LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

December 12/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

 

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Bible Quotations For Today
My time has not yet come, but your time is always here
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 07/01-10/:"After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in
Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’(For not even his brothers believed in him.) Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify against it that its works are evil.Go to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this festival, for my time has not yet fully come.’After saying this, he remained in Galilee. But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret.

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news/So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ
Letter to the Romans 10/14-21/:"How are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for ‘Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.’Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, ‘I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.’Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, ‘I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.’But of Israel he says, ‘All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.’"

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 11-12/16
The Free World has an obligation to protect Egypt’s Christians & the Middle East minorities/Elias Bejjani/December 11/16
My Full support To Bahig Abu Hamze & his Family /Elias Bejjani/December 11/16
A Saudi-Iranian tug of war over /Dalal Saoud/The Arab Weekly/December 11/16
Campaign repeals Lebanon’s rape law but there’s a long way to go/Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/December 11/16
Campaign repeals Lebanon’s rape law but there’s a long way to go/Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/December 11/16
Are Divorced Christians Allowed to Marry Again/Czarina Ong Christian Today/December 11/2016
Erdogan's Private Youth Army/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/December 11/16
Is France going to the dogs/ Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/December 11/16
The Dutch Death SpiralF/rom Paradise to Bolshevik Thought Police
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/December 11/16
Riyadh and the Gulf are in Danger/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/December 11/16
Khamenei, Iranian Visionaries Fighting in Syria/Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al Awsat/December 11/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on December 11-12/16
The Free World has an obligation to protect Egypt’s Christians & the Middle East minorities
My Full support To Bahig Abu Hamze & his Family
Lebanon: Cabinet Between ‘Positive Allusions’ and Absence of Practical Solutions
Aoun Offers Condolences to Sisi, Tawadros over Church Blast Victims
Efforts Underway to Find 'Settlement' over Cabinet, Marada's Portfolio
Aude Calls for 'Real National Accord, Loyalty to State, Constitution'
Al-Rahi to Accompany Franjieh to Baabda Monday
LF Insists on Public Works Portfolio, Says Offered Enough 'Concessions'
MP Aoun Says Govt. May be Formed Next Week
A Saudi-Iranian tug of war over Lebanon
Campaign repeals Lebanon’s rape law but there’s a long way to go

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 11-12/16  
Bomb explodes in Cairo’s Coptic cathedral
At least 25 killed in explosion near Cairo's Coptic Cathedral: Health minister
Sisi declares three days of mourning after cathedral explosion
Al-Azhar condemns Cairo Coptic Cathedral explosion
Turkey Defiant after Blasts Claimed by Kurdish Militants Kill 38 in Istanbul
Syria Army Advances in Aleppo but Rolled Back in Palmyra
IS Retakes Palmyra after Syria Army Withdrawal
Fall of Aleppo Will be a Pivotal Moment in Syria War
Thousands Flee Heavy Aleppo Fighting
British Minister Expects Assad to Recapture Aleppo
Saudi Says British FM's 'Proxy War' Comment Misconstrued
U.S. Defense Chief in Iraq to Review Mosul Op
48 Soldiers Dead in IS-Claimed Yemen Attack
Republicans Reject Reports Russia Helped Trump Win Election
Trump Questions 'One China Policy' without Beijing Concessions
Trump on Russia Meddling in U.S. Election: 'I Don't Believe It'
IRAN: Ten Prisoners Hanged on Sunday
Iran Regime Is a Threat to Security and Stability in the Middle East
Iran Regime Agents Prevent a 7-Year-Old Girl From Entering Football Stadium


Links From Jihad Watch Site for on
December 11-12/16  
Egypt: Muslims bomb St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo, murdering dozens
UK won’t deport “very model of a modern Al Qaeda terrorist” because he might be tortured in Jordan
Child marriage widespread in Bangladesh: 52% of brides are under 18, 18% under 15
Berlin: Muslima who claimed she was kicked off tram for hijab was actually kicked off for eating
Berlin senate’s new Muslim secretary of state claims Sharia “absolutely compatible” with German law
OSU group says jihadi was wrongly killed: Justice can’t “come from a cop’s bullet”
“The Quran Teaches That All Human Beings Are Equal”: Beliefs (Part I)
Jihadi urges Muslims in UK to mug drunk Christmas revellers and send money to the Islamic State
Boston Islamic center with ties to multiple jihad terrorists hosts interfaith call for peace
Indonesia foils jihad plot to bomb state palace

Links From Christian Today Site for on December 11-12/16
Attack On Cairo Cathedral Kills At Least 25
Nigeria Church Collapse: Up To 160 Dead, Says Hospital Director
Are Divorced Christians Allowed to Marry Again?

Latest Lebanese Related News published on December 11-12/16
The Free World has an obligation to protect Egypt’s Christians & the Middle East minorities
Elias Bejjani/December 11/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/11/elias-bejjani-the-free-world-has-an-obligation-to-protect-egypts-christians-the-middle-east-minorities/
The least ethical and human obligation that any peace loving person would do today, is to strongly condemn the barbaric, savage and fundamentalist assault that targeted in Egypt the Coptic Cathedral at Cairo’s Abbassyia district.
Sadly, the vicious attack killed 25 innocent parishioners and injured forty others.
The coward assailants attacked the Christian civil and peaceful parishioners while they were praying.
This vicious assault reaches the realm of a series of similar previous and ongoing fanatic attacks against Egyptian Christians and their churches.
It is worth mentioning that the Egyptian Christian human rights’ status is extremely traumatizing and worrisome as well as their physical safety.
The same humiliating and persecutory status is inflicted on all minorities in the majority of the Middle East countries in general and in particular in Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Algeria, Libya.
The persecution against Christians and other minorities in these counties is an official and formal practice legitimized by biased laws and regulations.
At the same time, this phenomenon of anti-human rights practices is widely encouraged, nurtured and cultivated through education of hatred, fundamentalism, rejection of the other and ignorance.
What is unfortunate, pitiful and sad is that the governments of many middle east countries adopt such practices while the free world keeps a blind eye or in the best scenario limits its condemnation to mere rhetoric levels.
The horrible and barbaric crime of today is strongly denounced.
We, call on the free world countries, the United Nations, the Vatican and on all the Human Rights organizations to be loud in their public stances of condemnation and to develop a world wide plan and strategy to protect the Middle East Christians as well as all other minorities.
Our deepest sympathies are extended to the families and friends of those killed today, and all wishes for a speedy recovery to all the injured.
May the souls of all those innocent victims that were killed today rest in peace.
 *Elias Bejjani
 Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
Web sites http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com & http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
Tweets on https://twitter.com/phoeniciaelias
Face Book https://www.facebook.com/groups/128479277182033 & https://www.facebook.com/elias.y.bejjani

My Full support To Bahig Abu Hamze & his family
Elias Bejjani/Dece,ber 11/16/God be with you and definitely He is. What you are exposed to as a family is a crime, no more no less Enough is enough. God hates all those who have power and misuse it to inflict injustice and pain on others
https://www.facebook.com/BahijAbouHamze/ 

Lebanon: Cabinet Between ‘Positive Allusions’ and Absence of Practical Solutions
Paula Astih/Asharq Al Awsat/December 11/16/Beirut – The positive positions launched by each of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and the Secretary General of the so-called Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah on Friday and which alluded that a new cabinet could possibly be formed in the next hours did not meet with any practical measures that would secure the smooth birth of a new government. On the contrary, conflicting information emerged on Saturday saying each party was still attached to its demands in the absence of any new suggestions that could facilitate an adequate exit to the frozen cabinet lineup. High-level sources at the Future Movement responded to what it said were “positive allusions” expressed by the so-called Nasrallah during his last speech and by Speaker Nabih Berri who are both trying to “throw the ball of delaying the cabinet formation from their camp to the camp of their opponents.”The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat: “If the obstacles are known and the intentions are positive, as some say, then why is the cabinet not formed yet?” The sources said that the two Shi’ite parties (Amal and Hezbollah) seek to find a role in the formation of the cabinet. “They are trying to create a role in the operation of the cabinet formation, which according to all constitutional texts should be the task of the President and the prime minister-designate,” the sources added. Also, sources at the Lebanese Forces (LF) said on Saturday that the party is still attached to its ministerial share and has no intention to renounce the Public Affairs ministry, after the party relinquished its right to receive a leading portfolio.
 The LF sources told Asharq Al-Awsat: “In addition to the public affairs ministry, we insist on receiving the Information and the Social Affairs portfolios, in addition to the post of the deputy Prime Minister. The party who is not pleased with our demands, let him file a complaint to the concerned parties, who are President Aoun and Hariri.”On Friday night, Hariri visited Berri to discuss the cabinet stalemate. After the meeting, Hariri said: “Speaker Berri is highly keen on speeding up the formation of the Cabinet and surmounting all hurdles. The climate is undoubtedly positive, and we will reach a happy end soon.”
 
Aoun Offers Condolences to Sisi, Tawadros over Church Blast Victims
Naharnet/December 11/16/President Michel Aoun held phone talks Sunday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to offer him condolences over the victims of a bomb attack that killed at least 25 people inside a Cairo church in the deadliest attack in recent memory on Egypt's Christian minority. “This horrific crime that has shaken the conscience of humanity proves that terrorism is not deterred by any moral or religious considerations and that it is the peak of criminality,” Aoun told Sisi. He also expressed the solidarity of the Lebanese president and people with “the brotherly Egyptian people,” state-run National News Agency said. Aoun also called the spiritual leader of the Coptic Orthodox community in Lebanon Father Orshalimi Roweis to offer condolences to Coptic Pope Tawadros II. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing but Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population, have been previously targeted in jihadist attacks. At least 31 people were also wounded in the blast, the health ministry said, as the attack drew condemnation from political and religious leaders and led President Sisi to declare three days of national mourning.

Efforts Underway to Find 'Settlement' over Cabinet, Marada's Portfolio
Naharnet/December 11/16/The political forces are seeking to reach a “broad settlement” over the distribution of the ministerial portfolios that are still a subject of contention so that the new cabinet can be formed soon, a media report said on Sunday. “There are strong efforts aimed at finding a broad settlement over the ministerial portfolios that are delaying the finalization of the cabinet line-up, seeing as it is difficult to address one portfolio without addressing the other portfolios, which necessitates a settlement among all parties concerned,” An Nahar newspaper reported. It noted that the portfolio that should be allocated to the Marada Movement is still the main obstacle that is hindering the formation of the government.“The issue was put on the front burner after the latest meeting between Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, which requires additional efforts from Hariri with MP Suleiman Franjieh, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and MP Walid Jumblat,” the daily added. The sought settlement will re-distribute the public works, health and education ministerial portfolios and one of them is supposed to be offered to Marada, An Nahar said.
 
