LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

October 13/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For Today

You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?

So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12/16-21/:"Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?"Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?"So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’"

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who didn’t spare his own Son,

but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things
Romans 08/28-38/:"28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.‡ Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified. What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, “For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from God’s love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 12-13/16

Christians Of Syria And Iraq Face 'Cataclysmic Crisis'/Ruth Gledhill Christian Today Contributing Editor/12 October 2016
Christianity is Rattling: "Lights Out" in Germany/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/October 12/16

Missile Attacks on the USS Mason: Principles to Guide a U.S. Response/Cmdr. Jeremy Vaughan, USN, Michael Eisenstadt, and Michael Knights/The Washington Institute/October 12/16
Why is Trump better than Clinton for Arabs/Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/October 12/16
More than just recreation in Saudi Arabia/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/October 12/16
Will Putin’s luck run out sooner rather than later/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/October 12/16
The decisive battle for the Syrian town of Dabiq/Halla Diyab/Al Arabiya/October 12/16
Were the Arabs Indigenous to Mandatory Palestine/Sheree Roth/Middle East Quarterly/October 12/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 12-13/16

Nasrallah: Saudi leadership pushing country to abyss
Nasrallah: Lashes Out at Saudi Arabia, Reiterates 'Golden Equation' of Army, People, Resistance
Report: Hariri's Endeavors to End Deadlock Continue, Travels to Riyadh Overnight
Hariri to Nasrallah: Iran the Spearhead of Sabotage, We Won't be Dragged to its Goals
Nasrallah: Lashes Out at Saudi Arabia, Reiterates 'Golden Equation' of Army, People, Resistance
Qobeissi: Dialogue Helps Lebanon Out of it Crises
Sitin by Arsal farmers during Cabinet session on Thursday
Three Syrians arrested in Hey Selom, suspected of belonging to terrorist organization
Hashem: National understandings the sole pathway out of our crisis

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 12-13/16
Montreal mayor signs quiet deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre travelled to Iran to sign an agreement of cooperation with the Mayor of Tehran in early October
Russian jets resume heavy bombing of eastern Aleppo
Pope begs for immediate ceasefire in Syria
AIPAC: Obama Administration Has Opened Door to Business With Iran’s Top Terrorist Group
Moscow Says British FM's Syria Comments 'Russophobic'
New Challenges in Syria as Militants Weaponized Drones
Russia Announces Syria Talks with U.S., Regional Powers Saturday
Top Military Brass among Those Killed in Yemen Funeral Strike
US tries to defuse Iraq-Turkey war of words over Mosul
Turkey to revive plans to strengthen Erdogan’s office, PM says
Turkey’s president tells Iraqi leader to ‘know his place’
Two French soldiers badly wounded by drone in Iraq
Russian, Egyptian troops to hold exercises at El-Alamein
Saudi king orders treatment of Yemen’s funeral attack victims
Saudi forces down missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis
Egypt-Saudi relations have long been strained on issues such as Syria and Yemen
U.S. weights response to missile attack by group backed by Iranian regime
Exclusive Interview with a Physician in Aleppo about the humanitarian crisis in the city
Iran: Whipping girl students for failing to pay donations!
A Female Prisoner Reveals the Terrible Crime of the Iranian Regim
The Flogged Students were threatened by agents of the Iran regime.
Amnesty International launches Urgent Action campaign to stop execution of young woman in Iran
Protests in solidarity with Justice-Seeking movement for the victims of 1988 massacre
Saudi Arabia urges UN Security Council to condemn Houthi terror
US ‘to retaliate’ attack on warships off Yemen coast
Palestinian shot dead by Israeli soldiers
US court to consider post-9/11 abusive detentions
Ban Ki-moon to address Dubai’s sustainability development meet

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on October 12-13/16
Montreal mayor signs quiet deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran
Norway: Muslim father rapes daughter as punishment for being too Western
French President Hollande says France has a problem with Islam
Pakistan: 150 Muslim clerics demand death for Asia Bibi, Christian woman accused of blasphemy
Kerry: Don’t call the Islamic State “the Islamic State,” call it “the world’s most evil terrorist group”
Australia: Two knife-wielding Muslims arrested, were carrying notes pledging allegiance to the Islamic State
Connecticut: Jordanian Muslim student ‘intentionally’ crashes plane near major defense contractor
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: Massive Flood of New Immigrants from Muslim Nations
Muslim arrested for threats at DC airport, causing disturbances in Boston — left Qur’an on steps of public building

Links From Christian Today Site for on October 12-13/16
Christians Of Syria And Iraq Face 'Cataclysmic Crisis'
This Egyptian Christian Is Bringing Communities Together By Teaching The Bible With The Quran
Evangelical Anglicans Warn Bishops Of 'Fundamental Disunity' If Church Changes Teaching On Gay Relationships
Republicans In Chaos As Trump Slams 'Disloyal' Ryan, McCain
Inspirational Christian Missionary Shot By Bandits Returns To Congo For Last Time
Former Pope Angry That Germans Who Withdraw From Paying Church Tax Face Excommunication
Leaked Emails Reveal Top Clinton Aide Mocked Evangelicals And Catholics
Pastors Arrested And Churches Set For Demolition As Persecution Increases In Sudan

Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 12-13/16

Nasrallah: Saudi leadership pushing country to abyss
Now Lebanon/October 12/16/BEIRUT - Hezbollah’s leader blasted Saudi Arabia over its military campaign in Yemen days after an airstrike conducted by the Riyadh-led coalition killed over 100 people in the conflict-stricken country. “The Saudi leadership is pushing their country to the abyss,” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday night at a ceremony on the eve of Ashura, a holy day revered by Shiite Muslims. Nasrallah, who delivered his speech in a rare public appearance, rebuked Saudi Arabia for its campaign against the Houthis of Yemen, who are backed by Iran. On Saturday, an airstrike by the Saudi coalition killed over 140 people and injured hundreds of others at the funeral for Sheikh Ali al-Rawishan, the father of the interior minister in the government run by the Houthis. “Saudi Arabia’s leaders must return to their senses,” he said, amid a chorus of “Death to the Saud family” calls chanted by the crowd of thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered at the Sayyed al-Shuhada Complex in the southern Beirut suburbs. Nasrallah also mocked Saudi Arabia’s power, questioning their economic situation as the country is beset by a financial crisis. He insisted that Riyadh’s campaign in Yemen was a “historic mistake.”The Hezbollah chief lamented the regional situation, saying that tensions were rising amid escalations, which he warned could affect Lebanon. Specifically on Syria, Nasrallah painted a pessimistic picture, saying that the conflict “is open for more tension, escalation and confrontation.” Hezbollah’s leader blamed the US for the failure to implement a cessation-of-hostilities that Washington and Moscow attempted to broker, but fell apart quickly in September as regime forces and Russian jets bombarded the rebel-held half of Aleppo. Two weeks ago, Nasrallah lambasted the beleaguered diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Syria, saying that a political solution was not currently possible. “There are no prospects for political solutions,” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said then during a televised speech to a gathering of Shiite clerics. In Tuesday’s speech, Nasrallah struck a slightly more optimistic tone, saying that a political solution was possible as long as it allowed for a vote under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that would allow the strongman to stand for re-election. “Only Syrian people can decide their own fate,” he stressed, saying that not only the US, but also Saudi Arabia, were blocking a possible solution to the war.
 

Nasrallah: Lashes Out at Saudi Arabia, Reiterates 'Golden Equation' of Army, People, Resistance
Naharnet/October 12/16/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stressed on Wednesday that the army, people and Resistance equation protects Lebanon as he refused any attempts aiming to obstruct the government’s work. “The army, people and Resistance equation protects us and we refuse obstructing the government under any pretext,” stressed Nasrallah in the second live appearance within 24 hours addressing thousands of supporters in the southern suburb of Beirut marking Ashoura. Ashoura is one of the most important festivals on the Shiite Muslim calendar. Urging the government to work had to meet the needs of the people he said: “We call on the government to work hard on pressing issues burdening the Lebanese. We renew commitment to the positive political path away from the divisions among the Lebanese.” Turning to the role of the Resistance, he said: “The Resistance will continue to watch Israel and Lebanon's southern border. Lebanon's power is embodied in its army, people and Resistance, it is what deters the Israeli enemy. “We will keep our eyes open on the southern border, similarly we will watch the eastern border to confront the takfiris.”Expressing solidarity with the people of Yemen, he said: “Our Ashoura marches here and in Beirut are in solidarity with the people of Yemen and its army. Lashing out at Saudi Arabia he said: “Saudi Arabia's battles in Yemen are to express the hatred of the Saudi regime against Yemen.” A strike on a funeral ceremony in Yemen on Saturday was one of the deadliest attacks since the Saudi-led coalition launched a bombing campaign against Shiite rebels there in March 2015. Nasrallah accused Saudi warplanes of carrying out the raid, echoing Yemen's Huthi rebels who blamed the Riyadh-led coalition for the strike. “The Saud family will be defeated in Yemen,” he went on to say. For Shiites around the world, Ashura is a symbol of the struggle against oppression as it commemorates the assassination of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in 680.

Report: Hariri's Endeavors to End Deadlock Continue, Travels to Riyadh Overnight
Naharnet/October 12/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri flew to Riyadh on Tuesday for talks with Saudi officials over the thorny file of Lebanon's presidency, media reports said on Wednesday. Hariri has returned recently to Lebanon and launched a series of presidential consultations with the main political parties in a bid to end the deadlock at the top state post. He is reportedly exploring the possibility of endorsing founder of the Free Patriotic Movemnet MP Michel Aoun. Last week he met in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov who expressed “support” for Hariri's efforts. 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.

Hariri to Nasrallah: Iran the Spearhead of Sabotage, We Won't be Dragged to its Goals
Naharnet/October 12/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri said that Hizbullah and Iran's involvement in the destruction of Syria and in shedding the blood of Syrians will continue to “haunt the murderers.”“The involvement of Iran and Hizbullah in the destruction of the Syrian cities and in shedding the blood of more than a quarter of a million Syrians will not be blanketed by their fiery speeches, and the voices of the children of Aleppo will continue to haunt the murderers,” said Hariri via Twitter replying to Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah Tuesday's speech on the eve of Ashoura.
“It is rather better for those lamenting Yemen and its people, that they stop their engagement in dividing Yemen and inflaming the civil war among its people,” added Hariri. “Sayyed Nasrallah predicted a response from me at the end of his speech, but he replied to himself. His words apply perfectly to the deeds carried out by Iran in Syria and the region,” remarked Hariri. “Before they pose questions about Saudi Arabia and what does it have to do in Yemen, they better ask what are they themselves doing in Yemen and how they give Iran the legitimacy to train and arm militias. Let them stop the blood shedding of Yemenis, Syrians and Iraqis and stop hitting the Islamic unity,” added Hariri. Saturday's strike on a funeral ceremony in Yemen was one of the deadliest attacks since the Saudi-led coalition launched a bombing campaign against Shiite rebels there in March 2015. Nasrallah accused Saudi warplanes of carrying out the raid, echoing Yemen's Huthi rebels who blamed the Riyadh-led coalition for the strike. Hariri stressed: “Iran is the spearhead of sabotage in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. It is responsible for leaking sectarian toxins to our communities and threatening our unity.“We are here before a tense political rhetoric with one aim, to inflame hatred among Muslims. What we have heard and have been hearing for years, is only an episode of a series that harms Lebanon and its relations with brethren countries. However that will not be a reason to drag Lebanon to the goals of Iran and its tools.”

Nasrallah: Lashes Out at Saudi Arabia, Reiterates 'Golden Equation' of Army, People, Resistance
Naharnet/October 12/16/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stressed on Wednesday that the army, people and Resistance equation protects Lebanon as he refused any attempts aiming to obstruct the government’s work. “The army, people and Resistance equation protects us and we refuse obstructing the government under any pretext,” stressed Nasrallah in the second live appearance within 24 hours addressing thousands of supporters in the southern suburb of Beirut marking Ashoura. Ashoura is one of the most important festivals on the Shiite Muslim calendar. Urging the government to work had to meet the needs of the people he said: “We call on the government to work hard on pressing issues burdening the Lebanese. We renew commitment to the positive political path away from the divisions among the Lebanese.” Turning to the role of the Resistance, he said: “The Resistance will continue to watch Israel and Lebanon's southern border. Lebanon's power is embodied in its army, people and Resistance, it is what deters the Israeli enemy. “We will keep our eyes open on the southern border, similarly we will watch the eastern border to confront the takfiris.” Expressing solidarity with the people of Yemen, he said: “Our Ashoura marches here and in Beirut are in solidarity with the people of Yemen and its army. Lashing out at Saudi Arabia he said: “Saudi Arabia's battles in Yemen are to express the hatred of the Saudi regime against Yemen.” A strike on a funeral ceremony in Yemen on Saturday was one of the deadliest attacks since the Saudi-led coalition launched a bombing campaign against Shiite rebels there in March 2015. Nasrallah accused Saudi warplanes of carrying out the raid, echoing Yemen's Huthi rebels who blamed the Riyadh-led coalition for the strike. “The Saud family will be defeated in Yemen,” he went on to say. For Shiites around the world, Ashura is a symbol of the struggle against oppression as it commemorates the assassination of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in 680.

Qobeissi: Dialogue Helps Lebanon Out of it Crises
Naharnet/October 12/16/AMAL Movement Poliburo member MP Hani Qobeissi stressed on Wednesday the necessity to hold dialogue among the various political components in order to end the presidential vacuum ad reactivate the cabinet and parliament's work, the National News Agency reported. “Under the leadership of Speaker Nabih Berri (head of AMAL) we adhere to communication to protect Lebanon and to prevent sedition. Assuming we can do that, we have to stick to our unity because the Imam al-Sadr called on us to hold on to national unity which fits in any Arab country, and the dialogue that was obstructed in Lebanon fits in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen for people to communicate with each other,” he added. He concluded: “We adhere to the rhetoric of dialogue and unity to help Lebanon out of its crises at the level of the presidential vacuum and electing a president, and at the level of supporting the government and reactivating its work and the restoration of the parliament's activities.”

