LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
January 23/17
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins17/english.january23.17.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up,
take your mat and walk.’At once the man was made
well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John
05/01-16/:"After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up
to Jerusalem.
Now in Jerusalem
by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha,
which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids blind, lame, and
paralysed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When
Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said
to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have
no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am
making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Stand
up, take your mat and walk.’At once the man was made
well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the
man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath;
it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’ But he answered them, ‘The man who
made me well said to me, "Take up your mat and walk." ’They asked
him, ‘Who is the man who said to you, "Take it up and walk"?’Now
the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared
in the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to
him, ‘See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse
happens to you.’ The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had
made him well. Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was
doing such things on the sabbath."
Because we look not at what can be seen but at what
cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is
eternal.
Second Letter to the Corinthians 04/16-18.05,01-05.10/:"We do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting
away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary
affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure,
because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what
can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. For we know that
if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan,
longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling if indeed, when we have taken
it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we
groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further
clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has
prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a
guarantee. For all of us must appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so
that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether
good or evil."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 22-23/17
Trump Fires Up Europe's Anti-Establishment Movement/Soeren Kern/Gatestone
Institute/January 22/17
World Council of Churches Favors Nationalism and Anti-Semitism/The
Kairos Palestine Document and Alternative Tourism/
Petra Heldt/Gatestone Institute/January 22/17
Middle East derangement syndrome: Egypt, Turkey and Israel have all fallen prey
to delusions about Trump/ Steven A. Cook /Salon/January 22/17
Thus spake Donald Trump/Hisham
Melhem/Al Arabiya/January
22/17/
Can MENA’s social media influencers change politics/Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/January 22/17/
Lots of unknowns as Trump takes over Obama’s failures/Khairallah
Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/January 22/17
Titles For Latest
Lebanese Related News published on January 22-23/17
Hariri inspects Costa Café: Great cooperation between all security
forces
4 Arrested at Sidon Building of Costa Cafe Would-Be Bomber
Would-Be Bomber Linked to IS Reportedly Arrested in North Lebanon
Security Forces Foil Bomber at Hamra's Costa Cafe
Civil Society Marches in Beirut to Demand New and Fair Electoral Law
Mashnouq Seeks Security Plan to Combat Kidnap Rings
Basbous marking Martyr Eid's
commemoration: His spirit shall remain our inspiration in fighting terrorism
Rahi calls for electoral law based on partnership,
pluralism
Chamoun: State is able to ensure security whenever
political conditions are available
Army : Hamra suicide attacker explosive belt contains
eight kgs of explosive materials
Shells Found on Side of Road in Bhamdoun
Army Arrests Suspect in Wadi Khaled,
Seizes Arms, Ammunition
Jumblatt returns to Beirut
Fneish praises Security Forces work, calls for
adopting proportional electoral law
Titles
For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
January 22-23/17
Trump to CIA: 'I Am with You 1,000 Percent'
Syria Rebels Arrive in Astana for Talks with Regime
US diplomat to attend Syria talks in Astana
Discussion on US embassy move to Jerusalem in ‘beginning stages’
Israel approves hundreds of settlement homes in East Jerusalem
Ukraine seizes Iran-bound plane ‘carrying missiles’
Iran finalizes five-year prison for Iranian-British
Islamic State blows up Mosul hotel to prevent Iraqi forces using it
Pope Francis Says 'Wait and See' on Trump
Dubai toughens fire rules after tower blazes
UK govt accused of failed nuke test cover up
Four al-Qaeda members killed in Yemen drone strikes
Arab coalition strikes Republican Guards camp in Sanaa
Car bomb explodes in central Tripoli, near Italy embassy
Iraqi forces eye tougher fight in Mosul’s west
Links From Jihad
Watch Site for on January 22-23/17
Women’s March: “I love Islam” “I will not stand 4 misogyny”
Atheist
Islamic apologist CJ Werleman calls for violence
against his political opponents (and Robert Spencer)
Berlin:
Anti-Trump non-Muslim feminists chant “Allah akbar”
at Women’s March
Women’s
March organizer Linda Sarsour has family ties to
Hamas, recently met former Hamas financier
Robert
Spencer Moment: “The Hill” Bows to the Islamic War on Free Speech
The
Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America’s Ominous Post-Election Statement
Trump
at CIA: “We have to get rid of ISIS. We have no choice….This is a level of evil
that we haven’t seen”
Fighting
for willful ignorance: Obama allies working to
undermine Trump’s national security team
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on January 22-23/17
Hariri inspects Costa Café:
Great cooperation between all security forces
Sun 22 Jan 2017/NNA - Prime Minister Saad Hariri
inspected this evening "Costa Café" in Hamra,
accompanied by Minister of Interior and Municipalities Nouhad
al-Mashnouk and Minister of Defense
Yacoub Sarraf. Hariri said:
"The country is fine as long as there is unity and cohesion among the
Lebanese, especially in the presence of the President of the Republic and his
keenness on security, and the presence of the security forces in the Ministry
of Interior and the Ministry of Interior. They did a great job and are working
hard and this is their duty. I came here to tell the people that the fear they
are trying to put in your hearts is refused. We will lead our normal life and
will continue to love life and go to cafes and restaurants as usual. We should
always cooperate with the security forces and inform them about any suspicious
activity and they will take care of everything. The great effort exerted by all
security forces, whether the army, the Internal
security forces, State security and General security is an exceptional effort.
The operation was coordinated between army intelligence and the information
branch. They exerted great efforts, and the Ministers of Interior and Defense, as well as me personally,
were following the operation moment by moment and they arrested the suicide
bomber. Question: Some say that Lebanon
entered a new phase in facing terrorism; are there additional steps to reassure
the citizens? Hariri: It is not the first time that we face this. There is no
doubt that what happened yesterday is the result of great cooperation between
the security forces. The President called, during the Higher Defense Council meeting, for cooperation between all the
security forces and a joint operations room, and today's outcome was the result
of this cooperation. There is scientific and daily work, and great efforts from
the army intelligence and the information branch. Yes, the threat exists but
there are men and women working day and night to preserve security in the
country. He concluded: "I tell the Lebanese: fear only God who protects us
and the country is fine. Our enemies will lose and Lebanon will prevail. The Cedar
will always rise high and the people will always be proud."
4 Arrested at Sidon Building of Costa Cafe Would-Be Bomber
Naharnet/January 22/17/Four people have been arrested
at the Sidon
building where the Costa would-be suicide bomber, Omar al-Assi,
used to live, the army said on Sunday. The building lies in Sidon's al-Sharhabil
area. The army statement did not identify the suspects but the National News
Agency had reported that two of Assi's brothers and
relatives from the Bukhari and Habli
families were arrested overnight. The military also said that Assi's suicide belt contained “eight kilograms of extremely
explosive material and a number of metallic pellets aimed at maximizing casualties.”“The detainees are being interrogated under the
supervision of the relevant judicial authorities,” the army statement added.
Army intelligence agents had arrested Assi overnight
Saturday at the Costa cafe in Beirut's
Hamra district. Several military intelligence agents
were seen holding him down to ensure he was not able to detonate the explosive belt.
A previous army statement had noted that the operation was a joint effort with
the Intelligence Branch of the Internal Security Forces. According to media
reports, Assi had been injured during a 2013 Sidon gunfight between
Ahmed al-Asir's group and the Hizbullah-affiliated
Resistance Brigades. He later became affiliated with the extremist Islamic
State group which ordered him to carry out Saturday's botched attack, reports
say.
Would-Be Bomber Linked to IS Reportedly
Arrested in North Lebanon
Naharnet/January 22/17/Army intelligence agents have
arrested a would-be suicide bomber in north Lebanon, media reports said on
Sunday. “After close surveillance, a Lebanese army intelligence force arrested
a Lebanese national in a northern region, and he was likely preparing for a
suicide bombing in one of the Lebanese areas,” the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat quoted a high-ranking security source as saying. “He
was taken to the headquarters of the Intelligence Directorate in Yarze for interrogation about the location he had intended
to target,” the source added. Citing preliminary information, the source said
the detainee was receiving instructions from a Raqa-based
IS operative.The report comes hours after security
forces arrested a man wearing a suicide belt at Costa cafe in Beirut's Hamra
district.
Some media reports said confessions by the man arrested in the North had
contributed to thwarting the attack in Hamra.
Security Forces Foil Bomber at Hamra's Costa Cafe
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
22/17/Army intelligence agents arrested overnight Saturday a would-be suicide
bomber at the Costa cafe in Beirut's
Hamra district. A man wearing an explosive bomb belt
was detained by authorities after entering the crowded cafe in Hamra, one of the capital's busiest areas, security sources
told AFP. The cafe is on the main street of the bustling district, and was
filled with people socializing on a weekend evening when the arrest occurred
around 11:00 pm. The sources said the man was being followed by security
forces, who have stepped up foot patrols in the neighborhood
in recent weeks. The man was injured during the arrest, with several soldiers
holding him down to ensure he was not able to detonate the belt, one security
source said. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment before
interrogation, the sources added. An army statement identified the would-be
bomber as 25-year-old Lebanese national Omar al-Assi,
saying he hails from the southern city of Sidon
according to an ID found on him after the arrest. The statement also said the
operation was a joint effort with the Intelligence Branch of the Internal
Security Forces. Military sources told LBCI television that the would-be
attacker had taken part in the 2013 deadly clashes between the army and Ahmed
al-Asir's group in the Sidon suburb of Abra.
“He was wanted on multiple arrest warrants and loyal to a group led by Shahine Suleiman and Mutassem Qaddoura,” the sources added. Media reports said Assi eventually became affiliated with the extremist
Islamic State group and that confessions by another would-be bomber who was
arrested in Tripoli
in recent days had contributed to thwarting the attack in Hamra.
The National News Agency said army intelligence agents raided Assi's house in Sidon's
al-Sharhabil area hours after the attack where they
seized a computer and arrested two of his brothers and several of his relatives
from the Bukhari and Habli
families. Lebanon has been
hit by a string of bomb attacks in recent years, with some linked to the
ongoing war in neighboring Syria. Some of the deadliest blasts
have targeted neighborhoods sympathetic to Hizbullah, which is fighting alongside Syria's
government against an uprising. The casualties in the blasts have been almost
exclusively civilians. The Hamra neighborhood,
a district known for shopping and nightlife, has not previously been hit by an
attack. But in June 2016, the army said it had arrested jihadists from the
Islamic State group planning attacks against busy areas, including Hamra. An AFP correspondent in Hamra
said a heavy security presence remained in place with the cafe and several
nearby restaurants closing after the incident.But
residents and nightlife goers could still be seen on the street, which was
reopened to traffic around an hour after the arrest.
