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Bible Quotation For Today/No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made
Mark 02/18-22: "John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. ‘No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.’"

Bible Quotation For Today/It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Letter to the Hebrews 10/01-10: "Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who approach. Otherwise, would they not have ceased being offered, since the worshippers, cleansed once for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sin? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin year after year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, "See, God, I have come to do your will, O God" (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).’When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt-offerings and sin-offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 12-13/15
Sinai plane crash: Why is Putin so silent/Efraim Halevy/Ynetnews/November 12/15
European hypocrisy: Why single Israel out/Ofir Haivry/Ynetnews/November 12-13/15
Under 50' Iranians killed in Syria/Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/November 12/15
Has Syria been a military success for Iran/Abbas Qaidaari/Al-Monitor/November 12/15
What is Islamic Jihad's role in the intifada/Asmaa al-Ghoul/Al-Monitor/November 12/15
Baghdad is the secret to ISIS victory/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/November 12/15
Rewriting Mideast history and geography at Republican debate/Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/November 12/15
Money will buy Israel weapons but not security/Yossi Mekelberg/Al Arabiya/November 12/15

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin for Lebanese Related News published on November 12-13/15
Canadian Statement on Bombing in Beirut
Hollande Expresses 'Horror' over 'Despicable' Dahieh Blasts
ISIS claims deadly twin Beirut explosions
43 Dead, 239 Hurt as 2 IS Suicide Bombers Target Bourj al-Barajneh
Lebanese Leaders Condemn Bourj al-Barajneh Blasts, Urge Unity
Terror attacks foiled in Lebanon’s Tripoli
Lebanese Army Dismantles Bomb in Tripoli
Saad Hariri Slams Dahieh Blasts, Says Targeting Civilians a 'Vile, Unjustified Act'
Hezbollah weapons warehouses were the target of Wednesday's Israeli airstrikes in Syria
You Stink Activists Resume Action, Dump Trash by Ministries
Legislative Session Underway with LF, FPM Participation, Kataeb Boycott
Abou Faour Content as Parliament Passes Food Safety Law
Lebanese Army Arrests Terrorist Linked to Ibrahim al-Atrash Network
Report: LF, FPM Attending Legislative Session after Concession on Electoral Law
Khalil Credits Legislative Session Settlement to 'Mustaqbal-LF Political Commitment'
Mustaqbal-Hizbullah Dialogue Postponed to Friday
Franjieh Mocks 'Don Quixotic Victory', Says Christians Win if 'Fair' Electoral Law Passed

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 12-13/15
Saudi Executes Murderer, 147th Death Sentence this Year
Eight Civilians Killed in Egypt's Sinai
Saudi King Has 'Full Confidence' in Egypt Security
Kerry Tells U.N. Two-State Solution 'not Impossible Dream'
Italian Police Announce International Swoop on 'Jihadist Network'
Israeli Defense Forces tests new precision artillery shell
Report: Air force struck near Damascus airport
Rouhani: US apology to Iranian people is condition for restoring relations
Iraq Kurds Launch Major Offensive to Retake Sinjar from IS

Canadian Statement on Bombing in Beirut
November 12, 2015 - Ottawa, Ontario - Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:
“Canada strongly condemns today’s twin suicide bombings in southern Beirut, Lebanon.
“Such violent extremism is a stark reminder of the grave threat that terrorism poses to the people of Lebanon and the region. We expect that those responsible for this horrendous attack will be brought to justice.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those killed and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”
Contacts
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
343-203-7700

Hollande Expresses 'Horror' over 'Despicable' Dahieh Blasts
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 12/15/French President Francois Hollande on Thursday condemned as "despicable" the twin bomb attack that killed 43 people and injured 239 others in the Beirut southern suburb of Bourj al-Barajneh. "The president of the republic expresses his indignation and horror after the attack that killed several dozen people this afternoon in the Bourj al-Barajneh neighborhood of Beirut," he said in a statement issued by the presidency. "The French share in the national mourning of the Lebanese. France is more than ever committed to peace, unity and stability in Lebanon," Hollande said. The twin attack was carried out by two suicide bombers who blew up their explosive vests. The army said the dead body of a third attacker who failed to blow himself up was found on the scene of the second blast. The blast, which was claimed by the extremist Islamic State group, is the first to target Beirut's southern suburbs since June 2014. But prior to that, a string of attacks targeted Hizbullah strongholds throughout the country. Between July 2013 and February 2014, there were nine attacks on Hizbullah bastions, most claimed by jihadist extremists.
The groups claimed the attacks were in revenge for Hizbullah's decision to send thousands of fighters into neighboring Syria to support President Bashar Assad's forces against an Islamist-dominated uprising.

ISIS claims deadly twin Beirut explosions
By Mariam Karouny and Laila Bassam Reuters, Beirut Thursday, 12 November 2015
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group claimed responsibility for Thursday's double attack on a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut which killed at least 37 people. The group said in a statement posted on Twitter by its supporters, that its members blew up a bike loaded with explosives in a street in the Borj al-Barajneh area and when people gathered, a suicide bomber blew himself up among them causing more casualties and killing 40 people. The bombings were the first attacks for more than a year in a stronghold of the Iran-backed movement, which has sent members to Syria to fight alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in the country’s civil war. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Several bomb blasts struck Lebanon in June last year, in a spillover of violence linked to Syria. The war in Lebanon’s larger neighbor, with which it shares a border of more than 300 kilometers, has ignited sectarian strife in the multi-confessional country, leading to bombings and fighting between supporters of the opposing sides in Syria. Hezbollah supports Assad; Sunni militants support rebels fighting against him and his Shiite backers. Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk gave the latest death toll. He also said a third suicide bomber had been killed by one of the explosions before he could detonate his own bomb. His body was found nearby. Medics rushed to treat the wounded after the explosions, which damaged shopfronts and left the street stained with blood and littered with broken glass. It was a blow to Hezbollah’s tight security measures in the area, which were strengthened following bombings last year. The army had also set up checkpoints around the southern suburb entrances. Lebanon’s Prime Minister Tammam Salam condemned the attacks as “unjustifiable,” and called for unity against “plans to create strife” in the country, urging officials to overcome their differences.The bombers struck as Lebanese lawmakers held a legislative session for the first time in over a year. An ongoing political crisis has left the country without a president for 17 months, with the government failing to take even basic decisions.
Religious leaders warned last year that in the absence of a head of state, sectarian strife was threatening a country that was gripped by its own civil war from 1975 to 1990.

43 Dead, 239 Hurt as 2 IS Suicide Bombers Target Bourj al-Barajneh
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 12/15/Twin suicide bombings rocked a busy shopping street Thursday in the Beirut southern suburb of Bourj al-Barajneh, killing 43 people and wounding 239 others, in the worst such attack in years.
NNA said the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers who blew up their explosive vests in the Ain al-Sikkeh street.
The Internal Security Forces said two men on foot set off suicide vests in front of a shopping center.
Health Minister Wael Abou Faour, speaking from the scene on a street of shops where vendors also sell from stalls, said many of the injured were in serious condition.
The army said the body of a "third terrorist" was found at the scene of one of the blasts after he apparently failed to blow himself up.
The extremist Islamic State group claimed the attack in a statement posted online.
"Soldiers of the Caliphate detonated explosives planted on a motorbike in an area frequented by Rafida (Shiites),” the statement said.
"After the apostates gathered in the area, one of the knights of martyrdom detonated his explosive belt in the midst of them," the statement added.
The claim could not be independently verified but the statement followed the usual format of IS claims of responsibility and was circulated on jihadist online accounts.
An AFP photographer saw extensive damage to buildings around the site of the blast and bodies inside some of the nearby shops.
There was blood on the streets, and security forces were trying to cordon off the scene and keep people from gathering.
Local television stations showed footage of wounded people being carried away by emergency services and civilians.
"I'd just arrived at the shops when the blast went off. I carried four bodies with my own hands, three women and a man, a friend of mine," a man who gave his name as Zein al-Abideen Khaddam told local television.
- 'Thought world ended' -
Another described the sound of the blasts.
"When the second blast went off, I thought the world had ended," he said.
The wounded were evacuated to several hospitals in the area, including the Bahman hospital in neighboring Haret Hreik.
"We've received dozens of wounded people and they're continuing to arrive," a doctor there told AFP.
The blast is the first to target Beirut's southern suburbs since June 2014, when a suicide car bomb killed a General Security officer who had tried to stop the bomber.
But prior to that, a string of attacks targeted Hizbullah strongholds throughout the country.
Between July 2013 and February 2014, there were nine attacks on Hizbullah bastions, most claimed by jihadist extremists.
The groups claimed the attacks were in revenge for Hizbullah's decision to send thousands of fighters into neighboring Syria to support President Bashar Assad's forces against an Islamist-dominated uprising.

