LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
December 07/16
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.december07.16.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
So also the
Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 17/09-13/:"As they
were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the
vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’And the disciples asked him, ‘Why, then, do the
scribes say that Elijah must come first?’He replied,
‘Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; but I tell you that
Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him
whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their
hands.’
Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the
Baptist."
So then he has mercy on
whomsoever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomsoever he chooses.
Letter to the Romans 09/14-18/:"What then are we to say? Is there
injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses,
‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I
have compassion.
’So it depends not on human
will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy. For the
scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘I have raised you up for the very purpose of
showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. So then he has mercy
on whomsoever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomsoever he
chooses."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 06-07/16
A Donald Trump Anti-ISIS Campaign That Spares Assad Would Only Empower
Hezbollah/David Daoud/Newsweek/December 06/16
Stubbornness, procrastination in Cabinet, election law/Ghinwa
Obeid|/The Daily Star/December 06/16
The Hopes, Fears and Lost Role of Lebanon’s Christians/Dalal
Saoud/The Arab Weekly/December 06/16
The West's Politically Correct Dictatorship/It Has Blinded Us to the Real
Danger: Radical Islam/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone
Institute/December 06/16
Erdogan's Gritted-Teeth Peace with Israel/Equates IDF
with Hitler/Burak Bekdil//Gatestone
Institute/December 06/16
Is Assad the Author of ISIS? Did
Qatari Writer, Dr. 'Abd Al-Hamid
Al-Ansari,: Religious Extremism's Roots Are In Muslim
Society, Not External Elements/MEMRI/December 06/16
How does the ‘mad dog’ think/Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/December
06/16
Let’s make Saudi Vision 2030 a reality/Khaled Almaeena/Al Arabiya/December
06/16
Links From
Christian Today Site for on December 06-07/16
Notional
Christian' Vote Was The Key To Donald Trump Election Victory.
Burqa Ban In Germany 'Wherever Legally Possible', Says
Merkel.
Too
Many Left Behind By Globalisation, Says Bank Of England's Mark Carney.
World
Council Of Churches Activist Refused Entry To Israel
And Deported.
MP
Abused By Man On Trial For Alleged Anti-Semitic Abuse.
Trump
Administration Will Herald Creationism And Climate-Change Scepticism In
Schools, Critics Warn.
Muslim
Groups Criticise 'Unfair' Focus On Islam In Casey Report.
Archbishop
Of York Urges Churches To Join Christmas Appeal.
You
Must End Your Brawling, Pope's Doctrine Chief Tells Cardinals.
Mexico
'In Denial' Over Thousands Of Evangelicals Forced Out
Of Homes.
US
Church Sprayed With Bible Verse About The Killing Of 185,000 Assyrian
Christians.
Some
Peers Want Bishops To Lose Their Seats In The Lords.
Are They Right?.
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on December 06-07/16
Aoun Has No 'Fears' over Cabinet Delay, Vows to Confront
'Parties Benefiting from Corruption'
Naharnet/December 06/16/President Michel Aoun announced Tuesday that he is not concerned over the
ongoing delay in the cabinet formation process as he pledged anew to fight the
rampant corruption in state institutions. “We do not have fears over the delay
in the cabinet formation process, this is a minor issue, and we hope it will be
formed soon so that we achieve the goals we have declared, topped by fighting
corruption,” Aoun said. “We hope the coming days will
be promising and we hope we'll be able to improve the situations... Of course
there are parties who were benefiting from the situation and they won't accept
change easily,” the president added. But he vowed to “engage in a battle with
these parties,” while noting that “they will stir a political crisis or other
crises in order to sway public opinion and push it to reject our thoughts and
actions.” “However, we must resist and urge people to back our approach and not
to endorse misconceptions,” Aoun added. Aoun's election after two and a half years of presidential
void and Saad Hariri's appointment as
premier-designate have raised hopes that
Bassil Says Alliance with Hizbullah
'Firm', Rejects 1960 Electoral Law, Extension
Naharnet/December 06/16/ Free Patriotic Movement
chief Jebran Bassil
stressed Tuesday that the alliance between the FPM and Hizbullah
is still “firm,” as he voiced rejection of a new extension of the parliament's
term or the adoption of the 1960 electoral law. The alliance with Hizbullah is “among our firm principles and our alliance is
the result of honesty, commitment, sacrifice, efforts and blood,” Bassil said after the weekly meeting of the Change and
Reform bloc, reassuring that “there will not be a Shiite-Christian rift,
neither now nor in the future.”“We will not renounce
it over syndical, parliamentary or presidential elections or over any
government. It is prohibited to harm this understanding and our relation with Hizbullah is firmer than ever,” Bassil
added. As for the FPM's rising alliance with the
Lebanese Forces, which has alarmed several parties especially AMAL Movement, Bassil reassured that the Christian rapprochement is not
aimed at “eliminating anyone.” “The proof is that we are calling for an
electoral law based on proportional representation,” he noted. “We agreed with
the LF on the return of Christians to the State, not on the return of the State
to Christians,” he added. As for the stalled cabinet formation process, Bassil said the discussion over the cabinet “goes beyond
ministerial portfolios because we are witnessing a new political situation --
although some are refusing to acknowledge this.” “We call for the
representation of everyone in the government – Kataeb
(Party), Marada (Movement), Syrian Social National
Party, (MP Talal) Arslan
and March 8's Sunnis – even in a 24-member cabinet,” Bassil
emphasized. He also underlined that the FPM “will not allow anyone to kill the
new momentum in
Zahra: No One Has Right to Determine Share
of LF in Cabinet
Naharnet/December 06/16/Lebanese Forces MP Antoine
Zahra said on Tuesday no body has the right to determine the share to be
allotted to the LF in the new cabinet or stage a veto against its
representation. “Nobody is allowed to identify the Lebanese Forces share in the
cabinet and stage a veto against it,” said Zahra in an interview on Tele Liban. “House Speaker Nabih Berri hasn't established the public works ministry at his
home. We made concessions when needed to do, we stepped aside also when needed
for that, yet this time we won't abandon our rights and demands,” stressed
Zahra. Zahra was referring to the fight over the public works portfolio between
the LF and Speaker Nabih Berri.
“The peak of the iceberg concerning the cabinet formation issue is the
distribution of portfolios, not the challenge over obtaining the portfolios,”
he added, indicating that all political forces want an approval on a new
electoral law. Wrangling over the distribution of ministerial portfolios among
Al-Rahi
Hopes New Govt. Will be 'Christmas Gift' to Lebanese
Naharnet/December 06/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi called on the
political parties on Tuesday to form the new government before Christmas.
“
Mustaqbal Stresses Importance of 'Facilitating PM-Designate's Mission'
Naharnet/December 06/16/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary
bloc on Tuesday called on the political parties to facilitate the formation of
the new government, warning that any further delay would impede the momentum
that started after the election of President Michel Aoun.