Civil Society Marches in Beirut
to Demand New and Fair Electoral Law
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
22/17/The “Parliament for All Coalition” and a number of political and syndical
activists and civil society groups staged a march in Beirut on Sunday to press authorities to pass
a new and “fair” electoral law. The demonstrators marched from outside the
Interior Ministry in Sanayeh to the Riad al-Solh Square in downtown Beirut. Calling for a law
based on proportional representation and large electoral districts, the
activists said the electoral law “should not be a distribution of shares among
corrupt officials who use sectarian incitement to stay in power.”“Our
march today is aimed at pushing for the approval of a new electoral law that
allows the election of competent and young candidates and prevents the repeated
replication of the parliament,” a spokeswoman for the demonstrators said in Riad al-Solh. “It is the starting
point of our protests that are aimed at rejecting the secret collusion of the
parties represented in power which are seeking to devise an electoral law
through which they would replicate themselves, split the government and state
institutions, and cover up for their deals and siphoning of public funds,” she
added. The coalition also noted that “some political parties are trying to use
proportional representation as a pressure and intimidation card against other
parties without ever being serious about endorsing this demand.”“Whereas
we have been demanding proportional representation in large electorates seeing
as it is the electoral system that represents the Lebanese correctly and
accurately,” the coalition added. It also called for a number of electoral
reforms that would ensure more transparent elections. Speaker Nabih Berri and Interior Minister
Nouhad al-Mashnouq have
warned that the country is likely headed to parliamentary elections under the
controversial 1960 electoral law due to the parties' failure to agree on a new
law. Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral
law fully based on proportional representation but other political parties,
especially al-Mustaqbal Movement and the Progressive
Socialist Party, have rejected the proposal, arguing
that Hizbullah's weapons would prevent serious
competition in the Iran-backed party's strongholds. Mustaqbal,
the Lebanese Forces and the PSP have meanwhile proposed a hybrid electoral law
that mixes the proportional representation and the winner-takes-all systems. Berri has also proposed a hybrid law.
The country has not voted for a parliament since 2009, with the legislature
instead twice extending its own mandate. The 2009 polls were held under an
amended version of the 1960 electoral law and the next elections are scheduled
for May 2017.
Mashnouq Seeks Security Plan to Combat Kidnap Rings
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq
has revealed that the Higher Defense Council will
soon convene to mull and discuss a plan aimed at combating kidnap rings, which
are especially active in the Bekaa region. “There is
an urgent need to devise a comprehensive plan for addressing this file,” Mashnouq told al-Mustaqbal
newspaper in remarks published Sunday. He noted that he held telephone
consultations in this regard Saturday with President Michel Aoun
and Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The minister also
said that an agreement has been reached to hold a Higher Defense
Council meeting to “lay out a strict security plan aimed at combating the
kidnap-for-ransom phenomenon.” The developments come in the wake of a four-day
abduction of a 74-year-old Bekaa man, Saad Risha, who was kidnapped in Qab Elias and taken to the town of Brital. Risha was released after massive road-blocking protests and
intensive political contacts led by Speaker Nabih Berri and his envoy Bassam Tlais. The man was eventually freed without a ransom but
any of the five kidnappers has not been arrested until the moment.
Basbous marking Martyr Eid's
commemoration: His spirit shall remain our inspiration in fighting terrorism
Sun 22 Jan 2017/NNA - Internal Security Forces Director General, Major General
Ibrahim Basbous, visited Sunday noon, on head of a
delegation of senior officers, the family home of Martyr Wissam
Eid in the town of Deir Ammar, marking his 9th assassination commemoration. Basbous gave a word in which he recalled the many attributes
of the late Martyr Eid, vowing that "his spirit
shall always remain a source of inspiration in combating terrorism."
"Martyr Eid lived a life of integrity and
heroism, and will remain an inspiration for his colleagues and all liberal
citizens in confronting risks and protecting the nation's dignity," Basbous added. Following the visit, Basbous
and his accompanying delegation and the family of Martyr Eid
headed to the town's cemetery, where a wreath was laid on the Marytr's tomb.
Rahi calls for electoral law based on partnership,
pluralism
Sun 22 Jan 2017/NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rahi, on Sunday
stressed the necessity to enact an electoral law based on partnership and
pluralism. At a thanksgiving mass held in commemoration of the 400th
anniversary of Vicentian Charism,
and in presence of the representative of President of the Republic, Minister
Nicolas Tueini, and several other political figures,
Patriarch Rahi said that the identity as well as the
message concerned the society and the State and were essential to build a
healthy society and a fair State that values its citizens. The prelate pointed
out that the policy of exclusion or hegemony was not acceptable. He also
underscored that the new presidential mandate as well as the new government are
called upon to pursue the path of partnership and pluralism in order to build
national unity. "On this basis we must enact an electoral law," he
concluded.
Chamoun: State is able to ensure security whenever political
conditions are available
Sun 22 Jan 2017/NNA - "National Liberal Party" Head, MP Dory Chamoun, congratulated, in an issued statement on Sunday,
the security forces for thwarting the suicide attack in Hamra
yesterday evening and arresting the terrorist, adding that "this reveals
the State's ability to ensure security whenever the suitable political
conditions are available." Chamoun stressed on
"the importance of the country's political powers' continuous support to
security forces, which can provide safety of citizens and economic prosperity
through the presence of their legitimate arms across all Lebanese territories."Marking the annual commemoration of
Martyr Wissam Eid, Chamoun considered his martyrdom as an "essential
cornerstone for building the State which cannot rise without the unity of its
people and the strength of its army and security institutions."
Army : Hamra suicide attacker explosive belt contains
eight kgs of explosive materials
Sun 22 Jan 2017/NNA - The Lebanese Armed Forces Orientation Directorate issued
on Sunday a statement saying that the explosive belt of Omar Assi contained eight kilograms of explosive materials, as
well as a quantity of iron balls, with the aim of causing as many victims as
possible. An army force searched the building in which the terrorist Omar
Hassan Assi lived in Sidon and four suspects were arrested. The
interrogation of detainees started under the supervision of the competent
authorities.
Shells Found on Side of Road in Bhamdoun
Naharnet/January 22/17/Several shells were found Sunday
on the side of the international road in the town of Bhamdoun near the intersection of the Aley town of Shanay, state-run National News
Agency reported. The projectiles include 155mm and 130mm artillery shells,
mortar shells and other types of bombs. “Security forces encircled the location
as a Lebanese Army force closed the road and a military expert examined the
shells,” NNA said.An investigation has been launched
into the case, the agency added.
Army Arrests Suspect in Wadi Khaled, Seizes Arms, Ammunition
Naharnet/January 22/17/A suspect was arrested Sunday
in the Akkar border region of Wadi
Khaled, hours after security forces arrested a
would-be suicide bomber at the Costa cafe in Beirut's Hamra
district. “Following surveillance, an army force raided this morning the house
of a suspect in the Akkar region of Wadi Khaled, where he was
arrested,” an army statement said. “Six assault rifles, 13 hand grenades, a
rifle-fired grenade and around 10,000 light-caliber
bullets and a quantity of military gear were seized in his house,” the
statement added. The detainee and the seized arms were referred to the relevant
authorities for further measures.
Jumblatt returns to Beirut
Sun 22 Jan 2017/NNA - Democratic Gathering Head, MP Walid
Jumblatt, returned to Beirut
on Sunday evening, following a visit to the French capital, Paris.
Fneish praises Security Forces work, calls for adopting
proportional electoral law
Sun 22 Jan 2017/NNA - Minister of Sports and Youth, Mohammad Fneish, lauded on Sunday the exceptional work of the
Security Forces for their preemptive joint operation
which thwarted a terrorist attack on Hamra Street last night.
Minister Fneish whose words came during a ceremony
for the reforestation of 1million trees in Shahabiya
town hoped that all the political forces agree on an electoral law that ensured
equity in representation to everyone. Fneish also
hoped for the adoption of the proportional electoral law in the upcoming
parliamentary elections, despite its negative impact on Hezbollah and Amal parties by decreasing the number of their
representatives in the Parliament.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 22-23/17
Trump to CIA: 'I Am with You 1,000 Percent'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
22/17/President Donald Trump told the CIA Saturday it had his full support as
he paid a visit to mend fences after publicly rejecting its assessment that
Russia tried to help him win the U.S. election. "I am with you 1,000
percent," Trump said in a short address to CIA staff after his visit to
the agency headquarters in Virginia.
In his first full day in office, Trump moved swiftly to confront simmering
tensions left by U.S.
intelligence findings that Russia
interfered in the U.S.
election to try to tip the outcome in Trump's favor.
I love you, I respect you," he told members of the U.S.
intelligence community. "We're all on the same wavelength, right?" he
asked, referring in particular to the fight against the Islamic State group.
"We have not used the real abilities that we have. We've been restrained.
We have to get rid of ISIS." Mike Pompeo, Trump's pick to lead the CIA, has not yet been
confirmed by the US Senate. A 53-year-old Republican lawmaker, Pompeo is considered a foreign policy hawk and was an
ardent opponent of former president Barack Obama's administration. Outgoing CIA
director John Brennan had stern words for Trump last Sunday, saying he needed
to be more "disciplined" in his public comments. "I don't think
he has a full appreciation of Russian capabilities, Russia's intentions and actions," Brennan said of Trump on Fox News Sunday.
Trump, likening U.S.
intelligence to Nazis, suggested Brennan himself may have leaked an
unsubstantiated report that the Russians had gathered damaging salacious
personal information about him. The intelligence agencies had given both Trump
and Obama a summary of the dossier, which later was published in full by BuzzFeed. Brennan said the U.S. intelligence chiefs considered
it their responsibility to make Trump aware that it was in circulation.
Syria Rebels Arrive in Astana for Talks
with Regime
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January
22/17/Members of the Syrian opposition delegation arrived Sunday in the Kazakh
capital Astana for face-to-face peace talks with the war-torn nation's government.The talks, set to begin on Monday, will be the
first time a delegation composed exclusively of rebel groups will negotiate
with the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Chief opposition negotiator Mohammad Alloush flew
into Astana on Sunday morning, according to an AFP correspondent who saw the
delegation arrive. He
was accompanied by around a dozen rebel figures, including Fares Buyush of the Idlib Army, Hassan
Ibrahim of the Southern Front and Mamoun Hajj Moussa of Suqur al-Sham. A source close to the
opposition's team told AFP that the delegation had been broadened from eight
rebel figures to a total of 14, in addition to 21 legal and political advisers.
