llLCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 27/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.may27.16.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006
Bible Quotations For Today
The world hated
me before it hated you & hated me before you. You do not belong to the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hates you
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 15/18-21:"‘If the world
hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the
world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you, "Servants are not greater than their
master." If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word,
they will keep yours also.But they will do all these things to you on account of
my name, because they do not know him who sent me."
Ananias,You did not lie to us but to God!’ Now when Ananias heard these words,
he fell down and died
Acts of the Apostles 05/01-11:"But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his
wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back
some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
‘Ananias,’ Peter asked, ‘why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy
Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained
unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds
at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You
did not lie to us but to God!’ Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down
and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. The young men came and
wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him. After an interval of
about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to
her, ‘Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a
price.’ And she said, ‘Yes, that was the price.’Then Peter said to her, ‘How is
it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test?
Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they
will carry you out.’ Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the
young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her
beside her husband.And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of
these things."
Pope Francis's Tweet For
Today
Jesus gives himself to us in the Eucharist, offering himself as spiritual food
that sustains our life.
Jésus se donne à nous dans l’Eucharistie, se fait même nourriture, la vraie
nourriture qui soutient notre vie.
إن يسوع يعطي ذاته لنا في الافخارستيا ويقدّم ذاته كطعام روحيّ يعضد حياتنا
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 26- 27/16
Lebanon: Taking
the law into one’s own hands/Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/May 26/16/
Bekaa revenge killing inflames tribal tensions/Nicholas Blanford/Now Lebanon/May
26/16
Challenging the rise of fascism/Chris Doyle/Al Arabiya/May 26/16/
Terrorism is not confined to the Middle East/Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/May
26/16
We need a vibrant and critical media/Khaled Almaeena/Al Arabiya/May 26/16
Has the Pope Abandoned Europe to Islam/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/May
26/16
Syrian Oppositionist Writer, Ali 'Eid To Assad: You Should Commit Suicide Before
Someone Takes Revenge On You/MEMRI/May 26/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 26- 27/16
Franjieh Clings
to His Nomination, Denies Confronting Aoun in Jounieh
Lebanon: Taking the law into one’s
own hands
Cabinet Postpones Debate on Controversial Dam as Ministers Voice Conflicting
Stances
Hezbollah says it is digging tunnels 'to make Israeli enemy lose sleep'
Resistance Brigades Distances Itself from Bleiq's Alleged Killer
Israel forming civil defense units in preparation for possible conflict with
Hezbollah
Joint Parliamentary Committees Schedule New Session Next Week
Hariri to Nasrallah: 'Silent Shiite Majority' Refuses Interventions in Syria
Report: Jumblat Blames Iran for Hampering Election of President
Lebanese Kills Indian Colleague, Burns Body
Mogherini: Lebanon Must not Link Election of President to Regional Crises
Army Arrests Two Terror Suspects in Arsal Region
Businessman Kidnapped in Western Bekaa
Jreij back from Cairo: For media to be tool for connection, not destruction
Sami Gemayel holds talks in Brussels
ISF clarify circumstances of Roumieh inmate death
Tripoli roads blocked in protest at Roumieh inmate death
Bekaa revenge killing inflames tribal tensions
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 26- 27/16
Trump Claims Enough Delegates for Republican Nomination
Muslim Villagers Attack Christian
Homes in Egypt over 'Love Story'
U.N. Envoy Says No New Syria Talks in Next Few Weeks
WHO: Syria the World Most Dangerous Place for Health Workers
UN: Food aid reaches 41.9 percent of those besieged in Syria
Has ISIS damaged a Russian base in Syria?
Shiite cleric urges restraint in Iraq’s Fallujah assault
UN official calls on Hamas to halt public executions
Israeli planes target Gaza sites after rocket attack
New Israeli coalition ‘raises questions’: US
US opposes $50 million bail for Turkish-Iranian gold trader
One killed, 3 injured in shooting at New York City concert venue
Obama warns US lawmakers over Iran sanctions
US watchdog says Clinton email server broke government rules
Greece sends ‘last EgyptAir audio recordings’
Korea atomic bomb victims angered by Obama’s Hiroshima visit
Iran: An Afghan migrant tortured to death by regime’s agents in Yazd
U.S. House votes to bar purchases of heavy water from Iran regime
Iran regime’s Basij arrest 70 in raids on two parties
Arab Sunni activist imprisoned in Iran, family’s questions unanswered
Four-Hour Meeting in Jeddah Results in Preliminary Deal with Iran on Hajj
U.N. Envoy Speaks of Nearing Solution in Yemen
Kuwait's Main Opposition Group Ends Polls Boycott
World Leaders Take a Ride in the Slow Lane at G7 Meeting
Links From Jihad Watch Site for
May 26- 27/16
Texas: Muslim lied to FBI about pledging allegiance to the
Islamic State
Kenya: Two Muslims arrested for Islamic State mass murder plots in Nairobi and
Mombasa
Hamas-linked CAIR markets “Islamophobin” gum as cure for “Islamophobia”
Pakistan: Christian stops Muslim boys from teasing Christian girls, gets
arrested for blasphemy
Pakistan: Council of Islamic Ideology recommends “light beating” for disobedient
wives
Egypt: Muslims strip 70-year-old Christian woman naked, parade her through
village
Taliban chooses Islamic legal scholar as its new leader
Has the Pope Abandoned Europe to Islam?
Iran supplying weapons, cash and training to Taliban
Raymond Ibrahim: “Radical” vs. “Moderate” Islam: A Muslim View
Minnesota Muslim wanted to join ISIS to “fight jihad and attain martyrdom”
Obama admin set to transfer up to 24 more jihadis from Gitmo
Islamic State: “Those who say Islam is a religion of peace are cowards”
Hugh Fitzgerald: CAIR: “Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me”
Ghana: Muslim cleric says gays cause earthquakes, says severely punishing them
is “holy endeavor”
Vox laments that Muslim selfie girl’s love of Hitler became basis for
“Islamophobic hatred”
Iran to renew financial support for Islamic Jihad: “The defense
of Palestine amounts to a defense of Islam”
Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 26- 27/16
Franjieh Clings to His Nomination,
Denies Confronting Aoun in Jounieh
Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh stressed Thursday that he has “the
right to be alternative candidate” if Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel
Aoun does not secure consensus on being elected as president. “When ex-PM (Saad)
Hariri endorses General Aoun, I will go to parliament to elect him, but if
General Aoun does not have chances, then I have the right to be the alternative
candidate,” said Franjieh in an interview on LBCI television. “The problem over
the presidency is not about me and I won't let General Aoun down should ex-PM
Hariri endorses him, although ex-PM Hariri is still supporting my presidential
run,” he added. In response to a question, the Marada leader noted that he would
“understand” Hariri's decision should the latter decide to back Aoun.“Our
problem with General Michel Aoun is not about him being the top Christian
leader. He is the top leader but he is not the only leader,” Franjieh explained.
“Hizbullah's support for me is equal to its support for General Aoun,” he
pointed out. Turning to the latest municipal elections in the city of Jounieh,
where a Aoun-backed list achieved a difficult victory, Franjieh denied backing
the electoral alliance that ran against the FPM-led coalition. “(Ex-MP) Farid
Haykal al-Khazen is my friend and (ex-MP) Mansour Ghanem al-Bon has recently
become my friend and I sympathized with them,” Franjieh explained, denying any
direct support for them in the electoral battle. He also stressed that
Africa-based Lebanese businessman Gilbert Chaghoury did not fund the electoral
battle of the anti-FPM list. “I don't think they lack money,” Franjieh added,
referring to al-Khazen, al-Bon and their ally Neamat Frem, a prominent Jounieh
businessman and local leader.
Lebanon: Taking the law into one’s
own hands
Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/May 26/16/
A few months ago, some Lebanese were angered by a caricature of Lebanon as not
being a state. Some media outlets even fueled this anger. Lebanon does not have
a president, and its parliament is almost paralyzed. Meanwhile, the government -
the only legitimate standing state institution - is full of divisions. This is
the bitter truth. State institutions’ inability, weakness or absence lead to
dangerous and negative results, such as the rise of the idea of taking the law
into one’s own hands. This is what happened recently when a man called Maarouf,
from the Shiite Hamieh family, kidnapped and killed a man from the Sunni Hujeiri
family to avenge what he said was the murder of his son, who was kidnapped and
slain by Al-Nusra Front. Hamieh appeared on Lebanese TV and narrated the details
of his abduction and murder of Mohammad Hujeiri, the nephew of the controversial
Arsal Sheikh Mustafa Hujeiri. Hamieh said he would kill more of the Hujeiri
family. He said his problem is with members of the family, not the Sunni sect,
but his crime has worsened the situation in eastern Beqaa, which was already bad
because of the Syrian refugee crisis and its proximity to Syria. State
institutions’ inability, weakness or absence lead to dangerous and negative
results, such as the rise of the idea of taking the law into one’s own hands
Consequences
Hujeiri used to deliver aid to refugees, and was heading to a work meeting when
he was abducted by Hamieh. The Future Movement condemned the incident, and said
not addressing the situation will “open the door to threats that target civil
peace.”Lebanon’s military isolated the town of Arsal and took strict security
measures to prevent clashes. It said it was pursuing Hujeiri’s murderer, and
called on everyone to abide by the law. This incident is a bad omen for Lebanon,
which is already suffering. It is like the Ain al-Remmaneh bus incident in the
1970s, which sparked the Lebanese civil war. It is a fire that if not put out by
wise men, will be fuelled by corpses.
This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on May 25, 2016.
Cabinet Postpones Debate on
Controversial Dam as Ministers Voice Conflicting Stances
Naharnet /May 26/16/The cabinet on Thursday avoided debate on controversial
plans to construct a dam in the Janna Valley in Nahr Ibrahim, postponing the
topic to its next session, as environmental activists staged a rally outside the
Grand Serail. Several ministers had voiced conflicting stances before entering
the cabinet session. “We are against the Janna dam project,” State Minister for
Administrative Development Nabil de Freij said. De Freij is close to al-Mustaqbal
movement of which several officials have said that they are opposed to the
project over environmental concerns. The Free Patriotic Movement has meanwhile
rejected the environmental arguments, accusing Mustaqbal of obstructing the
project due to political motives. “Our behavior has been purely environmental in
the issue of the Janna dam and we will abide by what the experts say. We are not
against the project as a project but we must take its environmental impact into
consideration,” Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq, who is close to
Mustaqbal, said. Economy Minister Alain Hakim meanwhile said that the Kataeb
Party supports the stance of the Environment Ministry on the dam project.
Education Minister Elias Bou Saab of the FPM arrived at the session carrying
pictures of stone crushing plants which he said are causing significant
environmental damage in other regions while enjoying political protection from
other parties. “Water is the source of life and the environment minister's
stance must not be political,” he told reporters prior to the session.Interior
Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq of al-Mustaqbal meanwhile noted that his movement's
stance on the dam is “based on environmental and not political
considerations.”Hizbullah's two ministers threw their support behind their FPM
allies. “The issue of water is strategic and it must be kept away from political
bickering,” State Minister for Parliament Affairs Mohammed Fneish said. Industry
Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan meanwhile said that “each dam in the world has
pros and cons and the issue must be discussed scientifically and not
politically.” “The pros are definitely bigger than the cons,” he added.
Hezbollah says it is digging
tunnels 'to make Israeli enemy lose sleep'
Jerusalem Post/May 26/16/The Lebanese Shi’ite movement Hezbollah said on
Wednesday that it was digging tunnels along the border with Israel. In remarks
first reported by the Lebanese daily Al-Safir and translated by the Middle East
Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Hezbollah said that despite heavy losses it
was incurring in Syria, “Israel cannot ignore…the strengthening of the security
and stability equation on both sides of the Palestine-Lebanon border.”Hezbollah
says it that it has succeeded in establishing a “balance of terror” that has
made southern Lebanon “the most secure region in the entire Middle East.”The
article in Al-Safir, a pro-Hezbollah daily, was published on the 16th
anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from the south Lebanon “security zone.” May
25 is considered “Liberation Day” in Hezbollah-controlled enclaves in Lebanon.
