LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

October 01/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.october01.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today
An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12/38-42/:"Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! The queen of the South will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!"

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth
Book of Revelation 05/01-10/:"Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’ Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sing a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth.’"

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 01/16
7 Christians Punished Under Draconian Blasphemy Laws/Carey Lodge/Christian Today Journalist/September 30/16
France: 'The Jungle' Migrant Camp/"Plan will proliferate a multitude of mini-Calais throughout the country."/Soeren Kern/ Gatestone Institute/September 30/16
Rewarding Iran and sanctioning Saudi Arabia/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/September 30/16
Implications of the growing Iran-Syria economic relations/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/September 30/16
Diplomacy alone cannot stop barbarism in Syria/Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/September 30/16
The illogical trend of prejudice/Peter Harrison/Al Arabiya/September 30/16
Shimon Peres: The passing of an era/Yossi Mekelberg/Al Arabiya/September 30/16
How Khamenei played his ace to sideline Ahmadinejad/Rohollah Faghihi /Al-Monitor/September 30/16
Iran reacts to death of Israel’s founding father/Author Misha Zand/Al-Monitor/September 30/16
Iraqi ministers fall like dominoes as Maliki's bloc targets Abadi/Ali Mamouri/Al-Monitor/September 30/16
Why is Turkey reviving an Ottoman sultan/Mustafa Akyol /Al-Monitor/September 30/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 01/16
Moqbel Appoints Chief of Staff in Decree Signed by 20 Ministers
Berri Says No 'Personal Dispute' with Any Candidate
Report: Berri-Jumblat Disfavor Aoun for Presidency, Tripartite Alliance with Franjieh Does not Exist
Hariri Meets Aoun as Geagea Says 'Gap Narrowing' on Presidency
Mashnouq Criticizes Call for 'Package Deal', Urges against 'Imposing' Candidates
FPM to Mark October 13, 1990
Judge Saqr Charges Four for Terror Acts
Ibrahim: Looking for 'Serious' Mediator to Negotiate Release of Abducted Servicemen
Report: LF Defends Right to Claim Defense and Interior Portfolios
Geagea after meeting Hariri: Dispute over political issue tapered
Amal official survives stray bullet in Bir Hassan
Huge fire erupts in Chouf
Basbous meets Land Transportation Unions delegation
Salman visits Moqbel on farewell visit
Egypt Ambassador: upsized trade with Lebanon top priority
Marotti inaugurates Italian Funded Tibnin Mill

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 01/16
3,800 Civilians Dead in Year of Russian Strikes in Syria
Russia Shrugs Off Syria Campaign Death Toll Allegation
Syria Regime Advances in Aleppo, MSF Decries 'Bloodbath'
Obama: Abbas Presence at Peres Funeral Reminder of 'Unfinished Business of Peace'
World Leaders Bid Farewell to Shimon Peres in Jerusalem
3 Chinese Fishermen Dead after Clash with SKorea Coast Guard
Moroccan Left Hopes to Offer 'Third Way' at Polls
Saudi Soldier Killed, 3 Civilians Hurt by Yemeni Shells
Saudi Warns of 'Disastrous Consequences' over U.S. 9/11 Law
Cyprus Orders Plane Hijacking Suspect Extradited to Egypt
Turkey Opposition Leader Blasts Erdogan's 'Counter Coup'
Pope Lands in Georgia on Caucasus Peace Visit
Iran: Chief Justice orders expeditious implementation of the death decrees
Iran regime's Interior Minister expresses fear of society’s explosive situation
Parents protest misuse of their children by Iran regime during Rouhani’s visit to Qazvin
US spokesman compares Congress to elementary school children over JASTA
Australian PM Turnbull calls ex-MP’s Iraq visit ‘stupid’
Recently-emerged militant group claims attack on Egyptian prosecutor

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on October 01/16
CIA top dog: Jihad terror groups “are driven by this ideology that is not rooted in Islam”
Pakistan: Christian boy faces death penalty for insulting Islam on Facebook
Colin Powell: “We should not isolate and single out just Muslims as being bad”
Video: Robert Spencer on DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson’s unsavory association with ISNA
Anni Cyrus Video: Hillary’s Moronic Gun-Grab to Stop Terror
George Soros network pushed “Islamophobia” propaganda after San Bernardino jihad massacre
French Jews targeted by Muslims, flock to Israel
Transfer of Internet control could lead to silencing of criticism of jihad terror; Soros-funded group says relax, all will be well
Hillary Clinton names Angela Merkel one of her favorite world leaders: “obvious implications for our country”
Islamic Republic of Mauritania intensifies crackdown on anti-slavery activists

Links From Christian Today Site for on October 01/16
Iranian Woman Stabbed To Death In Australia After Converting To Christianity
7 Christians Punished Under Draconian Blasphemy Laws
Could Evangelical Christians Soon Be Running Brazil?
Immensely Significant': Justin Welby And Pope Francis To Mark 50 Years Of Chrisian Unity
Archbishop Of York Accuses Europe Of 'Shunting' Refugees To 'Soft Touch' Britain
Quarter Of Americans Have Experienced A Healing Miracle
Evangelical Leaders Slam Trump Campaign As 'Morally Unacceptable'
Philippines' Duterte Likens Himself To Hitler, Wants To Kill Millions Of Drug Users

Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 01/16

Moqbel Appoints Chief of Staff in Decree Signed by 20 Ministers
Naharnet/September 30/16/Defense Minister Samir Moqbel on Friday issued a decree tasking Maj. Gen. Hatem Mallak to act as caretaker chief of staff of the army after he was promoted from the rank of brigadier general, state-run National News Agency reported. Mallak replaces Maj. Gen. Walid Salman, who will reach the age of retirement at midnight. Moqbel also issued a decree appointing Brig. Gen. Hussein Abdullah as head of the Military Court to replace Brig. Gen. Khalil Ibrahim, who will reach the age of retirement on October 10, NNA said. MTV said the decree was signed by 20 ministers, including the ministers of the Free Patriotic Movement and the Tashnag Party. The decree was not signed by the ministers Akram Shehayyeb and Ramzi Jreij, due to their presence outside the country, or by resigned ministers Ashraf Rifi and Alain Hakim, the TV network noted. In the absence of a president, any cabinet decree requires the signatures of all ministers. A decision by Moqbel to extend the term of Army chief General Jean Qahwaji had infuriated the FPM on Thursday. “It is a flagrant violation of all laws that can be added to the series of violations that the government has committed or overlooked in the domain of national defense and many other domains,” the FPM said in a statement. It also warned that it “will not remain silent over the insistence on violating the laws,” pledging that it will “do everything necessary to put and end to the continued destruction of the State.” The FPM, which says it opposes term extensions for all senior officers, has recently suspended its participation in cabinet sessions in the wake of a decision by Moqbel to extend the term of Higher Defense Council chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kheir. The movement has also suspended its participation in national dialogue meetings and threatened street protests and a “political system crisis” over accusations that the other parties in the country are not respecting the 1943 National Pact that stipulates Christian-Muslim partnership. Qahwaji's term had already been extended twice since 2013 despite objections from the FPM, which had reportedly been lobbying for the appointment of former Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz as a successor to Qahwaji. Roukoz is the son-in-law of FPM founder MP Michel Aoun.

Berri Says No 'Personal Dispute' with Any Candidate
Naharnet/September 30/16/Speaker Nabih Berri stressed Friday that there is no “personal dispute” between him and any of the two presidential candidates – Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh. “The press and the media outlets were behind a campaign today – mostly good-intended – that depicted things as if there is a personal dispute between Speaker Berri and a certain candidate,” Berri's press office said. “But actually, the proposals that he is making and putting at everyone's disposal reflect his adherence to the agenda of national dialogue meetings, and they are not targeted against any certain candidate,” it added. “In our opinion, these proposals are the obligatory gateway for stabilizing the political situation, preserving state institutions, and finding a comprehensive solution topped by the election of a president,” the press office clarified. Berri has always enjoyed good ties with Franjieh whereas his relation with Aoun has mostly been frosty. According to media reports, Berri has insisted in recent days that no president will be elected without an agreement on so-called package deal involving agreements on key issues such as the presidency, the government and the electoral law. But MTV reported Thursday that Berri is willing to accept “half a package deal” involving “an agreement on the electoral law, the finance minister post, creating an oil ministry and retaking the energy ministry portfolio.”Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri's return to Lebanon on Saturday has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the ex-PM has finally decided to endorse Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Report: Berri-Jumblat Disfavor Aoun for Presidency, Tripartite Alliance with Franjieh Does not Exist
Naharnet/September 30/16/Positive results with regard to the nomination of MP Michel Aoun for the presidential post are not to be expected from Speaker Nabih Berri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat, and a tripartite alliance with Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh is not in the making, An Nahar daily reported on Friday. Sources who held meetings with Berri and Jumblat earlier, said they observed “discouraging impressions” as for a suggestion to support Aoun for the presidency, the daily quoted the sources on condition of anonymity. “Even though they (Berri and Jumblat) dealt flexibly with the motives of al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri to re-float all the options (to fill the presidential vacuum) including the option of nominating Aoun,” but they do not encourage the MP for the top Christian post. On reports that claimed that a tripartite alliance between Berri, Jumblat and Franjieh was 'in the making' to push the later for the presidential post, the sources stressed: “They (Berri and Jumblat) realize the caveats of such an alliance which would be interpreted as targeting Hariri. At the same time they do not seem in a positive position to the option of re-floating the nomination of Aoun.”Hariri held talks Thursday evening with Berri as part of his latest drive regarding the issue of the presidency. He also met with Franjieh, his declared presidential candidate, in the wake of his return from a several-week foreign trip. Hariri has also met with Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat and, according to MTV, he is scheduled to meet in the coming hours with Aoun and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. According to media reports, Berri has insisted in recent days that no president will be elected without an agreement on so-called package deal involving agreements on key issues such as the presidency, the government and the electoral law. Hariri's return to Lebanon on Saturday has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the ex-PM has finally decided to endorse Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Hariri Meets Aoun as Geagea Says 'Gap Narrowing' on Presidency
Naharnet/September 30/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri held a much-anticipated meeting with Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun in Rabieh on Friday, shortly after he held talks in Maarab with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.The former premier was accompanied by his adviser Nader Hariri and the meeting was attended by FPM chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, state-run National News Agency reported. Following talks with Hariri earlier in the day, Geagea had announced that the “the gap has started to narrow” regarding the presidential file. “The meeting tackled things thoroughly and we extensively discussed the presidential issue,” the LF leader said. “Do not expect a final stance from ex-PM Hariri soon but this is the beginning of the road,” Geagea added, noting that he is “certainly more optimistic today” than he was yesterday. The LF leader also reiterated that “Hizbullah does not want a president or the election of Aoun as president,” while stressing that the LF will continue to back Aoun's nomination. Asked whether Hariri would visit Aoun later in the day, Geagea laughingly responded that that depends on the outcome of the Maarab meeting. Since Monday, Hariri has met with Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, Kataeb Party leader MP Sami Gemayel, Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat and Speaker Nabih Berri. The ex-PM's return to Lebanon on Saturday has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the he has finally decided to endorse Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Mashnouq Criticizes Call for 'Package Deal', Urges against 'Imposing' Candidates
Naharnet/September 30/16/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq on Friday criticized Speaker Nabih Berri's insistence on a package deal that precedes the election of a new president, while stressing that candidates must not be “imposed” on anyone. “Ex-PM Saad Hariri is visiting one group after another and one movement after another to discuss the available choices with everyone, seeing as the country is reeling from negative economic and financial situations and our situations are worse than we thought in all state institutions,” Mashnouq, a member of Hariri's al-Mustaqbal Movement, said. “We call on all political forces to observe calm in their rhetoric and consultations... and no one should try to impose a certain candidate on anyone,” the minister added. “We must not stop talking to each other if we disagree on something and if we reach an agreement, we must not try to impose it on anyone,” Mashnouq went on to say. Commenting on Berri's call for a package deal, the minister added: “The Constitution stipulates that after the election of a president a prime minister would be designated to form a government by a majority of MPs, so where is the wisdom in discussing the line-up of the government before electing a president?”“I don't understand what does the electoral law have to do with the formation of the government. It is the right of all political forces to discuss the electoral law all year long,” Mashnouq went on to say. “There is a comparison between the current days and the days during which we went to Doha to forge a political agreement. How are they related? We went to Doha as a result of a condemned military operation (by Hizbullah and its allies) and May 7 (2008) was a black day in our history and memory, so why are they trying to awaken the demons today?” the minister asked. “Why are they saying that nowadays we are going through a period that is similar to the one that preceded the Doha Accord and that we must discuss the government line-up, the electoral law and other topics before electing a president?” Mashnouq added, stressing that Mustaqbal “will not be part of any constitutional step before the election of a president.”
He also underlined that national dialogue must be “open-ended” instead of being “preconditioned.”According to media reports, Berri has insisted in recent days that no president will be elected without an agreement on so-called package deal involving agreements on key issues such as the presidency, the government and the electoral law.
But MTV reported Thursday that Berri is willing to accept “half a package deal” involving “an agreement on the electoral law, the finance minister post, creating an oil ministry and retaking the energy ministry portfolio.”Hariri's return to Lebanon on Saturday has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the ex-PM has finally decided to endorse Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties.
The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

FPM to Mark October 13, 1990
Naharnet/September 30/16/The Free Patriotic Movement will commemorate next month the ouster of its founder MP Michel Naharnet/September 30/16/Aoun on October 13, 1990 on the Presidential Palace road in Baabda, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday. The FPM will mark the occasion on Sunday, October 16, FPM sources told the daily. “We have nothing new to offer, and we don't negotiate with anyone. We are waiting for a reply,” the sources told the daily, referring to the political negotiations between political parties that could see Aoun as president of Lebanon. “We are not the impasse, and we only demand our right and they in turn must take action. If the answer came out to be positive, then it is all right, but if it turned out to be negative then someone must shoulder the responsibility,” they warned. “The FPM is always ready to take peaceful moves to face any emergency. We are like the Swiss people, we are always on standby and can be ready in 24 hours,” added the source, referring to their vows to start street rallies shall the parliament fail to elect Aoun. Aoun served as the PM of the legal faction of the two rival governments contending for power in Lebanon from 1988 to October 1990. He declared the “Liberation War” against the Syrian occupation on March 14 1989. On the October 13, 1990, the Syrian forces invaded Beirut killing hundreds of unarmed soldiers and civilians. Aoun, then-prime minister, left the Presidential Palace and sought refuge in the French Embassy and he was later allowed to travel to France. He returned to Lebanon on May 7, 2005, eleven days after the withdrawal of Syrian troops. In 2006, as head of the FPM, he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hizbullah. He visited Syria in 2009.

