LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
November 7/16
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.november07.16.htm
News Bulletin
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Bible
Quotations For Today
They were yours, and you
gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
Holy Gospel of
Jesus Christ according to Saint John 17/01-08/:"After Jesus had spoken
these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come;
glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him
authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by
finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the
glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. ‘I have made your
name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you
gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything
you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given
to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you;
and they have believed that you sent me."
This is the covenant that I will make
with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds
Letter to the Hebrews 10/11-18/:"Every priest stands day after day at his
service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away
sins. But when
Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, ‘he sat down at
the right hand of God’, and since then has been waiting ‘until his enemies
would be made a footstool for his feet.’For by a
single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the
Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, ‘This
is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I
will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds’, he
also adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where
there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin."
Question:
"What is repentance and is it necessary for salvation?"
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/06/what-is-repentance-and-is-it-necessary-for-salvation/
GotQuestions.org/Answer: Many understand the
term repentance (from the Greek word metanoia) to
mean “turning from sin.” This is not the biblical definition of repentance. In
the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s
mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result in a change of
actions (Luke 3:8-14; Acts 3:19). Acts 26:20 declares, “I preached that they
should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” The
full biblical definition of repentance is a change of mind that results in a
change of action.
What, then, is the connection
between repentance and salvation? The Book of Acts seems to especially focus on
repentance in regards to salvation (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21;
26:20). To repent, in relation to salvation, is to change your mind in regard
to Jesus Christ. In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2), he
concludes with a call for the people to repent (Acts 2:38). Repent from what?
Peter is calling the people who rejected Jesus (Acts 2:36) to change their
minds about Him, to recognize that He is indeed “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).
Peter is calling the people to change their minds from rejection of Christ as
the Messiah to faith in Him as both Messiah and Savior. Repentance and faith
can be understood as “two sides of the same coin.” It is impossible to place
your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior without
first changing your mind about who He is and what He has done. Whether it is
repentance from willful rejection or repentance from
ignorance or disinterest, it is a change of mind. Biblical repentance, in
relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ to faith
in Christ.
It is crucially important that we
understand repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation. No one can repent
and come to God unless God pulls that person to Himself (John 6:44). Acts 5:31
and 11:18 indicate that repentance is something God gives—it is only possible
because of His grace. No one can repent unless God grants repentance. All of
salvation, including repentance and faith, is a result of God drawing us,
opening our eyes, and changing our hearts. God's longsuffering leads us to
repentance (2 Peter 3:9), as does His kindness (Romans 2:4).
While repentance is not a work
that earns salvation, repentance unto salvation does result in works. It is
impossible to truly and fully change your mind without that causing a change in
action. In the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior.
That is why John the Baptist called people to “produce fruit in keeping with
repentance” (Matthew 3:8). A person who has truly repented from rejection of
Christ to faith in Christ will give evidence of a changed life (2 Corinthians
5:17; Galatians 5:19-23; James 2:14-26). Repentance, properly defined, is
necessary for salvation. Biblical repentance is changing your mind about Jesus
Christ and turning to God in faith for salvation (Acts 3:19). Turning from sin
is not the definition of repentance, but it is one of the results of genuine,
faith-based repentance towards the Lord Jesus Christ.
Titles For
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on November 06-07/16
Lebanon's president vows to build strong nation in first address from
presidential palace/Hanan Khaled/The
Daily Star/November 06, 2016
Balfour Declaration, November 2016/Richard Kemp/Gatestone
Institute/November 06/16
On the fears of a Donald Trump presidency/Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya/October 06/16/
From Russia with malice/Hisham Melhem/Al
Arabiya/October 06/16/
In Egypt, there’s no such thing as a free lunch/Mohammed Nosseir/Al
Arabiya/October 06/16/
Has a genocide just started in Myanmar/Dr. Azeem
Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/October 06/16/
Titles For Latest Lebanese
Related News published on on November 06-07/16
Aoun Vows to 'Eradicate Corruption', Says Won't Allow
Politicians to Violate Constitution
Aoun Supporters Flock to Baabda
on 'People's Palace' Day
Hajj Hassan Says 'Army, People, Resistance' are Lebanon's Elements of Strength
Reports: Health Portfolio to Go to Franjieh, FPM and
LF to Get Foreign Affairs, Defense
Jumblat Urges Avoiding 'Crippling Demands' in Govt.
Formation
Qaouq: Saudi Campaign Failed as Hizbullah
Emerged Stronger after Presidential Vote
Qassem Attributes 'Stability in Lebanon' to 'Hizbullah Fighters', Urges Proportional Representation
Hariri, Geagea discuss latest developments,
government formation efforts
Salam after meeting Ahmad Hariri: Hariri's position boosts nation's path
Bassil: We have a big responsibility
Argentinean Ambassador commends twinning agreements between Argentinian
and Lebanese towns
Jumblatt honors Japanese
Ambassador to Lebanon
Aarb at Tech conference in Marseille: Lebanon can be
leader in technology
Hajj Hassan calls for Cabinet that preserves Lebanon's people, army and
resistance
At Least 3 Killed in Family Clash in Akkar Town
Lebanon's president vows to build strong nation in first address from
presidential palace
Latest Lebanese Related News published on November 06-07/16
Aoun Vows to 'Eradicate Corruption', Says Won't Allow
Politicians to Violate Constitution
Naharnet/November
06/16/President Michel Aoun pledged Sunday that
“corruption will be eradicated” during his presidential tenure, stressing that
he will not allow any politician to violate the constitution as part of his
vision for a “strong State.
”“Reaching the presidency is not our goal and the goal is to
build a country that is strong through its national unity,” Aoun
said before popular delegations that flocked to the Baabda
Palace from all regions to congratulate him on his election, in scenes
reminiscing the 1988-90 era when Aoun was in the palace
as the head of a military government. “A strong State is one built upon a
constitution respected by all politicians and no one will be able to violate
the constitution from now on,” Aoun promised. “Today, we can stand proudly and defiantly before all people and
countries because we have created our national unity and we will now begin the
second journey, which is building the country,” the president said. He vowed
that Lebanon
“will not be subordinate to any other country.” “Non-politicized security forces
must preserve the security of the Lebanese and they should be entrusted with
implementing the laws, and these are not empty slogans,” Aoun
went on to say. Outlining his vision for the future of Lebanon, Aoun added: “We will exploit our natural resources and
there are high hopes and a will among all Lebanese. That's why we have reached
the presidency carrying developmental projects.” “Corruption will be eradicated
and the environment will become clean once again,” the president promised.
Remembering his 1990 ouster from the Baabda Palace
at the hands of Syrian forces, Aoun said “the exit
from Baabda was not humiliating.” “We lost the battle
but we were not crushed,” he stressed. “Dear brothers and beloved ones, you are
used to seeing me wearing another uniform, but our words and thoughts have not
changed,” Aoun said.
“O great people of Lebanon, you
were great and you have become greater,” Aoun added,
echoing his signature slogan. “We met before at this square during tough
circumstances, but we were proud and vigorous. Today we remember our fallen
martyrs and our dear soldiers who went missing and we cannot but remember them
during any national occasion,” the president went on to say.
He noted that “a major
international ploy” was behind his 1990 ouster from the Baabda Palace. “It allowed non-Lebanese
soldiers to invade our country... We did not fight the Lebanese and our
objective was not to reach power. Our objective was to give war its real
meaning for the sake of Lebanon's
freedom, sovereignty and independence,” Aoun pointed
out. Aoun was elected president on Monday after he
received key support for his presidential bid from al-Mustaqbal
Movement leader Saad Hariri, which ended two and a
half years of presidential vacuum.
Analysts have warned that Aoun's election will not be a "magic wand" for Lebanon, which has seen longstanding political
divisions exacerbated by the war in neighboring Syria and has
struggled to deal with an influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.
In addition to pledges of economic
growth and security, Aoun said in his oath of office
that Lebanon
must work to ensure Syrian refugees "can return quickly" to their
country. Aoun also pledged to endorse an
"independent foreign policy" and to protect Lebanon from
"the fires burning across the region."Aoun,
81, had long eyed the presidency and has long been a controversial figure in Lebanon,
revered as a charismatic leader by his followers but loathed by his opponents.
A Maronite Christian, Aoun
was born in the working-class Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik and, like many Lebanese from modest backgrounds,
pursued a military career.He rose through the ranks
during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war to become the army's youngest-ever
commander in chief in 1984. Four years later, he was appointed head of one of
two rival governments in war-torn Lebanon. He launched the
unsuccessful "war of liberation" against the Syrian army, which had
entered Lebanon
in 1976, and tried in vain to disarm the Christian Lebanese Forces militia led
by his rival Samir Geagea. The clashes between Aoun and Geagea's forces proved
disastrous for Lebanon's
Christians, who found themselves divided between the two leaders. Aoun refused to
sign the 1989 Taef agreement which brought the civil
war to an end, arguing it cemented Syria's
military presence and reduced the power of the presidency, the key governmental
post reserved for Lebanon's
Christians. The
agreement proceeded without his endorsement, and he was dismissed from his post
as army chief with the ascension to the presidency of pro-Syrian Elias Hrawi.
Exile
On October 13, 1990, Aoun was forced by advancing Syrian army troops to seek
refuge in the French embassy, heading to Paris
the following year. He would spend 15 years in exile there, founding the
staunchly anti-Syrian Free Patriotic Movement in 1996. In April 2005, Syria's army withdrew from Lebanon after
massive protests sparked by the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. Aoun returned to Beirut, scoring a
surprise win in that summer's parliamentary elections -- 21 out of 128 seats --
after running a campaign decrying sectarianism and corruption. But he made a dramatic about-face in 2006,
aligning his FPM with Hizbullah, the powerful Shiite
group that backs Syria's
President Bashar Assad. Aoun's
shift to the Hizbullah-led camp earned him the
contempt of Rafik Hariri's son, Saad.
Ironically, it was Hariri's endorsement 10 years later that finally secured Aoun the presidency. Aoun had the
backing of his ally Hizbullah since 2015, and scored
the endorsement of rival candidate Geagea in early
2016. Hariri initially backed Marada Movement chief
MP Suleiman Franjieh -- a childhood friend of Assad
-- but switched his endorsement to Aoun on October
20.
Aoun Supporters Flock to Baabda
on 'People's Palace' Day
Naharnet/November
06/16/Supporters of President Michel Aoun were on
Sunday flocking to the presidential palace in Baabda
from all Lebanese regions to extend congratulations to the newly-elected
president in scenes reminiscing the 1988-1990 era when
Aoun was in the palace as the head of a military
government. The
crowds were exclusively carrying Lebanese flags at Aoun's
request. State-run National News Agency said security forces confiscated a
number of partisan flags near the palace at the request of the organizing
committee and in line with Aoun's wish.
Aoun was
expected to address the crowds from the palace's balcony and five long-time
comrades were supposed to be standing next to him. NNA identified the five
figures as Maj. Gen. Edgar Maalouf, an incumbent MP
and a member of Aoun's then military government, Maj.
Gen. Nadim Lteif who was
General Security chief under Aoun, Brig. Gen. Michel Abou Rizk who was Aoun's head of Presidential Guard, Capt. Habib Fares who was a bodyguard of Aoun,
and Dr. Pierre Raffoul, an incumbent Free Patriotic
Movement official who was in charge of organizing popular demonstrations during
Aoun's tenure as prime minister. Aoun
was elected president on Monday after he received key support for his
presidential bid from al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri, which ended two and a half years of
presidential vacuum. Analysts have warned that Aoun's
election will not be a "magic wand" for Lebanon,
which has seen longstanding political divisions exacerbated by the war in neighboring Syria
and has struggled to deal with an influx of more than a million Syrian
refugees. In addition to pledges of economic growth and security, Aoun said in his oath of office that Lebanon must
work to ensure Syrian refugees "can return quickly" to their country.
