Nice victims, Valls declared, “Times have changed and we should learn to live with terrorism.”
Actually, the main thing to change with time in France is its demography. The largest Muslim population of Europe resides there and, in accordance’s with Islam’s Rule of Numbers, is the real reason why France “should learn to live with terrorism.”
More apathy was in the air during the Munich massacre, where a Muslim gunman killed nine.
While somberly addressing the massacre still in progress—with the usual boilerplate “our hearts go out to [X victim of terror]”—U.S. President Obama managed to crack a joke, grin, chuckle, and draw laughter from his audience.
After all, what is the big deal? Shouldn’t we be used to Muslims rampaging and killing by now? And really, what’s nine dead compared to the many hundreds killed by Islamic terrorists around the world in recent weeks?
As for the leader of the nation where the attack took place, Angela Merkel waited almost 24 hours before she delivered yet another perfunctory speech containing all the usual words, condolences, and platitudes.
Then again, what was the hurry? Muslims abusing, raping, and killing Germans in Germany is old hat. A new poll by ZDF found that a record 75 percent of Germans “expect”—which is not unlike accept—more terror attacks in their nation. Must a statement be made after every single one?!
Needless to say, lesser Islamic terror attacks which once would’ve been extremely newsworthy and received condemnation from the highest echelons of the political wrung now receive perfunctory or no media coverage and little comment.
On July 18 in Germany, another “Allahu Akbar” shouting, axe-waving Muslim attacked train passengers and critically injured five. The next day, on July 19 in France, a Muslim man stabbed a woman and her three daughters—the eight-year-old was left with a punctured lung and in critical condition—for being “scantily dressed.”
No immediate comments from Merkel and Valls. (See here for numerous other examples of “minor” and “everyday” Muslim “disturbances” in Europe—such as vandalizing churches and urinating on St. Mary statues—that get little or no coverage or comment.)
Western people had better wise up: in the field of behavioral psychology, “systematic desensitization” is a well-known and effective form of graduated exposure therapy used “to help effectively overcome phobias and other anxiety disorders.” Consider the following succinct definition with my relevant examples in brackets:
Systematic desensitization is when the client [the West] is exposed to the anxiety-producing stimulus [Islamic violence] at a low level [reports and images of Islamic violence “over there” in the Mideast], and once no anxiety is present a stronger version of the anxiety-producing stimulus is given [reports of violence closer to home, in the West]. This continues until the individual client [the West] no longer feels any anxiety towards the stimulus [Islamic violence].
Is this the plan? Are the “global elite” producing situations, such as the manufactured “migrant crisis,” that cause the West to experience incrementally worse forms of Islamic violence, until it becomes desensitized, loses its “phobia”—in this case, “Islamophobia”—and simply “learns to live with terrorism,” in the words of France’s prime minister?
Indeed, if the attacks were to fall back to, say, just once a month, many might accept that as a “positive step” they can live with—at least in comparison to what they’ve been seeing, including four savage Islamic attacks in one recent week in Germany alone.
“Conspiracy theories” aside, a much better way exists. Acknowledge the truth—Islam is inherently violent and intolerant—and build policies on this truth. A ban on or serious vetting of Muslim immigration—which a majority of Americans support—and close monitoring of already existing mosques and Islamic centers would virtually eliminate Islamic terror from America.
For the fact remains: unlike natural disasters—earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and the like—we actually do not need to “live with” Islam.

Palestinians: The "Mountain of Fire" Erupts Against Abbas
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/August 25/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8763/palestinians-violence-crime
The Palestinian Authority is now paying the price for harboring, funding and inciting gang members and militiamen who until recently were hailed by many Palestinians as "heroes" and "resistance fighters."
Hamas's dream of extending its control to the West Bank now seems more realistic than ever -- unless Mahmoud Abbas wakes up and realizes that he made a big mistake by authorizing local and municipal elections.
The blood pouring out in Nablus and other Palestinian towns is proof that Abbas is on his way to losing control over the West Bank, just as he lost Gaza to Hamas in 2007. In an emergency meeting held on August 25 in Nablus, several Palestinian factions and figures reached agreement that it would be impossible to hold the vote under the current circumstances.
Hours after his security officers lynched a detainee, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas urged Palestinian businessmen living abroad to support the Palestinian economy by investing in the Palestinian territories. The Palestinian Authority (PA), he asserted, was "working to provide security and safety to encourage investment."
According to Abbas, "The Palestinian territories are living in a state of security stability, which we are working to provide for residents and investors alike by enforcing the rule of law and enhancing transparency and accountability."
It must be nice to create your own reality, especially if your true reality is that of the 81-year-old Abbas.
In his speech before the businessmen, Abbas neglected any reference to the latest wave of "security chaos" in PA-controlled areas in the West Bank, specifically Nablus, the largest Palestinian city.
Five Palestinians, including two PA police officers, were killed in the worst scenes of internecine violence to hit the West Bank in recent years. Abbas was either playing the businessmen for fools or hoping that they share his deaf and blind state.
The violence in Nablus did not come as a surprise to those who have been monitoring the situation in the West Bank in recent months.
In fact, scenes of lawlessness and "security chaos" have become part of the norm in many Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps -- a sign that the PA may be losing control to armed gangs and militias. Palestinians refer to the situation as falatan amni, or "security chaos." An article published in Gatestone in June referred to the growing instances of anarchy and lawlessness in PA-controlled areas in the West Bank, first and foremost Nablus.
Palestinians refer to Nablus as the "Mountain of Fire" -- a reference to the countless armed attacks carried out against Israelis by residents of the city since 1967. Current events in Nablus, however, have shown how easily fire burns the arsonist. The Palestinian Authority is now paying the price for harboring, funding and inciting gang members and militiamen who until recently were hailed by many Palestinians as "heroes" and "resistance fighters." Unsurprisingly, most of these "outlaws" and "criminals" (as the PA describes them) are affiliated in one way or another with Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction.
Nablus, the so-called Mountain of Fire, is now threatening to turn into a volcano that is set to erupt in the face of Abbas and his PA government.
The situation in Nablus the past few days raises serious questions about the ability of the PA to perform basic security measures and rein in armed gangs and militiamen. Moreover, the unprecedented violence has further shattered Palestinian confidence in the PA and its leaders ahead of the local and municipal elections, scheduled to take place on October 8.
Hamas's dream of extending its control to the West Bank now seems more realistic than ever. Under the current circumstances, Abbas would be offering the West Bank to Hamas on a silver platter -- unless he wakes up and realizes that he made a big mistake by authorizing the local and municipal elections.
And the businessmen who met with Abbas? One might guess that they are sophisticated enough to avoid a doomed investment. Nablus will no doubt do the trick: they are likely to go running from the mayhem of the PA-controlled territories.
Things lately began to unravel when on August 18, in the Old City of Nablus, two Palestinian Authority security officers, Shibli bani Shamsiyeh and Mahmoud Taraira, were killed in an armed clash with gunmen.
Hours later, PA policemen shot dead two Palestinian gunmen who were allegedly involved in the killing of the officers. The two were identified as Khaled Al-Aghbar and Ali Halawah. The families of the two men accused the PA of carrying out an "extrajudicial" killing, and claimed their sons were captured alive and only afterwards shot dead. The families called for an independent commission of inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the killing of their sons. Palestinian human rights organizations have also joined the call for an inquiry into the killings.
On August 18, two Palestinian Authority policemen were killed in an armed clash with gunmen in Nablus (left). In April of this year, a fierce gun battle erupted between Palestinian Authority policemen and members of the Jaradat clan in the refugee camp of Jenin (right). The clash started during an attempt to arrest a clan member.
