LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

March 28/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.march28.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

Monday of the Week of Hawarayeen/Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 16/09-14:"After he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
 

Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day
First Letter to the Corinthians 15/01-11:"I would remind you of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.">

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 28/16
U.S. at Easter: When Christians Are Slaughtered, Look the Other Way/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/March 27/16
Turkish Hatred: When the Truth Slips Out/Burak Bekdil//Gatestone Institute/March 27/16
Al-Wabili and those gloating over his death/Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
From a dam in New York to the cyberattacks on Aramco/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
Time for Palestinians to choose sides/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
Terror in Europe: The enemy no longer at the gates/Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/March 27/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on March 28/16

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Easter Message: Presidential Vacuum Paves Way for Naturalization of Refugees
Fares Soaid Urges Bassil to Exploit 'Friendship' with Assad and Hizbullah
Jumblat: Gulf Measures against Lebanon Result of Nasrallah and Bassil's Responses
Egypt FM Says Arab League Labeled Hizbullah 'Acts' Terrorist, Not Group
Man Kills Young Wife in Hermel
Asiri Hopes 'Ongoing Efforts' Will Lead to Election of President
Bou Saab, Houry in War of Words over Bassil's Naturalization Remarks
Jumblat Urges Govt. to Back Ghassan Salameh for UNESCO Chief Post

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 28/16
Pope in solidarity with refugees in Easter message
Blast kills dozens, mostly women, kids in Pakistan park
Police break up far-right protests
Report: Italy Arrests Algerian Suspect Wanted by Belgium in Terror Probe
Muslim in Scotland murdered after writing sympathetic Facebook post to Christians
Netanyahu Defends Israeli Army after Soldier Shot Wounded Palestinian
UAE Court Sentences 11 to Life in Jail on Terrorism Charges
Qatar’s Al Jazeera to Lay off 500 Employees Worldwide
Assad’s troops enter Palmyra after massive Russian air blitz to smash ISIS
Putin praises Assad on Palmyra victory
Ban Kimoon, Abbas convene in Amman: For resumption of peace negotiations to reach a twostate solution
Egyptian parliamentarian Sayed Faraj in hot water over Israel delegation

Links From Jihad Watch Site for March 28/16
Assad’s forces recapture Palmyra from the Islamic State.
Obama: “We have to reject any attempt to stigmatize Muslim-Americans, and their enormous contributions to our country”.
UK: Muslim prisoners scream “Allahu akbar,” celebrate Brussels jihad.
NYC: Islamic State cabbie who said he had bomb in his cab keeps his license.
US Muslim group demands FBI cancel counter-terror program.
Jihad leader claims Brussels, Paris jihad massacres were rehearsals for “big” attack inside U.S.
Pakistan: Muslim murders 53 at park as Christians were celebrating Easter.
Islamic State claims jihad bombing of Iraqi soccer stadium; 29 dead.
Brussels jihad murderers plotted Easter church massacres in the UK.
Wichita Islamic Society nixes Hamas-linked speaker after congressman objects.
Brussels: “March Against Fear” canceled for fear of jihad attack.
USA Today: U.S. cities face anti-Muslim backlash.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Easter Message: Presidential Vacuum Paves Way for Naturalization of Refugees
Naharnet/March 27/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stressed on Sunday that the failure to elect a president destroys Lebanon's unity and makes it an open ground for the naturalization of refugees. “Refraining from electing a president for over two years now is gradually destroying our internal unity and Lebanon's position at the international level. It makes our country a free ground for the naturalization of refugees,” al-Rahi stated during the Easter mass held in Bkirki. “Lebanon's officials and people refuse that the return of Syrian refugees is voluntary matter, similar to what happened with the Palestinian refugees,”he added. “We asked the international bodies that the Syrian and Palestinian refugees return (to their land). That is exactly what we told (U.N. Secretary General) Ban Ki-moon,” he stated. On Friday, the Patriarch handed the United Nations Secretary General, who was on an official visit to Lebanon, a memo on the ongoing presidential vacuum during talks they held at Bkirki. The memo included a demand that the international community assume its responsibilities towards Lebanon regarding the presidential deadlock. Lebanon has been living a state of presidential vacuum since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. Conflicts between the March 8 and March 14 camps have thwarted all attempts aiming at electing a successor. Syria's five-year conflict has killed more than 270,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes, with neighboring countries bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis. Lebanon is home to the highest percentage of refugees per capita in the world. Nearly 1.2 million Syrians are now living in Lebanon, while more than 450,000 Palestinian refugees are also registered with the UN, though experts believe the number of Palestinians in the tiny country is actually lower.

Fares Soaid Urges Bassil to Exploit 'Friendship' with Assad and Hizbullah
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 27/16/March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soaid urged Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil to take advantage of his friendship with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hizbullah in order to convince them to stop killing the Syrians so they do not flow into Lebanon for shelter, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Sunday. “The first thing that the Lebanese must do to counter the influx of Syrians is to urge the Foreign Minister to talk to the friends of Bashar, that is Hizbullah, who is killing the people in Syria and to ask the Syrian regime itself to stop killing its people so they do not flow into Lebanon,” Soaid stated to the daily. On fears over the naturalization of Syrians, Soaid pointed out: “The issue of naturalization does not resemble the issue of the Palestinians. When the Palestinians first came to Lebanon, it was because their land had been robbed unlike the case in Syria where the land and geography exist. The Syrians can return any time when the situation calms down in their country.”He added saying that “the Lebanese are keen to lift the burden of the Syrian refugees and therefore should urge Bassil to talk to Bashar and Hizbullah so the Syrians will not flow into Lebanon.”Syria's five-year conflict has killed more than 270,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes, with neighboring countries bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis. Lebanon is home to the highest percentage of refugees per capita in the world. Nearly 1.2 million Syrians are now living in Lebanon, while more than 450,000 Palestinian refugees are also registered with the U.N., though experts believe the number of Palestinians in the tiny country is actually lower.

Jumblat: Gulf Measures against Lebanon Result of Nasrallah and Bassil's Responses
Naharnet/March 27/16/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat said on Sunday that the measures taken by Gulf countries against Lebanon were the result of fiery statements made by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the ill-defined stances of Foreign Minster Jebran Bassil. “The Gulf measures against Lebanon were the result of the convulsive statements made by Nasrallah and the ambiguous stances of Bassil,” Jumblat told the daily al-Arab in an interview. Relations between Riyadh and Lebanon deteriorated in February, when Saudi Arabia halted a grant to the army in protest against Hizbullah's virulent criticism of the kingdom and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil's abstention from voting in favor of Arab League resolutions condemning attacks against the Saudi embassy in Iran in January. The kingdom urged its citizens against traveling to Lebanon. Gulf countries also issued similar advisories. On the U.S. restrictions on Hizbullah, Jumblat said that the Lebanese delegations that went to Washington to counter the effect of the measures following the nuclear agreement with Iran are not sufficient: “The U.S. measures against Hizbullah are linked to the Pentagon and the U.S. Department of Finance. The Delegations that visited Washington to refine the positions are not sufficient.”On the stalled presidential elections he stated that his political party and the March 14 camp are ready to elect a president, he said: “I do not think that Hizbullah and Iran can tolerate the collapse of the financial and economic situation in Lebanon for another year of two.”Lebanon presidential post has been vacant since May 2014 when the term of President Michel Suleiman ended. Conflicts between the rival March 8 and March 14 camps have thwarted all efforts aiming at electing a successor.

Egypt FM Says Arab League Labeled Hizbullah 'Acts' Terrorist, Not Group
Naharnet/March 27/16/Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry noted Sunday that a recent Arab League resolution had labeled certain “acts” by Hizbullah as terrorist and not the entire organization. “The Arab League resolution must be read carefully, seeing as it described certain acts rather than bestowed a certain label on Hizbullah as a whole,” Shoukry said in an interview with Egypt's al-Youm al-Sabeh newspaper. Asked whether or not Hizbullah is a “terrorist” group, the minister added: “I will not give a judgment. Hizbullah has a special status in Lebanon, and Lebanon is a brotherly country that is going through a major turbulent situation at the domestic level.”“This issue must be resolved by the Lebanese people,” Shoukry went on to say. The Arab League's resolution followed a similar one by the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council that labeled Hizbullah a “terrorist” group. In January, GCC member Bahrain said it had dismantled a "terror" cell allegedly linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Hizbullah. Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf nations accuse Iran of supporting Shiite rebels in Yemen, as well as attempting to destabilize their own regimes. They also denounce its alliance with the Syrian regime and Hizbullah while they support rebels who have been fighting since 2011 to topple the Damascus government and President Bashar Assad. The Arab and Gulf decisions came days after Saudi Arabia in February halted a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hizbullah. Announcing the funding cut, a Saudi official said at the time that the kingdom noticed "hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hizbullah on the State."The United States, Canada and Australia have listed Hizbullah as a "terrorist" group while the European Union has only blacklisted its military wing.

