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Bible Quotations For Today
From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12/42-48: "The Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says to himself, "My master is delayed in coming", and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."

While physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come
First Letter to Timothy 04/06-16: "If you put these instructions before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives’ tales. Train yourself in godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, especially of those who believe. These are the things you must insist on and teach. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers."

Question: "What does the Bible say on the importance of accountability?
GotQuestions.org?/Answer: There much temptation already in the world today, and Satan is working overtime to create even more. In the face of such temptation, many Christians seek out an “accountability partner” to pray with and help share the burdens that come with doing spiritual warfare. It is good to have a brother or sister we can count on when we are facing temptations. King David was alone the evening that Satan tempted him into adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). The Bible tells us we fight a war not of flesh but of the spirit, against powers and spiritual forces who threaten us (Ephesians 6:12).
Knowing we are in a battle against the forces of darkness, we should want as much help as we can gather around us, and this may include making ourselves accountable to another believer who can encourage us in the fight. Paul tells us that we must be equipped with all the power that God supplies to fight this battle: “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). We know without a doubt that temptation will come. We should be prepared. Satan knows our weaknesses, and he knows when we are vulnerable. He knows when a married couple is fighting and perhaps feeling that someone else might better understand and sympathize. He knows when a child has been punished by his parents and might be feeling spiteful. He knows when things are not going well at work and just where the bar is on the way home. Where do we find help? We want to do what is right in the sight of God, yet we are weak. What do we do? Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend’s countenance.” A friend’s countenance is a look or expression of encouragement or moral support. When is the last time you had a friend call you just to ask how you were doing? When is the last time you called a friend and asked her if she needed to talk? Encouragement and moral support from a friend are sometimes the missing ingredients in fighting the battle against Satan. Being accountable to one another can provide those missing ingredients. The writer of Hebrews summed it up when he said, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24–25). The Body of Christ is interconnected, and we have a duty to each other to build each other up. Also, James implies accountability when he says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Accountability can be helpful in the battle to overcome sin. An accountability partner can be there to encourage you, rebuke you, teach you, rejoice with you, and weep with you. Every Christian should consider having an accountability partner with whom he or she can pray, talk, confide, and confess.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on january 16-17.16.htm
150 million is too much for you/Eli Khoury/Now Lebanon/January 16/16
The return of the myth of insoluble ancient conflicts/Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/January 16/16
From the Saudi embassy blaze, to the capture of American sailors/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/January 16/16
Using hunger as a political tool in Syria/Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/January 16/16
A disciplined society is a prosperous society/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/January 16/16
Hostage-taking as an instrument of foreign policy/Baria Alamuddin/Al Arabiya/January 16/16
Free Syria Army, adviser: Osama Abu Zeid: IS cannot be eliminated without us/Mohammed al-Khatieb/Al-Monitor/January 16/16
Palestinian Acts of "Peace"/Guy Millière/© 2016 Gatestone Institute/January 16/16

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin for Lebanese Related News published on january 16-17.16.htm
Saniora on Samaha's Release: Lebanese Will Not Accept New Phase of Hegemony
Report: Saudi Army Grant to Be Implemented soon
Rifi Submits Draft Project on Finding Alternative to Military Court in Wake of Samaha Release
Mother of Ex-MP Hassan Yaaqoub Admitted to Hospital after Hunger Strike
Berri 'Upset' with How Samaha was Release from Jail
Report: Contacts Ongoing between Berri, Moqbel, Qahwaji to Resolve Military Appointments Dispute
Lebanese Arrested for Belonging to IS, Attempting Join Fighting in Syria
150 million is too much for you

Saniora on Samaha's Release: Lebanese Will Not Accept New Phase of Hegemony
Naharnet/January 16/16/Head of the Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora condemned on Saturday on behalf of the March 14 alliance the release of former Minister Michel Samaha from prison, saying that the Military Court's ruling is an “insult to the Lebanese people.”He said: “The Lebanese people will not accept a new phase of foreign hegemony and will reject a Military Court that pardons traitors.”He made his remarks after a March 14 delegation paid a visit to the tombs of slain former Premier Rafik Hariri and Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Wissam al-Hassan in downtown Beirut.
“Samaha's release makes light of the blood of martyrs and encourages criminals to continue their crimes against all Lebanese without discrimination,” he added. “We will continue to combat corruption in order to protect Lebanon, the country of coexistence,” he stressed. “We will not allow Samaha's crime to pass,” he stated. Saniora remarked that the Military Tribunal's ruling “justifies the formation of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, because the Lebanese justice system has failed us.”The STL was formed to tackle Hariri's assassination in a massive bombing in Beirut in February 2005. He also noted that some members of the Military Court were changed days before the ruling was made. Furthermore, Saniora accused the “black shirts gang” of controlling the Military Court, voicing support for calls for the reevaluation of the Court's jurisdiction. The “black shirts” refers to Hizbullah fighters' brief armed takeover of Beirut in May 2008 in protest against various political decisions at the time.“How is it possible that some people can be thrown in jail for years without trial simply for being suspected of criminal activity?” Saniora wondered. “Michel Samaha meanwhile is a criminal who was caught red-handed. The Lebanese people will no longer accept that the gang of black shirts control their lives,” declared the lawmaker.“Samaha's release is a message to the Lebanese people that they can never dream of achieving justice or of a country where human rights are respected,” he lamented. He called on the lawyers syndicate to hold a ten-minute moment of silence on Monday in protest against Samaha's release. Samaha was released from jail on Thursday after being arrested in 2012 after he was caught red-handed smuggling explosives from Syria for the purpose of carrying out bombings and assassinations in Lebanon. He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail. The release sparked a wave of anger in Lebanon against the military court, most notably among the March 14 alliance. Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri deemed the release a “shame and scandal,” vowing that he will not remain silent over the issue. Demonstrators on Friday blocked a number of roads in Beirut in protest against the release, while the March 14 youth groups staged a rally in front of Samaha's residence in Ashrafieh. Samaha, who was information minister from 1992 to 1995, was released in exchange for a bail payment of 150 million Lebanese pounds ($100,000), according the text of the Military Court's judgment. Under his bail conditions, Samaha, 67, would be barred from leaving the country for at least one year, speaking to the press or using social media. Samaha, a former adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad, admitted during his trial that he had transported the explosives from Syria for use in attacks in Lebanon. But he argued he should be acquitted because he was a victim of entrapment by a Lebanese security services informer – Milad Kfoury.

Report: Saudi Army Grant to Be Implemented soon
Naharnet/January 16/16/The Saudi grant to the Lebanese army is not facing new obstacles and should be implemented “soon, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday. A high-ranking military source told the daily that “some technical details need to be addressed.” A source close to French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told Agence France Presse that the second wave of the French gear will be delivered to the army in the spring. This new batch will include military clothes and communication devices, said the source. The new Saudi leadership had reassessed the concerned contracts linked to the deal after King Salman ascended the thrown in 2015, it explained in justifying the delay in the implementation of the deal. Saudi Arabia and France have reached an understanding that Lebanon should be “kept away from the Syrian crisis and the best way to achieve that lies in bolstering the institution that transcends sectarianism, meaning the army,” added the source. The military deal was first announced in December 2013. France is expected to deliver 250 combat and transport vehicles, seven Cougar helicopters, three small Corvette warships and a range of surveillance and communications equipment over four years as part of the $3 billion (2.8 billion-euro) modernization program. It is being entirely funded by Saudi Arabia, which is keen to see Lebanon's army defend its borders against jihadist groups, particularly the Islamic State group and al-Nusra Front. The contract also promises seven years of training for the 70,000-strong Lebanese army and 10 years of equipment maintenance. In April 2015, Lebanon received the first shipment of $3 billion worth of French arms under a Saudi-financed deal to boost the country's defensive capabilities to combat terror threats, along its northeastern border in particular.

Rifi Submits Draft Project on Finding Alternative to Military Court in Wake of Samaha Release
Naharnet/January 16/16/Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi will make a request before cabinet to refer the trial of former Minister Michel Samaha to the judicial council in wake of his release from jail despite the damning evidence against him in his involvement in bombing plots in Lebanon, reported An Nahar daily on Saturday. He will also submit to cabinet a draft-law that he prepared to eliminate extraordinary trials and instead call for the establishment of “judicial powers” concerned with “significant and terrorist” crimes. Rifi had handed head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora a copy of a draft-law that calls for the elimination of the military tribunal, revealed al-Mustaqbal daily. “Should the draft project meet obstacles at cabinet, then ten lawmakers will present it as a draft-law at parliament for approval,” he told the daily. The minister added that he had given the orders to prepare a memo to refer Samaha's case to the judicial council for a retrial “by judges that are trusted by the Lebanese people.” This memo will “soon” be addressed at cabinet for a final decision. “I lost my faith in the military court a long time ago because instead of combating terrorism, it rewards it through its bias,” he told al-Mustaqbal. Samaha was released from jail on Thursday after being arrested in 2012 after he was caught red-handed smuggling explosives from Syria for the purpose of carrying out bombings and assassinations in Lebanon. He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail. The release sparked a wave of anger in Lebanon against the military court, most notably among the March 14 alliance. Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri deemed the release a “shame and scandal,” vowing that he will not remain silent over the issue. Demonstrators on Friday blocked a number of roads in Beirut in protest against the release, while the March 14 youth groups staged a rally in front of Samaha's residence in Ashrafieh. Samaha, who was information minister from 1992 to 1995, was released in exchange for a bail payment of 150 million Lebanese pounds ($100,000), according the text of the Military Court's judgment. Under his bail conditions, Samaha, 67, would be barred from leaving the country for at least one year, speaking to the press or using social media. Samaha, a former adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad, admitted during his trial that he had transported the explosives from Syria for use in attacks in Lebanon. But he argued he should be acquitted because he was a victim of entrapment by a Lebanese security services informer – Milad Kfoury.

Mother of Ex-MP Hassan Yaaqoub Admitted to Hospital after Hunger Strike
Naharnet/January 16/16/The mother of former MP Hassan Yaaqoub was admitted to hospital on Saturday for treatment following a hunger strike in protest against her son's detention, reported the National News Agency. The wife of Sheikh Mohammed Yaaqoub, she has been staging a sit-in for three weeks at al-Safa Mosque over the issue. She kicked off her hunger strike earlier this week. A doctor has been at her side at the mosque for the past two days. Yaaqoub was arrested for his involvement in the kidnapping of Hannibal Gadhafi, the son of slain Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Hannibal was abducted in a Syrian area near the Lebanese border on December 11 before being smuggled into Lebanon's Bekaa region. He was handed over hours later to Lebanese security forces. Lebanese authorities have charged Hannibal with withholding information about the disappearance of revered Shiite cleric and founder of the AMAL Movement Moussa al-Sadr, who vanished in Libya in 1978 along with two companions. Yaaqoub is the son of Sheikh Mohammed Yaaqoub – one of the two companions who disappeared with al-Sadr in Libya in 1978. Al-Sadr's Libya visit was paid upon the invitation of then Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi. The three were seen lastly on August 31. They were never heard from again. The Lebanese judiciary had indicted Moammar Gadhafi in 2008 over al-Sadr's disappearance, although Libya had consistently denied responsibility, claiming that the imam and his companions had left Libya for Italy.
Lebanon

Berri 'Upset' with How Samaha was Release from Jail
Naharnet/January 16/16/Speaker Nabih Berri expressed his disappointment over the manner in which former Minister Michel Samaha was released from jail after he was arrested on terrorism charges, reported various media on Saturday. His visitors quoted him as saying that the Military General Prosecution “should have awaited the verdict” before releasing the former minister. He is also upset that the issue of military appointments is hindering cabinet from meeting, added the visitors. Samaha was released from jail on Thursday after being arrested in 2012 after he was caught red-handed smuggling explosives from Syria for the purpose of carrying out bombings and assassinations in Lebanon. He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail. The release sparked a wave of anger in Lebanon against the military court, most notably among the March 14 alliance. Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri deemed the release a “shame and scandal,” vowing that he will not remain silent over the issue. Demonstrators on Friday blocked a number of roads in Beirut in protest against the release, while the March 14 youth groups staged a rally in front of Samaha's residence in Ashrafieh. Samaha, who was information minister from 1992 to 1995, was released in exchange for a bail payment of 150 million Lebanese pounds ($100,000), according the text of the Military Court's judgment. Under his bail conditions, Samaha, 67, would be barred from leaving the country for at least one year, speaking to the press or using social media.
Samaha, a former adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad, admitted during his trial that he had transported the explosives from Syria for use in attacks in Lebanon. But he argued he should be acquitted because he was a victim of entrapment by a Lebanese security services informer – Milad Kfoury.

