LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
December 22/16
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.december22.16.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
I speak
these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me;
he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to
By faith Abraham, when put to
the test, offered up Isaac
Letter to the Hebrews 11/17-22/:"By faith Abraham, when put to the test,
offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his
only son, of whom he had been told, ‘It is through Isaac that descendants shall
be named after you.’ He considered the fact that God is able even to raise
someone from the dead and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. By
faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau. By faith Jacob,
when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, ‘bowing in worship over the top
of his staff.’ By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the
exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 21-22/16
Egyptian Christians Forgive Attacker Who Killed 25 In Cairo
Bombing/Carey Lodge/Christian Today/December 21/16
Connecting The Dots: Ankara, Berlin And Zurich – OpEd/Faisal
J. Abbas/Eurasia Review/December 21/16
Greece and Iran: The Dark Side of the Relationship/ Maria Polizoidou/Gatestone
Institute/December 21/16
Russia, Iran and Turkey Meet for Syria Talks, Excluding U.S/BEN HUBBARD and
DAVID E. SANGE/ The New York Times/December 20/16
Saudi Arabia Funding Extremist Islamist Groups in Germany/ By Codi Robertson/The Clarion Project/December 21/16
Are Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait Funding German Salafism/George
Igler/Gatestone Institute/December 21/16
Assassinating an envoy; between crime and propagating terrorism/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/December 21/16
Something can be done to help the people of Aleppo/Dr. Méguerditch
Tarazian/Al Arabiya/December
21/16
Karak attack yet another test of Jordan’s resilience/Raed Omari/Al Arabiya/December
21/16
Titles For Latest
Lebanese Related News published on December 21-22/16
IDF officer confirms Hezbollah using US weaponry taken from Lebanese
army
Israel Alleges Hizbullah Used LAF APCs
in Qusayr despite Army Denial
Lebanese Cabinet Holds 1st Meeting amid Kataeb
Absence, Drafting Policy Statement Next Goal
Mashnouq Says Policy Statement May be Finalized
before Christmas
Berri: Priority Must be Given to Devising Electoral
Law
Aridi: We Can't be Blackmailed with Any Electoral Law
Information Minister rebuffs 'international password' behind new cabinet
Bassil: Change started with new presidency, will
culminate with new electoral law
French Foreign Minister arrives in Beirut to felicitate new Lebanese President,
Prime Minister
Hariri receives French Foreign Minister on Thursday
French FM Arrives in Beirut for Talks with Top Leaders
Pro-Aleppo Slogans on Russian Embassy in Beirut, Security Upped after Ankara
Assassination
Syrian Held in Akkar for 'Manufacturing Mortars for Arsal Terror Groups'
3 Dead, 4 Hurt as Asbat al-Ansar
Militant Assassinated in Ain el-Hilweh
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 21-22/16
Germany Hunts Tunisian Suspect after IS Claims Truck Attack
Aleppo Evacuations Resume after Delays
Erdogan Sees Gulen Link to
Envoy Killing, Kremlin Cautious
Turkey FM Says Syria Ceasefire Should Not Cover Jihadist Groups, Hizbullah
14 Turkish Troops Killed, 33 Hurt in Fight for Syria IS-Held Town
ISIS strikes in Berlin, Jordan – and Mosul too
The last stage of Aleppo's evacuation begins
Battle for Syria’s al-Bab intensifies, 4 Turkish
soldiers killed
Watch: ISIS father’s last words to his girls before they blow themselves up
Seven killed by bombs near Iranian Kurdish Party HQ in Iraq
ISIS in Mosul targets civilians as it retreats
Iran brutalizing Aleppo, executing ‘most atrocious’ war crimes
Murdered envoy’s family weep over coffin in Moscow
US military ends anti-ISIS operation in Libya’s Sirte
Rouhani's Outrageous Maneuver
Against Justice Seeking Movement and the UN Resolution Condemning the Clerical
Regime
UK Parliament Condemned the Wave of Executions in Iran
Iranian Regime's Indignation at Global Protests Against the Killing of People
in Aleppo
Iran Regime's MP: We Do Not Anticipate the Government to Create New Jobs, Just
Keep the Existing Ones
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on on December 21-22/16
IDF officer confirms Hezbollah using US weaponry taken from Lebanese army
Reuters/Jerusalem Post/December 21/16/ Israel has informed the United
States that Lebanese Hezbollah fighters in Syria are using US armored personnel carriers originally supplied to the
Lebanese Army, a senior Israeli military officer said on Wednesday. The
US State Department said last month that the American embassy in
Israel Alleges Hizbullah
Used LAF APCs in Qusayr
despite Army Denial
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/December
21/16/Armored personnel carriers provided by the United States to the Lebanese
Armed Forces have been used by Hizbullah forces in
Syria, a senior Israeli military official said on Wednesday. The official,
speaking on condition of anonymity, said
Lebanese Cabinet Holds 1st Meeting amid Kataeb
Absence, Drafting Policy Statement Next Goal
Naharnet/December 21/16/Lebanon's council of
ministers held its first meeting at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on Wednesday, after its formation over the weekend,
and formed a committee designed to draft a new ministerial statement, media
reports said.
The cabinet which brought together the entire political spectrum except for the
Kataeb party, that rejected the portfolio it was
offered, had a commemorative photo taken in the presence of the three senior
officials President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Ahead of the cabinet convention, Aoun, Berri and Hariri held a
meeting after which the Speaker left the palace. The cabinet body, chaired by Aoun, stood a moment of silence in honor
of the victims of terrorism. The cabinet agreed to form a committee of 7
ministers including Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil,
Public Works and Transport Minister Youssef Fenianos, Sport and Youth Minister Mohammed Fneish, Social Affairs Pierre Bou
Assi, Education Minister Marwan
Hamadeh, Justice Minister Salim
Jreissati and PM Saad
Hariri to draft the policy statement. The committee is set to take its first
meeting at 5:00 pm at the Grand Serail. For his part,
Mashnouq said: “If a new electoral law was agreed, we
might need to postpone the elections technically.” During the meeting,
President Aoun stressed the need to give priority to
devising a new election law in order to help facilitate the people's affairs.
The PM however stressed the need for cooperation “at this stage.”
