LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

October 20/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.october20.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18/15-20:”‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money! You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God.
Acts of the Apostles 08/09.13b-25:”Now a certain man named Simon had previously practised magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great. Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place.Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money! You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.’Simon answered, ‘Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.’Now after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans.”.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 19-20/16

Hariri to endorse Aoun but more obstacles aheadظHussein Dakroub/The Daily Star/October 19/16
Lebanon’s Hariri backs Aoun for president, some allies opposed/By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam/Reuters/October 19/16
Hizbollah blocks the long search for a president/Michael Young/The National/October 19/16
In Mosul, ISIS and others, have fallen/By Abdulrahman al-Rashed/October 19/16
In Private, Clinton Split With Obama on Iran/Eli Lake/bloomberg.net/October 19/16
America’s election is giving the world some serious anxiety/David Ignatius/The Washington Post/October 19/16
Article On Syrian Opposition Website: The Political Solution Is Unfeasible; We Should Ignite All-Out War/MEMRI/October 19/16
Palestinians: Fatah Prepares for War with Israel/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/October 19/16
Open Letter to President Obama on Genocide in South Sudan/Simon Deng/Gatestone Institute/October 19/16
Why is Aleppo under heavy fire despite international outcry/Raed Omari/Al Arabiya/October 19/16
Will ISIS scatter after the battle for Mosul/Will ISIS scatter after the battle for Mosul?
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/October 19/16
A world leader in safety, tolerance and innovation/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/October 19/16
Daesh, Dabiq and ominous doctrines/Ibrahim Kalin/Al Arabiya/October 19/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 19-20/16

Hariri to endorse Aoun but more obstacles ahead
Lebanon’s Hariri backs Aoun for president, some allies opposed
Hizbollah blocks the long search for a president
Hariri to Declare Support of Aoun's Nomination Thursday Afternoon
Kanaan Says Electoral Law to be 'First Mission after President Election'
Berri Slams Accusing Aoun and Hariri of Seeking to 'Topple Shiism'
Hariri Holds Talks with Gemayel on Latest Developments
Pharaon Meets Geagea, Says 'Aoun-Hariri Powersharing Relieves Country'
Lebanese Army Receives Ammunition Shipment from Belgium
Kaag Visits Border Areas of al-Qaa and Hermel
Wanted Drug Lord Arrested in the North
Judge Issues Arrest Warrant against Perpetrator in Ashqout Crime
Report: Berri Refuses to Meet Hariri, Won't Facilitate Government Formation under Aoun
Lebanese Parliament Approves 'Necessary Legislation' Financial Bills, Credit for Salaries

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 19-20/16
Iraq Forces Move to Retake Christian Town on Way to Mosul
Pause in Aleppo air war holds into second day
Fears ISIS may use chemical weapons in battle for Mosul
Turkish police kill suspected ISIS suicide bomber
Iran rejects US demand for release of dual nationals
Pakistan arrests two for spreading ISIS propaganda
UN peacekeeping chief pleads for S. Sudan arms embargo
Imprisoned Saudi blogger faces more lashes: suppor...
Saudi man in prison for writing poems hailing ISIS

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on October 19-20/16
Iran’s supreme leader slams American elections
France: Muslim threatens to blow up Nice airport and slit passengers’ throats
Aziz Ansari, other Muslim “comedians” spread hysterical lies about Trump position on Muslims
Robert Spencer in PJ Media: Another ‘Islamophobic Hate Crime’ Hoax
Denmark: Muslims stage organised attack against teenagers for being “American”
Two thirds of ‘child’ refugees coming into Britain are actually adults
Austria: Up to 90% of rejected asylum seekers not deported, home countries won’t take them
Los Angeles: Muslim gets 30 years for attempting to aid the Islamic State
Hugh Fitzgerald: Keeping Jihadis From Jihad
Video: Robert Spencer on why non-devout Muslims sometimes turn to jihad terror
Teachers union protests FBI ‘Radical Ideologies’ website because it could single out Muslims
Belgium: 4 Muslims held on jihad terror charges
Germany: Muslim migrant arrested for rape of 90-year-old grandmother returning from church
Russell Simmons: “Probably more Christians are radicalized” than Muslims, “Islamophobia” is “the worst scourge we have”
Germany: Muslim opens fire in crowded hair salon, then takes hostage
Pakistan: Muslim murders daughter for “honor,” goes free after pardoning himself

Links From Christian Today Site for on October 19-20/16
British Foreign Minister Condemns Assad For Failing To Protect Christians
Battle Begins To Liberate Largest Christian Town In Iraq From ISIS
Chibok Girls Don't Want To Come Home Because Of Stigma
Nigerian President To 'Redouble' Rescue Efforts For Missing Chibok Schoolgirls
Site Of Moses' Death Reopens After 10 Year Restoration
Seriously, Now The Election's Rigged? Just Stop Whining, Obama Tells Trump
Former Archbishop Carey Could Be Criticised In Child Abuse Report
Young Priests 'Too Scared' To Perform Exorcisms
Not Lovin' It: Cardinals Protest Over Proposed McDonald's At The Vatican
Hundreds Of Christian Refugees Beaten And Sexually Abused In German Refugee Camps
Museum Backs Down Over Controversial Exhibit Which Allowed Visitors To 'Kick' Virgin Mary

Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 19-20/16

Hariri to endorse Aoun but more obstacles ahead
Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star/October 19/16

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/19/hussein-dakroubthe-daily-star-hariri-to-endorse-aoun-but-more-obstacles-ahead/

BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri Tuesday informed members of the Future Movement’s parliamentary bloc of his decision to endorse MP Michel Aoun’s candidacy for the presidency, ex-Premier Fouad Siniora said.
Hariri’s widely expected move will put an end to the uncertainty over the Future bloc’s position on the presidency but it is unlikely to lead to the election of Aoun at the Parliament session on Oct. 31 because of strong opposition by Speaker Nabih Berri.
“[Former] Prime Minister Hariri informed the Future bloc today of his intention to support Gen. Aoun’s candidacy for the presidency,” Siniora, head of the Future bloc, told The Daily Star. “But there is no final decision yet on this matter.”
Siniora said he does not expect Hariri to make an official announcement on backing Aoun’s presidential bid in the next two days as had been widely expected by Free Patriotic Movement officials.
Asked if all of the Future bloc’s 31 members will abide by Hariri’s decision to support Aoun’s candidacy for the presidency, Siniora, who strongly opposes election of Aoun as president, said: “This is premature.”
Future MP Ammar Houri said Hariri briefed the bloc’s members on the outcome of his flurry of wide consultations both at home and abroad over the presidential crisis. “[Former] Prime Minister Hariri is heading to back Gen. Aoun for the presidency,” Houri told The Daily Star.
Hariri, who returned to Beirut Monday night from visits to Saudi Arabia and France, held a series of meetings Tuesday at his Beirut Downtown residence, mainly with ministers of the Amal Movement, the Marada Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party, to inform them of his decision to proceed with supporting Aoun for the presidency. Hariri’s decision means he is dropping his support for Marada Movement leader MP Sleiman Frangieh who is vying with Aoun for the presidency.
Hariri also chaired the Future bloc’s weekly meeting, which warned that any further delay in the election of a president would expose the country to greater dangers.
“The parliamentary Future bloc considers that the priority at this critical and dangerous period of presidential vacancy is to elect a president according to the Constitution, and by implementing its provisions since the Constitution is the only document approved by the Lebanese. Therefore, no other rules can apply,” the bloc said in a statement after the meeting read out to reporters by Houri.
The Future bloc’s statement emphasized that the central and core task of the lawmakers and political parties is to work on electing a president according to the articles of the Constitution.
“In parallel, the work of constitutional institutions, particularly Parliament and Cabinet, should be activated, to address urgent issues in order to meet the needs of the people, the country and the national economy, which is suffering from a major crisis and a dangerous decline in all indicators,” it said.
“Therefore, any delay in the election of the president and any obstruction of the work of constitutional institutions, particularly that of Parliament and Cabinet, would expose the country to more dangers at national, political, security, financial and economic levels,” it added.
Hariri met first with Health Minister Wael Abu Faour who was reported to have conveyed a message from MP Walid Jumblatt on Aoun’s candidacy. He later met separately with Culture Minister Raymond Areiji from the Marada Movement and Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, a top aide to Berri, who staunchly opposes Aoun’s presidential bid. He also met with Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil who did not speak to reporters after the meeting.
Khalil did not speak to reporters after the 15-minute meeting with Hariri. Political sources told The Daily Star that Khalil informed Hariri of Berri’s rejection of Aoun’s presidential bid and that the speaker would not participate in a new government and would not support Hariri if the FPM founder was elected as president.
Earlier in the day, Khalil said that Berri’s 14-member parliamentary bloc would vote against Aoun at the Oct. 31 Parliament session.
“We will not boycott the presidential election session. But we will not support Gen. Aoun and will vote against him and become part of the opposition,” Khalil told reporters in Parliament.
He stressed that differences between Berri and Aoun cannot be resolved through a meeting.
Khalil warned of what he called “a bilateral Sunni-Maronite accord,” a reference to the FPM-Future agreement on backing Aoun for president. “We will not accept a bilateral Sunni-Maronite accord and we will confront it,” he said.
However, Khalil’s remarks drew a harsh response from Aoun’s parliamentary Change and Reform bloc.
“Any talk about a bilateral Christian-Sunni [accord] is irresponsible and unacceptable and aims at inciting strife,” former Minister Salim Jreissati from the FPM told a news conference following the bloc’s weekly meeting chaired by Aoun at his residence in Rabieh, north of Beirut. “We refuse to be threatened by anyone who threatens the Lebanese with a civil war.”
“We are advocates of broad-based national understandings and Gen. Aoun’s policy is openness and the National Charter,” he said. He added that the National Charter was not a bilateral or tripartite agreement, but a deal “for everyone.”
Referring to the strained ties between Berri and Aoun, Jreissati said: “We hope it is a black cloud in a promising summer night … Hopefully, unity and partnership will prevail.”
Responding to Berri’s declared opposition to Aoun’s presidential bid, he said: “Anyone who wants to support us can, and those who don’t [want to] can oppose us, but without leveling accusations at random.”
Later Tuesday night, Khalil responded to Jreissati, denying in a statement that he used the term “a bilateral Christian-Sunni accord.”
In the meantime, MP Ghazi Aridi, from Jumblatt’s bloc, called for a “compromise” to end the presidential vacuum, now in its third year.
“Lebanon is going through a difficult, sensitive and critical stage over the presidential election … In the most difficult circumstances, dialogue was held among the Lebanese. Of course, it is better for the country and everyone to have a compromise, understanding, coordination and cooperation [over the presidential election,” Aridi told reporters after meeting Berri at Ain al-Tinneh. “The country can no longer endure more crises, divisions and tensions.”
The meeting was also attended by Abu Faour; Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb; Jumblatt’s son, Taymour; and Hasan Khalil.
Commenting on the intensified meetings over the presidential vote, Jumblatt said in a brief tweet: “It seems a solution is imminent.”
Lawmaker Ibrahim Kanaan from the FPM met with Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea as a special envoy from Aoun at Geagea’s residence in Maarab, north of Beirut.
The two-hour meeting discussed the presidential election and the legislative parliamentary session which Berri called for Wednesday, the National News Agency reported.

