LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 24/15

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins05/english.june24.15.htm

Bible Quotation For Today/But his mother Elizabeth said, ‘No; he is to be called John.
Luke 01/57-66: "Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father.But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John.’They said to her, ‘None of your relatives has this name.’Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbours, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him."

Bible Quotation For Today/hrist has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."
Letter to the Galatians 04/21-31/05.01: "Tell me, you who desire to be subject to the law, will you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. One, the child of the slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through the promise. Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, ‘Rejoice, you childless one, you who bear no children, burst into song and shout, you who endure no birth pangs; for the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than the children of the one who is married.’ Now you, my friends, are children of the promise, like Isaac. But just as at that time the child who was born according to the flesh persecuted the child who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the scripture say? ‘Drive out the slave and her child; for the child of the slave will not share the inheritance with the child of the free woman.’So then, friends, we are children, not of the slave but of the free woman. For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

Latest analysis, editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 23-24/15
Israeli and Syrian Druze join forces - complicating Israel’s military position vis-à-vis southern Syria/DEBKAfile/June 23/15
Report: American, Iranian soldiers sharing base in Iraq/Yitzhak Benhorin/Ynetnews/June 23/15
Lebanese terrorist Kuntar blamed for inciting Druse violence on Golan/J.Post/June 23/15
UN report gives Hezbollah the green light/Ron Ben-Yishai/Ynetnews/June 23/15
Establishing a Palestinian Islamist State/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/June 23/15
George Galloway’s Next Stop/Samuel Westrop/Gatestone Institute/June 23/15

Lebanese Related News published on June 23-24/15
Lebanon's Cabinet Session Looming on the Horizon
Roumieh inmates riot to demand WiFi, cell phones 
Roumieh Inmates Stage Riot amid Torture Scandal
Saqr Charges Five Guards for Roumieh Prison Abuse
Intelligence Branch Chief Vows to Stop 'Roumieh Emirate' Rise
Rifi Slams Hizbullah, Says Prison Video Targets Moderate Sunnis
Baghdadi’s ex-wife gives birth in Lebanon hospital 
Police intelligence chief: No return to Roumieh impunity
Roumieh torture suspects referred to Military Tribunal 
Hezbollah, Syrian army take 3 hills in north Qalamoun 
4 arrested for forging entry documents 
EU Urges 'Decisive Action' to Elect New President
Roumieh inmates riot to demand WiFi, cell phones 
Syrian refugee aid helps achieve small GDP growth 
Daryan: Roumieh Prison Abuse Tarnishes Lebanon's Image Abroad
Australia Attempts to Verify Lebanese Terrorist's Death in Iraq
Kaag Urges Lebanon to Implement U.N. Recommendations on Ending Torture  
Geagea: New President is Solution to All Crises, Only Army Can Defend Country
Mustaqbal Bloc Voices Support for 'Measures' of Mashnouq, Rifi after Roumieh Scandal
Security forces soon intervened to contain the unrest and listen to the inmates' demands.
 Aoun: Roumieh Abuse Caused by Individuals, Not ISF Institution
Daryan: Roumieh Prison Abuse Tarnishes Lebanon's Image Abroad

Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 23-24/15
Report: US, Iranian troops sharing base in Iraq
Iran passes bill threatening nuclear deal
Netanyahu : We will capture those from Druze lynch mob
Ambushed ambulance was told to avoid Druze towns
ISIS destroys ancient mausoleums in Palmyra
Kurdish-led forces seize town in Raqqa from ISIS
Syrian state media praises Druze attack on Israeli ambulance
Report: Syrian Islamists led by Nusra Front unite near Israel’s border
New York Times: Onus on Israel, not Hamas, to prosecute Gaza war crimes
ISIS enforces Ramadan fast by crucifying two children'
UNHRC report: Less biased, but no less lethal
What war crimes did Israel commit in Gaza?
The UNHRC Gaza report - Tragedy or farce?
What makes a state Islamic?
Two notorious Australian ISIS fighters reported dead
No to atomic weapons in Saudi Arabia and beyond
U.N. Probe: Barrel Bombs, Sieges Cause 'Unspeakable Suffering' in Syria
Israel Vows Crackdown after 'Lynching' of Wounded Syrian
Syrian Opposition Figure Dies after 'Torture'
Report: Six Syrian Migrants Killed in Shipwreck off Turkey
Turkish sculptor faces jail for 'insulting' Erdogan
France Tightens Bonds with Saudis Despite Rights Record
Titanic' music composer Horner dies in plane crash
Activists Set Sail for Gaza in New Bid to Break Israeli Blockade
Health Ministry: Cholera Outbreak Kills at Least 18 in South Sudan
Scathing reactions over Arab MK joining flotilla
Israel launches diplomatic front against Arab majority at UNHRC

Jehad Watch Latest Reports And News
Raymond Ibrahim: Islamic Hate for the Christian Cross
Islamic State hangs two boys for eating during Ramadan
Iran’s ex-President says US seeks to arrest the Hidden Imam
Uganda: Muslim in-laws poison mother of 11, convert from Islam to Christianity
New Islamic State video shows them killing people in revolting new ways
Court quashes Muslim mother’s bid to sue France for letting son join jihad
Obama Administration says Iran’s chants of “Death to America” are “not helpful,” but won’t have impact on nuke talks
Islamic State destroys Muslim shrine as part of “Elimination of Polytheist Landmarks” initiative
Obama laments “distorted impression” many Americans have of Muslims
Spain: Muslim who tried to join the jihad in Syria to be tried
Ramadan in Nigeria: Female jihad suicide bomber murders 30 at crowded mosque that wasn’t Islamic enough

Report: American, Iranian soldiers sharing base in Iraq
Yitzhak Benhorin/Ynetnews/Published: 06.23.15/Israel News
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4672008,00.html
The US military and Iranian-backed Shiite militias now share a base in Iraq to fight Islamic State, Bloomberg View reported on Monday, while Iran uses those same militias to expand its influence in Iraq and fight alongside the Bashar Assad regime in Syria. According to the report, two senior administration officials confirmed that US soldiers and Shiite militia groups are both using the military base in Anbar, Iraq. President Obama is sending an additional 450 US military personnel to the base to help train the local forces fighting against the Islamic State group. Some inside the Obama administration are concerned that US soldiers may be at risk sharing the base. Some of the Iran-backed Shiite militias at the base have killed American soldiers in the past. According to BloombergView, the US intelligence community has reported that representatives of some of the more extreme militias have been spying on US operations at Taqqadum. Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, told BloombergView that sharing of the base is "an insult to the families of the American soldiers that were wounded and killed in battles in which the Shia militias were the enemy. Now, providing arms to them and supporting them, it’s very hard for those families to understand.” Although the US is not directly training Shiite forces, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, it is flying close air support missions for these forces. The Americans only directly supply weapons to the Iraqi Security Forces, but sometimes the lines get blurred and weapons may fall into the hands of Iraqi militias. Cooperation is often more direct, as when Shiite militia commanders sit in on US military briefings, which are only meant for Iraqi security forces. Some form of coordination with terrorist groups who have killed American soldiers in Iraq is seen as inevitable as US tries to plan its attacks against IS. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper confirmed earlier this month in a letter to Republican senators that "Iran and Hezbollah have also leveraged allied Iraqi Shiia militant and terrorist groups, which receive training in Iran, to participate in pro-Assad operations" in Syria. BloombergView further said that the US government formally asked the Iraqi government to promise that Shi'ite militias will not interfere with US military activity at the base, and that the request was accepted. But there are still doubts as to how much control the Iraqi government in Baghdad exerts over the militias. The special operations forces that the United States sent to Iraq after IS took over a sizeable part of the country have been active for 11 months, and until now they have not clashed with Iranian forces while fighting IS.