Man Kills Young Wife in Hermel
Naharnet/March 27/16/A man shot dead his young wife on Sunday in the Bekaa city of Hermel, state-run National News Agency reported. “A Lebanese citizen who is in his thirties fired an assault weapon at his 22-year-old wife over family problems, killing her on the spot,” NNA said. The wife's body was transferred to the al-Batoul Hospital in Hermel, the agency added.

Asiri Hopes 'Ongoing Efforts' Will Lead to Election of President
Naharnet/March 27/16/Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri hoped Sunday that the “ongoing efforts” in the country will soon lead to the election of a new president. “Asiri held a series of phone talks with the Christian leaders, topped by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, to offer them Easter greetings,” Lebanon's National News Agency reported. He hoped Lebanon will be able to “overcome that difficult period that it is going through,” NNA said. The Saudi ambassador also hoped “the ongoing efforts will be crowned with the election of a new president,” the agency added. 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.Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, who is close to Riyadh, 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. Hizbullah and the FPM, 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.

Bou Saab, Houry in War of Words over Bassil's Naturalization Remarks
Naharnet/March 27/16/Officials from the Free Patriotic Movement and al-Mustaqbal movement exchanged tirades on Sunday after FPM chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil warned that there are indirect efforts to naturalize Syrian refugees in Lebanon. “I don't know why (Mustaqbal bloc) MP Ammar Houry considered himself targeted by Minister Bassil's remarks on those who are benefiting from the continued presence of the refugees in Lebanon, knowing that Bassil did not name anyone,” Education Minister Elias Bou Saab of the FPM tweeted, responding to remarks voiced Saturday by Houry. “The humanitarian aid we have offered to the refugees exceeds the efforts of the lawmaker, but I'm afraid that we are more keen on Lebanon than him, and maybe this is what has provoked him,” Bou Saab added. Houry was quick to hit back, noting that “Minister Bou Saab's statements do not negate the fact that the story of naturalizing Syrians in Lebanon was fabricated by Minister Bassil.” “All Lebanese must reject these fabrications,” the lawmaker stressed. “The Lebanese are provoked by your ability to lie and distort the facts … You have sabotaged Lebanon's ties with Arabs and you are seeking to destroy its ties with the international community,” Houry added, addressing the FPM officials. He had on Saturday stressed that no international official has proposed any scheme to naturalize Syrian refugees in Lebanon, “neither in the latest visit nor in the past.”Houry was referring to last week's visit to Lebanon by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim and Islamic Development Bank head Ahmad al-Madani. “During his press conference, Bassil tried to cover up for the deadly sin he committed against Lebanon when he declined to meet with the U.N. secretary general and the World Bank chief,” the MP alleged.
In his remarks, the foreign minister stressed that Lebanon must adopt “unilateral and sovereign steps, otherwise naturalization will be imposed on us.”“I know that some politicians have remained silent over this issue for political and sectarian interests,” Bassil said. “Displacement causes chaos. The sense of abandonment fuels the need for revenge and eventually terrorism,” he warned, noting that some European countries have recently started turning back refugees. “Lebanon has never adopted such measures and it has always been generous towards the displaced, even to those who do not qualify to be labeled as refugees,” Bassil said. “What have we gotten in return? What have the Lebanese people gotten in return?” he asked, while lamenting the lack of serious efforts to resolve the refugee file.Lebanon is home to more than 1 million registered Syrian refugees, or nearly a quarter of the country's 4.5 million people. Lebanese officials say that another half a million Syrians live in the country as well.

Jumblat Urges Govt. to Back Ghassan Salameh for UNESCO Chief Post
Naharnet/March 27/16/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Sunday urged the Lebanese government to back ex-Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh in his bid to become head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “The Lebanese government must take a decision without hesitation. Who else other than Ghassan Salameh is eligible of this post?” Jumblat tweeted. “Ghassan Salameh is the best Lebanese and Arab candidate to oversee this institution, due to his experience, competence, knowledge and relations,” the PSP leader added. “Salameh is an intellectual, political and humanitarian figure and one of the Lebanese elite who have elevated Lebanon's name in all fields,” Jumblat went on to say. He also warned against any “suspicious nominations.” Salameh had announced his bid for the leadership of the Paris-based UNESCO during an interview with LBCI TV on March 16. If chosen, he would replace Bulgaria's Irina Bokova, whose term expires in 2017 and who has been nominated for the post of U.N. secretary-general. The U.N.'s next chief will take up his or her post on January 1, 2017, replacing Ban Ki-moon who has held the job for two five-year terms.
Salameh, who is professor of international relations at Sciences-Po (Paris) and the founding dean of its Paris school of international affairs, was minister of culture in 2000-2003. He has served as special adviser to the U.N. secretary-general and as the political adviser to the U.N. mission in Iraq.
He is the co-chairman of the board of the International Crisis Group and the founding chairman of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. Salameh is also an author.

Pope in solidarity with refugees in Easter message
AgenciesSunday, 27 March 2016/Pope Francis tempered his Easter Sunday message of Christian hope with a denunciation of “blind” terrorism, recalling victims of attacks in Europe, Africa and elsewhere, as well as expressing dismay that people fleeing war or poverty are being denied welcome as European countries squabble over the refugee crisis. Tens of thousands of people patiently endured long lines, backpack inspections and metal-detecting checks Sunday to enter St. Peter’s Square. The pope spoke out against the “rejection” of migrants and refugees in his Easter message, as Europe struggles with its biggest migration crisis since World War II. “The Easter message of the risen Christ... invites us not to forget those men and women seeking a better future, an ever more numerous throng of migrants and refugees... fleeing from war, hunger, poverty and social injustice,” the pope said. “All too often, these brothers and sisters of ours meet along the way with death or, in any event, rejection by those who could offer them welcome and assistance.”Francis has long called for the global community to open its doors to refugees and fight xenophobia -- appeals which have intensified since a controversial deal between Europe and Turkey to expel migrants arriving in Greece. During Good Friday prayers, the pontiff had also decried what he called Europe’s “indifferent and anaesthetized conscience” over migrants. On Sunday, the pope also referred to Syria’s “lengthy conflict, with its sad wake of destruction, death, contempt for humanitarian law.” He voiced hope for the UN-brokered indirect peace talks between the government and opposition forces that opened in Geneva in mid-March and are set to resume in April. “Good will and the cooperation of all will bear fruit in peace and initiate the building of a fraternal society,” he said. Syria’s five-year conflict has killed more than 270,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes, with neighboring countries bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis. For years, Islamist extremists in social media have listed the Vatican and Rome as potential targets due to hosting the headquarters of the Roman Catholic church and several basilicas. Despite the threats, Francis has kept to his habit of trying to be in close physical contact with ordinary people.
Francis said, for the faithful, Jesus who rose after death by crucifixion “triumphed over evil and sin.” He expressed hope that “will draw us closer to the victims of terrorism, that blind and brutal form of violence.” At the end of Mass, he chatted briefly with the former king and queen of Belgium, Albert II and Paola, who attended the ceremony. In his speech, Francis cited recent attacks in Belgium, Turkey, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Iraq. In a condolences telegram, the pope said he was saddened by “the great loss of life caused by the terrorist attack” during a match in an Iraqi soccer stadium Friday. That attack, claimed by ISIS, killed more than 40 people. Francis said he prayed that the Iraqi people would, in response to the attack, "be strengthened in their resolve to reject the ways of hatred and conflict to work together" for a future of mutual respect and freedom.
In his balcony speech, Francis said Easter “invites us not to forget those men and women seeking a better future, an ever more numerous throng of migrants and refugees - including many children - fleeing from war, hunger, poverty and social injustice,” he said. As he has done repeatedly, Francis lamented that “all too often, these brothers and sisters of ours meet along the way with death or, in any event, rejection by those who could offer them welcome and assistance.”The pontiff also referred to a spate of recent attacks, including the Brussels bombings on Tuesday that killed 28 people. He condemned “terrorism, that blind and brutal form of violence which continues to shed blood in different parts of the world, as in the recent attacks in Belgium, Turkey, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast.”Pope Francis also spoke of “those areas affected by climate change, which not infrequently causes drought or violent flooding, which then lead to food crises in different parts of the world.” Christians in the Holy Land and across the world are celebrating Easter, commemorating the day followers believe Jesus was resurrected in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. The cavernous Holy Sepulcher church in Jerusalem was packed with worshipers on Sunday.