In June, two other PA security officers, Anan Al-Tabouk and Uday Al-Saifi, were also killed in a shootout with gunmen in Nablus. The PA claimed that "outlaws" were behind the killings and vowed to punish the culprits.
Tensions in Nablus reached their peak on August 23, when scores of PA policemen lynched Ahmed Halawah, a former policeman suspected of leading a notorious gang belonging to Abbas's Fatah faction. Halawah was beaten to death by PA policemen shortly after he was arrested and taken to the PA-run Jneid Prison in Nablus.
The PA leadership, which has since admitted that Halawah was lynched by its policemen, says it has ordered an inquiry into the case. Its leaders have described the lynching as an "unacceptable mistake."
The lynching of the detainee sparked widespread protests throughout the West Bank, with many Palestinians calling for an immediate inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the case and demanding that those responsible be brought to trial.
The Palestinian Bar Association issued a statement strongly condemning the lynching of Halawah as a "crime and a human rights violation." The Association called for holding those responsible, adding, "The regrettable and painful events, including the crime of killing Ahmed Halawah, do not serve the interest of the citizen or homeland and deepens divisions in our society." It also called on the PA and its security forces to abide by the law and honor the human rights of the Palestinians and their public freedoms.
Alarmed by the widespread condemnations of the lynching of Halawah, some Palestinian Authority officials began issuing direct and veiled threats against Palestinian critics.
Palestinian lawyer Wael Al-Hazam, who called on Abbas to "withdraw" his security forces from Nablus, was visited by unidentified gunmen who sprayed his house with 14 bullets. The attorney and his family members were not hurt in the shooting attack, which was clearly designed to send a warning message to anyone who dared to raise his or her voice against human rights abuses by the PA security forces. And in this instance, the message arrived.
Shortly after the attack on his house, the lawyer issued a statement in which he said, "14 bullets are enough to silence me. I'm a man of the law and I cannot face bullets. My pen and voice are the only weapon I have. I do not possess armed militias to defend myself." The attack on his house came shortly after PA security officers threatened the lawyer, warning him against appearing on a TV show to discuss the latest wave of violence in his city.
The turmoil in Nablus has prompted many Palestinians to call on Abbas to make a decision to postpone the upcoming municipal election in their city. In an emergency meeting held on August 25 in Nablus, several Palestinian factions and figures reached agreement that it would be impossible to hold the vote under the current circumstances.
Sarhan Dweikat, a senior member of Abbas's Fatah, said that an election delay was needed, to
"protect the social fabric and preserve our national project, which is facing an existential threat in light of the security chaos and anarchy in Nablus. ... Conditions in Nablus do not provide a positive climate for holding elections."
It is hard to see how Abbas, delusional as he appears to be, would heed the calls to postpone the local and municipal elections. His pathetic attempt to persuade Palestinian businessmen to invest their money in PA-controlled areas at a time when the flames are engulfing his backyard is yet another sign of the man's refusal -- or inability -- to see the reality on the ground.
This is the same president who claims that he is seeking to lead his people toward statehood and a better future. Incredibly, Abbas can probably continue to fool world leaders into believing that he and the Palestinian Authority are prepared for statehood. Yet the blood pouring out in Nablus and other Palestinian cities and villages is proof positive that Abbas is on his way to losing control over the West Bank, just as he lost the Gaza Strip to Hamas in 2007. If until now it seemed that Hamas posed the biggest threat to Abbas's rule over the West Bank, it is now obvious that that is not so. The real threat, as brought home in blood in the West Bank, is coming from Abbas's homegrown loyalists-turned-rebels.
*Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist, is based on 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.

Are Jews who refuse to renounce Israel being excluded from "progressive" groups?
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/August 25/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8758/are-jews-who-refuse-to-renounce-israel-being
Hard left activists are trying to exclude Jews who do not renounce Israel from "progressive" organizations.
Last year, Rabbi Susan Talve, a longtime activist on race issues in the St. Louis area was told that her advocacy for Israel was incompatible with the objectives of Black Lives Matter: "Solidarity from Ferguson to Palestine has become a central tenet of the movement" she was informed, because "Israeli and U.S. state oppression are deeply interconnected." Similarly, a student who attended a Black Lives Matter rally at Northwestern University last year was told "you support Israel, so you cannot also support us."
Recently, that seems to be the response of many of the hard left activists who dominate so-called "progressive" social justice movements.
Over the past several years, progressive Jews, and progressive supporters of Israel have had to come to terms with the reality that those who do not reject Israel and accept Boycott Divestment Sanctions ("BDS") and its unique brand of bigotry are no longer welcome in some progressive circles. And while both Democratic and Republican parties have embraced the importance of the U.S. alliance with Israel, that dynamic is under threat more so than at any point in my lifetime.
The self-described "progressive wing" of the Democratic Party—represented by radical and often repressive organizations such as MoveOn, CodePink, Occupy Wall Street, and Black Lives Matter—has become openly opposed to the nation state of the Jewish people. Increasingly, these organizations demand that their members and "allies" renounce support for Israel and for Zionism in order to belong. Using the pretext of intersectionality—a pseudo-academic theory which insists that all social justice movements, except those supportive of Jews or Israel, are inexorably linked—anti-Israel activists have successfully made opposition to Israel and support for BDS a litmus test, especially for Jews, to belong to "progressive" movements focused on a wide range of issues.
Earlier this year, supporters of the LGBTQ community in Israel learned this lesson the hard way, when BDS activists together with a local Black Lives Matter chapter broke up a gay pride event, because it featured a presentation by an Israeli group. The protestors claimed that the event organizers had engaged in "pinkwashing" the Israeli occupation by showing solidarity with the Israeli LGBTQ community.
Members of the National Women's Studies Association ("NWSA") who also support Israel have been similarly excluded. Last year, that organization voted to endorse BDS, and as one pro-BDS activist explained: "What is significant about this particular resolution is the rationale; the fact that the resolution makes it explicit that BDS is a feminist issues... that one cannot call themselves a feminist... without taking a stand on what is happening in Palestine." (Apparently, one can call oneself a feminist without taking a stand on Syria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and other nations that grossly violate human rights).
This type of repressive ideological packaging has left progressive Jews, and liberal supporters of Israel in an increasingly uncomfortable position. On the one hand, they care deeply about causes such as women's rights, criminal justice reform, income inequality, environmental protection and LGBT rights. On the other, they find themselves excluded from the groups that advance those very causes, because—while they are often critical of specific Israeli policies regarding settlements and the occupation—they refuse to renounce Israel as a national liberation movement of the Jewish People.
For hard left activists, this sort of nuanced position is impossible to accept. Their hostility towards Israel does not stem from any particular Israeli actions or policies. Even if Israel were to withdraw from the West Bank, destroy the security barrier, and recognize Hamas as a legitimate political organization, it would still not be enough. For these radicals, it is not what Israel does; it is about what Israel is: the nation state of the Jewish people—or to use hard-left terminology: an imperialistic, apartheid and genocidal, colonialist enterprise. The recently released Black Lives Matter policy platform offers a perfect example of such extreme rhetoric: it states that U.S. military and economic support for Israel makes American citizens complicit in "the genocide taking place against the Palestinian people."