Sitin by Arsal farmers during Cabinet session on Thursday
Wed 12 Oct 2016 /NNA - Arsal farmers are expected to stage a sit-in at Riad el-Solh Square in downtown Beirut tomorrow, in conjunction with the Council of Ministers' meeting at the Government Serail, in demand for restoring their lands and orchards in the town's outskirts and compensating them for the loss of the last three seasons.

Three Syrians arrested in Hey Selom, suspected of belonging to terrorist organization
Wed 12 Oct 2016/NNA - General Security units raided Wednesday evening an apartment in the neighborhood of Hey el-Selom in the southern suburbs of Beirut, arresting three Syrians suspected of belonging to a terrorist organization, NNA correspondent reported.
The raid came in wake of underway investigations with members of a network arrested by the General Security, NNA correspondent added.

Hashem: National understandings the sole pathway out of our crisis
Wed 12 Oct 2016/NNA - MP Kassem Hashem deemed, on Wednesday, that "national consensus and understandings are the only way to overcome all our crises." Speaking during Ashoura Commemoration held in the town of Kfarkila in the South, Hashem said "our resistance community is a national community that is confronting enormous challenges at all levels, whereby opening doors for dialogue has become our only means for facing these challenges and reaching a happy ending." He concluded by stressing on the need for "open national dialogue and agreement between all political constituents in the country, being the only solution to triumph over all difficulties."
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 12-13/16

Montreal mayor signs quiet deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran
Christine Williams/Jihad Watch/October 12/16/Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre quietly traveled to Iran, where he signed a groundbreaking agreement with the terrorist-funding rogue regime to “boost mutual cooperation in various fields.”The agreement was signed by Mayor of Tehran Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and President of the Board of Directors of Metropolis Denis Coderre. Qalibaf is an influential state-jihadist who has climbed the ranks of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He was also a candidate in the 2005 Iranian presidential election, in which he was beaten by Ahmadinejad. “Qalibaf highlighted Tehran’s close ties with Metropolis over the past two decades”; a troubling fact, compounded by the lack of Canadian media coverage about Coderre — the mayor of Canada’s second largest city — cozying up to Iran. Coderre has also been lenient in cracking down on the spread of jihadist sentiments in his city. Following the jihad attack in Brussels, Coderre’s counterpart, the Mayor of Quebec City, Régis Labeaume — stated that greater scrutiny of mosques was needed; but Coderre shot down Labeaume’s idea, calling it “profiling.” Coderre also denied that jihad messages are being spread from mosques, but he blamed only the Internet for such messages. Recently, the Toronto Star newspaper revealed a critical report about a study that exposed that jihadist doctrine was being spread at Islamic schools and mosques in Canada. These Islamic institutions were found to be “filled with extremist literature.”
coderre-tehran-00

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre travelled to Iran to sign an agreement of cooperation with the Mayor of Tehran in early October

Point de Bascule/Canada, October 11, 2016/TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Municipality of Tehran and Metropolis, the World Association of Major Metropolises, signed an agreement in Iran’s capital on Sunday to boost mutual cooperation in various fields. The agreement was signed by Mayor of Tehran Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and President of the Board of Directors of Metropolis Denis Coderre, at a ceremony at Tehran’s Milad Tower on Sunday. Speaking to reporters, Qalibaf highlighted Tehran’s close ties with Metropolis over the past two decades, expressing the hope that the new agreement would result in stronger cooperation with the association. Pointing to the presence of Mr. Coderre in Tehran, who is also mayor of Montreal, Qalibaf hoped that Tehran’s Municipality could find ways to promote cooperation with the Canadian city in the municipal and cultural affairs. Tehran Municipality has been member of Metropolis since 1992 and has participated in most of its past programs…..
 

Russian jets resume heavy bombing of eastern Aleppo
Reuters Wednesday, 12 October 2016/Russian jets resumed heavy bombing of rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Tuesday after several days of relative calm, a rebel official and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
Air strikes mostly hit the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood, Zakaria Malhifji of the Aleppo-based Fastaqim rebel group told Reuters. “There is renewed bombardment and it is heavy,” he said. The Observatory said the death toll from bombing in Bustan al-Qasr, Fardous and other neighborhoods rose to at least 25, with scores of wounded. At least 50 civilians were killed by strikes on the rebel-held part of the city and nearby villages controlled by insurgents, residents and rescue workers said. In Bustan al Qasr, residents said, the strikes hit a medical center and a children’s playground. The Syrian army, backed by Iranian-backed militias, also said it had consolidated its control of the al Jandoul traffic circle at a major road intersection on the northern outskirts of Aleppo. Moscow and Damascus reduced air raids in the northern city last week. The Syrian army said that was partly to allow civilians to leave opposition-held eastern neighborhoods. The Syrian government said rebels holed up in Aleppo can leave with their families if they lay down their arms. Insurgents denounced that offer as a deception. President Bashar al-Assad seeks the complete recapture of Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city before the 5 1/2-year war, which has been divided between government and opposition control for years. Assad’s Russian allies have meanwhile built up its forces in Syria after a brief ceasefire collapsed last month. Since Russia intervened in the war a year ago, the government’s side has gained the upper hand on numerous fronts, including Aleppo, where the opposition-held sector has been completely encircled for weeks. Insurgents have advanced elsewhere, including in Hama province further south, where they captured a series of towns and villages last month. But in recent days, government forces have regained some of that ground. In the southern city of Deraa, which is split between government and rebel control, insurgent shelling of a school killed at least five people, including children, on Tuesday, the Observatory and state media reported. Rebels denied they fired at the school. Residents reported the same death toll. Near the Turkish border, rebels backed by Turkey and a US-led coalition closed in on the ISIS-held village of Dabiq, the site of an apocalyptic prophesy central to the militant group’s ideology. Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel groups have been pushing south into ISIS’s territory in an operation backed by Turkey since Aug. 24, and have taken more villages near Dabiq in recent days. But hundreds of mines planted by the militants were delaying their progress, rebels said. The militants even retook the villages of Ihtimlat and Kafra only hours after the FSA fighters seized them, rebels said. “They planted along their front lines of defense hundreds of mines,” a rebel from the Failaq al Sham group said. Now the goal of FSA forces was to retake the town of Soran, an ISIS stronghold in the area, before moving on to Dabiq, he said.

Pope begs for immediate ceasefire in Syria
AFP, Vatican City Wednesday, 12 October 2016/Pope Francis appealed on Wednesday for an immediate ceasefire in Syria, calling for "at least" a truce enabling civilians, especially children, to be evacuated, after Aleppo came under fierce air assault. "I want to underline and reiterate my closeness to all the victims of the inhumane conflict in Syria," he said at his weekly audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican. "It is with a sense of urgency that I renew my appeal, begging those responsible, with all my strength, for an immediate ceasefire to be imposed and respected at least long enough to consent the evacuation of civilians, especially children, who are still trapped under the ferocious bombardments," he said. On Tuesday, regime ally Russia carried out its heaviest air strikes in days on Aleppo, killing 25 civilians including four children according to a monitor, and causing massive damage in several residential areas of the city's rebel-held east. Syria's army announced a bid last month to retake the city, which has been divided since mid-2012. The assault began after the collapse of a short-lived truce negotiated by Washington and Moscow, and has seen the besieged east of Aleppo come under fierce aerial assault. Syrian army said last Wednesday it would reduce its bombardment, after days of attacks that killed hundreds of people and destroyed the largest remaining hospital in the east, but heavy bombing began again on Tuesday.

AIPAC: Obama Administration Has Opened Door to Business With Iran’s Top Terrorist Group
Barney Breen-Portnoy/algemeiner/October 12/16/With its recent decision to further ease economic sanctions on Tehran, the Obama administration has “opened the door to business with Iran’s leading terrorist group — the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),” a pro-Israel lobby group said.
In a memo issued on Monday, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) said the Treasury Department’s move to allow Iran greater access to the US dollar “accelerates a pattern of undeserved concessions to Tehran as it simultaneously escalates its terrorist activities, ballistic missile tests, and human rights violations.”Furthermore, AIPAC said, “any long-term success of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) depends on Iran understanding that any violation will lead to swift, certain response. Undeserved concessions going beyond the JCPOA only reinforce Tehran’s propensity to violate its international obligations and ultimately undermine the JCPOA itself.”AIPAC called on Congress to “press the administration to clarify its policy toward entities controlled in whole by sanctioned entities like the IRGC.”The administration’s actions vis-à-vis Iran, AIPAC went on to say, “reflect an opaqueness in US decision-making and an emerging pattern of unwarranted leniency.”“Congress and the president must take corrective steps now and in January to stop undeserved concessions to Iran and hold Tehran accountable,” the memo stated. After the JCPOA was signed by Iran and six world powers last July, AIPAC urged Congress to reject it. Two months later, AIPAC expressed disappointment in the filibuster used by Senate Democrats to prevent a vote on the deal.

Moscow Says British FM's Syria Comments 'Russophobic'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 12/16/Moscow on Wednesday hit out at British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson for accusing Russia of committing war crimes in Syria, dismissing his comments as "Russophobic hysteria."Johnson on Tuesday called for protests outside the Russian embassy in London over Moscow's intervention in Syria backing President Bashar al-Assad's regime.He had earlier said that Russian attacks in the war-ravaged city of Aleppo were "unquestionably a war crime."Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that Johnson's "accusing Russia of all mortal sins" was just a "storm in a teacup.""The Russophobic hysteria that is regularly fuelled by certain members of the British establishment has not been taken seriously for a long time," he said. Konashenkov said the Russian air force was not responsible for the bombing of a UN convoy in the Aleppo region last month and accused Britain of withholding the evidence it says it has against Russia. "The alleged 'evidence' you say you have won't be worth a penny if it is made available to everyone," he said. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Tuesday that Moscow was "truly ashamed for" Johnson over his comments. Moscow has been backing a fierce Syrian regime onslaught against rebel-held, besieged areas in eastern Aleppo, sparking widespread accusations, particularly in the West, of potential war crimes. President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday cancelled a visit to France in a furious row over Moscow's role in the Syrian conflict. The cancellation came a day after French President Francois Hollande said Syrian forces had committed a "war crime" in the battered city of Aleppo with the support of Russian air strikes. Russia on Saturday vetoed a UN draft resolution on stopping Russian and Syrian regime air strikes, with the United States calling for a war crimes probe into the carnage.

New Challenges in Syria as Militants Weaponized Drones
Associated Press/Naharnet/October 12/16/Insurgent groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic State group have learned how to weaponize surveillance drones and use them against each other, adding a new twist to Syria's civil war, a U.S. military official and others say. A video belonging to an al-Qaida offshoot, Jund al-Aqsa, purportedly shows a drone landing on Syrian military barracks. In another video , small explosives purportedly dropped by the Iran-backed Shiite militant group Hezbollah target the Sunni militant group Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front. A U.S. military official, who spoke anonymously because he wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said the U.S. military is aware of the development. Commanders have warned troops to take cover if they see what they might have once dismissed as a surveillance drone, he said. The head of the Airwars project, which tracks the international air war in Iraq, Syria and Libya, said the weaponized drones are clumsy but will scare people. "There are a million ways you can weaponize drones — fire rockets, strap things in and crash them," Chris Woods said. He added: "This is the stuff everyone has been terrified about for years, and now it's a reality." The U.S. military official couldn't immediately authenticate the videos in question, adding that most of the incidents they are aware of involved weaponized drones that simply crash into their targets. But another former senior U.S. military official who viewed the videos said there was nothing to suggest they were fake. A number of militant groups in the Middle East, including the Islamic State group, Jund al-Aqsa and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, as well as Hezbollah and Hamas, have all released videos indicating that they have surveillance and reconnaissance drones. Syrian anti-government rebels and militias loyal to President Bashar Assad were also flying cheap quad- and hexacopters as early as 2014 to spy on each other. The surveillance drones allowed those groups to collect data on enemy bases, battlefield positioning and weaponry and improve targeting.The Islamic State group launched a sophisticated propaganda video in 2014, "The Clanging of the Swords, Part 4," boasting about its capture of the Iraqi city of Fallujah. The video opens with drone footage over the western Iraqi city before cutting to violent ground footage depicting its advance across Iraq. Lebanon-based Hezbollah has claimed to have armed-drone capabilities for nearly two years, but a recent video of bomblets hitting a militant camp near the Syrian town of Hama is the first known documentation. The majority of these groups have access only to store-bought drones, similar to those available in the U.S., ranging in price from $1,000 to $3,000 and weighing between 5 to 10 pounds — certainly not enough to support a large bomb or rocket. Hezbollah is an exception, receiving most of its munitions — including its drones — from Iran.
"It's not going to change the overall balance of power in the region, but it matters by the very fact that these are things that are normally beyond the capability of insurgents or terrorists groups," said Peter Singer, author of the book "Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century," and a senior fellow at the New America Foundation. Syrian skies are already bustling with traffic. Coalition forces have launched some 5,400 airstrikes on IS targets since September 2014. Drones account for only about 7 percent of America's total air operations in Iraq and Syria because the U.S. is "stretched really thin" with drone operations in Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere, Woods said. Russia is also showing off its own drone capabilities — albeit somewhat primitive compared to the U.S. Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry launched a live online broadcast of drone footage of the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo to "provide transparency of ceasefire regime implementation."There is no question the militant groups are outmatched in the sky. But as cells linked to the Islamic State group pop up across Europe and the United States, the real concern is the potential impact these experimental small, flying bombs could have if launched over crowded cities. "You already see things happening in Ukraine, gangs in Mexico are using drones, and in Ireland, gangs there are using surveillance," said Wim Zwijnenburg, a security and disarmament policy adviser at Netherlands-based PAX for Peace. "Add a small amount of explosives to a small drone, and even the psychological factor is pretty significant."
 