Lebanon’s Hariri backs Aoun for president, some allies opposed
By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam/Reuters/October 19/16
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri intends to endorse Michel Aoun for the vacant presidency, senior political sources said, and the Hezbollah ally could be elected head of state later this month.
Long an opponent of the Iran-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah, Hariri would become prime minister again under the plan that could reshape Lebanese politics. It has drawn opposition in his party and a final decision has not yet been taken, allies said.
The presidency, which is reserved for a Maronite Christian in the country’s sectarian power-sharing arrangements, has been vacant for 2 1/2 years due to political conflicts. Aoun, a veteran politician in his 80s, has long coveted the post.
It was not immediately clear if Aoun’s candidacy would enjoy enough support among other politicians to secure the necessary two-thirds quorum for the vote in the 128-seat parliament.
The next scheduled parliamentary session to elect a president is set for Oct. 31.
Opponents of Aoun’s candidacy include Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, head of the Shi’ite Amal Movement and a close ally of Hezbollah, which itself has yet to comment.
Hariri, 46, led the “March 14″ alliance against Hezbollah and its allies, after the 2005 assassination of his father Rafik al-Hariri. He remains a fierce critic of Hezbollah, which is fighting in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
The proposal, unthinkable until recently, casts new light on the predicament facing Hariri, whose standing as Lebanon’s most influential Sunni politician has been shaken by a financial crisis at his Saudi-based construction business.
The troubles at Saudi Oger, which has been hit by falling oil prices and cuts in Saudi state spending, have led to a cash crunch in Hariri’s Future Movement.
Diplomats say Hariri has fallen from favor in Saudi Arabia, which these days cares far more about confronting Iranian influence in the Gulf and Syria than about Lebanon.
OPPOSITION FROM WITHIN
Two senior politicians told Reuters that Hariri had expressed his intention to nominate Aoun for the presidency as part of the power-sharing deal.
A third source, a member of Hariri’s Future Movement, confirmed Hariri had expressed this intention, but members of his own parliamentary bloc opposed it.
Fouad Siniora, a former prime minister and head of the Future Movement’s parliamentary bloc, told the newspaper Daily Star that Hariri had told his MPs on Tuesday that he had decided to support Aoun’s candidacy, but added that there was “no final decision yet on this matter”.
One of the senior sources said Hariri would announce his support for Aoun “within the coming few days”.
The current government of Prime Minister Tammam Salam has been paralyzed by rivalries exacerbated by regional conflict.
Hariri became prime minister for the first time in 2009, but his cabinet was toppled in 2011 when Hezbollah and its allies resigned. Since then, he spent most of his time abroad.
Last year, he nominated Hezbollah ally Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency, but Hezbollah stuck by Aoun.
Aoun, a former army commander, heads the largest Christian bloc in parliament and has a large following in the divided Christian community. He has been a political ally of Hezbollah since 2006.
A significant figure in Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war, Aoun led one of two rival governments during the final years of the conflict. In 1990, the Syrian army forced him into exile.
He returned in 2005 after Syrian forces withdrew under international pressure following the Hariri assassination.
Aoun’s main Christian rival, wartime enemy Samir Geagea, earlier this year also endorsed Aoun’s candidacy.
(Reporting by Tom Perry and Laila Bassam Editing by Tom Heneghan)

Hizbollah blocks the long search for a president
Michael Young/The National/October 19/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/19/michael-youngthe-national-hizbollah-blocks-the-long-search-for-a-president/
Lebanon is rife with speculation that former prime minister Saad Hariri will soon endorse Michel Aoun for Lebanon’s presidency, possibly opening the way for his election and an end to the presidential vacuum that has been in place since May 2014.
If that occurs, there are questions about how Mr Aoun’s political partners will react. That is why Mr Hariri could be engaging in a risky venture, at a time when his political fortunes are at a low.
Many observers regard the presidential void as the work of Hizbollah, Mr Aoun’s main ally. While the party officially backs Mr Aoun, its real intention could be to keep constitutional institutions in limbo until it can impose a modification in the political system that benefits the Shia community in general and Hizbollah in particular. This it probably hopes to do by leveraging a victory in Syria to demand more of a share of power in Lebanon.
If this interpretation is true, Mr Aoun’s election now could represent a temporary obstacle to such a scheme. His election could revive the presidency, allow institutions to function again, and make it more difficult for Hizbollah to impose its preferences on the state, in particular constitutional amendments that would allow it to advance its political agenda.
That is the theory at least. But a more pessimistic reading may be truer. Hizbollah has many ways of preventing it from actually taking place, even if Mr Hariri’s support potentially grants Mr Aoun a parliamentary majority (parliament elects presidents in Lebanon).
For instance, it can do so by working through its main ally Nabih Berri, the Shia parliament speaker, who has a sizeable bloc of his own. Mr Berri has declared he would not favour Mr Aoun. If there is an open election, Mr Berri would very likely vote for Mr Aoun’s rival, Sleiman Franjieh.
That possibility, and the fact that Mr Franjieh may win in an open election, could be enough for Mr Aoun and his bloc not to attend an election session. They insist that they will continue to boycott parliament until there is a general consensus allowing Mr Aoun to win. If the Aounists boycott election sessions, Hizbollah and its allies will do so as well, prolonging the vacuum.
Then there is the question of Mr Hariri’s calculations. The only motivation for the former prime minister to back Mr Aoun is that by doing so he will be eventually be named prime minister. The revival of his political fortunes would allow him to address the financial difficulties he faces by obliging his Saudi sponsors to come to his assistance, which his appointment as head of government would facilitate.
However, Mr Hariri should also consider his support in the Sunni community, where Mr Aoun is especially unpopular, and regarded as a tool of Hizbollah. Many in the former prime minister’s Future Movement oppose endorsing him for the presidency. Mr Hariri is in a difficult position. In striving to resurrect his political fortunes, he may alienate his own community, where he has already lost much sympathy.
Complicating matters were reports this week that Syria opposes Mr Hariri’s return to office. The regime of Bashar Al Assad still has influence over Lebanese politics. This Syrian opposition may have been a way of discouraging Mr Hariri’s endorsement of Mr Aoun, therefore a way of perpetuating the vacuum.
The real question is, when would Mr Hariri be appointed prime minister? The reason is that a presidential election would soon be followed by parliamentary elections, which have twice been delayed and are scheduled for next summer. Mr Hariri has no incentive to serve as prime minister before the elections, because the time is too short, while a poor performance in the elections could undermine his chances of being appointed afterward.
Mr Hariri’s endorsement by itself does not necessarily ensure a victory for Mr Aoun. Furthermore, he may pose conditions for his backing that create more openings for Hizbollah to block the election. Mr Hariri, in making one concession after the other on Mr Aoun, is opening himself up to a situation in which he discredits himself politically, without anything in exchange.
This may be precisely what Hizbollah wants. The party would be delighted to see Mr Hariri humiliated and Lebanon continuing without a president. In that way the party could hit two birds with one stone. However, the real question is how Mr Aoun would react. He has spent decades pining to be president, and to be thwarted yet again would be a major blow to him.
Hizbollah doubtless feels that Mr Aoun’s margin of manoeuvre is too limited to create a backlash against the party. It could be right, but it must also consider something else. If it eventually wants to alter the system to its advantage, the obstruction game should not become too obvious, or it might alienate Mr Aoun permanently.
*Michael Young is a writer and editor in Beirut
 

Hariri to Declare Support of Aoun's Nomination Thursday Afternoon
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 19/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri is expected to officially announce his support of the presidential nomination of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun during a televised appearance that will be held on Thursday. “Several MPs and figures have received invitations to attend Hariri's declaration of his support for Aoun's nomination tomorrow at 5:00 pm at the Center House,” LBCI television reported Wednesday. A Mustaqbal Movement source meanwhile confirmed to al-Mayadeen television that Hariri will declare his support of Aoun on Thursday. "Since Hariri has decided to endorse him, and save any last minute change, Michel Aoun will be elected by parliament on October 30," a senior politician told Agence France-Presse earlier in the day, declining to be named. According to a source close to Hariri, the ex-prime minister struck a deal with Aoun to endorse him in exchange for his return as premier. Hariri's previous endorsement of the candidacy of Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh had been met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. 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. 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.

Kanaan Says Electoral Law to be 'First Mission after President Election'
Naharnet/October 19/16/Change and Reform bloc secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan announced Wednesday that passing an electoral law will be “the first mission after the election of the president.”“The election of a president in a manner that conforms with the National Pact would lead to rectifying the flaws through an electoral law that respects the Constitution and the National Pact and this will be the first mission after the election of the president,” said Kanaan at a joint press conference with Lebanese Forces bloc MP George Adwan in parliament. The press conference followed a legislative session that witnessed the approval of urgent financial bills. The electoral law was on the session's agenda but the meeting lost its quorum after the approval of the financial draft laws. “We will follow up on things and we hope to reach the results that we are hoping for through the election of a president and the approval of an electoral law as soon as possible, because this is essential if we want to restore confidence in the political system and achieve the needed reform regarding representation,” Kanaan added. The parliament has extended its own term twice -- the first in 2013 and the second in 2014. The extensions were partially prompted by the political forces' failure to agree on a new electoral law. The presidential chances of Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun have largely surged in recent days and ex-PM Saad Hariri is expected to officially endorse his presidential nomination on Thursday.

Berri Slams Accusing Aoun and Hariri of Seeking to 'Topple Shiism'
Naharnet/October 19/16/Berri denied reports that quoted him as accusing the al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri and MP Michel Aoun of seeking to “topple Shiism,” and described the reports as “inciting,” An Nahar Daily reported on Wednesday. “All the news and talks that AMAL and the Liberation and Development bloc mentioned something about a Maronite-Sunni bilateral power-sharing of the 1943 are unfounded. This rhetoric is inciting and I categorically deny it,” Berri told the daily. “We will not boycott the election sessions in spite of our objection to vote for Aoun. I will congratulate anyone who succeeds,” he added. Media reports alleged Tuesday that Berri had accused Aoun and Hariri of seeking to “topple political Shiism” in Lebanon, warning that such an attempt might lead to a “civil war” in the country. MP Alain Aoun of the FPM announced Monday that Hariri will announce his endorsement of Aoun “this week.”The ex-PM has been exploring the possibility of endorsing Aoun for several weeks now and on Sunday Education Minister Elias Bou Saab of the FPM announced that Hariri has officially decided to endorse Aoun's presidential bid. 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 launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. 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 Holds Talks with Gemayel on Latest Developments
Naharnet/October 19/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri held talks Wednesday at the Center House with Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel. The meeting tackled “the current political developments,” according to a terse statement issued by Hariri's office. According to MTV, Hariri asked Gemayel to “negotiate” with Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun before the October 31 presidential election session. Gemayel has repeatedly reiterated that his party will not vote for Aoun or Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh if they continue to endorse the political vision of the March 8 coalition. Hariri is expected to officially declare his support for Aoun's nomination on Thursday after his previous endorsement of the candidacy of Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. 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.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.

