LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
October 29/16
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For Today
You fool! This very
night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared,
whose will they be?
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke
12/13-21/:”Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to
divide the family inheritance with
The uncovering and failure of the Jews’
Conspiracy to Kill Paul
Acts of the Apostles 23/12-22/:”In the morning the Jews joined in a conspiracy and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who joined in this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, ‘We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the council must notify the tribune to bring him down to you, on the pretext that you want to make a more thorough examination of his case. And we are ready to do away with him before he arrives.’Now the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush; so he went and gained entrance to the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, ‘Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to report to him.’So he took him, brought him to the tribune, and said, ‘The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you; he has something to tell you.’ The tribune took him by the hand, drew him aside privately, and asked, ‘What is it that you have to report to me?’ He answered, ‘The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more thoroughly into his case. But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they kill him. They are ready now and are waiting for your consent.’ So the tribune dismissed the young man, ordering him, ‘Tell no one that you have informed me of this.’”
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published on October 28-29/16
Aoun, a Bridge for Whom?/Abdulrahman
Al-Rashed/Al Sharq Al Awsat/October 29/16
Hariri: I extend my hand to all factions in
Lebanon/Hanan Khaled/The Daily Star/October 28/16/
Hariri: Backing Aoun aims to foil Hezbollah
obstruction/Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star/October 29/16
Aoun’s Path to Baabda: Wars and Reconciliations/Thaer
Abbas/Asharq Al Awsat/October 28/18
Lebanon’s Cabinet Holds Last Session, Saudi Delegation
in
A Renewed Disruptive Opposition/Ahmad El-Assaad/
October 27, 2016/
Beginning of a ‘new era’ in Lebanon/Nayla Tueni/Al
Arabiya/October 28/16
Al-Hariri's Choice Of
Hizbullah Ally Aoun For Lebanese Presidency Is Another March 14 Forces
Concession To Pro-Iran Axis/By: E.B. Picali and Y. Yehoshua/MEMRI/October 28/16
Subhi Al-Tufayli Criticizes Intervention In
The New Anti-Racist Racists/Douglas Murray/Gatestone
Institute/October 28/16
Muslim Imperialism Reaches the United Nations/Denis
MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/October 29/16
What’s next for the refugees of Calais/Yara
al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/October 28/16
When ‘genocide’ unfolds in the backyard of a Nobel
laureate/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/October 28/16
Obama’s inheritance in the Middle East/Hisham
Melhem/Al Arabiya/October 28/16
A complicated and ignorant man/Turki Aldakhil/Al
Arabiya/October 28/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on
on October 28-29/16
A Guide to Presidential Elections in
Aoun, a Bridge for Whom?
Hariri: I extend my hand to all factions in Lebanon
Aoun wins Jumblatt's support for presidency
Hariri: Backing Aoun aims to foil Hezbollah obstruction
Qaouq: Saudi Sanctions against Hizbullah have Failed to Weaken the Party
Report: Negotiaions Underway to Convince Franjieh to
Withdraw from Presidential Race
Report: Hizbullah Has not
Named Hariri for Premiership as Yet
Saudi Envoy Meets Hariri, Aoun, Jumblat, Geagea on 2nd
Day of
Aoun’s Path to Baabda: Wars and Reconciliations
Saudi envoy
Saudi envoy meets top officials during second day of
visit to Lebanon
Lebanon’s Cabinet Holds Last Session, Saudi Delegation
in Beirut ahead of Presidential Polls
Rahi Welcomes Hariri as 'Man of Courage,' and Hariri
Says a New Leaf Will Begin Monday
Presidential Polls Top Talks between Salam, Hariri and
Franjieh
Future bloc reiterates support for Aoun to maintain
Lebanon’s kingmaker Jumblatt secures 8 votes for Aoun
A Renewed Disruptive Opposition
Beginning of a ‘new era’ in
Al-Hariri's Choice Of
Hizbullah Ally Aoun For Lebanese Presidency Is Another March 14 Forces
Concession To Pro-Iran Axis
Subhi Al-Tufayli Criticizes Intervention In
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on on October 28-29/16
Syrian airstrikes on
Spokesman:
Roadside Bomb Kills 2 Soldiers, Injuries 4 Others in
Sinai
Coalition Strikes Kill at Least 10
US Says Syrian Regime Using Starvation as 'Weapon of
War'
Iraq Forces Launch Operation to Cut Mosul off from
Syria
Hillary Rodham Clinton: The Unloved Politician
Palestinian Attacker Shot by Israeli Troops
Reza Akbari Monfared writes revealing letter to Asma
Jahangir
What we know on missile launched at Makkah
Latest
Lebanese Related News published on on October 28-29/16
A Guide to Presidential
Elections in
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 29/16/Lebanon's
parliament is set to end more than two years of stalemate on Monday by electing
a new president for a non-renewable six-year term. The post is always held by a
Maronite Christian under a power-sharing agreement dating back to independence
in 1943. According to the same deal, the head of parliament is always a Shiite
Muslim and the prime minister a Sunni Muslim. The president plays the role of a
referee, but his power has been limited in a system based on a delicate balance
between
The vote
Speaker Nabih Berri has summoned lawmakers on October 31 for the vote, which will go ahead if a quorum of two-thirds is reached. The 128-member legislature counts 127 lawmakers at the moment after one member resigned over the summer. The successful candidate wins the vote with a majority of two-thirds in the first round, or with an absolute majority in the next rounds.
Powers curtailed
The only Christian head of state in the Arab world saw his
powers curtailed after the 1989 Taef agreement to end the 1975-1990 civil war. Under the accord, which sought to balance power between
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 29/16/Lebanon's
parliament is set to end more than two years of stalemate on Monday by electing
ex-general Michel Aoun as president, but the vote is unlikely to heal deep
political divisions. Aoun, a Christian former army chief, is allied with the
Iran-backed Hizbullah movement whose forces are fighting in
'No common ground'
Under a power-sharing agreement,
"Will the personal agendas of each party allow them to build a common, long-term strategy, given that their alliance is not formed on common ground?"
'Can't expect miracles'
Atrache said the agreement could not be described as a
"political alliance," and said it would "prove difficult to
maintain because they don't agree on how to share power."The track record
of recent years does not bode well: the last government led by Hariri, between
2009 and 2011, was hamstrung by tensions with Hizbullah's bloc which eventually
brought it down. And after going into self-imposed exile, Hariri's influence
has waned domestically even as his personal finances have taken a hit because
key backer
Aoun, a Bridge for
Whom?
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Al Sharq Al Awsat/October 29/16
It is not strange for
Yet another chapter has been added to its difficult history,
with General Michel Aoun getting closer to the presidency in the oldest
republic of the Arab world. And like other states in the area,
Currently, the situation in
Most Lebanese people, and others, are not satisfied with Aoun becoming a president either because of him personally or because of the domination of Hezbollah on the presidential decision. According to Taif agreement, choosing the president is limited to the Christian Maronite.
Yet, and despite all the anger and opposition, the question
is: will the position of president change in the Lebanese reality and its
foreign relations regardless of who resides in
The president is constrained to many limits where militias and warring political powers marginalized the state and its three presidencies.
I believe that President Aoun is the one who will need his opponents more than they need him. He is the one who should fear them after they feared him when he was in the opposition. Aoun alone won’t be able to find solutions, maintain civil peace, and rule for four comfortable years without reconciling disputes with others.
Many fought on Lebanese soil including: Nasserites, Melkites, Arabs, Isolationists, Syrians, Palestinians, Christians, Muslims, Sunnis, Shiites, Iranians, people from the Gulf, and people from Gulf among themselves. This is the reason for its destruction and everyone’s interest in it.
Many questions will be raised through which we can predict
the current situation and near future about sects and relations between
opposing parties in
Will the president return the favor to Hezbollah for getting him to the position by enabling it to control the presidency? What can President Aoun do amid local and regional conflicts reaching their worst stages? He can do very little.
We exaggerate in our expectations from the role of the
president because of all the power other Arab leaders have. In
It is best we begin optimistic. President Aoun can suggest a reconciliation program that brings all parties closer and end the struggle that he was part of, thus becoming the best president the republic had since President Bechara el-Khoury. This is being overoptimistic. Or he could be worse than President Emile Lahoud by spurring more divisions and causing even more discord.
If Aoun wants reconciliation, he can achieve it. While if he wants to fortify Hezbollah’s position, he will be faced by the cruel Lebanese reality of the different parties that will not concede for him at the expense of their existence.
Aoun became a president for
Everyone should deal with him and encourage him to be a bridge for reconciliation in spite of their opinions and reservations.
Hariri: I extend my
hand to all factions in Lebanon
Hanan Khaled/The Daily Star/October 28/16/
"I want an end to vacuum. The [state's] institutions, people, environment and economy can't endure it anymore," Hariri said during a televised interview.
Hariri said he has been seeking an end to the presidential void and its repercussions for more than two years.
"I want to avoid a catastrophe," he said.
The Future Movement chief said he had been “hesitant in backing [Marada Movement chief Sleiman] Frangieh at the beginning, but he found many common points with him – and similarly now with Aoun."
"We should look ahead at the future and stop looking at the past," Hariri added.
Last week, Hariri shifted his support from Frangieh to Aoun
for the presidency after a series of political consultations with various
rivals in
During the interview, Hariri described Frangieh as an "honest man," adding that he might "adopt his [Marada leader's] nomination six years later."
Hariri revealed that he had been in continuous talks with Berri since August before he made up his mind to support Aoun.