Russia Announces Syria Talks with U.S., Regional Powers Saturday
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 12/16/Russia on Wednesday said it will hold Syria talks with the United States and key regional powers this weekend, the first meeting on the conflict since Washington froze bilateral ceasefire negotiations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry agreed to hold talks aimed at "creating the conditions for the resolution of the Syrian crisis" in Lausanne on Saturday, alongside top diplomats from "key countries in the region", Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Top Military Brass among Those Killed in Yemen Funeral Strike
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 12/16/Leading rebel officers were among those killed in the weekend air strike on a funeral in Yemen's capital, blamed on pro-government Arab coalition warplanes, according to official media reports on Tuesday. Funerals for several top rebel-allied officers and officials killed in Saturday's strike were held in Sanaa on Tuesday, rebel-controlled Saba news agency reported. The Iran-backed rebels have blamed the Saudi-led coalition for the air strike, one of the deadliest since the alliance launched a military campaign against the Shiite insurgents in March 2015. After initially denying responsibility, the coalition said Sunday it was ready to investigate the "regrettable and painful" strike, while UN chief Ban Ki-Moon demanded a "prompt and impartial" probe. Three commanders of the elite republican guard brigades, loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh who is allied with Shiite Huthi rebels, were said to be among those killed. They were named by Saba as General Ali al-Jaefi, head of the republican guard and Brigadiers Abdulmalik Marzooq and Ali al-Hamzi. General Ahmed Manea, a member of the supreme security committee, was also among those killed in the air strike which killed at least 140 people and wounded more than 525 others according to the UN. Deputy security chief of Sanaa province, Ahmed al-Shalef, and the head of the rebels' civil status authority, brigadier Yehya al-Rowaishan, were also listed as killed in the attack.
The Saudi-led coalition has come under increasing international pressure over civilian deaths. The conflict has killed more than 6,800 people -- almost two thirds of them civilians -- and displaced at least three million since the coalition launched it campaign in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

US tries to defuse Iraq-Turkey war of words over Mosul
AFP, Washington Wednesday, 12 October 2016/As Turkey and Iraq traded insults over the Turkish troop presence outside Mosul on Tuesday, the United States urged its allies to resolve the spat before a major offensive on the city. Iraq is preparing to fight to liberate Mosul from ISIS with support from the United States and a broad -- though sometimes fractious -- coalition of international partners. But recent preparations for the looming offensive have been overshadowed by tensions between Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Abadi has repeatedly urged Turkey to withdraw troops deployed near the northern city in an area nominally part of Iraq but controlled by forces loyal to the country’s autonomous Kurdish region. Erdogan has refused, insisting that Turkey has a role to play in liberating the city from the extremist, and with tempers rising, both sides have resorted to insults. In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the operation would be led by Iraq and that it was a matter for Baghdad which forces should be deployed on its sovereign territory. “The Turkish forces that are deployed in Iraq are not there as part of the international coalition and the situation in Bashiqa is a matter for the governments of Iraq and Turkey to resolve,” he said. Ankara maintains an estimated 2,000 troops in Iraq, around 500 of them in the Bashiqa camp training local fighters whom Turkish media say will join the battle to recapture Mosul. “It is imperative for all parties to coordinate closely over the coming days and weeks to ensure unity of effort,” Kirby added later, in a statement released as Ankara and Baghdad traded barbs. Abadi’s latest gibe was scripted to get under Erdogan’s skin, mocking a desperate video call he made to a television station in July to prove he was still alive during a military coup attempt. “We will liberate our land through the determination of our men and not by video calls,” Abadi’s official Twitter account said. Earlier, Erdogan had sneered at Abadi’s call for him to withdraw his force back to Turkey. “It’s not important at all how you shout from Iraq. You should know that we will do what we want to do,” he said. “Who’s that? The Iraqi prime minister. First you know your place!”The Kurdish Peshmerga forces that control the area where Turkey’s troops are deployed are in practice not under Abadi’s command, but they are expected to play a key role in the upcoming battle.
 

Turkey to revive plans to strengthen Erdogan’s office, PM says
Reuters, Ankara Wednesday, 12 October 2016/The Turkish government will soon restart efforts to change the constitution and expand presidential powers, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday, reviving the controversial plan after an opposition leader signalled his support. President Tayyip Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, has pushed for a new constitution with an executive presidency at its centre that places him firmly in charge. Some opinion polls in the past have shown a majority oppose the change. However, Erdogan has consolidated both his power and popularity since an abortive coup failed to oust him on July 15. Some 240 government loyalists and 100 rogue troops were killed in the spasm of violence. A state of emergency imposed in July to root out plotters from the security and civil services has allowed the government to rule by decree. "Turkey must give the de facto situation a legal status," Yildirim, a loyalist whom Erdogan appointed to the job in May, told members of the ruling AK Party in comments aired live. The system will help state institutions work more harmoniously and ensure political stability is lasting, he said. Turkey's most popular leader in 80 years, Erdogan was elected to the top post in 2014 after serving three times as prime minister. The current charter describes the office as largely ceremonial. "We will at once take steps in this direction and will let either parliament or the people decide," Yildirim said, vowing to work closely with Erdogan to draft the change. Any constitutional change requires the support of at least 367 deputies in the 550-seat assembly to pass directly. Yildirim's ruling AKP has 317 seats. The reform would go to a referendum if its gets support of 330 lawmakers. Devlet Bahceli, whose Nationalist Movement Party has 40 seats, on Tuesday broke with past rhetoric slamming an executive presidency to tell his party he would not oppose the plan now because it would "strengthen the current system". Yildirim described Bahceli's remarks as inspiring hope and said he accepted his call to bring a constitutional amendment on the presidency to parliament quickly. "Bahceli has seen that removing the system's blockage is a necessity and his statements pave the way, which is heartening."Parliament's second- and third-biggest parties, the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), both oppose ending Turkey's parliamentary system.

Turkey’s president tells Iraqi leader to ‘know his place’
The Associated Press, Ankara, Turkey Tuesday, 11 October 2016/Turkey can’t be excluded from a possible operation to recapture the Iraqi city of Mosul, Turkey’s president said Tuesday, telling Iraq’s leader to “know his place.”Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks were likely to add to tensions between the two neighbors, which are key US partners in the fight against the ISIS group. In a speech delivered in Istanbul, Erdogan also said Turkish troops wouldn’t withdraw from a base near Mosul, saying the Turkish army wouldn’t take orders from Baghdad. Turkey is training anti-ISIS fighters to help retake Mosul from the extremist group. Turkey-Iraq relations became strained after Ankara sent troops late last year to the region of Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul, to train anti-ISIS fighters there - a move Baghdad has since labeled a “blatant violation” of its sovereignty. Iraq has demanded a Turkish withdrawal, but Ankara has repeatedly ignored the call. Turkish officials say hundreds of their soldiers are based at Bashiqa, training more than 3,000 Turkmen, Kurdish or Sunni Arab fighters from Mosul.Turkey says about 700 ISIS militants have been killed in retaliatory attacks against the extremists carried out from the base.
Turkish warnings about possible sectarian clashes in Mosul if the majority Sunni region were placed under Shiite militia control also have drawn Baghdad’s ire. Last week, both countries summoned each other’s ambassadors while Iraq requested an emergency session of the UN Security Council over the presence of unauthorized Turkish troops in northern Iraq. Speaking to Muslim religious leaders from the Balkans and Central Asia, Erdogan said objections from Iraq wouldn’t stop Turkey from participating in any operation to free Mosul and proceeded to make vitriolic remarks against Iraq’s prime minister. “You are not my interlocutor, you are not at my level, you are not my equivalent, you are not of the same quality as me,” Erdogan said, addressing Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. “Your screaming and shouting in Iraq is of no importance to us. You should know that we will go our own way.”Erdogan also said Turkey wouldn’t withdraw its troops from the base in Bashiqa, adding that it was al-Abadi himself who had asked Ankara to train fighters there back in 2014. “Turkey’s army hasn’t lost enough of its quality to take orders from you,” Erdogan said in response to Iraqi calls for the troop’s withdrawal. “We would do whatever is necessary as we have done until today.” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, meanwhile, again warned that any operation to free Mosul shouldn’t lead to any demographic change. Turkish is worried that once Mosul is liberated from ISIS, Kurds or Shiite groups may take Mosul over and push out Sunni Arabs or ethnic Turkmens. “We have explained to all of our friends that the operation planned for Mosul should be limited to removing Daesh,” Yildirim said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS. “If you, after removing Daesh, attempt to change Mosul’s demographic structure, you will light the fire of a very big civil war, of a sectarian war. This is our warning,” Yildirim said.

Two French soldiers badly wounded by drone in Iraq
Reuters Wednesday, 12 October 2016/Two French soldiers were badly wounded in Iraq and two Peshmerga fighters were killed by a booby trapped drone sent by a group related to ISIS, Le Monde reported on Tuesday. In what could be the first report of an attack by ISIS militants on French special forces using a drone, the device was intercepted while flying and exploded after landing on the ground, the paper said. Le Monde said the attack happened on Oct. 2. It was not clear whether the device was remotely detonated or if it carried a timed bomb. The two French soldiers were immediately repatriated to receive medical treatment in France. One of them “is between life and death,” Le Monde wrote. Other French soldiers were also lightly wounded by the explosion but Le Monde did not give precise numbers. France has about 500 militaries in Iraq as part of a US-led coalition to fight ISIS militants. The numbers include special forces that have been training Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the north of the country.The French defense ministry, which has a policy of not discussing special forces’ operations, declined to comment on the Le Monde report. An Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad could not confirm the report and Peshmerga sources were not immediately available for comment.

Russian, Egyptian troops to hold exercises at El-Alamein
The Associated Press, Cairo Wednesday, 12 October 2016/Egypt says it will host Russian troops this month for joint military exercises at the coastal city of El-Alamein, the latest step in the two countries' rapprochement. The army says in a Wednesday statement that the training exercises, called "Guardians of Friendship," will take place between Oct. 15 and 26 and include "elite units" as well as vehicles from both sides. Egypt has increased cooperation with Russia under the leadership of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, the former army leader who overthrew his elected but divisive Islamist predecessor in 2013.
In May 2015, Cairo announced a $25 billion Russian loan for a joint project to build a nuclear power plant.Relations soured, however, after militants brought down a Russian passenger plane in Sinai last October, killing all 224 on board.

Saudi king orders treatment of Yemen’s funeral attack victims
By Staff writer Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 12 October 2016/Saudi King Salman Bin Abdel Aziz has ordered that the victims of last week’s attack on a Yemeni funeral who are in critical condition be transferred outside the country for treatment. King Salman instructed aid officials to coordinate with the Arab coalition fighting rebels in Yemen and the legitimate Yemeni government “to facilitate the evacuation of those wounded... and needing treatment abroad,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported. More than 140 people were killed on Saturday, in what is largely claimed to be an air raid on a funeral ceremony for the father of a rebel leader in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The Saudi-led coalition initially denied any responsibility in Saturday’s attack in Sanaa, but have since launched an investigation into the incident.

Saudi forces down missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis
Reuters, Doha Wednesday, 12 October 2016/Saudi air defense forces shot down a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi militia toward Khamees Mushait city in the kingdom’s southwest on Tuesday night, a Saudi-led coalition said in a statement carried by the state news agency SPA.The Houthis said on Twitter that their missile was aimed at Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal Military Camp located about 40 km (25 miles) north of the Yemeni border. But the Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces destroyed the missile before it could cause any damage, according to the statement by the coalition, which since March 2015 has been fighting the Houthis and launching air strikes across Yemen to try to restore the Saudi-backed government of exiled President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. Saudi forces responded to the missile attack by attacking the launch site, the statement added.
US officials said on Wednesday that they see growing indications that Houthi militia were responsible for an attack on Sunday on a Navy destroyer off the Yemen coast. The Houthi militia have denied firing at the USS Mason guided missile destroyer and the USS Ponce, an amphibious transport dock.
 

Egypt-Saudi relations have long been strained on issues such as Syria and Yemen
By Staff Writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 12 October 2016/A high-level Egyptian delegation will be visiting the Saudi capital in the next few days to discuss regional affairs, Egyptian sources said Wednesday. The delegation is said to include high-post figures from the Egyptian government and will be tackling regional issues such as the wars in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, the sources added. The officials will also discuss a draft UN resolution on Syria to be presented to the Security Council within days. The news comes as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Egypt Ahmed al-Qattan departs Cairo on Wednesday to Riyadh to prepare for the visit. The announcement of the visit also comes as tensions grow between the two countries after Egypt voted in favor of Russian-drafted UN Security Council resolution on Syria that was opposed by Riyadh.Egypt was then forced to rush out calls for petroleum product tenders to make up for a shortfall that arose when Saudi oil giant Aramco announced it intended to halt the delivery of 700,000 tons of petroleum products this month. Analysts say the row is the outcome of longstanding disagreements on issues in the region. Sisi has relied on Saudi backing since he rose to power following the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammad Mursi. But relations have long been strained on issues such as Syria and Yemen. There’s also disagreements surrounding relations with Iran. Cairo – it has been reported – does not see Iran as a threat in the same way as Saudi.
outhi militia toward Khamees Mushait city ...

U.S. weights response to missile attack by group backed by Iranian regime
NCRI Statements Wednesday, 12 October 2016/The U.S. military says it is weighing what military response it could take against Houthi group backed by the Iranian regime, who U.S. officials believe launched two missiles at American warships in the Red Sea on Sunday. Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, says the U.S. is gathering details on the incident. He says the U.S. will find out who fired the missiles and "we'll take action accordingly." He would not confirm if the U.S. is developing targets for a retaliatory strike.
U.S. officials believe Houthis launched variants of the so-called Silkworm missile, a well-known part of Iran’s military arsenal, at the USS Mason and the USS Ponce. Both missiles fell harmlessly into the water. “It’s not a secret that Iran has been actively supplying them and giving them the tools of war,” Davis Said. The U.S. intercepted an Iranian shipping vessel sending vast shipments of arms to the Houthis in April 2016.
The weapons seized were hidden on a small dhow and included 1,500 AK-47 rifles, 200 rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, and 21 .50-caliber machine guns.