Blast kills dozens, mostly women, kids in Pakistan park
Agencies Sunday, 27 March 2016 /At least 56 people were killed and more than 200 injured when an apparent suicide bomb ripped through the parking lot of a crowded park in the Pakistani city of Lahore where Christians were celebrating Easter Sunday, officials said. Dozens of ambulances were seen racing to the park, situated near the center of the city of around 8 million, with many women and children among the dead and “The toll has risen to 56. The rescue operation is continuing,” The army had been called in, he said, and soldiers were at the scene helping with rescue operations and security.
The blast occurred in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, a few feet (meters) away from children's swings. Around 150 people were injured in the explosion, officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 190 million people, is plagued by a Taliban insurgency, criminal gangs and sectarian violence. Punjab is its biggest and wealthiest province. Eyewitnesses said they saw body parts strewn across the parking lot once the dust had settled after the blast. The park had been particularly busy on Sunday evening due to the Easter holiday weekend.
Salman Rafique, a health adviser for the Punjab provincial government, put the death toll at least 52 people. “Most of the dead and injured are women and children,” said Mustansar Feroz, police superintendent for the area in which the park is located.
Media footage showed children and women crying and screaming and rescue officials, police and bystanders carrying injured people to ambulances and private cars. In 2014, Pakistan launched an offensive against Taliban and affiliated jihadist fighters in North Waziristan, seeking to deprive them of safe havens from which to launch attacks in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Punjab has traditionally been more peaceful than other parts of Pakistan. Sharif's opponents have accused him of tolerating militancy in return for peace in his province, a charge he strongly denies. Last year, a bomb killed a popular Pakistani provincial minister and at least eight others when it destroyed the minister’s home in Punjab. (Reuters and AFP)

Police break up far-right protests
Reuters, BrusselsSunday, 27 March 2016/Belgian police briefly used water cannon to control several hundred rowdy protesters in central Brussels on Sunday after they ignored an official call for marches to be postponed following Tuesday’s bombings. Amid fears of further attacks, officials wanted to give police the scope to focus on investigations which have widened to other countries, leading to the arrest of an Algerian in Italy and intelligence cooperation with Germany. Police carried out 13 new raids in Belgium Hundreds nevertheless gathered at the Bourse to express solidarity with the victims of the suicide bomb attacks at Brussels airport and on a rush-hour metro train. Thirty one people were killed, including three attackers, and hundreds more injured. ISIS has claimed responsibility. Most of the protests were peaceful but white-helmeted riot police used the water cannon against a group of protesters, many of whom local media described as right-wing nationalists, who burst onto the square chanting and carrying banners denouncing ISIS. “It is highly inappropriate that protesters have disrupted the peaceful reflection at the Bourse (stock exchange). I strongly condemn these disturbances,” Prime Minister Charles Michel said according to Belga news agency.
Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur said the group were “scoundrels”. In and around Brussels and Antwerp, police carried out 13 new raids in connection with the attacks, with nine people questioned and five later released, the prosecutor’s office said. With links to the Paris attacks in November becoming clearer, and amid criticism that Europe has not done enough to share intelligence about suspected Islamist militants, cooperation appeared to be deepening. Belgian press agency Belga said on Sunday prosecutors had charged a man in connection with a raid in Paris on Thursday that authorities say foiled an apparent attack plot. Belga named him as Abderamane A. who prosecutors had said on Saturday was being held after being shot in a raid in the Brussels district of Schaerbeek. After a series of raids in Belgium and Germany, Italian police also arrested Algerian Djamal Eddine Ouali who is suspected of making documents for militants linked to the bombings, Italian media said on Saturday. His name was found in documents in a raid on an apartment near Brussels last October, including some with photos of militants involved in the attacks in Paris and in Brussels and the aliases they used.
Web of links
As the web of links between the suspects and attacks emerges, German lawmakers said Europe urgently needed to improve the way its security agencies shared information. But Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office was among the European security agencies still hunting for at least eight mostly French or Belgian suspects, Die Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported. They are thought to be on the run in Syria or Europe. Belgian prosecutors also charged three men on Saturday including Faycal C., whom Belgian media identified as Faycal Cheffou and said he was “the man in the hat”, as he has become known, in last Tuesday’s airport CCTV footage that showed three men pushing baggage trolleys. However, investigators have not confirmed that Cheffou is that man, a person close to the investigation told Reuters. A video posted on social media outlets used by ISIS on Saturday showed a Belgian militant in the group’s de facto capital Raqqa, Syria, taunting his home country in Flemish. “You learned nothing from the lessons of Paris, because you continued fighting Islam and the Muslims. For this I want to tell you that the attack in Brussels is reaping what you had sown with your own hands,” Hicham Chaib, whose nom de guerre was given as Abu Hanifa al-Beljiki, said. “Just as you bomb the Muslims with your F-16s, we will fight your people.”The authenticity of the video could not immediately be verified by Reuters. Officials said 24 victims from nine different nationalities had been identified so far from the attacks in Brussels, where the European Union and NATO have their headquarters. Fourteen were identified at the airport and 10 on the metro. A further four people remain unidentified. In addition, 340 people were wounded, according to the latest official toll on Saturday, of whom 101 are still in hospital, 62 of them in intensive care, many with severe burns. Away from the protests on the Bourse square, Brussels was largely quiet on Sunday, with many celebrating Easter but Monseigneur Jozef De Kesel, archbishop of Brussels, told Reuters it would be difficult to celebrate as usual. “The foundations of our society, freedom, respect for others, have been hit, attacked,” he said.

Report: Italy Arrests Algerian Suspect Wanted by Belgium in Terror Probe
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 27/16/An Algerian national wanted by Belgium over a probe into fake ID documents used by the Paris and Brussels attackers was arrested in Italy on Saturday, local media reported, citing police sources. The suspect, named as Djamal Eddine Ouali, 40, was detained under a European arrest warrant in the southern region of Salerno, the reports said. Ouali was arrested in the southwestern town of Bellizzi as part of a joint operation between anti-terrorist forces and Rome's special operations police, they said. He was suspected of being part of a criminal network that produced fake documents for illegal immigration, the AGI news agency reported. The alleged accomplice of the Brussels attackers would be extradited to Belgium in the coming days, it added. Suspicions were raised after local immigration officials checked Ouali's residency permit. Police had been searching for a man with the same name and belonging to the same organisation since January 6. Hundreds of digital photographs were then seized from a counterfeiter's workshop, including three of those who planned the deadly attacks in Paris in November. One of those photographed was Najim Laachraoui, a suicide bomber at Brussels airport, reports quoted police as saying. Investigations are ongoing as to how Ouali came to be in Italy and into the networks of which he may have been a part.

Muslim in Scotland murdered after writing sympathetic Facebook post to Christians
Jerusalem Post/March 27/16/A shopkeeper in Glasgow, Scotland was stabbed to death in a suspected "religiously prejudiced" attack just hours after he posted an Easter message on Facebook that he directed to "my beloved Christian nation," The Telegraph has reported. One eyewitness said he saw Asad Shah, 40, originally from Pakistan getting his head stamped on during the attack, the British daily reported. "Good Friday and a very Happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation. Let's follow the real footstep of beloved holy Jesus Christ and get the real success in both worlds," Shah, described as a devout Muslim, wrote on his Facebook page some four hours before he was murdered. Police said a 32-year-old Muslim man was arrested in connection with the murder that was being treated as "religiously prejudiced."
On his Facebook page, Mr Shah describes himself as the self-employed owner of Shah's Health and Fitness and also features Mr Shah in prayer, The Telegraph reported. In earlier social media posts, he also called for "unconditional real love for all mankind."