Israeli and Syrian Druze join forces - complicating Israel’s military position vis-à-vis southern Syria
DEBKAfile Special Report June 23, 2015
http://www.debka.com/article/24687/Israeli-and-Syrian-Druze-join-forces---complicating-Israel%E2%80%99s-military-position-vis-%C3%A0-vis-southern-Syria
Even if Druze tempers are temporarily calmed over the fate of their Syrian brethren, the fallout from the Syrian civil war has already spilled over into Israel from an unexpected quarter. For nearly five years, Israel carefully kept its hands off the conflict raging on its northern border, restricting itself to responding ad hoc to dangers and building a quiet aid mechanism for selected Syrian rebels. But in recent months, Israel has re-channeled its military intervention into areas close to its border.
The way this involvement is disavowed by Israeli officials is seriously detrimental to the government’s military credibility.
When IDF spokesman Brig. Motti Almoz reiterated past statemants that the military does not identify or assort by organization the injured Syrian rebels reaching the Israeli Golan border for treatment, he found that the Druze serving in Israel’s armed forces and those living in Golan villages knew better. Israeli Druze and Golan villagers - many loyal to Bashar Assad - were so incensed by this and past evasions that they came together for violent action – hence the attacks Monday, June 22, on two IDF ambulances ferrying injured Syrian rebel fighters to hospital.After the first ambulance was attacked, the second should have been much better secured. It turned out that the military police escorting it were not up to fighting a raging Druze lynch mob outside Majdal Shams on the Golan. The Syrians were badly beaten up and one died later. Israeli and Golan Druze have found a common cause, in itself a destabilizing factor, in the conviction that Israel is aiding the Syrian Al Qaeda arm, the Nusra Front, although some of the information from South Syria is disinformation slanted by hostile elements for stirring up trouble for Israel.
The thousand-year old secretive sect is treated as heretic by jihadis, including the Nusra Front. When a rebel alliance neared Jabal Druze in Syria, Nusra leaders promised not to harm the Druze provided that they “retreat from their religious mistakes.” They then forced several hundred Druze to convert to Sunni Islam and desecrated their shrines.
Nusra Front is therefore a red flag for the Druze bull
This is just one more complicating factor in considering the ill-defined, fractious rebel alliance fighting in South Syria across from the Israeli Golan.
Israeli protestations that it doesn’t support Al Qaeda-linked rebels may hold true one day, while the next day, that same group may break up and join a jihadi faction. Some of them are constantly on the move in and out of Al Qaeda.
Saudi Arabia ran up against this phenomenon in recent weeks when it bought and armed 3,000 Nusra Front fighters on condition that they leave their group and join up under an umbrella anti-Assad rebel front called the Southern Front, or the Southern Army of Conquest.
The Saudi step relieved Israel of charges of supporting jihadi movements. But it was no means let off the hook as far as the Druze were concerned, because of the notoriously volatile nature of the rebel movement.
Most of Nusra’s commanders did indeed repudiate their allegiance to Al Qaeda to win Saudi backing, but they soon switched back after Nusra in the north spearheaded major rebel victories. Clearly, victorious groups hold a fatal attraction for the hundreds of hazy rebel factions. The Druze demand for Israel to abandon the Nusra Front is tantamount to its repudiating the Syrian rebel cause at large. For the IDF this is a non-option: Ditching its under-the-radar links with certain Syrian rebel groups is the recipe for ending the relative calm on its Golan border with Syria. And withdrawing from its cooperation with the US-Saudi-Jordanian backed rebel force would endanger their effort to capture southern Syria, in the same way as comparable forces attained control of most of the north.
At the same time, the Israeli government must persuade its up-in-arms Druze citizens that IDF actions in South Syria will not bring harm to their Syrian brethren. This is an uphill task that may not prevent further Druze violence.

 Aoun: Roumieh Abuse Caused by Individuals, Not ISF Institution
Naharnet/June23/15/Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun demanded on Tuesday that an investigation be held in the recent developments at Roumieh Prison, accusing the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau of shortcomings at the facility. He said after the Change and Reform bloc's weekly meeting: “The abuse at Roumieh jail was caused by individuals, not the ISF institution, and an investigation must be held without defamation.” “This is not the first time that violations have been committed at the facility, but this time they were very clear,” he noted in reference to the Intelligence Bureau.“Riots and protests occur when the state does not take legal action against violators,” stressed the MP. He warned however against the media exploiting the issue. On Sunday, videos emerged of guards beating Roumieh Prison inmates. Roumieh is Lebanon's largest prison and has long been infamous for the poor conditions in some of its blocks, including overcrowding and harsh treatment. Other parts of it, however, had become virtual no-go zones for security, with prisoners running their affairs and able to access laptops, phones and money, until security forces cleared Roumieh's Block B in January. On Tuesday, State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged five guards with abusing the prisoners. A riot later took place at Roumieh as prisoner demanded better conditions at the facility. Security forces soon intervened to contain the unrest and listen to the inmates' demands.

Security Forces End Roumieh Riot amid Torture Scandal
Naharnet/June23/15/Security forces succeeded on Tuesday in containing a riot that has erupted at Roumieh Prison, two days after a torture scandal hit the facility.The forces restored order at the jail after listening to the inmates' demands, said MTV. Media had reported earlier that the prisoners had broken down the doors of their cells and beat other inmates. The rioters at the facility's Block A reportedly demanded better conditions. Among them are convicted drug traffickers from the Shamas family. Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq's adviser on prisons, Brig. Gen. Monir Shaaban, and several top security officials rushed to the facility to hear their demands.An ISF special panthers unit was also deployed near Roumieh on the outskirts of Beirut to stop the riot from going out of control. On Sunday, online video clips showed prison guards beating Islamists in Roumieh's Block B.The video drew sharp condemnation and accusations among politicians from the rival March 8 and 14 alliances on who stood behind the leak. The clips show a room full of detainees stripped down to their underwear. In one clip, a guard beats a detainee on his back with what looks like a green hose. He yells "keep quiet" at the screaming detainee. Another clip shows a second guard taunting and insulting a bearded detainee while hitting him. The detainee begs for mercy and later a voice, presumably of another guard, is heard ordering the inmate to kiss the man beating him. He is kicked in the face when he attempts it.The detainees shown were handcuffed behind their back while squatting on a flooded floor.

Geagea: New President is Solution to All Crises, Only Army Can Defend
Naharnet/June23/15/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea noted Tuesday that the election of a new president would resolve the country's growing political crisis, as he stressed that only the army should be entrusted with defending the country.
“If the obstruction of the presidential election is causing governmental crises, then the solution is not further obstruction but rather the immediate election of a president who would restore the regularity of the work of the government, the parliament and the rest of institutions,” said Geagea at an LF ceremony in Maarab. “They speak of a strong president while they are impeding the presidential vote, which leaves us without a presidency or a president -- neither a strong one, nor moderate, nor weak,” Geagea added.
He slammed the rival camp for turning the state into a “weak state” and for pushing citizens to a “state of instability at the political, security, economic and social levels.”The cabinet has been paralyzed since early June when Prime Minister Tammam Salam suspended the sessions over a dispute on the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials. The parliament has also been paralyzed over a dispute between the rival MPs on the presidential elections. Their rivalry has left Baabda Palace vacant since the expiry of President Michel Suleiman's term in May last year.Turning to the security and military affairs, Geagea accused Hizbullah without naming it of “manipulating the country's borders in a manner that suits its regional policies.”“We did not create a national Lebanese army comprising tens of thousands of soldiers to allow armed groups and brigades to be in charge of protecting us,” the LF leader said. “The Lebanese army is our only fortress for defending the country,” he added.

Mustaqbal Bloc Voices Support for 'Measures' of Mashnouq, Rifi after Roumieh Scandal
Naharnet/June23/15/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday voiced support for “the measures taken by Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi” to address the situations in Lebanese prisons in the wake of the abuse videos that were leaked from Roumieh.The bloc “joins its voice to their voices and to the voice of the vast majority of Lebanese in their demand for pressing on with the investigation in a transparent and strict manner,” it said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. Al-Mustaqbal also called for “a fair trial for the perpetrators of this crime,” urging “accountability and the severest penalties.”Both Mashnouq and Rifi have pledged accountability and announced the detention of five ISF personnel, after videos of security guards abusing Roumieh prison inmates went viral on social networking websites.The two videos, apparently filmed on cellphones, appear to show guards at the prison humiliating detainees and beating them with plastic pipes.The abuse took place around two months ago, according to Mashnouq, which prompted observers to question the timing of the leaks. Some observers and media outlets have speculated that Rifi might be involved in the leaks with the aim of tarnishing Mashnouq's reputation and standing as interior minister. Mashnouq and Rifi are both members of al-Mustaqbal movement and observers see them as potential candidates to the post of prime minister. However, Mashnouq dismissed the media reports as baseless on Monday and Rifi stressed Tuesday that his relation with the interior minister is excellent, accusing Hizbullah of being behind the leaks. Al-Mustaqbal bloc also lauded Mashnouq's decision to ask the International Committee of the Red Cross to inspect Lebanon's prisons and his efforts to “improve the conditions of the prisons in a manner that fully respects human rights.”The bloc called for “improving the law and regulations governing prisons in Lebanon,” stressing the need to “quickly establish a national commission for the prevention of torture, in line with the international treaty on combating torture.”Turning to the issue of the presidential vacuum, al-Mustaqbal called on MPs and political forces to “realize the important and need to elect a president in the 25th (electoral) session scheduled for tomorrow.”“Failure to do that would dangerously aggravate the constitutional, security, economic and social crises that the country is going through,” the bloc warned.The cabinet has been paralyzed since early June when Prime Minister Tammam Salam suspended the sessions over a dispute on the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials. The parliament has also been paralyzed over a dispute between the rival MPs on the presidential elections.Their rivalry has left Baabda Palace vacant since the expiry of President Michel Suleiman's term in May last year.

Lebanon's Cabinet Session Looming on the Horizon
Naharnet/23 June/15 /Prime Minister Tammam Salam is setting the agenda of a cabinet session that he intends to chair next week following an agreement with Speaker Nabih Berri, An Nahar daily reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said that Salam's move comes amid the launching of consultations to hold an extraordinary parliamentary session. The cabinet has been paralyzed since early June when Salam suspended the sessions over a dispute on the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials. Free Patriotic Movement ministers have warned they would boycott any session whose agenda is not topped by the appointments. But Education Minister Elias Bou Saab, who is an FPM member, said on Monday that the movement's ministers would attend any session that Salam calls for. The parliament has also been paralyzed over a dispute between the rival MPs on the presidential elections. Their rivalry has left Baabda Palace vacant since the expiry of President Michel Suleiman's term in May last year. Several blocs have also warned that they would boycott a parliamentary session if Speaker Nabih Berri fails to put on its agenda draft-laws that they deem essential.