Exclusive Interview with a Physician in Aleppo about the humanitarian crisis in the city
Wednesday, 12 October 2016/NCR - In an interview with Simaye Azadi (Iranian Resistance Satellite TV) on October 8, Dr. Fariba, a noble doctor who in most difficult conditions in the beleaguered but resistant city of Aleppo continues to provide medical services, explained the city's situation and humanitarian crisis concurrent with the military ground offensives by Assad regime's and Iranian regime’s mercenaries dispatched to the city. Dr. Fariba said: “There is no food or medicine in Allepo. The available medicine is good for only a short and limited period. There is no electricity… and water was cut off for a full week... The medical condition of hospitals is extremely dire. Many hospitals were targeted last week. Now hospitals... work with a minimum efficiency and can only respond to emergency cases, fearing the hospitals especially patients being targeted by the bombing.”“During this period, our patients are suffering from Anemia which is also due to malnutrition. The Iranian regime’s militias are trying to attack the city of Aleppo. They have been attacking Sheikh Saeed neighborhood for a few days and are also trying to attack Suleiman al-Halabi neighborhood. The militants attack on Aleppo could lead to the massacre of 300 thousand inhabitants of this city. Save Aleppo.”

Iran: Whipping girl students for failing to pay donations!
NCRI Statements /Wednesday, 12 October 2016/ In a shocking measure, school authorities of Mokhtarabad village in South Roodbar (in the southern province of Kerman) struck eight lashes of the whip to at least ten girl students and fired them from school because their parents did not afford to pay 30,000 toumans (approx. $8.5) demanded by the school's principal. The brutality continued on the following days to force the impoverished families by any means possible to pay the money demanded by the school. In the wake of the widespread dissemination of the news of the inhuman flogging of Kerman students, the regime's officials in the Education Department threatened the students' families with expulsion of their children from school if they do not deny the flogging of the students. The mullahs' Ministry of Education plunders the students' parents in different ways and under various pretexts such as demanding compensation for the stationary expenses, cost of taking census, or giving a gift to school. Such demands put a lot of pressure on the students and their families and lead to tragic consequences especially in deprived regions where the students quit school or commit suicide. In November 2015, a 12-year-old sixth grader in Oshnavieh, West Azerbaijan Province, committed a fatal suicide because he could not provide the money to give a gift to school.  The chairwoman of the Education Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran strongly denounced this atrocious measure against young students. She said: "The mullahs' inhuman regime is inherently criminal and thrives on torture and flogging. Moderation of the religious fascism ruling Iran is a mirage when it spends billions of dollars of the Iranian people's assets on export of war and terrorism to the region and carnage of defenseless children and women in Syria and particularly in Aleppo. Inside Iran, it does not have any qualm in plundering people even by whipping the delicate bodies of girl children. So long as the Velayat-e Faqih regime is in power, the Iranian children will live in poverty and destitution, suffer from various deprivations and they will be suppressed and tortured. The only cure for these pains is the unity and solidarity of all strata of the nation to overthrow the mullahs' religious tyranny and establish freedom and democracy in Iran. The Education Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/October 12, 2016

A Female Prisoner Reveals the Terrible Crime of the Iranian Regime
Wednesday, 12 October 2016/NCRI - The female political prisoner, Zahra Zehtabchi, in a letter, exposed the crimes of the Mullahs' regime against her family.
The following is parts of her letter:
"I, Zahra Zehtabchi, the mother of two daughters, was charged with the membership in PMOI (MEK) and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. However, I was only the simple supporter of PMOI (MEK) and had a short-term internet relationship with them.
Of course, such condemnations in Iran is nothing new because, in all these years, this regime has condemned many people on unfounded grounds to long imprisonments and executions without holding a trial in the courts. My father and father-in-law are the illustrative examples of such condemnations. My father, Ali Asghar (Amir) Zehtabchi, was born in 1941 and executed in Evin Prison on 20th August 1981.On 20th August 1981, a rally was held by the PMOI (MEK) in Tehran and the Iranian regime turned violent. Many people were killed and arrested by them.In the evening of the same day, I was at home with my mother, sister and we were listening to the evening news. They announced that 13 protesters were arrested on that day and according to the court vote, they were accused of enmity against God and were executed. My father was also among those 13 protesters.
First, how could they possibly take these protesters to the court on the same day just a few hours after the arrest and how could they pass the sentence on them immediately?
Secondly, my father was already arrested in Tehran's Bazaar 15 days before the day of protest and this issue did not have anything to do with the demonstration that was staged on 20th August 1981. When my father was executed, I was 12 years old and had two sisters aged 14 and 5 and a 16-year-old brother as well. Then, in 1992 my mother and brother were arrested by the Iranian regime. My mother served time for a year and my brother for 4 years as well.In March 1989, my father-in-law had taken a mother with her 4-year-old child to Zahedan in order to withdraw them from Iran and they were then arrested and executed without the family's awareness. After the execution, the bodies were not handed over to us, neither were we told about their burial place. So far, there is no news about what happened to that 4-year-old boy. This is part of the story of my life and my family's over the years and I hope it helped to expose the facts of the 60s. Blessed be their memory, Zahra Zehtabchi, Evin Prison, October 2016."

The Flogged Students were threatened by agents of the Iran regime.
Wednesday, 12 October 2016/NCRI - Subsequent to widespread coverage of barbaric flogging of school children in central Iran province – Kerman, on social networks and revelation of the Iranian regime's repressive measures against the students, regime officials of the Ministry of Education threatened students and their families that if they do not deny the flogging news, they will be expelled from school forever, and because of this Intimidation some of them denied their previous revelations.
Following is the news. In an inhuman act by the clerical regime ruling Iran, the principal of a school in a village in Kerman province (southern Iran) flogged a number of students because of their parents inability to pay 300 thousands rials (~$10) tuition fee and expelled them from the school.
The state-run Tabnak website reported on October 9: “There are schools across the country where school officials severely punish the students for their inability to pay tuition fee. For example, the principal of a school in ‘Mokhtar Abad’ village in ‘Roudbar Jonoub (South Roudbar)’ county in Kerman province flogged the students for the ‘crime!’ of poverty and expelled them from school.”  “After reminding the students several times to pay 300,000 rials to help the school and the students’ inability to pay [extortion] money, the school principal ‘M.M.’ punished the students who were unable to pay the tuition fee by flogging them 8 times and expelling them from the school,” the state-run news agency wrote. The families of some of the students confirmed that their children were “punished” and “protested against the pressure imposed by the schools to receive money” from the parents. They said that their “poor economic condition does not allow them to help schools meet the costs.”According to a video clip published on the internet on October 8, several schoolgirls first introduce themselves and then reveal that they were “flogged” by the school principal. According to state-run media, families of the students who do not even have the money to buy stationery and school supplies for their children are forced to sell their household or borrow money to provide the 300 thousand rials to the school principal. Flogging the students whose parents are financially unable to help the schools and pay “tuition fee” money, is an unprecedented inhuman treatment towards students by the plunderer regime of mullahs ruling Iran not seen anywhere else in the world.

Amnesty International launches Urgent Action campaign to stop execution of young woman in Iran
NCRI Iran /Wednesday, 12 October 2016/“The Iranian authorities must urgently halt the planned execution of Zeinab Sekaanvand, a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman arrested when she was 17 and convicted of the murder of her husband after a grossly unfair trial,” Amnesty International said on Tuesday. “She is due to be executed by hanging as soon as this Thursday (13 October). Amnesty has launched an ‘Urgent Action’ campaign on behalf of Sekaanvand, with its supporters sending urgent appeals on the case to the Iranian authorities,” the statement said. Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director Philip Luther said: “This is an extremely disturbing case. Not only was Zeinab Sekaanvand under 18 years of age at the time of the crime, she was also denied access to a lawyer and says she was tortured after her arrest by male police officers through beatings all over her body.”“Iran’s continued use of the death penalty against juvenile offenders displays the authorities’ contempt even for commitments they themselves have signed up to. “The Iranian authorities must immediately quash Zeinab Sekaanvand’s conviction and grant her a fair retrial without recourse to the death penalty.”
On October 9, the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran said in a statement: “Zeinab Sekanvand comes from a village near Makou (Western Azerbaijan Province, northwestern Iran). She was forced into marriage when she was 15 due to her family's poverty. After two years of painful life, she was arrested at age 17 on the charge of killing her husband. “After her five years imprisonment, on October 3, Zainab was notified of the death penalty and since then she is on the death row.” The Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran urges all international human rights and women's rights organizations to take urgent action to save the life of Zeinab Sekanvan who is in the danger of imminent execution.

Protests in solidarity with Justice-Seeking movement for the victims of 1988 massacre
Wednesday, 12 October 2016/NCRI - Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of PMOI (MEK) protests in solidarity with 1988 massacre Justice-Seeking movement
On Saturday October 8, a large group of freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Oslo organized a photo exhibition on the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners (mostly members and supporters of PMOI) in the summer of 1988 in Iran, to expose the clerical regime’s crimes against humanity. During a speech at the gathering, Amnesty International’s representative in Norway, Ms. Astri Madland, declared her solidarity with the Justice-Seeking Campaign and said: “As the representative of Amnesty International in Lyngdal, I want to emphasize my support for what is written on this paper (Justice-Seeking litigation). Amnesty International agrees with the focus on the issue of human rights in Iran and condemns human rights violations in Iran and the events that occurred there. The International campaign announced that more than 30,000 political prisoners were executed (in 1988) in Iran and I believe that all crimes against humanity must be investigated and the masterminds and perpetrators of these crimes must be brought to justice.”Concurrently, supporters of the Iranian Resistance in the Netherlands held a gathering in front of the Dutch Parliament in The Hague on Saturday, October 8, to protest the growing wave of executions by the anti-human mullahs' regime in Iran. Participants declared their solidarity with the Justice-Seeking Campaign on the 1988 massacre of 30 thousand political prisoners in Iran and demanded the trial of the mullahs' regime leaders for crimes against humanity. In Canada, freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the PMOI (MEK) held a demonstration on Thursday 6 October 2016 across the Federal Parliament in Ottawa to express their solidarity with the Justice-Seeking Movement and call for an end to executions in Iran. They demanded the trial of the perpetrators of the 1988 massacre in international courts and urged the recognition and official registration of this crime against humanity in the annual UN Human Rights resolution.

Saudi Arabia urges UN Security Council to condemn Houthi terror
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 12 October 2016/Saudi Arabia has urged the United Nations Security Council to condemn the terrorist acts committed by the Houthi militias and their allies and has called for appropriate measures against the countries supporting them. In a letter written by the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, the country’s Permanent Representative Abdallah Y. Al-Mouallimi highlighted “the continued hostilities committed by Houthi militias in Yemen and military units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh on the Saudi border as well as within Saudi Arabia’s territorial limits”. The letter called it a “flagrant violation of the security and safety of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular Resolution 2216 (2-15)”. The country also provided a list of numerous ballistic missiles attacks violating Saudi borders, from June 6 to October 2016. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reaffirms its right to take all appropriate measures to counter the threats by the Iran-funded and backed Houthi-Saleh rebel militias and will spare no effort in protecting the security and safety of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Yemen and its people, and the region, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law,” said the letter.

US ‘to retaliate’ attack on warships off Yemen coast
AFP, Washington Wednesday, 12 October 2016/The United States threatened Tuesday to retaliate for a missile attack that missed a pair of US warships in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. “Counterstrike, retaliatory strike: I can tell you that those things are things that we are looking at,” said Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Defense Department spokesman. The US Navy has said the missiles, which fell short of the USS Mason, a destroyer, and the USS Ponce, an amphibious warfare ship, were fired within an hour of each other on Sunday from territory in Yemen controlled by Houthi militias. “We want very much to get to the bottom of what happened,” said Davis. “We’re going to find out who did this and we will take action accordingly.” “We will make sure that anybody who interferes with freedom of navigation and puts US Navy ship at risk understands they do so at their own peril,” he said. According to the Pentagon, Sunday's missile strikes targeted the USS Mason and the USS Ponce, which were patrolling near each other. A Houthi militias spokesman denied the US ships were targeted. The Mason took countermeasures after detecting the first missile, which fell into the sea. No countermeasures were taken when the warships detected a second missile fired about an hour later. It also fell into the sea. The incident came just days after a warship from the United Arab Emirates, a Saudi ally, was hit by rocket fire in the Red Sea.

Palestinian shot dead by Israeli soldiers
AFP, Ramallah Wednesday, 12 October 2016/Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian during clashes in the Silwan area of east Jerusalem, Palestinian officials said.
Ali Shiouki, 20, was killed yesterday as security services and the Israeli army were deployed in force across the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem to prevent attacks during the solemn Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the officials said.

US court to consider post-9/11 abusive detentions
AFP, Washington Wednesday, 12 October 2016/The US Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to consider a lawsuit that accuses former senior government officials of abusive detentions of immigrants rounded up after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. At issue is the responsibility of former attorney general John Ashcroft, former FBI director Robert Mueller and other officials of the administration of then-president George W. Bush, who argue they are immune from prosecution. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks by Al-Qaeda operatives in New York, Washington and aboard a commercial airliner, US authorities questioned and detained more than 750 immigrants because they lacked the proper immigration documents. The plaintiffs say they were targeted because they were Muslims or of Arab descent, and were held for no valid reason. They recounted abusive detentions, including being held in isolation, deprived of sleep, and subject to insults and physical abuse by guards. Two of the current eight Supreme Court judges have recused themselves, after apparently having worked on cases that could pose a conflict of interest. The hearing is not yet scheduled but will come before the court's annual session ends in late June. The case could be heard by seven judges if the vacant spot on the nine-judge panel is filled. If the hearing comes before January 20, when President Barack Obama finishes his second term, it would mean his Democratic administration would be defending the Republican Bush administration.
 

