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Bible Quotations For Today

Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours
"Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 11/19-25: "And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, "Be taken up and thrown into the sea", and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ‘Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."

Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured
"Letter to the Hebrews 12/28-29//13/01-09: "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire. Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Let marriage be held in honour by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’ Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is well for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who observe them."

Question: "What is the connection between prayer and fasting?"
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/02/19/what-is-the-connection-between-prayer-and-fasting/
Answer: Although the connection between prayer and fasting is not specifically explained in Scripture, a common thread connecting the two seems to run through all the instances of prayer and fasting recorded in the Bible. In the Old Testament, it appears that fasting with prayer had to do with a sense of need and dependence, and/or of abject helplessness in the face of actual or anticipated calamity. Prayer and fasting are combined in the Old Testament in times of mourning, repentance, and/or deep spiritual need. The first chapter of Nehemiah describes Nehemiah praying and fasting, because of his deep distress over the news that Jerusalem had been desolated. His many days of prayer were characterized by tears, fasting, confession on behalf of his people, and pleas to God for mercy. So intense was the outpouring of his concerns that it’s almost inconceivable he could “take a break” in the middle of such prayer to eat and drink. The devastation that befell Jerusalem also prompted Daniel to adopt a similar posture: “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes” (Daniel 9:3). Like Nehemiah, Daniel fasted and prayed that God would have mercy upon the people, saying, “We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws” (v. 5). In several instances in the Old Testament, fasting is linked with intercessory prayer. David prayed and fasted over his sick child (2 Samuel 12:16), weeping before the Lord in earnest intercession (vv. 21-22). Esther urged Mordecai and the Jews to fast for her as she planned to appear before her husband the king (Esther 4:16). Clearly, fasting and petition are closely linked. There are instances of prayer and fasting in the New Testament, but they are not connected with repentance or confession. The prophetess Anna “never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying” (Luke 2:37). At age 84, her prayer and fasting were part of her service to the Lord in His temple as she awaited the promised Savior of Israel. Also in the New Testament, the church at Antioch was fasting in connection with their worship when the Holy Spirit spoke to them about commissioning Saul and Barnabas to the Lord’s work. At that point, they prayed and fasted, placed their hands on the two men and sent them off. So, we see in these examples that prayer and fasting are components of worshipping the Lord and seeking His favor. Nowhere, however, is there any indication that the Lord is more likely to answer prayers if they are accompanied by fasting. Rather, fasting along with prayer seems to indicate the sincerity of the people praying and the critical nature of the situations in which they find themselves.
The more critical the situation, the more appropriate the fasting and prayer. In Mark 9, Jesus casts a demon from a boy. The disciples had been unable to perform the exorcism, although they had previously been given authority over unclean spirits (Mark 6:7). Later, the disciples asked Jesus why they failed in their attempts to free the boy from the demon, and Jesus said, “This kind can come out only by prayer” (Mark 9:29). Matthew’s account adds the phrase “and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). In this particular case, the demon was exceptionally malicious and obdurate (Mark 9:21-22). Jesus seems to be saying that a determined foe must be met with an equally determined faith. Prayer is a ready weapon in the spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:18), and fasting helps to focus prayer and give it resolve.The theology of fasting is a theology of priorities in which believers are given the opportunity to express themselves in an undivided and intensive devotion to the Lord and to the concerns of spiritual life. This devotion will be expressed by abstaining for a short while from such normal and good things as food and drink, so as to enjoy a time of uninterrupted communion with our Father. Our “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19), whether fasting or not fasting, is one of the most delightful parts of that “better thing” which is ours in Christ. Prayer and fasting should not be a burden or a duty, but rather a celebration of God's goodness and mercy to His children.
Recommended Resources: A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer by Piper, Platt, & Chan and Logos Bible Software.What's new on GotQuestions.org?

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 20/16
Why Saad Hariri should stay in Beirut/Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/February 19/16
What will Hariri’s return to Lebanon change/Myra Abdallah/Now Lebanon/February 19/16
Fabricating Consent: Al-Mayadeen and the Invasion of Lebanon/Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/February 19/16
Iranian-Backed Militia Committing 'Ethnic Cleansing' of Iraqi Christians/Dr. Walid Phares/CBN News/February 19/16
Where More Mullahs Mean Less Religion/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/February 19/16
Iran to Russia: Take $14bn and build us a modern army/DEBKAfile Exclusive Report February 19, 2016
Heikal the journalist and propagandist/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/February 19/16
Russia’s monopoly on intervention in Syria/Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/February 19/16
How long will we pay for post-9/11 mistakes/Najat AlSaied/Al Arabiya/February 19/16
Iran again defies the U.N./Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/February 19/16
Coptophobia/ Alberto M. Fernandez/MEMRI/February 19/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on February 20/16
Why Saad Hariri should stay in Beirut
What will Hariri’s return to Lebanon change?
Fabricating Consent: Al-Mayadeen and the Invasion of Lebanon
Lebanese PM urges Saudi to unfreeze military aid
Saudi halts $3 bn in aid to Lebanon army
Geagea Urges Govt. to Put End to Hizbullah's 'Insults' against Saudi Arabia
Rifi Decides to Refer Samaha's Case to International Criminal Court
Hariri Urges Saudi to Treat Lebanon as 'Elder Brother' as Salam Calls for Reversing Decision on Aid
Hariri Meets Jumblat: Presidential Post for All Christians, All Lebanese
Hariri Says Baabda Palace Vacuum Amounts to 'Treason'
Reports: Clinton E-Mail Reveals Hizbullah 'Base in Cuba'
Qahwaji Optimistic on Delivery of Super Tucano Planes
Waste Management Talks to Gain Momentum after Export Plan Dropped
Berri to Reactivate Oil Exploration over Skepticism on Pipeline Plans
Lebanese Army Intervenes after 'Heavy' Clashes in al-Saadiyat
Hizbullah Says Not to Blame for Saudi Decision, Links Move to 'Financial Crisis'
Bassil Calls for Decentralization, Reopening of Naameh Landfill
Mashnouq Sets Dates of Municipal Polls, Jezzine By-election

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 20/16
Iranian-Backed Militia Committing 'Ethnic Cleansing' of Iraqi Christians
U.N. refugee chief: Europe has ‘completely failed’ in migrant crisis
Russia warns Assad on vow to retake all of Syria
Video shows Russian fighters striking civilian areas in Syria
Saudi FM slams Russia as Moscow awaits the kingdom’s Syria plan
Russian fighter jet sale to Iran ‘would violate arms ban’
EU to hold migration summit with Turkey in early March
Russia’s Putin, Saudi King Salman express interest on resolving Syria crisis
U.S. aircraft hit militants in Libya, 40 reported dead
Jordan Muslim Brotherhood severed ties with Egyptian mother group
Blame traded over Iraq’s missing nuclear material
Sisi proposes ‘law to curb police abuses’

Why Saad Hariri should stay in Beirut
Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/February 19/16
Perhaps Future Movement leader Saad Hariri’s aides, advisers and others around him have told him of the people’s desire that he stay in Beirut, after he made a surprise visit to attend the 11th commemoration of the assassination of his father Rafiq. Saad’s participation at the ceremony on Sunday restored some balance to a situation in Lebanon that some parties inside and outside the country view as influenced by Iran. If this is the case, it is due to a lack of consensus within the March 14 coalition, Saad’s absence from Lebanon, and the country’s lack of Arab support.
Arab support
It is not enough for him to confirm that Lebanon is an Arab country, because Arab countries have abandoned it during the peak of its existential crisis, or at least become preoccupied with battles they are fighting on several fronts, including in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain and Libya. Saad Hariri’s surprise visit restored some balance to a situation in Lebanon that some parties inside and outside the country view as influenced by Iran. During his speech on Sunday, Saad spoke words of truth, saying we have the courage to take a stance. Our stance will be most effective if we adhere to it. Until there are better circumstances, we must resist and stand together. Saad must thus stay in Beirut, and brotherly Arab countries must realize that Lebanon’s loss of its position, role, meaning and identity will be their responsibility, and a sin that will haunt them throughout history.

What will Hariri’s return to Lebanon change?
Myra Abdallah/Now Lebanon/February 19/16
Former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri delivers a speech during a gathering to mark the 11th anniversary of the assassination of his father and Lebanon
For the first time in five years, former Prime Minister and Future Movement leader Saad Hariri came back to Lebanon for a permanent stay. Hariri, who reportedly left Lebanon five years ago because of security threats on his life, returned to attend his father’s – the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri – memorial on February 14, 2016 and stated that, this time his stay in Lebanon “will be a long one.” His return raised a large number of questions among Lebanese citizens and politicians. His unexpected return to Lebanon at this specific time might have different political connotations, one of them, and maybe the foremost one, is the election of a Lebanese president after the presidential vacuum that has lasted nearly two years.
“Hariri launched a campaign that needs to be followed up,” said An Nahar analyst Ibrahim Bayram. “He invited [Lebanese MPs] to go to Parliament to vote for one of the 3 candidates for presidency. This can be seen as an intimidation for [Michel] Aoun and Hezbollah— an attempt to dismember March 8, especially after he nominated [Suleiman] Frangieh.” Earlier in December 2015, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri nominated head of the Marada Movement, Suleiman Frangieh, for the presidency. Frangieh’s nomination was opposed by a number of March 14 officials, and resulted in a rift within the March 14 coalition and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea nominating Free Patriotic Movement leader, Michel Aoun, for presidency. Hariri’s return to Lebanon came after what analysts call “the Maarab declaration,” referring to the reconciliation of the two main Christian leaders after nearly 30 years of conflict.
For the past couple of years, the March 14 coalition has not been in good shape. Despite several attempts to revive the coalition, the Lebanese situation in general and the dynamics inside the coalition in particular were not promising. “Since its beginning, March 14 did not have a real vision and all its actions were more of reactions. Essentially, March 14 politicians were acting unlike their speeches,” said Tripoli MP Mosbah al-Ahdab. Analysts NOW spoke to were not very optimistic about the fact that Hariri’s return might revive the March 14 coalition, especially since the gap between the coalition’s politicians is becoming wider. “Reviving March 14 needs collaboration and honesty from all the political leaders of the coalition,” said Future Movement MP Moin Merehbi. “Unfortunately, March 14 is not being fought against by its enemies. The coalition’s politicians are fighting among each other and [Future Movement] reached a situation where it can hold a dialogue with its rivals, but unable to do the same with its allies. March 14 will never be able to reunite again as long as the politicians are refusing to make any compromises.”
Earlier today, Saudi Arabia announced its decision to halt two grants aimed at arming the Lebanese Armed Forces. One deal, announced in 2013 by former President Michel Sleiman, was a $3 billion military grant to purchase weapons from France, and the second deal was $1 billion in aid, which was announced by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The Saudi News Agency reported that the decision came after “Lebanon's stances that are not in harmony with the brotherly relations between the two countries.” Bayram told NOW that Saudi Arabia’s grant to the Lebanese Armed Forces was equivocal since the beginning. “It could have been a promise made by [late] King Abdullah that was broken after his death by King Salman. I think that the official announcement of the donation’s disruption creates an internal intimidation for several political parties in Lebanon, including Hariri,” he told NOW.
Contrarily, other analysts NOW spoke to did not distrust Saudi Arabia’s intentions toward Lebanon, but found its decision understandable after all the statements made by Lebanese politicians against the country. “When we see that our Minister of Foreign affairs, for example, dealing with Arab countries as if they were enemies and not giving them credit for supporting Lebanon, it is only normal for Saudi Arabia to take such a negative decision toward Lebanon,” said Merehbi. Merehbi also told NOW that Saudi Arabia took this decision because it fears that Hezbollah will take the weapons that will be given to the Lebanese Army, knowing that Hezbollah controls all of the state’s institutions, including the Lebanese Army, civil and other military institutions.
Whether Saudi’s decision is related to Hariri’s return in any way is not clear yet. However, several March 14 politicians, including Hariri, made statements asking the donor country to reconsider its decision. “Hariri’s return can be a message that the Saudi related part of Lebanon still exists, and that March 14 still has its presence, especially after it became obvious that the pro-Syrian/Iranian coalition – March 8 – became more powerful,” Bayram told NOW.
Hariri’s permanent stay in Lebanon is now confirmed, disregarding the fact that the outcomes and reasons for his decision have not been communicated and are not obvious yet. “We have many problems that need to be solved. As long as Hariri is not suggesting solutions, these problems will remain,” al-Ahdab told NOW. “The presence of Hariri in Lebanon is essential and this is where he should be, but as long as he is not suggesting solutions, his presence will not have a big impact on the Lebanese situation.”