Rifi Slams Hizbullah, Says Prison Video Targets Moderate Sunnis
Naharnet/23 June/15 /Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi has accused Hizbullah of seeking to create differences between him and Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq following a scandal at the country's largest and most infamous prison. “This campaign aims at targeting the moderate Sunnis, their unity and leadership,” said Rifi in comments published in several local newspapers on Tuesday. “They have been launching a campaign for the past three months to shove me into a dispute with Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq,” he said. Rifi's remarks came two days after videos emerged showing guards beating detainees at Roumieh prison. Pro-Hizbullah al-Akhbar newspaper accused the justice minister on Monday of leaking the video to avenge al-Mashnouq, whom he reportedly sees as a moderate and not acting in favor of Roumieh prison's Islamists. “The trumpets of Hizbullah and (Syrian President) Bashar Assad are stupid because they haven't learned from the past when for long eight years they tried to stir problems between me and Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan,” Rifi said. “They eventually failed in reaching their objectives,” he told the newspapers. Al-Hasan was the chief of the Intelligence Bureau of the Internal Security Forces who was killed in a bombing in Beirut's Ashrafieh district in 2012.

Intelligence Branch Chief Vows to Stop 'Roumieh Emirate' Rise
Naharnet/23 June/15 /Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch chief Maj. Gen. Imad Othman has said he would not allow the so-called Roumieh Emirate to reappear. “No matter how much sacrifices we make, I will not allow the return of the Roumieh Emirate which has been abolished irretrievably,” Othman told al-Mustaqbal newspaper published on Tuesday. His comments came against the backdrop of a scandal at Roumieh prison where guards were seen in online video clips beating Islamists. Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq in January ordered the clearing of Roumieh's Block B after years of warnings that the overcrowded section served as a meeting point for militants to plot attacks and strengthen their networks. Prisoners in that block were known to call into Lebanese television talk shows using smuggled mobile phones. There were even reports that the Islamists were plotting with militants from outside the prison to attack the facility and control it. Since the decision was taken to clear the block and “since we succeeded in carrying out the security operation in it earlier this year, the parties that were damaged by our professionalism sought to revive the Emirate,” said Othman. Othman said he wants to remind everyone that the Intelligence Branch is making sacrifices for the country and has stopped many criminals.
Intelligence officers have also contributed to confronting terrorism, he added.

Saqr Charges Five Guards for Roumieh Prison Abuse
Naharnet/23 June/15 /State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Tuesday five guards for abusing inmates in Roumieh Prison. He has since referred the case to the first military investigation judge. The suspects has been questioned by General Prosecutor Judge Samir Hammoud. Hammoud kept the five suspects in custody and ordered that the file be referred to Saqr to take the appropriate measures with regards to issuing charges against them. The Roumieh Prison guards were seen in online video clips on Sunday beating Islamists. Roumieh is Lebanon's largest prison and has long been infamous for the poor conditions in some of its blocks, including overcrowding and harsh treatment. Other parts of it, however, had become virtual no-go zones for security, with prisoners running their affairs and able to access laptops, phones and money, until security forces cleared Roumieh's Block B in January. Hammoud told An Nahar daily published on Tuesday that the torture of the three inmates as seen in the video clips was motivated by personal reasons. The beating of the prisoners was not ordered by any side, he said. According to An Nahar, two of the guards beat the inmates while a third recorded the assault on a mobile phone. The two other guards have likely leaked the video, said the report.

Roumieh torture suspects referred to Military Tribunal
Youssef Diab/The Daily Star/June 23, 2015/BEIRUT: The case of five security officers accused of involvement in the Roumieh Prison torture scandal was referred to the Military Tribunal Tuesday after preliminary interrogations were finalized, a judicial source told The Daily Star. State Prosecutor Samir Hammoud asked investigators to wrap up preliminary interrogations with the five police officers arrested over alleged involvement in the torture of Islamist inmates, the source said. The men were referred to Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr who will evaluate the case before filing formal charges against them. Once charged, the men will be referred to Investigative Judge Riyad Abu Ghayda who will issue their official arrest warrants. The five police officers include two who carried out the beatings, one who filmed the incidents and two others who knew about them but failed to come forward, Hammoud told The Daily Star Monday. Hammoud said the last two had also received and published photos of the incident online. Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said the videos were filmed when security forces quelled riots by Islamist inmates in April.

Hezbollah, Syrian army take 3 hills in north Qalamoun
The Daily Star/ June 23, 2015/BEIRUT: Hezbollah and the Syrian army captured new hills from militants Tuesday in Syria's northern Qalamoun, Al-Manar said.
The Hezbollah-run station reported that party fighters and their Syrian allies captured several posts on the outskirts of the government-held village of Jarajeer. They seized Shubat al-Bakara, Thalajat al-Burkan and Qurnat Shubat al-Shakara, the report said.
The Nusra Front declared earlier Tuesday on Twitter that it destroyed a tank operated by Hezbollah on the outskirts of the Syrian town of Flita with a Kornet missile, and another vehicle on Arsal's outskirts with a Konkurs missile. On Monday, Hezbollah and the Syrian army thwarted an ISIS attack in northern Qalamoun, inflicting casualties among the ranks of the group. They have been battling against militants in the Qalamoun region since May 4. Earlier this month, Hezbollah advanced into Arsal’s outskirts from the south and east, tightening the noose around Nusra Front militants encamped in the area. North of Arsal, Hezbollah is engaged in fighting with ISIS for control of the outskirts of Ras Baalbek, a Lebanese Christian border town. After taking over Flita, Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched an offensive to take the outskirts of Jarajeer, which is south of Flita and southeast of Arsal.

Roumieh inmates riot to demand WiFi, cell phones
The Daily Star/ Jun. 23, 2015/BEIRUT: Inmates demanding WiFi and cell phones rioted inside a Roumieh Prison facility Tuesday, a security source told The Daily Star, prompting security forces to intervene. The source said the Interior Ministry's adviser for prisoner affairs, Mounir Shaaban, the head of the ISF’s prison command George Elias and the ISF’s Mount Lebanon bureau chief Jihad Hoyaek were called in to oversee negotiations with the prisoners. Police had sent reinforcements to try to quell the riot, the source added. He said drug convicts orchestrated the riot to demand improved conditions in the prison's Block A. Among their demands are communication technologies including Internet and cell phones, the source said. The violence comes days after videos leaked online showing members of Lebanon’s Internal Security Officers torturing inmates in the prison, but it was not clear if Tuesday's riot is related to the scandal. The riot comes on the same day that the head of the Internal Security Force’s Information Branch vowed to block attempts to usher Lebanon’s largest prison back to an era of impunity. Roumieh Prison has been the scene of repeated riots in past years, with inmates protesting crowded cells and slow trials. The largest riot occurred in April 2011, when inmates set their beds on fire and broke down cell doors to protest poor living conditions. Roumieh’s notorious Block B building was temporarily emptied and shut down after a large-scale police operation in January. Inmates had enjoyed relative autonomy in Block B and prevented security forces from entering. After the clearing operation took place, television footage showed that prisoners had no cell doors and operated a barber shop and a coffee shop in Block B. Footage also showed inmates in Block B had a large amount of electronic equipment, including TV sets and mobile phones.

Baghdadi’s ex-wife gives birth in Lebanese hospital: report
The Daily Star/ Jun. 23, 2015/BEIRUT: The ex-wife of ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who is formally under the custody of Lebanese authorities, allegedly gave birth at one of Lebanon's military hospitals, pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat reported Tuesday.
The daily cited judicial sources as saying that Iraqi national Saja Hamid al-Dulaimi, who was three weeks pregnant from her Palestinian husband Kamal Khalaf when arrested in November last year, gave birth at a military hospital in Lebanon. The report did not mention when the woman gave birth. The infant is reportedly still with Dulaimi at a General Security detention center. Dulaimi, one of Baghdadi’s wives, was married to him for a short period six years ago. She was detained with her daughter in north Lebanon after she was found carrying a fake passport. Al-Hayat said Khalaf remains at large, despite previous reports saying that he was detained along with his wife. The last audio message purportedly from Baghdadi came in November, days after Iraqi officials said he was wounded in an airstrike on an Iraqi town near the Syrian border. Baghdadi has only appeared in public once, in a video showing him delivering a Friday sermon in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul last July, shortly after it was captured by his group.

