LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 18/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.march18.16.htm
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Bible
Quotations For Today
Jesus Fasts in the Wilderness for Forty Days
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 04/01-13: "Jesus, full of
the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the
wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at
all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said
to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of
bread.’Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, "One does not live by bread alone." ’
Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the
world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this
authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please.
If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is
written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him." ’Then the devil took
him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him,
‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
"He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you", and "On their hands
they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone."
’Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
’When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune
time."
We command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not
according to the tradition that they received from us
Second Letter to the Thessalonians 03/06-18:"We command you, beloved, in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in
idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you
yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with
you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and
labour we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was
not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to
imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone
unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in
idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and
exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own
living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. Take note
of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with
them, so that they may be ashamed. Do not regard them as enemies, but warn them
as believers. Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in
all ways. The Lord be with all of you.
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter
of mine; it is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all
of you.
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on March 18/16
ISIS Massacre of Christians Not “Genocide,” Obama
Administration Claims
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/March 17/16
Muslim Jerusalem": Turkey's Message of "Peace" to Israel
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/March 17/16
Emiratis are committed to defending Saudi Arabia
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/March 17/16/
Five years into Syria’s crisis, Riyadh remains vindicated
Faisal J. Abbas/Al Arabiya/March 17/16
Obama’s shocking words
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/March 17/16
Threats without consequences
Baria Alamuddin/Al Arabiya/March 17/16
Palestinians fleeing Syria must be protected too
Marta Petagna/Al Arabiya/March 17/16
Why Egypt is placing its pyramids under military protection
Safiaa Mounir/Al-Monitor/March 17/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on March 18/16
Al-Rahi Urges MPs to Elect President, Stresses that Void is against Constitution
Libya Group Threatens to Kidnap Lebanon Envoy to Press for Hannibal Release
Kataeb Party rejects Aoun presidency
Report links Hezbollah to massive drugs haul seized in Kuwait
Saudi Arabia to freeze banks accounts of suspected Hezbollah supporters
Report: Kuwait Begins Deporting Businessmen, Media Officials Linked to Hizbullah
Loyalty to Resistance Says Saudi Blacklisting of Hizbullah 'Most Ridiculous'
Decision
Sukleen and Sukomi Slam Accusations of Failure
Cabinet Announces Trash Plan to Be Implemented Friday
Qazzi Warns of Naturalization over Refugee Employment Projects
Amnesty Criticizes Lebanon's Restrictions on Syrian Refugees
Kharazi visits Rahi, commends his role in addressing Lebanon's problems
State Security ‘Marginalization’ Threatens Cabinet
General Security Arrests Lebanese Terrorist, Accomplices on the Run
Lebanon Not so Happy Country in World Happiness Report
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
March 18/16
“Stabbing suspect once had
restricted airport security clearance
Obama set to visit Riyadh next month
Kuwait security chief to Obama: We’re not free-riders
Aid agencies call for full access in Syria as conflict enters 6th year
Russia: Majority of forces to leave Syria in days
Turkey will not make new demands at EU migrant summit
Border between Iraqi Kurdistan and Syrian Kurdish region closed
US says would not recognize Kurdish region in Syria
Syria Peace Talks Muddied as Kurds Declare Federal Region
Two soldiers, three militants killed in rare gunfight in Pakistan
Syrian Kurds declare federal region
Sinai plane crash referred to Egypt attorney general
UN 'very worried' about thousands fleeing Iraq offensive
Two Palestinians stab woman in West Bank, shot dead: Army
Saudi-led operation in Yemen ‘coming to an end’
PKK-affiliated group claims Ankara attack
Kerry to Lavrov: Syria political transition urgent
Kerry to miss deadline to rule on ISIS ‘genocide’
Obama picks centrist Supreme Court nominee
ISIS flag found at Brussels shoot-out scene: prosecutor
Fourteen Palestinians die in Jordan bus crash
Links From
Jihad Watch Site for March 18/16
Canada: Muslim who stabbed soldiers had airport security
clearance
Raymond Ibrahim on CBN News: U.S foreign policy empowers jihadis and gets
Christians killed
Tennessee state rep: Islamic State should be allowed to recruit at colleges
Florida: Pro-jihad hatemonger Ahmed Bedier addresses Catholic school kids
India: MP says “Islam a ticking time bomb of terror,” police register case
against him
Video: Muslim relatives of Virginia Islamic State jihadi attack reporters
Hillary: “We didn’t lose a single person” in Libya
TSA failed to vet 73 employees with terror ties working at 40 U.S. airports
Nigeria: Muslims murder 500 Christians over the last month
France battling jihadis in police force, military
Police foil “imminent” jihad mass murder attack in Paris
Al-Rahi Urges
MPs to Elect President, Stresses that Void is against Constitution
Naharnet/March 17/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi reiterated his call
Thursday for the election of a president as soon as possible, stressing that any
attempt to prolong the presidential void is against the stipulations of the
Constitution. “The Lebanese Constitution stipulates that in the event of vacuum,
the parliament should convene immediately to elect a president … This is the
true interpretation. We reject the current situation because it violates the
Constitution and we will not accept any other interpretation,” the patriarch
said. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman
ended in May 2014 and the Free Patriotic Movement, Hizbullah and some of their
allies have been boycotting the electoral sessions, arguing that boycott is a
“constitutional right.”“The patriarchate does not have candidates. It does not
recommend a certain candidate, it does not support a candidate and it does not
veto any candidate,” al-Rahi stressed. “They were first betting on the end of
the war in Syria, then on whether (Syrian President Bashar) Assad stays in power
or not. They then made bets on the nuclear agreement between the Americans and
Iran and other issues,” the patriarch lamented. “We call on them not to make
bets on foreign forces or on a mirage. Go to parliament and elect a president –
this is our stance today,” al-Rahi added. Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM
Saad Hariri launched late in 2015 a proposal to nominate Marada Movement chief
MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his suggestion was rejected by the
country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The Hizbullah-led March 8
camp, as well as March 14's Lebanese Forces, have argued that FPM founder MP
Michel Aoun is more eligible than Franjieh to become president given the size of
his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.
Libya Group Threatens to
Kidnap Lebanon Envoy to Press for Hannibal Release
Naharnet/March 17/16/A Libyan armed group has threatened to kidnap Lebanon's
ambassador to Libya, the embassy staff and any Lebanese citizen there if
Lebanese authorities do not release Hannibal Moammar Gadhafi from prison. The
group, identifying itself as Battalion 74 of the Armed Libyan Resistance
Movement, stressed in a YouTube video that Hannibal was “arbitrarily and
unjustly detained by Lebanese politicians.” “Your judicial and legal officials
have verified his full innocence,” the group added, addressing Lebanese
authorities. “You know very well that the Libyan leadership under the leader
Moammar Gadhafi had nothing to do with the case of the disappearance of Imam
Moussa al-Sadr,” it said. The Lebanese judiciary issued an arrest warrant for
Hannibal Gadhafi on December 14, days after he was handed over to Lebanese
security forces after a brief abduction at the hands of an armed group.
Examining Magistrate Zaher Hamadeh charged Hannibal with “withholding
information linked to the case of Imam Moussa al-Sadr.” A lawsuit was also filed
against Hannibal on December 14 by the lawyer of al-Sadr's family. During
interrogation, Hannibal "confessed that the Libyan regime was involved in the
abduction of Imam al-Sadr, naming the person who impersonated the imam and
traveled to Rome" in 1978, according to LBCI television. He noted that "the
sources of his information were his brother Seif al-Islam and intelligence
official Al-Mutassem Billah," LBCI has reported. Al-Jadeed TV has quoted
Hannibal as telling a judge that al-Sadr "was detained in a house in (Libya's)
Tripoli" and that "he had never left for Rome.""My father blamed (former Libyan
premier) Abdul Salam Jalloud in the case of al-Sadr's disappearance," he told
the judge, according to al-Jadeed. The TV network said Hannibal told the judge
that his brother Mutassem, who was killed during Libya's uprising, "had
information about Imam al-Sadr.""The man who impersonated the imam and wore his
clothes to travel to Rome is a well-known figure who currently lives in an Arab
country," Hannibal added, according to al-Jadeed. The 40-year-old son of slain
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi had appeared in a video in which he announced that
he had been kidnapped in Lebanon and that his captors are "loyal to the cause of
Imam Moussa al-Sadr," the founder of Lebanon's AMAL Movement who disappeared
while on a trip to Libya in 1978. Hannibal was kidnapped 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.
A security source told AFP that investigators discovered that ex-MP Hassan
Yaaqoub had orchestrated an elaborate scheme to seize Gadhafi from Syria and
bring him to Lebanon. Yaaqoub was arrested after several days on charges of
involvement in Hannibal's abduction, and is still in prison. Yaaqoub is the son
of Sheikh Mohammed Yaaqoub – one of two companions who disappeared with al-Sadr
in Libya in 1978. Al-Sadr visited Libya upon the invitation of then Libyan ruler
Moammar Gadhafi – Hannibal's father. The imam and his companions were seen
lastly on August 31, 1978. They were never heard from again. The Lebanese
judiciary had indicted Moammar Gadhafi in 2008 over al-Sadr's disappearance,
although the Gadhafi regime had consistently denied responsibility, claiming
that the imam and his companions had left Libya for Italy.
Kataeb Party rejects Aoun
presidency
Sami Gemayel fears
‘confrontation with region’
Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/March 17/16/Beirut: Phalange Party leader Sami
Gemayel, the son of a former president, confirmed that his party’s parliamentary
bloc will not vote for either Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) founder Michel Aoun
or Marada Movement chief Sulaiman Franjieh.
“What would we do if Aoun becomes president? We do not have the right to send
the citizens to the unknown, seeing as we have a problem with his political
principles and his vision of Lebanon as part of an axis,” said Gemayel on
Wednesday night during the “Interviews with Paula Yacoubian” programme on Future
TV. “Why should we surrender and why should we give the presidency to
Hezbollah?,” he affirmed at one point, which reflected public opinion after
former prime minister Saad Hariri nominated Franjieh, the second March 8
candidate for the post. Gemayel stated he and his party were not ready to vote
for Franjieh either and, apparently, told both candidates of their decisions.
What was interesting in the young leader’s position was the realisation that
recent developments, ranging from the Gulf Cooperation Council/Arab League
designations of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation to various internal
shortcomings, have seriously hurt Lebanon. “What would we win if we push the
Sunni community to extremism and the country to a confrontation with the [Arab]
region?” Gemayel asked, citing the latest measures taken against Lebanon by the
Arab Gulf States. He berated Foreign Minister Jibran Bassil, the FPM chief and
Aoun’s son-in-law, for “hostile” positions that jeopardised the livelihood of
nearly 750,000 Lebanese working throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Gemayel
chastised March 14 allies for abandoning principles and making unnecessary
compromises to maintain internal peace, reiterating that those who forego
principles cannot lead a nation. Lebanon has been without a president since
Michel Suleiman ended his 6-years term in office on May 24, 2014. To date, the
Lebanese Parliament, which elects the president, held one inconclusive vote when
no candidate earned the necessary two-thirds to win, and 35 additional
convocations that failed to secure quorums. Technically, and after the second
ballot, parliament only needs to ensure a two-thirds quorum of its 128 members,
though the president can now be elected by a simple majority vote of 65
deputies. The FPM and Hezbollah boycotted all 35 electoral sessions though the
icing on the cake was that neither Aoun nor Franjieh bothered to attend their
own potential
Report links
Hezbollah to massive drugs haul seized in Kuwait
Al Arabiya/Wednesday, 16 March 2016/Kuwait last week seized more than seven
million tablets concealed in iron bars carried in trucks that crossed into the
country.
The first consignment included four million tablets while the second shipment
had 3.5 million illegal drugs, the security source told Kuwaiti daily Al Qabas.
The large quantities of drugs seized recently in Kuwait originated from Syria
and are linked to terrorist groups, a security source has said.