Pharaon Meets Geagea, Says 'Aoun-Hariri Powersharing Relieves Country'
Naharnet/October 19/16/Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon held talks Wednesday in Maarab with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and noted that the presence of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun alongside ex-PM Saad Hariri in power would “relieve the country.”
The two-hour meeting tackled the developments of the presidential file, an LF statement said. “The presidential file is heading towards endorsing the broad agreement on a Christian candidate... The agreement on the nomination of General Michel Aoun that enjoys Christian legitimacy has expanded to become a broader national agreement,” Pharaon said after the talks. “As for the premiership, everyone realizes that the natural national legitimacy, not only the sectarian one, requires ex-PM Saad Hariri to become the head of the next government, especially that the Aoun-Hariri powersharing would relieve the country, immunize the National Pact and the Constitution, and allow us to address the pending problems regarding state institutions, the economy, the refugees and other issues,” Pharaon, who is close to Hariri's Mustaqbal Movement, added. Hariri is reportedly on the verge of announcing his official endorsement of Aoun's presidential bid. Several officials of Speaker Nabih Berri's AMAL Movement have slammed the latest Hariri-Aoun rapprochement as a return to the “1943 bilateral Sunni-Maronite powersharing format.”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 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. 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.

Lebanese Army Receives Ammunition Shipment from Belgium
Naharnet/October 19/16/The army on Wednesday received a quantity of ammunition that have been granted to Lebanon by the Belgian authorities, state-run National News Agency reported. The delivery took place during a ceremony at the Louaize barracks in the presence of Belgian Ambassador to Lebanon Alex Lenaerts and a representative of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji, Brig. Gen. Manuel Kerjian. Kerjian, the army's Deputy of Chief of Staff for Equipment, recited a letter of gratitude in the name of the army chief before handing it to the Belgian envoy.
Kerjian also presented an army memorial shield to Lenaerts in appreciation of Belgium's support for the military institution.

Kaag Visits Border Areas of al-Qaa and Hermel
Naharnet/October 19/16/The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag, visited the North-eastern border areas of al-Qaa and Hermel, a press statement said on Wednesday. During the visit, the Special Coordinator was briefed by local representatives on the socio-economic situation and the security conditions of the area. Kaag reiterated her condemnation of the suicide bombings that struck al-Qaa in June 2016, and commended the local residents for their measured response to the attacks, she said: “Conflict prevention starts with citizens, through their unity and commitment to the authority of the State. Border areas, such as al-Qaa and Hermel, are also in need of continuous support for their socio-economic development in order to thrive and strengthen their resilience.”During her visit to the border area, Kaag also met with representatives of the Lebanese Army in Labweh.
The Special Coordinator underlined the need for additional international support for the Lebanese Armed Forces and security forces. She concluded her mission with a visit to a local dairy product cooperative, supported by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Zahleh.

Wanted Drug Lord Arrested in the North
Naharnet/October 19/16Police said they have arrested one of the biggest drug dealers in north Lebanon, the Internal Security Forces said in a statement on Wednesday. “Several theft and drug trafficking operations were reported lately in the city of Tripoli and its suburbs,” said the statement.
“After intensive investigations and an accurate security operation, police in north Lebanon were able to arrest one of the most dangerous fugitives and drug lords in the north after he and his accomplices opened gunfire at a police patrol who responded likewise,” added the statement.
He was identified as Palestinian national Kh.W., 56. Police confiscated a pistol and a quantity of narcotics in the suspects possession. The suspect is wanted for justice on 127 arrest warrants of crime, theft and narcotics. Investigations are underway with the related authorities.

Judge Issues Arrest Warrant against Perpetrator in Ashqout Crime
Naharnet/October 19/16/The Investigative judge in Mount Lebanon issued an arrest warrant against General Security warrant officer Tony Abboud in the Ashqout crime case in the town of Keserwan, media reports said on Wednesday. The judge issued the warrant after interrogating the culprit, the reports said.
Last week, Abboud killed four people in a dispute between neighbors. The victims were identified as Jean Paul Hoballah, Paul Hoballah, Isabelle Hoballah and Antoine Chidiac, who were shot dead in Ashqout's al-Shmeis neighborhood. The dispute erupted when the shooter was infuriated after his daughter was harassed by a dog, which prompted him to shoot the dog owner and the owner's father and mother, reports had said.

Report: Berri Refuses to Meet Hariri, Won't Facilitate Government Formation under Aoun
Naharnet/October 19/16/Speaker Nabih Berri has refused to receive al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri after knowing that the ex-PM plans to brief the Speaker on his intention to nominate MP Michel Aoun for the post of the presidency, al-Akhbar daily reported on Wednesday. The daily said that Hariri had requested to meet Berri and that the latter had accepted. But shortly afterward, head of the Mustaqbal received a message from Berri that said: “No need for our meeting if you wish to tell me that you will be nominating (MP Michel) Aoun. It is better that you receive (Berri's political aide and Finance Minister) Ali Hassan Khalil and discuss whatever you want.”Khalil had therefore told Hariri during the visit that the Liberation and Development bloc (of Berri) will not vote in favor of Aoun and is also not committed to name Hariri or anyone else for the premiership. Media reports said that an agreement to bring Aoun as president would secure Hariri's return to the post of the premiership. Khalil has also stressed that Berri will not facilitate the formation of a government under Aoun (the founder of the Free Patriotic Movement), according to the daily. Hariri has been exploring the possibility of endorsing Aoun for several weeks now and on Sunday Education Minister Elias Bou Saab of the FPM announced that Hariri has officially decided to endorse Aoun's presidential bid. 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 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. 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.

Lebanese Parliament Approves 'Necessary Legislation' Financial Bills, Credit for Salaries
Naharnet/October 19/16/A legislative session was held on Wednesday to tackle several pending issues ahead of a meeting scheduled for October 31 and dedicated to electing a head of state for the vacant presidency. ِfter a long failure to achieve quorum and end the two and a half years vacancy, the parliamentarians attended the legislative session, except for the boycotting Kataeb party, and 21 "necessary legislation" items were on the agenda. In the evening, the parliament approved adding an extra credit to the state budget to cover salaries and running expenses. The parliament also approved all the urgent financial bills, according to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3). Before the morning session began at Nejmeh Square, MP George Adwan of the Lebanese Forces said that the LF decided to attend Wednesday's meeting to participate exclusively in the financial and electoral laws that are listed under “necessary legislation.” Adwan added that the scheduled meeting at the end of the month will not be postponed and that a president will be elected on that date. For his part, Speaker Nabih Berri replied to Adwan and said: “I will not vote for the General (MP Michel Aoun) with all due respect, and I will join the ranks of the opposition shall Aoun be elected as president. My words have nothing to to with sectarianism.” “I am not the one obstructing and if I ever planned to do so, I would not have attended previous election sessions,” he went on to say,” Berri went on to say. For his part, LF MP Antoine Zahra said: “The LF decided to participate today in order to facilitate the election of a president.” MP Ibrahim Kanaan of the Change and Reform bloc said at the beginning of the session: “On behalf of the bloc, and due to the magnitude of the financial risks (that Lebanon is facing) and due to the optimism as for the presidency, we will participate in the session but under reservations on items that are not within the framework of necessary legislation.”

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 19-20/16

Iraq Forces Move to Retake Christian Town on Way to Mosul
Naharnet /Agence France Presse/October 19/16/Iraqi forces prepared to retake the country's largest Christian town from the Islamic State group on Wednesday, a key milestone in their progress towards the jihadists' main hub of Mosul. News of the move to recapture Qaraqosh sparked jubilation among Christians who had fled the town, with many dancing and singing in the city of Arbil. Launched on Monday, the long-awaited advance on Mosul was making quick progress but US President Barack Obama joined a chorus of warnings the battle for IS's last Iraqi stronghold would be tough. Officials have said the retaking of Mosul -- in Iraq's largest military operation in years -- could take weeks or months and warned that the hundreds of thousands of civilians still in the city could be used as human shields. Federal forces stormed Qaraqosh, about 15 kilometres (10 miles) southeast of Mosul, on Tuesday but IS fighters remained in the town. Units from Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service (CTS), which has done the heavy lifting in most recent operations against IS, were poised to flush jihadists out of the town, officers said. "We are surrounding Hamdaniya now," Lieutenant General Riyadh Tawfiq, commander of Iraq's ground forces, told AFP at the main staging base of Qayyarah, referring to the district that includes Qaraqosh. "There are some pockets (of resistance), some clashes, they send car bombs -- but it will not help them," he said.
- 'A happy moment' -Displaced Christians held early celebrations on Tuesday night in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous region of Kurdistan, where they fled after IS seized the town. After gathering for a group prayer outside a church in the city, some in the crowd sang, danced and clapped their hands, while others held lit candles. "Today is a happy moment. There is no doubt our land will be liberated and we thank God, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary," said Hazem Djedjou Cardomi, a journalist among the crowd. Qaraqosh was the largest of many Christian towns and villages seized by the jihadists who swept across the Nineveh Plain east of Mosul in August 2014. The mass exodus it sparked displaced a large proportion of Iraq's already dwindling Christian minority, sending most into the neighbouring Kurdish region. Qaraqosh was a town of around 50,000 people in 2014 and is home to at least seven churches, making it a key hub for the more than 300,000 Christians still in Iraq.
Three days into the operation, Iraqi forces were closing in on Mosul from several directions, including the south where federal troops and police have been battling through IS defences and retaking villages as they work their way up the Tigris Valley. - No shaving, no smoking -Some families recovering their freedom from IS for the first time in more than two years cautiously approached security forces waving white flags. In one village in the Al-Shura district south of Mosul, the men were promptly isolated and herded into a handful of buildings for screening. Most of the men wore long beards because the IS members who ruled them for more than two years banned trimming them. Abu Abdullah, a villager, asked one of the police fighters for a cigarette, also prohibited by the jihadists. On Wednesday, Iraqi forces reached the village of Bajwaniyah, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of Mosul. The "caliphate" that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed in Mosul's Great Mosque in June 2014 once covered more than a third of Iraq and parts of Syria. But it has been shrinking steadily for more than a year and retaking Mosul would be a major setback for IS, all but ending its experiment in statehood. "IS simply has too many enemies with the world arrayed against it," said Aymenn al-Tamimi, a jihadism expert at the Middle East Forum.
- 'Human shields'-Tens of thousands of personnel are involved in the operation to retake Mosul, where the jihadists have an estimated 3,000 to 4,500 fighters. World leaders and military commanders warned that -- despite signs that early progress in the Mosul offensive was faster than predicted -- the battle could be long and difficult. "Mosul will be a difficult fight. There will be advances and there will be setbacks," Obama said on Tuesday. Senior officers said the fighting could take weeks and France's defence minister spoke of months. After clearing towns and villages on the outskirts of Mosul with air support from a US-led coalition, Iraqi forces are expected to besiege the city before entering it. Up to one million people could be forced to flee as a final assault nears and many will need shelter. Only a few dozen families have fled Mosul since the start of the operation, aid workers say. Iraqi forces are too far from the city to meet escaping civilians. "We know they are being used as human shields, absolutely," Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said.
Mosul residents AFP was able to contact inside the city said many streets were completely closed at night and half empty during the day. "Most shops have not opened this week. Only some of the small local convenience stores open a few hours a day," said a resident who gave his name as Abu Imad. He said prices had gone up since the start of the operation on Monday, as well as the exchange rate, with the dollar trading at 1,600 Iraqi dinars on the black market, up from 1,400 last week. Many civilians have been able to flee the wider Mosul region to safer areas, with some desperate enough to seek refuge over the border in war-torn Syria. "Thousands of desperate Iraqis are fleeing to a filthy and overcrowded Syrian refugee camp in an effort to escape the Mosul offensive," the Save The Children aid group said. It said about 5,000 of them had reached the Al-Hol camp over the past 10 days.

