LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

June 26/16

 Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.june26.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 03/31-36/:"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath."

I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth
Acts of the Apostles 13/44-52/:"The next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by Paul. Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth." ’When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region. So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."

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 25-26/16

Syria's Butcher and the World's Shameful Silence/Elias Bejjani/June 26/2011
Dying in defense of Assad/Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/June 25/16
Brexit: The Nation is Back/Yves Mamou/Gatestone Institute/June 25/16
Rouhani adviser says Brexit "historic opportunity" for Iran/Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/June 25/16
Is the Abbas-Hamas conflict hindering Gaza reconstruction/Shlomi Eldar/Al-Monitor/June 25/16
Iran Rethinks Syrian Fantasies/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/June 25/16
The price of reconciliation is Turkish democracy/Tulin Daloglu/Ynetnews/June 25/16
Implications for the U.S. of the Brexit Vote/James F. Jeffrey and Simon Henderson/Cipher Brief/June 23/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on June 25-26/16

Syria's Butcher and the World's Shameful Silence
Dying in defense of Assad
Report: France Raises Eyebrows after Zarif States Iran Against Interference in Lebanon's Elections
Report: A Consensual President is Ready and Waiting
Environment Minister: Government Work Critical, No Suspicious Deals at Cabinet
Health Ministry Shuts Dental Clinic Operated by Syrian Doctor
Hariri: Iran is financing discord in the Arab world!
Hariri meets with Municipal Councils in Tripoli
Pharaon inaugurates "Live Achrafieh" Festival: Airport road safe with Army's efforts
AlRahi from Buffalo: Washington can aid Lebanon in separating it from surrounding conflicts
Five persons injured in Qurayat during dispute over recent municipal elections results
Hand grenade found in Wadih Akl's home garden in Byblos
Two locals arrested over digging for archeological artifacts at west Hasbaya
Landmine explosion at 'Trbeja' Gate in Western Sector

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 25-26/16
US-backed Syrian fighters push into ISIS stronghold
Prominent Syrian activist Khaled Issa dies after blast hits his home
Iraqi flag raised in liberated Fallujah neighborhood
Saudi police officer killed in kingdom’s east
Fierce clashes kill dozens across Yemeni cities
James Bezan MP from Canada supports ‘Free Iran’ gathering
Iran regime incapable of reform, Alain Vivien writes in Le Monde
Majority of Italian MPs support Maryam Rajavi’s plan for future Iran
Detained British-Iranian woman linked to 2009 protests
Abbas retracts rabbis ‘water poisoning’ claim
Erdogan meets Hamas chief amid Israel deal reports
No evidence Orlando gunman was gay
Over One Million Sign UK Petition for Second EU Vote

Links From Jihad Watch Site for June 25-26/16
Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan: jihad terrorist havens and threats to US
2nd US Navy officer fired over Iran’s detention of 10 sailors
Ramadan in Belgium: 2 Muslims arrested, planned jihad attack at Euro 2016 game tomorrow
Ramadan in Jammu and Kashmir: Muslims kill 8 Indian soldiers, wound 21 in ambush
Ramadan in Afghanistan: Taliban shoot 6 civilians for breaking fast
Ramadan in Pennsylvania: Muslim shoots cop 7 times, fires on 2nd cop
Ramadan in Somalia: Huge blast, heavy gunfire inside Mogadishu hotel
Immigration boss who barred feds from SB jihad terror suspect up for award, but agency won’t say why
Malaysia mufti says members of secularist party are against Islam, should be killed
The Brigitte Gabriel Moment: What is Really Driving the Terrorists
Reading the Qur’an during Ramadan 21: Juz Utlu ma uhiya
Diplomat who pushed for Iran deal was paid by Boeing, which made $25B
Raymond Ibrahim: Nations Seeking to Ban Islam Keep Growing
Muslim doctor from Flint, Michigan now working for the Islamic State

Latest Lebanese Related News published on June 25-26/16

Syria's Butcher and the World's Shameful Silence
Elias Bejjani/June 26/2011

The free world and Arab countries ought to immediately adopt a unified, loud, forceful and clear stance in toward deterring the unprecedented barbaric and savage atrocities the brutal and oppressive Syrian regime has been mercilessly inflicting against Syria's peaceful public uprising.
It is very obvious that strategies of verbal and written warnings as well as imposing economic sanctions are not achieving any positive results. The free world's diplomatic rhetoric and approaches are falling on deaf ears, hardened hearts, and numbed consciences. All peaceful and civilized means should instantly come to an end because in the eyes of Syrian dictator Bachar Al Assad and his totalitarian regime's thugs, they are futile and signs of hesitation, fear and cowardice.
We have for years cautioned that the Syrian Baathist dictatorship and its evil ally, the regime of the Iranian mullahs, as well as their armed proxies Hezbollah and Hamas, do not respond to words alone. They do not by any means understand or master the language of condemnations, warnings, sanctions, tags of terrorism , logic or any peaceful tool that is human and civilized. The sole language that they comprehend and respond to is force and force alone.
Their sickening lies, depraved narcissism, culture of hatred and delusions of grandiose make them humiliate, ridicule and completely ignore those forces and countries who do not speak their own satanic language. This kind of deranged mentality is always boldly expressed with no boundaries by Iran's President Ahmadinejad. With conceit and arrogance, he keeps on challenging the whole world while bragging that the Western countries are cowards and do not posses the guts to go to war.
More than one hundred days have passed since the beginning of the peaceful uprising of the Syrian public in pursuit of freedom, democracy, and human dignity. This means having equal opportunities, respect for human rights, employment opportunities, an openness to the outside world and an end to all forms of corruption including embezzlement, injustice and discrimination. In spite of the unprecedented barbaric acts of mass murder that the totalitarian Syrian regime is exercising to control the uprising, it has been escalating around the clock on all levels and throughout all the Syrian territories.
In fearing for their life fifteen thousand unarmed Syrian citizens made up of mostly children, the elderly and women escaped from Syria and took shelter in the neighbouring Turkey. Thousands, including children and teenagers, were arbitrarily arrested, mutilated, and brutally tortured. Almost fifteen hundred victims were killed at the hands of President Bachar Al Assad's Alawite armed mobs, and thousands of houses were destroyed.
The Alawite minority to which Al Assad belongs is desperately trying to cling to power. The country's Alawite-controlled army is waging a vicious and merciless campaign to muffle the uprising using all sorts of weaponry including tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery, jets, choppers and so forth.
The Syrian opposition inside Syria and abroad have claimed that the Syrian army’s Alawite leadership headed by the president's younger brother, Maher Al Assad who is aided by a number of his cousins and relatives, have executed hundreds of soldiers who refused to shoot at the peaceful demonstrators in several Sunni cities and towns.
The Kuwaiti Alseyasi daily reported that the executed soldiers and officers were secretly buried in mass graves in the cities of Daraa and Jisr al-Shughour with their military uniforms and weapons. The daily stated that the Syrian regime later alleged that Sunni fundamentalists and Jihadists killed and buried these soldiers. It is worth mentioning that the Syrian regime invited all foreign envoys in Damascus and some international media facilities to show them one of these mass grave to support their claims.
One might wonder why Syrian citizens are taking refuge in Turkey only and not also in neighbouring Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. The answer lies in the fact that Jordan has totally closed its borders with Syria. The Jordanian king is trying emphatically to distance his fragile kingdom from the Syrian uprising because he fears the same public protests might target him too. On the other side, Iraq does not attract Syrian refugees due to safety and stability issues caused by the kind of violence and chaos that Iraq encounters on a daily basis.
Meanwhile Lebanese authorities have been arresting the Syrians who enter Lebanon and extraditing them back to Syria in breach of all international accords and laws. According to reports issued by well respected Human Rights organizations and the Syrian opposition leadership, four Syrian soldiers that the Lebanese Army extradited to Syria were executed on the same day. It is worth mentioning that the majority of Lebanon’s officials in the puppet regime were handpicked by the Syrian dictator personally during the twenty-eight years of Syrian occupation of in Lebanon that ended on 2005.
We strongly believe that the Syrian butcher Bachar Al Assad, his armed mobs called Al Chabiha, and the Syrian army must be forced to stop immediately the killing of the Syrian people. It is very clear by now that this human and noble objective will not be achieved voluntarily by Al Assad and his regime. It must be enforced through military intervention under the UN flag as was the situation in many other countries. The butcher Al Assad must be arrested and put on trial with all his family members and aids who are leading the killing campaign. Such stone age creatures must be made accountable for their criminal acts.
In conclusion, Syria's Al Assad dictatorship regime must be toppled by force as soon as possible and the Syrian people given the chance to govern themselves under the auspices and help of the United Nations. The Arab and the Western democracies need to understand once and forever that with Al Assad's Syrian regime in power instability in the Middle East will continue. Instability that includes Lebanon never enjoying independence, the continuing chaos prevailing in Iraq, Jordan’s sovereignty always being threatened, and Hamas and Hezbollah continuing to grow stronger. In other words, the global war on Islamic fundamentalist terrorism will not be won and the Israeli-Arab conflict will never be solved.
http://www.10452lccc.com/elias%20english09/elias%20assadbutcher26.6.11.htm

Dying in defense of Assad
Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/June 25/16
Hezbollah is free to choose the parliamentary electoral law it likes and it's free to participate in the government or boycott it. There are no restraints imposed on it when it comes to following the domestic policies governed by the constitution and law. However, Hezbollah, and even if some of those affiliated with it agree, must not intervene in another country and get involved in a war that has absolutely nothing to do with us. To justify its intervention, it has resorted to the excuse of "deterring terrorists." However this excuse just serves the purpose of throwing dust in the eyes as we can actually fortify our borders and prevent those who threaten our security from infiltrating our borders. Cooperation and coordination with security forces will also help arrest terrorists and even execute them if they harm Lebanon. The reason I bring this up is reports that at least 25 Hezbollah fighters have died in the past two days in different areas across Syria and that some Lebanese families have lost contact with their sons - also Hezbollah fighters - there. These members were not killed and did not go missing because they were serving higher aims or a national cause as they were only present in Syria to serve foreign interests linked to Iran's will to preserve the Syrian regime. What will Hezbollah's officials tell the families of the members killed? What will they tell them they died for? To defend Syrian President Bashar al-Assad? Or the Syrian regime which is slaughtering its own sons? They died while confronting who? Confronting the Syrian people who want to change their regime? What's being committed against the Lebanese people is a crime. We pity these fighters' mothers, wives and children because we've experienced this pain, injustice and grief that deeply wound the heart. We don't want this massacre against Lebanese people who accepted to hand over their decision-making to their leaders to go on. This same category of Lebanese people has been exploited for decades using different slogans. We do not want our sons to die in defense of Assad or of any other man. We do not want Lebanon to keep paying the price of other parties' wars on its territories and in the case of the Syrian war, in other territories. Lebanon's young men and women should be able to live and live long. This article was first published in an-Nahar on June 20, 2016.