He stressed that he had no differences with Berri, who vehemently opposes Aoun and has declared he will vote against the presidential hopeful.
"Berri didn't think I was serious in my talks about Aoun. But I want vacuum to end," Hariri said, adding that he was looking to build a "real partnership" in the country between political rivals for the sake of the people.
"I am not gaining anything personally ... my ambition is not to become a prime minister or a lawmaker, but rather to continue (former Prime Minister) Rafic Hariri's journey and [maintain] the country's stability and that of the people," he said.
The ex-PM denied that he had sacrificed any of his
convictions when he adopted Aoun's nomination saying, "
He noted that his move could cause some backlash within his base, but should Aoun win, they would have "managed to triumph the election of a head of state over vacuum."
Key Future Movement members, including former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, MP Ahmad Fatfat and MP Ammar Houry, have opposed Aoun’s election as president.
But earlier Friday, the Future bloc said in a statement after its weekly meeting that it supports Aoun's presidential bid.
Hariri during the interview said that the bloc members are allowed to have different viewpoints, but in the end "the bloc is led by Hariri."
Aoun's expected election would end a more than two-year presidential vacuum, with parliament failing to elect a head of state 45 times since the term of former President Michel Sleiman expired in 2014.
Hezbollah and Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement have repeatedly refused to attend the vote sessions until they received assurances that their candidate would be elected.
The next session is scheduled for Oct. 31.
The former prime minister said his agreement with Aoun didn't include the controversial electoral law.
"Any draft law requires [agreement between] two or more parliamentary blocs to be endorsed. We (Hariri and Aoun) didn't discuss the postponement of the elections or keeping the 1960's law."
"I would be ready to take part in the parliamentary elections if they took place tomorrow. I want people to go down and vote for their convictions whether they support Hariri or not," Hariri added.
Asked about Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah's recent declaration that his party would not oppose Hariri’s return to the premiership on the condition that Aoun is elected president, the former PM said "no doubt there are difficulties and attempts to weaken Saad Hariri,” which he called “Hezbollah's main goal.”
Hezbollah and its allies toppled the Hariri-led government in 2011 when their ministers resigned.
The Future leader remained firm on his stance against Hezbollah's interference in conflicts in the region.
"I can't prevent Hezbollah from fighting outside [
But he warned Hezbollah that "it will have to pay the price sooner or later."
"The (new) Cabinet will come to a clear decision (regarding the matter) and we reject any interference in Arab country's affairs," he said.
Hezbollah made it public that it was fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces in 2013. It is one of the major forces on the ground in the conflict, which erupted in March 2011.
Hariri called on
"We wish for nothing more than good ties with
Hariri vowed not to visit Syria if appointed a Prime Minister, expressing believe that theSyrian government, led by President Bashar Assad, has "collapsed."
"All Assad can do now is to continue killing, similar
to any criminal. But sooner or later he will leave
He added that the region is passing through a "critical and dangerous political stage as a the terrorist ideology is hitting stability."
Turning to his personal financial crisis, the Future leader
was optimistic that it would be resolved soon both in
Aoun wins Jumblatt's
support for presidency
The Daily Star/October 28, 2016 /
A statement issued by the premiership’s press office said talks focused on recent local developments. Jumblatt's declaration means that he has dropped his support for Aoun's rival, Marada Movement leader MP Sleiman Frangieh. The meeting was held in presence of MP Henri Helou, who was nominated by Jumblatt in April 2014 for the post. A candidate needs a two-thirds majority, or 86 MPs, to be elected president in the first round of voting. But in the second round, an absolute majority, or 65 MPs, is sufficient to declare a candidate a winner.
Frangieh, a key figure in the Hezbollah-led March 8
coalition, is determined to stay in the presidential race, despite former Prime
Minister Saad Hariri dropping his support in favor of Aoun. Hariri's decision
was made after political consultations with various rivals in
Hariri: Backing Aoun
aims to foil Hezbollah obstruction
Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star/October 29/16
Meanwhile, MP Walid Jumblatt, who heads an 11-member parliamentary bloc, announced following talks with Speaker Nabih Berri and Aoun that the majority of the bloc would vote for Aoun, ensuring a big parliamentary majority for the Free Patriotic Movement founder.
“I have undertaken an initiative in the interests of the country ... I want to put an end to the vacuum. The [state] institutions, people, environment and economy can no longer endure,” Hariri said in a wide-ranging interview with LBCI Friday night.
He said his initiative last year to back Aoun’s rival, Marada Movement leader MP Sleiman Frangieh, for the presidency fizzled out because Hezbollah did not endorse it.
“The main candidate for the
Hariri said he was ready to work will all factions in the country’s best interests: “I am open to everyone and I will extend my hand to everyone.”
The Future Movement leader indicated that his endorsement of
Aoun’s presidential bid had gained regional and international support, adding
that the election of a new head of state would be a victory for
“At the regional level, there is no problem [over Aoun’s
election]. The international community is more keen on
the election of a president in
Hariri said that in his meeting with Aoun they had agreed on
many things, including the recovery of the state, the economy and preservation
of the Taif Accord and keeping
Hariri, who is widely expected to be named the next prime
minister after Aoun’s election, blasted Hezbollah’s deep involvement in the
5-year old war in
“I want to keep the Lebanese state neutral in regional struggles. The government’s decision will be clear in rejecting any interference in the affairs of any Arab country,” he said.
“I am against anything Hezbollah is doing abroad, in
Asked whether Hezbollah would put obstacles in the way of forming a new government, Hariri said: “It’s too early to talk about the government. Let’s elect a president first.”
However, he conceded that he would face difficulties in his attempts to set up a national unity government representing the country’s leading parties.
“Hezbollah’s main goal is to weaken Saad Hariri. I know I am facing a very big challenge,” he said.
Hariri’s remarks came as Saudi Arabia’s Arab Gulf Affairs
Minister Thamer al-Sabhan met Friday on the second day of his visit to Lebanon
separately with Hariri and former premiers Najib Mikati and Fouad Siniora, as
well as Aoun, Jumblatt, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and former President
Amine Gemayel. He also met with Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in Bkirki and
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian at his seat in Dar al-Fatwa in
The Saudi official is expected to meet Saturday with Speaker
Nabih Berri and Frangieh. Sabhan, however, is not expected to meet any
Hezbollah officials, as
Sabhan’s visit is seen as reflecting the kingdom’s tacit approval of the election of Aoun as president to end two and a half years of vacuum in the country’s top Christian post.
As widely expected, Jumblatt, the leader of the Progressive
Socialist Party, said that the majority of the bloc would vote for Aoun. “The
majority of the Democratic Gathering bloc and the PSP will vote for Gen. Aoun,”
Jumblatt said after meeting with Aoun at his residence in
Jumblatt, who previously declared his support for Frangieh, said that some bloc members oppose Aoun’s nomination for the presidency, adding that the bloc would hold a final meeting Saturday.
With backing from Jumblatt’s bloc, Aoun has been assured of a big parliamentary majority for his election to the presidency after having gained the support of the Future Movement, the Lebanese Forces, Hezbollah and some of its March 8 allies.
Aoun, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, thanked Jumblatt for his support.
“I thank Walid Beik for supporting me to the presidency post
... We will cooperate together to build
Before meeting Jumblatt, Aoun, accompanied by Bassil, met with Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail with whom he discussed preparations for the Parliament session to elect a president.
Ahead of his talks with Aoun, Jumblatt met with Berri, who strongly opposes the FPM founder’s election to the presidency. “I explained to Speaker Berri the ins and outs of my position on Monday’s session to elect a president. Although there appear to be some differences, they are in form,” Jumblatt told reporters after the meeting with Berri at Ain al-Tineh.
Berri returned Friday from a weeklong visit to
Qaouq: Saudi Sanctions
against Hizbullah have Failed to Weaken the Party
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 29/16/Senior Hizbullah
official Sheikh Nabil Qaouq stressed on Saturday that the Saudi sanctions
against Hizbullah have failed to weaken the party, the state-run National News
Agency reported on Saturday. “The political developments and field achievements
confirm the failure of the Saudi sanctions against Hizbullah, especially since
Saudi Arabia wanted to weaken Hizbullah in Lebanon which has only grown
stronger at the political, popular and military levels inside Lebanon and
regionally,” said Qaouq. “By renewing sanctions and terrorism ranking against
Hizbullah in
Report: Negotiaions
Underway to Convince Franjieh to Withdraw from Presidential Race
Naharnet/October 29/16/Some serious efforts are underway to convince Marada chief MP Suleiman Franjieh to withdraw his nomination from the presidential race, al-Akhbar daily reported on Saturday. The daily said that some “unnamed” parties are “testing the waters” and coordinating efforts with the Free Patriotic Movement, of presidential hopeful MP Michel Aoun, to find a way to make Franjieh withdraw his candidacy before Monday's election session. It added that the parties mediating this solution brought the subject up with Franjieh before contacting the FPM. Furthermore, some political figures keen on Franjieh's best interest, talked about the MP's possibility to withdraw if he becomes certain that the number of votes that he will obtain in the election session are less than the number obtained by Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea in 2014, added the daily. Geagea received 48 votes. Many doubt the possibility that Franjieh will not obtain this number of votes, it pointed out. Speaker Nabih Berri has summoned lawmakers on October 31 for the vote, which will go ahead if a quorum of two-thirds is reached.
The 128-member legislature counts 127 lawmakers at the moment after one member resigned over the summer. The successful candidate wins the vote with a majority of two-thirds in the first round, or with an absolute majority in the next rounds.
