LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 04/15
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins05/english.july04.15.htm
Bible Quotation For Today/An evil and
adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except
the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Matthew 12,38-45/"Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we
wish to see a sign from you.’But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous
generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of
the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the
belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will
be in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the
judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the
proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! The queen
of the South will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it,
because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon,
and see, something greater than Solomon is here! ‘When the unclean spirit has
gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a
resting-place, but it finds none. Then it says, "I will return to my house from
which I came." When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then
it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they
enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first.
So will it be also with this evil generation.’".
God put forward Jesus as a sacrifice
of atonement by his blood,
Letter to the Romans 03/19-27/""Now we know that whatever the law says, it
speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and
the whole world may be held accountable to God. For ‘no human being will be
justified in his sight’ by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law
comes the knowledge of sin. But now, irrespective of law, the righteousness of
God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For
there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his
blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because
in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it
was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he
justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of boasting? It is
excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith."
LCCC
Latest analysis, editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 03-04/15
Corrupted Lebanese Politicians & Clergymen/Elias Bejjani/ June
032/15
Who Is Damaging Relations Between Arabs and Jews/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone
Institute/July 3, 2015
Who is behind the attacks in Egypt?/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/July 3,
2015
Egypt has a clear choice to make after a miserable week/Abdallah Schleifer/Al
Arabiya/July 3, 2015
Will Turkey really invade northern Syria?/Mahir Zeynalov/Al Arabiya/July 3, 2015
The Middle East Studies Mess: Causes and Consequences/Michael
Rubin/Australia/Israel Review/July 3, 2015
LCCC Bulletin itles for the
Lebanese Related News published on July 03-04/15
Salam to Aoun: Don't challenge me
Salam sets new Cabinet meet despite conflict
Aoun Warns of 'Explosion' over Govt. Conduct, Slams 'Coup against
Constitution'
Aoun in Confrontation with Cabinet: Either Consensus or Explosion
Report: Police Looking for Mercedes Used by Suspected Terrorists
Policeman Dead, 2 People Hurt in Bebnin Shooting
Hezbollah deputy chief warns against Cabinet paralysis
Army curbs smuggling of militants into Arsal
Kanaan: FPM exploring ‘all options’ to respond to Cabinet
Hezbollah, Syrian army bombard Zabadani
Vengeful father kills son's murder suspect in south Lebanon
IMF calls for taxes on fuel, EDL restructuring
Fiber-optic Internet to be rolled out by 2020
Spending the summer in Lebanon
New York-based Lebanese restaurant wins 5-star diamond award
Is it time for national dialogue in Lebanon?/Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya
LCCC Bulletin Miscellaneous Reports And
News published on
July 03-04/15
Bomb goes off inside mosque in Damascus suburb, kills cleric
Syrian army bombards rebels in Aleppo: activists
UN calls on Israel, Palestinians to prosecute Gaza war crimes
In under two days, Boko Haram kills nearly 170 in NE Nigeria
With army ranks depleted, Syria urges people to enlist
Official: Drone kills 4 Qaida Suspects in Yemen
Iran Nuclear Talks Soldier on, no Breakthrough in Bomb Probe
Greece Declared in Default ahead of Knife-Edge Referendum
Jehad Watch Latest links for Reports And News
Egypt: Christian testimony against Muslims rejected in courts
Both the Islamic State and Iraqi authorities abuse Christians
Turn France’s Christian churches into mosques, says Muslim leader
Christian slave freed from Muslim master in Pakistan
Pakistan: Muslims torture two Christian women accused of blasphemy, beat them
and paint their faces black
Indonesia: Muslims expel thousands of Christians from a Christian scout camp
because it is Ramadan
Strict Muslim” indicted on terrorism charges in murder of New Jersey college
student
EU’s foreign affairs and security chief: “Islam is a victim…Political Islam
should be part of the picture” in Europe
Video: Robert Spencer on the Steve Malzberg Show, discussing the Islamic State
Libya declared a “Muslim State” with Sharia as source of legislation
Obama Administration blocks attempts to fly heavy weapons to Kurds to fight the
Islamic State
Corrupted Lebanese Politicians &
Clergymen
Elias Bejjani/ June 032/15
There is no doubt that the critical and very dangerous evolving events that are
hitting Lebanon and the Lebanese people are unveiling the rotten and venomous
nature of the Lebanese politicians and the high ranking clergymen.
Sadly these civil, political and spiritual leaders are corrupted, evil and mere
"temple merchants" without any trace of self respect, honesty, transparency or
conscience.
Their fierce hunger for power and earthly riches made them like wild beasts that
are mercilessly and instinctively devouring the country and its oppressed and
impoverished people.
Their priorities have nothing to do with the welfare of the Lebanese people or
with the sovereignty, independence and freedom of the country, but completely
focusing and revolving on and around their personal agendas of wars, strives,
thievery, bribery, money trafficking, vindictiveness, hatred and all kinds of
comprises.
Accordingly Lebanon is not going to be a free, safe and prosperous country or be
able to reclaim its confiscated independence before the Lebanese people revolt
and change these evil leaders.
As the saying goes, "one can not give what he does not have or own", and
accordingly these inhuman and corrupted leaders can not solve our country's
crucial and devastating problems, and definitely they are unable and at the same
time unwilling to be the savers, because they themselves are the problem and the
enemy.
Unfortunately the worst and most destructive of all the Lebanese spiritual,
political and civil leaders are the Maronite ones who do not fear Almighty God
or His Last Day of Accountability and who because of lack of both faith and hope
became fully blind, deaf, demagogue, selfish and conscienceless.
In conclusion, our Lebanese people are in a bad need for a new leadership.
May Almighty God protect and safeguard our beloved Lebanon.
Salam to Aoun: Don't challenge me
The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam has criticized
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun after he threatened to “take action”
after the Cabinet passed a decree Thursday despite opposition from six
ministers. “No one can impose his position or his opinion on others,” Salam said
in remarks published Friday in local newspaper Al-Liwaa. He said a majority vote
cannot be annulled. Eighteen ministers out of the 24-member Cabinet voted in
favor of allocating $21 million to help export agricultural and industrial
products by sea. Lebanon's agricultural and industrial sectors have been thrown
into a crisis after Jordan's Nasib border crossing with Syria was closed, making
it impossible for Lebanese products to be transported to the Gulf by land.
Ministers from Hezbollah, the FPM, and Tashnag voted against the proposal. The
move has provoked Aoun, who said sidelining the opinion of his party would lead
him to taking escalatory measures. Salam said the decision to support
agricultural exports is “national and vital.”He said the decision “concerns all
citizens of all areas and all sects, and is a necessity to maintain Lebanese
products in Arab countries.” “I’m exercising my constitutional powers, and I’m
not challenging anyone ... and I won’t allow anyone to challenge me or challenge
the Cabinet.”
Salam sets new Cabinet meet despite conflict
The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam Friday
scheduled a Cabinet meeting for next week despite the conflict that arose with
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun after the government passed a decree
before discussing the appointment of new security officials. Divisions emerged
when Cabinet convened its first session in nearly a month Thursday, with Aoun
threatening to take action after the government passed a proposal to allot $21
million to help export agricultural and industrial products by sea. The Cabinet
session was marred by heated arguments between ministers, as those of the Free
Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah and the Tashnag Party argued that no agenda items
should be discussed until security appointments were made.
Other ministers maintained that no one had the right to dictate the session’s
agenda. Salam had issued a stern warning to Aoun in remarks published in Al-Liwaa
Friday against challenging the Cabinet. In remarks to As-Safir published Friday,
Aoun accused the Cabinet of violating the Constitution, but said his ministers
would not pull out of government.
Aoun Warns of 'Explosion' over Govt. Conduct, Slams 'Coup
against Constitution'
Naharnet/July 03/15/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun warned
Thursday that the country will head towards an “explosion” if the government
continues what he described as its “coup against the Constitution.” “It's about
time we frankly told people about what's really happening in Lebanon. The
behavior of some ministers and MPs is subjecting the country to dangers,” said
Aoun at a press conference he held after an extraordinary meeting for his Change
and Reform bloc. “They have staged a coup against the Constitution and ridiculed
the people through extending the parliament's term,” he added. Aoun held his
press conference only hours after the cabinet held a stormy session that
witnessed arguments among ministers on several controversial issues. The cabinet
sessions had been suspended for more than three weeks over a dispute over the
appointment of top security and military chiefs. The FPM leader has been
lobbying for political consensus on the appointment of Commando Regiment chief
Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz, his son-in-law, as army chief as part of a package for
the appointment of other top security officers. “One violation after another
were committed when we reached the juncture of the armed forces appointments.
The government argued that it is 'resigned' to refrain from making the
appointments and this is an illegal excuse,” Aoun noted on Thursday. He said the
“bad intentions” were revealed through “their attempt to attract the army
commander to their side in a coup against legitimacy.”“The issue was not limited
to the army, as the interior ministry also extended the term of the Internal
Security Forces chief,” he lamented. The extended term of Army Commander General
Jean Qahwaji expires at the end of September. Aoun has warned against another
extension of the military chief's tenure. “The Change and Reform bloc is the
biggest Christian bloc in parliament and our keenness on the country does not
allow us to stand idly by,” said Aoun. “They are pushing us towards an explosion
and let everyone understand that we do not fear that,” he cautioned. Aoun went
on to accuse certain political parties of “encroaching on” the rights of
Christians. “Would a prime minister be named without Sunni consent? Would a
parliament speaker be elected without Shiite consent?” he asked. Aoun also
underlined that “the entire cabinet should assume the powers of the president,
not a single minister.”“The government disregarded the president's powers and
failed to respect the law and the Constitution. It has toppled the National Pact
and started acting as a 'coup government' or a central party committee,” Aoun
decried. He pointed out that the government's behavior indicates that it is “not
aware of the threats” that the country is facing. “That was evidently manifested
in its failure to curb the Syrian refugee influx or stop the infiltration of
terrorists from (Syria's) Qalamoun into (the northeastern border town of) Arsal,”
Aoun added. “We are still waiting for the government to implement its decision
on the army's liberation of the town,” he said.
Aoun in Confrontation with Cabinet: Either Consensus or Explosion
Naharnet/July 03/15/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun has warned
that the rival parties should either resort to “consensus” or the country's
political crisis would “explode.”“I clearly say today either consensus or
explosion. We are targeted,” Aoun told As Safir newspaper in an interview
published on Friday. He said that since his return to Lebanon from exile in
Paris ten years ago, some parties are working to eliminate him and trying to put
obstacles to the participation of Christians in political decision-making. Aoun
told As Safir that despite his bloc's victory in the parliamentary elections of
2005 and 2009, he hasn't been able to appoint a single judge or officer in the
Internal Security Forces. “I will confront the cabinet … I am fighting to
consolidate reform and rights. That's why everyone is mobilizing against me,” he
said. “They might want us to dive in the game of robbing (the Christians')
rights. Had I done that, I would have become their leader,” Aoun said about his
rivals. “The confrontation will be against blocs that were formed against us
because we can no longer continue in this masquerade,” the Change and Reform
bloc leader added. Aoun announced his backing for the creation of a federal
system in Lebanon despite the objection of his rivals. “If married couples
disagree, they resort to divorce. We don't want divorce but we propose
federalism that is based on a centralized government.”Asked about his ties with
al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, Aoun said: “Hariri might be
honest but he is incapable of doing what he wants.”The lawmaker reiterated that
during their last meeting at the Center House in February, he discussed with
Hariri the appointments of high-ranking security and military officials. FPM
ministers backed by their allies Hizbullah and the Tashnag Party have been
demanding the discussion of the appointments by the cabinet before any other
issue. Aoun wants his son-in-law Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel
Roukoz to be appointed army chief. Roukoz's tenure ends in October 2015 while
the term of army commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji expires at the end of September.
