LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
January 29/17
Compiled
& Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins17/english.january29.17.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
Everyone
who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the
water that I will give them will never be thirsty.
The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to
eternal life
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John
04,05-07.09-26/:"So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar,
near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well
was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was
about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give
me a drink’. The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a
drink of me, a woman of
You have
died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another,
to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for
God
Letter to the Romans 07/01-06/:"Do you not know, brothers and
sisters for I am speaking to those who know the law that the law is binding on
a person only during that person’s lifetime? Thus a married woman is bound by
the law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies, she is
discharged from the law concerning the husband. Accordingly, she will be called
an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if
her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man,
she is not an adulteress. In the same way, my friends, you have died to the law
through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has
been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. While we
were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work
in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are discharged from the law,
dead to that which held us captive, so that we are slaves not under the old
written code but in the new life of the Spirit."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 28-29/17
Hezbollah and Amal Extend Shi’ite
Council Term, Opposition Figures Ask Aoun to
Act/Caroline Akoum/Asharq Al Awsat/January
28/17
A letter to a former Lebanese first lady, Mrs. Mona Hrawi
: Why I won’t come back/Pierre Ghanem/Al Arabiya/January 28/17
Turkey's win-win policy in Africa/Ibrahim Kalin/Al Arabiya/January 28/17
Is Gulf reconciliation with Iran possible/Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/January 28/17
Week 1 of Trump: dog years, old fights, new words, weirdness/Nancy Benac, Associated Press,Associated
Press/ January 28/17
Muslims barred from flights to US, as others detained/Tehran (AFP) /January
28/17/
To deflect future blame, Trump is creating the enemy within/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/January
28/17
Crimes against Humanity: "Normal" Treatment of Middle Eastern Women/Khadija Khan/Gatestone
Institute./January 28 /17
Ex-Mossad Chief, Danny Yatom
: ‘Trump should give Israel bunker-buster bombs’/Yonah
Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/January 28/17
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on
January 28-29/17
Berri on Aoun's
Comments: No Offense Taken
Riachi: Decision Settled, No Return to 1960 Law
Qahwaji Says Terror Threat is Serious, Army on Alert
to Foil Any
In Lebanon Camps, Syria Refugees Slam Trump Bar
Jreissati: Judges Need Permit before Making Public
Statements
AMAL Official's Vehicle, House Torched in South Lebanon
Baby Killed in Storm in Akkar
NNA best News Agency concerned in Tourism, Jeita
Grotto best tourism attraction
Bengali parliamentary delegation discusses bilateral relations with Lebanese
MPs
Kanaan: marginalization hits Lebanese coexistence
Gharib: Sectarian system failed to build a State, yet
still seeking to reproduce itself through parliamentary electoral law
Hariri, Flynn discuss Syrian refugees' Burden over phone
Merehbi: Halba's
developmental condition a real disaster threat
President of the Alawite Islamic Council passes away
Pharaon: New electoral law must guarantee fair
representation
Hezbollah and Amal Extend Shi’ite
Council Term, Opposition Figures Ask Aoun to Act
A letter to a former Lebanese first lady, Mrs. Mona Hrawi
: Why I won’t come back
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
January 28-29/17
Donald Trump bars visitors from 7 Muslim countries
US rights groups file lawsuit over Trump order blocking refugees
Iran bans US citizens in retaliation to Donald Trump move
Iranians, refugees detained at several US airports
US Suspends Immigration Program Helping Non-Muslim Iranians
Five Iraqis, one Yemeni barred from Cairo-New York flight
Iran’s Rowhani to Trump: ‘Now is not the time to
build walls’
Opposition denies army grabs Syria water spring
Iraqi forces find chemical warfare agent in Mosul
Rep. Eliot Engel: Iran Regime in Behaving Negatively in Region
Iran: Union Activist Woes to Stand for Worker's Rights
Iran: 13 Young Boys and Girls Were Arrested for Attending a Party
Yemen Loyalists Advance into Red Sea Town of Mokha
Turkey threatens to blow up the EU refugee deal… again
British PM May Visits Turkey, Reaches $125M Fighter Jet Deal
Britain, Turkey sign defense deal to develop Turkish
fighter jet
Links From Jihad Watch Site for on January 28-29/17
Cancel your vacation plans: Iran bans US citizens, says US ban is
“obvious insult to the Islamic world”
Iran’s
President, Berlin’s Mayor liken Trump’s Mexican border wall to Berlin Wall
New
York Times claims that “far-right media” is stoking “anxiety about Muslim
refugees”
Virginia
Church Hosts Lecture on “Islamophobia,” Professor
Claims It’s Driven By “Imperialism”
Canada
moving toward criminalizing “Islamophobia”
Edinburgh,
Scotland wants citizens to vote for a city free of “Islamophobia”
Hamas-linked
CAIR smears Ted Cruz in frantic efforts to block Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist
Designation Bill
Honor killing in Trinidad: Teen Muslima
murdered for being seen with non-Muslim man
Convicted
al-Qaeda terrorist and George Washington U prof moves
up from jihad and academia to coke and hookers
Robert
Spencer at Reddit — “Ask Me Anything”
Trump
signs executive order for “extreme vetting” to “keep radical Islamic terrorists
out of the USA”
Links From Christian Today
Site for on January 28-29/17
Pence Addresses Anti-Abortion Activists In Washington March
Trump
Bars Door To Refugees And Visitors From 7 Countries - Some Christians From
Syria Exempted
Legendary,
Oscar-Nominated Actor John Hurt - Who Played A Priest In 'Jackie' - Dies Aged
77
Struggling
To Pray? Here Are Five Tips To Improve Your Prayer Life
Let's
Work Together For Russian Traditional Values, Patriarch Kirill
Urges
Donald
Trump Loves God' Says Pastor Close To President
Large
Church In Colorado Goes LGBT Inclusive
President
Trump: What Will It Take For Christians To Disown Him?
Latest Lebanese Related News
published on January 28-29/17
Berri on Aoun's Comments: No
Offense Taken
Naharnet/January 28/17/Speaker Nabih
Berri stressed on Saturday that the latest comments
made by President Michel Aoun as for preferring
vacuum at the parliament, has not offended him, al-Akhbar
daily reported. “I may disagree with the President over many issues, but I
agree with him about the election law since before his election as president. I
don't see any offense in his comments,” Berri told
al-Akhbar. The Speaker pointed out that draft laws
suggested by the Free Patriotic Movement have always gained his approval,
including the Orthodox election law. Adding, that it would
have been endorsed if the Lebanese Forces have not backed down. Aoun had warned earlier this week that he favors “vacuum” over a new extension of the parliament's
term or a return to the 1960 electoral law. “Vacuum is not only better than the
1960 law or the extension of the parliament term. Extension is a given vacuum
in itself,” remarked Berri. The daily added that Berri has also went to the extent
of justifying Aoun's comments when Prime Minister Saad Hariri got annoyed. He told him “Aoun's
rhetoric is an encouragement to find a new election law,” according to the
daily. The political parties have intensified their efforts in recent days in a
bid to agree on a new electoral law before the expiry of the deadlines. They
are discussing several formats of a so-called “hybrid” electoral law that
combines the proportional representation and winner-takes-all systems. One of
the main obstacles is the Progressive Socialist Party's rejection of
proportional representation. The party has warned that any law containing
proportional representation would “marginalize” the minority Druze community. Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully
based on proportional representation but other political parties, especially Mustaqbal and the PSP, have rejected the proposal, arguing
that Hizbullah's weapons would prevent serious
competition in the Iran-backed party's strongholds. 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.
