LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
December 24/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations
I will give boys to be their princes, and children shall rule over them
Isaiah Chapter 03/04/ I will give boys to be their princes, and children shall rule over them.  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. My people, those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths.
Isaiah Chapter 03/04/Chapter 05/20-23: Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and champions at mixing strong drink; who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice for the innocent!

Question: "Should Christians celebrate Christmas?"
GotQuestions.org
Answer: The debate about whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas has been raging for centuries. There are equally sincere and committed Christians on both sides of the issue, each with multiple reasons why or why not Christmas should be celebrated in Christian homes. But what does the Bible say? Does the Bible give clear direction as to whether Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated by Christians?
First, let’s look at the reasons why some Christians do not celebrate Christmas. One argument against Christmas is that the traditions surrounding the holiday have origins in paganism. Searching for reliable information on this topic is difficult because the origins of many of our traditions are so obscure that sources often contradict one another. Bells, candles, holly, and yuletide/yule decorations are mentioned in the history of pagan worship, but the use of such in one’s home certainly does not indicate a return to paganism. While there are definitely pagan roots to some traditions, there are many more traditions associated with the true meaning of Christmas—the birth of the Savior of the world in Bethlehem. Bells are played to ring out the joyous news, candles are lit to remind us that Christ is the Light of the world (John 1:4-9), a star is placed on the top of a Christmas tree to remember the Star of Bethlehem, and gifts are exchanged to remind us of the gifts of the Magi to Jesus, the greatest gift of God to mankind.
Another argument against Christmas, especially having a Christmas tree, is that the Bible forbids bringing trees into our homes and decorating them. The passage often cited is Jeremiah 10:1-16, but this passage refers to cutting down trees, chiseling the wood to make an idol, and then decorating the idol with silver and gold for the purpose of bowing down before it to worship it (see also Isaiah 44:9-18). The passage in Jeremiah cannot be taken out of its context and used to make a legitimate argument against Christmas trees.
Christians who choose to ignore Christmas point to the fact that the Bible doesn’t give us the date of Christ’s birth, which is certainly true. December 25 may not be even close to the time Jesus was born, and arguments on both sides are legion, some relating to climate in Israel, the practices of shepherds in winter, and the dates of Roman census-taking. None of these points are without a certain amount of conjecture, which brings us back to the fact that the Bible doesn’t tell us when Jesus was born. Some see this as proof positive that God didn’t want us to celebrate the birth, while others see the Bible’s silence on the issue as tacit approval.
Some Christians say that since the world celebrates Christmas—although it is becoming more and more politically correct to refer to it as “the holidays”—Christians should avoid it. But that is the same argument made by false religions that deny Christ altogether, as well as cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses who deny His deity. Those Christians who do celebrate Christmas often see the occasion as an opportunity to proclaim Christ as “the reason for the season” among the nations and to those trapped in false religions.
As we have seen, there is no legitimate scriptural reason not to celebrate Christmas. At the same time, there is no biblical mandate to celebrate it, either. In the end, of course, whether or not to celebrate Christmas is a personal decision. Whatever Christians decide to do regarding Christmas, their views should not be used as a club with which to beat down or denigrate those with opposing views, nor should either view be used as a badge of honor inducing pride over celebrating or not celebrating. As in all things, we seek wisdom from Him who gives it liberally to all who ask (James 1:5) and accept one another in Christian love and grace, regardless of our views on Christmas.
Recommended Resource: The Case for Christmas by Lee Strobel

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 23-24/17
The Hypocrisy of Liberation & Resistance/Elias Bejjani/December 23/17
Colourful like a Rainbow/Elias Bejjani/December 20/17
Beirut in the eye of the storm/Dr. Ibrahim Al-Othaimin/Al Arabiya/December 23/17
Palestinians: Another "Reconciliation" Bites the Dust/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/December 22/17
Court Jihad": How the French Justice System Assists Islamists/Yves Mamou/Gatestone Institute/December 22/17
Rahul Gandhi’s India/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/December 23/2017
Dear Putin: The ‘Security State’ Violates Any Constitution/Robert Ford/Asharq Al Awsat/December 23/2017

Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on December 23-24/17
The Hypocrisy of Liberation & Resistance
Colourful like a Rainbow
Lebanon: Public Discontent over Continuous Power Cuts
US Orders Review of Obama Govt Handling of Hizbullah Investigations
Guterres Extends STL Mandate for Another Three Years
Mashnouq to Run for Parliamentary Elections
Machnouk: No political capability to postpone elections and I am a candidate
Al-Rahi in Christmas Message Calls for Valuing Press Freedom
Rahi in his Christmas Message: Lebanese fear an authoritarian slide towards new patterns of press, media freedom
Hariri, Abi Khalil tackle Electricity Workers' Syndicate demands
Hariri hosts ceremony for orphan children on occasion of Christmas, New Year
Beirut in the eye of the storm

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 23-24/17
Man Held Over Christmas Attack Plot in San Francisco
13.4% of Arab Countries’ Populations Live in Acute Poverty
Al-Sisi: Egypt to launch $5.6 bln building project in Sinai
Palestinian dies of wounds from Israel border clashes
Iraqi military official: 13 Popular Mobilization brigades sent to Syrian border
At least 26 dead in two accidents on Egypt's roads
UN chief extends tribunal for Rafik Hariri killers for three years)
Obama’s handling of Hezbollah drug trafficking to be probed by US government
Russia to host Syria talks in Sochi in late January
UK designates ‘Hasm’, ‘Liwaa el-Thawra’ militant groups in Egypt as 'terrorist'
Two Palestinians killed in anti-US protests: health official
Gazan Dies of Wounds from Israel Border Clash, Ministry Says
UN Slaps New Sanctions on North Korea
Gaddafi’s Son Confirmed to Remain in Confinement
Erdogan in Khartoum on Sunday before Heading to Chad, Tunisia

Latest Lebanese Related News published on December 23-24/17
The Hypocrisy of Liberation & Resistance
Elias Bejjani/December 23/17
Lebanon will never ever enjoy independence and stability as long as it remains a permissible arena for resistance and liberation merchants such as Hezbollah and those hypocrites who adopt its camouflaged and evil rhetoric

Colourful like a Rainbow/الحياة متعددة الألوان كقوس القزح
Elias Bejjani/December 20/17
Life with all its complexities is so colourful like a rainbow, and its for your own taste, tolerance, wishes, capabilities and choice to envisage it the way that pleases you
https://www.facebook.com/elias.y.bejjani

Lebanon: Public Discontent over Continuous Power Cuts
Beirut - Paula Astih/Asharq Al Awsat/December 23/2017/Power cuts in Lebanon have reached unprecedented levels due to bad management and the absence of a political agreement on a plan for the sector’s revival. The crisis worsened on Friday by an open-ended strike organized by workers of Electricite du Liban (EDL), Lebanon’s state-run electricity firm. The strike has led to power cuts in the majority of Lebanese areas and drove popular resentment. In the last few days, a number of ministers and deputies raised their voices by demanding an end to the “suffering” caused by the lack of power on the eve of New Year celebrations. Those calls have reached their peak when Minister of State for the Displaced Moeen al-Merehbi broke into the electricity establishment in Halba, north Lebanon, and opened the door for employees to restore power to the villages that have suffered from a severe shortage in the past few days.
EDL workers on Friday announced they were still on open-ended strike after their representative failed to reach any result despite meeting with a delegate from the Finance Ministry. For its part, EDL apologized in a statement for the continuous power cuts, speaking about an “exceptional and difficult situation, for reasons outside its control.”Economic expert Jassem Ajaqah told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that the biggest problem behind the electricity crisis is the mismanagement of the sector and the absence of any planning and modernization. “The best solution for the crisis, which has been dragging since the 1970s, is to place a long-term plan that stipulates building a least one new state-owned or privately-owned power plant in every governorate and to rent power-generating vessels as a temporary solution for the improvement of Lebanon's electricity supply,” the expert said.

US Orders Review of Obama Govt Handling of Hizbullah Investigations
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 23/17US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday ordered an investigation into allegations that the Obama administration undermined efforts to target Hizbullah drug trafficking. The announcement comes after Politico reported that Project Cassandra, a program targeting trafficking by Iran-backed Hizbullah that could have undermined the push for a nuclear deal with Tehran, was "derailed" by the administration of former president Barack Obama. The review will "evaluate allegations that certain matters were not properly prosecuted and to ensure all matters are appropriately handled," Sessions said in a statement. "While I am hopeful that there were no barriers constructed by the last administration to allowing DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) agents to fully bring all appropriate cases under Project Cassandra, this is a significant issue for the protection of Americans," he added. But Edward Price, a former CIA agent who served as spokesman for the National Security Council for the Obama administration, told AFP: "The narrative presented in this report in no way resembles reality. "The Obama administration said time and again that the nuclear negotiations with Iran were confined exclusively to that narrow issue. We did not make concessions in other arenas, and we most certainly did not curtail or attempt to influence any active investigations, including by the Drug Enforcement Administration.  "Any allegations to the contrary are false, and those reflected in the story appear to be from former low-level officials who have since gone on to work for organizations ideologically opposed to the Iran deal, something Politico failed to disclose." Trump has criticized the Iran nuclear agreement as "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."
He refused to certify Iran's compliance with the deal, but left its ultimate fate up to the US Congress.

