LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
January 06/17
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins17/english.january06.17.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
The Holy Spirit descended upon
him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son,
the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’"
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 03/15-22./:"As the people
were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts
concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by
saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is
coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his
threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will
burn with unquenchable fire.’ So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed
the good news to the people. But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him
because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things
that Herod had done, added to them all by shutting up John in prison. Now when
all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was
praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in
bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the
Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’"
So that, having been justified
by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal
life."
Letter to Titus 02/11-15//0.3/01-07/:"The grace of God has
appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and
worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are
self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the
manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He it is
who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify
for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. Declare these
things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one look down on you.
Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be
ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be
gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. For we ourselves were once
foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures,
passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when
the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not
because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his
mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit
he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having
been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of
eternal life."
Titles For Latest
LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on
January 05-06/17
Lebanese Government Passes Two Oil, Gas Decrees/Nazeer
Rida/Asharq Al Awsat/January
05/17
European Immigration: Mainly Muslim, Mainly Male, Mainly Young/ Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/January 05/17
Why are Yazidis being uprooted again/Mahmut Bozarslan/Translator: Timur Göksel/Al Monitor 05/17
Turkey’s New Year Eve massacre and moral decline/Turki
Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/January
05/17
Russia and Turkey’s Iran problem in Syria/Chris Doylel/Al
Arabiya/January 05/17
Humanitarian crisis and the youth bulge in Middle East/Ehtesham
Shahid/Al Arabiya/January
05/17
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on January
05-06/17
Lebanese Government Passes Two Oil, Gas Decrees
Aoun Chairs First Higher Defense
Council Meeting at Baabda
Report: Aoun, Hariri Determined to Solve State
Security 'Crisis'
Hamadeh Says Oil Decrees Failed to Meet Requirements
Aoun Meets Relatives of Servicemen Abducted by IS
Opposition Says Hizbullah Prevented Russians from
Entering Wadi Barada,
Turkey Says Party behind Truce Violations
Rahi meets delegations of African, Brazilian
community
Rita Shami killed in Istanbul attack laid to rest in Joun
Dutch Ambassador visits Hariri: Happy the institutions are functioning again
Hariri chairs ministerial committee meetings dealing with mecanique
inspection, petroleum resources
General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers: Cabinet did not discuss
confidential expenditures article
Jumblatt via Twitter: Huge disappointment following
yesterday session
Energy Minister: Lebanon 'serious' about completing first licensing round of
oil exploration
Sawan issues indictment against terrorists, refers
them to military court
Bukhari stresses KSA’s
unyielding support for Lebanon
Machnouk allows payment of annual mecanique
fees for year 2016 without inspection
Erslan, Bonne tackle overall situation
Grenade explodes in Ain Helweh Camp
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
January 05-06/17
Muslim Slaughters Christian for Selling Alcohol in Egypt
Turkey Makes New Arrests over Attack, Tightens Borders
Blast rocks western Turkish city of Izmir
Turkey identifies Istanbul nightclub attacker
PMU ‘accused of war crimes’ using arms sent to Iraq
ISIS executes Iraqi man by drowning him in detergent liquid
38 ISIS militants ‘neutralized’ in Turkish air strikes
Mosul: Iraqi forces gaining momentum
Iraq Forces Launch Operation to Retake Western Area
Iran Hits Back at Syria Truce Criticism from Turkey
Clashes Near Damascus Despite Syria Truce
Prominent Egyptian activist Ahmed Maher released from prison
Saudi to receive four Guantanamo detainees
Car bomb in Syria coastal regime bastion kills 14
United Arab Emirates' Leader Goes Abroad on 'Private Visit'
Egypt Frees 2011 Revolution Figure Maher
Arrests after Threats over Israeli Soldier's Conviction
Netanyahu Wants Pardon for Israeli Soldier in Manslaughter Case
Links From Jihad Watch Site for on January 05-06/17
Austria:
Muslims commit wave of sex assaults on New Year’s Eve
Robert
Spencer in PJ Media: Why Do Western Leaders Bother to Condemn Terror Attacks?
UK:
Hundreds of “child migrants” lied about their ages, are as old as 29
Italy:
Muslim sets fire to church Nativity scene
Pakistan:
Foe of blasphemy law accused of “hate speech” for opposing blasphemy law
Israel:
EU drone spying on Jewish towns crashes near Mt. Hevron
France:
Muslims set fire to nearly 1,000 cars on New Year’s Eve
Germany:
Muslim migrant arrested over jihad car bomb plot
Thousands
upon thousands of Islamic State recruits crossed Turkey on way to caliphate
Turkey
nightclub jihad murderer made grim selfie video in
Istanbul
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on January 05-06/17
Lebanese Government Passes Two Oil, Gas Decrees
Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al Awsat/January 05/17
Beirut – Lebanon’s new government passed its first obstacle after approving two
decrees concerning oil and gas exploration blocks, as well as assigning a new
OGERO Telecom chief, after more than two years of political deadlock. In its
first session after the confidence vote, the new Lebanese government approved
the decrees that define the blocks and specify conditions for production and exploration
tenders and contracts. Ministers of the Progressive Socialist Party voiced
their reservations over the approval of the decrees related to the oil
excavation file. Full details of the model exploration and production
agreements have not yet been published. It seemed that the preapproved
positions between political blocs concerning stalled issues led to the swift
approval.
Minister of State for Refugees Mouin al-Merehbi didn’t deny that the agreements on all the issues
facilitated reaching this result. He also expected other decrees to be approved
as easily as this. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the State Minister confirmed that there is
nothing hampering the agreement on oil decrees, before referring it to the
parliament for the vote. “I don’t think there is something that would stop the
authorization of all delayed matters … We hope others things will run as
smoothly as this,” he added. Merehbi pointed out that
both the oil and gas decrees took about two and half hours of discussions, saying
that the negotiations were technical and explored the Ministry of Finance’s
censorial role. Despite the government passing the decrees, Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh and Minister of
State for Human Rights Ayman Choucair
from the Democratic Gathering bloc were the only two ministers in the 30-member
Cabinet who voiced their objections. “We voiced initial reservations over the
executive decrees because they failed to recognize the establishment of a
national company to represent Lebanon
in the agreements with the companies that will be tasked in the explorations
and excavation of oil,” said Hamadeh. “The Cabinet
approved the two draft decrees pertaining to the delineation of sea waters
falling under the jurisdiction of the Lebanese state into zones in the form of
blocks, along with tender documents on the licensing rounds in sea waters and a
model agreement on exploration and production,” Information Minister Melhem Riachi told reporters
after the four-hour-long meeting. Riachi said that
the Cabinet also endorsed a decree pertaining to determining the expenses of
the committee tasked with overseeing applications by Lebanese expatriates to
regain Lebanese nationality. The Cabinet also appointed Imad
Kreidieh, 56, replacing Abdel-Moneim
Youssef, as new head of Ogero.Bassel
al-Ayoubi has also replaced Youssef
as the director-general of investment and maintenance at the Telecoms Ministry.
Youssef held both positions. Addressing the session,
PM Saad Hariri proposed the formation of a
ministerial committee to set guidelines for the Cabinet’s response during any
emergency. The committee comprised of the foreign, health and interior
ministers, will remain in contact with the president and the prime minister
when the need arises. President Michel Aoun, who
chaired the session at Baabda
Palace, started the meeting by
denouncing the Istanbul attack on the New Year’s
Eve where 39 people, including three Lebanese, were killed by a gunman during a
shooting spree claimed by ISIS. Aoun also hailed the security measures of the New Year’s
Eve in maintaining peace and praised the efforts of the security forces in that
regard. Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil
described the government as having done “extraordinary achievements” during its
first session. He added: “Three congratulations are in order for Lebanon
today: for the oil, telecommunication, and retrieval of nationality decrees.” Change
and Reform bloc MP Nabil Nicolas said on Wednesday:
“There is an agreement inside the newly formed government,” adding that there
is also a sort of openness among the ministers.
Aoun Chairs First Higher Defense
Council Meeting at Baabda
Naharnet/January 05/17/The Higher Defense
Council held its first meeting at the Baabda Palace
under the chairmanship of President Michel Aoun and
in the presence of Prime Minister Saad Hariri,
director-general of the State Security apparatus, Maj. Gen. George Qaraa and other security officials, the National News
Agency reported Thursday. The military and security chiefs and judicial
authorities attended the meeting, NNA added. Ahead of the session, Aoun and Hariri held a one-on-one meeting. Aoun stressed the “importance of pre-emptive confrontation
against terrorist groups and the need for coordination between the security agencies.”An invitation was addressed to Qaraa, after being exempted from such meetings during the
term of Prime Minister Tammam Salam-- when Lebanon was
witnessing a vacuum at the presidential level. Christian political parties and
ministers have described the exclusion of Qaraa from
security meetings at the Grand Serail as an
“encroachment on the rights of Christians in state institutions.”
