LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 02/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

Bible Quotations For Today
Oppressive Rulers
Isaiah Chapter 03/04//05: 20.23// "I will give boys to be their princes, and children shall rule over them. As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. My people, those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths. Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink; who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice for the innocent!"

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 02/16
Can Hariri coexist with a strong Christian president in Lebanon/Halim Shebaya/Open Democracy/01 Februar /01/16
Hariri could formally endorse Franjieh/Political game over Lebanon presidency becomes more convoluted by the day/Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/February 01/16
No deal for Lebanon/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/Now Lebanon/February 01/16
Hezbollah's pick for president of Lebanon/Ali Hashem/Al-Monitor/February 01/16
Congress eyes Syrian refugee threat — from Canada/Julian Pecquet/Al-Monitor/February 01/16
Should armed groups allied with al-Qaeda be included in Syria peace talks/Week in Review/Al-Monitor/February 01/16
Germany's Migrant Deportation Plan: "Political Charade"/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/February 01/16
Scream for snap before they swap/Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/February 01/16
The story behind a leaked phone call/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/February 01/16
Betting on Russia’s need to withdraw from Syria/Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya/February 01/16
Geneva talks show that the U.S. has given up on Syria/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/February 01/16
Hugh Fitzgerald: An update on the “islamochristian”/Hugh Fitzgerald /Jihad Watch/February 1, 2016

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on February 02/16
Kidnapped Czechs Freed, Handed Over to General Security
LF Says Discussed with Franjieh 'Possibility' of His Nomination but Didn't Ask for Dialogue with Hizbullah
FPM: Reconciliation with LF Aims at Transcending Sectarian, Political Disputes
Kataeb Condemns Attempts to Impose 'Sole Presidential Candidate'
One Killed, 7 Wounded in Dispute over Power Generators in Tripoli
Report: Russia after Sierra Leone Denies Claims it Will Receive Lebanon's Garbage
PM Says Lebanon to Ask for $11 Billion at Donors Conference
Sources: Mustaqbal Seeking to Revive Ties with LF Despite 'Betrayal'
Salam Says he is Aspiring to End Baabda Vacuum but Pessimistic
Franjieh: I'll Withdraw My Nomination if Hariri Decides to Back Aoun
Can Hariri coexist with a strong Christian president in Lebanon?
Hariri could formally endorse Franjieh
Political game over Lebanon presidency becomes more convoluted by the day
No deal for Lebanon?
Hezbollah's pick for president of Lebanon

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 02/16
Death toll up to 70 from ISIS Damascus attack
U.N. rights boss: War crimes should not be part of any Syria amnesty
New deaths in besieged Syria district: U.N.
Syria talks must lead to ‘transition away from Assad’
Syrian opposition begins formal talks with U.N.
U.S. envoy visited Kurdish-held Syrian north
Egyptian Christian students stand trial for insulting Islam
Saudi reveals identity of second would-be suicide bomber in al-Ahsa
UK mother gets six years for joining ISIS group in Syria
Yemeni Houthi rocket kills child in Saudi border city of Najran
Israel partially closes Ramallah after shooting attack
Italy urges Egypt to resolve missing student mystery
Israeli troops kill alleged Palestinian attacker in West Bank
Three Jewish teens charged over graffiti at Jerusalem church
Hamas hints at prisoner exchange with Israel
Malala seeks to raise $1.4 bln to educate Syrian refugees
S.Sudan Troops Suffocated 50 People in Container

Links From Jihad Watch Site for February 02/16
Hugh Fitzgerald: An update on the “islamochristian”.
Iran: $100 bln in assets ‘fully released’ under nuclear deal.
Muslim father shoots daughter: “After this incident, everyone says I am more respected”.
Islamic State beheads teenager for apostasy.
Iran awards medal given to war heroes for capture of U.S. sailors.
UK: Muslim migrant gets 9 years for joining jihad terror group.
Tsunami of money’ from Saudi Arabia funding 24,000 madrassas in Pakistan.
Islamic State in West Africa murders over 100 in raid on Nigerian village.
Europol warns: Islamic State runs training camps in the middle of Europe.
Afghan Islamic scholars’ fatwa: Peace talks “against Islamic injunctions”.
Muslims in the UK top 3 million, some parts of London almost 50% Muslim.
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: Stop the Presses: Glenn Greenwald’s Lying Again.

Kidnapped Czechs Freed, Handed Over to General Security
Naharnet/February 01/16/Five Czech citizens who were kidnapped in the Bekaa region in July 2015 were freed on Monday, state-run National News Agency reported. “The five Czechs who were abducted in July on the Kifraya road in western Bekaa were released this evening,” NNA said. “They were handed over to the Lebanese General Security,” it added. Al-Jadeed television said the freed men were “on their way to Beirut,” escorted by General Security agents. The Czech foreign ministry said in a statement that the five "are alive and, according to our information, in satisfactory health," adding that a special plane would be sent to repatriate them shortly. The ministry declined to give further details due to "the investigation underway managed by the anti-organized crime department of the Czech police." The five Czech nationals had been identified as Jan Švarc, Adam Homsi, Miroslav Dobeš, Merlin Pešek and Pavel Kofroň. They had vanished along with their Lebanese driver, Munir Taan, and their car was discovered in the Kifraya region in the western part of the Bekaa. Media reports at the time said the five had entered Lebanon on June 7. A media report had linked the abduction to the Czech Republic's arrest of a man suspected of having ties to Hizbullah. Citing “intersecting security reports,” MTV identified the Lebanese driver as “a brother of Ali Taan -- also known as Ali Fayyad -- who was apprehended in the Czech Republic during a recent wave of arrests that targeted Hizbullah security cadres in Europe.” Prior to their abduction, the Czechs were in Lebanon on a “journalistic mission,” MTV said. The cameras that were found in their abandoned car “were used only hours prior to their abduction when they conducted a TV interview with a local official in the Baalbek region,” MTV added. “He was the last person who came in contact with them,” the TV network said. As Safir newspaper has reported that Ali Taan, aka Ali Fayyad, was arrested in the Czech Republic on “arms trade charges.”“Fayyad has the Ukrainian nationality and he used to occupy an official post in Ukraine,” the newspaper said.

LF Says Discussed with Franjieh 'Possibility' of His Nomination but Didn't Ask for Dialogue with Hizbullah
Naharnet/February 01/16/The Lebanese Forces snapped back at Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh on Monday, denying that it had asked for assistance to engage in dialogue with Hizbullah. “Franjieh's claim that the LF asked for help to engage in serious dialogue with Hizbullah is not true,” the LF's media office said in a statement. “Had the LF had this intention, it would have done it directly” without any assistance, it said. The Marada chief said on Sunday that the LF had proposed to nominate him for the presidency in return for an LF official becoming interior minister, not appointing then Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz as army chief and being granted assistance to hold talks with top Hizbullah officials. Roukoz is the son-in-law of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun. Franjieh also told a number of reporters at his residence in Bnashii that he would withdraw from the presidential race if al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri decided to back Aoun for the country's top Christian post. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 because of differences between rival factions on a compromise candidate. Last month, Geagea endorsed his long-time rival Aoun. The two officials were enraged when Hariri, the leader of the March 14 alliance, backed Franjieh, a member of the Hizbullah-led March 8 camp. The LF statement said that it “does not put a veto on any candidate” and “cares for having a balanced opinion on the military commander's post.”It also denied that Geagea's endorsement of Aoun came following a meeting that Hariri held with Franjieh in Paris late last year, after which it emerged that they had struck a deal to support the Marada chief. The statement said that talks with Aoun had begun months ago.

FPM: Reconciliation with LF Aims at Transcending Sectarian, Political Disputes
Naharnet/February 01/16/Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan said the rapprochement between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces is intended to transcend sectarian and political divisions. “We need a strong presidency that transcends sectarian divisions and the alignments of March 8 and 14 alliances,” Kanaan said following talks with Maronite Patrirach Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki. “Our hands are extended to everyone,” he said. Kanaan described the LF-FPM reconciliation as a “new dynamic,” which should “gain real partnership in the nation.” Last month, LF chief Samir Geagea endorsed the candidacy of his long-time rival MP Michel Aoun, who is the founder of the FPM and the head of the Change and Reform bloc. Despite the reconciliation between two of the country's four main Christian parties, they have not closed ranks with the Marada Movement and the Kataeb Party on a compromise candidate. Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, who is backed by al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri, has held onto his candidacy. Al-Rahi has welcomed the rapprochement but stopped short of backing either Aoun or Franjieh.

Kataeb Condemns Attempts to Impose 'Sole Presidential Candidate'
Naharnet/February 01/16/The Kataeb Party on Monday accused some parties of seeking to impose a “sole presidential candidate” on the country. Kataeb “condemns some parties' attempt to practice subjugation and confine the presidential elections to voting to a sole candidate out of the others,” said the party in a statement issued after its political bureau's weekly meeting. It warned that “this behavior prolongs the vacuum indefinitely and undermines the principle of democracy that has distinguished Lebanon from its neighborhood since the pre-independence era.”Kataeb's statement comes three days after Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah noted that the party and the Change and Reform bloc would only attend a voting session in which the election of bloc chief MP Michel Aoun is guaranteed. Hizbullah would head to parliament “tomorrow” if it guarantees that Aoun would be elected president -- even without any so-called “package settlement,” said Nasrallah on Friday. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of successor. The blocs of Aoun and Hizbullah and some of their allies have been boycotting the electoral sessions. Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri launched late in 2015 a proposal to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh as president. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, Hariri's ally in the March 14 camp, was a presidential candidate at the time and some observers have said that the LF leader has recently nominated Aoun for the presidency as a “reaction” to Hariri's proposal, a claim Geagea has denied.

One Killed, 7 Wounded in Dispute over Power Generators in Tripoli
Naharnet/February 01/16/An armed dispute erupted on Monday between the al-Murad and al-Sabaqji families in the northern city of Tripoli over power generators, reported Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3). It said that a Syrian national was accidentally killed in the armed clash that took place in al-Barranieh and al-Jisrain areas, said al-Jadeed television. He was identified as Ahmed Abdul Rahman Mashhour. Seven people people were wounded in the unrest, which saw the tossing of a hand grenade, added VDL.The army has since intervened to defuse the situation.

Report: Russia after Sierra Leone Denies Claims it Will Receive Lebanon's Garbage
Naharnet/February 01/16/Following reports claiming that Russia is another suggested destination after Sierra Leone to receive Lebanon's trash, Moscow has strongly denied the allegations bringing the months long file back to square one. A Russian diplomatic source asserted on Monday that it is impossible for Russia to receive Lebanon's waste due to high costs it entails in addition to the fact that the decomposing trash has become out-of-date for recycling.“The possibility of transferring Lebanon's trash to the Russian Federation is absolutely out of question for two main reasons. First, because the accumulated trash is not qualified for recycling anymore and second because of the distance and the high cost of shipping,” the Russian source told the daily al-Joumhouria. Reports said lately that the company that won a deal to export Lebanon's waste, Britain’s Chinook Urban Mining International, has obtained Russia’s approval to take in Lebanon’s trash, a claim that was soon denied by Russian authorities. Early in January, Sierra Leone also slammed media reports claiming that the country is willing to receive Lebanon's garbage as part of a recently approved deal to tackle the country's waste management problem.
The accumulation of trash in random locations has pushed several municipalities to resort to burning in the absence of solutions. In that regard, Health Minister Wael Abou Faour held a press conference later on Monday after a meeting of the emergency committee that was initially formed to evaluate the health hazards. “We have referred 74 municipalities to the General Prosecution. Each municipality must offer a pledge to stop burning trash,” said Abou Faour, noting that the municipalities have been informed earlier to stop. A trash management crisis erupted in July 2015 when the Naameh landfill that received the trash of Beirut and Mount Lebanon was closed. The government's failure to find alternatives led to the piling up of garbage on the streets and in random locations, which raised health and environmental concerns and sparked unprecedented street protests against the entire political class. In December, the cabinet approved an export plan with representatives of Britain’s Chinook and Holland’s Howa BV which withdrew afterward. The exportation plan was said to include the newly generated trash excluding the piles that were burnt and buried.