Aoun denied that he had a personal problem with Qahwaji but that he had
objections to his performance. Although the government has so far failed to
discuss the appointments, Aoun said the FPM ministers will not resign from the
cabinet. “They will participate through popular means,” he told As Safir,
without giving details about his plan to object the government's actions.
Report: Police Looking for Mercedes Used by Suspected
Terrorists
Naharnet/July 03/15/Security forces are searching for suspected terrorists using
a Mercedes in the northern Akkar district, a report said Friday. Voice of
Lebanon radio (93.3) quoted security sources as saying that police are looking
for the suspects who are using the white convertible Mercedes CLK. The vehicle
does not have license plates, they said. Officials have ordered security
agencies to closely monitor such cars in the area and take the necessary
measures, the sources added.
Policeman Dead, 2 People Hurt in Bebnin Shooting
Naharnet/July 03/15/A policeman was killed and two people were injured as a
family dispute erupted into gunfire in the Akkar town of Bebnin, the National
News Agency reported Thursday. “An unidentified gunman opened fire during a
dispute among members of the Khuwailed family in the town of Bebnin,” NNA said.
Internal Security Forces member A. Kh. died in hospital of wounds sustained
during the shooting, the agency added. The incident left two other people
wounded, one critically, as a probe got underway to identify and arrest the
shooter, NNA said.
Hezbollah deputy chief warns against Cabinet paralysis
The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/BEIRUT: The Cabinet must "assume its
responsibilities" and prevent a stalemate from disrupting its work, Hezbollah
deputy chief Naim Qassem said Friday, indirectly calling on the government to
listen to the Free Patriotic Movement's demands on security
appointments.“Hezbollah is keen on the continued [work] of the Lebanese
Cabinet,” Qassem said in a statement released by Hezbollah's media office. “But
[the Cabinet] has to assume it responsibilities, and this is what we will work
on.”In return, the party calls on political forces not to disrupt institutions
in a manner that would lead to paralysis, he said. “Disruption interrupts the
interests of the people, poses a threat to the structure of the state and its
ability to maintain stability,” he noted. Divisions emerged when Cabinet
convened its first session in nearly a month Thursday, with FPM chief Michel
Aoun threatened to take action after the government passed a decree despite
opposition by six ministers. The FPM’s two ministers in Cabinet have insisted
that they would not allow the body to pass any decree before it addresses
appointments of new security chiefs. The two ministers are backed by their
allies in Hezbollah, the Marada Movement and the Tashnag Party. The four parties
have six ministers in the 24-member Cabinet.
Army curbs smuggling of militants into Arsal
Samya Kullab/The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/BEIRUT: They knew he came from a
family of modest means, so when Abdul-Rahman Ghadedi began boastfully driving
shiny new cars and motorcycles, neighbors in Arsal were quick to ask about the
source of his newfound wealth. They had surmised, and eventually so would the
Lebanese Army, that Ghadedi, called “Abdo” by those who knew him, was working as
a smuggler for militants based in Arsal’s outskirts. He was arrested last month,
caught in the act of smuggling three suspected Syrian militants into the town
according to an Army statement. “The kinds of people who get involved with this
sort of thing always have similar characteristics,” said Suham Ezzedine, a
school teacher who lives in the house opposite to Ghadedi’s family home. “They
change, and we notice.” Ghadedi’s arrest came in line with an Army crackdown on
individuals suspected of having links with militant groups. Dozens have been
arrested in recent months and charged with belonging to ISIS or Nusra Front and
orchestrating attacks in the country.
Weeks after Ghadedi’s arrest, another Arsal resident, Tarek Mohammad Hujeiri was
caught trying to sneak Ahmad Khaled Baraqi, another suspected Syrian militant,
into Arsal. But before his alleged dealings were exposed by the authorities,
Ghadedi raised eyebrows with expensive purchases and a sudden affinity for
Syrian refugees that neighbors thought odd considering his former apathy toward
their plight.
“Most arrests [of smugglers] happen at the checkpoints,” a senior Army source
said. “They could be wanted [by the authorities], lacking papers or
militants.”Since ISIS and Nusra Front briefly overran Arsal last August, the
Army has bolstered its presence in the town’s periphery in an attempt to cut off
militant supply lines. At the moment Arsalis working on the outskirts can only
exit and enter the town from the Wadi Hmaid checkpoint. The source said that
militants reason that, rather than risk death by covertly crossing into Lebanon
through other means, it would be preferable to pay an Arsali to sneak them into
the town and risk arrest. Often they are provided with fake travel documents,
and on rare occasions hidden between vegetable crates and water tanks. The
soldiers manning the Wadi Hmaid checkpoint have been trained to determine the
authenticity of travel documents, the source added. “Or it might be that we have
information on the guy,” which was the case for Ghadedi’s arrest. Ghadedi,
believed to be in his mid-20s, was dismissed as a “thug” by a neighbor, who
requested anonymity. “He didn’t have a job, and then out of nowhere he started
driving a nice car,” he said.“He drove a pickup, he would change it every once
in a while,” said Ezzedine, who knew of “Abdo’s” penchant for changing vehicles
because he often parked them in front of her driveway, preventing her from
entering her own home. “He always parked in the middle of the road,” she
recalled. There were always motorcycles parked outside the house, she added. “I
just assumed they were a gang.” The men were known to blast the ISIS anthem from
their vehicles.
Ezzedine said she wasn’t surprised that cross-border smuggling of Syrians
continues in Arsal, recounting a time when she asked a Syrian student how he
managed to make the trip to school every day from Flita during the latest
Qalamoun battles. “Someone smuggled me in and said I was his kid,” Ezzedine said
the child told her.Neighbors were also aware of Ghadedi’s family problems. His
parents divorced when he was young, and Ghadedi’s mother married another man and
cut ties with the family entirely. Eventually his father remarried and Ghadedi
grew close to his stepbrother Hussein, who in time would become his principle
link to the militants in Arsal’s outskirts. Hussein’s maternal relative is Omar
Atrash, a Sunni sheikh charged last year for involvement in two separate
bombings in the southern suburbs of Beirut. He was initially suspected by the
authorities of harboring links with ISIS militants in Arsal. Ezzedine said it
was Hussein who began growing a beard and espousing extremist ideology. Ghadedi
seemed less inclined to preach. While his stepbrother began wearing more
traditional garb – locals referred to this as “Pakistani dress” – Ghadedi wore
jeans and T-shirts. “Abdo [Ghadedi] is the kind of guy who just wants to make
money,” Ezzedine said. “It might have been the case that he had no idea who he
was bringing with him.” When Hussein was stopped at an Army checkpoint and
interrogated in June, he also named Ghadedi as an accomplice. When Ghadedi’s
pickup approached the checkpoint the fateful day of his arrest, the Army was
already waiting for him.
Kanaan: FPM exploring ‘all options’ to respond to Cabinet
The Daily Star/ July. 03, 2015/BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement MP Ibrahim Kanaan
Friday said his party was exploring “all options” to respond to the Cabinet
after it sidelined their ministers and passed a decree during a session one day
earlier.
“All options are open to us if they (the FPM's political rivals) choose
confrontation like yesterday,” Kanaan told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.
“We will struggle from within the government,” he said, adding that a “popular
struggle” was also a possibility on the table. “This is a matter of principle, a
matter of presence,” Kanaan argued. “There should be respect for the
Constitution, the law and national partnership.”Kanaan also defended FPM leader
Michel Aoun against accusations of defying the Cabinet, saying all the party is
asking for is “national partnership.”“The word ‘defy’ is inaccurate,” Kanaan
said in response to remarks by Prime Minister Tammam Salam. “We are the ones who
have been challenged because we are demanding national partnership.” Salam has
criticized Aoun who threatened Thursday to take "explosive" action after Cabinet
passed a decree without the approval of the FPM ministers. “No one can impose
his position or his opinion on others,” Salam warned in remarks published Friday
by local newspaper Al-Liwaa. He said a majority vote cannot be annulled.
Eighteen ministers out of the 24-member Cabinet voted in favor of allocating $21
million to help export agricultural and industrial products by sea. Lebanon's
agricultural and industrial sectors have been severely impacted after Jordan's
Nasib border crossing with Syria was closed, making it impossible for Lebanese
products to be transported to the Gulf by land.
Hezbollah, Syrian army bombard Zabadani
The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/BEIRUT: Hezbollah and the Syrian army Friday struck
at militant positions inside the Syrian town of Zabadani at the southern end of
Qalamoun, a security source told The Daily Star. The town was bombarded with
heavy artillery and rockets, and a Syrian fighter jet carried out two airstrikes
on central Zabadani. Warplanes also dropped barrels rigged with explosives over
the area, according to the source. The Syrian army, backed by Hezbollah, also
pounded militant positions in the village of Bloudan, which overlooks Zabadani,
after warning the residents to evacuate it, the source said. A separate security
source told The Daily Star that Syrian helicopters dropped leaflets over
Zabadani with maps that outlined escape routes for rebels who wanted to flee the
town.
Other leaflets cautioned residents against approaching militant positions and
urged them to stay clear of their supply routes. On Thursday, Hezbollah engaged
in fierce clashes with Syrian rebels in Zabadani in a fresh push to seize the
last militant stronghold along Lebanon’s eastern border. Hezbollah had prepared
to wage an all-out offensive on Zabadani by sending large quantities of weapons
and ammunition into Lebanon’s eastern mountain range earlier this week. The
decision to launch an offensive came after negotiations with rebels failed to
secure the militants’ withdrawal from the area, which is located 50 kilometers
northwest of Damascus and 12 kilometers northeast of Lebanon's Masnaa border
crossing. Zabadani bears strategic significance for Hezbollah since it once
served as a logistical hub for supplying Hezbollah with Iranian weapons. It also
served as a base for party fighters and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The
capture of the town of Zabadani would add to Hezbollah’s major field victories,
which saw the party taking 64 percent of the Qalamoun hills since their
offensive, backed by the Syrian army, began in the region last May.
Vengeful father kills son's murder suspect in south Lebanon
The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/SIDON, Lebanon: A vengeful father Thursday shot
dead a man he accused of murdering his son two years earlier in south Lebanon, a
security source told The Daily Star. Ayad Hussein Fares, 30, was shot dead at a
roundabout in the southern coastal town of Tyre by Mohammad Ali Bdah, 66. The
source told The Daily Star that the killing was motivated by Bdah’s conviction
that Fares was responsible for the 2013 murder of his son. The source said that
Fares is a member of Hezbollah while the Bdah family affiliated with the Amal
Movement. Security forces have launched an investigation into the incident. It
was not immediately known if Bdah was in custody or on the run.