Lebanese Leaders Condemn Bourj al-Barajneh Blasts, Urge Unity
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 12/15/Lebanese leaders strongly condemned Thursday the deadly twin bombings that rocked the Beirut southern suburb of Bourj al-Barajneh, urging unity and vigilance. Prime Minister Tammam Salam declared Friday a day of national mourning and called on all Lebanese to show more “alert, unity and solidarity in the face of the seditious schemes.” He hoped the attacks will push all officials to “overcome disputes and support state and security institutions so that we can all protect our domestic front and immunize it in the face of the terrorist assault.”Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun meanwhile described the attacks as “a crime of despair after defeat.”“We must fight with all due confidence so that good can triumph over evil,” he told OTV. Calling for “preserving security,” Aoun added: “How many more blasts must happen to convince everyone of the need to eradicate takfiri terrorism?” Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea issued a statement condemning the blasts “in the strongest terms” and urging Lebanese to close ranks. He also called on the government to “hold an emergency and extraordinary meeting in order to take more measures aimed at protecting Lebanon and the Lebanese.”For his part, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat condemned the attack and called for “rising above narrow and partisan political disputes in order to immunize the Lebanese arena and prevent a new wave of terrorist bombings.”Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan meanwhile issued a statement condemning the attack as “black terrorism” and urging “Islamic unity and national unity.”“The domestic arena must be protected with further awareness, solidarity and unity,” he said. The March 14 General Secretariat meanwhile condemned “the return of the bombings to the Dahieh region,” voicing its solidarity with the families of the victims. The general secretariat also noted that “stability in Lebanon is not merely a technical process based on the ability of a security force to protect its regions, but rather on consensus on the need to build the State, in the vein of what happened today in parliament.”It also called on Hizbullah to “withdraw from the Syrian conflict, which is clearly firing back at those who are involved in it.”The twin attack, which killed 43 people and injured 239 others, was carried out by two suicide bombers who blew up their explosive vests in the Ain al-Sikkeh street. The army said the dead body of a third attacker who failed to blow himself up was found on the scene of the second blast. The blast, which was claimed by the extremist Islamic State group, is the first to target Beirut's southern suburbs since June 2014, when a suicide car bomb killed a General Security officer who had tried to stop the bomber. But prior to that, a string of attacks targeted Hizbullah strongholds throughout the country. Between July 2013 and February 2014, there were nine attacks on Hizbullah bastions, most claimed by jihadist extremists. The groups claimed the attacks were in revenge for Hizbullah's decision to send thousands of fighters into neighboring Syria to support President Bashar Assad's forces against an Islamist-dominated uprising.

Terror attacks foiled in Lebanon’s Tripoli
Now Lebanon/ November 12/15/BEIRUT – Two terror attacks have been foiled in northern Lebanon’s Tripoli, less than a week after two explosions ripped through the border town of Arsal. The Lebanese army on Thursday morning dismantled an improvised explosive device next to Kanaan Café, which is located near the city’s Sunni-populated Qobbeh neighborhood. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that that IED was rigged in a box placed alongside a road near American Square, which is not far from the Alawite quarter of Jabal Mohsen. According to a statement issued by the Lebanese Armed Forces, the IED consisted of 10 kilograms of explosives and metal shards wrapped in electrical tape attached to five detonators. The Lebanese Armed Forces added that investigations are underway to discover who left the IED—which was primed for explosion—outside the café.Hours after the IED in Tripoli’s Qobbeh was dismantled, reports of another foiled terror attack emerged, this time a suicide bombing. “The Internal Security Forces Information Branch last night arrested a national in [Tripoli’s] Qobbeh carrying a suicide vest ready for detonation,” Lebanese state media reported. The report identified the suspect as Ibrahim J., but would not go into further details on the incident, while the ISF has yet to issue a statement on the matter. The local Tripoli News Network online outlet said that the suspect had been fighting in Syria before returning to Lebanon. The security incidents in Tripoli come after the deadly explosion last Thursday that targeted a gathering of Sunni clerics in Arsal as well as the IED blast the next day that hit a Lebanese Armed Forces convoy. Tripoli itself has been relatively peaceful since the Lebanese government in April 2014 instituted a security plan in the northern city that brought an end to the sectarian clashes that would regularly erupt between Alawite militants of Jabal Mohsen and their Sunni neighbors. Despite the security plan, Islamist militants sympathetic to ISIS in Tripoli and north Lebanon launched a series of attacks against the Lebanese army in late October 2014 that ended after days of heavy fighting that left 11 LAF troops dead. Less than two months later, two suicide bombers detonated themselves in a café in the Jabal Mohsen area, killing at least nine people in attack the Al-Nusra Front took credit for.

Lebanese Army Dismantles Bomb in Tripoli
Naharnet/November 12/15/The army dismantled on Thursday a bomb in the northern city of Tripoli, reported the National News Agency. It said that an explosive was discovered in a box placed near Kanaan cafe in the Qobbeh neighborhood. A military expert soon arrived at the scene and dismantled the 10kg explosive.Later on Thursday, the National News Agency reported that the army arrested overnight a citizen in al-Qobbeh for possessing an explosive belt.

Saad Hariri Slams Dahieh Blasts, Says Targeting Civilians a 'Vile, Unjustified Act'
Naharnet/November 12/15/Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri condemned Thursday in his name and in the name of his movement what he described as “the heinous terrorist attacks against our people in Bourj al-Barajneh,” after two suicide bombers killed at least 37 people and wounded 181 others in the Beirut southern suburb. He said on twitter: “Targeting civilians is a vile and unjustified act that cannot be downplayed by any allegations.” “Killing innocent people is a heinous crime by all standards, in Bourj al-Barajneh and anywhere else,” he added.Hariri also expressed his “deepest condolences” to the families of the victims, asking God to “grant the wounded a speedy recovery and to protect our country from all evil.”The twin attack was carried out by two suicide bombers who blew up their explosive vests in the Ain al-Sikkeh street. The army said the dead body of a third attacker who failed to blow himself up was found on the scene of the second blast. The blast is the first to target Beirut's southern suburbs since June 2014, when a suicide car bomb killed a General Security officer who had tried to stop the bomber. But prior to that, a string of attacks targeted Hizbullah strongholds throughout the country. Between July 2013 and February 2014, there were nine attacks on Hizbullah bastions, most claimed by jihadist extremists. The groups claimed the attacks were in revenge for Hizbullah's decision to send thousands of fighters into neighboring Syria to support President Bashar Assad's forces against an Islamist-dominated uprising.

Hezbollah weapons warehouses were the target of Wednesday's Israeli airstrikes in Syria
By YASSER OKBI/ MAARIV HASHAVUA/J.Post/11/12/2015
The target of Israel's alleged airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday evening were Hezbollah weapons warehouses, Arab media affiliated with the opposition to Syrian Preisdent Basher Assad reported Thursday. Pro-Assad operatives on Facebook said that the strikes, adjacent to Damascus airport, struck "military outposts near the airport, and there is a high probability that it was IDF warplanes that struck." New portal 'Damascus Alan,' which is affiliated with the Assad regime, reported that heavy damage was caused to army outposts around the airport, all of which went up in flames. The site did not specify what damage was caused to the outposts, but they said that nobody was hurt. Syrian opposition activist Ahmed Yabrudi said: "Israeli warplanes entered from south Lebanon, arrived at Qalamoun and flew above the international airport in Damascus where they struck nearby military outposts." He added that "the Israeli planes remained in Syria's skies for a half hour, and there is no information about the outposts that were hit - except that they belonged to Hezbollah."Official Syrian media failed to report on the air strikes attributed to Israel. Israeli defense officials also declined to comment on the foreign media reports.
However, Israel did previously announce a strict-policy of intolerance towards threats to the state, such as weapons transfers to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The last reported Israeli strike in Syria, on October 31, targeted numerous Hezbollah targets in Syria's south. In the October alleged attack, Syrian media reported that up to a dozen Israeli war planes conducted the mission close to the Lebanon-Syria border in the Qalamoun Mountains region. Estimated targets included a weapons convoy destined for Hezbollah fighters traveling through Syria. The alleged attack on Wednesday night would be the second attributed to Israel since Russia began operating in the area. Israel has reportedly struck Hezbollah in Syria several times over the past year.Jpost.com staff and Noam Amir contributed to this report.

You Stink Activists Resume Action, Dump Trash by Ministries
Naharnet/November 12/15/You Stink activists dumped trash early on Thursday in front of several ministries protesting the government’s dysfunction on a months-long trash crisis, the state-run National News Agency reported.
The activists dumped waste near the ministries of Environment, Labor, Energy, Foreign, Culture, Education, Social Affairs, Industry and Displaced. Three of the campaigners were arrested including Tarek al-Mallah, Sukayna Fawwaz and Claude Jaber who was later released, reports said. A trash crisis that erupted in July following the closure of the Naameh landfill sparked a protest movement led by You Stink activist group, which brought thousands of people into the streets for several weeks of demonstrations. A plan that was approved by the cabinet in early September to solve the waste crisis has run into a series of obstacles.