Ban Ki-moon to address Dubai’s sustainability development meet
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 12 October 2016/Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, is expected to deliver a special video address to open the second regional forum of corporate sustainability initiative on Thursday, 27th of October in Dubai, it has been announced. According to a statement released here, the event – Sustainability in Action: Business and the Sustainable Development Goals – is being organized by Pearl Initiative, a leading Gulf non-profit organization promoting a corporate culture of accountability and transparency as a key driver of competitiveness. The event is being held in partnership with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). The Forum will convene under the patronage of Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Honorary Chairman of the Pearl Initiative, who will also present the opening keynote address. More than 700 regional and international business leaders are expected to gather at the forum, as well as representatives from the United Nations, the public sector, and members of civil society to discuss the region’s business approach and capabilities in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This year’s theme follows the January 2016 launch of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 goals cover a broad spectrum of global sustainable development challenges and opportunities. The Forum seeks to convene business leaders and their stakeholders across the Gulf Region to explore ways to foster economic growth, sustainable development and job creation for the benefit of succeeding generations. Developed in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Partnerships in 2010, Pearl Initiative is the leading Gulf business-led organization fostering a corporate culture of accountability and transparency.
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on October 12-13/16

Christians Of Syria And Iraq Face 'Cataclysmic Crisis'
Ruth Gledhill Christian Today Contributing Editor/12 October 2016
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/12/ruth-gledhillchristian-today-christians-of-syria-and-iraq-face-cataclysmic-crisis/
The Christian communities of Syria and Iraq are in the middle of a "cataclysmic crisis", a report warns today.
Their very existence is in peril as the world stands witness to one of the greatest threats to the Christian Church in the Middle East since its birth over 2,000 years ago.
Christians are facing targeted persecution and leaving Syria and Iraq at an increasing rate, the report says.
If this rate of emigration continues, within a few years the Christian communities in these countries will be utterly devastated.
It is both unthinkable and unacceptable for a fellow human being, particularly a fellow-Christian, to walk by on the other side, says the charity Open Doors in its report, Hope For The Middle East: The impact and significance of the Christian presence in Syria and Iraq – past, present and future.
The report, written by Open Doors working with Middle East Concern and the University of East London, warns that war in Syria and Iraq has "unleashed a tidal wave of violent persecution".
This has targeted the highly vulnerable Christian population and has dramatically accelerated the flight of Christians from Iraq and Syria.
Before 2011, Syrian Christians numbered about eight per cent of the population of 22 million. Today about half are believed to have left the country. Before 2003, there were around 1.5 million Christians in Iraq – less than five per cent of the population. Today, estimates hover between 200,000 and 250,000.
As many as eight in 10 Christians are now thought to have left, many with no hope or expectation of return. Many are classed as internally displaced and have sought refuge in other parts of Iraq or Syria. Other have fled to countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and beyond, their homes, properties and businesses confiscated or destroyed.
Despite the crisis the Christians are facing, Christian Today reported last week that just 51 Christians from Syria have relocated to the UK under the Government's vulnerable persons resettlement scheme.
However, Christians make up a disproportionate number of Iraqi refugees. There were more than a quarter of a million registered Iraqi refugees in Syria during 2004-2010. Of these, 44 per cent were Christian.
Many of those who do remain want to play their part in rebuilding their shattered societies, the report says.
The report says that Middle Eastern Christians are suffering disproportionately and are targeted because they are Christians.
Their sufferings include being taken hostage, church leaders assassinated, Christian homes, businesses and churches commandeered or destroyed, women and girls raped and forced into sexual slavery, those living in ISIS territory forced to pay the Jizya tax to survive, and mass forced displacement.
Some political bodies have already described this as genocide.
"Clearly, Christians are not the only victims. But a previous report from Open Doors demonstrated that Christians were being specifically targeted and were especially vulnerable to persecution," says Open Doors.
It is also clear that Islamic State is not the only source of persecution and violence directed towards Christians. Christians face increased harassment and violence from government forces and a range of Islamist groups.
Open Doors is calling for current and future legal frameworks in Syria and Iraq to promote and protect the equal rights of all their citizens, for the improvement of living conditions for all citizens and for religious leaders and faith-based organisations to be equipped to play a constructive and central role in rebuilding in Syria and Iraq.
 

Christianity is Rattling: "Lights Out" in Germany
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/October 12/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9072/germany-christianity

The fall of German Christianity leaves an emptiness that seems likely to be filled by a more multicultural and Islamic society. Germany today houses Europe's largest Muslim community.
Christians in Germany, Die Welt reports, will become a minority in 20 years.
The falling birth rate will remove a piece of Germany larger than the former communist East Germany. It will result in a demographic loss equivalent to the population of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt combined.
The German army just spent 428 million euros on various operations relating to migrants during the past year. It has been the costliest mission within German borders that the army of the Federal Republic of Germany has ever undertaken.
In the decades after WWII, Germans have turned into hard-core pacifists, enjoying their role on the sidelines of global conflicts. The army was then turned into a humanitarian organization.
"Contemporary historians ... right now, have failed to find a single historical example of a society that became secularised and maintained its birth rate over subsequent centuries," the former UK chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, recently argued.
"Falling fertility has coincided so closely with massive secularization that we must at least ask whether the two phenomena are related, even if not in a neat one-to-one relationship", the scholar Philip Jenkins also said.
This is also true apparently for Germany.
The Ratzinger-Schülerkreis is the circle made up of 41 former alumni of Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger), who meet once a year with their former professor to discuss a specific topic. This year Pope Benedict has chosen the "spiritual crisis of Europe." The guest of honor was the American jurist Joseph Weiler, who coined the expression "Christophobia" and defended the crucifix in Italian schools at the EU's highest tribunal.
As Pope, Benedict understood the cultural and religious crisis of Europe, and the former German professor sees his native country as a litmus test for the future of Europe's Christianity.
In Germany, where President Joachim Gauck was a Protestant pastor and Chancellor Angela Merkel is the daughter of a clergyman, in the country of liberal theologians -- such as Hans Küng, Uta Ranke-Heinemann and Eugen Drewermann, who have fueled intense criticism of the Vatican hierarchy regarding ecclesiastical celibacy, birth control, the role of women, and sacraments for the divorced -- Christianity is rattling.
In 1963, there were 400 new priests ordained in Germany. In 1993, there were 238 new priests ordained. In 2013, the number fell to 98. In 2015, the number fell to a historic low of 58. This was revealed by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany's largest national subscription daily newspaper, published in majority-Catholic Bavaria: "The Catholic Church in Germany is facing a dramatic shortage of priests. Never before as today have so few men in Germany become Catholic priests."
The German dioceses plan to respond to this crisis by merging parishes, closing churches and hiring priests from Africa. The Catholic Church in Germany has already closed 515 churches in the past decade, while the Evangelical Church closed 340. The number of parishes has decreased from 13,300 in 1995 to 10,800 in 2015.
What was once the Catholic St. Peter's Church in Mönchengladbach, Germany, is now an indoor rock-climbing facility -- one of several known as a "climbing church" (Kletterkirche). Image source: Wikimedia Commons.
The agony of German Catholicism is also demonstrated by the faithful who "escape."
Germans have been leaving the Catholic Church in droves. In 2015, 181,925 Germans formally chose apostasy. By comparison, only 2,685 people have converted to Catholicism. The number of baby baptisms has also decreased by one third, from 260,000 baptized in 1995 to 167,000 in 2015. The situation is even more dismal for weddings. Twenty years ago, 86,456 couples married in a church. Last year, the number dropped by almost half: in a nation of 80 million people, only 44,298 couples sworn eternal love in a church. The proportion of people who attend church has declined from 18.6% in 1995 to 10.4% in 2015.
This trend is called "the New Atheism" ("der neue Atheismus"). According to Detlef Pollack, a professor of religious sociology at the University of Münster, only 4% of east German Protestants regularly attend church today, compared to 15% in the 1950s. A recent study conducted by University of Chicago professor Tom W. Smith revealed that citizens of the former German Democratic Republic have, by far, "the world's highest rate of atheism."
This tendency is becoming the norm in Germany. Andreas Püttmann, a researcher at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, called it "Gesellschaft ohne Gott" ("society without God") in his book by the same title. "The long-term trend shows an epochal implosion," Püttmann writes in the book.
A few weeks ago, in the Marienkirche Church, in the middle of Alexanderplatz in Berlin, an evangelical pastor celebrated Germany's first gay wedding before an altar. The author Peter Hahne, in his book "Enough Amusement! The End of the Fun Society" ("Schluss mit lustig! Das Ende der Spaßgesellschaft") wondered if Germany "can still be called a Christian country, or whether it would not be more accurate to say that Germany is a predominantly atheist country with religious minorities."
The fall of German Christianity leaves an emptiness that seems likely to be filled by a more multicultural and Islamic society. That is why Germany's finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, just called for the creation of a "German Islam." Merkel's powerful ally linked the rise of a German Islam with the national demographic disaster. "Demographic change is one of our great challenges," said Schäuble. Germany today houses Europe's largest Muslim community.
The latest annual report of the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration explains that, due to the decline in the number of Christians in a period of mass immigration from Islamic countries, "Germany has become demographically a multi-religious country." Christians in Germany, Die Welt reports, will become a minority in 20 years.
Religious decline is usually followed by a demographic one. The London-based think tank, the Institute of Economic Affairs, just shed light on the "Europe's demographic timebomb." In the report, "From empty pews to empty cradles," three American scholars, Eli Berman, Laurence Iannaccone, Giuseppe Ragusa, explain that in many European countries, the sudden drop in religious practice has determined a demographic suicide.
It is not only a question of religious faith, but also of optimism about the future.
If the current fertility rates persist, Germany is set to decline from a 2002 peak of 82 million people, to 74.5 million by 2050. Greece, with a loss of 29% of its the population, would decrease from 11 million to fewer than 7 million inhabitants. Poland, suffering a decline of 25%, would pass from 38 million to 29 million.
The projections indicate that Germany will experience more than 64 million deaths during the next half century, and fewer than 40 million births. The falling birth rate will remove a piece of Germany larger than the former communist East Germany. It will result in a demographic loss which would be the equivalent to the population of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt combined.
It is a new situation. Since 1972, Germany has not seen a single year in which the number of newborns has exceeded the number of deaths. It was then that families began to go out of fashion in West Germany. Now there is a talk of many small communities in Germany that could become ghost towns.
In 2003, at the peak of the US war against Iraq, then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld criticized the German and French opposition to the military campaign as a symptom of "old Europe". Rumsfeld would later say:
"Some people were sensitive about my comment because they thought it was a pejorative way of highlighting demographic realities. Apparently they felt it pointed a white light at a weakness in Europe -- an aging population. Europe has come some distance since World War II in becoming Europe."
Germany's decline today is, in fact, also a military one. The German military (Bundeswehr) during the Cold War was the first line of defense against a Soviet invasion; now the army is decaying. The German army just spent 428 million euros on various operations relating to migrants during the past year. It has been the costliest mission within German borders that the army of the Federal Republic of Germany has ever undertaken.
While Ukrainian troops were battling pro-Russian separatists on the eastern borders of Europe, a German battalion took part in a NATO exercise in Norway. The Germans had no weapons and used broomsticks as simulated guns. The Bundeswehr today has helicopters that cannot fly and tanks that cannot shoot. This is a cultural decision.
In the decades after World War II, the Germans have turned into hard-core pacifists, enjoying their role on the sidelines of global conflicts. The Bundeswehr was then turned into a humanitarian organization. To quote journalist and author Henryk Broder, "pacifism has become a German lifestyle" -- not only for Germany's leadership but for the society as well.
Already today, one in 20 Germans -- one fifth of the population -- is over 80 years old. By 2050, it will be one in six. Europe's largest and richest nation is becoming a country for old men. A quarter of German men said "no" to children. It is such a terrible irony that Nazi Germany, which devastated the continent in its search of Lebensraum ("living space"), is now a nation for decrepit, disarmed and secularized men. And soon, Islamized as well.
To quote Ursula von der Leyen, Germany's Minister of Defense (and a mother of seven): if Germany does not reverse its plummeting birthrate, "we will have to turn out the light."
**Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.
© 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.