The upcoming step for the cabinet is to devise a ministerial statement
based on which the parliament is set to give its vote of confidence. Hariri's
cabinet was formed on Sunday, 45 days after his designation for the task. He
assumed his duties at the Grand Serail on Tuesday and
was welcomed by the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers Fouad Fleifel, and senior
government staff at the Grand Serail that lies in
downtown
Mashnouq Says Policy Statement May be Finalized before
Christmas
Naharnet/December 21/16/The policy statement of the
new government might be finalized “before Christmas,” Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced
Wednesday after a ministerial panel tasked with drafting the statement held its
first meeting. “The atmosphere is positive and we're in agreement on all the
topics,” Justice Minister Salim Jreissati
for his part said after the meeting. Mashnouq said
the draft statement “does not exceed four pages,” noting that “it is not
unlikely that the statement will be finalized before Christmas.”“There
is consensus over the statement's clauses and we'll endorse the formula of the
president's oath of office and the policy statement of Tammam
Salam's government for the army-people-resistance equation,” Mashnouq added. Prior to the meeting, the minister had
announced that proportional representation will be mentioned in the statement.
Al-Jadeed television said the committee will hold a
second meeting this week. Wednesday's meeting was chaired by Premier Saad Hariri and attended by Mashnouq
(al-Mustaqbal Movement), Jreissati
(pro-president), Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh (Democratic Gathering), Sport and Youth Minister
Mohammed Fneish (Hizbullah),
Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil (AMAL Movement),
Public Works Minister Youssef Finianos
(Marada Movement) and Social Affairs Minister Pierre Bou Assi (Lebanese Forces).
Hariri's government had held its first meeting on Wednesday morning.
"The government will also work on the preparation of a new electoral
law," Hariri said on Sunday.
Berri: Priority Must be Given to
Devising Electoral Law
Naharnet/December 21/16/Speaker Nabih
Berri reiterated on Wednesday the necessity to speed
up drafting a new electoral law based on proportional representation. “We have
all experienced the mishaps of the 1960 election law. We hope the new cabinet
completes drafting a policy statement before the end of the year. The
parliament is ready to hold vote of confidence for the cabinet as soon as the
draft is presented,” said Berri during his weekly
meeting with lawmakers. The cabinet held its first meeting on Wednesday and
formed a 7-minister committee tasked with drafting a new election law to hold
the upcoming parliamentary election on May 2017. The political parties are
bickering over amending the current election law, the 1960 law, which divides
seats among the different religious sects. Hizbullah
has repeatedly called for an electoral law based on proportional representation
but other political parties, especially al-Mustaqbal
Movement, have rejected the proposal and argued that the party's controversial
arsenal of arms would prevent serious competition in regions where the
Iran-backed party is influential. Mustaqbal, the
Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party have meanwhile proposed a
hybrid electoral law that mixes the proportional representation and the
winner-takes-all systems. Speaker Nabih Berri has also proposed a hybrid law. The country has not
voted for a parliament since 2009, with the legislature instead twice extending
its own mandate. The 2009 polls were held under an amended version of the 1960
electoral law and the next elections are scheduled for May 2017.
Aridi: We Can't be Blackmailed with Any Electoral Law
Naharnet/December 21/16/MP Ghazi Aridi
of MP Walid Jumblat's
Progressive Socialist Party stressed Wednesday that the PSP “cannot be
blackmailed with any electoral law.”“When some
parties propose the proportional representation system for sectarian motives,
this has nothing to do with proportional representation, because it would not
lead to political reform or correct representation in the Lebanese political system,”
Aridi said during the annual dinner of the PSP's Baisour department. “We
cannot accept that the electoral law be used to intimidate any main political
component in the country or to threaten to push it away from the center of
political decision-making,” the lawmaker added. “We cannot be blackmailed with
any law during this period and we are essential partners in this country,” Aridi went on to say, calling for “unified standards that
take into consideration all the concerns.”A Free
Patriotic Movement delegation had announced after talks with Jumblat last week that the PSP leader “did not flatly
reject a proportional representation system that takes concerns into
consideration and does not eliminate any sectarian component.” Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully
based on proportional representation but other political parties, especially
al-Mustaqbal Movement, have rejected the proposal and
argued that the party's controversial arsenal of arms would prevent serious
competition in regions where the Iran-backed party has clout. Mustaqbal, the Lebanese Forces and the PSP have meanwhile
proposed a hybrid electoral law that mixes the proportional representation and
the winner-takes-all systems. Speaker Nabih Berri has also proposed a hybrid law. The country has not
voted for a parliament since 2009, with the legislature instead twice extending
its own mandate. The 2009 polls were held under an amended version of the 1960
electoral law and the next elections are scheduled for May 2017.
Information Minister rebuffs
'international password' behind new cabinet
Wed 21 Dec 2016/NNA - Information Minister, Melhem Riachy, on Wednesday ruled out claims that Lebanese
President, Michel Aoun, had approved of some sort of
"international password" under which the new Lebanese cabinet was
formed. The newly appointed Minister confirmed that the cabinet line-up
decision was strictly local and aimed at kick starting the countries national
institutions. As for today's policy statement drafting session, Riachy described it at as "very comfortable".
"Participants discussed matters in a state of harmony, and for the
nation's best interest. This was quite evident in the interventions that
Ministers had made during the session," the Minister maintained. On the
other hand, he confirmed that the Ministers who hadn't taken part in the policy
statement committee's meeting "were given the chance to share their opinion."Touching on the Lebanese Presidency, Riachy said that it was the first time that a president
takes a "lion's share" in a cabinet; however, he made clear that
"ambitions" stood way beyond the current cabinet, especially at the
intellectual level. "But we are required to demonstrate respect dealing
with our national partners," he added. The newly appointed Minister went
on to deny claims accusing Aoun of bearing the
intention to practice dictatorship. He also rebuked claims that there had been
objections against some members within the new cabinet line-up. "This is
the first time the Lebanese Forces takes part in the executive authority. We
did not name anyone [ministers], and no one suggested our names," he
added, making clear that the LF had given up on the Ministry of Defense to facilitate the cabinet formation process.
"LF Leader Dr. Samir Geagea
is very malleable when it gets down to these issues," he added.
Bassil: Change started with new presidency, will culminate
with new electoral law
Wed 21 Dec 2016/NNA - Free Patriotic Movement Leader, Foreign Affairs and
Expatriates Minister, Gebran Bassil,
said on Wednesday that real change started with the election of a new president
and the formation of a new cabinet, adding that these national achievements
will be culminated with a new electoral law that grants all the Lebanese equal
rights. The Minister's words came during an annual Christmas lunch held by the FPM's Board of Licensed Topographers at Mhana
Restaurant, Antelias. "Change can only be
attained through democracy and via the balloting boxes," Bassil said, hoping to see real change happen in the
impending parliamentary elections set in May 2017.