Fabricating Consent: Al-Mayadeen and the Invasion of Lebanon
Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/February 19/16
Two Lebanese women walk 24 July 1982 in a West Beirut street devastated by Israeli shelling during the "Operation Peace for Galilee". First, a disclaimer is in order: I have never been a fan of al-Mayadeen news channel, nor its retro brand of 1970s revolutionary zeal. Its owner and managing director, Tunisian-born journalist Ghassan Ben Jeddo’s – formerly Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Beirut— colorful shirts and his die-hard bias for the ‘so-called’ forces of resistance across the Middle East further estranged me from this news outlet and its slogan of covering “Reality As It Is.”Just recently, however, I was intrigued to look up one of its documentaries, entitled “The Invasion of Lebanon,” chronicling the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which ended with the occupation of the first Arab capital, Beirut. My main interest, however, was not the documentary itself, but rather the reaction of some Lebanese factions over what they believed was a twisting of facts and a cheap attempt to tarnish the reputation of their martyrs. After viewing it, at least the three episodes that have aired to date, the main striking feature is not the documentary’s distortion of events but rather its conscious omission of key facts.
Naturally, the sequence of this production starts by giving a background of the raging civil war that broke out in 1975 going back as far as 1969 and the Cairo agreement, which legitimized the PLO’s presence and gave it the right to carry out operations against Israel from Lebanon. While initially the narrative adopts a typical approach to the Lebanese conflict, the series and its producer Rafik Nasrallah, a dedicated mouthpiece of the Syrian-Iranian axis, slowly seep a hidden or perhaps blatant agenda into the plot.
The main overarching line adopted by the series producers, is that the Israeli invasion in 1982 was not primarily directed against the PLO, but rather against Syria and the Palestinian factions who refused to cooperate with the wheeling dealing Yasser Arafat and thus had to be targeted by Israel.
More importantly, Syria is always portrayed as being altruistic in much of its decisions throughout the Lebanese conflict, only guided by its Arab nationalist principles and its brotherly love for the Lebanese. This is extremely vivid in the series’ dealing with two main events: the siege and massacre of Tel al-Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp and the assassination of the leader of the anti-Syrian Lebanese National Movement, Kamal Jumblatt. In both examples, the series fails to mention the crucial and somewhat sinister role Hafez al-Assad and his regime played throughout the battle of Tel al-Zaatar. The right wing Christian militias’ ultimate victory over the besieged camp was made possible through artillery cover provided by the Syrian army, which was masquerading as the Arab Deterrent Force.
Moreover, the assassination of Kamal Jumblatt, a watershed moment in the civil war, is given a very hasty mention while failing to accuse any side of carrying out this crime. Jumblatt’s slaying, as it is commonly recognized by all factions, was due to his strong opposition of the Syrian Army’s entry to Lebanon to bail out the Christian militias in 1976. This position, in addition to his refusal to cooperate with Assad’s Palestinian lackeys— instead supporting the PLO and Arafat, earned him and his two bodyguards a spray of bullets in 1977. The second main problematic issue that this series brings forth is the resistance against the invading Israeli hordes. According to Nasrallah, the main forces of resistance in the summer of 1982 were composed of the Arab Syrian Army, Palestinian factions loyal to Syria, and the seeds of groups of activists and militants sponsored by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, you guessed it: Hezbollah.
By claiming this, the series was giving the aforementioned factions the monopoly of a movement which in reality was the product of a number of groups, but primarily led by the Lebanese Left, i.e. the Lebanese Communist Party and their fellow travelers. However, the crux of the problem is not in these ridiculous statements but rather the evidence provided to support these claims. Most of the people interviewed throughout the series almost exclusively belong to the pro-Syrian/Iranian camp and thus provide a single ironclad narrative that totally excludes the other.
Second, most of the lineup of interviewees are at best B-rated analysts and politicians who were not at close proximity to the events they claim to have direct knowledge about. In episode two (time code 10:33) for example, a certain Imad Shouaibi, a Syrian writer and researcher claims that Bashir Gemayel, the leader of the Lebanese Forces, met with the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.
This alleged meeting took place during the 100 day war in which the Syrian army ruthlessly bombed the eastern sector of Beirut in an attempt to subjugate the Christian militias. Bashir, known for his open support for a Lebanese-Israeli alliance, strangely requested Assad’s support for his bid to become the next president of the Lebanese republic. More awkward, however, is that Assad gave his full endorsement to the young militant politician. Strangely, Shouaibi, who was born in 1961, was only 17-years-old when this meeting took place and there is no reason whatsoever for him to have been briefed of this meeting by any of the senior Syrian regime members at that time. The craft of writing history is always a perilous and challenging task, which is seldom satisfactory to either sides, even when the historian or in this case the producer employs a clear methodology that relies on unquestionable sources. However, by allowing such a poorly-produced and skewed account of the Israeli invasion to air, al-Mayadeen has perhaps affirmed the following: The Syrian-Iranian axis accusation of employing a policy of exclusion and harboring a project that aims at distorting the history and legacy of the region is true.Second and most importantly, those who still remain within the ranks of the Lebanese Communist Party, who view Hezbollah as a continuation of their early struggle against Israel and the West, are harshly reminded that in the history Iran and its allies are drafting, no place is reserved for them in the past nor the future.
***Makram Rabah is a PhD candidate at Georgetown University’s history department. He is the author of “A Campus at War: Student Politics at the American University of Beirut, 1967–1975.”

Lebanese PM urges Saudi to unfreeze military aid
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Friday, 19 February 2016/Lebanon’s Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Friday urged Saudi Arabia to “reconsider” the suspension of a $3 billion aid package to its army to buy French arms.“We express our deep appreciation for King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his brothers in the Saudi leadership ... and we hope for a reconsideration of the decision to halt the aid for our army and security forces,” the premier said in a statement. Two prominent political leaders also commented on Saudi Arabia’s decision to halt its aid to the Lebanese army and security forces. Future movement chief Saad Hariri and Samir Geagea, the leader of Christian political party called Lebanese Forces, said they held Hezbollah responsible for “losing billions of dollars” as a result of its long state of enmity towards Saudi. Geagea said in a message on Twitter that the government should instantly convene to take action. The Christian political leader said that Beirut should either officially asking Hezbollah to desist from attacking the kingdom, or to dispatch an official delegation to ask Saudi Arabia to unfreeze its aid.

Saudi halts $3 bn in aid to Lebanon army
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Friday, 19 February 2016/Saudi Arabia said Friday it has stopped a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group fighting in support of Syria’s regime. In response, Lebanon’s PM Tammam Salam urged Saudi to reconsider the suspension of the package.In light of positions taken by Hezbollah the kingdom proceeded to “a total evaluation of its relations with the Lebanese republic”, an unnamed official told the Saudi Press Agency earlier. The kingdom's loyal Gulf allies, the UAE and Bahrain, expressed support for Saudi's decision. Saudi added that the remainder of a $1 billion financing package for Lebanese security forces had been suspended, in a separate decision. The $3 billion program financed military equipment provided by France. Lebanon received the first tranche of weapons designed to bolster its army against miliatnt threats, including anti-tank guided missiles, in April last year but the program then reportedly ran into obstacles.Alleged leaders of Lebanon-based Hezbollah are under sanction by Saudi Arabia. Hezbollah is supported by Iran. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran last month after demonstrators stormed its embassy and a consulate following the Saudi execution of a Saudi Shiite.In the statement, the Saudi official said Riyadh had always stood with Lebanon and supported the country through difficult times. “Despite these honourable stands, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia had been met with Lebanese stands that are against it on Arab, regional and international arenas, in the shadow of the confiscation of the will of the state by the so-called Lebanese Hezbollah,” the statement said. Hezbollah is the Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim group that wields major power in Lebanon. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia is the arch-regional rival of Shi’ite Iran. The SPA statement said Lebanon, at recent meetings of the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, had failed to condemn “the blatant aggression on the kingdom’s embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad,” last month.
It was referring to an attack by Iranian demonstrators protesting over the execution by Riyadh of a Saudi Shiite convicted of incitement to violence.
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran over the attacks on its missions. (With AFP)

Geagea Urges Govt. to Put End to Hizbullah's 'Insults' against Saudi Arabia
Naharnet/February 19/16/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday called on the government to put an end to what he described as Hizbullah's “insults” against Saudi Arabia, shortly after the kingdom decided to halt a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon in protest at Hizbullah's policies and recent diplomatic stances by Lebanon's foreign ministry. “The Lebanese government must convene immediately to take the necessary measures and officially ask Hizbullah to refrain from insulting the kingdom from now on,” Geagea tweeted. It must also “form an official delegation headed by Prime Minister Tammam Salam to visit Saudi Arabia and urge it to reactivate the frozen aid,” he added. Geagea also held Hizbullah responsible for “Lebanon's loss of billions of dollars due to its incessant attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”In light of positions taken by Hizbullah the kingdom proceeded to "a total evaluation of its relations with the Lebanese republic," an unnamed official told the Saudi Press Agency earlier in the day. Lebanon received the first tranche of weapons designed to bolster its army against jihadist threats, including anti-tank guided missiles, in April last year but the program then reportedly ran into obstacles. Hizbullah is supported by Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran, with whom relations have worsened this year. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran last month after demonstrators stormed its embassy and a consulate following the Saudi execution of a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric and activist, Nimr al-Nimr. The official quoted by the Saudi Press Agency said the kingdom had noticed "hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hizbullah on the State." He also deplored the "political and media campaigns inspired by Hizbullah against Saudi Arabia," as well as what he called the group's "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations."Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday accused Turkey and Saudi Arabia of dragging the entire region into war and said "victory" was imminent for his group and its Syrian regime allies.