Judge Saqr Charges Four for Terror Acts
Naharnet/September 30/16/Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr charged four detainees with belonging to an armed terror groups for the purpose of carrying out terror operations, the National News Agency reported on Monday. Saqr charged the four detainees, including two Lebanese and two Syrians, with entering into the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh in Sidon and preparing terror attacks, NNA added. He referred them to the First Military Examining Magistrate.

Ibrahim: Looking for 'Serious' Mediator to Negotiate Release of Abducted Servicemen
Naharnet/September 30/16/General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said on Friday that efforts continue to find a “serious” mediator to negotiate the release of servicemen abducted in 2014 by the Islamic State group, the National News Agency reported. “We are looking for a serious mediator to negotiate the file of the servicemen abducted by the IS,” said Ibrahim during a trip to West Bekaa. “We don't have accurate information whether the servicemen in the captivity of the IS are still alive or were assassinated. They (IS) have vowed on several occasions that they would provide us with evidence, but they did not keep their word,” the VDL (100.5) quoted Abbas as saying. The Islamic State group and al-Nusra Front, which re-branded itself as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham in July when it split from the al-Qaida movement, abducted over 30 servicemen in clashes between militants and the Lebanese army in the northeastern border town of Arsal in August 2014. Sixteen held by the Jabhat Fateh al-Islam were freed in December last year through a Qatari-mediated deal that also included a prisoner swap to release a number of inmates from Lebanese jails. The two groups had previously executed four of the hostages. Nine hostages are still being held by the IS and their families do not know much about their fate.

Report: LF Defends Right to Claim Defense and Interior Portfolios
Naharnet/September 30/16/Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea will begin political contacts as soon as he returns to the country from a trip abroad, to follow up on the political mobility that spiked lately in an attempt to reach consensus on a head of state, as LF sources defend the party's right to claim ministerial portfolio including the defense and interior, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday. Commenting on speculations that some refuse to assign the defense and interior ministries to the Lebanese Forces, an LF source said: “We will not accept this exclusion, because the LF is an essential component and has the right like all other political parties to handle any of the ministries without any veto.”“Why do they have a problem with the Lebanese Forces in particular, and why are they afraid that we claim the ministries of defense and interior?” the source went on and asked. “Does the Lebanese Forces have an armed organization? Or is it because we refuse armed organizations? This logic is totally unacceptable. The LF believes in the (state) institutions mainly in the defense and interior,” added the source on condition of anonymity. Moreover, Change and Reform bloc sources defended the LF's right in that regard, they said: “the LF can claim any ministry they wish to. This is determined during the formation of the government when the portfolios are distributed.”

Geagea after meeting Hariri: Dispute over political issue tapered
Fri 30 Sep 2016/NNA - Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea branded on Friday his meeting with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri as profound, touching in depth on the presidential issue. "Dispute over political issue has started to narrow," Geagea said in the wake of his lengthy meeting with Hariri at his Maarab residence. Geagea said that Hariri shall meet with General Michel Aoun sooner or later, saying "Don't await Hariri's final decision soon... Yet, we are now at the beginning of the road."The LF leader stressed that no one can annul any side in the country, stressing the dire need to exert all efforts to elect a president of the republic as a solution to all standing problems, hailing Hariri's endeavors in this regard. Geagea sounded optimistic over the presidential issue "more than before." "We are determined to support General Michel Aoun to presidency," Geagea said, pointing out that Hezbollah neither wants a president nor wants Aoun a president as well.

Amal official survives stray bullet in Bir Hassan
Fri 30 Sep 2016/NNA - A stray bullet hit this evening the car of Amal Movement's politburo, Sheikh Hassan Masri, in Bir Hassan, but failed to injure him, National News Agency correspondent reported on Friday.The cartridge was shot during a wedding ceremony in the area.

Huge fire erupts in Chouf
Fri 30 Sep 2016/NNA - Huge fire erupted this afternoon in the outskirts of the Chouf town of Khraybe, and ravaged through some five hectares, right at the threshold of the region's cedar reserve, National News Agency correspondent reported on Friday. Firefighters from the Civil Defense and Khraybe municipality worked on extinguishing the flames, with military choppers roaming the space.

Basbous meets Land Transportation Unions delegation
Fri 30 Sep 2016/NNA - Internal Security Forces Chief, General Ibrahim Basbous, met at his office on Friday, with a delegation of the Land Transportation Unions. Talks reportedly touched on the means to fight drivers who illegally transport taxi seekers aboard private vehicles.
He later welcomed organizer of Grand Prix which took place last week in Beirut, Hussein Fawwaz.

Salman visits Moqbel on farewell visit
Fri 30 Sep 2016/NNA - Deputy Prime Minister, National Defence Minister, Samir Moqbel, received on Friday afternoon at his Ministry office with Army Chief-of- Staff, Major General Walid Salman, who came on a farewell visit at the end of his term of mission. Major General Salman thanked Minister Moqbel for his permanent concern for the military institution. On the other hand, Moqbel issued a decree commissioning Major General Hatem Malak to conduct the tasks of the presidency of Army chief of staff, after the issuance of the decree which promoted him to the rank of Major General.

Egypt Ambassador: upsized trade with Lebanon top priority
Fri 30 Sep 2016/NNA - Egyptian Ambassador in Beirut, Nazih al-Najari, underlined on Friday that his country considered bolstering bilateral relations and upsizing investment with Lebanon a top priority, highlighting keenness on eliminating any hindrance holding back the two-pronged trade. "The Egyptian-Lebanese ties are deep rooted in history. Egypt's modern history witnessed that the Lebanese had contributed to the rise of Egypt, in all economic, political, and cultural fields. In turn, Egypt stood by the Lebanese people in the face of the repetitive Israeli hostilities, last of which in 2006," the diplomat told a lunch banquet held by EDAL in his honor, at Phoenicia Hotel. "Egypt shall spare no effort in helping Lebanon overcome its political crisis, end the presidential vacuum, and back its constitutional institutions," al-Najari said. "The Egyptian-Lebanese relations are widely open to development and prosperity, should the Lebanese private sector and an improved investment climate in Egypt help," he concluded.

Marotti inaugurates Italian Funded Tibnin Mill
Fri 30 Sep 2016/NNA - Italian Ambassador to Lebanon Massimo Marotti said that Italy carries out developmental projects in southern regions out of its conviction that security and development are of equal importance. Ambassador Marotti inaugurated on Friday along with Tibnin Municipality Head Nabil Fawwaz the Italian-funded Tibnin Mill after its restoration by UNIFIL Italian Contingent, during a ceremony attended by MPs Ayoub Hamid and Ali Bazzi, and other dignitaries. In reply to a question about the impact of the Syrian refugees on local municipalities and hosting communities, Ambassador Marotti categorically stressed that Italy and all donor European countries are helping Lebanon to address this issue, and an amount of $3 billion has been allocated so far in this regard. "We are committed and efforts are made for the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland," Marotti said.
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 01/16

3,800 Civilians Dead in Year of Russian Strikes in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/16/Around 3,800 civilians have been killed in one year of Russian air strikes in Syria in support of President Bashar Assad, a monitoring group said Friday. They are among more than 9,300 people who have died in the raids since September 30, 2015, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The toll also includes more than 5,500 fighters from the Islamic State jihadist group and various rebel factions, the British-based monitor said. At least 20,000 civilians were wounded in the Russian raids, it said. The Observatory -- which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information -- says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the death toll from Russia strikes could be even higher given the number of people killed by unidentified warplanes.

Russia Shrugs Off Syria Campaign Death Toll Allegation
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/16/Russia on Friday dismissed an accusation its bombing campaign in Syria has killed thousands of civilians, insisting it has stopped jihadists taking over as it marks a year since it began air strikes. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that more than 9,300 people -- including some 3,800 civilians -- had been killed in the year of Russian air strikes in Syria in support of President Bashar Assad. "We do not consider as reliable the information on the situation in Syria coming from this organization, which is based in the United Kingdom," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. The toll released by the Observatory includes more than 2,700 jihadists from the Islamic State jihadist group and around 2,800 fighters from various rebel factions.The monitor also said that at least 20,000 civilians have been wounded in Russian raids. Peskov said that the Russian campaign's main objective had been to "assist Syrians and the Syrian army in the fight against terrorism.""Taking into account that the Islamic State, al-Qaida and al-Nusra aren't sitting in Damascus, this is probably a positive result of the support our air force has provided to the legitimate armed forces of Syria," Peskov said. Russia has been accused of indiscriminately bombing Aleppo's opposition-controlled east as it helps an assault currently being conducted by Syrian government troops to capture all of the country's second city. A short-lived truce brokered by Moscow and Washington earlier this month could have led the two countries to coordinate strikes against jihadists, but the deal quickly unraveled. The United Nations has warned that a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Aleppo unlike any witnessed so far in Syria's brutal five-year war, which has claimed more than 300,000 lives.Russia said Thursday that it would continue its Syrian air campaign in spite of U.S. warnings that Washington would pull the plug on talks unless Moscow stopped Aleppo assault.

Syria Regime Advances in Aleppo, MSF Decries 'Bloodbath'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/16/Syrian regime forces advanced in the battleground city of Aleppo on Friday, backed by a Russian air campaign that a monitor said has killed more than 3,800 civilians in the past year. The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity accused Syria's government and its ally Moscow of provoking a "bloodbath" in the city, saying the eastern rebel-held portion had become "a giant kill box."Syria's army was advancing on two Aleppo fronts, as talks between key players Washington and Moscow -- which back opposing sides in the war -- appeared on the verge of collapse.Damascus's bid to recapture all of the divided city prompted the UN to warn of "a humanitarian catastrophe." Just over a week after it announced an operation to recapture all of Aleppo, the army was advancing both in northern and central Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor and Syrian state media. In the north, it recaptured the Handarat former Palestinian refugee camp, as well as the old Kindi hospital, said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. Rebels had held the hospital since 2013 and capturing it allows government forces to threaten the opposition-held Heluk and Haydariyeh neighborhoods in northeast Aleppo. "The regime's strategy is to chip away until it reaches the heart of the rebel-held areas," Abdel Rahman said.
'Barbarous' strikes
In central Aleppo meanwhile, fierce clashes shook the Suleiman al-Halabi neighborhood, which is divided by the frontline that separates the rebel-held east and regime-held west. The army is seeking to capture the opposition-held part of the district and advance to the main water supply station for the government-controlled part of Aleppo which is located in the neighborhood. Syrian state television said eight civilians had been killed and 35 wounded by rocket fire on the government-held part of Suleiman al-Halabi and neighboring Midan district. The Observatory and an AFP correspondent on the ground said air strikes on Friday were focused on the battlefield, unlike in previous days, which had seen heavy bombardment of civilian areas. Since the army operation began, Damascus and Moscow have pounded east Aleppo with air strikes, barrel bomb attacks and artillery fire. The assault has leveled apartment blocks and put hospitals out of service, creating a humanitarian catastrophe in opposition areas that have been under siege for most of the past two months. It has been some of the worst violence since the March 2011 beginning of the conflict, which has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced over half the population. U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday condemned what they called "barbarous" Russian and Syrian regime air strikes on Aleppo.
And U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington was "on the verge of suspending the discussion" with Russia on Syria because of the ongoing assault in Aleppo. "It's irrational in the context of the kind of bombing taking place, to be sitting there, trying to take things seriously," he said.
'A giant kill box'
Moscow is a key ally of President Bashar Assad and began a military campaign to bolster his forces last September that has killed more than 9,300 people so far, according to the Observatory. That figure includes 3,804 civilians and more than 5,500 jihadist and rebel fighters, according to the monitor. At least 20,000 civilians have been wounded in the Russian raids, it said. The Observatory -- which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information -- says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved. Moscow said Thursday that it would continue its bombing campaign in Syria, despite Washington's threat and international concern over the situation in Aleppo. "Bombs are raining from Syria-led coalition planes and the whole of east Aleppo has become a giant kill box," MSF director of operations Xisco Villalonga said in a statement on Friday. "The Syrian government must stop the indiscriminate bombing, and Russia as an indispensable political and military ally of Syria has the responsibility to exert the pressure to stop this," he said. U.N. aid chief Stephen O'Brien on Thursday told the Security Council that Aleppo was descending into the "merciless abyss of a humanitarian catastrophe unlike any we have witnessed so far in Syria."Save the Children meanwhile said Friday that the use of bunker-busting bombs meant it would be too dangerous for children to return to school this weekend even to underground classrooms. The "ferocious assault" on Aleppo could deprive almost 100,000 school-age children of an education, said the charity, which supports 13 schools in the city, eight of them underground.