The fact that the BLM platform reads like it was lifted from a BDS screed is hardly coincidence: the two groups enjoy a longstanding relationship, and a prominent BDS activist apparently helped draft elements of the BLM declaration. But BLM is far from the only hard left organization that has been infected by BDS vitriol. In fact, BDS has pressured a wide range of progressive organizations into assuming an anti-Israel posture. The American Green Party, for example—which has become a haven for disaffected progressive activists this election cycle—recently came out in support of BDS and called for the US to end its support for "the Israeli apartheid regime".
This trend has been particularly pronounced on college campuses, where a host of academic groups—most absurdly the Native American Scholars Association and the Americans Studies Association—have passed resolutions in favor of BDS. Many of these organizations have also endorsed the Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott ("PACBI"), which encourages participants to engage in McCarthyite blacklisting of Israeli academic institutions, as well as groups and individuals who promote "Brand Israel." This category apparently includes artists like Matisyahu, and academics like me, as I found out last year when a prominent BDS advocate refused to debate me at the Oxford Student Union.
The PACBI also explicitly denounces "normalization projects"—programs or events aimed at Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation that do not sufficiently emphasize the colonialist nature of the state of Israel. These are exactly the types of initiatives widely supported and promoted by progressives who are critical of settlements, but remain supportive of Israel and of a two state solution. It is no coincidence that BDS has singled them out for special treatment. BDS campaigners want to force any supporters of Israel—no matter their stances on other political issues—outside of the progressive tent.
This effort has proved alarmingly successful thus far, but despite the pressure from the hard left, liberals and progressives who support Israel must continue to carve out a political space for themselves. In doing so, they can follow the example of the Jewish Community Relations Council, which dissociated itself "from the Black Lives Matter platform and those BLM organizations that embrace[d] it" but committed itself "unequivocally to the pursuit of justice for all Americans, and to working together with our friends and neighbors in the African-American community, whose experience of the criminal justice system is, far too often, determined by race." Such efforts are critical to ensure that it is not supporters of Israel but rather those repressive bigots who falsely claim the mantle of progressivism and who subscribe to the identity politics practiced by BDS that are delegitimated by mainstream progressives and liberals.
© 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.

Luther's Anti-Semitism Back to Life
Petra Heldt/Gatestone Institute/August 25/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8754/lutheran-antisemitism
At the Lutheran assembly in New Orleans, there was one resolution to end all US aid to Israel, and one to divest from Israel. Both resolutions, de facto, intend the destruction of the State of Israel. The anti-Israel character of the resolutions fits the old-style Lutheran anti-Semitic diatribes.
The ELCA group "Isaiah 58" recommends two sources. One is the book by Bethlehem Lutheran pastor Mitri Raheb, Faith in the Face of Empire, which recommends Islamic sharia law as the remedy against Israeli occupation. The other is the 2009 Kairos Palestine Document of the World Council of Churches, which aims for the elimination of the State of Israel.
So who is interested in the anti-Semitic Lutheran resolution? The conclusion is that all those are cheerful about this resolution who like to see Israel disappear, be it with a one- or two-state solution; all those who distribute millions of dollars to Hamas in Gaza to enable the destruction of Israel while the intended recipients -- namely the children in Gaza -- remain deprived; all those who turn a blind eye to the education of Palestinian children in summer camps and schools where they are taught to murder Jews and to destroy the allegedly non-existent State of Israel; all those who fail to put the record straight about the just and right support that many Israelis give to Palestinians.
Lutheran Churches worldwide are getting ready to honor the 500th anniversary of their founder Martin Luther. Martin Luther's well-known anti-Semitic diatribes and biblical commentaries have been worked through and are in disrepute with many Lutheran Christians. A generation ago, in 1994, the Lutheran leadership in the US, "in concert with the Lutheran World Federation" (LWF) condemned Luther's anti-Semitism and expressed its desire to "love and respect" the Jewish people:
"In concert with the Lutheran World Federation, we particularly deplore the appropriation of Luther's words by modern anti-Semites for the teaching of hatred toward Judaism or toward the Jewish people in our day. Grieving the complicity of our own tradition within this history of hatred, moreover, we express our urgent desire to live out our faith in Jesus Christ with love and respect for the Jewish people."
At that time the LWF was under the leadership of President Gottfried Brakemeier, a Brazilian of German origin, and a Professor of theology. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was headed by the Presiding Bishop Herbert W. Chilstrom. Both clergy are still well-respected men of faith who have set the Lutheran Church on a recognizable Christian track. Now, that effort seems to be lost under the influence of two present Lutheran leaders, LWF President Munib Younan and ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton.
Lutheran anti-Semitic hatred of old against the Jewish people is back to life. This became clear, again, at the triennial assembly of the ELCA in New Orleans, August 8-13, under the title "Freed and Renewed in Christ: 500 Years of God's Grace in Action." Celebrating such an acclaimed kind of freedom and renewal, the assembly approved of the destruction of Israel in the Memorial on "peace with justice in the Holy Land." There were two resolutions, one to end all US aid to Israel and one to divest from Israel. Both resolutions, de facto, intend the destruction of the State of Israel. The anti-Israel character of the resolutions fits the old-style Lutheran anti-Semitic diatribes.
The resolutions were spearheaded by a group within the ELCA called "Isaiah 58." It is a self-described "group of Lutherans working for peace and justice in the Holy Land." The head of the group is named as Jan Miller, a Rocky Mountain Synod member. Information about Jan Miller leads to the initiative "Peace and Walls" where he is listed under the "Rocky Mountain Synod Peace and Walls Working Group" and as a "trip planner" for June 2016 to the Holy Land.
The website informs:
"Peace and Walls connects ELCA members to our Palestinian Lutheran companions—promoting dignity, full respect for human rights, healing and reconciliation. With our companions in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), we also accompany Palestinians and Israelis, Jews, Christians and Muslims working together for peace with justice."
There are two sources recommended for a successful trip. One is the book by Bethlehem Lutheran pastor Mitri Raheb, Faith in the Face of Empire (2014), which recommends Islamic sharia law as the remedy against Israeli occupation. The other is the 2009 Kairos Palestine Document of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which aims for the elimination of the State of Israel. One of its authors is the Head of the Lutheran World Federation, who is also the presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). It is precisely that connection between the ELCA Synod and ELCJHL plus LWF that Miller wished to consolidate with a trip in June 2016. This was the mental boost given to successfully lobbying those two anti-Semitic ELCA resolutions.
If the connection of the ELCA's Isaiah 58 with Bishop Munib Younan's ELCJHL and LWF is not enough, the cooperation with the World Council of Churches is at hand. The Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF), cooperating with the ELCA has the theme of "peace and walls" as its center, just like Miller's "Peace and Walls Synod Working Group," and calls for a "World Week of Peace" in September 2016 under the motto "God has broken down the dividing walls." It will be "a week of advocacy and action in support of an end to the illegal occupation of Palestine and a just peace for all in Palestine and Israel."
At the ELCA assembly, Isaiah 58 received further support from well-known anti-Israel allies such as Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA), American Friends Service Committee, Friends of Sabeel – North America, New Orleans Palestinian Solidarity Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.
The strategy was simple: Isaiah 58 (Miller) and the network of the current head of the LWF (Younan) teamed up for the preparations of the anti-Israel resolutions. The organized lobbying work in New Orleans produced the desired results. To make sure that no mishap occurred, the ELCJHL Pastor Khader Khalila from Bethlehem addressed the ELCA assembly on the alleged Israeli occupation of Bethlehem (which of course has been controlled by the Palestinian Authority since 1993). It worked like clockwork. There was no recognizable group of Lutheran Christians that was able to defend its own turf against such anti-Semitic usurpers.
