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Bible Quotations For Today
they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 02/22-24: "When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’, and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’"

His name, in the first place, means ‘king of righteousness’; next he is also king of Salem, that is, ‘king of peace
The Nineth Day after the Birth/Letter to the Hebrews 07/01-10: "This ‘King Melchizedek of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him’; and to him Abraham apportioned ‘one-tenth of everything’. His name, in the first place, means ‘king of righteousness’; next he is also king of Salem, that is, ‘king of peace’. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest for ever. See how great he is! Even Abraham the patriarch gave him a tenth of the spoils. And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to collect tithes from the people, that is, from their kindred, though these also are descended from Abraham. But this man, who does not belong to their ancestry, collected tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had received the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case, tithes are received by those who are mortal; in the other, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham,"for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on january01-02.16.htm
The New Year & the Holy Obligation Of Honoring Parents/Elias Bejjani/January 01/16
Hariri’s presidential initiative exposes obstructions/Nayla Tueni// Arabiya/December 01/16
Escalating the Syrian war before the Vienna talks/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/December 01/16
Iran in 2016: A critical year/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/ Arabiya/December 01/16
Palestinians: Save Us from the Good-Hearted Westerners/Bassam Tawil/ 2016 Gatestone Institute/January 01/16

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin for Lebanese Related News published on january01-02.16.htm
The New Year & the Holy Obligation Of Honoring Parents
Hundreds Stranded as Snow Blankets Lebanon on New Year's Day
Al-Rahi Deems as 'Unfortunate' Political Blocs' Failure to Tackle Presidential Initiative
Qassem Says Assassination of Any Hizbullah Figure in Syria Can't Go Unpunished
Report: March 14 Says Presidential Initiative 'Fragmented' March 8 Camp
Ibrahim Tours Border Areas Dialogue Only Solution to our Crisis
Hariri’s presidential initiative exposes obstructions

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on january01-02.16.htm
Suspected terror attack: Two dead in Tel Aviv shooting
Two rockets launched from Gaza: Israel
Israel to Return Bodies of 23 Palestinian Attackers
Palestinian Dies of Wounds from West Bank Clashes
French Jets Strike IS Oil Sites in Syria
2 Dead, 15 Hurt as Taliban Suicide Attack Hits Kabul French Restaurant
Driver Shot as He Drives at French Soldiers Guarding Mosque
U.N. Libya Envoy in Tripoli for Government Talks
Six Dead as Yemen Loyalists, Qaida Suspects Clash
Erdogan’s Hitler comments ‘misconstrued’

The New Year & the Holy Obligation Of Honoring Parents
Elias Bejjani/January 01/16
On the first day of the New Year, 2016, Let us pray that we shall always be grateful and kind to our parents no matter if they are poor or rich, righteous or sinners, strong or weak, sick or healthy.
Let us pray that our hearts shall not be hardened and that our feelings shall not be numbed so we do not deal with our parents as strangers or enemies and reward them with abandonment, hatred and ingratitude.
Let us pray that Almighty God shall help us on the first day of this new year to open a new page in our life totally free from evil traces of hatred, grudges and selfishness.
Let us genuinely ask Jesus Christ to enlighten our hearts as well as our minds and safeguard our steps so we can start the new near with love, forgiveness and humbleness.
Let us not forget our deceased parents and let us pray for their eternal rest in peace.
Happy and blessed New Year for every Body.

Hundreds Stranded as Snow Blankets Lebanon on New Year's Day
Associated Press/Naharnet/December 01/16/Hundreds of people were trapped in their vehicles on mountainous roads on Friday as storm Vladimir that began two days ago blanketed the high altitudes with snow on New Year's Day.
“More than 700 cars are trapped between Aitou and Ehden and residents are urging the army to intervene,” LBCI television reported. Hundreds of cars were also trapped between Faraya and Ashqout in Keserwan where traffic came to a complete standstill, LBCI said. The National News Agency later reported that snow plowing centers and security forces were trying to reopen the Ehden road. And as LBCI said citizens were trapped in their cars on the Arz-Ainata road, MTV reported that stranded people were urging the Public Works Ministry and relevant officials to reopen the Faraya-Mairouba road. In the evening, the Internal Security Forces announced that all those whose cars were trapped in snow had been rescued, urging citizens not to use mountainous roads before checking the routes' conditions. The snowfall has reached altitudes of 700 meters in Dinniyeh and also blocked roads in several northern mountainous regions, such as Bqarsouna, Nimrine, Kfarbnine, and Bekaasafrine. The Dinniyeh municipality is working on reopening the roads in the area. Temperatures have meanwhile ranged between 0 and 3 degrees in these regions. The Internal Security Forces has announced that the Dahr al-Baidar road is completely blocked due to the snow and poor visibility. Similar scenes were witnessed in Kfardebian, Hadath Baalbek, Bsharre, Tannourine, and al-Arz. The South also enjoyed the snowfall with a heavy layer blanketing Shebaa. In the eastern city of Zahle and the nearby areas, Civil Defense teams have been working on reopening the main roads, especially those leading to hospitals. Coastal regions meanwhile are expected to witness rain and some periods of hail for the rest of the day and Saturday. The storm has worsened the already dire living conditions for tens of thousands of Syrian refugees. Many refugees, living in tents and huts in the eastern Bekaa Valley, only came briefly out of their shelters on Friday to clear the snow so their dwellings would not collapse. Elsewhere, Syrian children were seen tossing snowballs at one another and playing in the snow. A child ran around in flip-flops, unfazed by the cold. In the eastern town of al-Marj near the Syrian border, the refugees said their biggest worry was the water, from rain or snow, leaking into the tents."We don't know when the tent will collapse on us," said a Syrian woman, who identified herself as Um Abdou. "When it's windy, we cannot sleep because we are scared that the tent will be blown away.""Life is difficult inside the tent when it's raining and cold," said Jubair, another Syrian refugee who only gave his first name, fearing for his safety. Lebanon hosts more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees -- equivalent to a quarter of the country's entire population.

