LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 08/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.march08.16.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006
Bible Quotations For Today
Jesus said,
‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’Then he got into the boat with them and
the wind ceased.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 06/47-56: "When evening
came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land.
When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he
came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass
them by. But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost
and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke
to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’Then he got into the
boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they
did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. When they
had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they
got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole
region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And
wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the
market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his
cloak; and all who touched it were healed."
Instruct certain people not to teach any different doctrine, and not to occupy
themselves with myths and endless genealogies that promote speculations rather
than the divine training that is known by faith
First Letter to Timothy 01/01-08:"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the
command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my loyal
child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus
our Lord. I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in
Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach any different
doctrine, and not to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies that
promote speculations rather than the divine training that is known by faith. But
the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good
conscience, and sincere faith.Some people have deviated from these and turned to
meaningless talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding
either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions. Now
we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 08/16
Lebanon: Amid river of trash, activists again call for protests/Myra Abdallah/Now
Lebanon/March 07/16
Should Gulf states expel Lebanese people/Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/March 07/16
Hezbollah and Waging Battles/Ahmad El-Assaad/March 07/16
Jumblatt the Wise/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/Now Lebanon/March 07/16
How well do you know Hezbollah?..A quiz in both English and Spanish/Ynetnews/March
07/16/
Balad,
Hadash condemn Gulf labeling of Hezbollah as 'terror group'/Hasan Shaalan and
Moran Azulay/Ynetnews/March 07/16/
Who will head Iran’s wealthiest foundation/Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/March 07/16
Is Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution almost dead/Week in
Review/Al-Monitor/March 07/16
A Path Out of the Middle East Collapse/By Henry A. Kissinger/October16/15
Russia and Iran: Unholy alliance for a new order/Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/March
07/16
Will Taliban be accepted as a pragmatic alternative to ISIS/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al
Arabiya/March 07/16
The Role of Iranian moderates in the crisis with the Gulf/Raghida Dergham/Al
Arabiya/March 07/16
Lebanon’s Failure To Support Saudi Arabia In Struggle With Iran Sparks Crisis
Between Lebanon And Saudi-Led Gulf/By: E. B. Picali and E. Ezrahi/MEMRI/March
07/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on March 08/16
Lebanon: Amid river of
trash, activists again call for protests
GCC to begin measures against Hezbollah
Should Gulf states expel Lebanese people?
Hezbollah and Waging Battles!
Salam Mum as Waste Crisis Tests his Patience
Salam Urges Nasrallah to 'Stop Attacking' Saudi, Says Won't Allow Lebanon
'Collapse'
General Security Arrests IS Fighter who Beheaded Medlej
Qahwaji Says Security under Control, Vows to 'Strike with an Iron Fist'
Environment Minister Meets Saudi FM: Kingdom's Measures against Lebanon Didn't
Target Govt.
Jumblat: There are No Plans to Establish Landfill in Iqlim al-Kharroub
IS Leader Found Dead in Outskirts of Arsal
Hariri Holds Onto His Initiative, Says Hizbullah Arms Require 'Regional
Settlement'
EU envoy visits Mashnouq, say upbeat on municipal polls
Army: one killed in family dispute in Taalabaya
Sit in in front of LBC in condemnation of anti church campaign
Berri, Jones discuss fresh developments
LU, army sign cooperation agreement
Lassen visits Mashnouq, hails his moderate political positions
Report: Kuwait Seeking to Limit Lebanon-Saudi Tension
Drone Spying on Army Checkpoints Falls in Sidon
Bahrain Bans Nobel Prize Tunisians in Hizbullah Row
Hassan Yaaqoub's Brother Arrested at Airport
Report: Cairo Seeking Bassil-Jubeir Meeting as Saudi Piles more Pressure on
Lebanon
Jumblatt the Wise
How well do you know Hezbollah?..A quiz in both English and Spanish
Balad, Hadash condemn Gulf labeling of Hezbollah as 'terror group'
Titles For
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 08/16
Is Biden's Israel
visit opening shot for White House bid?
Tunisia Kills 28 Jihadists in Clashes near Libya Border
'North Thunder' drill readies region: Asiri
Calmest day’ in Syria since ceasefire: monitor
Netanyahu ‘committed’ to Western Wall deal
Syria Regime Says Peace Talks to Start from March 14, Opposition Undecided
Russia Offers Syria Bases to Help with International Aid Deliveries
Biden Says U.S. Will 'Wipe out' Evil of IS Jihadists
Israel Says Arrested Palestinian who Recruited Compatriots in Egypt
Two Egypt Policemen Killed in Sinai Bombing
Egypt Proposes Mubarak's Foreign Minister to Head Arab League
Muslim Body Urges Ban on Products from Israeli Settlements
UK Terror Chief Warns IS Targeting 'Western Lifestyle'
Turkey Makes 'New Proposal', EU Summit Extended
N. Korea Threatens Nuclear Strikes over South-U.S. Military Drills
Links From
Jihad Watch Site for March 08/16
UK’s new national history curriculum mandates Islamic history but
makes British history optional
Muslim professor: “Islam has no age barrier in marriage and Muslims have no
apology for those who refuse to accept this”
Muslima who beheaded toddler told her son to pray five times a day and live in
line with Sharia
White House falsely claims Iran using sanctions cash domestically, not for
military
Hugh Fitzgerald: Was Forced Conversion to Islam Really “Historically Rare” in
India?
UK: Muslim migrant says he sexually assaulted child because of “cultural
differences”
Islamic State claims jihad truck bombing in Baghdad that murdered 47
France: Multiple young boys brutally raped by Muslim migrants in “refugee camp”
Islam’s Hatred of Dogs and Cruelty to Animals — on The Glazov Gang
“They beat me and cut into one of my breasts, while shouting that
I was a Swedish whore”
Lebanon: Amid river of trash, activists again call for protests
Myra Abdallah/Now Lebanon/March
07/16
Describing it as a last warning, activists whom NOW spoke to have high hopes
regarding the outcome of the planned protest and are planning escalatory
measures
Roughly seven months after the trash crisis first began in Lebanon, rivers of
garbage bags are still visible across the country. Trash bags, filthy smells,
flies and mosquitoes, along with the resulting diseases and viruses, are
Lebanon’s current scenery. Several instanes of rainfall and the invasion of
flies and mosquitos today are still raising fears of an epidemic. Many cases
that point to a possible outbreak of diseases and viruses were reported, yet,
there is still no resolution in sight. It has become clear that the garbage
crisis in Lebanon is not about finding environmentally friendly solutions to
dispose of the waste, but rather finding political solutions able to obtain the
consent of all political parties. Recent reports have demonstrated a dangerous
increase in the level of water and soil pollution in the country. Footage filmed
by a drone over Lebanon recently posted by You Stink activists dramatically
illustrates the enormous amount of trash that is still widespread on Lebanon’s
streets.
The video, entitled “Rise above Lebanon’s political garbage”, was posted in
conjunction with calls for a new protest by Lebanon’s civil society. After a
relatively stagnate couple of months, the You Stink activists have decided to
take to the streets again and give the Lebanese government a “last warning” to
find a solution. “After seven months, we are giving the Lebanese government a
last warning to find a solution for the garbage crisis, free of theft and
corruption, with a final plan based on sorting and recycling trash,” says the
invitation message to the protest on Saturday, March 12, that was posted to the
Facebook event page created by You Stink organizers.
“Saturday’s march comes after the false solutions that the government proposed,”
said activist and director Lucien Bou Rjeily. “The government repeatedly tried
to deceive people into thinking that it was coming up with real solutions. In
fact, the government was removing the garbage from the streets and throwing it
into rivers and valleys.” This course of action was the quickest and most direct
solution to remove the garbage that was blocking Beirut and Mount Lebanon’s
streets and dump it where it did not directly affect people’s lives in the short
term. However, this harmed Lebanon’s environment on a larger scale and
contributed to the rise in the level of pollution in the country. According to a
report previously published by NOW, experts whom NOW spoke to confirmed that
contaminated garbage produces a leachate that will seep into the groundwater and
pollute it. In addition, burning the garbage was a solution adopted by several
municipalities, which also contributed to raising the level of pollution in the
air.
According to Chris Dersarkissian, head of the Domestic Waste Management Plan at
Arc-en-ciel, during the winter season in Lebanon, the environment was more at
risk. “People can feel the effect of the garbage crisis during the summer more
than the winter because of the smell,” he told NOW. “The fermentation of garbage
caused by summer heat creates a very bad smell and an outbreak of mosquitoes.
However, during the winter, the leachate produced by garbage can pollute the
groundwater. This is more dangerous.”
Bou Rjeily told NOW that the government and some municipalities are acting very
indifferent towards the environment and the lives of Lebanese citizens. “For
example, when we were filming the video, we arrived at a place where we couldn’t
see garbage at all, but we knew that there was a dump nearby because the smell
was horrible. When we tried to find out where the dump was, we discovered that
it was under the street. They threw garbage bags [there] and then hid them with
soil and rocks. They buried the garbage under the street, disregarding its
effects on the environment and the people living in the area,” he told NOW.
For the past couple of months, the actions of civil movements calling for a
solution for the garbage crisis were relatively tame compared to the initial
outcry at the onset of the crisis. According to You Stink organizer Aly Sleem,
the meetings never stopped, but the people needed a break. They also wanted to
give the time requested by the government to develop and implement a solution.
“We were observing the work of the government because we were almost certain
that this political structure would not be able to find an environmentally
friendly and permanent solution to the garbage crisis,” he said. “We are
expecting a lot of people to participate in Saturday’s protest. We are giving a
final notice to the government and we need people to support us.”
During previous protests, a number of participants acted violently as a way of
expressing their dissatisfaction towards the government. Describing it as a last
warning, activists whom NOW spoke to have high hopes regarding the outcome of
the planned protest and are planning escalatory measure. “It will always be a
non-violent protest and we will work hard to keep it this way,” said Sleem. “The
coming steps may be calling again for the resignation of the government for
example, or blocking roads. We will try to pressure the political powers in a
non-violent way that also pushes Lebanese citizens to be part of it.”
“The groundwater is already polluted. If the government does not find a
proximate solution, we will reach a point when [Beirut] will become a city we
can’t live in,” said Dersarkissian.
“We will try hard to succeed. Lebanon is our home. We will not allow anyone to
destroy our home without trying to defend it,” said Bou Rjeily.
Myra Abdallah tweets @myraabdallah
https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/reportsfeatures/566707-surrounded-by-rivers-of-trash-activists-again-call-for-protests
GCC to begin
measures against Hezbollah
Now Lebanon/March 07/16/
Gulf states will soon begin implementing their March 2 designation of Hezbollah
as a terror organization.
BEIRUT – The six states in the Gulf Cooperation Council are set to begin
implementing measures against Hezbollah, a week after designating the Shiite
group as a terror organization. An unnamed Gulf official told Asharq Alawsat
that GCC officials will hold meetings in the “coming period to implement the
mechanisms” of the blacklist of Hezbollah, which was announced March 2 amid the
mounting diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. Saudi Arabia and
fellow Gulf states continue to take punitive measures Lebanon—including travel
bans and the suspension of Riyadh’s military aid—in anger over what they see as
Hezbollah’s undue influence over the country. Riyadh has publicly
expressed its furor over what it termed “regrettable and unjustified” positions
taken by Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil against Saudi Arabia in two
recent diplomatic summits. Saudi-owned Asharq Alawsat reported that the GCC
countries will take action against anyone affiliated with Hezbollah, either on
the individual or institutional level. “Anyone dealing with [Hezbollah] directly
or in other ways will be banned,” the unnamed official said, adding that every
GCC state “has its own way of implementing the resolution.” The GCC on March 2
officially blacklisted Hezbollah, raising fears that the decision might affect
Lebanese expatriates working in the Gulf and sending back remittances to their
home country, an important backbone to Lebanon’s economy. Knowledgeable sources
told NOW in late February that the Saudi measures also aim to send a message to
the Kingdom’s allies in March 14, who have “failed to meet the expectations of
the new Saudi leadership that took over following the death of King Abdullah in
January 2015.” Specifically, NOW was told the new King Salman, along with his
highly influential son, Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Muhammad bin
Salman, are deeply disappointed with what they see as a lack of meaningful
opposition to Hezbollah from Saudi partners in Lebanon.
Should Gulf states expel
Lebanese people?
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/March
07/16
Saudi Arabia’s problem is not with the entire Lebanese people, but with a small
category that Iran controls, and which has declared war against Gulf countries
and Arabs. The friendly history between the kingdom and the Lebanese people
cannot be forgotten. Dr Ahmed al-Arfaj wrote an article entitled “Deporting the
Lebanese people is mercy for everyone.”He conveyed extreme opinions as he vented
his anger against the entire Lebanese people without distinguishing among them,
and held them all accountable for what a few of them have done. It is as if the
diverse country, which includes several sects, is entirely responsible for the
acts of an aggressive category that hijacked the state. Perhaps Arfaj wrote the
article due to some Lebanese media outlets’ recent exaggerations - which may go
as far as being immoral - regarding the role of Lebanese people’s contributions
to developing Gulf countries.
He noted the indisputable and significant role of Palestinians, Sudanese,
Jordanians and Egyptians in development, and said Lebanese went to the Gulf
after the region had flourished in order “to make profit.”
Collective punishment
The political dispute with terrorists in Lebanon does not mean we should adopt
extreme acts ourselves, as this would be a deliberate reaction against
categories of people that have always been loving and benevolent toward us.
Strict acts and decisiveness must only be adopted toward those who are working
within the framework of armed militias rather than the Lebanese state, and
taking orders from Iran. We do not wish that our dear Lebanese brothers and
sisters be deported from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, as we are a part
of them and they are a part of us. They must not all bear the burden for what
one section of the society has done.
Hezbollah and
Waging Battles!
Ahmad El-Assaad/March 07, 2016/Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah brought nothing new to
the table when he stated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s problem is with
Hezbollah, and not with the Lebanese government nor with the Lebanese Armed
Forces. The KSA realizes that Hezbollah’s position does not represent the entire
Lebanese people. However, Hezbollah’s policies are constantly dragging Lebanon
into conflicts and battles, to which the entire Lebanese people is paying the
price. Hezbollah is asking for credit, for not waging a battle with the Kingdom,
given the events in Bahrain, Syria and Iraq. But when it came to Yemen, he could
not stay silent! But, Sayyed Hassan, since Hezbollah is a Lebanese party, then
it would only be normal for it not to meddle with any issue not pertaining to
Lebanon, and not waging any battles with any other country. If a military, or a
political, battle were to be waged with another country, then the Lebanese
government would be in charge of waging it, not any other Lebanese political
party. It isn’t up to Hezbollah, or anyone else, to decide when to wage a battle
or not. This is a decision up to the legitimate institutions that represent all
of the Lebanese people. If a battle were to be waged, then the only battle that
concerns us is the one in defense of Lebanon, to preserve its security,
stability, sovereignty and independence. We have no business in the conflicts of
other countries, unless it is to contribute to a solution – and not to pour oil
over the blazing fire. And no, Sayyed Hassan, it isn’t sufficient that you tell
the KSA that the battle should exclusively be between you and the Kingdom.
Instead, you should stop implementing Iran’s policy in the region, and dragging
Lebanon and its Shiites into everything that touches the stability of other
countries in the region, from Syria to Yemen, going through Bahrain and Iraq,
and perhaps some others. And it isn’t sufficient that you – seemingly – call
your supporters to steer clear from the confessional conflict. Instead, you
should refrain from inciting the Shiites of the region against the regimes of
their countries.
And you should know, Sayyed Hassan, that the Lebanese people, too, can no longer
stay silent!
Salam Mum as Waste Crisis
Tests his Patience
Naharnet/March 07/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam shied away over the weekend
from revealing details of a plan to resolve Lebanon's seven-month-long waste
crisis after several hurdles on establishing landfills in certain areas were not
removed. Al-Liwaa daily said Monday that Salam refused to discuss with his
visitors the efforts exerted by some officials to resolve the garbage management
problem. But his sources said Salam will not stand idle for long. “On several
occasions, the PM, pulled the country out of paralysis so that it does not fall
prey to more divisions,” they said. “But Salam's patience has limits.” Last
week, the premier warned that he would not call for a new cabinet session if the
waste management plan is not ready for implementation. The trash crisis erupted
when the Naameh landfill, which received the waste of Beirut and the
heavily-populated Mount Lebanon, was closed in July. Since then, garbage began
piling up on the streets and in makeshift dump sites. A few municipalities have
launched their own recycling initiatives, but many others are simply resorting
to burning their garbage, often in residential areas. Among the proposals to
resolve the crisis are resorting to the Costa Brava landfill in Khaldeh and
reactivating the Bourj Hammoud dump.While the local officials in the two areas
have shown readiness to accept the scheme, residents are rejecting a proposal to
establish the landfill of Kojok that lies between Iqlim al-Tuffah and Iqlim al-Kharroub.
But according to As Safir newspaper, al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri and
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat are exerting efforts to remove
the obstacle. “If the veto on the Kojok landfill is not dropped, then there
would be no possibility to implement the plan in other areas,” said the daily.
Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb, who is a PSP official, told As Safir that
all sides should participate in the decision to choose the location of landfills
“out of the conviction that sanitary landfills are better than having makeshift
dumps.” He said that some officials have shown cooperation, hoping that their
goodwill will be interpreted to practical solutions.
Salam Urges
Nasrallah to 'Stop Attacking' Saudi, Says Won't Allow Lebanon 'Collapse'
Naharnet/March 07/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Monday urged Hizbullah chief
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to stop his verbal attacks against Saudi Arabia, as he
stressed that he will not allow the country to “collapse.”“Hizbullah played a
role in resisting Israel before going abroad and interfering in the affairs of
other countries,” Salam lamented in an interview with Al-Arabiya television. “I
call on Sayyed Nasrallah to stop attacking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he
added. Salam's appeal comes amid an unprecedented deterioration in the ties
between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon against a backdrop of a Saudi-Iranian flareup
in the region. Riyadh launched a series of measures against Lebanon and
Hizbullah on February 19 when it announced that it was halting around $4 billion
in military aid to the Lebanese army and security forces. It has also pushed the
Gulf Cooperation Council to label Hizbullah as a “terrorist” organization and
accuse it of "terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and in Iraq." Saudi
Arabia has linked its measures to Lebanon's refusal to join the Arab League and
the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in condemning attacks on Saudi
diplomatic missions in Iran last month, and alleged Hizbullah "terrorist acts
against Arab and Muslim nations." “I tell the Gulf countries, especially Saudi
Arabia, that the historic ties between us and them will continue and will remain
strong and we are exerting efforts to consolidate them,” said Salam on Monday.