Report: France Raises Eyebrows after Zarif States Iran Against Interference in Lebanon's Elections
Naharnet/June 25/16/Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif has indirectly shrugged off claims of an Iranian intervention in Lebanon's controversial presidential file and said that Iran is "against foreign interference," the pan-Arab al-Hayat daily reported on Saturday. French President Francois Hollande told Zarif during his trip to France that the situation in Lebanon is dangerous and fragile, added the daily. Hollande said that it is a miracle that Lebanon remains steadfast without a president, adding that the Mediterranean country is passing through an exceptional fragile stage although some (in a reference to Hizbullah) believes that it can continue without a head of state, a source that followed up on the meeting of the two men at the Elysee Palace told the newspaper. Hollande had stated that he does not share the opinion of those who believe that it is possible for Lebanon to continue without a president, and stressed the need to stop the obstruction of the state's institutions, according to the source. To that, Zarif responded with “Iran has no problem with that. The Christian parties in Lebanon should unite to choose a president, and if this happens, Iran will not oppose it,” added the source on condition of anonymity. Zarif added with words that astonished the French side, he said that there should not be any foreign interference, and that foreign intervention is what ruined the agreement on the election of Marada chief Suleiman Franjieh and led to an unfamiliar alliance between head of the Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and the head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun, said the source. Iran and its ally Hizbullah have been accused of intentionally delaying the election of a new head of state. Furthermore, the source said that French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault will discuss in Beirut on 11 and July 12 the possibility of holding a meeting of the Support Group for Lebanon in New York, with the potential release of a statement distancing Lebanon from regional conflicts and showing an international consensus on the importance of protecting the country from the conflicts that surround it.

Report: A Consensual President is Ready and Waiting
Naharnet/June 25/16/A consensual president to fill Lebanon's two-year vacuum is ready and waiting to be elected, and he garners the support of international and regional powers, As Safir daily reported on Saturday. If Hizbullah remains adamant to elect founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun for the post, that means that a consensus nominee is ready somewhere and waiting to fill the seat, visitors to Washington told the daily without elaborating. Hizbullah has expressed on several occasions that it will continue to back Aoun for the presidential post against Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh who is backed by al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri. The daily added quoting the visitors, that the unnamed candidate has not only won an international support, but a regional one as well. The controversial file of electing a president will be opened at a crucial timing linked to the regional developments, especially to the situation in Syria, they remarked. The pan-Arab al-Hayat daily said that Hizbullah has kicked off a round of consultations with the major political powers in the country pressing the need to agree on a “comprehensive basket” that includes the election of Aoun. It believes that there is no point of Aoun's election unless it is coupled with a prior agreement on these conditions without exception. Lebanon has been in a state of vacuum since the term of president Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Conflicts between the rival March 8 and March 14 alliances have thwarted efforts to elect a successor.

Environment Minister: Government Work Critical, No Suspicious Deals at Cabinet
Naharnet/June 25/16/Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq stressed on Saturday that there are no “suspicious” deals being struck at the cabinet describing the government’s work as “critical” due to the unusual circumstances it is facing. “There are no suspicious deals at the cabinet. The cabinet's work is critical because it was formed during difficult circumstances and PM Tammam Salam has given the needed time for each subject to be discussed,” said Mashnouq to the Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3). “We have asked the Council for Development and Reconstruction to give us an expert opinion for sustainable development,” he added. The Minister's comments came after the cabinet came to session a day earlier to tackle the projects undertaken by the CDR, amid reports claiming that suspicious deals are being made. Furthermore, Kataeb Party chief Sami Gemayel demanded that the current government becomes a caretaker as he accused it of making decisions that “are harming the country.” Several cabinet ministers claimed that the CDR has been ignoring projects in Mount Lebanon, and criticized “unbalanced distribution of developmental projects.”

Health Ministry Shuts Dental Clinic Operated by Syrian Doctor
Naharnet/June 25/16/The Health Ministry ordered on Saturday the closure of a dental clinic in the northern town of Ghazir that is run by a Syrian doctor, the National News Agency reported on Saturday. The Health Ministry inspectors found out that the clinic, in the Blat neighborhood, is situated inside a residential apartment where the practitioner lives with her family. The clinic is equipped with dental tools, added NNA.

Hariri: Iran is financing discord in the Arab world!
Sat 25 Jun 2016/NNA - In an "Iftar" held Saturday evening at Rashid Karame International Fair in honor of families from Denniyeh, Minie and Zghorta, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri delivered the following speech: "Dear Friends and comrades from Denniyeh, Minie and Zghorta, I wish you all a blessed Ramadan. This Iftar gathers us at a time our country is witnessing an institutional crisis called the presidential vacuum, which entered its third year, and an economic crisis that has led to a decline in growth and job opportunities, whereas Lebanon needs all its political, economic and social immunity to continue the miracle of avoiding the flames of wars in a region where mad killing and destruction are amplifying. Rather than searching, with the loyal Lebanese, for its security and the security of its people and their interests, some insist on putting Iran first, and Syria first, Iraq first, Yemen first and Bahrain first, and Lebanon ... in the end. Kassem Soleimani and his followers in Lebanon are not satisfied with wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, but they also threaten Bahrain with a war that invites discord to the Arab and Muslims countries. This model of Iran's vanity and arrogance will lead to an escalation of hostility between the Arabs and Iran. What concerns us in Lebanon is to refrain from pouring oil on the fire of discord, stop the blind policies of interfering in the internal affairs of brotherly States and root out the hatred that targets the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. All Arab arenas infiltrated by Iran, either by money, parties, clergy or the Revolutionary Guards, received their share of division, discord and sectarian conflicts. We in Lebanon are required to protect our country and our coexistence from this Iranian scourge, and no fatwa from the Iranian leadership should supersede our national interests. We are not and will not be an echo for what Kassem Soleimani decides in the region, and for his calls for rebellion in Bahrain and elsewhere. We have enough ravages from the situation in Syria, and our Shiite brothers do not need to move from one war to another and from one tragedy to another. What we heard yesterday in the ceremony honoring Mustafa Badr al-Din and his role in the wars of Syria and Iraq and the massacres against the Arab peoples, is not our concern, because the role Badr al-Din in our opinion is only limited to the fact that he is accused of assassinating Martyr Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. All the heroic roles attributed to him stop here, and mean nothing in the record of history. The rest of the speech remains about the involvement in the Syrian blood, and this involvement was imposed on the Lebanese who reject it today, tomorrow and always! Someone is bragging that he is an advanced military base ... for Iran! And that all the money, missiles and salaries come from the treasury of Iran's Revolutionary Guards! He is recognizing that it is an Iranian party par excellence and an investment for the Iranian political, religious and military project. And that the orders of Wali al-Faqih are more important to him than Lebanon's interest and the interest of all Arabs. This is a first rank accusation charge! A party declaring aloud that it executes orders from a foreign country.
As for the talk about Saudi Arabia, what is new? Accusations against an Arab state just because it refuses for Bahrain to become an Iranian base too, just as it refused that the Houthis turn Yemen into an Iranian base. Iran finances Hezbollah in Lebanon, Al-Hashd Al-Chaabi in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, the opposition in Bahrain and the killing of innocent people in Syria. It finances the bombings in Kuwait, the chaos in Qatif and the sectarian groups in Sudan, Egypt and Algeria. Basically, Iran is financing discord in the Arab world! The national constants of the Future Movement are known, first and foremost adhering to the Arab identity of Lebanon, coexistence and national unity, the protection of the state and stability and constant search for solutions that benefit the lives of our people and our youth. You announced your attachment to these constants in the municipal elections and this is an occasion to extend my personal thanks to each and every one of you, and congratulate the elected municipal councils in your cities and towns. For our part, we will continue to work with your deputies and municipalities to give this region some of its rights in development.
I would like to say to the notables of Denniyeh that I didn't forget our meeting, that was postponed due to my travel, and we will meet soon hopefully. Yesterday I talked about the future of Tripoli and all the north as a starting point for the reconstruction of Iraq and Syria when there will be a political solution in these two countries. An important part of this project is the Denniyeh - Hermel road that is being built because it links the port of Tripoli to the Syrian and Arab land. As for your region, the drinking water projects financed by the Italian donation are ongoing, and the opening of a public hospital succeeded.
There are now two mayors in Minie and Denniyeh to facilitate the citizen's formalities, without forgetting the Rafic Hariri Sports Complex in Denniyeh. In Minie, the drinking water project and the other part of the Minie- Denniyeh highway project are ongoing.We are also pursuing the efforts to secure the funding for the seaside Corniche project in Minie. Since the environmental topic is very important for you and the Future Movement, we will conduct studies for the Deir Ammar plant 2, so the people's health would not be affected. Deir Ammar means a lot to us, we do not forget that it is the town of the Martyr of the State, of Truth and of Justice, the Martyr of Deir Ammar, Minie and all Lebanon, Wissam Eid! I repeat: the most important project is to bring back growth and advance the economy for the benefit of all of Lebanon. The door to this project is to restore the normal work of the state and state institutions. How? By electing a President."