Guterres Extends STL Mandate for Another Three Years
Naharnet/December 23/17/U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has extended the mandate of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon for a period of three years starting March 1. In a tweet, the STL welcomed Guterres' decision and thanked the U.N. for "its commitment to support the STL's work in the fight against impunity for major crimes, in order to bring those responsible to justice."The STL was created in 2007 to try those responsible for the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri. It has indicted five Hizbullah operatives in the case and an in-absentia trial is underway.

Mashnouq to Run for Parliamentary Elections
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 23/17/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced on Saturday that he will be running for the upcoming parliamentary elections, and pointed out to full security preparedness to secure safety during the holidays. Mashnouq announced that the elections “will not be postponed. No political party wishes them postponed and I will run for the polls.” Lebanon's elections are scheduled in May 2018. Regarding safety measures during the holiday season, the Minister said: “25,000 soldiers will deploy in different areas around the country mainly near churches and places of worship.”He added saying that strict measures during New Year's eve will be taken regarding drivers' safety, excessive speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Machnouk: No political capability to postpone elections and I am a candidate
Sat 23 Dec 2017/NNA - Minister of the Interior and Municipalities Nohad el-Machnouk announced Saturday his candidacy for the next legislative elections scheduled for May 6, 2018, assuring that there is no reason to justify the postponement of the upcoming elections."There is neither any reason nor desire by any political party to postpone the elections, and there is no capability of any political side to take responsibility for such postponement," Machnouk said during a Television interview. Over the adopted security measures during the holidays, Machnouk asserted that "all security apparatuses will maintain full and high readiness to secure a safe festive week for all the Lebanese.""On the occasion of Christmas, measures will be intensified around all churches and places of worship (about 1,200 churches)...As for New Year's Day, there will be strictness in dealing with excessive speeding and preventing driving under the influence of alcohol, alongside wide security deployment on main roads and near nightclubs and hotels," Machnouk added reassuringly. Regarding the relationship between the Future Bloc and the Lebanese Forces Party, the Minister stressed that "both sides are committed to communication and deliberation for the sake of reaching a political agreement."

Al-Rahi in Christmas Message Calls for Valuing Press Freedom
Naharnet/December 23/17/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stressed in his Christmas message on Saturday the need to value the freedom of the press, after several encounters in Lebanon that saw lawsuits against journalists, as he asked the State to shoulder responsibility for private school teachers' salary increase demands. “The Lebanese fear an authoritarian slide towards patterns aiming to restrict the freedom of the press for political or malicious purposes. The judiciary should never be politicized,” said the Patriarch. The Maronite's remarks came after Thursday's demonstration where a number of civil society groups rallied outside the Justice Palace in Beirut in support of press freedom and to reject “the muzzling of voices.”The demonstration came in the wake of the prosecution of Marcel Ghanem, one of Lebanon's most prominent talk show hosts, over an episode in which he hosted Saudi journalists who labeled the Lebanese president and parliament speaker as “terrorists.”Turning to the private school teachers' demands for an increase in salary, Rahi said: “Private schools, mainly Catholic ones, should be concerned with preserving the rights of teachers and relieving the burden of the students' parents. The State must pay the difference resulting from the wage scale approval.” Several private schools have refused to alter the teachers' salaries arguing that any increase will entail a hike in tuition fees which was in turn strongly rejected by parents' committees. President Michel Aoun has reportedly said that the State could pay the salary increase demanded by the teachers.

Rahi in his Christmas Message: Lebanese fear an authoritarian slide towards new patterns of press, media freedom
Sat 23 Dec 2017/NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Butros al-Rahi, expressed fear in his Christmas message on Saturday of creating new patterns of freedom for the press and media in the country. "In Lebanon, diversity is inherent to freedom, and this is what distinguishes Lebanon from all the countries of the Middle East...The Lebanese fear an authoritarian slide towards the creation of patterns to restrict freedom of the media, the press and expression for political or malicious reasons," Rahi said during a Mass service in Bkirki. "Everyone should abide by the laws of the media, and safeguard its required ethics," al-Rahi stressed, refusing any politicization of the judiciary. "Every political system or performance that threatens the dignity and life of humans touches the Church at its very heart and faith...Hence, it cannot remain silent towards tyranny, but has to arm itself with courage, giving voice to those who do not have any...defending the wretched in this world and those who are threatened, vulnerable and deprived of their human rights," stressed the Patriarch. Commenting on the living standards of the Lebanese, al-Rahi deemed it "unacceptable that one-third of Lebanese citizens remain below the poverty level, as the World Bank studies have shown." The Patriarch accused the international community of "neglecting its promises towards Lebanon, especially that Lebanon hosts and shoulders the burden of both the Syrian and Palestinian refugees." He also charged the international community of imposing and instigating war against Iraq and Syria. Tackling the issue of private schools in Lebanon, the Patriarch regretted that "the wage act has created some rift within the educational family, namely between teachers, parents of students and private schools," noting that "private schools, especially Catholic institutions, are concerned with preserving and guaranteeing the rights of teachers, as well as relieving parents of their shouldered burdens."
"It is the duty of the State to recognize that it is responsible for educating the Lebanese by virtue of the Constitution. Therefore, the State has to pay the differences in salaries of teachers resulting from the implementation of the new wage grid, while preventing any raise in school fees," al-Rahi added.
The Patriarch moved on to criticize United States President Trump's decision "to Judaize the Holy City of Jerusalem, defying the whole world and neglecting all the appeals of peoples and nations.""We categorically reject this decision, because it is unjust and contrary to Christianity and Islam, and to the Palestinian people in particular," said al-Rahi, adding that the US President "has decided to destroy all pillars of the peace negotiations, thus, igniting the fire of a new intifada, and even a war, God forbid." "It is regrettable that the United States has abandoned its original mission to protect human and peoples' rights and to promote democracy, in wake of this unjust decision," stated the Patriarch. Al-Rahi concluded his Christmas sermon by hoping that the upcoming new year would dispel all conflicts and wars, as well as political, economic, living and social crises, putting an end to poverty and deprivation around the world.

Hariri, Abi Khalil tackle Electricity Workers' Syndicate demands
Sat 23 Dec 2017/NNA - Prime Minister Saad Hariri met Saturday afternoon with Water and Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil, accompanied by a delegation of the Lebanese Electricity Company Workers Syndicate, with talks centering on the strike carried out by the Syndicate members in protest against the wage grid implementation. On emerging, Abi Khalil said, "We had a lengthy discussion with Prime Minister Hariri over this issue...Certainly, neither the Prime Minister nor us would accept that EDL employees' interests be affected or neglected." "The Syndicate, in turn, has confirmed its objection to the power outages suffered by citizens and the poor service resulting from the strike. Therefore, it was agreed to resume repairs, provided that we have another meeting next week to finalize the salary scale issue and ways of implementing it to the satisfaction of the Electricity Company workers and users, in accordance with the applicable rules and workers' rights," added Abi Khalil.

Hariri hosts ceremony for orphan children on occasion of Christmas, New Year
Sat 23 Dec 2017/NNA - Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri held Saturday a joyful ceremony for young orphans from a number of associations and schools in various Lebanese regions, where he joined the children in celebration and distribution of gifts marking the Christmas and New Year occasions.
The ceremony was attended by children from: Saint Mansour Social Welfare Center in Ashrafieh, Islamic Orphanage branches in various regions, Mar Semaan Association in Wadi el-Karm, SOS Children's Villages, Dar Mansour for Charity in Broumana, Druze Orphanage in Abeih, Imam al-Sadr Institutions, Orphan Care Association in Sidon, and the "Sisters of Love" Social Institution in Baskinta.