Report: Contacts Ongoing between Berri, Moqbel, Qahwaji to Resolve Military Appointments Dispute
Naharnet/January 16/16/Cabinet is expected to hold a new session after two weeks due to Prime Minister Tammam Salam's foreign commitments, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday. It said that in the meantime, contacts are being held between Speaker Nabih Berri, Defense Minister Samir Moqbel, and Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji over the divisive issue of the military appointments. They are focusing on the appointment of three generals in the military council. Their success would ensure that quorum is met at the next cabinet session, said An Nahar. The Free Patriotic Movement and its ally Hizbullah had boycotted a government meeting on Thursday due to the dispute over the military appointments. Despite their boycott and the absence of the Marada Movement minister, the cabinet convened and approved several non-controversial decrees. Three military council posts, reserved for a Shiite, a Greek Orthodox and a Catholic, have been vacant for the past two years. The FPM is demanding the appointment of officers to fill the posts. Its onditions have paralyzed the government, which has so far only met three times since September last year.

Lebanese Arrested for Belonging to IS, Attempting Join Fighting in Syria
Naharnet/January 16/16/The General Security announced on Saturday the arrest of a Lebanese national on terrorism charges. It said that M.M. was arrested for belonging to the Islamic State extremist group. He was also attempting to illegally enter Syria via Turkey to fight among the ranks of the group. He confessed to being a member of a cell that works in arms trade and providing logistic and financial support to the IS. He also admitted to communicating with Lebanese terrorist M.K., who is wanted on terrorism charges, said the General Security statement. Security forces have arrested over the past few months numerous terrorists who are affiliated with the extremist groups involved in fighting in Syria.

Micheal Smaha & The Trojan 14th Of March/
150 million is too much for you
Eli Khoury/Now Lebanon/January 16/16
Ex-Minister Michel Samaha, who was found guilty of plotting terror attacks, was released on Thursday after the court granted him release on bail
I will try to keep the reasons for your descent, since 2005, to this level of ‘Samaha’* to a minimum—otherwise I’ll be needing a tome, not an article.
When some of you in March 14 forgot the blood of your martyrs before it had even dried, while you were on the podium during the 2005 intifada itself, you had begun to dig the revolution’s grave at the moment of its inception.
When you decided it was enough of a revolution to ‘liberate’ the post of prime minister—where the bazaar and ‘business’ are—and a few of the informants’ seats in parliament to protect that ‘business,’ when you failed to free the parliament and by extension the constitution from sophistry and failed to free the presidency and by extension the entire system and security services—which meant your own personal security too—you had announced the death of your movement before it began.
When you failed to understand—or neglected to understand— that the divine party and the ‘secular’ regime, rather than standing and watching you as you took the lion’s share of governance, would pounce on you when the chance came so that you would ally with them and overlook the Shiites amongst yourselves, leaving them exposed in your wake, you had announced the demise of the project that you claimed to be a part of when it was born.
When the Sunnis among you failed to understand that the Christians among you were not a mere decorative appendage and that the Shiites among you were not a ‘Kleenex’ to be used when the need arose, they had lied to themselves before the people.
When the Christians among you satisfied themselves with gathering benzene bills for the Sunni partner to collect, they had accepted the principle of qui donne ordonne.
When you failed to realize that the ‘international community’ would not remain at your beck and call for ever, you had left the mission before it was launched.
When your discourse became divided, with some saying “we want revenge against Bashar” while other said “goodbye Syria,” you had announced your defeat by “thank you Syria” at the moment the battle started.
When half of the Christians among you satisfied themselves with becoming dependent, out of opportunism, on the actor that had destroyed and continues to destroy you and your homeland, they had decided they were third degree citizens, thus confining the struggle for first degree citizenship to the Sunnis on their side and the Shiites on the other—a struggle that will be played out between Saudi Arabia and Iran, not your leaders and the other side’s leaders.
When you hate each other because you are really exploitative and sectarian, when you dig your own graves and each other’s graves…
When you open bazaars for petrol, garbage and contact between your employees and their counterparts on the other side…
When you go to the ‘Greater Michel’ to sell him a presidency in exchange for special guarantees, then to the ‘Lesser Suleiman’ for the same reason, and then return to the ‘Greater Michel’ with the same purpose…
When you satisfy yourselves with insulting your killers in the morning and holding discussions with them in the afternoon (to prevent strife we are told—but how is it that those creating it are the ones averting it?)…
When you do all of these things, you have decided in advance that you are complete failures and that, in the end, you cannot bear the weight of your responsibilities.
You yourselves told the people that the opportunists, informants, and sellers of gods and sects who make up the group opposing you, are more qualified for leadership than you.
You told the Christians among you that they were like garbage, and should either be placed on the roadside, buried in a landfill or sent to another country.
You told the Muslims among you that there was no place for the enlightened members of their community in the country and that it would be more honorable for them to join ISIS, some divine party or some resistance in order to live.
You told yourselves, the people and those behind you that everything that has happened, from 2005 to today, was no more than empty talk. You said that this country’s lot is to be ruled by criminals, haters, and wholesale and retail traders.
For the ‘Lesser Michel’ to leave prison—even if it is in keeping with some law—after everything he did and would have done, and through the military judiciary which you promised to make regular years ago, is something very natural indeed after everything that has been mentioned above.
As for the sum of ten thousand dollars, of course it’s cheap, like the people who demanded it, but it would be an exorbitant price to pay for you.
For a ‘Michel’ of this kind to leave prison, stick his middle finger in your faces and smile while doing so is something you truly deserve. You deserve it and you deserve much more.
*Samaha, the family name of the former minister who is the subject of this piece, can be translated to English as forgiveness, generosity, good-heartedness, kindness, large-heartedness, leniency, liberality, magnanimity or tolerance.

Iran Releases U.S. Journalist Rezaian, 3 Others in Swap
Associated Press/Naharnet/January 16/16/Iran will release four detained Americans in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States, U.S. and Iranian officials said Saturday in a major diplomatic breakthrough announced as implementation of a landmark nuclear deal appeared imminent. A fifth American detained in Iran, a student, was released in a move unrelated to the swap, U.S. officials said. Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose name had not been previously made public, were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland aboard a Swiss aircraft and then transported to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment, U.S. officials said. Rezaian's wife and mother were expected to be on the plane.
The student, identified as Matthew Trevithick, was released independently of the exchange on Saturday and already was on his way home, said U.S. officials. They spoke about the prisoner exchange on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.
In return, the U.S. will pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians — six of whom are dual U.S.-Iranian citizens — accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions. Three were serving prison terms and now have received a commutation or pardon. Three others were awaiting trial; the last one made a plea agreement. It's unclear if these individuals will leave the U.S. for Iran. They are free to stay in the United States.
In addition, the U.S. will drop Interpol "red notices" — essentially arrest warrants — on 14 Iranian fugitives it has sought, the officials said. The announcement of the exchange came as the International Atomic Energy Agency was close to certifying that Iran had met all commitments under the nuclear deal with six world powers. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting in Vienna with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and other officials involved in the accord, and it was expected that such certification could come Saturday. The release of the prisoners and the nuclear deal developments cap a week of intense U.S.-Iran diplomacy that took an unexpected turn on Tuesday with the detention by Iran of 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two boats in the Persian Gulf. The sailors were released in less than 24 hours after Kerry intervened with Zarif in multiple telephone calls that administration officials hailed as a channel of communication opened because of the nuclear negotiations.
"Through a diplomatic channel that was established with the focus of getting our detained U.S. citizens home, we can confirm Iran has released from imprisonment four Americans detained in Iran," one of the U.S. officials said. Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., publisher of The Washington Post, said in a statement, "We couldn't be happier to hear the news that Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison. Once we receive more details and can confirm Jason has safely left Iran, we will have more to share."Hekmati's lawyer, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, said Hekmati called him earlier Saturday from prison.
"He told me that judiciary officials have called for a meeting with him. But I've not been formally informed if he is free now," he said, adding that negotiations for the prisoners' release has been going on for the past two months. Hekmati's family released a statement saying: "We thank everyone for your thoughts during this time. There are still many unknowns. At this point, we are hoping and praying for Amir's long-awaited return."The negotiations over the American detainees grew out of the Iran nuclear talks. In discussions in Europe and elsewhere, Kerry and nuclear negotiator Wendy Sherman were able to establish a separate channel of talks that would focus on the U.S. citizens.
But that channel was kept separate from the nuclear conversations. American officials didn't want the citizens used as leverage in the nuclear talks, and didn't want to lose their possible release if the talks failed to produce an agreement. The discussions then gained speed after last July's nuclear deal. In talks in Geneva and elsewhere, a team led by Obama's anti-Islamic State group envoy, Brett McGurk, worked on the details of a possible prisoner swap. The Iranians originally sought 19 individuals as part of the exchange; U.S. officials whittled down the number to seven. U.S. officials stressed that the Americans were a priority. But the Iranians wanted a goodwill gesture or reciprocal measure in return, the officials said. Among American politicians, Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan gave cautious praise to the release of the prisoners, particularly Abedini, but said they never should have been held in the first place. Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders praised diplomacy as the key to solving the detainee issue.
Rezaian was born in California and holds both U.S. and Iranian citizenship. He was convicted in closed proceedings last year after being charged with espionage and related allegations. The Post, for which he covered Iran, and the U.S. government have denied the accusations, as has Rezaian.
Hekmati, of Flint, Michigan, was detained in August 2011 on espionage charges. Hekmati went to Iran to visit family and spend time with his ailing grandmother. Abedini of Boise, Idaho, was detained for compromising national security, presumably because of Christian proselytizing, in September 2012. He was sentenced in 2013 to 8 years in prison. Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission, wasn't part of the deal. American officials are unsure if the former FBI agent is even still alive. The Iranians have always denied knowing his location.
Levinson's case was aggressively pursued, the officials said, adding that Iran has committed to continue cooperating in trying to determine Levinson's whereabouts. "We are happy for the other families. But once again, Bob Levinson has been left behind," the Levinson family said in a statement. "We are devastated." The exchange also didn't cover Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman who advocated better ties between Iran and the U.S. He was reportedly arrested in October. According to the official IRNA news agency, the seven freed Iranians are Nader Modanloo, Bahram Mekanik, Khosrow Afghahi, Arash Ghahraman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh and Ali Saboonchi. It didn't provide any further details.The Obama administration has said the Americans came up in every conversation with the Iranians.