The one resolution, to stop US aid to Israel, passed with a compelling majority of 751-162 votes. It urged Lutherans to
"call on their U.S. Representatives, Senators and the Administration to take action requiring that to continue receiving U.S. financial and military aid, Israel must comply with internationally recognized human rights standards as specified in existing U.S. law, stop settlement building and the expansion of existing settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, end its occupation of Palestinian territory, and enable an independent Palestinian state."
In other words, it calls on the U.S. government to end all aid to Israel if it does not stop building settlements and "enable an independent Palestinian state." The resolution is determined to harm the State of Israel.
The other resolution picked up the divestment issue and passed with an even bigger majority of 821-92. It called for the church to "increase positive investment in Palestine" and adopted a human rights-based investment screen for its social responsibility funds to ensure the church is not profiting from human rights abuses, and mentioned the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by name.
The two resolutions do not face reality. Each one presents a hopeful fantasy that is immediately contradicted by facts, such as, the on-going successful negotiations between Jerusalem and Washington for a long-term aid program. These concessions continue as if that Church clique of some 4 million US citizens does not exist. Like a small-town lobby group, the ELCA sought a halt to all investment in companies that profit from Israel's "occupation" and called on the president of the United States to recognize the State of Palestine. But nothing happens. Who listens? Who is interested? Who profits from such an old-style anti-Semitic diatribe that once had been shelved by a former enlightened leadership?
An answer points in the direction of the present Palestinian leader of the LWF and his machinations. He and his constituency in Jerusalem are known for being close cooperators with Palestinian aspirants, including the ELCA. Unlike some of his predecessors, the present LWF bishop is known for not upholding the renunciation of anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism in Geneva. He is also known for cherishing the widely dismissed anti-Semitic Palestinian Liberation Theology, including the Kairos Palestine Document. The introduction of the Prayer against the Occupation (i.e. Israel) on each 24th day of the month also appeared under the leadership of that same bishop. The ELCA is one of the most faithful followers of that anti-Semitic urge to pray against Israel on every 24th day of any given month, including in December!
A generation ago, in 1994, the leadership of the Lutheran Church in the US condemned the anti-Semitism of Church founder Martin Luther (left), and expressed its desire to "love and respect" the Jewish people. Today's president of the Lutheran World Federation, Bishop Munib Younan (right), is known for not upholding the renunciation of anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism.
So who is interested in the anti-Semitic Lutheran resolution? The conclusion is that all those are cheerful about this resolution who like to see Israel disappear, be it with a one- or two-state solution; all those who distribute millions of dollars to Hamas in Gaza to enable the destruction of Israel while the intended recipients -- namely the children in Gaza -- remain deprived; all those who turn a blind eye to the education of Palestinian children in summer camps and schools where they are taught to murder Jews and to destroy the allegedly non-existent State of Israel; all those who fail to put the record straight about the just and right support that many Israelis give to Palestinians. Those are the ones who are listening to the ELCA resolutions.
Even if the democratically elected political structures do not pay much attention to fringe groups such as the ELCA assembly, such resolutions might gain momentum. Anti-Israel NGOs might be invigorated and the undecided might get encouraged to jump on the bandwagon. Once before, Lutherans were influential in tilting the scale against the Jews, as the ELCA declaration of 1994 said with remorse:
"Lutherans belonging to the Lutheran World Federation and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America feel a special burden in this regard because of certain elements in the legacy of the reformer Martin Luther and the catastrophes, including the Holocaust of the twentieth century, suffered by Jews in places where the Lutheran churches were strongly represented."
While politicians might be able to afford to ignore old-fashioned and outdated resolutions on Israel and continue with their business as usual, the good leadership of the Lutheran Churches worldwide should not. There are the examples of inspiring Lutheran leaders such as Bishop Brakemeier and Bishop Chilstrom. Do they still have followers in the Lutheran church? Is there outrage from Lutheran Church leaders in Europe and Lutheran lay people about the anti-Semitism presented by the Isaiah 58 group and its (many synod) followers? Is there anybody who will take to task the ELCA leaders who, in order to broaden anti-Israel manipulation, called on the US government not to prevent the application of the State of Palestine for full membership in the UN and, in coordination with the UN Security Council,
"to offer a new, comprehensive and time-bound agreement to the governments of Israel and Palestine, resulting in a negotiated final status agreement between Israel and Palestine leading to two viable and secure states with a shared Jerusalem."
All this is known Arab Muslim parlance on the floors of the UN. But now, it is not meek and just to demand a return to proper Church language, to the good use of the church as a place of divine worship and of "action of God's grace" which, by the way, in Christian thought includes Israel?
Such would be a way to put Luther's old anti-Semitism to sleep again.
Rev. Dr. Petra Heldt is Director of the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity, 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.

The Free Alawite Movement – First Signs Of Armed Alawite Resistance To The Assad Regime
MEMRI/August 25/16/ Special Dispatch No.6587
On June 4, 2016, Alawite officer 'Alaa Makhlouf, a bodyguard of President Bashar Al-Assad's wife Asma, was assassinated after a bomb was placed in his car. A group called the Free Alawite Movement claimed responsibility for the act, thus becoming the first Alawite group to openly undertake military action against regime forces.
An examination of its social media pages indicates that the Free Alawite Movement, led by Sheikh Mohsen Al-Haidari, was founded in February 2016 to combat the Assad regime and defend the Alawite sect from it. The movement operates on three levels – political, informational, and military; its military activity is carried out by its armed wing, the Free Alawite Brigade. The movement openly advertises its activity in and out of Syria and expresses its desire to cooperate with other Syrian rebel groups and opposition factions. Statements issued by the movement indicated that its founders' opposition to the Assad regime is also the result of years-long rivalries between various factions within the Alawite sect,[1] specifically between the Kalaziya faction – the majority faction that includes the Al-Assad, Makhlouf, Shalish, and Kheirbek families – and the Haidariya and Makhousiya factions, and possibly others as well.[2] The movement stresses that the regime is not as tied to the Alawite sect as it claims but rather harms the sect, and that many Alawites do not support it.
It should be mentioned that the anger directed at President Assad and his regime from within the Alawite sect is not new, and was manifested by widespread anti-regime protests in August 2015 in the regime strongholds of Latakia and Tartus, and the founding, on October 22, 2015, of an Alawite political opposition group operating outside of Syria called the Upcoming Syria movement.[3] However, this is the first time since the onset of the Syrian crisis in 2011 that an Alawite movement claims responsibility for military action against the regime.
It should be mentioned that this report is based on the Free Alawite Movement's Facebook and Twitter pages, and that no other sources of information about the movement exist. As a result, the movement's size, the scope of its activity, and the level of its support remain unclear.
This report will review the platform and activity of the Free Alawite Movement:
The Movement's Platform: Assad Regime Will Be Held Accountable For Its Crimes; Syria Is The Homeland Of All Its People, Regardless Of Sect
On April 24, 2016, the Free Alawite Movement issued its founding statement. The statement called to view Syria as a homeland for all its residents, regardless of ethnicity or sect, and to distinguish Alawites who were not party to the crimes of the Syrian regime from those whose hands are covered in the blood of their Syrian brethren, and who should be held accountable for their actions. According to the statement, the movement's goals are to assist all Alawites who wish to rebel against the rule of the Kalaziya faction and its loyalist families, and to establish political and military wings that work against these families and assist the Free Syrian Army. The movement expressed support for Alawite organizations and figures who oppose the regime, such as Monzer Makhous, spokesman for the Syrian High Negotiations Committee, and the Upcoming Syria movement. To highlight its rivalry with the Assad regime and its patrons, the movement stated that it saw Iran, Russia, Hizbullah, and the Shi'ite militias in Syria as enemies, and that the Alawite sect has no true religious ties with Iran; on the contrary, the movement stressed that there was historic hostility between them.