“It is right to say that the men of resistance on the eastern border complement
the mission of the first men of resistance [who fight Israel], who work day and
night [along the border]…conducting observations, preparing, and digging tunnels
that cause the settlers and enemy soldiers to lose sleep,” Al-Safir said.
Earlier this year, an IDF officer told a Saudi news site that it was possible
that Hezbollah was digging attack tunnels on the northern border with Israel,
and that Hezbollah was expert in using tunnels in populated civilian areas
during war but he didn't expand further on the topic. "Israel respects its
enemies’ capabilities and assumes that they are capable of espionage,” the
officer said. [Secretary-General Hassan] Nasrallah is a serious leader and he
knows what Israel's reaction will be if he attacks. He should leave the current
situation on the border as it is without embarking on a path that will destroy
everything that he has built."
Resistance Brigades Distances Itself
from Bleiq's Alleged Killer
Naharnet /May 26/16/The Hizbullah-linked Resistance Brigades on Thursday denied
any involvement in the killing of Wissam Bleiq in Beirut after media reports
said a member of the Brigades was behind the murder. In a statement, the
Brigades voiced regret over “the incident that led to Wissam Bleiq's death in
the city of Beirut,” stressing that it “had nothing to do whatsoever with this
incident” and describing it as “an individual dispute that has no partisan,
sectarian or political motives.” “We extend the warmest condolences to the
family of the aggrieved victim and his loved ones over their great loss,” the
Brigades added, calling for “leaving the entire case to the judiciary so that it
unveils its circumstances and issues the fair rulings.”On Wednesday, media
reports said that the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch had uncovered
the identity of Bleiq's murderer and that he fled to Syria to avoid arrest.
Bleiq was a member of Beirut's firefighting department and the administrator of
the Nijmeh football club YouTube channel. Media reports said the assailant was
identified as Hussein al-Houwwari, an alleged member of the Resistance Brigades.
Other media reports said Houwwari has been recently expelled from the Resistance
Brigades due to his “hooliganism and alcohol addiction.” The decision to create
the Resistance Brigades was taken in 1997 by Hizbullah's leadership. The group
comprised Lebanese young men who wanted to fight the Israeli occupation of south
Lebanon without having to officially join Hizbullah.
Bleiq was killed by a shot to the head on Saturday night. Speculation had
emerged on whether he was the victim of murder or a stray bullet. A security
source told An Nahar newspaper that the trajectory of the bullet, which had
broken his vehicle's rear window and penetrated his head, could not have been
made by a stray bullet. Bleiq, 38, was killed as he was driving back to his
Zidaniyeh home from his exchange shop. He leaves behind a wife and three
children.
Israel forming civil defense
units in preparation for possible conflict with Hezbollah
Jerusalem Post/May 26/16/Israel is forming civil defense units throughout
northern Israel to assist in any future conflict between Israel and Hezbollah,
Col Eren Makov, the Northern Regional Commander of the Homefront Command told
The Media Line in an interview. “There is a big change in the Arab population in
Israel in that they are much more willing to cooperate with us,” Makov said. “We
give them training in what to do and they see it as a contribution.” Makov said
that more than half of the residents of northern Israel are Arab citizens of
Israel, and are under the same missile threat from Hezbollah as Jewish citizens
of Israel. While the vast majority of Arab citizens of Israel do not serve in
the Israeli army, he said these civil defense units are not part of the army but
of the Home Front Command and, for example, volunteers do not wear uniforms.
The idea is to train them in both disaster relief and working with the
population. After earthquakes, Makov said, 25 percent of those saved are rescued
in the first hour, often by their neighbors. A similar situation would probably
be in force if Hezbollah, which is believed to have more than 100,000 rockets
aimed at Israel, scored direct hits on buildings in residential areas. Israel is
not on the verge of a war with Hezbollah, Israeli analysts and military
officials say. Hezbollah is bogged down in the civil war in Syria and has lost
thousands of fighters defending Syrian President Bashar Assad against rebel
groups and Islamic State. On one hand, it means that Hezbollah is not looking
for another conflict in the near future. In fact, after senior Hezbollah
official Mustafa Baddredine was assassinated recently, officials quickly moved
to say they do not believe Israel is responsible. At the same time, Hezbollah is
developing new fighting skills that could be used against Israel. “When you
count the rockets they have, they are as strong as they were before the eruption
of civil war in Syria. (But) when you speak about morale, it’s not very high…
they’ve suffered many casualties,” Eyal Zisser, a professor at Tel Aviv
University and an expert on Hezbollah told The Media Line. Added to this is the
financial burden the organization is shouldering, the professor explained.
Israel is also carefully watching the Golan Heights, which Israel acquired in
1967 and later annexed, along the border with Syria. So far, military officials
say, the fighting has not spilled over in any significant way. But that could
easily change. “The Golan Heights is very sensitive and unstable,” a senior
military official told The Media Line. “There are a lot of actors involved in
the conflict there (Syria). We believe they understand that they will pay a big
price if they get involved with Israel.”
Deterrence is one way to lessen the chances of a conflict along Israel’s
northern border. Another is preparation, he said. In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah
fought a 34-day war that left at least 1200 Lebanese and 165 Israelis dead. An
estimated one million Lebanese and up to 500,000 Israelis fled the area of the
conflict, and Israel inflicted heavy damage on south Lebanon. In any new
conflict, the senior military official says, it is the Home Front Command that
will decide whether Israelis should stay or be evacuated. For the past 25 years,
any new homes build in Israel must have a reinforced room that can withstand a
missile attack. Older buildings are supposed to have communal shelters, although
some are in disrepair. Military officials do not rule out evacuating part of the
population if needed. “We are not afraid to evacuate the population – especially
close to the border,” the official said. “But we will decide who should leave.
Our main message is that anyone who doesn’t get an order to evacuate should stay
and understand that his home is the safest place for him.”
Joint Parliamentary Committees Schedule New Session Next Week
Naharnet /May 26/16/The joint parliamentary committees tasked with drafting an
electoral law postponed Thursday's session, that was scheduled primarily to
discuss the hybrid electoral draft-law, until June 1 after the withdrawal of MP
Ali Ammar. MP Ali Fayyad said after the meeting that “Ammar's withdrawal had to
do with the agenda of the meeting.”The interlocutors were supposed to tackle the
hybrid law after they rejected, in a meeting last week, both the 1960s electoral
law and the proportional law. Hizbullah MP Fayyad said: “We are addressing the
issue with openness. But what surprises us is the emphasis claiming that the
electoral law is a political issue, which is not permissible since a political
nature would affect the objectivity of the law.” For his part, Free Patriotic
Movement MP Alain Aoun said: “The only solution for an electoral law is to agree
on single standards no matter what the results were,” stressing that it is
impossible to reach a solution if each party does what suits it best. Lebanese
Forces MP Georges Adwan meanwhile noted that “a return to the 1960s law is
considered a crime against all the Lebanese. “We are not far away from reaching
a common ground,” he assured. Deputy Speaker Farid Makari scheduled a new
session on June 1, and said: “We have agreed not to go backwards and study the
mechanism that was taken to discuss the electoral law.”Differences linger
between political parties over the 1960s and proportional representation
draft-laws. Speaker Nabih Berri had proposed that the term of parliament be
shortened and that an agreement be reached over a new electoral law. The 1960s
law will be adopted should the parties fail to agree on a new one. He also
suggested that the parliamentary polls will be followed by the election of a new
president and later the formation of a national unity government. Disagreements
between the rival political powers over an electoral law forced parliament to
twice extend its own term, once in 2013 and another time in 2014.
Its term ends in June 2017.
Hariri to Nasrallah: 'Silent Shiite
Majority' Refuses Interventions in Syria
Naharnet /May 26/16/Al-Mustaqbal movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri stressed on
Thursday that his party has never sought to monopolize power as claimed by
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in his latest speech, and urged him to
give ear to the “silent Shiite majority” that opposes his interventions in Syria
and Yemen. “If the Mustaqbal movement was seeking monopolization to dominate
authority, it wouldn't have approved a hybrid proportional draft law with the
Lebanese Forces and the Democratic Gathering bloc at the parliament,” said
Hariri via Twitter. During his speech on Wednesday, Nasrallah accused Mustaqbal
and the Progressive Socialist Party without naming them of “rejecting
proportional representation because you are insisting on monopolization and
unilateralism in your sects and regions,” he said. Hariri added: “We have heard
Sayyed Hassan say that he adheres to the opinion of people representing around
20 per cent or a little bit more of any (political) group. How about that he
listens to the majority of the Lebanese, including the silent majority of the
Shiite sect, before he involves our country in his Janissary wars from Syria to
Yemen.”“Or is that democracy from Sayyed Hassan's perspective says that
proportion should be traded in Lebanon, while slaughtering any proportion of the
Syrian people who do not join the unilateral stance of the tyrant in Damascus?”
remarked Hariri. He highlighted the vacuum at the presidential post and blamed
Hizbullah for confiscating the people's need to elect a president, he asked: “In
your opinion (Nasrallah) what is the proportion of the Lebanese who want a
president to be elected? And how is their will respected taking into
consideration the fact that he has been obstructing the elections for two years
now?”Lebanon has been witnessing a state of presidential vacuum since the term
of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.
Report: Jumblat Blames Iran for
Hampering Election of President
Naharnet /May 26/16/Democratic Gathering bloc leader MP Walid Jumblat stated on
Thursday that Iran is obstructing the election of a Lebanese president, blaming
it for the two-year vacuum at the post, An Nahar daily reported. “Obstructions
hampering the elections of a head of state are Iranian,” said Jumblat in an
interview to the daily. The PSP leader urged the two candidates running for the
post, founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun and Marada chief MP
Suleiman Franjieh, to “review” their positions “even if they had to withdraw”
from the race paving way for the election of another candidate. On the
suggestion of Speaker Nabih Berri that called for shortening the term of the
current parliament, Jumblat said: “I agree to stage early elections but it must
be held based on the 1960 electoral law.”Berri's proposal, made last week, calls
for shortening the term of the current parliament and staging the parliamentary
polls and later the presidential ones. The parliamentary elections would be held
based on the proportionality electoral law. Should the political powers fail to
agree on this law, then the 1960 one would be used. This law was adopted in the
2009 elections. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the
term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing
disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps have thwarted the polls.
Numerous electoral sessions have been staged, all but one failed due to a lack
of quorum at parliament in wake of a boycott by Aoun's political bloc and that
of Hizbullah. Hizbullah declared earlier this year that it would boycott the
polls unless it receives guarantees that its candidate, Aoun, is elected head of
state. This stance has drawn criticism from the March 14 camp and Jumblat, who
accused Hizbullah's main ally, Iran, of obstructing the elections.
Lebanese Kills Indian Colleague, Burns
Body
Naharnet /May 26/16/A Lebanese man set ablaze the body of an Indian worker after
killing him in the Keserwan town of Okaibe, the Internal Security Forces said on
Thursday. “The burned body of Indian worker S. K., 60, was found in his room at
his workplace in the Okaibe area,” the ISF said. “He was hit with a sharp object
on the head and nose,” the ISF added. Following extensive investigations that
lasted only several hours, the Jounieh judicial police department managed to
arrest a man suspected of murdering the Indian worker, the ISF said, identifying
the suspect as 37-year-old Lebanese man A. S.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to killing the victim due to
personal work-related disputes,” the ISF added. “He confessed to hitting him
with a sharp object – a plier -- before setting the room ablaze with a candle
and locking the door,” it said.
Mogherini: Lebanon Must not Link
Election of President to Regional Crises
Naharnet /May 26/16/European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said
on Thursday that the prolonged political crisis can only further weaken Lebanon
which cannot afford to wait for the region to solve its problems before it
addresses this issue. “On 25 May 2016 Lebanon enters its third year without a
President. The sovereignty, stability, territorial integrity and independence of
Lebanon are important for the European Union. Lebanon remains an example of
freedom, diversity and tolerance for the region, but the prolonged political
crisis can only further weaken the country and its institutions in facing its
many challenges. Lebanon cannot afford to wait for the region to solve its
problems before it addresses this issue,” said Mogherini. “The EU again urges
Lebanese political forces and all stakeholders to put partisan and individual
interests aside and find a viable compromise to elect a President swiftly,” she
urged.