Obama: Abbas Presence at Peres Funeral Reminder of 'Unfinished Business of Peace'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/16/U.S. President Barack Obama said Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas' presence at Shimon Peres' funeral on Friday was a reminder of the "unfinished business of peace."At the start of his eulogy for Nobel Peace Prize winner Peres in Jerusalem, Obama mentioned Abbas, who was seated in the front row, and said his "presence here is a gesture and a reminder of the unfinished business of peace." Obama said later, speaking of Peres, that "the Jewish people weren't born to rule another people, he would say.""He believed that the Zionist idea would be best protected when Palestinians too had a state of their own. "Of course we gather here in the knowledge that Shimon never saw his dream of peace fulfilled." Obama said Peres "understood in this war-torn region where too often Arab youth are taught to hate Israel from an early age ... just how hard peace would be." Peres held nearly every major office in Israel, serving twice as prime minister and as president, a mainly ceremonial role, from 2007 to 2014. He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for his role as foreign minister in negotiating the Oslo accords, which envisioned an independent Palestinian state. But there has been little progress in peace efforts in recent years and there have been growing warnings that the possibility of a two-state solution to the conflict is slipping away. Obama has been unable to make progress on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during his eight years in office. A U.S.-led initiative collapsed in April 2014 and peace efforts have been comatose since then. There has been speculation that Obama may seek to somehow lay out his vision for a resolution to the decades-old conflict before leaving office in January. Israel is concerned about the possibility, worried that Obama may support or decide not to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution on the conflict that it opposes. He has had a testy personal relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government is seen as the most right-wing in the country's history.
His administration has frequently criticized Israel over persistent settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. Obama however sat next to Netanyahu during the funeral, and the two men have put aside their differences in recent months to agree a decade-long $38 billion defense aid package for Israel. They spoke together after the the service as they walked to Peres' graveside for his burial. Abbas shook hands and spoke briefly with Netanyahu before the start of the funeral, a rare occurrence. The last substantial public meeting between Abbas and Netanyahu was in 2010, though there have been unconfirmed reports of secret meetings since then.

World Leaders Bid Farewell to Shimon Peres in Jerusalem
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/16/World leaders bid farewell to Israeli elder statesman and Nobel Peace laureate Shimon Peres at his funeral in Jerusalem Friday, with U.S. President Barack Obama hailing him as a giant of the 20th century. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was among the mourners at the city's Mount Herzl national cemetery and was seated in the front row, reportedly at the request of Peres' family. Abbas knew Peres well and negotiated with him. In an extremely rare move, he shook hands and spoke briefly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon arrival.
Security forces were on high alert, with roads closed and thousands of officers deployed. Some 70 countries were represented, with the range of leaders illustrating the respect Peres gained over the years in his transformation from hawk to committed peace advocate. "In many ways he reminded me of some other giants of the 20th century that I had the honor to meet: men like Nelson Mandela, women like Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth," said Obama, who wore a black Jewish skullcap. Leaders of Arab countries were overwhelmingly absent from the funeral. Peres' death on Wednesday at the age of 93 after suffering a major stroke drew tributes from around the world for Israel's last remaining founding father. An estimated 50,000 people filed past his coffin as it lay in state outside parliament in Jerusalem throughout the day on Thursday. Former US president Bill Clinton was among those who paid their last respects there, appearing moved as he stood in silence before the coffin. Clinton had helped usher in the Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s, which resulted in the Nobel prize for Peres. He also spoke at the funeral, giving a warm eulogy in which he said Peres' "critics often claimed he was a naive, overly optimistic dreamer. They were only wrong about the naive part."Netanyahu, in his eulogy, called Peres a "great man of the world."The two men had been political rivals, and Netanyahu recalled a late-night discussion on Israel's future with Peres in which they debated security and peace. "Be at peace, Shimon, dear man, exceptional leader," he said. Obama, who has had a testy personal relationship with Netanyahu, made a point of mentioning Abbas at the start of his eulogy and said his "presence here is a gesture and a reminder of the unfinished business of peace."Obama said later, speaking of Peres, that "the Jewish people weren't born to rule another people, he would say."The funeral took place under a white canopy in the leafy national cemetery, where many Israeli dignitaries are buried. Around 8,000 police were deployed for the commemorations. Preventative arrests of both Jews and Palestinians were made ahead of the funeral to avoid potential disruptions, police said. The last time such an event was held in Israel was the 1995 funeral for Yitzhak Rabin, Peres' rival in the Labor party but partner in negotiating the Oslo accords. Eulogies were completed before midday and Peres' coffin was lowered into his grave next to Rabin, who was assassinated in 1995 by a Jewish extremist opposed to the accords.
Criticism from Arab nations
In a career spanning seven decades, Peres held nearly every major office, serving twice as prime minister and as president, a mainly ceremonial role, from 2007 to 2014. He won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for his role in negotiating the Oslo accords, which envisioned an independent Palestinian state. He was also an architect of Israel's nuclear program, with the country now considered the Middle East's sole nuclear-armed nation, though it has never declared it. While Peres is hailed in the West as a peacemaker, many in the Arab world, including among the Palestinians, regard him as a "war criminal." They have cited his involvement in successive Arab-Israeli wars, the occupation of Palestinian territory and his support for settlement building before his work on Oslo. He was also prime minister in 1996 when more than 100 civilians were killed while sheltering at a U.N. peacekeepers' base in the Lebanese village of Qana fired upon by Israel. Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, condemned Abbas for offering condolences to Peres' family, saying it "disregards the blood of the martyrs and the suffering of the Palestinian people". Abbas, who signed the Oslo accords along with Peres, however called him a "brave" partner for peace. There have been very few tributes from Arab nations, though Egypt was represented by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Jordan too sent a minister. They are the only two Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with Israel.
Naomi Campbell, Joe Biden
Born in Poland in 1923, Peres emigrated to what was then British-mandated Palestine when he was 11. He joined the Zionist struggle and met David Ben-Gurion, who would become his mentor and Israel's first prime minister. Peres became director general of the nascent defense ministry at just 29. After leaving office as president, he had sought to maintain an active schedule, particularly through his Peres Center for Peace. He was hospitalized in January for heart trouble, but said he was eager to return to work upon leaving. In March, he met British supermodel Naomi Campbell at his Peres Center for Peace during an event linked to International Women's Day. On the same day, he met visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. Despite his reputation as a statesman, Peres never managed to outright win a national election. Many in Israel opposed to the Oslo accords also blamed him for what they saw as their failure. But in later life, especially during his time as president, he came to be widely embraced.

3 Chinese Fishermen Dead after Clash with SKorea Coast Guard
Associated Press/Naharnet/September 30/16/South Korea's coast guard says three Chinese fishermen have been found dead when a fire broke out on their boat after the coast guard fired a flashbang grenade at the vessel to stop it. The coast guard said in a statement that the officers boarded the vessel off South Korea's southwestern coast on Thursday and put out the fire. They took 14 other fishermen to a South Korean port. The statement did not say if the flashbang grenade caused the fire or what killed the fishermen. The coast guard often stops Chinese ships for suspected illegal fishing, and violent clashes sometimes happen.In 2014, a South Korea coast guardsman fatally shot the captain of a Chinese fishing vessel who was trying to prevent his ship from being inspected.

Moroccan Left Hopes to Offer 'Third Way' at Polls
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/16/As campaigning heats up ahead of next week's parliamentary elections in Morocco, Nabila Mounib wants to offer voters an alternative to ruling Islamists and the liberal opposition. The country's only female party leader, Mounib heads up a leftist coalition that calls for a constitutional monarchy and genuine political reform. The North African kingdom has long been considered among the most liberal nations in the Arab world. But its parliament has limited legislative clout, even after King Mohamed VI agreed to a new constitution curbing his near-absolute power in 2011 following region-wide popular revolts. The Federation of the Democratic Left (FGD) is campaigning for the October 7 poll under the slogan: "With us, another Morocco is possible."In an interview with AFP, Mounib said her movement offers a "third way" between the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) and the liberal opposition Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM). "Those two parties don't respond to the aspirations of Moroccans to establish a real democracy," she said. "We position ourselves between them, and propose the way of genuine political reform via a separation of powers."Over the last few months, the 56-year-old academic has carved out a prominent space in Moroccan politics with her outspoken criticism of other political parties and the royal palace itself. She dismissed what she believes is a false dichotomy between conservatives and modernists. "The party that calls itself conservative (the PJD) has shown that in economic terms it is a follower of neoliberalism with all its harmful effects," she said. "Meanwhile the other side, abusively called modernist, has never talked of modernity."
Left in disarray
The FGD is a coalition of three leftist groups including Mounib's Unified Socialist Party (PSU). It comes from a long tradition of leftist parties which were harshly repressed during the reign of King Hassan II. King Mohamed VI, who succeeded his father in 1999, took a more lenient stance. But the left has been in disarray for a decade. "The program of the left is obsolete and has not reinvented itself since the 1980s," said Abdellah Tourabi, a Moroccan columnist and political scientist. He said leftists in Morocco are intellectually and ideologically stuck in the past, opening the door for more conservative, Islamist parties. "The left can no longer seduce its historical base, namely the urban middle classes," Tourabi said. "Another force has taken its place today -- the PJD. It wins the most seats in the major cities, where the left used to triumph."That is a dynamic Mounib hopes to tackle. She was a prominent supporter of Morocco's Arab Spring-inspired February 20 Movement, calling for a parliamentary monarchy. Mounib says the 2011 constitution did not go far enough -- but that has not entirely alienated her from the palace. In late 2015, the King sent her on a delicate diplomatic mission to persuade Sweden not to recognize Western Sahara, controlled by Morocco, as an independent country. The trip was a success, in part thanks to her leftist connections.
Disillusioned
Mounib's political ambitions received a boost in mid-September when a local newspaper published an open letter signed by a hundred figures from academia, the arts and civil society, calling on her to turn the FGD into a force for change. The letter criticized those "who say that reform is possible but continue to work with the corrupt" and "those who call themselves progressives but condone authoritarianism under the cover of fighting religious fundamentalism."Those words could hit home among Moroccans who are disillusioned with politics. Turnout was just 45 percent at the last poll in 2011, which Mounib's party boycotted. This time round, with 30 parties competing, the FGD is hoping to end the radical left's long exile and win more than 300,000 votes nationally. "The echoes are favorable and the surge of sympathy is indisputable," said Omar Balafrej, another figure of the FGD, whose candidates have pledged to pass up on their parliamentary salaries if elected. In April, Mounib made waves by polling third on a list of politicians most likely to head the next government. "She has a certain freedom of tone," said TelQuel, the magazine that ran the poll. "It's more her personality than her progra that seems to raise interest."

Saudi Soldier Killed, 3 Civilians Hurt by Yemeni Shells
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/16/Shelling from Yemeni rebels killed a Saudi border guard and wounded three civilians including a Bangladeshi, the interior ministry said on Friday. The Tuwal district of Jazan, on the Saudi frontier with Yemen, came under fire on Thursday afternoon, wounding the border guard corporal, a ministry statement said. He died on the way to hospital. Two Saudis and a Bangladeshi national were wounded by Huthi rebel shelling of Tuwal the same day, the Civil Defence agency said in a separate statement. More than 100 civilians and Saudi Arabian soldiers have died in strikes and skirmishes along the frontier since a Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen on the side of the internationally-recognised government in March last year. The coalition began air strikes after the Huthis and their allies, troops loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, overran much of the country. Riyadh feared the Huthis would take over all of Yemen and move it into the orbit of Shiite Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia's regional rival. In Yemen, more than 6,600 people have been killed, most of them civilians, according to the United Nations. Riyadh faces mounting international scrutiny over civilian casualties in its Yemen air campaign.

Saudi Warns of 'Disastrous Consequences' over U.S. 9/11 Law
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/16/Saudi Arabia has warned of "disastrous consequences" from a United States law allowing 9/11 victims to sue the kingdom, in a major spike in tension between the longstanding allies. The warning came after the US Congress voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override President Barack Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA). JASTA allows attack survivors and relatives of terrorism victims to pursue cases against foreign governments in US federal court and to demand compensation if such governments are proven to bear some responsibility for attacks on US soil. A Saudi foreign ministry source late on Thursday called on the US Congress "to take the necessary measures to counter the disastrous and dangerous consequences" of the law. The unnamed spokesman, cited by the official Saudi Press Agency, said the law is "a source of great worry."This law "weakens the immunity of states", and will have a negative impact on all countries "including the United States," the spokesman said, expressing hope that "wisdom will prevail." In opposing the law, Obama said it would harm US interests by undermining the principle of sovereign immunity, opening up the US to private lawsuits over its military missions abroad. The erosion of sovereign immunity is also a concern among the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Saudi Arabia is the most powerful member. Saudi Arabia's Gulf allies have lined up beside Riyadh to criticise the legislation.
Late on Thursday, United Arab Emirates foreign minister Anwar Gargash described the move as "a dangerous precedent in international law that undermines the principle of sovereign immunity and the future of sovereign investments" in the US. "The populism surrounding the JASTA law overcame the rationality required in matters of international law and investments," he tweeted, warning of its "long term and dangerous implications." - Decades-old ties -A senior Saudi prince reportedly threatened to pull out billions of dollars of US assets if JASTA became law, though Saudi officials have distanced themselves from such threats. Gargash criticised what he said was "illogical and demagogic" incitement in the United States against Saudi Arabia which has "suffered most from extremism and terrorism." However, he said reactions should "not be hasty. Easing damage requires focused and joint action."The UAE, a US ally in the Gulf, has played a major role alongside Saudi Arabia in its war against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Bahrain, another GCC ally of Riyadh, has also criticised the bill, which it warned will harm the US. A Saudi newspaper on Friday sent a message to US lawmakers through a headline that played with the letters of "JASTA". They "Just Acted Stupidly Toward Allies," the Arab News said on its front page. Analysts have warned that Saudi Arabia could reduce valuable security and intelligence cooperation with ally Washington after the Congressional vote. Riyadh and Washington have a decades-old relationship based on the exchange of American security for Saudi oil. Yet Saudi Arabia was home to 15 of the 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers who carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States which killed nearly 3,000 people. Riyadh denies any ties to the plotters. Ties between Riyadh and Washington became increasingly frayed under Obama, but analysts said security cooperation and intelligence sharing remained solid.

