LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
April 26/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias/english.april26.17.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
The priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a
plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 28/11-15/:"While they
were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests
everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders,
they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them,
‘You must say, "His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were
asleep." If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you
out of trouble.’So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this
story is still told among the Jews to this day."
If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people
impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of
your exile
First Letter of Peter 01/17-21/:"If you invoke as Father the one who judges all
people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the
time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways
inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,
but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or
blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at
the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God,
who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are
set on God.
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published on April 25-26/17
How the sectarian far right controls Lebanon/Radwan al-Sayed/Al Arabiya/April
25/17
Lebanon Interferes to Spare Further Sanctions on Hezbollah/Caroline Akoum/Asharq
Al Awsat/April 25/17
Is Israel planning to strike more Lebanese sites in next Hezbollah war/Yonah
Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/April 25/17
Do not be fooled again: Iran hard-liners vs moderates/Majid Rafizadeh/Arabnews/April
24/2017
The stealthy Hezbollahzation of Iraq/Baria Alamuddin/Arbnews/April 24/17
Turkey Out of NATO: Other Voices/Daniel Pipes/Nov 9, 2009 updated Apr 25, 2017
We Oppose the Spheres of Influence/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/April
25/17
The Crisis of Western Civ/David Brooks/The New York Times/April 25/17
The Foregone Conclusion of Britain’s Election/Kenan Malik/Asharq Al Awsat/April
25/17
How to Defuse the Crisis with North Korea/Joel S. Wit/The New York Times/April
25/17
Open Letter to National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster/'Radical Islamic
Terrorism' is Accurate and 'Helpful'/A. Z. Mohamed/Gatestone Institute/April
25/17
Hamas: The New Charter That Isn't/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/April 25/17
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published
on
April 25-26/17
How the sectarian far right controls Lebanon
Lebanon Interferes to Spare Further Sanctions on Hezbollah/Caroline Akoum/Asharq
Al Awsat/April 25/17
Aoun Reiterates Rejection for Extension, Vacuum
Aoun: Proposed US anti-Hezbollah bill will harm Lebanon
Aoun meets American Task Force delegation
Is Israel planning to strike more Lebanese sites in next Hezbollah war
Report: Hizbullah Rejects PSP Law Format, Four-Party Meeting over Electoral Law
Fails
5 Arrested after Army Patrol Shot at in Dar al-Wasaa
Bassil Rejects 1960 Electoral Law and Extension, Slams 'Two-Faced Rhetoric'
Fateh al-Sham Militant Killed while Preparing Bomb in Arsal Outskirts
Two IS Militants with Ties to Senior Group Leaders Arrested
Bodies of Christian Syrians Found in Arsal Outskirts Repatriated
Jumblat Defends PSP Law Format, Says Other Drafts Harm Unity
NSSF Employees Protest State Budget
Kaag visits Hariri, welcomes once again his recent visit to South
Machnouk: CDR will follow up on incinerators file with ministries
Army apprehends five gunmen for opening fire on patrol in Dar Wasaa
Anonymous shoots in air in Tripoli Serail, ISF prosecute him
Abu Qassem Taleh responsible for preparing bombs for Nusra Front killed in
Khirbat Yunine explosion
Geagea, Telecom Minister meet in Meerab
Bassil: We do not stick to any election law
Ferzli, Pheraon in Yarze
Titles For Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
April 25-26/17
U.S. 'Deeply Concerned' by Turkish Strikes in Syria, Iraq
Isis fighters ‘attacked Israel Defense Forces unit, then apologised' claims
former commander
Egypt Refers 20 Detainees to Mufti after Receiving Death Sentence
Coptic Pope: Church Bombings Aim at Egypt's Unity
Iran Nuclear Deal Reviewed as Uncertainty Grows
U.S. 'Deeply Concerned' by Turkish Strikes in Syria, Iraq
Turkish Strike in Iraq Kills Six Kurdish Security Forces
Iraqi Kurds Call Deadly Turkish Strike 'Unacceptable'
Syria Kurds Demand Coalition Act to Halt Turkish Raids
Iraq Forces Retake Large Mosul Neighborhood from IS
Iraq Forces in Push to Retake UNESCO-Listed Hatra
Abadi Says Iraq Holding Qatari Ransom Money
Netanyahu Snubs German Foreign Minister in NGO Row
Le Pen Draws Mix of Selfies, Scorn at Iconic Paris Market
Ex-Trump Aide Flynn Did Not Report Russia Payments, Lawmakers Say
Latest Lebanese Related News published
on
April 25-26/17
How the
sectarian far right controls Lebanon
Radwan al-Sayed/Al Arabiya/April 25/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=54687
Recent talks in Lebanon are mainly about choosing a new electoral law as
political elites have so far failed to reach a consensus. The interior minister
has pushed for the electoral commission to convene and to form a supervision
committee according to the current available law, i.e. the 1960 electoral law.
However President Michel Aoun rejected the proposal and said he prefers vacuum -
i.e. that the parliament’s term ends - over holding elections according to the
1960 law. There are two more months before the
parliament’s term ends. Since he feared the dissolution of the parliament,
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called for a session to extend the parliament’s
term until they agree on a new law that the president approves of. Aoun however
resorted to his constitutional jurisdictions, particularly Article 59, which
allows him to suspend the parliament for a month.Prime Minister Saad Hariri
agreed with the president’s move, while Berri believed it represented the last
chance to agree on a new law. Hariri and Berri thus submitted to the
constitutionality of the decision, as they also want to avoid worsening
sectarian tensions between Muslims and Christians. Major Christian political
parties threatened to take to the streets if the parliament extended its term.
Those opposed to the proposed law said it was a recipe for discrimination
and divisions among Christians and Muslims, as it violates the concept of
co-existence, the national charter, the constitution and the Taif Agreement. The
reason I’ve mentioned all these details is to discuss the newly proposed
electoral law, which the president and his son-in-law, Foreign Minister Gebran
Bassil, are trying to impose. According to this law of theirs, the elections
will be held in two phases. The first is a phase for sectarian and religious
qualification, where each sect votes for its candidate, i.e. the Christian votes
for the Christian and the Muslim votes for the Muslim. In the second phase, the
general elections are held, based on a non-sectarian proportional representation
system.
Violating co-existence
Those opposed to the proposed law said it was a recipe for discrimination and
divisions among Christians and Muslims, as it violates the concept of
co-existence, the national charter, the constitution and the Taif Agreement.
Bassil does not deny this, but he justifies his proposal by citing the
decreasing number of Christians. It’s said that they represent between 25
percent and 35 percent of the Lebanese people in the country. Bassil claims
Christians cannot attain proper and fair representation unless they solely elect
their representatives in parliament.
Christian and Muslim patriots however said such discrimination does not resolve
the problem pertaining to the decrease of the number of Christians. They also
said Muslims, whether Sunni, Shiite or Druze, have vowed to commit to the
principles the Taif Agreement clearly noted: Lebanon is a homeland for all its
people, the authority must be equally shared by Christians and Muslims, and the
president must be a Maronite. Therefore nothing justifies Aoun’s and his
supporters’ fears and worries. These worries were particularly clear in 2013
when Aoun and Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea voiced their support of the Orthodox
Gathering’s proposal - a law under which every sect would elect its own MPs.
It’s well-known that ever prominent Maronite in the public field aspires to
assume the post of the president. In recent decades, they aspired to be army
commanders. Aoun displayed this in 1988 when then-president Amin Gemayel’s term
was about to end. Back then and due to the ongoing wars, i.e. the elimination
war and the liberation war, then-Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir
feared the situation in Lebanon would worsen particularly among Maronites, so he
worked with others to reach a consensus and the Taif Agreement was thus reached
between 1989 and 1990.
Aoun was very upset that he was no longer in the limelight, so he incited his
supporters who in turn insulted Sfeir. It all ended with the exiling of Aoun to
France, and four presidents have assumed power since then. Later Aoun returned
to Lebanon following an agreement with the Syrians, but even then he could not
become president.
Investing in Aoun
Nasrallah and Iran invested a lot in Aoun after 2006 as they viewed him as their
appropriate Christian cover to Hezbollah’s activity that aims to seize the state
and its institutions. Aoun eventually became president after two and a half
years of presidential vacuum and after Hariri endorsed him. Hariri had endorsed
Geagea, Amin Gemayel and Sleiman Franjieh before that.
Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, Aoun and his supporters insisted only he was to
become president. But although many Muslims were upset that Hariri endorsed Aoun,
they also thought the country must have a president. Many also hoped that
electing Aoun would decrease the latter’s hostility towards most Muslims. (He
always called us ISIS) We also thought that Hariri and Aoun must have agreed on
cabinet arrangements, the electoral law, top governmental posts, Arab and
international relations and policies such as the dissociation policy towards the
Syrian war, which Hezbollah participated in using its illegitimate arms.
However, apart from the presidential oath, in which Aoun vowed to abide
by the constitution, we haven’t witnessed any solid actions as Aoun’s work
remained distant from the spirit of the constitution. Before visiting Egypt, he
said there was a need for Hezbollah’s weapons in South Lebanon to liberate the
occupied territories, and he denied Hezbollah had any military or security
activity inside Lebanon. He also said Hezbollah only intervened in Syria to
combat terrorism, adding that Bashar al-Assad was “Syria’s legitimate
president.”In terms of a new electoral law, the Future Movement, Druze leader
Walid Jumblatt and the Lebanese Forces agreed on a hybrid electoral law based on
both proportional and majority representation. This proposal is now out of the
picture. Jumblatt and Geagea have complained about some of Bassil’s proposed
law, while Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah wants a law entirely
based on proportionality. Hariri considers himself the judge here. It’s said
there are negotiations between Hariri and Aoun over the numbers of sectarian
qualifications, without considering the principle of co-existence and the
constitution. The president insists on separating
Christians from Muslims. Most Sunni and Shiite politicians seek to satisfy him.
Meanwhile only few are thinking about the future of the state and the society
while some are not thinking about it at all. Therefore, the political and
sectarian far right is in control of Lebanon.
Lebanon Interferes to Spare
Further Sanctions on Hezbollahالدولة اللبنانية تتدخل للحؤول
دون فرض عقوبا أميركية على حزب الله
Caroline Akoum/Asharq Al Awsat/April
25/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=54685
Beirut – Lebanese President Michel Aoun announced that his country was making
all necessary contacts to avert the issuance of new US sanctions on Hezbollah.
During a meeting with a delegation from the Washington DC-based non-profit, the
American Task Force for Lebanon, Aoun said the US Congress plan to review
additional and tougher sanctions against Hezbollah would harm Lebanon and its
people, and would not complement the current US-Lebanon relations. A number of
US congressmen presented a draft called “Hezbollah International Financing
Prevention Amendments Act of 2017”, which is aimed at cutting off all forms of
financial support to the party labeled by Washington as a terrorist
organization. The draft comes in line with President Donald Trump’s goal to curb
the influence of Iran in the region and impose more sanctions on Tehran and its
affiliated organizations and entities.
Sources said that the new sanctions, if adopted, would also affect parties close
to Hezbollah, in addition to associated educational, social and media
institutions.
“The draft law that is being prepared in Congress to slap new financial
sanctions on Lebanese parties, institutions and individuals will greatly harm
Lebanon and its people,” Aoun told the delegation. In remarks to Asharq al-Awsat
newspaper, Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Raed Khoury said that imposing
further sanctions on Hezbollah was a great source of concern to Lebanon. He
added, however, that the Lebanese authorities were deploying all possible
efforts to limit the repercussions of such sanctions. “Until now, we don’t know
the nature or the details of these sanctions, but work has started to limit its
repercussions in case they were adopted,” Khoury said. He noted that a
delegation of Lebanese ministers and deputies would visit the United States to
discuss this issue, in parallel with the work assumed by Central Bank Governor
Riad Salameh in this regard.
Economic Expert Ghazi Wazni told Asharq al-Awsat that based on available
information, the new sanctions would be “more strict” and would target
institutions or persons linked to Hezbollah. “For this reason, the government
has decided to establish a political and financial ministerial committee to take
proactive actions,” he said.Wazni added that, if adopted, the new sanctions
would affect Lebanese banks, which would be forced to abide by the new law.
Aoun Reiterates Rejection
for Extension, Vacuum
Associated Press/Naharnet/April 25/17/President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday the
Lebanese must adhere to their right to choose their representatives at the
parliament, otherwise Lebanon would become a “totalitarian regime,” the National
News Agency reported. “We will be in a totalitarian regime shall the Lebanese
relinquish their right in electing lawmakers at the parliament,” said Aoun,
addressing a delegation from the Administrative Decentralization Committee led
by Lawyer Antonio al-Hashem. Aoun reiterated “Another parliament term extension
will not be accepted nor will there be vacuum” at the legislative authority.
“The people are the source of authority,” said the president as he urged them to
practice “sovereignty through constitutional institutions.”He explained: “I have
an obligation to the youth of Lebanon because the situation can not continue as
it is now.”Early in April, Aoun invoked his constitutional powers and adjourned
the parliament for one month paving way for deliberations between political
parties for an agreement on a new voting system for the upcoming parliamentary
polls. Lebanon's deputies were set to vote in Parliament to postpone national
elections and extend their term for a third time since 2013. Lebanon's political
parties say it is time to scrap the country's 1960 voting law that allocates
seats by religious sect, but disagree over what system should replace it.