IMF calls for taxes on fuel, EDL restructuring
The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/BEIRUT: The International Monetary Fund recommended
new taxes and an overhauling of the state-owned electricity sector to reduce the
growing public debt and increase badly needed revenues.
In its annual executive summary, the IMF team that recently visited Lebanon to
assess the fiscal performance of the state reiterated that the authorities
should find new alternatives to increase revenues and reduce spending. The IMF
directors stressed that a sustained fiscal adjustment is essential and welcomed
the primary surplus in 2014, but noted that it mostly reflected one-off factors.
They cautioned that without further adjustment the public debt ratio would
continue to rise and add to existing vulnerabilities, crowding out essential
public investment and social spending. As a first step, directors encouraged the
authorities to pass an appropriately ambitious budget for 2015. They also
stressed the urgent need to reform the electricity sector to remove the large
drain on public finances. “On the fiscal side, exceptional factors allowed for a
primary surplus in 2014, but without decisive action fiscal deterioration will
continue in 2015. The 2014 primary surplus of about 2.5 percent of GDP largely
resulted from exceptional telecom transfers and, to some extent, from withheld
and delayed payments,” the IMF explained. The IMF warned, however, that the
primary balance is expected to return to a deficit of almost 1.25 percent of GDP
in 2015, with public debt remaining high at 132 percent of GDP.
“Foreign-exchange and financial markets continue to be resilient, despite
Lebanon’s sizable external financial requirements. Inflows remain large,
particularly from non-resident deposits; and in the context of Lebanon’s
currency peg to the U.S. dollar, the Banque du Liban has maintained an adequate
level of gross foreign-exchange reserves,” the report said. The directors agreed
that monetary policy should remain geared to supporting the U.S. dollar peg,
which has served Lebanon well. They underscored that fiscal adjustment would
help reduce the financial and institutional burden on the Central Bank related
to quasi-fiscal activities. The IMF praised the positive role played by
Lebanon’s banking system in securing sustained, broad-based economic growth. It
commended the authorities’ close oversight of the financial system, and stressed
the need for continued vigilance and efforts to strengthen the regulatory
framework. The directors also highlighted the importance of increasing capital
buffers, improving loan classification and restructuring rules, and further
enhancing the framework to counter money laundering and terrorism financing.
Directors welcomed the authorities’ recent request for an update assessment
under the Financial Sector Assessment Program.
The IMF pointed to significant scope to increase revenue equitably, including by
improving compliance and broadening the tax base, starting with fuel taxation.
“Further, directors observed that changing the spending mix toward capital and
social spending would help mitigate the procyclical impact of fiscal adjustment.
They also considered that strengthening the safety nets and reforming the
pension system could improve equity and fiscal sustainability,” the report said.
The IMF renewed warnings that the presence of a large number of Syrian refugees
is straining the Lebanese economy and adding more financial burdens on the
state. “The refugee crisis is straining local communities, adding to poverty and
unemployment, and placing further pressure on the economy’s already-weak public
finances and infrastructure. Moreover, Lebanon faces a difficult domestic
political situation. The presidency has been vacant since May 2014 and a lack of
consensus between the major parties is hindering [the] passage of key
legislation,” the report said.
It added that in light of this reality, growth remained subdued. “Following a
sharp drop in 2011, growth has crawled upward to about 2–3 percent but remains
well short of potential. IMF staff estimate that GDP increased by only 2 percent
in 2014 and project a similarly modest growth rate in 2015,” the report said.
Fiber-optic Internet to be rolled out by 2020
Dana Halawi/The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/BEIRUT: Telecommunications Minister
Boutros Harb unveiled Wednesday a five-year plan to revamp Lebanon’s telecoms
infrastructure, assuring that Internet users across the country would enjoy
fiber-optic connectivity by the year 2020. “Fiber optic networks will be
installed in Lebanon progressively over five years and the country will be
totally connected through this technology by the year 2020,” Harb said during a
ceremony held at the Grand Serail and attended by Prime Minister Tammam Salam,
ministers, ambassadors, and representatives of the private sector and the media.
Harb said the ministry would also roll out 4G services to cover the whole
country in two years, in preparation for the launching of the 5G connection by
the year 2020.
The minister said that only 16 percent of Lebanon is currently covered by a 4G
connection, while most of the country is still working on 2G and 3G. “We have
been receiving a lot of complaints regarding the malfunction of the Internet
connectivity. This is why we need to work hard on developing this project,” he
said. Salam emphasized the importance of the project, stressing that it would
attract foreign investments into Lebanon. Harb said that the cost of
implementing this new five-year plan is not too high compared to the losses
incurred by Lebanon in the absence of such an important technology. “The project
will cost over $600 million but it will be fully covered by the budget of the
Telecommunications Ministry,” he said. “This project will attract foreign
investments to Lebanon while providing new job opportunities,” Harb said. “This
is why we are urging CSOs [civil society organizations], local institutions,
municipalities and the media to play a role in spreading this culture and
informing people about the benefits of such a plan.”He said that the
telecommunications sector should contribute to economic development, in addition
to curbing unemployment and improving productivity.
Harb slashed the prices of communication and Internet services within weeks of
replacing former Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui, reducing tariffs
on local and international calls and cellular fees. The new changes resulted in
an increase in the number of landline subscribers by 120,000 over a year and a
half, while the number of digital line (DSL) subscribers went up by 100,000 for
the same period of time, according to Harb. “These changes have led to an
increase in Internet penetration from 70 percent in 2013 to 86 percent in 2015,”
he said. “This shows how badly the Lebanese market needs advanced technologies.”
Harb said that he has also allocated money for the upgrade of the DSL network in
Lebanon by introducing the VDSL2 technology at around 36 centers in Beirut and
other Lebanese territories, increasing the Internet speed to between 30 Mbps and
50 Mbps. “Ogero will soon launch an advertising campaign to inform citizens
about this service,” he said. Harb explained that this upgrade to the DSL
network is only a preparation for the adoption of fiber optic in the next phase.
Among the major changes implemented by Harb in the past few months is the
creation of technical workshops for connecting fiber optics to more than 40 new
centers in rural areas. A fiber-optic network already exists in Lebanon but for
the time being it only connects centers together.
“The ministry has, in the past three years, installed fiber optics, connecting
centers together all over Lebanon. But this is not enough, as there is no
connection to people’s households, schools, universities and offices,” explained
Naji Andraos, director of equipment and construction at the Telecommunications
Ministry, in a speech delivered during the ceremony. “Fiber to the home” (FTTH)
is the delivery of a communications signal over fiber-optics cables from the
operator’s switching equipment all the way to a home or business, thereby
replacing existing copper infrastructure such as telephone wires and coaxial
cables. FTTH is a relatively new and a fast-growing method of providing much
higher bandwidth to consumers and businesses, thereby enabling more robust
video, Internet and audio services. Fiber-optic Internet can go up to 100 Mbps,
compared to copper, which is 8 Mbps at best. “What is needed today is way more
advanced than the copper used to provide DSL services,” Harb said. He explained
that the fiber-optic project includes the creation of a fiber-optic network that
connects directly to organizations, covering around 15,000 commercial, banking,
financial and economic institutions for the time being. Another fiber-optic
network will directly connect to households and offices.
Harb said that he has already launched three pilot projects in a bid to evaluate
the quality of fiber optics. “One of the projects is located in Ras Masqa in
Koura, where fiber optics were connected and it succeeded in providing a
connection of over 100 Mbps to people there,” he said. His remarks were echoed
by the head of state-owned telecoms operator Ogero, Abdel Moneim Youssef, who
said that the Ras Masqa project is considered to be a successful example. He
added that another pilot project was successfully implemented in the Beirut 2020
building. Youssef said that Lebanon has used 15 million GB in 2007 compared to
45 million GB in 2010, 155 million GB and 310 million GB in 2014. “We still have
hopes to seize the opportunity in five years to promote and enhance our
connectivity as fast as possible in order not to be taken back by the great wave
of data,” he said. “Our aim with this new plan is to transform all Internet
circulation pathways from Internet entry points to the final users today,” he
added.
Spending the summer in Lebanon
The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/EIRUT: Despite the regions insecurities, Lebanon is
still expecting tourism this summer, and for those visiting and locals alike
there are plenty of options to visit beyond the obvious tourist attractions. The
Daily Star has put together a list of five places and events to check out in
Lebanon this summer. It began a few years ago with Souk El Tayeb, the regular
open-air farmers’ market found every Saturday at the Beirut Souks. Now it seems
that street festivals and markets are becoming the go-to in the capital. There
was Souk al-Yasmeen, the flower market in Downtown back in March. Mar Mikhael
was shut down for a day to commemorate the centennial of the Armenian genocide,
with live music, food and artisan stalls back in April. May saw the launch of
the one-off Saifi Market, with music, food and street performers drawing in
crowds to the area – not to mention various other car-free ventures in Hamra,
Ashrafieh and Badaro.
But while most of these were one-off events, it was Souk El Akel, the food
market, that proved itself to be a lasting formula. It was launched in May, as a
one-off collaboration between Souk El Tayeb, NoGarlicNoOnions and Chef Wael
Lazkani from Jai Beirut. The popularity of the event, however, inspired them to
hold the market every Thursday, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Souk El Akel is held in
Downtown, behind the Beirut Municipality building on Youssef al-Rami street and
has on average around 20 vendors, with new faces appearing every week. There is
a variety of food on offer, from Lebanese to Chinese, Indonesian curries,
Mexican tacos and even the mystical sushi burrito. Even better, local
restaurants and large chains alike have been asked to create a unique recipe for
Souk El Akel, so even if you fancy something as simple as Classic Burger, you’ll
be able to get a burger not on the usual menu. For the month of Ramadan the
market is operating on slighter later hours, from 7 p.m. to midnight. Lebanon’s
beauty lies in its diversity, from the coastal beaches through the cities to the
cedar-filled mountains there is so much variety in what you can see. A great
place to visit to get a feel for the country’s mountainous north is Tannourine.
Not so much a village as an area with that it contains several small Lebanese
villages, Tannourine has plenty to see, with two beautiful natural wonders in
its midst.
The Tannourine Cedars Forest Nature Reserve is one of Lebanon’s largest and
densest cedar forests with 80 percent of its trees, the country’s emblem. It is
also considered to be one of the most scenic, with mountainous hiking trails,
grottos and rare flora to explore.
Another major site to visit in Tannourine is the Baatra waterfall, located in
the village of Balaa just before Tannourine. It may be best to ask directions to
the waterfall at the village because the turn off can be hard to find. There are
two paths to take. The easiest takes to you a high vantage point to see the
long, thin waterfall pouring down. The second is a rough hike down to the
sinkhole, so deep you can’t see the bottom. If you are looking for a night out
in Beirut, a chance to mingle and meet some new faces then there are two areas
guaranteed to have crowds. On the west side there is Hamra, particularly Hamra
Street and its parallel Makdessi Street. Once considered losing its status as
the place to head for an evening drink, Hamra has been witnessing a revival of
late. Gone are the over-loud pubs with competing music and a young crowd,
instead there is a more mature scene. The recently opened Courtyard, a cluster
of gastropubs off Makdessi draws in a lively crowd, with some serious
mixologists and live music a regular thing.