Cyprus Orders Plane Hijacking Suspect Extradited to Egypt
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/16/A Cypriot court ruled on Friday that an Egyptian man accused of hijacking a plane and diverting it to Cyprus can be extradited to Cairo for his alleged crimes. Nicosia District Court judge Dora Constantinou was satisfied that Seif al-Din Mohamed Mostafa, 58, would get a fair trial in Egypt and would not be persecuted for his political beliefs. "I have no doubt that the offences described in the extradition request are offences which can constitute an extradition order," the judge's ruling said. "The offences are part of the common criminal code and under no circumstances can they be considered political," she added. Defence lawyer Robertos Vrahimi said afterwards that he has been instructed by his client to appeal the decision and has 10 days to do so. Mostafa is accused of using a fake suicide belt to seize the plane flying from Alexandria to Cairo and redirect it to the Mediterranean island. The hijacking ended peacefully with his arrest and the release of the 55 passengers after a six-hour standoff.

Turkey Opposition Leader Blasts Erdogan's 'Counter Coup'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/16/Turkey's main opposition party leader on Friday accused the government of seeking to capitalize on the July 15 coup to stifle dissent, and vowed to oppose moves to extend a three-month state of emergency. Tens of thousands accused of links to the group led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, blamed by authorities for the attempted coup, have been detained or dismissed from their jobs in a relentless crackdown following the coup. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), accused the government of using the July 15 attempted putsch to "stage another coup, a coup against democracy." The government has imposed a three-month state of emergency after the botched coup, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested there might be a need to extend the measure even up to a year. But Kilicdaroglu said: "We are in a process where the government is using the coup to expand its power and silence the opposition."Up to 32,000 suspects have been remanded in custody, according to government figures. Arrests include top former generals accused of organising the coup but also people from every sector of life ranging from sweet pastry magnates to former footballers. Several prominent journalists and writers have also been placed under arrest, including the journalist Ahmet Altan and his brother Mehmet, an academic. "Why are you putting handcuffs on journalists? Why do you detain intellectuals?" asked Kilicdaroglu. Kilicdaroglu said his party would not support the state of emergency when it comes before the 550-seat parliament dominated by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).  The CHP has 134 seats. As a result, the measure is likely to pass with the support of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). "Today the ruling party can shut down any newspaper it wants, push any businessmen it wants to bankruptcy or seize their assets under emergency laws," he told reporters in Istanbul. "This is a serious threat to democracy. Our first priority will be to keep the state of emergency as short as possible."His comments mark a crumbling of the solidarity with the government shown by the CHP and MHP in the aftermath of the coup, which extended to even attending a pro-Erdogan mass rally. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) was never invited to the meetings. Kilicdaroglu promised to stand by victims of the coup who ended up in court, including the over 100 journalists who according to activists are currently jailed. "What will we do against the counter coup? We will fight," he said.

Pope Lands in Georgia on Caucasus Peace Visit
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 30/16/Pope Francis landed in Georgia on Friday for a visit billed as a mission of peace to the volatile Caucasus region that will also take him to Azerbaijan just months after he visited arch-foe Armenia. The pontiff's plane landed at 1100 GMT in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, a country with one of the oldest Christian traditions in the world. He was greeted with a welcoming ceremony at the airport, where President Giorgi Margvelashvili and the leader of the Georgian Orthodox church, Patriarch Ilia II, were waiting for him. The two religious leaders embraced each other warmly on the tarmac as cheering crowds of Catholic faithful chanted "Viva Francesco!" and "Bienvenido Papa!" The Vatican has said that during the three-day visit Francis will "be bringing a message of peace and reconciliation" to the ex-Soviet region that is beset by festering conflicts. Pro-Western Georgia fought a brief war against Russia in 2008 and two Moscow-backed regions -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- are out of Tbilisi's control. Francis is due Sunday in Azerbaijan, where he will meet with, among others, President Ilham Aliyev, just days after the authoritarian leader won a referendum on constitutional changes seen as consolidating his grip on power. While in the energy-rich country, Francis is expected to reiterate the call he made three months ago in Armenia for a peaceful resolution of the long-simmering conflict over the disputed region of Nagorny-Karabakh. Officially part of Azerbaijan, the territory has been under the control of ethnic Armenian separatists since 1994, when a war between the two countries ended in a ceasefire but no formal peace accord. Since then, there have been sporadic outbursts of violence, including one in April that left 110 people dead.
Steps to peace
Inter-faith dialogue and reconciliation between different branches of Christianity have been dominant themes of Francis' papacy. And he will be seeking to strengthen relations with the Georgian Church which, like other Orthodox churches, doesn't recognize papal primacy and has doctrinal differences with the Roman Catholic Church. The churches' disagreements on a number of theological issues explain why Pope Francis and Patriarch Ilia II will not pray together in public during the pontiff's visit to Georgia. "The papal visit may bring in a certain thaw in the two Churches' relations, but not a breakthrough," Levan Sutidze, religion columnist at Georgia's Tabula magazine, told AFP. "Theological differences are substantial and the Georgian Church is known for its isolationist position." Ilia, 83, has overseen a post-Soviet revival of a church which claims the loyalty of more than 80 percent of Georgia's 4.9 million population. The church leader is a conservative figure known for some controversial views, including that homosexuality is a disease that should be treated like drug addiction. Georgia was one of the cradles of early Christianity and one of Jesus' apostles, Andrew, is credited with spreading the faith to the territories that make up modern Georgia. Occupied by the Bolsheviks in 1921, the country regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and is now targeting membership in the European Union and NATO -- a process its diplomats hope will be "pushed a step forward" by the papal visit. Francis himself explained the purpose of his visit in June, shortly after he returned from Armenia. "I accepted the invitation to visit these two countries for two reasons: to emphasize the ancient Christian roots of these lands in a spirit of dialogue with other religions and cultures and to encourage hopes and the paths of peace," he said. "History teaches us that peace requires great tenacity and continual steps forward, starting with little ones that become bigger as we each move towards meeting each other."

Iran: Chief Justice orders expeditious implementation of the death decrees
Friday, 30 September 2016/Fearing a popular uprising, the regime leaders step up social clampdown, executions Mullah Sadeq Larijani, the criminal Chief Justice of the Iranian regime, emphasized that it is not the Judiciary's policy to eliminate executions for drug smugglers. He said, "When did we have such an inclination? … This claim that executions were not useful is irrelevant. I urge all prosecutors across the country not to delay the implementation of the verdicts, and carry them out once they are issued. We are not allowed to delay carrying out the verdicts for three years and let the criminals begin praying in prison and then argue that since they pray we should cancel their executions. We cannot do away with executions in general because it undermines the judiciary's deterrence."The regime's chief justice admitted that executions are a means for establishing security in society. Larijani stressed, "One of the reasons for the effectiveness of these punishments is their prompt, expeditious and decisive implementation. It is against the interests of society and the Judiciary to prolong the prosecution process." He criticized "giving opportunity during the prosecution" to those accused of drug smuggling and said, "The prosecutor offices must establish security on all levels and take this task seriously." The cruel remarks by the Iranian regime's Chief Justice on the need to continue implementation and expedition of the death penalty come while there have 29 executions in the past three days, alone, and the average number of executions per day has amounted to 10. The notion of moderation is a mirage in the medieval clerical regime ruling Iran. Stepping up repression, torture and executions has been the barbaric regime's only way to confront the rising tide of popular discontent, amidst massive domestic and international crises, and to prevent another popular uprising which would uproot the regime. The Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/September 30, 2016

Iran regime's Interior Minister expresses fear of society’s explosive situation
Friday, 30 September 2016/NCRI - The Iranian regime’s Interior Minister, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, on Sunday 25 September attending a show on state television on social problems in Iran said: “As the Interior Minister, I tell you that we don’t really have an external threat… the real threat is internal and in the field of social problems and damages.”“The common denominator of all social problems including divorce, addiction, imprisonment, marginalization, etc. is public discontent which is a high figure. The public discontent in the next step can join together; and therefore politically, socially, and security-wise, in every aspect that we look at these phenomena, we should deal with them seriously...,” he added. He pointed out the tragedy of unemployment in Iran under the clerical regime and said: “The surveys (show that) the most important problems that people, especially the youth and educated people, are facing are economic problems and unemployment....”

Parents protest misuse of their children by Iran regime during Rouhani’s visit to Qazvin
Friday, 30 September 2016/NCRI - Parents of elementary school students in Qazvin, northern Iran, protested against the compulsory use of their children to welcome the Iranian regime’s President Hassan Rouhani for his official regional visit. According to the state-run Sobh-e Qazvin news agency, on the eve of the trip to Qazvin Province by the mullahs’ president, on September 27, the elementary school students in the province, even first-graders, were obliged to come with their parents to greet Rouhani. While expressing their strong objections, parents of a student told the agency: “How can elementary school children welcome the president. If an incident occurs, who is responsible for our children?” Parents were forced to sign this consent form for their children to take part in the welcome ceremony for Rouhani. Another student's parents said: “The Department of Education is forcing the students to take part in the welcome ceremony; consent sheets were distributed among the families and those who did not sign the form are facing disciplinary action and the threat of score deductions in their children’s record.”News published in social media and the Telegram network indicate that the children were used to distribute Rouhani’s posters on the streets of Qazvin which caused grave concerns among the parents due to crowded streets and high traffic. At the same time, free clothing, hats, and free meals, etc. were also distributed during Rouhani’s trip to Qazvin to bring people to greet him, but the route for Rouhani’s travel seemed empty and deserted.In the meantime, young people used the opportunity to protest and express their objections along the Rouhani’s travel route on the streets by holding up handwritten placards and leaflets against him and tearing up pictures of Rouhani and other officials of the regime.

US spokesman compares Congress to elementary school children over JASTA
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Friday, 30 September 2016/White House Spokesman Josh Earnest on Thursday compared Congress to elementary school children for overriding US President Barack Obama’s veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).“It’s hard to take at face value the suggestion that they were unaware of the consequences of their vote,” Earnest said during a White House press briefing. He added: “But even if they were, what’s true in elementary school is true in the United States Congress, ignorance is not an excuse. Particularly when it comes to our national security and the safety and security of our diplomats and our service members.”The spokesman said Obama had publicly discussed the JASTA’s potential negative impact in April. “I think what we've seen in the United States Congress is a pretty classic case of rapid onset buyer's remorse,” he said.

Australian PM Turnbull calls ex-MP’s Iraq visit ‘stupid’
AFP, Sydney Friday, 30 September 2016/A former Australian politician’s decision to travel to Iraq was “very stupid”, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Friday as it emerged that Wyatt Roy had been caught up in fighting. Roy became the nation’s youngest MP when he was elected in 2010 as a baby-faced 20-year-old, but he lost his seat in July elections. The ex-assistant minister for innovation said he had been on an unofficial trip which included visiting a Peshmerga outpost in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to visit a friend and “see for myself the realities of Daesh’s (ISIS) brutality”.But Turnbull said the trip, during which the outpost that Roy visited reportedly came under fire from ISIS, was “wrong and dangerous”. “Yes, it was very stupid,” Turnbull told Melbourne radio station 3AW as Sydney’s tabloid The Daily Telegraph labelled his former colleague “Wyatt Twerp”. “I’m disappointed in Wyatt, he shouldn’t have gone there. He knows that the official Australian government advice is ‘do not travel to Iraq’. “He put himself at risk of physical harm and capture and he was acting in defiance of government advice. And I think his actions were very foolish.”Turnbull said he had been unaware of Roy’s plans but the foreign ministry would be “taking an interest in his travels”. Canberra warns citizens not to go to Iraq, and has banned travel to parts of the country in an effort to prevent Australians from joining in the conflict as foreign fighters. The area that Roy visited this week is understood to be outside those areas which are banned. But the opposition Labor Party jumped on the incident, questioning whether the government knew of Roy’s plans given he had visited the Australian embassy in Tel Aviv immediately prior to the Iraq trip. “War zones are not places for people to act out their boyhood fantasies,” Labor Senator Penny Wong said in a statement, adding that Roy’s actions were “unwise and dangerous”. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop also slammed her former colleague, saying it was irresponsible to travel to such a high-risk region.“Mr. Roy did not seek nor did he receive assistance from the Australian government for his travel to Iraq,” she said in a statement. “The government does not endorse or approve of Mr. Roy’s actions.”