Rifi Decides to Refer Samaha's Case to International Criminal Court
Naharnet/February 19/16/Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi announced Friday that he has decided to refer the case of ex-minister Michel Samaha to the International Criminal Court, accusing some members of the cabinet of blocking the referral of the proceedings to Lebanon's Judicial Council, one of the country's top courts. “How can we forgive the deeds of someone who conspired with Syria to plot assassinations against political and religious figures?” said Rifi at a press conference. “After Samaha's farce of a trial, we believe that the case must take another course in order to put the big and small criminals in trial, because Samaha's crime is not less significant than the assassination crimes” that the country has witnessed, the minister added. “We have knocked every door in order to achieve justice, but due to the continued attempts to paralyze decisions and obstruct the case, my national and ethical duties oblige me to offer citizens an inevitable choice, which is resorting to the ICC,” Rifi said. On February 11, Rifi withdrew from a cabinet meeting after it failed for a third time to address referring the case to the Judicial Council. He said then that he would not return to cabinet unless this issue is the first article on its agenda, although he attended Thursday's session. Samaha was released from prison on bail earlier this year under a controversial Military Court ruling that sent shockwaves across the country. He was arrested in August 2012 and charged with attempting to carry out "terrorist acts" before he was sentenced in May 2015 to four-and-half years in prison. In June, the Military Cassation Court nullified the verdict and ordered a retrial. Samaha, an ex-adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad, admitted during his trial that he had transported the explosives from Syria for use in attacks in Lebanon. He, however, argued that he should be acquitted because he was a victim of entrapment by a Lebanese security services informer identified as Milad Kfoury. Rifi noted Friday that “the ICC has jurisdiction to look into crimes against humanity, and premeditated murder is considered a crime against humanity if it happens in a systematic manner and among residents, the thing that is identical to what Samaha had intended to commit.”The minister also revealed that he will ask Canada's authorities for help seeing as Samaha holds a Canadian passport. “Seeing as Samaha holds the Canadian nationality, Canada's judiciary will definitely not accept that a criminal accused of war crimes be acquitted,” Rifi added. “We will now discuss the mechanism that would allow the international court to become in charge of the case,” he went on to say.

Hariri Urges Saudi to Treat Lebanon as 'Elder Brother' as Salam Calls for Reversing Decision on Aid
Naharnet/February 19/16/Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri called Friday on Saudi Arabia to be an “elder brother” for Lebanon after the kingdom decided to halt military aid worth $4 billion to Lebanon in connection with a row with Hizbullah. The Saudi move was “in response to unwise decisions to remove Lebanon from the Arab consensus and put the foreign policy of the Lebanese State in the service of regional axes, as happened recently in the last meeting of the Arab foreign ministers and the meeting of Islamic nations,” said Hariri in a statement. “Lebanon can only gain from those silly policies ... the procedures and measures that we are seeing and which threaten the core interests of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese who are present in various Arab countries,” he warned. He reminded that Saudi Arabia and all Arab Gulf states “have always supported Lebanon in the toughest circumstances,” while “Hizbullah and its tools in politics and the media keep on launching the worst campaigns” against the kingdom. “The dignity of the Kingdom and its leadership is the dignity of the Lebanese honest people, who will not remain silent over the crime of jeopardizing the interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese people,” he added. “Those who think that Lebanon could suddenly turn into an Iranian province are delusional and they are manipulating the fate of the country and making the decision to drag themselves and others into the abyss,” Hariri cautioned. “We totally understand the decision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia … and we hope that the leadership of the Kingdom will look at the suffering of Lebanon through the eyes of the elder brother,” he added. Hariri also voiced confidence that Saudi Arabia “will not abandon the people of Lebanon, no matter how difficult the challenges and conditions become.”Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tammam Salam issued a statement considering the Saudi move a “sovereign Saudi affair.”“Lebanon, whose identity is Arab, is highly keen on its fraternal ties with its Arab brothers, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Salam said. He also called on Riyadh to “reconsider the decision on halting aid to our army and security forces.”Later on Friday, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq warned that the Saudi decision is "the first move and what's coming will be harsher," calling on Salam to hold a cabinet session "dedicated to discussing Lebanon's foreign, Arab and Islamic policies." In light of positions taken by Hizbullah, the kingdom has proceeded to "a total evaluation of its relations with the Lebanese republic," an unnamed official told the Saudi Press Agency earlier in the day. Lebanon received the first tranche of weapons designed to bolster its army against jihadist threats, including anti-tank guided missiles, in April last year but the program then reportedly ran into obstacles. Hizbullah is supported by Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran, with whom relations have worsened this year. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran last month after demonstrators stormed its embassy and a consulate following the Saudi execution of a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric and activist, Nimr al-Nimr. The official quoted by the Saudi Press Agency said the kingdom had noticed "hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hizbullah on the State."He also deplored the "political and media campaigns inspired by Hizbullah against Saudi Arabia," as well as what he called the group's "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations."Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday accused Turkey and Saudi Arabia of dragging the entire region into war and said "victory" was imminent for his group and its Syrian regime allies.

Hariri Meets Jumblat: Presidential Post for All Christians, All Lebanese
Naharnet/February 19/16/Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri held talks Friday evening with Democratic Gathering chief MP Walid Jumblat in Clemenceau, stressing that the presidential post is for “all Christians” and “all Lebanese.”The meeting was also attended by Hariri's advisers Ghattas Khoury and Nader Hariri, Jumblat's sons Taymur and Aslan, the ministers Akram Shehayyeb and Wael Abou Faour, and the MPs Henri Helou, Marwan Hamadeh, Ghazi Aridi, Elie Aoun, Antoine Saad, Fouad al-Saad, Alaa Terro and Nehme Tohme. Jumblat also threw a dinner banquet in honor of his guests, according to a statement issued by his Progressive Socialist Party. “My visit to Walid Bek is aimed at continuing the consultations over the presidency and expediting the election of a president, especially that we have a constitution and a democracy,” said Hariri after the talks, urging all MPs to head to parliament and elect a president. “The absence of a president is the reason behind all the problems we're witnessing today in Lebanon,” he added. “We agreed with Walid Bek that the president is a very vital and important issue for all Lebanese and that this post is for all Christians and all Lebanese,” Hariri went on to say.
Jumblat for his part said Hariri's presence in Lebanon is “essential,” warning that “vacuum is harmful at all security, economic and social levels.”Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended on May 25, 2014 and Hizbullah, the Free Patriotic Movement and some of their allies have been boycotting the electoral sessions. Hariri launched late in 2015 a proposal to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his suggestion was rejected by the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hizbullah and some of its allies, as well as March 14's Lebanese Forces, have argued that FPM founder MP Michel Aoun is more eligible than Franjieh to become president given the size of his parliamentary bloc and his influence in the Christian community. Jumblat had voiced support for Hariri's proposal to nominate Franjieh when it first emerged but lately he has reiterated his adherence to the nomination of MP Henri Helou, a member of his Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc.

Hariri Says Baabda Palace Vacuum Amounts to 'Treason'
Naharnet/February 19/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri on Friday described the presidential vacuum as a “treason,” urging lawmakers to exercise their right in electing a new head of state. “The MPs should exercise their right to elect a president,” said Hariri following talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki. “The vacuum in the presidency is tantamount to treason of the Constitution,” he said. The lawmaker and former premier stressed that the election of a president is “essential.” Baabda Palace has been vacant since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Differences between the rival parties have caused lack of quorum at more than 30 parliamentary sessions aimed at electing a head of state. The next session is set for March 2. “One of three candidates should be elected and we will congratulate the person” chosen by the parliament, said Hariri. The Mustaqbal chief is backing Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh for the country's top Christian post. The two other candidates are Free Patriotic Movement founder and Change and Reform bloc chief Michel Aoun, and MP Henri Helou from the Democratic Gathering bloc of Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat. Hariri returned to Beirut last Sunday. He has since called for the “democratic game to take its course” while holding onto Franjieh's candidacy. Hariri's remarks in Bkikri drew the ire of Change and Reform MP Ibrahim Kanaan, who said: “The Constitution and the National Pact go hand in hand.”“Their separation like what happened 25 years ago in Christian posts is tantamount to the treason of the Constitution and the National Pact,” he added. The Change and Reform MPs are among lawmakers not attending the sessions aimed at electing a president under the excuse that there is a need for consensus on a single candidate. From Bkirki, Hariri headed to the northern city of Tripoli to attend Friday prayers led by Mufti of Tripoli and the North Sheikh Malek al-Shaar at al-Siddiq Mosque. After the prayers, Shaar held a lunch banquet in Hariri's honor. In a speech he delivered, Shaar stressed that Lebanon is passing through a difficult stage and that sectarian rhetoric is rejected. For his part, Hariri stressed: “We will continue the path with our candidate for the presidency MP Franjieh. Those who are keen on preserving the Christians must not obstruct the presidential elections. “We are a democratic state and those hindering the election of a president are mainly paralyzing the country and the top Christian state post.”

Reports: Clinton E-Mail Reveals Hizbullah 'Base in Cuba'
Naharnet/February 19/16/The U.S. State Department's latest release of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's e-mails revealed that she had received a message claiming Hizbullah is seeking to set up a base in Cuba to carry out attacks in Latin America, several Cuban and Western news outlets reported. According to the reports, the author of the e-mail, Sidney Blumenthal, stated that he received the information from “extremely sensitive sources.” The Israeli Mossad believes that Hizbullah’s targets were “Israel’s diplomatic and business interests” in the region, Blumenthal argued. But he said the group had been “instructed to also begin casing facilities associated with the United States and the United Kingdom, including diplomatic missions, major banks, and businesses.”According to the e-mail, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah led negotiations with Cuba’s intelligence agency, promising that his party would keep a “very low profile inside of Cuba.”“Nasrallah also promised to take measures to avoid any trail of evidence that could lead back to Cuba in the event of a Hizbullah attack in Latin America,” said Blumenthal. Clinton, a top White House candidate in the 2016 race, has been dogged by allegations that her use of a private email server while in office, rather than a secure government system, had put U.S. secrets at risk. The State Department has so far released nearly 46,000 pages of emails out of a total 55,000 pages. Clinton has repeatedly denied doing anything wrong but the issue has been a major source of controversy in her presidential campaign.

Qahwaji Optimistic on Delivery of Super Tucano Planes
Naharnet/February 19/16/Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji has revealed that he received promises from U.S. officials during his latest visit to deliver six A-20 Super Tucano planes to Lebanon. In an interview published in al-Akhbar newspaper on Friday, Qahwaji said: “We will receive the Super Tucano planes from the Americans.” The last time Lebanon received military aid from the U.S. was in October 2015. The shipment provided the army with 50 Hellfire missiles and 560 artillery rounds, including some precision munitions. The six planes could help the military advance on the outskirts of Arsal on the Lebanese-Syrian border where Islamic State and al-Nusra Front militants have taken refuge. Their threat rose in August 2014 when they overran Arsal and engaged in heavy gunbattles with the army. The terrorists took with them hostages from the military and police and later executed four of them. Al-Nusra Front released 16 soldiers and policemen in a swap conducted in December but the IS continues to hold nine Lebanese captives.“We will be able to attack the gunmen on (Arsal's) outskirts when they become isolated inside the Syrian territories,” said Qahwaji. “They are fighting each other and we are attacking them if we see movements,” he said. But the heavily-populated town, in addition to the presence of around 100,000 Syrian refugees, are complicating the military's operations. “We can't deploy thousands of troops in a single town. We are carrying out special operations so that we don't endanger the lives of civilians,” the general added. Troops killed six IS militants, including a commander, and arrested 16 others earlier this month in their biggest operation yet against the extremists.