“We admit that a mistake has happened and has strained the relation between us
and Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries,” he added. “We have not been successful
in implementing the dissociation policy in a proper manner,” Salam admitted.
Noting that his government is “walking in a minefield,” the PM stressed that
“the Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia have a special place in the hearts of the
Lebanese.”“The current government cannot compel any group to do anything and
consensus must govern all issues,” he told Al-Arabiya. Pledging that Lebanon
will not “abandon Arabs” or “its Arab identity,” Salam called on all Lebanese
parties not to subject the country to “what it cannot withstand.” “We will not
allow Lebanon's collapse and I don't think that the GCC states do not want the
presence of a government in Lebanon although they have the right to address
remarks to us,” he added. “We cannot unravel the relation we have now in the
cabinet because that would subject Lebanon to collapse,” he said about
Hizbullah's presence in the cabinet. As for the statement that the cabinet
issued in the wake of Riyadh's measures, Salam added: “We preferred to express
our stance in a cabinet statement, which prevented the government's collapse
although it did not satisfy everyone.”“We won't be outside Arab consensus but
Hizbullah is a main component of Lebanon,” he went on to say.
General Security Arrests IS
Fighter who Beheaded Medlej
Naharnet/March 07/16/General Security announced Monday that it has detained an
Islamic State group jihadist who confessed to beheading a kidnapped Lebanese
soldier in 2014. IS had abducted the soldier along with other members of the
security forces during fierce clashes in August 2014 between Lebanese troops and
jihadists in the northeastern border town of Arsal on the Syrian border. Of the
30 troops and policemen kidnapped by IS and al-Qaida affiliate the al-Nusra
Front, four were executed. After long and arduous negotiations, al-Nusra
released 16 of them in December 2015, leaving nine in the hands of IS. "The
General Security Directorate ... has detained S.J., a Syrian national, for
membership of a terrorist organization," the security body said. "After
interrogation, he confessed to being a member of the terrorist group Daesh ...
and to beheading the martyred soldier Abbas Medlej," it added, using an Arabic
acronym for IS. Medlej was the second Lebanese captive to be killed after the
jihadist assault on Arsal. According to General Security, the detainee also
confessed to killing a police officer during the raid. "He was recently involved
in surveillance of Lebanese army checkpoints in Arsal, as a prelude to a new
attack aimed at kidnapping soldiers," the statement said. Lebanon has been the
scene of frequent violence including deadly bomb attacks and clashes between
jihadists and army troops since war erupted in neighboring Syria in 2011.
Qahwaji Says Security under
Control, Vows to 'Strike with an Iron Fist'
Naharnet/March 07/16/Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji reassured Monday over
the security situation in the country and pledged to strike with an iron fist
any attempt at stirring chaos. “I reassure the Lebanese that the army today is
stronger than ever and that security on the border and inside the country is
under control,” said Qahwaji during the signing of a cooperation agreement
between the army and the Lebanese University, which was held at an army research
center in Rihanieh. “The malicious rumors that surface every now and then about
instability in Lebanon or the eruption of sectarian strife are baseless,”
Qahwaji noted. “We are firm in our decision to prevent the spread of the
regional blaze to Lebanon and we will strike with an iron fist any attempt aimed
at reviving the schemes of chaos, discord and partitioning,” the army chief
underlined. He also promised that the army will “maintain its readiness on all
fronts -- the anti-terror fight on the border, fending off Israel and its plots,
and preserving domestic security and stability.”Sectarian tensions have recently
surged in the country against the backdrop of a Saudi-Iranian flareup in the
region. The Lebanese allies of both Riyadh and Tehran have however reassured
that they will not resort to violence to settle their differences.
Environment Minister Meets
Saudi FM: Kingdom's Measures against Lebanon Didn't Target Govt.
Naharnet/March 07/16/Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq held talks on
Monday with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Lebanese-Saudi bilateral
ties in wake of the kingdom's halt of a grant to Lebanese army. The minister's
office said in a statement: “The measures that Riyadh took did not target the
Lebanese government.”The two officials met in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on
the outskirts of an extraordinary Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit on
Palestine. “The kingdom appreciates the stances taken by Prime Minister Tammam
Salam,” added Mashnouq's statement. The minister exited the nearly hour-long
meeting with Jubeir with an “impression that there will be no escalation” by the
kingdom against Lebanon. “The tensions between the two sides are now behind us,”
said the statement. Riyadh halted a grant to the army in protest against
Hizbullah's virulent criticism of the kingdom and Foreign Minister Jebran
Bassil's abstention from voting in favor of Arab League resolutions condemning
attacks against the Saudi embassy in Iran in January. It also issued a travel
advisory against Lebanon, a measure that was soon adopted by Gulf states.
Jumblat: There are No Plans
to Establish Landfill in Iqlim al-Kharroub
Naharnet/March 07/16/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat called
on Monday for an end to various “accusations” and rumors over plans on the
alleged establishment of a landfill in the Chouf region of Iqlim al-Kharroub.He
said via Twitter: “There are no plans to set up a dump in Iqlim al-Kharroub.”A
waste disposal crisis erupted in the country in July 2015 with the closure of
the Naameh landfill and officials' failure to find an alternative for it. Recent
efforts to resolve the crisis include resorting to the Costa Brava landfill in
Khaldeh and reactivating the Bourj Hammoud dump. While the local officials in
the two areas have shown readiness to accept the scheme, residents are rejecting
a proposal to establish the landfill of Kojok that lies between Iqlim al-Tuffah
and Iqlim al-Kharroub. The months-long crisis has seen garbage pile up on
streets throughout the country as experts warned of the health and environmental
hazards of the problem.
IS Leader Found Dead in
Outskirts of Arsal
Naharnet/March 07/16/The dead body of an Islamic State militant was found in the
al-Ajram area in the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal, the state-run
National News Agency reported on Monday. Hussam Trad, aka Abou Bakr al-Qari, was
found sustaining a gunshot wound to his head, NNA added. Al-Qari was killed five
days ago by an Islamic State militant over conflicts among the ranks of the
group group against the backdrop of their battles with al-Nusra Front. Early
this year, fierce clashes broke out between al-Nusra Front and the IS rival
jihadist groups in the outskirts of Arsal, leaving several militants dead and
wounded from both groups. The clashes erupted after the IS tried to control
positions of al-Nusra. Armed groups have taken positions in the outskirts of
Arsal since the 2014 battles with the Lebanese army after the former tried to
control military positions in the town.
Hariri Holds Onto His
Initiative, Says Hizbullah Arms Require 'Regional Settlement'
Naharnet/March 07/16/Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri announced
Monday that he will not abandon his proposal on nominating Marada Movement chief
MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency, as he noted that any domestic agreement
on Hizbullah's controversial arsenal of weapons would require a “regional
settlement.”“The intimidation of arms is controlling all aspects of the
situation in the country and any new political contract won't be of use as long
as a Lebanese group continues to possess illegitimate weapons,” Hariri said
during a Center House meeting with Mustaqbal officials and supporters who hail
from the Batroun and Jbeil regions. He noted, however, that “Hizbullah cannot
decide the fate of its arms on its own, seeing as the decision is not in its
hand but rather in the hand of the Iranian regime,” adding that “any settlement
on the fate of Hizbullah's weapons will be purely regional.”“But it is important
to reach a political settlement and this is why we have launched our
presidential initiative,” the ex-PM went on to say. “We are holding onto the
presidential initiative and I hope we will reach a positive result soon in order
to put an end to the ongoing vacuum,” Hariri added, noting that “Hizbullah is
not exerting serious efforts to fill the void.”Speaking to a Mustaqbal youth
delegation later on Monday, the former premier stated that “the election of a
president will happen sooner than we imagine.”“Dialogue alleviates tension and
keeps the door open to any settlement, especially in the issue of the
presidential elections,” Hariri said. “It is true that we are going through a
difficult and critical period, but we are seeking the election of a president,
because the persistence of vacuum is detrimental to Lebanon,” the ex-PM added.
His remarks come hours after he returned from a two-day trip to Saudi Arabia
that has been described as a “family visit.”Lebanon has been without a president
since May 2014 due to the rival parties' failure to agree on a candidate and
Hariri launched late in 2015 a proposal to nominate Franjieh for the country's
top Christian post. His initiative was however met with rejection and
reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah,
which is clinging to the nomination of Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel
Aoun. Change and Reform and Hizbullah, as well as March 14's Lebanese Forces,
argue that Aoun is more eligible than Franjieh to become president given the
size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian
community.
EU envoy visits Mashnouq, say
upbeat on municipal polls
Mon 07 March 2016/NNA - Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Nohad Mashnouq,
on Monday met with European Union Ambassador to Lebanon, Christina Lassen,
accompanied by Dutch Ambassador Hester Somsen. In the wake of the meeting,
Lassen thanked Mashnouq for his "moderate political positions that always mean
to preserve Lebanon's security and stability. "Priority must be to preserve
Lebanon," she underlined. The diplomat also voiced optimism over the "full
readiness and the complete preparations by the Interior Ministry to hold the
municipal polls."
Army: one killed in family
dispute in Taalabaya
Mon 07 Mar 2016/NNA - One was killed as a family dispute over a piece of land
developed into fire trade in the Bekaa locality of Taalabaya, a communiqué by
the Lebanese army indicated on Monday. The army immediately cordoned off the
area and started raids to apprehend shooters.
Sit in in front of LBC in
condemnation of anti church campaign
Mon 07 Mar 2016/NNA - Peaceful demonstration was held near LBC TV station in
Adma before "Hki Jales" episode, in protest at a campaign against the Church in
some of media programs, NNA correspondent reported on Monday.A number of
priests, figures and the spiritual court judge participated in the sit in.
Berri, Jones discuss fresh
developments
Mon 07 Mar 2016/NNA - Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, on Monday welcomed at
Ain-el-Tineh US Chargé d'Affaires in Lebanon, Richard Jones, with whom he
discussed most recent developments.
LU, army sign cooperation
agreement
Mon 07 Mar 2016/NNA - A ceremony was held on Monday at Army Strategic Studies &
Research in Rihaniyeh on the occasion of signing a cooperation agreement between
the Army and the Lebanese University under the auspices of Army Commander,
General Jean Kahwaji, and in the presence of figures from different fields. The
agreement stipulates the elaboration of a diploma program for Masters at the
said Center for Army officers. "This step is a milestone, and comes after a
number of similar steps we have taken which were fruitful on many levels and
constituted a basis for mutual confidence," Kahwaji said, thanking the LU, "the
nation's University.""We will spare no effort in terms of strengthening
cooperation bonds at the scientific, academic, and cultural level between
National Universities and Cultural and Scientific institutions," he concluded.
Lassen visits Mashnouq, hails
his moderate political positions
Mon 07 Mar 2016/NNA - Interior and Municipalities Minister Nuhad Mashnouq
received on Monday European Union Ambassador to Lebanon, Christina Lassen,
accompanied by Ambassador of the Netherlands in Lebanon Hester Somsen. On
emerging, Ambassador Lassen lauded Minister Mashnouq's 'moderate political
stances that always fall within the context of preserving Lebanon's security and
stability." Lassen also highlighted the need that priority should always be
accorded to preserving Lebanon. The EU Ambassador also expressed optimism and
satisfaction regarding the Interior Ministry's complete readiness and geared up
measures to conduct the forthcoming municipal elections, with their scheduling
and setting. Lassen said that talks also dwelt on "the necessity of women
participation in these elections and the importance of her candidacy," adding
that the meeting also touched on the mechanism of following up the
implementation of London donors' conference decisions and pledges.
Report: Kuwait Seeking to
Limit Lebanon-Saudi Tension
Naharnet/March 07/16/Kuwait is exerting efforts to limit the tension between
Lebanon and Saudi Arabia following Riyadh's decision last month to cut off
billions of dollars of aid to the Lebanese army and security forces, al-Liwaa
daily reported on Monday. The newspaper said that Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed
al-Sabah has held contacts with top officials in Riyadh, and Kuwait's Ambassador
to Beirut informed Lebanese authorities about the result of his endeavors. The
Emir is keen on Arab unity in order to face the challenges that the region is
facing at this difficult stage, al-Liwaa quoted informed sources as saying.
Riyadh announced last month that it was halting $4 billion in aid grants due to
what it described as stances taken by Lebanese officials which "were not in
harmony with the ties between the two countries."It was referring to Foreign
Minister Jebran Bassil, an ally of the Iranian-backed Hizbullah, who declined to
support Saudi resolutions against Iran during two meetings of Arab and Muslim
foreign ministers. Saudi Arabia later called on its citizens not to travel to
Lebanon for safety reasons and ordered those staying there to leave. Its Gulf
allies, including Kuwait, followed suit. Riyadh also upped measures against
Hizbullah, freezing assets and prohibiting dealings with three Lebanese
nationals and four companies. Last Wednesday the six-member Gulf Cooperation
Council declared Hizbullah a "terrorist" group.
Drone Spying on Army
Checkpoints Falls in Sidon
Naharnet/March 07/16/A small remote controlled aircraft fell on Monday near one
of the army's checkpoints, that extend in several areas around the refugee camp
of Ain el-Hilweh, in Sidon triggering concerns that the military is being
monitored from the skies, As Safir daily said on Monday. Reports said that the
drone is an intelligent flying camera usually used to take visuals in weddings,
and was flying over the camp and one of the army's checkpoints. “A prominent
Islamic activist who belongs to an extremist group was behind launching the
drone which is believed to have been developed and modified to fly farther,
while controlled from the ground via a remote control. It has varied uses in
capturing images from all sides,” unnamed sources told the daily. In that
regard, Lebanese Armed Forces Intelligence Chief in the south Brigadier General
Khodr Hammoud raised the issue with a delegation from the Palestinian political
leadership in Ain el-Hilweh considering the matter a “provocation”. He warned
against “going too far by spying on the army particularly that the drone is
capable of capturing army positions from the air with ease and clarity.” Hammoud
pointed out that three other drones were launched for filming in recent weeks
from Hay al-Taware', and were spotted flying over Taamir Ain el-Hilweh taking
photographs of the areas and an adjacent army checkpoint. The second was spotted
flying over Jabal al-Halib which has fallen afterward, while the third was
spotted three days ago flying over Hay al-Nabaa and the army checkpoint before
falling down. Information said it is likely for extremists to possess a number
of drones for use in taking imaging. Hammoud concluded: “We have information
indicating that some strangers and suspects have entered Ain el-Hilweh, and some
youth from the camp have moved to the capital of the IS in Syria's al-Reqqa.”The
gatherers agreed to develop a security plan based on bridging the gap of illegal
crossings which facilitates the entry of strangers and wanted people. The
southern Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh has long provided a stable
bolthole for Palestinian refugees, some of whom have lived within its walls
since fleeing their homes more than six decades ago. But the war in neighboring
Syria has transformed parts of the southern camp into a safe haven for jihadists
traveling to fight there, creating districts where even Palestinian security
forces fear to tread and raising tensions among residents.
Bahrain Bans Nobel Prize
Tunisians in Hizbullah Row
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/16/Tunisia's trade union federation, a
joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, said Sunday that Bahrain denied entry to
two of its members in a row over Lebanon's Hizbullah. The two Tunisians,
Noureddine Taboubi and Abdelkrim Jrad, planned to take part in a congress of
Bahraini trade unions but were denied entry on Saturday, the Tunisian General
Labor Union (UGTT) said. Sami Tahri, the UGTT spokesman, told Mosaique FM radio
that the two were banned "because of the UGTT's rejection of Hizbullah's
classification as a terrorist organization."The ban was "undemocratic" and
"contrary to international law," he said, adding that "there are always
countries which are against any free and independent positions."Last Thursday,
the UGTT and another member of Tunisia's Nobel Prize winning quartet condemned a
decision by Arab Gulf states to blacklist Hizbullah as a "terrorist"
organization. The move by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), led by
Saudi Arabia, formed part of "an offensive by foreign and other regional forces
to divide the Arab world and destroy its forces," the UGTT said. The head of the
Tunisian Order of Lawyers, also a member of the Nobel quartet, called on all
"forces in Tunisia and in the Arab world to exert pressure on governments to
reconsider their decision."
Hassan Yaaqoub's Brother Arrested at Airport
Naharnet/March 07/16/The brother of former MP Hassan Yaaqoub was arrested at
Rafik Hariri International Airport on Monday against the backdrop of the
kidnapping of Hannibal Gadhafi, the state-run National News Agency reported. NNA
said Hussein Yaaqoub was apprehended based on a judicial arrest warrant. The
former lawmaker was arrested in December and charged for his involvement in the
kidnapping of Hannibal Gadhafi, the son of slain Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Hannibal was abducted in a Syrian area near the Lebanese border on December 11
before being smuggled into Lebanon's Bekaa region. He was handed over hours
later to Lebanese security forces. Lebanese authorities have charged Hannibal
with withholding information about the disappearance of revered Shiite cleric
and founder of the AMAL Movement Moussa al-Sadr, who vanished in Libya in 1978
along with two companions. The Yaaqoub brothers are the sons of Sheikh Mohammed
Yaaqoub – one of the two companions who disappeared with al-Sadr in Libya. NNA
said Monday that their mother Sheikha Imthal was hospitalized following the
arrest of her son at the airport. She was taken to Hotel Dieu Hospital's
emergency unit after complaining of chest pain and partial paralysis in her arm
as a result of her shock, NNA added.
Report: Cairo Seeking
Bassil-Jubeir Meeting as Saudi Piles more Pressure on Lebanon
Naharnet/March 07/16/Egyptian officials are trying to set up a meeting between
Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil and his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir to limit
the growing tension between Beirut and Riyadh, An Nahar daily reported on
Monday.But it is not clear if it would be possible to hold such a meeting
between them after the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council declared Hizbullah a
"terrorist" group last week. The GCC move came following a Saudi decision last
month to halt the delivery of military aid to Lebanon in protest against
Hizbullah. Bassil will be in Cairo to attend a meeting for Arab foreign
ministers. An Nahar said that Prime Minister Tammam Salam is trying to
coordinate with Bassil on Lebanon’s official stance to avoid another diplomatic
scandal. Riyadh's announcement last month that it would cut off billions of
dollars of aid to Lebanon came after Bassil, an ally of Hizbullah, declined to
support Saudi resolutions against Iran during two meetings of Arab and Muslim
foreign ministers. Saudi Arabia has also called on its citizens not to travel to
Lebanon for safety reasons and ordered those staying there to leave. Its Gulf
allies Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar predictably followed suit, issuing similar
warnings. The United Arab Emirates also banned its citizens from traveling to
Lebanon and withdrew a number of diplomats from the country. There are concerns
that if Lebanon takes a move in defense of Hizbullah at the next meeting of Arab
foreign ministers, then further steps could be taken by Saudi Arabia and its
neighbors against Beirut.