Report: Aoun,
Hariri Determined to Solve State Security 'Crisis'
Naharnet/January 05/17/President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad
Hariri are determined to solve the crisis linked to the General Directory of
State Security, and therefore director-general of the apparatus, Maj. Gen.
George Qaraa was invited to attend the Higher Defense Council meeting at the Presidential Palace, al-Joumhouria daily reported Thursday. The President will
preside a meeting of the Higher Defense Council at
11:00 a.m. in Baabda, to give some guidance to the
involved security chiefs, and determine the work of the Council in light of the
powers conferred to it, the daily said. Presidential Palace sources said an
invitation was extended to Qaraa to attend the
Council meeting, after being exempted from such meetings during the term of
Prime Minister Tammam Salam-- when Lebanon was
witnessing a vacuum at the Presidential level. It is worth noting that the
President is the sole official authorized to chair the Higher Defense Council being the supreme commander of the armed
forces under the authority of the Council of Ministers. The meetings that were
held at the Grand Serail under Salam's chairmanship, were security meetings. The daily added, Aoun and Hariri are determined to solve the crisis of the
State Security, paving the way for coherent efforts between all security
apparatuses to be the “safety valve” for Lebanon at a critical stage the
country is passing through. In that regard, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq told the
daily: “Security reports about a number of undisclosed arrests and
interrogations will be presented during the Higher Defense
Council meeting.”State Security agency has been
facing a leadership dispute between Qaraa and his
deputy Brig. Gen. Mohammed al-Tufaili. In June 2016, Qaraa had sent the premiership a decree on sending al-Tufaili to retirement due to the fact that the latter “has
reached the retirement age stipulated by the law.”The
dispute between Qaraa and Tufaili
has effectively paralyzed the State Security agency and deprived it of funding.
Qaraa is backed by the Christian ministers while Tufaili is reportedly backed by Khalil,
Nouhad al-Mashnouq and the
ministers of the Progressive Socialist Party.
Hamadeh Says Oil Decrees Failed to Meet Requirements
Naharnet/January 05/17/Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh said Progressive
Socialist Party has voiced reservations over the approval of cabinet decrees
related to the oil excavation file, because it failed to recognize the
establishment of a national company to represent the country, and to establish
a sovereign fund to save the money, al-Joumhouria
daily reported on Thursday. PSP ministers, Hamadeh
and State Minister for Human Rights, Ayman Shqeir, voiced reservations over the approval of the oil
decrees during a cabinet session held on Wednesday. “We voiced initial
reservations over the executive decrees because they failed to recognize the
establishment of a national company to represent Lebanon in the agreements with the
companies that will be tasked in the explorations and excavation of oil,” said Hamadeh. “Moreover, the cabinet decrees failed to mention
anything about a sovereign fund although the law specifies that a fund must be
established to save monetary resources that will be allocated to eliminate the
public debt and save for the future generations,” he added. The Minister also
criticized what he described as “extraordinary jurisdictions given to the
energy minister, overstepping the powers of the cabinet, particularly when it
comes to selecting the oil blocs where excavation would start without referring
to the council of ministers.”The cabinet approved
Wednesday the long-awaited oil and gas decrees paving the way for extraction
off Lebanon's
coast, after more than two years of political deadlock had obstructed previous
efforts.
Aoun Meets Relatives of Servicemen Abducted by IS
Naharnet/January 05/17/President Michel Aoun met on Thursday with relatives of the servicemen
kidnapped by the Islamic State extremist group, the National News Agency
reported. The meeting was held in the presence of General Security chief Maj. Gen.Abbas Ibrahim, NNA added. Aoun
assured that he will raise the issue with Arab leaders during his upcoming tour
to Arab countries, he said: “I will carry the cause of kidnapped servicemen
with me during my visit abroad. “We will continue our endeavors
until the fate of the servicemen is clarified. We will spare no effort in that
regard,” added Aoun addressing the relatives. For his
part, Ibrahim said the President is following up on the file “on a daily basis.”He also briefed the President on the underway
negotiations process to release the abductees, saying “the current mediator is
the 13th negotiator in this case and is trying to discover the fate of the servicemen.”The IS group and al-Nusra
Front, which re-branded itself as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham in July when it split from the al-Qaida
movement, abducted over 30 servicemen in clashes with the Lebanese army in the northeastern border town of Arsal
in August 2014. Sixteen held by the Jabhat Fateh al-Islam were freed in December last year through a
Qatari-mediated deal that also included a prisoner swap to release a number of
inmates from Lebanese jails. The two groups had previously executed four of the
hostages. Nine hostages are still being held by the IS and their families do
not know much about their fate. Early this week, Ibrahim assured that some
serious efforts were being exerted through a Lebanese mediator for the release
of the servicemen.He also assured that endeavors to release them will continue.
Opposition Says Hizbullah
Prevented Russians from Entering Wadi Barada, Turkey Says Party behind Truce Violations
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
05/17/The Syrian opposition accused Hizbullah on
Wednesday of preventing Russian officials from entering the Wadi
Barada area near Damascus to assess water
infrastructure damaged by clashes. "A checkpoint belonging to the Hizbullah militia prevented the Russian officers from
entering," Ahmed Ramadan of the National Coalition opposition body said in
a message to journalists. The area is the main source of water to the capital.The government accuses rebels in the area of
deliberately targeting water infrastructure, causing leaking fuel to poison the
supply to the capital, and then cutting the flow altogether. Rebels say the
infrastructure was damaged in government strikes and deny responsibility for
the damage that has left four million people without water since December 22.
Opposition officials and Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman reported
ongoing talks on a deal to end the fighting and repair the water infrastructure."Local officials want... Russian teams
to enter to fix the infrastructure" in exchange for a halt to the
fighting, Abdel Rahman told AFP. "But the regime
wants control of the spring and the pumps to prevent any blackmail or threats
in the future," he added. "This is their condition for halting military
operations." Turkey's
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
on Wednesday urged the regime and its backers to end their
"violations" of the truce, warning they were jeopardizing the planned
peace talks in Kazakh capital Astana this month. "If we do not stop the
increasing violations, the Astana process could fail. After the ceasefire, we
see violations," Cavusoglu told the state-run Anadolu news agency in an interview. "When we look at
who commits these violations, it is Hizbullah, in
particular Shiite groups and the regime," he added.He
urged Russia and Iran, which both back Assad and are also helping prepare the
Astana talks, to pressure Damascus and Hizbullah to
stop the fighting. Despite the call, fighting continued on the ground in Wadi Barada on Wednesday, the
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. It reported
ongoing clashes as well as government air strikes and artillery fire in the
area, but had no immediate details on casualties. Wadi
Barada has been under government siege since 2015,
but government forces upped pressure on the region several weeks ago as they
tried to secure a "reconciliation deal" with rebels there.The regime has reached a series of such deals with
opposition forces around Damascus in recent months, offering rebels safe
passage to other parts of the country in return for surrender.
Rahi meets delegations of African, Brazilian community
Thu 05 Jan 2017/NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Mar Bechara Boutros Rahi, received at
Bkirki a delegation of the African community, headed
by the Apostolic Exarch of Western and Central Africa, Father Simon Faddoul,
in the presence of Ambassador Graziella Seif.
Addressing his guests, the Patriarch assured that the war in the East is aimed
at hitting the concept of Muslim-Christian coexistence. Rai
met with the spokesman of the "guards of Islamic-Christian
coexistence" in Brazil,
Bilal Juma accompanied by
Ali Mahdi. Discussions focused on the situation of
the Lebanese community in Brazil.
Separately, Rahi welcomed Minister of Public Works
and Transportation, Youssef Fenianos,
accompanied by Tony Sleiman Frangieh
and attorney Shadi Saad. Fenianos hoped that he would succeed in his new post at the
ministry. On the other hand, Rai received at night
Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Gebran Bassil with talks featuring high on local issues and others
related to the Lebanese diaspora as well as his
ministry's work.
Rita Shami
killed in Istanbul attack laid to rest in Joun
Thu 05 Jan 2017 /NNA - Rita Shami who had been killed
on Sunday in an attack in Istanbul
was laid to rest on Thursday in Joun. A number of
Lebanese state officials joined Shami’s family and
friends for a funeral service at the Melkite Catholic
Church in Beirut's
Sodeco. "There are evil people who choose to
spill the blood of those who disagree with their political or religious
convictions," Melkite Archbishop Cyril Salim Bustros said during his sermon.She was buried in her hometown cemetery in the town
of Joun.