“The EU supports the efforts deployed by the Lebanese government under difficult
circumstances to ensure that issues of dissent do not hinder completely the
functioning of Lebanese Institutions, and do not compromise the delivery of
international assistance,” she added. The EU representative “commended the
Lebanese Armed Forces' work for the safety and security of the country. The
National Dialogue and other mediation efforts are laudable initiatives to ensure
communication between political forces and prevent a deterioration of the
political climate.”On the municipal and by-elections she said that the EU
welcomes this step and “calls on all parties to create the conditions for the
holding of Parliamentary elections.”The issue of Syrian refugees she said: “The
EU is fully aware of the additional challenges that the refugee crisis poses for
the stability of Lebanon. The EU commends the Lebanese people for their efforts
to host refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria, and stresses the importance of
respect by all parties of the right to safe and voluntary return of refugees
displaced from Syria.”“The EU reiterates its commitment to the partnership with
Lebanon, and reaffirms the need to work together to respond to common challenges
on the basis of our common values, including human rights, democracy, and
respect for diversity,” she concluded.
Army Arrests Two Terror Suspects in
Arsal Region
Naharnet /May 26/16/Two suspects were arrested Thursday in the northeastern
border region of Arsal on charges of involvement in terrorist attacks against
the army, the Army Command said. “Following investigations and surveillance, an
army force arrested in the Arsal region a man called Mahmoud Sultan and
nicknamed Malek al-Breidi for his involvement along with others -- including the
detainee Mohammed al-Hujeiri aka Kahroub – in acts of terror and attacks on army
posts,” the army said. The man is also accused of “transferring arms to
terrorists positioned in the region's outskirts, involvement in armed robberies,
and attacks on citizens.” The army also arrested Syrian national Omar Mahmoud
Othman, who was accompanying Sultan. Othman was wanted on charges of “belonging
to a terrorist group and taking part in the aforementioned crimes,” the military
added. Extremist militants from the Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front and the Islamic
State group are entrenched in Arsal's outskirts along the Lebanese-Syrian
border. The two groups overran the town of Arsal in August 2014 and engaged in
deadly battles with the army during which they abducted more than 35 troops and
policemen. Four captive servicemen have been executed and nine are still being
held by the IS group.
Businessman Kidnapped in Western
Bekaa
Naharnet /May 26/16/Security agencies are following up on the kidnap of the
businessman Adnan Hussein Dabaja who was abducted in the western Bekaa region,
media reports said on Thursday. Dabaja is 55 years old, according to LBCI
television. Voice of Lebanon radio station (100.5) said the man's brother was
kidnapped with him and that the abductors took them to the Jezzine area in the
South. Kidnap operations occur frequently in the largely lawless Bekaa region.
Jreij back from Cairo: For
media to be tool for connection, not destruction
Thu 26 May 2016/NNA - Information Minister, Ramzi Jreij, stressed on the
necessity for media to be a tool for connection and construction, not for
separation and destruction. Jreij's words came in the speech he gave in the
context Arab Information Ministers Conference that was held at the headquarters
of Arab States League. Jreij's speech relied on three points; the first is that
Lebanon is an unfragmented part of the Arab consensus; the second is the
necessity to take a unified Arab stance against terrorism through a unified
media strategy in this respect, especially that terrorism is making use of media
to threat people and horrify them; the third is the freedom of media in Lebanon
that is consolidated in the Constitution. The minister confirmed, "Freedom in
media doesn't mean chaos, it must be practiced under the ceiling of law and must
serve the high national interest."On a different note, Jreij met with "Nilesat"
Board Chairman, Major General Ahmed Anis. The minister said that an Egyptian
technical team from Nilesat would come to Lebanon to discuss technical and legal
issues in order to reach a consensual solution to the subject relevant to
reopening Jouret el-Ballout station.
Sami Gemayel holds talks in
Brussels
Thu 26 May 2016/NNA - Kataeb Party leader, MP Sami Gemayel, met in Brussels on
Thursday with a delegation of the European People's Party, over the current
general situation in Lebanon, as well as the means to bolster ties between both
sides.
ISF clarify circumstances of
Roumieh inmate death
Thu 26 May 2016/NNA - The Internal Security Forces clarified, in a communiqué on
Thursday, the circumstances of the death of Roumieh inmate Fado Akkoush, in the
wake of riot that has broken out in the jail following his demise news. The ISF
denied news speaking of a two-hour delay in rescuing Akkoush, then stricken with
a heart attack. According to the communiqué, surveilling cameras showed that the
prisoner headed to the jail's medical unit and soon was checked up on, before
being transferred to the hospital aboard an ambulance upon the instruction of
his physician. Akkoush died as soon as he got to the destination. "Investigation
is carried out under the supervision of the competent judicial authority," the
communiqué concluded.
Tripoli roads blocked in
protest at Roumieh inmate death
Thu 26 May 2016/NNA - The death of Roumieh jail Islamist inmate Fadi Akkoush
drew ire of prisoners' relatives, who blocked the international highway at Abu
Ali roundabout at the entrance of Bab el-Tebbaneh, as well as the road leading
to Bhennine, National News Agency correspondent reported on Thursday.
Bekaa revenge killing inflames tribal
tensions
Nicholas Blanford/Now Lebanon/May 26/16
The apparent murder of the nephew of a fugitive Arsal sheikh by the father of a
Lebanese soldier executed by Nusra militants could lead to further violence in
the region. Lebanese soldiers of the airborne division check vehicles in the
east Lebanon village of Arsal, near the Syrian border on February 4, 2013. A
convoy of Lebanese army Humvees mounted with .50 caliber machine guns trundled
slowly through the streets of Taraya village in the Bekaa Valley, watched
closely by local residents. The army presence Wednesday afternoon appeared to be
a show of resolve in the wake of the killing on Tuesday of Hussein Hujeiri, the
nephew of fugitive cleric Sheikh Mustafa Hujeiri, aka “Abu Taqiyah”. The young
Hujeiri’s bullet-riddled body was found on the grave of Mohammed Hamieh, a
soldier who was captured from Arsal and executed by Jabhat al-Nusra in 2014. The
soldier’s father, Maarouf Hamieh, holds Abu Taqiyah and former Arsal mayor Ali
Hujeiri personally responsible for his son’s death and has vowed revenge against
them on numerous occasions.
Those familiar with the Hamieh clan, and Maarouf Hamieh himself, knew that this
promise of vengeance was not to be taken lightly. Indeed, he implicitly claimed
responsibility for Hussein’s Hujeiri’s death by stating on Tuesday that it was
“just the beginning” and that he would not rest until he had taken the head of
Abu Taqiyah. The revenge killing follows a pattern of tribal justice in the
Bekaa Valley, a fact of life – and death – widely recognized and understood by
the residents of the region. The writ of the Lebanese state is traditionally
weak in the northern Bekaa where loyalty to family, clan and tribe is paramount.
The Hujeiri clan in Arsal also follows these strict tribal customs and will be
looking to exact revenge for the death of one of their own. According to a
resident in Arsal, when news of Hussein Hujeiri’s murder broke, Abu Taqiyah’s
followers set up checkpoints in the town.
“They were looking for a Shiite, any Shiite, to kill in revenge,” the resident
said.
Another resident said that while the checkpoints were taken down after a couple
of hours, Abu Taqiyah was implicitly signaling that it is the militants that
control Arsal, not the Lebanese state. Abu Taqiyah is currently being tried in
absentia by a military court for his role in the attack on Arsal in August 2014
when a combined force of some 700 Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra militants
over-ran the town. He is accused of facilitating the abduction of 35 soldiers
and policemen by the extremist groups. Last week, Military Investigative Judge
Najat Abu Shaqra demanded the death penalty for 107 militants allegedly involved
in the 2014 battle for Arsal, including Abu Taqiyah. The Lebanese army surrounds
Arsal with a series of fortified hilltop outposts and checkpoints but has no
permanent presence in the town, where militants from Jabhat al-Nusra and the
Islamic State hold sway. The army has stepped up its operational tempo in the
Arsal area in recent weeks, staging a number of snatch raids inside the town to
arrest militants. On April 30, a Lebanese army Puma helicopter dropped a pair of
500lb bombs onto a Jabhat al-Nusra bunker complex in Wadi Awayni, nine
kilometers south east of Arsal, destroying the facility and killing several
militants. Abu Taqiyah has vowed a counter-revenge for the death of his nephew
but it is unclear if he has the means to carry out such a retaliation while he
and his followers are effectively bottled up inside Arsal.
Maarouf Hamieh is believed to still be in Taraya, although he has moved into the
village center away from his isolated house on the outskirts. It remains to be
seen whether he will be arrested or not. The army in the past two years has
shown a willingness to raid villages in the Bekaa to catch car thieves, drug
dealers and other wanted criminals as part of the nationwide “security plan”
that helped bring calm to the traditionally warring neighborhoods of Jabal
Mohsen and Bab Tebbaneh in Tripoli. But assuming Maarouf Hamieh was responsible
for the death of Hussein Hujeiri, his action will have won widespread sympathy
and understanding from the Shiite tribes of the Bekaa and his own Hamieh clan
will doubtless stand by him. It is unlikely the army will attempt to arrest him
directly and it may require some quiet dialogue away from the media glare to
resolve the issue.
Will the killing of Hussein Hamieh further enflame sectarian tensions in the
Bekaa? Probably not. The feud between the Hamieh and Hujeiri families is not
sectarian in nature but rooted in tribal codes of honor and revenge. Indeed, in
the wake of his son’s death in 2014 and funeral in December 2015, Maarouf Hamieh
urged calm among the Shiites of the Bekaa and to avoid falling into a sectarian
trap by taking revenge against Syrian refugees, almost all of whom are Sunni in
the Bekaa. Hamieh’s focus is on the Hujeiri family and the sect to which it
belongs is immaterial as far as he is concerned. This is a tale of Bekaa revenge
that has yet to reach the final chapter.
**Nicholas Blanford is Beirut correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor
and Nonresident Senior Fellow of the Middle East Peace and Security Initiative
at the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on
May 26- 27/16
Trump Claims Enough Delegates for
Republican Nomination
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /May 26/16/Donald Trump claimed Thursday to have
secured the support of enough delegates to become the Republican presidential
nominee, vaulting past the threshold of 1,237 needed to win the party's primary
race. The accomplishment caps an extraordinary rise by a political neophyte
whose campaign was widely derided as a distraction last June when he first
announced his candidacy. Trump eventually swept 16 Republican rivals aside, and
early this month was left as the last man standing when his remaining two
challengers dropped out of the race. "The folks behind me got us right over the
top from North Dakota," Trump said at a press conference in Bismarck, standing
onstage with some 15 unbound delegates from the midwestern state who committed
their support to the real estate tycoon. "I'm so honored," he added. Several
U.S. media outlets, citing their own analysis of pledged delegates and unbound
delegates who announced their commitment to Trump, said earlier Thursday that
Trump reached or surpassed the 1,237 mark. The Republican Party will not make
the delegate results official until its national convention in July, when
delegates actually cast their votes for the nominee. According to the US news
agency the Associated Press which first reported Trump crossing the threshold,
Trump now has the backing of 1,238 delegates. It said the real estate tycoon's
delegate count rose when some unbound Republican delegates, including Oklahoma
party chairwoman Pam Pollard, said they would support him at the convention. ABC
News reported that Trump has now secured 1,239 delegates, while CNN lifted its
Trump delegate estimate to 1,237 Thursday, citing unbound delegates who said
they would back the billionaire.
Rattled'
Trump was already the Republican presumptive nominee, following a spectacular
and unlikely run for the White House that has thoroughly upended American
politics. He was assured of reaching the magic number at the latest on June 7,
when California and four other states vote on the final day of the Republican
primary race. But turmoil continues to dog his campaign, while Republicans
grapple with bitter divisions within their party. Speaking in Japan, U.S.