Saudi Arabia to freeze banks
accounts of suspected Hezbollah supporters
The temporary freeze of accounts for three or more months will include liquid
assets Fatima Al-Dibais, Saudi Gazette Thursday, 17 March 2016 The financial
investigation unit of the Saudi Interior Ministry will freeze the bank account
of any citizen or expatriate suspected of belonging to the terror group
Hezbollah or supporting or financing it, according to informed sources.The
temporary freeze of accounts for three or more months will include liquid assets
as well as the seizure of properties until the investigations have been
completed. The sources said that expatriates supporting or sympathizing with
terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah, will be deported after serving
their jail terms and prevented from entering Saudi Arabia again. The sources
said the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIP) will investigate
suspects prior to sending them to court which will listen to them again to
ensure complete justice. The sources said the ministry’s decision was taken
“about two years ago when terrorist organizations were classified.”Lebanon’s
Hezbollah was recently added to the list of terrorist organizations because of
its involvement in the Syrian fighting and its media campaign against Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, particularly Saudi Arabia.Two GCC countries
— Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates — have deported a number of Lebanese
expatriates who had connections with Hezbollah. The GCC and the Arab League have
both declared Hezbollah “a terrorist organization.”
Report: Kuwait
Begins Deporting Businessmen, Media Officials Linked to Hizbullah
Naharnet/March 17/16/Kuwait authorities have started to prepare lists of
Hizbullah supporters to prevent their arrival in the country and others in
anticipation of their deportation, reported the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper on
Thursday. Security sources from Kuwait's state security general directorate
revealed that the names include Lebanese, Syrians and supporters from other
nationalities. They also include media officials and businessmen. The support to
the recently blacklisted party covers contacting Hizbullah financially and
politically and through the media. Those contacting and meeting party officials
or its representatives will also be deported or barred entry to Kuwait, said the
sources. Measures against these figures include blacklisting them by Kuwaiti
authorities and thereby preventing their entry to the country, refusing to renew
their residency if they are already in the emirate, and deportation. These
measures began a week ago shortly after the Gulf Cooperation Council decided to
consider the party as terrorist. So far, six people have been barred entry to
Kuwait and five others did not have their residency permit renewed. All of these
individuals work at a television and daily newspaper. The five members whose
residency was not renewed have been ordered to leave Kuwait within a month. Al-Rai
reported that Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammed al-Khaled has granted Kuwait's
state security agency “full authority” in implementing the measures against
Hizbullah supporters. The GCC's blacklisting of Hizbullah comes in wake of Saudi
Arabia's decision in February to halt an army grant to the Lebanese army over
the party's harsh stances against the kingdom and Foreign Minister Jebran
Bassil's abstention to vote in favor of Arab League resolutions condemning
attacks against Riyadh's embassy in Iran. The Arab League last week also voted
in favor of labeling Hizbullah as a terrorist group, amid the abstention of
Lebanon, Iraq, and Algeria.
Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries have also issued travel advisories against
Lebanon.
A number of Lebanese expatriates living in these countries have also been
deported.
Loyalty to Resistance Says
Saudi Blacklisting of Hizbullah 'Most Ridiculous' Decision
Naharnet/March 17/16/Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc on
Thursday slammed Saudi Arabia's labeling of Hizbullah as a “terrorist” group as
one of the “most ridiculous” decisions that have been taken by the kingdom. “The
Saudi regime's designation of Hizbullah as a terrorist organization is one of
the most ridiculous innovations of this flabby regime that has lost its
balance,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. “This is
an endorsement of Israel's approach and a cover for its aggression against
Lebanon, especially after Saudi Arabia dissociated itself from approving the
clause on 'solidarity with Lebanon in the face of Israeli aggression' in the
latest statement of the Arab foreign ministers in Cairo,” Loyalty to Resistance
added.Accusing Riyadh of “blatant interference” in the internal affairs of
Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen, the bloc said Saudi Arabia is
“continuing to incite against and oppress anyone who criticizes or opposes its
policies and anyone who dares ask it to correct its stance and improve its
behavior.” Loyalty to Resistance also accused the kingdom of “using the gangs of
takfiri terrorism recklessly and maliciously with the aim of fragmenting the
region and weakening its capabilities.”“These are sufficient indications on the
confusion and bankruptcy of this regime and its entanglement in unrest, chaos
and subordination to foreign forces,” the bloc added. Saudi Arabia started a
series of measures against Hizbullah and Lebanon on February 19 when it
announced that it was halting around $4 billion in aid to the Lebanese army and
security forces over “hostile” Lebanese positions resulting from “Hizbullah's
stranglehold on the State.” The kingdom later slapped sanctions on individuals
and firms accused of ties to Hizbullah and advised its citizens against travel
to Lebanon while urging those already in the country to leave it. Saudi Arabia
also pushed the Gulf Cooperation Council to label Hizbullah as a “terrorist”
organization over purported "terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and
in Iraq."And on Friday, the council of Arab foreign ministers labeled Hizbullah
as “terrorist” amid the reservations of Lebanon, Iraq and Algeria, in a move
that echoed a similar one by the council of Arab interior ministers.
Sukleen and Sukomi Slam
Accusations of Failure
Naharnet/March 17/16/The waste contractor for Greater Beirut, Sukleen and Sukomi
stressed that the increase in the “value of their contracts” came as the result
of the expansion in size and geographical scope of their work in Beirut and
Mount Lebanon, slamming media reports questioning their integrity in handling
the waste management file. “The expansion in the size and geographical area of
our work in the capital Beirut and Mount Lebanon was the main reason behind the
increase in the contract work,” a statement by Sukleen said on Thursday. Early
in March, Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim filed a lawsuit against Sukleen and
Sukomi firms on charges of “squandering public funds” in their handling of waste
management in the country in the past two decades, media reports had said. The
statement added that the companies were not responsible for the selection of
locations that are currently receiving the trash from the capital and Mount
Lebanon following the closure of the Naameh landfill. “We are not responsible
for selecting the sites where the trash is currently being stored,” the
statement said. It added: “Since July 17, 2015 (the date of the closure of the
Naameh landfill) both companies were complying with official requests by the
concerned municipalities.” Furthermore, Sukleen and Sukomi “denounce all
accusations fired against them,” pointing that they “will stand before the First
Investigative Magistrate Ghassan Oweidat to clarify and answer all the questions
put to their representatives.” They pointed out that they were adamant to commit
to the terms of the signed contract and that they have no political alignments.
“We refuse to bear responsibility or the consequences for the decisions taken by
the successive Lebanese governments, the Council for Development and
Reconstruction or the concerned ministries because we were not part of
them.”Judge Ibrahim's move is based on the lawsuit that has been filed by Kataeb
Party chief MP Sami Gemayel against the Council for Development and
Reconstruction for its long running failure to follow up on the trash management
file since Sukleen and its subsidiary Sukomi were tasked with collecting,
sorting and land-filling garbage in Beirut and Mount Lebanon in 1994. Reports
have emerged that Sukleen has failed to abide by the conditions that were set in
the contract with regard to the amounts of trash that should have been sorted,
recycled and land-filled. Lebanon's most recent trash management crisis erupted
in July 2015 after the closure of the Naameh landfill that. Several efforts to
contain the situation including suggestions to establish landfills in different
Lebanese regions have failed.The crisis, which sparked unprecedented protests
against the entire political class, has seen streets, forests and riverbanks
overflowing with waste and the air filled with the smell of rotting and burning
garbage.
Cabinet Announces Trash Plan
to Be Implemented Friday
Naharnet/March 17/16/The government announced on Thursday that the waste
management plan, which was adopted over the weekend, will be implemented on
Friday. Information Minister Ramzi Jreij said after a cabinet meeting at the
Grand Serail: “There are no obstacles hindering the implementation of the
plan.”“Discussions during the meeting were heated at first, but they then calmed
down,” he revealed. The heated dispute was revealed by Education Minister Elias
Bou Saab, who warned that the cabinet “is heading towards collapse.” “The first
hour of discussions was tense, especially over appointments in security
positions,” he said. “We will no longer accept the situation if matters continue
as they are,” he warned. “I am convinced day after day that we are headed
towards a major crisis because of the unilateral manner in which decisions are
being taken,” added the minister. Commenting on Bou Saab's stances, Jreij
remarked: “Perhaps he is on the verge of collapse.”Tourism Minister Michel
Pharaon confirmed the heated debate over the appointments at the
general-directorate of state security, saying that it almost led to the
suspension of the cabinet session. “Prime Minister Tammam Salam however
contained the dispute, demanding that the discussions remain limited the cabinet
agenda,” he revealed. The directorate had sent a bill to the cabinet on March
20, 2014 asking for the creation of a six-member leadership authority under
which the director-general, Maj. Gen. George Qaraa, a Catholic, would have the
casting vote, said An Nahar in Thursday. But the former secretary general of the
cabinet, Suhail Bouji, paralyzed the plan by saying that the approval of the
bill requires a draft-law to be adopted by the parliament unlike a decision made
by the Shura Council, the report said. The newspaper quoted a ministerial source
as saying that Bouji’s move likely came as a result of his friendship with the
deputy director-general, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Tufaili. On the trash file,
Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb said: “We have reached a very comfortable
place regarding this issue and I will carry out more contacts.” The minister had
played a leading role in coming up with solutions to end the crisis that started
with the closure of the Naameh landfill in July 2015. A cabinet session will not
be held next week due to the Easter holidays.
Rivlin Tells Putin Israel
Won’t Allow Hizbullah Presence in Syria’s Golan
Naharnet/March 17/16/Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has told his Russian
counterpart that the Jewish State would not allow Iran and Hizbullah to
establish a foothold on the Syrian side of the occupied Golan Heights, Israeli
media reported on Thursday. The meeting between Rivlin and President Vladimir
Putin in Moscow on Wednesday night came days after the Russian leader announced
he would withdraw Russia's forces from Syria. Hizbullah has sent its fighters to
Syria to help President Bashar Assad’s troops against rebels seeking to topple
him. Tensions surged between Israel and Hizbullah late last year after the party
accused Israel's air force of carrying out a raid that killed top operative
Samir al-Quntar near Damascus. Quntar had said that he had been working, with
the backing of Hizbullah, to set up "the Syrian resistance" to liberate the
Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967 and annexed 14 years
later. In January 2015, Hizbullah accused Israel of carrying out an airstrike on
the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, which killed several party members and a
prominent Iranian general.
Qazzi Warns of Naturalization
over Refugee Employment Projects
Naharnet/March 17/16/Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi said on Thursday that he
boycotted a ministerial committee meeting to protest a decision by some donor
countries to assist Lebanon by finding job opportunities for Syrian refugees. “I
won’t make compromises in that regard,” Qazzi, who represents the Kataeb Party
in the cabinet, told An Nahar newspaper. “We will head towards naturalization
without knowing,” the minister warned after he boycotted the meeting of the
ministerial committee tasked with dealing with the affairs of Syrian refugees.
There are fears that the international community would encourage the displaced
Syrians to remain in the host countries, such as Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan
after a proposal to create hundreds of thousands of short-term jobs to help the
refugees survive in the overburdened Middle Eastern states. The STEP program,
which has been proposed by the foreign ministry, allows the short-term
employment of Syrians.The project activates the economy and finds job
opportunities for the Lebanese and Syrians in the agriculture and construction
sectors, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil said in January. He added that the
Syrians would put part of their salaries in private accounts which they will
have access to upon their return to their country. At a conference they held in
London in February, world leaders pledged more than $10 billion to help fund
schools, shelter and jobs for refugees from Syria's civil war. Their move was
intended to slow the migration of the refugees to Europe.
Amnesty Criticizes Lebanon's
Restrictions on Syrian Refugees
Naharnet/March 17/16/Amnesty International has criticized the measures
introduced by Lebanon in 2015 to curb the influx of Syrian refugees into the
country, although it lauded Lebanon for hosting “over one million
refugees.”Amnesty “recognizes the immense strain on the Government of Lebanon in
hosting over one million refugees from Syria and commends it for its efforts in
this regard,” the human rights watchdog said in a statement. “However, in
January 2015, the government overturned its open-border policy and in May 2015,
it instructed UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) to
provisionally suspend all new registration of Syrian refugees,” it noted. The
London-based global organization said it “regrets Lebanon’s rejection of
recommendations to ratify the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
and its Additional Protocol and to facilitate the registration of refugees and
renewal of their residency permits.”It pointed out that the renewal of residency
permits for refugees from Syria who entered Lebanon before January 5, 2015 is
difficult due to the “onerous process of obtaining documents, the annual fee of
US$200 and the requirement that applicants pledge, in some cases, not to work
and, in others, to find a Lebanese sponsor.” “Those who cannot afford to renew
annual residency permits become irregular in status and at risk of arrest,
detention and deportation,” Amnesty lamented. It also noted that in January 2016
Lebanon “forcibly returned around 400 Syrians to Syria, in violation of the
principle of non-refoulement.” Lebanon has struggled to deal with an influx of
refugees that now represents a quarter of its four-million-strong population,
and last year began making it harder for Syrian refugees to stay. More than
270,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with
anti-government protests in March 2011. The war has displaced over half of the
country's population, including more than four million who have fled abroad,
becoming refugees.