PM Says Lebanon to Ask for $11 Billion at Donors Conference
Naharnet/February 01/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam revealed Monday that Lebanon will ask from the international community for an additional 11 billion dollars in aid to help it confront the burden of the Syrian refugees. Salam told al-Liwaa newspaper on the eve of the Syria Donors Conference that will be held in London Feb. 4-5 that if the 11 billion dollars were granted to Lebanon, the country will use them on education infrastructure, creating job opportunities and backing other economic functions. Despite Lebanon's attempt to garner more aid, the London conference is expected to discuss ways to put more refugees to work and make them less dependent on aid — a hot-button issue in Jordan and Lebanon, where unemployment is high. The appeal at the conference would also include $3.18 billion to alleviate suffering inside Syria and $5.75 billion for close to 4.3 million war refugees and their regional host countries, among them Jordan and Lebanon, according to U.N. figures. Last year's aid request of more than $8 billion was only half-funded, a gap that forced cuts in vital food and cash aid for refugees in regional host countries and was seen as one of the triggers for the influx of hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians to Europe last year. About 1.2 million Syrian refugees have been registered in Lebanon. But their numbers are expected to reach around 1.5 million

Sources: Mustaqbal Seeking to Revive Ties with LF Despite 'Betrayal'
Naharnet/February 01/16/The latest differences between Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri on the presidential elections drew the allies in the March 14 alliance further apart. Al-Akhbar daily on Monday quoted sources as saying that the differences between the two politicians have become “personal.” “Hariri believes that Geagea betrayed him” after the LF chief withdrew from the presidential race and backed his long-time rival Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun, said the sources. According to the newspaper, there had been an agreement between the two March 14 allies for Geagea not to back Aoun in return for Hariri to withdraw his support for Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh. Geagea's endorsement for Aoun last month came several weeks after the Mustaqbal chief struck a deal with Franjieh to back him for the presidency in return for Hariri to return to Lebanon and become prime minister. Although the candidacies of Aoun and Franjieh led to severe divisions among the rival factions, a Mustaqbal official said that the movement will try to bridge the gap with the LF. The official told al-Mustaqbal daily that there should be an attempt to activate dialogue between the two sides.

Salam Says he is Aspiring to End Baabda Vacuum but Pessimistic
Naharnet/February 01/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam ruled out the election of a new president soon although he said his utmost ambition was to see a head of state at Baabda Palace. Salam told An Nahar daily published on Monday that no president will likely be elected during the Feb. 8 session. “Things have gone back to square one,” he said, adding “the crisis is ongoing.”He reiterated that only a compromise candidate would be able to rule the country at this difficult stage. Last month, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea withdrew from the presidential race and backed his long-time rival Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun. Geagea's move came several weeks after al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri struck a deal with Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh to back him for the presidency in return for Hariri to return to Lebanon and become prime minister. The candidacies of Aoun and Franjieh led to severe divisions among the rival factions, making it almost impossible for one of them to garner the majority in parliament. Lebanon has been without a president since 2014. In his remarks to An Nahar, Salam said that he is seeking to distance the government from the differences among the different factions. But he lamented that all measures aimed at managing the people's affairs are being subjected to the division of shares among the political parties.Since the end of President Michel Suleiman's term in May 2014, the parliament has been paralyzed and the cabinet's functions crippled. The government has only meet three times since September last year.

Franjieh: I'll Withdraw My Nomination if Hariri Decides to Back Aoun
Naharnet/February 01/16/Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh noted Sunday that he would only pull out of the presidential race should al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri decide to back Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun's nomination. “When ex-PM Hariri decides to back General Aoun, I will withdraw my nomination,” said Franjieh in remarks to NBN television. “I will not concede to Aoun unless the possibility of him winning the presidency becomes guaranteed,” he added, stressing that he is not willing to risk losing his own  nomination. As for the Paris meeting between him and Hariri, Franjieh revealed that he had told Hizbullah that he would “tear up” any paper of understanding between him and the ex-PM should Hizbullah reject it. “Hariri asked me about Hizbullah's weapons and I told him that 'there is no need to discuss this issue',” al-Jadeed television quoted Franjieh as telling reporters. “Hariri did not propose that he become prime minister during the Paris meeting,” Franjieh noted. He also revealed that Culture Minister Rony Araiji of the Marada Movement had written down “minutes of meeting” during the Paris talks. Separately, Franjieh emphasized that he would not attend any electoral session boycotted by Hizbullah. His remarks come two days after Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah announced that his party is not willing to give up its support for Aoun in favor of Franjieh. “We have an ethical and political commitment to support General Aoun's nomination,” said Nasrallah. “Even if another dear friend is nominated, it will not push me to renounce my ethical commitment to General Aoun, and this does not mean that Franjieh does not deserve to become president,” Nasrallah added. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of successor. The blocs of Aoun and Hizbullah and some of their allies have been boycotting the electoral sessions. Hariri launched late in 2015 a proposal to nominate Franjieh as president. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, Hariri's ally in the March 14 camp, was a presidential candidate at the time and some observers have said that the LF leader has recently nominated Aoun for the presidency as a “reaction” to Hariri's proposal, a claim Geagea has denied. On Sunday, Franjieh revealed that the LF had proposed to back his presidential nomination in the past “in return for some demands, including that it be granted the interior ministry portfolio and guarantees that Chamel Roukoz” would not assume any post.

Can Hariri coexist with a strong Christian president in Lebanon?
Halim Shebaya/Open Democracy/01 Februar /01/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/02/01/halim-shebayaopen-democracy-can-hariri-coexist-with-a-strong-christian-president-in-lebanon/
https://www.opendemocracy.net/arab-awakening/halim-shebaya/can-hariri-coexist-with-strong-christian-president-in-lebanon
Hizbullah Chief Nasrallah is unwavering in his support for Aoun. Now, following Geagea’s endorsement of Aoun, can Hariri accept the Lebanese Christians’ preferred candidate? In potentially the most abrupt U-turn in Lebanese politics since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in February 2006 between Hizbullah's Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the Free Patriotic Movement's former-PM General Michel Aoun, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stunned his March 14 allies by endorsing Aoun's nomination for the Lebanese Presidency on 20 January 2016 . Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014. As per Lebanese custom, the president should be Maronite (Eastern Catholic) and is elected by the convening of parliament with a minimum of a two-thirds quorum. This quorum has been unavailable since Aoun (backed by March 8 coalition) has refused to send his parliamentary bloc without the assurance that he – or someone he nominates – is elected as president.
Geagea's endorsement does not necessarily mean that Aoun enjoys majority support in parliament. The Lebanese Forces currently hold eight seats (this is expected to increase during the next elections) and he would need to convince some of his allies to secure Aoun's successful bid.
Former-PM Saad Hariri's endorsement would be enough, as his is the largest bloc in parliament. However, Hariri has recently decided to nominate one of Syrian President Assad's closest friends in Lebanon, Sleiman Frangieh. Geagea's counter-nomination was in large part spurred by his seeming preference to see Aoun (his archrival) and not Frangieh (his rival in the north of Lebanon) as president.
It was also perhaps driven by a frustration in the manner in which Hariri – a Sunni – dealt with the presidential issue and nominated Frangieh without consulting his most prominent Christian ally. This was in contrast to the way in which Hizbullah's Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah steadfastly supported Aoun's nomination and refused to discuss the presidential portfolio, instead always pointing in the direction of Aoun as the linchpin of any resolution. In this regard, one of the most common statements we would hear over the past years was that Christians are unable to unite and that that remains the reason behind their limited influence in the country. Reference is made to the other denominations that have a clear leader: Hariri for the Sunnis and Nasrallah for the Shi'a. Another main issue voiced by Lebanese Christians is the following: why is it the case that Sunnis get to elect the PM, and the Shia get to choose the Speaker, whereas Christians are denied the right to choose their preferred strongest candidate as president?
Following Geagea's nomination of Aoun, Geagea asked Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to make up his mind and convince his March 8 allies to back Aoun as president. His rationale was that his bloc would be enough along with the March 8 coalition to elect Aoun as the next president.
However, what this rationale missed was the fact that Aoun has been clear that he would not be president except if there were a consensus around him. In practical terms, Aoun wants and needs Hariri's endorsement as he cannot be seen as being on the side of the Shi'a at a time of growing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran and their allies in Lebanon.
The Lebanese people were waiting for Nasrallah's position as it was claimed that he faced a dilemma. Who would he choose between two close allies (Aoun and Frangieh), both closer to the Syrian-Iranian axis?
Friday's (29 January) press conference clarified Hezbollah's position (see video below). All one needed to take note of was the first sentence in Nasrallah's speech. He quoted an Islamic saying that emphasised the importance of truthfulness and loyalty.
In other words, Nasrallah wanted to state unequivocally that he was unwavering in his support for Aoun. He further stipulated that the only way that support might be revoked would be if Aoun himself withdraws his nomination.
If indeed there is a fear (as March 14 parties claim) that Hizbullah wants a presidential vacuum, and if indeed it is correct that Hizbullah is using Aoun as a scarecrow to block the election of a president for regional and domestic considerations, what better way to disrupt this plan than by going down to parliament and electing Aoun as Lebanon's new president, especially given the recent endorsement of Aoun by March 14's presidential candidate himself.
And this takes us to the central question in relation to the presidency: is Hariri able to coexist with a strong Christian president (Aoun) who now has the backing of his strongest Christian ally (Geagea)?

Hariri could formally endorse Franjieh
Political game over Lebanon presidency becomes more convoluted by the day
Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/February 01/16
Beirut: Al Diyar, a paper that is owned by a pro-Syrian retired Lebanese military officer, Charles Ayyub, claimed on Sunday that former Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri would formally nominate Sulaiman Franjieh for the Lebanese presidency on 14 February, the 11th anniversary of his father’s assassination that, should it occur, will likely further upset the country’s political balance of power and add to the existing polarisation. Clandestine discussions emerged in November between Hariri, Phalange Party leader Samir Gemayel, and Druze leader Walid Junblatt in Paris where Franjieh’s name was discussed as an alternate nomination. The move angered Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who had been the official choice for the anti-Syrian March 14 coalition. In a shocking move, Geagea announced in January that he would in fact back his rival, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, instead.
The move upped pressure on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, as its critics insisted it was not interested in electing a president at all, and would rather keep the country leaderless. In a speech on Friday, Nasrallah refused to rule out Franjieh’s candidacy which proved to observers where his loyalties actually lie. If Hariri were to formally back Franjieh on February 14, he would thus usher in a theoretical March 8 clash, given that Hezbollah’s first candidate remains Aoun. He would also push a pro-Syrian contender that, for the super-sensitive Lebanese, carried dangers associated with the country returning to a fold from which its presumably liberated itself in 2005 after a three-decades long nightmare. It was impossible to determine whether the Al Diyar assertion was accurate, especially since the newspaper was not known as a paragon of accuracy, nor was Ayyub identified as an unblemished journalist.
In the event, it did not take long for Franjieh to come out with his own bizarre reportage, when he asserted—also on Sunday—that he was ready to withdraw his candidacy—since apparently he no longer felt the need for anyone to nominate him—if Hariri backed Aoun instead.
Speaking to the NBN television network, Franjieh declared that he would “not concede to Aoun unless the possibility of the latter winning the presidency becomes guaranteed,” presumably because he was not ready to risk losing his own nomination in the process. The interview carried a generous dose of hubris, especially as the Marada Movement leader claimed that the Paris meeting with Hariri was on the record—as Culture Minister Rony Araiji took down “minutes”— and, even more interesting, that he, Franjieh, informed Hezbollah of what transpired. According to this latest version, Franjieh affirmed his readiness to “tear up” any paper of understanding between him and Hariri if Hezbollah did not approve. Similarly, when Hariri allegedly asked him about the militia’s weapons, the contender informed his host that there was “no need to discuss this issue”. In other words, what Franjieh confirmed was that the former premier was preoccupied with the weapons issue, but that he—perhaps aware of matters that surpassed the former prime minister—dismissed it as a non-starter topic. Hariri, according to Franjieh, did not bargain with him to return to the premiership, the preferred topic of so many observers during the past few weeks.

