LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 21/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.july21.16.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
Beware of the yeast of the
Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be
uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12/01-05/:"Meanwhile, when
the crowd gathered in thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began
to speak first to his disciples, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is,
their hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing
secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark
will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will
be proclaimed from the housetops.‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who
kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to
fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I
tell you, fear him!"
Paul Tells the People Hoe did
Jesus Chose Him To Be A Disciple
Acts of the Apostles 21/40.22/01-10/:"When he had given him permission, Paul
stood on the steps and motioned to the people for silence; and when there was a
great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying: ‘Brothers and
fathers, listen to the defence that I now make before you.’ When they heard him
addressing them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then he said: ‘I am a
Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of
Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for
God, just as all of you are today. I persecuted this Way up to the point of
death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison, as the high
priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also
received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind
those who were there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment. ‘While
I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven
suddenly shone about me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" I answered, "Who are you, Lord?" Then
he said to me, "I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting." Now those who
were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was
speaking to me. I asked, "What am I to do, Lord?" The Lord said to me, "Get up
and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that has been assigned to
you to do."
Question: "What is the definition of
evil?"
GotQuestions.org
Answer: Evil is what is morally wrong, sinful, or wicked. Evil is the result of
bad actions stemming from a bad character. Biblically, evil is anything that
contradicts the holy nature of God (see Psalm 51:4). Evil behavior can be
thought of as falling into two categories: evil committed against other people
(murder, theft, adultery) and evil committed against God (unbelief, idolatry,
blasphemy). From the disobedience in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9) to the
wickedness of Babylon the Great (Revelation 18:2), the Bible speaks of the
existence of evil.
For many centuries Christians have struggled with both the existence and the
nature of evil. Most people would acknowledge that evil is real and has always
had devastating effects on our world. From the sexual abuse of children to the
horrific terrorist attacks on 9/11, evil continues to rear its ugly head in our
own time. Many people are left wondering what exactly is evil and why does it
exist.
The existence of evil has been used as a weapon by opponents of theism—and
Christian theism in particular—for some time. The so-called “problem of evil”
has been the subject of various arguments by atheists in an attempt to
demonstrate that a God who is good simply cannot exist. By implying that God
must be the creator of evil, God’s holy character has been called into question.
There have been many arguments used to indict God as the cause of evil. Here is
one of them:
1) God is the creator of everything that exists.
2) Evil exists.
3) Therefore, God is the creator of evil.
The logic of this syllogism is sound. The conclusion follows logically from the
premises. But does this syllogism demonstrate that God is the creator of evil?
The problem with this argument is its second premise, that evil is something.
For evil is not a thing; it is a lack or privation of a good thing that God
made. As Christian philosopher J. P. Moreland has noted, “Evil is a lack of
goodness. It is goodness spoiled. You can have good without evil, but you cannot
have evil without good.”
Goodness has existed as an attribute of God from all eternity. While God is
perfectly holy and just, He is also perfectly good. Just as God has always
existed, so too has goodness as it is a facet of God’s holy character. The same
cannot be said for evil. Evil came into being with the rebellion of Satan and
subsequently entered the physical universe with the fall of Adam. As Christian
apologist Greg Koukl has said, “Human freedom was used in such a way as to
diminish goodness in the world, and that diminution, that lack of goodness, that
is what we call evil.” When God created Adam, He created him good, and He also
created him free.
However, in creating Adam free, God indirectly created the possibility of evil,
while not creating evil itself. When Adam chose to disobey God, he made this
possibility a reality. The same scenario had previously played out when Satan
fell by failing to serve and obey God. So it turns out that evil is not a direct
creation of God; rather, evil is the result of persons (both angelic and human)
exercising their freedom wrongly.
While evil is certainly real, it is important to recognize that evil does not
have existence in and of itself. Rather, it only exists as a privation (or a
parasite) on the good. It exists in the same way that a wound exists on an arm
or as rust exists on a car. The rust cannot exist on its own any more than cold
can exist without the existence of heat or darkness can exist without the
existence of light.
Despite the horrible effects of evil on our world, the Christian believer can
take comfort in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ recorded for us in the Gospel
of John, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In
this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”
(John 16:33). More importantly, we look forward with great anticipation to our
home in heaven where the ultimate evil, death, will finally be destroyed along
with the “mourning, crying and pain” which it inevitably produces (Revelation
21:4).
Recommended Resource: If God, Why Evil?: A New Way to Think about the Question
by Norm Geisler
GotQuestions.org
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published on July 20-21/16
IDF bombardment of Hezbollah during
Second Lebanon War/Ynetnews/Yoav Zitun/July 20/16
Abstracts from an article by Asaad
Al Bosari on “El Arab” Jul 18/2016/LCCC/July 20/16
The Two Faces of Al Azhar/Raymond Ibrahim/ Coptic Solidarity/July 20/16
Hizbullah-Affiliated Lebanese Daily, Al-Akhbar, Attacks New U.S. Ambassador To
Lebanon: She Speaks Insolently And Arrogantly, Brandishes A Big Stick Even
Before Arriving In The Country/MEMRI/July 20/16
Audio/Walid Phares,Trump adviser to i24news: Trump presidency would tackle IS,
foster Mideast peace/i24news/July 20/16
Why I Rooted for the Turkish Coup Attempt/Daniel Pipes/National Review
Online/July 20/16
Saudis Announce a Turn Away from Wahhabi Cultural Vandalism/Stephen Schwartz/The
Weekly Standard/July 20/16
Turkey's Absurd Coup/Burak Bekdil/Hürriyet Daily News/July 20/16
The right way to ‘dry up’ the sources of terror/Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/July
20/16
Will Turkey boycott the West/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/July 20/16
Enough condolences! Terrorism requires global solutions/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al
Arabiya/July 20/16
Why are others still accusing Saudi Arabia despite 9/11 report/Turki Aldakhil/Al
Arabiya/July 20/16
Is Israel More Accepted in the Middle East/A briefing by Efraim Inbar /Middle
East Forum/July 20, 2016
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on
July 20-21/16
Captive Hizbullah Fighter Appears in
Nusra Front Video
IDF bombardment of Hezbollah during Second Lebanon War
Report: IAF attacks Syrian target
Hizbullah-Mustaqbal Dialogue Backs Army's Fight Against Terrorism
Hammoud Permits Prosecution of ISF Members over Illegal Internet after Basbous'
Refusal
Salam Heads Delegation to Arab Summit Next Week
Lebanon Gives Teeth to Big Cat Protection Efforts
Hizbullah Slams Syria Rebels Beheading of Boy as 'Disgusting Crime'
Gunshots Hit Israeli Post near Lebanon Border
Hizbullah Destroys Nusra Military Vehicle in Arsal Outskirts
Kahwagi receives Dutch Ambassador
Harb: 4G across Lebanon by end of year
Salam receives Ambassador of Azerbaijan, MP Jisr
Environment Minister Mohamad Machnouk: Lebanon's biodiversity threatened
Sentencing hearing in case against Mr Ibrahim Al Amin, Akhbar Beirut S.A.L
scheduled for 29 August 2016
Kataeb leader tackles bilateral ties with Armenian Ambassador
Pharaon visits Salam, pushes for bolstering state existence in Qaa
Lazzarini tours Hermel: For supporting local councils in addressing Syrian
refugee burdens
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 20-21/16
Iran left with no choice but to
confront the US, official warns
Obama pledges US help to Erdogan in probing coup attempt
Erdogan foe Gulen urges US to reject extradition bid
Turkey bans academics from work trips abroad
Turkey Launches First Air Strikes on PKK in Iraq Since Coup
Three French soldiers killed in Libya
UN: ISIS faces possible defeat in Libya
John Kerry to meet Mahmoud Abbas as part of global tour
US approves $785 million bomb sale to UAE ally against ISIS
GCC-EU agree on joint efforts to tackle regional challenges
French Lawmakers Vote to Extend State of Emergency
Israel Parliament Passes Controversial Law on MP Expulsion
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince arrives in US for anti-ISIS talks
Senator Chuck Schumer: set the Iranian people free from this "awful regime"
Senator Robert Torricelli: ‘Free Iran’ rally an historic moment
Rep. Tom McClintock: The Iranian people will prevail in their fight for
democracy
Sen. John Boozman: The US is committed to a democratic Iran
Canada pledges humanitarian and stabilization support for Iraq
Links From Jihad Watch Site for
July 20-21/16
Iran’s Parliament Speaker: Iran left with no choice but to
confront US
Saudi Arabia revives a 15-year-old anti-Pokemon fatwa
Germany: Sikh temple blown up by Islamic State jihadis “not terrorism”
Europe waking up, now turning to Israeli technology for ways to stop lone-wolf
jihadis
Deradicalized’ Islamic State jihadists producing terror propaganda videos in
Germany
US-backed Syrian “rebels” screaming “Allahu akbar” behead small boy as “spy”
Saudi government funded jihad teaching in US mosques
Robert Spencer in PJ Media: Not Just the Saudis: Iran’s Huge Role in 9/11 Also
Covered Up
Morocco: Muslims publishing photos of women in bikinis, threatening them
Mali: Jihadis attack army base, murder 17 soldiers, wound 35
Video: Robert Spencer exposes CAIR’s cynical and deceptive “Islamophobin”
campaign
Germany: Muslim migrant who stabbed non-Muslims urged Muslims to
murder apostates; authorities search for motive
July 20-21/16
Captive Hizbullah Fighter Appears in
Nusra Front Video
Naharnet/July 20/16/A
captive Lebanese Hizbullah fighter has appeared in a video released by al-Nusra
Front, al-Qaida's Syria branch, a monitor said on Wednesday. “The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights has received a copy of a video showing regime
forces and allied fighters who were captured days ago at the al-Safa checkpoint
in the outskirts of Rankous in the western Qalamoun region,” the Observatory
said. The video shows four captives, including the Lebanese Hizbullah fighter,
knowing that fourteen combatants were apprehended by al-Nusra, the monitor
added. The Observatory did not mention the name of the Hizbullah captive in its
statement. In the video, the captives urge the Syrian army and its allies not to
enter the towns of Hureira and Ifra in Wadi Barada or else the hostages would be
“killed.”The Observatory also noted that warplanes and Syrian army forces had
shelled Hureira, Ifra and other Wadi Barada areas on Wednesday, amid clashes
between regime forces, backed by allied militants, and rebel and Islamist
groups. Al-Safa checkpoint separates between Rankous' western outskirts and the
peripheries of the Barada Valley, according to media reports. The Observatory
reported on July 7 that Islamist rebels and jihadists from al-Nusra Front had
seized control of the checkpoint and captured armored vehicles and ammunition
belonging to the regime forces and Hizbullah. It also reported casualties on
both sides, including four Islamist rebels and jihadists. Hizbullah's
intervention in the Syrian conflict alongside regime forces has helped Damascus
achieve several military victories and allowed the party to clear most of the
Lebanese-Syrian border region from rebels and jihadists. Since 2013, the
Lebanese, Iran-backed party has sent thousands of combatants -- between 5,000
and 6,000, according to the expert on Hizbullah Waddah Sharara -- to help the
regime fight both rebels and jihadists. They send 2,000 fighters at a time in
rotation, Sharara says. Experts say Hizbullah has lost 1,000 to 2,000 fighters
in the conflict, including senior commanders.
IDF bombardment of Hezbollah
during Second Lebanon War
Ynetnews/Yoav Zitun/July 20/16
Thirty-four minutes were all it took for about 40 Israel Air Force (IAF) fighter
jets and drones to deliver Israel's opening punch to Hezbollah in what later
became the Second Lebanon War. The planes made a night landing in Israel
following the attack and were readied for their next missions. For some of the
pilots involved, this was their first flight above Lebanese territory, which had
rarely been entered by Israeli aircraft since the country's withdrawal from
Southern Lebanon in 2000.
IDF analysts inspected the results the next day: Hundreds of rockets destroyed,
along with 44 Iran-made Fajr types 3 and 5 rockets and Zilzal rocket launchers
possessing medium-to-long ranges, which could have reached all the way to
Israel's Sharon region and the outskirts of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area (Gush
Dan). Hezbollah's strategic weapons were taken away less than an hour after IDF
reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were kidnapped by the Lebanese
Shi'ite terror organization.
This concentrated strike on Hezbollah was based on years of contingency
planning, which cost tens of millions of dollars. The Mossad was involved in
preparations, which were classified even inside IDF ranks due to their sensitive
nature.
The results astonished IDF officials, some of whom advised against the actions,
fearing that they would result in 200-300 civilian deaths and damage Israel's
legitimacy in fighting Hezbollah. In reality, about 20 civilians died in the
strikes.
The strikes, codenamed Operation Specific Gravity, also had negative
consequences for Israel. It created the feeling that the IAF could do most of
the IDF's work in the war against Hezbollah. This line of thinking was not
limited to Dan Halutz—still the only IDF chief of staff to ever come out of the
Air Force—who opposed a ground offensive. Then-prime minister Ehud Olmert and
defense minister Amir Peretz agreed with Halutz.
Overconfidence in the IAF's capabilities on its own comes up in nearly all
background briefings done by IDF ground combat officers. "Only fighters on the
ground, sent quickly to locate and dismantle Hezbollah's weapons caches, will
bring about achievements and decisive wins," officials in the IDF Tank and
Infantry Corps say.
Just like in training
"I hesitate to define it as a too-successful operation," said then-Valley
Squadron commander and current Head of the IAF Air Division, Brig. Gen. Nir
Barkan. "It was a successful operation, and if it hadn't been, then the war
would have looked different, especially in its first few days—the blows we
suffered would have been much tougher."
Not long after the initial reports about the incident in which Hezbollah
abducted Goldwasser and Regev, four fighter jet formations from the Valley
Squadron were launched, with Barkan piloting one of the planes. "We struck
structure that we believed to have been used to abduct the soldiers," he
recounted. "When I came back to base, I found the squadron in a totally
difference state – a state of war. (They were) arming the planes with bombs and
(fuel tanks). We realized that the war had begun."
During his years of preparing for Operation Specific Gravity, Barkan doubted it
would ever take place. "After all, we had left Lebanon and there were almost no
confrontations on the border," he said recently, "but that same afternoon I got
an order to prepare for the operation, and at night dozens of fighter jets took
off from the bases. The distance between planes was small. The execution itself
wasn't difficult, and we acted skillfully and according to plan. After we landed
back, people said it was exactly according to operative training."