Riachi: Decision Settled, No Return to 1960 Law
Naharnet/January 28/17/Lebanese Forces Information
Minister Melhem Riachi stressed
on Saturday that the controversial 1960 election law will not be endorsed once
again, and added that the hybrid election law system is emerging as the most
preferable by political parties. “It is definite. There will be no return to
the 1960 law. The hybrid election law is the most favorable
by political parties now,” Riachi said in an
interview on LBCI TV station. On the four-party meeting that was held for two
consecutive days between political parties other than the LF, Riachi said: “We were not invited to the meeting. But we
will be briefed with the discussions that took place.”He
continued saying that the hybrid law, which mixes proportional representation
with the winner-takes-all systems, “is garnering consensus among the Lebanese.
Discussions are focusing on combining the proportional with the majoritarian without injustice to anyone.”The
political parties have intensified their efforts in recent days in a bid to
agree on a new electoral law before the expiry of the deadlines. They are
discussing several formats of a so-called “hybrid” electoral law that combines
the proportional representation and winner-takes-all systems. One of the main
obstacles is the Progressive Socialist Party's rejection of proportional
representation. The party has warned that any law containing proportional
representation would “marginalize” the minority Druze community. Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully
based on proportional representation but other political parties, especially Mustaqbal and the PSP, have rejected the proposal, arguing
that Hizbullah's weapons would prevent serious
competition in the Iran-backed party's strongholds. 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.
Qahwaji Says Terror Threat is Serious, Army on Alert to Foil
Any
Naharnet/January 28/17/Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji stressed that terror threats in Lebanon are
serious, and the latest attempted attack the neighborhood
of Hamra, came because the Islamic State group is
trying to make up for its defeats in the region and has asked its followers to
strike back in Lebanon, An Nahar daily reported on
Saturday. The Lebanese Army has been expecting the IS to carry out an attack,
because the group has been troubled with defeat in confrontation areas in the
region and has therefore turned to the Lebanese arena and asked its followers
to carry out attacks here, visitors to Qahwaji quoted
him as saying. He has reportedly told his visitors that the suicide bomb attack
foiled by the army at a coffee shop in the upscale Hamra
neighborhood in
In
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/January
28/17/Shivering in their makeshift homes in camps in eastern
Jreissati: Judges Need Permit before Making Public Statements
Naharnet/January 28/17/Justice Minister Salim Jreissati sent a memo to
Head of the Higher Judicial Council Judge Jean Fahd, requesting that judges
obtain a written permission from the related authorities before making public
statements, the National News Agency reported Saturday. “It came to our
attention that a number of judges are taking part in seminars, lectures and
media interviews or throwing speeches and making statements or publishing books
without prior written permission from the Minister of Justice or any other
competent authority,” said the memo. The memo requested that judges abide by
the laws enforced, and highlighted the need to refrain from taking any public
position without a written permission from related authorities. The memo came
in light of various judges making public statements during TV and radio
interviews, seminars and personal publications.
AMAL Official's Vehicle, House Torched in South Lebanon
Naharnet/January 28/17/Unknown assailants torched the
vehicle and house of a senior AMAL Movement official in south
Baby Killed in Storm in Akkar
A baby girl was killed when a huge tree uprooted by a winter storm pummeling
NNA best News Agency concerned in
Tourism, Jeita Grotto best tourism attraction
Sat 28 Jan 2017/NNA - The National News Agency (NNA) and Jeita
Grotto won the awards of the best News Agency concerned with tourism and the
best tourism attraction for 2016 respectively, head of the Arab Center for
Tourism Media Hussein Al-Manaii announced during a
celebration organized by the Center at Dar Al-Baida
Grand Hotel. It is to note that the names of the winners were announced in the
presence of a grand number of journalists and media persons specialized in
tourism media in K.S.A and the Gulf countries in addition to journalists from
Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, and Jordan and that the honorary celebration
will be held in April 2017. Al Manaii pointed out
that the aim of the awards is to support tourism in the Arab countries and to
spot the light on the prominent tourism cities which have achieved obvious
development in the field of providing tourism services. It is worth to note
that the
Bengali parliamentary delegation discusses
bilateral relations with Lebanese MPs
Sat 28 Jan 2017/NNA - A parliamentary delegation of the Defense
Committee in the Bengali parliament met on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Lebanese MPs
of the National Defense and Interior and
Municipalities Committee at the Lebanese parliament. Discussions reportedly
featured high on bilateral ties between the two countries and the parliamentary
relations between the two parliaments and the need to develop them. MPs Alain Aoun, Bassem Al-Shab and Ali Osseiran welcomed
the Bengali delegation. Talks stressed the Bengali participation in the UNIFIL
as well as the military cooperation between the two countries, especially in
the Maritime Forces field. It is worth to note that
Kanaan: marginalization hits Lebanese coexistence
Sat 28 Jan 2017/NNA - Deputy Ibrahim Kanaan rejected
on Saturday the notion of marginalizing any of the Lebanese components because
Lebanese coexistence would suffer. Deputy Kanaan
considered that legal deadlines were imminent; therefore, a new electoral law
should emerge before the mid of next month. Kanaan
concluded by saying "Christian coalition heightens
Gharib: Sectarian system failed to build a State, yet still
seeking to reproduce itself through parliamentary electoral law
Sat 28 Jan 2017/NNA - Lebanese Communist Party Secretary General, Hanna Gharib, deemed on Saturday that "the current sectarian
system has failed to build a State, yet is still seeking its re-election
through a law measured according to the country’s sect princes and money
whales." Speaking at a forum organized by the Party in Nabatieh
in commemoration of one of the most prominent leaders of the Lebanese National
Resistance Front, Martyr Kassim Badran,
Gharib considered that "an electoral law based
on the golden trinity of relativity, one district and away from sectarianism,
constitutes a proper prelude to building a civil, democratic and resisting
State." "It is time for the Lebanese to defend their rights and
interests," said Gharib, calling for
"lifting the shame and humiliation off the Lebanese, in wake of their
country's listing among the forefront of the world’s most corrupted states,
while the corrupt continue to work on improving their image."Gharib
paid tribute to the memory of the fallen martyrs, recalling the Communists’
sacrifices in confronting the Israeli occupation. He stressed on the close
connection of the resistance’s role in fighting occupation and terrorism with
that of democratic change, with the aim of building a democratic, resisting
State and pulling the country away from the grip of the sectarian political
system.