In a statement issued after its weekly meeting, the bloc called for “facilitating
the mission of the premier-designate” so that the new government can start
“addressing the country's affairs, especially amid the tense and deteriorating
situations in the region.”It also warned that
procrastination in forming the government would prevent a “strong start” for
the new presidential tenure. Aoun's election as
president and Hariri's appointment as premier-designate have raised hopes that
Beirut-Bound Traveler Held in
Naharnet/December 06/16/A man, likely Lebanese, was
arrested Tuesday by
Cellphone Dealer Kamel Ahmaz Released on Bail
Naharnet/December 06/16/Top cellphone
dealer Kamel Ahmaz who was
detained in November on charges of smuggling mobile cellphone
was released Tuesday on a LL15 million bail, media reports said. Amhaz was arrested following the detention of a number of
airport security personnel on charges of turning a blind eye to suitcases
containing smuggled cellphones in return for bribes. Amhaz and two accomplices, Issam Amhaz and Abdullah, were arrested on charges of smuggling
phones into the country. The U.S. Treasury Department had in July 2014 slapped
sanctions on Kamel and Issam
Amhaz and their Beirut-based Stars Group Holding for
electronics on charges of “procuring sophisticated military equipment for Hizbullah.”According to the U.S. Treasury, Stars Group
Holding is based in
Hariri Emphasizes Lebanese Back Army and
Security Forces
Naharnet/December 06/16/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri assured on Tuesday that the Lebanese will stay
united behind the army in its confrontation against aggression following an
attack at an army position in north Lebanon that killed one soldier and wounded
another. “We will remain united to face any assault on our army and security
forces,” said Hariri via Twitter. His comments came after an armed attack
targeted an army checkpoint in the northern Dinniyeh
district that left one soldier dead and another wounded. Hariri extended “warm
condolences to the family of the deceased soldier Amer
al-Mohammed, to the families in his hometown Mashta
Hassan and to the army leadership.” Unknown gunmen attacked an army position in
the Bqaa Sifrin town in Dinniyeh. Al-Mohammed, was killed
and another soldier, Abdul Kader Naaman was wounded.
General Security Arrests Syrian over Links
to Terror Group
The Directorate of General Security arrested a Syrian national suspected of
having links to a terror group, the directorate said in a statement on Tuesday.
“In line with efforts to track the activities of terror groups and sleeper
cells, the General Security detained Syrian national Aa.M.
against the backdrop of having links to terror
groups,” said a General Security statement. Upon investigations with him the
suspect admitted his links and his accomplice in the suicidal dual explosion
that hit Bourj al-Barajneh
on November 12, 2015, and another explosion in Dimas Yaafour
in
Army Searches for Culprits behind Bqaa Sifrin Attack
Naharnet/December 06/16/Lebanese army units carried
out extensive raids in north
Aoun to guard strategic agreements: FPM MP
The Daily Star/December 06/16/BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun will respect and safeguard national agreements with
key allies, Free Patriotic Movement MP Ibrahim Kanaan
said Tuesday. Kanaan said via Twitter that strength
of Aoun’s presidency and his political strategy
"were based on his extraordinary capability to gather and safeguard his
national understandings, in particular Mar Mikhael
and Maarab, and not the other way around." Mar Mikhael refers to a memorandum of understanding between the
FPM and Hezbollah. It eventually became strategic alliance between the two
groups that was signed in 2006 by Aoun and Hezbollah
chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah at the Mar Mikhael
church in
However, Hariri’s mission has faced challenges due to overlapping demands from
rival parties over appointments to key ministries.
Rifi calls Kahwaji, offers
condolences over martyrdom of soldier
Tue 06 Dec 2016/NNA - Caretaker Justice Minister, Ashraf
Rifi, contacted on Tuesday Army Chief, Jean Kahwaji and offered condolences over the martyrdom of the
Army soldier, Amer Moustafa.
"This terrorist act targets stability," Rifi
said, stressing the need to support the military institutions.
Hariri's press office: Visit of Khayat journalists did not tackle financial issue
Tue 06 Dec 2016/NNA - "The visit of Karma and Karim
Khayat to Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri did not touch on financial issue," the
press office said in a statement on Tuesday. "The aim of the visit was to
invite Hariri to take part in a social and humanitarian program prepared by
"Al-Jadeed" during the holidays," the
statement concluded.
Aoun, family light Christmas tree at
Tue 06 Dec 2016/NNA - President of the Republic, Michel Aoun lit the Christmas tree on Tuesday at
Embassy of
Tue 06 Dec 2016/NNA - "The Lebanese President, Michel Aoun, received on Tuesday at
Fadlallah: Communication Committee concludes discussion on new
Lebanese Information law
Tue 06 Dec 2016/NNA - MP Hassan Fadlallah said
on Tuesday that the Information and Communication Committee concluded
discussion on the new Lebanese Information law and approved all its articles,
awaiting the General Authority’s ratification. MP Fadlallah’s
words came during the committee’s meeting at the parliament in presence of MPs Ammar Houri, Kamel
Al Rifai and Hani Kobeissi,
Director General of the Ministry of Information, Hassan Falha,
and other concerned dignitaries. "We say now to all Lebanese media that we
have a new unilateral law," he added. "This Committee worked hard
since 2011 to reach today a new law that contains important and basic contents
for the media in
Mikati presses for full implementation of Taef
Tue 06 Dec 2016/NNA - Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday stressed that The Taef
accord should be fully implemented, prior to making any judgment on its content.
"Imperfections in Taef Accord have never been in
the content of this accord but rather in its practice and application," Mikati said in his delivered word at a dialogue gathering
organized by University Professors Forum and "Azem
Youth" titled: "Taef ... An opportunity
which should not be lost" at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at
the Lebanese University (Branch III), in the presence of academic figures and
university students. "The political practice in the post-Taef phase was not sound in all its manifestations," Mikati remarked, underlining the dire need for the building
of a state on proper and truthful fundamentals set in the Taef
Accord, which laid the foundations for a nation bringing all the Lebanese
together and constituted a prelude to a genuine national partnership.
A Donald Trump Anti-ISIS Campaign That
Spares Assad Would Only Empower Hezbollah
David Daoud/Newsweek/December 06/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/06/david-daoudnewsweek-a-donald-trump-anti-isis-campaign-that-spares-assad-would-only-empower-hezbollah/
http://www.newsweek.com/trump-anti-isis-campaign-spares-assad-will-only-empower-hezbollah-528559
In late October, Hezbollah scored an achievement by pushing through its favored candidate, Michel Aoun,
to the Lebanese presidency. Six thousand miles away, the group now stands to
indirectly benefit from the results of another election:
It’s not that President-elect Donald Trump has any love for the militant group
Islamic State (ISIS)—which has spilled the blood of hundreds of Americans—or
for its Iranian patron. On the contrary, he has promised to cripple the group
by “starving” its funding. But during his stormy presidential election
campaign, Trump consistently cast doubt over the wisdom of deposing Bashar al-Assad—Hezbollah’s second-leading benefactor after
And despite the clear threat ISIS poses to
The group already scored a coup in
And just like Hezbollah got its choice of president in
The president-elect has said ISIS is a greater threat to the
Likewise, Hezbollah’s fortunes stand to improve. To preserve its military and
political supremacy in
Those sacrifices, painful as they are, have not deterred Hezbollah, as the
costs to the group would be far higher should Assad fall and be replaced by a
hostile, presumably Sunni-majority, Syrian government.
Moreover, for over two decades,
Assad’s victory would end the existential threat
ISIS has murdered Americans domestically and abroad, undermined
***David Daoud is an Arabic-language research analyst
focusing on
Stubbornness, procrastination in Cabinet, election law
Ghinwa Obeid|/The Daily Star/December 06/16
“It appears that no concession will be made by either side,” one source said.