Top U.S., Iranian envoys eye end of sanctions
By Staff writer Al Arabiya News Saturday, 16 January 2016/As the end of Western sanctions against Iran loomed, the Islamic Republic released five prisoners including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap that also saw seven Iranians released by the U.S..
News of the end of Western sanctions against Iran came as Iran’s foreign minister suggested the U.N. atomic agency was close to certifying that his country had met all commitments under its landmark nuclear deal with six world powers. Iranian Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held a series of meetings with his European Union and U.S. counterparts - including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry - on implementing the accord. “All oppressive sanctions imposed against Iran will be annulled today,” Zarif said on Iranian state TV - a reference to the process that will end financial and other penalties imposed on his country once the U.N. agency says Tehran has fulfilled its obligations to restrict its nuclear programs. But even as diplomatic maneuvering on the nuclear issue dragged on into the evening, progress came on another area of Iran-U.S. tensions: U.S. and Iranian officials initially announced that Iran was releasing four detained Iranian-Americans in exchange for seven Iranians held or charged in the United States. Later the same evening it was revealed that Iran had released a fifth American, student Matthew Trevithick, a U.S. official said. The release was separate from the four other Americans.
It was unclear when Trevithick, a student, was released.
Journalist freed
U.S. officials said the four Americans, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former Marine Amir Hekmati and pastor Saeed Abidini, were to be flown from Iran to Switzerland on a Swiss plane and then brought to a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, for medical treatment. There were conflicting reports about the name of the fourth American freed. The Washington Post welcomed Iran’s release of its journalist Jason Rezaian on Saturday, in a message from its publisher Frederick Ryan. “We couldn’t be happier to hear the news that Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison. Once we receive more details and can confirm Jason has safely left Iran, we will have more to share,” he said. Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran correspondent (File Photo: The Washington Post/Handout via Reuters). Responding to the news, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan on Saturday expressed relief over the release of four American prisoners from Iranian jails, but is awaiting details on the terms of that release, according to spokeswoman AshLee Strong. “We’re glad that Iran has reportedly finally released four American citizens who were unjustly detained,” Strong told Reuters, adding, “They should never have been held in the first place. We’re awaiting details from the administration on the ransom paid for their freedom.” In return, the U.S. will either pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians - six of whom are dual citizens - accused or convicted of violating U.S. sanctions. The U.S. will also drop Interpol “red notices” - essentially arrest warrants - on a handful of Iranian fugitives it has sought.
Rezaian is a dual Iran-U.S. citizen convicted of espionage by Iran in a closed-door trial in 2015. The Post and the U.S. government have denied the accusations, as has Rezaian. In Vienna, a senior diplomat familiar with the nuclear deal said last-minute discussions between French and U.S. officials on what Iran needed to do to restrict its nuclear research under the deal appeared to be responsible for the delay Saturday in lifting sanctions. He demanded anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the diplomacy. A State Department official said “some technical clarifications” were taking place but added: “There is no major issue being fought over.” The official demanded anonymity in line with State Department practice. Responding to the delay, Zarif, in a tweet, said: “Diplomacy requires patience.”Certification by the International Atomic Energy Agency would allow Iran to immediately recoup some $100 billion in assets frozen overseas. The benefits of new oil, trade and financial opportunities from suspended sanctions could prove far more valuable for Tehran in the long run. Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini were in Vienna, headquarters to the IAEA, for separate meetings with Zarif. Despite Zarif’s optimistic comments about the approaching end to sanctions, both he and Kerry deflected a question about whether their deal would be implemented later in the day.
'Diplomacy is slow'
“We’re trying,” said Zarif.
“We’re working on it,” added Kerry, seated across the table from Zarif in an ornate room at a luxury Vienna hotel. In his earlier comments to Iranian television, Zarif said the deal between his country and the six world powers would hold, telling Iranian media that all parties would “not allow the outcome of these talks to be wasted.” The agreement, struck after decades of hostility, defused the likelihood of U.S. or Israeli military action against Iran, something Zarif alluded to. “Our region has been freed from shadow of an unnecessary conflict that could have caused concerns for the region,” he said. “Today is also a good day for the world. Today will prove that we can solve important problems through diplomacy.” Iran insists all of its nuclear activities are peaceful. But under the July 14 deal, Iran agreed to crimp programs which could be used to make nuclear weapons in return for an end to sanctions. The agreement puts Iran’s various nuclear activities under IAEA watch for up to 15 years, with an option to re-impose sanctions should Tehran break its commitments.(With AFP, AP and Reuters)

Iran releases Washington Post reporter in U.S. prisoner swap
AFP Saturday, 16 January 2016/The Washington Post welcomed Iran's release of its reporter Jason Rezaian on Saturday, in a message from its publisher Frederick Ryan. "We couldn't be happier to hear the news that Jason Rezaian has been released from Evin Prison. Once we receive more details and can confirm Jason has safely left Iran, we will have more to share," he said. Rezaian, a California-born Iranian-American, was detained in July 2014 and later convicted after a trial on charges of espionage and other crimes against national security. He was freed on Saturday along with three more Iranian-Americans after what US officials said was a long diplomatic campaign to secure their release.

Israel minister warns of 'dangerous' Iran deal implementation
AFP, Jerusalem Saturday, 16 January 2016/An Israel minister warned Saturday that the expected implementation of a landmark nuclear deal between world powers and Iran would endanger the Middle East and fail to curb Tehran's atomic programme. "The 'implementation day' of the nuclear agreement ushers us into a new and dangerous era, in which Iran is freed from most of its economic sanctions, without having to quit its nuclear programme or provide explanations for its military activities," Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan said in a statement. Erdan, who is also public security minister, said Iran continued to "supply arms to terror groups like Hezbollah and Hamas" while interfering in the internal affairs of Gulf States and violating a U.N. Security Council prohibition on "developing ballistic missiles". "This is a difficult day for all the states in the region that hoped Iran wouldn't be able to obtain nuclear arms and would cease to meddle in the region," said Erdan, who is close to premier Benjamin Netanyahu. Iran and world powers led by the United States are awaiting an announcement from the UN's atomic watchdog confirming that Tehran has complied with measures stipulated in the momentous 2015 nuclear deal in return for a lifting of economic sanctions. Israel, the Middle East's sole but undeclared nuclear power, tried to prevent the accord, arguing it would not stop Tehran from developing an atomic weapon if it wished. Iran has always denied seeking a nuclear bomb.

IS Attack on Syria's Deir Ezzor Kills 35 Regime Forces
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 16/16/At least 35 Syrian soldiers and pro-regime militiamen were killed Saturday in a multi-front attack by the Islamic State group on the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, a monitor said. The fighting came as regime forces battled IS in the northern province of Aleppo, repelling a jihadist assault and killing at least 16 fighters from the group. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS had advanced into the northern tip of Deir Ezzor city, in eastern Syria, and captured the suburb of Al-Baghaliyeh. The advance puts IS in control of around 60 percent of the city, with the regime holding the rest, according to the Britain-based monitor. Syrian state news agency SANA said regime troops had repelled an IS attack on the area around Al-Baghaliyeh and inflicted "heavy losses" on the group. Deir Ezzor is the capital of Deir Ezzor province, an oil-rich region that borders Iraq and is mostly held by IS.The regime has clung onto portions of the provincial capital and the adjacent military airport despite repeated IS attacks.Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said heavy fighting was continuing on Saturday afternoon after the IS assault, which began with a suicide car bomb blast carried out by a member of the jihadist group. Eight of the regime forces killed were shot dead by IS jihadists, the Observatory added. The monitor said Russian warplanes were carrying out heavy air strikes in support of regime forces as they sought to repel the jihadists. Elsewhere, regime troops were locked in fierce clashes with IS in Aleppo province, with at least 16 jihadists killed after a failed attack on a government position near the town of Al-Bab, the Observatory said. State television also reported that regime forces had repelled an assault. The Observatory said heavy fighting was ongoing throughout Saturday in the area, with Russian war planes carrying out strikes in the region between the regime-held Kweyris air base and Al-Bab. - Seven battlefronts -The regime has advanced towards the town, an IS bastion, in recent days, and is now within 10 kilometres (six miles) of it, according to the Observatory.That is the closest regime forces have come to Al-Bab since 2012. The Britain-based monitor also said regime forces had taken a string of villages nearby. Roughly 30 kilometers (25 miles) south of the Turkish border, Al-Bab fell into rebel hands in July 2012, and IS jihadists captured it in late 2013. The fighting in Al-Bab is just one of up to seven fronts on which regime forces are seeking to advance in Aleppo province, capitalizing on a Russian air campaign that began on September 30. The various battles are intended in part to cut rebel supply lines into Aleppo city, the provincial capital and Syria's second city. The city itself is divided and regime forces are now hoping to effectively encircle the opposition-held east. In addition to cutting rebel access to eastern Aleppo city, the regime is hoping to sever areas controlled by IS in the province from its territory in neighboring Raqa, Abdel Rahman said.

Fierce clashes as regime battles ISIS in Aleppo
AFP, Aleppo Saturday, 16 January 2016/Fierce fighting raged Saturday between regime forces backed by Russian air strikes and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group fighters in northern Aleppo province, a monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 16 ISIS fighters had been killed in a failed attack on a regime position near the town of Al-Bab in the northeast of the province. State television also reported that regime forces had repelled an assault. Heavy fighting was ongoing on Saturday, the monitor said, with Russian war planes carrying out strikes in the region between the regime-held Kweyris air base and Al-Bab. The regime has advanced towards the town, an ISIS bastion, in recent days, and is now within 10 kilometers of it, according to the Observatory. That is the closest regime forces have come to the town since 2012. The Britain-based monitor also said regime forces had taken a string of villages nearby. Roughly 30 kilometers south of the Turkish border, Al-Bab fell into rebel hands in July 2012, and IS jihadists captured it in late 2013. The fighting in Al-Bab is just one of up to seven fronts on which regime forces are seeking to advance in Aleppo province, capitalizing on a Russian air campaign that began on September 30. The various battles are intended in part to cut rebel supply lines into Aleppo city, the provincial capital and Syria's second city. The city itself is divided and regime forces are now hoping to effectively encircle the opposition-held east. "Through its operations, the army is trying to broaden its security zone around the city," and prevent rebels inside from receiving supplies and reinforcements from the suburbs, a security source told AFP this week.
A commander with pro-government forces said the regime was fighting on seven fronts across Aleppo province, including west and south of Aleppo city, and near Al-Bab. In addition to cutting rebel access to eastern Aleppo city, the regime is hoping to sever areas controlled by ISIS in the province from its territory in neighboring Raqa, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said. "If regime forces are able to reach the road that leads from Al-Bab to Aleppo, they will be able to tighten the noose around the fighters and the civilians that transport oil from areas under ISIS control."Regime forces have launched offensives in several parts of Syria since the Russian campaign began. After a slow start, the operations have scored some successes, including the recapture of the rebel stronghold of Salma in coastal Latakia province. Elsewhere on Saturday, the Observatory said ISIS fighters had launched a multi-front attack against regime positions in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor with dozens reported dead.

Italy Rescues nearly 250 Migrants Off Libya
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 16/16/An Italian ship on Saturday morning reached the Sicilian port of Catania bringing 246 migrants to safety as well as the body of another after two rescue operations off the coast of chaos-wracked Libya, the coastguard said. The Dattilo ship had on Thursday and Friday rescued 131 and 115 migrants trying to reach Europe on two inflatable boats. The body was found on the second vessel, which was sinking when the coastguard arrived, a coastguard spokesman said. There were 27 women and a child among the 246 rescued people.More than 320,000 migrants and refugees have reached Italy's shores in the past two years.

PKK apologises for killing children in Turkey car bombing
AFP | Ankara Saturday, 16 January 2016/Kurdish PKK rebels while claiming responsibility Saturday for a car bombing in southeast Turkey this week apologised for having killed civilians and especially three children in the attack.
Two civilians were killed in the initial bombing near a police station by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the town of Cinar, and three more lost their lives when a building collapsed due to damage caused by the blast, local officials said after the attack on Thursday. Security sources told AFP the victims in the building collapse were a five-month-old baby, a boy aged five and a girl aged one. One policeman also died in the attack. “It is clear that civilians should never be our target in accordance with the general line and political objectives of our movement. The target of this action was the security forces,” the PKK said in a statement reported by the pro-Kurdish news agency Firat. “In spite of our efforts not to hurt civilians, we want to convey our sadness that several of them died and we extend our condolences to their families,” added the PKK while also promising to continue attacks against Turkish forces. The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although it now presses more for greater autonomy and rights for the country’s largest ethnic minority. A new upsurge of violence between the security forces and the PKK erupted in July following attacks blamed on Islamic extremists, shattering a fragile two-and-a-half-year truce.

Turkey asks Berlin to step up military involvement in Syria
AFP | Berlin Saturday, 16 January 2016/Germany must step up its involvement in Syria if it wants to stem the flow of refugees into Europe, Turkey’s deputy prime minister Mehmet Simsek in remarks to German daily Die Welt on Saturday. “If Germany and others want to stop the influx of refugees, they must stop the bombings by Syrian and Russian forces against the Syrian opposition,” Simsek said, speaking days after 10 German tourists were killed in a suicide attack in Turkey. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will host Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu for talks next Friday, with discussions to centre on the Istanbul attack and the flow of migrants to Europe. “The origin of terror in Syria is the chaos on the ground, which was caused by the Syrian regime’s refusal to authorise democratic reform and the existence of an opposition,” Simsek said. Regarding the fight against the Islamic State group, which has been blamed for the Istanbul attack, Simsek said: “No one can pretend we aren’t doing anything.”Turkey has often been criticized by its Western allies for not doing enough to combat ISIS militants who have seized swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq. “Daesh represents for us the greatest danger,” the deputy prime minister said, using another name to refer to ISIS. On the migrant crisis too, Simsek said “we are already doing a lot.”Turkey, which shares a border with war-torn Syria, is a key player in the current record migrant influx to Europe, with EU countries seeking Ankara’s help to stem the flow. “We are building a fence all along the Syrian frontier. The first 150 kilometres (95 miles) will be ready in March, but we need a coordinated strategy with our partners,” Simsek said. “Right now, we are giving refugees work permits. That will stop a lot of people from travelling to Europe but also places a heavy burden on our labor market,” he told Die Welt. “Including the Iraqis, we count 2.5 million refugees in our country and in certain cities, there are more refugees than Turks.”