A bomb every minute
Major Sagi, a reservist pilot in the Valley Squadron, was called up for the
operation. "We divided Southern Lebanon to two areas – north and south. I was
part of the first pair (of planes) to strike. We dropped a bomb every minute. I
remember how we flew quietly. We took off at about 11pm, a plane armada, each on
their own course. We dropped two one-ton bombs, and everything worked perfectly.
In these operations, if there's a problem, the entire operation goes wrong, and
you see it immediately. That didn’t happen. We quickly knew that the operation
had succeeded."
Weeks later, there was disappointment in the high ranks of the IDF over the fact
that Specific Gravity was not sufficiently publicized, as it could have been
seen as a "big win" moment for Israel during the war—a morale booster for a
nation that felt as if it had not won a decisive-enough victory against
Hezbollah.
Lt. Col. A., an Air Force intelligence officer, was one of the people in charge
of planning Specific Gravity. According to him, "The main dilemma then was the
(potential) harm to non-involved people, which is why we recommended different
strata of action, and the political leadership chose the maximal stratum. We
could not simply call up planes back then and give them targets and mission
updates, because of the lessons learned from previous wars. We operated
according to a perception of a minimal amount of bombs for maximal effect."
Hezbollah's arms caches were dispersed between Southern Lebanon villages, some
in open areas and others near or even inside residential buildings. This led to
the Israeli decision to use "surgical" tools, which could hit targets with an
accuracy radius of just a few meters.
Bombings later during the war were not always as successful as those of
Operation Specific Gravity. "The element of surprise can be used to a limited
extent," explained Brig. Gen. Barkan. "You can't keep surprising (the enemy) for
33 days. Were we to try that (flight operation) after two days or ten days, the
level of success would not have been similar. These days, our intelligence
capabilities are improved and our rate of attack capabilities is much higher. On
the other hand, the other side also hasn't stayed put, which will require us to
handle absorption (of attacks) and fighting under fire."
Despite the fairly quiet decade on Israel's northern front since that war, which
has, over the years, mitigated the notion that it was a failed effort, Barkan
advises Israelis not to jump to any conclusions about Hezbollah's level of
deterrence. The long-term perspective, he says, is not achieved in ten years
Report: IAF attacks Syrian target
Ynetnews/Roi Kais|Published: 20.07.16/A German report quoted a Syrian security
official claiming an Israeli jet attacked positions in the Golan Wednesday,
killing one and injuring others; Hezbollah denies the veracity of report,
positing that explosion was caused by al-Qaeda in Syria. An Israeli jet launched
missiles at a military checkpost in the Quneitra Governorate in the Golan on
Wednesday morning, according to a senior Syrian security official quoted by a
German news agency. The report claimed that the attack resulted in the death of
a civilian who crossed the border by mistake and the wounding of three more
Syrian soldiers. The Lebanese Hezbollah-affiliated satellite television station,
Al-Manar however, quoted officials denying that the the attack was carried out
by the Israel Air Force (IAF). According to the station, Jabhat al-Nusra (the
al-Nusra Front) - the al-Qaeda branch in Syria - launched two rockets from
villages near the border killing civilians in the process. The same officials
claimed that the Israeli military was monitoring the points from where the
rockets were launched. According to the reports published in media outlets
identifying with Hezbollah, the Syrian army retaliated by destroying a vehicle
which launched the rockets belonging to the al-Nusra Front. An official from the
opposition uploaded to the internet a picture of smoke rising from a building in
Quneitra seemingly damaged by the alleged attack. The Syrian regime has yet to
publish any response on the matter. The Monitoring Center for Syrian Human
Rights have stated that it is not yet clear as to what caused the explosion and
whether it emanated from rebel forces or Israeli jets.They added that they were
unsure as to whether the explosion had inflicted any deaths. On Wednesday
morning an Israeli soldier was wounded at a checkpost in the Galilee from
shrapnel wounds caused by unidentified gunfire, prompting the arrival of an
emergency alert team. Military officials said that the soldier was not evacuated
to the hospital and the area was swiftly returned to normality. On Sunday an
alarm was sounded in communities located in the Golan after an unmanned aircraft
was detected over Israeli territory. Following the detection, two missiles were
launched by Israel from the Galilee. No strike was recorded and the aircraft
likely returned to Syria. Following the incident IAF fighter jets were called to
the area.
Hizbullah-Mustaqbal Dialogue Backs Army's Fight Against
Terrorism
Naharnet/July 20/16/The 29th dialogue session between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal
Movement was held in Ain al-Tineh Tuesday evening where the interlocutors
stressed support to the Lebanese army and security apparatuses in their fight
against terrorism, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday. The session was
held in the presence of Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's advisor Hajj
Hussein Khalil, Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan, MP Hassan Fadlallah, Finance
Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, adviser of the Mustaqbal Movement leader Nader
Hariri, Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and MP Samir al-Jisr.
A statement issued after the meeting said that discussions highlighted the
latest political developments and expressed strong condemnation of all forms of
terrorist acts. It reiterated support to the role of the army and security
services in their efforts to confront these acts.
Lately, the army was able to thwart the attempts of terror cells to carry out
bombings in densely populated areas in Lebanon. Furthermore, the gatherers
stressed the need to reactivate the work of the constitutional institutions
particularly the parliament.
Hammoud Permits Prosecution of ISF Members over Illegal Internet after Basbous'
Refusal
Naharnet/July 20/16/State Prosecutor Samir Hammoud gave the permission to
prosecute officers and members of the Internal Security Forces who are
considered suspects in the illegal internet file that rose to the spotlight in
March, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday. The suspects could be found
involved in the illegal entry of equipment that was used in installing internet
stations in some mountainous terrains. Hammoud's orders came after Internal
Security Forces chief Maj. Gen.Ibrahim Basbous refused earlier to give an
approval to question ISF members, reportedly saying that the necessary
investigations in the file were run and none of the said members turned out to
be involved, said the daily. Sources that took part in Tuesday's meeting of the
ministerial committee tasked with following up on the file told the daily: “We
have discussed some measures to speed up and widen the scope of investigations.”
The committee focused on “finding out the ways that were used to move the
electronic equipment to the locations were the networks were first installed,
and uncover the identity of potentially involved security and customs
members.”The committee met to discuss the illegal network file that it unveiled
in March when it said that a “mafia” is taking advantage of illicit internet
services by installing internet stations that are not subject to state control.
The owners of these stations are buying international internet bandwidth with
nominal cost from Turkey and Cyprus which they are selling back to Lebanese
subscribers at reduced prices, reports have said. It has been reported that
wireless internet towers and technical equipment were placed illegally in some
mountainous terrains including Tannourine, al-Dinnieh, Sannine and al-Zaarour.
Smuggled internet services initiate risks namely the possibility of security
breach as it lacks the basic control standards exposing Lebanon's security to
third parties including Israel.
Salam Heads Delegation to Arab Summit Next Week
Naharnet/July 20/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam will travel over the weekend to
Mauritania to take part in the Arab Summit which is set to begin early next
week, al-Liwaa daily reported on Wednesday. At the summit, which will be held on
July 26 and 27, Salam is expected to deliver a speech that will touch on the
latest developments mainly the difficulties and problems experienced in the
region. Salam will travel on Sunday on head of a delegation comprised of
Ministers of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil, Foreign Jebran Bassil, Health Wael Abou
Faour and Social Affairs Rashid Derbas. The daily added that the delegation will
land in Morocco first before heading to Mauritania Monday morning where it will
spend one day.Mauritania is going to host the 27th annual Arab Summit meeting
after Morocco apologized for hosting it. The host country for the annual Arab
Summit is usually decided upon by alphabetical order of member countries. Egypt
has hosted the event in 2015.The talks are expected to shed light on the
humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Libya, Iraq and
Palestine, reports said.
Lebanon Gives Teeth to Big Cat Protection Efforts
Naharnet/July 20/16/The death of a baby lion cub kept as a pet in Lebanon has
inspired a major government-backed campaign to halt mistreatment and trafficking
of big cats in the country. One-year-old Queen was severely malnourished and had
broken two of her legs trying to jump off a couch when she was rescued by rights
group Animals Lebanon. Footage produced by the NGO showed the nearly-motionless
baby lioness lying on her side and breathing heavily as volunteers tried to feed
her and inject medicine. She died four days later, and serves as "an epic
example of why people should not be owning lion cubs or big cats as pets in
their homes," Animal Lebanon's president Lana el-Khalil said Wednesday launching
the new protection measures."The outcome is predictable -- pain, suffering, and
death."In a bid to tackle the problem, the Lebanese government announced new
measures including a decree to stop the trafficking of exotic animals and force
zoos to register formally. Animals Lebanon says dozens of tigers, cougars, and
even snow leopards are locked in cramped cages, forced to perform in local
circuses, and paraded by wealthy individuals as status symbols across the
country. "They are either being bred and sold in local zoos here or are being
smuggled across the border from Syria," Khalil said. The trade is big business,
with a lion cub from informal zoos in Syria now going for $10,000 (9000 euros),
double what they cost in 2008, the NGO said. Khalil said the new initiative with
the agriculture ministry was the "last chance" to bring an end to the abuse of
big cats.
Status symbols
The initiative bans the keeping of big cats, forces regulation of zoos, and
seeks to rescue animals living in poor conditions. As part of the efforts,
Animals Lebanon has pledged to shelter any rescued animals until they can be
moved to sanctuaries around the world.Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb
pledged to use "all legal means to seize any animals from traffickers or
unlicensed shops.""These animals don't belong in a cage or in a home as a symbol
of power or personal wealth," Shehayyeb added. At present, Lebanon's animal
welfare laws are both outdated and rarely enforced, with maximum fines for
cruelty amounting to around $15. In 2013, authorities committed to international
treaties to halt the trade of endangered species -- including birds and
chimpanzees -- via Lebanese territory. Activists hope that with the latest
ministerial decree in hand, they can put an end to private ownership of at-risk
animals too. Animals Lebanon executive director Jason Mier said the decree would
give Lebanon's zoos -- none of which are formally registered with the government
-- 15 days to get licensed before legal action is taken. "Zoos here are
essentially just a collection of animals. There is no conservation or education
value whatsoever," Mier told AFP. Khalil said the new ministerial decree was a
"fast track" option, while a more comprehensive draft law on animal protection
is stalled in Lebanon's paralyzed parliament. The law, which includes 80
individual articles on animal welfare, was approved by the Lebanese cabinet last
year but has yet to come into force.
Hizbullah Slams Syria Rebels
Beheading of Boy as 'Disgusting Crime'
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/Naharnet/July 20/16/Hizbullah on Wednesday
lashed out at Syria's rebel groups after a video circulated on social media
showed rebel fighters from the Nurredin Zinki group beheading a young boy after
capturing him north of Syria's second city Aleppo.In a statement issued in
Lebanon, Hizbullah, whose fighters are assisting Syrian regime forces against
rebels and jihadists, described the decapitation as a "disgusting crime" by
"so-called moderate rebels backed by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia."Residents in
rebel-held areas said the beheading tarnished the name of the opposition, and at
an Aleppo mosque on Tuesday night, Imam Mohamed Badawi railed against the
killing. "This is the work of criminals, and is forbidden in Islam," he told the
congregation gathered for sunset prayers. The boy was decapitated by members of
the Nureddin Zinki rebel group on the back of a pick-up truck on a public road
in Aleppo's opposition-controlled al-Mashhad neighborhood.In the grisly footage,
rebels accused the boy of fighting with a pro-regime Palestinian faction known
as the al-Quds Brigade and said he was captured during fighting north of Aleppo
city. But the al-Quds Brigade issued a statement denying the boy was a member,
and describing him as an ordinary 12-year-old Palestinian refugee. The Nureddin
Zinki group condemned the act as a "violation" in a statement on Tuesday,
describing it as an "individual mistake that does not represent the general
policy of the group."The organization said it had detained those involved in the
murder and set up a judicial committee to investigate the incident and issue a
verdict as soon as possible. The killing was also condemned by the opposition
Syrian National Coalition, which expressed "shock at the horrific scenes" and
urged the faction to follow through on its pledge to investigate and punish the
perpetrators.
Gunshots Hit Israeli Post near Lebanon Border
Naharnet/July 20/16/Gunshots were fired Wednesday at an Israeli army post in
Metulla near the border with Lebanon, the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted the
Israeli military as saying. There were no direct injuries from the gunfire.
However, according to initial Israeli army assessments, shrapnel ricocheted off
the dog tag of a soldier guarding the post that came under fire, the daily said.
“A bullet from the shooting struck the position, causing a piece of shrapnel
from the army post to fly into the air, striking the dog tag,” it said. Military
medics at the post examined the soldier and found him unharmed. The soldier was
not taken to hospital as a result. It was unclear if a single shot or multiple
shots were fired in the incident. The Israeli army said the source of the
gunfire has yet to be determined and that it was investigating whether the
firing was deliberate or stray.
Hizbullah Destroys Nusra Military Vehicle in Arsal
Outskirts
Naharnet/July 20/16/Hizbullah fighters have reportedly destroyed a bulldozer of
the al-Qaida linked al-Nusra Front in the outskirts of the northeastern border
town of Arsal, the party's media said on twitter. The military vehicle was
carrying out reinforcements in the area of Wadi al-Khayl when the fighters
destroyed it. Militants from Nusra and the Islamic State group are entrenched in
rugged mountains along the Lebanese-Syrian border and the Lebanese army
regularly shells their positions while Hizbullah and the Syrian army have
engaged in clashes with them on the Syrian side of the border. The two groups
overran the town of Arsal in 2014 and engaged in deadly battles with the
Lebanese army for several days. The retreating militants abducted around 35
troops and policemen of whom four have been executed and nine remain in
captivity.
Kahwagi receives Dutch Ambassador
Wed 20 Jul 2016/NNA - Lebanese Army Chief, General Jean Kahwagi, on Wednesday
received in Yarze Dutch Ambassador, Hester Simpson, accompanied by a Dutch team
for the program relevant to supporting forensic in Lebanon headed by Attorney
Denise Abboud. Talks focused on the objectives of the program and the phases of
its implementation. Separately, Kahwagi received Austrian military attache who
came on a farewell visit.