No deal for Lebanon?
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/Now Lebanon/February 01/16
Only few weeks lapsed between President Obama’s signing of the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act, and his lifting of economic sanctions on Iran. Apart from the contradiction between Obama’s law to deprive Hezbollah of money while at the same time handing Iran — Hezbollah’s financial sponsor — hundreds of billions of dollars, the Lebanese state and Lebanon’s Shiites have emerged as the biggest losers. While European capitals rolled out the red carpet for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and inked deals with him to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, Lebanese bankers — with no government to look after them — flew to Washington to beg America to spare their sector, the mainstay of the country’s economy. Lebanon’s banks are the Middle East’s oldest and most competent. When communists and Arab socialists toppled the wealthy and ruling notables of Egypt, Iraq and Syria, Arab notables parked their money in Lebanese banks, funding an economic boom that underwrote Lebanon’s “Golden Years” between 1958 and 1975.
With the end of Lebanon’s civil war in 1990, banks funded the government’s reconstruction plans, raising the country’s GDP growth to unprecedented levels. Conservative in their performance in a way that shielded them of the world’s real estate bubble and the Great Recession of 2008, Lebanese banks benefit from the country’s wealthy and vibrant diaspora, which ranks among the world’s top ten in cash remittances. Despite regional instability, Lebanon’s banks have used diaspora’s to buy bonds, with which the government has funded its expenditures and serviced its debt, among the world’s highest relative to its GDP. But now Lebanon’s banks, the only hope for the otherwise sinking Lebanon, risk American sanctions and international isolation. If Lebanon’s banks are undermined, the Diaspora will stop banking in Beirut, thus depriving the country — and its shattered government — of desperately needed cash.
So while Lebanon, its once powerful banks and the government that lives off their deposits start to feel the pinch of America’s sanctions, Hezbollah will prosper benefitting from the lifting of sanctions on Iran. Over the past half-decade, empowering the state facing violent non-state actors, whether Palestinian militias since 1969 or Hezbollah starting 1982, has been America’s policy in Lebanon. But Obama’s foreign policy has been a mix of incompetence and populism. First, the US president appeased America’s enemies and repulsed its allies. Then, in an attempt to save face with some allies, like Israel, he signed into law an act with Hezbollah in its title but that hurts Lebanon and spares the party. Undermining Lebanon’s banks and starving its government while sparing Hezbollah is not all. While the world welcomes back Iran with open arms, Lebanon remains a pariah state.
Tehran and Washington are discussing the restoration of direct flights between the Iranian capital and New York after 36 years of interruption.
No one is even thinking of restoring direct flights between Beirut and New York. If anything, more international airliners are looking into ending their flights to Beirut fearing for the security of their planes and crews at an airport that is located in Hezbollahstan. So while Iranian Shiites might soon start flying from Tehran to shop in New York, Lebanese Shiites will keep dying — in the hundreds — in Syria, fighting “imperialism and world arrogance.” Meanwhile Iran’s smalltime Lebanese ally Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil continues his verbal onslaught on Gulf countries. While Bassil gets rewarded for his position, in cash, Lebanese families are being ejected from their work and residence in the Gulf, further straining Diaspora funds that keep Lebanon afloat. Hezbollah can force Lebanon into becoming a satellite of Iran. But fairness mandates that when Lebanon does Tehran’s bidding, it falls with Iran and rises with it.
Over the past decades, Lebanon — willingly or not — has been Iran’s best ally in the world. The two nations fought together and suffered international reprisal together. But after the nuclear deal, Iran is making up with the world while Lebanon is still unfairly and inexplicably getting the short end of the stick.
In the coming weeks and months, everyone will attend peace talks for Syria. The world’s great powers along with Iran, and even chemical Assad, will be at the table. Only Lebanon’s Shiites will not have a say in the future of the Syrian war, where their kids are dying in droves.
There is a lesson from Iran reintegrating into the world economy while Lebanon’s becoming isolated. The Lebanese think of themselves as allies of regional powers, but they are in fact much smaller actors. The Lebanese are mercenaries that powers hire to fight their dirty wars. When the powers make up, the mercenaries remain what they are: Killers for hire.
**Hussain Abdul-Hussain is the Washington Bureau Chief of Kuwaiti newspaper Alrai. He tweets @hahussain.

Hezbollah's pick for president of Lebanon
Ali Hashem/Al-Monitor/February 01/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/02/01/ali-hashem-hezbollahs-pick-for-president-of-lebanon/
For Hezbollah to choose between Lebanese presidential candidates Michel Aoun and Suleiman Franjieh is like choosing between sweet and sweeter, but the choice itself is bitter.Both Christian parliament members are close allies of the Islamist movement and fully supportive of all the controversial decisions the group has made in the past few years. Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, and Franjieh, head of the Marada Movement, both had been in the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc until the latest standoff over the presidency began in November. Future Movement leader Saad Hariri stirred the pot by nominating Franjieh for presidency after they met secretly Nov. 17 in Paris.
Franjieh is a close friend of both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah — Saudi Arabia’s main rival in Lebanon. Saudi Arabia opposes the Assad regime.
At the same time Hariri was nominating Franjieh, Hariri’s ally Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces party, nominated Franjieh’s associate Aoun, a former Lebanese army commander and also a Hezbollah supporter.
That unique and complicated situation shuffled Lebanon's political cards, temporarily loosening the iron grips of the March 8 and March 14 coalitions, whose rivalry dominated the Lebanese political arena after the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, father of Saad Hariri.
Since May 2014, when President Michel Suleiman left office at the end of his tenure, Lebanese political factions have repeatedly failed to reach a consensus over who should be the country’s new president. Geagea was March 14’s candidate and Aoun, March 8’s. Hezbollah, the dominant faction in the March 8 coalition, has boycotted elections, insisting on several occasions that betting on a president “lacking a clear vision for confronting the threats that are facing the country will make us lose our entire homeland, even if that happens in a constitutional manner.”
To Hezbollah, Aoun is the only candidate with a clear vision. Nasrallah has expressed this position on several occasions and in interviews; he reiterated this position in his Jan. 29 speech.
“When the presidential issue started, Hezbollah mulled its choices and we unanimously agreed that Gen. Aoun is naturally a candidate who enjoys the needed characteristics. Based on these characteristics and our political vision, and out of loyalty to Gen. Aoun's stances, we decided to back this nomination and we discussed the issue with the allies,” Nasrallah said in his speech. The allies Nasrallah might have meant are March 8 inside Lebanon, and Iran and Syria in the region.
But why is Hezbollah still supporting Aoun after the nomination of Franjieh?
Many are asking this question. There was speculation that since Franjieh is also a close ally and can calm Hezbollah’s concerns, he might be able to convince Hezbollah to support him. Franjieh visited Nasrallah on Dec. 10 and discussed his candidacy, asking Nasrallah how long Hezbollah would continue to support Aoun.
In his Jan. 29 speech, Nasrallah clarified his party’s position on Franjieh's nomination, recalling what he told Franjieh in that meeting: “When [Franjieh] told us about the [secret Nov. 17] Paris meeting [with Hariri], we asked him to be cautious because certain parties might seek to sow discord between him and Aoun, or between Hezbollah and Aoun," Nasrallah said. "When Franjieh asked about our camp's response — if the proposal was serious — we told him that that would be a new development that we would have to discuss it with Gen. Aoun.”
Nasrallah elaborated, “We told him that we trust him and that we believe he has the needed characteristics, while noting that we are politically and morally committed to Aoun's nomination and that the issue needs to be discussed with [Aoun].”Yet many observers believe Lebanon's protracted electoral process is, in part, a product of the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Hezbollah’s opponents accuse the party of serving an Iranian agenda that aims to disrupt everything in the country, “not to just [veto] a name or a candidate, but to prevent the election of a president in Lebanon,” parliament member Ammar Houri of the Future Movement said in a Jan. 7 interview with Lebanon Files, a local news website.
That point of view sees Iran attempting to pressure Saudi Arabia by every means possible. Nasrallah responded to these allegations in the Jan. 29 speech, saying, "Iran, the powerful country in this region, does not need the issue of Lebanon's presidential vote to solve its nuclear program.”
Nasrallah added, "If Iran wants to hinder the presidential elections in Lebanon, then it should have utilized this issue in its international relations."
He explained why Hezbollah is committed to Aoun’s candidacy, stating that the group’s alliances “are not only based on political interests, but also on trust and friendship.”
Hezbollah believes there is a moral commitment to Aoun, not only because Hezbollah told him this when he announced his candidacy, but because of Aoun's position on the 2006 war with Israel. Back then, Nasrallah said that Aoun’s support is “a debt until judgment day.” And later, Aoun stood firmly by Hezbollah during its internal crisis, the 2007-2008 anti-government demonstrations, and then when Hezbollah decided to intervene militarily inside Beirut in 2008, to block the government’s decision to dismantle the group’s telecommunication network and remove the Beirut airport’s security chief. But the main milestone that tightened the bond was the Aoun position on the war in Syria.
Aoun’s speeches and public appearances during 2013 gave Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria a much-needed Christian umbrella. “The border stretching from Arsal to Akkar was abandoned, leading to Syrian rebels crossing in and from Lebanon,” Aoun said in a July 2013 speech, adding, “This almost led to a civil war between residents of Arsal and Hermel. Hezbollah then was forced to interfere in Syria and put an end to all this.”
The stance became stronger and stronger with Aoun’s media machine highlighting the threats of the rebels in Syria on Christians; this involved news, documentaries, talk shows and even comedy.
It is true that Franjieh himself took the same approach regarding the Syrian war, even stronger sometimes, given his strong ties with Assad, yet Franjieh’s movement is domestic, as his influence is situated mainly in north Lebanon, while Aoun is a nationwide, even regional, Christian leader.
A good example that explains the difference from Hezbollah’s perspective is the Feb. 6, 2006, memorandum of understanding that was signed by Nasrallah and Aoun. Until then, the majority of Lebanese Christians had negative views of Hezbollah, even though the group had several Christian allies, including Franjieh.
After the signing, a major change occurred in Shiite-Christian relations, to the extent that some Christians now display Nasrallah’s posters at their homes. This would not have happened without Aoun, who himself became a national hero for his pro-Hezbollah stances in the eyes of many Lebanese Shiites.
Hezbollah is not giving up on Aoun, and it will always use its party's veto of any other candidate, especially now that Aoun has received the support of his main foe, Geagea. This alone — despite the hostility between Hezbollah and the Lebanese Forces party — gives Hezbollah even more reasons to stand behind Aoun, as he now has the support of the majority of the Lebanese Forces — the second most popular Christian group in the country.

Death toll up to 70 from ISIS Damascus attack
Reuters, Beirut Monday, 1 February 2016/The death toll from a suicide attack in Damascus on Sunday that was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group has risen to more than 70, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A car bomb and two suicide bombers attacked the Sayeda Zeinab district, home to Syria’s holiest Shiite shrine, as representatives of Syria’s government and its divided opposition began convening in Geneva in an attempt to start the first peace talks in two years. The Syrian state news agency SANA has put the death toll from the attack at more than 50. The British-based Observatory, which monitors the war using contacts on the ground, said the attack had targeted a military bus carrying Shiite militiamen who were changing guard, and that 42 of the dead were fighters allied to the government. The Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah and other Iraqi and Iranian militias have a strong presence in Sayeda Zeinab, which is a site of pilgrimage for Shiites from Iran, Lebanon and other parts of the Muslim world. While much of the Syrian leadership is drawn from an offshoot of Shiite Islam, ISIS espouses a radical version of Sunni Islam and considers other sects to be heretical.
The area witnessed heavy clashes in the first few years of the war, prompting the army and allied Shiite militias to tighten security, notably with roadblocks.