The 10-member government delegation,
headed by its U.N. ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari, left Damascus on
Sunday, according to Syrian state news agency SANA. Rebels have insisted the talks will
focus solely on reinforcing a frail nationwide truce brokered by opposition
supporter Turkey and regime
ally Russia
last month. Although the two countries have backed opposing sides of Syria's nearly
six-year conflict, they have worked hand-in-hand in recent weeks to secure an
end to the brutal war that has killed more than 300,000. The
Astana talks, which Assad ally Iran
is also helping organize, will be the first test of
this new partnership. They will be held in the city's luxury Rixos President Hotel, where staff members were setting up
a single large table in a conference room under blue banners bearing the hashtag #AstanaProcess. Rebels
and regime figures are expected to sit in the same room, along with U.N. envoy
for Syria Staffan de Mistura.
De Mistura on Sunday hailed the talks as a "good
initiative" in comments carried by Russian news agencies. In addition to the hundreds of thousands
killed, more than half of the country's population has been displaced since Syria's
conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests against Assad's rule.
US diplomat to attend Syria
talks in Astana
Reuters, Washington
Sunday, 22 January 2017/The US State Department said on Saturday it will not
send a delegation from Washington
to attend Syrian peace talks in the Kazakh capital next week due to immediate
demands of the transition. The State Department’s acting spokesman Mark Toner
said US Ambassador to Kazakhstan, George
Krol, would attend the Jan. 23 Russian-led talks as
an observer. “We welcome and appreciate Kazakhstan’s
invitation to participate as an observer,” Toner said in a statement, “Given
our presidential inauguration and the immediate demands of the transition, a
delegation from Washington
will not be attending the Astana conference.”Toner
said the US
was committed to a political resolution to the Syrian crisis through a
Syrian-owned process.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday
he hoped the new administration of President Donald Trump would send a Middle East expert to the talks. With Trump’s nominee for
secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, not expected to
get a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote before Monday, the new
administration asked the State Department’s No. 3 official, Tom Shannon, to
stay on. UN Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura has said he intends to convene separate peace talks
in Geneva on
Feb. 8. The UN-backed talks have been held intermittently. Russia says the
Kazakh talks would complement, rather than compete with, the UN talks. The
Moscow-led effort to revive diplomacy, without the participation of the United
States, has emerged with Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad buoyed by the defeat of rebels in Aleppo, and as ties thaw between
Russia and Turkey, long one of the rebels’ main backers. Air strikes and
clashes, particularly near the Syrian capital Damascus,
have tarnished a shaky ceasefire brokered by Russia
and Turkey
since it began two weeks ago, and the warring sides have accused each other of
violations.
Discussion on US embassy move to Jerusalem in ‘beginning stages’
Al Arabiya English and agencies Sunday, 22 January
2017/The United States’ White House has said that they are in the
"beginning stages" of discussing move of US Embassy in Israel to
Jerusalem. The embassy is currently located in Tel Aviv and US President
Donald Trump pledged during his divisive campaign for the presidency that his
administration would look hard at staying true to the proposal. Former Secretary
of State John Kerry said earlier this week that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would be “explosive” since both Israel and the Palestinians claim the city as
their capital.Former US
administrations have avoided formally recognizing Jerusalem
as Israel’s
capital. Should Trump makes good on his campaign promise, analysts say it would
up-end decades of US
policy, enrage the Muslim world and draw international condemnation.
Israel approves hundreds of settlement homes in East
Jerusalem
By Reuters, Jerusalem Sunday, 22 January
2017/Israel approved building permits on Sunday for hundreds of homes in three
East Jerusalem settlements in expectation that US President Donald Trump will row
back on the previous administration’s criticism of such projects. The housing
projects, on land that the Palestinians seek as part of a future state, had
been taken off the Jerusalem
municipality’s agenda in December at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to avoid further censure from the administration of Barack Obama.
However, Israel’s right wing
believes that Trump’s attitude towards settlements built in the West Bank and
East Jerusalem - areas Israel
captured in a 1967 war - to be far more supportive than that of his
predecessor. Netanyahu was due on Sunday to hold his first conversation with
Trump since he took office. “Many matters face us. The Israeli-Palestinian
issue, the situation in Syria,
the Iranian threat,” Netanyahu said in broadcast remarks at the start of his
weekly cabinet meeting. Senior ministers later voted unanimously to postpone
discussion on a bill proposing the annexation of the West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim, home to 40,000
Israelis near Jerusalem.
A statement said the proposal would be put on hold until after Netanyahu meets
Trump. Jerusalem’s City Hall approved the
building permits for more than 560 units in the urban settlements of Pisgat Zeev, Ramat Shlomo and Ramot, areas annexed
to Jerusalem in
a move unrecognized internationally. Jerusalem Mayor Nir
Barkat said in a statement that the eight years of
the Obama administration had been “difficult with pressure... to freeze
construction” but that Israel
is now entering a new era. The Palestinians denounced the move. “We strongly
condemn the Israeli decision to approve the construction,” Nabil
Abu Rdainah, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told Reuters. In
its final weeks, the Obama administration angered the Israeli government by
withholding a traditional US veto of an anti-settlement resolution at the
United Nations Security Council, enabling the measure to pass. Trump’s nominee
to be US ambassador to the
United Nations, Nikki Haley, echoed his condemnation of the world body over its
treatment of Israel
at her Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday. In a proposal that has drawn a
Palestinian outcry, Trump has also pledged to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel
views all Jerusalem
as is its capital, but most of the world considers its final status a matter
for peace negotiations. The Palestinians have said that an embassy move would
kill any prospect for peace. Negotiations broke down in 2014. Trump has also
appointed a new US
ambassador to Israel,
David Friedman, who is considered a settlements supporter. Commentators in Israel have
said it is too early to tell what Trump’s policy on these matters will actually
be once he takes office. Most countries consider settlement activity illegal
and an obstacle to peace. Israel
disagrees, citing a biblical, historical and political connection to the land -
which the Palestinians also claim - as well as security interests.
Ukraine seizes Iran-bound plane ‘carrying missiles’
Ramadhan al-Saadi,
AlArabiya.net Sunday, 22 January 2017/Ukraine has announced that it has seized
an airplane destined for Iran
loaded with arms at Kiev’s Zhulyany Airport. The plane was reported on
Sunday carrying Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles. The Russian agency
Interfax confirmed that the weapons were discovered by Ukraine’s border police in Kiev’s airport following a search of 17
containers that were not registered in the flight’s cargo manifesto. A
spokesman said that three containers were found to be storing the missiles –
which are light weight, infrared guided anti-tank missiles – while the
remaining storage boxes contained airplane spare parts. During an
investigation, the airliner’s crew members – whose origin of either Iranian or
Ukrainian has yet to be confirmed – denied knowledge of the weapons shipment. The shipment was later confiscated by Ukrainian
authorities for violating international law governing the transport of goods
and weapons. Most UN sanctions on Iran
were lifted a year ago under a deal Iran
made with Britain, France, Germany,
China, Russia, the United States and the European
Union to curb its nuclear program. But Iran is still subject to an arms
embargo and other restrictions, which are not technically part of the nuclear
agreement.
Iran finalizes five-year prison for Iranian-British
The Associated Press, Tehran
Sunday, 22 January 2017/An Iranian news agency is reporting that a woman with
dual Iranian and British citizenship has been sentenced to five years in
prison. The report by Mizanonline.ir, which is
affiliated with the country’s judiciary, on Sunday quoted Tehran prosecutor Abbas
Jafari Dolatabadi as saying
the sentence on security charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been finalized. He did not elaborate.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe works for the Thomson Reuters
Foundation, the news agency’s charitable arm. Zaghari-Ratcliffe
was detained in April 2016 while trying to leave the country with her toddler
daughter, Gabriella. She remains in Iran with family after authorities
seized her passport. Iran
does not recognize dual nationalities, and those detained cannot receive
consular assistance.
Islamic State blows up Mosul
hotel to prevent Iraqi forces using it
Reuters/January 22/17/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State blew up a landmark
hotel in western Mosul
on Friday in an apparent attempt to prevent advancing Iraqi forces from using
it as a base in their offensive to capture the city, witnesses said on Sunday.
The Mosul Hotel, shaped as a stepped pyramid, appeared to be leaning to one
side after the explosions, two witnesses said by phone. They requested
anonymity, saying the militants killed those they caught communicating with the
outside world.
The Mosul Hotel stands close to the Tigris river which divides the city. Iraqi forces appear about to
take full control of the east and to be preparing to attack the western bank.
A U.S.-led coalition is providing air and ground support to the Iraqi forces in
their campaign to take back Mosul from the Sunni
group, which captured the city in 2014 and declared a "caliphate"
that also spanned parts of Syria.
The Iraqi army announced on Sunday that all districts of Mosul
east of the Tigris had been cleared of Islamic
State militants except one, al-Rashidiya in the
north. An army colonel died in Sunday's fighting on the eastern bank, the
highest-ranking officer killed since the offensive on Mosul started in October. Sabhan
Hasan al-Jubouri commanded
the 71st army brigade, a military statement said. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Andrew Roche)
Pope Francis Says 'Wait and See' on Trump
Newsmax/Sunday, 22 Jan 2017/Pope Francis on
Sunday said he would not make an opinion of Donald Trump until he first had a
chance to see specific policies the new U.S. president would implement. On
Friday, as Trump was taking office, Francis had urged him to be guided by
ethical values, saying he must take care of the poor and the outcast during his
time in office. "I think that we must wait and see. I don't like to get
ahead of myself nor judge people prematurely," the Pope told Spanish
newspaper El Pais in an interview.
"We will see how he acts, what he does, and then I will have an opinion.
But being afraid or rejoicing beforehand because of something that might happen
is, in my view, quite unwise. It would be like prophets predicting
calamities," he said. Francis also warned the Europeans against populism,
saying they should not repeat the same mistakes as in the 1930s when they
turned to "saviours" to resolve the economic and political crisis
only to end up at war. "Crises provoke fear, alarm. In my opinion, the
most obvious example of European populism is Germany in 1933... A people that
was immersed in a crisis, that looked for its identity until this charismatic
leader came and promised to give their identity back, and he gave them a
distorted identity, and we all know what happened," the Pope said.
"In times of crisis, we lack judgment, and that is a constant reference
for me... That is why I always try to say: talk among yourselves, talk to one
another," he added.
Dubai toughens fire rules after tower blazes
AFP, Dubai
Sunday, 22 January 2017/Dubai on Sunday announced tougher fire rules in a bid
to minimize risks after several spectacular blazes that have ripped through
skyscrapers in the modern Gulf emirate. Major fires have hit Dubai high-rises in recent years and spread
quickly, mostly due to flammable material used in cladding, a covering or
coating used on the side of the buildings. Civil Defence Lieutenant Taher Hassan al-Taher announced
the new regulations at a security exhibition during which authorities also
launched Dubai's
new fire and safety code for the emirate. According to Taher
builders must abide by a new requirement to ensure that the flammability of the
cladding is as close to zero as possible. "There is a requirement to
minimize it to zero," Taher said. Builders will
also have to regularly carry out maintenance on the cladding panels and replace
them after a certain date, he added. "There is a timeline for all cladding
(and) there is maintenance for everything. By that time they'll have to change
it," Taher said, speaking in English. Those who
violate the rules will face fines up to 50,000 dirhams
($13,623), he added. Dubai
has experienced a real estate boom over the years with hundreds of skyscrapers
built in the modern city state in a short lapse of time with many tiled with
flammable cladding. Most towers built before 2012 have reportedly used
non-fire-rated exterior panels. Fires have hit several high-rise buildings in
the Dubai,
famed for its record-breaking skyscrapers. On New Year's Eve 2015 a huge blaze
ripped through the luxury Address Downtown Hotel, injuring 16 people just a few
hours before a spectacular fireworks display nearby. In July last year, a fire
gutted the 75-storey Sulafa tower in Dubai marina, with the flames spreading up
quickly at least 15 floors of the building.