Aoun also pledged to endorse an "independent
foreign policy" and to protect Lebanon from "the fires
burning across the region.
Hajj
Hassan Says 'Army, People, Resistance' are Lebanon's Elements of Strength
Naharnet/November
06/16/Caretaker Industry Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan of Hizbullah
hinted Sunday that his party might insist on the inclusion of the controversial
“army-people-resistance equation” in the policy statement of the new
government.
“The next government has key tasks
and missions represented in continuing to preserve Lebanon's strength that lies
in its people, army and resistance in the face of the Zionist enemy and the takfiri scheme,” Hajj Hassan said. Lebanese Forces bloc MP
Antoine Zahra announced Wednesday that the LF would “voice reservations” should
the policy statement of the new government include the controversial
“army-people-resistance” equation, describing it as outdated. Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance bloc snapped back,
calling for preserving “the elements of strength represented in the army, the
people and the resistance” in order to “continue the liberation of the rest of
the occupied Lebanese land, protect the country and preserve its national sovereignty.”The so-called “army-people-resistance
equation” had stirred controversy during the drafting of the policy statement
of Tammam Salam's government and it might spark new
controversy after the formation of the new government. Al-Mustaqbal
Movement leader Saad Hariri was on Thursday named
Prime Minister-designate after Michel Aoun was
elected Lebanon's president on Monday in the wake of a key endorsement from Hariri.In a sign that Hariri's task ahead might not be
easy, Hizbullah's MPs declined to endorse him for the
prime minister post, even though his nomination was all-but-assured. Hariri is
likely to struggle with his government's policy statement, which will have to
make reference to Israel, as
well as the war in Syria,
both potential flashpoints with Hizbullah. The
process of forming a government could take months, with horsetrading
likely to revolve around the distribution of key posts like the interior, defense and energy ministries.
Reports:
Health Portfolio to Go to Franjieh, FPM and LF to Get
Foreign Affairs, Defense
Naharnet/November
06/16/Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh will
likely get the health ministry portfolio in Saad
Hariri's government while the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces
will take the defense and foreign affairs portfolios,
media reports said on Sunday. “Hariri is keen on the participation of
ex-minister Suleiman Franjieh in the government and
he is inclined to allocate the health ministry portfolio to him or to someone
who represents him,” informed political sources told the Saudi daily Okaz. Unnamed sources meanwhile told the Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that “the
inclination is to form a cabinet comprised of 30 or 32 ministers.”“The
foreign affairs and defense portfolios will likely go
to Christians – the first to the LF party and the second to the FPM – while the
interior and finance portfolios will go to Muslims – the first to al-Mustaqbal Movement's Nouhad al-Mashnouq and the second to Speaker Nabih
Berri,” the sources said. The sources noted that the cabinet share
of President Michel Aoun will be separate from that
of his Free Patriotic Movement. “The premier will also have a share that would
be separate from that of al-Mustaqbal Movement,” the
sources added. “The FPM is expected to get four portfolios
in a 30-minister cabinet while the president is also expected to have four
portfolios,” the sources went on to say, noting that Aoun's
ministers are likely to be “technocrats or independent figures who would play
an effective role during Aoun's tenure.”Hariri's
key support had contributed to the election of Aoun
as Lebanon's
13th president on Monday, which ended around two and a half years of
presidential and political vacuum. Hariri's nomination and Aoun's
election have raised hopes that Lebanon
can begin tackling challenges including a stagnant economy, a moribund political
class and the influx of more than a million Syrian refugees. In a sign that Hariri's task ahead might
not be easy, Hizbullah's MPs declined to endorse him
for the prime minister post, even though his nomination was all-but-assured.
Hariri is likely to struggle with his government's policy statement, which will
have to make reference to Israel,
as well as the war in Syria,
both potential flashpoints with Hizbullah. The
process of forming a government could take months, with horsetrading
likely to revolve around the distribution of key posts like the interior, defense and energy ministries.
Jumblat Urges Avoiding 'Crippling Demands' in Govt. Formation
Naharnet/November
06/16/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat called Sunday on all political forces to avoid
“crippling demands” regarding the line-up of the new government.“What's
important is to facilitate the formation of the Cabinet and shun crippling
demands,” Jumblat tweeted, during or shortly after a
key speech in Baabda by newly-elected President
Michel Aoun. Aoun's
election and the appointment of Saad Hariri as Prime
Minister-designate have raised hopes that Lebanon can begin tackling
challenges including a stagnant economy, a moribund political class and the
influx of more than a million Syrian refugees. In a sign that Hariri's task
ahead might not be easy, Hizbullah's MPs declined to
endorse him for the prime minister post, even though his nomination was
all-but-assured. Hariri is likely to struggle with his government's policy
statement, which will have to make reference to Israel,
as well as the war in Syria,
both potential flashpoints with Hizbullah. The
process of forming a government could take months, with horsetrading
likely to revolve around the distribution of key posts like the interior, defense and energy ministries.
Qaouq: Saudi Campaign Failed as Hizbullah
Emerged Stronger after Presidential Vote
Naharnet/November
06/16/Senior Hizbullah official Sheikh Nabil Qaouq announced Sunday that
Hizbullah became “politically stronger” after the
election of its ally Michel Aoun as president. “If
the objective of the incitement campaign that Saudi Arabia waged against Hizbullah was to weaken it politically, then it has failed,
because the party proved that it became politically stronger after the Lebanese
presidential elections,” Qaouq, the deputy head of Hizbullah's Executive Council, said. “If
the objective was to deter people from supporting the resistance, it has also
failed, because Hizbullah is growing stronger at the
popular and political levels, and if the objective was to besiege the
resistance and weaken it militarily, the battlefields have proved that their
bets have failed, because the resistance has become stronger and more
invincible than ever,” Qaouq added.
Aoun was
elected Lebanon's
13th president on Monday after around two and a half years of presidential
vacuum. Key support from al-Mustaqbal Movement leader
Saad Hariri, Hizbullah and
the Lebanese Forces contributed to his election. Analysts have warned that Aoun's election will not be a "magic wand" for Lebanon, which has seen longstanding political
divisions exacerbated by the war in neighboring Syria and has
struggled to deal with an influx of more than a million Syrian refugees. In addition to
pledges of economic growth and security, Aoun said in
his oath of office that Lebanon
must work to ensure Syrian refugees "can return quickly" to their
country. Aoun also pledged to endorse an
"independent foreign policy" and to protect Lebanon from
"the fires burning across the region."
Qassem Attributes 'Stability in Lebanon' to 'Hizbullah
Fighters', Urges Proportional Representation
Naharnet/November
06/16/Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Sunday attributed the current “stability in Lebanon”
to “Hizbullah's jihadi fighters,
the stance of the army and the security forces, and everyone who endorsed this honorable stance to protect our country and future.”“Had it not been for the resistance's achievements,
those in Lebanon
betting on foreign developments would not have despaired and we would not have
been able to carry out the presidential elections,” Qassem
added. He was
referring to Hizbullah's military intervention in neighboring Syria,
where hundreds of Hizbullah fighters are supporting
the regime's forces against an Islamist-led uprising. Around 1,000 Hizbullah members have been killed in Syria since the
start of the conflict. The party argues that its intervention was necessary to
protect Lebanon from
extremist groups and to prevent the fall of Syria into the hands of hostile
forces. Separately,
Qassem called on Lebanese officials to “show courage
and sacrifice” by approving “a fair electoral law based on proportional representation.”President Michel Aoun
was elected Lebanon's
13th president on Monday, ending around two and a half years of presidential
vacuum. A key endorsement from al-Mustaqbal Movement
leader Saad Hariri and crucial support from Hizbullah and the Lebanese Forces contributed to Aoun's election. Hizbullah has
repeatedly called for an electoral law based on proportional representation but
other political parties, especially Mustaqbal, have
rejected the proposal and argued that the party's controversial arsenal of arms
would prevent serious competition in regions where the Iran-backed party is
influential. Mustaqbal, the LF and the Progressive
Socialist Party have meanwhile proposed a hybrid electoral law that mixes the
proportional representation and the winner-takes-all systems. Speaker Nabih Berri has also proposed a
hybrid law. The country has not voted for a parliament since 2009, with the
legislature instead twice extending its own mandate. The 2009 polls were held
under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law.
Hariri,
Geagea discuss latest developments, government
formation efforts
Sun 06 Nov 2016/NNA - Prime
Minister-designate, Saad Hariri, met on Sunday with
Lebanese Forces Head, Samir Geagea,
who visited him at the House of Center, with talks centering on latest
political developments and underway efforts for forming the new cabinet.
Salam
after meeting Ahmad Hariri: Hariri's position boosts nation's path
Sun 06 Nov 2016/NNA - Outgoing
Prime Minister, Tammam Salam, met on Sunday at his
residence with Future Movement Secretary General, Ahmad Hariri, and
accompanying delegation where they thanked him for assuming his
responsibilities in the most difficult conditions. In his turn, Salam praised
Prime Minister-Designate Saad Hariri's recent
positions in boosting the nation's path. He also hoped for a quick formation of
the cabinet especially that parliamentary elections are going to be held soon.
Bassil: We have a big responsibility
Sun 06 Nov 2016/NNA - Free
Patriotic Movement head, Minister Gebran Bassil, told on Sunday Al Jadeed
TV that "we and all the Lebanese have to assume an important responsibility."
He said that President Michel Aoun cannot achieve
alone all the goals, "he needs our cooperation." Bassil
said that he wanted to talk as an FPM partisan, neither as a minister nor as
head of the movement.
Argentinean
Ambassador commends twinning agreements between Argentinian
and Lebanese towns
Sun 06 Nov 2016/NNA - Ambassador
of Argentina, Ricardo Larriera, welcomed on Sunday
the signing of twinning agreements between Lebanese and Argentinean towns. Larriera's words came during his tour among the towns of
West Shahar region in the Casa of Aley,
upon an invitation by the Lebanese
Center for Serving
Arab-Latin American relations. The
Argentinean Ambassador seized the chance to highlight the historical,
humanitarian ties that link both the Lebanese and Argentinean people together. Larriera also praised the social solidarity evident between
citizens of various towns and villages which he visited during his tour today.
Jumblatt honors Japanese Ambassador
to Lebanon
Sun 06 Nov 2016/NNA - The Gathering
Democratic Party Leader, MP Walid Jumblatt,
honored on Sunday, Japanese Ambassador to Lebanon,
Seiichi Otsuka, for the end of his diplomatic mission
soon in Lebanon, in presence of a number of diplomatic and political figures.
The pair tackled recent political developments at the domestic and regional
levels.
Harb at Tech conference in Marseille: Lebanon can be
leader in technology
Sun 06 Nov 2016/NNA - Caretaker
Telecommunication Minister, Boutros Harb,
participated with a ministerial delegation in a conference organized by The
World Bank in the framework of the 10th Mediterranean Economic Week: 'Digital
technology for a connected Mediterranean', in France's Marseille. The conference,
titled Digital Technologies at the Service of Economic Development in the Mediterranean, focuses on what government donors,
academia, and private
sectors
do to enable growth of Digital jobs. Harb said during
the conference that the digital sector has become a vital one for Lebanon. He
voiced his conviction that the smart and digital world could push forward
economic growth in the country. "In 2020 our goal to spread the fibre
optics network nationwide would be achieved," said Harb,
while promising a decrease in tariffs. The Minister asserted that changing Lebanon into a
"Smart" country would create a chance for it to become a global
centre for technology.
Hajj
Hassan calls for Cabinet that preserves Lebanon's people, army and
resistance
Sun 06 Nov 2016/NNA - Caretaker
Minister of Industry, Hussein Hajj Hassan, said during a Hezbollah event in Hermel on Sunday that he is looking forward to a Cabinet
that would preserve Lebanon's
strength through the people, army and Resistance.
This triad would fend off any
"Zionist and takfirist project." The
Minister also urged for a new modern and just electoral law.