Recently-emerged militant group claims attack on Egyptian prosecutor
Reuters, Cairo Friday, 30 September 2016/A recently-emerged militant group called the Hasm Movement claimed responsibility on Friday for an assassination attempt on a senior Egyptian prosecutor, saying it was in revenge for death sentences handed to thousands of convicts. The organization, which has claimed four other attacks since July, said it set off the car bomb that exploded near a vehicle carrying assistant prosecutor general Zakaria Abdel Aziz from his office to his home in Cairo on Thursday. He and his entourage were not hurt but one passerby was wounded. Hasm, the Arabic word for decisiveness, accused judges of sentencing thousands of innocent defendants to death, or jailing them for life, at the behest of the military. “You will face justice,” it said in a statement that mixed Islamist and anti-government political rhetoric. Egypt is facing an Islamist insurgency led by ISIS’s branch in North Sinai, where hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed. Judges and other senior officials have increasingly been targeted by radical Islamists angered by hefty prison sentences imposed on members of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood, which says it is a peaceful organization, won Egypt's first free elections after the 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. But its presidential candidate, Mohammed Mursi, was himself deposed after mass protests against his rule and replaced by general turned President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2013. Sisi has since overseen a crackdown on opposition in which hundreds of Brotherhood supporters were killed and thousands, including Mursi, jailed or sentenced to death. Hasm’s statement on Friday included several photographs of what appeared to be Abdel Aziz’s car with the caption “target’s car” as well as his house and guards. Hasm has also said it was behind an assassination attempt last month on Egypt’s former Grand Mufti, Ali Gomaa, once one of the country’s top religious authorities. Gomaa is an outspoken critic of Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, and in his previous job had the final say on whether to confirm death sentences.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on October 01/16

7 Christians Punished Under Draconian Blasphemy Laws
Carey Lodge/Christian Today Journalist/September 30/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/09/30/carey-lodgechristian-today-7-christians-punished-under-draconian-blasphemy-laws/
Today marks International Blasphemy Day – designed to encourage people to speak out against repressive laws that forbid the criticism of religion.
Around a quarter of the world's countries have blasphemy laws, and more than a tenth penalise apostasy – the renunciation of religious belief. Breaking these laws can result in harsh punishments, and even death in some cases.
An annual report on religious freedom released by the US State Department in August said that one of its main concerns with regards to religious liberty is blasphemy and apostasy laws, which it said "conflict with and undermine universally recognized human rights".
In many Islamic societies, "societal passions associated with blasphemy – deadly enough in and of themselves – are abetted by a legal code that harshly penalizes blasphemy and apostasy," the report said.
"All residents of countries where laws or social norms encourage the death penalty for blasphemy are vulnerable to attacks... This is particularly true for those who have less power and are more vulnerable in those societies, like women, religious minorities, and the poor."
It highlighted the issue of false accusations, "often lodged in pursuit of personal vendettas or for the personal gain of the accuser", and said mob violence as a result of these accusations is "disturbingly common".
Courts which hand down punishments for blasphemy "severely curtail the religious freedom of their residents," the report warned.
Here are four recent cases of Christians suffering as a result of repressive blasphemy laws around the world.
Asia Bibi in Pakistan
Christian mother-of-five Asia Bibi has been on death row since 2010, after being accused by her former colleagues of blaspheming against the Prophet Mohammad – a charge she denies.
Call For Mercy
She was last year reportedly put in solitary confinement in her prison in Multan, eastern Pakistan, over fears she may be attacked by vigilantes. Persecution charity Release International has warned that one Muslim cleric has offered 500,000 rupees – about £4,000 – to anyone who manages to kill her. Bibi will next month face an appeals court, and campaigners have set up a petition urging Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to abolish the "iniquitous" blasphemy laws.
At least 95 per cent of the Pakistani population is Muslim, and Islam is enshrined in the constitution as the state religion. The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) last year said the country represented "one of the worst situations in the world for religious freedom" and accused the Pakistani government of failing to provide adequate protections for faiths other than Islam. It argued that repressive blasphemy laws in particular are used to target religious minorities.
These laws prescribe life imprisonment for the desecration of the Qur'an and the death sentence for "defiling" the Prophet Mohammad, and accusations of incidents have often prompted mob violence. According to the Centre for Research and Security Studied in Pakistan, more than 62 people have been killed in such incidents since 1990. More than 40 people are currently on death row for blasphemy, the majority of whom are members of religious minorities.
Slimane Bouhafs in Algeria
Under Algerian law all faiths are allowed to practise if they meet certain conditions, but proselytising is illegal. An Algerian court this month sentenced 49-year-old Slimane Bouhafs to three years in jail for "insulting Islam" in a series of Facebook posts.
He had previously been charged with blasphemy and given five years in jail – the maximum punishment – but this was reduced by an appeals court. The court's judgement said Bouhafs had "shared four distorted Koranic verses and photos offensive to the Prophet, as well as articles denigrating the Islamic religion," and that his conviction was on the basis of a series of online posts between May and June 2016. These included "a caricature representing the Prophet Mohamed as a terrorist" and other posts "slandering Islam as a religion of intolerance and hatred." Human Rights Watch said Bouhafs had shared on Facebook an open letter he had written to the secretary general of the UN, in which he denounced the "Islamisation of Algerian society" and the repression of Ahmadi Muslims and Christians. There are just 39,000 Christians among Algeria's population of more than 40 million, which is predominantly Muslim. The country ranks 37th on persecution charity Open Doors' list of places where it is most dangerous to be a Christian, and the charity has said the government is coming under increasing pressure to implement more Islamic legislation by Islamist groups. Conversion from Islam (or an attempt to convert someone else) is illegal and Muslim converts are forced to worship in secret. Only Muslims may hold public assembly and churches are often denied registration.
Four Coptic Christian teenagers in Egypt
Four Coptic Christian Egyptian teenage boys are now seeking asylum in Switzerland after being convicted of blasphemy by a court in Minya in February this year.
Mueller Edward, 17, Bassem Hanna, 16, and Alber Ashraf, 16, were sentenced to five years in prison, while Clinton Yousef, who at the time was aged 15, was placed in a juvenile facility.
They were charged with blasphemy after being filmed by their teacher pretending to pray while reciting verses from the Qur'an in January 2015. The students are shown in the video laughing and one appears to pretend to slit the throat of another, apparently mocking ISIS-style beheadings. They were sentenced for "contempt of Islam and inciting sectarian strife".
However, they were later released and allowed to travel to Turkey, where they sought a humanitarian visa to Switzerland. Their teacher, Gad Younan, was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2015, and was expelled from his village. The Egyptian penal code forbids citizens from "ridiculing or insulting heavenly religions or inciting sectarian strife". According to the USCIRF, this law is used to "detain, prosecute, and imprison members of religious groups whose practices deviate from mainstream Islamic beliefs".
Blasphemy cases in Egypt have risen since the revolution in 2011, and the majority of those sentenced to jail have been Christians, Shi'a Muslims and atheists.
Bridget Agbahime in Nigeria
An elderly pastor's wife, Bridget Agbahime was beaten to death by an angry mob in June following allegations that she had blasphemed. The 74-year-old was accused by a fellow shop owner on June 2, and a mob of 500 soon gathered. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a Muslim trader tried to hide Agbahime and her husband inside her shop, but the mob broke in and beat her to death in front of her husband. A local lawyer told CSW that the allegation of blasphemy was "a pure lie... She [Agbahime] was killed because of envy over a shop". Nigeria has two parallel court systems, Customary and Sharia, both of which forbid blasphemy. Open Doors has ranked Nigeria as one of the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian, and blasphemy accusations are believed to be on the rise in the country.
 

France: 'The Jungle' Migrant Camp/"Plan will proliferate a multitude of mini-Calais throughout the country."
Soeren Kern/ Gatestone Institute/September 30/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9044/france-migrants-jungle
In 2001 alone, 54,000 people "attacked" the Channel Tunnel terminal in Calais and 5,000 had gotten through.
Migrants evicted from Calais moved to Paris and established a massive squatter camp at the Jardins d'Eole, a public park near the Gare du Nord station, from where high-speed Eurostar trains travel to and arrive from London. The area has become a magnet for human traffickers who charge migrants thousands of euros for fake travel documents, for passage to London.
The President of the Alpes-Maritimes region, Eric Ciotti, criticized the government's "irresponsible" plan to relocate migrants in Calais to other parts of France. He said the plan would "proliferate a multitude of small Calais, genuine areas of lawlessness that exacerbate lasting tensions throughout the country."
A whistleblower reported that volunteer aid workers at "The Jungle" were forging sexual relationships with migrants, including children. "Female volunteers having sex enforces the view (that many have) that volunteers are here for sex," he said.
French President François Hollande has vowed "definitively, entirely and rapidly" to dismantle "The Jungle," a squalid migrant camp in the northern port town of Calais, by the end of this year.
Hollande made the announcement during a September 26 visit to Calais — but not to the camp itself — amid growing unease over France's escalating migrant crisis, which has become a central issue in the country's presidential campaign.
The French government plans to relocate the migrants at the camp to so-called reception centers in other parts of the country. But it remains unclear how the government will prevent migrants from returning to Calais.
Sceptics say the plan to demolish "The Jungle" is a publicity stunt that will temporarily displace the migrants but will not resolve the underlying problem — that French officials refuse either to deport illegal migrants or else to secure the country's borders to prevent illegal migrants from entering France in the first place.
The decision to demolish the camp came just days after construction work began on a wall in Calais, a major transport hub on the edge of the English Channel, to prevent migrants at the camp from stowing away on cars, trucks, ferries and trains bound for Britain.
In recent months, people-smugglers armed with knives, bats and tire irons have forced truck drivers to stop so that migrants can board their vehicles. The Deputy Mayor of Calais, Philippe Mignonet, has described the main route to the port as a "no-go area" between midnight and 6am.
"The Jungle" — the name "jungle" comes from "dzhangal," the Pashto word for forest — now houses around 10,000 migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East who are trying to reach Britain. Migrants at the camp are from Sudan (45%), Afghanistan (30%), Pakistan (7%), Eritrea (6%) and Syria (1%), according to aid agencies. The migrants at the camp are mostly young men and boys, including some 800 unaccompanied minors, who are seeking jobs in Britain's underground economy.
Migrants have been gathering in Calais in large numbers ever since the Channel Tunnel linking France and Britain opened in May 1994, and the Schengen Agreement, which abolished border controls between France and most of its neighbors (but not the UK), entered into force in March 1995.
In 1999, the French government asked the Red Cross to build a migrant "reception center" in Sangatte to accommodate a growing number of migrants on the streets of Calais and surrounding areas. The Sangatte camp, which was housed in a giant warehouse situated about a half mile from the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, had a capacity of 600 people.
Far from resolving the migrant problem in Calais, the Sangatte facility served as a magnet, quickly drawing thousands more people to the area. Within months, some 2,000 migrants were living in the camp in increasingly cramped conditions. Many of those staying at Sangatte tried to jump onto slow-moving trains at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, or hide inside trucks crossing to Britain on ferries.
At the time, French authorities reported a massive increase in the number of arrests in or around the Channel Tunnel. In 1999, 8,000 people were arrested in Calais for immigration offenses. By 2001, that number had jumped ten-fold to 80,000 arrests. Eurotunnel, the company that manages and operates the Channel Tunnel, said that in 2001 alone, 54,000 people had "attacked" the terminal in Calais and 5,000 had gotten through. Many of those were living in Sangatte.
The Sangatte camp was closed in late 2002, after a series of riots between Afghan and Kurdish migrants. In all, some 67,000 migrants stayed at the facility during its three years in operation.
In February 2003, France and Britain signed the Treaty of Le Touquet, which allows for so-called juxtaposed controls, meaning that travelers between the two countries now clear immigration in the country of departure rather than upon arrival. In effect, the treaty pushed parts of the British border to France. By doing so, it exacerbated the migration bottleneck in Calais.
As part of the agreement to close Sangatte, Britain took in 1,200 migrants. Those who remained in France sheltered in at least a dozen different squats both inside and on the outskirts of Calais. These camps — Africa House, Fort Galloo, Leader Price/Sudanese Jungle or Tioxide Jungle — have been repeatedly raided or bulldozed by French police, only for other squats to crop up elsewhere.
of the migrants housed at Sangatte moved a few kilometers east to a disused industrial zone called The Dunes. Situated just steps from the Port of Calais, the area would become known as "The Jungle." Over the years, French authorities have repeatedly tried to demolish all or parts of the camp, only for it to reemerge time and time again, and always with more migrants.
On September 22, 2009, French police bulldozed "The Jungle" and rounded up hundreds of migrants hoping to stow away on trucks headed for Britain. A day later, Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart said she had "spotted between fifteen and twenty new squats" nearby. She also reported that Afghan migrants were establishing makeshift camps at the Hoverport, a disused collection of buildings which closed in 2005 after the last hovercraft sailed from Dover to Calais.
September 12, 2014. Police in Calais warned that migrants were becoming increasingly violent in their quest to reach Britain. Gilles Debove, the Calais area delegate for the French police union, said tear gas was being used to stop "mass onslaughts" on vehicles about to cross the Channel:
"The other day, two to three hundred migrants tried to get into a lorry park and we fired tear gas to scatter them because there are too few of us to control situations like this any other way. We're also facing an increase in crimes by migrants who mug people, steal mobile phones and carry out sexual assaults."
September 10, 2015. French media reported that police were searching for an Islamic State jihadi who was hiding in "The Jungle" in the hope of reaching Britain to launch an attack there.
November 11, 2015. More than 250 French riot police were deployed to "The Jungle" after weeks of unrest. Local government official Fabienne Buccio said the rise in violence was due to the migrants' frustration at being prevented from reaching Britain.
January 19, 2016. French authorities leveled one-third of "The Jungle" to create a 100-meter "buffer zone" between the camp and an adjacent highway that leads to the ferry port.
February 7, 2016. The migrant crisis spread to other parts of France due to an increased police presence in Calais. Migrant camps sprouted up in the nearby ports of Dunkirk, Le Havre, Dieppe and Belgium's Zeebrugge, as migrants seek new ways to cross the English Channel to Britain.
February 29, 2016. After a court in Lille approved a plan by the French government to evict 1,000 migrants from "The Jungle," demolition teams began dismantling the southern part of the camp. The government tried to relocate the migrants to official accommodation inside converted shipping containers in the northern part of the camp. But most refused the offer, fearing they would be forced to claim asylum in France. "Going to Britain is what people here want," Afghan migrant Hayat Sirat said. "So destroying part of the jungle is not the solution."
French riot police attempt to control a crowd of migrants in "The Jungle" squatter camp near Calais, on February 29, 2016, as demolition teams begin dismantling the southern part of the camp. After being pelted with stones and other objects, police responded with tear gas and water cannon. (Image source: RT video screenshot)
March 7, 2016. Migrants evicted from "The Jungle" moved to a new camp in Grande-Synthe near the northern port of Dunkirk, just up the coast from Calais. Critics said the new camp risks becoming a "new Sangatte," referring to the Red Cross center in Calais that was closed in 2002.
May 31, 2016. Migrants evicted from Calais moved to Paris and established a massive squatter camp at the Jardins d'Eole, a public park near the Gare du Nord station, from where high-speed Eurostar trains travel to and arrive from London. The area, which is so dangerous that the government has classified it as a no-go zone (Zone de sécurité prioritaires, ZSP), has become a magnet for human traffickers who charge migrants thousands of euros for fake travel documents, for passage to London.
August 11, 2016. In an interview with Le Figaro, a French counter-terrorism officer warned that Islamic State jihadis were hiding in "The Jungle." He said: "What is happening in The Jungle is truly mind boggling. Our officers are rarely able to penetrate the heart of the camp. It is impossible to know if a jihadi from Belgium, for example, is hiding in the camp. This camp is a blind spot for national security."
September 5, 2016. Hundreds of French truck drivers, businessmen and farmers blocked off the main route in and out of Calais, in an attempt to pressure the French government to close The Jungle. The blockage brought to a standstill the route used by trucks from all over Europe to reach Calais and Britain.
September 12. A document leaked to Le Figaro revealed the government's plan, dated September 1, to relocate 12,000 migrants from Calais to other parts of France. The migrants would be relocated to around 60 so-called Reception and Orientation Centers (centres d'accueil et d'orientation, CAO), each with a capacity of between 100 and 300 migrants.
September 13, 2016. The President of the Alpes-Maritimes region, Eric Ciotti, criticized the government's "irresponsible" plan to relocate migrants in Calais to other parts of France. He said the plan would "proliferate a multitude of small Calais, genuine areas of lawlessness that exacerbate lasting tensions throughout the country." He added:
"This plan reflects the resignation of the government in the face of massive illegal immigration. It weakens national cohesion under a false pretext of humanity which hides a dangerous ideology that denies any distinction between foreigners who seek asylum, who France should decently receive, and those who are economic migrants, whom we can no longer tolerate, and who should be returned to their countries of origin.
"The only solution is to deport, without delay, all illegal immigrants who do not intend to remain on our territory, and to place asylum seekers in centers dedicated to the study of their cases."
September 14, 2016. The President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Laurent Wauquiez, expressed anger at the government's "diktat" to relocate 1,800 migrants from Calais to his region. He said: "This is madness and it is not a matter of solidarity. The problem of Calais is not solved by multiplying Calais throughout France. We expect the government to solve the problem of Calais, not move it to other parts of the country."
September 16, 2016. Steeve Briois, the Mayor of Hénin-Beaumont and Vice President of the National Front criticized the government's plan to relocate migrants from "The Jungle" to the rest of the country. He said:
"This crazy polic would consequently multiply mini-Calais on the entire national territory, without consulting the people and local elected officials. This forced policy of the Socialist government is simply unacceptable; it seriously threatens public order and the safety of our citizens."
September 20, 2016. Construction work began on a wall to prevent migrants at the camp from stowing away on cars, trucks, ferries and trains bound for Britain. Dubbed "The Great Wall of Calais," the concrete barrier — one kilometer (half a mile) long and four meters (13 feet) high on both sides of the two-lane highway approaching the harbor — will pass within a few hundred meters of "The Jungle."
September 21, 2016. A whistleblower reported that volunteer aid workers at "The Jungle" were forging sexual relationships with migrants, including children. "I have heard of volunteers having sex with multiple partners in one day, only to carry on in the same vein the following day," he wrote. "And I know also, that I'm only hearing a small part of a wider scale of abuse." He added that the majority of cases in question involved female volunteers and male migrants. "Female volunteers having sex enforces the view (that many have) that volunteers are here for sex," he wrote.
September 28. Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart expressed skepticism about President Hollande's pledge to close "The Jungle." In an interview with Europe 1, she said: "This dismantling will be very complicated. I am skeptical about the commitment of François Hollande that there will be no migrant camp in the territory of Calais. I do not know how he will do it."
*-Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.
© 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.