Al-Rahi Deems as 'Unfortunate' Political Blocs' Failure to Tackle Presidential Initiative
Naharnet/December 01/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi lamented on Friday that the presidential initiative has not been seriously addressed by officials. He said during New Year mass: “It is unfortunate that a month has passed since it was unveiled and that political blocs have failed to address it seriously.” “The height of fatal indifference lies in the stubbornness of political and parliamentary blocs in refraining from electing a president,” he added. He also reiterated the need to “differentiate between the presidential initiative and the name being proposed.”Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri had recently proposed the nomination of Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh as president, sparking tensions among his allies in the March 14 coalition and rivals in the March 8 camp. The March 14 blocs of the Kataeb and Lebanese Forces have voiced their reservations towards the proposal, especially the LF seeing as its chief, Samir Geagea, is a presidential nominee. Change and Reform bloc leader and presidential candidate, MP Michel Aoun, of the March 8 camp has also voiced reservations over the initiative. Al-Rahi recently urged officials to take Hariri's proposal seriously, sparking even more tensions among the Christian blocs. The patriarch later clarified his remarks, explaining that a difference needed to be made between the proposal and the name being discussed.

Qassem Says Assassination of Any Hizbullah Figure in Syria Can't Go Unpunished
Naharnet/December 01/16/Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has warned Israel that the assassination of any Hizbullah operative in Syria cannot go unpunished. “The assassination of the martyr Samir al-Quntar is part of Israel's attempt to create new rules of engagement and to give the impression that killing operations in Syria can go without a response,” Qassem said in an interview. “Some media outlets claimed that Hizbullah does not consider al-Quntar one of its actual cadres, but Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's remarks were clear regarding the response,” Hizbullah number two added. “The Israelis understood the message: operating in the Syrian arena to assassinate officials or members of the resistance and Hizbullah cannot go unnoticed,” Qassem went on to say. Tensions surged between Israel and Hizbullah in recent days after the party accused Israel's air force of carrying out a raid that killed Samir al-Quntar near Damascus. On Sunday, Nasrallah reiterated a pledge that his group will retaliate to the assassination. “The retaliation to Samir's assassination will inevitably come,” Nasrallah vowed, noting that the timing and place of the response is now in the hands of Hizbullah's fighters and military commanders. Qassem noted that Israel “has not directly assassinated any Hizbullah cadre or figure inside Lebanon since 2006 because it knows that such a move might blow up the situation.” “They thought that bombing in Syria might not push Hizbullah to retaliate out of fear of possible repercussions … but we responded in the occupied Shebaa Farms in Lebanon” in January 2008, in the wake of the assassination of Hizbullah's top operative Jihad Mughniyeh and five other Hizbullah members. Hizbullah played a key role in Quntar's release from prison after he had spent 30 years in Israeli jails, becoming known as the longest-serving Arab prisoner. Shortly after his release, Quntar joined Hizbullah. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said he became "head of the Syrian Resistance for the Liberation of the Golan," a group launched two years ago by Hizbullah in the Syrian region, most of which Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war.

Report: March 14 Says Presidential Initiative 'Fragmented' March 8 Camp
Naharnet/December 01/16/The initiative to nominate Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh as president has created divisions among the March 14 coalition, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Anba on Friday. It has also “fragmented” the rival March 8 camp, said March 14 sources to the daily. The camp is now divided between Hizbullah and the Change and Reform bloc that backs the nomination of bloc head MP Michel Aoun as president, and between the remaining members of the camp who back Franjieh, they noted. This is the real problem facing the initiative, which was launched by Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri, said the sources. The sources noted that should the March 14 coalition fail to reach an agreement over the proposal, then those who have reservations over Franjieh's nomination could attend a presidential electoral session without submitting a vote. This same solution could be proposed to Hizbullah should the party fail to come up with an alternative, they added. Hariri's initiative created tensions between the Mustaqbal Movement and its ally the Lebanese Forces in the March 14 coalition. LF chief Samir Geagea is a presidential nominee and media reports have frequently reported that he may nominate Aoun as a candidate in response to Hariri's proposal. The March 14 camp's Kataeb Party has also voiced reservations over the initiative, as has Aoun. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

Ibrahim Tours Border Areas Dialogue Only Solution to our Crisis
Naharnet/December 01/16/General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim carried out on Thursday a tour of security stations on the southern border with Israel, hailing the security forces' national role, reported the National News Agency on Friday. He said: “One of our greatest national and political constants are that we are faced by Israeli aggression and takfiri terrorism.”“These two aggressions violate our nation's security, sovereignty, and dignity,” he added. “We should therefore not learn to live with these challenges, but confront them with a united front along with the rest of the military and security agencies and the backing of the Lebanese people,” he stressed. “We should therefore work on alleviating the repercussions of the regional conflicts on the country,” Ibrahim declared. “Our desired positive results can only take place through internal dialogue,” he stated. “The General Security directorate is developing thanks to your efforts and the country is passing through very extraordinary circumstances, which need extraordinary efforts and men,” he continued.