UK govt accused of failed nuke test cover
up
By AFP, London Sunday, 22 January 2017/The British government was accused on
Sunday of covering up a failed test of its nuclear weapons deterrent last year,
just weeks before lawmakers voted to renew the system. Prime Minister Theresa May
refused to say whether she knew about the reported malfunction of an unarmed
missile when she urged MPs to support updating the Trident nuclear system. The
Sunday Times newspaper, citing a senior naval source, claimed that the Trident
II D5 missile failed after being launched from a British submarine off the
coast of Florida in June. The cause of the failure is top secret but the source
suggested the missile may have veered off in the wrong direction towards the United States.
“There was a major panic at the highest level of government and the military
after the first test of our nuclear deterrent in four years ended in disastrous
failure,” the source told the paper. “Ultimately Downing
Street decided to cover up the failed test. If the information was
made public, they knew how damaging it would be to the credibility of our
nuclear deterrent.” The malfunction came just weeks before the House of Commons
was asked on July 18 to approve the replacement of the ageing submarines that
carry Britain’s nuclear arsenal. May was not prime minister at the time of the
test, but she took office shortly before the vote and successfully appealed to
lawmakers to approve the £41 billion (47 billion euro, $50.7 billion) project.
In a BBC interview on Sunday, she sidestepped questions about whether she knew
about the malfunction when she made her statement to MPs. “What we were talking
about is whether or not we should renew Trident,” she said. “I have absolute
faith in our Trident missiles,” she continued, adding that tests take place
“regularly”. Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn,
a longstanding opponent of nuclear weapons, said it was a “pretty catastrophic
error” for a missile to go in the wrong direction. A government spokesman
confirmed the Royal Navy conducted a routine test launch of an unarmed missile
last June from HMS Vengeance, one of Britain’s four nuclear-armed
submarines. It was “part of an operation which is designed to certify the
submarine and its crew”, he said. “Vengeance and her crew were successfully tested
and certified, allowing Vengeance to return into service. We have absolute
confidence in our independent nuclear deterrent,” he said. Britain is one of only three nuclear-armed NATO
nations, along with the United States
and France.
Four al-Qaeda members killed in Yemen drone strikes
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 22 January
2017/Four suspected Al-Qaeda members were killed in drone strikes in central Yemen likely
carried out by US forces, a security source said Sunday. The source, asking not
to be identified, said three "armed fighters of Al-Qaeda" died when
their vehicle was struck on Saturday in the Sawmaa
region of Al-Bayda province. A drone strike on Friday
killed a local military instructor for Al-Qaeda in the same province, he said.
The United States, which
considers Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based franchise, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
(AQAP), to be its most dangerous, is the only force operating drones over Yemen. But it
only sporadically reports on a long-running bombing campaign against AQAP.
Al-Qaeda and ISIS have exploited a power vacuum created by the two-year-old
conflict in Yemen
between the government and Shiite Huthi rebels,
especially in the country's south and southeast.
Arab coalition strikes Republican Guards
camp in Sanaa
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Sunday, 22 January
2017/An Arab coalition air force fighting against Houthi
militias in Yemen
launched on Saturday four raids against a Republican Guards camp in the capital
Sanaa which is under Houthi
control. Yemeni army units, allied to the coalition, liberated new posts in Nahm, east of Sanaa, as battles
against the militias continued. The Arab coalition is providing air support for
the army. A military source said the army liberated the area of al-Safeh al-Abyad in Nahm and continues to advance towards the town of Dabuaa,
adding that militias are retreating as they have suffered heavy losses. The
army has also cut supply routes to militias, the source said. A popular
resistance spokesperson in Sanaa said dozens of Houthi rebels and militiamen loyal to ousted president Ali
Abdullah Saleh have been killed or injured in the
battles in Nahm. In Jawf,
army units seized control of multiple military posts, including al-Taba al-Sawda and al-Taba al-Baydaa and destroyed
dozens of vehicles for Houthi militias which launched
a failed attacked on army posts.
Car bomb explodes in central Tripoli, near Italy
embassy
Reuters, Tripoli
Sunday, 22 January 2017/A car bomb exploded late on
Saturday close to the recently re-opened Italian embassy in the Libyan capital,
a security official said. It was not clear who was responsible for the blast.
Two charred bodies were recovered from the car, according to a statement on a
social media page run by a local branch of the Red Crescent, but the identity
of the occupants was unknown. Some vehicles parked nearby were also hit, but
damage from the blast, which could be heard at least a kilometre away, was
limited. The security official, who did not want to be named, said it appeared
that explosives had been planted in the car. The blast occurred next to the
Ministry of Planning and near the Egyptian embassy, which is closed. The
Italian embassy is some 350 metres away. A Reuters
reporter at the scene said roads had been cordoned off near the site of the blast,
and dozens of security officials and vehicles had been deployed in the area.
The wreckage of the car that exploded was quickly removed. Italy became the first Western country to reopen
its embassy in Tripoli
earlier this month. Most countries closed their embassies here in 2014 and
early 2015 after heavy fighting and attacks in the city. Tripoli
is home to a large number of rival militias, some of which oppose the UN-backed
Government of National Accord (GNA) that Italy has strongly supported. ISIS
is known to have sleeper cells in Tripoli,
and it has claimed attacks there in the past, including against embassies. The
GNA backed a recent seven-month campaign to oust ISIS from its former North
African stronghold of Sirte, about 450 km (280 miles)
east of Tripoli.
The re-opening of the Italian embassy drew protests from factions in eastern
Libya who oppose the GNA and are aligned with a rival government based there
Iraqi forces eye tougher fight in Mosul’s
west
The Associated Press Sunday, 22 January 2017/A crowd of Iraqi
officers looked out at the Tigris River Friday from a balcony of Mosul's
Nineveh International hotel. Just over three months ago, the men were some 45 kilometers (28 miles) away in a cluster of desert villages
on the edge of Nineveh
plain. "Our message to the rest of Mosul's
residents is that victory is near," said Lt. Gen. Abdul-Ghani al-Asadi, on a celebratory
tour after the city's east was declared largely liberated on Wednesday. The
progress of Iraqi forces, halting at first, sped up this month as they closed
in on the river that roughly divides Mosul
into eastern and western halves. But that momentum is unlikely to be sustained
and the city's western half is poised to be a much tougher fight for the
already fatigued forces.
Mosul's
west is more densely populated and home to the city's oldest neighborhoods. The United Nations estimates some 750,000
people are still in the city's west, many of them residents of outlying
villages that IS fighters led on forced marches up the Tigris River valley as
they lost ground there. Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin, the commander of coalition
ground forces, credited the swift progress with greater coordination between
Iraq's disparate security forces that allowed Iraqi ground troops to push back
IS by launching coordinated attacks. "They're attacking the enemy from
multiple directions and the enemy cannot react," he said. However, Iraqi
ground forces largely credit their victories to thinning IS defenses
and nighttime raids across front lines aimed at
taking out key local militant leadership. Iraq's special
forces first began carrying out such raids in Fallujah with close
coalition support. In Mosul,
as progress stalled, coalition forces moved deeper into the city in part to aid
in the nighttime operations, according to an Iraqi
officer who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to brief
the press. Iraqi troops have also experienced similarly high casualty rates; Irbil hospital officials and Iraqi medics working inside Mosul estimate that more than 1,600 Iraqi troops have been
injured or killed during the Mosul
operation. The number excludes Kurdish forces known as the peshmerga
who participated in the initial stages of the fight. Special forces private Sahil Najim, a 37 year-old from Wasit province in southern Iraq, said in his company alone,
more than 30 men have been killed in the last three months.
"This is our duty," Najim said, "so of
course it is worth it. But we still feel sorrow, how could you not?"
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 22-23/17
Trump Fires Up Europe's
Anti-Establishment Movement
"This year will be the year of the people."
Soeren Kern/Gatestone
Institute/January 22/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9810/trump-europe-establishment
"The genie will not go back into the bottle again, whether you like it or
not." — Geert Wilders, MP and head of the Party
for Freedom, the Netherlands.
A growing number of Europeans are rebelling against decades of
government-imposed multiculturalism, politically correct speech codes and mass
migration from the Muslim world.
Europe's establishment parties, far from
addressing the concerns of ordinary voters, have tried to silence dissent by
branding naysayers as xenophobes, Islamophobes and
neo-Nazis.
"In many respects, France
and Germany
are proving they do not understand the meaning of Brexit.
They are reflexively, almost religiously, following exactly the path that has
provoked the EU's current existential crisis." — Ambassador John R.
Bolton, former U.S.
ambassador to the United Nations.
"There is a genuine feeling that Trump taking over the White House is part
of a bigger, global movement. Our critics, looking at Trump's candidacy and his
speech yesterday, would call it the rise of populism. I would say it's simply a
return to nation state democracy and proper values.... This is a genuine
political revolution." — Nigel Farage, former
head of Britain's UKIP
party, who led the effort for the United Kingdom to leave the EU.
"This disruption is fruitful. The taboos of the last few years are now
fully on the agenda: illegal immigration, Islam, the nonsense of open borders,
the dysfunctional EU, the free movement of people, jobs, law and order. Trump's
predecessors did not want to talk about it, but the majority of voters did.
This is democracy." — Roger Köppel,
editor-in-chief of Die Weltwoche, Switzerland.
Inspired by the inauguration of U.S. President Donald J. Trump, the leaders of
Europe's main anti-establishment parties have held a pan-European rally aimed
at coordinating a political strategy to mobilize potentially millions of
disillusioned voters in upcoming elections in Germany,
the Netherlands and France.
Appearing together in public for the first time, Marine Le Pen, leader of the
French National Front, Frauke Petry,
leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV),
Matteo Salvini, leader of
Italy's Northern League and Harald Vilimsky of Austria's Freedom Party gathered on January 21
at a rally in Koblenz, Germany, where they called on European voters to
participate in a "patriotic spring" to topple the European Union,
reassert national sovereignty and secure national borders.