Netanyahu Defends Israeli Army after Soldier Shot Wounded Palestinian
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 27/16/Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the Israeli army Sunday as controversy gripped the country over a soldier caught on video shooting a Palestinian assailant in the head as he lay on the ground. The incident on Thursday led to the soldier's arrest and strong condemnation from military officials, but some rightwing politicians and their supporters have reacted angrily to the response. Netanyahu on Thursday joined condemnations of the soldier's behaviour but appeared to backpedal slightly Sunday in remarks at the start of a cabinet meeting. "Any challenge to the morality of the Israeli army is outrageous and unacceptable," he said. "The soldiers of the army, our children, maintain high ethical values while courageously fighting against bloodthirsty murderers under difficult operational conditions. "I am certain that in all cases, as in the current one, the inquiry takes into account all conditions. We must all support the Israeli army chief of staff, the Israeli army and our soldiers, who safeguard our security." Netanyahu leads one of the most rightwing governments in Israeli history but holds only a one-seat majority in parliament. Video from Thursday's incident in Hebron in the occupied West Bank spread widely online and threatened to further inflame tensions amid a wave of violence that erupted in October. It showed a 21-year-old Palestinian, who along with another man had allegedly stabbed a soldier minutes earlier, lying on the ground, apparently after being shot. The soldier then shoots him again, in the head, without any apparent provocation. The Palestinian, Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, was killed. Sarit Michaeli, a spokeswoman for Israeli rights group B'Tselem, which posted the video, called it an "execution". The UN's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, called it "a gruesome, immoral and unjust act".The soldier was detained, and Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon vowed that the incident would be treated with "utmost severity". But far-right politicians, including Education Minister Naftali Bennett, have defended the soldier, while members of his family reportedly said he was being publicly "lynched" and would not receive a fair trial. Bennett questioned whether the soldier thought the Palestinian had explosives on him, though there were reports that he had already been checked for a suicide belt before the shooting. "The soldier is not a murderer," Bennett wrote on his Facebook page. "Have we lost our minds? We are at war, a war against brutal terrorism." Several dozen people protested to call for the soldier's release over the weekend, Israeli media reported, while posters were seen calling for military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot's resignation.
Violence since October has left 200 Palestinians and 28 Israelis dead. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. But Israeli forces have also been accused of using excessive force in some cases, charges which they have firmly denied.

UAE Court Sentences 11 to Life in Jail on Terrorism Charges
Asharq Al-Awsat/ Sunday, 27 Mar, 2016/A top court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced 11 people to life imprisonment on Sunday over terrorism charges and raising money for al Qaeda and ISIS terrorist organization in Syria, state news agency WAM reported on Sunday. A total of 41 defendants were charged in October with “possessing firearms and ammunition with the intention of committing terrorist crimes against the country and its security,” according to WAM. They were also accused of seeking to overthrow the government to set up an ISIS-style caliphate in the UAE. The news agency reported that the Federal Supreme court in Abu Dhabi jailed two defendants for 15 years, 13 for 10 years, six for three years, and two for five years. Seven others were acquitted. Those convicted were found guilty of “endangering the safety and security of the country and the lives of individuals, including the leadership and its symbols with the intention to cause damage to state and private infrastructure,” stated Khaleej Times. It added that the men also faced prison for “raising funds and financial support to other terrorist groups such as Nusra Front and Daesh in Syria,” using Arabic names which refer to al Qaeda’s branch in the war-torn country and ISIS. The statement on WAM did not specify the suspects’ nationalities. It said two of those given life terms were sentenced in absentia. Authorities had reported their arrest on August 2 and their trial — which was closed to international media — began on August 24. The UAE is part of a US-led coalition that has been carrying out air strikes against ISIS in Syria since September last year.The Gulf state has intensified security since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011. ISIS has pledged to overthrow the monarchies of the Gulf and mounted a series of attacks on Muslim mosques and security forces in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Qatar’s Al Jazeera to Lay off 500 Employees Worldwide
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 27 Mar, 2016/The logo of Qatar-based Al Jazeera
Qatar’s Al Jazeera broadcasting network is set to cut about 500 employees or more than 10 percent of its staff worldwide, it announced on Sunday reflecting financial pressures on the tiny Gulf state due to low global prices for oil and natural gas. Most of the layoffs are expected in the broadcaster’s home base at its Doha headquarters, according to a statement from Al Jazeera, which is controlled by Qatar’s royal family. Before the layoffs, the network had about 4,000 staff, a spokesman said. Mostefa Souag, Al Jazeera’s acting director general, said the network needed to conduct the layoffs to maintain its position in the industry “in light of the large-scale changes under way in the global media landscape”.He said the network had spent months evaluating its options. “Based on this review, we have embarked on a workforce optimization initiative that will allow us to evolve our business operation in order to maintain a leading position and continue our recognized commitment to high quality, independent and hard-hitting journalism around the world.” He added: “While our decision is consistent with those being made across the media industry worldwide, it was difficult to make nonetheless. However, we are confident it is the right step to ensure the Network’s long-term competitiveness and reach.”In an email sent to employees on Sunday, and republished in Doha News, Souag added: “As you know, other leading media organizations across the world are being forced to redefine their business models as well, with negative impact on their staff. Al-Jazeera is no exception.”Al Jazeera was launched in 1996 as an Arabic-language news channel. It was part of Qatar’s efforts to turn its economic power into political influence, and it grew to have a global effect and win millions of viewers across the Arab world by offering free-wheeling, uncensored debate rarely seen on other local broadcasters. An English-language channel was launched in 2006. But Qatar appears to have toned down its diplomatic profile under emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who took power in 2013 and has spoken about the need for austerity at a time of low oil prices.
Al Jazeera also has faced increasing competition in its home region, and suspicion among many governments over the air time it gave to Islamist groups in Syria, Libya and elsewhere. In January, Al Jazeera scaled back its ambitions after announcing it would close its U.S. cable news outlet less than three years after its high-profile launch. It cited economic challenges in the U.S. media market. Al Jazeera is the latest state-funded institution to cut staff as the government reacts to the slump in oil and gas revenue. There were widespread layoffs in the energy sector last year. In January this year, state-owned health provider Hamad Medical Corp laid off hundreds of employees.

