LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

June 25/16

 Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.june25.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 01/57-66:"Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John.’They said to her, ‘None of your relatives has this name.’Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbours, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

‘Drive out the slave and her child; for the child of the slave will not share the inheritance with the child of the free woman.
Letter to the Galatians 04/21-31.05,01:"Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, will you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. One, the child of the slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through the promise. Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, ‘Rejoice, you childless one, you who bear no children, burst into song and shout, you who endure no birth pangs; for the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than the children of the one who is married.’Now you, my friends, are children of the promise, like Isaac. But just as at that time the child who was born according to the flesh persecuted the child who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the scripture say? ‘Drive out the slave and her child; for the child of the slave will not share the inheritance with the child of the free woman.’ So then, friends, we are children, not of the slave but of the free woman.For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Pope Francis's Tweet For Today
Please accompany me with your prayers during my apostolic journey to Armenia.
Je vous demande d’accompagner par la prière mon voyage apostolique en Arménie.
أسألكم أن ترافقوا زيارتي الرسولية إلى أرمينيا بالصلاة.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 24-25/16

An enticing non-offer/Unpacking Wiam Wahab’s strange opening/Michael Young/Now Lebanon/June 24/16
Criticism, Resentment Of Hizbullah On The Rise Among Shi'ites In Lebanon Over Organization's Military Involvement In Syria/E.B. Picali/MEMRI/June 24/16
José Inácio Faria, Portuguese member of the European Parliament: Human rights in Iran is not just a domestic problem/NCRI/24 June/16
Revoking Qassim’s citizenship/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/June 24/16
Why Khamenei wants the next Supreme Leader to be ‘revolutionary’/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/June 24/16
Brexit notwithstanding, is Europe’s unity threatened/Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/June 24/16
Great US presidents must be turning in their graves/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/June 24/16
Why we’re partnering to bring the first college of entrepreneurship to Saudi Arabia/Kara Schoeffling/Al Arabiya/June 24/16
Germany's Turkish-Muslim Integration Problem/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/June 24/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on June 24-25/16

Hezbollah chief: We will stay in Aleppo
Nasrallah Says Aleppo Battle Crucial, Slams 'Hostile Behavior' by Some Banks
In Tripoli, Hariri Lashes Out at Rifi, Says Moderation 'Rescued Lebanon'
Hariri in Tripoli: I heard you; and moderation is not weakness but strength
Lebanese Cabinet Convenes, Tackles Contracts Undertaken by CDR
UK Chief of the Defense Staff Concludes Farewell Visit to Lebanon
Hard to control fire rages through Hrar hill
Sheikh Yaacoub wife vows to sue Lebanese state before international instances
Lebanese General Security Arrests Man Involved with Militants
Street Performance by Syrians in Lebanon Opens Wounds
An enticing non-offer/Unpacking Wiam Wahab’s strange opening
Criticism, Resentment Of Hizbullah On The Rise Among Shi'ites In Lebanon Over Organization's Military Involvement In Syria

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 24-25/16
Britain Votes to Leave EU, PM Resigns
Pound, Asia Markets Collapse as Britain Quits EU
Brexit wins as UK votes to leave European Union
David Cameron to step down as Britain exits EU
Scottish leader says new referendum on split from UK ‘very likely’
Dutch far-right MP Wilders calls for referendum on EU
Merkel defends EU, critics talk bloc disintegration
IS Snipers, Car Bombs Await U.S.-Backed Fighters in Syria's Manbij
Saudi Cop Shot Dead in Shiite District
Kuwait Prison Fire Kills Inmate, Injures 56
Pope praises Armenia’s Christian past, but avoids ‘genocide’
Iranians gather support for July 9 “Free Iran” grand gathering in Paris
José Inácio Faria, Portuguese member of the European Parliament: Human rights in Iran is not just a domestic problem

Links From Jihad Watch Site for June 24-25/16
Raymond Ibrahim: Nations Seeking to Ban Islam Keep Growing
Muslim doctor from Flint, Michigan now working for the Islamic State
AG Lynch has spoken for group that got jihad erased from counterterror training
Florida professor advocates cutting off hands for stealing, keeps job
Hugh Fitzgerald: “That’s Who We Are”
The case for Brexit: the EU alliance with jihadist thugs
FBI: No evidence that Orlando jihad mass murderer had gay lovers
Trump: “ISIS threatens us today because of the decisions Hillary Clinton has made”
Calls in Italy, France, Netherlands and Denmark for referendums to leave EU
Brexit wins! Cameron resigns as UK votes for independence
Reading the Qur’an during Ramadan 20: Juz Amman khalaq
Saudis kept 2 jihad groups with ties to Huma Abedin off US terror list
GOP Congressman to House Democrats during sit-in: ‘Radical Islam killed these people’
UK Muslim stabs girlfriend: mother disapproved of his relationship with non-Muslim

Latest Lebanese Related News published on June 24-25/16

Hezbollah chief: We will stay in Aleppo
Naharnet/June 24/16/BEIRUT - Hezbollah’s leader tackled the recent battles southwest of Aleppo, where the party in recent days reportedly suffered its worst losses since entering the conflict, and called the flashpoint front key to the defense of the Syrian regime. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Friday evening that a “new phase of the Syrian war” has started in northern Syria, claiming that foreign-backed insurgents were staging a major offensive in a bid to collapse the regime. “We had to be in Aleppo, and we will stay in Aleppo,” he declared defiantly, saying that thwarting the Army of Conquest coalition in the flashpoint front would “defend what remains of Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan.” “We have a high number of fighters in Aleppo.”Last weekend, Islamist rebels led by the Al-Nusra Front seized the villages of Khalsah and Zitan southwest of Aleppo in the most recent stage of their drive against regime lines that began in the beginning of April 2016. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights tracking developments in the war-torn country reported that Hezbollah suffered 25 casualties in the fighting. “It's the highest toll for Hezbollah fighters in a single battle,” the NGO’s chief told AFP. Nasrallah, however, blasted claims the party suffered heavy losses, announcing that 26 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since the beginning of June, and not just in the most recent clashes. Rebel groups suffered far heavier losses, he further claimed, saying that insurgents lost 617 fighters since the beginning of June, while over 800 others were injured. Nasrallah also discussed the issue of Lebanese banks’ compliance with a recent raft of US financial sanctions against Hezbollah, which has raised the ire of the party. “We completely reject this law,” he reiterated, while saying that the sanctions will have no effect on Hezbollah. “All the banks of the world cannot stand as an obstacle to Hezbollah,” Nasrallah boasted. He explained that Hezbollah’s entire budget is bankrolled by Tehran, saying, “As long as there is money in Iran, we will have money.”Despite his claim that the sanctions would not hurt Hezbollah, Nasrallah added that his party was angry over Lebanese banks closing down accounts of charities and private individuals for their purported support for the party. “This is irresponsible, aggressive behavior,” Nasrallah said in a broadside aimed at the country’s banking sector. Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh said earlier in June that 100 Hezbollah-linked bank accounts had been shut down in the country, prompting an angry riposte from Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc later that day, which said Lebanon’s “monetary policy has lost its sovereignty.”A US law passed on December 18, 2015 mandates the strictest sanctions yet against Hezbollah as well any individual or organization affiliated with it and any financial institution anywhere in the world that “knowingly facilitates a transaction” for it. In response, the Lebanese Central Bank issued Circular No. 137 on May 3, calling on Lebanese banks to abide by the US legislation, action has already been taken by banks against numerous Hezbollah officials. The sanction law and the Lebanese banking sectors adherence to it has enraged Hezbollah, with on of the party’s minister in the government, Hussein al-Hajj Hassan, saying in a mid-May cabinet session the sanctions “transgressed all red lines” and represented part of a “war of elimination.” However, Hezbollah on May 18 praised a directive by Salameh calling on banks to consult with the Central Bank before shutting accounts down. Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. (AFP/Anwar Amro). We had to be in Aleppo, and we will stay in Aleppo.

Nasrallah Says Aleppo Battle Crucial, Slams 'Hostile Behavior' by Some Banks
Naharnet/June 24/16/Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday described the fight for the Syrian province of Aleppo as the “greatest battle” to date in the Syrian war, noting that the outcome would have an impact on “Damascus, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan.”
"It is out duty to increase our presence in Aleppo... because the real, strategic and greatest battle is in Aleppo and the surrounding area," said Nasrallah in a televised speech marking 40 days since the death in Syria of Hizbullah's top military commander Mustafa Badreddine. Badreddine was killed near Damascus on May 12 by “artillery shelling carried out by takfiri groups,” according to a Hizbullah statement. Aleppo city -- once Syria's economic hub – has in recent weeks seen an uptick in violence between government forces in the west and rebel groups in the east. Fierce clashes have also been raging in the northern and southern countrysides of Aleppo province. "We are facing a new wave, or a new phase, of military operations in Syria that will be fought in the north, specifically in the area of Aleppo," Nasrallah said. “After they failed to reach Damascus from Lebanon, Jordan and the eastern front, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have dispatched thousands of militants in a bid to launch an offensive from the northern front,” he declared. “The U.S.-Saudi-takfiri scheme is seeking to make an achievement in Syria through Aleppo's front,” Nasrallah added. He announced that 26 Hizbullah fighters had been killed in the offensive this month, in a rare admission of casualties for the group. Nasrallah also noted that rebel and jihadist groups fighting his party and the Syrian army have lost “617 militants, including dozens of field commanders,” since the beginning of the fighting in Aleppo on June 1. “More than 800 militants were wounded while over 80 armored personnel carriers, tanks and vehicles were destroyed,” he added. "Fighting in defense of Aleppo is in defense of the rest of Syria, of Damascus. It's in defense of Lebanon and Iraq and Jordan," Nasrallah said via videolink. "This is why it is our duty to be in Aleppo -- and we were, and we will stay in Aleppo," he added. “The same as we counted on you in the July War (against Israel), we are counting on you in the Aleppo battle,” Nasrallah went on to say, addressing Hizbullah's fighters. 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. Turning to the row over the implementation in Lebanon of the anti-Hizbullah U.S. banking sanctions, Nasrallah said his party has not been affected financially by such measures but stressed that it “will not tolerate the hostile behavior by some banks” against “Hizbullah's environment” and some charitable associations. “We categorically reject the U.S. sanctions law and claims that Hizbullah is collapsing financially are childish dreams... I have already said that even the strictest implementation of the U.S. law will not affect Hizbullah as an organizational and jihadi structure,” Hizbullah's chief added. “We do not have business projects or investment institutions that benefit from banks. We openly say that Hizbullah's budget and funds come directly from the Islamic Republic of Iran and as long as Iran has money we will have money,” he declared. “There are banks in Lebanon that went too far and implemented measures that were not even requested by the Americans themselves. They removed the accounts of charitable associations whose names were not mentioned in the U.S. blacklist. Is this a legal and humanitarian behavior or is it an attack on people and on the charitable associations?” added Nasrallah. He however noted that his party is “open to dialogue and solutions” with the banking sector while emphasizing that it “will not tolerate any hostile behavior towards our people.”Nasrallah's remarks come around two weeks after a bomb blast targeted the Beirut headquarters of BLOM Bank, the second largest bank in the country. Several parties were quick to point the finger at Hizbullah over the bombing due to the fact that the attack coincided with the row with the banking sector. BLOM bank had been criticized by some pro-Hizbullah politicians for taking a hard-line position after Lebanese banks began abiding by the U.S. law, which sanctions doing business with the Iran-backed Lebanese group. Authorities say dozens of bank accounts related to Hizbullah's organizations have been closed in recent weeks. Hizbullah has fiercely criticized the law and accused Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh of "yielding" to Washington's demands. The crisis between Hizbullah and Salameh has however eased in recent days, according to media reports, after the governor ordered the reopening of several closed bank accounts.

In Tripoli, Hariri Lashes Out at Rifi, Says Moderation 'Rescued Lebanon'
Naharnet/June 24/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri lashed out Friday at resigned Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi without naming him during an iftar banquet in the northern city of Tripoli, as he stressed the importance of “moderation.” “Peace be upon Tripoli, that is dear to my heart, that faced incitement and expelled from its ranks the tools of evil and the brigades of destruction and displacement. Peace be upon Tripoli’s martyrs, its youth and heroes and those who remained in its neighborhoods and faced the campaigns of deceit and arbitrary arrests,” Hariri said. Commenting on the municipal elections that were held last month, the ex-PM added: “I am not here to admonish you. I am here to express my respect to you, your votes and your will.”“We are from the school of democracy and when Tripoli elects its municipal council, we cooperate with it for Tripoli’s interest. Let me tell you this: all members of the new municipal council are my brothers and friends and Tripoli’s interest is above any consideration,” Hariri added. A list backed by Rifi achieved a stunning victory in May's municipal polls against a list backed by Hariri, ex-PM Najib Miqati, ex-ministers Mohammed Safadi and Faisal Karami, the Jamaa Islamiya, al-Ahbash and the Arab Democratic Party. The Rifi-back list clinched 16 seats on the municipal council while the Hariri-backed one garnered only eight. The justice minister has been accused of resorting to “sectarian incitement” and to the use of the assassinations that targeted March 14 figures in his political rhetoric. “I am here to say to each citizen who voted for this list, or that list, or stayed home and withheld their votes: I heard you… I got your message and I am responsible for it. Our understanding of politics is to serve people, their expectations and aspirations. We did not enter politics for the sake of positions, gains or money,” Hariri went on to say. “There is a trend today, and everybody is explaining to us the meaning of national Harirism and the thought of Rafik Hariri, even to the extent of calling on Saad Hariri to return to Harirism and to Rafik!,” Hariri lamented. Reminiscing 2004 remarks by Rafik Hariri, al-Mustaqbal's leader noted that one cannot rescue “a kidnapped civilian plane” through force without jeopardizing the “safety of the passengers.” “Someone has a different approach, which is to break the plane’s window or to blow up the cockpit or to kill the captain or to throw himself from the air at 30,000 feet. This is his opinion and he is free to have it. But he should stop involving the name of Rafik Hariri in his political rhetoric and should stop attacking the Hariris in the name of Rafik Hariri,” the ex-PM added, in an apparent reference to Rifi. “To all those who suddenly became experts in Rafik Hariri, Harirism and its principles, a small reminder: Every time Rafik Hariri was asked about the most important thing in the world, he answered: Honesty! And what is the basis of honesty? Loyalty,” Hariri added. Decrying that some parties are trying to “depict moderation as weakness,” Hariri underlined that “moderation is not a weakness” but rather “real strength.”“The moderation that faces terrorism, discord, and barbarism is strength. The moderation that rescued Tripoli and entire Lebanon from the black fate that our brothers in Syria are facing is strength and not weakness. The moderation that adheres to the project of the State and that clings to its stances even when engaged in dialogue is strength and not weakness,” the former premier stressed.