Beirut in the eye of the storm
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Othaimin/Al Arabiya/December 23/17
The resignation of Saad Al-Hariri less than a year after being elected prime minister of Lebanon came as no surprise to many observers of the political scene. There are many overlapping domestic, regional and international factors that can be reflected in the following points.
Firstly, fragile government and grave crisis: State institutions in Lebanon were almost paralyzed by the failure of the two dominant Lebanese parties, March 8 Alliance and March 14 Alliance, to agree on the election of a president. In an attempt to put an end to the two-year-long presidential vacuum, spare Lebanon from regional crises and resume political life, Hariri and his political team came to accept Hezbollah’s first candidate, Michel Aoun. Hence, a fragile deal was agreed, whereby the former would be named prime minister and the latter would be appointed president until new parliamentary elections were held. The deal came into effect on the 11th of November 2016 and lasted no longer than a year, collapsing as soon as the resignation was declared.
When President Aoun visited Saudi Arabia in an attempt to restore normal relations between the two states after a deadlock period, I wrote an article titled “The Lebanese – Saudi Summit: What to Expect”. The article said: “The major challenge facing President Aoun following the visit is his ability to convince Hezbollah to spare Lebanon and the Lebanese community from further tensions in their relations with the Arab world and the Gulf states”. It also stated: “The shift in the Lebanese stand does not indicate its political independence. It is rather a temporary shift imposed by the surrounding circumstances during the past two years. Such circumstances forced Iran, Hezbollah and pro-Iran groups in Lebanon to compromise on some issues”. This is exactly what is happening.
Secondly, the deep-rooted crisis and the edge of blast: What we see these days is repercussions of a crisis that goes back to the fact that the Lebanese crisis is deeply rooted in the structure of the regime itself. The regime suffers from political sectarianism enshrined in the 1926 constitution, which in turn led to institutional sag, especially in security institutions, caused by sub-state loyalties that serve as substitute institutions to the state. The weakness of the state allowed foreign intervention that poses restrictions on any deterrence by the state, which resulted in institutional paralysis.
Lebanon has become a training center used by Hezbollah to train other militias in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and the Gulf states in order to be re-exported for political instability in those countries. Directed by Iran, Hezbollah intervened in Syria to back Assad, in Yemen to back the Houthis, in Iraq and in the Gulf states. Consequently, the said countries became a frontline for the extended Iranian military and economic influence through Hezbollah and Iran’s other arms.
Thirdly, new strategy to curb Iran: Last October, President Trump declared a new strategy to curb the Iranian destabilizing policies in the region and to end its support for terrorism. Hezbollah is Iran’s most destructive tool in the region. Via Beirut, the Revolutionary Guards and Quds Forces move arms, ideological supplies and influence to Syria, Yemen, Iraq and the Gulf states in order to undermine political stability and social harmony. In addition, Lebanon has become a training center used by Hezbollah to train other militias in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and the Gulf states in order to be re-exported for political instability in those countries. Directed by Iran, Hezbollah intervened in Syria to back Assad, in Yemen to back the Houthis, in Iraq and in the Gulf states. Consequently, the said countries became a frontline for the extended Iranian military and economic influence through Hezbollah and Iran’s other arms.
Fourthly, saving the national state from collapse: The current regional crises known as the “Arab Spring” have cost the region around $614 billion and over 1.3 million dead and wounded since 2011. Most importantly, the crises disintegrated nation-states in the affected countries, which in turn made them a fertile ground for many terrorist organizations such ISIS. These organizations took advantage of the political instability to start and expand in the region. They turned the affected countries into springboards to target the world in an attempt to re-form the region and the world by wiping out existing internationally recognized borders and destroying nation-states and the whole modern system of international relations.
Therefore, Hariri’s resignation is just a new chapter in the attempt to reorganize the region by strengthening the national state and the central authority and restoring security and stability.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 23-24/17
Man Held Over Christmas Attack Plot in San Francisco
Asharq Al-Awsat/December 23/2017/Federal agents arrested a former US Marine on Friday for allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired Christmas attack in San Francisco’s busy Pier 39 tourist spot, according to court documents. Tow truck driver Everitt Aaron Jameson, 26, outlined to undercover agents how he wanted to use explosives to target crowds at the pier between December 18 and 25 because "Christmas was the perfect day to commit the attack", according to an affidavit submitted by FBI Special Agent Christopher McKinney. Jameson professed not to need an escape plan as he was "ready to die," said the document. The suspect's home in Modesto, California, was raided by FBI agents on Wednesday, where they allegedly found his last will and testament along with several weapons and ammunition. Jameson attended basic training with the Marine Corps in 2009 and graduated with a "sharpshooter" rifle qualification, according to the FBI, but was discharged after failing to disclose a history of asthma. According to McKinney, Jameson selected Pier 39 because "he had been there before and knew it was a heavily crowded area."
"Jameson explained that he also desired to use explosives and described a plan in which explosives could 'tunnel' or 'funnel' people into a location where Jameson could inflict casualties," McKinney stated. The suspect inadvertently revealed his plans to an undercover FBI agent he believed to be a senior ISIS leader, according to the court document. Jameson said the US needed "another attack like New York or San Bernardino," adding that he wanted to use vehicles and firearms to carry out an attack. "Today, our incredible law enforcement officers have once again helped thwart an alleged plot to kill Americans," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. The terrorist threat “is real -- and it is serious -- but the American people can be assured that the Department of Justice remains vigilant in protecting our homeland," he added. According to the criminal complaint, Jameson has espoused radical beliefs, “including authoring social media posts that are supportive of terrorism." He had voiced support for the October 31 attack in New York in which a militant drove a pick-up truck into a crowded bike path, killing eight people, said the FBI, and was active on Facebook, "liking" pro-ISIS posts. The FBI began investigating in mid-September when it learned that Jameson was expressing support for posts that favored terrorism or ISIS. He "loved" an online post on November 29 of a terror propaganda image of Santa Claus standing in New York with a box of dynamite.
Jameson was charged in the Eastern District Court of California with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. At the court hearing, he was ordered held for a Dec. 28 detention hearing.

13.4% of Arab Countries’ Populations Live in Acute Poverty
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/December 23/2017/A report published this month estimated that the number of poor people in 10 Arab countries was 38.2 million, which represents 13.4 percent of the Arab population. The first Arab Multidimensional Poverty Report was co-authored by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the Arab League, and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. Launched on September 21 at the United Nations General Assembly, the report covers 75% of Arab population. It also indicated that 38.2 millions of Arabs live in acute poverty, and 116.1 million in moderate poverty – that is a staggering 40.6% of the population studied. The report divides regions into 3 groups, the poorest countries are Mauritania, Yemen, Sudan, and Comoros. The poorest countries have 42.6% of their households in acute poverty and nearly three-quarters in moderate poverty (72.7%). Among the countries covered were Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Jordan, Sudan, and Iraq. In addition to the existing poverty rate, another quarter of the population is vulnerable to domestic poverty, the report said. Multidimensional poverty is widespread, affecting more than 4 in 10 families and children, it added. The report's analysis of poverty in Arab countries shows that it is concentrated in some geographic regions. The percentage of the poor is higher in rural areas and in households where the head of the household is not educated. The poorest 15 provinces or states in 11 Arab countries (after adding Palestine to the report) are located in only 3 countries: Sudan (9 states), Mauritania (5 states) and Yemen. Poverty among children in rural areas is about 55 percent, 1.8 times over that of children living in urban areas.
The report pointed out that the issue of child poverty is vital to the Arab region, as the population of minors represents more than a quarter of the total population. The multidimensional poverty index measures non-monetary deprivation in all its aspects, painting a more accurate picture of the situation.
The report calls for improving educational gaps, social protection, safeguarding children, rural development and establishing an Arab poverty center.

Al-Sisi: Egypt to launch $5.6 bln building project in Sinai
Reuters, Cairo/December 23/2017/President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday Egypt will in the next two to three years embark on a $5.60 billion construction project in the Sinai peninsula whose north has been gripped by an Islamist insurgency. While the coast of the south of the peninsula is peppered with Red Sea tourist resorts, the North Sinai province is underdeveloped and lacks basic infrastructure and job opportunities. Security forces have battled Islamist militants in the mainly desert region, stretching from the Suez Canal eastwards to the Gaza Strip and Israel, since 2013. Militants have killed hundreds of police and soldiers. Sisi ordered armed forces to end the insurgency within three months after an attack on a mosque in North Sinai last month killed more than 300 people. It was considered the worst militant attack in Egypt’s modern history. “We have entrusted the ministry of housing and the engineering authority with a national project of comprehensive urban planning,” Sisi said at a ceremony to inaugurate a development project in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia. The president said the project would be carried out whether he remained in power or not. He did not provide a start date, sources of funding or specific details of what would be built under the project.

Palestinian dies of wounds from Israel border clashes
Agence France-Presse/December 23/2017/A Palestinian died on Saturday after being wounded by Israeli fire during a protest on the Gaza border against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the health ministry said.Sharaf Shalash, 28, sustained bullet wounds last Sunday during a demonstration east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. His death brings the number of Palestinians killed to 11 since US President Donald Trump announced on December 6 that he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. Nine protesters have died in clashes with Israeli troops, two of them on Friday. Two others were killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza earlier in the month. Shalash and the two Palestinians killed on Friday were buried on Saturday, in Gaza City, Beit Hanun and Jabalia. After the Shalash funeral in Jabalia, Palestinians went to the border with Israel where they threw stones at soldiers, who responded with tear gas and live bullets. One Palestinian was wounded, Qudra said.