Hariri’s presidential initiative exposes obstructions
Nayla Tueni// Arabiya/December 01/16
Not many figures within Lebanon’s March 14 coalition may agree with leader Saad Hariri’s initiative to nominate MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency. However, some have accepted the idea, even if reluctantly, as it seems impossible to find an alternative solution that ends the presidential vacuum that has lasted for more than a year and a half now. Hariri’s initiative exposes two major parties in Lebanon. The first is the Free Patriotic Movement. The second party is Hezbollah. It is unclear whether Hariri suggested the idea to expose political parties’ intentions of obstructing the process of electing a president regardless of whether the candidate is a centrist or like Franjieh, who has extremist views regarding the Syrian regime, illegitimate arms in Lebanon, participation in the Syrian war, and other issues.
Obstructionist parties
What is certain is that Hariri’s initiative exposes two major parties in Lebanon. The first is the Free Patriotic Movement - the only interest its leader Michel Aoun has in the presidential affair seems to be imposing the idea of “me or no one else.” Aoun rejects any of his parliamentary bloc’s members becoming president. The second party exposed is Hezbollah, which wants to suffocate the presidential process, control all aspects of political life in Lebanon, and further its regional interests. Whether Hariri’s initiative succeeds or not, what is certain is that Hezbollah aims to further obstruct the country and weaken state institutions so it can take them over.

Suspected terror attack: Two dead in Tel Aviv shooting
Ynetnews/January 01/16 /Shots fired into crowded pub on Dizengoff street, killing two and wounding four; security forces searching for the shooter, who fled the scene. Two people were shot dead and six others wounded in a shooting at a crowded pub on 130 Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon in what is suspected to be a terror attack. Two of the wounded have been hospitalized in serious condition. Two more were moderately wounded, one lightly-to-moderately wounded and another lightly wounded. The director of Ichilov, Ronni Gamzu, said the two who were seriously wounded are still in surgery and remain in life-threatening condition. Israeli forces were searching for the shooter, who fled the scene. Armed security forces are conducting a massive search in Tel Aviv. A police spokesperson from Tel Aviv District Police said: "We received a report of a shooting incident. Large forces arrived on the scene and forces are searching for the shooter." Many residents of Tel Aviv are staying inside their homes while the shooter remains at large. The police spokesperson emphasized that there have been no orders for residents to remain in their homes, but that anyone seeing anything suspicious should report it to the police. Newly sworn-in Israeli Police Chief Roni Alsheikh went to the scene, as did Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said that while it is still not certain whether the background to the attack was national or criminal, it appeared to be nationalistically-motivated. Some of the injured were hit by glass shards broken by the bullets, and some were wounded from the chaos that broke out, said Yehuda Hildeshaim, a volunteer with United Hatzalah. "When I got to the scene I found one person who was critically wounded and unconscious after being shot. Several of us from the Hatzalah unit gave him first aid and he was evacuated to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. "Following that we continued to treat other wounded at the scene." One witness told an investigator that the attacker fired around 10 shots. "It sounded like a Kalashnikov. He had a grey coat and he was alone. He was a big man with a stocking over his head. He shot from north to south and then continued on." Avi, who lives close to the scene of the attack, said: "I heard something like 10 shots. I was next to one of the cafes. I saw people running in the street and wounded sprawled on the street."
*Eli Senyor, Noam (Dabul) Dvir and Rotem Elizera contributed to this report.

Two rockets launched from Gaza: Israel
By Staff writer Al Arabiya News Saturday, 2 January 2016/Two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel late Friday, a spokesperson for the Israeli army tweeted.Sirens were heard earlier on Friday through the city of Sderot and settlements that border the Palestinian enclave, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.

Israel to Return Bodies of 23 Palestinian Attackers
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/16/Israel handed over to their families Friday the bodies of 23 Palestinians killed during recent attacks on Israelis, the army said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions. Palestinian medical sources in Hebron said 17 bodies to be buried in the area had already been received. Six others were handed over in the northern West Bank. A spokeswoman for the army said the operation had been completed. The army said its ambulances had met Red Crescent ones at checkpoints, and the bodies were transferred and taken to Palestinian hospitals for identification before being given to the families. Since a wave of violence erupted at the start of October, 138 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, according to an AFP count, most while carrying out attacks on Israelis. Israel does not always immediately return the bodies of slain attackers. Twenty Israelis, an American and an Eritrean have also been killed in the unrest. The military spokeswoman said that after Friday's handovers the army would have returned a total of 76 bodies and was still holding two. Police could also be holding more bodies, she said. Palestinian sources said the Israelis were still holding a total of 17 bodies. Police and internal security ministry spokespersons did not immediately respond to AFP questions regarding numbers.

Palestinian Dies of Wounds from West Bank Clashes
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/16/A Palestinian wounded in early December during clashes with Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank has died of his injuries, the Palestinian health ministry said on Friday. Shadi Ghabish died overnight at his home near the Jalazon refugee camp from complications after undergoing two operations at a Ramallah hospital to remove bullets from his body, the ministry said. The 38-year-old was wounded on December 8 during clashes between Israeli soldiers and a group of youths from the Jalazon camp, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El. His death brings to 138 the number of Palestinians killed since a wave of violence erupted at the start of October, according to an AFP count. Twenty Israelis, an American and an Eritrean have also been killed in the unrest. The majority of the Palestinians were killed while carrying attacks on Israelis.According to the United Nations 170 Palestinians and 26 Israelis were killed since the start of the year until December 28 in attacks and clashes.