Harb: 4G across Lebanon by end of year
Wed 20 Jul 2016/NNA - Minister of Telecommunications Boutros Harb held a press
conference on Wednesday whereby he displayed the first stage of providing 4G
mobile internet service in the country. "The service will be launched end of
December and it will cover all Lebanese regions," he pledged. "The micro optics
project will provide fast internet. We have received people's complaints and we
are working on fixing the flaws. We have a development plan in progress and
those who seek to hamper our work should bear the consequences," Harb said.
"Some seek the extension of cellular companies' contracts without any
modification, and even without tenders herein. We are willing to expose all the
previous practices if cellular sector tenders continue to be disrupted in a bid
to prevent progress and hinder the introduction of new companies," Harb
explained in his conference.
Salam receives Ambassador of Azerbaijan, MP Jisr
Wed 20 Jul 2016/NNA - PM Tammam Salam on Wednesday received at the Grand Serail
Ambassador of Azerbaijan, Agha Salem Shakrov, and discussed with him bilateral
ties and means of boosting them. Afterwards, Salam received MP Samir Jisr and
discussed with him general affairs and some developmental projects relevant to
Tripoli. Amongst Salam's visitors had been Hamas Movement senior Moussa Abu
Marzouk.
Environment Minister Mohamad Machnouk: Lebanon's biodiversity threatened
Wed 20 Jul 2016/NNA - Environment Minister Mohamad Machnouk sponsored on
Wednesday the inauguration of the national strategy and workplan for
biodiversity held at Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut in the presence of an audience of
ranking figures and environment experts. In his word, Minister Machnouk stressed
that "Lebanon's vision for sustainable biodiversity has been set for
2030."However, he noted that biodiversity is threatened in Lebanon and is
deteriorating due to a plurality of factors including, "careers, pollution, land
subsidence, poor sanitation pipes, deforestation and the influx of Syrian
refugees."
Sentencing hearing in case against Mr Ibrahim Al Amin, Akhbar Beirut S.A.L
scheduled for 29 August 2016
Wed 20 Jul 2016/NNA - The Contempt Judge at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,
Nicola Lettieri, has scheduled a sentencing hearing in the contempt case against
Mr Ibrahim Mohamed Ali Al Amin and Akhbar Beirut S.A.L (STL 14-06) for Monday 29
August 2016. Judge Lettieri invited the Accused to attend the hearing. The
public hearing will commence at 11:00 (CET) and will be broadcast on the STL
website with a 30-minute delay. Both the Amicus Curiae Prosecutor (Amicus) and
the Defence will have 30 minutes for the presentation of their arguments on
sentencing, starting with the Amicus. They will then have a further 15 minutes
to respond to the opposing Party's submissions. The Contempt Judge will
pronounce his decision on sentencing at 15:00 of the same day. Accreditation is
required for all members of the media who wish to cover the hearing from the
STL’s media centre. Please fill out the accreditation form online by Friday, 19
August 2016, at 16:00 (CET). According to the STL Rules of Procedure and
Evidence, the maximum penalty that can be imposed on a person found guilty of
contempt shall be a term of imprisonment not exceeding seven years, or a fine
not exceeding €100,000, or both. The sentencing hearing follows the Judgment
delivered on 15 July 2016 in which Judge Lettieri found both Accused guilty of
the sole count as set out in the Order in Lieu of an Indictment for knowingly
and wilfully interfering with the administration of justice by publishing
information on purported confidential witnesses in the Ayyash et al. case,
thereby undermining public confidence in the Tribunal's ability to protect the
confidentiality of information about, or provided, by witnesses or potential
witnesses.
Kataeb leader tackles bilateral ties with Armenian Ambassador
Wed 20 Jul 2016/NNA - Kataeb Party leader, Sami Gemayel, met on Wednesday with
Armenian Ambassador to Lebanon, Samuel Mkrtchyan, with talks between the pair
reportedly touching on the best means to boost bilateral ties between Lebanon
and Armenia at all levels. "The meeting was very fruitful at the level of
exchanging viewpoints over issues that form common interests between both
countries at the levels of tourism, economy, and trade," the Armenian diplomat
said in the wake of the meeting.He concluded by lauding the role that
Lebanese-Armenians play in Lebanon at different levels.
Pharaon visits Salam, pushes for bolstering state
existence in Qaa
Wed 20 Jul 2016/NNA - Prime Minister, Tammam Salam, received on Wednesday
Tourism Minister, Michel Pharaon, who visited him in the company of Al-Qaa
municipal and mukhtar delegation, who tackled with the Premiere the situation in
Qaa and the best means to boost the steadfastness of the region's locals. "The
visit has been an occasion to thank his excellency for following up on Al-Qaa
developments in the wake of the shock that rocked the region and the pain that
still accompanies its residents," the Minister said in the wake of the meeting.
He expressed deep belief in state responsibility handling the looming worries in
Qaa.
"The state should perform swift action to ensure the rights of Al-Qaa residents
and to bolster the state existence," the Minister added.
Lazzarini tours Hermel: For supporting local
councils in addressing Syrian refugee burdens
Wed 20 Jul 2016/NNA - UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator, Philippe Lazzarini,
visited on Wednesday the city of Hermel, accompanied by the Supreme European
Commissioner Coordinator for Refugees Affairs, Paul Sawaya, and representatives
of UNICEF and UNDP. Upon arrival in Hermel, a meeting took place at the
municipality headquarters, in the presence of Municipality head, Sbhi Saqr. In
his delivered word, Lazzarini hailed the city's hospitality in hosting Syrian
refugees, beseeching the international community to support Lebanon's local
councils to ease the burdens of the influx of Syrian refugees. Lazzarini said
that their support to the Syrian refugees is provisional, since refugees'
presence in Lebanon is temporary pending a political solution in Syria that
paves the way for their return to their homeland. Later, the delegation moved to
the Ministry of Social Affairs' Center in Hermel, whereby they toured its
various sections and listened to their stringent needs. The delegation then
visited the site of the solar energy project designed to drag water from al-Asi
River to irrigate an area of lands and a nature reserve project.
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Iran left with no choice but
to confront the US, official warns
Jerusalem Post/July 20/16/Iran is left with no choice but to confront the US,
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani warned Wednesday. Iran's Press TV quoted
Larijani as issuing the warning in light of legislation proposed by US opponents
to the Iran nuclear deal to further sanction the Islamic Republic and the UN's
first bi-annual report on the deal's implementation released earlier this week
which suggested that Iran was not following "the spirit of the deal." "Majlis
(Iranian Parliament), utterly regretting the UN chief’s move, is warning the US
administration and its House of Representatives and Senate that injurious
measures against the nuclear agreement have reached such a point that there is
no way left for Iran but to counteract,” Larijani stated. Discussing Ban's
report, Larijani said, "On the one hand, the Secretary General says in his
report that Iran’s commitment is encouraging, and on the other, he makes no
reference to Iran’s concerns and complaints about the non-implementation of all
of the P5+1’s obligations.” The Iranian parliament speaker accused Ban of a
one-sided approach, asking, "Had the Secretary General been tasked with
producing a report on both side’s fulfillment of their obligations or is he the
P5+1’s monitor in this?"In calling out Iran, the UN report specifically
mentioned the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile tests which contravened a UN
Security Council Resolution. Larijani countered that the nuclear agreement
itself, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), makes no
mention of Iran's ballistic missiles and the resolution in question, UN
Resolution 2231, and only orders Iran not to design ballistic missiles capable
of carrying nuclear warheads. “Has Iran designed any such thing? Why would the
UN chief then declare that the spirit of the JCPOA has been violated?" Press TV
quoted Larijani as asking.
Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi warned Wednesday that if US-led parties
continue to disrespect the nuclear deal, Iran has the capabilities to resume
uranium enrichment at even a higher level than before the agreement. "We can go
to better conditions compared with the past as quickly as possible,"Salehi was
quoted as saying by Iran's Fars News Agency. "Of course, this will happen if the
other side violates the nuclear deal and this violation will be confirmed by the
board (in Iran) which supervises (implementation of) the nuclear deal." he
added.
Obama pledges US help to
Erdogan in probing coup attempt
AFP, Washington Wednesday, 20 July 2016/US President Barack Obama on Tuesday
pledged US assistance to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the
investigation into last week’s attempted coup, the White House said. During a
phone call, Obama “strongly condemned” the violent uprising and “urged that the
investigations and prosecution of the coup’s perpetrators be conducted in ways
that reinforce public confidence in democratic institutions and the rule of
law,” it said in a statement. Obama “lauded the Turkish people’s resolve against
this violent intervention and their commitment to democracy,” the White House
said. “President Obama made clear that the United States is willing to provide
appropriate assistance to Turkish authorities investigating the attempted
coup.”Turkey has launched a massive post-coup purge. The crackdown on military,
police and the judiciary has now widened to include the media and schools.
Thousands have been detained. The statement did not say whether Obama discussed
with Erdogan Turkey’s request to extradite US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah
Gulen, Erdogan’s bitter foe who the Turkish government alleges was linked to the
coup attempt. Turkish authorities earlier on Tuesday scrapped all TV and radio
station licenses linked to what they called the “Fethullah Terrorist
Organisation,” the government’s derogatory name for the Gulen movement. Last
week’s coup bid was the most serious threat to Erdogan since he took power first
as prime minister in 2003, and saw rebel troops close down bridges in Istanbul,
parliament bombed from the sky and protesters shot in the streets. It has raised
deep concerns about the stability of the strategic NATO partner, which has a key
air base used in the US-led fight against the ISIS group that has a large
nuclear weapons stockpile.
Erdogan foe Gulen urges US to
reject extradition bid
AFP, Washington Wednesday, 20 July 2016/US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen urged
Washington to reject Turkey’s efforts to extradite him and rejected as
“ridiculous” the claim he was behind the past week’s coup attempt. “Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today once again demonstrated he will go to any
length necessary to solidify his power and persecute his critics,” Gulen said in
a statement. “I urge the US government to reject any effort to abuse the
extradition process to carry out political vendettas.”Gulen, who has lived in
self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, denies any involvement in
the putsch. “It is ridiculous, irresponsible and false to suggest I had anything
to do with the horrific failed coup,” he reiterated in the statement. Gulen is
the spiritual leader of the Hizmet movement, which promotes moderate Islam
across dozens of countries and is dubbed a terrorist group by the Turkish
government.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Tuesday that his government had
sent four files to the United States in a bid to secure the extradition of a man
Ankara brands a “traitor.” The White House said President Barack Obama discussed
the extradition request during a phone call with Erdogan Tuesday, during which
he pledged US assistance in investigating the coup attempt. White House
spokesman Josh Earnest said the documents were being reviewed in light of the
three-decade old extradition treaty that exists between the United States and
Turkey. He also stressed that the cleric is entitled to certain rights by law.
Turkey bans academics from
work trips abroad
AFP, Istanbul Wednesday, 20 July 2016/Turkey’s higher education council has
banned academics from work trips abroad and urged those overseas to quickly
return home, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday. Turkey has
widened its massive post-coup purge from the military and police to the
education sector to root out supporters of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom
it accuses of orchestrating the attempted putsch. The council asked university
rectors to “urgently examine the situation of all academic and administrative
personnel linked with FETO” - or the “Fethullah Terrorist Organization”, as it
labels Gulen’s supporters - and report back by August 5. It also told
universities that academics who are already abroad on work or study missions
should return home “within the shortest possible time.” On Tuesday, the
government suspended 15,200 state education employees and demanded the
resignation of almost 1,600 deans from private and state universities over
alleged links to Gulen. Gulen lives in Pennsylvania but retains vast interests
in Turkey ranging from media to finance to schools and wields influence in
various apparatus including the judiciary and police.
Turkey Launches First Air Strikes on PKK in Iraq Since Coup
Naharnet/July 20/16/Agence France Presse/ The Turkish armed forces have carried
out their first air strikes against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq since
last week's coup attempt, killing 20 fighters, state media reported Wednesday.
F-16 fighter jets late Tuesday hit targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) in the Hakurk region of northern Iraq, said the state-run Anadolu
news agency, quoting security sources. Former Turkish air force chief General
Akin Ozturk, 25 other ex-generals and many soldiers have been arrested,
suspected of planning last Friday's coup, in which rebel troops used jets and
tanks to try to overthrow the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Wednesday marks the first anniversary of the resumption of fighting between
Turkish security forces and the PKK after a largely successful two-and-a-half
year truce. The ceasefire had sparked hopes of a final peace deal to end
Turkey’s three-decade conflict with the PKK. Instead, the PKK has returned to
routine attacks on security forces, who have hit back with relentless operations
in Turkish urban centers and air raids in the mountains of southeast Turkey and
PKK bases in northern Iraq.
Three French soldiers killed
in Libya
Reuters, Paris Wednesday, 20 July 2016/President Francois Hollande said on
Wednesday three French soldiers were killed in a helicopter accident in Libya
during an intelligence gathering mission in the North African state. "At this
moment we are carrying out dangerous intelligence operations (in Libya),"
Hollande said in a speech. "Three of our soldiers, who were involved in these
operations, have been killed in a helicopter accident." They are the first
confirmed Western military casualties since it became known this year that
special forces were operating on the ground in Libya, although the ministry did
not say if the dead were part of those operations. “Defense Minister Jean-Yves
Le Drian deplores the death of three non-commissioned officers while operating
in Libya,” the ministry said. “He lauds the bravery and devotion of French
military personnel who each day are carrying out dangerous missions against
terrorists,” he said. Paris took a leading role in the NATO air campaign that
helped rebels overthrow Muammar Qaddafi in 2011 and French aircraft have since
December been conducting reconnaissance flights. Earlier this year, French
military advisers and special forces began operating on the ground in Libya
against ISIS militants in conjunction with Britain and the United States. French
government spokesman Stephane Le Foll reiterated earlier on Wednesday special
forces were operating in the North African country. Western powers have been
backing Libya’s unity government, hoping it will seek foreign support to
confront ISIS militants, deal with migrant flows from Libya to Europe and
restore oil production to shore up Libya’s economy.