Hariri meets with Municipal Councils in Tripoli
Sat 25 Jun 2016/NNA - The Media Bureau of Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri issued on Saturday a press release: "Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri began his meetings today in Tripoli by receiving a delegation of members of the Tripoli Municipal Council headed by Ahmad Kamareddine. Hariri congratulated them on their election, discussed with them the demands of the city, and asked them to prepare a list of urgent projects to be studied and implemented. He said that he stands by to the new municipal council for the advancement of Tripoli.
Mina Municipality
Hariri then received a delegation from the Municipal Council of Mina, headed by Abdul Kader Alameddine, who said after the meeting: "We came to welcome Former PM Hariri in Tripoli. We discussed the projects of concern to Mina, including the waterfront, the islands, the port and the Tripoli Special Economic Zone chaired by former Minister Raya Hassan. We discussed the issues that provide job opportunities in Mina, to activate the economic cycle and remove poverty and deprivation".
Kalamoun Municipality
Hariri also received a delegation from the Municipality of Kalamoun headed by Talal Dankar, and discussed with them the demands of the city. He later met with a delegation of Tripoli businessmen and a delegation from Tebbeneh, Kobbeh and internal souks. Hariri received this afternoon at the "Quality Inn" a delegation representing a number of liberal professions sectors of the "Future Movement" in Tripoli. He spoke to them about the importance of the General Convention of the Movement that will take place in the fall and the need to highly involve young men and women to activate the work of the movement in the next phase. He also received a delegation of social network activists.
Souhour and visits
Hariri sponsored yesterday evening a Souhour held by Mustafa Alloush, member of the Political Bureau of the Future Movement, in "Quality Inn", in the presence of the Mufti of Tripoli and the North Sheikh Malek Chaar and a number of deputies and figures. He also visited yesterday evening Mufti Chaar at his residence, and MP Samir Jisr at his residence, in the presence of his advisor Ghattas Khoury and his chief of staff Nader Hariri."

Pharaon inaugurates "Live Achrafieh" Festival: Airport road safe with Army's efforts
Sat 25 Jun 2016/launched on Saturday the "Live Achrafieh" Festival, in presence of Interior and Municipalities Minister Nuhad el-Machnouk and various prominent dignitaries, in a press conference held at "Chase" Cafe in Sassine Square in Achrafieh. "Tourists' requirements and various needs are available in Lebanon, both at the public and private sector levels," said Pharaon, adding that ""the road to the airport is safe thanks to the Lebanese army's efforts, in addition to a marked improvement at the airport."He added: "All of us together, government, community and security forces, wish to see intensive movement at the airport this summer, starting July 1st, amidst an improved security situation in the country."Pharaon urged all media to portray the joyful atmosphere in Lebanon this summertime, keeping pace with the extended invitations to tourists to visit. In turn, Minister Machnouk considered that "probably no other European or Arab or Middle Eastern city is witnessing 32 musical festivals catering to a variety of arts as the ones featured in Beirut and all Lebanese regions." He reassured all Lebanese and Arab brethrens that the security situation in Lebanon is under control and that all facilities are available to ensure a smooth arrival to tourists at the airport and a lovely stay in any Lebanese region. Machnouk encouraged tourists and expatriates to come and enjoy the joyful, lively ambience of Lebanon this summertime.

AlRahi from Buffalo: Washington can aid Lebanon in separating it from surrounding conflicts
Sat 25 Jun 2016/NNA - Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bshara Butros al-Rahi considered that "Washington is capable of assisting Lebanon by separating it from surrounding conflicts." "We demand a Saudi-Iranian understanding that liberates Lebanon from the repercussions of their differences and disputes," added al-Rahi. The Patriarch's words came during his visit to Saint John's Parish in Buffalo-New York, where he chaired a Mass service on Thursday evening. Al-Rahi expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome by American official authorities and the Lebanese expatriate community. He touched on the prevailing situation in Lebanon and the Middle East, while raising prayers for the sake of all suffering people who are struggling through difficult times in this part of the world. "The ongoing wars in the Middle East pose a threat to our Eastern, Oriental identity, as well as our Lebanese and Christian identity," said Al-Rahi. He added: "For this reason, we urge the international community to end the war in Syria and find a solution to the Palestinian cause, so that all refugees can return to their homeland." "Protecting Lebanon denotes a doorway of hope for the Middle East as a whole," al-Rahi underscored.

Five persons injured in Qurayat during dispute over recent municipal elections results
Sat 25 Jun 2016/NNA - A row occurred in the town of al-Qurayat on Saturday following recent municipal elections, which developed into a fight using sticks and then led to the exchange of fire, thus, resulting in the injury of five people, NNA correspondent reported. Army units arrived immediately at the scene, set-up checkpoints at the town's entrances and began running patrols, in an attempt to contain the situation and track down those involved in the incident. A state of alert now prevails in the town, which had witnessed rising tension during the past few days.

Hand grenade found in Wadih Akl's home garden in Byblos
Sat 25 Jun 2016/NNA - A hand grenade was found Saturday in the garden outside the home of "Free Patriotic Movement" Attorney, Wadih Akl, in Byblos, NNA correspondent reported. As a result, security forces and a military expert immediately arrived at the scene, in order to examine the bombshell and take the necessary action.

Two locals arrested over digging for archeological artifacts at west Hasbaya
Sat 25 Jun 2016/NNA - Security Forces arrested the two citizens ( M.T) and (H.T.) while they were digging in search for archeological artifacts on the western border of Hasbaya town , National News Agency correspondent said on Saturday. The field reporter added that the detainees were referred to the concerned authorities for investigation.

Landmine explosion at 'Trbeja' Gate in Western Sector
Sat 25 Jun 2016/NNA - A blast from inside the buffer zone area between the Lebanese-Palestinian borderlines was heard some time ago, resulting from a landmine explosion at "Trbeja" Gate in the Western Sector, the reasons for which are still unknown, with no reported damages, NNA correspondent indicated on Saturday evening.
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 25-26/16

US-backed Syrian fighters push into ISIS stronghold
AFP, Beirut/ Aleppo Saturday, 25 June 2016
US-backed Syrian fighters pushed further into the ISIS group stronghold of Manbij on Saturday, seizing a key road junction and grain silos overlooking the city, a monitoring group said. The city lies close to the border with Turkey and is a key staging post on the militants’ supply line to areas under its control in eastern Syria and neighboring Iraq. The US-backed Kurdish and Arab forces, which have thrust into Manbij after driving across the Euphrates River from the east, have encircled the city and are now closing in with the support of US-led coalition air strikes. The Syrian Democratic Forces overran the Mills Roundabout in the south of the city on Saturday after capturing nearby grain silos overnight, taking them significantly closer to the city centre, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “The grain silos overlook more than half of Manbij. SDF fighters can climb to the top and monitor the city,” said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. The Raqa Revolutionaries Brigades - one of the Arab components of the Kurdish-dominated alliance - confirmed that SDF forces had seized the silos and pushed into the city. Captured by ISIS in 2014, Manbij has served as a key transit point for foreign fighters and funds, as well as a trafficking hub for oil, antiquities and other plundered goods. Its loss would deprive the militants of vital revenues and mark the greatest victory so far for the Kurdish-led alliance which has already sealed most of the Turkish border. Some 200 US and other coalition advisers are supporting the offensive launched at the end of last month. ISIS has thrown large numbers of fighters into the battle, losing 463 since May 31, according to the Observatory. The SDF has lost at least 89.
Pounding Aleppo
Russian and Syrian warplanes pounded rebel-held areas of divided second city Aleppo on Saturday as government forces closed in on the rebels’ sole remaining supply line, a monitoring group said. An AFP correspondent in the rebel-held east of the city said the air strikes lasted throughout the night into the morning. Aleppo, which was Syria’s commercial and manufacturing hub before civil war broke out in 2011, has been a key battleground ever since rebels seized eastern neighborhoods of the city the following year. A two-day truce brokered by Moscow and Washington earlier this month in a bid to rescue a wider ceasefire expired without renewal and Russia warned it would press ahead with it air campaign, saying the rebels had failed to deliver on promises to break ranks with al-Qaeda loyalists. The Russian strikes focused on the Castello Road, the only remaining route out of the rebel-held east of the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “Russian planes are backing a Syrian regime ground offensive on the northern edges of the city, while Syrian planes bomb the eastern neighborhoods,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. A child was among two people killed in strikes on the rebel-held Al-Maysar neighborhood, the White Helmets civil defense group said. “In the past two days, my kids and I haven’t been able to sleep all night because of the huge blasts, the likes of which we haven’t heard before,” said 38-year-old shopkeeper Abu Ahmed. A father of three, Abu Ahmad owns a small convenience store in east Aleppo.“We haven’t been able to get any products or produce for the shop over the past two days because no one can use the (Castello) road,” he said. The renewed government offensive around Aleppo comes a day after another key ally, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, pledged to send more fighters to join the “greatest battle” of the war.
31 killed in east Syria
Meanwhile, the Observatory said Russian air strikes killed at least 31 civilians and wounded dozens more on Saturday in a militant-held town in eastern Syria, a monitor said. The monitor said the raids hit the town of Al-Quriyah, controlled by ISIS in Syria’s oil-rich Deir Ezzor province. Observatory head Abdel Rahman said there were 16 other people killed but it was not immediately clear whether they were civilians or ISIS fighters.