Kharazi visits Rahi, commends
his role in addressing Lebanon's problems
Thu 17 Mar 2016/NNA - Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Rahi received on
Thursday at Bkirki former Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi, accompanied by
Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fateh Ali. Talks reportedly dwelt on the
current political developments in Lebanon. Following the visit, Kharazi deemed
Patriarch Rahi as a key spiritual reference in Lebanon, commending his positive
role in easing and addressing the country's predicaments.
State Security
‘Marginalization’ Threatens Cabinet
Naharnet/March 17/16/The Kataeb Party’s three representatives in the cabinet in
addition to Minister Michel Pharaon have warned that they would take action if
the government fails to resolve the “marginalization” of the general-directorate
of state security. Minister Alain Hakim and Pharaon said they would storm out of
the session that is was chaired by Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Thursday. But
the premier pledged to discuss the issue of state security during the next
session. "The siege laid on this agency is unjustified," said Pharaon. Hakim
also said that all Christians reject the neglect of the department.
The directorate had sent a bill to the cabinet on March 20, 2014 asking for the
creation of a six-member leadership authority under which the director-general,
Maj. Gen. George Qaraa, a Catholic, would have the casting vote, said An Nahar.
But the former secretary-general of the cabinet, Suhail Bouji, paralyzed the
plan by saying that the approval of the bill requires a draft-law to be adopted
by the parliament unlike a decision made by the Shura Council, the report said.
The newspaper quoted a ministerial source as saying that Bouji’s move likely
came as a result of his friendship with the deputy director-general, Brig. Gen.
Mohammed Tufaili. Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregory III Laham contacted Salam on
Wednesday and discussed with him “the margination of the director general.”The
patriarch also criticized “the failure to invite the state security chief to
security meetings despite its successes,” said a statement issued by the
patriarch. Laham stressed “the importance of swiftly resolving this issue and
preserving the dignity of the director-general,” the statement added.
General Security Arrests
Lebanese Terrorist, Accomplices on the Run
Naharnet/March 17/16/The
General Security Department said on Thursday that it has arrested a Lebanese man
who has admitted to belonging to a terrorist group for the purpose of carrying
out terrorist operations. A communique issued by the agency said the man, whom
it identified by his initials as Kh.F., admitted to investigators that he
belongs to a terrorist organization and that he has actively participated with
two other suspects in bomb-making. General Security identified his accomplices
as Lebanese A.S. and Palestinian M.Z. The detainee said that he also
participated with the two other suspects in training suicide bombers for the
purpose of carrying out bombings on Lebanese territories, said the communique.
Kh.F. was referred to the judiciary as efforts are underway to arrest his
accomplices, it added. On Tuesday, General Security arrested six suspected
Syrian terrorists.
Lebanon Not so Happy Country
in World Happiness Report
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 17/16/Lebanon has ranked 93rd in a list of
more than 150 countries in the 2016 World Happiness Report. Denmark, closely
followed by Switzerland, is again the happiest country in the world while
crisis-torn Syria and Burundi are the most miserable, said the United Nations,
which published the first such study in 2012. The report seeks to quantify
happiness as a means of making societies healthier and more efficient.The
authors said six factors -- GDP per capita, social support, healthy life
expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption -- explain
almost three-quarters of the variation across different countries. The report
compared levels of happiness in 2005-2007, before the onset of the global
recession, with 2013-2015, the most recent three-year period for which data from
a Gallup World Poll is available. Of the 126 countries for which comparable data
was available, 55 had significant increases in happiness and 45 had significant
decreases, the report found.
“Stabbing suspect once had restricted airport security clearance
Adam Miller, Global
News, March 17, 2016
TORONTO — The 27-year-old man accused of stabbing two soldiers at a Canadian
Forces recruitment centre previously worked at Toronto’s largest airport and had
access to restricted areas. Ayanle Hassan Ali worked for a third party employer
at Toronto Pearson International Airport from December 2008 to March 2009 and
possessed a Restricted Area Identification Card, according to the Greater
Toronto Airports Authority. “[Ali] is not an employee of the Greater Toronto
Airports Authority nor does he currently work at Toronto Pearson,” a spokeswoman
for the organization told Global News.
“We join all Canadians in wishing the injured soldiers a speedy recovery, and in
saluting the brave personnel who intervened to defuse the attack.”Toronto Police
Chief Mark Saunders said Ali walked into the office located in a federal
government building in north Toronto around 3 p.m. Monday and slashed a male
soldier behind the counter in the arm with a “large knife,” then tried and
failed to stab a female soldier before being subdued by Forces members, one of
whom was injured in the process. Both soldiers were treated for
non-life-threatening injuries and released. Saunders told reporters Tuesday the
accused said at the scene “Allah told me to do this. Allah told me to come here
and kill people.”Police said they believe Ali acted alone in the stabbing but
added investigators are looking into any possible connections with terror
groups. Saunders said Ali is a Montreal-born Canadian citizen living in Toronto
since 2011. He said the accused had no prior contact with police. RCMP and
federal agencies are involved in the case and terrorism charges aren’t being
ruled out, Saunders said. Ali’s lawyer David Burke told reporters the accused is
“very scared right now” and may seek bail. Burke refused to answer questions on
his client’s personal life or background. The charge sheet states Ali lives in
north Etobicoke in the city’s west end….
Obama set to visit Riyadh
next month
Saudi Gazette, Jeddah Thursday, 17 March 2016/US President Barack Obama will
visit Saudi Arabia on April 21 for a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC),
the White House announced on Wednesday.They’ll discuss the fight against ISIS
and other Mideast security issues, the White House said. Obama hosted GCC
leaders at Camp David last May. A joint communique issued after the meeting said
that the leaders underscored their mutual commitment to a US-GCC strategic
partnership to build closer relations in all fields, including defense and
security cooperation, and develop collective approach to regional issues. Obama
led a large, bipartisan US delegation to Saudi Arabia following the death of
King Abdullah last January. Obama and Saudi King Salman held an hour-long
meeting in which they discussed a range of issues. The two countries have been
strategic partners for 70 years.
Obama will also visit Windsor Castle, where he will have a private lunch with
Queen Elizabeth II, and 10 Downing Street for a joint press conference with
Prime Minister David Cameron. Obama will conclude his trip with a previously
announced visit to Germany, where he’ll attend the world’s largest trade show
and meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel. The White House said the visit “will
allow the president to offer his gratitude to the British government and people
for their stalwart partnership with his administration and the American people
throughout his presidency.”
Kuwait security chief to
Obama: We’re not free-riders
By Reuters Kuwait Thursday, 17 March 2016/Kuwait is not a “free-rider” in US-led
campaigns against terrorism and other threats, a senior Kuwaiti security
official said on Thursday, rejecting comments by President Barack Obama critical
of some US allies. Sheikh Thamer al-Sabah, President of Kuwait’s National
Security Bureau, was referring to Obama’s remarks to The Atlantic magazine last
week in which he said some states in the Gulf and Europe were “free-riders” who
called for US action without getting involved themselves. In an interview,
Sheikh Thamer said Kuwait, like fellow Gulf state Qatar, had opened up air bases
and airspace for the US-led coalition bombing ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Aircraft
from other Gulf countries had carried out sorties, said Sheikh Thamer, a member
of Kuwait’s ruling family. “I am just wondering what a free ride is when we do
all of these things,” he said, referring to Kuwait’s role. “When we share
intelligence, when we open our air, land and sea, when we spend billions of
dollars in trying to combat terrorism and trying to help the Syrian refugees,
how is it free?” he added. “I actually looked up ‘free ride’ in the dictionary
and I would like other people to know what a free ride is and see what we are
doing here in this part of the world, especially when he mentioned the
Gulf.”Sheikh Thamer’s comments were unusually critical of the United States for
a Kuwaiti official. They echo those on Monday by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki
al-Faisal, a former intelligence chief, who said the American leader had “thrown
us a curve ball” in criticizing Riyadh’s regional role.
Hot spot
Kuwait, which borders Iraq and Saudi Arabia and lies across the Gulf from Iran,
is working to combat the threat of attacks by Sunni Islamist militants like ISIS
on its own soil, Sheikh Thamer said, as well as Iranian-backed operatives. In
June last year a Saudi suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shiite mosque in
Kuwait, killing 27, in an attack claimed by ISIS. The bomber was previously
unknown to authorities in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia or Bahrain, where he had been in
transit, Sheikh Thamer said. “He wasn’t under their radar, they didn’t know him.
He was radicalized, to our understanding, through either the internet or through
people he might have known,” he said. “This is something that is very serious
for us, if you don’t know the person, how can you defend yourself or how can you
protect yourself?” He said countries from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation
Council had been compiling blacklists of suspected militants and shared them
with Western allies. He said Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers had not
diminished Kuwait’s concerns over Iran. These included militant sleeper cells
and spies, involvement in regional conflicts and the safety of the Bushehr
nuclear power plant. Kuwait is the closest major population center to it. “The
security issue from Iran was always there and I think will always continue. It
is not something new,” he said. “I salute you for trying your best to work with
Iran only on their nuclear program despite knowing what Iran is doing for
Hezbollah in Lebanon, for other places in the world, for bombings, for hijacking
of aircraft, for assassinations of people,” he added. “I salute them on how they
can actually sit down and talk about only the nuclear programme with the
knowledge they have of how Iran is capable of doing all of these things. I can’t
do it.”He voiced concern about Iraq, where Iranian-backed Shiite militias are
fighting alongside government forces against ISIS. “We are living in a very hot
spot in the world,” he said.
Aid agencies call for full
access in Syria as conflict enters 6th year
Luke Mintz, Thomson Reuters Foundation, London Thursday, 17 March
2016/Humanitarian agencies demanded unconditional access to all communities in
Syria as Russia continued on Wednesday to withdraw its military forces from the
country. In a joint statement signed by 102 humanitarian organizations to mark
the fifth anniversary of the conflict’s beginning, aid agencies urged all
warring parties that humanitarian access must “include access to all people in
need by whatever routes necessary”. The statement, signed by the UN children’s
agency UNICEF, Oxfam and others, noted “encouraging signs of progress” in Syria,
with the cessation of hostilities, allowing humanitarian agencies to “rush more
food and other relief to communities desperate for help”. But access has to go
beyond a temporary lifting of sieges and checkpoints, they said. “Humanitarian
access and freedom of movement of civilians in Syria has to be sustained. It has
to be unconditional. And it should include access to all people in need by
whatever routes necessary,” the signatories wrote. All humanitarian aid,
including medical supplies, medical staff and aid workers should be given full
access to all civilians in need. There was also an urgent need for a national
immunization campaign for children, the agencies said. “These are practical
actions that would mean the difference between life and death,” the agencies
said. “All parties to the conflict can agree on them, now. And in doing so, they
can take another step to peace,” they said. More than 11 million Syrians from a
population of nearly 23 million have been forced from their homes during the
five-year conflict, including 4.8 million who have fled the country. Kevin
Jenkins, president of World Vision International, said there are 13.5 million
people in Syria in need of assistance including six million children and many in
hard to reach areas. Benedict Dempsey, director of policy and advocacy for Mercy
Corps Europe, said the call for unfettered humanitarian access to Syria is “not
new”, adding that four UN Security Council resolutions called for this. “It is
imperative that aid organizations, including Syrian organizations, have
unfettered and sustained access to reach civilians in need throughout all of
Syria swiftly, without restrictions and through the safest, most direct routes,
be they across lines or across borders,” he said.
Russia: Majority of forces to
leave Syria in days
Reuters, Moscow Thursday, 17 March 2016/Russia will complete the withdrawal of
most of its military contingent in Syria in two to three days, Russian Air Force
Commander Viktor Bondarev said in an interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda
daily published on Thursday. Syria’s opposition welcomed Russia’s announcement,
saying a serious withdrawal would put pressure on Syrian authorities and give
peace talks a positive impetus. Russia’s partial withdrawal of forces from Syria
is “a very positive step,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said,
adding he hoped it would compel President Bashar al-Assad to make concessions.