President Barack Obama launched a broadside against Trump, telling reporters
that world leaders are "rattled" by some of his policies and blasting his
"ignorance" of how the world works.The provocative Republican has struggled to
win the support of key figures in his party establishment, including House
Speaker Paul Ryan, who have voiced concern about the presumptive nominee's tone
and his lack of policy specifics. Ryan, the nation's top elected Republican, has
declined to endorse Trump yet. They met two weeks ago to discuss ways to unify
the party behind his presidential run. But on Thursday, after a "productive"
phone call with Trump, Ryan again stressed he wanted to see more unity in
support of the candidate before endorsing him. "What I'm most concerned about is
making sure that we actually have real party unity, not pretend party unity,"
Ryan told reporters in Washington. The former reality TV star has dominated
headlines since launching his presidential campaign last year with a mix of
incendiary comments and policy stances seen as insulting Mexicans, Muslims and
women among others. He has proposed building a giant wall along the U.S. border
with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants, and called for a ban on Muslims
entering the United States.Trump has also raised eyebrows by continuing to
attack members of his own party. On Tuesday he assailed popular New Mexico
Governor Susana Martinez -- someone who could help him win over both Hispanics
and women -- saying she was not doing a good job as governor. And the business
mogul has shown his national political director Rick Wiley the door just six
weeks after hiring him. Wiley, who ran Wisconsin Governor Scott Walkers's
ill-fated presidential campaign, "was hired on a short-term basis as a
consultant until the campaign was running full steam," Trump's campaign said
Wednesday.Trump's likely Democratic rival in the general election, former
secretary of state Hillary Clinton, is set meanwhile to lock in the nomination
following the June 7 primaries.
Muslim Villagers Attack Christian Homes in Egypt over 'Love Story'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet
/May 26/16/Muslim villagers south of Egypt's capital set ablaze Christian homes
and assaulted an elderly woman paraded naked in public over rumors of an
interfaith relationship, the church and officials said Thursday. Coptic Pope
Tawadros II called for restraint after the incident in Karam village in Minya
province, the Coptic Orthodox Church said in a statement. The authorities have
assured the pope that they will "chase down the perpetrators and bring them to
justice," the church said. Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's
population of 90 million, have faced persecution and systematic discrimination
that spiked during the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled by a
popular uprising in 2011. The latest incident on May 20 followed rumors that a
Christian man was having a relationship with a Muslim woman, the diocese of
Minya said Wednesday on the Coptic Church's Facebook page. The church said that
even though the man's parents had told police they were receiving threats,
security forces took two hours to arrive after Christian homes started to come
under attack on Friday night. During the attack, armed individuals looted and
set fire to seven houses belonging to Christian families, the church said. The
church said an elderly woman, identified by the prosecution as the mother of the
man said to be involved with the Muslim woman, was stripped naked and paraded
before the mob. A prosecution official said six homes were set on fire.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was hailed by the church and many Muslims as
their savior from Islamists after the former army chief toppled Egypt's Islamist
president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Sisi had been a member of the ruling military
council following Mubarak's ouster in 2011, when 26 Copts were killed in clashes
with soldiers outside the headquarters of state television. The military said
three soldiers were killed in the confrontation. The Copts had been protesting
against an arson attack on a church in southern Egypt, which came after two
deadly clashes between Muslims and Christians in Cairo. For many Copts, those
events had been overtaken by more violence under Morsi, such as when police
fired tear gas at mourners in the main Coptic cathedral and after his ouster
when his supporters set fire to dozens of churches. In January 2011, when Egypt
was under Mubarak, a suicide bomber killed more than 20 people at a New Years
mass in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.
U.N. Envoy Says No New Syria Talks
in Next Few Weeks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /May 26/16/The U.N.'s peace envoy for Syria said
Thursday he has no plans to convene a new round of talks in the next two or
three weeks as fighting flares on the ground. Staffan de Mistura told a closed
session of the Security Council that more progress was needed to strengthen a
ceasefire and deliver humanitarian aid before talks can resume. The envoy
"briefed on his intention to start the next round of talks as soon as feasible
but certainly not within the next two/three weeks," said a statement from his
office. Two weeks of U.N.-brokered talks between the Syrian government and
opposition groups in Geneva ended on April 27 with no breakthrough. There had
been expectations that a new round would be called at the end of May, but no new
date has been announced. Diplomats said there was little chance that the
opposition would take part in a new round of peace talks if violence was raging
and no aid was reaching civilians. The 20-nation group backing the Syrian peace
process has said that it is up to De Mistura to decide on the appropriate time
to resume the talks. "Mister de Mistura reiterated the need to see progress on
the ground –- particularly in reference to the cessation of hostilities and
humanitarian access," said his office. The envoy has repeatedly called on the
United States and Russia to take action to shore up the ceasefire that has been
in place since February 27. There have been appeals to Russia, Syria's ally, and
other players to put pressure on all warring factions to allow aid deliveries to
reach civilians.De Mistura earlier said that many Syrians will face starvation
if the regime and rebel groups do not allow greater access to humanitarian
convoys. There "are plenty of civilians at the moment in danger of starvation,"
he told reporters in Geneva. The peace talks are to reach a settlement to end
the five-year war that has left 280,000 dead and driven millions from their
homes.
WHO: Syria the World Most Dangerous Place for Health Workers
Agence France Presse/Naharnet
/May 26/16/Syria was the most dangerous place for health care workers to operate
last year, ahead of other conflict zones like the Palestinian territories, and
Yemen, the World Health Organization said Thursday. For the first time, the UN
health agency provided comprehensive statistics on attacks on health care
facilities and other violence directed at health workers in conflict areas,
covering 19 countries over the past two years. "One of the most concerning
findings is that two thirds (of the attacks) have been deliberate," Rick
Brennan, the WHO's chief of emergency risk management, told reporters. Attacks
intentionally targeting health care facilities, health workers, the sick and
injured "represent gross violations of international humanitarian law," he said,
stressing that "if proven (they) can be considered war crimes."According to the
WHO report, 256 attacks directed at medical structures, personnel and ambulances
took place in total across 19 countries last year, killing 434 people, including
health workers, patients and bystanders. More than half of those attacks (135)
took place in war-ravaged Syria, resulting in 173 deaths. However, 2014 was even
deadlier on a global scale, with 525 people killed in 338 attacks across the 19
countries, the report showed. But Syria did not figure quite as heavily in those
statistics, with 93 attacks registered in the country, killing 179 people. Other
areas that have proven particularly dangerous for health workers include the
Palestinian territories, where there were 34 attacks in 2015 that killed three
people, Pakistan, with 16 attacks resulting in 45 deaths and Libya with 14
attacks that left 39 dead. War-torn Yemen and Iraq also figured high in the
ranking. Statistics for 2016 were not available, Brennan said, although he
stressed that the worrying trend was continuing, with numerous attacks so far
this year, including on hospitals in Syria.
UN: Food aid reaches 41.9 percent of
those besieged in Syria
The Associated Press, United Nations Thursday, 26 May 2016/Food aid has reached
nearly half the civilians trapped in besieged areas of Syria, but much more
remains to be done to help the 13.5 million in need across the war-torn nation,
according to a United Nations report issued Wednesday. The monthly report to the
Security Council, found that despite a teetering cessation of hostilities, there
was an overall increase in fighting and a significant rise in civilian
casualties as well as the destruction of hospitals, markets and schools during
the month of April. According to the report, food assistance has reached over
200,000 people, or 41.9 percent, of those living in besieged areas, nearly
double the 21 percent reached in March. “While that is positive, overall
progress is small and fragile. We remain far short of consistently meeting the
needs of the 13.5 million civilians in need in the Syrian Arab Republic,” the
report said. Meanwhile, the killing of civilians and violations of human rights
rose sharply in April after a period of relative calm, the report said. “The
resumption of active conflict in several governorates hindered the effective
delivery of humanitarian assistance, as well as people’s access to essential
services,” the report added. The report said that of the 35 relief convoys
planned for May and intended to reach 904,750 people in hard-to-reach areas, the
Syrian government had only granted full approval for 14, as of May 4, and had
conditionally approved eight more. Planned deliveries to 375,000 people in 13
other locations had not been approved.
Has ISIS damaged a Russian base in
Syria?
By Staff writer Al Arabiya English News Wednesday, 25 May 2016/Russia denied a
report that ISIS partly destroyed one of its important military bases in Syria.
The US global intelligence company Stratfor released a series of images that
purport to show damaged aircraft and supply depots at the base. It added that
the “attack, and the considerable losses on the Russian side, stress the
continued threat to supply lines for Russia and regime forces.” "A range of
separate locations within the airfield were targeted very accurately, with no
sign of damage in the areas separating them," it said. "A single accidental
explosion would not have been able to have this result."Four Russian combat
helicopters and around 20 supply trucks were destroyed at the base which is
strategically located in central Syria between war-ravaged Palmyra and Homs.
Stratfor says the images show the damage incurred was likely not accidental.
And, according to agencies, a website affiliated with ISIS said on May 15 that
terror group hit the strategic T4 base in central Syria. But U.S. officials said
they believe that it was likely the result of an accidental fuel tank explosion.
Shiite cleric urges restraint in Iraq’s Fallujah assault
Reuters, Baghdad Thursday, 26 May 2016/Iraq’s top Shiite Muslim cleric urged
government and allied Shiite militia forces fighting to retake Fallujah from
ISIS militants to spare trapped civilians amid reports of a budding humanitarian
crisis in the city. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s appeal reflected concerns
that a large civilian death toll in the battle for the mainly Sunni Muslim city
could kindle increased sectarian strife in Iraq. The Baghdad government has been
led by Shiites since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein, a member of the Sunni
minority. Sistani added his voice to many calls for restraint in the battle
begun on Monday to retake Fallujah, on Baghdad’s western approaches and the
first Iraqi city to fall under the control of the ultra-hardline ISIS group, in
January 2014. “Sayyid Sistani reaffirms his recommendations that the ethics of
jihad (Islamic holy war or struggle) be respected,” his representative, Sheikh
Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai, said in a statement. “Don’t be extreme ... don’t be
treacherous. Don’t kill an old man, nor a boy, nor a woman. Don’t cut a tree
unless you have to,” he said, citing sayings of the Prophet Mohammed. Aid
agencies have become alarmed about civilian suffering in a city that has been
under siege for six months, and the United Nations has urged combatants to
protect inhabitants trying to escape the fighting.
UN official calls on Hamas to halt
public executions
Jerusalem Post/May 26/16/A high level UN official on Wednesday issued a number
of rare criticisms against Hamas in Gaza for holding public executions and using
civilian cement for military purposes. “I urge Hamas not to carry out these
executions and I call on [PA] President [Mahmoud] Abbas to establish a
moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty,” UN special coordinator
for the Middle East peace process Nikolay Mladenov told the Security Council in
New York. “International law limits the application of the death penalty to the
“most serious crimes” and pursuant to a trial and appeals process that
scrupulously follow fair trial standards,” Mladenov said. “I have serious doubts
as to whether capital trials in Gaza meet these standards,” he said. Even more
alarming, he added, were reports of public executions. “This raises even more
alarms as public executions are prohibited under international human rights
law,” Mladenov said in a speech in which he spent more time criticizing Hamas in
Gaza than Israel. The decision to carry out these executions was taken without
Abbas’ required approval, which raises concerns about the continued split
between Fatah and Hamas, Mladenov said. “Palestine is one and Gaza and the West
Bank are its two integral parts,” he said. Mladenov also called on “individuals”
and “groups” in Gaza to ensure that cement was used, as intended, to help
rebuild Gaza homes and was not diverted for military purposes. “All sides need
to ensure that cement is used for civilian purposes only. Individuals or groups
seeking to benefit from the deviation of construction materials -- for
corruption, for building tunnels, or other reasons — must understand that they
selfishly compound the suffering of their own people and sow the seeds of future
violence,” he said. “Palestinians in Gaza are growing ever more desperate,
seeing their prospects for living a normal life and recovering their economy
blocked by Hamas’s military build-up, by Israel’s security measures and
closures, by the lack of Palestinian unity, and the insufficient fulfillment of
aid pledges by donors,” Mladenov said.There must be an end to Gaza’s chronic
water and energy crisis, said Mladenov as he explained that most people in Gaza
only have eight to 12 hours of electricity. Earlier this month, he said, three
children were burned to death when a fire broke out in their home, which was
ignited by the candles the family used during a power outage. “It is deeply
regrettable that some factions sought to use this tragedy to trade accusations
and score political points, instead of uniting to address the energy crisis,” he
said. Violence between Israel and Gaza increased in May, he said, adding that it
was the largest such escalation since the Gaza war ended in the summer of 2014.