Prominent Syrian activist Khaled Issa dies after blast hits his home
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 25 June 2016/Khaled Issa, an independent Syrian photojournalist – known for his activism, has died late Friday in a hospital in Turkey after he was severely wounded following a blast that targeted his home in the Syrian city of Aleppo, medics said. The 25-year-old, who originally hails from Kafr Nabil – a town in the northwestern province of Idlib, was sharing accommodation with Hadi Al-Abdullah, another independent journalist and activist, in a residential building in Aleppo’s Shaar neighborhood. The two were severely wounded after an explosive device targeted their home on June 17. While Abdullah sustained his injury and he is now in a stable condition in a hospital in the Turkish city of Antakya, Issa was declared dead on Friday. The two’s main media activism work was to document crimes committed against the Syrian people. “Without Khaled; many insights into the brutality of [Syrian President Bashar] Assad would not have been possible,” Salim Salamah, a Syrian-Palestinian blogger wrote in tribute of Issa. “Without him, as well, many insights into the beauty of Syrians and their resistance would not have been possible.”He added: “Syria today lost another young man who had a lot to live for.”Reporting from dangerous conflict zones, Issa has sustained previous injuries during the past five years of his work as a photojournalist activist. Activists have blamed Al-Qaeda’s affiliate Nusra Front for the targeted killing. They said Nusra Front eliminated Abdullah for his increased criticism of the Al-Qaeda group. On social media, people expressed their condolences over what they saw as the loss of a much needed activist and a “hero.”

Iraqi flag raised in liberated Fallujah neighborhood
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 25 June 2016/Baghdad Operations Command said on Saturday that an Iraqi flag was raised on top of a medical center for a newly liberated Al-Jolan neighborhood north of Fallujah city, marking new successes by the country’s security forces against ISIS militants. On Saturday, Iraq’s government also said in a statement that its forces have “cleaned” Al-Mualimeen neighborhood in Fallujah in the western province of Anbar from ISIS militants. “Baghdad Operations’ fighting forces were able to fully clean Al-Mualimeen neighborhood in Fallujah today,” the statement read. It added: “The forces were able to eliminate a number of terrorist ISIS members, and make [ISIS] incur equipment losses.” The news comes after Iraqi security forces were able last week to liberate the center of Fallujah city. Iraqi security forces are continuously trying to liberate areas in the northern part of the city. On Friday, Makhool, a district in the province of Salah Al-Din which lies north of Baghdad, has been recaptured from ISIS militants on Friday, the Iraqi government said in a statement. Salah al-Din is on the border with Nineveh province where Iraq’s second largest city of Mosul is located. Mosul fell under ISIS control since June 2014.

Saudi police officer killed in kingdom’s east
The Associated Press, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Saturday, 25 June 2016/Authorities in Saudi Arabia said on Friday that a police officer working on a traffic patrol was shot dead in the kingdom’s east. According to the Associated Press, the Interior Ministry said the officer, identified as Faisal al-Harbi, was killed by unknown assailants early Friday morning in the city of Saihat. It said an investigation was ongoing.

Fierce clashes kill dozens across Yemeni cities
AFP, Aden Saturday, 25 June 2016/Clashes in several areas across Yemen on Friday killed 22 militias and 11 members of pro-government forces, military officials said, after peace talks hit a new barrier. Fierce battles erupted in the northern Jawf province when Houthi militias attacked loyalists in al-Motoon district, triggering a counter attack by government forces backed by warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition, a military official said.The fighting left 13 militias dead, while eight loyalists were killed by mistake in an air strike that missed its target, the official added. Further south, three Houthi militias were killed in clashes in Bayhan, Shabwa province, another military official said. And in the southwestern flashpoint city of Taez, six militias and three loyalists were killed in renewed fighting when insurgents attacked government troops on the southwestern outskirts of the city, a military official said. Clashes have continued despite a UN-brokered ceasefire that entered into effect on April 11 and paved the way for peace talks in Kuwait. Those talks received a new blow on Thursday when government representatives demanded a full withdrawal of Iran-backed militia from territory seized since 2014. On Wednesday, the rebel delegation said it would not sign up to any deal on military and security issues until there was agreement on a consensus president and a national unity government to oversee the transition. The peace roadmap put forward by UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed proposed the formation of a unity government in tandem with the withdrawal and disarmament of the militia, although he acknowledged major differences between the two sides’ timetables. Despite a 15-month Saudi-led military intervention in support of the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, the militia and their allies remain in control of swathes of territory they have overran since 2014, including the capital Sanaa. More than 6,400 people have been killed since the intervention began, the majority of them civilians, and there has been growing international pressure for an end to the conflict.

James Bezan MP from Canada supports ‘Free Iran’ gathering
Saturday, 25 June 2016/NCRI - Canadian lawmaker James Bezan has sent a message of solidarity to the upcoming "Free Iran" gathering in Paris to show his support for a free and democratic Iran that will ultimately respect human rights and civil liberties. James Bezan, a member of the Canada's House of Commons, said: "I want to send my greetings to everybody that is planning on attending the gathering of the People's Mojahedin (PMOI or MEK) and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)." He added: "This is a very important time for everyone to come together and show their support for the NCRI and also to condemn the continued human rights violations of the Iranian regime. President Rouhani and Ayatollah Khamenei continue to violate the international norms of the rule of law and respecting the civil liberties of their people.""I also want to ensure that all of us continue to stand up against Iran's continued oppression of political activists by imprisoning them, by condemning their actions against those practicing their freedom of religion and also Iran's continued interference in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen by undermining UN security forces as well as coalition partners who are in the fight against ISIS and the atrocities being committed by the Assad regime in Syria." "I plead with everyone to continue to work towards the safety and security of those who are living at Camp Liberty outside of Baghdad, and also plead upon the government of Iraq and the US and the UN to ensure that their safety is first and foremost during these very tenuous times in the battle against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.""And finally, I just want to confirm my support for Mrs. [Maryam] Rajavi’s ten point plan and ask the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States and other allies, to stand with the NCRI, the PMOI and really take this positive position that will ultimately bring peace and security to the region and democracy in Iran itself. Again, please join everyone as the gathering in Paris, for the gathering and showing their support for a free, democratic Iran that will ultimately respect human rights and civil liberties,” he added.
The major gathering of Iranians and their international supporters in Paris on July 9, 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, will bring together international support for the cause of democracy and freedom in Iran. UN rights experts: Arrests, heavy fines for artistic expression in Iran ‘unacceptable’ Saturday, 25 June 2016/United Nations human rights experts on cultural rights and on freedom of expression have expressed concern at the imprisonment and imposition of heavy fines against three artists in Iran earlier this month and have called for their immediate release. In a statement issued on Friday by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Karima Bennoune, and Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, said that the conviction and sentencing of artists is entirely unacceptable and is in complete violation of the Iranian regime’s obligations under international human rights law. They have also called for all charges to be dropped. The expert’s call has also been endorsed by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, and the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Méndez.
Musicians Mehdi Rajabian and Yousef Emadi, and filmmaker Hossein Rajabian were sentenced to six years in prison and fined 50 million Rials (about $1,658) each for “insulting Islamic sanctities,” “propaganda against the State” and for “conducing illegal activities in the audiovisual affaires including through producing prohibited audiovisual material and performing an illegal and underground music site.” On appeal, the prison sentence was reduced to three years. Mr. Kaye said that "detaining someone on the grounds of ‘insulting the sacred’ and ‘propaganda against the state’ is incompatible with international human rights standards.” Ms. Bennoune expressed “dismay” at the allegations that the artists were forced to make self-incriminating televised “confessions” to the charges of producing prohibited audiovisual materials, and apologize for broadcasting the voice of female singers. She said that the action of the Iranian regime against the artists has serious repercussions for others in the country and that it results in unjustifiable restrictions on the right of all persons in Iran to have access to and enjoy the arts. “Artistic expression is simply not a crime,” Ms. Bennoune concluded. “The arrest, conviction and sentencing of artists is entirely unacceptable and in complete violation of international human rights law binding on Iran. The three artists should be released immediately and all charges dropped,” they concluded. Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme.

Iran regime incapable of reform, Alain Vivien writes in Le Monde
Saturday, 25 June 2016/NCRI - Many people hoped for moderation of the Iranian regime after the accession of Hassan Rouhani as president, but they forget that the theocratic regime is by its nature incapable of reform, argues Alain Vivien, a former French secretary of state for Foreign Affairs. Writing for France’s Le Monde on Friday, Mr. Vivien pointed out that the international community is more than ever “perplexed by the political instability” in Iran. Following the regime’s nuclear deal with the major world powers last July, its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has no longer been able to maintain the “cohesion of his regime,” Mr. Vivien wrote, adding that other regime veterans have gone so far as to publish open letters against him. The regime’s weakness is also reflected in Khamenei’s inconsistent decisions such as his constant diatribes against the West despite the nuclear deal. “Foreign observers are both stunned by the violent tone of the Iranian leader and worried about the prospect of relations with a country whose leaders are still locked in the past,” Mr. Vivien wrote. He added that today the regime is paralyzed by a deadly dilemma: should it be locked again on itself in the hope of preserving the religious-political ideology and power of the mullahs; or should it open up to the world giving Iran the prominent place that it deserves among the nations of the world? But any opening up would mean abandoning the ‘principle of the supremacy of the Supreme Leader’ and the influence of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) on society and the Iranian economy. Such a prospect would be an admission of weakness that the regime seeks at all costs to avoid, Mr. Vivien said, adding that Khamenei knows that the Iranian people, disillusioned, are waiting for the first opportunity to express their anger, as they did in the nationwide uprising against the regime in 2009. He pointed out that the IRGC, which both serve as army and the regime’s storm troopers control many economic sectors including those of international trade and energy. The IRGC and economic institutions tied to the Supreme Leader control more than half of the country’s economic activity (more than 50% of the country's GDP, estimated at $400 billion, according to Reuters), causing a major handicap for development. The current situation leads firstly to the squandering of resources (in the nuclear projects, support for Islamist and terrorist movements, the military intervention in the Syrian conflict, etc.). On the other hand it undermines the confidence of investors who do not wish to do business with entities that, despite the partial lifting of sanctions, remain classified as a terrorist organization listed by the United Nations and the United States, Mr. Vivien argued. The French Committee for a Democratic Iran, which we founded in 2007 with François Colcombet and Jean-Pierre Michel, believes that in the current situation, the West cannot be content with only one conclusion of a nuclear agreement, he said. Repression and executions have not halted in Iran. Women activists, trade unionists, leftist intellectuals, the members of the People's Mujahedeen (PMOI or MEK), and even representatives of religious and ethnic minorities are imprisoned, he pointed out. Since Rouhani took office, death sentences and executions in Iran have reached record levels. Moreover, the regime remains uncompromising in its policy of interference in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere, Mr. Vivien wrote. “We must demand Iran respect its international commitments and for an end to its nefarious hegemonic strategy for the region, including in Syria. This requires Iran to accept the moratorium proposed by non-governmental organizations on the death penalty. The international community must not lower its guard on these fundamentals. It can and must take concrete steps to help Iranian democrats who are working for democratic change in their country,” he added. **Alain Vivien, a former secretary of state for Foreign Affairs in France, is co-founder of the French Committee for a Democratic Iran (CFID). Members of the CFID are planning to participate in the major “Free Iran” gathering on July 9 in Paris.