Russia’s military intervention in Syria in September helped to turn the tide of
war in Assad’s favor after months of gains in western Syria by rebel fighters,
who were aided by foreign military supplies including US-made anti-tank
missiles.(with AFP)
Turkey will not make new
demands at EU migrant summit
Reuters, Ankara Thursday, 17 March 2016/Turkey does not intend to make new
demands at a meeting with EU leaders on the migrant crisis and sees the chances
of finalizing a deal as difficult but not impossible, a senior Turkish official
told Reuters on Thursday. Should there be new proposals from the European side,
Turkey would discuss them, the official said, adding that countries including
Cyprus should not be allowed to block progress. “It will be hard to get a result
from this summit, but not impossible. The reason is there are too many actors on
the EU side,” the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity
ahead of the sensitive talks. “Some countries should not be allowed to exhibit a
manner that would block progress,” the official said, when asked whether a
lingering feud between Ankara and small but vocal EU member Cyprus was hampering
a deal. EU leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday to agree on a deal to offer
Turkey the following day that would secure Ankara’s commitment to a scheme
intended to halt migrant flows to the Greek islands. A breakfast is set for
Friday with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, where European Council
President Donald Tusk hopes to finalize the deal that the Turkish premier first
sprang on the EU, with backing from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at a
special summit 10 days ago. A separate official in Davutoglu’s office said there
was “no hesitation” on the Turkish side about going to Brussels, in response to
a question on whether the Turkish delegation would only attend if it was sure of
securing a deal. The first official said a visit by Tusk to Ankara this week had
not fully resolved issues over the agreement, but that it had been an “extremely
important” visit and that it was vital to keep channels of communication open.
Border between Iraqi
Kurdistan and Syrian Kurdish region closed
Reuters, Beirut Thursday, 17 March 2016/The border between Iraqi Kurdistan and
Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria was closed on Wednesday, a Syrian
Kurdish official told Reuters. The border between al-Malikiya in Syria’s
Hassakeh province and Fishkhabur in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region closed in
the afternoon, said Abdullah Sa’adoun, communications officer for the Syrian
Kurdish internal security forces, known as the Asayish. Sa’adoun did not give a
reason for the closure, but said it was closed by the Iraqi side.The closure
comes on the same day that Syrian Kurds had been expected to announce the
combining of three Kurdish-led areas of northern Syria into a federal
arrangement. An Iraqi Kurdish official who asked not to be identified told
Reuters that he was not aware of a political decision to close the border and
that it had happened a number of times before for technical or security reasons.
The crossing is located in a sensitive area at the intersection of the Syrian,
Iraqi and Turkish borders. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a
Britain-based organization that monitors the Syrian conflict, also said the
border was shut from the Iraqi side. Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said
that the border is often closed, and the reason for this closure is not known.
US says would not recognize
Kurdish region in Syria
AFP, Washington Thursday, 17 March 2016/The United States warned Wednesday that
it would not recognize an attempt by Kurdish groups in war-torn Syria to form an
autonomous federal region. Washington has supported and encouraged the Kurdish
parties of the area in their fight against a common foe, the ISIS militant
group. But the State Department said Wednesday it would not support the breakup
of the country and that any new federal model would have to emerge from peace
talks. "We've been very clear that we won't recognize any self-rule autonomous
zones within Syria," spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. "This is something
that needs to be discussed and agreed upon by the relevant parties in Geneva and
then by the Syrian people themselves." Representatives of Bashar al-Assad's
government and of the opposition ranged against him are negotiating an end to
the civil war under UN auspices in Geneva. But parties representing Syria's
Kurdish minority have not been invited to the talks and are instead trying to
create a unified region of their own. Any bid to expand an existing system of
self-rule will anger Turkey, wary of anything that might encourage Kurdish
separatism within its own borders. More than 150 delegates from Kurdish, Arab,
Assyrian and other parties met Wednesday in Rmeilan, in Syria's northeastern
Hasakeh province. The meeting adjourned in the early evening and will reconvene
on Thursday, when a decision on declaring a semi-autonomous northern region will
be announced.
Syria Peace Talks Muddied as
Kurds Declare Federal Region
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 17/16/Syria's Kurds declared a federal
region in the country's north Thursday, in a move that risks complicating
already fragile talks underway in Geneva to end the country's brutal five-year
conflict. More than 150 delegates from Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian and other parties
meeting in the Syrian town of Rmeilan agreed to create a "federal system"
unifying territory run by Kurds across several Syrian provinces. Both the Syrian
government and the main opposition immediately rejected the move, which was
expected to create more obstacles at already thorny peace talks underway in
Switzerland, from which the Kurdish parties have so far been excluded. The
regime charged the move would "encroach on Syria's territorial unity", while the
High Negotiations Committee (HNC) opposition coalition slammed it as "a
misadventure (that) is detrimental to the Kurdish cause and the Syrian cause in
general."Speaking ahead of the Kurdish declaration, the U.N.'s mediator in the
talks Staffan de Mistura branded the federalism push as possibly "dangerous",
according to the Swiss news agency ATS. The Kurds control more than 10 percent
of Syria's territory and three-quarters of its border with Turkey, and the
Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are considered one of the most effective
forces fighting the Islamic State group. Yet so far they have been blocked from
joining the peace talks due to harsh opposition from Turkey, which considers the
YPG a Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an outlawed group
that has waged a decades-long insurgency against Ankara. Washington-based
analyst Mutlu Civiroglu said the Kurdish announcement was a political message
"to the United Nations, the U.S., Russia, and especially to Geneva, that if you
ignore us, we are going to determine our future by ourselves." The latest round
of U.N.-mediated talks aimed at ending Syria's tangled war, which has killed
more than 270,000 people, have been taking place since Monday. Observers agree
the atmosphere this time around has been more constructive than during multiple
previous failed peace efforts, largely thanks to a partial ceasefire introduced
on February 27 that remains broadly in place. But the talks were muddied
Wednesday when de Mistura met for the first time with a second opposition
coalition, which includes the so-called Moscow Group and is demanding an equal
seat at the negotiating table. That would not sit well with the HNC, which
insists it must remain the sole opposition representative in the talks. The HNC
is expected to stress that position when it has a second official meeting with
de Mistura on Thursday afternoon. The entry into the talks of the Moscow Group,
along with the so-called Cairo and Istana groups, followed Russia's surprise
decision this week to withdraw most of its forces from Syria, where they had
been fighting in support of President Bashar Assad. Western governments had
voiced hopes the pullout, expected to be completed by the end of the week, could
boost the talks by pressuring Assad. But Russian President Vladimir Putin said
Thursday his country could ramp up its presence again if needed "within several
hours".Moscow is set to maintain its air base and a naval facility in Syria and
Putin indicated that Russia's drawdown would not significantly change the
balance of forces in Syria.
In Geneva, it was not immediately clear what impact the inclusion of the
pro-Moscow group would have on the talks, or whether it was a gesture from de
Mistura to Russia following the pullout. The U.N. has not yet clarified what
role the Moscow Group would play, but its co-president Randa Kassis told
reporters Wednesday her camp was in Geneva "as a negotiating delegation". The
Moscow Group is tolerated by Damascus and has not insisted on Assad's departure
as a condition for creating a transitional government, which is an unequivocal
HNC demand. The group's inclusion could be good news for the Kurds: it insisted
Wednesday on the need to "lift the embargo" against bringing in Kurdish
delegates. A member of the Syrian government delegation meanwhile told AFP the
Kurds would be "invited to the talks in the next stage".
Two soldiers, three militants
killed in rare gunfight in Pakistan
AFP, Islamabad Thursday, 17 March 2016/Two Pakistani troops and three militants
were killed in a rare firefight in the country's relatively peaceful northern
areas Thursday, officials said. The incident occurred in the Chilas district in
the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, a scenic tourist hub where the Himalayas,
Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountain ranges converge. "Three wanted terrorists were
killed by security forces in a successful intelligence based operation," the
military said in a statement. It added: "The terrorists killed were involved in
attacks on civil transport, tourists and security forces. Two security forces
personnel also embraced shahadat (martyrdom) in exchange of fire." A search
operation is still underway, it added, and security forces have cordoned off the
site in Gayal village. The statement did not mention which group the militants
belonged to, but the Chilas district is a known stronghold of Sunni extremist
outfits such as the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. The incident
came two days after military courts sentenced 13 militants to death for
terrorism-related offences, including the 2013 massacre of 10 foreign
mountaineers in northern Pakistan. Gunmen dressed in police uniforms stormed the
base camp at Nanga Parbat, Pakistan's second highest mountain camp, and shot
dead one American who also held Chinese citizenship, two other Chinese, three
Ukrainians, two Slovakians, one Lithuanian, one Nepalese and a Pakistani guide.
The attack led to a slump in foreign visitors, though the tourism industry has
recovered slightly since, thanks in part to a huge rise in domestic
holiday-makers. Pakistan has been battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency for
more a decade following its decision to side with the US-led coalition against
the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Syrian Kurds declare federal
region
By AP Beirut Thursday, 17 March 2016/The main Syrian Kurdish group on Thursday
declared a federal region in Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria, a move
that was immediately rejected by both the government in Damascus and the
opposition. The announcement came as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned
that despite the Russian forces drawdown, Moscow can again build up its forces
in Syria “in a few hours” if necessary, and will continue striking extremist
groups. The nature and the timing of the move - which came as UN-brokered talks
on resolving the Syrian conflict are underway this week in Geneva - might make
it seem like a way forward after five years of civil war, but they have also
triggered fears a federal unit would lead to a partition of the country. Nawaf
Khalil, an official with the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, told The Associated
Press that the announcement was made at a Kurdish conference being held in the
town of Rmeilan in the northeastern province of Hassakeh. Syria’s Foreign
Ministry rejected the move, describing it as “unconstitutional and worthless”
and warned against any attempt to encroach upon the integrity of Syrian
territory. The Syrian National Coalition, one of the main Syrian opposition
groups, also said it rejects such unilateral declarations and warned of any
attempt to form autonomous regions that “confiscate the will of the Syrian
people.”
Khalil said participants in the Rmeilan meeting have approved a “democratic
federal system for Rojava-Northern Syria.” Rojava is a Kurdish word that refers
to three distinct enclaves, or cantons, under Kurdish control in northern Syria:
Jazira, Kobani and Afrin. Khalil said participants who include Turkmen, Arabs,
Christian and Kurds in northern Syria said after they approved the draft that
they are now preparing a final statement that will be read later Thursday.
“Federal and Democratic Syria is a guarantee of coexistence and brotherly
relations between people,” read a banner posted online from inside the room of
the Rmeilan conference. Salih Muslim, the co-president of the PYD, said by
telephone that those meeting “are setting up the basis on how constituencies
will deal with each other.” Also in Syria, 61 trucks loaded with aid from the
International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN are waiting to enter four
area besieged by the government and insurgents, said ICRC spokesman Pawel
Krzysiek. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA
said on its Twitter account that health, nutrition, hygiene and emergency items
are on the way to the rebel-held towns of Madaya Zabadani, near the border with
Lebanon, and the government-held villages of Foua and Kfarya in the northwestern
Idlib province. Meanwhile in Russia, Putin, who ordered a partial withdrawal of
Russian warplanes from Syria earlier this week, said that Russia has kept some
forces in Syria to support the Syrian army’s action against ISIS, the Nusra
Front - which is al-Qaida’s branch in Syria - and other extremist groups. He
emphasized that the Russian military will be ready to use an array of air
defense missile systems it has in Syria “against any targets that would threaten
our servicemen.” Putin’s statement underlined Russia’s intention to maintain a
strong military presence in Syria to keep its gains after a
five-and-a-half-month air campaign that has helped turn the tide of war and
allowed Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces to make significant advances.
Putin said that Assad had been informed in advance about the Russian pullout and
supported the decision. Putin praised the Syrian ruler for what he described as
his readiness to contribute to a peaceful settlement. “We have seen him shown
restraint and demonstrating a sincere striving for peace and readiness for
compromise and dialogue,” he said. The Russian president voiced hope that the
partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria would help Syria's indirect
peace talks that began in Geneva on Monday. He also said the Syrian army will
continue its offensive on the historic central town of Palmyra and drive out the
IS forces controlling it. Earlier Thursday, the commander of the Russian Air
Force said the withdrawal of the bulk of the Russian forces from Syria should be
complete in two to three days. Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said in an interview
with the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily on Thursday that the Air Force aims to meet
President Vladimir Putin's deadline and pull out in the next two to three days.