Iraqi military official: 13 Popular Mobilization brigades sent to Syrian border
Al Arabiya/December 23/2017/Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces deployed 13 brigades to the Syrian border to support Iraqi border guard forces who were recently involved in a gunfire incident this past Tuesday, a military official said.
The gunfire attack came from within Syria. However, the group that was involved is still unknown. Popular Mobilization Forces expect ISIS to be responsible for the attack, who may be starting guerrilla warfare after losing its urban strongholds earlier this year. In a statement to the commander of the western Anbar axis, Qasim Musleh, the military official said, "after several Iraqi border checkpoints were attacked causing many guards to be injured by guided missiles and delayed support from the security forces, 13 Popular Mobilization brigades were sent and have started to target the sources of the rockets."

At least 26 dead in two accidents on Egypt's roads
Agence France-Presse, Associated Press/December 23/2017/A collision Saturday involving a minibus on a desert road 145 kilometres (90 miles) south of Cairo left 13 dead, the health ministry said. The minibus crashed into a truck on the main road connecting the southern city of Beni Suef to Cairo. All those killed were on the bus, which was carrying 17 people. That came just days after a crash on the same road also claimed 13 lives. According to the World Health Organization, Egypt loses about 12,000 lives due to road traffic crashes every year. It has a road traffic fatality rate of 42 deaths per 100 000 population due to inadequate infrastructure, and poorly enforced traffic laws. The country's official statistics agency says 14,700 road accidents took place in 2016.

UN chief extends tribunal for Rafik Hariri killers for three years)
The Associated Press/December 23/2017/UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is extending for three years the mandate of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is prosecuting suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced the extension from March 1, 2018, saying the trial in absentia of four men indicted in the truck bombing in Beirut that killed Hariri and 22 others is taking place at the UN-backed tribunal outside The Hague, Netherlands. He says the tribunal also has jurisdiction over attacks in Lebanon between Oct. 1, 2004, and Dec. 12, 2005, connected to the Hariri attack or similar in "nature and gravity." The spokesman says Guterres reaffirms the UN commitment to support the tribunal's fight against impunity and bring those responsible for major crimes to justice.

Obama’s handling of Hezbollah drug trafficking to be probed by US government
AFP, Washington/US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday ordered an investigation into allegations that the Obama administration undermined efforts to target Hezbollah drug trafficking. The announcement comes after Politico reported that Project Cassandra, a program targeting trafficking by Iran-backed Hezbollah that could have undermined the push for a nuclear deal with Tehran, was "derailed" by the administration of former president Barack Obama. The review will "evaluate allegations that certain matters were not properly prosecuted and to ensure all matters are appropriately handled," Sessions said in a statement. "While I am hopeful that there were no barriers constructed by the last administration to allowing DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) agents to fully bring all appropriate cases under Project Cassandra, this is a significant issue for the protection of Americans," he added. But Edward Price, a former CIA agent who served as spokesman for the National Security Council for the Obama administration, told AFP: "The narrative presented in this report in no way resembles reality. "The Obama administration said time and again that the nuclear negotiations with Iran were confined exclusively to that narrow issue. We did not make concessions in other arenas, and we most certainly did not curtail or attempt to influence any active investigations, including by the Drug Enforcement Administration. "Any allegations to the contrary are false, and those reflected in the story appear to be from former low-level officials who have since gone on to work for organizations ideologically opposed to the Iran deal, something Politico failed to disclose."Trump has criticized the Iran nuclear agreement as "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."He refused to certify Iran's compliance with the deal, but left its ultimate fate up to the US Congress.

Russia to host Syria talks in Sochi in late January
The Associated Press/December 23/2017/Russia, Turkey and Iran agreed Friday to hold Syria peace talks in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi next month, a move that the UN Special envoy for Syria said should be assessed based on its contribution to the mandated political process under the United Nations in Geneva. Russian news reports cited Kazakh diplomat Aidarbek Tumanov who said that during Friday's meeting in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, the parties agreed to hold the so-called Congress for National Dialogue in Sochi on January 29-30. Earlier attempts to convene the congress were thwarted by disagreements over possible participants, primarily the involvement of the Kurds which Turkey has opposed. Russian envoy Alexander Lavrentyev told the Interfax news agency that the parties have yet to agree on the list of participants. In an apparent concession to Turkey, Lavrentyev said that the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, wouldn't be invited to take part in the Sochi talks, but that "quite a few" Kurdish representatives will attend.
Putin has met with Assad ahead of a summit between Russia, Turkey and Iran and a new round of Syria peace talks in Geneva, Russian and Syrian state media reported Tuesday. (AP) "We have tried to have the Kurds broadly represented but also make sure that it doesn't annoy our Turkish colleagues," he said, according to Interfax. Lavrentyev added that the full list of participants will be completed after talks with Turkey and Iran. Tumanov said that the three countries have also decided to set up a working group that will deal with prisoner exchanges and agreed on the need to clear Syrian territory of mines.
The Kremlin said that President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the situation in Syria and the Sochi talks, adding that the leaders noted the importance of cooperation between Moscow and Ankara for "achieving a stable political settlement."
It added that they voiced hope that the Sochi talks agenda will be agreed upon in Astana. Turkey has been a main backer of the opposition groups and rebels trying to remove Syrian President Bashar Assad from power while Russia and Iran have been among his main backers.
The three countries have teamed up to help mediate a peace settlement for Syria's conflict, now in its seventh year, which has claimed the lives of 400,000 and caused the worst refugee crisis since World War II. The Sochi talks will open up a fourth track of talks between parties to the complex conflict in Syria. The UN's own Geneva program has been supplemented by the "technical" talks in Astana brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey. Russia periodically opens a third track through Cairo. Egypt has provided a base to Syrian reformists seen as acceptable to the Damascus government. "The United Nations maintains its view that any political initiative by international actors should be assessed by its ability to contribute to and support the mandated political process under the United Nations in Geneva," the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said in a statement. "The Special Envoy will be consulting the Secretary-General once he has received all the information required." De Mistura's statement said the special envoy reiterates his intention to convene a ninth round of intra-Syrian talks under the UN auspices in January. Syrian government negotiator Bashar Ja'afari makes a statement after a meeting during the Intra Syria talks at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland May 19, 2017. (Reuters) Syrian senior opposition official Ahmad Toma said in Astana that he will not make a unilateral decision on whether the opposition will attend next month's conference in Sochi or not, adding that he will have to raise the matter with opposition and rebel leaders in Syria.
"We don't want to take a quick decision," Toma said. The head of the Syrian government delegation to the conference in Astana, Bashar Ja'afari, blasted the US and Turkey saying both countries should pull their forces out of Syria without preconditions. He said Washington's insistence on keeping its forces in Syria is a "flagrant aggression."The US said it will maintain its presence in Syria to fight the ISIS group and "reinforce stability in liberated areas." There are now about 1,500 US troops in Syria that initially came to train and support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the anti-IS campaign. On Thursday, Brett McGurk, the US special envoy for the anti-ISIS coalition, told reporters in Washington that US officials have engaged with their Russian counterparts about exactly what they have in mind "and they have said that Sochi would be kind of a gathering of Syrian figures, and then what happens in Sochi would feed directly into Geneva." He added that if that's the case, then "that's something that might actually support the Geneva process."