Majority of Italian MPs support Maryam Rajavi’s plan for future Iran
Saturday, 25 June 2016/NCRI - A majority of Italian lawmakers have announced their support for the goals of the Iranian Resistance and the 10-point plan of Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi for a future free Iran. More than 300 members of the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati), the lower house of the Italy’s Parliament, have signed a statement calling on the Italian government, European Union member states, the United States and the United Nations Security Council to “strongly condemn” executions and other flagrant human rights abuses by the Iranian regime and to “guarantee” the safety and security of members of the main Iranian opposition group People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK) who are currently in Camp Liberty in Iraq. The Italian lawmakers further called for the expulsion of the Iranian regime's Revolutionary Guards and other mercenaries from the countries in the region, in particular Syria and Iraq. The text warned that the Iranian regime's meddling in Syria has reached an “unprecedented level” and that its forces are continuously massacring the Syrian people. "The actions of the Iranian regime in the region have given the greatest assistance and paved the way for the rise of ISIS (Daesh, Islamic State, ISIL)," it added. The statement also called on the “EU, U.S. and world leaders to support Mrs. Maryam Rajavi's 10-point plan for the future of Iran which seeks the establishment of a secular republic with free elections, gender equality in all fields, prohibition on any discrimination, abolition of the death penalty, and peaceful coexistence with countries in the region and the world.” Among the 319 signatories of the statement, which was unveiled earlier this month, are 11 deputy ministers, nine members of the Parliament's steering committee, five committee chairmen, 19 committee vice-chairs and several former Ministers.

Detained British-Iranian woman linked to 2009 protests
AFP, Tehran Saturday, 25 June 2016/An Iranian-British woman detained in Iran on charges of seeking to overthrow the government was implicated in anti-regime protests in 2009, a judicial official said. There had previously been scant information about the grounds for the arrest in April of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a 37-year-old employee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. But a report from Iran’s Mizan news agency late Friday said she was implicated in mass protests against the re-election of hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009, a movement dubbed “the sedition” by the authorities.
“In 2014-2015, the intelligence service of the Revolutionary Guards in Kerman province identified and arrested members of one of the groups that during the sedition conducted activities against the security of the country by designing websites and carrying out campaigns in the media,” Yadollah Movahed, head of Kerman’s justice department, told Mizan. “Some of the group were outside Iran, including the suspect Nazanin Zaghari,” he added. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, was arrested at Tehran airport on April 3 as she prepared to return to Britain with her two-year-old daughter after visiting family in Iran.
In June, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards had said Zaghari-Ratcliffe was accused of being “involved in the soft overthrow of the Islamic republic through... her membership in foreign companies and institutions.”Iran does not recognise dual citizenship, and if put on trial she will be considered an Iranian. According to a Guards statement, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was “identified and arrested after massive intelligence operations” as one of “the heads of foreign-linked hostile networks”.Britain has said it has raised the case “repeatedly and at the highest levels” and will continue to do so at “every available opportunity”.
The report follows news last week that another dual-national woman arrested in June was suspected of “feminism and security” offences. Iranian media said Canadian-Iranian Homa Hoodfar, a 65-year-old Montreal professor, was among the founders of the Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) group, headquartered in London. She was “arrested for anti-security activities,” state broadcaster IRIB said.

Abbas retracts rabbis ‘water poisoning’ claim
Reuters, Ramallah Saturday, 25 June 2016/Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday retracted his allegation that Israeli rabbis had called for the poisoning of Palestinian water, a remark that had drawn strong condemnation from Israel’s prime minister. “After it became evident that the alleged statements by a rabbi on poisoning Palestinian wells, reported by various media outlets, are baseless, President Abbas has affirmed that he didn’t intend to harm Judaism or to offend Jewish people around the world,” part of a statement by Abbas’s office said. The Western-backed Palestinian leader made the remarks in a speech to the European parliament in Brussels on Thursday, as he condemned Israeli actions against Palestinians amid stalled peace talks, which collapsed in 2014. Abbas’s speech received a standing ovation from European lawmakers, but his allegation about the water poisoning drew strong condemnation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who termed it a “blood libel.”For Jews, allegations of water poisoning strike a bitter chord. In the 14th century, as plague swept across Europe, false accusations that Jews were responsible for the disease by deliberately poisoning wells, led to massacres of Jewish communities.

Erdogan meets Hamas chief amid Israel deal reports
AFP, Istanbul Saturday, 25 June 2016/Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday met the leader of radical Palestinian group Hamas for unscheduled talks following reports Ankara was close to agreeing a deal on normalizing ties with Israel. Erdogan received the Doha-based Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, whose group rules the Gaza Strip, at the Ottoman-era Yildiz Palace in Istanbul, the official Anadolu Agency reported, quoting presidential sources. Turkish press reports have said Israel and Turkey could hold final talks on normalizing ties on Sunday but this had yet to be confirmed.Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday there was a "large possibility" the negotiations would take place by the end of this month. Anadolu said Erdogan and Meshaal discussed how to ease the humanitarian problems of the Palestinians and how to bridge the differences between Hamas and the other main Palestinian group Fatah. The report made no reference to the Turkish talks with Israel. Previously tight relations between Israel and key NATO member Turkey were significantly downgraded after Israeli commandos staged a deadly pre-dawn raid on a six-ship flotilla in May 2010 as it tried to run the blockade on Gaza. Two of Turkey’s key conditions for normalization -- an apology and compensation -- were largely met, leaving its third demand, that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, as the main obstacle. According to the Hurriyet daily, a compromise has been reached with Turkey set to send aid for Palestinians via the Israeli port of Ashdod rather than sending it directly to Gaza.

No evidence Orlando gunman was gay
The Associated Press, Washington Saturday, 25 June 2016/FBI investigators so far have not turned up persuasive evidence that Orlando gunman Omar Mateen was gay or pursuing gay relationships, according to two government officials familiar with the investigation. The FBI began looking into that possibility after media reports last week quoted men as saying that Omar Mateen had reached out to them on gay dating apps and had frequented the gay nightclub where the June 12 massacre took place. One man claimed to be Mateen’s gay lover in an interview with Univision that aired this week, while another recalled Mateen as a regular at the Pulse club who tried to pick up men. But the officials say the FBI, which has conducted 500 interviews, has recovered Mateen’s phone and is reviewing evidence from it, has not found concrete evidence to corroborate such accounts nearly two weeks into the investigation. They also cautioned that the investigation is ongoing and that nothing has formally been ruled out. The officials were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Law enforcement officials have said there is no doubt that Mateen was radicalized at some point before the Pulse nightclub attack, though there is no evidence that he was directed by any foreign terror groups. In calls with the police after the shooting began, he pledged his allegiance to the leader of the ISIS, declared himself to be an Islamic soldier and demanded that the United States stop bombing Syria and Iraq, the FBI said. “I let you know, I’m in Orlando and I did the shootings,” he said, according to a partial transcript made public by the FBI on Monday. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has taken pains not to describe radical extremism as his sole motivation and declined in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday to rule out any other possibility, including that he was secretly gay. She also declined to say what evidence, if any, existed to support alternate theories but said investigators remain focused on why he picked a gay nightclub as the target of his attack.
Over the past two years, the ISIS has targeted gay men for death in keeping with its radical interpretation of Islam, throwing dozens of them from tall buildings in Iraq and Syria. In the interview and in later remarks to reporters, Lynch called the attack that killed 49 people an act of both terror and hate. “While we know a lot more about him in terms of who he was and what he did, I do not want to definitively rule out any particular motivation here,” she told the AP, later adding, “It’s entirely possible that he had a singular motive. It’s entirely possible that he had a dual motive.”Mateen had a wife who has been extensively interviewed by federal investigators. He also had a 3-year-old son. Jim Van Horn, 71, who said in the days after the attack that he recognized Mateen from previous visits to the Pulse, said Friday he wasn’t sure why investigators wouldn’t have discovered persuasive evidence of that, though he said he had no concrete evidence himself. He said he has not spoken with investigators and that they have not reached out to him. Van Horn also said some people may be reluctant to talk about a past relationship with Mateen. “Nobody’s going to say they slept with a terrorist and be on national TV,” Van Horn said.
 