Moving to the east, the usurper of Hamra’s crown is Mar Mikhael. As a
residential neighborhood, not everyone is happy with its transformation into
what is essentially a massive pub crawl, but the crowds keep coming and slew of
new bars have just opened on the main road, Armenia Street. Mar Mikhael’s
diversity means it is an easy place to cater to all tastes, with some upscale
bars mixing with cheaper hole-in-the-wall establishments. It has also seen a
boom in specialized restaurants with various outlets laying claim to Beirut’s
best burger.
Summer in Beirut means the opening of various outdoor venues, with one of the
most popular being The Gärten by überhaus. Lebanon’s first pop-up club venue
when it opened back in 2013, the nightclub occupies 1,000 square meters of space
next to the Beirut Exhibition Center by Biel. Not your traditional club, you
gain entrance via a walkway of trees to be greeted with a massive, green turfed
open space, a huge rectangular bar and a curious dome structure with triangle
LED lights that serves as the club’s dance floor later in the evening.
Gärten encourages its revelers to come early and spend the entire night with
them. From 7-9 p.m. entrance is free and drinks are on happy hour fee. There are
bean bags and chairs to lounge about, a village-like area through another path
of trees with food and artisanal stalls. The club also occasionally screens
films and football matches early evening.
After 9 p.m. the dance floor picks up and things get a bit more expensive,
entrance from 9p.m.-3 a.m. is $30 with one drink, and from 3 a.m. to close $20
with one drink. With a capacity for 800 revelers on the dance floor and up to
2,000 all-in, The Gärten brings in überhaus’ usual top local and international
DJs on Saturday nights, with July 4 bringing back BLOND:ISH, the Canadian
producer/DJ duo of Anstascia D’Elene Corniere and Vivie-ann Bakos. With beach
clubs up and down the country charging an average of $20 and above to gain
access to what many see as a public right, plenty of locals and foreigners alike
will instead opt to head down south to Tyre’s public beach. Free to access, the
public beach at Tyre is huge, spacious and, most importantly, clean with sand
that opens out onto crystal-clear water. Getting there from Beirut isn’t too
hard; there are direct buses to Tyre from the area by the Kuwait Embassy in the
city, LL 5,000 will get you straight there. Alternatively you can head to the
Cola bus station and take a bus first to Sidon, then from Sidon on to Tyre, but
this will take a fair bit longer. Once in Tyre, grabbing a service to take you
to the beach is the easiest solution. While access to the beach is free and you
are more than welcome to bring down your own food/drink for the day, for those
who want there are kiosks up and down the beach that rent out beach
chairs/umbrellas and have restrooms, bars and restaurants for you to partake in.
A popular family destination, Tyre’s beach will be fairly busy during the summer
months but its sand and sea are well worth visiting. For fish lovers, the
restaurants along the shore in Tyre also boost some of the best fish in the
country.
New York-based Lebanese restaurant wins 5-star diamond
award
By Tarek Ali Ahmad | Al Arabiya News/Friday, 3 July 2015
For many, Lebanese cuisine is among some of the tastiest the Middle East has to
offer - it is certainly one of the best known. And it is frequently found in the
West in smaller independent, deli-styled restaurants. But despite its
popularity, it is rare this food receives much in terms of accolades – until
now. New York-based Lebanese restaurant ilili has scooped the five star diamond
award, one of the highest awards available in the world’s hospitality industry.
Phillipe Massoud, executive chef and CEO of ilili, told Al Arabiya News no other
restaurant offering this type of cuisine has achieved such high praise. And he
says they achieved it by raising the bar – aiming the business at a more
upscale, sophisticated clientele, from lawyers and bankers to actors and models.
The Five-star diamond award is the highest given by the International Academy of
Hospitality and Sciences, in recognition of excellence in the field of
hospitality, quality, service and more.
Award winning quality
“We received this award because we are consistent,” Massoud proudly explained.
“Because we have a very high commitment to quality and we are very serious about
what we are doing. “We care deeply about making sure that our clients and our
employees are getting the best of us all the time, every day, every shift, every
meal.”“We try to engineer, redesign a dish hoping to achieve the highest level
of flavor that we can from the ingredients.”Ilili is found with spacious, wooden
interior on 236 5th avenue in New York. Its walls plastered with cedar wooden
planks that give off an old, more traditional look, but in a modern design,
within the city’s bustling street. The restaurant offers a grand menu, offering
traditional Lebanese dishes infused with a contemporary touch including dishes
such as kale fattoush and lobster hummus. “The way the food is executed - 60
percent of the menu is traditional in flavor but contemporary in the way that we
serve it, and 40 percent of the menu is kind of our own interpretation of how
the cuisine can evolve. “It’s a very playful menu in the sense that it is ethnic
in that we are representing Middle Eastern-Lebanese cuisine. But it is also a
statement of culinary prowess and technique,” Massoud added. He said he draws
inspiration from Spanish and Japanese cuisines, which he says are used to give
an adventurous twist to traditional Lebanese dishes.
Not forgetting the roots
Massoud began his culinary journey as an “accidental tourist,” who - in 1985 -
could not return home, because of the 1982 war with Israel. Coming from a family
of hospitality management, the Lebanese chef took it upon himself to challenge
the format of his country’s cuisine abroad and instigate the conversation of the
evolution of Middle Eastern flavors. Although spending most of his time in the
U.S., he never forgot his home country and longs for an ilili branch where he
grew up. “I would’ve opened in Lebanon a long time ago, but unfortunately the
one thing that keeps holding us back has been the situation and the instability
in the country. But if we knew that tomorrow things were to settle down, then I
would be the first to jump on a flight and go to Beirut and try to find a
location to open up,” he said.
Lebanese food for New Yorkers
“It’s a New York restaurant for the New York market. In a sense we didn’t open
it with the Lebanese in New York [in mind]. We opened it for the New Yorkers in
New York.” “We have a lot of Lebanese and Middle Eastern clients that come here,
but the restaurant was not conceived for that purpose.”Asked about the
difference between the native New Yorkers and his Middle Eastern clientele, he
explained: “[The] New York client is more adventurous in the sense that they are
more willing to take risks with their food, while people from our neck of the
woods [Arabs] seem to be more traditionalist in the way that they want to
eat.”The restaurateur said he is extremely proud of his bistro’s upscale take on
traditional food. “I think that hard work pays off, and that’s a reflection of
the effort that my team has put together throughout the years you know. We’ve
been open for eight years now, and it’s nice to finally receive a recognition
for all that hard work,” says the chef.
Is it time for national dialogue in Lebanon?
Friday, 3 July 2015/Nayla Tueni/Al Arabiya/Amid the absence of a Lebanese
president to run the state and citizens’ affairs and amid the intended
obstruction of the government’s work, the need for national dialogue – launched
by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri - has surfaced. The circumstances in 2006 were
similar to our current reality. Emile Lahoud, the president at the time, was cut
off from the people and governmental and parliamentary crises were as dangerous
as today’s. The national dialogue initiative was thus proposed and it’s actually
still an urgent need among the different prominent leaders as perhaps it will
help them reach an agreement. No one should fear that someone will hijack
Berri’s role as he was the first to propose this initiative and he has the right
to propose it again, and he knows well how to manage the game. The need to
expand the circle of dialogue so it includes everyone – even categories and
groups which the previous national dialogue sessions did not include - has
surfaced. It’s true that most political leaders are affiliated with foreign
parties and serve others’ interests, however, dialogue has proven that it is
useful and that achieving the minimum required consensus can save the domestic
situation from exploding. The recent dialogue between the Future Movement and
Hezbollah did not contribute to electing a president or to pushing the
government’s work forward but it decreased tension and prevented Sunni-Shiite
clashes. The same can be said in regards to the Free Patriotic Movement and the
Lebanese Forces as the dialogue between the two rival parties defused tension
and paved way to agreements among the two parties’ youths in schools and
universities. Therefore, the need to expand the circle of dialogue so it
includes everyone – even categories and groups whom the previous national
dialogue sessions did not include - has surfaced. Perhaps such a dialogue can
help us overcome our crises which are likely to escalate and thus protect
Lebanon from the region’s explosive crises.
Bomb goes off inside mosque in Damascus suburb, kills
cleric
Associated Press/The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/DAMASCUS: Syrian state TV says a
bomb has exploded inside a mosque in an opposition-held suburb of Damascus,
killing a Sunni Muslim cleric. The TV says the bomb was placed under the pulpit,
or minbar, at the Grand Mosque in the Tal area and went off shortly after the
Friday prayers ended. The report says Sheikh Suleiman Afandi was instantly
killed. It was not immediately clear who was behind the killing. Tal has
witnessed reconciliation between the government and rebels but is mostly
opposition-controlled. Bombings targeting mosques have not been uncommon during
Syria's civil war. In 2013, Sunni Muslim preacher Sheikh Mohammad Said Ramadan
al-Buti - an outspoken supporter of President Bashar Assad - was killed along
with at least 41 others when a suicide bomber struck a Damascus mosque.
Syrian army bombards rebels in Aleppo: activists
Reuters/The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/BEIRUT: Syrian government forces carried
out heavy airstrikes on rebel positions in and around the northern city of
Aleppo Friday, aiming to repel a major Islamist-led offensive on areas
controlled by President Bashar al-Assad.
Thursday's attack, the most intense insurgent offensive in Aleppo in three
years, aimed to build on recent advances against Assad by an array of groups
fighting on separate fronts, including ISIS and rebels backed by his regional
foes. Aleppo, 50 km (30 miles) south of the Turkish border, was Syria's most
populous city before the country's descent into civil war. It has been
partitioned into zones of government and insurgent control since 2012. Aleppo is
of vital importance to Assad, and losing it would further entrench a de facto
partition of Syria between western areas still governed from Damascus and the
rest of the country run by a patchwork of militias. Fighting between the
insurgents and government forces in Aleppo raged into the early hours of Friday,
and Syrian air and army strikes on rebel emplacements were continuous, the
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group monitoring the war, said.
A Syrian military source said the attack had been repulsed and heavy casualties
had been inflicted on the insurgents. He added that the air force and artillery
had been used to target the rebels, who he said had used heavy weapons in their
attack. The Observatory's Rami Abdulrahman said rebel forces had seized some
buildings from government control on the northwestern city outskirts of Jamiyat
al-Zahra, but the advance was not of strategic importance. At least 35
insurgents were killed in that area, including a dozen Syrians and many others
of central Asian origin, Abdulrahman said. The Syrian war has drawn foreign
fighters from across the Muslim world, including jihadists from central Asia.