At Least 3 Killed in Family Clash in Akkar
Town
Naharnet/November
06/16/ At least three people were killed and two others were wounded as a
dispute between members of the Danhash family erupted
into a clash in the Akkar town of Qaabrin. Some
houses also went up in flames during the clash, according to state-run National
News Agency. NAN identified the dead as Khodr, Moussa and Ali Danhash, saying two other people were wounded and Mariam Danhash was critically
injured. Voice of Lebanon
radio (93.3) meanwhile said the woman eventually died of her wounds, raising
the death toll to four. "Security agencies are trying to contain the clash
and restore calm in the town where tensions are still running high,” NNA said.
Media reports said the army was carrying out raids in the town in search of the
culprits.
Lebanon's president vows to build strong nation in first
address from presidential palace
Hanan Khaled/The Daily Star/November 06, 2016
BEIRUT:
President Michel Aoun said on Sunday that it had
never been his intention to be Lebanon’s
president. His intention was to build a strong nation of united citizens.
Aoun
made his remarks from the steps of Baabda Palace,
his first address to the country from the president’s official residence.
"A strong nation needs a
strong state to run it and a strong state is built according to a Constitution
that is respected equally by all politicians," Aoun
said to a crowd of thousands.
Lebanon “would no longer be linked
to any other foreign country,” he continued. “We will manage our own affairs
and deal with others in a friendly manner. Our independence and sovereignty
don’t mean to target anyone.”
Aoun’s
supporters began their rally early Sunday morning. Men, women and children of
all ages took to the streets en route to the Palace. A large banner reading
"People's Palace" had been erected on the palace grounds.
The ecstatic crowd interrupted Aoun several times while he spoke.
Aoun
vowed to root out state corruption “whatever the cost.”
He would seek to improve the
livelihoods of the people, and ensure that law enforcement and security
agencies are just and impartial.
"Our hopes are high and
there's will," he said.
"God, Lebanon
and Aoun only," the crowd roared.
Aoun’s
supporters said they were delighted over his election, and vowed to stand by
him until the end.
“We achieved our dream, and God
willing, the country will witness better days,” one supporter said.
"We have met in this arena
before, during difficult times ... we lost martyrs and others went missing ...
but we will continue on the path and build the future," said Aoun, flanked by six of his most loyal men.
A "major international game
triumphed in the past and allowed non-Lebanese troops to storm our country (26
years ago) ... we lost the game but they didn't crush us.
"We continued a [peaceful]
struggle in exile for 15 years,” Aoun continued. “No
one managed to suppress us, because freedom and dignity are derived from our
basic values."
The atmosphere Sunday couldn’t
have been more different from when a Syrian military assault forced Aoun to flee Baabda Palace 26
years ago over his objection to the Taif Accord,
which ended the 1975-90 Civil War. Aoun went into
self-imposed exile in France
in 1991 and returned to Lebanon
in 2005.
The rally “was not a familiar
scene,” Presidential spokesman Rafic Shalala told Al-Jadeed.
"This is the first time in
the tenure of a [Lebanese] president that the [palace] gates are open for
people to express their support without having any fears," Shalala said.
He pointed out that security
measures were not strict, but correct, as President Aoun
had demanded that security forces facilitate the arrival of people.
An individual held a large banner
with the portraits of Aoun, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Hezbollah chief Sayyed
Hasan Nasrallah, a rare
image of solidarity between the country's main leaders who managed to end the
political deadlock that prevented the election of a president.
Security forces were seen
confiscating Free Patriotic Movement flags, under orders from Aoun that people should only carry Lebanon’s
national flag.
"The road ahead of us is long
... we are on the steps towards building a real state ... (which) we will not
be able to achieve without the people," Foreign Minister and Aoun's son-in-law Gebran Bassil told reporters.
The FPM had called on its
supporters in a statement to take part in the rallies en masse.
Aoun,
the FPM founder, succeeded former President Michel Sleiman
after a vacuum of more than two years.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous
Reports And News published on November 06-07/16
25 Killed in Iraq Suicide Bombings Claimed by IS
Agence
France Presse/Naharnet/November 06/16/Suicide
bombings claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 25 people and
wounded more than 50 in two cities north of Baghdad on Sunday, officials said.
One bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at the southern entrance to Tikrit, while another other blew up an ambulance at a car
park in Samarra, possibly in concert with a third bomber. The Tikrit
attack killed at least 15 people and wounded at least 33, while at least 10
died and at least 25 were wounded in Samarra,
security and medical officials said. Iranian pilgrims were among the victims in Samarra, which is home to
a major Shiite shrine that was bombed in 2006, setting off a wave of brutal
sectarian violence. IS
issued a statement claiming Sunday's attacks, but said there were three suicide
bombers: two who struck Samarra and the third
who attacked Tikrit.A police lieutenant colonel also
said there was a second bomber who attacked the car park in Samarra, but other sources only mentioned one
in the city. The IS statement identified two of the bombers as "Al-Moslawi" -- a nom de guerre that would indicate they
were from Mosul, though it could be a propaganda attempt to link militants from
other areas with the ongoing battle for Iraq's second city. Iraqi forces are
fighting to retake Mosul,
the jihadist group's last major urban stronghold in the country, in a massive
operation that was launched on October 17. IS has carried out a series of
diversionary attacks since the start of the Mosul offensive in a bid to draw both
attention and forces away from the battle. But aside from the names of the two
bombers, the IS statement made no reference to Mosul. The Sunni extremist group overran
large areas north and west of Baghdad
in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by U.S.-led air support have since regained
significant ground.
U.S.-Backed
Forces Launch Bid to Capture IS Syria
Bastion Raqa
Agence
France Presse/Naharnet/November 06/16/U.S.-backed
Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive Sunday on the Islamic State group's
de facto Syrian capital Raqa, upping pressure on the
jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul.
The start of the assault by the
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day
running, with the jihadists putting up fierce resistance. The two cities are
the last major urban centers under IS control after the jihadists suffered a
string of territorial losses in Iraq
and Syria
over the past year. The
U.S.-led coalition battling IS is backing both
assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled
"caliphate" the group declared in mid-2014. Lined up in crisp
fatigues at an outdoor press conference, SDF commanders announced the start of
the operation against Raqa in Ain Issa,
some 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the city. "The major battle to liberate Raqa
and its surroundings has begun," SDF spokeswoman Jihan
Sheikh Ahmed said. The operation, dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates",
involves some 30,000 fighters and began on Saturday night, Ahmed said. SDF spokesman Talal Sello told AFP it would
proceed in two phases, first seizing areas around Raqa
and isolating the city, then taking control of the city itself. SDF forces are advancing on three fronts,
from Ain Issa and Tal Abyad
to the north of Raqa, and from the village of Makman to the east.
'Fight will not be easy'
"The fight will not be easy,
and will require accurate and careful operations because IS will defend its
bastion knowing that the loss of Raqa will mean it is
finished in Syria,"
Sello said. An AFP correspondent in Ain Issa saw dozens of SDF fighters heading on vehicles towards
the front line. Driving the jihadists from Mosul and Raqa has
been the endgame since the U.S.-led coalition launched air strikes against IS
in the summer of 2014. The coalition has also provided training and deployed
hundreds of advisers to work with Iraqi forces and select Syrian fighters, including
the SDF. Sello said the alliance had received new
weapons from the coalition for the Raqa battle,
including anti-tank missiles. Another SDF source said 50 U.S. military advisers would be
involved in the operation, particularly to guide air strikes. After it was
seized by IS, Raqa became the scene of some of the
jihadists' worst atrocities, from stonings and
beheadings to the trading of sex slaves. Thousands of foreign fighters flocked
there to join IS, and U.S. officials have described it as
the nerve center for the group's attacks abroad. In Washington,
a U.S.
official confirmed the start of the operation to capture the stronghold.
"We will first undertake an effort to isolate Raqa
to set the stage for an eventual assault on the city itself to liberate
it," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Tensions with Turkey
Last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the idea of
simultaneous operations against Mosul
and Raqa "has been part of our planning for
quite a while."But the battle for Raqa is far more complicated. After five years of civil
war, Syria
is divided into a patchwork of fiefdoms, with President Bashar
Assad's regime, IS and a range of opposition forces all holding territory.
Dominated by the powerful Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the SDF has
in recent months flushed IS out of swathes of territory in northern Syria, including the flashpoint town of Manbij
in August. Washington has promoted the SDF as
a key ally in the fight against IS, but the partnership is complicated by Turkey's
fierce opposition to the YPG. Ankara considers
the militia a "terrorist" group, and in August began its own
operation inside northern Syria,
targeting both IS and the YPG. Sello said on Sunday
that the SDF had "agreed definitively" with the United States "that there will be no role
for Turkey
or the armed factions allied with it in the operation" to capture Raqa. General Joseph Dunford, the
chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, on Sunday made a previously
unannounced visit to Ankara
for talks with his Turkish counterpart, but no further details were immediately
available.
'Heavy resistance' in Mosul
In Mosul, Iraqi forces were clearing eastern neighborhoods of the city on Sunday, nearly three weeks
into the offensive to retake the city. "Resistance is very heavy and they
(IS) have suffered major losses," Staff Lieutenant General Abdelghani al-Assadi of the elite
Counter-Terrorism Service told AFP. Soldiers from the army's 9th Armoured
Division also battled jihadists in a southeastern neighborhood of Intisar, an AFP correspondent reported. IS
has responded to the Mosul assault with a string
of diversionary attacks elsewhere in Iraq,
including spectacular operations in Kirkuk
and Rutba. It claimed responsibility for suicide bombings
on Sunday in Tikrit and Samarra,
two cities north of Baghdad,
that officials said killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 50. Aid
groups have raised deep concerns for civilians trapped in both Mosul and Raqa, with warnings the jihadists are likely to use them as
human shields. More
than a million people are believed to be in the Iraqi city. Raqa
had a population of some 240,000 before the start of Syria's civil war and more than
80,000 people have since fled there from other parts of the country.
U.S.-Backed
Forces Launch Bid to Capture IS Syria
Bastion Raqa
Agence
France Presse/Naharnet/November 06/16/U.S.-backed
Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive Sunday on the Islamic State group's
de facto Syrian capital Raqa, upping pressure on the
jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul. The start of the assault by the Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF) came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul
for the third day running, with the jihadists putting up fierce resistance. The
two cities are the last major urban centers under IS control after the
jihadists suffered a string of territorial losses in Iraq
and Syria
over the past year. The
U.S.-led coalition battling IS is backing both
assaults, hoping to deal a knockout blow to the self-styled "caliphate"
the group declared in mid-2014. Lined up in crisp fatigues at an outdoor press
conference, SDF commanders announced the start of the operation against Raqa in Ain Issa, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the city.
"The major battle to liberate
Raqa and its surroundings has begun," SDF
spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed said. The operation,
dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates",
involves some 30,000 fighters and began on Saturday night, Ahmed said.
SDF spokesman Talal
Sello told AFP it would proceed in two phases, first
seizing areas around Raqa and isolating the city,
then taking control of the city itself. SDF forces are advancing on three fronts, from Ain Issa and Tal Abyad to the north
of Raqa, and from the village of Makman to the east.
'Fight will not be easy'
"The fight will not be easy,
and will require accurate and careful operations because IS will defend its
bastion knowing that the loss of Raqa will mean it is
finished in Syria,"
Sello said. An AFP correspondent in Ain Issa saw dozens of SDF fighters heading on vehicles towards
the front line. Driving the jihadists from Mosul and Raqa has
been the endgame since the U.S.-led coalition launched air strikes against IS
in the summer of 2014. The coalition has also provided training and deployed hundreds
of advisers to work with Iraqi forces and select Syrian fighters, including the
SDF. Sello said the alliance had received new weapons
from the coalition for the Raqa battle, including
anti-tank missiles. Another SDF source said 50 U.S. military advisers would be
involved in the operation, particularly to guide air strikes. After it was
seized by IS, Raqa became the scene of some of the
jihadists' worst atrocities, from stonings and
beheadings to the trading of sex slaves. Thousands of foreign fighters flocked
there to join IS, and U.S. officials have described it as
the nerve center for the group's attacks abroad. In Washington,
a U.S.
official confirmed the start of the operation to capture the stronghold.