600 Britons stopped from entering Syria to join militants: Hammond
AFP Saturday, 16 January 2016/Some 600 Britons have been stopped from going to Syria to try to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other militant groups, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said in comments reported Saturday. Meanwhile some 800 have made it through since 2012, with half of them still thought to be inside the war-torn country, he said, in comments reported in The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph newspapers. "Approximately 800 Brits have been to Syria, of whom half are still there. But on top of that 800, we have stopped another 600," he said, on a visit to southern Turkey.
The foreign secretary said the number of Britons stopped in Turkey had gone up in the past eight months due to Ankara reassessing the scale of the threat posed to Turkey by ISIS. He said greater coordination between London and Ankara had also played a part. Hammond said besides foreign airstrikes, the interception of jihadists aiming to link up with IS was placing extra strain on the group in its Raqa headquarters. "There is evidence (ISIS) is finding it difficult to recruit to the brigades in Raqa because of the high attrition rate of foreign fighters," he said. "Not just those targeted in UK drone strikes, but US strikes against prominent targets including foreign fighters. "Generally they are very stretched now -- their manpower on the ground in relation to the territory they're holding is very thin." British fighter jets joined the US-led coalition bombing ISIS targets in Syria after parliament backed the move in December.
Britain was already involved in attacking ISIS targets in Iraq.

Turkish soldier dies after clashes with Kurdish militants
Reuters | Diyarbakır Saturday, 16 January 2016/A Turkish soldier died early on Saturday from wounds sustained during clashes with militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and seven others were injured in the fighting, the chief of the General Staff said. The soldiers had been in a firefight on Friday in the Sur district of the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, which has been under a round-the-clock curfew since early December due to persistent fighting between security forces and PKK militants. Hundreds of soldiers, thousands of insurgents and an estimated 170 civilians have died since Turkey's three-decade-long conflict with the PKK started again in July. The fighting has moved to urban centers as security forces try to root out PKK militants who have dug trenches and erected barricades to protect weapon caches that authorities say they have been storing during a 2-1/2-year ceasefire. More than 40,000 people, mainly Kurds, have been killed since the PKK, who want to establish an autonomous state, took up arms in 1984. Some 15 million Kurds live in Turkey's southeast, bordering Syria and Iraq.

Russia says West ‘politicizing’ humanitarian crisis in Syria
The Associated Press, United Nations Saturday, 16 January 2016/Russia dismissed a Security Council meeting Friday on the siege of Syrian towns as “unnecessary noise” that politicizes a humanitarian crisis and risks derailing upcoming peace talks. Russian Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov questioned the motives of Britain, France and the U.S. in calling for the meeting. He accused them of “double standards” by focusing on the suffering in Madaya, a rebel-held town besieged by Syria’s government, while minimizing suffering in towns under siege by rebels. Safronkov said the insistence on holding the Security Council debate “gives the impression” that “attempts are being made to undermine the launch of the inter-Syrian dialogue scheduled for Jan. 25” in Geneva. “As the date for the launch draws closer there is all this unnecessary noise,” Safronkov said. The three Western council members called for the debate to intensify the pressure on Syria’s warring parties to lift sieges that have cut off 400,000 people from aid. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said both the Syrian government and the rebels are committing war crimes by deliberately starving civilians. Reports of starvation deaths in Madaya have reinforced the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe in the town and other besieged areas. Trucks from the U.N. and other humanitarian organizations entered Madaya this week for the first time in months. Two other communities, the villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria, besieged by Syrian rebels were also included in the aid operation. British Deputy Ambassador Peter Wilson said the Security Council should call on all parties to lift the sieges but he emphasized that the Syrian government “has the primary responsibility to protect Syrians.”In a reference to Russia, Wilson said “let council members with ties to the regime use their influence, and not their air force, to address this horrific situation.”The Security Council has been divided on how to handle the Syrian war, with Russia supporting the government of President Bashar Assad and the Western powers opposing him. Russia is conducting an air campaign in Syria that Moscow says is aimed at the ISIS and other extremists, but the U.S. and its allies say is also hitting moderate groups fighting Assad’s army. Safronkov said Russia is engaging with “the relevant Syrian authorities, prompting them toward constructive cooperation with the United Nations.” Addressing the council, Syrian Deputy Ambassador Mounzer Mounzer denied that his government was using starvation as a war tactic. He dismissed U.N. accusations that the Syrian government has impeding humanitarian access to civilians, saying any delays are due to the need to safeguard humanitarian workers and prevent aid deliveries from falling into the wrong hands. “The Syrian government had deployed all of its efforts and resources to provide assistance to all those who are suffering without discrimination,” Mounzer said.

Pentagon releases video of strike on ISIS cash
The Associated Press, Washington Saturday, 16 January 2016/The Defense Department has released a video showing the U.S. bombing of an ISIS cash stockpile in Mosul, Iraq, on Monday. The 47-second, black-and-white video begins with an overhead shot of the building in Mosul, which is the militants' main stronghold in Iraq. The facility is then hit with two 2,000-pound (907-kilogram) bombs. Clouds of paper the Pentagon says is money are seen floating above the bombing site after the airstrikes. U.S. officials say that millions of dollars were destroyed, but the exact amount is unknown. It's at least the second time the U.S. has bombed ISIS's cash stockpiles. Combined with attacking the militants' oil resources, it is part of an effort to sap their financial strength.

Syrian regime tells UN: ‘We care about our people’
By Michelle Nichols Reuters, United Nations Saturday, 16 January 2016/Syria told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that no one cares more about the Syrian people than President Bashar al-Assad’s government after the United Nations accused rival parties in the five-year conflict of war crimes by starving civilians. The Security Council met to discuss the besiegement of some 400,000 people in Syria. The U.N. says half are in ISIS controlled areas, some 180,000 in government areas and about 12,000 in areas controlled by opposition armed groups. It is the second meeting the council has held on the issue this week after images emerged of starving civilians in the town of Madaya, which is besieged by pro-Syrian government forces. International relief organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said it has confirmed 35 deaths from starvation in Madaya. “The Syrian government is the government that is most mindful of its people,” Syria’s deputy U.N. envoy Mounzer Mounzer told the 15-member council. “No one can claim to care more about our people than we do, no other country, especially when it comes to providing assistance to areas under the control of armed terrorist groups,” he said. Aid reached Madaya on Monday for the first time in months and a U.N. official described seeing malnourished residents, some of whom were little more than skeletons and barely moving. The U.N. Children’s Fund UNICEF on Friday confirmed cases of severe malnutrition among children in the town. “The primary responsibility for this suffering lies with the party maintaining a siege,” deputy U.N. aid chief Kyung-Wha Kang told the council. “It is, however, shared by those that conduct military activities in or from populated areas, thereby using civilians as shields and placing them in harm’s way.”Humanitarian aid was also delivered on Monday to government-held villages of Foua and Kafraya in Idlib province which are besieged by rebel forces. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that Syria’s warring parties, particularly the government, were committing “atrocious acts” and “unconscionable abuses” against civilians. The civil war was sparked by a Syrian government crackdown on a pro-democracy movement in early 2011. ISIS militants have used the chaos to seize territory in Syria and Iraq, and some 4.3 million Syrians have fled the country. The U.N. says at least 250,000 people have been killed, 6.6 million people in Syria have been displaced and 13.5 million need humanitarian assistance. Kang said “the slow and bureaucratic procedures that have been imposed on humanitarian operations in Syria must be simplified and streamlined.” However, Mounzer said all measures and precautions needed to be taken to ensure relief workers were safe and that the aid doesn’t fall into the hands of “terrorists.”

Three Qaeda suspects ‘killed in Yemen drone strike’
By AFP Aden Saturday, 16 January 2016/A drone attack believed to have been carried out by U.S. forces killed three suspected Al-Qaeda members travelling in a car in southeast Yemen, security and tribal sources said Saturday. Tribesmen said a missile struck the vehicle in the Rafadh region of Shabwa province overnight, killing three. A local security official said they were Al-Qaeda fighters. The United States is the only country known to operate armed drones over Yemen. It has kept up strikes on militants during months of fighting between pro-government forces and Shiite Huthi rebels who control the capital. Amnesty International charged Friday that the Saudi-led coalition backing the Yemeni government had renewed its use of cluster bombs during a January air strikes on Sanaa that killed a 16-year-old boy. The coalition has denied using such ammunition in its anti-Huthi attacks on the Yemeni capital. Yemen has been convulsed by unrest since the Huthis seized Sanaa in September 2015. Al-Qaeda’s local affiliate has exploited the turmoil to tighten its grip on parts of southeast Yemen, including Mukalla, capital of Hadramawt province. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group have also established a foothold in and around the country's main southern city of Aden. Late on Friday, unknown gunmen shot dead a police officer as he returned home in Aden, police said, in the latest in a string of such attacks in the city.