“It seems that it is now a matter of stubbornness by some leaders.” President
Michel Aoun has issued a statement urging all parties
with concerns over government formation to meet with him to resolve outstanding
issues.The statement was seen as an implicit
invitation to Marada Movement head MP Sleiman Frangieh to visit Baabda Palace but didn’t specifically name him.The movement rebuffed the conciliatory gesture by the
FPM founder and new president and said it was waiting on a formal invitation
before Frangieh would visit the president. However, Aoun appeared unwilling to make the general invitation
specific by formally inviting Frangieh. Neither side
has signaled a willingness to concede over the
impasse.
Aoun’s general invitation came a day after caretaker
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil
met with Hezbollah’s senior security official Wafiq Safa to discuss ways to bring Frangieh
on board with the new Cabinet.
Hezbollah, according to the sources, is attempting to solve the differences and
is placed to mediate given that the party is allied with both Aoun and Frangieh.Aoun was
elected on Oct. 31, ending two and a half years of presidential deadlock. He
then tasked Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri with
forming a Cabinet.However, Hariri’s mission has been
challenged by appointments to the coveted key ministries. The Marada Movement insists on being represented in the new
government with one of three important ministerial posts – Telecommunications,
Energy or Public Works. So far this has held-up the formation of a new
government. Both the Amal Movement and Hezbollah also
insists the Marada Movement
is represented.
Another hurdle is the ongoing dispute between Speaker Nabih
Berri and the Lebanese Forces over who should get the
Public Works Ministry. Berri has long insisted his Amal Movement retain control of both the Finance and Public
Works ministries. However, the LF, which is allied with the FPM and Hariri’s
Future Movement, is also demanding the Public Works Ministry along with other portfolios.Separately, various parties expressed strong views over the electoral
law governing upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for spring 2017. The
issue is over using the winner-take-all 1960 electoral vote used in the 2009
election versus finding a new system. Most parties publicly endorse holding the
vote with a new electoral law.
In a statement denouncing media reports that accuse the LF of flip-flopping on
the electoral issue, the party said it one of the main opponents of the 1960
law. The LF, the statement added, was the first to call for a new electoral law
after 2009’s parliamentary elections.
The party expressed surprise that some have accused it of backing the 1960 law
and stressed that the party considers the struggle for a new electoral law the
“the mother of all battles.”“The LF had fought, and is
fighting, the fiercest political battle in order to drop the current law that
leads to distortion in the Parliamentary representation across the country,”
the statement explained. The 1960 law splits the country by administrative
districts.
Lebanese parties are divided between adopting proportional representation or
hybrid electoral laws that include aspects of the proportional and majoritarian systems. The LF, Progressive Socialist Party
and Future Movement have proposed a hybrid electoral law that would see 60 MPs
elected on proportional representation and the remaining 68 MPs on the current
1960 law. The Amal Movement has proposed its own
version that would equally divide MPs elected by each system at 64 each. The LF
statement added that the position presented by the LF, PSP and the Future
Movement comes from the its insistence on a new voting
system. The LF then accused those behind the claims of orchestrating a
systematic campaign against the party since Aoun’s
election.
The Kataeb Party also called for a more fair and
balanced alternative to the 1960 law. “The Kataeb
Party demands – and urgently – the burial of the 1960 law that ... eliminates a
large part of the Lebanese [electorate],” the party said in a statement, issued
after its political office held a meeting chaired by leader MP Sami Gemayel. The party also expressed its surprise that there
were disputes over Cabinet formation and over ministries. “The party calls ...
for hastening the formation of government that’s priority is to pass an electoral
law and budget,” the statement read.
In a televised interview this week, Change and Reform bloc MP Ghassan Moukheiber called on
lawmakers to come together to discuss a new electoral law. “But, if no Cabinet
is formed soon and therefore no new electoral law is achieved, then
unfortunately there is no choice but to hold the Parliamentary elections based
the 1960 law,” Moukheiber added, according to El-Nashra news agency. Meanwhile Monday, a Chinese delegation
met at Hariri’s Downtown residence to discuss the ongoing situation in
“
Xiaoyan explained that the fight against terrorism
was vital and stressed that
Minister Dion announces significant
support for peace, security and stability in Lebanon
Minister Dion announces $8 million in security, defence and
stabilization assistance for Lebanon as he concludes a successful five-day
visit
December 5, 2016 – Beirut, Lebanon - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Stephane Dion, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, today concluded a productive five-day visit to Lebanon and announced
new support Canada will be providing to reinforce the country’s security and
stability. The announcement includes projects to help
While in
During his visit, Minister Dion visited two informal tented settlements for
which
He also visited the Rayak Air Base and the LAF Land
Border Regiment along the border with
Quotes
“
- Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Quick facts
Lebanon has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world,
representing close to a quarter of its population. There are more than 1
million UNHCR-registered refugees in
The Hopes, Fears and Lost Role of
Lebanon’s Christians
Dalal Saoud/The Arab
Weekly/December 06/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/06/dalal-saoudthe-arab-weekly-the-hopes-fears-and-lost-role-of-lebanons-christians/
http://www.thearabweekly.com/News-&-Analysis/7235/The-hopes%2C-fears-and-lost-role-of-Lebanon%E2%80%99s-Christians
Beirut — Now that strong Christian leader Michel Aoun
is settled in the presidential palace, a general feeling of hope has engulfed
Lebanon’s Christians for he is the one who has long promised to restore their
rights and end their growing frustration for having been marginalised since the
end of the 1975-90 civil war.
The Christians have seen their presence, influence and role decline in the tiny
multi-confessional country. Their political dominance came to an end with the
1989 Taif accords, the national reconciliation
agreement that ended the country’s civil war and established equal power-sharing
between Christians and Muslims.
The redistribution of powers under the Saudi-brokered Taif
accords put in place a fairer formula by introducing constitutional reforms
long demanded by the Muslims. But that left the Christians bitter. With such a political
confessional system, no sect would be eternally happy and each one would
attempt to tilt the balance of power once gaining enough strength.
The Lebanese suffered a long and destructive war but failed to get rid of their
sectarian system and establish a civil state. As late prime
minister Rafik Hariri told this reporter
shortly before he took power in 1992: “Look around you (the Arab region), this
is the best we could achieve.” He was referring to the Taif
agreement, which is seen by some today as a good model to stop the raging wars
in Syria, Yemen and Libya.
“We stopped counting,” Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, then said and kept repeating
until he was killed in a massive explosion that targeted his convoy in Beirut
on February 14, 2005. By that, he meant whatever demographic changes would
occur; the Christians and Muslims would keep on having an equal share of power.
Hariri’s assassination and popular demonstrations that broke
out forced
With Syria’s influence almost out of the equation, the Lebanese found
themselves trapped in a struggle over who would rule the country and how to do
so, being divided between the emerging pro-Syria/Iran March 8 and pro-Saudi/US
March 14 alliances.
“From 1990 till 2005, one cannot speak of power sharing in
Salloukh explained that although both March 8 and
March 14 were multi-sectarian alliances, the struggle was in reality between
“the two most powerful actors” in these two coalitions: Shia
Hezbollah and the Sunni Future Movement.
Aoun sided with Hezbollah and Geagea
with Hariri’s Future Movement before they recently joined hands to create what
they described as the strongest Christian force that led — when Hariri finally
endorsed him — to Aoun’s election as president. Such
a new emerging Christian force and a possible Christian- Sunni alliance seem to
unnerve the powerful Shia Hezbollah-Amal bloc.
