LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 10/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations

We give no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our service may not be blamed, but in everything commending ourselves, as servants of God, in great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses
Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians 06/01-16: “6:1 Working together, we entreat also that you not receive the grace of God in vain, for he says, “At an acceptable time I listened to you, in a day of salvation I helped you.”Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. We give no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our service may not be blamed, but in everything commending ourselves, as servants of God, in great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; in pureness, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians. Our heart is enlarged. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections. Now in return, I speak as to my children, you also be open wide. Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What agreement has Christ with Belial? Or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever? What agreement has a temple of God with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Question: "Is the Bible relevant for today?"
GotQuestions.org?/Answer: Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” While the Bible was completed approximately 1900 years ago, its accuracy and relevance for today remain unchanged. The Bible is the sole objective source of all the revelation God has given us about Himself and His plan for humanity. The Bible contains a great deal of information about the natural world that has been confirmed by scientific observations and research. Some of these passages include Leviticus 17:11; Ecclesiastes 1:6-7; Job 36:27-29; Psalm 102:25-27 and Colossians 1:16-17. As the Bible’s story of God’s redemptive plan for humanity unfolds, many different characters are vividly described. In those descriptions, the Bible provides a great deal of information about human behavior and tendencies. Our own day-to-day experience shows us that this information is more accurate and descriptive of the human condition than any psychology textbook. Many historical facts recorded in the Bible have been confirmed by extra-biblical sources. Historical research often shows a great deal of agreement between biblical accounts and extra-biblical accounts of the same events. However, the Bible is not a history book, a psychology text, or a scientific journal. The Bible is the description God gave us about who He is, and His desires and plans for humanity. The most significant component of this revelation is the story of our separation from God by sin and God’s provision for restoration of fellowship through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. Our need for redemption does not change. Neither does God’s desire to reconcile us to Himself.
The Bible contains a great deal of accurate and relevant information. The Bible’s most important message—redemption—is universally and perpetually applicable to humanity. God’s Word will never be outdated, superseded, or improved upon. Cultures change, laws change, generations come and go, but the Word of God is as relevant today as it was when it was first written. Not all of Scripture necessarily applies explicitly to us today, but all Scriptures contain truth that we can, and should, apply to our lives today.
Recommended Resource: The Quest Study Bible

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 09-10/17
Lebanese prime minister denounces Iraqi militant/Najia Houssari//Arab News/December 10/2017
Former Trump adviser, Walid Phares, interviewed in Congress in Russia probe/Reuters/December 08/17
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Iranian complicity/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/December 09/17
Will Iraq’s upcoming elections be dead on arrival/Shehab Al-Makahleh/Al Arabiya/December 09/17
Welcome to the Hell Hole that is Brussels/Drieu Godefridi//Gatestone Institute/December 09/17
Violence Should Not Determine Policy/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/December 09/17
Islamist Regimes Take Over UNESCO/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/December 09/17
The Mullahs Overplay The Military Card/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/December 08/2017 Ambiguity Surrounds Trump’s Jerusalem Announcement/Raghida Dergham/Arab News/December 10/2017

Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on December 09-10/17
Asaib Ahl al-Haq chief appears at Lebanon-Israel border, Hariri for probe
Aoun informs Erdogan he will be attending Istanbul Summit next Wednesday
Hariri Demands Investigations into Footage of Iraqi Militant in South
Report: US Jerusalem Move Raises Naturalization Concern
Kidanian visits Franjieh in Bnechii
Bassil Heads to Cairo for Arab League Meeting on Jerusalem
Laham Calls for 'Opening of Borders, Advancing into Palestine'
Army Chief meets with Army Command Officers: To intensify security measures, especially during holidays
Raouche Rock relit with Palestinian flag
Berri meets with Dabbour: Lebanon has overcome its crisis through unity
Army urges Palestinian cause demonstrators not to tamper with security of citizens, foreign interests and diplomatic missions
Resistance is only way to bring down U.S. illusion, Fathali says
Lebanese prime minister denounces Iraqi militant's trip to border

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 09-10/17
Israel strike kills two Palestinians at Hamas base, Gaza official says
Arabs to hold meeting on Jerusalem’s ‘legal, historical and religious status’
Houthis bury Ali Saleh in his hometown without customary funeral
Prime Minister Abadi declares ‘end of war against ISIS’ in Iraq
Palestinian president, Coptic Pope not to meet Pence
Muslims pray outside White House in protest against Trump’s Jerusalem move
Almost unanimously, Security Council rejects Trump’s resolution on Jerusalem
US airstrikes kill five al-Qaida operatives in Yemen
Israel Strike Kills Two in Gaza as Trump Rage Simmers
UK Foreign Secretary in Iran to Push for Briton's Release
N. Korea Blames US for Tensions in Rare UN Talks
Obama urges Americans to protect democracy or risk following Nazi Germany

Latest Lebanese Related News published on December 09-10/17
Asaib Ahl al-Haq chief appears at Lebanon-Israel border, Hariri for probe
Al Arabiya/December 09/2017/Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's office called on Saturday for an inquiry into the appearance of an Iraqi militia commander on a tour of Lebanese border areas. Earlier, Qais al-Khazaali, leader of Iraq’s Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, had appeared in a video circulating late Friday showing him at Lebanon’s borders with Israel.
Several Lebanese journalists and political commentators have been sharing the video, expressing their surprise at Khazaali’s appearance.
تطور لافت في توقيت حساس عند الحدود اللبنانية الجنوبية مع اسرائيل... ظهور قيس الخزعلي زعيم عصائب اهل الحق التابعة للحشد الشعبي العراقي المدعوم من ايران، يقوم بجولة استطلاعية..!!! الشيخ قيس الخزعلي يتجول في حدود لبنانية مع فلسطين
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He is seen in military garb in southern Lebanon, boasting that he and his militia are ready to support “resistance fighters,” in reference to Hezbollah, which is also backed by Iran. He said: “We here with Hezbollah declare our total readiness to stand together with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause against Israeli occupation.” Many Lebanese commentators saw this announcement, though not the first of its kind, as bypassing the state and particularly concerning following US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel earlier this week. South Lebanon complies with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for a ceasefire in 2006 following the Israel-Lebanon war in July of that year.

Aoun informs Erdogan he will be attending Istanbul Summit next Wednesday
Sat 09 Dec 2017/NNA - President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, accepted the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayip Erdogan, to partake in the urgent Islamic Summit to be held next Wednesday in Istanbul. Aoun received a call Saturday from Erdogan who briefed him on details of the summit intended to discuss the U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In his capacity as the Chair of the Organization of Islamic Countries, Erdogan called for an urgent summit in Istanbul by member states to discuss the situation in al-Quds. Aoun also told Erdogan that he would deliver a word on Lebanon's position in this respect. "Lebanon has always affirmed, in all regional and international forums, its support for the Palestinian cause as a holy issue. Today, more than ever, we must stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and Jerusalem that embraces the landmarks of celestial religions," President Aoun emphasized.

Hariri Demands Investigations into Footage of Iraqi Militant in South
Naharnet/December 09/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Saturday ordered investigations be run into a footage circulating on social media of an Iran-backed Iraqi militant commander “in military uniform” touring southern border villages, Hariri's media office said in a statement. “Video of an Iraqi militia official in military uniform touring southern border villages is in circulation on social media. The video was filmed six days ago and constitutes a flagrant violation of Lebanese laws,” said the statement. It added: “This has prompted PM Hariri to make contacts with concerned security and military officials to open investigations and take the needed measures for the prevention of any person or side from carrying out activities of military nature on Lebanese territory.”The statement also said that the person shown in the video will be banned from entering into Lebanon. The Iraqi militant commander has visited the Lebanon-Israel border expressing support for the Lebanese and Palestinians against the Jewish state. Qais al-Khazali of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq, or League of the Righteous, a group that staged spectacular attacks against U.S. troops before their withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 appeared in military uniform in a video while touring the border with Israel along with members Hizbullah. The video was aired by Asaib Ahl al-Haq al-Ahd TV station Thursday night.

Report: US Jerusalem Move Raises Naturalization Concern
Naharnet/December 09/17/The repercussions of the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital does not only lead to wars and threatens regional and international peace, but also raises fears in Lebanon of the naturalization of Palestinian refugees in the tiny Mediterranean country, al-Joumhouria daily reported Saturday. A recommendation issued by the Parliament during its Friday meeting indicates the danger inherent in the American decision on the Jerusalem and its Arab and Islamic, Christian identity that leads to wars and threatens regional and international peace, said the daily. The resolution not only threatens Jerusalem, but also threatens Lebanon in a fundamental way and raises fears of permanent naturalization of Palestinian refugees on its land, which endangers the country's composition and unity, it added. Lebanese authorities at state levels have repeatedly warned against the measure considering it an”existential threat.” Sources close to the presidency told the daily, reminding of President Michel Aoun's firm position in that regard, saying “the president has stressed his firm determination to thwart any attempt aiming to impose naturalization of Palestinians in this country.”The daily also quoted sources to Speaker Nabih Berri saying: “Trump's decision on Jerusalem is a preliminary attempt for naturalization of Palestinians,” stressing “we resisted the Israeli occupation, we will similarly resist settlement and prevent it with all our strength and means.”In a controversial move, Trump took a decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. Trump's Jerusalem move prompted negative world reactions warning of potentials of war and violence.

Kidanian visits Franjieh in Bnechii
Sat 09 Dec 2017/NNA - Tourism Minister Ouadis Kidanian called Saturday on Al-Mardah Movement Head MP Sleiman Franjieh at his Bnechii residence, with talks centering on current developments and the general prevailing situation on both the local and regional scenes. Minister Kidanian later visited the Bnechii Lake, a leading touristic landmark in the region, where he will be partaking in the launching of the 10th Christmas Festival organized by Al-Maidan Association, entitled "Christmas by the Lake", and the lighting-up of the distinctive Christmas tree.