Report: Hizbullah Has not Named Hariri for Premiership as Yet
Naharnet/October 29/16/Hizbullah has not expressed commitment so far to name al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri for the premiership and the formation of the new government, as speculations believe that it could be keeping it for the last minute, Ad-Diyar daily reported on Saturday. The daily quoted Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who had urged for a comprehensive agreement and said: “Let a comprehensive agreement with regard to the presidency, premier and the formation of a government be reached.” But the truth is that no one in Hizbullah has named Hariri so far, added Ad-Diyar. The party might be keeping the issue to the moment when the parliament consultations kick off and a premier is designated, it added. 48 hours separate us from the election of a president and Hizbullah has not yet named Hariri for the premiership.
The daily added that the issue might be linked to the number of white papers and the number of votes that Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh- the second candidate facing Hizbullah's ally MP Michel Aoun- will get during the presidential election session, upon which Hizbullah would then decide if it would name Hariri. Speaker Nabih Berri has summoned lawmakers on October 31 for the presidential vote, which will go ahead if a quorum of two-thirds is reached. The 128-member legislature counts 127 lawmakers at the moment after one member resigned over the summer. The successful candidate wins the vote with a majority of two-thirds in the first round, or with an absolute majority in the next rounds. Aoun was tipped to become president after Hariri formally endorsed him last Thursday. Reports say that the ex-prime minister Hariri had struck a deal with Aoun to endorse him in exchange for his return as premier. 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 had 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 have argued 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.
Saudi Envoy Meets
Hariri, Aoun, Jumblat, Geagea on 2nd Day of
Naharnet/October 28/16/Saudi State Minister for Gulf Affairs
Thamer al-Sabhan held talks Friday with several political leaders on the second
day of an official visit to
Reports have said that al-Sabhan might stay in
Aoun’s Path to Baabda:
Wars and Reconciliations
Thaer Abbas/Asharq Al Awsat/October 28/18
Christian politician and FPM founder Michel Aoun talks during a news conference
in Beirut
Beirut- Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun has not had an easy path to
the presidential palace. The “impossible” was made possible by Future Movement
leader ex-PM Saad Hariri’s approval to back Aoun for the presidency.
The doors of
In his efforts to reach
Aoun’s presidential dream began in September 1989 when former President Amin
Gemayel appointed him as prime minister to a six-member interim military
government after the parliament failed to elect a new president.
But the country fell into more chaos as a result of the presidential vacuum and
the resignation of half of the government’s members. The rival government of
Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss continued to control large parts of
Liberation War and
Aoun then moved to
According to Free Patriotic Movement officials, Aoun had contacts with
Elie Mahfoud, a former FPM official, said that Aoun had sent an envoy to meet
with then Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. The message that Aoun sent to Assad
was clear in asking the Syrian leader to consider him “a small officer in his
army.”
He said in the message that “we should legitimize its (
Despite Mahfoud’s claims, FPM sources strongly denied the presence of such a
letter, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that the intentions of the people behind such
rumors are known.
The sources stressed that “Aoun’s history is pure as snow.”
After all efforts failed to reach a political settlement, Aoun declared a
Liberation War against Syria that failed to make huge geographic changes but
led to destruction and war on both sides of the Green Line that separated East
and West Beirut.
Aoun later decided to impose his authority on the rest of the Lebanese
territories after he rejected the Taef Accord, which was signed by Lebanese
deputies in
Elimination War
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea joined the parties that backed the
implementation of the agreement, and Aoun’s military influence became limited
to Baabda Palace and the southern sector of Mount Lebanon.
When Aoun refused to abide by international agreements, the Syrian regime
received the “green light” to invade the general’s area of influence. On the
morning of October 13, 1990, Syrian warplanes entered
Syrian troops backed by Lebanese soldiers allied with President Elias Hrawi
then moved from three fronts towards the areas of Aoun’s influence.
Aoun then fled to the French embassy from where he instructed his units to
follow the orders of Army commander Gen. Emile Lahoud who had been appointed by
the Hoss government.
He then went into exile in
The French Exile
During his presence in France, Aoun worked hard to end
Resolution 1559 that was adopted by the U.N. Security Council in 2004 came
against the backdrop of the Syria Accountability Act, said former MP Ghattas
Khoury.
Anti-Aoun activists have recently broadcast an old voice recording in which the
FPM chief describes
Aoun’s Return and the Era of Agreements
The confrontation between Aoun on one side and
Aoun’s supporters joined the March 14 alliance that was formed during
large-scale demonstrations held against
Less than a year after his return to
During the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war, Lebanese areas whose residents are Aoun’s
supporters opened their doors to the people escaping the Israeli aggression.
Aoun soon became Hezbollah’s candidate for presidency. But the party’s support
for the FPM chief wasn’t enough to bring him to
His dream was shattered as a result of the March 14 coalition’s strong
opposition to him.
Normalization of Ties with Assad
The reconciliation with the Assad regime was culminated during a visit that
Aoun made to
When the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014, Aoun’s ambition
to reach
Things became worse when the legislature’s term was extended twice. But the
lawmakers of his bloc and Hezbollah MPs continued to boycott parliamentary
sessions aimed at electing a new president.
Parliament’s Paralysis
Aoun and his ally Hezbollah resorted to paralysis in their confrontation with
the March 14 alliance. The boycott of their MPs of the sessions set for
electing a head of state caused lack of quorum at the parliament, which left
the country without a president.
Saad Hariri’s agreement with Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh to back him for
the presidency angered Geagea, who dropped out of the presidential race and
announced his support for Aoun after the two sides signed a “Declaration of
Intent.”
The Christian
The “Declaration of Intent” between the FPM and the LF
stated the importance of abiding by an independent foreign policy that serves
After the LF’s support for Aoun, the only obstacle left was Saad Hariri, who
has the largest bloc in the parliament (33 MPs.) Despite years of
counter-accusations and disputes, their paths crossed and Hariri backed Aoun’s
presidential aspirations.
Aoun, who is expected to be elected on Monday, was eventually able to clinch a
deal with Hariri despite accusations by the FPM chief’s critics of being “edgy
and stubborn.”
He made a lot of diplomatic maneuvers to appease his staunchest foes to realize
his big dream.
Saudi envoy Saudi Arabia’s Arab
Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan meets top officials during second day of
visit to Lebanon
The Daily Star/October 28/16
BEIRUT: Saudi Arabia’s Arab Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan Friday
kicked off his second day of talks in Lebanon, meeting with former Prime
Ministers Saad Hariri, Najib Mikati and Fouad Siniora and other officials, days
ahead of next week’s presidential elections.
The convoy for the Saudi official was seen arriving at the residence of Hariri
in Downtown Beirut in the afternoon, after meeting with Mikati earlier in the
day.
His visit to
Hariri, who returned from a brief visit to
The meeting between the two lasted for less than an hour, before Sabhan went to
meet the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt in
The PSP leader was said to have discussed the latest developments in
It is unclear whether the Saudi official will make any statements during his
Earlier in the morning, Sabhan met Mikati at his
"The kingdom has never been distant from
When asked by reporters over the Saudi position on the Lebanese presidency,
Mikati said that
The Saudi minister also met with leader of the Future Movement's parliamentary
bloc Siniora at his Hamra office. Siniora is among the key figures in Hariri's
party to oppose backing Aoun for president.
Sabhan is the highest ranking Saudi official to visit
In the next two days, the Saudi official is expected to meet with Speaker Nabih
Berri, presidential frontrunner Aoun, Lebanese Forces head Samir Geagea and Marada
Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh. Sabhan, however, is not expected to meet any
Hezbollah officials, as
Saudi envoy meets top
officials during second day of visit to Lebanon
The Daily Star/October 28/16 /BEIRUT: Saudi Arabia’s Arab Gulf Affairs Minister
Thamer al-Sabhan Friday kicked off his second day of talks in Lebanon, meeting
with former Prime Ministers Saad Hariri, Najib Mikati and Fouad Siniora and
other officials, days ahead of next week’s presidential elections.
The convoy for the Saudi official was seen arriving at the residence of Hariri
in Downtown Beirut in the afternoon, after meeting with Mikati earlier in the
day. His visit to
Hariri, who returned from a brief visit to
It is unclear whether the Saudi official will make any statements during his
Lebanon’s Cabinet Holds
Last Session, Saudi Delegation in Beirut ahead of Presidential Polls
Asharq Al-Awsat/October 28/16
Beirut-Lebanon’s cabinet held on Thursday what it considered to be its last
session before the election of a new president early next week, and the
beginning of a new era. Meanwhile, the Free Patriotic Movement continued to
hold meetings with political parties that are rejecting or have not yet
announced their final decision concerning the candidacy of MP Michel Aoun for
president. But on Thursday the head of the Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel,
reiterated his rejection to “participate in the current presidential
deal.”Meanwhile, a Saudi delegation headed by Saudi State Minister for Arab
Gulf Affairs, Thamer al-Sabhan, is in
Sabhan kicked off his visit by meeting with
NNA added the Saudi official might also meet with Interior Minister Nohad
al-Mashnouq, and Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji. Former PM Saad Hariri is
expected to host a dinner banquet in honor of the visiting official.