Despite their dwindling numbers, the Christians maintained their privileges,
preserving the posts of president of the republic, army commander, Central Bank
governor and army intelligence chief, in addition to their 50% quota of
parliamentary seats. According to various unofficial statistics, the Christians
constitute 30-40% of
“The Christians are over-represented given their demographics but this is not
the issue,” said Salloukh. He referred to the
electoral laws under which “around 50% of Christian MPs are elected in
Muslim-majority electoral districts”. With the increased sectarian tension,
“that has exacerbated feelings among the Christian political elites of being
increasingly marginalised and one has to understand this,” Salloukh
said. “You have to give the Christians some kind of credibility in the system.
It is not just about numbers.”
Any attempt by the Christians to return to the pre-Taif
times “is impossible”, said Fares Souaid, March
14secretary-general, himself a Christian. He pointed to the Lebanese
constitution, which “is the only such constitution in the Arab world where
Muslims and Christians share power” and to the Muslim-Christian coexistence,
which “is a message to the West that Islam is able to coexist with
non-Muslims”. The Christians of Lebanon, he said, can play a positive role if
they drop their fears and “return to their nationalistic speech” and “read well
what’s going on in the region”. “If they act as frightened minorities looking
for outside protection and minority alliances, I think they will lose the
battle sooner or later,” Souaid said.
Absorbed by their own fears, divisions and interests, the Christians have
probably missed a golden opportunity to try reconcile
**Dalal Saoud is the Deputy
Editor-in-Chief of The Arab Weekly. She is based in
Copyright ©2016 The Arab Weekly
Lebanese Women Protest against Rape Law
Associated Press/Naharnet/December 06/16/A dozen
Lebanese women, dressed as brides in white wedding dresses stained with fake
blood and bandages, gathered Tuesday outside government buildings in the
capital
2 Million Israelis Exposed to Rocket Fire, Says Report
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/More than two million Israelis lack adequate shelter in case of rockets
fired from
"Although the military has envisaged a scenario in which Israel
would be the target of thousands, or even tens of thousands of rockets and
missiles, it is doubtful whether it has adequate capacity to defend the country
properly," media reports quoted Shapira's report
as saying. The report says it was estimated in 2012 that 27 percent of Israelis
-- more than two million people -- had no protection in the event of war. But
according to the comptroller, the figure was likely higher because some public
shelters were unusable.
His report criticizes the government for not having organized meetings on
the protection and evacuation of civilians since the 2014 war. It also regrets
that Bedouin communities in the desert within reach of rockets from
In another chapter, it criticizes the army for still not having provided
a more effective early warning system for areas near
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 06-07/16
Syria Government Says no
Aleppo Ceasefire without Rebel Exit
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/Syria's government on Tuesday said it would not agree to a ceasefire in
Aleppo unless it guarantees a full withdrawal of rebel factions from the city.
"
Merkel Says Situation in
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that it was a
"disgrace" that the international community had been unable to
alleviate the suffering in
Kerry Denies U.S. Stalling on Aleppo Talks
with Russia
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday rejected Russian charges
Washington was stalling talks on a rebel withdrawal from the Syrian city of Aleppo
in order to buy them time. "I'm not aware of any specific refusal,"
Kerry said when asked about
Aleppo 'Twitter Girl' Safe after Family
Flees Army Advance
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/A seven-year-old Syrian girl whose Twitter account from Aleppo gained
international attention has fled her home amid heavy fighting, but she and her
family are safe for now, her father told AFP Tuesday. With her mother's help, Bana al-Abed had been posting heart-rending tweets in English
on life in the besieged eastern districts of
Online supporters of President Bashar Assad have
bashed the account and sent Bana and her mother death
threats. And in an October interview with Danish broadcaster TV2, Assad alleged
that footage posted by Bana was "promoted by the
terrorists or their supporters."
"It's a game now, a game of propaganda, it's a
game of media. You can see anything, and you can be sympathetic with every
picture and every video you see. But our mission as a government is to deal
with the reality," he said.
Regime Seizes Five New Rebel Districts in
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/Syrian government troops seized five new districts of eastern
Head of Radio Station Murdered in
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/Gunmen killed the head of a local radio station in the Iraqi city of
Israeli Far Right Hails Bill to Legalize
Settler Homes
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/Israeli far-right politicians on Tuesday welcomed initial approval of a
bill to legalize some 4,000 settler homes in the West Bank, calling it a step
towards annexation of most of the Palestinian territory. The bill was given
preliminary approval by parliament late on Monday despite a chorus of
international criticism that it was an illegal land grab with dangerous
implications for
Netanyahu says he still supports a two-state solution to the decades-old
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
'Most dangerous law'
The international community considers all settlements
in the West Bank, including Israeli-annexed east
The U.N. envoy for the
Bernard Cazeneuve Named French PM after Valls Quits
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was
appointed as the new prime minister on Tuesday after Manuel Valls
resigned to seek the Socialist nomination in next year's presidential election.
Cazeneuve, who has overseen the security forces'
reaction to a string of jihadist attacks that have killed more than 230 people
in France over the past two years, will take control of the Socialist government
until May's election. He was named prime minister after President Francois Hollande accepted Valls's
resignation early Tuesday. Valls, who had been prime
minister for the past two and a half years, announced on Monday he would step
down to try to rally the fractured French left ahead of a primary in January.
In a combative speech, the 54-year-old Valls vowed to
take the fight to the conservative opposition and the far-right National Front,
who are both ahead of the Socialists in the polls. His announcement came four
days after Hollande said he would bow out after a
single term, paving the way for Valls to try to
become the left's new standard bearer. "My candidacy is one of
reconciliation," Valls, himself a former
interior minister, said in a speech from his political base in the tough
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/Egyptian authorities announced Tuesday the arrest of 25 members of an
international network allegedly trafficking in human organs, including
university professors and doctors. "Today at dawn, the largest
international network for trading human organs has been captured," the country's
Administrative Control Authority said in a statement on its website. The
network "is made up of Egyptians and Arabs taking advantage of some of the
citizens' difficult economic conditions so that they buy their human organs and
sell it for large sums of money," it said. The authority, which is
responsible for tracking corruption cases in state institutions, said 25 people
were arrested including university professors, doctors, medical
workers, owners of medical centres, intermediaries and brokers. They were found
in possession of "millions of dollars and gold bullion", it said. Ten
medical centres and laboratories had been searched and the authorities had
found documents related to the charge and computers with trading information.
Suspected IS Jihadists Arrested in Yemen's
Aden
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/Yemeni authorities have arrested eight suspected Islamic State group
jihadists implicated in a spate of attacks targeting security personnel in
second city Aden this year, police said. Police in the southern port city,
headquarters of
Saudi Sentences 15 to Death for Spying for
Iran
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/A Saudi court Tuesday sentenced 15 people to death for spying for the
kingdom's rival Iran, local media and a source close to the case said, in a
move likely to heighten regional tensions. The source told AFP that most of the
15 Saudis were members of the kingdom's Shiite minority. Their trial opened in
February, a month after
Two Wounded as Hamas Clashes with Gaza
Hardliners
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/A police officer and a youth were hospitalised on Tuesday after Hamas
forces clashed with hardline Islamists in the Gaza
Strip, a medical source and witnesses said. Both men suffered bullet wounds
during an attempt by
Tuesday, 06 December 2016/NCRI - In an interview with Channel one TV, the
Iranian regime’s former ambassador to
Iran: Anti-government slogans in Tehran
and Saveh universities
NCRI Statements/ 06 December 2016/Distribution of leaflets saying "why
1988 (massacre)?" and chanting slogan: "Death to dictator"
Hundreds of students of Tehran University turned the Student Day ceremony to a
scene of protest against the repressive policies of the regime.