Aoun: Proposed US anti-Hezbollah
bill will harm Lebanon
Middle East Monitor/April
25/17/Lebanese President Michel Aoun said yesterday that the new anti-Hezbollah
sanctions bill that the US Congress is considering would “greatly harm Lebanon
and its people”.Aoun told a delegation from the American Task Force for Lebanon,
an organisation that includes Americans of Lebanese heritage and businessmen,
that ”the draft law that is being prepared in Congress to slap new financial
sanctions on Lebanese parties, institutions and individuals will greatly harm
Lebanon and its people.”The president pointed out that Lebanon is making the
necالدولة اللبنانيةessary contacts to prevent the issuance of the law and welcomed any effort by
the American Task Force for Lebanon in this regard. US Congress is planning to
review additional and tougher sanctions against Hezbollah and all its affiliates
and allies, a move that could have negative political and financial
ramifications on Lebanon if the proposals pass without amendments. The proposed
law might for the first time target the Amal Movement led by Parliament Speaker
Nabih Berri as well as senior Hezbollah officials, headed by its
Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, members of his political bureau and
parliamentarians.
Aoun meets American Task Force delegation
The Daily Star/April 25/17/BEIRUT: President
Michel Aoun Monday met with a delegation from the American Task Force for
Lebanon – an independent organization promoting Lebanese-American ties – headed
by former U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Edward Gabriel, a statement from Baabda
Palace said. Aoun outlined issues facing Lebanon, including the Syrian refugee
influx, the terror threat, the challenges of securing the Syrian border, and the
application of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. Gabriel also met Prime
Minister Saad Hariri to discuss similar issues, a statement from the Hariri’s
office said.
Is Israel planning to strike more Lebanese sites in next Hezbollah war?هل تخطط
إسرائيل لإستهداف المزيد من المواقع اللبنانية في حربها المقبلة مع حزب الله
Yonah Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/April
25/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=54674
In rare remarks, IDF MAG hints that he would
approve more targets than were approved in the 2006 Lebanon War in the event of
a new conflict between Israel, Hezbollah.
The IDF Military Advocate General Brig.-Gen. Sharon Afek hinted strongly on
Tuesday that he will approve a wider range of Lebanese targets than were
approved in the 2006 Lebanon War in the event of a new war with Hezbollah.
Speaking at a Ramat Gan conference of military Judge Advocate General (JAG)
officers from as many as 20 countries around the world, Afek said that
“Hezbollah’s integration into state institutions raises questions of state
responsibility.”He continued saying, “Hezbollah’s location of its military
assets in dense urban areas raise questions about how to implement the principle
of proportionality.”All of this is in the context in which Israel’s newer foes
like Hezbollah “create operational and strategic challenges by the fact that
they directly target civilian populations, act in urban environments and make
ground operations necessary in order to locate their military assets,” said Afek.
While legal advisers like the MAG never completely share their hand in advance
of a war of what targets they will approve, it is even rare for such advisers to
publicly and specifically cite a potential targeting issue. The statement was
that much more unusual with an ongoing line of reports from the security
establishment that in a future conflict with Hezbollah, the IDF would “take off
the gloves” and attack wider Lebanese targets. In contrast, in the 2006 Lebanon
War, the IDF overwhelmingly focused its attacks on Hezbollah controlled areas in
order to avoid striking Lebanese-Sunni and Christian areas viewed as
unaffiliated with Hezbollah’s military actions. However, since 2006, Israeli
officials have said that Hezbollah has taken deeper control of the state and
that the Lebanese state is now more directly supporting even Hezbollah’s
military efforts.
Report: Hizbullah Rejects
PSP Law Format, Four-Party Meeting over Electoral Law Fails
Naharnet/April 25/17/An extended four-party meeting held at the Center House
Sunday evening failed to record a breakthrough agreement on a new electoral law
for Lebanon's parliamentary polls, as Hizbullah party “mourned” a law format
suggested by the Progressive Socialist Party, media reports said on Tuesday.
“The meeting was held in the presence of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Finance
Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, Hizbullah
secretary-general's political aide Hussein Khalil and Hariri's chief of staff
Nader Hariri,” al-Joumhouria daily reported. “The interlocutors failed to reach
common ground on any of the formats and ideas that have been presented by
various political parties so far. Meanwhile, Bassil stressed adherence to his
law format which be believes is best for the Christians and ensures just
representation,” said the daily. “In parallel with Hariri's leniency towards
adopting Bassil's so called qualification system, it was openly rejected by the
Finance Minister and Hizbullah secretary-general's political aide who reiterated
adherence to proportional representation system,” of Hizbullah's, it added. Al-Joumhouria
pointed out that Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad has openly rejected the Progressive
Socialist Party leader's law format. During a political meeting in south
Lebanon, Raad dubbed the format as a “waste of time as well as
procrastination.”Monday evening, Prime Minister Saad Hariri met at the Center
House with a delegation from the Progressive Socialist Party where discussions
focused on the ongoing contacts with the various parties to devise a new draft
electoral law. The delegation explained the content of the draft law that has
been proposed by the party in this regard. The PSP had on Saturday proposed a
hybrid electoral law that mixes the proportional representation and
winner-takes-all systems in an equal manner across 26 districts. Hizbullah has
repeatedly called for an electoral law fully based on the proportional
representation system and a single or several large electorates.
5 Arrested after Army Patrol Shot at in Dar al-Wasaa
Naharnet/April 25/17/An army patrol came under gunfire Tuesday in the Baalbek
district town of Dar al-Wasaa, state-run National News Agency reported. The
attack prompted troops to respond in kind, which resulted in the wounding of a
gunman and the arrest of five others, NNA said. The detainees were transferred
to a military barracks for interrogation. Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3)
identified the detainees as Haidar Ali Jaafar, Mohammed Ali Rashid Jaafar, Ali
Merhej Jaafar, Jalal Mohammed Jaafar and Youssef Ali Jaafar, saying the army has
sent reinforcements to Dar al-Wasaa to pursue fugitives wanted over kidnap
operations and others wanted in connection with the 2014 murder of Sobhi and
Nadimeh Fakhri.
Bassil Rejects 1960 Electoral Law and Extension, Slams
'Two-Faced Rhetoric'
Naharnet/April 25/17/Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Tuesday
rejected the proposed re-endorsement of the 1960 electoral law, describing it as
a veiled extension of parliament's term, as he accused some political parties of
having a “two-faced rhetoric” on the electoral law. “The 1960 law is another
face of extension and we don't want it, and there will be no vacuum because the
constitution prevents vacuum,” said Bassil after the weekly meeting of the
Change and Reform bloc, hitting back at parties who have said that extension is
necessary to prevent a so-called parliamentary vacuum. “The proposed extension
is like a gun pointed to our heads,” Bassil said. “We are not clinging to any
electoral law... We are seeking respect for the National Pact and correct
representation,” he added, referring to the representation of Christians in the
political system. “Whenever we agree on an electoral law, we face two rhetorics:
one for the negotiations room and another for the media. Today there is a media
campaign to bin the 'qualification electoral system',” the FPM chief said,
noting that some parties had agreed to the latest electoral format he proposed
during closed-door talks before eventually rejecting it in public statements.
Bassil also noted that there is no agreement on one version of the proportional
representation system although several parties have voiced support for the
principle of proportional representation. “We are facing a historic moment and
we only have a few days in order not to lose two possibilities: the possibility
of correcting representation, which has been flawed since 1990, and the
possibility of establishing a civil state with the necessary legal amendments,”
Bassil added. Some parties have dismissed Bassil's latest electoral law format,
which involves sectarian voting in the first round, as divisive and
counterproductive. Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, Druze leader MP Walid
Jumblat and other parties have meanwhile noted that the controversial 1960
electoral law remains in effect should the parties fail to agree on an electoral
law.
Fateh al-Sham Militant Killed while Preparing Bomb in Arsal
Outskirts
Naharnet/April 25/17/An explosion rocked an area on the peripheries of the
eastern border town of Arsal on Tuesday, state-run National News Agency
reported. Media reports said the blast resulted from the accidental detonation
of an explosive device that members of the jihadist group Fateh al-Sham Front
were preparing in the the Khirbet Younin area in Arsal's outskirts. The
explosion killed Fateh al-Sham's bomb maker Abu Qassem al-Talli and seriously
wounded his assistant Ahmed Abu Daoud, NNA reported later. Militants from Fateh
al-Sham and the rival jihadist group Islamic State are entrenched in rugged
mountains along the Lebanese-Syrian border. The Lebanese army regularly shells
their positions while Hizbullah and the Syrian army have engaged in clashes with
them on the Syrian side of the border.The two groups overran the town of Arsal
in 2014 and engaged in deadly battles with the Lebanese army for several days.
The retreating militants abducted around 35 troops and policemen of whom four
have been executed and nine remain in captivity.
Two IS Militants with Ties to Senior Group Leaders Arrested
Naharnet/April 25/17/The Internal Security Forces on Tuesday announced the
arrest of two Lebanese men who had formed a cell linked to the terrorist Islamic
State group. An ISF statement identified the two men as 53-year-old R. S. and
43-year-old A. K., saying they were arrested by the ISF Intelligence Branch on
Thursday. During interrogation, R. S. confessed to endorsing and promoting IS'
ideology and that he had tried to convince several young men to join the group.
“Around two years ago, he left for Syria's Raqa where he joined the IS group and
underwent religious and military courses. He also confessed to working with the
group in several fields, especially logistics,” the ISF said. “He had close ties
with several prominent leaders of the group in Syria and Lebanon and he
accompanied the five-member family of one of the most prominent leaders of the
group in Lebanon to Raqa via Turkey,” the statement added. The other militant
meanwhile confessed to “operating in a very professional manner to fend off
suspicions seeing as his activities involved meeting the logistical needs of the
Lebanese IS militants who are present in Syria.”“He was in contact with the most
prominent Syria-based Lebanese leaders of the group. He also coordinated with IS
leaders in Raqa and linked them to the aforementioned detained militant, R. S.,”
the ISF said. He also facilitated the travel of R.S. and the family of an IS
leader to Raqa, the ISF added. The two detainees have been referred to the
Military Court.
Bodies of Christian Syrians Found in Arsal Outskirts
Repatriated
Naharnet/April 25/17/The bodies of five Christian Syrians discovered in the
outskirts of the eastern Lebanese border town of Arsal were handed over Tuesday
to Damascus, General Security said. “Under the supervision of the relevant
judicial authorities and in coordination with the Lebanese Red Cross, the
General Directorate of General Security handed over this morning the bodies of
five Syrian citizens to Syrian authorities at the Jdeidet Yabous border post,” a
General Security statement said. It identified the five Syrians as Atef Ragheb
Qalloumeh, Ghassan Mikhail Shnais, Shadi Mikhail Taalab, Jihad Mtanios Taalab
and Daoud Sarkis Milana, saying their bodies were found by a General Security
patrol in December 2016 inside a cave in Arsal's outskirts.“After completing the
administrative and legal measures and conducting the necessary laboratory tests,
it turned out that the bodies belong to Syrian citizens from the town of Maalula
who were abducted during the battles that the region witnessed before being
liquidated at the hands of one of the terrorist groups,” the General Security
statement added. The statement noted that the 2016 patrol had been conducted as
part of General Security's efforts to secure the release of Lebanese troops and
policemen held hostage by jihadist groups. Militants from the jihadist groups
Islamic State and Fateh al-Sham Front are entrenched in rugged mountains along
the Lebanese-Syrian border. The Lebanese army regularly shells their positions
while Hizbullah and the Syrian army have engaged in clashes with them on the
Syrian side of the border. The two groups overran the northeastern border town
of Arsal in 2014 and engaged in deadly battles with the Lebanese army for
several days. The retreating militants abducted around 35 troops and policemen
of whom four have been executed and nine remain in captivity.
Jumblat Defends PSP Law Format, Says Other Drafts Harm
Unity
Naharnet/April 25/17/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat
defended on Tuesday a draft for an electoral law suggested by his party over the
weekend, lashing out at a format of the so-called qualification system which he
said harms national unity. “If the PSP's format is considered a waste of time,
then the sectarian qualification format harms national unity and al-Mustaqbal
Movement,” said Jumblat on his Twitter page. The PSP had on Saturday proposed a
hybrid electoral law that mixes the proportional representation and
winner-takes-all systems in an equal manner across 26 districts.
Jumblat's tweet came after Hizbullah's head of the Loyalty to the Resistance
bloc MP Mohammed Raad was quoted as saying: “What is the criterion that allows
candidates to run for the elections according to the proportional and
winner-takes-all system proposed by the PSP?...It is a waste of time as well as
procrastination.”The “sectarian qualification” law format was suggested by Free
Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil where voters are not allowed to vote for
candidates from other sects in the first round. Bassil's law failed to meet
approval and was dubbed as “sectarian” by many political parties.
Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully based on the
proportional representation system and a single or several large electorates.
Druze leader Jumblat has rejected proportional representation, warning that it
would "marginalize" his minority Druze community, whose presence is concentrated
in the Aley and Chouf areas. Amid reservations over proportional representation
by other parties such as al-Mustaqbal Movement and the Lebanese Forces, the
political parties are mulling a so-called hybrid electoral law that mixes
proportional representation with the winner-takes-all system.
The country has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the
legislature has instead twice extended its own mandate. The last polls were held
under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law.
NSSF Employees Protest State Budget
Naharnet/April 25/17/The National Social Security Fund employees held a sit-in
on Tuesday in Riad al-Solh Square in Beirut, protesting two articles in the
recently approved state budget which they say destabilizes the monetary
resources of the institution. The workers protest was held under the title of
“Protecting the NSSF” and coincided with a meeting of the Parliamentary Budget
and Finance Committee. The campaigners argued that the two articles in the draft
budget could destroy the state's insurance and pension fund and “plan to
privatize the NSSF in the future” which they strongly reject. The said articles
would exempt business owners and the government of their dues to the NSSF. For
his part, President of the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers, Bechara
el-Asmar voiced calls on President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Saad
Hariri to interfere and abolish the clauses. All employers in Lebanon are
required to register their employees at the National Social Security Fund within
one month from the start of operations, and are required to pay social security
contributions on their behalf. On Tuesday, the NSSF Syndicate invited all
employees enrolled in the NSSF including cab drivers, private school teachers
and university students to take part in the protest.
Kaag visits Hariri,
welcomes once again his recent visit to South
Tue 25 Apr 2017/NNA - Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, received on Tuesday at Grand
Serail the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Sigrid Kaag, and the Deputy
Director of the Middle East and West Asia Division at the UN department of
political Affairs, Darko Mocibob. In the wake of the meeting Kaag said: "I had
the pleasure to meet with Prime Minister, Saad Hariri. It was an opportunity to
update him on a number of key points. First, I welcomed once again his visit to
the South with Minister of Defense, Yaacoub Sarraf, and Army Commander, General
Joseph Aoun, his important message and his reiteration of his full commitment
and support to achieve progress in the implementation of Security Council
resolution 1701 towards a permanent cease fire. In the same context, we
discussed the opportunities to expand our support to build the capacity of the
Lebanese armed forces.
Last but not least, we reviewed the important progress that can be achieved with
the support of the international community in a follow up of Brussels
conference, where the Prime Minister expressed his priorities and submitted
important ideas on a structural investment plan for Lebanon, which of course the
UN and other partners are very keen to support, with a view to Lebanon's
stability, stabilization and prosperity, the well-being of Lebanese citizens and
support of Syrian and Palestinian refugees."
Machnouk: CDR will follow up on incinerators file with
ministries
Tue 25 Apr 2017/NNA - Interior and Municipalities Minister, Nouhad Machnouk,
said on Tuesday that the committee for waste management decided that the Council
for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) will submit the last draft for
constructing incinerators to concerned ministries.
Minister Machnouk's words came in the wake of the ministerial committee's
meeting at Grand Serail, chaired by Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, in presence of
Public Works and Transportation Minister Youssef Fenianos, Finance Minister Ali
Hasan Khalil, Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil, Environment Minister Tarek
Khatib, State Minister for Administrative Development Inaya Ezzedine, head of
CDR Nabil al-Jisr and Premiership Secretary General, Fouad Fleifel.
Army apprehends five gunmen for opening fire on patrol in
Dar Wasaa
Tue 25 Apr 2017/NNA - The Lebanese army arrested five gunmen for opening fire on
an army patrol in the town of Dar Wasaa, who were transferred to one of the
local military stations for interrogation. NNA reporter said on Tuesday. In
details, armed men opened fire on an army patrol in Dar Wasaa, the matter that
prompted the army to respond to fire source and wounding one of the culprits.
Five others were arrested.
Anonymous shoots in air in Tripoli Serail, ISF prosecute
him
Tue 25 Apr 2017 /NNA - An anonymous aboard a motorcycle shot in the air in front
of Tripoli Serail near an ISF patrol, National News Agency reported on Tuesday,
security forces are currently cracking down on him.
Abu Qassem Taleh responsible for preparing bombs for Nusra
Front killed in Khirbat Yunine explosion
Tue 25 Apr 2017/NNA - The so-called Abu Qasem al-Taleh, responsible for
preparing explosive devises for Nusra Front was killed in the explosion of a
booby trap outside his base in Kherbet Younine in the outskirts of Arsal, NNA
reporter said on Tuesday. Al-Taleh's Aide Ahmed Abu Daoud, dubbed as "Abu
Dajjani Lebneni", was also critically injured in the blast.
Geagea, Telecom Minister meet in Meerab
Tue 25 Apr 2017/NNA - Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea met on Tuesday at his
Meerab residence with Telecom Minister Jamal Jarrah, with talks majorly touching
on the proposed election draft laws. Speaking after the two-hour meeting,
Minister Jarrah reiterated the Future Movement's stance supporting any election
law which would secure proper representation, preserves national coexistence and
unity, and lessens sectarian and confessional tension. "We shall try to set
right any law which would threaten national unity or risk proper representation,
so that it attains its aspired goals," Jarrah said, stressing the dire need for
reaching a new poll law and holding timely parliamentary elections.
Bassil: We do not stick to any election law
Tue 25 Apr 2017/NNA - Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister, Gebran Bassil,
said on Tuesday following Change and Reform bloc meeting that they did not
adhere to any election law and "no one can hinder the election path that we have
chosen.""We did not reject proportionality, and the nation is for all. We
bridged consensus amongst Lebanese and we combated for this cause," Minister
Bassil said. He added that 1960 law had another form for extension that we
categorically reject, and there is no vacuum because constitution rejects it.
"The only guarantee is the adoption of a new poll law."
He pointed out that fair representation prevents a war amongst Lebanese people.
In the same context, Bassil assured that the parliamentary vacuum and the
adoption of the 1960 law were two outlaw and out-of-question choices. According
to him, his party "defended" the rehabilitation law. Bassil also called on MPs
to start reviewing the so-called Orthodox law at Parliament.
Ferzli, Pheraon in Yarze
Tue 25 Apr 2017/NNA - Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, received on Tuesday
at his office in Yarze Former Deputy House Speaker, Elie Ferzli. General Aoun
also met with Tourism Minister, Michel Pheraon, and Former Minister, Gaby Layoun,
over the current situation.
Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
April 25-26/17
U.S. 'Deeply Concerned' by Turkish Strikes in Syria, Iraq
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/TThe United States is "deeply
concerned" by Turkish air strikes that reportedly killed more than two dozen
Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria, the State Department said Tuesday. The
strikes underscore the delicate political tightrope the United States is
treading in Syria -- and to a lesser extent in Iraq -- where it is relying
heavily on Kurdish forces to conduct the ground fight against the Islamic State
group. "We are very concerned, deeply concerned that Turkey conducted air
strikes earlier today in northern Syria as well as northern Iraq without proper
coordination either with the United States or the broader global coalition to
defeat" IS, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. "We have expressed those
concerns to the government of Turkey directly."Turkey is a key U.S. ally and a
NATO member, so America must be careful not to alienate its partner and risk
losing Ankara's support for the anti-IS fight and access to Turkey's vital
Incirlik airbase. Turkey said it had carried out the strikes in northeastern
Syria and northern Iraq against "terrorist havens" and vowed to continue action
against groups it links to the outlawed Kurdistan's Workers' Party (PKK).U.S.
commandos are working with local Kurds on the ground, much to the fury of
Turkey, which sees the Kurdish YPG forces as a terrorist offshoot of the PKK
that has been waging an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984. "This is a very
complex battle space. We're cognizant of that," Toner said. "We are also
cognizant of the threat that the PKK poses to Turkey... But these kinds of
actions frankly harm the coalition's efforts to go after ISIS." The Pentagon
offered a more muted response. "We don't want our partners hitting other
partners," a senior US defense official told AFP. "We've got to figure out
exactly who got hit. We don't know yet. We do know where the strikes were, but
we don't know exactly who is dead." The United States is counting on the SDF, a
Syrian Arab-Kurdish alliance, to push into the IS bastion of Raqa in Syria, and
is currently weighing whether to provide the Kurdish faction with heavy weaponry
and other materiel.
Isis fighters ‘attacked Israel
Defense Forces unit, then apologised' claims former commander
Moshe Ya’alon reportedly referred to a clash with Isis-linked group last
November
Chloe Farand/Independent/Tuesday 25 April 2017 /Isis-affiliated fighters
“apologised” after launching an attack on Israeli soldiers, the country’s former
defence minister has claimed. Moshe Ya’alon was reportedly referring to an
incident when a group linked to Isis in the Syrian Golan Heights exchanged fire
with Israeli forces last November. The area is a rocky plateau in southwestern
Syria, which was partly seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 and
later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community. There
was one case recently where Daesh [Isis] opened fire and apologised,” Mr Ya’alon
said speaking at an event in the northern city of Alufa, during which he was was
being interviewed about Israel’s policy on Syria. After a short gun
battle, the Israeli military attacked Syrian jihadist group Khalid ibn al-Walid
with airstrikes and tank fire, killing four of them, The Times of Israel
reports. This was the first direct clash between Israeli forces and Isis
militants after the terror group opened fire on a military patrol on the Israeli
side, a military spokesman said at the time. Khalid ibn al-Walid, which
affiliated itself with Isis in May 2016, seized territory including a large town
and several villages on the Syrian border with Israel in a surprise attack on
moderate rebel forces in February this year. A spokesperson for Mr Ya’alon
refused to elaborate on how Isis expressed its apology to Israel after the
attack and the Israel Defense Forces also refused to comment. According to the
first Western journalists, who have entered Isis' territories and survived,
Israel is the only country in the world the Islamic group fears because it
believes its army is too strong to face. Under Israeli law, communication with
the group is illegal because it constitutes contact with an enemy agent. Mr
Ya’alon is the former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and served as
Defence Minister from 2013 until his resignation in May 2016. During the
interview, he said Israel carried out strikes against Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad’s forces in retaliation when the Golan Heights was attacked. Israel has
adopted a largely non-interventionist position regarding the complicated
conflict on its doorstep, although it has retaliated on occasions when conflict
has spilled over into territory it controls.
Egypt Refers 20 Detainees to Mufti after Receiving Death Sentence
Asharq Al-Awsat English/April 24/17
Cairo – The Egyptian criminal court referred on Monday 20 suspects linked to the
“Kerdassa massacre” to the grand mufti in a measure that precedes laying down
the death penalty against them.
On August 14, 2013, a month after former President Mohammed Morsi, of the Muslim
Brotherhood, was overthrown by the army, security forces forcibly dispersed two
pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo in an operation that killed more than 700
people. Hours later a furious crowd attacked a police station in the Cairo
suburb of Kerdassa, where 14 policemen were killed. A year later, a Cairo court
sentenced to death 183 suspects, but a higher court scrapped the verdict last
year, calling instead for the retrial of 149 suspects who were behind bars. Of
those 149, on Monday a Cairo criminal court sentenced to death 20 people, a
judicial official said, adding that a decision concerning the others would be
made at another hearing on July 2. Egyptian courts have sentenced hundreds of
Morsi supporters to death since his overthrow, but many have appealed and won
new trials. Morsi and other top figures of his Muslim Brotherhood have also
faced trial.
Coptic Pope: Church Bombings Aim at Egypt's Unity
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April
25/17/The two church bombings that killed dozens in Egypt this month targeted
unity among Muslims and Christians in the most populous Arab nation, Coptic Pope
Tawadros II said Tuesday. Suicide bombers from the Islamic State group attacked
two churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria on April 9, killing 45 people
in the deadliest attacks on Coptic Christians in recent memory. The attacks
which hit on Palm Sunday "were not aimed at Copts only but at the heart of
Egypt... They aimed at breaking the unity of Egyptians," the Tawadros told a
news conference in Kuwait City. "Unity among Egyptians has existed for the past
14 centuries and these attacks will not affect the Egyptian people," he said.
Copts, who make up about one tenth of Egypt's population of more than 92
million, have been targeted several times in recent months. In December, an IS
suicide bomber struck a Cairo church, killing 29 people. Jihadists and Islamists
accuse Copts of supporting the military overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed
Morsi in 2013, which ushered in a deadly crackdown on his supporters. Tawadros,
on his first visit to Kuwait where a large Coptic community lives, was met by
Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed Al-Sabah and top officials. He said Egyptian security
forces and the military are doing their role in protecting Christian places of
worship which have become a target of attacks in recent years. Egyptian police
last week arrested Ali Mahmoud Mohamed Hassan, one of 19 suspects whose names
police made public after the Palm Sunday explosions. The April 9 attacks, weeks
before a planned visit by Catholic Pope Francis, prompted the government to
declare a three-month state of emergency.