Pause in Aleppo air war holds into second day
AFP Wednesday, 19 October 2016/A pause in Russian and Syrian government air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo held for a second day Wednesday, although ground fighting continued in the historic Old City, a monitor said. Washington had voiced skepticism about how long the lull announced by Moscow from 0700 GMT on Tuesday in anticipation of a wider ceasefire would last. But 24 hours after the start, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there had been no air strikes on rebel-held east Aleppo, which had been heavily bombed since the army launched an offensive to recapture it on September 22. “There have been no air raids from yesterday morning until now,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. Moscow said the lull was intended to give the more than 250,000 civilians trapped in east Aleppo time to prepare to leave the city during the eight-hour ceasefire announced for Thursday. Government forces, which have kept rebel areas under near-continuous siege since mid-July, have said they will open six corridors for the safe passage of fleeing civilians. The ceasefire is scheduled to begin at 0500 GMT on Thursday.

Fears ISIS may use chemical weapons in battle for Mosul
Agencies Wednesday, 19 October 2016/Allied forces fighting ISIS in Mosul say they expect the extremist group to use crude chemical weapons as it tries to defend Mosul from an assault to drive them out. One official told Reuters that US forces have gathered ISIS shell fragments to test for chemical weapons because the group has been known to use mustard gas in the past.US officials said in a previously undisclosed statement that it had confirmed the presence of a sulfur mustard agent on ISIS munitions on Oct. 5. Meanwhile, Senior Iraqi General Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati told reporters at a military base on Tuesday that up to 6,000 ISIS fighters are currently inside the city. He did not say how many of them are foreigners. Displaced people, who are fleeing from clashes in Al-hud village, south of Mosul, head to Qayyarah, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul. (Reuters) Sources say humanitarian agencies are bracing between 100,000 and 400,000 people fleeing the fighting in Mosul and making their way toward Syria, Iraq’s Kurdish-administrated region or the border with Turkey.
Kerem Kinik, head of the Turkish Red Crescent organization, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the “humanitarian aspect” of the Mosul operation had not been well thought out by the coalition forces.

Turkish police kill suspected ISIS suicide bomber
Reuters, Ankara Wednesday, 19 October 2016/Turkish police shot dead a suspected ISIS militant who was believed to be planning a suicide bomb attack in the capital Ankara, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday. A counter terror squad had tracked the suspect to the ninth floor of a building on the outskirts of Ankara, where he was killed in a gunfight at around 3 am (0000 GMT) after opening fire in response to a police call to surrender. Police found explosive materials at the scene and Governor Ercan Topaca told reporters there were suspicions that the suspect planned to target public ceremonies in the capital, Anadolu reported. It said the man was registered in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir and was born in 1992. Having received intelligence that militants were planning attacks in the capital, the Ankara governor’s office on Monday banned public meetings and marches until the end of November. The ban, enforced under emergency rule imposed after an attempted coup in July, came as Turkey pursued a near two-month-old military operation in Syria in support of rebels to drive ISIS from its southern border. ISIS and Kurdish militants have carried out attacks in the capital. This month two suspected Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) members, believed to be planning a car bomb attack, blew themselves up in a standoff with police in Ankara.

Iran rejects US demand for release of dual nationals
AFP, Tehran Wednesday, 19 October 2016/Iran said on Wednesday it would accept no US “interference” after Washington demanded the release of a dual national and his 80-year-old father given 10 year sentences for espionage. The State Department demanded the immediate release of Siamak and Baqher Namazi, both Iranian-American dual nationals, after their sentences were announced on Tuesday. But foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi told Iranian media: “The government and the Iranian people give no importance to the statements and interference of American officials and their efforts to divide the ranks of the Iranian people. “The American threats only add to the wall of mistrust Iranians have regarding the United States.” Washington expressed concern over the health of the elder Namazi, a former UN Children’s Fund employee who also served as the governor of an Iranian province before the Islamic revolution of 1979. Both were jailed for 10 years for “espionage and collaboration with the American government”, Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolat-Abadi announced on Tuesday. Three other Iranian-American dual nationals -- Farhad Abd-Saleh, Kamran Ghaderi and Alireza Omidvar -- were also sentenced to 10 years on the same charges, along with a US resident from Lebanon, Nezar Zaka. Siamak Namazi, a well-connected business consultant who has supported Iranian reformists and sought to promote ties between Iran and the United States, was arrested as he arrived in Tehran a year ago. His father was detained in February when he came to Iran to seek his son’s release. Conservatives in Iran have criticized attempts by the moderate government of President Hassan Rouhani to improve ties with the West following a nuclear deal with world powers last year.

Pakistan arrests two for spreading ISIS propaganda
Reuters, Peshawar Wednesday, 19 October 2016/Police arrested two men suspected of distributing pamphlets for ISIS following a raid in Peshawar, officials said on Wednesday, amid lingering fears that the Middle East militant group was making inroads in Pakistan. Last month, the military said that it had stemmed ISIS attempts to expand in the country, having arrested more than 300 people suspected of plotting attacks against government, diplomatic and civilian targets. Following Tuesday’s raid, however, police in Peshawar said militants were operating in parts of Peshawar, including some from ISIS. “Some of areas in the provincial capital including Tehskal, Palosai, Charsadda Road and Regi are known for activities of militant groups such as ISIS,” police official Ishtiaq Ahmed told Reuters. Another police official, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, said two other suspects managed to escape during the raid. There are fears that some of Pakistan’s home-grown militants could be drawn to ISIS, as already seen in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan has long suffered from sectarian violence, with Sunni militants targeting the country’s minority Shias, as well as non-Muslim religious minorities. In August, the official Islamic State news service claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a hospital in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta that killed 74 people. The attack, however, was also claimed by a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat-ur-Ahrar, which at one time had declared support for ISIS Middle East leadership, but later switched back to the Taliban.

UN peacekeeping chief pleads for S. Sudan arms embargo
AFP, Juba Wednesday, 19 October 2016/UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous is pleading with the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan where he expects an upsurge in fighting with the coming end of the rainy season. Ladsous told reporters that he had made his appeal directly to the council during a closed-door meeting on Monday. “I think an arms embargo should happen now and that’s even very late,” Ladsous told reporters on Tuesday. “The rainy season is coming to a close and that has frequently been the time of the year when people go back to military operations.”The council is weighing its next steps in South Sudan after the government in Juba showed little cooperation with UN plans to deploy a 4,000-strong regional force. The council voted in August to deploy the force in Juba and warned that if the government opposed the plan it would face an arms embargo.
Prospects for peace in South Sudan faded when rebel leader Reik Machar, who had been appointed vice president of a new unity government, fled Juba following heavy fighting in July. Machar has been replaced by Taban Deng Gai and is now in South Africa for medical treatment. He has called for renewed war with the SPLA forces of President Salva Kiir. “On the SPLA side, they do entertain the idea that they could achieve a military victory, so the political process comes second,” a senior UN official said. South Sudan descended into war in December 2013 after Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of plotting a coup. Tens of thousands of people have died and more than 2.5 million have been driven from their homes in the nearly three-year war, which has been marked by appalling levels of rape and killings. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a letter to the council last week that Kiir’s government was imposing “significant limitations” to the proposed new force. Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda have offered to contribute troops, but the Juba government has yet to give its approval for the makeup of the force, which will be under the command of the UN mission in South Sudan.
 

Imprisoned Saudi blogger faces more lashes: suppor...
By Allison Lampert/Reuters/MONTREAL/October 18/16
Imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, whose public flogging in the kingdom last year generated a global outcry, now risks a new round of lashes, a co-founder of a Canadian foundation advocating his release said on Tuesday.
Evelyne Abitbol, who founded the Raif Badawi Foundation with Badawi's wife, said a "reliable source" in Saudi Arabia claims he faces a new flogging after being sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 1,000 lashes in 2014 for breaking the kingdom's technology laws and insulting Islam.
Saudi embassy officials in Ottawa and Saudi government officials in Riyadh were not immediately available for comment.
Reuters was unable to independently confirm the source's claims.
Abitbol declined to name the source but said it was the same person who had alerted Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haidar, in 2015 before he received his first 50 lashes, the only part of the flogging that was reportedly administered.
The source did not indicate when the flogging would take place.
"Unfortunately, it could happen at any time, if it happens," Abitbol said by phone in Montreal. Abitbol said that Haidar has asked countries with ties to Saudi Arabia, including the Canadian government, to intervene on the blogger's behalf.
Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said in Ottawa that his department is trying to confirm whether the claims are true and has urged the Saudi government to allow Badawi to join his family in Canada. "We are trying to have the most accurate information possible, because if this information is true, it would be shameful," Dion told reporters on Tuesday. "Canada completely condemns this type of lashing."
Haidar, who was in Germany to present a journalism award on Wednesday in her husband's name, could not be reached for comment. She was granted asylum in Canada, where she lives with the couple's three children in the province of Quebec.
Abitbol, the foundation's director, wants Saudi Arabia to withdraw the flogging punishment, strip Badawi of his Saudi citizenship and let him leave the country for Canada. Last December, the European Parliament gave Badawi the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal. additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa; editing by Steve Orlofsky and Jonathan Oatis)

Saudi man in prison for writing poems hailing ISIS
Hani al-Sufayan, Alarabiya.net Wednesday, 19 October 2016
The Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh has issued a preliminary jail sentence and imposed a travel ban on a Saudi man accused of writing pro-ISIS poems. Charges levied on the Saudi man included adopting apostasy (Takfiri) ideology that supported ISIS and showing willingness to join the group in the conflict zones. He was also accused of “having links with extremists to join them and disrupting the public order”. The man was also found to have opened accounts on social media in order to have wider access to ISIS pages and communicate with them to join the group in the conflict zones. He has also saved ISIS slogans and sound clips of ISIS leader Abubakr al-Baghdadi urging people to join the organization. He was also charged with purchasing weapons and ammunition without a license. He was sentenced with six years in jail, the confiscation of his guns and ammunition as well as his mobile phone. His email account was deactivated and he currently banned from traveling outside Saudi Arabia after he serves his six-year term.*This article was originally published on AlArabiya.net.


Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on October 19-20/16

In Mosul, ISIS and others, have fallen
By Abdulrahman al-Rashed/October 19/16
The fall of Mosul into the hands of ISIS two years ago came as a shock. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki relinquished power even though the world thought it was impossible to make him step aside despite the end of his term. With the fall of Mosul, many such allegations fell apart as well.
Maliki seemed obsessed with the idea of absolute authority. He thought that by harming Sunni opposition powers in parliament, getting them out of the government, sending forces to Anbar to discipline them and burning their tents will eliminate terrorism as well as the opposition. At least that is how he sold the story to the Iraqi people. The fall of Mosul proved that Maliki created a tool to serve his own interests until he emptied the state of its constitutional, popular and moral content. The fall dragged Maliki to the abyss and it was a horrific fall after it turned out that he knew about the threats but did nothing. He even reportedly assigned incompetent men close to him to lead the army and allowed corruption to spread to the point where it reached security and military institutions. The fall of Mosul also exposed the lie of the Sunni opposition in governorates like Anbar. They claimed that those who “liberated” Anbar were a group of national opposition parties consisting of Baathists, tribal councils and Naqshbandi members. However, we soon found out that it was ISIS with its black flags and criminal practices which took over Mosul. Mosul’s fall two years ago proved that it is impossible for the sectarian regime in Iraq to succeed as a political regime as it is incapable of keeping the state’s entity secure
Armed opposition
Meanwhile, Arab voices enthusiastic about the armed Iraqi opposition and governments which were deceived by the latter are not being raised anymore. Yes, there are angry Baathists, opposition tribal councils and opposition Naqshbandi forces but as long as the regime intentionally marginalizes them, they will continue to be a thorn in its side. However, they were not the ones who took over Ramadi and later Mosul. It was the terrorist organization ISIS which started eliminating them as well as many Naqshbandi members. They were killed despite the plea of Izzat al-Douri, their leader and former deputy to late president Saddam Hussein, which was heard in the audio broadcast by Mosul’s new rulers. Despite Douri’s pleas, ISIS executed a number of Naqshbandi members.

Soleimani ‘heroism’
One of the lies that spread following ISIS’s takeover of Mosul were the fake acts of heroism promoted by Iran. Qassem Soleimani was demonstrated as Iran’s invincible leader who is tasked with managing wars outside Iran, surrounded by his forces as he vowed to liberate Mosul “soon.” It has been two years since then and we haven’t seen anyone enter the city until now. Iran’s forces and militias are fighting tirelessly. However, this is not a military miracle as the regime promotes it. If it hadn’t been for logistical and intelligence support from the Americans and their allies, they will not be able to seize Mosul unless with massive losses, like it was revealed in their battles in Syria where they only managed to break the siege of two towns after repeated efforts and after suffering great losses. They succeeded at destroying Syrian cities with the help of Russian air force but they did not seize them. Mosul proved that General Soleimani is a mere media legend and exposed the myth of Iranian victories and the country being “the protector of Iraq and Syria”. Today, the operation to liberate Mosul is being carried out by an international force. Iraqi troops lead the operation aided by the US-led coalition forces and regional powers like Turkey. Mosul’s fall two years ago proved that it is impossible for the sectarian regime in Iraq to succeed as a political regime as it is incapable of keeping the state’s entity secure. The sectarian parties’ attempts to invest in the anticipated victory in Mosul is nothing but their way to convince their followers that they represent this victory while overlooking the fact that they are the reason behind the tragedy which will repeat as long as they continue to exploit people’s emotions and tragedies.
**This article was first published Asharq al-Awsat on Oct. 19, 2016.

In Private, Clinton Split With Obama on Iran
Eli Lake/bloomberg.net/October 19/16
A month after President Barack Obama's historic 2013 phone call to Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, his former secretary of state privately warned that the so-called moderate only won the election because Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Revolutionary Guard Corps allowed it.
According to a speech transcript made public this weekend by WikiLeaks, Hillary Clinton on October 28, 2013, told the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago: "I believe that Rouhani was allowed to be elected by the two major power sources in Iran, the supreme leader and the clerics and the Revolutionary Guard … in part because the sanctions were having a quite damaging effect on the economy."
She continued: "I don't think anyone should have any illusions as to the motives of the Iranian leadership. What they really want to do is get sanction relief and give as little as possible for that sanction relief."
Clinton's private skepticism about Rouhani diverges from the Obama administration's effort to portray the Iranian president as a moderating force against the regime's hardline elements. The Treasury Department, for example, paused its process of blacklisting front companies meant to evade sanctions after his election in June 2013. In 2015, the Obama administration opposed a congressional proposal to increase visa scrutiny of visitors to the U.S. who had also been to Iran, using the argument that the measure would weaken moderate forces there.
Obama has talked openly about the promise of Iranian reform under Rouhani. He told NPR in April 2015: "I think that, if in fact the Rouhani administration -- the forces that are more moderating, even if, let's acknowledge, that they don't share our values and they still consider us an enemy -- if they are shown to have delivered for their people, presumably it strengthens their hand vis-a-vis some of the hardliners inside of Iran."
The Obama approach presumes that Rouhani can bring about democratic change to Iran. Clinton, in private at least, has taken a more realistic view since leaving the administration. In her Chicago speech, she called Rouhani's outreach to the West a "charm offensive," and argued that U.S. negotiations were important as a sign of good faith to the international community, but not as a way to influence Iranian internal politics.
Republicans this election year have seized on Clinton's support for Obama's nuclear deal. And it's true that Clinton defends the deal in public as a way to keep a lid on Iran's nuclear program for the next 10 to 15 years. State Department diplomats working for her began the secret direct talks with Iran over the nuclear deal before Rouhani came to power.
But Clinton's campaign, according to newly leaked e-mails, has been far more attentive to concerns from skeptics of the deal, starting with Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. For example, e-mail exchanges between Stuart Eizenstat, a senior State Department official under President Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton's top national security aide, Jake Sullivan, show how the campaign sought and incorporated suggestions on her Iran deal statement from the pro-Israel and Jewish community.
A December 2015 e-mail from Eizenstat to Sullivan concerns a message from a senior aide to Netanyahu. Eizenstat says the Israeli official told him: "The prime minister always had a 'surprising good relationship' with Hillary; she is 'easy to work with,' and that she is more instinctively sympathetic to Israel than the White House." This is a marked contrast to Obama, who openly fought with Netanyahu and pro-Israel organizations in the summer of 2015 over the Iran deal.
Clinton's skepticism of Rouhani is in line with other criticisms of Obama's foreign policy she shared in her behind-closed-doors speeches. For example, at an October 2013 speech at the Goldman Sachs Builders and Innovators Summit, she was critical of Obama's decision to walk away from his "red line" on the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons. "You can't squander your reputation and your leadership capital," she said. "You have to do what you say you’re going to do. You have to be smart about executing on your strategies. And you’ve got to be careful not to send the wrong message to others, such as Iran."
All of this would have been trouble for Clinton had these speeches been released during the Democratic Party's primaries when her dovish opponent, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, asked her to release the transcripts. Sanders supporters could also have made hay of transcripts of talks to major banks showing Clinton supported trade deals she criticized during the primary.
But WikiLeaks held onto these transcripts until just weeks before Americans will vote for their president. Candidates usually try to tack to the center for the general election. In this strange political season, WikiLeaks has performed this pivot for her.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Eli Lake at elake1@bloomberg.net

America’s election is giving the world some serious anxiety
David Ignatius/The Washington Post/October 19/16
Making predictions three weeks before the U.S. election is risky, but the likeliest bet right now is that the center will hold in American politics and Hillary Clinton will be elected president. That’s important for lots of reasons, the biggest of which is that it could begin to stabilize a very unsettled world.
Nate Silver, a leading polling guru, projected Monday night that, based on major surveys, the chances of a Clinton victory had increased to 88 percent, up 5 points in a week and 33 points from her low ebb in September before the first debate. Silver estimates that Clinton has a roughly 7-point lead in the polls, about the same margin in the RealClearPolitics average.
Anything could happen in three weeks, of course, but these numbers should dampen, at least slightly, what has been a feverish global mood. Traveling on three continents over the past two months, I have heard widespread anxiety about the state of the world. To many analysts, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has seemed on the march while the United States and its allies are in retreat.
The danger of U.S.-Russian conflict was described by Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, a former senior CIA officer, in a recent article. “As a life-long observer of Russia, I have never been as concerned as I am now on the state of Russian-American relations,” he wrote. “A dangerous zero sum game pattern has emerged as US and Russia make moves and countermoves that mimic practice during the Cold War.”
Aggressive Russian actions in Ukraine, Syria and cyberspace have led some analysts to review Cold War texts such as Herman Kahn’s classic “On Escalation,” which describes a psychology of “escalation dominance” where adversaries take action in the expectation that they will prevail. Some experts argue that Russia is tempted by the perception that the United States has lost its superiority in conventional weapons and its will to use them.
But there’s more stability in the current U.S.-Russian confrontations than some might think. First, diplomatic conversation between the two countries is nearly continuous. It’s easy to make fun of Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s tireless (and seemingly fruitless) negotiations with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. But these meetings reduce the possibility of accidental conflict. So does the almost daily contact between the U.S. and Russian militaries to “deconflict” potential confrontations over Syria.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is working on new high-tech weapons that should eventually restore U.S. “overmatch.”
Russia’s seemingly dominant position in these conflicts is also more fragile than it looks. That’s because of the growing weakness of an economy suffering from sanctions and low oil prices.
Russia, by most measures, is moving in reverse: The International Monetary Fund projects a decline in its GDP this year of 0.8 percent. Monthly wages fell by 9.5 percent in the year that ended in August. Russia’s “rainy day” cash reserve has declined by nearly two-thirds since 2014.
Military muscle masks Russian economic decline. According to Reuters columnist William E. Pomeranz, the government’s share of GDP has nearly doubled over the past decade to about 70 percent, heading back toward Soviet levels. This has brought gross corruption and inefficiency. Even in its showcase energy sector, Russia lacks the technology to develop difficult offshore or Arctic reserves.
Thought-provoking opinions and commentary, in your inbox daily.
U.S. campaign rhetoric sometimes makes it seem like the world is falling apart. But the next president will inherit a stronger American economy and structure of global alliances than the sound bites suggest.
European allies, for example, are stressed by migration and populist anger. But so far, the fragile center seems to be holding there, too, and it would probably be reinforced by a Clinton victory. In Asia, the next administration will build on enhanced economic and military ties with two close partners, South Korea and Japan, which over the past year (with careful nudging from Washington) have become better friends with each other, too.
Paradoxically, perhaps, the biggest threat to the future remains the traditional Cold War problem of nuclear weapons. North Korea is recklessly seeking to become a nuclear state. Iran’s program has been contained, but for how long? And Russian leaders, recognizing their severe lag behind U.S. conventional forces (despite the showy operations in Syria), still seem to see their strategic depth in terms of nuclear weapons.
The U.S. election, on current evidence, will probably yield a modest consolidation for global order after a period of stress. The good news is that the bad news seems less likely than a few weeks ago. But as Nov. 8 approaches, the world is holding its breath.
 