Jumblatt the Wise
Hussain Abdul-Hussain/Now Lebanon/March 07/16
Minorities of the Middle East should follow the Druze leader’s example
Lebanese Druze leader and Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) chairman Walid
Jumblatt leaves the Elysee presidential palace after a meeting with France
Seventy percent of Christian houses in Baghdad have been confiscated, their
residents displaced and their deeds illegally transferred to influential
politicians, Al-Monitor reported. If this sounds like ISIS, Al-Monitor explains
that this wave of displacement has been taking place in ISIS-free Baghdad, at
the hands of government-sponsored Shiite militias. Christian leaders complained
to Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi, but to no avail. The lesson is that
Levantine minorities — whether living under Shiite or Sunni dominance — are
facing extinction. Yet some minorities are faring better than others.
Despite his reputation as a flip-flopper and unprincipled politician, Druze
leader Walid Jumblatt has learnt the lessons of his more ambitious ancestors
Kamal and Fouad. The Druze were once the masters of Mount Lebanon, armed with
muscle and fortune. By the 19th century, the Maronites had overtaken them in
terms of wealth, which in turn propelled the Christians to the helm of newfound
Lebanon in 1920. With Fouad and Kamal, it took the Druze some time to understand
that their glory had passed. Walid Jumblatt, however, was quick to understand —
given the Druze’s dwindling resources — how much power and influence he can
project, and when. During the Lebanese Civil War, Jumblatt allied with the Assad
regime, thus securing armaments and military support with which he defended
Druze territory. When Syria joined the post-Cold War American Middle East,
Jumblatt understood that he had to give up his paramilitary muscle and settle
for carving for himself a share in the Lebanese state, while using his political
weight to secure funds from late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Unfortunately,
Christian leaders in Lebanon have yet to display such skills. Christians bet on
Israel against the Arab majority and lost. When America, Syria and Saudi Arabia
reconfigured Lebanon, Christian leaders missed the cues and ended up in their
pajamas in foreign embassies or in prison. Jumblatt was also quick to understand
that Bashar al-Assad was unlike his father Hafez, and that the son was
dangerously tilting the balance, which Hafez had carefully struck between the
Arabs and Iran, in favor of Tehran. Jumblatt thus abandoned Assad and lobbied
Christians and Sunnis to pull Lebanon away from Assad and Iran’s Hezbollah.
Eventually, Jumblatt abandoned March 14, not because of Assad’s brutality, but
because of the short-sightedness of his March 14 allies. The first signs of
Jumblatt’s distress were visible when he learnt that Michel Aoun had struck a
backdoor deal with Assad to return from his Parisian exile.
Second, instead of focusing their venom against Hezbollah and March 8,
Jumblatt’s Christian allies began undermining the Druze chieftain by demanding
that he concede cabinet portfolios (such as that of Christian Nehme Tohme) and
Christian parliamentary seats in his two districts of the Chouf and Aley.
Finally, Jumblatt realized that former Prime Minister Saad Hariri was not
independent enough to keep Lebanon away from regional conflicts. When Riyadh
changed its position on Assad, Hariri visited Damascus. Since abandoning March
14, Jumblatt has tried to build a “centrist” bloc that he thought could keep
Lebanon — and especially its minorities — shielded from the regional
Sunni-Shiite inferno. He told Druze Sheikhs that without an open arms supply, he
could not play the traditional Jumblatt role of leading them in battle.
Therefore, the Druze’s best interest was to avoid war. Jumblatt has been trying
to convince Christians to follow his “neutrality” lead, but has failed so far.
Jumblatt does not care about his image with his Druze followers. He has created
an image of a leader who takes unpopular decisions that always turn out to be
correct and in the interest of his community. Druze — even those who oppose
Jumblatt — trust his leadership. Lebanon’s Christian leaders, however, employ
populist rhetoric to win supporters, while overestimating their power. Christian
leaders seem unable to realize that their clout has long been outbid by the
wealth of regional petro-powers. In terms of demographics, Christians have yet
to act like a minority: Smart and efficient. Another failing minority leader has
been Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. During the early days of the revolution, those who
understand minority dynamics expected him to show utmost brutality at first, but
then concede if fighting continued. Minorities do not fight wars of attrition
against majorities. Such wars are costly for minorities, now, and for their
coming generations. It seems that the Shiite Iranians — a vast majority in their
country and insensitive to demographic calculations — impressed on Assad the
need to fight a war that Alawites certainly wish, today, that they could have
avoided in 2011. So while the Christians of Lebanon think they are outsmarting
the much more powerful and resourceful regional powers, and while Assad threw
his lot in with Iran and is now reeling because of his choice, Jumblatt has used
whatever leverage available to him to maintain Lebanon’s peace. Jumblatt
understands that with dwindling human and material resources, the Druze and the
Christians should minimize their bravado and stick to conservative politics,
even if that means giving up on Aoun’s presidential dream or electing Assad’s
friend Suleiman Franjieh.
Until minorities in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq understand how to navigate the
turbulent region like Jumblatt, they will remain at the risk of extinction.
**Hussain Abdul-Hussain is the Washington Bureau Chief of Kuwaiti newspaper
Alrai. He tweets @hahussain
How well do you
know Hezbollah?..A quiz in both English and Spanish
Ynetnews/March 07/16
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4775377,00.html
A quiz in both English and Spanish created by the IDF tests your knowledge of
the notorious terror group, in an effort to win the battle for the international
public opinion. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit released on Sunday a quiz in English
and Spanish on the website Playbuzz titled "How well do you know Hezbollah?" The
quiz aims to bring the fight against the Lebanese terror group to a new
frontline - the battle for the international public opinion. Over the weekend, a
very thorough article in Foreign Policy magazine noted that in the next war in
the north, Hezbollah won't stay in Lebanon - but invade Israeli territory, while
government officials and the defense establishment define the Lebanese terrorist
organization as one of the biggest threats to Israel. Now, the IDF wants to
convey that message to the world. Some of the questions - like who is the leader
of the organization, who supports Hezbollah, and in what country did the
organization carry out deadly bomb attacks against the Jewish community - seem
relatively easy for Israelis. But they are intended for the international
community, as part of the IDF's effort to demonstrate exactly how dangerous
Hezbollah can be. Try to solve the 15 questions in the IDF's quiz and discover
if you are "experts" regarding Hezbollah. The quiz is also available in Spanish.
Click on the ynnetnews piece link and answert the quiz questions
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4775377,00.html
Balad, Hadash condemn Gulf
labeling of Hezbollah as 'terror group'
Hasan Shaalan and Moran Azulay/Ynetnews/March 07/16/Arab MKs criticize Gulf
Cooperation Council decision, which prompted outrage in the Knesset; 'I call on
Ayman Odeh and Jamal Zahalka to join Azmi Bishara in Qatar or Syria. Those are
the places for these traitors,' says Minister Yisrael Katz.
Israeli Arab parties Balad and Hadash, who are part of the Joint Arab List,
slammed Monday the decision of the Gulf Cooperation Council to label Hezbollah
as a terrorist organization. "Hezbollah fights against Israeli attacks on
Lebanon, and this decision only serves the interests of Israel and the US," a
Balad spokesperson said. Balad officials explained that they view the decision
by the interior ministers of the GCC as dangerous because they are fueling the
Sunni-Shia conflict, and, as they put it, adding fuel to the fire of this bloody
conflict. Furthermore, the Balad officials claimed, the decision serves to widen
the sectarian divisions in Lebanon, Syria, and the wider Arab world. They also
said that "the party doesn't believe that it is correct to tag Hezbollah - an
organization which represents a large part of the Lebanese nation - as a
terrorist organization, despite criticism over its participation in the fighting
in Syria."
The GCC officially decided to label Hezbollah as a terrorist organization last
Wednesday. "This is a militia. The incitement and terror which Hezbollah
perpetrates in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq go against moral and human values," said
GCC Secretary General Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. The gulf countries have
warned in the past of their intentions to brand Hezbollah a terror organization,
but the decision to do so now will give them more freedom of operation vis-à-vis
Hezbollah, and they will be able to operate against them more aggressively than
before. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by asking how they would
respond when Hezbollah fires rockets at their communities. Avigdor Liberman,
Yisrael Beytenu Chairman, attacked Balad and Hadash's statement. "This is more
than absurd, and only proves again that with every day that passes in which this
group of terrorists continues to sit in the Knesset, it is a disgrace to Israeli
democracy. It is now clear that the Joint Arab List not only represents the most
extreme fringes of Israeli-Arab society, but also the most extreme fringes of
Arab society in general." Liberman went on to say that "instead of (Prime
Minister) Netanyahu dealing with the suspension bill, which has no real value,
he should support the laws which Yisrael Beytenu put forth, thereby getting rid
of these traitors, and making them sit in jail where they belong, as opposed to
sitting in the Knesset."Transportation Minister Yisral Katz (Likud) requested
the Knesset Ethics Committee to examine Balad and Hadash's statement. "It is
simply unbelievable that these members of the Israeli Knesset are sabotaging the
interests of Israel. I call on Ayman Odeh and Jamal Zahalka to join Azmi Bishara
in Qatar or Syria. Those are the places for these traitors," Katz said. Chaiman
of the Knesset House Committee, David Bitan (Likud), also attacked the
condemnation. "There's nothing left to do but regret the fact that the High
Court of Justice did not disqualify Balad from being able to stand in the
elections," Bitan said, and added that he will consider asking the Attorney
General to examine whether or not the statements support terror.
Is Biden's Israel visit
opening shot for White House bid?
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report March 07/16/US Vice President Joe Biden will start
his five-day Middle East tour in Israel Tuesday, March 8, by presenting the
multibillion financial and defense aid package promised by the Obama
administration to redress the imbalance in Israeli security generated by the
nuclear deal with Iran. debkafile’s sources report that Prime Minister’s
Binyamin Netanyahu was also quietly tipped from Biden’s close circle that he may
decide to use the handover of this package as the opening shot of his run for
the Democratic presidential nomination, despite past repudiations. Our sources
in Jerusalem reveal that Israeli officials in charge of staging the Biden visit
were directed to handle the visitor to all intents and purposes as a candidate
running for election to the White House on Nov. 4. His presentation of an
impressive US assistance program is meant to convey President Barack Obama’s
desire to straighten out his rocky relations with Netanyahu before his
departure, while also portraying his vice president to American Jews as a
successor who will continue to look after Israel’s security interests.The two
governments have been negotiating for months on the size of US military
assistance committed by Washington for preserving Israel’s qualitative military
and security edge in the next decade, in the course of which Iran and the
Islamic Republic’ will substantially upgrade the military capabilities of its
armed forces and radical Revolutionary Guards Corps. In recent talks between US
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon,
Israel put in a bid for $50 billion to be spread over 10 years, so raising the
US military aid package for Israel from $3.5 bn to $5 bn a year. The Americans
said this sum required further negotiation. According to sources close to the
prime minister, the vice president will be bringing the administration’s
compromise proposal of between $40 billion and $50 billion, to be spread out
over 13-15 years. He will also throw in to the deal US weaponry and items of
cutting-edge military technology withheld hitherto from the IDF. That list was
agreed last week when Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the US Chiefs of
Staff sat down in Tel Aviv with IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gady Eisenkot and
his top officers. As for Biden’s intentions, it should be noted that, although
in February, he denied intending to contest the presidential nomination, he
surprised political observers when, on Feb. 19, he sharply criticized the
campaigns run by Democratic hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders.
He accused them of “doom and gloom” and not doing enough to combat the idea that
the country is in decline. Talking to a Democratic Party audience in California
on Feb. 28, Biden congratulated Clinton on her successes in the primaries.
Political observers who are familiar with the vice president’s thought patterns
say those comments were well calculated. They expect him to continue to stay in
the wings of the campaign and watch Hillary get tied in knots over events in her
past, not least the affair of the private emails she sent as Secretary of State.
He expects her to be forced by the baggage she carries to give up her run for
the presidency. Biden will then step in as the shining savior of the Democratic
Party. He and many of his backers are sure that he is the only Democrat capable
of stopping Donald Trump’s inexorable run for the presidency.
At the annual Gridiron Club anniversary dinner Saturday night, March 5, Joe
Biden was reported to have quoted a reputed comment by Winston Churchill, “When
eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber,” he said, adding: "Our kids are
watching. The world is watching. The American people are better than this.”These
remarks indicate that Biden is guided by a strong sense of mission.
Tunisia Kills 28 Jihadists in
Clashes near Libya Border
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/16/Tunisian forces fought off fierce
attacks from jihadists near the Libyan border on Monday, killing 28 extremist
fighters in clashes that also left seven civilians dead. Ten members of the
security forces were killed in the fighting in the border town of Ben Guerdane,
which President Beji Caid Essebsi condemned as an "unprecedented" jihadist
attack. It prompted authorities to close the frontier and order a nighttime
curfew. In statements broadcast on state television, Essebsi said the assault
was "maybe aimed at controlling" the border region with Libya, and vowed to
"exterminate these rats". It was the second deadly clash in the border area in
less than a week as Tunisia battles to prevent the large number of its nationals
who have joined the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in Libya from returning to
carry out attacks at home. The jihadists have taken advantage of a power vacuum
since the NATO-backed overthrow of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 to
set up bases in several areas of Libya, including the Sabratha area between
Tripoli and the Tunisian border. The government said that an army barracks and
police and National Guard posts in Ben Guerdane came under attack in coordinated
pre-dawn assaults.
Six members of the National Guard, two policemen, a customs official and a
soldier died in the fighting, the defense and interior ministries said in a
joint statement. Six wounded militants were captured, the defense ministry said.
Hospital official Abdelkrim Chafroud said a 12-year-old boy was among the dead
civilians. An AFP correspondent reported that schools and offices in Ben
Guerdane were closed and troops had taken up position on rooftops across the
town. Residents were being urged to stay indoors even before the 7:00 pm (1800
GMT) start of the nighttime curfew. As well as closing border crossings with
Libya, authorities also closed the main road north to the rest of Tunisia, the
correspondent said. Authorities said ground and air patrols along the border
would be reinforced. Prime Minister Habib Essid ordered the defense and interior
ministers to head to Ben Guerdane to oversee operations against the jihadists.
"Tunisia is on the path to victory against these groups," government spokesman
Khaled Chaouket said on state-owned Wataniya TV. Last Wednesday, troops killed
five militants in a firefight outside the town in which a civilian was also
killed and a commander wounded.
Troops have been on alert in the border area following reports that militants
had been slipping across since a U.S. air strike on an IS training camp in Libya
on February 18 killed dozens of Tunisian militants.
At least four of the five militants killed in last week's firefight were
Tunisians who had entered from Libya in a bid to carry out attacks in their
homeland, the interior ministry said. "Suspicious movements had been reported
since the Sabratha strike and there was a feeling that IS was looking for
revenge," said Hamza Meddeb, a researcher for the Carnegie Middle East Center.
"It was only a matter of time and there were strong clues that Tunisia would be
a target," he added, mentioning the possibility of "sleeper cells" in the
country. Deadly attacks by IS on foreign holidaymakers last year, which dealt a
devastating blow to Tunisia's tourism industry, are believed to have been
planned from Libya. Tunisia has built a 200-kilometer (125-mile) barrier that
stretches about half the length of its border with Libya in an attempt to stop
militants infiltrating. February's U.S. strike on the IS training camp outside
Sabratha targeted the suspected mastermind of two of last year's attacks,
Noureddine Chouchane. Washington has said Chouchane was likely among the dozens
of militants killed, and that the strike probably averted a mass shooting or
similar attack in Tunisia. Western governments have been increasingly alarmed by
the growing IS presence in Libya just 300 kilometers (185 miles) across the
Mediterranean from Europe and have made contingency plans for intensified
military action. Rival administrations which have vied for power since mid-2014
are being urged to sign up to a U.N.-brokered national unity government to
facilitate the fight against the jihadists. Handfuls of U.S., British and French
special forces have already been reported in Libya. A contingent of around 50
Italians is about to join them, Il Corriere della Sera reported last Thursday,
citing a classified order signed by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi last month.
Britain announced last week that it was sending a team of around 20 soldiers to
Tunisia to train troops patrolling the border with Libya. Thirty Britons were
among 38 foreign holidaymakers killed in a gun and grenade attack on a beach
resort near the Tunisian city of Sousse last June. And last March, jihadist
gunmen killed 21 tourists and a policeman at the Bardo Museum in Tunis.
According to a U.N. working group on the use of mercenaries, more than 5,000
Tunisians have traveled abroad to join jihadist groups, many of them in Libya.
'North Thunder' drill readies
region: Asiri
By Staff writer Al Arabiya English Monday, 7 March 2016/A spokesman for the
Saudi defense ministry said Monday that “North Thunder” - a military exercise
which kicked off in the kingdom last month - promoted the exchange of military
expertise between the 21 participating countries. Speaking at a press conference
in Hafr Al-Batin where the drill is taking place, Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri
explained that 20 Arab and Islamic countries were taking part in a number of
tasks, including exercises aimed at encouraging cooperation between the various
forces. He added that the training also included exercises on how to combat
guerrilla warfare, noting that the tactic is used by armed militias intervening
in Arab states, such as Syria and Yemen. He said the military exercise would end
on Thursday. Asiri said the alliance brought together Arab and Islamic forces to
gain experience and they would be prepared to protect the region’s stability if
needed
Calmest day’ in Syria since
ceasefire: monitor
By Staff writer Al Arabiya English Monday, 7 March 2016/Regions of Syria covered
by a UN-brokered ceasefire Sunday enjoyed the "calmest day" since the truce
started, a monitor said, as Moscow and Washington cautioned against any delay in
resuming peace talks. "Sunday was the calmest day since the ceasefire came into
effect" on February 27, Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP. He said the exceptions were dozens of
rockets fired by Al-Nusra Front, a militant group excluded from the truce, and
other rebel factions at Kurdish forces in the far north of the city of Aleppo.
The violence killed 14 people – at least nine civilians, and dozens more were
injured according local reports. Heavy bombardment also struck territory held by
Al-Nusra and the ISIS group, another militant faction not covered by the truce.