Before attending Thursday’s session, several ministers hoped it would be the
last ahead of the election of a new president next Monday.Minister of State for
Administrative Reform Nabil de Freij said: “This is the last session and we
hope it will be positive.”Culture Minister Raymond Araiji, who supports the
candidacy of Suleiman Franjieh for president, said: “All possibilities are
open” in Monday’s electoral session. On Thursday, an FPM delegation met with
candidate MP Henri Helou, who is supported by Jumblat’s Democratic Gathering
bloc. Helou will likely withdraw from the presidential race after Jumblat’s
expected announcement of his support for Aoun on Saturday.
The candidate said that a decision concerning the withdrawal of his candidacy
would be taken after expected talks between Aoun and Jumblat and a meeting of
the Democratic Gathering bloc. Helou said that the interest of the country was
more important than personal interests. However, Speaker Berri and the Kataeb
Party were still holding onto to their position against Aoun’s candidacy.
Informed sources told the Central News Agency on Thursday that efforts exerted
by the so-called Hezbollah party failed to convince Berri to vote for Aoun.
Also objecting to the election of Aoun, Gemayel said in a press conference: “We
hope that the Kataeb party’s fears would be dissipated and that the practice of
General Michel Aoun, if elected as president, would reflect what we struggled
for together, for years.”
Rahi Welcomes Hariri as
'Man of Courage,' and Hariri Says a New Leaf Will Begin Monday
Naharnet/October 29/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad
Hariri urged everyone to cooperate for the well interest of
Presidential Polls Top
Talks between Salam, Hariri and Franjieh
Naharnet/October 29/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam received
in separate meetings at the Grand Serail on Saturday Marada Movement leader MP
Suleiman Franjieh and Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri. Hariri briefed
Salam on the preparations for the electoral session scheduled for Monday to
elect a president. Franjieh and Hariri did not make a statement after their
meetings with Salam. On Friday, Salam received presidential hopeful head of the
Change and Reform bloc head MP Michel Aoun, who met with leader of the
Progressive Socialist party Walid Jumblat in Clemenceau before he met the
premier. Salam has not made any statement so far since Hariri's endorsement of
Aoun for the top state post. Hariri formally endorsed Aoun's nomination last
week.
Future bloc reiterates support for Aoun to maintain
The Daily Star/October 28, 2016/
Marada Movement chief Sleiman Frangieh, whom Hariri had previously endorsed, is
still in the race.
Lebanon’s kingmaker
Jumblatt secures 8 votes for Aoun
Gulf News/Joseph A. Kechichian/October 28/16/Jumblatt will withdraw the
candidacy of Henri Helou, who was nominated to block the election of Geagea in
2014
Washington: Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt informed the head
of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Jibran Bassil, that eight deputies of his
bloc — out of eleven — will vote in favour of presidential candidate Michel
Aoun, according to Al Jumhuriyyah daily.
The PSP confirmed that “the final decision will be taken following a meeting
between Jumblatt and Aoun, although the FPM leader was now in the lead no
matter what”. Jumblatt added that the party would withdraw the candidacy of
Henri Helou, who was nominated at the very last moment to block the election of
the Lebanese Forces’ Samir Geagea back in 2014. Neither Helou nor Aoun for that
matter presented a programme to govern the country. After a meeting with Helou,
Education Minister Elias Bu Saab of the FPM hailed Helou’s position and said:
“The stance that was voiced [by Helou] was responsible and it reflects a great
patriotic sense and it opened the door for agreements”, which redefined
convenience. After initially endorsing Helou’s nomination, Jumblatt shifted his
support for pro-Syrian Marada Movement chief Sulaiman Franjieh after the latter
was endorsed by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in December 2015. Jumblatt,
who honed the art of compromise and survival, saw the writing on the wall after
Hariri formally endorsed Aoun, which explained his third change in as many
years.
A Renewed Disruptive Opposition
Ahmad El-Assaad/ October 27, 2016/The moment the signs of the end of the
presidential vacuum appeared in the political horizon, economic indexes took a
positive turn, and subject matter experts got a glimpse of hope of better days
to come, which is what is expected to progressively crystallize over the next
phase.In fact, reviving the economy and saving its different sectors was one of
the reasons that pushed the political forces towards the only possible exit
from this crisis, i.e. electing General Michel Aoun as President. The country
is no longer able to survive without effective governing institutions, or to
bear with this abnormal situation that almost toppled its entire political
system, leaving catastrophic effects on economic activity as a whole. The
Lebanese people’s hope is for the Opposition, which will be formed by the
forces that will not be part of this settlement, to not adopt the same
disruptive methods that paralyze the country and prevent reform, all of which
will be key in promoting the Lebanese economy and
improving people’s lives. If the future Opposition will be anything like the
current automotive inspection privatization crisis, i.e. refusing to develop
service, hindering people’s businesses and blocking roads, then
Beginning of a ‘new
era’ in
Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/October 28/16
Last week, Future Movement leader and MP Saad Hariri
endorsed Christian leader Michel Aoun for
What’s interesting is that these objections do not represent what was once called the March 14 coalition as the fiercest objection came from the other party, to what was once called the March 8 coalition. However, authorities must reveal the truth. If that doesn’t happen, then it will be akin to the country being handed over to the Iranian-Syrian axis who will either exploit presidential vacuum or influence the presidency. Officials, if they are truly responsible, must be frank with the Lebanese people and clarify what has happened in the past and what they plan for the future. If the presidency is a Lebanese affair, as it is being emphasized, then political parties must take the blame for delaying its election for two and a half years. If the presidency is a Lebanese affair, as it is being emphasized, then political parties must take the blame for delaying its election for two and a half years. They must bear responsibility for this vacuum and must be held accountable for this intentional obstruction. They should also apologize to the Lebanese people for all that this vacuum has caused.
No veil of secrecy
Agreements within political parties must not be kept secret in the interest of the public. These agreements must not just focus on sharing the booty and distributing ministerial portfolios. They shouldn’t try to control the oil and gas sector, which is a national treasure that may suffer as a result of negligence, lack of responsibility and interests of global companies. The Lebanese people have the right to know the details of the agreement between the Future Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement. They must know what angered Speaker Nabih Berri and why he objected to Hariri’s endorsement of Aoun. More importantly, isn’t it necessary for the most important candidate to appear in the media and try and convince citizens that he is the best choice? Unfortunately, the idea of a debate remains remote in our country which otherwise claims to be a democracy.
Media appearances, such as the one made by Aoun to satisfy
the Sunnis, are not enough to explain his presidential program or his ambitions
because executive jurisdictions have been transferred to the government. The
candidate must explain his agenda so that people understand his vision and provide
him with the support needed to face a fierce opposition that may obstruct him
from carrying out his duties. Opposition is an important and necessary element
in democratic countries. What’ more important though is for these objections to
be heard and to be provided with clear answers. Overlook objections is a huge
mistake as this means indifference to people’s views and implies contempt for
“the great people of
**This article was first published in Annahar on Oct. 24, 2016.
Al-Hariri's Choice Of Hizbullah Ally Aoun For Lebanese Presidency Is Another
March 14 Forces Concession To Pro-Iran Axis
By: E.B. Picali and Y. Yehoshua/MEMRI/October 28/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/28/e-b-picali-and-y-yehoshuamemri-al-hariris-choice-of-hizbullah-ally-aoun-for-lebanese-presidency-is-another-march-14-forces-concession-to-pro-iran-axis/
Introduction
On October 31, 2016, the Lebanese parliament will convene and is expected to
vote in Free Patriotic Movement leader and Hizbullah ally Michel Aoun as
president of Lebanon; he is Hizbullah's sole candidate. The move follows a deal
struck between Aoun and former Lebanese prime minister Sa'd
Al-Hariri, leader of the Sunni Al-Mustaqbal stream, under which Aoun, if
elected, will assign Al-Hariri the task of forming the next government.
This move by Al-Hariri has significant implications for the intra-Lebanese
political arena and for the regional power balance. Therefore it has
encountered criticism both within and outside
The following report reviews Al-Hariri's decision, the reactions it has
encountered, and what it means for
Hizbullah Ally Aoun Expected To Be Chosen President
On October 31, 2016, the Lebanese parliament will hold its 46th presidential
selection session since Michel Suleiman's term ended two-and-a-half years ago.
That session is expected to choose Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun,
who is an ally of Hizbullah, as president. Aoun's selection will end a
two-and-a-half-year presidential vacuum that resulted from disagreement over
Suleiman's successor from among the country's opposing streams – primarily
Al-Mustaqbal, led by Sa'd Al-Hariri, and Hizbullah, which together with Aoun
stymied the formation of the quorum that is necessary to elect a president. The
breakthrough in the talks over the selection of a president came when Al-Hariri
and Aoun reached an agreement under which Al-Hariri would support Aoun's
presidential candidacy and in return Aoun would task Al-Hariri with forming the
new government, which would be a national unity government as stipulated in the
agreement.[1] This constitutes an Al-Hariri surrender
to Hizbullah, which sought an Aoun presidency. It should be mentioned that
Al-Hariri's support for an overt Hizbullah ally is not unprecedented; a year
ago, Al-Hariri announced his support for another ally of Hizbullah, and of
Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, Suleiman Frangieh, for the post of Lebanese
president.[2]
Al-Hariri announced his support for Aoun in an October 20, 2016 speech, saying
that by supporting him he was aiming to save Lebanon from dangerous leadership
and economic crises which could, in turn, lead to a new civil war.[3]
Two days later, on October 22, Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah
announced that his party's MPs, who had been boycotting presidential selection
sessions, as had MPs from other parties including Aoun's own Change and Reform
bloc, would be attending the October 31 session and would be choosing Aoun.