Aude Calls for 'Real National Accord, Loyalty to State, Constitution'
Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut Elias Aude called Sunday for supporting the country's new president and for “real national accord,” stressing that “loyalty must be for the State, the army and the constitution.”“The ruler's duty is to seek the interest of the country and the citizens, not his own interests,” said Aude during a mass marking the eleventh anniversary of the assassination of MP Gebran Tueni, the former editor and publisher of An Nahar newspaper. “We are facing the dilemma of forming a cabinet and Lebanon urgently needs a government that addresses people's affairs,” the archbishop added. “We have started to hear about sovereign ministerial portfolios, services-related portfolios and portfolios that are permanently allocated to certain parties,” Aude lamented. He also noted that Tueni “was dreaming of a free, democratic country governed by laws,” whereas “we are witnessing an ethical deterioration nowadays.”Tueni was assassinated in a car bomb blast in Mkalles on December 12, 2005. He was among several anti-Damascus officials and figures who were assassinated or escaped murder in the aftermath of the Feb. 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
 
Al-Rahi to Accompany Franjieh to Baabda Monday
Naharnet/December 11/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh will visit President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace on Monday as part of a Bkirki initiative, a media report has said. "Al-Rahi is seeking to mend ties between Franjieh and President Michel Aoun," MTV reported. The patriarch had visited Baabda last week to put Aoun in the picture of his endeavor “and it seems that he heard a positive answer from the president,” the TV network added. “Contacts away from the spotlight might have also taken place with Bnashii,” MTV said. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had on Friday announced that the party wants ties to be restored between its two main Christian allies – the Free Patriotic Movement and Marada.
Ties between Aoun and Franjieh were strained after the latter was nominated for the presidency by al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri in late 2015.
 
Al-Rahi Urges Resolving Obstacles Delaying Cabinet, New Electoral Law
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi called Sunday for facilitating the formation of the new government and for passing a new electoral law for parliamentary polls. The political forces must “resolve the obstacles that are hindering the formation of the government and must approve a new law for parliamentary elections to pave the way for restoring normalcy in state institutions,” al-Rahi said during his Sunday Mass sermon. The patriarch is expected to accompany Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh to a meeting with President Michel Aoun on Monday. Al-Rahi's initiative might mend ties between Aoun and Franjieh and contribute to a quick formation of the new cabinet. Franjieh's demand to get a key ministerial portfolio is one of the main declared obstacles that are delaying the formation of the new cabinet. Franjieh has announced that Marada will not join the new cabinet if it does not get one of three so-called important portfolios – public works, energy or telecommunications. Speaker Nabih Berri Berri, who is negotiating on behalf of the Hizbullah-led March 8 forces, has backed Franjieh's demand and insisted that Marada should be represented in the government with an important portfolio.''
 
LF Insists on Public Works Portfolio, Says Offered Enough 'Concessions'
Naharnet/December 11/16/The Lebanese Forces has reportedly announced that it will not give up its demand to get the public works ministerial portfolio after it agreed to be excluded from the so-called sovereign portfolios. “The LF does not intend to give up the public works portfolio after it renounced its right to get a sovereign portfolio,” the Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat quoted LF sources as saying. “In addition to public works, we are holding onto the information and social affairs portfolios as well as the deputy premier post, and those who do not like this can submit an objection” to President Michel Aoun and PM-designate Saad Hariri, the sources added. Speaker Nabih Berri is also insisting on the public works portfolio and he had objected to the possibility of granting the LF the finance portfolio, arguing that it should remain with the Shiite sect “as stipulated by the minutes of meeting of the Taef Accord.”
 
MP Aoun Says Govt. May be Formed Next Week
Naharnet/December 11/16/MP Alain Aoun of the Change and Reform bloc announced Sunday that “the main obstacle delaying the formation of the cabinet will in principle be resolved in the next 48 hours and only the final touches will remain,” noting that “the government might be formed next week.”“The decrees of the new cabinet could be signed any moment as of Monday evening,” Aoun said in a radio interview. “A recent initiative has opened the doors regarding cabinet formation and all groups are willing to endorse it,” the MP added. As for the Free Patriotic Movement's relation with Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, which were strained during the presidential race, Aoun said he expects ties to be mended soon. Asked about the political scene in Lebanon in the wake of the presidential vote, Aoun stressed that “no one in Lebanon can eliminate others and agreements between all parties are inevitable.” Turning to the issue of the electoral law, the MP said an FPM delegation will meet all parties in a bid to reach an agreement on a new electoral law. “Should this last attempt fail, the elections will be held on time according to the current law, because compared to extension, it would be the lesser of the two evils,” Aoun went on to say. “The delegation will propose proportional representation during its tour, knowing that the chances for endorsing proportional representation today are higher than the chances for agreeing on a hybrid law,” the lawmaker noted.

A Saudi-Iranian tug of war over Lebanon
Dalal Saoud/The Arab Weekly/December 11/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/11/dalal-saoudthe-arab-weekly-a-saudi-iranian-tug-of-war-over-lebanon/
Beirut - Less than a year after Saudi Arabia made the dramatic decision to abandon Leba­non, suspending military aid worth $4 billion and leaving Beirut on its own, the king­dom seems to have shifted its po­sition. Letting Lebanon fall under Iran’s complete control was not a good idea after all.
Sending special envoys in No­vember to bless Sunni leader Saad Hariri’s move to back Hezbollah’s ally and strong Christian leader Michel Aoun as Lebanon’s presi­dent and congratulating and in­viting Aoun to visit Riyadh were the first signs of a changing Saudi
Aoun’s inauguration speech, which stressed the need to dissoci­ate Lebanon from external conflicts and to adopt an independent for­eign policy based on the country’s higher interests and the respect of international law, was encouraging. Saudi Prince Khalid al-Faisal, who headed a high-level delegation to a November meeting with Aoun, invited the Lebanese president to visit Riyadh.
Aoun emphasised the need to strengthen Saudi-Lebanese ties and promised to visit the Saudi capital after a new Lebanese cabinet was in place. That promise, however, raised eyebrows within Hezbollah- Iran-Syria circles since dedicat­ing his first official visit to Riyadh would be considered a move in favour of Saudi Arabia. Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made a point in appear­ing on television to dismiss friction with Aoun and downplay concerns over the Saudi November visits. While the president is “trusted” and Hezbollah ‘”is not to veto” his Riyadh trip, Nasrallah stressed that “the other party” should also not place any veto on Aoun travelling to Syria or Iran.
Countering Iran’s influence over Lebanon is probably the reason behind renewed Saudi interest in the tiny Arab country. However, it was premature to know how far the Saudis would go to drag Lebanon back to their and the Arab fold.
The Saudis realised that leaving Lebanon completely was not in their interests, noted Riad Tabba­rah, a former Lebanese ambassador to the United States. “They found out that if they don’t go back to Lebanon, the country will become 100% Iranian and Iran will have the final say.”
Referring to Saudi Arabia’s inter­nal debate “to do the right thing and how to confront Iran”, Tabbarah said those who advanced the argu­ment that confrontation should not be limited to Yemen but extended to other places, such as Syria and Lebanon, won the day.
Aoun’s election after two-and-a-half years of a presidential vacuum, mainly blamed on Hezbollah and him, moved the stagnant waters and “proved to the world that there is something other than Hezbol­lah”, with a new head of state and government institutions back on track, said a well-placed Lebanese official who requested not to be named.
“The Saudis are saying we are with the Lebanese state… When it regains its strength, we will be by your side,” the official said.
That clearly means standing up to Hezbollah’s and Iran’s grow­ing influence — a rather risky and delicate task due to the country’s fragile confessional and political balance.
Aoun is convinced that he won’t be able to rule without (Saudi ally) Hariri while Hezbollah and Iran have interest in maintaining sta­bility in the country and preserv­ing the support of Aoun and of his Christian base,” the official said.
The Saudis have started “a pro­cess to come back to Lebanon and bring back Lebanon to them”, Tab­barah said.
“A tug of war” between the Sau­dis and Iranians is developing, he said, “with one side trying to pull the president in one direction and the other in another direction”.
With no long-term plan in place, the Saudis are moving step by step, counting on their traditional finan­cial, economic and political influ­ence, which Iran can hardly match, in Lebanon. Rescinding a Saudi- Gulf travel ban on Lebanon and resuming those countries’ much-needed investments are of utmost importance to revive the Lebanon’s stagnant economy.
“The president (Aoun) knows that he can benefit much more from being friends with the Gulf coun­tries than being completely on the side of Iran and Hezbollah. It looks now that Hezbollah is very worried. They are trying to bring him back to the fold,” Tabbarah said.
Hezbollah will not stand idle and has been sending clear messages to Aoun but it is yet to be seen how far it would go — other than vetoing and delaying decisions — in block­ing a serious rapprochement with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
Recent military developments in Syria, with a looming victory for the Assad regime and its allies in the Aleppo battle and the pos­sible realisation of a “useful Syria” stretching to the Lebanese border, are factors to be taken into account but unlikely to secure a decisive victory or end the war any time be­fore Donald Trump assumes the US presidency on January 20th. Saudi Arabia, which has been backing some rebel forces, is unlikely to ac­cept an early defeat in Syria and will try to remain engaged there.
“During this period when the Syr­ian factor is not clear and not very decisive, I think the Saudis will be in a better position to pull Leba­non to their side,” Tabbarah noted, mentioning the suspended $4 bil­lion military aid package and that the Saudis can “sneak back” and release the money once they feel that the process is going in the right direction at the right tempo.
Now that Lebanon is being again pulled in opposite directions, it will be hard to say who will win.
**Dalal Saoud is the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of The Arab Weekly. She is based in Beirut.