Israel carried out 14 incursions into Gaza to two destroy two military tunnels
and to look for others. The IDF also carried out 13 airstrikes. Palestinians in
Gaza fired 40 mortars and eight rockets into Israel, Mladenov said. “Recent
events clearly demonstrate that the specter of violence looms ominously over the
territory. Unless radically more is done to address the chronic realities in
Gaza, it is not a question of ‘if’, but rather of ‘when’ another escalation will
take place,” Mladenov added.
Israeli planes target Gaza
sites after rocket attack
AFP, Gaza Thursday, 26 May 2016/The Israeli air force carried out attacks on the
Gaza Strip early on Thursday in response to a rocket attack targeting the Jewish
state, the army and Palestinian sources said. The rocket, which had hit an open
area in southern Israel, caused no damage or casualties. In response to it, the
Israeli air force “targeted two Hamas sites in the southern Gaza Strip,” the
military said in a statement. According to the Israeli army, since the beginning
of 2016, nine projectiles fired from the Gaza Strip hit Israel. The army “holds
Hamas accountable for all attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip,” it said.
Palestinian security officials said the Israeli raids targeted Hamas military
sites in Nuseirat and Rafah, causing no casualties. Earlier this month, a
four-day flare-up of border duels between Israel and Gaza’s Islamist rulers
Hamas constituted the heaviest exchanges of fire between the two sides since the
2014 Gaza war that killed 2,251 Palestinians and 73 Israelis.
New Israeli coalition ‘raises
questions’: US
AFP, Washington Wednesday, 25 May 2016/The United States said Wednesday that the
make-up of Israel's new right-wing coalition raises "legitimate questions" about
the government's commitment to a two-state solution in its conflict with the
Palestinians. In a rare comment on the internal politics of a US ally, State
Department spokesman Mark Toner said Washington had "seen reports from Israel
describing it as the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history.""And we also
know that many of its ministers have said they oppose a two-state solution. This
raises legitimate questions about the direction it may be headed in and what
kind of policies it may adopt."The spokesman also restated the United States'
support for a negotiated end to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians
based on two states living side by side within agreed borders. Earlier, Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had named hardline nationalist Avigdor
Lieberman as defense minister and welcomed lawmakers from his Yisrael Beitenu
party to the ranks of his coalition. Netanyahu has continued to insist that he
wants to negotiate peace with the Palestinians, but Lieberman's arrival in the
cabinet has raised concerns inside and outside of Israel that it will toughen
its stance. "Ultimately we're going to judge this government based on its
actions," Toner said. "We are going to work with this government as we have
worked with every Israeli government that preceded it with the goal of
strengthening cooperation. And we remain steadfast in our commitment to the
security of Israel and to the two-state solution."A senior Palestinian official
said on Wednesday the appointment of a hardline right-winger as Israel's defense
minister represents a "real threat" to regional stability.
"The existence of this government brings a real threat of instability and
extremism in the region," Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told AFP,
adding that the appointment would "result in apartheid, racism and religious and
political extremism."
US opposes $50 million bail
for Turkish-Iranian gold trader
Nate Raymond, Reuters Thursday, 26 May 2016/US prosecutors on Wednesday opposed
a Turkish-Iranian gold trader's request to be released on bail while he awaits
trial for conspiring to violate US sanctions against Iran, saying his vast
wealth makes him a flight risk. Reza Zarrab has been in US custody since his
arrest in Miami in March on charges that he conspired to conduct hundreds of
millions of dollars in financial transactions to help the Iranian government or
other entities evade US sanctions. His lawyers last week asked a federal judge
in Manhattan to release Zarrab on a $50 million bond and place him under house
arrest. Prosecutors disputed their claim that that would be more than sufficient
to assure his appearance in court. "Zarrab's proposed bail conditions are an
attempt to use his tremendous wealth to obscure the flight risk through a façade
of security that is beyond the reach of all but a small subset of fabulously
wealthy defendants," prosecutors wrote in court documents. Prosecutors said
Zarrab, a dual citizen of Turkey and his native Iran, had already misled
officials about his assets, which they said include businesses with billions of
dollars in annual transactions, and several homes and yachts. Prosecutors also
said Zarrab has used his wealth to buy access to corrupt politicians in Turkey,
pointing to his 2013 arrest in that country on charges that he bribed high-level
officials to facilitate transactions benefiting Iran. Turkish President Tayyip
Erdogan, then prime minister who US prosecutors said has "close ties" to Zarrab,
cast the case as a coup attempt orchestrated by his political enemies. Several
prosecutors were removed from the case, police investigators reassigned, and the
investigation was dropped.A lawyer for Zarrab declined to comment. Zarrab, 33,
in April pleaded not guilty after being charged in an indictment along with one
of his employees, Kamelia Jamshidy, and Hossein Najafzadeh, a senior officer at
a unit of Bank Mellat in Iran. The other two Iranians remain at large.
Prosecutors said that from 2010 to 2015, the trio helped Iranian individuals and
entities evade US sanctions by conducting financial transactions through
companies in Turkey and in the United Arab Emirates owned and operated by Zarrab.
Zarrab's arrest came two months after world powers, led by the United States and
the European Union, lifted crippling sanctions against Iran in return for curbs
on its nuclear ambitions.
One killed, 3 injured in
shooting at New York City concert venue
AP, New York Thursday, 26 May 2016/One person was killed and three others
wounded in a shooting inside a concert venue in New York City, where hip-hop
artist T.I. was scheduled to perform, police said. It happened around 10:15 p.m.
Wednesday at Irving Plaza, near Manhattan’s Union Square. Police said a
34-year-old man was shot in the chest and a 33-year-old man was shot in the
stomach. One of the men later died at a hospital, police did not say which one.
A 26-year-old woman was shot in the leg. Police said a fourth person walked into
a hospital on their own. Elijah Rodriguez was attending the concert with his
sister and they were in the VIP area by the stage. He said TI was supposed to go
on stage at 9 or 9:30 p.m. but “he never showed up.” At or around 10 p.m. he
said the venue started playing music again, and at about 10:15 p.m., he saw a
line of people coming out from where the performers were coming onstage. “All
the sudden I heard someone saying that there was a shot, that someone got shot,”
Rodriguez said. Rodriguez didn’t actually hear the shots himself, but heard
people saying that someone had gotten shot. “It was scary to deal with. When I
got outside, like literally across the street, there were a few girls having,
like, panic attacks. One girl thought she saw someone get shot in front of her,”
Rodriguez said, adding that T.I was not onstage when the shots were fired. Video
shot inside the venue showed a chaotic scene as concertgoers rushed to the sides
trying to leave the area as a group of people tended to a person on the floor.
Representatives for T.I., whose real name is Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., said
they were referring all questions about the shooting to police.
Obama warns US lawmakers over
Iran sanctions
Reuters Thursday, 26 May 2016/Obama administration officials told US lawmakers
on Wednesday they would oppose new sanctions on Iran if they interfere with last
year’s international nuclear agreement, laying the groundwork for a potential
fight over any legislation. “If legislation were to undermine the deal, by
taking off the table commitments that we had put on the table, that would be a
problem,” Adam Szubin, the acting Treasury Department undersecretary for
terrorism and financial intelligence, told a House of Representatives hearing.
“Certainly our allies around the world would see us taking back major chunks of
the sanctions relief as bad faith,” Szubin told a Senate Banking Committee
hearing later on Wednesday. House and Senate members are drafting new sanctions
measures, accusing Iran of supporting terrorism, human rights abuses and
violating its international commitments by testing ballistic missiles. They want
to renew the Iran Sanctions Act, a broad US law imposing sanctions over Iran’s
nuclear and missile programs that expires at the end of 2016. Administration
officials have urged Congress not to rush to renew the ISA. Lawmakers argue that
new sanctions will help send a message that Washington will take a hard line,
despite the nuclear pact. Every Republican in Congress and several of President
Barack Obama’s fellow Democrats opposed the agreement. “I feel it’s not so
terrible to have Congress come up with new sanctions if we feel Iran is
violating its agreements,” said Representative Eliot Engel, top Democrat on the
House Foreign Affairs Committee, who opposed the nuclear pact. Szubin and
Stephen Mull, the State Department’s lead coordinator for implementing the
nuclear deal, told lawmakers that, so far, the deal announced in July 2015 was
being fully implemented. They said the administration was tightly tracking
Iran’s compliance. “We believe that we and our allies in the region are
considerably safer,” Mull said. Members of Congress recently accused the
administration of allowing sanctions workarounds that might provide Iran direct
or indirect access to the US financial system. Szubin reiterated the
administration’s assurances that it had no such plans. Despite the easing of
nuclear sanctions under the international agreement, Tehran’s hopes of rapidly
ending its economic isolation have been complicated by companies’ concerns that
doing business with Iran might violate non-nuclear sanctions that remain in
place.
Obama: World leaders rightfully ‘rattled’ by Trump
The Associated Press, Shima – Japan Thursday, 26 May 2016/US President Barack
Obama says world leaders are “rattled” by Donald Trump and have good reason to
feel that way. Obama is discussing the 2016 presidential campaign during a news
conference in Japan, saying foreign leaders are surprised by Trump and not sure
how seriously to take the things he says. Obama says many of the likely
Republican nominee’s proposals display ignorance about world affairs, a cavalier
attitude or an interest in getting “tweets and headlines.” He’s contrasting that
to proposals to make America safe. The president is also downplaying Democratic
concerns about the long-running primary fight between Hillary Clinton and Bernie
Sanders. He says sometimes in a primary people get “grumpy.”But Obama says the
difference between Democrats and Republicans this year is the Democratic
candidates aren’t that ideologically different.
US watchdog says Clinton
email server broke government rules
Reuters, New York Thursday, 26 May 2016/Hillary Clinton broke government rules
by using a private email server without approval for her work as US secretary of
state, an internal government watchdog said on Wednesday. The long-awaited
report by the State Department inspector general was the first official audit of
the controversial arrangement to be made public. It was highly critical of
Clinton’s use of a server in her home, and immediately fueled Republican attacks
on Clinton, the Democratic front-runner in an already acrimonious presidential
race. The report, which also found problems in department record-keeping
practices before Clinton’s tenure, undermined Clinton’s earlier defenses of her
emails, likely adding to Democratic anxieties about public perceptions of the
candidate. A majority of voters say Clinton is dishonest, according to multiple
polls. The report concluded that Clinton would not have been allowed to use the
server in her home had she asked the department officials in charge of
information security. The report said that staff who later raised concerns were
told to keep quiet. Several suspected hacking attempts in 2011 were never
reported to department information security officials, in breach of department
rules, it said. “She’s as crooked as they come,” Donald Trump, the presumptive
Republican presidential candidate, said of Clinton at a campaign rally in
Anaheim, California, adding that the report's findings were "not good" for her.
Clinton's campaign disagreed, saying the report rebutted Republican's criticism.
The inspector general’s office examined email record-keeping under five
secretaries state, both Democratic and Republican. John Kerry, the current
officeholder, and predecessors Madeline Albright, Colin Powell and Condoleezza
Rice all agreed to speak to the inspector general's investigators. Clinton was
the only one who declined to be interviewed, as did her aides. The report
contradicted Clinton’s repeated assertion that her server was allowed and that
no permission was needed. Several other inquiries continue, including a US
Justice Department investigation into whether the arrangement broke laws.
The inspector general's report cited “longstanding, systemic weaknesses” with
State Department records that predated Clinton's tenure, and found problems with
the email record-keeping of some of her predecessors, particularly Powell, that
failed to comply with the Federal Records Act. But it singled out Clinton for
her decision to use a private server in her home in Chappaqua, New York, or
government business. “OIG found no evidence that the Secretary requested or
obtained guidance or approval to conduct official business via a personal email
account on her private server,” the report said, using an abbreviation for the
office of inspector general. The report said Clinton should have discussed the
arrangement with the department's security and technology officials. Officials
told investigators that they “did not - and would not - approve her exclusive
reliance on a personal email account to conduct Department business.” The
reason, those officials said, is because it breached department rules and
presented “security risks.”