UN: ISIS faces possible
defeat in Libya
The Associated Press, United Nations Wednesday, 20 July 2016/Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon says ISIS fighters in Libya are facing the “distinct possibility” of
defeat in their last stronghold and are likely to scatter elsewhere in the North
African country and the region. The UN chief said in a new report to the UN
Security Council that member-states’ estimates of the number of ISIS fighters
range between 2,000 and 7,000 from Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Mali, Morocco
and Mauritania. Ban said one member-state recently reported between 3,000 and
4,000 ISIS fighters in Sirte, the extremist group’s last bastion along Libya’s
northern coast which he called “the most active war front” in the country. But
he said as a result of the recent offensive against ISIS, by forces aligned with
the UN-brokered government and others, “the current number of those in Sirte is
now likely well under 1,000,” with large numbers of those who have recently fled
the city likely relocating and regrouping “in smaller and geographically
dispersed cells throughout Libya and in neighboring countries.”According to one
unnamed UN member state, Ban said dozens of Tunisians fighting for ISIS have
already returned home “with the intent to conduct attacks.”
The secretary-general said in the report on the threat posed to Libya and
neighboring countries by foreign fighters, obtained Tuesday by The Associated
Press, that the current political divide in Libya continues to make the country
attractive for foreign fighters who are actively recruited by ISIS and
al-Qaeda-linked groups to boost their military capabilities. Libya slid into
chaos after the uprising that led to the ouster and killing of longtime autocrat
Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. The power and security vacuum left the country a
breeding ground for militias and militants including the ISIS group and al-Qaeda
affiliates.
Since 2014, Libya has been split between rival governments and parliaments based
in the western and eastern regions, each backed by different militias and
tribes. A UN-brokered deal in December to create a unity government has reached
a deadlock, due to political jockeying and the new government’s inability to put
together an action plan to provide basic services.Ban said ISIS propaganda in
March 2015 and again in April 2016 called for supporters to travel to Libya
instead of Iraq or Syria. He said the largest group of foreign fighters
currently operating in Libya are individuals linked to ISIS, and they dominate
the extremist group’s top leadership. Foreign fighters have also joined al-Qaeda
in the Islamic Maghreb which periodically infiltrates Libya and uses the country
as a rest stop and for training and buying arms, he said. Another prominent
group of foreign fighters in Libya are members of Ansar Al-Sharia in Tunisia,
another al-Qaeda affiliate, which continues to train its forces in Libya near
the Tunisian border, the secretary-general said.
John Kerry to meet Mahmoud
Abbas as part of global tour
AFP, Washington Wednesday, 20 July 2016/US Secretary of State John Kerry will
travel to Paris this week for talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on
peace prospects with Israel, the State Department said Tuesday. The meeting with
Abbas will be the top US diplomat's second stop on a global tour that will kick
off late Thursday. Kerry will discuss with the Palestinian leader "ongoing
efforts to advance a two-state solution," the State Department said in a
statement. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process collapsed two years ago, and
progress currently appears unlikely before President Barack Obama's final term
ends in January. In June France convened a Paris meeting of world powers --
without Israel or the Palestinians -- to work toward organizing an international
conference to reboot talks by the end of the year. After June's meeting Kerry
was lukewarm concerning the prospects of a conference. Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed entirely the French initiative, which the
Palestinians welcomed. The Middle East diplomatic quartet -- the European Union,
Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- urged Israel to stop
building settlements and Palestinians to cease incitement to violence in a July
report that drew a frosty response from both sides. Before talks with Abbas, who
Kerry met with in Amman in February, the US diplomat will stop Friday in Vienna
to help kick off high-level talks on combating climate change. He will travel
next week to Vientiane, Laos, for the annual conference of the Association of
Southeast Nations. The US envoy will meet at the ASEAN event with leaders from
Southeast Asia and China concerning disputes related to territory and maritime
security in the South China Sea. Kerry will end his trip in Manila, where he
will meet with newly elected President Rodrigo Duterte to discuss the "full
range of our cooperation with the new administration," the statement said. His
trip comes after The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration's July 12 ruling
in favor of the Philippines's claim that China does not have historic rights
over the strategically vital and resource-rich waters. China has rejected that
ruling.
US approves $785 million bomb sale to UAE ally against ISIS
Reuters, Washington Wednesday, 20 July 2016/The US State Department has approved
the sale of $785 million in bombs to the United Arab Emirates for the US-led
campaign against ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
A statement said the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which facilitates
foreign arms sales, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the sales had been approved.
Lawmakers have 30 days to block the sale, although such action is rare since
deals are carefully vetted before any formal notification. Washington views the
UAE as an important ally in the fight against ISIS and has supporters and
sympathizers around the world who have carried out bombings and shootings of
civilians. The UAE has taken part in air strikes against Islamic State in Syria.
Separately, the US State Department also approved the sale of 246 missiles and
other equipment to Japan for $821 million, to be used for defense at sea over
East Asian and Western Pacific airspace, the Pentagon said. The missiles would
be used on two new destroyers being built by Japan.
GCC-EU agree on joint efforts
to tackle regional challenges
Saudi Gazette, Brussels
Wednesday, 20 July 2016/Foreign ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and
European Union (EU) countries agreed to further strengthen their ties to serve
as a robust and effective basis for regional and international stability and
security.
This came during the 25th session of the GCC-EU Joint Ministerial Council here
on Monday. The session was co-chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir,
the chairman of the current session of the GCC Ministerial Council, and EU High
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the
EU Commission Federica Mogherini. It was held in the presence of GCC Secretary
General Abdullatif Al-Zayani. The two sides welcomed the strengthening of their
political dialogue, especially by holding regular meetings of senior GCC-EU
officials. The ministers exchanged views and identified common concerns and
priorities with regard to the situation in the region, particularly in Yemen,
Iran, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and the Middle East peace process. They
stressed the strategic importance of close coordination between the GCC and the
EU on these developments. They welcomed the resumption of consultations among
the Yemeni parties in Kuwait, and reaffirmed their support for efforts of the UN
special envoy to Yemen to facilitate a comprehensive settlement among the Yemeni
parties to restore peace and the resumption of the transitional process in line
with the GCC initiative, the outcome of the national dialogue, the UN Security
Council resolution 2216 and other relevant resolutions. They also expressed
their determination to continue to combat terrorism and its financing and defeat
Daesh and the other terrorist organizations.
The ministers agreed on the need to reach a solution to the Syrian crisis,
according to the principles of the Geneva 1 pact, Security Council resolution
2254 and other relevant resolutions, and to allow humanitarian aid to reach all
besieged areas.
They also stressed the importance of respecting the cessation of hostilities
without violations and providing a suitable environment for the success of
negotiations. The ministers expressed their support for reconciliation efforts
to restore stability in Iraq, Libya and Lebanon.
They discussed the GCC-Iranian relations and stressed the importance for all
states in the region to adhere to the UN Charter, international law, the
principles of good neighborliness, respect of national sovereignty of states,
non-interference in internal affairs, non-use or threat of force and peaceful
settlement of disputes. The ministers expressed their willingness to work
together to address common political, social, economic and security challenges,
and the challenges of economic stability and supporting the economic
diversification strategies, such as the Saudi national transformation program
and similar plans in the GCC countries. They expressed satisfaction that the GCC-EU
bilateral trade accounted for more than 155 billion euros in 2015, an increase
of 55% since 2010. The ministers welcomed the cooperation initiatives since the
last ministerial meetings, especially through the GCC-EU dialogue on economy,
air transport, exchanges on rail transport, and cooperation in the field of
economic diversification. The ministers also welcomed the holding of the GCC-European
businessmen forum in Brussels on May 23 to 24, 2016, as the event is important
for the promotion and development of economic and trade ties and investment
opportunities between the GCC countries and the European Union. On the sidelines
of the meeting, Al-Jubeir held talks with his French, Belgian, German and Irish
counterparts. The GCC foreign ministers also held a joint meeting with US
Secretary of State John Kerry in the presence of GCC Secretary General Al-Zayani.
This article first appeared in the Saudi Gazette on July 20, 2016.
French Lawmakers Vote to
Extend State of Emergency
Naharnet/July 20/16/Agence France Presse/French lawmakers voted massively
Wednesday to extend the state of emergency introduced late last year for a
fourth time following the July 14 massacre in Nice. After seven hours of fraught
debate into the night, during which the opposition accused the government of
being lax on security, the lower house of parliament voted by 489 to 26 to
prolong the measures for a further six months. The move comes six days after a
truck driver ploughed through a crowd at Bastille Day celebrations in Nice,
killing 84 people in the third major attack in France in 18 months. The Islamic
State (IS) group said the Tunisian driver was one of its "soldiers" but
investigators say that while Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel showed a recent interest
in jihadist activity but there was no evidence he acted on behalf of IS. France
has been under a state of emergency since the jihadist attacks in Paris in
November, which were also claimed by IS. President Francois Hollande had planned
to lift the measures on July 26 but changed tack after the Nice attack. His
Socialist government had proposed a three-month extension but relented to
demands from the conservative opposition that the tough security laws be kept in
place until the end of January. The laws give the police extra powers to carry
out searches and place people under house arrest. On Wednesday, MPs also voted
to allow authorities to search luggage and vehicles without prior approval from
a prosecutor and to allow the police seize data from computers and mobile
phones. The bill now passes to the upper house, the Senate, which is set to
debate it Wednesday afternoon. Hollande's Socialist government has been under
heavy criticism from the right for its response to a slew of attacks that have
claimed over 230 lives since January 2015. With elections due next year, the
cross-party solidarity seen after last year's attack on satirical magazine
Charlie Hebdo has evaporated.During a visit to Portugal Tuesday the embattled
Socialist leader appealed for unity. "The terrorists want to divide us, to
separate us and turn people against each other," he warned.The government has
defended its response to the jihadist threat, pointing to a raft of new
anti-terror laws and the deployment of thousands of troops to patrol the
streets. A recent parliamentary commission of inquiry said however the new laws
had had a "limited impact" on security.
- 'There will be other attacks' -On
Tuesday, Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned the country about the enduring
nature of the menace from extremists returning from jihad in the Middle East or
becoming radicalised at home, by devouring propaganda on the internet.
"Even if these words are hard to say, it's my duty to do so: There will be other
attacks and there will be other innocent people killed. "We must not become
accustomed, we must never become accustomed, to the horror, but we must learn to
live with this threat," he told parliament, accusing opponents who suggested the
Nice attack could have been thwarted of "lying to the French". Five people are
still being held over the Nice attack. Among them is a 22-year-old man to whom
Bouhlel sent a text message minutes before the attack about a pistol he used to
fire at the police, who killed him in a shootout. Friends and relatives of the
31-year-old father of three, who had a history of violence, told police he
showed no interest in religion until recently. Authorities found "very violent"
photos on his computer, including of corpses, fighters posing with the IS flag
and photos of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.
Of the 84 victims of the attack, 38 were foreigners from 19 different countries.
Nineteen people are still in critical condition in hospital.
Israel Parliament Passes
Controversial Law on MP Expulsion
Naharnet/July 20/16/Agence France Presse/Israel's parliament passed
controversial legislation early on Wednesday allowing the ouster of members
accused of racial incitement, a measure critics say is intended to target
opposition Arab lawmakers. The bill, supported by Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, allows parliament to vote to sack a member "who incites racism or
supports armed struggle against the state of Israel". The law will require 90 of
parliament's 120 lawmakers to approve an expulsion. It passed after a heated
debate with 62 votes in favor, 47 against and several members absent. The
legislation was put forward after three Arab-Israeli opposition lawmakers
sparked controversy when they visited relatives of Palestinians killed by
Israeli security forces while carrying out attacks. The MPs said they were
attending a meeting about the repatriation of the Palestinians' bodies to their
families. Netanyahu welcomed the vote and said it "brings an end to an
absurdity.""Those who support terrorism against the state of Israel and its
citizens cannot be a member of the Knesset," he said in a statement. "Like in
all democracies worldwide, the Israeli democracy has the right and the duty to
defend itself." Arab Israelis are the descendants of Palestinians who remained
after the creation of the Jewish state in 1948, and make up about 17.5 percent
of Israel's eight million population. They are largely supportive of the
Palestinian cause. Mainly Arab-Israeli parties won 13 seats in parliament in a
March 2015 election, making them its third largest bloc. Adalah, a legal center
for Arab rights in Israel, called the new law "the latest attempt by the
government to trample on the political rights of Palestinian citizens of
Israel." "This law presents a most grave danger to one of the most basic civil
rights in a democratic society –- the right to vote and the right to be
elected," Adalah said in a statement. "There is no doubt that this law is
intended to expel Arab Knesset members who 'dare' to stray beyond the boundaries
dictated to them by the Israeli Jewish majority, thus silencing the voice of the
Palestinian Arab public." Arab lawmakers were expected to challenge the law in
the supreme court. A number of observers said the final version of the law makes
the expulsion procedure extremely difficult to implement. In order to start the
procedures, 70 lawmakers must approve, including at least 10 members of the
opposition. It cannot be done during electoral campaigns.Those who are expelled
can appeal to the supreme court. The passing of the bill comes after parliament
earlier this month adopted a controversial law on NGOs that receive foreign
funding, which was seen by critics as targeting left-wing groups. That law,
which forces NGOs that receive most of their funding from foreign states to
declare it, was criticized by the European Union which warned it risked
"undermining" Israeli democracy.
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince
arrives in US for anti-ISIS talks
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 20 July 2016/Saudi Arabia’s Deputy
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has arrived in Washington D.C. to head the
Saudi delegation in the second upcoming anti-ISIS coalition meeting, according
to the Saudi Press Agency. The meeting will discuss developments in the
coalition’s military operations against ISIS and a number of issues related to
the matter. Since late 2014 Saudi Arabia has been part of a US-led coalition
which officially has 65 members and has been bombing ISIS group which seized
large parts of Syria and Iraq. ISIS has in the past targeted not only Saudi
Arabia's Shiite minority, killing dozens in bomb attacks on mosques in the past
year, but most recently allegedly attacked Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
Senator Chuck Schumer: set
the Iranian people free from this "awful regime"
Wednesday, 20 July 2016/NCRI - Senator Chuck Schumer, the senior U.S. Senator
from New York and Chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, expressed
his hope that the Iranian people could be set free from this "awful
regime."Lauding the true values of the Iranian people - "hardworking,
well-educated, and family-oriented" - he expressed his solidarity with the huge
crowds who gathered in Paris on July 9 at the “Free Iran” rally under the banner
of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the People’s Mojahedin
Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK) to call for a free and democratic Iran.