Iran Nuclear Deal Reviewed as Uncertainty Grows
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/Iran and major powers met Tuesday in
Vienna to review adherence to their 2015 nuclear deal as uncertainty grows about
the landmark accord's future under U.S. President Donald Trump. The regular
quarterly meeting was expected to hear, as Washington confirmed last week, that
Iran is sticking to its side of the deal with the United States, Russia, China,
Britain, France and Germany. The accord saw Tehran drastically curb its nuclear
activities in order to ease concerns that Iran wanted to build an atomic bomb.
In return nuclear-related Western and U.N. sanctions were lifted. However, Trump
has ordered a 90-day review, saying last Thursday that Iran was "not living up
to the spirit" of the "terrible" deal because of its actions in other areas.
This refers to Iran's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, rebels in
Yemen, and militias in Iraq and in Lebanon as well as Tehran's ballistic missile
program. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Monday the review would
examine the nuclear accord "in the larger context of Iran's role in the region
and in the world, and then adjust accordingly." Trump's Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson last Wednesday expressed misgivings about the nuclear deal itself, in
particular the time limits in key areas. Iran cut the number of centrifuges that
"enrich" uranium -- making it suitable for power generation and at high purities
for a bomb -- from about 19,000 to 5,000. Together with other restrictions and
ultra-tight U.N. inspections, Iran pledged to stay at this level for 10 years
and not to enrich uranium above low purities for 15 years. Its uranium stockpile
will also stay below 300 kilos (660 pounds) -- well short of what would be
needed for an atomic bomb -- for 15 years. Tillerson said the accord "fails to
achieve the objective of a non-nuclear Iran" and had been a way of "buying off"
Tehran "for a short period of time."
Tehran not satisfied
Iran is not happy either, with critics of President Hassan Rouhani -- facing a
tough battle for re-election next month -- charging that the nuclear deal has
failed to provide all the promised economic benefits. While nuclear-related
sanctions were lifted, those related to human rights or missiles remained or
have been expanded, frustrating Iran's efforts to boost trade. Last week Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded to Trump's comments by saying that
Washington was failing to live up not just to the spirit of the nuclear deal,
but its wording as well. "So far, it has defied both," Zarif said on
Twitter.Tuesday's "Joint Commission" meeting among senior diplomats was held
behind closed doors -- in the same plush Vienna hotel where the deal was
hammered out -- with no press events planned. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy
foreign minister, was representing Iran in the talks. Iranian news agency IRNA
quoted him as saying that Iran was adhering to the deal but that this did not
completely hold true for the other side.
U.S. 'Deeply Concerned' by Turkish Strikes in Syria, Iraq
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/The United States is "deeply
concerned" by Turkish air strikes that reportedly killed more than two dozen
Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria, the State Department said Tuesday. The
strikes underscore the delicate political tightrope the United States is
treading in Syria -- and to a lesser extent in Iraq -- where it is relying
heavily on Kurdish forces to conduct the ground fight against the Islamic State
group. "We are very concerned, deeply concerned that Turkey conducted air
strikes earlier today in northern Syria as well as northern Iraq without proper
coordination either with the United States or the broader global coalition to
defeat" IS, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. "We have expressed those
concerns to the government of Turkey directly."Turkey is a key U.S. ally and a
NATO member, so America must be careful not to alienate its partner and risk
losing Ankara's support for the anti-IS fight and access to Turkey's vital
Incirlik airbase. Turkey said it had carried out the strikes in northeastern
Syria and northern Iraq against "terrorist havens" and vowed to continue action
against groups it links to the outlawed Kurdistan's Workers' Party (PKK). U.S.
commandos are working with local Kurds on the ground, much to the fury of
Turkey, which sees the Kurdish YPG forces as a terrorist offshoot of the PKK
that has been waging an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984. "This is a very
complex battle space. We're cognizant of that," Toner said. "We are also
cognizant of the threat that the PKK poses to Turkey... But these kinds of
actions frankly harm the coalition's efforts to go after ISIS."The Pentagon
offered a more muted response. "We don't want our partners hitting other
partners," a senior US defense official told AFP. "We've got to figure out
exactly who got hit. We don't know yet. We do know where the strikes were, but
we don't know exactly who is dead." The United States is counting on the SDF, a
Syrian Arab-Kurdish alliance, to push into the IS bastion of Raqa in Syria, and
is currently weighing whether to provide the Kurdish faction with heavy weaponry
and other materiel.
Turkish Strike in Iraq Kills Six Kurdish Security Forces
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/Turkish air strikes targeting local
armed groups in northern Iraq killed six members of Kurdish security forces in
an apparent accident on Tuesday, a senior official said. "Six people were
martyred, five from the peshmerga and the sixth from asayish," Lieutenant
General Jabbar Yawar, secretary general of the peshmerga ministry in Iraq's
autonomous Kurdish government, told AFP. "Nine others were also wounded by the
air strike on the Sinjar mountain," he said, in reference to a northwestern
region of Iraq which is the main hub of the Yazidi minority. The peshmerga are
the Kurdish Regional Government's armed forces and the asayish its intelligence
service. Yawar and other officials said the overnight strike apparently targeted
a Yazidi militia allied with Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which
Ankara, a key ally of the Iraqi Kurdish government, considers a terrorist
organisation. The air strike was carried out at 2:25 am (2315 GMT), said Yawar,
who added that forces from the Yazidi Protection Units (YBS) were present at the
targeted positions. Zardasht Shingali, a spokesman for the YBS, said the strikes
lasted three hours and hit five of his group's positions in the area. He told
AFP that the targets included a radio station, a position in the strategic Shilo
Valley west of the mountain and another in the town of Sinuni, which lies at the
foot of the mountain's northern flank.
Iraqi Kurds Call Deadly Turkish Strike 'Unacceptable'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on
Tuesday said Turkish air strikes in which six of its security forces were killed
overnight were "unacceptable."The peshmerga, the region's armed forces, said in
the statement however that the apparent accident should be blamed on Turkey's
rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), whose affiliates were the target of the
strikes."The death of the peshmerga is regrettable and the strike on the
peshmerga by Turkish warplanes is unacceptable," the statement said. Turkey
carried out several strikes in Syria and Iraq against separatist Kurdish rebels
and their allies overnight. Six members of the Iraqi Kurdish government's
security forces were killed. The strikes in the Sinjar area of northern Iraq
were against positions held by the Yazidi Protection Units (YBS), a militia
supported by the PKK, which Ankara considers a terrorist group. The PKK and
Iraq's dominant Kurdish faction, which is allied to Ankara, are rivals however
and the peshmerga statement put the blame for the deaths in its ranks squarely
on the PKK."These problems and tensions are all because of the PKK's presence,"
it said, accusing the PKK and its affiliates of refusing to withdraw from the
Sinjar area.
Syria Kurds Demand Coalition Act to Halt Turkish Raids
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/A commander for Kurdish forces
battling jihadists in northern Syria urged the U.S.-led coalition backing the
offensive to prevent further Turkish strikes on their forces. "We are asking the
international coalition to intervene to stop these Turkish violations," the
commander told AFP, after Turkish strikes targeting the Kurdish People's
Protection Units (YPG) killed 18 people on Tuesday. "It's unthinkable that we
are fighting on a front as important as (Islamic State group bastion) Raqa while
Turkish planes bomb us in the back," the commander said.
The YPG has expelled IS out of swathes of territory in Syria's north and makes
up the bulk of the units bearing down on Raqa city. Turkey carried out the air
strikes on YPG positions before dawn on Tuesday, and also hit Kurdish militia in
neighboring Iraq. "The YPG will not be silent on this blatant attack, and we
reserve our right to defend ourselves and take revenge for our martyrs," YPG
spokesman Redur Xelil said. The U.S.-led coalition "has a huge responsibility
and must carry out its duty to protect this area, because we are partners in
fighting IS," he said.
He spoke to AFP at the targeted YPG base in the northeast province of Hasakeh,
in a sliver of Syrian territory wedged between Turkey to the north and Iraq to
the east. AFP's correspondent saw rescue workers climb through the rubble of
destroyed buildings at the base to look for survivors, as ambulances waited
nearby.
Iraq Forces Retake Large Mosul Neighborhood from IS
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/Iraqi forces retook full control of
one the largest neighborhoods of west Mosul Tuesday from the Islamic State group
after a week of intense fighting, a top commander said. "This morning, the
heroes of the Counter-Terrorism Service on the western axis succeeded in fully
clearing Tenek neighborhood," Staff Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi told
AFP in Mosul. The elite forces have been spearheading a massive offensive
launched in mid-October 2016 to retake Mosul, the country's second city and the
last major Iraqi bastion of the jihadists' now crumbling "caliphate."The eastern
side of the city, which is divided by the Tigris river, was recaptured in
January, and a push on the west bank of Mosul launched the following month has
made steady progress despite fierce resistance. Tenek, on the western edge of
the city, "is one of the largest neighborhoods on the western side of Mosul,"
said Saadi, one of the top CTS commanders in Iraq. "It used to be one of the
main strongholds for terrorist groups," he said. Saadi said the fighting in
Tenek was fierce and lasted a full week. "More than 20 car bombs were destroyed,
dozens of terrorist militants were killed. Their bodies are still on the streets
and inside houses," he said. Only a few hundred IS fighters are believed to
remain in west Mosul, most of them hunkering down in the Old City amidst several
hundred thousand trapped civilians. Iraqi forces have retaken neighborhoods to
the south, west and north of the Old City, tightening the noose around IS before
a high-risk final assault. The narrow streets of the Old City and its population
density will force the Iraqi forces to conduct perilous dismounted operations
which observers fear could yet allow holdout jihadists to stage a protracted
last stand.
Iraq Forces in Push to Retake UNESCO-Listed Hatra
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/Iraqi forces on Tuesday launched a
fresh push southwest of Mosul to retake the Hatra area, which includes a
U.N.-listed World Heritage site, a statement said. The operation marks the
latest phase of an offensive launched by the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular
Mobilization) paramilitary forces in parallel to the main assault on Mosul begun
six months ago. The Hashed forces, dominated by Iran-backed militias, have
focused their efforts on a front southwest of Mosul which aims at retaking the
town of Tal Afar as well as desert areas stretching to the border with Syria.
"Hashed al-Shaabi forces launched Operation Mohammed Rasool Allah aimed at
liberating Hatra and neighboring areas," the organization said in a statement.
It said that five villages had already been retaken from the Islamic State group
on Tuesday and that Hashed engineering units were clearing the road to Hatra of
explosive devices. Hatra, known as Al-Hadhr in Arabic, was established in the
3rd or 2nd century BC and became a religious and trading center under the
Parthian empire. Its imposing fortifications helped it withstand sieges by the
forces of two Roman emperors: Trajan in 166 AD and Septimus Severus in 198.
Hatra finally succumbed to Ardashir I, the founder of the Sassanid dynasty, a
few decades later, but the city remained well-preserved over the centuries that
followed. Hatra left its mark on pop culture as the location for the opening of
horror film "The Exorcist", which was shot there in 1973. The jihadists damaged
parts of Hatra after taking over a third of Iraq in 2014, as part of a heritage
destruction campaign that also saw them vandalize Mosul museum, blow up shrines
and damage the ruins of the ancient city of Nimrud. The jihadists see such
destruction as a religiously mandated elimination of idols -- but they also have
no qualms about selling smaller artifacts to fund their operations. The full
extent of the harm to Hatra remains unclear, but the site risks further damage
during the military operation to retake it.
Abadi Says Iraq Holding Qatari Ransom Money
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/Iraq is holding hundreds of millions
of dollars Qatari negotiators had brought to Baghdad as ransom money for the
release of kidnapped hunters, the prime minister said Tuesday. A hunting party
consisting of 24 Qataris and two Saudis kidnapped in southern Iraq in December
2015 was released last week and flew back home from Baghdad on Friday, according
to officials in the three countries. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told a news
conference that Qatari negotiators had come to Baghdad prior to the release with
what he said was hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom money. "The Qatari
government sent its envoy to Iraq and asked to bring a private plane," Abadi
said. "We were surprised that there were big bags, so we seized them and they
contained hundreds of millions of dollars," he said. "This money was brought in
without the approval of the Iraqi government. We have a central bank and a
judiciary," he said, explaining he would insist due process be followed.
"Hundreds of millions to armed groups? Is this acceptable," Abadi asked, without
specifying to which groups he was referring. The hunting party was released
without word from the Iraqi interior ministry or any other official on who had
kidnapped them in the first place nor what the terms of their release were.
Sources close to the negotiations however told AFP that their release was part
of a broad regional deal between Iran and Qatar involving the evacuation of
residents from government-controlled villages in northern Syria. Qatar has long
been thought to have sway on some Sunni rebel groups in Syria, including the
al-Qaida-linked Al-Nusra Front that besieged the villages. The same sources said
ransom money and prisoner exchanges were also part of the deal.