UK designates ‘Hasm’, ‘Liwaa el-Thawra’ militant groups in Egypt as 'terrorist'
Al Arabiya/December 23/2017/Britain says it has designated two militant groups targeting Egyptian security personnel and public figures as "terrorist" organizations. The British Embassy in Egypt says in a statement Friday that Britain has added the Hasm movement and Liwaa el-Thawra group to its list of terrorist organizations after reviewing attacks claimed by both groups and finding they meet the criteria. It also said the move will boost its "capacity to disrupt the activities of these terrorist organizations."Both groups have targeted mainly Egyptian security forces in bombings and drive-by shootings. Egyptian authorities believe they are splinter factions of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group. Militant attacks have increased dramatically in Egypt since the military's 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, a senior Brotherhood figure. The British Ambassador to Egypt John Casson affirmed that the UK will not leave Egypt alone in its fight against terrorism and expressed his concern in the statement. Egyptian authorities say the two groups, each of which have claimed responsibility for armed attacks in Egypt, are armed factions of the Muslim Brotherhood group. The Egyptian authorities banned the Muslim Brotherhood and declared it a terrorist organization after deposing President Mohamed Morsi, who belonged to it in 2013 during mass protests over his one-year rule.(With AP)

Two Palestinians killed in anti-US protests: health official
Reuters/December 23/2017/Palestinians launched more anti-US protests on Friday, and at least two demonstrators were killed in the Gaza Strip, a health official said, after the UN General Assembly rejected Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Smoke billowed from burning tires at a demonstration in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, two days before Christmas celebrations in the biblical town. Israeli gunfire killed a 24-year-old Palestinian and wounded 10 other protesters during a stone-throwing demonstration in the southern Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry there said. The Israeli military said it was checking the report. A second man,whose identity is still unknown, died in clashes east of Gaza. He was shot in the chest according to the health ministry official. One of the wounded, part of a crowd that approached the border fence chanting that US President Donald Trump was a “fool” and a “coward”, was dressed as Santa Claus, witnesses said. Protests erupted in all of the West Bank’s seven cities and in East Jerusalem. Health officials said at least five Palestinians were wounded by rubber bullets fired by Israeli security forces, who also used tear gas.Defying the United States on Thursday, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution calling for the United States to drop its Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem, a city revered by Jews, Muslims and Christians, as Israel’s capital. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a Christmas message, condemned Trump’s reversal of a decades-old US policy on Jerusalem “an insult to millions of people worldwide, and also to the city of Bethlehem.”Palestinians have protested daily since Trump’s Jerusalem announcement, throwing stones at Israeli security forces. Gaza militants have also launched sporadic rocket fire.
Friday’s death in Gaza raised to nine the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire during the demonstrations, Palestinian health officials said, and dozens have been wounded. Two militants were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza after a rocket attack. There have been no Israeli fatalities or significant injuries.
“Excessive force”
Amnesty International on Friday called on Israeli authorities to stop using “excessive force.” “The fact that live ammunition has been used during protests in Gaza and the West Bank is particularly shocking,” it said.

Gazan Dies of Wounds from Israel Border Clash, Ministry Says
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 23/17/A Palestinian died on Saturday after being wounded by Israeli fire during a protest on the Gaza border against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the health ministry said. Sharaf Shalash, 28, sustained bullet wounds last Sunday during a demonstration east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. His death brings to 11 the number of Palestinians who have been killed since US President Donald Trump announced on December 6 that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. Nine died in clashes with Israeli troops. Two were killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza.

UN Slaps New Sanctions on North Korea
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 23/17/With China's backing, the UN Security Council on Friday slapped new sanctions on North Korea that will restrict oil supplies vital for Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs. The council unanimously adopted a US-drafted resolution that also orders the repatriation of North Korean workers sent abroad to earn revenue for Kim Jong-Un's regime. It is the third raft of sanctions imposed on Pyongyang this year and comes as the United States and North Korea show no signs they are willing to open talks on ending the crisis on the Korean peninsula.US President Donald Trump Friday hailed the move, saying the international community was pushing for peace with the isolated regime. "The United Nations Security Council just voted 15-0 in favor of additional Sanctions on North Korea. The World wants Peace, not Death!" Trump tweeted. The resolution bans the supply of nearly 75 percent of refined oil products to North Korea, puts a cap on crude deliveries and orders all North Korean nationals working abroad to be sent back by the end of 2019. The United States put forward the draft text on Thursday following negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally and main supplier of oil.
Describing North Korea as "the most tragic example of evil in the modern world," US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the new sanctions are "a reflection of the international outrage at the Kim regime's actions."
The resolution "sends the unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishment and isolation," she said.
The measures are in response to North Korea's test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on November 28 that marked an advance in Pyongyang's drive to threaten the US mainland with a nuclear strike. Trump has threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if it attacks the United States while North Korea insists the world must now accept that it is a nuclear power. Last month, Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to cut off oil to the North, a move that would cripple its struggling economy. Crude oil supplies were capped at four million barrels per year and a ceiling of 500,000 barrels of refined petroleum products, including diesel and kerosene, was set for next year, down from two million barrels in a previous resolution. If North Korea carries out another nuclear or ICBM test, "then the Security Council will take action to restrict further the export to the DPRK of petroleum," said the resolution. The United States had initially sought to expel within a year tens of thousands of North Koreans, most of whom are working in Russia and China, but that deadline was extended to two years after Russia objected. To prevent North Korea from circumventing sanctions, all countries were authorized to seize, inspect and impound ships suspected of carrying illegal cargo to and from North Korea. - Sanctions only a means -The measure bans sales of all industrial machinery, trucks, iron, steel and other metals to North Korea and bars exports of food, machinery, electrical equipment, earth, stone, wood and vessels produced in the reclusive state. Addressing the council, China and Russia condemned North Korea's behavior but made the case for urgently opening diplomatic channels to ease tensions and move towards settling the crisis. "Sanctions are only a means," said Chinese Deputy Ambassador Wu Haitao. "One should not expect to settle the problems through unilateral sanctions or pressure.""We all must, we are all duty-bound, to provide opportunities for diplomacy to function," said Russian Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov. A total of 15 North Korean officials, most of whom work in banking, were added to the UN sanctions blacklist along with the ministry of the people's armed forces, which manages army logistics for the country. An earlier list contained 19 names, later reduced to 16, but a final version listed 15 North Koreans, who will be subjected to a global visa ban and assets freeze. Since September last year, North Korea has carried out its sixth and largest nuclear test and a series of advanced missile launches which are banned under UN resolutions. The United States has led the drive at the Security Council to tighten sanctions aimed at piling pressure on Kim's regime to come to the negotiating table.
French Ambassador Francois Delattre welcomed the new measures, saying "this resolution bites.""Maximum firmness today is our best antidote to the risk of war," he said. The European Union said in a statement that it too is planning to adopt tougher sanctions against North Korea early next year.

Gaddafi’s Son Confirmed to Remain in Confinement
Tripoli, Cairo – Abed Sattar Hatita, Jamal Johar//Asharq Al Awsat/December 23/2017/The Libyan Attorney General's office calmed fears of late President Muammar Gaddafi’s family concerning the alleged disappearance son Al-Saadi Gaddafi from his prison cell in Tripoli. In a statement issued by the office, Al-Saadi was said to still be in confinement and waiting to be put to trial. The Gaddafi family said it lost contact with Al-Saadi for a while now and is completely in the dark on his condition. “All we know is that he is being held hostage in a prison run by the militias in the capital,” one of the family members came out as saying. In a statement circulated to the local media, the Gaddafi family called on all human rights organizations, social leaders, honorable and free people to act to protect Al-Saadi. The statement held militias and all three governments and the judicial authorities responsible for his safety.
Head of the investigations department at the Libyan prosecutor's office Siddiq Sour told Xinhua on Thursday that Saadi Gaddafi has been in prison in Tripoli for three years. "He is inside prison in Tripoli and he is fine." "The defendant Al-Saadi Gaddafi is currently being tried for charges against him according to Libyan law," Sour added. The Libyan official made his remarks in response to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Gaddafi family, in which they claimed that contact with Al-Saadi was lost a while ago. "All the family has learned is that he is in a prison run by militias," The Gaddafi family said in a statement, adding that they had lost contact with Al-Saadi for quite a while and neither they nor his lawyer had been able to contact him. "Despite testimonies of witnesses and consensus on his acquittal of charges against him, his trial has been repeatedly postponed and he was isolated from his lawyer," the statement said. Al-Saadi is the third son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Al-Saadi was the former deputy commander of security units in the former regime. Libyan authorities accuse him of involvement in suppressing the 2011 uprising that overthrew his father's rule. After losing the fighting between Gaddafi's army and Libyan rebels in 2011, Al-Saadi fled to Niger, which handed him over in 2014 to the Libyan authorities. He has since been held captive and his trial was postponed several times. More on the war-torn country, Libya’s National Commission for Human Rights says that it holds the Presidency Council and its Government of National Accord responsible for the suffering and tragedy of the people of Tauorga, now in their seventh year of living in dire conditions in camps. This has to end, The Libya National Commission for Human Rights has said, expressing its deep concern at the flooding and cold currently faced by those in camps in Tripoli as a result of the torrential rain and cold. Tauorga is a town in Libya that is under administrative jurisdiction of the city of Misrata. There has to be urgent humanitarian assistance for them, it has said. Tauorga refugees, mainly from the Falah camp near Tripoli’s Airport Road, protested on Friday outside the prime minister’s office demanding to be allowed to return to their hometown but also to be given adequate shelter. Once again, their camp has been flooded. Social media reports that five Tauorga people have drowned in the camps at Falah and Janzour as a result of the flooding have not been confirmed.