Campaign repeals Lebanon’s rape law but there’s a long way to go
Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/December 11/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/11/yara-al-wazir-campaign-repeals-lebanons-rape-law-but-theres-a-long-way-to-go/
Sometimes people need to die in the process of their protest in order to make change happen, other times, strong research and simple silent protests over a prolonged period of time are what it takes for action to happen. The Lebanese government’s response to the protests against Article 522, which absolves rapists from punishment if they marry their victim have been prolonged, but eventually parliament has reacted. Earlier this week, following numerous protests and movements from civil society NGO’s such as ABAAD, a motion to repeal article 522 has been set in place, with further debates planned to take place December 14. The dangerous part, both for the public and for the government, is that civil society may not realise just how much power they had before this day. Successful campaigning against Article 522 is not the end; rather merely the beginning of a long fight to secure basic rights for women.
 According to ABAAD, a non-profit NGO based in Lebanon, 60 per cent of the Lebanese population is in favour of repealing Article 522 with 84 per cent considering that it protects the rapist from prosecution and punishment. While these numbers are staggering, they showcase the large dichotomy between parliamentary law that exists in countries such as Lebanon, and modern-day thinking. Article 522 for example dates back to the 1940s. The premise behind the law is partly related to the probability of giving birth to a child following the rape, only to have the father imprisoned and unable to provide. Unfortunately, the idea has further perpetuated with a patriarchal approach of the “shame” brought on to a family’s honour through rape. Yes, rape is shameful; the rapist is the one who should feel ashamed and humiliated, not the victim. For decades, women have had to deal with increased pressures to marry their rapists because of what society may or may not say about their “purity.”
 While women across the world fight for equal pay, women in this region must continue to fight for basic laws
 As if the physical trauma and emotional trauma, such as PTSD, that haunts women following a rape weren’t bad enough, having an exception to absolve rapists of punishment merely increases pressure on women to accept blame. This was mirrored by research by ABAAD, which showed that 73 percent of people believed that the existence of the law pressures women to marry their rapists. What happens when a woman is in fact forced to marry her rapist? In Morocco, where a similar exemption existed in 2013, this lead to several suicides.
 Let’s not drag religion into this. While it is important that we continue to share stories like this – stories that showcase the strength and impact of public opinion on government and parliament – it is also important to understand the origin of these laws. While users on social media have used this story to spew racist and Islamaphobic remarks, there is no such ruling.
 Laws and articles regarding marital rape were not brought in by politicians in recent times – in fact, some may argue that this particular clause was inherited from French law in the 1940’s (later repealed in 1994).
 We must not allow celebration to cloud judgement
 Hundreds of hours of hard work and effort go into campaigning for any given cause. When the results are as successful as they have been this week, it is only natural to celebrate. However, as a region, we must not let celebration cloud our judgement or slow down our desire to achieve change. There are still many issues, penal codes and articles that have been designed by patriarchal institutions to deliberately make women’s lives difficult. While women across the world fight for equal pay, women in this region must continue to fight for basic laws that protect them against domestic abuse, sexual harassment and the right to pass citizenship on to their children. These issues are not limited to women in Lebanon, rather they extend to women across the region.
 *Yara al Wazir is a humanitarian activist. She is the founder of The Green Initiative ME and a developing partner of Sharek Stories. She can be followed and contacted on twitter @YaraWazir  

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 11-12/16
Bomb explodes in Cairo’s Coptic cathedral
Al Arabiya English Sunday, 11 December 2016/A bomb exploded near Cairo's Coptic cathedral on Sunday killing 25 people and wounding another 35 on Sunday, according to Egyptian state television. The blast took place as a Sunday mass being held in the chapel was about to end and coincided with a national holiday in Egypt marking the birth of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Most of the victims are thought to be women and children. A device containing about 12 kg of the explosive TNT had denoted on the women's side of the cathedral, the security sources said. “Today's terrorist attack is a direct attempt to derail Egypt's economy in need of foreign investments and to also deter tourists from visiting the country. This unfortunate event comes at the heel of another deadly attack this week in Haram against police officers,” Adel El-Adawy, PhD candidate at the Department of War Studies, King's College London told Al Arabiya English. “After the bombings that happened today, Egyptians are standing together,” Farrah El Essawi, graduate from the American University in Cairo told Al Arabiya English. “It seems that after moments like this there occurs a sense of unity between Egyptians to combat this third party that is attempting to spread fear amongst us.” There was no immediate claim of responsibility, however, some supporters of ISIS celebrated the attack on social media.“God is great, God is great, God is great,” one wrote on Telegram messenger. “God bless the person who did this blessed act,” wrote another, also on Telegram. “As soon as the priest called us to prepare for prayer, the explosion happened,” Emad Shoukry, who was inside the cathedral when the blast took place, told Reuters. “The explosion shook the place... The dust covered the hall and I was looking for the door, although I couldn't see anything... I managed to leave in the middle of screams and there were a lot of people thrown on the ground,” he said. Egyptian security forces inspect the scene of a bomb explosion inside the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Coptic Orthodox Church on December 11, 2016, in Cairo's Abbasiya neighbourhood. (AFP) Egyptian security forces and members of the clergy inspect the scene of a bomb explosion at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Coptic Orthodox Church on December 11, 2016, in Cairo's Abbasiya neighbourhood. (AFP) (With Reuters)

At least 25 killed in explosion near Cairo's Coptic Cathedral: Health minister
Ahram Online , Sunday 11 Dec 2016
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/251801/Egypt/Politics-/UPDATE--Death-toll-rises-to--in-explosion-near-Cai.aspx
At least 25 people were killed and 49 injured after an explosion near the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo's Abbassyia district early Sunday morning, Minister of Health Ahmed Emad told CBC Extra satellite channel. The Coptic Church's official spokesperson Rev Paul Halim told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that the explosion took place in the small church of St Peter and St Paul (El-Botroseya), attached to the Coptic Cathedral. Security forces are screening the area and have blocked the main roads surrounding the cathedral. Hundreds of Muslim and Coptic protesters gathered at the cathedral, chanting against the attack on the church in a show of both anger and unity. A number of protesters attempted to remove the cordons around the cathedral, which led to minor skirmishes with security forces. Hospitals where the injured are being treated, including Dar El-Shefaa and Ain Shams University Hospital, have called for blood donations, while calls on social media for people to donate have gone viral. A security source told the Middle East News Agency (MENA) that the explosion was caused by a 12 kilogramme TNT bomb. Member of the Coptic Papal residence Samuel Metias told MENA that the explosion occurred in the ladies section of the St Peter and St Paul church. The St Mark Cathedral was left undamaged. Al-Azhar, the world's oldest seat of Sunni Islamic learning, condemned the "terrorist attack that occurred this morning in the Saint Mark Cathedral in Abbasiya, which led to killings and injuries."In a statement, Al-Azhar underlined that targeting houses of worship and the killing of the innocents are criminal acts that violate Islamic principles. Al-Azhar expressed full solidarity with the Egyptian Church and Egyptian Copts in the face of "terrorism."The statement also expressed condolences to Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II, to the families of the victims, and to all the Egyptian people, wishing a speedy recovery of the injured. A church source told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that Pope Tawadros II has terminated his visit to Greece, and is on his way back to Cairo "to directly go to the location of the explosion." This is the third explosion this week. On Friday, an explosion killed six policemen and injured three others in Giza's Haram district and another occurred in Kafr El-Sheikh international road, killing one civilian and injuring three policemen. There have been several minor attacks on churches following the dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adawyia sit-in protesting the overthrow of Islamist former president Mohamed Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood. The worst attack against Copts in Egypt was in 2011 when 23 people were killed in an explosion at the Two Saints Church in Alexandria.

Sisi declares three days of mourning after cathedral explosion

Ahram Online , Sunday 11 Dec 2016/Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Sunday that the country will observe three days of mourning following a morning explosion that killed at least 25 people and injured more than 31 at Cairo's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral. "Terrorism targets the country's and Copts and Muslims... Egypt will only be made stronger and more united in such circumstances," the president said in a statement. The president vowed to hold accountable the assailants and put on trial all who have "incited, facilitated or participated" in the terrorist attack.
The president described the Sunday church attack – as well as the Friday blast in Giza that left six policemen dead – as part of "a war against the great Egyptian people." Egypt's Al-Azhar, the world's oldest seat of Sunni Islamic learning, also condemned the attack. The Anglican Church in Egypt also denounced the attack, saying that "such an attack would not stop people from standing united in the face of terrorism." The British ambassador in Egypt John Casson said he was "appalled by [the] attack on Coptic Cathedral."The United Arab Emirates foreign minister Abdallah Bin Zayed, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault and the US Embassy in Egypt also condemned the attack. Egypt has been battling a North Sinai-based Islamist insurgency since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. While militant attacks – mostly limited to army and police targets – have mainly been focused in North Sinai, some attacks have reached other parts of the country, including the capital. Egypt's Christians have been the target of several terrorist attacks in recent years. Several minor attacks targeting churches followed the dispersal of the pro-Morsi Rabaa El-Adaweya sit-in in 2013. The largest attack targeting Christians in recent years took place in 2011, when 23 people were killed in an explosion at the Two Saints Church in Alexandria.

Al-Azhar condemns Cairo Coptic Cathedral explosion
Ahram Online , Sunday 11 Dec 2016/Egypt's Al-Azhar condemned Sunday the "terrorist attack that occurred this morning in the Saint Mark Cathedral in Abbasiya, which led to killings and injuries."In a statement, Al-Azhar, the world's oldest seat of Sunni Islamic learning, underlined that targeting houses of worship and the killing of the innocents are criminal acts that violate Islamic principles.Al-Azhar expressed full solidarity with the Egyptian Church and Egyptian Copts in the face of "terrorism." The statement also expressed condolences to Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II, to the families of the victims, and to all the Egyptian people, wishing a speedy recovery of the injured. At least 25 people were reported killed and 31 injured after an explosion near the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo's Abbassyia district early Sunday morning.
 