Dutch Ambassador visits Hariri: Happy the
institutions are functioning again
Thu 05 Jan 2017 /NNA - Prime Minister Saad Hariri
received this evening at the Grand Serail the
Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
to Lebanon,
Hester Somsen, who said after the meeting
: "I just had a meeting with Prime Minister Saad
Hariri and it was excellent. It is my last meeting because I am leaving Lebanon
tomorrow after being the Dutch Ambassador for three and a half years. I am
happy to be leaving this country after seeing that things are functioning
again, the institutions have found their role again, there is a president,
there is a Prime Minister and there is a well-functioning cabinet that has a
lot of ambitions. I am hoping for an electoral law to be passed too. We also
discussed the public private partnership law that would help Lebanon
tremendously in rebuilding the infrastructure and making more services
available to the people. I also pledged to Prime Minister Hariri the support of
the Netherlands for the
years to come because we understand that Lebanon
is located in a difficult region and the number of refugees is a burden for Lebanon, which we appreciate in the Netherlands,
and we try to support as much as possible".Vehicles
inspection stations Committee. Hariri also chaired a meeting of the Ministerial
Committee to study the subject of open public tender for the assignment of a
project to modernize, develop and operate existing vehicles inspection
stations.
Hariri chairs ministerial committee meetings dealing with mecanique
inspection, petroleum resources
Thu 05 Jan 2017/NNA - Prime Minister, Saad Hariri on
Thursday night chaired a meeting of the Ministerial Committee to study the call
for tenders for a project to modernize, develop and operate the mecanique inspection centers.The
meeting was attended by Ministers, Nouhad Machnouk, Ali Hassan Khalil, Selim Jreissati and Raed Khoury. Hariri then chaired
the meeting of the Ministerial Committee tasked to study the draft law on
petroleum resources in the Lebanese territory, in the presence of ministers Ali Hasan Khalil, Michel Pharaon, César Abi Khalil, as well as members of
the oil sector management committee in Lebanon.
General Secretariat of the Council of
Ministers: Cabinet did not discuss confidential expenditures article
Thu 05 Jan 2017/NNA - The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers
stressed in a statement on Thursday that "the cabinet session did not
discuss yesterday (Wednesday) the confidential expenditures article as has been
said by some media outlets".
Jumblatt via Twitter: Huge disappointment following yesterday
session
Thu 05 Jan 2017/NNA - "Democratic Gathering" head MP Walid Jumblatt said on Thursday
via his Twitter account that the disappointment is huge after yesterday's
session, yet no to surrender.
Energy Minister: Lebanon 'serious' about
completing first licensing round of oil exploration
Thu 05 Jan 2017/NNA - Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Cezar Abi Khalil,
told a press conference on Thursday that Lebanon is "serious" about
finalizing the first licensing round of oil and gas exploration, adding that
this step shall increase investors' interest in the fuel sector."Blocks
will be opened according to the study carried out by the Petroleum
Administration Committee, as well as according to the requirements of the
Lebanese state," he said, revealing that five blocks will be open to bids.
"We will not work hastily; but we will work fast so that we move forward
in the licensing rounds," he added. "The Lebanese state has
determined its maritime borders and we hold onto each inch of our territorial
waters," he stressed. "We are cooperating with the concerned sides in
order to recuperate our rights," he concluded.
Sawan issues indictment against terrorists, refers
them to military court
Thu 05 Jan 2017/NNA - Military investigation magistrate, Fadi
Sawan, issued on Thursday indictments against a
number of Lebanese and Syrians for belonging to terrorist organizations seeking
to conduct acts of terror across the country. The judge referred the files,
along with the accused persons, before the Permanent Military Tribunal for
trial.
Bukhari stresses KSA’s unyielding
support for Lebanon
Thu 05 Jan 2017/NNA - The "Beirut Families Union" hosted at its
headquarters in Mar Elias a meeting with the Charge d’Affaires
of Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Beirut, Walid Al-Bukhari, in the presence of MP Ammar
Houry and a crowd of ranking dignitaries. Having
listened to a number of interventions made during the gathering, Bukhari replied by stressing Saudi
Arabia’s great interest in Lebanon. "I appreciate what I
have heard from you today and I assure you that the Kingdom will not abandon Lebanon,"
he told the audience. "The visit of President of the Republic, General
Michel Aoun, to Saudi Arabia will have positive
impacts on the Lebanese-Saudi relations," he concluded.
Machnouk allows payment of annual mecanique
fees for year 2016 without inspection
Thu 05 Jan 2017/NNA - Interior Minister, Nouhad Machnouk issued a statement on Thursday, according to which
he allowed the owners of vehicles which were subject to mecanique
inspection during the year 2015 to pay the annual mecanique
fees for the year 2016 and the preceding years, exceptionally and until 27th of
February, without their cars being subject to inspection. This decision is due
to the traffic jams in front of the mecanique
inspection centers, due to the forced closure of their doors.
Erslan, Bonne tackle overall situation
Thu 05 Jan 2017/NNA - "Lebanese Democratic" Party head, Displaced
Minister, Talal Arslan, met
on Thursday at his Khaldeh residence with French Ambassador
to Lebanon, Emmanuel Bonne, with talks reportedly touching on most recent
developments in Lebanon and the broad region. Ambassador Bonne was accompanied
by a delegation of the Embassy.
Grenade explodes in Ain Helweh Camp
Thu 05 Jan 2017/NNA - The sound of a hand grenade has been heard in Ain el Helweh Camp, NNA field reporter said on Thursday.The
reporter added that no casualties have been reported.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 05-06/17
Muslim Slaughters Christian for Selling Alcohol in Egypt
Raymond Ibrahim/Coptic Solidarity/January 05/17
A Muslim man crept up behind a Christian man and slit his throat, killing him
in Alexandria, Egypt, on the evening of January 3. Adel Suleiman, 48, the
Muslim man who committed the murder, did so because his Christian victim,
45-year-old Joseph Lam‘i, owned a shop that sold
alcohol, which the murderer deemed “contrary to the shar‘ia [Islamic law] and the religion [Islam],”
according to an Arabic language investigative report. A surveillance video
captures the moment of the attack (see below). The Coptic shop owner can be
seen sitting in a chair right outside his shop. Then a bearded man appears
casually walking along in the background. He stops behind the seated Christian,
pulls his head back, and very forcefully and
deliberately slits his throat. The Copt instinctively jumps up and away from
his assassin, though he quickly succumbed to his wounds by bleeding to death.
According to a preliminary investigation by the national security department of
Egypt,
“The accused was not prompted by any political or criminal motives but had
embraced takfiri [“radical”] thinking four years ago.”What is clear is that the assassin is a Salafi, one of those Muslims who closely follow the
lifestyle and teachings of Muslim prophet Muhammad and his original companions.
Both his appearance (the traditional Salafi beard
with clipped mustache) and his actions (“defending”
Islam from the “corrupting” influences of “infidels”) testify to this fact.
Below is the Video link
https://youtu.be/hgHoNhKDZKo
Turkey Makes New
Arrests over Attack, Tightens Borders
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
05/17/Turkish police detained several new suspects on Thursday in fresh raids
over the nightclub attack that killed 39, as authorities tightened borders to
prevent the fugitive killer from escaping. A top official said the attacker was
likely a Turkic Uighur and reports have indicated the authorities are looking
into the possible existence of a cell, also including other jihadists from Central Asia. But with the prospect of a dangerous
trained killer on the run in the city adding to tensions in Istanbul after a spate of attacks, the
authorities have still not caught the individual. In the early hours of Sunday,
a gunman stormed the swanky Reina nightclub on the shores of the Bosphorus in Istanbul
and sprayed 120 bullets at terrified partygoers celebrating New Year. Of the 39
dead, 27 were foreigners including citizens from Lebanon,
Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iraq
and Morocco.
The Islamic State group (IS) took responsibility for the massacre in a
statement on Monday, marking the first time it has issued a clear and
undisputed claim for a major attack inside Turkey. The extremist group said it
was a response to Ankara's ambitious military
operation against it in northern Syria,
where Turkish armed forces are supporting opposition fighters retaking
territory from IS.Special forces detained several
people suspected of links with the attack on the outskirts of Istanbul on Thursday, state-run news agency Anadolu said.