Hariri in Tripoli: I heard you; and moderation is not weakness but strength
Fri 24 Jun 2016/NNA - Former Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, maintained, during an Iftar he held Friday in the Rashid Karame International Fair, in honor of families from Tripoli and Koura, that the newly elected municipality members in the northern capital were his brothers, vowing cooperation for the sake of the city. "Dear friends from Tripoli and Koura, Peace be upon you. Peace be upon Tripoli, that is dear to my heart, that faced incitement and expelled from its ranks the tools of evil, destruction and displacement. Peace be upon Tripoli's martyrs, its youth and heroes and those who remained in its neighbourhoods and faced the campaigns of deceit, and arbitrary prosecutions, and clung to their faith despite torture in jails and unjust sentences. Peace be upon the houses and arenas that shook off the dust of wars and battles to remain the symbol of the city's dignity and national and Arab identity," he said in his address.
"We gather today at the Rashid Karame International Fair and we salute Martyr Premier Rashid Karame, a national Arab leader from Tripoli and an exemplar of the statesman who paid his life to defend the values of coexistence and national unity. These are the values that you carry through your diversity, in your churches, mosques, in the names of your streets, your habits and your traditions," he added.
"Let me get start directly by the topic of the municipal elections. I am not here to admonish you. I am here to express my respect to you, your votes and your will. We are from the school of democracy and when Tripoli elects its municipal council, we cooperate with it for Tripoli's interest. Let me tell you this: all members of the new municipal council are my brothers and friends and Tripoli's interest is above any consideration," he underlined. "Tripoli's loyalty to the path of Future Movement and martyr Prime Minister Rafic Hariri cannot be questioned, reviewed or re-evaluated," he said. "Tripoli will never deviate from its path. It gave Rafic Hariri when it was forbidden for Rafic Hariri to give Tripoli anything. And to anyone trying to trivialize the relation between us and Tripoli and present it as a relation of interest, I say: You, in Tripoli, don't owe us anything, we owe you," he added.
"I am here to say to each citizen who voted for this list, or that list, or stayed home and withheld his voice: I heard you; I got your message and I am responsible of it. Our understanding of politics is to serve the people, their expectations and aspirations. We did not enter politics for the sake of positions, gains or money," he explained. "Our name is Hariri: Our position is martyrdom, and we lose our money in politics. We see politics as a tool to serve you, to serve our people in Koura, Tripoli and all over Lebanon. You hold us responsible and we do not evade this. We are responsible of our people. This is the core of national Harirism. And since there is a trend today, and everybody is explaining to us the meaning of national Harirism and the thought of Rafic Hariri, to the extent even of calling on Saad Hariri to return to Harirism and to Rafic, let me tell you what Rafic Hariri said," he stressed.
"At the end of 2004, after the assassination attempt on Minister Marwan Hamade, journalist Ghassan Charbel asked Premier Hariri a clear and direct question: What do you expect in the coming period? I will read to you Rafic Hariri's answer: It is a period that requires wisdom, patience and foresight from everyone. It is a difficult period. Let me summarize the issue of concessions by making a comparison. There is a kidnapped civilian plane and you can't free the passengers by force so what do you do? My answer is that the priority is to save the passengers safely. Saving Beirut and Lebanon in itself is a punishment to the kidnappers. This is the answer of Rafic Hariri," he recalled.
"Isn't this our situation and the situation in our country today? Yes, the plane is still hijacked and my duty and responsibility is to do what Rafic Hariri would have done: save the passengers and ensure their safety. The kidnapper will not be able to continue, and the plane will soon land safely in Rafic Hariri International Airport and the kidnapper will be held responsible. This is our school and this is our responsibility," he said. "Someone has a different approach, which is to break the plane's window or explode the cockpit or kill the captain or throw himself from the air at 30 thousand feet? This is his opinion and he is free to have it. But he should stop involving the name of Rafic Hariri in his political upstaging and stop attacking the Hariris in the name of Rafic Hariri," he continued. "And to all those who suddenly became experts in Rafic Hariri, Harirism and its principles, a small reminder: Every time Rafic Hariri was asked about the most important thing in the world, he answered: Honesty! And what is the basis of honesty? Loyalty... just as a reminder and I am sure you did not forget!" he went on to say. "Dear friends, we are at the service of Tripoli and not vice versa. And when we put ourselves at the service of Tripoli, we serve moderation and stability all over Lebanon. Here I want to say something about moderation: There is an ongoing attempt for many years now to accuse the Sunnis in general and Tripoli in particular of extremism," he corroborated.
"Part of this attempt is a breach trying to present moderation as being a weakness. In fact, moderation is not a weakness, it is strength; real strength. The moderation that faces terrorism, discord, and barbarism is strength. The moderation that saved Tripoli and all Lebanon from the black fate that our brothers in Syria are facing is strength and not weakness. The moderation that adheres to the project of the state and that hangs on to its stances even when having a dialogue is strength and not weakness," he said. "When I am a moderate, I am one of the one billion and 500 million Muslims in the world who believe that their religion is the religion of moderation; this is strength and not weakness. Moderation in Lebanon allowed the Lebanese army to beat the incitement of Fateh al-Islam that was sent by the criminal Bashar Assad. Moderation in Lebanon brought the criminal Michel Samaha back to prison; Samaha who was sent by his criminal boss in Syria to ignite sectarian discord in Lebanon. And the one who saved us from this criminal is the hero of Koura and all of Lebanon Martyr Wissam Hassan," he added.
"The one who kills is the weak one, and the one who demands justice and truth is the strong one, the moderate one. Moderation brought the Special Tribunal to Lebanon and got the Syrian regime out of Lebanon when all moderates from all Lebanese regions and sects took to the street on March 14, 2005. This is the real strength and this is moderation. So let no one tell us that moderation is a weakness and let no one try to picture you as extremists," he considered. "Tripoli was never and will never be a breeding ground for extremism and terrorism. But neither you nor us will accept that this beloved city be an economic quagmire. This city has been living on the despair line for many decades, and it is time to mobilize all efforts to end this injustice and place it in an advanced position on the national revival map," he said. "In this Holy month we renew the pledge and tell you that the revival of this city is our duty. I, at the head of the Future Movement, with all the loyal people of the city, will be at the forefront of the revival campaign so that Tripoli becomes once again a beacon on the Mediterranean Sea," he indicated. "I pledge to exert all possible efforts and ensure all capabilities, through the state and its institutions and the private sector and its investments, to launch national works in Tripoli that will include the fare, the port, the old souks, the shores and the islands. We will work to put the city on the national and Arab economic map. Tripoli is fed up with promises, it needs a decision to execute the development projects," he promised.
"You all know that we support the biggest project in the history of Tripoli, and its execution started: the Tripoli Special Economic Zone. This project is not isolated. It includes a railroad, roads network that connects Tripoli to the Syrian depth to the north and the east, and the port of Tripoli. All these projects will be executed and this will make Tripoli, its port, its merchants, workers and youth, a platform for rebuilding and ensuring goods for Syria and Iraq when the political solution in Syria and Iraq becomes possible. And I am telling you: the political solution is coming and this means that Syria will get rid of the Bashar Assad nightmare! And Tripoli should prepare itself to play a historical role. I am not the one saying this, but Ban Ki-Moon and the World Bank are saying it. Everyone looking at the geographic and human resources map is saying it. We have to resist, preserve stability, work and plan for the future, which is a promising future," he concluded.

Lebanese Cabinet Convenes, Tackles Contracts Undertaken by CDR
Naharnet/June 24/16/The cabinet held a meeting at the Grand Serail on Friday where it mainly discussed the projects undertaken by the Council for Development and Reconstruction in various Lebanese areas. The cabinet which was chaired by PM Tammam Salam “asked the CDR to prepare, within a month, an analytical study of the financial figures of the projects that it has been asked by the state to implement,” said Information Minister Ramzi Jreij after the meeting. He also said that the cabinet has scheduled two sessions next week on Tuesday and Thursday. “It also demanded that all the ministries provide the CDR with information on the developmental projects they are carrying out,” added Jreij. After the meeting, Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi commented: “There is a big share of the projects in Mount Lebanon but with little financial cost.”Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil criticized the bulk of projects tasked to the CDR, he said: “There is an imbalance in the distribution of projects. It is inconceivable that %81 of them are carried by one party.”Ahead of the meeting LBCI said that Bassil joined the gatherers at the cabinet with plans to discuss the "unbalanced distribution of developmental projects,” in several areas around Lebanon. In reference to the trash management file and the landfills that were established to end the crisis, Health Minister Wael Abou Faour said: “We have presented to Salam the flaws in the Costa Brava landfill tender. We will not accept squandering of public funds,” For his part, Education Minister Elias Bou Saab said: “We will be asking who is deciding that certain projects are put into implementation and who is delaying other ones.”Minister of Industry Hussein Hajj Hassan stated that the “oil and gas file will not be tackled today, but we support the adoption of the decrees related to it as soon as possible.”Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq said: “I will put forward for discussion the trash management file.” Before the meeting, Qazzi, who was asked by his Kataeb party to submit his resignation from the cabinet, said: “I will participate in the meeting because it is time to shoulder responsibilities and I will represent the Christians the Maronites and even the Kataeb party.”Qazzi was expelled from the Kataeb party early this week after he rejected to abide by the party's decision on resigning from Salam's government.

UK Chief of the Defense Staff Concludes Farewell Visit to Lebanon
Naharnet/June 24/16/British Chief of the Defense Staff General Sir Nicholas Houghton ended a two-day official visit to Lebanon on Thursday, the British Embassy said in a statement. Houghton met with Lebanese Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji and senior army officers and later departed Lebanon on a Royal Air Force C130 Hercules Aircraft. This was Houghton’s third visit to Lebanon. In his meeting with Qahwaji, Houghton discussed the challenges facing Lebanon and how the UK is helping to support the Lebanese Armed Forces in “their efforts to maintain stability and security across Lebanon,” the Embassy said. They discussed and reiterated “a shared intention to increase the current high level of engagement between their two Armed Forces.” “The UK and Lebanon share a longstanding Defense relationship. In my meetings with General Qahwaji, I reaffirmed the UK’s continued support for a secure, stable and prosperous Lebanon,” Houghton said. “Lebanon is a partner in the Global Coalition to defeat Daesh (Islamic State group) and is on the frontline of the crisis in Syria. Our support to the Lebanese army enables them to build their capabilities, strengthen the country’s borders and protect the Lebanese people,” he added. The British general also noted that the UK “aims to have trained over 11,000 Lebanese soldiers in the specialist techniques of urban counterterrorism by 2019.” The Chief of Defense Staff is the UK’s most senior serving officer in the Armed Forces. Houghton took up his position on 18 July 2013. Since 2012, the UK has been delivering a £34 million program to “train and equip” three Land Border Regiments of the Lebanese Army, according to the Embassy.

Hard to control fire rages through Hrar hill
Fri 24 Jun 2016/NNA - Wild fire has been raging through a hill in Akkar's town of Hrar, destroying acres of trees, with firemen failing to extinguish it, National News Agency correspondent reported on Friday.Army units arrived later to the scene, joining efforts with Civil Defense teams and locals, in an attempt to control the flames.

Sheikh Yaacoub wife vows to sue Lebanese state before international instances
Fri 24 Jun 2016/NNA - The wife of missing Sheikh Mohammad Yaacoub vowed on Friday to uncover those who participated in what she terms as plot against her son, former lawmaker Hassan Yaacoub, detained over the abduction of Libya's Hannibal Gaddafi.
A statement by the aggrieved wife and mother, accused the Justice Council of failure, as it keeps postponing sessions to look into the affair of missing Imam Moussa Sadr, berating the "scandal" of her son's detention. "We shall not allow this masquerade to carry on, and we shall uncover the partners [in crime]. We will sue the Lebanese state and the Justice Council before the international instances," she promised, during her open-ended sit-in in front of the Shiite Council.