Waste Management Talks to Gain Momentum after Export Plan Dropped
Naharnet/February 19/16/Discussions on ways to resolve Lebanon's waste crisis will gain momentum over the weekend after the government abandoned a plan to export the garbage bringing the issue back to square one. A ministerial committee headed by Prime Minister Tammam Salam was revived and will meet on Saturday to discuss the areas where landfills would be established to receive the trash of Beirut and Mount Lebanon. The trash crisis erupted in July 2015 when the Naameh landfill, which opened in 1997 in a verdant valley outside Beirut, was closed. Garbage quickly piled up on Beirut and Mount Lebanon streets and municipalities dumped the trash in forests, on riverbanks and populated areas. Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb drew a plan to rely on sanitary landfills but the government abandoned it in November after municipalities and local officials refused to accommodate more landfilling.In December, the cabinet approved a waste export plan. But a scandal broke out earlier this week when it was revealed that Britain’s Chinook Urban Mining company, which was selected by the government to manage the export scheme, may have fabricated its permits. Chinook is required to obtain official approval from Russia - the importing nation - before it can sign a final contract with Lebanese authorities.The government gave the firm until 10 am Friday to produce the necessary permits or else the Lebanese authorities would return to a plan to rely on landfills. But the Council for Development and Reconstruction announced at noon that Chinook was not able to provide it with the necessary documents that prove it has received the permits from Russia. CDR will inform the company to consider as void an initial approval by the Lebanese authorities for Chinook to export the waste, it added. Shehayyeb said he has informed the government that he would no longer be in charge of the file. The minister told As Safir daily that he has carried out his duties and his “conscience is clear.”Shehayyeb, who is a member of the Progressive Socialist Party, distanced himself from the scandal after reports that PSP officials were benefiting from the plan to export waste.

Berri to Reactivate Oil Exploration over Skepticism on Pipeline Plans
Naharnet/February 19/16/Speaker Nabih Berri has said that he would prioritize the exploration of gas and oil after Lebanon resolves its waste management crisis. Berri, whose remarks were published in al-Joumhouria daily on Friday, told his visitors that he will focus on resolving the oil exploration file after the garbage crisis which erupted in July 2015 is over. Last month, the leaders of Cyprus, Israel and Greece agreed to establish an underwater gas pipeline from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe. The three countries will form a trilateral committee to study the plans to build the pipeline between Israel and Cyprus and on to Greece for gas exports to Europe. According to al-Joumhouria, there are fears that the pipeline would pass through parts of a disputed zone with Israel.In 2013, the parliament passed a law setting Lebanon's maritime boundary and Exclusive Economic Zone. But Lebanon has submitted to the United Nations a maritime map that conflicts significantly with one proposed by Israel, arguing that its map is in line with an armistice accord drawn up in 1949, an agreement not contested by Israel. The disputed zone consists of about 854 square kilometers (330 square miles), and suspected energy reserves that could generate billions of dollars. Energy Minister Arthur Nazaraian has warned that international companies would lose interest in bidding for oil and gas exploration in Lebanon if the government fails to speed up licensing procedures. But the government should first endorse two oil decrees. The first tackles the demarcation of the 10 maritime oil blocks, and touches on the division of the Exclusive Economic Zone to several blocks that are not entirely equal. And the second decree, which is linked to setting up a revenue-sharing model, tackles the contracts signed with the international companies.

Lebanese Army Intervenes after 'Heavy' Clashes in al-Saadiyat
Naharnet/February 19/16/Rocket-propelled grenades were used Friday evening in clashes between two armed groups in the coastal al-Saadiyat area south of Beirut, state-run National News Agency reported.“Security forces are trying to contain the situation,” NNA said. According to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5), the clashes stopped after security forces and the army entered the area. “Heavy clashes erupted between the (Hizbullah-affiliated) Resistance Brigades and members of the al-Asaad family in al-Saadiyat and machineguns and RPGs are being used in the fighting,” MTV reported earlier. LBCI television had described the clashes as “fierce” and some media reports said the fighting erupted between the Resistance Brigades and members of al-Mustaqbal movement. This is not the first such incident in the al-Saadiyat area. On January 12, a prayer hall came under gunfire during the presence of a local Hizbullah official in it. The area had witnessed heavy clashes between supporters of al-Mustaqbal and members of the Resistance Brigades in July 2015 in which scores of people were injured.

Hizbullah Says Not to Blame for Saudi Decision, Links Move to 'Financial Crisis'
Naharnet/February 19/16/Hizbullah on Friday dismissed accusations that its policies were behind a Saudi decision to halt military aid to Lebanon, attributing Riyadh's move to what the party called the kingdom's “severe financial crisis.”“The Saudi decision on halting financial aid to the army and security forces has not surprised anyone in Lebanon at all,” said Hizbullah in a statement. “The entire world, especially the Lebanese and the local and global financial institutions, know very well that Saudi Arabia is suffering from a severe financial crisis due to the hefty expenditure on its evil aggression against brotherly Yemen, and also due to the drop in oil prices in the global market, which Saudi Arabia itself has orchestrated,” the party added. “Holding Hizbullah responsible for the Saudi decision because of its political and media stances in support for brotherly Yemen, Bahrain's aggrieved people and other peoples reeling under the fire of Saudi terrorism is a failed attempt that no sane person can believe,” it said. The party also hit back at Lebanese officials who held it responsible for the crisis, noting that “the local choir of lies and hypocrisy that quickly jumps to baseless accusations and cheap adulation will not manage to conceal the truth that is known by the Lebanese.” Hizbullah also stressed that the accusations “will not change Hizbullah's firm political stance on the developments and events in the region.”In light of positions taken by Hizbullah, the kingdom has proceeded to "a total evaluation of its relations with the Lebanese republic," an unnamed official told the Saudi Press Agency earlier in the day. Lebanon received the first tranche of weapons designed to bolster its army against jihadist threats, including anti-tank guided missiles, in April last year but the program then reportedly ran into obstacles. Hizbullah is supported by Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran, with whom relations have worsened this year. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran last month after demonstrators stormed its embassy and a consulate following the Saudi execution of a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric and activist, Nimr al-Nimr. The official quoted by the Saudi Press Agency said the kingdom had noticed "hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hizbullah on the State."He also deplored the "political and media campaigns inspired by Hizbullah against Saudi Arabia," as well as what he called the group's "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations." Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday accused Turkey and Saudi Arabia of dragging the entire region into war and said "victory" was imminent for his group and its Syrian regime allies.

Bassil Calls for Decentralization, Reopening of Naameh Landfill
Naharnet/February 19/16/Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil said on Friday that it was time to have decentralization in waste management after a plan to export Lebanon's garbage failed. “The export of waste is the worst solution,” said Bassil at a press conference he held at the Bustros Palace. “No country in the world resolves its waste problem through export,” he said. “It's time for decentralization in a waste management plan. We should encourage municipalities to find solutions,” the foreign minister, who is the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, told reporters. Bassil called for the establishment of landfills to resolve the waste crisis away from sectarian shares.“All sides have admitted that the Naameh landfill can still operate while providing the town's residents with their rights,” he said. The garbage crisis erupted in July last year when the landfill in the town of Naameh south of Beirut was closed. Trash began piling up on the streets, and garbage was dumped in makeshift landfills, including river banks, valleys and under bridges. When a plan to decentralize waste management failed last year, the government approved a scheme to export the garbage. But it was revealed earlier this week that the company, which was tasked by the government to manage the export plan, may have fabricated its permits. An ultimatum given to Britain’s Chinook Urban Mining company by the cabinet to produce the necessary permits expired at 10 am Friday. The Council for Development and Reconstruction said Chinook was not able to provide it with the necessary documents that prove it has received the permits from Russia, the importing nation. The cabinet already decided at a session it held on Thursday to abandon the export scheme. “There should be a political decision to stop benefiting from the trash” file, said Bassil, hinting about rampant corruption. The foreign minister also called for decision by the authorities to deal with the issue “fairly.” There should be scientific studies on where the landfills should be located, he said.

Mashnouq Sets Dates of Municipal Polls, Jezzine By-election
Naharnet/February 19/16/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq on Friday announced the dates on which the upcoming municipal and mayoral elections will be held in the various Lebanese regions. The municipal elections will be held in Mount Lebanon on May 8, in Beirut and the Bekaa on May 15, in South and Nabatiyeh on May 22, and in the North and Akkar on May 29, said Mashnouq. Meanwhile, a parliamentary by-election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Helou, who passed away in 2014. The announcements were declared after two administrative and security meetings that Mashnouq held at the ministry to discuss the practical measures that must be taken to organize and secure the polls on the aforementioned dates. The government had approved the funding of the upcoming polls during a February 2 cabinet session. There have been fears that the municipal polls could meet the same fate of the parliamentary elections, which have been postponed two times in recent years over alleged security concerns.

Iranian-Backed Militia Committing 'Ethnic Cleansing' of Iraqi Christians
Dr. Walid Phares/CBN News/February 19/16
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2016/February/Muslim-Militia-Seizing-Baghdad-Christian-Churches-and-Homes.
Iranian-backed militias are forcing Christians out of Baghdad, seizing Christian churches, homes, and businesses, according to The Foreign Desk website.The militants groups are driving Christians out of their neighborhoods and south of the city.
Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac Church leaders say it's ethnic cleansing. Christian leaders in Iraq's parliament and non-government organizations working in the country confirmed the atrocities. In the north, ISIS has driven Christians out of their ancestral homes in Kirkuk, Mosul, and much of the Nineveh Plains.
Dr. Walid Phares is the co-secretary general of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Group on Counter Terrorism (TAG), a caucus of members of the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament. What else should be done to protect Iraqi Christians from ethnic cleansing and genocide? Click play to watch Phares explain more. Phares spoke to CBN's Wendy Griffith about he calls "genocide" being committed against Yazidis and Christians in the Middle East. He also discussed the recent report about the ethnic cleansing of Christians in Baghdad.
Phares said the United States is not doing enough to use the leverage it has to stop the persecution. "The United States is basically a partner to the Iraqi government---we give them a lot of money, a lot of training, we give them information," he explained. "We are actually their allies against ISIS, so the minimum that we can request from the Iraqi government, from the prime minister, from their armed forces is to stop these militias from undertaking this ethnic cleansing as we are there in Baghdad--our trainers are in Baghdad," he said. Phares also believes more can be done to pressure the Iranians to prevent the Shia militias from harming the Christians of Baghdad. He said the U.S. nuclear deal with Iran freed up $150 billion in frozen Iranian assets. Phares believes that money should be used as leverage to help the Christians. "If I was the president, or his administration I will use that deal: 'you're not going to get more cash if you allow, or you're going to push your militias to do this in Baghdad,'" he said. "We have a lot of leverage we are not using for the protection of the minorities unfortunately," Phares said.