Police intelligence chief: No return to Roumieh impunity
The Daily Star/ Jun. 23, 2015/BEIRUT: The head of the Internal Security Force’s Information Branch vowed to block attempts to usher Lebanon’s largest prison back to an era of impunity, five months after security forces first stormed the notorious facility. “We will not allow a return to the emirate that is Roumieh [Prison] after it had been abolished irrevocably,” Brig. Gen. Imad Othman told the Al-Mustaqbal newspaper Tuesday. “No matter what sacrifices this might require.” The conditions in Roumieh Prison came under scrutiny this week after footage leaked online showing ISF officers torturing inmates. The videos, according to Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, were filmed when security forces quelled riots by Islamist inmates in April. Five ISF officers were arrested this week over the case. Othman asserted that all those who are proven to have been involved in the torture of inmates will be subject to arrest and will face strict punitive measures. He revealed that investigations into similar cases of torture were carried out in the previous month, noting that the perpetrators faced strict punishment. The Information Branch chief accused the media of depicting the ISF negatively following the extensive coverage of the torture incident. He said in the past when mistakes would happen, the bureau would admit to the fault and correct it away from any media attention. Roumieh’s notorious Block B building was temporarily emptied and shut down after a large-scale police operation in January. Inmates had enjoyed relative autonomy in Block B and prevented security forces from entering.
After the clearing operation took place, television footage showed that prisoners had no cell doors and operated a barber shop and a coffee shop in Block B. Footage also showed inmates in Block B had a large amount of electronic equipment, including TV sets and mobile phones. Some of the prisoners are members of Islamist fundamentalist groups and had also been imposing Shariah law inside Block B, reports said. Roumieh Prison has been the scene of repetitive riots in past years, with inmates protesting crowded cells and slow trials. The largest riot occurred in April 2011, when inmates set their beds on fire and broke down cell doors, in protest over subpar living conditions.

Lebanon authorities arrest 4 Syrians accused of forging entry documents
The Daily Star/June 23, 2015/BEIRUT: Lebanon's State Security Tuesday detained a group of Syrians accused of forging General Security seals, several months after the government imposed tough entry restrictions on Syrian nationals. The four Syrians were detained in the southeastern district of Rashaya, media reports said. They were only identified by their initials M.Kh., R.Kh., N.A. and A.M. The Cabinet in October voted to stop accepting Syrian refugees escaping their four-year-long war because of the heavy burden it was placing on Lebanon. And in January, Lebanon began requiring visas for Syrians entering the country, eliminating one of the few routes left for Syrians fleeing the brutal conflict, which has displaced one-third of Syria’s population. The restrictions are the first in the history of the two countries and come as Lebanon struggles to deal with the estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees in a country with a native population of about 4 million. For months, the government has sounded the alarm, warning the international community that it could no longer deal with the influx.

Lebanese terrorist Kuntar blamed for inciting Druse violence on Golan
L.Post/YOSSI MELMAN, NOAM AMIR/MAARIV HASHAVUA/06/23/2015
Samir Kuntar, the Lebanese Druse terrorist who was incarcerated for 29 years in Israel for murder and then released in a prisoner swap with Hezbollah in 2008, is responsible for whipping up violence among Druse on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights, community leaders charged on Tuesday. The comments came less than a day after Golan Druse carried out what Israeli authorities have termed “a lynching” of a wounded Syrian who was being transported by an IDF ambulance across the frontier late Monday.
The incident shocked Israel’s defense and political establishments, who have called for calm while taking pains to remind the Druse of the state’s historic commitment to their well-being. “The man who is behind the incident that is fueling the violent events here is Samir Kuntar,” said Jabber Hamud, the head of the Sagur regional council who also serves as the chairman of the Druse and Circassian local councils. “We’ve known this for some time, and I call on the heads of the defense establishment to do all that is necessary.”
After his release from an Israeli prison Kuntar became a senior official in Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi'ite movement. He was put in charge of the Syrian part of the Golan Heights, with a special emphasis on the Druse community there in particular. According to Israeli military sources Kuntar commanded in the past months a few terrorist attacks against Israeli soldiers in the area. Hamud was speaking at a meeting of Druse community leaders in the village of Nabi Shu'ayb, a holy shrine of the Druze community. The meeting was also attended by prominent Druse from the Golan Heights, including the Druse border village of Majdal Shams, where the lynch occurred. The Druse leadership called the meeting to convey the message that they do not share the view that Israel is aiding Nusra Front jihadists in Syria, (a local al-Qaida branch) as some have accused it of doing in recent weeks. Deputy Minister Ayoob Kara, who is of Druse descent, sought to communicate the government’s position that Israel’s treatment of Syrians is a purely humanitarian matter.
A military source told The Jerusalem Post late Tuesday that the wounded Syrians who were attacked on the Golan Heights were not members of Nusra Front. “As an Israeli Druse, I am spurred to answer the call to assist our Druse brothers in Syria,” said Salman Amar, the head of the Julis regional council. “We will do everything in our power to help them defend themselves against any attempt to butcher them solely because of their Druse background.”
“Thus far, almost 1,500 Druse have been killed in fighting in Syria, and we here did not say a word about it because the dead were soldiers and officers and fighters,” he said. “But once the community became a target for liquidation solely because of their Druse ethnicity, we cannot sit idly by. We will do what we can to protect them.”
Despite the emotionally charged atmosphere, Amar called on his fellow Druse to obey the law. “The State of Israel is a country of laws, and everyone who breaks the law must be put on trial,” he said. “I call on the Israel Police not to hesitate in bringing the criminals to justice.”“Whoever attacks an IDF vehicle is a terrorist, and the attack was a terrorist act,” he said. “Whoever raises a hand to an IDF soldier must have that hand cut off, whether it is an extremist Druse, a Jewish fanatic, or a nationalist Arab. I will be a bitter enemy of whoever attacks the IDF, and it doesn’t matter what the excuse is.” Kara told The Jerusalem Post that those responsible for the violence are “just a tiny minority” of the 15,000 Druse residents of Majdal Shams “who for a while now have been incited by the Assad regime in Syria as well as by Hezbollah, who have been disseminating deceitful propaganda about Israel’s supposed cooperation with Nusra Front.”The goal of the campaign, according to Kara, is “to drag Israel into the civil war in Syria and to further divide the Druse community.”
Sources well-versed in the subject say that residents of the Syrian Druse town of Khader on the Syrian side of the Golan , two kilometers from Majdal Shams have been told that no harm will come to them so long as they remain neutral in the civil war.
Nonetheless, there remain pockets of Khader that are solidly supportive of the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and even serve in its army. It is known that Syrian intelligence officers maintain a presence in the village, and there are quite a number of residents who enjoy either direct or indirect financial support from Damascus. That gives the Druse monetary incentive to back Assad.
The rebels fighting Assad have no desire to occupy the village. Instead, their goal is to gain control over the entire swath of area stretching from Khader to Damascus. In recent weeks, fierce gun battles have been reported on the main highway connecting Khader to Khan Arnabeh. Israel's strategy, however, remains the same as it has been for the duration the 50-months-long bloody civil war - to stay out and not intervene as long as peace, calm, and tranquility is maintained along the Israeli-Syrian border.

EU Urges 'Decisive Action' to Elect New President
Naharnet/23 June/15 /EU foreign ministers have “strongly” reiterated their call on all the rival political parties to “take decisive action” to elect a new president and put Lebanon's stability and national interest ahead of partisan politics. “The EU restates its call to all members of the parliament to uphold Lebanon's long-standing democratic tradition and to convene to elect a president without further delay in line with the Constitution,” the ministers said on Monday following a meeting they held in Luxembourg.“It is of utmost importance that all parties uphold the Constitution, fully implement the Taef Agreement, and the National Pact,” they said. Their closing statement warned that “the protracted presidential vacuum increasingly poses severe risks for the country as a whole.” Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Suleiman's six-year tenure ended in May 2014. “The deepening crisis has further undermined the functioning of the institutions,” said the foreign ministers. They reiterated their support for the efforts of Prime Minister Tammam Salam to “govern under difficult circumstances” and called on all the parties to enable the government to function properly, including the appointment of high-ranking officials. The statement welcomed recent steps to foster dialogue and conciliation among the rival parties and encouraged all sides to step up efforts in that regard. The EU also urged the parliament to meet for urgent legislative matters, including the implementation of international aid.

Australia Attempts to Verify Lebanese Terrorist's Death in Iraq
Naharnet/23 June/15 /Reports that a Lebanese-Australian terrorist, notorious for holding up the severed heads of Syrian victims, has been killed fighting in Iraq have raised the potential for his young family to be repatriated from the Middle East, Australia's foreign minister said on Tuesday. Australian intelligence agencies were attempting to verify the recent deaths of Australians Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar in the Islamic State-held city of Mosul in Iraq, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said. Both men were seen in photographs posted on social media holding heads of Syrians. Fairfax Media newspapers reported last month that the Australian family of Sharrouf's Muslim-convert wife, Tara Nettleton, was trying to help her bring her three young boys and two teenage daughters from Syria home to Sydney. Sharrouf's 7-year-old son horrified the world a year ago when he was photographed holding the severed head of a Syrian soldier by the hair. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry described it as "one of the most disturbing, stomach-turning, grotesque photographs ever displayed." Bishop said the Sharrouf's death would have to be verified before Australia considers repatriating the family. "We understand that there are family members in Syria or Iraq and should these reports be verified, then we will try to be in contact with them," Bishop told Australian Broadcasting Corp. But the government will not guarantee that the family can return. "It would depend very much on the circumstances and the advice that we receive from our intelligence agencies at the time," Bishop told ABC.
Sydney-born Sharrouf, who was also a Lebanese national, was a prime target of legislation to be introduced to Parliament this week that would allow terrorists who are dual nationals to be stripped of their Australian citizenship. The government estimates that up to half the Australians who have traveled to Iraq and Syria to fight for the Islamic State movement are dual citizens. The government has also passed contentious new laws that make it a criminal offense to even visit Mosul or the Islamic State movement's Syrian stronghold of al-Raqqa province, where the Sharrouf family was thought to be based. Sharrouf was among nine Muslim men accused in 2007 of stockpiling bomb-making materials and plotting terrorist attacks in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's largest cities. He pleaded guilty to terrorism offenses in 2009 and served less than four years in prison. Sharrouf slipped out of Australia in late 2013 using his brother's passport because his own had been canceled. Nettleton later took their children to Syria to reunite with her husband. Nettleton's father, Peter Nettleton, said his son-in-law's reported death filled him with joy. "I was ecstatic when I heard he was dead. It's great news." Peter Nettleton told The Daily Telegraph newspaper. Associated Press