Abdel Rahman said the average number of civilian deaths a day has fallen by 90
percent since the ceasefire came into force nine days ago, with an 80 percent
decline among soldiers and rebel forces. In Moscow, the defense ministry
reported 15 ceasefire violations during the previous 24 hours, compared with
nine on Saturday and 27 the day before. Four people were wounded in shelling by
unidentified forces of residential areas and loyalist positions in the Damascus
area, it said. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has said that peace talks between
rebels and the Syrian regime are to resume on March 10. Russia’s foreign
ministry said US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart
Sergei Lavrov in a telephone call on Sunday welcomed “the sharp decline in
violence” and warned against “any delay in starting the process” of
negotiations. Since the failure of a first round of peace talks in 2014, the
main sticking point in the negotiations has been the fate of Syria's President
Bashar al-Assad. He has refused to step down since peaceful protests in early
2011 developed into a multi-faceted war that has killed more than 270,000 people
and displaced millions more. (With AFP and Reuters)
Netanyahu ‘committed’ to
Western Wall deal
By AFP Jerusalem Monday, 7 March 2016/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
reiterated Sunday his commitment to a decision allocating an area at the Western
Wall for egalitarian Jewish prayer, despite growing opposition from rabbis and
political allies. The cabinet in January approved a “historic” plan allowing men
and women to pray together in an area adjacent to the current Western Wall
prayer plaza in the Old City of annexed east Jerusalem.The new prayer section
would not be under the control of the ultra-Orthodox establishment. Israel’s
ultra-Orthodox chief rabbis who have openly opposed the arrangement were due to
hold a meeting with Netanyahu on Sunday but it was called off. “The prime
minister asked the chief rabbis and the Western Wall rabbi to send their
comments within two to three weeks, as part of the agreement,” an official in
Netanyahu’s office said. “At the same time, the prime minister remains committed
to the government’s decision,” the official said. Ultra-Orthodox members of
Netanyahu’s coalition have also challenged the arrangement but Channel 10
television called the dispute a “lovers’ tiff,” with neither side wanting to
break the bond. An Israeli official told AFP that the decision on the new prayer
section still needed to be validated by the religious affairs minister, a member
of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party. The Western Wall is venerated by Jews as a
remnant of a wall supporting the Second Temple complex, which was destroyed by
the Romans in 70 AD. On its other side is the compound housing the Dome of the
Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site. The compound is a deeply
sensitive location where clashes frequently erupt between Palestinian
worshippers and Israeli forces. Israeli authorities do not allow Jews to pray on
the compound, the holiest site in Judaism.
Syria Regime Says Peace Talks
to Start from March 14, Opposition Undecided
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/16/Syria's regime said Monday it had been
invited to peace talks in Geneva from March 14 but the opposition said it was
still considering whether to attend despite a major lull in fighting. The United
Nations is hoping to restart peace talks that collapsed last month, building on
a ceasefire that has led to the first significant decline in violence in Syria's
nearly five-year civil war. A source close to the Syrian regime delegation told
AFP it had been invited to a new round of talks starting from March 14 in the
Swiss city. The U.N.'s Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has said he hopes the
talks can begin from Thursday but officials have indicated it could take several
days of preparations for the negotiations to get off the ground. President
Bashar Assad's regime has already expressed its willingness to take part in
talks but the opposition has sent mixed signals on whether it will attend this
latest round. The head of the Riyadh-based High Negotiations Committee, Riad
Hijab, on Monday refused to commit to the talks. "The HNC will assess the
situation in the coming days and we will take the appropriate decision," he told
reporters. Speaking in a conference call from Riyadh, Hijab said a small
delegation from the HNC would travel to Geneva "in the next two days" to meet
with the international task force monitoring the truce. Hijab's statements
appeared to be a step back from earlier comments by HNC spokesman Riad Naasan
Agha, who said the opposition delegation would arrive on Friday to take part in
talks.
Aid deliveries rise
The truce between President Bashar Assad's regime and non-jihadist rebels is
part of the biggest diplomatic effort yet to resolve Syria's conflict, which has
killed more than 270,000 people and forced millions from their homes. Russia and
the United States are on opposing sides of the conflict -- Moscow backs Assad
and Washington supports the opposition -- but the two powers have made a
concerted push for the truce and further peace efforts to succeed. Observers say
the partial truce, which does not apply to the Islamic State group or the
al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front, has largely held despite widespread
scepticism before it took effect. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a
Britain-based monitor, said Sunday had been the "calmest day" in Syria since the
ceasefire began. Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that the average
number of civilian deaths a day had fallen by 90 percent since the truce came
into force, with an 80 percent decline among soldiers and rebel forces. Aid
deliveries have also improved, with the U.N. delivering aid on Monday to a key
rebel bastion east of Damascus, the third distribution since truce began on
February 27. World Food Program spokesman Hussam al-Saleh told AFP that 22
trucks would distribute food, flour and medical supplies to the towns of
Hammuriya, Jisreen, and Beit Sawa in Eastern Ghouta. Residents have taken
advantage of the continued drop in fighting to stage daily protests. In Aleppo
city, dozens of young men poured into the street carrying the three-starred,
tricolor flag of Syria's uprising and banners reading: "The world's silence is
louder than the barrel bombs of death." Moscow, which has provided a daily
account of ceasefire violations, said Monday the truce was still "in general"
holding apart from unspecified "isolated provocations and shelling." It said
Russian planes were continuing to carry out air strikes against IS and al-Nusra
in three provinces, including on the main IS stronghold of Raqa. Russia launched
an air campaign in September it says is targeting "terrorists" but has been
accused of hitting non-jihadist rebels in support of Assad's forces.
- U.S. vows to 'squeeze' IS
A plan agreed by world powers last year calls for a ceasefire, the creation of a
transitional body, the drafting of a new constitution and fresh elections. The
main sticking point in negotiations has been the fate of Assad, who the
opposition insists must step down for any transition to work.
The HNC's Hijab said Monday that if the group attends, the issue of a
"transitional governing body with no role for Assad" would top its agenda. At
the start of a visit to the Middle East, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden admitted
that finding a political solution would be difficult but said there was no other
choice. "So as hard as it is, we have to keep trying to reach a political
settlement," he told Abu Dhabi newspaper The National. Speaking to hundreds of
American and allied forces inside a hangar at a military base in the United Arab
Emirates, Biden said Washington was committed to the fight against IS. "We have
to squeeze the heart of Daesh in Iraq and Syria so they can't continue to pump
the poison in the region and the rest of the world," he said, using an Arabic
acronym for IS.
Russia Offers Syria Bases to
Help with International Aid Deliveries
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/16/Russia's defense ministry on Monday
said it would open up its military facilities in Syria to international aid
deliveries in a bid to bolster humanitarian assistance in the war-torn country.
"The ministry is ready to provide necessary assistance to international and
foreign organizations in delivering humanitarian cargoes to the Syrian Arab
Republic," it said in a statement. The statement said Moscow would open up its
naval logistics facility at the port of Tartus "for the unloading and temporary
storage" of aid deliveries as well as its Hmeimim airbase in Latakia province.
Russia was also ready to provide vehicles to help transfer the aid inside Syria,
the statement added. A landmark ceasefire that came into force in Syria over a
week ago has led to a dramatic drop in fighting and allowed much needed
humanitarian aid to be delivered. The truce between President Bashar Assad's
regime and non-jihadist rebels, brokered by Russia and the United States, has
defied expectations and led to the first significant decline in violence in
Syria's nearly five-year civil war. Russia and the United States are on opposing
sides of the conflict -- Moscow backs Assad and Washington supports the
opposition -- but the two powers have made a concerted push for the ceasefire
and further peace efforts to succeed. Moscow, which has provided a daily account
of ceasefire violations, said Monday that the truce was still "in general"
holding apart from unspecified "isolated provocations and shelling". It said
Russian planes were continuing to carry out air strikes against the Islamic
State group and the Al-Qaida-affiliated Al-Nusra Front in three provinces,
including on the main IS stronghold of Raqa. Russia launched an air campaign in
September it says is targeting "terrorists" but it has been accused of hitting
non-jihadist rebels in support of Assad's forces.
Biden Says U.S. Will 'Wipe
out' Evil of IS Jihadists
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/16/U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said
Monday Washington was going to have to "squeeze the heart out of" the Islamic
State group in Syria and Iraq to wipe it out. "We have to squeeze the heart of
Daesh in Iraq and Syria so they can't continue to pump the poison in the region
and the rest of the world," he said, using an Arab acronym for IS.Biden was
speaking to hundreds of American and allied forces inside a hangar at a military
base in the United Arab Emirates. "This fight is going to take time, but we are
committed to seeing it through until we wipe out this evil -- and we will wipe
out this evil," Biden said. Earlier, he ruled out a military solution to end
Syria's conflict, and called for a political transition. "That should be clear
to everyone," Biden told Abu Dhabi newspaper The National at the start of his
visit to the UAE ahead of traveling to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. "So as
hard as it is, we have to keep trying to reach a political settlement," he said.
Saudi Arabia, which backs the Syrian opposition, and ally the UAE have said they
are willing to send ground troops to Syria under U.S. command to battle IS.
Biden's comments come as President Bashar Assad's regime and its opponents are
due this week to resume U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Geneva as a fragile
ceasefire holds in Syria. The talks are aimed at ending the five-year Syria war
that has killed more than 270,000 people, displaced millions and devastated the
country. he fate of Assad, who is refusing to step down, has been one of the
main sticking points in talks. "A political solution between the parties is the
only way to end the violence and give the Syrian people the chance they deserve
to rebuild their country. To create a credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian
system, a new constitution and free and fair elections," Biden said.
He said the truce that went into effect in Syria on February 27 "seems to be
holding" but was "not perfect". But he also noted that "levels of violence have
dropped significantly across the country", and said this opened the way for the
delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid. Biden also praised U.S.
relations with the UAE and its partners in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation
Council, which also includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. He
acknowledged the "challenges" posed by the historic nuclear deal struck last
year between Iran and world powers and also the concerns it raised in GCC
countries which are wary of Tehran. "That's why we worked so hard to achieve a
nuclear agreement with Iran, because as dangerous as Iran's actions are, they
would be exponentially greater if Iran possessed a nuclear weapon." He said
steps were being taken to bolster the security of the GCC monarchies to be able
to "deal with Iran diplomatically from a position of strength". Biden was to
hold talks later Monday with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan
and on Tuesday with Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
Israel Says Arrested
Palestinian who Recruited Compatriots in Egypt
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/Israel's Shin Bet internal security
agency said Sunday it had arrested a Palestinian for recruiting Palestinians in
Egypt who were trained in Gaza before being sent to the West Bank. The agency
said Mohammed Nazal, 33, from the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya, was
arrested in January at the Allenby crossing between Jordan and the occupied West
Bank. Nazal, who had been in Cairo as a student since 2007, was a member of al-Mujaheddin
brigades which Shin Bet described as an "extremist Islamist terror group" whose
members have fired rockets at Israel and attempted other attacks.Nazal told
investigators that "while in Egypt, he sought out and recruited students from
the West Bank studying in Egypt, sent them for military training in Gaza, and
then planted them in the West Bank" to set up a military network, a Shin Bet
statement read. His Cairo apartment was also a meeting place for militants from
various groups, including the Islamist movement Hamas which controls the Gaza
Strip, the agency said. It said Nazal's group and Hamas had ties that included
training and the supply of arms, and in Gaza Al-Mujaheddin brigades came under
the auspices of Hamas which funds and guides it. Nazal will be tried in a
military court, the statement read. The Shin Bet announcement shortly after
Cairo accused Hamas of involvement alongside the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood in
last year's killing of Egypt's top prosecutor Hisham Barakat, a charge Hamas
swiftly denied.
Two Egypt Policemen Killed in
Sinai Bombing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/16/A roadside bombing in Egypt's restive
Sinai Peninsula killed two policemen on Monday, the interior ministry announced,
in the latest in a string of attacks on security forces. The bomb exploded close
to an armored vehicle on a highway near El-Arish, the provincial capital of
North Sinai, it said in a statement. Islamist militants have killed hundreds of
soldiers and policemen in attacks in the peninsula. On Sunday, gunmen killed two
members of the security forces in an ambulance as they were being taken to
hospital with injuries from a bombing. A medic was also shot dead. Most of the
Sinai attacks are claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group's Egyptian branch,
"Sinai Province".IS also said it carried out the bombing in October of a Russian
airliner over Sinai, killing all 224 people on board. Sinai jihadists pledged
allegiance in November 2014 to IS, which controls parts of Iraq and Syria and
also has a presence in conflict-ridden Libya. Jihadists, who have long used
Sinai as a base, launched an insurgency after the military overthrew Egypt's
Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Egypt Proposes Mubarak's
Foreign Minister to Head Arab League
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/16/The Arab League said Monday Egypt has
presented Ahmed Abul Gheit, ex-president Hosni Mubarak's last foreign minister,
as its candidate to head the pan-Arab body after its present chief declined a
second term. In February, the secretary general of the Arab League, Nabil al-Arabi,
80, announced that he would not seek a second term after his current one ends in
July. "The Arab League has been officially notified by Egypt that its candidate
for the post of secretary general is foreign minister Ahmed Abul Gheit," said
Ahmed Ben Helli, the deputy chief of the Cairo-based League. He told reporters
that only Egypt so far had presented its candidate to head the Arab diplomatic
body. Traditionally, the secretary general of Arab League has held the post for
two terms, and Cairo has always insisted that it be held by an Egyptian
diplomat. Arab League foreign ministers will hold a meeting on Thursday to
discuss the candidacy of Abul Gheit, 74. Appointed in 2004, Abul Gheit was the
last foreign minister of Mubarak, who was overthrown in a popular 18-day
uprising in early 2011. After Mubarak's ouster, the veteran diplomat, who was
well known for his tough position on Iran, had stayed away from politics and
devoted his time to writing. After joining the Egyptian foreign service in 1967,
Abul Gheit held several diplomatic posts, including in Rome, Moscow and New
York. In 1999 he was appointed Egypt's permanent representative to the United
Nations. Abul Gheit had also participated in the Camp David negotiations that
saw the signing of the Israel-Egypt peace treaty in 1979. Arabi, also a veteran
Egyptian diplomat, had taken over as the bloc's chief from fellow Egyptian
diplomat Amr Moussa in 2011. Since becoming secretary general, Arabi has had to
contend with a number of sensitive issues, including the conflicts in Syria,
Iraq and Libya, as well as the rise of the Islamic State jihadist group.
Muslim Body Urges Ban on
Products from Israeli Settlements
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/16/A global Muslim body called Monday for
a ban on products from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and
pledged full support for the "inalienable rights" of the Palestinians.The call
came at the end of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, which brought
together representatives from 57 states. An OIC resolution urged "member states
and the wider international community to ban products produced in or by illegal
Israeli settlements from their markets".However, the move was not binding on
member states. Settlements refer to Jewish communities built in areas occupied
by Israel since 1967. Such settlements are illegal under international law and
major stumbling blocks to peace efforts, with those in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem built on land which Palestinians see as part of their future state.
The issue of goods imported from settlements has caused tensions with Israel in
the past. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November suspended
diplomatic contacts with the European Union about the Middle East peace process
-- which has been stalled for almost two years -- over the bloc's decision to
label imported produce from the settlements as such rather than "Made in
Israel". The suspension was ended last month when Netanyahu held talks with the
EU's foreign policy chief. At the end of Monday's summit, the OIC also pledged
"full support to the political, diplomatic and legal efforts" to ensure the
Palestinians achieved their "inalienable rights". The Jakarta meeting was
attended by leaders including Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for alleged war crimes by the
International Criminal Court. It came amid a five-month wave of violence in
Israel and the Palestinian territories that has killed 181 Palestinians as well
as 28 Israelis. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in April 2014 and
since then the situation has deteriorated, with the prospect of fresh dialogue
appearing more remote than ever.
UK Terror Chief Warns IS
Targeting 'Western Lifestyle'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/16/Britain's most senior
counter-terrorism police officer warned on Monday of the risk of further
"spectacular" attacks by the Islamic State group as it trains its sights on
"Western lifestyle" targets. London Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner
Mark Rowley said British police had carried out a record number of
counter-terrorism arrests last year. But he warned that the Islamist group had
broadened its focus from military and police targets, noting the Paris attacks
last year when gunmen attacked bars, a concert hall and a stadium, killing 130
people. "In recent months we've seen a broadening of that, much more plans to
attack Western lifestyle, and obviously the Paris attacks in November," Rowley
told reporters. "Going from that narrow focus on police and military as symbols
of the state to something much broader. "And you see a terrorist group which has
big ambitions for enormous and spectacular attacks, not just the types that
we've seen foiled to date." Police have previously said they foiled seven plots
between late 2014 and early 2016. Across Britain, police made a record 339
arrests related to counter-terrorism in 2015, around half of which resulted in
charges being brought. Arrests in the past three years are 57 percent higher
than in the previous three years. Some 77 percent of arrests last year were
British nationals, while 14 percent were female and 13 percent were aged 20 and
under -- a new trend that reflects specific targeting by IS group jihadists of
vulnerable groups on social media. Britain has suffered only one fatal incident
of international terrorism since the July 7, 2005 attacks on the London
transport system that killed 52 people. In 2013, two Muslim converts butchered
soldier Lee Rigby near his London barracks in broad daylight. Rowley said
Britain had some advantages over other Western countries in fighting terrorism,
notably its experience with dealing with paramilitary groups linked to the
conflict in Northern Ireland and tough laws on gun control that made it
difficult to obtain firearms. The Metropolitan Police announced after the Paris
attacks that it was training another 600 firearms officers, taking the total
number to 2,800, out of a 31,000-strong force. British authorities have since
2014 assessed the country's threat from international terrorism to be severe,
the fourth of five levels meaning an attack is highly likely.
Turkey Makes 'New Proposal',
EU Summit Extended
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/16/Turkey's prime minister made a new
proposal for tackling the migrant crisis at a summit in Brussels on Monday,
leading EU leaders to extend their meeting, officials said. "There is a new
proposal. We are trying to open the way to solve this process, that's why this
is a new proposal," Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's spokesman told reporters.
He refused to give details of the new offer, but added: "We are not here just to
talk about migrants. Of course Turkey's EU accession process is an issue for us
here. "Our partners have good intentions and we have good intentions and all of
us want to solve this. We want to find common ground."European Union leaders
called the summit to follow up on a deal signed with Turkey in November, under
which Ankara agreed to cut the flow of migrants to Europe and take back more
deportees in exchange for three billion euros ($3.3 billion) in aid. The EU also
agreed to open new "chapters" in Turkey's long-stalled bid to join the EU. Irish
Prime Minister Enda Kenny told reporters said he believed that one of the issues
Turkey had brought up was speeding up the relaxation of visa regulations for
Turkish nationals traveling to Europe. European sources confirmed that the
summit, due to involve a working lunch with Davutoglu followed by a meeting of
the 28 EU leaders, had now been extended into the evening. "The Turks are
offering more, they are demanding more," a senior European source told AFP.