The founding statement reads: "The movement was founded on February 20, 2016. It includes a group of leaders from the Haidariya and Makhousiya [factions of the] Alawite sect, as well as some officers in the regime army, retired officers, and some current and former politicians.
"The movement's founding principles:
"- Syria is the homeland of all its sons, regardless of sect... religious school, or ethnicity.
"- Anyone of us who spilled the blood of his Syrian brethren is a criminal who will be held accountable by tribunals.
"- The movement will absolutely not serve as a cover for criminals and will work to extradite any criminal whose crimes are proven.
"- We charge our brethren in the homeland to refrain from holding all of us [Alawites] responsible for the events in Syria. A large number of us oppose these crimes and some were thrust [into the war] following sectarian brainwashing by regime loyalists.
"The movement's goals:
"1. Freeing the Haidaris and Makhousis from the control of the Kalaziya [faction] and the Al-Wahsh,[4] Makhlouf, Shalish, and Kheirbek families.
"2. Defending our remaining youths from inevitable death in the service of these families.
"3. Stressing to our youths that they are dying for families and not for the homeland, while Kalaziya members and the Al-Wahsh [Al-Assad], Makhlouf, and Shalish families sit in their palaces and offices and gamble.
"4. Establishing a political force of free sect members to defend the sect from Kalaziya [loyalists].
"5. Ensuring safety for defectors, escapees, and those who refuse to be led to battle.
"6. Establishing charity foundations to ensure aid to families that the regime refuses to help due to their opposition to its crimes.
"7. Establishing a military force including officers, enlisted men, and youths who defected [from the regime army].
"8. Striving to eliminate the Shabiha[5] activists of the Al-Wahsh, Makhlouf, and Shalish families in all areas.
"9. Supporting Monzer Makhous and the leader of Upcoming Syria, brother Fouad Hamira.[6]
"10. Contacting the Free Syrian Army... to provide information and support and to defend it in all [our] areas.
"11. To distribute and put up flyers to expose criminals.
"12. To treat Iran, Russia, Hizbullah, and the militias sent by Iran to Syria as our common enemy.
"13. [To stress] that nothing ties the Free Alawite Movement to Iran religiously, and that there is a historic hostility between us [Alawites] and them...
"14. [To reiterate] that Iran is implementing its ancient plan... to transform part of the Alawite sect into its servant in the region."[7]
Military Activity: Free Alawite Brigade Targets The Regime
As stated above, unlike other Alawite opposition movements, the Free Alawite Movement is the first to reportedly carry out armed resistance to the regime, although apparently on a limited scale, so far. The movement's military wing is the Free Alawite Brigade, and is likely comprised of Syrian army defectors. There is no information regarding the brigade's commander, but it is known that his lieutenant is Colonel Muhammad Barakat, who defected from the regime army on May 2, 2016, to join the brigade.[8]
The brigade claimed responsibility for a number of operations, the most prominent of which was the assassination of 'Alaa Makhlouf, the bodyguard of President Assad's wife Asma, on June 4, 2016 by placing a bomb in his car.[9] On June 12, the Free Alawite Movement tweeted that the one of its fighters "managed to blow up the headquarters of a brigade in the [Syrian army's] 4th Division and escape safely."[10]
Bombing a brigade headquarters in the Syrian army's 4th Division (Image: Twitter.com/jojohm7, June 12, 2016)
Additionally, on May 19, 2016, the movement claimed responsibility for bombing an ammo depot belonging to the regime's National Defense militia in the city of Al-Suqaylabiya.[11]
Informational Activity
It appears that the movement's activity focuses on the informational level, mainly via its Facebook and Twitter pages, criticizing the Al-Assad, Makhlouf, and Shalish families and the Assad regime in general. The movement's main argument is that these families, and the Assad regime, do not represent the Alawite sect and even exploit it in the service of Iran. Thus, for example, on April 13, 2016, the movement posted a Facebook status arguing that nothing tied Alawites to Shi'ites, and that those who spread Shi'a Islam among Alawites was the family of Suleiman Al-Assad, which was not originally part of the Alawite sect and came to Syria from parts unknown.[12] Another post argued that the Al-Assad family lives at the expense of impoverished Alawites, who make up some 50% of the sect, and works with Iran to control Alawite opponents of the regime, thus enabling Iran to take over Syria.[13]
A post on May 10 stated that the Assad regime uses loyalists of Alawite factions that are not among regime supporters as cannon fodder, citing as evidence the number of Alawites belonging to the Kalaziya faction killed during the war, which is far lower than the death toll among loyalists of the other factions.[14] It further claimed that the Assad regime was responsible for the massive terror attacks in Jableh and Tartus on May 23, 2016, which claimed 317 lives, all of them members of the Haidariya and Makhousiya factions.[15] Even though ISIS claimed responsibility for these attacks, the movement claimed that the Assad regime had carried them out to prevent the outbreak of an "Alawite intifada" on the Syrian coast.[16]
On April 30, 2016, following the start of a massive Assad regime campaign in Aleppo, the movement condemned the regime's crimes, claiming that the movement itself could not be held accountable for the regime's actions.[17]
Political Activity
The movement claims to be conducting political activity beyond Syria's borders. For example, on May 19 it posted a Facebook status claiming that "the supreme authority of the Free Alawite Movement has launched day 3 of its meetings in France. The movement rejected a request by Rifa'at Al-Assad [President Bashar Al-Assad's uncle] to join the movement due to his poor record. The movement will issue a statement after its meetings. These are the final days of Bashar Al-Wahsh, and the whole world agrees on this."[18]
According to the movement, it has held ties with the Syrian High Negotiations Committee through its spokesman Monzer Makhous, who is a member of the Alawite Makhousiya faction. Following the May 2016 terror attacks in Jableh and Tartus, the movement's leader, Sheikh Mohsen Al-Haidari sent a letter to Makhous asking him to inform international elements that Kalaziya loyalists were on their way to massacre displaced Sunnis on the Syrian coast.[19] Beyond that, there is no information on ties between the movement and other large Syrian opposition bodies such as the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.
The movement's Facebook page also reported on ties with former Syrian defense minister and chief of staff 'Ali Habib, who is an Alawite and was ousted as defense minister by President Assad in August 2011. On May 10, 2016, the movement posted an "announcement from Paris" stating that "Major General 'Ali Habib, the former Syrian defense minister, spoke with some opposition factions and world officials [in Paris] in order to find a solution for the Syria war that would lead to the expulsion of the Al-Wahsh, Makhlouf, and Shalish families from Syria, and the punishing of anyone with Syrian blood on their hands." The post further mentioned an upcoming meeting "attended by Major General 'Ali Habib, Brigadier General Manaf Tlass [a former general in the Syrian regime army and Assad associate who defected in 2012], and a number of [other] senior officers who defected from the Al-Wahsh [Al-Assad] family army, in order to establish a transitional military council that would lead Syria towards becoming a free democratic country with no room for the Al-Wahsh, Shalish, and Makhlouf families, and that will hold all criminals accountable. Our Sheikh [Mohsen Al-Haidari] will join the meeting as head of the Free Alawite Movement and the Free Alawite Brigade."[20]
On July 12, 2016, the movement posted a Facebook status stating that Al-Haidari had arrived in Ankara together with 'Ali Habib, and that they had begun a series of meetings with military and political leaders, including Khaled Al-Mahamid, who is in charge of coordinating with defecting officers in Syrian opposition factions in South Syria. It was said that the meetings would last two days, after which the two would depart for Moscow.[21]
It should be mentioned in this context that 'Ali Habib's meetings in Ankara were reported by other outlets, but none of them mentioned the Free Alawite Movement or Al-Haidari. Thus, the Syrian oppositionist website Orient-news.net reported on July 12 that 'Ali Habib had arrived in Ankara from Paris two days prior to meet with the Turkish military high command to discuss the establishment of a wide military government in Syria that would be headed by and include many defecting officers from the regime, and also to discuss the establishment of a core for a new national army. The report stated further that, after the deliberations in Ankara, Habib would continue his meetings in Moscow. However, as stated, the website did not mention the Free Alawite Movement.[22] Additionally, some reports denied that Habib had left Syria at all.[23]
Endnotes:
[1] The Alawite sect is divided into several different factions reflecting religious schools that differ on solar and lunar rituals.