Bassil Heads to Cairo for Arab League Meeting on Jerusalem
Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil will fly to Egypt Saturday for an extraordinary meeting of the Arab League against the backdrop of the United State's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the National News Agency reported on Saturday. Jordan has called for an emergency Arab foreign ministers’ meeting to discuss the Jerusalem issue following US President Donald Trump's controversial announcement, said NNA. Bassil will deliver a speech at 9:00 p.m., added NNA. In a controversial move, Trump took a decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.Trump's Jerusalem move prompted negative world reactions warning of potentials of war and violence.

Laham Calls for 'Opening of Borders, Advancing into Palestine'
Melkite Greek Patriarch of Antioch Gregory III Laham slammed the US move on Jerusalem and called for “opening the borders” as he urged people from the “entire Arab countries to advance into Palestine,” the National News Agency reported on Saturday. US President Donald “Trump's decision flagrantly violates the right of Palestinians, Christians and Muslims,” said Laham, as he called for “opening the borders and heading towards Palestine from the entire Arab countries,” NNA added. Laham stressed the need for serious “steps against the US president's decision as he called on Arab and Western countries to “rally in masses against the decision.”In a controversial move, Trump took a decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.Trump's Jerusalem move prompted negative world reactions warning of potentials of war and violence.

Army Chief meets with Army Command Officers: To intensify security measures, especially during holidays
Sat 09 Dec 2017/NNA - Army Chief Commander General Joseph Aoun held a meeting Saturday at his Yarze office with the commanders of major army units and independent brigades, which was devoted to tackling recent local and regional developments and general army institutional issues. The Army Chief gave the necessary instructions to "intensify operational procedures to preserve the security of citizens and their properties in various Lebanese regions, especially during the holiday season." "The current crisis in occupied Palestine requires more vigilance and caution to keep pace with any potential repercussions, maintaining full alertness along the Southern border and on the inside," Aoun stressed. He highlighted the need for "full readiness to confront any Israeli aggression or any breach of security," noting that "this additional effort required from the army must coincide with the continuation of pre-emptive operations against terrorist cells and follow-up on fighting against organized crimes of all kinds."

Raouche Rock relit with Palestinian flag
Sat 09 Dec 2017/NNA - The Municipality of Beirut, on Saturday evening, and pursuant to the instructions of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, re-lit the Raouche Rock with the Palestinian flag colors in solidarity with Palestine and Jerusalem.

Berri meets with Dabbour: Lebanon has overcome its crisis through unity
Sat 09 Dec 2017/NNA - House Speaker Nabih Berri stressed Saturday that "Lebanon was able to overcome its crisis through national unity and cohesion, confirming its monetary and security stability." Commenting on the recent US step to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Speaker Berri indicated that the Parliament Council discussed the repercussions of such a move in its session on Friday. "The foundation for resolving the Middle East crisis is certainly through a just and comprehensive solution based on securing the national and permanent rights of the Palestinian people, foremost of which is their right to return, their self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital," stressed the House Speaker. Responding to reporters' questions on the Parliament Council's work, Berri indicated that "the next step for the Parliament is to focus on the laws related to the extraction of oil from the sea and land." "The concerned parliamentary committee is considering a series of law proposals, most notably the Oil Resources, the Lebanese Political Fund and the Lebanese National Petroleum Company, in addition to establishing a special Oil Resources Directorate," Berri added.
"There are also many parliamentary issues, law proposals and draft laws awaiting study by various parliamentary committees," he indicated. "At the level of constitutional institutions, I think that the next stage is a difficult and arduous one because citizens are expecting a lot from the State, especially as we are approaching the parliamentary elections which, God willing, will take place on time," asserted Berri. The House Speaker assured that the Parliament Council is playing its role, noting that "everyone agrees that the government is not seeking to marginalize democracy nor is the Parliament Council seeking to have a council system." On the other hand, Speaker Berri met today with Palestinian Ambassador to Lebanon Ashraf Dabbour, who conveyed the "greetings and appreciation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as the Palestinian leadership and people, for Lebanon's official, partisan and united solidarity stand, manifested in the extraordinary session called for by Speaker Berri and his recommendation in support of the Palestinian rights." "We thank the Lebanese Parliament for its support of the Palestinian cause, and the honorable and expressive stances reflecting the authenticity, sincerity and solidarity of the Lebanese brethrens," Dabbour added gratefully.

Army urges Palestinian cause demonstrators not to tamper with security of citizens, foreign interests and diplomatic missions
Sat 09 Dec 2017/NNA - In an issued statement by the Lebanese Army Command's Orientation Directorate on Saturday, it called on all participants in the demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian cause upcoming Monday "not to hinder, in any way, the security of citizens, public and private properties, foreign interests and diplomatic missions." The statement urged demonstrators to "abide by the laws and regulations that protect freedom of expression and public safety."

Resistance is only way to bring down U.S. illusion, Fathali says
Sat 09 Dec 2017 /NNA - The Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammad Fathali, commented Saturday on the recent U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem, saying, "the only way to topple the U.S. illusion is through the resistance." As the resistance was able to thwart the schemes of the United States and the former Zionist entity, the Palestinian people through their resistance are able to prove the invalidity of this American plot," Fathali added during an interview to "Al-Ittihad" Newspaper. The Ambassador deemed that Israel feels compelled to put aside the option of war because of the deterrence and strength that the resistance has accumulated over the past years. The diplomat reminded about the constant Iranian position regarding the Palestinian cause, noting that "during the height of the Takfiri danger in the region, Iran was always stressing the necessity not to miss the compass, which is, Palestine." Fathali went on to say that "the sedition projects created by the United States in this region, through the creation of an oppressor and other extremist terrorist groups, were aimed at maintaining and strengthening Israel's security."

Lebanese prime minister denounces Iraqi militant's trip to border
Najia Houssari//Arab News/December 10/2017
Hariri: We are keen to maintain good ties with all
Tillerson, other top diplomats meet in Paris to support Lebanon’s Hariri
BEIRUT: Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri has criticized the visit of an Iraqi Shiite militia leader to Lebanon's ceasefire line with Israel, saying it violated local law. The trip by Qais Al-Khazali, the founder and leader of Iraq's Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq militia, was organized by Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Video footage of the visit was broadcast on Al-Ahd TV, which is affiliated to the militia. It began circulating on social media on Friday, showing Al-Khazali wearing a military uniform during a tour of southern Lebanon. Accompanied by some members of Hezbollah, he delivered a statement near Fatima Gate in Kafr Kila, boasting that he and his militia “are in full readiness to aid the jihadists.” Al-Khazali added: “We are here with Hezbollah to declare our total readiness to stand together with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause against Israeli occupation.”Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, like Hezbollah, is sponsored by Iran. This move, which violates all agreements between the Lebanese government and its political components, including Hezbollah, elicited a rapid response from Hariri, who declared in a statement that “the video was filmed six days ago, which constitutes a flagrant violation of Lebanese laws.”
The statement added that Hariri had contacted military and security officials “to investigate the incident and take measures to prevent any person from carrying out military activities on Lebanese territory ... and to prevent the person in the video from entering Lebanon.”
The Lebanese government declared on Dec. 5 “the commitment of all its components to the policy of dissociation from any disputes, conflicts, or wars, and from the internal affairs of Arab countries, in order to preserve the relations between Lebanon and its Arab brothers.”
It was this commitment that led Hariri to withdraw his resignation which he had announced from Saudi Arabia in protest at Iranian and Hezbollah domination of Lebanon.
The announcement of Al-Khazali tour came less than 24 hours after a statement released by the International Support Group for Lebanon, following a meeting in Paris, which called "upon all Lebanese parties to implement this tangible policy of disassociation from regional conflicts and respect relevant UN resolutions, including 1701.”Mustapha Allouch, a leading member of the Future Movement, told Arab News: “What happened means that Hezbollah cannot keep its commitments even if it signs them. It is practically part of a regional system linked with Iran. This visit could have been kept secret had Hezbollah wanted to commit to the dissociation policy, keeping in mind that the visit of the Iraqi militia leader to the southern borders would not affect the Israeli enemy. What happened is a message to Lebanese society that Hezbollah is part of the Iranian system.”Allouch said that Hariri “is trying to find a way out because the other options mean starting a battle inside (Lebanon), and this is not possible.” He also noted that Naim Qassem, the deputy secretary general of Hezbollah, has already violated the dissociation policy in a statement he made in Iran one day after the Lebanese government statement.
And while sources close to Hezbollah told Al-Markazia News Agency that “the tour of Al-Khazali was inside the Syrian borders, not in the Lebanese territories as claimed,” Khazali said in a recorded statement that he was “in front of Fatima Gate,” which is on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
A security source told Arab News that the entry of any foreigner to the area south of the Litani line requires a “permit from the Lebanese army. This is the area which is subject to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 where UNIFIL forces are deployed.”
MP Walid Jumblatt, the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, taunted the presence of Al-Khazali on Lebanese territories. On his Twitter account, Jumblatt said: “Welcome to Lebanon, Mr. Qais Al-Khazali. What a pretty sight! Next time we would like to welcome you to the mountain. I suggest having mansaf (Lebanese food) at Sheikh Ali’s. By the way, we miss Sheikh Ali. Why did he link his visit with dissociation? This position may be harmful to tourism. Mr. Qais has the right to be a tourist after fighting Daesh!”Former Lebanese minister Ashraf Rifi wrote on his Twitter account, “The tour of Al-Khazali on the border, sponsored by Hezbollah, is a message of defiance and a blow to the sovereignty of Lebanon and international resolutions, and it blasts the policy of dissociation and the conclusion of the Paris Conference and confirms that the real authority is in the hands of Hezbollah and its Iranian masters.”
Rifi also wondered: “Has Lebanon become a republic of the Popular Mobilization Forces with official cover? And what is the position of President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Hariri?“

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 09-10/17
Israel strike kills two Palestinians at Hamas base, Gaza official says
By AFP, Gaza/December 09/2017/An Israeli air strike on a Gaza base of Hamas's military wing killed two people on Saturday, security officials of the territory's Palestinian Islamist leaders said. The strike on a base in Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip, one of several in the early hours, came amid protests across the Palestinian territories against US President Donald Trump's controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza named the men as Mahmud al-Atal, 28 and Mohammed al-Safdi, 30. It said that their bodies were recovered only several hours after the pre-dawn strike on a base of Hamas's military wing in Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip. Hamas said the two men were members of its armed wing, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008. Thousands of people meanwhile attended the funeral of a man killed in clashes on the Gaza-Israel border on Friday, with mourners calling for revenge. The air strikes followed three rocket attacks on Friday night from Gaza into southern Israel.