Turkey Defiant after Blasts Claimed by Kurdish Militants Kill 38 in Istanbul

Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/A defiant President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday vowed to fight terror "to the end" as a Kurdish militant group claimed twin attacks that ripped through Istanbul, killing 38 people, mostly police. The bloodshed, which took place late on Saturday, saw a car bomb exploding outside the home stadium of football giants Besiktas and less than a minute later, a suicide attacker blew himself up by a group of police at a nearby park. Most of the dead were police officers, who accounted for 30 of the victims. Seven civilians also died, along with one person whose identity was unclear, officials said. Around 150 people were wounded in the blasts. The carnage prompted a sharp response from Erdogan, who vowed Ankara would "fight the scourge of terrorism right to the end".
"They should know that they will not get away with it ... They will pay a heavier price."The attacks were claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), which is seen as a radical offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). "A revenge squad from TAK carried out simultaneous attacks outside Istanbul Vodafone Arena stadium and Macka park at around 10:30 pm local time (1930 GMT)," said a statement posted on TAK's website. "Turkish people are not the direct target of TAK," it said, accusing the government of "fascism" against the Kurdish people. The group has claimed three major attacks in Turkey this year: two in Ankara -- one on February 17 that left 28 dead, and another on March 13 that killed 34 -- as well as a car bombing in Istanbul on June 7 which claimed 11 lives.
Turkish officials had earlier said initial findings pointed to the PKK which that has waged a bloody campaign against the Turkish state since 1984.
- Pain, anger -I
n a ceremony for five of the victims at the city's police headquarters, Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim met with the families, looking on silently as the flag-draped coffins were brought in. "Sooner or later we will have our revenge," Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told the mourners. "The arm of the law is long". Erdogan later chaired an emergency meeting of cabinet ministers in Istanbul to discuss the situation. On the streets, people gathered outside the stadium to lay flowers, many holding Turkish flags and shouting "Down with the PKK!" and "Our homeland is indivisible!""They won't be able to divide Turkey, they won't be able to break it into pieces," one man told AFP, who gave his name only as Muammed. But there was also anger. "God curse the PKK!" said one woman mourner in her 50s.
Windows blown out
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the attack had targeted police. "Experts say at least 300-400 kilograms of explosives had been used. There was a pit where the car detonated," he said on CNN Turk television. Forensic experts were on Sunday collecting evidence at both the stadium and the park, an AFP correspondent said, while municipal workers could be seen clearing up the area and replacing road signs damaged in the stadium blast. Thirteen people have been detained over the blasts. Footage broadcast shortly after the attack showed a car outside the stadium engulfed in flames, as well as wrecked police vehicles, with witnesses saying the force of the blasts shattered windows in nearby homes. "I heard two explosions in less than one minute, followed by the sound of gunshots," one witness told AFP on condition of anonymity. The stadium is located on the shores of the Bosphorus, close to the Ottoman-era Dolmabahce palace that houses the premier's office. It is also about a kilometer (half a mile) from the busy Taksim Square, a magnet for tourists. Besiktas is one of Istanbul's most popular football clubs, and its fans are known for their anti-establishment views. They famously played a big role in the 2013 protests against Erdogan, who was prime minister at the time.
In a statement, Besiktas vowed to "stand firm against the vile attackers who will never achieve their goal."
Merkel offers help
The twin attacks drew international condolences and condemnation, with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg denouncing the bloodshed as "horrific" and the U.S. embassy in Turkey tweeting: "Our hearts and prayers are with the people of #Istanbul tonight."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with Erdogan by phone, with the two agreeing to step up anti-terror cooperation. "The chancellor asked the president to convey her sympathies to the victims' loved ones and offered help, if needed, to care for those who were injured," spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said in a statement. "The chancellor and the president agreed to intensify their cooperation in fighting terrorism," she added, without providing details. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the bombings but said he expected Turkey to reciprocate when the Jewish state also came under attack. "Israel condemns all terrorism in Turkey and expects that Turkey will condemn all terrorist attacks in Israel," he said. The two countries recently normalized ties after a bitter six-year diplomatic row over a Gaza-bound flotilla.

Syria Army Advances in Aleppo but Rolled Back in Palmyra
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/Syrian forces pushed forward in Aleppo Sunday as thousands fled rebel-held areas, but they lost ground to the south where the Islamic State group recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra. After a sudden regime withdrawal, IS jihadists made a lightning-fast advance across Palmyra, sparking new worries for its remaining ancient treasures. Since mid-November, forces loyal to President Bashar Assad have been focused on second city Aleppo, where they have retaken more than 85 percent of the one-time rebel bastion in the city's east. On Sunday, they pounded the shrinking rebel enclave in southeast Aleppo with artillery and air strikes, seizing the Maadi district and several other neighborhoods, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 10,000 people had fled the remaining rebel-held districts since midnight, heading for government-run west Aleppo and newly retaken areas in the city's north and center. An estimated 120,000 people have poured out of east Aleppo since late November, according to the Britain-based monitor. State news agency SANA said that on Sunday alone, at least 8,000 people had fled rebel districts through several government-run crossings.
It said approximately half were transferred to temporary shelters, while the rest were staying with relatives in western Aleppo.An AFP correspondent in the west said the air strikes on the east were less intense as night fell, but artillery fire could still be heard.
Army withdraws from Palmyra
U.S. and Russian officials were expected to continue talks in Geneva Sunday on trying to reach a ceasefire in Aleppo, but intense diplomatic efforts over the past week have failed to stem the fighting. Backing from Moscow, which began an air war in support of Assad last year, has been crucial in the Syrian army's ability to make gains nationwide. Russian raids overnight bolstered Syrian soldiers fighting off an IS offensive on Palmyra, the renowned UNESCO World Heritage site in central But the jihadists launched a fresh attack on Sunday, the Observatory said, recapturing all of Palmyra after government forces pulled out. "Despite the ongoing air raids, IS retook all of Palmyra after the Syrian army withdrew south of the city," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. He said IS was "combing the city" for any remaining Syrian soldiers. The IS-linked Amaq news agency said the group regained "full control" of the city after taking the citadel overlooking Palmyra from a strategic hilltop. Capturing Palmyra from IS in May was considered a major symbolic victory for Assad's forces -- and for its Russian ally. Moscow has come under severe criticism in the West for its continued political and military support for Damascus as the regime pursues its all-out assault in Aleppo. Russia says it is consulting with the United States on the terms of an Aleppo ceasefire after a full rebel withdrawal, but there has been no sign of an agreement so far.
'Yes to peace'
Pope Francis on Sunday made a heartfelt call for an end to violence in Aleppo and across Syria. "I appeal to all to choose civilization: no to destruction, yes to peace, yes to the people of Aleppo and Syria," he said. At least 413 civilians have been killed in east Aleppo since the offensive began on November 15, according to the Observatory, and 139 killed in rebel rocket fire on the city's west. Assad's forces retaking Aleppo appears to be only a matter of time. "It looks now as if sadly Aleppo will fall," British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon told BBC television on Sunday. The loss of east Aleppo will deal the biggest blow to Syria's opposition since the civil war began in 2011. "We're now past the point where the opposition has any hope of pulling things back," said Yezid Sayigh, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Assad "will have in effect broken the back of the armed opposition... and the idea that the regime can be overcome militarily will be finally put to rest." After meetings in Paris on Saturday, Western and Arab powers called for talks to end the war. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who called the regime's bombings of Aleppo "war crimes," said the time was ripe for a return to negotiations. Now that the rebels "are about to lose Aleppo, conceivably... I think the best thing they can do is get to the table and negotiate. Because they can still win a political settlement that honors the fight and all they've invested," Kerry said.

IS Retakes Palmyra after Syria Army Withdrawal
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/The Islamic State jihadist group recaptured Palmyra on Sunday after Syrian armed forces pulled out of the desert city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "Despite the ongoing air raids, IS retook all of Palmyra after the Syrian army withdrew south of the city," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. The jihadists made a lightning-fast advance across the city after overrunning a northern neighborhood and capturing the famed citadel to Palmyra's west. The IS-linked Amaq news agency also reported that IS regained "full control" of the city on Sunday after taking the citadel, which overlooks Palmyra from a strategic hilltop. IS launched an offensive last week near Palmyra, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site. It seized oil and gas fields before making a major push into the desert city on Saturday, sparking new worries for Palmyra's remaining ancient treasures. But a fierce Russian bombing campaign killed scores of IS fighters and forced others to withdraw at dawn on Sunday. "Intense Russian raids since last night forced IS out of Palmyra, hours after the jihadists retook control of the city," said the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman. "The army brought reinforcements into Palmyra last night, and the raids are continuing on jihadist positions around the city," he told AFP. In a statement issued in Moscow, the defense ministry said Russian warplanes conducted 64 air strikes against "positions, convoys and advancing reserves of militants" in Palmyra. "Over the past night, Syrian government troops with active support of the Russian air force thwarted all terrorist attacks on Palmyra," it said in a statement. "The attacking militants actively used car bombs with suicide bombers, armored vehicles and rocket artillery," it said, adding that the strikes killed more than 300 militants and destroyed 11 tanks and 31 vehicles. Russia has carried out a bombing campaign in Syria in support of its ally President Bashar Assad since September 2015.
Hit-and-run
IS fighters have used hit-and-run tactics to cut their losses of personnel and equipment, withdrawing under intense bombardment but quickly relaunching an attack when skies are clear. The jihadists have killed around 100 members of Syrian government forces since launching simultaneous attacks on several regime positions near Palmyra on Thursday, the Britain-based Observatory said. They targeted areas including near the Mahr and Shaar oil and gas fields and seized government checkpoints, silos and the village of Jazal, northwest of Palmyra. In May last year, the Sunni Muslim extremist group seized several towns in Homs province including Palmyra, where they caused extensive damage to many of its ancient sites. They were ousted from Palmyra in March by Syrian regime forces backed by Russia. That was hailed as a major victory, with Russian celebrities traveling there since March staging concerts and making public appearances. Moscow has been under severe criticism for its air strikes on Aleppo -- which it says it stopped on October 18 -- where the anti-Assad opposition is currently holed up in just a fraction of the territory it once controlled. The city's eastern districts are still being bombed by the Syrian regime which Washington has labeled "war crimes" and a U.N. General Assembly demanded an immediate ceasefire to stop the carnage.

Fall of Aleppo Will be a Pivotal Moment in Syria War
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/The fall of Aleppo will be a pivotal moment in Syria's war, boosting regime hopes of regaining control over the entire country and dealing a probable knock-out blow to rebels. Analysts say the virtually inevitable regime victory in Syria's second city will give the government of President Bashar Assad a comfortable upper hand. "Aleppo is the real turning point of the war. It's the equivalent of Stalingrad," Syria expert Fabrice Balanche said, referring to the Soviet Union's bloody victory in the Russian city that changed the course of World War II. "Without Aleppo, (Assad) was a half-president," said Balanche, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. But "with this victory, he can present himself as the president of the whole of Syria". Rebels seized eastern Aleppo in mid-2012, just over a year after anti-government protests broke out nationwide. East Aleppo became a powerful symbol of resistance for Syria's opposition, with a local administration that endured years of fierce bombardment and a suffocating government siege that began in July this year. But when the government launched an all-out assault in mid-November, backed by intense artillery fire, the war-weary eastern districts all but collapsed. Regime troops and allied militia now control at least 85 percent of the one-time rebel stronghold. "The myth of a moderate rebellion in Aleppo capable of representing a political and military alternative to the regime -- it's over," Balanche said.
'Break opposition's back'
Yezid Sayigh, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, told AFP a regime victory in Aleppo would "tip the balance" in its favor. "We're now past the point where the opposition has any hope of pulling things back," he said. Recapturing Aleppo holds tremendous political importance for the government, which saw the rival opposition-run authorities in the city's east as a major challenge to its legitimacy. It would also ring the death knell for the armed uprising. Assad "will have in effect broken the back of the armed opposition... and the idea that the regime can be overcome militarily will be finally put to rest," Sayigh said. After losing Aleppo, rebels will be largely confined to northwest Idlib and scattered pockets in Damascus and Daraa provinces, with little hope for support from their Turkish, Western or Gulf backers. Kurdish forces will hold parts of northern and northeast Syria, and the Islamic State jihadist group will have to defend territory in the north and east. In turn, Assad's regime will fully control Syria's three main cities -- Aleppo, Damascus and Homs. It will hold almost all of the country's main population centers, many of its airports and the border with Lebanon. But analysts say the government will not stop there.
"The end of the rebellion in Aleppo will free up around 30,000 troops to launch new offensives," Balanche said.
'Snowball effect'
One likely target is Eastern Ghouta, a key rebel enclave east of Damascus. Douma, the largest town there, "does not want to meet the same fate as east Aleppo", Balanche said. The regime may also move to seize al-Bab, an IS-held town on a key route between Aleppo and the border with Turkey. Turkish forces and their rebel allies have advanced towards the town, but Damascus cannot afford to lose that race. "It's too close to Aleppo and it would open the way for rebels to head towards Raqa," Balanche said. Sayigh said the regime may now work on securing the entire western length of the country from the northern border with Turkey to Jordan in the south. Beyond that there are two possibilities, he said. "One is (that) the regime turns east and starts pushing towards Raqa to demonstrate its usefulness to the West and Russia as a key partner against IS."Otherwise it could focus on securing Aleppo, "bottling the opposition up in Idlib province and then chipping away at the edges," Sayigh said. Joshua Landis, director of the Center of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said a victory in Aleppo would "likely have a snowball effect and build regime capabilities and morale." "Once Syrian militias believe that the rebellion's days are counted, they will likely be more inclined to negotiate ways to surrender that provide protection to their fighters and dependents."