The return of the myth of insoluble ancient conflicts
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/January 16/16
President Obama’s last State of the Union address contained accurate diagnosis of certain domestic ills. He also proposed some laudable suggestions. He bemoaned the dysfunction in the political system and the rancor that dominates the political discourse. He complained about the erosion of the political center, the corrosive effects of gerrymandering of congressional districts, chastised the hate-mongering against Muslims and immigrants of some of the Republican presidential candidates, and the corrupting role of unbridled special interest money in America’s polity.
However, on foreign policy, the address was laden with many straw men and false dichotomies such as when he said that we have to “keep America safe and strong without either isolating ourselves or trying to nation-build everywhere”. This straw man was as fat and ugly as the previous one Obama used to dig up when defending his lamentable Syria policy by falsely accusing his critics, claiming that they want him to ‘invade’ Syria... Then Obama the professor- in-chief pulled an old canard that purports to explain why Middle Eastern states and societies appear to behave as if they are outside of history and why the political, ideological and strategic considerations that govern other states’ behaviors are not applicable in these strange badlands.
“In today’s world, we are threatened less by evil empires and more by failing states”, thus spake Obama. “The Middle East is going through a transformation that will play out for a generation, rooted in conflicts that date back millennia”. This is the myth of insoluble ancient conflicts rooted in equally ancient hatred and wrapped by metaphysical explanations the western Cartesian mind cannot fathom. Was this an Orientalist faux pas? Or a carefully – and cynically - framed construct designed to justify the President’s failure in solving the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Libya?
Political not religious
This dangerous myth is rooted in the assumption that the current Sunni/Shiite bitter struggles in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Arabian Peninsula, just as the Arab/Israeli conflict and the Jewish/Christian/Muslim tensions, have been going on and simmering for millennia. Therefore nothing new can be done by outsiders, while laying low and allowing these conflicts to work themselves out, is to manage and/or contain them, because they are beyond permanent resolutions. This assumption, simply condemn these cultures to live in perpetual wars, punctuated by fragile truces mistaken for peace. According to this view, since these conflicts are framed in absolutist and metaphysical language, they are not susceptible to reasonable compromises.
Thus, the recent Sunni-Shiite sectarian demonization is but the latest chapter in a bloody continuum from the seventh century. The current Sunni-Shiite tension, is only few decades old, and although the communities of the believers are aware of its historic nature, they are driven by the political and strategic calculus of the major Sunni and Shiite states in the region, particularly Saudi Arabia and its allies and Turkey as the Sunni powers, and Iran (with portions of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon) as the key Shiite power. This is raison d'état par excellence at play here, and not theological considerations or disputations.
On foreign policy, Obama's last State of the Union address was laden with many false dichotomies
One would think that the young Sunnis and Shiites battling each other on a long front stretching from the Mediterranean to the Gulf are doing so to settle the issue of who are the rightful successors of Prophet Muhammad, rather than fight over political gains, economic and strategic interests or military hegemony. Or as if the less than a century old conflict between Arabs and Israelis, has been raging for millennia and at its heart are old theological disputes about the way the nature of God is depicted in the Old Testament and the Qur’an, rather than a conflict between two peoples with special relations and claims to the same land struggling over national patrimony, identity, and resources, a conflict over what is tangible and not what is spiritual.
Even when the poor foot soldiers are told by their cunning leaders that they are fighting to preserve the righteousness of their religious ethos, their real struggles usually revolve over what is tangible and measurable. Religion has always been a potent force used by political leaders as an effective mobilization tool. Throughout the history of Islam, even strictly political movements and events have been justified, explained or defended by conferring on them a religious and/or sectarian justification. Empires and nation-states as well as political movements always invoke a higher power, or religion, sect, nationalism and myths to explain national interests.
Modern not ancient
True, sectarian identification, concerns, grievances, stereotypes and downright mythology designed to prop up the sect within Islam have existed since the beginning of the divisions over the issue of succession. It is still the fact that in modern times, from the Ottoman Empire, through European colonialism and the mandate system, followed by formal independence, acute sectarianism was not part of the national discourse, and sectarian identification was subsumed by other modern ideologies such as Arab nationalism, socialism and liberalism. This is not to suggest that the history of Islam is devoid of sectarian tension or that tension did not lead to violence against rising minorities such as the violence on Christian communities in Mount Lebanon and Damascus in 1860.
In the 1950’s and 60’s there emerged the modern ‘secular’ but repressive Arab state in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Yemen where Islamic movements like the Muslim Brotherhood were contained or suppressed. The abject failure of the secular Arab states in developing their economies and societies was brought home in a shocking way after the defeat of Egypt, Syria and Jordan in the 1967 war with Israel. That defeat marked the beginning of the return of political Islam to Arab politics. The (Sunni) Arab Islamists saw in the 1967 defeat a historical repudiation of Arab nationalism.
The Iranian revolution of 1979, which was led by the powerful Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, against a regime that was too beholden to the West, marked the beginning of Shiite assertiveness. But the biggest boost to sectarianism until then was by far the disastrous decision by Saddam Hussein to invade Iran, a country three times the size of Iraq. Both countries exploited sectarianism to mobilize their populations in the longest conventional war in the twentieth century, although Iraq was overtly and more crudely sectarian than Iran. Saddam Hussein the supposed ‘secular’ leader began to show publicly his (fake) religiosity, after he realized that Arab nationalism is not a strong tool for mobilization.
Saddam, wrote the words (Allahu Akbar) on the Iraqi flag, and ‘rented’ the services of an Egyptian journalist to create Saddam’s family tree to establish officially that he is a direct descendent from Prophet Muhammad. Immediately after this ‘revelation’, the Iraqi media, to the extent that it existed, began to refer to Saddam as the حفيد الرسول literally ‘the grandson of the Prophet’. Iraqi leaders and media employed crude anti-Iranian propaganda. The Iranians sent thousands of young revolutionary Basij to certain death after giving them maps of Palestine and Jerusalem as if after they defeat the Iraqis holed up in their trenches, the young Iranian Basij will continue their victorious march to liberate Jerusalem.
The gates of the sectarian inferno
However, the gates of the sectarian inferno in Iraq were opened wide when the United States invaded the country in 2003. The sectarian tensions exploded and unleashed unprecedented violence, now that most people began to identify themselves as Sunnis or Shiites, and when Baghdad and other cities were subjected to terror attacks designed in part to do sectarian cleansings. Baghdad now is almost 80 percent Shiite. At the turn of the 20th century, the population of Baghdad was so diverse, that it was estimated that the Jewish population of the Iraqi capital was between 20 percent and 25 percent.
In Syria, sectarianism also was relatively new. A fairly large number of the Syrian officer corps was Alawites, a small off-shoot sect of Twelver Shi’ism. With the rise of Hafez Assad to power in 1970 it became clear that the ‘core’ of the Ba’ath regime was Alawite, a community representing 12 percent of the population. Historically, the Alawites were disenfranchised and marginalized economically and politically but now they had in their hands the real levers of power in Damascus.
From 1978 to 1982 an Islamist rebellion began against the regime. Both the regime and the opposition displayed a penchant to extreme violence. The rebellion was brutally crushed in a cataclysm of violence in the city of Hama in 1982 where at least 10,000 people (some believe 20,000) perished, many of them civilians. That was the beginning of Syria’s slow descent to the sectarian inferno that we see today.
Political and religious leaders exploit religion and sectarian solidarity, just as other ideologies and nationalisms are exploited to mobilize the base and continue the strife. However, the objectives of these conflicts are political, economic and strategic and not religious. And it is misleading to claim, as President Obama did that these conflicts ‘date back millennia’, just to justify the failure of his contradictory policies in Libya (where these old conflicts did not even exist) or in Iraq, where his eagerness to withdraw U.S. forces and his reluctance to challenge the sectarian policies of the supposedly American ally Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki plunged the country deeper into sectarian strife, a fact that explains in part the rise of the Islamic State ISIS in 2014.
Policy failure or failed states?
Before the invasion of Iraq, President George W. Bush in his 2002 National Security Strategy warned that the United States is ‘threatened less by conquering states than by failing ones’. Almost 14 years later, President Obama used strikingly identical language. The United States is threatened ‘less by evil empires and more by failing states’. It is difficult to quibble with this diagnosis. But if President Obama truly believes that failing states such as Libya, Syria and Iraq (not to mention Yemen) represent serious sources of threat to America, how can he justify his abandonment of Libya, following his military intervention with the allies in the war against the Qaddafi regime. President Obama may not own Iraq’s war fully but he contributed to the breaking of Libya and hence he partly owns that mess.
It is worth repeating that his failure to deliver on his threats and promises in Syria, also contributed to the country’s collapse into the category of failed states, with his dithering contributing to the killing of more than 300,000 Syrians. Yes Syria is a failed state, and Syrians, particularly the Barbaric Assad regime, are mainly responsible for this tragedy. However, the failure of the leader of the U.S. to deliver on promises to help and threats to punish have pushed Syria deeper into the abyss of a conflict. Obama says it cannot be resolved because it is ancient and religious and not susceptible to the working of his cold, calculating Cartesian mind.
A Persian epilogue
Hours before his address, the Iranian navy captured ten American sailors on two small boats after they mistakenly entered Iran’s territorial waters. They were released less than 24 hours later. But the brief encounter in the middle of the Gulf between the two navies and more importantly how the political leaderships in Washington and Tehran dealt with it showed that Iran acted like the superpower and the U.S. acted like the regional power. The Iranians, who did not accuse the Americans of spying, treated the U.S. sailors as captives or ‘hostiles’ and humiliated them publicly by forcing them to kneel and put their hands behind their heads in total submission, then getting them to thank Iranian ‘hospitality’. Of course the pious regime provided the lone American woman sailor with the proper head scarf, to show respect for modesty and tradition.
The videos of the spectacle were shown on every anti-American media outlet in the region and beyond. Secretary John Kerry, who has a mystical belief in the power of diplomacy made several calls to his diplo Iranian buddy Jawad Zarif to get the sailors released. He was effusive in his public gratitude to the appropriate Iranian treatment of the U.S. sailors. President Obama discovered the virtues of silence, and there was not even a whimper of outrage from the White House or the Pentagon.
Of course, President Obama, as he did during the nuclear negotiations with Iran, when Iranian forces and their proxies were pulverizing large swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territories kept his cold eyes on the prize, that is the nuclear deal come what may. The cool and Cartesian bunch in Washington did not want to anger the Iranians few days before the full implementation of the nuclear deal, which explains the faint sound of silence of the White House subsumed by an assertive and loud Persian epilogue to a sad tale.

From the Saudi embassy blaze, to the capture of American sailors
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/January 16/16
Although most of what Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says is usually insignificant, this time he has hit the nail on the head. Commenting on the capture of 10 U.S. marines by Iran, he wondered if Iran would have dared to do the same if the ships were Russian. It is clear that the Iranian authorities deliberately arrested and humiliated the soldiers before they were released. Tehran was confident that the consequences of this adventure would be benign. It is common for ships to enter territorial waters by mistake and then get guided out. Iran did not stop at arresting those who were onboard. Photos showing 10 soldiers surrendering and waving their hands above their heads were quickly circulated by the country’s official news agencies. While in captivity, the soldiers were interrogated by Iran’s official media, urging them to admit that they had entered Iranian waters by mistake and that they apologize for their actions. The idea was to humiliate them. It is difficult to believe that the Iranian leadership did not learn of the incident until at a later stage and then intervened for their release. The anger towards Iran for launching a missile close to another American aircraft carrier three weeks ago is still echoing in Congress and the U.S. media. It is typical that Iranian naval decisions, such as detaining vessels or arresting U.S. personnel, turn into a political tussle at higher levels, considering the tensions that prevail in Gulf waters.
No signs of change
It is important to look at Iran’s actions in recent times, which show no signs of change. This is the case even though only a few days are left for the lifting of economic sanctions and handing over of $50 billion as part of the implementation of the nuclear deal. Iran has recently surprised the world by testing a missile that is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, which was considered by the United Nations as a breach of the agreement. The supreme leader's complete authority has caused a lot of frustration for all former Iranian presidents
The burning of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad amount to another serious offense in the eyes of the international community. Following the arrests of the American sailors, as well as the missile test three weeks ago, the entire scenario suggests that the Iranian regime has not changed much even if the president seems honest when expressing his government’s desire to open up to the world. The Iranian regime is not the same as most other countries. The president of the Republic, which should be the highest political office, does not in fact govern. The foreign minister does not necessarily reflect foreign policy positions. The supreme leader is considered infallible, even if he is wrong. There is no similar international example other than perhaps that of the Emperor of Japan – before the defeat in World War II and before he relinquished power.
The Iranian president does not have authority over the army and the influential Revolutionary Guards. The military has a political role and takes command from the supreme leader, not the president or the government. Therefore they can veto any agreement or change any commitment made by representatives of the government even if signed. The supreme leader's complete authority has caused a lot of frustration for all former Iranian presidents.
The supreme leader
Mehdi Bazargan, Iran’s first prime minister after the revolution, pledged to release the U.S. embassy hostages in 1979. He later resigned following his disappointment over late Ayatollah Khomeini’s decisions related to the hostages. The same happened with the first president after the revolution, Hassan Bani-Sadr, who was forced to flee Iran, after Khomeini unleashed his anger at him. Although Hashemi Rafsanjani was president till 1997, and was close to Supreme Leader Khamenei, he was unable to implement agreements he signed, such as those with the Saudis. Perhaps, the president who was embarrassed the most was Mohammad Khatami who was elected by popular vote and announced a program that showed openness to the world. But President Khatami has found himself in an awkward situation with his people and government because the supreme leader stopped him from fulfilling his obligations and did not protect him and his men from the domination of the Revolutionary Guard and the Basij militia. Associations and newspapers close to the president had also been shut down. Even President Ahmadinejad, who was described as the supreme leader’s preferred president – with exaggerated kisses on the hand highlighting a special relationship between the two – has faced enormous problems with the supreme leader’s office in the last two years of his rule. Recent incidents we have witnessed, such as the burning of the Saudi embassy by protesters and then the Iranian president denouncing them as criminals, reflect the situation in Tehran. We should note that the launch of the missile near the American carrier, the detention of the two ships and the arrest of the American sailors can be seen as part of the power struggle under the mantle of the supreme leader. These developments raise the most important question, can we really trust what the Iranian government says and the agreements it signs? If the supreme leader presents himself as the “representative of God on Earth,” we should then trust only his words and promises. The rest in the Iranian political circle are merely bureaucrats. Let us not forget it was only one person who ended the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq; Ayatollah Khomeini had the last word. He announced from the city of Qom that he agreed to a ceasefire although he wasn’t happy about it. It was only then that the war ended even though mediators and Security Council resolutions had been working on this for five years.