"We will first undertake an effort to isolate Raqa
to set the stage for an eventual assault on the city itself to liberate
it," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Tensions with Turkey
Last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the idea of
simultaneous operations against Mosul
and Raqa "has been part of our planning for
quite a while." But
the battle for Raqa is far more complicated. After
five years of civil war, Syria
is divided into a patchwork of fiefdoms, with President Bashar
Assad's regime, IS and a range of opposition forces all holding territory.
Dominated by the powerful Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the SDF has
in recent months flushed IS out of swathes of territory in northern Syria, including the flashpoint town of Manbij
in August. Washington has promoted the SDF as
a key ally in the fight against IS, but the partnership is complicated by Turkey's fierce
opposition to the YPG. Ankara considers the
militia a "terrorist" group, and in August began its own operation
inside northern Syria,
targeting both IS and the YPG. Sello said on Sunday
that the SDF had "agreed definitively" with the United States "that there will be no role
for Turkey
or the armed factions allied with it in the operation" to capture Raqa. General Joseph Dunford, the
chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, on Sunday made a previously
unannounced visit to Ankara
for talks with his Turkish counterpart, but no further details were immediately
available.
'Heavy resistance' in Mosul
In Mosul, Iraqi forces were clearing eastern neighborhoods of the city on Sunday, nearly three weeks
into the offensive to retake the city. "Resistance is very heavy and they
(IS) have suffered major losses," Staff Lieutenant General Abdelghani al-Assadi of the elite
Counter-Terrorism Service told AFP. Soldiers from the army's 9th Armoured
Division also battled jihadists in a southeastern neighborhood of Intisar, an AFP correspondent reported. IS
has responded to the Mosul assault with a string
of diversionary attacks elsewhere in Iraq,
including spectacular operations in Kirkuk
and Rutba. It claimed responsibility for suicide
bombings on Sunday in Tikrit and Samarra,
two cities north of Baghdad,
that officials said killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 50. Aid
groups have raised deep concerns for civilians trapped in both Mosul and Raqa,
with warnings the jihadists are likely to use them as human shields. More than a million
people are believed to be in the Iraqi city. Raqa had
a population of some 240,000 before the start of Syria's civil war and more than
80,000 people have since fled there from other parts of the country.
US
in ‘close contact’ with Turkey
over Raqqa assault
Agencies Sunday, 6 November
2016/Washington is in “close contact” with Ankara
over the assault launched by American-backed Kurdish-Arab forces on ISIS’s bastion Raqa in Syria, a senior US official said Sunday. “We are in
close close contact with our Turkish allies and that
is why the chairman of joint chiefs is in Ankara
today,” Brett McGurk, President Barack Obama’s envoy
to the US-led coalition battling the militants, told a news conference in the
Jordanian capital Amman.
“We want this to be as coordinated as possible, recognizing that there will be
a mix of forces on the field and that many of those forces of course do not see
eye to eye, but they do share a very common and still very lethal enemy,” he
said of ISIS.The chairman of the US joint chiefs of
staff, General Joseph Dunford, arrived Sunday in
Ankara on a previously unannounced visit and was to meet his Turkish counterpart
Hulusi Akar, the Turkish
army said earlier, without elaborating.
‘Complex environment’
“It is a complex environment in
Syria to say the least, but we are constantly in touch with all the different
players, and I think in terms of the phasing of the overall Raqqa
campaign we have a fairly good understanding of what is to come,” said McGurk.
Kurdish-led Syrian forces backed by the US
began an offensive Sunday to liberate ISIS’s de facto capital of Raqqa,
clashing with the extremists north of the Syrian city. The attack ratchets up pressure on the militant group at a critical
moment, with its fighters already battling an offensive by Iraqi security
forces on their remaining Iraqi stronghold in the northern city of Mosul. The US-backed Syria
Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab armed groups, first
announced on Sunday that a campaign to retake Raqqa
would begin within hours, with US forces providing air cover. Soon afterwards,
it said that the operation, called Euphrates Anger, had begun. “The
general command of the Syria
Democratic Forces announces the blessed start of its major military campaign to
liberate the city of Raqqa,”
Jehan Sheikh Amad, an SDF
spokeswoman, told a news conference in the Syrian town of Ain Issa. The SDF called on Raqqa’s civilians to avoid areas where ISIS
militants are present and to go to “liberated territory.”US and British officials said they would provide air
support for the offensive, which was announced at a news conference in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, by SDF. But it lacked details on how the group
dominated by Kurds plans to oust the militants from the city, home to nearly
200,000 mostly Sunni Arabs and an estimated 5,000 ISIS fighters.
‘Fight will not be easy’
Meanwhile, US Defense
Secretary Ashton Carter warned on Sunday that the fight to wrest control of Raqqa “will not be easy.”“The
effort to isolate, and ultimately liberate, Raqqa
marks the next step in our coalition campaign plan,” Carter said in a
statement. “As in Mosul,
the fight will not be easy and there is hard work ahead, but it is necessary to
end the fiction of ISIL’s caliphate and disrupt the
group’s ability to carry out terror attacks against the United States,
our allies and our partners,” he said, using an alternative name for the
militant group. “The international coalition will continue to do what we can to
enable local forces in both Iraq
and Syria to deliver ISIL
the lasting defeat it deserves,” the US defense
chief added.
Iraqi
forces are 4 km from Mosul
airport
By Babak
Dehghanpisheh and Ahmed Rasheed
Reuters, Baghdad Sunday, 6 November 2016/Iraqi
security forces drove ISIS fighters from the center of a town just south of the
militants' main stronghold of Mosul
on Saturday and reached within a few km (miles) of an airport on the edge of
the city, a senior commander said.
Lieutenant-General Raed Shakir Jawdat
said security forces were in control of the center of Hammam
al-Alil, about 15 km (10 miles) south of Mosul, although he did
not say whether the militants had been pushed out completely. The advance on
the southern front comes days after Iraqi special forces
fought their way into the eastern side of Mosul,
taking control of six neighborhoods according to
Iraqi officials and restoring a foothold in the city for the first time since the
army retreated ignominiously two years ago. Another unit advanced further north
up the western bank of the Tigris river on Saturday, Jawdat added.
"Our elite forces have reached an area just 4 km (2 1/2 miles) from Mosul airport," he
told Al-Hurra television channel.
Recapturing Mosul
would crush the Iraqi half of a caliphate declared by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque in 2014. His Islamist group also
controls large parts of east Syria.
There were no reports of further gains in the east of the city on Saturday, and
officers said the military was clearing areas it took in recent days. Iraqi
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi,
speaking on a visit to the eastern front, said he brought "a message to
the residents inside Mosul
who are hostages in the hands of Daesh (Islamic
State) - we will liberate you soon".
Abadi
said progress in the nearly three-week-old campaign, and the advance into Mosul itself, had been
faster than expected. But in the face of fierce resistance, which has included
suicide car bombings, sniper fire and roadside bombs, he suggested that
progress may be intermittent. "Our heroic forces will not retreat and will
not be broken. Maybe in the face of terrorist acts, criminal acts, there will
be some delay," he said. General Jawdat said his
forces had destroyed 17 bomb-laden cars which had targeted them on their
advance north. So far the army controls only a small part of Mosul
which was home to 2 million people before ISIS
took over in 2014. More than 1 million remain in the city - by far the largest
under ISIS control in either Iraq
or Syria.
A Reuters correspondent in the village of Ali Rash, about 7 km (4 miles)
southeast of the city, saw smoke rising from eastern districts on Saturday,
while air strikes, artillery and gunfire could be heard. The United Nations has
warned of a possible exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees. So far only
31,000 have been displaced, of which more than 3,000 have already returned to
their homes, said William Lacy Swing, head of the International Organization
for Migration. "The numbers are not as large so far as had been expected.
We'd heard figures all the way up to 500,000 or 700,000,"
he told Reuters.
"We're trying to prepare
accordingly, but it's very difficult to do contingency planning with any level
of accuracy because we don't know what they’re going to find when they get
inside".
Last town before Mosul
The assault on Hammam
al-Alil, about 15 km (10 miles) south of Mosul, targeted a force of at least 70 ISIS fighters
there, commander of the Mosul
operations Major-General Najm al-Jabouri
said. Jabouri said the assault began around 10 a.m.
(0700 GMT) and some militants had tried to escape across the river, although
others put up heavy resistance and the troops had thwarted three attempted
suicide car bombings. "(The battle) is very important - it's
the last town for us before Mosul,"
Jabouri told reporters. Iraqi helicopters were
supporting the army, he said, backed also by jets from a US-led air coalition.
He said the jihadists were using hundreds of people as human shields, although
it was not clear how many civilians were left in the town. Before ISIS swept in more than two years ago, Hammam al-Alil and outlying
villages had a population of 65,000. As well as forcing residents to stay as
they came under attack in Hammam al-Alil, ISIS fighters retreating north in the last two weeks
have forced thousands to march with them as cover from air strikes, villagers
have told Reuters. The United Nations said the militants transported 1,600
abducted civilians from Hammam al-Alil
to the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, on Tuesday and took another 150 families from the
town to Mosul
the next day. They told residents to hand over children, especially boys aged
over nine, in an apparent recruitment drive for child soldiers, UN human rights
spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani
said. Jabouri said a man he described as a senior ISIS figure, Ammar Salih Ahmed Abu Bakr, was killed
by federal police - who are fighting with the army in Hammam
al-Alil - as he tried to escape by car. Many of the
remaining militants were non-Iraqis, he said. "There are at least 70 Daesh fighters in the town. The majority are foreign
fighters, so they don't know where to go. They are just moving from place to
place."
Assad
Says West Growing Weaker in Syria
Agence
France Presse/Naharnet/November 06/16/President Bashar Assad claimed Western powers are "becoming much
weaker" in Syria,
in a confident interview published Sunday in The Sunday Times. "In the
past if I said anything, people would say the Syrian president is disconnected
from reality. Now it's different. The West is becoming much weaker," told
the British weekly. "They don't have a leg to stand on explaining to
people what's going on. "Isis
(the Islamic State group) was smuggling oil and using Iraqi oilfields under
American satellites and drones to make money, and the West was not saying
anything. "Whereas here the Russians interfered and Isis
started to shrink in every sense of the word."Assad
acknowledged the key role played by Russian airstrikes, saying: "What made
the difference, of course, was firepower. They have firepower we don't
have." He
added: "At the end we were fighting an unlimited reserve of terrorists
coming to Syria
and we struggled, so Russian firepower and Iranian support has
compensated." However,
he said of the Russians: "They never try to interfere because they don't
want anything from us. They don't ask us to be a puppet president." Assad also confirmed
his determination to crush rebel forces in Aleppo, the one-time economic powerhouse that
has been under a three-month government siege. "Aleppo is an issue where
terrorists have occupied part of the city, and we need to get rid of
them," he said. More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted with
anti-government protests in March 2011, and the situation for civilians in Aleppo is particularly
dire. Asked if he could sleep with the knowledge of the children being killed
every day in Aleppo
and elsewhere, Assad laughed and said: "I know the meaning of that
question. "I sleep regular, I sleep and work and
eat normal and do sports."