Legislative Session Underway with LF, FPM Participation, Kataeb Boycott
Naharnet/November 12/15/ A legislative session aimed at tackling a number of financial draft-laws is underway at parliament amid the boycott of the Kataeb Party and a rally staged by its supporters in protest against the meeting. The Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement are taking part in the meeting following an agreement that was reached on Wednesday that appeased their demands regarding restoring the nationality of expatriates and the parliamentary electoral laws. The meeting is being chaired by Speaker Nabih Berri and is attended by Prime Minister Tammam Salam. The premier declared from parliament: “This is a national moment and we hail the efforts that led to holding the legislative session.”The parliament later approved the food safety law and around 20 draft laws and proposals, "most of them related to international financial agreements and commitments," state-run National News Agency said. Following controversy over a draft law on equipping the army, the ministers of defense and finance and Change and Reform bloc secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan held a meeting in Berri's office to "finalize a middle-ground solution," media reports said. The move was coordinated with MP Samir al-Jisr of al-Mustaqbal bloc. MTV meanwhile said all parliamentary blocs are expected to approve the draft-law on renaturalizing emigrants of Lebanese origin after amendments were introduced to it on Wednesday. Kataeb lawmakers had attended the meeting in hope that Berri would turn it into a session to elect a president. The speaker rejected the demand however and they withdrew from parliament where the protesters were gathered. Kataeb chief MP Sami Gemayel told the protesters: “Article 74 of the constitution stipulates that should there be a presidential vacuum for any reason, parliament must immediately convene to elect a new head of state.” “By law, the parliament in the absence of a president transforms from a legislative body to an electoral one,” he added. “We must immediately elect a new president without any debate or discussions in accordance with the constitution,” he stated. “There are no technical, national, or constitutional factors hindering the election of a president. Is the implementation of the constitution prohibited and its violation permitted?” he wondered. “There is no greater duty than respecting the constitution and the election of a president,” Gemayel declared. The party had vowed not to attend any legislative session before the election of a new president. Lebanon has been without a head of state since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. The last legislative session was held in November 2014.

Abou Faour Content as Parliament Passes Food Safety Law
Naharnet/November 12/15/The parliament on Thursday approved the food safety law during a much-anticipated legislative session, the first that the legislature holds since around a year, Health Minister Wael Abou Faour announced. “Citizens' health has become immunized and the quality of their food has improved, and we now have a Central Commission,” he said. The minister noted that the law will turn the page on an era during which the health of citizens had hinged on “the enthusiasm of any minister or any ministry regarding issues related to food safety.”Under Abou Faour, the Ministry of Health has launched an unprecedented food safety campaign that has involved the closure of numerous restaurants and institutions and the issuance of ultimatums to many violating businesses. The campaign has also tackled medicines, hospitals and beauty centers across Lebanon.

Lebanese Army Arrests Terrorist Linked to Ibrahim al-Atrash Network
Naharnet/November 12/15/ The Information Branch arrested a dangerous fugitive after raiding his place of residence in the northeastern town of Arsal and chasing him, an army statement said. Mohammed Ibrahim al-Hujeiri, nicknamed “Abou Ibrahim” and “Kahroub”, was arrested by the Information Branch with the assistance of military forces in the al-Sabil neighborhood, the statement added. Hujeiri was lightly injured after an attempted escape. He is wanted for belonging to the network of Ibrahim Qassem al-Atrash and the Islamic State group in al-Qalamoun. Hujeiri is an expert specialized in preparing explosives and booby trapping cars with plans to carry out terrorist acts in some Lebanese regions. He is also closely linked to a number of terrorist detainees. In September, the Lebanese army arrested in Arsal Ibrahim Qassem al-Atrash, nicknamed Abou al-Moaatasem, Abou Hassan and Ibrahim Tark. He has together with the so-called emir of al-Nusra in Qalamoun Malek Abou al-Talleh, formed and armed the al-Nusra Front in the outskirts of Arsal.

Report: LF, FPM Attending Legislative Session after Concession on Electoral Law
Naharnet/November 12/15/ The Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement agreed to attend the legislative session following concessions that were made over the inclusion of the parliamentary electoral law on its agenda, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Thursday. It said that an agreement was reached to form a committee to prepare an electoral law and approve it. The committee has two months to reach its goal, added the daily. Should it fail to do so, then no legislative sessions will be held. Even if they are scheduled, they will not attend it, in adherence to the announcement made by Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri, explained al-Joumhouria. The former premier declared on Wednesday that the movement will attend Thursday's legislative session to vote on financial draft-laws, but that it will not attend any later session that does not tackle the electoral draft-law. The LF-FPM settlement over the legislative session also includes the approval of the draft-law on renaturalizing emigrants of Lebanese origin after amendments were introduced to it on Wednesday. Other articles on the agreement are linked to financial draft-laws.The legislative session is set for November 12 and 13 amid the boycott of the Kataeb Party because it rejects carrying out any legislation in the absence of a president.

Khalil Credits Legislative Session Settlement to 'Mustaqbal-LF Political Commitment'
Naharnet/November 12/15/Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil expressed his optimism over the upcoming legislative session, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Thursday. He told the daily: “The consensual agreement over the meeting can be attributed to the political commitment between the Mustaqbal Movement and the Lebanese Forces.” “A political commitment however does not mean that a legislative commitment will be made at parliament, especially over the electoral law,” he added. “This means that the agreement between the two sides does not obligate Speaker Nabih Berri to refrain from holding a legislative session without this draft-law,” explained the minister. The LF and Free Patriotic Movement announced on Wednesday that they will be attending the legislative session after weeks of speculation that they will boycott it over the failure to include the parliamentary electoral law on its agenda. “All disputes over the agenda of the parliamentary session have been resolved and a comprehensive agreement has been reached over them – the nationality law, the municipalities law, the electoral law and other minor issues,” said FPM chief MP Michel Aoun. The session will be held on Thursday and Friday.The Kataeb Party will be the sole absentee from the meeting over its rejection to carry out any legislation in light of the ongoing presidential vacuum.

Mustaqbal-Hizbullah Dialogue Postponed to Friday
Naharnet/November 12/15/The next round of talks between the Mustaqbal Movement and Hizbullah has been rescheduled for Friday, reported al-Mustaqbal daily on Thursday. The meeting was set to be held on Thursday, but was postponed due to the officials' commitment to the legislative session held at parliament. The dialogue between the two rival parties will take place at Speaker Nabih Berri's residence of Ain el-Tineh.

Franjieh Mocks 'Don Quixotic Victory', Says Christians Win if 'Fair' Electoral Law Passed
Naharnet/November 12/15/Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh stressed Wednesday that what achieves a “victory” for Christians is the approval of a “fair” electoral law, dismissing the legislative settlement that was reached earlier in the day as a “Don Quixotic triumph.” “The move that achieves a victory for Christians is the approval of an electoral law, not slogans, and what happened today was a 'Don Quixotic victory',” said Franjieh in an interview on MTV. Earlier, Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea announced that their parliamentary blocs will take part in Thursday's much-anticipated legislative session after a political "settlement" was reached over the controversial issues. Aoun described what happened as a “happy day” for the Lebanese as Geagea called it a “victory for everyone.”Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri had earlier on Wednesday announced that Mustaqbal will attend the session due to the pressing nature of the financial draft laws, vowing that “after Thursday's session, the movement will not attend any legislative session that will not be aimed at addressing the parliamentary electoral draft-law.”
Franjieh questioned the motives behind Hariri's move. “Hariri's step is aimed at paralyzing parliament in response to the paralysis of the cabinet,” he told MTV. He added: “The electoral law battle will be won when we approve an electoral law that is fair for Christians.”“Christian parties have not agreed on a certain electoral law,” he pointed out. “The Christians' interest lies in clinging to their rights, not to issues that dismay others,” he said. Franjieh also stressed that the electoral law should be “Lebanese” and that it cannot be devised by “a single camp or a single sect without the others.” “The electoral law is a sensitive issue and we should address it around the dialogue table,” he went on to say. Turning to the relation with Aoun, Franjieh added: “We share General Aoun's view that it is dangerous to elect a president without consensus and this also applies to the issue of the electoral law.”“If anyone tries to harm Michel Aoun, I will not tolerate that, but I believe that I should not start an unwarranted dispute with Speaker (Nabih) Berri today,” he said. He also voiced his belief that the latest developments “have not affected the relation between Aoun and Hizbullah.”Separately, Franjieh noted that he is against “obstructing” the work of parliament and cabinet, emphasizing that “people's vital issues must be addressed.”Earlier in the day, Aoun said that all disputes over the agenda of Thursday's parliamentary session have been resolved. “A comprehensive agreement has been reached over them – the nationality law, the municipalities law, the electoral law and other minor issues,” he said. Tensions had peaked between Christian parties who had threatened to boycott the legislative session and other political blocs who announced that they will attend it, which raised fears over its potential postponement. Berri had justified his decision to exclude the draft electoral law from the legislative session's agenda, saying that this issue “needs a national agreement that does not exist.” The Christian blocs of the LF and the FPM had warned that they would not attend the meeting over the failure to include the electoral draft-law on the agenda. The Kataeb Party has announced that it will not attend the session due to the ongoing presidential vacuum. The dispute over the electoral law dates back to 2013 when the political parties failed to agree on a new one, resulting in parliament extending its own term and postponing the elections.
Parliament again extended its term last year over the same dispute.