French Jets Strike IS Oil Sites in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/16/French warplanes bombed Islamic State group oil installations close to its Syrian stronghold of Raqa on Friday, as France's defense minister visited the Jordanian air base where the jets took off. "I have been informed of the operations which took place overnight against oil sites. We must continue with this logic," Jean-Yves Le Drian said during a New Year trip to the base, where around 250 French personnel are deployed. The first French strikes of 2016 were carried out by two Mirage 2000s around 2:00 am (0000 GMT), according to a military source on the base.
France is a key member of the U.S.-led coalition that is carrying out air strikes on IS positions in Iraq and Syria. The aerial campaign was stepped up after the deadly attacks claimed by IS in Paris in November last year. Bombing raids have increasingly focused on IS' oil infrastructure, which provides a key part of the jihadists' funding. Two other jets took off from the Jordanian base Friday morning to serve as aerial support for Kurdish peshmerga forces battling IS around Sinjar, the northern Iraqi town that was cleared of the jihadists in November, the military source said. They returned after five hours to accompany Le Drian's plane as it landed in Jordan, the source added. The name of the base, where six Mirage fighter jets are stationed, is not being disclosed at the request of authorities in Amman. Other French military assets in the region include the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, currently stationed in the Gulf, and six Rafale jets in the United Arab Emirates. France carried out more than 390 strikes against IS during 710 missions last year. It has provided extensive air cover for Kurdish and Iraqi forces battling the extremists in Iraq and has flown sorties over Syria since September, according to the military.

2 Dead, 15 Hurt as Taliban Suicide Attack Hits Kabul French Restaurant
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/16/A Taliban suicide car bomber struck a French restaurant popular with foreigners in Kabul Friday, killing two people in a New Year's day attack that marks the second insurgent assault in the Afghan capital in a week. Fifteen others were wounded in the attack on Le Jardin, an Afghan-owned eatery, which caused a piercingly loud explosion and left a building engulfed in flames. The assault comes a day after Afghanistan announced four-way talks in Pakistan on January 11, aimed at jump-starting peace negotiations with the resurgent Taliban. "We can confirm a suicide car bomb attack on Le Jardin," Fraidoon Obaidi, the head of Kabul's Criminal Investigation Department, told AFP. "We are busy extinguishing the fire at the scene... two Afghans have been killed and 15 others wounded," he added. The Italian-run Emergency Hospital in Kabul said on Twitter that the fatalities included a 12-year-old boy who was declared dead on arrival. Security forces cordoned off the area as firefighters and ambulances rushed to the restaurant, which sports a large garden festooned with rose bushes and is a popular hangout for foreigners and wealthy Afghans. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Twitter claimed several foreigners had been killed and wounded in the suicide attack. The insurgents routinely exaggerate the death toll in attacks on government and foreign targets. The Taliban were unable to breach the compound after the explosion at the entrance, Kabul police said after a sweep of the area which led to the detention of one suspect. Le Jardin has tighter security than many other Kabul restaurants catering to expats, with multiple security doors and armed guards linked by handheld radio sets. Kabul's expat workers became more circumspect in their movements after 21 people were massacred in an audacious militant attack on a Lebanese restaurant in January 2014. The attack on the Taverna du Liban saw gunmen mowing down diners and staff, including 13 foreigners enjoying an evening out at a low-key social venue.
Unforgivable crime
President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned Friday's attack. "Terrorist attacks killing innocent civilians is an unforgivable crime and unjustified in any religion," he said in a statement. "Those killing innocent Afghans have no place in peace negotiations." The attack comes just days after Pakistan's powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif visited Kabul to try to prepare the ground for fresh peace talks with the resurgent Taliban. Ghani on Thursday said both sides agreed to hold a first round of dialogue between Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.S. and China on January 11 to lay out a comprehensive roadmap for peace. Pakistan -- the Taliban's historic backers -- hosted a milestone first round of talks in July but the negotiations stalled when the insurgents belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar. Afghanistan sees the support of Pakistan as vital to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. But despite the growing bonhomie with Islamabad, analysts caution that any substantive talks are still a long way off. On Monday, just a day after Sharif's visit, a Taliban bomber detonated an explosives-packed vehicle near Kabul airport, killing one civilian in an attack targeting a NATO convoy. Observers say the intensifying insurgency highlights a push by the Taliban to make more military gains to try to achieve greater concessions during talks. Afghan forces are currently battling to push back Taliban insurgents who seized large swathes of the key opium-rich district of Sangin in the southern province of Helmand. The offensive prompted the first British deployment to the volatile province in 14 months. The deployment, in addition to a recent arrival of U.S. special forces in the region, comes a year after NATO forces formally ended their combat operations in the country.

Driver Shot as He Drives at French Soldiers Guarding Mosque
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/16/A driver was shot and wounded on Friday as he drove a car at four soldiers guarding a mosque in southeastern France, local authorities said, as the country remained on high alert after the November 13 Paris attacks. Police said the driver deliberately sped his vehicle at the troops, injuring one of them, as they were stationed in a car park outside a large mosque in a suburb of Valence. The driver bore down on the team a first time, prompting them to shout a warning, and when he returned for a second pass, they opened fire, they said. The impact of the car, a Peugeot 307 station wagon, left the soldier with injuries to his knee and shin, police said. The driver was shot in the arm and the leg and was taken to hospital, the prefecture of the Drome department (county) said. The defense and interior ministries in Paris said in a joint statement the driver's injuries were "serious but currently not life-threatening." A stray bullet also hit a passerby, a worshiper at the mosque, in the calf. Police said the driver's motive remained unclear. Local mayor Nicolas Daragon praised the soldiers for what he said was "remarkable" self-control, and Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian were swift to add their backing. "My support for the soldiers attacked in Valence. Fully appreciate our forces, mobilized for the security of France," Valls said in a tweet. Le Drian and Cazeneuve's statement said the soldiers "responded with defensive fire" against the assailant. The incident occurred in mid-afternoon, between two prayer sessions, when there was a large crowd outside, the rector of the mosque, Abadallah Dliouah, said. The prefecture said the mosque was usually very calm, "and worship there takes place peacefully." The soldier is among 10,000 security personnel protecting sensitive sites around the nation after the deadly jihadist assaults in Paris in 2015. Attacks in Paris on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket killed 17 people in January 2015, with a series of coordinated shootings and bombings in the city in November leaving 130 people dead and 350 wounded. The traditional New Year's Eve fireworks display in Paris was canceled over fears of a terrorist attack. Instead, the large crowds on the Champs-Elysees avenue were treated to a giant video projection on the Arc de Triomphe featuring the French flag, people smiling and images of famous Parisian landmarks, intended as a show of national unity and solidarity.