Lebanese General Security Arrests Man Involved with Militants
Naharnet/June 24/16/The General Security arrested a Syrian national on Friday on charges of having links to terror groups, the National News Agency reported. “Within its duties to monitor and track the activities of terror organizations and sleeper cells, the General Security arrested Syrian R.D. for having links to terror groups,” a statement by the General Security said. “The detainee confessed to having contacts with militants in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal. “He admitted to providing them with logistical support and funds,” added the statement. The detainee was referred to the related judiciary and the endeavors continue to arrest the rest of culprits.

Street Performance by Syrians in Lebanon Opens Wounds
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 24/16/The small crowd broke out in giggles when a young male actor, dressed in a towel and a wig, strutted around the dusty open market in Lebanon's Bekaa valley during a street performance. He was portraying a Syrian woman coquettishly complaining of how she has no privacy with her husband in a crowded refugee tent. The mood turned from comedy to tragedy as the troupe of Syrian actors moved to the next act: A refugee girl with a heart condition dies because no Lebanese hospital agrees to admit her on an emergency basis. While some among the Lebanese watching were sympathetic, one family walked away, grumbling in protest. "There are lots of lies," Mohammed Razzak said of the performance. "As a Lebanese, I don't get the assistance they (Syrians) get."The range of reactions at the Saadnayel market was precisely what the directors anticipated, even desired. The Caravan, a street performance project touring Lebanon over the next six weeks, gives Syrian refugees the chance to tell and act out their own stories and experiences and present them to Lebanese who often see the Syrians as little more than a wave of the needy and poor that has overwhelmed their country. "We still deal with the Syrian crisis through numbers: 'That many people died today. That many entered Lebanon,'" said Sabine Choucair, a Lebanese clown and the artistic director of the Caravan. "We don't see each other as humans." "We want to start a dialogue," Choucair said.
More than five years into the war in neighboring Syria, the influx of refugees hasn't stopped, and Lebanese and Syrians alike are grappling with the new reality. In this tiny nation, there are 1.1 million registered Syrian refugees, one for every four Lebanese, and that's not counting the tens of thousands more unregistered refugees also living here. Nearly one in four of the total 4.8 million Syrians who have fled abroad from their country's war are in Lebanon. Attitudes in Lebanon have hardened, as many Lebanese complain that refugees are taking jobs, causing property prices to rise and flooding the market with smuggled goods that sell at a fraction of the price.The Caravan, which started in early 2016, is a "megaphone" for the Syrian stories, said Choucair's co-director Ailin Conant.
They first recorded more than a dozen video clips of stories told by refugees and shared them online. The hope was to grab the attention of a hyper-connected world audience, said Conant, artistic director of London-based theater company Theatre Temoin. Now they're taking the show on the road. The troupe of six actors is touring in a van, giving their half-hour performances in markets, informal settlements and intersections. Because they are not allowed by Lebanese law to work and travel outside of their areas, a troupe of Syrian professional actors with work permits also hold their caravan show where the refugees can't go. Nessim Ghroum, whose EU-funded group Drama, Diversity and Development is a main backer of the Caravan, said the project doesn't belittle the Lebanese woes. "The crisis is there and people have to live with it," he said. "You can have different attitudes toward this reality ... You can pretend it is not there, you can be angry about it. You can feel bitter, violent. The attitude we are promoting is compassion and understanding."For the Caravan's actors, the show is a chance to get closer to their Lebanese hosts, not as needy refugees but as a talented group who can crack jokes even about their own misery. "We want to change the idea Lebanese have of Syrians," said Hanan Dergham, 15, the only female actor in the cast. Dergham said she wants to show her own community that there's no problem in young men and women mingling. Many among the refugees are from largely conservative Sunni populations in rural Syria, where women and men mainly mix under supervision in family gatherings — a stark difference from their generally more liberal Lebanese counterparts.
At 10, Dergham and her family fled the central Syrian city of Homs after her father was imprisoned by the government and an airstrike killed one of her aunts and her children and left Dergham's sister badly burned. She said the play has also been good for her. "People will forget the past and think about the future. They must forget the past that is making their hearts dark and begin to have some light in their lives." Many at the Saadnayel market stopped to watch the performance a little before walking away to escape the summer heat. One act that drew laughs was the story of a young man on a motorcycle who was stopped at a checkpoint because he is suspected of being an illegal Syrian migrant. As it turns out, he's Lebanese. In another act, a child tells the story of a dragon that eats people, but in an analogy with the Syrian conflict, the dragon ends up exploding from all it ate. Some in the audience were cynical. "There have already been books and books written about our sufferings," scoffed a Syrian refugee woman selling lingerie in the market. Others were touched. Abu Abed, a Lebanese vendor, said the story of the girl who died broke his heart. "It is a good idea to let them tell their pain," he said. Razzak, who walked away angrily from the play, said he had been briefly detained before for criticizing Lebanon's policy of taking in Syrians. He acknowledged Syrians' painful experiences but said his country suffered a 15-year civil war from which it is still reeling."We know their pain," he said. "Each country has its own."

An enticing non-offer/Unpacking Wiam Wahab’s strange opening
Michael Young/Now Lebanon/June 24/16
It’s not often that we hear from Tawhid Party leader Wiam Wahab these days, but something he said last week is worth examining. After meeting with Michel Aoun, Wahab did the customary thing and blamed Saad Hariri for the continued vacuum in the presidency, asking him to back Aoun.
But then Wahab said something else: “I assure Hariri from Rabieh today that Gen. Aoun possesses two keys: the first is the key to the presidency, and the second is the key to the premiership. Gen. Michel Aoun has a mandate from the political factions he is aligned with, specifically from Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, to negotiate with Hariri for his return to the premiership, and he is the only one who has this authority.”
For the first time in a long time, we hear from someone close to Hezbollah, and quite clearly transmitting a message from the party, that Hariri may return as prime minister. The conventional wisdom until now has been that Hezbollah does not want a Hariri return because it prefers a fragmented Sunni community and doesn’t want the former prime minister to re-emerge as a unifying figure among the Sunnis. Wahab’s statement suggests that things may have changed. Not so fast, the skeptical might reply. Wahab’s offer was really only two things: an effort to get Hezbollah off the hook for the continued delay in Aoun’s election; and an underhanded proposal that only seeks to ensure Hariri remains marginalized. Indeed, since Samir Geagea supported Aoun for the presidency, all eyes have been turned to Hezbollah. If the party could persuade its ally Nabih Berri to back Aoun, his bloc’s votes in parliament, combined with those of the Aounists, the Lebanese Forces, Hezbollah and smaller parties aligned with Hezbollah, would give Aoun the two-thirds majority required to win.
Instead, in a speech last January, Nasrallah announced that, while he supported Aoun, he would not try to persuade his allies to back the general. In other words, having persuaded its allies to block a presidential vote for almost two years (at the time) by not going to parliament, Hezbollah would not seek to convince them to guarantee the victory of the man on whose behalf they had refused to attend electoral sessions in the first place. It was perfectly logical as an argument, but only if one assumed that Hezbollah wanted to prolong the presidential vacuum. The Aounists are no fools and quickly saw through this. However, instead of confronting Hezbollah, they directed their rancor at Hariri, to better avoid a clash with the party. Wahab’s remarks, then, can be viewed as a further step in this direction. What about the offer of a Hariri return? Again, the skeptics would point out that even if Hariri is named as prime minister after an Aoun election, this would only be temporary. With parliamentary elections looming soon afterward, Hariri would only be in office to organize those elections, as was Najib Mikati in 2005. After that all bets are off, and there are no guarantees that Hariri would return following parliamentary elections.
Perhaps, they’re right. And one thing that could determine this is the basis on which parliamentary elections are held? Hariri favors the 1960 law, which, despite his recent political setbacks, would allow him to retain a sizable bloc in parliament. That would help him in his efforts to come back as prime minister after the parliamentary elections, as prime ministers are chosen following a head count of the different parliamentary blocs. However, the firm direction today, particularly among Christians, is to abandon the 1960 law, and Hezbollah has supported this by arguing for a proportional system. That is poison for Hariri, who knows that, given the results of the municipal elections, it would likely break his stranglehold on the Sunni community. Not surprisingly, all efforts in parliament to find a consensus around a new law have failed. Berri has offered a way out of the impasse, proposing a “new Doha conference”—in other words a new package deal that would almost certainly aim to encompass an agreement over a president, a prime minister and an election law. However, the vagueness of Berri’s proposal, and the fact that many fear the Shiite parties will use it as a platform to propose constitutional amendments to their advantage, makes such an initiative deeply suspicious to the remnants of March 14.
So it would seem that we remain in a stalemate. That may be precisely what Hezbollah wants, but all the party has really done is exploit the clashing political agendas of the different political forces to produce such a situation. In light of this, Wahab’s remarks are probably destined to reinforce deadlock. But they also may provide a small opening that someone like Hariri can turn to his advantage if he operates with imagination. For now, however, the former prime minister is wrestling with other dragons. His financial situation, already bad, is deteriorating by the day, while the repercussions of the municipal elections have yet to settle, with Hariri blaming those around him for his less than ideal performance. Hezbollah has its own problems to address, not least its failing campaign in Syria. Lebanon’s fate is a hostage to bad calculations all around.
**Michael Young is a writer and editor in Beirut. He tweets @BeirutCalling