Nasrallah added that Hizbullah had no objections to Al-Hariri's serving as
prime minister in the new government.
These statements by Al-Hariri and Nasrallah pave Aoun's path to the
presidential palace, even though obstacles and uncertainty remain, both in
Various Lebanese Elements Oppose Aoun's Appointment As
President
The opposition to Aoun's appointment comes mainly from Lebanese parliamentary
speaker Nabih Berri, and from Suleiman Frangieh, who is running against Aoun in
the presidential race. Both Berri and Frangieh are March 8 Forces members and
open Hizbullah allies. Berri even announced that he would not be part of the
government that would be established under the Al-Hariri-Aoun deal, and
questioned the deal's future, saying that it had been arrived at by two sides
only, without taking into account the country's main political elements, himself among them. Druze leader and centrist bloc member
Walid Jumblatt, who is another major Lebanese political figure, has not yet
expressed a position on this matter, but it is thought
that he will back Aoun.
On the other side as well, some in Al-Hariri's Al-Mustaqbal party and in the
March 14 Forces in general oppose this deal. Immediately after Al-Hariri's
October 20 announcement of support for Aoun, another former prime minister,
Fouad Al-Siniora, the head of the Al-Mustaqbal party, (a component of
Al-Hariri's broader Al-Mustaqbal stream) announced that he would not join
Al-Hariri in backing Aoun for president. Al-Siniora was joined by other party
members, including parliamentary vice president Farid Makari, MPs Ahmad Fatfat
and Ammar Houri, Telecommunications Minister Boutros Harb of the March 14
Forces, and March 14 Forces secretary-general Fares Souaid.
Along with the opposition to an Aoun presidency within the Al-Mustaqbal party,
other Sunni public figures also objected to the deal, among them Justice
Minister Ashraf Rifi, former director-general of the Lebanese Internal Security
Forces and a former Al-Hariri supporter. Last year, Rifi harshly attacked
Al-Hariri for his support for Hizbullah and Syrian regime ally Suleiman
Frangieh. On October 22, 2016, two days after Al-Hariri's announcement of his
support for Aoun as president, Rifi organized an anti-Aoun protest in
Many in the Al-Mustaqbal party, the March 14 Forces, and the Sunni public who
oppose the Al-Hariri-Aoun deal see Al-Hariri's support for Aoun as yet another
concession to Hizbullah and the pro-Iran axis that backs it, and to Hizbullah
as an armed state within a state.[4] They accuse Al-Hariri, inter alia, of
seeking to become prime minister by selling out Sunni interests and the
political legacy of his father Rafiq Al-Hariri, whose 2005 assassination, when
Syria was the real power in Lebanon, is thought to have been carried out by
five senior Hizbullah officials.
Addressing critics of his deal, Al-Hariri explained his support for Aoun as
well as his previous support for Frangieh: "I am willing to take the risks
a thousand times over, just as I am willing to risk myself, my people, and my
political future, to defend
Al-Hariri's Choice Of Aoun Is A Political Victory For Hizbullah
Al-Hariri's move to support the Hizbullah candidate and ally Aoun has major
implication for the internal Lebanese political arena. It constitutes another
successful attempt by Hizbullah to impose its wishes there and a further
weakening of the country's main Sunni force, the Al-Mustaqbal party. This
triumph for Hizbullah comes at a time when it is mostly preoccupied outside of
Ibrahim Al-Amin, head of the board of directors of the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar
and a known Hizbullah supporter, argued that the March 14 Forces, including the
Al-Mustaqbal stream, show "the symptoms of card-game addicts," who
delude themselves that they can win and are "unwilling to give up"
even when it is clear that it is Hizbullah who is actually directing events on
the ground.[6]
At the same time, Hizbullah's success in pushing its own candidate through is
also a result of the political weakness of its rivals, particularly the
Hariri-led Al-Mustaqbal stream, who wants the premiership at nearly any cost in
order to strengthen his own political status in the country and perhaps his
economic status as well.
An Aoun presidency does not mean that the issues contributing to the vast
schism between the sides in Lebanon will be resolved, among them the disarming
of Hizbullah as demanded by the March 14 Forces – Aoun opposes the
organization's disarmament.[7] As president, Hizbullah
ally Aoun would be in charge of a number of security and military portfolios,
aggravating the tension between the sides and jeopardizing the army's
independence .
Additionally, the Al-Hariri-Aoun deal does not guarantee that Al-Hariri will
actually succeed in forming a government, because of the opposition he faces
both inside and outside
An Aoun Presidency: Ramifications For The Regional Power Balance – Down With
Saudi Arabia, Up With Iran
Since Lebanon's future depends on the regional political balance, with Iran,
Syria, and Saudi Arabia the patrons of various local Lebanese political
players, Al-Hariri's move has regional ramifications. His surrender to
Hizbullah's wishes reflects the strengthening of
There were also reports in the Lebanese press noting that Al-Hariri's political
status in Lebanon is declining, and that the Saudis no longer consider him the
sole representative of the Sunnis in Lebanon, but only one such representative.
It should be noted that in previous years,
Articles in the daily Al-Akhbar, known for its pro-Hizbullah line, addressed
the regional implications of Al-Hariri's gambit and gloated that the move
reflected Saudi Arabian weakness. Al-Akhbar columnist Ghassan Saoud wrote that
an Aoun presidency would be a manifestation of "Hizbullah's ability to
break the international will, and the Saudi will."[10]
However, Ibrahim Al-Amin wrote in an Al-Akbar editorial that wars in the Arab
region created a reality that was forcing the March 14 Forces to see the choice
of Lebanese president differently, and that they needed to realize that the
Saudis can no longer help them. As he usually does, he concluded his piece with
implied threats, stating: "Anyone who does not want anarchy in
*E. B. Picali is a research fellow at MEMRI; Y. Yehoshua is Vice President for
Research And Director of MEMRI Israel
Endntoes:
[1] One of the main political players pushing for an Aoun presidency is Samir
Geagea, chairman of the Lebanese Forces. In January 2016, after a long period
of talks, Geagea and Aoun, formerly bitter Christian political rivals, agreed
that Geagea would support Aoun's presidential bid. One of the main reasons
behind Geagea's decision to do so was Al-Hariri's previous support for the
presidential candidacy of Suleiman Frangieh – a fierce rival of Geagea who had
been accused of killing several members of the Frangieh family during the
country's civil war.
[2] Similarly, in 2008, during another presidential
interregnum, the March 14 Forces and Al-Hariri were forced to make concessions
to Hizbullah, which was included in the newly formed Fouad Siniora government;
this took place at the
[3] Al-Mustaqbal (
[4] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No. 1092, Al-Mustaqbal
Losing Ground As Representative Of Lebanese Sunnis, May 19, 2014.
[5] Al-Mustaqbal (
[6] Al-Akhbar (
[7] In an interview with Al-Akhbar, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil,
who is Aoun's son-in-law and heads the Change and Reform bloc founded by Aoun,
said that Free Patriotic Movement, to which the Change and Reform bloc belongs,
supports Hizbullah's retention of its weapons. Al-Akhbar (
[8] Al-Watan (
[9] Al-Safir (
[10] Al-Akhbar (
[11] Al-Akhbar (
Former Hizbullah Leader Subhi Al-Tufayli Criticizes Intervention In
MEMRI/October 28/16
Former Hizbullah Leader Subhi Tufyli criticized the organization's intervention
in
Following are excerpts
September 30, 2016
Subhi Al-Tufayli: "There is another group of infidels, who pretend to be
Muslims. In Al-Madina, Abdallah ibn Ubayy joined the Prophet Muhammad at the
mosque, but he was a hypocrite. In other words, deep inside, he was an infidel,
who was fighting, day and night, against Islam, while pretending to be a
Muslim. Many Arab and Islamic regimes adhere to the
"Abd Al-Nasser used to wear us out with [his talk about] fighting the
Israeli enemy, and with his declarations that he was striving to liberate
"Today, we are liberating the Arab and Islamic world, under the slogan of
building a front to confront the Israeli enemy. The truth is that we may have
been wrong to think that
"Brothers, what is happening is a great crime.
"There must be a reexamination! We must reach an understanding with all
the Sunnis without exception. We must not be so stupid as to fight one another
and let others collect the booty. We need to realize this fact. Brothers, we
have pushed our people who belong to other sects to the point that they
consider making peace with their rivals, in order to be able to confront their
own brother, who decided to destroy them until he sees them dead. What are you
doing in
October 14, 2016
"A few days ago, the Russian Duma declared that Russia would remain
permanently in Syria, and that the Russian bases in Syria are there to stay.
The Russians will not return to their country. I'd like to remind you that when
the Russians first entered
"I repeat: The Muslims must drive out the invaders, and especially the
Russian invaders. Let no one deceive you. This is not a Sunni-Shi'ite war. It
is not a war between Muslims. This is a war against Muslims - Sunnis and
Shi'ites alike.