Saudi Executes Murderer, 147th Death Sentence this Year
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 12/15/Saudi Arabia on Thursday executed one of its citizens convicted of murder, adding to a toll which rights group Amnesty International says is the kingdom's highest in two decades. Nasser al-Qahtani was put to death in Eastern Province after being convicted of shooting dead another Saudi, the interior ministry said in a statement. According to Agence France Presse tallies, he is the 147th local or foreigner put to death this year, against 87 for all of 2014. Reasons for the surge are unclear, but it coincides with the accession to power in January of King Salman, his powerful son Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the veteran Interior Minister Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. London-based Amnesty on Monday put the number of executions at 151 this year, the highest since 192 people were put to death in 1995. The toll has rarely exceeded 90 annually in recent years, it said. "Death sentences in Saudi Arabia are frequently imposed for non-lethal offences, such as drug-related ones, and after unfair trials," the watchdog said.Saudi executions are usually carried out by beheading with a sword, in what the interior ministry says is a deterrent.

Eight Civilians Killed in Egypt's Sinai
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 12/15/Gunmen killed eight civilians, including a child, in Egypt's Sinai peninsula where the army is battling a jihadist insurgency, medical and security sources said Thursday. Unidentified armed men shot and killed seven men and a four-year-old child in their home in El-Arish in North Sinai on Wednesday night, a security official said. The source said the victims, who were from the town of Rafah on the border with the Gaza Strip and lived near a police station, had been killed for cooperating with the security forces. The eight bodies were taken Thursday morning to a hospital in El-Arish, an official there said. Egypt's affiliate of the Islamic State jihadist group has previously claimed to have executed several Sinai inhabitants that it accused of being informants for the security forces. The jihadist group also claimed to have downed the Russian Metrojet A-321 plane over the Sinai on October 31, killing all 224 people on board. Cairo says militants have killed hundreds of police and soldiers since 2013, when the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. The army has regularly announced the death or capture of jihadists since it launched an offensive against them in 2012, but its figures cannot be independently verified.

Saudi King Has 'Full Confidence' in Egypt Security
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 12/15/Saudi King Salman has expressed "full confidence" in Egyptian security measures, ordering Riyadh's national airline to continue flights to Sharm el-Sheikh despite suspicions a bomb downed a Russian jet flying from the resort. An ally of Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the king "directed Saudi Arabian Airlines to continue running flights to Sharm el-Sheikh from Riyadh and Jeddah in support of tourism in the Arab Republic of Egypt," the Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday. "The king stressed full confidence in Egyptian security, army and government," it said. Sisi on Wednesday promised a transparent probe and cautioned against hasty conclusions over what brought down the Metrojet Airbus A321 over Egypt's Sinai peninsula on October 31, killing all 224 people on board. The Islamic State jihadist group's Sinai branch claimed responsibility, but has not explained how it carried out the attack.Britain suspended flights to Sharm el-Sheikh after saying it feared a bomb caused the disaster and voicing concerns over airport security at the Red Sea resort. Russia also halted all fights to Egypt. Egypt's tourism industry, vital to its economy, has already suffered from years of political instability and attacks claimed by jihadists. Saudi Arabia has offered billions of dollars in aid to Egypt since the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Sisi was in Riyadh this week for a summit of Arab and South American states. During his visit, ministers from the two countries signed a document to create a council for implementing the so-called Cairo Declaration agreed to in late July.
The declaration aims to boost military and economic ties.

Kerry Tells U.N. Two-State Solution 'not Impossible Dream'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 12/15/U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told an Israeli gathering at the United Nations on Wednesday that a two-state solution in the Middle East was "not an impossible dream" but would require courage. Kerry traveled to U.N. headquarters in New York to attend a commemoration of the 1975 speech delivered by Israeli ambassador Chaim Herzog denouncing a U.N. resolution that declared Zionism a form of racism. "The Zionist dream embraces the concept of Israel as a Jewish democracy, a beacon of light to all nations," Kerry told the event. "That dream can only be upheld by two states living side by side in security. "We all know from years of discussion and efforts: this is not an impossible dream. It is achievable."His remarks followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington this week that saw little signs of progress in efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Those talks have been comatose since Kerry's failed peace mission in April last year. Kerry argued that choosing to recognize a Palestinian state "demands courage, demands leadership" and likened that choice to Herzog's actions at the U.N. 40 years ago. "Fear and bigotry can be defeated, but those are choices we now get to make. So now it's our turn." The call for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement resonated at the United Nations, where reviving the peace process is becoming a top agenda item at the Security Council. Council members are weighing a draft resolution, presented by New Zealand, that declares the two-state solution as "the only credible pathway to peace" and demands that both sides prepare for new talks. International diplomats desperately want to revive peace talks to avoid a slide into more violence that many fear could lead to a third Palestinian intifada. A weeks-long wave of violence has claimed the lives of at least 77 people on the Palestinian side -- one of them an Israeli Arab -- along with 10 Israelis. Many of the Palestinians killed were alleged attackers.

Italian Police Announce International Swoop on 'Jihadist Network'
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November 12/15/Italian police on Thursday announced a swoop on a European jihadist network that was allegedly planning to try to spring its leader out of detention in Norway. Seventeen people were targeted in the raids across Europe -- 16 Kurds and a Kosovan. Six of them have been arrested in Italy, four in Britain and three in Norway.Several members of the group have traveled to Iraq and Syria to fight for the Islamic State group, police said. Investigators said the network was trying to free Norway-based fundamentalist preacher Najmuddin Ahmad Faraj -- also known as Mullah Krekar -- who is listed as a terrorist by the United States and United Nations. Giovanni Governale of the Italian police's Special Operations Group told journalists the operation had "dismantled an integrated cell that included -- in addition to Italy -- Britain, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Germany". The network developed "on the 'dark web', little-known (Internet) platforms that we have managed to penetrate," Governale said, adding that the swoop has allowed police to scupper "a process of recruitment, of sending (fighters) into combat abroad". Governale said the network "was about to continue sending many other jihadists abroad; it was about to carry out attacks, including suicide bombings, to try to free their chief, Mullah Krekar".The 59-year-old, a Kurdish Iraqi, has been living in Norway since 1991. He has been at risk of deportation since 2003 after Norwegian authorities ordered him to be expelled as a threat to national security. While courts have upheld the ruling, Norwegian law bars him from being deported to Iraq, where he risks the death penalty. Krekar also founded the radical Islamist group Ansar al-Islam, but insists he has not led it since 2002.

Israeli Defense Forces tests new precision artillery shell
Yoav Zitun/Ynetnews/Published: 11.12.15/The IDF has successfully tested a new, classified artillery shell recently, which the army says could be used to take out a terrorist cell holed up in a room without endangering troops by sending them in. The shell, which can penetrate through concrete walls, is currently in advanced stages of development. The test was conducted in the heart of central Israel, at a huge firing range where the army tries out all IDF weaponry. Cameras installed for the test captured it from multiple angles and in slow motion, in order to carefully examine every stage. The IDF's Artillery Corps is expected to undergo a complete overhaul in the coming years, with the retirement of outdated systems and deployment of more and more precision-guided munitions. "Dumb" shells will still be used to soften targets, provide cover for ground troops, and other functions – but the army has already begun using more precision munitions as a cheap, quick and readily available substitute to Air Force missiles and bombing. This year, the IDF successfully tested the GPS-guided "Lance" rocket – a test shown in a video first published on Ynet. "Every weapon, from 5.56 millimeter bullet used in soldiers' rifles to tanks, is tested and inspected before it reaches the troops," a senior IDF officer told Ynet. "Every bullet or surveillance device goes through an arduous series of tests before it is given to troops in order to assure its quality and reliability."

Report: Air force struck near Damascus airport
Roi Kais/Ynetnews/Published: 11.11.15/Israel's air force conducted strikes in the vicinity of the Damascus airport, claimed a number of media outlets linked to Syrian opposition groups on Wednesday. The source of the reports was unknown and they were not confirmed by any official bodies in Syria or Israel. The reports described pre-dawn loud explosions at the airport and rising pillars of smoke, while electricity went out completely. It was further reported that flights were temporarily halted for no known reason. The major Arab-language media outlets had not reported the purported incident as of publication. Neither had any official media outlets belonging to the Assad regime. But a Facebook page linked to the regime did say that a military post near the airport had been attacked before dawn and that it was believed to be the work of Israel's air force. Photos were later posted that allegedly depicted damage from this attack, and the account also claimed there had been no loss of life. About two weeks ago, social media accounts linked with Syrian opposition groups reported that Israeli military aircraft had conducted two airstrikes on Hezbollah and Syrian army positions in the Damascus suburb of al-Qalamoun.