Article On Syrian Opposition Website: The Political Solution Is Unfeasible; We Should Ignite All-Out War
MEMRI/October 19/16
'Ali Hamidi, a Syrian journalist opposed to the regime, called on regime opponents to abandon the political solution and ignite an all-out war in Syrian order to force the world to step in and end it. Writing on a Syrian opposition website, he said that the brutal offensive waged in recent weeks by the Assad regime and by Russia against the rebel-held eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo is nothing less than a holocaust and slaughter for its own sake. He leveled harsh criticism at the international community, headed by the U.S., for the situation in the city, saying that their failure to intervene does not stem from helplessness or a lack of influence but rather from a lack of willingness to stop Assad and Russia.
The following are excerpts from his article:[1]
"It would be absurd to write anything or make any comment about the all-out war of extermination currently being waged by Russia and the Assad regime against the 'besieged neighborhoods' of eastern Aleppo. This is [nothing less than] a holocaust; it is the ongoing indiscriminate killing of civilians without any military justification... Its objective was and is nothing but killing for its own sake. Many of us have made efforts to find definitions and reasons for this [military] action. We have heard, for example, that its objective is ethnic and sectarian cleansing; that it is an attempt to pressure the civilians in eastern Aleppo to leave or to disassociate themselves from the militants; that it is a holy war against the Sunnis, and many other analyses that are belied by the scenes of bombing and indiscriminate killing. At this point analyses and theories fail, and the main [insight] that emerges is that [it is nothing but] the killing of anyone opposed to the Assad regime...
"Can we really say today that the world is helpless? I think that would be the greatest and falsest compliment we could bestow upon this world – for the international community was not, is not and will never be helpless. It has ability and influence, if it only wanted [to use them]. But the simple [truth is] that nobody wants to stop Assad and Russia – neither the U.S. nor Europe nor anyone else...
"In the UN Security Council session on Aleppo [on September 25, 2016], UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura expressed concern about the firing of '[gas] canisters' from [rebel-held] eastern Aleppo into the [regime-held] western [parts of the city]. But he did not mention the kinds of missiles and mortars fired on the people [of the city], nor did he mention the over 300 victims [that are killed] every day as he delivered this miserable speech. Even more disturbing were the statements made by the representatives of the permanent Security Council members, who parrot hollow words of commiseration that are nothing but humiliating pleas [directed at] Russia, beseeching it to do its best to restrain Assad and restore the fragile ceasefire...
"Are we not being naïve when we wait for others to make their considerations, and hand them the keys to our cities [while we sit around,] waiting to be bombed? We wait for Barack Obama to [formulate] a policy [on Syria], when everyone is quite convinced that his departing administration will do nothing for those who are being killed in Aleppo and elsewhere, and that he and his team are not really doing anything to topple the Assad regime or to compete with Russia and Iran by supporting [the Syrian opposition]. If this is the position of the [world] leadership, there is no point in expecting anything from the countries it leads.
"Eastern Aleppo is in flames and its people are dying, and the entire world is party to this crime. Therefore, all the efforts that are currently being invested in renewing the dialogue with the Assad regime must be diverted to starting a war – an all-out war that will burn everyone. Then the world will hurry to stop it.
"The statements we hear, that only the political solution exists, are not realistic in the least. In fact, even the Assad regime does not accept them. Hence it would be folly to continue pinning our hopes on political [solutions] or on the 'friendly' countries. [Such suggestions] are tantamount to asking the people of Aleppo to surrender [just] in hope of being allowed to negotiating for the lives of those who still survive...
"To those who ask what alternative exists, [I say]: Why shouldn't everyone who is dedicated to the cause [of saving syria] divert his efforts from the political channel to looking for weapons, even on the black market, so as to deliver them to the fighters in order to start an [all-out] war[?]"
Endnote:
[1] Orient-news.net, September 26, 2016.
 

Palestinians: Fatah Prepares for War with Israel
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/October 19/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9148/fatah-war-israel
"We have pledged to prepare an army of fighters by devoting our full abilities and energies to consolidate the option of armed struggle as the only means to liberate Palestine." — The armed wing of Fatah, Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Martyr Nidal Al-Amoudi Division.
The international community continues to perceive Fatah as the "moderate" Palestinian party with whom Israel should make peace. Yet Fatah is far from a single united bloc; many groups within the faction continue to seek the "liberation of Palestine" through armed struggle. Moreover, neither Abbas nor any of his senior Fatah loyalists have repudiated the war-set Fatah militias. Crucially, many of these Fatah militiamen continue to receive salaries from the Palestinian Authority.
These Fatah gunmen who are preparing for war with Israel are indirectly receiving their salaries from Western donors, including the US and many EU countries, who fund the Palestinian Authority.
These groups believe that they represent the real Fatah, the one that never recognized Israel's right to exist and holds on to armed struggle as the only way to "liberate Palestine." They are not breakaway groups. That is why they continue to operate under the name of Fatah.
Fatah is a two-faced hydra; one face tells the English-speaking international community what it wants to hear, namely, that it supports a two-state solution and seeks a peaceful settlement to the conflict with Israel, while the other tells the truth: it is committed to an armed struggle and the "liberation of Palestine," and is even preparing for war with Israel.
Some 300 members of the Palestinian Fatah faction, headed by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, have begun receiving "military training" in the Gaza Strip in preparation for war with Israel.
The armed wing of Fatah, Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - The Martyr Nidal Al-Amoudi Division, announced that its members have been enrolled in a new military academy for training "fighters" in the Gaza Strip. The academy, inaugurated recently in the Gaza Strip, would train the "fighters" on various fighting methods "in the context of a program for preparing for any future battle" with the "Zionist enemy."
The Nidal Academy was named for Nidal Al-Amoudi, a top Fatah militant killed by the Israel Defense Forces on January 13, 2008, after he carried out a series of armed attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers during the Second Intifada. "The academy has been named after the commander Nidal Al-Amoudi (Abu Hussein) to fulfill his dream of qualifying the fighters militarily, morally, religiously and revolutionarily," explained a statement released by the Fatah armed group. Noting that some 300 "fighters" have already joined the academy, the group said that they have begun undergoing training in various methods of warfare.
"We have pledged to prepare an army of fighters by devoting our full abilities and energies to consolidate the option of armed struggle as the only means to liberate Palestine," the group declared.
The Martyr Nidal Al-Amoudi Division is one of several Fatah-affiliated militias that continue to operate in the Gaza Strip despite Hamas's violent takeover of the area in the summer of 2007. These groups pose no threat to the Hamas regime, which is why they are allowed to operate freely in different parts of the Gaza Strip. The groups' explicit policy is to prepare for war with Israel and launch terror attacks against Israelis. Hamas, however, which expelled their leaders from the Gaza Strip and continues to persecute dozens of Fatah activists in the Gaza Strip, is not on their hit list.
The Fatah-affiliated militia inauguration of its own "military" academy in the Gaza Strip is a novel move. In recent years, Fatah armed groups have posted videos of their men undergoing military training orchards and fields, far from the watchful eyes of their rivals in Hamas. Now it seems that Hamas has nothing to fear from the Fatah militants, as Israel is the sole target.
Thus instead of training their men to retake the Gaza Strip and liberate it from the oppressive regime of Hamas, the Fatah "fighters" are busy preparing for war with Israel or fighting among themselves. Indeed, it appears that the Fatah armed groups are actually competing with Hamas for the title of "Most Prepared to Destroy Israel." Like Hamas, they wish to win the hearts and minds of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by showing that they too support the "armed struggle" against Israel and seek to "liberate Palestine."
Fortunately for Hamas, the Fatah militias are rather preoccupied with internecine struggles. This leaves precious little time to think about ways of improving their people's lives.
Today, at least five other Fatah armed groups function in the Gaza Strip: The Abu Rish Brigades, the Jihad Jibril Brigades, the Abdel Qader Husseini Brigades, the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the Fatah Sukkur (Hawks). Some of these groups have in the past claimed responsibility for firing rockets at Israel. And there is not much harmony or love between these Fatah groups, whose members regard each other as rivals and political foes rather than comrades and colleagues.
Sources in the Gaza Strip point out that many of the members of these groups are former Palestinian Authority policemen who lost their jobs after the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip. As such, many of them remain on the payroll of the Palestinian Authority, despite the fact that they are more than willing to lambast Mahmoud Abbas and his policies. In other words, these Fatah gunmen who are preparing for war with Israel are indirectly receiving their salaries from Western donors, including the US and many EU countries, who fund the Palestinian Authority.
The Martyr Nidal Al-Amoudi Division recently launched a scathing attack on Abbas for attending the funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem. Masked members of the group posted a video on social media in which they strongly condemned Abbas for attending the funeral, saying they are opposed to any form of "normalization" with Israel. They demanded that Abbas apologize to the Palestinians and Fatah, adding that the "armed struggle was the only way to "liberate Palestine."
Members of Fatah's Martyr Nidal Al-Amoudi Division read a statement condemning Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for attending the funeral of former Israeli President Shimon Peres.
More recently, the same group "welcomed" the shooting attack that was carried out in Jerusalem by Musbah Abu Sbeih and in which two Israelis were killed -- a 60-year-old grandmother and a 29-year-old police officer. "This heroic operation is a clear message that the armed struggle is a deeply-rooted doctrine among Palestinians," the group stated. "The operation is a natural response to the crimes of the occupation."
Make no mistake. These groups believe that they represent the real Fatah, the one that never recognized Israel's right to exist and holds on to armed struggle as the only way to "liberate Palestine." They are not breakaway groups. That is why they continue to operate under the name of Fatah. In their view, they are following the principles of their former leader, Yasser Arafat, who launched Fatah as a "national liberation movement" and never truly abandoned the option of an armed struggle against Israel. It is Abbas and his colleagues in Fatah, they say, who have deviated from Fatah's doctrine and true goals.
The power play among Fatah militias in the Gaza Strip reflects the wider division among Fatah's political leaders. According to Palestinian sources, Fatah leaders in the Gaza Strip have truly become disassociated from the faction's leadership in the West Bank. Abbas's aides blame exiled Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan for the schism, claiming that he provides dissenting Fatah officials with money, in an attempt to undermine the Palestinian president, who is also head of Fatah. Abbas recently summoned Fatah leaders from the Gaza Strip to an emergency meeting in Ramallah to discuss Dahlan's growing influence in the Gaza Strip and the rifts in Fatah. The move came after thousands of Fatah members who are loyal to Dahlan staged a large demonstration in the Gaza Strip against Abbas. During the protest, they burned and trampled on pictures of Abbas.
Such developments in Fatah are notable for a specific reason: by and large, the international community continues to perceive Fatah as the "moderate" Palestinian party with whom Israel should make peace. Yet Fatah is far from a single united bloc; many groups within the faction, in their own words, continue to seek the "liberation of Palestine" through armed struggle. Moreover, neither Abbas nor any of his senior Fatah loyalists in the West Bank have repudiated the war-set Fatah militias. Crucially, many of these Fatah militiamen continue to receive salaries from the Palestinian Authority.
Fatah is, in fact, a two-faced hydra; one face tells the English-speaking international community what it wants to hear, namely, that it supports a two-state solution and seeks a peaceful settlement to the conflict with Israel, while the other tells the truth: it is committed to an armed struggle and the "liberation of Palestine" and is even preparing for war with Israel. Worth noting as well is that some of these Fatah militias also continue to operate in some parts of those territories controlled by Abbas's security forces in the West Bank. And like their cohorts in the Gaza Strip, they too receive salaries from the Palestinian Authority.
Abbas has lost the Gaza Strip not only to Hamas, but also to his own erstwhile Fatah supporters, who are marching in a totally different direction from the Fatah leadership in the West Bank. The dispute between Fatah and Hamas, which has effectively split the Palestinians into two entities, one in the West Bank and the other in the Gaza Strip, is one reason Palestinians are farther than ever from achieving an independent Palestinian state. The infighting in Fatah and the gulf separating its leaders is another. Abbas's claim to sole Fatah leadership is hardly credible to even the most credulous of Abbas backers: thousands of his "fighters" are preparing for war with Israel.
*Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist, is based in Jerusalem.
© 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.