Erdogan in Khartoum on Sunday before Heading to Chad, Tunisia
Asharq Al Awsat/December 23/2017/Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will kick off a four-day African tour on Sunday that will take him to Sudan, Chad and Tunisia. Erdogan will discuss bilateral relations and cooperation during his visit, the Turkish presidency’s media office said in a statement, adding that Turkey has long-standing cultural and historical ties with the three countries. The Turkish president will also exchange views on regional and international developments, and various cooperation agreements will be signed in various fields, the statement noted. He will be accompanied to Sudan by an economic delegation of some 200 Turkish businessmen. The Sudanese foreign ministry distributed on Friday the program of the visit, which would include a summit meeting between the two presidents, after which a number of agreements would be signed. Erdogan will also address the National Assembly (Sudanese Parliament) on Sunday evening and then he will head to Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast to visit the ancient city of Sawakin. The Agricultural Committee between Sudan and Turkey will also convene on the sidelines of the visit. The Turkish minister of agriculture is expected to arrive on Saturday in Khartoum, heading a delegation from his ministry to participate in these meetings. The Sudanese foreign ministry announced on Thursday that the visit was aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries, which are based on deep-rooted historical, cultural and social ties and promoting their economic and trade partnerships. A statement issued by the official spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qaribullah al-Khadr, said that the joint talks between the two countries would include the signing of a number of agreements aimed at boosting economic partnerships in the fields of investment, agricultural production, higher education, environment, military and legal cooperation, roads, mining, energy, health and tourism. More than 150 Turkish companies and Sudanese businessmen will also attend the meetings.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 23-24/17
Palestinians: Another "Reconciliation" Bites the Dust
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/December 22/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11594/palestinians-another-reconciliation-bites-the-dust
The idea that Hamas would disarm and stop digging tunnels and hand the Gaza Strip on a silver platter to Abbas and Fatah is pure fantasy.
Westerners are either ignorant and naïve or they are willfully deluding themselves.
Hamas simply cannot accept a situation where it is being asked to accept the so-called two-state solution....As made clear by the Hamas leaders, their goal remains to seek the "liberation of all of Palestine, from the [Mediterranean] sea to the [Jordan] river." This is Hamas's mantra.
For more than two months, the Hamas-Fatah "reconciliation" agreement that was reached in Cairo in October has been hailed by many Arabs and Westerners as a sign that the Palestinians were finally marching forward together.
It turns out, however, that the dramatic announcement of the agreement, which was reached with the sponsorship of the Egypt, was all a bluff.
Those in the know about the Palestinian world predicted that the latest "reconciliation" deal would fail. At least five previous agreements between Hamas and Fatah, reached under the auspices of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen over the past ten years, likewise failed. Every one of these agreements was stillborn, not worth the time it took to uncap the pen.
The latest "reconciliation" agreement, then, has just joined this impressive list of defunct accords. Moreover, it is not too speculative to suggest that any truce struck in the foreseeable future between Hamas and Fatah would also swiftly join its predecessors in the graveyard of agreements.
So, why do these "reconciliation" agreements between the two rival Palestinian parties keep failing? Why has it become impossible for the Palestinians to reunite themselves and work together for the sake of a better life for their people? Who is responsible for the divisions and internal bickering among the Palestinians and who are the biggest losers and winners from the continued power struggle between Hamas and Fatah?
PA President Mahmoud Abbas. For the Palestinians, the word '"reconciliation" has become synonymous with discord. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
These questions prod at one as Palestinian leaders continue to call for "days of rage" and incite their people in response to President Donald Trump's announcement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The small protests that have swept some parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip (but were exaggerated by mainstream media in the West) served as a distraction from the failure of Hamas and Fatah to implement their "reconciliation" agreement.
Once again, Hamas and Fatah have shown that their accords are about everything but "reconciliation." In fact, each time they sign such a pact, tensions between them skyrocket. For the Palestinians, the word "reconciliation" has become synonymous with dissension and disagreement.
While Palestinians, incited by their leaders, were busy over the past week throwing stones at Israeli soldiers and burning US flags and effigies of Trump, Hamas and Fatah were quietly burying the "reconciliation" agreement that they had enthusiastically celebrated a few weeks before. Hamas and Fatah have begun the process of preparing for their people the news that this has been yet another short-lived marriage, and that the two parties are simply unable to live together in the same house.
Echoing this mood, Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar told a group of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on December 21 that the "reconciliation" deal with Fatah was "collapsing." He explained: "Anyone who doesn't see the reconciliation agreement collapsing is blind. The agreement is falling apart and everyone should intervene to save it."
Another Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, said that his movement does not want to be part of any "reconciliation" agreement that "harms the interests of Hamas and the religion of Islam." Zahar, in a speech before Muslim worshippers in the Gaza Strip on December 15, said that Hamas's "project" remains the "liberation of all of Palestine." He also repeated Hamas's long-standing position that it will never recognize Israel's right to exist and will never accept the so-called two-state solution.
According to the two Hamas leaders, the main reason behind the failure of the agreement with President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah faction centers around the demand for Hamas to disarm and give up its security control over the Gaza Strip. Abbas and his Fatah leaders have been begging Hamas to allow them to regain security control over the Gaza Strip as part of the "reconciliation" agreement, but to no avail. Hamas' response: "Over our dead bodies!"
Some Western political analysts and experts who had applauded the "reconciliation" agreement as a sign that Hamas and Fatah were finally moving in the right direction and doing something good for the sake of their own people are in a for disappointment. One of two things is happening: Westerners are either ignorant and naïve or they are willfully deluding themselves.
Once again : Anyone who thinks that Hamas will voluntarily, and peacefully cede its security control over the Gaza Strip and lay down its weapons is living under an illusion.
The idea that Hamas would disarm and stop digging tunnels and hand the Gaza Strip on a silver platter to Abbas and Fatah is pure fantasy.
From the outset, it was clear that Hamas had no intention of relinquishing its security control over the Gaza Strip and that it plans to continue holding hostage the two million Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. How do we know that? The answer is simple: That is what Hamas leaders themselves have been stating in public almost every day for the past few weeks since the "reconciliation" agreement was announced in Cairo.
The Hamas-Fatah "reconciliation" accord failed because Hamas will continue to prepare itself to pursue the fight against Israel. It wants to continue digging tunnels along the border with Israel so that it can use them one day to kill or kidnap Israelis. Hamas wants to continue building tunnels along the border with Egypt so that it can use them to smuggle weapons and terrorists into and out of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas wants to hold on to the thousands of militiamen it employs and continues to recruit in the Gaza Strip because it will never allow anyone else to rule the Gaza Strip. Hamas denies that it had agreed to disarm or dismantle its security forces when it reached its agreement with Fatah.
The "reconciliation" deal, however, not only failed because of the controversy over the security control of the Gaza Strip.
The other reason the deal never materialized is because Hamas simply cannot accept a situation in which it is being asked to accept the so-called two-state solution. Hamas is worried that its partnership with Abbas and Fatah might be interpreted as a sign that Hamas recognizes the Oslo Accords and has abandoned its genocidal ideology, which calls for the destruction of Israel. As made clear by the Hamas leaders, their goal remains to seek the "liberation of all of Palestine, from the [Mediterranean] sea to the [Jordan] river." This is Hamas's mantra.
The agreement failed because Hamas remains the same Hamas it has been for the past 30 years. The one thing Hamas has to its credit is honesty: it now, as it has always, aims to eliminate Israel. Hamas has been making this considerately clear in all languages.
The Palestinians are now back in the kitchen. This means that the Palestinians will have to continue living with the reality that they have two separate political entities (or mini-states) – one in the West Bank and another in the Gaza Strip. Abbas and Fatah will continue to rule parts of the West Bank – under the protection of Israel, while Hamas will continue to have full control over the entire Gaza Strip, which has been turned into an Islamist emirate.
This is purely an internal Palestinian affair which concerns neither Israel nor any other party. The power struggle among the Palestinians is the direct result of a dispute between corrupt leaders of Fatah and Hamas. These are leaders who are prepared to fight each other to the last Palestinian. These are leaders who insist upon indoctrinating their people and inciting them against Israel and the US as a way of distracting attention from bad government. These are the leaders who have led their people again and again, from one war after another, to the edge of devastation.
**Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist, is based in Jerusalem.
© 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.