Criticism, Resentment Of Hizbullah On The Rise Among Shi'ites In Lebanon Over Organization's Military Involvement In Syria
By: E.B. Picali/MEMRI/June 23, 2016
Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No.1257
Introduction
Over the past two years, Lebanese Shi'ite voices have emerged every so often to criticize and express resentment against Hizbullah over its military involvement in Syria. Beginning in August 2012, anti-Hizbullah Lebanese Shi'ites implicitly criticized Hizbullah in the Lebanese press for its joining the fighting in Syria. The Hizbullah-affiliated media have sharply condemned this criticism, even accusing these Shi'ites of treason and calling them "Shi'ites of the U.S. Embassy."[1] Gradually, even among the pro-Hizbullah Shi'ite public, particularly the families of members who have died in fighting, criticism has emerged of Hizbullah's military involvement in Syria; there have even been media reports of fissures within the organization in this matter.[2] A Lebanese Shi'ite journalist who described herself a supporter of the resistance even wrote in a recent article that Hizbullah was an "immoral, murderous" organization.[3]
These voices from the Shi'ite public, and the reports of young Shi'ites unmotivated to join Hizbullah's ranks, reflect a lack of confidence in the organization, and indicate that its status has been damaged among a public that has traditionally supported it.
In these circumstances, it is apparent that Hizbullah's Shi'ite opponents, both politicians and journalists, are feeling safer to express their views. Following the very high number of civilian casualties in Syria in the fighting for control of Aleppo and its environs between the two sides – the Assad regime, Hizbullah, and other militias versus the rebels – a new wave of criticism from Hizbullah's opponents has crested.
Various reports and testimony, as well as speeches by Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, have indicated that even the Shi'ite public in Lebanon that has traditionally supported Hizbullah is now less convinced of the rightness of its path in Syria, and is perhaps also despairing because, while no end to the war is in sight, more and more dead and wounded Hizbullah fighters are returning to Lebanon; according to media reports, some 1,500 have already been killed. One report even stated that young Shi'ites – including sons of Hizbullah officials – are fleeing to Europe for fear that they will be recruited to fight.
Results of the recent elections for local authorities in Hizbullah's strongholds of South Lebanon, the Dahiya, and the northern Beqa'a also show that some of the pro-Hizbullah public is displeased with the organization's representatives, indicating a possible dissatisfaction with the organization's political activity as well.
The following are statements and criticism by Lebanese Shi'ites regarding Hizbullah's military involvement in Syria:
Shi'ite 'Lebanese Option' Party To Hizbullah: Stop Trading In Our Blood And Exploiting Our Youth
On May 1, 2016, following the massive airstrikes and massacres carried out by the Assad army, with the support of Hizbullah, against civilians and rebel forces in Aleppo and its environs, the student organization of the Shi'ite Lebanese Option party held a demonstration in central Beirut. The Lebanese Option, headed by Ahmad Al-As'ad, is a secular Shi'ite party that opposes Hizbullah. The former head of its student organization, Hashem Salman, was killed during a demonstration held by his organization in front of the Iranian embassy in Beirut in June 2013 to demand Hizbullah's withdrawal from Syria. The May 2016 demonstration, held under heavy police protection, was attended by dozens of Shi'ite students who protested Hizbullah's involvement in Syria and urged the organization to withdraw from there. In speeches delivered at the protest, it was stated that Hizbullah was "sacrificing the lives of Lebanon's Shi'ite youth" for the sake of the Syrian regime "whose hands are stained with the blood of its own people" and for the sake of Iranian goals that Lebanon's Shi'ites have no interest in. The speakers stressed that protecting Lebanon and securing its borders was the task of the Lebanese army alone, and that only the state was authorized to take decisions on matters of war and peace. They also emphasized that not all of the country's Shi'ites are followers of [Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan] Nasrallah, and that many voices have begun to be heard among this public opposing Nasrallah's plan in Syria. They demanded that he stop lying to the Shi'ites and playing them for fools with false claims of waging resistance against Israel and protecting Lebanon from it. They called on the Shi'ites to be loyal to their country instead of blindly following Hizbullah "which forces them to go to their deaths."
The current head of the Lebanese Option organization in the Lebanese University, Sally Hafez, said: "They called us filthy agents, hypocrite traitors and 'Shi'ites of the [U.S.] embassy,' they attacked us, fought us, persecuted us and killed our comrade, the martyr Hashem Salman, and [then] said it was an accident... [Oh Hizbullah], you bought and sold the blood of our young people, and sent back their torn up bodies in coffins. We never thought the day would come when free men are [called] 'traitors' while all those who trade in our lives are considered resistance [fighters]. Allah protect [us] from this era, in which anyone who opposes you is [considered] an agent, whereas all those who kill while hiding behind [the mask of] religion and honor are [considered] the most honorable of men. [We say] 'enough', a thousand times 'enough'! [Stop] insulting our intelligence, stop trading in our blood, stop exploiting our youth. The traitor is the one who leads his land, his country and his people to die alongside [the fighters] of oppressive, murderous and criminal regimes. We are only citizens who [love] their land and want to live in their country in peace. Take your blood-stained hands off us, [for] the mask has been removed from your [faces]."[4]
May 1, 2016 demonstration by the Lebanese Option student organization (image: Al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 1, 2016).
Several party members commented in the press that many Shi'ites in Lebanon oppose Hizbullah but prefer to keep their opinion to themselves out of fear for their lives and their livelihoods.[5]
Anti-Hizbullah Shi'ite Journalists: Hizbullah Is In "Deep Moral Crisis"
Criticism of Hizbullah and its fighting in Syria was heard also from several Lebanese Shi'ite journalists. For instance, in an article published April 22, 2016 in the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Nadim Koteich, who is known for his anti-Hizbullah stance, criticized Hizbullah's fighting in Syria, stating that not only was the group in "political, military, and security crisis in Syria, but also in deep moral crisis that is leading its program and its existence to suicide." He added that this was due to its active support for the Assad regime that was killing its own people in Syria.[6]
Likewise, on April 29, 2016, following the Assad regime's and Hizbullah's attack on civilians in battles in Aleppo, Koteich tweeted: "If only Israel would annex Aleppo – because then it would be quiet like the Golan. Better for Aleppo's residents to be under the occupation regime than under the ruins."[7]
On June 15, 2016, 'Ali Al-Amin, a Lebanese Shi'ite journalist who is editor of the Al-Janoubiyya website, and is known for his opposition to Hizbullah, told the Lebanon360 website in an interview that Hizbullah was an organization belonging to Iran and that it receives instructions from it, and that the Syria fight is Iran's fight for its status and influence in the region, particularly in Syria. Therefore, he said, Hizbullah cannot decide on its own whether, or when, to withdraw its forces from there. Al-Amin added that there was no truth to Hizbullah's claim that the Palestinian issue is the main thing, because if it were, the resistance axis would not be cooperating with Russia in Syria because of Russia's alliance with Israel.[8]
Anti-Hizbullah Shi'ite Cleric: There Is No Religious Permission For Hizbullah's Fighting In Syria
Lebanese Shi'ite cleric Sheikh 'Ali Al-Amin, who is also known for his anti-Hizbullah views, said in a statement to the Turkish news agency Anadolu that "fighting alongside the Syrian regime is against the Shi'ite view" and that if Iran and Hizbullah "want to be on the side of [Shi'a founder] Hussein, they must withdraw from Syria... The slogans that Hizbullah is using as an excuse [for intervening militarily in Syria] are disproved and invalid. Likewise, there is no [religious] permission for intervening in any combative operations between members of the single ummah, under these or [any] other slogans."[9]
Young Shi'ites, Including Children Of Hizbullah Officials, Go Abroad To Avoid Being Recruited To Fight In Syria
As noted, criticism of, and unease at, Hizbullah's involvement in the fighting in Syria are not found only among Shi'ites who always opposed Hizbullah, but also among the organization's supporters. An article published April 28, 2016 on the Alarabi21 website revealed that young Shi'ites are leaving Lebanon so that Hizbullah cannot recruit them into its ranks to fight in Syria. The article quoted a young Lebanese Shi'ite man residing in Belgium, Muhammad 'Abbas, who said: "I lived with my family in a town in the Beqa'a plain in Lebanon. After Hizbullah decided to gather all the young people in the Shi'ite villages and train them so that they would join the battles in Syria, I, together with a group of friends and with our families' consent, decided to flee to Europe and request asylum in an EU country... Each of us needed at least $7,000 in order to get to Europe, with the help of smugglers and forgery experts. Our journey began [with a flight from] Beirut airport to Belarus, where we stayed for a few days. Prior to that, it was agreed that we equip ourselves in advance with a return ticket on a connecting flight, so that we would be able to get off at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris." The article claimed further that this group of young people, all of them 22 or younger, applied for asylum in France; they waited at the airport there and were questioned and then allowed to enter France and file for asylum in any European country they wished.
'Abbas also pointed out, "Many young Shi'ites fled Lebanon during the years of the war in Syria. Some of them left for Africa, some went to South America, and some decided to seek asylum in Europe. This... was because of their opposition to Hizbullah's policy – involvement in the Syrian matter – [and also because of] many families' fear that their sons would fall in a war against the Syrian rebels and jihadis."
The article also presented statements by journalist Muhammad Al-Hamadi, editor of the UAE daily Al-Ittihad. He said that the exodus from Lebanon, particularly by Shi'ites, "first began last year [2015], after Hizbullah associates knew for certain that Hizbullah was about to lose its war in Syria, and that it aimed to defend Bashar Al-Assad and constituted a real furnace [to burn up] their sons." He added that after Nasrallah declared his war in Syria an "existential war," Hizbullah officials began smuggling their sons into Europe for fear that they would be recruited to fight.[10]
The phenomenon of bereaved mothers shouting in rage against Nasrallah at their sons' funerals is also continuing. On June 20, 2016, the anti-Hizbullah Lebanese daily Al-Mustaqbal reported on one such mother in South Lebanon; her son had been killed fighting in Syria. According to the paper, she shouted: "Oh Sayyed [Nasrallah], why? Hadn't we agreed that our sons would study the religion and fight Israel, not go to Syria? What do I have to do with Syria? What do we have to do with Syria? My son's blood is on your head."[11]
Hizbullah Elements Lose Strength In Recent Elections For Local Authorities
Results in recent elections for local authorities, particularly in the organization's areas of influence in the northern Beqa'a, southern Dahiya, and South Lebanon, also showed a decrease in Hizbullah's strength. In several cities and towns in these regions, not only were there more independent and clan lists, and lists of other parties, primarily leftist ones, running against the joint lists of Hizbullah and its Shi'ite ally the Amal movement, compared to past elections, but these parties also did better than in past elections.
Lebanese parliamentary speaker and Amal chairman Nabih Berri, an ally of Hizbullah, acknowledged that Hizbullah had lost some of its strength. On the results of the elections in Beqa'a towns, he said that a considerable number of the residents had voted against the Hizbullah-Amal list, even though they supported it politically.[12]
The two Hizbullah-supporter Lebanese dailies, Al-Safir and Al-Akhbar, also acknowledged that Hizbullah had lost some of its strength. Al-Safir stated that in light of the results of the local elections, the South Lebanese were no longer deluded that it was not possible to run against the Hizbullah-Amal list.[13] Al-Akhbar also noted that Hizbullah's strength had declined in its Tyre area stronghold, but, like Berri, denied that this was because of opposition to its political path; it was, it said, in protest of its conduct.[14]
Nasrallah Responds: The Fight Is Worth All The Victims
A recent speech by Nasrallah showed the sense of erosion of Shi'ite support for Hizbullah's involvement in Syria in light of the high Hizbullah casualties in the past four years. On May 20, 2016, at the end of the week of mourning for the organization's military leader Mustapha Badr Al-Din, who was assassinated in Syria, Nasrallah attempted to address this feeling, stressing that the many casualties were worth it. He said: "We went into this battle [in Syria] and Sayyed Mustapha Badr Al-Din was killed as a martyr in this battle. We went together with all our martyrs in order to defend – as we said in the past, and as I reiterate today following questions – Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, the entire ummah, and the resistance axis.
"Already in the beginning, we were aware of the ramifications of this position and this choice. We said that we would bear this yoke and that even our people and our men would bear this burden with us. We sacrificed a large number of martyrs and wounded; we withstood ugly media attacks aimed at harming our image and our reputation... Some of our commanders were killed. We knew that we were going towards this – but all these are victims on the way to something more important. Because if Lebanon remains, Syria remains, Iraq remains, the region remains, and Palestine and the Palestinian cause remain [on the agenda] as they are today, and they [the enemies of the resistance axis] are defeated, this will be worth this casualty rate...
"Throughout the 34 years [since Hizbullah's founding], we have experienced difficult circumstances, worse than the situation described today. In fact, in comparison to all the circumstances in the past, our situation is better... We will get through this stage as well, with Allah's help."[15]
It should be noted that this is not the first time that Nasrallah has had to address a sense of doubt in the Shi'ite public that supports Hizbullah regarding its fight in Syria. A year previously, in a May 24, 2015 speech marking the anniversary of Israeli troops' withdrawal from South Lebanon, as well as the day before, at a meeting with Hizbullah wounded, Nasrallah said that the organization was facing an existential battle that required many sacrifices: "Today's existential battle requires many sacrifices. This fight is greater, more dangerous, and crueler [than the fight against Israel in 1982], because one way or another it [is waged] within the home. Anyone who wants to defend [his] existence, survival, honor, and homeland has no option but to be ready to make sacrifices." He added that "even if three-quarters of us die as martyrs in this battle [in Syria], and a quarter remain alive," it was preferable to slaughter, captivity, and exile.[16]
* E. B. Picali is a research fellow at MEMRI.
Endnotes:
[1] For criticism of Shi'ites who oppose Hizbullah's military intervention in Syria, see MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 938, Independent Shi'ites In Lebanon Challenge Hizbullah, February 22, 2013.
[2] For the schism within Hizbullah and between the organization and its supporters over the organization's military involvement in Syria, see MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1021, Rift In Hizbullah And Among Its Shi'ite Supporters Due To Its Military Involvement In Syria, October 3, 2013. For statements by Nasrallah and in the pro-Hizbullah media indicating a crisis of confidence between Hizbullah and the public supporting it, see MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1163, Distress Signals By Hizbullah Leader Nasrallah And Pro-Hizbullah Media Reflect Growing Sense Of Existential Danger, Crisis Of Confidence Between Hizbullah And Its Supporters, May 29, 2015.
[3] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6408, Shi'ite Lebanese Journalist: I Renounce The Shi'ite Sect; Hizbullah Is 'Immoral, Murderous', May 2, 2016.
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0HUbsI7Kv0.
[5] Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), May 1, 2016.
[6] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), April 22, 2016.
[7] @NadimKoteich, April 29, 2016.
[8] Lebanon360.org, June 15, 2016.
[9] Aksalser.com, May 29, 2016.
[10] Alarabi21.com, April 28, 2016.
[11] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), June 20, 2016. In March, the paper reported that bereaved mothers of Hizbullah members had refused to receive Hizbullah delegations that came to greet them for Mother's Day. Al-Mustaqbal, Lebanon, March 23, 2016. For more on the rage of bereaved families of Hizbullah members, see MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1021, Rift In Hizbullah And Among Its Shi'ite Supporters Due To Its Military Involvement In Syria, October 3, 2013.
[12] Al-Nahar (Lebanon), May 16, 2016.
[13] Al-Safir (Lebanon), May 24, 2016.
[14] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), May 23, 2016.
[15] Alahednews.com.lb, May 20, 2016.
[16] See MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1163, Distress Signals By Hizbullah Leader Nasrallah And Pro-Hizbullah Media Reflect Growing Sense Of Existential Danger, Crisis Of Confidence Between Hizbullah And Its Supporters, May 29, 2015.
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 24-25/16