U.N. rights boss: War crimes should not be part of any Syria amnesty
Reuters, Geneva Monday, 1 February 2016/Starvation of Syrian civilians is a potential war crime and crime against humanity that should be prosecuted and not covered by any amnesty linked to ending the conflict, the top United Nations human rights official said on Monday. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, speaking to a news briefing in Geneva as Syria peace talks were being held said: “In the case of Syria, we are there to remind everyone that where there are allegations that reach the threshold of war crimes or crimes against humanity that amnesties are not permissible.” Pointing to what he said was the starvation of people in the town of Madaya, and the siege of 15 other towns and cities in Syria, he said this was “not just a war crime but a crime against humanity if proven in court.”“We estimate that tens of thousands are held in arbitrary detention and clearly they need to be released,” Zeid added.

New deaths in besieged Syria district: U.N.
AFP, Beirut Monday, 1 February 2016/Eight people reportedly died last month from a lack of proper medical care in a besieged Syrian town that was the site of a 2013 chemical weapons attack, the U.N. has said. In a Sunday update, the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported a “sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation” in Moadimayet al-Sham, southwest of Damascus. The issue of sieges in Syria, imposed mostly by government forces, but also by rebels and ISIS group, has been raised frequently by the United Nations and aid groups. It has become a sticking point in new peace talks in Geneva, with the main opposition delegation refusing to begin talks with the government until sieges are lifted. Rebel-held Moadimayet al-Sham has been under government siege since 2012, though conditions there improved after a truce deal in 2014. The agreement saw increased freedom of movement for residents and allowed the local Red Crescent to start regular bread deliveries. International agencies also made aid deliveries to the town in 2015. But OCHA said “increased closures” had been imposed since December, and reported sporadic shelling of the town, warning that previously “dire” living conditions had now “deteriorated further.”The agency said the prices of food and other commodities had soared in recent months, and eight deaths had been reported since January 1 for lack of proper medical care. It said children were reportedly among the eight dead, but gave no breakdown. The report said the town has had no electricity supply since November 2012, adding that fuel shortages were prompting residents to burn plastic to stay warm, compounding health problems. OCHA said the UN and International Committee of the Red Crescent had twice requested access to the town in January, but had yet to receive approval to enter. Hundreds of people reportedly died in Moadimayet al-Sham in August 2013 in a chemical weapons attack that activists and much of the international community blamed on Syria’s government. The U.N. estimates some 486,700 people in Syria are living under siege, with dozens of deaths from malnutrition and a lack of proper medical care reported from besieged areas across the country. The U.N.’s aid chief last week said almost 75 percent of U.N. requests for aid deliveries to besieged and so-called “hard-to-reach” areas went unanswered by the Syrian government. The U.N. Security Council has passed resolutions calling for unhampered humanitarian access throughout Syria, but to little effect. In recent months, the issue has grabbed international headlines because of the situation in Madaya, another rebel-held town under government siege.
Some 46 people are reported to have died of starvation there since December, the Doctors without Borders group said last week.

Syria talks must lead to ‘transition away from Assad’
AFP, Amman Monday, 1 February 2016/Britain said Monday that the U.N.-brokered peace talks on Syria being held in Geneva must lead to a political “transition away” from President Bashar al-Assad. “Syrian peace negotiations must deliver a political transition away from Assad and end the suffering of the Syrian people,” British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said in Amman at a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh. Hammond said he wanted “to acknowledge and welcome the difficult decision of Syria’s High Negotiations Committee” to attend the talks, referring to a Saudi-backed opposition coalition. “That was a difficult decision for them” at a time when opposition groups affiliated to the Saudi-backed HNC were being pummeled by Syrian regime bombardment and allied Russian air strikes, he said. Judeh, for his part, said that there was “a glimmer of hope” to end Syria’s brutal five-year conflict. “We must follow and support” the Geneva negotiations, Jordan’s foreign minister said, reiterating that his country backed a political solution to the conflict in its neighboring Arab state.

Syrian opposition begins formal talks with U.N.
Agencies Monday, 1 February 2016/Syria’s main opposition group met formally Monday for the first time with U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura in Geneva for talks aimed at ending the country's civil war, an AFP reporter said. The High Negotiations Committee is however refusing for now to enter into indirect negotiations with the Syrian government as envisioned under a November roadmap. Meanwhile, talks between de Mistura and Syrian government representatives tentatively planned for Monday 11:00 am (1000 GMT) in Geneva have been “rescheduled” to allow talks with the opposition first, the U.N. said.Khawla Mattar, spokeswoman for de Mistura, told AFP there was “the need to meet” with opposition first, and that a meeting with the government would happen “maybe another day.” The HNC, which only reluctantly showed up late Saturday and held informal talks with de Mistura on Sunday in a Geneva hotel, is hesitating about entering formal indirect talks envisioned under a November roadmap agreed by outside powers. It is demanding first that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime allows humanitarian access to besieged towns, stops bombarding civilians and releases prisoners. The regime’s chief envoy, Bashar al-Jaafari, who arrived in Geneva on Friday when he held talks with de Mistura, said Sunday the HNC was “not serious.” The hoped-for “proximity talks” are the biggest push to date to chart a way out of the tangled almost five-year-old war that has killed more than 260,000 people and forced millions from their homes.
Bombings cloud talks
A triple bombing killed at least 70 people in a predominantly Shiite suburb south of the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday even as de Mistura held his first meeting with the HNC members. The attacks were claimed by militants from ISIS, and Syria’s delegate to the U.N.-sponsored peace talks said the violence confirmed the connection between “terrorism” and “some political groups” - a reference to those who oppose President Assad. The blasts went off in the Damascus suburb of Sayyda Zeinab, about 600 meters (yards) from one of the holiest shrines for Shiite Muslims. Syria’s state news agency SANA said the attackers detonated a car bomb at a bus stop and that two suicide bombers then set off more explosives as rescuers rushed to the area. State TV showed several burning cars and a scorched bus, as well as blown out windows, twisted metal and large holes in the facade of a nearby apartment building. The golden-domed Shiite shrine itself was not damaged. The bombings cast a shadow over the Geneva talks, the first U.N. effort since 2014 to try to end the conflict that has killed at least 250,000 people, forced millions to flee the country, and given an opening to ISIS militants to capture territory. However, de Mistura on Sunday paid an informal visit to the HNC delegation, saying he is “optimistic and determined” about the talks. (With AFP and AP)

U.S. envoy visited Kurdish-held Syrian north
A Kurdish female stands guard at a checkpoint near the northeastern city of Qamishli, Reuters, Beirut Monday, 1 February 2016/A senior U.S. official visited Kurdish-held areas of northern Syria at the weekend to assess progress in the campaign against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a U.S. official said, and a Syrian Kurdish official said he landed at a Kurdish-held airport in the area. “We can confirm that Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk completed a two day visit to northern Syria this weekend to assess progress in the campaign to degrade and destroy ISIS,” the U.S. official said. The Syrian Kurdish official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said McGurk landed by helicopter at the Syrian Kurdish-controlled air base of Rmeilan, adding that it was being used for logistical flights by U.S. military helicopters.

Egyptian Christian students stand trial for insulting Islam
Associated Press, Cairo Monday, 1 February 2016/Three Coptic Christian students face charges of insulting Islam and will stand trial this week after appearing in a video mocking Muslim prayers, one of a series of court cases that reflect lingering religious intolerance and Muslim-Christian tensions in Egypt. The students, all in high school, will stand trial on Thursday after their teacher was sentenced to three years in prison after a separate trial over the same charges of insulting Islam, according to lawyer Maher Naguib. The 30-second video, filmed by the teacher, showed the students pretending to pray with one kneeling on the floor while reciting Quranic verses and two others standing behind him and laughing. One waved his hand under a second’s neck in a sign of beheading. Naguib said the video came to light in April 2015, shortly after ISIS militants in Libya beheaded dozens of Egyptian Christians. The video prompted calls by angry Muslims to evict the students and the teacher from their village. They were detained and the teacher and his family were ordered to leave the village after a meeting of the village elders. “The students couldn’t attend school and remained indoors to avoid insults, beating and harassment,” said Naguib, the lawyer. “This is all because of random and spontaneous action by some youngsters inside a bedroom and for only few seconds.”Christians make up approximately 10 percent of Egypt’s population. They have long complained of discrimination by the Muslim majority. Christians were among main supporters of the army chief-turned-president Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi when he led the military ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Mursi amid mass protests against Mursi’s rule. The case comes at a time Egypt has witnessed a surge in blasphemy charges in recent months whereas al-Sisi has vowed to purge extremism and modernize Egypt’s religious discourse.

Saudi reveals identity of second would-be suicide bomber in al-Ahsa
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 1 February 2016/Saudi on Monday revealed the identity of the second would-be suicide bomber behind a recent attack on a mosque in the eastern al-Ahsa region, Al Arabiya News Channel reported. The attack killed four people and injured 18 worshipers during Friday prayer after one of the two suicide bombers was able to blow himself up. The suicide bomber behind the blast was a Saudi. But the second culprit, who was unable to detonate himself, was an Egyptian, the Saudi interior ministry said, revealing his name as Talha Hisham Mohammed Abda. To curb terror attacks, the Saudi interior ministry on Sunday announced that it will give citizens seven million Riyals ($1.8 million) as a reward if they help in foiling terrorist attacks in the kingdom.

UK mother gets six years for joining ISIS group in Syria
AFP, London Monday, 1 February 2016/A mother who took her toddler to Syria and joined the Islamic State if Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group was sentenced to six years in prison on Monday after becoming the first British woman to be convicted after returning home. Tareena Shakil, 26, was found guilty by a court in Birmingham, central England of ISIS membership and encouraging terrorism in posts on Twitter before leaving Britain. “You were well aware that the future which you had subjected your son to was very likely to be indoctrination and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter,” Judge Melbourne Inman said. The court heard that Shakil was radicalized online and in October 2014 told her family she was going to Turkey for a beach holiday. Instead, she crossed the border into Syria and went to ISIS stronghold Raqqa. “I left to build us all a house in heaven, Allah promised us heaven if we sacrifice our worldly life,” she wrote in a message to a relative.
“I’m not coming back.”
In Raqqa, she was kept in a large house with other single women and posed with her son for a selfie while wearing a black balaclava branded with the ISIS symbol. Other pictures found on her phone showed her posing with an AK-47 assault rifle and a hand gun. However, Shakil found life under ISIS rules too strict. In January 2015, after repeatedly looking up “I want to leave ISIS” on the Internet, she and her son travelled by road to the Turkish border. They ran one kilometer to escape into Turkey, dodging a three-man ISIS patrol before handing themselves into the Turkish military, she told the court. She was arrested when police boarded her flight home at London’s Heathrow Airport last February. During her trial, Shakil claimed she only travelled to Syria because she wanted to live under sharia law.

Yemeni Houthi rocket kills child in Saudi border city of Najran
Hani al-Sofyan, AlArabiya.Net Monday, 1 February 2016/An 11-year-old child was killed and nine members of his family were wounded Sunday when a rocket fired from Yemen hit their house in a border region of Saudi Arabia, civil defense authorities said according to Al Arabiya News’ website. The incident took place at around 5:20 PM on Sunday and resulted in one 11-year-old child being killed and nine of his family members taken to hospital, according to Lieutenant Colonel Ali bin Omair al-Shahrani. A mark on the ground shows where the rocket landed in Najran. (Al Arabiya) Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen have intensified cross-border rocket attacks since late last year. Around 90 civilians and soldiers have died from shelling and skirmishes in Saudi border regions since March when the Saudi-led coalition began air and ground action in Yemen. The coalition is backing the Yemen government in a bid to push back Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels who had taken over the capital Sanaa.

Israel partially closes Ramallah after shooting attack
AFP, Jerusalem Monday, 1 February 2016/Israel on Monday blocked entry for non-residents to the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is based, after a shooting attack the previous day that wounded three soldiers, the army said. “In accordance with situation assessments following yesterday’s shooting attack in Beit El, security measures have been taken in the area and only residents of Ramallah are allowed to enter the city,” a military spokeswoman said. The measure applied to foreigners as well, she said. The spokeswoman said a decision on when to lift the measure would depend on security assessments. A Palestinian who had worked as a guard for the attorney general’s office in Ramallah opened fire at a checkpoint outside the city on Sunday, wounding three Israeli soldiers before being shot dead. The same checkpoint, regularly used by diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers, was closed on Monday morning, an AFP journalist reported, as were other entrances in the area. Vehicles were being allowed to enter through at least one road after being searched, with a long line of cars waiting to pass through. A large number of Palestinians, aid workers and diplomats commute to Ramallah for work on a daily basis. A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted in October. Most of the attacks have been stabbings, although there have also been occasional shootings. The violence has killed 25 Israelis, as well as an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. At the same time, 161 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks but others during clashes and demonstrations.