The leaders of Europe's main anti-establishment parties
appearing together in public for the first time, on January 21 in Koblenz, Germany.
(Image source: Marine Le Pen/Twitter)
The two-hour rally was held under the banner of the Europe of Nations and
Freedom (ENF), a group established in June 2015 by Members of the European
Parliament from nine counties to oppose European federalism and the transfer of
political power from voters to unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, the de facto capital
of the European Union.
Referring to the June 2016 decision by British voters to leave the European
Union, and the rise of President Donald Trump in the United States, Le Pen said:
"We are living through the end of one world, and the birth of another. We
are experiencing the return of nation-states. 2016 was the year the Anglo-Saxon
world woke up. 2017, I am sure, will be the year in which the peoples of the
European continent rise up."
Wilders added:
"The world is changing. America
is changing. Europe is changing. It started
last year with Brexit, yesterday there was Trump and
today the freedom-loving parties gathered in Koblenz are making a stand. The genie will
not go back into the bottle again, whether you like it or not. The people of
the West are awakening. They are throwing off the yoke of political
correctness."
Polls indicate that the political sea change engulfing the United States is fueling
support for anti-establishment parties in Europe.
In addition to anger over eroding sovereignty, a growing number of Europeans
are rebelling against decades of government-imposed multiculturalism,
politically correct speech codes and mass migration from the Muslim world.
In France,
a new Ipsos poll for Le Monde
shows that Marine Le Pen is now poised to win the first round of the French
presidential election set for April 23, 2017. Le Pen has between 25% and 26%
support among likely voters, compared to 23% and 25% for François Fillon of the center-right Republicans party. In December
2016, Fillon held a three-point lead over Le Pen.
In the Netherlands,
Geert Wilders is now leading polls ahead of the
general election scheduled for March 15, 2017. The PVV has the support of
between 29% and 33% of the electorate. By contrast, support for the ruling
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) has fallen to between 23% and
27%.
In Germany, the
anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party (AfD)
has become the third-largest party the country, with support at around 15%
percent. The AfD had gained representation in ten of Germany's 16
state parliaments, and the party hopes to win seats in the Federal Parliament
(Bundestag) for the first time in national elections set for September 24,
2017.
Europe's establishment parties, far from
addressing the concerns of ordinary voters, have tried to silence dissent by
branding naysayers as xenophobes, Islamophobes and
neo-Nazis.
In Germany,
for example, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, in an
underhanded effort to silence criticism of the government's open door migration
policy, called for German intelligence to begin monitoring the AfD.
The German Interior Ministry is now proposing to establish a "Defense
Center against
Disinformation" (Abwehrzentrum gegen Desinformation) to combat
"fake news." Critics have described the proposed center as a
"censorship monster" aimed at silencing dissenting opinions.
Enter Trump. If sufficient numbers of European voters are inspired by the
political transformation taking place in the United States, the balance of
European political power may begin to shift in favor
of the anti-establishment parties. European political and media elites will
therefore surely view Trump as a threat to the Europe's
established political order.
In a January 16 interview with the Times of London and Germany's Bild, Trump said he believed that Brexit
is "going to end up being a great thing." He added that German
Chancellor Angela Merkel made an "utterly catastrophic mistake by letting
all these illegals into the country."
In the same interview, Trump said that the NATO alliance "is very
important to me" but he called it "obsolete" for failing to
contain the threat posed to the West by Islamic terrorism. He also complained
that some countries "don't pay what they should pay." Of the 28
countries in the alliance, only five — Britain,
Estonia, Greece, Poland
and the United States
— meet the target of spending at least 2% of their GDP on defense.
European commentators roundly criticized Trump for his comments and some
accused the United States
of being an "unreliable partner." European leaders repeated calls for
a pan-European Army, a long-held goal of European federalists, which would
entail an unprecedented transfer of sovereignty from European nation states to
the European Union.
Gatestone Institute Chairman Ambassador John R.
Bolton, has provided much-needed context to the debate
over NATO. In a recent article for the Boston Globe, he wrote:
"NATO has taken intense criticism this year from Donald Trump,
evoking howls of outrage from foreign-policy establishment worthies. The
worthies know, however, that Trump is simply using his bullhorn to say what
they themselves say more quietly: NATO's decision-making is often sclerotic;
its mission has not been adequately redefined after the Cold War; and too many
members haven't carried their weight financially or militarily for long
years.... Trump has emphasized that his complaints are intended to encourage
debate about improving and strengthening NATO, not sundering it. The debate is
well worth having."
Bolton added:
"In many respects, France
and Germany
are proving they do not understand the meaning of Brexit.
They are reflexively, almost religiously, following exactly the path that has
provoked the EU's current existential crisis: every failure of closer
integration by the 'European project' leads only to calls for more integration.
Whether it is establishing a currency without a government; pledging military
capabilities that collectively the EU never achieves; or pretending to an EU
role in world affairs that no one outside of Brussels takes seriously, 'more
Europe' is always the answer."
European Reactions to President Trump's Inauguration
Trump's presidential inauguration speech was greeted with formal
politeness by European leaders — most of whom will have to work with the new
leader of the free world — and with unbridled derision by European commentators
and media elites — many of whom appear to be in denial about the
anti-establishment fervor sweeping the United States
and Europe.
Much of the European commentary about Trump has consisted of name-calling
and anti-Americanism. A handful of European analysts, however, have called for
introspection and self-criticism.
What follows is a brief selection of European commentary on Trump's
inauguration:
In Britain,
reactions to Trump were evenly divided between those who do and do not support
British membership in the European Union. Prime Minister Theresa May said:
"From our conversations to date, I know we are both committed to
advancing the special relationship between our two countries and working
together for the prosperity and security of people on both sides of the Atlantic."
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson wrote:
"I think that the new president has made it very clear that he wants
to put Britain
at the front of the line for a new trade deal and obviously that's extremely
exciting and important."
Nigel Farage, the politician who led the effort
for the United Kingdom
to leave the EU, was one of the few Europeans to understand the magnitude of
Trump's rise. He wrote:
"There is a genuine feeling that Trump taking over the White House
is part of a bigger, global movement. Our critics, looking at Trump's candidacy
and his speech yesterday, would call it the rise of populism. I would say it's
simply a return to nation state democracy and proper values. For this
inauguration is not just a change from the 44th President to the 45th President
of the United States.
This is a genuine political revolution."
In France, President
François Hollande advised Trump to stay out of
European affairs — this a few days after the French government tried to impose
a "two-state solution" on Israel. He said: "Europe will be ready to pursue transatlantic cooperation,
but it will be based on its interests and values. It does not need outside
advice to tell it what to do."
Marine Le Pen said: "Clearly, the victory of Donald Trump is another
step toward the emergence of a new world, whose vocation is to replace an old
order."
Jean-Marie Colombani, the former
editor-in-chief of Le Monde, articulated Europe's
geopolitical predicament, which is the direct consequence of a failure to
prioritize French defense spending:
"From an American point of view, Vladimir Putin is a secondary
problem: Russia is a medium power, which can certainly create problems for the
United States, but only marginally, as in Syria, for example. China is the only power to rival the United States.
It will be, already is, the only obsession of Trump's America.
"Vladimir Putin represents a problem, if not a threat, for Europe. In fact, the Russian President has set the goal
of weakening the European Union, in order to restore the role of guardian that
the USSR
exercised in the East of Europe, in countries that are now members of the EU
and NATO. Everything suggests that Trump shares the same objective: to weaken Europe.
"Indeed, Trump's European policy is inspired by Nigel Farage, who spearheaded the campaign for Brexit, and whose political aim is now to achieve the
dismantling of the European Union. This explains the prediction formulated by
Trump on the soon-coming demise of Europe, and
his anti-German undertones. In the new American president we find the language
and elements of all the populist and extremist parties whose common doctrine is
hostility towards the European project. Here, then, in the East and the West, Europe is squeezed as in a vise!"
In Germany, which is
wholly dependent upon the United
States for defense,
and which has steadfastly refused to meet its commitment to pay 2% of GDP on defense, reaction to Trump's speech was overwhelmingly
negative.
Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to work with Trump to preserve the
transatlantic relationship. "The trans-Atlantic relationship will not be
less important in the coming years than it was in past years," she said. "And
I will work on that. Even when there are different opinions, compromises and
solutions can be best found when we exchange ideas with respect."
Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel was far less
diplomatic. He said: "We have to take this man seriously. What we heard
today were highly nationalistic tones. I think we have to prepare for a rough
ride." He called on Europeans to unite to "defend our
interests."
Writing for Deutsche Welle, commentator Max
Hofmann admonished Europeans to stop complaining about Trump and instead put
their own house in order:
"What do you do when your closest partner just disappears on you?
You do what the EU should have done long ago: you fix up your home, regardless
of what 'The Donald' is doing in the USA. There is enough work that
needs to be done in Europe with regard to
'putting your own house in order' — Brexit, migration
and refugee policies, the euro. If Europeans were honest to themselves
and viewed what is happening on the old continent from the American perspective
— and not just that one — then the situation would not be comprehensible to
them. If US parliamentarians were to call European dissent 'madness' or
'nonsense,' no one could blame them."
Commentator Hubert Wetzel said that Trump posed a threat to European
security and called for European unity to weather the next four years. In an
essay laced with hyperbole, he wrote:
"Europeans will have to adapt to a new tone in dealing with America. Trump
has made it clear in his speech that he will pursue a nationalist foreign
policy, and his speech contained no reference to America's allies. [Trump actually
said: 'We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones,' and 'We will seek
friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world']. His willingness to
spend money on the defense of other countries is
limited. He does not see the USA
as a protective power of democratic values in the world; and he is the first U.S. president
since the end of the Second World War who has openly expressed doubts about the
value of European unity and the existence of NATO. At a time when Russia is trying to weaken the West by means of
diplomatic, intelligence, and military means, it is an attitude that is a
serious threat to united Europe."
In Spain,
geopolitical analyst Rafael Bardají wrote:
"President Trump promised that a new era is beginning today. In his
inaugural speech he made it very clear that he despises Washington and hates the way the
establishment has ruled the country up until now, defending its privileges at
the expense of citizens. Yes, a speech that can be called populist, but one
that nevertheless is true. Democracy, after all, emerged as the government of
the people for the people, something that, at present, is far from being a
reality in America as well
as in Europe. The great social contract of
liberal democracy, namely, growing prosperity and peace and security for the
citizens, is no longer being fulfilled. This is due to the inability of our
elites to deal with the [economic] crisis, due to their obsession with pacifism
and due to the subordination of the interests of nationals in favor of immigrants."