Concerns silenced
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said he would not “challenge” those
findings. He told reporters the department was aware of hacking attempts on
Clinton's server, but had no evidence that any were successful. When two
lower-level information technology officials tried to raise concerns about
Clinton's email arrangement in late 2010, their supervisor in Clinton's office
instructed them "never to speak of the Secretary's personal email system again,"
the report said. Their supervisor told them that department lawyers had approved
of the system, but the inspector general’s office said it found no evidence this
was true. Brian Fallon, a Clinton spokesman, said the report rebutted criticisms
of Clinton made by her political opponents. “The report shows that problems with
the State Department’s electronic recordkeeping systems were longstanding and
that there was no precedent of someone in her position having a State Department
email account until after the arrival of her successor,” he said in a statement.
He did not address the report's criticism of Clinton’s use of a private server,
something no other secretary of state has done. Democrats, including fundraisers
for Clinton’s campaign, said the report revealed nothing new. “It’s digging and
digging and digging,” Amy Rao, the chief executive of data company Integrated
Archive Systems and a Clinton fundraiser, said in an interview, comparing the
investigation to probes the Clintons faced in the 1990s. “Trust me: There’s no
there there. It’s Whitewater.” Current Secretary of State Kerry asked Steve
Linick, the State Department inspector general, to investigate after Clinton’s
email arrangement came to light last year. President Barack Obama appointed
Linick to the role in 2013. Republicans have used Clinton’s email practice to
suggest she was trying to hide government records from scrutiny under
public-access laws. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said
in a statement that the findings “are just the latest chapter in the long saga
of Hillary Clinton’s bad judgment that broke federal rules and endangered our
national security.”
Greece sends ‘last EgyptAir
audio recordings’
Reuters, Cairo Thursday, 26 May 2016/Greece has reportedly sent the last audio
recordings of the doomed EgyptAir flight 804 on Thursday to the investigating
teams in Cairo. The investigating team has also received radar imagery and audio
recordings from Greece what would purportedly detail the flight’s final
trajectory. This has come a day after Egypt reported contracted two foreign
companies to help locate the flight data recorders of the carrier's plane that
crashed last week in the Mediterranean, killing all 66 passengers and crew on
board. Egypt’s air accidents chief also said that a vessel provided by French
company Alseamar, which specializes in marine wreckage searches, will join
within hours the hunt for the black boxes from crashed EgyptAir flight MS804.
Ayman al-Moqadem said negotiations were also underway to contract a second firm
to help in the search. The search for the emergency locator transmitter is also
underway and focused on a 5 km area, he added.
Korea atomic bomb victims
angered by Obama’s Hiroshima visit
AFP, Seoul Thursday, 26 May 2016/A group representing Korean victims of the US
atomic bombings of Japan protested Thursday that their suffering was being
neglected ahead of President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Hiroshima. The
Association of Korean Atomic Bomb Victims estimates that anywhere between 40,000
and 70,000 Koreans died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki when atomic bombs laid waste
to the two cities in August 1945. The Korean peninsula was under Japanese
colonial rule at the time, and most of those who died had been conscripted by
the Japanese military or forced into hard labor. Consequently, the association
argues that Koreans were multiple victims, deserving not only of an apology from
the United States, but also from Japan. Around two dozen members of the group –
including survivors and relatives of those who died – gathered outside the US
embassy in Seoul with placards reading: “Apologize to Korean victims of the
Atomic Bomb” and “Acknowledge the 2nd generation victims”. Obama on Friday will
become the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima and, while he has made
it clear there will be no apology, there is concern in South Korea that his trip
will play into a narrative that focuses on Japan’s suffering, rather than the
pain its colonial ambitions and wartime aggression inflicted on others. “The
world thinks Japan is the atomic bomb victim. That is wrong,” said 73-year-old
Shim Jin-Tae, one of two-dozen protestors gathered outside the embassy. “Japan
is the country that began the war. Koreans are the victims of the atomic bomb,”
said Shim, who was two years old and in Hiroshima when the first bomb fell.
Shim’s parents had been moved to Japan as forced laborers. “The United States
has never apologized for the atomic bomb and Japan, as a country that started
the war, has never apologized,” he said. After the embassy protest, a 10-member
delegation from the association was scheduled to fly to Japan to hold a separate
ceremony in Hiroshima on Friday at a small memorial erected for Korean victims.
Shim said Obama should visit that memorial if he truly intended to commemorate
all the victims of the bombings. Shim’s group is also angry with their own
government, saying Korean victims were ignored when they returned home because
their plight didn’t fit the official line that the atomic bombs were necessary
to end Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean peninsula. “Korea has never looked
after its people for the past 71 years,” Shim said.
Iran: An Afghan migrant
tortured to death by regime’s agents in Yazd
Thursday, 26 May 2016/NCRI - According to reports that have reached us from
inside Iran, a young Afghan migrant has been killed under torture by the
regime’s police inspectors in the city of Yazd, central Iran, as they attempted
to extract forced confession from him. Ehsanollah Ehsani, 20, was arrested on
May 13 in Yazd and later slipped into a coma while under torture. He was
transferred to Fatema Zahra Hospital on May 18 where he lost his life two days
later on May 20. Speaking on the death of his brother, Yadollah Ehsani said, “My
younger brother was just 20. He was arrested five months ago on charge of
thievery by the police in the city of Yazd. However, as we pursued his case,
they announced that he was innocent and released him until he was arrested again
on Friday, May 13, in the streets.”“My father went to all police stations in
Yazd until he found out that he was being held at the bureau of investigations,
but he was not granted a visit,” he added. “They told my father there that at
the time of arrest they had found Ehsanollah to be in possession of an electric
stun gun. However, I inquired with a friend who was with him at the time and he
told me that he’d had no weapon. Someone had called him and said that he had a
stun gun and my brother had gone there where he had been arrested.”“My brother
called my father once from detention and told my father that under torture he
had confessed to what he had not done. They had told him to confess or that they
would kill him.”Speaking on the signs of torture and battering of his brother,
Yadollah said: “Signs of torture and battering were evident on his face and
head. My parents had seen him from behind the window of the ICU. From there my
father had seen the bruising on his face and my mother had seen the dents in his
head.”On Friday morning, May 20, physicians informed this migrant Afghan family
that their son had died due to “brain hemorrhaging and rupture of heart tissue
due to the blows he had received.”
U.S. House votes to bar
purchases of heavy water from Iran regime
Thursday, 26 May 2016/The United States House of Representatives voted Wednesday
to bar the U.S. government from future purchases of heavy water from Iran's
regime, undercutting the controversial nuclear pact with Tehran. Wednesday
night's 251-168 vote came on an amendment by Florida Republican Rep. Ron
DeSantis to a funding bill for the Energy Department. Last month, the Obama
administration completed an $8.6 million deal to buy 32 tons of heavy water from
the Iranian regime. The amendment wouldn't affect that deal but would thwart
purchases next year. Nonetheless, the White House has weighed in strongly with a
veto promise that may get the proposal removed during House-Senate negotiations,
The Associated Press reported. Heavy water, formed with a hydrogen isotope, is a
key component for one kind of nuclear reactor. It is not radioactive but it can
be used to produce weapons-grade plutonium. Under the nuclear deal, Iran's
regime is allowed to use heavy water in its modified Arak nuclear reactor, but
must sell any excess supply of both heavy water and enriched uranium on the
international market. There are no current plans for further U.S. purchases of
heavy water. The pending deal calls for the Energy Department's Isotope Program
to purchase the heavy water from a subsidiary of the Atomic Energy Organization
of Iran. The heavy water will be stored at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in
Tennessee and then resold on the commercial market for research purposes.
Iran regime’s Basij arrest 70
in raids on two parties
Wednesday, 25 May 2016/NCRI - The Iranian regime’s paramilitary Basij in
north-eastern Iran broke up two mixed-gender parties within 72 hours last week,
detaining 70 people.The head of the fundamentalist Basij in Nishapur precinct,
Ali-Akbar Hosseini, announced that his forces were alerted to a so-called
“obscene party” in the city. During the raid, 14 boys and 14 girls were arrested
and transferred to a local police station. A second party was raided last
Friday, May 20, leading to the arrest of over 40 participants, Hosseini told the
state-run Fars news agency on Saturday, May 21. Mixed-gender partying has been
illegal in Iran since the mullahs came to power in 1979. However, many continue
to flout the risk of imprisonment and corporal punishment to continue their
revelry.
Arab Sunni activist
imprisoned in Iran, family’s questions unanswered
Wednesday, 25 May 2016/NCRI - Majid Albo-Ebadi, a 29-year old from Mahshahr,
Iran, was arrested and transported to an unknown location last week. The
chemical engineering graduate on May 16 had his home raided by the Iranian
regime’s notorious Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) before being
detained. Albo-Ebadi is an Iranian Arab Sunni activist. He is an academic who
focuses primarily on Arab cultural studies. Albo-Ebadi’s family went to the
local headquarters of the Ministry of Intelligence in Ahwaz and Mahshahr to
learn about the nature of their son’s detention and his location. To their
surprise, the MOIS disavowed his arrest.This is a developing story.
Four-Hour Meeting in Jeddah Results
in Preliminary Deal with Iran on Hajj
Asma Al-Ghabiri/Asharq Al Awsat/May 26/16/Jeddah-Saudi Minister of Hajj and
Umrah Dr. Mohammed Bantan held a meeting with Head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage
Organization Saeed Ohadi on Wednesday in Jeddah, informed sources told Asharq
Al-Awsat. The meeting resulted in a preliminary agreement regarding airlines,
transportation, visas and consulate services for the Iranian pilgrims that will
be handled by the Swiss Consulate in Saudi Arabia following the final deal,
which will be agreed on Thursday. During the meeting, Saudi officials confirmed
that it is their country’s duty to protect the pilgrims, pointing out the fact
that “some pilgrims arrive in the country carrying with them weapons and other
equipment, and it is Saudi Arabia’s responsibility to prevent the, from entering
the Kingdom.”The officials stressed that the Kingdom “welcomes pilgrims from all
over the world,” including Iranians who should respect the pilgrimage’s
rituals.The talks followed the refusal of the Iranian delegation last week to
sign a Hajj agreement with the Kingdom that is mandatory for all countries
sending pilgrims this year. The Kingdom accused the Iranian government of
playing politics and said it was responsible for blocking its own pilgrims in
the eyes of Allah and its people. The Saudi Council of Ministers last week
accused Iran of attempting to politicize the Haj by refusing to sign the
agreement with the Saudi Hajj and Umrah Ministry. It stated that there were no
attempts made to block Iranian pilgrims. Wednesday’s meeting lasted for around
four hours, and it focused on activating the consulate’s work and dealing with
the application forms through correspondence, sources from the closed meeting
explained to Asharq Al-Awsat. From the Iranian part, Saeed Ohadi expressed hope
to sign an agreement that satisfies all parties. He also said that all what
matters is the security and safety of the Iranian pilgrims. Ohadi added: “We
came here to communicate and keep in touch.”At the end of the four-hour meeting,
the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Hussein al-Sharif said a
special deal was signed between the ministry and Saeed Ohadi. Al-Sharif was
quoted as saying the final agreement would be signed Thursday. He said the Saudi
side informed the Iranian delegation that Riyadh would not allow, as per the
Kingdom’s rules, some specific rituals the Iranian pilgrims do. The Saudi side,
he added, underlined that all countries were treated equally and all were
complying with the Saudi rules. Al-Sharif described the meeting with the
Iranians as “positive,” and that they would coordinate with the Saudi Foreign
Ministry to allow the Iranian pilgrims to printout the entry visa in their
country and the carrier would verify it. It is worth mentioning that Saudi
Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said during a joint press conference with his
Swiss counterpart Didier Burkhalter in February that Switzerland offered to
represent the interests of Saudi Arabia in Iran and those of Iran in Saudi
Arabia, following the rupture of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Al-Jubeir thanked Switzerland for its services and said that his country
accepted Switzerland’s proposition. “Switzerland offered to handle the consular
interests of Saudi Arabia in Iran, and we in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia
appreciated that and accepted,” al-Jubeir said in a statement.