Over One Million Sign UK Petition for Second EU Vote
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 25/16/More than a million people have signed a petition calling for a second referendum, after "Leave" voters won a shock victory to pull Britain out of the European Union, an official website showed Saturday.The website of the parliamentary petition at one point crashed due to the surge of people adding their names to the call for another nationwide poll following Thursday's historic vote. "We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based (on) a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum," says the petition. The Leave camp won the support of 51.9 percent of voters, against 48.1 percent in favour of remaining in the 60-year-old European bloc. Turnout for Thursday's referendum was 72.2 percent. The result revealed stark divisions between young and old, north and south, cities and rural areas, and university-educated people and those with fewer qualifications. By 1030 GMT on Saturday some 1,130,000 people had signed the petition on the official government and parliament website -- more than 10 times the 100,000 signatures required for a proposal to be discussed in the House of Commons, the lower house of parliament. A map of the petition signatures showed that most came from England's major cities, topped by London where there is a separate petition calling on Mayor Sadiq Khan to declare the capital independent from the United Kingdom, and apply to join the EU. On Friday, a House of Commons spokeswoman said the website had been taken out of action temporarily because of "exceptionally high volumes of simultaneous users on a single petition, significantly higher than on any previous occasion". The parliament's Petitions Committee, which considers whether such submissions should be raised in the House, is to hold its next meeting on Tuesday. The idea of a second referendum was raised during campaigning for the referendum. UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage said last month that there could be unstoppable demand for a second poll if the Remain camp won by a narrow margin. "In a 52-48 referendum this would be unfinished business by a long way," he told the Daily Mirror newspaper. Speaking to the BBC he added: “If we were to lose narrowly, there'd be a large section, particularly in the Conservative Party, who’d feel the Prime Minister is not playing fair.""There would be a resentment that would build up if that was to be the result," he added. But Leave figurehead Boris Johnson downplayed the idea of a new vote, after Farage's comments. "I’m absolutely clear, a referendum is a referendum. It is a once in a generation, once in a lifetime opportunity and the result determines the outcome," he said."If we vote to stay, we stay, and that’s it. If we vote to leave, we vote to leave, that’s it. You can’t have neverendums, you have referendums," he added.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 25-26/16

Brexit: The Nation is Back!
Yves Mamou/Gatestone Institute/June 25/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8325/brexit-frexit
In France, before the British vote, the weekly JDD conducted an online poll with one question: Do you want France out of the EU? 88% of people answered "YES!"
In none of the countries surveyed was there much support for transferring power to Brussels.
To calm a possible revolt of millions of poor and unemployed people, countries such as France have maintained a high level of social welfare spending, by borrowing money on international debt markets to pay unemployment insurance benefits, as well as pensions for retired people. Today, France's national debt is 96.1% of GDP. In 2008, it was 68%.
In the past few years, these poor and old people have seen a drastic change in their environment: the butcher has become halal, the café does not sell alcohol anymore, and most women in the streets are wearing veils. Even the McDonald's in France have become halal.
What is reassuring is that the "Leave" people waited for a legal way to express their protest. They did not take guns or knives to kill Jews or Muslims: they voted. They waited an opportunity to express their feelings.
"How quickly the unthinkable became the irreversible" writes The Economist. They are talking about Brexit, of course.
The question of today is: Who could have imagined that British people were so tired of being members of The Club? The question of tomorrow is: What country will be next?
In France, before the British vote, the weekly JDD conducted an online poll with one question: Do you want France out of the EU? 88% of people answered "YES!" This is not a scientific result, but it is nevertheless an indication. A recent -- and more scientific -- survey for Pew Research found that in France, a founding member of "Europe," only 38% of people still hold a favorable view of the EU, six points lower than in Britain. In none of the countries surveyed was there much support for transferring power to Brussels.
With Brexit, everybody is discovering that the European project was implemented by no more than a minority of the population: young urban people, national politicians of each country and bureaucrats in Brussels.
All others remain with the same feeling: Europe failed to deliver.
On the economic level, the EU has been unable to keep jobs at home. They have fled to China and other countries with low wages. Globalization proved stronger than the EU. The unemployment rate has never before been so high as inside the EU, especially in France. In Europe, 10.2% of the workforce is officially unemployed The unemployment rate is 9.9% in France, 22% in Spain.
And take-home salaries have remained low, except for a few categories in finance and high-tech.
To calm a possible revolt of millions of poor and unemployed people, countries such as France have maintained a high level of social welfare spending. Unemployed people continue to be subsidized by the state. How? By borrowing money on international debt markets to pay unemployment insurance benefits, as well as pensions for retired people. So today France's national debt is 96.1% of GDP. In 2008, it was 68%.
In the the euro zone (19 countries), the ratio of national debt to GDP in 2015 was 90.7%.
In addition to these issue all, European countries have been remained open to mass-immigration.
Immigration was not an official question of the British "remain" or "leave" campaign. But as noted by Mudassar Ahmed, patron of the Faiths Forum for London and a former adviser to the U.K. government, the question of immigration and diversity has been latent:
"In personal conversations, I have found those most eager to leave the European Union are also most uncomfortable with diversity -- not just regarding immigration, but of the diversity that already exists in this country. On the other hand, those who are most eager, in my experience, to support remaining in the European Union are far more open to difference in religion, race, culture and ethnicity".
In France, the question of immigration tied to an eventual "Frexit" is not at all latent. The Front National (FN) strongly supports leaving the EU, and that position is tied to immigration. In France, 200,000 foreigners have been coming annually for several years -- from poor countries such as those in North Africa, as well as sub-Saharan countries. The growing presence of Muslims has brought a growing feeling of insecurity, and the cultural traditions of Arab and African countries has created in Europe a cultural "malaise." Not to everyone, or course. In big cities, people accept diversity. But in the suburbs, it is different. Because those who were on welfare, who were poor, who were old -- all these people are living precisely in the same neighborhoods and the same buildings as the new immigrants.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the Front National, celebrates the Brexit vote under a sign reading, "And Now: France!", June 24, 2016.
In the past few years, these poor and old people have seen a drastic change in their environment: the butcher has become halal, the café does not sell alcohol anymore, the famous French "jambon beurre" (ham and butter) sandwich disappeared, and most women in the streets are wearing veils. Even the McDonald's in France have become halal. In Roubaix, for example, all fast food has become halal.
An eventual "Frexit" vote by the poor, the old, and the people on welfare would mean only one thing: "Give me my country back!" Today, to be against the EU is to reclaim the possibility of remaining French in a traditional France.
With the Brexit, the question of the nation is back in Europe. Without immigration, it might have been possible gradually to create an eventual European identity. But with Islam plus terrorism at the door, with politicians saying after each terrorist attack, "These men shouting, 'Allahu Akbar' have nothing to do Islam," the rejection is big. This "give me my country back" seems frightening. And it is. It is tainted with chauvinism, and chauvinism is not a good thing for any minorities in any country. Jewish people paid a heavy price for chauvinism in WWII.
What is reassuring, nevertheless, is that the "Leave" people waited for a legal way to express their protest. They did not take guns or knives to kill Jews or Muslims: they voted. They waited an opportunity to express their feelings. The "Leave" may not look modern or trendy, but it is peaceful, legal and democratic.
Hope things stay like that.

**Yves Mamou, based in France, worked for two decades as a journalist for Le Monde.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Rouhani adviser says Brexit "historic opportunity" for Iran
Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/June 25/16
The few Iranian officials to speak about the vote by Britain to leave the European Union appear to support the move, though the benefits to Iran remain unclear.
Deputy chief of staff of the armed forces Brig. Gen. Masoud Jazayeri was the first Iranian official to offer a comment after the shocking June 23 vote that surprised most Western experts and analysts. “The desire by the people of England to leave the EU is in reality a ‘No’ by the majority of the people for the continuation of the compliance of the British government with respect the imposition of America’s will on this country,” Jazayeri said. On the desire of the remaining countries of the EU to stay together, Jazayeri advised, “The only path to protect the EU is the open and practical independence from the White House.” Jazayeri also supported the calls for separation of other countries from Great Britain, saying, “The people of Scotland and other countries have the right to leave the yoke of monarchy of the so-called Great Britain.”President Hassan Rouhani’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs Hamid Aboutalebi also weighed in on the referendum. “A large earthquake shook Europe,” Aboutalebi tweeted. Addressing the possible trend of other far-right groups in Europe in convincing their countries to leave the union, he tweeted, “The stars of the EU flag are currently falling.”
Aboutalebi, who may be using Twitter to express personal opinions rather than offering the position of the Rouhani administration, tweeted, “It is a long time that the EU has lost the trust of the people.” Without explaining how, he added, “The departure of England from the EU is a ‘historic opportunity’ for Iran — an advantage must be taken from this new opportunity.” While some Iranian officials may see an opportunity or feel that a UK outside of the EU is less open to American influence, it is not clear that those hopes may play out. President Barrack Obama, who spoke in favor of Britain remaining in the EU, said after the vote that the United States and the UK have an “enduring” relationship. Foad Izadi, a professor at the University of Tehran’s Department of American studies and who is often asked by conservative media to weigh in on American and European affairs, also supported the vote for the UK to leave the EU. He tweeted, “[The] UK advocated anti-Iran policies in the EU. #Brexit is good for Iran and the Muslim world." Izadi's tweet shows the complex relationship Iran has had with the UK since even before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The British opposition to the nationalization of Iranian oil in the 1950s and support for the coup against nationalist Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh continues to anger many Iranians, particularly from older generations. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has often compared the United States and the UK side by side, at times referring to the latter as “wicked.” Despite this animosity to the UK's policies toward Iran in the past, Britain has been able to keep ties with the Islamic Republic. As part of his effort to improve ties with other countries and bring Iran out of isolation, when Rouhani took office he made it a priority to reopen the British embassy in Tehran, which had been closed for four years after protesters had attacked the building.