Putin on Monday announced the withdrawal of most of the Russian forces from
Syria to end a five-and-a-half-month campaign there. The first group of bombers
left for Russia on Tuesday. Moscow didn't specify how many aircraft and troops
would be withdrawn. It has not revealed how many soldiers it has deployed to
Syria, but US estimates of the number of Russian military personnel vary from
3,000 to 6,000.
Sinai plane crash referred to
Egypt attorney general
By Reuters Cairo Thursday, 17 March 2016/The Egypt-led committee investigating
the crash of a Russian passenger airplane in the Sinai peninsula last October
said on Thursday it was referring the case to Egypt’s attorney general, the
first indication it suspects foul play. After receiving a report on the crash
from Russia suggesting suspected criminal activity, the committee decided to
refer the case to the attorney general, it said in a statement. Russia and
Western countries have long said that they believe the flight was brought down
by a bomb smuggled on board. The investigation committee has said it had yet to
find evidence of foul play, but Egypt’s president said in a speech in February
that the plane was downed by terrorists seeking to damage its tourism industry
and ties with Moscow. ISIS, whose Egypt affiliate is waging an insurgency in the
Sinai, said it smuggled the explosive aboard inside a soft drink can.
An EgyptAir mechanic whose cousin joined ISIS in Syria is suspected of planting
the bomb, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in January. The crash
has called into question Egypt’s campaign to eradicate Islamist militancy and
damaged its tourism industry, a cornerstone of the economy.
UN 'very worried' about
thousands fleeing Iraq offensive
By AFP Baghdad Thursday, 17 March 2016/The United Nations said Thursday it was
concerned that many of the 35,000 people recently displaced by fighting in
Iraq’s Anbar province were still very close to the front lines. Thousands of
civilians have been fleeing Hit, 145 kilometers (90 miles) west of Baghdad, as
security forces close in on fighters from ISIS hunkered down in the city. “The
UN doesn’t have full access and we are very worried that some of the families
who are escaping are in areas very close to the front lines,” the UN’s
humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande, said in a statement. The UN said
aid agencies were providing food, water and hygiene kits to some of the people
displaced but stressed that the affected areas were hard to reach. Hit lies
along the Euphrates, in the heart of Anbar, and is currently the main focus of
the Iraqi security forces’ battle to retake ground lost to IS in 2014. Grande
said the number of displaced people from Hit seeking urgent medical assistance
was an indication of how hard the conditions were. “The mobile clinics dealt
with 1,300 consultations during just their first two days,” she said. The UN
said 53,000 people had already been displaced in Anbar province this year prior
to the latest wave in the Hit area. According to the International Organization
for Migration, 44 percent of the more than 3.3 million people displaced in Iraq
since the beginning of 2014 are from Anbar. The statement said only nine percent
of the $861 million the UN and its partners requested in January to provide
emergency relief to 7.3 million vulnerable Iraqis had so far been received.
Two Palestinians stab woman
in West Bank, shot dead: Army
By AFP Jerusalem Thursday, 17 March 2016/Two Palestinians stabbed an Israeli
woman near a group of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank on Thursday
before being shot dead, the army said, the latest in a months-long wave of
violence. The incident occurred at the Ariel junction in the West Bank. The
wounded woman was being taken to hospital, while the two assailants were shot by
forces at the scene, the Israeli army said. Since Oct. 1, a wave of violence has
killed 196 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese,
according to an AFP count. Most of the Palestinians were killed while carrying
out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to the Israeli authorities.
Others were shot dead during protests and clashes. Many analysts say Palestinian
frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement building in the West Bank,
the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured
leadership have fed the unrest. Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders
and media as a main cause of the violence. Most of the attackers have been young
people, including teenagers, who appear to have been acting on their own.
Saudi-led operation in Yemen
‘coming to an end’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya
English Thursday, 17 March 2016/The spokesman for the Saudi-led military
coalition says that major combat operations in Yemen are coming to an end, after
which the coalition will work on "long-term" plans to bring stability to the
country. Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Asiri said that major military combats were coming
to a close and that the next phase of rebuilding and reconstruction will be
begin shortly. Assiri reiterated that Saudi Arabia and the coalition will “stand
by the legitimate Yemeni government and offer support until it is able to
restore stability in the country.”
In Marib, Yemeni Deputy Commander of the Yemeni forces General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar
said that his team, along with the arab coalition, will stay in place and help
rebuild public institutions that have been destroyed by Houthi militias. In Taiz,
hundreds of families were seen returning to the city with shops and everyday
life returning to normal after months of destruction by the militias.
PKK-affiliated group claims
Ankara attack
AFP, Ankara Thursday, 17 March 2016/A radical Kurdish group with ties to the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Thursday claimed the deadly suicide
car bomb attack that killed 35 people in Ankara last weekend. “On the evening of
March 13, a suicide attack was carried out... in the streets of the capital of
the fascist Turkish republic. We claim this attack,” the Kurdistan Freedom
Falcons (TAK) said in a statement on their website. The group said it was a
response to security operations carried out by Turkish forces in the
Kurdish-dominated southeast of the country. Sunday’s attack came three weeks
after a similar car bombing in Ankara killed 29 people, also claimed by TAK. In
the immediate aftermath of the latest bombing, the Turkish authorities pointed
the finger at the PKK, against which Ankara has waged a relentless assault since
late last year. The government said one of the bombers was a woman in her
mid-20s affiliated with the PKK and trained in Syria by the People’s Protection
Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia group the Turkish military shelled for several
days in February. The PKK launched a bloody insurgency against the Turkish state
in 1984 for greater autonomy for Kurds, a conflict that has claimed some 40,000
lives and flared up again last year after a two-year ceasefire collapsed.
Authorities detained 11 people over the attack, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
said, while Turkish jets bombed PKK targets in northern Iraq just hours after
the blast. Turkey has suffered five major bombings since July last year, killing
more than 200 people, including two in Ankara in less than a month.
Kerry to Lavrov: Syria
political transition urgent
Reuters, Washington Thursday, 17 March 2016/US Secretary of State John Kerry
told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday that the need for
progress toward political transition in Syria is urgent, and he emphasized the
importance of maintaining the cessation of hostilities, the State Department
said. Kerry’s phone call with Lavrov followed a call between President Barack
Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin and came ahead of Kerry’s trip to
Moscow next week, the department said in a statement.
Kerry to miss deadline to
rule on ISIS ‘genocide’
AFP, Washington Thursday, 17 March 2016/US Secretary of State John Kerry will
miss a deadline imposed by Congress to rule on whether the ISIS group’s murders
of Christians in Syria and Iraq amount to genocide. Lawmakers set Thursday as
the day on which the State Department would have to confirm whether the US
government regards the brutal ISIS persecution of religious minorities as a
crime against humanity. But department spokesman Mark Toner said Wednesday that
Kerry was still gathering evidence before making his determination and would
miss the deadline -- an admission sure to trigger anger on Capitol Hill. “Given
the scope and the breadth of the analysis he’s contemplating, he will not have a
final decision completed by the Congressionally-mandated deadline tomorrow,”
Toner said. “However, this issue is clearly of the utmost importance to him as
well as to Congress, and we expect him to reach a decision very soon.”The ISIS
group’s vicious treatment of Christians and other non-Muslim religious
minorities such as Yazidis -- including wholesale killing and rape -- is not
disputed in Washington. But the US administration argues that to designate the
ISIS campaign as genocide would have practical legal implications and cannot be
taken lightly. This did not satisfy the House of Representatives, which has
voted to classify the killings as genocide and demand that the administration do
so, too. “What more does Secretary John Kerry need to see and hear in order to
call these atrocities for what they are?” House speaker Paul Ryan said. “This is
genocide, plain and simple. The House has spoken very clearly on this. And we
all continue to pray for the persecuted.” Toner insisted that the State
Department respects the right of Congress to demand a decision, but argued “we
need some additional time, a matter of a few days or a week or so in order to
reach what we believe is a more fact-based, evidence-based decision.”
Obama picks centrist Supreme
Court nominee
Reuters, Washington Thursday, 17 March 2016/US President Barack Obama selected
Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court on Wednesday, choosing a centrist judge
meant to win over recalcitrant Senate Republicans whose leaders wasted no time
in spurning the Democratic president. A bruising political fight is brewing over
the nomination, which also promises to figure in the already contentious
campaign for the Nov. 8 US presidential election. The Republican-led Senate’s
leaders have vowed not to hold confirmation hearings or an up-or-down vote on
any Obama nominee. Garland, 63, was picked to replace long-serving conservative
Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Feb. 13. A Chicagoan like Obama, he serves
as chief judge of the influential US Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit and is a former prosecutor who in the past has won praise from
both Republicans and Democrats. Wasting no time in pressing its case for Senate
confirmation, the administration is dispatching Garland to Capitol Hill on
Thursday to huddle with Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the senior Judiciary
Committee Democrat and then with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Such meetings are aimed at shoring up Senate support for the nominee and
generating media coverage. The lifetime appointment to the high court requires
Senate confirmation. Obama’s announcement prompted a flood of reaction from
private groups that will work to advance or kill the nomination. The UAW,
representing automobile, aerospace and some agricultural workers, call Garland
“a distinguished, moderate judge with more federal judicial experience than any
other Supreme Court nominee in history.” National Rifle Association Executive
Director Chris Cox said, “A basic analysis of Merrick Garland’s judicial record
shows that he does not respect our fundamental, individual right to keep and
bear arms for self-defense.” Republicans, hoping a candidate from their party
wins the presidential election, are demanding that Obama leave the seat vacant
and let his successor, to be sworn in next January, make the selection.
Billionaire businessman Donald Trump is leading among Republicans for the
nomination. Obama’s former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is the
front-runner for the Democrats. Obama said Republican senators should give
Garland a fair hearing. He said that failing to do so “will not only be an
abdication of the Senate’s constitutional duty, it will indicate a process for
nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair.” Such a move, he said,
would also undermine the reputation of the Supreme Court and faith in the
American justice system. “Our democracy will ultimately suffer as well,” Obama
added, as he introduced Garland at a White House Rose Garden ceremony. Scalia’s
death left the nine-member Supreme Court evenly split with four liberals and
four conservative justices. Obama’s nominee could tilt the court to the left for
the first time in decades, which could affect rulings on contentious issues
including abortion, gun rights, the death penalty and political spending.
ISIS flag found at Brussels
shoot-out scene: prosecutor
AFP, Brussels Wednesday, 16 March 2016/The suspect gunned down in a Brussels
shootout with police was found with an ISIS flag, a Kalashnikov assault rifle
and a book of Salafist literature next to his body, Belgian prosecutors said on
Wednesday. Thierry Werts, a spokesman for anti-terror prosecutors, told a press
conference that the man had been identified as 35-year-old Belkaid Mohamed, an
Algerian national who was illegally in Belgium. "Next to the body was a
Kalashnikov, a book on Salafism and an Islamic State flag," Werts said. Mohamed
was "neutralized" by police snipers on Tuesday in response to heavy gunfire from
the building where police on a routine search had stumbled upon him. Werts said
that "two persons who were probably in the flat and whose identity is not known
fled the scene and are being tracked down". Searches throughout the southern
district of Brussels found "no results", he said. Prime Minister Charles Michel
said a vast police operation was still under way in Brussels after the shootout
in which four police officers were slightly wounded.
Fourteen Palestinians die in
Jordan bus crash
AFP, Amman Thursday, 17 March 2016/Fourteen Palestinian pilgrims were killed and
36 others injured when their bus overturned in southern Jordan near the Saudi
border on Wednesday, emergency services said. Jordan’s civil defence officials
said the driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle around 320 km south of
Amman and warned that the toll could rise, given the severity of the injuries.
The group had been heading to Saudi Arabia for the umrah pilgrimage, which along
with the more important annual hajj attracts millions of Muslims from around the
world.
ISIS Massacre of Christians Not
“Genocide,” Obama Administration Claims
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/March 17/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/03/17/raymond-ibrahim-isis-massacre-of-christians-not-genocide-obama-administration-claim/
According to the Obama administration, the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, etc.) is
committing genocide against certain religious minority groups — excluding
Christian minorities. During a February 29 press briefing, White House spokesman
Josh Earnest was asked: “Is the Islamic State carrying out a campaign of
genocide against Syria’s Christians?” He replied:
Well, we have long expressed our concerns with the tendency of — well, not a
tendency — a tactic employed by ISIL to slaughter religious minorities in Iraq
and in Syria. You’ll recall at the very beginning of the military campaign
against ISIL that some of the first actions that were ordered by President
Obama, by the United States military, were to protect Yazidi religious
minorities that were essentially cornered on Mt. Sinjar by ISIL fighters. We
took those strikes to clear a path so that those religious minorities could be
rescued.