U.N. Libya Envoy in Tripoli for Government Talks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/16/The U.N. envoy for Libya arrived in Tripoli Friday to encourage the administration there to commit to a national unity government aimed at ending years of violence in the country. Martin Kobler, on a desperate diplomatic push to get two separate administrations to sign a power-sharing agreement, met Thursday with representatives of Libya's internationally recognized government near its eastern headquarters. "More discussions in Tripoli -- I invite all to take responsibility for Libya's future, take responsibility for next generations," Kobler tweeted after meeting with head of the rival parliament in Tripoli, Nouri Abusahmein.Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 ouster of longtime strongman Moammar Gadhafi and now has two governments and parliaments. Jihadist outfits such as the Islamic State group have taken advantage of the lawlessness to make gains along the coastline, and the U.N. estimates that 435,000 people have been forced from their homes due to fighting. On December 17, under U.N. guidance, envoys from both sides and a number of independent political figures signed a deal to unify the government. Around 80 of 188 lawmakers from Libya's internationally recognized parliament and 50 of 136 members of the rival Tripoli-based General National Congress signed the deal. It calls for a 17-member government, headed by businessman Fayez el-Sarraj as premier, based in Tripoli. But analysts have cast doubt on the viability of a deal that would seek to bring together two parliaments controlled by hardliners.

Six Dead as Yemen Loyalists, Qaida Suspects Clash
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 01/16/Six people were killed in a firefight Friday between Yemeni pro-government forces and al-Qaida suspects who were traveling in a weapons-laden vehicle toward second city Aden, security officials said. Militiamen at a checkpoint in the southern Abyan province stopped the suspected jihadists, prompting an argument that sparked a gun battle, the sources said. Three al-Qaida suspects and the same number of loyalists were killed. Among the dead was the head of a court set up by al-Qaida in the southeastern city of Mukalla, which has been under their control since April, the sources said. Yemen has been rocked since March by deadly fighting between pro-government forces and Iran-backed rebels, who seized the capital in September 2014 before expanding south. The conflict has been exploited by jihadist groups, who have made sweeping gains, particularly in southern regions. Aden, Yemen's temporary capital, has been the scene of growing unrest as Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, long active in the country, and the newly emerged Islamic State group appear to be vying for influence in the port city. The extremists are occupying government buildings and are frequently seen patrolling several districts of Aden. They have carried out several deadly attacks, assassinated government officials and intimidated civilians.

Erdogan’s Hitler comments ‘misconstrued’
Reuters, Istanbul Friday, 1 January 2016/The Turkish presidency said on Friday comments by President Tayyip Erdogan about the system of governance in Hitler’s Germany had been misinterpreted and that he had not suggested it was an example of an effective presidential system. Asked on his return from a visit to Saudi Arabia late on Thursday whether an executive presidency was possible in Turkey while maintaining the unitary structure of the state, Erdogan said: “There are already examples in the world. You can see it when you look at Hitler’s Germany. “There are later examples in various other countries,” he told reporters, according to a recording broadcast by the Dogan news agency. Erdogan wants to change the Turkish constitution to turn the ceremonial role of president into that of a chief executive, a Turkish version of the system in the United States, France or Russia..“Erdogan’s ‘Hitler’s Germany’ metaphor has been distorted by some news sources and has been used in the opposite sense,” the presidency said in a statement. It said his comments were meant to demonstrate that an executive presidency can exist in a unitary state and does not depend on a federal system of government, and that neither a presidential nor parliamentary system is a guarantee against abuse of power. “If the system is abused it may lead to bad management resulting in disasters as in Hitler’s Germany ... The important thing is to pursue fair management that serves the nation,” the statement said, adding it was unacceptable to suggest Erdogan was casting Hitler’s Germany in a positive light. The ruling AK Party, founded by Erdogan, has put a new constitution at the heart of its agenda after winning back a majority in a November parliamentary election. It agreed with the main opposition CHP on Wednesday to revive efforts to forge a new constitution. Opposition parties agree on the need to change the constitution, drawn up after a 1980 coup and still bearing the stamp of its military authors, but do not back the presidential system envisaged by Erdogan, fearing it will consolidate too much power in the hands of an authoritarian leader.