Airstrikes were also reported near the town of Azaz in the north of Aleppo, just
over the border from Turkey. An insurgent alliance including the Al-Qaeda-linked
Nusra Front and the hardline Islamist Ahrar al-Sham said they had set up a joint
operations room to run the offensive to "liberate" Aleppo and later govern it
according to Islamic sharia law. Security sources in Turkey, one of the
countries most hostile to Assad, said Turkish authorities had deployed
additional troops and equipment along part of its border with Syria as fighting
north of Aleppo intensified. But Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said there were
no immediate plans for any incursion. The Syrian government has said Turkish
assistance to the rebels has been crucial to their advances in the northwestern
province of Idlib, most of which has fallen to the insurgents since they
captured its provincial capital in late March. The military source said the
rebels had bombarded government-held parts of Aleppo with weapons including
highly destructive "hell cannons" - improvised mortar bombs made out of cooking
gas cylinders. In addition to most of Idlib province, Assad has also recently
lost the central city of Palmyra to ISIS, and areas of southern Syria to an
alliance of rebels known as the "Southern Front" that profess a moderate vision
for Syria. With vital backing from the Shiite Islamist government of Iran, Assad
has meanwhile been trying to shore up his control over western areas of Syria
near the border with Lebanon, helped by Lebanese Shi'ite militant group
Hezbollah. Hezbollah has in recent days been sending reinforcements to areas
near the insurgent-held town of Zabadani near the frontier with Lebanon, sources
briefed on the matter said, in apparent preparation for an attack on the rebels
there. State television said on Friday Syrian warplanes had bombed targets near
Zabadani, destroying an ammunition store and a factory for making rockets. The
Observatory reported heavy fighting between pro-government forces and insurgents
who launched an attack on an army checkpoint in the Zabadani area. In an
apparent effort to stem its losses, the Syrian army has put up stiff resistance
to an Islamic State attempt to seize government-held areas of the northeastern
city of Hasaka. Government forces have also been fighting hard against a rebel
push to capture the southern city of Deraa.
UN calls on Israel, Palestinians to prosecute Gaza war
crimes
Stephanie Nebehay/Reuters/The Daily Star/July 03, 2015/GENEVA: The United
Nations human rights body called on Israel and the Palestinians to prosecute
alleged war crimes committed in the 2014 Gaza war and to cooperate with the
International Criminal Court's preliminary investigation. The U.N. Human Rights
Council debated the issue days before the first anniversary of Israel launching
"Operation Protective Edge" in response to rockets fired by militants in the
Hamas-ruled enclave into Israel. The 47-member state forum adopted a resolution,
presented by the Palestinian delegation backed by Muslim states, by a vote of 41
in favour, one against (the United States) and five abstentions. Israel
denounced it as an "anti-Israeli manifesto." After hours of behind-the-scenes
negotiations on the text, all European Union member states of the Council,
including Britain, France and Germany, voted in favor. The resolution underlined
"the need to ensure that all those responsible for violations of international
humanitarian law and international human rights law are held to account, through
appropriate fair and independent domestic or international criminal justice
mechanisms." Independent U.N. investigators issued a report on June 22 that
Israel and Palestinian militant groups committed grave abuses of international
humanitarian law during the 2014 Gaza conflict that may amount to war crimes.
Israeli Ambassador Eviatar Manor took the floor during Friday's debate to say:
"This council has lost its bearing. I have no interest in debating the content
of the resolution, it is an anti-Israeli manifesto. "Israel is fully committed
to investigating all alleged violations of laws of armed conflict. Israel's
investigative mechanism has already filtered close to 200 cases, over 100 of
these cases have been handed over to the Miltiary Advocate General." Karim
Lahidji, President of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights,
said in a statement: "By supporting this milestone resolution, the EU sends a
message that ... impunity will not prevail."In a 50-day war, more than 2,100
Palestinians were killed, mostly civilians. Israel put the number of its dead at
67 soldiers and six civilians. Israeli air strikes and shelling hammered the
densely populated Gaza Strip, dominated by the Islamist Hamas movement, causing
widespread destruction of homes and schools. Hamas and other militant groups
launched thousands of rockets and mortar bombs out of the enclave into Israel.
Militants fire rocket into southern Israel: army
Reuters/July 03, 2015/JERUSALEM: Militants fired a rocket into southern Israel
Friday, the Israeli military said, causing no casualties, and media reports said
the rocket was fired from Sinai. Israeli Army Radio said the rocket was fired
from the Sinai peninsula, where Egyptian forces have fought fierce battles with
ISIS in the past few days. The Israeli military, however, said it was still
checking whether the rocket was fired from Sinai or the Gaza Strip. Egyptian
security sources told Reuters they were investigating the reports and said there
was no immediate evidence a rocket was launched from Egyptian territory. The
Sinai peninsula borders Israel and the Gaza Strip. Palestinian militants have
fired rockets in the past few weeks over the Gaza border into Israel, which has
largely been quiet since the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist
group which controls Gaza. Israel has accused Hamas of helping ISIS in Gaza, an
allegation Hamas has denied. On Friday the military said that as a safety
precaution it had closed a southern highway, part of which runs along the
Egyptian border.
In under two days, Boko Haram kills nearly 170 in NE
Nigeria
Aminu Abubakar/Agence France Presse/Daily Star/July 03, 2015
KANO, Nigeria: Boko Haram waged fresh attacks in northeastern Nigeria, locals
said Friday, bringing to nearly 170 the number of people killed this week in
violence President Muhammadu Buhari blasted as "inhuman and barbaric." Militants
have launched multiple attacks in restive Borno state since Wednesday, with
people attending evening prayers during the holy month of Ramadan gunned down,
women shot at home, and men dragged from their homes in the dead of night. A
young female suicide bomber also killed 12 worshipers when she blew herself up
in a mosque in Borno and while there was no immediate claim of responsibility,
Boko Haram has used both men and young women and girls as human bombs in the
past. "President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the latest wave of killings by
Boko Haram in Borno state, describing them as most inhuman and barbaric," the
presidency said in a statement. The wave of attacks, which took place over less
than 36 hours, is the bloodiest since Buhari came to power in May, vowing to
root out the insurgency that has claimed more than 15,000 lives. News of the
violence first emerged on Thursday, when survivors described raids on three
different villages in Borno the previous evening that left at least 145 people
killed and houses burnt to the ground.
On Friday, fresh details of these killings emerged from a resident of Kukawa,
the worst-affected village. Baana Kole told AFP that he and others had managed
to escape into the bush where they spent the night, before returning to bury the
dead, only to find that the militants had laid mines everywhere. "Some residents
who hid in trees saw them planting the mines and alerted us when we returned to
the village and started burying our dead," he said. "So many dead bodies are
still in Kukawa lying unattended. We had to abandon them because we could not
carry them with us." Less than 24 hours later, a girl blew herself up in a
mosque in Malari village, more than 150 kilometers away from Wednesday's
attacks.
"The bomber was a girl aged around 15 who was seen around the mosque when
worshippers were preparing for the afternoon prayers," Danlami Ajaokuta, a
vigilante assisting the military against Boko Haram, told AFP. "People asked her
to leave because she had no business there and they were not comfortable with
her in view of the spate of suicide attacks by female Boko Haram members. "She
made to leave but while the people were inside the mosque for the prayers she
ran from a distance into the mosque and blew herself up," he added -- an account
corroborated by resident Gajimi Mala. And early Friday morning, as people were
sleeping, Boko Haram militants dragged men out of houses in Miringa village and
shot them for escaping forced conscription. They "picked 13 men from selected
homes and took them to the Eid prayer ground outside the village where they
opened fire on them," resident Baballe Mohammed said, adding 11 died and two
managed to escape. He and another resident said the victims had been targeted
because they had fled their home village after Boko Haram tried to force them to
join their ranks. The armed group has intensified its campaign of violence since
Buhari came to power on May 29, launching raids, explosions and suicide attacks
that have claimed more than 420 lives.The spike in violence has sparked concern
that earlier victories claimed by the armies of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and
Cameroon in the region are being eroded. The four countries -- all of which
border Lake Chad, a focal point of Boko Haram unrest -- launched offensives
against the militants early this year as it became apparent that the armed group
was gaining too much ground in Nigeria. They managed to push the militants out
of captured towns and villages, but the recent attacks highlight that Boko Haram
is not defeated. "The draw-down of counterinsurgency initiatives, in addition to
the fact such undertakings remain limited to Nigerian territory only, have
seemingly allowed Boko Haram to re-group, re-arm and mobilize their forces ahead
of a renewed offensive," said Ryan Cummings, chief Africa analyst at the Red24
consultancy group. A new regional fighting force comprising 8,700 troops from
Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin is due to deploy at the end of the
month.
With army ranks depleted, Syria urges people to enlist
Agence France Presse/Daily Star/July 03, 2015/
DAMASCUS: With the Syrian army’s ranks depleted by casualties and rampant
draft-dodging, a new campaign in the war-torn country is urging citizens to
enlist.
In recent weeks, billboards have sprung up across Damascus reading “Join the
army,” “We are all the army,” and “With our army, we’ll win our country.”The
campaign is the work of a pro-government organization known as the “Syrian
Women’s Group for Good Deeds,” which includes mothers and daughters of Syrian
soldiers. One billboard shows two soldiers in fatigues, a man saluting and a
woman pointing, under the phrases: “Our army means us” and “Join the army.”
Another shows a soldier in uniform next to a smiling girl with her hand raised
in a victory sign. More than 80,000 soldiers and other pro-regime fighters have
been killed in the 4-year-old conflict, out of a total of roughly 230,000 dead,
according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. And many Syrians,
even those who support the regime, have been reluctant to show up for mandatory
two-year military service, with up to 70,000 failing to enlist, according to the
Observatory. The combination of casualties, defections, and draft-dodging has
seen the country’s 300,000-strong military halved in size since the conflict
began in March 2011, according to experts. Last week, as part of efforts to
convince people to serve, Prime Minister Wael Halqi announced that, from July,
soldiers at the front would receive monthly bonuses of 10,000 Syrian pounds
($33.50) as well as an extra hot meal each day. A security source said the
measures, said to have been ordered by President Bashar Assad himself, “fall
under the framework of support and motivation” for the army. Last year, the law
was amended to guarantee that public sector employees who left to do their
military service would still have their jobs when they returned. A key
contributor to draft-dodging has been people’s reluctance to serve far from
home, as the law has generally stipulated, but authorities appear to be showing
leniency on that.
A security official in Homs told local Sham FM radio Thursday that new recruits
would not have to serve outside the central province. He urged “all those who
have delayed their military service or failed to enlist ... to regularize their
status so they can carry out their military service exclusively inside Homs
province.”In Swaida province too, residents told AFP authorities were allowing
residents of the majority Druze region to join local pro-regime militias instead
of the army. But for some, those incentives have not been enough, and there have
been regular reports of raids to sweep up draft-dodgers. Witnesses told AFP
that, in recent days, armed security personnel had raided several districts in
Damascus in search of military-aged men. Some men have paid smugglers to help
them leave the country in order to avoid conscription. “I can’t go to military
service,” said Sam, 29, an engineer from Homs living in Damascus. “These days,
those who go to the army don’t come back.”
Official: Drone kills 4 Qaida Suspects in Yemen
Naharnet/June 03/15/A Saudi and a Kuwaiti are among four suspected al-Qaida
members killed by an American drone strike in southeastern Yemen, a local
official said on Friday. The dawn strike targeted their car as it left the base
of the 27th Mechanized Brigade in the Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla, the
official told Agence France Presse. Fighters from the Sunni extremist group
seized the camp from forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in April,
consolidating their grip on Mukalla. They have exploited months of fighting
between Hadi loyalists and Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels to consolidate their
grip on Yemen's southeast. The official identified the victims as Shuaib al-Maliki
of Saudi Arabia and the Kuwaiti Abdul Aziz al-Otaibi, along with two
Yemenis.Their deaths bring to 13 the number of suspected al-Qaida militants
killed by similar strikes in Yemen over the past 10 days, and follows the death
of the second-in-command of al-Qaida's global network. The group confirmed on
June 16 the killing by an American drone strike of Nasir al-Wuhayshi, who headed
al-Qaida's Yemen branch. Washington regards that branch, known as al-Qaida in
the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), as its most dangerous and has kept up a drone war
despite the pullout of US troops from Yemen in March as the country's war
worsened. The U.S. still has drones and other aircraft at bases in Saudi Arabia
and Djibouti. AQAP was behind several plots against Western targets and claimed
the January massacre at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Since the war
in Yemen worsened in March and a Saudi-led coalition began bombing the Shiite
Huthi rebels, jihadists from the Islamic State Sunni extremist group have also
taken advantage of the chaos. They have claimed a series of attacks including a
car bomb in Yemen's capital Sanaa which killed at least 28 people on Monday.