"This is not a sectarian war. It is a Western war. Whether Sunni or
Shi'ite,
October 21, 2016
"As you know, the war against
"But the question is whether the other side is really the enemy of
"There are two kinds of people in the ranks of
"Their job is to perpetrate ugly and revolting deeds that will make Islam
and the Muslims loathsome in people's eyes, thus preparing the groundwork until
people say: Let's wage war. This is why many of their deeds are inexplicable -
they have nothing to do with Islam, the Muslims, or the Quran, although they
were perpetrated by members of this organization in the name of Islam. How else
can you explain people carrying out bombings in
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October
28-29/16
Syrian airstrikes on
Associated Press,
Spokesman:
Al Arabiya News Channel,
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 29/16/Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday called for cooperation to prevent Islamic
State jihadists from leaving
Roadside Bomb Kills 2
Soldiers, Injuries 4 Others in Sinai
Associated Press/Naharnet/October 29/16/Egyptian security
officials say a roadside bomb killed two soldiers and wounded four others in
the restive northeastern region of the
Coalition Strikes Kill
at Least 10
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 29/16/Saudi-led
coalition air strikes killed at least 10 civilians in a battleground town
southeast of Yemen's third city Taez on Saturday, the rebels, a medic and a
loyalist official said. The rebel-controlled sabanews.net website said 10
people were killed and seven wounded when the strikes hit residential buildings
in the town of
US Says Syrian Regime
Using Starvation as 'Weapon of War'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 29/16/The United
States accused the Syrian regime Friday of using "starvation as a weapon
of war" -- a war crime under the Geneva Conventions -- stepping up the
rhetoric against Bashar Assad and his Russian backers. Rejecting the Kremlin
claims that attacks on
Associated Press/Naharnet/October 29/16/Iraqi paramilitary
forces launched an operation Saturday to cut the Islamic State group's supply
lines between its
Hillary Rodham Clinton:
The Unloved Politician
Agence
There she became a brilliant political partner to Bill;
A zone of privacy -Demanding respect for her private life,
her effort to contain certain controversies, including the complex Whitewater
real-estate scandal, merely made them worse. Her relations with the political
press, which she disdained for what she saw as its obsession with the trivial,
have never recovered. "I've always believed in a zone of privacy,"
she said in 1994, adding reluctantly: "I told a friend the other day that
I feel, after resisting for a long time, I've been rezoned." Since then
her relations with the voting public have passed through a series of highs and
lows. Highs came when Americans sympathized with her during the worst
humiliations of the Monica Lewinsky affair in 1998, and when New Yorkers
elected her to the US Senate in 2000. Lows came when she voted for the
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 29/16/Hillary
The 69-year-old Democrat -- vying to become
Concern that the renewed probe would damage
- 'Criminal scheme' -Meanwhile, Trump, trailing in polls both nationally and in the swing states he must win to secure the White House, seized triumphantly on the news.
"We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the
Oval Office," the 70-year-old billionaire told cheering crowds at a
campaign rally in
Palestinian Attacker
Shot by Israeli Troops
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 29/16/A Palestinian
attacked Israeli troops with his car and then with a knife in the occupied
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 29/16/The families of
Turkish activists killed in a 2010 Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship say
they will not drop their legal cases despite a deal between Turkey and the
Jewish state. Nine Turks died when Israeli marines stormed the "Mavi
Marmara", which was part of an aid flotilla to break a naval blockade of
the Gaza Strip. One more died in hospital in 2014. Ties between
In total, there were six ships in the flotilla that were
boarded in international waters about 130km (80 miles) from the Israeli coast.
- Life sentences sought - After the deal with
Friday, 28 October 2016 /NCRI - Today's morning, Friday,
October 28, thousands of people of various cities demonstrated on the occasion
of the birthday of Cyrus the Great at his tomb in Pasargad in protest at the
mullahs' regime's anti-national and anti-Iranian policies. Demonstrators
chanted, "freedom of thought, impossible with the mullahs" ,
"Iran is our homeland, Cyrus is our father", "mullahs' regime,
only oppression, only war", …. Since days ago the regime had resorted to
various measures in fear of this gathering; it cancelled all travel tours to
Pasargad; it laid obstructions and restrictions in the path of vehicles to
Pasargad; and spread rumors extensively that Pasargad was closed and nobody
could go there. The regime cut internet connections in that area since October
26, and announced to the nearby inhabitants that nobody is allowed to provide
residence to the guests. Furthermore, all routs leading to Pasargad were closed
since this morning, and a big number of the regime's intelligence agents and
plain-clothed agents at the tomb and nearby streets tried to prevent people
from gathering. However, all these attempts failed to prevent this protest
demonstration. Long queues of vehicles and big crowd is
indication of the Iranian peoples' anger and hatred for this anti-Iranian
regime. The religious fascism ruling
Reza Akbari Monfared
writes revealing letter to Asma Jahangir
Friday, 28 October 2016 /NCRI - In a letter to Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur, Reza Akbari Monfared points to some of the pressures and humiliations applied by the Iranian regime’s judiciary and prosecutor against political prisoners who want to meet their families.
The letter is as follows:
The UN Special Rapporteur, Mrs. Asma Jahangir
To inform of ‘a sly trick’
About two months ago in August 2016, I, Reza Akbari Monfared, wrote a letter to condemn the 1988 massacre and the criminal executions of my sisters and brothers. My sister, Maryam Akbari Monfared, too, wrote a similar letter, demanding that we at least be informed of the burial place of our sister and brothers. Now following these letters, due to a continuous monitoring by the Human Rights Council as well as the Special Rapporteur, Mrs. Asma Jahangir, the judiciary who avoids officially depriving me and my sister of meeting our families, has in an apparent attempt to disrespect and humiliate the political prisoners, issued new regulations and rules according to which family visits for prisoners are conditional on being handcuffed and shackled as well as wearing the prison uniform. They know that political prisoners will reject such terms as dishonorable, so they have made up such conditions to put prisoners under pressure and deprive them of their rights without being faced with human rights criticisms. For information of Human Rights Council, Mrs. Asemeh Jahangir, I and other political prisoners have not agreed to such terms. We refused to meet our families under these conditions and are ready to pay the price. Because we believe that those who should be handcuffed and shackled and be introduced to everyone while wearing prison uniforms, are the likes of Khamenei’s panegyrist (Saeid Toosi) so that people’s children are safe from his crimes, not the political prisoners who have been charged due to vindicating their rights as well as their people’s rights.”
Political prisoner Reza Akbari Monfared
Staff writer, Al Arabiya EnglishSaturday, 29 October
2016/Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail visited the
What we know on missile
launched at Makkah
Staff writer, Al Arabiya EnglishFriday, 28 October 2016/The
Arab Coalition fighting in
The missile was fired from Saada province towards Makkah,
the coalition said. No damage has been reported. Coalition forces confirmed
that they targeted the sites where the missile was launched from in Saada and
destroyed it shortly after the incident. The firing of the missile received
condemnations from several countries with
All you need to know about the missile
Egyptian military expert, Hisham al-Halabi revealed the type and capabilities of the missile that was launched by the Houthi militias towards Makkah.
In a statement to al-Arabiya.net, Halabi said that it was a
Scud ballistic surface-to-surface rocket. The Yemeni army acquired this type of
missiles from
Reactions and condemnations
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on October 28-29/16
The New Anti-Racist
Racists
Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/October 28/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9210/splc-racists
There is a trait campaigning groups have that is well
known. Once they have achieved their objective, they continue. Usually it is
because there are people with salaries at stake, pensions, perks and more.
Suddenly the SPLC seemed to spy a new fascism. The SPLC saw this new fascism in
people who objected to people flying planes into skyscrapers, decapitating
journalists and aid workers and blowing up the finish line of marathons.
One got the impression that it had become immensely useful for some people to
be able to smear those concerned about Islamic fundamentalism, and try to make
them akin to Nazis. The only other movements who find this equally useful are,
of course, Islamic extremists.
Here is this "anti-racist" organisation, largely made up of white men
who present themselves as being anti-racists, and yet who spend their time
attacking Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a black immigrant woman. At the top of any list of
"hate-groups," the SPLC must in future be sure to place itself.
The SPLC's list of "anti-Muslim activists" also includes a practising
Muslim, Maajid Nawaz, one of the most principled and courageous people around
calling out the extremists in his faith for their bigotry and hatred. He does
so, like Hirsi Ali, at no small risk to himself.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SLPC), based in
The SPLC was founded in 1971, ostensibly to fight for civil rights among other
good causes. By the end of its first decade it was targeting the KKK and other
racist organisations. So far so good. But like many a
campaigning organisation, they experienced the happy blow of basically winning
their argument. By the 1990s, there were mercifully few racist groups in
But there is an odd trait in campaigning groups that is well known. Once they
have achieved their objective, they continue. Why is this so? Usually it is
because there are people with salaries at stake, pensions, perks and more.
Campaigning for a particular thing or against a particular thing has become
their way of life and their means of earning. And so they find a way to continue.
For some years, the SPLC staggered around in such a manner, as pointless and
purposeless an organisation as could be imagined.
And then in the last decade something happened to this increasingly obscure
institution. It is not for me to speculate why or how this happened, whether it
had to do with new staff or new money, but the focus of the organisation
changed. Suddenly the SPLC seemed to spy a new fascism. They did not spy it in
people who flew planes into skyscrapers, decapitated American journalists and
aid workers or blew up the finish line of marathons. No, the SPLC saw it
somewhere else. The SPLC saw this new fascism in people who objected to people
flying planes into skyscrapers, decapitating journalists and aid workers and
blowing up the finish line of marathons. For the SPLC, the big threat on the
horizon was not Islamists but those people who objected to Islamists -- that
is, people they called "Islamophobes." In the same way, they did not
seem to have any particular problem with jihad, but they developed a huge
problem with people they called "counter-jihadists." To their
existing lists of designated "hate-groups" they now added such
people.
More honest groups might have balked at such a stance. More informed groups
would have walked a thousand miles from such a stance. But the SPLC did no such
thing. In fact, one got the impression that it had become immensely useful for
some people to be able to smear those concerned about Islamic fundamentalism
and try to make them akin to Nazis. The only other
movements who find this equally useful are, of course, Islamic extremists.