US
says Iran’s
behavior ‘not positive’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 6 November 2016/While Washington
does not regard Tehran’s “Death to America” slogan as an official Iranian
policy, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Thursday that the US
still views the Islamic republic’s behavior in the
region as “not positive.” Thousands of Iranians chanted “Death to America” in the capital Tehran
on Thursday, marking the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the US embassy by
students. Fifty-two Americans were taken as captives for 444 days following the
embassy seizure, leading to what was later known as the hostage crisis. For Iranians,
the day is officially known as the “National Day of Fight against Global Arrogance.”Asked about Iran’s “Death to American” slogan,
Toner said the anniversary of this day “brings out the overhyped rhetoric on
the part of many in the Iranian government.”“We don’t
necessarily want to engage in all the various statements that are made on a day
like today,” he said. “Like any country, there’s heated political rhetoric that
comes out.”Toner further emphasized when he said “I’m
just not going to respond to every instance of that in this case,” and that the
Obama’s administration does not consider “Death to America” to be an Iranian policy. But he said: “What I
would say is we continue to see Iranian behavior in
the region that is, frankly, not positive, that is unconstructive.”
Toner also rejected Iran’s involvement in both Yemen and the
Syrian conflict. During
the anniversary day, Iran’s
supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told an
audience of thousands of students “in any part of the world when a
nation stands up against a tyrant government, its first slogan is ‘Death to the
US’.” Khamenei
also described Americans as “dishonest, unreliable, deceptive, back stabbers.”The Ayatollah also said the mastermind behind the
attack was Ayatollah Sayyid Khomeini, the founder of
the Islamic republic
of Iran and the leader of
the 1979 revolution. Khamenei also asked Iran’s minister
of education to include the event in schools’ curriculum.
Obama extends national emergency
on Iran
Meanwhile, US President Barack
Obama extended on Thursday Washington’s state
of national emergency with respect to Iran,
which was originally placed on Tehran
in light of the hostage crisis in November 1979. In a letter to Congress, Obama
wrote: “Our relations with Iran
have not yet returned to normal, and the process of implementing the agreements
with Iran,
dated Jan. 19, 1981, is still under way.”
Asiri: Houthis seize 34 aid ships
since 186 days
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 6 November 2016ظSpokesman of the Arab coalition supporting the legitimacy
in Yemen
Maj. Gen. Ahmed Asiri has confirmed that Houthi militias are seizing 34 ships carrying humanitarian
aid since more than 186 days. “There are no UN humanitarian personnel today at
the Al Hudaydah port – which is the largest remaining
port under Houthi militia control – who can inspect
and supervise distributing the much needed aid and medical supplies,” Asiri said. Asiri also added that
humanitarian aid has been stacking in at Al Hudaydah
port for nearly seven months because Houthi militias
and forces loyal to the ousted Ali Abdullah Saleh are
blocking the distribution of aid which resulted in depriving the residents from
taking benefits from it. UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien has previously
said that the absence of UN humanitarian personnel at the Yemeni ports should
not be a source of worrisome "as the way implemented by the UN in
monitoring the work performance within the port is efficient especially with
regards to the way of tracking the commercial ships which reach the port and
the UN has the strategies that produce positive results with these ships.
American
held in Yemen freed, evacuated to Oman
AFP, Muscat
Sunday, 6 November 2016/An American citizen held in Yemen
was released on Sunday and evacuated from rebel-controlled Sanaa
to Muscat along
with Yemenis wounded in the country’s conflict, the sultanate’s foreign
ministry said. The
unidentified man was transported onboard an Omani military aircraft after his
release was secured “following a request by the US
government (to Oman) to
continue helping in (releasing) its citizens held in Yemen,” the ministry said in a
statement carried by the state news agency ONA.
Istanbul airport police fire warning shots at suspect
motorbike
AFP, Istanbul
Sunday, 6 November 2016/Police at Turkey's
largest airport in Istanbul
on Sunday fired warning shots at a motorbike that failed to stop at a security
checkpoint, with the facility on high alert after the deadly June attack blamed
on militants, local officials said. Both the driver and the passenger of the
motorcycle were later caught and detained after the incident at Ataturk International Airport
but no explosives or weapons were found on them. The incident resulted in the
brief closure of entrances to the airport as a precaution but it carried on
working normally. "Tonight two people on a motorbike who failed to stop
were detained after police opened fire," Istanbul governor Vasip
Sahin wrote on his Twitter account. "No weapons
or explosive materials were found on them. The airport is open to entrance and
exit," he added. According to the Anadolu
agency, one of the suspects had a criminal record for theft and had been
drinking. After the shots were fired, they came off the bike and tried to run
away but were caught by police. A bag carried by one of the suspects was blown
up in a controlled explosion by disposal experts but found to be empty, it
added. Security measures have been markedly stepped up at the airport following
the June 28 triple suicide bombing and gun attacks blamed on ISIS
militants that left 47 people dead. Every vehicle entering the airport complex
is now checked by security forces and it appears the motorbike failed to stop
at one of these controls. Turkey
has for the last year been rattled by a sequence of attacks blamed both on
jihadists and Kurdish militants, as well as the failed July 15 coup. In a
separate security alert Sunday, the first bridge over the Bosphorus
in Istanbul was
shut to traffic when a man armed with a gun tried to commit suicide, the Hurriyet daily said. It has since reopened.
Coordination
Between Iran Regime and Terrorist
Organizations
NCRI Iran News/Sunday, 06 November
2016/NCRI - There is a strategic coordination between the Iranian regime and
terrorist groups with any religion. This coordination is no secret to anyone.
Comments of two analysts in an interview with Al-Arabiya
TV on October 31, 2016:
Al-Arabiya
TV: Saudi security forces in a preventive measure prosecuted 9 people who were
trying to carry out terrorist operations. Why both the Houthi
militias and terrorist groups are targeting Saudi Arabia? Dr. Muhammad Al-Mashouh,
Saudi analyst: “This synergy is clear. There is a goal around which they agree,
a goal that wants to disrupt Saudi’s security... This alliance is the result of
a common goal that exists between them.”“There is
cooperation between the regime in Iran and terrorist groups. The
Iranian regime also cooperates with armed Sunni militias. It is rooted in the
past that is in the 90s when the first meeting between al-Qaeda’s
bin Laden and the Iranian regime was held [in Khartoum].”“In 1993, in Khartoum, Imad Mughniyeh and Turabi and Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, Chief of Staff of Iranian Revolutionary Guards
(IRGC), were present in the meeting …The Iranian regime is an ally of (allies
itself with) anyone and any party that wants to create chaos in Saudi Arabia or
the region.”“Since then, it was clearly revealed that
the main center of al-Qaeda and its largest material and financial supporter in
all these years has been the regime in Iran. These are not just words,
even the U.S.
was aware and all the intelligence agencies knew this. Everyone knows that Iran regime was
and still is the main center of al-Qaeda organization settlement. Some names
(of al-Qaeda operatives) have been raised and they are in Iran. So if
their goal is the same why shouldn’t they ignore some issues like religious
differences?”**Dr. Suleiman Al-Akili, Saudi analyst:
“Strategic coordination exists between terrorist organizations and Iran
regime. Masters of these terrorists, both in Iran
and Iraq,
are leading them.”
More
Protests Against Plundering by Iran
Regime’s Officials
Sunday, 06 November 2016/NCRI -
According to reports, as looting and plundering by leaders and officials of the
Iranian regime continues, the owners of 240 units of “Mehr” cooperative housing complex in Bandar Abbas (Southern Iran)
staged a protest gathering on Thursday, November 3, in the courtyard of the
complex. They
are protesting against the lack of delivery of the units to the owners and
cessation of (construction) work as well as failing to address their claims and
uncertainty of the bank and cost issues. They demanded this situation be
investigated and the issue be addressed. An owner of the cooperative housing
units in Bandar Abbas said: “We have gathered to
demand receiving our postponed claims and make our voice heard by the state officials.”“Lack of accountability and transparency in the
cooperative’s spending, the delay in the construction of housing, using
low-quality materials, lack of transparency in the construction costs and
spending which is the most important part of the owners’ protest, as well as
uncertainty of the bank interests, uncertainty of the amount of bank loans and
many others things are among the issues that have provoked protests by the
owners of these units. We demand these problems be addressed quickly and
residential units be finally delivered to the owners after several years of
delay,” he added.
Iran: Political Prisoner Shouts "Down With Khamenei"
Sunday, 06 November 2016/NCRI - In
a letter from Karaj Gohardasht Prison (West Tehran),
the political prisoner Mehdi Farahi
Shandiz, has regarded Khamenei
as the cause of all the price rises and the pressure on Iranian people, saying
‘down with all the thieves and freeloaders of Mullahs’ and ‘down with the very
principle of vilayat-e-faqih meaning Governance of
Jurists (Khamenei)’. The letter reads: “after years
of being in prison, I finally could see the red meat with my eyes, although was
not able to touch or smell it. I wish I had not seen it, imagining that just
like other basic needs, red meat has also been removed from the food basket and
does not exist in reality anymore.”“Once I was
informed of its almost $20 per kilo price, considering that half of it is
wasted away, I realized by rule of thumb that the monthly expense (cost of
meat) of a family of four with the least consumption of meat would be almost
$400 and then I could no more think of the cost of their other needs. I cried
for an hour for the 70 million Iranians and then I yelled out loud: “down with
the thieves and freeloaders of Mullahs and down with the very principle of vilayat-e-faqih, the causes of all the price rises and
miseries of Iranian people.”
Mehdi Farahi Shandiz
Gohardasht
Prison, Karaj
Arab Federation for Human Rights Calls for
Prosecution of Perpetrators of 1988 Massacre in Iran
Sunday, 06 November 2016/NCRI -
Arab Federation for Human Rights issued a statement calling for UN
investigation into mass executions of 30,000 Iranian political prisoners in
1988. According to Al-Arabiya net Farsi on November
3, the Federation declared its full support for the global campaign to
prosecute leaders of the Iranian regime responsible for what it describes as
the “massacre of political prisoners in mid-1988 in Iran.” This human rights organization called on
the UN Security Council and General Assembly especially Arabic and European
member countries on the one hand, and the Human Rights Council and High
Commissioner for Human Rights on the other hand, to take appropriate measures
that would guarantee adoption of resolutions for international investigation
into these executions and trial of those responsible so that the Iranian regime
officials face the consequences of massive human rights violations in Iran. According to the
Federation’s statement, “Impunity for criminals, especially those who still
hold high positions in the regime, would encourage them to continue committing
more heinous crimes against the people of Iran and other countries.”“Arab
Federation for Human Rights calls on Arab Gulf Cooperation Council, Arab
League, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and Arabic and International
non-governmental and human rights organizations to strongly condemn this crime
against humanity that is in stark contrast with (and violation of) all
international covenants and laws and the Islamic and human values. The
Federation urges them to try to use regional and international mechanisms to
realize accountability and punishment of the officials responsible for these
crimes against humanity so that justice is served for the victims who are
oppressed because of lack of the support that the international community
should have provided them,” the statement adds. In 1988, Khomeini (Supreme Leader of
Iranian regime at the time) issued a fatwa for execution of all political
prisoners. As the result, in a few months several thousand political prisoners,
mostly members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin
Organization of Iran (PMOI), as well as leftist groups and other political activists
and ethnic minorities, were executed and secretly buried in mass graves.
According to an audio recording of
Ayatollah Montazeri (Khomeini’s former heir) that
leaked out in August 2016, pregnant women and young children were among the
political prisoners executed in 1988 massacre in Iran.
Iran: Four People Arrested for Supporting Prisoners on
Hunger Strike
Sunday, 06 November 2016/NCRI -
According to reports, the Iranian regime’s intelligence agents and security
forces arrested four people on charges of launching demonstration in support of
political prisoners on hunger strike in Tabriz
prison.