Thousands Flee Heavy Aleppo Fighting
Thousands of civilians poured out of rebel areas of Aleppo on Sunday as Syria's army pushed to take the last remnants of opposition-held territory in the devastated city. President Bashar Assad's forces pounded the shrinking rebel enclave in east Aleppo with artillery and air strikes, a monitor said, with more than 10,000 people fleeing the area since midnight. To the south in Palmyra, a Russian aerial onslaught killed scores of Islamic State group fighters, forcing the jihadists to withdraw from the ancient city just hours after they had re-entered it. U.S. and Russian officials were expected to continue talks in Geneva Sunday on trying to reach a ceasefire in Aleppo, but a week of intense diplomatic efforts have failed to stem the fighting. Heavy bombardment shook the city overnight, AFP correspondents in Aleppo said, as Syria's army and allied forces pursued a weeks-long offensive that has seen them retake about 85 percent of east Aleppo, a rebel stronghold since 2012. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the 10,000 who had fled since midnight headed to government-held west Aleppo and newly retaken areas in the north and center of the city. State news agency SANA said at least 4,000 people had fled rebel districts in just hours on Sunday and were taken by bus to temporary shelters.
'Broken the back' of rebels
Fighting raged on several fronts between opposition and regime forces in southeast Aleppo, the Observatory said, while regime raids and artillery fire continued to pound rebel-held areas. An AFP correspondent in west Aleppo said that heavy bombardment of the east was heard through the night, and that it was so intense that it rattled windows in western districts. At least 413 civilians have been killed in east Aleppo since the start of the offensive, according to the Observatory, and 139 killed in rebel rocket fire on the city's west. At least 80,000 people had already fled eastern Aleppo before Sunday, according to the monitor. Experts say the retaking of all of Aleppo by Assad's forces appears to be only a matter of time and will deal the biggest blow to Syria's opposition since the start of the country's civil war in 2011. "We're now past the point where the opposition has any hope of pulling things back," said Yezid Sayigh, a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Assad "will have in effect broken the back of the armed opposition... and the idea that the regime can be overcome militarily will be finally put to rest."Backing from Moscow, which launched an air war in support of Assad last year, has been crucial in the army's ability to make gains.Overnight Sunday Russian warplanes carried out more than 60 strikes on IS positions Palmyra, killing more than 300 jihadists and halting their latest offensive on the famed desert city in central Syria.
'Aleppo will fall'
On Saturday the jihadists, who were forced out of Palmyra by Syrian troops in March, had taken most of the city back under their control and surrounded the airport. "Intense Russian raids since last night forced IS out of Palmyra, hours after the jihadists retook control of the city," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. The retaking of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site famed for its Roman-era ruins, was considered a major symbolic victory for Assad's forces. The heavy fighting in Aleppo has prompted widespread international concern but despite a series of meetings diplomats have been unable to reach a deal on halting the violence. "It looks now as if sadly Aleppo will fall," British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon told BBC television on Sunday. Moscow said a deal was being discussed with Washington, which has supported opposition forces against Assad, for a ceasefire and full rebel withdrawal from Aleppo. So far there has been no sign of an agreement, though talks between Russian and U.S. officials were due in Geneva on Sunday and in the coming days. After meetings in Paris on Saturday, Western and Arab powers called for talks between the regime and opposition to end the war. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who called the regime's bombings of Aleppo "war crimes," said the time was ripe for a return to negotiations.
Now that the rebels "are about to lose Aleppo, conceivably... I think the best thing they can do is get to the table and negotiate. Because they can still win a political settlement that honors the fight and all they've invested," Kerry said.

British Minister Expects Assad to Recapture Aleppo
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said on Sunday that Syrian government forces would likely recapture the battleground city of Aleppo from rebels. "It looks now as if sadly Aleppo will fall," Fallon told BBC television, as the Syrian army tightened its grip and air strikes pummeled the shrinking rebel enclave in the east of the besieged city. But he refused to accept that the Russian-backed regime of President Bashar Assad was heading for overall victory in Syria's long-running civil war. "How can you be winning by bombing hospitals, by blocking humanitarian aid convoys?" Fallon asked. "And you end up with a country that the regime only controls 40 percent of, and is still opposed by most of his people. That's not a victory for anybody." He said Britain would keep appealing to Russia "to use its influence to get this civil war stopped, to help us rebuild Syria with a genuinely plural government that can appeal to all the people of Syria". "Then we can get on with the task of dealing with Daesh," or Islamic State, he added. On the issue of Russia, he warned that while "there are things we have to talk to Russia about, of course to deescalate tension" -- including on NATO deployments in eastern border -- "it can't be business as usual." "That can't be treating Russia as an equal -- Russia is a strategic competitor to us in the West and we have to understand that," he said.

Saudi Says British FM's 'Proxy War' Comment Misconstrued
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/The press took out of context comments by Britain's foreign secretary about "proxy wars" waged by longtime ally Saudi Arabia, the Saudi foreign minister said Sunday, deeming the matter closed. In a video reported last week, Boris Johnson at a conference in Rome accused Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran of "puppeteering" and "playing proxy wars". A video of his comments was posted on the Guardian website. "I have no doubt that his comments as reported in the press were misconstrued," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters at a joint news conference with Johnson in Riyadh. "If you look at the actual video of what was said, it was not as implied in the press," Jubeir said. The British minister was on an official visit to the kingdom, during which he met King Salman. The Guardian report came on Thursday, a day after British Prime Minister Theresa May attended a summit with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in Bahrain. Downing Street had to pull Johnson back into line, saying the comments reflected his "personal position.""There are no mixed messages that we are getting from Britain," Jubeir said, noting that Saudi-British ties go back more than a century. "We don't have any doubt in where Britain stands, and Britain has no doubt in where we stand," he said as Johnson sounded agreement. "I believe that the matter is closed," the Saudi minister said. Johnson thanked Jubeir for his comments. A former mayor of London less than six months into his ministerial job, Johnson is a colorful and captivating speaker who has made a series of diplomatic blunders.
'Positive things'
Asked at the press conference if he would apologize, Johnson said he was "here to emphasize the friendship" between the two countries. But he added: "We believe in a candor in our relationship," emphasizing the word "candor." "And now, if you don't mind, is the time for us to talk about the positive things that we're doing together," Johnson continued. May and the Gulf leaders agreed at their Bahrain summit to form a "strategic partnership" to foster defense and other ties. Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia and Shiite-dominated Iran support opposite sides of the war in Syria and also in Yemen, where Riyadh has since March last year led a coalition bombing campaign against Iran-backed Huthi rebels. On Saturday, Tehran summoned the British ambassador to protest against "interference" by May, over comments she made at the GCC summit. She said her country would help "push back against Iran's aggressive regional actions." In a joint statement, GCC states and Britain said that they "oppose and will work together to counter Iran's destabilizing activities." Iran and Britain reopened their respective embassies in 2015 following an international agreement to curb Iran's nuclear programmin exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Johnson on Sunday echoed May's comments supporting the agreement with Iran, while also cautioning that the world needs to be "clear-eyed" and vigilant about Iran's role in the region.

U.S. Defense Chief in Iraq to Review Mosul Op
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Iraq Sunday to discuss the coming stages of the ongoing offensive to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group. Carter had arrived in Baghdad and would "survey key locations directly supporting the battle for Mosul," the Pentagon said in a statement. The United States leads an international coalition providing assistance in the shape of air strikes, equipment, training and advising on the ground to Iraqi forces battling the jihadists.
U.S. forces are stationed in Qayyarah, the main staging base for the southern front of the Mosul offensive that was launched on October 17, as well as in the autonomous Kurdish region. Around 5,000 U.S. troops are deployed in Iraq as part of an "advise and assist" mission to support Iraqi federal and Kurdish peshmerga forces battling jihadists. U.S. special forces are also active on the ground in Iraq, as well as in neighboring Syria, where another offensive is under way to retake the other major remaining IS bastion of Raqa. On Saturday, Carter told a security forum in Bahrain that Washington was sending 200 extra troops to join the 300 it has already deployed to support the Raqa campaign. The Pentagon said Carter would meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Kurdish leader Massud Barzani and the commander of the U.S.-led coalition, Lieutenant General Steve Townsend. Abadi had promised Mosul would be retaken by the end of 2016 but the going has been tough for Iraqi forces inside the densely populated city and commanders have warned the battle could go on for months.

48 Soldiers Dead in IS-Claimed Yemen Attack
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/Forty-eight Yemeni soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group in the southern port city of Aden, officials said Sunday in an updated casualty toll. "We have 48 dead and 29 wounded," all soldiers, Abdel Nasser al-Wali, health department chief for Aden, told AFP, revising an earlier toll of 35 dead. The bomber detonated his explosives belt as hundreds of troops had gathered to collect their monthly pay at a barracks in al-Sawlaban near Aden's international airport. IS claimed responsibility. "A martyr from the Islamic State detonated his explosives belt in al-Sawlaban military camp in Aden during a gathering of the Yemeni army," the IS-affiliated Amaq news outlet said. Yemeni authorities have for months pressed a campaign against jihadists who remain active in the south and east of the war-torn country. IS and its jihadist rival al-Qaida have taken advantage of a conflict between the government and the Huthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa, to bolster their presence across much of the south. The two groups have carried out a spate of attacks in Aden, Yemen's second city and headquarters of the internationally recognized government whose forces retook the port from the Huthis last year.