Netanyahu Snubs German Foreign Minister in NGO Row
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
canceled talks on Tuesday with Germany's foreign minister in a rare move after
the visiting diplomat declined to call off meetings with rights groups critical
of Israel's government. Netanyahu's meeting with Sigmar Gabriel was canceled
after the German diplomat decided to go ahead with talks with Israeli rights
groups Breaking The Silence and B'Tselem. Breaking The Silence seeks to document
alleged Israeli military abuses in the Palestinian territories, while B'Tselem
has worked on a range of issues and has strongly opposed Israeli settlement
building. Canceling the meeting was a rare step, but in line with the current
right-wing government's stance against groups it accuses of having political
agendas and of unfairly tarnishing Israel. Netanyahu's office issued a statement
saying, in a reference to Breaking The Silence, "imagine if foreign diplomats
visiting the United States or Britain met with NGOs that call American or
British soldiers war criminals.""Diplomats are welcome to meet with
representatives of civil society but Prime Minister Netanyahu will not meet with
those who lend legitimacy to organizations that call for the criminalization of
Israeli soldiers."It added, however, that "our relations with Germany are very
important and they will not be affected by this".Gabriel told journalists in
Jerusalem that he regretted Netanyahu's decision, but also said that he did not
think it would badly impact relations between the two countries. He and
Netanyahu, who also serves as Israel's foreign minister, "will find an
opportunity to speak with each other on the phone or to meet in an upcoming
visit," he said. "This does not mean the breaking of diplomatic relations. We
need to keep this a little bit in perspective." Gabriel earlier told German
public television station ZDF that a decision to cancel the meeting would be
"extremely regrettable." "It is completely normal that we speak with civil
society representatives during a visit abroad," he said. Gabriel added that it
would be "unthinkable" to cancel a meeting with Netanyahu if he met critics of
the German government during a visit to Germany. The two NGOs were due to hold a
joint meeting with Gabriel later Tuesday, a source from one of them said.
Delayed summit
Such disputes have arisen in the past between visiting foreign officials and
Israel's government.
In February, Israel reprimanded the Belgian ambassador after his country's
premier, Charles Michel, met both B'Tselem and Breaking The Silence during a
visit to Israel. However, there was no public rebuke when British Foreign
Minister Boris Johnson met with anti-settlement NGO Peace Now during a visit in
March. Israel has occupied the West Bank for 50 years, and Jewish settlement
building in the Palestinian territory has drawn intense international criticism.
Israeli settlements are seen as illegal under international law and major
stumbling blocks to peace efforts as they are built on land the Palestinians see
as part of their future state. Germany has been among critics of Israeli
settlement policy. A German government spokesman said in February that a summit
with Israel planned for May had been delayed, with Israeli media reporting it
was because of the Jewish state's controversial new settlements law. Israel
passed a law in February that legalizes thousands of settler homes built on
private Palestinian land in the West Bank. The current government, seen as the
most right-wing in Israeli history, has frequently criticized NGOs it accuses of
unfairly tarnishing the country's image. A red line' Last year, Israel's
parliament adopted a law seen as targeting left-wing groups critical of the
government by forcing NGOs that receive most of their funding from foreign
states to declare it. The law was criticized by the European Union, which said
it risked "undermining" values that the EU and Israel shared. Both B'Tselem and
Breaking The Silence are among groups that have received European support.
Israeli deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely said Tuesday that her ministry
for the past couple years was waging a battle against "anti-Israel organizations
that are massively funded by European states.""We’ve decided to draw a red
line," she told army radio. Gabriel, however, still met President Reuven Rivlin,
whose role is mainly ceremonial, on Tuesday afternoon. After the two men gave
speeches, they held a heated meeting lasting more than an hour, a source in the
president's office told AFP. Rivlin repeatedly called Israel's army the "most
moral in the world," the source said.
Le Pen Draws Mix of Selfies, Scorn at Iconic Paris Market
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/Marine Le Pen had a mixed welcome at a
market near Paris on Tuesday, with some traders jostling for a picture with
France's far-right presidential candidate but others booing her hard line on
immigration. Le Pen, who is dueling for the presidency with pro-EU centrist
Emmanuel Macron, arrived at Rungis, Europe's biggest wholesale fresh food
market, at the crack of dawn. The visit was part of her bid to woo what she
called "the France that gets up early" -- a term coined by conservative
ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy during his 2007 campaign to refer to workers and
the self-employed. With its hangars of giant cheeses, animal carcasses and
towering crates of fruit, the sprawling market in the suburb of Rungis has long
been a favorite campaign stop among presidential candidates. "Marine Le Pen is
coming here? I hope I can get a selfie with her!" one employee told reporters
waiting for her in a light drizzle. Wearing a white jacket with the market's
logo, the blonde 48-year-old National Front (FN) politician meandered through
the aisles, a retinue of party officials in tow. Vendors in white coats, some of
them first- or second-generation immigrants, gathered around as she set out her
proposals to defend French producers from what she calls "runaway
globalization." Her manifesto includes a tax on the contracts of foreign workers
and a requirement that retailers stock a certain percentage of French products.
"When there is unfair competition, we'll set up barriers and say 'there are
regulations, you can't do that'," she declared. Le Pen has also pledged to
deport all undocumented immigrants, part of a French-first program that drew
boos from some traders. "Do you have your papers?" a vendor in a blood-spattered
coat asked a colleague jokingly.
"We're workers too. We pay our taxes," a fruit vendor shouted. "It's a
disgrace," another said repeatedly. A tomato sailed through the air but missed
Le Pen, landing with a splat on a reporter's head.
"Jerks. They're not the guys who are usually here," said one of Le Pen's aides,
suggesting she had fallen into a trap.
Promises, promises
The atmosphere was cordial for the most part, however, with wholesalers engaging
Le Pen in conversation and showing off their wares. In the meat hall, trader
Francis Fauchere questioned Le Pen's plan to impose the use of French-produced
meat in school canteens and civil service foodhalls.
"It'll never happen. The canteen budget doesn't extend to French meat," he said,
arguing that French producers were better off focusing on high-end markets.
Speaking to journalists afterwards, Fauchere said he planned to abstain from
voting in the May 7 runoff. "They're all the same. We see them once every five
years and they all promise the same thing," he said. A week ago it was
39-year-old Macron who had come to visit, with a message of "working more to
earn more" -- another of Sarkozy's old campaign slogans. One vendor, who did not
wish to be named, accused the two candidates of trying "to be seen in the same
light as people who really are hard-working." But Claude Garnier, a 74-year-old
retired butcher who helps his son on the market, said Le Pen would get his vote.
"I prefer Mrs Le Pen because Macron... he's a Socialist," he said.
Ex-Trump Aide Flynn Did Not Report Russia Payments,
Lawmakers Say
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 25/17/Former White House national security
advisor Michael Flynn never reported receiving payments from Russian entities on
his top-level security clearance form, a senior U.S. lawmaker said Tuesday.
Republican congressman Jason Chaffetz said it appeared Flynn -- who stood down
as a top aide to Donald Trump amid controversy over his ties to Russia -- broke
the law by failing to disclose the payments from Russia's RT television. Flynn,
a former U.S. military intelligence chief who was a close advisor to Trump
during last year's campaign, was paid more than $33,000 dollars to attend an RT
gala in December 2015, where he sat at a table with President Vladimir Putin.
The payment came to light amid the sprawling probe into Russian interference in
the U.S. election, in which investigators are especially focusing on the ties
between Moscow and several Trump advisors.
Chaffetz, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said there was no sign
the retired three-star general had the required permissions to attend the gala,
nor that he reported the payment when seeking to renew his security clearance a
month later. "Personally, I see no information or no data to support the notion
that General Flynn complied with the law," Chaffetz said after a briefing on the
issue by officials of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), which Flynn headed
from 2012 to 2014. "He was supposed to seek permission and receive permission
from both the secretary of state and the secretary of the army prior to
travelling to Russia to not only accept that payment but to engage in that
activity," Chaffetz told reporters. Elijah Cummings, the Democratic vice
chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said the reporting violations may
constitute felony crimes that could bring up to five years imprisonment.
Flynn has denied any wrongdoing, amid reports he is under investigation by both
the Defense Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Flynn's lawyer
Robert Kelner said in a statement that Flynn had kept the DIA informed about the
Russia trip at the time. "General Flynn briefed the Defense Intelligence Agency,
a component agency of DoD, extensively regarding the RT speaking event trip both
before and after the trip, and he answered any questions that were posed by DIA
concerning the trip during those briefings."
Facing punishment?
Kelner said in March that Flynn is willing to testify in a U.S.
counter-intelligence investigation into Russia's alleged interference in the
election to help Trump, in exchange for immunity.Flynn was forced to step down
as Trump's national security advisor less than a month into the job for failing
to disclose private conversations he had held with Russia's US ambassador Sergey
Kislyak in December following the election. After his resignation, he was also
shown to have accepted $530,000 to lobby for Turkey during the campaign, without
registering as a foreign agent as required by law. He also accepted $11,250 each
from a Russian air transport firm and a Russia-based computer security firm.
Chaffetz said Flynn is now facing possible punishment from the Pentagon,
including being forced to give up the payments. In a parallel development, with
concerns mounting that Republicans are stalling the Russia probe, the Senate
Intelligence Committee announced that two top former officials -- ex-acting
attorney general Sally Yates and former director of national intelligence James
Clapper -- will testify on May 8. Both were deeply involved in the investigation
into Russian interference during the second half of last year under former
president Barack Obama.
Titles For
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on
April 25-26/17
Do not be fooled again: Iran hard-liners vs moderates
Majid Rafizadeh/Arabnews/April
24/2017
Iran’s government is playing its hand very skilfully in the upcoming
presidential elections, as it did in 2013, when the world was sold the idea that
a “moderate” was running against a “hard-liner.” Many national and international
media outlets, as well as pro-Iran agents in the West, reinforced this
narrative. This made many people believe that if a “moderate” wins, Iran and the
world would become much better places.
People were sold the notion that a “moderate” would alter Iran’s domestic
policies, promote human rights, respect freedoms and advance social justice.
They were told a “moderate” would fundamentally alter Iran’s foreign policy,
make Tehran a constructive player and oppose the deployment of hard power,
military expansionism and the Syrian regime. So they began advocating for the
“moderate.”
Even former US President Barack Obama lobbied to strengthen Iran’s “moderates,”
making many concessions, helping lift four rounds of UN sanctions, and turning a
blind eye to Iran’s domestic abuses and regional interventions.
A ‘hard-liner’ (Ebrahim Raisi) and a ‘moderate’ (Hassan Rouhani) are both
Khamenei’s confidants and loyalists. They are both preserving the power and
agenda of the supreme leader, as well as Iran’s Shiite and clerical
establishment, its revolutionary ideals and the military, which is pursuing
regional hegemony.
People were told that if “moderates” are empowered, Iran would give up its
revolutionary ideals. Hassan Rouhani became president and has served for almost
four years. Yet this “moderate” helped the hard-liners. Countries regionally and
internationally suffered tremendously under Rouhani, as did the overwhelming
majority of Iranians.
A “moderate” president has brought billions of dollars to the treasury of the
hard-liners, mainly Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his gilded circle, Iran’s
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military and intelligence. Rouhani helped
Iran spend more on financing, training and arming its proxies.
Iran became more militarily engaged in Syria and Iraq. It more aggressively
interfered in the domestic affairs of many countries, including Bahrain, Yemen
and Lebanon. Due to Iran’s sectarian agenda in Iraq and Syria, Daesh and other
radical groups gained more power in the region and the world.
Via its Guardian Council, Iran has again masterfully orchestrated a managed and
pre-selected race between a “hard-liner” (Ebrahim Raisi) and a “moderate” (Rouhani).
Do not be deceived: They are both Khamenei’s confidants and loyalists. They are
both preserving the power and agenda of the supreme leader, as well as Iran’s
Shiite and clerical establishment, its revolutionary ideals and the military,
which is pursuing regional hegemony.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated, Iranian-American political
scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman
and president of the International American Council. He serves on the boards of
the Harvard International Review, the Harvard International Relations Council
and the US-Middle East Chamber for Commerce and Business. He can be reached on
Twitter @Dr_Rafizadeh.
The stealthy Hezbollahzation of Iraq
Baria Alamuddin/Arbnews/April 24/17
Experts disagree about the date when Hezbollah came into being. It emerged out
of the shadows, and suddenly in 1983 was responsible for bombings that killed
hundreds of peacekeeping forces in Beirut.
We Lebanese were similarly bemused by this entity that gained a stranglehold on
our society. As the civil war ended, instead of demobilizing like other
militias, Hezbollah expanded its activities, running schools, hospitals,
universities — all the institutions of a fully-formed state. Considering how
fragile the Lebanese state and army were, for many communities Hezbollah was the
state, bankrolled by hundreds of millions of dollars of Iranian funds.
In our naivety, I and other Lebanese supported Hezbollah’s endeavors to push
Israel out of Lebanon. We believed their platitudes about putting Lebanese
interests first — until it was far too late. Hezbollah’s narrative of muqawamah
(resistance) after decades of Lebanon’s weakness and divisions even gave us a
bizarre sense of national pride. How wrong we were!
This scenario is repeating itself today in Iraq. The Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi umbrella
movement of mostly Shiite paramilitaries has no intention of demobilizing after
Daesh is defeated. Instead, it is comprehensively expanding its remit. Turkey’s
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently described Al-Hashd as a “terrorist
organization” and facilitator of “Iran’s Persian expansion policy.”