Assad’s troops enter Palmyra after massive Russian air blitz to smash ISIS
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis March 27, 2016/Vladimir Putin after all took the momentous decision for Russian carpet bombing to level the Islamic State forces holding Palmyra since last May, and so clear the way for Bashar Assad’s troops and allied forces to enter the heritage city Saturday and Sunday, March 26-27 and take control of several districts. Television footage showed waves of explosions inside Palmyra and smoke rising from buildings, as Syrian tanks and armored vehicles fired from the outskirts. But just as the Iraqi army, even with foreign assistance, never completely captured Ramadi or Baiji from Islamist forces, so too Assad’s forces can’t hope for complete control of the strategic town of Palmya. After pulling back to the east, ISIS forces will continue to harass the Syrian army and town with sporadic raids. And government forces will stay dependent on a Russian air umbrella to hang on.
The big question debkafile’s military and intelligence sources were asking Sunday was what brought president Putin to give this groundbreaking military success to the Syrian ruler, just days after he withdrew Russian air support in southern Syria and opened the door for an Islamic State advance. He did this in an effort to break Assad’s resistance to the US-Russian deal for a political solution of the Syrian conflict by August.
Our sources offer two likely motivations:
1. Palmyra is strategically important to the Russian command because its fall to government forces opens the way to ISIS headquarters at Raqqa, 225 kilometers away.
2. Palmyra is also the gateway to Deir ez-Zour, 188 kilometers distant on Syria’s eastern border with Iraq. For the Russian military command, the importance of Deir ez-Zour outweighs that of Raqqa, because it is the key to control of the Euphrates Valley and access from Syria to Baghdad.
While these considerations bear heavily on Moscow’s strategic calculations, they have little direct impact on Assad’s overriding objective, which is to hold on to power. While the Syrian ruler may hope for acclaim for achieving a major success against ISIS, the laurel wreath belongs to Russian pilots. His forces essentially performed a ground operation in Palmyra in Moscow’s interest and goal, which is to strengthen the Russian grip on his country.
On Saturday, debkafile set forth the background for these events.
Cracks in the united US-Russian front over the Syrian ruler’s fate surfaced – even before the ink was dry on the joint announcement issued in Moscow Friday, March 25, by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, setting August as the deadline for a political solution of the five-year Syrian conflict. Shortly after Kerry’s departure for Brussels, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters, “Washington now accepts Moscow’s argument that Assad’s future shouldn’t be open for negotiation right now." However, taking exception to the phrase “right now,” State Department spokesman John Kirby immedieately snapped back, “Any suggestion that we have changed in any way our view of Assad’s future is false.”Did this exchange spell another Washington-Moscow impasse on the future of the war and the Syrian ruler? Not exactly; Our military and intelligence analysts report that the two powers are in accord on the principle that Assad must go, but are maneuvering on the timeline for the war to end and the Syrian ruler’s handover of power. The Americans want it to be sooner. The transition should start in August and result in adding opposition parties to the regime in positions of real influence. President Barack Obama, when he conducts his farewell Gulf tour in April, would like to show Saudi Arabia and Gulf emirates that he has finally kept his word to them to evict Bashar Assad from power before he leaves the White House next January. The US would also be better placed for bringing the Syrian opposition into line for a negotiated deal. But Putin prefers a delay because he has problems to solve first. The six-month long Russian military intervention in the Syrian conflict turned the tide of the war. The Syrian army and its Iranian and Hizballah allies were able to stabilize their positions and even score some important victories against rebel forces in central and northern Syria. Last year, Putin and Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were definitely on the same page and fully coordinated.
That cordial relationship was thrown out of kilter by the Kremlin’s decision to work with the White House for bringing the disastrous Syrian war to an end and terminating the Assad era. From November, Iran’s Gen. Qassem Soleimani’s frequent visits to Moscow on liaison duty petered out.
Khamanei is adamantly opposed to Russia and the US commandeering the decision on Assad’s departure and its timetable. He is even more outraged by the way Putin has moved in on Syria and made it Russia’s home ground in the Middle East. The rift with Tehran prompted Putin to announce on March 14 the partial pullback of his military forces from Syria. It was a threat to pull the rug that had turned the tide of the war in favor of Damascus and Tehran. Reluctant to burn those boats, Moscow has been juggling its balls in the air, trying not to drop any. At first, he suspended Russian air cover for government-led battles. The Islamic State immediately seized on this opening in the south and advanced on the towns of Nawa, Sheikh Maskin and Daraa. Moscow hoped that this setback would teach Bashar Assad to toe the Russian line.
Then, in the second part of last week, Putin ordered the Russian air force to renew its air strikes in the east in support of the Syrian army’s march from central Syria on the historic town of Palmyra. Friday and Saturday, the Syrian army and its allies were battling for control of the UNESCO World Heritage city, nearly a year after the Islamic State overran it and vandalized its historic remains. debkafile’s military sources stress that their capture of the reconstructed ancient Citadel perched on a hill over the city would have been beyond their strength without Russian air support. Finishing the job and recovering the entire city of Palmyra will depend heavily on Russian air strikes continuing to hammer the jihadist occupiers. Putin faces a momentous decision. He has already taught Assad and Tehran a harsh lesson: with Russian air support, they win battles, but not without it, as their failure in the south has demonstrated.
Will he help Assad win Palmyra?
Crowning the Syrian dictator with such a striking victory would stiffen his resistance to American pressure for him to quit in short order. He would stand out as the only Syrian war leader capable of pushing ISIS back. But if the Russian leader decides to cut off air support in mid-battle for Palmyra, Assad and Iran will be forced to face the fact that without active Russian military support, they are in hot water. The Syrian ruler would then have to accept his approaching end. That is the dilemma facing Putin.

Putin  praises Assad on Palmyra victory
Staff writer, Al Arabiya NewsSunday, 27 March 2016/Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday spoke by phone with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, congratulating him on his forces retaking Palmyra, the Kremlin said. “In a conversation with the Syrian president, Vladimir Putin congratulated his colleague on Syrian forces liberating the city of Palmyra from terrorists, noting the importance of preserving this unique historic city for world culture,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, quoted by RIA Novosti state news agency. According to Russia’s Interfax news agency, the Kremlin spokesman said Assad told Putin that Palmyra’s recapture would have been impossible without Russia’s help.Syrian government forces on Sunday retook all of the ancient central city of Palmyra from ISIS, opening up a path into the militant group's eastern heartlands of Raqqa and Deir Azzor.
‘Fresh proof’
Hailing the victory, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said publicly that the retaking of Palmya was an “important achievement.”“This is an important achievement and fresh proof of the efficiency of the Syrian army and its allies in fighting terrorism,” Assad said of the recapture of Palmyra, during a meeting with French parliamentarians in Damascus. A statement read out on Syrian television said that the recapture of Palmyra from ISIS also showed that Syrian government forces and their allies were the only force capable of defeating terrorism in Syria. It said the army and its allies, backed by Syrian and Russian air forces, would continue their campaign against ISIS, the Nusra Front "and other terrorist groups". The Syrian government has described all armed factions fighting President Bashar l-Assad as terrorist groups. It was earlier reported that Syrian regime forces advanced into Palmyra on Saturday with heavy support from Russian air strikes, taking control of several districts in a major assault against ISIS fighters, Syrian state media and a monitoring group said. Television footage showed waves of explosions inside Palmyra and smoke rising from buildings, as tanks and armored vehicles fired from the outskirts. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was the biggest assault in a three-week campaign by the Syrian army and allied militia fighters to recapture the desert city and open up the road to ISIS strongholds further east. Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said Syrian soldiers and allied militias had taken control of one-third of Palmyra, mainly in the west and north, including part of the ancient city and its Roman-era ruins. Soldiers were also fighting on a southern front, he said. Syrian media and Arab television channels broadcasting from the slopes of Palmyra’s mediaeval citadel, one of the last areas of high ground seized by the army on Friday, said troops had advanced inside Palmyra and had taken several neighborhoods. The recapture of Palmyra, which the extremist group seized in May 2015, would mark the biggest reversal for ISIS in Syria since Russia’s intervention turned the tide of the five-year conflict in Assad’s favor. The group and al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch the Nusra Front are excluded from a month-long cessation of hostilities that has brought a lull in fighting between the government and rebels battling Assad in western Syria. The limited truce has allowed some aid deliveries to get to previously inaccessible areas under siege. The International Committee for the Red Cross said on Saturday it brought food and hygiene items to three areas of south Damascus the day before. (With AFP and Reuters)

Ban Kimoon, Abbas convene in Amman: For resumption of peace negotiations to reach a twostate solution
Sun 27 Mar 2016/NNA - United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, met on Sunday with Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, in the Jordanian capital, Amman, with talks centering on the Middle East peace process, the role of the Quartet, and the need for reaching a two-state solution.
The UN Secretary-General reiterated his deep concern "over the ongoing violence and the need for both sides (Palestinian and Israeli) to diffuse tensions."The Secretary-General further underscored "the need for making progress on Palestinian unity and for greater leadership on the Gaza reconstruction."
He stressed that "a political horizon must be restored without further delay for a resumption of peace negotiations towards a two-state solution."

Egyptian parliamentarian Sayed Faraj in hot water over Israel delegation
Roi Kais/Ynetnews/Published: 03.27.16 /After Tawfiq Okasha was kicked out of the Egyptian parliament for meeting with Israeli Ambassador, Egyptian MP Sayed Faraj is in trouble for creating a delegation to send to Israel. 'My words were taken out of context. I'm against normalization."Egyptian Parliamentarian Sayed Faraj issued a statement saying that he is forming a parliamentary delegation of ten legislators to go to the Israeli Knesset and discuss subjects relating to Israel-Egypt relations, Arabic media reported last week. "It is incumbent upon us to benefit from all of the advancements Israel has made, yet do so without referring to the issue of normalization with the Zionists," Faraj tweeted. According to reports, he went further and said that he isn't against normalization with Israel, and that "we have to be in contact with them." Egyptians have already begun to refer to Faraj as the "new legislator for normalization," a title which he inherited from former talk show host and parliamentarian Tawfik Okasha, who was ejected from the Egyptian parliament for meeting with the Israeli ambassador to Egypt. Okasha's meeting with the ambassador was taken so poorly amongst members of the Egyptian parliament that a parliamentarian even threw his shoe at Okasha. Faraj realized that his career could be destroyed by these statements, and quickly went to be interviewed by Egyptian newspaper Al-Watan, saying "I said that if I had the ability to create a parliamentary delegation consisting of ten parliament members and go to the Knesset in order to expose to the world that they (the Israelis- ed.) are responsible for terror in the Arab world, I would do it."The member of parliament added that some people may have built a theory that he is the one who launched the initiative, but that this simply wasn't the case. "I am against normalization with Israel," he said, referring to the tweet he said was made by someone else in his name. In an official statement from his office which was published in Egyptian media, he clarified that he fully supports the Palestinians, and that his words were taken out of context. Faraj also added that he calls on the Israeli opposition parties to put preassure on the governning coalition in order to create a solution to the Palestinian issue, and have it based on a just political agreement. He did this on the occasion of Palestinian Land Day. It seems that 37 years after signing a peace treaty with Israel, "normalization" is still considered a dirty word in Egypt and in the Egyptian parliament.