The names of the arrestees are: Ghadrollah Yousefi, Hassan Ayoubi, Asghar Tarafi, and Hadad Bodaghi. Earlier, a number of political prisoners in Tabriz prison staged
hunger strike to protest against beating and ill-treatment by the prison
officials and regime’s refusal to release them. These prisoners include Hossein Ali-Mohammadi who staged
an indefinite hunger strike on Tuesday November 1 and Rassoul
Razavi who began a hunger strike on Tuesday October 4
and is now in his 32nd day of the strike. In addition, Morteza
Raadpour has also been on hunger strike since October
25 to protest prison officials rejecting his release. This political prisoner
is now in his 10th day of hunger strike.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous
Reports And News published on November 06-07/16
Latest
LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on
November 06-07/16
Balfour Declaration, November 2016
Richard Kemp/Gatestone
Institute/November 06/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/11/06/richard-kempgatestone-institute-balfour-declaration-november-2016/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9273/balfour-declaration
Flying in the face of the
long-standing US bipartisan
policy of rejecting the so-called 1967 borders, there is increasing concern
that President Obama's parting shot at Israel might be to either endorse
such a resolution or fail to veto it. Such actions would have incalculable
consequences -- not least a flare-up in violence and the prospect of global sanctions
against Israel.
Depending on his audience,
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas claims to desire a two-state solution. But his
actions speak louder. How can it be possible to bring about peace with a
country or a people that you constantly vilify and attack? Hatred of Jews and
denial of their rights permeate PA speeches, TV shows, school-books, newspapers
and magazines.
Arab Jew-hatred has caused Britain up to the present day to
sometimes fail to condemn Arab aggression against Israelis, and to find excuses
for their violence. All in the name of appeasing the Arabs and their supporters
in the Muslim world and even at home.
Britain can be intensely proud that
it alone embraced Zionism in 1917. And it was the blood of many thousands of British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers that created
the conditions that made the modern-day State of Israel a possibility.
Even 99 years after the
world-changing Balfour Declaration, we still have our work cut out for us in
supporting the Zionist project, which owes so much to the unequalled historic
backing in Great Britain.
This week we enter the centenary
year of the Balfour Declaration. This document, signed on November 2, 1917 by
the British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, was the first recognition by one
of the world's great powers -- in fact at the time the greatest power in the
world -- of the right of the Jewish people to their national homeland in Palestine.
It was the single most significant
step taken in restoring Jewish self-determination in their historic
territories. Under the San Remo Resolution three years later, the Balfour
Declaration was enshrined in international law, leading inexorably to the 1947
UN partition plan and ultimately to the proclamation of the State of Israel by
David Ben Gurion on May 14, 1948.
As Britain,
Israel and the free world
begin to mark this monumental anniversary, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas demands an apology
from the UK.
The man
whose constitutional tenure as Palestinian leader expired seven years ago, yet
remains in place. The man who raised funds for the 1972
massacre in Munich of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes. The man who misused
millions of dollars of international aid intended for the welfare of his
people. The man who dismissed as a "fantastic lie"
the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.
This man demands an apology. Of
course he does. And in demanding that Britain apologise for a 99-year-old
statement supporting a national home for the Jewish people, he exposes his true
position, and the true position of all factions of the Palestinian leadership:
that the Jewish people have no right to a national home; the Jewish State has
no right to exist. According to Abbas, Palestine, from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean
Sea, belongs to the Arabs and only to the Arabs.
At a dinner held by the Zionist
Federation in London on April 12, 1931, Sir
Herbert Samuel, British High Commissioner in Palestine
from 1920 to 1925 and the first Jew to govern the historic land of Israel
in 2,000 years, said: "In time the Arabs will come to appreciate and
respect the Jewish [standpoint]".
Unfortunately, as Abbas's demands demonstrate only too clearly, he could not
have been more wrong. It is sometimes claimed that Arab violence towards the
Jews began with the Balfour Declaration, which created in their minds a feeling
of betrayal by the British and an apprehension of Arab subjugation under Jewish
governance.
This ignores the murder and
massacre of Jews by Arabs in the Middle East, including in Jaffa and Jerusalem,
throughout the 19th Century and in the 20th Century in the years before 1917 --
just because they were Jews.
Arab Jew-hatred certainly did not
start with Balfour. But it did intensify after Balfour. It was this
intensification, with its accompanying slaughter, revolt and rioting against
both British and Jews that caused Britain to falter and fail over her
1917 declaration of support for a Jewish national homeland. It caused the
British government to introduce White Papers in 1922 and 1939 that sought to appease
Arab violence and resistance by imposing restrictions on Jewish immigration
into Palestine
and the development of the millennia-old Jewish presence in their historic
homeland.
It caused Britain to deny Jewish immigration into Palestine even as Jews were being butchered in the
millions in Europe. It even led Britain to send survivors of Auschwitz
back to the lair of the Nazi murderers. And it caused Britain to behave in a way that precipitated
agonizing Jewish violence against the British in Palestine in the 1940s, when it was the last
thing the Jews wanted to do.
It caused Britain to abstain from the 1947 UN
General Assembly resolution that brought about the re-establishment of the
Jewish state in 1948. And even to appoint a British general -- Sir John Glubb -- to lead the Arab Legion's invasion of Israel
immediately afterwards.
It has caused Britain up to the present day to
sometimes fail to condemn Arab aggression against Israelis, and to find excuses
for their violence. All in the name of appeasing the Arabs and their supporters
in the Muslim world and even at home.
Despite all of this, with Britain sometimes sinking into moral weakness
over its subsequent failure to support the state that it incubated, the country
can be intensely proud that Britain
alone embraced Zionism in 1917. And it was the blood of many thousands of British, Australian and New Zealand soldiers that created
the conditions that made the modern-day State of Israel a possibility.
These men fought and died in the Palestine campaign to defeat the Ottoman
Empire that had occupied the territory for centuries. One month
after the Balfour Declaration, on December 7th, the British Empire forces under
General Allenby drove the Ottomans from Jerusalem.
The day the last Turk left the Holy
City was the first day of
Hanukkah, the celebration of the Maccabean liberation
of that city 2,000 years earlier.
Those soldiers were above all the
instrument of the will of one of the greatest Prime Ministers in British
history: David Lloyd George. There are many arguments about the motives for his
actions over Palestine.
But not only was he the true motivating force behind the Balfour Declaration;
he also ordered and drove the defeat of the Ottomans in Palestine that breathed life into his Foreign
Secretary's words to the Zionist Federation.
Thirteen years later, at the
Zionist Federation dinner in 1931, mentioned earlier, David Lloyd George was
present as guest of honour. He said:
"The Jews surely have a
special claim on [Palestine].
They are the only people who have made a success of it during the past 3,000
years. They are the only people who have made its name immortal, and as a race,
they have no other home. This was their first; this has been their only home;
they have no other home. They found no home in Egypt
or in Babylon.
Since their long exile they have found no home as a people in any other land,
and this is the time and opportunity for enabling them once more to recreate
their lives as a separate people in their old home and to make their contribution
to humanity as a separate people, having a habitation in the land which
inspired their forefathers. Later on it might be too late."
Later on it might be too late.
These prophetic words became a devastating reality for millions of Jews in the
years to come. Within five years, the Arab Revolt had begun, in protest at the
influx of Jews into Palestine, desperate to get
out of Europe before it was indeed too late.
The Arab Revolt in turn led to the White Paper of 1939, severely curtailing
Jewish immigration into Palestine
at their hour of greatest need, as the British government attempted to appease
the Arabs.
The White Paper was described by
Lloyd George in Parliament as "an act of perfidy" and by the
Manchester Guardian as "a death sentence on tens of thousands of Central
European Jews." The words of the Peel Commission, which investigated the
Arab unrest, apply as much today as they did in 1937 when they were written:
"The hatred of the Arab politician for the Jewish national home has never
been concealed and... it has now permeated the Arab population as a
whole."
The Balfour Declaration, signed
100 years ago this week by the British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour (left),
was the first recognition by one of the world's great powers of the right of
the Jewish people to their national homeland in Palestine. David Lloyd George (right), then
Prime Minister of Britain, was the true motivating force behind the Balfour
Declaration; he also ordered and drove the defeat of the Ottomans in Palestine
that breathed life into his Foreign Secretary's words.
The Arabs rejected the British
proposals for partition of the land in the 1930s and again rejected the 1947 UN
partition plan. Since then they have had numerous opportunities for the
creation of a Palestinian state. All have been rejected. They have preferred to
attempt Israel's
annihilation by terrorism and war, rather than find an opportunity to live side
by side in peace.
Depending on his audience,
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Abbas claims to
desire a two-state solution. But his actions speak louder. How can it be
possible to bring about peace with a country or a people that you constantly
vilify and attack? Hatred of Jews and denial of their rights permeate PA
speeches, TV shows, school-books, newspapers and magazines. Murderous
terrorists are glorified by naming football teams and sports stadiums after
them. They are incentivised to violence by salaries and payments to their
families -- funded of course by the American and European taxpayer. Everywhere
there is incitement to hate. Only a few days ago we saw the
consequences of failure to hate for four hapless Palestinians who dared to
fraternise with the "Zionist enemy" when they entered the Mayor of Efrat's succah.
As we know only too well, the
violent attacks against Jews, seen so frequently in the 19th and early 20th
Centuries, continue unabated to this day. The latest just
last week when three Israeli soldiers were shot and wounded by an Arab gunman
near the Jewish town of Beit El. In recent weeks, we have
seen the Palestinian Authority's efforts to expunge Jews and Judaism from any
connection with their undeniable history and holy places via grotesque and
nonsensical resolutions at UNESCO.
Nothing has changed in the Arabs'
attitudes and actions from Balfour's day to our own. Yet we have seen a
miraculous and untold transformation over those 99 years within the State of
Israel. Even as far back as that dinner in 1931, years before the re-creation
of the state, Lloyd George was able to declare:
"Zionism has brought to an old land, a
renowned but a ruined old land, new wealth, new energy, new purpose, new
initiative, new intelligence, a new devotion and a new hope. Zionism has not
finished its task, far from it, but it has already accomplished so much as to demonstrate
that the land flowing with milk and honey was no baseless legend."
Even he would be astonished to see
just how much further Israel
has ascended in the intervening 85 years. But despite Israel's seemingly boundless progress, she
remains under attack not just from the Arabs of the Middle East but also in the
West, in Europe and in the UK.
Despite a myriad of their own dire
problems and the ongoing bloodbath in the Arab world, the Europeans, led by the
French, seem hell-bent on trying to impose the so-called 1967 borders on Israel through the UN Security Council -- lines
described by legendary Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban
as the "Auschwitz borders."
Flying in the face of the
long-standing US bipartisan
policy of rejecting these borders, there is increasing concern that President
Obama's parting shot at Israel
might be to either endorse such a resolution or fail to veto it. Such actions
would have incalculable consequences -- not least a flare-up in violence and
the prospect of global sanctions against Israel, which would rightly be
unable to accept such a resolution.
In the home of the Balfour
Declaration the pressure is also on. Increasing anti-Semitic abuse is directed
against the Jewish community in the UK and against those who dare to
support the State of Israel, including politicians. Abuse aimed of course at
undermining their support and isolating the Jewish State.
Only a few days ago we saw
despicable scenes of anti-Semitic hatred and lies at an event in the House of
Lords in support of Abbas's absurd demand that we
apologise for Balfour. In the same week, we witnessed another vicious outbreak
of anti-Semitic abuse at University College London, where Jewish students were
forced to seek refuge in the face of an aggressive effort to shut down their
freedom of speech by so-called supporters of Palestine.
Even 99 years after the
world-changing Balfour Declaration, we still have our work cut out for us in
supporting the Zionist project, which owes so much to the unequalled historic
backing of Great Britain.
But as Lloyd George said of this
great venture: "Can you recall any movement worth prosecuting that has not
encountered obstacles? Can you recall one persevered in with courage and faith
where such obstacles have not been overcome in the end?"
David Lloyd George, as in so much
else, was of course right. And the words of this Welshman who saw so much in
common between his own tiny country and the homeland of the Jews, whose
nonconformist upbringing gave him a feeling of familiarity with the Holy Land,
are words that should guide those of us who support the State of Israel today:
"This Mandate [for the Jewish national home] must be carried out not
nervously and apologetically but firmly and fearlessly."