Senator Schumer noted the positive impact of success for the Resistance in Iran,
adding that a free and democratic Iran would be "a beacon of strength not only
in the Middle East and Central Asia, but to the whole world." Parts of the text
of Senator Schumer’s message to the rally were published by the Washington Times
on July 14. Tens of thousands of Iranians and their international supporters
attended the "Free Iran" rally in Paris on July 9, which saw international
support for the 10-point plan of Iranian opposition leader Mrs. Maryam Rajavi
for a future free and democratic Iran.
Senator Robert Torricelli:
‘Free Iran’ rally an historic moment
Wednesday, 20 July 2016/NCRI - Robert Torricelli, the former United States
Senator from New Jersey, told huge crowds gathered in Paris on July 9 at the
“Free Iran” rally under the banner of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
(NCRI) and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK), that they
would always remember this occasion. They would remember it because it was "the
greatest assembly of free Iranians in the world." They would remember it too for
the strength of the "coalition which begins in America and Canada, stretches
across Europe and North Africa," he said. They would also remember the rally for
the addition a new "powerful voice" in Saudi Arabia's support for a free Iran.
Senator Torricelli assured the thousands in Iran listening covertly to the rally
that they would have a free Iran. The Senator made a point in his address of
thanking Albania for "taking a stand for the people of Liberty." Albania has
accepted members of the PMOI (MEK) from their camp in Iraq, Camp Liberty, where
they face constant harassment and violence inspired by the Iranian regime.
Albania has made this decision in the face of pressure from the regime not to do
so. Parts of the speech by Senator Torricelli at the rally were published by the
Washington Times on July 14. Tens of thousands of Iranians and their
international supporters attended the "Free Iran" rally in Paris on July 9,
which saw international support for the 10-point plan of Iranian opposition
leader Mrs. Maryam Rajavi for a future free and democratic Iran.
Rep. Tom McClintock: The
Iranian people will prevail in their fight for democracy
Wednesday, 20 July 2016/NCRI - A member of the US House of Representatives spoke
out about the “noble struggle” of the Iranian Resistance as they fight to bring
democracy and liberty back to their country. Tom McClintock, a Representative
from California, congratulated those people around the world who stood for
freedom and liberation, especially the huge crowd at the “Free Iran” rally in
Paris on July 9.The Republican Representative said: “In the face of rigged
elections and a campaign of terrorism by the Iranian government against its own
people, the Iranian liberation movement has won the admiration of the world for
its valiant fight for freedom and the creation of a true form of a
representative government.”Speaking on behalf of the Iranian Human Rights and
Democracy Caucus within the U.S. House of Representatives, he said they were
“determined” to see a free and democratic Iran. Rep. McClintock said: “The
people of Iran can take confidence that their cause is just, that they are not
fighting alone, and that in the full measure of time just causes always
prevail.”He likened the struggle of the Iranian people to the American War for
Independence and offered words of solace and encouragement from Thomas Paine,
one of America’s Founding Fathers. Paine wrote: “These are the times that try
men’s souls...Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this
consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the
triumph…it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should
not be highly rated.”Parts of the text of Congressman McClintock’s message to
the rally were published by the Washington Times on July 14. Tens of thousands
of Iranians and their international supporters attended the "Free Iran" rally in
Paris on July 9, which saw international support for the 10-point plan of
Iranian opposition leader Mrs. Maryam Rajavi for a future free and democratic
Iran.
Sen. John Boozman: The US is
committed to a democratic Iran
Wednesday, 20 July 2016/NCRI - The rally for a “Free Iran” in Paris earlier this
month attracted tens of thousands of people including politicians from across
the political spectrum, journalists and religious leaders. The rally aimed to
put a spotlight on the brutal regime; their support for terrorism and their
trampling of human rights in their own country. One of the international
personalities who sent a message of solidarity to the event was U.S. Senator
John Boozman, an active member of the Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus. He
stressed the importance of showing support for the Iranian people’s efforts to
bring change and democracy to their country. He said that the rise in human
rights violations and the attacks on Camp Liberty had “disturbed” him. He was
referring to the camp which houses members of the main Iranian opposition group
People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK).
He pledged the U.S.’s support for the Iranian people who want a democratic
government and cited the U.S.’s commitment to democracy, human rights, civil
liberties, and the rule of law. The Republican Senator from Arkansas said: “I
also remain committed to preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapons
program. Yours is a noble cause and it is very important that we continue the
dialogue on this matter.”Tens of thousands of Iranians and their international
supporters attended the "Free Iran" rally in Paris on July 9, which saw
international support for the 10-point plan of Iranian opposition leader Mrs.
Maryam Rajavi for a future free and democratic Iran.
Canada pledges humanitarian
and stabilization support for Iraq
July 19, 2016 - Washington, D.C. - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable
Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie,
today announced that Canada has pledged $158 million over three years to support
humanitarian and stabilization efforts for the people of Iraq and up to $200
million in additional financing to the Government of Iraq.
The $158-million pledge announced today is part of Canada’s three-year,
$1.6-billion commitment to Iraq and the region, announced by Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau in February 2016, which includes $840 million in humanitarian
assistance. The $200 million is a new commitment, agreed to at the G7 Leaders’
Summit, that will support Iraq’s economic reform efforts through the World Bank.
Canada will co-host the Pledging Conference in Support of Iraq with Germany,
Japan, the Netherlands and the United States in Washington, D.C., on July 20,
2016. The objective of the conference is to raise much-needed humanitarian and
stabilization assistance.
Iraq is at the forefront of the fight against the so-called Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Millions of Iraqis have been displaced from their
homes, and thousands have been killed and wounded, as a result of this conflict.
With this pledging conference, the international community has rallied to
demonstrate its continued support for Iraq and its commitment to meeting the
ongoing needs of the Iraqi people, especially women and youth.
During the conference, Minister Dion will announce that of Canada’s pledge of
$158 million, $150 million will support the international humanitarian response
to help meet the basic needs of conflict-affected Iraqis, $4 million will be
provided to the United Nations Development Programme to help Iraqis return to
their homes in areas liberated from ISIL, and $4 million will support the
clearance of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Ramadi and other liberated
areas.
Canada is also working with international partners to support Iraq’s economic
reform efforts and will provide up to $200 million in additional financing
support to the Government of Iraq, including through a guarantee contribution to
the World Bank to help increase its lending to Iraq.
Quotes
“Canada commends the Iraqi people for their courage and resilience in the face
of conflict. Along with our Iraqi and international partners, we are committed
to helping Iraqis meet their basic needs, return to their homes and start
rebuilding a stable, democratic and inclusive country.”
- Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“Canada’s assistance will help meet the urgent health, shelter, protection,
education and food needs of hundreds of thousands of affected civilians. Our
assistance will also support organizations responding to incidents of violence
and sexual abuse, particularly against women and girls, who have been
disproportionately affected by the current crisis.”
Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
Quick facts
Since January 2014, over 3.3 million Iraqis have been displaced as a result of
the conflict with ISIL. An additional 750,000 previously displaced people have
returned to homes that have often been destroyed.
In 2015 alone, violence in Iraq claimed the lives of more than 7,500 civilians
and injured close to 15,000.
Canada remains concerned by ISIL’s persecution of, and atrocities against,
ethnic and religious groups, including Christians, Yazidis, Shabaks, Sunni Arabs
and Shia Turkmen, and by its appalling treatment of civilians, including women
and girls.
Over the next three years, Canada will contribute $840 million in humanitarian
assistance and $270 million in development assistance, in addition to $145
million to counter-terrorism, stabilization and security programming in the
region.
Stabilization efforts pave the way for long-term peace and prosperity and can
include protecting civilians, providing essential government services, promoting
democratic political processes and preparing for longer-term reconstruction,
peacebuilding and development.
Associated links
Canada co-hosts Iraq pledging conference
Prime Minister sets new course to address crises in Iraq and Syria and impacts
on the region
Contacts
Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
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Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 20-21/16
Abstracts from an article by Asaad Al Bosari
on “El Arab” Jul 18/2016
LCCC/ July 20/16/Why the Gulf countries and Egypt considered the Muslim
Brotherhood as terrorist organization? People need to be clarified.
In each family today there are those who pray and those who do not pray, people
are busy running for their own food. The Muslim Brotherhood says at the
beginning let's not talk politics; what is important is praying God and try to
reform the human been and work for his integrity. Then they take you to a group
prayer and ask: Are you a Muslim or not? Do you pray or not? Then a relationship
starts with the young man to know of his personal problems, and so things evolve
into that man turns from a simple man to a Muslim factor, then begins the phase
of “live Islam and Dead Islam”, and the slowly feeding of Sayyid Qutb 's ideas,
after a period of organization you become " a brother ."
This organization differs from communism and Baathist, it is linked to the
mosque, the prayer and the basic identity, then you know many things, there's a
live Islam and a dead one, and there is an Islamic Nation and Jihad. There is a
Koran to guide the World and there are Charitable Organizations and a World
within the world, there is a duty of man which is the call to God, this activity
as a whole is a step forward before affiliation to Terrorism. You don’t
necessarily have to carry weapons or become part of Daash, but you feel the
professorship of the Imam and the supremacy of Islam, your activity within an
organization, and your ability to qualify people between Educated and Ignorant,
based on the memorization of the sacred texts and their application, this is the
Cultural Terrorism which is far more dangerous than Armed Terrorism.
The Arab countries paid attention to this problem, has been criminalized
Brotherhood and forbid them of this activity. In our society as we have known it
before the politicization every one was free to be committed or not, which did
not affect the man's relationship with his family or his community, the issue
was personal, and will remain personal and should not be allowed to debate. The
Arab governments hit the Brotherhood with an iron fist to keep the social peace.
The activity of the Brotherhood makes terrorism possible, they are arming the
community with a religious political culture, and this is the essence of the
problem. It is not surprising that a recent German TV channel documentary talks
about the Erdogan government facilities for Daash activity, armed them and treat
their wounded and disregard the organizations that mobilizes volunteers from
southern Anatolia.
The position of the Arab states on the political Islam in general, whether it is
Muslim Brotherhood or Daash or Shiite militias is the right position and it is
imposed by the necessities of Social Peace and self-defense. It is important
that this warning reaches the Egyptian government and in particular President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to be aware, especially in the next phase, because Egypt is
the main goal of the Brotherhood and the most important target in the region.
The Arab message should be clear, if the Brotherhood want to celebrate Erdogan
let them do so within the borders of Turkey , but no place for them in Egypt and
the Arabian Gulf .
The Two Faces of Al Azhar
Raymond Ibrahim/ Coptic Solidarity/July 20/16
In a statement titled, “The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies Calls on Al
Azhar’s Sheikh to Renounce His Remarks Which Contradict Religious Freedom and
Support Violent Extremism,” the institute blasted Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb’s recent
remarks concerning apostasy, first reported in the English here.
Though Tayeb is often portrayed as a “moderate” and “reformer,” the prominent
human rights organization expressed its “deep regret at the recent remarks
recently released by Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb, which waste a basic freedom—that of
religious freedom—and which aid and nourishe extremist thinking and
preaching.”Previously on his daily televised show running throughout Ramadan,
Dr. Tayeb said that Contemporary apostasy presents itself in the guise of
crimes, assaults, and grand treason, so we deal with it now as a crime that must
be opposed and punished…. Those learned in Islam [al-fuqaha] and the imams of
the four schools of jurisprudence consider apostasy a crime and agree that the
apostate must either renounce his apostasy or else be killed. The institute
remarked on what many have noticed: that Al Azhar has two faces, two dialogues:
one directed to the West, which preaches freedom and tolerance, and one directed
to Muslims, which sounds not unlike radical groups such as ISIS: It should be
noted that Al Azhar adopts two contradictory speeches: one is open and directed
externally, while the other supports violent extremism, and is directed
internally.
The statement gave several examples of al-Tayeb preaching freedom of religion in
front of Western audiences: In March 2016 before the German parliament, Sheikh
al-Tayeb made unequivocally clear that religious freedom is guaranteed by the
Koran, while in Cairo he makes the exact opposite claims.
A conclusion of The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies very much echoed
what many Egyptians have been saying: Combatting terrorism and radical religious
ideologies will not be accomplished by directing at the West and its
international institutions religious dialogues that are open, support
international peace and respect freedoms and rights, while internally promoting
ideas that contribute to the dissemination of violent extremism through the
media and educational curricula of Al Azhar and the mosques.
Hizbullah-Affiliated Lebanese
Daily, Al-Akhbar, Attacks New U.S. Ambassador To Lebanon: She Speaks Insolently
And Arrogantly, Brandishes A Big Stick Even Before Arriving In The Country
MEMRI/July 20/16
July 20, 2016 Special Dispatch No.6533
On July 18, 2016, about a week after new U.S. Ambassador to Beirut Elizabeth
Richard arrived in the country, the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, which is
affiliated with Hizbullah, published an article by Sabah Ayub that harshly
criticizing her and mocked her, attacking statements she had made to the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee in March 2016 to the effect that Hizbullah was the
source of Lebanon's economic, security, and political problems. Richard,
according to Ayub, then called Hizbullah a threat to Lebanon, and underlined
that the organization and its financial network should be targeted.
According to Ayub, Richard spoke "with familiar American insolence" and "waves a
stick in the face of the Lebanese state before ever setting foot in it"; "her
arrogance has [even] led her to speak on behalf of the Lebanese." In a dig at
the Lebanese regime, he added that it wasn't lifting a finger against a diplomat
who openly stated that she would fight Hizbullah from within the country.
It should be mentioned that this is not the first time that a newspaper close to
Hizbullah has criticized the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon; in 2009, Talal Salman,
owner of the Lebanese daily Al-Safir, scathingly attacked then-Ambassador
Michele Sison, accusing her of interfering in the country's internal affairs,
inciting civil war, and making provocative statements.[1]
Following are excerpts from Ayub's article in Al-Akhbar:[2]
Elizabeth Richard (image: Yalibnan.com, July 18, 2016)
"Elizabeth Richard, 56, appears very enthusiastic about working in Lebanon,
where she took up her duties last week. In a video [distributed] by the U.S.