In Switzerland,
Roger Köppel, editor-in-chief of Die Weltwoche, warned against efforts by European elites to
belittle Trump. He wrote:
"Trump's election was a healthy shock. The shock was necessary. Not
only power cartels, but also worldviews are breaking down. This disruption is
fruitful. The taboos of the last few years are now fully on the agenda: illegal
immigration, Islam, the nonsense of open borders, the dysfunctional EU, the
free movement of people, jobs, law and order. Trump's predecessors did not want
to talk about it, but the majority of voters did. This is democracy."
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New
York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow
for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic
Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.
© 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.'
World Council of Churches Favors Nationalism and Anti-Semitism/The Kairos Palestine Document and Alternative Tourism
Petra Heldt/Gatestone Institute/January 22/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9800/wcc-kairos-antisemitism
The immediate two aims of the Kairos Document
are: 1) to boycott Israel and the Jewish historical connection to the Land of
Israel; 2) to neutralize the support of Christian Zionists and any other
Christians for Israel.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) Secretariat targets Israel's tourist industry and aspires to
re-direct pilgrims from Israel
to the Palestinian area, and to guide pilgrims from having a positive outlook
on Israel
to having negative reactions to the Jewish State.
Many faithful Christians, including a good portion of the fine Lutheran
Church of Hannover, are hardly aware of the degree of deception employed by the
WCC Secretariat. They would be scandalized to know that they were being used
for the Secretariat's scheme of nationalism and anti-Semitism.
The Christian faith is known for holding aspects of the divine commitment
to the Jewish people by seven biblical covenants: six unconditional ones with
Abraham (Gen 12, 1-3), the Land (Gen 12, 1), the Levites (Num 25, 10-13), David
(2 Sam 7, 10-16), Israel and Judah (Jer 31, 31-34),
Jerusalem (Ez 16), and one conditional one at Sinai
(Ex 19, 5). Those commitments are preceded by the universal covenant with the
whole creation (Gen 9, 12-17). Many attempts which try to re-draw that
celestial union of universality-cum-Israel-particularity fall, unswervingly,
into the trap of nationalism and anti-Semitism.
Two recent divine-restructuring efforts of that kind count the Christians
in Nazi -Germany
and some Palestinian Christians. The former attempt ended in the Holocaust; the
latter is now sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) through two
major engines, the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme to Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), and the Kairos Palestine Document with its spin-off,
"Alternative Tourism." These two programs are of interest here.
1) The Kairos Palestine Document
In December 2009, a Bethlehem
panel chaired by the retired former Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah, launched the Kairos
Document. The WCC Secretariat swiftly spread the paper among Protestant
churches worldwide, calling for a program of boycotts, divestment and delegitimization directed at the State of Israel.
In April 2010, Malcolm Lowe wrote the seminal article "The
Palestinian Kairos Document: A Behind-the-Scenes
Analysis," published by the New English Review. Lowe's careful study
exposes a number of deceptions behind the Kairos
Document. Seven of those pretenses are mentioned
here.
Deception 1: Israel
is an Apartheid-State.
The Case: The document's name alludes to the name of a statement issued
in South Africa in 1985.[1] That allusion is meant to deliberately compare Israel with the
regime of apartheid.
The Fact: Israel
is no apartheid state. Israel
is a thriving democracy, with huge numbers of non-Jews fully integrated at all
levels of Israeli society.
Deception 2: The Jerusalem
heads of Churches support Kairos.
The Case: Of the sixteen signatories, only one acting Church head signed
the paper, namely Munib Younan,
Bishop of a tiny Arab
Lutheran Church.
The other signatories are Palestinian activists, like Lutheran parish priest Mitri Raheb and retired Anglican
clergy Naim Ateek; low
level officials; and laypeople. Younan, fearing the
loss of Israeli privileges, withdrew his signature. For pastoral reasons, the Jerusalem Church heads released a brief statement
upholding the Christian faith. Deceitfully, this communiqué was prefaced to the
Kairos Document.
The Fact: The Jerusalem
heads of Churches do not endorse Kairos. Jerusalem Church leaders, save one, uphold the
Christian faith.
Deception 3: 'Without occupation - no resistance' (Kairos
1:4).
The Case: The Kairos authors and the WCC
Secretariat know that Sabbah's claim, "no
occupation - no resistance," is wrong. They are familiar with the fact
that organizations like Hamas, which have mass support among the Palestinian
population, continue the "resistance" as long as the State of Israel
exists. The same false message is repeated later in the document (4:3), where
terrorism is placed in quotation marks, that is, when it is named as such at
all.
The Fact: For Kairos, terror against the State
of Israel goes on as long as there is a State of Israel.
Deception 4: Christian sympathy for Israel is a sign of Christian
fundamentalism (Kairos 2:2.2).
The Case: Kairos represents Ateek's
heresy as if God, being only "good and just," sides with the
oppressed, namely the Palestinian people (Kairos
2:2.2). It opposes the biblical Christian belief in God's faithfulness to His
people Israel
and delegitimizes faithful theology as biblical fundamentalism.
The Fact: Christians on the side of Israel are theologically sound and
lawful.
Deception 5: The State of Israel is a biblically-fuelled holy-war-monger
(Kairos 2:5).
The Case: Kairos endorses Ateek's
ideology and asserts that "the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is a
sin against God and humanity," and concludes that Israel's
politics are based on biblical concepts (Kairos 2:5).
The authors know that Israel
does not subscribe to such a theology, but that the political theology of Hamas
indeed calls for violence and holy war in the name of their god.
The Fact: Israel's
policy is based on patterns of political thought.
Deception 6: Kairos supports the
two-state-solution.
The Case: Ateek's organization Sabeel and Kairos promote
worldwide the view that the "two-state solution" is not viable, that
"justice" will be achieved only when the State of Israel disappears
into a single bi-national state with an Arab majority. Nowhere in the document
does the term "two states" occur. The authors want to see a single
state embracing Muslims, Jews and Christians alike (Kairos 9:3).
The Fact: Kairos supports the elimination of
the Jewish State of Israel.
Deception 7: Kairos facilitates a boycott of
merely products from Judea and Samaria.
The Case: The document's Section 7 is "A Word to the International
Community," which calls for a "boycott of everything produced by the
occupation" (cf. section 2).
The Fact: Kairos promotes a boycott of the
State of Israel.
Conclusion
The immediate two aims of the Kairos Document
are: 1) to boycott Israel and the Jewish historical connection to the Land of
Israel; 2) to neutralize the support of Christian Zionists and any other
Christians for Israel.
Rifat Odeh Kassis, co-author and general coordinator of the Kairos Palestine initiative, is pictured above giving an
interview to Al-Manar TV, the official TV channel of Lebanon's
Hezbollah terrorist organization. (Photo source: Kairos
Palestine)
2) Alternative Tourism
Following the two aims of Kairos, the WCC
Secretariat targets Israel's tourist industry and aspires to re-direct pilgrims
from Israel to the Palestinian area, and to guide pilgrims from having a
positive outlook on Israel to having negative reactions to the Jewish State.
Since 2010, three stages of "Alternative Tourism" are developing.
(1) In 2010, the WCC Secretariat published tourist guidelines under the
title, "Come and See: A Call from Palestinian Christians - A Journey for
Peace with Justice. Guidelines for Christians Contemplating a
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land."
Pretending to be the voice of Palestinian Christians, a group of
hand-picked 27 theologians from 14 countries, including Palestinian activists,
called on Christian pilgrims "to live their faith when visiting the Holy Land by showing concern for the Palestinian people
whose lives are severely constricted by the Israeli occupation of their
land." The meeting was organized by the Palestinian NGO Alternative
Tourism Group (ATG), in cooperation with three WCC bodies: Ecumenical Coalition
on Tourism (ECOT), the Kairos Document, and the
Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF).
The Guidelines' "Code of Conduct for Travelers to the Holy Land" derives directly from the Palestinian
Initiative for Responsible Tourism, which had asked for Pontifical endorsement
on 6 May 2009. The Guidelines present a full description of pilgrimages,
including lists of sites, hotels, guides, buses, books, shops, restaurants, all
Palestinian-only, ending with a code of conduct in that Moslem society.
(2) In 2013, the WCC Assembly in Busan, South
Korea, launched the program Pilgrimage of
Justice and Peace (PJP). In July 2014, the WCC Central Committee recommended
PJP to 347 churches in 110 countries. At the fifth anniversary of Kairos, in Bethlehem
December 2014, the WCC affirmed its Kairos policy and
its connection with PJP:
"We [the pilgrims] commit ourselves to accompanying Palestinian
Christians in fellowship of the World Council of Churches in the Pilgrimage for
Justice and Peace."
Despite its verbose 2013 portrayal, loaded with WCC theological verbiage,
PJP's political intend is clear: to foster the two
immediate aims of Kairos, namely to annihilate Israel's connection to its historic land and to
obliterate Christian relations to Israel. The Lutheran
Church in Jerusalem
employs PJP as a means to introduce pilgrims and volunteers to the "Holy Land."
(3) In time for the fifth Kairos anniversary in
December 2014, the German Evangelical "Bread for the World" (BFW) and
the German Catholic organization "Misereor"
jointly issued a German rendition of the 2010 WCC pilgrim guidelines "Come
and See" (as Kommt und Seht).
The German brochure follows, for the most part line by line the English
template, but fails to credit the original source. The German text also
carefully obfuscates any reference to Kairos. Kommt und Seht is prefaced,
deceitfully, as a brochure worked out by Tourism Watch, in cooperation with the
Joint Initiative Humanitarian Human Rights Near East, by Misereor
and Bread for the World. Two editors are mentioned: Bread for the World and Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst,
Evangelisches Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V.
Both organizations have been major WCC funders.
According to NGO Monitor, BFW in 2013 transferred 2,248,975 Swiss Francs; in
2014: 5,509,859 SF. EED in 2013 transferred 3,604,134 SF.
While Kairos and its tourist spin-offs work
toward boycott, divestment and sanctions against both the State of Israel and
the biblical Christian faith, kind bishops emeriti provide well-intended pious
lectures on the importance of devout pilgrimages, with reference to PJP, as
announced by the WCC website. The same website refers to the synod of the
Lutheran Church of Hannover, Germany, when in November 2016, under the
leadership of a former bishop, the Church synod will
discuss the endorsement of the PJP program. In tandem with PJP comes the
endorsement of Kairos. That scheme looks like another
attempt connected to the Kairos Palestine Solidarity
Network (KPSN), Germany,
which in December 2014 still complained about the poor response Kairos had received from the Evangelical German
Church. For sure, many
faithful Christians, including a good portion of the fine Lutheran Church of
Hannover, are hardly aware of the degree of deception employed by the WCC
Secretariat. They would be scandalized to know that they were being used for
the Secretariat's scheme of nationalism and anti-Semitism.
**Rev. Dr. Petra Heldt is Director of the
Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity, Jerusalem.
[1] Kairos Theologians, The Kairos
document: Challenge to the Church. A Theological Comment on
the Political Crisis in South
Africa (Skotaville
Publishers, 1986).