Rouhani: US apology to Iranian people is condition for restoring relations
REUTERS/11/12/2015/ROME - The nuclear deal reached between world powers and Iran could lead to better relations between Tehran and Washington if the United States apologised for past behaviour, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was quoted as saying on Thursday. The pragmatist president, who championed the July 14 deal, has pushed for closer engagement with the West since his 2013 landslide election win.But Iran's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has continued to rule out normalizing ties with the "Great Satan," as he routinely calls the United States. In an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper, Rouhani suggested that the United States and Iran could open embassies in each other's capitals after decades of mutual hostility, but said Washington should apologize, without going into further detail."One day these embassies will re-open but what counts is behaviour and the Americans hold the key to this," Rouhani told the newspaper ahead of a trip to Italy this weekend, his first to a European capital. "If they modify their policies, correct errors committed in these 37 years and apologize to the Iranian people, the situation will change and good things can happen." Iran and Washington severed ties shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution when radical students seized the US embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage for over a year. Relations came under further pressure in the last decade over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Under the nuclear deal reached in July, Iran will curb its nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions on its economy. Tehran denied Western suspicions it wanted to develop an atomic bomb. Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, gave his conditional approval to the deal with six world powers including the United States, but has warned against allowing any US political or economic influence on Iran. Rouhani said Washington would have to fulfil its part in the nuclear accord for relations to improve. The United States approved conditional sanctions waivers for Iran, though these will not take effect until Tehran has complied with the nuclear accord. "The way this agreement is applied can have an impact on the future," Rouhani said in the interview. "If it is well applied it can lay the foundation for fewer tensions with the United States, creating the conditions to open a new era. But if the Americans don't respect their part of the nuclear accord, then surely our relationship will remain as it has been in the past," he said. Rouhani is due to see the Italian prime minister and business leaders during his Nov. 14-15 visit to Rome and will also hold talks with Pope Francis. He will then fly to Paris for talks on Nov. 16-17.

Iraq Kurds Launch Major Offensive to Retake Sinjar from IS
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/November 12/15/Iraqi Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led strikes launched a major operation Thursday to retake the town of Sinjar from the Islamic State group and cut a key supply line to Syria. Severing the supply line would hamper the jihadists' ability to move fighters and supplies between northern Iraq and Syria, two countries where IS has overrun significant territory. And retaking Sinjar -- where IS carried out a brutal campaign of killings, enslavement and rape against the Yazidi religious minority -- would also be an important symbolic victory. "The attack began at 7:00 am (0400 GMT), and the (Kurdish) peshmerga forces advanced on several axes to liberate the center of the Sinjar district," Major General Ezzeddine Saadun told AFP. Columns of smoke rose over the town from US-led coalition strikes and Kurdish shelling against IS positions in Sinjar, an AFP journalist said. Peshmerga Major General Hashem Seetayi said that Kurdish forces had regained multiple villages north of Sinjar. The autonomous Kurdish region's security council said up to 7,500 Kurdish fighters would take part in the operation, which aims to retake Sinjar "and establish a significant buffer zone to protect the (town) and its inhabitants from incoming artillery."
"Coalition warplanes will provide close air support to peshmerga forces throughout the operation," it said. The U.S.-led coalition carried out six strikes in the Sinjar area on Tuesday, and five more across the border in Syria's Al-Hol area. Kurdish forces face an estimated 300 to 400 jihadists in the town, Captain Chance McCraw, a U.S. military intelligence officer, told journalists in Baghdad. But it is not just the jihadist fighters they will have to contend with: IS has had more than a year to build up networks of bombs, berms and other obstacles in Sinjar. "This is part of the isolation of Mosul," Colonel Steve Warren, spokesman for the international operation against IS, said of the battle for Sinjar, referring to the jihadists' main hub in northern Iraq. "Sinjar sits astride Highway 47, which is a key and critical resupply route" linking Mosul with Syria, Warren said in Baghdad. "By seizing Sinjar, we'll be able to cut that line of communication, which we believe will constrict (IS's) ability to resupply themselves, and is a critical first step in the eventual liberation of Mosul."
The fact that the Sinjar operation comes at the same time as others against IS in Iraq and Syria also increases pressure on the group. "It paralyzes the enemy, right -- he's gotta make very tough decisions now on who does he reinforce," Warren said. In conjunction with the Sinjar operation, fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces group are battling IS across the border in the Al-Hol area. And Syrian regime forces broke a year-long IS siege of a military air base in the country's north on Tuesday with backing from Russian air strikes. After seizing Mosul and driving south toward Baghdad in a disastrously effective offensive in June 2014, IS again turned its attention to northern Iraq, pushing Kurdish forces back toward their regional capital Arbil. IS overran the Sinjar area in August 2014, attacking Yazidis in what the United Nations has described as a possible genocide. Thousands of Yazidis fled to Mount Sinjar, which overlooks the town, and were trapped there by IS. Aiding them was one of Washington's main justifications for starting its air campaign against IS last year. International forces are also advising and training Iraqi forces, and American troops took part in a joint raid with the peshmerga last month in which a U.S. soldier was killed. With support from international strikes, Kurdish forces have managed to regain significant ground from IS, and have been positioned on Mount Sinjar at the edge of town for months, with as little as 50 meters (yards) separating them from the militants.
But they had been concerned that retaking Sinjar would require a major deployment beyond it to protect it from artillery fire. "That's absolutely been addressed... There are enemy forces in towns south of Sinjar. We're gonna isolate those with fires," said Warren, referring to strikes.

Sinai plane crash: Why is Putin so silent?
Efraim Halevy/Ynetnews/Published: 11.12.15/Since the Russian passenger plane crashed in Sinai more than 10 days ago, Vladimir Putin has appeared only once on Russian media. In a short eulogy on television, he offered his condolences for the death of the 224 passengers, and has not been seen on the media since. Such a silence is uncharacteristic of the Russian president's style. Putin recently gave an interview in the city of Sochi, where he participated in an international conference which was also attended by officials from the academic world. One of the American academics asked how he had decided to launch the battle to regain control of the Crimea Peninsula, and Putin responded that it was a spontaneous decision - he didn't consult his people about it and issued orders for the operation stage by stage. He was surprised by its tremendous success himself, he said.
Russian Power
Analysis: Russian president seeks to enhance his country's influence in the region through his alliance with Assad: A dangerous gamble, but Israel need not worry for the moment. Full analysis Putin is not afraid of making decisions and taking risks. If he is stalling now, it means that complicated aspects require him to consider his moves before deciding on a response. The announcement made by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who admitted Monday that the crash may have been a terror attack, only emphasized the president's silence.
The Russian leader has been caught in a situation he does not want to be in. First of all, he was surprised: He wasn't expecting such a blow. Putin prefers to surprise. He has been quoted as saying that he learned from his experience On the streets of St. Petersburg that a person who is destined to fight should show up first on the battlefield and take initiative. He believes this strategy has proved itself in recent years in the Middle East as well. In Syria, Russia seems to have succeeded in leading so far, while the United States is perceived as responding with hesitant moves.
In Putin's eyes, the march of leaders to Moscow, from his clear allies in Iran to his rivals on Syrian soil - Saudi Arabia's representatives - demonstrated the change in Russia's standing in the region. He was even crowned the strongest leader in the world in an international survey conducted recently, while US President Barack Obama was pushed back. While Putin remained silent, Obama and other Western officials declared that there was a high probability that the plane crash was a terror attack carried out by the Islamic State. Western media sources reported of evidence confirming this assumption, allegedly using classified intelligence information. These reports pushed the Russians into a corner, and Putin had no other choice but to order the suspension of Russian civil flights to Sinai. Putin is apparently still internalizing the meaning of the disaster, for him and for his policy, and is taking a timeout for this purpose. There is nothing coincidental in Russia. On November 9, Sergei Chemezov, the chief executive of a Russian state-owned defense conglomerate, announced that the contract to supply Iran with S-300 surface-to-air missile systems had not only been signed but had already reached the execution stage. Israel waged a difficult battle against the deal for years, and it is definitely unhappy with this move. Chemezov is a senior figure in Putin's internal circle and has been a personal friend of the Russian president since the two served together in the KGB in East Germany. He is included on the list of officials subject to personal sanctions by the US for their involvement in the Ukraine issue. Chemezov spoke during a visit to an aerial exhibition in Dubai and his comments created a buzz in the Persian Gulf's sensitive area. It was a "we are still here!" type of declaration.
The options Putin is facing are not easy
. If he responds powerfully, while escalating the Russian involvement in Syria, he will risk increasing the losses in the fighting and creating objection among the public opinion in his country. If he ignores the incident, he will risk losing his international and internal prestige, and the initial, aggressive effect of reinforcing the Russian presence in Syria could disappear. The plane disaster exposed vulnerability in an area Russia never imagined. Solving this operational problem is not simple, and Putin is likely losing sleep over the threat to uncover new weak spots.
Efraim Halevy is a former Mossad chief.