Missile Attacks on the USS Mason: Principles to Guide a U.S. Response
Cmdr. Jeremy Vaughan, USN, Michael Eisenstadt, and Michael Knights
The Washington Institute/October 12/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/12/the-washington-institute-missile-attacks-on-the-uss-mason-principles-to-guide-a-u-s-response/
After three antishipping attacks in two weeks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, Washington should take firm steps to prevent this from becoming the new normal off Yemen's coast.
On October 9, the destroyer USS Mason was unsuccessfully targeted by two antishipping missiles fired from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen's Red Sea coast. The ship had recently joined the destroyer USS Nitze and the amphibious transport ship USS Ponce to patrol the area north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a deployment ordered in response to the destructive October 1 Houthi missile strike on the United Arab Emirates logistics ship Swift. The Mason was reportedly attacked again earlier today, raising the urgent need for a strong, clear response.
DETAILS OF THE ATTACKS
According to anonymous U.S. officials, the Mason fired defensive salvos to thwart attempted missile strikes while sailing in the Bab al-Mandab today, though the exact circumstances of the incident are still emerging. As for the October 9 attack, an antishipping missile was fired toward the Mason at around 7 pm, followed by a second missile sixty minutes later. To counter the attack, the ship fired two Standard Missile 2 interceptors and one RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM); it also activated a Nulka hovering "seduction" decoy to draw the missiles away. The SLQ-32(V) electronic countermeasures suite may have been used as well, along with super rapid bloom offboard countermeasures (SRBOC) chaff and decoy launching systems. The ship's "hard defense" systems -- such as the Phalanx close-in weapons system (CIWS) and the Mark 45 Mod 4 surface gun -- did not open fire. Both missiles appear to have crashed into the sea, whether due to U.S. countermeasures or malfunction.
Today's attack removes doubt as to whether the missiles were specifically aimed at the U.S. ships. Judging by the October 1 attack on the Swift, in which Houthi cameramen shadowed the target in a small boat hours beforehand, there is reason to suspect the operators knew U.S. vessels were present in both of the Mason attacks.
The timing of the October 9 incident lends credence to these suspicions. On October 10, the Houthi-run SABA news agency quoted a rebel source who denied that the Iranian-backed movement had attacked a U.S. ship. Yet the missiles were fired less than twenty-four hours after 142 people were killed by a Saudi airstrike on a funeral in the Yemeni capital of Sana. Rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi publicly blamed America for that incident, calling the U.S. government "the first and foremost party responsible for the carnage" and noting that "the Saudis are killing Yemenis by means of U.S. weapons and military aircraft. They strike where Americans pinpoint and allow." These statements were amplified by Iranian and Russian media, with the latter reporting the recovery of U.S. weapon parts from the bombed funeral site. Moreover, on the same evening the Mason was first attacked, the Houthis fired two Scud missiles toward the Saudi city of Taif. Both Scuds appear to have been intercepted by U.S.-supplied Patriot missiles, though Houthi propaganda falsely claimed that they had hit their targets, airing old footage of a Saudi F-15 crash as "proof."
THE NEED TO DETER PROXY ATTACKS ON SHIPPING
The balance of evidence seems to show that the Houthis and/or their Yemeni military allies have intentionally struck out at U.S. ships after the funeral bombing, either out of genuine anger or to use the bombing as cover for preplanned attacks. Whatever the case, it is a surprisingly aggressive move, breaking the unwritten golden rule of proxy warfare: "Don't attack the patron of your enemy unless they directly engage you in combat." Iran's potential role in instigating or encouraging the attacks is unknown. Houthi relations with the Islamic Republic resemble the Iran-Hamas relationship more than the Iran-Hezbollah relationship -- that is, the Houthis are autonomous partners who usually act in accordance with their own interests, though often with smuggled Iranian arms and other indirect help.
Although the attacks on the Mason were ineffective, they demonstrate the urgency of sending strong signals that antishipping attacks must cease immediately. The United States and other countries need to show the Houthis in no uncertain terms that they cannot attack U.S. or allied interests with impunity. A strong message must also be sent that Iran cannot use the Houthis to attack international shipping; inaction would likely send the exact opposite message. The Iranian regime has observed the weakness of Washington's response to its hostile proxy actions in the past, including Hezbollah's 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut, the Iranian-commissioned 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, and the 2011 assassination plot against the Saudi ambassador in Washington.
PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE A U.S. RESPONSE
Whatever course of action Washington chooses, it should base its response on four key principles: Set achievable objectives that build U.S. credibility. Washington should not draw any redlines that it is unwilling to enforce. By firmly pushing back against any early efforts to test its redlines, the United States can save itself a great deal of grief and effort down the road. For example, if Washington and its allies declare a prohibition on antishipping missile launches, then any future missile strikes (successful or not) must have significant consequences for the Houthis.
Demonstrate a willingness to accept risk. The United States has deployed forces into the Bab al-Mandab and shown it can counter Houthi antishipping attacks. Now it should keep forces there for as long as the Houthis seem bent on testing U.S. resolve. It should also increase monitoring and enforcement of the UN embargo against Iranian arms transfers (i.e., UN Security Council Resolution 2231). In addition to constricting Iranian resupply of the Houthi missile arsenal, this could signal the rebels that further attacks will result in a more general disruption of their proxy relationship. Moreover, the U.S. Navy should put together a maritime coalition to keep strategic waterways open, as it did when escorting tankers during Operation Earnest Will in 1987-1988. Toward this end, it could draw on the twenty-nation Combined Task Force 151, presently focused on counterpiracy operations off the Horn of Africa, to help protect commercial shipping in the Bab al-Mandab and Red Sea (this depends on the force's current legal status; Washington and its partners may need to change CTF 151's formal mandate to redeploy it, or create a new force with similar parameters and participants).
Divide Iran from the Houthis. The rebels are not yet part of Iran's transnational threat network: they are a local organization with local motives. When possible, then, the United States should avoid actions that drive them closer to Iran (e.g., kinetic strikes), instead favoring approaches that drive wedges between them. For instance, a stronger blockade could reduce Iran's ability to tangibly help the Houthis, while more active support for an equitable peace deal could offer them guarantees that Tehran cannot.
Be ready to respond disproportionately. Washington needs to create the perception that it is willing to go beyond deterrence-by-denial (i.e., using defensive measures to render antishipping attacks ineffective). This means raising the threat of deterrence-by-punishment, which could introduce uncertainty into Houthi and Iranian cost-benefit calculations and make the United States a more unpredictable adversary. Aggressive U.S. reconnaissance of the Houthi-controlled coastline could serve as an immediate warning. If this fails, disproportionately severe airstrikes on antishipping missile storage sites, launchers, or command posts might be a next step.
**Cmdr. Jeremy Vaughan, U.S. Navy, is a Federal Executive Fellow at The Washington Institute who has completed multiple deployments to the Persian Gulf. Michael Eisenstadt is the Kahn Fellow and director of the Military and Security Studies Program at the Institute. Michael Knights is the Institute's Lafer Fellow. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Defense, or U.S. government.

Why is Trump better than Clinton for Arabs?

ممدوح المهيني/لماذا ترامب أفضل من هيلاري/العربية؟
Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/October 12/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/12/mamdouh-almuhainial-arabiya-why-is-trump-better-than-clinton-for-arabs-%D9%85%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%AD-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%87%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7/
It is a mission impossible to defend Donald Trump after the recent scandals that have flooded the media. However, if we remove the rubble of insults that have buried him alive due to his unpalatable personal acts and focus on his vision and plans, we would see a different person. Who knows, he may turn out to be better than the polished but somewhat artificial Hillary Clinton.
In order to see Trump in the right perspective, it is important to understand the answers to three questions: Why do Americans hate him or, to be more specific, why is the American media united against him? Why is Trump resorting to this controversial method that shocks us? Finally, and most importantly, what is the impact of Trump’s policies on our region?
There are several reasons behind the American media’s hatred toward Trump. Some of them are straightforward as they call him a shallow and ignorant TV star who boasts his wealth, hotels and marriages. He is someone who just wants to become the president and commander-in-chief, they say.
They compare Trump to great leaders like Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Roosevelt and then get furious because they cannot accept this reckless person, who cannot stop punching and cursing, as their next president.
This is understandable only if we have the luxury of going to the past and comparing it to the present. It seems this bad Arab habit has been transferred to the Americans. Hence we find many Americans – due to their hatred of Trump – turning into “political Salafists” and dreaming about a glorious past. It is also an elitist and arrogant attitude because the president must be a good orator, mobilizing the masses during crisis situations and making them laugh on light-hearted occasions.
When it comes to Trump’s Middle East policy in comparison to Hillary’s approach, Trump seems much better
This point of view is theoretically true but can be misleading on the ground. The skills required to face the camera are personal and special and they do not make the person a captain and leader, or even an inspiring director of a small company. The most appropriate model for that is Professor Barack Obama. He flooded the world with eloquent speeches but did not follow up with action on the ground.
Role of the media
The US media turned President Nixon into a devil; they put him under lengthy investigation and made films and documentaries about him. However, this did not prevent him from becoming an extraordinary leader who changed the face of the world today.
As for why Trump is acting in this provocative manner, there are many reasons. Trump presents himself as a horse – or a bull if you like – a wild new horse that was not affected by politicians’ corruption in Washington. He refuses to be controlled and used for their interests. He represents a new persona that was not trained but yet can change the lack of action and break the inertia in the US capital and its politicians who have been corrupted by money and interests.
With this dynamic uncontrollable character, Trump has been able to break old traditions and touch the heart of the white middle class Americans that were forgotten, during the past eight years, when a black president was in power.
A white American friend once complained to me that white men do not appear in commercials involving black, Asian and Latin people and aiming to reflect the new social diversity. This is a minor complaint that hides the anger of the white people who felt marginalized, despite historically being a majority of the population.
This fear has a cultural side to it. Famous thinker Samuel Huntington wrote an oft-quoted article before his death, in which he warned about the Latin invasion of America. Huntington called for the imposition of conditions that would push the Latin community to be integrated into American society, including the need to learn English and believe in Protestant values, which has characterized the American spirit since the beginning.
It would be stupid to believe that Trump did not understand this predicament and did not know how to cleverly exploit it, even though his words make us laugh. Trump says these sentences includes special symbols and codes. When he said that he would imprison Hillary, he was not naïve; he wanted to say that he will help the weak and the marginalized and would waive the immunity of the corrupt political class, in order to ensure justice.
It is not surprising to see some of the audience cheering for these words, because they were able to understand the code immediately. When he underlines the idea of law and order, he reassures white people who are afraid of African-American protestors who take to the streets and burn shops and cars.
Bloopers galore
Trump has committed many bloopers when it comes to mass mobilization, but those who know him say that he is a different person off camera. The clear evidence of this is that he chose Mike Pence as his deputy, who is a quiet and serious person. How would a reckless and foolish man choose a sane person as his successor in case he died or anything happened to him?
Trump claims to be a devoted religious person but this seems to be a lie and no one is falling for it. He withdrew all his controversial talk about Muslims when he achieved his election objectives.
What is more important than the above-mentioned factors is Trump’s Middle East policy in comparison to Hillary’s approach. In the most important two areas, Trump seems much better than Hillary. He rejects the Iranian nuclear deal, which is strongly supported by Hillary, and strongly criticizes political Islam, which is also backed by the Democratic candidate (Clinton believes that the Muslim Brotherhood can tame the monster of terrorism and provide a new alternative that is more moderate).
Trump has threatened Iran in Syria and has repeatedly criticized the nuclear agreement, stressing that it is a failed agreement. He pointed out that the sanctions would have overwhelmed the regime in Tehran. He was right when he criticized political Islam saying that it was a source of terrorism. This is a valid point that we (Arabs) understand more than others do.
Another positive point is that Trump will be surrounded by wise Republican advisors. He is expected to be disciplined when dealing with reality, especially when it comes to controversial issues that cannot be practically applied. This includes his views on abandoning NATO or forcing the allies to pay. Hillary is an experienced politician but her point of view regarding the world is almost similar to Obama’s, except when it comes to Syria.
An emotional response will certainly make us favor Clinton over Trump because she looks more persuasive, elegant and wise. However, is we halt our psychological desire to admonish a famous and successful person, we will refrain from swallowing the bait that is set by the media in the US. If, due to our life experience, we do not believe what Obama says anymore – and we are right – why would we trust him when he insulted Trump and alarmed us about his policies? Would it not be logical to do just the opposite?
*This article was first published on AlArabiya.net on Oct. 11, 2016.
_________________
Mamdouh AlMuhaini is the Editor-in-Chief of Al Arabiya News Channel’s digital platforms. He can be followed on Twitter @malmhuain

More than just recreation in Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/October 12/16
I asked Doctor Ahmad al-Khatib, head of the Commission for Recreation and Culture, whom I believe is in charge of the most difficult mission in the Saudi government: “Are you certain you can achieve this task?” His answer was practical as he simply told me to go myself to Saudi Arabia and attend one of these recreation events. A week ago, I went to Riyadh to attend an entertainment show. It seems strange to travel from Dubai to Riyadh to watch a theatrical work. The three-floor theatre, which accommodates more than 2,000 people, was abuzz with joy and screams, the auditorium full of mostly young people who were there to watch ILUMINATE perform. This band performed several wonderful shows. It was a successful test that answered my questions such as: Will people accept them? Will it please their tastes? Minister Ahmad al-Khatib is in charge of the Commission for Recreation and Culture which is tasked with introducing recreational programs to Saudi Arabia and developing them. When this commission was announced, many thought introducing recreation in Saudi Arabia was a task that would inevitably fail. This is justified considering the failure of previous attempts to execute projects which the private and public sectors tried to implement, as many of these projects were obstructed before they were even launched. Khatib has been appointed as head of that commission for five months now. Although the legal procedure of establishing the commission and its structure hasn’t been finalized, the commission has announced an ambitious list of recreational events and activities it plans to hold and some of them have even exceeded people’s expectations and ended their doubts. People’s dreams are limited to traveling to escape the difficult life in Saudi Arabia. Even attending football games in the kingdom is a difficult journey
Do not underestimate this task and the comprehensive and positive influences it may have especially on young people who represent more than 60 percent of the population. Do not underestimate its massive economic value as the money spent by Saudis who travel outside the kingdom for tourism exceeds $21 billion. This is in addition to the 10 million non-Saudis who cannot find a breathing space to spend their free time when they finish their working hours.
You can imagine how recreational, art and social events can change people’s lives. It’s not difficult to imagine half a million of Riyadh’s residents travelling on the weekend to the eastern region if means of tourism and recreation, better trains and comprehensive services are provided to them. It’s not difficult for playgrounds, theatres, squares and other recreational facilities to be full of millions of people - both citizens and residents - every month. Citizens and residents in Saudi Arabia fill recreational facilities in the countries they travel to across the world.
If we can achieve this, we will have changed for the best as emptiness and tension will decrease, the massive financial waste will come to an end and life will have a more beautiful meaning. People’s dreams are limited to traveling to escape the difficult life in Saudi Arabia. Even attending football games in the kingdom is a difficult journey and you must be a hardcore fan to tolerate the trouble of going to attend these games, and this is due to lack of services, mismanagement of football arenas and continuous chaos. In London, when I go watch a football game, I feel like I am going on a real trip and it’s truly a pleasure to those who love football despite the expensive price of tickets and the fans packing at the stadium. Attending the ILUMINATE show in Riyadh was an important personal experience and I felt this through the children’s screams of joy. Although this is a small step, in it, I saw a new history being written and I sensed positive transition. To some, it may seem like a marginal issue or even a silly one as they are not aware of its importance to society that needs to open its doors to let the sun in. Doctor Ahmad said: “We are providing additional options to people. They don’t have to rush to the airport to travel outside the kingdom whenever there is a vacation. Our country deserves a lot from us."
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Oct. 12, 2016.