Due to the obvious equivocation — it is unclear how Obama’s efforts “to protect
Yazidi religious minorities” answers a question about persecuted Christians —
the question was repeated: “But you’re not prepared to use the word ‘genocide’
yet in the situation [regarding Christians]?”
Earnest’s response:
My understanding is the use of that word involves a very specific legal
determination that has at this point not been reached.
What is this “very specific legal determination” that encompasses Yazidis but
excludes Christians? The Islamic State’s treatment of Christians would certainly
seem to fit under the UN’s definition of “genocide“:
Genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in
whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a)
Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to
members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of
life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;…
ISIS is unquestionably guilty of “killing members of the [Christian] group” and
causing them “serious bodily or mental harm.” Although two separate videotaped
mass executions (one of 21 Egyptian Christians and another of 30 Ethiopian
Christians) were reported by the mainstream media, accounts of torture, rape,
mutilation, crucifixion, and massacres of Christians are regularly reported on
Arabic and alternate media.
The Islamic State has also been responsible for “deliberately inflicting on the
group [Christians] conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical
destruction in whole or in part.” ISIS has placed these “conditions of life” —
more literally known in Islamic doctrine as the “Conditions of Omar” — on
Christians. They included a number of humiliations and debilitations — from the
suppression of Christian worship to the extortion of money (jizya) — a
“protection” tax designed to “encourage” Christians to convert to Islam or flee.
ISIS seems further committed to expunging all physical traces of Christianity in
the areas it conquers. It has demolished dozens of ancient churches; at least
400 churches in Syria have been destroyed since the war, as well as countless
statues and crucifixes. ISIS has also desecrated Christian cemeteries and
ordered the University of Mosul to burn all books written by Christians and
decreed that all schools in Mosul and the Nineveh Plain that bore Christian
names (some since the 1700s) be changed.
Then there are the numbers. In Iraq, Christians, who totaled 1.4 million in
2003, are now down to about 300,000. In Syria, Christians, who totaled 1.25
million in 2011, are now down to about 500.000.
Finally, ISIS is on record saying that its eradication of Christians is due to
their religious identity.
Due to all these clear indicators, many groups and rights activists believe that
ISIS’s treatment of Christians “fits the definition of ethnic cleansing,” in the
words of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial. A European Parliament resolution adopted in April 2015
states that “Christians are the most persecuted religious group. … according to
data the number of Christians killed every year is more than 150,000.”
Most recently, on March 14, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a
resolution that pressures the Obama administration officially to declare the
Islamic State’s bloodshed against religious minorities—including Christians—as
“genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The resolution passed 393 to 0.
Even so, to those paying attention, the Obama administration’s rejection of the
word “genocide” where Christians are concerned fits a familiar pattern:
Although Obama repeatedly claimed when he was running for office that if elected
president he would recognize the Armenian Genocide — another instance when
Muslims (Turks) sought to eradicate Christians (Armenians) — he has failed to
keep his word.
When asked about the plight of Christians under ISIS, Colonel Steve Warren —
sounding like White House spokesman Josh Earnest — said “We’ve seen no specific
evidence of a specific targeting toward Christians.”
Although Christians number 10% of Syria’s population, only 2% of refugees
accepted into the U.S. from there are Christian. (The majority of refugees —
almost 98% — are Sunni Muslims, the same sect to which ISIS belongs and thus are
not persecuted for their religious identity.)
When inviting scores of Muslim representatives, the State Department has
repeatedly denied visas to solitary Christian representatives.
When a few persecuted Iraqi Christians crossed the border into the U.S., they
were thrown in prison for several months and then sent back to the war zone.
When persecuted Coptic Christians planned on joining Egypt’s anti-Muslim
Brotherhood revolution of 2013, the Obama administration, in the person of
Ambassador Anne Patterson, counseled them not to.
And when persecuted Iraqi and Syrian Christians asked for arms to join the
opposition fighting ISIS, D.C. refused.
Muslim
Jerusalem": Turkey's Message of "Peace" to Israel
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/March 17/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7625/turkey-muslim-jerusalem
Turkey's attempts at "normalizing relations with Israel" apparently do not
actually aim to normalize the relations.
"We do not forget Gaza and Palestine even in our dreams, let alone in
negotiations. Whatever is wrong for Palestine is also wrong for us. We discussed
these issues in detail during our meetings with my dear friend, Khaled Mashaal
[leader of Hamas]. This is the main objective behind the talks of normalizing
ties with Israel." – Ahmet Davutoglu, Prime Minister of Turkey.
Do Turkish government representatives also tell their Israeli colleagues that
Khaled Mashaal is their "dear friend"? Do they also divulge that the only aim of
the negotiations is to get compensation for the Mavi Marmara incident and to
remove the "blockade" on Gaza, possibly again so that weapons to be used against
Israel can come in?
Turkey's attempts at "normalizing relations with Israel" apparently do not
actually aim to normalize the relations.
As often happens in the Middle East, there are two sound-tracks going on -- one
perhaps in English to Israel, and one in Turkish to Turkey's citizens. Both
sound-tracks cannot be right.
On July 1, 2010, Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu addressed his
parliament:
"Jerusalem is our issue. Contrary to what you assume, it is not a territory of
Israel. According to the international law, East Jerusalem is a part of the
state of Palestine and is one of the territories under occupation. Al-Aqsa
Mosque is in East Jerusalem, too. Al-Aqsa Mosque is not Israeli territory and
will not be. If peace happens one day, -- and that is what I mean -- East
Jerusalem will be the capital of Palestine and a meeting of the Arab league will
be held there, as well. We are giving a message of peace here. Yes, there will
be peace and East Jerusalem will be the capital of Palestine."
Jerusalem, he said, was a Turkish issue because of its period of Ottoman rule:
"Even the religious sites in east Jerusalem are administered according to the
Ottoman precedent. There is no other practice. There is no other law. The
Ottoman precedent is still valid."
Then, referring to the Mavi Marmara incident, in which a Turkish flotilla,
trying to break Israel's maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip, was intercepted by
Israel, he said:
"This is the first time Israel has been isolated to this extent in the world. We
have seen enormous solidarity. That is why its [Israel's] government has started
to break down. It is going to break down. It is our national honor to follow the
law of Turkish citizens."
Davutoglu, foreign minister at the time of the Mavi Marmara incident, added that
Turkey would continue to isolate Israel in international platforms.
Since Davutoglu became prime minister in August, 2014, his stance against Israel
has not changed.
On April 26, 2015, in an AKP party rally in the province of Erzincan, he
targeted Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of the Republican People's Party (CHP),
and alleged that Kilicdaroglu had asked earlier "Why do we not have ambassadors
in Syria, Egypt and Israel?"
"Kilicdaroglu asks us a question on the side of Israel. They would be scared of
asking questions to Israel. For their masters get instructions from them
[Israelis]."
He then went on to explain his government's criteria of forming international
friendships:
"One: We cannot be friends with tyrants. Two: We cannot be friends with those
who [stage or support] coup d'états. Three: We cannot be friends with those who
trample upon human dignity. One: We are the friend of the oppressed. Two: We are
defenders of liberties. Three: We always say justice.
"As long as Israel persecutes Gaza, as long as it enters Jerusalem, and Al-Aqsa
Mosque with its combat boots, our becoming friends with Israel is out of the
question. We will not be [their friend]."
Earlier on July 18, 2014, Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the CHP, had criticized
Erdogan for not keeping promises about Gaza:
"Erdogan made an announcement after the Mavi Marmara incident: 'I will go to
Gaza in April.' Then he said, 'I will go to Gaza but not in April, in May.' But
it did not happen again. Then John Kerry told him: 'Do not go to Gaza. Then
Erdogan made another announcement: 'The statement of Kerry was not nice. The
date has been set. I will go to Gaza." How many Junes have passed? Is the prime
ministry of the Turkish republic so cheap?"
Even if you join the chorus of bashing Israel publicly and continually, no
bashing seems to be enough for the government authorities. What is more tragic
is that Turkish political parties, the histories of all of which are filled with
many massacres and ethnic cleansing campaigns against minorities, seem to be in
a competition to condemn, pressure or punish Israel for defending itself.
On May 26, 2015, Davutoglu attended the opening ceremony of an airport named
after Salah al-Din al-Ayubbi ("Saladin"), a Muslim sultan of Kurdish origin and
the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt and Syria, who invaded Jerusalem in
1187. "We decided to name this airport after Salah al-Din al-Ayubbi to say
Jerusalem eternally belongs to Muslims," Davutoglu said. "Those who say
'Jerusalem is the holy site of Jews' should be ashamed."
His remarks were aimed at Selahattin Demirtas, the co-head of the pro-Kurdish
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), who had earlier said publicly that Jerusalem
belongs to Jews. Then he called out to Sultan Saladin:
"Just as you said 'Jerusalem does not belong to the Crusaders,' be our witness
that we will keep on saying Jerusalem belongs to Muslims. We have not been
friends with those who entered Al-Aqsa Mosque with their combat boots. And we
will not be [their friend]".
In Istanbul, on May 30, 2015, before hundreds of thousands of people who were
celebrating the 562nd anniversary of the fall of Constantinople, Davutoglu
delivered another speech, targeting two of the Turkish parliament's opposition
parties and their leaders: Selahattin Demirtas, the co-head of the Peoples'
Democratic Party (HDP), and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of the Republican
People's Party (CHP).
"Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Mavi Marmara [incident]. Demirtas asks for
your votes. I am calling out to my Kurdish brothers with faith and conscience.
Demirtas betrays the martyrs of Mavi Marmara and betrays Salah al-Din al-Ayubbi
and says 'Jerusalem belongs to Jews.' How can one who votes for such a person
find peace? I am also asking the candid voters of the CHP who have always held
their heads up high against imperialism: How will you vote for Kilicdaroglu who
does business with Israel and with those who have staged a coup in Egypt?"
Then, on December 22, 2015 Davutoglu was "suddenly" talking about the ongoing
negotiations with Israel: "Talks with Israel are going on positively," he said,
"but there has not been a final solution yet." Regarding the apology that was
made by Israel to Turkey, Davutoglu said:
"The breakdown of our relations with Israel is about the incident of Mavi
Marmara and the martyrdom of our dear citizens there. After the incident, we
announced that we have three conditions in order to normalize our relations with
Israel. Israel will apologize to Turkey; it will pay compensation to the
families of martyrs, and the blockade on Gaza will be removed. The first
condition was met in 2013 when Israeli PM Netanyahu made an apology. The apology
was made openly and clearly and was also confirmed in writing just on the same
day. The State of the Republic of Turkey has lived the honor of being the first
state that has made Israel apologize for such an incident.
"The negotiations to meet other conditions are going on between the two parties
[Turkey and Israel]. ... Speculation made about this matter should not be taken
seriously. Whatever our position was yesterday, it is the same today, and it
will remain same tomorrow. Turkey insists on its demands of the compensation and
the removal of the blockade on Gaza."
From Israel's point of view, removing the sea blockade would permit Hamas, which
rules Gaza and is openly dedicated to destroying Israel, to import weapons
intended for that end -- the very reason the blockade was established in the
first place.
As for his meeting on December 20, 2015, with Khaled Mashaal, Chairman of the
Hamas Political Bureau, Davutoglu implied that they were on the side of their
Palestinian brothers every time and everyplace:
"Turkey will keep providing limitless support for the people of Palestine. No
one should have any doubt that until the free state of Palestine with Jerusalem
as its capital is established, our support will continue.
"None could dare question our sensitivity towards the cause of Palestine.
Whoever says that 'Turkey is forgetting about the people of Gaza and is in the
process of approaching Israel by ignoring its support for Palestine' commits the
biggest slander against us. We do not forget Gaza and Palestine even in our
dreams, let alone in negotiations. No one can lecture us about Palestine.
Whatever is wrong for Palestine is also wrong for us. We discussed these issues
in detail during our meetings with my dear friend, Khaled Mashaal. This is the
main objective behind the talks of normalizing ties with Israel. We would never
take a step that would hurt Palestine, Gaza and we would never hesitate to take
any step from which they [Palestinians] would benefit."