- 'Probably of Uighur origin' -Authorities also tightened Turkish land
borders, Dogan news agency reported, over fears the
killer planned to flee the country. The agency said checkpoints would be set up
to search all vehicles and people leaving the country at border crossings in Edirne, western Turkey,
which has a land border with Greece
and Bulgaria.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
said on Wednesday that the attacker had been identified but did not give a name
or further details. Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak told A Haber broadcaster on Thursday that the
attacker was "probably" of Uighur origin as he sought to play down
fears that the gunman would escape Turkey. Most Uighurs,
an eastern Turkic group, live in the Xinjiang region
of China,
although there are also significant populations in ex-Soviet Central Asian
states. Previous reports had said the killer could be from Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan. Kaynak
said airports had also taken important measures to ensure the killer did not escape.Responding to some reports in local media that there
was a second gunman, Kaynak said security forces were
"assessing all probabilities" but that the shots were fired from one gun.He said investigations continued into whether the
gunman had help inside the club and what kind of assistance he had to prepare
the attack. Kaynak described the massacre as
"sophisticated and well planned", suggesting the gunman is part of a
"well formed cell". - Families detained -Anadolu
did not say how many were arrested during the raids in Istanbul but claimed those detained were of
Uighur origin. Police reportedly got a tip-off that individuals linked to the
killer were hiding in a housing complex in the district. Excluding the latest
arrests, at least 36 had been detained in the probe by Wednesday, but the
gunman himself remains on the run after giving police the slip in the aftermath
of the massacre. Authorities had on Tuesday detained 20 adults -- along with 20
of their children -- from three families in the Aegean city of Izmir. They moved to Izmir
on December 10 from the central city of Konya,
where they are suspected of having been in touch with the killer during his
stay there. Police are investigating possible links to IS of these suspects,
who include Uighurs, Kyrgyz citizens and suspects
from the Russian Caucasus region of Dagestan.
The latest attack comes after Turkey
suffered a bloody year in 2016 when multiple bombings blamed on Kurdish
militants and IS jihadists killed hundreds of people. Turkey is also
still reeling from a failed July 15 coup blamed by the government on the
US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen that has been followed by a relentless purge of his
alleged supporters from state institutions. Parliament on Tuesday extended a
controversial state of emergency in place since the coup -- and which has seen
over 41,000 people arrested -- by another three months to April 19.
Blast rocks western Turkish city of Izmir
AFP, Istanbul Thursday, 5 January 2017/A car bomb exploded outside a courthouse in the western
Turkish city of Izmir
on Thursday, wounding at least 10 people and sparking clashes in which at least
two “terrorists” were killed, officials and reports said. Several ambulances
were rushed to the scene after the blast outside the prosecutors and judges’
entrance to the court in the usually peaceful city on the Aegean
Sea, the channel said. Police then clashed with “terrorists”
during which two of them were killed and one escaped, according to state-run Anatolia news agency. The mayor of the local Bayrakli municipality, Hassan Karabag,
told NTV television that at least 10 people were wounded, one of them
seriously. The wounded were taken to hospital as police secured the scene. The
blast came after a gunman stormed an Istanbul
nightclub killing 39 people during New Year celebrations on Sunday. In
connection with that attack, authorities had on Tuesday detained 20 adults --
along with 20 of their children -- from three families in Izmir, Turkey’s
third largest city. As is customary after such attacks in Turkey, the
authorities slapped a broadcast ban on images from the incident, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Turkey identifies Istanbul
nightclub attacker
Agencies Thursday, 5 January 2017/Turkish authorities have identified the
gunman responsible for the attack on an elite nightclub that killed 39 people
celebrating New Year, the foreign minister said Wednesday. “The identity of the
person responsible for the Istanbul
attack has been established,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told Anadolu news
agency during a televised interview. He did not name the attacker or give any
further details. The assailant stormed the popular Reina nightclub on the Bosphorus and sprayed 120 bullets at terrified partygoers
celebrating the start of 2017 on Sunday. Also read: How Saudi twins bid family
farewell before they were killed in Istanbul Since escaping from the club, the
gunman has been on the run although authorities previously said they were
seeking a suspected militant from Central Asia, reportedly from Kyrgyzstan or
Uzbekistan. According to Turkish media the attacker rented a flat in the
central city of Konya before moving to Istanbul to carry out the
attack. There were also press reports suggesting he appeared to be well trained
in the use of arms and had fought in Syria
for ISIS.
Hunt for gunman
Turkey’s state-run
news agency says police have conducted more raids in their hunt for the gunman
that killed 39 people at an Istanbul
nightclub, detaining several people. Anadolu Agency
said Thursday that anti-terrorism teams, acting on tips, conducted raids in Istanbul’s outskirts, detaining a number of people from China's Muslim
Uighur community. The report didn't provide any numbers, but said they were
suspected of "aiding and abetting" the gunman. At least 39 other
people are already in custody over suspected links to the attack on Istanbul’s upscale Reina
nightclub during New Year's celebrations. The ISIS group has claimed
responsibility for the massacre, saying it was in reprisal for Turkish military
operations in northern Syria.The government says the
gunman, who reportedly escaped in a taxi, has been identified.(With AFP and AP)
PMU ‘accused of war crimes’ using arms
sent to Iraq
AFP, London Thursday, 5 January 2017/Pro-government Iraqi paramilitaries
accused of war crimes are using arms from at least 16 countries, including the
US and Iran, according to an Amnesty International report released on Thursday.
The predominantly Shia militias were formed in 2014
to support the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS
and have since committed war crimes, Amnesty said. The Sunni Arab community has
been targeted by paramilitaries, which have acted with total impunity in
carrying out extrajudicial executions, torture and enforced disappearances,
among other crimes. “International arms suppliers, including the USA, European
countries, Russia and Iran, must wake up to the fact that all arms transfers to
Iraq carry a real risk of ending up in the hands of militia groups with long
histories of human rights violations,” said Patrick Wilcken,
an arms control researcher at Amnesty. The London-based rights group used field
research and analysis of photo and video evidence since June 2014 to document
the arms used by the paramilitaries, which Amnesty said were manufactured in at
least 16 countries. Tanks, machine guns and sniper rifles were among more than
100 types of arms used by the groups according to Amnesty. Weaponry has been
supplied by Iraqi state institutions or with the authorities’ approval, while
militia members have also purchased weapons on the private market including
online sales. Iran
was named as a major military sponsor of militias which are accused of serious
human rights violations. Despite the paramilitaries formally becoming part of
the Iraqi military last year, Amnesty said its request to the defence ministry
for details of accountability mechanisms went unanswered. “Instead of
unequivocally hailing militias as heroes fighting to put an end to ISIS
atrocities, thereby emboldening them, the Iraqi authorities must stop turning a
blind eye to systematic abuses that have fed sectarian tensions,” said Wilcken.Amnesty also called on countries selling arms to
Iraq to put measures in place to ensure the weapons are not used by militias
guilty of abuses.
ISIS executes Iraqi man by drowning him in
detergent liquid
Staff writer, Al Arabiya
English Thursday, 5 January 2017/ISIS released a new video showing them
executing an Iraqi man in Mosul
by drowning him in a disinfectant detergent liquid. The video documents what
ISIS has been up to during the battle of Mosul,
now in its third month since operations to regain the city began. The extremist
group claims the man was in contact with an Iraqi radio station and had
broadcasted the call while drowning him. They said that the victim supported
“the government’s campaign to restore Mosul
and said that the city needs to be cleansed with Dettol
detergent.”The number of ISIS suicide attacks reached
1,112 operations in Iraq
and Syria 2016 alone, where 761 targeted the Iraqi armed forces and Peshmerga, 153 targeted the PKK, 133 of them the Syrian
regime forces while 83 hit Syrian opposition groups and Turkish forces.
38 ISIS militants ‘neutralized’ in
Turkish air strikes
Reuters, Ankara Thursday, 5 January 2017/Turkish warplanes and artillery
have struck ISIS targets in Syria, ‘neutralizing’ 38 of the group’s militants,
Turkey’s military said in a statement on Thursday. In a round-up of its
military operations over the last 24 hours in support of rebels in northern
Syria, the army said air strikes by Turkish fighter jets on 28 ISIS targets
destroyed shelters, command centers, weapons and vehicles. The Turkish military
operation, dubbed ‘Euphrates Shield’, was launched more than four months ago to
drive ISIS militants away from the border
region. In recent weeks, the forces have been besieging the town of al-Bab.
Mosul: Iraqi forces gaining momentum
AFP, Washington Thursday, 5 January 2017/Iraqi army and security forces
are working better together in their battle against ISIS militants and are
gaining momentum in the 11-week campaign to retake Mosul, the commander of the
US-led coalition backing them said on Wednesday.During
a helicopter tour over recently recaptured areas, US Army Lieutenant-General
Steve Townsend said coordination had been largely absent in the first two
months of the campaign, when Iraqi forces made slow progress after breaching
the city. Elite counter-terrorism troops entered Mosul from the east and seized a quarter of
the city but troops on other fronts stalled, leading to a military pause last
month. Since resuming the offensive last week, the counter-terrorism service,
rapid response division and federal police have retaken several eastern
districts - despite fierce resistance - and joined flanks in areas that had
been vulnerable to attack.Townsend said Iraqi
commanders, with guidance from the coalition, decided two weeks ago that the
various pro-government forces would have to coordinate much more closely. “For
about two months ... what we saw is that there wasn’t enough synchronization
between each of the different attacking axes and forces,” he told Reuters after
visiting US troops and
talking to Iraqi commanders at a coalition outpost north of Mosul. “Right before Christmas was a decision
to huddle a lot more frequently, so they’re doing that more.”Townsend
said the top Iraqi commanders now all come together every few days - something
the US
military does daily wherever it operates. “Before... we were seeing progress
mostly on one main axis and halting progress on the others. Now we're actually
seeing forward movement on all of the axes in eastern Mosul,” he said.