U.S. at Easter: When Christians Are Slaughtered, Look the Other Way
Muslims Slaughter Over 10,000 Christians and Destroy 13,000 Churches in Nigeria
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/March 27/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7700/easter-christians-slaughtered
"Over 500 Christian villagers were slain in one night." — Emmanuel Ogebe, Nigerian human rights lawyer, March 2, 2016.
What Christians in Nigeria are experiencing is a live snapshot of what millions of Christians and other non-Muslims have experienced since the seventh century, when Islam "migrated" to their borders: violence, persecution, enslavement, and the destruction of churches.
The Obama Administration refuses to associate Boko Haram — an organization that defines itself in purely Islamic terms — with Islam, just as it refuses to associate the ISIS with Islam.
In all cases, the Obama Administration looks the other way, while insisting that the jihad is a product of "inequality," "poverty" and "a lack of opportunity for jobs" — never of Islamic teaching.
Boko Haram, the Nigerian Islamic extremist group, has killed more people in the name of jihad than the Islamic State (ISIS), according to the findings of a new report. Since 2000, when twelve Northern Nigerian states began implementing or more fully enforcing Islamic sharia law, "between 9,000 to 11,500 Christians" have been killed. This is "a conservative estimate."
In addition, "1.3 million Christians have become internally displaced or forced to relocate elsewhere," and "13,000 churches have been closed or destroyed altogether." Countless "thousands of Christian businesses, houses and other property have been destroyed."
The report alludes to a number of other factors that connect the growth of the Nigerian jihad to the growth of the global jihad. The rise of anti-Christian, Islamic supremacism
"did not emerge in Northern Nigeria until the 1980s, when Nigerian scholars and students returned from Arabic countries influenced by Wahhabi and Salafist teaching. Each year, thousands of West African Muslims get free scholarships to pursue their studies in the Sunni Arab countries; this has had a major impact on Nigerian culture."
This "major impact" is not limited to Nigeria. Saudi Arabia annually spends over $100 billion disseminating "Wahhabi and Salafist teaching" — or what growing numbers of Muslims refer to as "true Islam". They also do so through European mosques and those in the United States. Behind the radicalization of ISIS, Boko Haram, and Lone Wolf Muslims, stand America's best Muslim friends and allies.
Another important finding from the report is that,
"Not just radical Islam, Boko Haram being the most notable example, but also Muslim Hausa-Fulani herdsmen and the Northern Muslim political and religious elite are also major actors of targeted violence towards the Christian minority."
Most recently, on March 2, Nigerian human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe sent an email saying: "I arrived Nigeria a few days ago to investigate what appears to be the worst massacre by Muslim [Hausa-Fulani] herdsmen... Over 500 Christian villagers were slain in one night."
Similarly, according to a West African source, "Once Boko Haram is defeated, the problem will not be solved. Christians living under Sharia law are facing discrimination and marginalization and have limited to no access to federal rights."
The report finally finds that much of the anti-Christian violence derives from the historical "migration of Muslims into non-Muslim territories in northern Nigeria to promote the Islamic religious and missionary agenda in all parts of northern Nigeria." In other words, what Christians in Nigeria are experiencing is a live snapshot of what millions of Christians and other non-Muslims have experienced since the seventh century, when Islam "migrated" to their borders: violence, persecution, enslavement, and the destruction of churches.
All of these findings contradict the Obama Administration's official narrative concerning the unrest in Nigeria. For years, the administration refused to list Boko Haram — which has slaughtered more Christians and "apostates" than even ISIS — as a terrorist organization. It finally did so in November 2013, after several years of pressure from lawmakers, human rights activists, and lobbyists.
For years, the Obama Administration refused to list Boko Haram — which has slaughtered more Christians and "apostates" than even ISIS — as a terrorist organization. It finally did so in November 2013, after several years of pressure. Pictured above: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau (center).
Even so, the Obama Administration refuses to associate Boko Haram — an organization that defines itself in purely Islamic terms — with Islam, just as it refuses to associate the ISIS with Islam. Although Boko Haram and its allies have yet to miss a year when they do not bomb or burn several churches during the Christmas or Easter celebrations, on Easter Day, 2012, after the organization had murdered 39 Christian worshippers, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said: "I want to take this opportunity to stress one key point and that is that religion is not driving extremist violence" in the Muslim-majority north.
So what is? The administration attributes to Boko Haram the same motivation it attributes to the Islamic State — or as President Bill Clinton once memorably put it in a reference to Boko Haram's murder campaign: "inequality" and "poverty" are "what's fueling all this stuff."
That assessment is similar to the Obama Administration's claim that "a lack of opportunity for jobs" is what created ISIS; or CIA John Brennan's claim that the jihadi ideology the world over is "fed a lot of times by, you know, political repression, by economic, you know, disenfranchisement, by, you know, lack of education and ignorance, so there — there are a number of phenomena right now that I think are fueling the fires of, you know, this ideology."
Appeasing the jihadis has been the administration's policy, or in the words of Clinton's advice to the Nigerian government: "[I]t is almost impossible to cure a problem based on violence with violence." Countless decapitated Christian heads later, when Nigerian forces killed 30 Boko Haram members in a particularly powerful offensive carried out in May 2013, Reuters reported that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry "issued a strongly worded statement" to the Nigerian president: "We are ... deeply concerned," he said, "by credible allegations that Nigerian security forces are committing gross human rights violations, which, in turn, only escalate the violence and fuel extremism" from Boko Haram.
Christian life in Muslim-majority areas of Nigeria is merely a microcosm of Christian life in Muslim-majority nations around the world. Christians are being persecuted and killed, their churches banned, burned or bombed. Thanks to Saudi petrodollars, the men behind the persecution are almost always "influenced by Wahhabi and Salafist teaching," and include not just "extremists," but also the "political and religious elite." In all cases, the Obama Administration looks the other way, while insisting that the jihad is a product of "inequality," "poverty" and "a lack of opportunity for jobs" — never of Islamic teaching.
Raymond Ibrahim, author of Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War in Christians (a Gatestone Publication, published by Regnery, April 2013), is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and Judith Friedman Rosen Writing Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 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.