ISIS destroys ancient Islamic mausoleums in Palmyra
Agence France Presse/The Daily Star/ Jun. 23, 2015/DAMASCUS: ISIS fighters have destroyed two ancient Muslim mausoleums in the historic Syrian city of Palmyra, the country's antiquities director said Tuesday. Maamoun Abdulkarim said ISIS jihadis blew up the tombs of Mohammad bin Ali, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed's cousin, and Nizar Abu Bahaaeddine, a religious figure from Palmyra, three days ago. Bin Ali's burial place is located in a mountainous region four kilometers (almost three miles) north of Palmyra, in central Syria.Photos published by ISIS depicted two armed men carrying canisters, apparently filled with explosives, walking up the rocky hill to the site. Abu Bahaaeddine's tomb, nestled in a leafy oasis about 500 meters (yards) from Palmyra's ancient ruins, is said to be more than five centuries old. ISIS has destroyed at least 50 mausoleums dating between 100-200 years old in the regions under its control in north and east Syria, the antiquities director said. "They consider these Islamic mausoleums to be against their beliefs, and they ban all visits to these sites," Abulkarim said. Ten days ago, fighters from the jihadi group also destroyed a number of tombstones at a cemetery for Palmyra residents, Abulkarim told AFP. "All tombs with marble designs were destroyed. For them, graves should not be visible," he said. The extremist group captured Palmyra, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site, from pro-government forces on May 21. At the weekend, ISIS fighters mined the city's ancient site, renewing fears that they would demolish the famed ruins as they have other historic sites in Iraq. Syria's army has advanced in recent days west of the city, near key oil and gas fields.

Syrian state media praises Druze attack on Israeli ambulance
Tom PerryMaayan Lubell/Reuters/The Daily Star/ Jun. 23, 2015/BEIRUT: Syrian state media praised Druze villagers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights Tuesday for attacking an Israeli military ambulance they said was carrying two insurgents from a group fighting President Bashar al-Assad. The Israeli army said one of the men in the ambulance was killed as a result of the attack it described as a lynching. The incident in the Golan village of Majdal Shams overlooking Syrian territory was the second attack by Druze on an Israeli army ambulance in less than 24 hours. It reflected rising Druze agitation over what the community sees as Israel's failure to help embattled Druze brethren in Syria while offering medical aid to Syrian civilians and combatants who include anti-Assad fighters.
Insurgent advances towards Druze areas in southern Syria and a mass killing of Druze by Nusra Front fighters in the northwest have fuelled fears among the minority. Concern has also rippled through Lebanon and Israel, which both have Druze communities. A report on state news agency SANA described the Druze villagers as "heroic Syrian young men" and identified the insurgents as members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. SANA said the Druze had inflicted "the punishment on them for their participation in the aggression on the mother homeland, Syria, and its people." The Israeli military declined to elaborate on the identities of the Syrians who were in the ambulance. Speaking on Israel's Army Radio, Brigadier-General Moti Almoz said: "About 100 people stormed the wounded people and as a result of this contact the injured men's condition deteriorated and one of them died - this was a lynching, yes." He said the men in the ambulance were Syrian citizens injured in Syrian civil war fighting, but did not explicitly say whether they were fighters or civilians. Insurgents last week launched a new offensive against the Syrian military and allied militia in the southwestern province of Quneitra, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Their advance near the Druze village of Hader has compounded Druze concerns that their minority faces a risk from the insurgency. Nusra Front fighters earlier this month shot dead at least 20 Druze villagers in the northwestern province of Idlib. An alliance of rebels who profess a secular vision for Syria say they launched the latest Quneitra offensive and have excluded the Nusra Front from the fighting. Nusra does however have a presence in the south. The Druze practice a religion that is an offshoot of Islam and seen as heretical by the puritanical brand of Sunni Islamism espoused by Al-Qaeda.

'Titanic' music composer Horner dies in plane crash
Agence France Presse/June 23, 2015/LOS ANGELES: James Horner, the celebrated composer of several Hollywood smash-hit films including "Titanic" and "Avatar," died Monday in a plane crash at the age of 61, US media reported. Hollywood trade magazine Variety reported the composer died when his personal aircraft crashed in Santa Barbara, California. "Brilliant Composer James Horner, friend & collaborator on 7 movies has tragically died in a plane crash. My heart aches for his loved ones," wrote director and colleague Ron Howard on Twitter. Horner won two Oscars for his work on historical drama "Titanic." One for the song "My Heart Will Go On" performed by Celine Dion and the other for the film's score. He was also nominated for an Academy Award on numerous other blockbuster movies including "Apollo 13," "Braveheart" and "Field of Dreams." His first nomination came in 1986 for heart-pounding science fiction film "Aliens" Horner's most recent Oscar nomination was for the 2009 sci-fi epic "Avatar," directed by James Cameron. American film touchstones of the 1990s such as "Patriot Games," "Searching for Bobby Fischer" and "Jumanji" were also composed by Horner. Top actors and directors in the television and film world paid tribute to Horner online. "Incredibly saddened to hear about the loss of James Horner. I grew up loving his work. He leaves behind a spectacular musical legacy," television series creator Seth MacFarlane tweeted. "There is nothing that shaped my movie-going experience more than the musical genius of James Horner. He will live on through the ages," tweeted actor Rob Lowe.

Iran passes bill threatening nuclear deal
AFP / Ynetnews/Published: 06.23.15/Israel News
Parliament moves to protect Iran's 'nuclear rights and achievments' by ruling out inspections of military sites; Rouhani claims bill is unconstitutional, limits his ability to negotiate with the West. Iran's parliament passed a bill Tuesday obliging the government to safeguard the country's "nuclear rights and achievements," despite talks with global powers on curbing the Islamic republic's disputed atomic program. The measure was met by anger from President Hassan Rouhani's government, with a spokesman saying the draft law was unconstitutional as it contravened the country's defense and security policies. The bill's adoption reflects tension between Rouhani, a moderate who aims to end Iran's diplomatic isolation, and a conservative-dominated legislature, where hardliners often dispute the worth of negotiations with the West. The bill, which still has to be signed into law by Iran's Guardian Council, says the government must "preserve the country's nuclear rights and achievements" and states that lawmakers have to approve any deal that may be struck with the West.
Some 214 lawmakers out of 244 present supported it, with 10 against, six abstentions and the remainder not voting. The vote came as hard bargaining over a final deal, due by June 30, was intensified by Britain and France, who reiterated that comprehensive inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities are essential compliance measures. The bill allows inspections of nuclear sites but not military or sensitive non-nuclear establishments - a stipulation likely to alarm Western powers given their longstanding suspicion that Iran seeks to develop an atomic bomb. Rouhani's spokesman, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, said: "This bill contradicts article 176 of the constitution. The issue of negotiations is in the sphere of the Supreme National Security Council... not the government or the parliament."
His comments came despite the bill being watered down on Sunday, with the task of supervising a nuclear deal being given to the SNSC, a committee ultimately controlled by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Parliament had wanted the right to have oversight on any nuclear agreement. Iran and the P5+1 powers - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany - agreed the outlines of the nuclear deal on April 2 after intensive talks went past a March 31 deadline. But roadblocks remain on both the details of the agreement and opposition to its measures from both US and Iranian lawmakers. In a measure similar to that taken in Tehran, President Barack Obama has given US lawmakers 30 days to review any nuclear deal. Obama, a Democrat, has faced persistent opposition to his outreach to Iran from Congress, which is controlled by Republicans, who by their right of review may try to block an agreement.  The speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, however has said its lawmakers will not stand in the way of any deal that Khamenei, who has the last word on all matters foreign and domestic, says is in Iran's interests. Iran has for years been faced with UN, EU and US sanctions that have ravaged its economy. A nuclear deal would lift them, though the timing of their removal remains in dispute. Iran denies its nuclear program has military objectives, insisting it is for purely peaceful energy development.