European hypocrisy: Why single Israel out?
Ofir Haivry/Ynetnews/Published: 11.11.15
The public debate in Israel over the European Union's initiative to label Israeli products manufactured beyond the Green Line usually avoids addressing the most troubling aspect of the initiative: The fact that of all the regions in the world subject to a certain sovereignty conflict, the EU has only chosen to label products originating in the area of conflict related to the Jewish state. There are thousands of regions around the world subject to a certain sovereignty conflict, and in hundreds of them the EU itself does not recognize the sovereign government. In many of these regions, there are even United Nations resolutions which define them as "occupied" or "conflict regions." Of all these, Europe chooses to label products from one region only.
Fighting Labels
US senators to EU: Don’t label Israeli products / Yitzhak Benhorin
Following overwhelming vote in EU to label products from settlements, senators warn that initiative sets ‘troubling precedent’ and urges not to implement it. Tibet was an independent state for many years, until it was occupied by the Chinese army in 1958 and unilaterally annexed by Beijing. The Tibetan government led by the Dalai Lama was exiled, and the Tibetan people have since been subject to a cruel occupation regime that is trying to annihilate their culture. Has the EU demanded that China label products manufactured in occupied Tibet?
In 1975, when Spanish colonial rule ended in the Western Sahara colony, Morocco invaded the region and unilaterally annexed it. Since then, the Plisario Front has been waging an ongoing struggle to liberate the country from the Moroccan occupation, which has led to the exile of hundreds of thousands of Sahrawis from their country and established settlements with a Moroccan population. The UN does not recognize the Moroccan occupation of the region, and the African Union has even suspended Morocco's membership in the organization for its invasion of the region. Has the EU demanded that Morocco label products manufactured in the occupied Western Sahara region?
In 1974, the Turkish army invaded Northern Cyprus, expelled hundreds of thousands of Greek speakers from the region and established the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, while the southern part of the Island is ruled by the Cypriot government which is recognized by all international institutions. The Cypriot case is particularly significant because in 2004 Cyprus joined the EU, so the Turkish occupation in Northern Cyprus is taking place on sovereign European territory. Is the EU demanding that Turkey label products manufactured in its Northern Cyprus "republic"?
In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, after taking over the region militarily and conducting a "referendum" there. The world, including Europe of course, does not recognize the referendum or the annexation. Has the EU demanded that Russia label products manufactured in annexed Crimea?
There is not enough room to cover all the cases around the world and in Europe itself, but the pictures seems clear. If the answer to all these questions is no, there is no escape from the conclusion that while the EU has failed to impose separate labeling in all the discussed areas, it has chosen to label Jewish products only.

Under 50' Iranians killed in Syria
Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/November 12/15
Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has been making the media rounds lately, giving interviews about the latest developments in Syria, Iranian-Arab relations and the status of Iran’s removal of centrifuges under its nuclear deal with six world powers.
In his latest interview, the former defense minister under Reformist President Mohammad Khatami spoke Nov. 11 to the Iran-funded Arabic news channel Al-Alam. Shamkhani said the rising death toll in Syria of Iranian soldiers, which he referred to as "advisers," is due to the increasing number of battles taking place. In late September, Russian planes began assisting the Syrian army on the ground in large-scale offensives to retake land in Aleppo and other parts of the country.
Shamkhani put the number of Iranians killed in recent battles at “under 50.” Despite the relatively high death toll, Iranian officials have shown no signs of changing policy.
“The primary goal is to free the Syrian people from the claws of terrorists, and this will continue in whatever form until the correct outcome is reached,” Gen. Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Nov. 11.
Commenting on the ongoing Vienna talks about Syria, Shamkhani said two goals must be considered: fighting terrorism and allowing the Syrian people to decide their own fate through elections. Iran participated in the last round of Vienna talks Oct. 30, but it is not clear whether Iran will attend the next round, set for this week. Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Nov. 11 that Iran’s participation depends on whether the United States will answer for its “one-sided behavior without consulting other sides.”
The Syrian civil war has polarized the region, as many countries support and fund their own proxies, with Iran and Saudi Arabia at opposing ends. Shamkhani said Saudi money is playing a significant role in Syria. He accused Saudi Arabia of funding terrorists who attacked a Shiite procession in October in Iran, killing two people. He also accused Saudi Arabia of using its resources and money to “mobilize Arabs against Iran.”
However, Shamkhani denied the existence of Iranian-Arab tensions, especially with Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, saying that Iran has good relations with Kuwait, Qatar and Oman. Shamkhani, who is of Arab descent and the only Iranian to receive the Order of Abdul-Aziz Al Saud for his role improving Iranian-Arab relations, said, “We have no problems with Arabs or with Iranian-Arab talks.” He added that Iran’s only problem with some neighbors is that they implement policies at the order of foreign powers.
On the nuclear deal, state media outlets reported Nov. 10 that Shamkhani said Iran had stopped dismantling its centrifuges. The statement made headlines both in Iranian and Western media. On Nov. 11, however, Shamkhani denied saying so, adding that Iran is committed to implementing the nuclear deal, which requires it to dismantle a number of centrifuges to receive sanctions relief.

Has Syria been a military success for Iran?
Abbas Qaidaari/Al-Monitor/November 12/15
TEHRAN, Iran — Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami, Iran's deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has made it known his country is ready to take on all comers and is stepping up its role in the Syrian war.We ourselves are dictating the new literature [and language] of Muslims’ struggle [against the West]. … Therefore, we should be ready to manage multiple direct, and proxy, wars,” Salami said at the National Civil Defense conference Oct. 28 in Tehran.
He also recently noted in a program broadcast by Iranian state television, “Our [IRGC] presence in Syria has increased in both quality and quantity.”
Through Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran is trying to reach a peaceful agreement with the world powers on Syria. However, it is simultaneously pursuing a strategy of engaging in direct military combat against its adversaries in Syria and Iraq. Despite widespread censorship, news about the deaths of IRGC members in Syria is reported extensively in Iran.
It is well known that IRGC members are present in Syria and have taken up an advisory role to President Bashar al-Assad's military. However, Iranian officials have repeatedly denied that Iran is sending military aid. Yet in a report aired by Iran’s Arabic-language Al-Alam news network, images of Iranian Safir military vehicles, anti-bunker cannons, multiple-launch rocket systems and Iranian-made armor could be seen briefly on the southern fronts of Aleppo.
In view of recent disclosures by Salami, it appears the Syrian army during the past few months has been relying on IRGC advisory assistance to fundamentally change its military strategy and combat organization.
Syria has a conventional army that relies on Soviet and Russian combat doctrines. In this regard, the roles and strength of artillery and armored units are quite apparent. However, since the armed opposition has been equipped with TOW anti-tank missiles, the weaknesses of the Syrian army have become more visible. Therefore, it appears that senior Syrian army commanders have decided to employ the Iranian combat doctrine.
The type of weapons and forces Iran is sending to Syria indicates that we are about to see a changed Syrian army. For instance, Iran has not sent its air force or missile and armored units to Syria. Instead, Iran has dispatched tactical weapons such as Safir vehicles, Zelzal tactical rockets and special brigades such as Fatemiyoun and Hezbollah of Lebanon. It appears that the approach favored by IRGC commanders has been more effective than that of its Syrian counterparts. These days, it is evident that Iranian forces, alongside Hezbollah, Fatemiyoun and the Syrian military, are taking part in large-scale offensive operations with the support of the Russian air force. The target is armed opposition in cities such as Aleppo, Homs, Damascus and Qalamoun. So what is Iran’s active strategy in Syria and what are that strategy's characteristics?
Since the 1980s, Iran has been well aware of the difference between fighting against a conventional army and fighting a civil war. This is why recently slain Gen. Hossein Hamedani, who had participated in the war with militants in Iranian Kurdistan, was chosen to be sent to Syria. Indeed, the independent and “mosaic” nature of the advisory unit of the IRGC’s foreign operations branch — the Quds Force — as well as the Fatemiyoun, Hezbollah of Lebanon and Defenders of the Shrine Brigades shows that Iran has indeed implanted a so-called “mosaic” strategy in Syria. This strategy, which has been implemented by the IRGC in Iran, refers to a flexible and layered tactic with divided command and control. The aim is to “strengthen unit cohesion at the local level and give commanders more latitude to respond to potential threats.”
The Syrian army has experienced extensive sieges in various areas, including Aleppo Prison. These experiences have shown that its units are not capable of carrying out offensive and defensive operations. At the same time, Hezbollah forces as well as the Fatemiyoun have made it apparent during numerous conflicts, such as the one that took place in the Zainabia region of Damascus, that by using a mosaic strategy, they can resist and maintain defense lines without having to depend on backup units. Therefore, it is probable that instead of continuing with the traditional style of dividing the army into infantry, armor and artillery, the Syrian army has now decided to use a combination of infantry forces, rangers, armor and artillery forces in each region alongside independent Hezbollah and Fatemiyoun battalions as well as Iranian commanders.
It is well known that there are Afghan, Iraqi, Iranian and Lebanese forces present in Syria. However, Salami has made it clear that Iran has based Pakistani forces in Syria as well. The armed forces that fight against Assad’s army have one thing in common: Their members come from a variety of nationalities. Because of the fatwas issued by the Sunni ulama (religious authorities), Muslims from Indonesia to the United States have gone to Syria to take part in what is referred to as a holy war, or jihad. It appears that the Islamic Republic is now also operating based on a similar fatwa and is organizing Shiite forces from the region and sending them to Syria to take part in a jihad, too. Such a scenario, if public opinion accepts it, can make up for the lack of human resources in the Syrian army and also lend religious legitimacy to Assad’s side.
Iran views the US, Europe, NATO, most Gulf Cooperation Council states, Egypt and Jordan as direct threats. On the other hand, Iran also considers the cooperation of its neighbors such as Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey with the US and the West as a potential threat. Bearing in mind the UN Security Council sanctions on Iran and the stalled delivery of Russian S-300 air defense missiles, it is evident that Russia does not have a good record when it comes to Iran, either. Therefore, looking at the situation from Tehran’s point of view, the only reliable allies of Iran in the region are the Iraqi and Syrian governments, as well as Hezbollah. Geopolitically, the survival of this “Shiite Crescent” is dependent on the survival of Assad’s Alawite regime. While willing to sit down and negotiate with the world powers over its nuclear program, Iran is not willing to endanger its vital and strategic interests in the region. Therefore, just as Salami noted, Iran is capable of participating in direct, and proxy, wars in the future.