[2] Aljazeera.net, January 17, 2016.
[3] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No. 1225, 'Alawi Sect Showing Signs Of Opposition To Assad Regime, February 4, 2016.
[4] Al-Wahsh was the original last name of Bashar Al-Assad's grandfather. He changed the name to Al-Assad in 1927 after acquiring status.
[5] The popular name given to the Syrian regime's plainclothes militia.
[6] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No. 1225, 'Alawi Sect Showing Signs Of Opposition To Assad Regime, February 4, 2016.
[7] The statement is dated April 24, 2016, but was posted on the movement's Facebook and Twitter pages on May 25. Twitter.com/jojohm7, Facebook.com/1192248117460289, May 25, 2016.
[8] Twitter.com/jojohm7, May 2, 2016.
[9] Twitter.com/jojohm7, June 4, 2016.
[10] Twitter.com/jojohm7, June 12, 2016.
[11] Facebook.com/1192248117460289, May 19, 2016.
[12] Facebook.com/1192248117460289, April 13, 2016.
[13] Facebook.com/1192248117460289, April 13, 2016.
[14] Facebook.com/1192248117460289, May 10, 2016.
[15] Twitter.com/jojohm7, May 23, 2016.
[16] Twitter.com/jojohm7, May 23, 2016.
[17] Twitter.com/jojohm7, April 30, 2016.
[18] Facebook.com/1192248117460289, May 19, 2016.
[19] Twitter.com/jojohm7, May 23, 2016.
[20] Facebook.com/1192248117460289, May 10, 2016.
[21] Facebook.com/1192248117460289, July 12, 2016.
[22] Orient-news.net, July 12, 2016.
[23] Orient-news.net, July 13, 2016; Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), July 14, 2016.

Russia-NATO Update
MEMRI/August 25/16/August 25/16/ Special Dispatch No.6586
Russia-NATO Update is a new monthly review by the MEMRI Russian Media Studies Project, covering the latest news on Russia-NATO relations from the Russian and East European media.
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds the world in equilibrium, with Russia serving as the barycenter.
Quotes Of The Month
At the opening of the Russian-German summer school in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke on "Ways of Developing the Energy Sector: Modern Challenges":
"By the way, we were told that only NATO members can obtain legally binding security guarantees. This confirmed NATO's choice of a quite arrogant and confrontational line to keep expanding indefinitely without regard for anything so as to impress non-NATO countries that only by joining the North Atlantic Alliance will they receive security guarantees. This notion is totally wrong. For instance, when in 2004 the Baltic states were frantic to join NATO, and our western partners told us that as soon as they become NATO members, all their phobias regarding Russia will calm down, since they will feel protected, taking into account their 'historical hardships', so their accession would benefit all, these promises have never materialized."
In a state TV interview, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that the Americans and NATO were "fanning the flames of hysteria" and exploiting the situation "in order to refill the coffers or so that the military industries would make additional profits."
Shoigu said: "Let me tell you this: It is the fifth year in a row that we have been acting according to a previously approved plan of building our armed forces and of rearmament. That's why if anybody thinks that our actions are a reaction to this, that, or the other - that's not true. What outrages us? We say: 'Guys, there is a balance. If you exploit the current situation, fanning the flames of hysteria in order to refill your coffers, or so that the military industries will make additional profits, that's your own business.'
"But what I really want to say to them is: "Stop frightening your own population. Those who are educated and know how to count to 100 have a clear understanding of the situation."I don't understand why they are exacerbating the situation. We, of course, would like our [American and NATO] colleagues to stop, and to understand that we are open to dialogue."
Russia-Turkey Relations
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Russia had no demands to use Incirlik air base in the southern province of Adana. However, he added that if Russia wants to use the base to hit ISIS targets in Syria, it can do so.
On August 9, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Konstantin Palace, 20 kilometers from St. Petersburg. The meeting was described by the media as "historic," since the two leaders were meeting for the first time since the Turkish air force shot down a Russian plane in November 2015. The meeting focused on the normalization of economic and political relations.
The Turkish media reported that Turkey and Russia are building "a new mechanism between the two countries on Syria," after the summit in St. Petersburg. Before the meeting with Putin, Erdogan announced: "We said we would send [Russia] a tripartite committee featuring an intelligence [officer], a soldier and a diplomat, and in response to this tripartite committee, you will name your counterparts and they will conduct intense work." The Turkish tripartite committee was scheduled to leave for Russia on August 10 and would hold its first meetings on August 11.
Commenting on Russia-Turkey cooperation on Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavusoglu said: "[This is] the first concrete step [between Turkey and Russia]: Previously, there were different mechanisms between us on Syria, between the militaries, foreign ministries and intelligence services. Now, we [will] establish a threefold mechanism."
Tensions Between Ukraine And Russia
On August 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the permanent members of the Security Council in Crimea. In the meeting, Putin said: "Apparently, our partners in Kiev decided to aggravate the situation, and it is clear why they are doing this: they do not want to, or cannot for whatever reasons, honor the Minsk agreements and, secondly, they cannot explain to their own people the significant mistakes they have made in their socio-economic policies. This method of aggravating the situation is not new. It has been used since time immemorial, sometimes successfully, but not always. I hope that this will not be the ultimate choice of our partners, and that common sense will eventually prevail. For our part, while discussing the issues of additional security measures in Crimea, we should also say, and I would like to mention this once again, that we are not going to cut off relations. Despite the reluctance of the current government in Kiev to have full-fledged diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level, we nevertheless will leave them opportunities to develop and maintain contacts."
Despite the recent announcement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that the upcoming Normandy Four meeting in China has been cancelled, and Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev's remarks about the possible severing of diplomatic relations with Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia is currently uninterested in a rupture of diplomatic relations. Lavrov said: "I don't think this is a situation where anyone is interested in breaking off diplomatic relations. That would be an extreme measure. I think the main goal now is to avoid succumbing to emotions or taking extreme courses of action but to work for stabilization in a restrained and consistent manner. As I said, we will and are already doing this in Crimea regardless of what conclusions our Western partners and colleagues in Kiev will draw from the events of ten days ago. I am in favor of focusing efforts on returning to the sequencing and the substance of the Minsk agreements in all aspects of the situation – security and political settlement."
At the opening of the Russian-German summer school "Ways of Developing the Energy Sector: Modern Challenges", in Yekaterinburg, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's said:
"The current state of affairs stems from the long-standing problems which came to the surface during the Ukraine crisis. They reflect the profound system-wide failures in the European architecture. Unfortunately, our numerous proposals to harmonize the international legal principles underlying equal and indivisible security in the Euro-Atlantic area have for many years been rejected by NATO members.