Is the Abbas-Hamas conflict hindering Gaza reconstruction?
Shlomi Eldar/Al-Monitor/June 25/16
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin called for the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip June 22. It wasn’t the first time he’s done that either. Rivlin uses almost every opportunity to argue that rebuilding Gaza is an Israeli interest. He holds stubbornly to the position that resolving what he calls the human tragedy there is critical. In the past, these comments have aroused the ire of right-wing activists. It is true that after Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the international community promised $5.4 billion to rebuild Gaza’s infrastructures destroyed during the military operation. This aid project, funded mainly by the European Union and the United States, should have spared the Gaza Strip from total collapse. In order to prevent the financial aid from ending up in the hands of Hamas, it was decided to create a joint mechanism to oversee the project, involving Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the United Nations.
According to the framework that the parties agreed to follow, financial donations would be transferred to Gaza based on progress being made on each project, under the supervision of a Reconstruction Administration. Creating that body was to be the responsibility of the PA. The role of a similar group, established by the United Nations, was to set priorities in managing this enormous reconstruction project, approve the work and oversee it.
Israel’s role in this three-part mechanism was to allow the transfer of building materials, heavy machinery and crews provided by international construction companies into the Gaza Strip.
After almost two years, it can safely be determined that this mechanism has failed. The reconstruction of Gaza looks even more remote than ever. It is taking place at a snail’s pace, without any organized work plan, target dates or objectives.
At a meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in February 2016, head of Israel’s Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi emphasized, “The humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating.” Halevi even warned that if there is no significant change, then Gaza will be unfit for human habitation by 2020, just as a United Nations report determined in September 2015.
“Anyone who thought that Gaza would be rebuilt within five years now knows that this is impractical,” a senior Israeli security official told Al-Monitor June 23 on the condition of anonymity. “At first we thought that aid convoys with equipment and goods would enter Gaza and that we would sit here and watch a huge, well-planned project taking place, with one hand guiding and the other implementing it. The reality is that this is not happening yet. Trucks and equipment enter Gaza through the Karni crossing in coordination with the project’s administration, but it is nowhere near what appeared in the original plan.”
The Israeli source estimated that if the work continues in the same way and at the same pace, the reconstruction of Gaza could last a generation.
Ever since the reconstruction project began, sources in Gaza and Israel, as well as representatives of the donor nations, have claimed that the PA under President Mahmoud Abbas has been inserting sticks between the spokes of the wheels of reconstruction. In March 2015, representatives of the five largest states in the European Union — Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain — protested that the PA is not doing enough to advance reconstruction projects in Gaza. EU representatives even sent stern messages to senior PA officials about their behavior, but nothing has changed on the ground. It is now believed that the PA under Abbas has no interest in the rebuilding of Gaza, because that would help the Hamas regime, even if only indirectly.
Both the leaders of Hamas and the residents of Gaza are convinced that upon the advice of his closest advisers, Abbas has made a strategic decision to prevent the rebuilding of Gaza, based on the assumption that a dire economy would eventually lead to the collapse of the Hamas regime.
“We know this. We’ve said it a thousand times. Abbas doesn’t want to help the people [in Gaza],” a leader of Hamas in Gaza told Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity. “Some people there [in the PA] — and we know exactly who they are — have been telling him [Abbas] that his own interests will suffer if rebuilding efforts proceed. The PA believes that if they stop the work, they can apply pressure on Hamas, but that won’t happen.”
According to the same Hamas member, leaders of the movement would be willing to help in any way they can to advance reconstruction efforts. They have even said as much in messages to the PA, asking to be allowed to act independently, without interference on the ground. The problem is that they always run into “strange explanations and promises that are never fulfilled." He added, "There is a guiding hand that interferes with the rebuilding efforts. That much is obvious. Anyone can see it. Abbas is acting against his own people. He is prepared to let them suffer just to harm Hamas."
This would not be the first time that Abbas, senior officials in the PA and heads of the Fatah movement operated under the working assumption that a dire economic situation would eventually overwhelm the Hamas movement and force it to give up its rule. After the Hamas coup in June 2007, the expulsion of PA officials in Gaza and the collapse of Abbas’ rule there, Israel imposed a closure on Gaza that continues until today.
At the time, officials in the PA were convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that with Hamas under pressure and Gaza sealed hermetically, the needs of Gaza’s residents could not be met. Based on that same reasoning, it was also thought that within just a few months, the leaders of Hamas would realize that they are in a dire situation and forego their control and rule over Gaza. Back then, messages along these lines were relayed to Israel, encouraging it to tighten the closure and bring about the collapse of the Hamas regime. Nine years have gone by since then. Hamas is still in power in Gaza, and the situation of the local population is worse than ever. The residents of Gaza are being held hostage by a terrorist organization. That is what Rivlin claimed June 22 in the speech he delivered in Brussels. But the heads of the PA and other senior Fatah officials are also making cynical use of the people of Gaza for their own political needs. What this means is that the 1.8 million residents of the Gaza Strip are victims of a divided Palestinian leadership.

Iran Rethinks Syrian Fantasies
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/June 25/16
When the Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered direct military intervention in Syria last September, his declared intention was to achieve a quick “get-in-get-out” victory that would push his other problems, notably land-grabbing ventures in Georgia and Ukraine into oblivion.
Eight months later, having achieved almost nothing as far as the balance of power in this strange war is concerned, he is looking for a way out. Last weekend, Moscow circulated news that Russia had reached an unspecified agreement with the Obama administration to find a way to end the war. At the same time Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu flew to Damascus, presumably to prepare the beleaguered President Bashar Al-Assad for swallowing an as yet unspecified bitter pill.
A congenial opportunist, Putin is acting in character; if a policy doesn’t work he is ready to modify or even abandon it. A year ago he might have dreamed of total military victory in Syria. Today, he knows that it is not going to happen. But what about the other participant in this tragic power game: the Islamic Republic in Iran? Because the Khomeinist elite are more concerned about losing face than almost anything else, Tehran is never prepared to abandon a losing policy until the very last moment. The late Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini persisted with his losing strategy in the war against Iraq for eight years until he was forced, in his own words, to “drink the poison chalice” and accept a ceasefire that he could have accepted seven years earlier.As for his successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the jury is still out regarding the degree to which he is still in contact with reality. Some in Tehran believe that as he has advanced in age he has become more radical, not to say reckless in chasing ideological mirages. According to that analysis, today he is only interested in entering history as a revolutionary leader who never threw in the towel. His aim is to shun the “poison chalice” from which Khomeini was forced to drink. This is why he is still talking about “total victory” in Syria and continues repeating that he would keep President Assad in power at least until the end of his seven-year term. I don’t quite agree with that analysis of Khamenei’s bend of mind on this issue. To be sure a leader who has developed a highly inflated view of himself and who is praised day-in-day out as a great genius, not to say a gift to mankind, by all those who encounter him, including numerous foreign dignitaries, is bound to develop a gargantuan ego, ending up as a prisoner of his fantasies.
Nevertheless, I think Khamenei is not as reckless a gambler as Khomeini was. He is prepared to push the knife as far as possible only if it encounters no serious hurdle. Several episodes may support the view of Khamenei as a more cautious player than Khomeini. In 1980 when American diplomats were held hostage in the US Embassy in Tehran, Khamenei visited the occupied compound and tried to negotiate the purchase of American arms once the crisis was over. The idea was to send a signal that he would be the man the Americans could do business with. In the 1990s when the Taliban, then masters of Afghanistan, killed six Iranian diplomats and dozens of Afghan Shiites working for Iran, the military chiefs in Tehran suggested “teaching Taliban a lesson,” according to General Mohsen Rezai. One idea was to simply bomb the residences of the Taliban chiefs, including Mullah Omar, killing as many of them as possible. Khamenei vetoed the plan and, instead, opened a dialogue with the Taliban which, with some ups and downs, continues to this day. And when in 1996 the French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette negotiated a deal with his Iranian counterpart Ali-Akbar Velayati to help Tehran beat some sanctions in exchange for keeping Hezbollah in check, Khamenei endorsed it. The Lebanese branch of Hezbollah was ordered to refrain from any anti-Israeli move for several years.
A more recent example is Khamenei’s position regarding the so-called nuclear deal concocted by the Obama administration. The “Supreme Guide” must have known that the whole thing was a scam and, yet, he adopted a rejectionist position on it in public while allowing his minions to help cook the witches’ brew behind the scenes.For the past several months he has been telling anyone who would listen that sanctions had had no effect on Iran and that the nuke “deal” committed Iran to nothing. And, yet, he also says that if the next US President “violates” the non-existent deal, Iran would “burn it.” Accepting the humiliation of having Iran spend its own money with permission from the White House, Khamenei has shown a degree of flexibility that no Iranian politician would dare imagine in our contemporary history.
But, let us return to Syria. Will Khamenei continue talking tough while caving in behind the scenes? The answer to that question isn’t easy.
One reason is that change of policy on Syria cannot be easily camouflaged. Either you drop Assad to the wolves or you continue betting on him while knowing he is a dead horse. Another reason is that the Islamic Republic is not the key player in the Syrian imbroglio. Others, notably Russia, the United States and Turkey are also deeply involved, not to mention the Arab states. Yet another reason is that Assad’s support base isn’t as keen on taking orders from Tehran as Hassan Nasrallah and his cohorts are in Lebanon. More importantly, perhaps, as far as domestic support is concerned, Khamenei’s options on Syria are narrowing. There is virtually no sympathy for Assad among the Iranian public, and Tehran is finding it difficult to persuade more “volunteers” to go to Syria. It is quite possible that a group of self-styled enthusiasts sold Khamenei a bill of goods on Syria. The Quds Corps chief General Qassem Soleimani, a master of self-marketing, may have been one with his repeated promises of “impending victory in Syria.” Five years later, what we see is unfurling disaster as Iranian losses mount and corpses of Iranian officers are left strewn behind in the streets of Khan-Touman.
Though not officially declared, Khamenei’s decision to elbow Soleimani out of the Syrian dossier was a good move. The bombastic general has been asked to go and take his “selfies” in Iraq where he is seconded to the Iraqi government as an “advisor”, and even promote the idea of becoming a presidential candidate next year. Instead, Khamenei has asked Gen. Rezai, the retired chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, to come up with “new ideas” about the disaster in Syria. Rezai may not be a military genius but he is at least a grown-up compared to the childish Soleimani. Earleir this week, Khamenei also fired Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdullahiyan, the diplomat coordinating Syria policy. By all accounts Abdullahiyan is a competent diplomat and could certainly not be scapegoated for the mess in Syria. However, his eviction is a signal that the “Supreme Guide” knows that present policy on Syria isn’t working. That may not be enough, but it is still a positive sign that Tehran may rethink its Syrian fantasies.