© 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.
Middle East derangement syndrome: Egypt, Turkey
and Israel
have all fallen prey to delusions about Trump
Leaders in the region's major powers are ecstatic about President Trump.
They're likely to be disappointed
Steven A. Cook /Salon/January 22/17
At about 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 9, Donald Trump
received his first congratulatory phone call as president-elect. It came from Egypt’s
president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. In the weeks since
then, Egyptian officials pointed to the call as a symbol of a new era in
U.S.-Egypt relations, which soured considerably after the July 2013 coup d’état
that overthrew the elected government of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi and brought Sisi to power.
Egyptian officials were so happy with the outcome of the election that Sisi reportedly considered attending the inauguration.
Sisi stayed in Cairo,
but Turkey’s
foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu,
showed up in person. It is not unusual for some foreign ambassadors to attend
the inaugural ceremonies; the presence of someone as senior as Cavusoglu was. A delegation of Israeli settlers also made
the trip to celebrate the Trump presidency. No one from the Arab Gulf
states attended. Unlike the Egyptians, Israelis and Turks, who seem positively
giddy over Trump, the Saudis and Emiratis have taken a more cautious approach
to change at the White House — but they nevertheless seem pleased to put the
Barack Obama era behind them.
It all seems rather strange given how Trump rode to power, winking at Islamophobes as well as anti-Semites and otherwise
appealing to isolationists. If there was any sign during the long campaign
about Trump’s approach to the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy more generally,
it was retrenchment. That is not good for Washington’s major regional allies, yet
leaders in these countries seem willing to overlook this inconvenient fact in favor of a fantasy that Trump will be a better steward of
their security and American interests than was Obama.
The Egyptians, for example, are convinced that the Trump administration
will offer its unconditional support for Sisi and
drop the Bush and Obama administrations’ objections to Egypt’s abysmal
record on human rights. For their part, the Turks know that the new
administration will support their fight against Kurdish nationalism. Israelis
are now confident of American political and diplomatic cover to continue the
slow and steady annexation of the West Bank.
The Arab Gulf
states and Israel, outraged
over Obama’s outreach to Iran,
are counting on Trump to restore Washington’s
adversarial relationship with Tehran.
Even if Trump does what Middle Eastern leaders want him to do, one has to
wonder: To what end? How will it make things better? Is there not a significant
chance that Trump will make things worse instead? It’s worth remembering that
fantasies are by definition alluring, but are rarely satisfying when someone
tries to make them come true. The Egyptians seem likely to get what they want:
a change in tone in their bilateral relations with Washington. Yet they should keep their
enthusiasm in check.
Besides the temporary political boost that better relations with Washington will give Sisi, they
won’t make the insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula go away or make Egypt’s
struggling economy suddenly grow. There is no indication that a Trump
administration will be more forthcoming than Obama on military or economic
assistance. Trump is about the “art of the deal.” In his transactional world,
what is Egypt’s
currency? The old Egyptian refrain about being a “force for stability in the
region” is getting old — and is no longer accurate. Besides, what does Trump
care about the region other than “bombing the [expletive] out of [the
self-proclaimed Islamic State]”? What Sisi has
to offer the new administration — international support against the Muslim
Brotherhood — is something the Egyptians have already
given Trump for free. After a moment of self-satisfaction and euphoria that
Obama has vacated the Oval Office, the Egyptians are likely to confront the
reality that the problem in their relationship with the United States has been in Cairo,
not Washington.
Egypt
is important because of its problems, only one of which interests the new
American president — terrorism. And as the American experience over the last 16
years suggests, applying ever-increasing levels of force to the problem does
not work. It is a similar issue with the Turks, who are setting
themselves up for disappointment that Cavusoglu’s
vainglorious attendance at the inauguration was an attempt to hide. Trump’s
incoming secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, testified
at his confirmation hearings that the main Syrian Kurdish fighting force — the
People’s Protection Units (YPG) — which the Turkish government (rightly)
considers to be a close affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) — is
Washington’s “greatest ally” against the Islamic State.
Thus spake
Donald Trump
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/January 22/17/
President Donald Trump prides himself on not reading books and it shows. One
doubts if he has ever read a poem, or knew the pleasure of diction, the music
of cadence or the alchemy of mixing disparate words and turning them into
organic living images. If President Trump was not reading from a poorly
prepared text, one would have been tempted to say that he was influenced by the
dark skies hovering over his inauguration ritual, to summon his dark angels to
help him paint a picture of America circa 2017 that is a replica of the ravaged
universe depicted in the Mad Max movies: bleak, arid and inhospitable. In this
American dystopia we see “ mothers and children
trapped in poverty in our inner cities, rusted-out factories scattered like
tombstones across the landscape of our nation…and the crime and gangs and drugs
that have stolen too many lives..”Trump, dramatically
vowed that “this American carnage stops right here and stops right now”. In
Trump’s warped vision, America
is a vast wasteland and its people have been wandering for decades in search of
a leader like Trump to restore water, grass and trees. Trump promised the
American people instant deliverance from their pain , it is as if the complex
effects of globalization on the economy of Middle America, the loss of jobs as
a result of deindustrialization, which hastened social unraveling,
a process that took decades in the making, can be reversed with one direct
command uttered by the maximum leader. President Trump’s inauguration speech
was exactly him: bombastic, crass, lacking in grace, humanity, humility,
subtlety and eloquence and totally devoid of poetry and magnanimity
The awaited savior
President Trump spoke as if he is the long awaited savior
of the American Union from the ravages of corrupt, ossified political elite at
home, and a confederacy of freeloader allies fattening themselves at the
expense of an ageing America. He projected himself as the strong leader that
transcends political parties and special interest, the man of action who will
enter into a direct compact with ‘the people’ over the heads of their
representatives in Washington, thus “we are transferring power from Washington,
D.C. and giving it back to you, the American people”. Thus,
unabashedly spake Donald Trump. President
Trump’s inauguration speech was exactly him: bombastic, crass, lacking in
grace, humanity, humility, subtlety and eloquence and totally devoid of poetry
and magnanimity. He could not but look sullen in his moment of victory. He
could not force himself to acknowledge the presence of his vanquished
Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton who won almost three million votes more
than him, and who sat stoically wondering what might have been. President Trump
was not expected to act presidential, but his crudeness and rudeness knew no
bounds. For a true outsider to rail against the entrenched political
establishment and special interest groups in Washington is commendable. But for a deeply
flawed and compromised man, who is an integral part of the financial
establishment in New York,
who brazenly abused the system to avoid paying taxes and to stiff his
contractors, and a pathological liar with autocratic yearnings to boot, to
claim the status of the outsider is to revel in a sea of hypocrisy. Donald
Trump, who put his hand on Lincoln’s Bible and
solemnly swore to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,
is the same man who has been waging a relentless war on the American media, and
by extension on our basic liberties enshrined in the First Amendment of the
Constitution.
The few presidents that soared
Most American presidents use their inaugural addresses to soar in search of
that political northern star to guide the country into new territories of
prosperity, in times of peace, or reaffirming national unity and strength in
times of war. But most of them, hard as they try don’t deliver, and that is why
only a handful of presidents delivered speeches that stood the test of time and
some of their lines have become our political hymns that we still recite
solemnly. America’s
third president, the visionary Thomas Jefferson had sought as the candidate of
the Democratic-Republican Party who succeeded two Federalist presidents to heal
the new political divisions in the country. In his first inaugural speech in
1801 he used 8 words to do that: “We are all Republicans, we are all
Federalists.”
Two of the greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt
served in times of existential wars, and in the case of Roosevelt
a great depression. Lincoln’s
second inaugural address (1865) of around 700 words was a literary masterpiece,
containing the most eloquent and iconic paragraphs ever written by any American
president. The hallowed words went a long way to heal the wounded country.
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as
God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in,
to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle
and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a
just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
In the midst of the Great Depression, Roosevelt‘s reassuring words in his
inaugural speech of 1933 had a magical effect on a fearful and divided country:
“First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear
is fear itself, nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes
needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” In the post WWII era,
President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address of 1961 stands out for its
sweeping hopeful spirit: “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your
country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens
of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” In 1981
and in 2009 both presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama who were elected in
times of economic retrenchment and recessions used their inaugural speeches to
stress national unity in times of peril and evoke that deep reservoir of
optimism that exists in the country even in times of crisis, and both men
delivered on their economic promises.
'Bland, cold and uninspiring'
President Trump’s inaugural address did not even attempt to soar to any
heights. The language was bland, cold and uninspiring, and to the extent that
one could talk about a vision, it was dark and even hostile. The austere speech
was striking because it was unlike any previous address. President Trump
incorporated some of the worn-out lines from his stump speech during the
campaign, and he delivered his address in the tone and style of the perpetual
campaigner, only this time he read it from a teleprompter. From the first few
lines it became clear that the new president is still wedded to all the views
he espoused during his long campaign. It was then that his audience realized
that he will drag the United
States (and probably the world) into
uncertainty, maybe even dark territory.
Trump quickly disposed of any illusions that may have been entertained by some
in the establishment that he will mellow or moderate some of his stark views or
shed some of his sharp edges. Trump made it clear that he will not rule
according to customs nor will he be constrained by political traditions and
assumptions. Typically, the new president exaggerated his diagnosis of the
problems facing the nation, be they economic, political or strategic, just as
he embellished his ability to solve them. But what was most astonishing in the
speech was Trump’s brazen comprehensive indictment of the whole political
establishment in Washington since the Second World War, including the work of
all his Republican and Democratic predecessors most of whom sat few feet away from
him, along with the entire leadership of both parties in congress. Trump barely
mentioned his immediate predecessor Barack Obama, but he ignored his democratic
opponent and never mentioned any previous president, and did not try to
reassure those who did not vote for him that he will be their president too.
Trump barely mentioned his immediate predecessor Barack Obama, but he ignored
his democratic opponent and never mentioned any previous president, and did not
try to reassure those who did not vote for him that he will be their president
too
The scene in front of the capitol was unprecedented: a 70-year old president
the oldest ever to start a new term, who had never previously been elected to
any political position, nor served in the armed forces (he got military
deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam), delivering a speech that amounted to a
coup against the political establishment in Washington and the
economic/strategic legacy that the US had built in the world following its
victory in WWII, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO, an
organization that Trump denigrated repeatedly before and after his election.
Unfounded claims
The speech contained exaggerations, untruths and lies
that Trump and his supporters have been repeating since the beginning of his
campaign. Trump’s description of a crime ridden America is inaccurate, since crime
rates according to many studies have been declining in the last two decades.
Trump’s claims that the US have been enriching foreign industry at the expense
of American industry is wrong, since America’s major corporations have been
reaping great profits from globalization, although American workers have seen
some of their jobs migrating overseas. However, automation and increased
technical efficiency are the main reason for the loss of many American jobs.