"It's more ambitious on all aspects." The source added: "Davutoglu has presented
some new ideas and new proposals at lunch. The EU 28 will gather at a working
session to discuss the new ideas -- that will take some time."Then we have
foreseen a dinner with the participation of Davutoglu."
N. Korea Threatens Nuclear
Strikes over South-U.S. Military Drills
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/16/North Korea threatened pre-emptive and
"indiscriminate" nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States on
Monday, as the two allies kicked off their annual, large-scale military
exercises. The drills always raise tensions on the divided Korean peninsula and
the situation is particularly volatile this year, given the North's recent
nuclear test and long-range rocket launch and its fury over tough U.N. sanctions
imposed in response. Participation in the joint exercises -- known as Key
Resolve and Foal Eagle -- has been bumped up this year to involve 300,000 South
Korean and around 17,000 U.S. troops, as well as strategic U.S. naval vessels
and air force assets. In a statement issued hours before the drills began, North
Korea's powerful National Defense Commission said it was prepared for an
"all-out" military counter-offensive. Describing the exercises as "nuclear war
drills" aimed at undermining North Korea's sovereignty, the statement said the
Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army was ready to launch a "pre-emptive
and offensive nuclear strike" in response.
Weapons on 'standby' The threat came just days after leader Kim Jong-Un ordered
the country's nuclear arsenal to be placed on standby, in response to the
sanctions resolution adopted last week by the U.N. Security Council. Pyongyang
has issued similar, dire warnings of nuclear attack in the past, usually during
periods of elevated military tensions. While the North is known to have a small
stockpile of nuclear warheads, experts are divided about its ability to mount
them on a working missile delivery system. The National Defense Commission said
plans for what it called a "pre-emptive nuclear strike of justice" had been
ratified by Kim Jong-Un. The plans would come into operation in the event of
"even the slightest military action" by the North's enemies, it said. "The
indiscriminate nuclear strike... will clearly show those keen on aggression and
war, the military mettle of (North Korea)," said the statement carried by the
North's official KCNA news agency. Targets would include operational American
bases on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere in Asia, as well as the U.S.
mainland.
'Flames and ashes'
"If we push the buttons to annihilate the enemies even right now, all bases of
provocations will be reduced to seas in flames and ashes in a moment," the
statement added. Despite a pair of successful long-range rocket launches, most
experts believe North Korea is years away from developing a genuine
inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the U.S.
mainland. In Seoul, the defence ministry cautioned the North against acting out
its bellicose rhetoric. "If North Korea launches a provocation, our military
will respond sternly and mercilessly," ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Gyun told
reporters. Pyongyang has long condemned the Foal Eagle and Key Resolve
exercises, which stretch over nearly two months, as provocative rehearsals for
invasion, while Seoul and Washington insist they are purely defensive in nature.
The North's threat of a nuclear response appeared to have been prompted, in
part, by South Korean media reports that this year's drills would role play
surgical strikes against key North Korean nuclear and missile facilities. The
scale of the exercises was ramped up following the North's fourth nuclear test
on January 6 and February's rocket launch, which was seen as a disguised
ballistic missile test.
Tough U.N. sanctions A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted last week
laid out the toughest sanctions imposed on Pyongyang to date over its nuclear
weapons program. It breaks new ground by targeting specific sectors key to the
North Korean economy and seeking to undermine the North's use of, and access to,
international transport systems. The Philippines has already seized a North
Korean cargo ship which was among 31 listed by the resolution as banned from
international ports. Pyongyang has rejected the sanctions as "unfair, illicit
and immoral" and vowed to keep building its nuclear arsenal. South Korea is set
to unveil further unilateral sanctions against the North on Tuesday -- a move
that is likely to draw further threats of retaliation from Pyongyang.
Who will head Iran’s
wealthiest foundation?
Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/March 07/16
The funeral for Ayatollah Abbas Vaez Tabasi, the former custodian of the shrine
of Imam Reza, was held March 5 in the holy city of Mashhad. It was a significant
funeral not only because of who attended — Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
President Hassan Rouhani, parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and the head of the
judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, all traveled from the capital, Tehran, to the
northeastern city to attend — but it was the end of one of the longest tenures
since the founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran. With the passing of
Ayatollah Tabasi there is now a vacancy for being custodian of one of the
wealthiest charitable foundations in the country, Astan Quds Razavi; the
position will be highly coveted for its religious and material significance.
Tabasi fell ill with respiratory problems Feb. 26, just as Iran was holding
parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections. He was a member of the Assembly
of Experts but did not run in the elections. Tabasi’s grandson announced his
passing on Telegram on March 4. He was 80 years old. Born in the city of Mashhad
to a religious family, Tabasi entered the seminary at the age of 16 and
immediately excelled. According to Tabnak news, he studied under a number of
learned clerics, and the leading cleric of Iran at the time, Grand Ayatollah
Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi, had recognized Tabasi’s talent.
For his political activities against the government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi,
Tabasi was forbidden from giving sermons and was imprisoned a number of times.
After the revolution, the former supreme leader and founder of the Islamic
Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, appointed Tabasi as his representative to
Khorasan province and as custodian of Astan Quds Razavi. When Ayatollah Khamenei
became supreme leader, he renewed Tabasi's positions. Astan Quds Razavi is a
charitable endowment that oversees the holy shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth
Shiite imam, and owns numerous subsidiary institutions, businesses and
landholdings throughout the country. There are no specific numbers of the total
wealth of the endowment but a 2004 estimate put it at $15 billion. Given that
the endowment has steadily grown under Tabasi, this figure is probably larger
today. Approximately 17 million Iranians and Shiites around the world visit the
shrine of Imam Reza every year, which is also a source of revenue for the
endowment. While Iran has other endowments, none of them have the same
“political, religious, financial and geographical status” as Astan Quds Razavi,
according to the Asre Iran news website. Ensaf News wrote, “Other than its
spiritual position because of the high volume of its economic activity and its
political power, it is considered one of the most important components of the
[position of the] supreme leader.”
Ensaf reported that due to accusations of a lack of transparency in its economic
affairs, the institution has for a long time been a source of rumors about
financial impropriety — though the article said that no accusation has ever been
proven. Throughout its history there have also been attempts to tax Astan Quds
Razavi but because it is a charitable foundation, these attempts have been
blocked.
Tabasi held this position for 37 years; no other major institution in the
country has been associated with one individual for such a long time, and
especially from its inception. Although Tabasi was close to Khamenei, he was
also believed to be close in political leanings to the pragmatist Ayatollah Ali
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and opposed the policies of hard-line officials. Asre-e
Iran wrote that former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had attempted to exert
influence over Astan Quds Razavi but was blocked by Tabasi. While a number of
names have floated around in the Iranian media as possible successors, according
to a number of Iranian websites, Prosecutor General Sayed Ibrahim Raisi is
rumored to be named as custodian of Astan Quds Razavi. Raisi, 55, was born in
Mashhad and is currently a member of the Assembly of Experts and the
conservative Combatant Clergy Association. Seyyed Mehdi Khamoushi, head of the
Islamic Propagation Organization, is another name that has been mentioned as
taking over Astan Quds Razavi. Hard-line Mashhad prayer leader Ayatollah Ahmad
Alamolhoda is rumored to take over as Khamenei’s representative to Khorasan
province.
Is Israeli-Palestinian
two-state solution almost dead?
Week in Review/Al-Monitor/March 07/16
Iran may be poised to exploit the continued divide in relations between the
Palestinian Authority and Hamas, as the PA shows further signs of strain and the
prospects for an Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution seem increasingly
unlikely. Daoud Kuttab suggests that a two-state solution may be all but dead,
absent a massive international diplomatic intervention. Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanhyahu’s “unconditional support” for expanded settlement
construction in the West Bank, including in an area known as E1, would cut off
the north and south of the West Bank from one another. “Palestinian officials
have often repeated the statement that the two-state solution is dead or almost
dead. The E1 settlement possibility is clearly one tangible case in which such a
claim can be physically checked out and proven to be truly detrimental to the
potential of an independent and interconnected Palestinian state,” Kuttab
writes.
Akiva Eldar laments that Morocco’s decision not to host the Arab League summit
this year is another sign of the missed opportunity offered by the
Saudi-brokered Arab Peace Initiative of 2002. Kuttab proposes that “an
international effort to replicate the Iranian agreement process and solve the
intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict might work if there is seriousness
behind the French effort and if Washington is willing to spend political capital
to make it work.”
The PA’s fortunes are directly linked to the prospects for peace. Adnan Abu Amer
reports that donor support for the PA is “going downhill.” He writes, "On Sept.
29, the World Bank expressed concern that the continued decline of international
assistance to the PA would cause instability and political conflict. If a
Palestinian state fails to emerge, stuck in a political dead-end with Israel,
then international decision-makers will find it difficult to convince their
constituents of the need to continue financing the PA, leading to the latter’s
gradual inability to carry out its duties, services and administrative
responsibilities to the Palestinian populace and its ultimate collapse.”
Meanwhile, attempts to reconcile Hamas and the PA continue to flounder. Abu Amer
reports that Qatar tried and failed to broker a deal between Hamas and PA
leaders in Doha last month. Hazem Balousha writes that Hamas’ links to Egypt’s
Muslim Brotherhood could be under strain after the Jordanian Brotherhood’s Shura
Council broke ties with the Egyptian branch last month. Balousha writes, “It
seems that Hamas is not about to announce any fundamental change in its ideology
or links to the Muslim Brotherhood because it believes the region is in crisis
and would thus prefer to wait until these crises are resolved and choices have
been made.”
Asmaa al-Ghoul reports from the Gaza Strip that “initiatives” by political
leaders have become excuses for inaction, rather than calls to action. Ghoul
writes, “These political initiatives, which have engulfed the Palestinian
political action, did not solve the accumulated crises in the Gaza Strip crisis
— reconciliation is stalled, electricity is cut for more than 12 hours a day and
the Rafah crossing remains closed and is only opened at intervals. All of this
makes the initiatives seem like a mere public show.”
Iran, meanwhile, seems poised to enhance its own position as a broker or spoiler
on the Israeli-Palestinian fault line, a trend we have been covering in this
column and in Palestine Pulse for over three years. Back in November 2012 we
wrote, “Iran revealed that it has the wherewithal to shift the equation and
provide some payback [in Gaza], even in those areas where its adversaries
allegedly hold sway.”
Shlomi Eldar reports that Iran’s ambassador to Beirut has shrewdly offered aid
and support to the families of Palestinians who died committing attacks against
Israelis. “It looks like Iran understands that what is happening now in the PA
will have far-reaching, significant consequences. A full-blown intifada could
shift priorities abruptly, and if Iran stakes a claim in the West Bank, it could
influence the character of Palestine on the very next day,” Eldar writes.
Eldar reviews Iran’s record of support for both the PA and Hamas. “Iran’s
interest in the region and its involvement in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
are nothing new, and Iran's past behavior gives some indication of the way it
thinks,” he writes. “Iran is trying yet again to get a foothold in the West
Bank. Its money will probably not go into the PA’s coffers, since the government
is considered to be collaborating with Israel. Rather, it will go to individual
families through Islamic welfare institutions that assist Palestinians in the
occupied territories. These institutions tend to be identified with Hamas and
operate freely throughout the West Bank. Even when Hamas' relations with Iran
chilled following the outbreak of the Syria war, Iran continued supporting the
groups. Iran's generosity will make life much easier for the institutions and
strengthen their influence across the West Bank. Therefore, while Abbas
certainly understands the significance of an Iranian foothold in the
territories, he is utterly unable to take on these “charitable” organizations.”
Syrian military presses attack on Islamic State
Khaled Atallah reports from Damascus that Syrian military and allied forces have
pressed an offensive against the Islamic State east of Hama.
Under the agreement for a cessation of hostilities in Syria negotiated last
month, attacks are still permitted against IS and Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s
affiliate in Syria. Both the Syrian government and Syrian armed groups have
blamed each other for violations of the agreement, but the sides are otherwise
respecting the Feb. 27 agreement.
“In terms of the forces participating in the battle alongside the Syrian army,
he [Jamal Hazouri, a war correspondent accompanying the Syrian army forces]
noted that hundreds of young people from the tribes of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor are
taking part in the battle, fighting under the banner of the national defense
forces. These forces consist of a militia formed by the regime to include young
volunteers, be they Syrians or foreigners. They have been fighting alongside the
army since the beginning of 2013,” Atallah reports. “The Raqqa battle is still
relatively far away if we look at it from the perspective of distances that the
Syrian army would have to cross. But from an ambitious perspective, it has
become imminent.”
Jaish al-Islam is not a “rebel” group
The Washington Post reports on March 5 that the “powerful rebel group Jaish
al-Islam” released a statement claiming that “the cease-fire had failed to stop
pro-government advances, including near the rebel group’s stronghold east of
Damascus, the capital.”
Sorry, Jaish al-Islam is no “rebel” group. This column has repeatedly called for
clarity in reporting about armed groups operating in Syria. Jaish Al-Islam is a
foreign-backed, jihadist entity fueled by an ideology of sectarian bigotry and
hatred that mirrors that of Jabhat al-Nusra and IS. It militarily collaborates
with Jabhat al-Nusra and that may be why it is the target of recent attacks. If
so, we say let it be. Syria is better served when Jaish al-Islam, like Jabhat
al-Nusra and IS, are driven out of Syria for good. Labeling Jaish al-Islam
fighters as “rebels” is both inaccurate and a disservice to the many Syrians
among the opposition who seek a unified and nonsectarian future for their
country. Ali Mamouri analyzed the hate-filled ideology of former Jaish al-Islam
leader Zahran Alloush. It is worth reading again.
Al-Monitor Syria Timeline
Julian Pecquet this week presents a timeline of the perspectives of US officials
on US policy toward Syria.
He writes, “At the root of the Obama policy's failure, argues former Ambassador
Ryan Crocker, was the mistaken impression that Bashar al-Assad would be as easy
to dislodge as other dictators felled by the Arab Spring. As ambassador to
Syria, Crocker had formed firsthand impressions of the Syrian regime's
"near-perfect police state" in one-on-one discussions with the future Syrian
leader in the late 1990s, but no one in the administration asked for his opinion
before announcing that Assad had to go. "It's Diplomacy 101: Never set a policy
if you don't have the means to achieve it," Crocker told Al-Monitor. "That was a
policy based on hope, which we all know is a fairly idiotic concept."
A Path Out of the Middle East
Collapse
By Henry A. Kissinger/October16/15
The debate about whether the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran
regarding its nuclear program stabilized the Middle East’s strategic framework
had barely begun when the region’s geopolitical framework collapsed. Russia’s
unilateral military action in Syria is the latest symptom of the disintegration
of the American role in stabilizing the Middle East order that emerged from the
Arab-Israeli war of 1973.
In the aftermath of that conflict, Egypt abandoned its military ties with the
Soviet Union and joined an American-backed negotiating process that produced
peace treaties between Israel and Egypt, and Israel and Jordan, a United
Nations-supervised disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria, which has
been observed for over four decades (even by the parties of the Syrian civil
war), and international support of Lebanon’s sovereign territorial integrity.
Later, Saddam Hussein’s war to incorporate Kuwait into Iraq was defeated by an
international coalition under U.S. leadership. American forces led the war
against terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the
other Gulf States were our allies in all these efforts. The Russian military
presence disappeared from the region.
That geopolitical pattern is now in shambles. Four states in the region have
ceased to function as sovereign. Libya, Yemen, Syria and Iraq have become
targets for nonstate movements seeking to impose their rule. Over large swaths
in Iraq and Syria, an ideologically radical religious army has declared itself
the Islamic State (also called ISIS or ISIL) as an unrelenting foe of
established world order. It seeks to replace the international system’s
multiplicity of states with a caliphate, a single Islamic empire governed by
Shariah law.
ISIS’ claim has given the millennium-old split between the Shiite and Sunni
sects of Islam an apocalyptic dimension. The remaining Sunni states feel
threatened by both the religious fervor of ISIS as well as by Shiite Iran,
potentially the most powerful state in the region. Iran compounds its menace by
presenting itself in a dual capacity. On one level, Iran acts as a legitimate
Westphalian state conducting traditional diplomacy, even invoking the safeguards
of the international system. At the same time, it organizes and guides nonstate
actors seeking regional hegemony based on jihadist principles: Hezbollah in
Lebanon and Syria; Hamas in Gaza; the Houthis in Yemen.
Thus the Sunni Middle East risks engulfment by four concurrent sources:
Shiite-governed Iran and its legacy of Persian imperialism; ideologically and
religiously radical movements striving to overthrow prevalent political
structures; conflicts within each state between ethnic and religious groups
arbitrarily assembled after World War I into (now collapsing) states; and
domestic pressures stemming from detrimental political, social and economic
domestic policies.
The fate of Syria provides a vivid illustration: What started as a Sunni revolt
against the Alawite (a Shiite offshoot) autocrat Bashar Assad fractured the
state into its component religious and ethnic groups, with nonstate militias
supporting each warring party, and outside powers pursuing their own strategic
interests. Iran supports the Assad regime as the linchpin of an Iranian historic
dominance stretching from Tehran to the Mediterranean. The Gulf States insist on
the overthrow of Mr. Assad to thwart Shiite Iranian designs, which they fear
more than Islamic State. They seek the defeat of ISIS while avoiding an Iranian
victory. This ambivalence has been deepened by the nuclear deal, which in the
Sunni Middle East is widely interpreted as tacit American acquiescence in
Iranian hegemony.
These conflicting trends, compounded by America’s retreat from the region, have
enabled Russia to engage in military operations deep in the Middle East, a
deployment unprecedented in Russian history. Russia’s principal concern is that
the Assad regime’s collapse could reproduce the chaos of Libya, bring ISIS into
power in Damascus, and turn all of Syria into a haven for terrorist operations,
reaching into Muslim regions inside Russia’s southern border in the Caucasus and
elsewhere.
On the surface, Russia’s intervention serves Iran’s policy of sustaining the
Shiite element in Syria. In a deeper sense, Russia’s purposes do not require the
indefinite continuation of Mr. Assad’s rule. It is a classic balance-of-power
maneuver to divert the Sunni Muslim terrorist threat from Russia’s southern
border region. It is a geopolitical, not an ideological, challenge and should be
dealt with on that level. Whatever the motivation, Russian forces in the
region—and their participation in combat operations—produce a challenge that
American Middle East policy has not encountered in at least four decades.