In universities, Al-Hashd sponsors activities, enlists students and holds
military training camps. Institutions have been established in Sunni provinces
for recruitment, indoctrination and expansion. Tens of Al-Hashd offices have
reportedly been opened in Mosul before this Sunni-majority city has even been
liberated. Intelligence headquarters have been set up, and Al-Hashd detention
centers — where torture and killings are routine — are no secret.
The Lebanese and the rest of the world complacently failed to perceive the
threat Hezbollah posed until it was too late. Will we make the same mistake
again?
Shiite religious institutions complain of being besieged by Tehran’s propaganda.
Pro-Iran seminaries are awash with funds as thousands of young people are
indoctrinated with Tehran-approved theology. There are sustained efforts to
ensure that a pro-Iran cleric succeeds Iraqi Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani.
The Hashd Law failed to bring paramilitaries under the government’s command.
Instead, this law makes them a permanent legal entity, receiving money and
weapons openly from the state and clandestinely from Iran, thus further
undermining the regular army. Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi says the right
things to the West about demobilizing Al-Hashd, but he has just promised to
increase expenditure on these militias.
We can only speculate how much cash was handed over in huge bags to Al-Hashd
faction the Hezbollah Brigades last week to secure the freedom of 26 members of
Qatar’s royal family, who were kidnapped by the group in late 2015 while hunting
in central Iraq.
The fact that part of the Tehran-brokered deal involves population swaps in
Syria, giving contiguous areas of Shiite-dominated territory near Lebanon’s
border, illustrates the regional remit of these Al-Hashd entities.
Efforts are afoot to unite Shiite factions into an Al-Hashd list ahead of Iraqi
elections, aspiring to become the largest bloc in the next Parliament, nominate
the prime minister and monopolize lucrative and powerful departments. Former
Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki has unashamedly embraced Al-Hashd as his route
back to power.
Hezbollah had been Iran’s greatest achievement in exporting its revolution.
Tehran is replicating this model in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, establishing proxy
states-within-states whose tentacles reach into all domains of society. The
Trump administration has vowed to prevent the Hezbollahzation of Yemen. This
will require colossal efforts, yet the problem is exponentially more complicated
in Iraq.
At a recent press conference, when Donald Trump was asked about Iranian proxies
in Syria and Iraq, he did not know what the reporter was talking about. Can we
hope for a considered Western response to Al-Hashd when the US president does
not even know what it is?
While the world has been obsessing over North Korea and Syria, Al-Hashd has
stayed out of the headlines. A Hashd University does not make for such sexy
headlines as missile tests and chemical bombs, but the confrontational
aspirations were glaringly transparent in a recent speech by Al-Hashd leader
Qais Al-Khazali.
“There will be a strong and effective Hashd University, through which we could
address our enemies and tell them, ‘If you fear us now, you must know that Al-Hashd
Al-Shaabi is present in every university, college and department,’” he said.
Sectarian governance and war crimes by paramilitaries will drive Iraq toward
renewed conflict. This year is perhaps Iraq’s last chance to be a unified
entity. A sectarian and brutal regime will drive communities back into the arms
of extremists and anti-state groups.
The Hezbollahzation of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen is proceeding at a
terrifying rate, offering the prospect of a pro-Iran super-state — a Persian
Empire — reaching the Mediterranean.
It is not enough for the US to warn that Iran has been “put on notice.” Right
now in multiple countries, at all levels of society, thousands of institutions
and entities are being transformed into bodies with a single purpose: To do
Tehran’s bidding. If only we could hope that the response would be as
sophisticated and strategic as Iran’s Machiavellian efforts toward regional
hegemony.
The Lebanese and the rest of the world complacently failed to perceive the
threat Hezbollah posed until it was too late. Will we make the same mistake
again?
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle
East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate, a foreign editor
at Al-Hayat, and has interviewed numerous heads of state.
Turkey Out of NATO: Other Voices/دانيال
بابيبس: خطورة بقاء تركيا في حلف الناتو
Daniel Pipes/Nov 9, 2009 updated Apr 25, 2017
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=54669
I raised the issue of Turkey’s continued membership in NATO in April 2009 at
“Does Turkey Still Belong in NATO?“; here I will collect others who agree that
the issue at least needs to be raised.
David Schenker, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, at “A NATO without
Turkey?”:
While it’s still too early to write Turkey out of NATO, in the not so distant
future, the alliance will reach a decision point. In 2014, NATO’s next
generation fighter plane, the Joint Strike Fighter, will be delivered. Given the
direction of Turkish politics, serious questions must be asked about whether the
Islamist government in Ankara can be trusted with the highly advanced
technology.
(November 5, 2009)
Michael Rubin, American Enterprise Institute: “Because Turkey increasingly is
the obstacle to NATO consensus, its future in the defensive alliance may now be
open to question.” (October 24, 2011)
Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) headed by Geert Wilders: reassess Turkey’s membership
in NATO on the basis that its government has abandoned its allies – first Israel
and now France. (December 26, 2011)
Rick Perry, governor of Texas and Republican presidential candidate, asked a
question at the South Carolina debate by Bret Baier of Fox News:
Bret Baier: Governor Perry, since the Islamist-oriented party took over in
Turkey, the murder rate of women has increased 1,400 percent there. Press
freedom has declined to the level of Russia. The prime minister of Turkey has
embraced Hamas and Turkey has threatened military force against both Israel and
Cypress. Given Turkey’s turn, do you believe Turkey still belongs in NATO?
Gov. Rick Perry of Texas at the South Carolina debate on Jan. 16, 2012.
Rick Perry: Well, obviously when you have a country that is being ruled by, what
many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists, when you start seeing that type of
activity against their own citizens, then yes. Not only is it time for us to
have a conversation about whether or not they belong to be in NATO, but it’s
time for the United States, when we look at their foreign aid, to go to zero
with it. (Applause) And you go to zero with foreign aid for all of those
countries. And it doesn’t make any difference who they are. You go to zero with
that foreign aid and then you have the conversation about, do they have
America’s best interest in mind? And when you have countries like Turkey that
are moving far away from the country that I lived in back in the 1970′s as a
pilot in the United States Air Force that was our ally, that worked with us, but
today we don’t see that.
It’s time that NATO start thinking about a worst case scenario in Turkey. For
even if the increasingly Islamist state remains a NATO partner, at best, it
seems Turkey will be an unreliable partner. Since the 1930s, the country has
been a model of modernization and moderation in the Middle East. But absent a
remarkable turnaround, it would appear that the West is losing Turkey.
(January 16, 2012) Jan. 17, 2012 update: The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
called Perry’s comments “baseless and inappropriate” and asserted that Turkey’s
leaders are “personalities respected not only in the United States, but in our
region and in the world and whose opinions are strongly relied on.” The
statement breached usual diplomatic niceties, noting that “Turkey joined NATO
while the governor was still 2-years old” and urging Americans not to waste time
with candidates “who do not even know their allies.” It affirmed that “Figures
who are candidates for positions that require responsibility, such as the U.S.
presidency, should be more knowledgeable about the world and exert more care
with their statement.” The ministry concluded with a final whack, noting Perry’s
low standing in the presidential race as proof that Republicans do not endorse
his opinions.
Soner Cagaptay and Richard Outzen, respectively of the Washington Institute for
Near Eastern Policy and the U.S. Army, have written an analysis titled “Would
Turkey Leave NATO?” for CNN which offers ideas on keeping Ankara in but which
can no less easily be flipped on its head to figure out to push Ankara out.They
suggest that “to maintain Turkey’s long-term commitment to NATO, the alliance
should consider making Ankara feel important.” They then list a number of ideas:
“design a program for new democracies in the Arab world … and grant Turkey
status as the lead nation in this endeavor.”
protect “Turkey’s most vulnerable security flank: the Kurdistan Workers Party.”
make it clear that NATO “sees Turkey as an indispensable member,” as was
recently done at a NATO summit in Chicago and with the decision to switch the
land forces headquarters from Germany to Turkey.
Comments: (1) This listing makes the Turkish leadership sound utterly self
centered and egocentric. (2) To dispatch Ankara from NATO would seem to require
no more than a few well-placed slights. (June 26, 2012)
Sep. 20, 2014 update: The Turkish government’s misbehavior at home and abroad
have prompted many new commentators – too many for me usefully to document their
specifics – to call for its suspension or expulsion from NATO. What was once the
views of a small minority has now become commonplace.
Nov. 5, 2014 update: In an important article by Semih Idiz, “No chance Turkey
will be ‘kicked out of NATO’,” a former Turkish ambassador to NATO, Unal Unsal,
states there is no risk of Turkey’s being expelled from the alliance. “talk of
kicking Turkey out is idle because NATO does not have rules for this. It is only
up to member states to leave if they want.” Idiz concludes that, “unless Turkey
wants to leave NATO, it will remain a member as long as the alliance survives.”
Apr. 25, 2017 update: Michael Rubin points out the danger of allowing the
Republic of Turkey to remain a full, active member of NATO:
Ironically, as Erdogan seizes the power to guide Turkey from the West and toward
a broader partnership with Russia, the problem for the United States is not that
Turkey could leave NATO but that it might not. NATO is run by consensus, and
Turkey could act as a Trojan horse, paralyzing all decision-making and
effectiveness. NATO has no mechanism to expel a member that drifts away from the
alliance’s political or democratic norms..
We Oppose the Spheres of Influence
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/April 25/17
Colonial powers are historically held responsible for tensions and conflicts
straining the Middle East in pre-WWII times, with approximately 60 percent of
the regional map having been occupied by foreign forces.After the Second World
War, colonialism was mostly driven out of the region—however, contrary to
assumptions, the Middle East transformed into a hotbed for exasperating disputes
and strife. Blame, nevertheless, is still wrongly directed against the “Cold
War” and ongoing geopolitical tensions between powers in the Eastern Bloc (the
Soviet Union and its satellite states) and powers in the Western Bloc (the
United States, its NATO allies and others).
Reasons were redirected towards political vacuum after the Soviet Union
collapsed in the early 90s, leaving behind only one superpower. New wars emerged
in Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq, and crises flared up in Egypt, Algeria,
southern Yemen and Eritrea.
Moscow’s return to the international arena then ended the so-called political
vacuum and removed the single pole status quo. Wars spread, becoming fiercer and
with an impact larger than any on record and red lines were overstepped. It
could be said that death, harm, displacement and destruction caused by recent
civil wars have outdone any inflicted by wars waged in the past five decades
combined, and the tragedy continues.
Witnessing that the region has only descended into more chaos and havoc, it
cannot be assumed that international spheres of influence are solely
accountable. The region in and of itself is highly volatile and susceptible to
wars breaking out.
Conflict in Eastern Europe ceased as a result of an agreement brokered between
the two key Cold War camps. After the Soviet camp was no longer, the situation
was under control and manageable. The dissolution of Czechoslovakia took place
and Yugoslavia was broken up, all of which happened by virtue of European
cooperation.
All of the above was preceded by Southeast Asian arrangements made after the
United States’ defeat in Vietnam when the whole region was reshaped, including
Indonesia and Malaysia, and support being given to South Korea. Even a unified
Vietnam later began to cooperate with the West once again.
What does it take to achieve stability in the Middle East? The region still
presents a danger not only to itself, but also the world!
There is a widely-held conviction that has been around since the 80s on Iran
being the prime source for regional tension — a reservoir responsible for
exporting chaos –followed by the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
Saddam’s dictatorship was overthrown, so was Libya’s notorious despot Muammar
Gaddafi. The last chaos-wielder remaining was Iran.
Successive US administrations sought to reassure Iran that, despite differences,
they only want to contain Tehran hostility and its export of terrorism and fine
tune its behavior rather than introduce true political change, like what
happened in Iraq and Libya.
What if the world succeeded in forcing the Iranian regime to change its behavior
and end its aggression? Or have it changed conclusively?
There is no doubt that the region’s prospects at lasting and comprehensive peace
would be greater. The main artery pumping funds, hosting and exporting chaos and
terrorism throughout decades will be cut off. It could be that the Middle East
will live out its first chance in its modern history without any unrest.
Most of the chaos witnessed today is either directly or indirectly linked to
Iran, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, Iraq’s extremist militias,
Houthis in Yemen, and other Iran-aligned groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan and
Bahrain.
Regional and international powers must first unanimously identify Iran’s regime
as the leading source of regional chaos and war. Subsequently, it is imperative
to note that dealing with the headspring of evil takes precedence over vainly
chasing off Tehran proxies.
A major component of the clerical regime’s success is the effective exploitation
of regional disputes to its benefits—at some instances claiming to defend
Islamic causes and at others backing “humanitarian” issues. Iran has repeatedly
failed to justify its aggressions and earned its title as the most hated state
by the people.
Tehran is still playing on the chords of international conflict in the region,
allied with Russia, as well as extorting China.
Fortunately, regional states are aware and familiar with the problem at hand.
They do not wish to resurrect the spheres of influence scenario.
Regional countries are saving no effort in trying to persuade Moscow not to be
dragged behind the Tehran regime into a game of brutal geopolitics outlined by
influence and conflicts of interests. A multi-axis political atmosphere would
pit Washington and Gulf states against a Moscow allied with Iran.