Open Letter to President Obama on Genocide in South Sudan
Simon Deng/Gatestone Institute/October 19/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9132/south-sudan-open-letter

This very country [South Sudan] which the United States helped to create and then later on abandoned. I am appealing to your leadership to intervene in hope of retracting South Sudan from ascending into a fully scaled genocide.
President Obama, you stated that you will directly hold the leaders responsible who obstruct the Peace in South Sudan and I hope that you implement these words within your statement. We hope that the United States makes progress now towards reconstructing the Peace agreement, and to end the use of rape and genocide as a weapon of war against civilians in the country
His Excellency Barack Obama
President, United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama,
The purpose of this open letter is to urgently appeal to the government of the United States to rescue and transform the country of South Sudan. This very country which the United States helped to create and then later on abandoned. I am appealing to your leadership to intervene in hope of retracting South Sudan from ascending into a fully scaled genocide.
The government continues to wage gross catastrophes and human rights violations since 2013. The government perpetuates wars against humanity despite the signing of the Peace Agreement and uses rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war against women and children which has been condemned by the United Nations.
This Peace Agreement which was heavily pushed to be signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has collapsed in July 2016 after the government of National Unity was formed. Now the hope for peace and stability in Southern Sudan has descending as if it has drowned in the Nile River. The ethnic mass murdering is symbolic evidence of a genocide which continues to unfold. Based on the United Nations report, the July conflict was initiated and directed by President Kiir and his armed forces Chief of staff, General Paul Molong. This has left newly organized groups to form which are the National Democratic Movements and the Murle Ethnic Armed Force group. These groups are now forming against the totalitarian corrupted and ethnocentric regime in Juba.
President Kiir continues to destabilize the country by abusing his authority and power to steal land from other communities in favor of his Dinka tribe. His barbaric army generals continuously perpetuate mass murdering and in 2013 ten American citizens were killed, and amongst them one being Lam Chuol, United States hero and marine who served in Iraq. In addition the ethnic cleansing of the Nuer people in the capital the government continues to commit more crimes regularly against this group of people with impunity. President Salva Kiir strategically targets the peaceful ethnic group such as the, Chollo (Shilluk) people and his government uses a decree to steal the lands from the Shulluk community which they have inhabited since the sixteenth century.
With the genocide progressing under the present regime we need President Kiir to be held completely accountable for all the crimes that his leadership continuously perpetrates. As the term of your leadership is approaching I strongly urge you to take a firm action and stance knowing the turmoil that will unfold for South Sudan's future. During this current moment South Sudan is metamorphosing into a full anarchy which will be difficult for the country to envision a peaceful society.
President Obama, you stated that you will directly hold the leaders responsible who obstruct the Peace in South Sudan and I hope that you implement these words within your statement. We hope that the United States makes progress now towards reconstructing the Peace agreement, and to end the use of rape and genocide as a weapon of war against civilians in the country. On behalf of my people in South Sudan I sincerely thank you immensely for your time and attention at this critical moment in the history of South Sudan.
Sincerely,
Simon Deng
Former Sudanese Slave and Human Rights Activist
2011 UN Watch Freedom Award
A snapshot of better times for South Sudan: U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet South Sudan President Salva Kiir at the White House, August 5, 2014. (Image source: White House)
© 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.

Why is Aleppo under heavy fire despite international outcry?
Raed Omari/Al Arabiya/October 19/16
Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and once its commercial center, has been under ferocious bombardment from Russian and regime warplanes. The bombing campaign is intensified enough to reduce the intensely populated city to total destruction, as the UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura previously warned.
Alarmed by the terrible humanitarian consequences of the unprecedented bombardment of Syria’s northern city, the UN has been “desperately” calling for ceasefires to ease civilians’ despair and agony in Aleppo. World leaders have also met in the Swiss city of Lausanne to discuss with the Russians a common strategy to end the long-running conflict in Syria. However, the high-profile gathering ended with no breakthrough. Before that, in the Security Council, Russia had vetoed a French-draft resolution aimed at stopping airstrikes on Aleppo (it was the fifth time Moscow using its veto on resolutions related to Syria).
All the UN’s pleas and the intensified diplomatic efforts have fallen on deaf Russians ears. The Kremlin has seemed at ease even when the US’s unsettling rhetoric on Aleppo stirred up memories of the Cold War. Why are the Russians this persistent and relentless on moving heavily on Aleppo and Syria?
Relentless shelling and airstrikes
From a military point of view and for some territorial gains, the Russians’ relentless shelling and airstrikes on Aleppo and their unaltered aerial assistance of the regime’s rusty warplanes aims primarily at cutting the supply lines and rebel conduits that link Syria’s northern city with Turkey. Moscow’s keenness on building new bridges with Ankara is also inseparable from its endeavor to corner the Syrian opposition.
What is giving the Russians some kind of legitimacy in pounding Aleppo is the presence of the blacklisted Jabhat al-Nusra in the northern part of the city
Aleppo is also the last city in Syria with strong opposition presence. The Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other opposition forces are present in other parts across the war-torn country but in the form of scattered posts here and there that are all surrounded by the government forces. In fact, the regime’s forces and its allies and the Syrian opposition have all been pushing hard to gain the upper hand on the northern front which is militarily, politically and geopolitically easier and a lot less complicated than going westward and southward to the borders with Israel and Jordan respectively or eastward into ISIS-held territories.
With Damascus still under the control of the regime and with the other parts of Syria either partially neutralized and finalized or integrated into wider files like the international war on terror, the Kurdish cause and the refugee crisis, i.e., not of territorial nature, Aleppo, for both the regime and opposition, is now the last bastion that determines a lot of what could come next. But that does not mean at all that whoever holds Aleppo wins the war because the Syrian war has become ultra-complicated both locally and internationally - to the point that an absolute win cannot be claimed. Yet the party which holds Aleppo can have better bargaining position in any future settlement. This, in addition to Aleppo’s historical, commercial and strategic importance, is another major reason behind the regime’s and Russia’s relentless bombardment of the opposition-held areas in Aleppo.
On-the-ground competition
In a bid to have their own capital to rival Damascus, Syrian opposition forces have established strong posts in Aleppo. To effectively face of the regime and its allies the Russians, Iranian, Hezbollah and Iraqi Shiite forces, the Syrian opposition forces -especially the FSA, Jaysh al-Fateh, Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya, Suqour al-Sham and Liwa al-Tawhid - have formed a united front. With the aim of fragmenting the unified opposition front and isolating rebel-held areas from one another and turning them into vulnerable and insignificant pockets as in other parts of Syria, the regime and Russians have been pounding Aleppo with heavy fire since late September.
What is giving the Russians some kind of legitimacy in pounding Aleppo is the presence of the blacklisted Jabhat al-Nusra in the northern part of the city. To sound appealing, the Russians have been linking their bombardment of Aleppo to the international war on terror also benefiting from the Western perplexity in defining who exactly is moderate among the numerous Syrian opposition forces that are operating in Aleppo.
But the Russian’s relentless bombing campaign over Aleppo is not merely to help its ally the Syrian regime recover and gain the upper hand in the war. Moscow has another strategic goal that lies at the heart of President Putin’s efforts to resurrect the empirical image of Russia exploiting President Obama’s withdrawal policy from the Middle East and the US’s transition period ahead of the presidential election. By winning the war in Syria or shattering the anti-Russia Syrian opposition, Putin seeks to force the next US president to deal with him as the master of Syria. Russia’s heavy bombardment of Aleppo has been accompanied by other defying actions including the deployment of nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad on the borders of NATO members Poland and Lithuania and moving its nuclear-powered battleships to the north coast of Europe and the English Channel. Russia’s recent attempts to engage more with India and China and in the disputed South China Sea are also part of Putin’s defiance of Washington.
Putin is fully confident that President Obama couldn’t afford to go to war during his early months in office, let alone in his few remaining days. This is it in brief.

Will ISIS scatter after the battle for Mosul?
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/October 19/16
Now that the battle for Mosul has begun – in the wake of the battles of Sinjar, Beiji, Ramadi and Fallujah – it is important to know where Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters will go next. With Raqqa already being softened up for an urban operation that will most likely start after the New Year, ISIS is well on its way to morphing into a much wider linear movement while staying true to its perverted vision.
There are between 3,000 to 5,000 ISIS fighters in Mosul. The terror outfit prepared Mosul well for this urban battle and has left behind a force to conduct hit and run tactics including suicide attacks and bombings. It is important to note that retaking Mosul is not going to crush the dreams of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and end the myth of the so-called caliphate. There are more battles to come that fits their revolting discourse.
The Battle for Mosul will affect ISIS fighters in key ways. First, after an aggressive and deadly defense of Mosul, ISIS supporters are likely to melt away into the background and await to see what happens next with Iraqi stabilization operations.
ISIS is likely to launch an assertive suicide campaign in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities and perhaps attacking infrastructure. Shiites will be targeted out of sectarian hatred. In Mosul’s future, it is likely that ISIS will strike constabulary forces and police training sites once the city is brought fully under control.
Second, ISIS fighters are going to migrate. ISIS fighters are now heading to Syria and eventually are going to protect Raqqa. An influx of fighters from Mosul in to Hasaka is a signal of the ISIS flow westward. This migration into Syria is going to swell Raqqa with fighters that will make that urban battle long and deadly.
After an aggressive and deadly defense of Mosul, ISIS supporters are likely to melt away into the background and await to see what happens next with Iraqi stabilization operations
ISIS’s ability to provide for these fighters may be in question given the degrading capabilities of ISIS’s social services. ISIS fighters are going to end up returning to their homelands with the blessing of the so-called Caliphate leadership.
Third, ISIS authorities are distributing fighters to specific locations to boost ISIS breeding grounds. According to a GCC official, ISIS’s enabler networks are now focusing on building its nimble organization by tapping into trans-regional and local criminal networks across a number of continents in order to spread out across a number of continents with Levantine-based, hardened fighters. ISIS, like seeds, is to scatter from Africa to East Asia to boost embryonic “states” even if only a cyber-presence.
Terror incubators
To be sure, ungovernable areas in major urban areas – where we have already seen terrorist incubators grow across continents – are a major drawl for ISIS fighters to launch and build new networks to keep their movement active.
ISIS adherents are spreading out across several continents notably Southeast Asia specifically Malaysia. Shoved out of their own areas of governance in the Levant, they will flee to many other countries in order to create more chaos. With ISIS adherents able to move about, it seems, with relative ease, there has yet to be a fix to this illicit transit system outwards from the emerging battle zones.
ISIS’s ideology still matters despite setbacks. Although ISIS’s discourse surrounding Dabiq as the final battle proved false, there are other aspects of ISIS ideology that remain, notably intact.
ISIS attacks across the world are likely to occur with frequency with the fall of Dabiq and the battle for Mosul and mounting pressure on Raaqa. To boot, these ISIS fighters may target countries that are moving against this sect such as Kazakhstan. Attacks against the West and Russia are not to be discounted as these fighters either return home or spread their violent tradecraft.
AQAP resurgence
It is important to note that the spread of ISIS across continents is likely to collide with the resurgence of al-Qaeda beyond the Levant. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and al-Shabaab are all making themselves heard through violent attacks and challenging ISIS’s ability to hold on to territory such as in Libya.
Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) is just getting started with small scale assassinations in countries for example in Bangladesh where ISIS also reportedly has a presence. Countries where the two groups are competing may become incubators of new, more dangerous multi-polar militants who are beholden to building their so-called Caliphate.
Overall, the battle for Mosul is a small part of the ongoing, ugly but necessary process to rid Iraq of ISIS. This event is not going to end the Levant’s suffering. ISIS’s control, though shrinking, is transporting itself across half the globe. Its spirit is difficult if not impossible to crush among its fighters and closest followers. The battle of Mosul will not break the ISIS urge to kill.