French Foreign Minister arrives in Beirut
to felicitate new Lebanese President, Prime Minister
Wed 21 Dec 2016/NNA - French Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault,
arrived in Beirut at 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening on an official visit to
extend well-wishes to the newly elected Lebanese President and Prime Minister.
Upon arrival, the French Minister expressed comfort concerning the election of
Michel Aoun as President of the
Hariri receives French Foreign Minister on
Thursday
Wed 21 Dec 2016/NNA - Prime Minister Saad
Hariri is scheduled to meet at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday with visiting French
Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault.
French FM Arrives in
Naharnet/December 21/16/French Foreign Minister
Jean-Marc Ayrault arrived in
Pro-Aleppo Slogans on Russian
Embassy in Beirut, Security Upped after Ankara Assassination
Naharnet/December 21/16/Following the recent
assassination of the Russian ambassador in Turkey, the attack resonated in the
capital Beirut and triggered some reactions where a group of youth wrote
overnight slogans on the cement blocs surrounding the Russian embassy in
Beirut's Corniche al-Mazraa
area and managed to disappear, al-Joumhouria daily
reported Wednesday. A group of youth managed to sneak late on Tuesday and write
slogans on the cement blocs around the embassy “denouncing the battle in
It added that the embassy has upped security measures that were not
visible to the naked eye, and that preventive security steps were taken, “the
measures were taken at the rest of the diplomatic missions in
Syrian Held in Akkar
for 'Manufacturing Mortars for Arsal Terror Groups'
Naharnet/December 21/16/A Syrian man was arrested
Wednesday in the Akkar border town of al-Hisheh on charges of “manufacturing mortar guns for the
terrorist groups in Arsal's outskirts,” state-run
National News Agency reported. The suspect, who was apprehended by a State
Security patrol after a surveillance operation, is also accused of “communicating
with the fugitive terrorist M. W. who killed troops on an army checkpoint in Arsal, smuggling a stolen pickup truck from
3 Dead, 4 Hurt as Asbat
al-Ansar Militant Assassinated in Ain el-Hilweh
Naharnet/December 21/16/A member of the extremist
group Asbat al-Ansar was
shot dead in Sidon's Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh
on Wednesday, sparking violence that resulted in the death of two other people
and the wounding of four others, the National News Agency reported. At the
junction of the camp's vegetable market, unknown gunmen opened fired at Samer Hmeid, also known as Samer Nejmeh, and the Palestinian
Abed Saleh, which resulted in the death of Hmeid on the spot and the wounding of Saleh.
Media reports later said that Saleh had
succumbed to his wounds. NNA later said that the Palestinian Mahmoud Ibrahim Abu al-Yaman was
also killed and that four other people were injured, identifying them as
Palestinian woman Alia Hourani, Palestinian-Syrian
Fatah Movement member Mohammed Kerbaj, and the
Palestinians Omar Jamal Hamad and Omar Jamal Shreidi who belong to hardline
Islamist groups. Tension soared in the camp after the assassination, where
schools, shops and UNRWA institutions shut down. National Palestinian and
Islamic factions in the camp held an urgent meeting to dwell on the security
condition following the assassination of Hmeid, NNA
said.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on December
21-22/16
Germany Hunts Tunisian Suspect after IS Claims Truck Attack
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/December
21/16/German police launched a manhunt Wednesday for a rejected asylum seeker
suspected of involvement in a deadly truck assault on a Berlin Christmas market
claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. Officials said the suspect,
24-year-old Tunisian national Anis Amri, had already
been under investigation for planning an attack, in a development certain to
fuel public outrage. Asylum office papers believed to belong to Amri, alleged to have links to the radical Islamist scene,
were found in the cab of the 40-ton lorry used in the attack that killed 12
people. Prosecutors released a wanted notice with two photos of the
dark-haired, brown-eyed suspect and offering a reward of 100,000 euros ($104,000) for information leading to the arrest of Amri, who they warned "could be violent and
armed." The interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, Ralf
Jaeger, said counter-terrorism officials had exchanged information about Amri, most recently in November, and a probe had been
launched suspecting he was preparing "a serious act of violence against
the state," Jaeger said. Amri came to
Deportation debate
Twelve people were killed when the
Polish-registered articulated truck, laden with steel beams, slammed into the
crowded holiday market late Monday, smashing wooden stalls and crushing
victims. Six of the dead have been identified as German while media reported one
of the victims as an Italian woman. Twenty-four people remain in hospital, 14
of whom were seriously injured. The scenes revived nightmarish memories of the
July 14 truck assault in the French Riviera city of
A Polish man, killed with a gunshot, was found in the truck's passenger
seat. The 37-year-old Pole named Lukasz worked for his cousin Ariel Zurawski's transport company in northern
Mourners placed flowers and candles at the site while German flags flew
at half-mast and
Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with bloody jihadist
attacks striking
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/December
21/16/Evacuations from the last rebel-held pocket of
'Suffering from the cold'
After seeing no movement on Wednesday morning, an AFP correspondent saw
buses arriving one after the other in the afternoon in Ramussa,
the government-held district of southern Aleppo through which evacuation
convoys have been passing. The evacuees had spent hours in freezing
temperatures waiting in the buses to depart, as snow blanketed
The two Shiite-majority villages are under siege by the rebels, who are
mainly Sunni Muslims.
Shiite-dominated
As well as handing a major victory to Assad, it has given fresh energy to
international efforts to end the conflict.
Erdogan Sees Gulen Link to Envoy
Killing, Kremlin Cautious
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/December
21/16/President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan on Wednesday said the killer of
'Don't rush to conclusions'
'Protected Erdogan'
Eleven people, including close family members,
have been detained over the killing and are being investigated for possible
links to Gulen. In a striking detail, the Hurriyet daily said Altintas, who
served with the
Turkey FM Says Syria Ceasefire Should Not Cover Jihadist Groups, Hizbullah
Associated Press/Naharnet/December
21/16/Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that a ceasefire in Syria should not
cover jihadist groups like the Islamic State group and the Fatah al-Sham Front,
as well as groups like Lebanon's Hizbullah which
fights on the regime side. Speaking at a news conference after talks with the
foreign ministers of Russia and Iran, Cavusoglu said
the global community should target not only IS and Fatah al-Sham but also
"other groups including Hizbullah." Hizbullah is allied with
14 Turkish Troops Killed, 33
Hurt in Fight for Syria IS-Held Town
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/December
21/16/Fourteen Turkish soldiers were killed and 33 wounded in clashes with
Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria on Wednesday in the military's highest
single day toll of its four month campaign inside the country.