Iraqis fleeing Mosul
More than 2,000 Iraqis a day are fleeing Mosul,
several hundred more each day than before US-led coalition forces began a new
phase of their battle to retake the city from ISIS,
the United Nations said on Wednesday. After quick initial advances, the
operation stalled for several weeks but last Thursday Iraqi forces renewed
their push from Mosul’s east towards the Tigris River on three fronts.Elite interior ministry troops were clearing the Mithaq district on Wednesday, after entering it on Tuesday
when counterterrorism forces also retook an industrial zone. Federal police
advanced in the Wahda district, the military said on
Wednesday, in the 12th week of Iraq's
largest military campaign since the US-led invasion of 2003. (With Reuters inputs)
Iraq Forces Launch Operation to Retake
Western Area
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
05/17/Iraqi forces on Thursday launched an offensive aimed at retaking towns
still under the control of the Islamic State group in western areas near the
border with Syria, commanders said. "A military operation has begun in the
western areas of Anbar to liberate them from Daesh," said Lieutenant General Qassem
Mohammedi, commander of the Jazeera
Operations Command, using an Arabic acronym for IS. He said the operation was
led by the army's 7th division, police, and fighters from local tribes that
have opposed the jihadists, with aerial backing from the US-led coalition. The
main targets of the operation are Aanah, Rawa and Al-Qaim, the westernmost
Iraqi towns along the Euphrates
Valley. The jihadist hub
of Al-Qaim, which lies 330 kilometres (200 miles)
northwest of Baghdad, is still a long way down
the road and the most immediate target of the new offensive is the town of Aanah.
"Our forces started advancing from Haditha
towards Aanah from several directions," Mohammedi told AFP. Haditha was
never seized by IS when the group swept across much of Iraq's Sunni Arab
heartland in 2014 and is home to a tribe that has led the fight against the
jihadists in the area. "Zero hour has come to
liberate the western areas," Nadhom al-Jughaifi, a commander with the Haditha
tribal fighters, said. In 2016, Iraqi forces retook large parts of the vast province of Anbar, including its capital Ramadi and the city of Fallujah. Anbar is
a desert area traversed by the Euphrates that borders Saudi Arabia, Jordan
and Syria.
Security in reconquered areas remains precarious and
jihadists continue to move across the province. Tens of thousands of Iraqi
forces are currently involved in an offensive to retake Mosul, the main northern city which is also IS's last major stronghold in the country. IS has lost more
than half of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and the loss of Mosul
would deal a major blow to the "caliphate" it proclaimed there in
June 2014.
Iran Hits Back at Syria
Truce Criticism from Turkey
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
05/17/Iran has hit back at "unconstructive" Turkish allegations that Tehran's allies were violating a fragile ceasefire in Syria, accusing
rebels of breaking the truce. "The current ceasefire in Syria has been
violated repeatedly by the anti-government armed opposition groups,"
foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi
said Wednesday. "(Turkey)
should take necessary measures to deal with several instances of ceasefire
violation by these groups and at the same time refrain from taking unreal
stances and accusing other parties."He was
responding to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who on Wednesday accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government of violating a ceasefire Ankara brokered with regime backer Moscow last week. Cavusoglu
warned that the "violations" were jeopardising planned peace talks in
Kazakhstan
later this month. Ghasemi criticised the
"unconstructive remarks" and said they could "further complicate
the current situation" in Syria.
Despite backing opposite sides in the conflict, Ankara
and Moscow have worked closely to broker the
ceasefire and plan the Astana talks, which Cavusoglu
said could take place on January 23.Regime ally Iran
is also involved in organising the talks, and top official Alaeddin
Boroujerdi was in Damascus on Wednesday for talks with Assad.
Clashes Near Damascus Despite Syria
Truce
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
05/17/Syrian pro-government forces clashed with rebels around the main water
source for Damascus
on Thursday, a monitor said, threatening a fragile ceasefire as it entered its
seventh day. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said regime troops backed
by fighters from Lebanon's
Hezbollah movement were battling to recapture parts of the Wadi
Barada region from rebels. The area north of Damascus is the main
source of water to the capital. The Observatory, a Britain-based monitor of Syria's
conflict, said regime forces had late on Wednesday launched "dozens of air
strikes on parts of Wadi Barada
along with artillery and rocket fire, killing a firefighter." Fighting has
continued in the area despite a nationwide ceasefire brokered by regime backer Russia and rebel sponsor Turkey, which has brought quiet to large parts
of Syria.
The regime says forces in Wadi Barada
include former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham
Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front, which Moscow and Damascus
say is excluded from the ceasefire. Rebels deny the group is in the area.The capital's water supply
has been cut since December 22, with the regime and rebels trading accusations
over responsibility. Regime forces late Wednesday also bombed several parts of
rebel-held Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, while regime and loyalist forces
battled Islamist militants there, the Observatory said. The
opposition-controlled Rashidin district on the
western outskirts of Aleppo was also bombed, it said, killing a rebel fighter
and wounding eight others.The ceasefire agreement is
meant to pave the way for peace negotiations later this month in the Kazakh capital
Astana, but Ankara warned on Wednesday that violations of the truce by
President Bashar al-Assad's government were putting
the talks at risk.
Prominent Egyptian activist Ahmed Maher
released from prison
The Associated Press, Cairo Thursday, 5 January 2017/A leading Egyptian
activist behind the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak has been released
from prison after serving a three-year sentence for violating a ban on
unauthorized protests. A lawyer for Ahmed Maher says he was released early Thursday
and returned to his Cairo
home. The lawyer, Tarek al-Awadi,
says Maher will be under surveillance for the next three years as part of his
sentence. Maher was the co-founder of the April 6 movement, which used social
media to bring protesters into the streets in Arab Spring-inspired
demonstrations that forced Mubarak to resign in February 2011. Two and half
years later, the military overthrew an elected but divisive Islamist president
and the new government banned all unauthorized demonstrations.
Saudi to receive four Guantanamo detainees
Reuters, Washington Thursday, 5 January 2017/The United States will
transfer four detainees to Saudi Arabia from the Guantanamo Bay military prison
in the next 24 hours, US officials said on Wednesday, in President Barack
Obama’s final push to shrink the inmate population there despite pressure from
the president-elect to halt such releases. The two US
officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, were unable to provide the
nationalities of the prisoners who were headed to Saudi Arabia. Last April, the
desert kingdom - one of the top US
allies in the region - accepted nine Yemenis under a long-negotiated deal
between Washington and Riyadh. It will be the first in Obama’s final
flurry of transfers aimed at sending as many as 19 prisoners to at least four
countries, including Italy, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, before Donald
Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20. If the final transfers go according to plan, only
about 40 prisoners will remain at Guantanamo,
despite Obama’s pledge to close the controversial facility at the US naval base in Cuba.
Car bomb in Syria coastal regime bastion
kills 14
Agencies Thursday, 5 January 2017/At least 14 people were killed Thursday
in a car bombing in Syria's coastal city of Jablah, a
bastion of the regime, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.
Syrian state television also reported the blast, blaming it on a suicide bomber
and saying there were at least nine dead and 25 wounded. State media said
scores of cars were on fire and shops were also damaged by the blast in a
bustling commercial part of the town that lies in President Bashar
al Assad's minority Alawite sect's heartland. Senior medical officer Ghassan Findi told state television the death toll was expected to
rise with rescue operations still continuing and scores of injured still being
rushed to nearby hospitals. State television showed footage of mangled
cars and shutters of shops damaged and blown apart as rescue workers cleared
the debris amid a heavy security presence in the bustling commercial area near
a popular vegetable market and a garage depot. At least 150 people were killed
and 200 wounded in May when bombs hit the town and the port city of Tartous
on the Mediterranean coast that hosts Russian military bases. ISIS
claimed the May attacks in a statement posted online saying its fighters had
targeted "gatherings of Alawites". Hardline Sunni militants consider Alawites
heretics
(With AFP and Reuters)
United Arab Emirates' Leader Goes
Abroad on 'Private Visit'
Associated Press/Naharnet/January 05/17/The
leader of the United Arab Emirates, who has rarely been seen since suffering a
stroke nearly three years ago, has left his country for a "private
visit" abroad. The state-run WAM news agency announced Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan's trip on Thursday. It did not say where he went.