Britain Votes to Leave EU, PM Resigns
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 24/16/Britain has voted to pull out of the European Union in a seismic blow to the bloc that triggered the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron and sent world financial markets into freefall on Friday. The shock outcome of Thursday's historic referendum threatens to lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom after Scotland raised the prospect of another independence vote, and could have a knock-on effect on other eurokceptic member states. Britons, many worried by immigration and what they saw as interference in the running of their country by bureaucrats in Brussels, voted by 52 to 48 percent to abandon the bloc after four decades of often troubled membership. In an emotional statement outside Downing Street, Cameron said he would resign to make way for a new leader by early October after the failure of his "Remain" campaign. "I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination," he said as sterling, global stocks and oil prices plummeted. Britain will be the first country to leave the EU after decades of suspicion over its aims of ever-closer political union -- a shock victory for the anti-establishment rhetoric of the Brexit campaign that highlights growing populism across the globe. "We've done it! We've won!" anti-EU campaigners shouted at a party in London, popping open champagne bottles as "Leave" victories flowed in. "Out! Out! Out!", they chanted as dawn broke.
'Grave test'
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker denied it was the beginning of the end for the EU, already troubled by economic and migration crises and growing euroskepticism across the continent. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the result a "blow" to Europe while French President Francois Hollande said it was a "grave test.". U.S. President Barack Obama, who publicly threw his weight behind British EU membership during a visit to London in April, insisted the "special relationship" between the two countries was "enduring."The vote, the culmination of an often poisonous campaign, exposed deep divides across British society and what the Independent newspaper said was "the chasm between the political class and the voters."It may be some time before Britain takes the concrete steps need to extricate itself from what will become a 27-member alliance. Cameron said it should be his successor who leads the complex negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which sets out a two-year time-frame to leave. Top Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London and a favorite to succeed Cameron, also said there was "no need for haste."But European chiefs made clear that the country should set the wheels in motion "as soon as possible, however painful that process may be."Leaders of the EU, born out of a determination to forge lasting peace after two world wars, will open a two-day summit on Tuesday to grapple with Britain's decision.
'Independence day'
The "Leave" victory threatens to shatter the unity of the United Kingdom, with Scotland and Northern Ireland voting to remain in while England -- barring major cities like London -- and Wales supported out. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a second independence vote was now "highly likely" after a 2014 referendum backed staying in the UK. "The option of a second referendum must be on the table and it is on the table," she told reporters, saying it was "democratically unacceptable" for Scotland to be dragged out of the EU against its will. And while Brexit campaigners celebrated, the mood was downbeat in the City of London financial district. "I just feel so devastated that this multicultural city that I live in is going to change drastically, and the world as I know it is just not the same today," said bank worker Francesca Crimp. Top anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, said June 23 should "go down in our history as our independence day". Immigration and an erosion of financial security have become rallying cries for populists across Europe, just as they have for Donald Trump's campaign in the U.S. presidential election. Trump hailed the vote as he arrived in Scotland to unveil a refurbishment of his Trump Turnberry golf course. "I think it's a great thing. I think it's a fantastic thing," he told reporters. "People want to take their country back, they want independence."
'Madhouse'
The result drove sterling down 10 percent to a 31-year low of $1.3229. European stock markets dropped around eight percent at opening before recovering later while British bank shares lost a quarter of their value in morning trade. In New York, the Dow opened down 2.3 percent. "It's a madhouse in here. It has been a bloodbath. Carnage," said David Papier, head of sales trading at foreign exchange house ETX Capital in London. The Bank of England promised "all necessary steps" to secure market stability while Group of Seven countries warned the decision could have "adverse implications for economic and financial stability."British voters appeared to have to shrugged off warnings that a Brexit would create a budget hole requiring spending cuts and tax increases once they lose unfettered trade access to the EU. Thousands of jobs in the City could be transferred to cities in the EU such as Frankfurt, leading international companies have warned. Their decision will reawaken fears of a domino-effect ripple of exit votes in euroskeptic member states that could imperil the integrity of the bloc. Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders and French National Front leader Marine Le Pen immediately called for referendums on EU membership in their own countries.

Pound, Asia Markets Collapse as Britain Quits EU
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 24/16/The pound collapsed and world stock markets descended into pandemonium Friday after Britain voted to leave the European Union, fueling a wave of global uncertainty. Sterling hit a 31-year low, crashing 10 percent to $1.3229 at one point, and the euro also plummeted against the US currency as the Brexit result caught markets by surprise. European stock markets went into free fall at the opening, mirroring a rout in Asian markets, which were still open as the referendum results trickled in. The London FTSE-100 index was down by around 5 percent in morning deals, having come off early lows after British Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation. Banking stocks led the way down, with Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Lloyds all losing close to a quarter of their market value at the opening. "The British people have voted against the economic warnings of the overwhelming majority of expert economic opinion. Not surprisingly, this morning the referendum result has sent shock waves through global financial markets," said Daniel Vernazza, economist at UniCredit Research. The eurozone's main markets, Frankfurt and Paris, both fell more than 10 percent at one point, as financial stocks took the biggest hit. In the weeks leading up to Thursday's historic vote, there had been widespread warnings that a "Brexit" would cause a rout across global markets that would wipe trillions off valuations. - Markets wrong-footed -But investors were still clearly wrong-footed by the vote outcome. European stock markets and the pound had gained steadily in the run-up to the referendum on the basis of polls and bookmakers' predictions. "It's scary, and I've never seen anything like it," James Butterfill, head of research and investments at ETF Securities, said in London. "A lot of people were caught out, and many investors will lose a lot of money," he told Bloomberg News. Fears are also growing that other EU members will push for referendums, posing the biggest threat to the future of the grouping since its inception almost 60 years ago. That worry pushed stock markets in the eurozone's weaker southern economies even lower than those at the core, with Milan stocks falling 10 percent in early business, Madrid 12 percent and Athens by 15 percent. "Leave's victory has delivered one of the biggest market shocks of all time," said Joe Rundle, head of trading at ETX Capital.
The dollar slumped briefly to 99.02 yen, the first time it has gone below 100 yen since November 2013, before edging back up above 102 yen. The Japanese unit is considered a safe bet in times of uncertainty and turmoil. The Bank of Japan said Friday it was ready to work with other central banks to pump cash into financial markets to combat wild swings, while the Bank of England said it would take "all necessary steps" to avert a full-blown crisis, including pumping more than 250 billion pounds ($370 billion, 326 billion euros) into the financial system if needed. - Seeking safety -The Swiss central bank intervened in the foreign exchanges to stem the rise of the Swiss franc which surged on safe-haven buying. Investors also sought the relative safety of government bonds. The price on the German benchmark 10-year sovereign bond rose sharply, pushing its yield into negative territory for only the second time in its history.
UK government bonds also rose, taking their 10-year yield to a historic low. Gold, a traditional refuge asset, struck a two-year high. But elsewhere, billions of dollars were wiped off investment portfolios. India's rupee, the Canadian dollar and the Singapore dollar all suffered heavy losses, while the South African rand lost six percent on the day as emerging markets were hurt by sudden risk-aversion. The prospect of a severe hit to the global economy also hammered oil prices, with both main contracts slumping more than six percent.
- Key figures around 0840 GMT -London - FTSE-100: DOWN 5.3 percent at 6,002.49
Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 7.3 percent at 9,513.45
Paris - CAC-40: DOWN 8.9 percent at 4,067.26
EuroStoxx: DOWN 9.1 percent at 2,762.20
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3790 from $1.4974 late Thursday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1139 from $1.1422
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 102.96 yen from 106.53 yen
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 7.92 percent at 14,952.02 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 1.3 percent at 2,854.29 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 2.9 percent at 20,259.13 (close)
New York - DOW: UP 1.3 percent at 18,011.07 (close)

Brexit wins as UK votes to leave European Union
The Associated Press, London Friday, 24 June 2016/Britain has voted to leave the European Union, results from Thursday's referendum showed, a stunning repudiation of the nation's elites that deals the biggest blow to the European project of greater unity since World War Two. World financial markets plunged as complete results showed a near 52-48 percent split for leaving. The UK is the first major country to decide to leave the bloc, which evolved from the ashes of war as the region's leaders sought to build links and avert future hostility. The British pound has tumbled to a 31-year low as the results of the vote spook global markets.As “leave” votes pour in from Britain’s historic vote on European Union membership, post-mortems are already being produced. One expert says the “remain” side had suffered from “a degree of complacency.”Tim Oliver, a fellow at the London School of Economics’ IDEAS foreign policy think tank says “the campaign failed to connect to ordinary people, seemed too much of an elite and London-based one.”Oliver says the vote wasn’t just about Europe - but also about a popular British backlash against the capital and its elites. He says “the EU was one of the things kicked by this, but there were lots of other things such as a general anti-establishment feeling, anti-London feeling.” UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage now says he thinks the “leave” side will win in Britain's historic referendum on European Union membership. Farage has pressed British Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative government to hold the referendum - and the vote has deeply split the ruling party. To the cheers of supporters, Farage says “the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom! If the predictions now are right, this will be a victory for real people, for ordinary people, a victory for decent people!”Farage says June 23 will go down in history as the nation’s new independence day and he hopes the victory will bring down what he considers the failed European Union project.

David Cameron to step down as Britain exits EU
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Friday, 24 June 2016/British Prime Minister David Cameron says the country requires fresh leadership and that he will step down by the time of his party’s conference in October. “I do not think it would be right for me to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination,” he told reporters outside his Downing Street office. Britain voted to leave the European Union, results from Thursday’s referendum showed, a stunning repudiation of the nation’s elites that deals the biggest blow to the European project of greater unity since World War Two. World financial markets plunged as complete results showed a near 52-48 percent split for leaving. “This is perhaps that most turbulent of times that Britain is going through since the Suez Canal crisis of 1956,” President Emeritus of the Foreign Press Association Hosny Emam told Al Arabiya News Channel. Asked who two alternative options the Conservative Party could offer to replace Cameron, Emam said it could either be former mayor Boris Johnson or UK Justice Minister Michael Gove. “Boris Johnson, former London mayor, might be eccentric and colorful compared to the calm nature of British politics but the Brits today gravitate towards characters like him. The other option might be Justice Minister Michael Gove who has been known as the Godfather of sorts of the party and been a steady voice in staying in the EU,” Emam said. First summit without UK Leaders of the 27 countries remaining in the European Union will on Wednesday hold their first summit meeting on how to deal with Brexit after British prime minister has left, an EU official said. Cameron is due to attend the first day of a scheduled two-day EU summit on Tuesday to inform the other 27 of the outcome of Thursday’s British referendum to leave the EU. He will then return to London and the remaining leaders will confer in what will become a regular format on Brexit on Wednesday.

Scottish leader says new referendum on split from UK ‘very likely’
AP Friday, 24 June 2016/Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon says a new Scottish referendum on independence is “highly likely” because of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. She said Friday legislation will be prepared for a possible new vote. Independence was defeated two years ago in a Scottish referendum. Sturgeon said she would do everything possible to keep Scotland inside the EU. She said this means another referendum “has to be on the table.”Britain’s decision to leave the EU represents a substantial, material change in Scotland’s relations and could justify another independence vote, she said. The Scottish leader also praised British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has said he will resign when a new party leader is chosen before October.

Dutch far-right MP Wilders calls for referendum on EU
AFP Friday, 24 June 2016/Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders on Friday called for the Netherlands to hold a referendum on whether to leave the EU, shortly after Britain voted for a Brexit. “The Dutch people deserve a referendum as well. The Party for Freedom consequently demands a referendum on NExit, a Dutch EU exit,” Wilders said in a statement. “We want be in charge of our own country, our own money, our own borders, and our own immigration policy,” Wilders said in a statement. “If I become prime minister, there will be a referendum in the Netherlands on leaving the European Union as well. Let the Dutch people decide.” Elections are not due in the Netherlands until next year, but since last year polls have consistently shown support for the Freedom Party (PVV) climbing on the back of the refugee crisis. Although it is has slipped back in recent months, the last polls from May showed Wilders’ party would win the largest support gaining some 31 seats in the 150-seat party, more than doubling its current 15 seats. The statement sent by Wilders’ PVV said that recent polls showed a majority of Dutch people were in favour of holding a referendum, and that most would vote to leave. The Netherlands, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, held a referendum earlier this year on whether to back closer cooperation between the EU and Ukraine. Turnout was low, but over 60 percent voted against the deal.

Merkel defends EU, critics talk bloc disintegration
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Friday, 24 June 2016/German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday warned against drawing hasty conclusions that UK’s decision to quit the EU will pose as a risk to further splitting Europe. “What the consequences of this would be... would depend on whether we -- the other 27 member states of the EU -- prove to be willing and able to not draw quick and simple conclusions from the referendum in Great Britain, which would only further divide Europe,” she said. Merkel instead said the EU is strong enough to find the “right answers” to Britain’s vote to leave the bloc. Merkel said Friday that Germany has a “special interest” and a “special responsibility” in European unity succeeding. She said she has invited EU President Donald Tusk, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Premier Matteo Renzi to a meeting in Berlin on Monday ahead of a previously scheduled EU summit. Merkel told reporters in Berlin that Europe shouldn’t draw “quick and simple conclusions” from the referendum that would only create further divisions. She voiced “great regret” at the British decision to leave the EU and said the bloc must aim for a “close" future relationship with Britain. She emphasized that the country remains an EU member with “all rights and obligations” on both sides until negotiations are complete. Like her, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker insisted on Friday that Britain’s decision to leave the EU was not the beginning of the end for the bloc. Answering that question from a reporter at a packed news conference in the EU executive’s Brussels headquarters, Juncker replied simply, “No.” That drew applause from EU officials in the room as Juncker left after taking just two questions. He had begun his news conference by reading out a joint statement issued earlier by the heads of EU institutions. Hollande said he profoundly regrets the British vote to leave the European Union, but that the union must make changes in order to move forward. In a brief televised statement, Hollande said the vote will put Europe to the test, and he called for bolstering security and industrial policies. He also called for reinforcement of the zone of countries that use the euro. He said: “To move forward, Europe cannot act as before.”
Trump, Turkey: EU breakup begins
US presidential hopeful Donald Trump described the UK leaving the EU as a “great thing.” He also said that the breakup of the EU “looks like it is on its way.”Similarly, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said on Friday that UK’s vote to leave the EU marks the beginning of the disintegration of the bloc.“The fragmentation process of the EU has started. Britain was the first to abandon ship,” Canikli wrote on Twitter.The Brexit campaign and the rise of Europe’s populist right have further dented Turkish hopes of ever joining the EU. Ankara was already frustrated over the slow pace of its own decade-long negotiations to join the bloc.
EU leaders
Meanwhile, EU leaders said Britain will remain a member of the bloc until its exit egotiations are concluded, which probably means at least two years longer. The leaders of the EU’s institutions said Friday that “until this process of negotiations is over, the United Kingdom remains a member of the European Union, with all the rights and obligations that derive from this.”They said in a statement that under the bloc’s treaties “EU law continues to apply to the full to and in the United Kingdom until it is no longer a member.”The statement was signed by European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Parliament President Martin Schulz and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency. (With agencies)