Hariri, Flynn discuss Syrian refugees'
Burden over phone
Sat 28 Jan 2017/NNA - Prime Minister Saad Hariri on
Saturday called over the phone General Michael Flynn to congratulate him on his
new post as the National Security advisor of the American President Donald
Trump. Talks also tackled the developments in the region, the governmental
plans to face the burden of the Syrian refugees and the U.S.A support to the
Lebanese Army and security forces.
Merehbi: Halba's developmental
condition a real disaster threat
Sat 28 Jan 2017/NNA - Akkar 'State Minister for
Refugees’ Affairs, Moueen el-Merehbi,
warned, on Saturday, of the deprivation conditions and lack of developmental
care suffered by the town of Halba in Akkar, which poses a "real disaster threat." Merehbi’s words came during the weekly meeting held at Halba’s Municipality, as part of a workshop devoted to
discussing the burdens of the refugees’ crisis. He stressed on "the
importance of keeping-up with the needs of Halba, being
the center of the province and a vital artery of Akkar,
which is experiencing active economic movement at the level of commercial
markets and vehicle traffic within the vicinity of public departments and
banking institutions." "The current situation threatens of a real
disaster as a result of the accumulation of problems, which requires the
concerted efforts of various official bodies ranging from the Public Works and
Transport Ministry to the Development and Reconstruction Council, and of course
the local Municipality authorities," Merehbi
underscored. He pointed herein to "Lebanon’s need for the support of
friendly countries and international donor institutions," stressing that
"Lebanon requires in the next three years at least 8 to 10 billion USD in new
investments to make-up for all the deterioration that occurred during the last
six years."
President of the Alawite Islamic Council passes away
Sat 28 Jan 2017/NNA - The President of the Alawite
Islamic Council Sheikh Assad Assi died in Moawad hospital in Zgharta after
a struggle with his disease, NNA correspondent reported on Saturday. The field
reporter added that Assi's funeral will take place
tomorrow.
Pharaon: New electoral law must guarantee fair representation
Sat 28 Jan 2017/NNA - State Minister of Planning Affairs Michel Pharaon stressed on Saturday the need to agree on a fair
electoral law that guarantees correct representation for all sects at all
regions and which will be adopted for long time.The
Minister called upon all parties to agree on a clear policy regarding the
Displaced Syrians to be able to face the crisis all together with the
international community, adding "we should also agree on a clear budget."The Minister demanded to deal decisively with
the kidnapping issue in Al-Bekaa region. "We
want to depend on each other and maintain solidarity as we are all in the same
boat," Pharaon concluded.
Hezbollah and Amal Extend Shi’ite
Council Term, Opposition Figures Ask Aoun to Act
Caroline Akoum/Asharq Al Awsat/January 28/17
Beirut- The Amal Movement that is headed by Speaker Nabih Berri and its ally
“Hezbollah” succeeded lately in pushing for the adoption of a draft law that
extends the term of Lebanon’s Higher Shi’ite Islamic
Council.
The law stipulates the extension of the terms of both the legislative and
executive committees of the council for an additional three years, in addition
to filling vacant positions.
“Hezbollah” MP Hassan Fadlallah and Amal lawmaker Ali Bazzi had
presented the draft law to the parliament for adoption. But, a Shi’ite opposition source quoted one deputy as saying that
the draft law went straight for adoption without deliberations, provoking the
outrage of a third Shi’ite faction that feared the
issue would become a precedent.
This opposition faction called on President Michel Aoun
to intervene and reconsider the decision.
Some Shi’ite officials issued a statement saying the
extension of the Council’s term was not an internal affair that only concerned
the Shi’ite sect. Those officials argue that such a
decision would have repercussions on
They sent a letter to “Citizen President Michel Aoun,”
which included their statement, and called on the head of state to perform his
duties in protecting the Constitution, according to Director of the Umam Documentation and Research center Lokman
Slim, one of the officials who had contributed to drafting the statement.
Commenting on the reasons that pushed both Shi’ite
parties to extend the term of the Council, Amal MP
Ghazi Zoaiter told Asharq
Al-Awsat that the decision “was not taken to avoid
the elections, but to offer a chance for introducing the necessary amendments
to the Council’s internal system that should later be followed by elections.”
Zoaiter said 99 percent of the Shi’ites
agree on this matter, adding: “Nothing prevents us
from holding the elections during the coming three years if the necessary
amendments are introduced.”
In return, Slim explained to Ahsarq Al-Awsat the opposite point of view. “We are confident that
President Aoun, who pledged in his oath to protect
the Constitution, is working in this direction. Similar to his position
regarding the new parliamentary electoral law, the President should confront a
law that was unconstitutionally passed by the Parliament.”
The Shi’ite activist accused both Amal
and Hezbollah of trying to dominate any decision-making that has to do with the
Shi’ite sect.
Slim said extending the council’s term without holding elections also aims at
avoiding discussions on dividing the Council’s shares between both Shi’ite parties. Therefore, Amal
and Hezbollah would only fill the vacant positions, a task that remains less
difficult than reestablishing the council’s executive
and legislative bodies, according to Slim.
A letter to a former Lebanese first
lady, Mrs. Mona Hrawi : Why I won’t come back
Pierre Ghanem/Al Arabiya/January
28/17
I woke up this morning in Washington and browsed the news on Al Arabiya’s Arabic website and found that more than 77,000
readers had read a story entitled “Which Arab countries has Trump suspended
visitors from?”
At first, I was pleased because I had written this article, and to get such
high hits is the greatest feeling for a reporter. But after a while, I began to
feel bitter; firstly, because the news did not take me a lot of time to write –
around half an hour. I quickly sent the piece to my editor and went back home
as it was my daughter’s 12th birthday and I did not want to miss the small
celebration at home.
On Thursday morning, I was surprised to find that such a simple topic
made an impact. What would drive more than 77,000 Arabs reader to check which
countries Trump has barred entry from?
This took me back to 1991, when I got a call from a friend who informed
me that there was a television channel that was opening in
In fact, I left behind me 9 years of work in television, parents and
friends, and started again from scratch. I discovered that I am working with
dignity in an institution that respects me. I discovered that I was one man
among millions, and the cars would stop at the red light so I can safely cross
the street. I discovered that I can go to the bank and get a
several-thousand-pound loan to buy a house and pay instalments over 25 years
without the mediation of a security officer or anyone in power. I discovered
that I can go from one side of the city to another, from one side of
After that, I traveled to the
I have one conclusion: there are 77,000 Arabs like me suffering from the
violation of their dignity; they do not find institutions that respect them;
they are afraid that a car would hit them when crossing the street on a red
light; they cannot obtain a bank loan to buy a house, and they cannot move from
one side to another in their own countries without being abruptly checked at
security checkpoints and oppressed by the occupation.