Escalating the Syrian war before the Vienna talks
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/December 01/16
Since the start of October, the Russians have become a driving force in battles in Syria and the wider region. Before that, they had been playing an undisclosed role on financial, intelligence and operational fronts. The result was that, for the first time, the Syrian regime and Iranian forces that are leading multinational militias, were able to reach a breakthrough in several combat zones. Intentions of escalating the war became clear; however the American and Egyptian foreign ministers were still convinced that the Russians had good intentions based on the multiple talks held in Europe and Moscow. The problem no longer lies in decoding the Russian intentions, because their actions speak louder than words. The problem now lies in understanding the intentions of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry; does he also want to get rid of the moderate Syrian armed opposition, which is not allied to ISIS or al-Nusra Front? Will they finally admit to having intentions of accepting that Bashar al-Assad stays in power?
Intentions
Two wars are currently being waged in Syria; one by the U.S.-led coalition targeting terrorist organizations - ISIS and al-Nusra Front - and another by Russia, which is bombing opposition groups. The result is that Assad and the Iranians are now raising their flags on the areas “liberated” by both the U.S. and Russia. At the same time, the Russians and the Iranians are encouraging the armed Turkish Kurds to hit Turkey, and thus starve and isolate the Syrian opposition. The Americans and Russians are actually helping the Assad regime and its ally, Iran, in their interventions. They are pushing the pro-Iranian forces in Iraq to wage a war on their behalf and liberate areas seized by ISIS. Washington’s policy would have been logical and acceptable, if there was a political solution to the conflict that mirrors military operations. Nevertheless, it is now doing the opposite: weakening the political solution by 'cleansing' certain areas in Syria for the benefit of the Iranians and Russians. Can anyone explain to us how this is logical? In the beginning, Washington’s stance was reasonable and acceptable: Sending American troops to fight two terrorists groups, ISIS and al-Nusra, because of their growing danger in Syria and Iraq after the displacement of Yazidis in Iraq, the capture of the city of Mosul, the targeting of the Kurdistan region and the horrific death scenes. This stance had a broad supportive response from most international political forces, including regional forces. However, it's now time to reevaluate this goal as the Russians and Iranians are exploiting the situation; they changed the rules of the game and attempted to create different results. Indeed, sectarian policies are originally the cause of all thus chaos; the practices of the previous government of Nouri al-Maliki in Iraq against Sunni moderates brought ISIS in and allowed it to seize one third of Iraq. In Syria, the ongoing operations by regime forces and their Iranian allies, which led to the death of more than 300,000 people, brought “jihadists” to Syria from all around the world.
Achieving balance
We can understand why Iran is doing so; it is seeking to impose on regimes that are allied to it in order to control both Iraq and Syria. However, we cannot understand why U.S. policy reduces these multiple crises to one subject: terrorist groups. Even if the American troops managed to defeat thousands of terrorists, how will they be able to protect a scorched land so as not to let them back in? And how will they be able to prevent terrorists from undertaking future recruitment operations targeting the millions of Sunnis who were displaced by the Syrian regime forces, as well as the Iranian and Russian forces? The newest variation is that it is no longer possible to have a political solution in the coming Vienna negotiations; the Russians and Iranians want it to be a surrendering session; to kill and trap the moderate Syrian opposition and threaten the countries that support the opposition. As long as the Russian project seeks to impose a political solution by force, by appointing Assad and handing the region over to Iran, Arab states now have a duty to change its methods of supporting the opposition by increasing arms, something that has always been limited due to international hopes for a political solution that brings together all Syrians in a single ruling project. Achieving balance at the negotiating table can only be done by consolidating support to the opposition. Without this, it would be better to save time and hand over the task to the Iranians, transfer the negotiations to Tehran and assign Iran with task of ruling Syria. At the same time, countries in the Middle East and Europe will have to receive many more millions of people fleeing from Syria and Iraq because the region will never be stable again.

Iran in 2016: A critical year
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/ Arabiya/December 01/16
The coming year is vital for Iran, specifically regarding the economy, due to the nuclear deal. The “Implementation Day” of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is in early 2016, will give Iran tremendous sanctions relief. After Implementation Day, Iran’s global legitimacy will rise, and foreign businesses will be permitted to operate in the country.Iran will reenter the international community, affecting global markets, particularly oil and gas. Tehran plans to increase its oil sales to 1 million barrels per day, and the 2016 budget is based on $35 - $40 per barrel.
Economic opportunities
More fundamentally, under the terms of the nuclear deal, the United States will lift its laws punishing third parties for doing business with Iran. European investors and businesses have a close eye on Iran in 2016, attempting to profit from a country with the second-largest population in the Middle East, and the world’s second- and fourth-largest gas and oil reserves respectively. he real question is whether Tehran will spend the additional income on revitalizing the economy or on upgrading its military. In order not to fall behind European companies, U.S. firms will either push the State Department to grant them licenses to operate in Iran, or they will utilize subsidiaries to trade indirectly. For example, Apple products are already present in Iran. As the country comes out of economic sanctions, Tehran will attempt to attract foreign businesses and investors in full force. However, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will likely prevent the country from reentering the global economy at full speed, as they fear globalization, the influence of Western culture, and the loss of their economic monopoly. Iran and the U.S. Iranian-American diplomacy will continue and likely increase. However, this will be anchored in tactical and economic cooperation due to their convergence of interests in Iraq and Syria. One should not expect complete rapprochement, primarily due to their constituents and their stance on Israel.
Washington is likely to lift sanctions on Implementation Day. Secretary of State John Kerry said this week: “As we get closer to Implementation Day, the next major milestone in the JCPOA, I am pleased to report that we have seen important indications of significant progress towards Iran completing its key nuclear commitments under the deal.”While there is some truth to the idea that U.S. companies will be the largest losers of the nuclear deal while European firms rush to benefit, the State Department will likely begin granting more licenses to U.S. corporations to operate in Iran.
Some American corporations, such as Boeing and Airbus, and some academic institutions will likely get permission to conduct business or interact with Tehran. More than 190 waivers have already been granted. Although there appears to be a more prosperous image of Iran’s economy in 2016, corruption, inefficient banking systems, and lack of protection for worker's rights will continue to hinder the country’s full potential.
Expenditure
The real question is whether Tehran will spend the additional income on revitalizing the economy or on upgrading its military. Considering Iran’s efforts to keep the Syrian regime in power, maintain its influence in Iraq and support Houthi rebels in Yemen, IRGC senior officials will try to convince Khamenei and parliament to allocate a large share of the incoming funds to the military. In order to assure his reelection, President Hassan Rouhani will try to make his case for spending part of the budget on creating jobs. However, due to economic mismanagement and corruption at the state level, unemployment and inflation will remain high, and Iranians are unlikely to see the fruits of lifting sanctions immediately. Militarily, Tehran will become more involved in the region. The rise of ISIS and other groups in Syria and Iraq will lead Tehran to make more use of its Quds force in order to preserve its interests. Since Iran is hemorrhaging billions of dollars to keep the Syrian regime in power, Tehran might abandon President Bashar al-Assad as part of a transitional government. However, Tehran will not desert Syrian state apparatuses. Domestically, reforms will be strictly controlled by the hardliners, and any opposition will be crushed. Human rights and social justice are unlikely to be promoted as hardliners will continue their grip on the judicial system.