Will Putin’s luck run out sooner rather than later?
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/October 12/16
It is fair to say that Russia is doing its best to be the biggest thorn in the side of the US and NATO in recent years. It is almost as if they were offended by how little attention the world was paying to them in the 90s and early 2000s, after the West spent half a century fearing and dreading them. And now they are doing their best to frustrate and annoy “Western interests” wherever they find them. President Putin likes to claim that this is purely defensive, of course. In the wake of the collapse of the Iron Curtain, the Western sphere expanded substantially into what Russia used to regard as its own back yard, and most of the countries of the Warsaw Pact have been absorbed into NATO and the European Union. So his rhetoric always portrays the West as the aggressor against “natural” Russian interests. Now of course, this only makes sense in a world view in which Russia is still a major power that is a “natural” competitor to the United States. And someone like Vladimir Putin, a former KGB agent who still nurses a deep nostalgia towards the “glorious past” of the Soviet Union, would certainly like to hope that this is still the case. Yet this narrative ignores two things. The first one is that the US and NATO did not muscle into Russia’s former satellites, but rather they were begged by those countries to expand to include them. The Baltics, Poland and the Vishegrad countries, Romania, Bulgaria and the rest of the Slavic Balkans were not stolen by the West. They took the first opportunity to flee the Russian yoke that history afforded them.
An unstable Russia without a state strong enough to secure its nuclear stockpile will very quickly bring back to the fore the worst fears of the Cold War. Indeed, the Lithuanians and, most famously the Hungarians, tried to move out of Russia’s “natural sphere of interest” long before, with tragic consequences. Nor has NATO more recently tried to muscle into Georgia or Ukraine. Once again, it was peoples that have had enough of Russian domination that tried to choose a different path. And the second is that the only thing that makes Russia a power is the fact that it has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world. Were it not for this arsenal, any one of the UK, France or Germany could check Russian military adventurism on their own. To say nothing of the US or China. And indeed, Russia needs to throw its military weight around because it does not have much else going for it.
Ideological underpinning
The old ideological underpinning of empire, Communism, is gone, replaced instead with crude ethnocentric “revanchiste nationalism”. And the former industrial and scientific might of the Soviet colossus has been reduced to rubble, replaced by a narrow natural resource-driven economy, controlled by a restricted clique of the President’s friends, while independent entrepreneurialism is either quashed through local political corruption, or absorbed into the black economy. In other words, the economy is in the doldrums, and nobody in Russia is even attempting to address this issue. Rather, even as it is facing some of the toughest economic conditions since the 90s, the state is pumping whatever surplus it can still squeeze out of the energy industry into military spending, with lavish updates of materiel, a boost to nuclear stockpiles (as if Russia did not already have enough warheads to destroy the planet several times over), and continued operations in Ukraine and Syria.
The Russian military
But the poor state of the Russian military was evident in December 2011, when Russia deployed the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov to the Syrian coast. The US Navy’s Sixth Fleet was forced to keep a close eye on it in case it actually sank, and a rescue operation was needed to arrest dangerous material floating around or sinking into the sea. In fact, one former US General told me that a single US Super Aircraft Carrier Group could obliterate the entire Russian navy, as their equipment is so dated and technology obsolete. Such is the sorry state of this once great power. Now, to be sure, Putin is an extremely talented tactician. With such limited resources he has done much more than anyone in the West could have expected to promote Russian interests and project power, even as the US has been cautiously withdrawing from international intervention. But that does not change the fact that Russia is dangerously overextended. And as far as we can see, there is nothing to indicate that their situation will get any better any time soon. In these circumstances, Putin’s luck, it seems, will run out, and sooner rather than later. The major concern for us in the West is not what Putin goes around doing now so much as what might happen with the inevitable correction occurs. Because anything less than a perfectly orderly transition to a new regime in Russia could spell catastrophe not only for the country, but for the entire world. An unstable Russia without a state strong enough to secure its nuclear stockpile will very quickly bring back to the fore the worst fears of the Cold War.

The decisive battle for the Syrian town of Dabiq
Dr. Halla Diyab/Al Arabiya/October 12/16
The Syrian town of Dabiq is regarded by ISIS as the preordained site of the final apocalyptic battle between Muslims and Christians. It is also a name in which the terror group has invested heavily, naming its periodical propaganda magazine after the key site in northeast Aleppo.
The group has manipulated the prediction to try to sell the idea that they are fulfilling some sort of Islamic prophecy by fighting in Dabiq. They are using this narrative to entice Muslims across the globe to join their cause under false pretenses.
The terrorist group has been relying heavily on the narrative to convince its followers that ISIS is fulfilling the prophecy by claiming they are the Islamic army who will defeat the Romans (in reference to the West) in Dabiq, deluding followers into believing that by joining the group they are taking part in the holiest battle in Islamic history.
The excessive assaults which Aleppo has undergone over the past months - leaving hundreds of civilians dead and injured - has been pushed for to bring the international fight close to Dabiq. An ISIS defeat could bring an end to the religious myths with which ISIS has been surrounding itself since its capture of the town in August 2014. The city features in the group’s ghastly video depicting the beheading of American aid worker Peter Kassig. They called him “the first American Crusader” and threatened to fight other Western forces in the Syrian town.
The terrorist group placed their bid on their decisive battle in Dabiq and they interpret the losses they are facing by the US-led coalition and the high death tolls of their fighters as a sign of encouragement that misery will bring the ultimate victory in Dabiq.
The terrorist group sees in the battle a way to discredit and refute the claims of Shiite groups, mainly Iran and Hezbollah, that their involvement in the Syrian conflict is fulfilling the prophecy and setting the stage for the prophesied appearance of the Mahdi, as enshrined in Shiite ideology.
The excessive assaults which Aleppo has undergone over the past months - leaving hundreds of civilians dead and injured - has been pushed for to bring the international fight close to Dabiq
ISIS has succeeded in slowing down the advances of the rebels by mining the area and has sent 800 of its elite fighters to defend the Syrian town of Dabiq, aiming to lure international forces to fight in the town to bring to life the mythical battle mentioned in the prophecy.
With Americans, opposition forces and Russia/Iran-backed government forces approaching ISIS’s stronghold, the gaze of all conflicting militant groups and world powers is fixated on winning the battle of Dabiq due to its symbolic and theological significance. For the Russians and the Americans, the fight for Dabiq is not strategic to the Syrian fight as the town has little geostrategic value, but rather it is considered a symbolic move to neutralize the myth of ISIS.
Proxy war
By militarily backing the rivals of ISIS in a proxy war, the Russians and the Americans are avoiding an on-the-ground confrontation with the group, firstly to deprive ISIS of the confidence that could be gleaned from a ground-level confrontation and secondly to refute the Islamic prophecy which posits the Americans and their allies as the Roman army, bringing ideological defeat to the group. For the West, the battle of Dabiq is a form of psychological warfare that aims to destroy the terrorist group’s morale as it prepares to fend off expected ISIS offensives from Mosul and Raqqa.
Nevertheless, losing Dabiq to one of the conflicting actors might not deter the group’s resolve. ISIS will construct another narrative to justify its loss. The manipulation of the prophecy of Dabiq proves the ideological impotence of the terrorist group and how it falsified prophesies to suit its geopolitical interests in the region. However, turning the wheels of war by prophesying apocalyptic events highlights a fundamental problem not only of ISIS and its followers, but also among those who still hold fast to the primitive mindset of myth and superstition.