The fighting came as
IS claimed on jihadist forums to have killed or injured at least 70
Turkish soldiers in three suicide bombings carried out by IS fighters and in
fighting on the ground. They also said the casualties and losses of the Turkish
army were the highest since the intervention in northern
ISIS strikes in Berlin, Jordan – and Mosul too
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis December 21, 2016
The city of Berlin and the Jordanian Crusader town of Karaka are 3,000km apart,
but the distance did not stop Islamic State killers from taking 26 lives,
inuring 18 others, some very seriously,in the two
countries, and causing the Israeli Dalia Elkayam to
disappear.
In
In both countries, they are seriously shaking the ruling establishments,
however diverse their systems and geography: Chancellor Angela Merkel is
standing for a fourth term in the coming election in the face of an outcry
against her open-door immigration policy, while the throne of King Abdullah II
is at risk if he fails to crush the Islamists. Merkel’s policy has brought a
million refugees to
The US-backed army offered little or no resistance. Nonetheless,
they Obama administration stuck to its standard refrain, refusing to credit
ISIS with the attack in Berlin without corroboration, even after its claim of
responsibility - meaning that US intelligence’s failure to identity the
perpetrators exculpates ISIS. So
The last stage of Aleppo's evacuation
begins
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 21
December 2016/Buses loaded with Syrian civilians have begun leaving the last
rebel-held enclave of eastern Aleppo again on Wednesday, after being stalled
for a day, a UN official said. The Syrian Observatory has confirmed that the
final stage of the evacuation from the besieged eastern
Battle for Syria’s al-Bab
intensifies, 4 Turkish soldiers killed
Reuters, Ankara Wednesday, 21 December 2016/Clashes between Turkish-backed
Syrian rebels and ISIS militants intensified around the northern Syrian town of
al-Bab on Wednesday, killing four Turkish soldiers
and more than 40 extremists, the army said.
Watch:
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 21
December 2016/A Syrian father forced his almost 10-year-old girl to carry out a
suicide attack earlier this month. According to Syrian news agency
Syrian activists familiar with Abu Nimr were able to
verify the authenticity of the video.
https://vid.alarabiya.net/2016/12/21/send211216/send211216___send211216_video.mp4?versionId=OJJMy8.MHHBLMHNVa2Wbzv4Da223wCvV
Seven killed by bombs near Iranian Kurdish
Party HQ in Iraq
AFP, Sulaimaniyah Wednesday, 21 December 2016/Seven
people were killed in a double bomb attack Tuesday near the headquarters of an
Iranian Kurdish opposition party, in a rare assault in Iraq’s relatively secure
autonomous Kurdish region, a senior security official said.
The blasts hit the town of
ISIS in Mosul targets civilians as it retreats
The Associated Press, Baghdad Wednesday, 21 December 2016/ISIS militants in
Mosul are deliberately targeting civilians who refuse to join them as they
retreat ahead of advancing Iraqi forces involved in a large-scale government
operation to retake the militant-held city, an international watchdog said on
Wednesday. The statement from Human Rights Watch also said that
Iran brutalizing Aleppo, executing ‘most
atrocious’ war crimes
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 21
December 2016/Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds
Force is accused of playing an extensive role in the destruction of Aleppo, an
Iranian opposition group says in a new intelligence report. Among other things,
the country is building a network of stations around the city and sending
militia troops from Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon in to execute the brutal
killings, the report – which was provided to the Washington Post - read. “The
fact is that
Murdered envoy’s family weep over coffin
in
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 21
December 2016/The widow and mother of Russian
ambassador, Andrei Karlov, broke down in tears as his
body was returned to his homeland after he was gunned down in
His mother Maria also struggled to contain her grief as the coffin, covered
with a Russian flag, was carried off the plane by soldiers at the
AFP, Washington Wednesday, 21 December 2016/The US military has officially
ended operations in a former ISIS bastion in
Rouhani's Outrageous Maneuver Against
Justice Seeking Movement and the UN Resolution Condemning the Clerical Regime
NCRI Statements/ Wednesday, 21 December 2016 /While the justice seeking
movement for the massacre of 1988 has heightened inside and outside Iran and on
the same day that the UN General Assembly condemned systematic and blatant
violation of human rights in Iran, Hassan Rouhani,
President of Iran regime, published a an absurd statement named "Charter
of Citizens Rights". This text is only a repetition of the dismal
Constitution and laws of the clerical regime, albeit with a clumsy arrangement.
Rouhani had announced the same statements during 2013
sham election and now he is reusing it in the run up to next year’s election.
It is interesting that he announced the first report on its implementation
would be due six months later, after the election. This 120-article paper,
whose proper name would be charter for violation of citizens’ rights, nowhere
does challenge even implicitly the absolute authority of the Supreme Leader,
complete denial of popular sovereignty, violation of fundamental rights of
women, and other inhumane laws that have been institutionalized in the clerical
regime. The first article states, "The right to life cannot be denied from
citizens except in accordance with law". This is nothing but confirmation
of 120,000 political executions and mass executions that are happening every
day. All these crimes are carried out based on the "law" of Velayat-e-Faqih. Rouhani has previously
described all these executions as implementing law and divine command. Rouhani’s statement talks about women’s rights within the
framework of the law, the same law that denies all economic, social and
political rights of women and in the best case, considers their rights as being
half of men’s and denies them presidency, judgment and many other careers. He
does not dare to even use the term "gender equality" in a writing without the slightest binding.