What is Islamic Jihad's role in the intifada?
Asmaa al-Ghoul/Al-Monitor/November 12/15
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Within the last month, the Islamic Jihad has organized more than nine rallies in the Gaza Strip in support of the intifada that began in early October in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. In the past, the movement had typically organized rallies with other Palestinian factions, such as Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The current rallies organized independently are not part of a military initiative or a border confrontation, but in fact go beyond any demarcation line of Israeli forces in supporting and energizing the intifada from afar. For instance, one rally was called Hebron Martyrs’ Friday, which is also reflective of the group's adopted practice of individually naming marches held every Friday. Khaled al-Batsh, an Islamic Jihad leader, told Al-Monitor, “There is no confrontation along the occupation lines in the Gaza Strip, unlike in the West Bank, as we do not have checkpoints such as Tulkarm and Tarqumia [where confrontations are taking place]. We consider our movement to be political, not military.”
Movement spokesman Daoud Shihab, sitting in his office in Gaza City, explained, “It is wrong to talk about rocket firings from the Gaza Strip now. Let us allow the intifada to run its course, within the framework of popular resistance.” He added, however, “But in principle, we have not ruled out the use of arms, as we are at the heart of a resistance action. Taking up arms will come at the right time.”
Batsh confirmed this perspective, stating, “It is a mistake to believe that Gaza is scared. The resistance is only respecting the current stage and its requirements.” He continued, “In the Islamic Jihad movement, we support this broad form of struggle and intifada in Jerusalem and the West Bank cities. We also support the tools used, including the slings and the stones, the burning of tires and the use of knives. These are forms of mass popular resistance, and we respect and support them as they are playing the required roles.”
Batsh stressed that any altering of the current form of resistance will depend on what practices Israel pursues. For example, in the case of a mass killing, there will be a military response. Batsch remarked, “If we, the people, are asked to change the current form of resistance, then we are ready to do that. But we believe that the intifada is thus far playing its role as it has managed to show Israel’s madness, especially insofar as [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's remarks about the Holocaust are concerned. They have sparked international censure.”
Shihab said that, in his view, Israel is trying to get out of the current crisis by resorting to a military escalation against Gaza, but that the Islamic Jihad is keen to deny Israel any excuse to escalate. “The world will see how involvement of the Islamic Jihad’s military capabilities is not limited to rockets,” said Shihab. “If Israel resorts to escalation, then we will be the first to respond to the attacks. In this case, the truce that Israel failed to respect will be truly devoid of any value, but we are so far keen on keeping the intifada within a populist framework. Rockets are a tool of resistance, and the resistance knows when rockets should be used. We, in the Islamic Jihad movement, are not fans of war.”
The recent headlines of Alestqlal, the Islamic Jihad's biweekly newspaper, have focused on the movement's target in a clear and organized show of support for the intifada. For example, a headline on Oct. 15 read, “Jerusalem’s intifada: Resist! Your hands are as powerful as a hurricane!” The same issue included a picture of two young men throwing stones and 12 other headlines for stories analyzing related events. A headline for the Nov. 5 edition read, “The will of the people.”
The Islamic Jihad's message has been both clear and strong in print, on the Internet and on the radio. Its affiliated Al-Quds radio station broadcast more than 33 reports about the intifada within 40 days. These actions complement a set of other political and morale-boosting activities organized by the movement.
Batsh noted, “There are daily events organized by the Islamic Jihad movement. These include marches for the support of the intifada across the districts of the Gaza Strip. Also, we have asked people to only raise the flag of Palestine and to wear the Palestinian scarf. We also organized joint meetings with the Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, and established a special committee consisting of the national and Islamic factions to follow up on activities aimed at supporting the intifada.”
Both Shihab and Batsh told Al-Monitor that the movement's young people are at the heart of the intifada. It was Muhannad al-Halabi, an Islamic Jihad member, who sparked the intifada with a stabbing and shooting on Oct. 3. Shihab said, “In one night only [Oct. 7], 21 young people from the Islamic Jihad cadres were arrested, including 17 youths from the city of Hebron.” He stressed that the intifada is devoid of factions or parties, with youths from different political affiliations displaying complete unity.
Hassan Abdo, a political analyst with close ties to the Islamic Jihad, said that the movement rejects the militarization of the intifada but is in favor of arming Palestinians. He explained to Al-Monitor that carrying arms is different from militarization, as it creates a more secure environment that prevents settlement expansion and thwarts Israel's complete seizure of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
He stressed that military intervention and rocket firing could weaken the intifada, the main strength of which lies in the West Bank and Jerusalem. It could also lead to an escalation and a potential war in Gaza, which would move the spotlight away from the West Bank.
“The Islamic Jihad movement is heavily represented in the intifada and is organizing several marches. Also, it was youths from the movement who started the stabbing operations, namely, Halabi and Moataz Hijazi. The Islamic Jihad was the only movement that used the word 'intifada' from the very beginning instead of ‘popular uprising,’” Abdo said.

Baghdad is the secret to ISIS victory
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya?November 12/15
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has controlled the city of Ramadi since May. It seized the city center after Iraqi troops fled. The assault included suicide bombings - 18 suicide car bombs reportedly went off at once. The Iraqi command blamed the army for the city’s fall, and brought in Shiite militias called the Popular Mobilization Forces to retake Ramadi, but they also failed. The Americans refused to cooperate as they were well aware that they would become the target of citizens of the Sunni-dominated Anbar province. Terrorism, extremism and chaos will continue as long as Baghdad is torn apart and politicians are confused. Fighting returned to Anbar - which shares borders with Jordan and Saudi Arabia - after U.S. forces began participating in anti-ISIS operations. They are only fighting via the air force, and are directing Iraqi forces and Sunni tribes via consultants and intelligence. “The coalition forces wish to expel ISIS from Ramadi as soon as possible, but this may take a few weeks,” said a U.S. commander.
Challenges
Even if they liberate Ramadi, the challenge is in the city of Mosul, the headquarters of ISIS’s command. “Battles there won’t be easy because ISIS will fiercely fight to defend it,” said the U.S. commander. Why have all the above failed to defeat ISIS in Iraq, a country with a central government, army, oil exports, and a degree of stability? Not because ISIS is invincible, but because political leaders in Baghdad are incapable of overcoming their own problems. The capital suffers from political chaos, the prime minister’s incapability, the interference of clerics, and an increase in Iranian influence over decision-making. This is in addition to former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s continuous incitement against his successor Haidar al-Abadi. If it had not been for international forces’ desire to fight ISIS due to fears of its expansion, it would have been close to Baghdad itself. Once Baghdad corrects its practises, it can eliminate ISIS. However, we do not yet see such indications. Terrorism, extremism and chaos will continue as long as Baghdad is torn apart and politicians are confused.
This article first appeared in Asharq al-Awsat on Nov. 12, 2015.