Embassy, she said: 'I can't wait to explore Lebanon's cultural treasures and
natural beauty'... The new American ambassador, who visited the 'land of the
cCedars' in 2007 as part of an American initiative to train and arm the internal
security forces, looks decisive in her first message to the Lebanese people,
saying: 'As Lebanon works to maintain its security and build strong state
institutions..., the American people will continue to stand with you.' This is
flowery diplomatic language that hides the intentions of the American ambassador
– which are not hidden [from us], particularly with regard to her view of [the
concepts of] 'preserving its security' and 'strong state institutions.'
"[However,] a few months ago, Richard was much more explicit at a congressional
hearing, after submitting her candidacy for the [ambassadorial] post, when [she,
as] legal expert, announced her practical agenda... and promised that she would
work to solve all of Lebanon's 'major challenges'! How? The picture is very
clear to Richard, since [in her eyes] there is one source of all Lebanese
economic, security, and political suffering: The resistance [i.e. Hizbullah].
"On the economic level, Richard revealed a magic formula for solving the
Lebanese crisis, when she said [at the hearing]: 'Our goal is to dismantle
Hizbullah's international financial network[3] while supporting Lebanese
institutions and the Lebanese people. This will contribute directly to promoting
Lebanon's economic prosperity.' How will damaging the international financing of
the resistance lead to the recovery of the state's economy?! Richard did not
explain this at the hearing, and was not required to do so in her country.
Furthermore, the Lebanese state – the government and diplomatic corps – did
nothing to demand answers regarding a diplomat openly stating that she would
fight, from within [Lebanon], a Lebanese party that is represented in parliament
and that participates in the government! No one dared to make demands or even to
question the ambassador's statement. With the tone of someone who runs Lebanon's
affairs, and with well-known American insolence, Richard said that she would
ensure that 'Hizbullah cannot penetrate the Lebanese financial sector' because
'both Lebanon and the United States have an interest' in doing so. The new
ambassador waved her stick in the face of the Lebanese state before ever setting
foot in her host country, and without any of the officials being shocked by it.
"On the security level, Richard has her own personal philosophy. Israel, of
course, was absent from her statements regarding the security threats
surrounding Lebanon, which mostly focused on the Islamic State [ISIS] and [Jabhat]
Al-Nusra. However, the ambassador appeared calm in light of the threat of the
two organizations that emerged from the womb of Al-Qaeda, and is convinced that
the partnership between the U.S. and Lebanon's security forces.. has had a
decisive role in defending Lebanon against these threats, which is why the
Lebanese should not fear ISIS and Jabhat Al-Nusra. But what is the first
challenge for the state, in Richard's view? The answer: Hizbullah. 'Hizbullah's
activities in Syria create serious security challenges for Lebanon,' said the
ambassador, who promised to support the Lebanese army because it is the
country's 'sole legitimate defender.'
"The third 'major challenge' for the Lebanese [after the economic and security
challenges], according to Richard, is the political vacuum [a reference to the
ongoing inability to select a president] and the damage to Lebanon's
independence and sovereignty. [She says that] she will work to solve these
issues as well, while cooperating with [Lebanese] 'voices for moderation and
progress.' [But] against whom? Richard said: against Hizbullah's ongoing
intervention in Syria – undertaken without the consent of the Lebanese people.
So the new ambassador's arrogance has led her to speak on behalf of the Lebanese
and she does not even cite figures, even false ones, to support her claim
regarding the degree of Lebanese consent to, or disagreement with, Hizbullah's
involvement in Syria.
"In short, as Richard told Congress: Hizbullah went [to fight] in Syria in
defiance of the will of most Lebanese, which harms Lebanon's sovereignty and
independence.
"Generally speaking, Western diplomats lack the ability to understand events in
Lebanon and to grasp the complexity of its society, regime, economics, and
politics. [However,] Richard appears to have such an ability, as her opinion is
clear and her goal is singular: to damage the Lebanese resistance [Hizbullah],
its party, its men, and its finances, by any means necessary.
"In her previous role, before becoming the guardian of the Lebanese, Richard was
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. At a
July 2015 congressional hearing, she bragged about the State Department's
achievements, and enumerated projects that she had personally supervised,
including: establishing and developing Qualifying Industrial Zones [QIZs];
creating job opportunities; fueling exports in Egypt, Jordan, and Israel;
brokering a deal between General Motors [sic; it was General Electric] and Egypt
to provide a large amount of power to Egypt; establishing railroads in Algeria;
purchasing tons of Iraqi rice [sic. the report at the hearing was of Iraq buying
rice from the U.S.]; encouraging investments in the Gulf states; supporting
youth initiatives; and medical collaborations between Israel and the UAE. Most
Middle Eastern and North African countries are included in the [list] of
achievements last year by Richard and her State Department, but Lebanon is not.
And here she arrives today, in the most helpless country in the region, with a
single political plan – and not a development plan, but promises for arming, and
a brandished stick!"
Endnotes:
[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 2630, Owner of Lebanese Pro-Syrian Daily 'Al-Safir':
"Silence That Chatterbox [U.S.] Ambassador!", November 4, 2009.
[2] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), July 18, 2016.
[3] On the economic sanctions recently imposed by the U.S. on bodies and figures
associated with Hizbullah, and on the organization's response to the sanctions,
see MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 1248, As Lebanon's Banks Begin To Implement
U.S. Sanctions Against Hizbullah, Hizbullah Criticizes Banking Sector, Warns Of
Chaos In Lebanon And More 'Actions Against The American Takeover Plan, May 17,
2016; Inquiry & Analysis No. 1258, Both Before And After Lebanese Bank Bombing,
Hizbullah Supporters Incited Against Banking Sector And Central Bank Governor,
Threatened Further Escalation That Would Impact Country's Future,
June 27, 2016; Special Dispatch No. 6452, London-Based 'Al-Sharq Al-Awsat':
Lebanese Government Paying Salaries Of Hizbullah MPs, Ministers In Cash To
Bypass Potential American Sanctions, May 31, 2016.
Audio/Walid Phares,Trump
adviser to i24news: Trump presidency would tackle IS, foster Mideast peace
By i24news/Published: 07/19/2016
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/07/20/audiowalid-pharestrump-adviser-to-i24news-trump-presidency-would-tackle-is-foster-mideast-peace/
http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/120440-160719-trump-adviser-to-i24news-trump-presidency-would-tackle-is-foster-mideast-peace
As president Trump would 'listen to both sides' in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, Dr. Walid Phares says
One of Donald Trump's foreign affairs advisers has told i24news that a Trump
administration would seek to form a coalition with moderate partners in the
Middle East in order to tackle the Islamic State group, help bring an end to the
Syrian civil war and even bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Dr. Walid Phares, an expert on terrorism and the Middle East, said that a Trump
presidency would "strategically dismantle ISIS," using an acronym for the IS
group.
"But in order to be able to do so in Iraq and Syria you need to have a regional
coalition of Arab moderate partners. We have them. There are five Arab armies
who we've trained, we've equipped them, who are eager to basically help us at
least in the Sunni areas where ISIS is in control," Dr. Phares said.
Tackling IS in Iraq would require coordination "with the Kurds in the north,
with the Iraqi government in the south," he explained. "In Syria it's a little
bit more complicated, because you have a civil war.
"So Mr. Trump thinks that first of all we need to take care of ISIS. Kurds
should be involved, Arab moderates should be involved, we can be involved in
certain ways and we avoid entering the civil war," Dr. Phares continued.
"After that is done there is a whole area in Syria that will be free with
moderates, then along with the Russians and the international community, we
could go to negotiations between both sides and there would be the discussions
over the fate of President Assad."
Nonetheless, he ruled out intervention on the ground by the US military, but
added: "It's clear: It's not about either American boots or no boots. You have
Arab boots. You have regional boots. You have international units. We can form a
coalition the same way we did for the First Gulf War against the occupation of
Kuwait.
"But that needs a consensus among these Arab countries, UAE, Saudi, Jordan,
Egypt, others. Israel should be consulted of course. We need to talk to the
Russians as well," Dr. Phares continued.
Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Dr. Phares said that "Donald Trump
doesn't want to go ahead of the Israelis and the Palestinians and start talking
about his architecture for an issue that is very, very difficult for the
Israelis, the Palestinians and Arabs in general.
"He wants to sit with both Israelis and Palestinians in the middle of the table
so both sides will feel there is a real moderator," he continued.
"We know that Mr. Trump has as good relations as any politician with the Israeli
side. What he needs to do now is convince the Palestinians along with Arab
allies," Dr. Phares said.
"This is why the coalition in the region is important, not just against ISIS but
to take care of the negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
"And then he will listen to both sides, he is a good negotiator, and he will try
to get to a historic deal that will not just preserve peace but bring prosperity
for both sides."
Turning to the Republican presidential candidate's controversial comments
regarding a ban on Muslim immigration to the United States, Dr. Phares said that
Trump made his statements "because of the fact that the Obama administration has
retrieved the ideological jihadi element without which we cannot know who is
extremist and who is not.
"In his last three speeches on foreign policy Mr. Trump has moved away from his
first speech and is saying, 'I want to zoom in, I want to focus on the
jihadists,'" Dr. Phares continued.
"It's really a ban on jihadists, not on Muslims. He'll have to be a president to
sit down with his agencies and his allies and Congress to figure out how to do
it.
Why I Rooted for the Turkish Coup Attempt
Daniel Pipes/National Review Online/July 20/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/07/20/daniel-pipes-why-i-rooted-for-the-turkish-coup-attempt/
http://www.danielpipes.org/16823/why-i-rooted-for-the-turkish-coup-attempt
Every major
government condemned the coup attempt in Turkey, as did all four of the parties
with representatives in the Turkish parliament. So did even Fethullah Gülen, the
religious figure accused of being behind the would-be take over.
All of which leaves me feeling a little lonely, having tweeted out on Friday,
just after the revolt began, "#Erdoğan stole the most recent election in #Turkey
and rules despotically. He deserves to be ousted by a military coup. I hope it
succeeds."
Having this nearly-minority-of-one stance suggests that an explanation longer
than 140 characters is in order. Three reasons account for my supporting the
ouster of the apparently democratically elected and democratically ruling
president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, by what are apparently the forces of reaction:
Erdoğan stole the election. Erdoğan is an Islamist who initially made his mark,
both as mayor of Istanbul and as prime minister of Turkey, by playing within the
rules. As time wore on, however, he grew disdainful of those rules, specifically
the electoral ones. He monopolized state media, tacitly encouraged physical
attacks on opposition-party members, and stole votes. In particular, the most
recent national election, on November 1, showed many signs of manipulation.
Erdoğan rules despotically. Erdoğan has taken control of one institution after
another, even in the two years since he became president, a constitutionally and
historically non-political position. The result? An ever-growing portion of
Turks are working directly under his control or that of his minions: the prime
minister, the cabinet, the judges, the police, the educators, the bankers, the
media owners, and other business leaders. The military leadership has acquiesced
to Erdoğan but, as the coup attempt confirmed, the officer corps has remained
the one institution still outside his direct control.
Erdoğan uses his despotic powers for malign purposes, waging what amounts to a
civil war against the Kurds of southeastern Turkey, helping ISIS, aggressing
against neighbors, and promoting Sunni Islamism.
Fighting between Kurds and police has done much damage in Istanbul's Gazi
district.
Military intervention has previously worked in Turkey. Turkey is the country
where military coups d'état have had the most positive effect. In all four of
the modern coups (1960, 1971, 1980, 1997), the general staff has shown a
disciplined understanding of its role -- to right the ship of state and then get
out of its way. Their ruling interludes lasted, respectively, five years, two
and a half years, three years, and zero years.
Turkey would benefit now from a spell of military readjustment, ending Erdoğan's
increasingly rogue rule, even if that meant replacing him with more reasonable
Islamist figures from his own party, such as Abdallah Gül or Ali Babacan.
In the memorable words of Çevik Bir, a leading figure in the 1997 coup: "In
Turkey we have a marriage of Islam and democracy. ... The child of this marriage
is secularism. Now this child gets sick from time to time. The Turkish Armed
Forces is the doctor which saves the child." That child is now very sick and
needs its doctor. Sadly, the doctor was stopped this time. One can only imagine
how badly the sickness will now spread.
Gen. Cevik Bir presented me with a souvenir at Turkish military headquarters in
Ankara, 1997.
We have an initial idea how it will look: 6,000 Turks have already been
detained, almost 3,000 judges and prosecutors have been fired, and relations
with Washington have escalated to near-crisis mode over Erdoğan's demand for
Gülen's extradition. However rocky the past road, the future one looks yet more
harrowing.
I renew my prediction that Erdoğan's undoing will likely be in foreign affairs.
Applying the same bellicosity that works so well in domestic politics to
international relations, he will probably meet his doom one time when he's just
too aggressive for his own good. After paying a heavy price, Turkey will be
finally be rid of its megalomaniac.
**Daniel Pipes (DanielPipes.org, @DanielPipes) is the president of the Middle
East Forum. © 2016 by Daniel Pipes. All rights reserved.
Saudis Announce a Turn Away from Wahhabi Cultural Vandalism
Stephen Schwartz/The Weekly Standard/July 20/16
Middle East Forum
The Cave of Hira on the "Mountain of
Light," the site where Muhammad is said to have received his first revelations
from God.
The rulers of Saudi Arabia have announced a new program for cultural renovation
of architecture associated with the life of Muhammad. As described in the
leading pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat, a Saudi Commission for Tourism and
National Heritage (SCTH) has begun planning rehabilitation of sites in Mecca,
the direction of prayer for Muslims around the world, and Medina, which includes
the Prophet's Shrine, where Muhammad is said to be buried.
The restorations would include Jebel Al-Nur, the "Mountain of Light" in Mecca,
where Qur'an is believed to have been first revealed to Muhammad, and locations
where he is said to have sojourned. Jebel Al-Nur is a key topic in this
discussion. In Medina, sites identified with battles fought by the Muslims, and
four early mosques, are due for reorganization and restructuring. Museums
drawing on Islamic military history and other themes will be opened and guides
to the attractions provided.
The endeavor has been endorsed by Prince Sultan bin Salman, the 60-year-old son
of the current ruler, King Salman. Prince Sultan is best known for having
traveled in 1985 on the U.S. space shuttle Discovery. SCTH president Saad Al-Rashed
will head the undertaking.