U.N. refugee chief: Europe has ‘completely failed’ in migrant crisis
AFP, Berlin Friday, 19 February 2016/Europe has “completely failed” in its response to the migrant crisis, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a German newspaper interview. “Regarding registration and sharing (of refugees), European cooperation and solidarity have completely failed,” he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), cited in German in the paper’s Friday print edition. The Italian, who took up the UN job on January 1, also warned against European countries closing their borders which would de-facto block many refugees, already in distress, in Greece. “Our fear is that the closure of national borders in Europe could lead to hundreds of thousands of refugees staying in Greece,” he said, in extracts of an interview published Thursday evening. “Our message aimed at Europe is: ‘Pull yourself together,’ and ‘Deal with (the situation) yourselves’. But if our help is needed, we will be there.”Grandi notably pointed the finger at an EU deal struck last summer on sharing out some 160,000 refugees, and which has gone nowhere ever since. Only 583 “relocations” have actually gone ahead due to foot-dragging by certain countries, notably in the continent’s east. “Yes it is important that the system (of sharing) be applied, but it will be difficult,” said the U.N. official. “At the moment I don’t see a lot of momentum in that direction.” According to UNHCR figures, more than a million migrants arrived in Europe by sea last year. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have repeatedly condemned what they see as indifference by EU member states towards the fate of those fleeing war and misery. While most of her EU colleagues have turned their backs, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has proved “courageous,” said Grandi. Germany opened its doors to over a million asylum seekers in 2015. Despite criticism from part of her governing coalition, and growing unpopularity among ordinary Germans, she has refused to set a ceiling on numbers for this year.

Russia warns Assad on vow to retake all of Syria
AFP, Moscow Friday, 19 February 2016/Russia’s envoy to the U.N. on Friday warned long-term ally President Bashar al-Assad over his vow to retake all of Syria, saying he faced dire consequences if he did not comply with Moscow over the peace process. “Russia has invested very seriously in this crisis, politically, diplomatically and now also militarily,” Vitaly Churkin told Kommersant newspaper, referring to an international agreement to cease hostilities sealed in Munich last week. “Therefore we would like Assad also to respond to this,” he said, adding that the Syrian leader’s stance “is not in accord with the diplomatic efforts that Russia is making.” At their meeting in Munich, the 17-nation group backing Syria’s peace process agreed to work for a ceasefire, the lifting of starvation sieges and the resumption of talks. In an interview with AFP last week, Assad defiantly pledged to retake the whole of the country, speaking before the plan for a nationwide “cessation of hostilities” in Syria was announced. If Syria “follows Russia’s leadership in resolving this crisis, then they have a chance to come out of it in a dignified way,” Churkin stressed. “If they in some way stray from this path -- and this is my personal opinion -- a very difficult situation could arise. Including for themselves,” he warned. “If they proceed on the basis that no ceasefire is necessary and they need to fight to a victorious end, then this conflict will last a very long time and that is terrifying to imagine.”Churkin however also suggested that Assad’s comments were made for political impact. “It isn’t worth putting too much significance into one statement or another and dramatizing them,” he said.“We should be guided not by what he says, with all respect for the statements of a person at such a high level, but by what he finally does.”Churkin said of the Munich agreement that “Damascus, as I hope, understands this is a unique chance for Syria after five years of unremitting destruction.”Russia launched air strikes in Syria in September last year to support Assad and fight “terrorists”, saying it was targeting the ISIS and other extremists.

Video shows Russian fighters striking civilian areas in Syria
Al Arabiya/Friday, 19 February 2016/Al-Arabiya has obtained pictures documenting Russian warplanes airstrikes on the Southern Front in Syria directly against residential areas, in addition to hospitals and schools.

Saudi FM slams Russia as Moscow awaits the kingdom’s Syria plan
Al Arabiya/Friday, 19 February 2016/Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir confirmed that the mission of the Saudi forces in case they are sent to Syria, will be to eliminate ISIS in the framework of the international coalition led by Washington. Moreover, TASS News Agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, saying that Moscow expects an explanation from Saudi Arabia regarding its plans to participate in anti-terrorism operations against ISIS in Syria.

Russian fighter jet sale to Iran ‘would violate arms ban’
Reuters, Washington Friday, 19 February 2016/A reported sale of Russian combat aircraft to Iran would violate a U.N. arms embargo if it occurred without advance U.N. Security Council approval, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday. Russia’s RIA news agency on Wednesday reported that Russia will this year sign a contract to sell a batch of its Sukhoi Su-30SM multi-role fighters to Iran. As the United States and five other major powers negotiated the July 14 nuclear deal with Iran, the six agreed to maintain a ban on conventional arms sales to Iran for five years unless they were blessed in advance by the Security Council. “U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 prohibits the sale to Iran of specified categories of conventional arms ... without approval in advance on a case-by-case basis by the UN Security Council,” said State Department spokesman Mark Toner. Toner said all U.N. members, and especially those such as Russia that negotiated the resolution as part of the nuclear deal, “should be fully aware of these restrictions.” He said the ban covered “combat aircraft,” including the Su-30SM fighter. “If the media reports are accurate, we will address it bilaterally with Russia and with the other members of the U.N. Security Council,” Toner added.

EU to hold migration summit with Turkey in early March
AFP, Brussels Friday, 19 February 2016/The EU and Turkey will hold a “special meeting” in early March to push forward an aid-for-cooperation deal to curb migrant flows to Europe, European Council President Donald Tusk said Friday. “We agreed that our joint action plan with Turkey remains a priority and we must do all we can to succeed,” Tusk told a press conference after the first day of a European Union summit in Brussels.“This is why we have the intention to organize a special meeting with Turkey in the beginning of March,” Tusk said without elaborating. The meeting of the leaders of 11 EU countries with Turkey had been planned before the full summit on Thursday but was cancelled after Turkey’s premier Ahmet Davutoglu pulled out following a bomb attack in Ankara. Pressure to enforce the action plan adopted in November is growing as EU officials say thousands of migrants are still crossing the Aegean daily from Turkey after more than one million made the perilous journey last year in the greatest such movement since World War II. Speaking at the same press conference, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said: “This morning we confirmed there was no alternative to smart, intelligent cooperation with Turkey.”Central EU countries said Wednesday they would push for further border restrictions in Europe’s passport-free Schengen zone unless they see results from Turkey. A central European diplomat told journalists the number of asylum seekers arriving from Turkey needs to drop from as many as 2,000 a day to hundreds of people per day. Juncker also said EU leaders unanimously opposed “unilateral actions” to resolve the migrant crisis after Austria’s Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said Wednesday the country would cap the daily number of asylum claims at 80. European migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned in a letter to Mikl-Leitner that such plans would “be plainly incompatible” with EU law and Austria should reconsider them.

Russia’s Putin, Saudi King Salman express interest on resolving Syria crisis
Reuters, Moscow Friday, 19 February 2016/Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman expressed an interest in resolving the Syrian crisis, the Kremlin said in a statement following phone talks between the two on Friday.
Putin confirmed an invitation to the King to visit Russia, the statement said.

U.S. aircraft hit militants in Libya, 40 reported dead
Reuters | Tripoli Friday, 19 February 2016/U.S. warplanes carried out air strikes early on Friday morning in the western Libyan city of Sabratha, where ISIS militants operate, killing as many as 40 people. A U.S. military spokesman said the attacks targeted a senior Tunisian militant linked to attacks in Tunisia last year. Sabratha’s mayor, Hussein al-Thwadi, told Reuters the planes struck at 3.30 a.m. (0130 GMT), hitting a building in the Qasr Talil district in which foreign workers were living. He said 41 people had been killed and six wounded. The death toll could not immediately be confirmed with other officials. Tunisian security sources have said they believe Tunisian ISIS fighters have been trained in camps near Sabratha, which is close to the Tunisian border. Two major attacks in Tunisia last year claimed by ISIS - one on a Sousse resort hotel and another on a Tunis museum - were carried out by gunmen who officials said had trained in Libya. The New York Times earlier reported that Friday’s air strikes targeted a senior Tunisian operative, Noureddine Chouchane, connected to both of last year’s attacks. The mayor said officials visited the site of the strike and found weapons in the building, but he did not give any further details. Some Tunisians, a Jordanian and two women were among the dead, he said. Several Tunisians who had recently arrived in Sabratha were among survivors. As ISIS has expanded in Libya, taking over the city of Sirte and attacking oil ports, so too have calls increased for a swift Western response to stop the group establishing a base outside its Iraq and Syria territory. Western officials and diplomats have said air strikes and special forces operations are possible as well as an Italian-led “security stabilization” plan of training and advising. U.S. and European officials insist Libyans must invite help through a united government, but say they may still carry out unilateral action if needed.

Jordan Muslim Brotherhood severed ties with Egyptian mother group
Al Arabiya/Friday, 19 February 2016/The Jordanian "Muslim Brotherhood" has modified its by-law, ending the group’s affiliation with the mother group in Cairo. The crisis of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan started when a group of reformists led by Abdul Majid Thneibat re-registered the movement as a Jordanian society, severing its affiliation with its mother group in Egypt. More than 400 members and leaders resigned from the original movement at the end of last year, some to join several splinter groups — Thneibat's licensed Muslim Brotherhood Society, the Zamzam Initiative, and the "Partnership and Rescue" committee.

Blame traded over Iraq’s missing nuclear material
Reuters, Zurich/Baghdad Friday, 19 February 2016/Swiss inspections group SGS and U.S. group Weatherford International Plc traded recriminations on Thursday, both denying responsibility for the disappearance last year of radioactive material used to test pipes at an oil field in southern Iraq. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Iraq was searching for a “highly dangerous” radioactive source whose theft in November had raised fears among Iraqi officials that it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State. SGS said in a statement that the equipment and material, when not in use, had been stored in a “secured bunker” provided by Weatherford, which it said was the “main contractor” and had hired its Turkish unit to perform the tests. “The disappearance of the equipment occurred while the equipment was stored in the Weatherford bunker,” it said, adding the loss was discovered on Nov. 3.
Weatherford said on Thursday it holds no responsibility or liability in relation to the issue and had answered all inquiries raised by Iraqi and U.S. authorities to their satisfaction. “SGS Supervise Gozetme Etud Control had sole control and access to the material and bunker,” it said in a statement, referring to the Turkish unit of SGS. Yet SGS said its staff required Weatherford’s prior written approval to access the site. “The site where these operations are conducted is fully secured and guarded by security guards under the responsibility of the owner of the site. SGS does not assume any responsibility for the site security and does not control accesses,” SGS said, adding that many contractors used the site. Its Turkish business immediately notified Iraqi authorities and cooperated fully with the investigation, it said. SGS added that it has no contractual relation with Iraq-based security company Ta’az, which it said controlled the site and employed expatriate staff. An operations manager for Ta’az previously declined to comment, citing instructions from Iraqi security authorities.