Republicans Reject Reports Russia Helped Trump Win Election
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/Republicans on Saturday rejected reports of a secret CIA assessment finding that Russia sought to tip the U.S. presidential election in Donald Trump's favor, as a Democratic Senate leader called for an investigation.
"The intelligence is wrong," Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer told CNN. "It didn't happen." He was referring to a New York Times report saying U.S. intelligence agencies had "high confidence" that Russian hackers infiltrated the Republican National Committee's computer systems as well as those of Democratic Party organizations, but released information stolen only from the Democrats. News about the CIA report, first reported by The Washington Post on Friday, drew an extraordinary rebuke from the president-elect's camp. "These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," Trump's transition team said, launching a broadside against the spy agency. Trump said the election was over and that it's "now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again.'"However Senator Chuck Schumer, set to become Democratic minority leader in January, called for a congressional probe into the matter. "That any country could be meddling in our elections should shake both political parties to their core," he said Saturday. "It's imperative that our intelligence community turns over any relevant information so that Congress can conduct a full investigation." The debate simmered as U.S. media reported that ExxonMobil President and CEO Rex Tillerson -- a businessman with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin -- is Trump's likely pick for secretary of state. Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, slammed the idea of Tillerson as top diplomat as "alarming and absurd." "With Rex Tillerson as our Secretary of State, the Trump administration would be guaranteeing Russia has a willing accomplice in the president's cabinet guiding our nation's foreign policy," he said in a statement. And Republican Senator John McCain said on CNN Saturday that Tillerson’s ties to Putin were “a matter of concern to me.”“I’d have to examine it,” he said, adding: "Vladimir Putin is a thug, bully and a murderer, and anybody else who describes him as anything else is lying.”
'Help Trump get elected'
The reports of Russian interference in the White House vote follow President Barack Obama's order for a review of all cyberattacks that took place during the 2016 election cycle. According to The Post, individuals with connections to Moscow provided anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks with emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign chief, and others. WikiLeaks steadily released those emails in the months before the election, damaging Clinton's White House run. "It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia's goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected," a U.S. official briefed on an intelligence presentation to key senators told the newspaper. "That's the consensus view."CIA agents told the lawmakers it was "quite clear" that electing Trump was Russia's goal, according to officials who spoke to the Post. Russian hackers did not limit their hits to the Democrats, The New York Times reported. "We now have high confidence that they hacked the D.N.C. and the R.N.C., and conspicuously released no documents" from the Republican organization, one senior administration official told The Times.
Question marks
The CIA's assessment falls short of a formal U.S. assessment produced by all 17 intelligence agencies, The Post said. Intelligence agents cannot prove that Russian officials directed the identified individuals to give WikiLeaks the hacked Democratic emails.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denied links with Russia's government. California Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, chair of the House Intelligence Committee and a member of the Trump transition team, said he "does not believe the evidence shows that the Russians interfered in the elections in order to help Trump," a spokesman told AFP. However Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the same committee, said "the integrity of our elections is hindered" when Trump and his transition team "minimize or dismiss the intelligence assessments."
Calls for investigations
Democrats in Congress called on U.S. intelligence agencies to provide all information about Russian hacking and disinformation in the election. The current minority leader, Senator Harry Reid, even accused FBI Director James Comey of knowing about Russian hacking into the Republican servers "for a long time.""But he, Comey, who's a Republican, refused to divulge this information about Russia interfering with the presidential election," Reid told MSNBC, accusing the FBI director of being "the new J. Edgar Hoover.""I think he should be investigated," he added. Clinton has blamed Comey for her loss, saying his decision during the campaign's final weeks to re-open a probe into her email use as secretary of state broke her momentum. Previous intelligence reports have accused Russia of seeking to undermine the U.S. election, without saying if Moscow favored any candidate. In an interview Wednesday in Time magazine, Trump was asked if the intelligence was politicized. "I think so," he said. "I don't believe they interfered," he said. "It could be Russia. And it could be China. And it could be some guy in his home in New Jersey."

Trump Questions 'One China Policy' without Beijing Concessions
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/President-elect Donald Trump questioned in an interview broadcast Sunday whether the United States should continue its "one China policy" unless Beijing makes concessions on trade and other issues.
"I don't want China dictating to me," Trump said as he made a vehement defense of his recent phone conversation with the president of Taiwan. "I don't know why we have to be bound by a one China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade," he added in the interview on Fox News Sunday. He was responding to a question on his taking that call this month from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, breaking with decades of U.S. diplomatic tradition that recognizes Beijing as the sole representative of China. Trump said he had had just a couple of hours notice that the call was coming, not weeks or longer as has been reported. Besides trade, Trump said China was not cooperating with America on its handling of its currency, on North Korea and its nuclear weapons, or on tensions in the South China Sea, where he said China is building "a massive fortress." On the nuclear weapons issue, Trump argued that China as North Korea's main patron "could solve that problem.""They're not helping us at all," Trump said. Trump said it would have been disrespectful not to take the call from Tsai, who he said wanted to congratulate him on his election win. "It was a very nice call. Short. And why should some other nation be able to say I can't take a call?," Trump asked.

Trump on Russia Meddling in U.S. Election: 'I Don't Believe It'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 11/16/President-elect Donald Trump rejected the CIA's reported conclusion that Russia intervened to help him win the U.S. election, saying in an interview broadcast Sunday that the idea is "ridiculous.""I think it's just another excuse. I don't believe it," Trump said in an interview with Fox News Sunday recorded on Saturday. "I think it's ridiculous," Trump said. U.S. intelligence had previously linked Russia to leaks of damaging email from Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign but saw it as a broad bid to undermine confidence in the U.S. political process. On Friday, however, the Washington Post reported that the CIA has concluded that the aim of the cyber intrusions was to help Trump win the election. Trump dismissed the reports as an attempt by Democrats to excuse their embarrassing election loss. He said there was "great confusion" within the intelligence agencies, whom he portrayed as fighting among themselves. "Nobody really knows. And hacking is very interesting. Once they hack, if you don't catch them in the act, you're not going to catch them. They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place. They have no idea," he said. Trump, who has eschewed traditional daily intelligence briefings, suggested he intends to bring in his own people to lead the spy agencies once he assumes office. "We're going to have different people coming in because we have our people, they have their people. And I have great respect for them. But if you read the stories, the various stories, they're disputing. And certain groups don't necessarily agree."

IRAN: Ten Prisoners Hanged on Sunday
Sunday, 11 December 2016/NCRI - This morning, Sunday, December 11, Iran regime collectively hanged 10 prisoners in western Tehran, Gohardasht prison. Victims were transferred to solitary confinement yesterday. It is noteworthy that almost three weeks ago in a statement by the Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran on November 23, 2016 was announced that on the same day Iran regime had publicly hanged four young people collectively in the Qeshm Island in Hormozgan province.in the same statement it was mentioned, Hassan Norouzi, a member of the regime’s Parliament in a shocking confession had stated: “5,000 people aged 20 to 30 years old are on death row. Most of them are first-time drug offenders" (Mehr state run news agency – November 23). Youssefian, another member of parliament had said: “We have executed so many, we execute every day. ... Rajaeeshahr 30, another place 20, another place 10, what was the result? In 1990 when I was the prosecutor in Mazandaran province, a report came from the office of education that when you execute one person, 20 to 30 other students don’t come to school… a lady said in the court … in Iran it is not the individual who gets executed , a whole family is executed,.” (Farhang state-run radio November 23). The NCRI statement further concluded. “Any relationship with this medieval regime, which maintains power only through torture and execution, must be contingent upon a halt to executions. Ignoring the appalling record of human rights violations by the clerical regime under any pretext emboldens Iran's ruling criminals.”

Iran Regime Is a Threat to Security and Stability in the Middle East

Sunday, 11 December 2016 /The Iranian regime is a threat to the security and stability in the Middle East and Gulf countries. The following is Al Arabiya’s interview with Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Saqr, head of the Gulf Research Center, December 9, 2016: British Prime Minister, Theresa May, who participated in the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Manama, Bahrain, said in her speech that Iranian regime is a threat to the security and stability of the region. In this regard, Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Saqr, head of the Gulf Research Center says: “Naturally, the position of the United Kingdom regarding Gulf states is not without the United States’ consent. But the most important point in Theresa may’s speech is admitting the fact that the regime in Iran is the main source of the threat to the security of the region. This is an issue that absolutely was not mentioned under President Obama. For this reason, the U.K. is trying to establish a military cooperation office between the UK and Gulf Arab states in the region.”“Theresa May for the first time visited a military base in Bahrain since it was established in 1971. Also, President Trump had reminded the threat of Iranian regime. Today, we see that Theresa May clearly addresses this issue. So, all of these signs emphasize the importance of cooperation between the U.K. and the Arab countries in the Gulf in all fields,” he adds. Now, with these words, it seems that the role of U.K. in the region is stronger than the United States because the U.S. is also involved in the East and South East Asia. What the British Prime Minister addressed in her speech was met with a warm welcome by Arab counties. This issue creates confidence among the Gulf Arab states that West may remain committed to its obligations in relation to the security in the region, because the position of Russia and its interference and also Iranian regime’s meddling in Syria is clear and well known to everybody. The importance of this issue is to the extent that King Salman also addressed it in his speech.

Iran Regime Agents Prevent a 7-Year-Old Girl From Entering Football Stadium
Sunday, 11 December 2016/NCRI - During a football match between two Iranian premier league teams, Esteghlal (of Tehran) and Tractor Sazi (of Tabriz), on Friday December 9, the Iranian regime’s security agents prevented entry of a 7-year-old girl to Azadi Stadium where the match was held. The girl and her father came to Tehran from Shabestar, a city in East Azerbaijan Province, in order to watch the game closely. State-run Khabar online (Online news) published a photo of the girl and her father and wrote: “They were present in front of Azadi Stadium in Tehran hours before the match started but the girl was not allowed to enter the Stadium.”To date, the International Football Federation (FIFA) has repeatedly warned Iran regarding the regime’s imposing a ban on women’s entry to sport stadiums in Iran.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 11-12/16 
Are Divorced Christians Allowed to Marry Again?
Czarina Ong Christian Today/December 11/2016
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/11/czarina-ong-christian-today-are-divorced-christians-allowed-to-marry-again/
Not all Christian couples are blessed with a happy marriage. After some time, some of them find their marriages ending up in divorce. When this happens, Pastor Shane Idleman of Westside Christian Fellowship said former husbands and wives must get rid of all toxic counsel and spend extended time with God and the Bible. But after divorce, what happens when Christians find love again with someone else? Are they allowed to remarry? “Many great Bible teachers are divided on this issue,” Idleman shared with Charisma News. “Some believe remarriage is never allowed unless one of the spouses dies. But others suggest it is permissible when adultery and abandonment occur.”Idleman said all controversies surrounding remarriage involves the Bible verse Matthew 5:32 wherein Jesus said, “But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”However, the pastor clarified that remarriage is not actually the big issue in the verse. Rather, it is manipulation and abandonment. Idleman said married couples should not divorce without cause, and people should not pursue relationships with someone who had abandoned their spouse.Idleman added that God hates divorce, and reconciliation is always pleasing to Him. However, there will always be instances when Idleman thinks divorced Christians who have been abandoned are allowed to love again, all the while maintaining God’s integrity, following His principles, and relying on His wisdom. “God has given us the freedom to choose, and, in marriage, the choices of one will affect the life of the other. If your spouse has left, and you’ve waited and have done all that you can do biblically, I believe God will consider your heart more than your circumstances,” Idleman said. He stressed that he is not advocating divorce. Christians who have marital issues should always seek reconciliation and restoration first, said Idleman. But when all else fails, they should let God restore their spirits and pray for redemption. “Many divorced Christians carry years of regret into future relationships. If God is doing a new thing, it’s critical that past brokenness not prevent future plans,” he said. “But if God is ministering restoration in your spirit, wait for it; contend for it; pray fervently for it. He will direct you. This I know. “http://www.christiantoday.com/article/are.divorced.christians.allowed.to.marry.again/102822.htm 