The price of reconciliation is Turkish democracy
Tulin Daloglu/Ynetnews/June 25/16
Op-ed: Turkish journalist Tulin Daloglu argues that while Israel and Turkey get closer with an expected reconciliation deal, Turkish democracy is in danger; The reconciliation deal will only strengthen Erdogan, and weaken Turkey's democratic institutions.
Seeing Turkey and Israel represented at the ambassadorial level will certainly add value to the geostrategic dynamics of the region, but I hope not to see an Israeli ambassador in Ankara before Erdoğan makes his constitutional case. Israel should know Erdoğan’s skill in exploiting such foreign deals. This one will allow him to claim he’s smoothing his relationship with the White House, and that no matter what he does, business as usual will go continue. It should not!
Turkish and Israeli officials are expected to announce an agreement to normalize their politically and diplomatically broken relationship. on Sunday. Technically, this is good news—but the timing could not be more unfortunate. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used foreign policy skillfully to serve the interest of his own domestic agenda in Turkey. He has always been able to link the country’s actions abroad to his carefully constructed image as a visionary leader; respected and admired by foreigners. But although Erdogan’s domestic arrogance in chipping away Turkish democracy has significantly tarnished his image abroad, he has still been able to cut deals with major powers - as he did with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on refugees just before Turks went to the polls to re-do the June 2015 general election.
It’s no secret that Erdoğan wants to change the country’s parliamentary system into a unique Turkish-style presidential one. He opened the issue for public debate almost a decade ago, hoping to change the constitution to allow it. Erdoğan’s ruling AKP party has yet to present a draft of their proposed constitution to the parliament - the timeline has only now begun to shorten.
Turks are scheduled to elect their president and their government in 2019, but there is speculation of a possible early election that would slap the opposition down further and present Erdoğan with a new parliamentary spread—with enough seats to change the constitution.
Turkey’s opposition parties have proven to be weak, but the Nationalist Movement Party has surprised even its own base by raising at least four potential candidates to replace the current party leader—a move that certainly could energize the political landscape here. The Republican People’s Party is less enthusiastic, but holds onto a steady presence as the main opposition party. The pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party is in trouble not only because of its members’ lifted immunities, but also because they lost the support of the White Turks who pushed them above the nationwide 10-percent threshold required for parliamentary representation.
Even with the opposition’s long-standing disarray, Erdoğan’s aim of changing the constitution still faces challenges—and the agreement with Israel will give him what he wants. The democratic values of freedom of the media, freedom of assembly and justice will prove to be the losers against the material calculations of the Israeli gas that awaits Western markets.
Israel could still achieve its materialistic gains if it waits until Erdoğan presents his constitutional proposal to the parliament. The AKP claims they will do so before the end of the year, and in that respect, it shouldn’t matter whether Israel normalizes its ties to Turkey today or in six months after waiting those six long years. In the end, Erdoğan’s Turkey won’t cease supporting Hamas, and it won’t change its mind on the Jewish state. Even the cold-blooded calculation of interests demands that an Israel that helps Erdoğan will only elevate his efforts to crush his country’s secular-liberal camp, who are indeed the most-needed partners of peace and stability on both sides.

Implications for the U.S. of the Brexit Vote
James F. Jeffrey and Simon Henderson/Cipher Brief/June 23/16
If Britain were to leave the EU, little would change in its core security and intelligence relationship with Washington, but it could take a serious hit on various economic and diplomatic issues.
President Barack Obama attracted much attention, positive and negative, for his comments during his April trip to the UK, advocating for Britain to remain in the EU. The invitation to come to London was almost certainly a consequence of an urgent request from Prime Minister David Cameron, who was sensing that he was losing the argument for Britain to "Remain" rather than "Leave" the European Union.
Obama's primary argument was trade, that is, the UK would, in his words, "go to the end of the queue" for a trade arrangement with the U.S. if it left the EU and thus, presumably, the TTIP now negotiated between the U.S. and the EU. But he also said that the UK would lose "global influence," while reassuring his British listeners that the "special relationship" would remain. Yet without as much global influence, Britain's value for the U.S. could well diminish.
While the U.S. leader remains very popular in Britain, hence the value to Cameron of the invitation, the impact of his remarks was reduced by the "free rider" label he had given to Britain a few weeks earlier in reporter Jeffrey Goldberg's "The Obama Doctrine" article in The Atlantic. Also, Britain's chattering classes were aghast that the United States could recommend a policy of (continuing) diminution of British sovereignty to Brussels of a type the U.S. Congress would never tolerate itself. Worse still, making the case for trade and global influence was over-intellectualizing an argument, which has been reduced in the final lap to attitudes about national autonomy and immigration. The latter, mercifully, lacks much of a racist dimension. Instead, it reflects concern at the hundreds of thousands of Poles, Bulgarians, Romanians, and others who have come to live and to try to find work in Britain, undercutting wages and putting a strain on health and education services.
Before analyzing the impact of a "Brexit," we note the implicit assumption just in the question of the role of Brexit on bilateral relations: that the U.S. will continue to play its global role at the center of a nearly universal security, trade, legal, and "values" order, and thus "care" about such decisions by a key ally. But Donald Trump has called that role into question. Nevertheless, assuming the U.S. continues its traditional global role, the implications of Brexit on it are significant but not dramatic.
In the core security/intelligence fields, little will change. The U.S. and UK were bosom allies for 30 years before Britain joined the EU; the bilateral venues of security cooperation: nuclear, intelligence, and military arrangements, NATO membership, UN Security Council partnership, and "Five Eyes" intelligence cooperation in Cyber and other fields (the three other 'Anglo' countries in that arrangement are not EU members), will undoubtedly continue untarnished.
But the UK's "soft power" role as a complement to the U.S. will take a serious hit, to which Obama alluded. Around the world, the professional international class -- diplomats, military, international financial and business figures, and cosmopolitan political leaders, the "Davos class" of global shakers and movers -- will see a vote for EU exit as a sign of the British population's, and thus any government's, waning interest in the country's global role. This will arguably impact economics, as noted below.
This general weakening of soft power will be manifest in two ways. First, Britain has served as a strong and effective force for a more Anglo-American approach to governance, financial, trade and commercial issues within the EU, helping, along with allies in the EU's north -- Germany, Netherlands, and the Scandinavian countries -- to dilute the EU's inherent tendency towards statism, anti-business initiatives, over-regulation and visceral anti-Americanism, as reflected by much of the EU's permanent bureaucracy and in varying degrees its southern member states. That all goes with Brexit.
What also goes is British input into the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, largely launched at Maastricht in 1993. Generally speaking, the UK has been an advocate within the EU for NATO's predominant role in European security, including the diplomatic arrangements that undergird military decisions. Without the weight of Britain, France and other countries suspicious of NATO as an American "Trojan Horse" into EU diplomacy could push for a much greater security role for EU institutions, reducing NATO's, and thus America's, essential political military role -- and with it, the political links between the U.S. and Western Europe, just when that role and those links are needed to deal with Moscow and a turbulent Middle East.
In terms of economics, financial services are much more important than trade. The primacy of London over Frankfurt and Paris persists. What should be the big question is whether U.S. and other foreign banks, will think they need to shift their operations from London to the continent. The hope, at least in the "Leave" camp, is that they don't need to. The "Remain" camp argues the banks would leave if there was "Brexit." Economists and business people are split – though most seem to prefer the choice to remain. For ordinary people the debate is just noise.
Trade-wise, Europe is Britain's major trading partner, but Brexit supporters think changed regulatory frameworks will not be disadvantageous. An economist friend notes that Britain is currently the largest market for German cars as well as the biggest consumer of French champagne. Are Berlin and Paris really going to be mean and impose tariffs that will harm their own businesses? American businesses hoping to pick up some opportunities need to remember though that British measurements have gone metric, except for road distances and car speeds.
Britain is not part of the Eurozone, so its departure would not have a direct currency implication, but the markets are already marking down sterling in anticipation. Even so, Brexit would be a blow to the Euro, which has turned into a straitjacket for many European economies, particularly the Mediterranean ones. Further weaknesses for the Euro would have implications for the U.S. dollar, most likely strengthening it and thus stifling much needed trade expansion.
An exit vote, or just a narrow remain victory, will alter another status quo -- the positions of Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Scottish Nationalists favor EU membership and will almost certainly press for another referendum on independence. The situation in Northern Ireland is more complex but will also be in flux. Ultimately though, leave or remain, there will still be that bond of a common language. We think the same. Well, at least sort of. And most of the time.
James Jeffrey is the Philip Solondz Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and a former career ambassador in the U.S. foreign service. Simon Henderson is the Baker Fellow and director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at the Institute.