"Court Jihad": How the French Justice System Assists Islamists
Yves Mamou/Gatestone Institute/December 22/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11563/france-justice-system-islamists
In France, all the circumlocutions for the word "terrorist" appear to have the same goal: to deny that Islamist terrorism is a coordinated movement and that Islamist warriors are mainly French citizens engaged in a war against their own country.
If you deny that terrorism is a war, you also logically have to deny that terrorists are supported, sheltered, transported and financed by a grey zone of supposedly peaceful French citizens.
In France today, the result of the denial of war is the "anti-racism" movement. Anyone who dares to question Islam or Islamism in its relation to violence and terrorism risks being hauled into court and tried as a "racist."
When members of a small French far-right nationalist group, Génération Identitaire, occupied a mosque under construction in Poitiers in 2012 and said they were celebrating the anniversary of the battle of Poitiers (732 AD), in which Charles Martel defeated the army of the Ummayad Caliphate, thereby routing the Arab invasion of France, the prosecutor of the Republic of France launched an immediate investigation for "incitement to racial hatred." Five of the activists were arrested, indicted, and this month, sentenced to one-year suspended prison sentences. The court sentenced four of them to deprivation of their civic rights (such as the right to vote in elections) for the next five years. In addition, the Génération Identitaire organization had to pay a fine of 10,000 euros, and the four activists had to pay a fine of 24,000 euros to the organization "Muslims of France" ("Musulmans de France"), which is the owner of the mosque and the legal representative in France of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood movement. If the fine is not paid, the activists will go to jail.
The lawyer for Génération Identitaire, Frederic Pichon, said he was "flabbergasted by the severity of the sentence" and that the decision was "political". "I cannot help comparing it with the incredible impunity that... Femen received when it burst into the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris," he said.
Pichon was referring to a 2013 incident, in which members of the feminist group Femen had burst topless into Notre Dame Cathedral, were accused of damaging a bell, and in 2015, were acquitted by the Paris court of appeals. Two of the security officers who drove the perpetrators received fines.
Members of the French nationalist group Génération Identitaire chant on the roof of a mosque (then under construction) in Poitiers, France, on October 20, 2012. The heavy sentence against far-right activists of the Génération Identitaire, however, should not have come as a surprise. The French judicial system is simply applying a policy which claims that the new enemy of the society is not Islamism, but the traditional fascism of the extreme right. This policy, elaborated by the Ministry of Justice and applied by prosecutors, is based on two assumptions. The first is that -- despite the fact that since 2012 more than 250 people have been murdered in France by Islamic terrorism -- there is supposedly no Islamist war against France or any other non-Muslim country. Islamists killers are presumably only "lone wolves" or "mentally ill". The second assumption is that if there is no Islamist war against non-Muslims, all critics of Islam and Islamism are not exercising freedom of speech but expressing racism.
The denial of an Islamist war was established in the judiciary by Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira in 2012, under the socialist president François Hollande. Taubira staffed her ministerial office with a significant number of members of the Syndicat de la Magistrature, an Islamo-leftist union of judges.
To get an idea of what the Syndicat de la Magistrature (SM) is, its general secretary, Laurence Blisson, told the communist paper l'Humanité in 2015, after the terrorist attack against the satiric magazine Charlie Hebdo: "We are facing extremely serious criminal acts, but we are not facing a war..." Blisson was also very active in public meetings, siding with Islamist figures such as the activist grandson of the Muslim Brotherhood, Tariq Ramadan, and the founder of the Collectif contre l'islamophobie ("Collective against Islamophobia," CCIF), Marwan Muhammad.
Under Taubira, François Molins, the prosecutor of Paris, became the backbone of the fight against terrorists and the Denier-of-War-in-Chief. Molins showed great lexical inventiveness in finding different definitions each time for the same acts of terrorism: killers became "isolated and troubled"; "lone wolves"; "mentally unbalanced" or "radicalized at the last minute". One Islamist terrorist became a "neophyte". All these circumlocutions appear to have the same goal: to deny that Islamist terrorism is a coordinated movement and that Islamist warriors are mainly French citizens engaged in a war against their own country.
If you deny that terrorism is a war, you also logically have to deny that terrorists are supported, sheltered, transported and financed by a grey zone of supposedly peaceful French citizens.
The case of Jawad Bendaoud illustrates the mindset of denial of war. Bendaoud was arrested because in one of his apartments, he had sheltered two members of the Islamist cell that had committed the terrorist attacks of November 2015 at the Bataclan Theater, several cafés and the Stade de France stadium, in which more than 130 people were murdered. At first, Bendaoud, prosecuted by Molins's department of justice, was accused of being "associated with terrorist criminals for the preparation of one or more crimes to harm people". Three months later, however, when public anger calmed down, Bendaoud's crime of "terrorism" was downgraded to just "concealment of wrongdoers". Under the first charge, Bendaoud risked 20 years in prison; under the second, only three.
Another Islamist, Kobili Traore, who murdered an elderly Jew, Sarah Halimi, in spring of 2017, was immediately sent to a psychiatric hospital. For the Paris prosecutor, this Islamist was neither an Islamist nor anti-Semitic. He was regarded as just a poor, mentally-ill killer. Only a report by experts, and public pressure from the Jewish media, moved the Paris prosecutor to reconsider the charges. Sarah Halimi's murderer will now be brought to court and charged with an "anti-Semitic offense".
In France today, the result of the denial of war is the "anti-racism" movement. Anyone who dares to question Islam or Islamism in its relation to violence and terrorism risks being hauled into court and tried as a "racist."
Before 2012, the French judiciary considered "racism" a difficult matter. Most of the time, police precincts were reluctant to register a complaint on any matter related to "racism." They found the entire concept of racism ethereal and seemingly did not want to waste time on a matter where proof is so difficult to demonstrate. Even when a precinct registered a complaint, the file was never delivered to the prosecutor. If a complaint of racism was finally transmitted to prosecutor's office, it was most often carefully kept at the bottom of the pile of complaints.
In 2012, the Minister of Justice, Christiane Taubira, changed all that. She ordered all prosecutors to hire a "discrimination attaché", an investigative magistrate specializing in cases related to racism. She also ordered all prosecutors to work closely with "anti-racist" organizations, which means they had to get close to the Muslim "anti-Islamophobia" organizations. In January 2015, in the wake of Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack, Taubira ordered all prosecutors in France to pay special attention to all expressions of racism in the country. Her intentions were undoubtedly good, but since then, any kind of criticism or protest against Islam or Islamists immediately comes under suspicion of "racism". The government, possibly afraid of a civil war, began to fight anti-Islamic "hate speech".
As a consequence, a "court jihad" of trials began in France, not only against the far-right, but also against journalists, writers, academics, secular Muslims, and anyone else accused of being a "racist" if he expressed a fear of Islamism, justified or not. Spread by a constellation of Muslim organizations allied to powerful (non-Muslim) "anti-racist" associations, "jihad by court" has brought to trial people who exercised their right to freedom of speech. Many prosecutors have exceeded what was necessary to prevent abuse and the circumvention of the freedom of speech.
It will be now be interesting to see how the courts will treat two Islamists who, in mid-November 2017, penetrated the Carmel de Verdun monastery in eastern France, where nuns were celebrating Vespers. The Islamists has shouted and sung Koranic suras in Arabic, and had "encouraged" the nuns to convert to Islam. "If you do not convert to Islam," they said, "you will go to hell". On the Golden Book of the Carmel, the monastery's visitors book, they wrote "Allahu Akbar" ("Allah is the greatest"). The two men were later arrested by the police. Their trial is expected in April 2018. Officially they are charged for "psychological violence" and could face up to three years in prison and a fine up to 45,000 euros.
*Yves Mamou, author and journalist, based in France, worked for two decades as a journalist for Le Monde. He is finishing a book about "Collaborators and Useful Idiots of Islamism in France," to be published in 2018.
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Rahul Gandhi’s India
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/December 23/2017
We, the Arabs, have too many problems that make any attempt to discuss other issues appear as an intentional diversion. Still, what has happened and may happen, in India, must be among the great challenges facing Arabs and Muslims all over the world.
Rahul Gandhi, a scion of the Gandhi – Nehru dynasty, that has become synonymous with independent, non-aligned and secular India, has just been elected leader of the Indian Congress Party; the party which led the world’s most populous democracy’s struggle for independence.
It is quite important to appreciate the significance of this event against the background of escalating religious extremism, not only in Pakistan, a nation specifically founded under religious banner as a ‘Muslim state’; but also in India, itself, where ‘Congress’ has lost ground to the extremist religious and ethnic populism of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by the current Prime Minister Narenda Modi.
It is actually ironic that Mr Modi, who has built the better part of his popularity on his strident sectarianism, shot his rise to power from his powerbase of Gujarat, the state where the Mahatma Gandhi was born, and the state which geographically closest to the Muslim and Arab worlds.
Indeed, India’s independence in 1947 was the first test for the ability of ‘Political Islam’ to co-exist with, and adapt to, modern political institutions in the Third World Countries during the countdown of classic colonialism. It was also its first experiment in co-existing with other religions in independent entities where Muslims were a religious minority.
In the Indian Sub-continent, the historic choice was made one year before the Palestinian ‘Nakbah’ and the creation of the State of Israel.
The choice was simply between the two concepts of ‘pluralistic state’ and ‘religious state’; between the optimists who believed in the possibility of building a co-existence that transcends ethnic, religious and linguistic divides, and the pessimists who doubt such a co-existence regarding themselves as realists.
This was exactly the case in pre-1947 India, where many Muslims were ‘realistic’ doubters in a subcontinent where Muslims constituted a minority, and where tens of major languages and hundreds of accents were spoken by hundreds of millions.
The Indian Muslims were thus divided; as subsequently was the Indian national movement which led the struggle for independence from the empire that had always valued India as its ‘crown jewel’.
Eventually, the difficult decision was made, and its repercussions have continued and may become worse in the future. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of the All-India Muslim League insisted that the Muslims should have a state of their own, opposing what saw as utopian dreams of intellectuals like ‘the Mahatma’ Mohandas Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and even some Indian Muslim leaders such as Abul Kalam Azad and Dr Zakir Husain.
Partition came to pass in 1947 with the declaration of two states; India and Pakistan. Pakistan then was actually two ‘Pakistans’: West Pakistan where Punjabis made up the majority ‘ethnic’ group, followed by Sindhis, Pathans (Afghans), Belouchs and other ‘muhajir’ (immigrant) communities from other parts of India, and East Pakistan comprising a huge Bengali majority.
The partition was certainly not an amicable divorce. It became a fait accompli after a deep disagreement between old ‘comrades-in-arms’.
Population exchange took place against a background of massacres and forced displacement, creating ultra extremists on both sides of the newly declared borders. After the thousands of those who lost their lives in the process, the conflict claimed its most influential victim; Gandhi, the greatest leader and ‘The Father of the Nation’, who was assassinated on January 30th 1948, by a Hindu activist who believed the great man had gone too far in appeasing and accommodating the Muslims.
Since that landmark, India and Pakistan took divergent paths.
During the Cold war, Pakistan became an integral part of the West’s military alliances intended to ‘contain’ Communist threat, joining both CENTO (Formerly, Baghdad Pact) and SEATO. Later, during the Soviet-Sino ideological schism, and capitalising on the border conflict between India and China, Pakistan established a ‘special relationship’ with China. India, on the other hand, became an independent leading force in ‘the Non-Aligned Movement’, the Commonwealth, and the Afro-Asian groupings and conferences.
Internally, Pakistan has failed to build a proper democratic system, as the army emerged as a dominant player and continues to dominate the country’s national, regional and ‘Islamic’ policies. Since 1947 the Pakistani army has wielded its influence either directly through its generals-presidents (such as Presidents Muhammad Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, and Parvez Musharraf), or behind the scenes through intermittent weak democratic reigns blemished by corruption.
This has not been the case with India, which despite its complicated cultural, ethnic and linguistic mosaic, has managed thanks to its federal democratic system to survive all shocks, control secessionist threats, and establish the required balance that allows the smooth running of a huge country inhabited by more than one billion people. In fact, despite the fact that the Hindus make up around %80 of the population, the nationalistic Hindu BJP’s support in the last polls was in the region of %31, which is why it leads a coalition government.
Furthermore, in 1971, Pakistan paid a heavy price for its failure to deal with two problems: The first, its mishandling with its geographic – ethnic problem (as 2208 Km-1372 m separate West Pakistan and East Pakistan across northern India; and the second, its ongoing open conflict with India over Kashmir.
Exploiting a political crisis between the country’s two parts, following divisive general elections that year, India intervened in the ensuing fighting, and helped East Pakistan break away and declare its independence as Bangladesh.
India, in the meantime was having a different kind of problems. For a start, and despite its solid democracy, relative stability and technological advances, ‘Congress’ was gradually losing its invincibility and aura as a result of accumulating problems. The main beneficiaries from the old party’s decline have been the extremist populists who today threaten India’s cordial relations with many of its neighbours, as well as shaking its internal cohesion and national unity.
If successful in leading Congress back to power, Rahul Gandhi may provide an opportunity to reflect and put an end to dangerous regional and international gambles.
He may, hopefully, be able to stop the rise of extremists’ terror of all kinds in the name of religion. If anything, the destruction of Ayodhya’s Babri Mosque, the Bali attacks, and the plight of the Rohingya clearly show that Asia is neither safe nor immune.