On freedom rights it reads: “These freedoms are only limited based on
necessity and according to the law.” He fails to mention various police organs
established according to the law to quell all freedoms, whose wages are paid
for by Rouhani’s cabinet and are under the command of
his Interior Minister. Mercenaries titled as 'Hijab
(veiling) Police', 'Cyber Police', 'Mountain Police', 'Invisible
Police' and …Article 75 refers to ownership rights and reads expropriation is
banned, unless it is according to the law. Rouhani,
himself a ringleader in plundering the Iranian people’s property and wealth,
fails to explain the fate of the hundreds of billions of dollars stolen by the
mullahs’ regime and senior regime officials from the Iranian people over the 38
years of the mullahs' rule, and what happened to the $95 billion wealth in the
"The Executive Headquarters of Imam's Directive," practically
becoming Khamenei’s personal wealth, all stolen from
the Iranian people. The last portion of this document describes the export of
terrorism, crimes and killings in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and other countries as
foreign policy “using various wise measures” for “combating violence, extremism
and in defense of innocent people’s rights,”
emphasizing “allocating adequate resources to equip and strengthen the armed
forces” and “allocating enough supplies to strengthen the defense
capability.” This is the same policy Khamenei and his
inner circle–such as Rouhani, supposedly the regime’s
president–have been imposing on the peoples of Iran and the entire region, and
with each passing day they sink more into its quagmire. Spending
the Iranian people assets on the aggressive and warmongering policies, and
killing innocent people in
UK Parliament Condemned the Wave of
Executions in Iran
Wednesday, 21 December 2016/NCRI - In a parliament session at the House of
Lords with the presence of the government representative, parliamentarians
condemned the growing number of executions as well as the blatant violation of
human rights in Iran by the Mullahs' regime. In this meeting, the representative
of the UK government, in his speech stressed on the necessity of auditing the
regime as well as extending sanctions on Iran since they violate the human
rights. A prominent member of the House of Lord, Lord David Alton in his speech
stated:"the Iranian regime currently violates
the section 30 of the Declaration of International Human Rights. Nevertheless,
it is encouraging that the Iranians do not want the continuation of violations
of human rights. The president of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
(NCRI), Maryam Rajavi
introduced a proposal which consists of 10 articles and it will revolutionalize
Maryam Rajavi
believes in peaceful coexistence and respectful relation with other countries.
Lord Alton then outlined the various aspects of crimes and human rights
violation by the Iranian regime in which they were listed by the governments
and human rights organizations. At the end, he also stressed that the situation
of human rights in
Iranian Regime's Indignation at Global
Protests Against the Killing of People in Aleppo
Wednesday, 21 December 2016/NCRI - Infuriated by the widespread protest rallies
in front of regime’s embassies in Turkey, France and England, the Iranian
regime’s ambassador to London ‘Hamid Baeidinejad’ wrote: “making use of the Western media news
flow, some ill-disposed groups tried to gather unaware people for protesting in
front of Iranian embassies… credible information shows that the PMOI has under
the disguise of humanitarian support of people in Aleppo played a key role in
such activities. Let’s be vigilant.”It should be
pointed out that on Saturday December 17, widespread demonstrations were held
in front of regime’s embassies in different countries, during which the
demonstrators condemned the killing of people in
Iran Regime's MP: We Do Not Anticipate the Government to Create New Jobs, Just
Keep the Existing Ones
Wednesday, 21 December 2016/NCRI - An Iranian MP referred to the industrial
towns which were shut down in
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on
December 21-22/16
Egyptian Christians Forgive
Attacker Who Killed 25 In Cairo Bombing
Carey Lodge/Christian Today/December 21/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/12/21/egyptian-christians-forgive-attacker-who-killed-25-in-cairo-bombing/
Coptic Christians who survived the deadly church bombing in Cairo on December
11 have said they forgive their attacker, and are ready to die themselves for
their faith.
Speaking to International Christian Concern (ICC), the relatives of some
of the 25 people who were killed at the
Wagdy Anis lost his wife in the bombing. “I
want to send a message to those that killed my wife,” he said. “I forgive him,
and I pray for him and the people who are like him. That God may lighten their
minds and open their vision.”
Amad Saad Aziz’s
sister was also killed. He said: “To my martyred sister I say, ‘I love you so
much and I want to be like you.’ To you who killed my sister I say, ‘we are
ready for martyrdom.’”
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Tensions between Christians and Muslims have intensified in the country
since the 2011 Arab Spring, and recent months have also seen the assault on
homes of Christian families in the village of Karm el
Loofy, the burning of a kindergarten run by
Christians in Minya, and the murder on June 30 of
Rafael Moussa, a Coptic Orthodox priest of the church
of St. George.
“Every infidel and apostate in
Egyptian authorities identified the bomber as 22-year-old Mahmoud Shafiq Mohammed Mustafa,
who had a history of affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Another member of the church who survived the attack, Raymond Wadih, told ICC that
“This has not weakened us,” he said. “On the contrary, this gives us more
love for our country than before and we will not leave
Wadih, who lost his mother in the attack, said
he and his wife, their three children and his parents were all inside the
church attending mass at the time of the incident.
A deacon at the church, Tony Takla, claimed the
bomber had visited the previous evening and asked to meet the priests.
“We had just finished with a prayer meeting and were standing by the
front door when a man carrying a black case came towards us. He said he was [a]
Muslim hoping to learn about Christianity… he asked us to allow him to enter
the church to see the church form the inside and to meet any one of the
church’s priests.”
Takla said the man was turned away because the
church was closed, but they invited him to return for mass the following day.
They recognised his image when the man was announced as the suicide
bomber on the news.
Father Michael Fahmy of St Mark’s Cathedral,
which is attached to the church of St Peter and St Paul, told ICC that the
“Coptic Church… is a church of martyrs”.
“We still present martyrs everyday,” he said. “Victims
who are killed only because they are Christians.”
Connecting The Dots: Ankara, Berlin And Zurich
– OpEd
Faisal J. Abbas/Eurasia Review/December 21/16
http://www.eurasiareview.com/21122016-connecting-the-dots-ankara-berlin-and-zurich-oped/
Monday’s atrocious attacks that targeted civilians at a Christmas market in
Berlin and Muslims praying in a mosque in Zurich resemble two sides of the same
coin of hatred. Both acts of terrorism should be condemned, and neither should
be tolerated.
Monday was an exceptionally sad day, given that on the same night Russia’s
ambassador to Turkey was brutally assassinated in a chilling televised scene
that many only thought could happen in James Bond movies.
“The world has become a scary place,” is what you often hear people repeat in
such circumstances. To a certain extent they are correct, as nobody can
disagree that such developments are worrisome. However, I am not so sure they
spell the end of time just yet.