Using hunger as a political tool in Syria
Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/January 16/16
I have had the honor of knowing two exceptional men, both of whom passed away with undying love for their birthplace: Damascus. They were my former professor and mentor Professor Yusuf Ibish, and the great Arab poet Nizar Qabbani. For those interested in Arabic literature, Qabbani’s poems about his beloved city need no introduction. As for Dr. Yusuf, his unbelievable emotional attachment to the great city was felt only by those fortunate enough to be close to him and benefit from his impressive knowledge, culture and unrivalled artistic taste. Once as we were chatting Dr. Yusuf remarked: “You need to know, Eyad, that no location in the whole world was more qualified to host a city than that of Damascus; that is why it is the oldest city in the world”. In his unique way he went on. “It was built in the heart of a large fertile oasis - Ghouta watered by two rivers whose sources lie in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, Barada – the biblical Abana (near the town of Az-Zabadani) and Al-A’waj (from Mount Hermon) and empty in the two small lakes of Al-Otaibeh and Al-Haijaneh, respectively. What ensures the permanent greenery and lovely weather of Ghouta is the fact that it receives the breeze and low clouds through a depression between the two massifs of the Anti-Lebanon, the Qalamoun Mountains in the north and Mount Hermon in the south”. In ‘East of Ghouta’, Dr. Ibish added, “there is the huge expanse of the Syrian Desert which in the distant past provided the city with a defensive shield and an escape route thus protecting it from attacks. As for the north and south, Damascus straddled one of the greatest north-south axis routes of the ancient world; linking Egypt and Arabia (including the ‘Incense Route’) to Asia Minor and Europe via Aleppo which was later one of the major stops on the ‘Silk Route’ from Central Asia and the Far East”. “You see, many great cities could have been built where they were, or a few hundred miles away. This is not the case with Damascus which was destined by nature and the environment to be the great city it is”, he concluded.
Demographic threat
Today, perhaps for the first time since the Timurid (Tamerlane) invasion in 1400/1401 AD, the great city is under a grave demographic threat. This threat is looking increasingly like being part and parcel of a regional-international strategy and few in the Middle East now doubt its existence.
The painful images transmitted by the media of the suffering barely endured by the population of the besieged towns of Wadi Barada (Barada Valley) are actually the result of a well thought of and executed policy. The besieged towns have been intentionally deprived of food and subjected to sniper fire by the Assad regime’s armed forces, domestic and regional militias as well as foreign powers that support them. This episode repeats the uprooting of the inhabitants of the city of Homs in order to maintain control of the territories linking Damascus to the regime’s Alawi stronghold in coastal northwest Syria.
Lying west of Damascus, the Wadi Barada towns were until recently among Syria’s most beautiful summer resorts but are now paying a heavy price for their geographical location. They are simply an obstacle delaying the final touches of a ‘partition map’ of the war-torn country. In fact, the ‘partition map’ is also being drawn in northeast Syria, ostensibly with international blessings.
In the case of Wadi Barada, Iran’s IRGC has been keen to implement a plan of ‘population exchange’ whereby the local Sunnis of the Wadi’s towns would be evicted from their towns (including Az-Zabadani, Madaya, Bloudan, Buqqin etc) and moved north. There, they would be settled in the two Shiite enclaves of Nubbul and Az-Zahraa (Aleppo Provence) and Al-Fou’a and Kfarya, and perhaps the Shiite minority of Ma’arret Masrin (Idlib Province). The Shiites of the two enclaves would then be resettled in Wadi Barada, effectively linking Damascus with Hezbollah-dominated Lebanon.
Both areas; Wadi Barada and the northern Shiite enclaves have been surrounded and threatened for some time, but the situation in the Wadi’s town is particularly bad because no food and supplies are allowed in. The two enclaves, on the other hand can get what they need through air drops from Syrian and Russian aircraft that control Syria’s skies.
Controlling ‘Useful Syria’
Politically, the Syrian regime’s strategy has always been to hold on to the whole country. However, if such an objective becomes unachievable it does have a ‘Plan B’ in store. This ‘Plan B’ is based on controlling ‘Useful Syria’, i.e. the fertile heavily populated western part extending from Aleppo in the north to the Hawran plain in the south, while leaving the vast desert and semi desert regions to those who may desire them. Politically, the Syrian regime’s strategy has always been to hold on to the whole country. At the moment secessionist Kurdish militias are actually fighting to establish a Kurdish ‘entity’ extending from the fragile borders between northern Iraq and northeast Syria, westwards to the Afrin ‘enclave’ bordering Turkey’s Hatay Province. Tactically, secessionist Kurds see no interest in fighting a Syrian regime that is not fighting them. In fact, the opposite is true as the Assad regime (because of its own as well as Iran’s sectarian motives) finds itself fighting their and the Kurdish common enemy – Turkey! Thus, in a clear case of ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’, the Assad regime, its local henchmen and agents have been co-operating with the Kurds because not only are the latter threatening Turkey’s government, but also its territorial integrity. The emergence of ISIS on the scene has certainly changed all international considerations if not unmasked true intentions. The West’s declared priorities that the ‘Syrian regime has lost its legitimacy and has to go’, have been transformed to fully espouse the regime’s side of the story of ‘confronting terror’ – meaning ‘Sunni terror’!
With such transformation complete, even Turkey’s membership of NATO has been forgotten. Firstly, it was let down by Washington on the Kurdish issue when the White House made defending the little town of Ayn Al-Arab (Kobani) a ‘decisive’ issue, while leaving Aleppo (the great capital of the province in which Ayn Al-Arab is a backwater) helpless and starving under the bombardment of Assad’s forces and militias. Secondly, it was let down again when Washington confirmed its full political and military support of Iraq’s Iranian-backed government, and that after persistently refusing to create ‘safe havens’ and ‘no fly zones’ in northern Syria citing military risks and high costs! Thirdly, Turkey was again let down by Washington as well as its fellow NATO member states when it only got a cold response to Russian threats in the aftermath of the Russian fighter jet incident. Thus, the overall picture is clear. Respected organizations such as ‘The Syrian Network of Human Rights’ in 2015 documented in detail cases of planned ‘enforced migration’ and demographic change in areas controlled by Kurdish militias after evicting the local Arab population to the countryside of Al-Hassakah and Al-Raqqah provinces. Moreover, there are well-documented reports of what has taken place in the city of Homs and its environs following the uprooting and driving out of the local Sunnis. Last but not least, there have been several ‘ceasefires’ in besieged greater Damascus neighborhoods and suburbs after blackmailing the civilian population with food and medicines supplies and continuous shelling. The uprooting and ‘enforced migration’ of the inhabitants of the towns of Wadi Barada is indeed a meticulously designed plan that seeks to end the presence of Sunnis in the west of Damascus, replace them with the Shiites of Aleppo and Idlib and strengthen the regime’s position in the Syrian capital through the Shiite inhabited and Iranian guarded ‘corridor’ linking it to Hezbollah-dominated Lebanon.
Whoever said Palestine was the last of the Arab tragedies?

A disciplined society is a prosperous society
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/January 16/16
Spain continues to be poked fun at over its manyana (tomorrow) work ethic, which remains a contributing factor towards the country’s sluggish economy. Latin Americans will often say they work to live rather than live to work. This may sound like a positive philosophy until workers begin getting laid-off, rates of unemployment burgeon and quality of life diminishes. When Spanish singer Julio Iglesias was asked by a British television host to explain the meaning of manyana he said it translates to “maybe the job will be done tomorrow, maybe the next day, may be the day after that. Perhaps next week, next month or next year… who cares?” Certain countries in the Mediterranean and within the Arab world are just as laid back; in some cases, even more so. Not surprisingly, they also tend to be countries with struggling economies. Those attitudes are often blamed on the warm weather but that excuse does not wash as efficiency, self-discipline and responsibility get rewarded in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries. Also, laxity at the workplace or arriving late for appointments are not tolerated.
The case of Egypt
This lackadaisical culture is prevalent in Egypt which is fighting to get back on its feet following four turbulent years. In many of his speeches, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has stressed on the need for Egyptians to roll up their sleeves and take their work seriously, adding that there are no quick fixes. “I cannot do it alone,” he says. In my experience, his plea has yet to be heeded. Egypt requires enforceable rules in public and private sectors if it is to evolve into a modern 21st century country. Egypt requires enforceable rules in public and private sectors if it is to evolve into a modern 21st century country able to provide for its fast growing population, currently standing at over 91 million. Egyptians are naturally entrepreneurial, from the man or woman selling corn-on-the-cob on the street corner to those pursuing innovative tech or service start-ups. The self-employed and owners of small businesses are ambitious; they work long hours and do what it takes. The same cannot be said for employees irrespective of their status. During a recent visit to Cairo, I tried to get in touch with various managers and officials around 9 in the morning only to find they had not arrived at their desks. I visited one of the city’s best known and best located five-star hotels hoping to meet with the General Manager, but was told that he rarely shows up before 10 a.m.
Quite frankly, if he were employed at one of my own hotels he would not last five minutes. I expect to see my staff at their posts at 7.30 a.m. at the very latest just as I always am I was lucky that my parents taught me the value of getting up early to face the day’s challenges, a virtue that the Father of Dubai Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum exemplified. He did not approve of people close to him staying in bed past 6 a.m.; he once ticked me off for having a sleepy sounding voice at 5 a.m. Just as the word manyana was used by Spaniards with ease before Spain joined the EU, one of the words most commonly spoken by Egyptians, when their timekeeping or efficiency are questioned – usually accompanied with a grin – is malesh or ‘never mind’. Whether it is trivial error or a serious mistake, they will say malesh which can be really irritating to the person tearing out his hair because something he considers urgent has not been done - and even more so when it is followed up with bukra inshallah (tomorrow God willing) which is no guarantee that it will ever be done.
Culture of indiscipline
Some of the worst culprits are the bureaucrats; they know they have a job for life, unless they commit a serious crime, and have little incentive to shine. I am told it is not unusual for civil servants to disappear for hours, to find them asleep at their desks, peeling vegetables for dinner or puffing away under their own ‘no smoking’ sign affixed to a wall. The culture of indiscipline is evident on the roads. Egypt’s Highway Code is every driver for himself. Cars, minibuses and tuk-tuks weave their way through the traffic, overtaking from all sides or reversing down busy roads. Driving without lights down highways at night is common and it is normal to see cars moving down a one-way street in the opposite direction. Hardly anyone bothers to wear a seat belt and you will not drive very far before seeing someone at the wheel cigarette in hand or holding a cell phone to his ear.
The roof-racks of taxis are seen carrying assorted furniture piled sky-high and I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw a motorbike go past carrying a man, his wife holding a baby, two young children and an elderly woman who was presumably their grandmother!
To be honest, there are other Arab states suffering from the same ailment to one extent or another. But Egypt, with an unemployment rate hovering around the 13 percent and thousands of university graduates trying to enter the job market each year, needs a shake-up before there is mass discontent.
The government and corporate employers need to get tough on rule-breakers. Children need to be taught virtues of self-discipline and commitment to country and career in schools. Only then, succeeding generations will get excited about building Egypt anew and feel proud of the small part they have played in making their homeland great again.
Government departments could hold workshops in colleges and youth community centers and air infomercials on television to get the message across that a disciplined society is a successful society and also to stress the personal benefits of self-control. Research published by the Journal of Personality found that “high self-control does make you happy”. Now that is a real selling point! Many may believe that the Egyptian people may not be the most self-disciplined or organized on the planet but they have so many other attributes. They are among the most hospitable and are blessed with human warmth as well as the ability to joke about their troubles. It is because I truly love Egypt and want so much to see it blossom that I feel the need to open the government’s eyes. A culture cannot be changed overnight but if Singapore and Hong Kong were able to exchange organized chaos for economic vibrancy, there is nothing that should prevent Egypt from doing the same.