The media today in
The SPLC's latest production is disgraceful, discrediting and sloppy even by
its own increasingly disgraceful, discredited and sloppy standards. For this
publication, they have listed "Fifteen anti-Muslim activists," most
likely in the hope that they will scare the media off inviting them on, or the
wider public from being allowed to listen to them.
Among the list is Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The SPLC lists a set of allegedly outrageous
things that she has said, which have appeared in such obscure and extreme
venues as The Wall Street Journal and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. They
mention in passing -- as though it were an incidental mishap -- that Hirsi
Ali's film-making partner, Theo van Gogh, was slaughtered on an Amsterdam
street by a jihadist, with a death-threat to Hirsi Ali pinned into van Gogh's
dying body. But they still clearly cannot imagine why anybody would have a
problem with such a thing. One wonders how the staff of the SPLC would feel if
one of their colleagues was murdered in such a manner? Doubtless they would shrug
it off. Yet it remains that case that here is this "anti-racist"
organisation, largely made up of white men who present themselves as being
anti-racists, and yet who spend their time attacking a black immigrant woman.
Hirsi Ali is of course well known for being an ex-Muslim. But the SPLC's list
of "anti-Muslim activists" also includes a practising Muslim. Of
course, if Maajid Nawaz were an Islamic extremist then SPLC would have nothing
to say about him. But Maajid Nawaz is not an extremist -- he
is one of the most principled and courageous people around calling out the
extremists in his faith for their bigotry and hatred. He does so, like
Hirsi Ali, at no small risk to himself. If the jihadists within Islam are ever
going to be defeated, it will be because of Muslims like Nawaz, who are willing
to argue for reform on liberal, progressive, pluralistic and democratic
grounds.
Yet for the SPLC, this Muslim is not just not the
right type of Muslim -- he is "anti-Muslim." The charges that SPLC
levels against Nawaz are (this is not satire) that he has (a) co-operated with,
rather than worked against, the British police (b) suggested that customers in
banks should have to show their faces (c) once failed to abide by the most
hardline interpretation of Islamic blasphemy law (d) once visited a strip club
on his stag-night.
The Southern Poverty Law Center decided to turn itself into a racist
organization, with its attacks on principled and courageous critics of radical
Islamism such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali (left), a prominent ex-Muslim writer, and
Maajid Nawaz (right), a moderate practising Muslim writer, radio host and
politician. (Images source: Wikimedia Commons)
Who knows what lapses in personal decorum have occurred among the staff of the
SPLC? Perhaps one of them once had extra-marital intercourse? Or perhaps one of
them once consumed a glass of Merlot, in contravention of the hardest-line
interpretations of Islamic scripture? Who knows, but who the hell would anybody
else be to judge, and who the hell do the SPLC think
they are? It seems that the SPLC has decided to turn itself from an anti-racist
organisation into a racist one. An organisation that used to prosecute white
racists has ended up attacking black and Muslim immigrants. At the top of any
list of "hate-groups," the SPLC must in future be sure to place
itself.
**Douglas Murray, British author, commentator and public affairs analyst, is
based in
© 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.
Muslim Imperialism Reaches the United
Nations
Denis MacEoin/Gatestone Institute/October 29/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9173/unesco-muslim-imperialism
UNESCO has joined forces with Islamic State. The fundamentalists now have a new weapon: resolutions passed by servile international bodies.
An earlier delay and the opposition of UNESCO's chief, Irina Bokova, had raised hopes that this act of jihadist, barbaric, unjust, and, frankly, arrogant supremacism might be voted down. It was not. Now a new lie was given the sanction of the world's largest and most unaccountable body whose reason for being is to preserve significant sites, not to bowdlerize them.
Lies by UNESCO to rewrite history, erasing all traces of Judaism and Christianity to favour a jihadist Islamic fancy, were already under way in 2015. UNESCO fraudulently renamed two ancient Biblical Jewish sites, Rachel's Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs, as Islamic sites. Historically, Islam did not even exist until the seventh century.
This is the history of Islam, how it takes over -- with both hard jihad (violence) and soft jihad (usurping history, migration [hijrah], political and cultural infiltration), and intimidation (soft jihad with the threat of hard jihad underneath it). What is even more saddening is that often, as with this vote, it is done with the West's cooperation and voluntary submission.
Before the United Nations, with its authoritarian, anti-democratic voting blocs, finishes eradicating Western, Judeo-Christian civilization, as it is clearly trying to do, it is high time for Western democracies to run, not walk, away, before further harm comes to them too, as it surely promises to do.
UNESCO last August planned to vote on the historical status
of
Islam believes that it is eternal and had therefore preceded the other two great monotheisms, Judaism and Christianity, even though it was only to become visible to the world through Mohammad in the seventh century AD, but entitled to elbow out the two older religions.
Lies by UNESCO to rewrite history, erasing all traces of Judaism and Christianity to favour a jihadist Islamic fancy, were already under way in 2015. UNESCO fraudulently renamed two ancient Biblical Jewish sites, Rachel's Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs -- abracadabra -- Islamic sites.
Historically, Islam did not even exist until the seventh century.
This is the history of Islam, how it takes over -- with both hard jihad (violence) and soft jihad (usurping history, migration [hijrah], political and cultural infiltration), and intimidation (soft jihad with the threat of hard jihad underneath it). What is even more saddening is that often, as with this vote, it is done with the West's cooperation and voluntary submission.
The Tomb of the Patriarchs in
UNESCO's latest resolution to deny any Jewish link to Jerusalem's Temple Mount, the most central of all Jewish holy sites, is not the first time the body has tried to rewrite and falsify a history going back thousands of years. UNESCO had previously declared the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron (left) as the "Ibrahimi Mosque," and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem (right) as the "Bilal ibn Rabah Mosque." (Images source: Wikimedia Commons)
Now a new lie has been given the sanction of the world's largest and most unaccountable body, whose reason for being is to preserve significant sites, not to bowdlerize them.
On October 13, the news was broadcast that UNESCO had passed
a majority vote endorsing this rape of archaeological and Biblical history. On
the following Tuesday, the resolution was endorsed by the body's executive
board. If your majority, however, consists of members of the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation (the OIC, a bloc consisting of 56 Islamic states plus
"
An earlier delay and the opposition of UNESCO's chief, Irina Bokova, had raised hopes that this act of jihadist, barbaric, unjust, and, frankly, arrogant supremacism might be voted down. It was not. Following the vote, Bokova issued a powerful statement condemning it, saying, among other things:
"The heritage of
"Nowhere more than in
Now the Christian and Jewish worlds will have to deal with the resolution's ramifications, the first of which is that all democracies would be wise immediately to abandon the United Nations, or at the very least to stop funding it, before further harm comes to them too, as it surely promises to do.
The resolution was first proposed to UNESCO by seven Muslim
states (
UNESCO's parent body, the United Nations, has over many years increasingly shown itself as untransparent, unaccountable and thoroughly disreputable -- from its $100 billion, never-prosecuted, oil-for-food embezzlement scandal exposed in 2004, to "Peacekeepers" who demand sex from children in exchange for food; to its incessant, fabricated persecution of one member state, Israel, while giving unlimited passes to the most ostentatious violators of human rights in other nations.
Before the UN, with its authoritarian, anti-democratic voting blocs, finishes eradicating Western, Judeo-Christian civilization, as it is clearly trying to do, it is high time for Western democracies to run, not walk, away.
Of UNESCO's 195 member states, 35 are fully Islamic nations,
another 21 are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and four are
OIC observer states. That makes 60 who represent a bloc favourable to
Muslim-inspired resolutions, yet UNESCO's Board consists of only 58 members.
That board approved Resolution 19 with 33 votes in favour, six against and 17
abstentions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the move as another "absurd" UN resolution:
"UNESCO ignores the unique Jewish connection to the
Jewish patience in the
UNESCO's vote is just the latest example of Muslim
supremacism as expressed in the demolition, re-definition, or outright
expropriation of the places of worship, shrines, and other buildings linked to
other faiths -- invariably faiths that have long preceded Islam itself,
including Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as Judaism and Christianity. The
process began in the year 630, two years before the prophet
Muhammad's death, when his forces conquered his hometown of
Early Muslims did more than expropriate the building for their own purposes. They created a legend to justify their possession of the site.[2]
But the Qur'an and subsequent Muslim tradition are not
content to re-establish history, bringing Abraham out of the
This forms part of a broader enterprise. In Islamic doctrine, all true, monotheist religion has, from the beginning, been only Islam. Thus, Adam was the first Muslim and the first prophet. Abraham was a Muslim and a prophet. Moses was a Muslim and a prophet. Noah was a Muslim and a prophet. Jesus was a Muslim and a prophet. In the beginning, everyone was a Muslim and all land belonged to Islam. In the Qur'an, we read:
"Say, 'We believe in God, and in that which was sent down to us, and in that which was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in what Moses and Jesus were given, and in what the prophets were given form their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we submit."
That last phrase reads nahnu lahu muslimun. It can be read generically, meaning "those who submit themselves to God"; or specifically to mean "We are Muslims."
The belief that all true religions involve submission to God and that, in this sense, all true religion may be defined as "Islam" (literally "submission"), may be taken as a unifying, comprehensive declaration of a universal truth, without prejudice to anyone except "idolaters" such as Hindus and Buddhists.