Wahhabis argue that protection of architectural sites, even Islamic ones, is
'idolatry.'
If carried out, the effort will represent a break with the doctrines of the
Wahhabi sect that has maintained a close alliance with the Saudi monarchs for
more than two centuries, and is the official Islamic theological dispensation in
the desert kingdom. Wahhabi iconoclasts have been infamous as wreckers of the
heritage of Islam and other religions. They argue that protection of
architectural assets, including sacred structures, is "idolatry" prohibited by
Islam. Those so accused are judged to have abandoned Islam and are subject to
execution.
The Saudis and Wahhabis invaded and sacked the Shia Muslim holy cities of
Karbala and Najaf in today's Iraq, following the emergence some 250 years ago of
Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab, the preacher for whom the fanatical creed is named.
This violence against Shias, whom Wahhabis condemn as alleged apostates from
Islam, and their monuments was repeated frequently. To the Wahhabis, the
contemplative traditions of Sufism constitute another form of "polytheistic
apostasy," along with Shia Islam, in that Shia and Sufi adherents alike honor
Muhammad and other spiritual figures, rather than Allah alone.
Wahhabis zealously condemn ritual respect paid even to outstanding Muslims.
In their zealous condemnation of ritual respect paid to outstanding Muslims,
Wahhabis further decry such practices as an imitation of Christians, for the
love the latter show toward Jesus. After the Saudi conquest of Mecca and Medina
in the mid-1920s, tombs in the sacred cemeteries housing the remains of
Muhammad's family and early companions were levelled. The same addiction to
demolition was seen in the Taliban assault on the Bamiyan Buddha statues in
Afghanistan in 2001, and in its most spectacular form, on September 11 of that
year, in the wrecking of the World Trade Center towers and the crash of a
hijacked jet into the Pentagon. Those structures were additionally viewed as
"idols" by the Wahhabis of Al-Qaida.
In an excess of metastasized Wahhabism, these destructive urges are visible in
the devastation of the pre-Islamic legacy of Palmyra in Syria last year by the
terrorists of the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS), who also blow up Shia and
Sufi installations.
The Saudi regime seems to have decided suddenly to adopt a new perspective on
the matter, having hitherto neglected to restrict Wahhabi interference with
Islamic heritage. "Saudi modernization" is a convoluted process at best. While
the house of Saud long allowed the Wahhabi clerics to hinder visits to Islamic
religious sites, they did not censure as "idolatry" the recent erection of
grotesque and garish hotels and malls surrounding and dwarfing the Kaaba, the
black stone cube at the center of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, and the ground
where Islam originated. Seen from above, the Kaaba is now a tiny structure far
overshadowed by a Stalinesque clock tower. To facilitate construction of the
clock tower, an entire hill and the Ottoman fortress on which it sat, protecting
the Grand Mosque since Ottoman times, were bulldozed.
King Salman Bin Abd Al-Aziz, in power beginning last year, and succeeding his
half-brother, the reforming King Abdullah, promised after he ascended the throne
that he would continue on the path of positive change pursued by Abdullah. Of
course, real social reform—allowing women to drive, for example—is impossible
without curbing the power of the Wahhabi clerics. Despoliation of Islamic
historical structures is the most obvious symbol of Wahhabi radicalism.
The blind Wahhabi Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Bin Baz
[1910-99], known for his intransigent views, issued two fatwas against
participants in Muslim pilgrimages to Mecca visiting and praying at places
traditionally seen as appropriate for such devotions. In the first, Bin Baz
opined that walking up Jebel Al-Nur to a cave known for Muhammad's revelation
was a "means leading to [polytheism]," and must be banned. The restriction is
not enforced, but the steep climb up the steps of Jebel Al-Nur, in raging heat,
is daunting to most pilgrims.
The second such fatwa by Ibn Baz was more sweeping, and summarized the Wahhabi
hostility to historic preservation. It stated, "It is impermissible to
exaggerate the importance of historical sites and buildings, because this might
lead to [polytheism]. The laypeople may be tempted to believe that such places
are blessed, and be driven to commit acts of disbelief. . . . It is, therefore,
obligatory to neglect and abandon such a deed and to warn against it." The "acts
of disbelief" execrated by Ibn Baz consist of commemorative prayers to Muhammad
and other Muslims deemed virtuous.
The "new" Mecca.
Arab media reporting on the new Saudi approach to the Islamic legacy lack any
reference to three of the most controversial issues involving the cultural
legacy of Mecca and Medina. These are the identification and reconstruction of
houses in Mecca, in one of which Muhammad was reputedly born and another where
he is thought to have lived with his wife Khadijah; ongoing Wahhabi demands for
a desecration of Muhammad's tomb and shrine in Medina by removal of an Ottoman
dome constructed over it, and rebuilding of the cemeteries obliterated in the
1920s. The latter subject produces annual protests at the Royal Saudi Embassy in
Washington, mainly by Shia Muslims.
Why have the Saudis now adopted a public stance in such contrast with the
Wahhabi mischief that lasted so long? Prince Sultan is famous for his
"correction" of Ibn Baz, who preached as unchallengeable Islamic dogma that the
earth was a flat disk around which the sun rotated. Challenged on this medieval
view, Ibn Baz did not hesitate to argue that being blind, he believed the
evidence of his feet rather than what others told him. After his trip on
Discovery, Prince Sultan told Ibn Baz he had seen the earth and the sun and that
Wahhabi astronomy was wrong. Ibn Baz could not defy a member of the royal house.
Prince Sultan has affirmed that the new preservation enterprise will reflect a
dedication to "a manner that serves . . . Islam; besides preserving those sites
as an integral part of the great history of our religion." But throughout its
history, the Saudi regime and their Wahhabi partners have acted as if they hate
Muhammad and Islam. European chroniclers of the Wahhabi movement in the 19th
century described the phenomenon as a rebellion against Islam altogether.
The most obvious reason for the promised new turn may be that it is part of King
Salman's commitment to austerity and a reduction of the Saudi dependence on
energy income, with the price of oil falling. To propel economic
diversification, the king may hope that tourism in the kingdom will expand. A
less obvious motivation may be a desire to adequately shield Mecca and Medina
from terrorism. King Salman holds the title "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,"
but his position was challenged internationally by the July 4 bombing near the
Prophet's Shrine in Medina. Outrage over the failure of the Saudi rulers to
protect Mecca and Medina has led leading Indian Sufis to call for the liberation
of Hejaz, the Arabian province in which the cities are located.
In the past, the Saudi royals reined in the Wahhabis when necessary. Given the
threat of ISIS, such an action is once again needed, and the conflict over the
preservation of Islamic heritage cannot but dramatize the situation profoundly.
Stephen Schwartz is executive director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism in
Washington, DC, and a fellow at the Middle East Forum.
Turkey's Absurd Coup
Burak Bekdil/Hürriyet Daily News/July 20/16
Middle East Forum
Originally published under the title "Turkey's Schizophrenic Civil War."
Turkey's July 15 coup, as cartoonist Assad Binakhahi suggests, was a gift for
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
It is amazing that the Crescent and Star never ceases to shock with the most
unexpected insanity. The capacity to shock is a feature most observed at times
of war. And Turkey is at war – a schizophrenic civil war.
The May 1960 coup was a conventional coup d'état but, like July 15, was outside
the chain of command. So it was simply called a coup d'état.
March 1971 was called a "soft coup." September 1980 was a conventional coup –
this time inside the chain of command. Some called it the "people's coup" after
more than 90 percent of Turks approved its constitution and generals as their
leaders.
Turkey had a "post-modern coup" in February 1997 and an "e-coup" (in reference
to the anti-government, pro-secularist memorandum posted on the military's
website) in April 2007.
If history will have to name the failed coup of July 15 the best way to recall
it would be as the "absurd coup." The events of July 15 looked less like a coup
and more like a Turkish opera buffa, a tragic one though, with the curtain
closing with more than 200 people getting killed.
Fortunately, even an absurd coup can give an unruly nation a temporary sigh of
unity. Pro- and anti-president Turks seem to have united - which is great -
probably until they start firing at each other again, which is not so great.
With or without unity against any military intervention in the democratic
system, absurd or not, the great Turkish divide is there and will probably
deepen, exposing Turkey's hybrid democracy to further risks of "road accidents"
of this or that kind.
The crowds that stood against the soldiers mostly chanted not pro-democracy
slogans, but the words 'Allahu Akbar.'
Turkey's "war of religion" will not disappear just because the pro- and
anti-president forces of the country have united against a coup attempt. It is a
war of religion between the adherents of the same sect of the same religion.
It was not without a reason why the anti-coup crowds that bravely stood against
the troops and their commanders did not mostly chant pro-democracy slogans when
they took to the streets but rather passionately chanted "Allah-u Akbar" (God is
the greatest).
They were there not to defend democracy in the word's liberal meaning. They were
there to defend the man whom they view as the guardian of their faith, hence
their readiness to kill or die, or to lynch the pro-coup troops, and a
journalist who was just photographing the scene. Willing lynchers who defend
democracy chanting Islamist slogans? Nice one.
Whether the perpetrators belong to the clandestine Gülenist terror organization
or were a bizarre coalition of secularist and Gülenist officers, they were
simply moronic thugs in military uniforms. Speaking to a "pro-democracy" crowd
of fans who interrupted his speech with the slogan "we want the death penalty
[back]," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that the Gülenists had been
secretly – and illegally - trying to capture the state over the past 40 years.
And now they finally staged a coup.
The president was probably right. But he did not explain why he allied with them
during the 37.5 years of the Gülenist campaign to capture the state – until he
and the Gülenists broke up in December 2013. Remember his famous complaint:
"Whatever they [Gülenists] wanted, we gave them."
This is the last act in the hundreds-of-years-long opera buffa of in-house
fighting between various Islamist factions, not just Turkish. Despite the
bloodshed and tragic scenes, like in any other Turkish opera buffa, it often can
be amusing, too.
Newswires dispatched a story that said Saudi King Salman congratulated President
Erdoğan for the return to "normality" – normality here must mean the defeat of
undemocratic forces and return to the democratic regime. Hybrid or not, Turkey
at least features a ballot-box (head-count) democracy. Let's hope one day King
Salman's Kingdom too returns to normality.
**Burak Bekdil is an Ankara-based columnist for the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet
Daily News and a fellow at the Middle East Forum.
The right way to ‘dry up’ the
sources of terror
Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/July 20/16
The terrorist attacks that recently targeted Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, and
before them, those targeting Istanbul-Ataturk Airport in Turkey, Paris and
Brussels – without forgetting the tragedies shaking the Middle East states – are
outrages that underline the world’s duty to confront criminal terror perpetrated
under ‘Islamic’ banners. Verbal condemnations are no longer acceptable and solid
actions are now the only answer. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in
the US, senior figures in the Bush administration called for ‘drying up’ the
sources of terror. This is absolutely right. There is no alternative other than
‘drying up’ the sources of terror, in the sense that terror must be deprived of
the social ‘incubators’ in which it grows and finds protection.
The Bush administration, however, committed two big mistakes during the early
period after the September 11 attacks. The first was to silence the
good-intentioned voices of ordinary American who innocently asked “Why do they
hate us?!” The extreme Right’s ideologues and fixers worked overtime to
discredit this question by claiming that no political stances would or should
justify outrages of that scale.
The second was launching an ‘open-ended’ war against an undefined ‘enemy’, then
creating new realities on the ground that only helped the very same ‘enemy’ find
a social ‘incubator’, although the declared aim of the war was exactly the
opposite!
As regards the first mistake, given the massive shock that overwhelmed American
society in the autumn of 2001, it was understandable that the need for national
solidarity against unprecedented terror outweighed any rational, serious and
democratic debate. Furthermore, some beliefs and interests pushed for quick
‘practical solutions’ rather than proper and serious strategic approaches. The
Bush administration, led by the ‘Neocons’, did not limit its war to attacking
Al-Qaeda (which claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks) and Taliban
(its Afghani ally and defender), but began implement an ‘old pre-planned
strategy’ – totally unrelated to the attacks – aimed at bringing down
‘unfriendly’ Middle East regimes, beginning with Saddam Hussein’s Baath regime
in Iraq.
In those pre-Obama and pre-JCPOA days, Washington regarded Iran a
terror-sponsoring rogue state. Indeed, Iran had through its local operatives and
puppets planned and executed the infamous hostage taking operations in Lebanon,
including Americans – some of whom were later murdered – as well as the suicide
attack against the US Marines base in Beirut on October 23rd 1983 where 241
Americans were killed. Those operatives and puppets, now known as Hezbollah,
were organized, financed and guided by Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur, who was then
Iran’s ambassador in Syria, and later became Iran’s Interior Minister.
In Iraq, almost immediately after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the
exiled Shi’ite leaders of ‘The Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq’
(presently known as ‘The Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq’) flocked to
US-occupied Baghdad from Iran. Among these and their militiamen were ex-fighters
on the Iranian side during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) in the ranks of the
‘Badr Brigade’ militia. Incidentally, the ‘Council’ was founded by the exiled
Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Mohammad Baqer Al-Sadr in November 1982 in Iran, and was
granted its official sponsorship as being a part of Tehran’s strategy of
‘exporting the (Khomeini/Islamic) revolution’.
Hezbollah’s hegemony
Iran’s growing influence in Iraq, indeed, ‘taking over the country’ – as the
British military in southern Iraq soon discovered – was moving hand in hand with
Hezbollah’s gradual hegemony in Lebanon, where it imposed its control not only
on Lebanon’s political institutions, but also on its security institutions.
This became much clearer in the following years at decisive landmarks in the
country’s modern history; namely since the autumn of 2004 when the presidential
term of Pres Emile Lahhoud, an ally of Tehran and Damascus, was
unconstitutionally extended. After that several leading opponents of the Tehran
– Damascus axis were assassinated including Lebanon’s ex-Prime Minister Rafiq
Hariri (2005). Later, in 2006, Hezbollah fought a war against Israel that now
appears to have been planned by Iran merely to achieve a permanent ceasefire in
south Lebanon and create a de-militarized ‘buffer zone’ with Israel that allows
Hezbollah to be employed in other regional wars.
Indeed, by 2008, Hezbollah became not only a fully-fledged ‘state within a
state’, but also bigger and more powerful than the Lebanese state itself while
remaining a partner in its political decision processes and its political and
security institutions.