Italy urges Egypt to resolve missing student mystery
AFP, Rome Monday, 1 February 2016/Italy has urged Egypt to track down an Italian student who “mysteriously disappeared” in Cairo this month, the foreign ministry said Sunday in a statement. The ministry is “following with the utmost attention and concern the affair of Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old Italian student who mysteriously disappeared on the evening of January 25 in the centre of the capital,” it said. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on Sunday called his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry to “determinedly ask for the greatest commitment to tracing the compatriot and providing every possibly information about his circumstance”.Regeni hails from Fiumicello, near Udine in Italy's north-east, according to Italian media reports, which said he was in Egypt to study. His family flew out to Cairo on Wednesday. The ministry said it was in direct contact with both the Egyptian authorities and Regeni's family, but did not provide any further details about what it believed might have h vappened to the young man. January 25 was the fifth anniversary of protests that ended former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule and Italian media reports said there was a tough security crackdown in the run-up, amid fears among the authorities of fresh mass demonstrations. Experts say discontent has been rising since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted the Muslim Brotherhood from power, largely due to the country's gloomy economic outlook.

Israeli troops kill alleged Palestinian attacker in West Bank
Reuters, Jerusalem Monday, 1 February 2016/Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian who allegedly tried to stab them in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the military said, the latest in a months-long wave of Palestinian attacks that shows little sign of abating. The Palestinian had infiltrated a security fence near the Israeli settlement Salit, the military said. When soldiers responded at the scene, he drew a knife and tried to stab them, it said. No Israelis were injured. A campaign of stabbings, shootings and car-rammings by Palestinians has killed 26 Israelis and a U.S. citizen since the start of October. Israeli forces have killed at least 153 Palestinians, 99 of them assailants according to authorities. Most of the others have died in violent protests. The surge in attacks has been partly fueled by Palestinian frustration over the collapse of U.S.-sponsored peace talks in 2014, the growth of Jewish settlements on land they seek for a future state and Islamist calls for the destruction of Israel.

Three Jewish teens charged over graffiti at Jerusalem church
AFP, Jerusalem Monday, 1 February 2016/Israeli prosecutors pressed charges on Sunday against three Jewish teenagers for allegedly scrawling anti-Christian graffiti on some of Christianity’s holiest sites in Jerusalem, the justice ministry said. Two are suspected of writing sectarian slogans on January 16 in the Via Dolorosa, where Jesus is believed to have walked to his crucifixion, before being joined by the third and vandalizing an outside wall of the Dormition Abbey, where tradition says the mother of Jesus died. The Benedictine abbey is on Mount Zion across from east Jerusalem’s Old City and next to the site where Christians believe the Last Supper took place. The Hebrew graffiti at the sites included “Christians to hell” and “Death to the Christian infidel enemies of Israel”, the justice ministry said in a statement. The three, aged 15 and 16, were arrested on January 20 and charged on Sunday in a juvenile court with “vandalism motivated by religious hostility and offending religious sentiment”, the ministry said. It accused the suspects of acting “to hurt the faith and religious feelings of Christians and terrorize those who live and visit the abbey complex”. Previous similar incidents, including arson and vandalism attacks on the same church, were blamed on Jewish extremists. Vatican efforts to negotiate greater rights at the neighboring Upper Room, where the Last Supper is believed to have occurred, have sparked opposition from nationalist and Orthodox Jews who revere part of the building as the tomb of King David.

Hamas hints at prisoner exchange with Israel
AFP, Cairo Monday, 1 February 2016/Hamas on Sunday raised the prospect of exchanging an Israeli soldier declared dead in the territory's 2014 war in return for Palestinian prisoners. Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas's military arm, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said that “the resistance has... cards in its hands that will force the enemy to release you”, referring to prisoners in Israeli jail. Israeli soldiers, dead or alive, have in the past proved valuable bargaining chips. The bodies of two soldiers killed in the 2014 Gaza war, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, are believed to be held by Hamas, which has not clarified their fate. On Friday, the movement's Gaza chief Ismail Haniya said Qassam Brigades were preparing “for any future clashes with the Zionist enemy”, including by building tunnels on the border with Israel. He said a collapsed tunnel that killed seven militants in Gaza last week was like the one used to capture Shaul and that led to the release of Palestinian prisoners in return for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. The tunnels were “strategic weapons” against Israel, Haniya said, adding that Hamas fighters were also training and acquiring “all the means to fight and resist”. Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Haya drove the point home on Sunday. “The tunnel in which our seven martyrs died is the same one that was used by Qassam to capture the soldier Oron Shaul,” he said. Israel has accused Hamas of rebuilding tunnels destroyed during the 2014 war with the aim of launching fresh attacks against it. The 50-day war in July-August 2014 killed 2,200 Palestinians and 73 people on the Israeli side, and it destroyed or damaged thousands of homes in the besieged Gaza Strip. The tunnels have been used in the past to store weapons or stage attacks. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas against any attempt to attack his country. “We are systematically preparing for all threats -- including from Hamas,” he said. “If we're attacked through tunnels from the Gaza Strip, we'll act very forcefully against Hamas, with far much greater force” than two years ago. “I hope we won't need them, but our abilities -- both defensive and offensive -- are developing rapidly, and I wouldn't recommend anyone tries them,” he said in a speech to Israeli diplomats.

Malala seeks to raise $1.4 bln to educate Syrian refugees
Reuters, London Monday, 1 February 2016/Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai will seek to inspire world leaders at a conference in London on Thursday to commit $1.4 billion this year to give Syrian refugee children access to education, she told Reuters on Sunday. Heads of state and government and ministers from countries around the world will converge on London for the "Supporting Syria and the region" conference, which aims to raise funds for humanitarian crises caused by the Syrian war. Some 700,000 Syrian children living in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon and in other Middle Eastern countries are out of school, according to a report issued by the Malala Fund, which campaigns and fundraises for educational causes. "I have met so many Syrian refugee children, they are still in my mind. I can't forget them. The thought that they won't be able to go to school in their whole life is completely shocking and I cannot accept it," Malala said in a telephone interview. "We can still help them, we can still protect them. They are not lost yet. They need schools. They need books. They need teachers. This is the way we can protect the future of Syria." She will appear at the London conference alongside 17-year-old schoolgirl Muzoon Almellehan, who will be the only young Syrian refugee to address world leaders at the event. "Without education we cannot do anything," Muzoon said on the same call as Malala. Co-hosted by the United Nations and the governments of Britain, Germany, Norway and Kuwait, the London conference is not limited to education but aims to obtain pledges from countries to meet a range of Syrian humanitarian needs. U.N. agencies are appealing for a total of $7.73 billion to cope with Syria's needs this year and an additional $1.2 billion are required by regional governments for their own plans to deal with the impact of Syria's conflict. In previous years, donor funding has fallen short of U.N. appeals.

S.Sudan Troops Suffocated 50 People in Container
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 01/16/South Sudan government troops killed some 50 people by stuffing them into a shipping container in baking heat, ceasefire monitors have said in a report noting the latest atrocities in two years of war.Despite an August peace deal, fighting continues, and the conflict now involves multiple militia forces who pay little heed to paper peace deals, driven by local agendas or revenge attacks. The report, by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), was submitted to the African Union (AU) summit and made public late Sunday. The atrocity, titled "concerning the killing of civilians in Unity State", was one of several listed as examples of ceasefire violations carried out by forces on both sides. "About 50 people suffocated in a container on about 22 October. The investigation was protracted. Attribution of responsibility: Government Forces," the report read. In South Sudan, metal containers are often used as makeshift prison cells. Temperatures in the northern battleground state of Unity regularly top 40 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit). Other crimes listed include rape and murder, and the capture and looting of UN river barges. There was no immediate response from South Sudan's army, but spokesmen have rejected a long list of previous reports detailing accusations of atrocities. - Aid blocked to starvation zones -UN rights experts last month described "gang-rape, sexual slavery and forced abortion". A UN panel of experts has also said South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar should face sanctions for their role in the war. JMEC chief Festus Mogae, a former Botswana president appointed to the role by regional bloc IGAD, warned that efforts to force through a unity government had stalled after Kiir nearly tripled the number of regional states, undermining a fundamental pillar of the power-sharing deal. "The government's action has led to an impasse," Mogae said, in an appeal to the AU. "Given the fragility of the security situation in South Sudan, the renewed risk of conflict, and continued insecurity affecting the humanitarian relief effort, emphatic, stern measures should be taken by the African Union... rhetoric alone can only do so much," Mogae said. Both the government and rebel sides have been accused of perpetrating ethnic massacres, recruiting and killing children and carrying out widespread rape, torture and forced displacement of populations to "cleanse" areas of their opponents. East Africa's IGAD bloc also called on rival forces to allow food into conflict zones on the brink of famine, where aid workers have warned tens of thousands may be dying of starvation. - Millions spent on arms as people starve -IGAD said it was "appalled by the deterioration in the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, and demands immediate action by the parties to ensure unconditional humanitarian access."Over 200,000 South Sudanese civilians are sheltering inside UN camps ringed by razor wire, a bleak barometer of ongoing conflict despite peace efforts.UN experts last month said Kiir has spent or committed spent $78 million to purchase eight Mi-24 attack helicopters, while rebels have received ammunition, weapons and uniforms from Sudan.
Mogae criticised the spending. "Amidst rapidly declining oil revenues, the public resources of the country have been largely squandered on financing the conflict," Mogae added. But Nhial Deng Nhial, South Sudan's government negotiator in peace talks, dismissed concerns negotiations were deadlocked, with violence ongoing and fears of potential famine."As far as we’re concerned, the implementation of the peace process still remains on track," Nhial told Agence France Presse during AU talks on Saturday.

Congress eyes Syrian refugee threat — from Canada
Julian Pecquet/Al-Monitor/February 01/16
US lawmakers have identified a new potential source of poorly vetted Syrian refugees: Canada.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee is slated to hold a hearing Feb. 3, on Canada's so-called "fast-track” refugee plan and its implications for US national security. Canadian experts and a US Border Patrol agent are slated to testify.
The hearing comes as new Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees over the next year. Trudeau initially planned to admit them in just six weeks, but was forced to review that timeline amid worries that they could not be properly vetted in such a short time.
US lawmakers, particularly Republicans, remain worried that even the new plan remains far too ambitious and could put America at risk since Western intelligence agencies have little information about Syrian applicants. The House voted in November to pause President Barack Obama's plan to bring in 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year. The bill died in the Senate on Jan. 20 on a strict party-line vote.
Separately, the House is slated to bring up another partisan bill Feb. 2, that would restrict Obama’s ability to lift sanctions on Iran. This will be the second time the lower chamber votes on the legislation from Armed Services member Steve Russell, R-Okla. New House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who has tried to instill greater punctuality in members, had to vacate an initial vote on the Iran bill Jan. 13 after 137 lawmakers failed to make it to the floor in time.
Obama has vowed to veto the bill, arguing that it would make it impossible for the United States to live up to its commitments under the nuclear deal with Iran. The Senate has so far shown no interest in bringing it up.
Also on Feb. 2, the House Oversight Committee's national security panel is scheduled to hold a hearing titled "Seeking Justice for the Victims of Palestinian Terrorism in Israel.”
On Feb. 3, the House Financial Services Committee’s terror finance task force will hold a hearing on "Trading with the Enemy: Trade-Based Money Laundering is the Growth Industry in Terror Finance.”
That same day, the Foreign Affairs Committee's Europe panel has scheduled a hearing on "Turkey: Political trends in 2016."
Finally, the Senate Armed Services Committee's emerging threats panel holds a closed hearing Feb. 3 on "Counterterrorism Strategy: Understanding ISIL [Islamic State].”