And so, Mrs. Mona Hrawi, I did not come back,
and there are 77 ,000 persons other than me, asking
why Trump is suspending visit visas from Arab countries! Do you remember in the
90s when you visited
I went to the reception hall like dozens who came to see you and I was
surprised with your beautiful and elegant presence, and a few minutes later I
heard you say: “We want you back in
Coming back is all we wanted in 1995, 2005 and even still in 2017, but
the truth is that there are 77,000 Arabs who read this story, and apparently
nothing has changed since 1991! Is there a young man who can work in dignity,
or a young man who can buy an apartment and move freely in his country?
Ma’am, even crossing the street is risky in our country, and here, away
from our families, our loved ones and the graves of the ones who died, we feel
safe.
While I was writing this piece, the number of Arabs who have read the
story has jumped to 87,000.
**Pierre Ghanem is an Al Arabiya
correspondent based in
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 28-29/17
Donald Trump bars visitors
from 7 Muslim countries
Emily Stephenson and Mica Rosenberg, Reuters Saturday, 28 January
2017/President Donald Trump on Friday put a four-month hold on allowing
refugees into the United States and temporarily barred visitors from Syria and
six other Muslim-majority countries, saying the moves would help protect
Americans from terrorist attacks. The order limiting entry on visitors from
Syrian refugees
Trump had promised the measures - called "extreme vetting" -
during last year's election campaign, saying they would prevent militants from
entering the
US rights groups file lawsuit over
Trump order blocking refugees
New York (AFP)/January28/17/US rights groups filed a legal
challenge Saturday to President Donald Trump's order halting the arrival of
refugees and travelers from seven Muslim countries. The suit was filed by the
American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups after two Iraqi men
were detained Friday night at
By Staff Reuters/January 28/17/DUBAI –
© 2017 Thomson Reuters
Iranians, refugees detained at several US
airports
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 28 January
2017/Unites States authorities have stopped and detained refugees at airports
on Friday soon after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to close
the nation’s borders to immigrants from Iran and six other Muslim-majority
nations. Some of the refugees were airborne on flights on their way to the
US Suspends Immigration Program Helping
Non-Muslim Iranians
By george jahn and alicia a. caldwell, associated
press/CBCNews/VIENNA — Jan 28, 2017,
Austria has shut its door to about 300 non-Muslim Iranians hoping to use the
country as a way station before establishing new homes in the United States,
The Associated Press has learned. The action is an early ripple effect of U.S.
President Donald Trump's effort to clamp down on refugee admissions. Under a
27-year-old program originally approved by Congress to help Jews in the former
The episode isn't directly linked to an executive order Trump signed Friday
that orders strict new screening for refugees to keep "radical Islamic
terrorists" out of the United States. But it reflects the knock-on effects
already occurring from his tougher line on immigration and refugees. Similar to
how tighter German migration rules had consequences across
The net result could be even tougher conditions for people hoping to escape war
and persecution for a better life abroad. There are more than 20 million
refugees worldwide, according to the United Nations.
Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Thomas Schnoell
said the Alpine country acted after "
A State Department email sent Tuesday said the Austrian government had
"electronically canceled" its visas for
applicants who hadn't yet reached
Schnoell said the move affects about 300 Iranians
with visas waiting to enter
Other officials said a small number of Iranians with such short-term visas
already were in
The end of the program, named for former Sen. Frank Lautenberg of
HIAS, a global Jewish nonprofit organization that
works to protect refugees, says on its website that ending the U.S.-Austrian
partnership "puts people seeking religious freedom in danger and sends the
wrong message about the pervasive violations of religious freedom in
Trump is expected to pause the flow of all refugees to
the
Five Iraqis, one Yemeni barred from
Cairo-New York flight
Reuters, Cairo Saturday, 28 January 2017/Five Iraqi passengers and one
Yemeni were barred from boarding an EgyptAir flight
from Cairo to New York on Saturday following United States President Donald
Trump's ban on the entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries,
sources at Cairo airport said. Trump on Friday put a four-month hold on
allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily barred travelers from
Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries, saying the moves would help
protect Americans from terrorist attacks. The six passengers, bound for
Iran’s Rowhani
to Trump: ‘Now is not the time to build walls’
Reuters, Dubai Saturday, 28 January 2017/Iranian President Hassan Rowhani said on Saturday it was no time to build walls
between nations and criticised steps towards cancelling world trade agreements,
without naming new US President Donald Trump.Trump on
Wednesday ordered the construction of a US-Mexican border wall, a major promise
during his election campaign, as part of a package of measures to curb illegal
immigration. “Today is not the time to erect walls between nations. They have
forgotten that the
Rowhani said earlier this month that Trump
could not unilaterally cancel the nuclear deal and that talk of renegotiating
it was “meaningless”. Since sanctions were lifted,
Opposition denies army grabs Syria
water spring
Reuters, Beirut Saturday, 28 January 2017/Syrian government forces
entered the village of Ain al-Fija near Damascus on
Saturday and took control from rebels of a spring and pumping station that supply
most of the capital’s water, a military media unit run by Lebanese group
Hezbollah said. A monitoring group said the Syrian army had not yet entered the
village, but was expected to under a deal reached with
rebels who have been fighting to hold the area they have controlled for years.