This protest move was coincident with the presence of mullah Rouhani at the university auditorium and despite widespread
security measures by the agents of suppression organs including the
Intelligence Ministry and special guard unit of the university. The students,
who were prevented from entering the auditorium, marched across the campus.
During the march they sang "Yar-e Dabestani" and chanted:
"political prisoner must be freed", "student dies but does not
accept humiliation", "Noble students! Support, support",
"student prisoners must be freed" and "University Security
should be abolished".
They also protested against monetary law of university and the law called 'Sanavat (years)' enacted in order to extort money from
students. They also distributed leaflets saying: "University is not
garrison!", "Prison is not a place for students", and "why
1988 (massacre)"?
Suppressive measures of Basij forces to disperse
students led to confrontation, and the students managed to force Basij forces to escape. Despite the massive presence of
repressive and anti-riot forces inside
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/December 6, 2016
Iran: Students' protests in various cities
on the occasion of 'Student Day'
NCRI Statements/ 06 December 2016/Students chanted: "Student dies, but
does not accept humiliation", "political prisoners must be freed"On the occasion of Student Day (December 6th)
students of universities in various cities staged demonstrations and protest
gatherings to express their anger towards the mullahs' regime. In
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/December 6, 2016
Despite the Lifting of Sanctions, Why
Tuesday, 06 December 2016/NCRI - A year after signing the nuclear deal, while
significant problems such as export restrictions and the prohibition of the
international bank transfer (swift) have been resolved a transparent atmosphere
is created to identify the radical economic problems of
B. The power struggle
The large gap in power, the prospect of Khamenei's
death and the succession dispute, which has been accentuated two times by Khamenei, has created an unstable political situation for
the regime. Simultaneously, the shadow of Presidential Election that is
scheduled to be held in the spring of 2017, has drastically affected the
economy of the country. The disclosure of payroll records of the bank managers,
insurance companies, and the government seniors revealed that their salaries
reach to hundred thousand dollars each. These issues although characterize the
chronic corruption in regime’s bureaucracy but in fact is a manifestation of
the power struggle between the two factions of the regime. The
detention of director of the largest bank of
In June 2016, Rouhani gave another concession to the
IRGC for handing over 50 development projects to Khatam
Brigade.
Iran: No News About the Fate of a
Political Prisoner
Tuesday, 06 December 2016/NCRI - A family member of a political prisoner, expressing
concern about the status of their son after he was transferred to Gohardasht prison, said: “After his mother informed (the
media) about the way his son was arrested, she was threatened via a phone call
by a security institution that this issue will cause trouble for her son.”According to a close relative of the family,
“Currently the family of political prisoner, Asou Rostami, is extremely concerned about the fate of their son
because Asou during a contact with his family said
that they threatened him and said ‘we will send you to a place where your
previous place (prison cell) seems a hotel for you.’ He was transferred to Gohardasht prison on Saturday November 4 and there is no
news about his condition ever since.”The political
prisoner, Asou Rostami, has
been sentence to two years imprisonment by the mullahs so-called courts on the
charges of “Cyberspace (social media) activity and publishing criticizing
content on human rights situation and executions in Iran, empathy and
solidarity with the families of political prisoners and families of prisoners
sentenced to death, participating in a rally in defense
of Kobani (in Syria), sympathy with the families of
the victims of 2009 (uprising) events, connection with human rights activists,
assembly and collusion against the regime and insulting the leadership.
Iran: The Internet Contributes to Rebellion and Attraction to the MEK
Tuesday, 06 December 2016/NCRI - Mullah Movahedi Kermani, head of the Staff for ‘Promotion of Virtue and
Prohibition of Vice’, expressed the Iranian regime's fear from the expansion of
social networks in Iran and the youths' attraction to the Iranian opposition,
PMOI/MEK. He said, "The internet… contributes to rebellion and attraction
to the PMOI, creating conceptual perversion."The
Iranian state media cited Movahedi Kermani on Sunday, December 4, 2016, as saying,
"Today, the cyber space has priority over the election and veiling (of
women). The issues of election and veil are the second and third priorities.
Unfortunately, some of the officials have been treacherous in introducing the
internet. Many officials have not done a good job in presenting the internet.
They have presented the positive and negative impacts of the internet as being
equal while this is not true. There are more negative consequences… Therefore,
we must pay attention to this issue that has entangled us today."He
continued his remarks by expressing fear of the internet and its popularity
among the people. "Today, our wives and children, young and old, are
targeted by this cultural invasion. For example, if you go to a relative's
party, you would see that everyone, young and old, are busy with their mobile
phones. Has it ever struck us what is happening in these cellphones
and what these people are watching?"He added,
"I received some material from the Assembly of Experts which explained the
dangers of the cyber space. I found out that the internet has the power to
uproot the religion and Islam. Mal-veiling is bad but the internet is a hundred
folds worse."
Presidential Election Example of
Iran-Saudi Cooperation
Associated Press/Naharnet/December 06/16/Iran's
Foreign Ministry spokesman says the Islamic Republic and its regional rival
Rouhani: Sanctions Renewal Shows US Still 'Enemy'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December
06/16/Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday
that Congress's decision to renew US sanctions for 10 years would elicit a
"harsh reaction" and proved the United States was still an enemy.
"
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 06-07/16
The West's Politically
Correct Dictatorship/It Has Blinded Us to the Real Danger: Radical Islam
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone
Institute/December 06/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/06/giulio-meottigatestone-institute-the-wests-politically-correct-dictatorshipit-has-blinded-us-to-the-real-danger-radical-islam/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9491/politically-correct-dictatorship
The brave work of the artist Mimsy was removed from
London's Mall Galleries after the British police defined it
"inflammatory."
In
No one can deny that
Under this politically correct dictatorship, Western culture has established
two principles. First, freedom of speech can be restricted any time someone
claims that an opinion is an "insult." Second, there is a vicious
double standard: minorities, especially Muslims, can freely say whatever they
want against Jews and Christians.
There is no better ally of Islamic extremism than this sanctimony of liberal
censorship: both, in fact, want to suppress any criticism of Islam, as well as
any proud defense of the Western Enlightenment or
Judeo-Christian culture.
Twitter, one of the vehicles of this new intolerance, even formed a "Trust
and Safety Council." It brings to mind
Under this political correctness, the only "win-win" is for political
Islam.
It might look like a golden age for free speech: more than a billion tweets, Facebook posts and blogs every day. But beneath this
surface, freedom of expression is dramatically retreating.
Students at the City University of London, home to one of
The filmmaker David Cronenberg called this
self-censorship, after the massacre at Charlie Hebdo:
"a weird, serpentine political correctness." It is one of the most
lethal ideological poisons of the 21st century. It is not only closed-minded
and ridiculous, it makes us blind to the radical Islam
that is undermining our mental and cultural defenses.
The countless attacks by Muslim extremists testify that the multicultural world
to which we have been led is a fiction. Political correctness simply encourages
the Islamists to raise the stakes to win the war they are advancing. The
resulting tension has been fed by the Western elites with their sense of guilt
for "colonialism" in the
"ISIS Threaten Sylvania" -- an art exhibition featuring cute little
stuffed animals picnicking on a lawn, and unaware of other cute little stuffed
animal terrorists carrying assault rifles on a knoll just behind them -- is the
work of the artist known as Mimsy (she hides her
identity). The protagonists of this series of light box tableaux are a family
of stuffed animal dolls that inhabits an enchanted valley. Gunmen, dressed like
the Islamic State henchmen, strike the innocent inhabitants of the valley, at
school and on the beach, at a picnic or in a gay pride parade. It looks like an
updated version of Maus by Art Spiegelman,
a graphic novel depicting Nazi cats and Jewish mice during the Holocaust.