UN report gives Hezbollah the green light
Ron Ben-Yishai/Ynetnews/Published: 06.23.15/Israel Opinion
Analysis: A report which creates a moral and legal symmetry between Israel and Hamas cannot reflect reality, but its conclusion that the IDF made excessive use of fire should serve as a warning sign against what might happen to Israel in the international arena during the next Lebanon war. The main problem with the United Nations report on Operation Protective Edge is that it artificially tries to create a moral and legal symmetry between the State of Israel and the IDF – and Hamas and the other Palestinian organizations.
The report fails to mention the fact that Hamas is the one which opened fire and initiated the fighting, and it gives no weight to the fact that Israel did everything in its power to reach a ceasefire before moving on to a full-scale counterattack, including a ground offensive in the Strip. A second fact that the report does not emphasize sufficiently is that Hamas intentionally opened fire in order to harm Israeli civilians, while the IDF hurt those defined as "non-fighters" unintentionally and did everything in its power to minimize the number of civilian casualties. This fact makes all the difference between Hamas' intention to target Israeli civilians indiscriminately – children, women, adults and elderly people – and the IDF's sincere effort to avoid hurting a non-fighting population.
The third main flaw in the report is the attempt to compare Hamas, which intentionally used a non-fighting civilian population as a human shield not only for its fighters but also for its rocket and mortar launchers, to the IDF, which – if it did actually use this measure – did it in few cases and locally, and the matter is now being investigated by military advocate general.
The report's biggest fault is ignoring these three fundamental issues, and when this is the leading trend in the report's wording, that there are two sides here with the same combat ethics and the same operational procedures, the report can no longer reflect reality.
The UN Human Rights Council's report does include, however, one issue which deserves our attention – the IDF's excessive use of fire from the air, from the ground and from the sea in order to minimize the number of casualties among our forces.
The sensitivity towards casualties among an army's forces is not unique to the IDF. The Americans, the British and the French all did that before us, starting with the atom bomb dropped by the United States at the end of World War II to the American forces' pullout from Afghanistan late last year.
The fire is becoming more accurate, which allegedly means that much fewer uninvolved people should have been hurt, but at the same time the arms have become more lethal, leading to civilian casualties. The committee notes that the arms used by the IDF in Gaza are legal under international law, but claims that the excessive use of these arms, especially inaccurate artillery fire, led to a large number of casualties among non-fighting civilians.  This problem, as I said, exists in all Western armies which prefer to minimize the risk to their soldiers' lives, even if it means increasing the risk to a non-fighting civilian population. That's why it's so important in such wars to see who initiated them. Israel clearly tried to avoid entering Operation Protective Edge, and Hamas – which began bombarding Beersheba and Tel Aviv - brought a disaster on itself.  But the problem is a problem, and the UN committee fails to explain why an Israeli soldier has to get killed because Hamas chose to locate its launchers and tunnels in the heart of Gaza's Saja'iyya neighborhood. The report also fails to explain how Israel could have destroyed the tunnels, which put the Gaza vicinity communities in danger, without trying to bomb them from the air as a first preventive measure.
Israel will get through this report
Nonetheless, we cannot settle for a self-righteous statement that the report is just as biased as we expected, and tell ourselves that the entire world is against us and wait for the storm to pass over our heads. Mainly because of the next war.  We will somehow get through the "second Goldstone report" which hit us on Monday, because the important thing for the Americans right now is that Israel won't torpedo their negotiations with Iran, and they will support us at the UN. But the report's conclusions serve as a flickering warning sign against what might happen to us in the international arena if a war breaks out in the north with Hezbollah or with Hezbollah and the Syrians. Hezbollah has placed a considerable part of its heavy rockets and missiles inside houses. The heavy rockets and missiles have become the Shiites' subtenants south of Zahrani. IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has warned that in the next Lebanon war, Israel will require a million and a half Lebanese to vacate their homes in order to handle the missiles and rockets hidden in those homes, in urban neighborhoods and villages south of Beirut.
The question is what will happen if these million and a half Lebanese don't vacate their homes as required or if Hezbollah prevents them from leaving and some of them remain in the houses – will the Air Force avoid bombing those houses?
The UN report on Operation Protective Edge explicitly states that the fact that the IDF warned the residents of neighborhood in Gaza to vacate their homes, and that some of them did not leave, makes the IDF responsible for the death of many of them. The report also implies that these were war crimes committed by the IDF. Imagine what will happen when are fired on from Lebanon, and the Air Force and ground forces embark on a mission to oppress the heavy and destructive fire hitting the Israeli home front.
The UN report on Operation Protective Edge should concern us not because it will isolate us in the international arena and maybe get us involved in investigations and trials at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, but mainly because this report points to the fact that the IDF will have a big problem with the basis of the operation it is planning. If nothing radical is done in the international arena to neutralize the effect of the "second Goldstone report," this report may critically erode Israel's ability to defend itself in the next war, whether it erupts in the north or in the south.

Netanyahu : We will capture those from Druze lynch mob
Ynetnews/Hasaan Shalaan, Itamar Eichner/Published: 06.23.15/Israel News
Netanyahu takes harsh stance against those who 'take the law into their own hands' in wake of Druze attack on an IDF ambulance; 'We are not part of the anarchy that's spreading around us.'Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed rising tensions in Israel's northern Druze communities Tuesday morning at an international cyber conference, saying that authorities wound capture those responsible for a Druze lynch mob that attacked an IDF ambulance on Monday night, wounding two soldiers and killing a Syrian rebel who was enroute to a hospital. "We are a State of laws," said Netanyahu. "We are not part of the anarchy that's spreading around us. We won't let anyone take the law into their hands; we won't let anyone interfere in the missions of IDF soldiers." One of the soldiers who was wounded in the incident saw an improvement in his medical condition overnight and was expected to be released from Rambam hospital on Tuesday. The wounded Syrian who survived the attack with serious wounds was considered stable after an operation late Monday night. "I call on the leaders of the Druze community, which is a magnificent community with which we have brotherhood, I call on them to calm things down and say to every Druze citizen in Israel, respect the law, respect the soldiers, do not take the law into their own hands - this is what I ask our fellow Druze; this is what I ask from every citizen in the State of Israel," said Netanyahu. Members of the Druze community however, threatened Tuesday morning that they would continue preventing ambulances transporting wounded Syrian rebels to Israeli hospitals. The Druze claim that Israel is caring for rebels from the al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front group, which recently killed some 20 ethic Druze in Syria. Many of Israel's Druze have family and friends across the Golan border and have been calling on Israel to provide them humanitarian and even military aid over the last few weeks. One Druze resident in the Golan Heights told Ynet, "The incident yesterday happened because of the anger about the murder of our Druze brothers in Syria and the help that Israel is giving to the Nusra Front who are behind the murder of our family members. We, the Syrian Druze, hope for peace and don't want problems but when we are attacked we one sit in silence."