The Wadi Barada valley
where Ain al-Fija is located has become the most
intense battlefront in the Syrian civil war and the disruption to water
supplies has caused severe shortages in
Iraqi forces find chemical warfare
agent in
The Associated Press,
Rep. Eliot Engel:
NCRI Iran News/ Saturday, 28 January 2017/ Speaking on Tuesday January 24
at a briefing held in the U.S. Congress, Eliot L. Engel, the Ranking Member on
the House Foreign Affairs Committee, condemned the Iranian regime’s behavior in the region particularly in
NCRI Iran News/ Saturday, 28 January 2017/ A
former political prisoner and member of board of Free Workers Union in
Iran: 13 Young Boys and Girls Were
Arrested for Attending a Party
NCRI Iran News/ Saturday, 28 January 2017/ Director of Public Relations
and Communications of judiciary in Northern Province of Gilan
announced: “six women and seven men who attended a party were arrested in Anzali”‘Rokna’ a state run news agency reported on January
27, that a lawsuit was has been filed for these people, and they have been
handed over to the judiciary authorities ". The judiciary official
claimed: projects dealing with social ills and women and girls’ ‘mal veiling’
are on the agenda of the prosecutor and the judicial system will handle these
cases with inflexibility. It is noteworthy that in 2016 hundreds of youth were
arrested for attending mixed gender parties. In similar cases Shahin Gobadi of the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) had
stated: “The clerical regime has never been so isolated at home and loathed by
the Iranian people, in particular by the youth and women. As such, it is
resorting to more and more repressive measures to confront this growing trend
This once again proves that the notion of moderation under Hassan Rouhani is a total myth. But it also indicates the
vulnerable and shaky state of a regime that cannot even tolerate private
festivities of the people, particularly the youth. It is becoming more evident
that the mullahs are totally paranoid of any social gathering in fear of a
popular uprising.” These are far from isolated incidents; the Iranian Regime
has a long history of shutting down private gathering, not just because they
fear the “corruption” of the youth, but because they fear the gathering of
people. When the people come together in
Iran: The Unprecedented Financial
Corruption of $ 3 Billion
NCRI Iran News/ Saturday, 28 January 2017/ One of the regime’s MPs stated
that there had never been a financial corruption to an amount of 11 trillion Tomans (US $ 3 billion) in the previous governments. This
amount of corruption is related to the Teachers Investment Fund Corporation
(TIFCO) of
Haji Daligani
referred to providing information on this matter to the Minister of Economy and
said: “according to our information, 30 people of those who own accounts in
Iranian banks of abroad get a loan at an interest rate of 8% and they deposit
the same money in the country with 22% of interests. Some people are plundering
and looting in different sectors of this country and the responsible
authorities do not have the will to confront them. The Ministry of Economy that
commits major violations of far-fetched salaries could not deal with these
wrongdoers." The member of Parliamentary Plan and Budget Commission said
that there is no will to eradicate corruption. Moreover,fraud is also practiced in some sectors. He said:"they sometimes control the domestic market and
distribute the locally-produced goods as foreign ones. Thus this little much of
employment will also vanish."Regarding the
economic growth rate announced by the government, Haji
Daligani said:"I ask
the President to analyze the economic growth rate of 7.4% in order to ascertain
that where this rate occurred in the country. I asked one of the official
representatives of the government that how much our investment growth was in
2016. In response, he said that the rate reached to -15.7 and it became -10 in
the first 3 months of this year. Then how can one claim that our economic
growth rate is 7.4%?"He added:"if actually
an investment to the amount of 100 thousand billion Tomans
(US $ 29 billion) was made, we would not have these problems. In fact, the
announced figure is not true and it was a complete plumper. Part of this
percentage was of oil export. The single-digit rate of inflation is calculated
while the required commodities are expensive. One of the things that we
followed was the issue of those who own two nationalities. One of our
objectives was to identify these people in order to make the issue transparent
for others. We ask the organizations to investigate and track these issues
autonomously and to provide information."
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/January
28/17/Yemeni government forces have advanced into the Red Sea town of
Benjamin de Wolf/Gatestone
British PM May Visits Turkey, Reaches
$125M Fighter Jet Deal
By: jill lawless and suzan fraser, associated press
ANKARA, Turkey/Jan 28, 2017/Turkey and Britain signed a deal to jointly build
fighter jets during Prime Minister Theresa May's visit to Ankara on Saturday,
even as the British leader called on Turkey's government to uphold democracy
and abide by human rights standards. Britain's BAE Systems and Turkish
Aerospace industries signed the 100 million-pound (nearly $125.5 million)
agreement establishing a partnership for the development of Turkey's fighter
jet program after May met with Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and other
Turkish officials about boosting trade between the countries once Britain
leaves the European Union. The two countries agreed to start preparatory work
for a future free trade agreement and also talked about increasing cooperation
in security and counterterrorism. "This agreement underlines once again
that
The visit to
"Nobody leaves their homes for nothing," said Yildirim,
whose country has admitted some 3 million refugees. "They came here to
save their lives and our doors were open. And if the same thing happened again,
we would do it again."Yildirim also complained
of insufficient backing for Turkish efforts to support the refugees, saying the
expression of "appreciation" to
May, who was paying her first visit to
In
The deal, announced by May and Turkish Prime Minister Binali
Yildirim, involves BAE Systems and TAI (Turkish
Aerospace Industries) working together to develop the TF-X Turkish fighter
program. BAE Systems chief executive, Ian King, said the deal was the next step
in deepening defense cooperation."It
will also pave the way for a deeper defense
partnership and could effectively make the UK Turkey's partner of choice,
positioning it as a key aerospace technology exporter to
"The wider program could see the
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis
& editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 28-29/17
Ibrahim Kalin/Al Arabiya/January
28/17
On Jan.22-25, President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan visited the three east African countries
of
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) has 16 offices in
Africa, doing hundreds of projects around the continent from digging wells and
opening clinics to training farmers and restoring historical sites. Tens of
Turkish NGOs and aid organizations are also actively helping the needy. This
new approach is reciprocated by the African nations. In 2008, the African Union
enlisted
The third
e legacy of political tutelage, proxy wars, modern slavery and economic
exploitation. Various countries and multinational corporations are still
seeking to exploit African riches despite the fact that political turmoil and
economic depravity in
It is as part of this approach that
**This article was first published in the Daily Sabah on Jan. 28, 2017.
Is Gulf reconciliation with
Mshari Al Thaydi/Al Arabiya/January 28/17
Recent measures were taken to restore and repair the
dilapidated relations between
At present, the most pressing issue is the concerted Gulf efforts with
Setting the Saudi embassy in Iran on fire with the coverage of Khomeini's guards,
was the straw that broke the camel's back; after this incident, Saudi Arabia
has put an end to its ties with Iran; these relations have never been cut since
Khomeini took power in 1979.
In his last press conference with his French counterpart, Saudi Foreign
Minister Adel al-Jubeir said: “the problems began
when
In the meantime, the “Jamaran” Farsi website
published an interview with Gholam-Ali Rajaei, former head of the analysis council of the Iranian
regime under the late Akbar Hashimi Rafsanjani. In
the interview, he accused the former Iranian president, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, to hinder the agreement with
In fact, he said that
The whole issue is the missing confidence, so how can it be recovered? This is
the big question addressed to the
Week 1 of Trump: dog years, old fights,
new words, weirdness
Nancy Benac, Associated Press,Associated
Press/ January 28/17
WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's been a getting-to-know-you first week for both
President Donald Trump and the nation. Trump's personal traits on display
during the campaign seemed more pronounced in the august setting of the White
House. The new president made haste to turn "the Trump effect" into
action. Old fights took on new oomph. And as the nation was learning more about
Trump, the president was learning more about the ways of
COUNT ON IT
On an almost daily basis, Trump demonstrated his fixation with putting a yard
stick to the size of his support. He vastly overstated turnout for his
inauguration — repeatedly. He revived unsubstantiated claims that he lost the
popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton only because 3 million to 5 million
people voted illegally. He rehearsed anew details of his "great
victory" in November. He complained in advance that the press would
undercount the size of Friday's anti-abortion rally in
"TRUMP EFFECT"
Trump held a series of meetings and signed a number of executive orders and
actions in his first week aimed at showing he was ready to deliver on top
campaign promises on everything from unwinding President Barack Obama's health
law to building a wall on the Mexican border and ditching the trans-Pacific
trade deal. White House advisers styled it "the Trump effect," writ
large. By Day 2,
RSVP REGRETS
Trump added some drama to week one by getting into a very public international
spat with a key
DECLARING WAR
Trump seized on any opportunity to do battle in what he labeled
a "running war" with the press. On his first full day in office, he
called journalists "among the most dishonest people on earth."