American policy has sought to straddle the motivations of all parties and is
therefore on the verge of losing the ability to shape events. The U.S. is now
opposed to, or at odds in some way or another with, all parties in the region:
with Egypt on human rights; with Saudi Arabia over Yemen; with each of the
Syrian parties over different objectives. The U.S. proclaims the determination
to remove Mr. Assad but has been unwilling to generate effective
leverage—political or military—to achieve that aim. Nor has the U.S. put forward
an alternative political structure to replace Mr. Assad should his departure
somehow be realized.
Russia, Iran, ISIS and various terrorist organizations have moved into this
vacuum: Russia and Iran to sustain Mr. Assad; Tehran to foster imperial and
jihadist designs. The Sunni states of the Persian Gulf, Jordan and Egypt, faced
with the absence of an alternative political structure, favor the American
objective but fear the consequence of turning Syria into another Libya.
American policy on Iran has moved to the center of its Middle East policy. The
administration has insisted that it will take a stand against jihadist and
imperialist designs by Iran and that it will deal sternly with violations of the
nuclear agreement. But it seems also passionately committed to the quest for
bringing about a reversal of the hostile, aggressive dimension of Iranian policy
through historic evolution bolstered by negotiation.
The prevailing U.S. policy toward Iran is often compared by its advocates to the
Nixon administration’s opening to China, which contributed, despite some
domestic opposition, to the ultimate transformation of the Soviet Union and the
end of the Cold War. The comparison is not apt. The opening to China in 1971 was
based on the mutual recognition by both parties that the prevention of Russian
hegemony in Eurasia was in their common interest. And 42 Soviet divisions lining
the Sino-Soviet border reinforced that conviction. No comparable strategic
agreement exists between Washington and Tehran. On the contrary, in the
immediate aftermath of the nuclear accord, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei described the U.S. as the “Great Satan” and rejected negotiations with
America about nonnuclear matters. Completing his geopolitical diagnosis, Mr.
Khamenei also predicted that Israel would no longer exist in 25 years.
Forty-five years ago, the expectations of China and the U.S. were symmetrical.
The expectations underlying the nuclear agreement with Iran are not. Tehran will
gain its principal objectives at the beginning of the implementation of the
accord. America’s benefits reside in a promise of Iranian conduct over a period
of time. The opening to China was based on an immediate and observable
adjustment in Chinese policy, not on an expectation of a fundamental change in
China’s domestic system. The optimistic hypothesis on Iran postulates that
Tehran’s revolutionary fervor will dissipate as its economic and cultural
interactions with the outside world increase.
American policy runs the risk of feeding suspicion rather than abating it. Its
challenge is that two rigid and apocalyptic blocs are confronting each other: a
Sunni bloc consisting of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States; and
the Shiite bloc comprising Iran, the Shiite sector of Iraq with Baghdad as its
capital, the Shiite south of Lebanon under Hezbollah control facing Israel, and
the Houthi portion of Yemen, completing the encirclement of the Sunni world. In
these circumstances, the traditional adage that the enemy of your enemy can be
treated as your friend no longer applies. For in the contemporary Middle East,
it is likely that the enemy of your enemy remains your enemy.
A great deal depends on how the parties interpret recent events. Can the
disillusionment of some of our Sunni allies be mitigated? How will Iran’s
leaders interpret the nuclear accord once implemented—as a near-escape from
potential disaster counseling a more moderate course, returning Iran to an
international order? Or as a victory in which they have achieved their essential
aims against the opposition of the U.N. Security Council, having ignored
American threats and, hence, as an incentive to continue Tehran’s dual approach
as both a legitimate state and a nonstate movement challenging the international
order?
Two-power systems are prone to confrontation, as was demonstrated in Europe in
the run-up to World War I. Even with traditional weapons technology, to sustain
a balance of power between two rigid blocs requires an extraordinary ability to
assess the real and potential balance of forces, to understand the accumulation
of nuances that might affect this balance, and to act decisively to restore it
whenever it deviates from equilibrium—qualities not heretofore demanded of an
America sheltered behind two great oceans.
But the current crisis is taking place in a world of nontraditional nuclear and
cyber technology. As competing regional powers strive for comparable threshold
capacity, the nonproliferation regime in the Middle East may crumble. If nuclear
weapons become established, a catastrophic outcome is nearly inevitable. A
strategy of pre-emption is inherent in the nuclear technology. The U.S. must be
determined to prevent such an outcome and apply the principle of
nonproliferation to all nuclear aspirants in the region.
Too much of our public debate deals with tactical expedients. What we need is a
strategic concept and to establish priorities on the following principles:
• So long as ISIS survives and remains in control of a geographically defined
territory, it will compound all Middle East tensions. Threatening all sides and
projecting its goals beyond the region, it freezes existing positions or tempts
outside efforts to achieve imperial jihadist designs. The destruction of ISIS is
more urgent than the overthrow of Bashar Assad, who has already lost over half
of the area he once controlled. Making sure that this territory does not become
a permanent terrorist haven must have precedence. The current inconclusive U.S.
military effort risks serving as a recruitment vehicle for ISIS as having stood
up to American might.
• The U.S. has already acquiesced in a Russian military role. Painful as this is
to the architects of the 1973 system, attention in the Middle East must remain
focused on essentials. And there exist compatible objectives. In a choice among
strategies, it is preferable for ISIS-held territory to be reconquered either by
moderate Sunni forces or outside powers than by Iranian jihadist or imperial
forces. For Russia, limiting its military role to the anti-ISIS campaign may
avoid a return to Cold War conditions with the U.S.
• The reconquered territories should be restored to the local Sunni rule that
existed there before the disintegration of both Iraqi and Syrian sovereignty.
The sovereign states of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as Egypt and Jordan,
should play a principal role in that evolution. After the resolution of its
constitutional crisis, Turkey could contribute creatively to such a process.
• As the terrorist region is being dismantled and brought under nonradical
political control, the future of the Syrian state should be dealt with
concurrently. A federal structure could then be built between the Alawite and
Sunni portions. If the Alawite regions become part of a Syrian federal system, a
context will exist for the role of Mr. Assad, which reduces the risks of
genocide or chaos leading to terrorist triumph.
• The U.S. role in such a Middle East would be to implement the military
assurances in the traditional Sunni states that the administration promised
during the debate on the Iranian nuclear agreement, and which its critics have
demanded.
• In this context, Iran’s role can be critical. The U.S. should be prepared for
a dialogue with an Iran returning to its role as a Westphalian state within its
established borders.
The U.S. must decide for itself the role it will play in the 21st century; the
Middle East will be our most immediate—and perhaps most severe—test. At question
is not the strength of American arms but rather American resolve in
understanding and mastering a new world.
Mr. Kissinger served as national-security adviser and secretary of state under
Presidents Nixon and Ford.
Russia
and Iran: Unholy alliance for a new order?
Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/March 07/16
Putin and Assad are exacerbating the refugees crisis in Europe to overwhelm EU
countries and eventually break up the Union. These were the words of General
Phil Breedlove, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Europe and head of the US
European Command, during a testimony in the Congress.
Iran, on the other hand, is using militias and non-state actors to sew sectarian
and religious driven violence in the Middle East Arabic speaking countries. Both
Russia and Iran seem to be, in the short run, at least in sync to drive state
system in two regions of the world toward fragmentation and destruction, and
therefore maybe to replace them with a new order.
Russian Vladimir Putin's relationship with Europe is a list of dysfunctional
entente. EU’s openness eastward after the breakup of the Soviet Union was never
perceived easily in Moscow. Ukraine’s bid to unshackle itself of the Soviet era
practices and reform its state institutions with western help alarmed Moscow.
Putin quickly annexed Crimea and opened a wound in the eastern part of the
country between Ukrainians of Russian descent and their neighbors. This resulted
in low intensity insurgencies calling with the help of Russia’s military to
break up from Kiev Rule. Europe’s sanctions hit the Kremlin ego before it made
its impact felt in the financial market.
Moscow’s isolation on the world stage followed and this was not digested by
Putin in his third term in office during which his clear aim was to reinstate
Russia as a world player.
Emboldened Iran
An emboldened Iran before and after the nuclear deal with the US, UN and EU led
Tehran further into its belligerent proxy wars with Arab neighbors. From Gaza to
Beirut, Baghdad to Damascus, Sanaa, and Manama, Iran’s tools are active at
sewing dissent and sectarian tension. It is either in the name of defending the
dispossessed Shiites in the world or for exporting its Islamic revolution or in
the name of resisting Israeli Zionism, which wore off since the end of the 90s.
In Iraq, Shiite political and military forces linked to Iran have inherited the
country in post Saddam Iraq. ISIS takeover of parts of Iraq two years ago
followed years of sectarian discrimination by the central government in Baghdad
against the country’s Sunni Arabs.
In Yemen, the Iranians did not shy away from claiming that they would defend
Houthi militias when Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies launched military
operation to reinstate the legitimate government of president Abd Rabbo Mansour
Hadi.
This followed years of suspicion that Iran is working to prop up Houthis Shiite
minority in northern Yemen to potentially undermine peace and security in the
southern Saudi Arabian border towns with Yemen, also inhabited by the Shiites.
In Syria, Iran sent weapons, cash, advisors and mercenary Shiite militia from
Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon to try to help Assad regime stay in power. The
intervention began under the pretext of protecting Shiite shrines in and around
Damascus. This religious or sectarian stance shifted when a crony of Ayatollah
Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said that allowing Assad regime to fall is
tantamount to the "fall of Tehran".
The developments in Iraq, and the calls for its division, the calls to break up
Syria and the Iranian control of Lebanon through Hezbollah militia are all
indicative of Tehran's policy to encourage discord within neighboring Arab
countries
Last but not the least, Iran invested in the Lebanese Hezbollah, a sectarian
Shiite party that championed the fight against Israel in the 90s. Though
Hezbollah genesis in 1982 clearly called for an Islamic state in Lebanon
modelled after the Iranian revolution in Iran, this was muted in the nineties as
the party consolidated its grip on organs of the Lebanese state while developing
under Iran patronage its international military cells in countries as far as
Latin America and Asia and as close as the Gulf Arab states.
The latest Gulf Cooperation Council communique, naming Hezbollah a terrorist
organization bent on recruiting Arab youth with the aim to radicalize them and
turn them against their states and societies, is a clear indication of how Iran
has worked to undermine its neighbors’ governments and potentially sow the seeds
for a new order of state-lets dominated by Tehran.
The developments in Iraq, and the calls for its division, the calls to break up
Syria and the Iranian control of Lebanon through Hezbollah militia are all
indicative of Tehran's policy to encourage discord within neighboring Arab
countries. The declaration of Hezbollah in Lebanon a terrorist entity is a step
in the right direction to tell Iran that its proxy wars using Arab Shiite as
tools will no longer be tolerated. The declaration of Saudi Arabia that it is to
form an Islamic and Arab armed coalition to ensure that Syria’s Assad is removed
by diplomacy or through the use of force is another indication that some
countries in the Middle East, like in Europe, are ready to stand with
territorial unity of nations such as Iraq and Syria. Doing otherwise is to leave
the field wide open for Tsarist Russian ambitions, and Iranian ethnically fueled
supremacy dreams. The regional drawing board might be opened since the US has
disengaged and Europe is busy housing its refugees.
Will Taliban be accepted as a pragmatic alternative
to ISIS?
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/March 07/16
Once again, it seems that efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table
and end the dispute between them and the Western-backed government in Kabul will
come to nothing. We may think that this is regrettable, but from their point of
view, this is the most reasonable course of action.
At the moment, the Taliban are in the ascendency in Afghanistan. They have
survived the onslaught of 10 years of fighting the United States and their
allies, and have since re-established themselves as the most credible military
force on the ground. Without its Western backers, the Kabul government can hold
its own in some areas, but it cannot hope to establish dominance over most of
the country. It can hold Kabul and neighbouring areas, and be safe in that
stronghold, but not much more. The Taliban are in a position of relative
strength. And if their goal is to re-establish the pre-invasion Islamist regime,
they do not stand to gain very much from any negotiations. This situation is
developing against two very important background factors. The first is the rise
of ISIS in Afghanistan. And ISIS is a target of opportunity for the Taliban. On
the one hand, ISIS is largely a foreign fighting force – Afghan Islamists are
much more likely to favour the Taliban. And on the other, Kabul’s Western
backers are much more terrified of ISIS than they are of the Taliban.
In this situation, the Taliban can claim to be the force most likely to be able
to defeat ISIS and drive them out of the country – even to Kabul’s Western
allies. The second factor is the US election. As things stand, Hilary Clinton is
the most likely to win the presidency. If she wins, it is inconceivable that the
United States will have any appetite to get dragged into Afghanistan again.
The Kabul government is barely holding on against either the Taliban or ISIS on
its own and they will not be receiving any extra hard backing
There is just too little to gain, and very much indeed to lose. Prospective
Republicans are more likely to war-monger but even with them it is hard to
imagine the rationale which might get them back into the country. In these
circumstances, the West can claim all it wants that they stand with the Kabul
government against whoever poses a threat to them. The Kabul government is
barely holding on against either the Taliban or ISIS on its own, and they will
not be receiving any extra hard backing.
Assad position
So the Taliban are betting that they will eventually be in a position similar to
that of Assad in Syria: they are hoping to become the only pragmatic alternative
to ISIS in their region. And they expect that when the West finally acknowledges
this reality, they will move aside and let them have the country once again.
Already, much of the stage is set for this. Consider the perception of the
conflict in the West. It has been many, many years since Taliban brutality or
atrocities have been reported in the West as such. On the other hand, most of us
will have lost whatever sympathy we may have had for the “democratic” Kabul
government – it has proven to be every bit as corrupt, authoritarian, and brutal
as any of the dubious regimes we have supported around the world. By now,
whatever moral distinction we would have wanted to draw between the two will
have been very much blurred. And on the other side, ISIS does what ISIS usually
does: it is by far the most awful and inhuman actor, and shocks everyone else
out of their senses with the way they revel in their grotesque brutality. How
long before “pragmatic” voices in the media and the defense establishment start
calling for us to make “pragmatic”, “hard choices” and allow one group of
fanatical murderers to take over the country, so that the other group of
fanatical murderers does not?
The Role of Iranian moderates in the crisis with the
Gulf
Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya/March 07/16
The verbal war between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Iran
escalated recently, with the designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist group in
response to speeches by its secretary general Hassan Nasrallah challenging Saudi
Arabia, accusing it of terrorism, and vowing to confront it in Yemen where
Riyadh’s national security is directly affected. This happened in parallel with
elections in Iran, which ended up trimming the wings of the hardliners with a
significant victory for moderates and reformists. These results have important
implications that must be analyzed in order to forecast events in the proxy
battlefields from Syria and Iraq to Yemen and Lebanon. Signs of anxiety over
these elections were clear in Hezbollah’s escalation in a way that overtook
Iranian attitudes, especially those coming from the moderate camp.
So which discourse and what strategy should the GCC nations adopt in this
critical phase of the relations with Iran and its allies, including Hezbollah
but also states like Russia and the United States? Should Moscow and Washington
play any role to help bring de-escalation between the Gulf and Iran, stop the
bleeding in war zones, and prevent a new arena for attrition from being launched
in Lebanon? Nasrallah’s speech this week brought justifications for the Gulf
decisions, including the Saudi decision to suspend a grant to the Lebanese army
and the designation of Hezbollah as a terror group. However, I believe,
suspending the Saudi grant to the Lebanese army is not the right as I think that
the policy of cutting one’s nose to spite one’s face benefits Hezbollah and
Iran, and weakens their opponents, not to mention harms Lebanon’s fragile
stability.
Nasrallah thankfully reassured the Lebanese people that the decision to take to
the streets is in his hands, and not in the hands of a bunch of youths who can
threaten stability. He was clear and firm in his television appearance. This
followed riots by his supporters under the pretext of protesting against a
television show that had mocked the Hezbollah chief.
However, Nasrallah implicated Lebanon in the war in Yemen in the same speech,
claiming Lebanon’s national interests requires not remaining silent about what
is happening in the south Arabian nation.
Public admission
In truth, Nasrallah's remarks are a public admission that Hezbollah is fighting
in Yemen as the Arab coalition has accused it of doing. It also suggests that it
is a partner on the ground of the Houthis and former President Ali Abdullah
Saleh, just like it is a partner of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the
Syrian civil war, which has killed around half a million Syrians and displaced
millions of others.
The most serious point in the speech was that Nasrallah decided to implicate
Lebanon in the war in Yemen, when he spoke about the “national interest” in not
remaining silent and taking part in the war. Since he decided to summon the
whole of Saudi Arabia to a personal duel with him, he said: “The greatest thing
I have done in my life is giving a speech on the second day of the Saudi war on
Yemen”.
Thus, what the Hezbollah chief did was to declare the continuation of his war on
the Arab coalition in Yemen led by Saudi Arabia. This position is one of the
most important reasons behind the Gulf response against Hezbollah. Most likely,
the Gulf nations will not reverse their travel bans against Lebanon, and Saudi
Arabia will not reverse its decision to suspend the $4 billion grant to the
Lebanese army, which both cost Lebanon dearly.
But did Nasrallah escalate on Yemen at Iran’s request or was it an independent
decision? The escalation is not just verbal, as Nasrallah told us, but it is a
military one. The escalation and implicating Lebanon in this manner undoes the
reassurances Nasrallah made at the start of his speech.
The Russian and American leadership must realize how serious this is, and move
immediately with Tehran to prevent Lebanon from getting involved in Yemen
through Hezbollah. This is where American-Russian diplomacy could intervene to
help mend Saudi-Iranian relations. Lebanon, more than any time in the past, is
the necessary first stop. It is very crucial to uphold its neutrality and impose
the election of a president there. Hezbollah must not be allowed to continue
taking the country hostage amid the presidential vacuum, and drag Lebanon into
others’ wars.
Saudi Arabia and the GCC nations must decide whether they want to be drawn into
verbal provocation with their eyes wide shut or whether they want to adopt a
comprehensive strategy including towards Iran with open minds. The traditional
notion many in the Gulf is that “they are all the same” in reference to the
ruling elites in Tehran, be they moderates or hardliners, and that the goal of
the country is to export the Islamic Revolution to Arab countries and the
implementation of regional domination.
Even if this is true, this notion requires reconsideration in light of the facts
on the ground in Iran, including the results of the elections that could be a
window to a different kind of thinking in the Gulf capitals.
The victory of the moderate President Hassan Rowhani in parliament dealt a heavy
blow to the hardliners and the Revolutionary Guards. The victory of the
moderates and reformists in the Assembly of Experts, whose members will elect
the next supreme leader, has important implications. The majority of Iranians
voted for moderates represented by Rowhani, former President Mohammad Khatami
and head of the Expediency Council, Rafsanjani.