Cozying up to Hamas: Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu poses with Khaled
Mashaal, Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau (left). Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan poses with Hamas Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh (right).
Turkey -- after damaging or even destroying its relations with almost all of its
neighbors – is now at the door of Israel, which the Turkish government has
condemned several times by referring to it as "more barbaric than Hitler" and
even expressed its wish of establishing "a Muslim Jerusalem."
Due to such negative statements regarding Israel, the Turkish public has largely
been brainwashed and filled with intense prejudice against Israel. Ridding them
of it will be extremely difficult.
Turkish leaders would do well to stop seeing Israel solely as a "source of
weapons and trade" with whose strength and cooperation they can do anything they
want while they continue to bully their neighbors and minorities.
Turkish leaders might also do well publicly to recognize the sovereignty of the
state of Israel. Actually, it may even be too late for the Turkish government to
make positive statements about Israel. Turkish politicians have relied so much
on their anti-Israel rhetoric to get public support that many of their voters
would most probably go into a rage if they heard their political representatives
say something nice about Israel.
They would also do well to stop making demonizing statements about the Jewish
state and saying completely different things to their Israeli colleagues than
they do to the Turkish public.
Sadly, the current Turkish government does not seem to have the potential to do
so.
Turkey's attempts at "normalizing relations with Israel" seem to aim more at
gaining deeper Israeli support -- economic, diplomatic and military -- from
which to benefit; but the "not so friendly" references to Israel by Turkish
officials will not stop
Do Turkish government representatives also tell their Israeli colleagues that
Khaled Mashaal is their "dear friend"? Do they also divulge that the only aim of
the negotiations is to get compensation for the Mavi Marmara incident and to
remove the "blockade" on Gaza, possibly so that weapons to be used against
Israel can come in again? Is Israel to gain nothing out of a possible
normalization? More importantly, do Turkish officials openly tell their Israeli
counterparts that they eventually aim to see a "Muslim Jerusalem"?
No Anatolian city is to Turks what Jerusalem is to Jews historically, culturally
and theologically. What is deeply rooted in Anatolia is Christianity. What would
Turkish officials think if Israeli officials also told their citizens about
"reviving the Christian cities of Anatolia"?
Probably, however, neither the Jewish roots of Jerusalem nor the Christian roots
of Anatolia mean anything to Davutoglu and his representatives; many Islamic
extremists think that Islam has been the only true religion since the beginning
of time, and they deny the authenticity of other religions.
If Turkish authorities were to aim at an honest and productive deal with Israel,
as well as real peace between Arabs and Jews, they would also address the
problem of Arab violence against Jews in Israel, and say that they would strive
to reduce it.
Also, instead of trying to legitimize Mashaal, a genocidal terrorist leader,
Davutoglu could have said: "For peace to prevail in Israel, Hamas should also
change its violent ways and aim for peaceful coexistence with Israel. We are
ready to do our best to bring both sides together in a non-violent way."
Unfortunately, Davutoglu did not say anything of the kind. He talked about "the
pride of making Israel apologize," thereby revealing that Turkey's government
officials do not see this apology as just a diplomatic gesture made for the sake
of compromise; they see it as one of their triumphant acts through which they
insulted and subjugated the Jewish state.
If Turkey is still so fond of Hamas and is still so dedicated to its dreams of
establishing a "Muslim Jerusalem," what good could emerge from these talks with
Israel?
Until a different approach in Turkey prevails, these talks and deals seem
destined to bring great damage to Israel.
**Uzay Bulut is a Turkish journalist based in Ankara.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone
website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without
the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Emiratis are committed to defending
Saudi Arabia
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/March 17/16/
The UAE’s support to Saudi Arabia is
shown through its solid alliance, for better or worse. With the martyrdom of
Emirati pilots Zayed al-Kaabi and Mohamed al-Hamudi in Yemen, we also remember
around 80 other loyal Emirati martyrs who are considered the sons of (the Late
and founding father of the country) Zayed’s time, and who perished defending
Saudi Arabia’s border and the security of the Gulf. This is an impressive and
rare stand between two societies and countries. All strong alliances face the
wicked tongues of those who will be harmed by them. We witnessed this in the
alliance formed by Saudi Arabia to liberate Kuwait in 1990, during Operation
Decisive Storm in Yemen, and in the recent Islamic military coalition to fight
terrorism. This solidarity attacks the remaining extremists, the left orphans of
their groups were banned and discarded and those who remain silent supporters of
militias who now are receiving the brunt of legal and military strikes.The
Emirati stand is loyal and noble. Perhaps it is the spontaneity in showing this
generosity and sacrifice that in doing so, provokes some ideologues (who used to
provide explanations that reflect personal crisis which they want for it, in
vain, to be elaborated by political means.)
Unshakable bond
Last week, people celebrated the fraternal stand between Saudi King Salman and
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed - crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme
commander of the Emirati armed forces - during the North Thunder joint military
exercise. This event showed the depth of the bond and the extended space that
brings together, which cannot be desecrated with a hateful tweet and false
accusations.
Five years into Syria’s crisis, Riyadh remains vindicated
Faisal J. Abbas/Al Arabiya/March 17/16
As the fragile ceasefire helps the dust settle somewhat over Syria, it is time
to take stock of who has stood firm through these turbulent years and who has
wavered. There is no doubt that Saudi Arabia has been among the select few to
have kept its position, despite the ebb and flow of the embattled country’s
fight for survival. Since the beginning of the crisis, Riyadh has maintained
that this regime is murderous and brutal and that Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad must go — either via negotiations or through military means, if lasting
peace is to be achieved. Things went from bad to worse and turmoil within Syria
spread far and wide. The Arabs kept faith that common sense would prevail among
all stakeholders. At the same time, they also banked on the credibility of
United States President Barack Obama, particularly when he said that the use of
chemical weapons would be a “red line” for the regime, the crossing of which
would lead to prompt action. However, we soon found out that the regime was not
abiding by that “red line” and was in fact encouraged by America’s failure to
put words into action. This bizarre turnaround and the world’s inability to do
something about it have resulted in enormous loss of human life — more than
250,000 according to one estimate. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
counts more than 370,000 people killed since the beginning of the revolution,
with as many as 122,997 of them being civilians. According to Unicef, the
conflict has created 2.4 million child refugees, killed many and led to the
recruitment of children as fighters.
The other, perhaps more horrendous, outcome of this conflict has been the
emergence of ISIS (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), a
phenomenon that the world is yet to come to grips with. The group has not only
attracted thousands of fighters from all over the world, it has also wreaked
havoc across large swathes of land in the region. Despite this, however, it is
only Obama who miraculously believes — which he expressed in a recent interview
with the Atlantic — that his decision not to take action in Syria has been his
major achievement.Leading from the front
Contrary to Obama’s depiction in this rather lengthy interview, and his
reluctance to put a firm foot forward, Saudi Arabia is now leading the region
from the front. More admirably, it is doing so on several fronts at the same
time, something that was probably least expected even a few years ago.
There is little doubt that Arabs will never forget how Obama let them down and
sided with Tehran, which now remains the only force on the planet backing the
murderous Syrian regime. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition is now fighting a decisive
battle in Yemen, even as it remains committed to a political solution. Besides,
Riyadh is part of the US coalition against ISIS and has succeeded in building a
new alliance, which was demonstrated in the Northern Thunder drills over the
past few weeks, showing the world what it can do.
All this has gone on while Syria has descended into chaos and still seems years
away from real peace. While lack of American action has been the contributing
factor in the Syrian crisis since the beginning, Russia’s entry into the
battlezone added another dimension to the conflict. Moscow’s missiles not only
emboldened the Syrian regime, but also became a catalyst for Iran and
Hezbollah’s greater involvement in the killing fields.
For Assad loyalists, Russian military build-up in Syria was understandably not
an invasion or indeed, a new foreign occupation, of Arab lands. To them, Assad
continues to remain a legitimate leader and the intervention has been on behalf
of the people who elected him. However, Russian withdrawal on Monday once again
opened a Pandora’s Box on whatever the future holds for Syria. The Iran nuclear
deal was another major phenomenon that unfolded as the Syrian crisis was going
on. The deal led to the lifting of sanctions against Iran and gave the country a
new lease of life after years of isolation. The US allies in the Gulf were kept
away from the negotiation table and the regime in Tehran, which has spread its
tentacles across the Arab world, was unshackled. This can potentially create
further upheaval in the region. There is little doubt that Arabs will never
forget how Obama let them down and sided with Tehran, which now remains the only
force on the planet backing the murderous Syrian regime.
Obama’s shocking words
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/March 17/16
I wish US President Barack Obama’s stormy interview with Jeffrey Goldberg for
The Atlantic magazine took place five years ago. Perhaps back then its
implications would have been different. This time his frankness has angered his
friends, and very little can be done in the remainder of his presidency to
convince him of his mistake or make them change their opinion. After seven years
in office, they have discovered that Obama has a different view previously
unrevealed to them. He succeeded in angering his friends only: Saudi Arabia, the
UK, Turkey and Israel. His answers were well thought out. They were not excuses
given to the media, but principles he believes in. Goldberg described them as
“the Obama doctrine,” which is why these important views should have been
revealed in the first interview between the two in 2008. Ironically, history
bears witness that the same president who killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden
saw the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its leader Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi. Obama does not consider terrorism a serious issue. He believes
Earth’s ecological problems are far more dangerous to the world. This is an
illogical trade-off, because a leading nation can tackle both challenges at the
same time. US retreats from the Middle East were key focuses during the
interview. Obama did not deny them, and mentioned his predecessor Ronald
Reagan’s decision to immediately pull US forces out of Lebanon after Hezbollah’s
bombing of a marine barracks in 1983. However, Reagan was simultaneously
fighting the Soviets in various parts of the world through a network of
alliances.
Failing Syria
The real mistake Washington committed in Syria was not that it did not fight the
regime, but its lack of military support to the moderate opposition. Obama was
right to refuse to send American troops to Syria and Libya, but wrong to let the
war in Syria worsen until it became one of the biggest tragedies since World War
II. All the main US allies were ready to assume their responsibilities, despite
Obama talking about “those who took advantage of the situation.” These allies
were shocked when he abandoned his “red line” of the regime using chemical
weapons against the Syrian people. Their shock increased when Washington
confirmed the horrific deaths of thousands of prisoners in Syria - all
documented with photos - and when millions of people fled. Syria is a milestone
in the history of the region, turning into a source of unprecedented tension
despite many other crises in the Middle East. Ironically, history bears witness
that the same president who killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden saw the rise
of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi.
Threats without consequences
Baria Alamuddin/Al Arabiya/March 17/16
US President Theodore Roosevelt was known for his foreign policy advice that one
should "speak softly, but carry a big stick”. Things could not possibly be more
different for America’s current policy in Syria: President Obama and his
Secretary of State John Kerry have roared like lions when setting out their red
lines – but bleated like lambs when it comes to making good on their threats!
Does John Kerry have a very short memory, or does he just believe that we all
do? When Kerry hints at consequences for those who fail to abide by their
commitments to the Syria ceasefire and the negotiations process, does he realize
that we were all present the last time he set out such conditions and completely
failed to follow through? At some point the Obama Administration must find
itself eligible for an award as the government which has had its bluff called
the most times. The US’s failure to enforce its own red line of the Syrian
regime’s use of chemical weapons is only the most famous such incident, but
there have been so many more. On this occasion America was responsible for one
of the most spectacular diplomatic gaffes ever, when - following Al-Assad’s use
of chemical weapons in August 2013 – John Kerry said: “He could turn over every
single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next
week. Turn it over, all of it, without delay, and allow a full and total
accounting for that.
But he isn't about to do it, and it can't be done, obviously.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ingeniously took Kerry’s rhetoric
seriously and announced that Russia would convince Syria to relinquish its
chemical arsenal; thereby cutting the ground out from under the US’s efforts to
engineer a robust international response.