Turkish Hatred: When the Truth Slips Out
Burak Bekdil//Gatestone Institute/March 27/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7691/istanbul-bombing-israelis-hatred
Before the bodies of Israeli victims were carried to their homeland, the Turkish make-up showed signs of falling apart and the ugly reality emerged.
"Let the Israeli citizens be worse, I wish they all died." — Irem Aktas, head of the women's and media division of the AKP party branch in Istanbul's Eyup district.
Aktas's mistake was probably to express publicly what millions of Turks only thought, but did not say, in the face of a suicide bomb attack.
The bomb attack in Istanbul on the morning of March 19 was the fifth similar act of terror targeting two of Turkey's biggest -- Istanbul and Ankara -- since October.
The suicide bomber, a 24-year-old with links to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), detonated his explosives on Istiklal Avenue, one of Istanbul's busiest streets and a popular tourist attraction. Three Israeli tourists (two of them also carrying U.S. passports) and one Iranian were killed. Dozens of wounded people were rushed to nearby hospitals. The death toll since October was now at nearly 200, including 14 tourists.
Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue, in the aftermath of the March 19 suicide bombing. (Image source: Sky News video screenshot)
At first this author thought that his initial instinct to expect something "out of line" because the victims were now Israeli citizens was wrong. The official, diplomatic way Turkey and Israel were handling the tragedy looked impressively civilized. Even before the bomb attack, there were unusually nice Turkish gestures. A few days before the Istanbul bombing, a senior Turkish official, Ahmet Aydin, deputy speaker of parliament (from the ruling AKP party), had praised historical ties between the peoples of Turkey and Jewish citizens of the country. He described their relationship as "a unity of destiny," and underlined "Jewish citizens' contribution in founding the Republic of Turkey." Such language is too rare in Turkey, and even more rare when it comes from an official from the ruling [Islamist] Justice and Development Party (AKP).
After the suicide bombing in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- surprisingly -- did what any other president of a country hosting a terrorist attack would do. He conveyed his messages of condolences to Turkey's Jewish community and religious leaders. In a similar gesture, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "expressing his condolences to the people of Israel on behalf of the Turkish people."
In return, Israel hailed the "sincere and very helpful cooperation it has received from Turkish officials in the immediate aftermath of the deadly Istanbul attack in which its three citizens have been killed and envisaged this good as a way to help talks for the normalization of relations."
Dore Gold, Director-General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, arrived in Istanbul to meet with Istanbul's governor, Vasip Sahin, for talks on the details of the bombing; and then with his Turkish counterpart, Feridun Sinirlioglu, possibly for talks on the normalization of diplomatic ties between Ankara and Jerusalem.
So far, so good. It is not unusual in diplomacy to use tragic events as a pretext to bolster problematic ties and as an excuse to further refine any effort for reconciliation. The Turkish niceties were the "make-up," partly driven by pragmatism and designed to hide the anti-Semitic sentiments the AKP has worked hard to cultivate in the Turkish society. Before the bodies of Israeli victims were carried to their homeland, the Turkish make-up showed signs of falling apart and the ugly reality emerged.
Irem Aktas, head of the women's and media division of the AKP branch in Istanbul's Eyup district, commented on social media that: "Let the Israeli citizens be worse, I wish they all died." When she wrote that in her Twitter account, at least 11 Israeli citizens injured by the bomb were being treated at Turkish hospitals.
Aktas quickly deleted her comments and shut down her social media accounts. A party official said that disciplinary proceedings against Aktas had been initiated. But the Turkish Islamist reflex found a face-saving formula for the "heroine." Aktas would resign, instead of being expelled from the party.
Also unsurprisingly, Aktas in her Facebook account describes herself as "a fan of Erdogan" and "an Ottoman lover."
Her mistake was probably to express publicly what millions of Turks only thought, but did not say, in the face of a suicide bomb attack.
**Burak Bekdil, based in Ankara, is a Turkish columnist for the Hürriyet Daily and a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 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.

Al-Wabili and those gloating over his death!
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
Saudi Arabian author Abdelrahman al-Wabili (God bless his soul) had a clear and unique vision of society. The late author’s writings included historical and anthropological analyses. They were meant to raise religious awareness and widen intellectual horizons. Al-Wabili didn’t like too much of media appearances and settled for a limited number of television interviews. He was known for confronting extremism objectively and monitored the indicators, which signal individuals’ loss vis-à-vis society’s innocence. Al-Wabili, who hailed from Buraidah in Saudi Arabia, passed away on Friday. He was known for being steadfast in his positions and stood against malicious attacks against him. In his writings, you can smell the mud, the fragrance of the fields, the essence of the countryside and the aroma of Najd’s clear nights. His material was often rich like a spring that would not dry out.
Saudi society
Al-Wabili was fond of historical analyses related to the different stages that the Saudi society has been through. He provided an analytical dimension to the understanding of the past with the change that took place as a result of the oil wealth. This did not last very long as there was sudden transition from clay to cement and from being as innocent as angels to becoming socially violent and drowning in extremism with all its annoying complications. Al-Wabili is now gone. However, this hasn’t deterred some extremists from gloating over his death. Even in his death, al-Wabili has turned his back away from ignorant men while saying: “May God help our country!” You are blessed, whether dead or alive. May you rest in peace and may God forgive you Abu Jihad.

From a dam in New York to the cyberattacks on Aramco
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
If engineers at a dam in New York hadn’t disconnected water gates from its electronic control center for maintenance work, a major disaster would have happened. On that day, hackers said to be belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard managed to hack the dam’s electronic control center in order to unlock its gates and drown the area. A court – which heard this case and other cyberattacks targeting financial institutions – revealed dangerous plots to attack vital installations in the country. Unfortunately, only the direct perpetrators were made accused in these cases and no charges were framed against the Iranian regime, which should have been held responsible for the attacks. Threatening action against regimes involved in cyberattacks, whether it is the Iranian or any other regime, builds deterrence against similar attacks in the future. However this wasn’t the only case of its kind. Other parts of the world have also come under similar attacks. The most dangerous was a similar group hacking the system of Saudi Aramco, which produces and exports the biggest quantity of oil in the world. Hackers tried to gain control of around 35,000 computers which run the system. However the company quickly suspended most of its operations and regained control over the systems. Cyberattacks are regarded as aggression by one country against another although it has not been categorized as such by international organizations such as the United Nations - though many agree that it is tantamount to dangerous crimes. American authorities have considered major cyberattacks as terrorist operations and the US federal grand jury accused the seven Iranian hackers of terrorism, the maximum charge which can be made against them. However, only the perpetrators stand charged and not those standing behind them. The hackers’ cells usually work within a system linked to the Iranian security institution and it has several activities aimed at targeting vital institutions, like those related to oil, power, water and aviation, and even nuclear facilities, in countries, such as the US, which Iran consider hostile.
Act of sabotage
Targeting civil facilities to sabotage them and harm civilians are acts of terrorism, prohibited internationally even in times of war. One of the cell members, Hamid Firoozi, attained information about water levels and managed to open the gates. If they were not manually deactivated the area overlooking the dam could have been drowned. If the US prosecution had considered those inside Iran responsible for these cyberattacks, and not just the seven individuals, a mechanism would have evolved to fight cyber terrorism. If the US prosecution had considered those inside Iran responsible for these cyber attacks, and not just the seven individuals, a mechanism would have evolved to fight cyber terrorism.
No information has been revealed about the Aramco incident, which took place in 2012. The damage was limited because the hackers targeted the company’s administrative system and not the computers tied to oil production. Their aim was to hit Saudi Arabia’s oil production and sabotage the company’s facilities. The bigger aim was to hamper the Saudi economy. Two years ago, a report was released on organized cyberattacks being carried out by groups linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. These attacks targeted facilities in 16 countries, including American military zones. All these are terrorist activities planned by countries and not by independent terror cells or gangs. They should be categorized as per international law and their activities should be declared