Our world has always been subject to acts of violence, war, crime and
terrorism. Perpetrators of such gruesome acts could be governments such as
Syria’s, organized criminal groups such as the mafia, clean-shaven white men
such as the 1996 Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh, and of course the likes of Daesh and Al-Qaeda supporters, who terrorize in the name of
religion.
Yet we should not allow all this to distract us from the other realities and
positive developments on the ground. For example, both
In
These are extremely good reactions that should not be ignored, as one could
easily be dragged into focusing on those who celebrated both awful incidents,
whether right-wing Christian extremists or pro-Daesh
Islamic fundamentalists. The reality is that neither group represents the
majority of either faith.
As for
The ICD runs impressive programs aiming to promote human rights and combat
discrimination. As one can imagine, the Middle East and North Africa (including
The problem is that the tolerant, rational approach of such individuals cannot
compete with a populist, sensationalist one in a post-truth era, and targeting
innocent people at a Christmas market does not make their job in standing up to
the far-right easier. We have seen plenty of the bad and ugly rise to power
this year, so let us pray — and work hard — to ensure that 2017 brings in a bit
more of the good!
*Faisal J. Abbas is the editor-in-chief of Arab
News. He can be reached on Twitter @FaisalJAbbas
Greece and Iran: The
Dark Side of the Relationship
Maria Polizoidou/Gatestone Institute/December
21/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9607/greece-iran-relationship
The Iranian government, with these two cases (Kabis
and Noor 1), seems to hold in its hands a bomb that
can blow up the Greek economic and political system. If Greek authorities
seriously investigate these cases, they will trigger a domino-effect of
disclosures that could well destabilize
As Sunnis and Shiites are fighting for regional hegemony in the Middle
East --
Until now, the Greek political and economic regime, after the junta in
1974, had always been extremely friendly to Sunni political Islam. During the
Iran-Iraq war, the Greek regime sided with
The influence of Sunni Islam in
Dimitris Kabis, a
professor at the
In March 2013, the
Dimitris Kabis was
accused by the
Kabis, with the Iranian funds and a network of
20 Greek businessmen, for years supplied Iran with pharmaceuticals, weapons,
high-technology products, money-laundering services and everything else Tehran
needed. Among the Greek businessmen, at least one was confirmed as a TV station
owner who has close relationships with Kabis.
Kabis seems to have violated an agreement
signed by him and the NITC, and in July was arrested
in
American authorities seem to have knowledge of Greek businessmen
cooperating with Kabis. Kabis,
in turn, and the
The first time there was a reference to smuggled oil from
The Noor 1 apparently smuggled 18 tons of oil
and two tons of Iranian heroin. The heroin was then distributed throughout
The Noor 1 case has a lot of puzzle pieces,
such as the relationship, if any, between the actions of those who are involved
and the traffickers of the two tons of heroin. Possible connections were
illuminated when some of the trial judges' lives were threatened, and the lives
of their relatives. The court's president resigned out of fear, she said, for
herself and her family. Terrorists sent another judge in the same trial a book
packed with razor blades and explosives.
In court, only two people were found guilty of directing a criminal
organization and transporting the heroin. Most of the crew were found not guilty, and just three of the defendants were convicted of
simply being accessories to drug dealing. Usually, conventional drug dealers do
not have the power to prevent a full-scale investigation of a case, or to
threaten judges or send bombs. It would seem that only people with power inside
the Greek establishment could do that, because only those people have access to
the Greek Department of Justice, the Ministry of Citizen Protection and the
Greek Intelligence Services -- all of which recorded conversations between the
masterminds and those who carried out the plan.
The media apparently put a lot of pressure on the establishment for a
full-scale investigation -- but nothing happened. The people involved appear
untouchable. In this case, again, are Greek media owners offering the Iranians
special protection for illegal activities?
The Greek coalition of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras
and Minister of Defense Panos
Kammenos also made another unusual decision. The
Greek government, famous for its blind obedience to decisions by the EU,
nevertheless, for the first time decided to ignore the organization. When the
EU voted to place sanctions on
BSI evidently has close economic ties to terrorism. According to the Wall
Street Journal, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that BSI was
being cut off from all access to the
After the JCPOA agreement in July 2015, the Saderat
Bank was one of the three banks that remained on the European Union's sanctions
list. For
In early 2016, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, was
among the first Western leaders who led a large business delegation to
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras meets with
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in
Circles in the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responding to WSJ's
report, stated:
"The rule of law applies in
"The Court decision against the European Council that judged – at
first instance in May 2013 and at second instance last April – the sanctions
against Saderat bank to be illegal,
was not the decision of a national court, nor an Iranian court or a neutral
court. It was the decision of a European court, the European Court of Justice.
If we, as the EU, do not enforce judicial decisions, how will we convince the
world that we respect the rule of law and that we do not apply double
standards?"
The Iranian government, with these two cases (Kabis
and Noor 1) seems to hold in its hands a bomb that
can blow up the Greek economic and political system. If Greek authorities
seriously investigate these cases, they will trigger a domino-effect of
disclosures that could well destabilize the
It is absolutely sure that the whistle-blowers, in order to have legal
amnesty, will reveal to the judicial authorities and Greek people the dirty
world of political and economic elites damaging
Greek society must find the will, and the political means, to get rid of
the corrupt establishment. There is no other way to save itself from the
economic meltdown and the unbelievable poverty. It is now or never.
**Maria Polizoidou, a reporter, broadcast
journalist, and consultant on international and foreign affairs, is based in
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights
reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the
Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced,
copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone
Institute.
By BEN HUBBARD and DAVID E. SANGE
The New York Times/December 20/16
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Russia, Iran and Turkey met in Moscow on Tuesday to
work toward a political accord to end Syria’s nearly six-year war, leaving the
United States on the sidelines as the countries sought to drive the conflict in
ways that serve their interests.
Secretary of State John Kerry was not invited. Nor was the United Nations
consulted.
With pro-government forces having made critical gains on the ground, the
new alignment and the absence of any Western powers at the table all but
guarantee that President Bashar al-Assad will
continue to rule
Mr. Obama’s reluctance to back that demand with more involvement as the
war escalated leaves
Mr. Trump’s only recent statement on
But by the time Mr. Trump is sworn in next month, such safe zones may be
irrelevant, if the evacuation of
More than a year after launching the air campaign that remade the
battlefield in Mr. Assad’s favor,
“
Russian officials have made little effort to hide their disdain for
American diplomatic efforts.