Hostage-taking as an instrument of foreign policy
Baria Alamuddin/Al Arabiya/January 16/16
The manner in which detained U.S. naval personnel were paraded on state TV and across the global media, making "coerced apologies," speaks volumes of the mindset of the Islamic Republic’s leadership. The waters of the Arabian Gulf are encircled by eight nations, so the issue of maritime borders is a complex one. In such scenarios, majority of civilized nations seek to amicably and discreetly resolve such situations. No nation routinely exploits such incidents deliberately and systematically. However, Iran chose to parade the individuals concerned on broadcast media in the country and around the world, bound, humiliated and in a distressed state. Undisclosed forms of coercion were used to force them to say sorry for allegedly straying into international waters. As John Kerry publicly thanked Iran’s leaders for their ‘cooperation’ over the issue, they responded by clarifying that they were keeping the boat and the equipment. America’s humiliation was complete. In the context of months of talks and deals between the U.S. and Iran over the nuclear issue, it was particularly significant that Iran chose to blow this up into a major crisis. Let’s be very clear, this was a calculated attempt to humiliate and belittle the world’s most powerful nation. Whatever Kerry said, he and Obama have been made to look weak and indecisive. Is this the manner in which you treat those you want to do business with? There is always a lot of debate about who are the relative hardliners and moderates in Iran. President Rouhani often appears to be saying one thing, while Supreme Leader Khamenei says precisely the opposite. These apparent disparities matter little when it is the hardliners pulling all the strings. Khamenei needed the moderate face of Rouhani to reach an agreement in the nuclear deal and end Iran’s diplomatic isolation; and so that the country could enrich itself once again as sanctions come to an end. The nuclear agreement was a means to an end and Iran has not changed its behavior one bit.
No stray incident
Since the nuclear deal, Iran’s interference in the Arab world has become even more blatant and aggressive – arming the Houthis so as to destroy Yemen; allowing Assad and Hezbollah to starve Syrian cities into submission; bringing the remnants of the Iraqi state even more under its control; and arming militants in Bahrain. This is not a state which wants to play according to the rules of the international system. There is no substantive difference between the hostage-taking and Iran’s tendency to detain foreign nationals on flimsy charges of spying American diplomats will be patting their backs for resolving this latest diplomatic crisis relatively quickly. However, the Islamic Republic has learned all the wrong lessons from the incident. Numerous such incidents have taken place in recent times. Republican Guards have interfered with U.S. freighters on several occasions. Similar crises have involved several other nations, most notably the British sailors who were held for 13 days in 2007 and another group of British naval personnel detained in 2004. There is no substantive difference between this and Iran’s tendency to detain foreign nationals on flimsy charges of spying. The Washington Post journalist, Jason Rezaian, who was recently sentenced to a prison term of undisclosed duration, is only the most recent and high profile example. Former U.S. marine Amir Hekmati remains in an Iranian jail and had even faced a death sentence for trumped up charges of espionage. We should also not forget the American hikers who spent 14 months in detention until 2011 for inadvertently crossing into Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan.
Against Geneva Convention
Iranian citizens of joint nationality are the most vulnerable to such propaganda trials. Since signing the nuclear deal, Iran has shown no less inclination to treat every U.S. citizens who comes within its grasp in a similar manner – show trials, televised confession, parading them before the public for maximum humiliation and allegations which are a figment of the paranoid imaginations of Iran’s leadership. The Geneva Conventions prohibit the practice of parading prisoners for purposes of insults and propaganda. Iranian citizens of joint nationality are the most vulnerable to such propaganda trials and accusations of spying. There is also something distasteful about America’s leaders thanking Iran for its efforts to humiliate and undermine them. Many states make it very clear that they don’t make substantive concessions to hostage-takers. But this is what Iran is – a major tenet of its foreign policy is based on systematically capturing hostages from other nations in order to force diplomatic concessions. Iran will always ensure that it has a number of American and Western nationals languishing in its jails so that when diplomatic tensions increase it can play this card and force them to adopt a softer approach. Obama and Kerry would be wise to acknowledge that they have once again demonstrated to the Islamic Republic that this is one of its strongest cards. For Iran’s leaders, hostage-taking pays.

Free Syria Army, adviser: Osama Abu Zeid: IS cannot be eliminated without us
Mohammed al-Khatieb/Al-Monitor/January 16/16
The Free Syrian Army emerged in late July 2011 after a number of officers defected from the Syrian army in protest against President Bashar al-Assad’s use of military force to suppress peaceful protests that had erupted March 18 that year in Daraa to demand his ouster and shortly thereafter spread across the country. Numerous formations and armed factions in northern and southern Syria now operate under FSA's umbrella, which espouses a national rhetoric and first raised the revolutionary flag with three stars. The FSA is currently fighting on two major fronts: against Assad and his allies, and against the Islamic State. On Jan. 10 via Skype, Al-Monitor interviewed Osama Abu Zeid, the FSA's legal adviser, who discussed the army's current situation, relations with the United States and Russia and views on Syria's future.
The text of the interview follows:
Al-Monitor: Who comprises the FSA? In which areas does it operate? Which factions does it include?
Abu Zeid: The FSA is deployed from Syria’s south to its north. It is mostly present in Daraa and Quneitra, represented by the Southern Front, and in the capital, Damascus, the FSA is positioned in the Jobar neighborhood, one of the most contested areas. Al-Rahman Corps and the Shuhada al-Islam Brigade [Martyrs of Islam Brigade], which are also part of the FSA, are stationed in western and eastern Ghouta. In northern Syria, the FSA is significantly present in Aleppo, represented by Thuwar al-Sham, al-Sham Front and Sultan Murad Brigade. [The FSA-affiliated] Jaish al-Nasr [Victory Army], the Glory Army and the Central Division are stationed in Hama’s countryside, while the largest number of FSA fighters deployed on the coast is represented by the 1st and 2nd Coastal Squads and the 10th Brigade.
The FSA consists of many factions, which are all participating in the tireless efforts to establish a military council, alongside moderate Islamic factions led by Jaish al-Islam, which recently started to issue joint statements with the FSA under the banner of the revolution. I would like to note that the absence of a unified FSA leadership is not due to any internal reason. Rather, it is due to supporters’ policies, which exploit our need for weapons.
Al-Monitor: The FSA has recently returned to the forefront. Its role re-emerged in the battles in Latakia, Hama and Aleppo. How do you explain the timing of the resurgence?
Abu Zeid: The true face of the Syrian revolution is the one that returned to the fore after the Russian aggression. Russia is known to be in disputes with the European Union and the United States. Thus when Russia enters any region, the media is bound to focus on it. When the focus is on Syria, it is only normal for the public to take notice when revolutionaries are fighting a global force, like Iran and Russia, and the thousands of foreign fighters in addition standing their ground against IS.
The FSA has not changed since the outbreak of the revolution, and we will fight anyone who stands in the way of Syrian demands, whether in the name of religion, such as IS, or under a secular banner, such as Russia, both of which have come to destroy the Syrian revolution under false slogans.
Al-Monitor: Turkey announced its desire in September 2014 to create a safe zone in northern Syria. What is hindering the establishment of this zone? Would it stop the flow of refugees leaving Syria?
Abu Zeid: The one hindering the establishment of this safe zone is none other than the US. This is not just an allegation. Rather, repeated statements were issued in this respect, [including] by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, who said on July 1, 2015, that at that moment, the US did not see a need for the establishment of a safe zone in Syria.
Meanwhile, the regime’s air force dropped dozens of barrel bombs on Aleppo and Darayya, and the killing of civilians led to daily waves of displacement. Indeed, if a safe zone were established, more than 70% of the people heading to Europe by sea would change their minds. Syrians are not thrilled about the suicide journey to Europe, but they are in search of a safe haven. If such a zone is established, many Syrians will return to this region. We are people who love their country, and we have our culture and our own professions.
The only reason Syrians are migrating is that for four years now, we have been killed by the deadly weapons of Assad’s regime, and we have lost hope of being saved by the international community.
Al-Monitor: In December 2015, the FSA made significant progress against IS near the Turkish border in northern Aleppo. Can we link this progress to the safe zone? Do you think it might be established soon?
Abu Zeid: The FSA has been fighting IS since before 2014, even before anyone in the world ever thought of fighting this organization. Our fight against IS in the northern countryside of Aleppo and in other areas is independent of any international plan. We will continue our battle whether there is a safe zone or not. As a matter of fact, we do not feel that a safe zone is a viable option, at least at the current stage.
Al-Monitor: Why did the Pentagon’s project to train and equip Syrian opposition groups to fight IS fail?
Abu Zeid: Simply because we are independent and responsible toward our people to the extent that we can say no, even to the US, which sought through this program to make us fight IS only and to forget the criminal called Bashar al-Assad, who has killed more than 300,000 Syrians over the past years, displaced 10 million and is still detaining more than half a million Syrians.
Although the US gave us some support, we refused its offer and confirmed that this program would fail, and it ultimately did, since it is a US project that does not meet the aspirations of the Syrians. We have a Syrian project to combat all forms of terrorism, including IS and Assad, and we accept any offer of help.
IS cannot be eliminated without the FSA. We have a history of struggle against all of those who killed Syrians. Therefore, no one can question the FSA’s objectives when it fights IS, because its project is purely Syrian, and it aims to protect Syrians rather than serve other agendas.
Al-Monitor: How do you perceive US policies in the region?
Abu Zeid: The US is gradually moving from a neutral position toward being a partner in crime as it allows Assad and his allies to kill Syrians. Scary massacres are being committed against Syrians, who have been left to starve to death under siege in the city of Madaya and [killed] by chemical weapons. Syrians are paying a high price as a result of the US policy failure in Iraq and its weakness in the Middle East in general.
It is not required that the US send fighters on the ground. This is not what we want. What we want is for Assad to be prevented from targeting civilians and for the [supporters] of the Syrian revolution [i.e. Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia] to be allowed to provide rebels with qualitative weapons. The US supports the Syrian Democratic Forces, which include al-Sanadid Army, one of the regime's militias. We, however, do not trust these forces, and they not surprisingly getting weapons that are hundreds of times more numerous than the weapons received by the FSA.
Al-Monitor: The FSA factions supported the decisions from the Riyadh conference, which brought together the Syrian opposition on Dec. 10, 2015. Do you think it is possible to reach a political solution with the regime? What is the solution, in your opinion? What system are you trying to recreate in the new Syria?
Abu Zeid: As rebels, we believe that Assad and his allies will not contribute to any solution that will ultimately lead to the departure of Assad and his clique. The assassination of Jaish al-Islam commander Zahran Alloush — a former member of the negotiating body that supported a political solution — is clear evidence that the Russians are not seeking a political solution. The FSA is making every effort toward a political solution based on the Geneva I communique regarding the formation of a transitional governing body, the departure of Assad and his clique, the dismantling of the security establishment and the restructuring of the military establishment. These points cannot be disregarded.
As far as the regime is concerned, the Syrian people will determine its shape in the new Syria. Our sole current mission is to topple the Assad regime. When the revolution achieves its objectives, it will form a committee to draft a constitution and present it to the people. Only the people, not us or anyone else, will have the final say on the form of government.
Al-Monitor: The FSA receives support from several countries in the region, and you are accused of being influenced by foreign countries. What do you say to such allegations?
Abu Zeid: My response is part of this interview. We refused to take part in the US training project, and the US is the biggest power in the world, which confirms that the FSA is independent. The withholding of sophisticated arms such as anti-aircraft [weaponry] is evidence that there are a lot of concessions that we declined to make.
Why haven’t we until this day had arms airdrops for the FSA, like the ones received by the regime forces? This is simply because the FSA does not believe in the same [things] as the international forces, but it shares the same [hopes] as the Syrian people. We advocate any proposal or solution that advances the interests of the Syrian people.
Al-Monitor: About three months have passed since the beginning of Russia’s military intervention in Syria. It seems that the Russian airstrikes have been concentrated on the opposition-controlled areas. How has this affected you?
Abu Zeid: True. The airstrikes held off the advance of the FSA in favor of IS. The Russians' almost daily airstrikes targeted our locations on the demarcation line in Aleppo's northern countryside in the towns of Marea, Jarez and Ihras, among others. However, the greatest impact of the Russian raids was the destruction of the infrastructure of the liberated areas and the killing of larger numbers of civilians, causing waves of displacement, as was the case in Aleppo's southern countryside and the northern Hama countryside.
Al-Monitor: In the first military operation by the Syrian regime in the wake of the Russian intervention, a violent attack was waged in northern Hama without making any progress. However, the regime took over large and strategic areas in the southern countryside of Aleppo. How do you interpret that? Are you able to hold off the regime with your weapons?
Abu Zeid: The difference between Aleppo and Hama is simple. In Hama, we are fighting against the regime and its allies on a single front, while in Aleppo there are three fronts [IS, Kurdish militias and the regime and its allies]. Nevertheless, our retreat favoring the regime in southern Aleppo was not because of direct confrontation, but because of the heavy shelling and shooting.
The regime and the militias fighting alongside it have a renewable supply of human resources, bringing in mercenaries from outside Syria — from Iraq, Lebanon, Iran and Afghanistan and recently from Africa. The balance of weaponry is tilted in favor of the regime, which has the sophisticated Russian air force at its side in addition to advanced armored vehicles. Some are made in the US and are from Iraqi militias fighting us in Syria, such as the Hezbollah al-Nujaba movement and the [Brigade] of Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas, among others. As for us, on the other hand, the most advanced weapons we have are TOW missiles, available in limited quantities. We also confront different enemies, each with a different and particular tactic in fighting. I can objectively affirm, however, that the military balance is indeed tipped in favor of the regime, but the confrontations are in our favor because of our faith in the cause we are sacrificing for.
Al-Monitor: In several television interviews, you have rejected working with Russia. The chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, Valery Vasilevich Gerasimov, said, however, on Dec. 14, 2015, that Russia is providing air cover to some of the FSA groups. Is this true? Did you change your position?
Abu Zeid: I personally refused to meet with the Russian president's special representative for the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov, in Geneva about two months ago. Perhaps, in the eyes of Russia, Assad is the commander of the Syrian revolution. Russia’s declaration that it supports the FSA is ridiculous as all facts prove the contrary. Russian airstrikes are ongoing around the clock, targeting our sites and locations. Our position is clear: We will not coordinate or cooperate with Russia.