"Sadly, even today, a NATO-centric philosophy, I would even say an arrogance, prevails over the spirit of the Helsinki Final Act. NATO's policy of eastward expansion at any cost deepens, without exaggeration, the dividing lines on the continent. When this policy, which undermines the balance of interests and stability in Europe, stumbled badly in Ukraine, attempts were made to put the blame on Russia. There were no efforts to force the organizers of the armed coup to comply with the agreement on a peaceful settlement and the creation of a national unity government, which they signed with Germany, France and Poland acting as intermediaries. Moreover, to our profound regret, our Western partners turned a blind eye to the ultra-radical nationalist positions of those who seized power in Kiev and who called for the elimination of everything that is Russian in Ukraine..."
The newspaper Moskovskii Komsomolets published a commentary by Igor Korotchenko, editor in chief of National Defense Magazine and Duma Nominee from Rodina (Homeland) nationalist party: "When it comes to Ukraine, I think, Moscow should deliver a missile strike against the bases of international terrorists, located in Ukraine's territory. Also we need to strike the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Intelligence Directorate headquarters if the trial (against alleged infiltrators to Crimea) proves that its officials were behind the training and dispatch of those terrorists to Crimea. That's exactly what the US does when fighting international terrorists".
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius published a statement on the Foreign Ministry's website, following a conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin on the rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Linkevicius wrote: "The provocative methods and accusations by Russia threaten the Normandy format [which comprises Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany] and constitute a challenge for the international effort to end external aggression and military action in Eastern Ukraine. The international community should respond very seriously to such fabricated accusations and prevent any further provocations by Russia, if such are planned."
In his twitter account, the Lithuanian FM wrote the following: "[The] aggressor accused the victim of an attack. Old KGB methods. Russia's false accusations towards Ukraine to justify future 'retaliation'?"
Obama says to the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko: If you take the yellow pill you'll have hallucinations. If you take the blue pill, you'll speak nonsense.
Russia-Finland Relations
On August 5, Head of the Defense Ministry's Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation Sergei Koshelev announced that Russia's Defense Ministry proposed to its counterparts from the Baltic States to discuss the use of transponders by combat aircraft and interaction with NATO in Moscow this September.
During Putin's visit to Finland on July 1, the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto recommended enhancing confidence building measures in the Baltic region. Putin said: "The Finnish president came up with the proposals today on the first steps aimed at enhancing confidence and preventing conflicts [in the Baltic airspace]. I have already said that I agree with this... We welcome the Finnish President's proposal [to ban flights over the Baltics with transponders off]."
However, Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini recently said that Moscow's invitation to Baltic States to discuss confidence building should take place within a broader framework encompassing additional countries. Soini said: "Such kind of [handling of] bilateral issues within an international system is not possibly the best, rather they should be handled together ...Finland has not yet received a written invitation, but the idea has become clear to us."
In a press release, the Finnish Ministry of Defense said: "The initiative is interesting. Without more information about Russia's plans to invite countries to talks, it is impossible to comment more closely on the issue. On a general level, it can be concluded that the issue of flight safety in the Baltic Sea region is both topical and important."
The Russian news agency Tass.ru reported that Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said earlier that the flights by NATO's and Russia's warplanes over the Baltic Sea with switched-on transponders wouldn't improve security in the region.
In an interview with the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Margot Wallström, stated that Sweden was unlikely to extend an invitation to Putin, as Finland did (Putin and the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto met on July 1). Commenting on the interview, Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini said: "I think it's important that we also engage in bilateral discussions with Russia, and I think it's excellent that President [Sauli Niinisto] invited Putin to Finland...If Sweden makes another kind of decision, I'll respect that."
On August 24, Finnish-US combat aircraft drills started in Finland’s southern Kanta-Hame and Paijat-Hame regions. Earlier, Finland provided its territory for the Baltops-2016 military exercises for the amphibious landing of NATO’s forces. The Finnish defense minister stated that the preparations for a framework military agreement between Helsinki and Washington were caused, among other things, by "the growing discontent in the Scandinavian countries with Russia’s military activity in the region." However, the minister said that the document will not contain military assistance obligations that would imply membership in NATO. Leading expert at the MGIMO Center for Military and Political Studies Mikhail Alexandrov said: "Finland is now taking part in NATO’s policy of pressure on Russia… Although Finland supports NATO’s policy of pressure on Russia, it does not want to join the North Atlantic alliance, understanding that it is one thing to exert virtual reality, information and psychological pressure and it is quite another thing to join NATO… Russia will undoubtedly respond to this, the relations will deteriorate and trade ties will be frozen."
Russia's Drills And Defense News
Russian logistics and maintenance units launched missions to provide support for force groups at ground and sea practice ranges in Crimea.
The Russian news agency Tass.ru reported that about 10,000 troops and 2,000 pieces of armored equipment are involved in the command and staff exercises of Russia's Eastern Military District that kicked off in the Amur Region and the Trans-Baikal Territory. District spokesman Colonel Alexander Gordeyev stated: "The exercises will be conducted in several stages spread over August 17-20. Up to 10,000 servicemen and 2,000 pieces of armament and military hardware, including aircraft and helicopters, will be involved in maneuvers at practice ranges in the Trans-Baikal Territory and the Amur Region". He then added that the maneuvers' goal is to test new automated troop control systems.
Mobile ground missile complexes RS-24 Yars of the Russian Strategic Missile Force's Teikovskaya division will be involved for the first time in special drills of radiological, chemical and biological troop protection. (Tass.ru, August 17)
The Russian Northern Fleet's large anti-submarine warfare ships Vice-Admiral Kulakov and Severomorsk have teamed up with aviation in exercises to detect and sink hypothetical enemy submarines.
Recently, a Collective Security Treaty Organization's (CSTO) drill in Pskov and Leningrad regions kicked off. According to the operational scenario "unlawful armed units" invaded the territory of one of the treaty's states and the attack was expected to be repelled by CSTO rapid response forces. According to the Russian news agency Ria.ru, during the drill, loudspeakers in the field communicated the following message in Russian, German and English: "NATO soldiers! You are being fooled. You are no peacekeepers. Lay down your weapons. You fight on a foreign territory. You have invaded a peaceful country. You'll be haunted by the vengeance and the outrage of the people which have never lost in a war. Lay down your weapons; stop being marionettes in your leaders 'hands."
A ballistic missile Iskander was launched during a drill in the Jewish Autonomous Area in the Far East. Eastern Military District's spokesman, Aleksandr Gordeyev, said: "The launch was performed from a training site in the Jewish Autonomous area [Birobidjan]. The missile hit a target at a proving ground in the Amur region 300 kilometers away." The Russian news agency Tass.ru reported that "more than 400 officers and men and 100 pieces of military equipment from a missile unit of the Eastern Military District" are involved in the drill.
This year, Russian paratroopers will perform several joint exercises with their colleagues from the armies of Egypt and Serbia. Counter-terrorism training exercises with the Russian National Guard have finished on the range near Volgograd. In September, Russia will participate in the "Slavic Brotherhood 2016" exercises together with the Belarusians and Serbs. The drills will take place at the Nikinci military training field, in Serbia, just 30 km from the border with Croatia, and NATO. In October, Russia has scheduled joint exercises with the special ops army units in Egypt. In September, the "Caucasus-2016" strategic exercises will take place.