Sisi proposes ‘law to curb police abuses’
Reuters | Cairo Friday, 19 February 2016/Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told the interior minister on Friday to make accountable any policeman who attacks citizens and to submit proposals to parliament to achieve this goal, the presidency said. The meeting came a day after a police officer shot dead a man in the street, angering hundreds of people who protested in front of the Cairo security directorate on Thursday in the latest outburst over alleged police brutality. A statement from the Cairo security directorate said the policeman had shot dead a driver after an argument and was forced to flee a mob of local people who attempted to catch and kill him. Police later found the policeman. Footage posted on social media showed hundreds of people massing outside the security directorate to protest the death. The incident comes amid mounting public anger over alleged police brutality. Last week, thousands of doctors held a rare protest against police they say beat two doctors at a Cairo hospital for refusing to falsify medical records. Anger over perceived police excesses helped fuel the 2011 revolt that ended Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule and began on a Police Day holiday.

Where More Mullahs Mean Less Religion
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/February 19/16
In his speculation regarding the transmutation of capitalism, Marx envisaged a stage in which the system leads to total divorce between production and profit. In other words, you make a profit without producing anything. In a sense, that has already happened. Today, for example, the market value of Nike as a brand is far higher than that of all the factories that produce its wares across the globe. Can the formula that Marx applied to capital also apply to labor? In other words: what about earning good money without producing anything? The honor of inventing that version of the Marxian prophecy goes to Iranians- well, to some Iranians. For almost a decade the Iranian economy has not been creating enough jobs to cope with the demographic surge of the 1980s. Despite significant levels of immigration, the result has been mass unemployment, averaging at 13 per cent. For the 16-25 age groups the rate has hovered closer to 20 per cent. Unemployment is the backstory in every field, from agriculture to manufacturing and passing by the services industry.
There is, however, one sector that, far from suffering a systematic destruction of jobs, has witnessed a boom in job creation. That sector is the clerical industry, the invisible machine that produces mullahs and aspirants to mullahdom. The latest estimates put the number of clerics, that is to say mullahs and aspirant mullahs (tullab) of all categories, at around 500,000. This means that, in terms of numbers, the clergy is larger than the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and the Baseej Mustadhafin (Mobilization of Dispossessed) combined. The weight of the numbers is better appreciated when we remember that the oil industry, accounting for 10 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 40 per cent of the national budget, employs just over 80,000.
A comparison with the number of doctors, around 18,000 according to Health Minister Dr. Hashemi, is also revealing. Hashemi says 10,000 more physicians are needed to fill the gap left by those who have gone into exile. That so many young men decide to want to join the clergy and secure a place on the gravy train of power through a fast-track is not surprising. In every system, the dominant element in power attracts such energies. In Argentina, for example, the decades’ long rule by generals inflated the military to the point that the country had enough generals and colonels for 10 nations.
There are, however, several problems with the Iranian situation. The first is that the procedure through which people join the clergy is chaotic, to say the least. The traditional Shiite clergy had strict rules and a sophisticated system of filtering those who wished to join its ranks. Typically, an aspirant would start studies at the age of six or seven and continue for 10 or 12 years before being admitted into courses conducted by a senior cleric. In the process more than two-thirds would drop out or tangent toward other careers. Those who remained would face up to 20 more years of rigorous learning before getting a foot on the middle rungs of the clerical ladder and secure the title of Hojat Al-Islam. To earn the title of ayatollah could take up to 40 years and that of Grand Ayatollah is reserved for a handful in every generation.
Even then, scholars were never comfortable with such titles. For example, in the 1940s, Seyyed Kazim Assar, one of the greatest scholars of his generation, mocked those who used the title “Hojat Al-Islam” let alone ayatollah. He noted that the entire Islamic history until the 1920s had had only one Hojat Al-Islam, the philosopher-theologian Muhammad Ghazzali who died in 1111 AD.
Today, however, the journey to the position of Hojat Al-Islam or even ayatollah and grand ayatollah could take only months, if not weeks. In 1978 Ali-Akbar Bahremani, alias Hashemi Rafsanjani, was a building contractor in southeast Iran with no clerical pretensions. By 1978, when the Khomeinist revolt was under way, he had dressed himself up in clerical garb and encouraged his entourage to call him Hojat Al-Islam. Then, sometime in the 1990s, his friends started calling him ayatollah and, by 2007, he had upgraded himself to grand ayatollah (ayatollah Al-Ozma).
Khomeini’s 42-year old grandson, Hassan, has done even better. In 2012 he was just a student of theology while running the family’s extensive businesses including the late ayatollah’s glitzy shrine in Tehran. By 2014 he had become Hojat Al-Islam for his entourage and business associates. In 2015 a poster advertising his trip to Golestan, a northeastern province, marketed him as Grand Ayatollah. By 2016, his chief promoter, Rafsanjani, was referring to him as “Allameh” (The Man who Knows Everything), a title given to a single cleric in the past 200 years (Allameh Tabataba’i).
To be sure, people are free to call themselves whatever they like, including Doctor and Grand Ayatollah as long as they do not use such unearned titles as a means of securing advantages in cash or kind from the public treasury. If the mullahs are financed by the private sector, that is to say through market mechanisms as are other celebrities such as footballers or movie-stars, there are no grounds for complaint. They would be part of the entertainment industry, selling something that someone wants to buy with his own money. The trouble in this case is that, leaving aside a few thousand traditional clerics still clinging to the old ways, almost all the half a million mullahs we have make good money from the public treasury, producing nothing.
They are not subjected to any examination let alone a procedure of authorization. If you want to drive a cab in Tabriz you must jump through numerous bureaucratic hoops. But if you want to become a Hojat Al-Islam, all you need is a consequential beard, a good tailor and the skill to roll a turban.
Worse still, they don’t even do the job of a mullah which is supposed to be studying religion and instructing the flock about values. There are 12 Imams in the Twelver Shiism which is built around their lives and works. This means marking 12 birthday anniversaries and 12 anniversaries of “martyrdom” each year. Take into account that two months, Muharram and Safar on the lunar calendar, are reserved for mourning the “martyrs” and you have a full calendar for a mullah, leaving little time for engaging in political and business activities.
And, yet, our self-styled mullahs are found in almost every sector of the Iranian business world without forgetting the need for maintaining a high political profile. Most of these self-styled mullahs spend their time appearing on TV, making political speeches around the country and beyond or acting as influence peddlers for business deals. They have little time for religion. I have no objection to ambitious young men using a fast-track to power and wealth. My concern is that they do that at the expense of the public, making a mockery of faith. Last month, Rafsanjani himself lamented that Islam was on the retreat in the Islamic Republic. No wonder. More mullahs mean less religion.

Iran to Russia: Take $14bn and build us a modern army
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report February 19, 2016
Iran’s Defense Minister Gen. Hossein Dehghan arrived in Moscow this week at the head of a large military delegation and laid before President Vladimir Putin and his Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu a $14 billion check. Now, make our Revolutionary Guards Corps and regular forces into an up-to-the-minute war machine, he said.
The plan to make over and upgrade Iran’s military was first approved by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is to be paid for with funds released by newly lifted sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The ayatollah aspires to rebuild the two branches – the IRGC with 150,000 troops and the regular army of 420,000 – as the most powerful armed force in the Middle East.
The fee on offer to Moscow covers the best-quality arms purchases and the foundation of a wide-ranging military industry for turning out Iran’s requirements of warplanes, tanks and other high-grade systems.
The entire project as presented to Russian leaders is estimated to unfold over 10 years, during which relations between Tehran and Moscow should grow progressively stronger.
However, according to informed Western military sources, the Iranian scheme is unrealistic. The Russian army and its defense ministry are not capable of meeting all of Iran’s military requirements for the next decade, even if its entire production output is set aside for this purpose. Russia is deeply immersed in two major wars in Ukraine and Syria. It is hard pressed to keep up with its own military needs, as well as with commitments undertaken under existing international arms contracts with China and India.
Iran’s shopping list is vast and formidable, as revealed here by DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources. It is topped by highly advanced ballistic missile technology, together with the special metals the Russians have developed for upgrading their own missiles and their engines.
Other items are:
Advanced SU-30 and SU-35 fighter-bombers
Spy planes, especially the latest model of the Tu-214R intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft that was posted last week in Syria
Submarines and different types of warships including missile ships
A large number of the top-of-the-line T-90 tank as standard equipment for both branches of the Iranian military. The Russians are to build factories for its production in Iran
The latest armored personnel carriers
MRLS rocket launchers of diverse calibers
Heavy, self-propelled artillery
Tehran appears to have taken Russian consent to this giant transaction as a given and regime officials are already enthusing over the “Russian weapons revolution” about to overtake its military. President Putin was quoted as agreeing in principle to the transaction, although he proposed first setting up a Russian-Iranian military team for examining the items on order and its financial aspects. Its conclusions would then be submitted to the decision making authorities of both governments before implementation goes ahead.
Commenting on these negotiations, a US official stressed Friday, Feb. 19, that the UN embargo on arms sales to Iran, embodied in the nuclear deal Iran signed with the six world powers last year, remains in force for five years.

Heikal the journalist and propagandist
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/February 19/16
Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, who passed away a few days ago, was an important part of the history of the media and political conflict in Egypt and the region. He witnessed and participated in the eras of King Farouk and Presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak, as well as the second phase of the Egyptian revolution. Heikal kept working as a journalist from the palace to the street until he died in his nineties. He was innovative and always added value to the media and politics, but he divided opinions. Those who are in Heikal’s camp will cheer him without thinking, and those who are against his camp will cheer against him without thinking. He handled media propaganda under Abdel Nasser. When we see Heikal’s work in this context, it is not difficult to understand and appreciate it, like Joseph Goebbels, who was such a master of Nazi propaganda that his theories are still being taught in media institutes.
Heikal was a distinguished professor and outstanding journalist in the propaganda media. He achieved fame and success under Abdel Nasser because propaganda was one of the three most important weapons along with the political and military ones. Heikal’s performance, and the power of his media apparatus, were an important reason for the popularity of Abdel Nasser, who relied a lot on the media.
Truth vs propaganda
However, the 1967 war was the first media defeat for Heikal because his embellishments failed, calling the defeat by Israel a “setback.” When student demonstrations erupted against Abdel Nasser in Cairo University - previously the scene of demonstrations supporting him - Heikal’s propaganda failed to convince the people. Heikal realized late the enormous difference between what was being fed to the people and the truth. However, Abdel Nasser failed to understand Heikal’s mission and task. The late president wanted to combine flagrant contradictions after the 1967 defeat. He wanted to retain the image painted by Heikal of a pan-Arab nationalist leader against imperialism and Zionism, but at the same time accepted American imperialism and indirect negotiations with Israel. Heikal was able to redraw Abdel Nasser’s image from a revolutionary akin to Che Guevara, to a tolerant leader such as Mahatma Gandhi, but Abdel Nasser did not want to change his image. Heikal realized late the enormous difference between what was being fed to the people and the truth. During the 1967 war, he was promoting military data sent to him, publishing them on the front page of Al-Ahram newspaper. He reported, for example, that “Egypt downed 130 enemy aircraft,” but discovered later that not only were no Israeli aircraft downed, but the enemy had destroyed Egypt’s air force and airports and seized the Sinai Peninsula, which is three times larger than Palestine. Israel had reached the bank of the Suez Canal, and it was no longer possible for any ship or tanker to sail through it without Israeli approval.