Arabs to hold meeting on Jerusalem’s ‘legal, historical and religious status’
Agencies/December 09/2017/The Arab League is to hold an emergency meeting on Saturday after the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the head of the Palestinian delegation to the body said. The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Ali Al Ayed, Jordan's Ambassador to Egypt and its permanent representative to the Arab League as saying that the meeting will discuss measures that will be taken to deal with the US decision and its dangerous repercussions with a view to defending occupied Jerusalem and its legal, historical and religious status. The meeting has been called on Jordan's request, and a number of Arab countries approved this due to the importance of Jerusalem for Arabs and Muslims, he said.

Houthis bury Ali Saleh in his hometown without customary funeral
Al Arabiya/December 09/2017/Al-Arabiya learned that former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was buried in his birthplace, the village of Al-Ahmar near Sahnan, without a customary funeral. According to news reports, a military official in the Iranian Houthi militia, who oversaw the attack on Saleh’s house, supervised the burial too. (IN PICTURES: Are these the men who killed Ali Abdullah Saleh?).The sources said that the Houthi militias buried Saleh in the presence of his son Madin, his nephew Mohammed Saleh, House of Representatives Speaker Yahya al-Ra'i, and Houthi leader Abu Hakim.The sources confirmed that those attending the funeral were limited in number - around 20 people.

Prime Minister Abadi declares ‘end of war against ISIS’ in Iraq
AFP, Reuters, The Associated Press/December 09/2017/Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Saturday “the end of the war” in Iraq against the ISIS group and that his forces had regained full control of the border with Syria. “Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against ISIS,” Abadi told a conference in Baghdad. “Our enemy wanted to kill our civilization, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time,” he said. ISIS seized vast areas north and west of Baghdad in a lightning offensive in 2014, endangering the very existence of the Iraqi state. Iraq’s fightback was launched with the backing of an air campaign waged by a US-led coalition, recapturing town after town from the clutches of the militants. “I announce the good news: the liberation by Iraqi forces of the whole of the Iraqi-Syrian border,”the prime minister told the conference organized by the Iraqi journalists’ union. Iraqi armed forces also announced in a statement on Saturday that country has been Iraq has been “totally liberated” from ISIS. A senior military commander confirmed that combat operations had been completed. “All Iraqi lands are liberated from terrorist Daesh gangs and our forces completely control the international Iraqi-Syrian border,” Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah said in a statement released shortly after al-Abadi's remarks. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for ISIS. ISIS fighters overran nearly a third of Iraqi territory, including Mosul, the country’s second largest city, in the summer of 2014. Over the past three and a half years, Iraqi ground forces closely backed by the US-led coalition have retaken all of that territory. However, IS fighters remain capable of carrying out insurgent attacks in Iraq, and the group has recovered from past setbacks. In November, Iraqi forces retook the last town held by ISIS - Rawah, near the border with Syria. Over the following weeks Iraqi forces continued to clear patches of the country’s vast western deserts. In the most significant victory over the extremists, Iraqi forces retook Mosul earlier this year. Al-Abadi declared the fight concluded in July, but clashes continued in the city for weeks afterward. Iraq now faces the daunting challenge of reconstruction. The fighting caused massive devastation in many areas, and some 3 million Iraqis are still displaced.

Palestinian president, Coptic Pope not to meet Pence
AFP, Ramallah/December 09/2017/Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will not hold a planned meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence following Washington’s controversial policy shift on Jerusalem, an Abbas aide said on Saturday. “There will be no meeting with the vice president of America in Palestine,” diplomatic adviser Majdi al-Khaldi told AFP. “The United States has crossed all the red lines with the Jerusalem decision.”The White House warned on Thursday that cancelling the meeting planned for later this month in the West Bank would be “counterproductive”, but Abbas has been under heavy domestic pressure to shun Pence following President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Jibril Rajoub, a senior member of Abbas’s Fatah party, told AFP the same day that Pence was “not welcome in Palestine”.US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Wednesday in a move that outraged Palestinian leaders, but which was hailed as historic by Israel. The move was fully supported by Pence. Abbas has said Trump has disqualified the United States from its longstanding role as peace broker in the Middle East conflict.
Egypt’s Coptic Pope rejects Pence meeting
Egypt’s Coptic Church head Pope Tawadros II cancelled a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence in Cairo later this month in protest at Washington’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the church said on Saturday. US President Donald Trump’s decision “did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people,” the church said in a statement, adding it decided not to receive Pence when his visits Egypt. Pence is expected to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories sometime before Christmas.

Muslims pray outside White House in protest against Trump’s Jerusalem move
AFP, Washington/December 09/2017/Hundreds of Muslims attended Friday prayers in front of the White House to protest President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Responding to the call of American Muslim organizations, worshipers laid out their prayer mats at a park in front of the president's residence. Wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves or the colors of the Palestinian flag, protesters also held placards denouncing Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. On Wednesday, Trump declared that the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem -- turning his back on decades of American and international diplomacy. "Trump does not own a piece of soil of Jerusalem and Palestine. He owns the Trump Tower. He can give it away to the Israelis," Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told AFP. The president is "empowering Christian religious extremism in the US," he added. Speaking alongside other prominent figures from the American Muslim community during the protest, Awad called upon Trump to "put the American interests first, not those of a foreign power and its lobbies in the US." Another protester, Zaid al-Harasheh, told AFP that Trump's decision is "not for peace" and will "create more chaos."Trump's declaration sparked anger across the Muslim world. On Friday, clashes between thousands of Palestinians and Israeli security forces in the West Bank and on the Gaza Strip left two people dead and dozens more injured. Israel seized control of Palestinian East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967 and later annexed it, a move not recognized by the international community. The Jewish state considers Jerusalem its undivided capital, but Palestinians believe East Jerusalem is illegally occupied and see it as the capital of their future state.

Almost unanimously, Security Council rejects Trump’s resolution on Jerusalem
Al Arabiya/December 09/2017/The UN Security Council convened for an emergency session, on Friday, at the invitation of eight countries to discuss US President Donald Trump's unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Trump's decision sparked widespread anger in the Arab and Muslim world. The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nikolai Mladenov, warned of the danger of a violent escalation over the US president's decision to consider Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. "There is a real danger today that we may see a series of unilateral actions that will keep us from achieving our shared goal of peace," Mladenov told the UN Security Council. The French delegate called for restraint and to refrain from fueling tension in the Middle East, saying that Jerusalem should be the capital of two states through negotiations. "The issue of Jerusalem is of a special nature and its scope goes beyond Israel and the Palestinian territories," he said. He stated that his country did not recognize Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem and considered it part of the occupied territories, calling for respect for international law, protection of the two-state solution and the avoidance of escalation. The British envoy said that London will continue to pressure all parties to avoid any action that impedes peace, adding that his country is committed to a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement according to the 1967 borders.
He stated that "East Jerusalem is part of the occupied Palestinian territories" and said that unilateral actions undermine the chances of lasting peace in the Middle East. He called upon the US to suggest detailed proposals for peace between Palestinians and Israelis, describing Trump decision as "unhelpful". The representative of Egypt said that the status of Jerusalem as an occupied city has not changed and will not change after the American decision, considering that it has very negative effects on the course of the peace process. "The international community does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," the Egyptian delegate said: "All the resolutions of the Security Council rejected the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem." The delegate of Sweden said that the implications of the issue of Jerusalem goes beyond the Middle East region, considering that the Trump statement is one-sided and contradicts the position of many countries. Europe has a unified position regarding Jerusalem as the future capital of the two countries, he said. He added: “We do not recognize Washington's decision to consider Jerusalem The capital of Israel."
US committed to advancing peace
US envoy, Nikki Haley, said that the borders of Jerusalem are determined by Israelis and Palestinians through negotiations, stressing that "Israel will not be forced to any agreement that does not take into account its security."She added: "We are committed to advancing the peace process.”The representative of Palestine said that the United States should back down from its decision on occupied Jerusalem, warning of the serious repercussions Trump’s decision. He said that the decision is contrary to the Security Council resolutions on the Palestinian problem, asking the Security Council to emphasize "the status of Jerusalem and rejection of the American decision.""East Jerusalem will become the capital of Palestine in the future and the West is the capital of Israel," the Russian envoy said, adding that Russia requested the American side to explain why the embassy was moved to Jerusalem.
Russia’s representative said: "We are working on a permanent settlement that guarantees the security of Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian state."The representative of Jordan considered that "the United States should play the role of the sponsor entrusted to peace," stressing that "the decision of Trump is legally invalid and contrary to legitimate international resolutions."The ambassadors of Sweden, France, Germany, Italy and Britain confirmed to the United Nations that Trump's decision "does not comply with UN Security Council resolutions", stressing that East Jerusalem is part of the occupied Palestinian territories. They said in a statement issued after the emergency meeting of the Security Council, in which Washington found itself isolated, Trump's decision "does not serve peace in the region" and called on "all parties to work together towards peace.""Jerusalem must be the capital of the states of Israel and Palestine, and in the absence of an agreement, we do not recognize any sovereignty over Jerusalem," they stressed.