Those wishing to see this artistic panel at the Mall Galleries, in London, will
now have to console themselves with the work of Jamie McCartney, "The
Great Wall Vagina," nine meters of female genitalia, less important and
less provocative.
The brave work of Mimsy, after the British police
defined it "inflammatory," has been eliminated from the program of
this
The brave work of the artist Mimsy, satirizing the
brutality of ISIS, was removed from
Under this politically correct dictatorship, Western culture has established
two principles. First, freedom of speech can be restricted any time someone
claims that an opinion is an "insult." Second, there is a vicious
double standard: minorities, especially Muslims, can freely say whatever they
want against Jews and Christians.
And so it came to pass that the most famous Spanish football team, Real Madrid,
removed the cross from its crest after a commercial deal with Gulf emirate of
Perhaps soon the West will be soon asked to change the flag of the European
Union -- twelve yellow stars on a blue background -- because it contains a
Christian message in code. Arsène Heitz,
who designed it in 1955, was inspired by the Christian iconography of the
Virgin Mary with a crown and twelve stars on her head: what a heartless
"Western Christian supremacist" message!
Political correctness is also having a huge impact on big business: Kellogg's
withdrew advertising from Breitbart for being
"not aligned with our values" and Lego dropped advertising with Daily
Mail, to mention just two recent cases.
It should not cause alarm if companies want to decide where to advertise their
products, but it is very alarming when it happens due to "ideology."
We have never read about companies abandoning a newspaper or website because it
was too liberal or "leftist." If the Arab-Islamic regimes were follow
these views, why should they not ask their companies to stop advertising in
Western newspapers that publish articles critical of Islam, or which publish
pictures of half-naked women?
Libraries on US campuses are now putting "trigger warnings" on works
of literature: students are advised, for example, that Ovid's sublime
Metamorphosis "justifies" rape.
It is a question of priorities: no one can deny that
In the
Everywhere in the
The jihadists surely grin at this Western political correctness, since the
result of this ideology will be the abolition of the Western critical spirit
and a surreal reeducation of the masses through the
annihilation of our history and a hatred of our truly liberal past.
Students and faculty at the
A
There is no better ally of Islamic extremism than this sanctimony of liberal
censorship: both, in fact, want to suppress any criticism of Islam, as well as
any proud defense of the Western Enlightenment or
Judeo-Christian culture.
Censorship is happening not only in the liberal enclaves on the coasts of the
"Did your French gun control stop a single f*cking
person from dying? I think the only thing that stopped it was some of the
bravest men that I've ever seen charging head-first into the face of death with
their firearms. I think the only way that my mind has been changed is that maybe
until nobody has guns everybody has to have them. Because I've never seen
anyone that's ever had one dead, and I want everyone to have access to them,
and I saw people die that maybe could have lived, I don't know."
After the jihadist massacre at
Jim Hoft, a gay journalist who is the creator of the
popular Gateway Pundit blog, was suspended from YouTube. Twitter, one of the
vehicles of this new intolerance, suspended the account of Milo Yiannopoulos, a prominent gay critic of Islamic
fundamentalism -- but probably not the accounts of Islamic fundamentalists who
criticize gays. Twitter even formed a "Trust and Safety Council." It
brings to mind
Yes, it might have looked like a golden age for free speech. But under this
dictatorship of political correctness, the only "win-win" is for
political Islam.
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural
Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and
author.
© 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.
Erdogan's Gritted-Teeth Peace with Israel/Equates IDF with
Hitler
Burak Bekdil//Gatestone
Institute/December 06/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9484/erdogan-turkey-israel
In Istanbul, where a majority of Turkey's 17,000 Jews live, unknown people
recently started hanging posters in a posh district. The posters call on
Muslims "not to be fooled by the missionary activities of Jew-servant
Jehovah's Witnesses." They say: "These people are trying to destroy
the religion of Islam." Signed: Sons of Ottomans.
Erdogan's ideological hostility to the Jewish state
and his ideological love affair with Hamas have not
disappeared.
Erdogan thinks that
Yes, blessed are the peacemakers. Nevertheless, the Turkish-Israeli
"peace" may not be easy to sustain.
Modern
This dislike and hostility is not unrequited. On November 24, the European
Parliament voted overwhelmingly for a motion calling to suspend
The Turks, too, are distancing themselves from the idea of EU membership.
According to a survey by the pollsters ANDY-AR, 75.3% of Turks believe that
their country is drifting away from accession, while only 19.9% believe it is
not. Forty-four percent think freezing membership talks would be a positive
development.
Confirming the growing anti-Western mood, Erdogan's
spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, wrote in a newspaper
column: "With its internal problems, micro-nationalisms and the Brexit process,
Against this backdrop,
Feeling unsafe, more than 2,500 Turkish Jews have recently applied for Spanish
citizenship, and hundreds applied for Portuguese citizenship. Only last year,
250 Turkish Jews emigrated to
This is not surprising. Erdogan has pragmatically
agreed to shake hands with
The ups and downs of
Only a week after
Erdogan said: "I don't agree with what Hitler
did and I don't agree with what
What else? Erdogan said that he is in constant
contact with Hamas officials and that he does not believe Hamas is a terrorist
organization. What, then is Hamas? According to Erdogan, Hamas is a "political movement born from the
national resurrection."
During the interview, Erdogan was asked if he was
aware of the shock his reference to Hitler caused among Jews. He replied:
"I'm very well aware ... But is the Jewish community aware of what is done
(in
Much of Erdogan's hostile sentiment over
In other remarks, Erdogan accused
Yes, blessed are the peacemakers. Nevertheless, the Turkish-Israeli "peace"
will not be easy to sustain.
**Burak Bekdil, based in
© 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.
Is Assad the Author of
By Ehsani2/5 December 2016/For Syria Comment
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/06/is-assad-the-author-of-isis-did-iran-blow-up-assef-shawkat/
http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/assad-author-isis-iran-blow-assef-sawkat-tall-tales-ehsani2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Syriacomment+%28Syria+Comment%29
Credibility of the Sources:In a three-part
series, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Roy Gutman
relies on a number of Syrian opposition members to make the central claim that
“the Syrian regime’s collusion with the terrorists of the so-called Islamic
State goes back a decade.” This is not the first time that Assad has been
accused of complicity in the horrors of
The article is based on testimonies from what Mr. Gutman
refers to as political activists, defectors, Islamists from Hama province,
former State officials and diplomats (asking for political asylum in the U.S),
and former head of the Syrian Opposition coalition.
Bassam Barabandi, a
former employee of the now closed Syrian Embassy in
Bassam Barabandi, a
former employee of the now closed Syrian Embassy in
One key source whose name seems to appear often throughout the article is
Bassam Barabandi. Mr. Barabandi is a 41 year-old ex-diplomat who worked at the
Syrian Embassy in
When reading this article, one is reminded of Frontline’s Martin Smith
when he confronted Ahmad Chalabi in
The sources of Mr. Gutman’s articles read like
mini versions of
Gutman relates that one opposition source explained
that President Bashar al-Assad himself issued an
order to remove roadblocks in Damascus so that a car bomber, claiming to be Nusra, could have easy access to a Damascus neighborhood, set off his huge explosion and make it look
like the capital was being attacked by jihadists. This explosion was a false
flag operation, Gutman argues, masterminded by Assad
himself in order to deceive the world into believing that jihadists were a
menace when they were not. Never mind that James Clapper, the director of U.S.