U.N. Envoy Speaks of Nearing
Solution in Yemen
Arafat Madabish//Asharq Al Awsat/May 26/16/Riyadh- U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that the
Yemeni peace talks are anticipating a solution just right around the corner.
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper was able to procure information from political sources
informed with the matter that international parties, along with some warring
parties participating, are working on concluding an agreement which will put an
end to the ongoing war in Yemen. The work plan will be provided along with a
timeline, including the implementation of U.N. resolution 2216, the return of
the government to effective authority and the turn in of all armaments.Ould
Cheikh Ahmed said that discussions on Tuesday centered on “various military and
security issues including withdrawals and troop movements”. The sources withheld
from mentioning further details and naming the international parties
contributing to the progress of a political settlement in Yemen. However, they
hinted that a solution is nearing at the Kuwait-held peace talks. Ould Cheikh
Ahmed had resorted to the help of a prominent Yemeni political figure in order
to downsize and limit the difficult challenges facing unresolved arguments at
the negotiations, sources added. Developments are occurring in light of ongoing
negotiations, battlefield escalations and fiery speeches laid by insurgent
Houthi leaderships against the peace talks and peace-sponsoring countries in
Yemen. Not to mention that Houthi insurgents had repeatedly threatened to form a
self-imposed government in Sanaa’.“We are moving towards a general understanding
that encompasses the expectations and visions of the parties,” Ould Cheikh Ahmed
said in a statement late Tuesday. “The discussions have become more sensitive
and delicate bringing us closer to a comprehensive agreement,” he said. “We are
now working on abolishing the current obstacles and are discussing practical
details to an executive mechanism that makes sessions more sensitive and brings
us closer to reaching an agreement,” he added. On the other hand, a Western
diplomat familiar with the talks said they had achieved considerable progress.
“We are in a stage where the parties have to make hard choices and compromises,”
the diplomat told AFP, adding that he was “very optimistic” that a deal could be
reached. “We have not seen this momentum towards peace in the past one and a
half years… a roadmap plan has been laid down… and it has to work,” he said.
Moreover, and according to the U.N. envoy, two sessions were held with the
government’s delegation on Tuesday. The meetings focused on withdrawal
mechanisms, connecting the political aspect with the security framework and
setting an action plan for the next stage.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s statements contradict remarks he made a day earlier when he
said a breakthrough would probably “take a long time.”Yemen has been plagued by
chaos since late 2014 when the Houthis – along with forces loyal to former
President Ali Abdullah Saleh – took over capital Sanaa’ and several other parts
of the country.
Kuwait's Main Opposition Group Ends
Polls Boycott
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /May 26/16/Kuwait's largest opposition group
announced on Thursday an end to its four-year boycott of elections ahead of next
year's polls. The Muslim Brotherhood-linked Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM)
was among a broad alliance of Islamist, nationalist and liberal opposition
groups which boycotted two general polls in 2012 and 2013 in protest against a
change in electoral law. The opposition alliance said at the time that the
change, brought unilaterally by authorities but later endorsed by Kuwait's top
court, would allow the government to control parliament. Earlier this month, a
smaller Islamic group, the Principles of the Nation, also ended its boycott. The
alliance will now field candidates for polls in 2017. ICM said that the
opposition's absence from parliament had "contributed to an increase in
corruption, a setback in development... and the passing of several laws that
breached the constitution." The opposition held massive street protests in 2011
and 2012 demanding democratic reforms and an elected government. But over the
past two years, the strength of the opposition alliance, which last controlled
parliament in 2012, weakened considerably as the groups became fragmented. OPEC
member Kuwait was rocked by political disputes between 2006 and 2012, during
which a dozen governments were formed and parliament was dissolved six times.
But the oil-rich emirate, which has amassed over $600 billion in assets, has
seen relative calm since July 2013 parliamentary polls. Although Kuwait has the
Gulf's most vibrant elected parliament, a majority of key government posts are
still held by members of the ruling Al-Sabah family, in power for the past 250
years.
World Leaders Take a Ride in
the Slow Lane at G7 Meeting
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /May 26/16/Busy world leaders got a taste of life
in the slow lane in between G7 meetings Thursday as they took a very leisurely
spin around the block in Japan's latest fuel-cell cars. Matteo Renzi of Italy
and Canadian leader Justin Trudeau were bundled into eco-friendly sedans for an
achingly slow ride around a carpark that ended with the photogenic pair dropped
off for the talks, which are being held southwest of Tokyo. European Commission
President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk also
got a very uneventful crash course on the cars, which are powered by hydrogen
and emit only water from their exhaust pipe. Juncker emerged from his
low-adrenaline ride looking a little underwhelmed and offered what appeared to
be a shrug. Japan is a world leader in the technology which is seen as the Holy
Grail for an industry increasingly shifting focus to green solutions, including
electric vehicles. US president Barack Obama and Germany's Angela Merkel were
among the other Group of Seven leaders noticeably absent from the ride along,
which was overseen by Japan's premier Shinzo Abe. Earlier, Nissan was giving the
world's press a look at vehicles that park themselves -- indispensable for
drivers who break into a cold sweat at the thought of parallel parking. A chatty
humanoid robot called Pepper, Japan's world-famous bullet trains, a machine that
peps up droopy vegetables, and a parka made from super-strong material that
claims to stand up better than carbon fibre were also on display at the venue.
Honda looked to win hearts with its experimental take on hands-free mobility --
the cute-as-a-button Uni Cub B. The stool-sized contraption glides in line with
users' movements, a kind of seated-Segue with an R2-D2 charm. "We wanted to
demonstrate Japanese technology to the world," said Reiko Katsumura, a
department manager in Honda's mobility business, who worked on the project.
Katsumura, however, admitted there was another motive for showing off the little
creation to the world's press -- finding a decent use for it."Some people say
'well, you can just walk instead of riding this thing'," Katsumura said."But
it's the same as having a camera in a mobile phone. People used to ask why have
a camera in a phone. Now it's everywhere."
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on
May 26- 27/16
Challenging the rise of
fascism
Chris Doyle/Al Arabiya/May 26/16/
“The Return of the Fascists” could be the title of a dreary Hollywood move, yet
sadly the “F’ word is becoming all too common currency in an era of vicious
politics. To be called a fascist is a half rung down the ladder from the label
of Nazi, though sadly some see this as a badge of honor. US Republican
presidential candidate Donald Trump has been called a fascist not just by his
likely Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, but by the likes of actor George
Clooney and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. I doubt he cares. A French court has
ruled that it is permissible to label Marine Le Pen, leader of the National
Front in France, a fascist. Avigdor Lieberman has become Israeli defense
minister, now the effective master of millions of Palestinians. Former Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Barak, hardly a dove, has described the coalition between
Lieberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “exhibiting signs of
fascism.”
Smiling from the sidelines, or worse fanning the flames, are the likes of the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), al-Qaeda and Russian President Vladimir
Putin. A President Trump may be delighted to find soulmates in the
ultra-nationalist far right in Europe and elsewhere. The leader of the Italian
Northern League endorsed him with a hearty “Go Donald, Go!” The suspicion is
that if Trump were to try to ban Muslim immigration to the United States, the
same demands would be made in Europe. Even if far-right parties do not form
governments, they have already succeeded in changing politics
Elections
The European far right has truly prospered, with far-right parties often getting
20-30 percent of the vote. Only a few votes the other way in Austria prevented
the first fascist leader being elected in Europe since 1945. Fortunately,
Norbert Hofer and the Freedom Party did not win this time. It comes only a few
months after the far-right anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany
(called Nazis by Germany’s central council for Muslims) made huge gains in
regional elections. It is a realistic prospect that Le Pen in France and Gert
Wilders in the Netherlands could do well in 2017 (though he sees himself as a
liberal!). In Hungary, it says something when the far-right Prime Minister
Victor Orban is having to face off neo-fascist Jobbik, the third-largest party.
No country in Europe is immune. The archbishop of Canterbury has just sounded
the alarm that racism is deeply embedded in British culture. The extreme-right
party UKIP still flourishes. This is not the fascism in the 1930s sense, yet.
Some will argue that neo-fascists have simply swapped their jackboots for suits,
abandoning some of their more lunatic ideas for the sake of populist nationalist
rhetoric. Le Pen claims to have moved away from her father’s overt racism. They
point to the background of austerity politics and economic recession. Fear is
playing out well for the far right, just as it is in the United States and
Israel. But is it that bleak for progressive politics? The successful candidate
in Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen, ran on a pro-refugee platform. We are
about to witness the conclusion of the second term of the first black American
president. The newly elected Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is Muslim. Many have
reacted incredibly warmly to the refugee crisis. Presidential candidate Bernie
Sanders has shown that even a socialist has a chance to go far in US politics.
Identity
The whole identity of Europe is being shaken, not least perhaps because that
identity was never that strong. What is it, after all, to be European? It seems
people are running to the lifeboats of their core ethnic identities at the cries
of floods of immigrants, notably Muslim immigrants and refugees. Sadly, amid
warnings that Christian Europe is under threat, many have chosen to behave in a
very un-Christian fashion toward refugees. It is a crisis of mainstream center
politics that risks being hollowed out. In many countries in Europe, the center
ground is carved up among numerous smaller parties that are squeezed from the
hard right and hard left, such as Syriza in Greece. Even if far-right parties do
not form governments, they have already succeeded in changing politics. More
mainstream right-wing politicians have played to this gallery. Prime Minister
David Cameron referred to refugees arriving in Britain as a “swarm.”
Politicians from the center share much of the blame. At times, many have
indulged in stoking unnecessary fears on immigration, but also not ensuring that
the systems in place are fair and efficient. For too long, especially in
electoral systems that pretty much guaranteed them a spot in government, they
have had it too easy, but now with challenges from the right and left, the
center is being hollowed out. Austria may be the final warning. European
political elites have to react to stave off the impending breakup of the
continent. Its outdated institutions have to be reformed to be more effective
and accountable. A more flexible arrangement between states is needed, which
permits great national decision-making while preserving Europe’s democratic
nature. Above all, rather than cave in to the populist nativism of these
extremist groups, the issue of immigration has to be addressed with sense and
humanity, not by abandoning our values. Europe’s future must not be a return to
the 1930s that these groups represent.
Terrorism is not confined to
the Middle East
Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/May 26/16/
I join Faisal J. Abbas in expressing solidarity and condolences to the families
of those who perished in EgyptAir A320 over the Mediterranean, and to the
government and country as a whole. Egypt is an indicator that the world is less
safe than ever, but instead of focusing exclusively on the country, we should
look at the global trend and join forces to counter it. Recent months have
witnessed a string of terrorist acts. Tunisia was hit by two in one year,
causing it to lose over 90 percent of tourists due to safety concerns. There
were two attacks in Paris in one year, making it clear to the French that they
cannot feel safe even at home. Security services’ effectiveness is questioned
after such attacks, particularly when terrorists were already known and
supervised. The Brussels attacks revealed that terrorist networks have already
infiltrated functional structures in Europe, that airport security is not
absolute, and that no one can guarantee 100-percent safety. The carelessness of
the security services and Belgian police made the Brussels attacks possible.
Meanwhile, terrorists who are killed or jailed are replaced by new recruits. I
believe that if the loss of the Egypt Air flight was indeed a terrorist act,
Charles de Gaulle airport - from which the plane departed – should also bear
responsibility, as there is a possibility that the flight was not checked
properly. After the terrorist attacks in Tunisia and Egypt, both countries faced
travel bans, dangerously undermining their security and stability and playing
into terrorists’ hands. However, safety is not only threatened by terrorists.
The case of the hijacked Egypt Air flight in March shows the dangers posed by
mentally ill people. The perception that Europe is the safest destination is
wrong. Countries that are used to dealing with terrorist threats appear to be
much safer
Misperception
The perception that Europe is the safest destination is wrong, particularly
given its inability to properly deal with enormous migration flows, which are
being infiltrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Countries that
are used to dealing with terrorist threats appear to be much safer. The best
example is Israel, where security services are always on guard and use the most
advanced technologies. In some respects, Egypt appears to be safer than France
and Belgium. After the Russian flight that crashed over the Sinai, Egypt drew
vital conclusions and did much, with help from other counties, to improve
security. However, Russia’s complete ban on flights between the two countries
has dangerously undermined Egyptian stability due to the ban’s effect on the
vital tourism sector, and on the economy generally. Countries should join forces
against all possible threats, particularly terrorism. Bans play into terrorists’
hands by causing instability and spreading fear. Egypt should not pay the price
for the global trend of growing insecurity.