Rewarding Iran and sanctioning Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/September 30/16
Even a year ago, few expected the weird prospect of Washington taking two important decisions that go against the US policies of the past 40 years. Rewarding Iran through the JCPOA nuclear agreement, that saves the later from sanctions, and allowing Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia through Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), were probably both unthinkable. The irony is rewarding Iran, that is labelled among the first countries in the world to have sponsored terrorism, to which most of the international community agree, and sanctioning Saudi Arabia that is at the forefront in fight against terrorism. The question is why, how and what to expect after JASTA? We will be discussing these questions in the coming months, after the insistence of the two chambers of the Congress on the new law and the majority voting against the President Obama’s veto.
Protesting against the White House’s attempts to topple the votes, last week, Senator John Cornyn said that lawmakers and lawyers have been working on this law for so long. “Why now? We have been discussing it since 2009” he said.
On September 19th 2013, Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, introduced a bill, and on the same day, a Republican legislator presented a similar one to the House of Representatives. In September of the following year, it was approved in the Justice Committee with slight amendments. It was passed unanimously at the end of the same year in the Senate.
In the following year, i.e. 2015, it was presented again to the House of Representatives after further amendments, then sent back to legislation with the judicial committee in February of this year 2016, where they agreed on the amendments. Finally, the Senate unanimously agreed on it, as well as the House of Representatives in September, and it was then sent to the White House, which rejected it. Saudi Arabia kept fighting against al-Qaeda even when American official institutions and Western human rights organizations were criticizing the Saudi government
The bill was sent again to the two chambers that challenged the President’s veto with a striking majority. This is the track summary of this legislation that came to be known as JASTA. The new law is far from being just and is rather a project plotted by lawyers. They chose Saudi Arabia, a country that was fighting al-Qaeda and prosecuting its leader Osama bin Laden. It is the country that stripped Bin Laden of his citizenship and forced the government of Sudan to evict him. He left in 1996, five years before the 9/11 attacks.
Saudi Arabia kept fighting against al-Qaeda even when American official institutions and Western human rights organizations were criticizing the Saudi government. Now that JASTA has allowed thousands of Americans, related to the victims of the 9/11 attacks, to file lawsuits against Saudi Arabia.
Look back in anger
So what can Saudi Arabia do now? There have been angry reactions from the Saudi people and even as opponents were happy about the situation. There are some who advised the Saudis to take hostile political positions against the United States; however, the government in Riyadh has a long history of dealing with crises and has enough wisdom and prudence to find solutions and fix what the unjust legislation may ruin. I don’t think that Saudi Arabia would do anything that would ruin its ties with the United States for many reasons, whether on the strategic or historical levels.
The Iranian regime has been working for quite a while to sabotage relations between Riyadh and Washington. It would be happy to see that the Saudis are at odds with their old ally. This is what Bin Laden also wanted when he plotted and sent the terrorists to carry out attacks on New York and Washington in order to undermine the US-Saudi relations. Unfortunately, the Congress has now offered to al-Qaeda, terror outfits and Iran what they were dreaming about – a law holding the victim accountable with the victim being Saudi Arabia. It has, on the other hand, left Iran off the country, even though it fueled terror via Hezbollah in Lebanon 30 years ago. There is still hope that ruin caused by JASTA law could be fixed. This could be done by cooperating with the next US administration after the elections. However, those who are urging Saudi Arabia to cut its ties with the US are the ones who have provided the same unwise advice to previous regimes in Iraq and Libya. We shall not disregard our great achievements despite the injustice of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Sept. 30, 2016.

Implications of the growing Iran-Syria economic relations
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/September 30/16
A considerable amount of analysis has been dedicated to Iran’s geopolitical, strategic, and military relationships with the Syrian government apparatuses. Nevertheless, the shifting economic nexus between Tehran and Damascus has been subjected less to scholarly work, policy analysis, or media attention. The changing paradigm in Tehran-Damascus economic ties can have significant long-term implications for Iran’s geopolitical and economic influence in the region.

Iran’s shifting economic paradigm in Syria
Right before the conflict erupted, Iran ratcheted up its investment with considerable amounts of money, resources, skilled forces, and labor in various provinces in Syria.
Large sums of cash and resources were allocated to investments in several sectors such as transportation, infrastructure, and energy, including a joint bank in Damascus, 60 percent of which is owned by the Iranian government, as well as a $10 billion natural gas agreement with Syria and Iraq for the construction of gas pipeline that would start in Iran, run through Syria, Lebanon, and the Mediterranean, and reach several Western countries. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the main player alongside Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also supported the allocation of $5.8 billion in aid to Syria by Iran’s Center for Strategic Research (CSR), which concentrates on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s strategies in six different arenas including Foreign Policy Research, Middle East and Persian Gulf research, and International political economy research. A 17-article agreement was also signed which concentrated on “trade, investment, planning and statistics, industries, air, naval and rail transportation, communication and information technology, health, agriculture, and tourism.” The contracts are mainly between the state organizations while Iran’s main investors are various companies (transportation, food, etc) owned by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Office of the Supreme Leader. Iran’s economic influence in Syria has exponentially increased contrary to common perceptions. In the long-term, if the Syrian war ends, Iran would be the most dominant player in Syria economically
Iran’s long-term plan
Iran and Syria played almost equal role in economic trade and investments before the conflict, as both held some leverage against the other. But after the uprising, Iran’s economic leverage over Syria increased exponentially causing Syria's debt and dependence on Iran to increase as well.
While some argue that Iran’s economic investment in Syria has decreased, in fact statistics show otherwise. Isolated from the international community and being confined with global sanctions, the Syrian government has become more reliant on Iran. In other words, Iran has become Syria’s economic lifeline. After the conflict, free trade has increased and the trade custom fees have been significantly decreased up to 60 percent, in favor of Tehran. These agreements are believed to increase Iran and Syria’s annual trade volume to $5 billion. Allaedin Boroujerdi stated that the recent agreements were “a firm response” to the United States and its Western allies “investing billions of dollars to change the political structure of the Syrian government.” Iran has also the dominant role in Syria’s economy since trade between Syria and Turkey and other regional players has significantly shrunk.
Iran’s investments in Syria’s infrastructure, power generation capabilities, and gas market has also increased since then, as part of the reconstruction process. The additional shift is that the investments are not only done with the Assad’s governmental apparatuses, but also with many Shiite militia groups.
Iran’s investments remain mostly in the form of credit lines and loans. Although the war has become costly for Iran, Iran has not abandoned its economic plan in Syria. Tehran’s economic and reconstruction plan in Syria is a long-term one which can pay off very well in the vast market of Damascus if the Syrian war ends. We can make the analogy that Iran’s economic agenda is similar to its plan in Iraq, after US invasion, and partially similar to the US Marshall plan of giving economic support to rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II.
But Iran is playing a more enduring plan. Some reports indicate that Iran is getting paid back via contracts in Syrian real state by buying Syrian land. This gives Iran considerable amount of power over Syria in the long-term. If the war ends, Iran will be single most important player in Syria economically.
The nuclear deal has definitely made Iran’s economy stronger. This in return has increased Iran’s economic influence in Syria, as it has also benefited Assad as well. Larger infrastructure and energy projects will be more likely on the horizon. Almost every year, Iran is signing a new contract with Syria for nearly over a billion dollars of credit line. Another area of increasing trade- and Khamenei and the IRGC’s priority- is arms trade with Syria in order to strengthen its defense. Syria is a matter of national security for Iran. Without Iran’s financials assistances, Assad would have not survived.
For example, although there are international economic sanctions against Syria, Iran’s crude oil sale to Syria increased to its highest record of 125,000 barrels a day in March 2015. The amount will more likely increase since sanctions were lifted against Iran.
More recently, Syria and Iran signed several agreements to invest in oil, electricity, power, energy, and other industrial sectors. They discussed “means to implement cooperation between the two countries.” Although it is billions of dollars, it is still hard to quantify the exact estimate Iran’s investment in Syria and its trade. Iran’s trade and investment in Syria was approximately over $9 billion annually before the sanctions were lifted. This amount is expected to increase to $15-20 billion annually. Iran’s non-arms trade with Syria is still one-fifth (nearly $2 billion) of Iran’s trade with Iraq, which is intriguing since Syria is a conflict-affected state. Iran’s economic influence in Syria has exponentially increased contrary to common perceptions. In the long-term, if the Syrian war ends, Iran would be the most dominant player in Syria economically. This also suggests that due to the above-mentioned date, Iran cannot afford any peace plan that will lead to the removal of the Alawite state from power.

Diplomacy alone cannot stop barbarism in Syria
Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/September 30/16
The latest sequence of siege, death, and destruction in Aleppo is just another example of an international community that has gone irrelevant, incapable and indolent. The post-WW2 order, the post-Soviet Union collapse and the order that followed called for solving world problems multilaterally and through diplomatic pressure. But after nearly six years of war in Syria the stalemate at the UN remained and the power of diplomacy that the US Secretary of State John Kerry has been armed with seems outdated and irrelevant. President Putin of Russia cannot become a peacemaker when his Air Force squadron commander continues to rain bombs indiscriminately on Aleppo, and whatever targets the Syrian president and their Iranian allies brandish as terrorist positions. The world has been there many times before. The Bosnian crisis of 1992 was stopped only by the use of massive power that persuaded all parties to sit and search for a compromise.In Kosovo in 1999, NATO undertook an air campaign for 78 days before Serbian leadership and their Russian allies agreed to come to terms with the right of Kosovar for self-determination, which is still short of total independence.
The American intervention in Afghanistan in 2001 was aimed at stopping terror reaching American shores. The Iraq war, we were told, was aimed at stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction. These may not be perfect examples of intervention for world peace and security for civilians but they seemed necessary at the time and stability in those countries are still a work in progress. Syria, after nearly six years of ongoing onslaught on its civilians, could have benefited from action aimed at least at containment.
The world will survive the continued onslaught on Syria but the world that we know and its tenets of peace will change for good
Search for a compromise
Creating a no-fly zone could have sent a message to all parties that meaningful negotiations and the search for a compromise is in everyone’s interest. The creation of a safe haven for Syrians fleeing their regime’s barbarism could have saved the world’s destabilizing influx of refugees and delivered a message that those Syrians will not disappear and therefore push the regime of Assad to discuss a transitional government that leads eventually to his departure. In Syria today, and after all types of bloodshed, the world stands divided between those resorting to disproportionate violence, namely Assad regime, president Putin of Russia and Iran. They are achieving their goal to create a Syria empty of more than half of its population whom this camp brandish unfairly as terrorists. They are inflicting suffering by obliterating cities and shattering livelihood as punishment for daring to call for a change after 40 plus years of Assad family and their cronies. The reality on the ground calls for a review of rhetoric of the condemnation, dismay and of empty red lines. The killing of 400,000 Syrians will not be healed just by allowing convoys into besieged areas. The 5 million refugees will not stop spilling into Europe just because they are getting aid in their camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. The 7 million internally displaced Syrians are unlikely to return home soon unless they sign a surrender papers to a regime that dropped barrel bombs day in and day out on their livestock, agricultural land and their villages in a scorched earth strategy masterminded by Assad and his allies in Moscow and Tehran. It is ridiculous to be told for the past year that Secretary Kerry and Secretary Lavrov are about to reach an accord that would implement a transitional deal that would settle the Syrian crisis and stop the killing. All this has been heard while Russian air campaigns and Iranian-led foreign militias continue to kill, maim and besiege and then forcefully transfer civilians under the nose of the UN. The United States, UK and France have been limiting the help the Syrian opposition could get from other allies such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to counter balance the Russian and the regime air supremacy. All this under the banner of Russian-American cooperation that will settle the Syrian crisis to join efforts in the fight against ISIS later.
Beyond barbarism and brutality
The bombing campaign of Aleppo shows clearly the intentions of the Kremlin, Damascus and Tehran regime to eliminate all opposition to Assad through a scorched earth policy to regain rebel held areas at all cost. Mere use of terms such as “barbarism”, “brutality” and “excessive use of force” will not alleviate the suffering of Syrians. Just calling Russian action in Syria a war crime and crimes against humanity will not save makeshift hospitals and civil defense teams working in harsh conditions to apply the thinnest dose left of humanity to civilians caught in relentless bombing of densely populated areas of Aleppo. Last but not the least, all the friends of Syria – such as US, UK and France – could offer is to call Russia a pariah state for floundering in its duty to protect peace as a responsible member of the Security Council. Diplomacy alone cannot stop barbarism by Russia and Iran in Syria. The world will survive the continued onslaught on Syria but the world that we know and its tenets of peace will change for good. Maybe the so-called friends of the Syrian people could finally understand that without the use of a stick the diplomacy of John Kerry will be useless. He and his well-meaning friends will witness an era where the Russians and the Iranians will destroy Crimea, Syria, Yemen, and beyond.