Palestinians: Save Us from the Good-Hearted Westerners!
Bassam Tawil/ 2016 Gatestone Institute/January 01/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7157/palestinians-save-us
Every Palestinian knows in his heart that we do not want a state of our own alongside Israel, but rather instead of Israel. This includes all the land of Palestine and Israel. It means that Jews have no right to exist on even one speck of it.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas claims he wants to reach a peace agreement with Israel. But at the same time he and his henchmen incite the Palestinians to stab, run over and shoot Israelis to death, while he idealizes, glorifies and finances -- with the funds he receives from the West -- the terrorists and their families.
The Palestinian people are already almost totally radicalized, even in the West Bank. They do not seem concerned about living under an Islamist regime run by Hamas or Islamic State.
Abbas's goal is now, with the help of the international community, to impose a solution on Israel. The solution he seeks – a full withdrawal to the 1967 lines – would pose an existential threat to Israel. It would also just be a matter of time before the Palestinian state will be run by Hamas or Islamic State.
What can be done with these Americans and Europeans? They always seem pining for a dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinians that would end in a peace agreement, yet oddly all of them seem aware that the Palestinians have not, in all honestly, met Israel's most minimal demands: the cessation of incitement (agreed to even under the Oslo accords -- and requiring no funding!) and the recognition of Israel as a Jewish State. Many throughout the world still view Israel as potentially the next -- and 22nd -- Arab state.
As hard as it is to say it, the Jews have a point. There is a legitimate concern that without such a stipulation, there will be two Palestinian States: the West Bank and Israel – actually three if you count Gaza.
The Americans and Europeans seem not to realize that, for the Jewish people, the request for a state has to be a precondition for any discussion of Jerusalem, as well, based on its history. Before 1967, when half of Jerusalem was in the hands of Jordan -- what the international community says it wants Israel to go back to -- around 38,000 ancient Jewish headstones were taken from the Mount of Olives cemetery by Arab residents and used to pave latrines.[1]
These good-hearted Americans and other Westerners nevertheless pressure Israel to act as the "responsible adult" and make unilateral gestures of goodwill. They ask the Israelis to withdraw from the occupied territories and to take Jewish residents of the West Bank settlements with them. They seem already to have forgotten what happened just over ten years ago, in the Gaza Strip, when the Israelis did offer a unilateral gesture of good will. The Israelis unilaterally evacuated every meter of Gaza in 2005, so the Palestinians could build a Singapore -- no conditions attached! In return, they were met by Hamas and a nine-year war of rockets. If anyone thinks the Israelis are about to try that again, they have a surprise coming.
As a Palestinian, I welcome the humanistic approach that calls on the strong to cede to the weak; but an honest examination of the issues makes me wonder if Westerners even understand the Middle East. In trying to find a just solution, they keep making every possible mistake. First, they keep demanding from the Israelis concessions that would undermine the country's security -- and they do not demand from the Palestinians so much as a statement, such as "Israel has the right to exist."
Westerners, it seems, want to frighten Israel into making concessions. What seems to have been forgotten is that under UN Security Council Resolution 242, the territories would be occupied until the dispute is settled. Now, that makes a nice game of rope-a-dope: You never end the dispute, so the territory stays occupied, then you blame the other side for occupying you! Even we can see that.
The Westerners' latest good-hearted demand -- so devastating to the employment situation for Palestinians -- is to label goods from the occupied territories. This requirement is asked of no other occupying nation: not Russia in Crimea and Ukraine, Turkey in Cyrus, Pakistan in Kashmir, nor China in Tibet. It is basically a form of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), presumably intended to crush Israel economically.
What these good-hearted Westerners fail to see is that their threats only strengthen Israel's perception of danger, and end up creating a result that is the opposite of what the Europeans intended. Instead of bringing the Israelis and the Palestinians to the negotiating table, such a move understandably strengthens Israel's resolve to protect itself. But exerting pressure on Israelis will not induce them to commit collective suicide. Rather, it will make both the Israelis and Palestinians more intransigent than ever.
The American threat of Israel turning into a binational state is meant to frighten Israel into waiving its vital interests while getting nothing from the Palestinians in return. In reality, the threat just stiffens the Palestinians' resolve and keeps our leaders from granting even the least of Israel's demands. The American threat is an obstacle to peace.
Most of all, what, staggeringly, Westerners do not seem to understand, is that the aim of the current incitement and attacks by the Palestinian Authority (PA) comes from a desire to replace Israel with a Palestinian state.
Look for a minute at the Palestinian Authority. In the Middle East, sooner or later, anything that can collapse, collapses -- regardless of efforts to shore it up. The Israelis, all too experienced in such matters, are understandably not about to cast their lot with the PA's current leader, Mahmoud Abbas. The death rattle of his regime gets louder every week, as even Westerners can surely see. So if the PA can expire at any time, how can anyone even think of asking the Israelis to place their future in Abbas's trembling hands? Do Westerners seriously mean for the Israelis to give up their security in return for the empty promises of a regime a few faltering steps from implosion?
Unfortunately, the Israelis already know -- again from history -- that so far, at least, Palestinian promises are not worth an old shoe. Again, just as one example, in the Oslo Accords, the Palestinians signed an agreement no longer to use terrorism to advance political aims.
Mahmoud Abbas may serve as the President of Palestine, but whom does he represent? He certainly does not represent the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and anyplace else there are Palestinians. He does not even represent the Palestinians in his own West Bank. Broad swaths of Palestinians in the West Bank no longer consider Abbas their lawful representative. His term of office ended years ago; he is now in the eleventh year of his four-year term. I can promise to sell you that that olive tree over there, but what do I do if it is not my olive tree to sell? He cannot truthfully promise anything to anyone.