Should Moscow be persuaded, axes that would inevitably spin out of control will
be overcome and Iranian hostility put to an end.
Without alliances, Tehran’s futile play, which only harmed Iranian people and
the people of the region, will be put to rest.
The Crisis of Western Civ
David Brooks/The New York Times/April 25/17
Between 1935 and 1975, Will and Ariel Durant published a series of volumes that
together were known as “The Story of Civilization.” They basically told human
history (mostly Western history) as an accumulation of great ideas and
innovations, from the Egyptians, through Athens, Magna Carta, the Age of Faith,
the Renaissance and the Declaration of the Rights of Man. The series was
phenomenally successful, selling over two million copies.
That series encapsulated the Western civilization narrative that people, at
least in Europe and North America, used for most of the past few centuries to
explain their place in the world and in time. This narrative was confidently
progressive. There were certain great figures, like Socrates, Erasmus,
Montesquieu and Rousseau, who helped fitfully propel the nations to higher
reaches of the humanistic ideal.
This Western civ narrative came with certain values — about the importance of
reasoned discourse, the importance of property rights, the need for a public
square that was religiously informed but not theocratically dominated. It set a
standard for what great statesmanship looked like. It gave diverse people a
sense of shared mission and a common vocabulary, set a framework within which
political argument could happen and most important provided a set of common
goals.
Starting decades ago, many people, especially in the universities, lost faith in
the Western civilization narrative. They stopped teaching it, and the great
cultural transmission belt broke. Now many students, if they encounter it, are
taught that Western civilization is a history of oppression.
It’s amazing what far-reaching effects this has had. It is as if a prevailing
wind, which powered all the ships at sea, had suddenly ceased to blow. Now
various scattered enemies of those Western values have emerged, and there is
apparently nobody to defend them.
The first consequence has been the rise of the illiberals, authoritarians who
not only don’t believe in the democratic values of the Western civilization
narrative, but don’t even pretend to believe in them, as former dictators did.
Over the past few years especially, we have entered the age of strong men. We
are leaving the age of Obama, Cameron and Merkel and entering the age of Putin,
Erdogan, el-Sisi, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump.
The events last week in Turkey were just another part of the trend. Recep Tayyip
Erdogan dismantles democratic institutions and replaces them with majoritarian
dictatorship. Turkey seems to have lost its desire to join the European idea,
which no longer has magnetism and allure. Turkey seems to have lost its
aspiration to join the community of democracies because that’s no longer the
inevitable future.
More and more governments, including the Trump administration, begin to look
like premodern mafia states, run by family-based commercial clans. Meanwhile,
institutionalized, party-based authoritarian regimes, like in China or Russia,
are turning into premodern cults of personality/Maximum Leader regimes, which
are far more unstable and dangerous.
Then there has been the collapse of the center. For decades, center-left and
center-right parties clustered around similar versions of democratic capitalism
that Western civilization seemed to point to. But many of those centrist
parties, like the British and Dutch Labor Parties, are in near collapse. Fringe
parties rise.
In France, the hard-right Marine Le Pen and the hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon
could be the final two candidates in the presidential runoff. Le Pen has
antiliberal views about national purity. Mélenchon is a supposedly democratic
politician who models himself on Hugo Chávez.
If those two end up in the finals, then the European Union and NATO, the two
great liberal institutions of modern Europe, will go into immediate crisis.
Finally, there has been the collapse of liberal values at home. On American
campuses, fragile thugs who call themselves students shout down and abuse
speakers on a weekly basis. To read Heather MacDonald’s account of being
pilloried at Claremont McKenna College is to enter a world of chilling
intolerance.
In America, the basic fabric of civic self-government seems to be eroding
following the loss of faith in democratic ideals. According to a study published
in The Journal of Democracy, the share of young Americans who say it is
absolutely important to live in a democratic country has dropped from 91 percent
in the 1930s to 57 percent today.
While running for office, Donald Trump violated every norm of statesmanship
built up over these many centuries, and it turned out many people didn’t notice
or didn’t care.
The faith in the West collapsed from within. It’s amazing how slow people have
been to rise to defend it.
There have been a few lonely voices. Andrew Michta laments the loss of Western
confidence in an essay in The American Interest. Edward Luce offers a response
in his forthcoming book “The Retreat of Western Liberalism.” But liberalism has
been docile in defense of itself.
These days, the whole idea of Western civ is assumed to be reactionary and
oppressive. All I can say is, if you think that was reactionary and oppressive,
wait until you get a load of the world that comes after it.
The Foregone Conclusion of Britain’s Election
Kenan Malik/Asharq Al Awsat/April 25/17
This, as we keep discovering, is an era of unexpected electoral results.
Tuesday’s decision by Britain’s prime minister, Theresa May, to call a general
election for June 8 was certainly unexpected. In an age in which few secrets
remain secret, no journalist or politician seemed to have had an inkling about
the announcement until it was made. But even in the era of the unexpected, it is
difficult to see any result other than a solid Conservative Party victory,
returning Mrs. May to Downing Street confirmed as prime minister.
The real question the June election will raise is not which party will form the
next British government, but which party takes on the mantle of opposition?
There is certainly widespread disaffection with the Conservative government’s
policies, from its cack-handed approach to Brexit negotiations to resentment
over continuing cuts in public spending. Yet, disaffection with the opposition
and, in particular, with the Labor Party, is far starker.
Labor is in disarray. It recently lost a parliamentary by-election in a
traditionally rock-solid seat, has plummeted in opinion polls and is convulsed
with infighting. A poll taken after Mrs. May’s election announcement showed a 21
percentage-point lead for the Conservatives over Labor. To put that in
perspective, when Margaret Thatcher trounced Michael Foot in the 1983 election,
seen as a nadir for Labor, she enjoyed a not quite 15-point lead.
Many see the Labor’s problems as deriving primarily from its leader, left-winger
Jeremy Corbyn. Mr. Corbyn has been markedly ineffectual as leader, unable to
enthuse even his core supporters. A recent poll suggested that fewer than 40
percent of Labor voters think he would make a better prime minister than Mrs.
May.
One Labor member of Parliament, John Woodcock, told his constituents, “I will
not countenance ever voting to make Jeremy Corbyn Britain’s prime minister.”
When the party’s own lawmakers can’t face the idea of their leader as prime
minister, it is difficult to know why anyone should vote Labor.
Labor’s crisis runs deeper, though, than its leader. It no longer knows what
kind of party it is, or whom it seeks to represent. So it has been unable to
take a stand on the big issues of the day, most notably Brexit. Fearful of
losing its residual working-class base, the party shrank from full-hearted
backing of the Remain campaign. Neither, though, can Labor — anxious not to
alienate middle-class, urban voters — truly embrace Brexit.
The result has been an irresolution that has leached support from both
constituencies. Labor’s vacillation over Brexit has led many middle-class
liberals to switch to the Liberal Democrats, or simply drift away. Tony Blair
has already called on voters to support anti-Brexit candidates, irrespective of
party affiliation. There are reports that Labor’s former leader may campaign on
this platform with the Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron.
Decimated in the 2015 election, after its unhappy phase as the junior partner in
a coalition government with David Cameron’s Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats
have now repositioned themselves as the party of Europe. Making a play to win
the support of the Remain voters who still feel resentful about the result of
last year’s referendum on Britain’s membership in the European Union, it is
calling for a second referendum at the end of the Brexit negotiations.
The Liberal Democrats may recoup some lost seats in Parliament, but its
electoral appeal is too narrow for it to form a serious opposition. It would be
triumph for the Liberal Democrats if they won back even 50 seats at the coming
election.
As for the UK Independence Party, the Brexit vote has deprived it of a raison
d’être. Since the referendum, the party has imploded in a vicious civil war. It
currently has no representatives in Parliament, and is unlikely to have any
after the June election either.
In Scotland, the governing party is the Scottish National Party. At the last
general election, it won an extraordinary 56 out of 59 seats, leaving Labor, the
Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives each with a single seat.
The party’s leader and Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has tried to
exploit the Brexit result to push for another referendum on Scottish
independence, pointing out that a majority of Scots voted to remain in the
European Union. Mrs. May has insisted that any referendum, if there is to be
one, can only take place after Brexit negotiations are completed, and Britain
has left the union. This conflict will cast a shadow over the coming election,
but there is little evidence of much appetite among Scots either for a new
referendum or for independence itself.
Given their extravagant success at the last election, it would not be surprising
if the nationalists lost a few constituencies this time. As in England and
Wales, though, the real battle will be not over who governs, but who, among a
depleted opposition, can make the most of whatever political scraps remain.
Again, Labor is likely to fare worst. Twenty years ago, the party seemed
unassailable in Scotland. Even as late as 2010, it held 41 out of Scotland’s 59
constituencies in the Westminster Parliament. After June 8, Labor may be left
with not one.
This could, and should, have been a vital election, the focus for a great debate
about the kind of post-Brexit Britain people want, a fierce contest over issues
from austerity to immigration. But the void where an opposition should be means
that little of substance will be debated.
To be sure, there will be shouting matches over Brexit, and many will try to use
this election to rerun last year’s referendum. But after June 8, a Conservative
government will enter into negotiations with the European Union with its policy
and strategy barely tested in public.
Britain’s surprise general election comes amid a series of highly charged and
unpredictable national votes — from the Brexit vote and American election last
year, to the Dutch general election and the Turkish referendum this spring, and
with the first round of the French presidential election, before the German
federal elections in September.
All such democratic soundings should provide an important platform for public
debate and a vital gauge of the popular will. A pity, then, if Britain’s
election becomes the one that matters least.
How to Defuse the Crisis with North Korea
Joel S. Wit/The New York Times/April 25/17
WASHINGTON — I have been meeting with North Korean government officials for over
two decades, first for almost 10 years as part of my job at the State
Department, and then as a researcher working at universities and think tanks.
This experience has made me familiar with the North Koreans’ views on
safeguarding their country’s security. I believe that President Trump is making
a big mistake if he thinks that the threat of a military strike and escalating
sanctions will persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.
Following a two-month review, the Trump administration has moved to implement a
policy that emphasizes pressure — including the threat of military force and new
sanctions against North Korea, as well as new restrictions intended to punish
Chinese businesses with ties to Pyongyang. While the theory is that doing so
will persuade North Korea to stop its provocative behavior, return to
negotiations and give up its nuclear weapons, it won’t work that way. These
threats will make the North Korean government only more likely to dig in its
heels and move forward with its nuclear and missile programs, embroiling the
United States in a festering crisis on the Korean Peninsula that could escalate
out of control.
For more than 60 years, North Korea has successfully resisted not only pressure
from great powers, mainly the United States, but also attempts at manipulation
by its patrons, the Soviet Union and China. This reflects a strong nationalism
but also a principle dear to the North Koreans: that as a small country in a
life-or-death confrontation with the world’s most powerful nation, any display
of weakness would amount to national suicide.
A longstanding, deeply ingrained view in Pyongyang is that Washington’s real
agenda is to get rid of the North Korean regime because of the military threat
it poses to American allies like South Korea and Japan, its widespread human
rights violations and now its nuclear arsenal.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tried to reassure the North during his visit to
Tokyo last month, saying, “North Korea and its people need not fear the United
States or their neighbors in the region who seek only to live in peace with
North Korea.” But Vice President Mike Pence’s assertion in Seoul this week that
the United States seeks to end repression in North Korea, when viewed from
Pyongyang, clearly translates into a policy of regime change.
Threats like these reinforce a view in Pyongyang that North Korea needs nuclear
weapons to shield it against a much larger, much more powerful country. That’s a
message I have heard repeatedly from the North Koreans, most recently in a
private meeting I attended with government officials who stated that their
country would not have developed nuclear weapons if it did not see the United
States as a threat or had not been subjected to American and South Korean
provocations. American actions in other countries — whether backing regime
change in Libya or launching airstrikes against Syria for its use of chemical
weapons — strengthen that view.
The Trump administration may also be mistaken if it believes that China will
rein in North Korea. President Trump’s effort to establish cooperation with
China, combined with the threat of American military action against the North,
seems to be yielding some results, as China recently threatened to impose new
sanctions on North Korea. But how far will China go?
There are legitimate concerns in Beijing that too much economic pressure on
North Korea will trigger dangerous instability there. Moreover, the North
Koreans are just as likely to resist Chinese strong-arm tactics as they are
American pressure. Attempts by China to send top-ranking diplomats to Pyongyang
over the past week were reportedly rejected out of hand by North Korea. Most
observers forget that North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is aimed at China as well as
the United States and its allies.
In the weeks ahead, the combination of underestimating North Korean
intransigence and overestimating China’s influence will expose the Trump
administration’s inability to stop North Korea’s nuclear program and could
escalate tensions. Pyongyang’s bellicose statements threatening thermonuclear
war, the display of new missiles at a parade this past weekend and the failed
test on Sunday of a missile able to reach targets in Northeast Asia could be
North Korea’s opening moves.