A world leader in safety, tolerance and innovation
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/October 19/16
I am delighted and very proud that my homeland, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been recognized by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as the third safest country out of 141 countries included in a study based largely on “the costliness of common and crime and violence as well as terrorism, and the extent to which police services can be relied upon to provide protection from crime.”
I have always had great admiration for our technologically advanced, progressive police force that balances effective policing with respect when interacting with nationals and expatriates. In July, Dubai Police was the recipient of the “Best HR Strategy Overseas” award presented at the HR Excellence award ceremony in London – just one out of a long list of international accolades.
Ours is a country of laws, which cover public behaviour in line with our cultural values. Everyone is encouraged to enjoy life and have fun, provided others are not offended while doing so. There are stiff penalties for drug dealers and users, which apply to everyone regardless of nationality – and these have sometimes been criticized by the foreign media. We make no apology. The well published, “right and wrong” guidelines and penalties have contributed to a level of safety envied by other countries.
The fact that the UAE is safe is not news for those of us privileged to live in what has emerged in little more than half a century as a model for the Arab World in so many respects, but nevertheless it is satisfying to have achieved global recognition for our nation’s efforts, particularly within a region fraught with violence and unrest.
Amazingly, the Emirates ranking is substantially higher than all European countries with the exception of Finland. For me, the surprise was that the United Kingdom, that has always been perceived as safe overall, was ranked 63rd and the United States came 73rd.
There are few places on earth where one can walk around at any time without fear of being attacked or without having to worry about being robbed. The UAE has always been such a place in living memory
Unique environment
The recently released WEF report states that the UAE “has built a unique environment to attract both business and leisure travellers. From Expo 2020 Dubai to the construction of the Louvre and the Guggenheim, the UAE is investing in and giving significant importance to the development of the Travel and Tourism industry.” It also cites the country’s “world renowned air transport infrastructure” and its position “as a gateway for Europeans to Africa, the Middle East and Asia”.
The Emirates is also way up high on other global indices. It ranks 12th in the 2016 Global Innovation Index and, even more importantly, according to the World Happiness Report 2015, it is the 28th happiest country out of 157.
There are few places on earth where one can walk around at any time of the day or night without fear of being attacked or without having to worry about being robbed at an ATM machine. The UAE has always been such a place in living memory. I still remember the days when few bothered to lock their front doors when they went out. Of course, as the population and transient population have expanded more caution is required nowadays, but the underlying culture still remains.
Tolerance and openness are among this multi-cultural country’s core values. The Emirates is home to more than 200 nationalities each contributing to the nation’s unique flavour. Unlike many of our unfortunate neighbours, sectarianism is alien to the UAE.
People work and socialize together without barriers of race, religion or colour. A survey conducted by The National newspaper last year found that 90 per cent of those polled said “meeting people from different cultures has been beneficial to their view of the world.”
Tolerance initiative
In this spirit, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched a global tolerance initiative to award those promoting tolerance in various fields and, in particular, to inspire tolerance in young Arabs.
I have always told everyone ready to listen that the UAE is a land of safety, opportunity and tolerance. People who have never visited are often cynical. I can see doubt in their eyes. My descriptions sound too good to be true. But they are true, and kudos has to go to UAE’s fathers Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum who laid the foundations for a vibrant, prosperous and open society.
My congratulations to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and the rulers of the other emirates for building on those foundations brick by brick, accepting nothing less than excellence and always striving to make our country the best possible.
They are very different from other leaders who prioritize the interests of their family members and cronies above all. In their eyes, the people are their family and its residents and visitors are honoured guests. They do not look at people as mere numbers or statistics but as human beings, partners on the road to success, sharing the responsibility to secure our soil and borders.
I would remind my countrymen and women that our leadership is exceptional; they should be proud and appreciative that this wonderful country was capable of emerging from arid sands and out of the unknown to etch a prominent place on the world map.
Our goal has always been to live in security and work for success from dawn to dusk. My greatest wish is that our Arab brethren choose a similar course. We did it against all odds and with the right thinking – and with our help and advice – they can too.

Daesh, Dabiq and ominous doctrines
Ibrahim Kalin/Al Arabiya/October 19/16
Supported by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), the Free Syrian Army (FSA) took the town of Dabiq from Daesh on Oct. 16, dealing another blow to Daesh under Operation Euphrates Shield (OES), which began on Aug. 24. Besides losing significant territories along the Turkish-Syrian border in less than two months, Daesh is also facing a growing problem of legitimacy - a key component of its perverted ideology centered on an apocalyptic story about Dabiq.
Turkey began the OES to clear its border of terrorist elements. Since its launch, the OES has liberated several key cities including Jarablus and tens of towns and villages, all occupied by Daesh, along the Turkish-Syrian border between Azaz and the Euphrates River. Despite losses, the FSA has been moving steadily into Daesh-held areas and forcing it into al-Bab and Raqqa, the two remaining strongholds of the terrorist group in Syria.
The OES proved to be an effective campaign against Daesh in Syria: it secured areas from terror, boosted the morale of the FSA, encouraged moderate groups to join forces and allowed thousands of Syrians to return home. Furthermore, it also demolished the much-circulated myth that the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and People's Protection Units (YPG), the PKK's terrorist Syria branches, are the only effective force on the ground against Daesh. It showed that if supported properly, the FSA and other moderate opposition groups can effectively fight Daesh and establish peace and public order.
There is a clear message here to the international community that has failed the moderate opposition groups not once but many times since the beginning of the Syrian war. Instead of keeping its promises to the Syrian opposition, the international coalition led by the United States kept changing its policy on the future of the Assad regime and the Syrian war. The support not given to the various Syrian opposition bodies including the Syrian National Council, the High Negotiation Council and the FSA over the last four years prepared the ground for the rise and spread of Daesh in Syria.
It will be sufficient to remember how Daesh was born in Iraq, established itself there and eventually captured Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, as a result of the disastrous occupation of Iraq in 2003 on the one hand and the sectarian policies of the Maliki government between 2010 and 2013, on the other. Alienated, humiliated and oppressed by a hostile government and its unruly militia groups, Sunni tribes and ordinary citizens in Mosul watched Daesh enter their city in 2014 while the 65,000-strong Iraqi army left the city without firing a single bullet. This not only gave Daesh a safe haven but also further poisoned Sunni-Shiite relations. Many have now similar fears about the Mosul operation that has just began.
The fall of Dabiq is an important event but by no means the end of the story. DAESH is likely to give a fierce fight in al-Bab and Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq.
Looking forward, Turkey is determined to continue the OES until it clears its border from all terrorist elements and ensure the safety of its citizens and those of Syria along the Turkish-Syrian border. This is what is happening in the safety corridor from Jarablus to Azaz where life is getting back to normal and the Syrian people, at least those living in these areas, feel respected and protected - a glimmer of hope at a time when the world seems to have forsaken the people of Syria for proxy wars and geopolitical muscling.
The loss of Dabiq is a military defeat for Daesh. But more importantly, it is a major blow to its perverted ideology because Daesh believes that Dabiq is where a doomsday battle, an Armageddon in the Christian eschatology, will take place. Based on a suspect report about the end of times, the Dabiq story claims that a group of true believers, in this case Daesh, coming from the city of Medinah will defeat the forces of evil and infidelity and capture the city of Istanbul. It is only after this major battle that the day of judgment will arrive. That is why Daesh has named its English magazine Dabiq and its Turkish version Konstantiniyye, the old name of Istanbul before Fatih Mehmet the Conqueror made it part of the Ottoman Empire in 1453.
A cursory look at these publications reveals a disturbing but also telling picture. The Dabiq magazine distorts key Islamic concepts in a monstrous way and engages in pure propaganda for recruitment and self-glorification. It shows the terror group's passionate and eventually foolish search for legitimacy. The magazine, which has published 15 issues since its first appearance in July 2014, claims to be based on Divine unity (tawhid), the proper path or method (manhaj), migration (hijrah), jihad, and community (jama'ah).
Produced professionally, it seeks to make legitimate its claim to the caliphate and calls on Muslims to migrate there. It uses cheap propaganda tactics and attacks Jews, Christians, Shiite Muslims, the Muslim Brotherhood and eventually all Muslims not buying their perverted ideology.
Unity doesn’t mean conformity
It turns everything upside down and eventually becomes a self-defeating nonsense. First of all, unity, the cornerstone of the Islamic faith, does not mean uniformity and never justifies the killing of innocent people including other Muslims. Anyone who knows anything about the Prophet of Islam would know that the so-called "method" of Daesh has nothing to do with his life and teachings. Daesh uses the historic migration of the Prophet of Islam from Mecca to Medina to justify its claims for recruitment but this is also totally false.
The Prophet migrated from Mecca to Medina in 622 to flee oppression and persecution while Daesh is inflicting nothing but oppression and persecution on people under its rule. In Medina, the Prophet and his followers laid the foundations of the later Islamic civilization while Daesh has done nothing but engaged in terrorism pure and simple in Muslim and Western countries. The terror group also abuses the concepts of jihad and community in total violation of both the canonical sources of Islam, i.e., the Quran and the Sunnah and the Islamic legal tradition.
As a matter of fact, the theological and juridical claims of Daesh have been fully rejected and demolished by the most prominent religious authorities of the Islamic world in an open letter addressed to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the terror group, in September 2014.
The letter, which can also be seen as a religious fatwa, proves point by point the fallacy of Daesh ideology and its claim to religious legitimacy. It shows how Daesh distorts religious concepts to construct an ideology of destruction - a modern construct no different than the other diabolical movements of the modern era. Last year, the Presidency of Religious Affairs (DİB) published a 40-page rejection of "Daesh as a movement of religious distortion and terrorism."
The work of de-legitimizing Daesh ideology should be continued by prominent Muslim religious authorities both in the Muslim world and the West. Muslims cannot let a group of barbarians hijack their religion and rich tradition for nothing but a worldly gain for distortion and destruction. Western countries should see Daesh for what it is and stop giving it ammunition by inflaming Islamophobia and anti-Muslim populism.
The fall of Dabiq is an important event but by no means the end of the story. Daesh is likely to give a fierce fight in al-Bab and Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq. Regardless, the fight against it must continue at the level of ideas, politics and military force. But the world has to ask itself how and why a coalition of more than 60 countries has failed to defeat this terror group to this day. One cannot help ask if this "failure" has something to do with the "use value" of groups like Daesh in the proxy wars of the 21st century and how it has become a convenient tool at the hands of players seeking to impose their notion of (dis)order on the Middle East and the larger Muslim world.
This question is also a painful reminder of the fact that the two monsters of the Syrian war, i.e., Daesh and the Assad regime, feed off each other and as long as they are left to survive, they will continue to feed the worst humanitarian crisis in Syria and beyond. It is important to defeat Daesh in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. But this fight should not sow new seeds of conflict and division. The key stakeholders including global powers, regional players and non-state actors must stop using Daesh for their small strategic gains because this is becoming a war in which there are no winners. Two wrongs do not make a right.
**This article was first published in the Daily Sabah on Oct. 18, 2016.