Were the Arabs Indigenous to Mandatory Palestine?
Sheree Roth/Middle East Quarterly/October 12/16
http://www.meforum.org/6275/were-the-arabs-indigenous-to-mandatory-palestine
The Rape of Palestine, 1st ed. By William Ziff. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1938. Reprint. Mansfield Centre, Conn.: Martino Fine Books, 2010. 630 pp. $60.
A train of donkeys and Arabs crosses from Transjordan into Palestine on a bridge over the Jordan River, July 3, 1936. The assertion that Palestinian Arabs are the indigenous population is central in their dispute with Israel. But waves of immigration from other Arab countries brought many to the territory. In 1936, a French high commissioner for Syria asserted that Arabs were moving from Damascus to Palestine because of the prosperity there.
The assertion that Palestinian Arabs are the indigenous population is central in their dispute with Israel. The message is that Jews stole and now occupy the land of the indigenous Arab population. Rarely challenged, the claim is widespread, such as this statement from Henry Cattan, a Palestinian Christian jurist and writer born in Jerusalem:
The Palestinians are the original and continuous inhabitants of Palestine from time immemorial.[1]
Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas elaborated this claim in a recent speech:
Our narrative says that we were in this land since before Abraham. I am not saying it. The Bible says it. The Bible says, in these words, that the Palestinians existed before Abraham. So why don't you recognize my right?[2]
Saeb Erekat, the PA's chief negotiator, stated:
I am the son of Jericho. ... the proud son of the Netufians and the Canaanites. I've been there for 5,500 years before Joshua Bin Nun came and burned my hometown Jericho.[3]
To be sure, some Arabs are descendants of the indigenous occupants. But waves of immigration into the Holy Land brought Jews, Arabs, and others to the territories, to the point that most of today's Arabic-speakers do not trace their roots back for centuries.
A number of analyses address the subject of Arab immigration to Palestine: Joan Peters' From Time Immemorial,[4] Arieh Avneri's The Claim of Dispossession,[5] and Fred M. Gottheil's essay, "The Smoking Gun: Arab Immigration into Palestine, 1922-1931."[6] But, William B. Ziff's little remembered The Rape of Palestine, published in 1938, adds an important first-hand source to these recent studies. None of the modern authors used Ziff as a source, so this is new information to present-day analysts.
Ziff (1898-1953) was born in Chicago and co-founded the Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, which specialized in technical magazines in such subject areas as aviation, radio, and photography. Active in Zionist politics, his Rape of Palestine was considered by the British Foreign Office "a violent and offensive book," and for years afterward, the British monitored the Zionist writings and speeches of this "unscrupulous gangster," fearful that his audiences were "lapping this poison up."[7]
The thrust of Ziff's book is on British policy in Palestine during the mandate period, but what is especially interesting today are his comments on the migration of Arabs and the squelching of Jewish immigration by the British. The following extensive quotes show the value of his work.
"Indigenous" Pre-20th Century Foreigners
In 1830, Egypt's governor Muhammad Ali colonized Jaffa, Nablus, and Beisan with Egyptian soldiers and their Sudanese allies. Fourteen years later, the nationalities of the inhabitants of Jaffa were estimated at 8,000 Turco-Egyptians, 4,000 Greeks and Armenians, and 1,000 Jews and Maronites.
Ziff notes that foreigners already peopled the land:[8]
It was always the foreign soldier who was the police power in Palestine. The Tulunides brought in Turks and Negroes. The Fatamids introduced Berbers, Slavs, Greeks, Kurds, and mercenaries of all kinds. The Mamelukes imported legions of Georgians and Circassians. Each monarch for his personal safety relied on great levies of slave warriors. Saladin, hard-pressed by the Crusaders, received one hundred and fifty thousand Persians who were given lands in Galilee and the Sidon district for their services.
Out of this human patch-work of Jews, Arabs, Armenians, Kalmucks, Persians, Crusaders, Tartars, Indians, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Sudanese, Turks, Mongols, Romans, Kharmazians, Greeks, pilgrims, wanderers, ne'er-do-wells and adventurers, invaders, slaves ... was formed that hodge-podge of blood and mentality we call today "Levantine." ...
In the fourteenth century, drought caused the immigration into Palestine of eighteen thousand "tents" of Yurate Tartars from the Euphrates. Soon followed twenty thousand Ashiri under Gaza, and four thousand Mongols under Moulai, who occupied the Jordan Valley and settled from Jerusalem south. Kaisaite and Yemenite tribes followed in their trail. ...
In 1830 the Albanian conqueror Mehemet [Muhammad] Ali colonized Jaffa, Nablus, and Beisan with Egyptian soldiers and their Sudanese allies. Fourteen years later, Lynch estimated the thirteen thousand inhabitants of Jaffa to be composed of eight thousand Turco-Egyptians, four thousand Greeks and Armenians, and one thousand Jews and Maronites. He did not consider that there were any Arabs at all in that city.[9]
Ziff continues:
One hundred years ago, [Jaffa] had a population of four thousand. Today it holds seventy thousand, overwhelmingly Arab, who are largely descendants of the Egyptians and Ethiopians brought in by the conqueror Ibrahim Pasha [Muhammad Ali's son]. The few thousand Jews who lived here fled during the 1936 riots, abandoning their shops and property.[10]
Arabs Attracted to Jewish Settled Areas
Ziff reports that Jews invested large sums of money to "facilitate" Jewish immigration and encourage Jewish settlement in Palestine:
The amount of Jewish capital invested in this tiny land is estimated to total more than £120,000,000. Prior to the recent riots, Jews were bringing in money at the rate of two to five million dollars a month. In 1934 alone, they are estimated to have invested approximately £10,000,000 in Palestine. Today the productive output of the Jewish community is placed at £20,000,000 annually.[11]
All the authors mentioned above refer to the Arabs as being attracted by Jewish economic activity to their settled areas. Ziff describes this pattern:
Not until the Zionists had arrived in numbers did the Arab population begin to augment itself. The introduction of European standards of wage and life acted like a magnet on the entire Near East. Abruptly, Palestine became an Arab center of attraction. By 1922, after a quarter century of Jewish colonization, their numbers mushroomed to 488,000. Today they are over a million.
If the English contention were accurate, we should expect to find an exodus of Arabs from areas where Jews are settled into purely Arab regions. But exactly the opposite is true: It is precisely in the vicinity of these Jewish villages that Arab development is most marked. Arab Haifa, profiting by the Zionist boom, grew from 1922 to 1936 by 130%, Jaffa by 80%, and Jerusalem by 55%. The Arab rural settlement in the Tel Aviv district increased by over 135%. The all-Arab city of Nablus, which held 33,000 before the war, has fallen to less than 12,000. Safed which had 20,000, dropped to less than 9,000.[12]
Lack of Jobs for Jews
Palestine skyrocketed along on the most insane economy modern industry has ever seen.
Ziff elaborates on Jewish efforts, both from within and from abroad, to create more jobs for those Jews emigrating to Palestine as well as those already living there. These efforts spurred significant economic growth and consequently accomplished the goal of providing employment. However, British policy resulted in a stream into Palestine of illegal Arab immigrants who filled these jobs in lieu of the barred Jews. (All of the above-mentioned modern authors also address the influx of Arabs lured by the booming economy.)
With feverish energy and determination, the [Jewish] newcomers applied their money and experience, hoping to create opportunities for their poverty-stricken brothers in Europe to join them in building the new nation. Factories and enterprises of all kinds were started. The result was a critical scarcity of labor in which the entire economy of the country went lunatic. Workers were drained out of the farms to take the more lucrative position in the cities. In the towns, the same process repeated itself in favor of the "boom trades," which could afford to pay wages far out of line with those of normal occupations. Employer competed desperately with employer for the available labor supply. Industries had to curtail their activities; factories shut down altogether. Palestine skyrocketed along on the most insane economy modern industry has ever seen.
The condition is partially glimpsed in a semi-official report of August 27, 1934, admitting that the entire Palestine export trade was at a standstill due to a shortage of labor. Two-thirds of the workers on Jewish land, says the report, are now Arabs, "and those Jews remaining will soon be displaced due to labor scarcity." The problem became so acute that populations of whole districts, including school children, had to be mobilized to keep crops from rotting in the fields. While anxious Jews were being turned away at the docks of Jaffa and Haifa, the Nesher Cement Works, engaged in a £150,000 expansion in Haifa, announced November 16, 1933, that it was unable to proceed due to "acute scarcity of labor." In Tel Aviv, £1,000,000 worth of building had to be held up for the same reason. The story repeated itself everywhere.[13] ...
The Zionists have been mercilessly jobbed. They choked and spluttered in amazed exasperation. The incredible posing of "landless Arabs" in a country suffering from a drastic shortage of workers was past understanding. So, too, was the Commission's demand that Jewish capitalists be forced to put all Arab unemployed to work before another Jew could come in, which meant literally the employment of all the natives of Northeast Africa and Arabia (since these outsiders were already flowing into the country in a steady stream).[14] ...
Whole villages in the Hauran have been emptied of their people, who are drifting into Palestine. Count De Martel, French high commissioner for Syria, asserted in the summer of 1934 that even Arab merchants were moving from Damascus to Palestine because of the prosperity there; and in 1936, the head of the Moslem Youth Association at Beirut, Jamil Bek Basham, wrote that "there is a penetration into Palestine of an army of Syrian laborers."[15]
British Obstruction of Jewish, Not Arab, Immigration
The introduction of European standards of wage and life in Mandate Palestine acted like a magnet on the entire Near East. Abruptly, Palestine began attracting Arabs. By 1922, after a quarter century of Jewish colonization, Arab numbers mushroomed to 488,000. By 1938, the Arab population had reached over a million.
Peters and Avneri describe how the British obstructed Jewish immigration while facilitating or ignoring Arab immigration. Ziff adds details about immigration certificates, labor visas, taxation, and Hadassah aliyahs:
As the "absorptive capacity" of the country increased so tremendously under the stimulus of Jewish investment that any effort to deny it became ludicrous, the government produced still other cards out of its sleeve. It announced in 1936 that 70 percent of the thirteen hundred immigration certificates available for the following six months were ear-marked for bachelors, ten percent for maidens, and 20 percent for men with families, thus cutting down immigration without appearing to do so. Another able device was the refusal to allow the wives and families of employed residents to enter without the precious labor visas though in many cases they were an actual charge on these same residents, who sent money abroad to maintain them.
Such an obvious attempt was made to restrict the entry of women that the Jewish Agency flatly accused the government in November 1934 of a mischievous and willful attempt "directed against any considerable development of the immigration of women into Palestine."
Many of the administration's reasons for refusing entry permits would do credit to Herr Hitler as witness the refusal to grant a visa to a refugee Russian rabbi on the excuse that "there were enough rabbis already in Palestine." Some of the regulations designed to restrict Jewish immigration are classic. One of these edicts, promulgated November 14, 1933, allowed only 250 immigrants "to enter Palestine from any one vessel." Its effectiveness rested on the fact that few of the ships touching Palestine ports could make a payload out of such a small number of travelers, forcing the cancellation of sailings.
Perhaps the outstanding example of official artifice was the schedule announced for the period between October 1, 1935, and March 31, 1936. Four thousand, three hundred and fifty visas were granted ... What was not mentioned were the following deductions made from this schedule in advance: 1,000 certificates "advanced" during the previous six-month period; 250 reserved by the government (for non-Jews); 1,200 taken off to cover "illegal" immigrants who could not be apprehended; and 1,900 for dependents of employed residents (who in any other country would have entered as a matter of course). If these deductions are added up they are found to equal exactly the number of certificates granted; so that the administration was only perpetrating a crude joke on the Zionists and in effect issuing no certificates at all.[16] ...
Everything in this business is made subject to cash. Even the boasted Hadassah aliyahs, by which a few hundred Jewish children were brought in from Germany, were made conditional on a substantial money deposit, much as would be charged if the children had entered a boarding school. The Department of Immigration is a paying business, showing in a typical year a net income of £333,200 against an expenditure of £209,100.[17] ...
It is by disguising themselves as Arabs that "illegal" Jews accomplish immigration.
Lured by stark evidence of labor scarcity and big pay, peoples from all surrounding states began to drift into Palestine. Though a huge corps of coast and frontier guards kept vigilant watch to prevent the entry of "illegal" Jews, Arabs from anywhere entered without even the gesture of passport investigation. The report of the Peel Commission admits frankly that the inhabitants of Syria and Transjordan "are free to enter the corresponding districts in Palestine without special formality." It is, in fact, by disguising themselves as Arabs that most "illegal" Jewish immigration is accomplished.
A news item of July 4, 1934, gives the circumstance more lucidly than pages of reference. It reads: "Five Jewish women coming overland from Damascus, attired in the traditional costumes of Moslem women, including the black veils, were apprehended at the border when police saw through their disguises. They could not answer questions put to them in Arabic."[18]
Hunting down Jews
Though guards kept watch to prevent the entry of "illegal" Jews, Arabs from anywhere entered without any passport investigation. The Peel Commission admitted that Arabs from Syria and Transjordan "are free to enter ... Palestine without special formality." Illegal Arab immigrants were also known to work on road and house construction in Petach Tikvah and Haifa.
Only Ziff mentions the British practice of hunting down "illegal" Jews:
Coincident with the advent of Hitler, the business assumed the proportions of an out and out Jew-hunt. In a nice piece of collusion between the colonial secretary, Sir Phillip Cunliffe-Lister, and an M.P. named MacDonald, the Government "admitted" that "illegal" Jewish immigration existed but stated in assurance that "practical steps would be taken to deal with the matter." The very next day Cunliffe-Lister announced stringent measures to prevent "illegal" Jewish immigration into Palestine.
The system of tourist deposits was instituted. Holders of Nansen [League of Nations] passports, that pitiful army of staatenlos [stateless] men, were not in future to be granted even tourist visas. An air-tight frontier control in collaboration with the agreeable French authorities in Syria was to be put in effect. On the subject of illegal Arab immigration, the announcement was expressively silent.
Showing the extent of its preorganization, the campaign at once assumed the proportions of a large-scale pursuit of Jews over the length and breadth of Palestine. Ironically paid for out of Jewish tax moneys, a dragnet of airplane and motor boat patrols were detailed along the borders while British and Arab constables, assisted by organized groups of fellaheen, enjoyed themselves in scouring the coast-wise territory.
At Beirut and other Syrian cities, British and Arab police questioned motorbus drivers, asking if Jews were among the passengers, carefully examining the passports of all suspected of being Jews while others were as scrupulously ignored.[19]
According to Ziff,
Hunting "illegal" Jews became a major game, with illegal Arab newcomers enlisting gleefully in the chase. Savage Bedouins joined in under promise of a reward for any Jewish man, woman, or child they could catch. Palestine was under a virtual reign of terror. Anyone who could not immediately prove his citizenship, or produce his or her certificate of entry, was tracked down, jailed, and brutally beaten. ...
A fair example is the case of a woman and six small children, who had arrived legally with the proper passport and visa from Turkestan. On the way, her husband had been killed at a railway station. The whole family was arrested on the grounds that the passport provided not for a woman and six children but for a man, a woman and six children. On this pretext the woman and her children were ordered to prison.[20]
Illegal Arab Immigration
A group of Jewish picketers assemble to stage a demonstration in 1934 against the Borovsky House construction site where only Arab workers were employed. The British authorities arrested fifty-three Jews and sentenced them to prison. Borovsky eventually conceded and employed Jewish workers.
Ziff also writes about futile attempts by Jews to bring the problem of illegal Arab immigrants to the attention of British authorities:
It is, of course, difficult to attain any adequate idea of the extent of this flood of non-Jewish immigration since officially it does not exist. In the absence of accurate canvass, its size must be pieced together and surmised. Such calculations as are available show an Arab immigration for the single year 1933 of at least sixty-four thousand souls. Added to the acknowledged Hauranese infiltration are some two thousand who arrived from Damascus alone. Mokattan, the leading Cairo daily, announced that ten thousand Druses had gone to the Holy Land, and according to al-Jamia al-Islamia, an Arab newspaper of Jaffa, seventeen thousand Egyptians had come from Sinai Peninsula alone.
To these must be added considerable groups of Numidians and even Abyssinians, and a vast uncounted army from Transjordan about whose movement into Palestine not the slightest pretense of legality is maintained.[21]
Ziff adds:
Exasperated by the government's lack of good faith, which was illicitly converting the Holy Land into an Arab country, groups of courageous Jewish youths volunteered in 1934 to point out what apparently the authorities were unable to see. Fourteen hundred of these illegals were quickly shown to be working at Petach Tikvah and 1,200 in Haifa on road and house construction alone. Their probable numbers could be gathered from a test count of 357 Arab laborers in the buildings material industry, which showed 273 to be Hauranis illegally in the country. A check of Arabs employed in Palestine ports on December 23, 1936, showed that only 50 of the 750 workers were Palestinians. The remainder included 200 Egyptians and 500 Hauranis. Whole hordes of these people were demonstrated to be in the employ of the government itself.
Without deigning to make a reply, the administration pointedly told the Jews to mind their own business. When Jews picketed Jewish employers of this alien labor, the government bared its teeth and sentenced the demonstrators to six months at hard labor for their pains. Undeterred, Jews again picketed a Haifa theater being erected by a contractor named Borovsky where illegal Hauranis were employed. Immediately the authorities arrested fifty-three Jews and sentenced them to prison terms.[22]
Population Numbers
Modern authors agree with Ziff that the huge increase in Arab population numbers cannot be accounted for by natural growth. Ziff does the math:
Though the government solemnly estimates in 1937 a total Moslem increase by immigration of only 22,535 since the time of the British occupation, evidence of a vast influx of desert tribesmen is obvious everywhere. As early as 1926, Colonial Secretary Amery cautiously conceded that despite the growth of the Jewish element "the increase of the Arabs is actually greater than the Jews." Figures presented before the Peel Commission in 1937 showed the Arab population to have more than doubled in fourteen years. This admitted gain in half a generation must either be attributed to outside immigration or to the most astonishing philo-progenitiveness in medical history. ...
[T]he government itself acknowledged in 1922 the immigration of whole tribes "from the Hejaz and southern Transjordan into the Beersheba area," a fact which in itself must make its estimates of Arab immigration far-fetched. Other approximate figures are available from scattered but credible sources. One of these is the statement of the French governor of the Hauran in Syria, that from his district alone, in the summer of 1933, thirty-five thousand people had left for Palestine as a consequence of bad crops.[23]
The native Arab population in Palestine was small before Jewish settlers made it an attractive and prosperous place.
The increase in Arab population due to immigration was no secret. Another important testimony came from Robert Kennedy, the future U.S. attorney general, who traveled at age twenty-two in 1948 to Palestine and reported from there for the Boston Post.He also noted the influx of Arab immigration into Palestine:
The Jews point with pride to the fact that over 500,000 Arabs in the 12 years between 1932 and 1944 came into Palestine to take advantage of living conditions existing in no other Arab state. This is the only country in the Near and Middle East where an Arab middle class is in existence.[24]
Fred Gottheil summarizes why finding the truth on this topic is important:
[F]or Arab Palestinians, the character of their demography is at the heart of their claim to territorial inheritance and national sovereignty. Their contention, seen by them as being beyond dispute, is that Arab Palestinians have deep and timeless roots in that geography and that their own immigration into that geography has at no time been consequential. To challenge that contention, then, is to challenge their self-selected criterion for sovereignty.[25]
While Ziff's book has lain dormant, his insights regarding the waves of Arab immigration into Palestine substantiates the assertions of later scholars. During the mandate period, Arabs from many lands flowed freely into Palestine while Jewish immigration was severely limited. The truth remains that the native Arab population in Palestine was relatively small before the first
Jewish settlers made it an attractive and prosperous place.
*Sheree Roth writes about the Israel-Arab conflict from Palo Alto, California.
[1] Palestine and International Law: The Legal Aspects of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, quoted in Alan Hart, Arafat Terrorist or Peacemaker? ( London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1984), p. 49.
[2] PA TV, Mar. 21, 2016, PMW Bulletin, Palestinian Media Watch, June 6, 2016.
[3] The Times of Israel (Jerusalem), Feb. 12, 2014.
[4] From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict over Palestine (New York: Harper Collins, 1st ed., 1984).
[5] The Claim of Dispossession: Jewish Land-Settlement and the Arabs, 1878-1948 (New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers 1982).
[6] Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2003.
[7] Rafael Medoff, Militant Zionism in America: The Rise and Impact of the Jabotinsky Movement in the United States, 1926-1948 (Tuscaloosa: University Alabama Press, 2002), pp. 39-40.
[8] See also, Daniel Pipes, "The 11th-Encyclopaedia Britannica on Who Is a Palestinian," Lion's Den: Daniel Pipes Blog, July 31, 2016.
[9] Ziff, The Rape of Palestine, pp. 368-9. Italics in original.
[10] Ibid., p. 185.
[11] Ibid., pp. 178-9.
[12] Ibid., pp. 385-6.
[13] Ibid., pp. 235-6.
[14] Ibid., p. 135.
[15] Ibid., p. 248.
[16] Ibid., pp. 237-8. Italics in original.
[17] Ibid., pp. 238-9.
[18] Ibid., pp. 246-7. Italics in original.
[19] Ibid., pp. 243-4.
[20] Ibid., pp. 245-6. Italics in original.
[21] Ibid., p. 248.
[22] Ibid., p. 249.
[23] Ibid., p. 247.
[24] Robert Kennedy, "British Hated Both Sides," The Boston Post, June 3, 1948.
[25] Fred M. Gottheil, "The Smoking Gun: Arab Immigration into Palestine, 1922-1931," Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2003, pp. 53-64.