US airstrikes kill five al-Qaida operatives in Yemen
The Associated Press, Cairo/December 09/2017/The US military says its airstrikes have killed five al-Qaida operatives in Yemen. Central Command said on Friday the airstrikes were carried out on Nov. 20 in the central Bayda province. It says those killed included Mujahid al-Adani, an al-Qaida leader in the neighboring province of Shabwa. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has long been seen by US officials as the most dangerous offshoot of the global network founded by Osama bin Laden. Yemen was plunged into civil war nearly three years ago. Al-Qaida and an ISIS affiliate have exploited the chaos to expand their presence.

Israel Strike Kills Two in Gaza as Trump Rage Simmers
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 09/17/Retaliatory Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed two Hamas militants on Saturday, as unrest simmered across the Palestinian territories over US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. A total of four people have now been killed and dozens wounded since Trump announced his deeply controversial decision which drew criticism from every other member of the UN Security Council at an emergency meeting on Friday. There were fresh clashes on Saturday as Palestinian protesters in the occupied West Bank hurled stones at Israeli troops who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds. In Gaza, mourners vented their anger at the funeral of one of two people killed by Israeli troops during clashes at the border fence on Friday.
There have been fears of a much larger escalation of violence after Hamas leader Ismail Haniya called for a new Palestinian intifada or uprising and analysts have been anxiously watching what happens next. Dozens of protesters were wounded by rubber bullets or live fire in clashes in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem that followed the main weekly Muslim prayers on Friday. Tens of thousands also protested in Muslim and Arab countries, including Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia. Saturday's pre-dawn air strike on a base of Hamas's military wing in Nusseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, was one of several, the Israeli military said.
It followed three rocket attacks Friday night from Gaza into southern Israel.
"Today... in response to the rockets fired at southern Israeli communities throughout yesterday, Israel air force aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organisation in the Gaza Strip," the army said. It said the targets were "two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse and a military compound, in each target, several components were hit," it added. The Hamas health ministry in Gaza said the two dead men were members of its armed wing, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008. On Friday night, a rocket hit the southern Israeli city of Sderot although Israeli public radio said it did not explode and did not cause any casualties. The Israeli military said that its Iron Dome air defence system intercepted an earlier rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave. It said it later detected a second missile launch, but had not found evidence that it had reached Israeli territory.
The military retaliated on Friday night with air strikes on what it said were two targets and the Gaza health ministry said 14 people were wounded, among them women and children. A previously unknown Salafist group calling itself the Salahedin Brigades claimed responsibility for one of the attacks. But the Israeli army said it held Hamas responsible for all "hostile activity" originating from the territory under its control. - US isolated -Trump's decision drew lavish praise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but has sparked a worldwide diplomatic backlash. Five European countries on the UN Security Council insisted the new US policy was not consistent with past resolutions, including one that declares east Jerusalem to be Israeli-occupied. The meeting was requested by eight of the 15 members of the council but was largely symbolic as no vote on a resolution was planned because the US wields veto power. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas hailed the international concern. The Israeli army said around 4,500 Palestinians "participated in violent riots" along the Gaza-Israel border. It said that troops shot at "dozens" of what it said were ringleaders of the disturbances.
In the West Bank, thousands of Palestinians took part in "violent riots" throughout the territory, with 28 arrested and about 65 wounded, the army said. Trump said his defiant move -- making good on a 2016 presidential campaign pledge -- marked the start of a "new approach" to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But many analysts question how a balanced agreement can be reached by granting such a major Israeli demand before negotiations have even started.
Israel has long claimed all of Jerusalem as its indivisible capital, while the Palestinians see the annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state. Its status is the most sensitive issue in the decades-long conflict.

UK Foreign Secretary in Iran to Push for Briton's Release
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 09/17/Britain's foreign minister visited Iran on Saturday to press for the release of British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe amid accusations at home that one of his gaffes has seriously harmed her case. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson held talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif also expected to focus on a 2015 landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers whose future has been thrown into doubt by US President Donald Trump. Johnson did not speak to reporters before heading into the meeting, but earlier released a statement saying: "I will stress my grave concerns about our dual national consular cases and press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so."Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian citizen, was arrested at Tehran airport on April 3, 2016, after visiting relatives with her young daughter.
Iranian authorities accused her of links to mass protests in 2009, which she denies, and sentenced her to five years in jail for sedition. They do not recognise dual nationality. Last month, they filed additional charges of "spreading propaganda" and will present her in court again on Sunday. Her case has become highly politicised, especially after a "slip of the tongue" by Johnson last month when he stated that Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been training journalists in Iran, which has been used by the Iranian authorities to help justify the new charges.Husband Richard Ratcliffe, who had lobbied to join Johnson on the visit, has raised concerns about his wife's mental health, citing the mounting toll of her prolonged incarceration in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. Johnson is on a three-day trip to the region, stopping in Oman on Friday and moving on to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.  It is the first visit of a foreign secretary to Iran since 2015 when the nuclear deal was signed. It unfolds amid mass protests across the Muslim world over Trump's decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. "Iran is a significant country in a strategically important, but volatile and unstable, region which matters to the UK's security and prosperity," Johnson said. "While our relationship with Iran has improved significantly since 2011, it is not straightforward and on many issues we will not agree."Britain severed diplomatic relations in 2011 after protesters stormed its embassy in Tehran in response to sanctions over the nuclear dispute. The embassy was reopened in 2015 and full relations restored last year.

N. Korea Blames US for Tensions in Rare UN Talks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 09/17/North Korea blamed US "nuclear blackmail" for soaring tensions over its weapons program in rare meetings with a senior UN official, but agreed to regular communication with the organisation, state media said Saturday. Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Beijing Saturday after wrapping up a five-day visit to Pyongyang aimed at defusing the crisis, just a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. His trip -- the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 -- saw him meet Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho and vice foreign minister Pak Myong-Kuk, the North's state news agency KCNA said.  "At these meetings, our side said the US policy of hostility toward the DPRK (North Korea) and its nuclear blackmail are to blame for the current tense situation on the Korean peninsula," the report said.
It added that the North had agreed with the UN "to regularize communications through visits at various levels". The report did not mention any meetings with leader Kim Jong-Un, who has ramped up his impoverished nation's missile and nuclear programme in recent years in order to achieve Pyongyang's stated goal of developing a warhead capable of hitting the US mainland. Feltman, the UN's under secretary general for political affairs, visited the country just after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise. Pyongyang reiterated its view that these manoeuvres were a provocation on Saturday, accusing the drills of "revealing its intention to mount a surprise nuclear pre-emptive strike against the DPRK", using the acronym for the country's official name. The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan. Early Saturday Feltman flew to Beijing, a key transit point with the North, and left the city's airport without speaking to reporters. China, which is Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, has called on the United States to freeze military drills and North Korea to halt weapons tests to calm tensions.

Obama urges Americans to protect democracy or risk following Nazi Germany
Sat 09 Dec 2017/NNA - Former U.S. President Barack Obama says Americans must be vigilant in their defence of democracy or risk following the path of Nazi Germany in the 1930s.At a speech earlier this week, the former president told the Economic Club of Chicago that "things can fall apart fairly quickly" if Americans don't "tend to this garden of democracy." During the speech Tuesday, Obama pointed to Hitler's rise to power in Germany as he implored the audience to "pay attention ... and vote." Obama also defended the media. He said the press "often drove me nuts" but that he understood that a free press was vital to democracy. ---Ctv News