The illogical trend of prejudice
Peter Harrison/Al Arabiya/September 30/16
For me it is hard to see how anyone can explain in any rational way any form of bigotry. It seems to me that this is quite clear - it is illogical to have any disliking for an entire group of people, claiming that they all have some trait that causes a person to hate them all. It makes no sense to me to come to such a conclusion – and yet there seems to be a growing trend around the world to make such generalizing remarks. In France covered Muslim women are being exposed to harassment because of the burkini and burqa bans – but up until the recent attempted gas canister attack, there was not one instance in the major attacks where women were the main perpetrators of these crimes – it was men in T-shirts, track suits or jeans – that’s a large part of my wardrobe. The United Kingdom has seen an increase in the number of instances of race hate crimes. You only have to go onto social media to see countless videos of British thugs yelling abuse at people because they speak with a foreign accent. So bad are some of the attacks that the victims have been left with horrific wounds that will likely leave permanent scars. There were more than 3,000 allegations of hate crimes made to UK police in the week before and the week after the June 23 Brexit vote – that’s a 42 percent year-on-year increase. And in the two weeks after the Brexit vote, British Transport Police recorded a 57 percent increase in the number of hate crimes committed on Britain’s public transport system, compared to the previous two weeks. This prejudice is extending across Hungary, Scandinavia and other parts of Europe. And of course in the US there seems to be a worrying trend in police shootings of black men, sparking a growing civil unrest. According to Kimberky Kindy of the Washington Post, “blacks continue to be shot at 2.5 times the rate of whites”.
So it seems odd to me that in an age of globalization that there is so much hatred based on what is nothing more than ignorance – which seems to be a root cause behind much of the world’s growing prejudice
Ill-informed views
For me the worrying thing is that this apparent trend of prejudice appears to be growing with little justification other than largely ill-informed views. In the UK and Europe there is little to no evidence that refugees are turning otherwise quiet communities into crime hotspots. It’s also fair to say that migrants are not traveling to the UK to ‘steal’ jobs or claim welfare. The truth is that refugees cannot claim benefits in the UK, and it is impossible to steal jobs – the statement is a nonsense. If an employer is looking to fill a position, then it is up to them to get the most suited person to fill that position. Employers in most countries around the world are strictly governed as to the people they can hire from other countries – but they have a right to hire legal residents holding the appropriate visas. So it seems odd to me that in an age of globalization that there is so much hatred based on what is nothing more than ignorance – which seems to be a root cause behind much of the world’s growing prejudice. When I moved to Dubai from the UK there was a time when I thought it funny as I struggled to pronounce the names of people from other countries. I would joke about it, making it a trivial matter. I thought such jokes were relatively harmless. But in a climate of what appears to be a growing trend of ignorance-fueled prejudice, it’s important to be seen to be making an effort with the basics. For what might feel like harmless fun, could be seen as an enforcement of the view that other people’s cultures, ethnicities or life styles are in some way not deserving of respect or interest as we expect for ourselves. It’s especially important I suspect for someone like me – a large, white, (and often bad tempered) Westerner, to be seen to be making an effort. There’s no harm in being mildly apologetic in one’s attempt to get someone’s name right with the pronunciation. And if you find someone annoying because of their behavior, then be irritated by the individual, not an entire cultural or ethnic group – that is truly intolerable.

Shimon Peres: The passing of an era
Yossi Mekelberg/Al Arabiya/September 30/16
Today Israel and many others in the world are saying goodbye to the last of its political giants, who was the link between the founders of the State of Israel and the present. It is hard to write about Shimon Peres in the past tense. If there has been someone ever-present in Israeli political life, since its inception, it was him. For nearly seven decades there were symbiotic relations between the man and his country. Both existences seem to intertwine almost inseparably. He was one of the very few people who could be a fervent Israeli patriot and a Zionist, but without a nationalist zeal; he was a man of great vision, but his feet were firmly planted on the ground. For some he was a great statesman and for others he was a relentless politician in an unstoppable quest for power. These were only some of the qualities of this very complex man, who passed away this week. Tragically his country and people have learnt to respect and love him only toward the end of his political life, while he dedicated all his life to serve them. For many years he was on the receiving end of vile verbal abuse by political opponents and rivals.
Despite success in every ministerial position he filled, he never won an outright victory in the five election campaigns which he led his party in and his achievements were many times overlooked.
It was only when he was elected to the more symbolic role as president that Peres turned into a father figure and at last enjoyed acceptance and love from his own people. When he first became a prime minister in 1984, he received a country stuck deep in the quagmire of an unnecessary and damaging war in Lebanon, and suffering from a hyperinflation of close to five hundred percent. He presided over a government that within two years withdrew from most of the territory of its northern neighbour and managed to stabilize the economy. It did nothing to help him to win the following elections or in endearing himself with wide segments of the Israeli society. It was only when he was elected to the more symbolic role as president that he turned into a father figure and at last enjoyed acceptance and love from his own people – something he had longed for all his life since arriving to Mandatory Palestine from Poland as a teenager. For nearly a quarter of a century he was the predominant figure associated with the 1993 Oslo Accords and with the efforts to reach peace with the Palestinians. To his very last days he believed that this was possible, even inevitable.
Dove or a hawk?
However, he was not a political dove, at least not to begin with, nor was he a hawk that turned into a dove. Both contradictory approaches lived in him with some uneasy harmony for most of his life, at times one was more dominant than the other and vice versa.
In his early political life, he held views more aligned with realpolitik, believing that Israel’s survival depended first and foremost on building its military might and searching for powerful allies. He never abandoned this view, but gradually reached the conclusion that military power may guarantee the physical survival of the Jewish state, at least in the short term, but would not provide long term security, let alone acceptance by the Arab world. Increasingly he realized the moral and political curse of the military victory of the 1967 Six Day War. Occupied territories may have given Israel strategic depth, but also resulted in further rejection by the region. Worse, he recognised that ruling over the lives of other people and depriving them of their rights is morally wrong and irreversibly damaging to Israeli society. He turned into a moral-pragmatist.
Middle East legacy
Peres’ legacy in the Middle East remains as complex as the man was himself. For some he will be remembered for his active involvement in negotiations with France and the UK that led to the Suez Crisis of 1956; for being the force behind the Israeli nuclear program; or for enabling the settlements’ movement in its early stages in the 1970s, when he was defence minister. Moreover, he was a member of governments that pursued hawkish policies that preferred occupation over peace. However, Peres was a reflective human being, capable of learning from his own mistakes. He also had curiosity in abundance and personal integrity, leading him to constantly search for new ideas and adapt accordingly. At the end of the day, his big dream of peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians did not materialize during his life time.
This should not take away from the fact that by enabling the peace negotiations in Oslo, he played an incredible part in legitimizing talks with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the notion of an independent Palestinian state. In the pre-Oslo years these notions were seen as taboo and those who supported them were on the margins of the political debate, many times portrayed as traitors. Despite the trials and tribulations since the signing of the Oslo Accords, including the Second Intifada and recent wave of violence, there is a solid majority of Israelis who are in favor of peace negotiations with the Palestinians that would lead to a two-state solution. Not a minor achievement. This change of public perception is a lasting legacy that Shimon Peres was instrumental in bringing about and he leaves behind him for Israelis and Palestinians to translate it into a peaceful reality. After all no one in Israeli politics was a greater optimist and a believer in the human spirit than Shimon Peres.
 

How Khamenei played his ace to sideline Ahmadinejad
Rohollah Faghihi /Al-Monitor/September 30/16
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad finally got the opportunity to meet with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Aug. 30. In the 40-minute meeting, Ahmadinejad reportedly sought to obtain Khamenei’s view on his pursuing a possible bid for the presidency in the May 2017 elections.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to be on the verge of disobeying Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei until the ayatollah went public with his disapproval.
The media reported Ahmadinejad saying, “The weak actions of the [incumbent] government have left people devastated, and they ask me to enter the election.” The supreme leader is said to have replied, “Your [provincial] trips shouldn’t look electoral, because you are not supposed to take part in the competition.” Khamenei added, “Your presence in the election will polarize it, and this is not in the interest of the revolution and the people, and you should resist these demands [of people].”The meeting, and what transpired during it, was not supposed to have been made public. After Khamenei’s reported rejection of an Ahmadinejad candidacy, however, the circle around the former president began leaking details of the secret meeting on social networks, especially via Telegram, the popular smartphone app. The aim of the leaks appears to have been to rally public opinion in favor of allowing Ahmadinejad to run.
All the while, the Principlist former president remained silent, suggesting that he did not intend to sit back and forgo the election. As a result, conservatives who believed that Ahmadinejad was still planning to get back into the game wrote a series of articles confirming the secret meeting and asking him to obey the supreme leader.
As recently as Sept. 15, Ahmadinejad was still clearly signaling that he was adamant about contesting the 2017 vote. That day, he visited the northeastern city of Gorgan on one of his provincial trips, which looked quite “electoral.” Three days later, on Sept. 18, the Fars News Agency published a report affirming Khamenei’s “advice” to Ahmadinejad and warned him about going against the velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist), Iran’s ruling political system, which is based on a theory in Shiite Islam that holds that Islam gives an Islamic jurist, or “faqih,” custodianship over the people. Fars wrote:
"Today, Ahmadinejad and his staunch friends are subjected to an important test. The test of obeying the guardianship of the jurist. Today, Ahmadinejad should show in practice how he will react to the prohibition [of his candidacy] by … the guardian jurist. Will he obey or … will he go his own way? He, during his presidency, … claimed that he had his chest ready to shield Agha [the supreme leader] from the arrows pointing toward him. Today, Ahmadinejad must show whether he will really have his chest ready to shield the supreme leader against the arrows, or God forbid, he himself is an arrow targeting the supreme leader.” Following the conservatives’ affirmation of the secret meeting between Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, the former president’s friends and supporters went to the next phase of their plan — denying all reports of the meeting. Indeed, it appears that they assumed that the supreme leader would never make a public statement on the matter to contradict them. As such, on Sept. 24, Abdol-Reza Davari, a political analyst and known Ahmadinejad media adviser, criticized the reports in conservative media about Ahmadinejad having secretly met with the supreme leader, calling it “psychological warfare.”
Davari said, “This piece of news isn’t valid, as it hasn’t been published by the official media [of the supreme leader]. And we shouldn’t pay attention to this. Even If Ahmadinejad had said this, I would have said this is not valid.”
The same day, Bahman Sharifzadeh, a cleric close to Ahmadinejad, said, “These quotes do not affect Ahmadinejad’s thinking. … As far as I have heard, his provincial trips will continue.” He added, “About the supreme leader, no quote is acceptable as long as it is not published by his office.”
If anything, the debacle made observers of Iranian politics reminisce about the controversies surrounding Ahmadinejad’s close confidante Rahim Esfandiar Mashaei. Ahmadinejad had appointed Mashaei, widely criticized for his “deviant” thoughts on Islam, as his first deputy in July 2009. The appointment immediately met with opposition from major conservative figures. Subsequently, the supreme leader wrote Ahmadinejad a private letter expressing his opposition to Mashaei's appointment. As in the recent scenario, Ahmadinejad hedged.
Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard, former deputy parliament Speaker, has stated, “The supreme leader wrote [Ahmadinejad] a letter. … I gave the letter to Mr. Ahmadinejad. The letter wasn’t answered. … I can’t remember precisely, but [even] a few days after the letter was passed, the government had not replied.” Following publication of the letter by the supreme leader’s office, which was unprecedented, Ahmadinejad was ultimately forced to withdraw his appointment of Mashaei as vice president.
As Ahmadinejad’s aides were denying Khamenei’s most recent rejection, the one thing they never thought would happen actually happened. On Sept. 26, the supreme leader went public about the matter in a speech, stating, “I didn’t tell him don’t run. I said it’s not in your own or the country’s best interest to run.”
The next day, Sept. 27, Ahmadinejad penned a letter to the supreme leader, saying, “You recommended that it is not suitable at this time for me to participate in the election. Therefore, I have declared my obedience. … I have no plans to compete in next year’s election. … God willing, I will always proudly remain the revolution’s little soldier and a servant to the people.”Despite the letter, the whole debacle appears to have, if anything, convinced conservatives already distrustful of Ahmadinejad that the former president is not loyal to Khamenei, given that he initially appeared not to heed the supreme leader’s advice. He only retreated and expressed a readiness to obey Khamenei when he had no other option after the supreme leader publicly commented on the situation. Iranian law stipulates that presidential candidates must be committed to obeying the guardian jurist. This tenet is one of the most crucial elements in the Guardian Council’s vetting process. Thus, it looks like Ahmadinejad may have lost not just the game ahead of next year’s vote, but the poll four years after that as well.