Agence France Presse
Iran Nuclear Talks Soldier on, no Breakthrough in Bomb
Probe
Naharnet/June 03/15/Tortuous talks towards a Iran nuclear deal ploughed on
Friday with the head of the U.N.'s atomic watchdog having apparently failed in
Tehran to advance a nuclear bomb probe, a major hurdle to the accord. Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani's chief of staff, Mohammad Nahavandian, meanwhile
headed to the negotiations in Vienna, in what the official IRNA news agency
called a "special mission". "Important progress has been made but questions on
technical issues and the wording (of the deal) remain," Iranian Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif said on a seventh day of negotiations. "My impression is
that the political will (to get a deal) exists but that this has not yet been
transmitted to the bureaucrats" working on the text, Zarif, due to meet U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry later, told Iranian television. Ahead of a Tuesday
deadline, the chief negotiators of Iran, the United States and the European
Union haggled for six hours on Thursday night until 3:00 am (0100 GMT), a senior
U.S. official said. "We have five days remaining... The technical work is
advancing on the main text, on the appendices," a western diplomat said. "It
feels like the end."Other foreign ministers besides Zarif and Kerry were
expected back in Vienna Sunday evening and to stay until Tuesday to get the job
done, the diplomat said.
The P5+1 -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany --
want an accord that curbs Iran's nuclear activities so that making an atomic
bomb is all but impossible. In exchange Iran, which says its program is for
peaceful purposes like electricity generation and not to get the bomb, would see
painful sanctions progressively lifted.
It would end a 13-year standoff over Iran's suspect nuclear program, and draw
the curtain on almost two years of intense negotiations since Rouhani came to
power in August 2013. Russia's top negotiator Sergei Ryabkov on Thursday voiced
cautious optimism, saying the document both sides were working on was "91
percent" finished. "I can't predict how many hours it will take to resolve this
situation. But all parties are of the opinion that this matter will be resolved
in the coming days," Ryabkov, deputy foreign minister, told Russian news agency
TASS. It will be up to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to verify
Iran is sticking to its side of the bargain through enhanced inspections of
Iran's nuclear facilities. But the P5+1 want the watchdog also to be able to
visit sites where there is no declared nuclear material to probe alleged
efforts, before 2003 and possibly since, to develop a nuclear weapon in secret.
On Thursday the IAEA chief Yukiya Amano visited Tehran to meet Rouhani and
others in an attempt to jumpstart a stalled probe into these so-called "possible
military dimensions" of Iran's activities. But after returning a statement
suggested that no breakthrough on the issue -- which Western powers say is vital
for the final deal -- had happened. "I believe that both sides have a better
understanding on some ways forward, though more work will be needed," Amano, who
was expected to debrief the later P5+1 on his trip, said in a brief statement.
Iran rejects the allegations, saying they are based on bogus intelligence
provided to a gullible and partial IAEA by the likes of the CIA and Israeli
intelligence agency Mossad. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's lead negotiator in Vienna,
told Iranian media Friday that Tehran was "ready to cooperate with Mr. Amano so
that it can be proved that these accusations and claims.. are baseless".Apart
from the PMD issue, other difficult topics include the timing and pace of
sanctions relief and Iran's future research and development into newer kinds of
nuclear equipment. Agence France Presse
Greece Declared in Default ahead of Knife-Edge Referendum
Naharnet /July 03/15/Greece was officially declared in default on Friday,
injecting even more urgency into a make-or-break weekend referendum that new
polls suggested was too close to call. The fund providing Greece's financial
lifeline declared "an event of default by Greece." The European Financial
Stability Facility added, though, that it had decided to not immediately demand
repayment of its loans -- a step that analysts say could have triggered sudden "Grexit",
or Greece's exit from the eurozone.
The news will come as a fresh shock to Greece's 11 million people, and will hang
over two major, rival rallies taking place in Athens late Friday seeking to
galvanize 'Yes' and 'No' support for Sunday's referendum.
- High stakes -
Stakes were already high before the EFSF announcement, with EU leaders warning a
'No' in the plebiscite would jeopardize Greece's place in the 19-nation eurozone.
But Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras rejects that, insisting a 'No' result
would strengthen his hand and force international creditors withholding bailout
funds to drop "humiliating" austerity terms.
Only a last-minute challenge to the legality of the ballot in Greece's top
administrative court, the Council of State, might be able derail it. The court
is to give its ruling Friday.
Confusion, however, is widespread over the very technical question posed in the
referendum.
That, and capital controls that have reduced Greeks to lining up at ATMs to make
daily withdrawals capped at 60 euros ($67), has prompted many who formerly
supported the government to swap sides.
The two latest polls published Friday showed voter intentions were effectively
tied.
An Alco institute poll found 44.8 percent of Greeks intend to vote 'Yes' and
43.4 percent are for 'No'. A Bloomberg survey for Greece's Macedonia University
was equally split, showing 43 percent to vote 'No' and 42.5 percent 'Yes'.
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned that Greece's negotiating
position with creditors would be "dramatically weakened" in the event of a 'No'.
Even if the 'Yes' vote wins, there would still be "difficult" negotiations
ahead, he added.
- Confusing question -
Greek voters, however, are confronted with a referendum question that has
stumped many.
The question reads: "Should the deal draft that was put forward by the European
Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund in the
Eurogroup of June 25, 2015, and consists of two parts, that together form a
unified proposal, be accepted? The first document is titled 'Reforms for the
Completion of the Current Program and Beyond' and the second 'Preliminary Debt
Sustainability Analysis'."
Eurozone officials have firmly said that the "deal" referred to expired on
Tuesday -- the same day Greece failed to repay a 1.5-billion-euro repayment to
the IMF, becoming the first developed country to ever do so.
On July 20, Greece looks likely to be unable to repay another 3.5 billion euros
owed to the ECB.
Some voters who initially backed the government have swapped sides ahead of
Sunday's ballot.
"I was going to vote 'No' because I think the Greek people are being treated
with contempt. But Tsipras has made the situation so much worse, it's his fault
the banks are closed," said an Athens shop assistant Suzanna Alizoti.
- Despair -
Greek pensioners without bank cards have been limited to one 120-euro
over-the-counter withdrawal, prompting despair among many.
In Greece's second-biggest city of Thessaloniki, one retired man unable to
withdraw his 120 euros crumpled to the ground, scattering his papers. A bank
manager quickly resolved the problem.
In Athens, another pensioner, Kostas, was regularly withdrawing his and wife's
daily euro limits from ATMs for fear they might be seized by the government or
converted to drachmas. "My money is safer at home," he said.
Many cash machines were running short of denominations, allowing only the
withdrawal of a 50-euro note.
- Government future -
Varoufakis has said he would step down as finance minister if a 'Yes' vote
carried the day, and the rest of the government "may very well" do the same.
But Tsipras has been ambiguous, telling Greek television late Thursday he would
respect the referendum's result and take the necessary steps "set out in the
constitution".
As the clock ticked down to the fateful vote, the IMF on Thursday said Greece
would need 60 billion euros more in bailout money to get through the next three
years. It also cut the country's 2015 growth forecast to zero from 2.5 percent.
Europe's main stock markets slipped during Friday trade as all eyes were riveted
on Greece's referendum and what that might mean to investors at the beginning of
next week.
"The vote seems tight," said VTB Capital economist Neil MacKinnon.
"A 'No' vote increases the chances of a Grexit as the ECB would pull the plug on
the Greek banks," he said.
"A Yes vote results in the resignation of the Greek government though it is not
clear that this would necessarily result in a more creditor-compliant Greek
administration that would sign up to the creditors' proposals quickly."Agence
France Presse
Who Is Damaging Relations Between
Arabs and Jews?
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute
July 3, 2015
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6082/arabs-jews-relations
Some Arab Knesset (parliament) members have devoted much of their time and
efforts to helping the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- who have
their own leaders, spokesmen, representatives -- at the expense of their own
constituents in Israel.
How does joining a flotilla to the Gaza Strip solve any problems facing Arab
Israelis, such as unemployment and poverty? It is also a betrayal of the Arab
voters who sent them to the Knesset to fight for more public funds and services
for the Arabs in Israel.
Would the two Knesset members be willing to risk their lives for the people who
voted for them? It was hard to find Arab Israelis who saw anything positive in
Ghattas's decision to sail aboard a ship to the Gaza Strip. In fact, many did
not hesitate privately to criticize the decision.
It is time for Arab Israelis to endorse a new approach toward their state, and
distance themselves from representatives who act against their interests and
damage relations between Jews and Arabs.
If some Knesset members wish to devote their time and energy to helping the
Palestinians, they should consider moving to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Otherwise, they need to start addressing the problems facing their constituents
and refrain from causing further damage to Arab-Jewish relations.
Once again, it is time to remind the representatives of the Arab citizens of
Israel in the Knesset (parliament) who their real constituents are.
It is time to remind these representatives that they were elected by Arab
citizens of Israel, and not by Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip.
The reason why the Arab Knesset members need to be reminded of who their real
constituents are is because some of them seem to have forgotten that the
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have their own leaders, spokesmen
and representatives.
In recent years, some of the Arab Knesset members have devoted much of their
time and efforts to helping the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, at
the expense of their own constituents in Israel.
The actions and rhetoric of some of the Arab Knesset members have also caused
huge damage to relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel. The biggest losers
are the Israeli Arabs, whose representatives in the Knesset have done little to
improve their living conditions.
Arab Knesset member Basel Ghattas of the Joint List is the latest example of how
the Arab representatives continue to act against the interests of their real
constituents, the Israeli Arabs.
In late June, Ghattas left Israel to join another Gaza-bound flotilla that set
sail from Greece.
He is the second Arab Knesset member to join such a mission. Five years ago,
another Knesset member, Haneen Zoabi, joined the Mavi Marmara flotilla, whose
goal was to "break the blockade" of the Gaza Strip.
The main goal of the organizers of the flotillas is to force Israel to lift the
naval blockade, which is legal under international law and approved by the
United Nations, and is intended to prevent the smuggling of weapons into the
Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The flotilla organizers are trying to help Hamas
rid itself of the state of isolation it has gotten itself into ever since it
forced the Palestinian Authority's Fatah out of the Gaza Strip to seize control
of it, in the summer of 2007.
Both Ghattas and Zoabi were prepared to risk their lives in order to help Hamas,
whose leaders feel emboldened by the support that the Islamist movement is
receiving from Knesset members and "pro-Palestinian" activists in various parts
of the world. Fortunately for the two Knesset members, they were unhurt when
Israeli army commandos intercepted their vessels both five years ago and this
week.