But this generalization was soon forgotten when Muslims
found themselves in competition with the followers of other faiths: Jews in
Once Muslim armies went out to conquer Persia, Turkey, Greece, the Levant, all of North Africa, the Balkans, Hungary, Poland and then conquered Portugal, Andalusia in Southern Spain and other Christian territories, all sense of an identity with the People of the Book as, in a sense, fellow Muslims, went out the window, to be replaced by a sense of them as dhimmi or subjected people, the preservation of whose lives and property were contingent on the payment of a protection tax (the jizya) and on agreeing to live as humiliated denizens under special laws of subjugation in lands ruled by Islamic caliphates.
One consequence of this unequal relationship were countless rules, including special, marked clothing that predated the compulsory yellow Star of David that Jews were forced to wear during Hitler's Third Reich, and that churches and synagogues could not be founded, repaired, rebuilt or given prominence in competition with mosques; and there could be no audible summons to Jewish or Christian prayers.
More than that, the occupation and transformation of lands
of earlier religions --
There is no need here to list all the churches converted to
mosques during succeeding centuries. Most notable are the Hagia Sophia churches
of the Christian Byzantine empire in Constantinople, Eregli,
Today, the Islamic State has destroyed or converted
churches, shrines, and other monuments (including Muslim sites) in
Similar devastation took place under the various Islamic
states in
This extraordinary level of fanaticism is not unique to
Islam (one only has to think of Oliver Cromwell and his puritans in
It is a totalitarian puritanism. Today's resolution against the Jewish faith must be put in this context.
Today, the
UNESCO has put Jewish sites with Muslim names into Muslim
hands, in the heart of
It may not be long before Christian holy places and churches in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth will also be handed over on a plate to placate the forces of Islam, fearful of what they may do not just in the Middle East, but in Europe, North America and Europe, happy to have someone finally try to eliminate those supposedly pesky Jews. All Judeo-Christian countries would be wise to pull out of the UN, or at least cease funding it -- before it is too late for them, too.
*Denis MacEoin is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. He has just completed work on a large study of Western concerns about Islam.
[1] See William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad at
[2] There is more than one version of this tale, but it is broadly this: the Ka'aba was first built by the Prophet Adam with the help of angels, then destroyed in Noah's flood, and finally rebuilt by the Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael. The Qur'an itself advances the story about Abraham's role:
"And [remember] when We made the House [that is, the Ka'aba] a place of visitation [a pilgrimage site] for mankind, and a sanctuary, 'Take the place of Abraham as a place of prayer.' And we made a covenant with Abraham and Ishmael, 'Purify My House for those who circumambulate, those who live there in retreat, and those who bow and prostrate." .... And [remember] when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, 'Our Lord, accept it from us. Truly, You are the Hearing and the Knowing.'" [Qur'an 2: 125, 127]
[3] The former Portuguese cathedral of Tangier, now the
city's Great Mosque; the Christian basilica of St. John the Baptist, captured
in 634 and turned into the Great Umayyad Mosque, one of the oldest, and
considered the fourth holiest site in Islam; the small Catholic Basilica of
Saint Vincent of Lérins, after the Umayyad conquest demolished to make way for
the Great Mosque of Córdoba (restored as a cathedral after the Renconquista in
1236). Under the Ottomans, churches in
[4] The vast Jannat al-Baqi cemetery, which holds so many
remains of Muhammad's family, close companions and the earliest Muslim saints,
has been levelled, and all domes and mausoleums turned to dust. That act
followed earlier levellings by Wahhabis in 1906 and the ultra-Wahhabi Ikhwan in
1925. Those included the graves of the martyrs of the Battle of Uhud and that
of Hamza, the prophet's uncle and most beloved supporter. So
too the Mosque of Fatima (Muhammad's daughter), the Mosque of the Manaratayn
(the twin minarets), and the cupola that marked the burial place of the
prophet's incisor tooth.
© 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.
What’s next for the
refugees of
Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/October 28/16
It has been a tumultuous week for the people of “the jungle”
that is the in-situ refugee camp in
In terms of offering background on the province, what lies ahead, what situation they will be in, whether they will continue to live in tents or if adequate housing, healthcare and education has been set up with them, they were not offered any information.
The phrase “beggars cannot be choosers” comes to mind, but
these people are not beggars, they are not asking for money, they are asking
for an opportunity to live respectfully after their houses, families and lives
were burnt down in their home countries. The refugees come from countries that
have suffered for decades, and in the past the French forces have participated
in “bringing freedom” to their home countries, including
Most reports indicate that the refugees will be moved to
reception centers where their cases will be processed in approximately four
months. What happens next is dependent on the outcome of their case
investigations. The reality is that the amount of time it takes to respond to a
humanitarian crisis depends on the amount of political power that is at stake –
in this case, the French presidential election is coming up in 2017. The timing
of the destruction of the so-called Jungle refugee camp in
When ‘genocide’ unfolds
in the backyard of a Nobel laureate
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/October 28/16
Over the years, some Nobel Peace Prize awards have raised
eyebrows. Most famously, the one awarded to Barack Obama in 2009 for nothing
more than suggesting that we all get along and try to fix the
But when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Aung San Suu
Kyi in 1991, nobody would have expected that we would come to question that
decision. Here was an outstanding campaigner for democracy and freedom for her
people in
Yet Ms Suu Kyi has become the first person to hold the dubious distinction of having a group of other Nobel Peace Prize laureates accuse her of presiding over a genocide. Desmond Tutu from South Africa, Mairead Maguire from Northern Ireland, Jody Williams from the USA, Tawakkol Karman from Yeman, Shirin Ebadi from Iran, Leymah Gbowee from Liberia, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel from Argentina and Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan have all expressed immense concern over the fate of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, as well as Economics Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and many other distinguished leading global moral voices. There is even a petition on change.org signed by 81,000+ individuals urging the Nobel Committee to withdraw her prize.
At every opportunity afforded to her so far, Ms Suu Kyi has failed to stand up for the Rohingya
What is maddening about the situation is that Ms Suu Kyi has already been in power for over one year after becoming leader of Myanmar in their first reasonably democratic elections in half a century, she has overwhelming popular support, and could carry just about any policy into effect she would desire, yet the situation of the Rohingya in this past year has gotten worse, not better.
Marginalized Rohingya
Marginalised for decades, refused citizenship in the country of their birth by law in contravention of the UN Charter since 1982 and the target of regular communal violence, as well as systematic state violence, over half of the 1.5-2 million Rohingya have been displaced from the country of their birth in the past four decades, while more than 140,000 languish in internal displaced persons’ camps, where they are denied healthcare and education, and from where the authorities discourage them from leaving “for their own protection.”
These conditions have triggered successive waves of
emigration which have seriously strained the resources of neighbouring
countries and have attracted their ire toward
But their faith seems to have been misplaced. At every opportunity afforded to her so far, Ms Suu Kyi has failed to stand up for the Rohingya and tackle those in her country who would ethnically cleanse these people. Indeed, she has chosen to perpetuate the myth that the Rohingya are a people who do not belong in Myanmar, has refused to even acknowledge their existence as an indigenous ethnic group, instead referring to them as “Bengalis” just as the most extreme nationalists do and is conspicuously failing intervene as parts of the police force and military in the local state of Rakhine have killed over 30 and displaced more than 15,000 in a fresh wave of violence in the past month.
For the past year, we have given Ms Suu Kyi the benefit of
doubt, just like we gave her the benefit of the doubt before her election. We
liked to hope that she knew what she was doing and that she was slowly but
surely going to change the perception of the Rohingya in
Obama’s inheritance in
the Middle East
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/October 28/16
It is an old and well-established cyclical
The new president will inherit from President Obama a not so
brave world where an assertive
Inheriting the wind
Judging by the plethora of published and soon to be
published reports, and on conferences designed to provide a road map out of the
Middle East wilderness for the new president, there is almost a consensus that
Obama’s timid leadership style should be avoided and replaced with a more
assertive approach, particularly in the Middle East to deter Russia and Iran.
Even those who support the nuclear deal with
Last week, the liberal Center for American Progress (CAP),
which usually supports President Obama’s policies, issued a lengthy report
titled “Leveraging US Power in the Middle East; Advocating Strengthening
Regional Partnerships and in A Departure From Obama’s Policy” calling for
targeted limited military action to stop the military depredations of the Assad
regime and Russia against Syrian civilians. “The next administration should be
prepared to use
The new American president will inherit a crumbling region, half of it in a state of conflagration and the other half struggling to protect itself from flames
Beyond addressing the immediate challenges of
These reports are written mostly by scholars and former
officials who served in former President Bill Clinton’s administration and some
of their recommendations on
Not surprisingly,
The elusive deliverance
These reports and recommendations were written in
anticipation of a Hillary Clinton administration. Less than ten days before the
elections,
Then, there is the old nagging question about
The new American president will inherit a crumbling region, half of it in a state of conflagration and the other half struggling to protect itself from the flames. One is at a loss to sort out the numerous combatants let alone know clearly what they want ultimately from what seems to be generational struggles where only time and total exhaustion could deliver the region from its collective death wish.
A complicated and
ignorant man
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/October 28/16
It seems that the few days before the election of a
According to recent opinion polls,
Truth be told, Trump’s primary rival has been himself. He’s been the major enemy of his own campaign. Trump’s ignorance has not been simple and has been complicated. A simple ignorant man is he who acknowledges his ignorance while the complicated ignorant man is one who is not aware of his ignorance.
**This article was first published in Okaz on Oct. 29, 2016.