During the early years of the Obama presidency, Prime Minister Netanyahu
appeared to be making a full-time occupation of calling Obama’s bluff: Refusing
to abide by demands to halt settlement building; failing to implement
confidence-building measures; and refusing to engage seriously with efforts to
kick-start yet another round of the peace process. By the time Netanyahu found
himself standing for re-election, he had already stepped across so many American
red lines that he felt himself able to publically ridicule the very prospect of
a two-state solution – which has represented the cornerstone of the US vision
for brokering peace for God-knows how many decades.So once again we find John
Kerry talking tough on Syria and accusing the regime of trying to torpedo the
peace efforts, after comments by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem who
rejected UN proposals for discussing a political future for Syria after
Al-Assad. Kerry declared: “This is a moment of truth, a moment where all of us
have to be responsible.” But should we really be expecting a genocidal regime
with its back against the wall to behave responsibly - and are there any
consequences if it doesn’t?
The problem for Kerry is that he can splutter and bluster about how annoyed
everyone is, but we have been here so many times before that we know that the US
is completely impotent about taking steps to underpin its rhetoric.
At several key moments during the peace process, Kerry has been forced to come
out and deny threatening to discontinue support for the Syrian opposition if
they didn’t engage in the peace process. Whatever the truth of this, it is
certainly symptomatic of US support which has been half-hearted at best, in a
process overseen by a president notorious for “scrolling through messages on his
BlackBerry or slouching and chewing gum” during Syria briefings. The very
existence of these talks is based on another highly humiliating incidence of
bluff-calling by the Russians: After four years of defying all US attempts at
the UN Security Council to address the Syria conflict; by mid-2015 President
Putin felt able to insert himself as a major player in the conflict: Setting up
military bases; running air campaigns against the US-backed rebels; and enabling
the Assad regime to fight back in key areas.
Russia’s progress
It is staggering that Russia has gone from being irrelevant, to being the major
powerbroker that the US has to do business with if it wants to see peace. But
then Putin has called Obama’s bluff on so many occasions; in Georgia, in
Ukraine; over security issues in the Balkans and Eastern Europe; over US
deployment of missiles to Poland; and even over Russia’s granting of asylum to
US whistleblower Edward Snowden. President Obama and his Secretary of State John
Kerry have roared like lions when setting out their red lines – but bleated like
lambs when it comes to making good on their threats!
Meanwhile, Iran has been calling Obama’s bluff on the nuclear deal; twice
violating core provisions by testing ballistic missiles – in one case
provocatively firing them near a US aircraft carrier in the Arabian Gulf: An
inflammatory gesture, secure in the knowledge that America feels more bound by
the nuclear deal than the Islamic Republic does. At the end of the day, this is
a matter of credibility. The US under Obama has lost 90% of its credibility in
the Arab world because of its unwillingness to follow through on its promises,
red lines and policy statements. We can feel contempt and disgust for figures
like Bashar al-Assad, Ayatollah Khamenei, Binyamin Netanyahu and Kim Jong-Un.
These figures are dictatorial bullies who thrive on persecuting those weaker
than themselves. However, they have all become emboldened and empowered in the
shadow of this American Administration, because they know that their actions
will not have consequences, so they can behave with impunity; even when this
involves actions which are provocatively counter to US interests and in
violation of international agreements.Vladimir Putin follows in a distinguished
tradition of autocrats: Always following through on his threats; always calling
his opponent’s bluff; and always pushing the international community to its
limits in testing what he can get away with. Such tactics explain how Putin
succeeded in bullying his way into a commanding position on Syria. For Obama’s
naïve approach of always believing in the good intentions of his international
interlocutors; Putin is his worst nightmare. That’s why I was not surprised when
a senior Russian diplomat who I was recently interviewing bragged to me that
Russia was in a position to impose a solution in Syria on its own terms, and
that the Americans and Europeans would have no alternative but to accept
Russia’s fait accompli.
The only factor mitigating our concerns about the weaknesses of American foreign
policy over the past eight years and how this has emboldened tyrants around the
world, is when we look at several of the candidates for the coming US
presidential elections and realize that in fact, things could be far worse!
Palestinians fleeing Syria must be protected too
Marta Petagna/Al Arabiya/March 17/16
A refugee population with little hope for return to their homeland. Crowded,
unsanitary refugee camps, where residents struggle to access basic services and
healthcare. UN agencies facing a lack of adequate support from international
donors and struggling to cope with the needs of the many hundreds of thousands
of displaced people. Yet these are not the stories of Syrians, this was the
picture for Palestinians living in Lebanon five years ago, before the war in
Syria had even begun. Today Lebanon is host to 45,000 additional Palestinians
who have fled the brutal conflict next door only to find misery and despair in
this supposed place of greater safety. What is more whilst the international
community struggle to cope with the humanitarian fallout from the Syrian refugee
crisis, Palestinian refugees have been largely forgotten. An estimated 560,000
Palestinian refugees in Syria have been among the worst-affected communities in
the war. The Palestinian camp of Yarmouk – located in the outskirts of Damascus
and once a thriving neighbourhood – has suffered from attacks - from Syrian army
and militant forces alike and has been continuously besieged since 2013. The
U.N. secretary-general said last year that the camp was “the deepest circle of
hell” in Syria. However the Palestinian people are no strangers to catastrophe.
Syria’s conflict has killed over 3,000, and caused many to become
multiply-displaced: 280,000 inside Syria and 110,000 abroad. Those Palestinian
refugees who have arrived in Lebanon have found themselves in truly tragic
circumstances, lost among a flow of over a million Syrians also fleeing the war.
Palestinians have found themselves falling through the cracks of international
humanitarian support. They are unable to access health and educational services
provided by UNHCR, and instead almost all are reliant on what an
already-stretched UNRWA can offer. Employment opportunities are scarce, and cuts
in international support in 2015 forced UNRWA to suspend the cash support it had
provided to Palestinian refugees from Syria to help them pay for accommodation.
Health poverty has also devastated many families. UNRWA is unable to pay for
treatment for war-related injuries, so those harmed during in the violence in
have in some cases gone into severe debt to get treatment, especially given the
exceptionally high cost of healthcare in Lebanon. Until recently, the Lebanese
government required $200 per person to renew visas to stay in the country,
effectively trapping many in the camps. In the northern camp of Nahr el Bared,
my team recently encountered a man unable to join his wife to attend the birth
of his first child at a hospital outside of the camp. Without resources to pay
for the visa renewal, being caught outside the camp would mean risking
deportation back to Syria’s war.
Though this restriction has recently been relaxed, fear and suspicion pervades
the communities, and few are willing to take such a grave risk. ‘Anywhere must
be better’“Anywhere must be better than here” one family in Ein el Helweh camp
recently told my colleagues. Perhaps this pervasive belief is the reason many
Palestinian refugees from Syria have attempted the perilous journey to seek
safety across the Mediterranean Sea. Among the bodies washing up on Europe’s
shores are Palestinians, desperate for an opportunity to provide for their
children, to escape indescribable hardship.
Countries like the UK have been generous in extending their humanitarian aid in
the wake of Syria’s war, but more must be done to ensure that Palestinians – all
too often forgotten or neglected – have equal access to this support. While the
world tries to respond to Syria’s humanitarian crisis, Palestinians risk falling
through the cracks altogether. UNRWA’s core and emergency budgets both operate
at severe shortfalls due to a lack of support from international donors.
Furthermore, though Syrians are eligible for resettlement in safe countries
through UNHCR, Palestinians are not. Ultimately, the right of return for
Palestinian refugees is inalienable, and realisation of this right would provide
safe refuge for those fleeing the conflict. Until such a time as this is
possible, however, the international community should make every effort that the
most vulnerable Palestinians are permitted safe permanent or temporary
resettlement.
Civil society organisations in Lebanon have demonstrated remarkable fortitude in
responding to the needs of Palestinians at this moment of unprecedented need.
MAP and UNICEF cooperate with a network of local Palestinian NGOs to provide
essential psychosocial care across the country for children - who have survived
the horrors of war. In partnership with UNRWA, we are able to alleviate the cost
burden for Palestinian refugees from Syria requiring tertiary care treatment for
life-threatening conditions such as cancer and heart disease. Our own team of
midwives provide pre- and post-natal care to pregnant women in the camps -, and
neonatal care to their babies. But true change in the conditions of these
communities can only come with concerted political action. Countries like the UK
have been generous in extending their humanitarian aid in the wake of Syria’s
war, but more must be done to ensure that Palestinians – all too often forgotten
or neglected – have equal access to this support. The international community
have a responsibility to ensure the courage and resilience of Palestinians until
now has not been in vain. Failing to do so would be to condemn the Palestinian
people to catastrophe once again.
Why Egypt is
placing its pyramids under military protection
Safiaa Mounir/Al-Monitor/March 17/16
CAIRO — Following years of disorder and neglect at Cairo’s great pyramids, Egypt
is launching a renovation program to make the area safer, cleaner and easier to
navigate for tourists, and more secure for its archaeological treasures.
Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh al-Damaty has called on Queen, a
national service company affiliated with the armed forces, to develop and
renovate the site. A ministry official said the company has already visited the
site numerous times in preparation and plans to begin work this month. The
source said the ministry has yet to declare the cost of the project, noting that
the contract will be renewed annually. Tourists have complained about vandalism
and say they face harassment from persistent vendors peddling souvenirs. Videos
posted online in early February show undercover footage of people stealing
stones from the plateau to sell.
However, the rock stealing wasn’t the most talked-about story to emerge
concerning the pyramids. That title goes to Cuban pornographic actress Carmen De
Luz’s visit to the pyramids, which made the rounds last year on social media.
After she posted racy images of herself touring the ancient site, rumors emerged
that she had shot an adult film there, which she denied.
Archaeologist Mohammad Rihan told Al-Monitor that stopping breaches and
violations would accelerate the development process. The project will include an
aesthetic wall contouring the archaeological site, surveillance towers, pathways
for visitors and shuttle buses. In mid-January, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi met with the ministers of housing, utilities, urban communities, tourism
and antiquities, in the presence of the heads of the Armed Forces Engineering
Authority and the Urban Planning Commission, as well as Ibrahim Mahlab, the
presidential assistant for national and strategic projects. The group discussed
ways of developing the area to enhance the services provided to visitors and
tourists.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Antiquities last month, the
company will install power generators and electrical connections to light the
archaeological area and Zaheer Sahrawi (a desert corridor adjacent to the Nile
Valley), and pave the inner and outer roads of the corridor. The contract calls
for Queen to install steel gates at the entrances of the Dawab and Abu Owayan
tomb areas, set up 100 signboards and enhance internals roads. The development
will include information desks at the entrances of the Mina House and Sphinx
hotels, 50 portable and fixed toilets, and surveillance enhancements for police
to monitor the Faiyum pyramid area and the Zaheer Sahrawi streets. The Giza
Plateau will receive a comprehensive infrared security system, along the lines
of the system in the Temple of Luxor, in addition to surveillance cameras to
cover the entire region.
According to a study carried out by the Ministry of Tourism in December, 58% of
tourists polled said the area isn’t safe, while 70% said it is unclean and 74%
cited a lack of clear signage.
The study said the pyramids area needs further development and enhancements to
improve existing services, and signs to provide directions and other information
and prohibit littering. It stressed that improving security will help limit
harassment and begging. Tourists visiting the pyramids face a number of
annoyances, Eric Schenck, a young American living in Egypt, confirmed. He told
Al-Monitor that during his second visit to the site, he noticed a number of
drawbacks, in particular pushy vendors peddling goods. Schenck also said that
the process for entering the site was very disorganized. He visited on a Friday,
part of the weekend in Egypt, and the area was packed with tourists, including
schoolchildren on field trips. In his view, the site wasn’t equipped to handle
such a large number of visitors. He recounted his first visit to the pyramids,
coming alone just days after arriving in Egypt. “It was a bad experience and I
felt threatened just being there. I also felt that I was being duped, paying
more than I should have for everything.”Commenting on the sound and light show
that is held at the pyramids at night, Schenck said it was very boring, used
low-level technology not befitting of the location, and didn’t live up to the
advertising.
The American tourist also said the pyramids site needs more restaurants, so that
visitors can eat before entering, and doesn’t have enough bathrooms. According
to the Ministry of Antiquities, the pyramid development project started in 2008
and was suspended in 2011 due to the revolution. The development budget then was
estimated at about 350 million Egyptian pounds ($45 million). The Ministry of
Tourism had allocated 20 million pounds toward the effort. Mohammad al-Attar, an
official at the pyramids media center, told Al-Monitor the first phase of the
plan that had already been adopted by the Ministry of Antiquities before the
revolution will be completed in April with the inauguration of the visitors’
center. This center will be equipped with TV screens displaying documentaries on
the history of the region and its archaeological sites.