Russia’s monopoly on intervention in Syria
Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/February 19/16
The situation in Syria does not require Russia to warn of World War III if the international community does not accept Moscow’s point of view regarding the conflict. This is nothing more than a crude threat that completes a mission started by the Russian military. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is alluding to Turkish or Saudi intervention, meaning that Iran - distant in terms of geography, religion and language - has the right to impose its Revolutionary Guards and militias from Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon without this being considered by Moscow as an attempt to trigger a world war. Russia’s intervention aims to turn the tide in favor of the Syrian regime, rather than fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Should we leave Russia and Iran to focus on striking the real Syrian opposition that is fighting the regime? Surrendering the country to Moscow and Tehran means handing them the region, but the vast majority of its inhabitants will reject their tyranny. The cessation of hostilities in Syria, agreed upon in Munich to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, ended before it began due to Russia’s insistence on continuing to shell Aleppo in order to enable Kurdish militias to control the Turkish-Syrian border and prevent the Syrian opposition from communicating with Turkey. All of this benefits Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Moscow’s intervention is the dangerous one. UNHCR spokesman Rupert Colville condemned Russian-Syrian airstrikes against hospitals and schools in northern Syria, and the latest Russian strikes have caused 50,000 Syrians to flee to the Turkish border. Another objective of Moscow’s intervention is to pressure Turkey. The most serious threat would be emptying northern Syrian for the benefit of sectarian displacement plans.
Existential threat
Turkey and Saudi Arabia will not tolerate these existential risks. This is why Ankara said its determination to eradicate this danger in northern Syria means doing whatever it takes. This intervention must be U.S.-led under an international umbrella. Russia takes pride in isolating the national armed opposition in southern and northern Syria. Surrendering the country to Moscow and Tehran means handing them the region, but the vast majority of its inhabitants will reject their tyranny.

How long will we pay for post-9/11 mistakes?
Najat AlSaied/Al Arabiya/February 19/16
No one has taken advantage of the Sept. 11 attacks and their ramifications more than Iran, which exploited them and the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi. Unfortunately, Osama bin Laden succeeded in driving a wedge between Riyadh and Washington by using more Saudis than any other nationality in the attacks.
Since then, several American writers and political analysts have accused Saudi Arabia of supporting violent extremism, forgetting that the kingdom is suffering from terrorism as much as the United States is. A strategic decision was made by Washington to change the balance of power in the region, neglecting 68 years of relations with Riyadh. This was accomplished via military intervention in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. Nobody could have prevented these invasions because American dignity had been dealt a severe blow and the “war on terror” - or rather against Sunni Islam - became a global war. Once the United States had become embroiled in these wars, it could not have found a better partner than Iran. Gradually, the regime that was denounced by U.S. President George W Bush as part of the “axis of evil” became a partner against terrorism, and gained legitimacy under the administration of his successor Barack Obama.
Radwan el-Sayed describes in his book “The Arabs and Iranians” how besides the misplaced wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a bigger mistake was committed by the Obama administration when it withdrew American troops from Iraq. Washington negotiated with Iran to bring about a safe withdrawal.
In return Tehran asked for then-Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to remain in power, for the Americans to forget about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and return their ambassador to Damascus, and allow Hezbollah to dominate Lebanon’s government while promising not to harass Israel or international forces. An Iranian political opponent told me one of the reasons the United States turned its back on Iran’s Green Revolution in 2009 was because of these deals. Regarding the nuclear agreement, the United States focused only on nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment. It never discussed to what extent sanctions relief would enable Tehran to exert its influence, or what the consequences would be. If Iran was able to negotiate with Washington about such crucial matters as the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq before sanctions were lifted, what power does it have now? The handling of Iraq by Iran did not come out of the blue. Tehran had been planning such a move since the fall of Saddam Hussain’s regime, demonstrated by how it courted his opposition since the 1980s. When American troops entered Iraq in 2003, so did armed Shiite groups.
Iranian infiltration
Tehran did not stop with Iraq, but has expanded by penetrating Shiite communities in Arab countries to obtain their allegiance, as happened in Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. It is a mistake of historical significance that Washington has lost the trust of traditional allies such as Saudi Arabia due to the ramifications of 9/11. Tehran has also recruited as secret agents those who go to Iran to study in religious seminaries. The first thing Tehran did in Iraq in 2003 was control religious seminaries by establishing mega-projects in Najaf and Karbala - the holiest cities for Shiites after Makkah and Medina - and developing religious authorities loyal to Iran.
Tehran has penetrated security circles via alliances with Arab regimes, and used aid to extend its geographic influence, as happened in Syria and Sudan. Iran has also penetrated Sunni political Islam, as happened with the Muslim Brotherhood, with which Tehran has established good relations. Iran has taken advantage of the fact that many Brotherhood members are persecuted in their own country, and expresses support for them. Tehran has gained a good reputation among Arab Sunni Islamists because of its support for Islamist organizations that are fighting Israel, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Iran has also infiltrated missionary operations via its official and unofficial bodies to spread Shiism in Arab countries, Africa, and central and east Asia. Authorities in Egypt, Sudan, Morocco and elsewhere have complained about Iran exerting influence under the guise of missionary work.
Extremism
The lifting of sanctions on Iran without signing a formal treaty that guarantees it will stop all these interventions will lead to Iranian regional hegemony and make another 9/11 inevitable. According to prominent political analyst Dr Zuhdi Jasser, the fact that no Shiite militias were involved in 9/11, or on American soil generally, is not because they are more moderate, but because of sanctions on Iran. Accordingly, handing over the files of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other extremist Sunni groups to Tehran will fan the flames of Sunni extremism and bolster extremist Shiite militias. As a result, the United States will find itself not only fighting Sunni terrorist groups, but also being attacked by Shiite extremists. Terrorist incidents are now at least five times more frequent today than they were before 9/11, according to the Global Terrorism Index and other reports. That proves that the U.S. approach is not only wrong but dangerous. It is a mistake of historical significance that Washington has lost the trust of traditional allies such as Saudi Arabia due to the ramifications of 9/11, which was not even its fault. Changing strategies is crucial; withdrawing and passing on a duty of care to unreliable actors will only aggravate the problem. If the current approach to fighting terrorism is helping anyone, it is radicals and extremists at the expense of moderates.

Iran again defies the U.N.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/February 19/16
The days when Iran was punished for violating international law are gone. For many, it is baffling that the country is now able to do so, particularly following the nuclear deal. In clear defiance of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), Tehran test-fired long-range ballistic missiles and laser-guided surface-to-surface missiles several times. In October and November, it also tested a new ballistic missile that can carry multiple warheads. This week, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu and President Vladimir Putin regarding delivery of the S-400 air defense system - a more advanced form of the S-300 - and the purchase of sophisticated Russian tanks and jet fighters. These developments took place after Iran received billions of dollars worth of sanctions relief. UNSC resolution 2231 bans Iran from purchasing “battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters [and] warships” without prior U.N. approval. UNSC resolution 1929 states: “Iran shall not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology, and... States shall take all necessary measures to prevent the transfer of technology or technical assistance to Iran related to such activities.”
Offensive weaponry
Regarding the $8 billion contract between Iran and Russia, Tehran is concentrating on buying offensive weapons such as Su-30 fighter jets, and making its air force superior to that of Turkey and Arab states. With a robust military on the ground and powerful supporting air force, Tehran will be much better able to direct the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, as well as reduce the number of its casualties. Iran exaggerates its military power, but if it is not sent a strong message soon, it will be too late to contain it. Iran would not have announced such a provocative deal without an implicit green light from the United States and other UNSC members. Not having a clear agenda on how to deal with the Syrian crisis and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Western powers have put Tehran in the driver’s seat. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is exploiting this situation. With a powerful military, the IRGC and Iranian leaders can not only frighten domestic opponents, but also gain the respect of world powers and send a message to countries in the region that they should not dare challenge Iran, that it can purchase whatever offensive weaponry it wants, that the West is on its side, and that even the United Nations will not object to its actions. The UNSC comprises five permanent members: Russia and China are on Tehran’s side, and Britain and France typically align with the United States. With U.S. President Barack Obama not wanting to scuttle his crowning foreign-policy accomplishment - the nuclear deal - every UNSC member now backs Iran . Tehran will be best contained if regional powers sanction it for violating international law. Iran exaggerates its military power, but if it is not sent a strong message soon, it will be too late to contain it.