Should armed groups allied with al-Qaeda be included in Syria peace talks?
Week in Review/Al-Monitor/February 01/16
No concessions to al-Qaeda allies at Geneva talks
In a potentially encouraging sign, the High Negotiations Committee, the Saudi-backed Syrian umbrella opposition group, has agreed to attend the UN-mediated Geneva peace conference. The committee is saying, however, that it will not meet with the government delegation until the Syrian military ceases bombardment of rebel-held areas and lifts the siege of opposition-controlled towns. UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura will shuttle between the delegations in what are deemed “proximity” talks.
According to press accounts, the United States and Russia seem to agree on the broad outline of a two-year transition plan that envisages moderate Syrian opposition political figures and fighters merging with the Syrian state over several years, with the question of the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad deferred until the end of the transition. The United States and Russia still publicly disagree on whether Assad should stay or go at the end of the transition.
While we continue to support de Mistura’s diplomacy and are encouraged by the committee’s willingness to participate in the Geneva talks, the key trend to watch is actually in Syria, where last week government forces, backed by Russian air power, achieved significant gains in the strategic Latakia region. In addition, this column recently explained how Aleppo is the bridge to an endgame in Syria. Just this week, Syrian armed groups, including Ahrar al-Sham and other rebel forces, joined with Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, to rally against advances by the Syrian military and its allies around Aleppo.
So let us state again, for the record, and in response to the bewildering advocacy effort to open the door to Ahrar al-Sham — al-Qaeda’s brother in arms and fellow believer in Sharia rule for all — that the United States should keep Ahrar al-Sham, the Army of Islam (Jaish al-Islam) and any and all Jabhat al-Nusra collaborators out of the Syria peace talks. Jabhat al-Nusra is the Syria affiliate of al-Qaeda, the same group killing innocents around the globe, the perpetrator of the 9/11 attacks on the United States, and the committed enemy of the United States and its people, values and allies. The evidence of the collaboration among Ahrar al-Sham and other groups with Jabhat al-Nusra is well documented, including in wire and press accounts of the recent battles around Aleppo and elsewhere. It might also be worth rereading the column by Ali Mamouri, who dissected the hateful and divisive ideology of Zahran Alloush, the former commander of the Army of Islam who was killed in Syria in December, to understand why these individuals and groups do not at all fit the objective of a secular and nonsectarian Syria.
Such groups are a disservice to the aspirations of Syrians who rose up in 2011 to call for a more transparent and inclusive government. Many of those good people, who support a unified and nonsectarian Syria, are represented among the Syrian opposition groups. Their voices need to be heard and not drowned out by the agents of sectarianism and hate, even if those Salafi groups have forces “on the ground.”
The Syrian government, for its part, should immediately heed UN calls to bring humanitarian relief and assistance to besieged cities, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2258.
Hamas caught in Iran-Saudi dispute
Adnan Abu Amer reported this week from Gaza that Hamas finds itself in a bind over the recent tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. This is nothing new for Hamas, which lost some Iranian backing in 2011 after it withdrew support for Syria, an ally of Iran.
“Further complicating the issue, Hamas is aware that Iran’s influence in the region could increase now that the international sanctions have been lifted, at a time when the Saudi economy is deteriorating due to declining oil prices,” Abu Amer wrote.
Hamas politician Ahmed Yousef told Abu Amer that Iran had indeed reduced, but never stopped, providing assistance to the group’s military wing, adding that the Palestinian resistance counts on Iran’s backing and that Iran benefits from the leverage it gains with the support.
The Palestinian Authority, which is dependent on Saudi Arabia for financial aid and assistance, has rallied to the kingdom’s side in its dispute with Iran. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told Aaron Magid, “The Iranians should stop poking their noses into the affairs of others or exporting their revolution.”
Asked about Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ participation in Fatah’s 51st anniversary celebration in Damascus, where Abbas reportedly praised Assad, Erekat told Al-Monitor, “We said from day one that we would not have any interference in the events of Syria.”
“There are 600,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria,” Erekat said. “When Fatah holds any of its annual support [celebrations] in Moscow — we have Palestinians there — it is with President [Vladimir] Putin and President Abbas. We ache for what is going on in Syria. But we are guests in Syria and not citizens.”
Erekat conveyed an urgency about the potential threat from the Islamic State (IS). “My main priority is not to allow IS to raise its flag in Palestine,” Erekat said. “We must defeat IS and extremism. Judaism to me is not a threat. Judaism is one of God’s religions, like Christianity and Islam. Our conflict is not a religious one. IS today is killing Iraqis, the French and Turks; no one sympathizes with them. If IS begins to kill Israelis, who do you think in the Islamic world will condemn them? No one.”
It is worth recalling here the very first Week in Review, published in November 2012, where we noted that Iran “has the wherewithal to shift the equation and provide some payback, even in those areas where its adversaries allegedly hold sway and hegemony.”
Erdogan’s spin chorus
Semih Idiz reported that the visit to Turkey last week of US Vice President Joseph Biden served to highlight a growing disconnect between Washington and Ankara over Syria policy.
“Many analysts see Biden’s awkward talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as a harbinger of tense moments to come in what are already strained ties between the two countries,” Idiz reported.
Biden criticized the government’s treatment of journalists and academics who are critical of the Erdogan government, provoking a backlash from the Turkish establishment media. Mustafa Akyol explained how pro-government media outlets promoted a blatantly untrue story that Biden had backed a US Senate-mandated arrest of American academics who had claimed US government complicity in the 9/11 attacks. There was of course neither such a Senate vote nor such arrests, but the latest fake news blitz served as a retort to Biden’s criticism and is consistent with Erdogan’s spin that “neither Europe nor any other country has as much media freedom as Turkey. In those countries, you cannot attack the president or the prime minister.”
“However,” Idiz wrote, “differences with regard to the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the umbrella organization of the Syrian Kurds, and the People's Protection Units (YPG), its military wing, emerged as the principal stumbling block in Biden’s talks with Davutoglu and Erdogan.”
Turkey wants the PYD banned from the Geneva peace talks on Syria. The United States considers the PYD a reliable ally in the fight against IS. Given the urgency of the Syria crisis, and the beginning of UN brokered proximity peace talks in Geneva, we can only expect these disagreements to worsen.

Germany's Migrant Deportation Plan: "Political Charade"
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/February 01/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7342/germany-migrant-deportation
N24 television has reported that up to 50% of "asylum seekers" have gone into hiding and their whereabouts are unknown. They presumably include economic migrants and others who are trying to avoid deportation if or when their asylum applications are rejected.
Tens of thousands of migrants destroyed their passports and other identity documents before arriving in Germany. It may take years for German authorities to determine the true identities of these people and their countries of origin.
Even if Germany sends these individuals back to the countries where they first entered the EU (usually Greece, Hungary or Italy), with a borderless Europe, migrants can easily make their way back to Germany.
German authorities are downplaying migrant lawlessness, apparently to avoid fueling anti-immigration sentiment.
Migrants are still coming to Germany at the rate of about 2,000 per day.
"Eight to ten million migrants are still on the way." – Development Minister Gerd Müller.
After three months of political infighting, Germany's coalition government has announced new measures aimed at making it easier to deport migrants who are convicted of committing crimes.
The measures emerged in response to voter outrage over the sexual assaults of hundreds of women by migrants in Cologne and other German cities on New Year's Eve — and alleged attempts by the government and the news media to cover up the crimes.
Known as the Asylum Package II (Asylpaket II), the draft law was announced by the cabinet on January 28 and must now be approved by the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, for it to come into effect.
A central feature of the plan involves increasing the number of migrant reception centers to five, up from two today. The centers would supposedly fast-track legitimate asylum requests submitted by people who can prove they are fleeing war-zones.
The centers would also step up efforts to weed out fraudulent applications submitted by economic migrants who are posing as asylum seekers. The stated aim is to eventually deport those who arrived in Germany under false pretenses.
In addition, the plan would introduce a two-year waiting period for legitimate refugees who want to bring family members to Germany. Exceptions would be made for those who can prove that their family members are being "personally, urgently persecuted."
The government also said that it would try to limit migration from North Africa by declaring Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia as so-called safe countries, where there is no armed conflict or threat of violence, persecution or torture. This would make it virtually impossible for asylum applications from those countries to be approved.
Critics of the plan say it is more of a political charade than substance and will do little to alleviate Germany's migration crisis.
First, the German government has lost track of the whereabouts of hundreds of thousands of migrants who entered the country in 2015. N24 television has reported that up to 50% of "asylum seekers" have gone into hiding; their whereabouts are unknown. They presumably include economic migrants and others who are trying to avoid deportation if or when their asylum applications are rejected. The Saarbrücker Zeitung reported that up to 30% of the migrants being sheltered in the eastern German states of Brandenburg, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt have "simply vanished." Separately, German authorities estimate that hundreds of thousands of migrants have entered the country without being registered and whose whereabouts are unknown.
Second, tens of thousands of migrants destroyed their passports and other identity documents before arriving in Germany. It may take years for German authorities to determine the true identities of these people and their countries of origin. This will complicate — and delay — many deportations. Even if Germany sends these individuals back to the countries where they first entered the European Union (usually Greece, Hungary or Italy), with a borderless Europe, migrants can easily make their way back to Germany.
Third, the legal hurdles to deportation from Germany are high. German law states that migrants who commit crimes can only be deported if they are sentenced to prison terms of three years or more. In practice, this rarely happens for most petty crimes. The government is contemplating a change to Section 60 of the Residency Law (Aufenthaltsgesetz) to make it possible to deport migrants sentenced for prison terms of one year. But even if migrants are sentenced for crimes, they cannot be deported to countries that the German government deems "unsafe." Moreover, migrants cannot be deported to countries where they may face the death penalty.
To many critics, it looks as if the German justice system is being disabled by political correctness. Although migrants are driving a surge in violent crime in cities and towns across Germany, German authorities are downplaying the lawlessness, apparently to avoid fueling anti-immigration sentiment.
A confidential police document leaked to the Rheinischen Post revealed that in 2014, a record-breaking 38,000 asylum seekers in Germany were accused of committing crimes in the country. Analysts believe this figure — which works out to more than 100 crimes a day — is only a fragment: many crimes are not made public.
In Hamburg, police are fighting a losing battle against purse-snatchers. Each year, more than 20,000 purses — roughly 55 a day — are stolen. According to Norman Großmann, the director of the federal police inspector's office in Hamburg, 90% of the purses are stolen by males between the ages of 20 and 30 who come from North Africa or the Balkans.
In a bestselling new book about the failure of multiculturalism in Germany, Tania Kambouri, a German police officer, describes the breakdown of the German justice system and how German judges are reluctant to punish migrants, including repeat offenders.
Fourth, the German government's decision to deny asylum requests submitted by migrants from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia will have little effect in practice. Out of one million migrants who entered Germany in 2015, fewer than 20,000 are believed to have come from those three countries.
Meanwhile, a new poll published by the newsmagazine, Focus, shows that nearly half the Germans want Chancellor Angela Merkel to resign because of her open-door migration policy: in 2015, it allowed more than one million migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East to enter the country.
Still, Merkel steadfastly continues to refuse to implement the one policy that could prevent the migrant crisis from becoming even worse: closing the German borders to keep the migrants out.
Despite snow, ice and freezing temperatures across much of Europe, migrants are still coming to Germany at the rate of about 2,000 per day. More than 54,500 people reached Europe by sea during January 2016, including 50,668 through Greece, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated that 1.3 million asylum seekers would enter the European Union annually during 2016 and 2017.
In a January 9 interview with Bild, Development Minister Gerd Müller warned that the biggest refugee movements to Europe are still to come. He said that only 10% of the migrants from the chaos in Iraq and Syria have reached Europe so far: "Eight to ten million migrants are still on the way."
Separately, Germans face being denied visa-free travel to the United States, as U.S. security officials become increasingly alarmed at the proliferation of fake passports that could be used by terrorists. According to a report by Politico:
"In the aftermath of Paris, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security became so worried about the implications for screening travelers to America that it gave France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Greece a February 1 deadline to fix "crucial loopholes" or lose access to the U.S. visa waiver program. The program allows about 20 million people per year from 38 countries, most of them in Europe, to enter the United States for business or pleasure without a visa."
Left: A new poll shows that nearly half the Germans want Chancellor Angela Merkel to resign because of her open-door migration policy. Right: Interpol has data on 250,000 stolen or lost Syrian and Iraqi passports, including passports that are blank.
According to Politico, in the last five years the number of lost and stolen passports in the EU has doubled. The number of forged passports in the Middle East is also a rising concern. Interpol has data on 250,000 stolen or lost Syrian and Iraqi passports, including passports that are blank.
Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter. His first book, Global Fire, will be out in 2016.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. 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.