Erdogan's Private Youth Army
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/December 11/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9539/erdogan-youth-army
Critics, including opposition lawmakers, are inquiring about Sadat's activities, suspecting its real mission may be to train official or unofficial paramilitary forces to fight Erdogan's multitude of wars inside and outside Turkey.
Initially, the youth branches will be formed in 1,500 mosques. But under the plan, 20,000 mosques will have youth branches by 2021, and finally 45,000 mosques will have them. Observers fear the youth branches may turn into Erdogan's "mosque militia," like the Nazi Party's Hitler Youth organization in Germany.
Erdogan probably fears Shia expansionism more than Kurdish adventurism, but most likely in his thinking, Kurdish adventurism is part of Shia expansionism.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has good reasons to be living in constant fear. Only a few months ago, on July 15, hundreds of military officers, including several in his own security detail, attempted to topple him in a coup d'état. But the way he thinks he can best fight and win a future attempt at his governance -- and life -- exposes Turkey to the risk of civil war.
Erdogan's fight against coup-plotters is legitimate. His paranoia is understandable. But his efforts to build a private army of devotees is not. The level of paranoia surrounding his 1,100-plus-room palace is reaching new heights. One of his chief advisors, Yigit Bulut, recently accused foreign chefs on cooking programs shown on Turkish TV stations of being foreign spies. Bulut claimed that foreign chefs are touring Anatolia merely to gather intelligence and are collecting information about military bases and industrial facilities in Turkey. Bulut may sound amusing, but he is one of Erdogan's chief advisors.
In a remarkable display of paranoia, Yigit Bulut (left), a top advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right), recently accused foreign chefs on cooking programs shown on Turkish TV stations of being foreign spies.
This paranoia is pushing Erdogan and his men into an abyss of paranoia -- and civil war. There are signs, also, that Erdogan's adventurism will not be confined only within the Turkish borders. In a shake-up of the national intelligence agency, for instance, Erdogan's government created the position of a deputy undersecretary in charge of "special operations." Pinar Tremblay, a Turkey expert, says:
"The establishment of this unit tells us that Turkish adventurism is not to be quelled any time soon. To the contrary, it will expand because now we see the government is willing to spare more funding and human resources to special operations. The institutionalization also tells us that Turkish presence in Syria and involvement in Iraq will be coordinated from this center and that this unit is set to grow in the coming months."
There are also signs that Erdogan wants to fight an all-out war inside Turkey against any and every enemy he may be facing.
In August, Erdogan appointed retired general Adnan Tanriverdi as one of his chief advisors. Tanriverdi is the owner of Sadat, an international defense consultancy company. Sadat defines its mission as "providing consultancy and military training services at the international defense and interior security sector." Critics, including opposition lawmakers, are inquiring about Sadat's activities, suspecting its real mission may be to train official or unofficial paramilitary forces to fight Erdogan's multitude of wars inside and outside Turkey. "Inside" will mean fighting future dissidents and "outside" most probably means training jihadists fighting Erdogan's sectarian wars in countries such as Syria. Erdogan probably fears Shia expansionism more than Kurdish adventurism, but most likely in his thinking, Kurdish adventurism is part of Shia expansionism.
As if all of that is not enough to risk peace by means of an unofficial army in the making, Erdogan recently took another step to enforce his defense against real and fictional enemies. In October, Turkey's religious affairs general directorate, or "Diyanet," issued a circular for the formation of "youth branches" to be associated with the country's tens of thousands of mosques. Initially, the youth branches will be formed in 1,500 mosques. But under the plan, 20,000 mosques will have youth branches by 2021, and finally 45,000 mosques will have them. Observers fear the youth branches may turn into Erdogan's "mosque militia," like the Nazi Party's Hitler Youth organization in Germany.
Having youth branches for mosques is a dangerous idea, especially for a country such as Turkey, where societal divisions along secular and conservative Muslims lines are deeply polarized and risk violence. The mosque militia may provoke a secularist reply in the shape of "secular youth branches." Then it will be anyone's guess where and when the first spark of violence will commence.
Erdogan commands NATO's second-largest army and a huge security and intelligence organization. He does not need to build an army of pious youths to provide him personal security. This will only lead to potential violence, and in the worst-case scenario, to a civil war. He should drop the idea of a private army of pious young Sunni Muslims before it will be too late.
**Burak Bekdil, based in Ankara, is a Turkish columnist for the Hürriyet Daily and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Is France going to the dogs?
 Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/December 11/16
 http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/11/khairallah-khairallahthe-arab-weekly-is-france-going-to-the-dogs/
 Jacques Chirac was the last real president of France. Since he left the Elysée Palace in 2007, France has lost what remained of its prestige both locally and internationally. France has lost a great deal of its aura and greatness.
 During Chirac’s presidency, France played a leading role in helping Lebanon regain its balance at a time when Iran was trying to gain custody of the country following the withdrawal of Syrian troops two-and-a-half months after the assassination of Rafik Hariri.
 It is going to be difficult for France to regain its prestige. Nicolas Sarkozy’s foreign policy choices were catastrophic. He tried to rehabilitate Syrian President Bashar Assad and invited him to Paris. France’s foreign policy choices under Sarkozy had nothing to do with principles even though French leaders were well aware of the situation in Syria. It was an opportunistic policy and nothing more and we can find proof of that in the many money scandals, including the one with Libya, that have tarnished Sarkozy’s presidency.
 No French president with a hint of common sense would dare invite Assad to the celebrations of French National Day after Hariri’s assassination. Not only did Sarkozy do that, he also decided to maintain relations with the Assad regime in the hope of removing it from Iran’s circle of influence.  Chirac at least had some principles. He knew that the Syrian regime was guilty at the least of covering up for the killing of Hariri and that the main objective behind the heinous crime was for the Syrian regime to gain control of Lebanon. The repercussions of Hariri’s assassination are still felt today.
 With Sarkozy, France was open for all kinds of shady businesses. For him, everything could be bought or sold. Since Sarkozy’s term as president, France has been slipping downward to reach rock bottom during François Hollande’s term, who did not dare run for a second one. This is a rare event in France’s history.  To discover who this man who gained power by pretending to be a socialist really was, all we have to do is read Valérie Trierweiler’s entertaining book about her ex-companion and his time at the Elysée. France’s socialist president looks down on the poor and calls them “toothless”. Hollande had left his first companion, Ségolène Royal, for this woman and he has had four children with her. She writes that the socialist president likes to eat only in top-rated, high-end restaurants.
 Sarkozy and Hollande symbolise the downfall of France and perhaps even of all of Europe. With the exception of Germany, Europe is no longer important at an international level. Germany is powerful economically but very careful in its foreign policy. One can see the reflection of this policy in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s avoidance to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin and his expansionist plans in Syria.
 Conditions in Europe are going to worsen. François Fillon will most likely replace Hollande. He is unfortunately without charisma and has nothing to do with France’s republican principles. He is one of those who were deceived into believing that the Syrian regime was fighting terrorism instead of killing its own people. Should Marine Le Pen win the coming elections, France will really go to the pits.  The time of charismatic leaders in Europe is gone. The Syrian crisis has revealed how insignificant France has become. Even in Britain, the last Brexit poll has shown how ordinary this once-great country has become.  During the eight years of US President Barack Obama’s administration, Europe and NATO no longer occupied a central role in US foreign policy. Obama allowed Putin to ridicule NATO and run wild. He destabilised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and pushed him in the arms of Iran and Russia.  For the first time since the second world war, there is no longer a common European- American security. One wonders if Obama really has done all of that and cut down France’s role in the world. It is as if the real winner of the cold war was Putin. And, of course, Iran is free to expand where it wants with no questions asked.
 **Khairallah Khairallah is a Lebanese writer. The commentary was translated and adapted from the Arabic. It was initially published in middle-east-online.com.