Another day he groused: "Nothing fair about the media. Nothing."
Those weren't just offhand pokes. Senior White House strategist Stephen Bannon flatly told The New York Times: "The media here
is the opposition party." At the same time, Trump showed he's happy to use
the press when it works to his advantage. When aides
ushered reporters out of a Roosevelt Room event as a union leader began
praising Trump's inaugural address, the president called out: "Hey, press,
get back in here."
At a Friday news conference, the often confrontational presidential told a
British reporter who had questioned whether the president could be believed:
"Actually, I'm not as brash as you might think."
IT'S COMPLICATED
The details for how to fulfill some of Trump's crystal
clear campaign promises began to look fuzzy as the week went on, with the plan
for getting
And how. Press secretary Sean Spicer announced at one
point that the administration was working with Congress on a plan to impose a
20 percent tax on Mexican imports. Less than an hour later, Spicer summoned
reporters to his office to hedge that the tax was "just one option"
and no final decision had been made.
LOOK WHO'S WATCHING
What's the chatter on TV? You might get an idea from
listening to the new president.
Trump watchers have been noticing a connection between the talk on TV and the
subjects of Trump tweets. Minutes after Fox News labeled
convicted Army leaker Chelsea Manning an "ungrateful traitor," Trump tweeted the same description. Shortly after a CNN show
interviewed Texan Gregg Phillips, who has made unsubstantiated allegations of
voter fraud, Trump tweeted that he looked forward to seeing what Phillips
uncovers.
WELCOME TO WASHINGTON, MR. PRESIDENT
First word that Trump was renewing his complaints about widespread voter fraud
in the presidential election leaked from a closed meeting that he held with
Senate leaders from both parties. Trump seemed dismayed that word had gotten
out from a meeting that was supposed to be confidential. "The deal was we
wouldn't talk to the press," Trump groused to a TV interviewer. "And
they go out and they talk to the press."Given
the porousness of leaky
WEIRD, HUH?
Trump called it a "surreal" experience to suddenly be parachuted into
life in the White House. He revealed to one interviewer that during his
Inauguration Day ride with Obama from the White House to the Capitol for the
swearing-in, he turned to the outgoing president and said: "This is a
little weird, isn't it?"
**Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at http://twitter.co
Muslims barred from flights to US, as
others detained
Tehran (AFP) /January 28/17/
Iranians and Iraqis planning to fly to the United States were prevented from
boarding on Saturday after US President Donald Trump's order to restrict
arrivals from seven Muslim countries.
An Iranian studying in
Legal challenge
In Khartoum, the Sudanese foreign ministry expressed its "regret" at
the US ban. On Saturday in
Airport officials said the four Iraqis all had American visas. The New York Times
reported that two Iraqi refugees were detained on arriving at
Refugees barred -
Nearly six years of conflict in
Trump's executive order specifically says no visas will be issued for 90 days
to migrants or visitors from the seven Muslim-majority countries. It also bars
Syrian refugees from the
To deflect future blame, Trump is creating the enemy within
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/January
28/17
Ten years ago mentioning Hitler and the Nazis in a political debate was
considered hyperbolic and in poor taste. And rightly so.
Today, it has become almost passé. No less than the President of the
So then: drill into the heads of the public the association between immigration
and crime, ignoring context, such as the fact that immigrants are noticeably
less likely to commit crimes and have lower rates of incarceration than native
US citizens. Bully any local or state jurisdiction that refuses to indulge your
fantasy by threatening to name and shame them - and, I presume before long,
accuse them of being “un-American” and “un-patriotic”. And lay the ground for scapegoating these “criminals” and their “traitor”,
“liberal” accomplices for any of your domestic policy failures on crime, social
cohesion, and public order. The problem is that Mr Trump has little to no
interest in the wellbeing of his base. He wants their electoral support, sure,
but in a post-fact world and with a base that is clinically resistant to facts
and evidence after decades of indoctrination from Fox News and conservative
talk radio, their wellbeing and their political support bear almost no
correlation
Threats to national security
So far, so good, but this is rather closer to Putin than Hitler. Not to worry,
Mr Trump has us covered: increase the number of detention centres, for these
“threats to national security”, so we can fit all “illegals”
in, irrespective of whether they are dangerous criminals or just kids trying to
get an education. Mr Trump was elected to the Office of President by promising
the sun and the moon to a vast cohort of Americans that have been left behind
by globalisation and who feel their very identities are under attack from a
relentless “liberal culture war” to strip them of their “masculinity” and their
conservative values. These people feel that they have been robbed of everything, and that only Mr Trump can rebuild
The problem is that Mr Trump has little to no interest in the wellbeing of his
base. He wants their electoral support, sure, but in a post-fact world and with
a base that is clinically resistant to facts and evidence after decades of
indoctrination from Fox News and conservative talk radio, their wellbeing and
their political support bear almost no correlation. What is actually important
is Mr Trump’s image as the “man of the people”, the
man who has their back.
Fail to deliver
He will fail to deliver what he has promised. That much is certain. This is
something his team knows, and something he himself knows and is not too
troubled by. But for that failure to not affect his image, and thus the support
of his base, any responsibility for those failures must be deflected away from
his administration and towards… well, anyone else will do. But his base are already inclined to blame immigrants and liberals
for everything, so those two groups will do just fine as scapegoats.
When the inner city “carnage” Mr Trump described in his inauguration speech
slips out of his deranged mind and into our streets because he is fanning the
flames of a new race war in
Crimes against Humanity: "
Khadija Khan/Gatestone
Institute./January 28 /17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9761/middle-eastern-women
Mullahs seem to prefer protecting inhuman laws to protecting humans.
Most full coverings for women are black, which absorbs heat, and are made not
of cotton but of non-porous cloth - in the scorching heat.
In a
All forms of exploiting women are presented as divine law, sharia,
in which women have no say, which they are unable to use in their own defence,
and which they are forced to accept as their fate.
These are countries where men are not only permitted, but invited, to consider
woman a pet -- to be killed, burned with acid, benzene or a weapon of choice
supposedly to preserve a family's "honour".
These laws, put in place by the governments and the clergy, provide a safe
escape for criminals, such as those who kill their women and claim it is in the
name of "honour".
The deeper horror is that all these abuses -- child marriage, confinement, FGM,
rape, torture, and legal discrimination -- have accomplices. These enablers are
often well-meaning people from the West, "multiculturalists" who are
reluctant to pass judgement on other people's customs no matter how brutal they
might be.
Sadly, they are unable to see that they are actually part of the huge jihadi radicalization machine working under the very nose
of even governments in the West.