**Colonel Richard Kemp was
Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan.
He served in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the Balkans and Northern Ireland and was head of
the international terrorism team for the UK Joint Intelligence Committee.
© 2016 Gatestone
Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone
Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of
its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written
consent of Gatestone Institute.
On
the fears of a Donald Trump presidency
Raghida Dergham/Al Arabiya/October 06/16/
What if Donald Trump becomes the
next president of the United
States after the election? What kind of
presidency would Trump’s be? The man had ridden a wave of discontent among
Americans long frustrated with the ruling class in America, the performance of
successive administrations and the dubious links between politicians and
financial interests. Many Americans fear, and others like Russia’s rulers wish,
that a Trump presidency would dismantle the US ruling structure, leading to a
gradual collapse of the United States as result of arbitrary policies and
stunts and the racism and hate that have all marked the attitudes of Donald
Trump since he decided to run for president - traits that could also characterize
his tenure. However, a segment of public opinion believes that in the event
Trump becomes president, the powerful establishment, which includes civilian,
military and intelligence power vectors, will coax him and/or impose
restrictions and checks and balances on his presidency. In this context as
well, Wall Street is no less important as an influencer of America’s
future at home and in the world. Not long ago, major corporations such as GE
were a major component of the establishment and today, they have been inherited
by the likes of Google, Facebook and major tech
companies in California’s Silicon
Valley.
If Donald Trump spends his
putative presidency fighting wars against all parts of the establishment,
against ten million undocumented immigrants living in the US, against women,
Muslims and people of color, be they Asian or Latinos, he will find himself
unable to govern – regardless of how much hope he seems to be pinning on having
a special friendship with Russian President Putin. But if Trump enters the
White House with calmness and awareness of what it means to lead a superpower,
beyond his electoral antics, the world may well witness a blitzing coup by
Trump against Trump. He will then become an actual partner of the establishment
while helping vent some of the populist anger and resentment. The problem is
that it will be very difficult to predict which Trump we will have, and this is
dangerous. He is inexperienced, temperamental and fickle. He is arrogant and he
is a bad listener, and this is why the world and a large segment of Americans
are afraid of a Trump victory on Tuesday.
He is inexperienced, temperamental
and fickle. He is arrogant and he is a bad listener and this is why the world
and a large segment of Americans are afraid of a Trump victory on Tuesday
Last week, FBI Director James Comey once again reshuffled the electoral deck by
announcing the FBI would reopen an inquiry into the email correspondence of
Hillary Clinton’s aide Huma Abedin.
This refocused the light on accusations against Clinton of flouting the law when she was
secretary of state, by using private email servers to conduct state affairs. Comey’s announcement gave Trump a boost in the polls, even
putting him ahead of Clinton
in some. It also galvanized the Trump campaign as more undecided voters came to
his side.
Divided America
America is divided. Divisions have
spread between those angry with Hillary Clinton’s reputation for corruption and
those afraid of Donald Trump’s perceived stunts, naivety and even ignorance.
Many Americans speak of choosing the lesser evil between the two. However,
there is a solid Clinton
camp and a solid Trump one, each bent on defeating the other. Observers fear
that the unprecedentedly negative campaign’s toxic effect will linger after the
election, taking the United
States into what resembles a low-temperature
civil war. What the current climate portends is that whoever wins, he or she
will have to cope with divisions and backlashes, as well as possible legal
investigations and sanctions even in power. The coming year will not allow the
forthcoming president to feel any complacency.
The race is too close to call
before election day. There still could be more
surprises following the FBI’s bombshell. Bar any, however, Clinton is more likely to win despite recent
shifts. Still, we cannot discount a victory by Trump.
What will be the implications for
the world if Trump wins? Donald Trump is likely to reduce most international
issues into a black-or-white classification, as his worldview is averse to gray
zones. Trump says he wants to reshape relations between the allies in NATO in a
way that the US
no longer bears the same financial burdens it currently has. He wants to change
the relationship between the UN headquartered in New York and the host country, to reduce the
privileges the organization has. Trump wants to reshape the international order
and remold it in a more populist direction to appease
his constituency and not because he is not of the elite. Even in matters as
serious as the US nuclear
umbrella in East Asia, Trump wants to
completely end the existing arrangements.
The ripple effect
This is exactly what makes Putin a
fan of Donald Trump. For one thing, Trump greatly resembles Boris Yeltsin, the
former head of the USSR
blamed for leading it to total collapse. For Moscow, Trump will be the gift that keeps on
giving. Trump is willing to unshackle Putin’s hands in Syria, with complete disregard for the cost this
would have for Syria as well
as the US position in the Middle East. Donald Trump has no interest in the GCC or
the Islamic Republic of Iran. His priorities as they emerged during his
campaign were immigration and terrorism, fears of which he stoked to present
himself as the president who will protect America from “aliens,” especially Muslims.
Donald Trump would thus take
isolationism to terrifying new heights. He will also be an exclusionary
president par excellence. At home, he will proceed to repeal previous acts, led
by Obamacare or the Affordable Healthcare Act,
without putting forward an alternative. Yet all this could be part of ephemeral
electoral promises because the US
political structure does not allow the president no matter who he or she is to
become a dictator. US presidents don’t have absolute powers, and the system has
a lot of checks and balances governing the work of its various levers, from the
legislature (Congress) and the executive (the administration/cabinet) to the
highest level of the judiciary (the Supreme Court). Therefore, some believe
fears of a Trump presidency are exaggerated. However, others insist the fears
are not misplaced, because the entire foundations of the international order
will be shaken if a provocative and exclusionary trigger-happy president
captures the White House, as this would be enough to set off worldwide
instability.
**This article was first published
in al-Hayat on Nov 4, 2016 and translated by Karim Traboulsi.
From
Russia
with malice
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/October 06/16/
On November 8, Americans will end
a historic presidential race between the two least popular candidates ever when
they will either select Hillary Clinton, the first woman to lead the United States,
or Donald Trump, a political novice not elected to any previous office, thus
ending the longest, ugliest and strangest campaign in the life of the Republic.
The 2016 campaign will also go down in history as the first to be subjected to
foreign manipulation in the form of cyber-aggression by an increasingly
belligerent Russia in a perceived bid to help elect Trump, the Republican
candidate friendly to the Russian leadership (an allegation Trump has denied)
but more importantly to undermine the legitimacy of the American system of
government and its elected institutions and to deepen the polarization in
society. The frightening conclusion that one has to draw, a few days before the
election, is that Russia’s
flagrant interference in the US
election process, which was confirmed and denounced by the Intelligence
Community, has been deleterious to American politics and institutions, with the
aggressor suffering no discernable negative consequences.
Russia’s dirty hands
It is reported that the US
Intelligence Community has evidence that the Russian government either directly
or through entities working on its behalf has been hacking American
institutions, official and non-official, like the Democratic National Committee
(DNC) and the accounts of public figures like former Secretary of State Colin
Powell and John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary
Clinton presidential campaign, and passing emails and documents to
organizations like WikiLeaks. Last July, WikiLeaks released 20000 DNC emails that exposed what
seemed to be collusion between the Clinton
campaign and the DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz to undermine Clinton’s former
Democratic challenger Senator Bernie Sanders. The embarrassing leaks forced
Wasserman Schultz to resign on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.
In recent weeks, WikiLeaks dumped thousands of emails hacked from the Gmail
account of John Podesta, with the purpose of
weakening the Clinton campaign by revealing excerpts of her private talks that
showed obvious contradictions between her public pronouncements about imposing
regulations from the outside to reform the practices of Wall Street financial
institutions and her contradictory candid conversations in which she claimed
that those best positioned to reform Wall Street are those in charge of said
institutions. The emails were embarrassing to Clinton and some prominent
Democrats, such as acting DNC chair Donna Brazile,
who apparently in her previous role as a Democratic commentator on CNN had
tipped the Clinton
campaign about questions that would be posed during a debate with Senator
Sanders. One could appreciate the news value in some of these emails and documents,
while at the same time express alarm at the brazenness of Russia’s
violations of American institution and the privacy of American citizens in
order to manipulate the election process. In its
dumping of unredacted documents, WikiLeaks,
over the years, has violated and damaged the privacy of countless individuals
who were not involved in any untoward activities, thus damaging their
reputations, exposing them to intimidation and danger.
The not so odd couple: Putin and Assange
The Australian born Julian Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006
but he and his organization gained international renown in 2010 when they
released almost half a million documents related to the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan given to them by Chelsea Manning a US Army soldier turned whistle
blower. The news value of the documents was immense, and they helped correct
the incomplete or faulty narratives about America’s two longest wars. The
documents uncovered official corruption, confirmed incidents of indiscriminate
killings and abuse of human rights in the two theatres. And although the
documents revealed that American diplomats in the field wrote excellent
analysis of the prevailing political and economic conditions in the countries
they were assigned to, the secret cables showed also a darker side of
diplomatic machinations.
Putin has effectively exploited
the Obama administration’s timidity in the world, he
is challenging the US in Europe and imposing political and military facts on the
ground
In his initial “mission statement”
in 2006, Assange claimed that he would be exposing
illegal behavior by Western governments, but that the
main villains he would be chasing are the Eastern powers, mainly Russia and China. But Assange’s
threat never materialized. The Russians initially dismissed Assange
as a “petty thief running around on the internet” in the memorable words of
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. But following
Assange’s legal travails in late 2010, including an
international arrest warrant in connection with charges of alleged sexual
assault in Sweden, President
Putin began a lengthy public campaign defending Assange,
claiming that he was “being persecuted for spreading the information he
received from [the] US military regarding the actions of the USA in the Middle East, including Iraq.” Around
the same time, the then Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton was pushing
aggressively to hold to account those responsible for leaking the diplomatic
cables which became known as “Cablegate.” In November
2010, Assange, who sees Clinton as corrupt and a hardliner, told Time
Magazine that she should resign. Assange’s animus
against Hillary Clinton grew over the years, just as his war on American
“imperialism” grew in intensity. During his years of isolation at the embassy
of Ecuador in London, Assange is said to have
become friendlier toward President Putin and Russia. He justified Russia aggression against the Ukraine by accusing the US of fomenting unrest in the country and
plucking it “out of Russia’s
sphere of influence.” Last August, Assange took sides
in the US presidential
election, telling Fox television network that Clinton “has positioned herself now, as being
the security candidate. She’s palled up with the neocons
responsible for the Iraq War and she’s grabbed on to this sort of neo-McCarthyist hysteria about Russia and is using that to
demonize the Trump campaign.”
President Putin shares Assange’s loathing of Hillary Clinton. Putin still holds a
grudge against Clinton
ever since she condemned publicly Russian parliamentary elections in 2011.
Putin resented what he saw as Clinton’s
meddling in internal Russian affairs by supporting popular protests against
fraud and corruption. She recalled in her memoirs that Putin “lashed out” at
her the first time he met her after the elections. This brief history tells us
that Putin and Assange have a common foe in Hillary
Clinton and that we should look at the recent WikiLeaks
releases of hacked emails through the prism of Putin-Assange
collaboration and their common enmity against the US system.
Russia’s ‘useful fool’
Enter Donald J. Trump. From the
beginning of his campaign Trump was generous and unabashed about his praise of
Putin as a “strong leader” superior to President Obama. Putin returned the favor by praising Trump as a “colorful
and talented person.” In his debates with Clinton and in his public rallies,
Trump never tires of saying “if the United States got along with Russia, [it]
wouldn’t be so bad,” or wishing the US “actually got along with Russia” so they
could collaborate militarily to defeat ISIS, which means implicitly
collaborating also with Russia’s allies in Syria: the Assad regime and Iran.