Born in 1948, Sheikh Khalifa became president after
the 2004 death of his father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan
Al Nahyan. He is also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the seven sheikhdoms that comprise
the UAE.Sheikh Khalifa
suffered the stroke on Jan. 24, 2014, and underwent emergency surgery. He went
abroad for several months last year as well. The UAE is a strong Western ally
and hosts American troops fighting the Islamic State group.
Egypt Frees 2011 Revolution Figure Maher
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
05/17/Egypt has released political activist Ahmed Maher, a leading figure in
the 2011 revolt that toppled the government, after he completed his jail term,
his lawyer and a security source said Thursday. Maher, 36, was a founder and
spokesman of the April 6 protest movement that was influential in the uprising
that overthrew longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak. A
security source told AFP that Maher was released from jail on Wednesday evening
while his lawyer, Anas Sayed,
said he will be under judicial supervision for three years. Maher was arrested
in November 2013 while protesting in Cairo
against a law banning public gatherings not pre-authorised by the interior
ministry. He was convicted alongside prominent activists Mohamed Adel and Ahmed
Douma, who as of Thursday were still incarcerated.
Rights groups say President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's
government has tried to repress all opposition since the former army chief
overthrew his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in
2013.
Arrests after Threats over Israeli
Soldier's Conviction
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
05/17/Israeli police arrested two people Thursday after death threats emerged
online against a judge over the manslaughter conviction of a soldier who shot
dead a wounded Palestinian assailant.Israel's
military has also assigned bodyguards to the three judges who found the
20-year-old French-Israeli soldier guilty on Wednesday, reports said. Sgt. Elor Azaria was convicted after a
trial in a military court that began in May and which deeply divided the
country. It has led to harsh criticism of the verdict by far-right activists,
while right-wing politicians -- including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu --
have called for the soldier to be pardoned. Police said they had arrested two
people from Jerusalem and the city of Kiryat Gat
for incitement to violence online. According to Israeli news site Ynet, the posts by a 54-year-old man and 22-year-old woman
included death threats against the head of the three-judge panel in the case,
Colonel Maya Heller. "Police units are continuing to monitor social media
and respond to threats and incitement to violence connected to the Azaria court decision," a statement said. Military and
justice ministry officials declined to comment on the increased security for
Heller as well as the two other judges, Colonel Carmel Wahabi
and Lieutenant Colonel Yaron Sitbon.
Military prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Weissman was also reportedly given extra protection. In a
sign of the tensions surrounding the case, dozens of protesters scuffled with
police Wednesday as they gathered outside Israel's military headquarters in
Tel Aviv, where the verdict was announced. Military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot was reportedly
targeted with threats, with some supporters of the soldier suggesting he would
join Rabin -- a reference to the 1995 assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist. The case
burst into public view when a video of the March 24 shooting in Hebron in the occupied West Bank
emerged and spread widely online. The video showed Abdul Fatah al-Sharif, 21,
lying on the ground, shot along with another man after stabbing and moderately
wounding a soldier minutes earlier, according to the army. Azaria
then shoots him again in the head without any apparent provocation. Heller
spent more than two and a half hours reading out the decision on Wednesday,
sharply criticising the arguments of Azaria's
lawyers. The judges ruled there was no reason for Azaria
to open fire since the Palestinian was posing no
threat. He faces up to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced at a later
date. A poll by pro-Netanyahu newspaper Israel Hayom
found that around 70 percent of Israelis favour a pardon for Azaria.
Netanyahu Wants Pardon for Israeli Soldier
in Manslaughter Case
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
05/17/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he favors
a pardon for an Israeli soldier convicted Thursday of manslaughter for shooting
dead a Palestinian assailant as he lay wounded. Elor Azaria had been on trial in a military court since May,
with right-wing politicians defending him despite top army brass harshly
condemning his actions. "This has been a hard and painful day for us all
-- first and foremost for Elor and his family,"
Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page. "I support
giving a pardon to Elor Azaria,"
he added. Judge Colonel Maya Heller said that there had been no reason for Azaria to open fire since the Palestinian was posing no threat. "His motive for shooting was that he felt
the terrorist deserved to die," she said. The March 24 shooting in the
occupied West Bank city of Hebron
was caught on video and spread widely online. It prompted intense political
debate, with Netanyahu making waves when he called Azaria's
father to express his sympathy. Israeli President Reuven
Rivlin's office issued a statement shortly after
Wednesday's court ruling, advising that any talk of a pardon was premature. It
said that an application could only be made by Azaria
himself, his lawyer or close relatives, and then only after the judicial
process had run its course. Sentencing is expected at a later date for the
20-year-old French-Israeli sergeant. He faces up to 20 years in prison and can
appeal. "In the event that a pardon should be requested, it will be
considered by the president in accordance with standard practices and after
recommendations from the relevant authorities," the presidential statement
said.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 05-06/17
European Immigration:
Mainly Muslim, Mainly Male, Mainly Young
Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/January
05/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/01/05/douglas-murraygatestone-institute-european-immigration-mainly-muslim-mainly-male-mainly-young/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9692/european-immigration
In the wake of the attack in Nice, there should have been a fulsome
public discussion over what if anything can be done to ensure that people who
have been in France for many years -- in some cases their entire lives -- are
not indoctrinated to hate the country so much that they drive a truck through a
crowded sea-front on Bastille Day.
Or there could have been a wide public debate over whether, with so many
radicalised Muslims already in France,
it was a wise or foolish idea to continue to import large numbers of Muslims
into this already simmering situation.
Merkel seems to hope that with this raising of a burka
ban the German public will forgive or forget the fact that here is a political
leader so devoid of foresight that she unilaterally chose to allow an extra
1-2% of the population to be added to her country in a single year, mainly
Muslim, mainly male and mainly young.
The burka and burkini,
like the headscarf, are only issues because millions of people have been
allowed, unchecked, into Europe for years. The
garment is merely the simplest issue at which to take aim. Far harder are the
issues of immigration and integration. It is possible that Europe's
politicians cannot answer these questions, because any and all answers would
point the finger at their own failings.
The European publics might get fed up with the distraction tactics of
talking about garments and instead seek answers to the challenge we now face,
as well as retribution at the polls for the politicians who brought us here.
2016 was a fine year for Islamist terrorism and an even finer year for
Western political distraction. While Islamic terrorists repeatedly succeeded in
carrying out mass-casualty terrorist attacks, as well as a constant run of
smaller-scale strikes, the political leadership of the free world continued to
try to divert their public.
The most striking example of the year came in the summer with the French
debate over whether or not to ban the "burkini"
from the beaches of France.
The row erupted in the days after another 86 people were murdered in a jihadist
terrorist assault -- this time in Nice,
France. With no
one sure how to prevent access to vehicles or any idea how many French Muslims
might want to follow suit, the French media and authorities chose to debate an
item of beachwear. The carefully staged decision by an Australian Muslim woman
to have herself filmed while wearing a burkini on a
French beach ignited the row, which was eagerly seized upon by politicians.
At the local and national level, the decision to discuss the burkini allowed all the larger political issues behind Europe's growing security problem to be ignored. In the
wake of Nice, there should have been a fulsome public discussion over what if
anything can be done to ensure that people who have been in France for many
years -- in some cases their entire lives -- are not indoctrinated to hate the
country so much that they drive a truck through a crowded sea-front on Bastille
Day. Or there could have been a wide public debate over whether, with so many
radicalised Muslims already in France,
it was a wise or foolish idea to continue to import large numbers of Muslims
into this already simmering situation.
As it was, neither of these debates did occur, and no meaningful
political action was taken. Instead, the issue of the burkini
sucked all the oxygen out of the debate, leaving no room to discuss anything
more serious or longer term than beachwear.
In the wake of the July 14 attack in Nice, France, in which 86 people
were murdered, there should have been a fulsome public discussion over what if
anything can be done to ensure that people who have been in France for many
years -- in some cases their entire lives -- are not indoctrinated to hate the
country so much that they drive a truck through a crowded sea-front on Bastille
Day. (Image source: France24 video screenshot)
Across the continent in 2016, it appeared that other politicians realised
the enormous advantage of such distraction debates. For instance, in the Netherlands in
November, the country's MPs voted for a ban on wearing a burka
in public places. Prime Minister Mark Rutte
apparently found this an enormously convenient debate. Not only did it
temporarily reduce some of the pressure that his government is feeling at the
rise of Geert Wilders's
Freedom Party to the top of opinion polls, but it also distracted attention
from the years of mass immigration and lax integration demands which have been
a hallmark of the Dutch experience.