IS Snipers, Car Bombs Await U.S.-Backed Fighters in Syria's Manbij
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 24/16/As a knot of U.S.-backed Syrian fighters advanced gingerly into the Islamic State group bastion of Manbij, the crack of a jihadist sniper round forced them to take cover behind a bullet-riddled wall. One crouching fighter identified the source and shouted directions into a walkie-talkie. Immediately, his colleagues fired a barrage of bullets at the shooter from behind the wall. Backed by US-led coalition warplanes, the Syrian Democratic Forces -- an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters -- broke into western districts of Manbij on Thursday. A unit of SDF fighters piled into a camouflaged, armored vehicle they nicknamed Scorpion and drove past a blue English-language sign at city limits announcing: "Welcome to Manbij." Nearby, a large stone plaque erected by IS after its capture of the city in 2014 promised residents: "In the land of the Islamic State, you, your money, your religion and your honor are safe." Accompanied by a team of AFP journalists who were given exclusive access, the SDF fighters rolled slowly through the city's western districts, clearing out the last IS snipers before attempting to push further towards the center. Blown-out apartment blocks stood empty, as thousands of civilians had already fled. Wrecked cars blocked off sidestreets, probably booby-traps planted by the jihadists to slow down the SDF's advance. Several bodies lay abandoned on the street, unidentifiable as they began to decompose in the summer heat.As dusk began to fall, SDF commanders ordered AFP's journalists to pull back beyond city limits in anticipation of an IS counter-attack.
Car bombs, secret tunnels
SDF forces began their drive on Manbij on May 31, crossing the Euphrates River from the east and encircling the city less than two weeks later. At least 200 U.S. special operations forces, as well as French special forces, are supporting the operation in an advisory capacity. On the western edge of the city, SDF fighter Mervan Rojava stood outside an apartment block that had been partly destroyed by an IS car bomb. "The first phase -- surrounding Manbij -- is over, and now we are gradually entering the city itself," he told AFP. The lanky, bearded fighter wears a green bandana emblazoned with a reddish-pink floral pattern. "There are fierce street battles in western neighborhoods between our forces and Daesh," he said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. In a small village less than a kilometer (mile) away, SDF field commanders met in a damaged building to plan their next steps. Laying out a map of the city, they identified IS positions inside Manbij and prepared to send the coordinates to coalition warplanes circling above. One SDF fighter in the meeting told AFP that IS had planted car bombs across the city. "They also dug many tunnels to avoid the coalition air strikes," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Air support from coalition warplanes has been crucial to the SDF advance. According to CENTCOM, the coalition has carried out at least 230 strikes since the offensive began last month.
'Daesh is collapsing'
SDF field commander Ali Kobane said the growing number of car bombs driven by suicide attackers showed the jihadists' desperation. "Daesh is collapsing. This is why it's resorting to using car bombs, but our forces are patient," Kobane said, wrapping a checkered black-and-white scarf gently around his neck. "Even if Daesh has prepared a huge number of car bombs, it will be to no avail," he said. "Whenever we see a car bomb coming our way, we're happy -- it means Daesh is crumbling." Founded in October, the Kurdish-dominated SDF have seized territory from IS across swathes of northern and northeastern Syria. Capturing Manbij, a key staging post on IS's supply route from Turkey, would be their most significant victory yet. In the nearby village of Um al-Safa, dozens of residents displaced from the city are living in tents, awaiting an SDF victory so they can return home.
A small child ran through the streets, waving a flyer that had been dropped by coalition warplanes hours earlier. "The will of the Syrian people will break the shackles of terrorism," it said.

Saudi Cop Shot Dead in Shiite District
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 24/16/Gunfire on Friday killed a Saudi policeman in the kingdom's east, where most minority Shiites live, the interior ministry said.
It called the shooting a "terrorist act" which killed the driver of a police car. The attack happened at 1:45 am (1045 GMT) in the Saihat area of Qatif, a Shiite-dominated district on the Gulf coast, the ministry said. It was the latest attack in Saihat, where gunmen in January shot dead two policemen escorting a truck used for transporting cash. Last October, a shooter killed five people at a Shiite meeting hall in Saihat. Sunni extremists from the Islamic State group claimed that attack as well as others against the minority community. They have also said they murdered Saudi security personnel, but there was no immediate claim after Friday's killing. The shooting came despite the deployment of armored vehicles at checkpoints in the area this week, according to a resident. Tensions are high in neighboring Bahrain, where there has been an escalating crackdown on the Shiite majority, just over the causeway from Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province. Protests that began in Saudi Arabia's east in February 2011 escalated after Saudi forces intervened weeks later in Bahrain to help crush a Shiite-led uprising there. Hundreds were arrested in a Saudi crackdown after the initial protests, according to Amnesty International.
Sporadic unrest has continued since. Eastern Province is home to most of Saudi Arabia's Shiites, who have long complained of marginalization in the Sunni-dominated kingdom.
In April, one policeman was lightly injured when a small bomb exploded outside a highway patrol station in the Eastern Province oasis region of al-Ahsa, where much of the Gulf country's oil reserves are located.

Kuwait Prison Fire Kills Inmate, Injures 56
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 24/16/A fire Thursday at Kuwait's central jail killed an inmate and injured 56 other people including a fireman, the interior ministry said. The ministry said on its website that the fire started at a unit for drug offenders and was put out by six firefighting centers.
Thirty inmates were being treated at the prison's hospital, while the others injured were taken to other hospitals, the ministry said. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

Pope praises Armenia’s Christian past, but avoids ‘genocide’
AP, Yerevan Friday, 24 June 2016/Pope Francis hailed Armenia’s steadfast Christian heritage on Friday as he arrived in the former Soviet republic for a three-day visit to commemorate the centenary of the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians that the pope himself has called a “genocide.”In a largely Orthodox land where Catholics are a minority, Armenians seemed genuinely honored to welcome a pope who has long championed the Armenian cause from his time as an archbishop in Argentina and now as leader of the 1.2-billion strong Catholic Church. Small groups of residents lined his motorcade route, and a gaggle of schoolchildren wearing white T-shirts and yellow neckerchiefs - the colors of the Vatican flag - greeted him at the airport with a big banner written in Italian: “Armenia Welcomes Pope Francis.” “I shook the pope’s hand but didn’t have the time to kiss it,” 42-year-old Yerevan resident Nazik Sargsyan said. “I’m sure God’s blessing has come down on me with that handshake.”In his initial remarks in the ornate Armenian Apostolic Church in Etchmiadzin, Francis didn't use the politically charged term “genocide” but instead spoke of the “holy sign of martyrdom” of Armenians who died at the hands of Ottoman Turks starting in 1915. With the Apostolic patriarch Karekin II by his side, Francis praised Armenia for becoming the first nation to declare Christianity the state religion in 301 and for keeping alive the “light of faith” even in its darkest times. He urged all Christians to unite to prevent religion from being exploited and manipulated today, an apparent reference to the current-day Islamic extremist attacks on Christians in the Middle East. “For Armenia, faith in Christ has not been like a garment to be donned or doffed as circumstances or convenience dictate, but an essential part of its identity, a gift of immense significance, to be accepted with joy, preserved with great effort and strength, even at the cost of life itself,” he said.
The Vatican has long cheered the Armenian cause, holding up the poor nation of 3 million mostly Orthodox Christians as a bastion of faith and martyrdom in a largely Muslim region.
President Serzh Sargsyan, Karekin and a handful of other officials greeted Francis on the tarmac of the Yerevan airport in a low-scale welcome ceremony. As a girls’ choir serenaded, pope, patriarch and president then walked behind a goose-stepping military official along a red carpet into the airport’s VIP lounge before heading to Echmiadzin, the seat of the Oriental Orthodox church where Francis will stay as a guest of Karekin.
Later Friday, Francis will deliver his first major speech to Armenia’s president, political leaders and diplomatic corps. Francis endeared himself to Armenians around the world last year when he celebrated a Mass marking the 100th anniversary of the slaughter and called it the “first genocide of the 20th century.” Turkey immediately recalled its ambassador in protest and accused Francis of spreading lies. “Blessed is the hour when the feet of Pope Francis touched our soil!” exclaimed local resident Simon Samsonya as Francis arrived. “He won the love of the Armenian people with his message at the St. Peter’s Cathedral on the eve of the 100 years anniversary of the genocide.”Recently, the Vatican seems to have pulled back from using that terminology: Francis and his spokesman took pains not to refer to “genocide” in the run-up to the trip and the pope said recently that he actually prefers the term “martyrdom.”It remained to be seen how Francis would handle his visit Saturday at Armenia’s genocide memorial. Many historians consider the massacres of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians a genocide, a classification that carries legal and financial implications given Armenian claims for restitution. Turkey rejects the term, says the death figure is inflated and that people died on both sides as the Ottoman Empire collapsed amid World War I.
The Armenian ambassador to the Holy See, Mikayel Minasyan, said it almost doesn’t matter if Francis utters the word, given his April 2015 pronouncement.
“He has already said it,” Minasyan said in a phone interview from Yerevan. “The fact that he is going to the memorial is worth more than the word or whether it is pronounced or not.”

Iranians gather support for July 9 “Free Iran” grand gathering in Paris
http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/iran-resistance/20568-iranians-gather-support-for-july-9-free-iran-grand-gathering-in-paris
Friday, 24 June 2016/NCRI - Iranians of all walks of life are gathering support for the upcoming "Free Iran" grand gathering that is to be held in Paris next month. The major rally, which promotes human rights and democracy in Iran, is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 9, 2016 in Le Bourget, northern Paris. The "Free Iran" gathering supports the 10-point plan for a future free and democratic Iran proposed by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). The major gathering of Iranians and their international supporters, which will be attended by hundreds of senior political dignitaries, parliamentarians, human rights and women's rights activists and religious leaders from the United States, Europe, and Islamic countries, is scheduled to offer solutions to the various crises related to Iran

José Inácio Faria, Portuguese member of the European Parliament: Human rights in Iran is not just a domestic problem
NCRI Iran News/ Friday, 24 June 2016/The United Press International published on Thursday an opinion piece by José Inácio Faria, a Member of the European Parliament from Portugal, on the Iranian regime's human rights abuses and the steps the international community should take in response.
Mr. José Inácio Faria MEP wrote: Last week, together with 270 other colleagues in the European Parliament, I signed a statement condemning the ongoing, rampant human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic of Iran. We have called on EU and Western governments "to condition any further relations with Iran to a clear progress on human rights and a halt to executions."
Iran is today the world leader in number of executions per capita. It has also been declared by the U.S. State Department as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.
The rate of hangings has increased in recent years with the arrival to power of the so-called "moderate" president, Hassan Rouhani. Nearly 1,000 people were put to death in 2015 alone, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Ahmad Shaheed, who declared it as the highest number of executions in Iran in 27 years.
In the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities, morality police and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps have intensified their efforts to root out and punish various forms of deviance from the country's repressive religious laws, including the forced veiling of women and the criminalization of labour unions and other forms of peaceful gathering. Meanwhile, the Iranian regime's unwavering support for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has made Iran part of the problem rather than a solution to the Syrian war.
Iran's fingerprints are also deepening in Iraq, where Iranian-backed Shiite militias have recently been accused again by international rights organizations of systematic torturing and killing of the Sunni population in the battle to take over Fallujah. This will further alienate the Sunnis and drive them toward extremist groups such as the Islamic State.
And as if to illustrate the danger of being caught as a bystander in the middle of Tehran's contest for dominance of the region, Iraq is also the site of a community of exiled Iranian dissidents, who have been stranded since 2012 in the former U.S. military base of Camp Liberty. Described by the UN as a "detention center," the camp has been the target of attacks utilizing Iranian-made rockets, as well as an ongoing blockade of medical supplies and other lifesaving provisions.
When the defenseless camp residents who belong to the main Iranian opposition PMOI were forcibly relocated to Camp Liberty from Camp Ashraf under a deal overseen by the UN and United States, it was done with the promise that they would soon be relocated to stable homes, presumably in Europe and North America. Four years and dozens of deaths later, no nations other than Albania have made a significant effort to relocate those people.
At the same time, following the nuclear agreement that has provided the Islamic Republic with extensive sanctions relief, several EU countries have both sent and received political and trade delegations and have actively pursued investment in Iran without any precondition.
As it has been admitted by the U.S. president and other Western officials, and given the dominance of the IRGC over the Iranian economy, there's little doubt that most of the money, instead of being used for the well-being of Iranian people and the development of the country, is funneled directly to support terrorist groups in the region.
On July 9, together with other many other parliamentarians and political figures from around the world, I will attend a rally organized by the Iranian democratic opposition led by Maryam Rajavi. In doing so, we will strive to reassure the Iranian people that not everyone in the West has forgotten their righteous struggle for freedom and democracy.
Iran's human rights record is of global significance and it is very much the responsibility of Western nations to address that issue.
In fact, our essential values as Europeans ought to be reason enough for us to demand that Iran improve its domestic human rights as a price for any expansion in trade relations. But as foreign investment gives Iran the opportunity to reach its hand further across the region, it should be clear to us that the stakes are much higher than we might have once imagined. And if we refuse to respond to this situation, we will bear responsibility for the loss of innocent lives not only in Iran but also in Syria, Iraq and other places in the region where Iranian proxy fighters seek dominance.
**José Inácio Faria, a Portuguese member of the European Parliament, is member of Friends of a Free Iran group in the European Parliament.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 24-25/16