Would the two Knesset members be willing to risk their lives to help those who
voted for them? How does joining a flotilla mission to the Gaza Strip solve any
of the problems facing Arab Israelis, such as unemployment and poverty?
Haneen Zoabi (L) and Basel Ghattas (R), Arab members of Israel's parliament,
both participated in flotillas attempting to break Israel's legal naval blockade
of the Gaza strip.
It was hard this week to find Arab Israelis who saw anything positive in
Ghattas's decision to sail aboard a ship to the Gaza Strip. In fact, many did
not hesitate privately to criticize the decision. They noted that it would do
nothing to improve their living conditions. However, most of the critics were
afraid to go on the record because they feared accusations of being "traitors"
for speaking out against one of their representatives in the Knesset.
Unfortunately, Ghattas and Zoabi are not the only Arab Knesset members who
continue to devote much of their time and efforts to serving as advocates for
the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Of course, there is nothing
wrong with expressing solidarity with the Palestinians living there. But some of
the Arab Knesset members have clearly crossed red lines by betraying the
interests of Arab Israelis. Surely, identifying with the Hamas regime in the
Gaza Strip does not serve any of the interests of the Arabs in Israel.
Ghattas and his friends in the Knesset, who have become spokespersons for the
Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, are further widening the gap
between Jews and Arabs in Israel. They are responsible for the fact that many
Israeli Jews are today convinced that the Arab Israelis are a fifth column and
an enemy from within.
The fiery anti-Israel rhetoric and actions of some Arab Knesset members has
scared many Israeli Jews to a point where some of them have stopped visiting
Arab towns in Israel.
Ghattas's decision to join the Gaza-bound flotilla is an act of provocation
against Israel. It is also a betrayal of the interests of the Arab voters who
sent him to the Knesset to fight for more public funds and services to the Arab
sector in Israel. Provoking the Israeli public with such actions is the last
thing the Arab Israelis want.
Some would argue that Ghattas and his friends in the Knesset are only seeking
publicity through their provocative rhetoric and actions. According to this
view, these Arab Knesset members are just seeking media attention and they do
not care what is written about them as long as their names are spelled
correctly.
Others would argue that they are engaged in such provocations because they
really care about their Palestinian brethren living in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip.
In both cases, the Arab citizens of Israel are the biggest losers. Joining a
pro-Hamas flotilla is not going to ensure jobs for Arab university graduates or
bring more public funds to the Arab sector. It is time for Arab Israelis to
endorse a new approach toward their state -- one different from that displayed
by Ghattas and his friends. The new approach should be based on reaching out to
their fellow Jewish citizens with a message of tolerance and coexistence, and
not provocation and alienation.
It is time for Arab Israelis to distance themselves from those representatives
who are acting against their interests and damaging relations between Jews and
Arabs. If there are some Knesset members who wish to devote their time and
energy to helping the Palestinians, they should consider moving to the West Bank
and Gaza Strip. But if they want to stay in Israel, they need to start
addressing the problems facing their constituents and refrain from causing
further damage to Arab-Jewish relations.
Who is behind the attacks in Egypt?
Friday, 3 July 2015/
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya
Terrorists ruined the chance to celebrate Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi’s
first year in power, while the Egyptian media was preoccupied with the
assassination of the attorney general and the explosions that followed in Sinai.
Will this situation recede with time, or is this the beginning of a massive war?
Considering the nature of Egyptian civil society, we know that violence does not
win. The state will not be blamed if it launches an expanded war against armed
opposition and opposition affiliated with it, especially amid popular demands to
send those behind terror attacks to the gallows.It is inevitable that Salafist
jihadist groups and armed Muslim Brotherhood wings will fail in their battle
Over the course of 50 years, armed groups never won a single battle in Egypt. It
is inevitable that Salafist jihadist groups and armed Muslim Brotherhood wings
will fail in their battle. However, no one has learned from recent history, and
unfortunately a lot of blood will be shed in Egypt over power struggles.
Quality and magnitude of attacks
The quality and magnitude of attacks, from assassinating officials to terror
attacks against the military in the Sinai, imply that there are groups and
powers allied with the Egyptian armed opposition for the sake of altering the
current regime. These parties think they are capable of toppling Sisi’s
government by stirring as much chaos as possible to push people to take to the
streets to demand change. This may happen in other countries, but in Egypt there
are old institutions, the army being the most prominent. No one but the army can
control the street, and no power will be able to seize the Sinai or even part of
it. In addition, there are no separatist, regional or sectarian powers such as
in Iraq, Syria or Sudan. Egypt has throughout history remained a united state
located along the banks of the Nile River and run from the center, Cairo. The
unity of the social fabric and the steadiness of the military make betting on
change in Egypt a poor gamble that will only disturb the government, pain
ordinary citizens, and harm the economy, investments and people’s livelihoods.
It is not surprising that the government is strict with the opposition, as there
is a feeling that what is happening is not mere terrorist activity by mentally
disturbed groups directed by other parties to seize power. We do not know if
these accusations are just fears or actually facts. However, there is a feeling
that this is a battle of survival, and the government will not hesitate to
pursue extremists beyond its borders. Meanwhile, the regional situation is
volatile and threatens all countries. Libya is the wide gate from where
extremists sneak, and from where arms are being transferred to Egypt, Tunisia
and Algeria.
Egypt has a clear choice to make after a miserable week
Friday, 3 July 2015
Abdallah Schleifer/Al Arabiya
The events of the past week here in Egypt - the murder of Egypt’s
Prosecutor-General Hisham Barakat and the fierce fighting in North Sinai - are
shocking, but in no way a surprise. More attacks can be expected today. This
latest escalation of terror follows many weeks of what many would consider
Muslim Brotherhood incitement against judges, heads of the security forces and
even journalists in the wake of death sentences for their leaders and members.
But the whole thrust of radical Islamist opposition to state and society goes
back to the events of June 30, 2013 when millions of Egyptians took to the
streets to demand an end to the Presidency of Mohammad Mursi and Muslim
Brotherhood rule, culminating on July 3 when the Egyptian armed forces deposed
Mursi and ended Muslim Brotherhood rule. All of what is not quite accurately
described as “polarization” goes back to that tumultuous summer week and the
Brotherhood’s rejection of all attempts by the new government to negotiate a
post-Mursi political understanding.
Irrelevant questions
Increasingly, the question of whether or not the Muslim Brotherhood is involved
in the terrorist attacks that have plagued the country since 2013 has become
irrelevant – while a Brotherhood spokesman did issue the standard refrain in the
wake of the assassination of the prosecutor-general, that the Brotherhood is
opposed to violence, that mantra was overwhelmed by the wave of comments by
other prominent Brotherhood members and their allies basically saying the
prosecutor-general got what he deserved. Mursi’s son, for example, tweeted: “We
applaud the assassination of the prosecutor-general.”To argue that
counter-terrorism is necessarily counter-productive is to be oblivious to
Egypt’s condition back in the late 1980s and early 1990s
The escalation of terrorism will inescapably be met with an escalation by state
security forces and the judiciary of counter-terrorism. The day after Barakat
was killed, security forces raided an apartment in a Cairo suburb killing nine
Muslim Brotherhood members, including two former members of parliament. There
are the usual contradictory accounts – but what stands out is the Brotherhood
call following the raid for “rebellion” and statements that the raid was “a
turning point…it will no longer be possible to control the anger of the
oppressed.” No guessing needed about what that means.Meanwhile, the armed forces
have responded to the Tuesday assault in Sinai with a massive counter-attack by
infantry backed up by airpower, retaking installations overrun by ISIS on
Wednesday.
What is surprising. What is surprising is the degree to which the liberal and
left opposition to both Sisi and the Muslim Brotherhood and which was betrayed,
then defeated and humiliated by Mursi and the Mulsim Brotherhood is trying to
stake out a “third way” sort of alternative. It is to be an alternative to what
I can describe, without prejudice or rancor, as either a security state or the
terrorist and armed insurgency of radical Iaslamism. But however nasty the
implications are, that is today’s reality in Egypt, and therein is the choice.
There is no third way in the face of terrorism and insurgency and
counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency. Liberal democrats had their chance and
blew it from the spring of 2011 up until the people and the armed forces moved
decisively against the Muslim Brotherhood.
Instead of quickly following up the fall of President Mubarak by organizing one
left-liberal party that would undertake tedious but absolutely necessary
door-to-door campaigning in the cities, towns and villages of Egypt that might
have just matched the national networks of dedicated Muslim Brotherhood cadre,
and the hundreds if not thousands of salafist sheikhs whose following in
hundreds if not thousands of mosques, the left-liberals devoted themselves to
press conferences, rallies and speeches to the already convinced. Also, instead
of offering one list of candidates running for seats in parliament in the first
post-Mubarak election, there were something like 40 parties and they were all
but swept away by a majority formed by the Muslim Brotherhood and the salafists.
So to with the presidential elections – instead of rallying behind one serious
candidate for president, the left-to-liberal continuum was defined by at least
five candidates in the first round, none of whom made it to the second round to
be fought out by Mursi and Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister before the
deposing of Mubarak. Mursi’s very narrow margin of victory was guaranteed when
most of the left-liberal party leaders believed Mursi’s promise after the first
round of a broad coalition government and threw their support behind him in the
second round.
Being oblivious to Egypt’s condition. To argue that counter-terrorism is
necessarily counter-productive is to be oblivious to Egypt’s condition back in
the late 1980s and early 1990s when the Jamat al-Islami evolved from the most
radical tendencies of the Muslim Brotherhood into an openly jihadist movement
which at its height controlled portions of Upper Egypt and even an entire
working class quarter of Cairo. It was smashed not by some liberal third force
but by a very nasty counter-terrorist , counter-insurgency campaign in which
tens of thousands of Gamaat sympathizers as well as members were detained and
many imprisoned.What the left-liberals should do is look around and behold the
vanguards of either the April Spring or would be beneficiaries of American
democratic regime change – Libya, Syria, Iraq, Yemen possibly Lebanon in the
future – which are wracked by terrorism, insurgency, civil war. Here in Egypt
two opposing forces would be singing, if they knew the melody and lyrics, that
old American protest song “Which side are you on!” The liberal and left
opposition have to make that decision.
Will Turkey really invade northern Syria?
Friday, 3 July 2015
Mahir Zeynalov/Al Arabiya
Don’t hold your breath. If history is any guide, Turkey will not make an
incursion into its southern neighbor. It is another bluff by an increasingly
isolated country that is disturbed by gains of the Kurds in northern Syria. Last
week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed not to tolerate a Kurdish
statehood in northern Syria. A day later, perceivably pro-government Turkish
media outlets blared on their front pages how the military had already drafted
plans to invade 110-km stretch of the border to some 30 km deep inside Syria.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed that the military is ready to address
any threats against its borders without mentioning if there is a plan to set up
a buffer zone within Syria. On Monday, the country’s top national security
council said after a lengthy meeting that it discussed additional security
measures on the Turkish-Syrian border and expressed concerns over attempts to
change the “demographic situation” in areas recently captured by Kurdish YPG
militias. The renewed debates surrounding the buffer zone comes at a time when
Turkey has raised its voice against alleged moves by Kurds “to clean northern
Syria from Turkmens and Arabs.” Turkish pro-government news outlets published -
almost daily - horrific accounts of refugees who fled areas captured by the
Kurdish militants. Critics argue that Ankara is using the claim of demographic
change as a ruse to get into Syria.