Ironically these technical innovations increased America’s industrial output to
heights never seen before. President Trump’s assertion that America has gutted its military capabilities is
baseless, given that the US
spends about $600 billion a year on its military, more than the next seven
largest world militaries combined.
President Trump did not dwell much on specific foreign policy issues or
conflicts, except stating that we “we will reinforce old alliances and form new
ones - and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which
we will eradicate completely from the face of the earth.” The reference to old
alliances could be interpreted as a vague assurance to those who fear that
Trump will weaken or even abandon NATO, and the reference to new alliances is
probably a message to Russia.
Trump’s use of the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism” is to draw a distinction
with President Obama who avoided these references because he thought that they
would reinforce the narrative of the terrorist groups in Muslim countries. But
certainly uniting “the civilized world” against such groups will touch a raw
nerve in Muslim majority countries since it could be interpreted that these
countries may not be seen as part of this civilized world, given Mr Trump’s
overt hostility towards Muslims, and his opposition to their entry into the US.
Throughout his campaign Mr Trump made the phrase “America first” a central theme in
his foreign policy. He made it the unifying vision of his America in his
inaugural address. The ‘America first’ theme has deep roots in American
isolationism and anti-Semitism going back to the 1930’s when a movement
sympathetic to Nazi Germany known as The America First Committee was
established to put pressure on president Franklin Roosevelt to keep the US
neutral in the war. Although Jewish organizations asked Trump to drop the
phrase, he refused. Candidate Trump, maybe because of his obsession with ‘America first’
and the need for the country to pursue first and foremost its economic
interests, never invoked the principles that animated other American presidents
of spreading and defending human rights abroad. President Trump stressed that
point in his inaugural speech very clearly. “We do not seek to impose our way
of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example. We will shine for
everyone to follow.” His admiration of autocratic leaders like Russia’s
President Vladimir Putin reinforces his lack of interest in advocating the
values of human rights abroad.
If president Trump implements the ‘vision’ he announced in his inaugural
address, he would be conducting a transformational coup against most of what
his predecessors have built or supported since the end of the Second World War
particularly the system of military and economic alliances including NATO, the
European Union and the special relations with countries like Japan and South
Korea. Trump’s ambivalence towards the EU, which borders on hostility, and his
constant questioning of NATO’s validity and viability including his strange
refusal to recognize NATO’s role in helping the U.S.
in Afghanistan, and his
apparent acceptance of Russia’s
annexation of Crimea, and ambivalence towards
German Chancellor Angela Merkle, all fit perfectly
with president Putin’s hopes and plans. We may see a new entente emerging
between the US under Trump
and Russia’s
Putin, we may enter a new period of uncertainty where old assumptions are
shattered, and where old allies could become disenchanted, neutral or even
adversaries and old adversaries turned new allies or warm friends. These
scenarios and possibilities could become the realities in Trump’s world. To get
a sense of these stark possibilities, compare the triumphalist
and festive mood in Russia
following the ascension and inauguration of President Trump, with the mournful
atmosphere engulfing the capitals of the European Union. This may be a new
world, but certainly it is not a brave new world.
Can MENA’s
social media influencers change politics?
Yara al-Wazir/Al
Arabiya/January 22/17/What do Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau and US-President Donald Trump have in
common? They heavily relied on social media to get them elected - the same tool
that took down former Tunisian President Zine El Abedine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak.Social
media usage has penetrated the region – over 88 per cent of Internet users in
the region are active on social media. Although the vast majority (84 per cent)
of these users use it just “for fun”, there is a key 5 per cent of the
population that are interested in using it for political activism, according to
a survey. The ‘fun’ that Arab users refer to is predominantly based on using
social media to interact with their friends and family, but increasingly,
social media has turned into an active engagement tool used by so-called
‘social media influencers’, who receive thousands of dollars in brand
endorsements to showcase products and experiences. The ‘fun’ that Arab users
refer to is predominantly based on using social media to interact with their
friends and family, but increasingly, social media has turned into an active
engagement tool used by so-called ‘social media influencers’, who receive
thousands of dollars in brand endorsements to showcase products and experiences.
Considering Internet penetration and the population of the Middle
East, the power of social media influencers can be likened exactly
to that of Trump or Justin Trudeau’s. They have amassed a large following of
people who are prepared to believe anything they say. What these influencers
have done so far is great – they have gained followers (of over 16 million in
the case of Huda Al-Kattan), succeeded in increasing
their rates of user interaction – much to the like of Trump. What these so
called self-dubbed “influencers” need todo now is to
utilize this engagement for the greater good: social justice, not just social
media. The true power of social-media influencers for social change has been
evident in the past. Hamad Qalam,
an Instagram personality has previously spoken out
about the state of orphanages in Kuwait. The authorities quickly
responded by inviting him to visit one of the local orphanages and vowed to
take positive action to further support orphans even after they reach the age
of 18.
Realizing the power of being in the public eye
Understandably, general users of social media may be
reluctant to voice their political, cultural, or social concerns on
social-media. The reasoning behind this is a mixture of self-censorship coupled
with fear of being reprimanded by local governments due to the limit and
fragility of ‘free speech’ in the region. In fact, cybercrime laws are being
specifically developed and amended to target politically active users. However,
the reality of how the legal system works in the Middle East is that it exists,
but is not necessarily implemented, and a large factor that determines whether
or not it is implemented is whom the law targets. In the case of influencers
with millions of followers, the risk of public retaliation may indeed be
considered too great for the law to be implemented. I am not calling for social
media influencers and fashion bloggers to call out specific people or
governments, rather specific issues that affect them. The fashion industry in
the region is booming – there are opportunities to ensure that those who work
in the retail sector are granted solid workers rights, included the right to
freely change ‘kafeel’ (sponsor) without the approval
of their primary sponsor.
Under the current system, some migrants revert to using back-alley
methods to secure sponsorships organized by businessmen. The links are there –
all social media influencers need to do is to realize their power and speak out
for the issues that affect them and their followers. Influencers can be more
efficient than NGOs at accelerating change
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have utilized social media to bring
forward social change. In Lebanon,
a charity called KAFA has been instrumental in addressing social issues that
affect women by creating strong hash tags that are carried forward by thousands
of users. The difference, however, is that NGOs rely on a physical presence,
such as a protest, and simply utilize social media to showcase their actions.
This is how the “#noLawnoVote” hash tag campaign
started. From a
time and efficiency standpoint, this means that NGOs have to spend a lot more
time organizing these physical events to gather attendees. Conversely, all
social media influencers have to do is point a camera at their faces in their
bedrooms and speak. If
the region wants accelerated change, social media influencers must use their
powers to speak out about issues that upset them as much as they speak out
about products that they love. Sure, this may be less lucrative to their bank
accounts, but it is substantially more influential in the long-run.
Lots of unknowns as Trump takes over Obama’s failures
Khairallah Khairallah/The
Arab Weekly/January 22/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2017/01/22/khairallah-khairallahthe-arab-weekly-lots-of-unknowns-as-trump-takes-over-obamas-failures/
http://www.thearabweekly.com/Opinion/7642/Lots-of-unknowns-as-Trump-takes-over-Obama%E2%80%99s-failures
While positions of Donald Trump on number of issues are confused, a change in
US foreign policy is on its way.
If there were anyone most responsible for Donald Trump becoming US
president, it would have to be Barack Obama.
The United States’
first African-American president gave up the country’s leadership of the world.
He must have forgotten that it was his country and the values of freedom it
represents that won the Cold War. The Soviet Union
turned out to be nothing more than a hollow oppressive machine with grand
imperialistic designs that left a trail of tyranny, destruction and misery
wherever it went.
It was thanks to the United States
and the end of the Cold War that the countries of Eastern Europe experienced
freedom and that Germany
was unified. The Soviet Union continued to disintegrate with the Baltic states
of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia along with the majority
Muslim republics choosing to leave Lenin’s former empire.
Obama closed his eyes on Russia’s
annexation of the Crimean peninsula and its blatant interference in Ukrainian
affairs. He had done his best to let the Ukrainians understand that they had no
choice but to surrender to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The world expected Obama to correct the mistakes in Iraq of his predecessor George W.
Bush. He did not. He worsened the situation. In 2003, Bush offered Iraq on a silver platter to Iran but it was
Obama who in 2010 turned it into a de facto Iranian colony by agreeing to a
complete and early withdrawal of US troops. Iraq quickly became hostage of
Iranian-backed sectarian militias.
There is no need to expand on Obama’s misdeeds in Europe.
By neglecting US relations with Europe and by muzzling NATO, he left the old
continent vulnerable to attacks by Russia. In 2008, before becoming
president, Obama toured the Middle East and
met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He promised not to — as Bush did — leave the
Palestinian cause till the end of his term; he would tackle the issue from the
first day he settled in the White House.
Obama made true on his word. He sent an emissary to Israel
and the Palestinian territories but one who quickly returned to Washington. Israeli
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had torpedoed the mission outright. Obama
gave in and let the Israeli prime minister have the last word.
During the twilight of his term, Obama tried once more to mislead the Palestinians
by not opposing the condemnation of Israeli settlements at the UN Security
Council and by supporting the final report of the Paris Conference, which
insisted that the two-state option is the only way out for the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Security Council resolution and the Paris Conference were important steps
forward but can the Palestinians hope for concrete results without the real
backing of the new American administration for these decisions?
Under Obama, the United
States has become but a shadow of itself.
That is what happens when a US
president surrenders to Russia
and Iran.
He has given up his role as leader of the free world.
This does not mean, of course, that we should close our eyes on American
mistakes in the Middle East or its hegemony in many parts of the world from
pre-Obama times but the worst of American crimes was when Obama had allowed
Syrian President Bashar Assad to run free in Syria in the
summer of 2013. Any hope for Syria
was lost at that time.
In Syria,
Obama preferred not to react to the use of chemical weapons by the regime
against its own population. It was more urgent for Obama to manage Iranian
sensitivities during the nuclear negotiations.
History will remember Obama as the first African-American US president and a
culprit in the tragedy of the Syrian people, the biggest human tragedy of the
21st century. Obama reversed Bush’s legacy. Now, the new master of the White
House is going to undo Obama’s legacy. While the positions of Donald Trump and
his new administration on a number of issues are confused and confusing, a
change in US
foreign policy is on its way.
The coming year is going to be full of surprises, especially when questions of
all kinds are constantly put forth: What’s going to happen to US relations with
Russia, China and Tehran?
How will the United States
react to the new alliance among Russia,
Turkey and Israel? Will
Trump continue to look down on NATO? And how far will he go in reversing US
policies in Syria?
**Khairallah Khairallah is
a Lebanese writer. The commentary was translated and adapted from the Arabic.
It was initially published in middle-east-online.com.