George Galloway’s Next Stop?
Samuel Westrop/Gatestone Institute
June 23, 2015
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6004/george-galloway
Galloway was expelled from the Labour Party in 2003 after an internal inquiry found that he had “incited Arabs to fight British troops,” and “incited British troops to defy orders.”
If Galloway were elected Mayor of London, there is also the possibility that Islamist operatives would be appointed to important political positions, further legitimizing extremist control over London’s Muslims.
“I am indebted more than I can say, more than it would be wise for me to say, to the Islamic Forum of Europe. I believe they played the decisive role, undoubtedly decisive in this historic victory.” — George Galloway, after his election to Parliament in 2005.
On May 7, the British Respect Party politician George Galloway lost his parliamentary seat of Bradford West. Despite winning a 2012 election with 55.9% of the vote, Galloway received only 21.2% in last month’s elections, thereby losing decisively to his opponent, the Labour Party’s Naseem Shah.
Galloway’s defeat was met with some applause. People cheered for different reasons. For Bradford’s electorate, it was Galloway’s voting attendance in parliament: the third-lowest of all Britain’s MPs. For the Jewish community, it was Galloway’s reputation as Britain’s most pro-Hamas, anti-Israel politician. For women’s rights activists, it was Galloway’s claim that the rape allegations against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was all simply a case of “bad sexual etiquette.” And for opponents of the Syrian and Iranian regimes, it was Galloway’s paid employment by the Iranian state-owned television station, Press TV, as well as the pro-Assad and pro-Hezbollah station, Al Mayadeen.
Galloway is well aware of his detractors, whom he condemns in colourful terms. After his defeat, he declared: “The venal and the vile, the racists and the Zionists will all be celebrating. The hyena can dance on the lion’s grave, but it can never be a lion.”
Galloway is also known for his support of totalitarian regimes. In 2013, after he asked David Cameron why the British government was supporting the “bloodthirsty” Syrian opposition, the Prime Minister responded: “Some things come and go, but one thing is certain. Wherever there is a brutal Arab dictator in the world, he’ll have the support of the honourable gentleman.”
Although Galloway has lost his parliamentary seat, this is by no means the end of his political career. As his biographer notes: “He has dedicated himself to politics, but it’s his job, his bread and butter, and he won’t be wanting to retire any time soon.”
Galloway’s concession speech on May 7, in fact, concluded with the promise: “I’m going off now to plan my next campaign.”
The next campaign, Galloway revealed a few weeks later, is the 2016 London mayoral race.
In an interview with the BBC, Galloway explained:
“It’s been a very good start. 20,000 people have signed up for the campaign in three days. … I’ve lived in London for 35 years … I have every right to put my hat in the ring here. And all the signs are that it’s, if I dare use this metaphor, putting the cat among the pigeons.”
Unlike most MPs, since 1987, Galloway has served as MP for four separate constituencies, in Scotland, London and Bradford. He was expelled from the Labour Party in 2003, after an internal inquiry found that he had “incited Arabs to fight British troops,” and “incited British troops to defy orders.”
After being expelled, Galloway founded the Respect Party, which journalist Nick Cohen of The Observer described as an “alliance… between the Trotskyist far left and the Islamic far right.”
For the 2005 election, Galloway set his political sights on Bethnal Green and Bow, an East London constituency with a high proportion of Muslim residents. Cashing in on his “anti-war” reputation, Galloway rallied Islamist organizations to his cause.
Britain’s most prominent Muslim Brotherhood organization, the Muslim Association of Britain, put its full weight behind the Respect Party. It recruited Islamist campaigners and “well-connected local mosque workers” to campaign for Galloway.
Islamist groups belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami, the violent South Asian Islamist movement, also pledged their support. Activists from the Islamic Forum of Europe, the East London Mosque and the Young Muslim Organisation allied with “mostly white socialists to successfully campaign for the election of the Respect Party candidate.”
The black Jewish Labour candidate, Oona King, claimed that Respect Party campaigners had been warning residents not to vote for her because she is Jewish.
Galloway defeated the Labour candidate by a mere 823 votes. Nevertheless, by exploiting the sentiments of many in the Muslim community, and enlisting the support of some Islamist community organizers, it became clear that he could win elections in areas with large Muslim populations.
After the 2005 election, Galloway thanked the Islamic Forum of Europe for its support: “I am indebted more than I can say, more than it would be wise for me to say, to the Islamic Forum of Europe. I believe they played the decisive role, undoubtedly decisive in this historic victory.”
When he turned his attention to the northern city of Bradford in 2012, Galloway once again enlisted the support of Islamist groups. Members of the Islamic Forum of Europe campaigned for him, as did members of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC).
In 2012, the National Union of Students banned MPAC from taking part in events on university campuses. The All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism has condemned the group for promoting “the idea of a worldwide Zionist conspiracy, including the reproduction of articles originally published on neo-Nazi and Holocaust Denial websites.” MPAC has campaigned against other Labour MPs simply on the grounds that they were “Jewish.”
Faced with a significant number of Pakistani and Kashmiri Muslim voters, Galloway worked to tap religious and cultural tensions.
Galloway’s Respect Party won votes because it “simultaneously circumvented and harnessed” the biraderi system, a hierarchical arrangement of clan politics under which much of Britain’s Pakistani communities is organized. Galloway’s close aide, Ron McKay, told one journalist: “It would take me much longer than I’ve got to explain biraderi politics in Bradford, clan-based politics, and people actually do deliver 20, 30, 50 votes. Through their extended families, what tends to happen is, the kind of head of the household, or the kind of head of the clan, makes a decision how they’ll vote. … They deliver bundles of votes.”
The piety of Galloway’s opponent was also questioned. Anonymous election leaflets distributed in Bradford contained the text: “Let me point out to all the Muslim brothers and sisters what I stand for. I, George Galloway, do not drink alcohol and never have. Ask yourself if the other [Labour] candidate in this election can say that truthfully. I, George Galloway, have fought for the Muslims at home and abroad, all my life, and paid a price for it. I, George Galloway, hold Pakistan’s highest civil awards.”
Further, Galloway told a campaign rally: “I’m a better Pakistani than he [the Labour candidate] will ever be. God knows who’s a Muslim and who is not. And a man that’s never out of the pub shouldn’t be going around telling people you should vote for him because he’s a Muslim. A Muslim is ready to go to the US Senate, as I did, and to their face call them murderers, liars, thieves and criminals.”
Similar tactics were used in the 2015 elections. At an election hustings, Galloway accused the Labour candidate, Naseem Shah, of lying about her claim to have suffered a forced marriage. Galloway produced a nikah, an Islamic marriage certificate, to back up his claims. In response, Shah claimed that Galloway had sent someone to Pakistan to impersonate her dead father, just in order to obtain the nikah.
A Jewish reporter, Ben Judah, visited Bradford in May to interview Respect Party officials, only to be physically attacked by Respect supporters, who shouted, “Get out, you fucking Jew.”
Now Galloway has turned his attention to London again.
Could he win?
The London mayoralty, a position established in 2000, certainly attracts characters. Since then, London has had two mayors, Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson.
Livingstone is widely considered to sit on the fringe of the Labour Party. Like Galloway, he has worked closely with a number of Islamist groups. Livingstone was roundly condemned for his decision, while Mayor, to invite to London the Muslim Brotherhood cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi. Qaradawi has expressed support for suicide bombings and Hitler’s persecution of the Jews, and has sanctioned domestic abuse of “disobedient” wives.
Boris Johnson shares none of Galloway or Livingstone’s fondness for theocrats or extremist groups. Although he has frequently been described by media as an “eccentric,” the London electorate has thus far rewarded unusual candidates. This time around, the other mainstream contenders all seem a bit forgettable. As Galloway himself notes, “With a bland field from the mainstream parties, someone a bit more interesting might just take it by storm.”
Although the odds are against him, Galloway seems to think he can win. In an interview published online in 2013, he stated: “It’s a shrunken field. Boris Johnson won’t be running. Ken Livingstone won’t be running. I would never have run against Ken Livingstone as he’s a very old friend of mine. … I can win, yeah.”
As with Galloway’s previous election campaigns, the mayoral race is likely to see a similar mobilization of Islamist groups, which Galloway will use to canvass Muslim votes. He will be able to rely on a large network of mosques run by operatives from the Muslim Brotherhood and Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as Islamist campaign groups, community organizations and youth groups.
Nevertheless, Galloway cannot depend on London’s Muslims alone. There are plenty of Sunni Muslim residents who distrust Galloway’s work with the Syrian and Iranian regimes. Some will also look to the apparent disenchantment of the Bradford Muslims who voted Galloway out of office. South Asian Muslims might also oppose Galloway because they reject the politics of Jamaat-e-Islami, a socially conservative Pakistani movement of his Islamist ally. Together with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Jamaat-e-Islami only manages a modest 3.4% of British mosques.
To win, Galloway needs the support of those voters who would usually vote for the Labour Party. The increasing discontent in London with the ruling Conservative government, as well as a noticeably disorganized Labour Party, will all strongly benefit Galloway’s mayoral campaign. “I have an appeal to traditional Labour people,” he argues, “of whom there are many millions in London.”
A Mayor Galloway could be greatly damaging for London’s moderate Muslims and its Jewish community. There is the possibility that huge amounts of taxpayers’ money would likely find its way into the pockets of anti-Semitic and extremist organizations aligned with Jamaat-e-Islami, the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.
In a recent interview with the BBC about his mayoral bid, Galloway declared: “It would certainly be my aim to encourage the huge swell of pro-Palestinian support in London.”
Under a Galloway mayoralty, there is also the possibility that Islamist operatives would be appointed to important political positions, further legitimizing extremist control over London’s Muslims.
George Galloway claims to stand for “peace, justice and equality.” His track record, however, suggests that tolerance and integration will not be the likely outcome of a Galloway mayoralty.
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Establishing a Palestinian Islamist State
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute
June 23, 2015
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6028/palestinian-islamist-state
The United Nations’ verdict of guilty to Israel, in its “Schabas Report,” issued yesterday, was written even before the trial began.
Only the wide-eyed West still does not believe that Mahmoud Abbas is telling the truth when he assures the Palestinians of his intent to destroy Israel.
All public opinion polls in the Palestinian Authority (PA) indicate that if elections were held today, Hamas — whose only openly-stated reason for existing is to destroy Israel — would win in a landslide, as in 2006. Gaza has already been lost to Hamas and perhaps soon to ISIS. All evidence reveals that to establish a Palestinian state now would turn it into an Islamist terrorist entity.
Abbas thought that forming a Unity Government with Hamas would give the PA a unified front with which to harvest more money and diplomatic concessions from Europe. But last summer, Abbas was informed of a Hamas murder plot against him.