Simply declaring war on Sunni Muslims will do nothing but further stoke the
fires of extremism
Then, in March 2011, after the Syrian popular uprising against the Assad
dynastic dictatorship – Iran’s only Arab ally during the Iran-Iraq War – the
full truth became clear and fake slogans uncovered, as Hezbollah turned its
attentions away from the Israeli ‘Blue line’ in order to fight the Syrian people
and abort their uprising.
By this time, Nouri Al-Maliki, Iraq’s ex-Prime Minister (2008-2014) and former
pro-Tehran Al-Da’wa Party activist was fully engaged in an Iran-aided and
abetted sectarian war against Sunni Arab Iraqis, antagonizing even their tribal
‘Sahwaat’ militias which since 2006 succeeded in preventing Al-Qaeda’s spread in
Sunni western Iraq. It is important to mention here that Al-Qaeda would have
never existed in the that region in the first place had it not been for the
‘policies’ of hatred, revenge, spite and sectarian discrimination practiced by
Al-Maliki against his Sunni compatriots. Thus, when ‘Iranian political Shi’ism’
controlled Iraq at the expense of the Sunnis, imposed its hegemony over Lebanon,
and expanded its influence militarily in Syria – with Assad’s collusion – it was
only natural that a counter-reaction would emerge. This counter-reaction soon
took the shape of a social ‘incubator’ for desperate and suicidal Sunni
extremism, materializing into ISIS; the same ISIS that has attacked and occupied
the city of Mosul without a fight!
The conditions that ‘created’ ISIS are what we see and know. And the security
and intelligence ‘apparatuses’ that have maintained, exploited and benefitted
from ISIS and its crimes know exactly what they are doing, leaving nothing to
chance.
This extremist terrorist organization is consciously, or unconsciously, drawing
the maps of grand plan for a new Middle East, and forcing the Muslim world into
endless religious wars with the west, sectarian wars between Sunnis and Shiites,
and ethnic wars between Arabs, Turks, Kurds and Iranians.
Eliminating this social ‘incubator’ of extremism would be impossible without
Arab and international goodwill and deep political understanding of what is
taking place in the Arab and Muslim worlds.
Simply declaring war on Sunni Muslims, more precisely Arab Sunni Muslims, will
do nothing but enlarge this ‘incubator’ and further stoke the fires of
extremism.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on July 17, 2016.
Will Turkey boycott the West?
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/July 20/16
The number of Arab Gulf tourists to Turkey does not exceed more than 200,000 a
year, while the number of Russian and Iranian tourists is 4 million and 1.5
million a year respectively. These numbers help us understand ties between
countries and what influences them. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
recently said he intends to reform relations with neighboring countries, which
have been damaged due to disputes over Syria. The economy is an important
reason. Tourism in Turkey brings in about $30 billion a year. The first decision
Russian President Vladimir Putin took after the downing a Russian jet that
violated Turkish airspace was banning citizens from traveling there. This caused
a huge and immediate crisis for Turkey’s tourism sector. Without a booming
economy, Erdogan cannot enhance his governance, and his party cannot resume
winning the majority of votes in parliamentary and municipal elections. This
means he will have to take into account Turkey’s relations with Europe, his
country’s primary economic partner. The commercial deal signed in the mid-1990s
with the EU changed the face of Turkey and strengthened its economy. Turkey
ranks 17th in the G-20 of major economies. Saudi Arabia ranks 14th. The coup
attempt may alter Erdogan’s foreign policy, but despite his impassioned speeches
he remains a smart politician. Following the failed coup attempt, Erdogan can do
whatever he wants domestically but cannot influence other countries much. His
success and that of his party is due to economic prosperity - without it,
threats and problems that are worse than the coup attempt will emerge. This
explains many of the contradictions of government policy regarding various
activities. Turkey supported Iran the most when the latter was under Western
economic sanctions, and was Iran’s number-one commercial partner. Ankara also
has good relations with the Russians, who consider Turkey an important partner
in Central Asia and a vital passage for their exports to Europe.
Limitations
It is unlikely that anyone will be able to stop Erdogan eliminating his domestic
rivals following the coup attempt if he chooses to do so. Western governments
will not do anything significant, regardless of how harsh their warnings are.
However, it is highly unlikely that he will resort to holding accountable or
boycotting major countries, as he threatened to do with the United States if it
does not extradite his rival Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania and who
Erdogan accuses of involvement in the coup attempt. Turkey’s military and
economic interests would be greatly harmed - this is the price of economic
success and international alliances. The coup attempt may alter Erdogan’s
foreign policy, but despite his impassioned speeches he remains a smart
politician. For example, despite all his threats he has not directly entered the
Syrian conflict, despite Russian and Iranian intervention. Instead, Turkey
supports Syrian opposition groups. Erdogan is now willing to reconsider his
disputes with Moscow and Tehran regarding Syria.
This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on July 20, 2016.
Enough condolences! Terrorism
requires global solutions
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/July 20/16
This is not the world I have known throughout my life. Warriors and soldiers
have always put their lives on the line during armed conflicts, and innocents
have always been caught in the crossfire. However, nowadays we are all potential
targets of perverted death cults - some covertly supported by states - that
think nothing of bombing or mowing down children. You would be forgiven for
thinking a new, vicious species has evolved, one that resembles human beings but
without human emotion. France has suffered eight terrorist incidents since the
Jan. 2015 slaughter of Charlie Hebdo employees. The Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) has taken credit for several attacks, but has opportunistically
claimed to have been the “inspiration” behind last week’s attack in Nice on
Bastille Day. Its message can be interpreted as an admission it had nothing to
do with it, but sought to profit from it anyway.
In many respects, this attack is a game-changer. On July 14, a humble truck was
the weapon of choice for Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a French delivery man of
Tunisian origin who killed at least 84 people (including 10 children) and
injured 202. His name was not on a terrorist watch list, and he had only been
convicted for minor crimes. Reports suggest he had no religious leanings. Unless
governments collectively implement a sea change in their current policies to
tackle terrorism at source and quit laying out red carpets for state sponsors,
memorials for its victims on every continent will increase and become the norm.
However, since others connected with him have now been arrested, the lone-wolf
theory is beginning to collapse. All the mosques in and around Nice have denied
knowing him. His motives, and those of many mass killers before him, are almost
impossible to fathom. Bouhlel is likely to have been supported by a hostile
state with the aim of destabilizing Europe and weakening France in particular.
Why citizens of first-world democracies, where nationals are educated and enjoy
civil liberties, embrace terror is perplexing - unless there is money involved.
No intelligence service could have had advanced knowledge, although listening to
TV commentators you would think the cure is heightened intelligence-sharing
between nations. That might work in some instances, but would not have prevented
this one. Anyone can get hold of a gun if they are determined enough, and hire a
lorry without any red flags being raised - that is deeply disturbing. The use of
a truck as a killing machine was conceptualized by Hezbollah. “He who drives his
truck into the enemy’s military base to blow himself up and become a martyr, he
drives in with a hopeful heart, smiling and happy,” Iran’s lackey, Hezbollah
leader Hassan Nasrallah, said years ago. He went on to glorify these murderers’
deaths, likening them to passing through the door of a hot sauna into a cool,
peaceful room.
Foreign meddling
Iran is being rewarded for being the world’s biggest sponsor of terror. It has
sleeper cells in many countries, and the nuclear deal has done nothing to quell
its evil intent toward the West. Its activities should be placed under a
microscope, rather than buried by Western intelligence agencies for the sake of
national interests. Eradicating the scourge of terrorism requires a
top-to-bottom strategy. The solution to getting rid of an ant colony is to
destroy the nest and kill the queen. Stamping on each ant one by one is useless
because more will be born. In other words, the international community must join
hands to cleanse the planet of terrorism’s state sponsors, figureheads, funders
and promoters before concentrating on lower tiers. Certain Western powers have
over the decades contributed to the problems we face by colluding with armed
radicals and dangerous ideologues when it has suited their purposes. France gave
sanctuary to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during his exile from Iran, while the
BBC aired his messages. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Britain’s
intelligence services have supported extremists to thwart the rise of
pan-Arabism or bring down uncooperative leaderships. The murky alliances between
the United States and its allies with hardened fanatics and militias in
Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria are well known. You would think the West would have
learned that if you play with fire, you will get burned.
Geopolitical power plays or economic interests should never trump the sanctity
of human life. A nation’s self-interest should never underpin a war or an
invasion while the deaths of hundreds of thousands are cavalierly written off as
“collateral damage.” Hatred and the desire for revenge are the logical result.
Domestic extremism
France is at war with an invisible enemy within. The national mood has shifted
from solidarity with the government and security forces to anger. President
Francois Hollande’s convoy was booed while driving through Nice on Friday, and
he can expect a political backlash for the inability of his government to
protect its citizens. The winner will be the far right - Front National leader
Marine Le Pen’s fantasies of moving into the Élysée Palace next summer could
materialize. U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is exploiting
the situation. He has announced that his country is “at war,” and says “extreme”
documentation should prevent the entry of people from “terrorist areas.” When
such attacks occur he receives a boost in popularity, which given his Democratic
opponent Hilary Clinton’s slipping approval ratings could carry him to the White
House.
Former Republican house speaker Newt Gingrich says Muslims should be tested to
see if they believe in sharia law, and if so be deported. Not only would that be
unconstitutional and divisive, it would not make anyone safer because most
terrorist attacks in the West have been committed by irreligious criminal
losers. Unless governments collectively implement a sea change in their current
policies to tackle terrorism at source and quit laying out red carpets for state
sponsors, memorials for its victims on every continent will increase and become
the norm.
Why are others still accusing
Saudi Arabia despite 9/11 report?
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/July 20/16
Unfortunately, news stories compete to the extent that one can completely burry
the other.
The world waited months for the declassification of the most famous 28 pages in
the world – the U.S. congressional report on the Sept. 11 attacks. Lobbies that
opposed Saudi Arabia exploited those pages and considered them as carrying
evidence of supposed involvement from Riyadh, and used it for years against the
Saudi government, its ruling family and more than 20 million Saudis and hundreds
of millions of those who love Saudi Arabia and its people and culture. The
problem with prejudgments is they are based on wishes rather than facts. Saudi
Arabia's enemies, primarily the Iranian lobby in the US and those benefiting
from hostilities against Riyadh as they seek political, electoral or popular
gains, continued to talk about the 28 pages as if they were conclusive evidence
to the Saudi government's involvement in the Sept. 11 twin attacks which struck
the US in 2001. After Iran propagated claims that Saudi Arabia had a direct role
in Sept. 11, it got a taste of its own medicine. Riyadh had been demanding the
declassification of the 28 pages for some time now. Diplomatically, Saudi Arabia
has requested the pages be made public first through the late Prince Saud
al-Faisal and most recently through Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. All the
while, US courts were demanding Iran pay up to an excess of $21 billion in
compensation for providing material support during the 9/11 attacks. The US
government finally did so last Friday, and it turns out that they do not
implicate Riyadh in any way. However, less than an hour after this news broke,
the failed Turkish coup dominated media coverage. Those who were exploiting the
classified pages were thrilled because it diverted attention away from Saudi
Arabia’s innocence regarding Sept. 11.
Iran
On March 9 this year, US District Judge George Daniels in New York issued a
default judgment ordering Iran to pay more than $7.5 billion in damages to a
group of insurers and families of those killed on Sept. 11. Daniels said Tehran
“had failed to defend claims” that it aided the hijackers, and so was liable for
damages tied to the attacks. Iran’s Foreign Ministry itself said some of the
attackers passed through its territory. The late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden
acknowledged Tehran’s role in sponsoring his family, friends and fighters. After
Iran propagated claims that Saudi Arabia had a direct role in Sept. 11, it got a
taste of its own medicine. There has been slander against Saudi Arabia since the
attacks. The nationalities of the hijackers do not implicate an entire society
or state. Even more dangerous is the provision of funds, training and
sponsorship to these terrorists. Iran is pervasive in terror.
**This article was first published in al-Bayan on July 20, 2016.
Is Israel More Accepted in the
Middle East?
A briefing by Efraim Inbar /Middle East Forum/July 20, 2016
Efraim Inbar, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan
University and a Shillman/Ginsburg Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum,
briefed the Middle East Forum in a conference call on June 30, 2016.
Multimedia for this item
Summary account by Marilyn Stern, Middle East Forum Board of Governors
The Israeli-Turkish renewal of diplomatic relations reflects Jerusalem's growing
regional strength. While the agreement stipulates the provision of humanitarian
Turkish aid to Gaza via the Ashdod port, the naval blockade of Hamas remains
intact despite Ankara's longstanding insistence on its removal.
The agreement also provides for the supply of Israeli gas to Turkey, thus
strengthening Ankara as an energy bridge to Europe while reducing its energy
dependence on Moscow and Tehran. Jerusalem must nevertheless strive to avoid
excessive dependence on Ankara, should it choose to build a pipeline to Turkey
via Cyprus.
The courtship of the Jewish state by an Islamist regime with wide-ranging
regional ambitions is a direct corollary of the current geopolitical reality,
which makes collaboration with Israel a necessity.
Islamist-led Turkey's courtship of Israel reflects Jerusalem's growing regional
strength.
Given the Saudi-Turkish failure to topple the Assad regime, Iran's regional
surge in the wake of the nuclear deal, Egypt's jihadist predicament in the Sinai
Peninsula, and the Obama administration's Middle Eastern retreat, Israel is
increasingly seen as the foremost, perhaps only bulwark against Tehran's
hegemonic ambitions, and a key ally in the regional anti-jihadist struggle.
Hence the reported support of some Arab states for Israel's first-ever election
to chairmanship of a permanent UN committee, and hence the $1 billion-plus
annual purchases of Israeli goods by the Gulf states.
Israel's greater regional acceptability notwithstanding, one should not hold too
high hopes for further gains. Strategic environments by their nature are
susceptible to vicissitudes, while deeply ingrained anti-Jewish stereotypes and
perceptions among Middle Easterners will take generations to change. Hence
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's current predicament is unlikely to lead
to the restoration of the intimate Turkish-Israeli political and military
collaboration of the 1990s, just as the Saudi-Israeli collaboration will likely
remain covert for quite some time given the desert kingdom's Wahhabi source of
legitimacy.
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