The Dutch Death SpiralF/rom Paradise to Bolshevik Thought Police
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/December 11/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/11/giulio-meottigatestone-institutethe-dutch-death-spiralfrom-paradise-to-bolshevik-thought-police/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9537/dutch-death-spiral
"It would have been better if the Dutch state had sent a clear signal [to terrorists] via a Dutch court that we foster a broad notion of the freedom of expression in the Netherlands." — Paul Cliteur, Professor of Jurisprudence, Leiden University.
The historic dimension of Wilders's conviction is related not only to the terrible injustice done to this MP, but that it was the Netherlands that, for the first time in Europe, criminalized dissenting opinions about Islam.
"I will never be silent. You will not be able to stop me... And that is what we stand for. For freedom and for our beautiful Netherlands."Geert Wilders, Dutch MP and leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV).
"We have a lot of guests who are trying to take over the house." — Pym Fortuyn, later shot to death to "defend Dutch Muslims from persecution."
Before being slaughtered, clinging to a basket, Theo van Gogh begged his assassin: "Can we talk about this?" But can we talk?
A country whose most outspoken filmmaker was slaughtered by an Islamist; whose bravest refugee, hunted by a fatwa, fled to the U.S.; whose cartoonists must live under protection, had better should think twice before condemning a Member of Parliament, whose comments about Islam have forced him to live under 24-hour protection for more than a decade, for "hate speech." Poor Erasmus! The Netherlands is no longer a safe haven for free thinkers. It is the Nightmare for Free Speech.
The most prominent politician in the Netherlands, MP Geert Wilders, has just been convicted of "hate speech," for asking at a really if there should be fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands. Many newly-arrived Moroccans in the Netherlands seem to have been responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime there.
Paul Cliteur, Professor of Jurisprudence at Leiden University, who was called as an expert witness, summed up the message coming from the court: "It would have been better if the Dutch state had sent a clear signal [to terrorists] via a Dutch court that we foster a broad notion of the freedom of expression in the Netherlands."
Here are just a few details to help understand what Wilders experiences every day because of his ideas: No visitors are allowed into his office except after a long wait to be checked. The Dutch airline KLM refused to board him on a flight to Moscow for reasons of "security." His entourage is largely anonymous. When a warning level rises, he does not know where he will spend the night. For months, he was able to see his wife only twice a week, in a secure apartment, and then only when the police allowed it. The Parliament had to place him in the less visible part of the building, in order better to protect him. He often wears a bulletproof vest to speak in public. When he goes to a restaurant, his security detail must first check the place out.
Wilders's life is a nightmare. "I am in jail," he has said; "they are walking around free."
The historic dimension of Wilders's conviction is related not only to the terrible injustice done to this MP, but that it was the Netherlands that, for the first time in Europe, criminalized dissenting opinions about Islam.
The Netherlands is a very small country; whatever happens to this enclave is seen in the rest of Europe. The Netherlands refused to surrender to the Spanish invasion. It was from Rotterdam, the second-largest Dutch city, that the Founding Fathers left to create the United States of America. It was to the Netherlands that some of the most brave, original European philosophers and writers -- Descartes, Rousseau, Locke, Sade, Molière, Hugo, Swift and Spinoza -- had to flee to publish their books. It is also the only corner of Europe where there were no pogroms against Jews, and where Rembrandt painted Jesus with the physical traits of Jews.
Take Leiden: "Praesidium Libertatis" ("Bastion of Freedom") is the motto of the Netherlands' most ancient university. Leiden was the university of Johan Huizinga, the great historian who opposed the Nazis and died in a concentration camp. Leiden was also the university of Anton Pannekoek, the mentor of Martinus Van der Lubbe, the Dutch hero who torched the Nazi Parliament in 1933.
In Leiden today, you meet brave intellectuals such as Afshin Ellian, an Iranian jurist who fled Khomeini's Revolution in Iran and who also now lives under police protection for his observations on Islam. Ellian's office is close to the former office of Rudolph Cleveringa. When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands and called on Dutch public officials to fill out a form in which they had to declare whether they were "Aryans" or "Jews", everyone but Cleveringa capitulated. He understood the consequences of such commands.
Twelve years ago, the Netherlands was again plunged into fear for the first time since World War II. In Linnaeusstraat, a district of Amsterdam, Mohammed Bouyeri, a Muslim extremist, ambushed the filmmaker Theo van Gogh and slaughtered him, then pinned on his chest a letter threatening the lives of Geert Wilders and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Before that murder, Pim Fortuyn, a professor who had formed his own party to save the country from Islamization, was shot to death to "defend Dutch Muslims from persecution."
Twelve years ago, Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh (left) was assassinated by an Islamist who pinned on van Gogh's chest a letter threatening the life of Geert Wilders (right). Today Wilders, the most prominent politician in the Netherlands, lives in hiding under round-the-clock protection.
Fortuyn had said, "We have a lot of guests who are trying to take over the house."
Since then, many Dutch artists have capitulated to fear.
Sooreh Hera, from Iran, submitted her photos to the Gemeentemuseum Museum in The Hague. One of these works depicted Mohammed and Ali. After many threats, the museum proposed that it would acquire the photos without publishing them and that one day, perhaps, when the situation was calmer, they might show them then. Hera refused: it would have been self-censorship, a sad day for the West. Rants Tjan, director of Museum Gouda, bravely offered to exhibit her censored images, but that event was later cancelled, too. Hera was forced to go into hiding.
Paul Cliteur, a critic of multiculturalism, announced that he would no longer write for Dutch newspapers about Islam, for fear of reprisals: "With the murder of van Gogh, everyone who writes takes a certain risk. That is a scary development. What I am doing do is self-censorship, absolutely...."
Then a columnist, Hasna el Maroudi, from the newspaper NRC Handelsblad, stopped writing, after receiving threats.
The Dutch artist Rachid Ben Ali, irreverent about Islam, no longer satirizes Muslims.
Amsterdam, a city famous for its exuberant cultural life, had already lived through threats to artists: the occupation by the Nazis during World War II.
Several artists still refuse to mention Theo Van Gogh, so as not to "contribute to... divisions", according to the New York Times. Translation: They are afraid. Who would not be?
In the Oosterpark, a steel sculpture by the artist Jeroen Henneman, dedicated to Van Gogh, is entitled "De Schreeuw" ("The Scream"). But it is a scream you hardly hear in the Dutch society.
What you do hear is the defiant protest after the conviction of a brave MP, Geert Wilders: "I will never be silent. You will not be able to stop me... And that is what we stand for. For freedom and for our beautiful Netherlands."
Before being slaughtered, clinging to a basket, Theo van Gogh begged his assassin: "Can we talk about this?"
But can we talk?
Ask Geert Wilders, just the latest brave victim of Europe's Bolshevik thought police.
***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. 

Riyadh and the Gulf are in Danger
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/December 11/16
King Salman has long been recognized as the one holding the reins of Gulf files within the Saudi government before allegiance was pledged for him as a king. He knows the countries, the ruling families, governments, people, history, issues, and common and bilateral relations.
Though the relations between members of the GCC are close – given the similarities between them, they require to be dealt with carefully. Most of the Gulf capitals within the council are aware of the changes in the area and the dangers of the change surrounding it.
They realize that issues could rise from international relations and its economies and budgets difficulties, as well as their domestic and foreign obligations especially amid the fall of the oil prices and over-production which threatens its income and political power.
King Salman’s visit to the four capitals and his participation in the Bahrain summit aims to enhance relations needed in the Gulf region, which is also responsible for the stability of the Middle East.
The importance of the Gulf countries is much more than its population size. Countries of the Gulf are the stabilizers in the region with the absence of traditional Arab force. They try to fill the emptiness that resulted from the revolutions and the chaos of the Arab Spring as it represents the remaining standing pillars of the region, especially that other countries are busy in the survival struggle.
We can view the royal tour within the framework of boosting the existing relations that are organized within the Cooperation Council. The council remained strong despite former disagreements and diverse visions towards several issues in the region. Everyone realizes the Council is important.In the Gulf summit that was held in Bahrain, King Salman said: “The sad situation being suffered by some Arab countries, characterized by terrorism, domestic struggle and bloodshed, is an imperative result of the alliance of terrorism, sectarianism and flagrant interference, leading to their destabilization and breach of security.”
He was hinting that Iran is leading an army and sectarian militias formed of five countries in Syria and Iraq, and is running a war in Yemen. Union between terrorism and sectarianism is evident and the sole winner is Iran, and the loser is Syria, Iraq and Yemen which naturally threatens the whole region, including countries of Gulf. As for Riyadh, it realizes that the solution to face this mountain of crisis and enemies is through the cooperation within the GCC.
If united, most of these countries will be able to form a strong front against Iran and its allies as well as the terrorist groups including ISIS and al-Qaeda, and it will be able to take a clear position from the international positions arising during the chaos.
They can settle the international positions to their favor if they were able to form a unified front concerning most of the region’s issues. There is no doubt that since his inauguration, King Salman has been trying to bring all the capitals closer based on his knowledge and long term relation with their leaders and institutions. Now that the royal tour and the Gulf summit are over, the most important plan that Riyadh has to undertake is to convince the Gulf group that they should all work together to face Iran who wants to change the political geography and dominate the north, east and south of the Arabian Peninsula, which technically would threaten the existence of the council and the safety of its states.
Backed by the respect, experience and special relations he has, there is no doubt that King Salman will be able to rectify and develop the Gulf relations, ending all disagreements amid real threats that the area is going through, especially the Gulf.
So, is it possible for those in disagreement to freeze their issues, even if temporarily?

Khamenei, Iranian Visionaries Fighting in Syria
Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al Awsat/December 11/16
It has proved quite difficult to make sense of the policies and standards the West implements in the Middle East, particularly in the matters concerning counterterrorism efforts— the West represents a group of influential countries and institutions like the United Nations.
Most of the confusion stirred up by Western foreign policy in the Middle East is that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, after meeting with the families of soldiers who died in Syria, had bluntly downplayed all criticisms facing Tehran’s strategy in the war-torn country.
Surprisingly, Khamenei, as reported by the “semi-official” news agency of the Government of Iran Fars News Agency, said that what distinguishes Iranian soldiers fighting in Syria is their religious insight and desire to defend holy shrines present there.
On the account of questioning Iran’s business in Syria, Khamenei says that only a person with a drastic lack of understanding would question Tehran’s presence, adding that his country cannot possibly wait for the enemy to strike home. In his logic, Khamenei says that adversaries must be stopped from within their borders.
Speaking to a flock of youths heading to Syria and Iraq, the Supreme Leader underlined that soldiers fighting for Iran’s agenda and policies are true visionaries that people sitting in the comfort of their homes cannot hope to understand. Khamenei boasted about Iran retaining proxy forces abroad and bordering an arch enemy “Israel”—Iran is in direct contact with Lebanese paramilitary regiments like Hezbollah and Amal.
A case of double standards arises as Western countries demand security cooperation from Arab Sunni countries with curbing the influx of foreign fighters into areas of conflicts such as Iraq and Syria, while Khamenei is left to rant and embolden Iranian soldiers with fighting abroad by calling them intuitive and holding great insight.
Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, Gulf States, Tunisia and Egypt have gone to the extent of outlawing travel to areas of conflict, and have went out of their way to pursue those who do. Paradoxically, Khamenei says that Iranians at home must seek out the understanding needed for fighting in Syria and Iraq. It would seem that all screws have gone loose!
Hands down that all measures implemented by Arab countries are to promote security and stability. But matters concerning international law, alliances and counterterrorism efforts are doubted to have evolved to a twisted, naïve and selective play.
Is it that Western policy is based on battlefield levers– if so, should Arab countries then seek establishing proxy militias in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon to counter Iran’s growing influence? Must Arab countries follow Iranian footsteps, keeping a wide diplomatic smile while spreading criminal militias? Have things boiled down to turning the entire region to a jungle?
As Middle Eastern days unfold, it seems that the notion of stability is being rewritten with bloodshed—more so, a great impression is given on both the international community and Russia having adopted the newfangled definition.
Bewilderingly, it is the Iran Supreme Leader himself endorsing the influx of Iranian fighters into foreign war zones, not some media reports or intelligence simply commenting on the subject, but the very nation’s leader promoting for fighting abroad. Western countries appear to have only turned their attention to Arab countries with their demands for counterterrorism and inhibiting the influx of Arab combatants. Absurdity outshines anything in today’s status quo.