Revoking Qassim’s citizenship
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/June 24/16
Punishing citizens who commit crimes is better than revoking their citizenship and deporting them, because it deprives them of an external platform and unsettles external forces. It also gives the state the right to try them. However, some believe revoking citizenship is a legal step to rejecting the actions of certain citizens and avoiding legal responsibilities arising from their actions, especially abroad. It is also a method to intimidate and deter others. This is what Saudi Arabia did when it revoked the citizenship of Osama bin Laden in the 1990s. Many criticized the kingdom at the time, including Western governments and institutions, but nearly five years later, after the Sept. 11 attacks, it turned out that what Riyadh did was right, and his crimes were proof of that. Revoking citizenship has become acceptable for those searching for legal solutions against extremist groups. It is believed that this will frighten extremist leaders who promote violence while enjoying the benefits of the country in which they seek to spread chaos. Many countries resort to revoking citizenship as a sanction, especially from naturalized citizens or those with dual nationalities. In the United States, revoking citizenship is raised not only against terrorists, but also those who help them. Australia, Singapore, India and Israel also revoke citizenship. Isa Qassim is a religious man who leads opposition practices against the Bahraini state, like hundreds of other clerics in the Arab world who were lured by the experience of Iran, where the clergy succeeded in dominating power.
I do not know a Muslim cleric, Sunni or Shiite, among political activists who believes in freedom of expression and the rights of those who disagree with them. The theorists of Islamic religious parties have nothing to do with their own practices or even their internal constitutions. Bahrain’s religious opposition does not believe in rights and freedoms unless they fall within the framework of the opposition’s rights and freedoms. Its preferred model of rule is Iranian theocracy. Some will say this is the case for Saudi Arabia and most of the region’s countries that do not abide by democracy and are against political pluralism. This is true, but these countries do not say their democratic or liberal rule is based on the Western model. Revoking citizenship has become acceptable for those searching for legal solutions against extremist groups
Threats
Bahrain’s opposition says it wants to replace the tolerant monarchy with a Shiite extremist political regime affiliated with Tehran. Most probably it will give up the sovereignty of the state and become a subsidiary of Iran. When Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force, threatened Bahrain’s government with an armed operation in the event of revoking Isa Qassim’s citizenship, he harmed him and reinforced Bahrain’s stance. This is not an opposition that the government can disagree with in the framework of the national interest, but rather a religious group following Iran. Hezbollah’s statements against Bahrain were also threatening. We hope that Bahrain gets out of this long crisis, through which Iran has been trying for more than a decade to dominate Bahrain’s opposition political activity. The opposition must not accept the invitation to violence, sectarianism and protection from a foreign regime, or else this will justify the interference of any authority in the region to face them by force. Iran is the last country to have the right to defend the rights of any group under any pretext. Iranian authorities have detained for the past five years advocates of peaceful change: Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnniferd. They also detain dozens of opposition members like Isa Qassim. Are Bahrain’s decisions based on sectarianism? It revoked the citizenship of 13 Sunni extremists in a week.
This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on June 23, 2016.

Why Khamenei wants the next Supreme Leader to be ‘revolutionary’
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/June 24/16
Surprisingly, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has begun raising the issue of Iran’s next supreme leader in some of his speeches.
Mr. Khamenei, who is thought to have a terminal cancer, has ruled as Iran’s Supreme Leader for over 25 years. He is the second longest serving ruler in the Middle East and the second-longest-ruling leader of Iran in the 20th century after Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. In a recent meeting, the 76-year-old Ayatollah met with some members of the Assembly of Experts, and pointed out that “a supreme leader has to be a revolutionary” and he advised that members not to “be bashful” in selecting the next supreme leader. Iran’s constitution grants the Supreme Leader with the highest authority in the country. The Supreme Leader is the single most crucial figure, the highest ranking political and religious authority in Iran. He directly or indirectly controls the three branches of the government; the Judiciary, the legislative and the executive branches.
What does it mean?
But what does a “revolutionary” exactly mean to Khamenei when it comes to regional and Middle East policies? From Khamenei’s perspective a revolutionary supreme leader would be someone who forcefully pursues the ideological principles of Ayatollah Rooh Allah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, and the core ideals of Iran’s 1979 revolution. Since Khamenei took power in 1989, he has shown no deviation from Khomeini’s revolutionary ideologies. When it comes to Middle East policies, exportation of Shiite principles, projection of the Islamic Republic as the vanguard of Islam and the rejection of Israel’s existence are three of the most critical pillars of Iran’s revolutionary ideals in the region. They define the raison d’être of the Iranian regime in the Middle East, as well as what shapes Khamenei’s ideological and regional policy. Khamenei believes that Iran will lose its Islamic character, its legitimacy, its appeal among its supporters, the essence of its revolution, and it will endanger the survival of its theocratic political establishment if it was to shift its stance and its theological, Shiite and Islamic policies in the region. Unlike what the mainstream media depicts, the assembly of experts will not be playing a crucial role in determining who will be the successor to Khamenei. As the second longest ruling autocrat in the region, from Khamenei’s perspective, his adherence to these revolutionary ideals are the real reasons behind his success in ruling for over 2 decades. In addition, he sees that these are the underlying factors that made his regime immune from powerful opposition, popular uprisings and revolutions such as those occurring in other countries in the region. Other revolutionary core values that Khamenei desires the next supreme leader to have are showing public support for Palestine, not giving up on Iran’s nuclear program, supporting Shiite proxies militarily, financially, and politically, as well as being the vanguard of Islam and the supreme leader of the Islamic world, (not only the leader of the Shiites).
Khamenei’s official website refers to him as “The Supreme Leader of Muslims”, not the Supreme Leader of “Iran”.
IRGC and Khamenei’s role
Iran’s domestic and regional policies are anchored in the three pillars of preserving revolutionary ideologies, national interest (regarding economic, strategic and geopolitical landscapes), and Iranian nationalism. Khamenei is a firm advocate of prioritizing ideological norms over the other two backbones of the regime. In addition, Khamenei seems to be repeating the same tactic, which was reportedly played when he was chosen as the Supreme Leader. In this documentary video, it is shown how the former President and founder of the Iranian regime, Akbar Rafsanjani, and Ayatollah Khomeini chose the next Supreme Leader. Unlike what the mainstream media depicts, the assembly of experts will not be playing a crucial role in determining who will be the successor to Khamenei. The Assembly of Experts is a ceremonial political body, with 86 members, that is said to determine the country's next supreme leader.
It is crucial to point out that the Assembly of Experts is mainly a rubber stamp organization in which its 86 members were already vetted by the subjective decisions of the hard line political body; the Council of Guardians. The twelve members of Guardian Council, are appointed directly by the Supreme Leader (six members), and indirectly (nominated by the head of Judiciary who, in return, are appointed by the Supreme Leader). The hard line military, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which was once the child of Iran’s Islamic revolution and currently has been transformed to be the big brother of the Iranian regime, is another organization which strongly influences the political decision-making in choosing the next Supreme Leader. In closing, Khamenei seems to be dictating his policies, preferences, and priorities in what kind of Supreme Leader he would prefer Iran to have and who the Assembly of Expert should choose, after his death. This extends the notion that Khamenei and the senior cadre of the IRGC appear to be preparing the platform to elevate their favorite choice of who will be the next leader of the Iranian regime.

Brexit notwithstanding, is Europe’s unity threatened?
Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/June 24/16
British people it seems embraced the idea of exiting the European Union or at least a slim majority of those who voted decided we are better off outside Europe. Europe as a project was never super appealing to British government and people. It took Britain 15 years to join the EEC then, and when the European Economic Community evolved and rebranded itself to become the EU, Britain stayed out of the border and currency super Union. The love-hate relationship with Europe, especially among the right leaning conservative party supporters and their representatives, is not new. This doubt could be geographic also, as the UK isles that formed Britain's territory feel comfort in isolation. But also, they were more Atlantic oriented than European or a lot of them wish to think so.
The Euro skeptic
Euro skepticism has been a reality in people and politics of the UK. They called for referendum to stay or leave the European Economic Community in 1975. The same Euro skeptic managed to revolt against Margaret Thatcher in the early 1990s and forced her to resign over her plans for closer ties with Europe that were being negotiated then. Conservative PM John Major, who succeeded Thatcher, went on to stay in power but his government was handicapped by a split party and its leadership. All were unable to reconcile them with a united position on whether Britain is better off in or outside the EU project.
This referendum dents the supremacy of elections as a supreme tool that alternate governments the guardian of people's aspirations. Many years after the first UK referendum on Europe, three labor governments inherited power in the nineties from a conservative party that lost its grip on power among other issues due to infighting over Europe. The Conservative party returned to office in 2010 to head a coalition formed by conservative and Liberal Democrat. This was followed by the first Conservative Party government in two decades under David Cameron who promised to call a referendum as a campaign pledge, as it seemed then that the Conservative party politicians are still unable to reconcile themselves within a European entity. The battle to exit the EU or remain a member of the Union will, in my view, leave a schism that could be permanent in UK government and politics. The referendum seems to have polarized British public opinion who never expressed emotionally their political preferences. Representative democracy so much cherished and upheld in Britain for centuries will not escape the referendum reverberations. This referendum dents the supremacy of elections as a supreme tool that alternate governments the guardian of people's aspirations. The referendum was also a test and even though the middle ground pro-exclusion and fear British won the day, the Conservative party that have served British politics might be in for another grueling inner war. Europe as an idea in my view is to be celebrated in all time and age. Union, social justice to all, open border, monetary union, market competitiveness to mention a few are to be applauded by all. However, Europe the Brand is no longer relevant to many citizens in many of the states that made up the union. Europe the brand today reflects a colossal super state, full of irrelevant endless debate that drain funds and energy. It has unfortunately become a super state with weak economic output, and recently with dissatisfied citizens, and only the British were brave enough to sound an alarm. It is time therefore, for the union to undergo reforms to put back the project on track. A project that for long has been one that ensured peace and harmony between people and their expectations within the state system.

Great US presidents must be turning in their graves
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/June 24/16
I have been deeply disturbed by campaign speeches delivered by almost all candidates for the White House, so much so that I fear for the future of the superpower and the impact a potential isolationist America infused with the politics of hate, fear and division will have on our world. Rarely has our planet been beset by so many threats and challenges. It seems to me that America’s value based leadership is needed now more than ever. If the drawbridge is pulled up and swathes of humanity vilified merely because of their religion or ethnicity, America’s opportunistic, authoritarian geopolitical competitors will be quick to fill the gap.
There was a time when the US was dubbed “the world’s policeman”, which is a rarely used expression since President Barack Obama took charge. On foreign policy, he is seen as weak and dithering. My fear is that his successor will alienate Washington’s traditional partners upsetting the country’s balance of soft and hard power, thus making the country more feared and mistrusted than admired and respected. A few days ago, I revisited the statements and characters of the presumptive candidates in my mind and was not at all impressed. The presidential line-up has rung alarm bells – especially in my part of the world – for the first time in the country’s history. Many American voters feel they have been left with no choice; among them Hollywood actor Harrison Ford. He has joined the “Nobody for President” campaign on social media. I know for certain that were they alive today they would be shaking their heads in disgust at the candidates’ exchange of insults, backbiting, dirty tricks and bigoted policies. That is not to say that all US presidents have been admirable role models. But with few exceptions, notably Richard Nixon (Watergate), Lyndon B Johnson (Vietnam) and George W. Bush (disastrous wars of choice), they have had exceptional leadership qualities and honourable intentions. I could not help but wonder how America’s founding fathers and the most illustrious presidents would feel if they knew how low the leadership contest, marked by personal insults and hate speech, has sunk – a despicable trend that, by the way, has echoes in the run-up to Britain’s European Union (EU) referendum, that has also evolved into an ugly slanging match. The topic must have been playing on my mind because later in the day I imagined a conversation with three of the greatest presidents American has ever known – George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who both fought to unify their fledging nation and Theodore Roosevelt, a learned man who overcame his disabilities to become a warrior for his country in every sense of the word.
Men of principle
These were men of principle and courage. They were guided by beliefs and ingrained ethics. They did not flip-flop on policy; they did not use repetitive slogans or sound bites designed to play on the fears of the voting public – and they certainly did not goad crowds into violence or make fun of people with disabilities. Their vision of America was a sanctuary for the world’s oppressed, poor and downtrodden wherever they came from. “Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all,” said George Washington. Abraham Lincoln said he dreamed of “a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last hope on earth” and Theodore Roosevelt believed “courtesy is as much as mark of a gentleman as courage.”I know for certain that were they alive today they would be shaking their heads in disgust at the candidates’ exchange of insults, backbiting, dirty tricks and bigoted policies. They and many of those who came after, such as John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, took their role as advocates and defenders of the American dream with the gravitas this amazing project deserves. Each, in their own fashion, was instrumental in making America a beacon of justice and freedom. Where have respected, inspirational candidates who love their country more than themselves gone? Kennedy showed his strength and bravery during the Cuban missile crisis. Carter genuinely cared – and still cares – for the poor and will be forever remembered as a peacemaker. Clinton authorized the participation of US forces in a just war to stop the Yugoslav military’s ethnic cleansing of Albanians from Kosovo and his economic policies left the country with a whopping $280bn budget surplus. It is so easy to forget that America’s unique light illuminating our planet glows bright with the energy and innovation of a multicultural society where people of differing races and faiths came together as one behind the same flag, proud to call themselves ‘Americans’. What bland city would New York be without its Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Italy, Little Odessa or Little India? What monochrome place would Los Angeles be without its ethnic enclaves? And Michigan would be unrecognizable if there were no thriving Arab-American communities. Visiting America is akin to visiting the whole world. Thank goodness the early presidents had no wish to erect walls or to strew barriers in the way of talented newcomers with ambitions of battling their way to the top. It is ironic that those shouting the loudest are themselves the children or grandchildren of immigrants. Have they no shame? America does not need to be made great again. America is great! Unfortunately, my instincts tell me that after 20 January next year, when the new president is sworn into office, a slippery slope awaits. Whosoever claims the prize, they would be well to remember that a “house divided against itself cannot stand,” – a warning from President Lincoln, who, in my book, ranks tall above all others.