After importing hundreds of thousands of people whose beliefs the Dutch
authorities rarely bothered to question, the public would be satisfied -- the Rutte government hoped -- if only the small number of Dutch
Muslim women who wear the burka were prevented from
doing so. The Netherlands
will have to see whether its implementation of such a law works any better than
it does in neighbouring France,
where "white knights" routinely show up to pay the fines of women
fined for violating the burka ban there.
The Rutte government was not the only one to
adopt this cynical strategy. Its most cynical
deployment of all came in December, with the announcement by the German
Chancellor, Angela Merkel, that she would ban the burka
in Germany.
As with the Dutch government, Merkel clearly hoped that in throwing this
tidbit to the German public she might head off the threat that the Alternative
for Germany
party (AfD), among others, now poses to her party in
this year's election. But the move also raises the question of just how stupid
does Angela Merkel believe the German people to be? It would seem that Merkel
hopes that with this burka ban the German public will
forgive or forget that here is a political leader so devoid of foresight that
she unilaterally chose to allow an extra 1-2% of the population to be added to
her country in a single year, mainly Muslim, mainly male and mainly young.
This is a Chancellor who, even having previously admitted that Germany's
multicultural model had "failed," revved
immigration up to unprecedented and unsustainable levels. Now, like her
counterparts across the continent, she must hope that the German public are
satisfied by this burka morsel and that, as a result,
they will return Merkel and her party to power so that they can repeat
whichever of their mistakes they choose in the years ahead.
It is possible, of course, that the European publics are wiser than their
leaders and that they will see through these cynical and distracting tactics.
There are extremely good reasons to ban any garment
which covers a person's face and allows them to wander as an anonymous stranger
in our societies. There are some -- though fewer -- reasons to ban wearing a burkini on a beach. Certainly the governments of France, the Netherlands
and Germany
are within their rights to instigate and enforce any and all such bans. Such
moves, however, are but the smallest register imaginable of a problem that
seems far beyond this generation of politicians.
The burka and burkini,
like the headscarf, are only issues because millions of people have been
allowed, unchecked, into Europe for years. The
garment is merely the simplest issue at which to take aim. Far harder are the
issues of immigration and integration. It is possible that Europe's
politicians cannot answer these questions because any and all answers would
point the finger at their own failings. Or it is possible that they have no
answers to the problems with which they have presented the continent. Whichever
it is, they would do well to reflect that in 2017, the European publics might
get fed up with the distraction tactics of talking about clothing and instead
seek answers to the challenge we now face, as well as retribution at the polls
for the politicians who brought us here.
*Douglas Murray, British author, commentator and public affairs analyst,
is based in London, England.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights
reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the
Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced,
copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone
Institute.
Why are Yazidis being uprooted again?
Mahmut Bozarslan/Translator:
Timur Göksel/Al Monitor
05/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/01/05/mahmut-bozarslanal-monitor-why-are-yazidis-being-uprooted-again/
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey
— The Yazidi refugees who fled massacres at the hands
of the Islamic State in Iraq
are now being forced to vacate their camp in Turkey — in the dead of winter, on
short notice.
The Yazidis of Iraq who escaped Islamic State
assaults and took refuge at a camp in Turkey have been told to pack up
and move to other camps.
There was a lot of activity Dec. 30 at the entrance of the Fidanlik refugee camp on the Diyarbakir-Mardin
highway. A group of journalists wanted to visit the camp that houses Yazidis, but guards at the gate said visits were prohibited
without permission from the governor. Instead of the usual Diyarbakir municipality staff guarding the
gate, Al-Monitor saw three uniformed officials of the Disaster and Emergency
Affairs Department (AFAD).
Al-Monitor encountered at the entrance a Yazidi
man, who said, “We are told to evacuate the camp,” before being dragged back
into the camp by officials.
The camp, which had been managed by the Yenisehir
municipality of Diyarbakir, has fallen victim to political
maneuvering because its just-replaced mayor was from
the Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP). The government has been removing
elected DBP mayors and replacing them with government-assigned trustees. In Yenisehir, the local district governor was also appointed
as the trustee mayor. That move changed the fate of Yazidis
in the Fidanlik camp.
The new city
administration decided to transfer the Yazidis to
other camps run by AFAD. Since then, conditions have worsened in Fidanlik camp.
When camp residents were informed of the decision in early December, they
sent representatives to check out other camps. Even though conditions at those
locations are better than the Yazidis' current,
deteriorating conditions, many residents do not want to leave the place they
have called home for more than two years.
Although journalists were not allowed in the camp, Al-Monitor was able to
talk with Yazidis who were going out to shop. Halef Smoki, who has lived in the
Diyarbakir camp
for more than two years with his five-member family, told Al-Monitor the
situation there has become miserable since the evacuation order was given.
“They were giving us food and looked after us. Now we are told to leave.
They tell us, 'No more meals or water, and soon we will cut your electricity.'
Where are we supposed to go with children in the middle of winter? We no longer
have a doctor because they took him away. We are left with nothing. We are
under government order. We will do what they say. If we can stay, we
will."
Kasim Ismail, who was with Smoki
waiting for transport to the city, was also upset. He told Al-Monitor, “We are
told to evacuate the camp. We don’t know what to do. Where are we supposed to
go? We want to stay here. We can’t go back to our homes in Shengal
[Sinjar,
Iraq] that now
lie in rubble. They have to do something for us. Either send us to another
country or do something for us here. Nobody is doing anything for us. I don’t
know about other camps, but we are used to life here.”
I walked around the perimeter of the camp, which is encircled by barbed
wire, and called out to two men inside. Ilyas Ismail Serkani spoke from behind the wire about his unhappy
situation, saying, “They told us they are going to cut off our bread, water and
electricity. They tell us to get out of here and go to Midyat
or Sanliurfa. We want to stay here and they won’t let
us.”
Yazidi parliamentarian Feleknas
Uca of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party
(HDP) raised the issue in parliament in late December and presented questions
for the prime minister to answer later. Some of her questions included: Why is
the camp, which houses 1,029 Yazidis, being closed?
Where will they go? Will new camps be built for Yazidis,
or will they be sharing camps with Syrian refugees? What is the legal
justification for this decision?
She also bluntly asked, "What is the purpose of the Yazidis — who have survived for the past 2½ years with the
help of the Yenisehir municipality, the people of
Diyarbakir and the international civil society after escaping from [IS]
genocide — now to be severed from these sources of support and be subjected to
prison-like conditions?”
The AFAD officials who have taken over the camp refused to speak to
Al-Monitor. Some of those officials who did not allow reporters to enter the
camp said they would not force anyone to evacuate the camp. But nobody
explained how Yazidis deprived of their basic needs
such as food, water and electricity will survive if
they stay. Obviously, the Yazidi refugees will have
no choice but to move to other camps.
In mid-December, the refugees were told they would have to leave by the
beginning of January. On Jan. 1, news came that the evacuation was indeed
underway. One camp resident told Al-Monitor by phone that people were packing
their belongings. He said on condition of anonymity, “We don’t want to go, but
we have no choice. We didn’t leave our land [in Iraq] voluntarily. Now we have to
leave this place. [There is] nothing else we can do.”
Yazidis who have left the Fidanlik
camp have been relocated to the AFAD-run camp in the town of Midyat in Mardin province.
The Yazidis also fear relocation because of
security concerns. They are inaccurately portrayed by some Muslims as pagans
who worship the devil. That belief is responsible for the Yazidis
being subjected to persecution throughout their history. IS has massacred
thousands of Yazidis. The camp residents were already
barely surviving with diminishing assistance from volunteers and municipalities
that have their own financial problems. Many sick people couldn’t find
medicine. The camp, which once had more than 5,000 residents, was down to 1,250
people in December after some went to Europe and others returned to Iraq. Although
those who remained wanted to stay, they seem to have no choice but to move on
in search of a new life.
Turkey’s New Year Eve massacre and moral decline
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/January 05/17
The massacre that took place in Istanbul recently did not end with the
slaughtering of people and shedding of blood. It was followed by a verbal attack
against innocent victims.
There has been overwhelming anger against extremist rhetoric. They have
been selective and send some to paradise and others to hell. The biggest
problem is the logic of justifying the attack by refusing to pray for the victims
and wondering why they went to restaurants or to entertainment venues.
Regardless of where they were, no one has the right to measure others’ faith.