Scream for snap before they swap!
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/February 01/16
In a video which purported to show Saudi worshippers apprehending a suspect following Friday’s terrorist attack on Imam Rida mosque – located in the Mahasen neighborhood of al-Ahsa region in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia – a man can be heard screaming: “Take a photo of him so they don’t swap him.”What he meant by “swap him” was that the suspected terrorist could be changed with another man and it could be claimed that the latter is the perpetrator!
This is the first time I have heard of the likelihood of terrorist faces being switched
Some people demanded that the man who made this statement should be arrested as he suspected security forces, which are sacrificing their lives to protect the country and provide security for its citizens. They even provide security to the man who made this statement. The biggest proof of sacrifices being made by the security forces is their apprehending of al-Ahsa suspects who would have inflicted huge losses if they had infiltrated the worshippers’ area, which was the original plan.
Identity theft?
I understand that if you buy an iPhone online, it may compromise your identity or if you’re buying a watermelon, the grocer may switch the watermelon with a stale one if you’re not looking! However this is the first time I hear of the likelihood of a terrorist facing the possibility of being switched. The statement is naive and laughable. Worst misfortunes are those that make you laugh, which is why I don’t tend to exaggerate this statement. Naive comments are commonplace and if security forces are to pursue them, we’d need 10 officers for each citizen; one to provide security, another to monitor statements, two others to make sure everyone is doing their job and so on. For the past two decades, terrorism has failed to destroy the foundations of the Saudi society or harm its unity. Several attempts were made between 2011 and 2014 to breach this synergy but they’ve failed miserably. Let’s hope and pray we remain protected from this scourge.

The story behind a leaked phone call!
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/February 01/16
On Sunday, the media reported about a leaked telephone call in which senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk purportedly accused Iran of lying. This was closer to a statement than a leaked phone call. Hamas said that prominent security apparatuses, such as those in Israel, were behind publishing of the leaked phone call. However, after listening to it one realizes that there’s nothing secret about it, as it neither reveals names nor numbers. It simply conveys a critical opinion about Iran; an opinion which Abu Marzouk himself had previously voiced in the glare of the media. No one paid attention to it then.
In this leaked phone call, Abu Marzouk says his Gaza-based group had not received any support from Iran since 2009. If this is true, then why has Hamas continued to support Iran for six years? Even the Lebanese Hezbollah group would have stopped supporting Iran if it its annual support was cut. What do you think an organization which describes itself religious Sunni do? It is due to its alliance with the Syrian and Iranian regimes that Hamas has feuded with the Palestinian Authority and most Gulf countries for years. Hamas supported Iran in every cause, and supported it in Syria since the beginning of the conflict there. However after religious groups condemned its position, it declared its commitment to being neutral towards Iran and Hezbollah in Syria and their continuous targeting of the Syrian people as well as the Palestinians in the Yarmuk refugee camp. Abu Marzouk did not lie when he accused Iran of secrecy. However, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood movement, to which it belongs, are more secretive than Iran as they intend more than they declare. The “secret leaked” phone call is a mere bait for the media and should be seen in the context of a campaign run by Hamas and its journalists. This campaign is directed at Gulf capitals for the purpose of pressuring them to alter their position and fund Hamas.
Hamas’ foreign political stances are no longer significant to the Gulf or the Syrians or the Yemenis
Two weeks ago, another leak was reported which Hamas described as “private information”. This tape purported its ambassador in Tehran saying that Iran requested Hamas to adopt a stance against Saudi Arabia. It added that Hamas’ political bureau rejected this request. This “leaked information” said Iran cut support to Hamas due to its stance in Syria. It seems that campaign organizers do not read their previous statements as Abu Marzouk said in the “leaked” phone call that Iran cut support in 2009 while the political bureau said it cut support in 2012 due to the party’s stance on Syria! What’s certain is that Hamas is in a huge financial crisis but this is not because Iran has stopped sending money. It’s due to the Egyptian army’s destruction of hundreds of tunnels, its huge financial resource for many years, which has obstructed economic activity. The Egyptian authority says these measures are in response to Hamas’ support of armed groups in Sinai and solidarity with the banned Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
‘Hamas against Houthis’
In a stance characterized by hidden meaning, Hamas said it has taken a public position against the Houthis. However, its sole statement on Yemeni developments can be interpreted in many ways. Some may ask what is required from Hamas. Is it cutting ties with Iran and Hezbollah? I think it’s difficult to believe even if Hamas says it has cut its ties with them. The statements of Hamas and its sub-organizations, such as Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, are not constant. Needless to add, Hamas’ position on Tehran is no longer important because the majority of Arab public opinion is opposed to Iran, the Assad regime and Hezbollah. This trio has used Hamas in the past to serve its own purposes. Syria hired Hamas for 20 years to balance its relations with Israel and weaken the Palestinian Authority, which has been at odds with the Assad regime ever since the days of Yasser Arafat. Iran has used Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north to put pressure on Israel and reach its goals while negotiating with the West. It has finally achieved its objectives. Basically, Hamas has played the role of the Trojan horse well for the Iranians. Now whether Iran abandoned Hamas for a political reason or because oil prices no longer make this feasible, the important thing is not Iran but that this issue is uniting the Palestinians, and ending this divide, which happened because of Hamas. It is in no one’s interest in the Arab world, particularly within Palestine, to have two conflicting Palestinian republics. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has extended his hand more than once and has offered concessions to end this estrangement. However, Hamas, due to its connection with the Palestinian Authority’s rivals, has rejected these efforts. The scene now has changed a lot. If Hamas’ aim from public relations perspective is to reconcile with Gulf countries by convincing them that it has changed, and that it’s now against Iran and Assad, and that it now appreciates Saudi Arabia, then it might as well reconcile with other Palestinian factions before seeking to reconcile with Gulf countries. It should go back to discussing the affair with the authority in Ramallah and thereby forge unity. This is more important than taking verbal positions as Hamas’ foreign political stances are no longer significant to the Gulf or the Syrians or the Yemenis.

Betting on Russia’s need to withdraw from Syria
Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya/February 01/16
If the letter from the Syrian opposition Higher Negotiation Council (HNC) to the U.N. Secretary General, 48 hours before the Geneva talks on Friday, was to specify demands and stances, then that would be prudent in the context of negotiation strategy. But if Dr. Riyad Hijab is serious that the HNC has preconditions – such as full implementation of the Geneva Communique, resolution 2254, ending sieges, delivering aid, stopping attacks on civilians, and releasing detainees before holding talks – then he would be absconding from the Geneva talks on behalf of the HNC or committing a tactical mistake in his negotiation strategy. Indeed, no matter how justified the opposition demands are, politically and militarily, it must not act without taking stock of facts on the ground. We are not in 2012, when the Geneva Communique was passed before being shelved at the Security Council by both the United States and Russia. That communique called for the formation of a transitional governing body with full executive powers mutually agreed between the regime and opposition representatives. In reality, however, the U.S., Russia, and the U.N. have for all intents and purposes replaced the communique with the Vienna process under different frames of reference.
Vienna is essentially a Russian-owned process concocted in parallel with its military intervention in Syria
Vienna is essentially a Russian-owned process concocted in parallel with its military intervention in Syria. This has changed equations at multiple levels, with Russian air strikes going hand-in-hand with its diplomatic moves. We are in the era of U.S. capitulation to Iran and complacency towards its militias fighting alongside the Assad regime, all while the Obama administration claims it wants to see Assad step down. What is needed is a logical and honest review of who made promises and reneged on them, who escalated then backtracked, and who remained persistent in their loyalty toward Assad for strategic calculations and self-interest such as Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah – and who splintered in the opposition and engaged in internal rivalries. We are in a position where we have to choose between further Russian strikes on Syrian rebels in support of Iranian-assisted regime on the ground; and heading to Geneva with a seasoned opposition delegation that can compel Russia and the regime in Damascus to implement ceasefire and that can impose itself in any political deal.
Geneva Communique
This may be labelled as a call for surrender as the U.N. backs away from the Geneva Communique in favor of a loose reference framework in the Vienna process. Loose because of the radical differences between the 20 powers involved in the process, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, particularly over the fate of Bashar al-Assad: will he remain in power to run in the elections after 18 months of the political process or will he step down under a Russian-U.S.-Iranian agreement before? It might be said that it would be moral bankruptcy for the Syrian opposition to be placed before the choice of either surrendering to the U.S. and U.N.-sanctioned Russian/Iranian demands, or being blamed for not only foiling the Vienna process, but also intensifying the Russian bombardment and the brutal campaign of the regime forces and allied militias.
The opposition might object to the fact that there is not even a hint of the Geneva Communique in the propositions and no declaration of its death upon the birth of the Vienna process. More importantly, the opposition might object to the U.S. and international complacency towards war crimes and ethnic cleansing, demographic engineering plans being apparently part of the negotiations in Vienna.
All this is true. But the question is, what should otherwise be done? If the Syrian opposition comes to believe that more compromises will squander all reasonable settlements without any return, then it is best to develop a strategy to set priorities and alternative plans in the event the players in Syria reject them.
This requires two things: clear position of the multiple opposition forces and how much these can be brought together to agree on priorities and demands. And second is the clarity over political and military margin of support of the countries backing the opposition. To be sure, the ambiguity and ambivalence in this respect fuels polarization and meddling, which harms the Syrian opposition and its reputation.
The Syrian opposition might decide that the tragedy and humanitarian disaster in Syria force it to consider choices such as consenting to incomplete deals in the Vienna process and going to the Geneva talks, as the U.N. envoy de Mistura desires, to launch negotiations and reach a ceasefire during the talks.
In other words, the Syrian opposition may decide that the best option is not to give Assad or Putin the gift of boycotting the talks and avoid being blamed for foiling the political transition in Syria, and the continuation of Russian-Syrian bombardment without agreeing to a ceasefire. If HNC decides to head to Geneva, the first thing it has to admit is that this is not Geneva-3. It is Vienna 1.
Political realism
Syrian opposition has the ability and the right to take any demand it deems reasonable to the talks, as long as it is realistic politically and represents a solid reference point. It must adopt a conscious humanitarian strategy to ensure that the appalling international neglect of Syrian lives does not continue. However, the first step must focus on unification and skillful negotiation, then on clarity in the positions of allies instead of polarization and meddling, and third, on developing a clear vision and a realistic roadmap. Political realism requires understanding that the new decisive factor in Syria is the direct Russian role in the battles in support of the regime at any cost. Some believe Syria will be Russia’s new Afghanistan and that its victories will soon evaporate. This is indeed possible but the reality on the ground does not indicate the armed opposition or ISIS could turn the tide in the U.S.-sanctioned and Iranian-Russian supported war alongside the regime in Syria under the pretext of fighting terrorism. Political realism indicates that the U.S. is pursuing a neutral policy in Syria during the presidential elections and this too is a crucial and decisive factor. Senior officials at the U.N. say that Staffan De Mistura and his team are wagering on Russia’s need to withdraw from Syria before it becomes entangled in a quagmire. The international envoy, and his team, believe that the window is now open to Russian concessions in the framework of the Vienna process and for discussions if the opposition delegation proves it is politically seasoned.
Positive change is possible on the ground in light of the talks, otherwise the negative change would be the intensification of the bombing campaign. The Russian-led camp would be free to do so if the political track in Geneva fails. There are no easy options for the Syrian opposition, especially in light of its divisions and the false promises of some of its backers. No one is innocent of what has happened in Syria, in varying degrees of course, including the opposition itself. The situation in Syria is not one of victor versus vanquished. No one is winning in Syria whether it is the regime, ISIS, Nusra Front, Russia, Iran or Iranian-backed militias. Certainly, nor is the Syrian opposition. It is naïve to say that Assad’s survival is a victory as it has brought Russia and Iran on his side, with international consent at least for 18 months in accordance to the Vienna process time frame. But there can be no victory for someone who turned his country into a magnet for terrorists and militias, and who has given open invitation to foreign military intervention just to remain in power.
This article was first published in al-Hayat on Jan. 29, 2016 and translated by Karim Traboulsi.