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 09-10/17
Former Trump adviser, Walid Phares, interviewed in Congress in Russia probe
Reuters/December 08/17/
Walid Phares, a former campaign adviser to President Donald Trump, testified to the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee on Friday in its investigation of possible Russian efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. election. Phares did not speak to reporters as he entered the committee’s classified meeting room around 11 am EDT (1600 GMT) or when he left about four hours later. In response to a request for comment Phares’ assistant told Reuters: “Dr. Phares is not making any comments for now.” inRead invented by Teads The House Intelligence panel does not discuss details of most of the dozens of interviews conducted behind closed doors during its months-long investigation, but it has been disclosed publicly that Phares has come under congressional scrutiny over his connections with Russia. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote last month to Phares, who was a Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, asking him to turn over “documents related to Russian contacts and the Republican Party’s position on Ukraine.” In her letter to Phares, Feinstein said she was interested in a meeting that he and two other Trump advisers allegedly held during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in 2016 with Sergei Kislyak, then Russia’s ambassador to the United States. On Nov. 29, when Feinstein announced her request, a Phares aide said he maintains Kislyak was just one of many foreign diplomats present at a panel discussion, which could not “fairly” be described as a meeting with Russian officials. The Senate Judiciary and Senate Intelligence panels are also investigating Russia and last year’s election and possible collusion between Trump associates and Moscow, as is Department of Justice Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia sought to influence the 2016 U.S. election to help Trump win the White House. Russia denies any such effort and Trump has dismissed talk of collusion.
**Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Susan Thomas and David Gregorio
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Iranian complicity
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/December 09/17
Those who are angry by the low interest and lack of reactions with Washington's decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem must understand how and why.
Events in our region are moving faster than the Japanese bullet train, at a pace of 320 kilometers per hour. As soon as the former Yemeni president announced his dissent from his former Houthi ally on Yemeni television, Ahmed Shafiq, the former Egyptian prime minister announced on Al Jazeera, his decision to return to Egypt and run for elections. The Houthi rebels then kill Yemeni President Saleh while Shafiq changed his mind about running for office.
The American president surprises the world, with Trump announcing the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and signs the decision in a ceremony that angers millions of Arabs. All of this coincided with Israel bombing Iranian and Syrian military centers near Damascus, the United States threatening Qassim Soleimani, the Iranian commander in Iraq. At the same time, Russia declares that it has destroyed ISIS in Syria. All of this while the Gulf region is experiencing the most serious internal crisis, as the summit of the Cooperation Council in Kuwait was the lowest point in its history.
The sky is raining so many events, what used to take us a month to process now happens in a day's time. So it is not strange that most of us are no longer capable of absorbing this amount of information that we have developed a memory capacity more akin to the fish to remember.
It is no longer easy for many to distinguish between propaganda and truth, and some governments are adopting contradictory positions that make people confused.
The problem gets worse especially since the virtual world which informs people about what’s going on around them is in chaos. The media arena has changed a lot as a result of two main factors: the multiplicity of platforms and media, as well as the fragmentation of political axes that have become very divided.
Past and the present
In the past, there were high-level voices preaching on the Palestinian cause, such as Abu Nidal, Abu Abbas, Saddam, and Hafez al-Assad. Today, we have Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, Ayatollah in Tehran, Hamad in Qatar, and the Muslim Brotherhood leaders abroad.
Everyone is using Palestine and Jerusalem to serve their agendas, as a bargaining chip. The Iranians invented Hezbollah to put pressure on Israel and the West to enable their presence. Saddam sought to pull a bet against Kuwait and failed while Assad used the issue as an excuse to seize Lebanon. But there is no single case to prove that any of them was serious about his claims.
Given the intensity of events and the multiplicity of dangers, perhaps there is not one Arab country that does not live in fear for its security and existence. How can the Palestinian cause preserve its old weapon based on the strategy that is the cause of everyone, giving it a weight that balances the Israeli threats? If we examine the reasons for striking this strategy, we find that the biggest enemy of the Palestinian cause, after Israel, is Iran. I do not say this as a result of our dispute with Tehran, but because we see how the region has been turned into states under Iranian domination or preoccupied with defending itself from the threats of Tehran and its proxies.
At the same time, it also dominates the policy of disinformation by adopting a violent fake propaganda stance against Israel and its actions.
Everyone is using Palestine and Jerusalem to serve their agendas, as a bargaining chip. The Iranians invented Hezbollah to put pressure on Israel and the West to enable their presence. Saddam sought to pull a bet against Kuwait and failed while Assad used the issue as an excuse to seize Lebanon. But there is no single case to prove that any of them was serious about his claims.
The only positive development is that the Arabs who used to believe the Iranian claims are now fed up with it. Iran is now trying to restore its image based on Qatari propaganda, and on Sunni religious groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. The loser in these multiple conflicts is the Palestinians; they are the losers against the continuation of extremist forces, such as Iran, because the latter is in fact using their pain as a pressure point. Whenever a front is opened, it is at the expense of the Palestinian cause, because no one is able to put political pressure without endangering its existence in the related conflict.
The Iranian project is bigger than Palestine and Jerusalem, Iran wants to recognize Israel's right to expansion and hegemony, and it is prepared to do what is required of it by the West and Israel. This is what it did with the administration of the former US president when it sold its nuclear project in exchange for a free hand in the region.

Will Iraq’s upcoming elections be dead on arrival?
Shehab Al-Makahleh/Al Arabiya/December 09/17
On December 5, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, announced that provincial and parliamentary elections will be held on May 12, 2018; yet, many domestic events and regional developments would delay the elections as the Iraqi community is undergoing many societal and economic as well as political hardships. As the date of Provincial Councils and the House of Representatives elections is approaching, some Iraqi leaders started to call for further procrastination due to two reasons: The first is the bad financial situation in the country, and the second is the that more than four million displaced Iraqis have been sheltered in various places of Iraq which are not part of their original constituencies. They will not be able to return to their homes in the coming few months. That would force the government to announce the postponement. However, the pace of political events in Iraq is at present accelerating especially after the defeat of ISIS at a time the activities and movements of political blocs and parties started to set up the platform for the upcoming elections. Though the year is closing its final chapter with many turbulent incidents in North Africa, the Levant, Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraqis are highly affected by the regional powers, steering the outcome of the political scene in Iraq for the coming years. Despite the lack of an appropriate environment to hold such elections due to logistic and technical hardships, the political conflict has intensified in recent weeks and reached unprecedented levels, with some visits of shuttle tours of some politicians to the provinces where they announced they would start their electoral campaigns.
Corruption and terrorism
Some politicians resort to the public to gain political support and others resort to blaming other political figures for the failure of Iraqi economy and its political achievements. In Iraq, the process of forming blocs and electoral lists is supported by regional players. After his success in liberating Iraq, al-Abadi, started to gain more confidence and people started to trust him more. The war on ISIS has lasted three years, but the war on corruption needs more than that to liberate the state and purge it because corruption is not only political, but administrative and financial. Thus, war on corruption is more difficult than the war on a terrorism. And any political figure who will have these slogans on his election campaign would gain many votes that help him form the government. Whether the elections will be held on the scheduled date or not, Abadi, depending on his victory over ISIS and his attempts to counter corruption, will be able to free Iraq of uni-polarity and dominance of one party. Iraq is now a relatively in a good security situation compared to previous years, which has been culminated with opening its borders with Jordan and the resumption of flights to Iraq from various countries. Abadi's visits to some neighboring Arab countries has helped Iraq regain its stability and its security amidst calls that Iraq restores its pre-1991 status at the regional level, which has been in the orbit of the Arab countries rather than Iran. Under al-Abadi, Iraqi is regaining its Arab identity; yet, there should be many changes at the political spectrum in order for Iraq to be off Iranian control which includes amongst other things a new block that entails both Sunnis and non-Sunnis including Shiites and Christians as well as other minorities in order to change the Iraqi political map.
The Iraqi political parties are holding their conferences in preparation for the electoral process. The question here is: Are political figures quitting major Iraqi blocs or defecting due to their dismay over old blocs’ performances. Are the new political figures going to succeed in convincing the Iraqis at the ballots?
Iraq's Sunnis have been badly affected in the past few years and at present many of them are facing challenges, stemming from strained ties with Baghdad and the sectarian tensions caused by the Shiite-dominated Popular Mobilization Front. To many observers, Sunni population are detached from Sunni leaders in Baghdad, granting Abadi a better chance to win in the coming elections as he is regarded by many Sunnis and Shiites as a compromise between various blocs.
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki finds himself isolated from the rest of Iraq's political blocs. Badr bloc has recently announced it will run as one independent party. Representatives of the Popular Mobilization Front, known as “Al Hashd Al Sha’abi”, are running for the elections as well. Badr, Iraq's largest militia group which is led by Hadi Al Amiri, is establishing a political coalition to take part in 2018 elections. The early preparation of these blocs and political lists is a clear tough competition between political parties and blocs with the opportunities of al-Abadi to win for the second term as he is supported by Arab and other countries against his rival leader former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other opponents. The competition between all these forces will be reflected on the nature of political life in Iraq. The coming government of Iraq will get rid of the concept of hegemony and control of Iraqi political decision, paving the way for building the new Iraq without any foreign interventions into its domestic affairs. Whether the elections will be held on the scheduled date or not, Abadi, depending on his victory over ISIS and his attempts to counter corruption, will be able to free Iraq of uni-polarity and dominance of one party, opening the door wide open for other parties and blocs to joint in efforts to build Iraq.