As the British in India effectively got rid the people of the cultural practice
of suttee, in which Hindu widows were required to throw themselves on their
husband's funeral pyre, if people would really like to do "good",
they will please help to stop similar crushing practices.
A bitter truth, often glossed over in the name of "tradition," is the
religious teachings and the responsibilities of a Muslim woman. Most glossed
over is the violence that men are still allowed to inflict on their women in
the name of their religion and culture on such a massive part of the planet.
This brutality not only takes place in ISIS-held territory but across most Muslim
societies. All around you, you see women killed, molested, imprisoned, maimed
and incarcerated while their men sugar-coat the abuse as "modesty",
"honour", "divine law" or even "justice".
In addition to warning would-be
Women in
Women are also not allowed to drive, they cannot leave the house without a male
guardian, they are liable to be flogged, stoned to death or beheaded if found
guilty of even the smallest infractions, and often, as in being raped, even if
they are factually innocent.
Campaigns have been launched to abolish the guardian system, in which women
must be escorted outside their homes by a male relative or
"guardian".
The mainstream religious lobby immediately went on the defensive.
Mullahs seem to prefer protecting inhuman laws to protecting humans.
In
Women are also forced to live with an abusive husband, as dictated by abusive
marital laws and social taboos.
Moral brigades by the name of Gasht e Ershad ("guidance patrol") coerce females to
behave "decently". Now Sharia patrols and
curbs against women also exist in
In parts of
In a
A sharia-policeman canes a woman who was accused of
being intimate with her boyfriend, in
Under the newly proposed Sharia laws, women are also
forced to be accompanied by a male guardian to "protect" them. Banda
Aceh also banned women from entertainment venues after 11pm unless they are
accompanied by a male family member. Aceh district has also banned unmarried
men and women from riding together on motorbikes.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim
said at a news conference in
"We are taking this bill in the parliament back to the commission in order
to allow for the broad consensus the president requested, and to give time for
the opposition parties to develop their proposals."
The government seems determined to bring it back after making some minor
changes.
Many Muslim countries follow similar restraints, effectively keeping women
under house-arrest. All forms of exploiting women are presented as divine law, sharia, in which women have no say, which they are unable
to use in their own defence, and which they are forced to accept as their fate.
The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), not required by Islam, is a
pre-Islamic tribal norm across the African belt of the Muslim region, as well
as in parts of
In
The ordinance demands, under sharia law, that a rape
victim be grilled in a court of law as if she is the perpetrator. She is asked
to produce four male witnesses to prove her case or else she is booked as having
committing adultery and having already confessed to the crime.
These are countries where men are not only permitted, but invited, to consider
woman a pet to be killed, burned with acid, benzene or a weapon of choice
supposedly to preserve a family's "honour".
These laws, put in place by the governments and the clergy, provide a safe
escape for criminals, such as those who kill their women and claim it is in the
name of "honour".
A killer can be pardoned in court by the victim's next of kin, who, thanks to
much clan intermarriage, is usually a family member of the assailant as well.
The judge, with the stroke of a pen, therefore lets these criminals walk free.
Although recently Pakistan passed a bill barring the family members from
pardoning assailants in the name of sharia (Qissas) or reconciliation, the flickering hope of its
implementation is still in question as no court has so far set this new law as
a precedent in the hundreds of pending cases across the country. That neglect
means that despite the new law, in practice, rulings are "business as
usual".
Such taboos are also safeguarded by the clergy, who rule the society through
the loudspeakers of the mosques.
Farkhanda Malikzada, for
instance, a 27-year-old seminary student accused by a fortune teller a
custodian of a shrine, of burning a Quran, was simply thrown to hound-like mob
of men who beat and burned her to death -- in front of a number of police
officers and cameras in broad daylight. Most of the identifiable assailants
were never punished, while the fortune teller who unleashed this horror had his
death sentence commuted.
Investigators also revealed that Farkhanda might have
questioned sexual orgies by the shrine's custodians, who were later found
inside the holy place with condoms and Viagra.
"Yet," reports Alissa J. Rubin, who wrote
the New York Times report, "Afghan women most need the legal system to
defend them: They are largely powerless without the support of male family
members, and it is usually family members who abuse them."
Being covered in black, non-porous cloth in the desert heat; being stoned to
death or beheaded; being confined to a house as a brood-mare and servant,
effectively enslaved, unable to leave or earn an independent living, are the
reality that millions of women are made to suffer every day – supposedly for
their "protection".
To add insult to injury, in most societies, these discriminations are imposed
by the mullahs as religious obligations.
In the 21st century, an unchaperoned woman outside
the house is regarded as subhuman, fair game to be raped, assaulted,
humiliated, burned alive or decapitated -- based on
patriarchal norms.
The deeper horror is that all these abuses -- child marriage, confinement, FGM,
rape, torture, and legal discrimination -- have accomplices. These enablers are
often well-meaning people from the West, "multiculturalists" who are
reluctant to pass judgement on other people's customs no matter how brutal they
might be. What they are really doing, however, is providing crucial support for
savage injustices either by sweeping them under the carpet or by defending
barbarism as "cultural norms".
Three- or four-year-old girls go to kindergarten wearing a headscarf -- no
longer just in the Middle East or Africa but in
These kinds of abuses are permitted and even encouraged by an indoctrination
that runs deep through the generations, and that are tragically perpetuated by
well-meaning "multiculturalists" in
Sadly, they are unable to see that they are actually part of the huge jihadi radicalization machine working under the very nose
of even governments in the West.
As the British in India effectively got rid the people of the cultural practice
of suttee, in which Hindu widows were required to throw themselves on their
husband's funeral pyre, if people would really like to do "good",
they will please help to stop similar crushing practices.
*Khadija Khan is a Pakistan-based journalist and
commentator.
© 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.
Ex-Mossad Chief,
Danny Yatom : ‘Trump should give
Yonah Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/January 28/17
Danny Yatom talks to the ‘Post’ about the
Few people have walked the labyrinths of power for as long as Danny Yatom, the former Mossad
director, IDF general and chief of staff, and military secretary to multiple
prime ministers.
In fact, the title of the recently published English translation of his book is
Labyrinth of Power. The 71-year-old Yatom, who gained
national attention at the side of Ehud Barak during the General Staff
Reconnaissance Unit’s Sabena Flight 571 hostage rescue mission in 1972,
recently sat down with The Jerusalem Post at his Dantov
Global Consulting Group offices in Herzliya for a
wide-ranging interview.
While Yatom could undoubtedly serve as a personal
history book of key moments in Israeli history, he also has strong and nuanced
views about the future and can become quite animated when taking a stand.
For example, while some on the Right in
Will Trump merely suffice with promises and platitudes about moving the US
Embassy from Tel Aviv to
Improved bunker-buster bombs, a weapon that the
He also voiced concern about Trump’s talk of “isolation and not sending troops”
anywhere, as
“If the
In addition, Yatom said he was “very worried
about some of the statements by Trump that essentially were
derisive of the CIA, FBI and military intelligence, as if he knows better than
them.”