Why we’re partnering to bring the first college of entrepreneurship to Saudi Arabia
Kara Schoeffling/Al Arabiya/June 24/16
At Lockheed Martin, we know first-hand that thriving economies are the result of human capital, entrepreneurship and innovation. More than a century ago our company was created upon the very entrepreneurial spirit of two of our co-founders. The Lockheed brothers built what is now a global business employing over 125,000 people out of their own garage. Today we are excited to contribute to this next chapter in the long-term economic success of the Kingdom and its citizens by supporting the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Our investment in the Prince Mohammed bin Salman School of Administration and Entrepreneurship, an elite educational institution at the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), will directly support the Kingdom’s future entrepreneurs: the men and women who will bring ‘Vision 2030’ to life through innovation and job creation.
Working with entrepreneurs across the Middle East, I’ve seen first-hand that business success doesn’t come easy. In order to flourish, entrepreneurs need an ecosystem of support to nurture ideas and drive innovation. This is why bringing "Vision 2030" to life requires investment in the Kingdom’s most valuable resource – the Saudi people—who will create the economy of the future. By investing in and giving entrepreneurs tools to turn passion into profit, they can build businesses that solve future challenges, while creating local job opportunities and driving economic progress. Education is the linchpin to a thriving economy. The College’s entrepreneurship education will be fueled by the unique academic rigor that has made Babson the No. 1 ranked school for entrepreneurship by US News & World Report for the past 20 years. More importantly, the training will provide a solid foundation to transform ideas into viable businesses. We realize that advances that have a major impact on our society today in areas such as global security and technology can come from anywhere, but they are more likely to come from places where we invest in education
Entrepreneurial ecosystem
We see our contribution towards Saudi’s entrepreneurial ecosystem as an integral part in the country’s long-term economic growth, and this is why we are proud to collaborate with the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (MiSK), KAEC/Emaar, the Economic City, Babson Global and the Saudi Arabia Economic Offset Program to bring this College to the Kingdom. As leaders in global science and engineering, we have a responsibility to support investment in educating the future innovators in these fields. We worked together with the Kingdom to support the vision behind this project over five years ago because we realize that innovation depends upon training entrepreneurs to succeed in today’s evolving and interconnected world economy. Under the Kingdom’s Economic Offset Program, which supports the reinvestment of foreign business contracts in the local economy, our hope is that the College will not only serve the Saudi people but also serve as a model of the program’s benefits for both the Kingdom and companies doing business here. We realize that advances that have a major impact on our society today in areas such as global security and technology can come from anywhere, but they are more likely to come from places where we invest in education and an ecosystem that allows ingenuity to thrive. And by supporting the future of the Kingdom’s entrepreneurs, we will also progress the future of our industry. We applaud the dynamic vision for the Kingdom that will position Saudi Arabia as a global economic leader for decades to come, and we are committed to partnering with you to make that vision a reality.

Germany's Turkish-Muslim Integration Problem
"My religion is more important to me than the laws of the land in which I live."
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/June 24/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8321/germany-turks-integration

Seven percent of respondents agreed that "violence is justified to spread Islam." Although these numbers may seem innocuous, 7% of the three million Turks living in Germany amounts to 210,000 people who believe that jihad is an acceptable method to propagate Islam.
The survey also found that labor migration is no longer the main reason why Turks immigrate to Germany: the most important reason is to marry a partner who lives there.
A new statistical survey of Germany — Datenreport 2016: Social Report for the Federal Republic of Germany — shows that ethnic Turks are economically and educationally less successful than other immigrant groups, and that more than one-third (36%) of ethnic Turks live below the poverty line, compared to 25% of migrants from the Balkans and southwestern Europe.
"In our large study we asked Muslims how strongly they feel discriminated against, and we searched for correlations to the development of a fundamentalist worldview. But there are none. Muslim hatred of non-Muslims is not a special phenomenon of Muslim immigration, but is actually worse in the countries of origin. Radicalization is not first produced here in Europe, rather it comes from the Muslim world." — Ruud Koopmans, sociologist.
Nearly half of the three million ethnic Turks living in Germany believe it is more important to follow Islamic Sharia law than German law if the two are in conflict, according to a new study.
One-third of those surveyed also yearn for German society to "return" to the way it was during the time of Mohammed, the founder of Islam, in the Arabia of the early seventh century.
The survey — which involves Turks who have been living in Germany for many years, often decades — refutes claims by German authorities that Muslims are well integrated into German society.
The 22-page study, "Integration and Religion from the Viewpoint of Ethnic Turks in Germany" (Integration und Religion aus der Sicht von Türkeistämmigen in Deutschland), was produced by the Religion and Politics department of the University of Münster. Key findings include:
47% of respondents agreed with the statement that "following the tenets of my religion is more important to me than the laws of the land in which I live." This view is held by 57% of first generation Turkish immigrants and 36% of second and third generation Turks. (The study defines first generation Turks as those who arrived in Germany as adults; second and third generation Turks are those who were born in Germany or who arrived in the country as children.)
32% of respondents agreed that "Muslims should strive to return to a societal order like that in the time of Mohammed." This view is held by 36% of the first generation and 27% of the second and third generation.
50% of respondents agreed that "there is only one true religion." This view is held by 54% of the first generation and 46% of the second and third generation.
36% of respondents agreed that "only Islam is able to solve the problems of our times." This view is held by 40% of the first generation and 33% of the second and third generation.
20% of respondents agreed that "the threat which the West poses to Islam justifies violence." This view is held by 25% of the first generation and 15% of the second and third generation.
7% of respondents agreed that "violence is justified to spread Islam." This view is held by 7% of the first generation and 6% of the second and third generation. Although these numbers may seem innocuous, 7% of the three million Turks living in Germany amounts to 210,000 people who believe that jihad is an acceptable method to propagate Islam.
23% of respondents agreed that "Muslims should not shake the hand of a member of the opposite sex." This view is held by 27% of the first generation and 18% of the second and third generation.
33% of respondents agreed that "Muslim women should wear a veil." This view is held by 39% of the first generation and 27% of the second and third generation.
31% of female respondents said that they wear a veil in public. This includes 41% of the first generation and 21% of the second and third generation.
73% of respondents agreed that "books and movies that attack religion and offend the feelings of deeply religious people should be banned by law."
83% of respondents agreed that "I get angry when Muslims are the first to be blamed whenever there is a terrorist attack."
61% of respondents agreed that "Islam fits perfectly in the Western world."
51% of respondents agreed that "as an ethnic Turk, I feel like a second class citizen."
54% of respondents agreed that "regardless of how hard I try, I am not accepted as a member of German society."
The study also found that Turks and native Germans hold radically different perceptions about Islam:
While 57% of Turkish Germans associate Islam with human rights, only 6% of Germans do.
While 56% of Turkish Germans associate Islam with tolerance, only 5% of Germans do.
While 65% of Turkish Germans associate Islam with peace, only 7% of Germans do.
Based on the answers provided, the authors of the survey concluded that 13% of respondents are "religious fundamentalists" (18% of the first generation and 9% of the second and third generation). Although these numbers may appear insignificant, 13% of the three million Turks in Germany amounts to nearly 400,000 Islamic fundamentalists, many of whom believe that violence is an acceptable means to spread Islam.
The survey's findings mirror those of other studies, which show that Turkish migrants are poorly integrated into German society.
In 2012, the 103-page study, "German-Turkish Life and Values" (Deutsch-Türkische Lebens- und Wertewelten), found that only 15% of ethnic Turks living in Germany consider the country to be their home. Other key findings include:
Nearly half (46%) of Turks agreed with the statement, "I hope that in the future there will be more Muslims than Christians living in Germany"; more than half (55%) said that Germany should build more mosques.
72% of respondents said that Islam is the only true religion; 18% said that Jews are inferior to Muslims and 10% said that Christians are inferior.
63% of Turks between the ages of 15 and 29 said they approve of a Salafist campaign to distribute a Koran to every household in Germany; 36% said they would be willing to support the campaign financially.
95% of respondents said it is absolutely necessary for them to preserve their Turkish identity; 87% said they believe that Germans should make a greater effort to be considerate of Turkish customs and traditions.
62% of respondents said they would rather be around Turks than Germans; only 39% of Turks said that Germans were trustworthy.
The survey also found that labor migration is no longer the main reason why Turks immigrate to Germany: the most important reason is to marry a partner who lives there.
Meanwhile, a new statistical survey of Germany — Datenreport 2016: Social Report for the Federal Republic of Germany (Datenreport 2016: Sozial-bericht für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland) — shows that ethnic Turks are economically and educationally less successful than other immigrant groups.
The report, produced by Germany's official statistics agency, Destatis, in cooperation with several German think tanks, shows that more than one-third (36%) of ethnic Turks are living below the poverty line, compared to 25% of migrants from the Balkans and southwestern Europe (Spain and Portugal). The average income of ethnic Turkish households is €1,242 ($1,400) per month, compared to €1,486 ($1,700) for non-Turkish migrants and €1,730 ($1,950) for German households.
Only 5% of ethnic Turks earn more than 150% of the average German income, compared to 21% of migrants from Eastern Europe, 18% of those from southwestern Europe and 11% of those from the Balkans.
An open-air market in the heavily-Turkish Kreuzberg district of Berlin. (Image source: The Berlin Project video screenshot)
The report also shows that Turks have a lower educational attainment than other migrant groups in Germany. Only 60% of ethnic Turks complete secondary school (Hauptschulabschluss), compared to 85% of migrants from Eastern Europe. Moreover, only 8% of ethnic Turks between the ages of 17 and 45 earn a Bachelor's degree, compared to 30% of migrants in the same demographic from Eastern Europe. Education is a determinative factor for successful integration, according to the report.
German multiculturalists often blame the lack of Turkish integration on the Germans themselves. Writing for Die Welt, economist Thomas Straubhaar argues that most Germans view Turks as guests, not as fellow citizens, an attitude which discourages Turks from integrating:
"Ethnic Turks are essentially treated as guests — hence the controversy over whether their faith belongs to Germany or not. Their immigration is seen as temporary. Their contribution to German culture is seen in a negative light.
"Those who treat migrants as guests should not be surprised when they behave as such. Guests are not expected to have any emotional devotion to the host, nor does the host feel any obligation to show irrevocable loyalty to the guest.
"Guests will not be willing to put all their cards on the table of the host country and take full responsibility for successful integration. Guests assume that sooner or later they must return home again. In everything they do, they will always consider their guest status and be only halfheartedly engaged. This applies to investments in language, culture, friendships, social contacts and professional career."
Others counter that those who act like strangers should not be surprised if they are treated as strangers. Sociologist Ruud Koopmans argues that one of the most determinative factors in successful integration involves the cultural gap between host and guest. The greater the distance, the greater the integration challenge.
In a recent interview with WirtschaftsWoche, Koopmans criticized multiculturalists who for normative reasons insist that culture and religion should not be factored into the debate on integration:
"In all European countries, Muslim immigrants lag behind all other immigrant groups in almost every aspect of integration. This applies to the labor market, but also to educational achievement, inter-ethnic contacts, i.e., contacts with the local population, and identification with the country of residence.
"Three decisive factors determine cultural distance: language skills, inter-ethnic contacts — especially those involving marriage — and values about the role of women. They all have something to do with religion. This of course applies especially for ideas about the role of women, which are derived directly from the Islamic religion. The greater the cultural distance between groups — especially when there are cultural taboos — the more complicated inter-ethnic marriages become. Such taboos make it virtually impossible for a Muslim, and especially Muslim women, to marry a non-Muslim. Statistics from various European countries show that less than ten percent of Muslim marriages are inter-ethnic."
Detlef Pollack, the author of the University of Münster study cited above, blames the lack of Turkish integration on discrimination: "The message to the majority German population is that we should be more sensitive to the problems encountered by those of Turkish origin," he told Deutsche Welle. "It is our view that the feeling of not being accepted is expressed in the vehement defense of Islam."
Koopmans rejects the link between discrimination and radicalization:
"This is a common assertion. But it is wrong. In our large study we asked Muslims how strongly they feel discriminated against, and we searched for correlations to the development of a fundamentalist worldview. But there are none. Muslim hatred of non-Muslims is not a special phenomenon of Muslim immigration, but is actually worse in the countries of origin. Radicalization is not first produced here in Europe, rather it comes from the Muslim world."
**Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter. His first book, Global Fire, will be out in 2016.
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