Geneva talks show that the U.S. has given up on Syria
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/February 01/16
What does the future hold for Syria? For the past five years, this question has been bitterly fought over. And it continues to be fought over. But now it is no longer a case of what will happen, so much as when will it happen? This is because by now it looks quite certain that when the dust settles, President Assad will still come out on top. The game-changer for this situation, as I have written at length before, has been the involvement of Russia in the war on Assad’s side. With Russian troops on the ground, and Russian fighters in the air, no Western leader has had the stomach to risk direct engagement – not that they were all that keen to begin with. But now, even supporting anti-Assad, non-ISIS rebels has become incredibly difficult. There has been that heart-stopping moment when Turkey, the NATO ally, shot down a Russian plane, which had briefly violated its airspace. That was more than close enough for everyone. Thankfully, cooler heads have prevailed since. But as the Russians are winning Assad’s war for him, our Western leaders have been left with nothing to do except acknowledge the reality on the ground and the inevitable outcome.
Obama does not want to leave an open war so he is rushing towards conflict resolution irrespective of what the final settlement may be
Hence why are our relations towards Russia warming even as the Ukraine situation remains a frozen war, where Russia continues to occupy Crimea, and is carrying out cyber-attacks on that country’s infrastructure on a scale never seen before? President Putin has been found to be “probably” directly involved in a political assassination on the streets of London, by an independent judicial inquiry. The West’s strategy in Syria is effectively driven only by the United States and President Obama has, quite clearly, given up on the conflict. The hopes and dreams the Syrian people had over five years ago when they rose against Assad – a dictator under whose watch many of his people were murdered before the conflict, and hundreds of thousands after it – have been dashed.
Obama’s legacy
Obama clearly does not want to leave an open war as he ends his term this year, so he is rushing towards conflict resolution, irrespective of what the final settlement may be. And so, much to the dismay of the millions of Syrians who have fought against Assad and who thought they had America’s backing, Obama is folding to the Russian position. Since the concern over Obama’s legacy is an important mover in these events, it is fair to stop and assess exactly what this legacy will be. Obama has had great domestic triumphs: avoiding a second Great Depression with a stimulus which, botched as it may have been, has seen the United States enjoy the best recovery of any Western economy. Job figures have improved, bringing to America something close enough to Western standards of universal healthcare. And there are have been other significant achievements. But his record on foreign policy has been dismal. Bringing Iran into the fold is perhaps his only notable achievement. And there it may still be too early to tell whether things will actually turn out as we hope. We find that we are still fighting the same wars in Iraq and Afghanistan even though we have officially withdrawn from both countries; large swathes of the Islamic world, from Libya to Syria to Yemen, are effectively stateless, while many more are teetering towards “failed state” status.
Alienation
We have managed to alienate many long-time allies such as the Saudis and the Israelis; we have lost much faith within NATO as the United States has been caught spying on Angela Merkel and other European heads of state, and so on. How much of this is the fault of President Obama making poor decisions is debatable. But it is beyond doubt that many of these situations have developed as a consequence of the administration’s indecisiveness and even unwillingness to show leadership, where clear and vigorous leadership was needed. As we look forward to the next 4 or 8 years, we have little reason to be hopeful that things will get better on the geo-political stage. But let us hope that they will not get much worse, if we are lucky to get an administration which is more willing and able to have a positive contribution in the world.

Hugh Fitzgerald: An update on the “islamochristian”
Hugh Fitzgerald /Jihad Watch/February 1, 2016
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/02/01/hugh-fitzgerald-an-update-on-the-islamochristian/
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/02/hugh-fitzgerald-an-update-on-the-islamochristian
The phenomenon of the “islamochristian” deserves wider attention, and the word wider use. An “islamochristian” is, in its strictest sense, a Christian Arab who identifies with and works to advance the Islamic agenda, out of fear or out of a belief that his “Arabness” requires loyalty to Islam. Islamization by the Arab Muslim conquerors of Mesopotamia, Syria, and North Africa was a vehicle for Arab imperialism. This imperialism, the most successful in human history, convinced those who accepted Islam to also forget their own pre-Islamic or non-Islamic pasts. It caused them, in many cases, to forget their own languages and to adopt Arabic — and in using Arabic, and in adopting Arabic names, within a few generations they had convinced themselves that they were Arabs.
Some held out. The Copts in Egypt today are simply the remnants of a population that was entirely Coptic, and that has suffered steady and slow asphyxiation. How many of Egypt’s Arabs are in fact Copts who fail to realize this, much less have any sympathy or interest in how their Coptic ancestors, out of intolerable pressure, assumed the identity of Arabs?
In Lebanon, the mountains provided a refuge for the Maronites, by far the most successful group to withstand the Muslims. And most Maronites are quick to make the important distinction that, while they are “users of Arabic,” that does not make them “Arabs.” When they claim that they predate the Arab invasion (which of course they do) and are the descendants of the previous inhabitants of Lebanon, the Phoenicians, they are greeted with ridicule. But why? Where did the Phoenicians go? Did they just disappear? It is far more plausible to believe that the Maronites and the others in Lebanon are, most of them (for how many real “Arabs” actually came from the Arabian peninsula to conquer far more numerous populations of non-Arabs?) the descendants of those Phoenicians. The Maronites recognize this; the Muslims do not, because for them the superior people, the people to whom the Qur’an was “given” and “in their language,” are the Arabs. The sense of Arab supremacy comes not only from the fact that the Qur’an was written in Arabic (with bits of Aramaic still floating in it), but because the Sunna, the other great guide for Muslims, consists of, and is derived from, the hadith and the sira, and reflects the life of people in 7th century Arabia.
Thus one sees the forcibly-converted descendants of Hindus, the Muslims of India and Pakistan, full of supposed “descendants of the Prophet” who are identified by the name “Sayeed.” It is as if, in the middle of a former British colony, say Uganda, black Africans gave themselves such names as Anthony Chenevix-ffrench or Charles Hardcastle, and dressed like remote Englishmen at Agincourt, or Ascot, and insisted, to one and all, that they were indeed lineal descendants of Elizabeth the Virgin Queen, or Hereward the Wake, or Ethelred the Unready.
Yet when those whose ancestors were forcibly converted to Islam (and force can be not military force, but the incessant and relentless pressure of dhimmitude, which will over time cause many to give up and embrace the belief-system of the oppressor) and adopted the names, and mimicked the dress and the manners and customs of Muslims — which are essentially those of a distant time and place (Arabia, more than a thousand years ago) — we do not smile or think it absurd. A few Muslim “intellectuals” in East Asia occasionally suggest that local customs and ways, even local expressions of music and art, ought not to be sacrificed to the Sunna of Islam, but to no avail.
And so strong is the power of Islam among the Arabs, so ingrained is their desire to ward off Muslim displeasure, that unless they do not feel themselves to be Arabs but a self-contained community (Copts, Maronites) that has managed to survive, they are very likely to reflect the Muslim views and promote the Muslim agenda.
Nowhere can this be seen better than among the “Palestinian” Arabs. Michel Sabbagh is only one example. The Sabbagh who gave $6.5 million to support John Esposito’s pro-Muslim empire at Georgetown was a “Christian.” (Note to James V. Schall: can you convince Georgetown’s administration to sever its now-embarrassing tie to Esposito? At some point he, and Georgetown, have to part ways, for the sake of Georgetown’s reputation and continued support from alumni.) The gun-running icon-stealing Archbishop Hilarion Cappucci was, in name, a Melkite Greek Catholic; he was, in his essence, a PLO supporter.
Islamochristian promoters of the Jihad — beginning with the Jihad against Israel — include a few “Palestinian” Presybterians who have carefully burrowed within, and risen within, the bureaucracy of the Presbyterian Church in America (no names here, but you can easily find them out), and Naim Ateek, who comes to delude audiences of Christians about the “Palestinian struggle” even as the Christian population of the “Palestinian” territories has plummeted, since Israel relinquished control, from 20% to 2% — out of fear of Muslim “Palestinians.”
Nor, of course, do Michel Sabbagh and his ilk pay much attention to the situation of Christians in the Sudan, or Indonesia, or Pakistan. Why would they? It would get in the way of their promotion of the Islamic attempt not only to reduce Israel to the dimensions that will allow them to go in for the final kill, but to seize control of the Holy Land. What, after all, do you think would happen to that Holy Land if Israel were to disappear? Do you think the Christian sites would be as scrupulously preserved? As available to pilgrims? Would Christians walk around Jerusalem if it were under the rule of Muslims with quite the same feelings of security that they do now?
The above is, in full, an article I wrote and published here at Jihad Watch in 2005. Since I wrote it, the Christian communities of Iraq (Chaldeans, Assyrians) and Syria (Melkites, Orthodox, Roman Catholics) have been decimated; the Coptic community in Egypt been under continuous assault, and not only during the hyper-Islamic regime of Morsi; and Christians and churches have been attacked in Pakistan, the Philippines, and Indonesia by Muslims. And Muslim terrorists attack Infidel Christians in Dar al-Harb itself, in Paris and London and Amsterdam and Madrid and Moscow, as they have in New York, Washington, Boston, Fort Hood, and San Bernardino.
Given the past decade of Christian victims of Muslim despoliation and delirium — and with the list above I was just getting started — one might have assumed that the “islamochristian” was no longer to be found. But just the other day, Gregory III Laham, the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem and All the East, surfaced to solemnly declare: “We, the Arab Christians, always defend Islam and our Muslim brothers – no one defends Islam like the Arab Christians do.” Robert Spencer took the good Gregory to task, pointing out that this classic encapsulation of the dhimmi phenomenon had never won the Melkites any special favors, and that they had suffered just as much from Muslim aggression when they parroted this kind of nonsense as they would have had the good Gregory tried verbally to smite the Muslims hip and thigh. Perhaps, Spencer suggested, the time for dhimmitude had long passed, it never having panned out, and it was time for assorted patriarchs of the East to try a different and truer tack — what, after all, did the Melkites at this point have to lose? How much worse could their situation be under the Muslim thumb than it already is? Perhaps, if he could break with the past, and come to his senses, the Melkite bishop might recognize his first duty: to warn his own flock, and to warn other Christians too, about Islam.
A second Christian who has had nothing but good things to say about Islam is one Craig Considine. He’s a mere lean lecturer in sociology, not so grand as Gregory, but even more obtuse. Not being an ethnic Arab, he doesn’t fit the strictest definition of the “islamochristian,” but as a declared Christian (Roman Catholic) working full-time to defend and promote Islam — and to accuse Israel, unsurprisingly, of every possible crime — he deserves a place in the pantheon here. Craig Considine’s studies — he’s been burning the midnight oil for years — have revealed to him that “Christians and Muslims share a similar ‘jihad.’ This ‘jihad’ is one of non-violence, the love of humanity, the perfection of the soul, and the search for knowledge.”
This will come as a surprise to any Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus who, at many different times and in many different places, have been on the receiving end of that Muslim “non-violence, love of humanity, perfection of the soul, and search for knowledge.” It came as a surprise to me. It no doubt comes as a surprise to you. And as I can add nothing to Robert Spencer’s dismemberment of Considine, readers are directed to this death on the installment plan here and here and here and here.
The ability of people to deny an unpleasant reality can be impressive. Look at Patriarch Gregory. Look at Craig Considine. Be suitably impressed.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/02/hugh-fitzgerald-an-update-on-the-islamochristian