People close to Rowhani stressed repeatedly that he and his supporters have
different programs from those of the hardliners, especially in terms of meddling
in Arab nations and proxy wars with Saudi Arabia. According to informed sources,
Rowhani told a European official during his recent visit that stability in Saudi
Arabia is important for Iran and that Saudi destabilization at the hands of
groups like ISIS or al-Qaeda is a threat to Tehran.
The Russian and American leadership must move immediately with Tehran to prevent
Lebanon from getting involved in Yemen through Hezbollah. This is where
American-Russian diplomacy could intervene to help mend Saudi-Iranian relations
During the seminar in the framework of the Valdai Forum in Moscow, Iranian
professor Mohammed Marandi, despite inciting against Saudi Arabia and using a
provocative language towards Wahhabism, Saudi Arabia, and Saudi policies in
Yemen, insisted that instability was undesirable in Saudi Arabia.
These positions, even if Riyadh questions them, are well worth building on them
as part of a purposeful strategy. Riyadh can decide that verbal escalation is
best ignored, and that the best tactic is to work seriously towards securing an
Iranian pledge not to tamper with Saudi stability. This can be achieved either
through direct channels with the moderates after the elections, or through
Russian-American channels. Indeed, Russia is eager to mediate between Saudi
Arabia and Iran.
Secondly, the setback suffered by the hardliners could be a gateway to a
different political discourse in the Gulf countries, by giving moderates a
chance. This does not prevent insisting on key positions, but it is worthwhile
to capitalize on the results of the elections as part of well thought out
strategies.
Some say the American wager on empowering moderates in Iran as a result of the
nuclear deal and the lifting of the sanctions has succeeded, and that
American-Russian partnership in this regard has managed to rein in Iran’s
nuclear ambitions and remove the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal, both key
demands for Israel. The two partners in Syria and Iran have pursued an approach
of containment by engagement with Tehran, and partnership instead of
confrontation in Syria.
Both powers are saying there is no need to worry about having a long-term
strategic relationship with Iran, citing the growth of the moderate camp in Iran
at the expense of the hardliners. Both powers want the Gulf countries to pursue
similar relations based on political realism instead of panic, polarization, and
attrition.
Moscow’s strategy
These days there is talk about major new strategies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria,
Libya, and Lebanon. They say Moscow’s strategic relationship is not confined to
Iran and Shiites, but is in the process of expanding into Sunni Arabs through
Egypt and Algeria, while emphasizing on victory against terror in Syria and on
safeguarding strategic interests including oil and gas. Regarding Yemen,
high-level Gulf sources confirmed that Russia has extended intelligence aid to
the Arab alliance in addition to silent consent. Other non-Gulf sources say
Russia and the US want to provide a way for a dignified exit strategy that would
preserve Saudi national interests in Yemen. In Iraq, there is talk about US and
Russian plans to appease Sunnis there, to be able to defeat ISIS in return for
guarantees that their rights would be safeguarded in Iraq.
In Libya, Russia is ready to turn the page that had unleashed its nationalist
tendencies, when it felt NATO had betrayed it through a Security Council
resolution. It is believed that Moscow is not opposed to an American-European
intervention there to prevent ISIS or al-Qaeda from taking over.
On Syria, sources close to the thinking in Tehran say Iran does not want to
partition the country, as this would weaken its influence there after so much
“investment” in Syria. The sources also say that Tehran, ultimately, and under
the moderates’ rule, will not cling to Bashar al-Assad though it will not rush
to declare this yet. The talk about partitioning and federalism in Syria is
dictated by what is happening on the ground. This comes perhaps in the context
of federalism in Russia and the US and not in the sense of separate states.
As for Lebanon, it is growing more fragile as major powers ignore it. It is time
for major powers to take Lebanon’s brittleness seriously and to prevent its
disintegration by adopting certain measures. This can begin by reining in of
those who are implicating the country in the Yemeni war and turn it into a
testing ground for Saudi-Iranian confidence building measures in the new Iranian
era.
**This article was first published in Al-Hayat on Mar. 04, 2016 and translated
by Karim Traboulsi.
Lebanon’s Failure To Support
Saudi Arabia In Struggle With Iran Sparks Crisis Between Lebanon And Saudi-Led
Gulf
By: E. B. Picali and E. Ezrahi/MEMRI/March 07/16
Introduction
http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/9061.htm
In recent weeks, a deep crisis has developed in Lebanese-Saudi relations, to the
extent that Saudi Arabia took punitive measures against Lebanon: halting a $4
billion aid package to the Lebanese security forces;[1] issuing a travel warning
for this country, and taking a decision to expel Lebanese nationals from Saudi
Arabia. In addition, on March 2, 2016 the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
and the council of Arab interior ministers both issued resolutions, initiated by
Saudi Arabia, to designate Hizbullah a terrorist organization.[2]
The crisis was triggered when Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, who is
close to Hizbullah, declined in two major Arab forums to endorse resolutions
supporting Saudi Arabia and condemning Iran, in particular condemning the
January 2, 2016 attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran.[3]
This Lebanese position evoked fury in Saudi Arabia, prompting the kingdom to
announce a “reassessment” of its relations with Lebanon and to cancel the aid
package intended for Lebanon. The other Gulf countries, with the exception of
Oman, immediately joined the Saudi position and took measures of their own
against Lebanon. The Saudi anger at Lebanon was also expressed in the Saudi and
Gulf press, which published dozens of articles that blamed Hizbullah for the
Lebanese position and accused this organization of “hijacking” Lebanon and
taking over its decision-making, and transforming it into a province of Iran.
The Saudi and Gulf measures against Lebanon evoked responses from the two rival
political camps in the country: on the one hand Hizbullah and its political
allies, who supported the position of Foreign Minister Bassil, and on the other
hand the pro-Saudi March 14 Forces, who attacked Hizbullah and sided with Saudi
Arabia. The tension between the camps was also reflected in the pro-Hizbullah
press. Articles warned the March 14 Forces against taking measures that could
lead to an explosion similar to what happened in Lebanon on March 7, 2008, when
Hizbullah took over Beirut and other parts of the country by force of arms.[4]
These recent developments in Saudi-Lebanese relations are yet another round in
the years-long struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran for influence in Lebanon.
The balance of power in this struggle has long been tipping in favor of Iran,
mainly thanks to the considerable political and military clout wielded in
Lebanon by its ally, Hizbullah, and also thanks to Iran’s wide influence zone,
which stretches through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon, due to Iran’s involvement in
the Syrian crisis and the presence of its Revolutionary Guards forces in the
area. For Saudi Arabia, Lebanon’s failure to support the pro-Saudi resolutions –
reflecting a further increase in Lebanon’s inclination towards Iran – was a
breaking point. This development prompted Saudi Arabia to withdraw its support
from Lebanon, despite the harm this could cause to its allies there, the March
14 Forces.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia’s hostility towards Hizbullah increased, due to
the latter’s security and military involvement in Bahrain and Kuwait, and
especially its military involvement in Syria, which are part of the
Saudi-Iranian struggle in the region. Recently, Saudi Arabia even accused
Hizbullah of arming and training the Houthi rebels in Yemen and of helping them
to stage terror attacks against Saudi Arabia. According to Ahmad Al-’Asiri, an
advisor to the Saudi defense minister and the spokesman of the Arab coalition
for the war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has proof that Hizbullah sent fighters to
Yemen to train and assist the Houthis in their war with the Arab coalition.[5]
Hizbullah’s involvement in Yemen is seen by Saudi Arabia as a direct threat to
its national security. By halting its aid to Lebanon, the kingdom may be trying
to hurt Hizbullah at home by pressuring the Lebanese government and public to
act against this organization.
Moreover, the current Saudi criticism is not confined to Hizbullah and its
allies in Lebanon, including Foreign Minister Bassil, but also extends to Saudi
Arabia’s allies in this country, the March 14 Forces. Articles in the Saudi
press accused the March 14 Forces, headed by the Al-Mustaqbal faction chairman
Sa’d Al-Hariri and Prime Minister Tammam Salam, of capitulating to Hizbullah and
failing to defend Saudi Arabia and Lebanon’s Arab identity, out of fear. Saudi
Arabia, it seems, holds its allies in Lebanon and in the Lebanese government
responsible for the situation and demands that they change it. The revoking of
the aid package – which includes $1 billion earmarked for the Lebanese internal
security service, which is associated with Al-Mustaqbal leader Sa’d Al-Hariri –
is one reflection of its ire. In addition, Arab coalition spokesman Ahmad Al-’Asiri
explicitly called on Lebanon to stop Hizbullah from sending fighters to Yemen
and Syria.[6]
Following Saudi Arabia’s punitive measures, and especially after the OIC and the
interior ministers’ council designated Hizbullah a terrorist organization, the
Lebanese government, and especially the March 14 Forces, found themselves in a
difficult situation: Saudi Arabia expected them to side with it and take a
stance against Hizbullah, but they feared taking measures that would anger
Hizbullah and could harm Lebanon’s internal stability. A reflection of this fear
came on March 2, 2016, when Lebanese Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk, who
belongs to the Al-Mustaqbal faction, Saudi Arabia’s ally in Lebanon, refused to
support Saudi Arabia’s designation of Hizbullah as a terrorist organization.
Machnouk’s position naturally sparked angry responses from Saudi Arabia, and
Machnouk returned fire, hinting that Saudi Arabia was responsible for Lebanon’s
current state by saying that the Arab countries had neglected Lebanon for years.
In recent days, the tension between Saudi Arabia and Hizbullah escalated even
further, and Ahmad Al-’Asiri even hinted at the possibility of a military strike
against Hizbullah, when he wrote on his Facebook page: “[Saudi Arabia] respects
Lebanon’s sovereignty over its territory, but if the need arises, we will target
any organization that poses a direct threat to Arab national security, while
coordinating [our actions] with the countries in which these organizations are
located.”[7] Additionally, on February 27 the Saudi television channel MBC aired
a comical sketch about Nasrallah, which angered the organization and its
supporters and sparked protests against the channel in the southern Dahiya of
Beirut.[8]
Saudi Arabia Suspends Billions In Aid To Lebanon; Gulf States Expel Lebanese
Nationals
On February 10, 2016, a senior Saudi source announced that the kingdom had
decided to reassess its relations with Lebanon and to suspend a Saudi aid
package of $4 billion intended for the Lebanese armed forces and internal
security service. According to the source, these measures were a response to
Lebanon’s failure to support two resolutions against Iran that were endorsed by
all the other Arab countries: a resolution taken at the January 10, 2016 Arab
League foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo, and another taken at the January 21,
2016 meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah. The
Saudi announcement held Hizbullah responsible for Lebanon’s failure to support
these resolutions and accused it of taking over the decision-making apparatuses
of the Lebanese state.
The two resolutions, initiated by Saudi Arabia, condemned Iran for the attack on
the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate in Mashhad and accused it of
interfering in the internal affairs of Arab countries, of sparking sectarian
conflicts, and of sponsoring terror. The resolution taken at the foreign
ministers’ summit also accused Hizbullah, along with other organizations, of
involvement in terror in Bahrain. Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, whose
party belongs to the Hizbullah-led March 8 Forces, represented Lebanon in both
meetings. According to him, the decision not to support the January 10
resolution was taken in consultation with Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam,
and stemmed from a desire to preserve Lebanon’s national unity, since the
resolution accused Hizbullah of involvement in terror in Bahrain. As for the
January 21 OIC resolution, Bassil apparently took an independent decision not to
support it, even though it did not include any reference to Hizbullah. According
to Bassil, his decision was in accordance with the guidelines of the Lebanese
government, which call not to involve Lebanon in any regional struggle.
Several days after Saudi Arabia’s announcement that it was halting the aid to
Lebanon, the crisis between the two countries deepened even further, as
additional measures were taken against Lebanon by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf
states. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait issued travel warnings
for Lebanon and advised their nationals to leave this country. The UAE even
announced it was reducing diplomatic representation in Lebanon to the minimal
level. According to reports in the Lebanese and Arab media, Saudi Arabia also
informed the employers of some 90 Lebanese nationals that their employees’ work
and residence permits had been revoked.[9] The Lebanese daily Al-Safir reported,
citing sources in the Lebanese foreign ministry, that the UAE had also decided
to expel more than 20 Lebanese workers, most of them from South Lebanon.[10]
The Lebanese press assessed that the Gulf states would take further steps
against Lebanon, including: halting flights to and from this country; recalling
ambassadors and sending diplomatic staff on leave; refusal to extend employment
contracts for businessmen in Lebanon; expelling additional Lebanese workers from
the Gulf states, and withdrawing Saudi accounts from the Central Bank of
Lebanon.[11]
Saudi Press: Hizbullah Is An Iranian Agent That Has Taken Over Lebanon; The
March 14 Forces Are Ungrateful
The crisis in Saudi-Lebanese relations was widely discussed in the Saudi
government press, which supported the Saudi decision to suspend the aid package
to Lebanon and called on the Lebanese government to reassess its relations with
Hizbullah. The articles harshly condemned Hizbullah and called it an Iranian
agent that has taken over the Lebanese decision-making apparatuses. They stated
that Hizbullah is working to divide the Arab world and to implement the
aggressive policy of Iran, which intervenes in the affairs of Arab countries and
attempts to spark conflicts, crises and chaos in them. The articles also accused
Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement,
and Michel ‘Aoun, of selling out to the Iranians for a handful of dollars.
Several articles also harshly attacked the March 14 Forces, considered to be
Saudi Arabia’s traditional ally in Lebanon, claiming that its feebleness has
enabled Hizbullah to take over Lebanon, and condemning it for not taking a firm
stance against this organization and especially of failing to defend Saudi
Arabia, which has helped it for years.
It should be noted that the press in other Gulf countries – Bahrain, the UAE and
Kuwait – also published many articles attacking Hizbullah.
Al-Sharq Daily: Hizbullah Has Forcibly Taken Over Lebanon’s Decision-Making For
The Benefit Of Iran
An editorial in the Saudi daily Al-Sharq stated: “…Saudi Arabia took a sovereign
decision to withhold the planned aid to the Lebanese army and security forces
after an overall assessment of its relations with Lebanon. At the same time,
Saudi Arabia stressed that it stands with the Lebanese people, regardless of
sect…
“The positions taken by Lebanon – [a country] which the [organization] known as
Hizbullah has taken over using its Iranian weapons and agenda – did not take
into account the historic ties between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon or the Saudi
positions that have supported the Lebanese in their economic and political
crises. The terrorist Hizbullah militia, which is supported by the Iranian
regime, did not take into account that Saudi Arabia is in the heart of any
Lebanese who loves his country and his Arab environment…
“Lebanese politicians know full well that the Hizbullah militia has taken over
their country and is attempting to transform it into a province subordinate to
the Iranian regime.”[12]
Al-Yawm Daily: Lebanon Must Reexamine Its Relationship With Hizbullah
Similarly, an editorial in the Saudi government daily Al-Yawm stated:
“Undoubtedly, Saudi Arabia’s decision to reassess its relationship with Lebanon
and halt aid to it was a wise decision that serves the common interests of both
countries, because Hizbullah is constantly striving to not only tear apart Arab
unity, but also to weaken the Lebanese government… Hizbullah continues to
reinforce Iranian policy, which the region’s peoples oppose. This policy is
undertaken openly in all countries of the region, in the form of Iranian rulers
interfering in their internal affairs and attempting to spark additional
conflicts and crises, start wars, and spread sectarianism among nations that are
striving to end their political crises and return to the lap of Arabism.
Hizbullah aims to thwart these efforts… Lebanese dignitaries are called upon
today to reexamine their relationship with [Hizbullah], seeing that it sows
destruction and corruption in South Lebanon and is close to dragging the
countries of the region into additional tension and crises [by] implementing
Iran’s aggressive policy.”[13]
Saudi Journalist: We Counted On The March 14 Forces But They Failed; Harsher
Measures Are Called For
Saudi columnist Muhammad Aal Al-Sheikh, writing in the Saudi government daily
Al-Jazirah, sharply criticized Free Patriotic Movement chairman Michel Aoun and
his son-in-law Gebran Bassil, accusing them of acting as Iran’s representatives.
Al-Sheikh also did not spare Saudi Arabia’s traditional allies – the March 14
Forces, headed by Prime Minister Tammam Salam and the chairman of the Al-Mustaqbal
faction Sa’ad Al-Hariri – who, he claimed, had failed to prevent the Persian
takeover of Lebanon. He wrote: “…Lebanon is a country under Persian occupation.