Palestinian Acts of "Peace"
Guy Millière/© 2016 Gatestone Institute/January 16/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7240/palestinian-acts-of-peace
Because terrorist acts against Israelis are almost never described as terrorist acts, Israel is the only country that is found guilty of defending itself against terrorism. Israel is the only country living next to a terrorist entity, and asked not to treat it as a terrorist entity.
The illusion of the Oslo Accords was that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) could become a respectable, law-abiding government, renounce violence, and abide by an agreement. The lies of the Oslo Accords were that the PLO, representing the "Palestinian people," was ready to exchange "land for peace" and actually desired to create a state living in peace side by side with Israel.
Many Europeans are falling for Joseph Goebbels's formula, that "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." Israel is now -- solely from propaganda and the falsification of history -- possibly the most unjustly demonized nation in history.
Israel is the only country that is always supposed to make "more concessions" to enemies who do not even hide their destructive intentions.
The Greek Parliament, on December 22, 2015, voted unanimously on a motion calling on Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to recognize the "State of Palestine."
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, who was on an official visit to Athens, took the opportunity to say that the PA would no longer accept being called by any other name, and that passports with "State of Palestine" would be issued with this name.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel, Tzipi Hotevely, responded by saying that Mahmoud Abbas was following a "flawed path that will lead him nowhere." Israel's former Ambassador to Canada, Alan Baker, in a report for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, noted that this was a "clear and flagrant violation of the Oslo agreements ."
Abbas may well have chosen a "flawed path," but he seems to be going forward with it, doubtless hoping to increase the number of countries that recognize the non-existent "State of Palestine."
Abbas also continues to violate the once much-trumpeted Oslo Accords -- but they were violated from the start. They effectively did not even exist. They were based on an illusion, and based on lies.
The illusion was that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) could become a respectable, law-abiding government, renounce violence, and abide by an agreement.
The lies were that the PLO, representing the "Palestinian people," was ready to exchange "territories for peace" and actually desired to create a state living in peace side by side with Israel.
The illusion was quickly shattered. In 1993, as soon as the Oslo Accord was signed, PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, while visiting Johannesburg, compared it to the truce of Hudaibiya, a temporary agreement Muhammad signed with the Qurayesh tribe in 628 AD. In the truce, Muhammad had promised not to attack the tribe for ten years; but two years after that, when he had assembled more troops, he broke the truce, attacked with full force, and massacred the Qurayesh.
When Arafat became Chairman of the Palestinian Authority a few days later, he wasted no time in showing that the PA was still the PLO and that he had renounced exactly nothing.
Murderous attacks have hit Israel ever since then. They only declined when Israel built a defensive security barrier.
In the decade after Oslo, 1,400 Israelis were killed in terrorist attacks; thousands more were injured but survived, still mutilated.
In 2000 the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades came into being -- the "military" wing of the "moderate" Palestinian Authority ruling party, Fatah. As the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades organized suicide attacks and planted bombs, other Islamist terrorist groups also gained in importance, especially Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The Palestinian Authority created anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish media from the start . PA schools were established and immediately began teaching that hating Jews is important.
Palestinian Authority leaders negotiated with Israel, but the PA would never recognize Israel as a state for the Jewish people.
The PA also never stopped demanding innocent-sounding, "poison pill" concessions that would have meant the destruction of Israel. These included the "right of return," possibly for almost as many Palestinians as Israel's population. This demand has been a constant that would demographically overwhelm the Jews with Palestinians -- as if France were required admit 60 million Muslims.
Sadly, the Palestinians have only increased their violence. There have been more than 11,000 rocket attacks on a country not even as big as Vancouver Island. But most political leaders and journalists in the West stubbornly refuse to see it this way.
Successive Israeli governments have been prompted to behave as if they could not see that an unending series of onslaughts was happening to them. The Israelis have been told behave as if they had before them people with whom they could actually agree. It would be as if France were ordered to reach an agreement with al-Qaeda.
The late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's remark, that Israel has to "negotiate as if there were no terrorism," was repeated to them endlessly, as if terrorist murders were not daily taking place all around them.
Some Israeli governments offered to cede almost everything to the Palestinians. Ehud Olmert in 2008 went so far as to propose a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria (the entire West Bank), and to abandon Israel's control over the Old City of Jerusalem; many Israeli political and military leaders told him such a withdrawal was a suicidal proposition. The Palestinians turned it down without so much as a counter-offer.
Over time, lies gain ground. Palestinians terrorist acts are often no longer described as terrorist acts but as "acts of resistance" against the "occupation."
The Palestinian Authority is now trying to be recognized as "State of Palestine" in the hope that words will make it so, despite its own signed commitments to negotiations, meaning that it too might have to offer something -- maybe an end to incitement (already agreed to under Oslo. but never implemented); the end of the conflict, perhaps recognition of Israel.
The Palestinian Authority is now an "observer state" at the United Nations. Abbas, now in the the eleventh year of his four-year term, is received everywhere as a legitimate President. He does not say -- and no one else does either -- that he would not be alive today if Israel were not protecting him. Hamas has long been trying to kill him and supplant his government with its own..
Almost no one dares translate into English the bloodthirsty remarks Abbas makes in Arabic.
Palestinian leaders rewrite history, and many Europeans even buy it. Many now believe that the Palestinian people existed since "ancient times," and are one of the most "oppressed" peoples on earth.
Palestinian leaders often state -- without even being contradicted even by the Church! -- that Jesus was a Palestinian. They deny he was born a Jew in a Jewish family. They asked -- and got ! -- UNESCO (in which "Palestine" has been a full member since 2011) to rename ancient Jewish sites as Islamic. According to a resolution passed on October 21, 2015 by UNESCO's General Conference, Rachel's Tomb is now "Bilal bin Rabah Mosque" and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron is the "Ibrahimi Mosque."
In most Western media, Judea and Samaria are presented as "occupied Palestinian territories" and Israel is described as the "occupying power."
The presence of Jews in the West Bank -- home to the Jews for nearly 4,000 years -- is depicted as an "illegal intrusion." Yet people who presumably pass out at even the thought of ethnic cleansing anywhere, seem to have no problem with all Jews being expelled from Judea and Samaria -- and a future "State of Palestine."
These lies have have placed Israel in a dangerous position.
Israel has a powerful army and a prosperous and dynamic economy. But Israel, a very small country, is possibly the most-threatened nation in the world. And because terrorist acts against Israelis are almost never described as terrorist acts, Israel is the only country that is found guilty of defending itself against terrorism. Israel is also the only country living next to a terrorist entity, and asked not to treat it as a terrorist entity.
Many Europeans are falling for Joseph Goebbels's supposed formula, that If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." Israel is now -- solely from propaganda and the falsification of history -- possibly the most unjustly demonized nation in history.
It is a country subjected to incessant diplomatic offensives by its enemies, end even by people -- such as J Street and the New Israel Fund -- that call themselves "friends." Israel is the only country that is always supposed to make "more concessions" to enemies who do not even hide their destructive intentions.
The Oslo Accords have been described as an act of peace. They were actually -- for the Palestinians -- an act of war.
They were a huge victory for the PLO, which was able to advance from there to other victories. The Palestinians set out, in their never-rescinded plan, to take over Israel by "stages" in their "Ten Point Plan."
The current Israeli government, like those that preceded it, adopts a defensive attitude, and seems to manage the status quo.
Malicious attacks continue from self-righteous Jew-haters, who pretend it is only Israel they dislike. The BDS movement keeps trying to find traction; fortunately Israel has expanded its commerce to the Far East, where it is booming. The European Union recently decided to ask member countries to put discriminatory labels on products made by Jewish businesses located beyond the "borders of 1967", which were only armistice lines (at the Arabs' request) -- and never borders to begin with. Smear campaigns against Israel grow and disseminate their venom.
In Israel, Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked proposed a law requiring Non-Governmental Organzations, (NGOs) operating in Israel to declare all foreign government funding. "The blatant intervention of foreign countries in the State of Israel's internal matters through funding is an unprecedented phenomenon that violates all the rules and norms of relations between democratic countries," she stated.
The proposal is a step in the right direction: in the United States, organizations financed from abroad are subject to severe constraints.
More needs to be done. Inside Israel, various NGOs, under the pretext of "free speech," circulate seditious, anti-Israeli propaganda. They are internal enemies. They forge false evidence and send it to countries who want to drag Israel -- but no other country -- to the International Criminal Court. Such NGOs should be should be treated as the internal enemies that they are.
During the last years of his life, because he encouraged suicide attacks and incited children to seek death as martyrs, the Israeli government confined Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to his Muqata presidential compound in Ramallah.
Because Mahmoud Abbas, the current Palestinian leader accused Israeli Jews of "desecrat[ing] Al Aqsa" with "their filthy feet", and added that "blood spilled in defense of the holy site is pure,", he bears direct responsibility for the current wave of murders of Israeli Jews. The Israeli government could confine him to his Muqata as they did with Arafat, and truthfully explain that a man who is guilty of incitement to murder innocent civilians going about their daily lives must not be allowed to roam freely.
The Israeli government could also honestly say that no negotiations are possible with an organization that supports terrorism, and teaches children to hate Jews.
The Israeli government could go even further, and explain to the world that the Palestinian Authority itself is still a terrorist organization, and cut off all political, economic and financial relationships with it.
The Western world should be asking Israel to stop supporting an organization, the Palestinian Authority, that daily backs terrorism; and Israel should be asking the Western world to stop supporting an organization, the Palestinian Authority, that supports terrorism and is on its way to creating yet another terrorist state -- especially at a time when the international terrorist threat is so intense and pervasive.
Of course, many European leaders would probably answer that they see only one terrorist state: Israel. Surreally, an EU court in December 2014 even removed Hamas from the EU list of banned terrorist organizations.
For now, while chaos is gaining momentum in the Middle East, the "Palestinian question" is far from a central concern for Muslim countries in the region. The main aim of Saudi Arabia is to survive the attempts to destabilize it coming from Iran. Some Saudi leaders might now even regard Israel as an ally.
In Egypt, the priority of its President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, is to contend with the deadly conflict in the Sinai.
At the same time, Iran is busy spreading terrorism and racing toward nuclear weapons capability, as well as the intercontinental ballistic missiles to deliver them. Iran is also breaking records executing its own citizens; holding political prisoners on trumped-up charges; saving what remains of the Assad regime in Syria and, with Russia, bolstering the power of the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon.
Both Iran and the Islamic State do not hide their genocidal intentions towards Israel. Recently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's "Supreme Leader," unveiled his plans for Israel's destruction.
In the midst of all this, John Kerry recently said something right: "Circumstances" lead "to seriously consider the possibility of the collapse of the Palestinian Authority."
The wave of murders triggered by Abbas at the beginning of September has had catastrophic effects on the finances of the Palestinian Authority. After Mahmoud Abbas has left the scene, an attempted takeover by Hamas or ISIS is virtually inevitable.
Kerry correctly added that "several Israeli ministers have made clear their opposition to a Palestinian state." It would be more accurate to say that several Israeli ministers seem to think that creating a state destined to become a terrorist state would be an extremely bad idea.
A few days ago, Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told high-level government officials that Israel has to "prevent the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, but be prepared in case the collapse occurs."
Opinion polls show that more than 75% of the Israeli Arabs define themselves as Israeli, and that more than 60% of them unreservedly define Israel as a Jewish country. The polls also show that 18% of Israeli Arabs support violence against the Jews.
For two decades, Israeli Arabs and Arabs living in Judea and Samaria have been poisoned by propaganda from the Palestinian Authority -- from textbooks; from official statements such as naming stadiums, streets and public squares after terrorists, and from the PA government-controlled media. The Palestinian people deserve a better leadership than this. Their current destructive leadership, and the even more destructive leadership that could well follow it, should not be encouraged -- by treacherous Europeans or anyone else.
**Guy Millière, a professor at the University of Paris, has published 27 books.
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