The Middle East is at it again. At the top of the list, no one, it seems, is even thinking of stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability — and by extension at least several other countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt.First, It is dangerous enough for any openly expansionist regime, theological or not, to have nuclear weapons; Iran has recently shown itself to be nothing if not expansionist.
Second, and, if possible, worse, several of the countries around Iran — who correctly feel in its crosshairs, have already announced that they will be building or buying nuclear weapons as well; and have probably already started. The Islamic State (ISIS) is also rumored to be on the market for a nuclear warhead; you too can apparently buy one for around $400 million. So we shall all have uncontrolled and uncontrollable nuclear proliferation to look forward to.On top of all that, the Americans and Europeans are rumored to be at it again, pressuring the Palestinian Authority (PA) to renew peace negotiations with Israel.
The London-based newspaper, Al-Quds Al-Arabi, recently quoted a senior Palestinian who suggested that the PA Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, meet with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to jump-start the stalled negotiations.New signs of triggering antagonism between the Palestinians and Israel are also reflected in the Vatican’s recognition of the Palestinian Authority as the State of Palestine, despite the vandalizing of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and other acts that led to the mass-exodus of persecuted Christians from the Palestinian territories, and despite the PA having joined with the terrorist group, Hamas, in the so-called Palestinian National Consensus Government ["Unity Government"].
This union enabled Israel to accuse it of responsibility for the war crimes that really only Hamas committed against Israeli civilians during the last war. At the same time, the tottering Palestinian Authority is trying to delegitimize Israel by accusing it of war crimes in the International Criminal Court (ICC). Neither of these attacks bodes well for either Israel or the PA.The ICC in The Hague also recently announced that it would unilaterally investigate Israel for alleged war crimes committed in the last clash in the Gaza Strip. This project will not end well for the Palestinians, the Israelis or the politicized “Jim Crow” International Criminal Court.
Meanwhile, the Unite Nations’ verdict of guilty, in its “Schabas Report,” issued this week, was written even before the trial began.The Obama Administration has also increased its pressure on Israel with not-so-subtle threats. Susan Rice and other sources within the US administration openly claimed in early March that, in view of Israel’s “refusal” to make peace, and because of its interpretations of statements made by Netanyahu during this Israel’s elections this year, Washington would not veto unilateral European proposals to establish a Palestinian state.President, Barack Obama, on May 22, tried to reassure the Jewish community to the contrary and said that he was “an honorary member of the [Jewish] tribe,” but his assurances are suspicious.
Obama has earned a reputation for not telling the truth, from blaming the 2012 slaughter of Americans at Benghazi, Libya on a YouTube video (even two weeks after he knew the video was not the reason), to welching on his “red line” commitment when Syria’s government used chemical weapons on its own people.The Israelis regard the American stance as an anti-Israeli vendetta based on Obama’s personal dislike of both Israel and Netanyahu. Although Netanyahu has said that now might not be the best time for a Palestinian state, he has, in fact, never changed his fundamental policy: that a Palestinian state could potentially be in Israel’s best interests.What Netanyahu did say, with justification — as hard as it is to admit he was right — is that, given the current regional chaos, establishing a Palestinian state at this time would mean establishing a terrorist state in the West Bank. To do so now would simply lead to what is euphemistically called “further regional destabilization” — namely, war.
Recognizing a Palestinian state at this time will also encourage terrorist activities by giving extremist Islamic elements — presently operating throughout North Africa, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq — even more territory from which to expand their operations.This new Islamic extremist land-and-power grab would be similar to that of Hamas after it took over the Gaza Strip, after when Israel unilaterally withdrew in 2005; or the ISIS takeover of Syria and Iraq when the US withdrew or failed to act. Currently, Hamas and ISIS in the Gaza Strip menace the security of both Israel and Egypt.A new Islamic emirate in the West Bank at this time would also be dangerous for Jordan.
Even without an Islamic emirate, Jordan has to cope with waves of refugees, among whom are Islamist terrorist operatives infiltrating the kingdom with the goal of overthrowing the Hashemites and turning Jordan into a territory ruled by ISIS or the Muslim Brotherhood. Given Iran’s efforts to exploit the weakness of Sunni Islam in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Bahrain, there seems no need for another extremist Islamic arena in Jordan.Considerable pressure is also now being directed at the Palestinian Authority to renew negotiations with Israel. Some of the pressure comes from former President Jimmy Carter’s possibly well-intentioned but totally counterproductive demand that the Palestinians hold elections.All public opinion polls in the PA indicate that if elections were held today, Hamas, as in 2006, would win in a landslide.Unfortunately, many decision-makers in both the United States and Europe view the situation through the lens of Western democracy and practices. The overwhelming Hamas victory in the student council elections at Bir Zeit University, near Ramallah, should have been a wake-up call. Unfortunately, it was ignored.
Hamas supporters march during a student council election rally at Bir Zeit University, near Ramallah, on April 20, 2015. The overwhelming Hamas victory in the student council elections should have been a wake-up call to the U.S. and Europe.
Mahmoud Abbas has a dilemma. If elections are held in the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas– whose only openly-stated reason for existing is to destroy Israel — wins, the PA will cease to exist and Israel will be able to avoid the peace process for all time.If, however, elections are not held, Mahmoud Abbas will continue to rule without international or Palestinian legitimacy. Not only did his four-year term expire six years ago, but at this point, he barely represents the Palestinians in the West Bank.The almost two million Palestinians on the other side of Israel, in Gaza, are represented almost exclusively by Hamas, with continuing attempted inroads by ISIS. Abbas is thus unable to represent “the Palestinian people” in any serious political process.
The proposal for elections is therefore an embarrassment for Abbas, and is generally ignored.Tragically, to shore up its status locally, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has taken a series of hasty, contradictory and dangerous steps. Since the PA’s chance at controlling the Gaza Strip has disappeared forever, the PA, to ensure its own continued survival, coordinates security with Israel to prevent further Hamas subversion in the West Bank.
In the meantime, senior figures in the PLO and the PA compete with Hamas in issuing strident, extremist messages to the Palestinian populace, which is consequently being radicalized — to the point now of supporting Hamas and ISIS.Mahmoud Abbas and his high-ranking associates, nevertheless, continue to hold formal ceremonies to honor terrorists killed during attacks on Israeli targets.[1] Abbas also continues to commemorate “shaheeds” [those who die in the cause of Islam, often called "martyrs"] who killed dozens of Israeli civilians in suicide bombing attacks. Abbas erects monuments, names town squares after them, and holds sports and chess tournaments in their honor.On this year’s Nakba Day — “the day of catastrophe,” which commemorated the 67th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel — during the May 15 ceremonies, Mahmoud Abbas promised the Palestinian masses that the occupied territories and the Palestinian diaspora would soon be restored to the independent state of Palestine. He also swore that the “resistance” — that is, armed violence and terrorism against Israel — would continue until the goal was achieved: destroying the State of Israel and establishing the Palestinian state on its ruins.These intentions are not a secret to Israelis.
They therefore do not trust his sincerity when he claims he wants “peace.” Only the wide-eyed West still does not believe that Mahmoud Abbas is telling the truth when he assures the Palestinians of his intent to destroy Israel.The deliberate tension crafted by the Palestinian Authority has, as its only objective, bloodshed — both Palestinian and Israeli. This tactic can usually be seen when the level of violence falls below what the PA finds acceptable. It then trots out the old saw, first coined by the anti-Israeli Islamist sheikh Ra’ed Salah (whose right to free speech is protected by Israeli law), “Al-Aqsa mosque is in danger!”At the beginning of May 2015, Sheikh Yusuf al-Dayis, the PA Minister of Religious Endowments [Waqf], made headlines in the Palestinian daily, Al-Quds, with the incendiary statement that the fate of the entire Muslim nation hung on the 35 acres of the Temple Mount.
He even provided a list of what he claimed were Israeli “attacks” on Al-Aqsa mosque. Sadly for him, visitors to the Temple Mount can see every day the exorbitant security measures taken by the Israelis to protect the site. In point of fact, the record shows that every time the Palestinians want to provoke another pointless round of violence and slaughter, they say, “Al-Aqsa mosque is in danger!” It invariably causes hundreds of casualties on both sides and achieves absolutely nothing.The last time a mosque actually was damaged was recently, in the Gaza Strip, when Hamas’s security forces removed the holy books, then used three bulldozers to raze a Salafist mosque.
Hamas claimed it was in retaliation for an alleged Salafist attack on Hamas “jihad fighters” south of Khan Yunis. Sources in Gaza confirmed that seven Salafist-jihadi operatives were arrested in the mosque, and that Hamas had recently arrested 30 Salafist-jihadi Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis members. Having started terrorism in the Gaza Strip, Hamas is now reaping the result: terrorism there is “going viral.”All evidence reveals that to establish a Palestinian state now would quickly turn it into an Islamist terrorist entity. Each time governments encourage Islamist movements, or ignore them in the hope that they will attack someone else, these movements have boomeranged into their own backyards and then moved on to their neighbors’.
This will be the fate of Syria’s Bashar Assad, who let Hamas and other terrorist groups set up shop in Damascus. Former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat let Hamas into the neighborhood, and the Palestinian people are now being repaid by Hamas. Arafat wrongly assumed that letting Hamas in the door would serve him by forcing Israel to make concessions. Mahmoud Abbas thought that forming a Unity Government with Hamas would give the PA a unified front with which to harvest more money and diplomatic concessions from Europe. But last August, Abbas was informed of a Hamas murder plot against him.
“We have a national unity government and you are thinking about a coup against me,” he said to Hamas’s leader, Khaled Mashaal.The Islamist terrorist enclaves are wholly the fruit of the Muslim Brotherhood doctrine freely being spread around the Middle East and the democratic West. The so-far isolated incidents of bloodshed in Europe, Africa and the United States are just at the beginning stages of a long, bloody campaign to engulf the world.Gaza has already been lost to Hamas and perhaps soon to ISIS.
Libya and Lebanon may follow next. If the West pressures Palestinians and Israel to create a Palestinian state now, the West Bank and Jordan will be sure to follow. Enabling an expansionist Iran to have a nuclear threshold capability will also throw the region into war.We, the Palestinians who live in the Palestinian Authority and within Israel, have not stopped dreaming of a Palestinian state, but we also witness the chaos around us and are relieved that so far the catastrophe has not harmed us or our families.Some Palestinian politicians have turned to more extreme rhetoric to find favor with Israeli Arabs, but despite the tendency in Palestinian society towards extremism and terrorism, what is certain is that even if the establishment of the Palestinian state is postponed, most Palestinians hope the West will not make the mistake of permitting Iran to go nuclear. A nuclear Iran will create a nightmare that will make the Nakba look like a coming attraction.
Bassam Tawil is a scholar based in the Middle East