The Palestinians in Gaza also reject the legality of Abbas's reign. They support Hamas. Not only that, but in the West Bank, supporters of Hamas make up roughly half of the population. Their goal is to destroy the Palestinian Authority and Mahmoud Abbas along with it.
Israelis therefore regard the Palestinian president as terminally ill, on life support -- also known as the Israeli security forces, Israeli economic support and Western handouts.
Despite relying totally on this charity, Abbas's position is so weak that to remain in power, he needs to pander to his opponents, to the "resistance front" and the Islamist terrorist organizations in the Palestinian camp. He therefore claims he wants to reach a peace agreement with Israel and that "Palestinian hands are extended in peace;" but at the same time he relentlessly attacks Israel on the international front, in UN agencies and in the International Criminal Court. Meanwhile, he and his henchmen incite the Palestinians to stab, run over and shoot Israelis to death, while he idealizes, glorifies and finances -- with the funds he receives from the West -- the terrorist "shaheeds" [martyrs] and their families.
Hamas and ISIS at least tell the truth. They openly and repeatedly declare their intentions to destroy "infidel" places such as Israel and Rome -- the same way Islam conquered the former seat of Christianity, Constantinople. Mahmoud Abbas, by contrast, is a merely a cowardly hypocrite who successfully dupes the world by talking peace while inciting terror.
If an Islamist terrorist organization does take control of the Palestinian Authority, it will actually make life far easier for Israel. Israel will be able to explain its security position to the world and fight terrorism in the occupied territories -- without having to negotiate, make concessions or beg the Palestinians for recognition.
There are some Israelis who worry about the possible fall of Mahmoud Abbas and a radical Islamist takeover of the West Bank. But no Western country will support the establishment of an Islamic emirate in the West Bank. The Islamists will kill the Palestinian Authority's leaders, the same way Hamas did in 2006-2007 in Gaza. And as usual, only the Palestinians will suffer.
The only people rightly frightened by the thought of a Hamas or ISIS takeover of the West Bank are Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah loyalists. The Palestinian leadership will be summarily executed and their ill-gotten gains confiscated.
The Palestinian people, on the other hand, already almost totally radicalized, and do not seem even slightly concerned about living under an Islamist regime run by Hamas or Islamic State. They are Muslims: many feel it will make them more pure.
The Palestinian refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state is not only a matter of semantics that could change over time. It is a deep-seated ideology that will never change; it is part and parcel of the militant Palestinian-Islamist perception that the Jews are a religious sect -- not a nation -- and therefore not deserving of sovereignty, a homeland or nationhood.
The Palestinians, like other Muslims all over the world, believe that any land once conquered by Islam becomes part of the waqf, Islam's religious endowment, owned by Islam in perpetuity. This includes the land of Palestine and Israel, and means that the Jews have no right to exist on even one speck of it.
Our leaders know that recognition of the Jewish state would mean relinquishing the "right of return" of the Palestinian refugees to the State of Israel, and instead settling them only in the future Palestinian state. They simply cannot agree to that.
Every Palestinian knows in his heart that we do not want a state of our own alongside Israel, but rather instead of Israel. Palestinians have not relinquished, and will not relinquish, the right of return; deep down, they hope it will lead to Israel's demographic extinction and, on its ruins, the establishment of a State of Palestine.
The Jews living in the Middle East understand Middle Eastern dynamics and the challenge of maintaining an independent, democratic state in a region beset by chaos and internecine conflict. They know that anyone who blinks is perceived as weak, and that any blink is perceived by an adversary as an open door.
Despite the threats from the West, the Israelis do not seem particularly shaken. Israel has opened vast new markets in the Far East and appear to be doing brilliantly. Demographically, the number of Jews between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea is rising.
What our past-the-expiry-date leaders have failed to grasp is that the Israelis have set a trap for us: they are building their plans on the foundation of our intransigence. Our leaders are only encouraged by the false hopes and unreasonable expectations given them by the good-hearted Westerners.
Their intentions may even be good, but they persistently refuse to see that our leaders simply do not have the will, the courage or the ability to deliver so much as a dish full of mud. Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority leadership prefer to leave things as they are rather than be denounced as traitors by their people for sitting with Israelis at a negotiating table.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is regularly fêted by good-hearted Westerners such as France's President François Hollande (left) and top European Union officials like Federica Mogherini and Jean-Claude Juncker (right).
Abbas knows -- as many of the leaders in Europe apparently do not -- that without Israel's presence in the West Bank, Hamas and Islamic State would execute him, along with his aides, in a public square tomorrow.
Abbas does not want to return to negotiations with the Israelis because he knows has absolutely nothing to offer. His main goal is now, with the help of the international community, to impose a solution on Israel. The solution he seeks -- a full withdrawal to the 1967 lines -- would pose an existential threat to Israel. It would also just be a matter of time before the Palestinian state will be run by Hamas or Islamic State.
We thank these good-hearted Westerners for all their good intentions. But they are causing suffering to everyone and accomplishing nothing. Our wish for the New Year is, please, for these good-hearted Westerners good-heartedly to stop.
Bassam Tawil is a scholar based in the Middle East
[1] On the Mount of Olives, the Jordanian Arabs removed 38,000 tombstones from the ancient cemetery and used them as paving stones for roads and as construction material in Jordanian Army camps, including use in latrines. When the area was recaptured by Israel in 1967, graves were found open with the bones scattered. Parts of the cemetery were converted into parking lots and a gas station, and an asphalt road was built through it.
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