He expressed hope that “it will get better, because he will switch many”
of the agency heads with his appointees, whom he trusts and with whom he has
personal rapport.
At the same time that Yatom said that getting
bunker-buster bombs would be a huge way for Trump to concretely help Israel, he
said that if the US does not give them to Israel, “we should make our own,” due
to the Iran nuclear deal’s sunset clause, in which restrictions on its uranium
enrichment program expire eventually.
He expressed confidence that if
The
In his book, Yatom
gives one of the most detailed and masterful recountings
of the seminal Camp David II talks in 2000 between then-prime minister Barak
(under whom he served as chief of staff during the talks) and then-Palestinian
Authority president Yasser Arafat.
One question that he delved into in the book and also with the Post is
whether things could have gone differently at Camp David – especially on the
issue of the
Regarding resolving the Israeli- Palestinian dispute over the
He said
Yatom added that “security and police issues
would still be handled by us” and that “there would need to be an arrangement
for Jews to pray on the
This last proposal is one thing that distinguishes Yatom
from typical politicians who can invariably be counted on to sign on to a
certain checklist of party-line views. In contrast, Yatom
is ready to share sovereignty of the part of the country that Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud would never budge on, but insists that Jews
should come out of the deal with stronger prayer rights in that area than they
currently enjoy under the same ruling Likud Party.
Currently, Jews cannot pray on the
Overall, Yatom thinks
“I’m also not sure if they would ever agree... but if we have a strong
enough Israeli prime minister and head of the PA, maybe we can still get over
it and find the right compromise language,” Yatom
said.
In any event, he remains convinced that Israel “doesn’t have the luxury
to throw up its hands and say there is no partner, there is no chance, so let’s
go on like this until the end, because we will lose the Zionist and Jewish
state” to the demographic problem.
In terms of a broader peace process strategy with the Palestinians, Yatom is in favor of regional
negotiations along the lines of the Arab Peace Initiative, to push the
Palestinians. But unlike Netanyahu, he would act on it now and would demand
“parallel bilateral” talks with the Palestinians.
His hope would be that if
Why is the Mossad recruiting women?
In an interesting twist, Yatom’s interview with
the Post marks the first comment by any current or former senior Israeli
intelligence official on the Mossad’s unprecedented
announcement in early January that it is specifically targeting a large number
of female recruits.
Until a bit over 15 years ago, the Mossad did
not even have any public recruiting or Web presence.
Yatom was the first head of the Mossad who was publicly named, and yet he still traveled
the world in disguises, including using wigs. In at least one foreign country,
the wig almost got him questioned, until the head of El Al security in that
country jumped physically in front of him and said “it’s okay – he’s with us.”
Asked why the clandestine organization would come out so publicly
focusing on recruiting women, particularly when there is already a long
tradition of women in the Mossad, Yatom
replied that “it doesn’t have enough.”
“There always were women. But there are things that women can do that men
can’t do,” noting that he meant specifically in operational roles and not just
administrative roles.
Pressed for an example, he said that “sending a two-man team through a
street versus a man and a woman together – the man and the woman are inherently
less suspicious... they look more innocent.”
Asked if the point was to use women to break in as spies in Iran or Arab
states in seductive roles, he said that female spies actually might have “more
problems in Iran or Islamic State-controlled areas because they are extreme and
women have no position” in those societies. While he did not dismiss mild
levels of seduction, he waved off using women as spies in the role of
mistresses, saying “the Mossad doesn’t do this.”
Mossad vs CIA
Describing the clandestine relations between the Mossad
and the CIA, the former spy chief remarked that the “CIA is a very serious
organization and intelligence service... the Mossad’s
relations with it multiply their joint power and reach... and there are lots of
shared brainstorming of ideas and even similar methods between the Mossad and the CIA.”
While Yatom may have a lighter delivery than
your typical ex-spy, probably partially due to spending so much time in
politics, he still did stick to certain redlines, hinting that the Mossad had some abilities that the CIA does not, but going
completely silent with a slight smirk about what they were.
Regarding the CIA’s unique abilities, which he knows well from working
with former CIA director George Tenet and former CIA analyst Bruce Riedel, he
did offer that “they see things globally” more than Israel.
On the other hand, he said the Mossad is “also
interested in ISIS, [in] global al-Qaida, and what happens in
The rescue op that wasn’t
One of the darker moments in Yatom’s
storied career was the failed assassination of Hamas leader Khaled
Mashaal in
The failed assassination led to the public capture of Mossad
operatives and
Eventually, after the failed assassination and another failed Mossad operation in
Yatom’s book carefully upends the narratives of
then-IDF chief of staff Moshe Ya’alon, Shin Bet
(Israel Security Agency) director Ami Ayalon and defense minister Yitzhak Mordechai,
who tried to blame him for the screwup.
One revelation that he shared with the Post, which has never been
previously reported, is that the Mossad had a backup
plan, including a set spot in
Operationally, this took into account the close proximity of
The Mossad had even given the IDF a general
warning before the operation that something might be in the works, although it
never got to the point of giving the IDF more specific details, as the rescue
“would have had to have been done in the light of day,” and because it became
irrelevant once some of the agents were arrested by Jordan.
It is unclear how history might have turned out differently in the
Israel-Jordan-Hamas triangle involved in the Mashaal
affair, had that helicopter rescue been given the green light.
Security Council resolution’s impact Returning to more recent history, Yatom discussed the December UN Security Council resolution
condemning
Though he is perceived as part of the Israeli Left ready for a
significant settlement withdrawal, because of his work for Barak and time as a Labor MK, Yatom said “it was not
a good decision. It was a failure for
“They didn’t need to do this,” he said. “They needed to continue what
Obama did for eight years – to use their veto. This decision gives wind to
those against peace and those who think we can’t speak to others. I would even
say it was a big mistake.”
Explaining his rationale, he stated, “It, big-time, damaged Israeli security.
Why? Because one of the four pillars [of security] with [deterring] the Arabs
[from attacking] is the closeness and special relationship with the
Telling war stories that few can tell, he noted: “I heard this from
then-Syrian Army chief of staff Gen. Hikmat Shihabi, the No. 2 power in
Giving up the Golan
Hearkening back to those 1990s peace negotiations with
Earlier in the discussion, he said that part of what is important about
his recounting so much detail about the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations
in his book is to pave the way for future negotiations, which he expects some
day.
Pressed about whether his detailed account of the Israeli-Syrian
negotiations is still relevant, considering the current state of civil war in
Still, the former top peace negotiator, who sat as the sole adviser
sometimes in Barak’s meetings with president Bill Clinton and others during the
Camp David II and Syrian negotiations, explained that there is still historical
significance to studying the key moments of that period.
Coming back to the present, the Post asked Yatom
what the Mossad does during times of relative peace,
such as the current period.
(He would not comment on whether the Mossad was
involved in the recent