Time for Palestinians to choose sides
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
At last the Arab League and the GCC have officially branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization, a designation long overdue. Hezbollah is recognized as a mere tool in the Iranian expansionism box with no legitimate footing within the Arab world. Setting aside its bombings, killings and assassinations, it has suffocated Lebanon’s free spirit and fought for the survival of the Syrian gangsters whose hands drip with the blood of their own people. This is rare Arab unity in action, although admittedly countries under the sway of Tehran, Lebanon and Iraq expressed “reservations” while Algeria and Tunisia registered their objections. Arab-Israeli parties in the Knesset have loudly condemned the designation as one that serves Israel’s interests. Hamas has taken the line “silence is golden” on the issue but its political chief Khaled Meshaal told France 24 that Iran is no longer a main backer of Hamas due to differing stances on the Syrian conflict. I believe, Meshaal’s main priority is mending strained ties with Egypt, that’s accused Hamas of being involved in the assassination of its Prosecutor-General, so as to get the Rafah Crossing re-opened. Other Palestinian groups have been more forthright in slamming Hezbollah’s branding. But where does the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stand?
His position on Hezbollah is not at all clear. He is, however, more transparent on Iran. He recently revealed to Kuwait’s Scoop TV that “there are no official relations between us and Iran”, adding, there is an embassy and an ambassador “but they don’t have direct contacts with us.” He told the interviewer that the Palestinian Authority has “released a statement saying that we do not know anything about Iranian funds and we are not responsible for them.”“I say to Iranians, ‘you want to engage in Palestine? Then you must do so in collaboration with the Palestinian Authority. If we have an embassy in Iran, why does it operate indirectly, through the back door?” he said. He recalled his visit to Iran to meet with former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who told him, “I love the Palestinian people” and said he responded saying, “No, you don’t love them. If you love them, love all Palestinians, not half or a quarter of them. Iran only loves Hamas and Islamic Jihad.”
Ambiguous message
That message is ambiguous from a Palestinian leader who referred to Iran as “a sister country” just last year while announcing his plans to visit. Is he critical of Iran overall or is he angling for Iranian funding for the Palestinian Authority? In any event, he did not tell Tehran to stay out of Palestinian affairs.
It seems to me that President Abbas must acknowledge the new regional reality and that Iran and its Lebanese satellite are inextricably linked and share the same hostility to Arabs, in particular toward Saudi Arabia and Gulf states. In the current climate, fence-sitting is not an option as the Lebanese government discovered to its cost. We cannot be expected to continue giving our diplomatic and financial support to states or entities sympathetic to Hezbollah and Iran or hand in glove with either behind the curtain.
We cannot be expected to continue giving our diplomatic and financial support to states or entities sympathetic to Hezbollah and Iran or hand in glove with either behind the curtain
Throughout my adult life the Palestinian cause has been dear to my heart and in my youth I considered the Egyptian President Jamal Abdel-Nasser a champion for his efforts to free the Palestinian people from occupation. Our pockets were always open to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat who despite his faults was a Palestinian patriot who devoted his life to liberating Palestinian lands. Unfortunately, he backed the wrong horse during the 1991 war with Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein’s forces from Kuwait when the Palestinians paid a price in terms of reduced funding. Over time that hurt receded, but I reckon GCC states, threatened by Iran’s push for regional hegemony, may not be so forgiving if the Palestinian leadership plays both sides of the fence willing to shake hands with the devil in the hope of receiving handouts from our foes. Moreover, Abbas was wrong when he told Ahmadinejad that Iran “only loves Hamas and Islamic Jihad”. Love does not come into it. Despite their flowery rhetoric and threats targeting Israel which never amount to anything, neither Iran nor Hezbollah care about the Palestinians and have done nothing tangible to help them all these years. They cynically use their affiliations with Palestinian resistance groups to bolster their credibility with Arabs.
In its early days Hezbollah wrote an open letter said to be pledging allegiance to the Ayatollah Khomeini and vowed to turn Lebanon into a Shiite state. It has since re-jigged its manifesto to appear more benign. Its goals are Iran’s goals. If it is so concerned about the welfare of Palestinians why did it refuse to allow Palestinian refugees in Lebanon the right to work and own their own homes? And if Iran was serious about promoting Arab causes why does it oppress its Sunni minorities, including the Arabs of Ahwaz deprived of decent jobs, homes and basic utilities? Author Trita Parsi, the founder and president of the National Iranian American Council rightly asserts in his book “Treacherous Alliance” that Iran pays mere lip service to the Palestinian struggle whereas its real motivation is the export of Shiite ideology. With all my respect to President Abbas, who is obliged to walk a tightrope between the demands of his people, the Israeli occupier and militant groups, he cannot continue burying his head in the sand when it comes to the terrorist Hezbollah. He should publish a declaration disassociating Palestinians from Hezbollah and Iran and ideally close the Palestinian mission in Tehran.

Terror in Europe: The enemy no longer at the gates
Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/March 27/16
A lot has been written and will be written about terrorists penetrating western cities and societies and their efforts to destroy, disrupt, hurt and kill those in their way. Yes, free and democratic societies are difficult to defend as they are open environment and ensure innocence of suspect until they are proven guilty.
The acts of terror and violence, exploding bombs in trains and airports are soft targets carrying a message beyond the lowly origins and creed of those criminals carrying the heinous acts in the name of a religious war. Those attacks are part and parcel of a larger war to subdue EU and the western world values and ethos dedicated toward promoting freedom, democracy, human rights, and free choice in the world. The attacks are indiscriminate and target civilians and as many leaders in Europe and beyond have stated that this war with agents of anarchy will be a long and protracted one. Therefore, it is important to see and execute the defense strategy beyond chasing few cells scattered around Europe and the US. The challenge is to identify and eliminate parties who stand behind those sent to kill. The EU and the western world need to realign its strategy and identify those forces, state and non-state actors bent on sewing dissent and division aimed, one day, at putting a check on Europe’s power in the world. This is in a bid, the next day, to divide the western civilization and rid it of hard earned values that have called for centuries for the protection of the weak, and to stand with the Right against the Wrong, and support those aspiring to be in their own eyes more free.
Whether the EU likes it or not the floodgates have opened and some enemies are inside the house and no longer at the gates. Though ISIS is the main protagonist in this violent chapter, the real enemy remain state actors facilitating and directing some of ISIS efforts toward western cities and peaceful neighborhoods. Since the onset of the Syrian revolution in March 2011 against Assad’s rule, his regime never shied away from warning that if threatened the regime will make sure that regional and international peace will be breached. Now after 300,000 dead, and millions exiled in refugee camps in neighboring countries, and millions more displaced internally, the Assad regime continues to be in power with help from its allies such as Iran and Russia.
It is important to analyze and execute the defense strategy beyond chasing few cells scattered around Europe and the United States
Few articles published in western media since 2011 carried those threats by pro-Assad officials, the threats were also included in many interviews that the embattled Syrian president gave to handpicked western media outlets. Whichever way the regime or his cronies have put it, it is summed up that the fire will not be limited to Syria and the regime.
In May 2011, shortly after the start of the uprising in Syria, Assad’s cousin was quoted as saying: “If there is no stability here… there will be no stability in Israel.” Rami Makhlouf, Bashar al-Assad’s maternal cousin, went on to say: “No way, and nobody can guarantee what will happen after… I didn’t say war”, he said adding “What I’m saying is don’t let us suffer, don’t put a lot of pressure on the president, don’t push Syria to do anything it is not happy to do...”
Asymmetrical action
In Sep 2013, President Assad himself alluded asymmetrical action if his country is attacked by the west after finding his regime guilty of using chemical weapons against civilians near Damascus, in an interview he said that his response “...may take different forms, direct and indirect. Direct when governments want to retaliate, and indirect when you are going to have instability and the spread of terrorism over the region that will influence the west directly...”Such threats seem to have slowly metamorphosed into bloody action. In the past few years they got executed through third party entities, one day it is Sunni extremists bombing Saudi and Kuwaiti Shiite mosques. In Turkey the PKK Kurdish suicide bombers have been shooting at the state and bombing civilian and tourists areas. ISIS also joined the fray with suicide bombings on Kurds and Turks. In Europe, Paris was attacked twice, Brussels once, the US once. Other cities are braced for the worse, as lone wolves, thugs, petty criminals from disenfranchised background in Europe and beyond are returning from self-styled Jihad causes in Syria and or Iraq.
The western world must evolve in the way it looks at the war on terror and redefine its successes and failures as the enemies are no longer at the gate. After the EU worked out a plan with Turkey to slow the immigration traffic to Greece and mainland Europe, the minister of defense in France has warned that 800,000 plus immigrants are waiting to cross to Southern Europe from Libyan shores this time towards Italy. Again the floodgates of migration are a distraction as many security officials have testified in recent months. Those who are encouraging it are well known. This tactic is used to deflect western countries’ attention from promoting democracy and freedom and undermine its impact in conflict resolution and management of world crisis, and by then weakening its influence, stature and posturing in peace and war questions.
Three factors contributed to the increased vulnerability of EU and the western world and check their ability to face up to terror and violence on their soil. The first factor is eight years of United States’ disengagement policy “a la Obama”. The second is the reawakening of a “Tsarist” ambitious Russia under President Vladimir Putin. The third is an emboldened Iran after its latest nuclear deal and its renewed efforts to seemingly spread radical Islam as a tool to interfere in regional and international state affairs. These factors have resulted in a toxic recipe that the world will take decades to eliminate.
Against such a landscape security agencies in Europe and America continue to publish warnings that many terror cells remain at large and could strike at a short notice anywhere in Europe’s key public events and or installations. After two years of an uneven and flawed war against terror the world, or at least a part of it, feels helpless and lacks means and capacity to fight this monstrous enemy, which is no longer at the gate.