National Intelligence, told Congress in mid-February that the explosions “had
all the earmarks of an al Qaeda-like attack and so we believe al Qaeda in Iraq
is extending its reach into Syria.” Never mind that Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani, the head of al-Qaida’s surrogate in
screen-shot-2016-12-05-at-9-59-54-amAssassination
of Assef Shawkat, the
President’s Brother-in-Law, 18 July 2012
Mr. Gutman’s sources are convinced that
Gutman explains that Syrian Interior Minister Shaar placed a brief case against the wall in the room in
order to blow up the security group. None of this makes sense, of course. Mr. Shaar stayed in the building, rather than escape. He blew
himself up, severely injuring himself in the blast. He spent almost 40 days at Chami hospital in intensive care.
Ali Mamlouk, head of the Syrian intelligence
apparatus
Ali Mamlouk, head of the Syrian intelligence
apparatus
If this is not crazy enough, Mr. Gutman offers an even more preposterous story to explain
why
The Real Perpetrators of the Bombing of the Assad’s Crisis Group
The only truth that Mr. Gutman’s sources told
was that no one was “allowed to get close” to the investigation after the
bombing. As we will see below, this would become an important factor in
confirming the identity of the real perpetrators of the bombing.
The crisis group regularly assembled at the office of the National
Security inside the Qiyade Qutriye
(Central Command building) and not at Turkmani’s
office as Mr. Gutman’s article posits. Nearly 3
months before the July 18th bombing, an insider placed Mercury Cyanide inside
the lentil soup that was offered to members of the crisis group. The poison
almost killed Interior Minister Shaar and Turkmani. Asef Shawkat declined the soup dish and was not harmed.
Following the incident, a decision was made to heighten security by regularly
changing the meeting location. The offices of Hisham Ihtiyar and the Defense Minister
became alternative venues for the meeting.
Nearly 7 months after the bombing, European diplomats, the identity of
whom I have been asked not to disclose, called a meeting between a Syrian
official and an opposition figure who insisted that he had been behind the
assassination of Assef Shawkat.
The reason that the European diplomats called for the meeting was to pressure
President Assad and his generals to resign. They believed that the success of
the opposition figure in assassinating so many top government officials would
intimidate Assad and convince him to leave
In order to establish his credibility, the opposition figure explained in
great detail how and where the bomb had been planted in the National Security
building in Rawda. His details matched the evidence
that was being uncovered by the regime investigation of the bombing and
convinced its officials that the opposition figure was not bluffing. He knew
that the bombs were placed in a suspended or drop ceiling that had been
installed in the National Security room years earlier. A total of 5 explosives
were placed inside the drop ceiling. One of the five did not explode. Such
details were impossible for anyone outside the inner circle in
Syrian Defence Minister General Daoud Rajha
Syrian Defence Minister General Daoud Rajha
financier, had been involved in the bombing that killed the President’s
brother-in-law. He went on to explain how Saudi Arabian officials had promised
him a large sum of money that he later collected once the bombing had been
successfully carried out. This was further confirmed when he described how he
was able to recruit an Armenian officer who worked at Major General Hisham Ikhtiyar’s office to
smuggle the explosives inside the building and use the adjacent office from
which he was able to insert the bombs into the ceiling and have them placed
into Mr. Ikhtiyar’s office, directly above the table
around which the group convened. Fifteen minutes before the explosion, the
Armenian officer left the building, claiming that he had to empty the garbage.
He never returned. He had placed a timer in his office that triggered the
explosion. He has never been seen again. His reward was $2 million out of the
total of $7 million that was paid to the group. In 2012, barely a year into the
Syrian crisis, the idea that the Syrian state might be the next government to
fall in the Arab Spring was gaining momentum. With the probability of state
collapse on the rise, it made sense for an Armenian officer and others like him
to accept a $2 million payment in the hope starting a new life overseas.
Recall that officials from a European capital witnessed the meeting in
which the Syrian financier explained to Syrian officials how he had executed
the assassination of Asef Shawkat.
They can confirm this entire account. Contrary to the speculations of Mr. Gutman’s sources,
Almost immediately after 9/11, Assad authorized his intelligence services
to share many of their files on the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood in
Flirting With the Islamists:
Since fighting an earlier war with the Moslem Brotherhood in the early
1980’s, Syrian jails have been home to many Islamists. Syrian security agencies
have traditionally trumped the Syrian justice system when it comes to the final
say on the length of stay of those arrested. Often, when the justice system
sentenced a person, the security services had the authority to ignore the end
of the sentence by invoking “national security” concerns. This meant that many
of those in prison were there beyond their legal stay. Scores of families never
got to see their loved ones even after their original legal sentences were
over.
Zahran Alloush,
Leader of the Islamic Army.
Zahran Alloush,
Leader of opposition militia, the Islamic Army. See this article about his
ideology and beliefs
As the events in Daraa
unfolded, the President invited key figures from the town to see what can be
done to calm the demonstrations. One such figure was cleric Sayasneh.
One of the consistent demands of such meetings was the release of prisoners. It
was no different when Douma joined the uprising.
Foreign Embassies were also pushing the
The
One of the longest standoffs between the Syrian Army and armed groups was
at the
Almost since the start of the Syrian crisis, the debate on the timing of
the radicalization of the conflict still rages on. Supporters of the Syrian
opposition refer to articles like Mr. Gutman’s to
portray a peaceful uprising that
[End]
Joshua Landis and Roy Gutman debate the notion
that Assad helped create ISIS and planned false flag operations to bomb
Damascus on “NPR’s To The Point”
Qatari Writer, Dr. 'Abd
Al-Hamid Al-Ansari,:
Religious Extremism's Roots Are In Muslim Society, Not External Elements
MEMRI/December 06/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/06/memri-qatari-writer-dr-abd-al-hamid-al-ansari-religious-extremisms-roots-are-in-muslim-society-not-external-elements/
http://www.memri.org/reports/qatari-writer-religious-extremisms-roots-are-muslim-society-not-external-elements
On September 7, 2016, Qatari writer and intellectual Dr. 'Abd
Al-Hamid Al-Ansari, former
dean of Islamic law at Qatar University, wrote in his column in the UAE daily
Al-Ittihad that the Arabs must stop thinking that
external elements such as the West or economic woes are to blame for Islamic
religious extremism. The Arabs, he said, should examine themselves and their
school curricula, raise the younger generation to be tolerant and open, and
fight political Islam and prevent mosque pulpits from being used to spread
extremist ideas.
Following are excerpts from his column:[1]
"Religious extremism is not, as many believe, a new phenomenon or the
result of current events. It has accompanied Arab societies throughout Islamic
history, but was [at first] limited to individuals, not to [entire] groups and
organizations – until the arbitration between 'Ali and Muawiya,
[which led] to the Kharijites'[2] breakaway [from
Islam]. They were the first armed terrorist organization, and their violent
attack was against the best Muslim society [of all] – the righteous caliphs and
the righteous caliphate state – [and was launched] under the slogan of 'there
is no rule but Allah's.' This [Kharijite] slogan gave
rise to Al-Mawdudi's, and later Sayyid
Qutb's, espousal of perception of hakimiyya,[3] which forms the ideological lynchpin of all subsequent
extremist organizations.