Trump does not know or care that Assad’s brutality against his own people was
the magnet that drew ISIS and other extremists and that the tripartite alliance
of Assad, Russia
and Iran is not seriously
fighting ISIS but the other Syrian opposition groups, including those that the US provides
with limited support. Trump’s reckless denigration of America’s enduring system
of alliances established and maintained by both Republican and Democratic
administrations since the Second World War, particularly the NATO alliance,
plays into Putin’s hands and his old schemes of undermining the Western
alliance.
Both men have some similar
instincts and tendencies. Putin is an autocrat with stellar credentials, Trump
loves to flirt with autocrats and strongmen like Putin, and one can clearly see
in Trump’s public behavior and his attacks on the
media these autocratic impulses. Both men reject democratic checks and balances
and swim in a sea of international and domestic conspiracies and find
themselves in ceaseless quests for slaying mostly imagined lurking evil
dragons. Putin is bent on reviving Mother Russia’s Slavic and Orthodox
traditions and influence, hence his irredentist policies in Georgia and Ukraine. Trump is in part a nativist and isolationist, hence his hostility towards
immigrants. Both men share deep distrust and loathing of Islam and Muslims.
Both Putin and Trump can play the role of populists and both men adore their
adoring fans.
Trump, who had the audacity to
call publicly on Russia
to hack the email server of Hillary Clinton to recover the thousands of deleted
emails, continues his denial of Russian culpability in the hacking of the DNC
emails and those of John Podesta and others. Even,
after the Intelligence Community pointed the finger at Russia, Trump kept saying “our country has no
idea” or that the hacker could be a 400 pound loner, or declaring Russia’s innocence explicitly, “I don’t think anybody
knows it was Russia
that broke into the DNC… They always blame Russia.” It seems that Trump and Assange have been reading from the same music notes,
written by their conductor in Moscow.
Retired General Michael V. Hayden, former director of the National Security
Agency and the CIA, a man known for his sharp analytical mind and immense
experience in national security issues, described Trump as a “useful fool”
using the Soviet era terminology. It has been said that the term “useful idiot”
was attributed to Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union, which
describes silly and naïve propagandists for a cause they are not fully aware of
its full meaning, and who are held in contempt by their manipulators (General
Hayden used the correct translation of a term that does not exist in any text
written by Lenin). Hillary Clinton called Trump a puppet of Putin.
Digital asymmetric warfare
Russia has been using cyber-attacks
and intimidation as a form of asymmetric warfare to undermine its adversaries
and/ or foment destabilizing activities. Countries in the “near-abroad” like
Georgia, Ukraine, the Baltic states and beyond in Western Europe and the United
States have been subjected to this new form of warfare and the Western
democracies have yet to develop either a good immune system or adopt counter
and punitive measures. During the Cold War, Soviet propaganda, seeking to
present the Communist system as the future alternative to exploitative
Capitalism, was crude in form and content, but today, Russia’s cyber-attacks
and accompanying international disinformation campaigns and the proliferation
of global Russian Media like RT Television and Sputnik “news” agency are both
very sophisticated and potentially very destructive since their primary goal is
to undermine the very idea of the West and its democratic institutions as weak,
corrupt and decadent and portray Western societies as unjust towards
immigrants, refugees and Muslims while depicting NATO as an aggressive
alliance. It is ironic that Russian propaganda today has turned the tables on
the US
and its allies. During the Cold War, the West used information (along with art
and music) conveyed to Communist societies via Radio Free Europe and Radio
Liberty to counter Communist propaganda and to show those societies the
political and cultural diversity and vibrancy of democratic societies. Today,
Western media is under financial pressure and there are no major Western
concerted efforts to counter Russia’s
propaganda, its campaigns of disinformation and its cyber depredations,
particularly in Europe. The weakening of
traditional Western media and the proliferations of thousands of websites and
portals that can be used or exploited by Russia is making it possible for
Moscow to spoon-feed the left and the right in Europe, and the US anti-Western
Russian propaganda. The Soviet Union never
dreamed of achieving such political inroads in Western democracies.
Putin has effectively exploited
the Obama administration’s timidity in the world (the White House is still
dithering on whether to extract a price from Russia
following its cyber-attacks in America), he is challenging the US
in Europe and imposing political and military facts on the ground from the Ukraine to Syria. Putin has proven his
willingness to use hard power as well as digital asymmetric warfare. Putin has
nothing but malice toward the US
and in Mr. Trump he has found his “useful fool.” One would hope that those
millions of American voters on November 8, while fully aware of Hillary Clinton’s numerous flaws and warts, nonetheless will take a
harder look at Trump and the calamity that he represents and choose wisely.
In
Egypt,
there’s no such thing as a free lunch
Mohammed Nosseir/Al
Arabiya/October 06/16/
Getting a miserable person out of
severe depression does not only require strong, effective medicine, it also
requires a reliable doctor and a willingness on the part of the patient to effect a complete turnaround. Organizing countless medical
sessions for decades without making any progress is a deliberate waste of
energy and money. Egypt’s
poverty may be likened to a wretched, sick patient. The relationship between
the Egyptian state and its citizens is one where the state identifies the
poverty virus, but has never been concerned with finding the cure and achieving
a true recovery.
Poverty in Egypt has
created a strong bond between the Egyptian state and large numbers of its
citizens. The state accuses its citizens of being a liability, while the
citizens allege that measures taken by the state are inadequate and faulty.
Nevertheless, the state and its citizens are living together in unison, working
on increasing Egypt’s
poverty expenditures at the expense of the Egyptian economy. On the one hand,
being responsible for feeding, housing, transporting and employing millions of
citizens certainly constitutes a burden on the state, on the other hand, it
provides an excellent excuse for the state and its millions of employees to
exist and maintain their jobs!
The Egyptian government isn’t
genuinely attempting to end poverty and its citizens won’t find the path to
prosperity on their own. The hours that Egyptians currently spend lining up to
obtain a few kilos of subsidized products so as to save a few pounds illustrate
the bizarre relationship that the state has created. By spending the same
number of hours working, Egyptians can earn more than the amount they save by
purchasing subsidized food. Unskilled Egyptian workers earn roughly ten pounds
an hour and incentivizing them to work a few extra hours per month should make it
easy for the state to trim down subsidies and reduce the subsidization bill.
The Egyptian government isn’t
genuinely attempting to end poverty and its citizens won’t find the path to
prosperity on their own
“There is no such thing as a free
lunch” is a proven proverb. The “free lunch” that millions of Egyptians receive
daily is paid for by their country’s resources. According to reports, roughly
half of the fiscal budget is spent on subsidized products and wages for state
employees who manage the “free meals!” The subsidization bill is incrementing
in billions every year, money that could be spent on items that are more
beneficial. The state seems to want people to be irresponsible, relying on them
to sustain the dependent relationship that it created in the first place. The
subsidized apartment complexes recently built by the state are a perfect
example in which the state sends its citizens an implicit message: that the
combination of poverty and a laidback attitude could lead to obtaining state
assistance.
The Egyptian government certainly
does not want to face a crisis of shortages of subsidized items. Yet food or
energy shortages cause millions of ordinary and illiterate citizens to
criticize the performance of government executives on the one hand and value
the government’s role in their life on the other. The state often solves its
crises by replacing its executives. The concept of curtailing the role of the
government or getting rid of subsidized items does not exist.
In terms of magnitude and price increases,
poverty is spreading in Egypt.
The difference between subsidized product prices and free market prices is
increasing, heightened by our population growth rate. Thus, citizens’ reliance
on subsidization is becoming more crucial and, obviously, our subsidization
bill is growing. The Egyptian state that is frequently concerned with paying
the monthly subsidization bill would do better to focus on creating a business
structure and environment that would enable people to overcome poverty on their
own.
The state should abandon the role
of “Big Brother” it has been playing for decades and act as a regulator and
motivator instead. Citizens worldwide don’t mind getting a free lunch. However,
we need to alter Egyptians’ mindset and direct it towards declining this offer.
The first step toward remedying this free lunch phenomenon is to prompt
Egyptians to value their time, energy and dignity. We need to create an
attitude and an outlook that encourages Egyptians to spend more time working to
boost their incomes instead of relying on the government’s free lunch ploy.
Has
a genocide just started in Myanmar?
Dr. Azeem
Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/October 06/16/
Often quoted as “the most
oppressed people in the world,” the Rohingya Muslim
minority of Myanmar
may well be on their way to being the victims of a genocide.
And all under the watchful eye of Myanmar’s newly democratically
elected leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi. Yet for all they have endured over the
last decades, and especially in the last few years, the scariest part of their
lives is not that as many as half of them have been displaced from Myanmar, the
country of their birth, and many of the rest are now in internally displaced
people’s camps inside the country, in appalling conditions. The scariest part,
rather, is what might happen next.
Decades of propaganda by the
succession of military juntas that have governed the country since 1962 have
been absorbed into the political culture to the point that hostility towards
this minority is now a democratic consensus - even as the country has now
started gaining democratic freedoms. And ultra-nationalists and Buddhist
extremists are fanning the fires of that hostility into open violence at any
given opportunity. That is why it is feared that the Rohingya
are now teetering on the edge of outright genocide.
They have been ever since the
outbursts of communal violence in 2012 and 2013 which have caused the largest
amount of damage to their communities and triggered the regional South East
Asian Migration Crisis last year. And ever since, we have been dreading what
might happen if some random event triggers a new wave of violence from their
Buddhist nationalist neighbours in their native state of Rakhine/Arakan,
or indeed, from the police and security agencies of the state.
China
is pouring billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure investment in the
country as they are building trade routes to the Indian
Ocean and they have no qualms about how their client states
approach human rights issues.
Such a trigger may have just been
pulled. Nine police officers were killed and several others injured in attacks
on border guard posts near the border with Bangladesh on Sunday, 9 October.
And the Rohingya were collectively declared guilty
for the attacks, despite there being no evidence that the attackers were, in
fact Rohingya. Nevermind
which individuals, Rohingya or otherwise, might have
been the actual perpetrators. The collective punishment heaped on the Rohingya by state institutions such as the police and army
was swift. Twenty-four innocent Rohingya were killed
just on Monday, and the numbers seem to be escalating as we speak.
What is worse though, while these
extra-judicial killings have been carried out by local state agencies, the
federal forces of the government of Aung San Suu Kyi are not intervening to
stop them and re-establish the rule of law. And if the
Rohingya finally give up hope that anyone else might
stand up to defend them, they may well end up taking their defence in their own
hands. At which point, this can only escalate into an orgy of violence at least
as bad as 2012, and perhaps even the outbreak of all-out inter-communal
fighting. Not that the Rohingya have the resources to
fight such a fight - such a fight can only have result: outright genocide.
The tragedy is that all this is
happening just as things finally started looking more hopeful. Ever since Aung San Suu Kyi
came to power late last year, human rights observers, Western leaders, and even
the Rohingya themselves looked to the woman they
affectionately call “Mother” to end their systematic oppression and help them
re-integrate in Burmese society. Indeed, just this summer her government was
persuaded by the international community to establish a Commission on the
situation of the Rohingya headed by former UN
Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
Yet this is a woman who still
refuses to even acknowledge that the Rohingya exist
as a distinct, and indigenous ethnic group: she calls
them “Bengalis,” deeming them illegitimate immigrants in the country of their
birth. She is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who supposedly had to be pressured
by the international community to even establish the Kofi Annan Commission. She
is a woman who seems to have no desire to expend political capital to fight the
entrenched hostility of so many of her countrymen towards the Rohingya.
And ultimately, she may be a woman
who no longer depends on Western approval for her political power. The prestige
she has garnered with the West as a democracy campaigner for her country was
instrumental for getting her into power. But now that she is there, she can get
by with support from China
just as well as she could get by with support from the West. China is pouring billions of dollars’ worth of
infrastructure investment in the country as they are building trade routes to
the Indian Ocean and they have no qualms about
how their client states approach human rights issues. Is that why our leaders
are standing by and ignoring the fresh upsurge of violence which may well leave
us with another Rwanda
on our hands?