Let’s recall the Prophet’s hadith: “A man said: Allah
will not forgive so-and-so. At this Allah the Almighty said: Who is he who
swears by Me that I will not forgive so-and-so? Verily
I have forgiven so-and-so and have nullified your own good deeds.”It
takes a lot of courage to think that we have advantage over others and that we
have the keys to forgiveness and mercy
Right to decide
No one has the right to decide whom to pray for and to decide who is
faithful and pious. This applies to extremist elements using social media. Why
should anyone condemn someone else for a violation that’s between him and his
God but forget to condemn murder which is prohibited by God and is one of the
worst sins in all religions, customs and ethics? It takes a lot of courage to
think that we have advantage over others and that we have the keys to
forgiveness and mercy. It is unfortunate to say that this only represents pure
moral decline which we have been led to owing to a pattern of thinking that
lacks awareness and a mindset that lacks logic.
**This article was first published in Okaz on
January 05, 2016.
Russia and Turkey’s
Iran problem in Syria
Chris Doylel/Al Arabiya/January
05/17
“All foreign fighters need to leave Syria. Hezbollah needs to return to
Lebanon.”
So proclaimed the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, on 29 December.
This is quite some cheek given that Turkey
sent troops into Syria many
times and for over five years, employed a semi-open border policy to foreign
fighters, even those heading into the arms of ISIS
and al-Qaeda.The Hezbollah response was predictably
icy. “We are not present in Syria
at the request of Turkey, Saudi Arabia or the United States, we are there as part
of our cooperation with the Syrian state.”Contained
within this more than fanciful Turkish ambition might lie
the core of the behind-the-scenes struggle over Syria for 2017 and beyond. Having
seen the US and Europe
sidelined, many powers would love the same for Iran. Iran
has embedded itself inside Syria
with its support for the regime but more tellingly for a hodgepodge of
militias. For most actors inside Syria
now, Iran
cannot be allowed to dominate the scene as it may desire. This includes Russia, Turkey,
and other Gulf actors, and arguably elements of the Syrian regime as well as
other actors such as the US,
Israel
and the EU. Iran
is exposed by its lack of genuine allies.
Russia portrays itself
as the powerbroker in Syria
now but such hubris is short-sighted. It has managed to rub along with the
Iranians so far but it is not an easy relationship afflicted by mutual distrust
and united largely by an antipathy to the United States. Iran and its proxies have already acted as a
spoiler on numerous occasions including the evacuation of Aleppo and the current ceasefire. The major
assault in the Wadi Barada
to the west of Damascus that has seen major
water shortages in the Syrian capital serves both to secure strategic locations
for Hezbollah’s access to Lebanon
as well as demonstrate that Iran
cannot be ignored.
Iran bristles at the
burgeoning Russia-Turkish alliance suspicious of being squeezed out of its
winnings in Syria.
For Russia, diminishing
Iranian influence in Syria
could appease major Arab powers and perhaps calm some of the outrage over Russia’s orgy of destruction in Aleppo and Idlib.
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, may see an opportunity to pocket support
from an incoming Trump administration that will be probably far more hostile
towards Iran
than the outgoing Obama one. What is clear is that most Syrians resent the
Iranian presence even more than the Russian. Regime loyalists often raise the
Russian flag but hardly ever the Iranian
Fragmentation of Syria
Crucially Russia prefers unity and Iran
veers toward fragmentation of Syria.
Russia
craves a strong central authoritarian state. This does not accord with Iranian
ambitions of creating non-state actors that are influenced by Iran and less
desirous of a powerful Syrian state that might be able to stand up to it. Turkey has done an incredible U-turn on its Syria policy.
For sure President Erdogan is not about to have a
love-in with the Syrian regime, but gone is the entrenched support for the
Syrian armed opposition who feel betrayed as their former patron falls into the
Moscow camp. Turkey’s
demands have shifted from regime change to thwarting Kurdish ambitions and
ousting ISIS as well as a security belt in northern Syria.
What does the Syrian regime want? Ultimately Bashar
al-Assad has made it clear that the regime will want full restoration of
control overall of Syria.
For the time being, however, the Syrian regime has a manpower crisis not least
in the army so can hardly afford the loss of foreign militias. But can Assad
continue to play his patrons off against each other or does he have to choose
one? Which would be his choice? Russia
may be less of an intrusive partner but is too big to ignore its demands. Iran is less
powerful but far more invasive in terms of its ambitions to control ley elements of the Syrian state and territory.What
is clear is that most Syrians resent the Iranian presence even more than the
Russian. Regime loyalists often raise the Russian flag but hardly ever the
Iranian. Iran
and Hezbollah are not just going to give up and walk out. Blood and treasure
have been expended in considerable quantities since Iran
first acknowledged a fatality in Syria in January 2012.
Hedging bets
Iran has ensured that
the Syrian regime depends on its support as much as Russia’s. Hence, Iran increased
its military deployment at the same time as the Russians. Iran hedges its
bets, both by supporting the regime but other militias at the same time. If the
regime flounders, Iranian influence is designed to continue by other means.
For the last few years Syrians have waited in vain for Russia and the US to work together and to impose a
political solution to end the crisis. Now their patience will be tested further
as Russia, Turkey and Iran jostle to gain the upper hand
as the dominant external regional player. A Russia-Iran-Turkey axis is still a
possibility and may be sought after by many within their respective
governments. Yet the underlying deep-seated tensions may well see the “victors”
in the regional Syrian power play unable to divide up the spoils.
As the United States,
Europe and the Gulf are side-lined for the foreseeable future (though their
funding for reconstruction and development will be required),
do not be surprised by anything in Syria not least an ever worsening
spat between the sponsors of the new Syrian political arrangement. Yet Iran, Hezbollah and other Shiite militias will
be near impossible to dislodge from Syria in the near future. Russia will
still have its hands full to mastermind any form of successful exit from the
country it now co-owns.
Humanitarian crisis and the youth bulge in Middle East
Ehtesham Shahid/Al Arabiya/January 05/17
Arjimand Hussain Talib is more than just a humanitarian and international
development professional. An engineer by training and a poet by temperament, he
can easily don several hats at the same time. Born and raised in India’s troubled zone of Kashmir, a quirk of
fate has brought this widely-travelled man to another conflict zone, the Middle East.
Based in Cairo,
Arjimand has been working on the Syrian Regional
Refugee Response, which has undertaken refugee-related projects from the war
torn country in several parts of the region. Close encounter with this conflict
has made him a humanist to the core. My chance encounter with Arjimand – currently on a visit to Dubai – triggered several freewheeling
conversations. It started with our shared home turf of Kashmir, primarily
because Arjimand’s most recent book – Averting the
Catastrophic India-Pakistan War: 11-Step Framework Towards
Kashmir Dispute Resolution and Peace in South Asia
– addresses the subject. After trying to comprehend his understanding of the
future of Kashmir, especially in the increasingly complex India-Pakistan
context, and discussing the economic rise of China, where Arjimand
has spent several years working, we eventually veered toward his current work
station. After all, this is where he is literally in the eye of the storm.
The youth bulge
Put simply, youth bulge is a measure of the relative
abundance of youth in a country. Syria’s conflict has left the youth
among the most affected. “With significant educational attainment in the
pre-war era, especially in Syria,
they have found themselves in foreign lands and in very difficult
circumstances,” remarks Arjimand. While the host
countries, the UN system and the international development/humanitarian
community have largely taken care of the basic educational needs of the
displaced populations, access to affordable higher education and jobs continue
to be mired in deep difficulties. A strong correlation has always existed
between countries prone to civil conflicts and those with burgeoning youth
populations. One study suggests that countries with a youth bulge are at high
risk of civil conflict
“Host countries like Turkey,
Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt are already reeling under
domestic challenges in providing decent jobs to their young educated
populations. The surge of Syrian and Iraqi refugees into these countries has
put them under additional stress,” says Arjimand. A
strong correlation has always existed between countries prone to civil
conflicts and those with burgeoning youth populations. One such study suggests
that countries with a youth bulge – proportion of 15-29 population at 41
percent or greater – are at high risk of civil conflict.
Recipe for disaster
With this age group comprising more than 30
percent of the Arab population, we are witnessing the highest proportion of
youth to adults in the region’s history. This isn’t a region-specific challenge
as more than half of the world population today is also under 30. However,
rampant conflict definitely adds fuel to fire in this part of the world. So
what could be done to tackle this situation? While designing self-employment
and wage employment interventions for UNHCR in Egypt, Arjimand
has come to realize that countries in the region would need to radically
restructure their education systems to make them more market relevant. He
stresses the need to encourage critical learning and innovation to address the
challenge posed by youth bulge. However, all this must start with dialogue and
reconciliation and dignified return of refugee and displaced populations to
their homeland. After all, there is a limit to the tolerance levels of the
social and economic systems of the hosting countries. “A solution has to be
found before we reach that threshold. We have the example of Pakistan’s
transformation in the process of hosting a large number of Afghan refugees.
Pakistani society is still grappling with the after effects of that
phenomenon,” says Arjimand. It was time for us to
return to the Indo-Pak conflict, over Arjimand’s
birthplace of Kashmir.