Coptophobia
By: Alberto M. Fernandez*/February 19, 2016 MEMRI Daily Brief No.79
The Islamic State (ISIS) and its former masters, now bitter rivals, in Al-Qaeda are excellent haters. And they work very hard to translate that hate into actual violent action against certain groups of people. But they differ slightly in their immediate priorities. Both groups demonize and exalt violence against Jews (as disparate groups like Hizbullah, Hamas and even the supposedly more respectable Fatah also do), but ISIS also prioritizes violence against Shi’a Muslims, whether in the Syrian or Iraqi governments or Shi’a worshippers in places like Kuwait or Saudi Arabia. And Al-Qaeda has often called for prioritizing attacks against the West, especially the U.S., over targeting local religious minorities.
As for targeting Christians, ISIS has made a very public fetish of destroying Christian symbols and sites, uprooting historic communities, and killing Christians as it gained territory in Iraq, Syria and Libya. But the group also did this when it was still publicly a member in good standing of Al-Qaeda (2003-2014). Both groups seem to harbor a particular hatred for the largest single Christian denomination in the Middle East and North Africa, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the “Patriarchate of Alexandria and the See of St. Mark.”
Most of the history of the autochthonous Coptic Church under Islam is not much different than that of other Christian communities under Islamic rule. Communities were both favored and persecuted under that rule, varying according to political and personal circumstances.[1] One can see what one wants to see and find both real human flourishing and tolerance, and discrimination, brutality, and oppression during those 14 centuries.[2]
Given the relatively large number of Copts in Egypt and the rise of Salafi jihadism in the country in the 1970s, it was probably to be expected that these takfiri groups – in many ways precursors to Al-Qaeda – would target Egyptian Christians in addition to government officials. Robbing a Christian-owned shop and killing its owner was at least as laudable as killing a local policeman, and more profitable.
While some clashes were part of the historic fabric of localized sectarian violence in rural Upper Egypt, these new Islamist groups also gave the violence a new scope and justification. The irony is that, of course, Egyptian Christians always had very little influence or power under the succession of military-led governments that ruled the country since 1952. But from the time of President Sadat to this day, Copts were not only to be frequent subjects of Islamist murder and robbery, but of ideologically motivated vilification.[3]
As Gilles Keppel has richly documented, in the discourse of the various Salafi Islamists proliferating in Egypt from the 1970s, Copts were either recalled as the happy and contented dhimmis of legend or scorned as the ungrateful, coddled, and too-powerful “Crusaders” of today.[4]
As the Egyptian government largely crushed the terrorist Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya in the 1990s, anti-Coptic incitement went international with the rise of Al-Qaeda and its core of veteran Egyptian jihadis mostly drawn from the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organization (EIJ). Both EIJ and Al-Gama’a drew at least some of their key leaders from the older Muslim Brotherhood.[5]
While the term Islamophobia has become extremely fashionable in the past few years, this phenomenon does not seem to have affected the deep desire of many Muslims to enter the Western lands where it supposedly flourishes. The outbreak of open and unashamed violence against religious minorities in the Middle East by Salafi-jihadis, including against Christians, has now accelerated into a flood of desperate people seeking to flee the Middle East. But while this overall anti-Christian violence is always wrong and objectionable, Coptophobia seems special, in that it also happens where there are actually no Coptic communities in existence.
The Islamic State of Iraq, on its way to become the ISIS of today, actually had an Egyptian as its ostensible leader from 2006 to 2010, during a key period of its history.[6] But Abu Ayub Al-Masri was already dead when the Islamic State, under the now infamous Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, launched an attack in October 2010 against Syriac Catholic worshippers at Baghdad’s Sayedat al-Najat Church. Iraqi Christians had been targeted for years, but this attack included a new twist. Among the claims made by the organization was that the bloody operation, which killed many Iraqi women and children, was in revenge for the Coptic Church’s alleged imprisonment in one of their “monasteries of infidelity and churches of polytheism” of two Egyptian women who supposedly had converted to Islam.[7]
The case of Camilia Shehata and Wafa Constantine, alleged Muslim converts, or battered wives, or merely women with marital problems, whose cases were used by Salafi activists to incite sectarian violence, would appear repeatedly as an excuse for homicide against individuals having no connection with these two women.[8] The Baghdad operation was “in revenge” even though both women are still alive.
The claim of “Copts abusing Muslim women” was sensational and important enough to already have prompted angry video comments by Al-Qaeda leader Al-Zawahiri and one of his key lieutenants, Abu Yahya al-Libi.[9] Such a charge had been a staple of local anti-Coptic pogroms for many years.[10] Now it had gone viral and global as part of the language of the international jihadist movement.
While innocents were killed in Iraq and the Al-Qaeda leadership based in Waziristan called for action, Copts were targeted in a bloody Christmas suicide bomber attack in January 2011 that killed 23 and wounded almost a hundred in Alexandria, Egypt.[11]
As often happened in Egypt, the claim of responsibility was unclear, but the attack came at a time of extreme political turmoil and of anti-Christian agitation, including claims by a prominent Islamist politician, Muhammad Salim Al-Awa, that Copts were storing weapons in churches and monasteries in order to establish a “Coptic State.”[12] The more extreme Al-Zawahiri had made similar claims.[13] Regarded as a thoughtful Islamist leader, Al-Awa would receive 1% of the vote in the 2012 Egyptian presidential elections, and was featured positively in a recent interview on Sunni-Shia solidarity on Hizbullah-controlled Al-Manar TV.[14] Still other allegations were that the Egyptian Government had manipulated Islamist terrorists to carry out the operation.[15]
The language used against Copts, and the specious justification for violence, were similar to that used against other ethnic and religious minorities throughout history, involving wild-eyed allegations of disloyalty, violence, sexual impropriety, arrogance, and conspiracy.[16] And as happened in so many pogroms and massacres in the past, including in the Middle East, the offending minority was to be “punished” collectively.[17]
Violence against Copts would continue during Egypt’s turbulent transition, and spike at the time of the overthrow of the government of Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi in July 2013, with dozens of churches torched and generalized violence throughout the country.[18] The Islamist discourse blamed the Coptic community for much of the ongoing turmoil and for the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood government.[19]
Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyyaleader Assem Abdel Maged was only one Islamist leader castigating the Egyptian Army for siding with “religious, political, and social minorities.”[20] The emphasis is rather significant. Rather than suggesting a frightened and marginalized minority throwing in its lot with the military, it is the military that throws in with the religious minority.
As extreme as the sectarian violence and language in Egypt has become, it is certainly part of a broader spectrum of local conditions and tensions existing in that country for years, albeit exacerbated by political struggle and the rise of Islamists over the past 50 years. More unusual is how Coptophobia, as with the 2010 Baghdad church attack, has been internalized among non-Egyptians.
Having used Copts as a prop in 2010, the Islamic State brought them center stage in February 2015. The 20 Egyptian Coptic Christians and one Ghanaian Christian beheaded by the Libyan branch of ISIS in an English-language (with Arabic subtitles) video sent multiple messages.
The message had an obvious Egyptian context: These were “followers of the hostile Egyptian Church,” and the killings were “in revenge for Camelia and her sisters.” But the murder of these migrant laborers is also nestled into a larger context of an ISIS war against Christianity.[21] It is a “Message Signed with Blood to the Nation of the Cross.”[22]
The English-speaking leader of the massacre boasts that “we will conquer Rome,” and that the blood of the infidels is mixed with seawater just as that of Osama bin Ladin was. He also refers to the 2014 beheadings of Westerners in northern Syria, near Dabiq, the Armageddon of Islamic prophecy.[23] And, in a further eschatological reference, he mentions the foretold Second Coming of Jesus Christ (in Muslim end-times tradition) and his “breaking the cross, killing the swine, and abolishing jizya (humiliating poll tax traditionally paid by non-Muslims under Islamic rule).
While ISIS’s sectarian discourse is often derided even by many Muslims as extreme, a different attempt at whitewashing jihadis featured a jibe against Coptic Christians. Al-Jazeera’s May 2015 interview with Abu Muhammad Al-Julani, the Syrian head of ISIS’s bitter rival Jabhat Al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, portrayed the organization uncritically.[24] Correspondent Ahmed Mansour, himself an Egyptian Islamist, asked Al-Julani about the organization’s treatment of religious minorities, including Christians. Al-Julani answered that his organization would not blame Syria’s Christians “for what the Americans or the Copts have done.”[25] What a remarkable statement, equating some sort of community-wide guilt to an Egyptian religious minority on a par with the alleged misdeeds of the world’s superpower!
ISIS Tripoli has continued to regionalize anti-Coptic violence in a 13 minute video released in February 2016.[26] The two Egyptian ISIS members called on their countrymen to abandon other Islamist groups and protest efforts and join the Islamic State. They described Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who has made several high-profile efforts to promote religious tolerance and reach out to Copts,[27] as “the ape, pig, slave of the Cross and guardian of the Jews.”
Against a backdrop of a photograph of Al-Sisi with Coptic Pope-Patriarch Tawadros II, the speaker says: “Fight and kill them, from their Great Priest (Tawadros II) to the most pathetic one.” A second speaker calls for Egyptians to “terrorize the Jews and burn the slaves of the Cross.” And while there hasn’t been a second beheading video of Coptic Christians to date (the second video was of Ethiopian Christians[28]), at least seven more Egyptian Christians are missing in Libya.[29]
With the modern poisonous discourse about Coptic Christians closing in on half a century, Islamist Coptophobia is clearly here to stay. The deadly actions of the Islamic State and the toxic rhetoric of contemporary politicians like Abdel Maged and Al-Awa, coupled with the traditional, localized prejudice of past centuries, have contributed to creating a deadly environment for Egyptian Christians. And what was once an Egyptian story is now a regional one, as Islamists outside the country spread the message on social media. The fact that some apologists for Egyptian Islamism seek to talk about individual “unwise and immoral” Coptic leaders or activists does not detract from the deep, naked bigotry at play here directed against a threatened community of millions of innocent people.[30]
*Alberto M. Fernandez is Vice-President of MEMRI.
Endnotes:
[1] “Waq’at Al-Kana’is”, The Coptic Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, Claremont Graduate University School of Religion, 1991.
[2] “Motherland Lost: The Egyptian and Coptic Quest for Modernity,” interview with Samuel Tadros, Venn Institute, April 6, 2014.
[3] “A New Crisis for Egypt’s Copts,” Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, November 2011.
[4] Muslim Extremism in Egypt, The Prophet and Pharaoh, Gilles Kepel, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986.
[5] Web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/401
[6] “Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, Zarqawi’s Mysterious Successor (aka Abu Ayub al-Masri),” Eben Kaplan, Council on Foreign Relations, June 13, 2006.
[7] “Al Qaeda in Iraq claims massacre at Christian church in Baghdad”, Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal, November 1, 2010.
[8] “Egypt: the two women at the centre of the clashes”, Richard Spencer, The Telegraph, May 8, 2011.
[9] Archive.org/details/jihad024
[10] “In the Year of the Martyrs: Anti-Coptic Violence in Egypt, 1988-1993,” Alberto M. Fernandez, paper presented at the Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, November 18-20, 2001.
[11] “Deadly blast outside Egypt church”, Al-Jazeera, January 1, 2011.
[12] Aljazeera.net/news/arabic/2010/9/19/%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%A7
[13] Youtube.com/watch?v=hXInb6sTpCg, January 12, 2012.
[14] Youtube.com/watch?v=ZIDIOatkAKA, November 6, 2015.
[15] “Ex-minister suspected behind Alex church bombing”, Farrag Ismail, Al-Arabiya, February 7, 2011.
[16] “The History Of Using White Female Sexuality To Justify Racist Violence”, Emma Gray, Huffington Post, June 18, 2015.
[17] “Guest Column: Islam’s Collective Punishment of Christians”, Raymond Ibrahim, The Investigative Project On Terrorism, April 18, 2013.
[18] “Egypt’s Christians face backlash for Morsi ouster”, Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press, July 10, 2013.
[19] Youtube.com/watch?v=QnUPgtkK5QI, June 29, 2013.
[20] “Leader of Gamaa Islamiya issues threats against Egypt from Qatar exile”, Middle East Online, December 1, 2013.
[21] “Photos: Coptic Christian Village Mourns ISIS Victims In Libya”, Jonathan Rashad, Newsweek, March 8, 2015.
[22] Zerocensorship.com/t/uncensored-isis-execution/86622-isis-execution-of-21-coptic-christians-video#axzz40LutQTqM.
[23] “ISIS Fantasies of an Apocalyptic Showdown in Northern Syria”, William McCants, Brookings Institute, October 3, 2014.
[24] “Nusra leader: Our mission is to defeat Syrian regime”, Al-Jazeera, May 28, 2015.
[25] Youtube.com/watch?v=-hwQT43vFZA, May 27, 2015.
[26] “ISIS In Libya To Egyptians: Rise Up Against Al-Sisi, Burn The Slaves Of The Cross, Terrorize The Jews”, MEMRI Jihad & Terrorism Threat Monitor Project, February 8, 2016.
[27] “Egyptian President Sisi Attends Christmas Mass, Wishes Copts Merry Christmas”, Egyptian Streets, January 6, 2016.
[28] “ISIS’s View Of Christians Echoes That Of Official Saudi Fatwas”, Alberto M. Fernandez, The Middle East Media Research Institute, June 1, 2015.
[29] “Families of Copts kidnapped in Libya protest before Egyptian Foreign Ministry”, Maria Alfi, MCN, January 27, 2016.
[30] Twitter.com/MohamedElibiary, September 15, 2013.

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