"Had the Kharijites been satisfied with armed
rebellion, had not accused the Companions of the Prophet of apostasy and made
[taking] their blood [i.e. lives] and property permissible, we would have said
that they were like all separatist rebel groups that gnaw away at the united
Muslim corpus. But the Kharijites were known for
their aggressive religious extremism that did only accuse their political
rivals of apostasy, but also declared their blood, property, and honor [permissible] – and today this is what we call
terrorism.
"I oppose the politicization of religious extremism, or justifying it on
the grounds of political oppression, suppression of liberties, and the spread
of tyranny. I also [oppose] blaming religious extremism on economic factors
such as unemployment and poverty; attributing it to international conflicts
such as the problems in Palestine, Kashmir, and Chechnya, or to the American
presence in the region and the American occupation in Iraq; or [claiming] that
Muslims have been the target of an external plot. These and other excuses are
spread by various media outlets, a large portion of writers and intellectuals,
pan-Arabist preachers, left-wingers and Islamists,
and especially political Islam preachers, who justify religious extremism by
calling it a response to oppressive international policy and the result of
totalitarian Arab regimes and secular [desecration] of religious symbols.T hey even tie religious extremism to the torture
inflicted on Muslim Brotherhood [members] in the prisons.
"In my opinion, all these explanations and excuses serve one purpose:
politically exploiting terrorism for the benefit of various groups' partisan
agendas (pan-Arabist, leftist, and Islamist), by
means of winning over public opinion, stirring it up, and inciting it against
the regimes.
"Thus, extremism, just like [religious] fanaticism, is the result of
internal causes and elements that are rooted in a misguided, unilateral, and
closed-minded education that does not foster critical thinking and is not open
to humanistic cultures. [It is the result of] religious discourse aimed
strictly at depicting the world as plotting against Muslims, [the result of]
media that incites against the other and sows hatred in the hearts and minds of
young people, and [the result of] of an unwise policy that discriminates among
citizens, and fails to establish an egalitarian 'embracing citizenship' for all
elements of society.
"How do we deal with religious extremism?
"If we want to tackle the causes of religious extremism, we must first reexamine early childhood upbringing methods – because as
education and psychology research has shown, most extremists are the product of
a failed upbringing that is the result of unfettered [population] growth or the
breakdown of the family. Furthermore, we [must] overhaul school curricula,
teaching methods, and the teaching environment as a whole – and not only
develop and improve curricula and textbooks. One of the most important things
in this context is to remove extremists and hate preachers from the educational
environment... We must also oversee the pulpits from which religious sermons
are delivered, and classify as a crime their use for any purpose besides the
legitimate roles they are meant to play, such as exploiting them for a partisan
agenda or [in order to spread] extremist ideas.
"The mosque pulpits of all religious schools of thought and trends must
unite and not divide, and must stress commonalities and foster the sublime
Islamic principles and values... We should also develop the religious discourse
so that it is open to the other and to shared human values, and should work to
limit the religious establishment's influence and shatter its custodianship of
society... along with banning fatwas that accuse
others of apostasy, that incite, and that question the beliefs of others.
"Ultimately, extremism is the symptom of a disease, and if we truly want
to tackle extremism, we must first dry up its sources and remove its roots that
reach deep into the social soil – because the foundation of extremism is an
ideology that drives its proponents to think that they possess the ultimate
truth and that others [believe] in mistaken things..."
[1] Al-Ittihad (UAE), September 7, 2016.
[2] In 657 CE, Muawiya I fought a battle with Caliph
'Ali bin Abi Talib in an
attempt to topple him. When the battle ended with no clear victor, it was
decided that the two would undergo a process of arbitration to determine the
leader, after which Muawiya was appointed caliph. A
group of Ali's supporters objected to the results of the arbitration, arguing
that the transfer of leadership is solely in the hands of Allah. This group
therefore set itself apart from the rest of the Muslims and received the name Khawarij (Kharijites).
[3] The view that rule is Allah's alone, which is not the case in modern Muslim
societies, which rely on man-made laws. The ideological fathers of radical
Islam such as Al-Mawdudi and Sayyid
Qutb claimed that the absence of hakimiyya
takes Muslims back to the pre-Islamic jahiliyya
(ignorance) period, in which people did not honor the
rule of Allah.
How does the ‘mad dog’ think?
Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/December 06/16
The next
This is why Mattis nicely criticizes his superiors in
the civilian sphere who did not understand their enemies well and did not
specify their targets, thus thwarting major military efforts. During the Iraqi
war, US troops succeeded in achieving a swift victory in only three weeks;
however, political goals were not clear or realistic and
Mattis is well-known for some famous statements such
as: “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”
However, these sound bites are crafted for media promotion and consumption and
the way he actually thinks is more strategic as he has a clearer idea about the
role of the
Knowing how the “mad dog,” who joined the army at the
age of 18, thinks is necessary to understand the next
Mattis aspires to restore American influence in the
region and he believes in the perfect moral vision for the world
According to the “mad dog,” the regime in
The second threat to Mattis after Shiite political
Islam is Sunni political Islam and all the movements which have emerged from
it. Once again, his analysis comprehends the roots of the intellectual crisis
which is deeply-rooted in history. Extremism is not product of our times but
dates back to bygone centuries. The
General Mattis’ character enjoys respect and
appreciation. After years of Obama’s term, which is described as a phase of
weakness or American withdrawal, a commentator satirically said: “It’s good
that the defense minister’s nickname is ‘mad dog’ to
scare
**This article was first published on AlArabiya.net on Dec. 6, 2016.
Let’s make Saudi Vision 2030 a reality
Khaled Almaeena/Al Arabiya/December 06/16
According to a report in a local newspaper, the government will start paying
contractors within the next two weeks and up to 80 percent of the money owed
will be paid by the end of this year.
Fahd al-Hammadi, head of the National Contractors
Committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers, said that around SR 40 billion has
already been disbursed to construction firms and asked that the rest be
distributed as per the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. His
request can be fully appreciated as delays have caused untold hardship to
workers, business owners, suppliers and banks. Our national economy has
suffered and our image abroad has been damaged.
This culture of delayed payments has prevailed for some time and was even the
case when oil prices were high. It stems from irregularities, corruption,
mismanagement and a lack of empathy among those in the world of business and
finance. At times the attitude of bureaucrats, even minor ones, could make or
break a major project.
It is important at this critical juncture when oil prices are down and reserves
have taken a hit that the Ministry of Finance manages a cash flow that helps
streamline the economy.
Another report in a local daily states that Saudi
reserves can cover the budget deficit for the next seven years. However, we
need not wait for that to happen! And it should not happen. After all we have
oil exports as well as some non-oil exports, and there are other sources of
revenue, as well.
Let us usher in a positive atmosphere by modernizing our ministries and making
Saudi Vision 2030 a goal and a reality
Saudi Vision 2030 is clear. However, what is needed is a balanced budget,
fiscal responsibility, an end to waste and a proper costing of projects.
International standards should be applied. Furthermore, while in the past major
conglomerates were in control, the business scene should change to allow small-
and medium-sized enterprises to participate in the national economy.
Let us usher in a positive atmosphere by modernizing our ministries and making
Saudi Vision 2030 a goal and a reality. History will not forgive us if we do
not do so.
*This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on December 4, 2016.