Rewriting Mideast history and geography at Republican debate
Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya?November 12/15
"Russia flies in that zone at the invitation of Iraq...so, when you think it’s going to be a good idea to have a no fly zone over Iraq, realize that means you are saying we are going to shoot down Russian planes. If you’re ready for that, be ready to send your sons and daughters to another war in Iraq."
-Senator Rand Paul, the Republican debate in Wisconsin, 10 Nov. 2015. The above quote illustrates the level of inaccuracy and hyperbole on foreign policy that went unchecked at the last Republican debate on Tuesday, hosted by Fox Business. With the exception of Senator Marco Rubio and former businesswoman Carly Fiorina, serious misstatements were made about the Middle East, substituting Syria for Iraq for example, or claiming that China is at war, or viewing Israel’s wall as a model to address illegal immigration in the United States. While foreign policy is unlikely to be a make or break issue in the 2016 U.S. presidential race, discrepancies over current affairs and basic geography of the Middle East was all over the debate and should be a cause of concern for the GOP establishment. The higher likelihood of facing the Democratic party candidate Hillary Clinton in the general elections means bare minimum knowledge of the location of Syria, or of U.S. involvement in Iraq is important for winning a debate against the former Secretary of State.
Tuesday’s debate exposed a foreign policy disarray for the Republican Party in being torn between the Putin admirers and adversaries, and in offering a confused analysis over Syria’s war and geography.
Where is Syria
The biggest gaffe of the night was Rand Paul’s insisting four times that Russia is bombing Iraq, in an answer to a question about a No Fly Zone (NFZ) in Syria. Paul who comes from the isolationist wing of the Republican party, appeared to be isolated and detached himself from the Middle East political reality. His assumption that a NFZ in Iraq by the U.S. would drag Washington into “another war in Iraq” is so outlandish that it make Donald Trump’s Syrian proposal sounds rational. Moscow is neither bombing Iraq, nor has been invited to do so by the government in Baghdad. Washington, on the other hand, is still bombing Iraq 12 years after promising a bustling democracy in Baghdad. As whimsical as Paul, was candidate Ben Carson suggesting that China is fighting in Syria. In an answer on the latest U.S. decision to deploy 50 Special Operations forces in Syria, Carson said “well, putting the special ops people in there is better than not having them there, because they — that’s why they’re called special ops”. Five seconds later Carson added “you know, the Chinese are there, as well as the Russians, and you have all kinds of factions there.” Carson is recently leading in the states of Iowa, North Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona. However, China is not a faction anywhere in the Middle East and the U.S. Special operations forces are part of a mission to train Kurdish and local forces.
Trump’s wall and Jeb’s Lebanon
Another odd moment in Tuesday’s debate was Trump’s analogy of Israel’s security barrier as a model to his wall with Mexico, attempting to block the illegal immigration on the long border. Trump said “if you think walls don’t work, all you have to do is ask Israel” ignoring that Israel’s wall is against international law for being built on annexed Palestinian land and covers 650 kilometers compared to the 3110 kilometers needed on the U.S.-Mexican border. Trump also praised Putin’s efforts in Syria, saying if Russia “wants to go and knock the hell out of ISIS, I am all for it, 100%.” A small caveat here is that the majority of Russian strikes in Syria exclude ISIS. The U.S. State Department’s spokesman John Kirby estimated on October 17th that “greater than 90% of the strikes that we’ve seen them take to date have not been against ISIS or al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists.”Another far cry from reality came from Jeb Bush stressing the threat of ISIS to a point that “if you’re a Christian, increasingly in Lebanon, or Iraq, or Syria, you’re going to be beheaded.” There hasn’t been any beheadings of Lebanese Christian civilians since ISIS declared its Caliphate on June 2014, albeit the minority feels more threatened in Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Libya. The debate had many valid attacks on Hillary Clinton’s record including her flip flopping on the keystone pipeline and the trade agreement issues, but one from Senator Ted Cruz did not. Cruz’s statement that Clinton and the Obama administration “abandoned the nation of Israel” is distortion. Coming on the week that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington to secure an unprecedented $50 billion in military aid the next ten years, the U.S. approach is nowhere near abandonment. Tuesday’s debate exposed a foreign policy disarray for the Republican Party in being torn between the Putin admirers and adversaries, and in offering a confused analysis over Syria’s war and geography. It’s a frightening reality for those who could potentially be on the receiving end in the Middle East, and perhaps puzzling for others in China or Mexico.

Money will buy Israel weapons but not security
Yossi Mekelberg/Al Arabiya/November 12/15
If proof was required that personal antipathies are secondary to political interests in the world of diplomacy, it was amply provided in the meeting on Monday between U.S. President Barak Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is hard to imagine a more awkward meeting in the history of relations between the two countries. Obama could afford to be magnanimous in victory, and Netanyahu was forced to eat humble pie. After all, despite numerous blatant efforts by Israel to interfere in U.S. domestic politics, in its attempts to derail the nuclear deal with Iran, Obama prevailed.
Netanyahu cannot risk a deeper rupture with the United States, and in his typical insolence is requesting - almost demanding - that Israel be compensated for the risks derived, according to him, from the nuclear deal. The U.S. administration takes a long strategic view of relations with Israel. It is resisting temptation to punish Israel for its intransigence, and for exploiting - even aggravating - rifts between Congress and Obama. Yet Washington seems reluctant to concede to all of Israel’s economic and military demands.
Israeli long-term security relies mainly on military might, with little room for diplomacy.
Iran nuclear deal
It was widely reported that Netanyahu arrived in Washington with a large shopping list that would have increased annual defense aid from $3 billion to $5 billion over the next decade. The Israeli argument is that an Iran free of sanctions will direct much of its increased revenues toward military expenditure, posing an ever-greater threat to Israel. The assumption among decision-makers in Jerusalem is that Iran only agreed to the nuclear deal for tactical reasons. The agreement will ease sanctions and avert a military attack on its nuclear installations; both eventualities might have compromised the stability of the regime. Common wisdom among Israeli politicians and strategists is that Iran is cheating its way to obtaining a nuclear bomb.Even the less pessimistic among them see the deal at best as no more than a 15-year hiatus for Iran to gain regional hegemony and eventually nuclear military capability. Under no circumstances are Israeli decision-makers capable of envisaging a political change in Tehran that would lead to it being less threatening.
Israel’s request for a substantial increase in military aid is as much about quality as quantity. The request apparently includes V-22 Osprey aircraft-helicopters, refuelling aircraft, and F-15SE stealth fighter jets, beyond the F-35 squadrons the Americans have already promised. This is an addition to a separate U.S. budget that funds the development of rocket and anti-ballistic missile defense systems.
Regional instability
Amid regional instability, it is not shocking that Israel would like to maintain its technological superiority in order to deal with any eventuality. However, it reflects a collective psyche in which Israeli long-term security relies mainly on military might, with little room for diplomacy. The United States consequently faces an arduous dilemma. Netanyahu and his advisors, who were viciously critical of the Obama administration and particularly the president, are banking Israeli security on their support. Despite the unwarranted Israeli questioning of Obama’s commitment to the wellbeing of the Jewish state, he kept pursuing a policy not that different from his predecessors in his support of Israel. He justifiably, for the most part, has been more critical in public of Israel’s policies toward the occupied Palestinian territories and Iran. However, granting Netanyahu his wish to arm Israel to the teeth would reward behavior that harms U.S. interests in the region and makes him even more inflexible, especially vis-à-vis the Palestinians.On the other hand, in the troubled Middle East, a stable and powerful Israel is an asset to U.S. interests in the region. The almost impossible task for any American president is to keep Israel powerful enough to stay safe, but not intransigent so as to adversely affect U.S. interests. On the Iranian and Palestinian issues, Netanyahu’s government proved to be more an obstacle for Washington than an ally or an asset.
U.S. domestic politics
Add to this a domestic scene in the United States, especially during an election year, which requires any administration to overtly express in words and deeds its support for Israel. This leaves Obama with very limited room to manoeuvre in his policy toward Israel during his last year in office.
The meeting between Obama and Netanyahu was probably personally uncomfortable for both of them. Nevertheless, it represented a recognition on both sides that in the year or so left for Obama in the White House, their national and political interests demand some level of collaboration and civility.
Israel is very unlikely to see its entire arms shopping list approved, even if the triangle of the U.S. Congress, arms industry and Israeli lobby push for it very hard. Nevertheless, Obama has as good as abandoned his earlier years’ aspiration to go down in history as peace broker between the Israelis and Palestinians.If this is the case, he would rather leave office not being perceived as someone who compromised Israeli security, or jeopardized the chances of a third consecutive Democratic term in the White House. Unfortunately, the immediate victims of this decision are Palestinian statehood and peace.

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