A bluff?
Only a few months ago, Turkey abandoned its only territory abroad, the tomb of
Suleyman Shah, to avoid risking a war with militants in Syria. There is no
indication that Turkey will go to war this time because Kurds are ruling areas
they capture in a non-democratic way.
Establishing a buffer zone within Syria has been Turkey’s grievance in the past
year. The Turkish military has currently no capability to establish such a safe
haven with robust air patrols. Because a global coalition fighting against ISIS
didn’t view such a safe haven as favorable, Ankara failed to move forward on
that front. This, in fact, has been one of Turkey’s three conditions for getting
on board with the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition. The U.S. State Department made
it clear on Tuesday that there is no need for a buffer zone in Syria and that
the challenges of setting up such a safe haven are “remarkable.”
Bringing down Assad
Turkey initially believed that the rise of ISIS in Syria last year would drag
the world’s attention to Syria again and viewed the gathering storm around Syria
as a golden opportunity to bring down the Syrian regime. Ankara’s contribution
to anti-ISIS efforts has been limited after the U.S.-led coalition made it clear
that their focus and priority is defeating and destroying ISIS. Turkey suggested
the creation of a buffer zone in northern Syria, which will house Syrian
refugees and become a training ground for moderate rebels.
Turkey argued that without crippling Syrian air power, any war waged in the
country will be futile. The buffer zone, Turkey argued, would also serve as a
no-fly zone, an area where Assad’s barrel-dropping aircraft won’t reach. None of
Turkey’s demands were met.
The U.S.-funded train-and-equip program for moderate Syrian rebels was also
viewed as a chance by Turkey to beef up the rebels who will eventually fight
against Assad. Washington and Ankara had a hard time in agreeing on the
objectives of the program. It was delayed multiple times and hit many roadblocks
along the way. The program has been viewed as an utter failure, with the number
of trainees even falling below 100 by the last week. The U.S. planned to train
at least 5,000 Syrian rebels a year and spared half a billion dollars for the
program. The disagreement over vetting rebels has probably played a major role
in moving forward with the program that was designed to build up a robust
military body as a partner ground force against the ISIS.
‘Kurdophobia’For decades, Turkey has confronted any country that somehow
supported Kurdish grievances. It even was on the brink of war with Syria for
sheltering PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in the late 1990s. That behavior, after a
three-year hiatus, seems to be emerging again. The last time Erdogan vowed not
to tolerate the PKK presence in northern Syria was in 2012’s summer, just a
month before key talks that kicked off the peace process with Kurds. That
bellicose rhetoric returned at a time when that peace process is in stalemate.
The fiercest fighting in the past few month was along the Turkish-Syrian border.
Backed by coalition air strikes, Kurds fought a bloody war against the ISIS
militants, creating a security threat for Turkey. The Turkish military was given
an order to beef up security along the border against any militants infiltrating
into Turkey, particularly from ISIS or the Syrian intelligence. That heightened
security was presented by the media as if the military was preparing to invade
northern Syria. The media reports by pro-government news outlets were a veiled
threat to Kurds as well as a signal to the West that Turkey will not tolerate
unrestricted help to Kurds in their fight against ISIS. Because Kurds rarely
fought against Assad’s forces throughout the civil war in Syria, I believe that
Erdogan views them as Assad’s ally and opportunists who want to carve out their
own state in the middle of the chaos. In a nutshell, the Turkish military is not
considering leaving their barracks and go into uncharted waters such as Syria.
All the fuss is a mere threat and a bluff against Kurds who gained international
sympathy due to their fight against ISIS.
The Middle East Studies Mess: Causes
and Consequences
Michael Rubin/Australia/Israel Review
July 2015
http://www.meforum.org/5360/middle-east-studies
Originally published under the title, " The Middle East Studies Mess."
Middle East studies programs have preached for decades that Israel is at the
root of regional problems. Today, it is the only bastion of stability.
The Middle East is in chaos. After four years of Syrian civil war, there are now
more refugees and displaced persons seeking to escape violence than at any point
since World War II. Libya and Yemen are in chaos. The Islamic State has both
revived medieval notions of the caliphate and returned such practices as
slavery, beheadings, and crucifixions to the headlines.
Turkey, once celebrated both as a bridge between East and West and more recently
as proof of the compatibility of political Islam and democracy, slides down the
path to Islamist autocracy. The Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan, and Iran's
path to nuclear weapons seems assured as Western leaders - including Australia's
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop - retreat on long-standing principles. Sectarian
struggle threatens to set the entire region alight. Indeed, from Algeria to
Afghanistan, it seems that the only bastion of stability is Israel.
The field of Middle East studies has become an exercise in radical political
self-affirmation.
Pundits and politicians whose introduction to the Middle East comes from Middle
Eastern studies programs in Australian or United States universities might be
surprised by the current shape of the region. After all, after preaching for
decades that Israel and perhaps the United States were at the root of regional
problems, it now is evident that Israel is the only truly stable oasis in the
greater Middle East and North Africa.
To understand how narrow and polemical academic conventional wisdom about the
region has become, look no further than Australian National University Professor
Amin Saikal. Throughout his career, he has at times appeared to internalise
regional conspiracy theories.
Australian National University Professor Amin Saikal
In a 2004 Sydney Morning-Herald op-ed, for example, Saikal embraced the fringe,
antisemitic conspiracy theory that a small cabal of neoconservatives hijacked
American policy. While he was unreservedly critical of the US-led invasion of
Iraq, his real animus appeared to be American support for Israel in its
existential struggle against rejectionist Arab states and terrorist groups like
Hamas, whose charter openly endorses genocide.
He was not alone. In the aftermath of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War, the (now
late) Macquarie University professor Andrew Vincent was unapologetic in his and
the Australian academic community's pro-Hezbollah orientation. He also
whitewashed al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgents as merely "local opposition."
Cultural equivalence and moral inversion became academic manna for a generation
of Macquarie students.
Today, Vincent is memorialised in an annual lecture bearing his name. Fittingly,
it has become a celebration of conspiracy, hate, and self-flagellation. In 2011,
for example, former Australian diplomat Ross Burns gave the address and lamented
"the Leon Uris narrative" of Israel's founding and the failure of Australia to
advocate fully for the Palestinian perspective. Indeed, even against the
backdrop of Arab Spring protests toppling dictators across the region, Burns
saved his real animus for Israel, the region's only democracy and an issue
irrelevant to the street battles playing out in Arab capitals from Tripoli to
Manama. Syrian refugees seeking medical treatment inside Israel would be
hard-pressed to see Israel, rather than dictators like Bashar al-Assad, as the
region's original sin.
In June 2011, I participated in a small conference at Melbourne's Latrobe
University on "The Obama Middle East Peace Initiative: Lessons Learnt and
Implications for a Dialogical Roadmap for Peace." It remains the most polemical
academic conference I have experienced in my 20-year career. One scholar
advocated for a one-state solution, academic code for Israel's eradication. No
other area studies discipline contemplates eradication of existing states.
Roundtable participants regularly interrupted speakers with applause when they
embraced the Palestinian cause, and boos when they addressed Israel as a normal,
legitimate state.
As the Islamic State expands its grip over the Middle East, Deakin University
will debate whether we are witnessing "the demise of ideology as a normative
tool for change."
In October 2015, Deakin University in Melbourne will host an international
conference on the "Geo-Politics of the Middle East." Among the topics to be
discussed are whether "we [are] witnessing the demise of ideology as a normative
tool for change." If the role of ideology is declining, someone should tell Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State's Caliph, Hezbollah's Secretary-General
Hassan Nasrallah, or Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Why has Middle East studies diverged so greatly from reality and become an
exercise in radical political self-affirmation? Almost 15 years ago,
Israeli-American scholar Martin Kramer penned a thoughtful assessment of Middle
Eastern Studies in which he traced the descent of Middle East studies as an
academic discipline to its embrace of Edward Said's theories. The irony here, of
course, was that Said was not a Middle East scholar but rather a literary
critic. Few people who cite Orientalism, perhaps the most influential Middle
East studies book in the last century, have ever read it closely. If they had,
they would cringe at Said's error of both fact and logic. Quite simply, the
reason why Said remains so popular on campuses from Washington to Wollongong is
because he justified prioritising politics above scholarly rigour. No longer
would radical professors need to prove truth; they could just assert it and make
it so. Up was down, wrong was right, and power was original sin.
A mural honors Edward Said at San Francisco State University.
Middle East studies scholars have become so insulated within their Saidian
universe that they never challenge each other's basic assumptions. At the same
time, most embrace an attitude of entitlement based more on credentials than
experience. They are the experts, and policymakers should heed their advice as
much as any first year undergraduate. Few in Australian or American universities
are willing to tell the emperor that he is wearing no clothes.
Within the United States, the best example of this is Rashid Khalidi. A former
PLO press attaché turned academic, Khalidi is now the Edward Said Chair at
Columbia University in New York. In 2004, he penned Resurrecting Empire: Western
Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East, which espoused a
vision similar to Saikal's. He complained that policymakers ignored the
consensus opinion of Middle East Studies professors and sided too much with
Israel. What makes Khalidi important is he had his dreams realised. He was a
close friend of Barack Obama from their mutual days in Chicago. While between
Kenyan family and a boyhood in Indonesia, Obama might seem an international
president, when it came to the Middle East, he was a neophyte, so Khalidi was
able to shape his vision. He preached the idea that the region's root problems
lie not in radical ideologies, but rather in grievances born from Western
intervention and the Arab-Israeli conflict. In effect, the Chicago neighbourhood
community organiser transformed himself not into the leader of the free world,
but instead Jerusalem's zoning commissioner. Rather than jump start the peace
process, Obama succeeded in setting it back decades.
President Obama has followed the policy prescriptions of Khalidi, Said, Saikal
and Vincent to a 'T'.
Khalidi, Said, Saikal and Vincent all saw occupation and military intervention
as the region's core problems. Obama followed their policy prescriptions to a
"T". He withdrew precipitously from Iraq and Afghanistan, "led from behind" in
Libya, and allowed the Syrian conflict to metastasise. It might not fit in
academe's worldview, but Western power projection is the proverbial finger in
the dyke which prevents a deluge of chaos.
Australian and American academics also almost universally preach dialogue as a
cost-free policy. This too is nonsense. Both Obama's and Bishop's outreach to
Iran has achieved little but bolstering a theocratic dictatorship while shaking
decades-long alliances with moderate Arab states. Never before - not in 1967,
not in 1979 - has the Middle East been so torn asunder.
Universities may see themselves as bastions of knowledge and intellectualism,
but they have long since forfeited this role. Instead, they have become
repositories for theories long since discarded in the region and that bear
little resemblance to reality today. The more professors prioritise theory over
fact, the more they will condemn themselves to irrelevance. Unfortunately, when
policymakers embrace blindly their untested conventional wisdom, the
consequences can be far worse.
**Dr. Michael Rubin is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute,
a senior lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School, and the author of Dancing
with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes (Encounter Books, 2014)
along with a number of other books on Middle East politics. He thanks the Middle
East Forum for its sponsorship of this essay.