Welcome to the Hell Hole that is Brussels
Drieu Godefridi//Gatestone Institute/December 09/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11468/brussels-hell
Last month alone in Brussels, there were three separate outbreaks of rioting and looting on a major scale.
If you penetrate the thick cloud of professional indignation to scrutinize the reality of the "capital of Europe", what you see in many respects is actually a hell hole, one where socialism, Islamism, riots and looting are the new normal.
When then-candidate Donald Trump noted in January 2016 that, thanks to mass immigration, Brussels was turning into a hell hole, Belgian and European politicians presented a united front at the (media) barricades: How dare he say such a thing? Brussels, capital of the European Union, the very quintessence of the post-modern world, the avant-garde of the coming new "global civilization," a hell hole? Of course assimilating newcomers is not always easy, and there may be friction from time to time. But never mind, they said: Trump is a buffoon, and anyway, he has zero chance of getting elected. Such were the thoughts of those avid readers of The New York Times International Edition and regular watchers of CNN International.
However, Donald Trump, in his unmistakable, brash style, was quite simply right: Brussels is rapidly descending into chaos and anarchy. Exactly two months after that dramatic Trumpism, Brussels was eviscerated by a horrific Islamic terror attack that left 32 people dead. And that was only the tip of the monstrous iceberg that has built up over three decades of mass immigration and socialist madness.
Last month alone in Brussels, there were three separate outbreaks of rioting and looting on a major scale.
First, there was the qualification of the Moroccan team to the soccer World Cup: between 300 and 500 "youths" of foreign origin took to the streets of Brussels to "celebrate" the event in their own way, looting dozens of shops in the historical center of Brussels, wreaking havoc in the deserted avenues of the "capital of civilization" and, during their riot, injuring 22 police officers.
Riot police, backed by a water cannon, attempt to push back rioters in the center of Brussels, Belgium, on November 12. Hundreds of "youths" of foreign origin "celebrated" the World Cup qualification of Morocco's soccer team by rioting and injuring 22 police officers. (Image source: Ruptly video screenshot)
Three days later, a social media rap music star nicknamed "Vargasss 92," who is a French citizen of foreign origin, decided to organize another unauthorized "celebration" in the center of Brussels, which quickly turned into another riot. Again, shops were destroyed and people assaulted for no other reason than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Short clips of the event streamed onto the social networks, showing the world (and Belgians) the true face of Brussels without the politicians' makeover. No wonder the European political elite hate social media from the depths of their hearts; they prefer the sanitized (and, in both France and francophone Belgium, heavily subsidized) traditional press.
Finally, on November 25, the socialist authorities in charge of the City of Brussels had the bright idea of authorizing a demonstration against slavery in Libya, which quickly descended into yet another riot: shops were destroyed, cars set on fire, 71 people arrested.
This lawlessness, with not even the remotest political justification, is the new normal in Brussels. Politicians may not like that fact, which is the result of their lamentable failure, but it is nonetheless a massive and unavoidable fact. The new Brussels is characterized by riots and looting by people of foreign origin, as well as the ongoing heavily-armed military presence in the streets of Brussels, in place since March 22, 2016, the day that European Islamists murdered 32 and wounded 340 people in the worst-ever terrorist attack in Belgium.
One may wonder why these fine Belgian soldiers patrolling the streets do nothing to stop the rioters. For the simple reason that it is outside of their remit; should a soldier actually hurt a looter, he would probably be publicly chastised, pilloried by the media, put on trial and dishonorably discharged.
It would be funny if it were not so serious. After the first two recent riots, Belgian state television (RTBF) organized a debate with politicians and pundits from Brussels. Among the participants was Senator Alain Destexhe, from the center-right Reformist Movement (the party of Belgium's Prime Minister).
Destexhe is an interesting figure in Belgian politics. In French-speaking Belgium, he has been among the few to say publicly that the mass-immigration Belgians are inflicting upon themselves is unsustainable, that Islam may not be such a peaceful religion, and that school classes in which 90% of the children are of foreign origin, who do not speak French or Dutch at home, are not a recipe for success. Such may be taken as a given in much of the Western world, but in the French-speaking part of Belgium, heavily influenced by the French worldview, he was considered right-wing, if not an extremist, a racist, and other such niceties the Left often utters.
When, during this debate, Destexhe tried to make his point -- that there is a connection between the non-integration of many people of foreign origin in Brussels and the decades-long high level of immigration -- the moderator literally yelled at him that "Migration is not the subject, Monsieur Destexhe! MIGRATION IS NOT THE SUBJECT, STOP!", before giving the word to a "slam poet", a young woman who explained that the problem was that women wearing the Islamic veil (such as herself) do not feel welcome in Brussels. The audience was then instructed to applaud her. Also on the set was a Green Party politician who affirmed that "nobody knows the origin of the rioters." Hint: they were, in their own idiosyncratic way, "celebrating" Morocco's victory. A great moment of Belgian surrealism? No, just a typical political "debate" in French-speaking Belgium, except that normally Destexhe is not invited.
The picture would not be complete without mentioning that the very night that the first riot began, November 11, an association called MRAX (Mouvement contre le racisme, l'antisémitisme et la xénophobie) published on its Facebook page an appeal to report any case of "police provocation" or "police violence". The results of the riot? 22 police officers hurt, zero arrests. MRAX is not only a bunch of leftist Islamist sympathizers, they are heavily financed by taxpayers. Are movements from the right also financed by taxpayers? Simply put: No. In Brussels, the unemployment rate is a staggering 16.9%, a mind-boggling 90% of those on welfare have foreign origins, and although taxes are among the highest in the world, the public coffers are nonetheless bleeding. A sad snapshot of yet another socialist failure.
But there is hope. Brussels is not only Molenbeek and rioting, it has a robust tradition of entrepreneurship, and Belgium's federal government, particularly its Flemish component, is extremely conscious of the challenges that need facing. But nothing is going to change if people do not recognize that in many respects Brussels has, from the opulent conservative and "bourgeois" city that it was 25 years ago, morphed into a hell hole.
Ironically, what Brussels now obviously needs is another Donald Trump.
*Drieu Godefridi, a classical-liberal Belgian author, is the founder of the l'Institut Hayek in Brussels. He has a PhD in Philosophy from the Sorbonne in Paris and also heads investments in European companies.
© 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.

Violence Should Not Determine Policy
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/December 09/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11518/violence-should-not-determine-policy
Violence should be responded to by police and military action, not by giving in to the unreasonable demands of those who use violence as a tactic.
The reason violence — whether rock-throwing or more lethal forms of terrorism — is used is because it works... as a way to extort concessions from the world. And it works because policy makers often make or refrain from making controversial decisions based on the fear of violent reactions.
Now just imagine what will happen if peace negotiations are commenced and both sides have to compromise. Israel's comprises will be met with law suits, political pushback and possibly resistance from some settlers who will have to be uprooted....
Palestinian compromises will be met with street violence, terrorism and assassinations. That has long been the modus operandi of Palestinian leaders and dissidents.
A clear message must be sent now to these leaders and dissenters: violence will not be rewarded or tolerated. It will be responded to not with policy changes but with police and military action.
Many who are opposed to President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital point to the call for violence by Hamas and the scattered violence on the West Bank as evidence that Trump was wrong. But violence should never influence US policy. The leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian groups use violence as a deliberate tactic to get their way. If policy-makers allow this tactic to deter them from doing the right thing, it will only incentivize the opponents of a peaceful resolution of the conflict to threaten and employ violence every time they do not get what they want. Violence should be responded to by police and military action, not by giving in to the unreasonable demands of those who use violence as a tactic.
Violent Palestinian protests near Ramallah. Policy-makers should not submit to this tactic of extortion. Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Palestinian violence is rarely spontaneous. It is usually well organized by leaders who decide when to turn it on and off. The reason violence — whether rock-throwing or more lethal forms of terrorism — is used is because it works. And it works because policy-makers often make or refrain from making controversial decisions based on the fear of violent reactions. Palestinian leaders, especially Yasser Arafat, honed the tactic of terrorism as a way to extort concessions from the world. Many countries submitted to this violent extortion, so it continued and spread. If we stopped rewarding violence, it might well abate.Palestinian leaders called for a violent intifada when they turned down the generous offer of statehood made by former President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 2000-2001. The result was 4,000 deaths. They again called for violence when Israel opened an exit from the Western Wall Tunnel into the soukh area, even though the new exit brought considerable new business to Palestinian shopkeepers and restaurant owners. And when Israel placed security cameras on the Temple Mount to protect Muslims attending the mosques, the response was not a reasoned call for negotiation or law suit in the Israel Supreme Court – it was violence.
Now just imagine what will happen if peace negotiations are commenced and both sides have to compromise. Israel's comprises will be met with law suits, political pushback and possibly resistance from some settlers who will have to be uprooted. That is what happened when former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered the evacuation of all Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian compromises will be met with street violence, terrorism and assassinations. That has long been the modus operandi of Palestinian leaders and dissidents. A clear message must be sent now to these leaders and dissenters: violence will not be rewarded or tolerated. It will be responded to not with policy changes but with police and military action. As the late Yitzhak Rabin put when he was prime minister: "We will pursue the peace process as if there no terrorism, and respond to terrorism as if there were no peace process."
So, let the peace process move forward toward a two-state solution, regardless of the violence that may be tactically deployed by the enemies of peace. Do not be fooled by those who say that the two-state solution is dead or that it is time to adopt a one-state solution. Under any resolution, Jerusalem would be recognized as the capital of Israel and its holiest places would remain under Israeli control. Do not allow President Trump's decision to keep his promise to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital to become the latest excuse by Palestinian leaders to refuse to sit down, negotiate and make the painful compromises necessary for a complete resolution of the outstanding issues. President Trump's decision merely restores the balance that was undone by President Obama's decision to engineer a one-sided Security Council Resolution that changed the status quo.
The time has come to end violence as a tool of diplomacy and for both sides to sit down at the negotiation table and agree to an outcome based on honest negotiations.
**Alan M. Dershowitz, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School and author of Trumped Up, How Criminalization of Political Differences Endangers Democracy.
© 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.