Last week, Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov
said working directly with
The State Department spokesman, John Kirby, said on Tuesday that Mr.
Kerry had spoken with Mr. Lavrov and
If the talks “lead to a sense of calm enough in Syria that political
talks can resume, then that would be great and that’s what we’d like to see,”
Mr. Kirby said, but added that “we have seen repeated promises to appropriately
influence the Assad regime in the right way on the cessations of hostilities
and seen those fail,” and said he held out little hope this would be different.
As Syrian forces and their allies retook rebel-held areas of
Since the
Mr. Obama’s reluctance to challenge Mr. Assad angered the Syrian
opposition and allies like
But the
With the rise of the jihadists of the Islamic State, who seized territory
in
But that policy angered Turkey, which saw the United States arming
fighters linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or P.K.K., which both Turkey
and the United States consider a terrorist organization.
Over time,
“Trump,” said Aaron Stein, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council who
studies
The signs of a Russian-Turkish rapprochement were clear on Tuesday,
despite the assassination of
In
“Turkish people are mourning this loss as much as
Mr. Lavrov said
At the meeting,
Iranian officials have boasted about their fighters’ role in
“As
But the
“Insofar as diplomacy on
Follow Ben Hubbard on Twitter @NYTBen.
Ben Hubbard reported from
Saudi Arabia Funding Extremist
Islamist Groups in
By Codi Robertson/The Clarion Project/December
21/16
http://www.clarionproject.org/analysis/saudi-arabia-funding-extremist-islamist-groups-germany
A newly-leaked German intelligence report says
A newly-leaked German intelligence report states
The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and Northern German public radio broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk saw the
brief and raised concern regarding a reported increase in Salafism,
an ultra-conservative movement within Sunni Islam, within
The report, compiled by German domestic intelligence agency Bft and Federal Intelligence Agency (BND) allegedly accuses
The three countries supported missionary groups as a “long-running
strategy to exert influence,” according to the report. More specifically, the
report called out the Saudi Muslim World League, Sheikh Eid
Bin Mohammad al-Thani Charitable Association and the
Kuwaiti Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (which is banned in both the
The report found that these organizations have strong ties to the
governments of their home countries.
Neither of the German intelligence agencies have
confirmed the accuracy of the leaked report. There are some who say that say
the leak was made intentionally so that
While Germans await official word from the intelligence agencies,
Weeks before the leak, German authorities banned the Islamic missionary
group Germany Die Wahre Religion (DWR), or “The True
Religion,” after officials found was “bringing jihadi
Islamists together across the country under the pretext of preaching Islam.”
Also, suspicion that
If it is discovered that the Saudis are still funding extremist Islamic
groups, it could prove devastating for the West, as
**Codi Robertson is a contributing writer to
Clarion Project.
Are
George Igler/Gatestone Institute/December 21/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9614/germany-saudi-arabia-qatar-kuwait
The Sheikh Eid Bin Mohammad al-Thani
Charitable Association and the Saudi Muslim World League are coordinating a
"long-running strategy to exert influence" by
"This is about war, about children being indoctrinated, they are only in
primary school and already fantasize about how when they grow up, they want to
join the jihad, kill infidels." — Wolfgang Trusheim,
Frankfurt State Security office.
"For quite some time we've had indications and evidence that German Salafists are getting assistance, which is approved by the
governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, in the form of money, the
sending of imams and the building of Koran schools and mosques." — Rolf Mützenich, German MP and
Declining to assimilate in the West continues with the apparent, religiously
mandated, preference to have the host countries become Islamic.
Salafism -- from salaf,
"ancestors" or "predecessors" in Arabic -- urges the
emulation of the first three generations of the Islamic prophet Mohammad's
companions, and Mohammad himself. It is often deemed the most fundamentalist
interpretation of Islam.
Security agencies in
"Almost all of the German nationals who have travelled to Syria to fight
for Islamic State became radicalized by Salafis, who
target low-income Muslim youths in German cities," wrote the Los Angeles
Times, adding that it is proving increasingly challenging for German
intelligence officials, "to differentiate between those who identify
intellectually with Salafism and those who espouse
using violence to realize a radical version of Islam."
Both Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and Federal Intelligence Agency (BND) "have
accused Saudi Arabia and Kuwait of funding religious groups and conversion
groups, as well as financing the building of mosques and backing hardline imams," according to the Daily Express.
Following raids of their offices throughout
According to the German interior minister, Thomas de Mazière,
"translations of the Quran are being distributed along with messages of
hatred and unconstitutional ideologies ... Teenagers are being radicalised with
conspiracy theories."
A radicalized 12-year old Muslim boy was recently arrested in the country; he
was accused of planting bombs aimed at targeting shoppers in
Police raided 190 locations nationwide, affiliated with Die Wahre
Religion; authorities described the group as a "collecting pool" for
jihadists, which had already sent at least 140 fighters to foreign
battlefields.
850 people are thought to have journeyed, "from
In a warehouse near the western city of
The German interior minister stressed that the ban does not restrict the
freedom of religion in
Terrorism is naturally an abiding concern in Germany, yet recent comments by
Wolfgang Trusheim, of Frankfurt's State Security
office, point to where much of the Salafist influence
is being focused, namely, the minds of the young:
This is about war, about children being indoctrinated, they are only in primary
school and already fantasize about how when they grow up, they want to join the
jihad, kill infidels. They refuse to play football with infidels, they say:
"I'm not allowed to play football with you, but when I'm grown up, I will
kill you, because you are an infidel."
As cited by a recent TV report by Hessischer Rundfunk:
There were instances of radical Salafist parents, who
are willing to teach their children the hatred of believers of a different
creed by any means. A father who puts his children in front of the TV, they are
forced to watch the most cruel decapitation videos, and will be questioned, and
just as they have learned, they reply that the human who has just been burnt
alive or decapitated, deserves it because he is an infidel.
Salafists, according to the New York Times, "are
known for aggressive proselytizing and their sympathies for the Islamic
State." Much of the recent crackdown by German government agencies is
aimed at preventing such extremists from targeting the country's swelling
"refugee" population.