Exclusive - Dear Putin: The ‘Security State’ Violates Any Constitution
Robert Ford/Asharq Al Awsat/December 23/2017
At the end of 2017 the Americans can see the full results of their mistakes in Syria. Iran’s influence has expanded in Syria and the Americans have no leverage to reduce it. Russia is dominating the diplomatic work around Syria. When the UN investigative team stated in October that Bashar Assad used chemical weapons again, in violation of many UN Security Council resolutions and US-Russia private agreements, the Russians in November used another veto to block any more investigations.
The American military aid to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Unity Party (PYD) and its YPG militia was the main reason for the recapture of eastern Syrian territory from ISIS. This is a big American military achievement. It has no political weight, however. Surrounded by hostile Syrian, Turkish and Iranian militia forces, the Syrian Kurds need American protection. Washington answered that it would keep its forces in Syria to ensure no return of ISIS. Russia’s Foreign Ministry in November called the American military presence illegal and demanded the US to immediately withdraw its forces. Iran has made the same demand and there are reports that Iranian General Qassem Soleimani has threatened US forces in Syria. Most likely Iran and Syria, backed by Russia, will use non-conventional tactics to put pressure on the Americans; they did this in Iraq ten years ago. When I speak to American groups around the United States, American citizens are surprised to learn that we have a new, long-term military presence in Syria. I have never found a group that supports a long-term military role in Syria.
The worst is yet to come. Washington said it would keep its forces in eastern Syria until there is a peace agreement to end the Syrian civil war but it has no influence to facilitate a peace deal. Instead, Russia is trying to impose its plan. The Russians declare that the “de-escalation zones” are a success despite bombing atrocities in places such as the eastern Ghouta and the Aleppo countryside; the “de-escalation zones” are supposed to allow the UN to deliver food aid, but little aid ever arrives. Instead we see new pictures of malnourished people. And Assad’s forces and his allies keep bombing, attacking and advancing, street by street in the Ghouta and Hama and Homs provinces without any Russian punishment.
My message to President Putin is simple: please don’t call something an agreement or a ceasefire when it is constantly violated. It is an insult to everyone’s intelligence.
I have an unhappy expectation about the future of American policy on the Syria conflict. Like Iran in 2014 and 2015, Putin now urges a new constitution and new elections under the United Nations supervision. The American government abandoned the call for a transition government before the new constitution and new elections. Western diplomats have told the Syrian opposition they should participate in elections under an Assad government because maybe the opposition could defeat Assad at the ballot box. The Americans and other western diplomats promise that the UN will supervise the elections. Do the Americans think this will be Iraq in 2005 and 2006 again?
I was in Iraq between 2003 and 2006. The American army had 150,000 soldiers inside Iraq who had firm orders from President George Bush to follow the United Nations instructions about the Iraqi elections. The American army was not always pleased by this order from Bush but the White House was determined that the UN should organize fair, credible elections as the first step to getting the US army out of the Iraq swamp. Does anyone think that the Syrian Army and secret police will take orders from the UN about elections so that a new Syrian government can reduce their power and hold them accountable for their crimes? The UN cannot even deliver aid into the eastern Ghouta despite Russian promises. How will the UN enforce accurate voter lists, open party and candidate registrations, open and fair campaigning and access to Syrian media without interference and arrests by the secret police under Assad?
Any American official who thinks Syria will resemble Iraq after 2005 fails to understand that the dynamics are different in Syria. Saddam Hussein’s Army and secret police were defeated and destroyed in 2003 before the Iraqi elections. In Syria Assad’s army and secret police despite casualties are vigorously pursuing their enemies without regret or repentance. Ask Ali Mamlouk and Jamil Hassan.
So the Syrian President and his circle will remain. Maybe there would be some superficial changes – a new Prime Minister or a new Planning Minister or some such. It doesn’t change the core of the system which will remain. And a new constitution doesn’t help. Syria’s problem is a security state that accepts no accountability and kills or jails those who demand real change regardless of the constitution. That security state will violate the beautiful new constitution. Syria’s problem is not a constitution problem. It is a rule of law problem. Russia, which is also a security state, understands this very well. It likes the security solution disguised as a political solution.
So, the Russian plan of a broad dialogue, new constitution and new elections is ridiculous and cynical. Cynical because the Assad regime will make no concessions. Its side won the war militarily. The ridiculous idea that a new constitution and UN-organized elections will provide a fair political settlement presumes that we have no brains or eyes. That is a new insult caused by the Americans and others made before.