Islamist Regimes Take Over UNESCO
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/December 09/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11449/unesco-islamists
The UN agency is currently dominated by the most oppressive regimes on education and culture. There is China, which recently let writer, poet and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo die an agonizing death in prison, where he was serving an 11-year jail sentence for his support of human rights and democracy. Then there is Iran, where a dean of journalism, Siamak Pourzand, committed suicide to avoid more persecution by the regime.
"UNESCO has been hijacked and abused as a tool for the persecution of Israel and the Jewish people, while concocting fake facts and fake history, meant to... rewrite global history." — Carmel Shama Hacohen, Israel's ambassador to UNESCO.
If UNESCO is really serious about reforming itself, it should immediately issue a statement against the Islamization of Turkey's Hagia Sophia Cathedral, a UN World Heritage Site.
Hit by the departure of the United States and Israel, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently welcomed its new Director-General, former French Minister of Culture Audrey Azoulay. Those who care about cultural diversity and Western civilization hailed her election, because the representative of Qatar's Islamist regime had come close to winning UNESCO's leadership race. But the real problem is that UNESCO has been abandoned to Islamist dictatorships. A battle to save the organization has begun.
Among the critics of UNESCO there is a tendency to dismiss this agency as "irrelevant". Yet, so long as UNESCO exists, the West cannot allow repressive regimes to dominate the world's highest body supposedly in charge of culture, science and education. Richard Hoggart, the British scholar who served as UNESCO's assistant director general from 1970 to 1977, once asked: "Should Unesco Survive?".
The UN agency is currently dominated by the most oppressive regimes in regard to education and culture. There is China, which in July let writer, poet and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo die an agonizing death in prison, where he was serving an 11-year jail sentence for his support of human rights and democracy. Then there is Iran, where a dean of journalism, Siamak Pourzand, committed suicide to avoid more persecution by the regime. Last week, the assistant director for Education of UNESCO, Qian Tang, was in Iran to advance "cultural cooperation" with the Islamic Republic, but the issue of cultural freedom in the Iran was not even raised by the envoy of the UN agency. There is also Pakistan, a country that has sentenced to death essentially for being a Christian mother of five, Asia Bibi, whose condition has never even been questioned by UNESCO. There is Qatar, where a poet, Rashid at Ajami, was sentenced to three years in prison for a poem critical of the emir Hamad bin Khalifa at Thani.
Irina Bokova, then Director-General of UNESCO, is pictured speaking at China's official Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, on May 14, 2017. Two months later, the Chinese government let writer, poet and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo die an agonizing death in prison, where he was serving an 11-year jail sentence for his support of human rights and democracy.
UNESCO has become a grotesque forum, hosting shows such as that orchestrated by Cuba. Last June, Cuba complained of a minute of silence for Holocaust victims, but was able to hold another one for the Palestinians. At the opening of UNESCO's 39th General Conference in Paris, the United Arab Emirates' delegation placed a box containing a medal on the desk of each foreign delegation in honor of the UAE having sponsored the renovation of the conference hall. No box, however, was placed on the desk of Israel's ambassador to UNESCO, Carmel Shama-Hacohen. These farces are nothing new at UNESCO. And they must end. The UN agency cannot allow the "uncivilized regimes", as Shama-Hacohen called them, to continue to bully and vandalize Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.
Islamic regimes launched a takeover bid for UNESCO by investing massive financial resources and political lobbying at the UN cultural agency. Qatar, the wealthiest state in the world per capita, provided extremely generous financial support. That is why a Qatari representative, the former Minister of Culture Hamad bin Abdulaziz al Kawari, for days led the recent race for the leadership of UNESCO. The Simon Wiesenthal Center charged Qatar with bribing countries to win votes for the UN agency post. The Wiesenthal Center then launched an appeal to prevent Iran from becoming the head of UNESCO's executive board. Meanwhile, Turkey, another country with an Islamist regime that bullies culture and freedom, joined the executive board.
This "lobbying" has enabled those Islamic countries to form the most powerful bloc at UNESCO. As Denis MacEoin has previously explained:
"Of UNESCO's 195 member states, 35 are fully Islamic nations, another 21 are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and four are OIC observer states. That makes 60 who represent a bloc favourable to Muslim-inspired resolutions."
Qatar has been pivotal in sponsoring anti-Semitic resolutions. There was UNESCO's resolution denying Jewish history in Jerusalem, Islamizing historically Biblical holy sites by magic wand legerdemain, as Islam did not even exist until 600 years later. In a speech to the UNESCO General Assembly last week, Israel's ambassador to UNESCO Carmel Shama Hacohen said :
"UNESCO has been hijacked and abused as a tool for the persecution of Israel and the Jewish people, while concocting fake facts and fake history, meant to erase our history in Jerusalem and rewrite global history."
The Islamists' takeover of the agency does not affect only Israel. It undermines the universal noble goal of this UN agency, which should be the protection of cultural diversity, especially where it is endangered.
The Preamble of UNESCO's Constitution says: "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed". UNESCO is knowingly betraying its own message. It is allowing regimes that massacre the minds of men to take over the UN agency that claims to be precisely in charge of "defenses of peace".
Last March, UNESCO's then Director-General, Irina Bokova, expressed appreciation for Qatar's support with a $2 million loan as part of a commitment by the Qatari authorities to donate $10 million to UNESCO. UNESCO's headquarter in Paris hosted a forum sponsored by Saudi Arabia on "cultural and religious diversity". It was a capitulation to barbarism; Saudi Arabia tortures bloggers such as Raif Badawi, sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison. UNESCO also held a three-day event entitled "Saudi Cultural Days" with Saudi art, food, customs and dances. Saudi King Abdallah Ibn Abdul Aziz donated $20 million to the UNESCO Emergency Fund. Donations to UNESCO have been promised by other Islamic countries, such as Algeria, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Qatar and Turkey.
The United Arab Emirates gave $6 million to UNESCO, while Kuwait gave $5 million. UNESCO now hosts the presentation of books such as The Foundations of Islam along with ISESCO, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, whose director Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri met Flavia Schlegel, assistant director general of UNESCO, to advance the cooperation between the two agencies.
At its headquarters in Paris, UNESCO also promoted a project, "Fighting Islamophobia through Education". As the French author Pascal Bruckner explained:
"The concept of Islamophobia masks the reality of the offensive, led by the Salafists, Wahhabis, and Muslim Brotherhood in Europe and North America, to re-Islamize Muslim communities — a prelude, they hope, to Islamizing the entire Western world."
Under UNESCO's previous Director-General Irina Bokova, the organization allowed the "State of Palestine" to join as a member, despite its not being a state and despite the Palestinians' clear failure to protect holy sites. Palestinians destroyed the Jewish holy shrine of Joseph's Tomb and attacked the holy site known as Rachel's Tomb, while Palestinian terrorists invaded the Christian holy site of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. UNESCO also kept silent when Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist terror group governing Gaza, destroyed the ancient Anthedon Harbor, which includes the ruins of a Roman temple and archaeological remains from the Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras.
UNESCO's concern for "endangered sites" -- a travesty of language used by these regimes to mask the Islamization of Hebron's Jewish cemeteries at the UN -- quickly disappears when it comes to Christian churches in the Islamic world. Hagia Sophia, the great cathedral of Christianity in Istanbul, was re-Islamized by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The muezzin's call to prayer resounded for the first time in 85 years since the country's former leader, Ataturk, turned the cathedral into a museum. If UNESCO is really serious about reforming itself, it should immediately issue a statement against the Islamization of Hagia Sophia, a UN World Heritage Site.
Novelist and filmmaker Zulfu Livaneli, Turkey's goodwill ambassador to the UNESCO, resigned in 2016; he accused the UN agency of hypocrisy for ignoring the destruction of a heritage site in Diyarbakir during clashes between the Turkish army and militants in his country's mainly Kurdish southeast. "To pontificate on peace while remaining silent against such violations is a contradiction of the fundamental ideals of UNESCO," said Livaneli, who had held the goodwill post to promote UNESCO values since 1996. More officials and personalities should take the same position protesting against UNESCO's silence on many other destructions.
New UNESCO chief Azoulay said last week that the US "empty chair" cannot last. The American boycott, however, is not a matter of time, but of substance. The US and Israeli boycott will last until UNESCO returns to its original mission.
When Pablo Picasso painted the famous frescoes at UNESCO's headquarter at Place de Fontenoy in Paris, UNESCO's founding fathers dreamed of the rebirth of Western culture after the horrors of the Holocaust and Nazism. Now the West, intimidated by physical terror and political ransom, is allowing UNESCO to be seized by regimes that hang dissidents, lash women, execute gays, imprison Christians and leave their own people illiterate.
When did the West cynically decide that education and culture were worth less than a barrel of oil?
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.
© 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.