"Something must be done immediately. We cannot wait any longer," says
Michael Kiefer, an Islamic Studies specialist at the government-sponsored
Institute for Islamic Theology at the
Such warnings, quoted in an analysis by Gatestone
Institute as far back as 2014, evidently fell on deaf ears. The following year,
According to Dr. Bernd Baumann, a representative of the populist Alternative
for Germany party (AfD) from Hamburg, with Germany
representing less than 1% of the world's population, in the year 2016, the
European nation had accepted more "refugee" applications than the
rest of the world combined:
Public Islamist recruitment drives, however, are becoming an increasingly
common sight on German streets, as Die Zeit reported
on November 28.
The Daily Express reported on December 15, 2016:
"The Kuwaiti Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS), a
non-governmental organization (NGO) banned by the
Missionary groups from the Gulf States, including the Saudi Muslim World
League, and Qatar's Sheikh Eid Bin Mohammad al-Thani Charitable Association, are allegedly involved in a
"long-running strategy to exert influence" on Muslims in Germany.
RIHS and the Sheikh Eid Bin Mohammad al-Thani Charitable Association have denied the allegations.
The Saudi ambassador to
Despite such denials, Chancellor Angela Merkel, "has confirmed plans
rapidly to expand the scope and size of
As the German MP and
"For quite some time, we have had indications and evidence that German Salafists are getting assistance, which is approved by the
governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, in the form of money, the
sending of imams and the building of Koran schools and mosques.
"The best way of preventing refugees from being radicalised is speedy and
successful integration. To achieve that, we need professional prevention and
de-radicalisation programs. That means more money and resources for specialists
in schools, government administration, police, youth welfare organisations,
prisons and reform schools."
Critics might argue that that there is enormous pressure in Muslims not to
assimilate. The injunction begins with the Koran:
O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies.
They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among
you – then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing
people. (Q5:51, Sahih International translation)
And:
Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than believers;
and whoever does this, he shall have nothing of (the guardianship of) Allah,
but you should guard yourselves against them, guarding carefully; and Allah
makes you cautious of (retribution from) Himself; and to Allah is the eventual
coming. (Q3:28, Shakir translation)
Declining to assimilate in the West continues with the apparent, religiously
mandated, preference to have the host countries become Islamic.
With Islamist double-agents working for German intelligence services now being
arrested in the country,
**George Igler, between 2010 and 2016, aided those
facing death across
© 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.
Assassinating an envoy; between crime and
propagating terrorism
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/December 21/16
Assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey is of major
significance and is yet another terrorist operation that serves the interest of
Iran and the Syrian regime. It also harms the cause of the Syrian people. The
crime suggests, all over again, that global security is threatened more than
before. Unfortunately, some people continue to mix terrorism and regional
affairs as is the case with
Around the same time, another terrorist ploughed into a market in
Those justifying the murder of the Russian envoy link it to
Yes, there is anger toward
Intervention in Syria
All this changed after the Russians strongly and brutally intervened in
If the Russian command wants a role in the region, then this role can be
comprehended, and it is also possible to narrow the gap as this role is
positive. There are no camps which oppose
Although there’s very little hope right now, Russians can play a positive
and decisive role in Syria in order to achieve a reconciliation that eliminates
extremists and extremism within the Syrian regime that is responsible for
massacres during in recent years.
Justifying positions
Perhaps
Something can be done to help the people
of Aleppo
Dr. Méguerditch Tarazian/Al
Arabiya/December 21/16
The last time Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) managed to get a medical aid convoy through to hospitals it supports in
eastern Aleppo was back in August. Since then, the town has endured a
never-ending siege and the only information MSF teams have had regarding the
reality of the lives of Syrian medical personnel has been by Skype or
telephone. Doctors have been telling us for months about shortages and the
challenges of treating casualties against a backdrop of intensive bombings. The
past few days, they have been describing how terrified they are about the fate
that awaits them, their fear of reprisals for providing medical care in the
rebel-held zone and how they want to be evacuated. In the final throes of the
battle to retake Aleppo — no matter what the cost — we must continue to demand
that the different parties to the conflict allow civilians to flee without
risking their lives, something they have consistently refused to agree to.
Since September, the rebels have rejected this option several times, with some
armed groups going so far as to prohibit civilians from using corridors opened
by the government of
Idlib bombings
The inhabitants of Idlib are also subjected to
a sustained aerial bombing campaign and doctors in the hospital network that
MSF supports in the region have reported 54 attacks on health workers and
medical facilities since June 2016. Health services in the opposition-held zone
have been the target of loyalist troops since the conflict began in 2011 and,
under Syrian counterterrorist laws passed in 2012, providing medical care to a
casualty in opposition-held zones such as Idlib can
be penalized as material support to terrorism.
Given the enormous challenges clandestine health services have faced in
attempting to respond to the needs of countless war-wounded and people
suffering from chronic illness (the main cause of death before the war), MSF
was itself forced to go underground in order to provide assistance to the
people of Syria. The
**This is quite simply the same story, and the same people, all over
again.
Karak attack yet another test of Jordan’s resilience
Raed Omari/Al Arabiya/December 21/16
At the time this piece is being written, Jordanian security forces
continue to sweep Karak governorate to make sure the
southern city’s Crusader-era castle is completely free of more “terrorist
outlaws” after four of them were killed. The late-night security operation
ended with the killing of four assailants, the Public Security Department
announced, saying that the so far unidentified “terrorists” were holed up in
the castle and were shooting randomly at police personnel, citizens and
tourists, killing 10 and injuring 34. Seven security personnel, two civilians
and a Canadian tourist, were killed by the gunmen, who
shot at police targets in the southern town earlier Sunday before heading to
the castle. The hostage situation ended following a five-hour rescue operation,
minister and spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said.
Although no details about the identity of the gunmen; their affiliation and
their motives have been given so far, authorities and citizens have termed them
as “terrorists” – a word referring to ISIS and al-Qaeda members and supporters
or those carrying the two radical groups’ deviant ideology. Circumstances
leading to the Karak incident include manufacturing
of explosives, shooting of civilians and security personnel and holding
hostages all of which make it a terrorist act more than a criminal one from an
academic more than political perspective. That is not the question anyway.
Although a security penetration of some kind has always been
Why Jordan?
Although a security penetration of some kind has always been
However, 2016 has been really a tough year for
It is not easy to address this phenomenon in
Angry voices
Although Jordanians have always been proud of the professionalism of
their country’s security bodies, some angry voices have emerged from the
streets. Even the parliament expressed dismay at the increasing attacks on army
and police posts. Let’s not forget here that the Lower House was the first
Jordanian entity to call on the government to reconsider its long-held
open-border policy with