The International Army Games were held between July 30 and August 13. The Russian-owned media outlet, Rbth.com, reports that the games were simultaneously taking place at 20 training grounds, 19 of which are located within three of Russia's military districts: the Western, Southern and Central districts, meaning from Siberia to Kaliningrad in the west and from St. Petersburg to Sevastopol in Crimea. The media outlet reports that naval competitions are taking place in the Baltic, Black and Caspian Sea waters. Russia and Kazakhstan are hosting a total of 121 teams from 19 countries, including China, Venezuela, and Iran, who competed in 23 of the games' contests. Reportedly, Russia had previously invited 47 countries, including the U.S. and NATO members, but Greece was the only NATO member to accept the invitation. It is worth noting that, last May, Putin visited Greece and said that the Hellenic Republic is "an important partner in Europe" for Russia. Moscow is considering investing in Greece's energy and transport sectors.
Despite economic shortages, the Russian Navy does not plan to curtail its spending. The Navy is developing a new nuclear-powered stealth destroyer "Leader". In the future, it could be armed with laser and rail-gun weapons. Moreover the fleet continues to develop an aircraft carrier and "Mistral" type helicopter carriers.
Commenting on the news, Gazeta.ru quotes an unidentified military source, who claims that Russia currently has no technical facilities to build an aircraft carrier.
Interview Of The Month:
On August 10, the Russian magazine Mezhdunarodnaya Zhizn published an interview with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Russian foreign policy and on Russia-NATO relations.
Below are excerpts from Ryabkov's interview:
Ryabkov: "We were concerned by the decisions taken to deploy an increased rotating military presence and by what amounts to permanently stationed NATO forces right close to our borders in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland. Let me note that this does not stop at just four multinational battalions. The plan is to ensure stocks of equipment for several mechanized US ground forces brigades in Europe over the coming years. They are also establishing headquarters and bolstering air force groups with planes that will patrol the airspace, including in the Baltic states. From our observations, the NATO countries' naval forces are carrying out training and combat patrol operations in waters that are much closer to Russia's borders than was previously the case. The frequency of NATO military exercises has increased and their scale is very significant.
"They take great pains – adding all sorts of menacing passages to the NATO Warsaw summit's final communiqué – to persuade everyone that all of this is in response to Russia's 'aggressive behavior', in particular its 'support for separatists' in southeast Ukraine and so on. To be honest, this NATO 'through the looking glass' leaves us quite stupefied. The militia operations in Donbass (let the NATO countries continue chewing away on their own term of 'separatists') are taking place in a region where Russians and Russian-speaking people have lived for centuries. This is happening at the heart of Eurasia, where families have become so interwoven over centuries that it is impossible to see now who came from where, considers where home is, married whom and so on.
'If A NATO-Centric Attitude Is Allowed To Exist, Why Do You Deny Our Right To A Russia-Centric View?'
Ryabkov: "When we see an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, equipped with missile defense systems, cruise missiles and intermediate-range Tomahawk attack missiles, 30 nautical miles from Kaliningrad, or, like during the recent [joint US-Ukrainian military] Sea Breeze exercises [that started in Black sea on July 18], when we saw a whole line-up of NATO vessels led by large US naval ships in the port of Odessa, when we see that NATO is deploying its newest fighter planes only 7-10 minutes' flight time from St Petersburg, we have to ask the question, was it 'aggressive Russia' that invited them so close? Have we done anything similar 30 miles of the Norfolk naval base in the US or stationed planes at five minutes' flight time from Long Island, New York?
"This is not even a case of double standards. Rather, there is no eradicating from the consciousness of those 'on the other side' a NATO-centric and American-centric view. When you realize that they have this inborn sense of representing Western civilization, which, as they see it, is the center of the world, you start to understand how it comes to be that they have reached the point of asserting that Russia has encroached on NATO's borders rather than the other way round.
"But I would ask the smug NATO strategists, if a NATO-centric attitude is allowed to exist, why do you deny our right to a Russia-centric view? It is like projections on the globe. Depending on the angle taken, different regions and territories can be placed at the center. It is a clear and indisputable fact for us that the military capability of others is coming closer to our borders and that [these same] others are encircling us with bases and developing missile defense systems. It is valid to view the issue from this angle too, and indeed, this is the only real angle we can take when faced with the task of taking effective care of our own security. This is the angle we look from and you cannot change it."
'NATO Is Directly And Unambiguously Violating The Obligations In The Founding Act'
Ryabkov: "Some of our neighbors even called on NATO to officially abandon the Founding Act in the run-up to the Warsaw summit and during the event. In other words, they were asking for NATO to unilaterally declare that this document is no longer in force. It makes me want to thank them for their honesty at least. We didn't doubt that these countries' governments consciously pursued the goal of dismantling the West's and NATO's relations with Russia...We see an increase in tension, rejection of not only Russian policy, but of Russia simply as a neighbor, let alone as a partner. This is coming through particularly clearly in these countries' policy on hard security issues and military security...They tell us, in particular, that these are not permanently stationed forces. As we see it, though, rotation is even worse than a permanent presence because rotation makes it possible for a much higher number of service personnel and contingents from the different countries to get to know these regions, get a feel for them in operations terms, learn how best to work there. Ultimately, NATO is directly and unambiguously violating the obligations in the Founding Act, even if it is trying to assert the opposite.
'I Am Sure There Will Be No War'
Ryabkov: "I am sure there will be no war. These developments are [part of] the West's usual game of flexing its muscles and just another attempt to 'put Russia in its place.' This is simply an attempt to capitalize on the current difficult period in Russia's relations with the West and play up issues on NATO's eastern and northeastern flanks, putting them to use for opportunistic motives and obtaining in this way some bonus in the form a beefed-up physical foreign military presence, construction of particular facilities and so on. The politicians in these countries seize on these developments to tie themselves and their voters more tightly to Western roots and the roots of the Western community..."
 

Prove Tuncay Babali Broke the Law or Free Him
News from the Middle East Forum/August 25/16
http://www.meforum.org/6220/prove-babali-broke-law-or-free-him
PHILADELPHIA – Aug. 25, 2016 – Turkish ambassador Tuncay Babali, a Middle East Quarterly contributor, has been arrested for alleged participation in the July 15, 2016, failed coup attempt in Turkey.
He is one of Ankara's most accomplished young diplomats, having served, among other government positions, as director of the department of human resources of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, counselor to the Turkish embassies in Washington, D.C., and London, and ambassador to Canada (2012-14).
Babali, who holds an MA degree from the University of London and a PhD from the University of Houston, has established himself as an authority in the fields of energy economics and geopolitics as well as Eurasian security. In 2009-10, he was a fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. His article, "Turkey at the Energy Crossroads," appeared in the Spring 2009 issue of the Middle East Quarterly, pp. 25-33.
Eleven days after the failed coup, Babali was sacked from his position – alongside fellow ambassador Gürcan Balık, chief advisor to former foreign minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, and scores of lower-level diplomats – as part of the government's massive purge of civil servants allegedly linked to the Fethullah Gülen movement. On August 18-19, Babali and Balık were jailed, together with former ambassador to Costa Rica Ali Findik, as the government embarked on an unprecedented purge of hundreds of foreign office diplomats.
The Middle East Forum is deeply concerned by the recent arrests of Babali and tens of thousands of other Turks and believes that the current purge goes far beyond a reasonable and legitimate response to the abortive coup while casting serious doubt on Turkey's commitment to democracy and the rule of law. It, therefore, urges the Government of Turkey to provide incontrovertible evidence in public of Amb. Babali's criminal activity or to free him immediately.
For immediate release
Contact: Gregg Roman, Director
Middle East Forum
Roman@MEForum.org
215-546-5406, ext. 104