We need a vibrant and
critical media
Khaled Almaeena/Al Arabiya/May 26/16/
They say eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. And that cannot hold more
true in this day and age where states and institutions are confronting natural
manmade challenges. How then can society face these threats if it is unaware of
them? Here the role of the media becomes important as it formally updates people
about what is happening around them. While discussing media issues in a Gulf
country last week, an American friend asked about the situation of the media in
our part of the world and whether there is an awareness that it has to catch up
with other countries. My reply was that there is always room for
improvement.Customs and laws can sometimes conflict and may differ from country
to country, but it is vital that there exist a free, responsible and ethical
media that observes members of society, both those in authority and the public.
This media should give citizens an educated voice to analyze and make their own
decisions in affairs concerning them. If media is restricted, it will curtail
the role of men and women in society and reduce them to mere onlookers rather
than stakeholders and decision makers concerning their lives. The flow of
information is vital to the progress of any society and at times even if
governments do not restrict the press, the press may restrict itself by
confining itself to political party or religious narratives. Customs and laws
can sometimes conflict and may differ from country to country, but it is vital
that there exist a free, responsible and ethical media that observes members of
society, both those in authority and the public
In our part of the world, there has been technological advancement in the media
and an unfettered flow of information. However, professionally trained
journalists are few. This is because no efforts were made by media organizations
to train aspiring men and women in this field. Secondly, turnover was high as
these people went to better-paying jobs. The history of Arab journalism was
overshadowed by arrests and dismissals in some Arab states taken over by
dictators. All of these were not encouraging signs. What was left were groups of
sycophants who would “hail and praise” at every given opportunity or even
contrive stories to curry favor with the powers that be.
Advent of social media
With the advent of social media and the realization that restriction and gagging
would put media czars on the wrong side of history, the loosening up of the
media started. However, that proved to be a bit too much as the newfound freedom
saw everyone becoming a “journalist, media analyst and columnist”.
These pundits added confusion by irresponsible reporting, exaggeration, factual
errors and personal vendettas. This led to restriction, censorship and total
chaos, and as a result many websites failed. So then what is needed? We need
trained and responsible people who should utilize all available resources to
present to the public news, views, analysis, facts and figures in a responsible
manner that serves society. We need a media that acts as a conduit between those
in authority and the public. We also need less control by overeager bureaucrats
and groups that question the patriotism of anyone who exposes the ills of
society.In short, we need a vibrant and critical media. **This article was first
published in the Saudi Gazette on May 22, 2016.
Has the Pope Abandoned Europe
to Islam?
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/May 26/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8045/pope-francis-islam
In 2006, Pope
Benedict XVI said what no Pope had ever dared to say -- that there is a link
between violence and Islam. Ten years later, Pope Francis never calls those
responsible for anti-Christian violence by name and never mentions the word
"Islam."
Pope Francis does not even try to re-evangelize or reconquer Europe. He seems
deeply to believe that the future of Christianity is in the Philippines, in
Brazil and in Africa. Probably for the same reason, the Pope is spending less
time and effort in denouncing the terrible fate of Christians in the Middle
East.
"Multiculturalism" in Europe is the mosque standing on the ruins of the church.
It is not the synthesis requested by Pope Francis. It is the road to becoming
extinct.
Asking Europe to be "multicultural" while it experiences a dramatic
de-Christianization is extremely risky. In Germany, a new report found that
"Germany has become demographically a multi-religious country." In the UK, a
major inquiry recently declared that "Britain is no longer a Christian country."
In France, Islam is also overtaking Christianity as the dominant religion.
To scroll the list of Pope Francis's apostolic trips -- Brazil, South Korea,
Albania, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Cuba, United States, Mexico, Kenya, Uganda,
Philippines -- one could say that Europe is not exactly at the top of his
agenda.
The two previous pontiffs both fought for the cradle of Christendom. Pope John
Paul II took on Communism by toppling the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain.
Benedict XVI took on "the dictatorship of relativism" (the belief that truth is
in the eye of the beholder) and bet everything on re-evangelizing the continent
by traveling through it (he visited Spain three times) and in speeches such as
the magnificent ones at Regensburg, where he spoke bluntly about the threat of
Islam, and the German Bundestag, where he warned the gathered politicians
against declining religiosity and "sacrificing their own ideals for the sake of
power." Pope Francis, on the contrary, simply ignores Europe, as if he already
considers it lost. This former Argentinian Cardinal, a representative of the
"global South" Christianity, made spectacular trips to the migrants' islands of
Lampedusa (Italy) and Lesbos (Greece), but never to the heart of the old
continent. Pope Francis has also made it difficult for Anglicans to enter into
the Catholic Church, by downplaying the dialogue with them.
Most importantly, however, in his important May 6 speech for the Charlemagne
Prize, the Pope, in front of European leaders, castigated Europe on migrants and
asked its leaders to be more generous with them. He next introduced something
revolutionary into the debate: "The identity of Europe is, and always has been,
a multicultural identity," he said. This idea is questionable.
Multiculturalism is a specific policy formulated in the 1970s. and it was absent
from the political vocabulary of Schuman and Adenauer, two of Europe's founding
fathers. Now it has been invoked by the Pope, who spoke of the need for a new
synthesis. What is this all about?
Today, Christianity appears marginal and irrelevant in Europe. The religion
faces an Islamic demographic and ideological challenge, while the post-Auschwitz
remnants of Jewish communities are fleeing from the new anti-Semitism. Under
these conditions, a synthesis between the old continent and Islam would be a
surrender of Europe's claim to the future.
"Multiculturalism" is the mosque standing on the ruins of the church. It is not
the synthesis requested by the Pope. It is the road to becoming extinct.
Asking Europe to be "multicultural" while it is experiencing a dramatic
de-Christianization is also extremely risky. In Germany, a new report just found
that "Germany has become demographically a multi-religious country." In the UK,
a major inquiry recently declared that "Britain is no longer a Christian
country." In France, Islam is also overtaking Christianity as the dominant
religion. You find the same trend everywhere, from Protestant Scandinavia to
Catholic Belgium. That is why Pope Benedict was convinced that Europe needed to
"re-evangelized." Pope Francis does not even try to re-evangelize or reconquer
Europe. Instead, he seems deeply to believe that the future of Christianity is
in the Philippines, Brazil and Africa.
Probably for the same reason, the Pope is spending less time denouncing the
terrible fate of Christians in the Middle East. Sandro Magister, Italy's most
important Vatican observer, sheds light on the Pope's silences:
"He remained silent on the hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko
Haram. He remained silent on the young Sudanese mother Meriam, sentenced to
death solely for being Christian and finally liberated by the intervention of
others. He remains silent on the Pakistani mother Asia Bibi, who has been on
death row for five years, because she too is an 'infidel', and [He] does not
even reply to the two heartrending letters she has written to him this year,
before and after the reconfirmation of the sentence."
In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI, in his Regensburg lecture, said what no Pope had
ever dared to say -- that there is a link between violence and Islam. Ten years
later, Pope Francis never calls those responsible for anti-Christian violence by
name, and never mentions the word "Islam." Pope Francis also recently recognized
the "State of Palestine," before it even exists -- a symbolic and unprecedented
first. The Pope also might abandon the Church's long tradition of a "just war,"
one regarded as morally or theologically justifiable. Pope Francis always speaks
of the "Europe of peoples," but never of the "Europe of Nations." He advocates
welcoming migrants and washes their feet, while he ignores that these
uncontrolled demographic waves are transforming Europe, bit by bit, into an
Islamic state.
In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI (left) said what no Pope had ever dared to say --
that there is a link between violence and Islam. Ten years later, Pope Francis
(right) never calls those responsible for anti-Christian violence by name and
never mentions the word "Islam." (Image source: Benedict: Flickr/Catholic Church
of England | Francis: Wikimedia Commons/korea.net)
That is the meaning of Pope Francis' trips to the islands of Lampedusa, Italy,
and Lesbos, Greece -- both symbols of a dramatic geographical and civilizational
boundary. That is also the meaning of the Pope's speech for the Charlemagne
Prize.
Has the head of Christianity given up on Europe as a Christian place?
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and
author.
© 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.
Syrian Oppositionist Writer,
Ali 'Eid To Assad: You Should Commit Suicide Before Someone Takes Revenge
On You
MEMRI/May 26, 2016 Special Dispatch No.6450
On April 13, 2016, 'Ali 'Eid, a journalist and columnist for the Syrian
oppositionist website Zamanalwsl.net, published an article in the form of a
letter to President Assad calling on him to commit suicide before a member of
the Syrian people takes revenge on him for the death and destruction he has
caused to Syria and its people.
The following are excerpts from the article:[1]
"How many times have you stood before a woman over the past five years? How many
times did you tell yourself that you could face the mother of a child you
killed? And that you [can] be in the same room with her without guards or
rifles? How many times have you been plagued by the suspicion that the victims
do not die without [eventually naming] their killer? Do you share your pillow
each night with the images of the 300,000 dead? With the wails of 300,000
mothers? The grief of the lovers? Or even the silence of those who died in their
sleep without screaming, but merely by [inhaling] poisonous air and emitting a
few moans?
"Bashar Al-Assad, did you sleep well after receiving the pictures of the 600
victims in [the city of] Darayya, [the town of] Jdaidet Al-Fadl, [the village
of] Al-Qubeir, and [the town of] Taldou? Did you predict the gender of each
victim as you listened to the sound of barrel bombs being dropped on Darayya,
which is within your earshot?...
"Bashar Al-Assad, are you pleased with yourself when you and your wife promise
your crippled fighters talking clocks [aids for the handicapped] and crutches
and tell them that [these items] are merely delayed due to the Western embargo
[on Syria],[2] while the Panama Papers reveal that you took tens of billions
from Syrian food [funds] and deposited them in banks and projects stretching
from Venezuela to China?
"Did they tell you that 13 million Syrian [refugees] dream of returning, even to
the ruins of the homes you destroyed and sat atop their rubble, and that every
one of those millions simply dreams of laying eyes on the olive tree in their
yard or the grave of [their] brother, son or mother, [after] you denied them
even [the mercy] of shutting their [loved one's] eyes for the last time?
"Bashar Al-Assad, if you had an olive tree or memories of a small vineyard and a
poor neighborhood like Syrians have, you would have known the anguish that is
overwhelming the sons of Homs, Deir [Al-Zour], Hauran, and Ghouta in the places
they migrated to. Bashar Al-Assad, if you knew how a farmer saved up his income
for five years of suffering in order to marry off his son and invite all the
villagers to eat and celebrate with him, you would have understood people's
yearning for human fellowship...
"Bashar Al-Assad, as you sit at your table tomorrow morning, leave one chair
empty and try to imagine that one of your children had been killed. Then you
will think as I do, like a Bedouin [wanting to avenge his loved ones]. What will
you think then? After that, picture that you, who have killed hundreds of
thousands [of Syrians], take back control of all of Syria. But you cannot kill
the memory of their sons. Do you know what the next day will bring, or at whose
hands, or where, you might die?
"I know you are scared and tired, but you have become like a small mouse that
entered a pumpkin through a little hole, ate the insides, and grew so big that
he could not leave through the same hole.
"Bashar Al-Assad, I suggest that you shoot yourself in the head, because if you
don't, the people around you will eventually sell you out and make you commit
suicide with three bullets instead of one, just as you and your family has
taught them."
Endnotes:
[1] Zamanalwsl.net, April 13, 2016.
[2] The writer is a referring to a meeting that President Assad and his wife
Asmaa held with wounded Syrian soldiers in honor of Mothers' Day. During it,
Asmaa Al-Assad promised the soldiers that she would act to provide them with
aids such as crutches and talking watches for the blind, but noted that the
economic sanctions on Syria would make it difficult to obtain these items. Al-Sharq
Al-Awsat (London), March 23, 2016.