If the Trump administration’s current course continues, it will lead to a dead
end. Pyongyang will push forward with its nuclear and missile programs, American
threats will ring increasingly hollow if force is not exercised because of the
very real risks of triggering a North Korean military response against South
Korea and Japan, and Beijing’s support will soften as it looks for a way out of
the tensions. As a result, the administration will end up trapped in a policy
no-man’s land, its only options to retreat back to the Obama administration’s
failed policy of “strategic patience” (without, of course, saying so) or
doubling down on sanctions aimed at China and deploying more missile defense and
forces to the region.
Time is not on President Trump’s side. The administration should seriously
consider pivoting away from pressure to soon resuming dialogue with North Korea.
In fact, the United States government should already be quietly talking to the
North Koreans, either through contacts with Pyongyang’s United Nations mission
or elsewhere, emphasizing Washington’s resolve to defend American interests and
making clear that the United States does not have hostile intentions toward
North Korea. The Americans should also make clear that they want to explore
peaceful paths forward.
The next step for the administration should be to initiate “talks about talks,”
allowing both sides to raise their concerns — in the case of the United States,
North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. If common ground is found — and if
the North is willing to address the objective of eventually achieving a
nuclear-free Korean Peninsula — the two would then move on to the resumption of
formal negotiations.
There are no guarantees that this approach will work. But the Trump
administration’s constant refrain that “all options are on the table” should
mean just that — not only a military strike but also a diplomatic offensive. In
doing so, President Trump would avoid the policy quagmire just over the horizon,
strengthen cooperation with China and give Pyongyang a face-saving way out of
the current confrontation before it’s too late.
Open Letter to National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R.
McMaster
'Radical Islamic Terrorism' is Accurate and 'Helpful'
A. Z. Mohamed/Gatestone Institute/April 25/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10227/mcmaster-open-letter
In other words, as al-Kalbani has confirmed -- and contrary to what McMaster has
been telling his staff and his commander-in-chief, President Trump -- Muslim
terrorists are Islamic, and the term "radical Islamic terrorism" is apt,
accurate and extremely "helpful."
During his first "all hands" staff meeting on February 23, President Donald
Trump's new national security adviser, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, called
terrorism "un-Islamic" and the term "radical Islamic terrorism" not helpful.
Prior to the meeting, retired U.S. Army Col. Peter Mansoor told Fox News that
McMaster, with whom he served in Iraq during the 2007 surge of American troops,
"absolutely does not view Islam as the enemy... and will present a degree of
pushback against the theories being propounded in the White House that this is a
clash of civilizations and needs to be treated as such."
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, President Trump's National Security Adviser.
(Image source: Center for Strategic and International Studies)
Let us put McMaster's premise -- which is antithetical not only to that of his
predecessor, Michael Flynn, but to Trump himself and many of his senior advisers
-- to the test.
Less than three years ago, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin
Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh -- a grandchild of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, the
18th-century founder of the Saudi school of Islam called Wahhabism -- said, in
an August 19, 2014 statement, that Islamic State (ISIS), and al-Qaeda, are
Islam's "enemy number one."
This would be a good sign, if not for the fact that four days earlier, Sheikh
Adil al-Kalbani, a former imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and a Salafi (a
strict sect of Sunni Islam advocating a return to the early Islam of the Quran),
tweeted: "ISIS is a true product of Salafism and we must deal with it with full
transparency."Later that month, al-Kalbani published two pieces in the Saudi
government-aligned daily Al Riyadh -- on August 24 and 31 -- criticizing
elements "in the Salafi stream for appropriating the truth and Islam and for
permitting the killing of their opponents, and... clerics and society that dared
not come out against them."This was a bold assertion on the part of al-Kalbani:
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is based on Wahhabism, a form of Salafism embraced
by the monarchy.
In January 2016, al-Kalbani gave an interview to the Saudi-owned, Dubai-based
network, MBC, in which he acknowledged with regret, "We follow the same thought
[as ISIS], but apply it in a refined way." He added that ISIS "draws its ideas
from what is written in our own books, from our own principles." (Author's
emphasis)
McMaster should have been listening.
In the BBC World Service podcast "The Inquiry" (December 2015) -- on a program
called "Is Saudi Arabia to blame for IS?" -- Professor Bernard Haykel, director
of the Institute for Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North
Africa and Central Asia at Princeton University, said: "The Islamic State's
religious genealogy comes from 'Jihadi Salafism,' a theological current that is
very old in Islam that is quite literalist." Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's
well-known short books, he added, "are used by ISIS today."
Indeed, until ISIS began producing its own textbooks in 2014, the terrorist
organization relied on official Saudi ones. In addition, many fatwas (Islamic
legal decrees) issued by senior Saudi clerics are markedly similar to those
issued by ISIS and other terrorist organizations. As recently as February 2017,
in fact -- in a lesson aired on Saudi regime-aligned Ahwaz TV -- Sheikh Ayman
Al-Anqari cited various hadiths (a collection of the Prophet Mohamed's sayings)
supporting his fatwa that "coexistence in the sense of freedom of religion... is
null and void." He also advocated offensive jihad and death as a punishment for
apostates. It should be noted that Al-Anqari is a professor in the Aqidah
(Islamic Faith) and Current Doctrines department in the College of Sharia and
Islamic Studies at Al-Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.
In other words, as al-Kalbani has confirmed -- and contrary to what McMaster has
been telling his staff and his commander-in-chief, President Trump -- Muslim
terrorists are Islamic, and the term "radical Islamic terrorism" is apt,
accurate and extremely "helpful."
** A. Z. Mohamed is a Muslim born and raised in the Middle East.
© 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.
Hamas: The New Charter That Isn't
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/April 25/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10213/hamas-new-charter
It is worthwhile to note that, contrary to what is being published in many media
outlets, Hamas is NOT changing its Charter, which explicitly calls for the
elimination of Israel.
The document goes on to clarify that even if Hamas accepts a Palestinian state
on the pre-1967 lines, "this would not mean recognition of the Zionist entity or
giving up any of the Palestinian rights."
Hamas and the PLO now have crucial common ground: sweet-talk the Western donors
while laying stealthy plans to destroy Israel.
Yasser Arafat may have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but his PLO officials
and he really deserve the prize for the art of deception. For decades now, the
PLO has spearheaded one of history's biggest scams, and now it seems that Hamas,
the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood movement, is about to join the bandwagon.
According to unconfirmed reports in the Arab media, Hamas is about to publish a
"political document" in which it "accepts" the "two-state solution." The
purported document is already being hailed by some Western and Israeli analysts
and Hamas apologists as a sign of the radical Islamic movement's march toward
moderation and pragmatism.
It is worthwhile to note that, contrary to what is being published in many media
outlets, Hamas is NOT changing its Charter, which explicitly calls for the
elimination of Israel. The new Hamas document is intended for outside
consumption and is directed to the ears and eyes of Americans and Europeans
only. The original Hamas Charter in Arabic will remain in effect even after the
new document is made public and seemingly official. In fact, it does not have to
do that. The New Charter, while mouthing all sorts of human rights bromides over
which Westerners and the media can be counted upon to swoon, such as:
"Hamas believes that the message of Islam came with morals of justice, truth,
dignity and freedom, and is against injustice in all its shapes, and
criminalizes the criminals whatever their sex, color, religion or nationality,"
and so on. (New Hamas Charter, Article 9).
It is, nevertheless, the same Old Hamas Charter as before. It does not even
bother to renounce jihad as an acceptable means of "resistance." This is Hamas
talking in code; pursuing "resistance" against Israel means: We plan to continue
launching terror attacks against Israel.
"Hamas confirms that no peace in Palestine should be agreed on, based on
injustice to the Palestinians or their land. Any arrangements based on that will
not lead to peace, and the resistance and Jihad will remain as a legal right, a
project and an honor for all our nations' people." (New Hamas Charter, Article
21)
The PLO bluff began with the signing of the Oslo Accords with Israel in 1993,
and reached its peak three years later, when PLO leaders managed to convince
President Bill Clinton and the international community, including many Israelis,
that they had changed the PLO Charter, which calls for the destruction of
Israel. The truth, however, is a far cry from that.
Back in 1996, the PLO's parliament-in-exile, the Palestine National Council
(PNC), held a session in Gaza City where its members decided to "entrust a legal
committee with re-formulating the Palestinian Charter."
No one knows if the committee made any of the proposed changes. It is also
unclear whether two-thirds of the PNC members (the required majority) actually
voted in favor of changing the PLO Charter.
To this day, some Palestinians maintain that the charter was never officially
amended or revoked -- and it certainly was not ratified -- and that the whole
performance was a lie to mislead the international community and Israel into
believing that the Palestinians had abandoned their dream of destroying Israel
through "armed struggle."
The PLO Charter question, like the PLO's pledge to work towards a two-state
solution, is murky. What is clear is that many in the international community
swallowed the scam and began to believe that Arafat and his cohorts were finally
leading their people toward real peace, beginning with recognition of Israel's
right to exist.
A glance at PLO actions over the past two decades will show that this tiger has
certainly not changed its stripes. Since the signing of the Oslo Accords, the
PLO and its leaders, first Arafat and now Mahmoud Abbas, have consistently and
stubbornly rejected all Israeli peace offers, some of which were exorbitantly
generous.
The PLO and many other Palestinians have one thing in mind: to establish a
Palestinian state alongside Israel in order to use it in the future as a
launching pad from which to destroy Israel.
This desire to replace Israel with a Palestinian state is why no Palestinian
leader will ever sign a document ending the conflict with Israel -- no matter
what he is offered. No Palestinian leader is even authorized to pledge an end to
Palestinian demands, even if he is given all the territories held by Israel
since the 1967 Six Day War. Anyone could justifiably come along later -- after
land had irreversibly changed hands -- and ask by what right Mahmoud Abbas, a
leader in the twelfth year of a five-year term, had any legal authority to agree
to anything. That question would -- and should – invalidate any agreement
overnight.
Abbas has shown for the past decade that his true goal is to undermine,
delegitimize and isolate Israel; not to make peace with it. Abbas is prepared to
accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (as well as East
Jerusalem) only because he sees this solution as part of the "phased plan" to
eliminate Israel. The PLO Charter, which was ostensibly changed, is still living
in the minds and hearts of Abbas and many Palestinians.
We have been here before, but the minuet partner has changed.
After two decades, Hamas has finally woken up to the power of lies. Its leaders
are mouthing just what the international community wishes to hear -- in exchange
for legitimacy, recognition and money. Like the PLO, Hamas has learned that in
this instance, words are more important than actions. Utter the words: "We
accept a Palestinian state on the 1967 boundaries" and you will find the world
at your doorstep.
After two decades, Hamas has finally woken up to the power of lies. Like the
PLO, Hamas has learned that in this instance, words are more important than
actions. Pictured: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (right) shakes
hands with Hamas's leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, during negotiations in 2007
for a short-lived unity government. (Image source: Palestinian Press Office)
The new document leaves no room for doubt that Hamas continues to seek the
destruction of Israel despite its alleged acceptance of a Palestinian state on
the pre-1967 lines. Hamas "will not give up any part of the land of Palestine
regardless of the reasons, circumstances and pressure," the document reads,
according to the Arab media reports. "Hamas rejects any alternative to the
liberation of Palestine in its entirety, from the river to the sea."
The document goes on to clarify that even if Hamas accepts a Palestinian state
on the pre-1967 lines, "this would not mean recognition of the Zionist entity or
giving up any of the Palestinian rights." The new document repeats Hamas's
commitment to the "armed struggle" against Israel:
"Resisting the occupation, with all methods and means, is a right that is
guaranteed by international laws. At the heart of this is the armed resistance,
which is considered the strategic choice to defend our people and restore their
rights."
In yet more signs of Hamas's purported "moderation," the document re-emphasizes
the movement's "absolute rejection" of the Oslo Accords, signed in 1993 between
Israel and the PLO. In addition, the document affirms Hamas's commitment to work
towards flooding Israel with millions of Palestinian "refugees" through the
so-called right of return. In theory, Palestinians should be directed toward a
State of Palestine: that is what it is purportedly being created for. "Palestine
is an Arab and Islamic land; it is a blessed and sacred land that occupies a
special place in the heart of all Arabs and Muslims," the new document stresses.
But, no, the Palestinians apparently want to have their marbles and Israel's
marbles.
The talk about Hamas accepting the two-state solution is nothing but a bluff.
Hamas itself is saying that it will accept a Palestinian state on the 1967-lines
but without recognizing Israel's right to exist. In other words, Hamas is
telling Israel, "Hand me a state on your doorstep so that I can better position
myself to destroy you." With moderates like that, who needs extremists?
New document or not, Hamas will continue to launch rockets and perpetrate other
terror attacks to kill Jews. The "pragmatism" of the "new Hamas" lies in its
amplified ability to fool the West.
Not everyone, however, is fooled. Hamas is using old PLO tricks to achieve
current ends: double talk, conflicting messages, some in English, some in
Arabic. They fill their people's minds with anti-Israel venom while sending love
notes to the international community. Hey, it worked for the PLO, so why not for
Hamas?
Valentine's Day has come and gone, but Hamas and the PLO now have crucial common
ground: sweet-talk the Western donors while laying stealthy plans to destroy
Israel.
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab scholar based in the Middle East.
© 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.