The Mullahs Overplay The Military Card
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/December 08/2017
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=60929
Faced with mounting domestic problems and diplomatic isolation to prolong its hold on power the leadership in Tehran is increasingly depending on the military establishment. Highlighting this growing dependence is the “Supreme Guide” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has held conclaves with the military chiefs on three occasions in less than a month during which signs of the military’s ascendency within the regime’s power structures have multiplied.
One sign was Khamenei’s decision to ask the newly appointed Chief of Staff General Muhammad Hussein Baqeri to take-over the key issues of cooperation with Russia and Turkey over Syria to the exclusion of President Hassan Rouhani and his administration. Baqeri has also launched an ambitious project for the creation of a de facto military alliance with Turkey, Iraq and Pakistan, with Russia as an outsider-supporter, in direct contradiction to Rouhani’s repeatedly asserted hope of accommodation with Western powers.
Another sign was Khamenei’s decision to write a personal letter to General Qassem Soleimani, the man in charge of “exporting the revolution” through his Quds (Jerusalem) Corps and the various branches of "Hezbollah" under his commands in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
In his letter, Khamenei credits Soleimani with having “destroyed” the alleged Caliphate (Da’esh in Arabic), and gives him the mission to pursue an even more aggressive strategy to extend the “recent victories” to the rest of the region. Once again, Khamenei’s instructions make nonsense of Rouhani’s repeated claims that Iran is seeking an end to tensions with neighboring nations.
As of humiliating the official government on issues of foreign policy were not enough, Khamenei has asked the military to take-over the task of providing relief and, later, reconstruction in the recent deadly earthquake that shattered parts of five provinces.
The implicit message, hammered in by Revolutionary Guards’ Commander General Muhammad-Ali Aziz-Jaafari, is that when it comes to dealing with a major emergency the civilian authorities are worse than useless.
To emphasize the rising profile of the military in Tehran’s power structures, Khamenei has ordered a whopping 14 per cent increase in defense and security budgets with a substantial rise in expenditure on the development of a new generation of missiles with help from North Korea. Here, too, the “Supreme Guide” rides roughshod over the official government’s policy of trying to persuade the European Union and, hopefully even the United States, that Iran has slowed down in its missile projects as a goodwill gesture towards the P5+1 group which drafted the so-called nuclear deal.
Meting 52 top military commanders, including General Baqeri in Tehran last Sunday, Khamenei declared the armed forces to be” in the forefront” of what he termed “ the victories of the revolution on all fronts.” He also decreed that the military should have the first right of refusal in recruiting “personnel of the highest quality.”
Khamenei’s growing reliance on the military may be tactically astute.
The Khomeinist regime has lost much of its popular base and, judging by rising social and economic tension across the nation, is often on the defensive on domestic issues. The old narrative of the revolution as a Robin Hood exercise to rob the rich and give to the poor is exposed as sham.
Official data clearly show that under the mullahs the rich have become richer and the poor poorer. Rampant corruption often highlighted by state-controlled media adds to the popular sentiment that a new Nomenclature, firmly in place, is intent on robbing the nation on a massive scale. In the past few weeks alone at least 12 senior officials accused of embezzlement on an astronomical scale have fled to Austria and Canada.
Growing unemployment, rising inflation and the plummeting value of the national currency punch further holes in any narrative of revolutionary success in areas that matter to the ordinary citizen.
Thus the regime is developing a new narrative based on the claim that the terrorism that is rampant in so many parts of the world l most notably in the Middle East, is also threatening Iran and that only the military-security elite could protect the nation against it.
“We are fighting away from our borders so that we don’t have to fight in our cities,” says General; Hossein Salami, number-two to Gen. Aziz-Jaafari.
However, at least in medium and long-terms such a narrative is unlikely to produce the desired effects. In any properly organized and governed country the armed forces are not in the “front line” of the nation’s fight for security let alone survival.
The “front lines” always consist of a nation’s diplomacy, economic power, social cohesion and cultural appeal. In other words, a nation’s military forces do not operate in a vacuum but in a broader context of socio-political reality. In that context, Iran today is more vulnerable than at any time since the 1940s. Khamenei expects the military to fill all the gaps created by decades of political and economic failure; and that is simply too much to ask.
The “Supreme Guide” may also be wrong on another score. In any country the various institutions of state evolve at roughly the same level. You cannot have an excellent military and a third-rate civil service, judiciary and economy. Systems that solely focus on military excellence never achieve anything beyond transient success.
One example is Sparta, which had the ancient world’s highest-rated military, disappeared from history whereas Athens, with its ramshackle citizen armies, survived the Persian, the Macedonian, the Roman and the Byzantine empires. Another example was Napoleon Bonaparte whose military machine set the whole of Europe ablaze while he ended in humiliation and death in exile.
And who could fail to be impressed by the Operation Barbarossa launched by Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union in 1941? And yet the end result was Berlin, the Nazi capital, as the biggest heap of ruins in history.
In Iran’s case, Khamenei is playing, even overplaying the military card for narrow political reasons at a time that Iran does not face any serious military threat to its national security and integrity. Beating the drums of war may sound exciting for a while; but, in time, its hollowness is bound to become clear.

Ambiguity Surrounds Trump’s Jerusalem Announcement
Raghida Dergham/Arab News/December 10/2017
Ambiguity surrounds Trump’s Jerusalem announcement
Reading between the lines of US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital reveals a deliberate ambiguity, leaving the door open to having the west and east of the city as the capitals of Israel and Palestine, respectively. The symbolism of the change in the official US position is important, while measures taken to transfer its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in two years will transform the symbolism into action. More seriously, Trump has introduced what he called reality and facts on the ground to international legitimacy — which had accompanied decades-long efforts regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict — upending fundamental principles in international relations and law. This requires a response that goes beyond slogans, protests, threats, lamentations, censures and one-upmanship regarding the central status of Jerusalem to Arab and Muslim nations.
The first step is to scrutinize Trump’s remarks. He did not talk of an undivided Jerusalem when he recognized the city as Israel’s capital, meaning that he has managed to avoid falling into the Israeli narrative of a “unified Jerusalem.”
Trump claimed his move “is nothing more, or less, than a recognition of reality.” But he left it vague by not distinguishing between West Jerusalem, Israel’s de-facto capital where its government is located, and East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state, despite Israel’s categorical refusal. So it is important to capitalize on the ambiguity in Trump’s announcement to fill in the blanks, and to push for recognition of the reality on the ground with West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and East Jerusalem as Palestine’s. More importantly, Arab parties must stop pretending to have been caught off guard, and change their approach of always reacting after it is too late. A plan is in the works — purportedly to be revealed in 2018 — for an incomplete peace deal between the Palestinians and Israelis based on a non-contiguous, fragmented, demilitarized Palestinian mini-state with limited sovereignty and temporary borders, whose capital would be in Abu Dis, a village near Jerusalem. Its economy would be based on aid and financial consolation packages.
Israel is involved in this plan, and reports suggest Arab governments are too. So let the response be practical, realistic and honest to avoid missing anymore opportunities due to stubborn denial. Otherwise, pragmatism will come in the form of a Palestinian coffin carried on American and Arab shoulders.
Some voices denouncing Trump’s Jerusalem move have appealed to the US to return to playing the role of “honest broker” between Israel and Palestine. But this characterization has always been disingenuous and false. The US and Israel have a strategic alliance and an organic relationship that prevents Washington from being an honest broker.
When Trump said on the campaign trail that he wanted the US to be “unbiased” in the conflict, there was a huge backlash, especially from his Jewish supporters. He has since adjusted his position, entrusting his son-in-law Jared Kushner with the miraculous task of finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Kushner believes that the key to a solution lies with the Sunni Arab bloc led by Saudi Arabia, whereby a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal would be part of a regional and international settlement. He is thinking of financial inducements to persuade the Palestinians to accept an incomplete state with provisional borders, and of economic sanctions should they refuse.
Kushner’s ideas are nothing revolutionary in terms of US policy. Rather, they are a logical progression in the context of the steady retreats made by previous administrations since former President Jimmy Carter’s. Since then, the US has gradually but consistently walked away from its own principles, including former President George W. Bush’s endorsement of a historic US-proposed UN Security Council resolution enshrining the two-state solution. This was the last serious achievement of US policy on the conflict. Former President Barack Obama entered the White House with a slew of promises to achieve an equitable solution, but left eight years later with nothing except a weak resolution that declared Israeli settlement-building unconducive to peace. He even rejected a proposal for an important Security Council resolution that would have laid down a firm grounding for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
The idea of a provisional Palestinian state, or a state with provisional borders, is not new. When I interviewed former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, he proposed this notion, triggering worldwide debate.
He did not talk of an undivided Jerusalem when he recognized the city as Israel’s capital, meaning that he has managed to avoid falling into the Israeli narrative of a ‘unified Jerusalem.’
The idea of tackling the Palestinian issue via economic and financial packages, without giving Palestinians sovereignty, is also nothing new. It was suggested by former US Secretary of State George Schultz, who served under George H.W. Bush. The same applies to Israel considering Gaza the foundation of a Palestinian state, while rejecting contiguity with the West Bank.
But there are two new things in the Trump’s administration approach: The principle of a grand bargain between Israel and the Sunni bloc, covering the Palestinian issue; and the boldness to relaunch efforts from the thorniest knot in the conflict — that of Jerusalem — which previous efforts had made the last stop.
US Vice President Mike Pence is one of the strongest backers of Trump’s bid, and he believes Jerusalem is Israel’s eternal capital. Pence is flying to meet Middle Eastern leaders soon, and intends to address the Israeli Parliament, but he wanted to have recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in his pocket first.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s opposition to the move does not concern the White House, which considers him a fleeting presence at this juncture. The views of Defense Secretary James Mattis also do not much concern senior White House officials, who are confident the so-called Arab and Muslim streets will not rise up.
They are also confident that a third Palestinian uprising will not come, that it would not last if it came, or that if it lasted, it could be used by Israel to justify further deportations of Palestinians — the only practical solution to the demographic problem in Israel’s thinking.
This could only further undermine the two-state solution, which Israel was not convinced of from the get-go, but was imposed on it by the US and the international community. Closing the curtain on the two-state solution remains an Israeli strategy, which thus includes any measures that escalate anger.
The Security Council previously issued resolutions adopting the two-state solution and rejecting unilateral measures, especially in Jerusalem. But the US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, was clear in her support for Israel and recognition of Jerusalem as its capital.
It is important to now monitor how US positions in the Security Council, the General Assembly and UN agencies evolve on the basis of accepting facts on the ground rather than international legitimacy, a battle promised by Haley in support of Israel at the UN.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has missed one opportunity after another, including in regards to suing Israel at the International Criminal Court, as it had pledged to do before backtracking on several occasions.
The PA had also threatened to dissolve itself to stop serving as a safety valve for Israel. But it backed down after realizing it was the Oslo Accords that established it, and there are no agreements in place that would allow it to return to power if it walked away from the accords.
Hamas remains the biggest factor that has helped Israel capitalize on Palestinian division. It serves as a hidden weapon in Israel’s hands should it need to justify the forcible transfer and deportation of Palestinians when the time comes.
The biggest winner after Trump’s announcement is Israel, but Israel wants him to go further and recognize “undivided” Jerusalem as its capital. This will remain ambiguous until more is known of Kushner’s plan.
Claims that Iran is set to benefit are premature because Tehran is required to prove itself a real opposition to compromises over Jerusalem, beyond lip service. Meanwhile, Russia’s one-upmanship is almost laughable. If it is truly determined to prevent the fall of all of Jerusalem to Israel, it must do more.
Turkey’s hands are bound while its tongue is loose. Its strategic considerations continue to come ahead of any real measures, so its objections will remain superficial. Arab countries — especially Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan — are the forefront, either through unprecedented opportunities that will come from plans for a regional settlement, or via developments that could drag them to a reckoning because of the American faux pas.
• Raghida Dergham is the founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute. She served as a columnist, senior diplomatic correspondent and New York bureau chief for the London-based Al-Hayat daily for 28 years. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an honorary fellow at the Foreign Policy Association, and has served on the International Media
Council of the World Economic Forum. Twitter: @RaghidaDergham