Iran reacts to death of Israel’s founding father
Author Misha Zand/Al-Monitor/September 30/16
The passing of Israel’s former prime minister and president on Sept. 28 sparked strong reactions all over the world, and Iran was no exception. At the age of 93, Shimon Peres died at a hospital in Tel Aviv after having suffered a stroke weeks earlier.
As news of the death of Israeli founding father and prominent politician Shimon Peres broke, Iranian media outlets wasted no time in commenting on his legacy, and their various obituaries tell the story of a long and complex relationship between the two countries.
As of this writing, no reactions from any Iranian officials have been reported. However, the news of Peres’ death was widely covered in the official news outlets and the rhetoric across the articles and obituaries varied substantially.
An obituary published by Fars News on Sept. 28, "The death of the 'Qana executioner' after a two-week coma," stressed Peres’ support of Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian areas along with his military actions including the shelling of a Lebanese village near Qana. It did not mention the Oslo peace process. Fars News is a media outlet with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Kayhan, a conspicuously hard-line newspaper in Iran that stands in outright opposition to Iran’s current government, published its own obituary Sept. 29, "The Qana executioner and the architect behind the green sedition went to hell." “Green Sedition” — or simply, "the sedition" — is commonly used among political hard-line factions to describe the protests in the aftermath of the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009, demonstrations that were harshly suppressed and resulted in many arrests and deaths of protesters. In the obituary, Kayhan called the Unites States, Great Britain and Israel the “ominous triangle” that shaped the “green sedition” in the Reformist era, an indirect reference to President Mohammad Khatami’s term (1997-2005). In the obituary, Kayhan accused Peres of initiating and supporting the 2009 protests in Iran. “The Zionist oppressor” is a common expression used in Iran's official media outlets indicating Iran’s refusal to recognize Israel and consideration of it as an occupying power. However, on Sept. 29, the pro-reform Shargh Daily's obituary, "Death with two faces," called Peres “the founder of Israel’s violations.” Its writer listed the “controversial Israeli military actions in Gaza and Lebanon” but notably called Israel by its name and not “the Zionist oppressor.”In what might be regarded as the most flattering example of an obituary published in Iran about Peres, Shargh's piece read, “In the 1980s he came to the conclusion that peace with the Arabs will not be achieved through military means. … He withdrew the Israeli troops from large parts of Lebanon and created the public sense that the war had reached its end.”There was also a wide range of reactions to Peres’ death among Iranians on social media. On Sept. 28, a Twitter user surprised by the reactions of Arab officials called it "the end of the world" when the foreign minister of Bahrain tweeted “Rest in peace, President Shimon Peres.” Meanwhile, on Sept. 27, another criticized IRGC-linked Tasnim News for its coverage, tweeting, “Peres’ record should and must be criticized. But captions like 'he died' are against basic journalistic principles.”

Iraqi ministers fall like dominoes as Maliki's bloc targets Abadi
Ali Mamouri/Al-Monitor/September 30/16
NAJAF, Iraq — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is facing stiff opposition from within his parliamentary bloc, the State of Law Coalition led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. So far, this group has achieved the sacking of two ministers, each of whom importantly contributed to the current hardships of Iraq. A parliamentary bloc led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is behind the recent dismissal of several ministers as part of a plan to bring down the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and pave the way for Maliki's nomination in the coming election.
Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi was dismissed on Aug. 25, and confidence was withdrawn from Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Sept. 21. Talk is now growing louder in the parliament corridors that Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari will be questioned in parliament and eventually dismissed. More dismissals may follow.
On the other side, Abadi is trying to tighten his political alliance to enhance his position against Maliki and avoid being dismissed by the parliament. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spokesman Safeen Dizayi announced on Sept. 27 that President Massoud Barzani had accepted Abadi's invitation to visit Baghdad to discuss the post-Islamic State future of Iraq and the disputes between Baghdad and Erbil. The first visit in five years of frosty relations between the KRG and the government in Baghdad kicked off today, Sept. 29, and after meeting with Abadi, Barzani reported that all the disputed issues between Erbil and Baghdad have been "resolved." The recently formed Reform Front has been behind the questioning and confidence-withdrawal attempts. It consists of 100 members of parliament, mostly from the State of Law Coalition. After confidence was withdrawn from him, Zebari accused Maliki and the State of Law Coalition of responsibility. In a statement to Rudaw on Sept. 22, Zebari said, “Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri, in collusion with the State of Law Coalition, dismissed me” as part of a scheme “implemented by Maliki, out of motives of hatred and revenge, to thwart the current government. Jabouri is involved in this game.” He added, “The Maliki project is using parliament and its speaker to achieve illicit goals. Yet this scheme would ultimately be Jabouri's end.”
The pro-Maliki bloc did not hide its anger at Abadi nor its desire to see Abadi be replaced with Maliki. Parliamentarian for the State of Law Coalition Haitham al-Jabouri, who is also the spokesperson for the Reform Bloc and the one who requested to question Zebari in preparation for his dismissal, told Al-Ghad Press on Sept. 10, “Abadi has failed to manage the country and to fulfill his promises.” He added, “He has reached the stage of not being able to lead the country.” He also talked about his bloc's intention to expand the circle of questionings and confidence votes to include the prime minister himself. The Reform Bloc spokesman described Maliki as “the country’s number-one leader.”A source within the State of Law Coalition who asked not to be named told Al-Monitor that the coalition is in no hurry to withdraw confidence from Abadi. Yet Abadi’s key ministries will be gradually brought down, which would hamstring his Cabinet, reduce his chances for a second term and thus pave the way for the nomination of his rival, the source added.
In a press interview on Aug. 27, Kamel al-Zaidi, a member of the parliamentary legal committee and leader in the Dawa Party, described Maliki as a statesman and said that Abadi is managing the state unprofessionally. Maliki’s bloc also criticized the Sadrists and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, which played a role in Abadi’s accession to the post of prime minister and Maliki’s sidelining in 2014. The rivalry between Abadi and Maliki is nothing new, as Abadi showed up as a competitor for Maliki in 2006 and 2014, when the scales were tipped in favor of Maliki. He was not happy with Abadi being named prime minister in August 2014. He had strongly opposed his nomination and filed an appeal in the Federal Court, naming himself as more qualified for the post. However, he gave up a few days later.
The struggle continued with Abadi removing Maliki from the post of vice president in August 2015 as part of the political reforms. In return, Maliki criticized the Abadi government’s performance and said that he was willing to return to power on several occasions, including an interview with the BBC in July.
Maliki receives unlimited support from Iran, which enjoys the strongest regional influence in Iraq. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised Maliki’s role in Iraq in several meetings between them, which he has never done with Abadi. Sources within the National Alliance, which unites the Shiite forces including Maliki and Abadi, have been reported as saying that Iran is pushing for Maliki to be nominated for prime minister in the elections scheduled for 2018. Maliki also has strong and special ties with the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) that grant him additional influence on the country’s political and security scenes. Abadi is trying to curb this influence by formalizing the PMU and placing the force under direct government control. On July 26, Abadi ordered the PMU be turned into an independent military formation under the direct control of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The Aug. 28 decision by the Independent Electoral Commission to ban the PMU from taking part in the upcoming elections worked to Abadi’s advantage, as the commission confirmed that the PMU are affiliated with the state and under his command.
Abadi also has strong ties and support from the United States, which has greatly contributed to his government's recovery of territories captured by IS, after having ignored Maliki’s repeated calls for assistance to deter and halt IS expansion over Iraqi territory in 2013 and 2014.
The United States did not support Iraq even after a third of its territory fell into IS' hands, but rushed to do so when Maliki stepped down from power. This reluctance was widely interpreted as President Barack Obama's unwillingness to support Iraq under Maliki's rule.
Whether Maliki will succeed in bringing down Abadi and replacing him as prime minister depends on how political affairs are arranged in the post-IS era, which will be affected by many regional and international factors, not least among them the Iraq policy of the next US president.

Why is Turkey reviving an Ottoman sultan?
Mustafa Akyol /Al-Monitor/September 30/16
In Turkey, there has been an unmistakable revival of the image of Sultan Abdulhamid II. The powerful Ottoman monarch who ruled the empire single-handedly from 1876 to 1909 is praised with a flood of articles in the pro-government press, endless messages on social media and various conferences and panels. The speaker of the Turkish parliament, Ismail Kahraman, a confidant of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, even hosted an “International Symposium on Sultan Abdulhamid II and His Era,” at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, a relic from the latter-day Ottoman Empire. The great sultan, Kahraman said, “is a mariner’s compass to give us direction and enlighten our future.”A great Ottoman sultan-caliph is being re-popularized in today’s Turkey with a clear political intention: legitimizing authoritarian rule. On the one hand, there must be no big surprise in the love affair for Sultan Abdulhamid II by Turkey’s new ruling elite — the religious conservatives. For as the last great Ottoman sultan, as he has been dubbed, Abdulhamid II has been a cultural icon for decades for Turkey’s Islamic circles. Popular Islamist writers such as Necip Fazil Kisakurek praised him as “the exalted sultan,” for he was a pious Muslim, a caliph worthy of his name and the defender of Muslims. It became a legend that Abdulhamid II refused to sell Palestinian lands to the nascent Zionist movement despite the economic bankruptcy of his state. The great sultan, in fact, has been Turkey’s Islamist alternative to Ataturk as a source of historical inspiration.
However, the new pro-Abdulhamid II wave has an additional line, which actually seems to be its main point: Abdulhamid II was an authoritarian ruler, heavily opposed by most Ottoman intellectuals of his time. His career had actually begun by proclaiming the first Ottoman Constitution and assembling the first elected Ottoman parliament in 1876. However, in less than two years, in the midst of a disastrous war with Russia, Abdulhamid II suspended the constitution and closed the parliament for the next three decades. Ottoman liberals and even some Islamic figures, who saw constitutional rule as the only way to save the empire, turned against Abdulhamid’s authoritarianism, only to be silenced or exiled by him.
That authoritarian legacy of Abdulhamid II seems to be one of the key themes underlined by supporters of Erdogan. Erdogan, they say, is also authoritarian, but for all the right reasons: Turkey is facing lethal threats, and a strong leader must guide the nation without caring what his liberal or foreign critics say.
This historical analogy was first highlighted by Erdogan himself. “This newspaper had once called Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid an 'absolute monarch,'” he said during a public rally in May 2015, condemning The New York Times after a critical editorial by the paper. “And today it directs to the Republic of Turkey and the hate that it once directed to the Ottoman state.”
Historian Ebubekir Sofuoglu soon expanded the argument by a much-publicized article comparing Erdogan and Abdulhamid II, warning that the latter’s fall was also the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The great sultan’s naive opponents believed that “liberty, equality and fraternity" would save the empire, the historian argued, but those foreign-induced ideas only expedited the downfall. Erdogan’s liberal critics, he said, are similarly serving Turkey’s enemies. More recently, Derin Tarih (Deep History), a monthly magazine with a clear pro-government line, further advanced the argument with a cover story that featured images of Abdulhamid II and Erdogan side by side. Titled “Abdulhamid’s resistance, the resurrection of New Turkey,” the story argued that Erdogan was merely picking up the historical role of Abdulhamid II, only to face the same challenges. “Their foreign policy strategies, health and education services, their struggles with foreign powers and the schemes planned against them” were supposedly all similar.
Obviously all this narrative excites the pro-Erdogan base in Turkey, as one can easily see by the countless social media posts that praise Abdulhamid II along with “the chief,” the term his supporters use for Erdogan. On a sober analysis, however, it seems inaccurate and unimpressive.
For one thing, Abdulhamid II was the ruler of a crumbling empire, whereas Turkey is a stable nation-state whose borders — with the exception of Kurdish insurgency — are secure. These are very different contexts. Moreover, the society Abdulhamid II ruled was largely a peasant society, and the critical intellectuals were a tiny force. Today’s Turkey, however, is urbanized, modern and complex. Opposition to Erdogan, therefore, is not limited to a small circle of intelligentsia but wide masses of different persuasions and lifestyles. Importing Abdulhamid II’s century-old techniques — such as espionage and censorship — would not result in the same “success.” In addition, Abdulhamid II was actually not the anti-Western idol that today’s Islamist rhetoric in Turkey romantically depicts. If the Ottoman Empire had a real archenemy during the sultan’s time — and even before and after him — it was Russia. With regard to Western powers, Abdulhamid II had always followed a pragmatic policy, focusing on building alliances with Great Britain and even the United States — as I once explained in an article about this “pro-American caliph.”
Abdulhamid II also had Western tastes such as the piano and opera. This, in fact, did come as a big surprise to some Turkish Islamists of today, as noted by a columnist in the pro-Erdogan daily Star. At the symposium on Abdulhamid II hosted by the speaker of the Turkish parliament, the columnist wrote, a scholar explained that Abdulhamid II loved Western music. In return, “some religious youngsters objected, saying 'but we knew him as religious.'”This not only indicates that there is a very parochial, narrow-minded definition of “religiosity” among Turkey’s “religious youngsters.” It also indicates that history is more complex than today’s ideological imaginations. If the ruling Justice and Development Party is really a “conservative” party as it claims, it should honor history by discovering it, rather than sacrificing it to current political needs.