Their agent, Mullah Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Lebanese Hizbullah,
is… the spearhead of the Persian Safavid takeover of Lebanon, and he is also the
one who has been thwarting Lebanon’s presidential elections for nearly a year
and a half… He managed to take over Lebanon’s diplomatic positions and place
them at the service of the Persian imperialist policy in the Arab region… He
does this by means of the Maronite Christian foreign minister, the
representative of the [Michel] Aoun faction in the Lebanese government…
“I believe that the Lebanese understand only the language of force and
determination, the [kind of] treatment they received at the hands of the Syrians
when they occupied Lebanon. Had General Michel Aoun and his son-in-law [Bassil]
expected such a firm decision [by Saudi Arabia], they would not have dared to
throw themselves into the Persians’ lap for a few million dollars…This obligates
the Gulf [states], and not only Saudi Arabia, to adopt additional escalatory
positions, especially considering that Hzzbullah is clearly a terrorist
organization and considering that its record of training and financing terror
organizations in the Gulf, not only in Saudi Arabia, is now as clear as day. We
cannot work with a country where the terrorists have taken over the reins of
power. The ruler in Lebanon is the [Iranian rule] of the jurisprudent, not the
prime minister. The high commissioner of this Persian occupation is Mullah
Hassan Nasrallah, the famous braggart who has made [Ali Khamenei,] the spiritual
leader in Tehran, into the sovereign decision-maker in Lebanon. Tammam Salam’s
government is nothing but a failing municipal council… that allowed Mullah
Hassan and Gebran Bassil… to take over the Lebanese decision-making…
“Therefore I unreservedly support any harsh decision – not in order to remedy
what these politicians [Nasrallah, Bassil, Aoun and the March 8 Forces] have
destroyed – but in order to save Lebanon and the Lebanese from the claws of the
Persian occupation. This our last resort, especially after we relied for two
decades on the Persians’ opponents in Lebanese politics, and particularly on the
Al-Mustaqbal faction, to take firm national positions that would save Lebanon
and the region from a Persian takeover, but achieved no discernable political
result. In fact, the leader [of the Al-Mustaqbal faction, Sa'd Al-Hariri,]
conducts his activities by remote control from abroad, and is afraid to confront
[the situation] in Lebanon from within Lebanon. He failed miserably in filling
the vacuum that was created by Hizbullah’s assassination of his father, and
seems to be totally incapable of changing the shameful situation of Lebanon and
the Lebanese. Therefore there is no choice but to stop the investments and take
other harsh positions, including a ban on Saudis traveling to Lebanon… At that
point the Lebanese will realize what a disaster Mullah Hassan [Nasrallah] has
brought upon them, and then let Iran and its servants help [the Lebanese] and
compensate them for their economic disasters.”[14]
Saudi Columnist: The Pro-Saudi Lebanese Politicians Have Failed The Most Basic
Loyalty Tests
Saudi columnist Hamoud Abu Talib voiced similar criticism in an article in the
Saudi government daily ‘Okaz, slamming the ingratitude shown by March 14 Forces
politicians whom Saudi Arabia has supported: “Throughout its entire history and
throughout the crises it experienced, Lebanon has always been Arab [in
character], despite its internal sectarian, religious and cultural diversity…
[However,] the history of Lebanon and its people was destroyed and besmirched by
political wheeler-dealers in Lebanon, who surrendered its Arab character and its
glory for the sake of [padding] their bank accounts. This [happened] after the
turban-wearing [Nasrallah] from the Dahiya [Hizbullah's stronghold in south
Beirut] began running Lebanon and ruling it by means of pawns that are falsely
thought to be part of Lebanon’s political history – and who sadly include
descendants of leaders who maintained historic [ties] with Saudi Arabia. Who
would have believed that [Lebanese Prime Minister] Tammam Salam, the son of
[former Lebanese prime minister] Saeb Salam, would drag his feet in correcting a
scandalous position that was expressed by the foreign minister in his cabinet
[meaning Bassil], with an excuse that would embarrass even a fledgling
politician. Who would have believed that even those [Lebanese] who are
considered ‘like family’ would fail, or nearly fail, the most basic loyalty
tests? Who would have believed that the Lebanese political positions that are
currently being expressed against Saudi Arabia – which did not allow Lebanon to
collapse even in the darkest times – are being promoted by ‘official’ Lebanese
representatives?… Oh Lebanon, we will continue to love you and we will return to
you, as we are obliged [to do], when you get rid of the mafia that is selling
you out and revert to your glorious Arabic character.” [15]
Responses In Lebanon To The Saudi Measures:
Hizbullah: Saudi Arabia’s Suspension Of Aid To Lebanon Is A Failed Attempt At
Extortion And Intimidation; We Will Not Remain Silent Over Saudi Crimes
Hizbullah said in a statement that Saudi Arabia had decided about a year ago,
when King Salman was crowned, to suspend its aid package to Lebanon, and that
the decision had more to do with the Saudis’ financial situation than with
Lebanon’s failure to support the two resolutions at the Arab League and the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).[16]
Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah stated that criticism of his organization was
aimed at intimidating and extorting it, but that such criticism “will not change
our position, neither on the role of the state nor on its identity and regional
policy.”[17]
In a March 1, 2016 speech, Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah
reiterated these statements, and noted that the Saudi move was aimed at forcing
the Lebanese government and other Lebanese political elements to pressure
Hizbullah to change its position on Saudi Arabia, and especially to remain
silent in light of what he called the Saudi massacres in Yemen: “Saudi Arabia
wants the government and political forces [in Lebanon] to pressure Hizbullah to
back down from its positions on Saudi Arabia… Saudi Arabia is carrying out
massacres daily in Yemen as the world remains silent. But we cannot remain
silent over such crimes… The Saudis are attempting to pressure the Lebanese to
silence us, but we will absolutely not remain silent. We are at a point where we
cannot remain silent.[18]
Hizbullah-Affiliated Daily: We Have Won And The Saudis Have Been Defeated In All
Arenas
In a February 24, 2016 article, Ibrahim Al-Amin, head of the board of directors
of the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hizbullah, attacked Saudi
Arabia and said that its decision to halt the aid package to Lebanon reflected
its defeat in regional issues, in light of the victory of the resistance axis:
“The oppressive regime in the Arabian Peninsula can do as it pleases… Dust
cannot obscure the picture… that shows that we have triumphed over its tyranny,
oppression, usurpation, and injustice… Simply speaking, you [the Saudis]have
been defeated, and you will yet drink the poison that you yourselves have
prepared… You have failed in Syria and will be defeated there; you have failed
in Yemen and you will be defeated there; you have failed in Palestine and you
will be defeated there; and you have failed in Lebanon and you will be defeated
here.”
Taunting the Saudis, he added: “Do you [really] believe that suspending aid or
lowering [your] level of diplomatic representation can defeat [the Lebanese
people?]… Do you [really] believe that by harshly attacking the resistance in
Lebanon, you can make excuses for the failure of your state?… Do you believe
that the [Lebanese] workers that you are threatening to expel [from your
country], who have not been paid in months, will believe your false claims that
the resistance [i.e. Hizbullah] is responsible for [their expulsion]? Do you
believe that some writers to whom you continue to feed table scraps can create
public sentiment [in Lebanon] that will lead to [masses] filling the public
squares and streets in order to please the senility, rashness, and madness [of
the Saudi regime]?”
Al-Amin also stated that the Saudis were incapable of subduing Lebanon because
their allies in the country are paralyzed: “What table do you want to overturn,
and on whose head? With whose strength? To what end? Do you want to spark fitna
[among the Lebanese]… and do you truly believe that anyone in Lebanon can upset
the [political] situation again [as did the assassination of former Lebanese
prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri]?…”
He concluded by calling on the Saudis to hurry and get out of Lebanon: “If you
believe that withdrawing your men and your funds from our country will bring you
victory, then I urge you: Defeat us and leave our land and country, today rather
than tomorrow…”[19]
Sa’d Al-Hariri: Loyalty To Saudi Arabia Means Loyalty To Lebanon; We Will Not
Allow Lebanon To Become An Iranian Province
In contrast, the Al-Mustaqbal faction, led by former Lebanese prime minister
Sa’d Al-Hariri, who is known for his support for Saudi Arabia, launched a media
campaign against Hizbullah and against Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil,
who also heads the Free Patriotic Movement and is an ally of Hizbullah. At the
same time, Al-Mustaqbal began taking steps to mend relations with Saudi Arabia,
hoping to please it.
Al-Hariri said in a statement that the Lebanese people were saddened by the
Saudi decision to suspend aid to Lebanon, adding that that decision had come “in
response to rash decisions [by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry] to withdraw from
the Arab consensus and to place Lebanon’s foreign policy in the service of a
regional axis [i.e. the resistance axis].” Al-Hariri warned that such a policy
could “eventually threaten the interests of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese
living in various Arab countries who constitute an economic and social force”
for Lebanon. He said: “The honor of the [Saudi] kingdom and its leaders is the
honor of worthy Lebanese, who will not remain silent in light of the crime that
has endangered the interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese… If anyone believes
that Lebanon will unwittingly [let itself] become an Iranian province, they are
delusional, and are also toying with the fate of the state and making a decision
to drag themselves and others into the abyss.”
Al-Hariri concluded by appealing to the Saudis to reconsider their decision and
take into account Lebanon’s suffering, from the perspective of a protective
“older brother.” He also praised the generous financial aid that Saudi Arabia
had provided to Lebanon for many years.[20]
In other statements, Al-Hariri called Hizbullah’s verbal attacks on Saudi Arabia
“unacceptable and unrepresentative of Lebanon and its policy,” and accused
Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement of removing Lebanon from the Arab
consensus in order to back Iran.[21] He added that “loyalty to the kingdom means
loyalty to Lebanon,” and even circulated a petition of “sympathy for and loyalty
to the Arab consensus,” collecting the signatures of Lebanese citizens and
politicians.[22]
At a February 21, 2016 conference, March 14 Forces leaders accused Hizbullah and
the Free Patriotic Movement of causing the rift with Saudi Arabia, underlined
that they refused to turn Lebanon into an Iranian “victim,” and demanded that
the government clearly express the view that Lebanon should identify with the
Arab countries and be part of the Arab consensus. Sa’d Al-Hariri also threatened
that he himself would take steps if the government did not heed this demand, but
did not elaborate further.[23]
Al-Mustaqbal Columnist: Saudi Arabia Is Warning The Lebanese That Their Country
Could Become An Iranian Province
Al-Mustaqbal columnist Khairallah Khairallah wrote that the Saudi decision to
suspend aid has made the Lebanese realize that their country could become an
Iranian protectorate: “One day, it will be obvious that the Saudis have done
Lebanon the greatest service of all – they called on the Lebanese to wake up and
face reality… [and] to block the danger that Lebanon will become nothing more
and nothing less thanan Iranian protectorate. The measures [recently] taken by
the Saudisare unprecedented in Lebanon-Saudi relations, and come after Lebanon
has proven in a very real way that it has become nothing more than an Iranian
colony. The best proof of this is that Lebanon’s foreign minister, Gebran Bassil…
is now a kind of Iranian foreign minister in every Arab, Islamic, or
international forum.”
Khairallah also pointed to another reason for Saudi Arabia’s anger: “Lebanon has
become a platform from which Iran can speak its piece, via its[Lebanon's] media
or via its officials. Furthermore, Lebanon is nowabase for
Hizbullah-sponsoredmedia outlets and television networks, whose entire purpose
is to attack Arab countries,” especially Saudi Arabia. According to him, the
Lebanese government “should have long ago noticed the danger that the state
could become an Iranian base” and taken a decisive stand against Hizbullah’s
verbal attacks on Saudi Arabia.
He concluded skeptically: “Can Lebanon react against Hizbullah – that is,
against Iran? Are the Lebanese destined to submit to [Hizbullah's] policy of
facts on the ground[?]… Lebanon is in an unenviable situation.”[24]
Is The Lebanese Government On The Verge Of Dissolution?
In an attempt to assuage the Saudis’ anger, the March 14 Forces demanded that
the Lebanese government convene a special session on February 22 in order to
issue a statement clarifying their support for Saudi Arabia. At the end of the
session, the government released the following statement: “Being that the
Constitution determines Lebanon’s Arab identity and affinity; [and being that
Lebanon] is a founding and active member of the Arab League and is committed to
its treaties; and being that [Lebanon] and its Arab sisters maintain historic
bonds of brotherhood; and in [a desire] to protect the supreme interest of the
Lebanese republic [in a way] that protects Lebanese national unity, we hereby
affirm our permanent stand alongside our Arab sisters and our support for Arab
consensus on the collective issues with which Lebanon has always been
concerned.”[25]
It would appear that the Lebanese government had, with this statement, affirmed
its support for the Arab countries and for the Arab consensus. However,
Hizbullah representatives in the government demanded that it include terms such
as Lebanon’s “supreme interest” and “national unity,” thus qualifying its
support for the Arab consensus. With this addition, the statement now seems to
imply that Lebanon’s support for Saudi Arabia and for the Arab consensus is
conditional – that is, it must not contradict Lebanon’s national unity.
Additionally, immediately after the government issued its statement, Foreign
Minister Bassil convened a press conference and said that the current debate in
Lebanon revolves around the question of what comes first: Arab consensus or the
country’s national unity. According to him, “if we are forced to choose between
national unity and Arab consensus then we will choose national unity.”[26] These
statements – which reiterate a preference to remain neutral in the Saudi-Iranian
conflict in order to preserve national unity and not upset Hizbullah –
encountered opposition from the March 14 Forces and their allies in government,
particularly Prime Minister Tammam Salam, who said that Bassil’s statements
represented his own opinion only and not the government’s official position.[27]
It should be mentioned that on the backdrop of the crisis between Lebanon and
Saudi Arabia, the Lebanese press estimated that the Al-Mustaqbal faction – Saudi
Arabia’s ally in Lebanon – would take major steps in protest, such as
withdrawing its representatives from the unity government, thereby transforming
it into an interim government.[28] Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam even
hinted at this, saying: “We might reach a point where we effectively find
ourselves with an interim government. Resigning is an option not just for me but
for [other] political forces as well.”[29] A few days later, the daily Al-Akhbar
cited sources at the prime minister’s office who said that Salam had no
intention of resigning.[30]
It should also be noted that Lebanon has gone two years without a president. In
addition, the parliament is paralyzed and hardly convenes due to disagreements
between the political forces, and the unity government, though crippled, thus
remains the country’s only functioning institution. Therefore, if the Al-Mustaqbal
faction topples the government by withdrawing from it, this could paralyze
Lebanon completely and plunge it into chaos.
Saudi Arabia Furious At Lebanese Government: Is Weak Position Proves Its
Subordination To Iran
Two days after the Lebanese government’s February 24, 2016 session, the Saudi
daily Al-Yawm devoted its editorial to harshly criticizing its statement: “The
Saudis and Arabs expected that the Lebanese government session two days ago
would result in fundamental steps that would help liberate Lebanon… from the
[current] situation, in which it is hijacked by a sectarian Iranian terrorist
organization… However, the statement [it issued] only proves that the Lebanese
government accepts Iranian dictates and that it clearly supports the position
outlined by the Lebanese foreign minister at the Arab League and OIC… The
Lebanese government has even begun to compete with the Iranians themselves over
who takes a more extreme position, since [the statement] did not expressly
condemn the Iranian attack on the Saudi embassy, [while even] Iranian President
Rohani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had condemned it… The weak statement by
the Lebanese government did not even address the problem that sparked the crisis
between the [Saudi] kingdom and Lebanon. This proves that Hizbullah holds the
reigns of Lebanese decision-making, and that Lebanese who pretend to weep over
Lebanon’s sovereignty and the independence of the Lebanese state should
immediately confront Hizbullah and liberate their country from the Iranian
occupation…
“If Lebanese continue their submission to Iranian militias, in ten years or so
they will find themselves being banned from speaking Arabic and being forced to
speak Farsi, and forced to show loyalty to the Rule of the Jurisprudent and
chant its slogans. Those who refuse to surrender, from all sects and religions,
will be expelled from Lebanon with the force of Iranian weapons, and be replaced
with Iraqi, Afghan, and Pakistani militias such as the ones Hizbullah settled in
Syria after the Syrians were expelled from their cities, homes, and fields…”[31]
Lebanese Interior Minister: Arab Countries Responsible For Lebanon’s Current
State
So far, it appears that the Saudi anger has not produced any change in the
official position of the Lebanese government and of Saudi Arabia’s allies in
Lebanon. In fact, at a meeting of the Arab interior ministers’ council, held on
March 2 in Tunis, Lebanese Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk, who belongs to the
Al-Mustaqbal faction, refused to support a Saudi-led initiative to designate
Hizbullah as a terrorist organization. Support for such a designation would have
placed the Lebanese government and the March 14 Forces in a difficult situation,
for it would have inevitably led to the collapse of the government, in which
Hizbullah is a member, and to chaos in Lebanon. Machnouk’s decision may have
also been motivated by fear of a harsh retaliatory move by Hizbullah.
Machnouk’s position enraged Saudi Arabia even further. On March 4, the
government Saudi daily ‘Okaz published an article by Lebanese journalist Ziad
‘Itani, in which he claimed that Lebanon’s position at the March 2 meeting of
the interior ministers’ council was tantamount to “a second assassination of
Rafiq Al-Hariri.” He wrote: “Yes, they [the Lebanese] killed Rafiq Al-Hariri.
The first time was on February 14, 2005, when they blew up his motorcade with
over a ton of explosives, and the second time was on March 2, 2016, when the
Lebanese government refused, by means of its interior minister Nohad Machnouk,
to designate Al-Hariri’s murderers [i.e., Hizbullah] as terrorists.”[32]
Machnouk, it appears, returned fire. In an interview two days later with the
Saudi Al-Arabiya TV he made an unusual statement, placing the blame for
Lebanon’s current situation on the Arab countries, who, he claimed, have long
neglected it. He said that “the Arabs’ neglect of Lebanon for 30 years has led
us to the current situation,” and added: “The Arab decision to confront [Hizbullah]
was born only a few weeks ago, while we have been doing so [i.e., confronting
Hizbullah] for decades, sacrificing martyr after martyr, and this procession of
Lebanese martyrs has not ended to this day.”[33]
*E. B. Picali and E. Ezrahi are research fellows at MEMRI. http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/9061.htm
Endnotes:
[1] The package consists of $3 billion for the Lebanese army and $1 billion for
the internal security service.
[2] It should be noted that already in November 2015, Saudi Arabia designated 12
Hizbullah operatives as terrorists and leveled sanctions against them. Al-Sharq
Al-Awsat (London), November 27, 2016. Additionally, in December 2015 Saudi
Arabia’s ArabSat satellite operator stopped carrying Hizbullah’s Al-Manar
channel and the pro-Hizbullah channel Al-Mayadeen. Sabq.org, December 5, 2015.
[3] The attack was in response to Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shi’ite
sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6251, Iran Furious Over
Saudi Arabia’s Execution Of Shi’ite Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr, January 4, 2016.
[4] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), February 27, 2016; Al-Safir (Lebanon), February 24,
2016.
[5] Alarabiya.net, February 24, 2016. The same day, the spokesman of the Yemeni
government announced that his country would submit to the UN Security Council
evidence that Hizbullah was planning the Houthi attacks and battles against
Saudi Arabia and the infiltrations of its territory. According to a February 25,
2016 report in the London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, the Saudi-led Arab coalition
in Yemen captured a ship flying a Russian flag that was carrying weapons sent by
Hizbullah to the Houthi rebels.
[6] Alarabiya.net, February 24, 2016.
[7] Facebook.com/Brigadier.Ahmed.Asiri, February 25, 2016.
[8] Lebanese-forces.com, February 27, 2016.
[9] Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), February 25, 2016; Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), February
26, 2016.
[10] Al-Safir (Lebanon), February 20, 2016.
[11] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), February 27, 2016.
[12] Al-Sharq (Saudi Arabia), February 20, 2016.
[13] Al-Yawm (Saudi Arabia), February 22, 2016.
[14] Al-Jazirah (Saudi Arabia), February 21, 2016.
[15] ‘Okaz (Saudi Arabia), February 22, 2016.
[16] Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Safir (Lebanon), February 20, 2016.
[17] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), February 22, 2016.
[18] Al-Safir (Lebanon), March 2, 2016.
[19] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), February 24, 2016.
[20] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), February 20, 2016.
[21] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), February 21, 2016.
[22] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), February 23, 2016.
[23] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), February 22, 2016.
[24] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), February 24, 2016.
[25] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), February 23, 2016.
[26] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), February 23, 2016.
[27] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), February 23, 2016.
[28] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), February 25, 2016.
[29] Al-Safir (Lebanon), February 25, 2016.
[30] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), February 27, 2016.
[31] Al-Yawm (Saudi Arabia), February 24, 2016.
[32] ‘Okaz (Saudi Arabia), March 4, 2016.
[33] Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), March 7, 2016.